I agreed with Octave. I needed a rest too. The Dungeons weren’t going anywhere and the Void Portal timer, which I had minimized down into the lower right corner of my vision, continued to tick down. We had time, if a finite amount.
“I would feel better if we found a place to rest that we won’t be snuck up on by something long, white and slimy.” I said.
“This Murk Worm thing you were going on about?” Octave sighed. “Something that disgusting is trying to create a complicated Dungeon Breach? You know worms don’t have brains, right? Thinking is not a thing worms do.” I gave the Cherub a side-eyed glance.
“Perhaps you’re right about that. It might not be thinking, but acting on instinct rather. These worms first infect a person through a purple colored mist and then grow. Then, an infected is slowly mutated them into an insane horror, which is likely what happened to the Prior. I also encountered a village on the way here where much the same had been done to the villagers.”
“Oh?” Octave snorted and examined his nails. “What happened there? Why weren’t you infected?”
“I was infected, Octave! In fact, if it wasn’t for Purgation I would likely be a Mutant myself right now. I was able to save myself and nearly all of the remaining villagers of Goodlabor. Save one. The Miller, a man called Sneed, was mutated into a Murk Worm!” That memory made me pause. Was it possible the Murk Worm I suspected to be somewhere within the Abbey had once been Human? A Monk who had mutated?
Ord, what a terrible fate for a Brother!
“I suppose it makes sense to be cautious,” Octave finally agreed. “However, there is another problem we need to talk about.” The Cherub flew past the burnt out Scriptorium and I noticed that the embers which had been burning before we entered the Dungeon were not completely burnt out. I followed Octave up a set of stone steps we had previously traversed, but I was still on my guard, as was Octave. Finally, he stopped before a door I recognized as the entrance to small cell used for individual prayer. We entered, shut the door and finally allowed ourselves to relax. Octave perched himself up on the windowsill of the room’s only small window and began to pick at his toes.
“We aren’t going to defeat the Red Portal Dungeon as we are,” Octave said without looking up. I stared up at him and slowly seated myself down on a pillow used to cushion knees during prayer. I wanted to ask him what he meant, but I realized what he meant after taking a brief moment to think about it.
“You believe the last dungeon was more difficult than you expected it to be?” Octave nodded solemnly.
“Yes. We barely pulled out that win. Too many of the Mournful Brothers resisted Harvest Moon, for one. Next, that impressive spell you used at the end-the one you used to negate that weird disease? I’m guessing you’re limited on how many times you can cast it?”
“Well, actually I won’t be able to cast it again unless I raise my Luck attribute.” Octave’s look of confusion made me frown. “It’s one of the Lost Skills of Ara. It doesn’t use Mana and I just found out that each time that I’ve used it, I have apparently been draining my Luck stat.” Octave opened his mouth and pointed a finger at me, as if he were about to give a lecture, but then thought better of it. Instead, he gave a long sigh.
“I can remember that Priests of Ara were capable of some pretty amazing things, so I suppose I can believe you. This time.”
“Can you tell me about them? The Ara Priests?” It should have occurred to me that Octave might be far older than I realized. Were Angels born? Did they even age? Excited, I watched different emotions play across the Cherub’s chubby face. Finally, he spoke.
“They were called Fate Priests. Their clergy had their own independent structure just as any of the others do, but they were also the de facto heads of the Church of Light, as Great Ord’s Priests are now. They were often called upon to mediate disputes and decide upon holy matters at several important Synods. They were sage councillors, but could also make for powerful warriors.”
“But what does it mean to be a ‘Fate Priest’ precisely? Does it have something to do with my Fate Domain? I know it influences many of the spells I am granted by the other Gods?” I stopped when I saw Octave shaking his head.
“Listen to me closely, Kenric, for the knowledge of Angels should always be heeded. You are the first Prophet I have met in the flesh, but it is known that the only way to gain your Class is if a majority of the Gods agree that you should have it! Consider this…of the 12 Gods at least 7 of them had to agree to give it to you.” I nodded in understanding.
“Yes, I had already deduced that.”
“Yet, that isn’t all!” Octave said impatiently. “Of those 7, the one who first initiated the vote is the one whose Domain you share. For instance, had Mir initiated the vote your Domain would have been Life. Had Sul initiated the vote, your Domain would have been Luck and so on and so forth.” I froze and my eyes widened at the implications of what Octave was saying.
“The Fate Domain…that is…”
“Ara,” Octave finished, his voice dropping to a whisper. “You are the first Prophet in an Age who has this Domain. The first to ever be offered anything beyond the Prophecy Foci. To be honest, I thought you were either crazy or demented when we first met with all your tales, but after seeing you use Purgation I am now convinced of it.”
“Convinced of what?” I breathed.
“That the Gods want Ara to return and they are using you to make it happen!” The Cherub fixed me with a piercing stare. “It is also why you are likely going to die if you enter that Red Portal. Ara’s Domain may exist within you, somehow, but he is still dead. Unlocking the full might of a Fate Priest is impossible!”
“No, forgive me Octave, but you’re wrong. It isn’t impossible and we are doing this. Shall I tell you why?” Octave rolled his eyes, but I recited from memory words I knew he would recognize.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“We are not meant to win this. Those of Purgatorium have already prophesied it. This Great Evil has rewritten the rules of this world and shall cast us into darkness. Yet, what is Prophecy? Events which have not yet occurred, but must? Nay! We are the shapers of our own destinies today! Fate can be changed! Yet, only if you have the strength to believe in what I say and in what I believe! Follow me now and change the fate of Aramyr forever!”
“Ord’s speech to the Armies of Light after the deaths of King Kazgar Stonebreaker and Sultan Orodin Moonbringer. Sixth Gospel of Ord, Verse 60, Paragraph 1.” Octave’s mouth twitched upwards and he sighed.
“You know, those two hated each other at first. A Dwarven King and one of the last Elven Sultans who hadn’t submitted to the Infernals. Yet, with Ord’s help, they learned to trust one another and died defending one another.”
“I suppose, even the most unlikely of allies can learn to put aside their biases and work towards the greater good for their people and the ones they care about.” I answered with a smile. Octave laughed.
“I suppose you’re right, Mortal. In any case, you still need to get stronger before we attempt the Red Portal, Hadaeon’s Descent. My advice is that you offer that Dungeon Core to Ord and raise your Faction high enough to unlock more of his almighty power.” I nodded at Octave’s words. There was wisdom in his suggestion, after all.
“I don’t disagree with you Octave…”
“As you shouldn’t.”
“Yet, I have another idea for what to do with the Core. First, however, I need to sleep. Then, being as it is we are in an Abbey, an altar shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
I rolled over, placed the cushion under my head and closed my eyes. Sleep wasn’t long in coming, my exhaustion finally catching up with me. I had grown used to strange dreams, but the only thing I could recall of my dreams that night were of a woman speaking soothing words to me. My Mother? When I awoke, Octave was still sitting upon the sill, but he had assumed a lotus position and appeared to be meditating. Not wanting to disturb him, I opened my Faction Web Terminal and looked over how many Nodes I had available to spend.
Okay, I have 11 Green Nodes, 4 Blue Nodes and 1 Red Node.
One of my immediate problems was the loss of Luck with my repeated use of Purgation. Fortunately, I had a quick, if expensive, solution. Located in Sul’s Tier II was a Node I could tap for a total of 3 extra points in the Luck attribute at a cost of 9 Green Nodes. Without mulling it over too much, I paid the cost and saw my Luck attribute increase from a 10 to a 13. I also received a notification.
Your Luck attribute has been raised to a reasonable level for continued use of Purgation. Locate and establish a Well of Faith to create a sustainable source of Holy Fate Mana for repeated use of Ara Skills.
My immediate instinct was to look up the Lore for what a Well of Faith was then I remembered I had the skill on cool down!
The sooner I cleanse the Shard or find another one, the better. It feels like losing one of my senses not having that skill working!
2 Green Nodes, 4 Blue Nodes and 1 Red Node limited my options, but I only needed a moment to look over Wik’s Tier II choices to know what I needed next.
Lesser Turn Undead (2 Active)
Mana Cost: 40 Mana
Description: Interrupts the flow of Eldritch Energy of Necromantic creations and Undead. While not fully destroying the Undead, this spell will confuse, stun or lower the resistances of most Undead up to Level 20. Higher level of Undead will have a greater chance of resisting the effects of this spell.
Cool Down: 5 Minutes
Minor Deathward (2 Active)
Mana Cost: 200 Mana
Description: Creates a barrier around the target that will negate any fatal strike or spell up to Level 20. While higher level attacks have a chance of also being negated, it will be at a higher risk of failure.
Cool Down: 4 hours
Bane Strike (2 Active)
Mana Cost 50 Mana
Description: Infuse a weapon with your Holy Domain {*Fate} and use it to strike for additional damage and secondary effects.
*Fate Domain Mana will render any type of magical damage the caster designates at the time of the casting. Only one effect per casting. Additional Strikes will require repeated castings.
I wanted all three spells! Technically, I could purchase all three as I had enough Blue Nodes. The problem, however, was space upon my Active Spell list.
Active Spells Slots (21 of 21)
Minor Sanctified Ward
Greater Heal (2)
Healing Spark (2)
Harvest Moon (2)
Minor Cube of Confusion
Minor Mana Tap
Lesser Barrier of Light
Lesser Shadow Leech
Caretaker’s Guidance
Mantle of Intellect (2)
Fade (2)
Congruency Darts (2)
Vow of Contagion (3)
Wik’s dislike of the Undead was on full display in his Tier II offerings and it also steered my thoughts towards the Exorcism Foci as well.
Lesser Turn Undead will be a must once we walk through the Blue Portal, what with more Mournful Brothers and Ord only knows what else.
Deathward would certainly put my mind at ease with such a potent protection and by Wik’s Blade if Bane Strike wasn’t the strongest divine attack spell I’d seen yet!
“‘Any type of magical damage the caster designates at the time of casting’, it says. I can charge my staff with a lightning for an attack then charge it again with fire for another attack? That seems…overpowered.” Yet, it wasn’t so much Bane Strike’s being strong as it was my Fate Domain being really strong!
Ara’s Fate Priests must have really been a force unto themselves. Is that the path the Gods mean for me? Is Octave right and the Gods are trying to resurrect Ara? How do I fit into their plan?
I used three of my four Blue Nodes and purchased all three of the spells. I removed Healing Spark from my Active list for now. It would be better used as a large burst heal and Greater Heal would be enough for me right now. After a bit of back of forth, I also decided to swap out Congruency Dart for Bane Strike. My reasoning was simple math even I could do. With my increased Strength and staff in hand I had smashed the Spawn of Xat into paste. If I added magical damage to those attacks? I grinned. As much as I had come to rely on my darts, their damage was much lower than my staff strikes. I would try out a new tactic.
I wanted to equip Deathward as well, but now things got tricky. Would I sacrifice the damage of Vow of Contagion or the additional safety and utility of Fade?
This would all be unnecessary if I could find more Silver Nodes and expand my Active list. Still, I feel confident this is the right move.
I removed Fade and equipped Deathward thereby rounding out my new loadout with a much more melee-based approach. I would use Minor Sanctified Ward and Lesser Shadow Leech respectively for damage reflection and health. I would employ Deathward in case of any serious critical attacks I took. Harvest Moon and Lesser Turn Undead would provide additional utility against the Abbey’s Undead Monks and Xat Spawn. With my buffs, heal and barrier…well, it would have to be enough.
Active Spells Slots (21 of 21)
Minor Sanctified Ward
Greater Heal (2)
Harvest Moon (2)
Minor Cube of Confusion
Minor Mana Tap
Lesser Barrier of Light
Lesser Shadow Leech
Caretaker’s Guidance
Mantle of Intellect (2)
Deathward (2)
Bane Strike (2)
Lesser Turn Undead (2)
Vow of Contagion (3)
I looked over at Octave who was looking over at me with an inquiring look.
“Enough sleep, mortal?”
“I would have you call me Kenric, Octave.” I said. “And yes, I am ready to enter the Blue Portal. I believe I passed an altar on the way to the Library earlier, too. I have a Dungeon Core I’d like to offer to a God, if you don’t mind.”
