Chapter 27 - Temptation

There were a lot of these damnable gods to memorize. It'd take a while to get them all straight. Not that he really believed in any of them in a real sense, but if this was a game... perhaps there was some validity to Rivia's words when concerning this new realm.

“Thanks for the rundown… my head hurts a bit but I think I’ll be able to remember some of it.” Trey said while rubbing his skull. “Perhaps you can tell me more about this ‘Alkir’ character later on. She seems to be your favorite.”

“Of course.” Rivia replied anxiously, just happy to be of use to him and finally meeting his gaze with her red eyes matching his. She held it there, scared, unsure of whether or not he was pleased with her before Trey looked away and yawned.

He pulled out his status page, remembering that he still had points to assign. He dumped the 1 unused skill point into Chaos Ball and assigned the 5 stat points to Willpower, giving him another slot for minion control. He had decided not long ago that he should try to always have at least one open just in case he came along something he could minionize. If he grew some more levels and already had a slot open, he would then start putting more points into other stats. He wasn’t sure what the exact build he was going for was yet, but he knew that he had to at least work a little bit harder at increasing his strength. He really wanted to see what that sword could do at full power, even if it was leagues away from being able to use its full potential. Needless to say, he used a lot of magic... so he would need intelligence for increasing his magic damage and wisdom for increasing his mana pool. He could focus less on speed and dexterity for now, and he didn’t think he’d ever be putting any points into luck or faith.

“Atharost, go ahead and assign your own points.”

The ifrit did as he was told, assigning 10 stat points to intelligence to increase his magic damage and 2 skill points to fire blast without even thinking about it. He received a notification, blinked, and turned to Trey.

“I’ve received another upgrade option for my spell Fire Blast. Would you want to take a look? Or should I choose that as well?”

He had no idea what Atharost was talking about and it showed. Atharost did something with his status screen and in an instant the prompt that the ifrit was showing appeared in front of Trey.

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“Your spell Fire Blast has increased to level 20. Every 10 levels you are able to choose one of two options for another upgrade. Please decide between the two options listed beneath:”

Fire Blast^ (Fire) - Level 20

Create a large torrent of flames at medium range with high damage. Upgrade 1> Heat from Fireblast is increased by 300% Upgrade 2> SELECT AN OPTION: Option 1: Reduce mana cost by 25% Option 2: Increase damage output by 10%

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“Ohhh!!! So that’s what those little arrows mean! They correlate with the amount of upgrades the spell has right?” Trey pointed to the two little arrows next to the spell’s name, then compared it to the other spells Atharost had. He didn’t wait for the ifrit to reply and pulled up the other abilities Atharost had to view them as well.

Fire Bolt^^ (Fire) - Level 23

Shoot a basic Fire Bolt at your enemies at long range Upgrade 1> Increase speed of Fire Bolt by 70% Upgrade 2> Increased piercing damage with concentrated center

Demon Tail^ (Fire) - Level 11

Allows piercing and slashing attacks. Upgrade 1> Increased dexterity stat by 15 points

“Fascinating.” Trey commented as he read it over. He hadn’t gotten to level 10 in any skill yet so he had no idea what it had looked like until now. “I’ll leave the option up to you. You’re going to be the one using it.”

He turned to Napoleon and took a long look at the sleeping little creature. He was going to start letting Napoleon do the same and choose his own builds, though he’d mention to them both that he’d at the very least like to be advised what they were doing when they chose to assign.

“The mana option then.” Atharost said, choosing the 25% reduction to mana cost for Fire Blast. He shook his head grimacing. “If I had this upgrade in the fight with the culn, I wouldn’t have lost like I did. I wouldn’t have needed you to save me…. But I am glad it happened that way.”

Fire Blast^^ (Fire) - Level 20

Create a large torrent of flames at medium range with high damage. Upgrade 1> Heat from Fireblast is increased by 300% Upgrade 2> Reduce mana cost by 25%

“So where are you from? Tell me about your past life.” Trey asked his new friend while stretching, then putting his arms behind his head and yawning.

The ifrit shook his head and looked downcast at once. “Not… today. If that’s alright with you, master. Perhaps another time.”

Trey blinked, shrugged, and turned to Rivia. “What about you Rivia? I… I know I killed your father, and that your father killed your mother. Got any stories about your past that aren't too touchy?”

Rivia gave him a glare on instinct and quickly covered it up with a fake laugh. She hummed lightly and curled her knees to her chest, resting her head on them and looking into the fire. She sat there for a long, long time, the flames reflecting off her eyes as she gazed into the past.

“I was just four years old when I began to read scripture. My father was a low ranking priest at the time, far before he gained status. My childhood was filled with sermons and I spent hours of every day at prayer.” She smiled a cold, sad smile. A mask to hide her true emotions. “I wasn’t allowed to go hunting because I was a girl. Culn women have few places in society, with some of the most esteemed females becoming priestesses to the Infernal Crowns. This is what my father wanted for me, and he would beat me if I suggested I do something different. When he killed my mother, it was because she’d allowed me to go play with the other children that day and let me skip my hours of prayer. I sacrificed my first soul to Alkir when I was 15. My life has been nothing but study of scripture, rituals, sermons, prayer, and other religion-oriented activities. I have come to enjoy it… but that joy was amplified many times over after I felt Alkir’s touch for the first time. Though it was just a dream, I knew it was her.”

Rivia’s eyes grew watery and her lips began to quiver as her smile blossomed. She let out a sharp exhale, still looking into the dancing flames while the others listened. “I… I felt her. Alkir, Mistress of Darkness… she touched my mind as I slept, if only for a moment. It was then in that instant that I knew my life finally had meaning. She whispered to me… something that she had never done for my father despite decades of his service. She told me that one day I would see him die in front of my eyes… that I would see my mother avenged, and that I would serve a new master. That I would need to guide him into her service. By that, my life’s true meaning would be fulfilled. Today… after you provided me with a minion contract, I heard her words again… and realized that she was talking about you.”

Trey tried not to vomit with the religious bullshit she was spouting. He’d heard similar crap from the bishops and preachers back home on Earth in the churches he attended as a kid. He had lost his religion at the age of 16 and had never turned back. Not that he didn’t want a kind and loving god to exist, but they had completely lacked any proof and always told him to have an abstract ‘faith.’ But blind faith was what led to the crusades, mass suicide poisonings in Brazil, cults of child sex predators in Texas, the burning of completely innocent people in Salem, and suicide bombers in the Middle-East. Now that he was hearing this from Rivia he couldn’t help but compare the two, and he was certain she was just making it all up to try and manipulate him like all the other religious zealots did with their worshipers. Perhaps he shouldn’t have mentioned to her that he’d like to learn more about Alkir… but then again she had useful miracles due to her faith. Perhaps he would just roll with it and wait to see what happened, and hopefully she would become something more useful than eye candy and a basic healer in the future.

“You’re saying you expected Trey to come find you?” Atharost asked skeptically. “Pshh. The old gods speak to no one but their elder priests and prophets. They would not speak to someone like you, even in a dream, much less give you a sign of things to come. I do not believe it.”

Trey couldn’t have said it better himself.

Rivia ignored the ifrit and tears continued to stream down her face as she just kept… smiling. “I do not expect either of you to believe me, but it is true. Aside from religious studies, I have done and seen nothing in life. The friends I made were other priests and priestesses, two of which were killed by you… and you…”

She pointed to Trey and then to Atharost, keeping the smile even with the open accusations. “Above all things... It is Alkir’s will. She told me you would come, and I know it is my path to serve and guide you into her arms.”

Trey pooched his lips. “Hmmm. I see. How long ago did Alkir talk to you?”

“She did not talk to me! That is not what I said!” snapped Rivia angrily, only to reel in that anger immediately afterwards and dropped her head respectfully. “I… I am sorry. She did not talk to me… that is reserved for only the most devout. She told me through visions and dreams… I knew you were coming three days prior to your arrival. That is when I got the miracle ‘Immortal’s Infernal Blessing,’ and when I knew that she had set out a different path for me. Praise be to the mistress of darkness…”

Rivia yawned and turned to Trey, wiping the tears from her face. “If it is alright with the master, I will sleep now.”

Trey gave her a brief, puzzled nod, and the culn girl soon turned over onto her side with her back to him. Silence reigned over the next couple minutes aside from the crackling flames, and not long after that she’d fallen asleep.

“Crazy priestess.” Atharost muttered, shifting his weight to get a better look at her after the long era of silence. “I cannot tolerate religious fools without growing angry.”

Trey chuckled, thinking it hilarious that he was speaking to a demon about how it hated religion. “Yeah, I can see that. I’m the same way. Used to be religious a long time ago but not for the past many years now.”

Trey’s stomach growled loudly and he clutched at it, feeling how hungry he was. He’d been an idiot not to bring more food with him when he’d left the fortress, but what little he’d picked up on their flight had at least satiated him for a small time.

They’d need to hunt soon.

Another hour passed with little said between the two men, both of them relishing in the quiet calm of night. Trey hadn’t felt this way since he’d gone camping with his family back in the Grand Canyon years ago… though the scenery there was much prettier and there were actually stars. There weren’t any stars here in oblivion, and it was kind of spooky that there was little to no light at night. Looking around again he seriously wondered, for the tenth time since getting here, how anything survived in this place.

Napoleon began to snore. At first Trey didn’t know what it was and it sounded like a low whistle, but when he did realize it was a snore it just made him laugh again. He’d been laughing a lot lately despite his shitty circumstances. His father had once told him that laughter was the key to happiness, and if you couldn’t find a reason to laugh then you were living life wrong.

Shit. He missed his family.

Rivia shifted slightly in her sleep, drawing Trey’s eyes over. She was a religious fanatic, a culn, and if she’d really sacrificed people it was likely she had little empathy for others. But god damn... she was hot.

Atharost smirked as he watched Trey eyefuck the girl. “How long are you going to just stare at her?”

Trey gave him a glance before turning back to her curves. The black silk robes she wore fell perfectly over her athletic figure and he wanted to go over and remove them. Yawning loudly he shook his head, placing his hands behind him as he leaned back and stretched again.

“I don’t know. Probably until I fall asleep.” Trey gave the ifrit a sheepish smile and a wink.

The ifrit scoffed and kicked at a rock nearby, sending it skipping into the alien forest. “She is your property now. If you want to take her then do it.”

Trey frowned. “On Earth, we don’t-”

“We’re not on Earth.” Atharost cut in quickly. He leaned forward and pointed to the girl. “And she wants you to.”

To this, Trey laughed. Loudly. He cleared his throat in very apparent disbelief, and vivid images of the long, ugly scar across his face danced through his mind. “You’re a good guy, I didn’t make you out to be a liar.”

“How’s that?” asked Atharost curiously.

Again, Trey frowned. “I killed her kin, beat her half to death after she tried to stab me, enslaved her, and took her from her home. You heard her. I doubt she’d want me to do anything sexual with her. Even if they did deserve what they got.”

“She applauded you for killing her father, did she not!?” Atharost threw out his hands to either side with a devilish smile. “And Yes! You took her away and now she’s desperate to know she’s... needed. Why do you think she made up that story about her goddess choosing her to convert you? As a minion she probably thinks she’s expendable. She’s the weakest of all of us, even more so than the imp, and she’s scared of everything that moves. She is frightened of you and me both, and she even said that she’s scared you’re going to sacrifice her to one of the old gods for power like so many other summoners do. Why else would you keep such a weak servant, if not for a sacrifice or for sex?”

Obviously uncomfortable, Trey dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.

“Besides... we could be having a lot of fun with her!” Atharost continued, moving his tail around and flipping up Rivia’s robe to slowly reveal the royal purple skin of her calves, toned thighs and then bare ass. He left the thin silk robe folded over along her back and lightly slapped the woman’s rear with his tail.

The act was definitely a bit of a turn on, watching the culn woman sleeping there unaware of their conversation about her. She was within arm’s reach and curled up in a half-way fetal position deep in slumber. Her well aligned facial features were almost perfect.

“How old do you think she is?” Trey asked bluntly.

“20 years by human time, very young for a demoness. I already took the liberty to ask.” Atharost replied, getting up and prodding Trey with his hand. The ifrit lustfully bypassed him and knelt next to the woman, letting his hand slide up and down her legs appraisingly. “When I was with my own clan, we had culn slaves like this one. She reminds me of one I used to know. The culn are so weak that they were easily controlled and their finest women always went to us.”

Firelight flickered off her royal-purple skin and she shifted in her sleep, causing Atharost to pause. He caught a glimpse of Trey’s expression and chuckled. “As a master, you must take what you want. Show the culn wench her place if it pleases you.”

Trey felt something in the back of his mind stir. A presence… that he couldn’t quite place. It urged him forward, but it was a line Trey’d never crossed. He wasn’t about to start now. No, that line he would never cross.

“I don’t know about you, but I haven’t mated with someone in a very long time.” Atharost said with a glint in his eyes.

“Stop.” Trey said adamantly with a shake of his head, beginning to get angry. “It isn’t going to happen.”

The ifrit looked like he was about to say something, but halted as Trey raised a hand to silence him.

Rivia shifted slightly with a soft moan as sleep held its grip on her mind. She must have been utterly exhausted, given that she hadn’t woken up to their loud discussion.

The presence in the back of his mind returned with a flood of thoughts that weren’t his: Her people had enslaved those humans and dwarves first right? They had ruthlessly hunted down the prisoners who’d escaped and slaughtered them right? They’d eaten and raped them right? They’d killed even him! And Rivia, she'd been a part of that… right?

She had tried to kill him, she didn’t believe any of that bullshit she had talked about with her goddess proclaiming his arrival. She was just trying her best to act on self preservation.

These culn were just animals, either born to be his enemies or tools for him to use. Disgusting, vile creatures that lacked any empathy. They weren’t even human, not even real. A piece of code that had never had true life. He didn’t owe this woman anything, and if this ‘Permanence’ hadn’t been ‘ON’... then he had good reason to believe he’d actually be dead. Really dead, forever… dead.

But despite the temptation, despite what his new friend Atharost was trying to convince him to do, he still wasn’t going to cross that line. Then he thought of what his mother would think if he was to proceed, and his decision was reinforced. Trey again shook his head no, pushing the dark presence in the back of his mind further away. “I can’t. I won’t force someone to have sex with me, that’s just a line I won’t cross.”

Atharost frowned in disappointment, but nodded his acknowledgment. “You killed dozens of her kin, ending their lives without a second thought, and you have a problem enjoying the spoils of your victory? Odd, but very well. Perhaps we should get some rest then.”

Trey gave an apologetic smile. “Thanks for understanding. Oh… and Atharost. I didn’t get a real chance to thank you for helping me out back there at the culn lair. You saved my life… and I owe you big time. Thank you, it means a lot that you came with me. I hope... that we can become good friends.”

Atharost gave him a look of surprise, before genuinely smiling back. He placed a hand on Trey’s shoulder and lightly squeezed. “As do I. Have a restful sleep.”

“Your minion Atharost has increased its opinion of you from ‘Liked’ to ‘Friendly.’ Your minion still gains a 15% experience increase due to it remaining in the positive category.”

Trey grinned back. “Yeah. Goodnight and see ya in the morning.”

The fire’s remnants were put out, leaving them bathed in darkness under the Oblivion sky. The discussion ended right there and then, and it took a while for them to fall asleep after that.

As Trey’s mind shut off and he dozed off into slumber, Rivia opened her eyes to consider what Trey had said to Atharost. She was surprised he hadn’t given in and assaulted her… but she was thankful for it. Perhaps… perhaps things wouldn’t be as bad as she’d feared.

***

It was approaching dusk when Trey and his minions finally made their way out of the mountains and caught a glimpse of what they thought to be the portal gates in the distance. From many miles out, Trey could see giant sets of ancient ebony pillars that had to each be the size of a skyscraper. Connecting them at the top were domed curvatures the same width and size of the pillars. Massive neon-green runes seen even from where the group stood now were engraved onto the structure and statues of winged gargoyles crouched at the base of each pillar.

“That’s the gate we used last…” Rivia said while pointing to the large structure closest to them. “We take our hunting parties through those gates, as do many other of the culn tribes within our lord’s domain. There will be soldiers guarding it… but for us Culn, it is a safe area. There will likely not be many to stop you from leaving… though I’m not sure exactly where it leads. Usually the gates are connected to mortal realms, where our kind can find easy victims.”

Well. That was… mostly... good news. And anywhere was better than here.

Atharost and Trey were in rather upbeat moods and continued bantering throughout the trek. Meanwhile Napoleon just slept in Rivia’s arms. Rivia kept her head down to say little along the way except when spoken to, but held Napoleon tightly to her for comfort. She’d noticeably calmed since carrying the tiny imp and for whatever reason it brought her a feeling that she was not so… alone.

Trey thought about the other men, women and children that’d run off amidst the fight at the lake weeks ago. He just hoped they were doing ok, but he sincerely doubted they’d survive even if some of them had escaped. It was a very likely scenario that every single one of them had died by now. He got a knot in his throat thinking about it and tried to shrug it off, letting his thoughts drift towards other things. There was nothing he could do and he’d tried his best to save them.

The two red moons had set within the next few hours and Trey switched to night vision as they went. For every creepy noise Trey heard: he would turn his head and pause, ducking low to make sure nothing was stalking them. There were a lot of creepy noises in this desolate plane of existence and it took a large chunk of time just getting through while maintaining a careful posturing.

But Atharost thought his master’s antics were hilarious, and the ifrit would mock him every time Trey crouched or paused to listen, exaggerating the movements and making stupid faces that caused Trey to scowl.

Throughout the trip, gusts of cold air caused Rivia to shiver and she tried to cuddle up more closely to Napoleon each time. She brought her hood down further as well upon each of these occasions, and Trey caught her staring at them a couple times as he walked alongside Atharost.

Farthom had only once ever described what they’d been looking for and what to do when they arrived, so Trey was thankful Rivia was there to guide them. He shook his head at the thought of the old scholar. Farthom and his granddaughter Inis had deserved better.

Trey was disgusted with himself. He had been careless, and although it wasn’t entirely his fault - he definitely held some of the blame for leaving the group to go get laid at the opposite end of the lake. He knew what his mom would say if she was here… that it wasn’t his fault and that he couldn’t read the future to know that he should have stayed. For all Trey knew, his mom was probably dead along with most of the people back on Earth… that is, if he hadn’t hallucinated this entirely lifelike experience. At this point though… he believed it all to be true, and it only made him angier. Angry at the situation, angry at life, and angry that it couldn’t have been him that’d died in place of his family.

Hours later, they came to the top of a large hill. Looking down the dark landscape, he could see at least a couple little figures moving around in the distance with his enhanced night-vision. He assumed those to be the guards Rivia had talked about, so he picked up the pace as did the minions following him. What he would do once they arrived… Well, things were going to get messy.

The culn tribes here would come to regret crossing him.