Gloominess +2: Congregation. A LitRPG series: Book 2

by Elian Tars

  You have dealt 50 points of damage to the secondary target.

  Pulling out my trident, I half-turned to the side and immediately attacked the next enemy.

  You have dealt 187 points of damage.

  The creature’s skin absorbed about 20% of physical damage, but it didn’t protect it from magical damage. With the amount of HP they had it would take me less than ten strikes to finish off each one of them.

  You have received 124 points of damage.

  A hooked leg hit me in the back, and I almost fell. Without taking into account special skills and crits, they’d need about twenty hits to defeat me.

  The Spider hanging on the wall threw its web at me. Thanks to the well upgraded Acrobatics I jumped back spectacularly, rolled over backwards to slow down the momentum, and sprang to my feet. I ran around for a bit and faced the second Spider.

  “Power Strike”

  I turned to my left and hit again. The creature roared and, turning around abruptly, clacked its mandibles. I managed to jump back, but the third Spider already appeared behind my back, having jumped down from the tower.

  “Colossal Warrior-spider Changed by Decay” used “Sweeping Blow” with its “Claws of Decay”.

  You have received 167 points of damage.

  The “Effect of Decay” has been weakened. You receive 20 points of damage every 5 seconds for the next 30 seconds.

  I growled in pain and almost got on all fours again. Managing to remain standing, I rushed forward and, diving under the first Spider’s leg, hit its side with my trident twice. The creature began turnings its head; its relatives were already behind my back…

  Materializing my old pitchfork in my left hand, I pierced it through the Spider that was at my head’s height, dealing much less damage. The other two attacked me from behind, but I was able to get myself up, using Bon’s trident, and leaped onto the first arthropod’s back. That’s level 5 Acrobatics for you! Luckily, I decided to keep the Joy of the Acrobat that I had received from Tael on my wrist even after changing my gear. The device was a little inconvenient, but I had already grown accustomed to it.

  Getting onto the creature’s back, I hit the pin-joint on the carapace with the trishula twice, almost dealing the maximum amount of damage. It was much better to look for weak, unprotected spots than to hit at random.

  The Decayed screeched and tried to throw me off its back, raising the upper part of its body like a horse getting on its hind legs. I had to stick the trident into it and hold tight so I wouldn’t fall off. Realizing that getting rid of me wasn’t easy, the Spider plopped onto its stomach while the other two climbed its body in order to reach the brash enemy.

  I didn’t expect them to be so nimble so I got confused for a moment, but then I pulled myself together, yanked the trident out of the Spider, and met face to face with the upcoming enemies.

  “Power Strike”

  Critical hit! You have dealt 497 points of damage.

  I was lucky to have hit the roof of the creature’s mouth when it opened it. A crit? Awesome. I also managed to dodge the revolting acid-green slush that spilled from its mouth.

  Luck was not leaving my side.

  “Colossal Warrior-spider Changed by Decay” is under the effect of your “Aura of Darkness”.

  The Horror status effect worked different on the Decayed; they didn’t run away in panic, but turn limp. The third Spider, taking a swing at me from behind, fell down onto its side and rolled over.

  I attacked the second Spider three times, missing one of its attacks, while I waited for the Trident of Darkness’s cooldown to end. I defeated the arthropod with it.

  The third Spider climbed onto the first Spider’s back with some difficulty. I was able to halve its HP before the Horror status effect wore off. I didn’t know whether the Decayed were attacking on their own will and were coordinated their actions themselves, or were they just puppets in the hands of the Mother. Once it became obvious that the third spider won’t be able to deal with me, the first started getting back up. Its brethren jumped deftly to the ground and rolled over onto its back in a flash. I somehow managed to jump off in the last moment; my body would have been flattened otherwise.

  It took me about fifteen more seconds, one Trident of Darkness and several basic attacks combined with Power Strikes to defeat the beasts. Fighting two wounded enemies was better than dealing with three healthy ones.

  I had about 2/3 of my HP left; both it and my mana were slowly regenerating thanks to the Tranquility of Darkness. I probably could deal with five such enemies alone. More than five? Not so much…

  Of course, I didn’t finish them off. I had to keep my streak of “saved souls”. Besides, I didn’t really have to do it right now; the Spiders would come to their senses ten minutes and with two HP. Such an enemy was no big deal for us. Regenerating HP in this dark world was rough business

  I put the trident back into the inventory, pulled out Bon’s pitchfork out of the Spider’s carcass and materialized the torch. Leaving the battlefield covered with acid-green slush behind me, I ran to the tower.

  With a single touch of the flame, the web melted away. At first I was greeted by the grey masonry, but a few second later, I found the entrance. A small archway, completely hidden behind the web was facing north.

  I peeked inside, putting out the fire. Though the only source of light inside the tower was the entrance, I didn’t need more. I could use Eyes in the Dark. I could see more with it than with the torch. Not to mention that I accumulated faith points this way.

  The ground floor was damp and empty; there was nothing here except for the spiral stairs. I scurried to it and began climbing.

  I wondered how much time passed since Bon’s father placed the treasure here. The Spiders must’ve not been guarding it before. Even if he was really strong, and even if he had reached level 10 with the help of a Weakening Potion, and gotten to the tower using Glozeysk Crystal, he wouldn’t have been able to defeat so many enemies alone.

  But why was this necessary at all? Why did he need to hide the artifact on the Territory of Decay and make retrieving it so difficult? Why were the Decayed protecting it? It seemed to me that the Mother of the Decayed put her “children” here to prevent us from taking the treasure. Did she also need it for something?

  Nobody must’ve guessed that even the creatures of Decay could be interested in the Zurtarn. They wouldn’t have hidden its parts near them if that was the case.

  I was pretty high; the light from the entrance was unable to reach the stairs. It was almost pitch black, and only the energy indicators were visible, albeit barely.

  I froze in utter bewilderment. Why was it sparkling? I didn’t understand what those gleaming particles meant. What were they pointing me toward? They were placed in a checkered pattern — one particle on each step.

  Trail… It was a trail, wasn’t it?

  I tried to discern what was beneath the nearest indicator but to no avail. I thought about spending two out of the three skill points that I had on upgrading Eyes in the Dark to level 3. Wasting them would be a pity of course, as they were hard to get. On the other hand, two skill points cost only eight hundred gold coins. I realized that anything could be fixed with money, which made me feel a bit better. I had that much money on me. I could probably earn more if need be.

  As soon as I leveled up the skill, I looked at the nearest indicator yet again. The blinking light suddenly dissolved, leaving behind a footprint.

  I spent a couple of seconds carefully examining the sole of someone’s boot and then placed my foot near it. They were the same size. Just in case, I took out Bon’s old boots out of my inventory. Same size, different print.

  It wasn’t surprising that the father and the son had the same shoe size. But I couldn’t prove if that was the case or not. I saw Chief Jason only for a couple of minutes and didn’t really pay attention to his shoes.

  “Bon, could you maybe talk to me?” I mentally asked my source without stopping as
cending. As usually, he didn’t answer. A pity. On the other hand, this wasn’t the right time to seek inner harmony — my companions were fighting with all their might outside. I had to hurry up.

  The landing of the first floor appeared, but I, following the indicator, ignored it and continued on. The same thing happened with the next floor. On the third, I had to step off the stairs.

  The trace led me to the crates, which were stacked in a pyramid. Were it not for the Eyes in the Dark, I would have to rummage through each one in search of the artifact. However I saw a light flash between the crates. With a bit of strain, I dismantled the structure and noticed a part of a stone plate lying on the floor.

  Part of the Zurtarn

  Legendary item

  Mana charge: 148967/148967

  Last time it was Quarter of the Zurtarn, filled with about twenty five thousand mana. Now it was a Part with one hundred and fifty. So, we now had about 15% of a whole Zurtarn? Heh, I wished that there was more. How many parts will I have to collect?

  Reaching for the artifact, I took it without hesitation and put it into my inventory. It was time to return to the others.

  Suddenly, I heard a thump. It was difficult to confuse the sound of a coming Spider with anything else.

  Coming to the stairs, I looked up and saw a Little Spider Changed by Decay — the smallest of the decayed beasts — hurrying along the ceiling; it was level 5. A thought crossed my mind, Why hadn’t I noticed it before? Had it been hiding up there?

  The Little Spider climbed down the web and froze a couple of feet away from me. Clenching the trident, I rushed into the fight — one hit ought to be enough.

  “Boom!!!” a strong blast wave pushed me back to the crates. This time, my mind reacted faster than it did back in the forest when Baron Tsunter’s attacked us, when I stupidly fell off the horse and got shell-shocked for a few seconds. I managed to move my body in time; the upgraded Acrobatics helped me land onto my feet.

  I raised my gaze and froze in bewilderment. Instead of the Spider was a woman in an emerald dress with her hood pulled back. She looked pretty with soft pale skin, dark curly hair, and green eyes. If it weren’t for the green haze and power emanating from her, I would have mistaken her for a human.

  Mother of the Decayed

  Level 500

  HP: 47956/47956

  Chapter 8

  The Mother of the Decayed

  The second thought about fleeing with the use of Elusive Darkness, the Mother of the Decayed raised her left arm, covering me with acid-green haze. My body relaxed immediately, lifted up into the air by itself and, supported by the haze, flowed slowly toward the enemy.

  The “Mother of the Decayed” bends your will to her own. You lose the ability to control your body or use any skills.

  The “Effect of Decay” has been slightly weakened; you still have partial control over your body.

  “I’ve been watching you, human,” she said with a drawling voice. “It looks like you’re really using their power… That’s surprising… And you’re looking for what they call the Cradle of Gods…” she wasn’t asking, seemingly thinking out loud. “Can they really… Come back? Impossible… It’s too late… And it’s strange… Why have these Followers of those… Heh… Gods... Come with you?”

  “I don’t understand what you are talking about,” I said with strain. Thanks to the partial immunity to the Decay, I managed to somehow move my tongue and open my mouth. “Can you explain?”

  “You don’t understand…? Hmm… I don’t sense lies in your words… Don’t you know who sent you? Hah… That’s surprising…” she repeated again. “Don’t they trust you…? Well, of course… You’re weak…”

  First the Old Man pointed out my weakness, and now this woman. What did that mean? Why couldn’t the weak be trusted? Was there a greater possibility that they would betray? That was bullshit; a strong ally was more dangerous. Those were more difficult to control, and their stab in the back would be harder to fend off. Loyalty and allegiance didn’t depend on strength. Take Berg for example; he was ready to give his life to protect his own principles. But Arthur, whose level was much higher than the ranger’s, and the other captains of Ekheim quickly came over to Tsunter’s side.

  “Maybe you could explain?” I managed to say.

  “What for…? You’ll die anyway… But if they are loyal to you… They will come…” she looked up, as if talking to the sky. “Hey! You hear me, don’t you? I will kill your precious Gleam… And you will take the part of what is called the Cradle of Gods… Do you want to prevent me from doing this…? Then show yourself… Try to stop me…”

  I suddenly felt that I was trying to materialize the Part of the Zurtarn — she was making me access my inventory. One more second and, like an obedient child, I would hold out my hand to her with the legendary artifact in it.

  “Leave him be,” I heard a soft voice behind me, and the pressure was gone. The part of the Cradle of Gods stayed in my inventory.

  You have fallen under the effect “Rugus’s Aura”. You will receive 150 points of damage every second while within its range.

  You have received 150 points of damage.

  My body started becoming numb at once; it felt like my innards and spine were frozen. I had no strength to turn my head and look at the God of Control. It took me great effort just to keep my eyes open.

  “You?” the Mother of the Decayed whispered in surprise.

  “I’m sorry, my dear,” Rugus answered, “those that you were calling can’t move right now. That’s why I had to come for their Gleam.”

  “You’re wasting your own energy… Risking your Followers… To help those you destroyed once…?” she muttered. “I don’t understand…”

  “And don’t even try,” Rugus interrupted her bluntly. I got covered with a cloud of lilac sand that immediately destroyed the acid-green haze, and my body flowed back at full speed. I got near the God of Control and could see him properly now. He was a very thin and tall man, about fifteen feet high, with a dark turban, jeweled with gemstones, and a velvet robe. He had a sly, narrow, and a bit long face with a pointy chin and a black goatee. Aside from the Old Man, Rugus was the second God I met in this world. But unlike Einar, he stood in front of me in the flesh, and not as a semi-transparent projection.

  You have fallen under the effect “Rugus’s Aura”. You will receive 300 points of damage every second while within its range.

  You have received 300 points of damage.

  A second after I got near him, a veil of red covered my eyes, pain intensified, and blood gushed out of my eyes, ears and nose.

  “Bear it and don’t you dare run away,” Rugus said quickly. “Get out of here together with the rest. I’ll cover you. And I beg you, fulfill my request — get a congregation for your Patron, for they are all running short on rations there.”

  Attention!

  Available quest: “Congregation”

  Quest giver: Rugus, God of Control

  Increase the number of your Patron’s “Followers”.

  Reward: XP every fifty “Followers”, and maybe something more

  Quest giver: Your Patron

  Cancels the quest: “Rugus, God of Control”

  The quest has been accepted. Impossible to decline.

  There was an explosion followed by a deafening crash. I felt my body speeding up. The pain started to recede; the damage from Rugus’s Aura lowered to 150, then to 100 and stopped once it reached 50.

  I could think straight again; stopping the bleeding, I rubbed my eyes with my hands and looked around. The lilac sand was carrying me through the air. It seemed to be the culprit behind my pain and lowered HP. I looked in front of me — there was a huge hole in the tower wall; Rugus must have breached it to make an escape route for me. The guys were still fighting below me…

  “B-B-O-O-O-O-M-M!!!” the tower shattered into pieces like a broken icicle. Two figures appeared in the air. One was covered with a cloud of lilac sand, and the ot
her with the acid-green haze. Both were almost the same gigantic size — the Mother of the Decayed must have taken her fighting form and that was almost three times bigger than her regular one, but even from afar I could see that her body was semi-translucent.

  As soon as I noticed this, she raised her arm and green streams of energy flowed to her fingers. Following their direction, I saw the falling bodies of the Decayed. She was taking away her children’s lives.

  The sand that supported my body sped up; a few seconds later, it brought me to the rest of the group, and then vanished. My HP stopped declining, and I began applying the accelerated regeneration. But I had no time to finish.

  “Let’s get out of here! Quickly!” Una cried. “The Great One will help us!” she waved in the direction of the forest from which we had come from. The girl’s movements and tone brooked no argument.

  Passing by the countless bodies of the decayed creatures, we ran like the wind. Getting further away from the hill, Una slowed down and, putting two fingers in her mouth, whistled sharply, summoning her horse. The others followed her example.

  Once again, we heard the booming sound of explosion, and a strong gust of wind swept over the treetops. I turned around to look at what was happening and caught a glimpse of a part of the sky that was covered in a two-colored cloud of sand and smoke.

  While we were waiting for the horses, I started casting Tranquility of Darkness. I managed to renew Berg, Hulne’s and my accelerated regeneration and briefly explain what had happened in the tower.

  “Let’s go!” the healer commanded. The horses arrived simultaneously. “You’ll heal me and Jerome later. We must put more distance between us and them.”

  We could hear the rumble of the divine battle for a long time. The sounds of the battle stopped spreading over the forest an hour later, but Una ordered us to continue moving. Another hour later, the sorceress allowed us to catch our breath.

  I dismounted immediately and renewed our Tranquility of Darkness; we had been riding with incomplete stats this entire time. Yes, we were hastily fleeing. Yes, there was a good chance that the Decayed wouldn’t bother us today anymore, for it seemed that the Mother would hardly stay alive after the fight with Rugus. But, even if she was lucky enough to stay alive, she would run away to lick her wounds and would hardly care about us.