The Gene of the Ancients (Rogue Merchant Book #2): LitRPG Series Roman Prokofiev (top ten books of all time .TXT) 📖

She pulled out two black iron bracelets shaped like coiled snakes and carelessly threw them at my feet. Orange legendary affix flashed before my eyes. Another catch? It didn’t look like that.

Black Mamba

Quality: legendary. Material: demonite, black iron, ellurite.

Increases physical defense by 50 (hands)

Increases elemental resistance by 10%

+10 Strength, +10 Dexterity

+50 unarmed damage (crushing)

Black Mamba Venom: 50% chance to poison the enemy in an unarmed battle (1-30 damage/5 seconds)

Slot: 1 (Royal Emerald)

If used as a pair:

Demonic Might: bestows Demonic Might on the owner (10 minutes/12 hours)

+150 SP to Unarmed Combat

Requirement: female

“The third clause is simple,” Mara continued speaking in an angel-like voice. “Shall we just kill him, or can we torture him first?”

“Torture would be better.”

“As you wish, darling. Entertainment’s so rare these days! And I like you more and more,” the demoness said, mockingly making eyes at me. “I can’t wait for our date!”

Obeying her unspoken command, the swarm of succubi circling above us took off and started searching for Illith, taking pains to keep away from the Ziggurat. Neither I nor the Watchers’ leadership had any doubt that the PROJECT’s spy followed in our footsteps, gathering information and passing it to Tao. Those “eyes” had to be gouged out; they had seen too much as it was.

“And while we’re searching, fulfill your part of the agreement!” the succubi said, abruptly changing her tone. “The crown and the Torturer!”

* * *

Illith: Tao, come in.

Tao: Go ahead. What have you got for me, my valiant Mata Hari?

Illith: Finally! Were you sleeping or what?

Tao: Working. Is it something important?

Illith: Have a look yourself. I’ve sent you a whole gallery — screenshots, videos.

Tao: One second...Holy freaking shit! A Ziggurat? A Colossus? What’s that wall of ice there, can you get closer?

Illith: I can, but it’s dangerous. The Succubate got here again.

Tao: They’ve come to avenge Daine. Are they fighting?

Illith: I don’t think so. They’re talking about something.

Tao: Interesting... Illith, go check the wall, come closer. Do you know what that is?

Illith: It’s not ice, more like crystal. There’s a building inside, sealed like a fly in amber. I can’t see it well, everything’s muddled.

Tao: Turn on the video, broadcast it via the Courier. Closer. That’s enough. Hot damn!

Illith: What?

Tao: Nothing. What’s that sound there?

Illith: The succubi are flapping their wings. They’re searching for something.

* * *

I didn’t have any problems during my second visit to the Ziggurat. The Ancients’ guardians still didn’t react to me in any way, and I grew bolder, almost running along my old route and carefully removing the crown from the head of the Colossus. In truth, at first I had wanted to pitch the Succubate against the guardians of the Ziggurat and together with the Watchers, finish the winners off, but the demoness didn’t fall for such a primitive trick. However, the game wasn’t over yet.

Upon seeing the crown in my hands, Mara reached out for it greedily, but I feigned surprise — where’s the spy? The succubus snickered and stepped aside, revealing a gruesome sight.

The captured Illith was crucified on a wooden T-shaped cross, at least a dozen half-naked giggling succubi giddily lashing their victim with barbed whips. He was surrounded with a rainbow glow signifying the use of a Soul Stone, but each new blow dealt by the laughing demons immediately extinguished it.

“Your friend is trying to escape, but he cannot!” Mara explained, grinning. “We know all of your tricks!”

I realized that they were interrupting the three-second casting of the Stone, preventing the PROJECT spy from teleporting to his home spot. How cunning! The NPCs in this game really were too smart if they could devise such elaborate ways of torturing players. Illith had only one way to escape — logging off. It would mean an easy death.

As if having read my thoughts, the HELL warrior weakly raised his head, surveying us with his bloodshot eyes, as if recording the events. He whispered something under his breath and suddenly grew limp in the ropes, making his tormentors groan in disappointment.

“He left the body and whisked his mind away, cowardly worm!” Mara commented. “And we’ve just started our fun! But we’ll still find a way to hold his soul...”

A curved knife appeared in the hands of one of the demonesses — or was it her elongated claw? Illith’s lifeless body twitched, and his health bar that already was in the red zone finally went out.

“We’ve fulfilled all of our terms!” Mara snapped. “Give us the crown!”

With her barbed tail, she impatiently ripped the crown and Daine’s scourge from my hands. Having obtained her prize, Mara laid the crown on her head, a blissful smile on her face. Bathed in a glow, the demoness seemingly grew in size, looming over us, the shadows of her outspread wings covering everything around her. The smaller succubi hurriedly descended, kneeling or prostrating themselves before their new lawful mistress.

Quietly, I watched Mara’s triumphant expression turn from glee to confusion and finally, to bitter hate. Just in case, I put my hand on the grip of Aelmaris. We were bound by an agreement, but what if...

Having returned to her previous size, the new mistress sharply spun around. Her fingers were twitching at the gem slot in the golden band of the crown where a scarlet octagonal ruby used to be.

“Where? Where is it? Where is the Transformation Gem?!”

* * *

The evening of the previous day, the Watchers’ camp

Khaman was sitting by the entrance to the mobile tent, leisurely drawing a flint stone over the blade of his favorite weapon,