Zane's core exploded like a thunderclap, dumping his unwanted passenger into the fog. The fog seemed to consume Zane, and he vanished.
Huh, thought Coyote, That's not supposed to happen.
***
Zane woke up in an unfamiliar garden. Everything hurt, but the grinning goddess looking down at him meant that he was probably not permanently dead.
“Surprise!” shouted Lady Foxglove, paying no mind to Zane’s death induced hangover.
He clutched at his head in pain. “Ugh, can you be a bit quieter? I think I broke something, like, in my head.”
Lady Foxglove sat down beside him on the grass. “Oh, don't worry about that. It's just the stress from ascending to the next tier. Number four is a big one, you get all kinds of extra senses and new abilities.”
“Yay…” Zane said weakly as he got up into a sitting position. “Wait, new tier?”
“Yes! By defeating that nasty lesser god you had a breakthrough in your cultivation. Oh, I just wish I could have seen the look on his face when you exploded.” She paused. “Actually, you seem to do that a lot.”
“Exploding is what I do, apparently.” Zane pulled up his Mesh interface. Sure enough, he was level twenty now. “But why didn't it wait for me to claim the level? Usually I have to do it manually.”
“I may have had a hand in that,” Lady Foxglove explained, pleased with herself for helping Zane get one over on her rival. “Normally, dying in the fog would have prevented you from respawning. But the level up, combined with your new blessing, gave you just enough power to stay together.”
“New blessing?” Zane checked his interface again. Sure enough, there was a new blessing on his character sheet. “Coyote’s Trickery? What does that do?”
The goddess shrugged. “I have no idea. But a blessing is a blessing. Knowing him, it might be useless. That flea bitten canine likes to take as much as he can, and give nothing in return.”
“Great.” Zane checked out his available abilities to see if there was anything new. At first he was confused that many of the usual options were grayed out, then he saw his Purity level. “Say, if someone were to have almost no Purity left, what would happen to them?”
Lady Foxglove peered over his shoulder as if trying to get a peek at his stats. “Oh my, you've been very naughty. If you were a human the Mesh would have turned you into a core fiend by now.”
“OK, so… what happens to kobolds?” Zane asked.
“Nobody knows,” the goddess said with a shrug, “Maybe ask your friend Kiel the next time you see him. Which will be soon, by the way. So if you have any pressing questions, now would be the time to ask them.”
Zane looked at the black veins stretching down his arms. Apparently they were a symptom of the corruption, and not a temporary change brought on from possession. Which made sense, considering that Eric hadn't exhibited any physical changes when Coyote took his body for a spin.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“How can I lower my corruption level? Or increase my purity, I mean.”
“That's easy,” Lady Foxglove patted him on the shoulder, “You just have to avoid violence, drugs, pleasures of the flesh, and do good deeds.”
“Ah,” Zane replied, “So you're saying that I'm fucked.”
The goddess nodded solemnly. “Yes, yes you are.”
***
Before Zane left, they had a very convoluted and less than enlightening conversation about the upcoming destruction of Hero’s Step. He figured that robbing a bunch of people then leaving them to die would not be good for his corruption problem.
Lady Foxglove couldn't give many details, because that would be interfering with another god. But she did give him some advice.
“Helping your friends get stronger is very noble. But a cultivator, even a rogue one, must always think of their own progress first. If you hold back instead of reaching your true potential, your friends will suffer,” the goddess said with a sad smile, “You have great trials ahead, and if you don't fight to get stronger, you will not be able to protect them.”
“I think I understand,” Zane replied with a frown, “But I thought I was doing the right thing, for once.”
“In a way, you were,” Lady Foxglove acknowledged, “But as a cultivator with four blessings, you are a lightning rod for fate and mischief.”
She paused, as if trying to make a decision. “Do me a favor, when you go to visit the abandoned temple, go alone. I can't say why, but you will be happy that you did.”
Zane could feel his body fading away. Apparently it was time for him to respawn. “Alright,” he said, “Thanks for all your help.”
“My door is always open,” Lady Foxglove replied with a bow, “Feel free to pop in whenever you like.” She mimed a firework exploding with her hands.
Zane chuckled at the pun. It wasn't that funny, but he was in an odd mood. It had been a long time since he had felt truly afraid, and the feeling had awakened something in him.
He would solo the temple, and get stronger. For the sake of himself, as well as his friends.
Alright, Zane thought, Time to grind some XP.
***
The warren was dark, as always. Zane lay there on the stone floor, wondering what new abilities he had unlocked. He pulled up his Mesh interface and scrolled through them, thankful that Lady Foxglove had replenished his Essence.
Predator’s Gaze: Cost 10 Essence
Illusions and camouflage do nothing to hide your prey from you. See things as they really are. When active, looking into your eyes may cause creatures to freeze in terror.
Shadow Affinity
Cost: 10 Essence
Greatly increase the efficiency and potency of all shadow related powers. Allows passive Essence accumulation when not in bright light.
Consume Corruption
Cost: 10 Essence
Your core has been corrupted, and you hunger for more. Sense impurities in others, and consume it to power your abilities. Diminishes the negative effects of low Purity.
The last one seemed like a double edged sword to Zane. He didn't know what side effects to expect from his low Purity. But diminishing them before he grew horns or a tail was very appealing.
The bit about hungering for corruption gave him pause though. Then again, if he could power his abilities by consuming corruption, he might be able to purify his core. Which would hopefully raise his Purity.
The prospect of asking Kiel for advice was tempting, but Zane didn't trust the kobold. There was no point in asking questions if he couldn't rely on Kiel to tell him the truth.
Zane went with his gut, and purchased the ability. A chill that he hadn't noticed before began to slowly recede up his arms. He took that as a good sign and stood up.
There was no sense in laying around when there was work to be done. Zane had monsters to fight, a temple to solo, and most importantly, brunch to cook.