Now that Senani and his group were no longer in imminent danger, he decided to take a moment to relax and consider his options. Obviously, Senani now had to challenge the Parasite keeper. Though what he would do when he did was quite uncertain. After all, Senani had no desire to enslave others.
When that thought entered his mind, Senani immediately summoned Patricia. Senani again created the grade A Illusion and Grade S Absorption ability stones and gifted them to Patricia.
"Senani when you absorbed the nameless one, I thought I would be slain for bringing you to his candle to be slain. Now you have granted me multiple abilities and grown my power beyond that of any of the previous Coven. I can never repay you. What do you need of me?" Patricia stated with great emotion.
Senani replied, "Now that you have the absorption ability the suns from this planet will further strengthen you. There is a problem, however. There is a creature called the Parasite keeper here that enslaves the lives of others via its parasites. I need you to bring the Deviants and all the undead we possess to detain the infected while my champions and I go after the Parasite keeper."
While Patricia was unsure of what he meant, she quickly obeyed Senani's request. The vampiric Deviants and the undead would flow into the city and seek out and detain all the living creatures within. She then joined Argent, Maximus and Senani in the hunt for the Parasite keeper. With Senani's possession of the coordinates for the Parasite keepers' nest, and the Deviants and undead keeping the infected at bay, this was made far easier than Senani had originally thought.
The quartet travelled deeper and deeper into the city, eventually arriving at the pyramid that Zurin had spoken of. The group continued to venture deeper and deeper into the pyramid. It descended deep into the depths of Gresham and was thus far larger than it originally appeared.
After hours of travel, bypassing intersections one after another, the quartet finally stood outside the door to the chamber in which the Parasite keeper resided. Senani carefully opened the chamber and the quartet entered.
As the door opened the 4 anomalies that the Parasite keeper had infected immediately attacked. Argent summoned the undead dragons, and quickly overwhelmed the anomalies. The abilities these anomalies possessed were not offensive in nature, and they were vastly overwhelmed and outnumbered by the undead dragons and Argent.
Senani, Maximus, and Patricia moved to the center of the room where a large vine grew from the top of a sarcophagus. Senani was somewhat surprised to see that the Parasite keeper was no more than a massive vine, he requested that Patricia absorb the vine. She obeyed, and thus gained a Grade S version of the Parasite keeper's parasite ability.
· Quest updated.
o Parasite keeper absorbed by Patricia.
o Optional tasks
§ Claim the candle of the Parasite keeper.
§ Absorb the candle of the Parasite keeper.
§ Have Patricia absorb the candle of the parasite keeper.
Senani had hoped the candle would reside in the same room as the Parasite keeper, unfortunately it appeared as though that was a false hope. He, Maximus, and Patricia began to explore and examine the room. Argent and the undead dragons continued to hold off the infected anomalies. Aside from the Sarcophagus and several containers full of parasites, there was little of value.
As the containers of parasites were located, they were absorbed, and the containers were moved to the side of the sarcophagus.
Senani knew the candle would be located somewhere within the pyramid, and according to Zurin, Grishnar's candle should be somewhere within the pyramid as well. With few other options, Senani decided to open the Sarcophagus and see who resided within, while hoping there was a secret room containing the candles. He and Maximus carefully began opening the sarcophagus.
· Warning, raising the mummy within this sarcophagus could create disastrous effects for the entire galaxy. It is advised to gain more power before attempting to do so.
· Quest Received, Wagu. "You have opened the sarcophagus of the leader of the first men, Wagu. His power in life was far beyond that of most ancient anomalies even without possessing his own candle."
o Optional tasks
§ Allow Wagu to continue to rest in peace.
§ Claim Wagu as one of your champions.
§ Destroy the body of Wagu.
§ Run for the hills.
Disastrous effects for the entire galaxy? Senani was unsure what that could mean. He was, however, sure that it would not be wise to find out. He carefully closed the lid back on the sarcophagus and continued to look elsewhere for the candle.
The trio continued to look without any success for many hours. By this point, Argent had managed to completely subdue the anomalies, and he and the undead dragons joined in the task. As a dragon, Argent possessed an extraordinary sense of sight and the ability to sense hidden treasures. 15 minutes after he joined the hunt, he found a hidden switch within the right eye of the sarcophagus. Before Senani could warn him away from the sarcophagus, he pressed it, and a previously hidden door opened in the back wall.
When the door opened, the group was surprised to see that they could see absolutely nothing.
Senani was ecstatic at this revelation. Judging from Grishnar's ability, he was certain that this room would contain Grishnar's candle, and possibly that of the Parasite keeper as well.
The quartet cautiously entered the room. Oddly, only the door was cloaked with the shadow. Senani found himself wondering if this was due to his absorption of Grishnar's body.
In the center of the room stood a large candelabra. The candle at the center burned with a blinding darkness, Senani immediately recognized it as Grishnar's candle.
On a tier below Grishnar's candle stood one other, it burned with a bright green light. Senani was sure this would be the candle of the Parasitic host.
Senani gathered the candles and presented Grishnar's to Maximus and the Parasitic hosts to Patricia. He requested that they each absorb a candle, and he then moved to the candelabra holder and began absorbing it himself.
· Quest complete. Defeat Grishnar.
· Reward received; Hearthstone generated. "Congratulations, you have generated a Hearthstone. You may now possess a candelabra or chandelier for your faction. It will grow and more slots will open as your power increases. This will grant you the ability to recruit other anomalies to your cause and bind them to your faction much as you do a champion. Once bound, you will gain 50% of their gains in power much as you currently do with your own champions. However, unlike with your champions, species does not matter for anomalies you recruit. It is as they say, the sky is the limit, though keep in mind that other anomalies must add their candles to your candelabra or chandelier themselves. If you add them yourself, they will not be bound to you."
o Do you desire a candelabra or a chandelier? Your candle will reside at its center regardless of the choice you make.
§ Senani chose chandelier.
· Hearth room generated in Deviant Home. This is where your chandelier will reside. Choose its design.
o Senani chose a room made from deep black marble. Along the back wall would be a fireplace made from white marble. The walls would be lined in bookshelves, Senani hoped to fill them with a vast wealth of knowledge for his faction to share.
· Grishnar's Hearthstone absorbed. Hearthstone added to the chain of your chandelier. "Congratulations, you have absorbed your first Hearthstone. By absorbing Grishnar's hearthstone, you have effectively eliminated his faction and the threat they possessed. Unfortunately, this does not mean that his faction members will join you. If you desire them, you or your followers will have to recruit them."
· Ability granted, Shadow Hearth. "Shadow Hearth: When you absorb the Hearthstone of another, you may create a shadow of your own hearth within theirs. This shadow will in essence be an extension of your own hearth located within Deviant Home. You can utilize your full array of abilities at full capacity and can add to or remove candles freely. As a Shadow, it is immune to attack from other anomalies. Only your true Hearth is vulnerable."
· Shadow Hearth created. "All contents of Grishnar's Hearth will be transferred into your own."
· By absorbing the Parasitic hosts candle, Patricia has elevated to the status of New Anomaly. As such she is no longer utilizing an Icon Grant and is no longer part of the Deviant Faction.
· By absorbing Grishnar's candle, Maximus has elevated to the status of Ancient Anomaly. As such he is no longer utilizing an Icon Grant and is no longer part of the Deviant Faction.
Senani was saddened by the last two notifications, though he had expected it. In turning around, he could see that both Patricia and Maximus now carried their own candles in their hands.
"Congratulations Patricia and Maximus. You are both now Anomalies and are free to form your own factions if you desire. Alternatively, you may place your candles in the second highest tier of my chandelier and rejoin the Deviant faction at an elevated status. Maximus, I will grant you command of the gladiatorial school and the other living forces on Yebin. This will be your stronghold. As an anomaly, you may take champions from its rank freely, if your champion restrictions allow you to.
Patricia, you Commanded the Coven before I met you, I will grant you full command of the Deviants that they have become, as well as command of the undead forces on Gresham. With the ability of the suns here to increase the power of the undead, I will require you to relocate here. As an anomaly, you also may take champions from their ranks freely. As they are also vampires, this should prove easier for you than it will for Maximus. Do either of you desire to rejoin the Deviant Faction?"
Patricia was the first to speak. "As I said before Senani, I will never be able to repay what I owe you, and now that you have elevated me to an Anomaly and I now possess my own candle and can create my own faction, I am even more in your debt. I gladly rejoin the Deviant Faction and will use my new abilities to aid your cause. When I absorbed the candle and gained the Parasitic hosts ability, my own abilities merged.
The ability I gained is called Necromantic parasite. It allows me to create my own parasites that will absorb the life force of any living creature that they infect and gift that life force to me. They will then join the ranks of my undead host and gain the regeneration abilities the previous infected possessed. If they are attacked, the parasites will also spread much as the originals did.
I also gained an ability called Hive Mind. With it, I can see through all the undead that I command and freely control them if desired. I can also create commands for various groups and instill those into the undead. I also gained the ability to create golems. "Golems are statues that can be made of any variety of material imaginable. The statue is then brought to life in a manner that will make them unique members of the undead. The golems intelligence, form, and abilities will depend on the ability of the creator." This works like the jobs of a beehive, I can create commands for various groups such as workers, drones, and guardians.
The only limit is my own power and imagination. Though admittedly my undead horde will be acting purely on the programing they are given, though this is still a significant increase in power. I will be infecting all the mindless undead under my control as soon as I am able. I also gained control of all the previously infected. What would you have me do with them?"
Maximus spoke shortly after Patricia had finished. "Senani, you defeated me in the Arena of Yebin. At that point my life should have ended. Instead, you have revived me with more power than I could have ever fathomed. I once strove for fame and wealth, now I am offered command of an entire planet and a large portion of your army.
I will join you without hesitation, and if you are able to get me back to Orion, I will grow your army to a strength previously unheard of on Orion. I gained Grishnar's shadow ability and trapped his soul within soul splitter, his abilities have also mutated. Soul Splitter merged with the Shadow Realm that I gained, and the souls of all those it claimed will reside there to do my bidding and increase my power. It is the souls in the Shadow Realm that Grishnar brought with the darkness in Deviant Home that made those scary sounds. The souls Grishnar claimed still reside in the Shadow Realm as well, as they are bound there.
Infernus is one of the souls now bound to that realm, and he already speaks to me. He knows of many powerful creatures on Orion that we could potentially recruit. If I were to be gifted his body, I could merge his soul back into it and make him my champion. Argent, what would it take for you to grant me that boon? Senani, Grishnar also speaks to me. He desires to be reborn in the candle of another. He would be completely bound to Deviant Faction and will aid me in recruiting his army while he waits for a suitable candle to be found. Grishnar has never feared a being in life, but he fears us now.
Regardless of what you choose for Grishnar, I will bind the Shadow Realm to the Deviant Faction. With your permission I will continue to command this realm in your name."
· Quest Received, Grishnar's resting place. "Grishnar has proven to be an incredibly powerful force for evil in the universe. He has requested that you unleash him upon the masses again to serve the Deviant Faction. Dare you trust him? Dare you unleash him?
· Quest Reward, a trickle of the sea of souls.
They both moved toward the Chandelier and inserted their candles. As they moved, Argent replied, "Maximus, if you want the body of Infernus, it is yours. You have long since earned the right for me to grant any simple request you make. My Weyr still resides on Orion, and you will still have a home within if you desire it. Even when I am granted my own candle, you will still be my rider, and I will fight by your side." He then handed control of Infernus's body over to Maximus. Once his candle had been placed, Maximus filled the room with shadow, and placed his Icon on the body of Infernus, thus inserting his soul back into its rightful place. Infernus roared with pleasure as he became a Draconic Death Knight and spoke to Argent.
"Argent, you caused me great pain for days, and yet I understand your reasoning. From Soul Splitter I have been able to witness your great battles and I can see how much your allies mean to you. I am now sworn to Maximus, yet I will do anything in my power to ensure you and your Weyr are protected."
Senani flowed with purple and black energy. His power was constantly increasing at levels he had never dreamed of before.
· Congratulations Senani, your power level has exceeded that of an ungraded Anomaly and Faction. Deviant Faction now possesses a Grade of F. Continue to grow the power of yourself and your Faction and you will ascend the rankings of the Galactic Factions.
Senani took this opportunity to speak, "I'm glad you both decided to rejoin the Deviant Faction. Patricia, please command the infected anomalies to summon their candles and place them in the candelabra. Maximus, you have gained an incredibly powerful Champion in Infernus, keep him by your side. As to Grishnar, tell him I will find him an appropriate candle, and it will be bound to my chandelier. He will not be allowed to leave the hearth until I deem him trustworthy. Argent, you will gain your candle as soon as I find an enemy that possesses one that has abilities that will mesh with your own innate abilities. If we come across an anomaly whose abilities you want, let me know, and they will be yours."
· Reward received. A trickle of the sea of souls. "Many claim to control the souls of the dead in this galaxy. Now you are one of them as a very small portion of them will flow into the Shadow Realm belonging to the Deviant Faction."
· Hidden reward granted. Soul Reaping. "The anomalies of the Deviant Faction can now reap the souls of their enemies, sending them all into the Shadow Realm. Beware, this ability may anger or create jealousy in anomalies that learn of it."