The passage ahead was darker than anything Jaeden and Liandra had encountered thus far. The walls shimmered faintly, rippling with translucent patterns of gold and violet energy that seemed to move with purpose. The air itself was dense and heavy, carrying an almost metallic tang that stung Jaeden’s throat. Each step forward felt like a test of will, the pull of the Orichalcum Sword growing stronger as they neared what had to be the dungeon’s heart.
Jaeden adjusted the sword on his back, its faint hum resonating through his bones. The blade wasn’t thirsty this time, but curious, as if it sensed something familiar ahead. The sensation set his teeth on edge. “This place gives me the creeps,” he muttered.
Liandra, a few paces ahead, paused to glance back at him. Her shadow-threads flickered around her, their serpentine movements almost hypnotic with their nervous energy. “It’s more than that,” she said, her tone clipped. “This dungeon isn’t just a place. It’s alive.”
Jaeden smirked, trying to mask his unease. “Great. Sentient rooms. What’s next, talking doors?”
Liandra didn’t reply immediately. She turned back to the path, her expression unreadable. Her silence didn’t bother Jaeden -it wasn’t unusual- but this time it felt heavier, as if she were guarding something. What aren’t you telling me? Jaeden wondered, though he kept the thought to himself.
They reached the first offshoot in the path, a narrow corridor that split to the left.
The corridor yawned before them, narrow yet inviting. Jaeden paused at the entrance, a faint breeze brushing his face like a whisper of promise. He felt his instincts prickling -an almost magnetic pull that stirred something deep inside him. The air here was different, cleaner, carrying an energy that hummed faintly against his heightened senses.
“Hang on,” he said, raising a hand to halt Liandra. His voice was low, cautious. “There’s something… down there.”
Liandra stopped, her shadow-threads flickering faintly around her as she followed his gaze. Her violet eyes narrowed, scanning the dim passage. “I don’t feel anything. What is it?”
Jaeden hesitated, his focus narrowing on the inviting darkness of the offshoot. He couldn’t explain it, not fully. His Meta-Sight was silent, but something beyond the system’s mechanics was pulling him forward. “Not sure yet,” he muttered. “But it feels… important.”
“Important or dangerous?” Liandra asked, her tone sharp with caution.
“Is there a difference?” Jaeden flashed her a quick grin, but the unease in his chest lingered.
The corridor twisted and turned, narrowing until it opened into a wide, low chamber. The air was thick with an odd, mineral scent, and the faint shimmer of dust hung in the light. At the center of the room was a writhing mass of gelatinous slime, pulsating faintly with energy. It filled the space with a caustic hiss, its body slowly eating away at the stone around it.
Jaeden’s eyes locked onto the faint glimmering piles scattered across the chamber floor: Prismata shards and dust, their crystalline surfaces glowing faintly in the dim light. His heart raced. The room was practically glittering with treasure.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said under his breath. “Jackpot.”
The slime reacted to his voice, a low gurgle rising as it began to undulate toward them. It wasn’t fast, but its size -a massive, undulating pool nearly the size of a small swimming pool- made it clear that this would be a fight.
“Great,” Jaeden muttered, drawing the Orichalcum Sword. “A walking acid bath. Just what I needed.”
The moment the massive slime began to move, the air filled with the sharp, acrid tang of burning stone. Its pseudopods lashed out in fluid arcs, leaving sizzling trails of corrosion wherever they struck. The faint light in the chamber reflected off its gelatinous form, shifting colors in a grotesque mimicry of the shimmering Prismata shards scattered around it.
Jaeden’s stance shifted instantly, his body a perfect balance of tension and fluidity. Serpent’s Agility heightened his movements, allowing him to pivot and twist as the first pseudopod slammed into the ground where he’d stood a heartbeat ago. The impact sent droplets of acid spraying outward, but they fizzled harmlessly against the shimmering barrier of his Abyssal Aegis.
“Let me handle this,” Jaeden called out.
The Orichalcum Sword came alive in his hands, its power snaking out as he swung it in a clean, arcing slash. The blade cleaved through one of the slime’s tendrils with surgical precision, separating it from the main body. Yet, the severed piece writhed for only a moment before slithering back into the mass, reabsorbed.
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“On second thought. It’s not taking damage,” Jaeden called out, his voice tight but steady. He sidestepped another pseudopod, ducking low to avoid a follow-up strike that would have crushed him against the chamber wall. The movements were seamless, almost instinctual, as if the fight were a choreographed dance.
Liandra’s voice was sharp and commanding. “Try fire!”
Jaeden didn’t hesitate. He activated Aetheric Strike, channeling aetheric energy into the Orichalcum Sword. The blade flared with radiant light as he slashed into the slime’s main body. The strike sent a wave of energy rippling through the gelatinous mass, creating a cascade of tiny explosions along its surface.
The slime shuddered but reformed almost immediately, its body swelling larger as though it had absorbed the energy.
“Well, that’s just unfair,” Jaeden muttered, rolling his shoulders. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way.”
While Jaeden held the slime’s attention, Liandra moved with calculated precision. Her shadow-threads lashed out, weaving through the air like serpents as they coiled around smaller offshoots of the creature. She combined the threads with her Titanoboa Tooth Daggers, the blades’ envenomed edges slicing into the slime’s more concentrated energy centers.
Each strike was precise, surgical. Liandra’s movements were fluid and predatory, her whips snapping through the air with a sharp crack. A pseudopod lashed toward her, but she twisted out of its reach, her threads forming a makeshift shield that absorbed the acid spray.
“Keep it busy,” she called out, her tone firm but calm. “I’ll find its weak point.”
Jaeden smirked, his confidence unshaken despite the sheer size of their opponent. “No problem. I’ve got it right where I want it.”
The slime surged forward, its body undulating as it tried to engulf Jaeden entirely. He planted his feet, activating Labyrinthine Might, and the ground cracked beneath him as he drove his strength into the stone. With a burst of energy, he launched himself forward, activating Charge of Asterius to close the distance between him and the slime’s core.
The impact was devastating. Jaeden’s shoulder slammed into the gelatinous mass with the force of a battering ram, sending ripples through its entire body. The Orichalcum Sword followed immediately, carving into the slime with a vertical slash that glowed with residual energy.
For a moment, the creature faltered, its form destabilizing as Jaeden’s attacks disrupted its internal structure. But it wasn’t enough. The slime reformed quickly, its acidic tendrils lashing out in retaliation.
One tendril struck Jaeden squarely on the chest, the acid splashing against his armor with a hiss. Instead of pain, he felt a strange warmth radiating from his core. His Symbiosis ability flared to life, absorbing the acid’s energy and neutralizing it.
A notification flashed in his sight:
Symbiosis Evolving: Acidic Resistance Unlocked. New Passive Trait: Corrosive Feedback.
Jaeden grinned, the heat of battle sharpening his focus. “You’re not the only one who can adapt,” he said, stepping forward into the slime’s next attack. This time, when the acid struck him, it fizzled harmlessly against his skin, and a surge of corrosive energy arced back toward the creature, searing through its body.
It had next to no effect though.
“Now we’re even!” Jaeden taunted.
Liandra seized the opportunity. Her shadow-threads wrapped around a cluster of the slime’s core fragments, pulling them taut. With a flick of her wrist, the shadow threads snapped whip-like, yanking the fragments from the main body. The Titanoboa Tooth Daggers followed, embedding themselves into the creature’s now unprotected core with precision. The venom from the blades reacted violently with the core, creating bursts of light and heat within the creature.
“It’s weakening!” she shouted.
Jaeden didn’t need to be told twice. He activated Might of Asterius, his muscles surging with raw power as he leapt high into the air. The Orichalcum Sword glowed brighter than ever, resonating with his determination. With a roar, he brought the blade down in a two-handed strike, aiming directly for the slime’s pulsating core.
The impact was cataclysmic. Energy exploded outward, ripping through the slime’s body in a cascading wave. The creature shuddered violently, its form collapsing as the light within it flickered and died.
The chamber fell silent, the acrid scent of acid replaced by the faint, metallic tang of Prismata energy. The remains of the slime dissolved into shimmering dust, leaving behind a scattering of glowing Prismata Shards and a rare Prismata Core.
Jaeden sheathed the Orichalcum Sword, his breathing heavy but steady. His UI flashed with a new notification:
Loot Acquired:
* Prismata Shards x15
* Prismata Dust (Prismatic) x40
* Rare Prismata Core x1
Liandra approached, her shadow-threads retracting as she inspected the loot. “That was… impressive,” she said, her tone carrying a rare note of admiration.
Jaeden smirked, his confidence returning in full force. “What can I say? Boss fights are my jam.”
Liandra raised an eyebrow. “Your jam seems to involve a lot of unnecessary theatrics.”
“Unnecessary?” Jaeden gestured to the pile of loot. “I’d call it effective.”
Their victory was short-lived, as Jaeden’s attention was drawn to a crystalline object nestled in the center of the chamber. The egg’s surface shimmered with prismatic light, radiating an energy that felt both alien and enticing.
Jaeden crouched, his hand hovering over the object. His Meta-Sight activated, but instead of information, his vision filled with question marks.
* Egg of Unknown Origin
* Attributes: ???
* Status: ???
“Great,” Jaeden muttered. “More mysteries.”
“Be careful,” Liandra warned, her voice tinged with concern. “We don’t know what it is -or what it could become.”
Jaeden picked up the egg, feeling an immediate connection. Its warmth pulsed against his palm, a silent rhythm that matched his own heartbeat. Whatever this was, somehow it had survived being eaten by a giant slime monster. And its surface didn’t look the tiniest bit harmed.