Darling of Fate 2: A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure, page 32
Soul Contract
When I stepped through the red portal and appeared in the Hold, I immediately was on guard. Being taken captive by Astrid would ruin everything, so I remained extra vigilant.
The Hold was much the same as the first two times I’d been here. The sun reflected off the gleaming marble facades of the buildings on either side of the boulevard, the impossibly large stairs ascended into the clouds off in the distance, and the sounds of a nearby blacksmith’s hammer beating against metal dominated my senses.
One thing that was different was that there were no Beasts or Champions squaring off nearby. It seemed I had arrived much earlier than the previous times, and the two factions hadn’t made their way over to the portal yet.
On one hand, it was good that I didn’t have to flee from them right out of the portal. On the other hand, I wondered how much my plan would be affected by the slightly accelerated timeline.
I glanced over at the alley where Mileen had flagged me down originally, but I didn’t see any signs of her lurking in the shadows. I had hoped to handle that part of the plan first, but I wasn’t going to show up at the Kaori underground village unannounced, and I certainly wasn’t gonna go hunting for Mileen on my own. If she didn’t want to be found, she wouldn’t be.
So, my only option was to skip to the next stage and head for the Boons at the center of the Hold. With any luck, I’d also find Watcher Yuri.
I had a Soul Contract proposal I imagined he would be very interested in.
Despite the absence of Astrid and the other natives of the Hold, I wasn’t planning on strolling down the middle of the boulevard and inviting trouble. Striding to the nearby alley, I stuck to the shadows and the rooftops as I made my way toward the plaza where the Boon statues were. I studied the plaza from a nearby roof but didn’t spot any Beasts or Champions after five minutes.
Cautiously, I approached the statues. Pedestrian traffic was heavy with aliens of all types, and no one paid me any attention as I cut through. I stopped in front of Fate’s statue and examined her.
After a few moments, a familiar voice spoke up behind me, and a smile touched my face.
“I wouldn’t take that one if I were you.”
I quickly forced my expression neutral before turning around to face the speaker. Watcher Yuri stood nearby, his piece of wheat clenched loosely between his lips.
“Oh?” I asked innocently. “Seems pretty strong.”
He shrugged casually, but his wide-brimmed hat tilted up for the briefest moment, and I noticed the interest in his eyes. “Her Boons are typically double-edged swords. I’ve seen hundreds of your kind come through here, so I have a good idea of which deities are worth your time and which are not.”
“I see. Care to give me some advice, then?”
His lips turned up in a smirk. “Not for free.”
I pursed my lips as if I were wary. But inside, I was pumping my fist in the air.
“What’s the price?” I asked.
He strolled over and leaned against Fate’s statue. He almost had a blasphemous undertone to his posture, as if leaning against her statue so unceremoniously was some form of inner defiance to the Higher Powers.
“There’s a certain… rebel element within the Hold. These rebels are crafty, hiding in the shadows and the sewers like rats. Despite centuries of my best efforts, I have never been able to purge them entirely. They have a warrior among them designated as the Unseen Champion.” He said the title with obvious disdain, and I wondered just how much history Yuri had with the Kaori. With the wonders of the Integrated Universe, it wasn’t impossible that he had been here for all three thousand years of their exile.
“My Quest has always been to purge these rebels from the Hold entirely—root and stem. But the backbone of their power is this Unseen Champion.”
Quest? That was interesting. So even someone like Yuri received Quests—presumably from some Higher Power. I found myself suddenly curious about what his reward would be for eradicating the Kaori.
But my curiosity wasn’t part of the plan.
“And what, exactly, would you like from me?” I asked, cueing him up for what would come next.
He smiled and shrugged. “Bring the Unseen Champion to an agreed-upon destination—away from the shadows. I will do the rest,” he replied smugly.
“How would I do that?” I asked. “I’ve never even met this person.”
“They have a habit of making contact with newly-arrived Climbers. I have a feeling you won’t have to wait long.”
I wanted to rush through this part and finalize the Soul Contract, but if I was too eager to offer up my life before getting all the details, he couldn’t help but be suspicious.
“Even if they do make contact, how could I possibly get them out into the open when—as you say—they’ve been hiding from you for centuries?”
He shrugged. “I can think of some ways. The Unseen Champion frequents the rooftops of the Hold. I’ve spotted them many times in the distance, but they always scurry away before I can lock them down. To fulfill our agreement, it’s a simple matter of coordinating the timing of my arrival.”
“Simple, hm? If it were simple, you wouldn’t need me, I’d wager.” I mirrored his pose, leaning against Fate’s statue. “And what will I get in return for this… simple matter?”
A flash of a smirk appeared as he tilted his head. “What do you want?”
I made a show of thinking, pressing my finger to my lip before replying, “Safe passage through the Hold for every human Climber in this Instance. You actively protect us from the Jree, the Beasts, Champions, and any other threat.”
“Hmm, too nebulous. I can’t be everywhere at once.”
“They’ll stay on me all the way to the stairs.” I considered how to narrow the parameters without putting us at risk. “How about this? Once I return with my people, any human Climber within 100 meters will fall under your protection.” I raised an eyebrow in question. “Can you manage that?”
He pursed his lips a moment, then said, “Deal.”
“I wasn’t done,” I replied, holding up a finger. “In addition, you promise me protection within the Hold for twelve hours—”
“Impossible,” he immediately said. “One hour.”
“Six.”
“Two.”
“Three hours. Final offer.” Two hours was probably enough for what I needed to do, but having a buffer never hurt.
“Fine,” he growled, spitting his wheat onto the cobblestone. “But I’m not gonna babysit you. You’re safe in my presence but nowhere else.”
I nodded. “One last thing.”
I felt the heat from his gaze as he pushed off from Fate’s statue. “Don’t test my patience, Climber.”
I held up my hands. “This one’s easy.” I looked up and examined the statues before us. “To the best of your knowledge, which of these Boons should I pick?”
He plucked another strand of wheat from thin air and placed it between his teeth. “Sign the Contract, and I’ll give you my advice.”
A familiar notification appeared, though the stipulations were slightly different.
Watcher Yuri has offered a Soul Contract.
Condition 1: He pledges to protect all human Climbers within the Hold, so long as they do not deviate from your presence by more than 100 meters and proceed directly to the Second Floor stairs.
Condition 2: Furthermore, he will guarantee your protection for three hours, commencing on the signing of this Soul Contract, so long as you are within his presence (System Note: line-of-sight and within 100 meters).
Condition 3: He also promises to provide true and faithful advice on Boon selection to the best of his ability and knowledge.
Counter-Party Condition 1: In exchange, the counter-party promises to bring the Unseen Champion to a pre-arranged destination within three hours of signing this Soul Contract (System Note: Rooftops near Central Plaza of the Hold — Instance #362).
Failure to meet all the Conditions by either party forfeits their soul. Experience Points gained from soul consumption cannot push the individual past the level cap of their current Stage. (Current cap: level 75)
I read through the Soul Contract five times to ensure there were no loopholes or unexpected conditions. After some careful thought, I felt there was some wiggle room in each condition that I wanted to shore up.
“Couple of amendments,” I said. “Condition 1 needs to account for outside forces impeding or in some other way diverting my people outside the sphere of protection.”
His lips turned down. “Hm, very wise.” He waved his hand, and the Soul Contract changed before my eyes.
“Also, Condition 2 needs to stipulate that you can’t just leave me in order to break the protection clause. You need to give me the opportunity to stay with you for those three hours.”
His frown grew tighter, and he waved his hand once more. “Anything else?” he asked tersely.
I considered narrowing the stipulations of Condition 3 to make sure the advice was actually suitable and didn’t indicate a Boon I’d already taken. But I didn’t want to antagonize him any more than I already had. Despite the additional clauses he’d just added, this Soul Contract was by no means airtight.
“No, I’m satisfied with this.”
“You do understand the consequences should you fail your side of the bargain?” he asked.
I chuckled. “Does ‘forfeiting my soul’ need any further explanation?”
“Not unless you’re an idiot,” he said with a shrug.
“Depends on who you ask.”
His head tilted up, and he looked me square in the eyes for the first time since I’d watched him snap Mileen’s neck with a flick of his wrist. A shiver ran up my neck, and I had to force down my anger as the memory of his casual murder resurged.
“I don’t normally give warnings. I never coerce Soul Contracts, and they always agree of their own volition.” He narrowed his eyes, giving me an appraising look. “But you have an irreverent air about you that compels me to tell you this: a Soul Contract is immutable and inescapable. Once you sign, your very soul is on the line. And no matter where you go or what Higher Power you may think is on your side, there is no going back on a Soul Contract.” He examined me a moment longer, then tilted his hat down and leaned back against Fate’s statue. “Pah, I must be getting soft in my old age.
“So? What will it be? Don’t waste any more of my time if you’re just gonna back out,” he added.
Of course I was in, I thought. But I need to play it up just a bit more. He won’t suspect me of playing him if I look greedy.
“I’m not sure…” I hedged. His face darkened, and a faint pressure began to emanate from him in waves. “Tell you what. Fulfill Condition 3 before I bring the Champion out. Answer any questions about your advice… and you’ve got a deal.”
The pressure vanished in a blink, and a small smile touched his lips—barely seen before his face turned neutral once more.
“Then we’re agreed.” He waved his hand, and Condition 3 altered slightly. At the bottom, a confirmation prompt appeared. “Accept the Soul Contract, and I’ll give you my suggestion now.”
I pretended to hem and haw for a moment longer, then nodded confidently and accepted the Soul Contract.
An unseen force immediately entered my chest, wrapping around the space where my three Cores resided. The force seemed to form an intricate knot, then extended out from my body and entered Watcher Yuri. After a moment, the connection disappeared, but the feeling of that knot sat heavy inside of me. It wasn’t painful, and it didn’t constrict my ability to manipulate my energies. But it felt like a tight muscle that needed to be rolled out, and it was more than a little distracting.
“It’s done,” Yuri proclaimed.
I nodded. It was impossible not to realize that fact from the feeling in my chest. Distantly, I felt an impression of the knot tied around Yuri’s soul and realized that we could pinpoint each other’s general direction using the bond of the Soul Contract.
When I concentrated on that connection, a notification appeared containing all the conditions we agreed upon, as well as a timer on Condition 2 that was counting down from three hours.
“Well, that’s an unpleasant feeling,” I said.
He chuckled. “You get used to it.”
I nodded, then waved toward the statues. “So. What are you thinking?”
He pursed his lips, then said, “I’ll need to analyze you. It would also help if you revealed any hidden capabilities so I can better provide advice.”
As much as I didn’t relish the idea of letting Yuri cast [Analysis] on me, it would raise a red flag if I refused. After all, I had asked for his advice. Reluctantly, I nodded. “Go ahead.”
That familiar cold wash enveloped me, and Yuri started scanning my Status Sheet. After a moment, his lips turned down in a frown. Then his hat tilted as he turned to regard me.
“Two Cores already? That’s…”
“Impressive?” I supplied.
He shook his head. “I was gonna say impossible. But the Status Sheet doesn’t lie. It may omit, but never lie.” He seemed to appraise me in a new light, narrowing his eyes as he watched me. “If you make it through today, you’ll have to tell me the story of how you unlocked two Cores before level 30.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. If you make it through today…
“Perhaps,” I replied. “But it won’t be free.”
He chuckled and turned back to review my Status Sheet. “Friction and Mass. A potent combination.” A part of me worried that he would draw the connection between my Affinities and the Aspect of Conflict the way Kurian had. But it seemed that information wasn’t common knowledge. “And your Spirit stats are unlocked?” He shook his head in disbelief. “You are Heavens-touched, aren’t you?”
I shrugged. “Just lucky, I guess.”
“Uh-huh… well, my initial suggestion would have been to receive Rexxis’ Boon and unlock your Spirit stats.” He looked up at me suspiciously. “But since you’ve already done that, I’ll offer my opinion on two possible options.”
“I’m all ears.”
He snorted. “Option one.” He left Fate’s statue and led me around until we stopped in front of the Aspect of Karma statue. “This Boon unlocks your Karmic Sight. Karmic ties interweave between all living creatures. Once you become skilled at reading these threads, you can learn nearly everything you need to know about a target within moments. Interpreting the threads isn’t an exact science, but even a partial reading can save your life.”
Damn.
As amazing as that sounded, I was disqualified from this Boon because of my Fate Affinity. But I worried if I told Yuri I couldn’t take this Boon, he might make the connection and realize that I had a third, hidden Affinity. Maybe it was common knowledge that Fate and Karma couldn’t coexist or didn’t get along. If he learned that my third Affinity was Fate, would he realize I could revert and be safe from his retaliation?
No, it was better to keep him in the dark.
“Interesting,” I replied, nodding along. “What’s the other option?”
“Follow.”
He thankfully skipped past all the primers, as I couldn’t select them anyway. But when he stopped in front of two particular statues, I had to suppress a groan.
I couldn’t select either of these!
Chapter 35
To Meet a God
“These are two of the more powerful Boons,” Yuri said with a wave toward the side-by-side statues.
I sighed and pulled up the Boon descriptions.
Patron: Leph, Minor Deity of Armor Craftsmanship
Offered Boon: Full Set of Heirloom Armor
Compatibility: Mid
Reward: Leph will personally craft a full set of Heirloom Armor that will grow with the Climber for the duration of the Climb.
And the next:
Patron: Aestus, Minor Deity of Weapon Craftsmanship
Offered Boon: Full Set of Heirloom Weaponry
Compatibility: Mid
Reward: Aestus will personally craft a full set of Heirloom Weaponry that will grow with the Climber for the duration of the Climb.
Of course, either of these would be amazing. The only piece of Heirloom gear I’d seen so far was Mileen’s chopsticks, and I’d love to get my hands on something similarly powerful… without the culinary motif. But I couldn’t waste my Boon pick on something that would only last a single redo.
Unless…
“Can these items be Soulbound?” I asked Yuri as I re-read the descriptions.
He chuckled. “Worried you might lose them?”
I looked up from the blue boxes and shrugged. “Something like that.”
He pursed his lips in thought, then said, “I think so…”
My eyebrows raised. “You think?”
He narrowed his eyes at my tone. “The conditions of our Contract prevent me from lying. I can’t guarantee the information. But from past conversations with Climbers who have selected these Boons, they’ve always been given the option to customize their selections to some degree. It’s possible that you could request a Soulbound weapon or set of armor…”
Hmm, well, that was intriguing.
“Let’s say I passed on these two. What would my next best option?”
He drew in a long breath through his nose, plucking the wheat from his lips. With a wave, he brought up the Soul Contract in front of me. “Per the stipulations, I’ve given you my true and faithful recommendations given everything I know about your capabilities. I’ll answer any questions you have about Karmic Sight or these Heirloom selections, but don’t test my patience.”
He tilted his hat up and locked his eyes on me. An invisible wave of pressure seemed to emanate from the depths of those eyes, and I had to resist the temptation to look away. Clamping down with my jaw, I returned his powerful gaze. The pressure began to grow, weighing down on my head, shoulders, and neck; trying to make me bend. I forced the corners of my lips up in a smile, though I’m sure he could see the trembling in my jaw. The pressure ramped up a notch when a sudden twist in my soul triggered some connection between us. Knowledge appeared in my mind from nowhere, and I realized that it was the Soul Contract warning us that one of the Conditions was about to be violated.
