While immersed in the waterfall, Jean experienced a strong flash that forced her to close her eyes. A flash that embraced her with a calming and healing effect. So pleasant that it almost prevented her from hearing the dreadful scream that followed.
The scream had nothing to do with the bellowing of the creature left behind. It came from the waterfall. Its waters shuddered, slowing the speed with which each drop plunged into the void.
The pain came right after, overwhelming her. She couldn't stop the blue liquid from flowing into her mouth and nose. Not only that, it also began to squeeze her with devastating power from the outside. Eventually, that force pulled her out the waterfall, pushing her out against the eroded stone walls.
Jean lost consciousness and gravity pulled her back into the void. When she came in contact with the waterfall again, the process repeated again. More healing and of course, more pain. This time, however, she managed to stay conscious. The whispers had healed her while unconscious.
Corruption was diminishing, fully restoring her attributes. She felt stupid to realize that the potential cure was right under her nose.
This awakened a fleeting thought. The infected had probably tried to cure themselves, but they had been eliminated, preventing it. Perhaps the source of cure could end up corrupted if exposed to large amounts of corruption. From the screams of pain, it seemed indeed alive. Was that why the tabaxi had tried to prevent her from approaching...?
Whatever was inside the water, threw her against the walls again. She almost died this time, at least, that's how she felt. She barely endured the pain after several bones cracked all over her body. If it weren't for the fact that she regenerated 2% of her MP, SP and HP every second she touched the magical water, she wouldn't survive at all. However, if that continued, she wouldn't make it. Her mana was dropping faster than it regenerated.
Jean clung tooth and nail to the wall until she managed to grab onto a small ledge. She climbed up and tried to rest for a while, only to realize that she had escaped something much worse. A mere 12 meters away was a huge lake filled with sharp rocks.
The water on its surface rose abruptly, striking her. She fell again, only to receive another strike that sent her to the shore. Being hit by a bus would surely feel more pleasant. To top it all off, she landed on hundreds of crystals that stabbed all over her body. Typical hiking day.
She writhed in pain as she bled from the hundreds of small cuts and bruises, but it was no time to complain. Not when numerous immense tendrils of water were forming.
She equipped the shield even though she was trembling. “It wasn’t on purpose! I fell in the waterfall by accident! I was just running for my life when...!”
The tendrils of water stopped suddenly, but didn't vanish. A female figure formed up to hip height next to them. She didn't move her mouth in the slightest. Her voice echoed through the water like ripples. "[If you touch me again, I will kill you!]"
Jean bowed her head. “Perfectly! I will never touch your waters again! I'm deeply sorry!”
The woman held the water tendrils up, but in the end, decided to turn around and sink into the water.
“Please, wait!”
She stopped at the level of her nose, and looked at her sideways.
“I’m Jean. What’s your name?”
She showed no interest at all, continuing her immersion.
“Could you be so kind as to tell me what the hell is going on here? I mean... What is this place? Why is it full of infected and why are you all calling me a monster? I have no intention of hurting anyone, but it seems like everyone is trying to kill me because...
The being emerged up to her chin, visibly annoyed. “[You can't fool me, monster! Your marks say otherwise!]”
Jean averted her gaze slightly. “Well! … You're right! It may look like that! But if you let me explain...”
The woman sank without taking her eyes off her. “[Don't bother me! And don't touch me again if you don't want to end up like the others.]”
A shiver ran through her from head to toe. “The others?”
She opened the inventory in search of the necklace, but was surprised with a new object. An earring that couldn’t be transmuted.
»Yusthor Earring (Legendary)«
Details: Allows you to see the phantasmal plane and make contact with souls. ….
“Really?! … Well, it makes sense but...”
Realizing the damaged state of her leather armor, she transmuted it and bought underwear, a pair of pants and a top. If her clothes were going to constantly burn or tear, she passed on investing any more in them.
Finally, she put the two accessories on, only to realize that there were seven souls in her inventory. Without giving it too much thought, Jean bet that they belonged to the dark elf. She had a major issue to worry about. Her surroundings were filled with dozens of souls. Hundreds of them, some very close to her feet. If she hadn't apologized, she probably would have ended up like them.
Apart from the already known haze and crystals, that place was gigantic. Not only was it home to the huge lake that was plunging into the depths, but also to life. The same mushrooms she had eaten earlier and some delicious looking crabs, or at least that's what her inseparable companion hunger suggested. They were covered with crystals emerging from their backs, which made them easily visible despite being half covered by the mud on the shore.
Uncomfortable with so many souls around her, she unequipped the two accessories and explored the immense cave, without putting a finger in the lake or any puddle. She needed to get along with that being with the appearance of a water elemental. She didn't want to find out the hard way how powerful she was. Besides, maybe she could get some information out of her. Knowing more about that world would give her a better chance of survival.
««◊◊◊« »◊◊◊»»
After walking for several minutes dominated by an incessantly growing hunger, she realized that the farther she went from the lake, the more ramifications she found hidden in the darkness. It would take days to inspect them all. The worst thing was that there were no moans or the foul smell of the infected. Moreover, screaming sounded like a terrible idea. If by chance enemies appeared everywhere, she would have no way of dealing with them.
“What if I try Mr. Crabs' cousins? With one of those, I'll sure hold back my hunger for a while. It's a shame I can't taste them, it would be quite a feast.”
She headed towards them. However, when she equipped her spear, the lake shook. As she turned around, she saw the huge elemental looming menacingly.
Jean flashed a brief smile and put the spear away. It wasn't a wise idea to draw her weapons near her. She would have to distance herself first.
Bothering the elemental with questions now didn't seem the best way to dissipate the tension. Not losing sight of her, she rummaged through the notebook. It was more likely she would find something that would help her there. Furthermore, she didn't want to waste the coins on remedies because she ended up lost.
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««◊◊◊« »◊◊◊»»
After much searching, she found a beautiful sketch that perfectly illustrated that place. Although it didn’t include the water tendrils. Perhaps she wasn't in the mood for posing.
The annotations in the margins were abundant, but obviously she still didn't understand any of them. She went back to the sketch of the waterfall and compared them. The ones pointing to the spider den coincided almost completely. "I'm not going anywhere near that area!"
“[You’re in no position to be picky, monster!]”
Jean turned to the elemental with a huge fake smile. “Would you be so kind as to point me in which way there are more infected? I need to do something about this corruption before...!”
“[Don't make me laugh! There is nothing you can do!]”
Jean feigned concern; she knew she could resist. Her skill would allow her to, although that she still had a long way to go. “Why do you say that? Based on what?”
“[I've seen many try... and no one has succeeded. Just give up and die!]”
Jean was quite tired of so much contempt. Her patience was so on edge, that she unconsciously equipped the spear.
The elemental didn't take it very well and started to grow. “[What are you plotting, monster? Do you want me to end your pathetic existence now?!]”
Jean glared defiantly at her, heading toward the crabs. They were big, easily weighing between 50 and 80 kilos, and had huge claws much larger than her hands. But overall, it didn't look like it would take much trouble for her to defeat them.
Creature: »Lake Crab«
Level 27
Name: Chubby Paws
Marks: [Human Eater], [Elf Eater], [Tabaxi Eater], [Gnome Eater] , …
Details: This creature has evolved from generations of exposure to the lake water. In your current state, this creature's attributes represent a moderate enemy.
That took her by surprise. How could they be on the same level considering that her attributes were greatly restored? She had to make a plan now. There were several of them.
“[Leave them in peace!]”
Jean didn't turn to answer her. “As peaceful as everyone you've killed?”
“[They chose it!]” The huge body of water emerged from the lake again. “[Don't make me repeat myself, monster!]”
Without losing her composure, Jean stored the spear. “Tell me where there are infected... Please!”
“[I have no idea! It's been years since they've been near the lake. They learned the hard way!]”
Jean looked at the ground, remembering the hundreds of souls surrounding her. Perhaps they had all ended up there with corruption on their backs and she hadn't let them touch the lake to cure themselves. Maybe... she couldn't blame her. Not after hearing her cries of pain.
Jean turned around slowly, staring at the huge, fist-shaped tendril of water about the size of a train. “You said years, not centuries! What happened in this place then?”
“[I don't have the slightest idea! When I arrived they were already...]”
As much as Jean waited, she didn't finish the sentence. “So... did you appear here like me or did you come from outside?”
Name: Narad.
Level ???
Marks: [Thief], [Traitor], [Killer].
Details: Linked to the lake. This player's attributes make her a deadly opponent for you.
“So you're a player too...!”
The tendril of water pointed toward the bottom of the cavern, where two pillars stood. When she made sure that Jean saw them too, the elemental dropped her aggressive stance and sank.
“See! It wasn't that hard to be nice.”
««◊◊◊« »◊◊◊»»
It took her quite a while to reach them; she had to make a long detour to avoid touching the lake. The elemental was vigilant.
Already in front of the pillars, she analyzed them carefully. She thought she would be able to read the runes engraved on them after a while, but nothing happened.
Between the bases of the pillars and towards the lake, the first steps of a wide staircase could be distinguished, plunging into the luminescent lake. They didn't look like the entrance steps to a large community pool.
Jean raised her voice to get Narhad's attention. “What were they for? Some kind of ritual? Was it to see you?”
“[Go away!]”
Jean pointed to the small path between the two columns. A path that led to a large, dark tunnel that led into the depths.
“What's down there? Infected?”
The elemental ignored her completely.
Jean snorted. She thought about making a joke about taking a crab snack along for the ride, but she could tell Narhad had less sense of humor than a death row convict.
She took a step and looked back. The elemental was linked to the lake, but she was not the lake or the waterfall. Was she waiting for someone who could help her?
“Nah! Not a chance! She has fewer friends than I had!”
“Can I do something for you before I leave? ... ... No? And for when I come back? I can bring you a souvenir.”
Jean descended while waving her off. “See ya!”
“[Hope not!]”
««◊◊◊« »◊◊◊»»
The almost smooth walls were full of unknown runes and engravings. Exactly as incomprehensible as those on the pillars at the beginning.
Everything was going smoothly until advancing without stepping on humanoid remains became a luxury. The path was scattered with human remains as old as they were dry. She couldn't believe they were all players. What had really happened in that damn place?
Jean continued to descend, careful not to get too close to any soul. Slowly, but safely. The darkness was such that walking without the accessories of Yusthor and Devourer Vision was impossible.
A noise coming from the many cracks that broke the continuity of the engravings startled her. A spider's paw peeked out, curious about her presence. It was as big as her hand. A shudder ran through her as she imagined the whole thing. Revulsion made her lose her desire to continue, but her stomach made it clear that it didn't agree. She was too hungry.
“[Don't worry, they can't get through those cracks, they're too big. Well, most of them can’t.]”
“Come on! That's no relief!”
Dozens of small spiders moved along the wall just inches from her. Although, in reality, they were anything but small. Most were bigger than her hand.
Jean ran away without looking back. Just imagining them crawling up her legs made her lose the will to fight, but she wouldn't achieve anything that way. She advanced until she gained a good distance between them and turned around. Now there were so many that she could count them by the hundreds.
She thought about smashing them with the hammer, but stopped on the spot. The thought of being surrounded made her whole body shudder again. Maybe it was a good time to try Explosive Rune. Although she had her doubts, considering the noise could attract something unwanted. Or worse. The cracks could open even wider.
“Well! I can always run my ass off. I'm quite sure if I get too close to the lake, Narhad will give me a hand.”
The spiders followed her without fear. For them, she was just a sack of nutrients ready for a good dose of paralysis, to be wrapped in cobwebs and dissolved after being injected with gallons of acid. Finally, they would let her macerate for a while and sip her patiently, like a good old wine.
“Crap! Too many documentaries! Enough running away! ... For those who want me dead I have no forgiveness, disgust or fear!”