Elysium's Multiverse

Chapter 33

The highest-level Jabob demon had even acquired a class title of cultist. What was the difference between his own novice warlock class title and the cultist class? Damn it, he should have done more research on this stuff when he’d had the chance. All of them were likely much, much stronger than Riven, too. Even before identifying the largest creature, he knew that trying to fight that enormous lurker demon alone would immediately result in his death.

No way he was getting into a fight with that thing and coming out alive.

However, he obviously wasn’t about to let his minion die here. He was going to save that batshit crazy spider if it was literally the last thing he did. She’d saved his life in the Chalgathi trial, and he wasn’t going to let her become lurker food.

His chest swelled, and a surge of determination flooded through his veins. Even if he died trying, he’d give his best shot in trying to get Athela out… He just needed to wait for the opportune time, if there was any to be had. The others, though their plight tugged at his heartstrings, would only be bonuses if he succeeded.

Though even just getting her out alone was looking rather unlikely.

One of the short, lanky, Jabob demons who’d had enough of the blonde girl’s pleading turned around and raised a hand. The beard swayed, and the three eyes narrowed. Its voice was snakelike, with a hoarse hiss to it, and it almost sounded like the creature had smoked far too many cigarettes over the course of its life. “Shut your ugly mouth, mortal wench! I’ve had enough of your sniveling!”

Blue fire flared to life from the small demon’s hand, and in an instant the woman’s face exploded with flame.

She screamed even louder, reeling back and rolling around on the ground to try and put out the fire as the other two demons laughed. It made Riven want to rush in, to save her and kill all the creatures participating in her torment. He wanted to play the hero, to save the day and come out victorious. But real life was not like those fairy tales where the knight in shining armor battled against all odds to win. Real life was brutal and cruel, even before this multiverse had swallowed Earth. The strongest made the rules, oftentimes taking advantage of those weaker or less fortunate. This was no fairy tale; if he walked out there without any kind of advantage and tried to fight them in a full-on confrontation, he’d no doubt die a quick death as nothing but a fool.

So, no, despite his internal struggles concerning this unknown woman’s situation, he would not rush out to save her. Not when Athela’s life was on the line, and dying meant Athela would die, too. No, he would wait until he either had an advantage or opportunity of some sort presented itself, or until he was forced out of hiding when Athela herself was targeted.

“You are spoiling my meal.” The unusually deep voice of the fleshy lurker echoed throughout the large room, putting the laughter to silence immediately. “I told you, I want my sacrifices fresh…not charred.”

The Jabobs simultaneously bowed to the much larger demon they served, and the one who’d attacked the girl spoke up while stroking his beard anxiously underneath his hood. “I’m sorry, Master Rhemvish. I will correct my mistake at once.”

With a snap of his fingers, the girl’s face stopped burning…though the charred and smoking skin, the burned-out eyes, and the violent weeping-shaking combination were all testaments to the damage that’d been done.

And yet…while he watched the cultists continued to talk with one another jovially, as they completely ignored the scared, bawling young woman, a ball seemed to drop into the pit of Riven’s stomach. This was just cruel. These creatures were downright evil.

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Riven frowned and pulled back away from the door as he went over the new notification. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to save them. But both of them? The girl was in a separate cage. How was he even going to approach saving his minion in the first place? When he made his move, it had to have a chance and couldn’t be a stupid blunder based on emotion. A dead Riven was no good to anyone…

That’s when he heard the begging start up again, and another shrill scream as the woman’s cries hit a new pitch. Riven glanced back up from his deep thinking to the slightly ajar door and peered through the crack, going cold with anger as he saw two of the Jabob demons dragging the burned teenage girl out. She was sobbing, thrashing about, and trying to free herself. Terror was evident in her cries, and the remnants of her scorched facial features were contorted with absolute fear.

This was horrible.

She was seriously injured, blinded, and for whatever reason wasn’t using any of her abilities. If she even had any…but she was labeled as a priestess and had to have acquired a class title because of it. Didn’t this mean she had related powers? Perhaps the glowing collar around her neck was suppressing her abilities? Or maybe she didn’t have any offensive capabilities?

*THUMP*

Riven’s eyes dilated, and the world around him was tinged in shades of black, red, and gray. He felt as though he wasn’t actually standing on solid ground any longer, and an unfamiliar yet resonating cold mana rippled across his skin.

“PLEASE…GODS! GODS, PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

The blinded, naked young woman continued shrieking, struggling, and began to hyperventilate as the large, clawed hand of the monster wrapped around her torso. The cultists let go just as the lurker abomination picked her up and held her ten feet off the ground, and it eyed her with meager amounts of interest for a time as it held her there.

“Please…I’ll do anything…I promise… My dad will bring more sacrifices…” The young woman sobbed, shaking and shuddering in the firm grip of the predator. “Daddy… Daddy, help me… Don’t eat me… I—I want my dad… I—AHHK—”

Her words were cut off with a sharp, high-pitched shriek and the audible crunch of bones as the abomination abruptly squeezed. Riven’s eyes went wide with horror as the girl’s arms at the shoulders snapped inward at an odd angle, and she began to kick around frantically with her dangling legs. The crunching continued as the girl squirmed and tried to form words, but all she could do was gurgle and flail until another abrupt snapping sound saw a fountain of blood belch out from her open mouth.

WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF PLACE WAS THIS?!

Her eyes went wide, her face turned purple, and blood continued running down from her mouth as death took her.

Riven had seen death before, but that was a bit much for him. Rage entered his soul like a flood for being so helpless as he watched the giant creature rip off her head, toss it along with the metal collar aside, and stick a snakelike tongue out into the bloodied hole where the neck had been.

And…it began sucking. The sloppy sound was accompanied by more crackling as the monster squeezed the priestess’s corpse like a little boy would squeeze a juice box. Even from here, Riven could see that forked tongue of the scaly beast work through her innards and pull them out in chunks and pieces as it garbled her insides down with relish.

“If you do not like it… For something so small and insignificant, you have the power to change it…”

*THUMP*

An unfamiliar voice whispered into his mind. Riven’s heartbeat literally stopped in his chest, and ice began to flow through his veins. His eyes dilated again and began to turn a bright-crimson hue, his breathing slowed to a crawl, and he found himself back just two minutes prior. The girl was still in the hands of the monster, head intact, though she was about to be eaten again.

“PLEASE…GODS! GODS, PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

The blinded, naked young woman continued shrieking, struggling, and began to hyperventilate as the large, clawed hand of the monster wrapped around her torso. The cultists let go just as the lurker abomination picked her up and held her ten feet off the ground, and it eyed her with meager amounts of interest for a time as it held her there.

Riven blinked rapidly, not entirely understanding what was going on—but he was reliving these moments. This time, however, the world was no longer in shades of black, red, and gray. They were normal hues and felt far more real to him.

Had he experienced a vision? Thinking back to the crystal ball in the tutorial, he couldn’t come up with any other explanation.

“Please…I’ll do anything…I promise… My dad will bring more sacrifices…” The young woman sobbed, shaking and shuddering in the firm grip of the predator. “Daddy… Daddy, help me… Don’t eat me… I—I want my dad…”

The world froze, right before the lurker abomination was to crush her body. Everything around him came to a standstill, and his soul apparatus quivered violently.

What the fuck was this about being a prince? And what empire?! A manipulation of fate? Goddamn it, he hated this place. If Riven could have furrowed his brows, he would have looked like an enraged orangutan. But he couldn’t—he was frozen in time and space, so he mentally just shouted out, What desired action?!