Entering the doorway to the third floor was horrendous for Zion. First, upon entering the descending floor, they passed through a barrier. This didn't bring them much hope of retreating because the second floor hadn’t possessed one, but the boss rooms had. Most likely, this meant that backtracking at this point wasn't an option.

Then it was the smell. For the past few days, he had been wondering when he would notice this Void corruption that Ki had spoken of; well, he had his answer. That nauseating scent was wafting in the very air of this floor. It was like the barrier was keeping it from spreading.

The smell was truly atrocious, like burning fish mixed with rotting eggs. It made him want to gag, but he steeled his mind. Behind him, he heard Beth and Camila struggling with the odor.

“Well, I think we found the Void corruption,” he said flatly. “Hopefully, we're nearing the end of this place.” He winced as he heard Beth hurl behind him, empathizing with her plight. It truly was a scent worthy of inducing nausea. He stopped and waited patiently for her to finish.

She finally finished getting rid of all the bland rations that had been eaten that day, wiping off her mouth in disgust. “That smell is revolting. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be stuck in the true Void if this is just a leak,” she remarked, with horrifying feelings welling up in Zion, thinking about his dad enduring just that thing.

.

She must have seen his face tighten because she quickly excused her slip-up. “Zion, I'm sorry, that was super insensitive of me. I didn't even think.” Her eyes pleaded for forgiveness.

“I know you didn't mean any harm, Beth. Please don't sweat it,” he assured her, forgiving the accidental transgression. “We're going to be having a lot of dealings with the Void, I suspect. I can't get butthurt every time we bring it up.” He meant it, too. What happened to his dad was awful, and he would turn back time if he could, but it had happened. There was no changing it, so all he could do was try to keep others from making the same sacrifice.

“Let me change the news with something both positive and possibly terrifying,” Beth injected sympathetically, addressing both of them now. “I think this is the last floor.” She dropped the words like someone might drop a fireball into an unsuspecting room.

“Why the hell would you think that?” Camila asked skeptically, and Zion had much the same feeling. He braced himself on the wall while Beth got her mind working through its internal workings.

“Jura had mentioned something along those lines when we were walking to the boss,” she stated, with flicks of emotion in her voice as she curled her arms around herself. “He said trio-boss floors or any combination of that type usually end up counting for more than one floor. He said he thought it was the Weave's way of balancing the dungeon.”

That news surprised them, not that Zion was highly versed in the ins and outs of dungeons. To be honest, he was pretty thrilled. If this was the last floor, they could finish their mission and get out of this wretched place.

“If that's the case, does it mean we'll be fighting the dungeon boss?” Camila asked the question he had overlooked.

Dungeon bosses were a whole new level of power if anything he learned in school was correct. He had always heard that when facing a dungeon boss, one should view it as an entire tier higher than the sphere's level. That would put this particular boss in the third tier.

“That's exactly what it would mean,” Beth confirmed, nodding her head. She was pulling at the hem of her tunic, plucking at some string that was coming loose. Are we going to be able to beat something that strong?”

The three of them took each other in at the question, each pondering in their own way at the answer. Zion was pretty confident that together, they could take down an enemy of that caliber, but it might lead to a lot of injuries. The Weave granted pretty amazing powers of healing, to the point that non-fatal wounds could be healed in days. That whole concept was thrown out the window when Void taint was put into play.

Void taint, or Void sickness as it was sometimes called, was Nifell’s leading cause of death. Void taint infiltrated the very mana that courses through someone's body, blending with it seamlessly. If exposed to it for too long, then your mana can’t be filtered, and it becomes a permanent addition to your pathways. This is what happened to his mother, the only reason why she passed away.

Normally, this wasn't an issue because most creatures within a sphere didn’t possess enough Void energy to even develop the taint. Those situations were usually local to a Void event or breach. But they found themselves in a very special situation. They were about to enter an entire dungeon floor that was tainted. Injuries in this place could easily lead to them all dying.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“The taint could kill us…” He and Camila said at the same time. She raised her hand in a gesture for him to take the lead.

“Exactly what you were thinking, Camila. It's the taint that's the issue,” he continued, taking them both in. “Power-wise, I think we can squeak by a win against this boss, though it might be hard. But anyone who gets injured will be at risk of developing Void sickness. It's a real risk because this place might as well be considered a Void breach at this point.”

“That's where my mind went,” Camila confirmed his fears, nodding solemnly. “We need a plan of attack before we take on the big bad. I’m not afraid to die if it helps others, but I really don't want to die in that way.” She shuddered at the thought of that demise.

Zion couldn't blame her either. It was all too vivid of a memory, the destruction it took on a person's body. His mother had gone from looking like a human to a walking corpse. He still remembered the burnt look of her body at the end.

“Zion, Zion, ZION! Nifell to Zion!” Beth practically shouted. He started realizing his head had been entirely in the past, missing the multiple calls for him to respond.

“Man, where is your head at right now? Are you okay?” Beth asked him gently, her eyes brimming with concern. She started to walk towards him, but he waved her off.

“Was just thinking of how bad of a way that would be to die. Made me lose myself for a moment,” he told her straight, lying to her face. One day, he would tell them what was really going on in his head, but there was enough stress in the group as is.

“Are you sure?” She asked him one more time, hand raised in the air as if offering him the support from where she stood. He gave her a thumbs-up that was probably not believable. “If you’re sure...I was just saying I think you're the key to finishing this floor, but now I feel bad for even thinking of that.”

“How am I the key?” He asked, actually confused this time. What made him special when it came to the Void?

“It's you as a whole, Zion. Void corrupts the mana in mortals' bodies; it will eventually turn them into a husk without a shred of mana,” she explained, all information he had first-hand experience with. “This is more true for those with a shallower mana pool. Mages have historically bounced back more often than those of the martial variety. So what would happen to a person whose whole body hummed with mana? Whose blood was literally combined with the stuff?”

The revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. She was right; his body was poised to counter the effects of the Void perfectly. That took him back to his original meeting with Ki.

“The others and I are taking steps to help avoid this. This is why I need a Herald. I need someone brave enough to take the fight to the Void.”

This had been in her plan from the start. She had created his race solely to combat Void taint. But if that was the case, why did she say he’d be the only one? What were the other deities doing to combat the threat? It was a lot to think about, but he shook his head and focused on the now of the situation.

“You're right… I'm pretty sure I could survive a large amount of Void taint, more even if I had higher-grade mana potions,” he finally responded, pulling himself from the spiral of thoughts. “That doesn’t help either of you, though. So how would I be key in this fight?”

She smiled grimly at that, her hands tightening around the sleeves of her tunic. “You would have to tank the damage… all the damage.” The words left her mouth in a struggle, and her grimace turned even more sour. “It's a stupid plan; I shouldn't have brought it up.”

“No. It's the only plan,” Camila commented, lowering her head dejectedly. “Zion, if we're to get through this together, you would have to suffer immensely. It's not right, but we have no gear or methods of protection from the Void. So how we proceed from here will be on your shoulders.”

Camila was right. If he took this burden, it would truly be a memorable experience and not a pleasant one. It still needed to be done. He had agreed to Ki’s request to be the one to battle the Void. He had put off committing to this for too long. He wasn’t just some adventurer questing for the sake of becoming rich, or even for the sake of one sphere. He was chosen as the Herald of Ki to combat the evil that was brewing in the shadows. He would be the light that opened the darkness, the way for others to strike back.

Words appeared in his head unbidden, words that felt right to his very core. He spoke the words aloud, feeling something warm spread through him as he spoke, “I am Zion, Herald of Ki. I will be your shield and guide against the forces of the Void. Be my spear and voice, and let us strike a grievous wound to Devastation.”

These weren't simple words; this was a Herald's decree. An act he had only read about in stories. A strong azure light began to glow beneath the three of them, the power of his words dancing and flowing up their bodies. He felt his mana channels flare with power.

By the decree of the Herald, the Blessing of Ki is bestowed!

Affinity + 4

Acuity + 4

Resolve + 4

Spirit + 4

Duration: 24 hours

“What in all of Creation was that!” Beth yelped, staring at the blue glow in wonder.

“Yeah, what in the actual fuck is going on, Zion,” Camila blurted, trying to brush the wandering light from her body. She got a disapproving glare from Beth. “It's a legit question!”

Zion looked at them both, straightening his back to its full height and feeling a weight lift from his shoulders. He hadn't realized, but he had been fighting against his role from the start. Sure, he followed the basics of what needed to be done, but he hadn't fully accepted what he truly was now. He was a Herald. Zion was someone who was meant to represent his Goddess and spread her will, not just fight.

“I bestowed my first blessing,” Zion told them proudly, a grin splitting his face in glee.

“Well, duh, I can read notifications, man,” Camila responded, rolling her eyes at his grin. “But why the hell did you do that for the first time just now?”

He thought about it and felt some buried knowledge come up in his mind. “For one, I wasn’t really embracing my role as Ki’s Herald. But the main reason is I can bestow a blessing once a week, and I only have that one blessing for now. I’m getting the feeling that these will grow in power and duration as I grow,” he finally answered after processing the unbidden info.

He waved off more questions as both opened their mouths. “We can talk later; for now, we need to move on. Let's clear this dungeon while we have the buff,” he stated, making his plan clear. Some voice in his head scoffed at the word 'buff,' so he corrected himself. “Sorry, blessing, not buff.”

“I will take all the damage and protect you both. So trust in me, and I will trust in you.” They both moved forward, placing reassuring hands on his shoulders. Then, they moved past him down the hall, and he shook his head in disbelief. Thank you, Ki, for leading me to them.