Chapter Forty: Opulence of Objects
~Run 5, Treasure Room, Floor 2, The Fallen Merchant City of Aerlyn~
If the last room was a Splendor of Sheets, the next room was an Opulence of Objects. My eyes widened at the sheer volume of it. Unreal. If I had even a quarter of this wealth, my family would have been fine. I had entered a room half the size of the entrance room filled with barrels of spices, broken and worn-down merchant stalls, weapons, armor, crates, chests, and gems all scattered around in a chaotic junkyard mess. My mind raced. What happened here? Who left all this behind? The absence of guards or other adventurers, although expected, was unsettling, to say the least.
In the center, a red and brown orb floated in the air, emitting blue wisps of power. I held my breath as I moved forward anxiously, each step clanging loudly in the vast, opulent chamber. The stillness was eerie, amplifying my anticipation of an impending trap. But nothing happened, and maybe this time, nothing would.
“What is this place?” I asked, my voice filled with wonder as I looked around.
[This is a treasure room. And you made your final choice, by the way. You will not get another Spout on this run, and it is, therefore, impossible to destroy the Djinn. However, you made the right choice, as there are untold treasures available in this room. The bounty of spices alone will yield well over 10,000 Gold. I don’t understand what’s going on. There should be dozens of people here, guards, too. The last time a penitent I was with found the second-floor secret room, it was not like this.]
My jaw dropped, and I felt my heart skip a beat. This was a treasure trove beyond my wildest dreams. My hands itched to touch everything, to claim the riches before me. I could barely breathe as I took in the vast array of wealth, each item more dazzling than the last. “How do I store them in my inventory?”
[How do you store anything else?]
"Oh," I said, distracted. As amazing as the obvious wealth was, I felt like a cat chasing string as I stared, transfixed by the orb. I approached the orb, the wisps of power lashing out, crackling the air, making me jump in alarm. “Is that thing safe?”
[I do not know what this is.] Crystal paused, clearly thinking of the safest way for me to get to the orb. [But I would advise you to steer clear of it. It could be dangerous. Run ending, even.]
I should listen to Crystal, but… the orb called to me. It wanted me. Needed me.
Part of the reason was that for the first time in a while, I felt calm and at peace with the world, and not as if a goblin had almost ripped out my spine 10 minutes earlier. The source was clearly the magic arcing back and forth around the ball. My hair raised as I got closer but didn’t hesitate reaching out to grab it.
As I put my hand on the orb, my world expanded. A new awareness sprang to my mind–I was not alone here. Time froze, and then everything vanished. The wind howled through the now empty streets. I gasped in horror at all of the wealth that was just gone.
It was the exact same sensation I felt earlier, except now, my mind was racing, hoping against hope that I could remember every detail, remember everything that I was about to face. I couldn’t lose anything more; I just couldn’t.
The golden light enveloped me once more, but this time, it was different. A profound sense of peace washed over me, soothing the terror that had gripped my heart moments before. My muscles relaxed, and a serene smile spread across my face. It was as if every worry, every fear, had been swept away by the warm, radiant glow.
The horrors of the past seemed distant and insignificant, replaced by an overwhelming sense of contentment and joy. What did it matter that the spices were gone? What did my wound matter? Ah, life is good. A tiny spark of defiance spoke through the haze.
{No! Everything is not good. You are being}, but then it faded as the joy flooded my mind again. A voice spoke into the brightness.
"Hello, dearest child." Rellum the Progenitor whispered, and the words burned themselves into my brain. Each word was like a chisel against my soul, sealing in something new. He stood stark against the world. Popping out like corn on a fire. Vibrant, too real.
Is that Rellum? How? How can he exist? A rage I had never experienced rushed through me, overpowering the abounding joy, darkening it, changing it into a wisp of its former self. If I had learned anything in the dungeon so far, it was how dangerous anger could be. But at that moment, I didn’t care; I moved forward, ready to gouge his eyes out when, once again, ecstasy wracked my body in almost painful waves. Anger forgotten.
Rellum was plainly dressed for a being so powerful. His piercing yellow eyes shone like stars beneath a plain white hood. The rest of his robe was equally unadorned, just plain white fabric held together by a simple brown belt. Despite his modest attire, his intense gaze hinted at the immense power he possessed.
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{He’s manipulating you!} a voice spoke through the fog. A voice I didn’t know.
How could he be manipulating me? Everything felt so good, so right. And it was Rellum. The Rellum. God of light, god of everything that was pure and just.
And then the voice was gone. Its seed of doubt was banished from my mind as another wave of joy brought me weeping to my knees at the splendor of a god.
"I have a request of you, my child." He said. "The pact of Three limits my powers in this realm, but I must do what I can to protect my flock of followers. Those who were unfairly bewitched and trapped here with no hope of escaping. These orbs are the only trace of magic I am allowed on this floor. I need you to repair the city of Aerlyn. This was once a mighty beacon of peace and prosperity in Penance. A place for those new to the realm to figure things out, gather treasure, and prepare for the hardships of the next floor. But now, the once vibrant streets, the once vibrant Penitent community is gone.” He paused, the light of his eyes fading somewhat and, with it, the rapturous elation.
I felt exhausted, drained of my wits and my mind. But with it, I could see. I could think through the haze.
Rellum, the god of Purity. The god of hope. The only god I didn’t, couldn't believe in. As he stood before me, I struggled to reconcile the tales of his benevolence with the harsh reality of the world outside Penance. Doubts gnawed at my mind. How could a god of light allow so much darkness?
Memories of my father’s abuse, of going to bed hungry, of cowering under a chair flashed before my eyes, fueling my skepticism. I clenched my fists, my heart torn between awe and distrust. What was the point of a god of Goodness when evil existed in the world? Rellum didn’t realize I had an epiphany about my past and this situation. I kept my face awed, though. There was no reason to give a being as cruel as he any more power over me right now.
Rellum didn’t notice my internal struggle and instead gestured at one of the orbs “With these orbs, you can begin to repair the damage.”
“What? How? Why me?”
“You are a rare thing, Rod—an unclaimed soul past the first floor. There is so much that your free status brings to the gods—things we can’t do with our own soldiers. And so long as you remain unclaimed, I can gift you the power to unlock these orbs. They come at a great cost, which you will likely hate me for, but I promise the rewards will be worth it by the end.”
“If I’m so free, then” why do I have death boons? I had assumed I was claimed by The Merchant. I had wanted to say all this, but instead, what came out of my mouth was, “Why haven’t the other gods claimed me?”
The god laughed, but there was no joy in it.
But instead of his voice, I heard someone else. {Why would you want someone to claim you? Don’t you want to be free?}
Doubt soured my mind. Am I actually unclaimed? What does that even mean?
“Oh, I am certain that both Malikap and Aurentum have their greedy roots in you already, But I am not claiming you, not in the least. You can do whatever you want with my gift, even if you refuse it. All I ask is that you open one orb before you do.” Rellum held his hand aloft, and I could tell he was about to leave.
"Wait, wait. What if I don’t want to do this? Can’t you find someone else? What about that Klericho guy? I know he worships you.”
“Klericho is on his last run; as valuable as he is to me, he is not the right one for the job. This is a chance to restore balance to Aerlyn and perhaps uncover the truth behind the city's fall.” He paused, his eyes radiant now, the stars burning so brightly I had to look away. “Refusing could mean leaving the dungeon's curse unchecked, dooming countless future adventurers to the same peril. What Penitent could refuse such an opportunity to prove their worth?”
{Do you even want to prove your worth? People who end up here are worth less than nothing. But I know what you are worth. Do not trust Rellum.} That voice spoke again, insidious and resonating, making me doubt myself.
What do I want?
“Are you real?” I said, a thought jumping to my mind, and a sudden spark of anger unleashed itself from the depths of my shattered memories. “Are you actually real? I could wrap my head around the “Merchant” and Penance being real, but you? How is the world so broken if you're real?"
“You want a sophisticated answer, but it's a question I find is best searched for on your own. If I handed you the answer now, what would be the point of your journey here in Penance? Now, tut tut, you have your tasks.” He paused, staring above me at Crystal.
“Elizabeth, be a dear and help our friend complete this quest. Perhaps he will find the answer he seeks while he does.”
Quest Log
Quest name
Type
Description
Reward
[Fix The Floor]
Floor
Use the
Access to the third floor. Access to new Boons. Access to new merchants. ????
Rellum disappeared in a puff of silver smoke, the golden light fading. And then, everything returned to the room. A thousand questions flashed through my mind as the deity I had once believed did not exist vanished from my sight. How could he be real with how horrid the world is? By what right did he stand with all his accolades of purity while his churches continued to crush the downtrodden and push up the affluent? How could he exist when everything the church taught was wrong? How much money did the royal court waste on Queen Jamie…
And then, as randomly as always, a memory core descended from the ceiling.
{Memory core 10/???}
{Would you like to view the memory?} {Y/N}
I stared at it, not really in the mood for a trip down a memory lane I didn’t remember, but I wasn’t about to test what would happen if I said no to one either.