The hours pass quickly as I make my way through the vast forest, getting further and further away from Terhi. Increasingly powerful enemies appear in my path, most of them mundane variations, with a few magical creatures popping up occasionally.
The ring is doing a good job of preventing me from being noticed by the creatures, but even a divine artifact isn't infallible...
[You were killed by Jararacuçu, champion of Ladon]
[Do you wish to be revived here or in the temple of Anur'riel?]
… As I was sneaking between roots and bushes, I stumbled upon a battle between a poisonous Hydra with dozens of heads and a white snake with wings.
I noticed the battle from afar... it was hard not to notice two gigantic creatures destroying everything, the problem was that the scale of the battle was so huge that even though I tried to run away, I was still hit by one of the Hydra's attacks, which spread a dark mist over a large area.
I leave the game for a few hours, hoping that the battle will be over when I return.
That was my fifth death... a total deficit of 09 levels (since I've already paid for one). I need to reach the equivalent of 16th level before I can start receiving experience again... Ah, the Terhi swine will have some bad news when I return.
I return to the game, observing an image of complete destruction.
A large part of the forest has been destroyed, with pools of blood and poison scattered randomly around the area. I don't see any bodies in sight, which means no rewards to steal... Come to think of it, would a fight between npcs generate any rewards to be stolen?
Leaving unanswered questions aside, I follow the gold.
Luckily, I don't come across any more titanic battles on my way, but I do find a white stone tower erected in the middle of a circle of black trees with dark red branches ending in bright red leaves. Strange symbols have been carved into the trees, with dark sap slowly dripping down and soaking the roots... From a distance, it looked like the trees were bleeding.
Resting around the tower is a large serpent, with a pair of red wings hiding the creature's head. The snake appears to be wounded, with parts of its scales missing, and upon closer inspection, I see a large dark spot that seems to be spreading across the creature's body.
'I seem to have reached my destination, but where is the lost wanderer with my gold?
I walk around the strange trees, avoiding getting too close. Nothing happens... So I decide to approach the tower very slowly. Slowly. Step by step. Attentive to every movement, every rustle of the bloody leaves.
Nothing happens.
Until everything happens at once.
First I hear a whisper coming from the tower, followed by a slight movement from the snake, and then dozens of black roots pierce my body, sucking my blood...
[You were killed by the blood-drinking tree.]
"Shit!"
"One more death, two more levels! What the hell!"
"How the hell do I complete this mission?"
I take advantage of my brief moment in the afterlife to calm down and think of a solution. I don't succeed in either, and decide to return to the world of the living and try to retreat...
[You've been killed...]
Bad idea.
But I think I can do it now.
I choose to return, and without wasting time I throw myself away from the vampire trees. A long second passes while I wait for the message of death, and I breathe a sigh of relief when it doesn't come.
I look back, seeing the branches - still stained with my blood - slowly returning.
"Bring the ring to the tower and I'll take care of the rest..."
The whispering voice whispers in my head asking me to do the obvious.
'How do I get past the trees and the snake?
The whispering voice doesn't answer, but a dark hiss echoes through the forest as the great serpent raises its head and I see myself reflected in the red lake that is its eyes.
My legs fail me and I fall to my knees. I lower my head, unable to face the serpent's gaze.
The world seems to have frozen and everything disappears, leaving only the great serpent.
I feel like I'm being pushed down, every second my body is pressed against the cold floor of the ancient forest... almost as if I'm being forced to dig my own grave.
"An impure creature, impregnated with the stench of death and bearing the mark of the traitor... What is your purpose in coming here?"
The creature's voice rings like a bell in my head, its echoes making me shudder. The pressure on me increases and I start to hear popping sounds.
"Come in!"
Something breaks.
[You were killed by Arkristh, he of many lives]
Something strange happens in the afterlife. Somehow, I get into a state of semi-consciousness, as if I were dreaming and couldn't wake up.
Even the sound of the system seems muffled, distant...
I spend a considerable amount of time in this state, almost as if I'm trying to bring together something that has been dispersed...
…
…
My debt increased from 9 to 15... all without even having a clue how to get the damn gold.
"Huh, Anur... Anur'riel, right? You could offer some help here, since I'm an apostle and all."
Nothing happens. Without divine help for the needy-
[Ding!]
[You have been defined as the bearer of the Prison of Souls]
[Duration: 5 minutes]
Ring: Prison of Souls (Divine): While the powerful intelligent races were waging a brutal war against each other, High Cardinal Sarthon set his own plan in motion... As a result, the mundane war became a divine war and Sarthon was rewarded with the fragment of a dead god].
Immortal soul: You can revive in the same place where you died, death cost ignored.
Divine Banner: Creatures can ignore or be attracted to the ring, depending on the wearer's will.
Destroyer of souls: Destroy a soul in the prison of souls to kill a creature of the same rank
Prison of flesh: Transfer an enslaved soul to the body of a dead enemy
Prison of souls: Captures and enslaves the soul of every creature you kill
Immortal Legion: Frees all trapped souls to fight one last time.
Who would have thought that God would hear my prayers in a time of need?
"Oh great and mighty... great and mighty Anur'riel, I thank you for your gift and I promise that from now on I will be your most faithful apostle!... at least for the next 5 minutes."
This is what I expected from a divine artifact... well, the clock is ticking and there's a lot to plan... Not really.
The prison of souls is empty... kind of takes the shine off this fucking ring.
"As my wise fellow prisoner used to say: 'Death is the only way out', and this time there will be no cost.
I choose to return. And I immediately fall to the ground in front of the overwhelming presence of Arkristh, who seems a little soft this time.
"You're too weak to be here. Tell me, who sent you?"
Ignoring the snake, I concentrate on the ring's second ability, fervently wishing that all the creatures in the vicinity would come here. With a bit of luck, the hydra is still alive and could come for a second round.
Arkristh seems to sense something and the pressure suddenly increases, and I'm once again crushed into a pulp of flesh.
[You died...].
Without a second to lose, I return and continue to attract the creatures.
[You died...]
I repeat this suicidal strategy a few times until I hear a roar...
[You're dead...]
At this point, death is like going to the dentist. An unpleasant experience, but tolerable when necessary.
[Duration: 02:57]
...
[Duration: 02:17]
...
I wait a few seconds before returning, giving those monsters time to start killing each other away from me.
I revive once more, feeling the earth tremble and violent gusts of wind shake the trees, while the snake faces some threat far from my sight.
"Quick!"
I roll my eyes when I hear the strange voice in my head. If it weren't for all the work I've done so far, I'd leave this bastard locked up forever...
I get ready and run towards the tower, only to be pierced by vampiric roots.
I revive and continue running, only to be pierced and killed.
I rise and keep running, and I'm grabbed and squeezed by the roots.
I revive and keep running, until a wooden hand catches me and lifts me off the ground...
Roots sprout from the wooden hand and attach themselves to my arm, twisting and pulling at a strange angle. I start to scream, but vines cling to my face, creating a second skin of wood that oozes a corrosive liquid that burns.
I suffocate and convulse in the air, and for seconds that seem like an eternity I live this agonizing death.
[Duration: 01:32]
...
[Duration: 01:07]
...
[Duration: 00:43]
I'm in the place I call the afterlife... The game system sends out alerts... The seconds pass... I feel my body shake uncontrollably.
"F-few more... gold... gold... gold..."