"Who am I speaking to?" Ethan asks, listening for any approaching enemies.

The skull chuckles. "I mean you no harm. I am but a lost soul who'd wish to exchange with you who visited my world." Its voice is that of a man whose vocal cords have been severely damaged.

"Can't we discuss through that skull?" Ethan requests. 'Meeting him might get me some precious intelligence. But it feels like a trap,' he thinks.

A window appears in front of Ethan.

Pact of non-aggression

??? offers you a pact of non-aggression. Should you accept it, you and ??? will be under its influence for the next 24 hours.

Harming the opposite party through any means will cause the rupture of the pact. All members of the party responsible for the rupture will suffer the Curse of ruin.

Accept Deny

"What stops your helpers from attacking me?" Ethan asks.

"A party refers to any ally, bond, summon, or slave," the skull answers.

Ethan presses 'Accept'. "Where to now?"

Another skull, further away, answers, "Follow their voices." The new skull speaks with a feminine voice.

Guided by the skulls, Ethan moves deeper inside the catacombs. His path follows the blood trails he met when entering this place.

"I see you showed another kind of hospitality to those who came before me," Ethan says sarcastically.

"Those panicked sheep showed no other utility than being materials for my craft," a male skull answers.

"I needed them to protect myself from others like you," another chimes in.

Ethan periodically scans the area through predator's sight but sees no living being. He steps into a chamber, along which skeletons stand sentinel.

Three massive armors surround a pale woman dressed in a pristine medieval robe. Her eyes are ink black, dotted with small white irises. One of the armors shifts slightly, despite its open joins revealing its emptiness.

A bloody skull, placed on a stone coffin before her, opens its maw. "Welcome to my miserable, and I hope temporary, domain, James Ward," it says.

"Am I unworthy of your real voice?" Ethan jests.

The woman smiles and utters a few words. Ethan recognizes none of them, not even the syllables she used. "It is easier to communicate through the souls of those who preceded you," the skull begins. "Would you care to approach?"

Ethan moves towards her, stopping a few meters away. His senses are focused on the armors guarding her. He asks, "I was transported to an unknown location by a crystal. Is that what you meant by me visiting your world?"

"It is. And I was dragged to yours, stranded until I find a way back," the skull explains.

Ethan guesses, "Find a way back. … Do you expect me to bring you a dungeon stone?"

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"You're sharp. I propose to strike a deal, an arrangement for which you would be generously compensated," the skull says.

Ethan silently waits for her offer.

She places her hand above the coffin. A ring on her index finger emits an aura powerful enough for Ethan to feel without closing his eyes.

"Ether manipulation leveled up."

Two books appear on the surface below her hand. The titles are runic in nature and undecipherable for Ethan. He approaches his hand, silently waiting for her permission. She nods, and he places his finger on one of them, thinking, 'Identification.'

Spell book: Debilitating Hex

Whoever reads the content of this book will learn the spell Debilitating Hex. This spell belongs to the dark magic school of magic.

Debilitating Hex: Reduces the strength of the target.

Ability book: Spellcasting (F)

Whoever reads the content of this book will learn the Spellcasting (F) ability.

Spellcasting: Form the mental structure necessary to cast a spell. The cost, range, target number, duration, and effectiveness of your spell depend on your rank of spellcasting and characteristics in comparison to the spell's strength.

"A more than fair deal," Ethan begins. "But I came here to find a monster, a Gloom Sporling from which one could make a healing potion." Ethan's throat tightens as he regrets saying it with such entitlement.

"Greedy, are we?" The skull chuckles. She waves her hand once again, and a pile of moss appears along the books.

Ethan pulls out the crystal he just obtained from his haversack. 'It's the same rank as the Abyssal keep, but I feel like a unique achievement's extra reward should be special,' he thinks.

Dungeon Stone: Huskstalker lair (D)

A crystal that, when shattered teleports, you and your nearby party to a predetermined dungeon.

"I took this from the corpse of a monster I killed. A stealthy predator covered in scales, whose tail is armed with a harpoon-like stinger," Ethan explains, holding the stone before her.

She places her finger around it, the connection sending shivers and tendrils of Ether along Ethan's forearm.

"Ether manipulation leveled up."

'Just being near her refills my reserves of Ether; what kind of creature is she?' Ethan asks himself. 'Are the inhabitants of her world all like her? Or is she a monster who can reason and speak?'

"This will do. I am lucky you came to this place," the skull begins. "I hope we will meet again someday; I see great things for you." Her sentence concludes with a flash of light, taking her and her living armors away. The skeletons lining the edges of the room fall to pieces.

"I had so many other questions," Ethan instantly regrets aloud. He grabs his prizes and places everything in the haversack. As he steps away towards the room's exit, he notices a shadow appearing in his peripheral vision. In seconds, the room fills with tens of them, as if he was back to his meeting with the goddess of death.

They lament indescribable complaints in echoing voices. Ethan walks back the trails of blood to the entrance. Souls appear on his path, returning to nothingness as he distances them.

Curious, Ethan opens his status. "Dark Ether corruption, minor," he reads. 'I hope it will go away soon,' he thinks.

On his path, he comes across the remains of a skeleton whose bones hold a pristine long sword. Its blade shimmers with a hint of blue hue. Silver runes decorate the guard, like those on his newly acquired books.

Starfell knight longsword

A sword gifted to anyone who becomes a knight of the Starfell kingdom. Ether imbues its steel blade, improving its durability and edge.

This weapon has been enchanted with [Sharpness (E)].

'Did she come with that sword?' Ethan wonders.

Armored steps echo from the entrance's vague direction. A heartbeat appears in Ethan's predator's sight. A man approaches, wearing metallic armor and chain mail. A sword dangles at his hip, tapping against his leg. Ethan changes paths to avoid the man, but soon realizes that he's been tracked.

Ethan waits for the man to enter a long corridor and appears at the opposite end of it. He's young, twenty-one, or so.

"Finally, I found you, vile necromancer!" the man yells. A wave of Ether traverses Ethan, and a window appears before the man. "You're human? And a warrior? … You must be hiding your real status. The Ether coming from you does not lie," he says.

"The woman you seek has already left this place," Ethan explains.

The man unsheathes his long sword. "I shall not suffer your lies. In the name of the god of light, I will vanquish you!"

"What kind of lunatic is that guy?" Ethan mutters. He aims his rifle and shoots at the man's chest plate. His armor bends under the impact, crushing his rib cage and lungs. "You are going to answer a few questions for me," Ethan threatens as he walks to the downed man.

"Adding the Intimidation skill. Based on your previous experience a level of 47 has been applied."