Overpowered Wizard

Chapter 222: B3: C12: Bargain 2

“Oh, this sounds interesting,” Foodie said, ears perking up.

“She’s quite the astute daughter. I like her already.” Ruvaria nodded before continuing. “There is one thing that is impossible to destroy in its entirety in the Infinita Star System, and that is a soul. And while there is no knowing fully what happens to most souls after they die, I can tell you for sure that there are cases of revivals, rebirths, transmigration, and even direct transcendence. That last part can be even more dangerous. If you had killed Jack, his soul could’ve made for a new arch angel.”

“FUCK NO!” Gilbert roared, whirling about.

He ignored Naomi’s naked form and stomped over to where Jack laid belly down and unconscious. Gilbert seemed to wrestle with himself, his leg twitching, before becoming still.

He looked up at Ruvaria’s upheld position in Bianca’s hands and made his declaration. “Whatever you do, little lady, don’t let this bastard die and become some mockery of an angel. I just can’t accept that. I’ll lock him up myself, somehow.”

Empress Ruvaria nodded seriously as she took in the anger of Gilbert’s words with grace. She glanced down at all of them, from the curious Hannah to the aura-ignited Naomi, from the mythical cook to her dear student.

“Bianca, let me go, please,” Ruvaria requested.

“OKAY.” Bianca did as she was told. Her large and slender fingers lingered a little to straighten out Ruvaria’s hair before retreating fully.

Ruvaria stood for a while, gathering her thoughts, seeming to think of something major. Then, with a sigh, she looked directly at her dear student, or specifically, at his cloak.

“Once I do this, everything I’ve built, along with everything my family has built, will be put to question,” Ruvaria said. “And that question may tear asunder everything.”

Everybody else seemed confused by that except for one.

Para formed a head from the materials of the Parasite Cloak +3. Her face looked like a girlier version of Zarian’s with no eyes and needle-like teeth. She even had curly hair that was fuller, more voluminous compared to Zarian’s.

She’d rarely shown her humanoid face, but for this occasion, Para wanted to speak with a more frank approach to Ruvaria.

“When I first denounced you as evil and me as good, I was still running on a program that said what sounded good. It was a believable program, and it was self-righteous and mostly correct,” Para said.

She hesitated, showing more weakness than usual. Then Para pressed onward. “But now I’ve grown further after my latest advancement. I’ve come to know the curse of self-doubt. I wish to say sorry, for I cannot truly appreciate your experiences. I can only imagine what you’ve been through and what you’ve done.”

Para sighed. “All I can say is that your next decision will be hard one way or the other. Maybe the only decision is the one you want to see played out to the end.”

Again, Ruvaria fell silent. Everyone waited. Foodie looked with wide-eyes and ears up, caught in a discussion she didn’t have the full context for, but she was definitely engaged.

Zarian’s attention was scattered, because there was something bugging him he hadn’t caught on to just yet. But he paid as much attention as he could with Para’s help.

Finally, Ruvaria broke the tension with a chuckle. “Then so be it. I’ve been forgiven by the most important entity in this universe already. I might as well continue boldly and see where things go.”

Ruvaria offered her hand.

Just like that, the Floridians realized what was happening.

Para reached out with a hand she created from the cloak. She paused and waited for her host, Zarian.

“Want to be a Freedom Leader?” asked the Dark Lord.

“No,” Ruvaria said. “I don’t have it in me to be a leader anymore. Let me play my role as the mentor, please. And occasional caretaker, if I must.”

Para shook Ruvaria’s hand. A magical bird screeched proudly in the background, and Ruvaria joined the freedom alignment as free good +4.

“You had to join us before you could touch Jack,” Hannah deduced. “You can’t do anything to him because of the hierarchy of traditional good.”

“Yes, and he has a certain trait that has the Ascended Heavens bore deep into his soul,” Ruvaria explained stiffly. “I will ... need time to get familiar with this sense of ... freedom. Hm. How peculiar. Is this what it feels like to be free? I feel so light. I feel so unburdened. I feel ... free.”

“CRY WITH ME,” Bianca offered.

“Maybe another time, dear child.” Ruvaria smiled softly up at Bianca. Then she turned a contemptuous look down at Jack. “It is best I start the process with this one before he wakes. He is quite powerful. He’ll be the strongest dungeon I’ve ever created, if the process proves successful enough.”

“Wait, what’s going to happen to you now that you’re a part of our alignment?” Hannah asked.

“Hm, well, I’ll be excommunicated by my former peers and loved ones.” Ruvaria shrugged. “They might even attempt to kill me to ensure the mythical trait, Corma’s Chosen One, could go to someone else.”

“Fuck,” Zarian said. “You were the only one keeping the Forever Empire off us.”

“And I will continue to keep the Forever Empire and all the kingdoms of the Promised Continent off you, dear student. Do not fret. They will use old contingencies for such cases like this. I know how to deal with those contingencies. I’m the one who created them.”

All the Floridians fell in silent awe of the Sorceress Queen, which included Para.

“Wow, I have a lot to learn,” Foodie piped up.

Gilbert glared at the ground where Jack had been. “Fucker.” He spat on the spot before walking over to a pile of stone blocks and finding a suitable seat. “So, when’s dinner and bedtime?”

Zarian set Foodie down again. He gave her a few tips about the spider network. He also pointed out where an army of skeletons and spiders would come from to act as her escort as she went looking for fresh ingredients for a big feast.

Hannah also offered twelve of her special orbital golems to follow Foodie and to do as she commanded. The little goblin cook went from being a slave to having a mini army that could wreck the Eternal Garden Kingdom.

Foodie listened intently to all the instructions with a serious expression on her cute little face. Then Zarian let her go off on her own to hunt and cook for everyone.

“You’re going to make for a great father, by the way,” Hannah told him.

“I WANT TO CRY!” Bianca roared.

Zarian nodded slowly. “I hope you’re right. This is all happening quite fast. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

“That’s how trauma bonding gets us,” Gilbert drawled. “Ain’t no way around it.”

Zarian had nothing more to say about that. He gave everyone a quick scan with his eyes and his magical senses.

Gilbert was okay. Hannah was okay. Bianca was okay. Naomi was alive, but not really okay. The healer, engineer, and princess were exhausted, though, and ready for sleep.

But they needed to stay up for Foodie to cook a proper meal. That was paramount for having the best gain they could get.

Unfortunately, Naomi would miss out on the special celebratory meal, but then again, she had an extremely powerful Second Ignition. She would be alright.

Zarian felt a mix of emotions about that, and chief among them was excitement. He still owed Naomi something for birthday when she was up and able.

Then he lost his enthusiasm as he stepped in and out of the void.

He reappeared through wrinkled air down in the same hallways that led to the old sanctuary. With a sweep of his aura perception, he saw how Foodie’s old kitchen had fallen into disrepair. Something – or someone – had destroyed it in a fit of rage.

Jack must’ve done that.

Zarian sighed.

Jack really is a problem that keeps giving and giving.

“Are we going back there?” Para asked from the cloak. “To the place of my birth?”

“Yeah,” Zarian said.

They took the slow route by walking instead of stepping through the void. Zarian and his cloak passed through the halls where they’d fought against crazed goblins that fell to corruption.

He found the same junk room where he stood on business and ejected Jack, Gilbert, and the cops, before having to go rescue some of them along with Naomi.

Things could’ve gone differently.

Zarian stopped when he found some unexplored sections and a staircase that led up. He swept the area above with aura and his devourer trait, finding left-over traps that could’ve killed most adventurers in the Level 70s.

He supposed that was the reason Foodie had warned them away from attacking Castle Grimrock from below. She based her warnings on all the adventurers who’d failed before.

Then Zarian and Para descended the staircase where Wally had died. Zarian stopped to wonder if Wally had reincarnated into Wallen, but that was unlikely.

Maybe they were universal duplicates or something similar to how the multiverse theory worked. If that was the case, was there a chance that the Wally from before was reincarnated somewhere? Or transmigrated?

The same could be said for Gilbert’s cop friends. Though, Zarian imagined if anyone could somehow come back for another chance, it would be Wally.

Leaving that thought experiment aside, Zarian stepped through the dark hallway where old goblin traps waited. His spectral spiders dismantled them easily.

He entered the last basement floor that held pools of Shadowfell Tears. Zarian chuckled darkly, thinking back to when a goblin had called them transgressors for trespassing in a holy place.

Zarian hadn’t trespassed at all. He was where he belonged.

“Luciana Shadowfell Darkrun,” Zarian called, his glimmering cloak flapping behind him. “I’ve come to bargain.”

The voice of one of the most powerful beings of the Infinita Star System – a major deity of shadows, corruption, and tragedy – answered back proudly. She sounded like dark chocolate, sweet poison, and a step off the cliff where one’s doom awaited.

“Zarian Darkrun, oh master husband of mine. You call, so I come to answer as your slave wife. Why bargain when you can take what’s yours by right?”

“I’m bargaining, you loon, and that’s what I intend to do.” Zarian grinned fiercely. He reached into his cloak and took out a specific vial. “Denounce yourself as my slave, and Sinfeast’s tears are yours.”