"I wish to offer you my surrender."
The words reverberated across the Colosseum but before John fully comprehended their meaning, a System screen popped up into his view.
[Congratulations!
You have demonstrated sufficient cunning and combat prowess inside the Hierarch's Colosseum to bring its master mere moments before his certain demise.
As a lone challenger, you now have the option to accept his surrender and leave the Colosseum as its champion without finishing the final confrontation. Otherwise, the challenge will continue until one of you dies.
Note: Despite Hierarch's sapience, he is bound by the System's rules and as such all his promises and oaths are binding]
"Spare my life, and I will let you have a single pick from my most valuable cards or items," he continued speaking, tearing John's eyes away from the screen.
Huh, that's not the outcome I was expecting. I wonder what about…
"What about the promotion card for my Bastion?"
"That is, of course, guaranteed," he answered with his powerful voice.
"Okay, and do I have to decide before I get to see the choices?" John asked and grinned, his eyes glinting with curiosity for what was about to come.
"You think that my possessions are not good enough for you?" Hierarch asked, looking like someone who smelled shit. "I can guarantee you that what I am about to offer is beyond anything most of you natives have ever seen, and…"
Seeing John slowly move his eyes down to the grey muck and back up made the Hierarch's eye twitch as he choked on his words and grew even paler—if that thing was even possible for someone with his unnaturally pale skin.
"Okay, okay," he waved his hands in sudden desperation, "no need for that! Here, have a look."
He summoned a one-handed saber that looked more like a decorative piece than a battlefield-worthy weapon. It was a curved sword with a jeweled golden hilt and a blade crafted from a dark crystal.
"This is my best weapon," he explained and with a flick of his hand shared a system screen with its stats.
[Black Jewel of Amon'rah (E)
A masterpiece creation of a renowned shardsmith of Amon'rah. Its blade is shaped from a single piece of a death-attuned crystal and its hilt is imbued with a trio of enchanted gems.
Combining the extreme sharpness of crystalline edge with powerful durability enchantment and high attunement formed a weapon worthy of both high nobility and master spellswords]
Running his thumb over the edge, John felt his skin part under only slight pressure, proving the description correct.
Even my stiletto struggled to pierce my skin, yet that blade made it through with only a light push.
"Interesting," he nodded his head in acknowledgment. "I am not sure if it is exactly what I need, but you were right, it's quality is exceptional."
"I understand," Hierarch tapped his finger on the hilt and the saber vanished from John's hands. "Perhaps this would catch your interest?" Another flick of his hand brought up a folded piece of clothing in the same midnight-black color as the robe he was wearing.
[Hierarch's Martial Garment (E)
Standard System-issued clothing for Territory Hierarchs.
This piece of fabric is enchanted to adjust itself to the size of its wearer, self-repair, and have slight resistance to environmental hazards.
Also, upon binding with your soul forms a spacial storage tattoo for five quickly accessible weapons and five cubic feet of free space]
"Damn, that's… much more useful."
Seeing John's reaction, some of Hierarch's apprehension melted away, and with more confidence, he continued with his presentation.
"Now, for the great stuff," he smiled, stored the fabric, and pulled out the first card.
It was a depiction of a regal figure sitting on a gilded throne and pointing its hand at a kneeling subject before it.
[Sovereign's Decree (E)
Issues a mental command to a single sapient being, forcing it to momentarily fall under your control and fulfill all your orders.
Tags: Mind, Cooldown, Sovereign]
This could be a problem for us in the future, I am really glad I found this out, he noted after reading through its description. After all, he would have to face this challenge a couple of days later with the other Aerilians.
"Could you explain what the Sovereign tag means?"
"That…" the Hierarch remained frozen with an open mouth for a moment before closing it and shaking his head in a negative. "Apart from the obvious, no, I can't. You will find out more in a couple of days."
Storing it, he moved to the next card.
Its picture showed a sinuous beast bulging with unnatural growths mid-leap into a formation of medieval knights.
[Minion Instability (E)
Can be linked with any minion ability, granting it the ability to self-destruct, creating an AoE effect dependent on the minion's type, rarity, and affinity.
After its self-destruction, it is prevented from being resummoned for one hour]
Not what I want at all.
That one didn't catch John's interest because not only it didn't fit into his current strategy, but also the other options were already much more intriguing.
Noticing John's lack of interest, Hierarch pulled out the next card.
"And lastly, my most valuable card."
He offered a wide smile and swapped the Minion Instability with a card depicting a large beast standing on top of a mound of torn-up corpses.
[Insurmountable odds (E)
A body-modification card that significantly increases your resistance against mind-controlling or mind-altering effects and moderately increases your resistance against all physical or magical disabling effects.
This boost to resistance is further multiplied for each difference in grade between the attacker and the wearer, but loses all its effect against attacks from enemies of a higher grade than you]
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
"Hmm…"
John could easily understand why the card was the most valuable. However, he already kind of had his version for the mind part and while resistance to disabling effects sounded great, he wasn't sure if it was worth it.
"I have a question," he said, remembering the text of the first System screen. "If I accept your surrender, what happens to you? What would stop you from being able to spread my secrets everywhere? Because I would prefer you keeping everything that happened here a secret."
"Yes… I can understand the need for that," Hierarch drawled out, letting his eyes roam over the calm grey surface below his feet. "I am willing to offer my oath to never reveal anything partaking to our encounter. Is that sufficient?"
Nodding, John began pondering on his choice.
With no experience with bladed weapons, I think I'll stick with spears and clubs for now, so the saber is crossed out.
Leaving the garment and the Decree for later, he also crossed out the Minion Instability and after a moment of thought also removed the last card. Sure, it might have been a massive help in case of unexpected betrayal, but with the mind part already covered, its usefulness could be patched up with a different card.
Now that I think about it, the most useful thing for me is the damned garment, he realized. He had access to Al'drul's Emporium, so he could solve most of the deck issues by himself, but getting Epic rarity items, especially something that seems like full-body clothing that is combined with huge item storage that can't be damaged or taken away… the choice suddenly became clear.
"I am willing to accept your surrender in exchange for the oath, the promotion card, and the Hierarch's Martial Garment," John finally spoke out after a minute of silence.
"That is an interesting choice," the Hierarch smiled and offered John his pale hand. "It is your custom to seal a deal with a shake of hands, is it not?"
"Mhm, I believe it started as a sign of trust, but yes, a handshake will do nicely," John answered and reached up to grasp Hierarch's offered hand.
It was kind of awkward with him waist-deep in blood and Hierarch floating good foot above its surface, but where is the will…
[Congratulations!
You have come to terms with Territory Hierarch and accepted his surrender.
When you are ready to be teleported out, select:
Yes!]
The Hierarch reached down with both hands, on his left, he was holding the black fabric, and on his right was the promotion card.
"Here is your compensation, and thank you for sparing my life. I am well aware that many would prefer to obtain the rewards from killing an elite C-grade instead."
"Yeah, it's… fine, I guess. Truth be told, I already made a couple of unusual friends, so what's one more? Besides, I doubt that I could have gained anything more useful than that garment by killing you," John chuckled but then frowned in thought. "That makes me wonder, what… or who are you? Why are you the first… undead?... who seems fully sapient, yet bound by some rules?"
"I…" Hierarch's face was briefly clouded by confusion, "I am not sure. All I remember is waking up in a crypt and being explained my situation by the servants of the…" his throat closed off in a clear sign of breaching the rules. Shaking his head, he continued with the second half of the explanation. "Of what I am, my race is the Risen. We are the nobility with the power to lead the undead of our Territory, however, we are bound by the System, until… I think it's time for you to leave." He finished with a mirthless laugh.
"I understand, but first let me…" John unfurled the folded fabric and stared in wonder as it morphed into a liquid that lifted like a wave and fell upon him.
What the!?
His vision was briefly covered but a moment later the part over his face opened up and he realized that he was wearing the replica of the Hierarch's robe. It even came with a pair of pants and a belt that was tied up in a complicated knot.
"What the hell just happened?" He questioned as his fingers roamed over the incredibly soft fabric.
"You just bound my spare robe to yourself. It should be similar to your pouch."
Feeling for the familiar connection, he willed for the robe to vanish, and without a sound, it was gone.
That's neat.
Another flex of his will brought it back and in a blink of an eye, it reformed around his soiled clothes.
What if I try this…
He stored all his clothes into the storage space, leaving on him only the soft robe which immediately adjusted its size to comfortably fit around his naked body.
Hah, that's even better than I thought, he watched the small grey droplets slide off its surface like rain off a raincoat.
"I wonder, will we ever meet again?"
"I'd say it is very unlikely, but so is your unexplainable power… so perhaps we might," Hierarch answered with a small smile. "It was… an experience meeting you."
After a wave of his hand, John willed 'Yes!' and his vision went black.
Ah fuck! I forgot to ask what happens when we challenge his Colosseum after I use the promotion card on my unique Bastion.
"Y-you are back!" He heard a female voice at the same time his bare feet touched a cold smooth surface.
"Wha… uhh…"
Blinking the darkness away he felt hands reach around him and press him into a tight hug.
[Cong…
.
.
.]
Feeling the peaceful warmth, he pushed the System notifications to the side and relaxed his tensed muscles.
"Yeah… I am back," he mumbled, gently patting the amber-haired lady's back, suddenly feeling very tired.
They remained like that for a couple of seconds until John felt her stiffen and take in a sharp breath.
"I am so sorry," she squeaked, letting go of him and taking a couple of steps back. "I don't know why I did that. It was inappropriate of me to…"
"Don't worry about it," John interrupted her, noticing the deep blush creeping on her face. "I am glad I made it and can't wait to tell you what happened there.
"Before that, how about we get outside," Galan'il jumped into the conversation. "I've had enough of this stuffy cellar and a bit of fresh air would do wonders for all of us.
Nodding, John let them lead him into a small garden behind the chapel with a small gazebo.
"Let me first check up on the System messages and maybe you could help me pick out the best rewards."
Seeing their eager nods, John pulled up the first screen.
[Congratulations!
You are the first in this world to overcome the Territory Hierarch's Colosseum.
Rewards: Three single-use cards offering a free building upgrade for any Citadel, Fate is increased by 8.
Note: Promote Bastion card is guaranteed to drop from every Territory Hierarch killed, but can be only used inside the Territory it was obtained in]
Hah, the first place overall is mine once again.
After sharing the contents of the message, Galanil whistled and laughed out loud.
"You crazy… madman," he spoke in between laughs. "You just gained upgrades for your most important buildings for free. That gives us access to Epic cards and heroic meals."
"Stop interrupting him," Dilah'ec nudged Galan'il's side. "I am sure there is even more in the next one.
Grinning, John swiped that screen away and let his eyes skim through the other one.
[Congratulations!
You are the first in this world to challenge a Territory Hierarch alone and come out of his Colosseum alive.
Reward: First choice of two out of five extremely precious rewards, Fate is increased by 6]
[Make a choice!
1: A 100% discount coupon for any non-single-use Epic card from Al'drul's Emporium.
2: A bracelet enchanted with a special ability Unchained Freedom. (Allows the wearer to teleport up to fifty paces in any unobstructed direction, breaking out of movement-impairing effects. Six hours Cooldown.)
3: A single-use charm invoking an ability Twilight Lance. (A penetrating blow with power comparable to an attack from a peak C-grade monster.
4: A soul-mark: The Unyielding Champion. (A permanent mark carved into your soul, granting you a slight resistance against all negative influences.)
5: Benevolent Monarch's throne. (A heavily enchanted piece of furniture that integrates with Citadel's throne room, granting a choice among three Territory-wide minor boons. The active boon can be changed once every day.)
Note: First come first served]
"Well damn, those are some cool options," John noted after reading aloud all of his choices.
"John, you should definitely pick the…"
"No, pick these two instead…"
"Wait, that makes no sense… those two are clearly much better…"
Sitting there in silence, John listened to their wild argument for almost a minute before he sighed and stepped in.
"Calm down, both of you!" He berated his companions. "Let's slow down and go through each of the options before I decide which pair I'll pick out, okay?"