OLD Chapter 207 (UPDATE AS OF 11/23/23 - These original chapters 195-210 will be pushed out to another future part of the book or recycled. New chapters starting at 195 are being posted after the original 210, and these original chapters will soon be removed. For now, skip ahead to the NEW Chapter 195 past old 210) (Patreon)

Chapter 207

If Riven had previously thought Negrada had an evil feel to it, this place was on an entirely different level.  The very air stunk of death, and a faint black ooze drifted through the air into his nostrils as the tattoo on his right arm glowed a deep purple to match his eyes as soon as his feet touched the ground.

Hundreds of flayed angels hung from the ceiling of a gigantic gothic cathedral, recently gutted and some of them still alive.  They gurgled, begged, and some of them still had the energy to scream as thick ropes of a parasitic, black goo buried itself into their bodies to feed - traveling back along the ropes where they were attached to the building’s overhang above.

The front doors were hundreds of feet across, and many times taller than that, facing outwards on the bordering cliff’s edge to look out across a sky filled with battling armies of the eternal war.  The sounds of conflict were muffled through a thin shimmering barrier that only revealed itself whenever something hit it, but it was no doubt there, and dozens of broad, large steps built for creatures far bigger than Riven led to the main floor where hooded figures wearing masks stood looking down at him.

Rivers of blood flowed off these steps, pouring off the cliff face and into the ruins below.  Two large titanic demons made of rippling gray muscle, enormous stone halberds, sprouting tentacles, and gluttony’s quivering maws encompassing their entire faces remained guarding the doors.  A dark interior lay in wait, with candles only barley illuminating the inside, and a dark black bell hung over an altar carved into the shape of gluttony's open maw in the far back between statues of devils bowing in submission.

To his left and right were more of these cathedrals, these temples, each with their own unique style, and he caught Allie staring at the nearest one with keen interest before the sound of footsteps gained their attention.

Allie, Riven and Thale all turned together to silently watch a lone man break off from the pack of hooded, masked figures at the top of the steps.  The masks were of all varieties, depicting different types of demons and different expressions, but the power these individuals gave off was unmistakable.  They were strong, extremely strong, and the man coming towards them was the strongest of them all.

The figure stopped just one step up, still a few feet above the ground they stood on, and then glanced towards the battle raging around them in the sky and city below.  “It appears this battle will be on a larger scale than other ones of late.  What brings you to our humble temple, fellow harbinger of Gluttony?  What brings you to the hungering family?”

Riven slowly turned his eyes to the bell in the back of the temple.  It was far off, but it was so large that he could still see it from here - and not only that, but Yattazi’s quest markers outlined that bell as a key point of interest.

It was the first of three, and he pulled up his system notifications to review the latest update on his quest.

[System Quest Dispensed:  Three Folds in the Path - You have been marked as a holder of original sin.  Gluttony calls, and the fates answer.  You have chosen to embark further upon the path of sin.  Your chances of survival are slim, but you have shown promise enough to be invited to the abyss early.

To complete the Profane Baptism, Ring the first bell at the cathedral on high and achieve enlightenment into the path of original sin.  Ring the second bell in the depths and achieve enlightenment on the path of Gluttony.  Ring the third bell in the castle of ashen lords and achieve understanding in the duality of Gluttony and Original Sin.  Then bathe in the halls of sin using the blood of your enemies.  Doing so will finish your Mark of the Sinner, and will release Lahn's soul from Gluttony's hold; giving him a new path to power for being the catalyst of creating the portal into the Abyss.

> UPDATE:  Your demonic servant Yattazi has updated this quest with markers outlining key points of interest, and has left patch memories across the Abyss for you to access when within eyesight.

Gleetus Nefrand has been set as a target you need to kill at the end of this dungeon in order to recreate a portal back home.  ]

“I seek knowledge.” Riven said, stepping forward as his maw of Gluttony along the front of Messenger growled hungrily at the masked individual.  “And I’ve come to ring the first of three bells.”

The masked man’s stance remained impassive, hands clasped behind his back, but he gave an amused chuckle at the gluttonous maw on Riven’s breastplate before coming to gently stroke the teeth - as if one would do a puppy.  When his fingers touched Riven’s armor, a cold spread across his skin - though it was a familiar one, and not unwelcome, as hands the color of ash trailed the teeth of the sin-infused armor with a nod of appreciation.

“The first of three bells.  Yes, you are in the right place then; though it is not often that you are subjugated to a teleportation from the starting point.  How did you do it?”

Riven’s eyebrow raised, then he looked back at Allie for confirmation - only getting a shake of her head and a shrug.  “We aren’t certain either.”

“Well what were you doing before coming here?” The man asked, withdrawing his hands to clasp them behind his back before tilting his head and looking Allie and Thale over with interest.  “And why do you bring two of the scythe’s worshipers with you?  They are not enemies of the sins, but they do not belong in these sanctified halls.  The sins are for the demons, the undead are of another path.  Should you wish to ring the bell, you will have to go inside alone.  Only those with the shards of Gluttony may enter.”

“The scythe?” Riven looked back again - temporarily ignoring the man's original question.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Thale stepped forward, somewhat hesitantly.  Though the man before them was not angry or showing signs of violence, the angels above them spoke otherwise - and his aura, though washing over them like a gentle wave, was very potent.  “The scythe, if I recall correctly, is the great spirit that watches over the dead.”

The masked man nodded.  “I am surprised you did not know this, child of the blood god.  But yes, the scythe is the great spirit of undead, an equivalent to sins for those who follow the path of undeath.  Though you are technically undead, you have chosen to bind yourself to Gluttony - and have cast aside any chance of ever being blessed by the scythe because of it.  These two, however, are already marked by its presence as holders of potential.”

The man lifted a hand, and small lights in the chests of Allie and Thale lit up a teal light before winking out.  “Trackers to keep an eye on potential scions, no more, no less.  But still remarkable for those in F-grade, just as it is even more remarkable that you were able to acquire… 11 shards of Gluttony during that time as well.  You three are quite the young talents.”

Riven frowned, but nodded in acknowledgement of the words and gave Jackal a head-pat when the weapon turned into its canine form to sit next to him.  He glanced up at one of the angels who was starting to thrash in his bindings far above them when black lines of sin started erupting all across his body - flowering with gory toothy petals and flowers that began to eat him alive, but Riven tried to ignore it afterwards despite the screams.  “Yes, I'm still learning.  May I ask who you are?”

“I have no name.  I am simply an attendant of this temple.”

“Are you a human?”

“I once was, yes.  Many hundreds of thousands of years ago.  Now I am something much more.”

“What happens when I ring that bell?” Riven pointed a finger to the back of the cathedral, over the flowing streams of blood pouring off the steps, past the behemoth halberd-wielding demons to the back end of the building where candles lit the large black bell hovering over an altar.

The masked man chuckled under his hood, and he gestured to the tattoo on Riven’s arm.  “It is a way to begin your transformation, one of three steps to complete your mark of the sinner.  You know this.  Why ask?”

“But what ‘happens’ when I ring the bell?” Riven asked.  “What makes ringing these three bells so special?”

“That is not something I can answer, as all the harbingers have their own individually unique experiences.  It is custom molded to who you are, so you must see what happens for yourself.”

There was a pause.

“Are my sister and new companion in danger if I go in alone?”

“No.  They are not welcome inside, but they are still guests of our hospitality concerning the surrounding cathedral grounds.  No harm will come to them while they remain within the barrier.”

“I see.  Well there are two more questions I have before I enter, and I’m hoping that I’m not pushing my luck by asking.”

The masked man shook his head.  “We keepers are here to help any of our fellow harbingers find their way.  It is our calling.  Though we all seek to consume even the essence of the universe itself, even to consume one another, our end goal is the same.  One day, a long time from now, one of us will rise above the rest and consume all.  One harbinger will finally bring balance to the great sin, will contain all the shards that were once scattered across the multiverse, and the rest of us who have died will have sacrificed our souls for a greater end.  It is known.  Until that day comes though, we are here to help in any way we can.  What may I answer for you?”

Riven thought about how he was going to word it, and what he was going to say.  From what little he knew about the scenario his other body was in, only F-grades could enter that place anyways - and a follower of Gluttony had even helped them escape the wrath of the battle below.  It probably wouldn’t hurt to ask.  “My other body is currently undertaking an attempt at the Temple of Time.  Do you know anything about it?”

This time, the pause went well beyond what Riven had expected.  The masked man sat there in silence, staring unmoving - not even twitching, while mulling over Riven’s words.  “I know quite a good deal about the Temple of Time.”

He turned his head to look at Thale, and held up a hand to interrupt Riven’s next question.  He stood staring at the green-skinned undead, then looked to Allie, and nodded.  “Ah.  I see it now.  Fascinating, truly fascinating.  You’re not just here to ring the bells… there are grander games at play.  Do you have the third key?”

“I don’t know anything about any keys.”  Riven shook his head, purple eyes narrowing.  “Please explain.”

The man sighed, but thoughtfully stroked his chin underneath the thick mask he wore with gray fingers.  The black holes in it for eyes didn’t show any glimpse of an iris, so it was hard to tell what he was thinking.  “Your bloodline is Malignancy.  Is it not?”

Riven’s brows furrowed.  “Malignant Prophecy?”

“Yes.”

“That’s correct.  How’d you know?”

The man ignore Riven’s question.  “And your sister is also of Malignancy?”

Riven hesitated, but nodded again.

“I see.  Your bloodline is a key, an access point to the inner sanctum.  One can enter the temple, but no one in millions of years has accessed the inner sanctum.  The last attempt was a failure as well.  The undead you have with you…” The man pointed to Thale, almost accusingly.  “He has the second bloodline.  Steadfast Prophecy, it is the second key to the Temple of Time.  There should be a third bloodline, but I do not see it here.  Who sent you into the abyss?  Surely they would have told you about what was happening?  Surely if they managed to bring two of you together, there would be a third?”

All Riven could do was stare at Thale, and then hold up his hands.  “We chose to come here when a friend of ours was kidnapped by Gluttony, if we didn’t come he’d no doubt die.  We get him back by ringing the three bells.”

“Kidnapped?” The masked man laughed, and Thale shifted uncomfortably with black eyes narrowing.  “Gluttony does not ‘kidnap’ people!  Are you sure you really weren’t sent here by a higher power?  Regardless, the topic of the Temple of Time is a long one.  I think that I could point you towards a book in our library if you wished to know more, rather than have me ramble on about it.  Afterwards you can ring the bell and gain insight into the aspect of the great maw.  Come, follow me.  It appears we have much to discuss.”

“One more thing.” Riven waved the man back before he fully turned around, and the temple attendant gave him a curious tilt of the head again.  “We heard something about a legendary class being accessible here.  A class called ‘demon lord.’  I was wondering about  what your thoughts on using it were, and how to acquire it if possible.”

“You wish to trade in your current class?  It is not an easy undertaking, and your warlock devastator passive, utilizing your mana for passive damage on physical strikes, works very well in conjunction with your true soul damage that your sin body has.  Why would you want to switch to a willpower based class?”

“Well it isn’t for me.” Riven shook his head, then gestured towards his sister.  “She works with undead, but she has a very high willpower.  I was wondering that, perhaps, she could get that class while retaining the undead she has somehow.  Is it possible?”

The attendant’s mask shifted to Allie, and then came a nod.  “It is possible, yes.  Though there are more options than acquiring just a demon lord class, and the pros and cons will be discussed.  That is a topic for a second book in our library, now come.  After you read both books I’ll be happy to talk to you about anything you didn’t understand. And try not to pay attention to any of the angels, they start screaming louder when they notice they have your attention.  They like to curse us and throw insults at us as they die, it’s in their nature to be defiant to the end.  Winged rats if you ask me, but then again I once had a pet rat that grew into a real monstrosity before dying a true death.  That’s a story for another time though.  For now, harbinger of Gluttony, we have a lot to go over concerning the time you’ll spend here in the Abyss, what it means to embark on the path of the sinner by ringing the bells, the Temple of Time’s history, and what your sister would lose and acquire when choosing the path of a demon lord should she actually manage to acquire it.”