Ebook 7: Chapter 49: Penalties

Victor was shocked by the sudden, violent shift in his circumstances. One second, he’d been a passenger to his rage and magma-fueled alter ego, half collaborating and half observing as he unleashed his pissed off wrath upon the world. The following, he’d been stripped of his Volcanic Fury, ripped from the dungeon, and deposited on the metallic teleportation platform again in Sojourn.

Because the world reeled, he dropped to 1 knee, cradling his spinning head together with his dust and blood-stained palms. He squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to recollect the System message textual content he’d glimpsed earlier than furiously swiping it away. “What the hell did it say?” he grumbled.

A number of gray-robed attendants rushed onto the platform, two of them stopping subsequent to him. Even with him kneeling, they needed to search for barely to make eye contact. “Do you require therapeutic?” the person on the left requested, reaching to scratch at his easy, pink-skinned head nervously.

“Nah. I simply want I had learn what the System stated. Why am I right here?” Victor stood, grunting with the hassle, and began dusting his tattered, singed, completely ruined pants.

“You didn’t learn it?” a raspy, impassive, female voice behind him requested. Victor acknowledged Arona’s have an effect on, so when he turned, he discovered his hand reaching for Lifedrinker’s haft, which made him marvel when he’d put her again in her harness. Had the System achieved it? “Peace, indignant one!” the girl stated, stepping again. She held her palms out within the common signal of “I’m not searching for a combat.”

Victor lowered his hand. His rage was gone, spent on his Volcanic Fury after which ripped away by the System. The one emotion he may muster at that second was one thing much more like apathy than anger. “I . . . was preoccupied.” He shrugged, narrowing his eyes, abruptly questioning why this girl hadn’t helped her mates. “The place the hell did you go, anyway?”

Earlier than she may reply, the attendant who’d spoken earlier stated, “Please vacate this teleportation annex. We’ll shut it now that everybody’s out of the dungeon.”

Victor scowled after which walked to the door, which was presently held open by one other attendant. Arona adopted, saying, “I used to be attempting to win the dungeon whilst you and the others had been occupying one another.” There wasn’t a touch of disgrace in her voice. “The System, or at the very least the a part of it accountable for the dungeon, threw us out. The message stated one thing in regards to the ‘dimensional bonds’ being strained. No matter meaning.”

“And the Power?” Victor requested, turning to face her as soon as he stood within the corridor.

“You imply our pending infusion? The System greedily claimed it, little doubt justifying the theft by utilizing the Power to take care of the dungeon’s integrity.”

“That’s some bullshit,” Victor growled.

Arona shrugged her broad, bony shoulders, her black-painted lips curving right into a wry smile. “Effectively, at the very least we weren’t penalized for our elimination. We’re purported to get a chest, too, however I don’t know the place to assert it.”

Victor stretched his neck, and a number of other loud pops erupted from the maneuver. He regarded up the hallway and noticed figures approaching. One in all them was Ranish Dar. “Right here come some solutions, I hope.”

Arona leaned on her polished bone employees, going through the approaching group. Victor noticed 4 others moreover Dar, all humanoid, some even showing human, although Victor doubted that was the case. He glanced at Arona once more, realizing she, too, regarded human—vampiric however human, nonetheless.

“What’s your species?” he bluntly requested, seizing the second to collect some info earlier than the group arrived.

“Hmm? I’m a Faeling,” she replied. When Victor wrinkled his forehead in confusion, she sighed and defined, “On my homeworld, the Fae have lain with the natives for hundreds of years, leading to folks like me.”

It was unusual, he determined, how relaxed he was talking to a lady who’d been intent on killing him not way back. Hadn’t he been simply as murderous, although? Hadn’t he been desirous to combat? Coming down from the big wave of rage he’d been using, he discovered himself oddly introspective. The reality was, he hadn’t been treating the dungeon like actual life; the Lifesavers and the aggressive nature of the setting had made him reckless and loads much less involved about people and the lives of everybody concerned, his included. He shook his head, forcing his thoughts to concentrate on current circumstances. He gestured towards the folks strolling with Dar. “Are they? Faeling?”

“Oh, one thing related, little doubt.” She narrowed her eyes, a gleam of amusement brightening her darkish irises. “Absolutely you already know in regards to the elder races? Many had been related in look; you may be descended from the Fae based mostly in your options if not on your nice dimension. Some elder large race, little doubt?”

Victor couldn’t assist however grunt, “Titan.” After a pause to assume, he requested, “So, the elder races wandered across the universe screwing every part they got here throughout till all of us began wanting like long-lost cousins?”

“Effectively, not every part. Absolutely, you’ve seen the various distinctive species on this metropolis. What an sudden dialog! I believed you’d be spewing threats and glowering with murderous . . .”

“Victor!” Dar bellowed, interrupting Arona.

Victor glanced again down the hallway and noticed the group had drawn shut, solely a dozen strides away. “Yeah?” Dar’s tone and the scowls he noticed on everybody’s faces started to drive residence the concept every part wasn’t precisely rosy.

Two males in ornate robes, one silver and one black, flanked Dar, and behind them had been two giant people sporting black, metallic armor, their heavy helms hiding their faces. They carried lengthy, wicked-looking polearms, and their posture was decidedly aggressive. The auras vying for dominance had been palpable and heavy, and Victor needed to brace himself of their presence because the group continued nearer. Dar didn’t reply Victor, and he quickly realized why, listening to their ongoing dialog.

“. . . needs to be held till the trial.”

“There might be no God’s damned trial!” Dar roared, whirling on the a lot smaller man. He wore a cape made from some type of shimmering, nearly metallic fiber. It was crimson with a excessive collar that gave Dar’s already imposing stature an much more regal bearing. The material snapped as he turned dramatically, inflicting the smaller, silver-robed man to step again nervously.

“Inquest, then! Peace, Ranish, peace!” The guy, a gray-skinned man with curly white hair, opened his deep-purple eyes vast, making a form of soothing expression together with his mouth as he tried to placate Victor’s new mentor.

Dar flexed his stony palms into anvil-sized fists, and one thing very very similar to rage started to emanate from his towering kind. “How are you going to assume to carry him answerable for . . .”

“No! If they’re companions, the tier-zero dungeons are excellent for them. No one among any energy can enter, so that they’ll be on at the very least even footing with any would-be assassins or kidnappers.” As Dar answered, they stepped out of the world corridor into the morning solar, and Victor sighed, pausing to soak it in as he breathed deeply of Sojourn’s recent air.

“God, that feels good.” He noticed Dar watching him together with his smoldering, coal-like eyes and shrugged. “So, you’re saying they need to spend as a lot time in dungeons as potential for now. Yeah?”

“Hah! Aye, although I warn you, you trounced a few of these so-called champions within the problem dungeon as a result of they gained most of their ranges in these dungeons. They don’t know actual conflict or the desperation of a real life-and-death battle. Effectively, they do now!” Dar laughed and clapped Victor’s shoulder once more. “In any case, encourage your pals to tackle dungeons a tier increased than themselves. This recommendation pertains to their careers after they’ve gotten their Courses. The tier-zero dungeons are becoming for his or her present state of affairs.”

“And Valla? She and one other tier-six buddy are planning to enter a dungeon. Ought to they, too, tackle a higher-tier dungeon?”

“As a workforce? Undoubtedly.” Dar pointed down a close-by road. “Come, the System stone is within the Council Spire, this manner. It’ll be good so that you can see the place we’ll meet for tomorrow’s sham of an inquest.”

Victor frowned as he adopted him. “Are you able to clarify that? I feel I get the which means of an inquest, however, like, am I on trial?”

Dar sighed, shaking his head. “9 Consuls sit on the Sojourn ruling council at any given time. They’re voted for by these few thousand of us with voting privileges and serve an eleven-year time period. I’ve served a time or ten over time. Their phrase is regulation, so, no, it’s not a trial such as you is perhaps considering. Nonetheless, they have to take into account the political fallout of their actions they usually’ll need to keep away from offending me and my allies an excessive amount of.

“Your detractors will begin off clamoring on your head, then they’ll recommend enslavement, and at last, they’ll look to levy a advantageous. We’ll discover a inventive solution to settle the debt; don’t fear. I’ll carry an advocate for you and in addition stand by your aspect. Nothing a lot will come of this aside from folks rightly studying to indicate you a bit extra respect than your stage would often warrant.”

“I nonetheless don’t see why the hell I’m in hassle. Was it my earthquake spell? How was I purported to know the dungeon was so fragile? You’d assume it needs to be designed to deal with any form of Power means!”

“Aye. Your quake introduced the whole thing of the fourth stage crashing down. I’m glad you weren’t squashed earlier than the System pulled you out.” Dar began up the steps of the most important constructing Victor had ever laid eyes on, save perhaps the Warlord’s citadel in Coloss. It was actually a lot, a lot taller than that nice construction, however the citadel had a bigger footprint. Regardless, Victor’s complaints and objections had been thrown from his thoughts by the marvel invading his ideas as he craned his neck, wanting towards the distant shimmering heights of the spire; he couldn’t see the highest from the place he stood.

“I ponder if that is what skyscrapers appear to be up shut.” Tucson had just a few tall buildings downtown, however they had been nothing like this or, he supposed, the good buildings in cities like New York.

“Skyscrapers? A poetic moniker for an excellent constructing. I feel I’ll add that to my vernacular. Come now, Victor. You might gawk by yourself time. I’ll see you to your chest, watch to see your award, after which I’ll be off; I’ve a stunning buddy ready to grace me together with her firm.”

“Oh yeah?” Victor smiled, questioning if he knew Dar properly sufficient to rib him a bit. He determined he didn’t. Maybe he would have risked it if he weren’t so exhausted, filthy, and prepared for relaxation. He was able to hurry, too; Dar’s speak of individuals looking for vengeance had him greater than a bit frightened about Valla and the others. As he adopted Dar by way of the foyer, previous floating platforms adorned with silken cushions, crystal fountains, and crops that seemed to be a cross between gem stones and succulents, he had a sudden thought. “Do folks know I’m alive? What did it appear to be when the System shut issues down?”

Dar walked by way of a large archway into an excellent, domed cathedral-like central corridor. The ceiling was a whole lot of ft above them, supported by huge gold-inlaid white marble archways. On the middle of the area was the towering System stone of Sojourn. It regarded loads just like the one Victor had planted within the Free Marches, solely about 5 instances the dimensions—a black obelisk that rose greater than 100 ft into the air, pulsing with shifting, Power-rich glyphs and runes that appeared to drift beneath the floor. Dar paused and turned to reply him, “The viewing home windows went clean, however then the council introduced what the System did and proclaimed you and Arona victorious. If your pals had been watching, they know you’re alive.”

Victor nodded, his query nearly forgotten as he regarded on the monolithic stone. 9 separate units of stairs approached the stone, permitting for a number of queues, however, for no matter purpose, there wasn’t a lot of a crowd at that hour. Just a few folks stood close to the stone—palms resting on its floor—and the steps had been clear. Dar pointed, and Victor noticed a faintly glittering golden chest close to the platform’s edge. In fact, not 5 ft from that unattended chest stood Arona with a skeletally skinny man who needed to be eight or 9 ft tall. He wore a black capelet over a advantageous, black velour swimsuit, and atop his bone-white cranium sat a wide-brimmed black hat.

Dar shoved him. “Climb these steps and declare your chest. Let’s see what you obtain.”

Victor began shifting, however he turned again to his mentor. “Who’s that with Arona?”

“Her grasp, Vesavo Bonewhisper. Don’t offend that man.”

Victor sighed, shaking his head. Why did everybody anticipate him to select a combat with everybody he met? He made brief work of the steps and moved to face by his chest, form of hoping he may open it with out having to speak to Arona once more. His hopes had been dashed when the scarecrow of a person beside her stated, in a voice like dry tinder, “Ah, Ranish Dar! I’m happy I’ll have the chance to fulfill your younger champion. What a thorn in my Arona’s aspect he was!”

“Grasp . . .” Arona began to say, however when the person turned his bizarre, crystalline, diamond-colored eyes her approach, she snapped her mouth shut and regarded down.

Dar moved very barely between Victor and the opposite two and, staring on the tall, unusually dressed man, stated, “Victor Sandoval, greet Vesavo Bonewhisper, one among Sojourn’s nice Dying Masters.”

Victor cleared his throat and nodded, attempting to banish any aggression from his options. “Happy to fulfill you, sir.” He may really feel the chilly Power of the person’s aura seeping out, and if he regarded carefully, he was positive he noticed frost riming the marble platform close to the person’s ft. He stored his head ducked for 3 or 4 seconds, then regarded as much as see these bizarre diamond eyes watching him. The person’s skull-like face, with flesh so skinny and pale as to be practically clear, regarded him for an additional two or three lengthy, silent seconds, after which he nodded and turned to treat Dar.

“An excellent exhibiting. We gave the lickboots and flower sniffers one thing to speak about, eh? Effectively, in three weeks’ time, I’ll be internet hosting a dinner. You’ll each attend, sure?”

Dar’s reply was rapid, “With pleasure.”

“Wonderful! One in all mine will ship the invitation.” He turned to Arona, who was nonetheless staring on the floor. “Come.” With that, he turned and strode away. He didn’t use the steps; fairly, he gently glided down from the platform as if floating on an invisible cloud. Arona hurried after him, scurrying down the closest stairway. Dar watched her and the unusual, floating man depart by way of the close by archway, then turned to Victor.

“That’s one of the vital harmful folks in Sojourn. I don’t concern him, however I actually respect him.” As Victor nodded, his eyes glazing over as he stared after the 2 Dying Casters, questioning what the person with the diamond eyes was able to, Dar jostled him. “Come now. Open the chest.”

“Proper!” Victor turned and reached down, lifting the lid and watching as a torrent of glittering, golden steam burst forth. He waved away the steam, questioning if the award may presumably make up for all that he’d misplaced by ruining the dungeon and getting kicked out.