The Void wasn't empty anymore; it was more like a soul warehouse.
Alaric drifted in the dark, red-tinged space, as his body got used to zero gravity. He checked out his hands—the nails were now sharp, black claws. His sight had changed, too. Now, he saw value instead of light. Everything showed a number, an energy value he could almost smell.
The space vibrated. Above him, back in the land of the living, the Game started. The gods chose 99 Heroes and called them to the Great Tower. His brother, Elian, would be up front, feeling good about himself with his new Shared Inventory skill.
*Flash*
A loaf of bread popped into mid-air few feet from Alaric. It glowed with a soft, gold light. It was Holy Bread, a good healing item given to the Hero team to keep them from dying in the first floor traps.
[ITEM: HOLY BREAD (GRADE: B)] [NOTE: HEALS 50 HP. BLESSED BY THE CHURCH OF DRAKENHOFF.]
Alaric felt a burst of anger. These chefs baked this bread for the royal family. It was the same bread he wanted in the three days before they sacrificed him. He reached out, his hand trembling with hunger and hate.
The System screamed as his fingers touched the crust.
[SKILL USED: INVENTORY PREDATOR (LVL 1)] [SCANNING ITEM... B-GRADE HOLY ENERGY FOUND.] [PICK ONE: A) EAT FOR EVOLUTION XP? OR B) INFECT WITH ABYSSAL POISON?]
Alaric stopped. Eating it would make him strong, but poisoning it would would be fun. He closed his eyes, seeing the face of the first Hero who would reach for the bread. Probably one of his brother's knights—one of the guys who watched as they chained Alaric up.
Infect, Alaric said.
His black veins pumped. A drop of thick, dark stuff oozed from his fingertip into the bread. The gold light didn't disappear, but it looked wrong. It looked the same, on the outside, but it was now full of vampire bugs.
[DONE. ITEM CHANGED TO 'PARASITIC HOLY BREAD'.] [RESULT: WHEN EATEN, THE USER WILL BECOME A 'BLOOD-LEASHED SLAVE' FOR 60 MINUTES.]
Alaric waited. Time moved weirdly in the Void. Minutes seemed like hours, hours like heartbeats. After a while, a portal of light opened near the bread—the Withdrawal Gate. A hand came through. A big, armored hand. Sir Roderick—one of the King's best guards.
Alaric watched as the hand grabbed the bread and took it back to the light.
Eat it, Roderick, Alaric thought, chuckling deep down. Eat it and see the world for me. Show me what I'm going to burn.
Soon, the System showed a message that made Alaric happy.
[LINK MADE: SEEING THROUGH THE EYES OF THE SLAVE.]
A window popped into Alaric's mind. He saw the Great Tower's first floor: high stone paths, mossy walls, and the 99 Heroes staring around. He saw Elian up front, his cape waving, talking about Hope and Destiny.
And there, Sir Roderick stood right behind Elian. He was chewing the bread, and looking better.
The Shared Inventory is amazing, Prince Elian! Roderick said, wiping crumbs from his beard. We'll never get tired with this! The gods have blessed us!
Alaric laughed, sounding crazy. He was the bug in their ear, the poison in their water.
[NOTIFICATION: SLAVE 'RODERICK' IS NEAR A CLOSED TREASURE CHEST.] [COMMAND: MAKE SLAVE STEAL?]
No, Alaric whispered, his eyes glowing red. Don't steal it. Open it. Put what's inside in the inventory. Let me see the other 'gifts' the gods left for me.
He leaned back into the Void, his tail—thin and sharp like a devil's—moving back and forth. This was just the start. He needed to climb 9,000 levels, by turning every Hero into something to make him stronger.
The sacrificed prince was gone. The Bastion of Ruin begun.