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Chapter 9: Beneath the Moon

With a dazzling light Makoto revived yet again.

The anxiety he had felt since his death dissipated after noticing that he had indeed revived inside the Crystal Cave without any problems and he actually was not too far away from the Boss room.

A few new messages appeared after he revived too.

You have reached level 10 and officially have the option to choose one of the many classes in Azalon.

Classes can be obtained from Instructors in any city, through Quests, gaining high enough Intimacy with certain NPCs or other various methods.

There is a lot to choose from but beware, the next class changes are only possible after reaching level 50, so choose wisely!

You are the first player in Azalon to solo a boss Monster!

+5 Fame

For your incredible feat you are rewarded with the best possible drop from the boss you killed.

Surprised Makoto checked his status and it was true he really did gain another level from killing the Gemstone Lizard even if he lost a good bit of Experience by dying afterwards.

He distributed his additional stat points and it now looked pretty decent in his eyes.

Status WindowName:MakotoLevel:10Alignment:NeutralClass:NoneRace:HumanGender:MaleTitlesSlayer of AllHealth:430/430Mana:150/150Strength:48 (+3)Agility:52Vitality:20 (+10)Wisdom:10Intelligence:10Fame:11Evasiveness:7Special Effects:+5% Damage against all living beings.

Excited to see what this best possible loot was going to be, Makoto went back to the Boss room where he died.

At this point a slight worry was in the back of his head.

He didn't forget about Drake and his group, at the same time he could not remember seeing any other exits at the boss room so they might force his hand again to engage in another fight.

Realistically speaking last time he had gotten incredibly lucky being able to pick them off 1 at a time but if there was 3 of them attacking at the same time he was a lot less confident in dealing with that rather annoying party.

Unable to completely shake off these thoughts, Makoto arrived at the entrance to the boss room and quickly ran inside.

He was expecting something along the lines of a Weapon or more Equipment and was rather disappointed after seeing just one book lying where the boss had previously been.

Right away he picked it up and looked at the contents of this rather plain looking book.

Mysterious Tome:A magic tome with the potential to create a new Destiny or path in life, use it with caution as changing ones Fate is something not many are willing to do.Effect:Evaluates your current status, battle experience and behavior to create a trial Quest to receive your own unique class.

Satisfaction may vary.

One time use only.Durability:1/1Requirements:Unique Class Quest

"Create my own class?!"

Slightly trembling and not hesitating at all Makoto put his hand on the Tome.

"Activate Mysterious Tome!"

Wind started flowing all around Makoto suddenly and the book in his hands opened, page after page flying past before finally stopping at the last one and a new system window accompanied the event.

In Blood we trust: (Quest) A strange new Cult has spread all over Azalon, deep at night when the moon is high the howling and screams of people can be heard.

Investigate the ritual taking place north-east of Talis and stop it no matter the cost.Rewards:Crimson Warrior Class.Penalty:NoneRequirements:Unique Class Quest.

Grinning like a Demon, Makoto accepted the Class Quest and a chuckle escaped his throat.

"Crimson Warrior... I like the sound of that."

The tome began crumbling in his hands after accepting the Quest and only dust remained.

Shrugging his shoulders he turned and examined the room.

If possible he would rather not engage in another fight with that peculiar group, at least not at the moment.

Maybe after getting his class...

Still, at the moment he had no intention of meeting them again any time soon.

The boss room and its walls were illuminated with a pristine and nearly blinding brightness, every single crystal on the walls gave off light, making it so that if you stared too long at them dark spots would appear in your vision and they only slowly went away.

Shielding his eyes from the excessive light, Makoto examined every single corner and bend in this oddly shaped room.

After about 10 minutes of searching his eyes finally noticed a darker spot, it was a small but narrow passage that was not illuminated at all but nearly impossible to find with the surrounding Crystals taking your vision.

Happy that there was indeed another possible way, he squeezed through, his sword that was fixated on his hip scraped against the wall occasionally, creating an eerie echo.

It took nearly 20 minutes of walking until the path lead into the forest, well hidden behind the stump of a massive tree that seemed to lean against the rock behind it.

A quick look on his map confirmed that he was a good bit away from Talis and to his surprise a red circle also indicated an undiscovered area, presumably where the ritual would take place.

Torn between the option of returning and going straight to the ritual he decided to go to the red circle in the end.

First because it was by far closer and second, because he still had some supplies of water and food left.

It was still in the middle of the day, enough time to arrive before dark and maybe examine the surrounding ritual sight to get a better feel for the terrain.

On his Journey through the woods he encountered a few weak enemies such as Wild Boars (lvl 5), Armored Rabbits (lvl 3) and a strange breed of Lynx that was simply called, Forest Cat (lvl 6).

All of the above mentioned Creatures ran, the exact moment they noticed his presence.

It seems his title really did help in scaring away these little Critters.

In a way it was unfortunate because he had no way of gathering junk loot that he could later sell to the ever so generous Merchant, Dio.

.....

The sun was about to set when Makoto finally saw the outlines of stone ruins in the distance.

Hastening his step, Makoto approached the site.

There was already a group of hooded people standing in a semi circle around a stone altar that had a strangely familiar red color.

Getting in position behind a few trees and bushes, he watched the group one after another kneel before the altar and scream out foreign words, only to finally cut their palms and spray blood on the already stained stone.

The whole thing took a while and was repeated a many times until every inch of the Altar was stained in fresh blood with drips falling to the floor ever so often.

Makoto was still unsure what to do here, the whole group consisted of nearly 30 members and not only that, the blades they used were ceremonial knives that looked in no way less sharp than his sword.

Circling around the open area using trees as cover he kept an eye out for any suspicious movements from the group of people while gathering Intel about his surroundings.

After the moon appeared on the already darkened sky and a few of the members started to light candles all over the ruins, Makoto knew who his first few targets were.

Without making any noise he approached a man that was currently kneeling down, trying to light a candle.

With him being out of sight of the others, Makoto had no problems sneaking up to him and was finally able to see letters above the hooded person.

Blood Moon Cultist: lvl 11

With a precise slash of his sword he cut the vocal cords of the Cultist, preventing any planned or unplanned screams from him to attracting attention.

The stunned Cultist did not even know what was happening and after only 4 more quick stabs he fell to the ground, now silenced forever.

"1 down, 30ish more to go."

Grinning while wiping off the blood from his blade, Makoto searched for yet another victim.

Shortly after, 3 more Cultists fell to the floor, their bodies riddled with wounds of precise slashes and stabs targeting vital areas.

Makoto had gotten especially good at hitting vital areas with his sword after fighting so long, making it possible to easily stack up status effects or the occasional critical hit.

He proceeded in his hunt until after the 7th or so Cultist the group that was still congregated at the altar finally noticed him.

"Kill the heretic that has come to discrupt our sacred ritual!"

One of the hooded Cultists bellowed while pulling out his ceremonial dagger, many followed his example and armed themselves before then storming as one big group towards Makoto.

Keeping his cool he started off with a jump to the side and a wide swing with his left, injuring many that passed by him.

One after another they tried to circle around him but whenever that happened he focused on just one individual while evading a few attacks and was able to narrowly escape the many blades trying to stab him to death.

Makoto was hit a few times but the Damage was not too high, it was probably only their number and coordination that posed a threat to him considering his speed far outmatched them.

This was the first time he was fighting humanoid opponents and he had to admit that they were tough.

Not like a simple Wolf or Rock Crab their pattern could change when faced with a new situation, making predicting the next attack nearly impossible and only his high Agility and reaction time saved him from being impaled by a dozen blades on more than one occasion.

Makoto noticed one particular hooded Cultist giving orders to a few others while he was fighting off the angry mob.

"No! Forget about the Ritual, we have to wait till next month. Bring me the sacrifices so I can feast on their strength to crush this heretic, quick hurry!"

The tall Cultist shouted and with a few quick steps 2 other Cultists disappeared into the night following his orders.

Makoto had a bad feeling after hearing that exchange while fighting and not wanting to chance it he immediately ran towards the Head Cultist that had been giving orders all this time.

Something like an Elite Monster or Boss appearing now would be very bad so without waiting to see what would happen Makoto decided to put an end to it.

"Brothers! Sisters! Save me or this heretic has the chance to k-"

Before he was able to say another word Makoto appeared before him like a bad dream, slashing against his throat and a fountain of blood flew into the night.

Illuminated by the moon and the stars it was like a drawing of hell with other Cultists dead on the ground adding to the picture.

With yet another clean swipe he aimed for the same place again, lopping the guy's head clean off and the screams of other Cultists could be heard all around Makoto.

Lethal hit!

Smiling like the Devil himself, Makoto turned around towards the dozen or so Cultists.

He was drenched in blood from head to toe, not one spot was left untouched and even his hair was dripping red.

Greedily licking his lips he looked at the remaining Cultists.

"Who is next?!"

Makoto asked while laughing.

Everyone took a step back in fear and a window appeared before Makoto.

Your malicious and cruel actions have put the 'fear' status on all enemies in the area!

Fear: -10% stat reduction until the fight is finished.

Waving the Interface away he brandished his sword and with yet another laugh engaged into more fighting.

It was a short battle, many of the Cultists had been injured previously and now stricken with complete horror they stood no chance.

Their coordination was gone and with the current state of mind they were in, the pattern of attacks became painfully obvious to Makoto.

After making short work out of them he saw the two Cultists from before that had disappeared, approach the ruins and they were not alone.

They returned with a group of crying children and a few adults here and there but mostly it was young children.

They all were in chains and clear signs of abuse were visible on their arms and faces.

After seeing the massacre that Makoto had created both Cultists stopped dead in their tracks and instead turned around, running for their very lives as fast as possible.

Makoto wanted to give chase right away but seeing this group of NPCs clearly in need of help made him stop.

With a sigh he watched the two last remaining Cultists disappear between the trees and instead turned around and searched through a few bodies lying around until he found the key he was looking for.

While approaching the chained group, one of the men looked up and surprise was clearly visible on his face after he noticed the over 30 Cultists, dead on the ground.

Without even looking, Makoto threw the key in his direction and ran after his two last targets.

A shout behind him made him smile.

"May the Divines guide your blade and thank you stranger!"

.....

It only took him 10 Minutes to catch up to the two stray sheep.

They had decided to take a quick break behind a canopy of trees and without even trying to hide his presence, Makoto rushed the first one, killing him in seconds and finally turning around to greet the last remaining survivor.

"Wait! Please I beg you! Hear me out and you will know that our cause is just and that we-"

A Sword strike split the Cultists face in half, silencing the words that wanted to escape his mouth and with a dark look Makoto spat on his corpse.

"Just cause my ass, since when is sacrificing children an act of justice?"

With a barrage of dings one system message after the other appeared before Makoto.

For stopping the Blood Moon Ritual and freeing the innocent you have been rewarded with a title!

Dark Crusader:Not all crusades are coupled with a church or faith in the gods, some are created with the simple desire to avenge or put things right.

Leaving a trail of bodies behind you pave your way through masses of enemies, punishing evil but not forgetting about doing good whenever the opportunity arises.Effect:+10% Damage against Chaotic players or Individuals with an Evil Alignment.Additional Effects:+5 Strength and Vitality

Quest completed!

Your class has changed to Crimson Warrior!

Crimson Warrior:Bathing in the blood of your enemies and leaving drained corpses in your wake, many shake with fear after hearing your name. As the first of your kind your actions will decide the fate of your class.Effects:+30 to all stats except Fame

+2 new Skills

+1 new Title

Curse Blade:Enchanting your blade with a secret curse your every strike will lacerate the enemies flesh, bringing unbearable pain and misery to your opponent.Skill Type:activeSkill Level1 (0%)Skill Effect:+15% more Chance to inflict the 'Bleed' status effect.Additional Effect:+10% more Damage and longer Duration when inflicting the 'Bleed' status effect.Uses:15 Mana per attack

Blood Rejuvenation:While bathing in the blood of others you are able to find new Strength even during extended battles or skirmish.Skill Type:passiveSkill Level1 (0%)Skill Effect:0.1% max health restored every second for every 2% missing health.

First of a Kind:For being the first person with a unique class you are rewarded with respect from many and your name reverberates through all of Azalon.Effect:+10 Fame

It took a while for everything to sink in but shortly afterwards, Makoto opened his Character window and what he saw made him smile.

Status WindowName:MakotoLevel:10Alignment:NeutralClass:Crimson WarriorRace:HumanGender:MaleTitlesSlayer of All, Dark Crusader, First of a KindHealth:850/850Mana:510/510Strength:83 (+3)Agility:82Vitality:55 (+10)Wisdom:40Intelligence:40Fame:21Evasiveness:37Special Effects:+5% Damage against all living beings.

+10% Damage against Chaotic players or Individuals with an Evil Alignment.

Changing your class really did make a lot of difference.

His class had some good benefits, not amazing but pretty good.

Makoto was very interested about the new Skills he had gotten and especially the second one he got sounded incredibly powerful, it effectively meant the lower his health was the harder it was to kill him because his health regeneration would be off the charts.

His class stat gains were not the best, he had heard of some melee profession gaining 100 extra Strength and +15 in all others so what he got with his class was not amazing but Makoto was more than satisfied.

This one Quest had given him a pretty interesting class and 2 Titles on top of that so how could he not be satisfied?

After looting the two Cultists he decided to backtrack a bit.

After another 15 Minutes he was back at the abandoned ruins, dead bodies littered the whole area and even the ground itself was dyed red.

It surprised Makoto that even now the bodies of these enemies hadn't disappeared.

The group of children and men that was supposed to be sacrificed was nowhere to be found, only a long string of chains with the occasional handcuffs were left behind on the ground.

With no trail to follow, Makoto hoped releasing the group without helping them get out of the woods would not bite him back in the ass later and decided to inspect the loot left behind by these Cultists.

After turning all of the bodies over a few times to make sure nothing else was hidden he had gathered nearly ten ceremonial daggers, they only did up to 5 Damage, a few cloaks that seemed usless, one Ring and finally also some Chest Armor.

Ring of the Blood Church:An ancient cult known for ordering gruesome and cruel sacrifices at secret locations crafted this ring.

Dipped in the Blood of the innocent as well as guilty it reveals the true nature of its wearer to everyone around.Vitality:5Special Option:Your true nature will be revealed.Durability:20/20Requirements:Level 10

The Ring's effect was a little vague but 5 Vitality was a lot so he gladly equipped it even though he had no idea what else it would do for him.

Darkblood Hauberk:Worn by unholy Warriors or followers of the Blood Moon Church, this Chain Mail was crafted with great care, allowing for excellent protection considering its light weight.Defense:30Vitality:5Special Option:+5 AgilityDurability:40/40Requirements:Level 9, the stat 'Faith' will make it impossible to wear this Item.

Donning his new gear, Makoto couldn't help but smile.

With his new Armor and class, Makoto feared absolutely nothing and no one.

It was time to return to Talis and to celebrate!

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Jesus, finally i finished it. :drinkT:

Huge Power spike for our MC and holy hell that was an insane amount of tables, never again...

Hope you enjoyed and cya all tomorrow :D

Update: I will try posting the chapters at the same time like always but that might not be possible so don't be sad if you don't see them until maybe in the late evening.

This is the first time in 3 months I get to see my dad so this weekend the schedule of posting new chapters could be weird, still i will upload 1 chapter every day so no worries. :D