Demon desired, p.3
Safety in Numbers: A LitRPG Adventure, page 3
His gaze tracked back to the den to find the cats all neatly lined up as if they were awaiting further instruction. “I see.” They were being good…normally they were sweet but very active gremlins who did what they wanted, when they wanted. Unable to stay on task, he asked, “Why are they so—cooperative?”
Crimson touched her cheeks. “Now that we’re able to communicate properly, I was able to address some of their concerns.” Leveling an accusing finger at Sol, their bob-tailed tuxedo, she grimaced. “Don’t let him fool you, though, he’s got some pent-up rage he needs to get out.” She moved down the line. “Magni…well, he’s got some abandonment issues.”
Magni’s mom dropped him in the middle of the yard next door and never came back for him. A few days later Robin tried to reunite them. That ended with the mamma cat growling and hissing at him before slapping him aside. Iain hurried out before she could do anything else, but the harm was already done. He was sweet but very afraid.
Iain winced slightly. “Yeah…that makes a lot of sense.” His gaze landed on Severus, his long-haired black cat sitting in front of the others. “What’s his excuse?”
She did a poor job of suppressing a fit of the giggles. “You. He loves you, but for reasons he can’t understand, you won’t submit.”
Of course Severus had the biggest ego of the bunch. “How’ about—”
“Nope.” Robin shook her head. “Fixing the dynamic between you two isn’t something we have time for this morning.” She pointed at her screen. “We have other things to tend to at the moment.”
Letting out a disgruntled groan, he cut his gaze at Severus. “Fine, but this isn’t over.”
She snorted. “Oh, I didn’t think it was.”
Looking back at his screen, he called up the perk system, the sheer number of which were overwhelming. Yeah, that was way too many. With a thought he added a filter: Only show perks compatible with humans . Much to his displeasure, it didn’t narrow things down as much as he would’ve liked. It was time to add an additional filter: Show perks compatible with Runic War Mage . This time, the available options got a lot smaller. The third filter: Usefulness in the field with growth potential . Finally, a small perk with promise, Inspect, caught his attention.
Inspect —restrictions apply—when cast on another player, monster, or beast, their name, species, class, health—mana—stamina bars, along with other special statuses may be displayed. Caveats such as level differences, elite status, among others may have varied effects upon the information given to the caster.
Seeing how he was terrible with names, it could be useful. Even more so with the additional information provided. Knowing when something was hurt, or healing, could dramatically change how he reacted to an enemy during a fight.
He carefully moved it to the side. “Let’s set Inspect into the short list of perks we’ll want.”
Robin gave him a curious look. “Why wait?” She eyed her screen. “That seems useful.”
“Oh, I imagine it is.” Iain shook his head. “Thing is, we might find that one of the other perks has Inspect built into it naturally, and we’re stuck with two identifies instead of another useful ability.”
She hummed to herself, bobbing her head up and down. “Yeah…okay…but I somehow doubt they’re going to bundle that into something else.”
Chuckling, he said, “You’re probably right, but let’s do our due diligence just in case.”
Clearly unconvinced by his argument, Robin snickered. “Yeah, okay, there’s no harm in looking.” Blowing out a long breath, she asked, “How are you sorting through this—mess?”
Iain didn’t have a clue if he’d categorized them properly or not, and he was hesitant to share his method. A fleeting moment passed before he made a decision. It didn’t matter if he’d gotten it right or not. The moment he shared what he’d done, she’d likely refine the process further, making it work better for them both. He steeled himself then explained what he’d done. As expected, she had some pointers which simplified things a bit further. With that settled, they feverishly worked through their options for the next ten minutes.
Eventually, he conceded she’d been correct, the System hadn’t bundled Inspect with anything they could use, so they settled on that as their small perk. When it came to picking the medium one, they went with a specialty under armor. Beyond the simple armor boost, it had the ability to act as a cast for broken bones and staunch the bleeding of severe wounds. In addition, the minor armor boost continued to grow as they did, eventually evolving into a second skin. This was a huge bonus as it couldn’t be removed by force, and after the evolution, it’d literally become a part of them.
Since Iain didn’t have a large perk, he was able to focus all his attention on Robin, eventually having her pick a pair of shield bracers. When activated, they’d create a shield with twice her number of maximum hit points for six minutes. It was a great way to keep her safe unless they ran into something stupidly powerful, which, given the current state of the world, was an unfortunate option. Though…if she managed it right, it’d give her six minutes to put distance between her and whatever wanted her dead. Downside, it had a two-hour cooldown. Even so, Iain thought they were absolutely amazing.
For her greater perk, the System took the liberty of suggesting the Medalion of Bastet. It allowed her to maintain a constant comfortable temperature for herself and the cats, ensuring none of them got too hot or cold. In addition, it could act as a light source, and it had three charges of Ray of the Sun…though the latter would take a week to fully recharge. For her, the most important feature was the first one. She didn’t do well when she got overheated. This, in and of itself, would’ve made it worth it. The rest of it was gravy.
Iain, however, didn’t have such an easy time of it. The System or the RGHIA or whoever was in charge didn’t suggest a damn thing for him. That was fine, his wife was well taken care of, and he could search out his own perk. To that end, he dug deep, sifting through one perk after the other. Each had their benefits but nothing that really struck him as right.
Then, just when he was about to give up and choose one of the others at random, he found a reference to a linked companion. This turned out to be a submenu that’d been locked out prior to him choosing his class. Apparently, the Runic War Mage and Lord Protectors were the only ones with access to these particular guides. That wasn’t to say other classes didn’t have access to companions, but these were specific to those two class types.
Linked Companion: Using their vast experience, knowledge, and expertise, Linked Companions act as guides to the Runic War Mages and the Lord Protectors of the galaxy. Linked Companions grow in strength as you do. Linked Companions will assist their charge throughout their contracted journey so both parties may reach their goals.
Iain’s gut told him that this was what he’d been searching for, and he quickly accepted the perk. A sphere of purple light swirled around him then stopped in front of his face. It hovered there then shot forward, plowing into him with enough force to knock him off his feet. He fell back onto the hardwood floor with a dull thud. His head ached, his teeth hurt, and his eyes felt like they were about to melt.
Then, suddenly, he was back to his normal self…the new one without pain…not the old one that was kinda miserable.
Rubbing his face, he got to his feet. “What the fuck was that?”
Robin shrugged. “No idea.” She gestured at her nose. “You’ve got some blood there.”
Holy shit, he was missing thirty percent of his health. “Jesus.”
An elegant, disembodied voice spoke in a slight accent Iain couldn’t quite place. “That’s not my name.”
Suddenly worried about his own sanity, he cut his gaze at his wife. “You heard that, right?”
Her gaze shifted around the room searching it out for threats. “I did.”
Yeah…okay, she heard it too, so he was fine, right? “Good.”
In the air on the far side of the living room, what looked to be a twelve-inch, jagged tear in reality appeared. Violet light poured out, its intensity growing till it became almost blinding. Then it faded away to reveal a stupidly handsome man with olive skin, who was roughly half as tall as the aperture. He looked like one of those lifelike collectable action figures wearing a sharp charcoal gray suit. His silky black hair was cut short on the sides with it longer at the top where it was tousled like he’d just left a photoshoot. His elegantly trimmed beard only added to his appeal. His whole, I’m sexy and I know it, look was capped off when he opened his glowing amethyst eyes.
Honestly, Iain was slightly annoyed at the man’s attractiveness. It was like he was made to make every other male on the planet look bad by comparison. Kind of an asshole move on his part, but whatever.
The small man took a deep breath then let it out slowly as he smoothed out his suit jacket. He promptly unbuttoned it and pulled it open as he casually flipped it back as if he were posing for the camera. Slowly, he panned his gaze around the room till he found Iain.
Stumbling back a step, he shook his head. “A Runic War Mage?” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “Is that even possible?” Confusion swept over him as he desperately tried to piece something together. “Is this some weird cosmic joke?”
“If it is, I don’t know the punch line.” Iain frowned. “Are you alright?”
All the strength left the tiny man as he slumped back against an invisible wall. “I doubt it.” Looking contemplative, he remained silent for a long moment. “I should’ve known…it was far too good to be true.” Collapsing to an invisible floor in midair, the tiny man cupped his face in his hands. “Damn it.”
Iain didn’t want to add to the obviously distressed man’s problems, but he needed to know what was happening. “I’m sorry…it seems like you’re having a particularly bad day, but maybe if you told me what was happening, we could help.” Stepping forward, he gave the small man a half bow. “I’m Iain Clark.”
Amethyst light shone in the man’s eyes. “Ba’al…pleasure to meet you.” He dusted himself off then got to his feet. “It’s not so much of a problem as an impossible quest.”
That was curious Iain thought. “What quest?”
Without a word, a status screen appeared.
Quest: Ba’al’s Freedom
As a reprieve from your banishment and a chance to gain your freedom, act as a Linked Companion for Iain Clark. Educate him on the System. Help him survive the Valhalla Protocol and reach peak Grandmaster level. Be aware your abilities and size will permanently scale with his levels.
As he is on a newly acquired world, this is an exceptionally dangerous mission.
Failure: You will be immediately transferred to the void. If you survive, your power levels will be permanently locked at whatever you acquired as his companion.
Reward: Freedom. You’ll be able to choose to stay with Mr. Clark as a Linked Companion, become an occasional ally, or leave. The choice is yours as you’ll truly be free.
Iain read and reread the quest. “Holy shit.” Horror at the punishment overwhelmed him. “Can you revoke the contract, or is it a done deal now?”
Ba’al shook his head. “No…I’m locked in.”
“I’m sorry.” That wasn’t great for the little guy. Unsure how to broach the subject, Iain decided to just go for it. “Mind telling me why you were banished?”
Ba’al shrugged. “Wish I knew. Long ago—well before your sun formed, an unknown event sent the RGHIA into a tizzy. They swept through the cosmos, banishing certain linages. My genetics matched and I was gone.” His expression soured. “My ‘time away’ might become an issue.”
“How so?” Iain asked.
Ba’al’s eyes glowed, then dimmed. “Everything I know is out of date by billions, if not trillions, of years.”
Yeah, that could prove inconvenient. “It’s fine…we’ll make do.” Iain gestured at himself. “Soooo, what is it about Runic War Mages that set you off?”
“It’s more than that.” Ba’al shifted to the side. “There are other issues.”
Iain rolled his hand for him to continue. “Please share.”
“Are you sure?” His gaze tracked over to Robin. “We’re not alone.”
Iain huffed out a laugh. “It’s fine.”
With a shrug, the tiny man straightened his jacket, again. “Alright, it’s our funeral, but sure, why not.”
Iain hoped the man would calm down soon; he wasn’t sure he could take the drama. “Come on, spill, what’s got you all hot and bothered.”
He narrowed his eyes at Iain. “What’s your species?”
Damn it. Shifting on the spot, Iain said, “What’s that got to do with anything?”
Ba’al vanished only to reappear next to Iain. “Everything.”
Not wanting to answer, he displayed his character sheet and pointed at the asterisk. “Human-ish”
“Close it.” Ba’al shot backward waving his hands as he shouted. “Close it now. Don’t ever show that to anyone again.”
Iain quickly banished the screen. “Calm down.” Shaking his head, he said, “Jesus, dude.”
Robin frowned. “That was there when the System came online, right?”
Iain nodded. “It was.”
Mumbling to himself, Ba’al hovered in a circular pattern for several seconds before turning to Iain. “Okay…yeah, that makes sense. Look, there’s obviously some hinky shit going on with your species.” He held out his hands to stop the questions. “No, I don’t know what that means, but for the record, your class, Runic War Mage, was a thing of myth before I came into this realm. The only reason anyone knew it existed is because of the standing bounty the RGHIA had and likely still does on them.”
Iain didn’t like the sound of that. “Standing bounty? For a class that didn’t exist at the time?”
Ba’al quickly nodded. “Exactly…there were others such as the Lord Protectors and Imperial Daimyo’s to name a few. But those three held the record for the highest payouts.” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “Have you ever heard of the {Redacted} Empire?”
Robin gave him a weird look. “Why did you say redacted in a weird mechanical voice?”
“I didn’t.” Ba’al frowned. “I said, {Redacted} Empire.”
Iain shook his head. “Nope you keep saying redacted then empire. And yes, that is a super weird mechanical voice.”
He paused. “If…huh. The only way for that to happen is if the System itself is actively restricting certain words.”
Iain wasn’t sure he liked anything that could hide information in real time. “Maybe try writing it out.”
Ba’al nodded then began tracing out fiery letters in the air. When he finished it read: {Redacted} Empire. He chuckled. “Wow…okay, the System is proactively preventing me from telling you certain things and maybe…” His words trailed off. “Iain, open your character sheet again.”
Iain frowned. “But you said not to do that.”
He waved away the words. “I think the System is actively hiding you, but I need to see your logs to make sure.”
Iain flicked the screen up again. “There ya go.”
Several seconds passed as Ba’al’s eyes alternated between glowing brightly and dimming. Finally, he nodded. “Okay, close it up, don’t tell people about this, and in the future let’s keep this function to something shared through the party system as an extra layer of protection.”
Iain gave him a thumbs up. “Sure…okay…let us know how that party thing works.”
Ba’al nodded. “I will.”
Robin folded her arms. “Who is the System hiding him from?”
“The RGHIA.” Ba’al shrugged. “The Daimyo’s—those are the nobles that rule over the different sectors of the cosmos under the System’s influence—and the less savory power brokers.”
Her foot tapped against the floor. “And why would they be interested in finding a Runic War Mage?”
Ba’al shook his head. “Other than the standing bounty, I don’t know. It’s my assumption the classes mentioned pose some sort of threat to the general public, or more likely to the RGHIA and their allies. How this could be, I don’t know. Though, I used to know someone who might. Like me, though, they were banished.”
Iain arched an eyebrow. “Who are they?”
“Moloch.” His tone turned wistful. “He was family, in the sense we originate from the same realm. When I first arrived in this one, he took the time to show me how things worked, having been here for longer than I.”
Iain could tell this was a touchy subject. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Ba’al offered him a weak smile. “Thank you.”
Robin grimaced. “There has to be some authority that would help us.”
“Not anymore.” Ba’al’s shoulders slumped forward. “A few years before we were banished, I heard the last Peacemaker had been killed.”
Iain gave the little man a curious look. “What is a Peacemaker?”
“Right…again, you wouldn’t know.” A small grin crossed his lips. “It’s like this.”
A Peacemaker was an occupation usually taken up by an unknown class. At one point in history, they were the civilian authority keeping the peace amongst the civilized worlds. Their sole job was to broker treaties between factions and keep conflicts from spilling out into the cosmos. After some betrayal of one of their kind, the RGHIA declared them public enemy number one. Slowly, their numbers dwindled until they became extinct.
Much like the bloodline issue, being a Peacemaker painted a target on you. Often, the reason they were so powerful was due to them surviving one assassination attempt after the other.
Iain understood just how fucked he was without the System’s current assistance. “What about the RGHIA representative overseeing my feed?” He showed them several of the snide comments. “As you can see, they are kind of a prick. What’s to stop them from telling the rest of the RGHIA about my existence?”
Ba’al grinned. “The moment the System sent you the information marked hidden class it’s been filtering the outgoing information. Currently, the RGHIA thinks you are an artificer class. Though that could be an occupation, the outgoing logs are spoofing the information provided to the administrators.”
