Chapter 50 - The Trial of Ascension, Part I

Welcome to the Trial of Ascension. With this, you are able to upgrade your race to an advanced race. You may retain the features of your base race in addition to those of the advanced race you unlock. While there are many advanced races, the Trial you face will depend upon your base race, your play style to date, and the path you choose. Base Race: Incubus Due to your play style and base race, the following Paths are open to you: Path of the Mind: Strengthen your mental abilities, gaining more magic and influence. (Unlocks Greater Incubus) Path of the Warrior: Strengthen your physical abilities, granting you great combat prowess and resilience. (Unlocks Half-Demon) Path of Cruelty: Eschew the physical to draw power from tormenting your foes, even after death. (Unlocks Lesser Soulkeeper) Path of Power: The most dangerous of the paths, for those who seek power above all else, for good or ill. (Unlocks Hellspawned Drake)

I grinned to myself. The most dangerous path, huh? That was game talk for ‘high risk, high rewards’. I liked the sound of that, and being some kind of demonic dragon would give me a big boost in my quest to build Aria into something to talk about. The other three were cool, but looked pretty limited. That, and Hellspawned Drake sounded the most badass of the four.

“I choose the Path of Power.”

With that, the world shifted. The smoke-filled room faded away, leaving me in another room, which was reminiscent of one of those old RPGs where you had to jump around and solve problems to open the door. It looked like I was in a tomb of some sort. I really didn’t know enough about ancient cultures to identify it, except that I didn’t see any obvious markings, like a big Eye of Ra or Zeus on a throne or Thor’s hammer.

The Path of Power Those who wish for power must step through three challenges in order to walk this path. Step 1: Mind Escape the room.

Yeah, that’s what I figured. Wiping the blue screen away, I looked at the only door to the room. It was big, like twenty feet wide and forty feet high, and made out of stone. An Earth Mage would be through there in a second, but I wasn’t an Earth Mage. There was no way I was moving it with my abilities, which made sense, since these things were personalized.

I looked at the door, and saw that there were two great mechanisms that looked as though they would open the doors, but there were three great stone bars in the way. I didn’t see an obvious way to open them, however. No obvious switches or levers near the door, so I began looking around the room. If this was based off the old crypt raiding games, then there would be something I could use in the environment to free the doors. Hopefully without dying twenty times, since I’m pretty sure dying would make me fail the trial.

I decided that now would be a good time to have a second set of eyes, so I used a spell that I’d had for a long time, but never actually used until now. The ‘Summon Demon’ spell I’d gotten when I became a Warlock was something I’d never needed, since I always had my pets with me. Supposedly, it summoned a unique demon based on my level, role, and other such things. Not something I needed before. Now, however, I could use a hand. With that in mind, I completed the spell, and summoned my demon.

Green hellfire burst up in a summoning circle before me, forcing me to shield my eyes from the sudden glare. The wall of hellfire prevented me from seeing what was inside, but soon it burned down to a low circle, coming only a couple feet high. In the center was my demon.

Kylana Lesser Hellion Female Level 40 Fleshshaper (Transmuter) / Conjurer Titles: Corrupter, Sadist, Masochist, Scholar

“WHAT THE FUCK?”

In the middle of the circle of fire was a red skinned woman with black hair, and horns. She was clearly a demon of some sort, but didn’t look like one of the really powerful ones you always heard about. Maybe ‘Lesser Hellion’ was the equivalent of ‘Human’ in the hell planes? Anyways, she wasn’t a pinup model or anything, but she had some nice curves and a geeky, girl next door kind of charm, which was slightly ruined by the fact that she was completely naked, and sopping wet, clearly in the midst of taking a shower when she was summoned.

Her eyes caught mine, and she frowned, trying to hid herself with her hands. Had I actually summoned a prudish demon? Wow. “Great, I finally get summoned, and it is by some pervy incubus. Couldn’t you have at least fucking waited for me to be dressed?” She went on, muttering, “Why couldn’t I have gotten a sexy female elf, damnit!”

I chuckled, and said, “And how am I supposed to know what you’re up to, hmm? I’m a ‘pervy incubus’, not a god. And this was my first casting of the spell.”

The girl blushed as I said that, coming to the realization that I couldn’t know what she was doing the first time. “Fine, fine. Damnit, let me just…” She trailed off as she cast a spell, conjuring a jade-colored robe that went nicely with the color of her skin. She squinted, as though she were used to wearing glasses, and sighed. “That’s good enough without the books, I guess. Anyways, since you’ve summoned me, I guess you have some kind of problem? Where is this place, anyways?”

Down to business, huh? I could deal with that. Especially since her… assets were hidden away now, and not tempting me anymore. “Well, I’m in the middle of the Trial of Ascension. You know about it?” She nodded in the affirmative. “So I’ve got three tasks to do, and this is the first one. I figured an extra set of eyes would help in getting this door open, so we could move on to the other tasks.”

“Right. Before we go forward, I guess I should lay a few things out about how this spell works. You’ve summoned me, so I’m supposed to use my abilities as best I can to help you. But I’m no slave, and you can’t force me to do something against my will. And while the magic lets me recover if I’m ‘killed’ while I’m summoned, you won’t get to summon again for another twenty-four hours after that, and I’m pretty certain any demon will be pissed at you if you use them like fodder.”

I sensed she was holding back something, but I wasn’t quite sure what. “Are you sure that’s everything?” I was rewarded by a flicker of emotion on her red-tinted ‘librarian’ face. “What aren’t you telling me, hmm?”

Kylana sighed, and said, “That is with the basic spell. If you dismiss me, and cast the spell again, you’ll get a new summon, based on your needs at the time. If you want to keep calling me, then you’ll need to… mark me, as a Familiar. The Familiar bond has different effects, but can’t be forced on someone.”

Secret Quest! Taming the Librarian Kylana, one of the librarians who looks after the books in the library of the demonic city of Thuressos, has been summoned by you only this once. However, it may be possible to convince her to become your Familiar, granting both of you power in return for her service.
Rank	D
Success	Kylana agrees to perform the Familiar bond with you.
Failure	Kylana refuses the Familiar bond. You unsummon Kylana before she agrees to the bond.
Reward	Experience Kylana becomes your Familiar.

Interesting. So this Familiar thing was more like the contracted spirits idea you saw in some games and animes. The contractor got to call on the spirit, and the spirit got something in return from the contractor, but first you had to earn that contract, or something like that. Not really my favorite brand of anime, but I’d seen enough to pick up on themes. Still, those stories typically had multiple ways to get a bond. Some could be forced by overpowering the spirit, if you knew what you were doing. I had the feeling that Kyana was deliberately leaving things out, but for the moment I had other concerns. Nodding to her, I said, “I see. In that case, why don’t we work through these challenges, to start?”

When she nodded, I turned, and looked at the room again, starting with the floor. I noticed a few squares that were oddly out of place in the otherwise regular stone floor. Standing one of them revealed it to be a pressure plate that slid down when I put my weight on it. There was a grinding sound, and I looked to see one of the bars retract away from the doors, but the other two were still holding on. I stepped off the platform, and the bar slid back in place. I looked over the rest of the floor, and counted a total of three pressure plates in a triangle on this side of the room, and another over closer to the door.

I looked over to Kylana, and said, “Right, looks like the first part is a simple pressure plate system. We’ll need to find weights to keep all three plates down, which should free the door. This puzzle was meant to be solved, so there should be something we can push onto these plates.” From the look in her eye, the fact that I was actually thinking through the problem instead of being a muscleheaded idiot about it raised my stock with her a few points. But puzzles like this were a staple of games, and had been for ages.

So I wasn’t too surprised when I found a large rock that you could roll around the room with some work in one corner. Together with Kylana, we got it into one of the depressed plates, and it stayed put. One bar pulled back, two more to go. Simple crypt raiding here.

The other two boulders were a little more difficult to manage. One needed me to climb up onto a couple platforms to push it off, that wasn’t too bad, really, but the second one was in a little six-foot ditch off to the side. To get the boulder out of the ditch, I had to push it onto this old wooden freight elevator, and then use my weight on an old waterwheel that no longer had water running over it to turn the gears and lift it up. Finally, though, we had all three bars retracted. The doors, however, remained closed.

I sighed, and looked around again. Oh, yeah. Got to find another boulder, it seems. “Kylana, you see our missing rock anywhere?”

Kylana, who hadn’t been idle while I was doing the heavy work, nodded, and said, “It is up there, at the top of that statue. I think you need to get up there to release it.”

That brought a frown to my face. “Looks like a pretty complicated climb to get up there.” I paused, mapping the route in my mind. The only way I saw that would have a chance of working involved climbing up a series of ledges to another statue across the crypt from the one with the boulder, and then making a leap of faith to grab a rope and swing across to the other statue with another leap of faith, catch myself before falling to the ground, and climb up to a ledge behind the statue. With my stats, it should be possible, but I didn’t like it.

Looking over to Kylana, I said, “Your talents include conjuration, yes? Would you happen to have anything that would make getting up there easier?”

Kylana smiled, looking fairly pleased that I’d actually considered asking her whether she could help, rather than making orders or just doing everything myself. I felt I’d already earned points in her book by working out the problem on my own instead of being a meathead, but this kindof cemented my view that she was looking to be a partner to whoever got her Familiar bond, not a servant or slave. She responded by producing a set of spectral stairs, and I grinned at her, running up them to the ledge behind the statue, the stairs disappearing behind me as I ran.

Once there, I noticed a small nook hidden from below. Inside it was a well-preserved chest. Reacting with my gamer’s instincts, I opened the chest, and was rewarded with a small sum of platinum coins, and several items.

Soulbinder, Grimoire of Ended Dreams
Type	Spellbook	Rank	Artifact
This leather-bound tome is written in the blood of sentients upon pages crafted from the skin of angels, penned in the language of the Abyss. To say that it is a wholly evil artifact containing some of the most vile and dire magics imaginable would be an understatement of biblical proportions. The book is both a grimoire and a treatise on Soul Magic. An ascended being who reads the book completely may learn the Soul Magic skill at Intermediate 1, as well as learning any spell from the book. An unascended being who reads the book completely has their soul ripped from their body and added to the book as a new page containing an original spell based upon their life. Any creature may use the book as a grimoire, using it to cast spells as though they had the Soul Magic skill at Advanced 10. The tome may be used in this way once per hour, but has a cumulative 5% chance of using the caster’s soul to create a new page of the book. This chance resets at dawn one week from the first casting. It is impossible to learn any of the spells in this book without reading it completely. Before a creature may read from the book, they must perform a binding ritual lasting one hour, offering their blood to the book. This serves to bind the book to the user’s soul. Aside from enabling the harsher consequences of the grimoire’s use, this ritual prevents any other creature from gaining the power of the grimoire unless they perform the ritual, breaking the previous binding. Attempting to read the book without performing the ritual results in a random attribute of the reader’s being permanently reduced to 0. Restricted: Level 40+ Restricted: Must be able to read Abyssal. After Ritual Bond: +20 INT, +20 WIS, +20 CHA +50% to Soul Magic while holding grimoire -50% to healing spells received while holding grimoire Gain Soulsight Perk Gain Soulreading Skill at Beginner 1 +1000 Infamy

Bonecarvin Devilwood Scepter
Type	Staff	Rank	Rare
Damage	60 – 90	Damage Type	Bludgeoning/Hellfire
Made from a type of tree found in the Lower Planes and inlaid with carved human bones, this staff possesses great power. Half the damage it deals is Hellfire damage, making it useful for those who have resistances to physical or fire-based attacks. A spellcaster’s weapon, it shows its true use when used as an aid in casting spells. Restricted: Must be (or have been) a member of the Hellion race. Restricted: Level 40+ +50 INT, +50 WIS, +50 CHA +100% to all magic cast by wielder. Enchanted: Mana Shield – May sacrifice MP instead of HP when injured.

Robes of Demonic Misery
Type	Robes	Rank	Rare
Creatures of the Lower Planes are often called upon to act as Familiars or servants of powerful spellcasters. These robes were created by a powerful wizard in order to help keep his favored servants alive when he hid behind them using them as a shield. The cowardly nature of the creator aside, the robes do provide a substantial degree of protection for the wearer. Restricted: Must be a bonded Familiar. Defense +300 CON +50 +40% to all Resistances Cursed: Truthsayer – The wearer of this robe may never lie to their Master.

Once again I silently praised my rather insane Luck score. I’m pretty sure no other Traveler has invested that much in Luck. Honestly, I had way too many points to play with when I reincarnated Torgan into Zayn, and it made me pick things I probably never would have looked at before. The benefits, though, were pretty good.

But I had other things to check on at the moment. Turning, I pushed the boulder over the side of the ledge it was on, and heard a loud crash as it fell to the floor below. Fortunately, I didn’t need Kyana to provide me with a new set of stairs, since there was a chain hanging down nearby. It was too far off the ground for me to have reached it when I was getting up here, but climbing down it would give me an easy drop of about fifteen feet. Not rolling out of bed, but not something to worry about if I was careful, even if I was in my RL body.

Back on the ground, I pushed the boulder over to the final pressure plate, and was rewarded with the grinding sound of the two stone doors swinging outward to open for me.

First step completed. Continue on to the next step.

With a smile, I turned, and looked at Kylana. “Now, why don’t we discuss how one marks a Familiar, hmm?”

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Chapter 49 - Gaining the Keep

 

Advanced Class: Hexblade Class Abilities: +20 HP per level Hex Level 40: Mettle - +30% resistance to magic and elemental effects.

Hex (Passive – MAX) All Melee strikes gain the ability to hex an opponent. Duration 60 Seconds. Up to 5 Hexes may be stacked on the same opponent. Stacked Hexes share the duration of the last Hex applied. Each Hex applies one of the following effects (chosen by Hexblade): 5% Debuff to one Attribute 5% Debuff to Armor 5% Debuff to attack speed 5% Debuff to movement speed 5% Debuff to one Resistance

With my choice made, I thanked the trainer, and turned to leave the shrine, my people following me. As I went, I checked the guild chat, and saw Lexichan and some of the others were back in Mylenoris after hunting down the undead, so I called them to meet me at the palace when I went to make my report to the King. I still had to give Lexichan her toy, anyways.

We made a fairly impressive group when we had all gathered, and made our way to the palace. We were almost fifty armed men and women in my train, half of them drow wearing slave collars. Lexichan, Raunaeril, Cookie, Bercilac, Ruva, and Athtar were there, as well as a few other guild members. Lexichan was pleased beyond measure to have the drow ranger, Kilyn Keltris, transferred to her ownership, already making designs on heading to the Underdark to explore. I noticed several guild members watching the enslaved drowesses with looks that could be politely called ‘hungry’. I expected they would go and work out some frustrations in the local brothels later on.

When we entered the throne room, I bowed to the king. He shook his head slightly, a bemused expression on his face. “Rise, Sir Darkmore. I believe you have news for Us? When last We saw you, there were only three others following your train. Quite different from what We see before us now.”

I rose, and said, “Indeed, your Majesty. Some of those you see with me are comrades from the worlds we Travelers have visited before we came to this world, trusted friends who have fought many dangers by my side in the past. The rest I have met upon my journeys here, a few friends, and more than a few enemies who fell under my power.”

“Before I begin my tale, I would first make an offering to the Princess Aravae.” I motioned, and Larrel Leokiam, the drow fighter, stepped forward, clearly displeased by the collar around his neck, among other things. “This Drow is a fighter of some skill, who may be used as either a bodyguard or however else the Princess sees fit.” The king nodded, and waved Aravae forward. It was a simple process to transfer Larrel’s ownership to Aravae, who gave me a quick peck on the cheek before returning to her place behind the King, her new slave in tow, eyes beaming.

I took a breath, and then began my reporting, first of my adventures in the Depraved Pits, then the fight for Ullelone Village, my fight with Kali, and then conquering the Scheming Caverns. The king looked grave as I described the fight with Kali, but merely nodded when I cautioned that Travelers were people, as any other, which meant the whole range of personalities would be present there.

The king nodded when I finished my tale, and said, “You have done many great things for this kingdom, Sir Darkmore, in quite a short time. Indeed, my advisors tell me that, without your aid, the undead would have caused a substantial amount of damage to the kingdom before they could have been put down. We would reward you for your service. Is there something you desire?”

I took a breath, and said, “Your Majesty, by your leave, I would like to take my guild and restore Lithaes Castle to the glory it had before the Scourge, and reestablish the town around it as a source for trade. Too long has the castle remained untended, leaving it open to the use of bandits and cultists.”

The king nodded. “Indeed, We have been considering what to do with the old keep since word came to us of the demon cultists you dispatched there. And as a Knight of the Realm who has three times now done great services to the kingdom, it is a fitting task for you to bring Lithaes back to her glory of old.”

He paused, and then said, “Sir Darkmore, We give to you this choice. Will you take up the mantle of Lithaes Castle and the surrounding lands, defending them and their people and holding them in trust for the Throne?”

“I will, my Liege.”

New Perk Unlocked! Lord You have been granted a fief by the king, and are charged with defending your land and the realm. You may claim taxes from those living in your domain, and administer them as you see fit, provided that your actions do not go against the King’s will. +300 Fame +10 Leadership For being the first Traveler to become a feudal lord, you gain: +200 Fame +20 Leadership New Stat: Leadership While Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom are all important in a leader, there are times where strength of arms or other concerns take precedence. Regardless, a Leader must always be able to get followers to do as he wishes. Leadership is added into all skill and ability use when they involve leading, controlling, or inspiring a group of people pledged to serve you. For example, it will apply as a bonus when you are using a social skill to rally your troops before battle, but not when attempting to seduce a woman to your bed.

New Quest! Claiming Lithaes Castle The King has charged you, as a Knight of the Realm, to travel to Lithaes Castle and claim it and the surrounding townlands as your fief. The keep lies abandoned after a band of adventurers recently killed the cultists living in the dungeons beneath the castle. You may need to do extensive work in order to secure your claim.
Rank	D
Success	Gain control of Lithaes Castle.
Failure	Allow others to claim the castle.
Reward	Experience Ownership of the Castle, Lord of the surrounding townlands.
Consequences	Reputation with Wyrmwood greatly decreases.

I blinked the windows closed, and bowed to the King once again.

After being dismissed from the royal audience, there was a brief discussion about the next steps, and then people began breaking off into different groups in order to prepare for taking the keep. We would head there the next day at dawn with all the guild members that were left in the city.

For me, it was a long day of moving from one place to the other to get my pets their advanced classes. Della picked the War Priestess route, which apparently boosted her combat abilities, giving us another person who could go toe to toe with the enemy, if need be. Severa became a Duelist, enhancing her ability to utterly destroy single targets, and focusing on speed and agility. Yukiko became a Meijikira, or Mage-killer, and gained a fairly awesome ability to slice spells with her sword. I was a bit envious, actually, because that sounded badass. Nithroel’s being a Blackguard and a half-Celestial unlocked a secret ‘Fallen Angel’ advanced class. Basically, it enhanced her ability to royally fuck up good-aligned creatures, though she still held her own against evil creatures.

Of course, we hadn’t gone up against too many good-aligned creatures so far. But killing people for their stuff generally works better when they are people no one will miss. As a guild, though, we’re building our power base, and soon we’ll be able to REALLY cut loose and have some fun. I could see myself leading Legions of Terror a few years down the road.

Speaking of which, Hrozne picked the Pale Master route for his Necromancer Class. It basically focused less on the general magic and debuffs, and more on controlling as many undead servants as he could. He even got a nice daily ability that allowed him to create a permanent undead with no costs. Sure, it was just a skeleton or zombie, but there was a big difference between a human zombie and a zombie created from the body of a troll, for instance.

Looking at my core team, it looked like this:

Zayn Darkmore Incubus Male Level 40 Hexblade (Warlock) / Dominator Titles: The Executioner, The Sexecutioner, Corrupter, Master Chainmaker, Machiavelli, Dragonfriend, Dragon Consort, Slave Trader, Trophy Hunter, Harem King, Stud Horse, Undead Bane, Leash Lord

Della Smith Human Female Level 40 War Priestess (Priestess) / Ice Sorceress Titles: Slave, Sadistic, Undead Bane, Devoted

Severa Rex Human Female Level 40 Duelist (Rogue) / Battledancer Titles: Slave, Heartseeker, Shadow, Undead Bane

Kiyabu Yukiko Kitsune Female Level 40 Meijikira (Samurai) / Dark Paladin Titles: Slave, Devoted, Unholy Blacksmith, Undead Bane

Nithroel Crana Half-Celestial Elf Female Level 40 Fallen Angel (Blackguard) / Priestess Titles: Genius, Fallen One, Slave, Broken One, Masochist, Undead Bane

Hrozne Bosorka Drow Elf Hermaphrodite Level 40 Pale Master (Necromancer) / Death Knight Titles: Elfslayer, Lichloved, Scholar, Spiderkissed

Not a terrible mix, all told. We were a little lacking on magical damage dealers, since my spells tended to be ‘battlefield control’ or ‘debuff’ spells. Hrozne’s Necromancer class focused almost entirely on debuffs (and some damn nasty ones, too), including some area debuffs, but they were short on direct damage. That left Della’s Ice Sorceress subclass as our only source of magical asskicking for area effects. Sure, she had some spells that fit that bill, but they were expensive suckers, and not spammable. On the other hand, she had some sustained wide-area debuffs that could paralyze a battlefield without costing too much. She was really good at that ‘Blizzard’ spell. It did some damage, but primarily it clouded vision, slowed movement, froze liquids, and reduced equipment durability.

Of course, that was more than balanced out, in my opinion, by the fact that I had three healers, three tanks, two DPS, and so on, all in just a six-man party. As long as we weren’t going out and trying to win a war all on our lonesome, we were in a far better position to take on most challenges than some other groups. For one thing, all my girls could at least hang in melee for a bit if they had to. No glass cannons here. Thinking about it, we were a team that was damn near perfect for hunting bosses and clearing dungeons. Well, so long as they were bosses like the ones we’d faced so far.

But I didn’t have time to wax philosophical about party composition and game strategy. We still had supplies to lay in for the trip to my new castle. More of the Guild was coming, having finished the quests they were on, and so forth. We had craftsmen in our ranks, but finding supplies in the wilds until the ruined town could be rebuilt would be problematic.

There was a bonus in this whole thing that I didn’t expect before. Seems that included in the lands I’d been given, there were a few potential income sources. Mostly the game and herbs from the forest, but there was also a nearby lake which should have fish, some farmland, and a couple nearby mines. Not to mention that, once the guild’s Enchanters and other craftsmen started working, we’d be a source for all sorts of magical goodies. And then, of course, there’d be the normal trade moving from city to city, and anything that the guild brought in… Yeah, we’d be fine.

Anyways, between my pets, the guild, and some wily (or just adventurous) merchant, farmer, and craftsmen types who wanted a chance to try and reclaim the old castle and town (and, not coincidentally, have a chance to ply their trade with little competition), we had three hundred people in our little convoy. As the size of the expedition began to become clear, it was decided that we would take another day to prepare. May as well do things right.

After tiring myself with my girls (and allowing some of the guild to enjoy the drow) I drifted off to sleep, only to find myself in the middle of what looked like a stone room filled with a white mist.

Now beginning the Trial of Ascension.

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Chapter 38 - The Guild

The spell dumped us in the city square, in an area that was generally open, which was lucky, since we were quite a large group. Considering things, I said, “All right, ladies. I need to go deliver my gift to the palace, but Della will lead you all to the inn where we’ve been staying. Della, when you get to the room, give them some of the spare traveling clothes I made when I was practicing my skills. That will at least keep them from drawing quite as much attention. After that, we can work out what we’ll do moving forward. Lusha, with me. We’re going to see the Princess.”

With that settled, I led Lusha with me through the streets towards the Palace. The permissions I had been granted after being made a knight were still in place, as I was still in good standing with the kingdom. As I got closer to the palace, I did get some interesting looks because of my ‘gift’, but those with Observe were able to see what was what, so I wasn’t stopped until I actually reached the palace.

Naturally, I was challenged before I could enter the palace. I might be known, and allowed through the building, but guards that don’t at least set checkpoints are bad guards.“What business do you have Sir Zayn?”

“I come bearing tales of success. My party ventured into the Depraved Pits, and conquered the dungeon, slaying a demon’s pawn that had taken residence there. As we were clearing the place out, I discovered this woman, a plaything for the demons, and decided to make her a gift to the Princess Esyae, to do with as she will. Is the princess here, or has she left to train her skills once more?”

The guard laughed, and said, “If only I had found such treasures when I went into the dungeons as a younger man! But you have the devil’s own luck, it is said. The Princess is within. I will send word to her, and one of the guards will guide you.”

I thanked the guard, and followed the junior guardsman who came to lead us through the palace. Eventually, we were led to a private sitting room, and asked to wait until the Princess came. I sat on one of the chairs, and bade Lusha kneel in front of me. A servant came in shortly thereafter, offering me some wine, which I accepted. Elven wine is never something you should turn down, if you have any taste for alcohol at all.

About the time he finished his glass of wine, both Aravae and Esyae entered the room. He smiled, seeing that they had both gotten back up to level 25. As princesses, they had responsibilities he didn’t, of course, and didn’t have as much time for training, so they must have been going out every chance they had. When they entered, he rose, and bowed to them.

Aravae was the first to speak. “So, the guard told us you’ve cleared out a dungeon? And that you brought Esyae a gift? And not one for me?” She pouted, but it was an act.

I chuckled. “I was clearing out the dungeon when I found something that I was sure Esyae would like very much. I didn’t find anything similar for you, but Esyae may want to share the gift with you.” He stepped aside, so that they could get a look at Lusha.

Esyae started, and then had a wicked gleam in her eye. “Oooh, so you caught the insolent wench that thought she could pass herself off as me? She’s got quite a few debts she tried to rack up in my name. And now the bitch is your slave! How’d she end up in the dungeon?”

I gave them both the brief rundown of the dungeon, including how I’d rescued the prisoners from the lowest floor. I also included that I had a fallen knight in my group now, since that would be known before long, in any case.

“So Crana fell to her pride. I guess some time as your pet should give her a proper education.” Aravae shook her head, sadly.

Esyae was ecstatic, however, once I transferred Lusha’s ownership to her. She took a break from whispering the punishments she’d be dishing out to the girl in order to look up at me. “So, you seem to have gained some new titles since we last saw you. Care to explain what they mean?”

I chuckled, and then explained some of the effects of Trophy Hunter, Harem King, and Stud Horse (the last two I’d gotten from my ‘work’ with Shagar). The princesses just shook their heads. Finally, Aravae said, “Honestly, trust an incubus to get titles like that.”

Harem King You have taken the mantle of a Harem King. As such, your allure is increased, and those who willingly serve you are happier. Those forced to serve you are more likely to become willing. +10 CHA +20% to Seduction Willing harem members +10% Morale bonus to all actions (stacks with other bonuses). Unwilling harem members -20% morale penalty to resist attempts to make them willing members. Stud Horse You have a reputation for having strong blood. Those seeking to add strength to their bloodlines may seek you out. Those you lie with are more likely to become pregnant thanks to the magic of your blood. You may even be able to impregnate nonhumanoid creatures. You may also be used as a scapegoat for those seeking to cover up their own misdeeds. +420 Fame +440 Infamy +5% chance that females of childbearing age may seek you out as a stud. +25% chance that any ‘unplanned’ or out of wedlock pregnancies in your area will be blamed on you. Can impregnate any creature of the Humanoid, Magical Beast, Dragon, Outsider, Fey, and Undead types at the normal rate for his race.

I shrugged. “What can I say, I’ve been busy.” That got a laugh from both princesses. We chatted for a bit more, mostly small talk, and then as I took my leave, the princesses promised to have someone come to the inn to check on the former prisoners.

(Later)

I’d just gotten back to the inn, and immediately noticed that most of the ladies I’d come here with were off in one corner, looking anxious at the crowd that was in the common room. The only one missing was Yukiko, who was with the crowd, which meant the strange lot were Travelers. They hadn’t noticed me yet, so I went over to the girls. Best sort this out first.

I sat down at the table with Brylres, Shagar, and the elf sisters, and said, “Well, ladies, I’ve had a chat with the Princess, and someone will be coming along to check on things, and help out how they can. Brylres, Shagar, if you want, they will have a mage transport you to one of the capitols. And you three,” I turned to the elf sisters, “I can tell you that they’ll at least try to help you get back on your feet here. They were shocked to hear what had been happening in that place.”

Brylres nodded. “That’d be for the best, I think. I’ll not be getting any armor here that is better than what I can make once I get to the clan forges, and I wouldn’t go traveling without a weapon and armor.”

Shagar looked upset. “I do not wish to leave you, but my duty to the tribe is clear. I should return.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll come visit as soon as I am able. I am a Traveler, after all. And I suspect I’ll be traveling a good deal, until I can complete the quest Brylres gave me.”

The sisters looked like they were about to speak, but then Yukiko’s voice sounded behind me. “Master, we have some guests that have traveled a long way to join us.”

I turned, and saw a dark elf maiden in a ranger’s getup, with twin scimitars and a bow. From the grin on Yukiko’s face, I had a feeling this would be interesting.

Lexichan do’Urden Dark Elf Female Level 30 Ranger / Barbarian Titles: Hunter, Tempest, Daywalker, Undead Bane

I looked askance at the drowess, and chuckled. “So, you finally made that tribute character you were always talking about, Lexichan?”

Lexichan grinned, and said, “You know it, boss. Anyways, I gathered almost fifty of the old crowd. You just gotta give the word, and the guild is back, and ready to see what this world has to offer.” And with that, she handed me a bag containing the 100 gold needed to start a guild.

Opening the interface, I went to the area to register a guild. After paying the fees, I was able to create the name, and the symbol for the guild. Then I’d just need at least 11 others to sign on before the guild became official. I’d thought about what to call this guild, since ‘Lords of Light’ was out, due to us going dark side. In the end, I decided on something that was symbolic of our path, but not something that would just scream “Pallys come gank us” like ‘Demons’ or some crazy shit like that.

‘Aria of the Twilight’ would be the guild name, and our symbol would be a silver skull gripping a red rose in its teeth, set upon a black field. With a wave, I sent the invites to all the travelers in the room, and to the NPCs I was familiar with. Brylres shook her head, and declined, which I nodded to, expecting that, but Shagar, the three sisters, and my slaves all accepted, along with the Travelers.

Guild: Aria of the Twilight Leader: Zayn Darkmore Subleader: Lexichan do’Urden

There, I’d fill in the rest later, but for now, I set the guild tax as 10% of the gold people got from monster drops. This would help fund the building of a guild hall. I stood, and said, “All right, people. Now that we’ve got our guild again, I say we make this city our base. But that’s boring talk for later. Right now, it is almost time for the midday meal, so I say it is time for drinks, and a feast!” I held up my drink, and said, “To the Aria of the Twilight! First round is on me!”

Cheers echoed my call, especially the part about free beer. Never failed.

(Much Later)

There were introductions, and drinks, and stories told of our adventures in this world, as well as in WoD. Before the end, the crowd had grown to standing room only, as other NPCs and Travelers came to hear some of our stories. It was only after the evening meal that people began settling down, and heading to their homes, while the members of Aria found rooms for the night.

Before long, it was just me, my pets, and the core of the old Lords: Lexichan, the drow ranger; Bercilac, the gnome rogue; Raunaeril, the baby dragon flame sorcerer; Cookie, the human fighter; and Ruva, the Medusa monk. Reunited after all this time, we raised a glass together, and the conversation turned to friendly matters.

It was Ruva who started it. “So, Yukiko, you finally worked up the nerve to spread for the guild master, huh?”

Yukiko blushed, and said, “It wasn’t like that! I-I mean, it wasn’t all like that. If I’d known who he was in this game, I would have sent a message. But I started off a slave because of my qualities.”

Severa chuckled, and said, “So that’s why you were spending every moment you could bending over for Master, hoping he’d take you first?” There were more laughs at Yukiko’s expense.

Ruva broke in again, ‘looking’ at my pets. Between her snakes and her monk training, apparently she’d gotten a Blindsense-related title, so she could ‘see’ without taking off her blindfold. “So, I assume all you girls have had the pleasure. Tell me, is he really as big as the stories we’ve been hearing say?”

The girls looked at eachother, and giggled, before looking back to Ruva. “Bigger.”

I shrugged, and said, “I may have gotten a little carried away during character creation.”

Yukiko giggled. “A little?”

Lexichan, Cookie, and Ruva looked at eachother, and then turned to me. “Let us see!”

I sighed, dramatically. “I’ll let you see, but on one condition. You pick one of you three to ‘test drive’ it for the rest of the night, while the others watch.”

What followed was a very spirited game of rock-paper-scissors. And Ruva won.

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Chapter 37 - Exorcism of Pride

New Quest: Betrayer’s Due Bylres Hardbottle was betrayed by her comrades in the adventuring party Moradin’s Hammer, and left to be enslaved by the demon Neozhur and his pawn, Jynerra. She now asks your aid in gaining her revenge.
Rank	A
Success	Find the former members of Moradin’s Hammer, and return to Bylres with the information. Capture and/or kill the former members of Moradin’s Hammer. And return either prisoners or proof of death to Bylres.
Failure	You do not find the adventurers. You do not capture or kill the adventurers. You do not return with proof of death or prisoners. Give up the quest.
Rewards	Unknown Increased Reputation with Brudrinen Empire Increased Reputation with Hardbottle Clan
Consequences	Decreased Reputation with Hardbottle Clan

I looked at the quest, and then sighed, nodding. “I will do what I can, but if your companions are anywhere near your level, it will be quite some time before I would be able to subdue them on my own.”

Bylres nodded. “That is fine. After this, I won’t be able to venture freely to hunt them myself. By the time I gather materials for my new weapons and armor, and purify myself from what I’ve experienced here, you may well be of a level to assist me. You adventurers advance quickly, after all, due to not fearing death.”

“Well, it isn’t that we don’t fear death, but that death has no permanent effect upon us. No one seeks death, but knowing that it is not the end can allow one to face it with a clear heart.”

The dwarf nodded. “Well said indeed.”

We lapsed into silence as I continued my play with Wench, using the Tamer’s Whip on Wench’s naked body. Because the whip healed most of the damage it dealt on each strike, I could use it on her repeatedly, whipping the demon’s naked body as much as I wished. The pain was real, though, and because of my orders, Wench couldn’t move from the pose I’d put her in, with her legs apart and her hands on top of her head.

“You know, Wench, there is a way to end this. Just beg to satisfy me, and the whipping will end. And you will get to try and earn your name again. Or maybe I’ll just march you into town naked. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

(Later)

According to the game clock, it has been twenty-three hours since I started the humiliations I’ve piled upon Wench in order to fulfill the conditions for the ritual that will turn her back into an elf. In that time, she’s been stripped, un-named, had items inserted in various parts of her body, whipped, insulted, and forced to pleasure some of my girls, in increasingly more humiliating acts. She even got to spend some time as a toilet. And all the time, I told her that if she just begged to satisfy me, things would get better.

Finally, she broke down. Oh, the fact that I hadn’t fed her or given her anything to drink while everyone else (even the fake princess) got some probably had an effect as well. With eyes that were full of shame and rage, she looked at me, and said, “Master.” She still hated calling me that. “M-may I please you?”

“Beg for it.”

She gritted her teeth, and then said, “Please master, let me pleasure you, I beg of you!”

“Good Wench. You can start by sucking me off. Do a good job, and I’ll let you move on. But you do badly, and I’ll sell you to a brothel when we get back.” OK, so that was a lie. I wasn’t actually going to sell her, but she didn’t need to know that.

On her knees in front of me, she pulled out my cock, and I smiled when her eyes went wide at the sight. She might have gotten glimpses earlier, when we were back on Jynerra’s floor, but now it was out in the open, and in her face. Wench gulped, and then reached out and began with licking up and down my length, trying to get some lubrication on there, anything to make it easier on herself later.

Reaching down, I placed my hand on her head, and said, “Take it in your mouth now, Wench. I want your chin to hit my balls.” That brought a look of fear into her eyes, but she did as she was told, opening her lips to take the head of my cock into her mouth. And then slowly, she began dipping her head up and down on my rod, trying her best to go further each time. There were tears in her eyes as she finally managed it, and then I pulled her off before she choked to death.

She fell back, her eyes dazed, though she had done a good job of lubing my shaft. I looked down at her, and said, “That was merely decent. Beg for it. Face down, ass up, and beg for it like a slut.”

I’m pretty sure she was still halfway out of it, as she looked shellshocked, but she rolled over onto her hands and knees, and put her face in the dirt, her rear raised up, presenting herself to me. “Please Master, fuck your slut!”

And who was I to refuse a request like that?

(Later)

Twenty-four hours of humiliation and stripping her of her pride. Now Wench lay there, still on her hands and knees with my seed trailing from both her holes. She was thoroughly senseless at this point, as I’d not been gentle (though Della did make sure she stayed alive). Now, I needed to conduct the ritual.

In the ground, I drew the pattern her notes prescribed, a pentagram inscribed in a circle, with her in the middle. I began chanting in the tongue of demons. It was a condemnation of one for betrayal to their ‘blessing’, and a call to the powers to remove the blessing now. Fire rose up from the circle, but I could see that these were phantom flames. They did not cause damage to flesh, and even the ground remained unburnt. But they would burn the soul. Wench was screaming as the flames torched her soul, searing away the changes wrought by making her a Pride Demon.

It takes a damn hour of chanting and using my mana to fuel the phantom flames to burn the demonic taint out of Wench’s body and soul, but finally the ritual is over. I can’t help but think that there may have been an easier way to go about it, but then, this ritual was devised by a demon as a punishment for traitors, not as a merciful way to remove demonic taint from someone. So she really has only herself to blame.

As the phantom flames died, I said, “Very well, Wench. Now you may have your name, Nithroel Crana, back again.

Nithroel Crana Half-Celestial Elf Female Level 30 Blackguard / Priest Titles: Genius, Fallen One, Slave, Broken One, Masochist

So, with the loss of being a Pride Demon (and becoming a slave), she lost the ‘Proud One’ and ‘Knight’ titles, and it seems she got some new titles.

Genius Some people are smart. One holding this title is almost always the smartest person in the room. But know that there is a difference between intelligence and wisdom. +20 INT +2 INT per Level Fallen One One who was once a paragon of virtue and nobleness has been corrupted by evil. +400 Infamy -200 Fame Slave Slaves have no rights, but what their master gives them. You are not a person, you are property. Loss of all Fame/Infamy. Social status becomes Slave. Broken One Humiliations and Tortures have cause you to break. You can try to piece yourself back together, but you will always be easier to break than one who has yet to be broken. Still, there are some who prefer imperfections in their prizes. -25% resistance to Charm effects. -25% resistance to Interrogation. -25% resistance to Seduction. +20 CHA Masochist Pain is pleasure and pleasure is pain. Gain Hurts So Good Quality.

Interesting. So Qualities could be gained through in-game actions? I’d have to check the forums, and see if any other Qualities-as-Titles had been discovered.

As I dressed, I came to a decision. Since everyone other than my party would be walking, it didn’t make sense to make the trek back. I could use the Dark Portal spell to open a portal for us back to Mylenoris, but the dark shrine there was underground, which would prove an issue for the horses. Not insurmountable, since the stairs were plenty wide enough, but it would be an inconvenience for everyone.

Fortunately, the sisters had a solution, it seemed. Even though she was an Earth Sorceress, Duru had picked up the spell ‘Recall’ which could teleport a group to the last city or town the caster visited. It was a useful, if somewhat limited, spell, since it would allow people to return from dungeons or far afield in an instant, but was always restricted to the last city or town you’d visited, so it couldn’t be easily used as a means of transport.

With that decided, we gathered all the people and animals together, and activated the spell. With a flash of light, we were gone.

(Elsewhere)

It was quite a site that greeted the eyes of the guards standing watch at the gates of Mylenoris that morning. At least thirty riders approached the gates. All were clearly adventurers girded with weapons and armor for long travels in the wilds. But what was strange wasn’t their raiment, but the makeup of the company. Men and women. Elves, humans, dwarves, and even an undead! There were other monsters amongst their number, too: a Medusa with her eyes covered by a cloth, a pair of harpies flying alongside a baby dragon, and several elementals also moved in and through the strange procession.

As one, the warrior band (for there could really be no other way to describe such a company) halted before the gates. The guards, gripped their sword hilts as a woman advanced from the rest of the group. She was a Dark Elf, with ebony skin and long white hair. She was quite shapely, as was normal for elves, but the armor she wore was that of a ranger from the surface, and she had a pair of scimitars hanging from her belt, with a hunting bow strapped to her back.

She paused when she was a few feet from the guards, and said, in a clear voice, “Hail! I am Lexichan do’Urden, and I lead this company for the moment. We wish to enter the city.”

The guard captain, seeing that this wasn’t immediately going to result in violence, said, “And what business does a Dark Elf have in Mylenoris, surrounded by such a varied and warlike company? We don’t often see your lot around here.” The way he almost spat out ‘your lot’, like it was a bitter tasting root, left no doubt about the tensions between the surface elves and their dark kin.

But Lexichan was not disturbed by this. “We are Travelers from another world. The man who led us in that other world has come to these lands, and we seek to join him once again. Behind me are forty-one warriors who once pledged ourselves to our leader, and we have ridden far to join him.”

“And who is this ‘leader’ of yours?”

Lexichan chuckled, and said, “He is known by many names, but here you would know him best as Zayn Darkmore, Knight of the Realm, and the one who escorted the Princesses Aravae and Esyae to safety when they had been waylaid by cultists in foreign lands. He was our leader in the other world, and now we have come to follow him again.”

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