Kya moved slowly towards Arthur, the elderly man had been stunned and lay unmoving from the short fall off the stairs. She kept both her eyes and her aura on alert as she approached. There was the larger, muscular man about twenty meters away, lying in a waking dream caused by her venomous dagger. Kya wasn’t entirely sure if it would eventually kill him, or just keep him sedated, but either way that was a problem for later.
No, she was on high alert at the moment for the third member of their little band. She remembered only now that when she’d first gotten the “objective failed” notification after waking up, it had said to kill or capture the cultists. This was all well and good, but it had also said there were three then too. But she’d been a bit unfocussed at the time and wasn’t fully paying attention to little things like details at the time.
However, she pulled up short as she heard a rattling, wheezing hiss coming directly from the center of the circle. Turning, she almost vomited on sight, but instead settled back on a horrified stumble backwards as she gazed on the… the thing that lay there.
It was the skull, she realized. The skill and parts of the ribs. They had been glowing at sent towards the center of the ritual right at the end, and she now saw exactly what was supposed to happen had it been allowed to complete. She also noticed that the organs and pieces of flesh all contained in the golden bowls, at least the ones that still remained within the confines of the ritual space, had been… appropriated. She had thought they’d all been hearts before, but either she was wrong, or they’d been transformed in the process.
If it had just been some cartoonish “living skeleton” or whatever, that would have been fine. More than fine. Kya would have unquestionably preferred that.
But this was… it was like a diagram of human anatomy, but after a pack of wolves had eaten their fill and left it behind.
Small intestines hung from the limp sack that was the rib cage, lungs like wet purple balloons flopped like fish out of water, and a thin, translucent layer of skin lay over the whole thing. It was, without doubt, hesitation, or exaggeration, the most terrible thing Kya had seen in her life. It wasn’t even close.
Belatedly, and with an almost terrified reluctance, she tried to identify the… it. The narration seemed like a disappointed schoolteacher as it read the pop-up window in her head.
- - - - -
*** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED ***
- Ghoul - 1-Star - Common
- So, it’s been that kind of a night, huh? Well then, before you is a ghoul. Well, at least part of one anyway. This thing was once a human but has been recalled from the great beyond to once again inhabit its mortal flesh. However, for whatever reason, the summoning process went awry as they so often do, and rather than get a fully-fledged lich or vampire, you’re left with a hollowed-out husk. For now, anyway.
- Divine Notice - Neither the current gods of {Life} or {Death} approve the creation of undead outside of the church, and as such, this creature has been marked for death. Associating with or aiding this creature may have unpleasant consequences.
- - - - -
As if she needed anymore reason for revulsion, not only was this an insult to her own personal beliefs, namely don’t fuck with the dead, but also against the apparent GODS of this world too.
That was a lot to take in. Like, earth shattering information for Kya’s world view, but like so so much else, it needed to be put away for now. She would have time for theology when not in an underground ritual chamber.
Calling one of the basketball sized stones the earth user had tried to hit her with, she pulled it to herself, before blasting it away and crushing the ghoul like roadkill. This triggered a couple of different and immediate responses.
Getting an immediate string of notifications, she brushed them as Arthur, still lying on the ground but trying lamely to rise, had just witnessed Kya crushing the remains of what she strongly suspected to be his former wife.
He let out a guttural scream of anguish and rage, fueling him more than she would have thought possible. He staggered to his feet, and pulling a sheathed knife from his hip, lunged at Kya with tears streaming down his face.
She had been aware for some time, at least a few hours, that she had been somewhat enhanced by the acceptance of magic into her body. But Arthur, an unenhanced human, trying to attack her was almost laughable. She didn’t, couldn’t find it amusing in the current circumstances, but it genuinely felt easy.
She wove into the strike, then grabbed his arm and twisted outward until the dagger clang to the ground and his frail wrist popped, hanging limply.
He let out another scream, now, though a physical one rather than emotional. He deflated, now, the sudden fire in his eyes entirely doused by the quick altercation, and he crumpled to his knees, weeping.
“All I wanted was tah see her again” he choked out “Tah hold her an’ hear her voice.”
This man, crying in front of her, had done unspeakable things. Killed and plotted, had planned on killing her in fact, but in this moment, she couldn’t see him as an enemy combatant, or an enemy at all. He was a broken old man whose life had been ruined by the death of a loved one.
She was equal parts sickened and relieved to find that she could honestly empathize with him.
“Arthur, I need to know who your third companion is before anything else happens. Where are they and why haven’t they done anything ye-”
She stopped, catching her breath, as Arthur's head was suddenly gone.
There was no sound, no explosion or gunshot or slice or twang of bow strings, just an empty socket where a second before had been the man's aged face.
There was no blood. That, more than anything, disturbed Kya. There was no slosh or spilled of blood from the decapitation, just a quiet thump as the body fell back. She also realized, after a moment, that she hadn’t sensed a single thing with her aura. Neither man nor magic had appeared to her senses, which too disturbed her immensely.
She then got another notification, waving it too away, but not before seeing the first words.
- - - - -
- You have slain…
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- - - - -
which were not only new to her, but also gut wrenching in their implications. More disturbing, however, was the second identical notification popping up, before it too was waved away.
Whipping her head around, she saw that the larger man had likewise been soundlessly and cleanly decapitated. Kya was now alone to face this third member of the group, who for some reason had just, in cold blood, killed their own men.
Kya backed against the wall as quickly as she could, while the body of the earth user dissolved into shadows, but interestingly, Arthurs body did not.
More and more and more on the to-do list.
Rocketing quickly to the top of that list, however, was the simple “survive and escape this hell hole” bullet point.
She was rapidly scanning back and forth looking in all directions and extending her Aura out as far as it could go to try and sense the person she knew to be hiding nearby when, suddenly, he was there.
She blinked, and there he was, simple as that. Her aura was telling her there wasn’t anything there, not even a void or empty space but just empty air, but there he was, several feet ahead, a very slight smile playing at his lips.
He was tall, thin, and pale. He had wavy hair the color of sand coming down to his shoulders, a well-tailored frosty blue shirt, and pants matching his hair. His skin was so pale white, it almost shone in the dimly lit cave. That would have been about it, except for two fairly important distinguishing features. He had a pair of thin golden horns coming down and framing either side of his face, and coming to fine points just below his earlobes, where they both dangled fine ruby drops.
Again, this would have been it and on any other creature the most eye-catching part of the man. However, this man had one other noteworthy thing about him. The four eyes on his head.
Both sets were placed… wrongly. There were two slightly smaller ones set far apart and protruding slightly from his cheek bones, with the other two slightly larger ones higher up on his forehead. All four had sclera of the deepest abyssal blue, with streaks of vibrant pink outlining various parts of where an iris would normally be.
This was telling and almost startling for Kya. She had seen the eyes of every other user, reflections of their class abilities. She too remembered Meri, with streaks of color indicating her secondary class.
Was this man… a spatial user too, if even just partially?
For better or worse, the man was the first to speak.
He gave a very slight bow, almost playfully, before saying in a soft yet rich, velvety voice that sounded suspiciously British "Good evening, ma'am. Terrible business, these rituals. Always so delicate a process, so intricate. I must commend you on your swift and decisive actions against them."
He was still slightly bent at the hip, putting him at eye leve- well, lower eye level with her. That same sly smile still played, a twinkle in his eyes like he was telling a joke.
Kya realized he was waiting for her, so eventually asked the only thing she could think to ask:
"... Why did…. Why?"
His touch of a smile grew into a wide grin, displaying his teeth, several more of which looked like sharpened canines than Kya was comfortable with.
"Well," he purred "Arthur and Douglass, which was the name of that small spark over there, were rather upset when that woman of theirs had an… accident. So, then they, in their desperation, sought out my little organization and enlisted our services in rectifying the situation."
The way the man talked was so calming and relaxing, yet at the same time with such a formal tone that she was temporarily losing her senses, her perspective on the situation.
The other user’s name had been Douglass? What a.. mundane name… wait why didn’t she know that? She could have identified him at any point… wait!
She mentally chided herself for constantly forgetting about what was easily one of her most useful abilities in this world, and quickly tried to identify the creature in front of her. Yet she was met with the first instance ever of:
- - - - -
- Unable to Identify subject.
- - - - -
And that was it. No explanation, no further hints or details, just… unable.
Almost as though shaken from a daydream, she felt a little bit of awareness come back, realizing that he had dodged the question entirely, telling her what she already knew.
With a concerted force of will, she managed to bring her mind back to the situation at hand and say in a weak voice "N-no… why did you kill them?" She realized after speaking that her teeth were chattering as she spoke.
His smaller eyes widened for an instant. Before returning to their half lidded twinkling contempt.
He bowed ever so slightly lower "my apologies madame, I misunderstood" he said in a way suggesting he'd done nothing of the sort. He shrugged then, "when a tool is damaged to the point it becomes dangerous to the wielder, it is only natural to dispose and replace it, no?"
Kya, deciding to contemplate that tangle after the situation was over, figured she’d ask straight out if there would be an after. "And… why didn't you kill me? Will you..?"
All four eyes crinkled with mirth, smiling at her with the purest most radiant joy she had seen.
“Madame, there would be no larger waste of my time and energy than to see you disposed of right here and right now. Even if it should be my utmost desire, I would still wait. One does not seek wood from a sapling, after all. As a founder, you more than most should have quite the path ahead. I am hoping you make use of that item in your inventory there when the time is right.”
Bowing fully now, he elegantly placed one foot behind and swept one arm out to the side. Kya felt a slight tingle at the back of her neck, like someone breathing down her neck, before he said "Time moves a pace and I must take my leave, but it's been a genuine pleasure, miss Kya. I look forward to the path you shall reap."
And like that… he disappeared. Like a ghost or an apparition, he simply vanished.
Instantly, her senses flooded back to her, letting her realize only now how truly lost she'd been in those moments, how much sensation she'd given up looking into those four eyes.
Kya decided, right then and there, not to take another contact until she could figure out some of the shit in this world because one of the few things she understood and agreed with from the night's events was what… Douglass? What Douglass had said to her. She'd been doing this for a day and had come in here to stop something she didn't and couldn't understand fully, escaping only because that man had let her.
There was no doubt in her mind that he could have killed her like a fly on a wall. No one, not even that guy from the entrance hall that had tried to escort her away, had given her such a feeling of raw terror as he.
Kya knew that there was a whole batch of notifications waiting for her when she was ready, and she knew that she needed to loot the room and the… body of Arthur, but before she could do any of that, she had one notification that had just popped up, and was willing to let this one play out.
- - - - -
- Objective Failed!
You let the third member of the summoning ritual escape before learning all of the information from him!
- Quest Update
- New Objective: Report the rituals events and circumstances to the authorities.
- Optional Objective: Talk to the house staff, see if they’ll talk now that their master is dead.
- Time Remaining: 11hrs;59min:27sec
- Rewards: Rewards contingent on manner of quest completion.
- - - - -
Of course, she would be completing the bonus objective, why the hell wouldn’t she? Besides, it helped to have as much info as possible before making a report, she knew that from lots of experience.
But with twelve hours to play around, Kya felt no need to rush through the process. and looking at the headless body of Arthur, she knew she'd need the time.