Chapter 22: Mask
“I’m afraid we’re out of luck,” Lilibet said as she lowered her hands. The tracking spell, which cast a faint green light over the entire room, including the furniture, vanished as she turned to face the Disciple and Sparrow waiting in the hallway. “This is not the work of a Novice or Disciple.”
“I see.” Raimund ran a hand down his face as the receptionist joined them, closing the room door behind her. “Has anyone else reported a break-in?”
“No,” Lilibet replied while her silver-green eyes scanned the hall around them. “The Proprietor is doing an in-depth examination of all the rooms to verify this, but so far, only your Initiate’s room appears to have been compromised.”
‘But why?’ Mercedes folded her arms as an uncomfortable sensation crept up her neck. ‘All this effort for a shirt? But who would be hunting me? Serenitus’s Temple?’
“I need to report this to the Professor,” Raimund said, placing a comforting hand on the albino’s shoulder. “In the meantime, can we upgrade the Initiate to a room on the fourth floor?”
“I’m sure one of our private single rooms is available, but—” Lilibet tilted her head towards the room behind her. “For her security, I recommend one of the Balcony Suites on the fifth floor.”
‘That—sounds expensive.’ The Sparrow glanced over at Raimund, who appeared to consider this for a moment before nodding in agreement. ‘Seriously?’
“I think my Master would agree, at least until we figure out something else. Please send the adjusted bill to the Academy when possible.”
“I’m certain the Proprietor would be more than happy to offer a discount in light of this unfortunate incident,” Lilibet said soothingly, placing a hand over her chest. “The safety and comfort of our guests is our highest priority.”
“Thank you, Lilibet.”
The receptionist offered a warm smile to them both, easing the tension in the albino’s shoulders. “Come, allow me to escort you to your new room and get you settled in, Initiate Mercedes.”
image [https://www.royalroad.com/dist/img/ornaments/16.png]
By the time they reached the fifth floor, the Sparrow was reasonably confident in her assessment of the room’s cost. The hallway, which split in four directions, seemed impossibly large based on the inn's external scale. Along the walls, painted landscapes of fantastical floating forests, cloud-like fields, and dark green oceanic waves moved as if stirred by the painter’s breath.
The inn-room doors were decorated with silver vines and flowers that bloomed as the receptionist and her guests walked past. The albino’s gaze caught on one door in particular, whose flowers appeared to have wilted. The withered, twisted brown canes and thorns turned an ominous red as they passed, as if in a warning.
“It’s best not to disturb any of the guests on this floor,” Lilibet said softly, and they continued until they reached the third door from the end. “Here we are. And your key, Initiate.”
Mercedes blinked as she was offered what looked like a bronze cast key in the shape of a beetle, whose spindly limbs wrapped around the shaft where the grooves of the key’s teeth should be.
“The door will only open with that or the master key, which the Arcanist keeps at his side. Best to avoid losing sight of it. They are enchanted to prevent duplication, which makes them difficult to replace.”
The albino nodded and hesitantly approached the keyhole with the bronze beetle. Her hand jerked in surprise as the beetle’s wings spread open, and the enchanted object flew out of her hand. Its bronze legs unfurled as it slid into place and unlocked the door.
‘Keeping track of this key might be harder than I thought,’ the Sparrow mused as she pushed the door open and pulled the key free, carefully gripping the metal bug that resumed its original position.
The luxurious room inside was much larger than her old one. It came with an oversized, comfortable-looking bed draped by sheer silver curtains, an ornamental wooden desk, a small balcony framed by window doors that overlooked the city, and even an attached private washroom.
‘Definitely an upgrade. Now I’m afraid to ask how much it costs.’
“If you need anything from the front desk, you only have to use the bell rope here,” Lilibet explained as she gestured to the thick silver cord hanging from the ceiling between the door and the room’s wardrobe dresser. “One of the Inn’s conjured housekeepers will appear to assist you with whatever you require.”
‘A conjured what?’
“I should head back now so I can catch the Professor while he’s still on Academy grounds,” Raimund interjected as he neatly placed the Sparrow’s primers and jar of crimson eggs on her desk. Lilibet blinked in surprise as she took in the blood eel eggs but said nothing as she returned to the hall to give them privacy. “It would probably be best if you stayed in your room for the night until we figure out what the intruder’s intentions were.”
‘Right. I might be safe from Serenitus’s Tempe at the Academy, but down here—’
“Alright,” Mercedes responded, unable to mask her disappointment.
The ginger Disciple left with the promise of an escort around the city later should the Sparrow need it. Lilibet bid the albino a restful afternoon and departed with him, shutting the door behind her.
Left alone to explore her new room, Mercedes moved to test out the bed first. She was surprised and thrilled by the gentle sinking sensation as the mattress beneath the fluffy green quilt conformed to the contours of her narrow hips and hands as if beckoning her to sink into its blissful, cool comfort.
‘I wish—but first.’
The Sparrow removed her Initiate Arcane Gloves, rose, and closed the curtains on either side of the balcony’s window doors. She then moved to the desk, rummaging through the drawers until she found a letter opener sharp enough to prick her finger.
‘Let’s hope my theory works.’
A shallow cut along the side of her right thumb drew more than enough blood for the albino to smear across the emerald gemstone of her bank account ring.
[Astra System Update! The Mystic Bank VIP Cache Ring has been linked to your Astra. Would you like to open your inventory?]
“Absolutely!”
A sizeable panel with over twenty individualized slots appeared, only to be buried by the arrival of several more notifications that obscured it.
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[Notice! Quest Rewards for [Safely Infiltrating the Mystic Realms] have been obtained.]
[Notice! 2x Dominion Chest rewards have been obtained.]
[Would you like to activate [Quest Insight] for your recently acquired quest rewards?]
The Sparrow clicked [yes] after canceling out the other screens and blinked in surprise as she took in the familiar ritual dagger that occupied the first slot.
[Acquired! Inferior Ritual Dagger]
A primitive knife of steel and gold adorned with a ruby gemstone. Forged by the sweat and toil of a craftsman from a Mundane world, this blade might serve as a decorative relic of an ancient kingdom now lost to the undying horde of Necrothorn.
‘This is my reward?’ Mercedes scoffed as she tentatively reached into the screen and grasped the hilt of the dagger used to kill the High Priestess. ‘Not sure how to feel about this. It’s pretty but otherwise useless. There's not a single stat, though I suppose that makes sense. Still, I’d better get rid of this as soon as possible before it becomes another link to Primula’s murder.’
[Notice! Mundane weapon detected!]
[Scanning….]
[This item harbors the essence and resentment of a slain Master Ranked Mystic. Conditions for [Artificing] unlocked. Altering the crystalline structure of this blade… Merging the remaining divine essence into the alloying elements…]
‘What the—’
“Oww!” The Sparrow dropped the glowing, scalding dagger, which now burned a bright cherry red color as it hovered in the air before her, shrinking in size as the metal shifted to orange and then a bright yellow.
[Notice! The alteration of this item is limited due to the inferior grade of its original composition. A new quality of [Superior Artifact] has been assigned.]
The albino watched in fascination as the dagger melted into a floating ball of liquid metal that slowly swirled into the shape of a new dagger as it cooled.
[Notice! An Inferior gem has been consumed due to its low-grade material.]
[Alert! A Primordial has detected the essence and final prayer of his High Priestess. Seraphelios has applied punitive restrictions to the use of this artifact.]
[Notice! The vengeful desire of a weakened wraith resides within this blade. Use with Caution.]
[Notice! Congratulations on acquiring your first piece of Superior gear.]
[Acquired! Superior Artifact – Primula’s Lament]
A superior unholy blade corrupted by the transgression of an Agent of Darkness, this blade carries the vengeful desire of a Divine Mystic murdered through treachery and deceit. This artifact is a sentient object capable of granting its wielder a quest to fulfill the dying wish of Serenitus’s High Priestess. +4 STA, +4 M.ENG, +4 S.ENG, +3 INT, and +3 WIS.
Bonus: INT and WIS increase to +4 when fighting against creatures or agents of the Undying Realms.
Alignment Penalty: Those aligned with the Abyssal Dominion cannot utilize this artifact.
Karmic Penalty: This artifact applies the following debuffs when wielded by the fiend who murdered one of Seraphelio's High Priestesses. -7 VIT, -5 STA, -3 M.ENG, and -3 S.ENG.
‘This just gets better and better.’ Mercedes stepped back as the dagger clattered to the floor, far too unnerved to touch it, much less pick it up. ‘I suppose I shouldn’t have expected any favors from a Primordial I pissed off, but how the hell am I supposed to get rid of this piece of crap now?’
The Sparrow moved further away from the cursed artifact and shifted her attention back to the item in the second slot, which was shrouded beneath a black mist.
“I really don’t like where my luck is going with this,” she muttered before moving on to the two stacked black chests that were her reward for assisting Necrothorn’s agent in defeating Serenitus's disciples in a territory dispute.
[Acquired! Dominion Reward Chest x2. Would you like to open your rewards?]
“Yes..?”
[Notice! Necrothorn, the Undying Magus, has granted you this small token to acknowledge your contributions.]
[Acquired! Necrothorn’s Token of Acknowledgement]
This Superior Mystic Token allows you to purchase one Tier III Spell or one Superior Grade item from the Undying Tab of the Mystical Emporium.
[Notice! Morthilith, the Eternal Warden of Death, has granted you this small token to encourage your murderous proclivities.]
[Acquired! Morthilith’s Token of Encouragement]
This Superior Mystic Token allows you to purchase one Tier III Spell or one Superior Grade item from the Undying Tab of the Mystical Emporium.
[Acquired! 10 Superior Death Magic Crystals]
[Astra System Update! All rewards have been sent to your inventory.]
‘Tokens and Death Crystals? I wonder how useful those will be.’ The Sparrow's gaze was pulled toward the cursed dagger that radiated with a deceptively pale divine light. ‘I should probably put that back in storage, just in case there’s anything trackable on it.’
The albino removed her mantle, which she wrapped around the blade, and hurriedly tossed the superior weapon toward her inventory screen. She exhaled in relief as it resumed its position in one of the empty slots.
‘Alright. Now all that’s left is—whatever this is?’
Mercedes reached towards the object obscured by the dark, ominous cloud and shivered. She reached in to grasp it and shivered as the familiar cold emptiness of the void washed over her hand and slithered up her arm as the shroud dispersed to reveal a malevolent-looking mask.
[Alert! Forbidden Object Detected.]
“Oww!” The Sparrow winced as a sharp electrical current ran down her arm, causing her to drop the mask, which immediately returned to her inventory, where it resumed its placid state behind a shroud of darkness. “What the hell?” Mercedes stared at her inventory screen, mystified, as she rubbed the fading sting from her fingers and palm.
‘It has to be a reward from my Master. But why can’t I take it out of my inventory? Who or what is interfering?’
The albino gritted her teeth as she reached into the magic storage, only to be met by even greater resistance as her hand and the forbidden object refused to move one inch beyond the screen.
“Oh, come on!” Mercedes released the mask and yanked her hand free, anger shifting into hunger as she glared at the emerald ring. “Should I go back to the Mystic Bank and see if they have answers?”
A low, disconcerting growl came from the Sparrow’s stomach. She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her abdomen before canceling out the inventory screen and turning to the jar waiting on the Balcony Suite’s desk.
“I suppose I should eat.”
image [https://www.royalroad.com/dist/img/ornaments/16.png]
The curious scent of foreign blood wafted up into Mercedes’s nostrils when she removed the jar’s lid. The gnawing feeling in her stomach tightened, prompting the Sparrow to ignore her disgust and select one of the slimy crimson eggs. She stared at the squirming worm-like elver beneath its translucent yolk and grimaced.
“This—has to be the strangest thing I’ve ever contemplated eating.”
Her gut rumbled with impatience. The Sparrow sighed, opened her mouth, and cautiously bit off a corner of the gelatinous sack. A creamy, metallic taste washed over her lips, teeth, and tongue as the unborn fetus wriggled free and slid down her throat.
Mercedes gagged, spinning in the desk chair as she covered her mouth, half expecting to vomit—only to lick the remaining blood from her lips hungrily.
‘That—wasn’t so bad.’
She eyed the still half-full sac dripping between her fingers and raised it to her lips, meticulously draining the buttery, smooth crimson fluids before swallowing it all down eagerly.
‘More…’
The albino’s hand returned to the jar. She grabbed two of the gummy egg sacks, pricking them open with her sharper canine teeth and then guzzling the yolk down, elver and all.
The hunger eased, but only slightly. The nostalgic feeling of being nourished reminded the Sparrow of the strange sensations she got every time she killed a zombie in her old world.
Mercedes’s thoughts drifted while her other senses focused on the simple act of eating as the ache in her stomach faded, replaced by something altogether unfamiliar.
By the time the albino snapped back to reality, her hands, lips, chin, uniform cuffs and sleeves were bloody. She sighed in exasperation and then stared meekly at the three blood-eel eggs that remained.
[Astra System Update! [Alternative Mystic Diet] recognized.]
[Notice! You have consumed a rich diet of [Fertilized Blood Eel Eggs]. Finish your meal to replenish all primary stats and receive the following bonus: +3 VIT, +2 STA, and +1 AGI for 3 hours.]
A faint burp escaped the stunned albino’s lips as she canceled the notifications and took in the pile of drained egg sacks on the desk before her. “You have got to be kidding me.”
‘The damn Snake-Gorgon was right after all.’
The Sparrow chewed her bottom lip restlessly as she tipped the jar over, rolled the final three eggs into her hand, and finished her bloody meal. Then she returned the pile of slimy, empty sacks to the jar and licked her elongated canines with a frustrated hiss.
‘I’m still fucking hungry.’