Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 128 (Patreon)

Chapter 128 – Ritual

That night, I returned to the castle, and was led into a ritual chamber built deep within the mountain. Honestly, I had to hand it to the castle’s designers. Building into the mountain meant that you had far more room and more flexibility than you would if you’d been limited to a castle’s normal footprint. So long as wards were put down to prevent tunneling creatures from accidentally digging up into a cellar, it made Castle Coldpeak one of the most defensible positions in Dascora.

The ritual chamber was well-designed, for a number of uses. A stone altar inside a series of circles and diagrams that changed their nature depending on which points you lit candles at, or used chalk or oils to connect different lines, depending on the ritual being performed. There were even gutters for blood to run down from the altar, which was a nice touch, considering how sacrificial rites usually went.

Honestly, there wasn’t even anything all that strange about a sacrificial altar being here. Not all ritual sacrifices involved people, after all, though the most powerful rites did require something of the sort. It was not something a good ruler would seek out, as a rule, but a good ruler, rather than one who was merely nice and kind, would keep the option available, if it was necessary. And the Skysword line had never shied away from doing what was necessary to protect their people.

There were only three people in the room, once the guard stepped outside, shutting the door behind me. I could feel the privacy wards snap shut as the door locked, preventing easy scrying or eavesdropping from outside. King Sewell, Princess Mariun, and the still silent mortal avatar of Eztar were standing there, each wearing ritual robes, even though the King and Princess were not expected to take part in the ritual itself.

I stripped off my own clothes, storing them in my inventory as I did so. No sense leaving them around to get blood or other fluids on them, after all. As I shifted into my full Greater Angelic Succubus form, motes of Hellfire and Radiance formed around me, and flew to light the candles that had been set up according to the ritual guide I’d given them earlier.

As I walked to the stone altar, I noticed that all three figures were staring at me with lust in their eyes, though I noted some confusion in both Sewell and Eztar’s expressions. They did not think that they were attracted to women, but a Greater Succubus made a person’s individual preferences secondary to physical desires, especially when my CHA was likely over two thousand points higher than theirs was. There was only so much one could do to resist that, if the succubus wanted you seduced, unless you had a firm immunity to such things. As I reached the altar, I smiled, and said, “Thank you, your Majesty, your Highness, for coming to witness this ritual.”

The King nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment, before I turned to Eztar, still under his compulsion to be silent. I smiled as I stripped the robes from his body. He was not unattractive in the face, and his body, while not muscular, had at least not gone to seed. Unfortunately, his equipment was thoroughly average.

I fondled the fallen god’s balls as I led him to the altar, and I could feel him responding, despite himself. Not that I expected differently, with my [Improved Carnal Arts] and [Planar Carnal Arts] skills. As he rose to the occasion, I laid him back upon the altar, and secured his wrists and ankles in the restraints set specifically for such uses. Then, I used [Telepathy] on him, so that we could speak without needing to undo the order for him to be silent.

“My, my. I thought that my first time meeting a god in the flesh would have been with a more impressive specimen. Perhaps, when you split your soul in two, you halved your proportions, as well?”

As expected, that earned a glare from Eztar, since, even in this position, no male liked a woman saying that he did not measure up. “You bitch! You think that this will end me? Once the other gods hear of this, they will come to my aid, and then you and this pathetic country will be destroyed!”

I shook my head sadly, mocking him with the action as I took out the [Demontouched Sacrificial Dagger]. I used the blade to carve Eztar’s own symbol upon his chest, which would signal where most of the energy of this sacrifice was intended to go, once his divinity was released. “I’m sure. But, if that were truly the case, why have the gods not helped you before now? Surely, if your precious Zevlo, the one you gave up half your being to pursue, wanted to, he could have sent a sign or portent to the church, and let them know you were here. But he didn’t, did he? Zevlo doesn’t care about you, and never did. And neither do any of the other human gods. Deep down, you know this. You’ve always known it. Even when you were Tarez.”

Eztar tried to growl at me, and protest, but it turned into a moan as I pressed one finger against his puckered rear, while my tongue slid along his length. Fallen God or not, he was still a man, and in the clutches of a Greater Angelic Succubus. He did not have the fortitude to resist me.

Then, I slid my body across him, pressing my chest against him as I made my way up, to look him in the eye. My dagger ripped out his throat as I sank down upon him, taking him to the hilt. But a Fallen God deserved more than I gave to the Inquisitor and his retinue back in Windwater. As I began to ride him, my tail snaked around, found the hole I’d teased with a finger just before, and forced its way inside. Eztar’s moans of pleasure through the [Telepathy] link were positively divine.

The Fallen God came, but I was not finished yet, and he still lived. But my powers as a succubus enflamed him once more, forcing him to remain hard as I built him towards another climax, riding him whilst the King and Princess watched, touching themselves just outside the ritual circle. They were enjoying the show as much or more as Eztar was, that much was obvious.

On the Fallen God’s third climax, I came with him, while the last of his life ebbed away. When his last hit point left him, power swelled inside the circle, strong enough that it stirred the air like a windstorm! The power of divinity flowed through me, and through the mark I’d carved upon Eztar’s chest. Fifteen parts of every twenty went through the mark, far more than would have remained with Eztar had I not conducted the ritual. The other five passed through me. Two parts each went to Zerat and Krenrena, who were the gods that had given me their blessing. The last part, though, stayed within me, though some of it passed out through my links to my party, and familiars.

Global Announcement:

Eztar, God of Death, has been returned to the divine realm! Let all who follow him offer up their prayers in thanks for his return!

You have completed the Forced Ascension Ritual.

Forced Ascension Ritual added to list of Known Rituals.

Forced Ascension Ritual – Forces an avatar or fallen form of a divine being back into their divine form.

You have channeled pure divinity. You gain the Godtouched Creature Template. You and your party gain enough XP to advance you to the start of the next level.

Godtouched Creature

Only obtained by creatures who are either descended from gods, or have touched pure divinity in its raw form, these Godtouched Creatures are far more powerful than a normal representative of their species.

+10 to all Attributes

+2 to all Attributes per level

Divine Power – Instead of the normal damage type, the creature can imbue divine power into their attacks, transforming half of the normal damage the creature’s weapon attacks, natural attacks, and spells do is Divine damage.

Divine Resilience – Take 20% less damage from all damage types except Divine.

You have gained a new element for Elemental Magic!

Available Elements: Fire, Hellfire, Light, Radiance, Frost, Shadow, Darkness, Divine

Black Widow gives you one of your victim’s skills as a General Skill!

Poetry – You gain the ability to write poems, sonnets, limericks, and other such compositions, with admirable skill.

The [Demontouched Sacrificial Dagger] grants you 10% of the victim’s highest attribute.

+45 INT

[Bed of Skills] grants you one of the target’s skills for 24 hours!

Planeshift – Transfer yourself and up to (Level/5) willing creatures to another plane.

You have leveled up!

You are now Tier 2, Level 11.

You have 1830000/1891000 XP to reach Level 12.

Gain +26 CHA, +9 STR, +11 DEX, +17 WIS, +11 INT, +5 CON, +4 Luck, +4 Defense per level

(+6 CHA, +4 DEX, +4 CON, +2 STR, +2 INT, +2 WIS from items per level)

4 Attribute Points to spend.

4 Skill points to spend.

Skills Gained:

Class Skills (True Enchantress):

Mental Fortitude – Immune to all effects that would damage or drain your mental attributes below your Tier. Such effects of your Tier are 50% less effective.

Mental Bastion – All mental attributes are doubled for the purpose of defending against mental spells, psychic damage, fear effects, or other mind-affecting effects.

General Skills:

Improved Spellshooter Magic – Gain advanced versions of Spellshooter Spells, appropriate for Tier 2 foes.

Improved Ritual Magic – Unlock new and more advanced rituals, appropriate for Tier 2 ritualists.

Improved Spellshooter Magic

Lava Shot – Fire a magical bullet that does 1.5 times the weapon’s base damage as Fire and Earth damage, with secondary effects.

Stygian Shot – Fire a magical bullet that does 1.5 times the weapon’s base damage as Ice and Unholy damage, with secondary effects.

Mystic Lightning Shot – Fire a magical bullet that does 1.5 times the weapon’s base damage as Lighting damage, and prevents spellcasting for 30 seconds.

Sonic Magic Missile – Launches a number of projectiles made of magical force that automatically hit the target, dealing damage equal to weapon damage as Magic and Sonic damage, and causing the target to be deafened for 5 seconds per projectile.

Known Rituals (Tier 2)

Summon Lesser Dragon – Summon a Lesser Dragon of the chosen elemental type to your side. Summoned Lesser Dragons are not bound, and must be either bargained with or otherwise subdued.

Siphon Soul – Drain the sacrificial victim of their XP, transferring it to the participants. The family of the victim receive a vision of the ritual, including the identity of the participants.

Possession – Turn your body incorporeal, and possess a target creature. This effect is permanent until the body is slain, you are exorcised, or you let them go, after which you appear in solid form next to the creature. The victim is aware of everything done while possessed, but is helpless to affect anything.

Craft Fategem – Crystalize magic into a Fategem. By crushing the gem, the bearer can change one event within the last (Level) days, and time is rewritten around that change. The bearer cannot use another Fategem for at least (Level) months.

I shuddered as the last of the power flowed out of me, and my abilities settled. My maximum HP, MP, and SP were all over half a million, now. My CHA was over three thousand with my items. The skills from Eztar were lackluster. Black Widow gave me [Poetry], which made sense for an emo god who ripped out half his being to try and win the affection of the person he liked, but was basically useless to me. [Planeshift] was neat, but I could grab it later from the General Skills, if I ever had a need for traveling the planes. The biggest boon was getting the template, and the level.

“Is it done?” Princess Mariun asked, from where she was adjusting her robes so that it didn’t look like she’d just been masturbating. “You were glowing quite a bit at the end, there.”

King Sewell nodded, still openly stroking himself. “Yes, I must admit that, when you mentioned the nature of the ritual, I did not think it would be so… enticing.”

I chuckled, and said, “You are a Tier 1 human with no more than normal defenses against seduction, your Majesty, and I am, now, a Godtouched Greater Angelic Succubus with a Tier 2 version of the Courtesan profession. If you were not aroused by my actions, then I would say that you were likely some form of undead.”

“Godtouched?” The Spymistress caught on that word instantly, though perhaps just to spare her brother the embarrassment. “I have heard old stories about that. Usually from descendants of the gods.”

“Yes, that is one of the ways it can happen. Some extra attributes, and an ability to take less damage from non-divine sources, and make my attacks do divine damage. Unfortunately, the skills were a bust, unless you like poetry, or want to visit another plane.”

Global Announcement:

Eztar, God of Death, has been slain in his divine realm! His slayer, Zetar, has consumed his divine power and taken over his divine realm.

Divine Curse Lost!

Eztar, God of Death, who laid a divine curse upon you, has been slain in his divine realm! You lose the Divine Curse title.

I blinked as the Global Announcement from the Voice of the World went out. “Well, Zetar moved fast. I guess he was ready and waiting when the ritual completed.”