The Land: Monsters

by Aleron Kong

  As soon as he’d learned about tiers and Ascension, he’d started formulating a plan. The entire time he’d been looking at his potential incarnations, it had been percolating in the back of his mind. That was why he’d resolved to do two things that otherwise would have been unthinkable. The first had already happened. He’d apologized to Nexus. The outcome of that was worse than he’d expected, but at least the giant had seemed to buy that whole ‘I’m doing this for my people’ bull crap.

  The second was about to happen. He needed to ask Nexus for a favor. Not a Favor favor, of course. He wasn’t about to stick his berries in that bear trap again. Instead, he planned to appeal to the Auditor for help. When he’d snapped at Xuetrix, he’d been hoping there was something, anything, in his prompts that might help him stave off whatever request the imp was about to make of him. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d find something like the Rite of Ascension.

  The fact that he could now ascend was the greatest proof he’d ever had that Luck wasn’t just a dump stat. He had no idea what tier the demon was, but he knew that Xuetrix was an ascended being. The imp had told him as much during their first meeting. Now that he could evolve as well, at least he had a chance. He just needed to couple it with a bit of strategy. After that, it was tuck it and fuck it time.

  Thankfully, laughing in Richter’s face for an entire half hour had put the Auditor in a good mood. Nexus listened to the chaos seed’s request with a smile on his face. Sadly, when Richter finished speaking, the giant didn’t seem moved by the man’s request for help. That is, until an idea seemed to occur to him and a calculating and malicious gleam appeared in his eye. The chaos seed was immediately on guard, but all that happened next was that Nexus said he would agree to Richter’s request, if the chaos seed would agree to one of his own.

  “What do you need?” the chaos seed asked with utter suspicion. He was already about to be screwed by making a deal with a higher-tier being. He wasn’t about to enter into another magical contract with the twelve-foot-tall dickhead that had tortured him for months.

  “Nothing really,” Nexus said with a faint smile. “I have heard from another Auditor that there is a caravan of humans, elves, dwarves and other races that is preparing to flee the Kingdom of Yves. There is apparently a formidable, if rather short, woman who goes by the name “Mama” who is organizing this procession. She is planning to come to your village.”

  Richter’s eyes widened. He had often wondered if he would get another wave of refugees from the human kingdom. So much had happened since he and a small flotilla had escaped from the kingdom’s capital city of Law, months ago. Since then, another wave of migrants had infused some much-needed new blood into the village. They had found a better life, and many of them had quickly advanced their levels. As much as his settlement had to offer though, there was no denying that there was a relatively high mortality rate for the Mist Village’s fighting men and women. He needed more people to grow the village and to fill out the ranks of its army.

  The fact that Mama was leading the caravan was a double blessing. She was a fierce little lady, and with her particular skill set, there was no denying that she could help with the village’s management. The woman ran an incredibly tight ship so far as he could recall. Adding her capabilities to Randolphus’s own nearly supernatural management skills might even get the Mist Village some new bonuses.

  He was sure she would also be bringing some highly skilled people and maybe even some Professionals with her. The problem was that, while this was all good news, Nexus seemed way too happy. Richter could not remove the sense of foreboding in his heart. Why would the Auditor be offering him this great information right before asking for a favor? The whole thing made his asshole itch.

  “Yeah?” Richter responded uneasily.

  “Yeah,” Nexus repeated with a smile.

  “And what does that have to do with my favor?” Richter asked.

  “Well,” Nexus said in a clipped voice with a silent ‘now that you mention it’ hanging in the air, “after helping so many of your villagers through their trials, I started to take an interest in some of them. I’m sure you can understand that it’s highly irregular to have such a large number of Professionals pass their Trials in one place all at once.”

  Nexus stopped speaking until Richter nodded in agreement. The chaos seed’s eyes remained narrowed though, Richter not trusting the giant for a second.

  “Well,” the Auditor continued with a magnanimous voice, “Elora, Isabella, Sumiko, the mustached one,” Richter thought he heard a little stress enter the giant’s voice during the last words, but the Auditor kept a smile plastered on his face, “they are all very fascinating. I found myself curious as to where they came from, so in order to get more information I reached out to Auditors in nearby regions. That is how I discovered that there is a caravan of nonhumans coming from Law. The Auditor for that region told me.”

  Nexus paused again, but this time Richter didn’t grace him with a nod. The chaos seed felt the other shoe about to drop. He didn’t know what it was, but he was pretty sure it would be narrow, sharp, and fit squarely between his cheeks.

  Not getting a response, the Auditor continued. “In the course of my research, I found out about a very interesting young wood elf. She’s a Librarian, and she could probably help the research of your village progress much faster. My request is simple. I would like you to give your permission to let her join the caravan.”

  Richter blinked, waiting for more, but Nexus just looked back him, calm as a Hindu cow.

  “That’s it?” the chaos seed asked, voice thick with disbelief.

  “That’s it,” Nexus responded simply.

  “What’s wrong with her? Does she have a disease? Is she an assassin coming to kill me? Is she possessed by a demon, or something like that?”

  Nexus nodded with a smarmy, ‘I don’t blame your baseless suspicion’ look on his face.

  “I am sure that you distrust my intentions, but I promise you, by the powers I represent, this woman poses no threat to your village.” A faint rumble of thunder punctuated his statement. Not with a warning overtone like last time, but as if to witness and verify Nexus’ words. Richter still would have had doubts but, to his surprise, a prompt appeared.

  The Powers which preside over Nexus have witnessed his promise and verify its veracity. If his words turn false, he shall suffer a hundredfold.

  Richter blinked in shock. It looked like the sadistic black giant really meant what he was saying. Based on the consequences the prompt hinted at, it wasn’t something Nexus would have said lightly. He still didn’t trust the Auditor, but he no longer doubted he was being told the truth.

  “Why do you need my permission for her to come?” Richter asked. “I thought there was already a caravan on the way.”

  “Yes,” Nexus acceded, “but currently, she is not planning to be in the caravan. If you give your permission, however, I can ask my fellow Auditor to arrange it so that she does accompany them. Nothing negative will be done to her or anyone else. She will just be… nudged toward deciding to come.”

  This all stank to high heaven, but all Richter could think to ask was, “Why do you even need to have my permission?”

  “Ah yes. Now we come to the rub. As you so clearly demonstrated when we spoke about a Judgement,” Richter tensed, but there didn’t seem to be any anger in Nexus’s voice when he referenced the threat. He didn’t even pause his speech, “I must adhere to certain rules. I cannot directly affect the material realm without invitation, let alone the area overseen by another Auditor. If you allow it, however, my counterpart has agreed to use her influence to encourage the wood elf to join Mama’s caravan.”

  “Agreed?” Richter interrupted. “Agreed when?”

  “Just a moment ago.” At Richter’s doubting frown, Nexus wiggled his fingers in a mystical manner, “I am able to bend the rules of time and space while in my own dimension. Woooooo.”

  Richter rolled his eyes
… hard, but motioned for the black-and-gold giant to continue.

  “As I was saying, she will make sure the Librarian joins the caravan. That is all I ask in return for doing you this favor. I want to add a single highly useful Professional to the next influx of refugees coming to your village.” Seeing that Richter was going to ask yet another question, Nexus sweetened the pot.

  “Additionally, I will work with my fellow Auditor to remove several pitfalls that might have caused some loss of life while they travel to your domain. I will even nudge one of your people to the right location so they can see the caravan as it approaches the mist. I believe you know the dangers they would face traveling through the Forest of Nadria, especially now that you have fully awakened your Place of Power. Dangers that would be compounded if they were forced to wait outside the mists of your domain until they were randomly noticed by your people… or by a bugbear patrol.”

  Richter gritted his teeth. The bastard was painting him into a corner. He was absolutely right. The forest was dangerous all the time, not even including the fact that the monsters would now be getting stronger. The need to check for refugees was actually something he’d discussed with Terrod and Randolphus several times. Obviously, they wouldn’t be able to get through the Confusing Mists spell. The only answer they had come up with was to send patrols periodically to the edge of his domain and check if there were any boats waiting in the main river leading to the Kingdom of Yves. Each patrol could only travel the ten miles of wild forest once a week at most. A week waiting in the forest was as good as a death sentence for at least some of the refugees.

  If Nexus could streamline the process and help deliver the people safely, that was an amazing offer. The only problem was that Richter was sure there was an angle he wasn’t seeing. What was the hidden consequence of welcoming this woman into his village? The chaos seed was sorely tempted, but he just couldn’t move past his heavy suspicions. Before he could take the time to come up with another question, Nexus sealed the deal.

  “I further promise you, by the powers I represent, that I intend neither you nor your village as a whole any ill intent by my request. I also promise that this will settle any formal debts between us.” Another short roll of thunder confirmed his veracity and a prompt appeared.

  The Powers which preside over Nexus have witnessed his promise and verify its veracity. If his words turn false, he shall suffer a hundredfold.

  Richter really felt uneasy about the whole thing, but he just couldn’t find fault in what Nexus was asking. And the truth was, he needed Nexus’s help. There was also no denying that the Auditor had sweetened the pot to candy level. The idea of not having any formal debts was insanely attractive. He hadn’t even known that he had formal debts, but he sure as hell didn’t want to keep them if he had them. Also, it wasn’t such a bad idea to get a clean slate with Nexus, even if the giant did still irritate the hell out of him. Finally, the Auditor had even sworn that his request wouldn’t be a danger to Richter or the village. Something about the giant’s wording tickled the back of his mind, but try as he might he just couldn’t find any fault with it.

  With regret bordering on foreboding, he reached out and shook Nexus’s hand. He verbally agreed that the Librarian could come to the village with Mama, and that he’d give her the same chance as any other refugee. Richter did not feel any better when Nexus started grinning like the Cheshire cat after the deal was struck. They entered a magical contract, then the Auditor asked Richter what Path of Ascension he would choose. The chaos seed declared his new form and the golden light of his Core descended onto the avatar of his choice. The energy began to fuse into the body with a flare. The light grew so bright that all Richter could see was white.

  And, blinded once again, Richter started falling.

  The last thought he had was how strange Nexus’s request was. Why did he want that Librarian in the Mist Village so badly? And who the hell named their daughter Tamitu, anyway?

  CHAPTER 17 – Day 151 – Juren 2, 0 AoC

  Richter blinked.

  Looking around, it seemed like everything was the same as before he’d left. Xuetrix was still hovering nearby with a foul expression on his little demon face. His body had all its points back. The unpleasant sensations that had been absent in Nexus’s dimension came flooding back: hunger, thirst and exhaustion. A check of his status page showed no change either. It looked like Nexus had kept the first part of his promise. Richter had been returned, unchanged, to the material plane a bare moment after he’d left for his Ascension. The imp looked none the wiser.

  That belief was shaken a moment later when Xuetrix cocked his head in suspicion. Richter held his breath, but the demon only kept glaring. The chaos seed decided not to waste time. The clock was ticking. There were a few more prompts to be seen, but he kept them minimized. It was time to deal with his demon.

  “Xuetrix,” he called out, standing up once again. “I’m tired of your stench. What do you want?”

  “What do I want?” the imp basically screeched. “You dare to speak to me with such disrespect? Do you remember how my pet bug made you its bitch? That was nothing, not even the barest inkling of my power. I can snuff out your soul, human!”

  Richter kept his face impassive, even though his heart started beating faster. When he spoke, it was with a bored tone, “But then who would carry out your little task? I have other things to do than banter with someone who manipulated me on my first day in this world. You broached the subject of my Favor. Now I am asking you again. What do you want, you silly parakeet?”

  The anger on the imp’s face grew even greater. He opened up his mouth to deliver a scathing rejoinder or a spell that would burn Richter alive. The chaos seed never found out. All of a sudden, the anger left Xuetrix’s face and a calculating look replaced it. Then the imp began to laugh. He pointed one finger at Richter while he chortled, before moving it back and forth like a metronome.

  “For shame, young human. You have been speaking to someone about the nature of Favors. Did you think I would not know this simple Lore? That if the Power of Three could bind you to me, that it could also set you free?” The imp laughed in derision at the aggrieved look on Richter’s face.

  While the imp mocked him, the dark-skinned man laughed on the inside. The sad look on his face should have earned him the Acting skill as far as he was concerned. Hisako had indeed told him of a way to dissolve a geas if the other person were foolish enough to allow it. Neither a Favor nor a Vow had a time limit, but once the person who held the contract broached the matter, there was a small chance to negate it.

  If the promisor asked the promisee to speak the terms of the contract three times, and they failed to do so, then the Favor could fade away. As Xuetrix had said, while the Power of Three could bind a contract, it could also tear it asunder. The Hearth Mother had told him that nearly everyone knew of this fact, so no one would be foolish enough to fall for such a trick.

  Richter had not actually thought it would work against a demon. He did think that Xuetrix’s own arrogance could be used against him though. The chaos seed needed the imp to formally state his demand and do it quickly. The demon was not foolish enough to fall for such a simple gamble, but he was cocky enough to think that Richter was too stupid to realize that. What happened next was exactly what the chaos seed had intended. One more piece of his plan fell into place.

  Xuetrix was still laughing at him when he spoke again. His wings beat lazily and he flew in a slow circle around Richter, forcing the chaos seed to turn to keep him in view. “Seeing as how you are so eager to conclude our business, I will answer your question. You owe me a Favor, and I plan to collect.” He paused again, savoring the fake panic on Richter’s face before finishing his statement. “I need you to kill someone. Agree and ask no questions, or face the consequences, mortal!”

  A Favor has been claimed!

  You have been asked to kill another being. No other information has been provided and none can be requested until you agre
e. Once accepted, failure to accomplish your set goal will cause a punishment three times greater than refusal.

  Will you agree to this? Yes or No?

  He read the prompt carefully, then looked up at Xuetrix. The imp was smiling lasciviously. If Richter had not understood the nature of magical contracts, he might have thought the Favor was strange, but it was actually quite ingenious.

  Richter was a killer. There was no denying that. He even had several Slayer Titles to his name. No one could ever think that asking him to kill would be an unreasonable request. The fact that he could not ask questions was definitely a bit off, but it still didn’t make the request irrational. On the contrary, Xuetrix was taking the very approach that Hisako had warned him about.

  Oftentimes, a demon’s true goal was not the request itself. It was to enslave the soul of any who were foolish enough to owe them a Favor. To accomplish that, they would ask for something that the other person would refuse. The request would not be so outlandish that the magical contract might be broken. If Xuetrix was asking him to kill a murderer or the leader of a den of thieves, he might actually agree. The problem was that Richter would never agree to kill a random innocent or, even worse, to kill someone he loved and cared about.

  He couldn’t even stall. The geas did not allow him to just agree now and decide to renege later. Agreeing in bad faith would probably trigger dire consequences. Hisako had been clear about that. Refusing a Vow would have a cost, but attempting to lie would bring ten times as much pain. The better choice was what he was about to do. Refusing to perform the Favor would mean a battle of wills, but at least the penalty wouldn’t be magnified. Over time, he might recover. If that penalty was increased, however, it would cripple him.