Chapter 029 - Obligatory Frying Pan Reference

There was no fanfare or excitement with the use of the clemency scroll. Just a single prompt window asking if she was sure. After such an aggravating conversation the last thing she wanted to do was flip through prompts but she knew that more were coming. The chains on Catherine’s arms and legs broke with four quick snaps of metal before falling to the ground. A faint glow passed through the woman’s body, and that was it. No notifications, no announcements, no titles. Nothing.

Catherine hesitantly pulled herself to her feet and rolled her neck, shrugging her shoulders a few times and flexing her fingers. She frowned once as she looked down at her hands and then her eyes went distant. Her frown only deepened and Anna was about to ask what the problem was now when the woman spoke. “I have lost everything. Level zero.”

“I could have told you that,” Anna said with a shrug, resting her hands on her hips and glancing around Catherine’s torture chamber. “How do we get out of here?”

The woman squinted at her, “You could see my level and you still decided to take me along?”

Anna cocked an eyebrow and looked back, “Seriously? You’re doing this already?”

Catherine crossed her arms and her stare turned a bit harder. She closed her eyes and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “That explains a lot, it is just a small gap,” she muttered. “By what miracle of the gods did you manage to enter hell itself at level 5?”

Anna rounded on her. “Did you just use identify on me?”

Catherine crossed her arms. “You did not have a defense up against it, so I assumed you were open to it. Is there a problem?”

“Def-” Anna threw her hands up into the air. “What defense? Are you joking?” she snarled and stomped off to a corner. “The fucking system strikes again! God I hate that piece of shit!”

“It is considered bad luck to disparage the system,” Catherine said from where she stood, still stretching and tapping her feet now and then.

Anna turned to glare at her, “Don’t tell me you’re gonna warn me not to.”

“Of course not, I do not believe in things like that,” Catherine said with a shrug. “The system is omnipotent and beyond the realm of even Gods. What does it care about my opinion?” she laughed, “It is the height of narcissism to think the system would be offended by something a mortal says…” she trailed off for a moment before offering another shrug. “...also I am inclined to share your opinion. The system can be cruel and unforgiving in the methods it uses. Why are you upset?”

Anna stared at the woman before just shaking her head. “I’ll tell you later. Lets figure out how to get out of this fuckin’ place first. Last thing I want is to see that assholes face again. I want to complete this dungeon and get my rewards, this was the last room.”

Catherine nodded and they made for the door leading out of her cell. The moment Anna touched the door the world around them flickered and glitched. Images, sensations, sounds, they all crackled and buzzed as their surroundings changed. When it all settled they were standing in a long room made of smooth dark-gray stone. The corners of the chamber were lit with braziers that provided comfortable lighting. The ceiling was high and arched and the floor had been carved in a way to make the stone look like planks of wood.

“What the-” Catherine gasped.

Anna snorted, “Yep, there it is.”

Anna took one turn in a circle and found the entire chamber empty. If there had been some kind of challenge in here she suspected it had been removed in order to allow for her glitchy quest.

<System Alert!>
Reconnection confirmed. Analyzing. No errors detected. Dismissing elevated case. Please use caution in the future.

“Damn right,” Anna grumbled as the next notification followed.

Quest Alert!

[ERROR!] [RELOADING…][COMPLETE!]

The Chamber of Sights
Exit the chamber in order to receive your rewards.

“Huh, the quest changed,” Anna murmured. She dismissed the notification and brushed herself off. She was still disappointed she hadn’t gotten any essence out of the ordeal but, she gave the hardened woman next to her a side-eye, maybe it wasn’t all a loss. The woman was aggravating but it was someone who could help her, and who knew her shit about the multiverse. She was obviously way out of the loop but she hopefully knew the important shit.

“Do you often speak to yourself?” Catherine asked.

Anna closed her eyes, It will be worth it. It will be worth it. She turned and looked for the door leading out and found it without trouble. It was just set into the wall no more than few dozen feet away. She walked over and pushed down as Catherine moved to catch up with her. The woman was squinting at the walls and looking thoughtful. “The architecture looks Disian.”

“Disian?” Anna asked, pushing the door open.

“Yes, Dis is the capital of the realm of Hell. It’s located within the Stygian wilds of that realm,” she said and rubbed her chin, “You said your world was recently integrated, yes? Odd.”

Anna was halfway through the door when she turned to stare at her yet again. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘Styigan’?” she asked, “Like… Stygian Prowler? Stygian Weaver?”

Catherine was still examining the ceiling as she nodded, “Yes, why?” she asked and looked down, past Anna and into the outer hallway. Her nostrils flared and her eyes widened. “What the hell is this? Is this a temple?” she gasped and Anna moved out of the way as the woman stormed past and into the lobby. 

Anna rolled her eyes and followed her in, “I think it's some sort of training ground,” Anna said absently as the notifications rolled in.

Quest Complete!

The Chamber of Sights
You have weathered the nightmares within the Chamber of Sights and seen through the darkness. The token is yours.

“Finally.”

Title Unlocked!

Stygian Seer (Mortal-Uncommon)
You have passed the trial of the Chamber of Sights.
Effect: +3 to all stats. New Ability: Stygian Insight

Fuckin’ called it.

You have acquired a new Ability:

Stygian Insight (Mortal-Common-Base)
Your Insight is increased by +5

Catherine was rambling something but she ignored it for the moment. She’d completed the set as far as she knew. Some more stats to go to her grand total and a fresh feeling of achievement after all she’d been through. She checked her inventory for the most important reward of them all and happily plucked the token out. She smiled at the golden object.

Stygian Inheritance Token of the Heir - Sight (Unique)
This token is granted to those who pass the trial of the Chamber of Sights and complete its bonus conditions.

She looked up from it and nearly jumped back as she met Catherine’s forest-green eyes. The woman was barely an inch away from her. Anna scowled, “The hell is wrong with you?”

“This place should not be here,” Catherine said without missing a beat. “It is clearly a dungeon built for a sect in Hell to train their members.”

Anna rolled her eyes, “I don’t know what to tell you. It’s here and it’s mine. I got chased in here when the integration happened and the guy that was after me couldn’t get in.”

“Yours?”

Anna walked past her and held the token up, waving it. “The main quest of this place says to claim what is mine.”

“That sounds like an Inheritance quest,” Catherine said with a nod. “It’s not surprising that such a dungeon would have one but you would need some sort of connection to the group.”

Anna stopped next to the podium and placed the token in the final slot. “Probably my old man,” she said offhandedly, “No idea who he is though. Don’t really care, he’s a grade-a asshole.”

“Your father? That’s impossible. Your world was just integrated. None of this makes sense,” Catherine blurted as the locks attached to the token.

Anna snorted, “Welcome to my fuckin’ life.”

All three tokens began to glow, light filled the room for a moment and Anna held her hand up to shield her eyes. For a moment the heady humid scent of the boiling water in the chamber faded and only fresh air remained. Then it was back and the podium was gone. In its place was a column of flickering and golden light shining up towards the ceiling. It sparkled and shimmered, particles dancing through it before vanishing.

“Woah,” she breathed. “That was… actually pretty cool.”

A notification popped into her vision.

Quest Complete!

Inheritance of [ERROR - RESTRICTED] - Part 1 (Harrowing)

It seems my expectations were not misplaced.

The first portion of your inheritance lays through the light. Step through and claim what you have earned. Grow strong and claim the rest, struggle, fight, dominate. It is in your blood.

The knight will serve you well, I caution you to be careful in how much you say until her loyalty is yours. She is an old enemy of mine and her freedom was a debt paid to another to your benefit.

Do not misinterpret these messages I have left for you. Any guidance you receive from me is a part of your inheritance and my sole act as your sire. It is your life and beyond this dungeon I shall not interfere. If you die in mediocrity, so be it. If you rise and rule, do so without me. This freedom I give you is the greatest kindness I have bestowed in my long life.

Do well. 

Find the three tokens and return them to the pedestal: (3/3)

Anna stared at the message for a long time. She read it over and over, even going as far as to sit down and absorb it. It was hard not to misinterpret what he was saying. She hated him from the bottom of her heart, for abandoning her, for tossing her into all this madness, for being so cold and cruel. Yet she could already extrapolate a few things. He was powerful, important, and influential. He was obviously from Hell or related to it. Him saying that he was being kind by staying out of her life wasn’t exactly wrong, when she thought about it.

It was a confusing feeling. A mixture of resentment and gratitude that made her queasy. She pulled her helmet out of her inventory and pulled it down over her head to cover her face as her expression grew difficult to control.

“That was no ordinary quest prompt,” Catherine said quietly from her side. “Was it?”

“Nope,” Anna grumbled.

The knight shifted once on her feet before clearing her throat. “I know you are experiencing strong feelings right now,” she said without an ounce of hesitation in her tone. “I would dare to point something out, though.”

Anna sighed, “What?”

“Your helmet will get you killed, find a replacement as soon as you can,” the knight said flatly.

Anna whirled on her, “Wha?”

Catherine pointed at her own head, “The horns. They’re pretty good handles.”

Anna blinked at her a few times before pulling off her helmet and turning it around. She stared at the horns before letting out a groan. “Damn it, you’re right. Why didn’t I think of that?” She pulled herself to her feet and put her helmet back in her inventory, a little embarrassed to put it on now. She hesitated and glanced towards the hard woman staring at her. “You’re not going to ask?”

Catherine shrugged, “If we learn to trust one another, I expect you will elaborate in time. I am not going to press, I fear if I do I won’t like what I learn. This place makes me… uneasy. I was once a Paladin of Lumar after all. Creatures from places like this were my enemy.”

Anna considered making a crack about a god of light named ‘Lumar’ but decided it was better not to do that. She begrudgingly appreciated the sentiment coming her way. They were stuck together, for now, and Catherine was level zero. There was nothing binding them together but the need to survive, not really. Catherine had agreed to work for her but it was a verbal contract at best. She turned back to the column of light. Trust? Yeah… I dunno.

“Let’s get this done and go. Something, something obligatory frying pan reference,” she muttered and stepped through.

“Frying pan?”

It was not a big room.

Barely larger than the average hotel room and made of the same dark stone as everything else. It was lined with shelves scattered with various items here and there. A barrel with a lid on it sat in one corner. One wall had a pedestal with a book on it while another was lined with a few weapons hanging hooks. They looked old. Anna stepped away from the center of the room and Catherine came in after her, looking around.

Anna walked up to one of the shelves where a few stacks of black-gray coins sat. She picked one up and turned it over between her fingers. So this is what an Iron Coin looks like. I’d never seen one before since they’re just in my character sheet.

“How much is an Iron coin worth?” Anna asked aloud.

“In my day, ten Iron Coins could get you a room in a tavern and a decent meal,” Catherine said absently as she examined the weapons.

“You stayed in taverns? I thought you were some church big wig?” Anna pressed, scooping the coins up and opening her inventory. Do I just…

You have received: 500 Iron Coins

Nice, easy peasy.

“I wasn’t always Archpaladin,” Catherine said, running her thumb along the edge of a sword and pursing her lips thoughtfully, “I worked as an Inquisitor for the majority of my service in the church.”

Anna turned her head and spotted something glittering. She picked it up, “How about a gold coin?”

Catherine snorted, “A gold coin is one thousand silver, a silver is one thousand copper, a copper is one thousand iron, you do the math yourself. Why?”

Anna turned around and held the single gold coin she’d found on the shelf up. “I think I found a big part of my inheritance,” she said with a grin. “This will keep me going for a while even if prices have gone up a little since your time.”

Catherine gave the coin an assessing look. “Perhaps, If you live simply that coin will last you the rest of your life. If you plan on doing as you said when we met, then it will be a pittance. Not only that, the path of Ascension is expensive. Refiners spend coin like water in the effort to grow.”

Anna actually pouted as she put the coin in her inventory. “I was kinda hoping you’d be shocked.”

You have received: 1 Gold Coin

Catherine shook her head and walked over towards the book on the podium, “Honestly I expected more for the inheritance of a dungeon like this, even for your level,” she began and touched the book. She pulled her hand away as if she’d been struck. “Gods above and below!” she gasped, “I take it back!”

Anna hurried over, “What?” she asked and put her hand on the book.

Please Select your Reward…

Her eyes widened and she grinned, “Oh yeah, that’s the stuff.”