I nodded, "So basically dungeons are the center of the economy. How does the guild make money then?"
"A third of the money that is automatically taken from us goes to the guild, while the other two thirds go to the city."
The economy of the world of Kaos really did center around the dungeons. Which made being an adventurer one of the most profitable occupations. Even low-level adventurers would be able to make a decent living in this world.
One odd thing I had noticed about the dungeons is you were unable to look at your status or most of the system functions. The only thing a person could actually access were their inventory. This made the process more difficult, as you could not adjust your stats or purchase new items, spells, or abilities in the middle of a dungeon. This was probably because the difficulty of a dungeon was decided upon entry, and any changes after that would not be a true trial of the pair.
We did not rest much longer before deciding to venture further into the church. The entire area had an odd feeling in the air, it felt both like a holy area, and one that had been desecrated. The holy energy in the air gave me a headache, while Alex seemed to be disgusted by the Unholy energies.
The unholy energies were truly not pleasant, it felt like something had violated what you hold most dear. For me it was not as bad, as holy energy was already my natural nemesis, but it was still not something that was enjoyable.
There was a passage behind the Alter the skeletal priest had been standing at in my vision. The passage was hidden behind the broken statue of a female goddess. Her head was missing, and a feeling of anger could be felt radiating from the statue.
Alex paused at the statue and knelt. She began to murmur, her voice too low for me to hear. She stayed like that for a few minutes before standing.
"This was once the church of the Goddess war Hylia. The church was overtaken by the Necromancer King over a thousand years ago. Hylia managed to seal the church, trapping the undead inside. She had used the priest of the place as an avatar, destroying the original body of the necromancer, but its soul managed to escape. "
"Part of the necromancer's grimoire was also sealed in the church, but the power of the magic inside slowly corrupted the priest who was trapped inside, but it seems the seal was recently undone and was absorbed by... well you."
I nodded "While I was screaming, I did have a vision of a skeletal priest, and he gave me a book that my orb absorbed. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about it as I can't access it right now."
"I think aunt Laurel is wrong. I don't think you're a scion. I think rather you're being groomed. You're being groomed to inherit the legacy of the necromancer. The goddess said she could feel some of his power from you when we first entered this place. Did you meet anyone strange when you first came to this world? Don't look at me like that. It's obvious you're a Visitor."
I thought for a moment before answering. "There was a weird incident. When I was born, I was selected by a short old man with a large pointy hat. I never could see his face, but I don't think he was a goblin."
There was silence for a moment, it seemed like Alex was listening to something. Finally, an image appeared before me. The image was familiar, and not so much at the same time. The image had no face, rather it was simply a skull, with glowing green eyes. On the skulls head rested an all too familiar hat, and the body was covered in long black robes.
"That's him, that's Old Pointy Hat!"
Alex's face turned grave. A voice that was not her own came from her mouth. The pressure that came from the voice alone caused me to fall to my knees.
"You are in grave danger child. Each of those books is part of the Necromancer King's Grimoire. Each piece contains a part of his soul. When you collect them all His soul will once again be complete, and your body will no longer be your own. He has chosen you as his heir. Which simply means you are destined to be his puppet. Unless you can grow strong enough to resist."
The voice paused for a moment before it continued to speak again. "If you can manage to clear my church, and restore the head of my statue I shall give you a blessing. It... Is not enough, but perhaps with it your fate will not be so dark child."
When she was done speaking the pressure in the room disappeared. The holy energy in the room dissipated, and clarity returned to Alex's eyes. Sweat dripped down her head as she collapsed to the floor. She panted as she spoke, but the words she said left a shiver down my spine.
"I can still feel her. She's here inside my body. I will grow much stronger from here on out, but..."
"But what Alex?"
She looked away as she spoke "But there might come a time when I have to kill you."