Arc 0 Chapter 7 – Ridiculous Item – A Sacred Prostitute’s Heart
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Taking a deep breath to calm his excitement, Jacque slowly opened the lockless but expensive box.

Inside the box, gently lying on soft velvet padding, he discovered an intricately carved dark-colored pendant with a large heart-shaped purple gem attached to it.

Jacque carefully picked up the pendant and weighed it. It was light, barely weighing 0.3lb.

He then observed it.

"Excellent craftsmanship. The material is unfamiliar to me, but the chain links are beautifully made and feel silky smooth. And this pendant..." - Jacque muttered and focused on the gem.

The heart-shaped gem was an astonishing 25 carats and had the appearance of a crystal-clear purple diamond and was encircled by tiny, delicate dark veins. Jacque could also see exquisite silver-colored carvings inside the jewel as if they had always been there.

"What a masterpiece. I don't know what kind of gem this is, but it is most certainly valuable. It would be hard for even a master jewelsmith to make this thing. And those inner carvings... are these runes?!" - Jacque widened his eyes in astonishment.

"C-Can it be?" - Jacque mumbled as his eyes turned slightly bloodshot and he started panting. 

To confirm his doubts, Jacque carefully wore the pendant. No response. However, he was not deterred and began to meditate quietly on his bed while focusing on the pendant on his neck.

After around an hour, the purple gem flashed with a purple light before dimming, and Jacque gradually felt something connecting to his mind. He then saw a message being sent directly into his mind, its contents not in any known language, practically gibberish, but Jacque strangely understood its meaning. It described itself, and its uses.

 

Item Description:

Spoiler

[Name: A Sacred Prostitute's Heart]

[Item Type: Pendant (Requires Binding)]

[Sentience Level: Basic]

[Status: Unbound]

[Item Boons:

  1. Shapechanger (Item Only): This item can change its shape and color at the will of the Owner. Can only change into items of up to twice or half the mass and size of the original. This item will return to its original form when unbound.
  2. Mind's Impenetrable Bulwark (8th-circle) (Owner Only) (Permanent): Grants immunity to all magical mind-reading detrimental mind-influencing effects and attacks of 7th-circle and below. Grants greatly increased resistance to all magical mind-reading detrimental mind-influencing effects and attacks of 8th-circle and above.
  3. Adun's Soul Fortress (8th-circle) (Owner Only) (Permanent): Grants immunity to all magical soul attacks, detrimental effects, and attacks of the 7th circle and below. Grants greatly increased resistance to all magical soul attacks, detrimental effects, and attacks of the 8th circle and above.
  4. True Unshackled Spirit (9th-circle) (Owner Only) (Permanent): Grants Immunity to all binding attempts, magical or otherwise, on the owner's spirit up to the 9th-circle, and greatly increased resistance on anything stronger.
  5. World Anchor (7th-circle) (Owner Only) (Permanent, Toggleable, ON by default): Grants immunity to all teleportation attempts on the target, whether wanted or not.

[Item Quirks:

  1. Innate Prostitute: Once per day, if a non-hostile person fitting your minimum sexual tastes wishes to buy your sexual services, you will be compelled to accept regardless of how much they offer. Will be invalidated if you feel your or your partner's safety is in danger, if you believe that the person in front of you is vile or ill-natured, or if that person has bought your services less than 360 days ago. You may refuse to perform sexual acts that can disgust you, turn you off, or harm you or your partner. You may refuse to perform services in places you consider unsafe, not private, or unsavory. Compulsion will last for 90 minutes from the moment that you are paid. Can prematurely end if your partner is fully satisfied, or until you cannot physically continue to serve.
  2. Charitable compulsion: Once per day, you will be compelled to help the first non-hostile stranger you meet who asks you for help, as long as it is within your perceived reasonable means and you do not feel threatened. Can be invalidated if you perceive the other party as a crook or as someone evil.
  3. Prayer compulsion: Once per day, you will be compelled to give prayer to Erta, Goddess of romantic freedom, sexual liberty, and consensual sex, for at least 5 minutes, as long as you are not in any perceived danger.]

[Binding Requirements:

  1. Possess Non-Evil karma. (Complete)
  2. Possess a disposition of one who does not restrict freedom of love, seduction, and sex, does not discriminate against willing prostitution, and abhors rape and Unwilling sexual enslavement. (Complete)
  3. Receive the permission of Goddess Erta, or from an official Sacred Prostitute of her clergy. (Complete)]

[Binding will cease if the wearer's karma has turned evil. OR disposition turns incompatible. OR if the goddess Erta deems you unworthy.]

[Epithet: You may try to court me, buy my services, trick me, or impose yourself on me, but no filthy methods will be able to shackle, beguile, or steal me away, for my heart shall always be free.]

[collapse]

 

As Jacque read the information projected into his mind and his body shook with excitement.

"I was right, it truly is a Magic Item. It is most definitely above Rare-grade. Very Rare? No... Epic, it is Epic Grade! A Bindable Epic Grade Magic Item! I struck gold... I struck gold...!" - He mumbled, his eyes turning bloodshot as his shaking held the pendant.

Magic Items do not have a set grade for each of them. Instead, they are evaluated by a combination of materials, boons, and powers. They are ranked in ascending order from Common, Uncommon, Rare, Very Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Divine.

Further segregation of their worth is about their durability, reusability, sentience, bondability, type, and quirks.

As a general rule, Common and Uncommon Magic Items can be found in many regular households with a bit of wealth, with some serving as family heirlooms. Rare Magic Items, on the other hand, can only be found at the hands of the wealthy or those of Official Mage Strength. Very Rare Items are the prized possessions of the high-aristocracy and Expert Mages. As for an Epic Magic Item, a permanent and bindable one, no less? They are usually a Master Wizard's prized possession, a weak kingdom's royal treasure, or a church's sacred treasure.

And the Pendant that Jacque is currently wearing on his neck, <A Sacred Prostitute's Heart>, is indeed a church's sacred treasure! A piece of jewelry blessed by a real goddess! Such items can fetch over 15,000 gp at the minimum, and even then, there is no market for them, as no one would be willing to trade money for them!

"Four permanent defensive boons, as if I am affected by a 7th circle spell, two 8th circle spells, and one 9th circle spell at all times... Such an item might even be desired by an archmage..." - Jacque sucked in a cold breath to calm his raging nerves.

He then looked at their description and frowned, "But they are rather impractical in most circumstances. Mental and soul attacks are rare, and spirit binding is even rarer. As for being forcefully teleported? I can only think about some traps in some wizard's tower. Not a single effect that can protect my body." - Jacque evaluated the item and lowered its value by a notch.

He then looked at quirks and then cringed, "Bloody hell. Does this mean I will be a prostitute once I wear this? And that charitable compulsion is iffy. Only that prayer thing is fine, but I don't even know who this Goddess Erta is! I should look through the <Compendium of known gods>." - He again lowered its worth by two notches.

Jacque then looked at the binding requirements and nodded, "Reasonable. Sacred items are known to choose their owners based on personality qualities and faith, rather than personal ability. Luckily, I was never one to like the idea of restricting others or discriminating against sex workers. I also get hating rape, but what does it mean 'unwilling' sexual slavery? Does it mean that if someone is willing, then it is okay to sexually enslave them?" - Jacque's gaze turned weird as he caught on to the strange wording.

"Forget it. Don't think about it." - He cleared his thoughts and continued to read.

"It says here that I need to receive the permission of Goddess Erta herself or that of her Sacred Prostitutes to bind it. The ghost I freed was likely the one who permitted me." - Jacque mused.

"But this also means that if I want to sell it, it can only be treated as a collectible at most. And I doubt anyone with enough money to buy it would want to be altruistic or be a prostitute." - He made a bitter face and thought.

After he finished reading the information, a message popped up in his mind.

 

[Would you like to bind <A Sacred Prostitute's Heart>? Yes/No?]

 

Jacque hesitated and contemplated whether to accept or not.

"These quirks are probably not a problem to me. I have prayed many times to the gods and praying to one more won't make a difference. The condition of being a prostitute is only a problem on the premise that someone knows I have this quirk. Furthermore, I can reject customers that are not up to my tastes, and my tastes are relatively high. And around these parts, few women would have the audacity of hiring me, an apprentice wizard, as a prostitute. The only problem is the Charitable Compulsion, but I can mostly avoid it by sticking to the more well-off places in the city." - Jacque analyzed in his mind.

He then analyzed the boons again in contemplation.

"However, although these boons are indeed incredible, they are also very situational. Under normal circumstances, they are not worth the quirks unless I am a sacred prostitute myself. Even then, I doubt that even a sacred prostitute would be overjoyed at the prospect of being forced to serve someone for a single copper coin, even if it is in the worship of their goddess. Hm... Wait a minute!"

He suddenly remembered his cursed book.

"Right! I can use it on the cursed book! This pendant specifically counters soul, mind, and spirit-binding attacks. This means that I should be safe from the book's curse. And even if I bind it now, I can still unbind it when I am done, right?"

Not hesitating anymore, Jacque decided to accept.

"Yes." - He said lowly to the pendant.

The next moment, the purple heart-shaped gem on the pendant flashed a blinding light as he felt that the connection he had with the pendant became stronger.

The light then dimmed as he heard another two messages.

 

[Binding Complete]

[Status: Bound]

 

"Good, it's done." - Jacque smiled in satisfaction.

However, the next moment, his expression changed as he felt something in his mind compelling him to do something. His body moved by itself and kneeled with clasped hands as his mouth automatically opened up in prayer.

"Gracious and beautiful Goddess Erta, Benefactor of lovers, Patron of prostitutes, and Guardian of sexual liberty, I kneel here in prayer in your name..." - Jacque prayed, his heart, mind, and spirit fully dedicated to an outrageous prayer that he has never heard of in his life, masterfully performing it as if he has done so his entire life.

 

After five minutes...

"... And I, your faithful child, pray that you will bless everyone with plenty of sexual freedom, love, and orgasms, Bless... Fuck!" - The compulsion that forced Jacque's mind to pray the ridiculous prayer ceased as he stood up on his feet in shock, fighting the urge to shout a barrage of curses.

"I knew that the compulsion would be strong, but not THIS strong!" - He was mortified, as the compulsion was not like being a puppet on a string, but something deeper, something that came from the bottom of his heart, mind, and soul, as if he truly enjoyed the act of praying to the improper goddess.

Jacque mumbled, "If the compulsion is this strong right now, would it be that strong when someone wants to hire me as a prostitute?!"

Reaching that thought, Jacque felt a chill go down his spine as he realized something, "No wonder that ghost placed this thing in a box under the floor instead of wearing it. Nobody wants to be controlled like that, even a sacred prostitute!"

 

After calming himself down again, Jacque thought about his next course of action and decided to go test the demonic book and see if it affected him.

"I am already wearing the best protective gear one could ask for. If even this doesn't work, I can only give up." - Is what Jacque thought as he carefully took out the demonic book from his pouch.

As Jacque touched the slightly scorched cover, he subconsciously held his new pendant and mumbled, "I hope this works..."

Taking a deep breath, Jacque opened the cursed book's cover and started to read its contents as carefully as he could. However, unlike the last time he read the book, Jacque didn't feel any sense of being too engrossed with it, and he felt like he could stop at any given time he wanted, so he did it at intervals.

1 minute.

5 minutes.

10 minutes.

Half an hour.

1 hour.

Every time he read the book for a set amount of time, he stopped, but he gradually increased his reading period, finally reaching over an hour of continuous reading, and still nothing.

"It works. It genuinely works!" - Jacque said with excitement.

"This means that I can safely study the book!"

If you have any suggestions on how to improve the item, you are welcome to write about them in the comment section down below.

A bit of spoiler:

Spoiler

To be honest, if you are worried that this thing will become a cheat, then don't worry, it won't. It will be more like a hilarious curse very soon.

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Do you think the pendant is balanced? Do you like it?
  • Yes, and I like it. Votes: 18 54.5%
  • Yes, but I don't really like it. Votes: 10 30.3%
  • No, but I like it. Votes: 3 9.1%
  • No, and I don't really like it. Votes: 2 6.1%
Total voters: 33
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