<Magnus POV>
"I must learn the Falaran language to serve as your Priest. Could you spare and heal the Gardner so he can teach it to me?" I ask the Dungeon Lord, who is in the form of Holy White Wolf Beastman. He is nine feet tall and covered in snow-white fur, and his eyes, fangs, and claws glow in the dark. The Gardner struggles to keep his eyes open as blood flows out of his torn-off limbs.
"That will take too long, and it's not necessary. My servant has informed me that you must make a Deity Oath to be my subordinate. After that, the languages I know will be transferred to you. But I have no idea what that Oath is or which Deity it refers to, do you?" The Beast Dungeon Lord's voice resonated with his immense power, filling the chamber.
"Deity Oaths are made in the name of the ones who guide us in our path of growth or evolution. It is different for everyone; my Father had Odin, my sister had Freya, and my Cousin's brother had Thor. Since childhood, I have believed that Loki was the one who watched over me. If I make an Oath in his name to serve you, he will punish me if I break it. Though that will depend on what I swear to sacrifice as punishment." I inform the Beast Dungeon Lord.
"Then, say you will have to eat your balls, cut out your tongue, slice off your ears, dig out your eyeballs with a hot spoon and drink piss instead of water if you break your oath to me." The Dungeon Lord instructed.
I blinked a few times to process what he instructed and shivered from the barbarity of it. The usual punishment would be to revert to Clay Rank or end myself. But these punishments would torture me until my death. I had no intention of breaking the Oath, so I was willing to comply. However, I noticed an issue that would be problematic for a self-proclaimed deity.
"Since I will be your Priest, it doesn't make sense to swear to a Norse Deity, nor will I swear to an Artrean Deity who has committed genocide against my people. I am not sure if you will be fine with Loki_" I try to explain, but I get interrupted.
"I don't care who you swear to because I am sure it doesn't matter." The Dungeon Lord grants permission, but he doesn't believe deities exist.
I hope Loki hasn't abandoned me after what I tried to do in the past. No! He also made mistakes and fought with his family and for his interests. I concentrate on his image, which my ancestors sculpted on the side of a cliff that overlooked the Fortress City the Dragons gave us. All the Norse Gods were sculpted there, but I wonder if they are still there after all this time.
"I swear a Deity Oath in Loki's name. I will pledge my life to the Beast Dungeon Lord. I will be his Priest and gather followers to worship him or trick them into surrendering their souls to him. I will never betray my Lord, but if I do, then I will eat my balls, cut out my tongue, slice off my ears, dig out my eyeballs with a hot spoon and drink piss instead of water." I pledge out loud, my voice reverberating through the cavern space.
"The Oath has been made. You are now the subject of the Beast Dungeon Core Lord Bane. You are forbidden from harming him and his subjects. If that happens, then the Oath is broken. Control over your body will be handed to the Deity to carry out the punishments," Loki whispered in my ears.
After it was done, I suddenly received the knowledge of several languages that my new Lord learned from absorbing the souls and from his past life. The connection also allowed me to see flashes of his life before he became a Dungeon Lord and visions of blood, death and madness in a chaotic war in Midgard. But they were incoherent visions, and I had to block them to concentrate on the present mentally.
"I think I can speak in your language," I spoke in Latvian, the first language he learned as a child in the vision.
"Good! Do you have any questions for me before you start your work?" He asks.
"My Lord, you mentioned your Blood Ritual will turn Human Souls into Beastmen. Would you explain what kind of Human you desire? Is it based on their age, character traits, profession, or Rank?" I ask and point at the Gardner, who is mumbling to a Deity of the Heroes church for his soul's salvation as his body keeps pouring out blood, which has turned into a pool around him. He finally takes his last breath and dies. The Dungeon Lord didn't bother to look and scratched his wolf chin with the glowing claws on his right hand. His eyes studied something in the air, but I couldn't see anything.
"Hmm... The instructions say the Ritual needs Human Souls. It doesn't mention what type of human soul, though my Beastmen will inherit their Class once the Ritual is done. So I think you shouldn't get a shitty one like this gardener" The Dungeon Lord gave a side eye to Wakanda, who looked embarrassed.
"All the Warriors guarding the settlement outside are Steel Rank. I could only overpower the Gardner because he is a Clay Rank, and no one was watching him work." Wakanda spoke in Latvian to the Dungeon Lord.
"I will just write down the instructions on that wall. You can figure out what I need from it," The Dungeon Lord points at the wall near the passageway leading out of the cavern. The Dungeon Lord walks over to it and then uses the right forefinger glowing claw to etch words in the Latvian language.
[Human Soul and Beast Blood Fusion Ritual (Beastman Creation Ritual)
The Dungeon Lord must pick a spot to create a Ritual circle. Once chosen, it will be automatically drawn on the ground. The Ritual circle has an internal storage space that can absorb any number of Mana Crystals, Human Soul figurines, Hearts of Animals or from Elemental Beasts and Elemental Cores. When empty of mana crystals, hearts, elemental cores, and human souls, it can be relocated within the Dungeon Lord's domain.
There are two ways to conduct this Ritual.
A Beastman minion can be born from the fusion of a human soul and an animal's Heart. The creature can shift between Animal Form and Human-Animal Hybrid Form. They can only use Human Class Skills in the Hybrid Form.
The second way involves using Elemental Beasts instead of Animals for the Ritual to create an Elemental Beastman. The Human soul will be fused with an Elemental Core extracted from an Elemental Beast and its Heart. The two are synced and cannot be substituted from different sources.
In both cases, the Heart should be fresh and cannot be older than one hour after it stops beating. Damaged Elemental Cores and Damaged Hearts are not viable. Only Human Souls are accepted. Mana Elemental Crystals fuel the fusion process for both, which always takes one minute to complete. If the Ritual is interrupted, an abomination will be born that will attack everything, including the Dungeon Lord. Only death will stop its broken mind and body.
The type of Human Soul used in the Ritual will result in the Beastman acquiring Combat or Non-Combat skills that the Human once possessed at the relevant Rank. The Beastman will inherit the memories of the Human and the abilities of the Animal or affinities of the Elemental Beast.
Warning! Since Beastman minions can access Combat and Non-Combat classes, it means double the EXP requirement to Rank Up. They can focus on either Class to gather the required experience to rank up.
Mana Crystal Requirement for the Fusion Ritual:
Clay Rank Beastman - 10 Mana Crystals.
Stone Rank Beastman - 50 Mana Crystals.
Iron Rank Beastman - 100 Mana Crystals.
Steel Rank Beastman - 250 Mana Crystals.
Bronze Rank Beastman - 500 Mana Crystals.
Silver Rank Beastman - 1000 Mana Crystals.
Gold Rank Beastman - 5000 Mana Crystals.
Diamond Rank Beastman - 10000 Mana Crystals.
Platinum Rank Beastman - 50000 Mana Crystals.
Mythril Rank Beastman - 100000 Mana Crystals.
The Mana Crystal cost will be the same if an Elemental Core and Heart from an Elemental Beast are used to create an Elemental Beastman.
To activate it, the Dungeon Lord must operate the fusion Ritual menu to design a Beastman with the ingredients stored within the Ritual Circle. The appropriate ingredients will be deducted from the Ritual Circle's storage space]
I thought that would be it, but then the Beast Dungeon Lord added information to another type of Ritual.
[Human Soul Sacrifice Ritual (Rank Up Ritual)
The Dungeon Lord must pick a spot to create a Ritual circle. Once chosen, it will be automatically drawn on the ground. The Ritual circle has an internal storage space that can absorb any number of Mana Crystals and Elemental Cores. When empty of mana crystals, hearts, and elemental cores, it can be relocated within the Dungeon Lord's domain.
Ten small circles surround the ritual circle where ten living humans are placed. They will be sacrificed to rank Up the Beastman in the circle's center. Mana Elemental Crystals will serve as fuel during the process.
Clay Rank Beastman => Stone Rank Beastman (Requires 10 Clay Rank Human Souls + 10 Mana Crystals)
Stone Rank Beastman => Iron Rank Beastman (Requires 10 Stone Rank Human Souls + 50 Mana Crystals)
Iron Rank Beastman => Steel Rank Beastman (Requires 10 Iron Rank Human Souls + 100 Mana Crystals)
Steel Rank Beastman => Bronze Rank Beastman (Requires 10 Steel Rank Human Souls + 250 Mana Crystals)
Bronze Rank Beastman => Silver Rank Beastman (Requires 10 Bronze Rank Human Souls + 500 Mana Crystals)
Silver Rank Beastman => Gold Rank Beastman (Requires 10 Silver Rank Human Souls + 1000 Mana Crystals)
Gold Rank Beastman => Diamond Rank Beastman (Requires 10 Gold Rank Human Souls + 5000 Mana Crystals)
Diamond Rank Beastman => Platinum Rank Beastman (Requires 10 Diamond Rank Human Souls + 10000 Mana Crystals)
Platinum Rank Beastman => Mythril Rank Beastman (Requires 10 Platinum Rank Human Souls + 50000 Mana Crystals)
Suppose you wish to rank up an Elemental Beastman through Soul Sacrifice. In that case, Elemental Cores will be added to the requirements. They will be absorbed by the circle no matter their number and deducted accordingly.
Stone Rank Elemental Beastman - (Requires ten clay Rank Human Souls + 1 Elemental Core of the same affinity + 10 Mana Crystals)
Iron Rank Elemental Beastman - (Requires 10 Stone Rank Human Souls + 5 Elemental Cores of the same affinity + 50 Mana Crystals)
Steel Rank Elemental Beastman - (Requires 10 Iron Rank Human Souls + 10 Elemental Cores of the same affinity + 100 Mana Crystals)
Bronze Rank Elemental Beastman - (Requires 10 Steel Rank Human Souls + 50 Elemental Cores of the same affinity + 250 Mana Crystals)
Silver Rank Elemental Beastman - (Requires 10 Bronze Rank Human Souls + 100 Elemental Cores of the same affinity + 500 Mana Crystals)
Gold Rank Elemental Beastman - (Requires 10 Silver Rank Human Souls + 500 Elemental Cores of the same affinity + 1000 Mana Crystals)
Diamond Rank Elemental Beastman - (Requires 10 Gold Rank Human Souls + 1000 Elemental Cores of the same affinity + 5000 Mana Crystals)
Platinum Rank Elemental Beastman - (Requires 10 Diamond Rank Human Souls + 5000 Elemental Cores of the same affinity + 10000 Mana Crystals)
Mythril Rank Beastman - (Requires 10 Platinum Rank Human Souls + 10000 Elemental Cores of the same affinity + 50000 Mana Crystals)
This method is more expensive and more complex than the usual way to rank up a Beastman Minion. But, each of the ten living Humans that are sacrificed will gift their best skill, resulting in a unique Beastmen with a broader range of skills that are outside the Class it inherited from its original Human Soul]
I stared at the instructions and shivered from the scale of Mana Crystals and Elemental Cores required for these two rituals. The Beast Dungeon Lord correctly guesses and addresses my thoughts.
"Today marks the second day since I was transformed into a Dungeon Lord. My minions have thoroughly explored the Dungeon and discovered deposits yielding 60 Mana Crystals daily. That will allow me to create six Clay Rank Beastmen every day will be possible. However, I refuse to waste Mana Crystals on the hearts of ordinary animals when I can create Elemental Beastmen for the same price, who are much stronger and have elemental affinities." The Dungeon Lord points at his Holy Elemental Wolf body and his minions, who are more fearsome with their Elemental abilities and bodies that have damage immunity to the same element.
"I ordered Wakanda to capture all the Elemental Beasts in the first Level of the Dungeon, but they numbered around fifty. There are 6 Earth Rams, 10 Earth Pangolins, 2 Earth Badgers, 15 Earth Yaks, and 17 Ice Wolves, among a host of animals that are food for my minions. Since I absorbed over two dozen human souls trapped in the Dungeon, I have enough to turn them all into Elemental Beastmen. But I will need to import Elemental Beasts and a more significant income of Mana Crystals for future rituals. So you must figure out how to address that while gathering Humans to submit to me." The Dungeon Lord instructed me.
"Since 500 years have passed, I am unsure if the Elemental Beasts still inhabit the areas where they lived before. Even if I find their new habitats, how will you bring them to the Dungeon without gaining the Church's attention since they live outside the entrance?" I ask.
"Yogi, were you able to dig a tunnel?" The Beast Dungeon Lord asked the Earth Elemental Cave Bear, who transformed into a Beastmen, to reply.
"It's possible, but if I get two Beastmen out of those Earth Elemental Badgers, they can work on the tunnel while I focus on mining for Mana crystals. The other future Beastmen can assist the Badgermen in hauling out the dirt and rocks." Yogi suggests.
"Excellent! Then we don't have to use the front door soon. Magnus, until the tunnel is ready, I want you to focus on gathering the Humans in the Heroes Church settlement and earn Mana Crystals. Oh, and don't do anything that will get the guards' attention while you are out there," The Beast Dungeon Lord instructs.
"I understand, my Lord!" I reply, and he guides me out of the inner sanctum of the Dungeon to the second level, where I find a forest of Oak and Pine cone Trees with a stone quarry in the center of the land.
"I will be shifting the Ritual Circles here since this environment is perfect for my Beastmen to hide. Bring the Humans here, and I will have my minions ready to ambush them if they aren't worshipping type." The Dungeon Lord instructs once more, and I nod before I find my way out of the Dungeon.
I immediately heard the Heroes Church's bells and saw the bell tower attached to the back of the largest building in the settlement, which must have been the Church. It was midday, and the priests called the faithful to pray. I recall visiting their territory as an envoy for my Father and learning their way of life before returning home.
I still wear the clothes covered in mud and blood from the fight with Rolo, but the filth hid the parts of the attire that could identify me as a Norseman. However, I doubted anyone here would know how to spot one after all this time.
When I got close enough to the entrance of the settlement, I found hundreds of wounded soldiers who had lost limbs or eyes. They were all on the ground in several rows and were being tended to by healers of the Church. Most of them were crying, moaning and groaning in pain from their injuries. Many pleaded for the Priests to heal them quickly. However, they were ignored since the clergy focused on the warriors who wore uniforms or marks of the Heroes Church. In contrast, the others looked like mercenaries hired for some battle.
I walk over to a boy carrying buckets of water from a well to quench the thirst of the wounded.
"Pardon me, but did a battle take place?" I ask the young boy in the Falaran language, who looks me up and down before deeming me fit for a reply.
"Did you live under a mountain?" the young person's voice trembled with fear. "The Orc armies are converging on Churchland's Capitol," he answered.
"What! Why?" I ask.
"They were summoned by their Dragon Lord, who has awakened after centuries of slumber. It wants to rid the land of all humans, but we will not relinquish it to an overgrown lizard!" The boy answered defiantly, though I doubted he would participate in combat.
I could hear the desperation in his voice as he continued, "The Pope has called for the faithful to join forces and protect the towns. But, the adventurers sent here by the Adventurers Guild in Arya were ambushed by the Orcs on the way here. These are just the survivors. Those savages are probably eating the rest."
I couldn't help but shiver at the impending doom ahead.
"The Dragon is awake?" I mumbled as I walked back the way I came to tell the Beast Dungeon Lord about the news, but then I stopped and looked back at all the wounded, cursing at the priests for ignoring their wounds.
"You bastards! None of you warned us the Orcs could double their strength!" One adventurer yelled at a Healer in the Falaran language. The Healer walked by without replying while another came over to say something instead of healing.
"Is it our fault for your ignorance about an Orcs Berseker skill? You shouldn't have come here from Arya if you never faced them before. Our healing services cost 10 Gold for those who aren't members who serve the Heroes Church. So keep your mouth shut, or I will amputate your remaining limbs. Got it?" The Healer warned and left the wounded man, who went silent in fear.
Those who have lost limbs and eyes will be out of a job if they spend weeks like this. They might be crippled for life and will have to pay dearly for a high Ranked Healer to regrow new limbs or restore their sight. I wonder if I can convince them to experience the miracle of rebirth and get revenge on the Heroes Church.
