by Rick Scar
Chapter 210. I Will Kill You, Raven!
C ongratulations! You have completed a hidden quest: Vengeance Is Best Made out of Corpses.
Meet Christina.
Rewards:
+200,000 XP
Boots of Lost Hope (Item rank: Diamond)
+1 secret skill.
VOICE OF TRUTH
Rank: Secret
Active skill: Apprentice
Description: Enables you to put three questions to any sapient creature that they will have to answer honestly: they cannot lie or stay silent.
Cost: 200 influence points
Duration: 2 hours
Cooldown: 40 days.
Note:
1) Cannot be used twice on the same target;
2) Provides complete protection from attacks for the applying and the affected party while active;
3) No effect on players.
Level Up
What?! Raven stared at the cost figure in shock. Even his wonderful Dancing of Time wasn’t half as expensive as that. That’s insane!
And the Secret rank… what did that even mean?
The skill was certainly promising. But look at its cost…
Glancing around, the rogue whistled upon seeing that the room was full of expensive items: from plates to paintings.
As the guards were breaking down the door, Will swept everything he could use into his inventory. This took just a couple of minutes.
Now he had to leave the tower.
The “damsel’s” room had no windows, so his Through a Wall skill came in extremely handy. After praising himself for saving it, Will started to penetrate the outer wall.
His body was almost out when the sturdy door was finally broken down. All the guards found inside were three dead bodies.
“Son of a bitch. We’re all done for!” Just as one of the guards was cursing the dastardly messenger, the woman’s body started to melt, and her ghost stood up.
After turning her head to the sides to check her condition, the ghost smirked at the guards’ pale faces and spoke. “Don’t be afraid. I have no need for your lives. I just have a job for you: find my vile sister.” She glanced in the mirror and then at the two dead men, before clicking her tongue and adding: “Forbidden magic is forbidden because it costs lives. Ahahaha. I have seen the face of that brute, the messenger, and remembered it. I will prepare my revenge and serve it cold.” A gleam of dead light in the ghost’s white eyes brought a breath of grave shiver to everyone in the room.
***
“Hi. How’s your quest?” Will cut a piece off his well-done steak and looked at Mollie, who was skimming through multiple status windows and system messages.
“Completed. Rewards collected. The first stage is done, isn’t it?”
“Sort of. But when I killed the last lady, she told me something interesting.”
“Oh yeah?” After handing her menu to the waitress and glancing around, Mollie asked: “What was that?”
“She was Christina’s mom’s sister.”
“Oh. Do you think we should ask her more questions?”
“Yes, please. Do it yourself or ask Katharine.”
“I will. And what are you going to do?”
“Level up my pet for the rest of today and tomorrow. Then go back to my floor until two or three days before the Ifrit strikes. By the way, has this one been bothering you?” Raven used his eyes to point at Rako. The witch, who was sat two tables away with Katharine, drilled her eyes into them.
Smirking, Mollie quietly replied, “She appears to be in love with me.”
“Wow. You’ve seduced the poor little witch.” Will grinned and put the last piece of meat in his mouth, before asking another question: “What about the plan? Have you made use of the Soul Crushers?”
The RD leader nodded. Her mouth was busy sipping a fancy cocktail made out of some rare fruit through a straw.
“Good. And the vampire? Is he still on your base?”
“Yeah. I’d even feel sorry for him if he were real and not just a string of code. He can’t eat. He can’t sleep. He’s grown too pale, even for a vampire.”
“Oh, I see. I’ve told you before, but I’ll say it again. Do you remember that each time he comes out, he must be escorted by at least three dependable TOPs?”
“Hey. Don’t forget who you’re talking to. Do you really think I’d let the linchpin of our whole plan go take a walk?”
“I don’t. But I had to remind you, just in case.” Raven stood up and glanced toward the exit. He saw the person he had been expecting. Clicking his tongue, the rogue mumbled: “Don’t kill him. Don’t kill him. Don’t kill him. Don’t kill him.”
“What are you sa…?” Following his gaze, Mollie stopped short. “Ah. Good luck. In case he asks, you have my permission.”
Nick, who had been the subject of their brief discussion, was waving with both hands pestering the rest of the customers as he approached Raven.
“I’m off. Message me.” Having quickly said goodbye to Mollie, Raven passed by the wizard, taking him by the cloak as he did, and dragged him along the floor.
“Stop…you’re…strangling…me…” Nick just about managed to stutter as he struggled to get back onto his feet and pulled his collar away.
Five minutes (and one chopped arm) later, Will headed for the portal with the beads he had obtained in Balta’Chkharrah’s chambers in his hand, followed by Nick’s screams of pain and complaints. This guy had once again forgotten that talking too much was a sin.
***
Fifteen days before the Ifrit arrives. More than enough time to complete the senior dryad’s quest.
Will’s pet hadn’t yet reached a new level, despite the last two days of training, but its devoured body count was approaching 1,000, promising the growth of another head in the very near future.
Upon arriving back on his floor, Will heard Emin’s report, and then invited Nanel and Daltaro to the palace portal. The archer brought his plus one.
“Hi rabbit. Hi kitty.” Smiling to the young queen and hugging the rogue, Rinnah glanced into his eyes and, without mincing his words, asked, “Will you treat me to it?”
“Oh. You’re just in time. The more strong ones on our team, the better.”
“Are we… leaving?” Nanel’s breath was rugged. “For real this time?”
“Sure. I just need a few minutes to discuss some things with Rinnah – and then we’ll embark on an adventure you’ll never forget.”
Ten minutes later, the pale-faced rogue exited the nearest room, followed by an exultant Bruxa. Her reddened cheeks, wet lips and heaving breasts could have provoked suspicion… if anyone there had been unaware of what exactly the two of them had been doing in that room.
“Daltaro,” Will said, “do you remember us cleaning that forest?”
“I do. Are you going back there?” The archer’s eyes flashed with interest. If he joining Will in the forest, he could level up really fast.
“Yes. Let’s split up into twos. Nanel and myself, you and Rinnah. The larger the area we cover, the sooner we find what we need.”
“What you need,” Nanel corrected her fake husband unceremoniously, but he put a finger to her lips, signaling he had not yet finished speaking.
“Have you forgotten about the Monarch’s Door?”
“I… no. I remember it.” Nanel knew she had to visit that door to become strong enough to control the crystal’s power.
“Now. Take one bead each, everyone, and never let them go. These are our communication devices. They’re very intuitive. I don’t think any of you will have problems using them. Questions?” Looking at each one in turn to see if they had understood him, Will activated the portal to Latakhorgh, which had recently been connected, and the small squad set out to search for the cursed locations.
***
One week later
You have cleaned 47/50 cursed places in the Taargada Forest. Clean the rest and the Senior Dryad will reward you.
For that whole week, Will had been killing, killing, and killing, like he had done before meeting Insanity. His level was soaring. The last cursed places were guarded by really strong mobs, whose levels were somewhere between 90 and 110, while their ranks brought the worst swear words tumbling out of Will’s mouth.
Name: White Raven
Level: 99
For almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, he urged himself onward, pushing Nanel in front as he did. Whenever Will would leave her world, she would shed happy tears, but once he came back, those tears would turn bloody.
“This is not at all the adventure I dreamed of.” Nanel was hugging a large tree, hitting her forehead on it as she prayed to heavens.
“Nanel?”
“Back for more torture, you brute? Who will you make me attack this time? A crowd of Ents? A squad of Hardicesses? A malista pack, or a ptevecar nest? Why aren’t you saying anything, you tyrant? Are you ashamed?!”
“Have you finished?” Raven was lying next to his dog. He yawned and stared at the gray, post-rain clouds as he waited for the girl to complete her new morning ritual of greeting him.
“Phew.” After turning away and putting her hair up, Nanel packed her things, before asking in a calmer voice, “So, what do you want?”
“Tell me, what will you do once you’ve become stronger?”
“That’s a really stupid question,” she replied with a malicious gleam in her eyes. “I’m going to kill you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I…um…I’ve been wanting to ask, may I kill you? Please. I really, really need it to feel better.” Her enthusiasm melted away under his pressing stare.
“Okay. What next?” Regardless of whether this was a joke or not, it certainly wasn’t the answer he needed.
“Why are you even asking? You know what I’m going to do. I’ll merge with the crystal in the hope that it will tell me at least something about my birth.”
“Sure. But have you thought about passing the Monarch’s Door and reaping the rewards?”
She frowned and considered Raven’s words for a few minutes. “Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it. I had no idea I’d gain fifteen levels in just a week. The teacher was right: by traveling at your side, I’m progressing incredibly fast. I’m even starting to believe we will be able to change Adamarona’s future.”
“Of course, we will.” Will stood up and slid out his Mirage blade, which he had obtained after Ahennia’s challenge. He gave it a few spins and looked back at the queen. “Hey! Why are you still standing there? Move it. We’ve got lots of work to do. No time to relax.”
“Yes!”
“What – yes?” Will arched his brows, confused at the creepy glint suddenly flashing in her eyes.
“Yes, I’ve decided how I’m going to kill you.” Nanel unsheathed her rapier and slashed the nearest tree in two. “Lead the way while you’re still alive, tyrant.”
“Oh, I like this new mood of yours. Good luck with your plan, darling,” Will replied with a smirk and, after opening the map, planned a new route.
Chapter 211. The Sacrifice Recipe. Part 1
A day and a half later
R aven, Nanel, and Hades were standing four hundred yards away from an impressively large Ogre, struggling to come up with a strategy. For the past four hours Will, putting his character’s life on the line, had been attacking the monster alone, trying his best to get as much information as possible about its skills and weapons, after which he had retreated immediately.
The enemy was tremendously strong. Level 123, for a start.
Having already fought a monster of this level in Zal’Sscar’s challenge (which he had defeated only by a stroke of luck), Will had learned that level was just the tip of the iceberg. And this monster also had the Count rank, a name, and a crazy amount of HP.
Shimiraz the Cursed
Rank: Count
Level: 123
Health: 230,000
Named mobs were always a pain in the ass, bosses were double that, and named count-rank bosses… Black Yorgihor had been much stronger than Will, despite his level only being 51. As for this guard that was protecting of the final cursed place…
“Do you really want to attack it? This monster is much stronger than all of us.” Nanel was roasting a freshly-killed boar over the fire and the surrounding area was filled with the delicious smell of meat. “Can we leave it for later?”
“If only I had time to gain four more levels.” Using Hades’s back as a stool, Will was looking through his notes.
He remembered how he had given those four levels up during the vampire’s rit. If it hadn’t been for that decision, his level would now have been high enough to conquer this guard and absorb its tremendous power, which would support him for at least six months, if not a year. But there was no way to gain four levels over the remaining six days. He was no longer progressing as fast as he used to at the start. Four levels. I could probably gain them by defeating someone even stronger than Shimiraz. But how? I can’t even defeat this thing!
Shit. Will gritted his teeth at the thought of such a great opportunity slipping through his fingers. He couldn’t use Dancing of Time; he needed it to fight the Ifrit. And Salvation wouldn’t affect this creature due to the same twenty-level-gap limit that the Obedience Crystal had.
Browsing his skill tree for a hundredth time in search of any hints, Raven stopped once he had come across Sacrifice.
Could that help?
While he was busy expanding on this sudden idea, he missed the moment of his friends’ arrival. As he looking up and saw Daltaro and Rinnah, he flashed his broadest smile.
“I know that grin.” Noticing the blaze in the king’s eyes, the archer turned to his beloved to tell her that if she ever saw Will with this face, she’d better stay well clear of him.
“Hey, stop that.” Will couldn’t stand his reputation as an honest and respectable man being demolished like this. “Charlatan.”
“What?” Rinnah stared at him.
“YOU!” Daltaro screamed. “You shouldn’t have said that in front of her!”
Startled, Rinnah turned to Nanel. The princess told her the brief story of Will’s and Daltaro’s first meeting, while the rogue defeated the archer in another round of parrying each other’s insults.
“You lost again.” Clapping the red-faced Daltaro on the shoulder, Raven said, “I have to leave you for a couple of hours. Go to Vakhaness. I’ll meet you there.”
“What are you up to?” Nanel asked.
Without answering, Will grabbed Hades by the collar, mounted him and rode towards the portal.
***
Raven’s goal was to meet Ulfmar and learn about his rite: the component that enabled the vampire to take its victims’ levels. Trusting the rogue, Ulfmar willingly shared this knowledge. Now Will could create his own rite by using the cup fragment, just like the vampire had.
Back in Floor 24, the rogue headed for the undercity to have a talk with Lamia.
After a brief wait, they were able to see the priestess. Her eyebrow twitched upon seeing Raven, as if she remembered the taste of his blood. Apart from that, her face looked just like it had at their first meeting: a fine china mask, beautiful but empty.
“Oh, look who’s come to see me. White Raven. And you’re not alone. Did you forget what happens to women in my presence?” Staring at Rinnah impassively, Paley the Seventh prepared to attack, but the Bruxa just snorted, staring back at the priestess and wondering how the skimpy wisps of fabric she wore qualified as clothing.
“Oh. Don’t worry, priestess. She’s…” Will hesitated briefly, making sure to choose the right word, “…immune. So, it’s all right.”
In a fraction of second the Lamia abandoned her throne to stand by Rinnah’s side. Sniffing at the air, she said coldly, “You reek of a curse. The smell is stale, but still I can feel it. Are you the cursed or the curser?”
Rinnah was startled. Apparently, she hadn’t seen this coming: sh
e had spent many years searching for the answer to the question that had been tormenting her for so long… and now she had bumped into someone who possessed this answer by pure accident.
“The cursed. My mother… she was a witch. One of her magic experiments transformed me. Please tell me, do you know how to lift this curse?”
“Oh. Of course, I don’t. As a priestess, I can sense curses, but I cannot cast or remove them.” Having returned to her throne and made herself comfortable by resting her head on her hand, the Lamia fell silent for a while, the tip of her tail rocking gently like a flower in the wind.
“Then maybe you know someone who can help?” Rinnah was not going to leave empty-handed. Even just a small hint could take her one step further.
“I may do. But why should I help you?” The Lamia’s grand nonchalance was so palpable that Will was itching to slap her across the face and bring her down.
“What do you want?”
“My usual price is blood, but I will not have yours: it’s too much of a risk. Bring me a diamond-rank item, and I will help you.”
“Diamond-rank?”
“Yes. Your dear friend has raided my treasury.” She squinted at the rogue, who was staring at the painted ceiling.
“Darling?” Rinnah turned to the archer who, taking the hint, retrieved a few items he had once offered to Will, and handed them to one of Paley’s guards.
“Please, have one of these.”
“Wow. What speed. Who would’ve thought it.” Sliding her slender fingers over the helmet, the whip, and the greaves, the Lamia examined each item. “I’ll take the helmet.”
