MM - Chapter 108 - THE EVIL WITHOUT

Raine triggered Grace of Nirvana, thoroughly enjoying the strain of tearing through the air pressure with a combination of Connection and pure speed. His form streaked into a stretched-out blur, instantly arriving at Mel's backside.

[Fraction of Grace: (FNS +20%) (ACU +20%) Upon command embody the Grace of Nirvana increasing Move Speed by 400% and Attack Speed by 150% for 15 seconds (Cost: 200 Discipline) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

Since she was training hard while waiting for him, Raine delivered the reward she desired. With the boost to his Attack Speed, his arm vanished. A series of rapid slaps crackled loudly, and Mel released a satisfying squeal. Her face turned six shades of pink, and upon landing, she dug into her Discipline, sprinting away at triple speed.

Raine watched her go, chortling at her wonky gait as she briskly rubbed her bottom. Glancing back, she mouthed, “Thank you,” with the tip of her tongue sticking out. He facepalmed, having no idea what he was getting himself into with the crazy girl.

Wow… Next time, I'll go hard enough she'll need to heal herself to walk it off.

When the thought tumbled into her head, a wave of delicious heat swept across her skin, perfectly combining with the burning tingle she was already savoring. Mel couldn't help but imagine him doing precisely as he threatened, and her knees grew wobbly. [Ohmygosh. Please do.]

Raine scanned the tall crops lining the narrow road while waiting for Rictor and Talerra's groups to catch up. He ignored the mischievous grins, and shameless snickers directed his way. He resumed the march while continuing to call out the flaws in their running forms, glad their motivation was still sky-high. Over the next several hours, the scenery flew by.

Peridot The Scamp

Thanks to the many gifts bestowed upon her, Peridot had little issue locating The Bearer of Cassidy. She caught up to him shortly after he left the large spawning settlement. Keeping pace with him wasn’t a challenge, slowed down as he was by his slaves. In her battle form, she flew low over the plains, her presence completely masked by The Grand Shimmering One’s Mark of Invisibility. So long as she didn’t attack anything, she would remain undetected.

Weak as most of them were, it infuriated Peridot that the bearer already owned so many slaves. She would not be granted that right until after her second evolution to true kin. Even then, she would not be permitted to own a valuable battle slave. Observing the female solo two beasts above her level had deeply unsettled and confused Peridot.

Why does one as low-level as the bearer have such a slave? Is he the direct offspring of a grand one? If so, he must have many powerful treasures. That would explain his otherwise nonsensical strength.

When he displayed his actual speed for a few seconds while rewarding the battle-slave, Peridot's throat had gone dry, and a throaty growl was unconsciously pulled from her lungs. While startling, it was a valuable reminder of The Grand Shimmering One’s words that he was too powerful for her. She thanked all the overlords in existence that it was not her duty to defeat him. She only needed to watch and report.

The Grand Shimmering One had yet to respond to the many updates Peridot sent her. That would change. When it did, the end of the bearer would be swift. He was vulnerable now, far from any settlements and their Vaterran protectors. 

A weapon she had yet to see him yield appeared in his grip. By now, she was used to the flashes of light he used to summon them. Since this was something new, she immediately lifted the Message Stone to her lips, whispering yet another unanswered report to her most perfect mistress.

Raine KongRu

Raine didn’t catch another glimpse of Mel by the time they reached the mountain's base. He’d kept an eye on his group's resource bars using his HUD. They took a few nasty hits, but never in rapid succession. Meaning he needed to prioritize their ability to detect an ambush. Once a fight started, they were holding their own fine. That was no surprise. Mel aside, they had all become famous powerhouses in the past for a reason.

His own training progressed smoothly. Raine's efforts with bloodlust bore no fruit that he could taste. However, swapping between the attribute boosts of each fraction was now as fluid as breathing. He preferred having Fraction of Grace active as the speed boost was addictive. That was exactly why he spent most of his time in Fraction of Solidity. Being consumed by luxury was a swift path to complacency—to death.

[Fraction of Solidity: (PTC +20%) (PHY +20%) Upon command personify the sturdiness of the Unassailable Aegis preventing all damage and negative effects for 5 seconds (Cost: 40% of maximum health) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

So far, he hadn’t tested any of the other active abilities. There were too many eyes watching his every move. If the knowledge spread that he had so many powerful abilities, there would definitely be those who suspected he was getting them from an item. The repercussions of such attention would be catastrophic for his future plans. It was a delicate balance to showcase just enough that fear didn’t grow into greed.

Talerra had given him no reason to distrust her yet, and the contracts binding her people to secrecy were strict. Relying on such flimsy reasoning would be incredibly foolish. Raine couldn’t count the times someone had sacrificed their account or received a permanent ban to relay priceless information. On a personal level, he couldn’t fathom such idiocy. No reward was worth losing two-thirds of your life span.

Raine didn’t allow either group to slow as they ascended the path winding around the mountain. The local predators changed to rocky beasts that came in a few rumbling variants. None of them were a threat, but he swapped to the Rock Crusher title anyway, never knowing when he would come across something capable of upgrading it.

It was nearly midnight when they reached the summit. Only Raine and Talerra remained on their feet when they arrived at the base of the large stone tower that stretched for the clouds. Groans and whimpers filled the air. He gave them a minute to catch their breath and reset their mental states.

“You’ve got thirty minutes to get to the top. Richtor, you hang out at the bottom until the end.”

Richtor responded breathlessly, still unable to speak more than one word at a time, “Huh? Why?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. The rest of you, off your asses, now!” Raine stomped the ground, and they got the picture, pulling themselves up and shuffling toward the tower. He hadn’t meant to threaten Talerra’s people and refrained from physically motivating them throughout the night. Still, they hopped to their feet as well.

The twins were the first to reach the staircase winding around the outside of the tower. Despite the lack of a railing, they took the stairs two at a time, quickly completing the first rotation around the thick base. BrickAxely, slightly leading his brother, triggered an unseen trap, and ten connected steps were sucked into the tower. They both fell, screaming at the top of their lungs. The others screeched to a halt, terror dominating their features as they leaned to the side and watched the two crash into the ground far below.

Raine tsked at the heavily wounded duo, “Really? The very first trap? Medic!”

His brother snapped out of his daze, Healing Burst landing on the nearest twin and restoring most of his lost health. The other was left screaming on his back for sixty seconds before Richtor could use the skill again.

Looking up, Raine caught sight of several cowering forms pressed tight against the tower's wall, ever so slowly inching their way higher. He scowled. The steps of the circling stairs were each a meter wide; such an abundance of space would easily allow for running.

“Twenty-five minutes!” His booming voice caused several people to flinch.

A trembling FierceFire called down from above, “D-do we r-really have to d-do t-this?”

“Reaching the top will get you a free general skill point. Do whatever you want. Any of my people who don’t make it won’t be eligible for any of the raid drops!”

Talerra was the only one present who didn’t have the previous gaming experience to understand the value of raid drops. But even she had researched enough to know they were often the best items for their levels, at least in other games. Since there was nothing on the forums for anyone clearing a raid, it was entirely speculation that ZionLine would follow similar examples.

Tears in her eyes, Deloralicious jumped over a pair of steps with a slightly different color, “You’re such a jerk!”

Raine rolled his eyes. While bending over to heal BrickRoll, Richtor nodded at his girlfriend's statement, “It’s true. You’re pure evil.”

Before Raine could respond to the wholly unjustified and unfair accusation, another long, piercing scream split the air. Milkdud hit the rocky ground and bounced. One of his legs was bent the wrong way. Seeing the bone sticking out, he nearly lost consciousness. 

Raine slapped his cheek hard enough to bring him back to coherency, “Why the hell did you fall that far? I didn’t take back the drifter I lent you.”

Milkdud’s thunderstruck expression was a perfect match for Richtor’s. Raine could only blink at the two of them in incomprehension, “You both forgot?! Unbelievable.”

“W-why didn’t you say anything sooner?!” Richtor pointed at him.

Raine scoffed, “Why would I? If you’re going to be that oblivious, then a broken leg might be exactly the wake-up call you need. Items aren’t for storing indefinitely; they’re a part of your arsenal that you should practice with just as often as any other weapon.”

“Pure evil,” Richtor muttered, activating another Healing Burst. Milkdud’s protruding bone turned soft as putty and threaded itself back into his leg where it belonged. A sickening pop and twist later saw his leg good as new.

“Thank you. That was awful. I… I’m not sure I can—”

“Get your ass back up there right now!” Crimson streamers of bloodlust leaked from Raine's skin, giving Milkdud all the motivation he needed. With a whimper, he bolted up the stairs.

Raine’s sensitive ears heard the faint separating of Richtors lips. He looked at his younger brother, scowling, “I hope you’re paying attention. Since you’re stuck down here healing, you’ll only get one chance to make it to the top.”

Another scream was interrupted by a feminine grunt as Talerra bounced off the broader portion of stairs beneath her. She spun wildly through the air, landing on her back in a puff of dust. She lay unmoving for a moment as a long wheeze escaped her lips. A shimmer of green light swept over her body as she used Mend to restore ten percent of her health. 

Just then, Deloralicious fell as well. Unlike those before her, she gracefully deployed her drifter and effortlessly glided to a lower ring of stairs. Predictably, the Phoenix players cried out in unison, “What’s that?!”

Talerra’s matching question came out as a gurgle, but Raine heard what she meant. He approached her prone form, rubbing his hands diabolically. His voice was the sweet caress of a devil in her ears, “It's called a drifter. Want one?” His offer included a link with the description sent through the raid channel for everyone to see.

Raine waited patiently for her to read the item’s details. Sitting up, she nodded vigorously, “You have an extra?” Her eyes were brimming with hope. 

Raine honestly couldn’t understand how she could be so naive, “Yup, and it’ll only cost you fifty gold.”

From behind, Richtor’s voice bounced ineffectually off Raine’s shamelessly high armor class, “Pure. Fucking. Evil.”

“Deal!” Talerra shouted, knowing full well how such a fantastic item would drastically expand her guild’s ability to scout. Her thoughts ran deeper, and she voiced them without hesitation, “Two hundred for the location of the vendor you bought them from?”

Raine shook his head, “I don’t mind telling you, but not yet. We’ll settle the sale of all information at the end.”

Another scream was heard. It was one of Talerra's people, and when she saw Raine’s evil grin spreading wider, she froze. FierceFire's warnings about the dangers of trusting Alaric rang through her stunned mind. When he extended his hand to help her up, she couldn’t help but imagine the limb as a snake, coiled and ready to strike. Her dread came true with his next words, “I just so happen to have five extra drifters. Interested in making a deal?”