Our footsteps echoed against the walls of the empty, long and curved hallways. We had chosen the right wing of the ruins to start with, but hadn’t come across anything relating to the plaque at the entrance. Instead, our eyes were now gifted with bouts of worry.
Several more archways leading into different rooms occupied both sides, and inside each of them, a cluttered mess atop tables, tossed aside chairs, books that had fallen from shelves and the occasional unmade bed. I could feel the tug and clutch of Eru’s hand on my right sleeve as she held a concerned expression, seemingly also understanding what it could have implied.
It’s like whoever was here before us left in a rush for some reason... Grabbing whatever they could in the process. I’m surprised we didn’t see even more things scattered near the ruin’s entrance.
In the room at our direct right, a variety of books were spread across the ground like a large, asymmetrical rug. We decided to enter and investigate said room as Eru then picked one up from the ground. Her brows furrowed with squinted eyes as she opened the book and attempted to read what was written inside.
“I can’t make any sense of this... What language is this written in? Do you know, Albel?”
“Here, let me see it.”
Handing the book to me, I began flipping through a few pages. It was written in a certain language I couldn’t exactly read either. I could use [Render Tongues] to translate a different language verbally, but it didn’t work on deciphering written texts to my knowledge. A rather useless spell in MO, since you really didn’t need it outside of one or two side quests. That being said, I still had an idea of what it could be due to questing often in Ospus back in MO.
“I believe it’s written in the language of the Dis, or demon-tongue. It’s a language spoken by the inhabitants of Ospus—the Disians.”
“Hm, I see. This is my first time seeing it.”
The gem enthusiast was apparently uninterested, returning her attention back to the floor as she shuffled through the scattered books. On the other hand, my curiosity of the tome hadn’t abated—more so—increased even. It struck me as odd that we were seeing Disian writing so far south.
Why would they need texts written in demon-tongue here in the first place? Were they not only archeologists, but also researchers from Ospus then? Well, at the very least, this would explain why they decided to wear cloaks. No doubt their most distinctive feature—their horns—would attract unwanted attention.
I began to mimic Eru as I picked up several books myself. The majority of them had been written in a similar manner. The few that were written in a readable language, or primal-tongue, were rather nonexistent in relevant information nor held any clear details in regard to what happened in the ruins. Not even anything on who resided within these walls prior to our arrival.
I then came across a series of scribbles and short observations regarding something called the “ancestral root.” As for the author, each one written in primal-tongue held the same signature—Estreth. A name I had never heard of. It felt as if we were getting nowhere in learning anything useful, and the pressure in the air was making me even more impatient now.
“We’ll only waste time here looking through all of these, huh...? Eru, grab one or two that might have caught your interest and let’s keep moving.”
“Hehe. Already ahead of you. Here, only these two looked like they’re worth keeping. They were the only books that had numbers on their spines too, I think.”
She handed me two books written in Disian, and what seemed like the numerals for “3” and “5” were etched onto the bottom center of their spines. I gave her a nod, dropped them into my inventory and we finally headed out of the room. Making our way toward the end of the right-wing hallway, we entered an area that suddenly sent a massive shiver down my spine. Our attention was immediately drawn toward the large and intricate circle at the back end of the room.
“...A ritual circle...?!”
“Huh...? Is that...something similar to how you summon your wolves, Albel...?”
“Yes, but in my case, it’s to a far smaller degree and an instant one at that. This one...somehow still remains for whatever reason. But why exactly...?”
The only time I had seen a ritual circle remain for longer than the instant summoning, was when I attempted to cast [Convergence Summoning]. And even then, the ritual circle only remained for a short while. Due to creating a flimsy structure—leading to my failure—it cracked and was destroyed promptly after. The one in the room though, remained with a faint glow.
“Dammit... Did they really succeed then...? If they did, then where is the result...?! And what—”
It had dawned on me within that same second of my mumbled questioning to myself. According to Eru, and that plaque by the entrance, these ruins were once considered a home to a powerful creature. One written in as defeated, that then evidently had disappeared too. If it really was immortal, then it could have possibly been a Celestial that never made it into MO’s lore. A Celestial that hid itself within these same lands—the same mountain and ruins—after its supposed death.
“That means... Were they actually trying to—?!”
“Chirp!! Chirp!!”
A sudden and haunting tweet from the once quiet Cruubi came from atop Eru’s head. Its line of sight was directed upward as I quickly glanced its way. Following its gaze without a word, I panicked in reaction to what I saw. All I could do was move my body and shout within that instant.
“ERU!!”
“E-eh?!”
Without a second wasted, I dived toward the entrance with Eru in my arms as Cruubi hovered in front of us in that same direction. As my back slammed against the hard floor, a succession of three ground-fracturing impacts occupied the area we were standing at just a mere second ago. Clouds from the aftermath covered the area and consumed our vision and air, catching both of our lungs in the process.
“Cough. Eru... Are you okay?!”
“Mm... I’m all right... Cough. What was that...?!”
“I don’t have any idea... Just...make sure to stay outside of the doorway with Cruubi. And stay hidden. Whatever it—no, they are—they’re strong and fast...”
My eyes didn’t move away from the direction of the impact for even a second. Even while an aching spate of rippling waves washed over me, I still needed to be ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Thankfully, without saying a word more, Eru listened to my request as she headed and hid outside the entryway to the room. And as that cloudy mess slowly began to subside, three silhouettes vaguely presented themselves.
It really was three that I saw then? But now that I can almost see them...
Focusing on the large silhouette in the middle of the trio, my stomach turned the moment the status was shown to me. A single thought audibly crept through my mouth before I even realized I had said anything at all.
“What...the hell is this...?!”
Name: [Orgro]
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Rank: [Dis, Other]
Level: [100 (MAX)]
Class: [Berserker]
Alignment: [Chaotic Evil]
INFO: [N/A]
All three were similar, with the only difference being their names. Orgro, Kruznik, and Vaizr. All three held the Class of “Berserker”, a Class that seemed self-explanatory, and yet, it didn’t exist in the MO I knew. Even then, that was just a minor and insignificant part to all of this. From the pit of my stomach, a swelling of disgust and fear spread throughout my body that nullified the pain from earlier.
Why? That was because [Investigate] didn’t outright display the usual status for a monster this time. Instead, the one for people was shown. Seconds went by as I stood in restless disbelief, and finally, I could make out their appearance in full.
“Are they...really Disians...?!”
A gruesome and twisted portrayal that severely differed from the prior Disian characteristics that I knew of from MO. Seemingly now akin to hornless gargoyles—with dysmorphic features. Arms and wings bigger than their opposite, asymmetrical torsos that forced them to stand at a weird slant—even their own teeth protruded from the sides of their mouth. I was left stunned, in a heightened sense of angered repugnance. My thoughts tried to trickle through—in any attempt to form an explanation—but before I even could, Eru’s voice unrattled me.
“ALBEL!! ...A former shell—!!”
The middle Disian, Orgro, had now lunged at me in the midst of my dazed negligence. Yet, before it could reach where I was, a small pebble of sorts was thrown from beyond the entryway behind me. Eru’s voice met my ears in an unfettered shout—seemingly finishing a melodic chant.
“—and rouses ahead: [Crystalis Matter]!”
In the moment it made contact with Orgro’s face, the pebble immediately liquefied and crystalized over the Disian’s eyes—causing it to stumble forward. The two others behind it then leapt toward the ceiling and back onto the sides of the walls—as if eyeing the situation in apparent caution now. In this short time frame, I withdrew my stave and chose my first preemptive spell in awakened response.
“Summoning: [Elemental Golem: Stone]!”
In Orgro’s path, a colossal arm of rock instantly sprouted, clutching it by its entire frame as the rubble beneath my feet in turn formed and shifted into a person-like structure. The completed Stone Golem now held a tight embrace over the blinded Orgro as my eyes remained on the two above.
“Hold him for as long as you can, Golem! Eru! You save me there... Thanks. Now, if you have any other tricks up your sleeve, I advise you to start getting them ready right away. Just try and not draw too much attention, all right?”
“O-okay! I’ll do what I can...!”
Eru immediately began sorting through her bag of accessories, and as she did, I continued with formulating my own preparations. Regardless of what they were and why they were like this; they attacked us. Thinking about the specifics would have to wait. They were three Level 100 creatures that—weren't exactly monsters—but not Disians anymore either. For now, that was all the information I needed. I would need to focus on restraining them at the very least, and above all else, keep Eru safe.
“Now, how exactly can I get you two down from up there...?”
I was at a height disadvantage. The two above, Kruznik and Vaizr, remained attached to the walls—silent and unmoving. I could only assume they were searching for an opening to descend with that same destructive force and speed from last time.
A volley, maybe? I could get them to move with a rapid fire, but then what? My Golem is dealing with one of them and getting pushed back slowly, but how long can it hold out against it? There’s still that significant Level difference between the two...
Glancing over at my Stone Golem, it continued to struggle in its attempt to hold Orgro. I needed to hurry and make a move. As my eyes turned back to the two above, an idea suddenly came to mind. This one though, was in need of an extra hand.
“Eru! You still there?”
“Y-yes?!”
“Do you have anything in that bag of yours that could pull me from a distance?”
I could hear the rattling of metals shift amid her bag as she quickly searched for something.
“Pull...? Pull... Pull... Oh! Yes! I do have something like that! But it’s kind of—”
“All right! Make sure to look out for the signal then. Don’t you dare miss it!”
“Huh...? Wait! Albel?! What signal? What am I supposed to be looking out for...?! Aha... I guess we have no other choice... O-okay! Crubbi, we’ll need your help too!”
“Chirp!”
Ignoring Eru’s voice from behind me, I could feel the pain pulsating throughout my body as I began moving toward the Stone Golem. This would definitely be a gamble. All eight Divination uses available, with two preemptive spells remaining. Without using my remaining preemptive cast yet, I began.
“Casting: [Divination]…"
The seconds went by as I readied to chain-cast spell after spell once more in accordance to what my [Divination] weighed in toward providing the highest success—all the while alternating my focus between the two above and my Stone Golem. Hoping they wouldn’t react or lose out, respectively, just yet. And thankfully, luck was seemingly on my side for now.
“Casting: [Self Accelerate]! All right, it’s time!”
I lunged toward my Stone Golem, quickly closing the gap. Within that same second of stopping near it, I resumed with another spell without missing a beat.
“Casting: [Force Push]!”
I directed the burst of energy toward the ground and I was sent flying high enough to land directly onto the Stone Golem’s back now. As I did, my eyes remained aimed above and I could just make out the slight twitching of their figures as they seemed raring to descend just like before.
I bet you’re both itching to lunge, but...
They were still hesitant due to the stave in my hands—something that I had already accounted for. Taking a deep breath, I then tossed my stave far behind me and toward Eru’s direction. In doing so, they took the bait that was amplified by the prior casting of [Phantasmal Touch], one that made it seem as if there was nothing below me. I then sprung backwards as they initiated their destructive dive.
“Hold steady, my buried construct until the tap to entwine. Then rupture, be free to constrict, pierce—to sap and bind!”
“Eru!!”
“[Glyph of Binding]! Cruubi!”
“Chirp!! Chirp!!”
Falling in the direction of the entryway—within a short lapse of time—Cruubi suddenly flew by my left side. And the moment my eyes met with the small bird’s form, I was suddenly entrapped in a piercing vine of magical energy. One that tugged at my entirety with a forceful recoil and with thorns that dug deep into my skin—seemingly absorbing my own mana reserves. My body then slammed against the ground as another instance of rippling pain shook my entirety.
“Ghrg!! OUCH!!”
“A-a-aaaaa! I’m sorry, Albel!! There was no other—”
“It’s f-fine, you did great...!”
The vines vanished upon Eru’s arrival as I immediately then forced myself up and off the floor. Grabbing my thrown stave, I continued. The area where they had plummeted had become another cloudy mess with rocks scattered around, but I couldn’t afford to wait for it to disappear this time.
The Golem is still alive, partially and in pieces. It’s still going as planned!
“Casting: [Telekinesis]!”
Using the low leveled psionic spell, I enveloped the rubble around me with my own magic energy—including the pieces of the still summoned Stone Golem—and began sending them flying in the cloud's direction. The next two spells would need to be instant, thus, I finally initiated the last two preemptive spells I had remaining. One being an altered spell based on [Sinking Ground].
“Casting: [Sinking Bullets], [Point of Absorption]!”
Both the pieces of extra rubble and the fragments of the Stone Golem became muddied projectiles as they assaulted the clouded area with a full, unrelenting barrage. And as I propelled my stave into the air one last time, I used the finishing spell.
“Casting: [Gravitation]!!”
This was used with the intent on forcing them—and the muddied Stone Golem—together. Since [Point of Absorption] would cause them to sink deeply into the now partial Mud Golem on interaction. I dropped to my knees, breathing in sync with the pace of my heart rate—loud and fast. Finally, all I could do was wait until the dirt cloud settled. And as they slowly did, I could only see two shadowy heads squirming in the distance.
“ALBEL!!”
Within hearing my name called, my body was seemingly sent flying from what felt like the slam of a tree trunk-like arm against my side. Once again, I had failed.