RD 3 Ch 38 (Patreon)

Chapter 38

Amanda groaned, shaking out her hair and running her fingers through her long, golden mane.

Her brain attempted to play back what had just happened to orient herself.

There was the trial, the forest, after Bran announced everything within as his enemies they started feasting on the blood of monsters and growing stronger to trample everything they could in the forest. After they finished, the Saintess had them wait by the exit and she called for Sacrificial Worship to boost Bran. It seemed to have worked, and Saint Simone was pleased. Then they passed through the pillar of light.

After that… her memory faltered.

Amanda rubbed a hand across her face, grinding her palm into her forehead. Everything after the pillar of light was blurry, but there was some inkling of a thought that told her some time had passed.

Unable to pull forward any more memories, she started taking in her surroundings. She was in a cold crypt with mist wafting around her.

She tried to figure out if she was under some sort of ability. Maybe the mist was robbing her of her memories?

Amanda had more questions than answers. After a moment of honesty with herself, she realized that asking herself questions wasn't going to provide any answers. Instead, she stood on shaky legs, feeling weak.

This didn't make sense. She had used Sacrificial Worship on Bran days ago, or was it weeks? Once again, she felt as though there was missing time. Even if there was missing time, why was it so specific? She couldn't help but wonder. Growing frustrated, she realized she was falling back into the same trap of asking herself questions rather than taking action.

Bran pulled her out of the darkness and she’d focus in if it helped Lord Bran in the slightest. She and the rest of the Mul Branova would grow stronger here, for him.

She looked around the crypt. Stone coffins were carved into the walls surrounding her. At the base of each one, there was no seam. They had been cut straight from the wall. She peered into the closest one that lay open. It was empty. However, as she looked further down the crypt's hallway, it seemed to stretch on forever. Many of the coffins were still sealed shut. The open one next to her was a rarity. 

She tongued her teeth before clicking her tongue. There was nothing to do but move forward, she supposed, drawing her sword. The A-Rank weapon was her pride and joy. The Mul Branova were all doing well for themselves, but she had quickly learned that a good weapon went a long way towards defeating instances and spent much of her hard earned gold on this one.

She ran her fingers down the katana, playing with the razor-sharp edge as she smiled. The weakness from when she woke up was still bothering her. Amanda wondered if she used sacrificial worship a second time. But again she shook her head, focusing on her current task.

No more questions, focus on growing stronger and becoming helpful to Bran. The man who pulled her out of those cages in the warehouse. Even then she didn’t understand what horror awaited her, most of the Mul Branova didn’t, but after working for Saintess Simone and helping others, they had seen what happened if they were too late in saving the trafficked people. What the demons did to them only made Amanda and the rest that much more devoted to Lord Bran.

She continued through the crypt, taking slow, careful steps, waiting for her Blessing of Bran to heal her. She couldn't fail this trial. Whatever it was, she was on her own, and she was determined to do better than Jenny.

The two of them were still locked in a competition, having tied in the previous trial, both in terms of the number of fruits they collected and monsters they killed.

Amanda smirked, hoping there might be some additional rewards here for her. 

She turned to one of the unopened coffins and pulled out a lower-ranked dagger, wedging it between the lid and the coffin, using the dagger as a makeshift pry bar.

The lid gave way with a slow gritty grind. The stone’s scraping echoed through the crypt. She had to bend down and put her whole body into it before she managed to lift the lid and cast it aside.

A decrepit body lay inside, hands folded over its pelvis. At first, she thought it was just a skeleton, but then she noticed an S-ranked ring on its finger.

She inspected the ring and grinned, seeing that it would be a fantastic addition to her wardrobe.

[Ring of Imperiled Speed S - Agility +250]

She reached out to grab it, then hesitated. It seemed too easy. She glanced over her shoulder, half-expecting a ghost to pop out and ambush her. Her hand, holding the katana, tightened around the grip as she prepared to attack.

This was definitely too easy.

Yet nothing came, except for an eerie silence and the slow whisper of mist moving along the stone. Amanda wondered if there was a rule she had forgotten.

Some rule within the crypt, perhaps? If she took this, would it start something? Or perhaps that would be the very end.

Amanda forcibly pulled her free hand away. She stepped back from the coffin and the wonderful piece of jewelry.

No, she would need to explore and figure out if there was something more valuable for her in this crypt. After all, if there was S-ranked equipment, perhaps, she thought for a long second, glancing down at her sword. This sword had helped her through a lot, but if she could find an S-ranked sword that fit her, she certainly wouldn't complain. 

After considering her options, Amanda nodded to herself. With the low-ranked dagger in her hand and the katana strapped over her back, unlatched and ready to be drawn at a moment's notice, she hurried from coffin to coffin, prying the lids open like a greedy little crypt robber.

Not all of them were closed. Some were already opened and empty. However, those that she did open each contained a single piece of loot. That almost confirmed Amanda's suspicions. There was something with this loot that would start the next phase.

Perhaps rules were given to her and then wiped from her mind. She didn't like the gap in her memories, but if she'd figured this out, then she would be able to find the perfect upgrade for herself. 

After searching for what felt like hours, she pried the lid off one of the coffins, revealing a long, slender blade held in the skeleton's hands, the tip resting against the bottom of the coffin.

[Gloom Blade S - Agility +300]

She inspected the weapon, and without even hesitating, snatched it out of the skeleton's hands, holding it up and letting the firelight and the crypt gleam off the edge of the blade.

Amanda couldn't help but have a giant grin as she held her new sword. With a touch, the one in the sheath on her back disappeared into a spatial ring, and she swung her new sword several times before spinning and preparing for attack. 

But nothing was coming for her. She took a few more slow steps before she heard the clink of bones.

The skeleton she had just robbed of its sword pulled itself up from the lid of the coffin. Ghostly fire lit in its eyes as its jaw cracked and shifted. "Don't you think you need a skill to go with that sword?" The skeleton asked, crawling out of the coffin, and a ghostly blade resembling the one in Amanda's hands appeared in the skeleton's.

Amanda bit her lip. A skill was another thing that was very tempting, given that the New Devotee of Mul Branova was a wonderful class. 

Being SS ranked gave them a massive stat lead on most newly initiated. Not to mention, many of them had bloodlines as well. Stat-wise and passive ability-wise, the Mul Branova were exceptionally well-off. The one flaw of their class was that it didn't specialize in any particular type of combat.

Amanda’s Blade Cyclone ability was one she had managed to buy after much savings. It's what set her apart and helped her with her chosen weapon. Another ability, especially one of similar style, would be fantastic. 

Amanda held her blade tight. "Of course I'd love a new skill," she said to the skeleton.

The skeleton laughed. "Of course. The mist may have affected your recent memories," the skeleton said. "But you are in the tomb of the ancestors. Choose an artifact and choose a master," the skeleton intoned. It dropped four skill books in front of itself before stepping over them.

Amanda paused, not stepping forward, because the skeleton had blocked her path.

Her past memories, the warnings that she vaguely felt were in her mind, seemed so distant in the misty crypt. Yet, she didn’t give in and prepared herself.

She held tight to her sword, preparing herself before she rushed, Blade Cyclone activating as she became nearly one with the wind. Her sword struck out in several slashes as she tried to impress the skeleton.

To her surprise, the animated skeleton was not very quick. Instead, it was slow, shifting its blade to always be in her path. It blocked and parried her strikes effortlessly, cackling with the clinking of its teeth and bones. Amanda felt as though she was suddenly in a fight with an expert whose blade could predict the path of her own. 

Amanda sped up, her sword striking swiftly without much power behind it to test the skeleton.

Rather than parry those hits, the skeleton blocked them with a mirage of ghostly blades that swung out of the sword in its hands. The real blade, however, passed through all of Amanda's defenses and slashed cleanly across her abdomen. The ghostly blade easily penetrated, wounding her. 

Amanda jumped back to pull herself together and watched as the wound slowly stitched itself closed.

The skeleton stared at the regeneration before it seemed to smile and ease up. "It's of no consequence," the skeleton waved its hand dismissively. "After all, it would be a pity if my new disciple was able to beat me in this state." The skeleton gestured at itself. "I will pass on to you my legendary sword technique. Please, come gather the books and I will teach you." The skeleton stepped behind the books.

Amanda paused before darting forward, keeping herself protected as she swept up the four books.

She didn't look at them closely as the skeleton loomed over her, its spectral katana still in its hand. 

"How do I learn your technique?" Amanda asked.

The skeleton reached out with a bony finger and poked her in the forehead. The second that cold, bony finger brushed against her skin, Amanda knew something was wrong, terribly wrong. 

The ghostly fire in the skeleton's eyes winked out, as did the spectral katana. The bones fell to the ground, no longer animated.

Instead, Amanda found herself grabbing her head and screaming.

She knelt on the ground. Where the spectral had touched her head now felt like there was a worm was digging into her head. The pain was so great that her vision went black, then white, then a lifeless gray. 

She curled into the fetal position and everything changed.

Suddenly she was back in the half-built Mul Branova Fortress, blinking away her confusion as a massive demon wielding a familiar katana, stood on the wall of her fortress, laughing. 

"My dear," the demon said, puffing himself up. "Please give your master everything." It cackled, swiping the katana through the air. From the swipe came a devastating ripple that cut through enchanted stone as if it were nothing. It didn’t stop there, swinging back and forth recklessly.

Amanda threw herself to the ground to dodge the onslaught as it ripped through the fortress. The demon, however, didn't seem to mind, laughing and swinging his sword several more times, slicing apart the fortress. 

Amanda wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. But whatever this demon was doing, it was reveling in the destruction, and it was clearly far stronger than Amanda could handle. She bit her thumb until it bled and swiped it in the air, activating the only other ability the Mul Branova class provided.

They had tested it briefly, cautious of what it did. They didn't use it and level it often. After all, it was now considered one of the Mul Branova's trump cards.

Blood pooled out of her finger, and Amanda could only hope that the ability would help her deal with the demon before her.