Part one:
Zafer turned towards the girl, his face stoic but with a bit of confusion.
"He can manipulate anomalies? How?"
The girl contemplated for a bit, her voice staggering between the words.
"He can convert them to artifacts", she elaborated further, her stance hiding a vague hint.
Zafer didn't understand. He continued to stare, hoping she would spill out the promising punchline more directly.
There already were several ways to convert anomalies to artifacts.
The first one was via the Vestige rune. The downside was that the artifact donor had to be killed, and the crystalized anomaly was chosen by the rune at random.
The other way was via the Almighty Eye anomaly, which depended highly on the wielder's skill and strength.
The grade in Verms of the Almighty Eye must always be higher than that of the crystallized anomaly.
"You should be able to escape a 24 Verm artifact, right?", the girl added.
Zafer's eyes widened.
Did she want to give him her anomaly? The most unique and special trait she had?
Forget that, the beast she was talking about, the former human, could crystalize 24 Verm anomalies?!
The only way to get a 24 Verm artifact was by killing someone with a 24 Verm anomaly using the Vestige rune.
Even then, the question was whether, upon death, the crystallized anomaly would turn out to be the 24 Verm one.
That was a bet.
Not to mention how hard it was to find and kill someone who wielded a 24 Verm anomaly!
There was no denying that owning a 24 Verm artifact was a huge advantage and Zafer didn't want to pretend or hide his craving for such an item.
"I will be able to do many things, but are you sure?", he meant if the girl was sure her anomaly could be converted into an artifact.
She misunderstood the question, however, thinking it was about herself.
"Yeah… It's such torture being alive in this form anyway. I don't believe anyone is coming to free us".
Zafer was glad to hear her say that. It was obvious that nobody cared about them anymore.
Nevertheless, something came to his mind at that moment.
What will happen to this girl if she gifts Zafer her Repeater anomaly?
Even assuming that the crystallization process does not require her to die, how would she continue to live?
Will she just resume her aging from the point before she became a non-human, or maybe… that was the reason why she got so nervous all of a sudden?
Zafer looked at her, nodding in lucidity.
"Come", the girl didn't mind being close to Zafer anymore as they went for a stroll.
The Azyl prison was enormous and there were at least 50 more non-humas like her. All being females with a similar disparate appearance.
Soon enough they approached the area that was the furthest from any wall. Thick fog floated above the ground.
There was a huge shadow up ahead. Much larger than the minotaur.
They stopped.
"Dearhope", the girl called, her voice barely reaching the giant figure in the distance.
The earth trembled as the huge snake's body dragged on the frozen soil. Its diameter was two times larger than Zafer was!
The creature's head rose, hovering above them. The absence of its cheeks and facial muscles revealed the huge homodont teeth.
"Do not be afraid my child", a deep emotionless voice spoke from within the creature. Its mouth didn't move at all.
The girl didn't flinch at the creature's appearance but smiled slightly. „This is…", she realized she never asked Zafer about his name, "a stray visitor".
Dearhope leaned back, "A human? You don't belong here, do you?"
Zafer, still under the impression of Dearhope's appearance, nodded lightly. He looked very similar to the minotaur; except he could talk.
He was sentient.
"You used to be a human?", Zafer asked.
Dearhope exhaled, "I did. Before the Inverse disease struck me, I was a handsome male human specimen".
Zafer frowned, "The Inverse disease did this to you? Are you an apparition?"
"I am both and neither. It was merely a game of fate that I retained my cognition while my body got transformed into this abomination".
Those words were heavier than Zafer expected them to be, leading into another deep ponder.
The girl coughed regaining Dearhopes attention, "I want to give him my anomaly".
"You told him about it?", Dearhope straightened up, trying to spot in Zafer what the girl did. "That is very kind of you, 24".
Even if the girls were already captured and contaminated, their nature should remain a secret, as well as Dearhope's unique ability.
Their miserable fate would have a very tragic ending if paladins found out they could use them as tools.
Zafer stepped forward, realizing the 24 was giving up on living for him.
"Hold on. Maybe you don't need to. What if Dearhope helps me escape and free everyone?"
"I am afraid that is not possible", Dearhope responded in his monotone voice, "In this form, I am as vulnerable as these martyrs. Even if I could help you escape, these girls need to remain here, as that's what I promised when I agreed to rest within these walls".
Zafer's voice sharpened, "You call them martyrs but promised to keep them here? What kind of person are you?"
Dearhope hovered above Zafer's head, remaining as calm as always.
"I am the kind of person who keeps his promises once it is made, no matter what my opinion on the subject is. Moreover it's for their safety as well".
Zafer knew he was in no position or mental state to argue but these last words made him ponder for a second.
What would happen to these girls if their existence were revealed to the paladin world? A random slaughter for the 33% chance of Vestige rune crystallizing their Repeater anomaly?
And Zafer wasn't saying this out of pity, but out of fear. What would the world look like with so many strong artifacts?
What malicious act would paladins be capable of committing? Undoubtedly, such an item would end up in irresponsible hands sooner or later.
Not to mention the shift in meta.
The Repeater anomaly was the most prevalent anomaly. More than 2 thirds of all paladins possessed it, and it was for a good reason.
Even the beginner techniques of Repeater were very useful, and it only goes up from there. Being able to wield superhuman strength, and superhuman speed and also regenerate your own body for hours without overheating was insane.
In the paladin society, there was basically no place for users of other anomalies to blossom, since most of them would end up being killed while still young and weak.
However, what if there were Repeater artifacts of 24 Verms for everyone? What would the paladin anomaly chart look like then?
For non-Repeater anomaly wielders, it will be easier to survive until they get a hang of their own anomaly, while those with Repeater would get overpowered.
They wouldn't profit from a Repeater artifact as much as the others.
However, none of that will ever happen.
"Fine", Zafer forgave Dearhope, "I never planned on telling anyone about this place anyway".
Dearhope straightened up looking at 24, "Very well. I hope you didn't forget about the 2 preconditions needed for this ritual".
The girl smiled awkwardly, "Oh…I… Well, how about it?"
She turned to Zafer.
"What preconditions?"
Dearhope's voice called Zafer over, "You are not allowed to possess the same anomaly you want to be a witness of crystalizing".
The girl explained, "You don't possess a Repeater anomaly, do you?"
Zafer nodded with a fragment of worry, "I don't. What's the second condition?"
Dearhope and Zafer locked their eyes on each other.
"This type of crystallization is going to be quite special, due to the circumstances I am aware about. I can already tell that. The artifact should take the form of a mask of an animal that you share most similarities with. Those can be features of both physical and mental kind".
Zafer and the girl listened carefully, their minds utterly blurring out their surroundings.
"That mask is only going to behave as an artifact for you, and as such you must vow never to use or acquire another personalized artifact, no matter its Verm measurements. Also, we can't continue if you have already crystallized one of your own anomalies".
The girl glanced at Zafer who seemed to be caught off guard with the question.
As far as he understood this second term, someone like Banana who crystallized one of his anomalies wouldn't be able to go through this procedure.
This weighed heavily on Zafer's heart. Back when he was beyond poor, he considered selling one of his anomalies, but Semi talked him out of it.
Were it not so, obtaining the mask would be impossible, and entering the Gathering Hub inevitable.
The memory of standing on the edge of that decision— teetering on whether to go through with it still sent shivers down his spine.
Only now was it clear that he made the right call, and he was thankful to Semi for giving him enough endurance to prevail over those grueling years.
"No, I didn't", Zafer answered with a half-absent voice.
What was Dearhope talking about at the beginning?
About vowing to never use another personalized artifact? Well, Zafer had never heard such a term before anyway, which meant that such things were beyond rare.
Even if in the future he got a chance to acquire another personalized artifact, what were the chances of it being stronger than this one?
What were the chances of its utility being greater?
From what Zafer could tell, the only negative side of this condition was that it prevented someone from owning more than 1 mask.
Part two:
For the next half an hour the 24 was saying goodbyes to her friends. Many supporting the decision.
Zafer was astonished to find out just how many of these girls were in here. Stuck, unable to escape neither the prison nor their own flesh.
Moreover, Dearhope used this time to draw his attention to some important matter
The creature possessed valuable knowledge about things Zafer was interested in.
One of them being what happens to the soul of someone who was converted into an artifact via a Vestige rune.
There was a theory that the soul remained sealed within the artifact, and Dearhope confirmed that.
But what did this really mean?
The crystallized person can't see or hear anything but can sense the situation they were used for.
Dearhope went even further to explain how the sealed soul could heavily suffer if the artifact they were kept in was used for a sinister act.
Only when the artifacts overheat or burn out do the souls finally become free and enter the Gathering Hub.
This info will be of great importance to the whole story later on.
Before Zafer knew it, the whole process was already over. His memory got cut off from the very beginning of the ceremony as a side effect.
Scales all over Dearhope's body stopped emitting steam, and his eyes ceased to leak blood.
The 24-girl died instantly due to malnourishment.
Her reduced dried-up body was almost completely covered with her clothes.
Zafer had seen dead bodies before, but this one was in such a bad condition that he didn't dare lift the wardrobe.
He would bury her body with them, as it currently was.
On the brighter side, she now had a new more beautiful form - a mask, that took the shape of an animal that corresponded to Zafer's personality and appearance. To flaws and virtues.
The species of the animal of course didn't influence the quality of the artifact. If other girls were crystallized into masks, they would all provide the same performance.
Their shape would be the only difference that made sense.
Mask's form depended on their owner's temper, and every human was unique in that sense.
Some were as brutal as a bear, while others were cunning like foxes. Some were altruistic like bees, while others were more opportunistic like hyenas.
Zafer lowered his head to look at his mask.
He stared at it with a confused face, for the shape his mask took was the most dangerous animal of them all.
A human.
It was the face of a human and its facial expression was no different from the one would make when in agony.
He stared at it confused as to what it could mean, but Dearhope intervened, relieving his flow of thoughts.
"Do not let her look desolate you. She died in peace and was happy about the new purpose she received. Deep in her heart, she trusted you to be a person of morals".
Zafer heard the creature's words but ignored them for his attention was still stuck on the mask.
"24…", he whispered, "I will only use you to fight evil or as a last resort to protect myself".
The moon already hung directly above the prison.
It was no wonder that Dearhope overheated himself.
This crystallization process took several hours, and Zafer couldn't remember any of it.
He glanced at his mask again, before turning it around and nearing it to his face.
There was a band made of an unknown stretchy material which he put over his head, and in that instant, the artifact's effects hit him.
His field of vision increased by a noticeable amount, which was a usual symptom after consuming a blue potion.
This seemed weird since the crystallized girl had no superhuman speed or strength, but only regeneration and longevity.
Nevertheless, Zafer and Ika once talked about this for a very short time.
It is called the Effect of Artifact Intensity Distribution, and it occurs when an anomalous ability can't be transferred 1:1 into an artifact.
The girl possessed a 24 Verm Repeater anomaly but with only a single ability. That was possible due to the ability being so powerful.
She was basically immortal.
Such a strong ability could never be transferred into an artifact. Even with the mask on, Zafer was still a human who felt hunger and thirst.
Due to this, the mask could only transfer regeneration and had to make up for the longevity by granting other abilities.
These were superhuman strength and speed.
To put it into perspective, Zafer currently had effects slightly stronger than what the 3 common 15% solution potions could give him.
It was stupidly strong, but there was a downside.
Every artifact could overheat and burn out, except for the 24 Verm artifacts.
They would never break no matter how continuously they were used, however, their users could.
Artifacts of 24 Verms relied on their user's anomalous pool to work, draining it faster than an Anomaly would.
A noticeable amount of anomalous stamina was already gone from Zafer. Hadn't it been for his training, he would have overheated by now already.
Moreover, the time he had left was more than enough.
It was enough to get him out of this place.
With a swift flick, Zafer turned towards the gate and lunged at the Minotaur.
His speed was just above what it would have been if he drank a 15% solution potion.
With training, however, his body would reach its physical maximum which would also increase the net profit from the Repeater artifacts and potions speed boost.
As soon as he passed the 500-meter mark, Minotaur spotted him, charging with all his might.
His monstrous physique put his raw speed above any humans, but it couldn't compete with the artifact.
Thanks to the mask, Zafer's reaction time was greater than Minotaur's action time.
The huge hammer got lifted, but Zafer dodged it with ease, dashing past the monster.
He was so fast that he couldn't stop his momentum before smashing into the gate.
Nevertheless, this was fine.
He placed his palms against the cold concrete and tore the whole gate down.
To his surprise, what awaited on the other side was that same gray liquid splashing at him.
Hadn't it solidified the very second it came in contact with air, it would have spilled onto the soil and Zafer.
This was problematic, but the gate couldn't be connected to the rest of the walls, meaning there was only so much grey liquid inside.
Since it solidified so fast, Zafer could simply dig out through the entire gate with his bare hands.
His ear twitched.
In that fleeting instant, he realized the overbearing creature was already standing beside him, waiting a whole second before finally lifting the hammer.
It swung in a deadly arc, whistling through the air with the sound of a guaranteed hit.
There was no way to dodge it, even with the mask.
Zafer had barely enough time to turn around and stretch out his arm towards it, spreading his fingers as if he were trying to catch a ball.
The same moment his palm touched the cold hammerhead, it tensed, squeezing with all its might.
The soil beneath their feet sunk in—the hammerhead got covered in countless cracks and froze in place.
He just stopped the swing with a single arm!
This was heavily thanks to Zafer's shoulder which was enhanced by the Iron Fist anomaly.
Due to how the anomaly worked, the strength of his shoulder or chest would never match that of his forearm, no matter how much he trained, but it was enough to complete this stunt.
In addition, the mask's speed boost contributed to this by helping Zafer time his squeeze the moment his palm touched the hammer.
This would have been a perfect maneuver if he was experienced enough to position his body correctly.
As a consequence of not aligning his body exactly as he should concerning the force of the swing and the ground he stood on, his shoulder got dislocated.
Injuries usually weren't a problem for paladins, with all the regeneration potions and artifacts at their disposal.
Nevertheless, a dislocation was a special type of injury, since it didn't imply tissue damage.
His bone was still intact, just out of its joint.
The mask could regenerate the body, but not put it back together.
Zafer groaned jumping back to create distance.
He put his other hand on the dislocated shoulder, trying to fix it as quickly as possible, but that's when another surprise came to his attention.
The hammer that he shattered was reassembling by itself! This was a mending rune!
It was enchanted this whole time.
The Minotaur lifted his arm, ready to smash Zafer, but the young human dashed away, dodging it in advance.
The monster, however, followed up.
This wasn't good.
A drop of blood slid down the mask from Zafer's eye, indicating that he was starting to overheat.
The Iron Fist anomaly stunt earlier consumed a fair amount of his anomalous stamina, marking the end of today's escape attempt.
The best he could do now was retreat, fix his shoulder, and get some rest.
After inspecting the gate and with the mask on his side, getting out should be a piece of cake.
He rushed past the 500-meter point slowing down to catch his breath only to turn around and see the Minotaur still chasing after him.
His eyes widened; his heart twitched.
What was going on? Why was it still going after him?
There was nowhere to hide, and he had to take the mask off or he would end up in a worse condition than the 24-girl.
He buried his feet into the ground, pouncing one last time before grabbing the mask to pull it off.
In that second, a black slit appeared in the middle of the air, floating just above the ground between Zafer and the charging Minotaur.
It was a portal!
A bulky man with yellowish skin and a white beard walked out holding a huge halberd which blades made out of Miyalin, streaked with myriads of colors.
It was a Divine weapon!
The moment the old man placed his feet outside the portal, he felt the ground shaking and turned around only to spot a charging Minotaur.
Without any hesitation or sign of fear, he swung his halberd at the beast, with the blade facing outwards.
As soon as it touched the beast, it blasted it 500 meters back into the concrete wall,
Its upper half was vertically entombed into the wall with organs sliding down.
Zafer reluctantly squeezed the mask in his hands, his glance equally divided between the man and his weapon.
The halberd's handle was as large as Zafer and had a small label carved into it.
"Das Luci"
The huge man pondered shortly before turning around to see terrified Zafer in a half-kneeling position.
"Hmm? You are a human right?", the man leaned his halberd onto his shoulder
Zafer heard the man's voice but was too baffled to understand the words.
There was a human standing before him. It indeed was a human, and he wielded a Divine!
Was that the same person 24 was telling Zafer about? The only human who would still visit this place?
He couldn't recall seeing him anywhere before, but that was the least of his worries.
Zafer fell on his butt, exhaling in relief, "Yes".
The man went silent again, thinking of how Zafer could have ended up here instead of just asking him directly.
It was obvious that Zafer was a paladin who got trapped inside the prison. How long was he stuck in here and what was he even looking for on this cursed mountain?
That didn't really matter though, did it?
The man opened another portal, stretching his arm inside before dragging out a random humanoid girl that had the same nature as the 24.
She was startled at first but quickly realized what was going on. The man was here for the blood again, and this time she will be the donor.
Without wasting any time he summoned a Miyalin bag containing a small wooden box, and a couple of big transparent plastic bags with hoses attached to them.
Inside the box were needles and a bunch of transparent add-ons which the man combined to assemble something else.
Zafer observed every step of the construction until the man stuck the needle into the girl's tight.
At that instant, the transparent hose turned red, and the plastic bag started to fill with blood.
Both the man and the girl looked away to avoid awkwardness, each resuming their train of thought as if nothing unusual was happening.
"So… What's your name?", Zafer broke the silence.
The man's eyes paid no attention to him, instead swapping the plastic bag with another one.
"Luch".
Zafer was surprised. He never got to meet two people with the same name before.
"You came to collect their blood for potions?", he made a pause, "I was told that you were here 2 weeks ago".
Luch frowned, "The last time I came here was 1 month ago".
Zafer frowned
Did 24 lie to him? But why would she?
Perhaps one perceived time differently with increasing age. For these girls, weeks were passing like days.
"You are powerful! What faction do you belong to?"
"No faction".
Zafer was dumbstruck.
This gentleman seemed in his 60s yet was stronger than most thirty-year-olds!
A myriad of questions and theories flew through his mind, but they all disappeared once Luch stood up, putting the last plastic bag filled with blood into the Miyalin bag.
"Isn't that too little?"
The amount of blood altogether was maybe equivalent to 15 potions. That was nothing!
"This is used as a concentrate. Drinking it undiluted would kill you", Luch opened a portal with his halberd.
"Wait! Don't leave me here!", Zafer freaked out, almost jumping on Luch.
The old man exhaled with a sullen facial expression. Of course, he wasn't going to leave this brat here.
"Where do you want to go?"
Zafer was initially confused at the question but then remembered that Luch had a Divine weapon!
He could open a portal to any location in the world he has been to! What were the chances that the old man never visited the capital of Pashtrik at least once before?
Of course he did.