9 The devil is in the details (1/2)

Dustin watched the little girl walk her bike quickly through the portal, not bothering to turn and wave or say goodbye.

He didn't care. The quicker she was gone, the better.

After she had failed to gift him the flame burst skill book he roughly explained the system to her, keeping important information out of the conversation. They agreed that he wouldn't mention her or her giant lizard pet, and she would act like he was never here.

The remaining monsters, and the secret, were left to Dustin as she left. He cracked his knuckles and twirled the metal staff around, slamming one end on the ground, which send a small burst of energy out from underneath it.

And so began the killing spree, piling up the lizards and goods that dropped in his inventory until it was completely full. He had backtracked through most of the ravine, entering back into deepest part, where he had found a hidden crevice, wider than the rest and extended further in, eventually opening up into a small cavern in the wall.

Inside was a dead lizard roasting on a fire, moving slowly in a clockwise direction as it cooked. Dustin was immediately on guard as he approached, already detecting through his tracking that someone, or something, was in the cave.

”Ah! A guest!”

Something from the dark corner called out to him, compelling him to approach. He had to resist the urge, and instead took a seat at the campfire. The voice chuckled, coming closer until it skirted the edges of the campfires light.

It was a devil, one of the demonic beings pioneers could summon to this realm to fight. Dustin wasn't sure whether they were a Dos race, perhaps enslaved to the system in some way, or if Dos just created them as sentient monsters.

It had the heat of a goat, with two long horns curling forward, then down. It was a good two feet taller than Dustin, and its head threatened to scrap across the ceiling.

Dustin kept a tight grip on his staff, but made no move to attack. He wasn't confident in attacking and defeating a devil. Unless the secret was an ex-pioneer trapped inside the dungeon, most secrets did not require killing the target, or giver, of them. They were usually tests, quests, or escorts, which had no problems with asking the pioneer to kill.

If the Mantae had been a Dos created monster, he might have been asked to escort them outside the cave, therefore completing the secret.

The devil didn't seem to be the type to need an escort, especially in this low level of dungeon, so Dustin waited for him to talk.

”A silent one, hm? So imposing.” The devil mocked him as it came up beside him. It reached towards the grilling lizard and tore into it with its claws, retrieving a piece of meat.

It held the meat in front of him, offering it with murderous eyes. Dustin declined and took out his own rations that were hidden in the inventory. The devil flashed his teeth and swallowed the meat whole, sitting down to look at Dustin. His legs extended into the campfire, laying against the inflamed logs without a care.

”So, my dear pioneer. What is it you wish?”

Dustin pretended not to hear, and continued munching on his dry bread. The devil remained calm and scratched his beard. When it opened its mouth again to repeat the question, Dustin interrupted him.

”You will make the offer. It must be reasonable.”

The devil gave a sour look, kicking a burning log out the other end of the campfire.

”You intelligent species are no fun.”

Dustin continued to eat his lunch like nothing had happened, waiting until the Devil finally caved in.

”I require an object for a sacrificial ritual, but alas, I am unable to leave this cave.” The devil held an arm against his forehead and looked up at the ceiling dramatically.

”A heart of the Blood Ape shall suffice.”

Dustin instantly drew up the image of a Blood Ape in his head, and the expected level he would need to be to kill it.

Blood Apes were obviously in forested terrain, and generally traveled in packs. They would appear sometime after level 10, and became a different species towards level 25.

They were one of the weaker monsters, provided they had no special modifiers, and were just a common monster within the dungeon. It was like taking on a strong human, and attributes could be used to bridge the gap just like any other monster.

But of course, deals with the devils were never straight forward.

”Of course, the heart must be of a certain pedigree. Only the finest, and all that. I'm sure you understand.”

Dustin rolled his eyes at the Devil, and the secret quest popped up in his display.

”I shall provide you the coordinates to a Blood Ape I have grown a particular taste for. Retrieve this for me, and you will be rewarded handsomely.

Quest: Heart of the Blood Ape Chieftain.

The Devil, Xorxi, has requested the heart of a Blood Ape, and specified a certain Blood Ape he wishes you to retrieve it from. The Blood Ape Chieftain is located in the Eclipse Jungle, recommended level: 20.

Should you accept, the location of Eclipse Jungle will be marked on your map. The devil will grant you 60 days to accomplish the task. Failure to accomplish the task, will result in Xorxi claiming ownership of your pioneering status. Loss of pioneer status results in monster classification.

Completion of task rewards one item from Xorxi, in accordance with Dos protocol D3V1L.

Dustin looked past the notification at Xorxi's smiling face. Two months of dungeon farming would easily push him past the level twenty mark, provided he could chain dungeons together reliably.

Unfortunately that option was obviously locked, as Dustin would take at least a couple of days to pinpoint the location of each dungeon.

Despite the devil standing still, he could feel Xorxi's smiling visage drawing closer to him as the deal continued to flash on his display.

”Triple the time limit and I'll gather the rest of the ingredients for your pathetic grovelling ritual, Lord Samuel deserves only the finest, and all that, I'm sure you understand.”

The smile on Xorxi's face completely dropped as he recoiled, his face twisting in disgust.

”You would imply I use lesser ingredients?” He seethed, the normal goat teeth in his mouth turning sharp.

”I can smell the Dreadroot from here. Pathetic, you should be grateful I am sparing you the eternal agony of Lord Samuel's wrath from being summoned to such a dreary place.”

Xorxi tried leaping at Dustin, but was pushed back by a strong force of wind. He collided with the back of the cavern and fell down atop his belongings.

Once negotiations begun, neither party could harm each other until it was cancelled, or an accord was struck.

”You think I won't just cancel this deal and strike you where you stand? There are plenty of pathetic pioneers clamoring for rewards.” Xorxi spat, wiping the blood that trickled down his forehead. A monstrously large tongue emerged from his mouth and licked the blood from his clawed finger.

Dustin continued to sit by the campfire, and drank some of his water.

”The dungeon is already cleared, I am the last pioneer you will see for at least half a year. You accept my deal, and I either fail, saving you from becoming a dried up husk, or I succeed, and you summon your beloved lord, earning more time on the clock to suck in another pioneer. If you decline, then you may enjoy your eternal torment, regardless of what you do to me.”

Dustin spoke his argument slowly, giving care to put emphasis on the Devils inevitable fate.

Xorxi's eyes were bulging out of his head, the anger rising in his system. Dustin was slowly losing confidence that the devil would accept, but eventually the devils claws retracted, and he returned to his suave facade.

”You are well informed, Mr. Dusty. Very good, you will prepare my ritual.” Xorxi said. Dustin smiled and held up two fingers.

”Two rewards.”

Xorxi's eye twitched, but he reigned in his emotions and nodded. The new text for the quest begun to shift, changing from one ingredient, the Blood Ape heart, to a list of items. The time limit was set to six months from now, and the reward was two of Xorxi's items.

Dustin tapped the confirm button and stood up slowly, dusting the dry bread crumbs from his lap. He ignored outstretched hand and walked back out past Xorxi.

”Don't die until then.” Dustin gave his parting words and stepped back out of the crevice.

Once outside he relaxed the tension in his shoulders and spent some time killing monsters to relieve the stress. He had to act completely confident, it was the only way to gain the upper hand against someone whose entire existence relied on making deals.

Devils used deals to extend their lifespan, whether it was stealing pioneering status, or summoning lords of the underworld and selling the items collected from pioneers.

Lord Samuel was one of the Higher Demons in the underworld, wherever it was. Dustin had never seen him, but Ysoria was covered in all kinds of devils, so the names of the lords had been drilled into his head by raving cultists.

Ravenous Ravine completion. 600 Dos.

Ravenous Ravine secret. In progress.

Ravenous Ravine Boss. Neutralized.

Ravenous Ravine Monsters. 500 Dos.

Despite the increased difficulty of the dungeon compared to the Goblin Forest, he got a lot less Dos, and only slightly more experience. He lost the Boss bonus to Kayle, the secret was in progress, and the full clear couldn't be completed until the secret was finished.

When Dustin emerged back into the real world, Kayle was nowhere to be seen. She must have run home as soon as she got back. Checking his watch, it had only been just over an hour since he had entered the dungeon, despite the four spent in there.

Dustin planned to attend his university classes tomorrow and get Ben added to his friends list, then he just needed to get his step-sister hooked up, and he could relax a little.

Six months was plenty of time to collect the needed ingredients for the ritual. Whilst Dustin had promised the best of the best, the amount of alternatives that existed was ridiculous. The demons apparently had low standards when it came to what could be used to summon them.

The quest was formatted in a way that all Dustin had to do was create the ritual using ingredients that would satisfy Lord Samuel, Xorxi's initial requirements for what he wanted were just guidelines.

Luckily for Dustin, he had one particularly trick up his sleeve. There was a certain commodity on earth that the demons loved. Realistically, Dustin could make the ritual out the shittiest material, provided he appeased the Higher Demon in some another form.

Dustin was almost tempted to convince Xorci to let him watch the ritual, but his previous experiences all told him to stay far away. The ritual sites Dustin had seen on Ysoria were all filled with corpses. Several of his party members had told him never to witness a ritual, and there was plenty of evidence that doing so was suicidal.