Chapter 59 - The Cult of Sobek
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Name: Trey Bon
HP 222/222
MP 214/214
SP 120/120
DP 1/1
Race: Human
Guild: None
Class: Infernal Summoner
Level 29
Status Alerts:
* Remaining Skill Points: 0
* Remaining Stat Points: 5
* Current Permanence cycle: OFF
* Current Bound Point: Lawless Lands, Outer Rim Runestone
(Click the spoiler for Trey's entire status page!)
Buffs:
* +3% resistance to all damage (Resilience)
* +10% resistance to all damage (Dreadlord Vorshok’s Bane)
* Autoregeneration (Dreadlord Vorshok’s Bane)
* +15% damage to offensive spells (Aspect of the Devil: Death’s Gaze)
* Night Vision (Aspect of the Devil: Death’s Gaze)
* +100% to sight, hearing, smell, reflexes and awareness (Predator)
* +33% to awareness (Aspect of the Devil: Horns)
* +5% total damage output (Talsh’Noc’Un, Thirsting Level: 1)
Debuffs:
* +8% damage taken from all Celestial and Holy abilities (Aversion to Divine)
* 1% insanity and aggression (Talsh’Noc’Un, Thirsting Level: 1)
Stat Amplifications:
61 Strength
11 Vitality
10 Endurance
9 Dexterity
16 Speed
66 Intelligence
57 Wisdom
0 Faith
0 Luck
53 Willpower
Magics
Chaos Ball^^ (Chaos) - Level 24
* Summon a ball of chaos to fling at your enemies
* Upgrade 1> Increase size of chaos ball and explosion radius by 80%
* Upgrade 2> Increase damage of chaos ball by 6%
Chains of Chaos^^ (Chaos) – Level 20
* Summon chaos chains to bind or impale your enemies
* Upgrade 1> Spikes are added to ends of chains for better puncturing
* Upgrade 2> Chains can now use homing on their targets
Shadowstep (Dark) - Level 7
* Teleport a short distance instantly
Roar of the Banshee (Dark) - Level 2
* Silences enemies for a short time, inhibiting them from casting spells or miracles
Summoner’s Calling: Least Summoning Circle (Dark) - Level N/A
* The most basic of summoning circles with a low intensity magic signature that usually (but not always) attracts the weaker denizens of the infernal realms. This broad spectrum spell enables you to communicate with the infernal realms of Hell, Oblivion, and the Void, but offers no protection whatsoever from the creatures you summon. You are able to increase the chance for a random target to appear by using double the mana and circling the center pentagram.
Summoner’s Calling: Minion’s Call (Dark) - Level N/A
* Summons a specific minion you already own, or dismisses them to your personal nether realm. Dismissing a demon to their nether realm will heal it over time and allow it to revitalize. However, keep in mind it takes 30 seconds to channel this ability. You may only summon or dismiss 1 minion at a time.
Miracles
None
Physical Combat
Aspect of the Devil: Claws - Level 4
Aspect of the Devil: Tail - Level 3
Aspect of the Devil: Mask (Chaos) - Level 5
* Grants bite attacks and manaless ability to breathe short range hellfire
Blades - Level 14^
* Upgrade 1> Dexterity bonus of 3% when wielding blades
Hand to Hand Combat - Level 5
Light Armor - Level 4
Assassination - Level 3
Miscellaneous
Sneak - Level 3
Identification - Level 6
Traits:
Vatosis Inferna - *TRAIT IS LOCKED AND UNAVAILABLE.*
Earthborn - You are earthborn and experience ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’ permanence cycles. You also gain a 20% increase to any type of XP acquired when compared to your fellow NPCs, and your mana regeneration rate is increased by 30%.
Languages Learned - Ancient Demon, Human, Arachnid
Void Essence - You have been chosen as a suitable host. You are now able to access black magics, skill trees, abilities, and spells unavailable to most other black magic users.
Resilience - +100 HP, +3% resistance to all damage. Mental fortitude increased.
Dreadlord Voshok’s Bane (Heroic) - +10% resistance to all damage. Autoregenerate 1% HP per minute. Autoregenerate lost body parts over time.
Livaria, Queen of the Web Runner’s Bane (Heroic) – Unlocks knowledge of hidden language: Arachnid. Unlocks a new physically-altering evolutionary skill tree: ‘Arachnid.’
Predator - Participant has acquired a symbiote. Predator is a separate entity that will become bound to participant. Predator symbiote gives +100% to sight, hearing, smell, reflexes and awareness. Predator symbiote is currently in the chrysalis stage, when it matures this symbiote will be able to possess and acquire the body of a demon-class enemy - giving you a new minion. When this possession has finished, the Predator symbiote's bonuses will remain but the symbiote entity itself will no longer be bound to the master's body. Also allows participant to use the ability Consume.
*Consume - Beings that you have killed yourself may be consumed. Doing so gives you a chance to acquire Strength stat points and is largely dependent on the foe’s danger rating. Consume will also rapidly restore HP, MP, and SP.
Aversion to Divine - Participant is associated with the infernal arts. +8% damage taken by all Celestial and Holy abilities.
Physical Attributes:
Shadowform - Allows participant’s body to express shadow properties. Allows Participant to focus and bind acquired items into Shadowform, absorbing them into the participant’s body fitting a maximum weight of 500kg. May summon bound items anywhere within a 5 yard radius of participant. May unbind items when needed. If bound item is outside of a 1000 yard radius from participant, bound item automatically returns to Shadowform.
Stored Items:
* Grimoire of the Dark Hand
* Unique thrall evolution stone: Voidling Broodmother (Currently Immature)
* Unique thrall evolution stone: Sacrificial Lamb (Currently Immature)
* Soulstone – Hellsteed (x12)
* Cultist’s token
Aspect of the Devil: Death’s Gaze - Permanent no cost upon use Night Vision enchantments afflict your eyes, which are tinged a glowing red. This also empowers all of your damaging magics by 15% damage.
Aspect of the Devil: Claws - Summon and discard demon claws at will. Separate from hand to hand combat. Can cause bleeding, a damage over time effect.
Aspect of the Devil: Mask
Summon and discard demon Jaws at will. Allows participant to use predator’s Consume ability much more rapidly and participant is now able to use Consume during battle. Allows participant to breath Hellfire (Chaos), a medium range area of effect spell that costs no mana. Can cause burns.
Aspect of the Devil: Tail
Allows piercing and slashing attacks. Damage equivalent to Aspect of the Devil: Claws. May extend up to 25 additional feet. (Non-retractable prior to original 5 foot length)
Aspect of the Devil: Horns
These horns pick up vibrations in the air and in the ground to sense incoming attacks, +33% to awareness. (Non-retractable)
Magical Attributes:
Chaos
Dark
Skill Trees Unlocked:
* Aspect of the Devil
* Summoner’s Calling
* Arachnid – CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
Control Limit Slots: 4 of 10 used.
Trey’s Minions:
* Napoleon, Oblivion Imp, Level 14 (1 slot)(Admired)
* Talsh’Noc’Un Greatsword, Living Weapon (1 slot)(Content)
* Rivia Ahst, Culn, Level 17 (1 slot)(Subservient)
* Atharost, Ifrit, Level 36 (1 slot)(Very Friendly)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They’d been traveling for days.
The galley was rather fast considering the missing mast, and was significantly faster than the cog Brae used to captain. A true shark of the sea, this boat was designed for battle and speed.
Crystal clear waters beneath them flowed by with thousands of brilliantly colored fish and coral in the depths, making it a fisherman’s wet dream. The sea breeze filled Trey’s nostrils and the sunny day bore down a comfortable warmth, leaving a lasting impression on him that made him sad he hadn’t experienced more of the outdoors as a kid. Sure, he’d played sports outside, and he’d even gone to a lot of the national parks with his family growing up, but he’d never really appreciated it like he did now.
They sailed through the maze of islands without much trouble, only seeing a couple of other ships entering or leaving the Lawless Lands at a safe distance. Trey played cards with Napoleon, Atharost and a couple of the sailors while Ashe and Rivia talked about god knows what off to the side on their own.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
After losing a couple of times to Napoleon in gambling, he’d had enough of the mocking laughter. Trey dismissed himself to sit along the ship’s railing, taking in the scenery again to calm his nerves. He smoked some cigars, ate some stale bread and eventually settled down to take a nap before finally arriving later that day at the island of interest.
It appeared deserted at first glance, but Trey’d expected that. The ship was steered into a small winding cove, barely big enough for the galley to maneuver comfortably, and eventually they hit a sharp turn in the cove further down - past a tall rock formation. Upon turning, Trey was able to see another seven ships already parked along an infrequently used series of hidden docks. A little further inland just off shore was a stone amphitheatre built on a cleared out hill. Even now, many dark robed figures were sitting in the amphitheater talking with one another or were unloading supplies from their ships to bring with them.
Ashe nudged Trey in the ribs. “Looks like we’re in the right spot.”
Trey grimaced in anticipation. “... Indeed.”
They docked without a problem, and as Trey stepped off the ramp with his companions Brae gave the order to set off so they could wait further out in the cove. Brae was very untrusting of black magic users outside of Trey, and told Trey to watch his back for treacherous acts. Trey kept that in mind but also knew that attending this meeting would mean new potential allies that could train him or help him along with the many questions he’d been seeking answers to, so this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Coming along the wooden planks and reaching the sands, Trey uncomfortably looked around. He had no idea where to start, where to sit, or who to speak to. The invitation had been given to him by a guy he’d met in the Deadlands of Ornthas, but he hadn’t actually seen his face. He’d just seen the spells and minions the summoner had used before the invitation had been extended. Perhaps, after thinking about it again and taking a look around at the various demons standing by their summoner or warlock masters, this may have been a bad idea.
But he was too far in to turn back now.
He was stopped shortly after reaching the grass by a pack of four cloaked, hooded men wearing various masks portraying frowning or laughing demons. None of them were identifiable because none of them showed any skin - a pretty common trick in the book of someone wanting to keep their identity hidden. Just… a little sketchy.
The first of these men reached a hand forward expectantly. His voice was raspy with age. Either that, or he’d been a serious smoker all his life.
“Do you have a token, newcomer?”
Trey nodded, summoning the large silver cultist’s token he’d been given in the deadlands portraying a skewered man on either side of it. Taking it and inspecting it, the summoner nodded contently and handed it back.
“It is good to see our flock growing. Though I am surprised that one who looks so young would already have acquired an aspect.”
Trey pocketed the coin, but looked puzzled at the masked man’s words as his three compatriots stood by silently. “What do you mean?”
A flick of his wrist and the man’s right hand shot up to his mask, and slowly removing it he showed his facial features. On either side of his face were two eyes, making a total of four - and all of them were a brilliant sapphire blue. The man’s nose was gone and in its place were two slits across a flat front. The lips were completely gone, and the jaw was split down the middle to part sideways as well as up and down when he spoke. Lastly, the teeth were small, numerous and very sharp. It was grotesque at best, and Trey couldn’t help but show how shocked he was.
Name: Ritualist
Race: Human
Class: Infernal Summoner
Level: 194
HP: ???
MP: ???
SP: ???
DP: ???
The man’s level caught Trey off guard, it was the highest he’d seen on a humanoid to date. This bastard was likely strong... Trey also hadn’t expected him to even be human after getting a good look at him.
His expression caused the man to grin, splitting his face apart in alien fashion as he did.
“You are surprised? I have an aspect myself. We both show the traits of various demon species. For mine, it is called ‘Aspect of the Devourer.’ Devourers are a species of hellspawn. Forgive me for my lacking manners, my name is Gorthomal. What is your name?”
The display page for the man standing in front of Trey updated the name as soon as he learned it. Instead of a description of what Trey believed the man to be, it gave the man’s actual given name.
Name: Gorthomal
Race: Human
Class: Infernal Summoner
Level: 194
HP: ???
MP: ???
SP: ???
DP: ???
Trey took an involuntary step back on instinct, but remained firm in his resolve. “My name is Trey. I want to thank you all for letting me attend…”
Gorthomal nodded pleasantly, keeping all four unblinking eyes latched onto Trey under scraggly locks of gray hair. “Of course. No doubt one of ours thought you worthy enough to attend, and you certainly show promise just by the looks of you. What is it? The aspect you have obtained?”
Trey didn’t know why he felt so uneasy underneath Gorthomal’s gaze, but he could feel himself starting to sweat. He cleared his throat. “Aspect of the Devil.”
Two of Gorthomal’s compatriots gave each other a look, and Gorthomal himself narrowed his eyes. He slowly crossed his arms. “Of the Devil? Do you lie to me, boy?”
Trey grew pale, but quickly was reinvigorated by Sithis overtaking his body. The symbiote came to the forefront and with him came the mask that changed Trey’s features from semi-human to completely demonic. Hair disappeared, shiny black skin encompassed his face to where his neck began, his nose began to resemble Gorthomal’s, and long razor teeth set in a permanent unflinching grin spread out across his jaws.
‘And why would we lie?’
Now it was Gorthomal’s turn to be surprised. The old man stepped forward and examined Trey’s face in further detail, then smiled widely. “No, you are not lying. That is certainly the face of a devil, though I’ve never seen anyone acquire this aspect before. Fascinating. How did you do it?”
Trey instinctively knew he shouldn’t talk too much about the essence or his giant weapon, so he brushed the question aside with one of his own. “How did you get yours?”
Gorthomal’s smile turned into a chuckle and he turned about while motioning for Trey to follow. His three companions stayed where they were as Trey passed them by, and Gorthomal turned his head briefly before continuing on to say more. “Regardless, welcome to the Cult of Sobek. Any summoner or warlock with the token can come and go as they please, but in order to acquire greater knowledge and further power - you must prove yourself… if that is what you wish. Also, you may only have a maximum of two summons out at one time. It is a very important rule that you must keep in mind lest others of our kind view you as trying to take an attempt on their lives. Understand?”
Trey nodded and patted Napoleon on the head before whispering into the imp’s ear and taking half a minute to send him into the nether realm. Gorthomal gave an approving nod and placed his mask back over his face, starting to head towards the stone amphitheater built into the hill where others were gathered.
“I have a lot of questions,” Trey began before Gorthomal put up a hand to silence him.
The old man chuckled again and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his robe. “I’m sure you do, young one, but have patience. All questions will be answered soon enough, for now… just let me get to know you. Tell me about yourself. We still have another couple hours until nightfall, and then the rituals will begin.”
***
Gorthomal was a heavy talker, and so were the two old high-level daema he had with him. They were both male and both of them were casters of some variety, wearing robes similar to Gorthomal and using staves as their choice weapons to emphasize their magical attacks. Daema were wingless, red-skinned humanoids very similar to culn but were usually native to The Hells instead of Oblivion - and Daema had tails too, something culn didn’t have. Otherwise the horns were similar and the Daema were just about the same height as the average culn. According to Gorthomal: these two daema were his very first minions and had grown to be his greatest friends over the course of his life, but watching the three of them bicker like they did - Trey couldn’t help but think they were more like squabbling siblings than friends.
The stone amphitheater was actually more of an elevator, much to Trey’s immense surprise. When Gorthomal eventually stopped talking about his younger days - back when he was trying to figure out the path that literally led to hell, he and a couple of the other robed figures gathered with their various minions on the circular base of the amphitheater to wait. A couple minotaurs, imps, harpies, culn, daema, incubi, succubi, and a large amount of other creatures Trey couldn’t even begin to know about were present. Demons with large spikes protruding from their scaly backs on six legs with talons like a velociraptor, four-armed brutes that lacked faces, abominations that pulsed with green light from pockets of puss-filled globes along their fronts, and many more were all depicted here as minions amidst the large number of warlocks and summoners present.
Trey quickly followed with Ashe, glancing around but keeping pace, and Atharost stuck beside Rivia while protectively taking a stand behind his master. One of the men who had first accompanied Gorthomal stepped to the center and the crowds made way for him as he did. Picking up his staff and slamming it into the circular stone floor, lights of red and orange spread out across the stone and towards the perimeter. Seconds later a grating sound was heard, and then after that - the stone floor began to move downwards into the ground. The walls around them began to heighten and the hole above them became smaller, with markings engraved into the stone in the language of ancient demon present more and more the further down they went.
Gorthomal nudged Trey’s elbow to get his attention, smirking at Trey’s expression as they continued to descend into darkness. “The first time I took this trip was around 80 years ago. Ah my youth, I miss it. I hope to take it back tonight.”
Trey raised an eyebrow after thoroughly looking a gruesome emural over as it passed them by in their slow descent on the platform. “You plan on becoming young again?”
“Yes. I do.”
“How?”
Gorthomal grinned behind the mask. “Well it depends on my dealings with Omastein, no promises yet.”
One thousand feet down and they began to hear drums, echoing from the deep. It was a deep booming rhythm that got louder and louder as they finally exited the cylindrical shaft and came into a vast cavern lost to the ages. All voices turned silent as their platform slowly descended through the air towards the bottom of the cave below.
The drums blasted their eardrums now, with deep guttural voices rolling out intangible words in ceremonious union. Trey caught another hooded man behind him staring, but didn’t hold the gaze and averted his eyes. His nerves were on edge with the small hairs on his neck raising the deeper they got. The air had grown cold, but despite this he continued to sweat. The shaft above them had gone down so far that the entryway above them seemed but a small hole and let little light in, though numerous fires dotted the cave floor beneath and gave light to the strange and unearthly surroundings.
Trey pushed his way to the front on their slow descent to get a better look at it all, and he had not been mistaken after rubbing his eyes to clarify what he was seeing. In the center of the cavern was a vast depthless pit of black where well over a hundred masked men sat around the edges chanting. Even with his enhanced dark vision he couldn’t see into the abyss of that hole, and the sounds of rumbling coming from it didn’t encourage him in the least. Thick wooden spikes were erected all around the pit at intervals - while five green bonfires, larger than the rest of the smaller fires scattered across the rest of the cave, burned at equal intervals around the pit.
The beat of the drums continued to echo across the huge cavern and into the smaller tunnels leading out. As the platform finally landed to end their descent, Trey could actually see that these tunnels led into other rooms lit with fires the same way this one was… though they seemed smaller at this distance and Trey was skeptical there would be any more this enormous.
The platform finally landed without making a single sound or vibration as it touched down.
Gorthomal nudged Trey to follow, and Trey along with Ashe and his minions followed Gorthomal’s two Daema as they too trailed behind the old summoner. They took little time to fill in the gaps between the masked and robed drummers who continued to chant nonsensical gibberish in guttural drawl. Even at this distance to the pit, Trey still couldn’t see the bottom.
He gulped, and was about to look away when he thought that he saw something… move. Whatever it was, it was fucking huge... and Trey immediatley reeled back to trip over his own feet after being startled. Gorthomal chuckled to himself while other warlocks and summoners did the same, and Ashe helped him up soon after.
Trey hissed in a shrewd whisper to the older summoner standing beside them, pale after the blood had rushed from his face. “What was THAT!?”
Gorthomal shook his head and put his finger to his mask to signal silence, and Trey noted none of the others were speaking either. Taking in a few deep breaths, Trey stepped back from the enormous pit and warily eyed the hole in the cavern floor. It was too suspicious, he didn’t like it one bit.
A moment later and the platform that they’d come down on began to spark with crimson and orange mana before starting upwards. Into the air the circular stone platform soared, until it reached the cavern’s ceiling and disappeared from sight up the shaft.
There was no turning back now, and Trey was beginning to have regrets about taking the random stranger’s offer for attending a meeting like this one.
Ashe was wrinkling her nose and wafted air away from it in disgust. She leaned over to whisper in Trey’s ear: “What’s that smell? It’s awful.”
The green light of the nearest bonfire flickered behind them, casting shadows across the stone floor amidst the drums and deep chanting of the cultists.
Trey hadn’t noticed the smell before now. He’d been too caught up in the anxiety of being around senior members of his profession, people who he could either learn from or earn a very quick death from. Now that she mentioned it though, he did notice a kind of… odd smell. It wasn’t disgusting to him though, as Ashe had described it, but more of a burnt meat smell. The type you’d get when you overcooked raw chicken.
He took another sniff amidst the ongoing ceremony and his eyes eventually rested on the bonfire behind him. Staring into the flames, his eyes narrowed, and he quietly took a few steps closer to get a better look at the piled wood.
The harder he concentrated on the logs, the more they didn’t seem right. Wood wasn’t usually shaped like that. He wasn’t sure what type of fire was burning either, but it wasn’t ordinary elemental fire by any means. Green flames? Probably dark or curse magic. He became lost in thought as he examined the lumps of charred wood, his eyes scanning over them thoroughly until he caught a gleaming hint of metal laced around one of the longer slender branches.
He took another couple steps forward, this time cocking his head over and bending down close to the flames… and then he realized what it was.
It was a bracelet.
The fact that these logs were actually bodies immediately dawned on him. Men, women, and even children now that he knew what he was looking at. He hadn’t recognized it at first because of the charred look they had and the way some of the bodies had even been roasted so thoroughly that they’d meshed with others… but there were at least many dozens of them in every one of the green bonfires surrounding the central pit. Likely hundreds in total.
He went pale, and despite his own appetite for killing - he found this sight to be a little too much for his liking.
“Are you ok? What’s wrong?” Ashe put a hand on his shoulder in concern, but she was hushed by a nearby glare of one of the warlocks in attendance.
Trey really was ok, but the look of shock was obvious. He just nodded her way and gave her a nudge, trying to get the message across that she should shut up.
His attention was quickly diverted back to the pit as a woman’s riddled screams of delight broke through the chanting. Back from a side tunnel leading into the main cavern was a shaman or priestess. She had long dark linear tattoos running down her face and neck to match her dark hair. She looked to be in her early 40’s and bore a long crooked staff that she waved around in circular motions above her head as she continued to scream in riddled broken chirps. Her enormous headdress bore the feathers of numerous large birds and peacocked out to either side of her by a couple feet either way.
As she entered the cavern, the chanting of the robed men and women originally around the pit grew louder. She began to hop and dance in a bizarre ritualistic manner that sent dark mana spinning around her in whirls of green and black, while she led a procession of other robed figures carrying prisoners - with the captives being hogtied to poles between the cultist’s shoulders.
Each of the prisoners had been stripped down to the nude, including men and women alike of both human and elf races. Their eyes were all wide in terror as they screamed or sobbed through their gags and struggled against their bindings while they were carried.
Rivia’s interest peaked immediately, but Ashe’s words mirrored Trey’s own thoughts.
“Oh shit…”
Ashe drew in closer to Atharost and Trey, the fur on her tail standing on end and her fox ears laid flat against her head while she watched the satanic parade enter the cavern with over twenty, squirming, hogtied prisoners.
Then the group of cultists who’d recently come down from the platform began to match the beat of the drums as well. They used the heels of their boots, their staves, or even their fists against their chests to amplify the sound as they also began chanting along with those who had originally encircled the black pit before them.
The dancing, screeching priestess whirled around with her headdress blowing back and forth due to her violent movements, and as she passed Trey by - he could have sworn she took special note of his presence before continuing on in the ritualistic dance. She continued to circle around the pit with the procession in tow, leading many of the bound terrified prisoners directly past where Trey stood. Fleeting horror-filled glances and begging, muffled cries for help came to fruition as each of them passed.
Trey couldn’t help but feel utterly sorry for each of them. The same question continued to pop into his head as he watched them circle around: did these people deserve what was about to happen to them? He could only guess at what was going on, but after seeing the piles of corpses in the bonfires... he was relatively sure they were all marked for death.
One would be stupid to think otherwise.
Gorthomal’s voice broke his concentration. “Slaves, most of them. Bought at the markets in Teretog or Visca. Some of them were just unlucky souls who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, adventuring in the ruins of Ornthas when our people happened upon them. I also heard we have two paladins who were sent by one of the eastern churches! We have more in the back we keep as minion food too, in case your ifrit or culn woman want to feed later.”
Atharost merely snorted, and Trey didn’t bother replying as he watched a particularly pretty redheaded elf about his age get carried away while squirming against her bonds along one of the long wooden poles. Her terrified, muffled crying matched that of the many others in similar situations around her and Trey couldn’t help but feel sorry.
What a waste.
Ashe yanked on Trey’s ear to bring him down to her level, much to his annoyance. She kept her words in a low whisper so that only he could hear what she was saying. “Trey… we have to do something!”
Trey slowly turned his head so that his eyes locked onto hers. His frown said it all even before the hushed response he gave her. “Absolutely not, don’t be fucking stupid! We don’t have permanence right now Ashe, if we die… we actually die. On top of that, you’re being ridiculous. There’s zero chance we’d win a fight against this many people, and many of them are much stronger than I am.”
Tears began to well up along Ashe’s lower eyelids, and her lip began to tremble as she clutched herself while trying to look away from the procession of prisoners.
Rivia clapped her hands together to their right with a smile illuminating her gorgeous features. “This is exciting! I’m glad you let me accompany you, master!”
This quickly earned the demoness a hate-filled glare from Ashe, but Trey pulled his friend into a hug to hide her tears from would-be onlookers and continued to watch the ceremony as if nothing wrong was happening. He needed to stay on their good side, not only to stay safe - but to acquire whatever knowledge they could give him that’d help him progress as a summoner himself.