“Oh that’s really not good.” I scrunched over as my stomach started to feel like a herd of rhinos playin’ contact sports on top of my heart. Then the heat picked up, flowin’ from my stomach until my whole body felt like it was on fire. From the tips of my toes to the crown of my head, it felt like I’d been dipped in lava.

I only vaguely noticed the kidnapper vanishin’ in a flash of light, takin’ his clothes and the Oil Vine with him. Meanwhile, the heat just got more intense, especially in my head. It felt like I had just eaten Auntie Leela’s special extra extra hot curry. And then it felt like I’d had a second helpin’ without a drop to drink. I started to feel woozy.

“Rick, Rick!” I could hear Miss Sasha yellin’ at me, sayin’ plenty. None of it made any sense, my head was just so hot. I felt like I should have been sweatin’ like a pig in a Texas afternoon, but not a drop left my skin. Instead, I just cooked.

Then, my stomach gurgled.

It gurgled again.

The heat vanished, sucked away into my guts. My head suddenly felt crystal clear, while my belly felt like it did after a barbeque buffet at Gramma Pam’s. That is, so full I was sure I’d hurl if I took another step. And just like that buffet, I was startin’ to get a bit sleepy.

WARNING!!! A source of high-density Divinity has entered your Soulbody. Continued exposure will lead to death or Oblivion. Remove Immediately.

WARNING!!! A source of high-density Divinity has entered your Soulbody. Continued exposure will lead to death or Oblivion. Remove Immediately.

WARNING!!! A source of high-density Divinity has entered your Soulbody. Continued exposure will lead to death or Oblivion. Remove Immediately.

…

iiiERROR!!! No Divine Steps present.

iiiERROR!!! Aligned Qualities Detected in Non-Divine Soul.

iiiERROR!!! iiiERROR!!! iiiERROR!!!

…

Errors Resolved Successfully due to [REDACTED]

Congratulations! Due to the alignment of your Sin Totem, [REDACTED], and [REDACTED], you have digested a drop of Divine Ichor. Processing will now begin.

Time to Processing Completion…???

The messages scrolled by once I could focus enough to see them again. The full feelin’ didn’t fade an inch, but I finally felt fine otherwise. That alone was surprisin’ enough. All the messages just had me lost.

“Uh, Miss Sasha, what just happened?” I was almost afraid to ask. Not ‘cause I didn’t want to know, but ‘cause I knew I was in for a scoldin’. I rightly deserved one, but still.

“Why would you jussst throw him in there like that?! If I’d known you were going to huck him like a ssssack of crap I would have jussst told you to drop him where we firssst came in and roll the dice! If you’d jussst lowered him in gently there wasss no way you were going to get any Ichor on you!” The words exploded out of her like a dam let loose.

“Yes, you’re right. That was mighty stupid of me. I wasn’t thinkin’.” I took my lumps. What can I say, when she’s right, she’s right.

“Don’t try and- Oh. Right. Yes, you really messed up.” Some of the wind went out of her sails when I didn’t push back at all. “Well, don’t do it again. I can’t even begin to understand how you’re not dead, let alone how you avoided the embrace of Oblivion. Let me look at these System notifications. I wasn’t paying much attention since you heated up so bad I thought you were melting.” The last word had more than a little barb to it, enough that I flinched. It cut me that Miss Sasha had been genuinely worried ‘bout me. ‘Specially over my own stupid mistake.

I sat quietly while Miss Sasha poured over the messages, tryin’ my best to adjust to this stuffed feelin’ that wouldn’t go away. It was mighty uncomfortable, but on the list of possible outcomes for eatin’ god’s blood, I think a little discomfort was a fairly good outcome.

“Ok, I just…” Miss Sasha Sighed. “Obviously, something stopped you from dying from this. Several somethings, apparently. And it’s not just that you survived, but you’re in the process of incorporating the Ichor. Which just…Shouldn’t be possible. At all. I can barely do that, and I’m a Heavenly Spirit. From actual Heaven. How a dead mortal’s soul could withstand that level of Divinity, let alone digest it is just beyond me. That’s what some of these error messages are about. The System couldn’t resolve the fact that digesting the Ichor was even a possibility. But somehow, it got there, and then it relied on several factors to make it happen. Apparently, we’re not allowed to know what those factors are, which is immensssely frustrating.”

“Well it did work out.” I couldn’t help but point out the positives.

“Oh, don’t think I’m not happy that you’re alive, Rick. I’m just…Concerned about what this means. You keep doing borderline impossible things, but this. This is actually impossible. It’s not just a display of implausible skill or a level of mental fortitude rarely seen, this breaks rules of both Hell’s Great Game and the underlying laws that govern Divinity itself. And yet, here you are, so there must be some kind of explanation. And there is, the System messages indicate as much. But they won’t actually tell us. How am I supposed to act as your guide when I don’t even understand what’s going on?”

The frustration was practically leakin’ out her pores. I felt terrible, and not just my stomach. “I’m sorry, Miss Sasha. I’d tell ya if I had even a clue what was goin’ on, but I’m confident in sayin’ I’m a fair bit more lost than you are.”

“Oh, I know.” She laughed at that. “I didn’t think you were withholding something, Rick. You’re honest to a fault. No, clearly you’re caught up in something far above either of us. I just wish there was some kind of clue here, but the messages are largely self-explanatory, things I could have already guessed. The only point where it might have given us something to work with, it’s redacted.”

“Well, would you mind tellin’ me what the whole hullabaloo is with me digestin’ that drop?” I asked, hopin’ to shift her focus. Fortunately, it worked like a charm.

“Oh, right! Yes, that’s going to be so interesting to see!” Miss Sasha’s tone shifted on a dime. “Usually, if you had simply survived the exposure the Ichor itself would have dissipated, your soul being unable to process such potent Divinity. That’s what normally happens. Rather, you digested it, much like I did. Like a Planar Spirit would. But since you aren’t a Planar Spirit, I have no idea what the end result of that is going to be. It seems even the System doesn’t know, given the content of the last message.”

She had the message appear again.

Time to Processing Completion…???

“There’s also this one that’s a part of your System Status, added right at the bottom. Of your Divinity section.”

Frederick Doublest Ricardo Amolvo Gardonis Omelette Natiri Chambers XVI (Human)

Step Height: N/A

Relevant Qualities: N/A

Precursors: N/A

Base Divinities

Ideals

* N/A

Bonds

* N/A

…

External Divinity Integration: 0%

“So, the System seems to have some kind of insight into how the Ichor is affecting you, at least enough to show that it hasn’t done anything yet. I’m excited to find out what it’ll mean.”

“Sounds like you aren’t worried ‘bout it hurtin’ me at all.” I noted. It seemed out of character for Miss Sasha to be so gung-ho about somethin’ crazy like this.

“Oh, that’s not a concern. You’ve already digested the Ichor. The Divinity may not have integrated with you yet, but it’s already been aligned with your Qualities and Soulbody. It can only have positive effects now.” She waved off my concern with a flick of her tail.

“So… We ignore it for now?” I asked.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Yes. You got lucky once again, and there’s nothing more for us to do.” She confirmed.

“Alrighty then. I’m thinkin’ we head out of here, pick up Tiny, and head back home to take care of what we need to. Then,” I felt myself grinnin’. “Then, I think we’ve got some kidnappers to hunt down.”

{}

Sammy was once again feeling overwhelmingly awkward. A sensation he was, at this point, one hundred percent certain was an intentional outcome from its source. Aurora seemed to thrive on pushing at him in a million little ways. It didn’t help that he’d basically outed himself the moment they met.

He’d been so ready to keep being Rexxar Bloodedge, to keep hiding in his cosplay while she was around. Except, he’d immediately shown her his System Status, which also included his actual name. It was a lot harder to stick to a persona when someone was calling you by your real name.

It also didn’t help that the last week or so had been spent in much closer proximity to Aurora that he was at all comfortable with. She insisted on following him, and it seemed like anything short of violence wouldn’t dissuade her. And Sammy wasn’t about to hurt her just to get rid of her. Even if it would have been the better choice for his heart health. Lord knows she had his hammering away practically every minute of the day.

And it wasn’t even really about how overwhelmingly beautiful she was, even though that definitely didn’t help. Sammy was certain he would be having heart palpitations if she was a literal hag. Aurora just paid so much attention to him. He didn’t know what to do with it.

The weird part was that it didn’t have anything to do with his swordsmanship. Sammy wasn’t an idiot. He’d won enough tournaments to know that he was pretty handy with a sword. He had managed to, after a long time, come to terms with people being impressed with his skill, and interacting with others on that level. It was probably also what had helped him be Rexxar Bloodedge so easily. Other people’s relationships with his persona still revolved around his swordsmanship. The only difference was that, in Hell, admiration had turned into fear.

As far as Sammy could tell, the differences were minimal. People still found him unapproachable. Those that did try to interact with him were generally either respectful or dismissive. Sure, he had to modulate his old, tournament-style responses to fit within Rexxar’s image, but it wasn’t that bad.

Aurora threw all that on its head.

She didn’t keep a respectful distance. She constantly and actively invaded his personal space, always touching him and standing too close. She had never once asked him a single question about his sword skills. Rather, every question was about him, personally. She wanted to know what he liked to eat, what he did for fun, if he read books, if he traveled much, if he thought she was pretty, what he liked in a woman, how many relationships he’d had. It was an endless barrage of questions he’d never once had to deal with from anyone. Not even his own family had paid so much attention to him.

All of this lead up to the current moment, where he was overlooking yet another slaver camp. He’d done much the same several times, but there was one notable, new addition. Namely, Aurora, who was pressed up against his side. As for why she was so close, practically on top of him, he had no idea. She just decided this was where she wanted to be.

As he had a dozen times before in similar situations, Sammy decided to ignore it. Instead, he focused on what he could see through his mask. Which was a lot.

If there was one thing that Sammy had to say he was happy with in this whole messed up situation, arriving in Hell, it was that he’d arrived in his cosplay outfit. And not just because of the socially isolating aspect. Even his family back home didn’t really understand exactly what his Rexxar Bloodedge costume was. He’d told them he spent his tournament winnings on it, but they’d never really questioned exactly how much he’d earned from said tournaments.

Well, Sammy had competed and won at an international level, so the prize money was… A lot. And he’d funneled a frankly silly amount of it into Rexxar. Everything was authentic, hand crafted and, in several cases, military grade. The armored portions were a kevlar, fiberglass, and nanocarbon alloy that was impact, fire, and slash resistant. He could shrug off rounds from anything up to and included 5.56 rounds. Higher calibers would damage the armor, but not prove immediately fatal up to just under a 50 cal.

Sammy was pretty sure the guy he’d bought it from thought he was some kind of assassin, and it was absolutely highly illegal to own as a civilian. But who was going to question the armor on a cosplay suit? And Sammy was the farthest thing from a domestic threat.

The coat wasn’t nearly as protective, but it contained sheathes for a wide series of daggers, as well as several unassuming pockets. The knives hadn’t made it with him to Hell, but he’d managed to scavenge a minor arsenal from the slavers. The material was also nanite-imbued, capable of limited self-repair. Again, illegal to own, but whatever.

The crown jewel of his cosplay was undoubtedly the mask. It was, of course, coated with the same material as his armor, but it also contained a military-grade sensor and communication array, along with what was essentially a HUD that integrated some VR and AR technology. It was wildly adaptable and freely programmable, running custom AI he’d commissioned from some extrajudicial hacker who’d stolen parts of it from various nation’s militaries. Again, wildly illegal.

When Sammy had first arrived in Hell, he’d assumed that the cosplay would be replaced with something less…unfair. Apparently, the System didn’t see it the same way as him, since all his kit worked exactly as it should. More than that, it was his Revive gear, meaning it came back with him when he died. He’d thought he’d hit the jackpot, that he’d be able to steamroll almost anyone he met.

Then he’d encountered someone at the Second Step, and he’d found out why the System didn’t think Rexxar’s armor was unfair. Magic could easily punch through his armor under the right circumstances. And even those with the right Stat at the First Step could punch a hole through his wildly expensive, high-tech, and illegal armor.

That was, if they managed to hit him. Once Sammy got his hands on an actual sword, things had gone surprisingly smoothly. Until he’d met Aurora. Now he lived every minute in anxiety, wondering when she’d realize he wasn’t nearly as interesting as she seemed to think he was. Agonizing over every question and answer, wondering which one would expose him for the lame anime-loving nerd he was.

“What do you see?” A whisper caressed his ear, even through the mask. Somehow.

It was only his anxiety freezing him solid that stopped Sammy from reflexively squirming away. He let out a breath, and refocused. “Twenty three slavers, double that number in captives. The largest group I’ve seen. This might be a more central compound. There’s enough housing for ten times that number of slavers, but most of it is empty. They seem to be running a skeleton crew right now.”

“Mmmm,” Aurora hummed, the sound running up and down Sammy’s spine. “I suppose we should take a ‘wait and see’ approach, then.”

“That was my immediate reaction as well. The captives are relatively well-cared-for. And attacking with an unknown number of enemies not present, that could appear at any moment, is a fool’s errand. Even if I have improved my capabilities.”

“And even though I’m here to help.” Aurora added, digging her fingers into his side, finding a gap in the armor plating so he could feel it. “I was quite helpful against the last group, wasn’t I, Sampson? My Hero?”

Sammy could only nod at that. His stomach did backflips whenever she called him her hero. And also, she was just right. He’d been extremely impressed when she’d shown off her Elven Light magic. It was versatile, if lacking in punch. Though Aurora had explained that was more a location problem than a failing of the magic’s inherent abilities. Apparently, Elven racial magic was heavily environment-dependent.

“What’s happening at the center?” Aurora’s eyes glowed softly. She had a light spell that allowed her to see farther. It was basically magic binoculars.

Sammy had one better. He shifted his gaze to the central area of the compound, where what he could only think of as the command tent was set. His AI picked out individuals, labeling them according to the order in which he’d spotted them. At the same time, sensors in the horns of his mask adjusted, seeking out distant, faint sound waves.

Sammy muttered out what he was hearing, wishing for the first time that he had a method to allow someone else to listen alongside him. It wasn’t something he’d considered when commissioning the mask.

The obviously central, leader-like figure was talking to a decidedly rodent-like man and someone Sammy was very familiar with. A woman he’d met the same day as Aurora, though under different circumstances. It was the stealthy water mage.

The leader looked between the two, an annoyed expression clear on his face. “What are you two going on about? I thought you,” He pointed aggressively at the water mage. “Were supposed to be the best of the best. A scion of the higher floors, unfit to be seen by us cretins. And now you’re telling me your entire command lost to a single person? An unascended? Is that a joke?”

“And you,” He turned to the shifty, rat-like man, who shuffled nervously, “Aren’t you a communication relay? What are you even talking to me for? Take it up with your superior.”

‘Ah-ah, that’s the p-problem sir. My s-superior was, ah-ah.” He gulped. “Asgeir.”

“Oh. Oh.” The Leader sighed. “Where’d he run off to now? I assume that’s what this is about? He left, told you not to tell anyone, and now you’re telling me anyway?”

“Ah-Ah,” The shifty man looked even more nervous, “Actually, he left over a week ago. A-and he stopped c-checking. Yesterday. And h-he sounded h-hurt the last time he checked in.”

If the leader had looked annoyed before, now he looked pissed. “And you’re just telling me now?”

The rat-man flinched. “I-I hoped he was j-just i-ignoring me.”

“That-” The leader cut himself short, seemingly deciding the better of whatever he was going to say. He turned to the water mage. “Catherine, you want to make sure a note about your frankly pathetic performance never makes it back to your family? Go head off in the direction Asgeir went-” He turned back to the rat-man, “You at least know which way he went, right?”

The rat-man nodded so hard Sammy thought his neck would snap.

“Lord of Light preserve me, at least there’s that. Catherine, head out that way and don’t come back until you’ve found Asgeir or Revived trying. I don’t care if you even find anything, I just need you to look so that I can tell my boss I tried. If Asgeir is out of contact he likely ran afoul of something none of us can handle. No one blessed directly by Thor of all gods would go down easily. I’m going to get an earful no matter what if he actually is in Oblivion's Embrace. The bosses had very high hopes for him.”

The water mage, Catherine, looked like she desperately wanted to object, but she held back. “...Fine. But my family better hear that I was a model of composure and dignity. Third Step Revives are hardly cheap.”

The leader looked completely nonplussed by her tone. “Don’t lose them to a mortal for the Lord’s sake, then.”

Catherine huffed before stomping off, followed quickly by the shifty man, now sweating visibly.

“Hmm, now that’s quite interesting.” Aurora mused against Sammy’s covered ear. “I wonder if there’s something we could use there.”

Sammy shook his head. “Wait and see. We will not rush.”

“Yes,” Aurora shifted somehow closer to him, making his insides quail. “Wait and see.”