• An addendum to Rule 3 regarding fan-translated works of things such as Web Novels has been made. Please see here for details.
  • We've issued a clarification on our policy on AI-generated work.
  • Our mod selection process has completed. Please welcome our new moderators.
  • Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
  • For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
  • Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
  • Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
  • The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.

Reborn as a Demonic Hat

Created
Status
Incomplete
Watchers
114
Recent readers
0
Threadmarks
6
Ethan Hawke's no stranger to Isekai stories. But now he's in one...as a hat.

A hat that can [Possess] creatures and [Steal] their skills.

Now, Ethan's cleaving a path through the world by controlling only the most OP monsters he can find.

And he won't stop until he sits on the head of the God that sent him here Himself.
Threadmarks
Reader mode
Chapter 1: You are a [Hat]
IronLung

IronLung

Know what you're doing yet?
Joined
Mar 15, 2024
Messages
208
Likes received
1,890
Ethan Hawke was a man who got things done.

He was a worker – pure and simple. Put him in any situation, and he'd come out on top. Ethan's boss at the Tax Consultancy company he worked for knew this, and saw to it that his best worker was kept busy.

"Ethan! Make sure those reports are triple-checked before tomorrow morning"

"Ethan – new trainees just joined up. Gonna need someone to run 'em through the ropes and assess their skills. Make this your primary action objective for the day."

"Ethan! Regional Manager's on the way. Keep him confined to your stall. And get that manga bullshit off. Your. Desk!"

To all these requests, Ethan would oblige. He'd work day-in, day-out, never muttering a grumble of complaint, never casting a dark glance cast in his more lackadaisical coworkers' direction.

At night, he'd get home and absorb himself in anime and manga, playing the occasional MMO, and wait for the dawn that heralded another dull day of his life.

And one day, he looked in the mirror and saw a tired clown staring back at him.

"Look at you," he told his grizzled, unkempt face. "Even the Gibdos from Zelda scrub up better than you do."

There it was – the first joke of the day. The first of many mechanisms Ethan had invented to get through the drudgery of his 9-5 life. Taking this world seriously had ceased being an option for him a long time ago.

Oh, it wasn't that he begrudged those who worked long hours for a living like him. It wasn't that he hated his boss, his company, and the city he lived in. After all, he could just leave and move on, right? No – Ethan's ennui went far deeper than that. The specific circumstances of his life were endemic of a much greater problem that had followed him since his birth.

Ethan Hawke's problem was that he had no control over anything.

As a kid, there'd always been someone telling him how the world worked. There'd always been someone who believed they knew better than he did who he was, and what his place in the world was.

"Stick in at school," his father – a Stockbroker who brokered bottles more than stocks - had said. "Get a job. Work hard. Monitor your assets. Get married. Have kids. Tell them to do the same."

His mother – when she wasn't cleaning up his father's drunken messes - would tell him how he could find a good wife that could make him happy. She was telling him the love of a good woman was all he'd ever need.

And Ethan, at 25 years of age, was now beginning to doubt that very much.

Because the world had also started telling him different things these days – that a man had to be strong (but not too strong) masculine (but not so much as to be considered toxic) and caring (but not too emotional – crybabies were such a turnoff).

How the hell could he get married when the game seemed so rigged against him?

His mother, his father, his teachers, his backbreaking boss, his friends, and even the society he was living in itself – all of them seemed to Ethan to be nothing more than a council of 'wise' old Elders who told him what life he ought to live. The person he should be.

And today, as Ethan crossed the road towards his office building and his stuffy little worker's cubicle within, a heretical thought suddenly occurred to him:

What about what he wanted to be?

He stopped, ignoring the oncoming traffic that swerved to avoid him as this thought occurred. It was like a jittery little imp was knocking at the side of his brain. It was a thought that brought a hoarse chuckle to his lips. The anagnorisis of the tragic hero, occurring in the middle of a congested main road at 09:00 am. He'd simply…never thought about it before.

"What I want? Fuck," he whispered. "I just wanna see what happens when I'm the one in control, for once…"

A barrage of lights threw themselves across his body, casting his thin silhouette across the street.

He heard the driver of the truck beep his horn. He knew – without exception – that he'd be able to leap out of the way if he wanted to.

And yet…he didn't.

Without really knowing why, Ethan Hawke did the one thing that no one had ever told him to do: he stopped.

And he waited.

And the funniest thing was that when the truck finally did hit him, he barely felt any pain at all.

…

Ethan's life faded away with not even a whimper. And as his soul floated in a peaceful little void of nothingness – where no self-righteous voices existed – he suddenly felt a certain…sensation.

It was not unlike being sucked through a really tight vacuum cleaner hose, which, to be fair, was exactly what he imagined dying would feel like. The darkness eventually gave way to dust, and he awoke to a high ceilinged mine shaft filled with sparkling rocks and dripping water from above.

So, this is what death looks like, huh, Ethan thought as he prospected his new surroundings. You know what? This all checks out.

What didn't check out was the feeling of something under him. Something round, smooth, and…more dead than him, apparently.

He looked down to see that he was perched atop the head of a dusty skeleton, its cobweb-laden eyes staring into the far distance like it had left something out there in the dark tunnel beyond this shaft.

Poor dude probably starved to death. Helluva way to go. Then again, I ain't exactly one to talk…

Ethan ruffled his rim and rolled his single eye.

…

Wait a minute…

He looked down again, seeing the deep blue rim of a hat exactly where his feet should have been. Stitches, a little brown patch sewn into the side…yeah, it was a hat alright.

He was a hat…

---System Notification---

Rebirth: Complete!

You are a hat. Congratulations.

…I'm a hat?

Correct.

…Am I a pretty hat?

The little box that represented this 'System' screen then appeared to show him exactly what he looked like. Yup. He was a hat, alright. He was a pointy, dainty little wizard's hat – just like the classic ones worn by DnD wizards. The only thing that marked him out as rather distinct was the single, crimson eye that was currently staring back at him from the base of the hat's stem. His eye…

So, this really is some Isekai shit, Ethan thought. Like 'So I'm a Spider, so what?' right?

No. You are not a spider.

You are a hat.

You are a {Legendary} hat.

Riiiight. Well, since I'm going nowhere fast, tell me: what can a {Legendary} hat do?

A hat exists to be worn. Even {Legendary} ones.

This is a hat's only purpose.

You're gonna be one of those snarky little System guides, ain't ya? Ethan yawned – an action accomplished by slightly ruffling his front hem and rolling his single eye. This ain't my first rodeo, y'know. I've seen plenty of nonhuman MC shit. I wouldn't be reborn unless I had a few OP skills up my sleeve.

A hat does not have sleeves. A hat is only a ha-

A hat is gonna lose his fucking mind if you keep that shit up, Ethan raged, his crimson eye bulging with anger. Look, pull up my skill list and let's get the show on the road here, huh? I ain't gonna mope around in some backwater mine waiting for someone to pick me up. No point lying down on the job and regretting my previous life (such as it was). Just don't tell me that there's some self-righteous God I've gotta answer to…

---Skill check: Ethan Hawke---

Object: Hat {Legendary}

Skills: Possession (Rank F)

Skill Steal (Rank F)

Appraisal (Rank F)

Transmogrification (Rank F)

Spirit Cores: 1

HP: SPECIAL

MP: SPECIAL

WILL: SPECIAL

PER: SPECIAL

STR: SPECIAL

SPD: SPECIAL

CHA: SPECIAL

Now we're talking…Mrs Thornberry always did say I was a special student.

Something then began scurrying out of the corner of Ethan's peripheral vision. Something small, and chittery, which had just wormed its fuzzy form into the mine shaft.

A rat.

A rat with a pair of beady little eyes.

Eyes that found the only other eye in the otherwise eyeless expanse of the mine.

Eyes that shone with mischief.

Ah shit…ok, ok. Defenses, Mr system? What ya got for me here? I'm a wizard's hat, obviously. The guy that croaked it while he was wearing me had some magic skill, right? Bring up my epic spell list.

…

A hat has no spells.

A hat exists only to be worn.

You are a hat.

You're enjoying this shit, aren't you?

Before Ethan could spout a few choice obscenities for his awkward System screen to try and interpret, the rat had already scurried over to his position and began nibbling away at his hem.

Hey, hey, hey! he tried screaming through his mouthless form.

The rat didn't seem to understand the importance of exchanging pleasantries with polite company. Instead, it elected to chew clean through a section of his hem and scuttle underneath into his floppy, hatty bowels.

Wow! This…this is some bad territory to be straying into this early in my Isekai adventure, little guy! Just because I'm technically an object does not mean I don't have a say in – hey!

While the little creature was poking around inside the darkness of his threaded insides, the System screen made a prompt return:

[Potential Host: Identified]

Possession Success chance will be determined by your Spirit Core strength vs the Host's 'Willpower' attribute.

Attempt possession?

Ohkaaay, Ethan mumbled. Either I get chewed to death from my insides by a fleapitten rodent, or I become the fleabitten rodent…you know what? It ain't like I've got anything better to do. Call me Pazzuzu and let's get some head-spinning goodness going.

Possession: Activated

He felt it. He felt the rat jerk up in his bowels. He felt the creature's eyes begin to blur, its ruby pupils dilating as it realized its mistake in snooping around…

Then he felt something else – resistance.

Damn! Ethan screamed internally. This…this little guy's puttin' up a fight!

He closed his eye and concentrated. Now he could actually see the creature flailing about, spittle flying from its tiny, cracked teeth as it twisted unnaturally in the deep darkness of its prison.

Come ON! You're a freaking rat! Give it the fuck up already!

And then, almost as soon as the whole ordeal had started, it was over.

[Possession: Success!]

Rats Willpower: 0 vs Hat {Legendary} Spirit Core: 1

Rats are not strong willed. They have nothing but base, primal desires.

Congratulations! You have successfully possessed a {Rat, Lvl 1} .

Spirit Cores: +1

Ethan didn't feel too different at first – though he could definitely feel something…changing.

[Form Manipulation: Complete!]

An audible pop sounded in the depths of the cavernous mine, and Ethan now looked down upon a very different body beneath his hem.

He had shrunk. He had shrunk to fit the rat's head.

He was currently a pointy wizard's hat atop the head of a smelly, cave-dwelling rat.

And…he could move.

Hell yeah! he screeched, his command to cry out in delight being performed by his new host. The rat now seemed fully under his control. He could feel every limb, every muscle, every joint within its tiny form contort and even dance to the tune of his thoughts.

I should probably give my first host a name. Something distinguished. Something the history books in this world will talk about when I sit upon the head of a King or Emperor...How about…Theodore!

[Status Update]

Host: Theodore the Rat {Level 1}

Stats:

HP: 10/10

MP: 0

WILL: 0

STR: 5

PER: 5

SPD: 25

CHA: 2

[Skills known]

Hide (Grade F),

Skitter (Grade F)

Detect Life (Grade F)

Bite (Grade F)

Huh, rats have a Charisma score of 2. Who'd have thought. Maybe I got lucky and found myself an eloquent little critter.

Ethan began appraising the world with new eyes, now – those of his Host.

[Skill: Detect Life]

{PASSIVE}

[Grade F]

This skill allows you to sense nearby living creatures of flesh and blood, as well as the aromas given off by them.

He saw the mine shaft as a kaleidoscope of colors, some lambent oranges, yellows, and one trail of red mixed in there that led outside. Probably towards food.

And where there was food…there was the potential of a new host.

That's…all I have to do here, ain't it? He asked his System menu floating before him, giving him a good view of Theodore's glazed eyes and furry behind. Just find a powerful enough host, possess 'em, and live the good life. The life I should've had back home. A life where luck is what I make it, for once…

A hat exists only to be worn.

You are a hat.

And a {Legendary} one at that, Ethan chuckled. You know something, Mr System? Maybe you ain't so bad after all.

Ethan turned to bid adieu to the skeletal remains of what must have been this hat's last host before he ironically took over its form in this world. He scurried out, propelling Theodore forward with unhindered glee. Oh, it felt good to actually run again!

Ethan Hawke made a vow then and there, in the dark depths of this new world he'd just be reborn into:

From now on, I'm gonna be the one in control. I'm gonna live this life for me, and make damn sure that the world knows my name. Onward, Theodore! We've got a realm out there full of flesh-bags just waitin' to be possessed!

And Theodore, having no choice in the matter, ran headfirst into the dark.
 
Last edited:
This fic reminds me of a sentient hat being a witch that I watched on YouTube.
 
Chapter 2: Ratman™: Blood Cheesy
Ethan-the-hat drove Theodore-the-rat through the dark shafts of the mine he'd woken up in, following the scintillating scents that his new host's eyes showed him.

He quickly worked out the stats of the rat – classic RPG stuff, no problems there. The skills too – they were self-explanatory. When he activated [Skitter] he got a quick little boost of speed. When he activated [Bite], he felt his new baby-blade teeth bare themselves for an attack.

You ain't the strongest, Theo, Ethan thought, hoping that some semblance of his host's consciousness was there to hear his praise. But you make up for it in speed…I'd probably do a marathon of this place if it would do anything to increase your skills.

Ethan was quickly realizing that this world – wherever it was – certainly didn't run on Bethesda RPG rules. He drove Theo on and on through the dilapidated remains of the shaft, finding broken pieces of machinery and mining equipment, and his [Skitter] skill didn't increase one bit.

Mr System? Ethan asked his enigmatic menu. Care to give me the low-down on how I boost my furry little host's skills?

In order to improve skills, one must harness [Spirit Cores]

And let me guess: that means killing, right?

For you, yes. You are classless.

You are level-less

You are only a [Hat] who is now worn by a [Rat {Lvl 1}]

How else shall you occupy your time?

I'll have you know I had plenty of hobbies and interests back on good ol' earth. Come to think of it, I hope my Crunchyroll subscription wasn't set to auto renew…

Ethan's pressing concern was put to rest as he finally came upon the site where all scents converged. In a new shaft, skittering around an overturned mine-crate, was a cabal of five rats - each one of a similar shape and size to him.

We just found our first targets, Theodore. Ready for action?

Having literally no say in the matter, Theodore merely blinked his dead-eyes and scampered forward.

[Skill Activated: Hide]

Ethan kept to the shadows, embracing the deepest recesses of the shaft's darkness as though he was born to it. He crept round the edges of the rat assembly until he saw one of them sniff the air and come towards him, interested to meet the new arrival.

His mates seem distracted by whatever's in that mine cart. Should be easy pickings.

He felt Theodore's spirit wrestle against him ever so slightly as their unsuspecting victim stood on its tiny legs and sniffed the air again, its eyes unable to pick out the stalker hiding in the shadows before it.

Oh, Theo, Ethan mumbled. This is no time for nostalgia. Listen, you help me and I'll help you. We're gonna level you up till you're the strongest rat that's ever scurried around these parts!

Ethan moved his host back, kicking some stones outside the shaft in order to draw the unsuspecting rat further away from his friends. The rat took the bait, not noticing its stalking cousin slowly creeping towards its back, eyes trained on its furry neck.

Now!

[Bite: Activated]

Sneak Attack Bonus!

DMG: x2

Theodore's teeth shone in the dark and sank into his cousin rat's neck with pinpoint precision. Ethan forced him to bite down until the blood of his victim clotted every fang, and only when the creature went limp did Ethan withdraw back into the dusk, just in time to see another rat who'd heard all the commotion scurry towards his fallen brother.

Just call me – well, us – 'Ratman'. Greatest assassin of…this world. 'Cept instead of a bar-code on the back of your head, you've got me.

Ethan wasn't sure if Theo got the reference. But, as he flexed his little limbs, curled his tail, and made for his next victim, Ethan thought it probably didn't matter either way.

…

[Rat {LVL 1}]

Status: {Possessed} by [Hat] {Legendary}

[Spirit Cores: 6]

In the wake of his mass-rat murder, Ethan prospected his stats and skills with his newly acquired Spirit Cores.

I get the main idea, he mused as he picked pieces of blood-clotted fur from between his teeth. Levelling in this world works on a kind of 'point-buy' system. For every Spirit Core I have, I can spend it to increase stats and skills.

Congratulations!

You have understood the basics of this world's leveling process

Don't patronize me, Ethan mumbled to his sarcastic little menu screen. I'm on a roll, here.

He looked through his stats and skills, realizing quickly that the current costs to increase stat points was only one Spirit Core, while the cost to increase [Skills] was much higher.

And I'm gonna hazard a guess that the cost gets bigger with every upgrade I give myself or my host…otherwise I could just kill fifty rats in this place and make myself a walking, furry little HP tank right now.

Ethan decided to test out his theory, increasing the HP of his reliable (and hopefully not too mentally scarred) little host by a single pip.

Host: Theodore the Rat is now a {Rat: Level 2}

[HP: +1]

[HP: 11/11]

[Spirit Cores] to Increase: 2

Current [Spirit Cores: 3]

Gotcha, Ethan nodded, bloody specks of his enemy's dried blood flying from his flaring nostril. Looks like I've got a lot of work to do here before I'm ready for the outside world. Then again…I'm betting there's stronger monsters in here than you, Theo. No offence, but I'd rather not stay a rat for the duration of my stay here…which looks like it's gonna be pretty long.

You have no idea

Why am I here, anyway? Ethan asked, possessed by a sudden urge to know what he admitted should have been a question he asked a long time ago.

You are [INFORMATION REDACTED]

You are a [Hat]

That sounds…super cryptic. What about my old life? I had…y'know, stuff going on.

…

You would really wish to return to your home?

Don't take that tone with me, Ethan commanded – the single eye on his rim blinking in complete denial while his host merely stood, staring at the fallen rats and their gradually pooling blood. I'll have you know that the me back on earth was an upstanding, model citizen. Sure, maybe I was unemployed. Sure, maybe I only went to that birthday party to get me some grub. Sure, maybe no one invited me, and sure, maybe I choked to death on the first thing I ate. But…still…it was…something…

Shit. Can't even convince myself, never mind this snarky bastard…

Ethan instead turned his attention back to the reality of the mine shaft, observing his fallen kills with no small degree of satisfaction. Ordinarily, he'd have probably vomited at the sight before him – five once living rats torn apart by teeth that he owned – but he was strangely unperturbed by the whole thing. In fact, gulping down their blood felt as natural as filling himself with Mountain Dew during a midnight gaming session.

You know something? I think I might have found my true calling. Maybe I'm an assassin at heart.

You are probably just a sociopath.

I think that's unfair, Ethan mumbled back as he drove Theodore towards the overturned mine cart. Weren't you the one who told me that killing's the only way to power up in this world? Pot. Kettle, Mr System.

A sane human would have spent a long time adjusting to such bloody murder.

You, however, are a [Hat]

A [Hat] has no moral compass

Again – unfair. I'm still me, even if I am a dainty little hat. I wasn't some batshit crazy brute in my last life.

You are exactly what you need to be

Nothing more

Nothing less

Ethan ignored the System's increasing cryptic (and downright rude) messages, and instead investigated the mine cart that had the fallen rats so intrigued. Right now, he saw nothing but the fuzzy outline of an object – it was like a thin sheen of camera static covered it, denying him the ability to comprehend what the thing even was, never mind what it could do.

I mean, it looks like a sword, Ethan observed. But who the hell can be sure in a new world? System! Skill me up! Let's pull up my Appraisal.

[Skill Activated]: Appraisal (Rank F)

You can identify plain items with the (Common) identifier

Ethan watched as the fuzzy static slowly dissipated into the dank air to reveal the item that had the rats so interested:

[Item: Silver Dagger] {Common}

DMG (Base): 6-12 (Piercing)

SPECIAL: Especially effective against Undead

Now that's a shiny we could use, eh Theo? Too bad it's not exactly rat-shaped. Lack of opposable thumbs might just be our downfall, my furry friend.

As Theodore-the-rat-wearing-a-demonic-wizard-hat looked at his stubby claws with shame, the System decided to chime in with something useful for once.

As your System, I am compelled to offer you information that might aid you in your exploits.

Ethan smirked. He could almost feel the thing sigh at the restraints its programming placed on it. He wondered for a moment who the 'programmer' could be…and if he or she was watching him down here, right now…

[Skill: Transmogrification] (Grade F)

This skill allows you to morph an item to better suit your current [Host]

As Ethan read these simple words, desire formed in his heartless, threadbare chest. Desire that was strong enough to look passed the System menu screen and watch as the dagger slowly altered its shape before him, shrinking and filing itself into a thin silver tooth that slotted quite nicely into one of Theodore's front fangs.

Oh, System…Ethan chuckled. You shouldn't have.

No. I really shouldn't.

I've finally made it, Theodore, Ethan sniggered, checking his new sleek weapon out in a muddy puddle beside the cart. I'm fabulous. We're fabulous.

Ethan liked to think that somewhere in their shared mindscape, his little rat friend was also appreciating his new silver tooth. So many things in this little place the guy called home were eminently pierceable, after all. And he'd just gotten the upgrade of a lifetime.

The thought then resolved in Ethan's head as he moved away from the minecart, wondering who had left the silver blade there in the first place.

Theo, he told his obedient host. I've just settled on our first quests. One: find out what happened to the miners who left their equipment here. I'm betting their boss had some proper decent loot. And two: make us the most OP rat who ever lived.
 
READ THE SERIES ON KINDLE UNLIMITED
Reborn as a Demon Hat Books 1-3 is now being published through Podium publishing as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook through Kindle Unlimited.

To comply with Kindle's rules, the story has been removed from QQ.

You can find it here in all formats. Preorders available!

Reborn as a Demon Hat: A Monster Evolution isekai adventure

Thank you for all your kind comments, critiques, and thoughts on the story. Today was the day I finished book 4 and put Ethan's tale to rest. If you'd like to read all 290 chapters of the story now, you can do so through the Patreon.
 
Last edited:
The story looks interesting, im going to keep an eye open for this, keep it going because I want to see what direction this story go.
 
lol what
 
IronLung said:
THANK YOU. Please tell me what you like and dislike so I can keep on improving :)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Can't say I have any real dislikes at the moment, it's an intriguing story with some decent plot points brewing with the system and the MC so I'm just eager to see it unfold.
 
IronLung said:
The thundering rainfall lashed at the trees of Grenbelm forest as dawn began to break over their tips.

On the ground, three monster-human hybrids stood before a partially frozen human – a one-armed swordsman who seemed more inconvenienced than furious at his temporary imprisonment.

And behind them all, still shackled to a rotten Oak tree by the human swordsman's knife, was Ethan the Legendary hat.

Just…gotta…wiggle…free!



You are witnessing history unfolding before you, and you deign it fit to wiggle like a fish on a line.



History? Ethan asked, his eye lighting on the sneering faces of the hybrids as they readied their weapons. Looks to me like a common brawl, and I'd rather not get caught in the crossfire.



They're here for you, [Darkseed].

No hybrid with an instinct of self-preservation would face off against a Greycloak otherwise, let alone the [Lightborn] himself.



I really gotta shut off your 'foreshadowing' setting, y'know that?

Cracks began forming in the ice-block that encased Artorious' lower torso, but the man looked on at his three new opponents with blaze eyes.

"If you obstruct my mission, then you are my enemies," he told them calmly. "I would suggest that you lay down your arms."

"Shut it!" the catgirl – Tara – barked back. "Hate to tell ya, but this is the end for you! Fauna: blast him!"

"Um…ah – ok!"

The robe-clad rabbit girl clutched her staff tightly within her pale hands and leveled it at the Lightborn's head.

"T-taste vengeance!" she squeaked. This was probably as threatening a battle cry as her species could create.

She twitched her ears, wiggled her nose, and kept her eyes focused on the buildup of searing, killing light gathering at the tip of her wooden stave.

"NOW!"

The command had been the catgirl's, and at her shout the rabbit-mage loosed her spell – sending a spear of radiant light streaking towards the swordsman's forehead…

…and just before it hit the bridge of his nose, the spell stuttered and died, balled into a small white ball of fluff, which then dropped to the ground with an indignant CLUCK!

At the frozen feet of the warrior now clucked a chicken, much to the frustration of her companions.

"…nice, Fauna. Real nice."

"Sorry!"

Plan B," the wolfman said, and as Ethan's eye switched to his position at the very edge of the den, he found that there was no-one there at all.

He's using [Hide]! A wolfboi after my own heart.

Sir Artorious of the Greycloaks heaved a weary sigh as he looked down at the tumbling chick beneath him.

"You think to defeat me by hurling poultry at my feet," he said.

The catgirl double blinked, immediately sheathing her blades and taking some time to stretch her legs and lithe, fluffy tail.

"Nope," she said. "But we are gonna run away from ya."

Ethan was just as shocked as the Greycloak was when the wolfman then appeared beside him, snatched him from the tree with speed far beyond anything Ethan had seen in this world thus far, and made a break for the rainswept treeline.

The arm of Artorious was quicker, however, lashing out and clawing for the wolfman's matted coat, which he would have doubtless managed to grab if the catgirl had not thrown a silver throwing knife which pierced his palm.

"MOVE!" The wolfman shouted as he sped away. "We've got the Darkseed. The job's done!"

"This ain't over, Greyboy!" the catgirl hissed before she turned to follow her friends. "This is just the beginning!"

The hybrids then disappeared beyond the bushes and brambles, leaving the swordman to look after the filthy beast who had just drawn his blood.

…

Ethan blinked through sharp thorns and thickets that beat against his threadbare body.

Hey! Watch it, furball! Is this any way to treat your 'Darkseed,' or whatever?

He was answered by the wolfman barking to his companion as she ran beside him:

"Tara! Is the teleport stone ready?"

"Thirty minutes!" the catgirl replied, her dark body flitting through the bushes like a living shadow, tail flicking around like crazy.

"Sorry, guys!" the rabbit hybrid squeaked. "I tried, really! I tri-"

"Forget about it, Faun," the catgirl said. "You've saved our asses more than enough. Besides, it's the Darkseed who's gotta take down the Lightborn. We'd have just slowed him down."

The wolfman looked down at Ethan and winked.

"Sorry," he said. "I know you're probably confused right now. But give our ugly mugs the benefit of the doubt, yes? We're here to help you. Just like you're here to help us."

Ethan's eye gazed up at him with knowing trepidation, and more than a little excitement.

Is this gonna be some kinda fate-tied-to-prophecy type deal? Am I…the One?



What do you think?



I think you could be a little more helpful.

Just then the fleeing hybrids were stopped in their tracks by the sound of gunfire to the east, and Tara dove for Fauna as a bullet whizzed by her friend's floppy ears.

"Shit! Get down!"

The cry was Klax's, and the wolfman immediately rolled out into an open glade where a score of human soldiers were waiting. When the girls joined them, they froze, seeing the vicious muskets and spears in the hands of the men.

"Hunters…" Klax whispered. "Looks like the Grey wasn't alone, after all…"

"That's them!" one iron-plated soldier said. "And…and look there! The hat!"

"The contract was right – it's him! It's the Darkseed!"

Looking into the furious eyes of the human militia, Ethan saw that his reputation preceded him. They had clearly seen this contract that had been placed on his head, and were here to share in the glory…

"How'd you wanna handle it?" Tara whispered to Klax.

"…stall them. Kill for time."

"We've got twenty whole minutes!"

"….then our good friend Fauna will just have to ready up something…explosive for our welcoming committee, here."

Holding Ethan in his right paw, waving him like a flag of surrender, the wolfman then barked at the humans and their readied weapons.

"I don't suppose you'd like to settle this peacefully?"

The cawing of two black ravens overhead penetrated the short silence that followed. A silence which was broken by the general cry that spilled from every human being's throats:

"KILL THE DEMONS!"

They charged in unison while the musket bearers began reloading their guns.

"Welp. That's humans for ya," Tara sighed. "What did you expect? Faun?"

"I'm ready!"

Klax groaned with weary resignation as he stretched his paws. "You all know what to do. Darkseed? Hang on tight."

WITH WHAT?!

Ethan's cry went unheard. The catgirl let fall a series of smoke-bombs that enveloped the glade, giving the hybrids the edge over their charging opponents. Ethan saw the claws of Klax scrape against the exposed eyes and elbow-joints of the soldiers that came at him, swiping clean through their chainmail armor and drawing blood that glistened along his grey hide. Whatever the catgirl and the rabbitgirl were doing, Ethan could only guess at: but he could hear the screams of their foes as they fell before them one by one, and Klax began to hop over bodies felled by his companions as he raced to help cover their flanks with his flaring fists.

These guys are good, Ethan thought. Wonder how much I could learn on top of their heads…

Klax's fists assumed a mantle of flame as the battle wore on, the wolfman channeling his energy into battering his foes with inhuman speed, delivering a few precise jump-kicks and roundhouse strikes that sent whole swathes of the human soldiers back.

"What are you doing!?" cried someone from outside the smoke-haze of the battlefield. "FIRE!"

A hail of bullets pierced the veil of the smokescreen, and Ethan saw his holder fall, his arm riddled with bullets.

"Klax!"

The cry was Tara's, and she was at her companions' side almost instantly, trying to get him up and carry him out of the way of the still swiping humans as they came forward with spears raised, ready to strike down the evil beings who held the demon hat.

Ethan then heard the shriek of something large as it swept down and plucked at the eyeballs of one spear-wielding soldier. One of the ravens from above had come to their aid…somehow.

"G-go!" the rabbit girl called as the smokescreen began to vanish, revealing the human forces that just kept coming. "The ravens will cover us!"

"Fauna…" Klax murmured. "You know we don't leave our own…behind."

The musketeers blasted the ravens as they soared towards them, under the command of Fauna as she fought off two roaring swordsmen with the help of the beleaguered comrades. Even as a hat, looking sidelong at the rampaging human soldiers who were intent on nothing more than the heads of his furry companions, Ethan could tell that this battle was not going their way.

Hey! Hey, wolfy! PUT ME ON SOMEONE'S HEAD!

Klax simply barked at Tara as she knifed an advancing soldier. "How much time left!?"

"T-ten!" the catgirl huffed, her face flecked with crimson.

Ethan could tell his bearer's eyes were beginning to glaze over in the face of the advancing army. They were being pushed back. There was no other way to say it.

And if you can't hear me, then I guess I've got no choice…I don't plan on dying here.



Don't tell me you're going to try and be a hero…



Hey, Sys, Ethan smirked within his mindscape. That's something you'll learn about me – I go with the flow. And right now, these guys are on my side. And I'm betting they'll have more to tell me about what's really going on here than you do…

Without waiting for another retort, Ethan managed to flap hard enough against Klax's claw that the great wolf let him go.

"Darkseed!" he shouted.

Ethan rolled along the grass, only gradually avoiding the feet and spears of the humans as they doubled back on themselves, trying to pin him down. They would have managed to get him if the hybrids didn't renew their assault, fighting the advancing horde to a standstill.

"Tara!" Klax called. "Find him!"

But Ethan didn't share the worries of his bloody comrades. He flopped towards one of the fallen ravens and met the bird's amber eye.

The group of musketeers aimed at them both with murderous intent.

Hey, birdy, Ethan thought. You'd look great in blue.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Oh yeah it's big bird time, peck all their eyes out!
 
I think a few extra line breaks snuck into the story.
 
Can't wait to see what's the deal with the Darkseed next chapter.
 
Last edited:
IronLung said:
I've had feedback that 'Darkseed' doesn't have a good enough ring to it. Happy to hear other thoughts though. I've also heard that folk don't like the meta jokes, but they're kinda a staple of the story :p
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
To me Darkseed is fine, if you want to change it perhaps as he grows stronger he grows from a Darkseed into a The Archon to signify he's growing more adapt.

Meta jokes are a part of the parcel of the story I'm loving it.
 
ebolasos said:
To me Darkseed is fine, if you want to change it perhaps as he grows stronger he grows from a Darkseed into a The Archon to signify he's growing more adapt.

Meta jokes are a part of the parcel of the story I'm loving it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Genuinely glad to hear this :)
 
I look forward to the hat tricks you're sure to employ.
 
I do hold high hopes that you're not clinging too hard unto the modern fantasy isekai model, as this setup reminds me plenty of Arifureta and many other light novels.

That said, I look forward to the timeskip and growth of this snappy hat.
 
I'm just itching for my background knowledge on what the Darkseed is and the whole cycle that goes on with the Lightborn.
 
Reader mode
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top