Manga World: Bringing Steam Technology to the World of Sanctuary

"I am Akara, High Priestess of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye. I welcome you, traveler, to our camp, but I'm afraid I can offer you but poor shelter within these rickety walls.

You see, our ancient Sisterhood has fallen under a strange curse. The mighty Citadel from which we have guarded the gates to the East for generations, has been corrupted by the evil Demoness, Andariel.

I still can't believe it..."

Christel rolled her eyes as she listened to Akara introduce herself and tell the barbarian the story of the camp.

"Well, I'm hungry, aren't you hungry Jaina?

"Hm"

"Let's go get something for dinner"

"Hm"

"Christel, good job. Who taught you how to use a bow? You almost look like you were born from the Amazons. Are you hungry? Follow me, let me show you that blacksmiths aren't only good at cooking metal..."

Charsi approached Christel as they walked towards the entrance of the camp. Akara, Kashya, and the high officials were talking to the barbarian warrior, and the other female workers had to take charge of cleaning up the battlefield. Although they are creatures summoned from the bowels of hell, the Fallen bring with them useful materials such as metals. Although these materials are soaked in corrupted energy, with a slight treatment they can be turned into magical weapons and armor. Otherwise, it is just a matter of purifying them in the fire of a large bonfire.

After tasting the mysterious burnt flesh, Christel vowed to never accept Charsi's dinner invitation again. Jaina had once said she had to help the sisters and now realizing that she ran away. 'Traitor, you are so attached to me and with this little difficulty you abandon me.' Christel ate the dark mass and drank water while thinking of how to punish little Jaina at bedtime.

Christel had a little chat with Charsi who helped him practice the language, while listening to the story of Moreina, Kashya and Lakrii. The four orphans and how Akara had raised them becoming a maternal figure for the quartet. Charsi liked forging, she fell in love with the art of creating things with fire and metal. While Moreina and Kashya the bow, both had an innate talent and their Cultivation of the Sightless Eye made them the most accurate archers of the Rogue sisters. For her part, Lakrii took the path of sword dancing, her combat form was as fast as it was accurate and she attacks with quick and sharp slashes of her sword.

Charsi, though clumsy and only focused on forging practice, although she sometimes played Tanke in the quartet when they went hunting, was not stupid. She noticed as they grew up how Moreina and Kashya formed a bond beyond being simple sisters, and how Lakrii began to want to get Kashya's attention and always fought with Moreina for it.

'A love triangle huh~'

But at one point a little less than 20 years ago, something strange was happening in Tristan. Dark clouds began to cover Khanduras, Akara sensing that something strange was happening, cast a divination and discovered that Moreina was in danger. She sent a Rogue messenger to give the news to Kashya and Lakrii who were guarding the Dark Forest to investigate Tristan. Lakrii with his constant fight with Moreina preferred to stay on guard in the Dark Forest leaving Kashya to go alone. But when she arrived it was too late.

Kashya was investigating the news, apparently a primordial evil had appeared in Tristan, possessing the body of Prince Albrecht, son of Leoric, managed to materialize in this physical world, but was stopped by Moreina and two other men, Aidan and Jazreth. But Akara was not convinced, she believed it was -the Lord of Terror-. But against her wishes to be wrong, Akara was right, it was nothing more than Diablo's plan to get a better vessel, thus finishing corrupting the three heroes.

Moreina fell into madness and enlisted the help of Andariel, a Devil beyond the power of a Demon King who possessed a beautiful young maiden named Lani to corrupt the Rogues' Monastery and Bastion and drive the Sightless Eye Sisterhood from the East Gate, taking many other Rogue sisters under Moreina's command.

Lakrii, seeing this happening far away from her, sent out a large portion of the Rogues guarding the Dark Forest Pass, as well as building materials and tools. Fireproof Blackwood logs are the main material of the Rogue Camp. All of Alysha's sword skills were taught by Lakrii, and Alysha greatly admires her.

But as time went on, Lakrii's temper became increasingly irritable and bloody, until five years ago, when with a failed love confession to Kashya, Lakrii left Camp Rogue with more than half of the sisters. Akara feels increasingly lost and in constant depression. Akara sees how the evil forces are taking her daughters away from her one by one and she can do nothing.

"...Until a lunar cycle ago when Akara received divination that Heroes would come to the camp and begin a journey of pursuit against the Lord of Terror to kill or capture him, cleansing all corruption in their wake. Perhaps you will be one of these heroes, Christel."

"Ha? Me? Forget it, didn't you see that Moreina, she would crush me in a confrontation, much less fight against that lord of terror you speak of, no no no no"

"Hahaha, but you faced Moreina without fear and looked her in the eyes while you made fun of her."

"That was because I was meters away from you and Kashya in the middle, speaking of which, so Alysha is the daughter of Moreina and Kashya, but how, aren't they both women?

"Cough, cough. Christel, don't ask that, especially in front of Kashya unless you want to fly straight home in one fell swoop. Besides, what's wrong with having a daughter between two women, it's normal among the sisters of the Brotherhood of the Blind Eye."

"I don't mean it's bad, but I mean, doesn't it take a man and a woman to have children?"

"Hahaha, not for us, we have a cultivation method that helps us have children born from love"

"Love? You mean the cultivation method of the Sightless Eye?"

"Oh! Akara gave you the cultivation method, well yes, not only do they give us stronger souls but if we recognize another sister as our soul mate, a daughter will be born from our union, although it is not easy, we have to work hard."

With a strange look, Christel looked at Charsi.

"So Charsi, you must have a lot of daughters if you're a hard worker."

"I...cough, cough. I haven't found my soulmate... Besides, who would want to be with a fat woman like me?" Charsi almost choked on the alcoholic drink she was drinking, Christel wanted some, but was rejected by Charsi.

"Eh? But you're not fat, you're very beautiful, I think many women would be tempted to be with you..." Christel is telling the truth, Charsi, despite looking very tall, perhaps the tallest in the camp, has a very hard but well-formed body, with the largest breasts I've ever seen, wide hips, big buttocks and plump, long legs that go on for miles. Christel would have to raise her hands to be able to hug Charsi's waist.

"Hehehe really? Thanks Christel, but you are still too young for me to be my wife..." Charsi blushed and said with a shy look.

"What are you talking about sister Charsi, who said that I want to be your wife, if it comes to that you are going to be my wife!!!"

"Hahaha, for that you would have to defeat me Christel"

"Well just wait, I will defeat you and take you as my wife"

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll wait for you."

"Uh, cough... This, Mrs. Charsi, Miss Christel, Master Akara asks you to gather at the command center tent." Suddenly, a girl was heard clearing her throat and coughing.

"Ha, hello Sister Roxene, we're coming. By the way, do you have a cold? Why is your face so red? ..." Christel and Charsi noticed the young woman who appeared, she is the youngest priestess apprentice and the one that Akara apparently usually uses as a messenger within the camp.

"Come on Christel, Roxene." And so, Charsi stood up and walked towards the large, white tent that was in front of her blacksmithing area.

And so, after Christel entered the large tent for the first time, she noticed that aside from Akara and Kashya, there were also Warriv and Gheed, as well as some Rogue group leaders and Priestesses alongside Kashya and Akara respectively. And there was also a huge, muscle-bound Barbarian and a pale man with graying white hair and black clothes, all sitting around a rustic, black wooden table. 'I understand the Barbarian warrior who arrived in combat, but when the second hero arrived, and isn't this the -Necromancer-, how did he enter the Rogue Camp and sit here? They distrusted me even more!'

"Well Christel, I called you to explain in detail what you saw when you used your analysis magic in the previous battle."

"Uhnmm. Could I have a scroll and some drawing materials?" Christel tilted her head and looked around, then after thinking for a few seconds she proposed.

"Sure, Roxene, you could give Christel a scroll and some paints."

Akara told the girl who entered with Christel and Charsi, Roxene went to a bookcase and took out a whole scroll, then to another desk-shaped piece of furniture and took out a brush and jars of paint.

"Thank you Sister Roxene." After Christel took the things and thanked her, she opened the scroll on the table in a free area. The scroll was medium-sized, cut from a larger one, looking like it was left over, but it measured just over a meter by about 50 centimeters.

"First I wanted to use the analysis spell to identify the enemy's weaknesses and strengths, but I was surprised to see something other than what was shown in reality..." Christel began to tell what she saw in the battle, while drawing with the brush, Christel is not an artist, but his design skills, such as freehand drawing and architectural drawings are easy for him.

"... Their skin was cracked, but not because it was dry or corpse-like, but rather like black lines that wrapped around them. In the center and under their breasts, there was a black hole, but more than being black like darkness it was like a black from nowhere. As if that part of their body wasn't there but somewhere else. And their faces showed a pain of agony and sadness, a reluctance and a loss. Their eyes had the iris vibrating as if a thousand feelings changed at once every second, and tears of blood ran down their cheeks."

As Christel spoke, she continued to draw. Those present could hear what she wanted to express. Although Christel's words were very simple and somewhat choppy, they could understand the meaning and feelings they contained. In Christel's drawing, six girls appeared, who would normally be very beautiful, especially the woman in the middle. All around 25 years old, in the prime of youth, but with a maturity in their bodies and their gaze. Or at least that's how they should be, but little by little their faces were transformed into an expression of torture, their white skin was filled with straight black lines like a circuit board, a hole in their chest a little lower down and red tears of blood as if a river was born from the tormented eyes of the six women.

"... They are in some kind of low swamp, and fleshy branches like tentacles wrap around their bare feet with thorns buried in the skin of their legs. It is as if they are alive, but in hell."

And so, Christel finished drawing, and handed over the still fresh painting. Charsi brought her hands to her mouth, and Akara and Kashya had tears forming in their eyes. The drawing shows the six companions and sisters, in the state they were 20 years ago, their skin tones are vivid and not the pale and dry skin of now, their hair shiny and they wear white but torn and stained robes. The other younger rogues don't understand it and even less Warriv and Gheed who are only merchants and had never been involved in these paranormal events. But Akara, Charsi, Kashya, and the older Rogues do. What Christel saw are the souls of her sisters and former companions, Alive! But, tormented.

"20 years..."

"How much they have been suffering..."

"Andariel!!!"

"Christel, you say we can get them back?" Akara asked in a soft voice.

"Yes, I don't know how, but despite everything, their souls are intact at their core. They are very strong and I feel like I can cut those branches, and the black lines can be replaced with my power. But..."

"What's wrong Christel?" Kashya asked with a hint of nervousness.

"The only problem is the hole in my chest, I don't know who has it, I don't feel like I can get it back just like that"

"It must be in the hands of Andariel, that damn bitch who is in Lani's body" Kashya got angry and hit the table. No one was bothered by her attitude, everyone feels anger in their hearts.

"Ha, what an interesting girl, at such a young age you can already clearly see the spiritual world, interesting..."

"Oh, Christel, let me introduce you to this..."