The cheering minions quieted quickly when The Last Defender rushed into the hall. The statue had transformed into a 12-foot-tall bald male with a simple white robe. Other than his height, his presence didn’t evoke awe like Karo’Kafellon. He wasn’t bursting with muscles. Flames didn’t wreathe his body, and he didn’t generate a tremor when he walked. However, Jace could feel his aura through the stone, and the shaman knew a god had just entered the cavern.
Several ogres and vampires tried to tackle the intruder, but the monk tossed them aside like water from a dog. “Shimbato, is that you?” Karo asked, no concern evident in his voice.
The god didn’t answer and instead spent a couple of seconds generating an immense amount of mana. Jace expected what would come next, and so did Tristan, as the spellsword raced out of the way. Shimbato accelerated toward the massive demon just as the loyal monk had, only instead of covering 30 feet, he transported himself over 150 feet in a split second, his fist out and glowing. The knuckles connected with Karo’s armored chest, and the demon shot back with such force he made a complete body imprint on the far wall. The collision shook stalagmites from the ceiling.
No one moved for the next few seconds, wondering if that was all it would take. Eventually, Selvecia began to step forward, raising her staff to cast a spell, but she stopped when light burst from the impact zone. Demon fire flooded that end of the alcove as rock and ore melted like ice. Karo emerged from the inferno, lava dripping from his shoulders.
“Is that all you have?” he asked. Jace saw that the demon hadn’t lost a single Hitpoint.
Whether Shimbato could see the stats or not, it was clear he knew the battle wasn’t over. The massive monk assumed a fighting stance and prepared to engage the much taller foe as Karo stomped toward him. The Last Defender transformed into a blur of motion; his fists and feet looked like Neo from the Matrix, moving faster than light could follow. Karo didn’t flinch as the blows rained down. He only walked forward, forcing the monk back, fists and feet bouncing off him like snow against a windshield.
Finally, the demon struck back with a single, vicious punch to Shimbato’s chest, his fingers extended. The adamantium claws shredded the monk’s ribcage and released a gout of demon fire that charred the fighter from the inside out. Karo reached in with his other hand and ripped the dying monk apart, shredding his body like a cardboard box. Instead of blood, The Last Defender exploded into a swirl of white mana that lived as a small cyclone for a few seconds before Karo stepped through it.
“Karo’Kafellon!” Selvecia announced in the ensuing silence. “The god killer!”
Once again, the crowd of minions roared their approval. Jace looked on, hope draining from his face.
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Jace Thorne wasn’t the only player who watched the brief battle in awe. Lexi’s glasses had allowed the druid to follow all the action so far, from Kevrin’s dramatic entrance into the monastery to his eventual capture and now Karo’s dramatic transformation. She had initially been furious at Jace’s unexplained powers as he had controlled stone and then grown to a tremendous size. Like everyone else in the game, she assumed he cheated, and this was just further evidence.
However, now, she had second thoughts. “This is not what I wished for.”
{But it is,} the disembodied voice of Gandhi answered her. {You did not ask for a foe capable of merely beating Jace Thorne, but for one that could kill the Admiral, a level 48 fighter. The Last Defender was a comparable stand-in for the player in question. You have witnessed the results.}
“But the demon eviscerated him. It’s overkill. You didn’t have to take it this far.” Lexi knew that if Vithium could leave the monastery with Karo at his side, he would turn the Realms of Infamy into a nightmare. Right now, the game was her refuge.
Gandhi laughed. {I did nothing. This was your wish.}
“Then I take it back,” Lexi said, already knowing that wasn’t an option.
{Not legal,} Gandhi confirmed. {Though, if you want to use your second wish . . .}
The thought crossed her mind, but Lexi knew from legend that wishes were tricky and had to be carefully worded. She wasn’t confident that anything she might wish for wouldn’t have the opposite effect. Or, perhaps, if she wished for the death of this demon, Gandhi would make Jace even more powerful to accomplish the task.
{I didn’t think so,} the AI said after sufficient time had passed. {Then perhaps you should change who you're rooting for.}
Lexi emitted a throaty, leopard-like growl and continued to watch the events unfold before her.
----------------------------------------
“I accept.”
The words were spoken loudly as the noise of the raucous celebration died down. Vithium correctly identified the speaker and turned to look at Jace. Karo and Selvecia did likewise.
“I’ve given the proposal some careful consideration,” Jace continued. “I’ve weighed the pros and cons and have decided to accept your generous offer.”
Vithium, a Guile monk who had just backstabbed his own god, always expected subterfuge and insisted Jace elaborate. “Explain exactly what you are agreeing to.”
“I will give you what you want,” Jace answered. “My companions will be as yours. Anything you ask, within their ability, they will do for you under my supervision. My activity in this realm is more complex than you understand it to be, and I often have pressing matters I must attend to, but outside of that, if you give me proper notice, you can use my people when they are available.”
“Even Gromphy?” Vithium asked. Just because the goblin wasn’t here, he didn’t want the valuable character left out of the arrangement.
“Yes,” Jace said. “My crafter will make anything you want.”
“Psycho will accompany me as a bodyguard on dangerous missions?”
“Yes,” Jace nodded.
“And you will give us the level 50 crystal?”
Jace winced. If he wanted the item's existence to remain a secret, he shouldn’t have shown it off in the public video he had made killing Drescher. “As a monk, you can’t use it. I can’t even use it. Gromphy uses it to craft. That is where it is most valuable.”
“I can use it,” Karo interrupted.
Jace nodded. The demon possessed more than enough power to use the crystal effectively. “I do not have it with me at the moment,” he said, addressing Karo directly. “But as soon as I do, I will give it to you.”
“And what of Draya?” Vithium asked.
Jace growled. “What of her? You have a 20-foot-tall companion that can spew demon fire. What do you need an immature dragon for?”
“I don’t need her fire,” Vithium said. “I have other needs. Besides, I am about to lose Esther. I need another of your companions to keep me warm at night.”
Jace worked hard to control his emotions. Selvecia watched him struggle and laughed. Jace ignored her. “You have a brothel filled with women far more exotic than my mage,” he growled.
“Yes,” Vithium admitted. “And they will all willing do anything I want whenever I want. Where is the fun in that? A hint of reluctance makes it so much sweeter. Draya will be forced to obey you, but she won’t like it.”
“You raping bastard,” Jace said evenly. This wasn’t about Draya. This was about forcing Jace to submit to Vithium’s will. It was all ego, and Jace knew he didn’t have a choice. “You will have access,” he said quietly.
“Access?” Vithium repeated louder. “Access? I don’t want access. I want her on her knees begging for more.” The monk walked right up to Jace, his eyes inches from the restrained orc. “Let me be clear. Whenever I want, you will tell Draya to open her pretty little mouth and let me inside.”
Jace quivered with rage, but the monks behind him didn’t let him do anything other than speak. “I promise,” he finally said.
Selvecia cackled with glee. “He is telling the truth.”
Vithium spun away from the orc to regard his two powerful companions. “He always has a trick up his sleeve. He’s agreeing to everything too easily.”
“You think this is easy?” Karo bellowed, flexing his arms. “Besides, I wouldn’t expect a Guile monk like you to understand. I am Honest. I know this Jace Thorne is too. I can feel the passion and conviction with which he speaks. If my priestess says he is telling the truth, I believe him. If he goes back on his word, his own god will damn him, and we won’t need to take retribution.”
“Very well,” Vithium said, throwing up his hands. “Proceed with the ceremony.”
“I agree to your terms,” Jace spoke up, stopping any motion toward Esther, “under one condition.”
“Ah,” Vithium cried, spinning around and running back to Jace. “There it is! No! You are in no position to make requests. We will not fall prey to your scheming plans.”
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“Let him speak,” Karo said. “Let us hear what he has to say, and then we can decide. He has agreed to your impositions at great cost to his Traditional alignment. If his conditions make it easier for him to live out his promises, we would be fools to deny him.”
Vithium growled in response but didn’t argue further. Not for the first or last time did Jace wonder who really called the shots. Jace turned to Karo. “I agree to your terms as long as I’m the one to kill Esther.”
The demon burst out in laughter. “I did not anticipate that! How could I refuse!”
“You have to refuse!” Vithium said. “It is a trick.”
“Is there anything he could have said that you wouldn’t called a trick?” Selvecia asked. Vithium said nothing. “I thought not.” She turned to Jace. “Promise me you will kill Esther according to the spell. You will not act early, and you will tarry, allowing the energy to dissipate.”
Jace nodded. “I promise.”
The priestess shrugged. “He is not lying. I trust him.”
“I don’t believe this,” Vithium said, throwing up his hands. It looked like he was about to say more, but he paused, cocking his head in the universal pose of a player listening to his operator.
If Jace had to guess, he was being told that his relationship with Karo and Selvecia was plummeting. If he kept pushing back on their desires, it might fall below an acceptable level. Jace currently had one open spot for a new NPC. After Esther died, he would have two. Right now, the demon pair appeared to respect Jace more than Vithium. If the monk wasn’t careful he could lose everything.
Vithium calmed himself and turned to his companions with a pensive expression. He tried a different angle. “Do we even need to kill her?”
“We must complete the ceremony,” Karo said.
“But you’re already free,” Vithium argued. “You’re already invincible. What is she going to do?” he motioned toward Esther. “Make you pretty?”
“Yes,” Karo and Selvecia said together.
“If I was to walk into any city in the realms,” Karo explained, “people would scream and attack me. Armies would gather, and powerful priests would be summoned.”
“You would kill them all,” Vithium replied.
“Perhaps,” Karo said. “But then, who would I rule?”
“Eventually, they will give up and bow down to you in fear,” the monk said.
Selvecia laughed. “Aren’t you the one who said the goal was to have people follow us willingly?”
Vitium had no retort.
Karo nodded his head. “One who rules in fear never truly rules. Only when you win their hearts are you in command.”
“You want them to love you?” Vithium asked.
“Lust is the right word,” Selvecia said. “And not the crude fleshy desires you specialize in, but the genuine feelings of the heart. A true desire for safety, for security, for contentment.” The priestess pointed at Esther. “She has that power. We want it.”
Jace watched Vithium listen to another argument from his operator and eventually shrugged in defeat. “Very well, but keep a close eye on him. I still think he is planning something.” The monk could say no more and walked to the back of the alcove, a safe distance from Esther.
Selvecia motioned to the monks holding Jace, and they let him go. The orc stood and stretched his cramped body. Suddenly, all his magical spells opened back up to him. He could summon stone, increase his strength, or cast the rest of his totems. He did none of it. He didn’t even enter his inventory. The two demons before him were so advanced in skill that any misstep he might make was sure to be detected. They trusted him right now. He didn’t want to lose that.
As he stepped into the pentagram, Jace saw Atrax walking toward him, holding out the knife. “I can’t use that,” the shaman said.
“Not any weapon will work for this spell,” Selvecia explained. “The sword you used to kill the giants won’t channel the magic.”
Jace nodded, glad to hear his favorite weapon was too holy for a dark sacrament like this. “In the inventory you stole from me, you should find a Chaos halberd. I’m sure it will suffice.”
Karo nodded to Atrax, and the vampire jogged over to the minions guarding the equipment they had taken. A few seconds later, he returned with the blade. Jace had killed many enemies with that weapon, and he had hoped never to need it again.
Selvecia took the halberd from the vampire, cast a spell, and then smiled. “This will do nicely. I wouldn’t have expected someone with your reputation to have a weapon like this.”
Jace didn’t know if that was a compliment or not and didn’t reply. Instead, he beckoned for the blade, and the priestess handed it over. Atrax took many steps back. As Jace walked toward Esther’s altar, he saw Tristan on the other side, also keeping his distance but with his swords drawn and both eyes carefully tracking the shaman. Only Karo and Selvecia stayed close.
Jace tuned them all out and focused on Esther. His tall orc frame gave him a clear view of the woman lying on the tall pedestal, and he didn’t like what he saw. Her hands and feet remained encased in the rock, which had long since cooled, but the burns had traveled completely up all four limbs and still inflicted incredible pain.
Before he could say anything, Jace saw the light at his feet as Selvecia triggered the start of the spell. He turned to the priestess with a concerned look. “Let me say goodbye first.” She didn’t want to delay, but Karo nodded his head.
Jace turned back to Esther. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Esther whimpered, her voice hoarse.
Jace felt it was, but he didn’t want to waste these precious few seconds arguing with her. “I’m going to make the pain go away now,” he said.
She tried to smile at him but couldn’t. “I’m not going to wake up in my bed, am I?”
Jace shrugged. “I don’t know. Where have you been sleeping?”
Despite herself, Esther chuckled, but it turned into hacking coughs that punished her already tormented body. She struggled for control. “I’m going to wake up inside of him, aren’t I?”
Jace didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know who she implied. He nodded and lowered his voice. “Give him hell.”
Esther winced, careful not to laugh. “I think he’s already full.”
Jace smiled. “Don’t make me laugh.”
She grimaced. “Don’t make me cry.”
“Enough!” Sevecia said. “Let’s get on with it.”
Jace stepped back to accommodate his weapon’s length and hoisted the halberd over his shoulder. The light beneath his feet started swirling around their location, concentrating beneath the altar. “I will find you,” Jace said, tears streaming down his face.
Esther smiled. “I know.” And then the power surged up through her, arching her back like the others and pulling on her already tortured limbs. Jace didn’t hesitate. The weapon had the Coup de Grace ability, but at Esther’s current health, he wouldn’t need it. The magic surged into the halberd, and he brought it crashing down on her neck. The unholy blade cut clean through, ringing against the cold stone slab like a church bell. He stepped back, dropping the halberd on the floor, hoping he would never have to pick it up again.
Esther’s body dissolved into a million tiny gemstones, glittering and sparkling in the cavern’s red light. They rolled off the altar, filled the etched pattern below him, and rushed toward the demon standing in the center. As the precious stones swarmed over his body, Jace couldn’t help but think of his earlier conversation with Vithium. This wasn’t a scene from Revelation; it was a scene from Ezekiel where the Bible described Satan, an angel who later became a demon. Jace watched the transformation in reverse as the demon took on angelic qualities. Books were available in the game, and a player in Safe Haven had imported the Bible and sold it for cheap in his shop. Jace references it often, as so many of the quests revolved around Sunday school stories. He pulled up the text in question now.
“You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering; sardius, topaz, and diamond; beryl, onyx, and jasper; sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings.”
{What’s that from?} Gracie asked.
“The Bible,” Jace answered, watching as the gemstones melded with the demon before him, transforming what had been a hideous monster into something slightly more elegant.
{Are you going to be okay?} Gracie asked. {I’m not going to lie. That was one of the roughest things I’ve ever seen in the game. And I’ve seen a lot.}
“It’s all part of the plan,” Jace said.
{I know. But that doesn’t make it easy.}
Jace smiled. “Nothing worth having is.”
The spell ended, and Karo looked down, admiring his slightly altered form. “How do I look?” Jace wasn’t going to comment, so he glanced over his shoulder at Vithium. The monk stood transfixed, but it wasn’t at Karo. His eyes focused on Selvecia. Jace followed his stare and took a few steps back in shock.
The changes to the priestess were even more subtle than those to her master, but they were significant. Her chest had grown slightly. Her hips had a little more sway in them. Her facial features were less angular and more pleasant. She wore jewelry now, too, with diamonds dangling from her ears, pearls around her neck, and a slender gold chain daintily hanging about her thin waist. However, it was her eyes that drew Jace in. The more he looked at her, the more he saw Esther staring back at him. He had to turn away.
“That’s amazing,” Vithium said, running into the pentagram. Jace stepped back to give him room, but not far enough to put him in range of the monks. For now, they let him stand free.
“Not her, you fool. Me.” Karo said, stepping in front of the player.
“What, oh, you?” he said, having to forcefully pull his eyes away from the intoxicating priestess. “You look fine, but you still can’t walk into any village and not be attacked. You still look like a ferocious demon, though . . .” his eyes drifted to Sevecia again, “I suppose it's an improvement.”
“How about now?” Karo asked, and he was suddenly consumed by red and white magic as rubies and diamonds swirled around him, hiding his body inside a tornado of energy. The spell only took six seconds, and Jace could see the body inside transform considerably as the cyclone grew smaller and smaller. When it finally disappeared, a man stood where the demon had. His deeply tanned skin looked almost red, and he wore cotton trousers with a simple leather vest. His arms and chest were sculpted as if from stone, and when he smiled, magic flowed off him.
Vithium took a step back, in awe of the gorgeous man. Even Jace had a hard time looking away. Above Karo’s transformed head hung the numbers 22 and 880. The shaman didn’t think for a moment that those were his new stats. They were all part of the illusion.
“That will work,” Vithium replied breathlessly. “Is it still you inside? Do you still have all your power?”
Karo smiled and laughed. “It is all here.” His voice sounded like warm stew dipped in honey.
“Good,” Vithium said. “I stand corrected. People will get in line to kneel and worship you. And we will start with him.” He spun on Jace. “I don’t know if you still have something up your sleeve, but it ends now. Get on your knees and convert to your new god.”
“I will not,” Jace said.
“Liar!” the monk shrieked.
Jace shrugged. “I am not lying. I never promised to worship your demon. I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t?” Vithium asked. “I killed my god. You can at least disown yours.”
Jace shook his head. “Everything I have is from him. If I deny him, I lose it all.”
“I don’t care if your abilities are reduced,” Vithium said. “We want your companions, not you.”
Jace laughed. “Then you’re an idiot. How do you think I got my companions? How do you think I keep them? You might think you don’t want me, but eventually, a quest will surface that no one else can pass. Your demon friends will bang their heads against it to no avail. You will need me. Plus, I still have objectives in the game I need to fulfill. If I can’t function, I won’t log in, and you don’t get access to my friends.” Since Jace wasn’t Grappled, he could walk toward the monk. He took a few menacing steps until he towered over the man. “I will not kneel to your demon.”
Vithium moved back from the aggressive player. “How do I know you won’t ever attack me?”
Jace smiled at him. “I promise to never lift a hand against you.”
Vithium was stunned. “And your companions?”
Jace shrugged. “I can’t promise for them, and if they lie, it doesn’t hurt them as much as me. But I promise to instruct them only as you have requested. I can’t offer any more.”
“So what assurances do I have?”
“My word,” Jace said.
“That is enough for me,” Karo said, wishing to end this circular discussion. “As of this moment forward, I do not consider Jace Thorne an enemy.”
“But what if he attacks you?” Vithium asked.
Karo and Selvecia laughed. “Let him,” the indestructible demon lord said. “What do I care.”
Vithium looked at Jace one last time, still not convinced, but as Karo summoned Atrax and Tristan to discuss their next plans, the monk had no choice but to run forward and join his party. As soon as Karo turned his back on Jace, the red flashing around his vision vanished, and the shaman finally left combat mode.
The welcome chime of his ascension to level 20 filled his head.
Killing Esther by himself had been just enough experience points.