Chapter 288 (Patreon)

Chapter 288

“So what exactly is an archdemon, anyway?  Now that I have not one, but three of you bound to me - I figure now is as good a time as any to really consider what it means.” Riven asked as Fay pulled him along with his arm in hers.  “Because it strikes me as odd that F-grade demons can become archdemons when there are many E, D, or C grade demons that haven’t become such.  So it can’t be a power or level thing.”

Fay giggled at him with a shake of her head, then hummed to herself while trotting along with Genua on her left and Riven on her right.  “It’s rather funny, you know.”

“What’s funny?”

“That you’re Gluttony’s Reincarnation and have no idea what an archdemon is.”

Riven couldn’t help but eye-roll and even Genua smirked a bit at the jab.  “Yeah, well I was human only about a year ago.  I didn’t even think demons were real back on Earth.”

“Wait, truly?” Genua asked, obviously intrigued by the notion while furrowing her brows at him.  “They didn’t know what demons were back on your home world before the integration?”

“It’s not that we hadn’t HEARD of demons before, but magic wasn’t a real thing where I was from.”  Riven shrugged as Azmoth’s booming footsteps continued to march ahead of them in Athela’s wake, the flames casting the otherwise dark and large corridor in a flickering orange hue.  “Fairy tales talked about them.  As did some religious texts or novels, and sometimes they were portrayed in movies.  But nothing was proven or documented on video so no one really took it seriously.”

“What about undead, then?” Retesh asked, the ancient lich pausing ahead of them to fall in line before walking alongside Riven’s right.  “Did your world have anything about my kind?”

“Nope.”  Riven shook his head adamantly.  “Not a thing.  Same thing with anything magical really.  If you’ve not noticed, most of my people in Chicago are oriented towards the Machine Pillar.  This is because our society focused mainly on technology rather than taking anything concerning magic or mystical creatures seriously.”

“Would you say that I am a mystical creature, then?” Fay asked, winking with a teasing laugh.

“Certainly babe.”  Riven jabbed her in the rib cage, getting a squeal from the succubus and turning the corner.

Athela was waiting impatiently for the four of them alongside Narg the beholder, and was tapping her foot down the hall about twenty yards away.  “Hurry it up you four!  We’re wasting time, and Fimrindle is getting impatient!  Something about how his itty-bitty scarecrow legs can’t stand for much longer!”

She jogged further down after that and disappeared with another right hand turn, Azmoth already being a good ways ahead of Riven due to the size of his steps.  The large demon turned around and looked at the four of them a moment later.

“Do you want carry?” Azmoth asked curiously.

Riven waved a hand.  “Nah, go on ahead man.  We’ll catch up soon.”

Out of all his demons, he could sense each of their presences rather keenly.  Especially when they were in close proximity, and it was more or less getting easier and easier to track them as their bonds strengthened over time.  However, Athela was the only one of them all that had developed a unique link to him after taking a piece of Gluttony for herself.  The mental link was not one often used, but if need be they could even communicate telepathically - and he would easily be able to find her position as long as an absolute labyrinth didn’t separate them.  So having Azmoth and Athela go ahead wasn’t much of a concern after this area had been scouted out by their assassins, and they all knew it.

Azmoth nodded after that, and then spread his wings with a burst of fire.  Launching himself ahead, he easily cleared the distance and did an unnaturally sharp 90 degree turn before vanishing where Athela had already left them behind.

“So, back on topic.”  Riven said.  “What exactly makes an archdemon different from a regular demon?”

Fay was biting her lip, watching Azmoth leave, but cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Riven after a few seconds of pondering.  “It’s all about bloodlines and potential.”

Riven raised an eyebrow.  “Go on.”

Bobbing her head from side to side, she resumed.  “So becoming an archdemon doesn’t necessarily mean a demon is stronger by definition, but the two are correlated.  If someone is an archdemon, they’re naturally going to be stronger most times when compared to their fellow demons.  All demons have originated from one or multiple of the original sins, such as Gluttony.  Right?”

“Right.”

“Well that inherently gives us bloodlines relating back to the original sins.  Athela’s evolution into becoming an archdemon has a lot to do with absorbing some of the power from Gluttony’s shards, ones you had before becoming the actual Reincarnation of Gluttony.”  Fay raised a finger.  “However, that is not always the case.  Though Athela manifested a crystalline Gluttonous Maw on her front while in her drider form, most evolutions into being labeled an archdemon are due to awakening bloodlines that are mixed.  Such as mine, which - if I had to guess - is probably very much based in Envy, Lust, and Pride.  The reason I say this is because most blue succubi have been measured to be so in the past when examined.  But if you took a red succubus and measured her, most of the time she would have a majority mix of Envy, Lust, and Wrath.”

Riven blinked.  “That’s rather interesting.  Does this compel you to follow a particular type of original sin when… I don’t know, worshiping?”

Fay snorted in amusement.  “No, that is a personal choice.  Or you’re born into a family that has been serving a particular church for millenia.  The inherent nature to worship the sins is built into us, but is equal across all the sins regardless of what bloodline mixtures we have.”

“Alright, but what does that have to do with being an archdemon?  You awaken your bloodlines to draw more power?”

“Yes.”  Fay nodded.  “Essentially, being labeled an archdemon means that we have unlocked at least some part of our ancestral bloodlines leading back to the sins.  This in turn allows us to evolve faster, and have more potent evolutions.  The cards that Elysium provided Azmoth and myself with were basically keys to unlock certain bloodline potentials that are already inherent to our species - but are hard to acquire.”

Riven’s eyebrows raised.  “Oh.  So you’re saying that Elysium didn’t necessarily slap a tail on you and remove your old one, but just induced an evolution by unlocking a particular bloodline?”

“Correct.”

“And… What about Azmoth’s first card, the one where he gained those two eel-like maws on his back that breathe fire?  I was under the impression any of us could use that card but we gave it to Azmoth over the rest because it just seemed to fit.”

Fay shrugged.  “Not all evolution stimulating cards are linked back to the sins.  That was a nightmare creature, if I remember correctly?

“Yes.”

“Then it probably stemmed from the species itself.  But it likely wouldn’t have unlocked Azmoth’s bloodlines related to the original sins regardless of how many evolutionary cards you gave him if they weren’t demonic in nature.  This in turn means that, should he have not evolved into an archdemon, his future evolutions that come naturally would be less potent than the ones he will gain now.  In fact, there are even different GRADES of archdemon.  Athela, myself, and Azmoth are all at the most basic form of archdemon because the three of us have only unlocked the first layer of our bloodlines.  But you can become an ascendant, into further tiers of archdemon, if you get lucky enough or have some kind of massive breakthrough.  Unfortunately not many of our kind even get to become an archdemon at all.  My mother, for example, is thousands of years older than I am and many grades above me - but she still isn’t an archdemon.  In fact I think I may be the first and only archdemon in the Sojavi Clan.  They’re all quite proud, actually.”

“Does Athela’s clan have any other archdemons?”

Fay nodded.  “A few.  Not many, but her clan is more oriented towards acquiring martial power.  While mine is, as you know, an information broker.  Many of my clan actually use their powers to seduce people into telling us what we want to know - such as my silvertongue, but silvertongue is only the bottom of the barrel compared to some of the other influential powers my clan has.  Anyways the opportunities we get to acquire insights into our original bloodlines are probably not as often as the ones Athela’s clan gets, because martial might is most linked with awakening.”

“Huh.  I see.  Why doesn’t Azmoth have a clan?”

“Hellscape Brutalisks are generally loners.  They’re apex hunters when they reach their full form.  You think Azmoth is big now?  Especially after he just grew in size?  Wait, and you’ll be surprised at just how big he will actually get.”

Riven didn’t know what to think about Fay’s last statement.  Azmoth was already enormous.  How much bigger could he become?  And it wasn’t like the other hellscape brutalisks he’d seen in the Abyssal Descent were much bigger.  Sure, some of them were equal to Azmoth’s current height but he hadn’t seen any behemoths.  Then again they were still all F and E grade by Elysium’s mandatory proclamation, and he had yet to see any brutalisks in the upper grades yet.

“So just to confirm, is there anything else I need to know about archdemons?  Or is that basically it?” Riven asked after pondering her words.

Fay shook her head.  “Not really.  I guess it also is a sign of status, but otherwise it means that I - and anyone else labeled with the archdemon tag - are probably going to get better evolutions over time.  Thus we have far greater potential to become great.  The earlier you get the archdemon tag, the more evolutions you’re able to go through before reaching the top.  Acquiring the title at F-grade for all of us distinctively means we will achieve greatness, as long as we manage to survive.  It is incredibly rare, you know, what you’ve done.”

She cocked her head to the side as if in thought.  “Even for who you are, I would think.  Or maybe that really is it, that being so close in proximity to one of the original sins has something to do with it.  I wouldn’t know because the sins have been locked away for so long and the churches have kept their secrets well hidden during the ages the sins were gone, but if it is the close proximity driving us to thrive - then it would certainly be a boon for whoever you take on next.  Be it Narg, or someone else.”

“But didn’t Elysium just kind of… Eh, how do I put this.  Wasn’t Elysium the one that really gave those cards out?”

Fay snorted a laugh, shaking her head.  “Only in part.  Elysium doesn’t just GIVE out prizes like that.  They need to be earned, and they need to have certain requirements ticked off to get them.  There are no free handouts, so to speak.  But rather it felt like we were not only ready for the evolutions, but had also earned them through our actions - or in this case, the actions of our master.  Perhaps both.  It is also entirely possible that we may have not needed the evolution stimulating cards, and that Elysium simply expedited the process.”

“BOO!”

Riven would have been startled if he hadn’t already sensed Athela coming, but Fay and Genua definitely let out surprised screams - and even Retesh nearly tripped before turning around to glare.

Athela had popped out of stealth and had her legs over Riven’s shoulders, and was grinning like a mad-woman while enjoying the ride.  Then she pointed forward, and smacked Riven twice on the head.  “Onwards, good steed!  Giddy up!  Go go go!”

“You know…” Fay muttered, brushing herself off and glaring up at the arachnid woman.  “You do realize that many would consider what you are doing as blasphemy, riding Gluttony around like that.”

Athela seemed to ponder Fay’s words a moment, shrugged, and grinned like a drunkard.  “Riven doesn’t mind!  Do you, Riven?!”

He pretended to scowl, but just couldn’t hold the look with the goofy grin on Athela’s face; eventually falling into a chuckle.

“You’re lucky I like you.”  Riven winked, and kept walking until they reached the next turn.

“Be quiet and ride on, plebian-steed!”

Far, far, far down the enormous hallway was a trio of three large double doors.  Even from here Riven could see just how big they were based on their comparison to Azmoth, and they made him look just a little small.  Allie, Fimrindle, Narg and Nora were also there - all of them chatting about something but their words couldn’t be heard due to the distance.  It was nearly a mile away in a straight line, with nothing but the straight path between.

“I’m having Narg use his Seek Object, Seek Danger, and Seek Safety abilities while meditating next to the door.”  Athela said, still Riding on Riven’s shoulders.  She pointed down the long hall to where the others stood - and in the middle of them was a distant Narg with his eyes closed.  “Hopefully he’ll be able to get us down floor by floor faster this way, and at the very least - through this part of the floor.”

“Why’s that?” Retesh asked with a rasp in his voice, his bone stave clicking against the floor as the orb at its top occasionally flickered.  “Do we need to choose one of the three doors to proceed?  Can we not backtrack?”

“Bingo, bonesy has it right!” Athela laughed.  “The doors are all sealed, and choosing one probably permanently locks the other two.  Or it blocks the way.  You’ll see, there’s a rhyme on the wall that hints at it.  But it’s all very unclear.  Something about a giant’s maze?”

“Oh great.  Just what I wanted, a maze.”  Riven grimaced, then brightened.  “Your idea about Narg is a good one though.  Maybe he’ll be more useful than we’d thought.  If Lillith knew about this beforehand, perhaps that’s exactly why she chose him to come along.”

“Hey Athela-” Genua cut in, scrolling through her status screen and then pulling up Riven’s - before coming over to the other minions he had.  It was a feature of being a minion to begin with - they could all access each other’s status screens as long as they belonged to the same master.  “Are you going to pick a class?  I can’t help but notice that you’re already level 200 and have come quite a long ways, but you haven’t picked a class yet.  Why is that?  Aren’t you missing out on all the stat points per level?  That’s quite a significant loss after 200 levels of being classless.”

Riven hadn’t actually thought about it, but Genua was right.  Why HAD Athela not taken a class?  He’d let the others pretty much do what they wanted and wasn’t at all restrictive in how they pursued their own paths to power, and that level of freedom was actually written into Azmoth’s original contract to begin with.  So he’d not paid much attention to it until now.

He glanced up at Athela while keeping her legs firmly over his shoulders and her calves against his chest with one hand, his other hand continuing to use Jackal like a walking stick.  “Genua’s got a good point.  You haven’t really talked much about it.  Have you not seen a class you like yet?”

Athela for her part was pretending to inspect her fingernails.  Curling her fingers and then flattening them out to splay them the opposite way - she let out a loud sigh.  “It’s a trade secret!  Ok, ok maybe not a secret.  But I am waiting until D-grade to choose a class.”

“D-grade?  As in, past E-grade?  You’re in F-grade right now”!  Riven exclaimed perplexed.

Fay seemed equally perplexed, as did Genua.

But Retesh seemed to understand what was going on while giving Athela a nod of respect.  “You want to gain the achievement.  Don’t you?”

“Bingo!”  Athela beamed back, giving the skeletal lich a wide grin and made the shooter-symbol with her fingers his way.  “Bags-o-bones got it again!  I’m waiting to get an achievement before I gain a class.”

“Which is?” Fay asked curiously.  “I haven’t heard of such an achievement.”

“That’s because your family doesn’t care nearly as much about combat prowess  as my family does.”  Athela harumphed.  “Damnable succubi always thinking their looks can get them places and not needing to fight.  But I bet your mother knows if you were to ask her.  The achievement is called ‘Stagefright’, and it is immediately granted to anyone who reaches level 401 after passing into the D-grade if they don’t have a class.”

“What does it do?” Riven asked, curiously glancing Retesh’s way.  “And how do you know about it?”

Retesh pretended to clear his throat with one clenched fist up against his jaw, which was weird considering he didn’t have a throat.  Rather, he had an exposed spine.  “I happened upon the knowledge during our training sessions with The Church of Gluttony, your church.  It’s a long story but one of the young demon lords there told me he was going to attempt to get the ‘Stagefright’ achievement as well.  I’d asked him a similar question after realizing he was a level 206 E-grade gargoyle, and did not have a class.  Correct me if I am wrong, Athela, but ‘Stagefright’ is supposed to give you an entirely different set of upper-echelon class choices.  Not many go for this achievement though, because entering the D-grade without a class can be very hard to do.  You put yourself at a disadvantage and make it far harder to level up, and you limit the skills or perks you’d otherwise get from your classes.  Many who attempt it die along the way.”

“That’s correct.”  Athela said with a nod, folding her arms underneath her chest.  “Now you may be asking yourself why most contracted demons don’t do this to begin with.  The answer is simple - if your master dies while you remain classless, you lose out on ever getting the opportunity for ‘Stagefright’ even if you get a new master.  Then, if you’ve gone nearly 400 levels without a class and without gaining additional stat points each level while not having a class - it’s a huge hit to take.  Many contracted demons don’t risk it because of that, and choose to take a class early to avoid crippling themselves in case their master DOES die.  But I have absolute faith in you Riven, and I very much suspect you shan’t be dying.”

“Shucks, jee wizz and thanks.” Riven said flatly, getting a laugh from the others.  “I’m glad I can inspire such confidence in you.”

***

It took a while to get down the long stretch of hallway before coming to a stop in front of the three enormous doors built into the dead-end of the dark corridor.  The doors themselves had ancient letters carved into them that looked different every time Riven glanced away and back again - but from talking to the others, the doors all said the same thing.  It was like the words, though unreadable, made their meaning known and allowed them to read the writing even without actually knowing how to do it.

Certainly an odd sensation, and it didn’t help that the shapes kept changing either.

“I… Think you should be the one to read the passages out loud.”  Nora muttered, glancing Riven’s direction with a shrug.  “Just in case…  Seems ominous and it’s pretty obvious that it wants you to speak the passages.”

Riven’s gaze shifted to narg, and the beholder demon seemed prepared to speak.

Narg didn’t disappoint.  He swerved to Riven’s left, and extended an eyeball in that direction.  “This is the way.  If you can choose, this is the door you must take.”

“Why?” Riven asked, just to confirm.

Narg shot wary looks between Riven and the door in question, and let out a huff.  “It is the door that leads to the most danger… but it is also the door that leads to Lillith.  I am able to track the flower in her horns, as I thought it was an odd object to have on her person, and only this door leads down to find her.”

The pause after that was a long one, and Riven’s grimace quickly grew.  It was not a question on whether or not they’d get Lillith out, it was a must.  No one else said a word, but it was obvious they all agreed.  And with the writing literally on the wall in the form of a riddle, the implications about this next trial were quite clear.  

Riven stared up at the ever-shifting shapes, reading and rereading them line by line, as the words he shouldn’t know how to read burned themselves into his mind’s eye.  Then, he uttered the words aloud while simultaneously pressing his hand to the door that Narg had indicated he choose.  “Place your hand on one of three.  Enter into the maze of a crazed giant’s maze that does forever remain awake, for if you do not and choose to retreat - your souls he will surely take.  His eyes were plucked raw, a damned sentence to serve, he remains chained unwilling, and has yet to give birth.  As a quintet of travelers you must choose your path - for now that you’re here, there is no turning back.  The crazed one will feed and you will all die, for the path you must tread and must not turn awry.  The first to speak will fight for all five.  The two of your weakest will be your guide.  The remaining three will make the keys, with any others obliged to be.  If this cannot be done, you unravel another one, in order to take their gift.  For this is the way, this is the curse, of the fallen god’s passage through to this twenty-first rift.  Speak the words aloud, champion of the crowd, and descend into darkness with your comrades.”

The passage they’d been walking down only minutes before suddenly vanished, completely cut off with a solid black wall.  There was no way out, and the three doors started to glow.

[Abyssal Descent Trial for Floor 20 has been activated:  The Crazed Giant’s Maze:

• The first to speak will fight for all five:  As the one who has spoken the words aloud, Riven has been labeled ‘Champion’.  You will be thrown into a pit of despair with other champions of other groups against a respawning wave of randomized abyssal enemies.  Minions are unable to aid your champion here.  If Riven dies, the rest of you will be set upon by waves of enemies every 10 minutes that increase in strength and number.

• The two of your weakest will be your guide:  Nora and Gnar have been designated as Seekers.  Your two seekers will be sent into the giant’s cylindrical maze, and will be hunted by the weakest of other teams and various abyssal beasts in their attempt to navigate to the end.  The crazed giant will also attempt to eat anything it can get its hands on as the flight through the maze continues, including your seekers.  If both seekers die, the rest of you will all be ejected from the Abyssal Descent entirely and may not ever return.

• The remaining three will make the keys, with any others obliged to be:  The rest of the party, including all minions not already selected for other roles, will all be set to the task of creating a number of keys that unlock the doors at the end of the labyrinth with crafting materials provided by Elysium.  The Seekers, your two weakest, will be unable to traverse through the last part of the maze without these keys.

• If this cannot be done, you unravel another one, in order to take their gift:  Killing other champions in one on one combat, or killing other seekers in the maze currently on the twentieth floor of the Abyssal Descent, will take their keys and insights to add to your own party.

Do this, and pass into the 21st floor of the abyssal descent.  Identification is nullified on this entire floor.  At the end of this floor, you will gain an insight into one of your paths.]

The door wrenched itself open with a creak, and the world shifted around them instantaneously before anyone else knew what was happening.  Their minds all linked, allowing them to see through one another’s eyes while simultaneously maintaining a sense of self in their own locations all at once.

Riven was now standing at the bottom of a deep, dark pit that had a cubic set of walls made from flesh.  Carnivorous teeth clicked and gnashed from out of the walls, giving him the impression he was standing in the mouth of a square-shaped lamprey or down its throat - as blood and acid sizzled on the floor underneath his ivory-plated feet.  Nearly twenty other ‘champions’ of various species for other groups were also there, all knee-deep in combat with different types of nightmare abominations that literally hurled themselves out of the walls or tore out of the ground to bite, wrench, and claw at the champions who were now maintaining a perimeter.

Azmoth, Allie, Retesh, Fay, Athela and Fimrindle were all standing in a large boxy room with a dozen pools of black water, a central sacrificial altar where a frantically screaming woman was chained down to the stone, and a large wraith with a crazed smile hovered overhead staring down at them.  There was a lava pit, a hill of piled bones, a tub of soul stones, and cages on the far wall with numerous other captured prisoners of species obviously not native to the Unholy Foundational Pillar all crying out in despair; and a set of used butcher’s tools on a rack.

Then, lastly, Nora and Narg were standing together at the top of a steep drop off where a winding path of obsidian tunnels intertwined with one another through an enormous maze.  The maze itself had dozens of different floors and was cylindrical in nature, with the center cylinder being open to the air - where an enormous giant was chained by the neck exiting out of an ocean of red-hot magma at the very bottom.  The giant was blind, tortured, his eyes having been torn out, and his charred, burned skin was ravaged with scars and claw marks as he howled and roared.  

A creature cursed for all eternity to serve a sentence for unknown crimes in a state of blind, ever-lasting agony.  The only outlet for his rage: to kill and feed on the creatures that dared haunt his abyssal prison.  His massive hands groped through the exposed open levels of the inner-most areas of the labyrinth floors on the inner side of the cylinder-shaped maze, where various abyssal creatures could be seen from time to time along with other figures in the dark that darted in and out of sight.  Occasionally desperate swipes from the giant would find purchase, and screaming, squealing creatures could be seen being ripped from the various parts of the labyrinth to enter his giant mouth - where he crunched down on them in splattering scenes of blood and gore.

And for the first time since arriving in this unholy descent, Riven and the others truly began to understand just what it was to enter into the jaws of the abyss.