Chương 8: Take two

"Man, those traps were brutal." Eric scratched his back before remembering there was no trace of the scars that had appeared earlier in the Essence Room. Grim chuckled.

"That's the idea. Essence Rooms aren't for wimps. All challengers have to overcome their physical or mental abilities if they want to make it to the other side. Traps are the easy part, trust me." Death shut the Elegy Vault door, and it vanished into the wall in one blink. The structure of the safe room was different. There were crafting stations, tables with strange liquids and dried herbs. Some devices were for heating, boiling, scorching, and melting whatever seemed fit.

Memories of recipes from video games popped into Eric's mind, but now wasn't the right time for this. At the center of the vault was a round, open space. It had traces of furniture on it and old bloodstains. Grim pulled a book from a big wall-mounted shelf. With a flock on his hand, several more books slid free on their own.

"I might have to make you a bed. You'll crash soon." Death returned the assembly guide and hit the floor with his scythe. It broke like glass, revealing an even larger collection of stacked tomes and bookshelves below. Eric saw labels for all important human sciences. Mathematics, biology, chemistry. Every combination that popped into his head was visible. Some disciplines amazed him with their names because he had never heard of such things.

Could this be a branch of science we haven't discovered yet, or was long forgotten? Before spiraling into another rabbit hole, Eric snapped back to reality and got straight to the point. He had a lot of questions and almost no answers.

"You know what else was weird? I couldn't open my inventory while I was in the tutorial for the Camouflage spell. Nobody warned me about this." Grim paused mid-motion.

"Hold on. Camouflage? You definitely got a good drop for starters."

"I had two other choices for spells." Eric continued.

"One was something like a double-jump gimmick, and the other was summoning swords. Both of them sounded cool, but the parkour-style skill named Sky Star said it could alter my future spell evolutions. That seemed risky." Grim's jaw dropped, his green glow visible through all the open space in the skull. He dimmed the room. Between him and Eric, a spectral table spawned, adorned with multiple symbols. Some of them were sigils from Hell, while others were designs resembling Heaven and its followers.

"I'll show you some things earlier. These spells you encountered are rolls that aren't typical for a Level 1 Reaper Acolyte. Purgatory decided that you are eligible for abilities from Heaven and Hell. Now, this isn't bad, but be warned. Choosing one of these skills could get you some unwanted attention from the opposing factions. Grim gripped both sides of the table and poured essence into it.

Fire, light, stars, and shadows danced in a curious formation while Death continued to pass his powers into the summoned mystic bench.

"You can scroll through it if you want a rough idea of what each side offers," Grim said.

"My records aren't complete. I prefer not to communicate with either of these pretentious pricks. And one last thing." Death leaned forward and sharpened his tone slightly.

"These spells could give you power beyond imagination. There could be a moment in time that's worth picking one. Just be wary, there's no free lunch here." The interface of the spectral table worked much like an item carousel you'd see in a game shop. Each skill had a separate slot, but no descriptions. Grim's information was incomplete. He only had the names and a sample visual projection. Eric scrolled over the powers. Hell's strengths were obvious. Fire, demons, curses.

Some of the projections were violent, potentially crawling straight out of a nightmare. Guess some stereotypes exist for a reason. Heaven provided power related to light, blessings, and judgement. If he were honest with himself, those skills looked far more appealing. If it wasn't for the warnings earlier, he would choose one.

"That's enough for now." Grim stepped away from the table. The projections vanished into the air, leaving a faint glow. He seemed aggravated and moved fast.

"If you have the patience to see the true potential of the power I offer… you would never even consider using these flashy parlor tricks." Grim summoned a comfortable chair for Eric and an enormous throne for himself. It had skulls with a gothic style and sharp edges. For a human, it looked awful to sit on, but for someone who is just a sack of bones, it wasn't a problem. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"The warning about Sky Star freaked me out a little," Eric admitted.

"To be completely honest, I want to see more of your powers and magic. I'm a Reaper Acolyte for a reason."

"Soon," Grim said.

"First, we must move to the second floor of the tower by. That red door you saw earlier is sealed behind enchanted ice." Death slowly sharpened the edge of his scythe with a dark whetstone,"In the basement, I had a hidden treasure. Have you seen a severed hand?" Grim asked. Eric shivered at the thought of seeing such things.

"In video games only. I hope to keep it that way."

"Bad news. You're about to use one as a flamethrower." Grim chuckled.

"How is that related to going forward?" Grim summoned spectral images on the floor. Pale light spread through the vault as the vision came alive. The depiction of a woman being burned at the stake was quite disturbing. People tied her to the stake and cut her hand below the elbow. It fell on the ground, and fireballs shot from it. The crowd scattered from the damage. The witch's palm turned towards her and hurled another flame orb, igniting the pyre and burning the ropes.

Flames engulfed the sorceress, and she began destroying everything around her.

"That hand is what we are after. You'll have to make it work again." Grim removed the projections. He leaned back into his throne.

"My obligations for your sweet and precious Earth are piling up. The world is really messed up. I don't know which of the two big bastards created this disease, but people are dropping dead constantly." Death looked tired. His shoulders slouched forward with the scythe lying on the ground.

"Sometimes I wonder if Heaven and Hell are competing to see who can bury me in corpses first." Sitting on the throne, he gazed at the floor. The typical green glow in his eye sockets was weaker.

"I'm getting better at this. You don't have to do everything alone." Eric tried to give some courage to The Grim Reaper.

"I know we have a deal, but I have to ask. How's my family doing?" No amount of fighting or leveling could push these thoughts completely out of Eric's head. Asking Death about this might sound like he didn't trust him.

"They are safe. Some events in their life could feel… unusual for a while, but I'm doing my best. It's normal to ask. To be honest, you are taking everything way better than I expected." Eric rose from his chair, and it evaporated into the air. He went to the entrance and glanced back at his mentor.

"If that's the case, we should get going. There's a fire witch to deal with." Teleporting to the door and summoning the lock, Grim opened the vault. Everything dropped into the darkness as they left. The battlefield had flooded almost knee-deep. Water surged from the damaged hallway, filling the basement. Grim swept his scythe sideways. The flood split apart around them instantly. Shadows wrapped both of them in a black cloud. With the speed of light, the group flashed and crashed into a wall, tearing it down.

All the water went into the opened crevice and into the room below. This was the treasury Grim talked about. To his surprise, the Shattered discovered the hideout earlier than expected. With a brief window to react, Death summoned the old corpse of the stone giant in the room as the guards appeared. This gimmick secured some precious time. Sneaking into the treasury, he teleported Eric to one ledge right above another dormant stone golem statue.

"I have to go. Watch the group here and try to find more information about the severed hand. I'll come back soon. Don't do something stupid," Grim whispered before vanishing into the air. Eric lowered himself onto the platform and remained still. Rushing in blind had nearly killed him enough times already. Water flowed into the room from the busted wall above. Eric lay down on the platform and spied on the group of Shattered guards and a new enemy. This brute was a mountain of muscle and stood out from the others.

The armor on his body was gone, but the bruises and cracks on his skin were bigger. His upper torso was disproportionately more developed than his lower body. The gruesome part was his malformed head. The features on his face were scattered, and nothing was in its place. Eyes near the ears, nose instead of a mouth. Almost as big as his humongous torso, the head looked almost too heavy for its massive body to support. Someone skips leg day and beauty sleep.

What Eric didn't notice was that he could understand all his enemies. His new class gave him the ability to communicate with every being in Purgatory.

"These stone golems are a huge problem. Look at the wall above us!" the brute yelled at the guards and stomped toward the inactive statue.

"Stand aside! I'll handle this myself, you spineless, squelching slugs!" The monster slammed shoulder-first into the stone golem. Vibrations stirred the ground, and the sleeping giant woke up. Other guards ran into the fray, manifesting chains, hooked flails, and weapons from their essence. The attacks crushed the legs of the golem. It answered with a thunderous roar and stomped the ground. Waves formed from ripples on the surface.

"Chain it to the walls!" Blood dripping into the water, one of the Shattered guards screamed. Eric went into Camouflage mode. His essence had recovered, and his mind was analyzing all the options. Water would dilute his acid potion, so throwing it wouldn't work. He summoned his knife from the inventory and moved closer to the edge. The Shattered squad conjured bigger chains by combining their powers.

Three of them locked themselves into a formation behind the spell, feeding power into the bindings as they wrapped around the stone golem.

"I'll crush you!" Shrieking, the muscular brute launched itself, slamming into the rock giant hard enough to shake the chamber. Both of them collided below Eric's platform. He clenched the knife tighter. I might have to join the fray if they continue like this. Another collision sent a wave crashing through the flooded room. It swept away the casters that were keeping the chains active. Breaking free, the stone golem grabbed the muscled one and slammed it into the wall behind.

Cracks and dust fell from the overhang the reaper acolyte was lying on. He rose up, but seconds later, it collapsed, and only a small bluff remained. Eric stabbed his blade into the wall to gain some advantage. Under him, the battle became even more furious. The stone golem continued pummeling its sturdy foe, and the guards summoned their weapons, attacking it from behind. They targeted the lower, unexposed joints. The assault finally forced the golem to release their companion.

The last available stepping block Eric had fell into the water below. Hanging from the knife embedded in the wall, he pulled himself up and planted both his feet against the stone. It's time for take two. I'm not leaving the blade stuck this time! The force of his muscles propelled him right over the rock golem. Both of his hands gripped his knife and aimed at the head, ready to take control of his enemy.