Kaden activated [Stealth Aura] and tested one branch at a time. “Left branch leads to some kind of chapel. Three dozen of Ghastos’s followers. Right branch leads to a prison. Two guards and a prisoner chained and shackled. Looks like a woman from the Xiao empire, wearing liquid metal robes.

  “We should take on the chapel,” Sevin said. “Two guards? A prisoner? This feels like a trap designed to lure us into an easy battle, where the prisoner escapes and turns out to be worse than all the followers combined.”

  That was exactly what Kaden was thinking. “Plus, if we can deprive Ghastos of a bunch of devotees, it’ll push out his return that much further. Can his followers move freely through the temple?”

  It depends on what Ghastos willed, and if he burned enough energy to change it. You have entered his temple, stolen an altar, installed a rival goddess, killed his First Follower and drained power from him. I would not consider it unwarranted. And yet, what I sense is strange. His path leads the longest way through his temple. It leads to areas I would most certainly claim from him if we were at war.

  Kaden relayed the conversation to Sevin. “I don’t like choosing when I know the choices have been made for me.”

  “In Omnor, any time I gave ground to the Blightlings it was because I had their destruction arranged,” Sevin said. “Is your head glowing?”

  Kaden looked around. There was definitely a source of light and it wasn’t Wisp 71—oh, the wisp. “71, is there any chance you can reach here?”

  The wisp phased into existence, still a vast sphere of light from its time in Vichor.

  “You’re the most capable wisp in this temple. What’s the fastest way to Trella?” Kaden asked. “Don’t go, just show me left or right.”

  The orb bobbed right, toward the prison room.

  “Two guards, a set of offering rooms. I say this is a good place to determine if his followers can leave rooms,” Sevin suggested. “Skully, ambush mode.”

  Skully ejected bones from his Inventory and his legs grew longer, the tips more piercing. He clambered up onto the ceiling.

  Kaden drew Thorn Caster. “I’ll poison them to draw them down the hallway.”

  “My donkey will block the hallway while Skully ambuses the second one,” Sevin said. “I can use [Withering Grasp] at point blank range.”

  Kaden shook his head. “I need you at range with a resurrection potion in case this all goes wrong. If the chapel followers swarm,put one of your portals to Mortis right in the middle of the hallway, then chuck an [Agony Cloud] potion behind them. The walls should shield us from a blast,and either they retreat or they move their appointment with Mortis way, way up.”

  “You are definitely glowing,” Sevin said.

  Corona must be close to returning. Kaden had bigger problems. He activated [Power in the Blood] and rushed down the hallway. The motivational chamber was built for one, in the center of a room with rough brick flooring and moss which hung from the ceiling. The followers of Ghastos held long spears with curved wide blades at the end, and stood as far back from the prisoner as the room would allow.

  He drew Thorn Caster and loosed an arrow that speared one guard in the gut.

  You have inflicted poison.

  The guard swung his spear toward Kaden and screamed out, “We’re under attack!”

  He charged.

  Kaden held his position, confident about one thing: The hallway was narrow and spears were long. That was two things, but Kaden was confident about them at the same level, which probably counted as one. He stored Thorn Caster and drew the [Levicon Blade], using [Moment of Speed] to deflect the spear tip and yank it toward him, along with the follower carrying it.

  A brief struggle of strengh ensued, one Kaden didn’t mind, beause while the Follower fought for his spear, Kaden slashed the man’s side—and snatched his explosive belt.

  What he didn’t expect was the spear tip that rammed through the first guard’s chest, striking Kaden’s metallic breastplate and bending.

  GHASTOS WILL RETURN IN (10) DAYS.

  SACRIFICE MORE SOULS TO RETURN GHASTOS FASTER!

  Shit! While Kaden and his party were obviously the main course, Ghastos’s followers would do equally well.

  “We’ve got company!” Sevin called. “Stay back, I have a portal to Mortis open.”

  Staying close was what Kaden intended.

  “The feast must be set,” the second guard said. He kneeled down. His belt blinked faster and faster.

  Kaden took everything and sprinted back down the hall. The blinding white of a portal to oblivion shaved a hundred points off his health before he could scream a warning to Sevin. Sevin had his own problems. He’d opened the portal between the fountain and the left door.

  The left halway was full. So very full of followers.

  Kaden drew an [Agony Cloud] Potion and threw it over their heads. The orange chemical explosion burst behind them. With every follower who surged through the portal, Sevin convulsed. “What’s wrong?”

  “Mana.” Sevin said through gritted teeth.

  Kaden poured out most of his through [Mana Well.]

  From the prison room, a blast wave rushed. Kaden drew the Eldritch Shield and braced himself in front of Sevin. [Party Tactics] prompted him to pour mana into [Moment of Speed] and just as the wave struck, [Shield Bash]. The skill deflected impact, stunned, and flung back. In this case, it threw the wave back into itself.

  Your skill with Shield Bash has increased!

  Perfect. His tier two skills had barely advanced, all of them needing training or extreme adverse conditions, and this counted. He spun to dump what little mana remained into Sevin, who wavered back and forth. “Drop the portal. Whoever’s left, I’ll handle.”

  Sevin didn’t just drop the portal, he collapsed.

  The chapel hallway was empty, but Trinity growled and charged forward, turning to the chapel with suprising ease for a hydra-based beast with three heads. She’d lost her egg-weight and replaced it with muscle. As Kaden rounded the corner, she stood, scanning the chapel with her blind head. Beams of light swept from the unseeing eyes, and the serpentine head followed while the armored head kept watch.

  The chapel was far more functional, with alcoves filled with weaponry and armor. Why hadn’t the followers put on armor? Why hadn’t they taken weapons? Instead, they’d rushed blindly toward the prison cell, as if the only thing that mattered—Kaden tore open a portal, emerging in the prison cell.

  The prisoner was still sitting.

  Still smiling.

  And very much awake. She looked his way. “Ghastos, you’ve grown desperate. Are you tempting me with a way out?”

  Say nothing to her. She deceives you already.

  Kaden stepped back, remembering Mr. Dervish’s lessons. He could summon Remembrance in any direction. He backed away toward the fountain—and into Skully, who clattered down to climb onto Kaden’s back, meshing legs over Kaden like armor.

  The prisoner yawned and stretched. “Undead servants? You couldn’t possibly be Ghastos. Which means the guards who held my wards are gone. Which means, I am free.”

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  If Fortune smiled once upon you, she does so no longer. This is what your precious dungeon bosses were modeled on, an Elder Boss. Perhaps the eldest.

  “Stop whispering in his ear, youngling.” For the slightest second, the image of the Xiao cultivator wavered. What stood before him was like a dryad from Tavern Tales, except wizened and black, covered in knots, with bark teeth and eyes that were all too real.

  [Sphynox - ERROR_STATUS_INCOMPATIBLE]

  Clever and cunning, careful and wise, the Spynox styled themselves the keepers of the Proving Grounds. None could enter without proving their wisdom, their strength, their cunning, or skill. Each had their own pride, their own sin to entice with and their own punishment. This one went wandering to repay a slight and found herself in the domain of a god. Her own pride turned against her, and after _NAN_ years, she is free, broken and yet unchanged. There is nothing to fear, when fear cannot save you.

  [Moment of Speed] could get him out. Possibly. The idea burned away like dry leaves as he counted the cost. A man could survive and still die inside. “What do you want? If you’re as powerful as Nurav says, you could kill me. But you haven’t. Entertainment? Conversation? Gold coins? There’s a whole room of them down that hall.”

  Sphynox’s image shifted to an old woman, the kind of woman Kaden imagined Mistress Scylla would have been, if she hadn’t been a Centurion. Her hair was thinning, her skin spotted, her eyes bright. “Young man, you’re so strong and fast. I’d like a contest. Your choice. Are you clever? We can match wits. Your strength would match mine, I’m sure. If you give me a little head start, I could even race you.”

  “I saw the real you,” Kaden said flatly.

  “Oh, drat.” Spynox shifted, becoming her tree-self. “You spoil my fun, and I’ve had so little of it. And no god controls this temple, now, I feel the difference. Ghastos isn’t gone, but he isn’t here, either.”

  There was only one way to win, and it would require dishonesty.

  Wit.

  Lack of honor.

  Call it determination to survive. History is written by those who aren’t stretched into flesh-rope by an elder boss.

  Nurav had a point.

  “I’m proud of my [Resist Poison] skills. There’s very little that can kill me, and I think I can survive drinking almost anything.” Kaden drew a potion from Inventory. Made from [Mulick] venom and condensed by Alchemy, he considered it too dangerous to dose himself with uncontrolled. “The scent of this would kill a commoner. A drop would kill an Adventurer. Four drops would be hard on me.”

  “You are strong, after all,” Spynox replied. “And I swear before the system, I have no special resistances, unlike you. I don’t think this would be a fair contest.”

  “If you’ve changed your mind, we can go in peace.” Kaden really hoped it would go his way. “I won’t attack you, and you won’t attack me.”

  Sphynox, sighed, her breath a foul air that made Kaden wince. “You really mean to make me drink poison. Do you take pride in it? Do you want to gloat over my corpse?”

  “No. I want to harvest your corpse for crafting materials,” Kaden said. He walked a thin line. “And I mean to do it witout ever touching a drop of whatever you come up with. After all, you’ll drink first. Leave even a drop, and you’re conceding. The System will force us to follow through in case you attempt to weasel out.”

  Kaden offered her a handshake. “That’s my contest. And you’ve already lost, you just don’t know it.”

  A withered and broken hand gripped his, and Spynox squeezed until his bones began to crack. “The deal is struck. I’ll drink every drop of the worst you can dish, and you will drink this.” She drew a silver spoon from Inventory and nicked herself with a nail. A drop of sap oozed out, hissing as it hit the spoon.

  Heard and acknowledged, each will take turns drinking their entire poison. The _ERRROR_ Spynox will go first.

  Spynox stretched out her hand. “I am ready.”

  Kaden accepted the spoon with the sap. “Good. Drink that. Every last drop.”

  Her eyes trailed to the vomit fountain. “You cannot—that is not--”

  With a cracking sound, she began to move as the System itself enforced her oath. Her trunk-like body knelt before the fountain, and her wail of rage drowned as she began a task Kaden hoped would never end. He stored the spoon—and sap—and picked up Sevin. “Come on, everyone. We’re going this way.”

  With a skull-spider on his back, a TriTerror in his wake, and two undead monsters trailing, he headed to the chapel. Two steps into the chapel, Nurav spoke.

  Quickly, that altar is unoccupied. Let me claim it.

  Kaden rushed to the altar, bashing through the Authority that surrounded it, and dropping the viccar of Nurav on the stone altar. Once again, the world paused.

  Better, better. Sorry, there’s no skill upgrade for repeating your trick, but this is far better, I’m deeper in his temple and this chapel was neglected, which, of course, means the controls aren’t locked. I need a favor, and you desperately need my help. Fetch the Viccar you made from the cathedral entrance. Any person can only make one, and you need this spot held to survive. You haven’t paid attention to your notifications.

  Kaden reviewed them.

  GHASTOS HAS DECLARED YOU A HERETIC. ALL FOLLOWERS WILL BE ENRAGED BY YOUR PRESENCE.

  “At what point does he start smiting?” Kaden asked.

  If he could, he would. I will watch over the necromancer. His god’s presence is toxic even to his followers. I’ll note that Eve has never suffered from my presence.

  Kaden left Skully, Trinity, and both of Sevin’s creations to stand guard at the rear doors of the chapel. While he worked his way back to the cathedral entrance, Kaden used the chance to work on [Split Second], approaching the spear traps and triggering it at the last moment.

  A few spear holes never killed anyone. At least, not anyone like Kaden. And while his movements became near automatic, the question remained: If Ghastos had taken his party to power his return, why didn’t he just kill them the moment he could?

  In the cathedral, he took the bone statue, which winked at him.

  Good, good. While you aren’t present, I made adjustments. And that’s a good question you have considered. I see it rattling around in your brain. I swear before the System, Eve is alive. I will know when she dies.

  This time around, Kaden wasted no time, leaping, twisting, dodging traps to return to the chapel, where he unleashed Vip with a mental nudge to stay in the chapel.

  Sevin now sat, eating a hunk of roast meat with both hands. “Did you know in the fountain room, there’s [Sphynox] drinking vomit?”

  “It happens. All the more reason to get out of here,” Kaden said. “How did you hold that portal to Mortis open so long?”

  “I burned health for mana. Mortis honors the risk and carries part of the load. Were I a Centurion it would be no effort. I would have [Soul of Mortis] and be able to use his domain to move between realms. I worry, Kaden. I worry for what waits. This is not a temple. I have been in many. This is something else.” Sevin mindlessly repaired cracks in his donkey.

  Skully had resumed his normal Tomb Champion form, and stood in front of the rear doors to the chapel. He’d drawn a sword the First Follower used and held it with both hands.

  Now, listen and do not interrupt. We are very close to Eve. Stop! Also the others, but especially Eve. There are four routes which could lead us to the altar where they are being held. It is a ‘room’ as you would insist on seeing it, but it is an altar, do not doubt. What dies upon it is sacrificed to the god who holds it.

  Kaden had an immediate thought.

  No, I won’t sacrifice Eve. I won’t even sacrifice the others. We must get them out of there. But all three are wearing those damnable belts. They’re different, but similar. I suspect so they can’t be accidentally triggered. It’s definitely the trigger that’s different, and were I Ghastos, that’s what would make more sense.

  “Ask the blood goddess why Sara was not immediately sacrificed,” Sevin said. “Her death would have given Ghastos power and I don’t trust anything that doesn’t want power.”

  “I don’t want power,” Kaden said.

  “Yes you do, you just want different kinds. Ask.” Sevin waited, watching him.

  Explain to him this. Limitations are multipliers in the System. Consider Leader of the Pack. It is near unlimited in what it boosts. The boost is so minor as to be almost negligent to the simple-minded. A harsh limit would increase the bonus to keep balance.

  “[Power in the Blood] won’t let me heal by other means,” Kaden said, explaining. “To balance a minor heal.”

  A minor heal now. Consider it at fifty when it scales up to the next tier. Or seventy five when it affects almost every attribute. It’s part of why I believe your class was scheduled for retirement. You accrue skills from your beasts, making it near impossible to balance. Now, limits. If Ghastos were to say, deny himself a feast until conditions are met? That might act as a multiplier. If those conditions were unlikely? An even greater multiplier, but he, like me, is eternal. Patience is the foundation of our nature.

  Any time this happened, Kaden couldn’t help thinking back to Omnor. “What if he got a [Prophet] to tell him something that was going to happen?”

  I’m balancing this with the likelyhood neither of you survive. [Prophecy] is almost always linked directly to the individual. And gods make prophecies, we aren’t ruled by them. My very presence here makes it difficult—not impossible—to know what would come.

  “I had a vision.”

  Eve was frustrated by it. She did not doubt you saw something, she questioned your understanding. Show it to me.

  [Relive the Moment] wouldn’t work, but Kaden dredged the memories up. The hopelessness. The destruction. “Those belts would exactly match what I saw.”

  As I said, it’s almost always linked to the individual, and represents a possibility of what could happen. Now, think on Ghastos. His domain is violence, carnage. The belts convert living souls into sacrifices in kind.

  Sevin bowed to Kaden. “It is best to deal respectfully with goddesses. Lady of blood, would it offend you if I consult Mortis? I assure you, he does not desire death, death comes to all in time. But he has seen timeless ages and gods and goddesses fall.”

  See? That’s how you should speak to me. Tell him I allow this. We must act with care. There are four paths that would lead us to that altar room, and there is no reason to have four. Each leads through a dozen followers. Some grouped, worshiping him. Some isolated, meditating on the truth of gore.

  Kaden had barely given the answer when a vision burst into existence, absorbing his sight. The chapel doors flung open, and various paths through the temple lit. Smaller versions of Nurav took the place of Ghastos’s followers. Some bowed, some beckoned, others smiled with bloody grins as Kaden’s mind passed through.

  Then the motion stopped, and a hidden wall fell away.

  Do you see that? There is no reason for that! This is a trap, a trap we have fallen into, all of us. An unoccupied altar, right below the sacrificial one. We are meant to aim for it. Meant to take it. Tell me, [Beast Master], when the [Lortax] reaches for Devil Fruit, what waits? Doom.

  Kaden hadn’t met a [Lortax], never eaten Devil Fruit, but he had a lasting aversion to doom.

  Sevin kneeled, cupping his hands around the smallest Portal to Mortis in existence. Skully lumbered over to place both hands on Sevin’s shoulders. “Strong.”

  Sevin jerked back, dismissing the portal. “Stop. We can’t go any further. We’re doing exactly what Ghastos wants. We’re dooming all of us.”