Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Chapter 1291: Even With The Consequences



Skullius took a deep breath.

'VOW also advised me to pick at least one of these contract offers for my own good,' he thought.

He already had a pick. However, Skullius feared that his decision could lead to some terrible consequences for him, his subordinates, and Aigas.

'Serenity,' he turned to his benefactor, 'if I refuse D'JORRO's contract, he'll be pretty upset no doubt but, does he have the power to instantly kill me or even curse me from a distance like Somanda did before with UNCoddled?'

Serenity considered.

"He likely knows your location at this moment, but unless he gets upset at every little thing, I do not think he will choose to attack you. Travel across the great void isn't so simple, and I can't imagine he lives close by. If he is to attack you, it would be through the use of some long-range tool or Andori, which I doubt he will use because the distance between you and him will cost him Amras for casting. At the same time, if you offended him so deeply, there is nothing that would stop him from simply coming to you, no matter how long it takes. If you are going to refuse his contract, at least don't wound his pride."

Skullius nodded.

'That's fair. Though, can you tell me what the value of a Deity's Tear is?' he asked.

D'JORRO and TITEMIUS were offering their tears and Skullius couldn't understand the significance of them.

"A Deity's Tears serve two purposes," Serenity said. "One is to mark the recipient with the distinct presence of the Deity. This would allow you to more easily skirt away from danger with enemies of Deific power; they would realise you had the favour of someone strong. Two, if you were ever in a place that the Deity who gave you their Tear considers their territory, you would be received kindly - very kindly. For Primeval Deities, a third of reality is their personal territory. The effects of the Tears don't last forever though. If I recall, they last a few months at best – in Aigas' time."

Skullius groaned.

This made him want to pick to D'JORRO's offer.

The Tear the Primeval Deity offered would be a great insurance against enemies when he and the Stark Troops left for Deadmanland!

But again, reason fought Skullius' impulse. He reminded himself why he was rejecting D'JORRO's deal in the first place.

'Serenity, these terms... If I allow someone like D'JORRO, for instance, access to my Parlous Nature, whose Amras would be consumed each time he wants to use it for himself?'

"I think you already know the answer to that, Skullius."

The Hybrid Warmoth groaned again.

This, he couldn't allow.

If he agreed to D'JORRO's contract, he would be allowing the bastard to use Second Divine Sinew any time he wanted and with his own Amras.

Skullius, even now, was appalled by the regeneration speed of his Amras. His Immortal Physique, Audacious Chassis of the Ninth Filament gave a 15% increase to his reserves and a 7% increase in regeneration speed, but Skullius had yet to recover even a third of the 140 units of Amras he had expended in the previous battle.

A single use of Second Divine Sinew required a large amount of Amras, and it wasn't fixed. It depended on the nature of the source. To use it on himself, Skullius needed to expend 200 units of Amras. The cost for a Deity, or whatever the Deity would want to use Second Divine Sinew on was likely to be atrocious!

Worse yet, if the Deity he had allied with chose to use Second Divine Sinew when Skullius was in the middle of battling a powerful opponent, what then?

His reserves would be depleted, leaving him wide open.

There was just too much risk with this.

'No. I can't,' Skullius decided. But then he thought of the Exora Mead. Could it be what he thought it was?

He turned to Elita for this.

"Elita, do you know anything about something called Exora Mead?" he asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She was surprised when he turned to her.

"Oh, yeah. Divine beings used it to replenish Amras all the time," she said. There was a gladness in her tone, but then a suspicious look appeared on her face. "Have you been offered a contract?"

Skullius was taken aback.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"Exora Mead is a valuable resource. It's used for many terms of trade across reality. Seeing as you haven't left the planet, it only makes sense that you've been presented a contract through the guidance field where Exora Mead is one of the terms of exchange. A few friends of mine experienced the same before," she answered.

"Oh. You're right." Skullius nodded. "You have allies outside?"

"Of course, I do! You can't survive out there without help, even with Void as your backer," she said with the shake of her head. She then gave him an appraising look. "Don't go thinking that Exora Mead is THAT valuable of a resource for trade though, Skullius. It's really not. The amount of Amras the Mead restores is negligible. There is always a demand for vast volumes of it everywhere you go. Little amounts are essentially useless."

Skullius' spirits fell.

He had decided to go with JOISEN ANTERRAS' contract, but the meagre two skins of Exora Mead it gave lost all their value in his eyes.

"I see..." he said to Elita. His resolve was shaking.

The former Paladin Champion tilted her head.

"Let me guess. You're being threatened?" she said.

"Not exa- Pretty much, yeah. There's a Primeval Deity involved and I'm trying to weigh the benefits of choosing his contract against the drawbacks."

Elita grimaced at the mention of a Primeval Deity. No wonder Skullius was shaken. Her visage softened in the next instant though.

"Don't worry. There's more than one way to beat a Deity. If they turn hostile, there is the option of fleeing. I know several places in the great void that even Primeval Deities can't worm their way into casually," she said encouragingly. "Make your choice, Skullius. I'll support you through the consequences. I'd like a shot at fighting impulsive, unjust gods. Void knows Broodweiler is itching for it."

Skullius smiled when he sensed the resolve from her. She was serious.

He laughed.

"I will keep you to that," he said.

He felt reassured indeed. Serenity also chimed in.

"She's right. There's more than one way to beat a Deity. You don't need to be afraid of an encounter with the enemy if you can run from them. This isn't about honour or pride." Skullius nodded. He knew she probably had something up her sleeve to keep him safe as well.

"Alright then," he said and confirmed his decision with the guidance field.

[You have successfully signed a LIMITED CONTRACT with Primeval Deity, JOISSEN

ANTERRAS!]

[You have received the Immortal Realm Physique of the Third Stratum, Expanded Shadow

Fiend's Leather!]

[You have received the Realm rank Wicked Treasure, Malefic Gold Hand!]

[You have received Exora Mead (x3 skins)!]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[You have received a response from JOISEN ANTERRAS. Would you like to read it?]

[You have received a response from D'JORRO. Would you like to read it?]

Skullius steeled himself and opened both responses at once.

He first read JOISEN'S.

[You made the right choice, little anomaly. I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I will be invoking my one-time usage of your Exotic Parlous Nature, very soon]

Skullius gulped.

He then read D'JORRO's message.

[What a mistake you have made, brat. From this hour onward, you shall cower in fear till the ends of your Constern, for you have made yourself a terrible enemy]