Chapter Seventeen: The Wound

“You guys suck at giving me information!”

“What are you talking about your highness?”

“I am setting out into the world, and you don’t tell me about dungeons or adventurers?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be making diplomatic relationships that benefit YOUR kingdom?” Hythriem asked me.

“I have been. I secured a merchant contract with someone named Threigar. I will be joining an adventurers guild and eventually heading south to Ystherial. J’reins son Milzeyan took the throne and has been trying to expand Zelistan’s borders since. If he discovered Shangrior was open and relatively undefended we would be under attack with little to do to stop it. But I might be able to convince the Fel-Human settlements in Ystherial to consider relocating to Shangrior.”

“Hmmm. That is unfortunate, Milzeyan was always a brute. I am impressed though, you have actually met Threigar? That is a boon. I am sorry for doubting your pursuit of duty, your majesty.”

“Stuff it, Hyth. Why didn’t you tell me about adventurers and dungeons?”

“Planning the reconstruction efforts, overseeing the reconstruction, teaching you the history of our people and the kingdom, sparring with Railnia, perusing the libraries. Please tell me, In what free time did you leave us to think of every possible thing you might need to know before setting out? Shangrior had no need for adventurers during my time. We had the army and our beaches were well protected. There is only one entrance to the dungeons in our domain, and it is deep in the sea. So it was never a concern.” Hythriem retorted.

“You make a compelling case. So how goes the indentured servitude of the bandits? Is Railnia keeping them in line?”

“For now. We have had a few more people along our borders but we have still managed to capture and contain them so far. Although the timetable of our discovery is no longer at 6 months. We probably have no more than 3 months left before the world knows the mists around Shangrior are down. If Milzeyan really is in charge then you might need to return within that time frame. Or dethrone him.”

“Some things to think about. I’ll talk to you later.” I replied, and bidding Hythriem a farewell ended the contact.

“You looked lost in thought,” Jeloqa said, taking a seat next to me, and eyed my floating grimoire with suspicion. “Something you read troubling you?” I gazed at her hesitantly. While Shialk had the highest perception in the group, Jeloqa had been the most perceptive, and practical. I always felt like I had to be careful about what I said around her, as she might discover my secret. If not her then Velixen. I thought. In the few days we had been traveling together I only managed to lay eyes on her a couple of times.

“There’s just so much to this world I still need to learn,” I answered her dejectedly. I let out some of my honest frustration, but I had to be careful not to oversell my bit. Don’t overact, Leo. Remember, the best acting comes from not acting. I told myself as I remembered my theater coach from when I took drama in high school. I didn’t get the big parts.

“There’s always a lot in the world people need to learn. Whether they know a lot already or know a little. What’s important is knowing what you need to know.”

“So tell me, oh wise demoness, what do I need to know?” I asked sarcastically and chuckled. She looked at me with ponderous, searching eyes. After a moment there was some glimmer of recognition in them and she let out a barking laugh before answering in a hushed tone.

“You are not who you say you are, Leo of Seavine. That’s okay, you don’t need to explain. If and when you are ready we can talk about it. Nobody else, besides Velixen and I, is aware you are hiding your true identity. Not even Grenthar. Though we’ve been friends since childhood. Though I am sure we all suspect. I tell you this because every single one of us has something we wish to hide. Things we regret. That is the law of the world. We all have pains we struggle with. You are not alone in that regard. You ask what you need to know. I can tell the question is deeper than I can understand. I also know I won’t have the answers you need for that question. I can tell you what you need to know for the most pressing situation.”

I tried not to let the anxiety reach my face as I struggled to control my breathing. How much do they know? How much have I revealed? Where did I go wrong? What should I do? Do I attack? Do I run? All these questions swam through my mind, as the quest to conquer the world echoed in my head along with a quieter voice whispering inside. A darker voice. You can’t conquer the world alone. You need allies.

As I stared into Jaloqa’s eyes though I saw a sincerity and kindness that had no right belonging to a demon, and then a scene popped into my mind. A scene that was so abstract from my new reality that I couldn’t help but burst into a fit of laughter. As I began to laugh Jaloqa and the others looked at me in both concern and confusion which only made me laugh all the harder. Especially as the new image I had of my demonic party cemented itself in my mind.

I was able to clearly picture this group as a family on a road trip. Grenthar was the dad driving the car. The frontman, and the leader. It made sense he had to be used to having attention on him.

Jaloqa was obviously the mother. She held the group together and focused on everyone’s emotional well-being. She was the one looking in the back seat to make sure the kids were getting along. Faerwyn was the older sister too busy talking on the phone with her boyfriend to be bothered dealing with the rest, while Shialk was the one who was tinkering with his toys and making a mess.

That made me the sulky one in the car. The one who didn’t want to go on the stupid trip, to begin with, and Velixen was probably the weird aunt who decided to take her motorcycle rather than ride in the car.

I laughed for so long and so loud it drew the concerned looks of the others. Just imagine the looks we’d get on the freeway. Knowing Grenthar he would probably get us pulled over for speeding. That thought led to another more pleasing thought. Maybe this life isn’t so bad. I have been so focused on how and why the system was trying to control me that I have been overlooking the most important part. I am in another world, with superpowers, going on an adventure. I don’t have to concern myself with needing to pay bills to survive. I have my own fucking kingdom. So fuck the system. I am going to try to enjoy this.

“Did I say something that amusing?” Jaloqa asked, her voice sounding slightly worried.

“No, what you said was fine, It just inspired a hilarious thought. Something you probably wouldn’t understand without context though. Nevermind that. You said that there was something I needed to know for our current situation?” I replied through the last fits of laughter trying to take deep calming breaths.

“Our destination. Grenthar was trying to think of the best way to level you up before getting registered, and he has made a decision on where we should go.”

“Sounds good. I am excited. Where are we headed?”

“Have you ever heard of ‘The Wound?’”

***

I had heard of The Wound, in passing. There were a few references to it in some of the scrolls that remained intact within the Shangrior libraries. My party members quickly filled me in on what I didn’t know. Spreading across from the northern edges of the continent almost all the way south were two sets of mountain regions that ran parallel to each other. Within them was an expansive valley that had once been known for its beauty and fertility. Until a cataclysm occurred. It was that event which is that forced the original human tribes of the shangriori to settle on that beach, to begin with.

What my new allies explained to me was the nature of the cataclysm. While the surface of the valley was beautiful, however, below the surface lay the very heart of the dungeon complex. While there were dungeon entrances all over the realms of light it quickly became clear that below the valley was the center of the realms of dark. Soon enough expeditions were sent to uncover the secrets that lay within until word was reached that at the core of the dungeon rested a dark lord. A master of all monsters.

Of course, the only thing to do was to send in armies to wage war against this vile creature, and a battle ensued that ravaged the vale, and destroyed its once-famed beauty. If that had been the only thing that happened the valley might have recovered. Instead, as the dark lord was defeated his vile powers unleashed a curse on the land forever dooming it to be a realm of monsters and darkness. The mountain ridges now acted as a barrier between the blight and monsters contained within from the rest of the world.

“That’s the outpost up ahead!” Grenthar pointed out as we came to a passage that led through mountains and into The Wound. While the land was cursed it had become a favorite place for people to train when they wanted to get stronger. The unlimited supply of monsters was a great opportunity for many people. So much so that passages had been carved out with outposts guarding the entrances to prevent beasts from escaping, and partially to prevent low-level suicidal idiots from entering.

“Are they actually going to let me pass? I don’t even have my adventurer’s registration?”

“Nah, that won’t matter,” Shialk answered for Grenthar. “We are under your merchant contract now, which will be the most important thing. Your level and contract is all the excuse we need to escort you here. They’ll most likely think you are some rich brat trying to score a few easy levels. They will probably ask for a bribe, but we’ll handle that much.” I nodded. There were always those people in my world who played games with money. Using real currency for levels, gold, etc… in-game. I generally frowned on that behavior, but I couldn’t say I didn’t do it occasionally. The downside of having a full-time job and not enough gaming time. Sometimes your honor as a gamer got set aside for your desire to succeed in the game.

Something to think about, Leo. Your morals are all well and good, but how much longer can you keep avoiding the fact that you now live in a world where the value of life is almost worthless? You have slaves now, remember? I almost missed a step as my introspective subconscious caught up with my very conscious train of thought. I have slaves. I had passed off the thought as my generals doing what was needed to rebuild the capital. After all, they had been bandits and criminals. Prisons on Earth used slave labor all the time. Practically if not technically. I had taken that information, and then just moved on. How callous am I becoming? Do I even care?

No. I realized. I didn’t care. It was a cold feeling, as the rage washed through me once again. The heartless anger as a memory washed over me, unasked for, but not unwelcome.

Eighth Grade Year. Enough was enough. How many years of being bullied had it been? How many years of being abused at home? Kicked and beaten and ridiculed. How many nights had I lay awake crying, begging God to save me? Begging God to kill me. Begging God for the power I needed to take my vengeance.

Every time a bully pushed me into a locker I was one step closer. Each time someone laughed at me I grew that much colder. Every one of them became food. I looked at my tormentors with hunger. Some people might want to beat up their bullies. Some kids wanted to make them cry, and suffer. Some kids brought guns to school. I wasn’t one of those kids. No, I wanted carnal vengeance. I didn’t want the impersonal click, and I didn’t want them to survive. I wanted release. I wanted to stab them repeatedly until I was blanketed in their blood.

I wanted to rip their throats out with my teeth. I began carrying scissors with me everywhere in school. Waiting… waiting…. waiting…To stab, and rend. Rip, and tear. Waiting to feast. I was hunger.

As the memories faded I saw that we had approached the outpost and the guards there were hailing us. It felt like I had lost some ground against the system with that memory. It kept giving me figments of my past desires, and I had no answer. No rebuttal, except for that I didn’t want to relish in evil. I didn’t want my destiny to be controlled.

“Look who it is! Do you see who’s here Churk?”

“Oh, I see who’s here Prinnik. I just don’t know if I should believe my eyes. Is it really them?”

“Oh, it's them, alright. The fuck ups who broke their oaths so badly that the system itself punished them. What do you think the fuckups are doing here?”

“Probably trying to gain some levels. Make some money. It must be hard when nobody wants to hire you.”

“Gentleman. Good to see you again!” Grenthar called in a jovial voice, ignoring the jibes of the two guards. His voice was nonchalant, but the body language of the group had shifted noticeably. “We actually have business here. As you said it can be hard to make a living, but fortunately someone was generous. Decided to give us a chance. This is Leo. Had a connection with Threigar, and while we were in town offered to be added to his contract if we helped him level up a bit.”

“So you’re poachers now, huh? How the mighty have fallen.” The demon, Prinnik, chuckled menacingly. I noticed that they were the same shoavari species as the demons outside of Mrekkit. Although Kurruki and Rirriti were friendly in comparison.

“Demon’s gotta eat. We have the paperwork to prove it. You really going to hassle us further?” Grenthar asked, but his tone revealed he already knew the answer. This time it was Churk’s turn to answer.

“Oh, I suppose we can let this go. Though it’s been a long shift, and since you’ll be escorting an esteemed guest we will have to file additional paperwork once we get off duty. I think it’s only considerate if you pay the escort toll.”

“I know how this is done.” With a friendly smile that didn’t reach his eyes Grenthar reached down to a satchel he carried around his waist and pulled out a pouch, without looking he tossed it to the other demon who snatched it out of the air with a metallic clinking.

“Pleasure doing business with you. Please be safe inside ‘The Wound’. Wouldn’t want anything bad happening to you.” Prinnik chuckled as we moved past them. Churk said something hushed as Faerwyn walked past that se the other demon howling in vile laughter, but we ignored them until they could no longer be heard.

“Those guys seemed like assholes,” I noted, and that eased the tension in the group as they all began laughing.

“Oh, they always have been. But you can’t expect much out of the Shoavari. They don’t have a lot of Charisma themselves, and their race gives them natural resistance to its effects. Which is why they make excellent guards but are horrible boors.” Jaloqa said once she stopped chuckling.

We ended up chatting amicably for a while as we continued through the tunnel, until a sensation washed over the group. The others began to look fidgety, and anxious. A subtle tension was in everything they did. At first, I couldn’t tell what was happening. I had never felt better. I was finally having fun, with new friends. We were about to fight monsters and level up. I was excited. Then I realized the subtle effects of magical pressure that was layering the very air around us. It was making me feel better. While it was making my allies feel worse. I quickly muted my behavior, trying to mimic their same nervous energy, and hoped that they hadn’t seen how little the magical density around us had affected me.

“Welcome to ‘The Wound’, Leo. This pressure is going to be our lives for every second we are inside the vale.” Faerwyn warned, forcing a smile. “It’s always rough at first, but I promise you’ll get used to it.” She was trying to be encouraging, so I nodded gratefully, saying nothing. I couldn’t trust my voice not to betray my lack of tension.

Surprisingly, even Velixen appeared a moment later, stepping out of the shadows. She weaved her hands into strange forms for a few minutes before I began to understand what she was saying.

“- tell him he doesn’t need to act like he is having the same problems as the others. It’s only natural that Fel-Humans don’t feel bad here. They become Fel-Humans through negative magic, after all.” Velixen signed, and Joleqa nodded. Just as quickly Velixen disappeared into the shadows.

“Guys, we are forgetting that Leo isn’t a demon. He is a Fel-Human. They naturally are more connected to negative magics. He’s probably just pretending to suffer to not make us feel bad.” That caused everyone else to look at me incredulously, and I only shrugged. Dark Monarch perks for the win. It even lets me understand sign language.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Leo. I take it back. You are the asshole.” Shialk groaned, causing me to burst out laughing. Shortly after some of their tension began to ease as they acclimated to the pressure, and a light could be seen at the end of the tunnel.

“That’s it ahead. Once we leave this cave we will truly be in The Wound.” Grenthar announced, and I could feel the excitement rising. This is it! Adventure time!

A few minutes later we evacuated the subterranean passage and entered what could only be described as hell. Everywhere I looked as far as the eye could see was a blanket of blacks, browns, and reds. Geysers of flames could be seen spewing dozens of feet into the air off in the distance. There were trees almost the size of redwoods, but instead of the mahogany trunks, with vibrant green canopies, these were black and barren that looked like large claws digging their way out of the earth to rip apart the sky.

Monsters could be seen roaming everywhere, not yet aware of our existence. This was the hunting grounds where I would level up. This was the place I would have my first real adventure since coming to this world. I buzzed with joy.

“Welcome to Jurassic Park,” I said aloud, chuckling. Before I needed to bother explaining the joke to my party, the system intervened.

Notice. This is a Regional Quest.

Due to the nature of this quest, all dungeon events have been postponed until the completion of this quest.

Notice. This is a Pronged Quest.

This quest can be completed in one of three ways.

Quest. The Dark Lord’s Legacy: Cleansing The Wound

Quest Description. Within the heart of The Wound is the final resting place of the previous Dark Lord. Reach the Royal Chamber of The King of Eternal Night, and end the curse plaguing The Wound.

Quest Completion Objective One: Cleanse The Wound by destroying the Crown of the Dark Lord.

Quest Completion Objective Two: Cleanse The Wound by claiming the Crown of the Dark Lord.

Quest Completion Objective Three: Cleanse The Wound by returning the Crown of the Dark Lord to its proper resting place.

Quest Reward: This is based on performance rank and method.

Time Limit: Indefinite.

“Twelve Passions!’ Faerwyn exclaimed as each of my allies reacted noticeably to the quest screen.

“A system quest! Here? This is…” Shialk said, his voice breathless.

“It is.” Grenthar agreed, equally as shocked. I tried to hide my puzzlement at their reactions until I remembered what Threigar had told me. Nobody knows the true limits of the system. It usually just leaves us alone, but your kind is different. We just have access to it. You are infused with it. It had been said in passing and with everything else going on I overlooked it, but now I understood. While I was used to getting system quests, it was nothing short of a divine encounter for everyone else.

Which really put me in a bad position because while they were all wetting themselves with excitement I could only stare at the screen in absolute contempt. No, you can’t just let me have fun. You have to go and fucking make a quest out of it. You aren’t even trying to hide it from the others. You name it The Dark Lord’s Legacy? I swear system, you keep playing your games, and one of these days I WILL fuck you up. I will find whatever god or goddess or pantheon you work for, and I will end you all.

***

“Shialk left!” I cried out pushing a hint of magic into my voice to compel the imp to dodge. Without hesitation, the short demon began rolling to his left as a quill the size of a tree branch rocketed toward him. Too slow! With a wave of my hand, the writhing dark tendrils that lurked in the shadows around me reached out and grabbed the imp, pulling him out of the way. Even with the timely warning, and my assistance it was too late. The projectile tore a line across his hip as it sailed through the space the imp had been occupying before penetrating the ground, spitting up dirt and rocks from the impact. The barb stuck fast, quivering slightly. Not a moment later it began pulsing with an ominous magic.

“Take cover!” Joleqa screamed from Grenthar’s side. I ran behind a nearby tree, my tendrils dragging Shialk with me. Just as we managed to interpose the large trunk between us and the quill the thing detonated sending thousands of smaller barbs as shrapnel flying in all directions. Setting Shialk down I looked at his wound and could see it was already closing up. The benefits of my aura cast by Overlord’s Judgment along with my other perks dramatically increased his healing speed.

“You good?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thank’s for the save. I’m beginning to think we got lucky finding you.” Shialk answered. I gave him a forced smile. Lucky for whom?

“You mean besides just getting access to my sponsorship?”I said grinning at the diminutive demon who smiled back unashamedly.

“That’s just good business sense. Now go check on the others, I’ll be back in the fight once my mana recovers.” He replied with a chuckle. I nodded and rose to my feet. Stepping out from the tree we had taken cover behind and looked across the battlefield, assessing the situation.

From my vantage point, I could see Grenthar facing down the monster as it tried to slash at him with its mighty claws. Grenthar was glowing with a red light and swung his mighty sword like a baton, parrying the swipe. Right behind him was Joleqa, her hands lowering as a wall of earth she had summoned to defend against the blast sunk rapidly into the ground.

There was no trace of Velixen, which I took as a good sign. After all the time traveling together both to The Wound and within it, I’d only laid eyes on her a handful of times. The mysterious woman was capable of evading all sensory skills. Even proving elusive to my ability to analyze everything. A howl of pain and rage erupted from the injured monster and drew my attention to the beast.

Radilgor: Level 26

Creature Type: Monstrosity

Affinity: Hostile

The Radilgor was a fourteen-foot-tall armadillo-type creature. Armored platings were covering most of its body, and protruded from the plating along its back, and down its prehensile tail. Protruding from the plating was a blanket of toxic quills. Most of them were defensive in nature. The exception to this rule was 3 slits at the end of the tail that could launch out the quills at any foe the monster targeted. Already I could see the monster's projectiles regrowing. It swung another claw towards Grenthar snapping at him, he dodged the blow, and with a swipe severed one of the creature's fingers.

Those two can handle themselves, now I just need to find Faerwyn. I smelled her before I saw her. More accurately, the coppery scent of blood reached my nostrils and instincts flared within me. My mouth started salivating almost instantly as I instantly locked onto the source of the delicious smell. I saw a cloven foot protruding from behind a tree with a pool of the delicious-smelling liquid spreading across the ground. I began making my way toward her as a small growl curled in my throat. I could feel the hunger building within me.

Coming around the trunk of the tree I could see the grounded succubus. Faerwyn had taken a lot of shrapnel to her lower body as she had tried to take cover, although most of the damage was superficial, and would heal in time. Her largest concerns right now would be the blood loss, and the venom contained inside the quills. And me, I am a danger. I told myself as I gazed down at her, the fangs in my mouth growing sharper as they anticipated the taste of her flesh. She looked up at me with slender brown eyes and gave me a seductive smile.

“Hey Leo, you in the mood to show a girl a good time?” Faerwyn asked nonchalantly, though her voice was strained from the pain in her leg. I ignored the question as I knelt slowly reaching out to her. I could feel the calling inside to feed. My hand reached her leg and within a few seconds, Faerwyn moaned in a way that was difficult to ignore as I activated both summoned my corpse worms to devour the poison coursing through her veins, and activating Vital Exchange. The wounds on her leg closed up as some of her life force flowed into me, restoring some of my mana and stamina. The hunger which had been so compelling moments before fading. Just the bloodlust of the battle, I told myself.

“I think Grenthar needs your help. He’s having some issues finishing the monster off and if the radilgor releases a few more of those quill attacks we just might be in trouble.” That was only partially true. All of my classes had perks that allowed me to constantly get stronger the longer the battle went, and all of those bonuses could be shared with my allies meant that when it came to attritions we would always come out ahead. The problem was making sure we lasted that long.

“Love, men always need help to finish.” She winked at me as she rose to her feet, reclaiming her trident as she did. I rolled my eyes and rose to my feet, grateful for the moment that my own Charisma was so high. After learning how Charisma was affecting my personality I had considered avoiding investing in it, but dismissed that notion when I thought about the effect Threigar had on me. The attribute might be just another way for the system to influence me, but I also needed it if only to avoid being caught under the sway of others. With Faerwyn around it had been a necessity. Her species had abnormally high Charisma right at the start, and it continued to climb as they leveled regardless of what class choices they made.

“Well, I hope you can beat it in under five minutes. We have three more on the way.” I groaned as an image broadcast itself into my mind from Talon who was soaring high overhead scouting the surrounding area.

While I had been healing Faerwyn, Grenthar managed to wound the monster several more times. Thick dark blood slowly oozed out of the beast as the necrotic effects of my blight could be seen spreading across its body. Jolequa had also managed to coat her arms with earth and rocks and could be seen leaping around nimbly avoiding the snapping monster as she pummeled into it with her fists.

“Oh, Leo. If there was anything that could last longer than a minute against me I wouldn’t always feel so unsatisfied.” She purred, and in another heartbeat she was gone, rushing at the monster in a blaze of speed before leaping high into the air. With the skill of a circus acrobat, she tucked her body, rotating until she was ascending upside down. Her feet planted gingerly onto a branch from one of the darkened trees before she kicked off and shot like a missile at the radilgor.

Faerwyn collided with the Radilgor, her trident puncturing deep into the monster’s eye. The beast reeled back onto its hind legs wailing. The creature’s mighty head shook as the Radilgor tried to eject Faerwyn from its face but to no avail. With a cry, Joleqa slapped her fist on the ground, and multiple rings of dark light appeared circling the beast. From within the ring large tentacles of earth rose, puncturing the monster before detonating. The cascading explosives knocked the beast onto its back exposing the softer underbelly. A flash of shadow appeared only for an instant as a new violet ring appeared on the monster’s now exposed underside.

Grenthar leaped onto the monster and drove his sword into the magical signal and with a wave of power it detonated imploding the radilgor’s chest, ending its life. A wave of experience filled me and a notification screen appeared.

You have defeated Radilgor: Level 26

You have gained 1491 experience.

You have reached level 15.

“I have leveled to 15! Let’s get out of here before this one’s friends arrive!” I called out.

“Not until we collect the core,” Joleqa answered as climbed onto the body next to Grenthar and jumped into the cavity left in the monster's chest by the implosion. I connected with Talon’s mind and could see the other radilgor were only three minutes away now. I was about to say something when the woman climbed back out of the monster holding a large gem in her hands. “Got it!”

At that, we all took off running as fast as we could.

***

“A deal is a deal, handsome. We got you to 15, now talk.” Faerwyn said once we had made it back to our temporary camp to recover from the battle. She was lying comfortably on Wuzzy’s back and nuzzling with Bandit. I had grown used to seeing the succubus get along with my deathsworn and had contemplated summoning more, but hadn’t out of concern that would have given me away. In spite of the race against time to complete the system quest, I didn’t want to reveal my identity to my partners just yet.

You can’t keep this secret for too long, Leo. You’ve seen the shows. You know how secret identity reveals plays out, and you hate it. The main guy always waits too long to reveal his identity and all it does is cause problems. The whispering of my mind reasoned.

Yeah, but those were superheroes. Not sure how it would work if you are the supervillain. I argued back, before realizing I was bickering with myself, and avoiding the pressure from the group. While Joleqa had said she wouldn’t pressure me to reveal my secrets, as we fought together some of my abilities had caused some questions. I stared around at the group hoping to get out of it. Joleqa looked apologetically at me and shrugged. I can’t count on her for this. It was my fault for letting Faerwyn and Shialk pester me into making a deal to reveal my secrets.

“You really aren’t going to let this go? It isn’t like you lot have always been forthcoming either. None of you has explained how you became oath-breakers. It’s obviously a sore subject, and you don’t see me asking about it?”

“Faerwyn, lay off. Leo’s right.” Joleqa snapped as she continued to wipe the gore off of her with a towel. “Leo, if we told you our past, would you be willing to be more forthcoming for the sake of shutting up the group” I thought about that for a long moment. Before nodding my assent. One of my inner voices was right at least. I hated storylines that involved hiding secret identities for too long. If this is where the group decided to abandon me, well then, they hadn’t yet seen all of my secrets. I could probably get away. Maybe. “Alright. So our last party member before you-”

“Joleqa!” Grenthar snapped warningly. The two stared darkly at each other for a moment before he nodded reluctantly, and the woman continued.

“We had another support member before you. A true healer she was. It’s not your fault. It’s rare enough that a Fel gets a support class, to begin with. Most of your kind is purely offensive. Has to do with your energy compatibility. As I was saying, she was a healer through and through. Nessa was a half-breed. Part Sylvain, and part human. That meant she wasn’t exactly welcome in most places though. Sylvain’s are a notoriously proud species and don’t like tainting their blood as a whole. While humans are… “

“Culturally inept,” Shialk chuckled from his spot near the fire. “Some humans are great, but a lot of them are terrified of diversity that they can become extreme. More often than not they fight between themselves. Of the ten kingdoms four of them belong to different humans. There used to be a 5th human kingdom once, but it disappeared when an impassable barrier appeared around it.”

“Just so. Humans are typically as exclusionary as the Sylvains. Though not as a rule. Plenty of individuals are quite charming. Still, the general behavior caused Nessa and her family to relocate to Zelistan. We stumbled across her during a quest for the guild. We had been sent to track down a monster that was rampaging in an area, and she had been there collecting supplies for her own quest. She had found herself on the receiving end of that beast's attention when we arrived in time to spare her a gruesome fate.”

“That’s when true lust took over. She joined our group after that, and within a few months, she and Velixen became close. We all liked her, sure. She had a fun personality, she was intelligent, and she could keep us alive. Her holy powers allowed her to heal us, and enhance us as we fought. Yet, it was Velixen who really seemed to bond with her. Which is what made the betrayal all the more painful.” Faerwyn chimed in, her voice filled with the taunting excitement of a teenage girl with juicy gossip.

“Last year, as we were about to enter the dungeon event for the first time we celebrated our triumphs and all we had achieved together. It’s common practice as there is always a risk someone might not return from a dungeon. When we awoke in the morning, Nessa was gone. Along with all of our belongings. Every last ounce of gold, our armor, and our weapons. The only thing left was a note saying she had fun and wished us luck.” Joleqa finished.

“While we were passed out drunk she sought out our merchant and changed the agreement. Because the dungeon was coming up she made it so that we were obligated to pay our annual tithe for the contract before entering the dungeon. In case we all died. She painted it as a group decision in order to honor our merchant for his support so far. Once that was changed she used part of the money she stole from us to buy her way out of the contract. Without any resources the contract was broken by default, and we became oath-breakers. We tried to appeal, but legally it was our fault for trusting her, and all oaths are run through the system. It’s not so forgiving of the circumstances.”

I stared at the group for a moment and took it all in. So the reason Faerwyn and Shialk were so insistent is that they didn’t want to get screwed over again. I thought that over as they all stared at me expectantly. I had really started to like them, but could I trust them? You sure left on an adventure with them easily enough. My inner voice chimed in. It was true. I had wanted to go on an adventure so badly that I practically leaped at the chance. A reason to put off the responsibilities bearing down on me, and to attempt to forget the designs of the system for a while. How much of the truth do I tell them though? All of it? Part of it? How much do I think they can handle? I tried to figure out what I should do when my thoughts were broken up by a pained roar.

Everyone looked around in alarm at the sound. It was surprisingly close. A shadow danced across my vision for a fleeting moment as I turned my head in the direction the roar had come from. Velixen had been right behind me. That thought was deeply unsettling but could wait. As everyone began to react, another howl matched the first from a different direction. I turned to look back at my comrades and we all bore the same expressions, as realization dawned on us. Somehow the Radilgor had tracked us and managed to encircle us while we were unwinding, as yet another howl echoed from the opposite direction of the first.

Reaching level 15 had given me all the skill points I needed to raise my Predatory Camouflage to Rank S, and my Ectoplasmic Glamour skill to Rank A. Placing almost all the skill points of my last 3 levels into disguise skills had been a weighty investment, but it would pay off in the long run. Between my skills, and my racial ability to alter my appearance, my deathsworn army and I would be able to enter almost any place in the world without revealing our true natures. That doesn't sound ominous at all.

I still had 4 skill points left over that I had left in reserve. There were a few skills I was interested in, but without being able to make up my mind, I had decided to wait. The roars around us approached, turning into a cacophonous chorus. Looking over my skills I only saw one that could be an immediate help to our current situation and one I had been avoiding. I just hoped that the skill at Rank F would be enough to save us.

“Alright. You want me to trust you enough to reveal my secrets. Then I am going to need you all to trust me. Velixen, reveal yourself. I need to be able to see you for this!” I called out. Everyone looked at me in surprise at my very sudden change of attitude. I had been mostly relaxed and congenial this entire time, I had wanted to go with the flow and have fun on an expedition. Now I needed obedience otherwise any plans I had for the future would be in jeopardy. The cloaked woman appeared a few seconds later standing an arm’s length away. I didn’t let that unnerve me as I initiated the oath.

You have Initiated an Oath.

Terms: In return for an oath of secrecy you will reveal all details about your past and abilities pertinent to the party’s overall wellbeing. When an oath is broken the offending party will suffer retribution.

I had no plans to break the oath. If I used the skill then they would need to know everything. Most of the group murmured in surprise as the screen appeared before them. Most classes lacked the ability to initiate system oaths. A physicker shouldn’t have been able to. The exceptions for this were Velixen and Joleqa. Velixen, who remained as quiet as ever, was the first one to accept the oath which didn’t surprise me, especially as it was immediately followed by Joleqa. They had already told me they knew more about me than they were willing to tell the others. Looking at it from that perspective, holding out the truth this long just seemed silly. In short order, the rest of the group also accepted the oath.

“Now what’s this about?” Grenthar asked as he approved of the oath, the last one to do so. I was already putting the 4 points into the skill I had emphatically hoped not to need. It was right there, rank 1 of the Dark Monarch skill tree.

Skill: Dominance of the Alpha

Skill Rank: F

Investment: 4 / 45

Skill Description: You can now connect mentally to any monster within range and understand them. You can now exert your will over a 5-mile radius. Monsters within that radius not under your control have a 50% chance of being commanded regardless of your control over them. For every monster under your control within that radius, the chance increases by 5%.

Rank Up Effect: Increases the radius by an additional 5 miles per rank, and the chance of successful commands by 5% per rank.

As the largest monster I had seen in the entire time we had been in The Wound came barreling up the path roaring, I turned to Grenthar.

“What’s this about? Hopefully, I am about to save our lives.”