Stranger Among Strangers, page 26
part #1 of Dark Covenant Series
"I don't care about that," the priestess frowns. "Was there anyone else there, besides the duke?"
I shake my head, my expression as sincere as I'm able to make it. "I saw no other sentient there. Of course, it's possible that I missed something, or someone..."
Cornelia keeps boring me with her penetrating eyes for a good ten seconds, the tension in the air growing as thick as jelly, but then the corners of the mouth twitch and relax. She nods and rises from her armchair with remarkable grace.
"Very well. I trust we understood one another," she says softly and walks up to me.
"Take this, sargtlin," the priestess hands me a gold ring. "As a token of my gratitude."
Your reputation has increased. Drow members of House Alehan relate to you with respect.
The Grand Duchess' eyes are so big and green, her scent of violets so intoxicating, that I stand there for a moment, unsure of what to do or say. But the moment quickly passes.
"Thank you, mistress," I accept the ring from the priestess' hand, trying not to stare at her heaving chest, and bow my head. "What message shall I relay to Duchess Etna?"
"Tell her that there shan't be a war. Today I will give the order to withdraw our troops from the border, and I'll speak with Matron Alessa before the Council convenes." Cornelia gives me another appraising look, the corners of her mouth twitching once more. "As for you, Kris, I want you to come see me after your adoption is settled. I have a task that seems a perfect fit for an enterprising young man such as yourself. Simply announce yourself at the door, and you will be let through. Now go..."
"Of course, mistress. Thank you and take care!"
I spin on my heels and start toward the door.
"Take care, Kris..." she says softly behind me.
The mage is waiting for me on the other side of the door. Only now do I notice his name: Kyrn. He escorts me out of the building and bids me goodbye. And it's not until I exit the residence altogether that I realize I'm still clutching Cornelia's present in my hand.
Tiny green symbols shimmer faintly along the rim of the ring, its triangular frame inlaid with three small emeralds that seem to have been drowned in the surrounding metal.
I smile and focus on the ring, then gasp with awe.
Band of Deferred Death
Bind on equip.
Durability: 18,976/20,000.
Epic, scalable.
No minimum level.
+201 to Strength;
+201 to Agility;
+201 to Constitution;
+20.1% to damage-over-time effects.
Crafted by an unknown drow master.
Yes! My second scalable epic! And without any trickery this time, it would appear. Cornelia essentially traded one ring in exchange for another, but it happens to be the most lucrative trade of my life. And she sure is gorgeous... Yes, of course, my Daria is the best, and it's silly to desire a woman who's a thousand times stronger than you could ever be, and yet...
Hold up! What are you thinking?! I chastise myself for acting like an amped-up teenager at his first school dance. My mind should be focused on the task at hand! Everything has been going a bit too smoothly for my liking, and that's reason enough to be concerned. All of a sudden, priestesses have turned to good witches, the locals don't even grimace at my approach, and I scored a gift from Bel himself that far surpasses anything I could have hoped for. If it weren't for this quest, I'd be boozing it up in the inn to celebrate properly. Which is exactly what I will do once the quest is finished and I've reported to Etna.
But that will be then. Meanwhile, I must focus on the vault. After all, the tiniest error may result in my screwing up and negating all that I've achieved thus far. Somehow I doubt that the drow would smile favorably on a kinless caught trying to steal from their goddess.
With a deep sigh, I equip the new ring, tighten my armor straps, and start down an alley toward the temple. The statues framing the path watch me reproachfully as I pass.
Chapter 58
Lolth's temple is drastically different from the other temples I've been to. The temple proper is really the central part of the building, containing the altar, which is also where services are performed. The North Wing is where both Councils meet, and the South Wing serves as a sort of boarding school where priestesses dwell and study.
I renew my buffs at the temple steps, use the curse scroll, fade into invis, and only then begin my ascent, keeping to the right wall.
I pass an enormous rectangular terrace on the level of the third floor. Upon it, at the edge and right down the center, stands a black-as-coal statue of a bat. Wings spread, jaw open in a soundless scream, huge fangs curved inward...
The sight of the beast makes me uneasy. It doesn't seem to be anything extraordinary at a glance, yet somehow the sight of it changes everything, stripping away the sense of fairytale wonder, warping the refined beauty of the temple complex into garish, cartoonish decorations. A thought settles deep in my head, gnawing at me. This winged foulness has no right to be here, no right at all. This must be the statue mentioned by the Guardian of the Temple of the Seven, I've no doubt about it now. Now if only I knew what he meant by the statue being "nearly full." Nearly full of what? And how can you "fill" a statue, anyway? Before the patch, it was a mere symbol. Female roleplayers who chose to play as priestesses gathered on this terrace once a month and the statue singled out one of them by some metric. That is exactly how Daria became a lesser priestess, in fact. But something has definitely changed since those times, though I'm not sure why I harbor this feeling. Perhaps it's due to my accepting the quest from the Departed Gods whereas the statue represents the goddess who betrayed them? I don't know, but this isn't the time to indulge in premonitions. Business first...
The doors to the South Wing are open. Inside, two player priestesses stand watch behind a counter, and they notice me right away. I allow myself a glance in the direction of the living quarters before turning right, toward the staircase. The library is on the third floor, and Daria... I'll find a way to visit Daria later, somehow. Perhaps once I hand in the completed quest to the duchess I'll have free access to the temple complex.
What do they actually do here? Just study? Or are there social events of some kind? Damn! What if Daria found someone else?!
The thought sends chills down my spine. Could this be the reason I've been getting so lucky?
I stop, close my eyes, and take a deep breath to calm myself. No, impossible... I've been betrayed once, and I can't handle the thought of it happening again. Oh, screw it! As soon as I'm done with the quest, I'm paying her a visit. Room number nine, I remember...
On the way up the stairs, I pass by a patrol going down: two warriors and a mage, all level 300. What could they be guarding here? Or are they just wandering around empty halls?
The third floor is allocated exclusively for education, with the library being located at the tail end of it.
I walk down a long empty corridor and turn right. There's the door to the chamber I need. A level 150 lock opens from the first attempt. I enter, closing the door behind me carefully, look around, then whistle mentally to myself. With four colossal rows, each comprising a healthy fifteen shelves, the library is impressive indeed.
For the life of me I cannot understand the purpose of all these books here. Whatever they may teach, magic is the last thing you'll learn by reading them. An oversight on the devs' part? As in, how do you not put a library in a school? Of course, I could be missing something seeing as I haven't a clue what priestesses actually study. Histories of Karn and Anthrum? Drow language? Or something else entirely?
Wasting no time, I cross two halls and make another right, ending up in a small dimly lit room. No books here, just empty scrolls resting on three glass shelves. A pleasant scent of leather permeates the air. This is it!
I walk over to the far wall, push aside one of the shelves carefully, and produce from my bag the scroll gifted by Bel. Having never used one of these before, I nonetheless suspect that I shouldn't look directly at the True Light with my drow vision.
I turn my head and squeeze shut my eyes, then break the seal on the scroll. A brilliant flash illuminates the room, burning my hands as though someone poured a bucket of boiling water over them. My vision blurs, seeing nothing but orange spots. It takes about a minute before my eyes recover. I blink a few dozen times, then look at the wall. It worked!
The small door of light metal bears the engraving of a black sun over an equally black bonfire. The keyhole gapes right in the center of the celestial body.
I focus my eyes on it and grunt. The lock's level cannot be ascertained, but I don't detect any traps. Thankfully, Bel's lockpick will bypass them all anyway, so it doesn't matter. I stand there for another ten seconds, thinking, before a sudden impulse compels me to take out the lockpick from the premium chest and slide it into the keyhole. The lock clicks and the door inches forward as the belated realization of what just happened washes over me.
Your Lockpicking skill has increased to 153.
Idiot! I just staked your life on a fifty percent chance! And all because I didn't want to squander an epic Luck scroll. How mighty foolish of you, Venom... On the other hand, it worked! And you don't judge winners.
Wiping the sweat off my brow, I open the door and peek into the vault. The initial reaction is that of... disappointment. At the center of a small blue room is a metal stand with three items lying on it. A book, thick and tattered with cracked leather binding; a small black vial; and a huge soulstone. Nothing else. No chests overflowing with gold or any such riches from Ali Baba's cave. Of course, these three items may turn out to be priceless, even if I can't extract any practical use from them at this time.
I walk into the room, pick the stone up off the stand, and focus my eyes on it.
Level 775 Soulstone
Bound item.
Material: enchanted rock crystal impregnated with truesilver.
Does not contain any souls.
Holy shit... This thing can hold the soul of a god! And yet, it has zero practical use to me, as I feared. In order to confine a soul to the stone you need to a) know to do it, and b) the target must be down at least eighty-five percent HP. Now show me a force capable of bringing the HP of a Great Essence into the red... Of course, the stone can also be used to capture a lesser soul, but doing so would be downright moronic. Such a stone can only be used once, and wasting it needlessly is tantamount to firing a nuclear rocket at a wasp. Oh well, perhaps I'll find use for it in a thousand years...
With a chuckle, I put the stone away and pick up the vial.
Vial of True Darkness
Contains a speck of Primordial Element.
Break to use.
Attention! Using the Vial of True Darkness will permanently transform your character.
Mm-hmm, somehow that doesn't make me eager to use this thing. Permanent changes and all. What if I grow a tail and horns? Or maybe scales?
It's too bad the vial isn't bind on pickup, meaning it can be looted off my corpse. And Bel made sure to mention that I mustn't allow it. After a moment of deliberation, I remove an Energy potion from one of my belt slots and replace it with the vial. Now I'll be able to break it in an instant if cornered, and I'll make sure to store it in my personal chest after making it to my private room, safe from harm.
Arkam's Manuscript
Bound item.
Contains the notes and observations of Arkam, the God of Wisdom, over the period of his study of the Great Dark Ocean.
The cracked leather cover bears the same black bonfire and sun. Interesting symbolism... I make a mental note to check the Chronicles for any information.
I open the book, leaf through a few yellowed pages, and nod with satisfaction. The book is written in perfectly legible calligraphic font.
But now is not the time to read it. This, too, will need to wait till later.
I tuck the manuscript into my bag, triggering an expected flood of text from a system message.
You've completed the quest: Covenant with the Departed I: Arkam's Manuscript and the Vial of True Darkness.
You have gained a level! Current level: 202.
You have 2 talent points to allocate.
Class bonus: +1 to Agility, +1 to Constitution.
You have 6 stat points to allocate.
You've accessed the quest: Covenant with the Departed II.
Read Arkam's Manuscript.
Reward: experience.
Attention! Under no circumstances may the Vial of True Darkness or Arkam's Manuscript fall into anyone else's possession. Failure to fulfill this condition will result in the loss of your character.
Chapter 59
A loss of my character? Do they mean final, irreversible death? How is that even possible? Not that I plan on giving up the vial. It would be pretty foolish to die for real when you've got your whole life in front of you, and that life is immortal. Anyway, reading the manuscript will likewise need to wait until I'm in a safe place. Besides, I'm pressed for time—even more so if I am to visit Daria, as planned.
Down in the hall, the priestesses on duty are conversing with the patrolmen, distracted. I slip through the door and proceed toward the living quarters. It's hard to express in words my emotions. What if Daria isn't alone? What if she has found someone else? Hell, any one of the local nobles beats a kinless rogue by a mile! Then again, I'm on the doorstep of being granted membership in an Elder House, so I shouldn't sell myself short.
The wide hallway is steeped in shadows. Stepping soundlessly on the carpeted floor, I take a right and stop in front of a wooden door with the number "9" carved on the face of it. Well, here goes.
I fight down the rush of emotions and the lily-livered fear, slip out of invisibility, and knock one, two, three times. Time to find out whether I'm alone in this world, or we are still two.
My mother died of an overdose when I was six years old. This was followed by three years at an orphanage. My grandpa took me in after getting out of prison, and that must have been when I felt a sharp need to be close with someone. I... I don't like people, but everyone should have someone whom they can trust unconditionally. Someone who won't betray you, no matter what... Grandpa died three days before I returned from the army. I just barely made it to his funeral. He was everything to me, and the solitude I felt when he left me was unbearable.
Twenty seconds pass without an answer. Nasty thoughts start crawling into my head, and I feel hysteria mounting when, at last, I hear the sound of soft footsteps. The door opens...
"Oleg? Is it really you?" Daria steps back, her eyes wide with shock. The next second, the girl falls into my arms and presses her forehead into my shoulder. "Silly rogue," she whispers softly while clasping me around the waist.
And I... I simply hold her. I need nothing else but this. Everything is right with the world, and all that has happened to me hasn't been for naught.
"Get in, quickly!" Daria steps back and pulls me into the room.
I follow her in, close the door, and smile.
"Hi there! I've been missing you, is all. And seeing as I happened to be in the neighborhood..."
My girlfriend laughed with glee. "I figured. Come on in, have a seat."
Her room is small, maybe one hundred and fifty square feet. Pink curtains, computer desk, blue closets, coffee machine, a couple of chairs next to a small sofa, and an unmade bed. Daria never cared much for interior design. And I couldn't care less now that we're together again.
"How did you find me? Better yet, how did you get into the temple to begin with?" Daria flicks on the light and turns to me with feigned suspicion. "Do you have any idea the risk you're taking?"
"Oh, it's all right," I smile and take a seat on the sofa. "How have you been handing it? The recent changes, I mean."
She shrugs, walks over and sits next to me. "Like everyone else, I suppose. I was upset at first, but then... My mom is here now, too. Turns out your relatives can use the same capsule to enter the game. Only she picked humans—she didn't want to live underground. And now I don't know what to do. I cannot forsake my service to the Mistress," Daria looks away, her eyes filled with sadness as she contemplates the vase decorating the desk. "I told her that I couldn't, but she didn't listen."
Seeing the sudden shift in her mood, I try to offer some consolation.
"We've got lots of time now. You'll see her again eventually, and you'll catch up on everything."
Daria shakes her head. "It's more complicated than that. Drow and humans aren't exactly on speaking terms. But anyway, enough about me." She looks away from the vase and back at me. "Again I ask, how did you get onto the temple grounds? Getting access is not a simple thing."
"Oh, it's not so bad," I give a shrug. "I'm on a quest from Duchess Etna. Completing it with grant me membership in your House and a promotion to nobility."
My girlfriend's eyes go round. "Duchess Etna? You're joking?! But she never—"
"A lot has happened to me since the patch," I interrupt her, getting up from the chair. "I'll tell you all about it, but not now. Tomorrow we'll have plenty of time. I just wanted to see you real bad, make sure you're all right."
Though I have nearly three hours in reserve, having allayed my fears regarding my girlfriend, I want to get the hell out of the temple and to my private room as quickly as possible. The vial on my belt is too dangerous a possession for dillydallying.
The girl grabs me by the sleeve and sits me back down. "Oh no. You're not going to come here, drop a mountain of intrigue, and skedaddle right out. Tell me what happened to you! The short version, at least."
"Really, babe, I would have to start from the very beginning," I try to object. "And I have fifteen minutes, max."
"Fifteen minutes, then," my girlfriend insists with an imploring look. "And whatever you leave out, you'll tell me later."
"All right, all right," I smile at her. "So, when the patch first hit, I thought it was some kind of system malfunction, so I decided to take advantage and hit up Thalim for some brown moss. It's a rare reagent for my poisons. That decision liberated me from having to pay for residence in Anthrum. Oh, but right before the patch, I robbed this one paladin, and among other things, I picked up this." I show Daria the ring and get ready to continue the story, but she stops me.
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