Chapter 9: Underworld

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* Several thousand years earlier -

* In the ruins of a city located somewhere in the Underworld -

“Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”(Diuscrucis)

“Stop screaming!”(???)

‘Gasp’ “Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”(Diuscrucis)

“Payback, please heal him.”(???)

“Done.”(Payback?)

“Ow. That hurt. I haven’t felt that kind of pain since Suzi nailed me to my bed a couple years back. Hay Death. It’s been a while.”(Diuscrucis)

When I stopped screaming I stood up and got off the pile of rubble I was laying on. Looking around, I noticed a few things. Firstly, I was naked, missing my left arm and had a huge semicircle hole on the left side of my chest. My heart is gone, most of my lungs are gone. I’m actually quite surprised how much blood is still flowing out of me. Secondly, I was in the ruins of a destroyed city. I think. Thirdly, the sky had a white star illuminating the dark gray sky. Lastly there are four people standing on pillars in front of me. Each pillar reaches a good six or seven feet out of the ground. Looking at them I noticed Death staring at me. He is a black skeleton with glowing green eyes. If I didn’t meet him every time I was almost killed by my sister then I would be slightly creeped out by the eyeballs moving in his eye sockets without them ever touching the edges. He is wearing his customary black robes and all his fingers have at least one ring on them. I can never understand why he wears so much jewelry.

“Ya. Two weeks is probably the longest you've gone without almost dying. A new record!”(Death)

“Indead. So, why are you visiting me this time?”(Diuscrucis)

“You died and I wanted to collect your soul in person. They just came to see who caused all the ruckus in the Underworld. You killed a lot of people before you died Diuscrucis.”(Death)

“I see. So, who are you three?”(Diuscrucis)

After asking that, the other three people moved a little closer to me and started to introduce themselves. From left to right they introduced themselves as……

“I am Monday. I am the God of Protagonists and Mondays.”(Monday)

Monday is a short and chubby man with short blue hair. He is wearing a black suit with a stack of papers in one hand. He is wearing clear glasses but, I can't see his eyes from this angle.

“Monday has a god?”(Diuscrucis)

“Of course it does. All days and holidays have gods. If they didn’t, all the realms would fall into chaos. Unlike many of those gods however, I take my job vary seriously. Now tell me. What do you plan on doing after this?”(Monday)

“Wander around the Underworld for a bit and visit some old friends if they are still around. Then get reincarnated into a new life. Hopefully one without an overly affectionate sister.”(Diuscrucis)

“I see. Good! Then I don’t have to worry. Don’t cause trouble while you're here and we will never see each other again. Death, Fate, Karma, it was good seeing you all again.”(Monday)

Saying that he disappeared in a stream of blue lights.

“Looks like I’m next. My name is Payback but, most just call me Karma. I came here to see the demon who died with no karma.”(Karma)

Karma was a beautiful woman with long flowing hair and scantily clad clothing. Her skin and clothing were all different shades of pink.

“No karma? Isn't that impossible?”(Diuscrucis)

“Normally it is. People naturally gain good or bad karma on their own. When someone with a large amount of good karma does a bad deed then their good karma decreases, and vise versa if they are evil doing a good deed. You died with no karma. Do you know what this means?”(Karma)

“No ”(Diuscrucis)

“No karma means no luck and no way to know what to reincarnate you as.”(Karma)

“This could be a problem. Let me guess…… You want me to do some jobs for you so I can gain some karma and you will know what to reincarnate me as, right?”(Diuscrucis)

“Exactly.”(Karma)

Smiling she looks at Death who is on her left.

“You already know me so let's move on.”(Death)

“I know but, I want to hear it anyway.”(Diuscrucis)

“Fine. I am Death the Skeleton King. You already know why I’m here.”(Death)

‘Semi yell’ “Audible Gasp!”(Diuscrucis)

‘Smiling’ “Cheeky bastard.”(Death)

Death is a great guy. He loves gambling, the misfortune of others, and acts more like an impulse shopper than most women I know. Now that's saying something considering that all the women I have gone shopping with would buy anything that sparkles. He would do anything in order to get a bigger paycheck and because of that he will do his best to collect every soul that enters the Underworld. More souls equal more Underworld credits or so he explained. I never quite understood economics. Looking to the last man in the row, we stared at each other with intense glares. He is an old man who's about two and a half to three feet tall. His skin is as dark as the night sky and his eyes, bushy eyebrows, and kung fu mustache that is almost as long as he is tall are as white as clouds. He is wearing a tracksuit with some green and red dragons on them. He must be Fate. After close to three minutes in a silent staring contest he finally blinked.

“Ha!”(Diuscrucis)

“Damn.”(Fate)

“This is the first time you leave your home in several centuries and this is the first thing you do Fate?”(Karma)

“I was just sizing him up. The stare down only happened after I was done. He is a man who will bring a great many changes in the future. I'll be seeing you three later and Diuscrucis.”(Fate)

“Ya?”(Diuscrucis)

“I’ll be giving you a job from time to time so be ready to act on a moment's notice.”(Fate)

Saying that he disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Interesting guy.

‘Heavy sigh’ “Now that they're gone let's get down to business. I want you to be my champion.”(Karma)

…………..What?

“What?”(Diuscrucis)

“I said, I want you to be my champion.”(Karma)

“Why?”(Diuscrucis)

“I need someone who can help balance out the playing field and can act as a neutral force in any conflict. A war across all the realms is starting and it is only a matter of time before it reaches here. You were one of the most powerful people alive at the time of your death and you have boundless potential so reaching max level and becoming the strongest person in all the realms isn’t impossible. This way even if the world leans too far one way or the other then I can easily send someone to fix it.”(Karma)

“I will be your champion under two conditions. The first one being that I am allowed to act freely as long as you don’t want something done a specific way. the second one being that I get to keep my pet dungeon. I got her in a fight several years back and I don’t want to leave raising her to my sister.”(Diuscrucis)

“I can accept these conditions. Now Death, give him his new profession so his soul can recognize a new god as its protector.”(Karma)

Notice

The profession “Horseman of Death” has been offered to you by Death on behalf of Payback.

Set to Primary: traveling between realms will not affect you no matter how you were sent through them. Death, being flung, or tearing your way through and to any realm will have no effect on you and you will retain your memories and body no matter how many times you are killed.

Set to Sub: You will have unlimited mana for as long as the sun is down or you are in the Underworld.

Don’t set.

I wonder which one I should choose? Hmm?..... Setting the new job to primary, I got some unpleasant notifications.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Notice

You are now the champion of the Goddess Payback. For becoming her champion you have officially abandoned the Forgotten Goddess who had laid claim to your soul countless life times ago. Unfortunately she refuses to release her claim on you until you go to her temple and forsake her in person.

Notice

The Forgotten Goddess has been sent into a hysteric state from your sudden change of loyalty. She has cursed you with “Bad End”. The curse can only be lifted by the Forgotten Goddess’s death or abandoning your role as “Champion of Karma”. She awaits your decision. She may or may not be currently curled up in a corner cuddling a small doll that looks like you while she is crying her eyes out.

Notice

You have gained the title “Champion of Karma”. It’s a name normally given to champions of the God Karma however, since Payback is often compared with her uncle because of their “keep it balanced out” attitude she has adopted his role and name as her own. The owner of the title will never gain or lose karma.

Ok, this title is bullshit!

Notice

The curse “Bad End” changes the destiny of The cursed person to always be killed shortly after their good karma reaches a certain point.

“You were claimed by another god and it's from countless lifetimes ago? This is a first. Normally a god would abandon their chosen person after that person dies and they would go on to someone else….….... It doesn’t matter. I won’t abandon my new champion because of a dumb curse. I’ll give you this spell to counter the curse. Now I will be contacting you later when I need you to do some jobs. For now, Death will be the skeleton you will be reporting to from now on.”(Karma)

Notice

Spell “Plot hole armor” learned. Payback has gifted you with her most useless spell. It allows the caster to sacrifice all their karma in order to poke holes in other people’s plot armor. Effects may include target’s death, loss of romance, getting robbed and or raped, becoming more dense, loss of immortality and other abilities that can save the targets life, and excessive stupidity. Number and size of holes depends on amount of karma stored.

Useless skill my ass! This is probably the best spell I have ever earned. Smiling, Karma disappeared in a puff of white smoke. In her place a golden jewel the size of a dodgeball hit the floor. Walking over to pick it up, I start talking to Death.

“Yo, Death. What's the difference between a hero and a champion again?”(Diuscrucis)

“Heros are the people charged with saving the world. They fight a great evil and are usually summoned by Monday. Champions are responsible for cleaning up the messes left behind by their god. Sometimes by starting or ending wars. however, they usually end up with a bunch of odd jobs.”(Death)

“Good to know. My next question would be, why are you working for her?”(Diuscrucis)

“We started dating a few months back and this was the first time she ever asked for something from me so…….”(Death)

“Wait. Can you even fuck? I mean, you're a skeleton and are missing many……………. things.”(Diuscrucis)

Yes I can fuck! I may not be able to have kids but, I can still have sex! Now if you wouldn’t mind closing that wound of yours so you can stop flooding this city. This place is located inside a crater and your blood is starting to reach three feet off the floor.”(Death)

“Sorry about that.”(Diuscrucis)

Closing my eyes, I try closing my wound but nothing happens. This is a problem.

Status

Name: Diuscrucis De Reaper

Race: True Doppel Mimic King

Level: 370

Age: 19

Level of Karma: None

Profession: Horseman of Death(Beginner Rank)

Sub Professions: Blacksmith and Alchemist

Title: De Reaper

Criminal Record: None

Spells: [Plot hole Armor]

Skills: [Mimic]

Masteries: Error

I lost more than half my level and all my skills, spells, and masteries. Just what exactly killed me? Now I can't seem to heal anymore. This day sucks. Picking up the gold jewel, I turned to tell Death the bad news when.

{Don’t feel sad Dad. We can always relevel.}(???)

{Lulu. It's good to hear your voice again. Even if it's only in my head.}(Diuscrucis)

{Sorry I couldn’t talk sooner. I was busy remodeling my home while selling some junk I created.}(Lulu)

{When did you get your own house and started selling items? Actually, while we are on this subject. Why have I seen none of this?}(Diuscrucis)

{Because of our contract.}(Lulu)

{You mean the same contract that we made when I made you into my pet? The one that I have never actually seen or know the contents of? That contract?}(Diuscrucis)

{Yes.}(Lulu)

{What else did you hide in there?}(Diuscrucis)

{When I’m old enough to bare children then Dad needs to marry me.}(Lulu)

{I’m your fiancé!?}(Diuscrucis)

{Dad, I can make you a new arm so…}(Lulu)

“You ok? You have been staring at the floor for the last three minutes.”(Death)

“Give me a minute. I’m talking to a little girl who is about to be in a lot of trouble.”(Diuscrucis)

{As I was saying. I can make you a new arm and….}(Lulu)

{Answer the question.}(Diuscrucis)

{Yes…….Dad? Are you mad at me?}(Lulu)

{I am but, it doesn't matter right now. Make me a new arm and stay quiet while I finish up here.}(Diuscrucis)

{Yes Dad.}(Lulu)

Bringing the jewel next to my missing arm, it glowed and started growing. It connected all the missing flesh and made a golden arm with dragon scales. After the hole on the side of my chest was gone, the golden color rapidly turned into a dark purple/black color. I can feel Lulu’s body take the place of my heart and all my blood was flowing through her. It is a weird sensation. My arm looked like a regular arm and hand but, they had purple/black scales on it. It looks amazing and it even changes appearance when I add some mana to it.

{Good job Lulu. I’ll be sure to reward you later for your good work.}(Diuscrucis)

{Thank you Dad!}(Lulu)

“Do I have any jobs available Death?”(Diuscrucis)

Looking at Death again, I waited for his answer. He pulled a piece of charred paper from his robes and started talking.

“You do. Let’s see… here it is. Monday is running an experiment and wants to try training new heroes in the underworld before sending them to the living realms. He wants you to train them. He has three groups of heroes and you can train them in whatever order you want. His only requirement is that you don’t kill to many of them or he will come down here and kick your ass.”(Death)

“How does Monday already have jobs for me? More importantly, Is that a self updating mission sheet you have in your hand?”(Diuscrucis)

“Indeed it is.”(Death)

“I see. Carry on.”(Diuscrucis)

“Karma wants you to end multiple turf wars in the Underworld. The the main leaders being the King of Crows, a mad mythos god, a power hungry empress, and an undead army need to be pacified or eliminated. Lastly, Fate says kill the mad mythos god after you complete the other tasks. Otherwise you will never stand a chance.”(Death)

“The King of Crows huh? I must say that it's been awhile since I heard that name.”(Diuscrucis)

“You know the guy?”(Death)

“Ya I do. I met him shortly before he died and I got his daughter as a pet.”(Diuscrucis)

“His daughter?”(Death)

“Ya. Her name is Lulu. When she was old enough to properly talk to me she started calling me dad because I always took care of her. I fed her, bathed her, played with her, and she ended up never calling me by my name. She just calls me dad no matter the situation and is always wanting my praise.”(Diuscrucis)

“That is probably the best way to raise an obedient pet that I have heard recently. Does she know you are going to see her real father?”(Death)

“She does.”(Diuscrucis)

“I see. Well let's hope that all your training will be enough to keep her loyal to you. Now what are you going to do first?”(Death)

“I’m going to meet the first group of heroes and deal with Crow first. After that I’ll decide when I get there.”(Diuscrucis)

“Then I will be talking to you later then. Good luck. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some souls to collect.”(Death)

“Before you go Death, can you look into something for me?”(Diuscrucis)

“Sure. What do you need?”(Death)

“I need you to look into the Forgotten Goddess that has a claim on my soul. Who ever that may be.”(Diuscrucis)

“A forgotten goddess huh? I’ll see what I can find.”(Death)

“Thanks.”(Diuscrucis)

“Don’t thank me yet. Finding information about forgotten gods is not easy and sometimes downright impossible if you can't travel through time."(Death)

Saying that, Death jumped from his pillar and disappeared in the sky.

{Looks like we have our work cut out for us. Are you ready to meet your real dad Lulu?}(Diuscrucis)

{He is not my dad anymore. I am your daughter and pet Dad. So do with me as you see fit.}(Lulu)

{Then let's find a city so we can contact Monday and meet that first group of heroes…… I should probably find some clothing so I can stop walking in the nude first though.}(Diuscrucis)

{I think you look great Dad.}(Lulu)

{Thanks for the complement.}(Diuscrucis}

{‘Giggles’}(Lulu)

Looking around the pillar, I could see that my blood flooded this city with a good five and a half feet of blood.

“This might take a while.”(Diuscrucis)

After an hour of hopping from building to building looking for clothing, I finally found some. A pair of dark jeans and a whitish tank top with a pair of pink sneakers was my new outfit. Looking around, I noticed that the white star was setting and a green square was taking its place in the sky. After waiting a few more minutes, I started moving around the outside of the crater until I spotted a small dim light in the distance.

{Looks like I might have found our closest city. Ready?}(Diuscrucis)

{Ready Dad.}(Lulu)

‘Sinister smile’ “Then let's see what this group of heroes are made of.”(Diuscrucis)