Chapter 295: (4 Chapters today)

Chapter 295: (4 Chapters today)

Chapter 295

“I was able to send that talisman you procured for me back to my fiance, with a note about how I obtained it. The blood rot she has will likely be gone within the next few weeks, and it’s all thanks to you.” Prince Rantali stepped back with a more serious expression, and gave a low bow. He held it there for several seconds before raising again, and seemed genuinely happy after some moments of deep thought. “Unfortunately I am not able to communicate directly with her, so the runner will have to do in my absence as I continue my descent. Did you go straight through, or take the shortcut on the second floor?”

“Second floor.” Riven said with a nod and folding his arms. Casting a look over at the chained bald human in rags Prince Rantali was bringing along with his other vampire knights, who were outfitted in some seriously tacky golden armor that flared at the edge of each piece - now that they’d left the first floor - but they were the same men he’d seen with the prince earlier. “Who’s the human?”

“Oh, him?” Prince Rantali let out a laugh with a hike of his thumb. “Just a slave I bought in the city. Got himself mixed up in some bad bets, was captured after failing to pay, and now I’m going to turn him into a thrall. The alternative would have been execution, so I’m doing him a favor. He’s not seeing it that way though, and has tried to escape more than once... but I need a source of blood that isn’t this garbage I have from the homeland.”

The prince pulled out a flask of spiced blood and gave Riven a sniff.

“Doesn’t smell so bad to me.” Riven said with a small smile. “Mind if I try it?”

Prince Rantali raised his eyebrows and grinned, shoving the flask into Riven’s hands. “Certainly, go ahead! I have become used to the stuff. It is flavored with Blue Rosenia Kilt, if you know what that is. But I doubt it as it’s a plant native to my homeworld in Garth. I probably shouldn’t call it ‘garbage,’ but when you drink it for days on end, having a live specimen is far better to drink from. Fresh, warm blood is always preferable. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Riven and the prince had entered their own little world at this point, ignoring Zafima and the others as they stood around watching with varying expressions - trying to make out just what was going on and how Riven knew the other man. And by Zafima’s disbelief, she probably was trying to put together why Prince Rantali was treating Riven as an equal, or as a friend. Zara for her part was still crying, but silently, and had only followed Athela a few feet back while staring daggers at Zafima and the unknown vampire.

Putting the flask to his lips, Riven down the whole thing in one go and closed his eyes with a nod of appreciation. He looked down, then up at the bald prisoner the prince had, thought about saying something - then shrugged. If the guy had tried to cheat someone out of betting and got the worse half of it, it wasn’t Riven’s place to step in. Even with Kara’s situation, he’d almost killed her himself until briefly getting to know her - and had only taken pity on her initially because she’d reminded him of Athela. Now he took pity on her due to her current situation revolving around her father and the forced single-player descent she’d undertaken due to scheming on what was likely Zafima’s part.

“This shit rocks!” Riven said, laughing and handing the flask back to the prince - who eagerly snapped his fingers at one of the knights in the background.

“I’m glad you like it, Riven, and I’d be more than happy to provide you with some for your journey. Have you taken on a partnering group yet?” Prince Rantali asked curiously, pushing one hand through his blonde hair and then excepting a few more flasks from one of the knights out of a spacial sack, giving them all to Riven who deposited them in is own moments later with a nod of appreciation.

Riven thought about it, then shook his head. “No. Not really. Any idea what the next layer down is about?”

“Fortunately, yes.” The prince said eagerly, his eyes shining. “The Abyssal Descent only has a few floors that stay regular throughout the eons without change. Floor 21 and 22 are some of them. I’m surprised with your connections and, considering who you are, that you don’t know this. Where is the Lady of the Black Skies, by the way? Is she not here?”

“She was supposed to be our guide down.” Riven admitted while scratching the back of his head. “Eh... Elysium didn’t like the fact that she’d already been through the ringer in ages past, and basically punished us for trying to cheat the system. She’s trapped on Floor 50 and we have to get there to free her.”

Prince Rantali looked shocked, then amused, and then burst into laughter. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I just didn’t think Elysium took such personal interest in things like that! For anyone else, I’d say Floor 50 would be impossible. For you? I’d be surprised if you didn’t make it. I’m not even sure if there are floors past 50, to be honest.”

“Did... Did you say Lady of the Black Skies?” The enchantress Zafima interrupted, getting both men to turn to her while nervously taking Riven in with a once-over. “Prince Rantali, if I may ask... how do you know this man? And what does referencing a historical figure such as the shade demoness have anything to do with what you’re talking about? None of this makes sense.”

Prince Rantali looked confused. “They don’t know? Have you not already introduced yourself?”

Riven chuckled and shook his head. “No, I have not. You see Kara over there?”

He gestured at the silently crying drow elf where she was being comforted by Athela in a hushed conversation. Riven then sighed. “She became the fifth member of my team as Lillith is now temporarily gone. We met on the last floor. Then these lovely people decided to antagonize her for reasons that aren't entirely clear to me, so I was merely prying Kara away and removing her from the situation.”

Prince Rantali’s expression became grim. He remained silent for a time, staring at Kara and then Zafima. “Did they offend you at all, in any way?”

“Zafima just threatened me a little bit, implying her empire would take care of me. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Prince Rantali choked on the air he breathed, but quickly regained his composure. “I see.”

There was a long pause after that, as the prince stared at the ground. “Is there any reason why you wouldn’t want them to know who you are? May I enlighten them as to the gravity of what they’ve just done? Honestly I would hate for this to have repercussions across my own homeland, as having a... Having... How do I put this?”

Prince Rantali straightened and glared at Zafima in a way that made her visibly recoil. “I would hate for the destruction of your empire to impact my own kingdom’s economy, as Garth highly depends on the continued friendship of the drow Empire of Purturis.”

Zafima opened her mouth to speak, shocked and a little horrified at what Prince Rantali was implying here, and then nervously shot Riven a glance. Her voice was quivering, and uncertain. “Surely this man cannot hold that kind of political power! I was merely-”

“Do you think that going about and randomly THREATENING people who are able to obtain tickets to this place with the use of your empire’s name as a threat is WISE!? You were merely not THINKING! I’m half tempted to tell your emperor about this, given what repercussions it could have!” Prince Rantali snapped, stepping forward aggressively as the drow woman who he apparently knew to some extent, flinched. “Your empire is considered a high D-grade faction only by the merit of your emperor and two other monarchs. As is mine! Just because your people acquired tickets to the descent due to a supremely lucky opportunity that Elysium handed down by nothing but chance, you think us equal to the overall caliber of those who arrive here under normal circumstances!? Zafima, do you know how I met this man?”

She hesitantly shook her head, looking like a scolded child, and shifted from one foot to the other.

“I was BEGGING to be let into the Firebrand Trading Company so that I could HOPE to procure a black phoenix amulet or an equivalent for my fiance. You’ve heard she has blood rot, yes? She’d have died if I couldn’t get it, but the Firebrand Trading Company deals with B, A, and S-grade factions regularly! So do you know what they said to me when I attempted to get inside to view their wares?”

She didn’t reply, but merely stared.

“They denied me access and repeatedly told me to get back to the end of the line.” Prince Rantali said, exasperated. “Any time anyone of a known faction to them stepped forward, I was pushed back. It was a continual cycle of degrading myself in front of others despite the use of my name and house. Once, the guards even laughed at me and said I would not be able to afford such an item at all, even if I did get in. ME! And guess what!? They were right! I wouldn’t have been able to procure one at all, I eventually found out, if not for him.”

Prince Rantali pointed at Riven. “This man walked up and, despite not knowing me, allowed me to come in with him. He arrived and immediately cut in front of all the other known scions of the upper echelons and had a private escort into their trading post. From there, I was given an amulet FREE of charge, just for knowing him, and can you guess at what that price would have been otherwise?”

“...What would the price have been?” Zafima timidly asked.

“One billion, six hundred million Elysium coins.” Prince Rantali said flatly. “They handed to me free of charge simply by walking in with Riven Thane. They called it ‘an investment’, and asked that I return the favor one day if I ever get into his good graces. Even peak C-grade factions would dominate our two countries combined,and The Abyssal Descent is full of ones far stronger than that. This man, Riven Thane, is the scion of such a faction.”

Zafima’s mouth fell open in astonishment, and she remained speechless while gawking at the prince, and then Riven. But it wasn’t just horror and surprise anymore, but an enterprising light that began to intertwine itself as well. It was greed.

“I... I give my sincere apologies to you, my lord.” Zafima said, prostrating herself on the floor in exaggerated fashion. “I did not know you were a man of such high standing! Please, allow me to make up for my poor judgement! I am sure that we can come to some accord!”

Riven’s lip curled in disgust, but he did well in hiding it. “To answer your question, Prince Rantali... I prefer not to have people know who I am for a few reasons.”

He noted that Kara had returned with Athela, and was now listening intently while struggling to contain her confusion and her residing anger towards the enchantress kneeling on the floor. “For one, I like to be treated like a normal human being.”

“You’re anything but human.”

“Ha! Yes, I know. That’s an entirely different story, but it’s a matter of speech. Anyways, I don’t like being worshiped. It feels off. And more than that, with Lillith gone, I don’t want others knowing who I am either.” He turned his black and red eyes towards Prince Rantali and put a hand on his shoulder. “There are many knives in the dark, and I have already had assassination attempts upon my life more than once. From others within the Blood Moon Requiem, and from the Church of Greed. You probably heard something about the last attempt up on the first floor of the descent, but even if you hadn’t... just know it wasn’t pretty. The less people that know about me, the better. However, now that you’ve already planted the seed and she’ll no doubt go around asking. Already we’ve drawn too much attention to ourselves, and I’m not as forgiving as I used to be.”

Riven’s hand fell, and both Kara and Zafima went rigid when they heard the names ‘Blood Moon Requiem’ and ‘Church of Greed’. Prince Rantali had put together who he was based off rumors alone, as vampire societies were few and far between and the Blood Moon Requiem was one of the best. However, Riven didn’t know whether or not the drow would do the same. Even if they didn’t, how many other people in other groups could hear them talk from where they sat? Most probably had a less vested interest in demonic and vampiric undertakings, but he didn’t want her poking about and drawing attention to how far he’d made it on the trek down. He could still have assassins from The Church of Greed coming after him, or another faction disgruntled with him in The Blood Moon Requiem sending out their own to take him down. People like Elder Thune, or some of the less savory members of his own House Wraithtide that didn’t like how he was changing things revolving around the slaves there.

He made his decision. “Zafima, you’ll be leaving the descent after you’re done here. I won’t chance you seeking revenge on Kara, and I’m feeling a bit petty. I don’t like bullies. If you choose to ignore my warning, I’ll simply kill you and everyone else involved with you.”

Zafima’s demeanor abruptly changed, and she lifted her head with a panicked expression. “NO! I cannot leave this place! The number of tickets are limited, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to perfect my soul lattice! We don’t have cultivation resources like this at home, and I will be stunting my growth forever if my foundations aren’t settled properly! You would be stripping me of one of the greatest chances to cultivate in my life!”

“Zafima!” Prince Rantali hissed. “Know your place!”

Riven waved a hand to dismiss the prince’s chiding. “Then you will die. If you don’t believe me, that is fine. But one of my demons has a tracking ability, and even if you were to leave now... I could simply follow you afterwards and catch up. My bet is that I’ll be able to do so rather easily. Either leave after your people are done with their insights, or move on to the next floor and take a bet that you can either beat me in a fight - which is highly unlikely despite your numbers - or that you’ll be able to outrun me. Which is also unlikely. And I don’t care if you believe me or not, but what you believe won’t influence the outcome should you choose to continue onwards. The result would be the same. It’s your call to make.”

***

Riven sat in silence, tinkering with different crafting materials he’d laid around him to create and disassemble various totems. He practiced infusing soul shards and releasing them, practiced changing the various patterns of runes, and modified different aspects of graphics that his gnome teacher had given him to experiment with. He was quickly finding out that different ingredients reacted differently with graphic and rune combinations, and the results were fascinating.

“Riven?” Kara asked hesitantly, her head on Athela’s lap nearby - who’d taken an unusual pitying approach to the depressed and younger dark elf woman. “Who are you really?”

“Is that really important?” Riven asked, getting irritated when one of the solidified orbs of condensed mana shattered in his hand after attempting to infuse it with a particular plant leaf’s essence.

Kara looked to her bow, and wiped at her face with a grunt of appreciation as Athela combed her hair back with her fingers. “I overheard you saying that you’re worried about assassins. You also mentioned The Blood Moon Requiem, and The Church of Greed. I’m familiar with both, but intricately so. Are these the factions you come from? Or are they your enemies?”

Riven shook his head, and noted that his beholder demon Narg still had another 10 hours left until respawn. “The Church of Greed wants me dead, but The Blood Moon Requiem and I are affiliated. There are other agents within The Blood Moon Requiem that want me gone too, for political reasons, but not most.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Well what did I get right then!?”

“I’m associated with a noble house from The Blood Moon Requiem. The Church of Greed does have a bounty on my head as well. But that’s it. I am not a duke’s son, nor did I make a bad deal with a demon that has the Church of Greed after me. They were after me from the start.”

Kara pooched her lips, and looked to Athela and Fay for guidance - but they both stayed silent.

“This is your guessing game, you’re the one who wanted to try!” Athela cackled at the pleading look she got. “Go on!”

Kara huffed and folded her arms. “Alright, does the Church of Greed have anything to do with those tattoos on your face?”

Riven stopped mid-way placing a pawn forward on the board. “Somewhat, but not entirely.”

“Does your entrance into the descent have anything to do with that big battle between The Church of Gluttony and The Church of Greed that happened on floor 1? I didn’t see it for myself, but I’ve heard about it from people who started the descent after me. When two S-grade factions clash it makes for quick rumors... even if it is only their younger generations.”

Riven nodded. “Yes. It had everything to do with me. They were trying to kill me and it was one of the assassination attempts on my life.”

Kara paled slightly, and became quiet. It wasn’t for another five minutes of silence on her part and a resetting of the chess board after Riven’s victory that she finally spoke again. “So you’re saying that The Church of Gluttony protected you from The Church of Greed.”

It was a statement, not a question.

Riven therefore remained silent.

Kara started looking sick, her eyes lingering on the living armor on Riven’s chest depicting the great maw. She shifted her hips uneasily and drew her knees up against her chest, covering part of her face to stare at him. “Can we come back to that?”

“Sure.”

Silence regained a foothold.

“You’re a prince of The Blood Moon Requiem.” She eventually said, her words crisp.

Riven nodded. “Correct again.”

Kara’s nostrils flared, her eyes widened, and she stared at the ground beneath her feet while drawing her knees up more closely around her. “How far are you along the line of succession?”

“Originally I was 37th in line. I killed another prince, now I’m 36th in line.”

“Is Allie a princess then?”

“Was a princess!” She called out without turning around as death magic flared on an intricate diagram she and Retesh were drawing on the stone ground with teal flame. “Or at least, I think so. I assume I gave up that right when I shunned the Blood God and became an Angel of Death. Maybe I should check on that.”

Allie turned around with a wide grin, and pulled up her lips with one finger. “I used to be a pureblooded vampire like Riven, but I don’t even have fangs anymore. See?”

“Pureblooded?” Kara repeated, impressed. “Aren’t those exceedingly rare? You gave up your lineage and title to become a hero of death? Did that not anger the Blood God?”

“It did.” Allie replied with a laugh. “But The Scythe is just as powerful as The Blood God. I have already been propositioned to join the ranks of different reaper societies multiple times while in training here in the descent. The Phantom Legion even sent a letter asking that I speak with them, but I never got around to it.”

Riven coughed. “Yeah, I’ve heard you mention them before. Lillith said The Phantom Legion was someone that our grandmother, High Queen Nephridi, wouldn’t want you to join? Something about how them wanting to utilize your Malignant Prophecy?”

Allie shrugged.

“You really don’t know who The Phantom Legion are?” Kara asked skeptically. “Even I know who they are. They’re one of the strongest undead factions in the multiverse. Possibly the strongest. If they’re trying to poach you, Allie, then I’d be either very concerned or very happy - depending on which way you choose to reply to their recruitment policies. Saying no could have serious implications, while saying yes could have various benefits that no one in my sector of Universe 70 could hope to match. They actually have an enclave on the fringe of Universe 70, and they’re said to have similar enclaves throughout many others - but those are just unconfirmed rumors. My clan’s finest are only high D-grade, as are many of the surrounding empires, so none of us have traveled beyond into the other universes yet. Outside of events like this, of course.”

“They are perceptive enough to realize that taking action against Allie would have... ramifications.” Fimrindle rasped, turned his head slowly in Riven’s direction. “Given who her brother is, they will play nice. For now.”

Kara looked startled only momentarily at the implications. “If a reaper says such a thing, I believe it.”

She fiddled with the edge of her shirt clinging to her waist, and gritted her teeth. “This guess may sound silly. I’m not stupid... Don’t think I’m stupid for asking. And I’m not crazy, but I have to ask.”

“Why would you even think that we thought you were stupid?” Riven asked, feeling a bit bad for the young woman. “Crazy is a maybe, though.”

This made Kara laugh. “Yes, well I guess I didn’t put my best foot forward when we first met. And... I’ve just been told that I’m rather dull by my father all my life. My mother... she isn’t around anymore.”

She managed not to cry this time, but did choke up slightly before continuing with her train of thought and held up one finger - lifting more fingers for each point she made. “The clues I’ve gathered are these. You’re unbelievably rich, rich enough to buy my way into your party for 3 billion without a second thought. That makes sense given you’re a prince of The Blood Moon requiem, and it also shows why Prince Rantali of Garth is trying to warm up to you. He’s quite a big shot from where I come from. If he managed to make an ally out of you, his status in his own kingdom would soar even higher. But being a prince of The Blood Moon Requiem, 36th in line for the throne, is not enough to dissuade The Phantom Legion from pursuing your sister outside your high queen’s seat of power. Even if she was a higher ranking princess, The Phantom Legion is not easily told no. I’m no expert in the political interplay at the level of higher grades in the earlier universes, but The Blood Moon Requiem is known to only expand locally - whereas The Phantom Legion is far larger and spans across many universes. You also have The Church of Greed trying to kill you, and The Church of Gluttony was protecting you, which are also rather reclusive S-grade entities. Your tattoos are completely unknown to me but leak sin energy in vast amounts, and your eyes are a body enhancement that is an unknown to any type of vampire I’m aware of - pureblooded or not. You’re abnormally strong and protected me throughout the champions trial without any effort at all, with three archdemons contracted to you - which is unheard of. Archdemons don’t usually bond with a warlock summoner as they don’t want to be held back by their summoner’s aptitude, and even what you said about them not being archdemons in the beginning is true - it is even MORE unusual for three normal demons to evolve into archdemons under the same summoner. And that’s before E-grade is even achieved. We don’t have many warlocks in Purturis, but we do have some - and I’ve had discussions with one of them about these subjects. And the multiversal system notifications about the eternal war beginning again only announced themselves within the last year, proclaiming the return of the sins and commandments.”

Riven remained silent as she stared, continuing his game with Azmoth without a care in the world.

Kara took in a deep breath, solidifying her resolve and putting on a brave face. “You’re the Reincarnation of Gluttony. Aren’t you?”

Riven slowly moved his king across the board, set it down, and folded his hands together with a small smirk - meeting Kara’s forced gaze. “See? You’re not stupid. Whoever told you that should go fuck themselves. Yes, that is who I am. Riven Thane, otherwise known as Riven Wraithtide, Prince of the Blood Moon Requiem and 36th heir to the throne, the Reincarnation of Gluttony, at your service. I suppose Athela and Fay are right, it probably is a fool’s errand to try to hide it. I just didn’t feel comfortable shouting it out to the heavens right now when so many Greed operatives are down here waiting to strike. But it appears I’ve already failed. In fact, Athela’s seen one in this very room. She just mentally told me that they’ve identified me, and will probably try to kill me on the way out. Just like I’ll kill Zafima if she proceeds past this point. There might even be another hidden MYTHIC tiered assassin down here trying to hunt me down and I wouldn’t be any wiser. Or perhaps a gaggle of LEGENDARY participants waiting in hiding for me to show up. Who knows?”

The third purple eye on his forehead split open on his forehead, previously hidden under normal skin, and Gluttony’s maw tore space apart Behind Riven’s back as an aura of sin blasted out of his body like a tidal wave.

The room shook under the pressure of the sin manifesting itself, and Kara gasped as her system went into a brief shock. She immediately got down on all fours and slammed her head into the ground, whimpering loudly as the rumbling apparition of Gluttony simmered with dark energy in the air above and behind Riven - as tendrils of sin spilled out to encompass her.

All heads in the entire enormous room snapped out Riven’s way, whether or not they’d been in meditation or undertaking another task. No one spoke, and many held their breath as the suffocating presence crushed their spirits. Some even fell to one knee, and many - but not all - of the demons bowed reverently to mimic Kara’s actions in quick succession. Zafima for her part was terror stricken, and her hands hit the ground to shakily support herself from face-planting after her shaky legs gave out at the knees.

Even the sun of Sin energy seemed to react, producing a thin tendril that snaked halfway across the room before simmering away into nothingness. The only one who reacted any differently was Nora and her others, as she’d begun to laugh like a mad woman and held her face in her hands while staring.

“Apologies!” Kara gasped, the strain of Gluttony’s presence too much for her mortal body to handle. “If I have offended you with my presence, Great Maw, I did not mean to do so! I did not mean to speak to you in such a disrespectful manner! This one begs forgiveness!”

She began to shake, yelping when Gluttony’s tendrils reached out to embrace her, and gasped again when one of them snaked up to her throat.

Riven raised his hand. “Just hold still. Gluttony’s been wanting a snack, and he’s been asking about how dark elves taste.”

“W-What!?”

Gluttony’s tendrils abruptly wrapped around her, lifting her up into the air as she screamed - and she was sucked towards the giant maw in the background with a shriek of horror.

“Just kidding.”

Gluttony dropped her onto the floor and began to let out an evil laugh before the apportion vanished entirely, leaving Kara breathless and heaving. Her body violently trembled, and she picked herself up to stare daggers at Riven - who was grinning back at her devilishly.

“Sorry.” Riven said, clearing his throat and tipping his king over as Azmoth proclaimed his victory with a roar. “That may have been a bit much for a joke.”

“A JOKE!?” Kara screamed, anger quickly being replaced by fear, and then annoyance given the drunk laughing succubus nearby. “That wasn’t funny! I don’t even know how to react, but that was scary and I am not amused! THAT was GLUTTONY!”

“We’ve got a real Sherlock Holmes amongst us...” Riven muttered under his breath. “What was that I said about you not being stupid again?”

Riven gave her an encouraging nudge to make it known he was just kidding. “Come on. Chill out and relax. As Fay has already said, this is a safe zone. I couldn’t kill you here even if I wanted to! And I don’t want to. Now, be a good teammate and hand me one of those sandwiches off the tray. I’m feeling rather hungry now. Hey! Genua! Get over here, I’m wanting some more blood.”