It was almost like I was pulled into the ocean. The air was thicker, but sound was dampened. A constant roar of the wind had shifted to a dull pulsing. Each of my three footsteps caused the snow to crunch beneath me. The noise was somehow both muffle and yet echoed.

Everything was shaded dark. Colors were muted. I still held Aiko’s arm. Denise’s words about them not likely surviving a fight with demons… had that been a manipulation? I could be wrong. Maybe I am under estimating her, but I do not believe Denise is capable of that level of manipulation. Wilson was though.

Is this the response the Titan spoke about?

I shrug my shoulder to break the grip of the hand pulling me. It let go without a fight.

Making another snap decision I manifested a layer of Ablative Shell and transferred it to AIko. Yeah, Brand was hurt, but if push came to shove I knew he could take care of himself. Also if needed I could body block for him. Tanking ain’t easy, but I was good at it.

Then the Prompt hit

New Achievement

“Temporary” Personal Apocalypse

You have made it into the land of the dead without dying… yet. That is still pretty impressive. Not smart mind you but notable. Who knows what sort of forbidden knowledge or dark creatures you find.

Reward:

Let’s see if you make it. Finish this hero’s journey before asking for shit. That said I am not going to lie crossing the veil into death land is tricky, getting back is probably not gonna happen. You made a move into the holy of holies, and now you need to get past one of the greatest goalies. You should probably find a means of protection while you are here. You wouldn’t want to bring back something nasty from death’s domain.

You are immune to the Ephemeral Dissipation condition

Mental Resistance blocks the effect of Existential Dread.

You can not rest in this location.

You can not recover HP in this location.

You can not recover MP in this location.

Aiko clung to me in desperate fear. Brand Stiffened in my arms. No Attack came.

I could see the shadowy outline of Angelica. She looked almost like smudged charcoal drawings. Her details were blurred but the negative space around her was well defined by a dense black cloud. She was in a crouch spear ready. For some reason her weapon burned with an almost blinding light and was striking in its clarity of detail. All around her were dark figures. Tall lanky things with wings and horns. They were almost impossible to discern any detail, other than the dull red glow of a dying ember radiating off of their bodies. Their weapons were also easier to see, but not as clear as Angelica s pear. Most of them had clubs with a metal hook on the end. A few had pikes. The largest of the things had what looked to be a wickedly barbed man catcher. It was a long pole with a metal horseshoe shape at the end. The thing could be looped over someone's head and then would stay around their neck. It was a tool of capture and pain. It blazed with a smokey orange fire. That was a tool of torment.

“We don’t have much time,” Richard said. He was still standing behind me.

I couldn’t look away. It was Angelica vs dozens, “Let me back. We can talk after she is safe.”

“No we really can’t,” Richard insisted.

There was a crackle of lightning and Angelica struck. She surged toward the leader. They had expected that. The pike wielders snapped into a formation in front of the boss and made a wall of jagged points. Just before Angelica would have been skewered she turned. If it wasn’t a 90 degree turn, it was damn close. She impaled her spear into the neck of one of the club swinging demons, and used its body as a shield. She forced her way through their ranks breaking the bubble and getting free. Another crackle of lighting flared as the first blast of thunder rumbled. Angelica cleared a good sixty feet of distance away from the demons and took her unfortunate shield for a ride. Things did not go well for the shield. They cracked into the ice and as electricity surged I saw their skeleton shatter as their flesh vaporized.

“I am taking too much of a risk as it is,” Richard continued in the moment of quiet.

As the demon died I saw a baleful blazing red cloud fled to the west. Toward the tower.

“You’re taking a risk?” I almost shouted.

Despite her trick more demons were bearing down on Angelica. She dodge the first’s attack; it almost seemed easy. She just stepped back. Then the second required her to duck. The third she had to fall backward to avoid. The fourth grazed her arm in the same instant she impaled a fifth attacker with her spear. Hellfire and Angelica’s lightning exploded through the dull mist. The rumble of thunder was undercut by wretched shrieking from the flames. Angelica was in the air. I could tell she was going to literally strike like lightning next.

Richard ignored my barb and spoke, “The fastest way back to her is to talk to me. I am trying to save lives.”

Angelica struck from on high. One of the demons was trying to sneak away into the goblin camp. She didn’t let him get even close. The remaining demons were grouping up and flinging more screaming flame at her. Angelica was good at dodging projectiles.

“Fine, what do you want, Ri- Enkidu?” I almost said his name again.

“Just give me four weeks,” Richard almost pleaded

“But the tower,” I started.

“After four weeks it's yours,” RIchard cut in, “use it or destroy it.”

Angelica was dodging ninety-nine out of a hundred of the fire balls thrown at her. Trouble was that still meant she was burning and would eventually be worn down.

“What about the people?” I demanded.

“They will all be turned over to you, alive,” Richard offered immediately. He looked hopeful, like he thought he was getting through to me.

“No, what about them right now?” I pressed.

Richard visibly flinched from my question, “... that is a bit complicated.”

Angelica feinted to her left before stopping moving all together. This caused the majority of the demons to miss their mark. In the brief second of relative calm she pulled her tank hunting rifle out of her inventory. She braced standing feet wide and fired! Suddenly grouping up wasn’t such a good idea for the demons. The explosion was strangely quieter than her thunder.

I sighed before speaking, “Make it simple Ri- Enkidu. Explain it to me like I am five.”

A very human hesitation crept into Richard’s eyes. He considered for a long moment, “I can’t speak freely. I need them. Their pain generates the power needed for the tower to function. It is for the greater good I swear,” tears were welling in his eyes. “They don’t suffer in vain nor alone. I promise. Please trust me. I just need more time.”

Richard, at least the one I -the Titan- knew, was a gentle soul. He couldn’t stand seeing people in pain. The reason my return on investment with him was only seven percent year over year was because two thirds of the wealth we were generating was being donated. A bunch of different causes but we had focused on buying and forgiving medical debt, and paying for children's school lunches.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I did not doubt the sincerity of his words. He believed what he was saying.

“No,” I told him.

Angelica’s fight with the demons was devolving into a brawl. Some after realizing her ranged capacity were desperately charging her. Others were still bombarding her with fire. Another group was clearly trying to pull her focus and making another move for the goblin camp as a fourth moved toward the Mandir.

It was too much for one person.

“But-” Richard tried.

I wasn’t having it, “Do they consent to what is happening to them?”

“What?” Richard asked.

“I am not going to pretend to be wise, but if you are going to make someone suffer you need to be able to justify it to them, not yourself. Are they your collaborators or your prisoners?” I watched him very closely.

“They would if I could explain it to them,” Richard said. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

“Then no. Send us back. I have a friend in need,” I told him

“Well said,” Brand spoke. He was shivering but the gun he pointed at Richard was fairly steady. I manifested a second layer of Ablative Shell and passed that one to Brand. If things were going to get violent at the very least I had a larger health pool

Richard sighed, “The last bit need to be said, before I send you back. If you give me the four weeks, she can kill me, no fight needed. Also in my room in the tower is the means for her release. Tell the chosen one that.”

That… changed things. I didn’t want Richard dead. Maybe it was selfish, but I knew the guy. He was a connection to the world I -the Titan- lived in. I didn’t want him dead.

“Why is this four weeks so important?” I demanded

A blast of thunder almost like a bomb exploded. Angelica had her hammer out and was trying to get some breathing room from the horde of demons in her face.

“I can’t tell you,” Richard said.

More thunder.

“Is someone making you do this?” I demanded

“I can’t tell you,” Richard repeated.

More thunder, getting faster.

“Tell me what is happening,” I said, almost begging.

“I can’t tell you,” Richard said yet again.

The thunder stopped. Angelica was grappling with the demon wielding the man catcher. She held the haft of the demonic weapon in her left hand driving it away from her. The wailing fire was hitting a fever pitch as her hand burned. The demon had seized her throat. It’s hand blazing with yet more hellfire. Angelica had with her right hand slammed a massive dagger through the bottom of the demon's chin and up into its head. Lightning flared and the screaming ceased. More demons were coming.

“Dammit Richard! Tell me the truth!” I roared.

You have compelled a demon by use of their true name(partial)

Contest of Wills is about to commence…

Your order contradicts the orders of another.

Contest of Wills is now between Doug and Malfea

Something tremendous in the south stirred. A figure wrapped in billowing shadow rose up. It just kept doing that too. This being clearly wasn’t the size of a mountain, but its presence loomed. Two cancerous blazing green eyes focused on me.

The eyes of a Devil are upon you.

Prepare for suffering.

“I really wish you hadn’t done that,” Richard muttered.

A second figure began to rise in the east. It was much like the first. Vast in power. Malevolent in purpose. It too was an impossible spire of darkness radiating evil. Unlike the first, its eyes were a poisonous blue.

The eyes of a Devil are upon you.

Prepare for suffering.

Aiko screamed as the gray light of day in this place darken. The wind stopped. The weight of these things' attention was enough to stop the very air from moving. Ice crack and the baleful light of the hellfire burning in the living world quickly became the only light we could see beside an almost desperate flicker of Angelica’s lightning.

Richard was moving his hands in some odd, but clearly deliberate way. Runes made of the hateful flame were manifesting. “They won’t even let you roll for the contest of will. I am going to try and get you out.”

The devil to the east reached out its hand stretching far beyond distance and snuffed the flames out. Richard kept moving. Where the flame had been crystalline shapes remained. He was the Demon of Frost.

I manifest a third layer.

Third Layer of Ablative Shell unavailable. It was used in the creation of a Divine Scale relic. Third layer of Ablative shell will become available again in 6 days.

Holy shit! My actions had consequences. The prompts had warned me. Finger tut faster Richard.

The Devil to the south also reached over us. It seized Richard like a doll. The icy runes around him shattered. Its other hand began to descend on us.

The eyes of the Titan are upon you

Everything went black. No that’s not true. Two hard points of celestial existence persisted in the absolute nothing. Each one,a galaxy unto itself, was a swirling nexus of cosmic power. They were beyond… just beyond. Beyond size, beyond understanding, beyond comprehension, beyond comparison. The Titan’s eyes merely looking at us without the protection of the veil simply halted everything.

Even the fighting on the other side ceased.

For me at least the worst part was despite the inhuman nature of those eyes, I could still sense the contempt in their gaze. The Titan, the man I used to be, was watching us and he wasn’t happy. A few realizations hit all at once. He could destroy us all. It wouldn’t even be hard. If the Titan wanted to he could break the very world to pieces. Perhaps destroy all of reality. That’s why he needed Titan spawn. To interact with the world without destroying it.

280 years alone, watching lesser versions of himself walk this world. No wonder he was so angry.

In that space of timelessness I felt the devil’s hand withdraw.

Contest of Wills beginning in…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

I don’t have a great way to explain what happened next. It was the mental equivalent to getting punted. Whatever we were supposed to be doing I lost. It wasn’t even close.

Contest of Wills over.

Malfea wins.

Malfea’s orders maintain primacy.

Mental Resistance blocks all damage.

The Titan’s presence didn’t withdraw. Instead of nothingness receded and the faded world of beyond the veil returned. I could still see the devils gazing down on us from their distant lairs, and above them the Titan loomed. We all just sort of stood there.

Angelica’s fight resumed.

“I guess I should return you.” Richard managed.

“How can I help you?” I asked.

“Get me the 4 weeks,” Richard said. He gave me a sad smile.

To hell with it. Time for the hail mary play.

You have activated voice of the Titan

“Richard, break free of all compulsions over your mind!” I said.

The power of the Titan flowed through me. I suspected this once before. Part of how Voice of the Titan worked was it was the actual voice of the Titan. So While I had just technically picked a fight with who knows how many players, the devils included. The system rolled the Contest of Will using the Titan. A blizzard of prompts flashed through my vision all announcing my victory in a Contest of Wills. I would have paid more attention to those, but one prompt held my focus.

Voice of the Titan Deactivated

You are under the effect of Mana Bleed.

You take 300 HP of damage

You are now Bleeding

You are immune to the effects of this condition

You have been muted

You are incapable of healing in this location.

I had suspected Mana Bleed would be bad. I was both right and wrong. Let me give you the bottomline up front here, Mana Bleed is a zero out of ten. I would not recommend. Summarizing the experience is hard to do without defaulting to things like ‘ouch’ is difficult. The pain was on the same scale as the Extreme Agony condition. The thing is Extreme Agony was a physical condition. This was… spiritual I think, metaphysical at the very least. It was like being crushed, no squeezed. I was shedding energy. Just like my blood though I could leak seemingly endlessly. That said it was like having my soul filled with salt and broken glass while being dipped in acid.

I would have screamed but the ragged tatters where my throat used to be produced no noise. Okay that is not true. The air caused a bubbling gurgle through the blood literally drowning me.

I buckled and fell to my knees. It took everything to not collapse onto Brand. He had hopped out of my arms to avoid the waterfall of gore. My head swam.

Richard stood over me. He looked so sad, “Thank you, and I am sorry. If you get out of here, I need the four weeks. I’m trying to save the world.”

Then he spread his wings and took off. He flew west back to the tower.

The thunder and lightning had gone quiet. The only sound that remained was the screaming of hellfire.