Rise of the Undead Legion

Chapter 530 - The Herald

Chapter 530: The Herald

After more than six hours of battle, all that lay under Dave's foot were the remains of the corpse eaters. Their massive HP pool compared to Dave made them hard to kill in a short while, especially with their massive numbers.

They kept calling for numbers, and kept dying, and still fought on. Until there was no other path for them but death, if they were to charge the Undead, so they decided to stop and retreat. Dave's power was enough to cause them fear if they were to face another undead, his brutality and ceaseless onslaught was enough to print a fear of undead in their minds. The only corpses that the Corpse Eaters will never dare and try and eat would be that of an undead.

Dave began picking up loot, most of it were remains of the Corpse Eaters, nothing was special, and there was no diagram for a set of their armor. This meant that the Corpse Eaters were monsters whose ingredients could only be used alongside another monster's diagram of armor.

Dave moved through the dry ravine, but this time, no corpse eaters dared attack Dave. They had all known of his past exploits and didn't want to cross him and have to suffer what happened to their brethren.

"At least these whack jobs won't get in my way anymore." Dave mumbled to himself and unequipped his sword and shield.

Continuing his trek forward, Dave saw more of the agony the people in hell suffered. But he had no say in what was going on, the game was designed to be this way and if he were to antagonize Asmodeus for his doings, this was not the place or time. He was already pressed for time to give the flame to Ralph, thankfully the flame will not die as long as it's in hell.

Dave thought about using the same method that brough him to this far away place and go back to the same teleportation pool he came from. But the cooldown on Demonic Ascension was a full day, and he had only spent six hours of it. Also, there was the problem with the speed of his combo of [Stampede] and [Demonic Ascension], once used at the same time, he would go past the speed of sound with no breaks or a way or method to properly land or stop once he is close to the gate. He might even get unlucky and end up going past it and crossing even more distance to the other side. His only choice was to keep moving, step by step and that was the surest and most credible way to get to where he wanted, despite the looming dangers of Hell.

Dave's journey had to stop for a moment, when he found a cave entrance that was dug into an inconspicuous hill.

Above the Cave's entrance was a ringed cross, and from its edges, long chains dangled and moved, swaying due to an inexistent wind. Dave's curiosity got the better of him and he decided to enter the cave.

Half expecting a notification to appear in front of him as he thought this was the entrance to a dungeon, Dave kept moving, with each step disappointed by the fact that no such notification ever came to be.

The cave was dark, and even with Dave's Dark Vision, it was pretty hard to see what's inside.

All he found at the end was a simple stone chair with a person sitting on it.

The person face was covered by a hood, and only a green fire could be seen from inside the hood. A wide grin painted on the man's face that Even Dave's draugr smile could barely hold a candle to it.

Dave took a step back, "This guy's trouble." He mumbled.

"Stay," Spoke the man.

It was not a request, but an order, not even Dave could move.

Dave's ring began shining, rising in protest against the command that has been given to Dave. The skull on his ring shuddered and moved, then shaped itself to nick's face.

"Herald… Let my champion…" But Nick's voice was abruptly cut as the man, addressed by the Undeath God as the Herald moved his hand casually and managed to suppress the God of Undeath and banish his existence from Dave's ring.

"I have no need for nuisance. Children nowadays, they know no respect for the elderly…" said the man, or the Herald."

Dave gulped. No matter who this guy is, he just shushed Nick, and Nick was not a weak deity, his "Bad Words" were enough to cause a calamitous cataclysm in the world of Conquest, and this guy just shushed him like if he was a toddler facing an adult.

"Tell me, young one. What brought you to the domain of dark and fire?"

Dave found the pressure on him easing up immensely, not enough to run away, but barely enough for him to speak.

"I'm here to help a friend, to retrieve a flame."

"Oh, Hellfire, I can see it on you."

"They call it another name." Dave replid.

"I know, kids, they want to make something so worthless into gold by giving it a grandiose name."

"They called it fire of creation."

"HAH!" the man laughed and from his voice, the ground rumbled and shook, stones and small pebbles cracked and turned to dust.

"Creation? They know nothing about it. Not even the ones you call gods. I was here, before creation came to be. They tell half uncertain truths and make them into law. What pitiful world you live in. No matter, what guided you to me?"

"A huge deal of stupid curiosity, you know the saying, curiosity killed the cat? I'm kinda hoping that I'm not a cat right now."

"Worry not, I don't deem you worth the effort to kill."

"That kinda makes me both sad and happy."

"You should, for those I have killed, did far worse than wake me from slumber. And I'm not a grumpy sleeper. I see that your ring is special, it holds a powerful link to your…patron."

"Yeah, Ring of True Undeath."

"I have to admit, the lad that gave you that ring is good necromancer."

"He's the god of Undeath."

The Herald snorted as if not admitting the notion. He then stood up.

He was a couple heads taller than Dave, and the hood behind his back shuddered. Torches that Dave didn't even know existed in this dark place lit up, lighting the area in a fiery green.

Dave had full vision of the man in front of him. He too was an undead, or as close to it as possible, a draugr's face covered up in a dark green armor mixed with black gold. And the hood on his head that extended all the way to the ground was not made of fabric, but the ethereal fusion of faces of souls condemned and trapped onto it.

On his now extended hand toward Dave, a barely human hand with skin stuck to bone, a rusty chain dangled from a cuff on it.

He pointed at Dave and said, "Legacy, they call it. It gives you a link to your patron, and they could visit your world."

"Yeah, without a legacy a deity cannot interfere with the world."

"For what reason can they not interfere?" the Herald asked.

"Nick always says because of Rules, I have no idea though."

"Rules?" the herald slashed with his opened hand and a portal to the world of Conquest easily opened up in front of him.

The Herald moved through the portal and disappeared from the cave leaving Dave all alone and in total bafflement.

Dave approached the space fissure, hoping he could leave before the scary guy could come back.

But the man soon returned.

"Rules they say, it's nothing but a week law. To suppress the beings to do things they shouldn't." he said and looked at Dave.

"I've seen the world, it's far different from mine. Pretty chill. Even with the incoming threat to it. It's a far better place to live in than where I came from." The man said in a grin.

He turned to Dave and said, "And I have seen you in it. You left a good impression upon many of the living within it. I commend it. But also warn you. Do a lot of good and it will come back and haunt you. You have shown a great deal of power, but know that you're nothing more than a pebble in the path of rampaging elephant. You'll be crushed first."

"I think I understand what you're saying, but the calamities have to be stopped."

"Indeed they have to, the world will be far too quiet if they aren't, even if I would prefer it to be like that. But I always admired the struggle against the odds. If you wish, I can do something similar to what your patron had done to you, give you a legacy. Mine, is far far stronger than anything your kind have ever seen or will ever see."

The Herald snapped one of the rings on his chain and threw it to stop right in front of Dave's face. Hovering and slowly rotating in front of him. The rusty chain had a nefarious yet enormous power, Dave had felt something similar, but far weaker, the Death Heart, compared to this couldn't even hold a candle to the might it emanated.

A notification appeared in front of Dave.

***

The Herald of #@//** has given you the choice to renounce the Legacy of Undeath and Embrace the Legacy of The Herald of #@//**.

The Offered Legacy is tired at Above SSS rank.

By obtaining the Herald of #@//** legacy you will be able to go beyond the limits posed in the world of Conquest. Regular rules may no longer apply for that the Herald is beyond rules.

Giving up the Undeath God's Legacy for the Herald's legacy will not put you in a hostile relationship with the Undead. But all your achievements will be null and void and your place among the undead will be forgotten. You'll have to reforge it anew if you wish to continue as an undead.

***

Dave didn't even hesitate when saying, "You'll not like my answer."

"Speak, I have little that urges my dislike to manifest."

"I will have to refuse. I have made a bond with the Undead, they're family, and I won't change them for anything else. They made me who I am, and I won't give them up, not even for this power, not even for godhood in this world."

The Herald, against Dave's expectation smiled. "As you should, family is a rare thing, and those who suffered with you, fought alongside you and bled with you should never be given up for even the world's fortunes. This legacy, I have offered it once, and once only and it shall never be given to anyone else. Be proud young one, you have principles that rare few have got. And I will not make your refusal come back and haunt you if another were to obtain this." The herald jerked his hand and the chain came back to his palm. He tightened his fist and the ring crumbled to nothingness.

"This was a great power that could have made your battles far simpler, but I always respected those who endured and struggled. Struggle well struggler. You'll face odds that no one would think are possible to defeat, but I believe in anyone who could see beyond the looming scythe of the Everlasting Silence. Give your all, I'll be watching." The Herald said and moved his hand so that the fissure in space consumed Dave and teleported him right at the gates of Urburg.

"What the heck was that?" Dave said as he finally realized where he was. Not a second Later Nick appeared right in front of Dave, patting him on the shoulder, checking his teeth, looking under his arms and began frisking him.

"He didn't do anything to you did he?" Nick said, a sight never before seen on the face of the God of Undeath, worry.

"Chill dude, nothing happened what the heck?" Dave replied.

"Do you even know who that dude was?" Nick said.

"Emm, no but he seemed pretty chill."

"Damn it man. You end up meeting the weirdest of the bunch."

"I guess he was a god, I mean he offered me a legacy." Dave said.

"WHAT?!!" Nick blurted, his word was enough to break the sound barrier waking everyone and scaring the living life out of those in Urburg.

Dave almost fainted from the impact of the shout.

"Sorry about that, so what did you do?" Nick asked.

"I refused."

"Y-you did what now?" Nick said.

"Hey, what the heck was I suppose to do? I mean I won't be an undead anymore and I'll lose my achievement. Also I won't be your champion."

Nick facepalmed, "As much as I appreciate the integrity and honesty of your words, and even the loyalty…let me just tell you this, see, if he offered me his legacy, even I would take it."

"Huh?"

"Yes, you heard right. See that guy. When I came to be, he was here. He was here before any of us. He was the origin, he was the everything, the alpha, the omega. The herald… that guy. Never mind, at least it's good that you didn't piss him off."

"And how did you know I didn't piss him off?"

"Simple, we're all still alive." Nick said. "Man, I just don't want him to offer his legacy to someone else. That would be a huge problem."

"Nah, he promised that he will not do that."

"Oh, so that's good and set-in stone. But damn kid, you made me hella proud! Gotta say, I have shit tone of stuff to gloat in the God Council. Speaking of gods. You still have two more battles to go through in the Clash of Gods. Once that's over we'll have to start the second phase. Get ready."