Grinning to myself, I closed the book and stood up, channeling my mana. “Hey, smut face!”
The demon turned its head to scowl at me. He was having a great time pummeling the others. They were all down to about 50 percent of their health.
I opened my mouth and released the mana with a roar. The stream of mana hit the creature and the green ribbon tethering him to our world was cut away. Jawbreaker stumbled, falling to his knees.
I conjured a trio of revolving drilling arrows and called to my dumbfounded companions, “Get it now, while he’s down.” Then I shot the arrows at its face.
His health bar was already shrinking and the drilling arrows hastened the process. Reinvigorated, Malkyr, Hoshisu, and Kuzai howled as they fell upon the kneeling demon, hacking and bashing its body. Jawbreaker was declining before our eyes, losing mass and height. Still, he wasn’t finished. The twins were both in bad shape, suffering damage from the flames that erupted with every hit they landed. Almost blindly, the demon swung his fists, connecting with both of them and hurling them away.
The siblings had a quarter of their health remaining. Kuzai was still holding his own. As a priest of light and higher level than the twins, he was naturally better equipped to battle demonic beings.
I tried using Shadow Web to force the demon onto the shrine. But even in his diminished state, his flames burned my web away. Normal fire wouldn’t be able to do that. Hellfire was a pain in the butt.
“Hack at the legs! Make him fall on the shrine,” I shouted to the dwarf who was trading blows with Jawbreaker.
“Ye want a freaking giant demon on a shrine, ye’ll get yer freaking demon on a shrine,” Kuzai grunted, expertly bashing the demon’s back, making it topple over.
Yes! I was going to make it! I called my dagger to my hand, getting into position, ready to perform the sacrifice.
“ENOUGH!”
The force of the voice blasted us all off our feet, allowing Jawbreaker to rise unsteadily back to his own.
A woman came out of the darkness. I could now clearly see the single horizontal ribbon from the shrine connected to her.
She stood tall and proud, her ebony skin smooth and perfect. Two small antlers grew back from her temples, holding her lush raven-black hair in place.
And she was completely naked.
With large breasts, flat stomach, and swaying hips, she was a sight few men would refuse. The unearthly, dark-skinned beauty glared at us. “You dare assault me at my own shrine?” Though threatening, her voice was rich and throbbing, sending tingles down my spine. “This is my place of power. Here, I reign supreme. Soon, I will be strong enough to bring forth my army of eager minions. They will sweep through your realm, sewing chaos and discord.” She passed her tongue over her blood-red lips as if savoring the notion. “Your mortal souls will be chained in eternal bondage, enthralled by corrupt pleasures, eager to cater to my every deviant whim. But first …” With a flick of her wrist, another ribbon shot out of her body, connecting to Jawbreaker. Immediately the demon stood taller, his wounds beginning to close.
I couldn't agree more. Analyze.
Kusitesh, Demon of Desire
Level: 200 (10%)
Type: Boss Tier VI [Temptress]
HP: 7,234, MP: 14,296
Attributes: P: 6, M: 202, S: 41
Skills: Seduce 51, Charm 51, Barter 51, Withering Gaze 212, Dominate 212
Traits: Demonic
Resistances: Fire 100%, Armor 346, Mental 80%, Spell 60%, Cold -50%, Holy -50%
Description: Having lived for millennia, Kusitesh has achieved great power. Using her wiles and magic she dominated lesser demons and bound them to her will. After being summoned to the material plane by an incompetent Ogre summoner, Kusitesh capitalized on the situation. Unshackled by a flawed ritual, she was able to take control over her summoner, Jawbreaker, and infuse him with infernal energies which strengthened and further bound him to her will. Since then, she has used the power of the shrine as a conduit to summon her lesser minions, taking over the Ogre clan in the process. She now roams the forsaken fort, looking for ways to gain more power and wreak devastation upon the world.
Now that was the specific background I was expecting from the final boss. Crap.
Kusitesh’s demeanor changed. She wrapped her slender arms under her ample bosom and spoke in a cooing voice. “Come now, boys, there’s no need to harass my bodyguard, is there?” Her smile was ravenous and her eyes shone with an ethereal red. Waves of intense mana and information threads erupted from her like a tidal wave.
Malkyr stopped dead in his tracks.
I was about to answer with a drilling arrow to her head, then a realization hit me. Why fight against her? She is sooo gorgeous and defenseless. We could be good together … We are both monsters and bosses after all; it’s like we’re made for each other.
[Come to me, my love. Serve me, worship me.]
I could hear something else screaming inside my head. It sounded familiar, like a long-forgotten colleague. I shook my head to clear out the bothersome noise and obediently stepped toward the love of my life.
“What’s wrong?” Hoshisu asked sharply.
“Sorry, sis.” The big man was struggling to move. “She hit me with a debuff. I can’t move till it wears off.”
“Damn it,” she hissed. “I see it. There’s a ‘Charmed’ symbol over your icon. No wonder she got you. She has an ‘impossible’ tag; she’s way out of our league.”
[Kill her for me, my love and we shall be together for all time]
Yes! What an excellent idea.
I conjured my spinning missiles and launched them at the evil traveler woman.
“What the hell are you doing!” Malkyr yelled as the three projectiles hit Hoshisu, instantly claiming a third of her health. Fighting travelers was so much easier than having to deal with huge, possessed Ogres.
“You will not stop us!” I snarled at them.
“He’s got the Seduced debuff” Hoshisu called out.
“What? That’s impossible, NPCs can only affect the minds of …” His eyes widened at the realization.
“What’s the matter, you white-haired wench,” I taunted the woman, “I thought you wanted to fight me.” I was vaguely aware that the annoying dwarf was somewhere nearby, fighting Jawbreaker. “Well, here’s your chance.”
“Fine.” Her gaze shot daggers at me. She withdrew a chain belt from her inventory and slapped it over her shoulder. It was a chainmail bandoleer. It had eight holstered throwing daggers placed at equal intervals for easy reach.
I snorted. Like it’s going to do her any good.
The woman advanced on me, holding her daggers. I raised one hand leisurely and conjured another trio of arrows. Before I could complete the spell, Hoshisu rolled forward, instantly closing the distance between us, and slashed at my arm, breaking the spell.
Hoshisu’s daggers hit you for 18 damage.
Clenching my teeth, I channeled my mana into a roaring tornado, ready to unleash shadowy horrors and pain on the annoying woman.
Then something caught my eye.
Bek.
He was moving like a sleepwalker, his body rigid, toward Kusitesh. She bent down, her hands caressing his cheeks, then held his head steady. Her eyes shone brightly as she gazed straight into his eyes. Bek screamed, and his body started shriveling. A vaporous mist came out of his mouth and went into the woman’s. The goblin’s body deflated, leaving behind an empty sack of skin and bones. Kusitesh rose to her full height, licking her lips.
The only thing I felt upon witnessing this horrific display was … joy. My beloved mistress had feasted well, all thanks to me. After all, it was I who fattened him up and brought him to her.
[Now, my love, open yourself fully to me; I want to know you completely.]
In my haste to comply, I acted without thinking. I opened my character sheet and directed its information ribbons to her.
Her beautiful head jerked b
ack in surprise, and her eyes lost their focus, staring at something in front of her.
And then, it was like an invisible net that was wrapped around my brain suddenly melted away. I could think again. At the last second, Hoshisu halted her strike, her two daggers inches from my neck.
I looked down the pointy ends of her weapons, still poised to strike. I feebly held up one hand. “I’m okay now, sorry for the slip. It won’t happen again.”
She didn’t respond. She just looked at me, narrow-eyed, as if measuring me.
[Why have you forsaken me, my love? Come to me.]
That certainly got my attention.
“We have to end this, now,” I said to Hoshisu.
Her nostrils flared. “Good idea. It’s not like we weren’t giving it all we had until now.”
I scanned the room, taking in my surroundings. Kuzai was at a quarter health, facing off Jawbreaker, who was standing strong with over 80 percent of his health. Malkyr was still struggling to move.
“I have an idea, but I’ll need Kuzai’s help. Do you think you can tank Jawbreaker for a few moments?”
Hoshisu bent down, putting her face right in front of mine, holding my gaze. “Watch me.” Then she turned and ran at the gigantic boss.
As she approached the melee, she tucked and rolled between the immense demon’s legs, coming from behind it. Her daggers stabbed at its leg as she passed, scoring sneak damage despite her opponent’s heavy armor. That was enough to get his attention and the demon whirled around to face the woman, ignoring the dwarf it had been fighting.
“Kuzai, over here!” I moved to stand near the shrine.
The dwarf was bloodied and looked like he was all for continuing the fight and ignoring me. But Hoshisu waved him off and he reluctantly disengaged and came running at me.
I placed my hands on the shrine. I could easily sense the power coursing through it, connecting it to the lower planes. I knew I could try pushing against that power, trying to force it to close in a harrowing battle of wills. But I didn’t have to. I wasn’t the only priest around here, and as luck had it, the other one was a follower of the light. Kuzai was diametrically opposed to the shrine’s power and much more suited than I to resist it. And in case anything went wrong, he was also more disposable.
“If we can consecrate the shrine, the demons will lose their anchor to our world,” I shouted. “Your god loves the light, right? You alone can do it!”
The dwarf eyed me suspiciously. “Why nay ye do it yerself?”
“I can’t!” I held up my arms. “I don’t worship Durang like you do. The darkness I wield is inadequate for the task.”
Wiping blood off his face as he weighed my words, Kuzai finally nodded. “Ye got that right. Ruddy goblins.” He placed his hands on the shrine, his face grimacing in agony as he did so.
The shrine’s evil powers were anathema to the followers of the light and contact with it had clearly caused the dwarf pain. Good to know.
Kusitesh switched her attention to the dwarf. Her eyes shone and tendrils of enticing mana shot out toward him. Kuzai’s ever-present golden aura flared up, deflecting the attempt. The dwarf’s god protected him from her influence.
“No!” the demoness shouted. “Stop him, my love. Kill him and we can rule this plane together. I will not try to force my will upon you again, you have my word!”
“Will you give me the shrine as well?” I countered.
“Yes, gladly!”
“Then swear it in the name of your dark master.”
She hesitated “I cannot. But I promise you shall have it, along with my body to do as you please. You can experience boundless pleasure, wrapped in my embrace for an eternity …”
Now that was an interesting offer …
Oh, right.
“I got a counter offer, bitch. Go to hell.”
Barter skill level increased to 12.
Vic laughed. <‘Go to hell’ – good one, Boss!>
Thanks, Vic.
Kuzai puffed his cheeks, his whole body straining as if trying to lift a great weight.
With my Mana Sight, I could clearly see what he was trying to do. He was forcefully pushing his radiant, holy mana into the dark, unholy shrine. But the darkness fought back.
Kusitesh closed in on Hoshisu, her eyes boring into the other woman’s, commanding her to submit to her will. Hoshisu had no chance of resisting a spell with such an obvious power gap, and her knees buckled. Jawbreaker bent down and snatched her limp form with both hands and activated his Burn Soul skill. With two harmful Master-ranked skills affecting her at once, Hoshisu was doomed. Within seconds her body wilted and crumbled to dust.
“No!” It was Malkyr. The sight of his sister dying gave the man new strength. He broke away from the power that held him down and roared. His axe and his own body glowed orange together, reflecting the same intensity. I could see the runes from the gauntlet extend over his entire body within that glow.
Malkyr charged straight at Kusitesh and struck hard, cleaving between her perfectly shaped breasts. She drew back from the raging man with only a shallow cut marring her perfect skin. Jawbreaker stepped forward to stand between his mistress and her enemy.
Well, at least the siblings had kept them engaged this long.
I turned my attention back to the dwarf. He was sweating profusely now and giving off an equal share of sweat and blood. I could see that his bright mana already filled half the shrine, but the darkness fought back for every millimeter, forcing Kuzai to strain to his limits, even to maintain the progress he had made. His mana was draining rapidly. He was in for the battle of his life.
Glancing back at Malkyr, I saw he was now afflicted with the ‘Dominated’ debuff. The large man could only stare helplessly at Jawbreaker as the creature pummeled him with heavy punches. He had only 40 HP left when Jawbreaker raised both fists and brought them down together, smashing my companion to the ground. Another fatality.
Kuzai was panting hard, almost out of mana. Even his health bar dropped from the intense effort. The shrine’s darkness was almost completely replaced by the light.
With no one left to block their way, Jawbreaker and Kusitesh finally turned their attention to us. The temptress shot two crimson bolts from her eyes, but they were repelled by the last bits of brilliant mana pouring out of the dwarf. Jawbreaker took a huge step toward us.
“Now would be a good time to finish,” I advised the dwarf.
“Aaaaaaarrrrghhhhhh!” With one last push of Herculean effort, Kuzai forced the final few points of mana through his hands and into the shrine. Then he dropped to his knees, fully spent from the exertion. The shrine swirled with black and white lights, each fighting for dominance. Kuzai had failed to completely sanctify the shrine, but it was enough.
Jawbreaker faltered and buckled at his next step. He fell, hitting his head on the shrine, and remained there, flinching, but unable to move.
Kusitesh ran at us, screaming something in an unknown language, her face wilting, becoming emaciated and horrifying.
That was the moment I had been waiting for.
Staring at the head in front of me, I drew my dagger and struck down hard.
16 – Darkness Rising
Kuzai sacrificed. +112 Faith Points (Cult of Nihilator) [base 28 X 4 using an altar]
Quest failed: The Holy Dwarf 3
You have killed Kuzai, ending his journey, and forfeited your chance at establishing beneficial relations with the BoulderBelly clan.
For a split second, Kuzai’s eyes reflected his shock at my betrayal. Then his body liquified and was c
onsumed by darkness. Almost as an afterthought, I withdrew my dagger and stabbed Jawbreaker’s head as well.
Jawbreaker sacrificed. +252 Faith Points (Cult of Nihilator) [base 63 X 4 using an altar]
Level up! You have reached Character Level 25. You have 1 ability point to allocate.
Well, losing the new trade option was a shame, but I doubted the dwarves would have given us a fair deal anyway. Dwarves were notoriously untruthful, any goblin worth his salt knew that. But the attractiveness of the reward was irrelevant. My master wanted a ‘proper sacrifice’ to sanctify his shrine and Kuzai was it. Jawbreaker would have been a worthy sacrifice, yes, but I had no doubt that the evil Nihilator would much rather have the soul of a priest of light. And as it turned out, I was right.
After the holy dwarf was consumed, my master’s power manifested, extinguishing both the pesky holy light and the impure darkness, claiming the sacred place for his own. The shrine shone with new power, radiating with beautiful, serene darkness.
With a shrill scream, Kusitesh dropped to the ground and began convulsing. Gashes opened all over her now disfigured face, making her an even more hideous sight as she writhed in agony.
Her arms tightened against her body and her knees snapped up to her chest. It looked as if an invisible hand was crushing her like a soda can. She kept shrieking as her bones audibly cracked and her head bent down, grinding her chin into her chest. Then her entire body compressed, accompanied by more sounds of crunching bones. Something metallic appeared within the gruesome ball of bloodied flesh. In a few seconds, whatever remained of Kusitesh was sucked into the metal item which fell to the floor. Where moments ago a voluptuous demoness stood, there was now a chalice, glowing with unholy aura.
Quest Updated: Dark Missionary
You have dedicated a place of worship to The Cult of Nihilator.
Life Reset- EvP Page 26
