Underworld - Book 8 - Chapter 29 - Part B

The most difficult thing about shopping in a place like Matriarch’s crown was that there were so many shops you could spend days or even weeks going through them all. Without being asked, Master Mather had someone track down the rarest and most powerful monsters for sale in the city. We were provided with a list. Almost everything we were looking for was in one specific location that just happened to be the largest zoo in the city—likely the entire empire.

We touched down on the street outside of the zoo. It was like showing up to an amusement park at rush hour. People were everywhere. There was a giant gate at the entrance and a fence several hundred feet high around the perimeter of the property. It was made of some dark metal alloy. It was the most surface-like of all the locations I’d seen in Matriarch’s Crown. Even if it did look more like Jurassic Park than a zoo in stature.

That was only from the outside, however. Why would a succubus let a piece of property go without a massive building on it? One with levels full of different kinds of animals and monsters. At least it seemed to be made of natural stone and was covered in vines to make it look like Olivia’s palace if she had one.

As we approached, Ronja announced that we’d have to pay to enter. “The palace grounds are the home to many ancient monsters that people often come to study and gawk at. The beasts for sale are kept in the zoo’s palace.”

“So you have to pay just to get a chance to buy?” I asked.

“Yes,” Nava replied. “The vampire owner is very wise in exploitation.”

“He’s a master in creating the illusion of exclusivity which attracts people from all over the succubi realm and beyond,” Ronja countered.

Sister Nava offered a small grin as if conceding, but I knew better. She just didn’t think it was worth arguing about.

The line was a long one, but our stylist led us toward a mostly empty line. As we moved in that direction, we caught the attention of others. It started as a murmur, but soon one person called out, “It’s the Illuminated Cathedral! Isn’t that their grandmaster light mage?”

We’d had little fan fair in the week following the Head Mistress’s party, but it seemed that was because we’d been outside the capital. There was a lot of sudden screaming that sounded positive, though a few not so appropriate comments slipped through with the rest.

Seeing Aeris’s jaw clench at the sound of succubi catcalls being directed toward her husband, I grabbed her hand and drew close.

There was a succubus working the VIP line we approached. She was behind a booth that had office desk vibes. She was working for a vampire in the Succubi Realm? Her level wasn’t high, but at least Mistress level at 20,000.

The succubus stood and I immediately noticed her chestnut color hair reached down past her waist. She had a serious squint as she said, “Pleasure, Mistresses. Master.” She nodded to each of us in turn. “What special services can the Zacarro family provide you?”

Zacarro? That was the name of the vampire that had stood with Mystarius and fought the vampire Jicarr with Lilith. So it seemed this vampire had chosen the succubi over his own people to run this enterprise.

Ronja stepped aside and we approached the woman ourselves. Since we were mainly there for me, I was forward about our reasoning. “I’m looking to unlock new shapeshifting forms. I was told this is the best place.”

The woman smiled at me sweetly. “We do have many top tier creatures, but gaining access to their forms can be quite difficult. The most powerful creatures are naturally difficult to steal the essence of. The ones within the Zacarro Zoo have been the target of countless Blue Mages and have developed a high resistance I’m afraid.

“With the right approach, some of our creatures can be persuaded. We can help. This is a service we offer. For a humble fee, of course.”

And there you have it. One of the reasons they had monsters on display outside the place where they were sold was to make money off Blue Mages and the like. It wasn’t just essences you could learn from monsters, after all. You could also steal Blue Magic spells.

I quickly categorized my schools of magic and my major shapeshifting forms that helped bolster them.

School of Magic

Natural Talents: Light Magic, Blue Magic

Unlocked: Dark, Earth, Nature, Water, Wind

My Trueblooded Vampire Form was best paired with my Dark Magic. Earth Incubus paired with Earth. I didn’t rightly have a form that I considered a good match with Nature, while Water went well with Leviathan though I’d prefer a more practical one. And finally, Wind paired perfectly with Wind Wisp.

There were also sub-pairings like Metal Dragon with Earth Magic. It could help me bolster the Metal Aspects of Earth. Primordial Cat also paired with it but only partially. Earth Magic did not focus on temperature, so Magma was best defined as a mixture between Earth and Fire.

In the most technical sense, Nature could be considered a sub-element of earth and water. But that wasn’t all. There was a required Alignment Aspect to it as well. It dealt with the organic. Substances that were derived from living organisms be it plants or animals. What made it so interesting, and likely even more diverse than Earth, was that it could use either Life Aspect from Light Magic or Vitality Aspect from Dark Magic. It didn’t care. That was an entire world of complexity I wasn’t ready to open yet.

So my priority was getting a compatible Nature Form and maybe a more realistic Water Form. After that, any rare sub elements would be nice. If anything was just straight up powerful, I’d happily go there.

I was focusing on getting a good pairing for each so that I could push each element to the highest rank. I’d have the best bet of creating a perfect mirror and perfect lens that way.

At the same time, I’d take whatever I could get. Realistically, the best forms were not easy to come by though. The only reason I had the Primordial Cat Form was because Xaphan let me have it. So this service might allow me to get forms I’d never be able to get otherwise. Not without fighting and killing the monster.

“I see. How much?” I asked.

“One million dark coins,” she replied.

It was expensive for anyone else, but I could manage, but she wasn’t finished.

“That is for the most common creatures. For high-tier monsters? Ten million.”

I knew it was coming. Instead of waiting for her, I just asked, “And the best?”

“One hundred million.” As if anticipating our objection, she was quick to add, “The cost comes with a guarantee that you’ll be able to obtain their form.”

I clenched my jaw so as to hide my wince. Did I still had enough for a few of the best forms? Yes, but only a couple at most.

“This is for the best,” butler Shamash chose that moment to say aloud. “You’ve been barraged with a vast number of possibilities after unlocking so many schools of magic so quickly. Obtaining one or two more forms that are useful enough for consistent use will be far more beneficial than obtaining hundreds of lesser ones you rarely will.”

Did I internally pout like a man-child? Yes, but I didn’t voice my disappointment. If I was honest, I felt a sense of relief. The reality was, the more options I had, the more time it would take for me to figure out my best course of action. We were at war. Time was not something I had the liberty to waste.

I quickly glanced at my inventory and found a little more than 2,000 Master Dark Orbs. That would allow me to get two top-tier forms. Maybe more if I tried to trade some of the elemental orbs I’d created. I could always come back after the Fair if and when I had more money. That also depended on what forms they had available. We had a list, but we also needed to confirm. So I asked her what top-tier forms they had.

Instead of just answering, a tome appeared in her hand which she carefully sat down on the table. It was facing us, already open to the first page. It was a dragon. An Ice Dragon. The drawing was expertly done. Its nose was long and sharp like an ice shard, while its skull had two horns jutting back, matching the theme. Its body was thin, but its powerful wings and limbs made it look more like a dragon from western lore than eastern.

It wasn’t on the top of my list, but I’d much rather have an Ice Dragon Form than Leviathan.

Aeris and I shared a surprised look. It wasn’t one that had been on Master Mather’s list.

“Don’t even think about it,” Shamash said through mind speak. “If you’re low on funds then this would just be a waste of money when there are better options. Leviathan is for all practical purposes a Water Dragon From.”

I reluctantly motioned for the succubus to move on. The next page depicted something that had been on Mather’s list. The Grandfather Deathstalker Scorpion was more than a massive scorpion with obsidian black armored skin to compete with my own. It was considered one of the natural masters of venom in all its varieties. I wanted it, but was it the best option right now?

She flipped to the next page at my request. It looked like a flying insect in the shape of an eagle except with the wings of a dragonfly and excessively long tail feathers. Yes, it had feathers and armored skin. It wasn’t an elemental beast at all. It had only one real ability. Nothing could outfly it.

The next creature had a sub-element of earth that made its fur and skin tough. Its real prowess was from its size and grappling ability. This one really was just a large bear. It was called a Mountain Bear because it was the size of a mountain. Technically, it was said to come from a hilly area in the Underworld that was so full of life that something so huge could develop. It also had a dusty grey coat, setting it apart from any bears I’d seen on the surface.

We were drawing near to the last page and I still hadn’t seen what I was looking for. Next came a Bull Fire Dragon. It was a variety that didn’t have wings and was covered in spikes. It looked like a fun time, but Primordial Cat simply sounded more formidable.

There was also a spider. For all the male spiders the black widow killed after mating, this brown bachelor made up for. It was known to breed, wait for the eggs to hatch before eating the baby spiders alive. It would leave its harem of females alive to do it all over again again. Of course, it wasn’t called a brown bachelor. That was just my name for it. It looked more like a brown jumping spider with more vicious fangs and was the size of a semi with legs. As soon as it appeared, I had the succubus turn the page.

Then I saw what I was looking for. It was the only humanoid on the list. It wasn’t a forest elf as was common in fantasy lore, or an Ent like in Lord of the Rings. It was closer to Groot from Guardings of the Galaxy with a soft forest elf inside its woody skin. This one in particular was chubby. More like a large fantasy dwarf than a petite athletic elf. They were called the Dendran.  

I removed a magic bag and filled it with 1,000 Master Dark Orbs. Reluctantly, I handed it over to her.

The succubus took it, gave it a scan, then glanced up at us with a smile. “Since the deal is struck, I’ll wave your entrance fees. Please follow me.”

The entire deal felt like I was being had by a used car dealer, but I knew how powerful a guarantee was when learning a top-level form.

As we followed the woman, I began to loosen up. I wasn’t alone. Our entire group saw the first enclosure that held a giant snake. It looked like a pit viper but was fifty feet long. It was only the first of many spectacles. They weren’t kept in cages either. These were exhibits that made the best surface zoos look cheap.

I admit to casting Force Learn on the viper. It was then that I learned there was some kind of spell blocking my perceptions path.

The succubus looked back and gave me a wink.

“No fair,” I called.

She giggled as if she were flirting with me, so I clamped my mouth shut.

Aeris glared at me, but I noticed how forced it was. She was probably a little jealous. She also was getting a kick out of seeing me squirm.

“You find this funny, do you?” I said through mind-speak.

“Only a little. Knowing that most of the succubi would murder and eat you if it was socially acceptable dampers the joke a tiny bit.”

“Tiny bit?”

She held her hand up to her eye and showed me a sliver of a gap between her thumb and index finger.

Hearing a gasp from behind, I turned to see Jasmine gawking at the next creature. It was… No way. I’d seen this creature in textbooks growing up. It was an Ankylosaurus. A literal dinosaur that had survived here while going extinct on the surface world. It was more or less a massive armadillo with an armored head that looked like a broad arrow and a tail with a solid mass at the end like a flail. It was sitting there in the shade of a tree napping.

Then I saw Nava say something to the vampire girl I’d once rescued. A modest smile touched the detached girl’s face. Queen Degima was next to them, tilting her head at what was said, but Jasmine’s reaction was too much. She was a vampire raised as a slave. She never betrayed what she was feeling if she could help it. So much so that when her tears finally escaped late at night, she wisped them away with mana to hide the evidence. Yet here she was. Grinning…

Aeris gave my arm a squeeze. When our eyes met, she gave me a knowing smile.

The next major exhibit was the Bull Fire Dragon. Every joint, including those of its spine had the cruelest spikes jutting out. Despite its viper-like gaze, I sensed its intelligence as it lazily watched the crowd walking past.

I couldn’t help but glance back. Jasmine was wide eyed and not hiding her delight. As willing as I’d been to help her, I knew I was out of my depths. So to see her like that after what she’d been through—after what I’d done to Persepolis.

A sad smile spread across my face. She was the one thing remaining from that wretched vampire city that proved I hadn’t gone there with the intention of destroying it.

We were already planning on getting Nava a pet, so when I mentioned to Aeris that we might as well get Jasmine one too, she thought it was a great idea. I didn’t want to leave Degima out of it, but my wife mentioned we should ask her if she wanted a pet first.

As we moved on, I enjoyed the sights with my wife until we arrived at the Dendran’s rock. The cubby dwarf with bark-like skin sat on top of a large boulder watching the crowd intently. Small vines had creeped down the boulder on all sides from his body to plant themselves in the ground.

When the creature saw the succubus working as the Zacarro family representative, he took a deep pull on what I realized was a pipe. Instead of exiting out its mouth, a few seconds later it came out of its ears? And why exactly was a wood-creature smoking a pipe? I hadn’t seen anyone in succubi territory smoking at all. Nor in the vampire cities I had visited.

Leaning forward, the Dendran must have addressed the succubus through mind-speak, for it didn’t have a mouth but looked rather excited. A moment later, it turned to me and looked curious. There was no delay. It didn’t wait for me. My perceptions were dragged into me in the same way they’d been when the ancient vampire Mystarius had forced his way in.

I have to admit, after what I’d seen of the creature, he seemed rather goofy, but what I felt when touching souls with him was something else entirely. It was the most alien creature I’d ever met. Immediately, I knew it was a max level creature. There was no fear or threatening—no gauging of intentions as was required in every exchange between sentient beings. It had the same careless attitude as the Phantom Lynx when it had sauntered into the Wraith’s spire. There was one massive difference between in and the Lynx, however. The Dendran wasn’t a predator. It was inquisitive but also patient. I hadn’t felt such a confident serenity since coming to the Underworld. That wasn’t true. I was human. I’d never felt anything like this before.

It didn’t think the same way the human, monster and bestial races did. Even though our souls touched, we didn’t share words. It was like an old man in the depths of his wisdom taking a young boy aside, patting him on the head, and telling him stories from his youth. I’d become very good at feeling how insignificant we were compared to the real powerhouses of the Underworld, but this transcended even that.

If it wasn’t for my wife and her Wisp Form, I wouldn’t have understood why. Not at first. Yet, I’d already heard the stories of how careless such creatures became. How they could travel battlefields and the most treacherous terrain with no fear. This Dendran was the same kind of creature. Did that mean he was just as elusive as a Wisp or did his power lie elsewhere? And if it did?

I suddenly imagined all the nukes from the surface appearing in Matriarch’s Crown and exploding as one. Thousands of nuclear devices turning the countless palaces to ash. All that was left was this strange earthy creature that was now sitting on the rubble that was left.

The Dendran had left my inner world long before I shook myself from my thoughts. It had gifted me its Essence.

Dendran Form

Level: 1

Cost: 20,000 Mana Per Second (2,000 with buffs)

+50% Nature Magic

+100% Wood Magic

Special Abilities: One with the World, Treefolk, Novice Nature Magic

One with the World – The world has a pace. Its own heartbeat. It’s a bulwark to time and the happenings of the world around it. Using this allows you to slow down your heart and mind to match it.

Treefolk – Using this allows you to reconstitute your body with the characteristics from the many tree species in existence. From hardwoods to softwoods, conifers to deciduous.

Note: Rooting yourself into the ground doesn’t just add stability, but also a source to draw from. If rooted and your body is destroyed, with a deep enough tap root you are able to regrow.

Novice Nature Magic – Nature Magic unlocked while in this form. Advancement through the spell tree is required for more advanced spells.

Next Level:

Cost: 19,900 Mana Per Second (1,990 with buffs)

My first observation was that it cost more mana than my Wind Wisp Form. That got me excited, but seeing what the more I read the more enthused I became. Not only was it one of the rare forms that gave access to a school of magic, but it gave +50% to Nature Magic, the very school I had purchased the form to bolster. The buff meant my Nature Magic would be that much more powerful.

That alone made it worth it, but it was impossible to miss the +100% Wood Magic. It didn’t unlock a separate school as I’d hoped. Then I reread Treefolk and realized it was like a 100% buff to the ability. I theorized I could use it in at least two ways. One was to create some extremely durable wooden armor that might even protect me internally. And the second would let me root myself in the ground as a lifesaving measure. If I was interpreting it correctly, I could send a root deep into the ground and regrow myself even if my body was destroyed. Of course, experimentation should reveal even more.

“Are you satisfied?” the succubus guiding us asked.

“Very,” I admitted.

The others congratulated me, but I was still so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize how quite Aeris had been during the process. When I noticed a few minutes later, we were already on our way to the actual shop where we could look for pets among other things.

“I’m surprised you didn’t fly over and pet the Dendran,” I teased her through mind-speak.

She grinned but it quickly faded.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I’ve never felt anything so strange,” she replied. “It’s like it is a plant and not a creature, but that’s not exactly it either.”

“Yeah.” I showed her the form’s description and pointed out One with the World.

“Heart and mind slow down to match the world? That might be it…”

“Lord, er,” I heard a familiar voice that pulled my attention from the private conversation I was having with Aeris.

Glancing back, I found Jasmine looking at me but unwilling to raise her eyes to meet mine. She’d returned to that passive vampire state that didn’t betray what she was feeling. Then Nava nudged her.

The dark elf vampire woman’s eyes darted in the succubus’s direction before returning to me. Degima was standing opposite Nava and nodding to shy vampire to encourage her.

Then she straightened herself and said, “Elorion.”

“Hey Jasmine,” I replied. “Yeah?”

“Would you mind if we look at the animals a little longer? We’ll catch up when we’re done and be ready to leave if you need us.”

I knew exactly how big of a deal this was. She was asking something for herself. She was asking me. Someone she looked up to in a similar way she might her abusive old master. When we had been traveling alone, she’d had to come to me because she had no other choice, but since we’d returned to Sanctuary, I couldn’t recall a single time she’d come to me directly to ask for anything. I’d even approached her first when she requested to come with us.

My face lit up, but inside I was a mess. What was one life out of tens of thousands? Yet just a glimpse of something positive coming out of my trip to Persepolis ripped me apart on the inside. It was a desperate joy I felt in seeing just a smidgen of happiness in this vampire’s face.

Returning to Sanctuary had been a balm to the soul. The goofy humor the guys and I shared was a throwback to a simpler, happier time. But it was also a mask we all wore. However, it wasn’t exactly a diluted fantasy we all silently agreed to participate in. It was real. The guys and I could act the fool with the best of them. The girls also had their moments, as well. We were coping the best we knew how.

The truth was, I wasn’t sure I’d even begun to recover in what might be considered a healthy way. There were things that needed to be done, so I did them. That wouldn’t change. It was how I coped. Where other people drown out their responsibilities with booze or just about anything else, I drown myself in them. But seeing Jasmine like this now? Maybe all of it would be worth it—one day.

“Sure. If you guys want to keep looking around, how about we all stay for a little longer.” I didn’t say that I wanted them to follow us into the zoo’s palace so that we watch to see their reactions to the many pets so that we knew what to buy them.

Jasmine’s smile looked rather awkward like her facial muscles didn’t quite know what to do after a lifetime in hiding. At the same time, it was the most genuine smile I’d ever seen.

The movement came so swiftly that I almost didn’t have time to activate Time Crawl. As I did, I saw the quickly encroaching image of a woman attacking. Her target? Jasmine. She was flying in from directly behind her while staying low just above the heads of the crowd.

I was ready to burst into my Astral From when I saw it before I’d felt anything. A blade was sticking out of my chest. Immediately, I check my internals. My heart had been pierced back to front and the grandmaster core that had been implanted had been jarred loose. It hadn’t destroyed it, however.

Somehow, even with Time Crawl active, I had lost track of time in the suddenness of the situation. The assassin that had been aiming for Jasmine was moving too fast. I glanced up only to see the blade had already reached her. She was still smiling.