Chapter 293

The magma around Nora’s body was dispersed from her position in a half-bowl shape underneath her as a howl of laughter tore out of her throat. It was her voice, but overlaid with hundreds of other voices that all laughed alongside her as a chilling cold spread across her body.

Her long black hair extended from shoulder-length to halfway down her back. Her ears became extremely long and pointed, like an elf but far longer. Her eyes became a blank silvery white - unblinking. A manic smile sporting across her black skin to show a series of sharp, silvery white teeth, and the inside of her mouth sported a similar color.

As her clothes burned away under the flickering remnants of fire left behind by the magma, she no longer held true definition. She was, at first glance, two-dimensional - a flat outline of void with silvery white eyes and a silvery white smile.

And as the giant’s reaching hand came to grasp at her, that smile only grew wider.

“WE ARE LEGION!” Nora’s voices called out in a tidal wave of laughter, and she pointed a single finger at the charred giant as if to mock him. “CONSUME!”

The entire labyrinthe began to shake as a pulse of dark energy flashed out of her finger, instantly eradicating the hand and forearm of the chained giant like it was nothing. The giant’s surprised and horrified reaction was abrupt, and his scream echoed out across the stone as he fell back with a loud splash into the magma - his good arm holding the stump where Nora’s attack had eaten it away.

But in another instant, Nora was there - above the giant’s burnt out eyes and continuing to smile ruthlessly down at the creature. She held out her arms as if to embrace him, and lifted her head up to the dark ceiling far above. “A SOUL TO TAKE FOR THE ENDLESS ARMY!”

Wails erupted from her body as a tidal wave of dark figures began to peel off her skin with terrifying, hungry wails. They began to grow eyes and creepy smiles similar to her own, with silvery-white light illuminating their otherwise two-dimensional vantablack figures as the clawed, wraith-like demons tore out of her body and launched themselves at the half-buried giant in the magma.

The sheer amount of black bodies piling onto the giant and devouring it was overwhelming, and despite the flailing of the crazed giant and the power behind its swings, it was unable to hit Nora even once. She stayed in place, letting the strikes attempt to crush her as they simply passed through - never losing the sickening smile as she watched her others strip the flesh from the giant’s bones. The bones came after. And then the soul. It all flowed into her like a river of multicolored light, being sucked away into her endlessly black body as her eyes brightly flashed.

[Your personal Insane Asylum has added a soul to its reserves: Cursed Abyssal Giant. You may now summon this enslaved creature to do your bidding as a Legion version of itself, becoming slightly weaker than the original but obtaining immortality as long as your entire legion is not destroyed. Personal Insane Asylum: 5000 Others, 1 Cursed Abyssal Giant. You are now able to connect with other Insane Asylums that you come into contact with, should you wish to do so.]

Nora giggled and then screamed with laughter in a storm of voices, becoming higher pitched by the second as she doubled over while floating in the air - her body radiating an invisible energy that continued to keep the magma at bay in a rippling half-sphere underneath her. The others were laughing as well, and they launched themselves back out of the magma to playfully poke at her and one another - doing flips or zipping around like children on a playground.

But when another hesitant participant was seen staring out at her in bewilderment and awe, Nora and her others abruptly stopped. In an instant they all turned simultaneously to smile at the unfortunate necromancer, and Nora slowly lifted her finger to point at the man.

“DEVOUR!”

A resultant scream sounded out, and a wave of black bodies rushed into the maze as her others started eating everything they could come across. Rising up to float further in the air, Nora groaned in pleasure as soul after soul, beast after beast, participant after participant was dragged screaming and thrashing into death; food for consumption, as her soul lattice continued to build.

“I am the master of this labyrinth now!” Nora’s voices echoed like a ghost throughout the complex as the violence escalated. Her bright eyes peeled across its length, and notifications continued to run through her mind as more and more victims were added to her ever-smiling army. “All will be fodder for the horde! Legion will rise once again!”

***

“Well god damn…” Riven muttered, watching Nora hunt down and kill any living thing that manifested inside the labyrinth like a tidal wave of unkillable death. “That is the fucking creepiest thing I’ve ever seen. Nora? Nora, can you hear me!?”

“She’s not responding. We’ve already tried.” Allie confirmed through their link. “At least I’ll be able to stop this disgusting ritual. We have more than enough keys now through her efforts.”

“YES, UNHOLY ONE!” Nora abruptly cut in, all of her others stopping what they were doing to bow simultaneously as her main body bowed low at the waist with a flourish. “WHAT DOES THE GREAT MAW DESIRE OF US!?”

“Ok, well that’s just rude.” Allie muttered across the link, getting a fit of laughter from Riven and some of his minions.

Riven scratched his chin and looked over the remaining champions. Four of them had already vanished after Nora had killed their party members in the labyrinth, having been forcibly ejected from the descent, and he couldn’t help but wince. “Uhm… Is that still you, Nora?”

“I AM NORA! WE ARE NORA! NORA IS ONE OF US, AND WE ARE ONE! NORA IS NOT GONE, BUT HAS MULTIPLIED!”

“... I see. Could you not butcher everyone there? This is a rather drastic turn of events, and I have a lot of questions, but please just leave. We all want to get out of this place. Allie said she has the keys she needs for the ritual after you took them from the other groups.”

Nora paused, considering his words, and then nodded. “I WILL DO AS THE GREAT MAW ASKS!”

Raising his eyebrows at her enthusiasm, he let out a sigh of relief as she began sparing the others she came across - navigating the labyrinth at high speed in a dive through the depths of the tunnels.

“Uhm…” A small voice from his left called out, and he turned to see Kara Blackbow sitting wide-eyed in shock only a few inches away. “W-What was that? A-and who are all these other people?”

Riven blinked, ignoring the storm of black and red energies that continued to butcher abyssal monsters at a constant rate whenever they came too close. “Oh, right. You’re linked with my party now, so you’re able to connect with the others.”

He gave the drow young woman a reassuring smile and a shoulder pat, smiling wider upon seeing how she clasped the new bow he’d made for her tight against her chest. “Don’t worry. You’ll fit right in.”

She slowly lifted her pale gray eyes to meet his, her lips tightly pursed before letting out a shuddering breath. “But I’m so pathetically weak compared to… to THAT! And did… Did they call you-”

“The great maw?” Riven asked casually, waving it away. “That’s just a joke.”

“A joke?” She asked hesitantly.

“Yeah. It’s because I eat a lot. They also call me fat.”

He kept a straight face, trying not to laugh, as Gluttony grumbled inside him.

“What!?” Riven said internally through his mind link. “Don’t get mad, the poor girl is already about to have a heart attack! That bit can wait.”

“It’s not that.” Gluttony stated absentmindedly, his attention elsewhere. “It’s Nora.”

“What about Nora? Is something wrong?”

Gluttony did the mental equivalent of shaking his head. “Not wrong. But… Her bloodline may be problematic. I will discuss more on the subject later, for now I will go back to the lattice.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing this entire time? Building up our soul lattice?”

Gluttony laughed. “Merely setting the foundations. You’ll be the one that finishes it when we reach the lower floors.”

“Hello?” Kara asked with a worried frown. “Are you alright?”

Riven snapped out of his internal conversation and gave her another reassuring grin. “Of course! Now, we should be getting out of this place soon - and I’ll be able to introduce-”

A flash of light later and Riven was no longer sitting in the lotus position in that fleshy room of constant combat. Instead, he and his entire crew with some new additions were now in a large dome illuminated by multiple miniature suns that each spanned many hundreds of yards across.

Each sun represented one of the pillars available to those under the Unholy Foundation. One was green, flickering with a tinge of black and red from time to time, that let off potent Unholy energy. This was the central sun, and it was surrounded by all of the others at intervals. The red sun was for Blood, black for Shadow, teal with tinges of black and gray for Death, a mixture of orange, yellow and red for Infernal, pink and gray for Depraved, and finally a darker gray mixed with burgundy for Chaos. Lastly, there was also the dark purple sun that let off potent Sin energy as well. Out of all the suns, the Blood and Sin suns called to Riven the most - and he was drawn to step towards them with a sharp intake of breath.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The heat was palpable, but gave off a potent energy, and dozens of other groups were seated in meditative positions around the sun at various uneven placements.

[Floor 21, The Unholy Throne, is now open to you. As promised, by passing Floor 20, you are now permitted insight into one of your paths. You may mentally connect with The Unholy Throne whenever you deem yourself ready, choosing any single sun of those available here for a free insight; and when all of your party members are done - you may pick another team for a joint operation for Floor 22: Ocean of Wrath. Merely notify Elysium when you are ready to proceed to Floor 22. Elysium will protect you while on this floor, and no harm may come to you or your possessions while here - so as to not disturb your meditation. The majority of identification information will continue to be unavailable until Floor 40.]

Looking around, Riven was caught off guard. This was a cultivation haven, and the longer he stood here - the longer he felt his soul permeate with the sin energy. It leached out into multiple pillars, infusing them and touching each of them with the promise of power. He relished the feeling, but was disappointed that he could only choose one of the suns to connect with.

He wanted all of them, damn it!

“EEEK!”

Riven felt small hands latch onto his left arm, and he was nearly knocked over as Kara Blackbow slammed into him from the side - quivering and hiding behind him with legs that literally shook at the knees.

“RIVEN! RIVEN IT’S GOING TO EAT ME!”

Huffing down at the frightened drow and glancing up to see Azmoth peering down, Riven began to laugh. He’d forgotten just how big Azmoth had become, and the titanic demon could easily fit Kara or any of the others into his mouth to swallow whole using a single bite at this point.

“Riven, is that what the system notification about adding another team member was about?” Athela asked, raising an eyebrow and putting her hands on her hips with an unsatisfactory glare. “Isn’t that the hoe who accused you of sleeping with her? I thought you’d eaten the bitch.”

“Ugh!” Fay threw up her hands and began to walk away.

“Wait, wait, wait, you two are jumping to conclusions here.” Riven said, exasperated as Allie shook her head - and Genua merely smiled.

“It isn’t all bad.” Genua said with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. “If he makes her another thrall, that will mean I don’t have to wait on both of you. The work can be split, and that way each of you could have your own personal servant.”

“A THRALL!? NO!” Kara repeated, horrified by the notion, but she quickly went back to cowering behind Riven when Azmoth tilted his head to get a better look.

Riven faintly caught Nora’s ever-smiling expression staring at him like a maniac, and it made him feel a little bit uncomfortable. Like she’d stab him in his sleep. Shaking his head, and noting that he was DEFINITELY going to be having a conversation with her about this abrupt and strange change before connecting with one of the pillar-affiliated suns here on the 21st floor, he scowled over at Athela and Fay who had suddenly exchanged a series of sheepish, guilty looks.

“What’s this about waiting on these two?” Riven asked Genua, staring at his two lovers while they actively ignored him and refused to meet his eyes. “Explain please.”

Genua looked shocked, and put her hands on her swollen belly. “Did they not tell you? That’s odd. Well, I have been designated as a handmaiden. It is only right, considering that they are to be your wives and I am but a mere concubine.”

“You are not a concu-”

“And it was even my idea.” Genua cut in before Riven could finish the sentence. “Ever since you let Luke go, the burden of caring for your fiances has gone up. I bathe them, help them dress, prepare their hair, bring them meals, and perform more personal services whenever they ask for it. You often don’t need those things and don’t ask for them, and I felt like it would make better use of my time - as unless I am with Len or studying blood scripture, I often don’t do much.”

Riven gawked. Personal services? Did that mean…

“It was her idea!” Athela repeated, and Fay aggressively nodded with feminine grunts of approval. “It’s not like we forced her to be our toy and do these things! She volunteered!”

“It has been rather nice! She gives great massages, and she’s a nice prop when needed.” Fay stated slyly, slapping her hands onto her blushing face to hide when Riven turned an unbelieving stare on her next.

“Your toy? Massages? A prop? This…” Riven began, but closed his eyes - taking in a deep breath of air and slowly letting it out to calm himself before shrugging. “Fine. As long as you’re ok with being their personal servant or slave or whatever it is you are, then you can do what you want Genua. But don’t do anything that is out of your comfort zone, or I’m going to be angry.”

He glared at the two demonesses. “Got it?”

“Yes sir!” Athela gave a cheeky salute.

Fay beamed and swayed back and forth with her hands behind her back, tail wagging. “Yup!”

Looking down at Kara, he rolled his eyes and gestured in the other direction. “Ignore them please. And anyway, huddle around everyone! It's time for formal introductions. Everyone, this is Kara Blackbow - the new team member. We’ll be escorting her to Floor 40. Kara, this big scary guy is Azmoth. He’s one of my demonic familiars.”

One of Azmoth’s titanic clawed hands waved down as his wings flared out to the sides with a burst of inferno. A rather impressive, if not unneeded display of power.

“A familiar…?” Kara repeated, awestruck as she stepped around Riven to get a better look at the enormous creature. She glanced back at Riven suspiciously. “How are you able to contract an archdemon like that without losing enormous amounts of Willpower?”

“Oh, you can tell he’s an archdemon? He wasn’t an archdemon when I first met him. None of them were.” Riven said proudly, leaning on Jackal’s staff form and not hiding the smug smile adorning his face. “And yet they’re all archdemons now. Except for Narg, he’s a beholder that just died before you were accepted into the party chat. He’ll be back in a day. Probably need to wait for him to respawn here before we leave so he can get an insight as well… but that’s another story. Anyways, the arshakai trifecta over there is named Athela. She’s my girlfriend.”

“Fiance!” Athela said with a growl, coming over to peck him on the cheek. “And don’t forget it.”

Riven ignored her, but playfully slapped her backside and pushed her away as he began to blush. “And that greater succubus is Fay. My other girlfriend. She, Athela and I have a three-way relationship going on. Long story, but it works for us and that’s what matters.”

Fay performed a curtsy and a wink. “Nice to meet you, drow girl. Now get your hands off my man’s arm.”

Kara stared with incomprehension, before abruptly letting go of Riven’s arm with a furious blush and an apologetic bow. “I’m s-sorry, archdemon Fay. I did not mean to offend you. Please forgive this one’s foolishness.”

“No offense taken, mortal.” Fay replied with a satisfied grin, coming up to push inbetween them and fold her arms around Riven’s arm where Kara had just been moments ago.

Trying not to roll his eyes yet again, Riven continued with the introductions. "This is Retesh, he's our resident friendly lich."

Stoic silence followed as the two eyed each other suspiciously.

“This is Genua, my thrall.”

There was a pause.

“Is she a blood priestess?” Kara asked, obviously impressed by Genua’s getup. “Isn’t that, like, really impressive?”

“I am a blood priestess!” Genua gave an enthusiastic wave, her crimson tattoos glittering underneath her priestesses’ hood. “Hello Kara! Let’s go back to my earlier point about potentially coming on as a thrall. You should really consider-”

“And this-” Riven cut Genua off. “Is Allie. My sister.”

Kara’s pale gray eyes grudgingly turned off Genua and met Allie’s similarly colored ones, and the two stared at each other for a long time after that. The drow’s gaze evaluated the long, black feathered wings, the bone armor covering most of Allies’ body, and the exquisite claymore she held while sitting lazily in a throne she’d created out of bones so she didn’t have to stand.

“Sup.” Allie said, giving the other woman a head nod. “If you’re wondering how I’m his sister without being a vampire, know that I used to be one. Long story.”

Kara hesitated, glancing up at Riven for confirmation. “What does, Sup, mean?”

Allie snorted in amusement, and Riven did the same.

“It’s just a way to say hi.” Allie said, dismissively waving the question away. She gestured to Fimrindle, who stood beside her. “This is my minion, Fimrindle. He’s a reaper.”

The metal, half-demon, half-undead scarecrow didn’t move to the visible eye and didn’t react. From underneath his hood, his jaw remained slightly unhinged as his scythe and lantern were held out to either side of him since getting here.

“A reaper?” Kara asked in a whisper. “And… And you’re an angel of death? Aren’t you? You’re not a fallen angel, if you have a reaper as a minion. Is that right?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Allie asked with a scoff.

Riven frowned at Allie’s rudeness. “All but the most basic identification information is canceled until we hit Floor 40. Don’t be mean.”

“Mean?!” Allie repeated, belly-laughing at the idea. “Riven, do you know who and what you are? And you’re saying not to be MEAN!?”

She quickly shut up when he gave her a glare.

“What does she mean by that?” Kara hesitantly asked from the sideline, still using Riven’s body as something of a shield from the others. It was obvious how nervous she was.

Riven shrugged in a noncommittal way. “That I’m a vampire, I guess.”

The others all gave him blank stares.

Athela snickered, the only thing to break the awkward silence. And it was obvious that Kara wasn’t buying it by the suspicious look she was giving him.

Riven threw up his hands and turned heel, beginning to walk away in a pretend rage. “Fuck you guys, I’m going home.”

Laughter erupted behind him, and he gave them all the middle finger - which made them all laugh even harder. He peeled back though, and snapped his fingers before pointing at the last member of their party in the back. “Finally, this is Nora. Nora, meet Kara.”

The vantablack two-dimensional woman with the unnerving smile and unblinking white eyes gave a dramatic bow, taking a knee and using a silver tongue to lick the front of her pointed teeth while she smiled. When she spoke, it was with hundreds of overlapping voices. “Legion greets the maw’s new pet!”

Kara stepped back fearfully, retreating to where Riven was yet again, and gripped her bow tightly. “I… I saw you kill all those things back in the maze. You’re really powerful! Like, the most powerful person I’ve ever seen! Even stronger than most of my clan’s elders in the late E grade!”

Kara looked to Riven, then to Azmoth, and then all around the group before settling on Nora at last. “Which ones of you are the strongest? I mean… Oh… Oh wait. If - If you were in the part of the trial that was designated for the weakest members, then…”

It was as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her eyes bulged, and she took the group in with a new light. “O-Oh… Oh dear.”

“Oh dear?!” Athela hollered with laughter. “That’s what you have to say!? I think I am beginning to like this girl. How innocent.”

Riven for his part was staring down Nora, who - as ever since her change - continued that creepy expression of hers. “Yeah… Hey Nora, why do you keep calling yourself Legion?”

Nora cocked her head in the kneeling position, as if confused, but her expression never changed. “Has the great one not told you? I am Legion. Legion is me. They are one and the same… but perhaps a part of the greater whole. The insane asylum has called me home, and I have accepted my birthright to rule beneath your grace.”

Riven’s frown deepened. “I think I somewhat understand if biblical references can be trusted… but could you do me a favor?”

“What does the great one desire?” Nora’s voices asked.

He cleared his throat. “Could you bring out Nora as she originally was? I’m not asking you to change permanently, I just want to make sure she’s still here. And I’ll be able to tell by the way your soul fluctuates, so… just help my unsettled mind come to terms with this. I want to make sure she’s still ok.”

“Oh. That can certainly be done. The rest of us will leave, and we humbly await our chance to return. Don’t take too long though! It has been many years since we’ve been let out!” The creature that Nora had become stood up, and with a hissing intake of air - she began to change once again. The vantablack skin, the creepy smile and eyes, and her longer black hair all vanished to display what Nora had looked like before the entity calling itself ‘Legion’ had overtaken her. She was now an asian woman in her 30’s, and didn’t look anything but human.

Only that her clothes had all burned up in the magma pit, and Riven was quick to take out a blanket he used for sleeping before tossing it her way.

Nora for her part caught it without delay and wrapped it around her body, giving him a thankful nod and shuddering. But there wasn’t any delay in her thought process - and the only signs that she was having any trouble adjusting to the reverted state was a rapid blinking and a slight unsteadiness that was corrected with a supporting arm by Fay.

Nora shuddered again. “That was… That was different. I’ve never connected with them like that before. Not that deeply.”

“So you know what they are?” Riven asked, curious but also relieved as the same soul signature he’d grown accustomed to from Nora had returned. He was certain - it was her. “Care to explain?”

Nora opened her mouth, closed it, and then nodded. “Yeah. I can do that. Just give me a little bit of time, some sleep, and some food… and then I will discuss everything that I remember. Those memories… they’d been locked away. But now they’re back, and boy do I have quite the history to tell you about.”