32 The Pledge Maker

"As of now, both of us are located right in the middle of this realm" The goat's head turned and faced Kivas once again. "It is where I've proclaimed my presence to make sure those Primal Standings stayed where they belong. Taking a drastic move now out of all time might put them in alert, or even worse, enticing them to sniff out any vulnerable part of this prison."

"So you're saying that you need to go somewhere but you can't."

"Just before you entered this realm, a group of 32 people wandered for quite a while into this realm." The goat sharpened his gaze. "They are not only able to dispel my mist, but one of them is actively emitting a malicious wavelength to aggro either me and the Primal Standings into action.

"While it might not take effect immediately, prolonged attempts at this might result in a very risky encounter with the Primal Standings.

"Those titans of the primordial universe might be scheming for many years beyond what I comprehend. Who knows what they will do after they turn into an opportunist and break the seal of this realm while I'm over encumbered by their sheer number."

"So that's why you are amplifying their fear of you." Kivas wondered about the appearance of the scary entity that was currently looking at him from the fake sky. "And you want me to deal with the foreign group."

"I'm nothing but a pacifist at heart, brother. Even then, I'm afraid that my attempt at neutralizing their threatening presence to the balance of this realm would result in splattering blood. Worse, my attempt on taking care of them can be seen as an opportunity by the Primal Standings."

"Can you lead me to their location then?"

"The moment you want to depart, I'll guide you to a straight path, straighter than the strings of the harp."

Kivas looked determined, especially since he was already planning to encounter the hooded rodent. "If I can't talk sense to them, is it rude of me to take their lives?"

"The moment they think ill in this realm, their lives become worth less than the soil on my palm."

Kivas himself knew the weight of the situation that he was in. If he didn't take this even seriously, then the cost that needs to be paid would be high enough that not even himself and Samsong could pay it all. The world would be forced to pay, and it would be similar to the situation where countries on his Earth began to advocate nuclear warfare.

While he knew that the rodent lass might know one or two people in the groups that the hooded rodent brough to this realm, those would only be a small price for salvation.

"Before I go, I need to do something."

"Ohoho?"

Kivas didn't forget about the red orb deal. Eager to finally see the merging in action, he thought of the possible way to fuse all of the five purple orbs into a red orb just like the suggestion of the boon that he acquired.

Of course, it was not exactly that complicated. He only needed to collide one into another in one motion, forming the red swirl of light.

Both Kivas and Samsong were glued to the swirling light. Eventually, the swirl slowly firmed and took the shape of an orb.

And thus, Kivas' first ever red orb.

"That is one unique sorcery you have there, brother."

If Kivas were to have a humanoid body and a face, he would probably puff his chest along with putting a wide cheeky grin on his face.

Without further ado, Kivas opened the content of the red orb.

The red orb ascended a meter before splitting into two magnificent waves of crimson flame, riding to the left and right direction before falling down like a curtain to form a burning crimson panel for the selections of the available boon.

On the left side, an encrypted [???] boon was shown with a bowl-shaped silhouette with a mouth with sharp teeth and a big singular eye as the symbol for the boon. Kivas was struck with a minor confusion the moment he saw the symbol for this boon, as if it was the indirect effect that was provided by the boon.

On the right side, an encrypted [???] boon was shown with a halo and geometric wings with a rather familiar silhouette as the owner of them both. The figure was petite and possessed a black straight hair whilst carrying an object similar to the Torch of Blight in Kivas' possession.

Seeing the option on the right made Kivas feel a little bit of warmth and curiosity. Who is she? How come he felt connected to his figure? Was it the same reason why he acquired the Torch of Blight?

Still unsure on what to choose as this was the very first red-grade orb's selection of boons for him, Samsong intruded as he made the giant flower to grow its stem so that the goat's head could lean forward to Kivas.

"So what will these things provide, brother?" Samsong voiced his shred of curiosity. "From the look of it, it seems like you need to choose either one of them, no?"

"Samsong, do you perhaps possess an inkling of what these languages might be?"

"Apparently not." The goat's head gazed rather fiercely at the encrypted runes on the panel of description . "Either that it's a really new language that has just been formed, or it's a very old language that was born earlier than the creation of the universe."

"That is too far of a stretch…"

"Hahahahah! Though, if I were to choose between these two, I might choose the left one. It emitted both strength and enmity that is equal to an ancient goddess. While the left one possessed warmth and righteousness, I don't really feel much of anything except the layers of vague origin that were far more complex than what I could comprehend."

"I'll choose the right one, then." Kivas amusedly laughed. "Seeing that you can't even pinpoint the value of that one makes me think that it's more valuable than the left."

"Surely, you jest me, brother." The goat's head lightly smirked as he gave a rather playful side gaze. "There is no err from the beginning, your heart has already been put into stone the moment you perceive the symbol of that selection."

"I guess old age really gives you the wisdom of equal value."

"Depends on the person, heh."

And so, Kivas decided to choose the right one.

-Boon of Utility-

[The Pledge Maker]

-Pledge thyself through thick and thin, to labor still with zeal devout, to get the Outs, poor devils, in, and turn the Ins, the wretches, out. Thou pledge for what's thee believe in, tho' much bereft of ways and means of ruling ill, to make the most of what are left, and stick to all that's rotten still-

-After acquiring this boon, the owner of the Torch of Blight might be able to choose one of their pledges to commit in exchange for greater power for a temporary amount of time. Not all owners of the torch might possess a usable pledge from the beginning. So to check on whether the pledge is available or not, the act of putting a thought into one will make the torch to showcase that information for you!

-Every pledge has their own set of limited amount of time to fulfill. Choosing more than one pledge is possible, increasing both the uptime of the aftermath and the time limit to fulfill the pledges. If one were to fail the pledge that they preached however, they shall bear great consequences of their choice. Afterall, spoken words are more powerful than sword and muscle-

-Number of Available Pledges: 1

-Pledge of Survival: 120 seconds to fulfill. High increase of speed and strength shall be given as reward for 30 seconds-