Scourge of Souls: The Realms Book Four: (An Epic LitRPG Series)

by C. M. Carney

  There are moments in time that alter the course of all events thereafter. This was one of those moments, the coatl sent. As is what came next.

  The voice of the enemy filled Gryph's ears. The voice of the one who threatened Brynn. The High God Morrigan. The same man who now called himself Aluran.

  “Congratulations, master,” Morrigan said as he eased himself as fluid as a snake around the slab bearing Simon’s body. “You are truly the greatest mage alive.” A smug smile formed on Ouzerio’s face as he drank in the praise. Then, Morrigan moved with incredible speed and plunged a dagger through the underside of Ouzeriuo’s chin and into his brain.

  The shock on Ouzeriuo’s face faded, and the man died as the blade slipped free. Ouzeriuo slumped to the floor. Morrigan knelt, resting a hand on the corpse, and Gryph watched as Morrigan used Assimilation.

  This is how Morrigan learned Soul Magic. A deep, helpless fear flowed through Gryph.

  Yes, and I see the fears that eat away at you. You wonder if you are walking the same path as Morrigan. You fear you will become like him.

  Yes. Gryph’s voice was small to his ears.

  There is one difference between you and he, and it makes all the difference. You want power to save another, not for yourself. Cling to that, keep it close to your heart, and it will guide you. But you are right to fear. Power is addictive and corrosive.

  Morrigan stood, shaking as he tried to contain his newfound power. A few moments passed before the shaking ceased. Morrigan looked down upon the corpse at his feet. “Thank you … master,” he said, the last word dropping with vile sarcasm and hate. “To repay all you’ve taught me, I will give you a proper burial. It is the least I can do..”

  Morrigan clenched his fist and a halo of yellow brown energy thrummed around his hand. The world rumbled as the earth below Ouzeriuo’s tower gave way. Morrigan floated off the floor and threw his other hand above his head. A pulse of energy tore upwards, shredding the bricks of the ceiling and exposing the night sky above.

  Morrigan twisted his fist and a yawning chasm opened in the ground under the tower like the maw of some massive beast. The tower split under the strain, breaking into three pieces and falling into the wound in the earth. Morrigan twisted his fist again and the tear in the earth snapped closed, leaving the barest tip of the once mighty tower visible above the ground.

  I should have stopped him, the coatl sent, regret and guilt pumping through the link. But my imprisonment weakened me and the horrors I’d witnessed nearly broke me. So, I did nothing as he reveled in his victory and left me to die.

  The god hovered in the air, smiling down at his handiwork for several long seconds, before turning east and zipping away at high speed.

  He would have killed you if you had tried to stop him.

  Likely, but it may have been better than what happened.

  Gryph’s perspective returned to the coatl. It was alone in the dark of the ruined tower, its body as broken as the cage that now crushed it. He saw a dim purple glow rise and then Ouzeriuo lurched to a sitting position.

  He lived?

  No. What you see is not life. Ouzeriuo feared death more than anything. He was the greatest wizard of his age and refused to let a single mortal life limit his power. Many years before he met Morrigan he’d taken steps to assure that no death would be permanent. He performed a foul ritual that tied himself to the Realm of Death so that when his time came, he would rise again as undead.

  Ouzeriuo stood, shrouded in a corona of purple flecked with sparks of deep blackness. The motes of black swam in and out of his eyes, nose, mouth and ears stifling Ouzeriuo’s scream before it could escape. The vibrancy drained from his face and his skin become leathery, drawn tight over his skull as flecks of rot appeared on its surface.

  This is when he became the Barrow King?

  Yes, and he was hungry.

  Ouzeriuo walked towards Gryph, a deep green glow of eldritch energy filled his empty eye sockets. He closed a hand and an unseen force wrenched the bars apart. He dragged the coatl roughly from the broken cage. The feathered serpent cried out in a desperate sing song voice, but the revenant’s heart was as cold as death. He crushed the life out of the empyrean creature and then drew its soul forth.

  The Barrow King swallowed the coatl’s soul whole. Gryph felt tears sting his eyes and a desperate pain dig at his heart. The evil of this creature was too great for him to fathom. How could one become so twisted?

  The Barrow King shivered in ecstasy as it fed. He extended a desiccated, skeletal hand, and a staff flew to the lich’s grasp. A moment later the feeding process was complete. Gryph cried out in agony.

  How did you survive?

  I am empyrean.

  I do not understand.

  Watch, the coatl sent.

  Gryph looked at the wretched creature as it constructed a throne of bones pulled from the rubble and the earth about him. He sat and leaned to the side like a man struggling with gastrointestinal distress after a full meal.

  Despite no longer needing to breathe, the Barrow King began choking. Pain filled his visage as he bent at the waist and a deep hacking built up inside him. Then a brackish liquid, the color of crude oil erupted from within him and the lich vomited up a puddle of black ooze. Gryph already knew the black ooze had come from the Barrow King, but now he understood the true nature of the vile entity.

  The black ooze are the remains of consumed souls!

  Yes, it is the semi-sentient remnants of the souls consumed by the Barrow King. All the fear, rage, despair, hate inherent to the consumed are heightened by the feeding. That concentration of negative emotions is too corrosive for even a revenant like Ouzeriuo to handle. The black ooze is his expurgation of those emotions.

  Are you saying you gave him a stomach ache?

  An apt analogy if imperfect.

  But you were different?

  Yes, as I said, I am empyrean, a celestial being born from the Source itself. Our souls are potent and Ouzeriuo had just become undead. Had he not exorcised me, my empyrean fire would have burned from the inside out. Yet his attempted consumption weakened me, making it impossible for me to reform, forcing me to suffer a vile half existence trapped inside the ever-growing waste of hundreds of souls.

  A spear of pain pushed into Gryph’s heart at the thought of what the coatl remnant had endured. I am sorry.

  Do not be, you are not responsible.

  Gryph looked at the glowing matrix of soul energy and understood the choice he was about to make, the choice he had already made, was one that would change him in ways he could not yet comprehend. He also knew, in the core of his being, where his own soul lived, that he had never made a better decision in his life.

  Would you like to join with me? Gryph sent.

  Silence hung heavy and Gryph’s heart thundered several times before an answer came.

  Yes, the remnant returned.

  33

  A flash filled Gryph’s eyes, and he was back, standing above the soul remnant. He grew dizzy and nearly collapsed, but Lex steadied him. Gryph nodded thanks to the Ordonian, but never took his eyes from the glowing mote of soul stuff that was the coatl.

  “So, I’m guessing by the way you’re giving that thing the googly eyes, I’m not allowed to smash it.

  Gryph ignored Lex and let his soul twine around the coatl’s while the coatl’s meshed with his, their soul stuff melding on a primal level.

  You have transformed your Tier Ability Soul Bind into Soul Meld.

  Where Soul Bind is a forcible and dominant subjugation of another soul, Soul Meld is a purposeful and willing melding of souls. The melding grants both partners amazing and unique benefits that will grow as the melding grows stronger.

  NOTE: As a mortal, you can only meld with one other soul.

  You have earned Experience Points.

  You have earned 50,000 XP for altering your Tier Ability Soul Bind into a new form.

  Joy overwhelmed Gryph. He had never felt more whole than h
e did now and knew the bond he shared with the coatl would only grow in time.

  Do you have a name? Gryph asked.

  I was once called Raathiel. But if you wish you can name me.

  Raathiel is a beautiful name.

  Then I will be Raathiel once again.

  Another prompt filled his vision and his joy grew to awe.

  You have Soul Melded with the soul remnant of the Coatl Raathiel.

  Meld Rank: 1

  You have melded your soul to that of another sentient being. Where Soul Bind is the domination of another soul, Soul Meld is a willing partnership. From this moment to the end of existence your souls are connected. They will ride the tides of the aether together from now to the end of all things.

  Because of your Soul Meld with an empyrean being, you have now gained the following traits.

  • Attribute Bonus: Your melding has granted you a permanent +1 per Meld Rank to all Attributes.

  • Adventure Party Bonus: Your Soul Meld has brought the coatl into a permanent Adventure Party with you. All perks and bonuses of your existing Adventure Party are applied at one Tier higher than your current tier. (Limited to Gryph and Raathiel) The coatl does not count against your Adventure Party total.

  ⁃ Current Adventure Party Perks: Boon 1, Boon 2*, XP Bonus 50%*

  • Empyrean Aura: Because you have melded with an empyrean creature you gain the ability to generate an aura of ‘holy light.’ This aura grants all members of your Adventure Party a bonus to hit and damage done of 25% to any creature whose primary Affinity derives from one of the Lower Realms (Chaos, Chthonic, Death, Aether), while also inflicting a to hit and damage penalty of -25%. The Aura lasts for 5 minutes + 1 minute per level of Empyrean Magic mastery. 1 use day per Soul Meld Rank.

  • Spell Focus: Because you have melded with an empyrean your focus during spell casting has increased. You will now ignore the first occurrence of Mana Feedback during any battle or encounter.

  NOTE: These bonuses are currently unavailable because of Raathiel’s lack of a physical form.

  Raathiel’s majesty overwhelmed Gryph and he knew it was only part of what it had once been. The bonuses the meld provided were incredible, but then he saw the final note. And his joy turned to sadness. Raathiel, now that we have melded, will you be able to take physical form again?

  Not at this time. My death and the damage done to my soul have left me weakened. I suffer from a significant XP deficit. We must erase the deficit before I can retake a physical form.

  A window filled Gryph’s vision.

  DeBuff Added: Coatl XP Deficit.

  The coatl soul you have Soul Melded with was damaged long ago and has an XP deficit of -2,675,000. Because of this deficit the soul remnant cannot take physical form or meld with another physical being.

  For the remnant to return to its full glory you must erase this deficit. Your Soul Meld will allow you to share XP gains with the remnant. Because your souls are intertwined this XP sharing does not decrease the XP you gain and requires no split.

  The bond we now share will allow me to earn XP again and with your help I will erase the deficit.

  You have been offered the quest Return to Glory.

  Raathiel needs to erase an XP Deficit of -2,675,000 before it will be able to take physical form once again. Will you help it regain its former glory?

  YES?/NO?

  Quest Giver: Raathiel - Difficulty: Difficult - Reward: Raathiel will take physical form - XP: 100,000.

  Despite the massive XP deficit Gryph clicked YES without hesitation. Then a thought occurred to him and he dragged a series of prompts related to the battle with Oozeriuo to the fore.

  You have earned Experience Points.

  You have earned 75,000 XP (60,000 base + 15,000 Bonus) for defeating Mini-Oozeriuo (x12)

  You have reduced Raathiel’s XP Deficit.

  You have reduced Raathiel’s XP deficit by 75,000 XP. Current XP Deficit: - 2,600,000

  He smiled and knew that despite the innumerable things on his slate, he would dedicate himself to helping Raathiel return to its former glory. A flush of embarrassment flowed through him. He’d been calling Raathiel it, without knowing if it was male or female, or had a gender at all.

  Raathiel, do you have a gender?

  Not in the manner you would understand it. Empyrean beings do not reproduce like mortals. Coatl are shapeshifters and can take humanoid form when necessary. When I did I chose to be female. Perhaps it makes me vain, but I appreciated the beauty of humanoid females more than the brawn of the males.

  Well, if you are willing, I would like to refer to you as feminine. It sounds more personal than calling you it.

  I would very much like that.

  Gryph was feeling great, and then another prompt improved his mood even more.

  You have Reached Level 18.

  You have reached Level 18. Since you have now repaid your XP deficit, you will once again receive Attribute Points and Perk Points when you level.

  You have 17 (5 Base + 1 Bonus) unused Attribute Points.

  You have 3 unused Perk Points.

  Skill Level Alert.

  You have reached level 21 in Air Magic.

  You have reached level 11 in Earth Magic.

  You have reached level 14 in Thought Magic.

  You have reached level 25 in Staves/Spears.

  You have reached level 25 in Lore.

  You have reached level 17 in Leadership.

  Gryph was ecstatic. It had only been a few days since he’d sold the vast majority of his experience to the Merchant in exchange for a slew of Perk Points, and he’d not only already regained all of his lost levels but added an extra on top. As a bonus his 50% increases in learning speed due to Lore’s Skill Progression Multiplier meant he was power leveling all of his skills.

  Gryph bent down and picked up the glowing jewel that both contained and was Raathiel’s soul. It felt warm in his hand and holding it close made Gryph’s anxiety ease. He had no idea how long the swirling lights transfixed him when Lex cleared his throat. Gryph looked up to see the Ordonian looking down upon him.

  “Dude, are you okay? You’re staring at that thing like a chick whose sugar daddy just put a ring on it.”

  Gryph had no words to explain, so he opened the Telepathic Bond and shared Raathiel to rest of the Adventure Party. Gasps pushed through lips and they all basked in the light of pure joy.

  “Uh, guys, I think you’re forgetting someone,” Simon said, waving his skeletal hand. “I would like to join your hippy love in.” He paused, cocking his skull slightly. “What in the Abyss are hippies?”

  Simon's shoulders slumped like an anxious teen. A rush of sympathy poured through him as the vision of Simon’s murder came back to him again. Gryph's torment was nothing compared to the horror Simon had experienced, and sometimes he forgot that Simon’s irritating mannerisms were the byproduct of horrific experiences.

  Bring me to him, Raathiel sent.

  Gryph walked up to Simon, the golden glow of the soul remnant flowing in front of him like a living thing as he approached Simon. The revenant instinctually backed away, something deep rooted in the DNA of his new form fearing the empyrean glow.

  “It’s okay Simon,” Gryph said in a calm voice and the undead teen slowed his retreat. “This is Raathiel, she would like to talk with you.” Gryph took Simon’s head lightly in his hands.

  Hello Simon, do you remember me?

  Simon gasped as a memory pushed into his mind. “You were there,” Simon said. “I remember you.” The members of the Adventure Party all shared in the vision of the teen boy Simon had once been, and for a time they were all Simon.

  He walked wide eyed and curious through Ouzeriuo’s laboratory, eyes darting everywhere, eventually settling on the red gold cage containing Raathiel. Simon gasped in joy and ran up to the cage, reaching a finger through the bars to stroke the feather covered chin of the coatl. The mortal raised her head and stared at Simon with sad eyes.

&n
bsp; “Why are you locked in a cage?”

  “Get away from the creature boy,” a hard voice barked. Everyone in the link knew it was Ouzeriuo’s voice. Simon spun, pulling his hand from the cage and turning to see Ouzeriuo and Morrigan eyeing him. “Come here, we have need of you.”

  Raathiel ended the image, not wanting Simon to experience his death again. “You were there,” Simon said. “You were so beautiful.”

  Regret pulsed through the link. I am sorry, I could not help you then, Raathiel said. Perhaps I can help you now. The golden glow around Raathiel’s matrix expanded and twined around Simon’s arm. He flinched for the briefest of moments, but then let the energy move into him. I cannot undo what is done to you, but I can return some of what they stole from you.

  The glow surrounded Simon and then leached into the bone of his skull. He closed his eyes and leaned back like a man in ecstasy. A moment later his eyes opened again and gasped. An odd sniffing noise came from him and he grinned at Gryph. “I can smell again.” He rushed about the room sniffing people and things. He stopped at Lex and inhaled deeply. “You reek. I love it.”

  “Uh, thanks guy,” Lex muttered, unnerved by the revenant’s odd behavior. Then it got odder when Simon rummaged through Lex’s pack. “Um, dude?”

  After a moment Simon found what he was looking for, one of the rations the elves had given the Adventure Party. He sniffed, tore open the leaf wrapper and bit down on the bar of nuts and honey.