Step! Step!
While running toward the entrance of the underground facility to meet up with Beatrice, I couldn't help but take another glance at the system interface I'd just received.
...
[The Secret of the Crimson Bastion]
[Objective: Infiltrate the Crimson Bastion, uncover the secrets hidden deep within its labyrinth, and deal with the 'Red Baron'.]
[Reward: Unique summoning contract]
[Failure: ???]
...
A new quest! This was the first one I've gotten in a long, long time. The rewards and the objectives were always... interesting, to say the least. However, I couldn't help but notice that the reward for this quest was a little bit... lacking.
Unique summoning contract.
I can already guess what kind of contract it is. It's exactly what I need to awaken my womb crest to resume advancing in the levels, and from the word 'Unique', I can tell it's not some cheap imp contract.
But still, for a quest to uncover the secrets hidden deep within its labyrinth, and deal with the Red Baron.
Come on, system! A little bit more would be nice. At least give me a clue about the 'Secrets' or who the 'Red Baron' is. I'm not even sure if the Red Baron is a 'he' or 'she', or even a demon for that matter.
And what's with the 'Failure: ???'
In my past life, I had a system like this one that was connected to the goddess Sol, and usually, a quest that had no failure penalty would not show up in the quest interface.
But having '???' as a failure penalty is a bit... unsettling.
It's like the system is telling me, "Don't even think about failing this quest, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life... which might not be a good thing."
'Whatever.'
I dismissed the system interface with a thought. Now was not the time to be distracted by quests. I had a riot to maintain and a fortress to infiltrate.
...
The sounds of chaos followed me like a faithful hound. Screams, roars, the splintering crash of tables being turned into makeshift weapons, and the greedy roar of flames licking at the dry, old wood of the tavern. The courtyard was a maelstrom of brawling bodies, a perfect storm of violence and lust.
My Lust Worms were doing their job beautifully.
Reaching the building that led to the labyrinth was easier than I expected. Most of the guards who had been patrolling this area had either been drawn into the riot or were busy trying to fuck anything that moved.
"You're finally here," a familiar voice said from the shadows of the building's entrance.
It was Beatrice, back in her purple-haired male disguise. She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, a smirk on her face. The controlled demon leader stood behind her, a silent, obedient slave.
"I was beginning to think you were having too much fun," she teased, her eyes glinting with amusement.
"Just making sure the distraction was convincing," I replied, my voice a low rumble.
"Oh, it's convincing," she said, pushing herself off the wall. "Half the fortress is either fucking or fighting. The other half is trying to do both at the same time. It's a masterpiece of chaos, Aza. I'm impressed."
"I live to please," I offered a bow.
"Hehehe..." she chuckled, her gaze softening for a moment before hardening again. "Let's go. The path is clear."
She led the way inside, her movements quick and sure. I followed, my senses on high alert. The building was empty, the sounds of the riot muffled by the thick stone walls.
"You go first," Beatrice said, ordering the controlled demon, who nodded stiffly and immediately drew a sword and dashed toward the staircase.
Once the coast was clear, we followed.
Beatrice's purpose in doing this was simple.
To test for any defensive traps that might have been activated due to the riot. If there were any, the controlled demon would trigger them, and we would know where they were.
It was a cold, calculated move, but that was Beatrice for you. Practical and ruthless. Totally support it.
The staircase was just as I remembered it. Long, dark, and descending into the earth. The air grew colder, thicker, the chemical stench stronger.
It didn't take us long to reach the end of our last stop.
The circular chamber with the lift platform. The black-armored guards were there, and when they spotted the controlled demon leader with us, they immediately became hostile.
"Halt! What's the meaning of this?" one of them barked, raising a crossbow.
But before he could even think of shooting, Beatrice acted.
A pink, shimmering beam shot from her eyes, striking the guard directly in the forehead.
He froze mid-motion, the crossbow falling from his numb fingers. His eyes glazed over, the aggressive snarl on his face melting into a slack-jawed vacancy.
His partner, seeing the sudden, inexplicable change, hesitated for a crucial half-second.
That was all Beatrice needed. Another beam of pink energy lanced out, and the second guard joined the first as a mindless puppet.
"See?" she purred, a smug look on her face. "Much more efficient than worms in the ass."
"You call that efficient?" I said, looking at the two frozen guards. "I call it... predictable. Where's the fun in that?"
Yeah... she found out about my lust worms. I forgot that she could 'see' and 'hear' through her controlled thralls.
"Fun is for later, Wife," she said, her lips curling into a sly smile. "Bring us down."
We took a position on the lift platform. Beatrice forced the two charmed guards to operate the winch. The grinding of metal and groaning of chains echoed through the chamber as the platform began its slow, jerky descent into the darkness.
As for the leader in the red cloak.
Well... his usefulness ended.
Beatrice gave a simple mental command, and he walked back to the courtyard, participating in the 'fun' we created.
"Here," Beatrice pulled out the soul tracker again, the crystal glowing faintly in the dim light. "She's deep. Several levels down. This lift only takes us to the receiving area, so we'll have to find another way down from there."
"I'm sure we'll manage," I said, my eyes scanning the darkness below.
The descent felt endless. The darkness was absolute, the silence broken only by the grinding of the chains and the occasional drip of water. The air grew colder, the chemical stench stronger, until it was almost overpowering. It smelled like antiseptic, and something metallic... blood.
Finally, the platform shuddered to a halt.
We were in a large, circular cavern that looked more like the ribcage of some long-dead colossus than any man-made dungeon.
Hundreds of thick, black iron chains hung from the unseen ceiling like the entrails of a gutted god. Most were empty. Some still held things—skeletons mostly, a few fresher corpses in various states of decorative mutilation.
It was less a prison and more an art gallery dedicated to agony.
"Let's not linger," Beatrice whispered, her illusory male form looking pale even in the dim light.
"Agreed," I said, my gaze fixed on the only path leading out of this macabre gallery—a dark archway on the far side of the cavern.
However, as soon as we stepped in, my stomach turned.
The corridor ahead was... I really don't know how to put it into words to make it less disgusting, but I will try.
Heads, limbs, intestines, hearts, kidneys... every single body part from various races—demons, humans, beastkin, even some creatures I didn't recognize—were fused together, pulsating with a weak, sickly green light.
They formed the walls, the ceiling, even the floor beneath our feet. It was a tunnel of living flesh, a twisted amalgamation of suffering.
Some even looked 'alive'. A human head was sobbing silently, its eyes wide with terror. A demon arm twitched, its claws scraping against a fused kidney. A heart of some beast was beating slowly.
"What... what is this?" I whispered, barely resisting the urge to vomit.
"A living tunnel..." Beatrice murmured, her voice devoid of its usual playful tone. "Bio-magic. Twisted, forbidden, but brilliant in its own depraved way."
"Brilliant?! This is sick!" I snapped, my disgust overriding my attempt to maintain a cool facade.
"Sick, yes. But brilliant," she insisted, her eyes scanning the tunnel with a professional curiosity that disturbed me more than the tunnel itself. "Do you know how much power, how much knowledge it takes to create something like this? To fuse different tissues, different life-forces, and make them not only survive but 'function' as a single entity?"
"It's an abomination," I said, my fists clenching.
"All great art is an abomination to someone," she replied, a cold smile touching her lips. "Whatever is happening down there is far more dangerous than a simple slave ring. Someone is playing god."
"We must burn this damn place," I said, my voice low and dangerous.
"Oh, we will," Beatrice promised, her eyes glinting with a fury that mirrored my own. "But first, we find the artist."