19 The Decadent Store
[Are you sure you wish to Unlock the Decadent Store?]
'You're still asking?'
[You need to confirm]
'Fine, I confirm'
[Unlocking the Decadent Store...]
A rectangular screen appeared in front of Evian's eyes with an hourglass loading that was eventually replaced with an unlocking Lock animation.
The rectangular screen then became wider and longer with a heading that read;
DECADENT STORE.
_
[Detecting User's level of Decadence...]
[Decadent Level Confirmed: Wraith]
[Presenting your current setlist of Accessible Assistance...]
[Spells] [Health Packs] [Manuscripts]
_
Of all the listed Setlists, the Health caught Evian's eyes first, so naturally, it was the first one he clicked.
[Health Packs: Sacrifice soul points to heal yourself from your injuries.
-Light Injury Health Pack(Tis but a scratch): 500 Soul Points.
-Heavy Injury Health pack (Oh look, it's bleeding): 1000 Soul points.
-Fatal Injury Health Pack (Give me something for the pain, let me die): 1500 Soul points.]
-
'Did you add those taglines?' Evian asked with his lips twitching.
[Maybe]
'And what are these prices? 500 soul points for a light injury.
1000 for an injury that's bleeding? That's a ripoff!'
[Well, you do have the option to not get injured. You can try that as an alternative]
Evian's forehead became covered with black lines before he suddenly brightened up.
'Haha, the joke's on you. I'm willing to bet there are healing potions in Koln's ring- Well, my ring now.'
[As I mentioned earlier, none of that can help you]
'Why not?'
[You are a Wraith. You might bleed like a human but you are mostly made up of Eldritch energy. The energy of the dead. So to heal from your injuries, you need something similar.
Basically, every injury strips you of your essence as a Wraith, and a health pack, made with Eldritch energy, replenishes that essence.
Anything besides that will be alien to your body and have no effect]
'Huh'
[Just try not to get injured until you can rack up the required points to store up for emergencies, and you'll be fine]
'Damn. Alright, moving on'
Evian clicked the Manuscript tab next.
[Manuscripts; Knowledge to make you the best Wraith you can be.
-Light Injury Health Pack(Tis but a scratch) Manuscript: 500 Soul Points.
-Heavy Injury Health Pack (Oh look, it's bleeding) Manuscript: 1000 Soul points.
-Fatal Injury Health pack (Give me something for the pain, let me die) Manuscript: 1500 Soul points.
...
-Wraithic Weapon Modification Manuscript: Learn how to give your chosen mortal weapon the aura and identity of a soul reaper that it clearly needs to match your Decadence.
Cost: 1000 Soul Points.
-Weapon Smithing Manuscript (Does not come stocked with creativity and only assists with the making of weapons at the Wraith Level of Decadence)
Cost: 1500 Soul Points.]
-
'Hey, Assistant, what does any of this mean?' Evian asked as he kept scrolling through the Manuscript section that seemed never-ending.
[It's quite simple really.
If you wish to make anything yourself, all you have to do is purchase the Manuscript for that thing and learn it.
Take the Health packs for example;
You buy the Manuscript and you can make them yourself for many souls points less than the price you would have to pay for buying them from the Health Packs tab.]
'Oh, so like an investment that pays in discounts'
[Correct.
The Weapon Modification and Weapon's Smithing Manuscripts are essential if you wish to wield weapons because the higher this World's weapons scale, the more they will require Spiritual Energy which you don't have.
With any of those two Manuscripts, you can modify any weapon of your choice or craft from scratch.]
'Cool'
Even as Evian listened and replied to his Decadent Assistant, he still kept scrolling through the Manuscripts section and there was still so much to discover.
He even ended up at an Eldritch Poison Manuscript section stocked also with Eldritch Antidote manuscripts.
And the prices for the Manuscripts ranged from understandable to eye-widening insanity.
'Where the hell am I going to get 50000 Soul points?!'
That was the limit he could take so Evian closed the Manuscript tab while rubbing his eyes a bit.
When he opened them, his eyes fell on the only unopened tab left; The 'Spells' Tab.
Evian clicked it.
[Eldritch Spells: Harness your Eldritch energy and unleash your mystical-deathly arts upon the world.
•Eldritch Arrow (Attack): 500 Soul Points.
Conjure up an arrow of Eldritch energy to strike your enemy from a distance and watch them shrivel up as their soul is extracted for you.
Has a five-second cool-down time.
Effective against enemies at the Wraith level of Decadence or lower.
•Walls of Asphodel (Defense): 500 Soul points.
Conjure up a wall of protection against physical and mystical attacks.
Effective against attacks at the Wraith level of Decadence or Lower.
•Wraithic Phasing(Evasion): 500 Soul Points.
Use your Eldritch energy to make yourself intangible to physical and mystical barriers.
Effective against barriers at the Wraith Level of Decadence or Lower.
•The Gates of Tartarus(Defense/Attack): 1000 points.
Conjure up a shield that not only protects you from attacks but also unleashes an Eldritch wave upon your enemy.]
...
There were more spells to see but none really mattered to Evian than the first three.
Why?
Well, they were the only ones he could afford.
The lower he got on the list, the more expensive the spells became, and with only a balance of 800 Soul Points after unlocking the Decadent Store, Evian decided to stop wasting his time.
'Mmm, now these three. Honestly, they all seem great.
I won't object to hitting an opponent from far off even with the five-second cool down.
Defense is also pretty great to have. Pair that with the sword I already have with me and I could be a real menace but,
Intangibility- Well that just seems more fun.
Imagine going through anywhere, anything, on a whim'
[There are Limitations. Enchanted walls or conjured walls higher than the Wraith Level of Decadence will keep you out or in]
'I know but I don't think it matters all that much. Besides, the other two have limitations too.
Wraith level of decadence just means the Third Order or lower and none of them go beyond that.
I'll choose the Wraithic Phasing spell'
As he spoke, Evian clicked the spell on the holographic screen before him.
A new tab appeared.
[Confirm your purchase?] [Yes] [No]
Evian clicked yes and he immediately felt his mind getting flooded with information about the Wraithic Phasing spell.
In his mind, a scroll appeared and then unfolded to reveal a grey pentagram giving off a deathly chill. Beneath the pentagram were words that Evian was immediately made to memorize.
Evian had his eyes closed throughout the process and when he opened them, his grey orbs were bright with understanding.
'Nice'
Still floating in the bath, he brought the words he had learned to the forefront of his mind and became presented with a mental image. He watched as the words swam and surrounded the deathly pentagram before Eldritch Energy started to seep out of his body.
Unlike before, the Eldritch energy didn't seem obedient to his mental whims but rather obedient to the words and the pentagram.
The deathly Energy soaked through Evian's pores and started transforming him. Turning his physical body into a translucent intangible form.
And then he sank, through the water, through his bath, and down into the ground.
Evian was still able to see. He saw the particles of the earth he was moving through and he could even hear the perfect stillness of his surroundings but he lost his other senses.
Touch(feeling) was gone, Taste was nonexistent, he lost the ability to make any sound with his mouth (reminiscent of when he had a ghostly form) and of course, he lost the ability to breathe.
Without the capability to hold on to any object or keep himself on the surface of the world, Evian kept sinking, deeper and deeper into the ground while his eyes widened in horror.
