Eric read over the changes in his vision then blinked them away.
Well, my defenses leave something to be desired, he thought. Twenty percent of maximum mana reservoir if Cinderscale Shroud is active, twenty percent from my Body Enhancements, ten percent of my current mana reservoir…but then minus one-hundred percent at my locked stacks from Blackflame Blaze.
[Your armor contributes to keeping you safe. Plus, your mana reservoir is…well, quite large. Not enough to negate the minus from your buffs stacking, but close to it.]
Duly noted. And offense is at up to two-hundred and fifty-seven percent, if a Bristling Bastion weapon strikes someone, they’re next to me, I’m at full artificially limited stacks, and…He rubbed his temple. Ten percent of my current reservoir. Fuck, I can’t do math with abstractions like that.
[Did you want a mana bar?]
No. Too much to deal with. I just know that I do a lot of damage.
[That is true. You are truly a force of nature.]
Eric closed his eyes and coughed. Thanks for that. Now, game plan: we need to clear out the Twilight Depths. No clue how many floors there are, but we should get more primal force challenges throughout.
[The healer from Flescion has acquired the Skill required. I can advise her to head over to Trok any time.]
How long will it take via ship? I didn’t sail that route much.
[Maybe twenty days. The weather has taken a turn for the worse.]
I should get an Alicorn rider to go there and bring her back. That’ll cut it down to five days, I think. There’s enough islands to make camp on between here and there. Maybe…maybe we should send Shannon there? She could then set up a teleport location with her Skill, so when we finish the Twilight Depths, we can get right over and start clearing The Mother’s Embrace.
[Good idea. But then she will be gone for five days. What will you do? Twilight Depths clearing is going to be pointless, since she will be left behind.]
No, we can’t do that. Maybe I can use the time for more Body Enhancement surgery. I have twenty-five Loadout Slots, and right now only five enhancements. Fifteen Skills, so I have five spots, basically, for Body Enhancements. I should only get three, though, at most.
[Wise course of action.]
Naomi muttered, “We should consider backup plans.”
Eric moved just enough to get line of sight of his ally. “What do you mean?”
She flicked her gaze up to him, tapped her bracer, and the light-blue sphere of her Silence Node expanded out, encompassing them. “This plague god knows everything all components know. The lower-city is infected, we can assume it has spread elsewhere. Assume that every person we interact with, minus us Summoned, and those we have recently cured with your or Peter’s abilities, is infected.” Her frown deepened as she added, “We’ve got to assume that it is incredibly intelligent.”
“Why are you saying all of this?” Eric asked.
“Because we are assuming all of our plans will work flawlessly—the Flescion healer included. I don’t know if we can actually trust in that working how we envision it will. All it takes is a single slip and then the plague deity knows. For all we know, it might already know our plan.”
“Then we send Shannon and Peter with a Skyknight to go get her.” Eric saw the door open, and turned to get a full look at who was coming in next.
Peter was helped in by Misty, then set on a bed, and he curled up on it. Misty’s hands glowed purple as she touched him, then she left. As she left, Eric used a Blacksteel Healing on her, and she seemed none the wiser as a little, yellow mist rose from her.
Infected, he thought. Damn, this pestilence is tough to deal with.
Peter groaned out, “Fuck, man. I hate this shit.”
Eric nodded in agreement. “What did you both upgrade to?”
“Makerspark Technician.”
“...Truesteel Sentinel.”
“Ah,” Eric replied. “Blackflame Arcanist, here.” Eric shifted so he could look at Peter. “If I got you a Skyknight flight, would you mind going with Shannon to set a teleport point in Flescion?”
He shook his head. “No…that’s fine…why?”
“Sooner we get her here, the better,” Eric replied.
Although, he mentally added, I need an Ember. Indedroma, do you have a way to get those? Conditions that can be met or triggered outside of the mega dungeon?
[We can acquire them via entering a new mega, wild, invasion, or roaming dungeon, certain challenges within those…aside from that, no. Primal forces seem to coalesce when interacting with slices of or inspirations of other realities, primarily.]
No other way?
[Moments that define you as a person, or major victories: those should resonate with the Blackflame within you, and crystalize an Ember. But, that’s conjecture based on what I saw with Peter fulfilling his creed in Deepwater Hold.]
So into the lower-city to heal people.
[Perhaps.]
Naomi interrupted Eric’s mental conversation when she said, “I need time in my workshop.”
Eric was going to answer, but the door opened for the last time. Misty closed the door behind her, and helped Shannon to a bed. “All done,” Misty said.
Eric said, “Let me do another one.”
“Another one what?” Misty asked.
Eric used Blacksteel Healing and saw a little vapor of yellow rise from Misty. “That.”
She shivered then said, “I was infected?” Eric nodded.
Shannon leaned over, grabbed a bucket from under the bed, and hurled. “Blech.” She looked up a moment later. “What’d you all get?” Everyone rapidly shared out their new Class name, and she added, “Netherdark Infiltrator.”
Eric asked her the same question about traveling to Flescion, and she shrugged, then gave a little thumbs up, and cradled the bucket as if she would need to use it again.
“What are you and Naomi doing in the meantime?” Misty asked as she sat on Eric’s bed and brushed his side with her hand.
“Body Enhancements for me,” Eric replied as he grabbed her leg and gave it a squeeze. “Then I want to go visit the lower-city and heal people.”
Naomi replied, “I’ll be working on projects. Rail network, mostly.”
Shannon put her bucket down and sat up. “Okay, everyone get close…teleport time.”
The group was warped back to the estate by Shannon’s Skill, and everyone went to their own rooms to sleep off the flu-like symptoms. But, Eric didn’t just lay in bed to sleep: he looked at Misty as she sat on the side of the bed, massaging the back of his hand. “Thanks for healing us all,” Eric said.
“No problem, hubby. You mentioned Body Enhancements?”
Eric nodded. “I’ve got bones, skin, the slime, muscles, and a nervous system. I can get three more Body Enhancements. Thoughts?”
Misty pursed her lips, then nodded. “A few ideas. Tell me which sounds the best…”
After a good, thirty minute discussion, Misty departed to go acquire the Body Enhancements, as she had ready access to plenty of funds given her family’s prestige. She got back after an hour, and Eric roused from his nap as she set up the supplies and flashed a Skill which sterilized the room. “What did you end up getting?” Eric asked.
“I got the eyedrops, stomach, and…you’re sure you want the horns?”
Eric nodded as he looked at the pair of horns that were small, sharp, and swooped back. “My hair will hide them well enough.”
She looked at him with a smile. “Easy operations, all things considered. I can knock them all out today, and you should be able to heal yourself back to full. And as for the horns, well, more to grab onto.”
Eric nodded and positioned himself flat on the bed. “Alright, numb me up. Oh, first—” he used a Blacksteel Healing on Misty, just in case she had been re-infected by the plague god. He was glad he did that, as he saw a subtle yellowish mist boil away from her. “Okay, you’re good.”
She recoiled and a chill went down her spine. “Gah, I was infected?”
Eric nodded. “But, I’d healed you previously. The plague god didn’t learn anything new. Just gotta make it a habit to do that when you’re out on the town and come home.”
Misty wrapped her arms around her torso. “I think…I think I’ll stay at home. In fact, I’ll isolate myself in the room, here.”
Eric sat up a bit. “Why?”
Misty’s eyes were filled with terror and she moved over and hugged him. “I-I can be used against you.”
Eric hadn’t considered that and swallowed. “If that’s what you want to do.”
Misty nodded into his shoulder and squeezed him tightly. “I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to be the one that hurts you.”
“I mean, other than slicing me open with a scalpel?” Eric asked trying to lighten the mood. “It’s okay, Misty. I have a contingent Skill. If this plague god did somehow control you, and you tried to kill me? Good luck.”
Misty laughed a little at that. “Alright. I get it. Maybe not isolation, but do you know the vector? Is it touch? Airborne?”
“Touch,” Eric replied. “Just keep your hands to yourself. It can live on surfaces as well.” He frowned, then added, “Which our current antiplague plans won’t work against. Fuck me. At least it’s noticeable.”
Her gaze narrowed as she pulled back and looked at him, “Unless it can go to the microscopic level.”
Eric activated Bristling Bastion, and willed the cloud of ash and smoke to only affect the plague god and its malignant influence. With a sense of disgust coursing through him, he saw yellow vapor rise and burn away all through the room. “Fuck. Help me up.” Misty did so, and Eric went through the whole house, into every room, and used Blacksteel Healing for good measure on every person he saw.
Mari asked, “What are you doing?” mid-sweep of the floor.
“Safety sweep,” Eric replied. That seemed to satisfy her curiosity. Eric did a whole sweep of the grounds as well, leaning on Misty for extra support. People working around the estate, servants mostly, gave him weird looks. But, he ignored them, and typed on his bracer to his allies. ‘The plague god is microscopic. It’s cleaned from the estate and everyone here, but the healer from Flescion can only protect people now.’
Naomi typed back, ‘Still worth having Shannon and Peter go get her. Protect the people, get the antiplague spreading.’
Shannon typed, ‘But every piece of the thing is part of the larger thing. Doesn’t that mean we’d need to like cleanse the world in Blackflame to fix it?’
Eric got back to the room and laid down on the bed as he typed back, ‘Yes. Indedroma?’
She was able to type onto the same message thread, though her words also went through Eric’s mind.
[That is a conundrum. But, I should be able to deal with it once I’m inside the Titan. I can tap into Eric’s Blackflame with his permission, and then have all ambient mana imbued with it for the purpose of destroying the invader deity. It’ll take time for that ambient mana to spread throughout the world, but eventually, we can fully cleanse it.]
‘Sounds good,’ Peter replied.
Eric let his arm fall limp to the bed and looked at Misty, who was re-sterilizing the room. “I wonder why your Skill didn’t affect it?”
[Primal force needs to counter it.]
Misty shrugged. “No clue. Now, ready for your Body Enhancements?”
After the operations, Eric used a Blacksteel Healing to cure himself to full, then glanced at his bracer and pulled up the interface.
[Glimmertrap Eyedrops (T4) When bound to the body, the wielder is capable of seeing the aura of a magical trap.]
[Sated Stomach (T3) When bound to the body, the wielder does not need to eat or drink as often.]
[Regal Horns (T5) When bound to the body, animals and mana beasts will be less likely to attack the wielder on sight.]
He reached a hand up and felt around the front portion of his scalp, and could feel the small, sharply-pointed-back horns. “How does it look?” Eric asked.
Misty finished scrubbing down her hands in the bathroom and then came back over to him, got on the bed, gave him a kiss on the lips, and then traced her fingers along the implanted horns. “Well, you can’t see them unless you move the hair. If your hair was wet? Then sure, you could see them.” She put her hands on his head and pushed down. “It actually matches you well.”
Eric wrapped his arms around her and said, “How-so?”
“It does give a bit of a regal appearance. I suppose that’s part of the name and all, so that makes sense. You’re…more esteemed looking.”
Eric smiled at that and then felt the post-surgery exhaustion set in. “I’m going to sleep. Healing in the lower-city tomorrow?”
Misty got up from the bed and gave him a kiss. “Sure, love.”
***
Eric woke up the next morning and saw the grey light through the window. Winter was upon the kingdom, and he knew it would be cold. He reflexively shivered, and then snuggled up next to Misty, indulging in the warmth of a partner next to him. “Morning, sweetness.”
Misty let out a little sigh and pushed back into him. “More sleep,” she mumbled.
Eric just stayed in bed with her and held her close until she was more awake, and then after a brief bath went downstairs and headed to Naomi’s workshop. But, on the way, he activated his communication earring with the Spymaster. “Persim?”
“Mercer, what is it?”
“I need an order for a Skyknight to take Peter and Shannon away to Flescion. They’re going to pick up someone important to keeping our…spreading issue from going further.”
“Understood. I’ll do you one better: I’ll go with them using my flight Skill. We can get the trip done in a day, and then a day back—”
“Actually, Shannon can warp you back.”
“Ah, perfect. Alright, I’ll head over.”
Eric stopped fueling the earring, typed the updated plan to the group thread, and then entered Naomi’s workshop. “Naomi?” he asked as he closed the door.
She was leaned over her workbench, and looked back with goggles on her eyes. “Oh. What is it?”
“We’ve got Components and I have a Dungeon Core. What have we earmarked the Components for?”
Naomi pointed to the ladder leading down. “Let’s go and I’ll show you.”
Eric opened the latch and clambered down, with Naomi just above him, shutting the door. “Oh, I should sterilize this space, too,” Eric said.
“No need,” Naomi replied. “The whole place is charged with Makerspark energy. It’s in the air. It’s why your hair is standing up.”
Eric hadn’t noticed that, and when he got to the bottom of the ladder, he ran his hand up there to find she was telling the truth. “Huh. Okay. Like static?”
“Precisely,” Naomi replied as she got down the ladder. “Now then, this way.” She led him over to the clone tubes, and then to a separate workbench nearby. Eric saw several scribbled templates for what looked like discs. Naomi seemed to read his mind as she said, “That cortical stack idea? I was able to figure out that I can do…well…similar to how I’m using Ley Lines like cell phone towers, I can set up a ‘stack hub’ here. It would then allow any shell with a receiver to accept a broadcast consciousness.” She crossed her arms, grinned, and leaned back against the workbench.
Eric put the pieces together instantly. “You’re going to make this stack hub here, but then eventually put it into a stable orbit, so you can just beam your consciousness to prepared bodies for a variety of tasks. Effectively, you’re making yourself immortal and unkillable.”
Naomi gave him a thumbs up, and her personality shone through despite the primal force that seemed to affect her more aggressively in her workshop. “Precisely. But, it’s a ways off. I need a lot of high quality Components. The Exceptional ones, I’d like to hold onto. That still leaves us with six-hundred, twenty-three Remarkable and thirty-one Rare.”
“I say you hold onto those Exceptional ones, and I’m sure you’ll use the Rare for something—”
“Peter wants to upgrade his nonlethal weapon, so I’m going to use the Rare ones on that.”
Eric nodded. “If we split the Remarkable evenly, we get one-hundred seventy-something.”
“One-hundred fifty-four, with one person getting an extra.”
“What can you make me with that?” Eric asked.
Naomi looked him up and down, dressed as he was in his Gear and other equipment. “Hmm. Well, first off, I’ll use some of your split on upgrade the Silence Node to make it like mine—the bubble design.” Eric handed it to her, and she took it across the room to another workbench, reached into her storage dimension, and pulled out some Components. A spark of light-blue energy, and she handed the thin disc back to him. “Done. Now it’s Tier three.”
Eric looked down at his feet. “What about the Wavestrider Boots?” He then reached to his neck and pulled the Wavewender Choker from his skin, and it became visible as he peeled it back. “Or this?”
Naomi’s gear-shaped irises seemed to circle and click into place as she stared. “Hmm. The boots we could add a propulsion function, the choker I could add pressure resistance. Both, honestly, if you want to burn all your Components.”
“Let’s do it. Never know when I’m going to be in water, especially with a war on the horizon, and me being a force of nature in oceanic warfare.” He took off the boots and the choker, Naomi did her thing, and handed them back to him. “Now, the Dungeon Core. Tier five.” He pulled his hair aside. “Use it on my horns.”
Naomi blinked a few times in confusion, then said, “Why would you get horns like that?”
“After the wyvern attack? I’m hoping that this will help shut some of that down. Or, maybe, buy me some time so I don’t have to use my contingent Flashstep.”
She shrugged, took his offered Dungeon Core, then held it to his horns. Eric felt a tingling atop his scalp, which then faded. “Okay, done.”
Eric felt a light throbbing in his forehead and massaged his temples. “That did what?”
“You can talk to animals now.”
Eric froze in place at that, trying to process what she had just said. “What?”
Naomi nodded. “Yup. You can’t hear them, but you can talk to them and give them commands. They’ll follow them if it isn’t going to hurt them.”
“Huh…okay,” Eric replied, not quite sure what he was expecting. “Thanks?”
She waved him off. “Best thing I could find in the Index-side database that can be used on an item with that effect.”
Eric headed back to the ladder and began to climb. As he did so, he called down, “Thanks. Misty and I are going to go into the lower-city and heal people. I’m going to try and get an Ember out of it.”
“Don’t die,” She called up to him.
Eric got off the ladder and departed, finding Misty in the lounge, reading a book while she waited for him. She looked up as he entered. “Ready to go?”
Eric nodded and held out his arm for her to take. “Shall we?”
The duo headed outside into the snow, and Eric made sure to pull up his hood. Misty was in her usual healer attire, which was akin to hospital scrubs, with her beret on her head. But, she was also wrapped in a fur coat that had to keep her quite warm.
Eric greeted Heavy Knight Rickard at the gate. “Doing well?” he asked Misty’s bodyguard.
The man clacked his halberd against the ground. “Yes, sir.” He was dressed in his full plate armor, but a cloak was thrown over it, and Eric could see the fur insulation inside poking out of the connecting joints.
Eric waved the formality away. “Just Eric is fine. Is our other friend around?”
Dawn, the spy who was assigned to Misty as well, sidled up next to Rickard. “Been here, waiting.” She was dressed like a civilian, and would blend in perfectly. “Heading out?”
“To the lower-city,” Misty replied. “We’re going to heal at the hospital there.”
Dawn grunted out an affirmation then slipped out the gate and headed to the city of the street.
Rickard said, “Well, shall I take the rear?”
“Please do,” Eric replied. As they departed, he made sure to fire off a Blacksteel Healing, and Rickard coughed up some goop which he spat onto the ground. The little mist of yellow indicative of the deity’s disease rose from him as well, dissipating into the air. “Better?”
“Very much so, Eric.”
Dawn slinked over. “Hey, gimme some of that.”
Eric did so, and she sidled back over to the edge of the boulevard. Surprisingly enough to Eric, she wasn’t infected.
Strange, he thought. I would’ve figured given the way the pestilence spreads and is microscopic, that it would be all over the city.
The group made their way down to the lower-city, and Eric was, unfortunately, recognized. Well, Misty was recognized, and people who she had tended to before came up to thank her. And then, once they saw Eric, they put two and two together from the gazettes, and greeted him as well. Oddly enough, they showed him deference, and thanked him for saving the kingdom.
“Your father’s contacts at the presses seem to have done wonders for my image,” Eric said.
“Well,” Misty replied, “Father does know how to sway a crowd.”
The duo made it to the lower-city hospital, and Eric met with one of the lead physicians, a Surgeon who he’d worked with in the now-extinct future timeline. Misty introduced him to Eric, and then Eric said, “I can heal practically endlessly with my mana restoration abilities. Send out the word—everyone can come here and get magical healing.”
The Surgeon balked, then rapidly replied, “Forgive me, but most have the mana to expend for a single issue.”
Eric waved his hand dismissively. “My Rote halves the mana required. And, I have a Skill which can reduce that by another fifty percent. Please, just help get the word out.”
***
Eric and Misty were at the hospital for hours and hours, until night fell and even a few hours after. He treated over ten-thousand with Blacksteel Healing, and thanks to Mana Channel never spent long without mana to fuel the power. He also used a few Sigils for Bristling Bastion, as the ash cloud reduced Rote cost by fifty percent, which included spending mana to receive healing.
By the time the duo departed, Eric felt very satisfied and fulfilled. He had been able to do what he wanted to for a long time, and people began saying he was sent by the creator to help their ills. His response was a canned one. “I hurt those who want to harm Trok, and help its people.”
The exercise also earned him one Ember. Using that, Indedroma extrapolated that he should earn an Ember per every ten-thousand people he healed. But, she didn’t know if there would be diminishing returns or an increased requirement down the line.
He and Misty opted to get dinner at her favorite restaurant in the middle-city, and Eric made sure to apply his Blackflame to the whole meal before they consumed it—willing it to burn out any toxins, poisons, acids, or anything else harmful that wasn’t food or spices. Being able to selectively control his Blackflame Blaze and what it affected was coming in quite handy, and he was thankful that he was able to do a crash course in mastering that while in Deepwater Hold.
When they arrived at home, to his surprise, Shannon and Peter were there. They weren’t alone though. An olive-skinned, dark-haired woman who stood a full head taller than Peter, with a slim build, soft, brown eyes, and wearing an outfit that was like Misty’s, but had more flowing cloth and fabric, was in the lounge with the two Summoned.
Eric stopped in the doorway. “Ah, you must be our mutual friend.”
The woman ceased her conversation with Shannon and bowed at the waist. “That is correct.” She stood upright. “I am Jennessa Parvain.”
Eric entered the room and Misty came in with him. He shut the door, and activated his Silence Node, bathing the room in black and white. “I’m Eric Mercer.” He looked at Shannon. “Set up the warp point?”
“Yup!” She pointed at Jennessa. “She is letting me use her house, which is near the main church and mega dungeon entrance, as the point.”
“I also offer you housing when you visit,” Jennessa added. “Now, we have a task to set to.” She held out her hand.
Eric took it, and heard Indedroma in his mind. But, he knew she was speaking to this healer as well.
[Perfect. Okay, Eric, spend the Ember.]
He did so, and saw the flurry of messages flash across his vision. The cooling sensation of the Ember in his palm departed, and he glanced down at his bracer.
[Spreading Immunization has evolved!]
-----
Trait:
[Purifying] Spreading Immunization 1 - Target creature becomes immune to a disease. This then can spread like a contagion. [Additionally, all viruses, infections, or other maladies, whether from Elyndor or another reality, are cleansed.]
-----
Eric nodded. “Now, you just need to go around and start healing people.”
She smiled in response and let his hand go. “That was the plan. But, you have a guest room, and it is late.” She looked at Misty. “Though I would love to speak with you and compare notes about differences in our healing methodology. My Class is called Lifetender.”
Misty replied, “I’m a Chirurgeon. Warden?” she asked.
“Indeed.”
Misty gave Eric a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll sit outside with her and chat.”
“Ah, first,” The woman raised her hand and there was a flare of bright, green light that surged through the room, and flew into each person present. “Now we are all carrying the spreading immunity.”
Misty led the way outside, and Eric flopped onto the couch opposite Peter, but with Shannon.
Peter said, “Easy flight. I kind of wish it was Alicorn, but Persim made us go fast.”
“Did you both visit Naomi?” Eric asked.
Shannon shook her head. “We probably should. When do we want to go back into the Twilight Depths?”
Eric glanced at his bracer. “Let’s take one day to ourselves. Then, we go in on the third.”
Peter crossed his arms and said, “So we’ve got ninety-three days until the diplomatic meeting. I hope we clear the mega dungeon before that arrives. But, assuming we do, what is the game plan?”
“Wild dungeons,” Eric replied. “And training.”
***
The evening passed into night, and both Eric and Misty elected to spend the day together in bed, just indulging in one another’s presence. It was a blissful time, and Eric once more felt that adoration for the incredible woman swell up in his chest.
There were several days that passed between the Summoned’s returned to Tenebria with the healer from Flescion, and their planned ‘next dive’ into the Twilight Depths.
Matters of state called attention from Naomi, as she had to help her new husband with several construction projects in the lower-city, and preparing the layout of the rail lines. Shannon, likewise, was occupied for a good few days with helping Cecil with a few family affairs that involved the banking system and trying to root out corruption with the Queen’s blessing. Peter and Eric didn’t have any pressing matters, but thanks to the overlap of time between Naomi and Shannon’s needs, the whole group was on standby.
So, Peter spent his days of waiting either with Benson or training with the king’s guards at the citadel.
Eric went into the lower-city with Misty to continue ministering healing, and to his disappointment, he was not able to acquire more Embers. Indedroma couldn’t reason out why that would be the case, but Eric assumed it was because Blackflame required destruction and annihilation. In any event, Eric was loving life—he was spending time with the woman he loved, having intimate moments with her every night, and waking up in her loving arms every morning.
But, all good things had to end, and on the third of winter, he kissed her farewell, and joined his allies as they went to the Twilight Depths Concourse, descended through the crevasse, and arrived at the mega dungeon entrance proper. Throughout their journey, they made sure to shake hands or otherwise touch anyone who recognized them and asked to speak to them. It caused their travel to take a bit longer, but Eric knew it was setting off a chain reaction which would immunize the population. The disease might still live on surfaces, and thus the plague deity might be able to watch and learn, but the people would not be an infection vector.
When they arrived, Bortis called them into his office, and once the four had piled in, they shut the door behind them. Bortis looked calm and clasped his hands on his desk as he sat behind it. “Well then,” he said, “How deep are you all?”
Peter looked at Eric for the go-ahead, and once Eric gestured for him to continue, Peter replied, “Sixth floor cleared. Heading to seven.”
Bortis nodded slowly. “Impressive.”
“How deep is it?” Shannon asked.
“I cannot say. I am bound by contract, just like all who have entered…but you four. Which is actually why I called you in. Forcing you to sign a contract preventing disclosure of what happens within the Twilight Depths is the norm, but given you had just arrived, and we didn’t want you to feel put-upon with a contract out of nowhere, you weren’t asked to sign one. Now, if you wish to keep going into the mega-dungeon, I must insist you do.”
Eric weighed his options. He could use his status to override the man, as the Twilight Depths were property of the kingdom, just run by the Consortium. But, Eric also knew that making Bortis upset would not help his future plans.
Shannon said, “Exactly what does the contract entail?”
Bortis reached into his desk and pulled a sheet of paper out, handing it to Shannon. “In simple terms, you cannot convey information about the Twilight Depths to anyone, save those who have also signed the contract.”
“Wait a second,” Naomi said. “Seraphine was able to discuss our scores with us, but she was also in the mega-dungeon and had cleared the first floor, meaning that she must’ve signed it before.”
Bortis smiled and pointed at the bottom of the sheet of paper. “There are riders, such as if someone is acting with the king’s—shit, I need to change that to monarch—ahem, the royal authority.”
That made Eric smile internally, as he was the right hand of the Queen, and thus carried that royal authority all on his own. “Naomi,” he said, “read over the contract and redline it.”
Naomi did just that, and after going back and forth with Bortis a bit, came to a reasonable set of carve-outs. But, at Eric’s texted insistence, she was able to subtly hide a clause about the authority of the monarch of Trok enabling bypass—but it was worded in such a way that was so circuitous and confusing that Bortis didn’t note it effectively gave Eric and any whom he deputized under him the ability to bypass the contract terms entirely.
Satisfied, Bortis stood up and said, “Let’s go get one of my Clerks and have you all sign.”
The group did just that, and once they had done so, bid farewell to the Chancellor, who had a satisfied grin on his face.
Eric went to the portal dropping down into the Twilight Depths and grabbed a chain, then slid down it.
[Entering the Twilight Depths.]
[This is not your first time entering this mega dungeon. Please select a floor from the list available.]
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.]
“Seven,” Eric said.
The blackness fell away and he landed in a bioluminescent forest. Enormous mushrooms rose up all around like trees, with the gills on the bottom glowing a lustrous shade of green and providing lighting from above against the far-off stone roof of the cave. There were all manner of glowing plants spaced around the dirt landing point, and a line of crushed glowstones led the way into the glowing, fungal forest.
Eric stood aside as his allies dropped down, and once they were all present, said, “I hereby deputize you under my auspices as knight-errant.”
Naomi cackled with glee. “Fucking easiest contract to get around ever.”
Shannon gave her a high-five, and then unlimbered her crossbow. “Mushroom forest, eh? Seems fun. New biome.”
Peter said, “It’s like Pandora from that blue-cat-people movie.” He moved over to one of the hip-height mushrooms, and touched it. A flurry of spores cascaded from the bottom, glittering with a soft, blue light. “Cool.”
Eric manifested his Cinderscale Shroud, spent a Sigil on Bristling Bastion, and chose to manifest ten greatswords and ten shortbows. “Ready whenever.”
Shannon tapped one of the floating weapons. “Huh. Neat.” She activated her serpent-dragon covering, and both Peter and Naomi followed suit, gearing out.
“Ready,” Peter said as he hefted his hammer and shield. “Let’s fuck shit up.”