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Vol2 Chapter1 Light and Thieves
After several weeks of travel, Don had reached Eisendol, the capital city of Sairei Kingdom. Sairei was an eastern kingdom, small but well located. To its west was the busy central kingdoms and to its east was the vast unexplored wilderness. Don came to meet a contact of a friend, the contact was a priest of the church of Lu, the god of Light.
Don’s clothing looks like he had traveled to the kingdom in the mouth of a t-rex who treated Don like chewing gum the whole way. This was in fact, torn and tattered on purpose by Don to make him less noticeable. Since finishing the quest where he learned to play the lute had increase his charisma and charm stats, his overall attractiveness had become a problem. Although the wolf leather cloak that covered his head did turn people’s head, they only looked once and moved on, a great improvement to having people continuously stare or even follow him.
That isn’t to say he had an easy journey, but despite dying several time he had managed to level to 131 before arriving. Another 30 levels and he would be able to equip the moonlight blades he kept in his bag. Don traversed through the city to the doorway of the Temple of Lu. Beside the entrance was a grand relief carving of a warrior holding a spear with an image of the sun above him. In front of the temple was a line of people who ‘donated’ money to be blessed by the local clergy. Don entered the temple, besides various robed men walking around, inside stood a gold plated statue of Lu in the back.
You have seen the Statue of Lu+10 Str
+10 Agi
For a day
There were many priests who were praying before it. Don walked up to a priest and said, “Do you know if Priest Brit is around?” The priest nodded and pointed to a robed man who sat at a nearby table writing documents with a feather pen. Brit was the name of the contact given to Don who may be able to help him raise his divine affinity.
Don walked up to the table and said, “Hello, my name is Don, a mutual friend, Bob, sent me.”
Brit look up from the desk for a moment before going back to writing. He said, “Ah yes. So what can this humble servant of Lu do for you?”
“Well, I need as high a divine affinity as possible as fast as possible.”
At Don’s answer Brit halted his pen for a moment, only to dip it into the inkwell and continue writing before saying, “Well the fastest way to raise divine affinity in such a short period of time is to make a contract with a divine entity. This would give a boost to divine affinity and is the fastest way to raise it quickly.”
Don gave a sigh of relief that such a method was possible, more thinking out loud than asking a question, Don said, “So all I have to do is make a few contracts with a few gods.”
At this Brit’s pen slide across the paper, his eyes wide with disbelief. He took a deep breath, set the paper aside and started a fresh one before saying calmly, “No. It doesn’t work like that. Once you have a contract with a divine being, other would not make a pact with you so easily. And even if one did, the original god you made the pact with would be furious. You would at best be cursed and at worst be made to suffer horribly until you deleted your account. Gods do not take kindly to those who cheat on them.”
Brit made it sound like gods were jealous girlfriends who went psycho at the drop of a hat. A few moments later another holy man, this one with a larger hat, approached Brit from behind. After getting Brit’s attention, he quietly told him something Don couldn’t hear while casting glances at Don. Brit’s expression at whatever news the man had brought seem to shake him up far more than Don’s outrageous claim had.
Brit set the pen in the inkwell and said, “Follow me, someone wants to speak with you.”
Don realized that the man who had spoken to Brit had four paladins with him who each stared at Don, he wasn’t being given the option to refuse. Don was escorted to a room behind the statue of Lu where the paladins and the man from before waited at the door but did not follow inside. There Brit brought him to another door and paused before opening it. He looked at Don and said, “If you speak falsely or ingenuously you may not return alive. The one inside has never asked to speak to an outsider before, I do not know why you have been summoned.”
Don asked jokingly, “Who is it, the bishop or something?”
“No, the bishop was the man who told me to bring you here.” Brit opened the door leaving Don to wander who gives orders to the bishop in this place. Brit did not follow inside and closed the door after him. The room was lit with candles, but otherwise empty, save a small statue of Lu at the end. Don figured either the person who wanted to meet him was on his way or that the person was already inside, watching him. Don looked around for a bit and concluded that he saw no one else inside.
He walked back to the door and a voice spoke from behind him.
-Not even a hello? That’s quite rude of you.
Don turned back around, no one was there. While looking for the voice he said, “My apologies, I did not see you.”
-Not see me? But I am here. As clear as the sun on a cloudless day.
The voice came from the back of the room, behind the statue of Lu.
-Still can’t see me? Here, this should help.
The statue of Lu started glowing, now that he was looking at it, Don realized the voice was coming from the statue. Unfortunately this made his recall the unfortunate incident that took place the last time a statue talked to him, a memory that put him a bit off.
Still, Don composed himself and said, “Greetings almighty Lu, lord of light, son of the sun, god of the harvest and crafts.”
-So you know a bit of me huh? I on the other hand know nothing of you. Yet as soon as you entered this temple I felt your presence. Not yours specifically but the presence of the object you carry with you. Then I heard of what you sought and thought I’d have a word with you. I hear all and see all within my temples, but this room is for private conversations, something I’m sure can appreciate. Now, why is it you seek such a high divinity, even to risk the wrath of the gods by forming multiple pacts. And does it have something to do with the object I sense you carry, the item that carries a holy energy more ancient that my own.
Don was told not to lie so he brought the egg out of his inventory and said, “This egg will hatch in 380 days. Within is a holy dragon that bares no hatred for the non dragon races. I wish to raise it for good once it hatches, but to qualify to raise it without being a dragon I need an outstandingly high divine affinity.” It wasn’t a lie, Don wasn’t a bad person so if he raised it he wouldn’t let it become bad, so technically he was ‘raising it for good.’
-Hmm, a noble cause. But such a feat will not be simple or easy. And should you fail, you would unleash a dragon that could become the greatest enemy Versailles has ever faced. The risk is great, the reward may not be worth it.
“The chances of success would increase if I had a sponsor.”
-Hmm? Make yourself clear.
“There is no way I can raise my divine affinity on my own, I need someone to guide me to raise my divine affinity as fast as possible.”
-I see, and what would said sponsor receive as compensation?
“My loyalty, and by proxy, the loyalty of my dragon. Even if I can’t get it to be loyal to the god in question, I can still help others within the church raise an affinity with it, gaining its friendship in times of peace and earning its power for when its needed.”
-Hmm, I see. But you do not truly know what you are asking, do you know what divine affinity is?
“Affinity... to the divine?...”
-... Affinity is an understanding of similarities between two being and the closeness such understandings bring. Divine refers that which comes from a holy being. For example when that dragon hatches, it droppings would be classified as divine, for it comes from a holy being. To acquire divine affinity however means to gain the understanding that you share aspects of yourself with the aspects of a holy being, thus bringing you closer to said holy being. This is something that members of the church take years, if not decades to accomplish. Such aspects are generally good, so the higher one’s divine affinity, the more likely the person is good.
Don asked, “In that case how does a pact work?”
-In a pact the divine being gives a part of itself to the contractor in return for a part of themselves, upon receiving this the contractor gains some aspects of the being, a direct way to get divine affinity.
Don didn’t want to bring up making pacts with other gods, but it seemed like the only option. The temple of Freya was a few months journey to the north, but both Freya and Lu had conflicting dominion over the harvest, they were eachothers greatest rivals.
“Are there other ways to raise divine affinity besides understanding and pacts?” Don was desperate, he didn’t expect an answer.
-Hmm, as a matter of fact, there is.
Don held his breath for a moment.
-When a god dies, they leave a part of themselves behind. If you kill a god and absorb this, it is little different than forming a pact, though one way. Divine affinity could be gained this way.
Don blinked once, then twice. “Kill a god? Is that possible?”
-Well we don’t advertise it but yes, gods can be slain. It doesn’t even take much to kill the minor ones if you do it right. A god’s power on the mortal plain comes from the number of worshipper and contractors they possess. The fewer the number the weaker the god. The trick though is getting the weak or weakened god to come to you.
Don asked, “How do you do that?”
The statue remained quiet for a moment.
-You really wanna do this?
“If this is the only way to get divine affinity fast enough.”
-Alright. There happen to be some minor gods trying to move in on my territory. Its to my benefit to remove them as well. If you agree to kill them, I’ll lend you some aid.
Ding*
Slay the Gods
Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance.
Difficulty: Unknown
Progress 00/19
“It would be my honor to serve the lord of light.”
You have accepted the quest.
A point of light appeared before the statue and grew into a blinding sphere of light the size of an orange. A moment later it dimmed, as it was being enveloped by a white box that materialized around it.
-Take this, it is a small piece of my power. Any god that absorbs it will gain great power themselves. The box conceals its presence, but if opened near the shrine of another god, they will sense it and come in person, likely believing it was being offered to them as tribute. But be warned, should you allow this be absorbed by any god other than myself, you will be punished. Severely. Will you still take it?
Don didn’t hesitate and grabbed the box. “I promise you this will be returned to you safely.”
After taking it Don said, “Oh, should I make a pact with you or...”
-Safer not to for now. Absorbing the essence of others may be less effective if you are already under contract. In 380 days if you have done well by me, I will make a pact with you.
After thanking Lu, the god of light told him to wait in the main hall for something.
Don left the room to see that Brit was still there. The priest said, “You were in there for a while, I thought you may have been obliterated.”
Don smiled weakly and said, “Not quite. I was asked to go kill some of Lu’s competition though.”
Don walked past Brit who could barely mouth the word, “What?!”
In the main hall, Don waited until two people walked up to him. The female priest said, “My name is Rose, Imma prophet of Lu.” The paladin said, “I’m Tolan, an apostle of Lu.”
Prophets were ones who spoke for their god, apostles were those who traveled for their god. Don had a feeling he knew where this was going.
Tolan said, “Lord Lu instructed us to accompany you on your journey. I’m to keep you safe and she’ll relay Lu’s instruction.”
Don turned to Rose who smiled and said, “The first place Lord Lu said to go is the Den of forty thieves. A cave outside the city. The thieves within worship a fox god that grants them increased luck.”
Don said, “So kill all the thieves inside to lower the power of the fox god, then lure it out and kill it.”
She nodded. “Lu wanted to start you off with an easy one.”
With that the pair moved to exit the temple with Don in tow. Don took one last look back inside to see Brit with his mouth agasp. He seemed to recognize the pair.
After leaving the city Don took off the ragged wolf leather cloak, revealing his appearance for the first time to the pair.
Rose said, “Oh ho, so you were hiding something good under there.”
“If it is too distracting I’ll put the cloak back on.” Don replied.
“No, no. I prefer to be able to see your eyes.”
Tolan caught a glance at Don but said nothing. It wasn’t that he was holding back, he just didn’t have an opinion on it. He did however want to know a bit more about his new companion before entering enemy territory. Tolan said, “So tell us more about yourself.”
Don had a small hope that these two didn’t judge books by their cover before explaining, “I’m a level 131 blade dancer. Although of the dancer class I am a combat oriented. I distract enemies during fights and draw their attention, preventing them from running away while I slash and dance.”
Tolan only nodded, satisfied by the answer. Rose said, “Ohh, that’s neat. First time I’ve seen a combat dancer.”
Although she said it was her first time, she didn’t seem surprised, neither did Tolon. Don sighed in relief.
The first thing Don noticed about the pair what that they were Users, not NPCs. Don didn’t know however how strong they were or if their titled classes were different from ordinary priests and paladins.
Don started up a conversation. “So what can you tell me about the den of thieves?”
Tolan answered. “The bandit chief, the boss of the whole place is about level 200. His branch officers are about 170, and the regular thieves are about 150. They hire mercenaries of various skill levels to keep the place secure. The dungeon has five levels, each more dangerous than the previous one. If you are killed by a thief as opposed to a mercenary, the chances of you dropping items is higher. In total there are probably about 350 people inside.”
Don took note of each fact, especially the last one. The valuable items in his inventory included his moonlight blades, dragon egg, and the essence of Lu. Losing any of them would be devastating, had he known about this beforehand he would have at least found a place to store the dragon egg and swords before coming.
By the time the group arrived it was an hour until sunset. Before entering however, Don said, “We should wait an hour and a half.”
Tolan and Rose looked at each other, Rose asked, “What for?”
“I can give buffs that depend on the light in the sky. Tonight is a new moon so the brightest light will be the constellations. I don’t know what but it could give an amazing buff.”
Tolan asked, “How long does it last?”
“Two hours.”
Rose and Tolan both nodded. They did not know what kind of skill had such a mechanism and they were curious enough to wait.
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After the sun set and and the clouds parted, the stars shone brightly above them. They had already formed a party, so the buff would affect them as well. “Light of the Heavens.”
A small constellation glowed brightly for an instant.
Lyra Buff
Music played has additional effects.
Don stood there, flabbergasted. Rose suddenly burst out laughing. After she calmed down she said, “It’s August, Lyra, the Lyre is currently the brightest constellation.”
Don meekly asked, “The Lyre?”
She answered, “Yea. According to mythology, after the musician Orpheus died, he and his lyre were brought up into the heavens by Zeus. So, does anyone here play an instrument?”
Don was the one who made the pair wait around for the buff so if he did nothing than he had made them wait for nothing. He brought out his lute and started playing a simple melody.
Gift of Music
While music is being heard, listeners receive 1.3x Gained Exp and a 7% increase to all stats.
Don stopped playing due to shock at the message, immediately the gift of music buff vanished. Rose and Tolan had similar reactions.
Tolan said, “Well, that was worth it. Keep that thing out and keep playing until the buff runs out.”
Don started playing again, though he didn’t really want to. The buff required Don to keep playing so, although he would receive exp for being in the party, he would not be able to directly fight until the buff wore out.
The group approached the entrance to the dungeon while being announced by music. The cave was not well known but it wasn’t a secret either. A group of twelve people had gathered in front of the cave entrance to form a raiding party. They immediately noticed the trio’s presence, not just from the music, but from the buff. The buff affected every listener, party, no party, friend and even foe alike.
One of the group members came over and addressed Tolan, likely thinking he was the captain of the group. He said, “That’s an amazing bard you have there, would you like to join our guild’s raiding party?”
Don kept silent, prompting Tolan to answer, “The ability to produce this buff will be lost in two hours. Also our group intends to go all the way to the deepest part of the dungeon to the boss’s chamber.”
The man remained pensive for a moment before saying, “This dungeon has recently fallen under our guild’s jurisdiction, you are servants of Lu, yes? The boss’s drops belong to our guild.”
Tolan smiled, “Our group has no interest in the drops within this dungeon. Lu has proclaimed this dungeon’s inhabitants to be worshippers of a false god and to be exterminated with extreme prejudice. We are to kill the false god within.”
The man relaxed, he seemed to be hesitant in making an enemy out of a follower of Lu, but now he knew their goals would not conflict with each other.
The man said, “In that case I see no problems, we too head for the dungeon’s basement. A bard, priest and paladin are more than welcome, you may stick with us as long as you wish.”
Tolan nodded and the trio joined the raiding party.
The group stayed at the back of the party, with Tolan protecting and Don playing. Rose kept herself busy by healing anyone who came to her and buffing the whole lot. So unlike Don and Tolan, she was able to easily raise her skill proficiencies.
The first level had few thieves, mostly mercenaries whose levels were lesser or equal to Don’s own. Another effect of playing the lute inside the dungeon was that it announced their presence within, calling every monster to them. The group swept through like a flood and in under thirty minutes the first floor was emptied.
Don had yet to see Tolan’s skills but judging by the effectiveness of Rose’s buffs and healing skill, she was over level 200, Tolan was likely about the same if not stronger. The pair could take out the entire place on their own.
The second floor took a little over an hour. The mercenaries were tougher and there were more thieves lurking in the shadows. Despite having a few priests of their own, Rose’s ministrations still saved a few lives that would have been lost due to sneak attacks. No one complained though, although Rose and Tolan were among the exceptions, almost everyone had gained a level or two since entering the dungeon. Don was also among the exceptions. Experience from the raid is not distributed to those who don’t deal damage, and Rose and Tolan’s kills only included the few that made it through the rest so shared exp from them was no where near enough to boost Don’s level.
Don could not do the same thing for too long without getting bored, this included playing music. At some point he got sick of hearing the melody he was playing so he tried to change it up. As long as he kept playing the buff would continue so if he had to play anyways he thought he might as well find something decent to play. He tried various patterns of chords and settled on an upbeat melody that was catchy and simple. After a while he slowly made it more complicated, he was working towards one of his minor goals of making a song for each dance he had. He was trying to find the right fit for Dance of the Fighter.
You have learned new skill: Lute Playing
About ten minutes before the buff would wear off and Don could start fighting he got a message saying he officially could play the lute. He did notice that it became easier to direct his fingers to play specific chords, like his fingers moved independently of his control to produce the sound he was thinking of without effort. Don sighed a bit, although this would make playing easier he wasn’t looking forward to circumstances where he had to play.
A few minutes later the Lyra buff wore off and the gift of music buff along with it. The captain of the raiding party said, “Well nothing good last forever. Thanks be to you though, my guild has become stronger thanks to your bard and priest, stay with us as long as you like.” he was talking to Tolan who nodded and said, “Very well, but you should know that our elf isn’t a bard. You can thank him by letting him fight on the front lines, I’ll join him.”
The captain didn’t seem to believe Tolan at first but then Don equipped his black swords and walked into combat. A bandit, two thieves and seven mercenaries were fighting the raiding party. Don started his dance of the fighter and approached the group of seven thieves. His movements looked quick and reckless, but it made one’s heart beat faster because it was exciting, like watching dangerous action movie, but with rhythmic movements. Don slashed and parried and slashed, his swords were great for a level 50 but they didn’t do much damage at these levels, he had to rely on criticals and counters to take down his targets as fast as possible.
The dance did not specify that it only affected party members, it affected all allies that saw the dance, because of this the entire raiding party that looked received a buff that increased attack and defense, it also stacked with the buffs from the priests and shamans in the group. Thanks to the skill Cross body parry which was always a counter and illusion steps which made after images that deceived the eyes, Don appeared to have higher attack and agility than he actually did. That and the fact that his dance distracted the enemy while buffing his allies made the group see the ‘bard’ in a new light.
Behind the group, Rose smiled and said to Tolan, “So that’s a blade dancer huh?”
Tolan said, “Looks like this will be more interesting than I thought.”
Rose perked up, “Yup, Lord Lu wouldn’t have assigned us to assist a lost cause. Now don’t you think it’s about time for you to start? I don’t need you back here and he is already up there.”
Tolan nodded and took out his tower shield and broadsword, Rose gave him some buffs and he marched to the head of the battle.
Three minutes later the floor was cleared. Buffed by Rose, Tolan’s might squashed the thieves and mercs like bugs. A few of the raid members stared in disbelief and shock. Several of the mercenaries were planted into the walls by the power of Tolan’s shield bash alone. It was a bit awkward for him so he returned to the back of the group to the sound of Rose’s giggling.. Tolan decided he would simply wait until they reached the final boss room.
The fourth floor had mostly groups of level 170 bandits and mercenaries. Don stayed in the front lines but was barely able to do any damage. Without illusion steps he would have been killed already. He still wanted to increase his skill proficiency.
Skill Level up: Illusion Steps: 6Skill Level up: Dance of the Fighter: 2
Thanks to the constant healing and defense buffs from Rose, Don lived and even managed to gain two levels before they went to the fifth and final floor.
Tolan took point and dealt with about a third of the powerful bandits, mercenaries, and even assassins that came the party’s way. Thanks to this, the weaker members of the group, like Don, were able to fight on the front like without being overwhelmed and ripped to small pieces.
Your Blade Dancing has reached level 10, and becomes Intermediate
You can now create your own unique blade dances with unique effectsYou have learned new skill: Dance of scattering light
In the pause between battles, Don opened up his skill window to see the new skill.
Dance of Scattering Light [1] 0%
While dancing in a bright area your swords can reflect light into your enemy's eyes, blinding them and lowering their accuracy.
Mana Cost: 1 per second, 5 per enemies blinded
While blinded enemy accuracy lowered by 20% for 20 seconds.
The skill seemed useful but in a dimly lit cave it was worthless. Looking directly into the torches that lined the walls wouldn’t blind you, the reflected light wouldn’t even make you blink.
The group made it into the bosses chamber, only two less than the original number that first came. The boss, a named bandit chief named Loden, called out, “Dogs of Lu, I’ll have your heads!”
Since a paladin was in front he seemed to misinterpret their intentions, not that it mattered. Tolan and the guild captain already agreed that Tolan could take out as many as he wanted in the bosses room save the boss himself who was to be left to the guild. Don joined him and attracted the guard to them as Tolan took them out. Rose healed as necessary and the trio took out the twenty bandits and assassins before the guild killed the bandit chief.
Don walked up to the guild captain and said, “I’m going to call the secret boss, you wanna stick around and help or watch?”
He answered, “Just watch, we’re pretty tired.”
“Hey Don, we found it.” Rose called out that her and Tolan found the shrine. It was small, but unmistakable, a red fox statue in front of an ornate carpet. Don took out the box with Lu’s essence and opened it. The bright light shined from the box, and a moment later, a fire materialized in the air above the shrine.
- What is this power? An offering?
A disembodied voice came from the flame that hovered above the statue. A moment later the flame erupted and spread out, an enormous fox with bright red fur appeared, a golden name glowed above its head, Ketsune. It spoke, “Give that to me, and I shall make you rich beyond measure.”
Don closed the box and put it back in his inventory. “I didn’t come here for riches, I came for your head, if you want the box, you’ll have to kill me.”
The fox fire burned around it and it leaped towards Don, however Tolan blocked it with his shield, the tower shield rang loud but it held. Don slashed the fox’s side, something that seemed to deliver damage that surprised both Don and the fox. It jumped away but Don gave chase, the fox wordlessly cast fire magic but Don used Fiery Dance to absorb and deflect it. Tolan realized after blocking the charge how weak the fox had become with most of its followers dead and didn’t see the need to assist Don.
Don tried various skills but direct attacks seemed the only effect means of dealing damage. The fox had a fire affinity that prevented fiery dance from hurting it, its mental stats were so high that dance of death didn’t affect it, and it was cunning enough to see through illusion steps. However because Don was able to deflect the fox fire, Ketsune also had to rely on straight forward attack. Thus is was a war of attrition between a dancer with low level swords and a fox god whose strength had been lost. Because Don’s dances blocked, deflected, or parried most attacks, the fox god received more attacks than it gave, and after five minutes, it had died.
Quest Update: Slay the Gods
Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance.
Progress 01/19You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
The fox dropped a pelt, a knife, a pair of rubies, and a glowing gem. Don picked them all up.
You have obtained the spirit of Ketsune!
New Stat: Luck
Luck increased by 20 (+20 LUK)
Intellect increased by 10 (+10 INT)
Wisdom Increased by 10 (+10 WIS)
Critical chance increased by 1%
Your divine affinity has increased
Affinity didn’t have a numerical value so he wouldn’t know whether or not he had enough until the egg hatched. that being said, he was blown away by the other effects and that he obtained the Luck stat that elves weren't born with. Don muttered to himself, “Killing gods is good business.”
Don checked on the other loot, the rubies were one thing, but he wanted to see the fur. “Identify.”
Giant Pelt of the Fox god
High Grade sewing materials.
Should not be handled by those without intermediate level sewing skills
Effects unknown.
He hoped he could get someone whose skill was better than his to make some stiff leather armor from it to replace his current equipment.
Tolan walked up to Don and said, “We need to get you some new swords.” Don said nothing, he had another 25 levels to go before 160 and he couldn’t wait that long if he wanted to kill more gods. At least with the rubies he would be able to acquire enough gold to get something decent.
The trio left the dungeon along with the guild and later Don logged out. Tomorrow was the first day of the fall semester and he had to get some sleep.
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