I was brought back to reality by Jezibel tugging on my sleeve.
“Everyone’s staring at us! What now?!” she whispered furiously.
“Uhh, I don’t know, go to the guild and see what reward we get?” I responded.
Nico sighed.
“Put the Maiden down first, we need to pick up Nisos and get to the guild before the rest of the peanut gallery if we don’t want to get buried in questions.”
As I lowered the Steel Maiden near Nisos, the shattered tunnel began to groan once more, and the rocks that covered the entrance were swallowed inside as the entrance returned into a vertical drop like it used to be.
Just as Nisos climbed on the carriage, Nahi yelled something at me.
“I DIDN’T NEED YOUR HELP ANYWAY, KID! THANKS FOR STEALING MY KILLS!”
Mesi smacked the back of his head, making me laugh at their usual comedy routine.
The adventurers erupted into cheers as I pulled the Maiden back towards the town through the sky.
***
“We received communications from Tameryian outpost that your party has been instrumental in repelling the monster assault. In fact, the two guards claimed that your party killed more of the monsters than the rest of the adventurers combined and requested that we compensate you accordingly.” The receptionist said.
Wow. That was pretty nice of them. I should go and get Nahi and Mesi something nice later.
“For outstanding performance during the emergency quest, the guild is happy to grant you access to this key.”
She carefully handed me a richly decorated and diamond encrusted box, drawing gasps from the rest of the party.
I slowly opened the box and found an ornate, golden medallion with four emblems on each corner. On the top left, an azure elephant was stepping out of the sea into a beach. On the bottom left, a man with the head of a falcon stood with a radiant sun behind his back. On the bottom right, a man lay sprawled on a golden throne, looking bored as his worshippers flocked around him. On the top right, a man in a white toga held a furious bolt of lightning as he prepared to throw it from the cloud he stood on.
I used appraisal, and the item turned out to be exactly what I thought it was.
[Key to the Underworld]
The Four Chief Gods have created a select number of keys imbued with the power to open the gates that lead to the lower depths of the Unfathomable Abyss. This key is one of them; its loss will require the convening of the Gods once more to create another.
“This key is normally awarded to adventurers who reach the Diamond ad-rank, but as was required by God-King Katu of Kengir, we are obligated to grant them to those who demonstrate extraordinary potential. Please take great care should you choose to delve deeper into the Abyss, and please ensure that you close the gate after each time you use it.”
I barely managed to hear what the receptionist said, before I turned to the party.
“Guys, we can go to the fourth layer and get much str-”
"Don’t even think about it."
“Eh?” I said, surprised at the voice in my head.
"We have our own ways of getting into the lower layers – we don’t need the permission of the gods. But I will not stand by and watch as you get yourself killed in the depths of the Abyss. If I see you heading to the lower layers, I will drag you back kicking and screaming and lock you up in my abode. Are we clear?"
“Kiara, are you alright?” Ati asked.
“…Sorry, mom just spoke to me in my mind.”
“Your mother? She was watching us?” Nico asked with a nervous expression.
“Well, yeah. She said she’s not letting me go to the lower layers. Boo.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“There is one more matter for you, Ms. Hiram. A courier arrived with a letter addressed to you.” The receptionist said as she handed an envelope to Jezibel.
“Sorry guys, give me a moment.” She said, opening the envelope and reading its contents.
In the meantime, I took a look at the notifications from the short-lived siege.
You have killed an [Abyssal Monkey]!
2,153 EXP awarded!
Experience gain from kill split between combatants based on contribution.
Experience gain divided between [Dragon Shifter] (100%) and [Sovereign of Gravity] (0%)!
…
Experience gain divided between [Dragon Shifter] (0%) and [Sovereign of Gravity] (100%)!
I’d earned quite a bit more experience, but nothing close to killing a single rank A monster like the crowned eagle. A few of the monsters I’d killed with mana blades earned me experience for my rank, but the rest went into my class, which was already at the maximum level. I put five class skill points into [Force Inversion] and got a new notification for it.
Reaching the maximum skill level on all class skills is a difficult task, yet you have accomplished it all the same. [Divine Shard] granted.
Excited, I looked to my evolution menu, and I ended up finding a new option available.
[Celestial Herald]
Secret Class Requirements:
* Possess maximum affinity for Atypical – Force and Arcane attributes.
* Possess at least high affinity for all base attributes.
* Possess a racial trait for sorcery.
* Possess at least five divine shards.
* Killed over 1,000 monsters with a single attack.
* Killed a higher ranked monster with a single attack.
* Killed multiple higher ranked monsters in the same battle.
The Celestial Herald is a harbinger of a new age. Wielding mighty gravity magic and supplementing it with magic from all other base attributes, they stand on the precipice of a unique opportunity to push past what others deem as absolute limits.
“I got a new class!” I said, drawing attention from everyone except Jezibel, who seemed engrossed in her letter.
“What did you get? Is it something you’re happy with?” Nisos asked.
“Of course, it is! It’s another mythic, and it suits me perfectly! I can stare at this for hours…”
“Let’s find somewhere to sit down and discuss what you got; talking about your class in public isn’t a good idea.” Ati said.
“Jezibel, did you hear what we said?” Nico asked, though Jezibel didn’t respond.
Her whole face had turned pale, and her hands trembled as she held the letter.
I moved towards her and gently shook her shoulders.
“Jezibel, are you okay?”
She finally looked away from the letter then at me. Her lips were shaking, and her eyes were beginning to tear up. Then she whispered a single word.
“Help.”
I must’ve been shocked to see her like this, since Nico moved me and gently took the letter from her to read it. Her frown grew deeper and more serious as she read the letter, and by the end of it, she was scowling with fury burning through her eyes.
“What was in the letter?” Ati asked.
“See for yourself.” She said and handed it over to him.
Nisos and I looked to each other then looked over Ati’s shoulder to read the letter with him.
Dear sister,
I hope you are well. I am writing to you because disaster has fallen upon our family. Father and his caravan were ambushed by bandits in the desert between Tyr and Tamery, and the bandits have sent us a letter demanding a ransom several times greater than our entire fortune.
We reported the matter to the Tyrian Council, and they sent out search parties for the caravan, to no avail. We hired a gold-ranked adventurer party to find and rescue father, but a week later, we found their decapitated heads on our doorstep. We also found a letter with a severed hand, which said that they cut off his hand and left it for us as punishment. They also warned us that any further attempts to rescue Father without paying the ransom will result in them killing him.
Arvad and Adonya are now fighting with each other over whether to hand over everything we own in hopes of getting the bandits to release father or to hire another adventurer team and try to find him once again. The rest of our siblings have all chosen sides, and our family is at risk of being torn apart.
I am at a loss as to what to do, and I don’t know if laying this burden at your feet is the right decision either, but you have a right to know about the crisis that is facing our family. Perhaps you have a solution that none of us could think of or go through with.
I am sorry to be sending you a message under these circumstances, but I find that I miss you dearly during such a trying time. Stay safe, Bel.
Your Loving Sister,
Tanni
“…What the hell?!”
My mouth moved faster than my brain, as the rest of the party wore grim expressions. Jezibel began to sob, and I rushed to her side and hugged her as tightly as I can.
“I promise your dad’s fine, Jezi. He’s still alive. I am not leaving you until we have your father safe and sound back home. By the time I am done with them, they’re going to wish they’ve never been born!”
The last part of my words was laced with enough venom to kill a Rex in a fraction of a second.
“We’re with you. I am not going anywhere until we’ve made them pay dearly for daring to lay a hand on your family.” Nico said grimly.
“That goes for me as well. I am not much of a party leader if I let you deal with this alone!” Nisos said with false cheer, trying to raise her spirits.
It seemed to be working, since she started laughing through her sobs.
“You’re not much of a party leader anyway, Nisos.”
“Hey!”
The three of us laughed at Nisos’s expense.
Ati, meanwhile, was silent. Fury colored his face, and murder oozed from his eyes.
“Those who kidnapped your father and cut off his hand are going to rue the day they took your family hostage. They will be begging for death by the time I am done with them. I swear it to all the gods on my soul!”
We all gasped in shock as the green magic circle denoting a soul oath appeared on his chest then faded away.