Chapter 027 (Proofread)

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‘ ‘ for thoughts.

“ “ for speech.

* * for actions.

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Warning: May contain mature content (18+) of an adult nature. Read at your own risk.

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Asunder Online (and all its chapters) by fidelc123 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Full Thanks to Mecani for the proofreading!

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Jack stood up and approached the door which the Eldest Druid was guarding. She nodded and her whole body shimmered, as she opened the door. Beyond the door there was a transparent film, almost like a soap bubble. Instead of the lime green like rest of the inner pocket plane, beyond the film there was the characteristic dull brown-green glow of the seed on the guardian’s forehead. He coated his whole body in a layer of soulfire mana willing it to insulate him from the blight.

The monochromatic field around him disappeared, and the nauseous feeling he was experiencing dissipated. Suppressing his passive leaching of the ambient spirit energy, he stepped through the door, which shut behind him. He found himself in a pentagram. The five corners of the pentagram had blazing green pillars of energy, somehow free of the taint of blight.

In the center of the pentagram, was the half-elf Guardian. His body was covered in a jet black flame, and he had an expression of agony on his face, with the seed of the blight embedded on his forehead. Jack noticed that the taint of The Blight radiating from the seed was slowly being burnt by the black flame covering his body. The guardian notices him, and attempted to speak. But, all that came out of his mouth was a soul curdling scream. Jack made a hushing gesture, signaling the guardian to silence.

Jack: “Don’t Speak. Just nod, if you can understand me.”

Jack: *the guardian struggles for a few seconds, before he makes a slight nod* “I am here, with the permission of your Eldest. Do not be alarmed at what you may witness. This seed of the blight will be rendered impotent soon. All I need you to do is just watch without interfering, no matter what happens, all right?”

He waited for the guardian’s consent, and received it in the form of an agonizingly slow nod. He closed his eyes and held the image of the abomination, firm in mind. He then flooded the immediate surrounding near him with soulfire mana. He recalled the feeling of ecstasy he experienced during his first act of spirit eating, while hungering for that sensation.

The soulfire mana around him slowly took form, and in a matter of minutes formed a vivid replica of his mental interpretation of the abomination. The abomination floated several feet above him, connected to his body with five thick tentacles.

There was one major difference, in this manifestation. The monochrome beholder-like abomination was tightly wrapped in glowing orange manacles of soulfire, none of its mouths allowed to feed on the ambient spirit energy. Just the act of manifesting the abomination, left Jack drained.

The guardian’s face was twisted in pain and hate, but a look of horror and disgust flashed through his eyes. Jack then proceeded to flood all his mana centers, with soulfire imagining it burning any traces of blight daring to invade. This act proves to be surprisingly painful, but not unbearably so.

He withdrew the protective coat of soulfire over his body. He was immediately assaulted by a painful sensation, as if hundreds of worms were burrowing into his skin. He braced himself and walked within a few feet of the guardian, and pointed at the seed of The Blight embedded on his forehead. He imagined the floating shackled abomination devouring the very seed of The Blight, and uttered a single command.

Jack: “Feed.”

Almost immediately, he experienced immense pain throughout his body. It was as if his entire body was being continuously corroded by acid. He felt as if thousands of worms were burrowing through his skin and entire body, towards his mana centers. He recognized this as an attempt by the blight, to corrupt his very soul! He fed more soulfire mana to his mana centers, scorching any of the worms daring to approach. Suddenly he felt his consciousness snatched away, forced to witness a vision.

He was overlooking a battle about to unfold, from a cliff. In the valley below he saw a tall human facing a company of soldiers alone, unarmed. Somehow, Jack knew that the figure was his potential, if he accepted the taint of The Blight. The very land around the human was barren, where even the grass had withered to ash. The human gestured with his hand, and a ball of filth shot towards his enemies. The ball of filth exploded on contact with his foes.

It looked like an epidemic had spread among the soldiers. They were vomiting blood and their flesh was flaking off their bodies. Many of them were rendered catatonic, unable to act. The lone figure rushed at his foes crushing them with his bare hands, draining their very life and leaving behind mummified husks. Every hit he received caused a toxic liquid to spurt, debilitating his attackers and making them scream in agony.

Jack was unable to move, unable to shift his gaze away from the spectacular massacre which was enfolding before his eyes. All the while, insidious whispers assailed his senses, promising him the power he witnessed… all in exchange for lowering the burning veil guarding his soul. But he refused the insidious offers, instead leaving only his body unprotected.

The battle progressed, with the corpses of the soldiers opposing the lone humanoid barely recognizable. The insidious whispers became more urgent, and Jack felt his resolve cracking. He attempted to resist the temptation, but his willpower was slowly eroding. It was simply a matter of time, till the Blight made its way to his soul.

Jack recalled the words of Guide1 and focused not on the slaughter before his eyes, but on his inner self. He struggled to tune out the assault on his senses and imagined a dot of nothingness near his heart. He focused his all on the dot of nothingness and fed it his willpower. The voices become more aggressive, and the scene shifted before his eyes portraying devastation on a grander scale.

But Jack paid it no attention, nursing the core of ‘the void’ growing from him. Slowly but surely the seductive voices lose traction and ‘the void’ grew larger, as it enveloped him. Yet he didn’t relent, as he could still feel The Blight at the edge of his consciousness. He kept focusing on the calm nothingness enveloping him. It expanded, and with it he slowly regained his resolve.

Yet, The Blight lurked just out of reach, always waiting for him to falter. After what felt like an eternity, the distant echoes of the blight were finally snuffed, and the nothingness slowly receded into his inner self. He gradually extended his awareness.

He found himself back in the clearing, with the two elders and The Eldest observing him. He tried to stand, but his body doesn’t respond. Using all his willpower, he commanded his muscles to respond. He heard cracks, and a layer of dust covered his body. Finally able to move he slowly stood up, dusted himself and observed his surroundings.

He seemed to be back in the principal material plane, with the Eldest no longer a statue. In the center of the treants, the guardian was still a statue. Suddenly, cracks formed on his statue and he emerged like a butterfly from a cocoon, leaving behind fine grayish dust. The guardian fell on his knees, grabbed his head and screamed in agony. The focus of the elders shifted from Jack to the guardian.

Jack approached him, and the treants backed off. They seemed in haste to get away from the guardian. The guardian stared at the sky, and tears fell from his eyes. The elders were uneasy, hesitating to confront him. On the guardian’s forehead, where previously was the seed of The Blight, a burned patch of skin was all that remained.

Jack: “Why are you crying? The seed of the blight is contained, and no more souls from your coven have to be sacrificed.”

Guardian: *laughs hysterically and looks at Jack , with his tears still flowing* “My coven? They are no longer my coven. I am just a filthy mongrel now, who has lost his sanctuary.”

Jack: “What do you mean? You survived, so you are still a guardian of Gaia. Are you not?”

Guardian: *a look of sorrow and agony* “I can no longer hear Gaia’s tranquil song. All that plagues me are whispers of hate and destruction. It would have been better if your abomination had devoured my soul. Why did it spare me? For what purpose am I to live now?”

Jack: *staring at the guardian intently* ‘Did he lose his connection to Gaia? No, that can’t be. My abomination should have devoured it while I was ‘the void’. The only reason my abomination didn’t devour it, was because it couldn’t!’

Jack: *smirks* ‘I doubt Irfit cares if I ate just another mortal soul. That must mean this guardian’s soul is still in service to Gaia. My spirit pact did dictate after all, that under no circumstance can I devour the soul of any uncorrupted servant of Gaia.’

Jack: “You are too pathetic to realize the truth. You are still a servant of Gaia. That is the only reason your soul didn’t become my meal.”

Guardian: *looks shocked* “No! You lie! It cannot be. Gaia’s whisper fills my soul with peace and harmony. What I hear now just fills me with hate and agony.”

Jack: *sneers* “So Gaia’s rampage during The Divine Wars, where she sunk entire continents was of ‘peace’ and ‘harmony’? Don’t make me laugh. A being as powerful as her has aspects, you couldn’t begin to comprehend.”

He notices that the guardian had calmed down somewhat, and was pondering his words. But the guardian still looked unconvinced. He was curious to see how this guardian would turn out, so he decided to push him further to embrace what he had become.

Jack: “You are a soldier of Gaia, against the Blight. Channel her hate! Feel her suffering! And unleash its devastation on your foes. Let me give you a taste of hate. Embrace it, and use the whispers you now hear and sing a song for the destruction of your foes!”

Jack then channeled soul mana in his right hand. He imbued the mana with all the hateful thoughts he could muster. Rage at the death of his parents. Rage at the drunkard who killed them. Rage at the incompetent police who failed to catch the culprit. Rage at the world, for his insignificance in it.

With all his hateful thoughts channeled into the soul mana on his hand, he placed it on the head of the guardian. Unknown to him, one of the elders attempted to approach him, but was stopped with a gesture from the Eldest’s hand. He channeled all his hatred into the guardian, and imagined his rage feeding the crouched guardian.

Jack’s action seemed to act as a catalyst for the guardian. His spirit senses saw an unstable flickering layer of purple-black energy coating the guardian. The guardian steeled himself and a look of determination replaced his previous expression of hopelessness. He started chanting something under his breath, in an almost inaudible voice.

His spirit sense noticed ripples of distorting energy spreading from the guardian, as the purple-black layer on his body stabilized. When the ripples passed through Jack, his body shuddered once involuntarily. There was a bloodthirsty look of hatred in the half-elf’s eyes, and his pupils were blood-red. The guardian then closed his eyes, and slowly stopped chanting.

The layer of purple-black energy coating him reduced, though it didn’t dissipate completely. The guardian opened his eyes. His pupils had returned to their usual gray, though Jack could make out a thin red ring near the outer edge of his pupils.

Jack: *laughs* “Looks like I was right! Remember that feeling. Let hate sustain you in your future fights, and invoke despair in your foes.”

Jack turned and approached the Druid elders. The Eldest maintained her unreadable expression, but the other elders didn’t appear so calm. They had a barely suppressed expression of shock and horror on their faces. The guardian followed Jack, a few steps behind him. As Jack approached them, the Eldest clapped.

Eldest Druid: “Well done Spirit Eater. An impressive outcome, even if it was unexpected.”

Jack: “The seed of The Blight corrupts no more. So can I get the key now?”

Eldest Druid: “Of course. Hand me your part of the key.”

He withdrew the stone coin from his inventory and handed it to the Eldest. She waved her hand and a small bud form the land grew extremely fast. In a few seconds, it grew waist high, and it resembled something similar to a lotus. The Eldest placed the stone coin on the flower, and its petals closed. After a few moments, it opened. The Eldest then took out a larger stone coin and hands it to Jack, who promptly stores it in his Inventory.

Jack: ‘Showoff.’

Eldest: “I have combined our part of the key to yours. It should enable you to enter the prison you found. Our business is done, prepare to leave.”

Jack: “That’s it? I get nothing else for taking care of that damned seed of blight?”

Elder Druid 1: *shouts* “Mind your tongue, abomination! Take the perversion you have created and leave.”

Jack heard a sinister chuckle from behind. He turned to see the guardian, or rather ex-guardian smile at the elder. But his eyes lacked any humor, and it was filled with an icy hate. The purple-black energy coating him had increased and a larger portion of his pupils turned red. He turned back to see the Eldest staring at the Elder who had shouted, who was rendered meek. The Eldest then addressed Jack.

Eldest: “You have already accepted your gift from The Blight. Any of us can sense its taint on your body.”

Jack: “I made a decision. I safeguarded my mind and soul, didn’t I? If I had attempted to shield myself completely from corruption, The Blight would have won and corrupted my soul!”

Jack: *gestures at the Druid Elders* “And one of you would have to sacrifice yourselves to snuff its corruption from my soul! Clearly, the price was acceptable enough for you to not do so. The taint of the blight on my body is just its shadow, isn’t it? I can no longer feel its sinister sickening spreading its corruption.”

Elder Druid 2: “That may be so. But the way you twisted Gaia’s gift in him can never be forgiven!”

Jack: *chuckles* “Twisted Gaia’s gift? For an Elder, you sure seem to lack Wisdom. He is deeply attuned to Gaia’s gift. The gift just happens to be hate, and you know it. The blight is still out there, and Gaia needs warriors like him ready, when it rears its ugly head.”

Elder Druid 2: *looks furious* “Your arrogance ---“

Eldest: “Enough!”

Eldest: *turns to Elder Druid 2* “We will talk later.”

Eldest: *addresses Jack* “You want more rewards, fine! You have the key now. Try to free the prisoner. If you can return with the prisoner safely, I will grant you a powerful and coveted gift.”

Quest InformationNameRequest of the Eldest DruidGrade???Description

The Eldest Druid has ‘requested’ you to free the prisoner, who is trapped in the prison, whose key she has given you. In case you manage to do so and bring back the prisoner to the coven, the Eldest has promised you a powerful gift.

Duration / Time Limit---Privileges

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Failure

You are banned from this particular coven of the Druids.

You cannot abandon this quest.

Rewards

You are promised a powerful gift by the Eldest.

Jack: ‘Another Grade ‘???’ quest. Looking at the vague reward and the penalty of failure, somehow this quest seems like an excuse to get rid of me. Make me clean up your shit, and drive me without pay? What a bitch. Well, fuck you Eldest. I will be sure to get that coveted gift from you.’

Eldest: *addresses the Guardian* “The Spirit Eater is correct. You are a warrior of Gaia. We are blessed by Gaia and cultivate her gifts, whereas you twist her curse to aid you. Terra may need you in the future, but you do not belong here. What will you do now?”

Guardian: “That depends on you, Spirit Eater. What is your aim on Terra?”

Jack: “My aim? It is to have fun here on Terra. And gathering riches and power along the way would be a definite plus.”

Guardian: “What about The Blight? What will you do when you encounter it on your journey?”

Jack: “Fight it, of course.”

Guardian: “Why, Spirit Eater? And give a straight answer.”

Jack: “Hmm, many reasons. Where to begin? Irfit has shackled the abomination in me, in return for a powerful spell that I am quite fond of. However, I only have free reign to eat any spirit corrupted by the blight.”

Jack: “Usually, eating a spirit is way better than the best sex you can imagine! The more powerful spirits I eat, the stronger I grow! That was my original intention for fighting The Blight, to feed on it. But unfortunately the blight just makes me vomit, so there goes that. I can still eat mortal souls if I am careful. I can’t have the Blight corrupting all my future meals now, can I? I rather enjoy the taste of uncorrupted souls.”

At his honest and selfish response, the Elders seemed even more enraged at him but restrained themselves from taking any action other than glaring at him hatefully, in front of the Eldest. The ex-guardian also had a scowl on his face. However, there was a hint of a faint smile on the Eldest’s face, just for a moment, before her face regained her stoic façade.

Jack: *ponders thoughtfully* “While I was devouring the seed of The Blight, I was plagued by visions of its devastation, and sensual promises of devastating power. Before this experience, I just thought all of you were simply exaggerating about its dangers. I realized my mistake.”

Jack: “Given a chance, the Blight would render all of Terra a desolate wasteland, and I have grown rather fond of it after arriving here a few months ago. I cannot have my leisurely fun in a desolate wasteland, if I have to struggle for survival against The Blight. A single seed is powerful enough. I shudder to think what legions of its corrupted agents will be like. It is best to nip it in the bud, before the insidious blight is given a chance to spreads its corruption.”

Jack: ‘Not to mention the rewards for fighting a disaster of this magnitude should be pretty awesome, although this Druid Eldest seems pretty cheap. And the massive nerf I was warned about also dissuaded me. And I bet most NPCs, who are neutral now, will be automatically hostile and hunt me relentlessly if I accept the Blight. Then it will be a real pain to play Asunder Online.’

Guardian: “Very well, that is acceptable. I will follow you, if you allow me to.”

Jack: ‘Oh an NCP flunky? Too bad he can’t respawn like Charlie. But the Leadership skill description hinted caution. I might as well be blunt with him. The rage filling him should have hardened his heart.’

Jack: “Keep in mind that I seldom act out of kindness. If the gains outweigh the potential risks, I will gladly cheat, extort and assassinate my way through Terra. If you are to follow me, I need you to obey my instructions no matter how unsavory the task at hand.”

Guardian: *scowls* “I care not for these trivialities as long as you fight The Blight, Spirit Eater.”

Jack: “My name is Jack. Address me as so, from now on. The Spirit Eating part is supposed to be a secret damn it. Don’t refer to me as so. What should I call you? I can’t keep referring to you as the guardian now.”

Guardian: *pauses, with a meaningful look on his face* “My name is Bailefour, Jack. Although, call me something else in front of others. I care not what.”

Jack: “I will just call you Bob then.”

Eldest Druid: “Now that you have the key and his loyalty, it is time for you to leave.”

Jack: ‘Loyalty? Must be something to do with him telling me his name I guess.’

Jack: “Oh great. So you will have me drugged and smuggled, again?”

Eldest Druid: “No, just sit still close to each other.”

Jack and Bob sat down cross-legged. The Eldest gestured at them muttering something under her breath, and thick creepers grew around them in a circle. The creepers started interlocking as they grew, forming a dome around them. Inside the dome, Jack perceived a strange gentle hum as green energy flooded his spirit senses.

After a few seconds the green energy and the hum dissipated, and the creepers shrunk into the ground. Jack and Bob were back in the mysterious clearing. Before Jack could stand up, a notification window popped into his vision.

A prolonged anomaly has been detected in your brain wave patterns. Due to its nature, you will be forcibly logged off in twenty minutes. In the following twenty minutes, you cannot leave your current safe zone, nor can you trigger or resolve Quest flags. Please log off voluntarily before the countdown expires and wait for a representative of VDI to contact you, at your earliest convenience.

Jack: *sighs loudly in frustration* 'Great just great. Even the AI is screwing me after I manifested my abomination? At least it had the decency to wait till I resolved the quest.'

Bob: “I thought that went quite well with the coven considering your rash actions, probably because they didn’t want to piss off Irfit. Why are frustrated?”

Jack: “Apparently that abomination you saw in the pocket plane? Using it to devour the blight had consequences in my world. I will be forced to leave Terra for quite a while. It might take a few days, perhaps weeks even, before I return.”

Bob: “Ah, so your actions here do have effects on your world? Interesting, Jack.”

Jack: “Well I suppose it is time for me to leave Terra. The druids won’t create any trouble if you wait here for me till I return, will they?”

Bob: “No. If we behave, we will just be watched closely that is all.”

Jack: “Will you have problems getting food and water? I have some rabbit meat jerky, a few cooked gnoll limbs and a water canteen if you like.”

Bob: *laughs* “Here? Not at all, Jack.”

Jack: “Then it is time for me to leave. See you soon. I hope.”

After saying his farewells, and explaining the situation to Bob, Jack logged off Asunder Online.

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A/N: So fourth chapter this month! And it’s just the second week. Well don’t get your hopes up. This is probably the last chapter this month. Perhaps I will find some spare time for another chapter in the next couple of weeks.

As for the poll in the last chapter; it is still open, but the results are nearly a tie. So I won’t go out of my way to include an extra dose of the mentioned elements, unless the plot/world building requires it.

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