Murai kept his mind up there in his sky, figuring things out and fighting how he wanted even without her in sight. That was probably why he was that great, but she wasn't thinking about that part.
A big piece of her worry was the confirmed interest of the higher-ups in this place, hindrances set by this world, and this place. Be it Manager Kil, or what went with those invasions, things were strange when she saw Murai in the bigger picture. And she discovered he wasn't minding it as much as he should.
Potentially terrorizing beings that wouldn't mind giving up their lives was another fear. No one wanted to meet a revenge-driven asshole without any stops.
Since the problems already happened numerous times in Gate 2, this one shouldn't be that different. Especially with the politics of this place in her mind.
“Fine. I get the idea that your words are well-founded.” Murai agreed again and moved his head in her direction. “Can you lead me to Sector 45 and that mountain range named... Impure?”
“Ip'ur Mountain, Murai Hisagi.” Lisa corrected him, finding it quite important because that was her darkest crack in the upcoming strategy. She needed better confirmation than Lorry.
Besides her worry, Ip'ur Mountain wasn't something special in its structure, so whatever it was with this location, it was worrisome.
“I don't know every place, or corner of this humongous place though,” She continued. “But we do have a goal. A goal you need to take into your head and act. I will help you, of course.”
“Hunt essences; get stronger. Noted.” He joked but corrected himself before Lisa stormed his beak. “And getting out of here. Sure. Out of everything, Encounter included.”
“Though so. We will talk about these choices eventually because your time will be reaching its end. Here, or in the next gate, and I know why. Getting to Gate 5 is impossible for you. Gate 4 might be a stretch too, but that place might be different.” She paused in thought.
“So what about the Ip'ur Mountain and Sector 45?”
“Your Portal to Gate 4 is—officially speaking—inside of that mountain. I never heard of that place to have it, and I made sure to research all closed, ancient, open, or publicly or privately owned portals. Those are various. We will need to find this one in that place. Perhaps it broke and we need to repair it, uhm... that is bullshit! Looking for answers is the first task after getting there. Ask for information about it and... whatever else. I don't know where to start with this madness.” She clutched her hands in anger.
“So it's like this. Unsurprisingly. Is difficulty problematic? It is at Grade S, or so Mindarch said.”
“That is another bullshit, or... it could be a recognition for the portal? Difficulties are usually not part of this Gate. Could it be...” Lisa folded her arms, glancing into the distance as she contemplated this idea. It seemed feasible when she thought about it. “It shouldn't have any dualities whatsoever as the open world of this caliber can't possibly have such a thing as set difficulty.”
“Oh,” Murai quacked in a lower pitch. “Nothing is normal around here, huh.”
“Sure are your head. Though this place has its flexibility and road to a certain location, it is still difficult. It will remain like this unless a force changes it... or we do.” Lisa sighed, pointing to the stairs. “Anyway, let's go to the lower parts. We still have something to get from the Mindarch or this castle.”
“Thanks, Guide.” Murai stomped the wall and jumped down in a faked calmness. Lisa glanced behind him, noticing his excitement and moving tail. She almost burst into laughter before checking herself out. He walked closer to the stairs.
“Guide? Well, I bet that skull has some things to do, but he will remain watchfully over us if things go wrong or badly. Or Mindarch will do? That soul seems to like you.”
“Bah! Badly? Why should Lorry be worried about it? Shouldn't it be for the temple's benefit to see us fail?”
“Guides have no incentive for that. In fact, if their Challenger fails, they will get punished for various reasons and degrees of their failure. Sometimes even beatings or death come their way. However, each successful Gate of their Challenger means some rewards. A hefty one, if the worth and chances collide.”
Murai paused his steps, glancing behind as this was the first time he had heard this. She surprised him. “So Lorry has some way to wealth behind my back, while... out of... wait! What a prick?! He does what he does and he got richer because of me? That is terrible. Unreasonable. He is a prick that isn't helpful at all!”
“Nothing surprising in this place. Many Guides are weirdos. Not sure why.” Lisa shrugged her arms and knew more than well what Guides were like. “Powerful mind works wonderfully in many ways. Solve problems as well.”
“I see. I see. Good. Let's go and see this town right now! Lead or should I dance down the stairs, Guide?!” Murai was long set on his journey rather than taking Lorry for someone important. But his worry over that skull hadn't ceased.
Lisa shrugged again and shooed him to the stairs.
He was the first to reach the stairs anyhow because Lisa didn't have legs for them. Traveling and jumping down the stairs, which were bigger than the ones made for humans, pretty much anything about this castle was built different.
Demons were generally bigger beings and filled with mutated powers. Devils could be the same, but they were much more human than some humans. Pretty much a lot of things could get some twisted physical appearances through the power of Chaos. Beasts were included.
This unfortunate duck had its worst because it won't and shouldn't get very big. It was both a curse and a good thing.
Murai took these stairs surprisingly well. Large and big, it was no surprise for this place to be unusual, or was it because travels down was much easier than up? Perhaps he learned how to handle these issues after overwhelming the last Gate?
As he went down, Lisa continued with her explanations behind his head. “Helltrim City is a beginner city that prohibits any kind of fight or problem to any Challengers. It is one of many Pivotal Cities, which is a generally safe zone for any Challenger. Any problem is either solved privately or set into motion by an Overlord or military. Nobody will hunt us there, lest they be criminals. Private things, however, are different. Think of it as agreeing to a duel. It works for killings, so as long as you don't accept any duel, it is fine. We shouldn't cause trouble either.”
Murai hummed an agreement, opting to focus on the stairs.
“This city is also a hub of the demonic armies, mainly because this castle connects all Gates toward the Hellscape, effectively turning this into a main living realm for this temple. Thanks to major portals in this place and Levandis' reputation, it is very extensive and rich. Equivalent to it is a power close to Tier S, or higher Tier A. Majority of enemies from the Gates come from this vast cave. Literary, or from portals on the Surface or further Gates.”
“Oh, that explains a lot of things.”
“Right?” Lisa smirked, feeling victorious to be of use. “This place is vast. There are many races and beasts here. A lot of Sectors are filled to the brim with foes that think of portals as their own. Some could be completely barren too, and...” Lisa kept explaining her ideas, giving Murai the rare occurrence when she was speaking without demanding something from his head.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Soon enough, Murai reached the bottom of the stairs, before turning to see another stairs, that went down at a smaller angle. These towers were quite vast and complicated, looking like a maze.
He descended those again, reaching the highest living quarters of the castle. It was well taken care of, rich, and with swirling stairs that connected this Gate to the Islands of Greatness in physical means. It was a wonder if other Gate 2s had the same connection. Lisa knew they did. Portals from Gate 2 would always end before the tunnel. With Islands of Greatness, they were physically connected for some reason that Lisa didn't know.
It was a privilege of Islands of Greatness, the so-called toughest and oldest of Gate 2s. Rest had portals that would lead to the tunnel, some room, or this tower.
The end of the stairs ended up in a wide-open area with a little garden, patches of flowers, and rows of small trees. There were many doors aside, with a tall portion of the limestone walls with many open windows. Murai saw plenty of rune formation on them, hiding in an inactive state.
Murai smacked the closest door open after Lisa pointed at them; she knew the way out so he took her words for granted. His act revealed another pair of stairs. “What the fuck!? Lisa... Is this place joking with me?! This is my biggest enemy, I swear on my memories.” He faked a tear as he cursed her weakly.
“What do you mean?” Lisa smiled. “You are getting better at this. They are just stairs. Not the End.”
“Begrudgingly... fuck you, flying bitch.” With that curse, Murai hopped down each step. It was a good way to exercise his thin legs, but only so much could help him after he grew much more through Boosts. Another thing was that he wasn't noticing many differences through the attribute increases besides Vitality. His Will and Soul Power felt like nothing, really, but something was different in the latest Boost. He felt that his soul was weird and that something moved.
Vitality at least alleviated his health and mended his stressed bones, muscles, and feathers. It was like a shot of the finest of potions that felt permanent instead.
As for Dexterity and Strength, he had yet to see anything special about them, but throughout this temple, he saw some minor changes in their worth. The strength of his body still corresponded to some physicality, but his mana was also rigid toward it. Speed and reflexes caused by Dexterity felt like an elevated connection to his body.
The latest Boost hadn't changed him right away. He needed some targets to see some difference. Perhaps some Anatidae Golem wouldn't hurt him anymore. Lastly, some of his feathers got an additional glint to them, but his height and weight remained stagnant. Like his core, Murai reckoned.
Down upon the swirling stairs of quite some height, and reaching further into the castle in the following rooms, Murai ended up in a hallway with various gates, rooms, and windows in the middle of the castle. This hall was empty and eerie, looking like some sort of military museum thanks to the weapons, hideous and old paintings, and many portraits around the walls. That may not be the case. Those could be memorials of fallen warriors.
“Where am I supposed to go next?” Murai asked Lise who motioned his moves for the past few minutes. Now, she glared around in naked interest.
“I don't know. There is usually a better process for us ahead. A welcomer in charge of this place always comes their way to greet the Challengers. No matter how insane or worse, those capable of going here aren't that common, you know?” She argued, furrowing her brows.
“I don't mind the facts.” Murai turned his head back to face her. “That's why you should talk!” And he quacked at her without a shame.
“Alright. Fine.” she put her hands up in defense. “I will do all under my promises. On my oath... Oh, and I hear something. Someone is coming. Heavy and metallic too. Right around that corner.” She changed the topic masterfully, pointing toward the end of the hall.
Murai turned his attention to the dozens of meters-long corridor. A group of people walked forward, reaching... Well, it was a demonic-looking man, followed by a pair of similar demons.
Wearing a tight-fitting uniform, each was looking strong, collected, and inhuman. There were three of them in total, with the middle one being a leader and the rest walked behind him.
Front-facing demon wore a nice-looking uniform that encountered some problems, as it was torn and worn in many portions. A large glowing red military badge was on his chest, looking like a circular symbol that glowed on its own, resembling a rough skull.
All men, the leader was quite a beast in stature and rank. At least three meters tall, his thick arms outgrew his uniform so he cut the sleeves off. Lightly red-skinned, his uniform was expensive yet he still destroyed it.
He had a wild look in his eyes, a stern pair of them, and thick-looking tentacles on his head acted for hair. They were cut, not reaching more than to his shoulders. The color of his skin indicated some form of demonic race or quality of some Bloodline, but from a single glance, he looked like a taller human with demonic features, than some wild demons beyond the Sky.
That was essentially the norm across many demonic races that divided or acted in a similar way to humans. They bred, changed, and evolved. In races, there were much more of them than humans. This one looked not much different from devils, albeit horneless.
But what was more authentic to the grand Chaos? The devils or demons? Demons were much older and incredibly versatile. Devils were like a mash between humanity and demons.
Steps echoed, and the welcoming party noticed Murai was waiting for them, or was it the other way around? Either way, the front-facing demon—bearing residual scars around his bare hands and face—acted as the leader. He looked like that.
A high collar cut to his uniform hid some part of his chin, making him look quite imposing, as his arms were thicker than his legs. He, along with the other not-that-different demons, stopped a few steps before Murai, who was observing and thinking about them.
The ones behind the leader looked similar to one other, which might mean they were brothers, but one was never sure. They were a meter smaller than their leader, with more slimmer human-like weight, mass, and overall build. Each wore a closely resembling uniform to their leader, but pristine and lower in quality.
Their slim and wide mouths pressed together, and their triple eyes provided their demonic chaos. One big eye was in the middle of their forehead, right above the hair that neatly trimmed their egg-shaped head. Both had swords beside their hips.
“I greet you, the Challenger that comes at a weird time. Let alone a Blessed one, we greet you in the name of the Hellscape.” the front-facing demon said, finding the small duck before him quite weird to regard in a nice glimpse. Murai was small, so he bent his head down just to see him.
At least this large demon knew some customs. He bowed and hammered his chest with his right fist. A thunder echoed and his skin shook, but his eyes remained firm as he looked at Murai like a fool.
The demons behind him also followed his customs afterward, implying their status was lower than this burly demon.
Before waiting for a response, their leader continued. “I presume I am understood, but the exchange will go through... you, I suppose?” His gaze turned to Lisa, who appeared cautious first before taking the rein on this conversation.
“Sure. I will do the talking, but not the translation, general,” she replied normally. “He can get your human tongue to his tiny head just fine.”
“Good. Then, the little Anatidae Challenger, who I am sure can understand me. I am General Turzil'illak. Turzil or Illak in short. I don't care for either way. Call me Illak.” He said firmly, deciding for Murai. “I am following the course of reason and orders to allow your presence in our little world under the watchful eyes and care of Lady Levandis. Did you get the gist of the situation from your ghost? Fearing my Lady is fine. Means your head is still in your shoulders, whether they are small or wide.” Illak explained, forcing his burly hand down into his not-so-large pocket.
He took a small token out of there, which was normal in size, but it appeared small because of his big fingers and wide palm. He pushed it with some difficulty onto his palm, crouching down in the process to show it off. Lisa saw it enough, floating and appearing not even half a meter tall.
Illak showed it to Murai alone. A three-meter-tall demon, conversing with a duck wasn't a comforting exchange, even though Lisa floated up so she was face to face with him.
However, it seemed that Illak appeared disinterested in Lisa completely. From the very beginning, he paid full attention to Murai's every step, facial expression, sound of his heart, steps, or something else.
He found nothing or something, yet his expression remained the same. Murai was doing the same thing: Observing this demon who appeared all of a sudden before him and eying him like a fool.
And Murai never lost a staring contest, so he appeared like a tough duck. It was quite a hilarious sight in both ways.
This fake contest ended when Illak showed Murai his token close to his face. It was supposed to be a Token that Mindarch granted, this castle cherished, and this temple took for a rule. It was the authority and remaining item Lisa wanted, as it was something that truly mattered.
This Token was a round object, no less than four centimeters in diameter, smooth like a coin, and simple in design. It had some symbols embodied in the flat portions, implying some runes, and surrounding it was a skull symbol. The demonic one; not one of a human.
From its appearance alone, Murai wasn't sure of its purpose, which meant this was something specifically set into this Gate that Lisa had yet to explain.
He didn't have to ask her. Illak went ahead to talk about it face to face. “This is a Token for your Gate 3. It is unlike what denizens and us have. You are temporarily here, acting like an invader, so take care of it if you want to get down to Paradise,” Illak furrowed his brows. Murai bet he was angry but didn't let anything away. “It is your life too. Every Challenger takes them for one. It makes things easier since this place is as chaotic as ever, if not worse. Some people make due problems for your kind, but that is normal. As for what this Token does, it provides you with the following benefits so you won't be hunted like a dog. Probably. Well, I am lying.” Illak scoffed at his word choices and explained what he wanted.
“First: It grants you protection in Pivotal Cities. Not outside of them. Challenging this protection means challenging our authority. Second: It allows you to buy stuff in the market, which would otherwise not be available since your status is poor, small, and unfamiliar with Hellscape. Portals are locked by the way. They aren't fit for any Challenger as they would make things easier. Trading, information gathering, and exchanges of all kinds are possible to do through many merchant groups that have roots in the Surface or many other Depths. Some Pivotal Cities have all kinds of companies, folks, and weird needs or providers. Few would refuse a business. It is all for the sake of business, so you shouldn't be worried about being scammed. This Challenger Token is a good stuff.” Illak explained, sounding quite serious and far too sincere for a demon with a brutish face.
Murai could hear it, as well as feel it with his Soul Read. He was quite open, unprotected, and nice, even though Murai bet he was a very powerful Extreme. The soul wouldn't lie in most cases. He trusted it like he did with Thar.
Only those who were masterminds in illusions or souls would lie to their own souls, appearing like truthful souls, yet deep down, they were liars.
Murai sent Lisa his message, which gave her incentive to act.
“He agrees with these ideas. They are good, so he is thankful for this Token, General Illak.” Lisa floated down, grabbing the token per Murai's request. Its effects were yet to be over, but she could take them to her mouth too. She was quite familiar with this treasure that was subject to this whole temple.
“Good. Not like he would have more choices, unless he has a death wish, or thinks too poorly of his own life.” Illak said seriously, still crouching and observing Murai's eyes.
“Don't worry, general. I am sure he won't have an issue with following proper manners and rules set into this Gate. I will make sure of it.” Lisa insisted, appearing like a secretary: Serious, with a firm voice, and full of gestures and great demeanor.