The Concubine Contract

by Eden Redd

  Nero couldn’t grab anything as the tunnel caved in on him and the floor crumbled away from underneath. The troll went tumbling down, dead clutching to him as he fell further and further down into the abyssal blackness. The last thing he saw was the magical light wink out, consumed by the darkness as he fell deeper into the unknown.

  Twelve

  Nero’s world became nothing more than complete darkness, crashing against stone, dirt, debris and several corpses clinging to him. Short sword gone, the troll clutched at his dagger. Pain registered as he slammed into rough stone and tumbled down a hard slope.

  You have taken 6 damage! HP: 248/254

  You have taken 9 damage! HP: 239/254

  You have taken 4 damage! HP: 235/254

  You have taken 11 damage! HP: 224/254

  On and on it went while corpses dug bony fingers into the troll. Nero lashed out with dagger in hand. The sharp edge cut off a hand and then sunk into the skull of another. Pulling it back, he slashed again and again. A corpse fell away while two more hung on.

  The troll twisted his body in the pitch black darkness, hoping he could use the corpses as a cushion. The player was rewarded with a satisfying crunch as he landed on a corpse and it let go.

  Barely a moment had passed but the falling felt like an eternity. Hand reaching out, the shadowmancer tried to grab something, anything to slow his fall. Instead, he grabbed the last corpse. Arm flashing forward, he drove the dagger point into the dead, hoping it was its skull. The blade penetrated but it was the corpses shoulder. Nero smacked his head against the hard slope, a daze taking hold. Confused, he lashed out again and this time, the dagger hit the corpse’s thin neck and severed the head from its shoulders.

  Rolling down as decayed bones and skin shattered into shards of light, it gave the troll just enough time to see he was falling down into an immense cavern before the light winked out. Free of the undead, the troll reached out again and grabbed hold of the stone surface. Body laying flat, the tumbling stopped and he slid down. Seconds passed before the troll hit the cavern floor and slid to halt.

  In the bleak darkness, the player checked his stats and combat log. He had taken damage the entire way down and some damage from the dead.

  HP: 142/254

  The troll stayed on the ground, taking in a deep breath of musty air. Coughing, he tried to sit up but his body was having a hard time responding.

  Concussion damage! It will take 4 minutes to recuperate.

  “They really thought of everything,” Nero whispered and let out a maddening chuckle.

  The troll simply lay in the inky darkness, waiting out the timer and wondering what his next move would be. Eyes searching, he couldn’t see anything. Trolls did have a small degree of night vision but without any light, he was blind. The time ticked away and the player rolled onto his side, taking in another deep breath. The connection between his mind and the game fooled him into thinking he had actually taken damage. So much so, he was having a hard time concentrating, much like a person with a real concussion.

  The time reached zero and the troll began to feel better. Sitting up, Nero listened. A dead silence surrounded him, weighing heavy on his ears. Standing up, the troll turned around, hands out to see if he could feel anything. With slow steps, he groped the darkness to find something to anchor his body and find a starting point. After a few more steps, a blue glow began to chase away the abyssal darkness.

  Neo turned around and faced the giant cavern as ghostly flames appeared. Their light soothed dark eyes as they formed a line along the middle of the cavern. Nero gazed around and saw the walls were too steep to climb them. Looking to the glowing balls of azure flames, the player shrugged and followed.

  Stepping along, light gleamed off something metal on the floor. The troll smiled as he knelt down and scooped up his short sword. Sheathing it, he continued to walk along under the glowing flames and deeper into the cavern. The smell of decay grew the further he walked. Not wanting to be surprised, the troll spent a charisma point to activate his Sense the Dead ability.

  The player had to close his eyes as ghostly light exploded in his mind. At first he thought he was surrounded by the dead but as he walked along, eyes opening, he saw it was coming from one source. Walking toward it, the ghost lights seemed to brighten until the entire cavern was bathed in azure light.

  The troll stepped closer as something big loomed from the shadows. Nero looked up to a large throne made of skulls and bones. On it, sat a large humanoid figure with tattered wings stretching out from its back and a reptilian skull with sets of horns emerging from the back. The body was skeletal but not of a normal humanoid creature. The bones were dense and nearly flat. Its strange body appeared like mummified bone armor, sitting on a throne of death. A rusty blade stuck out of its chest as it sat, silent as the grave.

  “All alone in the dark,” Nero whispered as he stepped closer.

  The troll stopped a foot away from the small dais leading up to the skull throne, eyes on the sword. Nero pondered if the blade was magical since it seemed to be the weapon that killed the demonic monster. The player would have kicked himself if he didn’t at least inspect it. It would only be right to gain something from this misadventure. Afterwards he could figure a way out of the massive cavern and back to the contract quest.

  Thoughts flowed back to Luci, wondering if she was okay. Pulling up his group screen, he saw that Luci was still alive but had taken some damage. The same was for Rikk and Dulla. The player wondered if they were still up there, fighting for their lives while he was down here, staring as a long dead monster.

  Taking the steps one at a time, the troll made his way up until he stood before the large monster. The dead demon monster looked like if it stood up, it would be about fifteen feet tall. Nero’s hand reached up, inches from the large sword impaled in the corpse.

  Nero knew it was a bad idea to mess with anything like this. If he pulled it out, the thing was going to come back to life and slaughter him but the temptation was proving too great. The moment he touched the sword, if it was magical, it would began listing off what the item was and what stat increases it may contain. If the monster began to wake, he would make a run for it, somewhere.

  Nero pulled his hand back slightly. The player shook his head. It was a terrible plan and decided he didn’t want to tempt fate. Turning around, he surveyed the cavern, looking for stairs or doors, anything to make a quick exit and get back to his party.

  A song rose up, faint at first but growing louder with each passing moment. The melody was haunting, filling the shadowmancer with a heavy heart. Turning back to the sitting demon skeleton, a gentle glow appeared behind the armored rib cage. Its light grew with the song and Nero felt a tremble down his spine. Never had he heard such a song before. Was this what Dulla was talking about? Was this why her eyes were lost as she listened? Even now, Nero wanted to sit and listen to it till the end of time, a song caressing his heart with shadowy sorrow in a mad digital world.

  Nero tried to shake it from his mind but the song called to him, asking him to step closer. The troll tried to fight it but the melody sank into his spirit, drawing him closer. Booted foot after booted foot moved the shadowmancer closer until he once again stood inches from the thick sword. A hand reached up, fingers closing around the pommel of the blade.

  A tear fell from Nero’s dark eye as he tightened his grip. The blade shuddered and then fell away like sand between fingertips. Nero’s arm dropped to his side as he gazed upon the demonic skeleton. The melody played on until blue light glowed from the eye sockets. The jaw moved and black veins snaked out from the chest, crawling up the neck and down the arms and legs. The veins pulsed with power and continued to worm up over the reptilian skull. Tattered skin-like wings flexed and the dead skull tilted forward, glowing eyes centering on the shadowmancer before it.

  “My song summoned you…..Shadowmancer…” the bone creature hissed.

  Nero stayed his ground, the song fading and his wits slowl
y returning, “I crashed down here. It was an accident.”

  The bone creature kept its gaze steady, “There are no accidents. My song touched the necromancer. She spoke to you…my words.”

  A dusty skeletal hand lifted up, fingers curling and flexing, “The dead hear much because we listen. We hear your cries, your torments, your glee and your desires. We envy for we can never have those moments again. We….carry a….cold…pain…unable…to move on.”

  “I didn’t want to pull the sword out. Your song made me do it,” Nero said matter of fact.

  The skeletal demon gave a deep chuckle, “My song comforted you to pull the blade, nothing more.”

  “You’re free. Can you show me the way out?”

  “The living….always in a hurry to march to your death. I would be remiss if I didn’t let you continue your journey but I have rewards for the one who freed me….and a request.”

  Nero backed up, “A request?”

  The reptilian skull nodded slightly, “Yes….but I am being rude. My name is Nyras, the Death Lover.”

  “Nero Synn, Shadowmancer.”

  “I know who you are, little troll. You were among many I called out to but you are the first to reach me.”

  Nero kept his hands loose and close to his blades, “I don’t mean to be rude but what are you?”

  The skeleton took a wheezing inhale as small pale flesh slowly began to form along its body, “A dragon lich, true master of the necromancy and teacher to those who wish to learn.”

  Nero’s eyes widened a hair, “Shit.”

  The dragon lich chuckled like a parent seeing their child walk for the first time, “You have nothing to fear, student of the dark arts. Unlike many of my kin, I stay true to my word and my honor.”

  Nero attempted a disarming smile, “How did you get yourself down here? Judging from the sword that was in your chest, it wasn’t fun.”

  The dragon skull nodded slightly, “Betrayal. I assisted…the lord of these lands…to build a mighty kingdom. I turned his dying slaves into undead…carrying on the ambitious project. I was promised a night with the queen…..to create an heir so my teachings would live on. I lay with her…..entranced by her beauty.”

  The dragon skeleton’s head dipped lower as if reliving a terrible and beautiful memory, “In the morning, I was lured down here and impaled by the very blade you removed. It was meant to be my death but I had prepared for the eventuality.”

  Nero listened at the lich continued.

  “Death came but it changed me into what I am now. Trapped here, below the castle…..I waited until my power was strong enough to call on those who dwell in the abyssal darkness and practice its arts.”

  Nyras’s unblinking gaze stayed on the troll, “You answered my call and I reward those who serve me.”

  Nero’s brow formed into a hard V, “I don’t serve anyone.”

  Nyras gave another dark chuckle, “We all serve someone, either it be a god, a king or the sensual touch of another. Even mighty dragons serve the stars. It would serve you well to know this.”

  Nero wanted to argue but he had to remind himself he was standing before a dragon lich. He was trapped with a monster that could literally tear him apart and he wasn’t going to push his luck.

  “I do not wish to debate the philosophy of our very existence. I wish to reward you for destroying my prison.”

  “Before we get down to rewards, what’s the request wish of me?”

  Nyras nodded, “Your prudent nature will serve you well. As I have mentioned…..the dead hear all. They whisper to me secrets as I sat here rotting. They informed me long ago……the queen birthed my child.”

  Nero’s eyebrow went up, “You had a child, with a human woman?”

  Nyras chuckled, “Yes, dragons can choose to create a union between the races. It is considered in poor taste to create such half breeds but it is possible. I wished to create a new order, not afraid of the necromantic arts. I believed…a union between human and Sindrell would bridge the races. How mistaken I was.

  “Despite the betrayal, my seed took and a child was born, half Sindrell and half human. Even now, I can feel her presence high above me.”

  Nero looked up for a moment before looking to the dragon lich once again, “You were killed by the first lord? That was hundreds of years ago. She is still alive?”

  Nyras breathed, string like muscles growing along large bones, “A gift from father to child, among many. She is a prisoner to a descendant of Rork, kept behind magical chains and never to leave the castle. She is a slave and I want you to free her.”

  Nero’s mind worked as he pulled the pieces together, “Is her name, Drubella?”

  Nyras nodded.

  Nero mentally cursed Terence. The fool sent him on this quest to retrieve Nyras’s child so he could keep her to himself. Blood boiled as the shadowmancer plotted Lord Blight’s demise.

  “I’ll do it,” Nero stated.

  “Excellent,” Nyras said with a deep, ethereal tone.

  The ground cracked at the bottom of a dais, a skeletal hand reaching up. Nero turned and watched as a skeleton rose up from the cracked earth, an animal skull on its head, a scepter in hand and a tattered robe covering its body. The skeleton stepped out of the ground and began taking each step toward the troll, bony hands removing the robe as hollow eyes looked on.

  Nero stood his ground as the skeleton folded the robe and knelt down before the shadowmancer, arms up and presenting the robe and scepter.

  “My high priest from long ago, even death could not stave off his growing madness. He asks to be relieved his duty and my kindness knows no bounds. He is presenting three gifts and they will aid you as you spread knowledge through the kingdoms.”

  Nero stepped closer and reached for the folded robe and scepter. The robe was black with arcane black stitching entwined with the fabric. The moment it touched the troll’s hands, the tattered fabric melted into a brand new fabric, as if it was made yesterday. The high priest pressed the scepter to Nero’s open hand and dark energy flared along the small rod, up to the black gem at the top. Nero eyed the items as he took in the strange animal skull the priest was using for a headdress. The two fang like teeth were extremely long, like a saber tooth tiger‘s teeth but longer and thicker. The dead priest removed the headdress and placed it on the bundled robe and scepter.

  The player held the items close as his vision was filled with item information.

  You have acquired the Dragon Skull Headdress! Dark Mana Pool increased +100 points. (Rare item)

  You have acquired the Robe of Abyssal Conjuration! All spells are at half cost to cast. Robe protects user from spells and spell effects, half damage taken from enemy spells and spell effects. (Rare item)

  You have acquired the Scepter of Shadow Weaving! Scepter does 4-18 blunt damage. Ability: Manipulate shadows for attack and defense. Damage and protection increases with every dark mana point funneled through the scepter. (Rare item)

  You have acquired new spells!

  Summon Banshee: Call upon an undead with the power of flight. Banshee’s voice carries a stunning, anti-blessing and death countdown effect. DM cost: 80

  Summon Ghost: Call upon ghostly spirit to fight or impart knowledge. DM cost: 90

  The shadowmancer could barely contain his smirk. He immediately began to dress, putting the robe over him while his cloak moved into his inventory. The headdress fitted perfectly over his head and the long teeth didn’t obscure his vision too much. Holding the scepter, dark power wrapped around his hand, cementing to his spirit.

  “The longer you protect my daughter and serve me, the more your power will grow,” Nyras whispered.

  Nero flipped the scepter in his hand, “I can work with this.”

  The player checked his character stats as it scrolled before his eyes.

  Nero Synn

  Shadowmancer Troll

  Hit Points(HP)- 254/254

  Armor- 22

  Dark Mana Pool(DM)- 220/220
/>   Strength- 19 (+3)

  Intelligence- 22 (+4)

  Wisdom- 30 (+8)

  Dexterity- 28 (+7)

  Stamina- 22 (+4)

  Charisma- 40 (+10)

  Abilities

  Whisper to the Dead- 22

  Soul Drink- 22

  Sense the Dead- 18

  Troll Regeneration- 14 (Passive ability)

  Skills

  Sneak- 27

  Spells

  Raise Pale Skeleton- 5 DM

  Raise Bloody Bones- 12 DM

  Summon Wraith- 25 DM

  Summon Banshee- 40 DM

  Summon Ghost- 45 DM

  Soul Drain- No cost

  Equipment

  Scepter of Shadow Weaving-7 to 21 (Shadow Weaving Ability)

  Short Sword of Decay- 8 to 25 damage (Slow healing)

  Soul Bleeder Dagger- 5 to 15 damage (48 hour lockout)

  Robe of Abyssal Conjuration- Spells at half cost. Take half magic damage.

  Dragon Skull Headdress- +100 Dark Mana Pool

  Enchanted Leather Armor- +5 Armor

  Ring of Shadows- +10 Sneak

  Nero noticed the bonuses already applied to spells, cutting their cost in half. The robe fit over his leather armor, allowing him to retain the armor bonus. A slot opened in the robe, allowing for the shadowmancer to store the scepter there until ready for use. The bonuses increased his power and he could feel himself getting stronger. Eyes focused on the scepter in his hand and he pondered on the many uses of the powerful item.

  The shadowmancer was about to address the dragon lich when a plume of smoke appeared along a cavern wall. Head turning to the plume, eyes narrowing for a better look, the player looked on with astonishment filling his eyes.

  Luci, Rikk and Dulla slid down the cavern edge. The kitmori looked to the troll standing on the raised dais and her heart leapt in her chest. Legs bending, she launched off the cavern wall, somersaulted through the air and landed on her feet, sword in hand. Rising, she charged toward across the cavern, sword held behind her as she laser focused on the shadowmancer. When she reached the bottom, she leapt into the air, spun and landed right before the troll. Sword vanishing, she threw her arms around the troll, pulled him close and kissed him deeply.