Its head inclined, eyes blinking. “How would I know for certain without tasting your flesh and blood, classless one? Most who desire dark artifacts seek to destroy them. My Sense-Desire ability is limited.”
Fuck that. “Bite me again and I’ll make sure you experience endless—”
“Quiet. Witch-Doctor at work here,” Gabrielle chirped, one eye opening for a couple of seconds.
Rowan shook his head and shot the mimic one last scowl. The mimic chuckled without sound, something about that feline face making the expression far more irritating.
Though the mimic’s points were fair, he admitted at last. He sighed and resigned to the explanation. It’d been mostly his own fault for wandering into a dungeon without training in a low-level area beforehand. Stupid greed had turned into a dumb, pig-like idiot.
Gabrielle whispered, “And stare all you like, Rowan.” Her voice was saccharine sweet, coated with a dangerous edge. “I didn’t know you felt that way about me.”
Dammit. So that skill of hers indeed allowed her to read minds. He’d need to be extra careful whilst she channeled that spell. “Keep dreaming. Your skill must be bugging out,” he spat after a too-long pause.
She giggled four breaths and relaxed back into a trance.
Rowan swallowed a thirst to slash her tongue. She’d pay for that remark one day once he out-leveled her. No one teases him like that.
Silent seconds passing, Rowan breathed steady, cold air through his nose, the cold amulet against his skin and heart calming him a great deal. The chamber smelled of dust and nothing much else, clean despite bits of finger-sized chewed bone here and there. The mimic cleaned well—whether from corpses despawning or it consuming everything including bone and gear.
Gabrielle’s magic circle and Enchanted Mana Lamp provided ample dark-blue light, setting the gray, smooth-cut stone walls alight with an Egyptian cyberpunk-esque feel. Gold, etched symbols glinted with yellow-blue reflections, a unique but oddly appealing combination. This definitely broke the streak of cliche and tropes he’d been forced to put up within the town. He’d have to remember to suggest this look when Gabrielle built her castle. He’d bend her over and spank her if she dares suggest something cliche.
Rowan checked the time. 6:12 PM. An hour and a half since the bombs went off. Gabrielle would’ve detected incoming players. Something wasn’t right…
Time to check the forums. There was definitely a section for Draconian Kingdom discussion in there. He dabbed open the browser and mentally clicked on the forum bookmark. The Draconian Kingdom section was near the bottom, beneath the other two factions. It Contained the second highest number of threads.
A thread at the top caught his eye in a heartbeat.
Gabby LeMort spotted in West Greenwood posted by Cpt LightWind 112 minutes ago.
Ah, that bastard.
Rowan entered the thread of six pages, expecting the worst.
Cpt LightWind: LeMort is playing again. I don’t know where her base is but I was attacked and killed by her just outside of Stonehurst on the path to a nearby mine. She was with some player in very low level gear. I didn’t get an examine off on him but they didn’t look hostile to each other, seemed friendly actually. Maybe an irl boyfriend or something. He had wavy blond hair and a long straight scar on the side of his face. Might need some backup here. My guildies are camped outside the pirate boss lair.
Rowan’s knuckles cracked and the icy void flared up his neck. But at least he hadn’t Examined Rowan. Lucky. And Gabrielle’s boyfriend?! She was his future minion! Cpt LightWind will die a hundred painful deaths.
Lance Rider: When was this?
Cpt Lightwind: About three hours ago. I logged off for a bit… just came back now.
Lance Rider: LightWind you should have posted this earlier. This could be bad.
Cpt LightWind: Sorry everyone I didn’t think it was that bad… She seemed like any normal girl apart from killing me on sight. I mean she could literally brush her fingers against that guy and kill him and he wasn’t even scared. I might have been a bit confrontational.
Lance Rider: It’s fine man, I understand. Please be quicker next time.
Mr Gobbo: Stonehurst? That’s a starting town. Is she plvling that newbie?
Derek FireSon: LOL I didn’t think I’d live to see the day of a darkie scum helping a new player. I wonder how many times she’s killed him just because she felt like it!
Lance Rider: Has anyone else sighted her? Message anyone in guild Light’s Justice or post here if you have.
Erador Sunstrider: I think I saw a shimmer high above Greenwood but it could’ve been anyone with a flying mount and high tier stealth.
Timmy Boy: LeMort? Careful everyone she has a reputation for crashing raids and stealing loot. Been doing it ever since the first raids were out in alpha.
Lance Rider: My guild thinks that new player might be another darkie. If he’s fire or ice this could be REALLY bad.
Derek FireSon: Shit. Lance you’re right. I heard Fire-Dark has some nasty spells. Everyone who is free and above level 180 portal into stonehurst and find that newbie before she turns him into a dark class.
Meggie Shade: HELP! STONEHUSRT IS UNDER ATTACK!!! LEMORT JUST DESTROYED THE SPAWNPOINT AND IS KILLING EVERYONE!!! SHE KILLED TEN PALADIN GUARDS WITH SOME KIND OF HUMAN BOMB!!!! THERE’S POISON EVERYWHERE!!!
Lance Rider: Fuck. We’re all holding the line at the bandit king’s fortress. Most of the other high levels are preventing an invasion by the pirate lord.
Master FireWizardX: We’re free but at the desert fire oculus. Still recovering from the other day. Closest anchor is Greenwood capital on the other side of the mountain range. Only 1 flying mount online among us. This will be tough especially if the other darkies join them…
Cpt LightWind: Oh man… I’m so sorry. Just respawned at Greenwood Capital.
Misty Wind: I died to a massive dark damage explosion… :( At least I didn’t feel any pain, just a rush of black mana and nothing in a split second. I think I saw that new player yesterday game-time. Don’t really remember but maybe his first name was Rowan? I might’ve teased him when he was being dragged to the jails for a night… I hope I didn’t turn him evil just from that lol.
Lance Rider: Noted, Misty, thank you for the information. And no, I doubt that alone can turn anyone evil.
Ambiguous Pain: Gabby’s back? Is it time for some fun? Omg she’s on! Trollololololo hehehe
Lance Rider: Piss off back to wherever your hole is, Ambiguous. Don’t even try it.
Not Insane: Yes she’s back! Finally!
Jason Green: Oh god it’s happening again. Everyone alert the faction leaders. High-levels please stay near the newbie areas and help out if you can.
Not Insane: You’re a numb-skull, LightWind. A whole town is dead because of you. How does it feel ahahahahaha!
Ayla Frost: Sigh… Ignore him. Why doesn’t Synaptic just ban the dark players from the forums…
Big ZappyZappy: Why are you all panicking? Even if that new guy unlocks a dark class the three factions will still crush them and he’ll hide like the other five.
The thread continued on like that, bickers and taunts between Not Insane and the other players. No real public plans of an attack made. Lance’s leadership was decent but weak. Rowan had bored of the thread by the time he reached the last page. Their insults and taunts were unoriginal and tripe, aimed more so at darkies in general than Rowan personally. They believed that they could somehow make him see the light if they reached him in time. He could technically become a good-aligned ice or even a weaker water class if he desired. Idiots. The lot of them.
No one offered any more real information after the first page and quite a few began to discard the threat after Big ZappyZappy’s comment. Lance hadn’t been pleased—to state it lightly. It didn’t appear that many players knew what a Fire-Dark or Ice-Dark mana type implied. Lance and a couple others merely emphasised the potential danger of new unknown dark skills and combo
s… but always left out the fact that the two types unlocked the only known dark summoner-type classes. Maybe they were afraid of the knowledge becoming widespread and a Necromancer popping up one day after reading a thread on it. That’d explain the section on Necromancers being empty… Though a dark-class player could post it any day without censorship.
Rowan shrugged and closed the forum. Light’s Justice’s tight control over important, crucial information was a monumental strategic mistake in this case. If they lived in fear of evil and darkness spreading, then that’s exactly their mentality would cause. It’s inevitable.
Rowan looked back to Gabrielle to discuss the thread and the other dark class players. He found her standing three inches away from his body. Sweet pineapple wafted off her hair. He flinched back. “Don’t stand so close.”
She smirked. “I thought I’d offer you a closer look of my face. Aren’t I the most beautiful?”
Eye twitching, Rowan shook his head. He couldn’t allow her this line of attack. This would only lead to his own manipulation at Gabrielle’s hands. “You’re mistaken.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re just above average. I was merely taking note of my surroundings and your skill must be malfunctioning.”
“Above average?” she mumbled and pouted. Her eyelashes fluttered. “I’m the prettiest, most attractive Witch-Doctor in the game! Don’t you think I’m just… Serene?” Her smirk grew.
Damn her… “Firstly, you’re the only Witch—”
Rowan bit his tongue and stepped back. He couldn’t let himself be played like this. First, it’d be dumb comments like these to bait predictable responses from him but soon enough, it’d grow to complex, subtle manipulation that’d result in her benefit. He knew how it’d play out. He’d read countless books and articles on manipulation. He had to nip this in the bud. He hardened his face and wore his coldest mask. Those swirling blue eyes and perfect skin threatened his resolve but he said in a whisper, “Gabrielle. Even if you were hot, wet, and naked and begging for it I wouldn’t be able to fuck someone as vile as you.”
The mimic’s jaw dropped at the corner of his eye.
Gabrielle’s smug face went blank for a heartbeat before an even more jubilant expression exploded. She made a sickening cute noise, “Nyaha!” She disappeared in a swirl of black smoke and rematerialized at his side, her face less than an inch away from his. “Ya meanie liar!”
Shit.
This wasn’t what Rowan had expected. He expected her to at least back off or maybe even cry—but nothing like this. He’d forgotten she was much like himself in many ways and made a massive mistake with this move. This was just like when she’d teddyfied the guard captain. Did the guard captain also insult her similarly? What to do? What to say? Apologize and admit it? Perhaps he should’ve stopped and thought and played along with the flirting while formulating a strategy.
“We all know what you’d do if ya found me hot, wet, and naked!” She raised her hand. “It’s too obvious, ya liar. Heehee…”
An “Ah…” wafted up Rowan’s throat as Gabrielle’s pinky finger pointed between his eyes. He braced for impact, expecting excruciating pain. There was nothing he could say to her in this psychotic state.
She made an exaggerated kissing motion. “In fact…” Her pinky lowered till it was level with his heart.
Not a quick kill? He was about to be tortured. His heart palpitated in an unfamiliar emotion. His dark mana emptied into his feet. Fear? “Wait! Gab, I didn’t mean—”
“So you were lying! I knew it.” She didn’t remove her pinky. “That means ya do want to see me wet and naked. It’s why you said it that way, isn’t it?” She appeared on his other in an instant, smoke puffing. “Isn’t it?” Again—to his direct front. “Isn’t it?” She poked him in the chest, against his cracked amulet under his leather armor.
Rowan swallowed. Lie again?
No. He couldn’t lose his only leverage against the other four dark players. His only support.
“Maybe,” he growled out, cursing her to all hell in silence for making him admit his lusts like this. But the thought of seeing her wet and naked was appealing. Too appealing. He could fuck her all night.
“Hehehe.” Gabrielle leaned into his face. “Weeeeeell.”
“Well?” It took every last drop of will to not punch that smug face. He’d probably break his hand anyway.
She poked his amulet again. “You’re in luck.” Her giddiness began to subside.
A small shock rippled up Rowan’s body. “What?”
Gabrielle did her smoke-teleport thing again, appearing a bit further away from him. She puffed a cheek, rustling through her pouch. Then pulled out that black notebook and flipped to a page near the end. “Because it says right here in the dark language that for the ritual you need a willing sacrifice and they need to be naked otherwise their clothing could ruin the ritual.” She snapped close the book and dropped it back into her pouch.
Rowan stared in utter shock. He coughed. “You’re making that up.”
“Nope.” She put a hand on her hip and twirled strands of her hair. “It’s what it says.”
No. “You’re lying.”
“Am not.”
Rowan’s nose scrunched. There was only one way to find out. “Then take off your gear and underclothes right now.” He eyed her up and down, undressing her with his eyes. He liked what he saw far too much.
Smoking to him, Gabrielle held out a palm. “First show me that amulet around your neck.”
What? Where did that come from? “Why?”
She threw him an amused frown. “Hey, you’re the one who’s going to see a hot, beautiful girl like me naked. I just wanna see your amulet.”
Rowan held the gaze and decided he wasn’t going to pry the answer out of her. He was hardcore being manipulated here but what other choice did he have? He exhaled and said, “It’s soulbound.”
“I can still hold it.”
“Really?”
“Yup.” She nodded. Much saner now. “Soulbound just means you can summon it back to you at any time and you don’t lose it when ya die.”
Rowan eyed her till he was certain she wasn’t deceiving him—though he’d never know. She was a master of acting. He didn’t see any way she could steal a soulbound item unless soulbound in the game wasn’t actually soulbound. Which would be stupid and nonsensical.
So he reached into his thin undershirt and retrieved the amulet. He studied her genuine expression one last time before lifting the chain over his head. Cold air fell off the onyx and silver casing in waves. He fought a deep reluctance to let go of it. It was the first unique item he’d ever laid his hands on in Aeon Chronicle and it always kept him cool. It was too valuable despite the poor and unidentified stats. It had sentimental value too, you know?
“Come on… Hand it over,” Gabrielle sang, “My naked body is waiting behind these robes…”
An image of her perfection flashed before his eyes. He liked what he saw, too much. He hesitated once more and dropped the amulet into her smaller palm. His mana whined in protest throughout his body as the onyx left his palm.
Gabrielle broke out in joy. “Ta da! Success!” She skipped over to the mimic and dangled the amulet in front of its eyes. “Do you know what this is, my adorable mimic?”
The panther squinted its eyes while Rowan watched in confusion. It said, voice husky, “I believe I do, powerful one.”
Giggling and swinging the amulet in circles through the air, Gabrielle rubbed the panther on the head. It purred. “Tell Rowan what it is! It’s strange that he didn’t already figure it out… It’s obvious!”
The panther chuckled. “Although it is cracked, this Necromancer’s Keystone should be able to open a door to a Necromancer’s Altar.”
Quest Complete: Necromancer’s Keystone
You discovered you have been wearing a Necromancer’s Keystone this whole time. You didn’t even do it on your own. Well done.
Reward: Access to a Necromancer’s Ritual Al
tar
Quest Update: Whispers From The Aether
The strange amulet you found in your starter pouch is a Cracked Necromancer’s Keystone. How did you not consider this possibility? Still, there are mysteries left unsolved.
Rowan stood breathing, hands shaking, the icy void churning and ready to detonate. He hadn’t felt this angry since… He simply hadn’t felt this degree of anger before. His fists balled, knuckles whiter than bone. Every tendon in his neck strained as pressure built up his body and set his skull ablaze in a symphony of frost and fire. He couldn’t take this. His own stupidity. Gabrielle’s long, annoying display. The mocking quest descriptions. He needed to release. He needed to put her in her place.
He screamed and threw himself onto Gabrielle. He impacted a statue of granite but the momentum sent their bodies tumbling to the stone floor. “You!” he roared into her face. He pinned her by the arms.
Aeon Chronicles Online_Book 1_Devil's Deal Page 15