Arc 1: Introduction to the sphere Chapter 2, Part 2: Looting the Ritual Hall

  Hmm – the sergeant said “about an hour or so”, but this system seems to know the exact time. How does it even handle time?

  And now I have a clock floating at the edge of my vision – how does this even work? Doesn’t matter for now, I can try to make sense of it when I’m no longer on a countdown.

  For looting I’ll need more than a single free slot for inventory – but the sergeant said those parts can be equipped, and due to the city lock enchantment anyone would see me as wearing regular clothes. Let’s try.

  [?Harem Belt? Equipped]

  Yes – two more inventory slots free. Strike!

  Next

  [?Harem Necklace&Backveil? – failed to equip, cannot remove necklace “City Lock”]

  Ok, two inventory slots will remain blocked. What’s next? This chain doesn’t have a lock at its ends, how is it even worn? Doesn’t matter, [?Harem Chain? equip]…

  "OUCH!!!"

  My hands come up in reflex while I look at where the pain came from.

  …

  Nipple piercings…

  That HURT, damn it!!!

  …

  And now there hangs a chain between my boobs.

  … MY boobs…

  What has that bastard done to me???

  Stop it Martin.

  Get a grip on yourself.

  …

  No, not that kind of grip… I let my hands drop.

  “Did I just make a pun at myself?”

  Focus, Martin, Focus – you don’t have time to be distracted.

  Focus…

  [?Harem Ankle Bands? Equipped]

  [?Harem Navel Piercing? Equipped] ouch

  [?Harem Arm Band? Equipped]

  A regular earring and one with a chain to a nose piercing? What the hell is it with all those piercings?

  And another tiny piercing as the last part. Where does that even go to? Ouch - at the brow...

  So, 10 slots free in my inventory – let’s look at [Inventory]

  I've seen pictures of harem costumes that cover a lot more than this one, this is nothing but pieces of jewelry. Almost every equipment slot is either used or sealed by that costume, and I suspect the backpack slot will also be blocked when I wear that Necklace&Backveil thing. Only eight slots for rings and one slot for another armband left, and that harem armband has four tiny slots for coins or gems or similar small things. And two “attachment slots” at the belt, but with a requirement “[high] quality”, whatever that is.

  The map can go into one of the slots until I need it. Now let’s look at what is left around…

  A large hall, about 10x15 meters. Two thirds of it are a bare, grey stone floor containing a large circle of probably nine meter drawn with chalk and a lot of different symbols. A black block serves as an altar placed exactly on the border but still inside the outer part of the circle. Six corpses in robes are scattered around, they look like their clothes had been searched before. A nude girl corpse is on the altar, bloody and with a hole where the heart had been. The blood is splattered in a strange way, and it looks as if someone had been lying there as well, forcing her body nearer to the side of the altar.

  The remaining third of the hall is separated by a wooden handrail with two openings. There are several cabinets and shelves on the walls, all looking as if they had been searched and their contents cluttered around the floor. The entrance is a stone arc on one wall there, with a stair going up visible. The hall is about four meters high and has no windows but simple masonry for the walls.

  I’m still standing next to the altar, so let’s start with the corpses lying around here. They all have been searched, but rather quick and roughly – there are a few small coins scattered around.

  Taking them is easy – they just vanish into my inventory. But small and medium coins take different slots and stack to only 10 – I now have two slots blocked with Medium Coin (1/10) and Small Coin (8/10).

  I need something to … There!

  OK, now only one inventory slot used for nine coins with space for sixteen more coins. Let’s check the old man that knifed me on the altar.

  His robe has a strange symbol that looks like a magic circle in the background, with three unknown symbols in front of it. That has to have some sort of meaning as it’s on every robe.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Sometimes this system is useful – if it doesn’t mess up with you like that help screen.

  Hm? He still wears a golden ring? Why didn’t they loot it?

  [Identify Item (limited) +1 (73/100) failed]

  The constable said something about a broken and worthless contract ring, could this be it?

  [PING]

  Strange – just knowing what it is from hearsay gives all its details?

  They said it’s broken and worthless, but it still is gold – and it might give hints. But losing an inventory slot to it…

  Should I risk wearing it? Nothing should happen if it is broken…

  Yes, I can remove it after putting it on my finger, so that’s one more looted piece.

  OK, where next? The altar…

  I look at the bloody corpse of the girl lying on to the altar. That is the girl who just had her heart ripped out of her body when I somehow crashed onto her and the altar. The cultist was surprised to see me – R.O.B. is really messing with people. The city watch apparently believes that I was an intended second sacrifice – better not make them suspicious of me or I might end up in prison as well. The Sergeant spoke of a list of runaway slaves and a daily tax for visitors– if this is a medieval world and allows slavery then it wouldn’t take much to cause problems for strangers. Those two fate points might be better spend than I originally thought.

  What is that beyond the altar stone? The sacrifical dagger - it must have fallen there.

  This is the dagger that he used to pierce my heart if the message windows were correct – how did I survive that, fate or not? How does this world and those fate points even work?

  And that is my blood on the blade – do they have something like DNA-Tests here? Almost every fantasy story says that blood can be traced, so I better assume that. And that wicked looking hilt might be another hint, so I better take it myself. The city watch probably has no interest other than arresting or killing the cultists, I doubt that they would help me with anything big for free – not if this resembles anything like the dark ages of Europe.

  One inventory slot for the pouch, two for the dagger and that seems it in the ritual circle. Let’s hope the shelves on the other side give more.

  Time is 16:01:04 hours – I have about forty minutes remaining and probably need several minutes to get out.

  This shelf was a library, but most of the books have been taken. Only two remain: “Animals and their environment” and “Demons and their Names of Power”. I don’t know how much those are worth, but I can use the animal lexicon to learn more about the word.

  The book about demons – with a bounty on demon cultists I don’t think that is a good idea to take.

  Next one is a cabinet with a broken door. Black candles, chalks, different roots, pouches with powders – all things I fail to identify.

  Wait – that pouch…

  Yes, some more coins – including two large copper and a small silver

  Things are beginning to look up, but I need to check faster.

  Third furniture – a wardrobe. Two more cultist robes, but mostly everyday clothes, probably from the cultists. What is this package hanging from the belt?

  That package needs only one slot and is better than the rest of the junk here, even usable if I need to go camping.

  Next shelf is empty, contents scattered on the floor – I’ll check later. One cabinet and one chest left.

  Again a lot of strange things from glass balls to iron fittings – probably for different rituals or spells. A lantern with extra oil – that would be usable or I can sell it. There might even be something valuable in the rest of this, but what to take if you don’t know their values and if they might be of interest to someone who is not a demon cultist…

  Improved Identify skill is always good – the points behind it seem to reset with every improvement, most probably skill experience on that skill level. I have used that skill a lot just now.

  I can take the map into my hand again when I leave, so I can fill two more inventory slots. Let’s look at the chest.

  Opened and checked by the adventurers, it contains only chains, locks and keys. And some handcuffs and cage parts. The locks might be usable for something else because they still have their keys – [take]

  22 Minutes left – a quick check on what is scattered on the floor and then I should go.

  A few small copper coins, glassware that was broken when it was thrown, assorted junk as well. Only two tiny slots left in the pouch, the other two copper go into the armband. Two more coins and I have to discard small copper – no wonder the adventurers ignored them. I’m lucky that they missed the coin pouch between the powder pouches or they would probably have taken the silver and the large copper coins from there.

  Anything else I might have missed? I have a feeling that there is something obvious…

  A hidden skill??? Like some of the messages on from the fate subsequence.

  OK, what is there – several very fine lines scratched into the stone. Looks a bit burned or distorted, probably was some sort of magic symbol.

  OK, whatever that was – let’s get out of here, I only have ten minutes remaining.

  Martin goes up the staircase. The ritual hall was four meters high and the stairs go even higher. He comes to something that looks like an opened hidden door and steps through it into some sort of office. There are two windows here and two other doors. One window and one of the doors open to something that looks like a large storehouse, currently mostly empty – no one there, only a number of crates.

  The other window is mostly covered with paper pages attached to it – someone used that as a form of a pinboard, most probably to hide the coming and going of the secret door that opens behind another shelf in this room.

  Nothing looks especially strange here – they would have made sure not to leave any hints of demon cultist here. Wait – there is another bloody corpse in the storehouse, lying below the internal window.

  I quickly go there but find nothing – probably a guard that doubled as a worker.

  Only five minutes left on the quest – let’s check the other door, or do I need to open the main doors?

  Martin leaves the warehouse to a side street. In one direction he can see a large street to where the main doors would open, in the other direction there are a lot of small and rather dirty streets visible.

  A few steps toward the large street shows that this seems to be some form of trade road with several warehouses and stables lined up. The sun shines from directly above.

  Huh? What is that thing? It looks like a white sun instead of a yellow one, and why is there a crescent along its side, partially blacking it out? And what is that all around the sun?

  Martin is so bewildered from the sight that (s)he doesn’t even see the small group of watchmen passing him, until the

  [PING]