[Archfiend of Humanity]

+1 DEX, +1 STR, +1 VIT, +1 MAG, +1 PSY, +1 DEF

You become [Human] in addition to your current race. Instead of gaining your next level, you will be allowed to choose a fourth aspect to add to your class.

You lose all vulnerability to sacred damage and effects.

Any effect which interacts with your race will treat you as whichever of the following would be most beneficial: exclusively [Human], multiracially [Human], or not [Human].

Separate effects can simultaneously treat you as different, contradictory racial compositions for this purpose.

"Huh?" she asked, reading the last two points and feeling as if the ground had shifted beneath her.

"You're killing me with the suspense, here, boss."

"Look," she said, cocking her head and weaving a claw through the air. "This… exists? I don't even think I get how it works. I don't…."

She blinked, her eyes suddenly feeling hot. She just kept staring at the system text.

Dazel finished reading her glamour, then turned back to her and tilted his head.

"Oh," he said, voice falling. "Hey, uh, boss…."

"I can be human?" she whispered. Then she blinked and shook her head, trying to focus. "I have to make sure I know how this works."

"Okay," said Dazel. "So I'm sensing that you might have a hard time making an objective decision, here."

"Same."

She queried the system for more information on the last point: she wanted to know exactly what it meant to be treated as three separate groups of races.

?: This can make you cease to count as an archfiend, an infernal, and a vampire, but not an undead.

"My own [Profane Command] could target me," she said. "But only as an undead. A normal archfiend's command wouldn't be able to hit me. That's…."

Dazel whistled. "And no sacred vulnerability? Gotta say, it takes a lot to even be in the running against [Archfiend of Pride]...."

"I have to take it, Dazel."

"No you don't."

"Dazel."

"Ashtoreth."

"How could I choose anything else?" she said. "After all that we've accomplished…."

"I'm just saying, let's think about it," he said, making a circle in the air around her. "We're in a war with Hell, and we're in an unknown, but seemingly hostile relationship with Heaven. If there's a lot more fights with angels on the horizon, take [Archfiend of Humanity]. Otherwise…."

"I've worked so hard," she said, practically whispering as she stared at the text. "I've risked so much. Doesn't it matter, what I feel right now? I want it."

"You already took an aura that strengthens your [Profane Command]," said Dazel. "But right now it's scaling off your lowest stat. What's your [Defense] right now, compared to your [Psyche]?"

"It's three times higher," she said. "About twelve and a half thousand versus four thousand and change."

"Once your new stats factor into it, you'll more than triple the strength of your command," he said. "It will just be an automatic win against any infernal who isn't also an [Archfiend of Pride]."

"That's the general idea, yes."

"Plus nine advancements that could be spent to upgrade it—or to do anything else that your race allows. More auras. More hellfire. More energy drain, on account of your vampirism. But really, the auto win against infernals while Hell is invading your planet is the most important point, here."

She blinked. "Okay. Fine. We'll argue."

"Or discuss."

"I'll be immune to the commands of other infernals," she said. "Because I'll count as pure human when they try targeting me and be invalid. The negation of the sacred vulnerability is a huge boost against Heaven, which is still a giant unknown—but let's remember that their forces have been the most threatening enemies I've faced so far. And for the new aspect, I could take [Companion] and start getting you real abilities. You were talking about spells before, remember?"

"You can't take [Companion]," Dazel said.

"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning and cocking her head. "There'll be ways to get you spell slots!"

"Definitely," he said. "But you still can't take it."

"Look at what you can accomplish with just a bit of [Mana] and… whatever pitiful stats you have now, though," Ashtoreth said. "I mean—"

"I'm leaving you, Ashtoreth," Dazel said, quiet but firm. "We're breaking my bond to you and ending your contract. Remember?"

"Oh," she said. "Yeah. I remember." Her voice fell a little. "And I guess any [Companion] advancements won't last through your departure."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Worse," he said. "As far as I know, they'll probably make it increasingly harder to leave. But that's all academic."

"Huh?"

"[Spellcasting], Ashtoreth. That's your next aspect. That's what you should take—not [Companion]."

"You think it'll be offered?" she asked. "The only spell I cast is [Runic Warp]. I assumed I'd get [Companion] because, you know, you exist."

"Let's hope you're right about that last part," he said. "And let's hope you get a [Spellcasting] aspect, too."

"You think I can get one?"

"I can hope," he said. "It's really going to feel like you're missing out if it isn't. Plus your [Bloodfire] pool will get high enough to trigger a [Hellfire Nova] once you take all the pool upgrades."

Ashtoreth's face slowly spread into a smile. "Dazel. Are you convincing yourself that I should be an [Archfiend of Humanity]?"

"Hey!" he said defensively. "I was never against it. I just didn't want you to make the choice on pure emotions—it could have been bad, and [Archfiend of Pride] is very, very good. Especially in our circumstances."

"But [Archfiend of Humanity]," she said, emphasizing the word and grinning. "It's no slouch!"

"No. In fact, I'd rather you take the option that protects you from the enemy you don't know than the one that you do."

"Seems reasonable to me!"

He sighed. "It's just… you're giving up an extra 10% or so bonus to your total advancements and the ability to utterly dominate almost all of our principal enemies."

"For humanity!"

He groaned. "Boss, I'd have preferred if you said something like, 'but it's worth it to shore up some of my other weaknesses and get spells.'"

"That too!" she said. "If it helps you any, it's not like I don't have an emotional attachment to [Archfiend of Pride], either. I've wanted to reach that upgrade since I was old enough to even know what it was."

"I can only imagine," Dazel said with not a hint of mockery in his voice.

"And my skills might have gotten me this far into my plan," she said, still staring at the system-text. "But my sensibilities are what insisted I make the plan and betray Hell in the first place. We can't just pretend that my desire to be closer to humanity isn't worth considering… it has some value even if it can't quite be grasped."

Dazel sighed. "If you say so, boss."

Her smile became softer, more personal. "I do. I'll take [Archfiend of Humanity], please."

{Your S Rank [Vampiric Archfiend] race has been replaced by the S+ Rank [Vampiric Archfiend of Humanity] race}

{Your racial progression path has been updated}

{You gain 447 DEX, 447 STR, 447 VIT, 447 MAG, 447 PSY, and 447 DEF}

A strange feeling spread through Ashtoreth, accompanying the new strength of the increased stats. It felt to her as if some inner part of her was being… smoothed over, somehow, made more efficient. As if a tangle of cables was being untangled and then efficiently laid out where before they'd been nothing but a mess.

If she had to put a word to the feeling, she might have said that she felt more… pure? Clean? Vacant? Her inner hallways were now well-lit and clear of detritus; her soul felt like it was filled with less… seething.

"Neat!" Ashtoreth said. "Just human things, I suppose."

"Should I even ask?" Dazel asked.

"Only you can answer that question, Dazel." To the system, she added: "I'll take [Bloodfire Warliege] now, please!"

{Class Upgraded. You are now a [Bloodfire Warliege]}

{You gain 994 DEX, 994 STR, and 994 DEF}

Upgrading to [Bloodfire Warliege] was a much less strange feeling than the one before. Mostly, it just made Ashtoreth feel like a total boss.

"Wow," she said. "S+ rank race and A rank class. I'm a powerhouse!"

"You'll be needing it, once things get going," Dazel said.

"Yeah," she said, thinking of the oncoming challenges. She didn't say anything, because she figured it would be rude somehow, but she felt a little pang of regret at the fact that Dazel wouldn't be her companion forever.

It wasn't just about his company. As her companion, he came with her into the challenges. If she'd got him some potent spellcasting abilities through the [Companion] aspect, she was certain that he knew so much about spellcraft he'd be an excellent support.

She smiled to herself as her thoughts distracted her. Maybe he could even become panther-sized… or just an actual panther. She could ride him into battle while he charged up a volley of spells, heal him with her hellfire whenever he got damaged and then punish anyone dumb enough to target Dazel over her….

But it wasn't to be.

"All right," she said. "Obviously it's going to go best if I pick my new aspect before I choose my advancements, so we just need to…."

She cut off, suddenly beginning to scowl.

"Oh," Dazel said. "Huh. Kind of a snag."

It hadn't actually occurred to Ashtoreth—or apparently Dazel—that she had no way of gaining the level she'd need to choose her new aspect.

"Okay," she said. "Mild setback. What I was thinking, anyway, is that we should compose a list of aspects that would serve me well, then try to ensure that I act in a way that might get the system to offer me those aspects when the choice comes."

"I don't know how that'll work, but there's no harm in trying," said Dazel. "Though I really think everything other than [Spellcasting] should be a backup."

"Mages," Ashtoreth said, rolling her eyes.

"Sure, sure," said Dazel. "But promise me that when you do first get to cast one of my spells, you do it where I can see your facial expression."

"Sure, Dazel!" She smiled. "I have a nice face."

They talked about potential ways to gain her a single level for a while, but for the moment, she had no good options.

She could have done what she'd done before, when they'd wanted to level before the election: warp out far enough from Earth that they could warp to one of Hell's stronger bastions, find someone a high enough level that she could eat their core—which at present, would be something like 411—and then kill enough of them to gain her advancement.

It was certainly possible. But it had been worth the risk when they were trying to save the whole Earth. Optimizing the choice of six advancements was, unfortunately, not nearly so important.

"So what now?" Dazel asked.

She shrugged. "Well, I can still conjure all my basic armaments, so I think for at least a few seconds, I'll conjure my sword and then lord over my high stats while thinking of how much higher they'll be, once I create a fused armament."

"Okay," Dazel said as Ashtoreth conjured her sword. "That covers the next few seconds. After that?"

She shrugged again. "Dunno. I'll help the humans mop up the initial assault… and probably daydream of what my fused armaments should look like the whole time."

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