Shackled, p.36
Shackled, page 36
One woman’s ruined fun was another man’s lots of fun. The second lock was, indeed, magic.
Not aether. Not mana. Not even an enchantment. It was pure magic.
He reached out to the spot where it felt strongest, which was just below the lock Hime had just cut open like it wasn’t a priceless relic from the Mythic Age that would, according to the best scholars at the time, retain its current shape well past the heat death of the universe (Lore 6 critical success).
He could feel the magic coming in, pulled to this spot by the inexorable tide of ink that covered the walls. At the very center was a hole.
He didn’t need his Aetheric Sensing skill for this. He didn’t need the Magical Senses Perk, though it might have been helping him in some unquantified way. No, this was magic, and he knew magic. He resonated with it.
His motionless fingers could feel the edges of the magic. His eyes saw the empty spaces where power should have been, the places that, once filled, would open the way. It was not his mind or his body or even his soul that explored the lock forged so long ago, it was his very being. Him. Himself. The “me” that was himself, and the “me” that wasn’t, and yet was. He did not understand, but the act of not understanding allowed him, paradoxically, to know.
Without moving, he went to stand within that void. It was all around the two of him, though it was smaller than a thread. Into that space where no magic could flow and where no sound existed, the three of him shouted his Name, and it was not Korrash, nor was it Arthur.
As the door swung open, a single line from the Contract Inerrant settled upon his metaphysical shoulders like a cloak of authority, into his mind like a prosecutor’s last, desperate defense, and around his wrists like chains.
I, the undersigned, do release the Devils from the onus of any remaining duration of their imprisonment (See Appendix XII), according to the terms laid out within Agreement 2.472.18, Subsections D, F, R, AA, BQ, and LLL.13. I agree to bear the responsibility of their parole to the extent that I am able, unless good faith is broken or otherwise dispensed with (see Covenants 18, 71, 200, and 201.1919.3, Sub-heading B for good faith establishment; see Definitions 1.3102x104, 1.809x107, and Subsection AQ [Dispensations] for fulfillment of good faith dispensation; see Definition 0.8989x104 for information on parole; see Definition 0.12x103 for information on responsibility, specifically the bearing of; see Subsection C [Abbreviations], Item 7.88312151x108 for information on the abbreviation spec.).
He wanted to tell Hime to be careful, to trust no one, to flee this place. Instead, he just stepped forward, into the Vault of Law.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
The Vault of Law, The Twin Locks of Ligios, Krakensport, Kingdom of Eastmere
He could still feel the swirling magic of the Contract as he walked with Hime through this place-that-wasn’t on narrow paths of dark green stone lit by light-that-wasn’t. There was no above, for this place was all down and no up. This, like many other things, was a necessity.
To either side, circular pools of all sizes were carved, or perhaps worn, into the rock. The pools were filled with crystal clear water that, Korrash was sure, went down into unimaginable depths. He could have looked, and the not-light would have gone down forever.
But Korrash did not look, for the pools were also filled with tadpoles. They wriggled and writhed and fought for pride of place, revealing that layers upon layers of their amphibious kind inhabited the endless waters. Some pools were only a few centimeters across, while others were at least a kilometer, but the density of the pollywogs was the same everywhere. For all their struggles, the surface of the water never rippled.
He led his companion through the winding paths between ponds, for he knew where he was going. The words within him remembered the bench where judgment had been delivered, remembered that all must see this man’s innocence, remembered where the accused must stand to account for his deeds. He spared a glance back for Hime and Aurrie on her shoulder. He barely recognized them, his mind trying so hard to process all that it had learned, that it was learning, that it would learn. This was not like the first time, however, when he had met Amnach and been shown the High Magic. At least, it wasn’t yet.
A part of him wondered when a part of him would wonder why he wasn’t made to worry, thinking about that time. It was all linked up with that strange taste in his mouth, the one he tasted now, he knew that much. It was why, sometimes, things were fuzzy. Why his arm hurt.
But the magic called to him, asking him if he knew what he must know. Here, today, it would all be finished. Written. Consummated. He did know, now. His mouth did not taste of medicines with unknowable names; the names he must now speak were far more important. He did not know why his vision seemed so fever-bright, for there were events his eyes must see that were far more immediate. His arms did not hurt.
The old, the unimportant, the almost-forgotten, they must be left behind. If he tried to hold on, Korrash would be washed away, and there was no other strong enough or near enough to do what must be done.
Plop. Plop, plop. Blort. Squip. Thwap. Blorg.
Tadpoles rained down around them, each struggling against gravity. Most landed in the pools, which were now swirling in vortices clockwise and anti-clockwise. Some were not so lucky, and exploded into black ooze upon the narrow path.
He took another step, and he felt the murky eye of one such unlucky creature pop beneath his boot. Behind him, Hime stood against the downpour, her sword flashing above her head faster than he could see, warding off the flood of life by dealing death.
One more step, and he was at the Center.
Behind him, the magic. Around him, the magic, thirteen strands in all, written and rewritten in the blood of one man who had done what no other could do. Beyond all the endless Definitions, the countless Warranties, and the terrifyingly short statements of Action, there was the final piece. The Statement of Authority.
“I, Korrash, though not of that name alone, stand within the Vault of Law as the rightful Representative of the Mortal Races. Whereas I bear the rightful Title, I do so affirm the truth of this right.” His voice rang with strange authority. It reminded him of Amnach and the Fae, though he did not want to follow that train of thought.
Water roared, and a column of tadpoles ten meters across poured from above, less than a meter from where Korrash stood. They landed with force, most obliterated in an instant. A billion, billion tiny lives were there and gone in the three seconds it took for the rushing biomass to disappear.
“Ah,” a voice as smooth as honey said as the last of the flopping things returned to the water, “it’s so nice to be back.”
Ligios wore a man’s face, with spun-gold hair that fell to its shoulders in ringlets and glittering ocher eyes with horizontal pupils. Its skin had a golden sheen to it, offset perfectly by the alabaster suit it wore. Diamond cufflinks glittered in the not-light.
“Oh, goodness, my dear boy! You do so smell of Titan’s earthy ilk.” It stared at him like its heart was broken for his misfortune. “Care to let me take care of that for you? A bit of perfume, perhaps?”
Korrash remained silent, for this was just a part of the Assurances.
“No? Alas. I’d so hoped to have done with this dreadful contract. I don’t suppose you’d see fit to let me stretch a bit? It’s been terribly cramped in here.” The devil flashed a smile that could dazzle the dead to life, or burst the hearts of the living. Korrash felt none of that, for the power of the Contract shielded him. He heard Hime collapse behind him, overwhelmed by the intense charisma, her breath coming in short gasps. He said nothing, nor did he look back. This action, too, fell within the Assurances.
Smoke rose from Ligios’s pristine suit, and its right eye twitched once.
“Fine. I agree to be bound by the terms found within Assurance Six Hundred Sixty-Five. I seem to have forgotten how it starts,” the devil said, its voice ringing like thunder, though it left no echo. Its smooth-skinned hands clenched into fists, and black ooze poured from between too-long fingers as its own claws tore its flesh. “Was it ‘I so state’ or ‘I hereby avow’?”
Once more, Korrash was silent, though felt like he might wither under the intensity of the being’s regard. Behind him, Hime’s breathing slowly steadied as she fought to regain control.
“Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaargh! Thrice offered, thrice ignored. I must declare the terms of Assurance Eighty-Three, in its entirety, properly fulfilled!” The sludge at the devil’s feet erupted into colorless fire, then quickly cooled into a glassy patina on the stone.
The mage raised an eyebrow.
More fire burned around the devil as it tore out some of its golden hair with one clawed hand.
“And the terms of Warranty Twelve, subsections A and Triple-Q. Those are properly fulfilled as well!”
Korrassh was so close. He made a motion like someone unrolling a scroll as he tried to focus through the pulsing legalese that assaulted his brain.
Ligios screeched, his mouth erupting into fangs like needles, and he exhaled a gout of black flame at Korrash, who managed not to flinch (Willpower 10? Success? Other factors?). At the last moment, the flame split and flew to either side of him, then died out.
The devil looked deflated. Bits of its skin drooped, and Korrash could see tiny, wriggling things just below the surface. Its pristine white suit was now sullied here and there as the black ooze leaked from beneath.
“The long version. Of course. I, Ligios, the undersigned, do hereby attest that, for all practical and specific interpretations under the law, be it past, present, or future, the countersigned, namely Korrash, has fulfilled the obligations under the Contract Inerrant, henceforth called the Document, of the following Assurances, Covenants, and Conditions: firstly, Agreement 8.149.13.2; secondly, Condition Eighty-Four, all sections, for all definitions of all terms both synonymous and grammatically adjacent, listed in Appendix Nine Hundred (Definitions)…”
For an hour, the devil recited the terms of the contract that proved Korrash’s right to be here and those which proved the devil itself was bound to the letter of that law. Korrash felt the magic surge around him with each numbered section. There had been no evasion.
Now, it was his turn.
“By my status as Representative, I hereby bind all Devils, be they dead, banished, currently extant, non-existent, or yet to exist, to the terms of the Document, under the clauses and methods outlined in Covenant Six Hundred Sixty-Six.”
The air was still as it awaited his next words. Of all the horrors he had tried to avoid by escaping this place, this one was the worst. Only the knowledge that the consequences of an incomplete Contract would be far worse than what he was about to do allowed him to continue. He steeled his will and prepared to promise what should not be his to promise.
“And,” he continued, his throat dry, “I accept the binding the clause places upon myself, and, through me, upon all the Mortal Races.”
All around him, the tadpoles began to thrash. They opened their tiny, toothless mouths.
“We are so bound,” they cried, their voices choked with mucus.
“You are so bound,” said Ligios, its suit pristine and its skin smooth once more.
The tadpoles dove deep down into their pools, released to fulfill their contracted purpose.
“And now, my dear Night Man,” Ligios purred, “we have the matter of your reward.”
Quest Complete: Find the Ruins. Reward: Elder Magic Unlocked (Infernal Arcana). As you have claimed your second Arcana, you have allied the cause of the Devils to that of the Fae. Well done! Had things gone differently and you had chosen the Angels, they would have made demands of our Unseelie forces that would have been… unpalatable.
The shock of Morrigan’s suggestion that he could have chosen not to unleash ancient, malevolent forces bent on debasing all life was all-consuming, but it could not stand against the power of the system’s revelation of his new Arcana. Instead, the anger retreated to a dark corner of his mind, to be examined (and acted upon) at a later date.
Infernal Arcana: Devils embody the cosmic force of Corruption, seeking to turn beauty into ugliness, weakness into strength, and foundations into dust. Each Pact you make will strengthen some aspect of you and change or weaken something else. You cannot know the exact nature of each deal, but you do know the payment you make to accept. As a holder of the Arcana, all Devils know your name, and the Pacts they offer will always be more favorable to you than they would otherwise be.
“Cool, I got a new skill.” Korrash jumped as Hime spoke; he had forgotten she was there.
“What payment are you seeking for your service?” The pulsing magic of the Contract had lessened. He could still feel it, though not as acutely as before. It would not be able to guide him through his first infernal pact.
“Just a small thing, my friend,” said Ligios, its smile bright. “Give me one of your lives.”
Korrash blinked. That hadn’t been what he was expecting. He took a moment to consider the offer, trying to find the pitfalls that he would need to avoid.
“I must be promised that this will be an immediate payment, not claimed in the future.”
“I so promise.” The devil licked his lips.
“I must be assured that the life will not be the current one I live, and that your use of this life will not affect my own behavior or perceptions.”
“Oh, certainly not! You’ll never even miss it. Only one addendum left, so you’d better make it a good one.”
“I will only accept this deal if I am guaranteed to return after death at least once more.” It was the True God who determined if an Adventurer returned after death. Seeking new challenges was the primary factor, and Korrash certainly didn’t have any problems doing that.
“Then our Pact is formed.” Ligios swept out a hand, and a single drop of black ichor flew through the air. It spattered against Korrash’s forehead.
He screamed as what felt like burning shards of jagged ice burrowed into his brain. The last thing he heard before he was in too much pain to process sound was the devil’s voice.
“So, young lady, what can I do for you?”
Chapter Sixty-Eight
The Vault of Law, The Twin Locks of Ligios, Krakensport, Kingdom of Eastmere
You have gained your first Pact. While a Pact’s benefits are influenced by the Devil with which the Pact is made, you may choose whether those benefits provide a variable or a static bonus. The variable bonus is limited by being quite weak while Corruption remains low, but it becomes incredibly strong at high percentages. The static bonus will provide a consistent, much smaller benefit, being equivalent to a variable bonus at 33% Corruption. Static Pacts also carry a higher initial Corruption increase than variable Pacts.
Korrash felt the knowledge of Corruption’s mechanics seep into his mind even as something spread through his physical body. He felt like his blood had been replaced with slugs, and they were all in a hurry to get somewhere. He thought he might be unconscious, since he couldn’t hear or see anything. His brain was working fine, as far as he knew.
The knowledge pulsed at him, urging him to choose. He knew that the safe path lay in choosing simple bonuses that did not tempt him to seek more power than he could handle. He was also aware that he was not the type to choose a safer path.
The choice is made. This Pact will be a Variable Path. Your Corruption score has increased. You may accept additional Corruption if desired.
Bonus: Your Infernal Arcana has revealed your Corruption score. Most beings do not know the exact amount of Corruption they have. Your current Corruption is 6% (1% environmental, 5% from Pacts).
Bonus: Your Infernal Arcana has revealed the extent that different levels of Corruption affect living beings. Most beings do not know the consequences of Infernal Pacts, save through the warnings of the Malleus Maleficarum and other such organizations.
Known Corruption Levels:
0% — Pure. Increased resistance to Infernal powers. It may be possible to achieve negative Corruption, though a holder of the Infernal Arcana generally cannot do so.
1-9% — Coarse. No benefits or penalties.
Korrash took a breath. That was a lot to take in. He realized that the initial, consistent increases to Corruption would lull many into a false understanding of the risks that further deals would pose, leading them to lose themselves unexpectedly. Worse, his choice of a Variable Pact meant he would only benefit from that choice if he pushed into Unclean or beyond. The choice was made more difficult, since he still did not know exactly what benefits he would receive.
With a sigh, he mentally accepted enough Corruption to put him at thirty-four percent, just enough to allow him to accept another Pact without detriment later on.
Generating Pact… complete.
Arcanum Pact: Shadows of the Deep
Pact Weaver: Ligios, Seventeenth Prince of Infernos, Lord of Slime
Price: “One of your lives”
Assurances: At least one life remains after the current one, transaction is immediate, no behavioral changes during “gifted” life.
Pact Benefits: Increase effectiveness of spells based on Water, Darkness, or Fear by up to 400% (based on Corruption) and adds the [Corrupt] and [Infernal] aspects to such spells occasionally. Also affects Stealth and Intimidation.
Corruption: Aura Mastery and Inviolate Aura may no longer be used at anything less than full intensity, may not be invested with Light or Fire energies, and use is considered an Intimidation effect.
As Korrash felt the Pact worm its way into his soul, the slugs in his veins began to dissolve, spreading a numb, cold feeling through his limbs. He opened his eyes slowly, unsure of what he would see.
He lay in the chamber where they’d fought the Sage. Hime sat next to him, her legs folded beneath her and her hands clasped in front of her stomach. She was clearly meditating.
Not aether. Not mana. Not even an enchantment. It was pure magic.
He reached out to the spot where it felt strongest, which was just below the lock Hime had just cut open like it wasn’t a priceless relic from the Mythic Age that would, according to the best scholars at the time, retain its current shape well past the heat death of the universe (Lore 6 critical success).
He could feel the magic coming in, pulled to this spot by the inexorable tide of ink that covered the walls. At the very center was a hole.
He didn’t need his Aetheric Sensing skill for this. He didn’t need the Magical Senses Perk, though it might have been helping him in some unquantified way. No, this was magic, and he knew magic. He resonated with it.
His motionless fingers could feel the edges of the magic. His eyes saw the empty spaces where power should have been, the places that, once filled, would open the way. It was not his mind or his body or even his soul that explored the lock forged so long ago, it was his very being. Him. Himself. The “me” that was himself, and the “me” that wasn’t, and yet was. He did not understand, but the act of not understanding allowed him, paradoxically, to know.
Without moving, he went to stand within that void. It was all around the two of him, though it was smaller than a thread. Into that space where no magic could flow and where no sound existed, the three of him shouted his Name, and it was not Korrash, nor was it Arthur.
As the door swung open, a single line from the Contract Inerrant settled upon his metaphysical shoulders like a cloak of authority, into his mind like a prosecutor’s last, desperate defense, and around his wrists like chains.
I, the undersigned, do release the Devils from the onus of any remaining duration of their imprisonment (See Appendix XII), according to the terms laid out within Agreement 2.472.18, Subsections D, F, R, AA, BQ, and LLL.13. I agree to bear the responsibility of their parole to the extent that I am able, unless good faith is broken or otherwise dispensed with (see Covenants 18, 71, 200, and 201.1919.3, Sub-heading B for good faith establishment; see Definitions 1.3102x104, 1.809x107, and Subsection AQ [Dispensations] for fulfillment of good faith dispensation; see Definition 0.8989x104 for information on parole; see Definition 0.12x103 for information on responsibility, specifically the bearing of; see Subsection C [Abbreviations], Item 7.88312151x108 for information on the abbreviation spec.).
He wanted to tell Hime to be careful, to trust no one, to flee this place. Instead, he just stepped forward, into the Vault of Law.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
The Vault of Law, The Twin Locks of Ligios, Krakensport, Kingdom of Eastmere
He could still feel the swirling magic of the Contract as he walked with Hime through this place-that-wasn’t on narrow paths of dark green stone lit by light-that-wasn’t. There was no above, for this place was all down and no up. This, like many other things, was a necessity.
To either side, circular pools of all sizes were carved, or perhaps worn, into the rock. The pools were filled with crystal clear water that, Korrash was sure, went down into unimaginable depths. He could have looked, and the not-light would have gone down forever.
But Korrash did not look, for the pools were also filled with tadpoles. They wriggled and writhed and fought for pride of place, revealing that layers upon layers of their amphibious kind inhabited the endless waters. Some pools were only a few centimeters across, while others were at least a kilometer, but the density of the pollywogs was the same everywhere. For all their struggles, the surface of the water never rippled.
He led his companion through the winding paths between ponds, for he knew where he was going. The words within him remembered the bench where judgment had been delivered, remembered that all must see this man’s innocence, remembered where the accused must stand to account for his deeds. He spared a glance back for Hime and Aurrie on her shoulder. He barely recognized them, his mind trying so hard to process all that it had learned, that it was learning, that it would learn. This was not like the first time, however, when he had met Amnach and been shown the High Magic. At least, it wasn’t yet.
A part of him wondered when a part of him would wonder why he wasn’t made to worry, thinking about that time. It was all linked up with that strange taste in his mouth, the one he tasted now, he knew that much. It was why, sometimes, things were fuzzy. Why his arm hurt.
But the magic called to him, asking him if he knew what he must know. Here, today, it would all be finished. Written. Consummated. He did know, now. His mouth did not taste of medicines with unknowable names; the names he must now speak were far more important. He did not know why his vision seemed so fever-bright, for there were events his eyes must see that were far more immediate. His arms did not hurt.
The old, the unimportant, the almost-forgotten, they must be left behind. If he tried to hold on, Korrash would be washed away, and there was no other strong enough or near enough to do what must be done.
Plop. Plop, plop. Blort. Squip. Thwap. Blorg.
Tadpoles rained down around them, each struggling against gravity. Most landed in the pools, which were now swirling in vortices clockwise and anti-clockwise. Some were not so lucky, and exploded into black ooze upon the narrow path.
He took another step, and he felt the murky eye of one such unlucky creature pop beneath his boot. Behind him, Hime stood against the downpour, her sword flashing above her head faster than he could see, warding off the flood of life by dealing death.
One more step, and he was at the Center.
Behind him, the magic. Around him, the magic, thirteen strands in all, written and rewritten in the blood of one man who had done what no other could do. Beyond all the endless Definitions, the countless Warranties, and the terrifyingly short statements of Action, there was the final piece. The Statement of Authority.
“I, Korrash, though not of that name alone, stand within the Vault of Law as the rightful Representative of the Mortal Races. Whereas I bear the rightful Title, I do so affirm the truth of this right.” His voice rang with strange authority. It reminded him of Amnach and the Fae, though he did not want to follow that train of thought.
Water roared, and a column of tadpoles ten meters across poured from above, less than a meter from where Korrash stood. They landed with force, most obliterated in an instant. A billion, billion tiny lives were there and gone in the three seconds it took for the rushing biomass to disappear.
“Ah,” a voice as smooth as honey said as the last of the flopping things returned to the water, “it’s so nice to be back.”
Ligios wore a man’s face, with spun-gold hair that fell to its shoulders in ringlets and glittering ocher eyes with horizontal pupils. Its skin had a golden sheen to it, offset perfectly by the alabaster suit it wore. Diamond cufflinks glittered in the not-light.
“Oh, goodness, my dear boy! You do so smell of Titan’s earthy ilk.” It stared at him like its heart was broken for his misfortune. “Care to let me take care of that for you? A bit of perfume, perhaps?”
Korrash remained silent, for this was just a part of the Assurances.
“No? Alas. I’d so hoped to have done with this dreadful contract. I don’t suppose you’d see fit to let me stretch a bit? It’s been terribly cramped in here.” The devil flashed a smile that could dazzle the dead to life, or burst the hearts of the living. Korrash felt none of that, for the power of the Contract shielded him. He heard Hime collapse behind him, overwhelmed by the intense charisma, her breath coming in short gasps. He said nothing, nor did he look back. This action, too, fell within the Assurances.
Smoke rose from Ligios’s pristine suit, and its right eye twitched once.
“Fine. I agree to be bound by the terms found within Assurance Six Hundred Sixty-Five. I seem to have forgotten how it starts,” the devil said, its voice ringing like thunder, though it left no echo. Its smooth-skinned hands clenched into fists, and black ooze poured from between too-long fingers as its own claws tore its flesh. “Was it ‘I so state’ or ‘I hereby avow’?”
Once more, Korrash was silent, though felt like he might wither under the intensity of the being’s regard. Behind him, Hime’s breathing slowly steadied as she fought to regain control.
“Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaargh! Thrice offered, thrice ignored. I must declare the terms of Assurance Eighty-Three, in its entirety, properly fulfilled!” The sludge at the devil’s feet erupted into colorless fire, then quickly cooled into a glassy patina on the stone.
The mage raised an eyebrow.
More fire burned around the devil as it tore out some of its golden hair with one clawed hand.
“And the terms of Warranty Twelve, subsections A and Triple-Q. Those are properly fulfilled as well!”
Korrassh was so close. He made a motion like someone unrolling a scroll as he tried to focus through the pulsing legalese that assaulted his brain.
Ligios screeched, his mouth erupting into fangs like needles, and he exhaled a gout of black flame at Korrash, who managed not to flinch (Willpower 10? Success? Other factors?). At the last moment, the flame split and flew to either side of him, then died out.
The devil looked deflated. Bits of its skin drooped, and Korrash could see tiny, wriggling things just below the surface. Its pristine white suit was now sullied here and there as the black ooze leaked from beneath.
“The long version. Of course. I, Ligios, the undersigned, do hereby attest that, for all practical and specific interpretations under the law, be it past, present, or future, the countersigned, namely Korrash, has fulfilled the obligations under the Contract Inerrant, henceforth called the Document, of the following Assurances, Covenants, and Conditions: firstly, Agreement 8.149.13.2; secondly, Condition Eighty-Four, all sections, for all definitions of all terms both synonymous and grammatically adjacent, listed in Appendix Nine Hundred (Definitions)…”
For an hour, the devil recited the terms of the contract that proved Korrash’s right to be here and those which proved the devil itself was bound to the letter of that law. Korrash felt the magic surge around him with each numbered section. There had been no evasion.
Now, it was his turn.
“By my status as Representative, I hereby bind all Devils, be they dead, banished, currently extant, non-existent, or yet to exist, to the terms of the Document, under the clauses and methods outlined in Covenant Six Hundred Sixty-Six.”
The air was still as it awaited his next words. Of all the horrors he had tried to avoid by escaping this place, this one was the worst. Only the knowledge that the consequences of an incomplete Contract would be far worse than what he was about to do allowed him to continue. He steeled his will and prepared to promise what should not be his to promise.
“And,” he continued, his throat dry, “I accept the binding the clause places upon myself, and, through me, upon all the Mortal Races.”
All around him, the tadpoles began to thrash. They opened their tiny, toothless mouths.
“We are so bound,” they cried, their voices choked with mucus.
“You are so bound,” said Ligios, its suit pristine and its skin smooth once more.
The tadpoles dove deep down into their pools, released to fulfill their contracted purpose.
“And now, my dear Night Man,” Ligios purred, “we have the matter of your reward.”
Quest Complete: Find the Ruins. Reward: Elder Magic Unlocked (Infernal Arcana). As you have claimed your second Arcana, you have allied the cause of the Devils to that of the Fae. Well done! Had things gone differently and you had chosen the Angels, they would have made demands of our Unseelie forces that would have been… unpalatable.
The shock of Morrigan’s suggestion that he could have chosen not to unleash ancient, malevolent forces bent on debasing all life was all-consuming, but it could not stand against the power of the system’s revelation of his new Arcana. Instead, the anger retreated to a dark corner of his mind, to be examined (and acted upon) at a later date.
Infernal Arcana: Devils embody the cosmic force of Corruption, seeking to turn beauty into ugliness, weakness into strength, and foundations into dust. Each Pact you make will strengthen some aspect of you and change or weaken something else. You cannot know the exact nature of each deal, but you do know the payment you make to accept. As a holder of the Arcana, all Devils know your name, and the Pacts they offer will always be more favorable to you than they would otherwise be.
“Cool, I got a new skill.” Korrash jumped as Hime spoke; he had forgotten she was there.
“What payment are you seeking for your service?” The pulsing magic of the Contract had lessened. He could still feel it, though not as acutely as before. It would not be able to guide him through his first infernal pact.
“Just a small thing, my friend,” said Ligios, its smile bright. “Give me one of your lives.”
Korrash blinked. That hadn’t been what he was expecting. He took a moment to consider the offer, trying to find the pitfalls that he would need to avoid.
“I must be promised that this will be an immediate payment, not claimed in the future.”
“I so promise.” The devil licked his lips.
“I must be assured that the life will not be the current one I live, and that your use of this life will not affect my own behavior or perceptions.”
“Oh, certainly not! You’ll never even miss it. Only one addendum left, so you’d better make it a good one.”
“I will only accept this deal if I am guaranteed to return after death at least once more.” It was the True God who determined if an Adventurer returned after death. Seeking new challenges was the primary factor, and Korrash certainly didn’t have any problems doing that.
“Then our Pact is formed.” Ligios swept out a hand, and a single drop of black ichor flew through the air. It spattered against Korrash’s forehead.
He screamed as what felt like burning shards of jagged ice burrowed into his brain. The last thing he heard before he was in too much pain to process sound was the devil’s voice.
“So, young lady, what can I do for you?”
Chapter Sixty-Eight
The Vault of Law, The Twin Locks of Ligios, Krakensport, Kingdom of Eastmere
You have gained your first Pact. While a Pact’s benefits are influenced by the Devil with which the Pact is made, you may choose whether those benefits provide a variable or a static bonus. The variable bonus is limited by being quite weak while Corruption remains low, but it becomes incredibly strong at high percentages. The static bonus will provide a consistent, much smaller benefit, being equivalent to a variable bonus at 33% Corruption. Static Pacts also carry a higher initial Corruption increase than variable Pacts.
Korrash felt the knowledge of Corruption’s mechanics seep into his mind even as something spread through his physical body. He felt like his blood had been replaced with slugs, and they were all in a hurry to get somewhere. He thought he might be unconscious, since he couldn’t hear or see anything. His brain was working fine, as far as he knew.
The knowledge pulsed at him, urging him to choose. He knew that the safe path lay in choosing simple bonuses that did not tempt him to seek more power than he could handle. He was also aware that he was not the type to choose a safer path.
The choice is made. This Pact will be a Variable Path. Your Corruption score has increased. You may accept additional Corruption if desired.
Bonus: Your Infernal Arcana has revealed your Corruption score. Most beings do not know the exact amount of Corruption they have. Your current Corruption is 6% (1% environmental, 5% from Pacts).
Bonus: Your Infernal Arcana has revealed the extent that different levels of Corruption affect living beings. Most beings do not know the consequences of Infernal Pacts, save through the warnings of the Malleus Maleficarum and other such organizations.
Known Corruption Levels:
0% — Pure. Increased resistance to Infernal powers. It may be possible to achieve negative Corruption, though a holder of the Infernal Arcana generally cannot do so.
1-9% — Coarse. No benefits or penalties.
Korrash took a breath. That was a lot to take in. He realized that the initial, consistent increases to Corruption would lull many into a false understanding of the risks that further deals would pose, leading them to lose themselves unexpectedly. Worse, his choice of a Variable Pact meant he would only benefit from that choice if he pushed into Unclean or beyond. The choice was made more difficult, since he still did not know exactly what benefits he would receive.
With a sigh, he mentally accepted enough Corruption to put him at thirty-four percent, just enough to allow him to accept another Pact without detriment later on.
Generating Pact… complete.
Arcanum Pact: Shadows of the Deep
Pact Weaver: Ligios, Seventeenth Prince of Infernos, Lord of Slime
Price: “One of your lives”
Assurances: At least one life remains after the current one, transaction is immediate, no behavioral changes during “gifted” life.
Pact Benefits: Increase effectiveness of spells based on Water, Darkness, or Fear by up to 400% (based on Corruption) and adds the [Corrupt] and [Infernal] aspects to such spells occasionally. Also affects Stealth and Intimidation.
Corruption: Aura Mastery and Inviolate Aura may no longer be used at anything less than full intensity, may not be invested with Light or Fire energies, and use is considered an Intimidation effect.
As Korrash felt the Pact worm its way into his soul, the slugs in his veins began to dissolve, spreading a numb, cold feeling through his limbs. He opened his eyes slowly, unsure of what he would see.
He lay in the chamber where they’d fought the Sage. Hime sat next to him, her legs folded beneath her and her hands clasped in front of her stomach. She was clearly meditating.
