I liked that he said ‘our island.’ Previously, the security officers had used ‘your’ regarding the affairs of the Awoken in Dis. But what could I say if I didn’t want to see Tissa either here or on Kharinza? Go into tough leader mode and forbid it?
“So what are we going to do with our friend, Alex?” Hung asked.
“I don’t know. Not all the officers are here,” I said, thinking of Rita. “Decisions like this should be made by all of us.”
“What is there to decide?” Ed asked, surprised. “Are you still upset at Tissa for going to the Amazons, Alex?”
“Or for Liam?” Hung added.
“I’m not upset, but I don’t trust her anymore.”
Rising, I looked at the clock.
“Is it time?” Ed asked.
“Yeah, the awards ceremony is about to begin. See you in the castle.”
“When?”
I didn’t know how much time it would take to honor the champions of the Demonic Games. The elves usually spoke grandiosely, in song, which meant that they turned even the simplest of sentences into a poem. So I shrugged:
“No idea, but stay online. Behemoth has been waiting. We’ll have to quickly decide what to do with the traitors.”
“I need to log in soon too anyway,” Hung shouted at my back. “I’m somewhere in the middle of the ocean right now!”
After entering my capsule, I didn’t activate immersion right away. My stomach felt twisted up – mostly because of Malik, but Tissa too. All this was wrong. I was angry at both of them, but one was sitting in a cell and about to be kicked from the clan, and the other was about to come back as if nothing ever happened?
My naked back slid down the wall as I slumped down in the capsule, sitting and crossing my arms on my knees. My heart shouted that I was about to make an irrevocable mistake, after which something inside me – my soul, maybe, if it exists, – would crack, break and never recover.
To be harsh, to use those close to me only as a tool for achieving my own goals… That wasn’t me at all. I’d never been eager to command, never striven for power. In that regard, the old me was still dominant, used to doing everything on his own. The Dementors, who I’d wanted to help in their conflict with Axiom, turned it all around themselves, and I’d had no other choice but to head up a new clan. The non-citizens of Cali Bottom? No doubt about it: if Gyula hadn’t built the temple on Kharinza half a year ago, the clan would never have come to power, but the lives of the workers had improved dramatically too.
The most recent demonstration of my leadership experience was my fight with Abaddon from the day before yesterday, when I made the decision for all my allies. It was a good thing I managed it, and that nobody had any beef with me for it, not counting Hellfish’s muttering. The raid did something that nobody else had been able to do for nearly twenty years, and they got three legendary achievements for it!
What, does that mean all my decisions are right, that I’m infallible? Of course not. In all my time playing, I’ve learned one thing: if I feel a doubt inside even though my mind is made up, then it’s better to listen to my heart. As if Alex Sheppard, the human that I think of as myself and that others see me as, is one person, and the second me – another. Maybe that’s the real one after all? I mean, the one I took to be conscience, weakness, excessive doubt – is that the real Alex? Not the one I’d like to be, and not the one others see me as, but the real me.
The real me unconsciously rubbed his brow, scratched the back of his head… Nether, did Behemoth’s influence have something to do with this? Ever since he treated me to his Ambrosia of the Sleepers, I even started thinking differently! Seeing all sorts of crap, assessing my actions not just in the now, but in the grand scheme of things…
Which brought me back to thoughts of Malik and Tissa. Putting aside their fake treachery at the Demonic Games, one way or another they had still abandoned… not even me, but the clan! Their friends, the closest people they had! One ran off as soon as someone dangled a life of luxury and a bright future in front of her, the other stole. Decided to be out for himself just in case I lost my Threat status.
Worst of all was that the clan needed them both. Infect was a high-level bard and archeologist who had nearly assembled the construction plans for the Sanctuary of the Departed; Tissa had an imba ability that no top clan would refuse. And both knew too much about the Awoken base, the castle on Kharinza, the Sleepers…
Behemoth was right in his prediction that I would never forgive Malik and Melissa. They just misunderstood him. It wasn’t that I couldn’t forgive them for that caper at the Games, but for the real treachery they committed before that.
“Begin immersion,” I ordered the capsule’s AI. My decision was made.
* * *
I appeared in Moongrove, the capital of the wood elves, who were the trunk of the elvish tree. All the other branches, such as the dark elves, had once split off and left the forest.
Looking around, I realized I was the third to arrive.
“Scyth!” Michelle the dryad squeaked.
I wore Cold-Blooded Punisher and my arms bristled with the sinister Reaper’s Scythes, so the dryad changed her mind about hugging me as she approached, just stretched out an arm and touched my helmet.
“Open your visor, kid!” came a familiar murmur from the side. “How was the journey home?”
“Michelle, Hellfish…” I took off my armor and weapons, smiled and hugged my allies. “Fine, I slept almost the whole way back. Where are the others?”
With an uneven snapping, six more emerged from the fabric of space: Quetzal, Kara, Meister, Bloomer, Joker and Nobu. They all looked different here in big Dis, but it was still nice to see those faces, almost like family now.
The next to appear was silver ranger Destiny. Magnificent as always. I’d even say glowing, what with her legendary equipment set. She greeted everyone, then walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek.
“Thanks!” she whispered. “Dad was happy.”
“What about the corporation? Are they going to cause trouble?”
“They have nothing they can bring against us, but my lawyers are ready. But you know…” Des looked from side to side, whispered barely audibly into my ear: “Just be careful, Alex.”
“I am careful.”
“Not just in Dis; everywhere… Although definitely here! The Children of Kratos are preparing something, but the Gallaghers cut me out of the operation because of my relationship with you…”
Soon, all fifteen true champions of the Demonic Games were assembled. Elvish rangers astride black panthers came to lead us to Eynyon’s palace. My allies climbed onto their own mounts. Seeing the narrow pathways, I summoned my Spotted Mechostrich. Storm would have gotten stuck in the mighty tree trunks.
“Would you look at that!” Bloomer exclaimed. “The top Threat, chugging along on a standard mechostrich worth a couple of thousand gold!”
“Hey!” I said reproachfully. “It cost me nine!”
“You really overpaid, Scyth my buddy,” Joker the engineer said. “The cost to make a mechanical bird is less than a thousand. If you’d contacted me, I would have made it for free, and an epic one to boot, not that garbage you have! A flying pterodactyl with a built-in gnomish machine gun!”
“I don’t think you’d have answered my request back when I bought the mechostrich.”
“That’s right!” Joker laughed, then shouted: “By the way! Do you need any epic turrets for your castle? Whichever you want! Machine guns, lightning coils, fire turrets, frost towers! I’ll give you the labor for free, you just give me the materials! Well, and the right to put the Awoken in my portfolio! Huh? What do you say, Scyth?”
“Allow me to interject with the same offer,” Meister wheezed.
The gray-haired gnome fell in to the side of us, astride a boar with silver fur. He sat on its shoulders, and on the pig’s back I saw two folded wings! Oh, get out of here! A flying pig! Now I knew the world really had turned upside down! Pig
s were flying! I snorted, holding back my laughter, and the gnome took offense:
“What’s so funny? My work adorns kings!”
“I think Scyth was laughing at your epic winged piggy,” Bloomer noted.
“Oh, give over!” Meister scoffed. “It’s a Celestial Boar!”
It was midday in Cali, but here midnight was approaching. The crowns of the eternal trees blocked out the sky, but it still seemed as if the path to Eynyon’s palace was lit by thousands upon thousands of stars.
Magical lanterns lazily floated through the air, first climbing, then falling, and multicolored lights glimmered brightly all over, but most dizzying of all were the scents. Dozens of aromas wafted through the air around us, each distinct. At first the air smelled like a sea breeze, then flower nectar, then pine needles or fresh-cut grass.
Deep in conversation, I didn’t notice us arriving at the palace. One moment we were riding through the woods, then we took a turn and found ourselves before a wall of conjoined tree trunks overgrown with herbs and flowers.
“The champions of the Demonic Games for King Eynyon!” an elf girl escorting us shouted. “Herald Scyth, Silver Ranger Destiny, Destroyer Quetzal, Sniper Hellfish, Sculptor Anna…”
The palisade of trees shivered. The closest trunks to us bent aside with a creak, opening a broad passageway into the palace.
“The Forbidden Forest,” Destiny whispered with awe in her voice. “I’ve never been here before!”
The royal rangers remained outside, while we were asked to dismount and go in. Elves don’t like confined spaces, so their ruler’s house was a huge enclosed section of the woods, with birds flying and beasts running through it.
The entrance to the ‘reception hall,’ which turned out to be a spacious wildflower meadow, was guarded. A pack of large wolves pricked up their ears and growled. Three lying panthers flicked their tails. A huge bear growled. All the animals were above level 360. An elf girl accompanying us sang a command and the beasts settled down.
At the center of the glade, beneath Yggdrasil, Tree of Life, on a throne woven of living branches, sat King Eynyon. He gave off a barely noticeable light, either from a magical effect or just from the grace of his being.
As he saw us, he rose magnificently, spread his arms and took a step toward us. My allies dropped to one knee, their right hands on their hearts. Glancing at them, I did the same.
“Valorous demon fighters! Champions! I am pleased that your souls, after courageously fighting in the Cursed Chasm, have returned home and safely rejoined the flesh! Rise! Your merit is so great that from now on, you may never kneel before monarchs again.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” we cried, standing up.
The king hugged every one of us, then stepped back to look at us all.
“The sentients of Disgardium cannot imagine that from which you have saved them! These Demonic Games past could have brought the demons their six-hundred-and-sixty-sixth victory! Under the ancient agreement between them, the New Gods, and the Celestial Arbitrage, the demons will return to Disgardium when they achieve so many victories in the Demonic Games. Understanding this, the princes of the Inferno chose their strongest general to protect their interests – Abaddon, known as the Destroyer for his ferocity, mercilessness and great number of victories…
The monarch’s speech was accompanied by moving music whose source I couldn’t determine. Melodically dripping droplets, rustling leaves, ringing harp strings, singing flutes and gently rumbling drums…
Eynyon spent a long time telling us the story of how the Demonic Pact was made. When the New Gods defeated the Old, they sent millions of followers to their deaths in an attempt to destroy Diablo, Azmodan and Belial. Lucius, the fourth prince of the Inferno, was then just a general like Abaddon. It was then that the princes prayed to Chaos, and it gifted them never-before-seen power in the battle against the New Gods. Scared, Nergal and Marduk agreed to negotiate. That was when the Demonic Pact was instituted, with a special condition that would allow the demons to return upon its fulfillment. Until then, the demons are confined within a separate plane of reality called the Inferno.
“Take your rewards, True Champions!” Eynyon intoned. “The Concentrated Life Essence achieves full power only when the names of all the contestants become known, and at the end of the Games, there is always enough of it to reward every demon fighter!”
The king walked around us all, offering each a miniature flask nestled in a flowering lotus, sparkling transparent liquid within. My turn came:
Received: Concentrated Life Essence.
My vision darkened, pleasure flooded through me, system fanfares that only I could hear rang out, and several messages appeared in my field of view:
Hidden quest The Demonic Games completed!
The Demonic Pact made centuries ago left the demons with a chance to return to Disgardium. Every year, the strongest sentients from all over the world are summoned to defend all existence from the return of creatures warped by Chaos.
By achieving victory in the Games, you have delayed the return of the demons to Disgardium.
Reward: Demon Fighter perk (health increased by 1% of the current total health of losing contestants), Demon Fighter rank, Demon Fighter’s Ferocity medallion.
Demon Fighter’s Ferocity
Divine medallion.
A solid medallion cast in the forge of Old God Hephaestus in the age of the Demonic Wars. A sign of valor and a mighty strengthening artifact that does not need to be worn. After being equipped once, it bonds with the soul of the owner forever.
+30% to all main stats.
+100% damage against demons.
-50% damage taken by demons.
Special effect on activation: Life itself burns demonic creatures when they touch the medallion’s owner, inflicting unbearable pain and suffering.
Sale price: cannot be sold.
Chance of loss after death lowered by 100%.
Durability: indestructible.
Experience: +1 trillion.
Experience at current level (581): 54 bil / 992 bil.
You leveled up! Current level: 581.
5 free attribute points available!
Your reputation with Eynyon, King of the Wood Elves: +1,000.
Current reputation: trust.
Your reputation with Moongrove: +1,000.
Current reputation: trust.
Your reputation with Darant: +1,000.
Current reputation: trust.
Your reputation with Kinema: +1,000.
Current reputation: trust.
Your reputation with Auldforge: +1,000.
Current reputation: trust.
Your reputation with Shak: +1,000.
Current reputation: trust.
The reputation notifications poured in, filling my entire field of view. My rep increased not only with the cities, but also with the factions and nation leaders. Even Emperor Kragosh now felt trust toward me. In the meantime, the king returned to his throne, sat down and began to watch us all closely.
There were whispers around me. I picked out Quetzal’s annoyed rumble:
“Everyone got identical medallions?”
Glancing at the king, we checked and confirmed that yes, they were all identical.
“Seriously, +30% to all main stats? That’s it?” Kara whined. “I have rings that do that!”
“It’s the upper threshold for the standard line of legendary rings of the gods of war,” Meister noted. “They could have given us something better than that for winning the Demonic Games.”
I remembered the first legendary in the Awoken, Zauntewith’s Valor, given to Bomber. That ring gave +12% to stats. We were overjoyed, but when we looked at the auction house, we learned that rings like that are found pretty often and aren’t worth much.
“Unlucky reward generation,” Hellfish complained. “Why do we need damage against demons in Dis?”
“It’ll come in handy,” Bloomer answered. “The demons only have t
o win once, and then they’ll all descend on Dis. That’s when our raid will show how to fight them! And I just decided to buy some sabers, too…”
“Ooh, I got nearly seven million extra health!” Yen the archer said excitedly.
“I got ‘fatter’ too!” sculptor Anna laughed. “First time I’ve been happy to put on weight!”
“Our health will increase more,” Destiny noted. “The boost is calculated based on the current health of the losers, and they’ll keep leveling up.”
The music flowing in from all around ceased. My allies stopped talking. Eynyon raised his hands, spread them – and a shining white portal opened between us.
Enemy of the Inferno (Disgardium Book #8): LitRPG Series Page 8