Cless almost hit Marion. She held herself back.
"Tell me who are my parents. I want full information," She moved to threaten the fake nun. "My mother. Who was she? And you behave like a helpful lady or I'll make sure you regret."
Marion shifted and her body language became like a noble lady. "Of course, miss. Your mother was one of the original nine heroes. They called her the Sword Queen. She was lost in the Infernal Realm during the heroes' first incursion along with the Spellsword. It was only after they returned from the second incursion that we learned about the Spellblade's demise and the Sword Queen's bargain."
Cless was moved to tears. "What bargain?"
"She whored herself to the Devil so he would release the other seven back to Midgard!" Marion snapped.
Seeing red at the insult and the general situation, Cless waved one hand, muttered a chant, and from the ground rose a sword made of stone. She severed Marion's arm below the elbow and closed the wound with a Heal.
"I said I'll let you go, I never told you you'd go whole. If you want to keep the other arm, mind your tongue. Who is my father?"
After a few minutes reelling in pain and clutching the stump of her arm, Marion lashed out. "You are the Devil's daughter, you—" Marion shut her own mouth before Cless got her other arm. The stone sword stopped inches from her limb.
Trevor stirred on the bed. He tried to run in Cless' direction, but all he did was stumble over and fall on his face on the glowing cage's bottom. He looked up in horror and asked.
"What did you do to me?"
Cless felt in total control. She didn't leave her chair and spoke to him slowly.
"Tell me, High Inquisitor Trevor. Who are my parents? And you shut your trap, Marion." She threatened the other woman tapping the side of the sword on her other hand.
"You heard it from her, didn't you? You are the Devil's daughter." The last shred of defiance disappeared right away.
He stood up and tried to move, finding he was restrained to a child's level of movements. He tried to use his techniques, his spells. Nothing happened. He waved a hand at the cage and it didn't change or vanish. Surprised, he wobbled. Trevor was now only level nineteen, missing fifty Stat points. He should be below ten in all Stats as a zero in any of them would mean paralysis, death or a coma.
Cless stood up and walked as Trevor picked up the sword from the guard. Maybe she shouldn't leave sharp weapons on the ground with enemies moving around but she reverted the gap. Cless shook her head and simply swatted the weapon away with the stone blade as he lunged at her. She grabbed his wrist, dismissed the stone sword, and picked up the discarded weapon. He struggled but she did as he did to her, backhanding his jaw. It broke, she healed it. Trevor had to speak.
"Do you want to die right now, Trevor?" He shook his head. "Good boy. Now get some clothes on. How long this cage usually lasts?"
He went for his dresser and put on some clothes. "Eight hours." He answered.
"Does it block teleportation?"
"I don't think it will block you, monster. But yes, it should block both sound, scrying, and teleportation."
She wanted to stab him so badly she almost didn't restrain herself. Cless used Detect Magic and took notice of the enchanted items in the High Inquisitor personal tent. "Trevor, you'll make a deal with me or you'll die. Do you want to live?"
She put all her pressure on him, feeling something activate. Trevor tried to resist but he was washed by a pang of fear so great he seemed as weak as a kitten. "I'll do what you want." He finally was able to croak from his crouching position on the ground.
"Good. First, you'll hand me all the valuables and enchanted items and tell me what they do. If you lie I'll know."
He gave the stuff to her and she placed them in a Deeppocket. She calmed down and forced whatever was causing that terror on them to fade.
"Now, let me tell you. You will make a deal with me. You will give me your Skills and once this cage is gone, forget everything about me except the deal regarding the Dungeon. You will lead the soldiers into the Dungeon and do the crusade as we agreed. I'll let you live and you might even regain some of your levels in the Dungeon. Make your choice. Go to meet your fake god or live."
Trevor chose option C. Option B with snark. "You can't kill me. If you kill me, the whole Church will come after you!"
Cless didn't rise to the feeble provocation. "Maybe. But you made very clear to every soldier out there that I am the Holy Maiden. They know how you treat women. I can even get Marion there to witness for me. I'll just say that you were punished by the One God. I have the Priest on my side and soon your army as well. I doubt the Church will do shit to a level nineteen loser like you."
"What? My levels?"
"Check your status really deep, asshole. I bet that after I told it, you'll be able to see your new level."
She waited as he checked. She could see Marion also looking. Cless sat back on her spot and waited.
"I'm level nineteen?" Trevor finally asked.
"Yup. Loser. Now, deal or die. C'mon. I know you have zero faith in your made up god. I'm not offering you a bad deal. You'll go to the dungeon, reap tons of levels. At least I won't wipe your mind until you are a vegetable. You know how to level up. I bet you'll reach your old level in a heartbeat."
"Are you a Skill Hunter?" He asked, still clinging to his pride.
Cless laughed. "Why would I tell you? And no. If I were one, I'd kill you, right?" She turned to the spy made nun and told her. "Marion, I'm changing our deal. You'll forget all about me including all the years you spent here once this cage goes off. Then you are free to go. Or I'll take another arm and both legs."
She didn't intend to make good on her threat, now that she was with a cool head. But she didn't have to tell that to Marion.
"I agree." Marion lost all fight in her now that she realized her status and that she was five levels above Trevor.
"Okay, Trevor," Cless clapped her hands. "Truth time. Take the deal now or I'll also include a clause to make sure your manhood never gets up again. And I'll use Marion's Skill on you until you submit, making the deal worse each time."
"I'll take the deal."
She made sure the prompt would appear this time. "Select 'yes', please."
> Contract made. You gained the Skill [Perfect Might (B)]: Increase Strength, Agility, and Health by (50 + level)%
That's how he got powerful and went for a physical build with meager spellcasting. He had what? Triple to everything at his former level?
Cless went wide-eyed at the man's Skill. She stood up, picked up her stuff with a healthy amount of Clean and Purify spells, placed it in another Deeppockets and waved them goodbye.
"Hope I don't see you around. Toodles!"
Cless Blinked out of the cage. More precisely, she tried to. The cage resisted her. She tried again, failed a Hearth Recall and then gave up. She went back to talk to Trevor.
"Well, High Inquisitor, this is quite a pickle. You see, midnight is coming and you'll die if I am not back at the Beaten Hare by then. Now you either find me a way to cross this cage or we'll just sit here and watch as you die. What time is it, by the way?"
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Trevor picked a round amulet-like thing made of bronze. He opened it and there were some needles inside with fancy numbers around it. Cless took a while to recognize it. A pocket watch with a portrait of a woman on the lid, probably a memento of someone he lost. How nice and expensive. He looked at her and answered her question.
"It's half past eleven." He gasped.
"Well, we only have to wait for half an hour. Maybe the cage will vanish after you die, maybe I'll just chat with Marion next to your corpse until dawn."
She waited. Trevor got more and more scared as time went by and started to thrash around. Cless had to restrain him by tying him up with his blanket and some belts. She also shoved a sock ball in his mouth and tied it around the jaw so he couldn't suicide. Marion cried. Cless gave no fucks but she liked to fill the time with some friendly banter.
"How much did they pay you, Marion?" Cless asked to kill time.
"Enough to retire. But now even that I won't remember." She answered, sadness and despair taking over her.
"Is the money in the bank under your name?"
"Yes. Are you going to steal it too?"
"Nah. I didn't steal Trevor's items either. I'm handing them over back to whoever is in charge after we get out. Am I a good girl or not?"
The only reason she was not looting Trevor blind was that she knew it wouldn't end there. Heck, if what they said was true, the whole Church and the Celestial Realm wouldn't rest until she was dead. But she didn't need to test her luck. What she needed to do was to lay low and see if this Holy Maiden business wouldn't blow up in her face. It would probably set the Church back quite some time. And she remembered one thing.
"Is there a written record of your reports or confession or something regarding me?"
Marion sighed. She was probably hoping Cless didn't ask. "In his chest." She pointed.
She opened Trevor's chest by the bed and it was full of documents. Cless burned everything inside the chest. She kept using Purify spells on the air to remove the smoke but she could see that just as the stone sword could cross the bars, the air and smoke could do it too. It probably blocked only living things.
After the fire died, she used a Clean spell to remove the last of the ashes and odd pieces that didn't burn. She checked on Trevor and he was long dead. She didn't get a notification. Why? Because he was below her new level threshold. Thirty two for her new level of eighty-two.
She released the body of the former High Inquisitor and noticed the pocket watch clutched in his hand. 'Even monsters like him have someone they care about,' she thought. Moving the body to a side of the large bed, she tied Marion on the same blanket with a clean sock to keep her from shouting. Cless summoned a Golem to watch over the woman. The stone passed through the bars and a smaller construct than usual formed, probably because of the constraints of the cage.
With part of the tension gone, she wanted to sleep and the woman would surely try to escape her constraints and murder her without the golem to watch. She set the golem to wake her up after four hours and keep watch over Marion to kill her if she tried to escape. Satisfied with her setup and with the knowledge that [Dangersense] would warn her of anything that showed up she laid on the couch to rest.
Cless woke up fully rested with the golem shaking her. She stood and looked at Marion. Still alive and asleep. Good. The cage was still there but it should be only four in the morning. It was a good time to check the Skills she got from Frederik as she wasn't going anywhere. She felt sick when she saw why Frederik was so sure she couldn't appraise him. And how she used the same dirty trick as the Inquisition to get rid of the man. She chided herself for such hypocrisy.
> [Appraise Immunity {C}]: You are completely immune to appraise attempts.
>
> [Master Appraiser {C}]: You add half your level to all appraise proficiencies.
>
> [Fear Aura (B)]: Unlocks the Charisma Stat. You can trigger a fear aura. If a creature (Level + (Intellect / 2) + Wisdom + Strength) is lower than your (Level + Charisma), it is paralysed for 5 seconds. Those that resist will suffer from bouts of fear and will have their reactions slowed depending on how many points they had above your level. The radius of the Aura is equal to a third of your Charisma in meters.
>
> [Alchemical Tolerance (D)]: You can consume double the amount of potions before suffering from alchemical poisoning.
>
> [Darkness Resistance (D)]: You suffer 80% less damage from darkness effects and they last for 80% less time.
>
> [Sharp Mind (D)]: Increase Intellect by (10 + level)%
>
> [Pierce Defenses (D)]: Your piercing attacks ignore half of the target's armor.
>
> [Alchemist (D)]: You gain the Alchemist profession.
She could only curse that Skill Hunter. The guy had an almost perfect lineup for his work, including a Skill to mindfuck people of a lower level like her. She wondered how many people he ruined to get these Skills. She also vowed to not go down that path. It also answered why she survived his whithering poison knife. It should count as both a poison and a darkness effect and she had resistance to both.
To spend time, Cless cleaned and repaired her armor and clothes, removing any stains that might be like the blood of the soldiers, using the fabrics and clothes she found in Trevor's dresser. She also checked her status and spent some Stat Points to round up her Stats. Without anything better to do, Cless waited until the cage vanished. When it did, she dismissed the golem and walked out of the tent.
She saw the entire camp destroyed. Bodies of Inquisition soldiers everywhere, in varying degrees between very dead and overkilled. Standing on this scene of carnage, she saw them. All of the six Heroes standing around the tent. She looked and saw that Josefine was different. Her ears almost popped above her scalp and her face was more angular. It had an otherworldly beauty. She was also wearing purple robes with golden trim. Way better than her maid dress and apron. The Priest was with the nuns, covered in borrowed robes. At least they were healed. And behind the heroes four people wearing her guild tabard. People, not monsters or demis.
Cless smiled and waved at them. "Hello, guys. Fancy seeing you around. I'm fine, by the way."
Karen ran and hug her, squeezing and checking for wounds. "Where is that bastard?" She asked. Venaris, Silverfang in beastkin form, Vic and Kurt came around her for a hug too.
"High Inquisitor Trevor? He got smitten by the One God for being an asshole," She sighed and nudged her head toward the only tent standing up. "You'll find his body inside but I don't recommend dismemberment. Marion, the spy is also inside and alive. Gift wrapped."
The nuns wanted to go but the Priest held up a hand. "Don't dirty your hands. She is not worth it. Mine, on the other hand, no washing can clean. Excuse me."
He went inside. She heard nothing.
Josefine approached. Cless smiled and held the elf's hand. "Sorry to leave you in there, Cless. I hate these Inquisitor cages. Impossible to dispel!" The Great Sage pouted.
"You're both welcome and gorgeous, Josie. Don't worry. It wasn't that terrible after I turned the tables on them."
After a minute, he came outside. "Trevor and his spy are dead." He announced without emotion on his voice.
Cless tapped Karen's shoulder. "Guys, let's go home. I need a bath."
They walked through the town, Karen didn't let go of Cless for a single instant. She held Venaris' hand on the other side and the three boys went behind her. It was early morning but everyone was on the streets. Word of mouth spread like wildfire during the night as the slaughter of the Inquisition soldiers went on. Everyone knew their secret now. The town of Tambrill hosted five of the seven heroes for more than a decade, in secret. Cless lowered her head to hide but Karen propped her chin up.
She told her. "You might as well be one of us now, Cless. But please tell me how did you kill two people nearing level two hundred?"
Cless shrugged. She spoke loud enough to be heard by her entire extended family.
"What can I say, aunt Karen? I guess I got my father's glib tongue."
Status:
> Name: Cless (no surname)
>
> Race: Human.
>
> Level: 82 ( 3,348,448 / 3,403,000 Exp )
>
> Class: — Dabbler 25 ( 300,000 Exp / ** ) — Beast Tamer 25 (900,000 Exp / ** ) — Vicar 20 ( 1.173.448 / 1,210,000 Exp )
>
> Profession — Veteran Warmaster 25 (300,000 Exp / **) — Master Instructor 10 (285,498 / 305,000 Exp)
> — Crafter 25 (Skill) — Farmer 25 (Skill) — Herbalist 25 (Skill) — Alchemist 25 (Skill)
>
> Base Stats — Strength: 64 [148] — Agility: 83 [192] — Health: 102 [236] — Intellect: 105 [201] — Wisdom: 100 — Charisma: 100 — Magic: 250
>
> Available Status Points: 50
>
>
>
> Skills:
>
> S-rank: [Absolute Contract]
>
> B-rank: [Succubus’ Kiss], [Physical Perfection], [Appraise Immunity]
>
> C-rank: [Crafter], [Dangersense], [Elven Longevity], [Eat Anything], [Earth Magic], [Master Miner], [Seductress' Charm]
> — [Master Appraiser], [Fear Aura]
>
> D-Rank: [Trick Shot], [Nimble Step], [Tinker], [Grounding], [Dancer’s Grace], [Great Leap], [Druidwalk]
> — [Tremorsense], [Gemsense], [Ore sense], [Brownie Magic], [Courtier’s Charm], [Curmudgeon crafter], [Farmer]
> — [Singers’ Talent], [Poison Resistance], [Merchant sense], [Steelshine], [Heavy Handed], [Twin Strike], [Spell Resistance]
> — [Runner's Dash], [Steel Muscles], [Evade Projectiles], [Snakes' Flexibilty], [Herbalism], [Stage Magician]
> — [Alchemical Tolerance (D)], [Darkness Resistance (D)], [Sharp Mind (D)], [Pierce Defenses (D)], [Alchemist (D)]
>
> E-Rank: [Gravebreath], [Architectural Ingenuity], [Coin Sense], [Weavertouch], [Silk Hair], [Wanderlust],
> — [Giant's Stamina], [Hearth’s warmth], [Seamstress Talent], [Lady’s Countenance], [Enhanced Touch],
> — [Howl], [Air Sailing], [Splinters], [Pack Rat], [Virility]
>
> F-rank: [Gardener’s touch], [Florist’s Wonder]. [Cheat], [Inner Compass]
>
>
>
> Techniques:
>
> — [Beast Taming VI]
>
>
>
> Spells (spells under 20 hidden):
>
> Cleric: — Mending: 50 — Detoxify: 50 — Light: 55 — Turn Undead: 34 — Blessing: 50 — Holy Bolt: 59 — Purify: 50 — Protection: 53
> — — — Hallow: 60 — Flametongue: 43 — Cure: 50 — Uncurse: 40 — Banish: 40 — Heal: 57 — Warding: 50 — Revivify*: 40
>
> Mage: — Detect Magic: 38 — Armor: 53 — Fireball: 37 — Shield: 48 — Resistance: 34 — Deeppockets*: 38 — Blink*: 41
>
> Priestess: Censure: 42 — Bulwark: 55 — Mass Mending: 51 — Sacred Dance: 46 — Judgement: 56 — Song of the Accord*: 55
>
> House: — Detect Dust: 32 — Doorwatch: 26 — Prestidigitation: 32 — Never Overdone!: 35 — Touch Up: 27
> — — — Dry: 34 — Repair: 46 — Clean: 50 — Bloom: 45 — Hearth Recall*: 24
>
> Earth: — Soften: 40 — Earth Armor: 55 — Stone Shape: 53 — Terrakinesis: 49 — Golem*: 60
>
> Vicar: — Water Breathing: 23 — Shield of Faith: 30
>
>
>
> Proficiencies (values under 10 hidden):
>
> Appraise: Status: 50 — Resistance: 72 — Forgery: 21
>
> General: Prayer: 60 — Reading: 16 — Skinning: 11
>
> Social: Negotiation: 60 — Persuasion: 50 — Bluff: 50
>
> Martial (+18 profession): Leadership: 61 — Intimidation: 59 — Tactics: 55
>
> Weapon (+18 profession): Long Blades: 69 — Unarmed: 67 — Archery: 57 — Maces: 38