JUDICATOR JANE 6 - CHAPTER 6 (Patreon)

Fanfare

After a remarkably comfortable night in one of the vacant village houses, Jane stepped into the bright morning sunlight, her mind still abuzz with the strange storage facility built into the mountainside. Those bins were on rails—it's almost as if the entire structure was mechanized. Her thoughts drifted to the treeholm elevator the Menadeen used. That, too, had moved under an unknown power.

Electricity and other conventional means of power generation were forbidden by the System. Yet, from what she had seen—both through skills and in the strange constructs of Epic and Legendary class holders—the System had no qualms about substituting its own power when necessary. I guess this is one of those times I just have to roll with it. Still, finding all that food was ridiculously lucky. But something nagged at her. The labyrinth, the valley, and now that storage facility—it had all been here long before she had ever come to Alur. For once, this might be a rare case where I lucked out without my Luck stat playing a role.

She turned her attention to the valley. Few people were out yet, and aside from Veralaktus standing behind her, there were no demons in sight. Time to take a better look at the surroundings.

Triggering The Drawn Veil, she lifted into the sky, ascending to her maximum height. The valley lay nestled within an expanse of lush green mountains stretching as far as the eye could see. Right, the sun’s rising in the east, which puts the labyrinth on the north side of the valley. The Arcanite labyrinth was the most prominent feature, its vast, silver expanse shimmering in the light. Though some sections were overgrown with vegetation or buried under dirt, most of it remained visible. Is that what I saw from the surface of the Netherrealm? That massive gray blot on the northern end of the western continent across the sea from Arcadia?

It was one possible answer, but Jane had only seen one face of Alur. For all she knew, she could be on the opposite side of the planet, turned away from the moon. She rubbed her temples. Dang, I really should have studied astronomy more.

Slowly, she pivoted in place, scanning for anything of interest. No villages. No cities. No smoke stacks on the horizon. Just endless wilderness. Off to the west, she spotted what might have been a distant mountain peak—or perhaps just a low-hanging cloud.

Satisfied, she descended, deactivating The Drawn Veil as her feet touched the ground.

“Mistress,” Veralaktus said, stepping forward. “Do you have any orders? Shall I send the Darkwing Skimmers to scout the terrain outside the valley?”

Jane shook her head. “Not yet. We’ll wait for Gral’gor to wake up before making our next move. If no one knows we’re here, I’d rather keep it that way until we better understand the situation.”

A part of her did want to test her Luck and see if it could steer her straight to her other demons. But that was reckless—she could already hear Reyla reprimanding her. 

You can only fly so far on your Mana, and if there’s an ocean in my way, you’ll never make it across. What are you going to do then? And what about the demons you just brought out of the Netherrealm? Are you just going to leave them here when the first thing they encountered was a crazy death maze? What if there are other Legendary class holders here? You could be dooming the entire demon race!

“Right, can’t act rashly,” she muttered.

Veralaktus inclined her head. “Very well. Balostroze also seeks your command.”

“Just have him ensure the demons coming out of the labyrinth are fed and stay clear of the villagers,” Jane said with a dismissive wave.

Yet, unease gnawed at her. Something’s off… She rubbed her chin, trying to pinpoint what she was forgetting. The portal’s sudden opening had thrown everything into chaos, and her focus had been solely on getting the demons out—both from the Netherrealm and then the labyrinth. Now, everything was eerily peaceful. Too peaceful.

Her eyes widened.

“Where’s Taltorius?”

***

Outside the portal, in the heart of Jaridume, Taltorius the Devourer—Mythic-class holder of Cataclysm’s Maw—hovered in silence, watching the final group of demons march through the gateway. No larger than a softball, his once-mighty form was reduced to a shadow of its former glory, thanks to that upstart Judicator, Jane King. Yet, for now, all of that was inconsequential.

The vortex of magic called to him.

He resisted.

For centuries, he had stood before this very gateway, willing it to open, praying for its activation. The dull, faded memory now reignited vividly in his mind. What did I do wrong? Why did it open for her—a human, of all things?

Now, the Soul Binding was muted—Jane King was no longer in the Netherrealm. If he stepped through that portal, he would fall back into her grasp. But here—here, he could rule once more, just as he had in ages past. Alone.

The last of the demons vanished into the swirling void. Silence hung in the air, broken only by the howl of an approaching storm. That was his horde. His kind. He should have been leading them into that new world.

A voice slithered through his mind.

You killed your kind.

He stiffened.

You feasted upon them for power. Harvesting their essence. Leveling endlessly for your own gain.

No, he told himself. That’s not true.

Wasn’t it? Power was what you craved. More levels, more skills.

I had no choice. It was the only path left for our kind!

Lies. You forsook any path but your own long ago.

He shuddered. The plaza was empty—yet it wasn’t. The silence pressed in on all sides, thick and suffocating, the same as before. When he had devoured the last of his brethren. No, Jaridume wasn’t a city—it was a graveyard. The ghosts of the past clawed for him, their whispers rising in the howling wind.

Drakkis. Feran’gal. Arramot.

The faces of his former companions swam before him, hollow-eyed, unrelenting.

Was it worth it, Taltorius?

Did our sacrifice grant you the strength to set our people free?

You swore the portal would open if you were strong enough.

You swore it would open.

You swore our sacrifice mattered.

No.

He couldn’t answer them. He couldn’t face the weight of what he had done. Their aching voices carried a condemnation harsher than any Judicator’s decree. 

Taltorius fled into the portal.

***

“Alright, here’s what I’m thinking,” Jane said, pointing toward the village. “For whatever reason, the villagers seem a little uneasy talking to me. So why don’t we have some of the other Infiltrators—disguised as humans—try to gather more intel? There has to be more going on than just endless farming. What was their relationship with the old Masters? Why didn’t they realize they were dragonkin? Does anyone ever leave the valley or visit it? And what about their history—legends, stories, songs?”

Melindra nodded, her gaze drifting to the village. “It would be wise to discover as much information as possible before making any further decisions. We Demonic Instructors can also shroud ourselves in invisibility to eavesdrop on any hidden conversations they may have.”

“Right, good idea,” Jane agreed. “But not you, Melindra—I need both you and Veralaktus with me in that temple. If there are any weird traps, I’d rather have backup. Plus, you know way more about Alur history than I do, so I think—”

A sharp, tinny fanfare cut through the air, followed by a sudden explosion of colorful confetti from nowhere. At the same moment, two black metal objects materialized in front of her and dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

Jane froze, her mouth slightly open as colorful shredded paper lazily drifted to the ground. Silence hung thick in the air. Melindra stood rigid, her eyes locked on the bizarre scene.

“The last of your demons have passed through the portal,” Veralaktus announced, utterly unfazed.

Jane blinked. “What the heck was that?!” she burst out, scrambling to pull up her System logs. A flood of messages filled her vision.

Global Quest Complete!

Demonic Redemption

Atoning for past travesties is never easily done, but with enough determination and heart, even the most outcast of beings can find what they once forsook. Unity! Of course, forgiveness isn’t always handed out freely, and, well… this journey might have taken a bit longer than intended. Gulps. Let’s just keep that between us, shall we?

Reward: Crown of Dominion

Reward: Unboreal Citadel Key

You have received 10000000 experience!

10012097/701311 

Excess experience has been discarded.

Jane King is Level 136!

You have gained +2 to Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Intelligence!
 You have gained +5 to Wisdom!

“Holy mostaccioli,” Jane muttered, her eyes darting over the flood of information.

“Jane—what just happened?” Melindra asked, her tone cautious.

Jane held up a hand without looking up. “Give me a second—apparently, a lot.” She kept reading.

You have been awarded a temporary skill.

Place Birthing Pit (x9)

How do you start a conversation about the birds and the bees when your offspring are shooting from a volcano? Beats me! You’ve got bigger concerns—like where to put the entire demon race. Will you chunk them down as one huge empire? Scatter them into rival tribes? Or just chuck them out on an island somewhere? The possibilities are endless! So put that noggin to use and get creative, but don’t take too long! Then again, what’s another thousand years or two?

You have been awarded a temporary skill.

Place Unboreal Citadel (x1)

The entirety of demon history, neatly packed into one magical tower. Will you go the ancient monastery route and perch it atop a remote mountain? Or embrace diversity by planting it right in the heart of a human city? Maybe you’re not a fan of academia at all—why not hurl it into the frozen wastelands of the north? With endless possibilities, the only real limit is that lump of meat in your skull you call a brain!

You have been awarded a Judicator skill.

Minor Law (Epic)

Passing judgment is one thing, but how can you do that without knowing the rules? Good news—you get to make your own! Hear that, boys? Leaving the toilet seat up might just cost you your head! So think carefully and channel those long-buried childhood dreams of bureaucracy, because these laws don’t need an animated cartoon and catchy jingle to become reality!

“Uh, guys,” Jane said slowly, still trying to wrap her head around the deluge of System messages. “I think something major just happened.”

***

“Yeah, so that’s what they all said,” Jane finished, exhaling after the long-winded explanations. “I don’t think that Judicator skill is related, it’s probably just from the level up.”

Seated at one of the long, empty tables in the village center, she let her eyes rest on the two items the System had rewarded her with. A heavy black crown, and a small black bracelet. Across from her, Melindra and Veralaktus sat in contemplative silence. The village center was nearly deserted—most of the inhabitants were already out working the farms.

Melindra rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Once again, the System has given you… unique commentary on its decisions. If only Belgoth were here.” She chuckled lightly. “No, I doubt even he could have predicted this.” Turning to Veralaktus, Melindra asked, “Is the portal in the labyrinth still open?”

The demoness shook her head. “No. The last to pass through was Taltorius. He has yet to respond to my inquiries, but the other Hellguards confirmed the gate is no longer active.”

So, the demons are here to stay, Jane mused. The two temporary skills she had received seemed to suggest she now had control over where demons would be born on Alur. From now on, if demons died, did that mean new ones wouldn’t be born until she placed the birthing pits? That’s a disturbing thought…

“What about your skill, Melindra? That ‘Return to the Source of Knowledge’ thing—it’s supposed to teleport you to the Unboreal Citadel. Can you still use it?” She quickly held up her hands. “I mean, don’t actually use it—just check if it’s available.”

Melindra smiled faintly. “I understand, but no—the skill is grayed out. If what you say is true, then it seems myself and the other Velnatari will be unable to invoke it until you use the System’s skill to decide the Unboreal Citadel’s new location.”

Jane bit her lip. “Right.” Using any of these temporary skills felt like a very permanent decision. “And then there’s this quest…” She sighed. “You remember what I told you before, don’t you? I could issue quests as part of my judgments. I think I did it a couple of times—once with some mercenaries, sending them to rescue slaves, and another with Varlik, turning him into an Arcanite Statue. But those were just individual quests. Nothing like this—nothing global. I mean, I couldn’t even begin to guess how old this quest was. Have you ever heard of anything like it?”

“I have heard tales of quests,” Melindra mused. “In my search for The Chosen One, I spent a great deal of time in the ancient archives of knowledge within Arcadia and the Providencia. There is an accounting of an Epic-class holder I once read about in Orion’s Archive in Valtoris. I believe his skills allowed him to issue quests. What was his name…” She paused, searching her memory. “Ah, yes—Thaddeus the Blasphemer. Or, so they called him. From my memory, he was burned alive for heresy after using his skills to claim divine right. But I have never read of such an all-encompassing quest as the one you describe.”

Jane let out a deep breath. “Figures.”

Her gaze dropped to the two items before her. The larger of the two was a massive black crown, its long geometric spikes jutting sharply from its edges. Heavy and unwieldy, it was far too big for her own head.

She activated Piercing Gaze.

Crown of Dominion

For most demons, this might just be a consolation prize. But for a human? Well, let’s just say it offers a bit more perspective. Get ready to turn your brain into spaghetti, because this sucker packs a punch!

Spaghetti, huh? Not exactly reassuring. This was an item generated directly by the System. If she put it on, what would happen? Would she even be able to take it off? It looked far too large, but then again, her Storm Ring and the silver bracelet on her wrist had adjusted to fit her perfectly. This probably does the same.

Her focus shifted to the other item—a simple black bracelet. That, at least, felt more mundane.

Unboreal Citadel Key

A7C1D3F2B985E4A726FCD1B38E79A6452D3F8B907F5C2E1D4A8937E4B6F2C8D

E42A5B9C3D1F76E8D53FA0C27B8E4916F2D3A7C59E84B0F5D1C3287A6E93F4B2

D78A5C1F9B34E2F0D6A3C27E85B9F41D7E3A6C2F8D59B4E71F0C2A395D8B7E4F

1D32C78A5B9E4F0D2A3C17E85B6F9D4A2C8F7E1B3D05A9C4F6D2E7B8A1F3C95D

Jane blinked. Another strange code.

Her eyes flicked to the silver bracelet on her wrist—the one Belgoth had given her back in his tower in Dawnskeep. Now that she thought about it, the two looked nearly identical. The only difference was the color.

MCT:ET:ENC-ID

9F34D2B0842CEA753A4C84990F8E7890A293DE429F4ED8F7E5BC9E472F5B82E1

D8345F8C5F6E1D3E32FB92574CDB3D77687E8E5D4F20F1ACB88B4CFD6EAC4F5B

827A3D26F1C502F3A8A9A643E1E2623DBB8C4F2D9C3823B529F5BCE4A76D9E28

BDB326E3D9BCF20D6732A8D5E1E0D01FECB8C193A6754589054FA3E3C49B6E9A

If what she had just received was a key to the Unboreal Citadel, did that mean the silver bracelet was also a key? But if so—to what? And why is the name on the silver one so cryptic?

She slid it off her wrist and pushed it toward Melindra.

“I think these two might be related. Can you inspect them? Do these values make any sense to you?”

Melindra picked up both bracelets, her eyes shifting between them. After a moment, she shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. It doesn’t mean anything to me.”

Jane turned to Veralaktus. “What about you?”

The demoness examined them, then shook her head as well. “I have never seen the like.”

Jane exhaled. “Well, as much as I want to know what’s inside the Unboreal Citadel, I’m not about to place it down just to satisfy my own curiosity. But still, I wonder why it’s not like the medallion you and the other Velnatari used as keys…”

That left the crown.

Not yet. At the very least, she would wait until the rest of the demons were out of the labyrinth and Gral’gor woke up. If something crazy happened, she needed to be ready.