“What do you mean you work for Deacon?” asked Ralph as they ran through the blood stained corridors of the coliseum.

“I was hired a few days ago by my employer as a shadow for some big wig coming to town. Turns out that was Deacon. I’m supposed to facilitate his safe extraction from the city in the event of some kind of disaster. I figured my boss was being dramatic. You’re swordsman Ralph, the mage Tantus, and the rogue Amanda, correct? Do we need to gather anyone else?” Hani asked as he held up a hand to stop them from descending to the first floor. Apparently, there was a large pool of blood spreading at the landing.

“Yes the Cardinal Unit along with whatever Deep Dweller contingent might be at the embassy,” Ralph answered.

“But you’re just a court jester. Why would anyone send you?” Tantus asked looking thoroughly confused.

“I’m actually an operative of the Crown’s Shadow. This job has just burned my position in the castle. They’ll have to send another Hani now. Good thing they train more of us every day. None as good as I am though. I’ve already taken care of the Dwellers. They should be marshalling at the eastern gate.” Hani explained.

“We need to return to the guild hall. I need to pick up something,” Amanda said ducking her head behind a potted plant.

“What about all the people trapped in there? We have to do something,” Ralph declared.

“The crowns forces have been alerted and I imagine several squads of paladins have been dispatched. Keep in mind there were probably many of them in the stands as well. This is the kind of thing Mantarok worshipers live for. The guild hall is in the center district. Not exactly on the way.” Hani said.

“How did you kill that demon with your hat?” Tantus asked getting closer to examine it.

“A performer never reveals his secrets,” Hani said putting more distance between him and the curious mage.

All the while Amanda found a second story window overlooking a fruit stall. She jumped for it without alerting anyone else. Ralph shook his head and followed after her. Tantus used a wind spell to soften his and Hani’s landing. They all crouched down near the now broken fruit stand looking out into the dark deserted streets. Amanda looked both directions before sprinting in the direction of the guild hall.

“What about Deacon?” Hani asked.

“He’ll be fine. He wasn’t even supposed to be in there. By the way we call these events Deactastrophes.” Ralph said as he quickly followed after Amanda.

The stands were filled with people fighting off lesser demons. Some were just spiky humanoids slashing at whatever ran past while others were hulking grey and black brutes smashing there oversized hands down on long row benches. The woman in tattered clothes that Deacon saved from the Gilgerith was overlooking the arena. She was heartbroken by what she saw. The knights with bold outlines that sprung from the salves tattoos were defending the woman and the now fallen hero.

She wished there were something she could do besides stand there and be powerless. Not long after having that thought, she heard heavy thumping sounds from behind. One of the large demons with swollen hands was coming her way. She dropped to her knees and did the only thing she could think to do, she began praying to Chimera for help. Her hair spontaneously grew down to the middle of her back and her earlobes morphed fine points. As she was once clad in rags, she now wore a tight vest and pants combo. They were embroidered with numerical sequences patterned around club symbol in her upper right shoulder. In her hand appeared a deck of tarot cards. Her eyes gleamed with a purple and black energy. The demon lifted both hands to smash her into paste. She casually placed one of her cards on its chest. The demon coughed and disintegrated to ash blowing away on a gust of wind.

“Follow me, all of you who wish to bet on survival. Chimera has heard your pleas for help and has sent a new dealer to run this table. I am Gloria and odds are we will survive this night,” proclaimed Gloria Chimera’s newest Priestess of the Deck.

Abruptly there was light illuminating a grey and pale green room. As Deacon’s vision adjusted to his new environment, he could see a desk with a chair in front of him. Seated at the desk was a woman who bared a resemblance to Bael the Goddess of Death. There were subtle differences though, her hair was tied up in bun with two pens sticking through it. She was also not as large as Bael. Deacon made a coughing sound and the woman looked up.

“Oh good you are present now. The mistress is busy with the affairs of deities right now, but she sends her regards. This will be your groups second tax refund. From now on thirty percent of the souls collected by all four of you will be tithed to Bael as part of your contract…excuse me blessing. I need you sign here and here, in triplicate here.” Said the woman.

“Wait what? Who are you?” Deacon asked.

“I am a reaper in the service of Bael. You are to be returned to your mortal body and healed to full as it states in the contract. This needn’t be a long meeting, I have many souls to reap today and your paperwork will take a long time to process.” Said the reaper.

“So I’m dead dead. Like past on and on the Nether Plane?” Deacon asked.

“Yes. Sign,” said the reaper.

“Wait if I’m on the Nether Plane—give me a minute,” Deacon said before focusing his mind on his breathing technique. A flood of the most potent soul energy bloomed into his soul bar. There was so much his bar started glowing on his slate.

“Enough! I have much to do today and you are still in a battle. Changing your title and scooping up the remnant souls killed by that monster was clever but I hope you’ve thought about what you are going to do when you get back. Now sign,” demanded the reaper leaping over the desk with clipboard in hand.

Deacon begrudgingly signed the paperwork which he thought was just weird. Once the last signature hit the paper the world around Deacon spun. Gone was the cantankerous reaper with her sparsely decorated office. Now he was face to face with a person he recognized from a dream he once had. The other person was brown skinned with ridges instead of eyebrows seated on a golden throne. Behind him floated ten ovals rotating counterclockwise. His dreadlocks reached past his shoulders and he rested his head on his right palm. Elbow on the arm rest of his expensive backside holster. His eyes just cycled through different colors

“Samhain can’t be trusted. Stop Amanda from killing Ralph. Do not choose Haiku,” he said before the ten ovals started rotating clockwise and Deacon was back in the whirling vortex home.

He then drew in a huge breath. Deacon could feel the grit of sand on his back. The burns were all gone, and the sucking chest wound with them. Three figures were standing over his body with Sophie holding his upper half. He had several slate notifications.

Zagerack’s Breathing Technique has reached level five. Breath Weapon unlocked.

New Racial Ability: Phantasmal Breath- You can vent out a gaseous green cloud in a cone in front of you. All those within the cloud have a chance to resist being consumed by you based on their strength of will. Those who fail will refill your soul energy based on the rarity of their souls. Can be used once a day. This is only possible because of your unique race/class combination. Cone extends at 1 yard per level.

You have reached level 22; you have three undistributed attribute points.

Quest Update: Grow the Flock- Create two hundred followers for Chimera, create two priests of Chimera to lead them. One hundred fifty out of two hundred followers reached. Two of two Priests. Rewards; New class ability- Dead Man’s Parade.

Class Specialization: You may now choose a Class Specialization. Rule breaker has converted your choices into a quest.

Class Specialization Quest: Create sympathetic links to five more planar dimensions. Rewards- Legendary Specialization unlocked.

The coliseum shook and cracks ran along all the walls as Deacon read the latest impact from Rule Breaker. That same quake drew Efimeo’s attention back to him. With a scowl Efimeo swooped back down the ground shattering the tattoo guards with one swipe of Manslaughter.

“This is why you must die. Do you know how your precious champion even got here? When Chimera was choosing his newest champion, he followed all the rules to the letter. He was to choose a soul from the river. It doesn’t say which river. He doesn’t belong here. His very presence breaking our world. I will end him here and now. Let’s see you return without a head…What the hell are you doing?” Efimeo asked as Caphida on his hands and knees crawled between Efimeo and Deacon counting grains of sand. Deacon took that opportunity to use his newly found ability and complete one of the very first deals he made in this world.

“Efimeo, you are unworthy.”

He used Summon Soul to wake Zageracks from his slumber. Deacon’s glowing soul energy bar dropped from three hundred percent down to fifty percent as his body began to glow a deep, roiling green. An oppressive aura settled around the pit as the outline of Zageracks in all his scaly green glory started to materialize coiled around both Sophie and Deacon. His long body continued to coil around the inner walls of the arena. Finally the translucent spectral dragon settled onto this plane of existence. Efimeo was wide eyed and began to back pedal. Zageracks simply snapped his jaws around Efimeo chewing twice and spitting Manslaughter out onto the ground.

“Amon!” screamed Zageracks, “Your day has come!”