Chapter 314
Chapter 314
Kara looked like a deer caught in the headlights, stunned and confused while standing there awkwardly and not knowing what to say.
As for Riven? Hot anger flared inside his chest, but he kept his composure and merely remained at his new friend’s side just like she’d asked them to do. These were her people, not his.
“Sit, DOWN, woman! And do it NOW! You are but a mere concubine, and you will only speak when spoken to. Know your place.” A dark elf man in the very center of the room snapped with a venomous glare. He had a basic blue-jade circlet around his head and sat in lotus position, with a long and neatly trimmed white beard - though he didn’t look all that old.
Other members of the Court of Emperor Adali, Ruler of Purturis, gave the woman scathing glares of their own or shook their heads in obvious disgust.
The self proclaimed mother of Zafima stiffened, but she gave the central man a respectful bow within seconds. “Yes, emperor. Forgive me, my emotions got the best of me.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.” Emperor Adali snorted. “The next time you speak out of turn, you will be flogged.”
The room turned utterly silent, and the concubine bowed her head in shame while maintaining clenched fists.
Then the emperor cleared his throat, stroked his beard, and turned his blue eyes to Kara and her team. His gaze lingered on Riven and Prince Rantali the longest, before turning his attention to Kara - who offered him a hasty bow before halfway prostrating herself.
“F-Forgive me if I have done anything wrong, your majesty!” Kara began on bent knees.But she was cut off with the man’s hand cutting through the air to dismiss her words. “Please, Miss Blackbow, I have a few questions for you before we begin.”
Kara’s eyes flicked to another hooded man in black robes off to the left that Riven noted looked quite similar to Kara but in male form - and she nodded hesitantly. “Very well, Emperor Adali. I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.”
Silence again ensued.
The emperor tapped his steepled fingers together in contemplation, continuing to search the party members over one by one. “The Abyssal Descent… Kara, is a gateway to help the young of our nation ascend to greater heights by building on the foundations of their soul lattices. The insights the Abyssal Descent has are far beyond our own means here in Purturis, and by Elysium’s grace we have been given many generations worth of tickets through the actions of our own empire - and by our vampiric allies in the Kingdom of Garth.”
The emperor gave a respectful nod of acknowledgement to the vampiric prince to Riven’s left. “It is a pleasant surprise to see you, Prince Narzkal Rantali. Please forgive my intrusion, but these questions must be asked.”
“No need to apologize, Emperor Adali.” Prince Rantali replied with perfect posture and a practiced smile. “Please, act like I’m not here.”
The emperor nodded again, and sighed when his eyes fell back on Kara. “These tickets are treasures in their own rights, and it has come to my attention that not only was a ticket squandered on a person with as little talent as you in order to settle a dispute between two rather childish members of my very own court; but that you were also sabotaged by your own team and others of our empire when you arrived. This is rather… troubling, to me. I hope you do not take offense as to what I said, but usually these tickets are only given to our best and brightest. To allow our offspring to intermingle with the scions of the greater powers in this multiverse is not something we take lightly. We need our best face forward when the actions of our youth can have reflecting implications on our empire as a whole.”
Kara remained pale-faced and kneeling, averting her gaze as long as the man would permit it.
Emperor Adali made eye contact with Riven for only a split second, before peeling away with a grimace. “Even more troubling are rumors of what has happened in the Abyssal Descent after you were sabotaged. In fact, I would even say it is more than just rumor given there were multiple eye witnesses to what happened on Floor 21. Multiple witnesses that immediately left the Abyssal Descent, dismissing their own opportunities for gains in order to inform me as quickly as possible of what had occurred for the betterment of our empire. So that I could attempt to try and perform… damage control. Do you deny any of this?”
Kara nervously twitched. “I… Uhm… I don’t deny it. I will not comment on the reasons why I was sent here, those reasons are better asked of my father - the Ashen Sage. I am a mere 7th daughter and was bound to his request. I will admit however that I was sabatoged, and without help - I likely would have died down here.”
Zafima’s mother took in a sharp breath of air and made to stand, but was shot a scathing glare by the emperor again and rapidly sat back down.
The emperor remained furiously glaring at the middle-aged dark elf woman for well over ten seconds of silence before speaking to Kara again. “Over a dozen eye witness accounts to be exact. Tell me, Kara Blackbow, do Zafima Yasini and Numin Thorn yet live?”
Kara took a moment, furrowing her brows and fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “I’m afraid I don’t understand, your majesty. Zafima and Numin did stay behind to try and make amends, but…”
She shot Riven a furtive glance. “But they went through the portal to go home. They should be in Purturis now. Are you saying that you don’t know where they are?”
“THE BITCH HAD THEM KILLED! SHE MUST HAVE BRIBED THE OTHERS INTO TELLING THESE LIES!” Zafima’s mother screamed, launching herself to her feet and pointing a trembling finger in Kara’s direction. Spit flew out of her mouth, tears ran down her cheeks, as she snarled and snapped her words out the way any mother would if they’d lost their child. “IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT A LOWLY BLACKBOW BEFRIENDED A REINCARNATION IN SUCH A WAY! I SEE NOTHING BUT IMPOSTERS, AND I DEMAND JUSTICE! MY LITTLE GIRL WAS MURDERED BY THAT USELESS-”
SHUNK
The woman abruptly gasped, coughing up blood as a blade ripped through her back and out the front side of her left breast. Eyes wide and horrified, the drow woman tried to scream, but it was muffled by a hand over her mouth as a drow guard twisted the blade and wrenched it out.
Kara’s father grinned wolfishly on the sidelines.
“I thought I told you to speak only when spoken to, Alris.” Emperor Adali said with a seething look of rage as the woman’s body dropped to the ground, and she began to convulse. “With matters of such importance, if true, it is not only your daughter that put our empire in jeopardy - but it is you and your plans as well. I was going to forgive it, but not anymore. Not if you can’t keep silent when ordered to do so and make yourself out to be a fool in front of one of the inheritors to the very hells themselves, you foolish concubine.”
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Ignoring the gasping woman as her lungs filled with blood and her pierced heart spasmed in the final moments of her life, Emperor Adali rested his gaze on Riven. “It is likely, based on what Kara is telling me, that Zafima and Numin knew what awaited them when they came back. We will find them, and when we do - they will be executed. I had people gifted in reading minds go over the accounts of our young warriors when they got back, and had dao specialists extract the lingering affinities left on their bodies soon after leaving the Abyssal Descent. Yours, Reincarnation of Gluttony, is the most pure form of Gluttonous Sin I have ever seen. I had heard that Zafima personally threatened you with the name of our empire, oh Great Maw. Please… Allow me to offer our official apology if we managed to offend you after what my concubine’s daughter had done.”
The emperor bowed his head low, touching the floor in tandem with all of the others who did the same. “If there is anything that we can do to make amends, name it. I would gladly send tribute to your church for a thousand years if it pleases you. I will also send you the head of the sorceress Zafima and the warrior Numin once we find them, after I send the head of Zafima’s mother to your nearest conclave as a starting gift, and I only ask your forgiveness for this offense.”
Riven was slightly confused that Zafima and Numin hadn’t made it back home, given that he’d supplied a writ of forgiveness. It appeared they’d not thought it to be enough. Looking at Zafima’s dead mother, whose pupils were now dilating in death, Riven had a hard time not feeling bad for her. She’d been abandoned by her daughter, but had also been an absolute bitch that’d put Kara’s life in jeopardy. He had to remember that.
His more primal thoughts surged to the forefront.
Honestly… He was a cold blooded killer that ate people now. He wasn’t the good guy anymore. Why should he even care at all?
She even looked rather good to eat, looking at her corpse made him hungry, and he was starting to regret that she wasn’t here to sample. Zafima’s mother was just cattle at the end of the day.
Just like those orcs he’d recently eaten.
Right?
Gluttony sent a pulse of hunger through him and acknowledged his thoughts in the affirmative, causing Riven to grin. Yes… these dark elves were just meat. Things to be drained and eaten, like cows, pigs, or sheep. And if he kept Kara around as a pet, then that was his prerogative. He was pureblooded vampire royalty, the Reincarnation of Gluttony, and taking care of lesser species like Kara would be no different from the people of Earth when they had pet dogs. Hell, some farmers even kept pet cows before butchering them for food. Not that he planned on eating Kara, even if she looked like she’d taste rather good, but the idea was the same.
Where did that put him when it came to his sarak slaves from House Wraithtide’s homeworld of Luteski? He still wanted to treat them well… didn’t he?
But… in the end, they were lesser creatures too.
Just like the other vampires had told him. He was only recently beginning to understand that there was a significant difference between vampires, and the cattle they fed on.
The prey they hunted.
Mortals… were beneath him.
“Forgiveness is already granted…” Riven said nonchalantly. “There will be no retribution from the factions that I represent. Though I will be taking Kara with me. She has decided to offer me a life debt after I intervened on her behalf, a life debt that I have accepted. I will attempt to bring her back directly from the descent, but if I cannot - then I expect you to treat her well until I send someone to fetch her. That is all that I expect from you, and nothing more.”
For effect and confirmation of who he was, Gluttony’s maw flashed in the background behind where Riven stood - causing many of the dark elves on the other side of the communication line to go pale just when they’d started showing signs of relief.
“You have my word that she will be taken care of to the utmost of our ability while she awaits for departure, should the need arise.” Emperor Adali of Purturis said with a stiff smile, getting up from his prostration to stand. “Thank you for your generosity and understanding, Reincarnation of Gluttony. Our humble empire is in your debt. With that in mind, please accept the gift we have chosen to buy for your team as an expression of our sincerity of gratitude.”
***
Kara was in a state of shock for the very small amount of time spent conversing afterwards with her homeland, and refused to speak to her father at all. So without further ado, the connection was cut and she resigned herself to sitting on a bone chair that Retesh constructed for her in the background. She looked a little lost, but was far happier and less nervous than she’d been going into that conversation.
[Your time with The Court of Emperor Adali, Ruler of Purturis, Universe 70 - is now over.
The Court of Emperor Adali has bought your group the following:
1,000 Tickets to the Abyssal Descent (These tickets have been directly removed from Emperor Adali’s spatial bag and have been transferred to you, cost averted): These tickets allow entry into the Abyssal Descent, one ticket per person.
King and Queen Rantali have bought your group the following:
Abyssal Spirit Guide (3 million Elysium Coins): A spirit guide that has walked the halls of the descent for a long, long time. The spirit will remain with you while descending, and can guide you to the fastest possible routes to further levels. Faster, however, does not mean safer.
Proceeding to the next audience: The Unholy Archbishop Prek An-Gash, of The Church of Gluttony, The 9th Circle of Hell]
“Nice of them to grant us a portion of their tickets like that.” Riven said thoughtfully. “This will be great for the best and brightest of the Thane Necropolis to use. Prince Rantali - remind me to get a copy of those manuscripts you have on information about the descent. I think it’ll be helpful to have.”
“I will simply give you mine before we part ways.” Prince Rantali said with arms wide. “I don’t intend to stay much longer here anyways. At most we’ll be able to travel with you for another floor, but the deeper areas won’t allow such things and I have no doubt that I am not qualified to go it alone.”
“And what are we!?” One of the vampiric knights he’d brought along asked.
Prince Rantali snickered. “Bumbling idiots, that’s what.”
“Now that’s just not fair.”
“It was you three traitors that took Riven’s side when he was trying to fool my parents! Don’t you give me those disparaging looks!”
Riven ignored the other squabbling vampires and watched yet another mirror slide silently out the top of the sacrificial altar. Just like the last two mirrors, this one rapidly changed its visage into a two way communication line.
And on the other side of that mirror was a large humanoid figure in a dark room wrapped in mummy-like bandaging, with gray skin and deep green eyes. He was a dozen feet tall even in a sitting position, held a gray stone staff the size of a small tree with Gluttony’s maw depicted on three distinct sides of the staff’s head, and he wore a black cloak with red metal trimming along the edges.
The most notable thing about him though, was that he resembled Cthulhu to the letter. Prek An-Gash, Unholy Archbishop of the Church of Gluttony and a resident of the 9th Circle of Hell, was the exact same race that Cthulu had been. Whatever that race was.
Perhaps Riven would ask.
Would that be rude?
Riven shrugged. Might as well get it out that he was an uneducated country bumpkin from a mortal world so that he didn’t embarrass himself in front of one of the leaders of Gluttony’s Church.
“My race… is called Cthalia, lord Reincarnation.” The gray skinned humanoid said aloud in a deep voice that somehow made the very mirror shake even on this side of the exchange, with the tentacles coming off his face fluttering amidst the words. “And yes, I - Archbishop Prek An-Gash, can read your thoughts. Gluttony, it makes my heart tremble with glee to see that you have finally returned to us… This humble keeper of your sacred texts welcomes thee back into the realms!”
With a mental nudge from Gluttony, Riven took a backseat to the original sin and let the Great Maw have control over his body. The third eye in his forehead opened up with a flaring deep purple light, and his aura changed from one of blood and cold - to one of supreme hunger in an instant.
The others of his party were staggered by the abrupt change in the atmosphere around them, and Gluttony extended a hand out to the mirror with a look of collected calmness. A strand of mana created from the purest of Sin rushed out to the mirror, and on the other side - Prek An-Gash did the same.
The two cords of Sin energy touched, and Riven felt his mind link with the archbishop for only a moment before his body was overwhelmed with raw power. This being was far beyond him, and he knew without doubt that even being across realms - the connection they shared now would enable the demon on the other end to crush Riven to paste if he’d wanted to. But there was only joy and excitement coming at him through the mind link, and right before Riven passed out due to the stress of this unimaginably powerful being in the hells sharing his aura and thoughts: Riven heard Gluttony speak.
“Prek, my old friend…” Gluttony happily said while the darkness closed around Riven’s mind. “It has been far, far too long…”