It felt as though a cold bucket of water was splashed onto John’s face as he listened to Amadeus explain what he’d signed up for and just how difficult the lofty goal of Rank-Ten Boss truly was.
“There are twenty Ranks for monsters like you and me broken down into two sets. There’s the initial level, Rank-One through Rank-Ten, and then there are the Boss levels which become exponentially harder to overcome. Those Ranks aren’t accessible until you’ve made it to Rank-Ten. They’re less about raw power and more about understanding conceptual power.” John’s talons on his front feet pierced the ground and the claws on his back feet rent the floor beneath his feet. “Yes, you should be frustrated. To make you realize how far you have to go, I’m a Rank-One Boss monster.”
“They tricked me then?” John asked, referring to Bellathorne and Xexel.
“Honestly, it sounds like you just didn’t ask the right questions. It’s not their fault that you don’t know what you don’t know, and as for being Void-Touched? That’ll make your goal both easier and harder. Variants like you are executed when born for a reason. The fact you’ve made it this far is rather impressive.”
“I was taken from my gryphon mother to a city, and the next thing I knew, I was in the process of being bound to my Contractor.” John looked towards Amelia, feeling the tug of Essence from their bond.
“Then you have your whole life to make it up to her before you inevitably have to consume her soul,” Amadeus said as he finished completing the circle of blood around John. “Now, I’ll finish answering the rest of your questions after we take the Oath.”
John stared dumbly at Amadeus, eyes widening even further. He couldn’t process what Amadeus said. “Wh-what do you mean? Why would I consume her soul?”
“It’s exactly as I said. You can’t proceed to the Boss Ranks while bound by any Contract or Oath. It seems like the bond you have formed with her is a powerful one, so you’ll have to integrate her soul into yours to avoid any repercussions. It’s nasty business but can be easily done by someone like yourself.”
“But…” John couldn’t think of anything at all. “That’s so…”
“It is. Sick, twisted, tragic. All words I would apply to the strange rules this world operates by, but you have no choice if you ever want to see your family again. Now, I’ll start the Oath.” Amadeus’s hands lit up with powerful magic that caused Amelia to shout in surprise. He slammed it down onto the ground and a large, blue circle appeared underneath Amadeus and John. “I swear that I, Amadeus, will fulfill my terms of the Contract. These terms include providing the Void-Touched draftee with enough Essence to gain a Rank before and after he partakes to fulfill his end of the Oath. I will allow him and his friends to exit under the condition that he fulfill my requirements within three months. If he does not fulfill my requirements, he will be Cursed with a crippling illness that causes nightmares every time he sleeps and saps him of all strength.”
John glared at Amadeus, “That’s not what we agreed on.”
“It’s too late now. You either finish the Oath or you die. Which is it?” Amadeus asked with a smile.
“I, John, will find and remove the seal that keeps Amadeus imprisoned. Amadeus must provide the location and method to remove the seal. In turn, if he is released, he is to never harm myself or anyone I consider an ally. In the event that he breaks his Oath, he is to suffer from an endless thirst that will never be quenched.”
Amadeus narrowed his eyes but shrugged off the condition. “I have total faith in your success. I accept the terms of this Oath.”
“I accept the terms of this Oath,” John copied Amadeus, watching as the swirling lights attached themselves to their souls and then faded into nothingness.
“Now that all that business is finished, let’s talk about what you need to do to get me out of here and how you can, at the same time, deal with your little parasite problem.” Amadeus returned to his throne and waved a hand.
The vampire swarm that had watched the whole procession dispersed without a sound and left John, Amelia, and the injured man alone with Amadeus. John highly doubted that they were there to actually protect Amadeus if what he said about his power was true.
“Now,” Amadeus began as he sat, looking just as bored as when they walked in, “the seal is stored on the other side of the continent. You’ll have to travel there, though, you should probably find a way to consume the heart of a dragon.”
“What will that accomplish and how am I supposed to do that?” John asked in confusion.
“The seal is kept under a dragon den in the Ardenian Empire. Consuming the heart of a dragon will allow you to unlock different evolution paths that will enable you to consume the parasite. It won’t be easy and your Contractor will have to help, but it’s doable.” Amadeus grinned at the disgust apparent in John’s eyes. “Let’s finish our business here. I owe you enough Essence to get you to your next Rank and guidance on destroying the seal.”
John nodded and approached Amadeus, bowing low in deference to the other’s superiority, though he was sure to do so with confidence and surety in himself and the Vampire Overlord.
“This won’t take long. If I may make a recommendation?” Amadeus gestured for John to raise his head and touched his chest. An intense warmth spread through his body in only moments. John nodded and Amadeus continued to speak, “When you go to break the seal, you’ll need to be stronger than you are. I gave you three months, but it would only take you about a week to get there, so don’t dilly dally.”
“Thank you for the information, Amadeus. I greatly appreciate it,” John said sincerely. ‘The guy isn’t actually too bad. I’m not happy to be his errand boy, but I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if I was locked away and couldn’t make it back to Lily and Elaine.’
The warmth filled that internal pool and began to circulate strangely until it felt as though a dam burst and the contents of his pool spilled over into his body.
An inhumane shriek shook the walls of the castle as John’s body began to grow rapidly. “Forceful Rank increases aren’t pleasant, but they get the job done.”
John’s body expanded and then condensed. His wings felt far more powerful, and his tails grew to match his new size. His horns extended over the back of his head slightly. He felt energy - he assumed it to be Essence - flowing freely throughout his body, though it felt ominous. It felt foreign - almost invasive.
His body shook and he had to close his eyes to not collapse. As the Essence circulated, he started to recover and feel far sturdier. When he spoke, his voice resonated through the halls with deep, booming bass. His glare spoke volumes as he nearly growled, “You should’ve warned me.”
Amadeus cracked a sly grin and met John’s pained glare, “And ruin the surprise? Where would the fun in that be?”
John contemplated trying to bite the Overlord’s head off but managed to cool his temper. “The exit?”
“Fine-fine. I suppose it’ll do just fine if we conclude business here. Gather your companions and then I’ll show you.”
Comments (0)
See all