After Jean's abrupt disappearance from the battlefield, the souls of Dih and Al-Hek were drawn into Jean's strange inventory and forced into a long slumber against their will. Although it wouldn't last as long for Dih as it would for Al-Hek.
“[Greetings, Dianna!]”
“I’m Dih now!”
The light came upon her. At her back, the enigmatic being with long white hair approached from the shadows. Like the previous time, the man seemed to be in absolute control of that imperturbable space. Not far from him was the figure of Al-Hek. He floated in the air completely asleep about ten meters away.
“[You will wake up again soon. This time it will be for real, not inside the plane of souls. Just as Jean promised you…]”
Dih didn't like that man. There was something disturbing about him, but she didn't know what. She bet he hadn't come to say goodbye.
“[She has succeeded in creating a body by sacrificing a power that she should have use for self-improvement…]”
Dih looked at the ground in embarrassment. She didn't want to be a burden to her.
“[But the most incredible thing is that you won't be reborn as a spawn. Against all odds, and for the first time in this world, you will be as before. Free.]”
Dih was speechless. Even though Jean had promised her, she expected it would be years before it happened. She wanted to shout with joy, but she refrained from doing so. The man's serious face overwhelmed her.
“Did you step on the cat's tail?”, he asked.
The man's indifferent tone was alarming. Dih sensed that bad news was coming.
“[You don't think this was all by chance, do you?]”
Dih understood why he had appeared. He wanted something. It didn't show yet, but she could already feel a knot forming in her stomach. “Did you have something to do with it? ... What do I say? Of course you had something to do with it! ... What have you done, bastard?”
He approached as before. Unperturbed in the least by her insolent attitude.
“[Before you open your eyes in your new body, you will make me a promise that you will have to keep whatever the cost!]”
Dih snorted. “You are on drugs, aren't you? Go change your dealer, because that dope you smoke is wrecking your brain! If you expect me to betray Jean you're out of your mind!”
“[Betray?! … My favorite?! The fact that you think that makes me want to… I could kill you a hundred times and it still wouldn't be enough!]”
That unexpectedly relaxed Dih. “What the fuck do you want from me then?”
“[The first thing is that you won't talk about this with anyone, ever! Not even with me.]”
“Stop this nonsense and give me a reason why I have to waste my time listening to you!”
“[Do you think you died after reencountering with Jean by chance? Do you think she got a relic to create spawns by chance too? ... Al-Hek's soul was within her reach by a third coincidence?]”
Dih's stomach lurched. If he bragged so much, there was a high probability that he had been involved in more than that. She had to tell Jean immediately.
“[No! You won't! Not after what you're about to hear!]”
“Bullshit! As soon as I open my eyes, I'll tell her that you're nothing but a fucking manipulator!”
“[What do you bet you won't? … Your soul is my hands!]”
Dih resigned herself to the helplessness in the face of an unavoidable fate. “Who the hell are you really? What do you want us for?”
Dih listened in shock as he told her everything she needed to know. For several minutes, he revealed, demanded and instructed. Dih had no choice but to grit her teeth and nod as she received a tiny glowing sphere in her hands.
««◊◊◊« »◊◊◊»»
Dih suddenly hugged Jean, and she hugged her back as best she could. She was very tired. “Easy! You're back now!” From the intensity, she seemed to need it more than the air she breathed. It wasn't until seconds later that Jean realized she was holding back tears.
She thought of telling her that everything was going to be fine, but it sounded unrealistic just thinking about it. She wouldn't be safer than she was in the world of souls, but she knew that no one wanted to go back to that hellish torment.
“I still can't believe you made it! How many months have passed?”, Dih murmured somewhat more relaxed.
“Eh... Less than 6 hours.”
“WTF!” “You rock! You know that, right?”
“I’m not so sure about that... The truth is that I can't leave in the daylight. In the swamp of the plane of souls nothing happened, but I think the real sun could kill me.”
“Is it because of the curse that makes you so powerful?”
Jean nodded with resignation. “And that's not the worst of it. Outside the dungeon, I don't have the chains to help us weaken the more powerful enemies. We'll have to proceed carefully. Especially you. I'm not sure I can protect you in the same way.”
Nervously, Dih looked everywhere. “Outside? I thought we were still in Nimireth's dungeon.”
Jean handed her the still-wet garments of the kuo-toa. “Here!” Then, she stepped out of the huge room to give Dih some privacy. “That's all I have for the moment!”
“Thank you!” As Dih began to dress, she noticed herself very different. Her body was taller and her proportions were more like Jean's than she had ever dreamed of having. That made her smile, but shyness didn't let her thank her for that. She just pretended she hadn't noticed it yet. “Where are we then? How did you end up here?”
“After we abruptly split up, I faced Gabriel...”
“WHAT?!”
“Yes! He found me and we fought. To say he was powerful is an understatement.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“You fought Gabriel!? H-how did you manage to escape? He was fucking fast!”
“Fast? That was the least of his qualities... That doesn’t matter right now! In the end, I managed to kill!”
Dih's admiration for Jean only grew stronger; she knew how powerful Gabriel was. She had seen him face the impossible in the dungeon. Either way, knowing he was dead was reassuring. Without realizing it, she ran her hand across her neck. Right where he had decapitated her.
“I'm done with that damn dungeon!”
Jean looked at her uncomfortably. “I have no alternative but to go back. I'm tied to that place, and if I stay away for too long, I'll die. Besides, Erihs is still alive there. It was she who helped me...”
“Erish is alive too? … Wait, wait! Why are you tied to that place and why isn't she with you?”
“The relic that saved me had a prize. I had to make a pact. One that I had to honor. As for Erihs, she will be fine. She is close to a very powerful being that protects her. Although that same being was the one that threw me to this side to this portal... Look! For now I have no intention of going back! She would surely throw me back. She made it clear to me that she doesn't want me there! If I get more relics, I will be able to stand up to her and make the rules myself!”
“More relics?! Don't you want to get rid of the curse?!”
“No! It has changed me for the better! It has allowed me to bring you back and this is just the beginning. Now...” After a long silence that Jean did not fill. “From here on, don't make too much noise. In some parts of this subterranean ruins, there are some kuo-toa of the same level as you. They are very aggressive and healing you here will be a bit more trouble than usual.”
“And how are we going to fight? I don't see a thing.”
Jean grabbed Dih's hand to reassure her. “Darkness is not a problem for me.”
“Holy shit! In the end you're going to make me envious!”
“I don't think so!”
Dih did not ask why. They simply walked in absolute silence for about 200 meters of ruins. Ten minutes in which they only ascended until they reached a huge room in which there were relatively recent human remains. No more than two days.
A couple of picks made her think that the ruins could be an excavation. Besides being dirty, their clothes were intact and there was not a drop of blood on the ground.
Dih couldn't see it, but she figured something was wrong when she stopped for so long.
“Wait for me here! ... I need to recharge.”
Dih leaned against the wall covered with runes. “Recharge what?”
“I'll explain it later!”
Jean tried to purify their souls, but there was nothing to purify. They weren't in their abnormally dehydrated and withered bodies. Maybe it wasn't normal to become undead.
»Human Farmer«
Level: 3
Name: Oltk
Marks: [Liar], [Cheater]
Details: This young man doesn't have a drop of blood in his body.
Highest Attribute (Endurance) : 19
Jean whispered as she infected them with her corruption. “Farmers aren’t aspirants too?”
Dih gave her a puzzled look. “You have clearly lost your memory. Every guild instructor explains that as soon as one arrives. Only those destined to fight the great evils of this world are aspirants. That is to say, any adventurer is an aspirant.”
“What if someone deviates from the path of the adventurer?”
Dih smiled. “Not all of us adventurers are mercenaries of justice. The line that separates us from the bad guys isn't as defined as you think. In the end, we kill just as they do. However, there are some who cross the line and never return to the fold. They will do anything for power. They usually follow dark gods who take advantage of the system's existence.”
Dih sniffed repeatedly. “There are dead bodies nearby, aren't there? The smell is faint, but...”
“Yeah! There are several of them. Wait here for a while. I'm going to corrupt them to increase my reserves.”
“That's new. You never did that in the swamp.” Dih sounded uncomfortable.
“Well, while we were in the swamp my body was still in Nimireth's dungeon in constant contact with the miasma there. That's why I didn't have to do this.”
“So... you corrupt them and feed on them afterwards.”
Jean felt very uncomfortable with her reproachful tone. “Yes, but not in the way you imagine! I just need to touch them.”
Dih looked at her annoyed. “You like doing that?! Corrupting and feeding on...”
Sensing where the conversation was going, Jean interrupted her. “I don't think about whether I like it or not. I need it to live. Besides, it was what allowed me to create the body you breathe with now. I know I should have said it before, but it seemed more important to bring you back. I... I felt guilty! You all came down to save me and you pretty much all died for it.”
“That was not your fault! Even though we were deceived, it was our choice to go rescue you. We did it because of what you meant to us. Because of your dedication to healing us even when we had already given up. You were the epitome of virtue and goodness!”
During her journey on the plane of souls, Dih had mentioned how Jean was since she met her. However, Jean had not felt identified. “I'm sorry! I'm trying, but I'm not the Jean you knew!”
“There's no doubt about that!”
Although she didn't mean to sound so harsh, it did. Jean felt rejected, just as she feared would happen. “If you want, you don't have to worry about corruption or the curse with which I gave you that body. You are not my slave... You can leave whenever you want.”
Dih thought about apologizing, but the damage had already been done. Words were not her strong suit so she bowed her head and knelt down. After that, she simply was herself. "I'd never leave you alone! I'd rather be killed a hundred times over!”
Jean didn't move closer to comfort Dih. She needed to be alone for a moment in silence. She moved away to slowly corrupt the seven bodies scattered around the room. While she waited, she scanned the place.
The new room had no entrance except for a wall that had been forcibly demolished. Hence the debris that littered the place. Inside the adjoining room was a stone pedestal with a macabre-looking bust impregnated with an aura reminiscent of corruption.
Jean was put on guard by the realism it gave off. It was so well made that there was no difference between it, and a dried-up corpse with huge sharp teeth and a gaping hole in the center of the chest. She had a sense of deja vu, but ignored it and went back for the corpses. In a couple of minutes, she recharged Cursed Cemetery to 36%.
“Okay! We can leave now!”
Dih stood up waiting for Jean's hand, but she was still reluctant to approach. “When we get upstairs, you don’t need to...!”
Dih clenched her fists. “I'm sorry for what I said! I...”
Jean raised her tone slightly. “You don't have to apologize! I know I should have told you...”
“Shut up, dammit! I wasn't fair with you! You didn't choose this! You just adapt to what has taken over you...”
Jean held back the urge to answer her. Actually, Jean felt that she had chosen the relic. It was as if the relic had listened to her darkest desires. The most unspeakable ones.
The familiar feeling of dizziness suddenly returned. When she opened her eyes, she was with her companions in front of a campfire in a very quiet area of the dungeon of Nimireth. It was at least a day ago. Her group and two other people were resting not far from a grotto once clogged with rotting wood. It had been discovered by Annie's group by chance, but only the more powerful ones and a novice cleric had wandered in.
“What do you think will be in there?” whispered Erish.
“Something valuable, but I don't think we'll even get to see it. ... You know who we haven't seen either? Gabriel! He doesn't even deign to greet us!” Ned whispered so Annie's companions wouldn't hear him. “Not that I have much to complain about either, without doing much fighting I've gained a level.”
Rikkom nudged him lightly to shush him as Annie approached from far away. She looked annoyed. Ned swallowed hard.
She demanded authoritatively. “Who's Jean?!”
The redhead immediately stood up. “Me!”
“Come with me! Gabriel wants you to come with us!” Everyone stared in bewilderment as Jean followed her without complaint.
Jean lowered her head to pass through the hole in the rotten wooden door. “Thanks for this opportunity...”
Annie raised her hand dismissively. “Cut the formalities and go talk to Gabriel! He's over there!”
Jean walked over to where the rest of her group was. They were almost all men. The one that stood out the most was one that had a hood and expensive-looking armor. She didn't recognize him as Gabriel until she was six steps away. He didn't have his trademark white armor nor did he have his always friendly smile. In fact, when he turned toward her, his sullen expression softened as if he were seeing her for the first time.
After looking her up and down and smiling lasciviously, he motioned with a finger for her to follow him into the grotto. She didn't hesitate, not even when a dozen veteran adventurers followed them, blocking the way out.
“May I ask what you have discovered?”
“A relic!” stated Gabriel. Even his voice sounded a little different.
“Is it valuable?”
No one answered, so Jean stopped asking questions and continued until they reached a large area, slightly lit by tiny blue crystals growing on the walls. A huge cavern with numerous fissures in the floor except in the center and the narrow passageway leading to it. In the very center, a macabre bust rested on a black pedestal with red runes. On the way there, several corpses. One of them, very recent. A cleric from the other group of rookies who had followed them.
Jean covered her mouth. “By the gods! What happened?”
Annie snorted. “He approached the relic without permission and tried to touch it. He started bleeding out and died almost on the spot.”
Jean wanted to step back, but Gabriel grabbed her hand. “I trust you to heal me when I try!”
Jean shook her head. “Don't touch it! It's too dangerous!”
He smiled, “Don't be afraid! I'm not a novice at this. I have an item that protects me against curses. You just heal me when you see me bleed, okay?”
After a moment's hesitation, Jean followed him. Apparently, she wasn't the only cleric there. Another veteran from Annie's group stood beside them. That reassured her.
When they were a few steps away, Jean managed to see it in detail. It looked like a dried-up creature with a hole in the center of the chest; a hole in which floated a black marble with red runes inside.
Gabriel approached first as both clerics rested their hands on his back. But something seemed different than before; the other cleric seemed nervous. “It's vibrating!”
Gabriel muttered in confusion. “Why now? What's different?”
Everyone looked sideways at Jean. Even Gabriel partially turned around. That allowed Jean to see the phenomenon directly. The relic was vibrating with an alarming intensity. “Shouldn't we move away?”
The relic approached at full speed in their direction. Gabriel tried to catch it, but it dodged him and went into Jean's mouth. Right after, she lost consciousness.
[You have finally come back to me! I won't let them separate us again!]