Kyle's eyes went wide as a sudden light filled the room again, reflecting off the crystal surface. He gazed at Lilior's new body, her crystal dungeon core entirely gone.
Her skin was pale white-blue, her hair braided into two tails of green-blue and her eyes a bright light green with a four-pointed blue star for iris. The light came from her magnificent wings, unlike Jior's who were like a butterfly's these were long and oval with three on each side. The wings were highly fluorescent green-blue and almost see through, the edges shone a bright white while a dark blue curly design ran through the middle.
She wore a one-piece green dress that glittered with blue, white curly lines formed a serpent-like design around it's bottom. The sleeves were entirely white and reached slightly over her hands, the end of the sleeves and bottom of the dress ended in green-blue frills.
"Master…" she spoke while staring up with narrowed eyes at Kyle "Why is it that I am still so small?" she indeed still stood half a foot tall. She pouted in annoyance "Why is my body still so small!? All that mana!" she floated up to hover where the core once was.
"What…what happened?" asked Kyle as he stared at her baffled.
Lilior turned to face him "Silly master I used the gathered mana in my core to make a body for myself then transferred my soul into it, although I am not sure why this change happened…"
"Mana? Lilior your soul…It's still of a Fae!" Kyle exclaimed "It's just like they said, you used your gathered mana to create a body for yourself! Your core is gone too!"
"But! But! That was much more mana than needed to make this small body!" she cried out in frustration.
"I…I don't know, maybe it has to do with you being ascended? What does that mean?" Kyle asked while staring at his companion window.
Name: [Lilior]
Level: 124
[HP: 200/200] [MP: 3300/3300]
Race: ({Ascended} Fae) - (Slime)
Class: [Living Dungeon] - [{Slime} Shapeshifter]
Shared Passives: [Slime Body], [Monster Core], [Devour]
Shared Actives: [Ooze], [Surge], [Absorb]
Racial Passives: [Ascendant]
Racial Actives: [Dazzle]
Class Passives: [Dungeon Domain], [Fae Wings], [Copy]
Class Actives: [Summon minion], [Fae Blessings], [Shapeshift]
"I don't know! I've never heard of that before!" she replied fluttering over to his shoulder "What are all those?" she then asked seeing the open window.
"Looks like you got my level, your health is really low but with this combination of skills I think you can use [Shapeshift] to grow larger and gain more by sacrificing mana. Your mana though is on a whole different level! It seems you not only kept your elemental blessings and wings but share some of my own skills and passives too." Kyle explained as he went through and inspected the skills and passives he didn't recognise starting with the first.
[Ascendant] (Set skill stats): You have ascended through your race and became something entirely new. As such your power has increased exponentially since before, bestowing you the following effects completely unique to yourself.
{Master's Shadow}: As a companion it is your duty to fight alongside your master as they will fight alongside you. Any damage taken by your master enrages and empowers you.
+5% to all stats per 10% of master's missing hp.
{Ascended Will}: Ascension has decreed your companion contract as a secondary status below your race.
{Artefact}s will affect you.
Necromancy will affect you.
Astrals will affect you.
{Quarter Divine}: You are a descendant of a Half Divine being, your soul is empowered by your bloodline.
You are immune to all Soul magic.
You are immune to all Blood curses.
You are weak to Aura magic.
"Well that explains that question, you're a Fae but you're not? I think you messed up somewhere while making your body…" explained Kyle with a raised brow.
"I did not! It was divine intervention I tell you!" complained Lilior "I'm more interested in that [Shapeshift] skill though!" she then exclaimed fluttering over to sit on Kyle's head, she held onto his ears while leaning forward to read.
"I'm more interested in what the {Artefact} over here means." said Kyle as he focused on it opening another window.
{Artefact}: Unknown technology or magic formed by the {Avatar}.
It was a vague description but lifted a worry from Kyle's heart, it meant Lilior was affected by the Grand Quest and therefore the respawn artefacts too. Which then brought a new worry "You're not a Dungeon anymore so that means we cannot use you as a respawn point anymore huh?"
"Nope! Can I read the [Shapeshift] description now!?" she replied then continued to whine while pulling on his ears.
"Fine fine…" Kyle replied with a chuckle, amused by her childish behaviour. He focused on said skill opening it's window description.
[Shapeshift] (Set skill stats): Your racial capability to change any part of your body at will, mana is required to create, add to and alter your form.
0.06 mana per 1 ml of (Slime)
Lilior hummed in thought briefly before fluttering off Kyle's head and hovered in front of him concentrating with eyes closed, a buzzing sound constantly escaping her closed mouth as she did.
"Kyll! Yo Kyll Birse c" Skill entered the room just as Lilior's form began to quickly expand, she grew to stand almost six feet tall. "The actual…what?" asked Skill as he glanced around the room.
Kyle turned towards him "What's up?"
"Uhhh…Many things?...Like…Where the fuck is the dungeon core? Who the fuck is that?" he asked with a confused expression.
"He's not very smart is he?" asked Lilior innocently while leaning forward with her hands held behind her back.
"Ah…The core's gone and that's Lilior." replied Kyle before turning to the Ascended Fae "Lilior don't be rude, I'd be confused too."
"Booo…." pouted Lilior in response.
"Ookayy…From fairy to dun…You know what? Fuck it, I don't care anymore!" Skill exclaimed and stormed out of the room "Birse called an emergency meeting! Get your ass out here!"
Ruk
Two hours earlier.
Sly rode his Hellsteed ahead of Aria and Delila who rode to each side of Zeiken, excited to be riding something he deemed 'Bad ass'. They had been riding for most of the day, the city of Orion was at the very centre of Ruk and the location they were heading to was in the north west.
The forest had continued to only get thicker as they went, the path they rode on the only way through that he could see. Sly glanced back at the Devil prince and his Devilling guards ("That damn Asmo had to ditch me with these three…") he thought with a grimace, the two sisters only wrecked his nerves with their forked tongues and Zeiken wasn't exactly a good conversation.
"How much further?" he asked while turning his mount back towards them.
"What has the ride broken your feeble self Hero? Do you need to go on a walk to stretch your legs?" asked Delila with a snicker.
"Not much further now, grandfather will be pleased to know that even his failed bloodlines can reach greatness." answered Aria with her own jab.
Sly shook with irritation but looked away from them and continued to ride ahead, his excitement of exploration and meeting family he'd never known about too strong to be deafened by insults. ("If only they aren't as bad as these two…Reyna said the big guy himself ain't that bad…") he hoped.
Sighing at the thought he almost jumped as a voice came through from his surroundings "Sly? Bro you there?" said Death's voice.
Sly opened his inventory and pulled out his VCD, the device was alit with magic showing Death's bored face inside it's ring like form. "Yo what's up? Shit I forgot to report in on time huh?" he glanced up to try and see the suns and tell the time but the tree canopies were too thick.
"Nah you good, just checking in early. Shit went down here man, you missed a lot." Said Death as he looked away from the VCD as if keeping watch on something or someone, Sly noticed snowy trees behind him.
"What happened?" Sly asked in a whisper now "I've got company right now, riding ahead though so speak up."
Death filled him in on what happened, the battle that occurred, the monsters that appeared. "Kyll hasn't said much, it has to do with you Heroes for sure but something's keeping his mouth shut. He's down bad, won't say a single word of what that thing was."
"Damn, I leave for a few days and everything goes to shit huh?" Sly replied with a smirk.
"More like you left the shit for us to wipe up, how goes things there? Met millennial grand pappy yet? Anything on what Birse asked you to find out?" countered Death before asking.
"Heading to meet with Satan right now, fuck that sounds weird to say!" Sly exclaimed quietly "As for what Birse asked, shit's not how we thought it was here man. Most of the Dwarven races have settled with the Dezol's take over, the Fae seem completely okay with it too. Only a few groups scattered across the continent seem to be still rebelling against it and the Dwarves want to deal with them themselves." he explained.
"Huh that doesn't sound that bad." agreed Death.
"Until you add the naval armada that sits idle to the north, the Elves's twig court has their entire navy out there apparently. They're supplying the Dwarven rebels with resources somehow while they bide their time." added Sly "Yo by the way, I met her."
"Met who?" asked Death with a raised brow.
"Liliana." answered Sly.
Death almost dropped his device "You what!?"
Sly snorted in amusement at his reaction "Yeah, long story but she made me leave immediately after. Some shit about old laws and Satan's old timer view, can't wait…" he sighed.
"Input on her character? What should we expect?" asked Death.
Sly seemed to ponder on the question for a few seconds "Weird?...Talks fast, sometimes to herself and is basically worshipped by all Fae, Demon and Devil I've seen so far."
"Ah…Why did I even ask?..." said Death while holding his face, the device's screen seemed to shudder briefly before Death raised his head to quickly look around "The fuck was THShit I gotta go! Will call back in tomorrow!" Death lowered the VCD letting Sly see what he was seeing although upside-down, Sly could barely make out a massive figure through the trees ahead of Death.
The connection cut leaving Sly staring down through the large ring "Seriously?..." sighing again he stashed it inside his inventory "Meh they can respawn…not like I can do anything from here…" he told himself.
A couple minutes more of riding the forest path widened, the sides rising mildly before suddenly ending in a cliff. Two cliffs to be exact as tall hills grew on either side of the path, it continued to take in between them into a vast ravine. Sly gawked up at the ravine, a drastic change of terrain so large was something he'd only seen in images or AR illustrations but there was something about seeing them in person that made his blood boil.
He continued into the ravine, a path that seemed to snake into multiple directions lay ahead. Glancing back he saw the three still riding behind him, looking either bored or amused by his own amazement. Turning back around he continued to look around noticing more than a few cave openings high up in the ravine's sides, some not looking very natural.
The ravine path twisted and turned for a couple dozen meters until it broke up into two more paths, looking down one he could see it break up into three more while the other curved to the side. "Which way?" asked Sly as he waited for the other three to catch up, the sound of claw scratching onto stone made him turn around.
"Up." Replied Aria as she moved her Hellsteed to climb up the cliff side using it's agile body and powerful claws, the other two moved to follow her.
Sly watched as the three hellish horses climbed the cliff with ease between leaps and bounds from one side to the other, he gulped down as he watched them reach one of the cave entrances high up top.
"Hey hurry up! Snuffles will climb it on her own!" shouted down Delila.
"Snuffles?" asked Sly as his Hellsteed approached the side on it's own, without hesitation it leaped up to the rocky wall and grappled with it's claws briefly before pushing away and turned mid jump to grab hold onto the other wall. It continued to do so until reaching the top where it leaped directly into the cave, it stopped briefly and turned around as if proving a point.
Sly's expression was paper pale as he stared ahead his gaze completely frozen, a tinge of green slowly mixing in "I don't know how I feel about that…" he whispered to himself. Snuffles had climbed up so fast that Sly didn't have time to process what was happening, he was part amazed of how hidden the entrance was and part still too slow to comprehend what had just happened.
Snuffles huffed and turned around to follow the other three steeds and their riders into the cave, the walls and ceiling seemingly carved smooth on the inside. Green fluorescent vines grew around the tunnel giving them light as they passed by, the tunnel itself seemed to go on for ages and break off into hundreds of other pathways.
But finally it came to an end, opening up into a vast cavern lit up by the same vines as before. Sly's eyes went wide as he gawked at the marvel that lay inside. Built out of the massive cavern's wall stood a solid stone fortress entrance, metallic sheets covered most of it etched with runic inscriptions that glowed a menacing violet.
Several holes lay spread out along the wall with large multibarrelled cannons poking out, each weapon was several times larger than an average cannon and all were currently aimed at the single tunnel that took into the cavern.
A single gate lay closed in the middle, a large single door made entirely of forged iron with two massive runes etched onto it's front each glowing a dark purple.
"What is this?..." asked Sly as they approached the gate.
"An old Dwarven dungeon fortress seized by our legion, UnderKeep." replied Zeiken as he moved to stand in front of the gate, carefully he placed his palm to the metallic surface.
"Although the dungeon's long been destroyed unfortunately, damn thing use to be elemental too." added Aria with a grimace.
The two runes glowed brighter as the gate began to tremble, slowly it descended into the ground before revealing the other side. Sly lightly kicked his mount on it's side armour willing it forward as he clenched the reins, they entered the fortress.
The inside a vast city carved out of stone, metal reinforcing it's stability. Unlike New Ruk, UnderKeep was entirely military focused, it's entrance sitting at the very bottom as the city rose upwards with each district in a straight staircase. Sly had noticed that the tunnel seemed to lean downwards but it was so long that he could barely tell how deep they had gone.
Each level higher the city went a set of massive towers lay like pillars between the ground and the cavern's ceiling, reinforced with iron sheets that were also etched with runic inscriptions and armed with strange cannons.
An open field of nothing lay between the entrance and the start of the actual buildings, leaving whoever trespassed completely open to fire. To either side where the cavern's walls were Sly saw several half tunnels, tunnels half dug into the wall that passed all around the city except for the wall that the entrance lay at.
The city itself was several steps of ten to eleven sets of buildings behind each other, dozens of roads passed straight through and up while other smaller ones passed straight from left to right. Cutting off the buildings from the empty field was a river that passed from one side to the other, a steady stream of water that came from a tall waterfall to the left and disappeared into a tunnel to the right.
Three metallic bridges that connected to the city lay vertically up, each with two small towers on either end all armed with long turrets and reinforced with metal sheets like the entrance wall and other towers.
Aria lead the way through the empty plains of stone, not a single hill or boulder for cover was in sight. As they approached the middle bridge Aria raised her right arm up as if gesturing a signal, the bridge began to move and close down for them to pass.
Sly noticed Demon soldiers up in the tower glancing down at them, a mixture of red skinned Castanics, grey skinned Hellborn and dark purple skinned Sin Bound. They wore metal padded leather armour and chain vests over it, simple looking yet effective for what it's meant to stop. In their hands instead of swords or spears they wielded crossbows with strange mechanisms underneath, repeaters.
("They're not messing around…") Thought Sly as he studied their weaponry and armour, a single glance at the soldier's hardened gazes also told him these weren't your average warriors. He turned to look over the now lowered bridge, the city's streets looking mostly deserted except for the occasional patrol of guards or carriage of peasants.
Sly followed Aria's lead through the empty streets, as he glanced around he couldn't see any sort of commercial building except for taverns and brothels. ("Definitely a military base.") he thought as they rode through.
To ride from the entrance to the very top of the city it took them twenty minutes at a leisurely pace, Sly determined that taking this location would require a massive amount of resources and devastating losses on the attacker's side. This thought was further reinforced as he noticed indentations in the ground between each tower that divided each quarter, the same indentation left by the first gate's door as it entered the ground.
As they rode through the last district a massive entrance stood at the very end, twice as large as the previous gate this one was also entirely metallic but made up of two doors. On either side of the doors was a crossbow wielding guard accompanied by a Black Demon, the large humanoid bestial Demons were six times Sly's size and made up entirely of muscle. They had a pair of bat-like wings with black limbs and dry red netting, out of their upper jaw grew a pair of tusks that curved down and forward.
The two soldiers saluted towards Zeiken as the two Black Demons turned towards a door each, slamming their massive arms to the metal doors they pushed with all their might and they creaked open. The sound of screams, cheers and beast-like roars erupted out from the vast cavern behind the two doors, Sly followed the Devil prince and twin Devillings inside.
The cavern was lit up with hovering spheres of fire that were dangled down with metallic chains from above. Below them the cavern opened up into a large stadium of sorts, multiple hundreds of rows of seats lay circular and at different elevations around the single circular field at the very bottom middle. The field was several meters below the lowest of seats and around it's edge were a set of barred gates, most were closed but some were wide open.
Demons of different races cheered as a crowd down at the bloody entertainment below, Elven warriors wearing chain collars and braces fought monstrous beasts for their lives. One of the fights caught Sly's attention, a wingless griffon currently the largest of the beasts on the field was locked in ferocious battle with three of the five Elves.
It clattered it's massive beak and hissed at them as the three tried to surround it with their wooden shields and shabby iron swords, their armour made up of scrap metal, rusted chain and torn leather. The two upfront slammed their swords into their shields catching the beasts attention while the one at the back tried to sneak around the creature's feathered tail, seeing his chance the warrior charged under the beast and slid to it's chest.
The Griffon noticed the movement beneath it and moved to the side leaving the Elven warrior laying not beneath it's open chest but instead it's clawed front leg as it tore him to shreds.
Sly looked away from the battle as he followed behind Aria and Delila, Zeiken leading the way around the coliseum's edge now. They passed by multiple staircases that took down to the seats below and instead kept moving towards the other side, where a single large stone throne lay.
Sly barely noticed the four warriors standing beside the throne as he gazed between the one sitting on it and the massive creature laying behind it. Dark green scales mixed with black thorn like spikes covered the creature's entire body, four legs, three tails and seven long serpentine necks and head. It's legs where thick and short, it's claws almost flat and made for holding it's ground, it's tails where long and snake like each ending in a bladed tip.
Each of it's seven serpentine heads was looking at a completely different direction than the others, each with three large pitch black eyes with a blood red slit in the middle. Black frills came out of the heads' sides similar to some aquatic animals while a single black horn grew out of the back of each head and curved perfectly upwards as scales and thorns grew up around it's bottom.
The creature's face was snouted like a Dragon's but unlike the majestic beasts this one's lower jaw was three times the size of the upper one, as some snarled at their approach they revealed rows of dark green fangs. Sly inspected the beast although unsure at which head he should be looking at.
Deep Sea Hydra [Lernaean] (Dezol Wrath Legion) Level 210
Somehow looking away from the horrific beast Sly studied the Devil king himself as they approached his throne. The sin of Wrath was almost as large as a Black Demon. He had dark almost black purplish skin with greying violet short hair and a scruffy neck beard, his single right eye was almost entirely black with a bright violet iris, his left was scarred and closed. He looked to be in his sixties but Sly knew that mortal sins saw years just as how he saw minutes.
He wore a simple black cloth shirt and red pants strapped with black leather around the waist, knees and very bottom, his swollen arms and neck in full view with all their scars and mangled skin. Satan bellowed with laughter as the Griffon below turned the tides on the four remaining Elven warriors, leaping from wall to wall and shredding their companions.
One of the warriors standing by his throne noticed their approach, three of the warriors had similar features to Satan telling Sly they were either Devils or Devillings while one female warrior was a Castanic Demon.
The Devilling that noticed their approach caught the others attention away from the battle "My daughters return." he said with a grin and crossed arms, he turned towards their party of four "Has his lordship had a fine trip?" he asked Zeiken.
"I have uncle, I bring news from her majesty and…of Pride's situation on Tempres." Zeiken explained anxiously.
The Hydra's heads all turned to study the new arrivals, most of all they gazed solely at Sly. Satan turned towards them "Ah Zeiken, what news do you bring little brother?" his voice gruff and low in pitch.
Zeiken moved to stand to the throne's left where Delila and Aria kneeled behind him, Sly followed their lead and kneeled as well. Zeiken began to explain "Her majesty is now awake, she brings news of a change in the quest. Three trials are to be completed by the heroes, for what reason we know not. As for Tempres…Lord Lucifer has managed an alliance with a group of summoned and their two heroes, one being the Dark Hero.
Lord Asmodeus received a device for long range communication with them so updates on the situation there should be quicker and not require him to travel. And…" Zeiken glanced back at Sly.
Satan followed his glance and gazed down at the adventurer "And who might this be?"
Sly stood up after being elbowed in the shoulder by Aria to his left, he looked up towards Satan and into his sole eye. Unlike Lucifer who's aura felt cold and venomous, Satan's aura was warm and suffocating. Like a looming presence of a volcano waiting to erupt the Devil king of Wrath sat ahead of him, gazing down at him with curiosity.
"Well boy? Speak!" Satan bellowed, the crowd below had turned from the ending fight inside the coliseum and watched the happening above.
Sly mildly flinched at the sound, quickly he recuperated and spoke "I come as representative of the Blood Pack mercenaries, the group of summoned who are aiding the Dezol legion of Pride on B-Tempres." He held his right hand to his chest "I am Sly, Second rank of the BP Mercs, Chosen Hero of the cursed dagger and…" his voice seemed to disappear as he found himself lost for words ("How the hell do I introduce myself? Sup I'm your grand a million descendant!?")
Satan raised a brow at Sly's declaration of being a chosen "You aren't the Dark Hero, I do not sense it in your aura yet there is something familiar about it…I cannot seem to put my finger on it."
"If I may grandfather, it would be simpler to show you." spoke Aria with a well-hidden smirk "He is a Devilling like us, through combat we've determined him blood."
The other Devillings and Demon turned to look at Sly while Satan continued to study him ,"How is that possible?" Satan asked.
"He's of a banished line, we thought you'd know more grandfather." said Delila.
Satan continued to stare down at Sly joined by the other Devillings, Demon and seven Hydra heads. "That body is not your own is it? I can tell, it's all over your aura. Your soul is crashing in there, clawing away to change. Speak your true name, so I may connect the dots."
"My name is Zeokul Ares Hellsong." said Sly as he anxiously met eyes with the Hydra.
"Ah…you are of Ares." said Satan as he pondered on the past "Hellsong was our family name long before our kind's banishment to the Dark plane, truly your bloodline is a relic of the past. Yet it does not explain your body…what is this noxious sense I am getting from it?" he grimaced in annoyance.
"A few days ago my body began to go through what you called the change, not knowing what was happening a mage friend of mine assisted me in acquiring a Devil's body to switch out from the quest given one I had." Sly explained while fearfully glancing away from the seven headed serpent.
Satan leaned back in his throne "You mean to say, to avoid the change you have implanted yourself into a body that already had gone through it or was born as Devil. Who's?"
"Dagon…" Sly answered ("The hell was his full name again?...").
Satan's eyes narrowed in thought "That…is unacceptable. To avoid the change, to avoid ascending into Devilhood…Transgressions of your ancestors aside, this cannot stand. To even inhabit another Devil's body, Pride's out of all!" his aura exploded outwards in a rush of violet and red that enveloped Sly.
Satan stood up from his throne as his aura took solid form and grabbed hold of Sly, the pressure keeping the wide eyed adventurer from struggling. Satan faced the crowd "Here stands a banished spawn of mine! In the body of another sin's! Avoiding the change!" the crowd booed and Satan grinned "Prepare the prisoners! We shall help him change! Prepare the ascension trial!"
The crowed now cheered as Satan's aura moved and threw Sly down into the coliseum, he flew down and crashed into the sand covered ground. "Show me your bloodline Devilling, claw your way out of that pitiful shell." exclaimed Satan.
Sly groaned as he stood up from the sand, he checked his surroundings to see several of the gates opening as guards rushed chained up Elves inside. With almost dead eyes the Elves studied him cautiously, clenching their make-shift weaponry.
The crowd cheered even louder as after all the prisoners were released out to the field, a total of twenty eight and their gates closed, another final gate was opened.
"You shall emerge out of there as either three things Zoekul of Ares Hellsong. A deformed Hellhound, a corpse…or a Devil of wrath!" Satan declared over the cheering crowd.
Out of the last gate multiple low growls were followed by the appearance of three beasts, large grey lions with black manes and fierce crimson eyes.
"Let the games commence!"