Chapter Sixty-Three – Desecration – Part Two

The relation of the intelligence stat is still publicly debated, however, there seems to be a direct correlation between fluid intelligence and the stat. It becomes more clear the greater the change is. Requesting more funding, items with debuffs and buffs, as well as subjects to ascertain the differences.

- Official Request from WSA Researcher Hemmingway -

Some of the priestesses did indeed die, the Wither Charges I have are the proof. The memories are confusing. But there is a common thread between them, something that makes me start to feel bad for all of them, Verantha… even Mira.

Stone rumbles as she smashes doors from hinges, toppling pillars as she indiscriminately kicks random walls… she's laughing… maniacally.

"So many years groveling, so many fucking years," she says between bursts of laughter, her face winces as the steam from her runes grows higher, and her black armor begins to glow… from heat.

How is it not burning her skin? What is her constitution? Is it from her constitution? I shake my head, brushing off debris… focus. There isn't much time until the blessing is gone. I feel my muscles growing tighter, pretty soon they'll get more taut and start tearing again.

"How much further?" I ask.

She turns her head abruptly, her eyes wide with madness as she giggles, "Are you in a hurry, darling?"

"A bit."

She leans her head back, giving me a proper crazy woman smile and turns, her pace increasing to a faster walk, then a jog, then a blur. The building shakes in her wake, her laughter the chorus for her ballad of destruction.

"Well, that works."

I run after her, and it feels like the halls stretch for miles, until I come upon a large and opulent room. Hundreds of braziers are lit along the walls, and the fire looks angry as though it's offended by my trespassing. There's a strange sensation the more I draw into the room, like something is crawling on my skin, I hear whispers in the flickers of the flames. Focus. Looking up at the center of the room, I see a pure white flame on a small brazier, the logs that it burns appear to be from a special tree. There's a priestess holding her hands in front of it as Mira circles the altar, her armor is dripping to the floor in certain places, and the runes are shining so brightly, it's almost blinding. Yet she's still laughing, somehow more insanely than before.

"Her holy fire has burned for more than a thousand years… please high priestess, I beg you… do not extinguish it."

"I have no intention of extinguishing her fire," Mira says, smiling, grabbing her softly, the woman's clothes immediately ignite in flames from the heat on her body. Leaving her screaming and rolling on the ground until she stops…

[ 1 x Wither Charge Gained ]

Memories roll into my mind, words from far away, feelings, sensations of love, and cruel intentions. So intense at times that they are like torture, then other times like bliss… this is what their connection to their Goddess felt like, it's just like the other Wither Charge memories. There are so many ups and downs… Goddess Jaledi… she seems extremely polarizing. I look over at Mira, her eyes are fixed on the flame. I wonder if being a high priestess makes the connection more severe… maybe that's why she's… well, Mira.

"Is that all you have?" Mira yells toward the ceiling, raising her hands to the side, "You'll have to try harder than that, hag!"

The braziers along the walls howl with crackling logs. I feel the thunder from the clouds above. Thankfully there's a roof. From the small windows though, the ocean looks like it's starting to pick up.

"Darling!" Mira yells, holding her hands up into the air, "I have the perfect idea… to desecrate her temple."

Her head turns slowly toward me, she licks her lips ever slower, the saliva steaming off.

"Take me on her altar, take all of me."

I blink at her and her melting armor… hell no. Not even for the fact that my member would likely become ashes, but just no… hell fucking no.

"Pass…" I blink, did I just say that out loud… fuck.

Her eyes explode with glowing pink as she opens her mouth, twisting in the heat of her own insanity.

"Darling, do you not find me attractive?"

"I… uh, that's not it. I have a better idea."

Side-stepping around her, she doesn't close the gap on me as I climb on top of the polished stone slab that's suspended by four blocks of marble. Inscribed all around the slab are quotes from Goddess Jaledi. Stuff about chasteness, the superiority of women, and how she plans over thousands of years, and male gods suck. There's some good stuff in there too, something about heroes, I don't stop to read it all. I felt her firsthand from the memories. All the memories. She is decidedly a fucking bitch who makes her devotees suffer, for their entire lives. I feel horrible about the ones that died, but the Goddess? Fuck her. Fuck her temple, I don't even feel bad about what I'm about to do.

As I kneel on the altar, trying to get to my feet, I feel a powerful presence slam into me, making my eyes grow wide. The whispers are no longer that… they're words… her words.

You kneel upon my most holy of holy places, your mere presence is enough to defile it… mortal… What have you done to my high priestess? What magic have you beguiled her with? What treachery do you bring my followers? I can smell the filth of it, the curse he left on you. You stink of him… of the death God Azeroc… You're a Deviant, aren't you? How else would you find your way onto my world… my domain…

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

Azeroc… that must be Red, he put the curse on me after all. Finally, a name to call that shitbag by. I feel Jaledi's presence on my skin, like she's trying to peel it back. Pain courses through me in vibrations, but I fight against it. I'm certain that in less than five minutes I won't be able to stand… and if I can't stand, Mira might take matters into her own hands… literally… focus.

I manage to press against her onslaughts. Massive pop-ups from Red appear in my vision.

[ Offer to end quest without penalty… ]

[ Yes, I realize that further irritating a god is NOT in my best interest / No, I'm a fucking moron ]

I chuckle, "Thought you weren't going to offer me another chance, you sound like a whiny little bitch Red, or should I say… Azeroc, god of tissues and crying."

[ Warning: Do not further test my patience. I will allow you to keep your current token, but you will not be permitted to obtain a second. ]

I let out a long and exaggerated sigh, feeling powerful for the first time in months, like my balls are finally dropping again.

"Nah, fuck you, fuck you and all the gods," I say, standing over the thousand-year-old flame. Mira is screaming with excitement.

"Yes, darling! Fuck the Gods!"

I flip down my boxers, the only clothes I have left after making the sail, I don't even care that Mira is meat gazing with lustful crazy eyes.

"All of you archaic fucking whiny gods can drink from the nectar I give you."

Piss cascades down onto the fancy logs, smoldering and sizzling. The white flame flickers as I slowly put it out.

Mira is screaming in pain now as her runes become a light show of anger, but she doesn't stop me, even as she writhes on the floor. Manic laughter coming in spurts between the booms of thunder outside. The wind is howling loudly, and a storm is coming. Not surprised though.

"My darling!" Mira yells, "I knew you would be my darling!

Ignoring her, I think about what I said, remembering that Ulana has helped me a lot. Despite her potential motivations, I do actually owe her, she brought back Cortez and the others.

"Except Ulana, she's not like the rest of you pieces of shit. The rest of you, you can get fucking bent."

I flick the last dribbles for good measure, pulling my boxers back up. A thousand-year-old sacred flame extinguished by piss, that sounds pretty fucking desecrated to me.

A notification pops up in my vision and causes me to grin.

[ Quest Completed, Congratulations Hunter. ]

[ Congratulations, you have leveled up. ]

[ Establishing connection… ]

Suck on that, Red.

Another pop-up appears in my vision. It's in red, but I think it's from Goddess Jaledi. Must be pissed. The good news though, is that it should override Red's curse.

[ Major Cursed Status Effect Gained ]

[ Tier: 10 ]

[ -100% healing received ]

Can't be healed… problematic.

Sage speaks into my mind. Almost surprising me.

Well said, meatsack. Though your tact could have been… more refined.

Time slows in my perception as I see the next notification. It's gold… Ulana, she heard me… is she back?

[ Major Blessing Status Effect Gained ]

[ Tier: 10 ]

[ +100% Intelligence Boost ]

Because she thinks it's smart that I recognized she's better than them? Wonder why it's not an experience boost this time. My eyes blink, a strange sensation shuffling across my mind, like my thoughts are becoming less disorganized, and more clear. Even the smells in the air are more rich. This must be from Red's major debuff on my intelligence getting overridden, that and Ulana's blessing. Strange, everything seems clearer, like a brain fog has been lifted. With each passing moment, it feels like it's compounding. Tracing along my mind, widening pathways. Everything feels slower.

Good, this feels good, memories flash in my mind as I remember my choices over the last months… could be worse.

Alright.

Healing reduction isn't bad, my body is more or less in okay condition. The strain on my body feels less from the increased strength, which tracks since I no longer have Red's minor constitution debuff either. Even if my body didn't feel passable, I have enough Wither Charges to use the Aegis Armor for well over an hour, likely four, given what I think the average mana strain was, hard to tell, as my memories with the intelligence debuff are rather fuzzy. Enough inner monologuing. Focus on the task.

Why isn't the quest sending us back yet…

"Sage, is Red delaying the return sequencing?"

They are.

"Is there anything we can do without bending the rules to return us?"

Technically their offer to return is still valid for ten more minutes.

I pull up the map, looking over the details. Interesting, it's not just here that's experiencing the storm, Fisban and the others will be caught up in it as well. I look over, Mira is still writhing on the floor. I'm considering taking her with me, she proved useful. Manageable though, that's questionable. It would depend if her curse is related to her sanity. If it's not, she might be broken goods. Still, she did help me, considerably. Honor is such an illogical thing, yet, I was raised with it. I sigh.

"What's the probability that the incoming storm will kill my party members and me?"

Near ninety percent.

"Unacceptable odds."

Agreed…

I turn to Mira upon the ground, "Stormborn, what is your curse?"

"Mood instability and charisma debuff," she says, gripping herself tightly. She'll probably die if I do nothing and leave her here.

The probability that she's lying is moderate, and the probability that she has permanent lasting trauma from the connection... very high.

"Why do you want to come to Earth?" I ask.

"Phase one…"

Phase one, hmm. Memories slide effortlessly across my mind as I extrapolate the likely reason.

"Sage, off-worlders that come to our world have their levels reset, can I surmise that Mira Stormborn will be reset?" I shift, scratching my chin, "Meaning, that if she wants to be reset, she likely received priestess class as her subclass at level twenty. Ahh, so she can sever the connection if she resets. Interesting," I turn to Mira, "Am I correct in my assumption?"

She nods, cringing as the torture becomes more severe. Sage speaks next.

I think I might like this version of you. To answer your astute question, yes, she will be put through phase one protocol. Becoming a member of a Respec skill holder's party is a backdoor home world reassignment trick. I'm surprised that she knows it, most do not. It's actually on a list of things that might be patched in the coming cycles. Also, it should in fact sever the Deity Connection, just as you guessed.

"Interesting, I'd like to hear more about the other things that will be patched, if time permits of course," I hold up my hand, eye level with the Divine ring, "Abyss, are you hungry?"

I feel the crawling sensation, the rumbling of its belly. Good.

"Feel free to scour the temple, every last crumb, just mind your efficiency please."

Happiness pulses from my hand as the tendrils explode in every direction, crawling beneath stone toward what I know are unique items that will do well in the collection. I look through the notifications from the level up. A devious smile as I see the new skills I have obtained. Those will be useful, very useful.

"Sage, while we wait, I'd like to go over a list of things that I want you to relay to the future me, should this buff prove temporary. My counterpart… standard issue Jimmy, he needs… guidance."

Indeed, I'm happy to see that you can recognize that. Very happy in fact.

Nine more minutes, plenty of time.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.