Fantasy The Tower of Trials

[Kiwikat]

Arthur's heart raced like mad. There were few things in this world that terrified him, spiders were among the non-existential things on that list. He was so busy trying to silently calm himself down he almost didn't notice the strange blue orb drop from the spider. If he had his wits about him, he would've liked to have cast some kind of divination on the thing to see exactly what kind of properties it had. He dispelled his invisibility when he felt his expression was more consistent with the personality he had tried very hard to maintain since coming to the damned place.

"If this ends up being it, let us not waste too much time in the safe room and get to the next floor. I would like to get two or three floors done today." Nefara said. Arthur nodded followed behind her as they continued on.

"What I was trying to say..." Arthur continued in a hushed tone, now remembering the dream he had the other night "Is I am cursed too." He said, holding his breath slightly. "Well, not exactly, like you, but..." He exhaled quickly and tried to think about how best to explain it. "The more magic I use, the less of myself that I am." He tried. "So, if we are making a deal that I should stop you from going all the way, then I'd like to dictate what happens on my end of the bargain." He said, a mixture of fear and dread creeping in his voice. " If for some reason this adventure makes me lose my soul all the way, just kill me." He said grimly, hoping it wouldn't upset Nefara too much that it'd stop their journey altogether. he tried to turn his deep frown into some kind of smile. "It won't even be me anymore, anyway." He said with the best fake laugh he could muster. A suffocating silence filled the air around Arthur and he frowned. It was certainly a mistake to tell Nefara this. Alliance be damned, she was still just a kid. "23" he corrected himself in his brain. What even prompted him to share this secret with her, he wondered. Maybe it's just because he wasn't confident he could get out of this tower without selling his soul away. Or maybe it was something more? Arthur remained silent for fear of making things worse and awaited Nefara's next comand.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

Arthur told Nefara that he was cursed too and explaining: "The more magic I use, the less of myself that I am. So, if we are making a deal that I should stop you from going all the way, then I'd like to dictate what happens on my end of the bargain. If for some reason this adventure makes me lose my soul all the way, just kill me." After a short pause, he said: "It won't even be me anymore, anyway."

It felt like a burden, but then again, he might suffer or be something malevolent if he lost his soul. She would have to make it quick and painless in such a scenario. But she even if it wasn't him anymore, the memories of him would make it difficult. However, she understood what had to be done. Nefara nodded and said: "As much as it may hurt me, I understand what would have to be done."

They came to a door again. "This was really it? Seriously? I was expecting more." Nefara said. "Then let us not waste too much time with the merchant and then move on to the next level." Nefara opened the door. The saferoom looked run down. There were only three orcs sitting at a table playing cards while the dimly lit room contained two torches, a couple candles and a fireplace. One of the orcs looked up to see Nefara's disappointed face.

"What do you expect? People rarely make it this far. We can still offer to trade and give you drinks though." The orc said. Nefara then responded: "We wont be staying for long. Just going to sell the spider parts and silk we got, have a sip and then leave for the next floor." "Give me a minute." The orc said. He got up and went over to the shop. Nefara then pulled out some spider meat and a fist sized ball of raw silk. "It isn't much but should give us some credit." Nefara said. The orc put five silver coins on the table. "I can give you this for it." The orc said. It was at least something. Nefara thanked him, grabbed a mug of purified water and drank it in one go.

"Let me know when you are ready for the next floor." Nefara said to Arthur.

(I know it isnt much but I have something planned for the next floor.)

 

[Kiwikat]

Nefara agreed to the terms grimly and lead on. The room seemed entirely too easy compared to what they had been through yesterday, but that could easily have been by design. Arthur remained tentatively alert to any dangers they might run into, but alas, they were only met with a door marking another safe room. "So close to the last one?" Arthur thought incredulously.

If the state of the room was anything to go off of, the orcs didn't care much for this place either. A modestly-sized room, furnished with what appeared to be a single table and chairs. Torches illuminated the room (as if there was anything to illuminate besides the cards the orcs were mulling over) and a lonely fireplace crackled. Arthur would've had something witty to say, but an orc stole the silence from the room and addressed Nefara in the orcish tongue. The other two orcs grumbled as the one who spoke with Nefara got up and went to the counter to man the pitiful shop. Arthur meandered over to the table to see what game the orcs were playing. It was something akin to an elven version of poker, where each "card" was marked by a rune, and the collection of runes that represented the highest magical output was the winner of that round. Arthur had used that game to teach himself the basics of elven based magic and has since never lost a game. He humored the thought of hustling these orcs out of the shirts on their backs, but then remembered that this wasn't a palace casino where guards would stop a sore loser from maiming you. Arthur was a prisoner here, and he could find himself in serious trouble if he angered his captors too much. An orc noticed Arthur's apprehensive gaze toward the cards and grunted.

"You know star-runes?" The orc gestured to the deck. Arthur laughed nervously and shook his head. "I don't think I have the time to prove if I do." He said, trying to slink closer to Nefara. The orc blinked slowly and mumbled something to the other orc at the table who responded with a scowl. "You have time... You are a prisoner." The orc finally said back to Arthur who was still fighting the urge to accept the offer.

"Nefara." He said in a coarse whisper, "If we're done here you should drag me out before I manage to get us in any more unnecessary trouble than we've already found ourselves in." He smiled apprehensively.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

When Arthur felt tempted to play cards with the orcs and whispered to her that she should drag him out if she must to prevent more trouble, she grabbed his hand and left the saferoom with him. As soon as they left the saferoom to the next level, they noticed that this level is going to be something different. Instead of a stone hallway, they found a forested room in from of them. Rushing water was audible in the distance and distant giggles of what seemed to be children could be heard.

"This piques my interest. I am wondering if we are going to face an unexpected enemy like fairies or if this is just a psychological trap to disorientate us or to keep us from moving on." Nefara said. Going further in, Nefara felt that they were being watched by multiple beings. Nefara noticed something peeking out from behind a tree. She lunged at the tree to try to slash the creature peeking at her. It was sure that the creature couldn't be human because they were the ones furthest in the tower who werent dead.

Nefara stopped just inches short of what was looking at her. It was a child, a human child that ended up curled up in fear in front of her. "Please dont kill me." The child said. Nefara felt conflicted. What was a child doing here? Was this some kind of sick joke? Was it a trap? Is the child just an hallucination that is being created by some kind of demon? Should she kill it just in case? But what if it was actually a child?

Nefara then said: "I wont kill you." Part of her wanted to protect the child, part was cautious and the monster in her wanted to eat the child. The child looked at her. She felt the stares of possibly other children nearby. "You and your friends don't need to be afraid. I only am dangerous to those who are a threat to me." Nefara said. The child looked up at her and the other children cautiously came out of the bushes. "Where are your parents?" Nefara asked. The child then answered: "Parents?" Its eyes wallowed up in tears. "Mommy and Daddy are gone. I want them to come back." Nefara was irritated. What were they doing here alone without parents? Were the orcs so cruel to abandon children within the tower? Were they some kind of decoys?

Nefara went to Arthur: "I have a bad feeling about this. While I dont want to abandon children here and want to hug them, I am wondering if they are actually children and if so if it would be more merciful to give them a quick end than let them suffer in the tower." Nefara felt a tug at her armored skirt. It was the child. "Will you be my mommy?" The other children approached, seeming to beg for love. "Please." "We need a mommy and daddy." There was a kind of charm about them. Nefaras heart felt heavy. Part of her, her monster part began to say in her mind: "The children are better off with a quick, painless death. The orcs will let them starve. Also think of the sweet blood and meat of them." "Shut up." Nefara said to herself. "I wont. I cant."

Nefara smiled at the child and ran her fingers through its hair. "I wish I could be your mommy, but you wouldn't want a monster as a mommy. I would be a danger to you." Nefara however felt obligated to investigate the floor to see if there might be someone else who could be taking care of them or if there is another entity here. An idea came to her mind: If it was in fact a psychological trick and the children were hallucinations, then whoever was creating them must have enough power to give her a significant boost in strength.

"Arthur, let's see if something else is here. Either a caretaker or a magical being." Nefara said to Arthur.

 

[Kiwikat]

Arthur was happy to be dragged out of the room, the orcs couldn't have cared less and returned to their game. The next floor was a total surprise, to say the least. A forest, a waterfall, and giggles of children at play. Arthur tensed up, "demon..." He thought, "Or nymphs." His thoughts continued as he followed silently, "either way these orcs are tricky bastards for having it at their disposal."

"This piques my interest. I am wondering if we are going to face an unexpected enemy like fairies or if this is just a psychological trap to disorientate us or to keep us from moving on." Nefara said. She must've been thinking similar thoughts to Arthur.

"I've tussled with enough fairies to know that psychological nonsense is their ideal way of stalling people. " He said roughly. There was a story there, but it'd have to be for a different time. The two's pace slowed as Nefara seemed to dial in on something in the trees, she was like a cat ready to pounce on a wounded bird. She lunged forward and tore at the creature, only to find that it was a child. That, however, was not any more comforting for Arthur to discover. Demons liked using the visage of children especially to get things done. Innocence was one hell of an anesthetic.

"Please don't kill me." The child squeaked. Arthur could see the conflict in Nefara's eyes. He cast protection from evil on himself and Nefara just in case something bad was afoot. He also took the liberty of checking for illusions around himself. Either this was a real forest with real children running around, or this was a very powerful demon they were messing with. Nefara talked with the child, and more seemed to assemble from the trees as Nefara came closer to Arthur.

"I have a bad feeling about this. While I don't want to abandon children here and want to hug them, I am wondering if they are actually children and if so if it would be more merciful to give them a quick end than let them suffer in the tower." Nefara said. Arthur scowled down his nose at one of the children who tugged at Nefara's skirt and asked if she would be their mother. Suddenly they seemed to swarm, begging the two for affection. Arthur could swear there was a look of endearment in Nefara's eyes. Suddenly it turned to fear and scorn.

"We don't know anything about these brats, or if they are even real." He said rather loudly in hopes that whatever it was conjuring these would slip up. " If we aren't going to end 'em, we should leave them for someone else to deal with." He said, surprising himself with how dark he had gotten. Regardless, he felt it necessary. He had messed up with demons and nymphs and fairies before, he wasn't about to do it when he couldn't afford to.

"I wish I could be your mommy, but you wouldn't want a monster as a mommy. I would be a danger to you." Nefara said in a kinder tone than Arthur would've. At any rate, she put the kid down and seemed content with that decision.

"Arthur, let's see if something else is here. Either a caretaker or a magical being." Nefara said. Arthur nodded.

"The sooner I can stop being on edge about demons the better." He said. He, of course, had ways of dealing with demons. He had access to holy spells, he just wasn't exactly on good terms with any of the deities who granted him access to those. He apprehensively followed hoping he wouldn't have to use any.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

Arthur seemed to be pretty antsy about what was going on in this level and assumed there may be a demon behind this. Nefara began to look around. She didn't see anyone else than the children, but she wondered where the sound of water was coming from. Nefara followed the sound to a small waterfall and a pond. There, she spotted a woman with big breasts. "I am guessing you could be right. Alternatively, she may be a nymph or a succubus." Nefara said.

She went closer to the woman. Something about the woman made Nefara salivate. The woman was teeming with mana. Eating this woman could prove to be a massive boost in power for Nefara. Despite the hunger making her lose her composure a little, Nefara wanted to see if the woman was even evil in nature. "If you are what we need to fight on this level, if you have any goodness in you, I recommend to let us to the next level without a fight and we can leave you to your uh children." Nefara said.

The woman chuckled and said: "But I cant let you leave. You need to help me take care of my children." "I then take it you are a nymph or some kind of lady of the waters who is followed by the spirits of children. I guess I must resort to threats if you dont want to let us leave. If you don't let us through to the next level, I will eat you." Nefara threatened.

"Oooh. I am sooo scared. What do you think you can do to me?" The woman said sarcastically. Nefara was visibly salivating. She was sweating from holding back her thirst and you could see that she was about to lose it. When the woman noticed, she grew a little nervous but still felt she may have the upper hand. The woman only blinked and Nefara disappear from her sight. All of a sudden the woman had to dodge Nefara attacking her, narrowly dodging her attack.

The children tried going to Nefara to ask her to leave their "mother" alone. "Please dont hurt mommy." A child said. The wild Nefara let out a ferocious growl at the children which made them freeze in fear. The woman went to attack Nefara but Nefara dodged the womans attack and bit into the woman's arm.

"You should never underestimate someone out for that sweet mana filled blood of yours. I am guessing it isn't even your mana but you took it from past adventurers." Nefara said after letting go of the woman's arm. "If I eat you, I can free the spirits of the children from filth like you. They are only tools to you arent they?" "Tch. You are getting really annoying." The woman said as she spread bat like wings and launched an energy spell at Nefara, which she barely dodged.

"Arthur, if you use fire on her, only cook her, so I can still eat her." Nefara said.

 

[Kiwikat]

They followed the sound of the water and finally found the ring leader. His detect illusion spell was still active and he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the hideous, nightmarish creature that waited for them at the mouth of the river.

"I am guessing you could be right. Alternatively, she may be a nymph or a succubus." Nefara noted.

"Yeah... One of those." Arthur stammered. The creature must've known it was useless trying to sway Arthur, and instead turned its attention to Nefara. The creature's voice was soft, almost sultry as it greeted them. Arthur hadn't seen anything like this. It may've been a succubus, but he had always been under the impression their beauty was natural, not an illusion. It could've been a siren, but it wasn't singing. Singing was their usual mode of enthralling their prey. The creature's blood also reeked of mana. There was probably a higher concentration in her blood than there was in his. "Which means Nef will be eager to get a taste." He thought passively.

"If you are what we need to fight on this level if you have any goodness in you, I recommend to let us to the next level without a fight and we can leave you to your uh children," Nefara said to the creature. It laughed haughtily in response and grinned.

"But I can't let you leave. You need to help me take care of my children." It smiled and sneered at Arthur. Suddenly in his head, its voice rang.

"You may be able to see my form, Mageblood, but you are no less powerless to combat the dominion I have over men like you." It's sultry voice becoming louder and more prominent than the words being spoken by Nefara in response.

"Men like me?" He thought in response, his eyebrows furrowed as he silently and motionlessly watched Nefara speak. "You've never met a man like me." He thought snarkily. He knew better than to humor a succubus, what with him being a man and all, but she could only really take his soul if she slept with him, and that wasn't likely to happen with Nefara trying to drink up her Mana rich blood. The succubus laughed in his head an eerily familiar laugh. The laugh of one of the many one night stands he has had. His face scrunched up with worry, and the succubus seemed to know it.

"You are no different than every other strong, ambitious, handsome idiot who I've come across so many times." The woman's voice pouted, there was a bite to how she said handsome that made chills run down Arthur's spine. He grit his teeth "And I have so much fun with men like you." As she whispered the word "fun" his detect illusion was suddenly dispelled, and a beautiful voluptuous woman stood before him. Suddenly he saw Nefara lunge at her. Something in Arthur wanted to stop Nefara from hurting her. His amulet flashed brightly and the woman's voice growled in frustration. Arthur realized what happened and smiled internally. His soul was linked to the amulet now. She couldn't even harvest from him because this damned amulet already had him trapped to it. The children wailed as Nefara attacked the Succubus, making focus for spells impossible. The woman's voice said again.

"If I can't have you, then nobody can!" He could feel himself readying a spell against his will.

"Arthur, if you use fire on her, only cook her, so I can still eat her," Nefara said. Arthur was charging something big and could feel his soul being turned into manna. He tried to focus and unleash the magic as fast as he could. He turned on his heels and shot a massive wave of dark magic into the children, killing most of them. Arthur couldn't have really cared less about that, he was more concerned that the succubus could affect his use of magic, meaning she actually could take his soul. He roared and called down a pillar of fire to blast her. He knew she wouldn't die from it. He needed a deity to smite her, but that would require him to commune with a deity, and they certainly wouldn't be cool with him just asking them for their power when he murdered a score of children. Arthur tried to warn Nefara that she was controlling him, but no words came out.

"You're all mine, big boy" She laughed seductively in his head.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

The woman seemed to be more focussed on Arthur. Nefara deduced that the woman was trying to control him to harvest his mana or life force. Yet had the woman focussed more on the fight, she wouldnt be such easy prey for Nefara.

Nefara watched as Arthur unleashed a spell into the children. The children were spirits and aetherial anyways, so he basically just destroyed the materialization of their souls. Nefara however noticed Arthur struggling with himself. Priorities first, the woman distracted by Arthur, should meet her end quickly. Nefara moved as quickly as she could to reach the woman and wrap herself around the woman to ultimately sink her teeth into her, possibly weakening her grip on Arthur.

The succubus tried to pull Nefara off her and shake her off, but Nefara seemed to hold on like a pitbull. At the same time, Nefara was getting a drink of that precious blood and could feel the strength coming to her. Her bite got more powerful and the succubus screamed in agonizing pain. Nefara managed to ultimately chomp a chunk off of the succubus' shoulder. But that wasn't the end as there was still plenty of succubus to eat and plenty of strength to absorb. The succubus didn't seem to want to die that easily, yet at this point she was powerless compared to the monster eating her.

Taking a short break from eating, Nefara called over to Arthur: "You are mine. And I wont let some succubus take you that easily. When your senses are clear, why dont you harvest some talons. They may be of value."

 

[Kiwikat]

Arthur's amulet burned again as the succubus pulled on his soul again. Arthur let a strain of curses pass through his head as she tried in vain to wretch his soul from his amulet. Nefara lept onto the Succubus and chomped down, taking her focus almost entirely from Arthur. It felt like his brain could finally breathe again. He quickly said a prayer to whatever deity would listen and prepared to smite the bitch.

"You are mine. And I won't let some succubus take you that easily. When your senses are clear, why don't you harvest some talons. They may be of value." Nefara called over to him. Arthur nodded.

"When this bitch is dead and gone, I'll get you whatever you want." He said, hatred welling up in his chest. He blasted his prepared smite at the succubus hoping the gods had accepted his commune, instead a pitiful white light sputtered from his hand. He cursed loudly and punched the immobilized succubus in the face as hard as he could. She whimpered pitifully.

"Arthur, baby. Why are you hurting me? I just wa-"

"SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH!" He roared and blasted her point-blank with a firebolt, mangling her once beautiful face into a horrid burnt mess. He grabbed her head, which still tried to face him and slammed it hard into the lush soil. If Nefara hadn't been clear about not obliterating her, he would have been fine with spending half of his soul just to make her suffer. She had done something in his soul while she was messing around in there. She took something or changed something. He wasn't sure, but something was different after she left. His amulet suddenly flashed blue and Arthur unleashed a smite from his hands, searing her flesh and taking all sign of life out of her face. Arthur paused. It had never done that before. Did the amulet just create faith magic? It would certainly solve his problems of being on bad terms with the gods. He took a deep breath to compose himself and straightened his suit. "Thank you, Nef." He said after a deep breath. He kneeled and began to cut the feet and claws off the beast. "I'm glad you feel that way about me." He smirked. "If for no other reason than, if you didn't I would be dead." He admitted, shrugging.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

"I'm glad you feel that way about me. If for no other reason than, if you didn't I would be dead." Arthur said to Nefara after dealing the killing blow and harvesting the valuable parts off the beast. The spirits of the children had disappeared too. It seemed they have been finally freed.

Meanwhile Nefara felt strong enough that she could probably smash through stone pillars and take on stronger opponents. She noticed another orb on the ground. As she touched it, she had learned another skill. The skill was called "Power Share" and could be used defensively to protect or heal a weaker teammate. Could come in hand. "It seems I have learned a new skill. It lets me share some of my power to you to protect or even heal you." Nefara said. "Also after consuming the succubus, I now feel a lot stronger."

She punched into the air creating a little draft of air in front of her. "Now I just need to be able to pierce dragon scales with my claws and teeth. Then I would practically be unstoppable." She said. "Well since we are done here, we should head to the next level. I am not sure if we will be able to complete another level without some rest though."

 

[Kiwikat]

Arthur's blood was pumping too hard in his head for him to really focus on anything that was being said. He was still seething with anger at the succubus. Having his soul jangled around like keys being held by a toddler made him very afraid, and the fact that it scared him made him even more afraid, which looped until that fear finally turned into a blinding rage. It was all catching up to him now. Nefara said something, but it just sounded like buzzing.

"Fine, whatever." He said with an uncharacteristic lack of tact. He glared at the succubus one last time and growled. He followed behind Nefara waiting for their next stop. Arthur suddenly got very quiet. At the end of the hall he saw the mana elf from his dream. It shook its head disappointedly at Arthur, then vanished slowly up the stairs. He turned to Nefara, "Did you see that too?" His voice had become slightly panicked.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

Arthur still seemed to be in a bad mood from the succubus but then asked Nefara: "Did you see that too?" "See what?" Nefara said. "Maybe you are hallucinating from being leeched from that succubus. I don't seem to hear anything except for us two and the rushing water."

Nefara then saw the next door to the stairway up to the next levels saferoom. She purposely yanked it open and pulled it off its hinges. "That's more like it." She said. "Now if I was a hundred or a thousand times stronger, I could break out of this tower and make it collapse so that no one would have to endure this cruelty ever again." Nefara then yawned. "Gee, I am beat. Let's make our way up to the safe room and get some rest. Maybe with the talons of the succubus we can get better equip like better weapons or rare food items that will make us stronger."

Nefara then took Arthur by the hand and tugged him up the staircase to the safe room. The safe room this time was well maintained and had more people in it, including a human who looked like he hadn't left the safe room in days. The human came up to Arthur and said: "Finally another human. I just managed to sneak past what was on the past floor and have camped out here for the past five days. I fear that I may surely die on the next level." Nefara then approached the man: "You snuck past? Are you serious? How are you going to get stronger by avoiding fights. If you do it too much, the orcs will outright kill you for not playing their games."

The man noticed that Nefara was drenched in blood, especially around the mouth. "You look like you didn't fare too well either as it looks like you spit blood." Nefara chuckled: "I didn't spit blood. The blood went into my mouth. I ate the succubus from the previous floor. She gave me an enormous boost in strength." "A...Ate? A succubus?" The man said, asking himself whether he was standing in front of a barbarian or a monster. "Is it some kind of barbarian tradition like eating the hearts of fallen enemies?"

Nefara had to chuckle again. "No. I live off of meat and blood, especially those of magical beings with a lot of mana in their blood. If you can't wrap your head around it, I am a hunter of sorts, a predator, maybe even the ultimate predator. Maybe one day, I can eat the flesh of a dragon or a wizard." The man shuddered. He didn't want to get on Nefara's bad side. "Say, why don't you two get cleaned up and take a look at the hot springs the safe room has to offer. It offers a semi-open outdoor view. Well there are bars to prevent escape but maybe you will enjoy the night view of the orcish lands and the frontline in the distance."

"That sounds like a splended idea. Arthur when you are ready. Why don't we go there together? I bet the orcs have towels for such an occasion." Nefara said.

 

[Kiwikat]

Arthur followed Nefara. She ripped a door from its hinges and seemed to beam with pride.

"That's more like it." She said. "Now if I was a hundred or a thousand times stronger, I could break out of this tower and make it collapse so that no one would have to endure this cruelty ever again." Arthur nodded absentmindedly in agreement. He was too tired and frustrated to be his usual witty self. He probably would've said something like , With that kind of power, you might as well just kill the Orc Chieftan himself, but he didn't see the use in that. This tower was draining more from him than he would've liked... Or maybe it was just his soul being weaker now. In either case, he was not nearly as pleased with his decision to surrender his freedom. Nefara tugged on his hand to lead him up and they got to the next safe room. It was better furnished than the previous two, and there was a human there. Oddly enough, the sight of another human was not comforting to him anymore, honestly seeing orcs was a more relieving feeling. The man saw Arthur and stumbled over.

"Finally another human. I just managed to sneak past what was on the past floor and have camped out here for the past five days. I fear that I may surely die on the next level." He said with a sickening tone of hope. Arthur nodded.

"It's good to know we aren't the only two who've made it this far." He said somberly, gesturing to Nefara who was already close to the man.

"You snuck past? Are you serious? How are you going to get stronger by avoiding fights? If you do it too much, the orcs will outright kill you for not playing their games." Nefara asked. Arthur couldn't help but laugh slightly. There was something cute about the way she was so indignant about this man's cowardice.

"Orcs or no orcs..." Arthur contributed, "If you think you can escape confinement like this without fighting, you'd be better off just waiting for somebody else to rescue you." Arthur prodded. The man's face fell.

"Who are you to tell me how to get out of this tower, you two don't seem like heroes to me." The man snarked. Arthur pursed his lips in slight frustration.

"The name, Arthur Maelblood ring any bells?" Arthur said, furrowing his brow. The man's face turned paler.

"By the gods... If they got you then... Have the orcs already won??" His voice turned to panic. Arthur held his hand up dismissively.

"I wasn't taken from the capital, as far as I know, we still have a fighting chance at this war, but not if people like you are too scared to risk their lives for their freedom." He said curtly. The man swallowed hard and nodded. He turned to Nefara and only just noticed the blood on her face, he recoiled a bit and spoke.

"You look like you didn't fare too well either as it looks like you spit blood."

"I didn't spit blood. The blood went into my mouth. I ate the succubus from the previous floor. She gave me an enormous boost in strength." Nefara responded with a chuckle. Arthur had to admit, she has become increasingly okay with her curse. The man was shocked, and Arthur probably would've been too if he had just met Nefara now for the first time.

"Is it some kind of barbarian tradition like eating the hearts of fallen enemies?"

"No. I live off of meat and blood, especially those of magical beings with a lot of mana in their blood. If you can't wrap your head around it, I am a hunter of sorts, a predator, maybe even the ultimate predator. Maybe one day, I can eat the flesh of a dragon or a wizard." Nefara responded cheerfully. Both Arthur and the man were visibly uncomfortable. Arthur especially did not like the part about eating a wizard's flesh, because for all intents and purposes she had one with her at all times. Arthur calmed himself mentally and shamed himself for thinking of Nefara that way. He was almost certain that she would never... almost.

"Say, why don't you two get cleaned up and take a look at the hot springs the safe room has to offer. It offers a semi-open outdoor view. Well, there are bars to prevent escape but maybe you will enjoy the night view of the orcish lands and the frontline in the distance." The man said, eager to change the subject. Nefara liked the idea, and Arthur could certainly use some R&R in his current state. Nefara turned to Arthur excitedly.

"That sounds like a splended idea. Arthur when you are ready. Why don't we go there together? I bet the orcs have towels for such an occasion." Nefara said. Arhtur smirked.

"As long as you are the only beautiful woman there waiting for me, I'd be happy to." He said, feeling a little better about himself. If he was okay enough to flirt shamelessly in public, he was okay for another day of adventuring.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

"As long as you are the only beautiful woman there waiting for me, I'd be happy to." Arthur said to Nefara. Nefara's face blushed. Arthur's flirts and compliments give Nefara a happy tickle in her stomach. "Ohh, you charmer." Nefara said. "I guess I better hurry."

Nefara made her way to the hot springs. There was a locker of sorts in the changing area. She took off her armor, her clothes and her choker and set them in the locker after briefly cleaning the blood from them. She found hemp cloth towels and wrapped one around her chest to conceal parts that women shouldn't show before getting into a partnership. Arthur was still pretty new to her since they had only known each other for a couple days now. Even if there had been some romancing going on ever since they go to the tower, it still was a bit early for that kind of stuff.

Nefara made her way to the hot springs and was astounded at the view they had from their, even if they were only a couple floors up. They were still possibly 30 or 35 meters up. As Nefara climbed into the water, it was pleasantly warm and the water was the clearest and cleanest she had seen since they have gotten into the tower. Nefara took a sip of the warm water from the faucet it was coming from. It was delicious and far purer than what she had since she was captured. She waited for Arthur the join her.

The view outside was early night time with lights below from the orc camp and in the distance were lights of orc villages. Far away, the fire and smoke of the frontline couple be seen. It was at least a days walk away from the tower.

 

[Kiwikat]

Nefara blushed in response to Arthur's compliment, it was good to know he hadn't lost his touch with that kind of thing. He gave Nefara a few minutes of a head start to let her change in peace. As he waited, the man spoke softly and grimly.

"How can you be so nonchalant about traveling with her..?" He shuddered, remembering the blood dripping form Nefara's jaws. Arthur frowned in the man's direction.

"She's a human, just like you and me. Whether she is a human who drinks blood, a human who uses magic, or a human who talks to orcs, shes a human. That is why I follow her so loyally." He said in a judging manner.

"But you see her rip people apart and consume their blood." The man said apparently getting queasy just talking about it.

"And I've seen enough human soldiers do nearly the same thing with less just cause to know that if her options are consumption or death, then I would hope she chooses consumption. Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I have somewhere to be." Arthur said, turning his back to the man. In truth, he did worry about Nefara losing control one day, but it would be a betrayal to her if he ever shared that sentiment. She needed anyone to believe in her, and right now he was all she had in that aspect. He found a changing area and started to remove his suit, it was sweaty and frayed in places from him refusing to remove it for days now. He was down to his undershirt and upon removing that noted with some curiosity that the amulet now pulsated with a faint purple hue sometimes instead of only being blue. He realized he was between a rock and a hard place. Leaving the amulet here was probably a bad idea in case it got discovered, and bringing it out to the springs was worse. He decided to test fate and put the amulet between the folds of his clothes. He grabbed a towel, fastened it around his waist, and made his way towards the springs. Sure enough, Nefara was already submerged, looking pert as always, but more content than he'd seen her since they met.

He slowly got into the water beside her, letting himself adjust to the heat. He looked out the barred window. He could just barely see a small orange dot wavering ever so slightly. That must've been a raiding party, and they have been hard at work since Arthur and Nefara got captured. He turned to Nefara to take his mind off of what that raiding party might be doing.

"It's about time they get us a proper reward for our hard work." Arthur smiled. "I guess all it takes is getting all the orcs to love you and then kill a succubus with your bare hands, eh?" He nudged Nefara playfully. "I'm glad we've made it this far more or less safely." He said more seriously, absent-mindedly scrubbing himself of the grime, sweat, blood, and dirt that his skin had been accumulating. His skin was rough with clogged pores, he felt lighter as he cleaned himself. "Of all the people to be stuck in this tower with, I'm glad it could be you." He said as genuinely as he could muster. "If I were traveling with anyone with even half the spinelessness as that guy in there I'd just blown their head off and saved the orcs the trouble." He tried making a joke but he realized how morbid it was only as he spoke. He shut his mouth and looked out the window again, hoping Nefara would have something to say that'd break the awkwardness.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

"It's about time they get us a proper reward for our hard work." Arthur smiled. "I guess all it takes is getting all the orcs to love you and then kill a succubus with your bare hands, eh? I'm glad we've made it this far more or less safely. Of all the people to be stuck in this tower with, I'm glad it could be you. If I were traveling with anyone with even half the spinelessness as that guy in there I'd just blown their head off and saved the orcs the trouble. "

"You are so cute. Well anyways, maybe at the start I would have gone with a coward like that guy but at this stage, I'd just go without him as he would be just a burden. As much as I hate to leave someone behind, I first need to have the strength before I can save everybody. Maybe when we are done, I can come back to save him if he's still alive." Nefara said. "To be honest, I prefer to go through the tower with you. You have been there for me ever since we got here and I hope it stays that way. If it werent for you, I would probably had given in to my hunger and either shed my humanity or would have become something evil like that succubus we killed."

Nefara briefly put her head underwater to clean her face and hair. Her long pink hair was the soaked and she looked at Arthur. "What if I ever became something evil? Would you still stay by my side for harm reduction or would you try to stop me with all your might? I swear though. I promise that I wont ever even consider the thought of eating or harming you. You are my only friend. Well, the only one who didn't flee or die and I wouldn't know what to do without friends." Nefara said.

 

[Kiwikat]

"You are so cute. Well anyways, maybe at the start I would have gone with a coward like that guy but at this stage, I'd just go without him as he would be just a burden. As much as I hate to leave someone behind, I first need to have the strength before I can save everybody. Maybe when we are done, I can come back to save him if he's still alive." Nefara said. Arthur was relieved to hear his comment hadn't offended her. But given what they had both just been through he would've been genuinely surprised to hear she was. "To be honest, I prefer to go through the tower with you. You have been there for me ever since we got here and I hope it stays that way. If it werent for you, I would probably had given in to my hunger and either shed my humanity or would have become something evil like that succubus we killed." Arthur's stomach turned at the thought of Nefara ravenously mauling everything in sight like a wild animal. She didn't have that bright spark of alluring innocence in her eyes, there was only frenzy and instinct. Arthur focused his attention more on Nefara's eyes and admired them.

"You can't give me all the credit for that." He said humbly. "All I did was pick you up off your feet and remind you where we were. You're the one who's been keeping the beast at bay." He continued casually. "As for being something evil..." His voice trailed off as he remembered with no small amount of irony that he could easily be considered evil at this very moment. "It's all subjective really. All I know is I am glad I'm traveling with you because without you I'd've probably just blasted this tower with everything I had until I didn't have a soul to draw from." He smiled grimly. "So... Thank you." He bowed his head.

"What if I ever became something evil? Would you still stay by my side for harm reduction or would you try to stop me with all your might? I swear though. I promise that I wont ever even consider the thought of eating or harming you. You are my only friend. Well, the only one who didn't flee or die and I wouldn't know what to do without friends." Arthur cautiously put his arm around Nefara to comfort her.

"Don't worry Nef. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a goody-two-shoes myself." He smiled, trying to push Nefara's worries to the wayside. " and if you turned into some heartless evil thing, I'd make sure you don't harm anyone until I also become a soulless evil thing. And at that point..." Arthur mused as he took note of all his senses, appreciating that it might be the last time he ever feels peace like this in a long time, "then the gods better have mercy on those Orcs, because neither of us will." He laughed, briefly letting himself fantasize about Nefara and Arhtur at full power with nothing holding them back obliterating the orcs off the face of the earth. He waved off the thought and looked back at Nefara. "But that's not going to happen. We will get out of here and everything will be normal again." He promised in a softer and gentler tone.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

"I thank you for your comforting words Arthur. To be honest, it may look as if I am totally fine with what I have become now, but I still somewhat feel a sense of dread everytime I think about having to kill because I lust for meat and power." Nefara said. Alone speaking of it made her salivate. She hated that. It was awful to have a hunger that was unsatiable. It was always there, even though it would be bearable after eating for a bit.

Nefara gripped Arthur's hand as he laid his arm around her. "I wish this moment could last forever. I haven't been able to relax like this in a long time. But I wonder how long it will be until we reach the top. I am honestly hoping we get strong foes so I can build enough strength to break us out of here. Then we can head home and maybe stop this stupid war." Nefara said. "And if neither side will listen..." She looked into Arthur's eyes with her ruby red eyes, which almost seemed as if they were glowing and continued: "then maybe we will have to force them."

It was as if Nefara was momentarily a different person. But then she snapped back into her old self and smiled gently towards Arthur. "I must confess something. I think, I have..." She was a bit nervous and excited at the same time. "I think I have fallen for you." She laid her head on Arthur's shoulder. Nefara then turned her head and kissed him on the cheek. Afterwards she stood up and said: "That was great. But let us go to bed and get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

She then headed out of the chamber and to the changing area, where she dried off and got her stuff back on. She wondered if she should purchase a dress to sleep in or wear under the armor to use as a nightgown in the nights. Nefara would decide she would ask the orc trader tomorrow. She proceeded to one of the beds and went to lay down. But she couldn't. Her stomach was growling.

Nefara went to the bar and ordered meat and an ale. After quickly eating and gulping down the meat with the ale, she headed back to the bed and tried to fall asleep.

 

[Kiwikat]

"I thank you for your comforting words Arthur. To be honest, it may look as if I am totally fine with what I have become now, but I still somewhat feel a sense of dread everytime I think about having to kill because I lust for meat and power." Nefara said. She gripped Arthur's hand and moved his arm closer around her. He didn't resist. "I wish this moment could last forever. I haven't been able to relax like this in a long time. But I wonder how long it will be until we reach the top. I am honestly hoping we get strong foes so I can build enough strength to break us out of here. Then we can head home and maybe stop this stupid war." She turned her head to face Arthur, her eyes had an uneasy glow about them that made Arthur's heartbeat quickly with creeping fear. "And if neither side will listen... Then maybe we will have to force them." Arthur couldn't stop himself from grinning, something inside of him was curious to see how much damage the two of them could cause to the orcs, how much power he would hold being the human to bring an end to the orc scourge. Nefara's expression quickly changed into a more familiar look. "I must confess something. I think I have..." Nefara looked nervous. Arthur had a feeling he knew where this is going.

"You don't have to worry, you can say it." He said softly.

"I think I have fallen for you." She said happily, laying her head on his shoulder and kissing his cheek. Arthur beamed and caressed her head affectionately with his other arm.

"There's nobody I'd rather have fall for me." He kissed her head. They waited there in the idyllic steam of the spring as the lights around them flickered with each gentle breeze. Somehow Arthur knew this would be the last time he ever felt like this. He could feel that absence of sense already, and now was a terrible time for it to start happening. Nefara eventually got up.

"That was great. But let us go to bed and get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

"Aye. And let's hope there is nothing much worse than spiders out there tomorrow. I could use an easy day." He winked. Nefara went off to the changing room and Arthur waited. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the elf made of manna outside of the grated window, staring at him.

"What do you want" He demanded.

"You have not used my gift well..." It responded cooly and matter-of-factly. Arthur stood from the spring and stomped over to the window, pointing his finger at the ethereal elf.

"Gift? Do you call ripping my soul in shreds a gift?"

"You let a demon touch me. I was momentarily defiled by your incompetence."

"Sorry for the inconvenience" Arthur snarked, "I will try to be more considerate of the being that enslaves me from within my own soul."

"I have not enslaved you. You are addicted to the power I can grant you. Any damage to you has come from your choices" It responded without missing a beat. Arthur grit his teeth. That was a pretty accurate statement, and nobody would know better than this thing that had access to his soul at all times.

"You still haven't answered my question," Arthur said gruffly. "What do you want?" But the elf just turned and dissipated into the night. Arthur cursed and went back to his clothes in the changing room. The amulet was still there luckily. He put all of his clothes back on and went straight to the sleeping quarters. He laid next to Nefara and stared at the ceiling hoping for sleep. Suddenly a thought came to his mind and he furrowed his brow angrily at the notion. He had lost his desire to eat. He hadn't eaten in an entire day and he felt no hunger. He grumbled to himself and turned on his side, shutting his eyes and hoping that sleep would eventually take its course.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

As Nefara fell asleep, a dream seemed to brew in her consciousness. It wasn't anything good. It almost felt like a bad omen.

Nefara was surrounded by a dark aura. It looked like black-purplish sludge oozing around her but not dirtying her as if her skin was hydrophobic. Once the aura dissipated, she found herself on a battlefield surrounded by mountains of corpses. Orcs, humans, elves, dwarves, even battle creatures like ogres, trolls and wyverns. They all were bloodied as if they had been mauled. "What happened here?" Nefara said. A half-dead orc champion used the last of his strength to stand up and point his sword at Nefara. "You happened." The orc said. "A monster like you will end us all! We set aside our differences to defeat you, but in the end we failed."

Nefara then looked at herself and noticed she was covered in blood. She got goosebumps and felt sick to her stomach. Was she really this? The orc screamed while throwing his sword: "WHY WONT YOU DIE!?" Seemingly out of reflex Nefara caught the blade and shattered it as if it were glass. The orc having used the last of his strength collapsed, dead. Nefara then passed out.

She then awoke again. This time she was in a different setting. It seemed she was only an observer in this setting as she spotted herself sitting on a throne with Arthur at her side, while the dreaming Nefara was at the other side of the chamber unnoticed by the other actors. The Nefara on the throne didn't seem right. Nefara could feel an evil presence eminating from her, whereas Arthur seemed soulless, like a puppet or weary of his existence and apathetic towards his surroundings. The other Nefara wore a darksteel armored dress and had her hair braided, a crown adorned her head. Her eyes glowed in a deep red. Meanwhile Arthur was in a darkblue robe and his eyes glowed a light blue. The thrones they sat on seemed to be gold and platinum plated and decorated to seem heavenly.

"My goddess. We managed to quell the rebellion and captured the leaders of the rebellion." A servant said. Then several prisoners were led in. They looked terrified as they spotted the other Nefara as she licked her lips as if they were going to be her next snack. "The prisoners look delicious." The other Nefara said. Just as she got up to approach them, she felt someone grab her. It was Arthur. In a weak voice he said: "Please stop... Don't..." The other Nefara grinned and said: "Okay, I will only eat two of them. But only because my love objects." She tried to go to them but Arthur wouldn't let go. "Please... no... no more." Arthur said. The other Nefara started to get agitated by Arthur: "Stand down, Arthur! You constantly stand in my way and spoil the fun." "Please... don't. Stop..." Arthur said again. The other Nefara punched Arthur, but held back on the strength to not hurt him too much. "Let go of me, Arthur! I decide what goes! If you don't let go, I will have you locked in your chambers for the next month!" She said.

The dreaming Nefara had enough of this. "LEAVE ARTHUR ALONE!" The dreaming Nefara screamed. All of a sudden, she was noticed by everyone in the room, even the evil version of herself. Then all of a sudden it seemed as if the Arthur in the dream snapped awake from his puppet like state: "Nef?!" He looked at the other Nefara and the dreaming Nefara and seemed to remember what atrocities his Nefara had committed. With tears in his eyes he said: "Please don't become like her. Please stay good for me." The evil Nefara then exclaimed: "SEIZE HER!" But then, Arthur formed a dagger out of pure mana and said: "I'm sorry. But you aren't the Nefara I fell in love with." He then proceeded to stab the evil Nefara in the neck and then in the heart. For a brief moment, it seemed as if the evil Nefara had come back to her original self and her eyes wallowed up in tears. She reached out to Arthur and mouthed: "I'm sorry. I love you." before dying and turning to ash. The dream Arthur then began to cough up blood.

As he laid on the ground, dying, the dream Arthur said: "Learn from us. It could end well. I hope he watched out for you." Then the dream Arthur died as the last bit of soul left him and he turned to Ash as well. "Arthur!..." Nefara's voice echoed as she desperately reached toward the dying dream Arthur. Then everything went dark.

Nefara woke back up. She was covered in sweat. Luckily it was only a nightmare. The anxiety from the dream made her vomit. She finally realized it was just a nightmare, but it seemed too lucid to be just a normal nightmare. Nefara gazed over to Arthur in his bed. "Arthur..." She said with tears in her eyes.

 

[Kiwikat]

Arthur Maelblood had no dreams. His closed eyes only led him into a slow conversation between him and his own thoughts. It was as if he was strolling through a library of complete darkness, occasionally stumbling upon memory or sensation as if to check if it still with him. He opened his eyes in exhausted frustration. The succubus had done something. She sped up the process of his soul's decay. She had manipulated his soul around, causing it to bear against the confines of the amulet and sand it down into dust. certain emotions and sensations eluded him. Not even only that he didn't feel them, but he struggled to remember that it was even something that existed or that he had experienced before. Sexual partners of his past, orders he had given to soldiers, childhood friends, the smell of rain, all of it and more gone as if they had never happened to him at all. He mumbled to himself trying hard to remind himself of who he is and what he had done, but the more he tried the more fearful he became that he was too far gone. Ironically, fear was what kept him from slipping further into that rabbit hole. At least he could still feel emotions, and at least he still had Nefara. As he thought of her, suddenly he noticed her fidgeting and grumbling in her sleep. Suddenly, as if possessed she lurched from her bead and puked all over the sheets. With tears streaming down her face she turned to Arthur helplessly.

"Arthur..."

"By the gods, Nef!" Arthur leaped from his bed and cast as much healing magic as he could without alerting any orcs. "What's wrong? Are you hurt, cursed? Did that succubus do something?" He asked frantically. He was too frantic, infact, to be happy that he had this burst of emotion. "What do you need? I will get it for you." He promised.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

"By the gods, Nef! What's wrong? Are you hurt, cursed? Did that succubus do something?" Arthur responded to Nefara.

"I had a nightmare. A really lucid and terrifying one of the future." Nefara began. She then continued her explanation of her nightmare as she wiped her tears off her cheek: "In my nightmare, I came to in a battlefield where there were mountains of corpses. A heavily injured or said that I had done that all and attacked me, but I was able to easily catch and shatter the blade he threw at me. Just as the orc had used the last of his strength, he died."

Nefara had to take a moment to catch her breath and calm herself a little. "Then I passed out and came to in a chamber. In the chamber, you and me sat on thrones. The me on the throne didn't seem like me. She gave off a sinister aura. And the you by her side seemed like an empty husk of a person, like a puppet. My eyes glowed a red and yours glowed a bright blue. Servent spoke of putting down a rebellion and referred to me as "goddess". They had five prisoners, leaders of the rebellion it seemed, in chains. The nightmare me then wanted to eat them, but the Arthur at her side grabbed her by the wrist and weakly asked her not to. The evil me, then spoke of compromising and only eating two of them out of love for her Arthur. But the nightmare Arthur wouldn't let go and kept of faintly asking her to stop. She became agitated and spoke to her Arthur harshly to stand down. But her Arthur wouldn't let go and continued to plead with her to stop. That is when she struck her Arthur. However it seems she held back as it was barely hard enough to injure him. The evil me spoke of how she would like her Arthur into his chambers as punishment."

Nefara was still crying a little. The thought of someone dear to her being treated like that, hurt her. And she never wanted to become that monster that would treat Arthur as a puppet or pet. She then continued her long explanation: "That is when I spoke up in the nightmare. I had enough and told the evil me to leave her Arthur alone. That is when all the actors of the nightmare noticed me. The evil me wanted me to be arrested, while the nightmare Arthur had seemed to snapped awake, noticing how wrong the situation was. He called me Nef and looked at his Nefara, noticing what a monster his Nefara was. He asked me with tears in his eyes to never become like her and to stay good for him. After that he created a daggar made up of pure mana and stabbed his Nefara in the neck and then the heart while stating she wasn't the Nefara he fell in love with. The dying evil me seemed to have mouthed that she was sorry before dying and turning to ash."

The next part made her eyes wallow up more with tears again. The part where the Arthur in her nightmare died. "The you in the nightmare. He... he began to cough up blood and collapsed onto the ground. B... before d...dying, he told me to learn from them a...and that it could end well. He wanted you to take good care of me. After d...dying, he turned to ash. Just before waking back up, I reached to him and screamed his name." Nefara said.

She embraced Arthur and said: "Please, don't let me become a monster. I want to save the world, not destroy it. I also don't want to lose you. You are all that I have."

 

[Kiwikat]

Nefara explained the dream through sobs, Arthur's heart sank as she described his part in the dream. It was very likely that if things continued the way they did, that would be the fate that awaited him. "At least the war'd be over," he thought to himself. Nefara embraced Arthur tightly and whimpered.

"Please, don't let me become a monster. I want to save the world, not destroy it. I also don't want to lose you. You are all that I have." She pleaded. Arthur grimaced at first, because the answer he wanted to give was not one she wanted to hear. He caressed her head gently and spoke softly.

"It's going to be alright, Nef. I won't let that happen." His promise was empty, but he hoped it was sincere enough that it'd calm her down. "If nothing else, we have that agreement, right? If either one of us slips, we won't let the other suffer." He said matter-of-factly. "And I have no intention of letting you slip away from me, because you are all I have right now too." He looked her in the eyes and smiled. "We are going to get out of the tower, and then everything will be normal, right?" He said optimistically. You can rest here with me, I will be right with you. Regardless of what happens in the dream, I will be right beside you so you'll know I'm the real one." He offered, patting the rough mattress next to him. Arthur couldn't even really sleep anyway, but if he could do something to help Nefara sleep better, then maybe the night wouldn't be so hard.