Chapter 62

~ The Ritual ~

SW/SW/SW

The great city of Difterion, as the name suggested, was a grand capital located in the middle of Folnea Plains. Protected by tall walls, it was beautiful as it was impenetrable. The streets were never empty, markets were open throughout the night, and more importantly it was full with players above level 200. The capital, according to GeaOnline storyline, was the last bastion of humanity in Difterion. While there was an elven kingdom deep in Myr Woods, they never took an interest in other races and rarely took part in war against the tyrant, Azariel.

From a tavern’s balcony, DPS gazed at the waves of players coming in and out of the northern gate. He had been coming here in his spare time, but no sign of BloodAce yet. This was the hassle of MMORPG. You’d never know when to run into someone you were looking for.

Sometime later a hand tapped his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Maria with a cup of tea in hand. He mumbled his thanks as she placed the beverage on his table. “Remember what I’ve always told you?”

He averted his eyes from her figure. Right.

Don’t get your hopes up. We can’t always get what we want.

“Failed again, I presume?”

“…not giving up yet,” he scanned the surrounding for any sign of BloodAce.

“DPS, this is the third time you’ve been keeping watch here and so far no result. The others in different gates told me the same thing. You are… grasping on a thin rope, waiting for a miracle,” she pursed her lips, frowning. Still he paid her no heed, keeping his gaze locked squarely on the entrance gate.

Maria shook her head and continued. Her tone was reprimanding, “I don’t like this, Evan. Reward box is full of rare items, but I’d like you to reconsider other things as well. BloodAce might’ve been banned, so there’s no reason to hang around on this balcony anymore.”

She was wrong. He wasn’t after the reward, but he was after the man imstead. While waiting for his friends to find the elf, Veria, he’d like to meet him once again. There were so many things that needed answers.

“Evan,” she called again, this time louder, “I’m worried about you. You neglect your health just to pursue a cheater you don’t even know. Remember yesterday’s dinner? I cooked you breaded fish but you only ate half of it. You also left the veggies untouched. Is there something you don’t like about how I prepare the meal?”

“Not now, Maria.”

He heard her sigh, followed by fading footsteps. “Fine. Do as you like. We’ll eat stir fry tonight. Without meat; period.”

DPS glared at her retreating figure.

0000

“Hey, got Gravoite? Need one for customization,” a mage approached a player-run stand. “How much is it?”

“120k each. No haggling, mate.”

“What the heck? You serious?”

“Take it or leave it.”

“Listen here, you idiot, this—huh?” the mage noticed the crowds rushing towards the entrance. “What’s going on over there?”

0000

DPS couldn’t believe his own eyes. The last and mid-boss marched inside the city, hundreds of knights in tow. People hurriedly made the way, some NPCs prostrated before the tyrant, and some cowered in fear. The last boss kept walking forward, his stride long, stern, and confident.

Not wanting to be left out, DPS hastily made his way outside. Crowds of confused players greeted his vision as he followed Azariel’s army.

What’s he doing in this place?

Can we get Soul Slicer if we kill him?

Hathor is here, too!

Where is he heading to, DPS wondered. When he tried to get closer, one of the knights noticed him and withdrew his blade, a warning for him to keep his distance. He did not know why he backed off, though. Deeper towards the center of town he followed. His jaw dropped when he realized that Azariel was marching towards Dei’s temple.

So he was religious?

DPS thought of informing the rest of Travonka members for a long, boss battle. As if to mock his inability to catch BloodAce, an alert window popped up, read …

Enganging disabled.

Baffled, DPS could only stare at the bosses as they made their way to Deivillezareth’s temple.

Azariel and Hathor entered the temple, but the main door was sealed shut before DPS could catch a glimpse. The tyrant’s army formed several lines in front of it, preventing anyone to come in. Groaned, DPS was left amongst answer-hungry players on the staircase. Driven by curiosity and wanting to test the Advanced AI System, DPS stepped forward.

“Back off, adventurer,” a heavy-armored succubus appeared behind the many knights. Her green slits eyed him cautiously.

“Peace,” he lifted his hands, wondering who this was. “I just want to talk.”

The corner of her mouth curved to make a mocking smile, “Oh, talk? Interesting. Speak, then.”

“I was wondering why the bo—I mean the monarchs are in this city, inside the temple no less.”

“Oh, one cannot pray in peace anymore? What are you; Leitha’s devout follower?”

“Judgment to us all.”

To his surprise, she smiled. A follower of Deivillezareth should’ve known the greetings. “Good choice, brother. He is better than Leitha.”

Ping!

A popup window materialized in front of him.

Special Quest Level: Unknown Prereq: ???? Liviella the Succubus You have made a good first impression. See if you can deepen your relationship with her. (Cannot be canceled) Rewards: Relationship bonus and random items

What…?

0000

They went deep into the heart of the temple, where the head priestess of God of Darkness was waiting. The heart of the temple, the Communing Room, was an eerie, hexagonal-shaped place. A pillar stood tall in each corner, bearing the symbol of the god, a sword and a greataxe. In the center of the room was a huge archaic circle. The symbols changed color every minute, seemingly alive.

The high priestess of Deivillezareth stood proudly in the center, a figure garbed in darkness. “May merciless judgment enlighten your heart,” the priestess greeted them. Kail could only see her red lips moving since the rest of her face was hidden by her hood. “It is unusual for the monarchs to ask for spiritual guidance.”

“Some things are better be handled by the expert.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. Now how may I help you? I’m sure the royal family of Kolatzvia didn’t come all the way here for a sermon.”

“Indeed. We need to commune with him, asking for a blessing.”

The priestess went mute, considering the request. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had contacted him directly. Our glorious god is known for being… a recluse. To be honestly speaking, we do not recommend it.”

“Are there risks involving forced communing?” he asked for the first time, intrigued.

“Curses, mostly. A powerful curse that can only be removed by primordial deities.”

Holy… Hathor didn’t even mention this part. If the god decided that he was a nuisance and cursed him, where would he get the blessing from? The goddess was off limit and the minor gods were useless.

“Prepare everything. We will proceed regardless of the risks.”

“O-Oi…!” Kail warned her, but Hathor was already too far away to listen. He went after her, yanking her arm. “Didn’t you hear what she said? One wrong move and I’d end up cursed!”

But Hathor was simply did not care. She flipped her blood-colored hair over her shoulder and smirked knowingly, “I have this under control. No need to worry.”

“Are you mad? This isn’t some stupid playe—I mean adventurers! We’re talking about a god, a being far more powerful than you!”

She looked straight into his eyes. There was something in those red slits that made Kail stop talking. The succubus murmured, “Husband, trust me on this. Please. I’m trying to help you stay alive so that you can safely look for a way to return to where you came from.”

He grumbled, “Fine, do as you like. It’s not like I have any choice in this…”

“Are you ready? We will begin the ritual,” the priestess asked from the corner of the room. Was that a… bowl in her hands?

“We are. Please begin.”

Once Hathor had given the signal, the priestess kneeled near the archaic symbol and poured the bowl’s content, which was blood. In an instant the symbol glowed purple. She murmured something weird, probably mantra and then stepped out from the room, closing the door shut.

The symbol faded away into mere drawing.

“Close your eyes and don’t open until he speaks first. Since I’m… unclean, I will have to wait for you. Don’t worry. You will be fine.”

A bit unsure, but Kail slowly shut his eyes. He waited, waited, and waited yet nothing came up. He was about to insult Hathor for playing a trick on him, but his guts told him not to.

…and it was at that time that Kail felt they were not alone…

“…well, well. Look who’s here.”

Snapping his eyes open, Kail looked ahead. He wasn’t in the Communing Room anymore. Instead a lush garden with broken pillars caressed his eyes. There were several patches of flowers here and there, and also fruit trees. The ripe fruits were shining deliciously, yet no one seemed to bother plucking them all. His eyes travelled from one edge to the other, where he caught sight of a figure…

…sitting on one of many broken pillar was an old man dressed in all black.