“T
he necrotic flower!”
Once Raven said that, the world seemed to disappear, leaving him alone with his target for five seconds. The flower shivered as if it could feel that something was wrong. Its petals moved, spreading waves of white energy in a futile attempt to break free but the illusion created by Raven’s skill was unique and impenetrable.
“So I guessed right.” He stood next to the flower, watching it struggle to protect itself. “It’s alive. Developing as a symbiont. No wonder it’s so fucking valuable.”
Leaning over, he cut the shivering flower off like a mushroom.
Separated from its host, it instantly went limp. Raven hid his dagger, picked his reward, and took out the Obedience Crystal.
Attention!
He had no time to read the system message that was probably telling him that his illusion had been shattered by using the Crystal.
You have used the Obedience Crystal.
Kharses the Collector, a monster from the Land of the Forgotten Giants, obeys no one but you.
Name your pet.
“Kharses.”
Name given.
The monster’s empty eyes blazed with blue fire, signaling that it had been tamed successfully.
“Time to finish this.”
With a broad smile on his face, he mounted Kharses. Like a demon from hell, he rode the giant skeleton, his snakes hissing with fury and golden eyes gleaming with malice.
“Kill them all!” he shouted and pointed his dagger at the surviving cultists.
With a deafening growl, Kharses dashed into battle. Dodging the cultists’ strongest attacks, it annihilated the group and sent them to meet their mistress.
Kharses used a wide variety of attacks, all of which were rather strong. And although its skills weren’t as tremendously powerful as Evil-In’s, most of them were AoE.
Watching his pet kill the cultists, Raven remembered what Curtis had told him about NPCs. If there was a way to learn everything about sapient creatures, there probably was a way to learn all there was to be learned about tamed monsters as well.
I’m sure Zarnitsa knows it.
Recalling their last conversation, he realized that she hadn’t mentioned this kind of information because she probably believed that he already knew it, just how he knew many other things about Ascension.
I’d better message her. And ask her about the Egg.
The battle was nearing its end. To Raven’s surprise, the last survivor was the young cult member carrying the device.
“Well, well, color me surprised...”
Grinning, Raven waited for Kharses to kill the boy when he sensed a familiar disturbance in the air.
To his surprise, Dorin minimized the damage by shielding himself with the device while activating its hidden ability.
In a fraction of a second, he was enveloped in white necrotic energy that devoured Kharses’s next attack like a membrane shield.
Son of a bitch! Was he waiting for all his companions to die to use it?
Dorin took out something that looked like the Shadow Order Pass and squinted at his opponent, a cold gleam in his eyes.
“Next time we meet, I’ll make sure that your death is painful,” he said through gritted teeth before disappearing in the flash of his teleport.
Raven had no time to answer, but he realized that he had underestimated this young necromancer. Dim-witted as he looked, he posed a serious threat if left unchecked.
Looking at the five corpses, Raven jumped off Kharses’s back to loot them, leaving the Dorin problem to his future self.
Once he ran his hand through the air over the robed bodies, his inbox was flooded with messages.
Collected: Silent Tears Scroll х 2
Collected: Hardened Plate х 4
Collected: Moongrass of Sorrow
Collected: ...
“Not bad, not bad at all...”
Examining each of his finds, he spotted the strange flower-detecting device. Coming closer for a better look, he realized that it was some sort of a magic-powered machine, the likes of which he had never seen before.
It was a metal box with four spirals fixed to its sides. Curving upward, they came together over the lid to form a circle. Above it, floating in the air, was a tetrahedron, the sides of which were painted with glowing white runes filled with magic energy.
Picking up the item, he estimated its weight at ten pounds and activated Identification.
A MODERNIZED DEAD ENERGY COMPASS
Rank: Unique
Description: Used by necromancers to detect traces of necrotic energy. Modernized by an unknown practitioner, this compass can now accumulate necrotic energy in a special storage compartment.
Usage Requirements:
He’s been hiding his true strength from the other cultists. But why?
Putting the Compass into his inventory, he mounted Kharses and sent it forward. Making himself comfortable on the beast’s back, he took a better look at the flower.
To get more information about this item, you need Identification (Master rank).
“Fuck you,” he muttered.
Equipping himself with Binoculars, he used Identification once again.
NECROTIC FLOWER
Type: Universal Ingredient*
Rank: Extremely Rare
Description: A beautiful flower that grows on the bones of forgotten giants. Soaking in their energy, it has evolved and developed over hundreds of years until it learned to interact with other life forms in order to protect itself.
Characteristics: + 15-40% magic damage or magic defense (depending on the recipe and the crafter’s skill level)
*Universal ingredients can be used by any crafter, from an alchemist to a tailor.
“How many more ranks and types does this fucking game have?” Raven wondered aloud and closed his eyes, trying to remember any other universal ingredients he could’ve encountered, but came up with none. Making a mental note to browse the forums about them, he checked the status of Hendelson’s quest — and saw that his new goal was simply to bring the flower to the blacksmith.
I’m almost there.
***
As Raven, desperate to restore his arm, was making his way back to Hendelson, a portal opened on a different Floor. Out of it fell the weakened Dorin. Gritting his teeth, he stared into the void.
I’ll find you, White Raven, wherever you are. You’ll pay for the humiliation you’ve caused me. Both you and your entire fucking bloodline!