by Rick Scar
After sending her guard to return the other two items to the archer, she put the helmet down on a small column, which was, apparently, serving as her fruit table. “Go to the Holy Empire. In the town of Nardis, find the priest whose name is Tirel. He will probably help you if you live to see him.”
Attention! You have been offered a side quest chain: A Barrel of Wisdom Brings a Barrel of Trouble.
Description: Take Rinnah of the Shadow Order to a meeting with Priest Tirel.
Rewards:
+10,000 XP
Rinnah’s approval up to Trust
Accept: Yes/No?
“Just a moment. What the…?” A new quest was dropped on Raven, even though he had taken no part in the conversation. This was the first side quest he had ever received in this game.
“The Holy Empire?!” Rinnah was stunned by this news.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing her face, Will thought she was overreacting, but then he slid his gaze to Daltaro who, having put a palm to his face, was rocking his head from side to side, as if to say: What an idiot you are.
Then Will remembered.
The Shadow Order and the Holy Empire were enemies. And the Empire was an ally to Latians, whom he had once run into great trouble with. Now he was on their kill list, and 10,000 XP was nowhere near fair compensation for this risk. Such a small reward felt like a slap to the face. “Good God.”
Chapter 212. The Sacrifice Recipe. Part 2
W ill shook his head as he accepted the task. “Now, let’s discuss my offer.” Looking into the Lamia’s eyes, he tried to guess what she would ask for in return. “I’m interested in learning more about your rite. The one, during which you killed me. I’d like to know everything one needs to possess and to do in order to perform it.”
“You never change.” Cocking her head to the side, the Lamia drummed her fingertips on the armrest. “Just as brazen and always asking for the impossible. I can’t deny your blood is… delicious. But not so valuable that it will serve as payment for the secret of my rite. If that’s all you have to say, our negotiation is over.” Paley waved for her guards to escort the visitors to the city gate, but Will gestured for them to stop.
“No. There’s more. A long time has passed since our last meeting. I’ve been to many places, met many people. One of those people was an energy vampire. Have you heard of this line?”
“Never.” As Will spoke, the Lamia mirrored his gesture, stopping her guards so that she could hear more.
“I helped him perform a rite, which is based on the same principle as yours. It was much more complicated, though. This vampire is really smart.”
“Is he a ritual master?” The Lamia’s voice still did not betray her curiosity, if she had any.
“Yes.” Will didn’t really care whether this was actually true. He wanted to get what he had come here for.
“Where is he?”
“I can bring him to meet you next time. He might share some tips on how to improve your rite so that you can get more out of it.”
“I see. But I’m not interested in that.”
Raven’s mind processed the new information at lightning speed as he recounted all his skills and items that might help spark her curiosity or convince her. “I have one thing. It’s extremely dangerous, but it holds lavish rewards.”
As soon as he showed Paley the Box of Wishes, her beautiful mask of impassivity cracked as her eyebrows jerked up. “What’s that?”
Will told her the brief history of this item, giving the priestess a genuine warning about the perils of using it.
“That’s interesting. But I can’t try it, however much I want it. I have no successor to lead my people in the event of my death,” the Lamia confessed sadly, handing the box back to Will.
“I see.” Will concealed his disappointment with a weak smile and was considering some other options when…
Hey, stop. Will’s eyes widened as he struck upon an elegant solution. The cost would be high, but it was his best bet.
Voice of Truth.
Select the target.
Once Will had selected Paley the Seventh, her body lurched. After straightening up, she frowned and looked around, her eyes traveling slowly over her surroundings until they stopped on the three visitors. “Which one of you is using a spell? What kind of spell is it?”
“Oh. This has gone from bad to worse. I wish they’d warned me the target would see it,” Will mumbled under his breath as he paced up and down in front of her throne. “Tell me, priestess, which components are required for your rite?”
“An altar of rare sto… What the hell?!” Her impassive mask cracked again as she struggled to resist the tremendous power of his skill. “What have you do…?”
Before she could finish her question, her body gave another lurch and she continued: “Of the rare stone: mistrotium. Painted with special ru… Stop! My head!”
Her guards surrounded the visitors but could take no further action without their ruler’s order. As far as they could tell, she wasn’t under attack, but something extraordinary was definitely going on.
“Cancel your spell. Now!” Granis, the loyal bodyguard who Raven remembered from his first visit, stepped ahead.
“Sorry but I can’t,” Will looked at the Lamia. “Stop resisting. The more you struggle, the more painful it will be.”
“You’ve gone too far this time, White Raven,” she hissed like a snake and, closing her eyes, took a deep breath.
Paley the Seventh’s approval down to Resentment
Current attitude status: -40/100
Two minutes later and Will had learned everything he needed to know. He had asked specific questions about the runes and the rare paint used for them.
“What that was? Explain, you bastard!”
It was the first time Raven had seen the priestess so angry.
“It was effect of my Voice of Truth skill. It can make anyone answer any three questions.”
“Anyone?”
“Absolutely.”
“Now I will ask you a question. Consider your answer carefully.”
“I’m listening.” Will knew the Lamia might never forgive him for playing such a mean trick on her, but she was really useful. He would rather keep their current weird, but mutually beneficial relationship as it was. He hadn’t lost anything by telling her about the skill; it couldn’t be used on the same target more than once anyway.
“Considering the situation, and your desperation to know my secret, I can forgive your insolence… but only if you perform a service for me. Agree?”
“Depends what kind of service it is.” Will would rather not sign up for anything.
“Oh, I wish you had been that prudent when you were deciding to use that skill on me. Now you’re in no position to back off. Is that a yes or a no?”
Attention! Paley the Seventh has given you an ultimatum.
If you accept her terms, you will have to complete her request upon receiving it. Otherwise, you will be prohibited from entering the city of Vakhaness ever again. Any attempt to do so will be considered trespassing. Your relationship with the Naga people will reduce to Loathing, turning each Naga and each Lamia into your personal enemy.
The same consequences apply if you accept the deal and then fail to complete the request.
All just because the skill description didn’t mention she would notice I’d used it on her. For fuck’s sake.
“Okay. I accept.” Will’s soft growl was accepted by the system and his relationship with the Lamia was restored to Neutral. “We have to go.”
Will turned toward the exit and strode out. Just as he was leaving the temple, he heard the half-serpent’s oily voice: “Nice talking to you, White Raven,” she sniggered.
“He who laughs, laughs last, priestess,” Will responded, pausing for a moment, without looking back, before vanishing through the door.
Once she had been left alone with her guards, Paley beckoned one of them to her. “Bring all my couriers in. Now. It’
s time to meet up with my sisters from other cities.”
***
After successfully making her way to her companions by using the beads, Nanel saw puzzled looks on Raven’s and Rinnah’s faces. She turned to Daltaro for an explanation, but the archer just shook his head, indicating that this was the wrong time to ask, and the four of them headed out of the undercity.
Whatever. I’ve got what I wanted. Now I just need to make that rite.
Creating a class-appropriate rite was not an easy task. Rogues were not supposed to use rites at all, but Will was determined to make full use of the skill he happened to have by creating a rite that would reduce, or better yet, steal his victim’s levels.
“Let’s do it.” Their small group stopped next to a pyramid-shaped building. Standing separately from the rest, Will activated Sacrifice and saw five empty slots.
Choose any materials/components/items to be used in your ritual.
Notes:
1) Fill all slots to maximize the ritual’s power.
2) The power of your ritual will depend on the item order.
That makes sense. Will put the cup fragment into the first slot; it was unlikely to be ruined or destroyed by this process. Next came the Obedience Crystal, then Prison Chains, then the essence of the XP-devouring monsters that he had obtained from the vampire. The last slot was filled by the Mental Energy Sphere. Will purposefully selected the items that (except for the sphere) had the ability to mess with other creatures’ stats and minds.
After filling all the slots, the rogue saw another message:
Will you drink the victim’s blood?
Will gave it some thought and remembered that drinking blood was said to be the most efficient way of gaining XP in this game. I am definitely going to regret this.
Choose the duration of your ritual.
Note: Longer rituals are more powerful but have worse consequences when interrupted.
“One hour.” Raven hoped this would be enough, as he wasn’t going to make it any longer. Drinking blood for a full hour, even though he knew it wasn’t real blood, would be tough enough.
Say the activation words of your ritual.
“Shit. I’m getting tired of this.”
Your ritual is being created.
1%... 5%... 26%... 75%... 100%
Your ritual has been created.
“Eh?” Will’s right eye twitched. Tapping himself on the forehead, he laughed under his breath. “What a great activation phrase… not.”
SACRIFICE
Rank: Hidden
Your constant sacrifice has allowed you to understand the essence of bloody rituals.
Active skill: Apprentice
Description: Due to the power of the items used in your ritual, their order, and the process duration, your ritual can steal three levels from the sacrificed victim.
Items used:
1) Sak’Harel’s Cup of Mind
2) Emperor’s Obedience Crystal
3) Prison Chains
4) Essence of XP-devouring monsters
5) Mental Energy Sphere
Duration: 1 hour
Cooldown: 1 month
Activation phrase: Shit. I’m getting tired of this.
Requirement: Fangs.
Notes:
1) You can only sacrifice creatures whose level is lower than yours;
2) You can sacrifice consenting players whose sensitivity level is at least 80%;
3) If you reduce your sensitivity level, you will not be able to use this ritual.
“Did it on the first try. Perfect.” He smirked and breathed a sigh of relief. Now he had to find a victim to sacrifice.
Once he had found one, Will tried to use the skill, but he was rebuffed by the system:
To use this ritual, the victim must be fixed on the spot.
You need to have fangs.
“Ah, of course.” After taking his Golden Dragon form, Will stunned the victim with Greedy Stare and applied Sacrifice again.
This time the process started. After being summoned from his ring, the five items formed a pentagram around the victim. A flash of blue light brought the monster (Karnapur, Level 76, which resembled a small dinosaur) down to the ground.
“Shit. I’m getting tired of this.” Will smiled as he said his really lame activation phrase.
Then came a stronger flash of blue light. The monster thrashed in agony.
Now for the worst part. Will the golden dragon sank his fangs into his prey and swallowed its stinky blood. He cursed in his head as he forced himself to push the hot liquid down his throat. It was really tough and not something just anyone could endure.
It’s just code. A mere illusion. It’s just a game… Fucking hell, this is so gross!
Drinking a living creature’s blood was the last thing Will would have put on his to-do list for that day. And yet, here he was bending over the monster’s still body like a wild animal, forcing himself through this process. He needed it to conquer the top. To reach his goal. Or at least that’s what he believed.
Chapter 213. Heroic Potential
S econds upon seconds hung heavily in the air. Raven’s comrades were shocked by what he was doing, and how he looked, but none of them were going to interrupt this grim and cruel sacrifice.
At last, the young king had completed his rite and bent down as though he was going to vomit. Nanel, Daltaro and Rinnah watched his blood-covered face in silence.
What was that? What were you trying to achieve? they seemed to be asking silently while the rogue stood on all fours, peering into the pool of blood he had spilled. The Karnapur, still alive, was tossing and turning by his side, trapped by the blue fire.
“Hades. Kill it.” Will stood up and walked over to the fire. The sight of flames was calming; you could watch them forever. He badly needed the calm.
He had many reasons to feel depressed. Firstly, there was the reality of everything that had just happened. The blood on his lips, how it had pulsated slightly as he drank it. Its tart, metallic smell. This amount of detail was wrong. Will remembered something like this had happened before, and his suspicions were confirmed when he looked at his status.
Current sensitivity level: 102%
No messages, just like last time. That was the second issue. There was something really weird going on.
The third was the fact that he had just spent 3,600 gold. When he was selecting the duration of the rite, he had totally forgotten about the cost of the Golden Dragon form.
All of this was topped off with a new message he had just received mentioning an attribute he had never heard of before, and which wasn’t listed on any of the game’s websites or forums:
ATTENTION! You have achieved Level 100. A new XP threshold to reach the next level will apply from now on. Please check the developer’s website for more information, the Character Development section.
You have met all the conditions necessary to receive a new attribute:
1) Reaching Level 100 at the game sensitivity level of 100% or more.
HEROIC POTENTIAL
Description: You can learn heroic skills and use Will Points to level them up. Heroic skills can only be obtained at random. Nobody knows when such an opportunity will come your way. Good luck, White Raven.
Note: If you reduce your sensitivity level, you will lose this attribute and all learned heroic skills.
Will they reply? As he was emailing the devs the attached screenshot, Raven looked at his companions: the loyal Daltaro, the charming Rinnah, his beautiful fake wife and victim of the Emperor of Obedience. Hades gnawing at the poor mob’s flesh. And Khalapheer, Palace Guard of Beelzebub, watching the giant dog’s eating. A great company. “Okay, everyone. Our plan is still the same. Nanel. Go with Daltaro and Rinnah. Get as much practice as you can. I need to hunt alone for a while.”
He needed one more level to subdue the powerful mob. By setting the portion of his XP that went to his pet at zero, Will could earn the required amount in just a few days.
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“Don’t forget the beads. Tell me immediately if you come across anything special. Bye.”
“Good luck, kitty.” The Bruxa smiled and waved at him, before starting to put out the fire. The queen stared at Will silently, and the archer raised his fist as the rogue walked past him. Smirking, Will tapped his own fist to Daltaro’s, and vanished into the woods without looking back.
***
Two days later, Will received the much-desired message confirming his new level.
Name: White Raven
Level: 103
After instructing his comrades on what to do in case he fails, he approached the last cursed place and, activating Twilight Walker, slowly set off toward Shimiraz. Once he had crossed the invisible-attack-range-line, an Ogre-like monster dressed in rusty metal armor waved its big club, which emitted a smoky-red aura, and glared with malice as he sensed the rogue creeping up in the shade.
Praying that it worked, Will stopped thirty feet away from the monster, and used the Obedience Crystal. A blue flash of light pierced the monster, absorbed its dark energy and enslaved its mind.
You have used the Emperor’s Obedience Crystal. Now Shimiraz obeys no one but you.
Name your new servant
Shimiraz.
Named
“Thank God.” As he walked out of the shade and up to the monster, Will flashed a broad smile. “Oh, what a beauty. Even if you do try to kill me every time we meet.”
He muttered this last sentence under his breath as he entered a small cave, which overlooking the cursed underground lake. Will dropped the crystal into the water and watched as it was cleansed. In the meantime, his companions had arrived to see this greedy and crazy brute’s plan work out perfectly; the formidable monster would not attack them.
