MM - Chapter 97 - TOO MUCH OF ANYTHING IS A BAD THING

Stone surfaces surrounded Raine and the witch, Zoarra. The thick smell of dried blood invaded his nostrils. Numerous contraptions designed for torture littered the small space, though they couldn’t draw Raine’s attention from the finger before his nose, “Oh. it's you, what a shocking surprise…” He deadpanned, meeting Zoarra’s glassy-eyed gaze.

Her wrinkled lips twisted, revealing a single rotten tooth, “Excuse me? Are you sure that's the tone you want to take with me, little bird?”

Raine threw his hands in the air, disgusted that she not only empowered the Rabinoid Queen, but hid some teleportation ability on him to rob the loot he worked so hard for, “You or the grand marshal. What's the difference in who kills me?”

Zoarra blinked uncomprehendingly, her voice losing its sharp edge, “You think I saved you only to kill you? How droll.”

“Honestly? Yes. Your objective couldn't be more obvious,” Raine lifted his hand with the cursed glove, wiggling his fingers in her face. Her eyes followed the dancing chains, the greed reflected there unmistakable. “Much easier to pry it from my grasp than the Grand Marshal's, no?”

Zoarra tutted softly, shaking her head, “While it's true you found something quite good, I've no intention of taking it from you. If you're offering, however, then I have a few things we could exchange.” Raine didn't dignify her suggestion with a response. She tore her eyes away from the glove, coughing lightly, “Such a waste. You're not entirely incorrect, though. The spell I left in you sensed the curse and piqued my interest. Otherwise, I would have waited for you to ripen a bit more before plucking your next fruit.”

Is she telling the truth? Was she really not the one who pit me against the queen?

Raine tried to mask his suspicions but Zoarra saw right through him, “Believe what you wish, the fact remains that you need my help with your new toy.”

“No thanks, I'm good,” Raine triggered the Return Stone still clutched tightly in his other hand, selecting Silverlight City as his destination.

“Hold on a damn second!” Zoarra waved her hand and the progress bar in Raine's HUD canceled, “You owe me. Saving your worthless hide burned the soul fragment. You think those are common enough to be bought at a street market?!”

Raine knew anything to do with souls was ludicrously rare and expensive. He shrugged anyway. Even if she wasn’t going to kill him, she was still trying to cheat him, “You owed me an additional reward. Sounds like we’re even. Ta-ta.” With a wave, Raine once more activated the stone. It crumbled to dust, its five charges used.

“Fine, fine! Be that way. I was going to cleanse the cursed trait and reveal the glove’s other effects to you, but I see there's no reason to further waste my time!”

Raine knew full well such a good thing wouldn't come without a steep cost, “What's the catch? I'm not going to be your slave so don't bother asking.”

Zoarra scoffed, “I've learned enough about you to know there's no point taking that route. You'll owe me a favor. A big one, to be collected when you reach level fifty. There's another place I need you to go. Since you'll be there anyway, you might as well acquire something special for me. This one won't be nearly so simple as the last.”

Raine glanced at the half-full progress bar, then scowled at the crone, “I knew it. This was all a convoluted setup. You've been leading me by the nose for long enough. Tell me your real goal or I won't help you anymore. I can deal with my lowered attributes till level fifty, I don't need your help.”

“Fifty?!” Zoarra's mad cackle filled the small dungeon, “You think that item can be cleansed by a minor deacon? The pope might have some luck if you paid him two billion gold or so.”

“W-what?!” Raine could tell she wasn't joking. If that were the case, he'd really be screwed cause there was no way he was getting an audience with a tier five god like the pope before becoming one himself. And the probable cost was equally depressing.

Despite his better judgment, he canceled the teleportation, “How could you remove the curse if it's so difficult?”

“As I'm sure you've noticed, curses are my thing. My end goal is simple enough: become more powerful, until none can control me. Are you any different?” She paused to let her words sink in, “So, will you take my deal? Or should I return you to the Marshal?”

She definitely gets stronger when she consumes curses. It's possible that's her only goal and I'm simply a useful tool toward that end. Then the real question becomes: how do I keep her from ruining my life after she gets what she wants?

While thinking, Raine browsed the notification that appeared.

[Unique Chain Quest: Fall of the Tyrants progressed]

[Raise your level to 50 within 2 months and wait for Zoarra to contact you before attempting class evolution]

[Accept Y/N]

[Warning: If denied, unique chain quest Fall of the Tyrants will be permanently concluded]

[If accepted, failure to progress this quest will result in your soul being dominated by the Great Witch Zoarra. Quest may not be abandoned]

Given up on making me a slave, my ass. Well, she's not the only one growing more powerful. Every time I take one of her quests, I close the gap between us. We'll see who comes out on top at the end.

Raine accepted and held out his hand, “Do it.”

Zoarra licked her lips, the longing gaze from before coming back full blast, “Devour Curse!” 

Inky blackness crept into her eye's as she leaned forward. With her lips centimeters from his hand, she sucked in, hard. Dark, wicked energy flowed out of the glove and into her mouth. The more she inhaled, the more resplendently the amethyst leather of the glove shone through. Just when he thought she was done, the dark energy began flowing out of his wrist as well.

He could feel the curse fighting her and his body became their battleground. At first it was a gentle pull but quickly escalated into a tearing sensation that ripped through him. Raine screamed, feeling like Zoarra was pulling his organs out, blending them, then randomly stuffing them back inside.

Raine had no idea how long it lasted. After the pain, the next thing he saw was the dungeon’s ceiling. Sitting up with a groan, he glanced around and found her meditating in a corner. Her outward appearance had changed significantly. Where once there was the wrinkled, pocked skin of a hundred-year-old crone, now sat a woman who could easily pass for fifty.

She cracked an eye that was the color of soft, golden honey. She flashed a smile full of perfectly straight, white teeth and purred in a sensual voice, “It’s too early for you to regret not becoming my toy.”

“Keep dreaming,” Raine stood and stretched, feeling both lighter and stronger than before. He cracked his neck and rolled a stiff shoulder, “See you around. By the way, next time you want me to kill something, ask first.”

Zoarra's brows drew down and she tilted her head. Realization dawned and she made an ‘ah-ha’ face, “No wonder you were so testy. I wasn't the one who sent that bug after you, little bird. You've attracted the attention of another.” Her voice turned venomous, a finger crooked at his nose, “Don't think I'll save you from them. This was a one time deal. If you can't solve your own problems, then you're unworthy of my plans.”

With a wave of her hand, a black circle opened beneath Raine's boots. A powerful force pulled him down and he fell through nothingness before landing hard on grassy soil. Quick as lightning, he triggered a fresh Return Stone. Long ingrained habits took over and Raine spun to check for threats but found nothing on the empty plains around him. Excited to see what the mysterious uncursed item could do, he checked its description and nearly fainted at the first effect.

[Heart of Plutus: (Accessory - Ring) (Heavenly Amethyst - Damaged) (All attributes +15%) Contains the last remnants of the fallen celestial Plutus. Through it, fractions of his power may be brought to bear. Only one fraction may be active at a time (Cooldown: 10 minutes)]

Am I seeing that right? A percentage increase on all attributes… and it’s not a small increase, either. Fifteen percent is insane! That’s with it being damaged. I can’t. My brain’s not ready for this.

Despite his denial, Raine covetously devoured the rest of the text.

[Fraction of Elemental Might: (Elemental Power +20%) (CNC +20%) Upon command unleash the Elemental Finger dealing 2500% elemental damage in a 15 meter tower AOE (Cost: 200 EP) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

Two thousand five hundred… tower AOE… and that's after a ridiculous buff to EP and Connection. With a mere five minute cooldown. I’m going to be sick.

[Fraction of Grace: (FNS +20%) (ACU +20%) Upon command embody the Grace of Nirvana increasing Move Speed by 400% and Attack Speed by 150% for 15 seconds (Cost: 200 Discipline) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

Raine’s mouth became a wind tunnel as his jaw reached the ground.

I’m dreaming. This has to be a dream. If I’m understanding this correctly, I can keep the fraction active indefinitely, gaining the bonus attributes on top of the base fifteen percent. Then, every five minutes, activate one of the individual abilities that are tied to the equipped fraction. My God… This is insane.

A 20% bonus to Finesse and Acuity, on top of the base 15%, then add 400%, carry the ‘over-nine-thousand,’ and you’re now running the speed of fucking light! Will I already be faster than in the past? I can’t wrap my head around the math, I’ll have to test it.

[Fraction of Purity: (Celestial Power +20%) (PHY +20%) Upon command channel the Soul of Reformation to restore health equal to maximum health and further boost maximum health by 200% (Cost: 200 CP) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

The first one that doesn’t make me feel like something’s wrong with my head just from looking at it. That’s an absolutely amazing life-saving ability, but not quite as broken as the others.

[Fraction of Umbra: (Demonic Power +20%) (PTC +20%) Upon command liberate Umbra’s Snare to charm any living entity (Cost: DP equivalent to difference in level and class) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

Huh? That can’t be right. Where’s the duration on the cha—

Raine couldn’t finish the thought. His vision went blurry and he had to shake his head to keep from vomiting. Knowing if he looked again, he really would lose it, he moved on to the final effect. A small part of him prayed it wouldn’t break him.

[Fraction of Solidity: (PTC +20%) (PHY +20%) Upon command personify the sturdiness of the Unassailable Aegis preventing all damage and negative effects for 5 seconds (Cost: 40% of maximum health) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

I was right…

Raine threw his head back and roared with laughter. The stress from fighting non-stop for an entire night, followed by nearly dying five times over to the queen, Lirik, and the witch, bled from his body with each raucous guffaw. Before the cast time ended on his teleportation, he reactivated the effect of his cape, covering his body with a shimmering curtain of what looked like heat-waves that effectively blocked the purple light gushing from his new toy.

[Technomancy Reverse Apron of Confundity: (Common Grey) Worn around the nape, this device projects a translucent filter that obscures details of the wearer’s armor]

He promptly vanished in a puff of silvery light. Raine was still laughing when he appeared outside a familiar tavern in the Silverlight Commoners District.

Now I really can’t afford to die. When would I ever find something so good again? If I dropped this, I’d be heartbroken.

With pools of moisture building at the corners of his eyes, Raine waved down a handcart. He hopped aboard and tossed a few silver to the driver, “Nobles District.” Raine’s voice was foreign to his own ears. Still reeling, he missed the driver's response. Without preamble, the cart trundled away at several times the speed normal citizens were allowed to traverse the streets.

Needing something, anything, to occupy his thoughts, Raine mechanically scrolled through the system messages he hadn’t fully examined after the queen’s death.

[Due to hindrance from a higher power, additional loot and achievement rewards may be earned]

If this wasn't Zoarra, then who, and why? I don't remember pissing off any Vaaterrans other than Lirik. Regardless of how much I want to right now, I shouldn't trust Zoarra’s words. It was probably her.

[Achievement for defeating a World Class Hierarch more than fifty levels above you: Acquired Title - Big Game Executioner]

[Big Game Executioner: (Title - non-upradable) Deal execution damage to World Class Bosses below 5% health]

If this was the only reward I got, I would have been ecstatic. All world bosses have berserk mechanics. When a raid fails, more often than not, it happens in the last five to ten percent of the boss's health. Being able to skip the hardest part of every world boss is… insane. Wonder if anyone got this in the past. I sure as hell never heard of it.

[World System Announcement: Congratulations Alaric for being the first to defeat a World Class Hierarch!]

Another world announcement. I'm gaining too much fame too quickly. I need to cool it for a bit. Getting the guild up and running should keep me out of trouble for a few days at least.

Raine moved on to the other items he'd managed to score from the boss. The first wasn't any less rare than a growth weapon.

[Shimmering Star: (Chaotic Gold - Spirit Weapon) Binds to wielder upon equipping, matching their level and growing with them]

Based on the inventory thumbnail, it's a glaive. Should I? Probably not. While powerful, Spirit Weapons are notoriously annoying. Fizgore never shut up about how obnoxious his was.

Spirit Weapons, also known as living weapons, came with their own personality. Usually, they held a figment of their creator’s identity. Since crafters capable of imbuing a spirit into an item were all cantankerous old codgers, Spirit Weapons tended to be an annoying voice crowing in their owner’s ears for the rest of their days. After all, they couldn’t be dropped or discarded, exactly the same as a curse.

While they didn't consume ridiculous quantities of Superiority to grow, their grades always started at dull trash. Upgrading them required consuming dozens of similarly styled weapons of increasingly higher grades. Just to bring the Shimmering Star to Marvelous Gold would likely require millions of credits worth of equipment.

No thanks. I’ll con it off on Rhino. It’s perfect for him. Who knows, maybe hearing actual voices in his head will help balance out his ridiculous paranoia.

[Demonic Seed: (Heavenly Amethyst) Plant the seed in fertile soil and feed it souls to open a portal from the Demonic Realm]

Raine had seen enough items over the years to catch the trap in the wording. ‘From the Demonic Realm’ was a dead giveaway that the portal was a one way street. While that didn’t make the item worthless by any means, it was certainly less appealing than a true two-way portal.

Another well known problem with demonic portals was their continually ramping difficulty. At first, only weak, classless demons would come through. Once enough lives were lost in proximity to the portal, any their souls automatically consumed, it would upgrade and allow continually stronger monstrosities through. If left unchecked, even tier five gods could utilize it. At that point, a single portal could cause the downfall of multiple nations, making the Demonic Seed a trump card on the scale of a nuclear weapon.

Of course, Raine would never waste such a precious item in so petty a fashion. As with all things in ZionLine, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. A never ending supply of demons could bring a guild an equally unending supply of crafting materials, Superiority, and Attunement.

If I can set this up inside the guild grounds, we could turn it into our own personal gold mine.

The rushing wind around Raine helped dry the drool leaking from his lips. He moved on to the last two items, unsure how he was ever going to recover from getting so many good things all at once.

[Diabolical Nightmare: (Engineering Schematic - Master) (Level 50 - Mount) Durable, swift, and deadly, this mechanical nightmare is both a symbol of demonic prestige, and a mark of personal power. This schematic contains the requisite knowledge to design and create blueprints needed to craft the Diabolical Nightmare]

Raine whistled, impressed and disappointed. As a master grade crafting schematic, he wouldn’t be creating the impressive-sounding mounts any time soon.

[Dark Ochre Armaments: (Blacksmithing Schematic - Master) (Level 120) A set of majestic and domineering demonic weapons, each a possession worthy of their undeniably hefty cost. This schematic contains the requisite knowledge to craft the 15 weapons of the Dark Ochre Armaments]

Another item I won’t be using for who knows how long. Not sure what I expected after killing something so far above my level. Still, that was one hell of a haul.

Raine’s interface started buzzing halfway through reading the last item. Finally done, he answered the call and Talerra’s face appeared in the corner of his HUD, “Where are you? You were supposed to be here forty-five minutes ago! The competition starts in fifteen minutes. If you’re late, don’t think I won’t collect on your breach of contract fee!”

- Zircon The Grand Shimmering One -

- Somewhere south of Silverlight City -

Beneath Zircon, mountainous scenery passed in a blur. By her will, the ferocious winds barring her passage were torn asunder, allowing her to reach speeds that would have killed a lesser existence. The scamp dragged along beside her should have met such a fate, yet it was staved off by multiple layers of protective spells. All of which were an annoying drain on Zircon’s strained Demonic Power.

Despite their speed, the two monstrous beings chasing her continued to close the distance. It was only a matter of moments before they caught up. She could feel the resentment the two held for each other. They desperately wanted to fight amongst themselves, and yet they were willing to set aside their grudges to eliminate her. She was confident in dealing with either one of them, but together, they would easily overpower her.

Zircon clicked her tongue, “My powers in this realm are still insufficient.”

The scamp’s eyes grew wide with fear, though not for itself. The trembling of its voice matched the shuddering of its supply body, “Leave me behind, Most Dazzling Zircon! Save yourself.”

“Don't be daft. I’ll soon teleport you to a random location. Track the bearer, and report to me,” Zircon passed a Message Stone, as well as a few useful relics to the scamp. “His affinity with the artifact is too strong. He must not be permitted to grow more powerful or he will become a threat the likes of which our kind has never faced.” Zircon tapped the scamp’s forehead with a long, sharp nail. Mark of Invisibility and Mark of Flight took effect and Zircon pinned the lesser creature with a sharp glare, “Do not reveal yourself under any circumstances.”

“I understand. I will not fail you.”

“See that you don't, Peridot. If you perform well, I shall personally see to your first evolution,” with that, Zircon tapped Peridot’s forehead, unleashing a class four Greater Teleportation. With a flicker of thought, she shredded the portion of the skill that determined the arrival coordinates.

The scamp was pulled out of Zircon’s grasp and into a dark portal that was quickly left behind. As expected, the powerhouses chasing her ignored the fresh portal, continuing to chase her rather than tracing the teleportation and following the lesser creature.

Zircon played coy long enough that tracing her would be impossible. Then, she doubled her speed in an explosion of demonic energies. The tips of the mountains beneath her were torn apart from her passing. The burst of speed faded rapidly. Utilizing the small lead on her pursuers, she concentrated power into her hands and jabbed them into thin air. The fabric of the Mundane Realm parted as she spread her arms wide. 

She leaped into the fissure, allowing the walls of reality to seal behind her. When two pairs of hands rent the fabric of the nether behind her, she cursed her foul luck and fled for her life.