by Scar, Rick
The rogue shrugged. “I’m not sure I know it all. I just know whom it belonged to and what it can do.”
“Then I guess I must tell you more. My use of this box is restricted. It was my lady who could imprison an enemy for an unlimited length of time. I can do so only for six months. The power of other skills is reduced the same. I even know exactly what I lack. Lady Pandora once told me I would never be able to use the full power of her box. She said it takes more than just knowledge, experience, and skills to do that; it takes fame and influence. The box’s real owner must be a hero as she was. A legend. Neither me nor any other of her followers will ever become that. If I could use the full power of this box, I wouldn’t have run into such trouble with these demons.” Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly.
“I’m weak now. You probably can see that. This world is draining my strength. I have to spend much of it to travel across floors. But the main thing is Insanity’s armor—a bone-and-metal composite. My blows could hardly do any damage to him. I almost exhausted my reserves. If not for the box, I would’ve had to take my true appearance, just as he did. And the consequences…you can’t even begin to imagine them.” Radermin fell silent, lost in thought for a while. “You’ve shouted to me to pierce his heart. I could not reply to you while in battle, but I will tell you now. Be advised that demons have no hearts. They can’t be killed. Pandora could not find any way to do that, so she just imprisoned them.
“He’s become braver, by the way. I don’t know why, but this monster just rushed into battle. Despite all his insanity, he wouldn’t have attacked me this directly before. He must’ve found something that made him stronger while following me, or…or it was your presence that made him do so.
“I’ve experienced this effect before while serving Pandora the Great, before she made me the guard of the demon world. Remembering the last words of that prophecy about the Messengers, I now believe it. Your blood or your soul—I’m not sure which exactly—has something that relates you to legendary heroes. Maybe that’s the thing they call fame? Who knows? You can be elevated by your deeds, becoming great ones. Not all of you. Maybe one in a million, but that’s enough. The last line is known to but a few, but I will tell you it: The heroes who left will choose their successors from the Messengers of Gods.”
“Successors?” Will pricked up his ears, eager to hear the rest of the story.
“That’s all the prophecy says. As a servant to one of the heroes, I wanted to succeed my lady. I learned I’d have to locate three stone tablets left by each of the heroes to do that. Each tablet is a challenge rewarding the aspirant with a symbolic hint at the place where the heroes’ knowledge is waiting to be discovered. I failed to find out what exactly awaits you at those places.”
You’ve got a hint for a legendary quest.
Find a legendary hero’s stone tablet to start the legendary quest chain.
Swallowing and keeping his eyes on the hunter, Raven asked: “Did you find any of the tablets?”
“Yes. I’ve discovered a few such tablets on different floors, but I could not get close to any of them. Since you’ve completed my mission early, allowing me to come back home faster to renew the seal keeping the other demons in, I’ll tell you one of the locations. The one on this very floor.”
“Please tell me,” Will hurried him, tensing.
“Far to the north is the Shamtan-Kragh castle—” the hunter began.
A recollection dawned upon the rogue, and he interrupted the other man abruptly before he could finish. “I think I already know this place. Please give me another tablet location.”
Cerberus gaped in bewilderment. “How do you know it? Even I discovered it by pure accident.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’d rather hear a different location.”
“Um.” The hunter wanted to scratch his chin, but the stump of his arm only twitched feebly. Cursing, he shifted the box to his armpit and used his only remaining hand to scratch. “I wonder if you really mean the same place I was going to tell about. Could you please tell me how it looks?”
“It’s permanently struck with bolts of lightning that will kill anyone who dares to enter.”
“Huh.” Radermin smirked. “Yes, that’s it. Well, I will tell you another location then. I haven’t checked this info myself, though—I got it from an old friend. Floor 38 has an old mine. If you get down to its very bottom, you’ll see a locked gate there, smooth as a mirror’s surface: nothing that looks like a door handle or a keyhole. The one who discovered it was a miner who had survived an adit collapse, hiding in a natural tunnel. Walking along it, he bumped into this gate. While telling this story, he was so badly drunk that no one believed him—other than my friend. When asked how he’d got out of that tunnel, the miner told of how he’d heard a strange voice upon touching the door, and instantly he had gotten thrown out of the mine.”
That’s further proof the locals have independent will. That voice probably belonged to the system, preventing the NPC from taking an important quest.
Raven frowned. “So where’s that old mine? You’ve told me so much about it, but not its location.”
“Ah. You noticed.” The hunter winced. “I thought you wouldn’t since you were listening to such an interesting story. Oh. Actually, I didn’t believe in that story either. Too mysterious, and told by a drunk mess of a miner.”
“I see. Well. Tell me about another place then,” the rogue demanded with a shrug.
“Hey!” The hunter tried to suppress Raven with his aura as he’d done the last time, but Raven was no longer low-leveled and withstood it easily.
“Stop that. You’re not in the position—or condition—to do such tricks.” Will’s eyes were burning Radermin through, warning him not to continue.
“Hey, take it easy. I’m just checking how much stronger you’ve become. The skill you’ve applied is divine rank. Stopping the demon of Insanity! Only a hero could do that. This skill is not particularly strong yet, but still it’s great that you have it.”
“Stop avoiding replying. You’ve promised to tell me where the tablet is. Not how it looks. Not how it smells. The location! Give it to me, now!” Raven grew brave and impudent for several reasons. The first: he was much stronger now. The second: the ‘trust’ status of his relationship with Cerberus.
“You’re too brazen. But you’ve lent me a really great deal of help, so I can tolerate that for a little while,” the hunter mumbled. “The third floor has a lake. It’s covered with impenetrable ice that can’t be destroyed until you solve the riddle carved into a small rock by the lake. I’ve tried to solve it, but I understood not a damn thing of what is written there.” Cerberus frowned, apparently mad at his failure to get his hands on the tablets.
“Can you give some more details?”
“You’re a real pain in the neck. The north forest of Dla’Khree.”
“That’s much better. Thank you.” Will smiled. “By the way, you’ve said you just sealed that madman in for six months. What will happen when that passes?”
The hunter shrugged. “That doesn’t matter. Once I’m back to my world, I’ll send him to prison and renew the seal. He won’t be able to escape again.”
“What if I discover a way to kill a demon within these next six months? Will you let me do it?”
Radermin squinted at the rogue. “Why would you want to?”
“You can’t imagine what fun you’ve depraved me of by locking him in there. I have so much to share with him when we next meet.” Raven grinned, his inner beast showing through his human face and body.
“Honestly, I’d be insanely happy to…err… No pun intended. I just want to say, I’d be really happy to get all those demons killed. But are you sure you can do it?”
“If I find nothing in six months, from this moment, then forget it and just jail him. Deal?”
“OK, but even my lady failed to come up with a way to do that. What makes you so sure of success?”
“I have a debt to pay to th
is monster.”
The hunter thought it over for a while, then he glanced at the box and said: “If you do find a way, which will enable me to fulfill Pandora’s will and safeguard the worlds from these demons. I got this box as a seal of her will. I will no longer need it when the demons are dead. The one who completes a legendary hero’s mission is more worthy of this item than I can ever become.”
Congrats! You’ve convinced Pandora’s loyal hound to give you a chance to find a way to kill Insanity and other five demons.
You’re offered a hidden epic quest chain: Safeguarding the Worlds.
Part One: Discover a way to destroy the Destroyers of Worlds. Radermin will find you when the time comes.
Reward:
100,000 XP
400 influence points
Radermin’s approval up
Accept? Yes/No
See you in six months…bastard, Will smiled a wry smile. And now…
“Well. A deal then. Now the question you’ve promised to answer.”
“I have.” Cerberus nodded. “What do you want to know?”
“Do you know the name of this floor’s guard?”
“No.” Cerberus shook his head.
“I really hoped you would.” Raven winced. “Then tell me, please: what floor are we on?”
Waiting for the response, Will froze, not exactly sure if he needed to know that.
“Ah, that.” The demon world guard smirked. “We’re at…”
Chapter 101. Hades
“W ow. Not as bad as I expected,” the rogue drawled.
What he’d heard was really good. Their floor was just 24. Raven was close to its central point—or whatever it might be named.
According to the map he’d seen at the librarian’s in Skiavra, the rogue was now roaming the southeast part of the floor. His personal world map was only showing the small area he’d opened.
A little later, he was to take a long journey to the Alvian Mountains in the south to find the Shadow Order. He should have obtained a specialization long ago. He really, really hoped it was worth all the trouble.
Will also needed to check all his stored belongings to see which items could be of use on this journey other than the joker’s ring; his level was now high enough to put it back on. While traveling with the madman, he could not visit any cities or other places where he could access his personal storage. He saved all his gold to use it later for country development; he’d surely need that if he married the princess.
The task still on his plate was getting fully paid for the recently completed quest.
“Have you paid me everything, Cerberus?” the rogue asked.
“Oh. Sure. The last part. I know it was not your duty to help me with my problems. Although you can’t really die, you’re still mortal—as I’ve told you before. You did not merely steal the box; you helped me imprison the demon, putting your own life at stake. You’re a brave man, true to your word. Smart or just lucky, you still need a reliable companion. I used to be that for Pandora, long before she became famous as a hero.
“It may surprise you, but I used to be a real dog back then. A smoke dog. A small puppy selected by my lady when she discovered our ancestral home by accident. She has my eternal gratitude. It was her strength that enabled me to develop, evolve, and finally become what I am today. A servant to a hero, a guard to the demon world. Living eternally, but not immortal.
“I want another of my family to travel the same path I did long ago. I want him to surpass me, rising to the heavens with a Messenger of Gods. I haven’t yet reached the limits of my power. Not that I regretted it. I’m still alive. Once I am free of my promise, I will be able to start a new story.”
When the hunter finished speaking, his eyes blazed with resolution. Telling Will about himself and his family, he’d been remembering the way he’d come, his whole long life, apparently rich with events.
…albeit entirely made-up. Or not? Can their lives even be real? The thought flashed across Will’s mind.
Radermin called the dog who’d been by his side before the fight.
“Hey. I hope you don’t think we smoke dogs are cowards. I asked him to stay aside, or he’d have perished in vain. We’re smart enough to avoid wasting others’ lives.” Smirking, Cerberus whispered something to the dog. It trudged back to the hut.
“While my friend’s fulfilling my request, I’ll tell you a few more things about us. Our development path gives us a substantial edge over other creatures. By a strong one’s side, we proceed quickly, up to the point where we can take human form. The stronger we become, the more heads we have in our true appearance. I currently have five. According to the stories of our remote ancestors, we can have up to ten. Our family legend says we come from a giant ten-headed dog. He was the only one with that many heads. Even having five is considered a fantastic result. I only managed to attain that number because I served a legendary hero. In a word, it’s all up to you, Raven.”
When he finished talking, the very dog who’d been doing the hunter’s request returned. In his teeth he had a smoke puppy, so tiny it could fit into Will’s palm.
Smoke Dog (unique pet)
A puppy from a small family dwelling in the Locked Lands of Khala’Kha, in the demon world. This pet can be developed and leveled up to the Duke class
Name your pet:
“Hades.”
Hades was the king of the underworld, not the demon world. But these two have much in common.
— Pet named.
Pet stats:
Name: Hades
Class: None
Level: 1
Evolution: 0
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Health: 100
Attack: 5
Defense: 0
Skills: None
Family strength: 0
Family skills: None
Cerberus strength: 0/10
Cerberus skills: None
XP to the next level: 0/10000
To the next evolution:
0/300 influence points;
0/1000 devoured bodies.
“Wow!” Will gave a whistle. “So that’s Cerberus 2.0?”
“Eh?” the hunter arched his brows. “Cerberi are the dogs who have grown three or more heads. So far he’s just a smoke dog. One of us. I’m entrusting him to you.
“Now one last thing. Take this. Choose a spot you like, and use this to open a passage there. This is a very rare item, with very sensitive settings. When you open the passage, the item’s magic will identify you as the master. So do it alone. If anyone else is present, the magic will be lost for good. And…better to not use it indoors. It’ll smash the whole house to pieces. That’s the power of an ancient relic.”
Accepting the item that resembled a claw, and was twice as long as his palm, Will applied Identification.
The Shroud-Breaking Claw
Rank: Unique Item
This claw belonged to a dragon living in the folds of the fabric of space. No one knows if any of those dragons are still alive, but their magic was matchless.
Opens a two-ended tunnel between floors for three months. The tunnel can be used by the item’s owner only.
Activation: Say the floor’s number and confirm your choice.
Energy required: 700 to open. 50 points will be borrowed from you over the next three months to support the passage.
Features: Can’t be stolen, lost, or sold.
“See you as agreed. Six months, messenger. I hope luck is good to you.” Saying that, the hunter waved a hand.
Will blinked, again and again, to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. No, he wasn’t. Radermin’s lost arm was back in its proper place. The most amazing thing was that Raven had failed to notice when exactly it had regenerated.
“Wait. I’m itching to know one more thing. Why are you and all those demons so weak when in this world? They are called Destroyers of Worlds, but how are they to destroy any if they get so weak when taking on their true f
orm?”
“Um…Well. Listen. That’s because we all were in our demonic world at the moment when the two worlds separated. The flow of energy between the two has been corrupted. Now this world is rejecting us. It will keep doing so until the flow is restored.”
“And this puppy?” Will asked with doubt, taking the sleepy puppy with the tips of his thumb and index finger to rock it slightly in front of his face.
“You’re a really bad listener. When this world was split, I, the demons, and all the other demonic creatures remained on the other side.” Cerberus smirked sarcastically. “Do you think this baby is a thousand years old?”
He laughed loudly. The dog by his side supported him with barking, its eyes laughing, its tail pounding on the ground as though to say: What an idiot.
“Well, well. Enough. I see it was stupid to ask that. I won’t keep you any longer. I hope I’ll have good news for you in six months.”
“Happy hunting.” Radermin smiled.
“Good luck back home.” Raven smirked in return.
Turning around, each of the two men went his separate way. Neither of them knew what their next meeting would be like, but both cherished their hopes.
***
He was really happy to see Daltaro again. So calm. So quiet. So dear.
After a brief search over Latakhorgh and a few hints dropped by locals, he finally saw his old friend talking to a merchant in the market.
“Daltaro!” Smiling broadly, Will clapped him on the shoulder, screaming into his ear: “Losing your gut feeling, man!”
“Raven!” The amazed archer mirrored his broad smile. “You’ve been away so long. I thought you’d long forgotten me to another friend.”
He shook the rogue’s hand and clapped his shoulder with a joy that matched Will’s. As he said ‘friend’ Raven’s face twitched, but it relaxed again in a moment.
“Oh. I’m sure you’ll love my story. Let’s find a quiet place where I can sing you a ballad of my fucking adventure. I’ve united the crystal, by the way, but I’d rather not show it here—this thing appears to be pretty dangerous.”