Nether Feast - Chapter 5

At first, I didn’t recognize the cobblestone laden room in which I arrived. It was only when a couple of lesser Netherspawn raced toward me that I knew exactly where I was. Grayson Tower.

When my gaze fell upon the lesser demons, they stopped in their tracks as if they had no choice. My aura turned into an inferno of power. Their hearts literally exploded in their chests.

I ignored them and started to think something I hadn’t dared in an untold number of years. What should I do? The Netherplane had forced my hand, but now, I was free.

Pulling up my stats, I used them to get a gauge of myself.

Status

Title: The Human Who Feasts on the Netherplane

Name: Ailen Reaver

Class: Mage

Trait: Demon Subjugation (Unique)

Level: 931 (Ninth Realm)

Health: 5.3 Million

Mana: 5.9 Million

Stamina: 13.8 Trillion

Strength: 5,211

Agility: 4,674

Constitution: 5,675

Intelligence: 6,006

Wisdom: 5,131

Looking at myself in this manner, I wasn’t sure what to do. I probably couldn’t sleep even if I wanted to but trying might be a worthy endeavor. There was something I needed to do first—to eat anything besides demon and monster meat. I was instantly excited even though my face didn’t show it. Besides the rare instance of eating cooked meat, I hadn’t enjoyed food in all my time away. I’d been thrown into the Netherplane at the age of seventeen and returned... How long had it been?

Hearing a gasp from behind me, I spun to look at the group of low-level creatures I hadn’t bothered to pay attention to that had been a few rooms away. Their levels were so low, but at second glance they weren’t monsters at all. It was a young group of adventurers similar to one I’d once been a part of all those years ago.

Out came the voice of a young woman, “Boy, are you hurt?”

“He must be,” said the mail-covered man in front of her. “He’s covered in nothing but demon blood.”

Realizing that was the case, I removed the suit of mail I’d taken from Kiafer the demon lord and placed it in my inventory. It had layers of dried carnage covering it, so removing it left most of my body clean of blood and foreign body parts. It was too much of a mess for them to know what quality of equipment it was, thankfully. Except for the rags wrapped around my midsection, I stood there naked. The dirtiest part left on my body was my face that was still painted in gore.

“Greetings,” I said, noticing that my voice sounded odd. Not a boy exactly, but undeniably young. “I’m uninjured, but if you have some water you could spare for me to wash my face, I’d be grateful.”

There was three of them in total. They were only a few levels higher than I was when I’d last been here. Against the two lesser demons though, they would’ve probably been wiped out if I hadn’t arrived when I did.

The three of them just stood there looking at me like I was a specter or ghost. It was the girl who snapped out of it first and hurried forward to hand me her skin of water. Or at least that’s what I thought she was going to do. Instead, she poured the water over my face and started to wipe the blood clean. Seeing as I was half a head taller than her, I was surprised she still thought me a boy, but the cleaner I became, the more convinced she seemed of my age.

As she worked, the two guys that were with her had hurried forward and placed themselves behind us. There were many halls that led off to other rooms where monsters could lurk.

“Netherspawn,” the well armored man said, examining my kills.

“Mmm. Both dead,” the other man replied.

Now that my face was clear, the girl moved on to wiping down my chest and my back. I would’ve stopped her, but any touch other than steel, claw, or fangs was something I hadn’t felt in a very long time. I fell into an almost lethargic state and just enjoyed the moment of human contact.

“You killed them?” The girl asked, stopping the handwashing.

I nodded, murmuring something unintelligible in response.

As she gave me a worried look up and down, I gave her appearance my attention for the first time. Dark hair that was more wavey than curly, but matted down under her tarn helm. It had blue fabric coming down from the sides and back that she wrapped her hair in so it wouldn’t get in the way. Her eyes were large and her most attractive feature. Her nose was slightly hooked and blocky. As she pulled her mouth into a line, she had a single dimple on one side that left her face a little unbalanced, but undeniably attractive. From the looks of her blue gown over a chain vest beneath, she must have been a…

“Lifegiver?” I said with a curious tone.

“Yes,” She replied, her features tightening. “Do you need healing?”

I grabbed her wrist as she reached forward to do it regardless of my response. I held her there momentarily as gently as I could, shaking my head. “Thank you, but no.”

She pulled away and stepped back. She was showing caution of me for the first time.

Turning, I noticed both men in her party were just as young as she was. They had their backs to me as they were positioned to defend us if necessary. Their well-armored warrior had the beginnings of a brown beard under his full helm, and the other guy, a mage I gathered from of his blue robes, had long dark hair similar to the girl’s and even stood taller than their warrior. It seemed my height fell in between the two of them.

“If you want to search the two lesser demons for loot, you are welcome to anything you find,” I said, trying to smile and failing. It ended up looking more like a one-sided smirk. “I admit that I’m kind of new to this adventuring thing.” In a sense, it wasn’t a lie. This was still part of my first dungeon dive. The part about being thrown into a different realm for countless years wasn’t something they needed to know.

“You’re serious?” The mage replied, hesitating.

The girl stepped up beside me and leaned sideways to get a look at me from a different angle.

I met her gaze with a curious look. “Yes?”

“You really killed them? You look like you’re younger than we are…”

Shrugging, I replied. “I’m older than I look.”

Seeing her eyes leave my face and follow the lines of my mature physique, she pursed her mouth. “I suppose you are. You’re a warrior?”

I felt a little uncomfortable as she scrutinized my body. “No, I’m a mage. I’ve just had quite a bit of martial training as well.”

She made a “o” shape with her mouth, but no words came out.

“Mage, huh?” Their mage said from where he was crouched down on the floor harvesting the demon’s corpse. “What’s your specialty?”

“No specialty. I have learned mend, mana leech, and fireball.” Which was all true. During my time in the Netherplane, I hadn’t learned any new spells, but the ones I knew had all evolved until they were in their highest form. From there, their potency depended upon my wisdom and mana pool.

“Ahh. A jack of every trade. I’ve heard that approach is becoming popular in the capital.”

“If that’s the case, it’s the first I’ve heard of it. My kit mainly comes from not being sure what path to take.”

The warrior chuckled at that but didn’t turn back to face me as he responded. “The call of sword is a difficult one to deny.”

“Yes…” I said, but my thoughts were suddenly elsewhere. The conversation had reminded me that I didn’t know how long I’d been gone. My parents could be dead for all I knew, and Arusha…

“My name is Krissy,” the girl said. “What is yours?”

“Ailen.” I didn’t hesitate to respond.

“Nice to meet you, Ailen. Did your group perish? Is that how you ended up in such a mess and without clothes?”

Taking a moment to think, I needed to decide on my story so that I had something consistent to tell people. Details weren’t too important at this point. I’d keep it as vague as possible. “No, I came here alone. I’m level twenty-three, so I was surprised to find lesser demons on this floor. The blood came from a demon I killed that exploded while fleeing into a portal. As for my cloths, well there’s nothing much left of them so I inventoried them.”

There were many holes in my story, like where was the excess gore from the exploding demon, but they didn’t care to take their investigation that far. Instead, Krissy voiced a more serious concern.

“Did you swallow any demon blood? It’s so acidic it might kill you if you—”

“No,” I replied quickly to alleviate her fears, but it did remind me about the towel she’d used to wipe me down. “But the towel…”

“Right.”

She made a motion as if dumping something out of an imaginary bag when the towel fell out of her inventory straight to the ground. “Roland,” she called, and the mage glanced up and flung a small fireball at the towel before turning back to what he was doing.

Krissy then tried to persuade me to come with them. They were only going as high as the third floor.

I thanked them, but couldn’t join their party, for then they’d be able to see my level. I’d either have to kill them to keep them quiet, try to persuade them otherwise, or leave them to their whims. I wasn’t sure if there was anyone that could threaten me on this plane or not. I suspected not, but I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to make myself known. Staying anonymous for a while felt like the best way to survive. Survival… It was ingrained in me after all these years, but I had to acknowledge I was acting out of habit and not reason.

It was then that I remembered Kiafer’s warning. He suggested I needed to get stronger. Perhaps, but first I would get a bite to eat. Maybe try to sleep, and even bath.

Before they left, I asked, “What day is today?”

When Krissy responded that it was the year 1,184 of the third age, I found myself speechless for a long moment. I’d been gone for 101 years. My parents were likely dead, and even Arusha might have left the world. I hadn’t let myself hope for years, so the realization wasn’t painful, but it deflated any hope before it had the chance to grow inside me.

I waved to my new friends as they left me. Using my perceptions, I scanned the closest tower floors and found nothing that should cause them any problems. There was something a few floors up that caught my attention though, so I waited and snuck past them. Up through the third, fourth, and fifth floors. I didn’t bother fighting any monsters. Most were too fearful to approach me anyway and those too stupid to know better hand fangs as yielding as blades of grass in the wind. Their teeth were more likely to shatter on my flesh than scratch it.

Coming to a stop on the seventh floor, I found the creature who had caught my interest. It was a flightless bird with a spear-like beak and six-inch talons on its feet. For its level, it would have been an agility-based creature that would give most adventures a difficult time. I let it try to peck me through the chest and grabbed it by the back of the head, holding it secure. It jumped where it stood and tried to tear into me with its talons, but I didn’t budge.

I was there for the mana rich crystal growing out of its crown. It was red in color, and even though it was a tiny amount of mana compared to what I personally possessed, I remembered stories about such mana crystals and suspected selling it would grant me the funds to live comfortably while I figured out what to do next.

Removing it carefully from its head, I left the monster alive. Without the crystal, adventurers would have little incentive to hunt it. I may have done it a favor. From there, I hurried away and exited the tower soon after.

It was then, standing just outside the exit of the Grayson Tower, that I got my first feel for how much the world had changed in my absence. The town of Grayson had originally been a small village to service adventurers entering the tower, but it was no longer small or just a town. It had grown into a city of prominence. Before there had been a single wizard’s tower, now there were dozens surrounding me on all sides. The shorter but far larger guild and merchant halls were just as prevalent. The city was one of blue-gray stone and painted wood. The colors were a delight to my eyes that had been stuck in the gray world of the Netherplane for far too long.

I began to explore like real traveler. I’d already forgotten I wore little more than a loincloth and was still rather filthy.

The whispers of people I passed were the first thing to remind me of my predicament. I snorted heartily and couldn’t care less.

It was only when a pair of guards in green tunics with the image of a bucking horse crossed their spears in front of me that I resigned myself to having to find some clothes and a place to wash.

“Where you heading, boy?” One of the guards demanded.

Despite the man’s unwelcoming grimace, I couldn’t take their threat seriously. They were the weakest of creatures. I still tried to show a measure of respect. “Gentleman. Unfortunately, my clothing were shredded in the in the Grayson Tower, and I’m looking for a place to sell some of my loot so that I can remedy my embarrassing state. Would you be so kind to guide me?”

They both snickered as one.

“I’d be surprised if you’re old enough to change your own diaper, boy. You expect us to believe you’re an adventurer?”

Looking at the man, I considered slapping the life out of him. Just releasing my aura would be enough. But they weren’t trying to kill me. Killing had become so naturally to be that the only thing I did more often was breath. I was quite pleased to see that I hadn’t already killed the man. I quickly squelched any desire to puff out their sparks of life, and again tried my awkward smile. “Come on boys. Don’t berate a man who’s been cursed with the inability to grow a beard.” Holding up my palm, the red mana crystal I’d just plucked from the tower appeared in my hand. “Point me in the right direction so I can get a shower, food, and some shelter for the night.”

The guard who had yet to talk, whistled at what I held. “That’s a beauty. Sorry, sir. We really thought you were a vagrant here to take advantage of people’s pity. Follow. We’ll take you to a place that doesn’t mind serving someone in your state.”

“I appreciate that.”

The first guard who addressed me was running his fingers through his beard while studying my lack of one and cursed.

“Nothing I’ve found works,” I replied.

He grunted. “I’m sure some ladies prefer that kind of thing.”

The comment left me uncomfortable. How was I even supposed to approach the topic of women? The girl I’d loved was either dead or still alive with children and even grandchildren of her own. I looked like a young man but was more than one hundred and twenty years old. Those rare adventurers that had cultivated beyond the first realm and surpassed the natural maximum level of 99 would live much longer than normal. As for someone that had reached the ninth realm like I had, I was unsure how long I might live. There might not be a human alive that could even give me a semi-accurate guess.

The two guards were true to their words and led me to a huge merchant’s market that took up its own block of the city and was four or five stories tall. It was like a castle of purple wood with cone shaped towers at each corner. I was guided to the back entrance where a line of rough looking adventures stood waiting. Some looked rough because their clothes were malfunctioning as mine were, while some were injured, and others looked shady.

After the two guards left, I did a quick round of heals for the people in front of me as a show of courtesy. The person immediately in front of me was soon thanking me profusely. It seemed my healing spell had helped him recover from something normal healing  spells had never been able to fix. When he tried to offer me something, I held up my hand and insisted that I would take nothing from him.

“This spell takes little of my mana and it would just be selfish not to put forward so little effort to help.”

My words seemed to rouse the rest of the people in front of me and they all thanked me as well. It’s not like I was a true Lifegiver, with dozens of spells specializing in healing, buffing, and purification. My one Mend spell had just become extremely potent after undergoing so many evolutions.

When it was finally my turn to sell, I pulled out the mana crystal and placed it on the booth in front of the balding man in merchant leathers.

“You lucky, brat,” he said through crooked teeth. “This is a once in a lifetime find. If you want top price, you best put it up for auction.”

“What’s the highest you can give me?” I asked, having no desire to do the work to get the highest price possible. It wasn’t an item difficult for me to procure anyways.

“I’m only able to put up 100 gold and credit, but you could get at least ten times that at auction. Maybe more.”

I smirked, and this time it was what I intended. “How about 100 gold and 900 gold in credit then?”

He shook his head, but before he said anything, he slid the item forward, returning it to me and held up a finger as he stepped away. “Allow me to check with my manager to find out what offer she might be willing to make.”

The man returned just a minute later with a wide grin. “My manage has agreed to 150 gold with 650 gold in credit.”

I didn’t bother with any further negotiating, except I pointed to a rack of clothing behind him. “Throw in that azure mage’s robe behind you and it’s a deal. I’d prefer to leave with something covering my back.”

He didn’t even look before he agreed.

Two men appeared in the doorway he’d disappeared through a few minutes earlier with two large sacks of gold. There were two smaller purses handed to me separately and it was explained that the smaller sacks were broken down into silver and copper currency for small spending. I was also given a card about the size of my palm that was made of dark clouded crystal. He directed me to inject it with mana to get a breakdown of how much credit was left. Seeing the name of the establishment, description of our trade, and the total sum spelled out, I was satisfied.

I quickly pulled the blue robe over my head and tightened the sash before getting directions to a nice establishment where I could get food, a room, and a hot bath. Then I was off.