ushernet Information and rewards.
Information and rewards.
As always, if anyone wants to support me or simply read three chapters ahead in both the Devas and Hunter stories, those three chapters are available on my (P)(A)(T).
If not, still appreciate you reading my stories!
(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori
[...]---[...]
POV: Devas Asura.
My return to Winterhord was... Curious, to say the least.
"Aren't you going to come out of the room?" I could practically hear the amusement in Robyn's voice. "It's been almost a day since you've been in there... Don't tell me you're shy... Hero..." Her smile was so big it almost made noise... Almost...
Yes... the people of Winterhord had witnessed the battle against Deerclops, or at least its conclusion, so everyone knew that I was the one who had stopped the "monster," practically guaranteeing me hero status in their eyes.
My voice echoing throughout the city and incinerating the hallucinations that were causing chaos must have had something to do with it too... Damn! Someone had even leaked that it was me who distributed the weapons and paint that helped the guards fight off the "grace" hallucinations.
If Stark were here, I would have pointed to him without hesitation, but since the guy decided to go to Afghanistan for his debut without telling anyone and not create a portal machine, it couldn't have been him.
My guess was Annabel; the woman was smart, and the mansion guards had known for a while that it was me who had distributed the paint. Poke a couple of them and tell them to leak the information—easy.
I couldn't really blame her, aside from the fact that, in a way, it boosted the city's morale after a battle with not-so-small losses. I hadn't said it was supposed to be some kind of secret.
It wasn't actually; it had helped me since the more famous I was in Terraria, the more viewers I had. On paper, it was all profit, of course, disregarding the discomfort I felt.
It wasn't shame; I had long been accustomed to being watched by thousands of people, around six thousand at the moment, to be exact; that was the number of viewers I had on the stream.
But it was strange to be almost adored in this way...
To be seen covered in blood, wounded and shouting on a battlefield? That was fine by me; I was almost used to it at this point, it was normal.
To have voices shouting and thanking me, saying that I had saved them?... Well, it was true, but it was still strange... I was used to people giving me dirty looks and speaking ill of me, not praising me.
It made it worse that I didn't even know if I would be here if Dylan hadn't asked for my help and the stream hadn't thrown that mission in my face.
I wasn't the altruistic saint they were painting me to be; damn, I was selfish as hell, petty too, to the point that I was planning to charge Annabel for the paint I had given away for "free."
Would she use me to boost the morale of her city? Fine, if people were happier to deal with grief and loss, I would accept that "burden" willingly.
But it would cost at least a few good hundred kilograms of Wall Creeper silk, maybe one or two tons.
Let's see if I can get Gilbert to harvest as much as I can from them...
"I'm not embarrassed," I finally replied to Robyn. "I'm organizing some things." It wasn't a lie; I still had to check the mission rewards and see how I could use my spiritual energy and nightmare energy.
Obviously, staying away from the eyes and screams of the public was just a bonus...
The battle with the deer had given me some ideas. I needed to see if I could make armor or clothing with its skin and fur as well.
Besides the antlers, the only thing that wasn't a disgusting mass of bones, flesh, blood, and everything else mixed together was the boss's fur. Like everything else, it was imbued with nightmare energy? Yes, but in this case, it was an advantage.
I'm going to make the toughest and coolest cold-weather clothing ever.
Especially now that my own armor was somewhat weakened, with durability at about sixty percent because of the cold that damaged it.
"I don't know if I believe that... But I'll pretend I do." Robyn joked with a smile on her face.
"Woman, don't you have anything else to do besides bothering me?" I asked with a hint of exasperation in my voice.
Damn, everyone was busy. Gilbert and Darnell had gone to help the guards. Melissa, after healing Dylan, whom I discovered had almost killed himself to help me, went to assist in the city hospital.
The Guide was out of danger; he was just sleeping and should wake up in a day or two as good as new, but I still planned to give him a good smack or two.
Of course, before thanking him for the help, it wasn't necessary, but knowing that he had pushed himself to the limit to help me was something I appreciated.
Selina had gone with the Winterhord Symbol Masters to make sure the barrier wouldn't collapse. The storm may have subsided, and with it, the pressure the barrier was under, but after almost three whole weeks of chaos, the Mystic Symbols were wearing out with mana running through them all the time.
I wanted to help, but I was almost thrown away, with everyone saying that I had already done enough and should rest.
They must be blind; I was literally the least tired and injured person in the entire city; I was basically unscathed.
Finally, Annabel, who was busier with some noble nonsense, documents for house reconstruction, funerals, compensation for families of guards fallen in battle, and everything else.
I'll die, and my corpse will be frozen before being put in any position that requires paperwork...
"I'm on break with Melissa. It was the first time I helped in a hospital; I did well in opening my store." Her voice had lost some of the fun and revealed more fatigue.
"Melissa went to see if Dylan's condition has changed before going to eat something; I was going to eat too, just stopped by here to bother you." She had become quite bold, hadn't she?
But overall, that was good; I preferred that she, and everyone in general, were lighter and more relaxed; it was much better than them being afraid of me.
I thought that might happen after I realized that everyone had seen me fight against Deerclops, but the emotion they had was more astonishment, shock, admiration, and respect.
None of the people in my group were afraid of me or anything like that; not even Melissa and Darnell.
The people of Winterhord were different; the fear was suffocated by admiration and my "Hero" status. Annabel also had reservations whenever she spoke to me, that was easy to notice, but she didn't let it interfere in any conversation.
"Come to think of it..." Robyn muttered before speaking aloud. "Do you know what Millia's favorite food is?" Millia? Why... Oh!
Yes, Millia was the one who basically guided the Humvee with Robyn driving; if it weren't for the little slime, things could have been much worse...
The real luck was that Millia learned quickly and wanted to learn to speak Terrarian, not the old one she knew, but the current one. The reason was that she wanted to talk to others besides me and Dylan, which was cute.
If it weren't for this impulse, she probably wouldn't have learned so quickly, and no one in the Humvee would have been able to understand her instructions.
"She likes sweet food, any kind." I replied to Robyn, who nodded.
I'll give a gift to the little one too; she was brave.
After a few more minutes, Robyn left the room, and I found myself alone again.
Well, as alone as I could be with the stream open.
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Come to think of it, it was only a matter of time until beings like these started appearing, but the first ones being a devil, an undead, and a goddess weren't exactly what I expected... (Emote of Iron Man sighing exasperatedly).
[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]: I like her! She's fun and has cute ears... And don't be racist! I promise I'm a very nice devil~ Kind too! (Emote of a devil magical girl smiling in a cute way).
[AinzOoalGown]: I can assure you I am not just an undead; I am the leader of Nazarick! I am the lord of all undead!
[TheGreatGoddessAqua]: KAZUMA! IN ADDITION TO MAKING UP LIES FOR YOUR MADNESS, YOU HIRED AN UNDEAD OF ALL THINGS!?
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: YOU DIMWITTED GODDESS, CAN'T YOU BELIEVE IN OTHER UNIVERSES EVEN AFTER BEING PULLED INTO ANOTHER WORLD?! (Emote of a generic guy indignant).
[ExplosionCrimsonDemon]: My name is Megumin! My calling is that of an arch wizard, one who controls explosion magic, the strongest of all offensive magic!-
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: Don't even start with that shit! Don't make me regret more than I already am regretting calling you three to the stream! At least Darkness is polite! (Emote of a generic guy with a vein popping on his forehead out of stress).
[Darkness]: If what Mr. Kazuma says and what I saw is indeed true, it is my duty to act properly and not embarrass our group in front of six thousand people who will judge every word and phrase I write on this strange object...
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: DON'T MAKE THAT FACE! YOU WEIRD MASOCHISTIC CRUSADER! GIVE BACK MY COMPLIMENTS! AND YOU! DON'T LAUGH AT MY MISERY!
"Me?" I pointed to myself, not hiding the smile on my face. "I swear I'm not laughing, promise." I even raised my pinky finger, not that it did much to calm Kazuma.
Honestly, when he came and asked me to pull him into a private (CHAT) to talk, I thought he would have another offer or beg for better armor or something, not that he would ask me permission to invite Aqua to the (CHAT).
Saying that I was surprised was an understatement, until he explained to me and said that he didn't want to offend me by bringing something "divine" to my stream... I had to hold back from laughing and ending up saying that a "divine being" had been in my stream for a long time.
Revealing Percy's demigod status would only end in disaster, so I restrained myself, even if only by a little, and told him that it was okay to invite whoever he wanted.
It was funny how even through messages he seemed so relieved.
In addition to Aqua, Kazuma ended up inviting the other two, Megumin and Darkness, or Lalatina, but since she introduced herself as Darkness and her nickname was Darkness, I'll respect her and not call her by the name she was hiding...
Even though from what I remembered of the Crusader, she would end up liking to be "unmasked" in front of thousands of people... Well, I wasn't one to judge others, but in this case, I think it was okay since she would enjoy it.
Not every noble, but always a noble, right?
Watching the three of them interact with the (CHAT) was almost cathartic, seeing Kazuma regret his actions was just a small bonus.
Unfortunately, the other new members of the (CHAT) were less fun, and two creatures that I instantly recognized, it wasn't difficult, the two practically said who they were in their own nicknames.
The first: Serafall Leviathan, the Ultimate Female Devil. The Satan of Foreign Affairs... Or as she called herself, Sera-tan...
Judge me, like HOTD, I ended up watching the bomb that was DXD.
Serafall was... Someone curious...
I would be an idiot to fall for this magical girl act and cute creature she used. A being who had lived for centuries, the leader of a race of creatures created by sin, the Satan of Foreign Affairs, who every other week interacted with gods...
Serafall could act the way she did, but I highly doubted that was her real "self"... Or it was, fuck it, DXD was weird as fuck anyway.
After a goddess with boobs appeared, I no longer doubted anything; everything in that world was ridiculously cubed.
Still, Serafall wasn't an idiot, and I wouldn't be the one to underestimate her, let alone accept it if she came with the famous proposition that anyone who dreams of going to DXD would run to accept: "Want to join my peerage?"
Fuck that, no.
Even knowing that it would skyrocket my strength to the heavens and beyond, I would still refuse.
Besides the fact that I liked being human very much and didn't want to change my race, I felt that as a human, I could achieve much more than any devil.
But I admitted that it wouldn't be such a bad offer; there were worse creatures to sell your soul to... The moment I hear a voice from beyond saying the words "Counter" and "Guardian," I'll run...
... Very, very fast.
As for the second one... Ainz...
The Supreme One, the one with an ability that suppressed almost all of his emotions or completely... That was basically where my knowledge about him ended.
I knew he had been trapped inside the game he played and had been human before that, and there were some NPCs that accompanied him, but aside from that, my knowledge was almost nonexistent.
I had only watched three episodes of Overlord, the anime that, although it had intrigued me, aired at a time when I only had time to exist. Anything else was a luxury.
I ended up not going back to watch it, even though the anime was still on my list.
Before speaking, I continued reading the (CHAT) for a few more seconds. The (CHAT - FATES) was starting to grow in population.
[TohsakaHeiress]: A devil... And from what I know of this place, a real one probably, not some chuuni lunatic... So... okay... A goddess too and a Dead Apostle... Devas, can you pull me into an exclusive (CHAT)? (Emote of a calm and full Chibi Rin).
[JiraiyaIsAnIdiot]: A real goddess?... How curious. Is she something like Hagoromo, Kazuma-kun? (Emote of an old curious frog).
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: Comparing Aqua to that old purple-eyed guy is almost blasphemy, don't do that. (Emote of a generic tired guy).
The reward I had gained for keeping Melissa alive was something... Useful? I didn't know how the Adhesive Bandage or the Bezoar would work now that Terraria wasn't a game.
Clicking on the reward, two items appeared, the first one, a box containing several bandages, fifty to be exact.
The bandages were... Common, it seemed, at least. They were a light brown color and had two adhesive ends to stick to the skin.
-//-
[Adhesive Bandage]
Type: Accessory/Consumable
Rarity: Light Red
Prefix: None
Defense: 10
Durability: 25/25
Use: When placed on the skin, the bandage emits a coagulating life energy that completely stops bleeding in all wounds on the body for a period of 10 minutes.
(Note: Certain types of curses or poisons may decrease the coagulation effect and effective time of the bandage or even nullify it completely.)
Description: Bandages created with a special technique, bathed in vitality-filled water by a being blessed by nature.
-//-
It was... Not what I expected, but it wasn't bad.
Compared to the game accessory that stopped bleeding completely, ignoring any curse or attack potency, the bandages I had in hand were entirely inferior but still had their uses.
Having gained the bandage crafting technique because of the Analyze: Item was excellent as well, and if the "Blessing of Nature" I received every time I ate one of Alalia's fruits counted...
Well, I could at least try; if it didn't work, oh well...
The second item that appeared was the Bezoar, which was somewhat similar to what it was in the game, a small green ball.
-//-
[Bezoar (Incomplete)]
Type: Consumable
Rarity: Light Red
Use: When ingested, the energies contained in the Bezoar (Incomplete) assist the user's immune system and permanently increase their resistance to most poisons.
(Note: Some poisons may completely ignore the resistance, being entirely alien to the user's body and the Bezoar.)
Description: The Bezoar (Incomplete) is naturally created within the stomach of a deer, moose, or elk that has been exposed to large amounts of natural vitality or has lived in an area with it for many years. The more vitality the animal is exposed to, the greater the effects of the Bezoar.
[Bezoar (Incomplete): 38 years old (Deer)]
-//-
Damn! This was an excellent reward!
This, combined with the natural adaptation of my body, would ensure that most normal poisons wouldn't even affect me.
Of course, I wouldn't risk being poisoned in a fight or by a poison from another world or created by supernatural means, but it was already more than excellent assistance.
Without hesitation, I tossed the Bezoar into my mouth and swallowed it, ignoring the information that it was created inside the stomach. It was ironic how this one, in particular, had been created inside the stomach of a deer.
It wasn't from the Deerclops; otherwise, this thing would probably not help me resist poisons but be a poison itself, but it was still ironic.
The taste of the Bezoar was like that of medicine, neither good nor bad. The moment I swallowed it, I could feel its energy spreading throughout my body.
The sensation lasted for a few seconds, and when I realized it wasn't going to stop anytime soon, I went back to look at the rewards.
The next one I picked up was the Codex Umbra, the reward for killing the hallucinations.
The moment the book appeared, I felt the urge to burn it.
This wasn't just a book; it was almost a grimoire. Even though it was a copy, the nightmare energy that this thing exuded was disgusting.
It wasn't a large amount of nightmare energy; if I were to compare it to what I had, it was more than triple, and I didn't even want to compare it to the nightmare energy that the Deerclops had.
But the nightmare energy emanating from the book had a difference; it was something entirely rotten. Just by looking at this book, I felt the urge to burn it to ashes due to the disgusting feeling it emitted.
Still, I restrained myself and didn't incinerate the book, but I analyzed it to make sure it wouldn't end up summoning some demon or something. When I was sure that the book, as disgusting as it was, was safe, I opened it.
I spent a few minutes reading it, and to summarize: the book was a spellbook and techniques guide that used nightmare energy as a power source.
This alone would have made me celebrate, but the unfortunate fact was that many of these spells required sacrifices, and even I found the insane sacrifices a hindrance.
The way the book was written practically screamed that whoever wrote this thing had created the spells step by step while sacrificing as many beings as possible, be they animals, humans, or any other species.
Even the pages seemed worn, covered with dried bloodstains on the edges, as if whoever wrote this book was writing it while torturing the "subjects."
The fact that this shit was a copy, at this point, I didn't even know if I would like to see the original copy, especially after seeing who wrote it.
[Created and written by: Maxwell - The Nightmare King]
"So damn arrogant..." I said aloud, to which the (CHAT) seemed to agree.
The guy had written his title on the book, and screw it. But I couldn't deny that the letters he had written for the name and title were in a very beautiful cursive.
I didn't know Maxwell's story well, but just by that, I could tell he was the worst kind of human, if he was human.
Well, at least some techniques and spells didn't require sacrifices, only my own nightmare energy and focus to avoid going insane, which was basically impossible in my case.
Some of these spells were still incredibly useful and badass, and to my joy, the incomplete part was towards the end, where the spells started to get really dark, so it didn't really affect me.
I couldn't wait to start testing some of the spells, but not now.
Tossing the Codex Umbra into the inventory, I went back to look at the rewards, the next ones being the ones I received for saving the people of Winterhord.
I won't lie and say that seeing how many people died didn't affect me at all. Knowing that over two thousand deaths occurred practically by my side was... confusing...
Still, I wasn't affected for long. Even though these deaths were sad, for me, these people were just numbers on a screen, statistics.
I knew that two thousand people had died, two thousand Terrarians, but I didn't know any of them or had interacted with any of them.
It was something sad, but it didn't affect me at all. Did that make me a bad person? Not being affected like this? I couldn't say for sure.
Pushing these thoughts to the back of my mind, I went back to look at the rewards.
The five invitation tickets were good; that gave me some freedom to invite a few people without worrying too much about spending the tickets.
As for the other two items, the Frozen Key Mold and the blueprint for the Snow armor were useful items, but they didn't have much real use for now.
The Frozen Key Mold was... a mold, just that, it had various runes carved into it? Yes, but it was just that.
I didn't have any material list to create the key or what would be needed; I only had the mold. Not even Analyze: Item gave me anything very useful.
The blueprint was better in that sense, as it was instructions on how to create armor using sewing and materials like leather and threads, something I could use in a short time since I wanted to create something with Deerclops' fur.
I ended up tossing both into the inventory like everything before and moved on to the next items on the list.
I ignored the two missions with "???" like the first one, which was to return to the kingdom, and went to the last reward. These three, in particular, were missions that I could claim the reward later when I completed them.
The last two, based on the clue, told me that I would end up encountering some spiders... How these things had survived the damn storm, I didn't know, but apparently, they had.
Was the nest deep enough for the cold not to affect them so much? Or did the web and the way the nest was made keep them safe? I didn't know.
This was something I would need to talk to Annabel about later.
The last reward was the best of all, and if it wasn't, it was close. The eight Normal Healing Potions were magnificent on their own.
The Deerclops Trophy, not so much; it was basically a trophy made of pure wood and painted, something entirely cosmetic and made to be hung on the wall.
Unfortunately, to my dismay and that of the entire (CHAT), before I could grab the Treasure Bag, someone knocked on the door of the room.
I tossed the trophy and potions into the inventory before speaking.
"Come in!" I shouted, partially offended by the interruption.
"I didn't interrupt something, did I?" Some of my displeasure must have transpired in my voice since Selina noticed something and asked, "Were you masturbating or something? Having sex? Is Robyn under the covers?" I could practically hear her cheerful smile without even turning to see it.
Nonsense for her to think I would do something like that without barricading everything and all entrances to avoid interruptions.
I ignored the SteamPunker's incorrect assumption and asked, "What happened?" She wouldn't have come here to call me if it wasn't relatively important.
A slightly offended pout crossed Selina's face due to my lack of reaction, but she explained.
"Annabel asked me to come get you for dinner..." Was it already so late? The lack of sunlight told me so. "... She also seemed to want to discuss something with you and Gilbert."
"Gilbert?" I asked, already figuring out where this was going.
"The old man told her that he was the group's treasurer." Selina shrugged. "Most negotiations happen with the leader and treasurer together."
I had to restrain myself from smiling like a maniac.
"Let's go then, we don't want to keep our dear host waiting, do we? We don't want that, do we?"
Selina looked at me strangely but turned around, leading the way to the dining room with an extra sway in her hips, something I noticed from the corner of my eye but didn't pay full attention to...
I said I would help Annabel and Winterhord with what I could... But I also said I was selfish, didn't I?
In that case, who said I couldn't do both?
The smile I gave when I sat at the dining table and Annabel mentioned that she wanted to negotiate some things with me, Gilbert, and Melissa might have scared even a demon...
[...]---[...]
Well, a chapter focused on battle information and rewards.
The next Devas chapter should complete everything missing in Winterhord, and even by the end of the next chapter, the new arc should begin, or at least have a hook.
Well, I won't linger too much here. As always, comment if you have any questions, and I'll try to respond with my best without giving spoilers.
That said, have a good night and happy reading!