Jean almost died in the third loop, barely managing to endure the pain after depleting her mana. She 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. Just 12 meters below was a huge lake filled with sharp rocks.
The water on its surface rose abruptly, striking her. She could do nothing to protect herself. She had no mana left to activate the armor’s barrier. 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.
She writhed in pain as she bled from the small cuts and bruises all over her body. The armor had protected her fairly well, but not as much as she would have liked. However, it wasn’t the time to complain. Not when numerous immense tendrils of water were forming.
She raised her hands in a desperate attempt to protect herself. The armor barrier activated instinctively, but it only lasted a second. “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.
»Lake Keeper«
Name: Narad.
Level ???
Marks: [Thief], [Traitor], [Killer].
Details: Linked to the lake. This player's attributes make her a deadly opponent for you.
Highest Attribute (Willpower): 325
“[If you touch me again, I will kill you!]”
Hearing that really felt like a drop of hope in a sea of fear. Jean bowed her head immediately after. “Perfectly! I will never touch your waters again! I'm deeply sorry!”
The woman held the water tendrils up for a few seconds more, but in the end decided to turn around and sink into the water.
“Please, wait!”
Narhad stopped the immersion at the level of her nose and looked at her sideways.
“I’m Jean. What’s your name?”
Narhad 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…” Jean closed her mouth abruptly for a second. She shouldn't blithely mention that she was the Cursed One; everyone seemed to want something from her. “Could you answer me a few questions? I'm a bit lost...”
Narhad violently emerged up to the torso. “[You can't fool me, monster!]”
“I'm not trying to fool anyone! It’s just that I've lost my memory and...”
“[What about Dark Elf Killer?]”
That mark was new. “You're right! It may look like that! But if you let me explain...”
Narhad sank without taking her eyes off her. “[Don't bother me again if you don't want to end up like the others.]”
A shiver ran through her from head to toe. “The others? What is she talking about?”
“[You really should get out of here.]”
After activating Collector of Souls, everything made sense. Her surroundings were filled with souls. Hundreds of them, some very close to her feet. If she hadn't apologized, she would have ended up like them. However, that was not the most unexpected thing. The same thing happened as above, when the dark elves handed her the relic. There were also silhouettes of souls concentrated in a distant point behind the rock. Why didn't they come out? Did they also know she was a Cursed One and that frightened them?
Jean looked around for a possible path to them, but that place was gigantic. A large natural vault made possible by the enormous rock masses necessary to prevent the mountain from collapsing due to the cavity.
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 crabs covered with crystals emerging from their backs, which made them easily visible despite being half covered by the mud on the shore.
She deactivated the skill and explored the immense cave, without putting a finger in the lake or any puddle. She needed to get along with that being. 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 and what was happening there, would give her a better chance of survival.
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 undead. Moreover, screaming sounded like a terrible idea. If by chance powerful enemies appeared everywhere, she would have no way of dealing with them.
Looking sideways at Narhad's 3 interrogations, she pondered that maybe everyone down here was as powerful as she was. With that in mind, she headed towards 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.
»Lake Crab«
Level ??
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.
Highest Attribute (Vitality): 102.
“Fuck! Just as I feared.”
When she got very close to them, the lake shook. As she turned around, she saw the huge elemental looming menacingly.
“[What are you plotting, monster?]”
Jean flashed a bright smile and raised her hands as a sign of peace.
“[Leave them in peace! Or do you want me to end your pathetic existence now?!]"
Jean opted to stand still and duck her head. “Sorry!”
Bothering the elemental with questions now didn't seem the best way to dissipate the tension. She opted for opening the map. To her surprise, the arrow of her main mission had disappeared.
“Eh?! Is Gabriel dead or what?”
“[Its absence indicates that you have no way to reach him from here.]”
“Isn't there another way back? I can't just swim to the waterfall and climb up the rock to the top, she'd kill me.”
“[Maybe it's a good time to focus on getting stronger and learning more about this world. Gabriel is powerful.]”
She snorted. “Maybe you’re right.” She needs to find corrupted creatures to level up quickly and find a corpse to resurrect Dih.
[New Mission: Annihilate abominations in the depths. (0 of 5)]
[New Mission: Get Dih's favor so that she fights alongside you.]
[New Mission: Resurrect Dih with the corpse of an abomination.]
Five arrows appeared in response on the map. One white, one yellow, one green, one blue, one purple and one red. Each pointed in a different direction. She sensed that the red one would be the most difficult.
“Ok…! Who gives me these missions?”
“[The system. The same one that provided you with your magic core.]”
“What is the system?”
“[A great power created by the ancient gods so that mere mortals could fight against evil. We don't know its real name, although humans coming from Earth gave it that name a couple of hundred years ago.]”
Narhad grew tired of her silence and startled her. “[Get out of here, monster!]”
The tendril of water pointed toward the bottom of the cavern, where two columns stood. When she made sure that Jean saw them too, the elemental dropped her aggressive stance and sank.
Jean walked without losing sight of the huge lake and its beautiful waters. In the center, and barely submerged, a large sphere of blue light shone. Was Narhad protecting it?
It took her quite a while to reach the columns; she had to make a long detour to avoid touching the lake. The elemental was vigilant.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Already in front of them, she analyzed them carefully. They were covered with runes that she did not understand, and a kind of transparent veil waved between them.
“What the fuck is this? It's... freaking awesome!”
“[It's a portal. Don't even think of going near it!]”
She stepped back. “What?! Why?"
“[Just take our advice!]”
“All right! I won't approach it again!”
Between the bases of the columns in the direction of the lake, the first steps of a wide staircase could be distinguished, plunging into the luminescent lake. What were they for? Some kind of ritual?
The elemental emerged menacingly. “[Enter through the portal and disappear!]”
Jean was annoyed. “And where is it supposed to lead?”
“[To your death! Don't listen to her!]”
Jean narrowed her eyes, glaring at Narhad with hatred. She opened the map and ignored her to check where the white arrow was pointing.
Narhad did something unexpected. She emerged from the lake, walked over the water until she reached the shore and crossed her arms. “[So you've been deceived too, Cursed One.]”
“Deceived me?! Who?!”
“[You don't seem to notice the difference between the actual whispers and that bastard talking to you. He's one of them!]”
Jean unconsciously raised her voice. “Them?! ... Explain yourself!”
“[Why don't you enter through the portal? Is it because the whispers alerted you of the danger? They didn't, did they? They spoke to you, but the whispers don't speak! They’re hundreds of voices saying so many things that understanding them is not always easy. They certainly don't have a voice as clear as the one you hear!]”
Jean needed time to digest the shock, but Narhad was not so kind.
“[Funny how all you Cursed Ones end up here sooner or later, isn't it? ... Funny how you survived in a dungeon impossible for a newbie. Funny how they fed you with your friends…]”
Jean was distraught.
“[Where were you heading? To try to level up? ... Yes! Go that way! You will die like the others! They do nothing but eliminate aspirants. Someday they will wipe them all out, and on top of that, you help them with your stupidity!]”
Jean questioned the whispers, but none answered. She clenched her fists and teeth tightly as her eyes were barely able to hold back the tears. She had been used and betrayed. She couldn't believe they had killed them for that macabre reason. "This is nothing! You are strong! Nothing can stop you!"
Seeing her suffering, Narhad uncrossed her arms and dropped her reproachful tone. “[Do you really want to resurrect your group?]”
Jean didn't wonder how she knew that, she just nodded. “As many as I can!”
“[Forget that for now! You won't be able to keep them alive for long. As soon as you get other relics scattered around here, they'll come after you.]”
Narhad pointed away from the portal, towards some stairs that went even further into the depths. “[They will come that way! No one will help you when that happens!]”
“It doesn't make sense! They could have taken the relic from me many times if they wanted to.”
“[I don't know their plans, but I imagine it's because you would eventually approach the truth.]”
Jean looked at her with resentment. She knew much more than she wanted to share.
“[You will need to go the way I show you in order to find a specific relic. When you have it, come running and jump through the portal. Without it, surviving will be tricky.]”
Seeing Jean's doubtful expression, Narhad decided to be more direct.
“[You can also jump now! You will have to kill everyone you meet to make up for your lack of corruption. You may have not realized it yet, but without it, you can't live outside of here. That's part of the curse.]”
Jean didn't inquire why that being knew so much, she simply felt that there was no one she could trust anymore. However, that didn’t change her objective. She headed into the depths, but before. “Thank you!”
Remembering Narhad’s Traitor mark. “I’m not like them. I won't harm innocents for my own gain. Although that doesn’t mean I would be a good girl all the time.”
««◊◊◊« »◊◊◊»»
She spent 10 points on Vitality and Willpower respectively. The whispers did so instantly, but remained silent. Narhad wasn't lying about that.
“Why have you deceived me? What do you want from me?”
Silence reigned, interrupted only by the loud beating of her troubled heart. Anguish and betrayal drowned her with a single question. Why?
Jean focused on descending into the depths. The walls of the tunnel were also covered with runes and strange engravings just as unintelligible as the previous ones, and the darkness was so intense that walking without Soul Collector combined with Cursed Perception was impossible.
What were at first occasional recent human remains, grew out of control with every step. Only souls, and clothes and armor affected by the passage of time remained. She tried to be respectful and avoided stepping on the souls, which drastically slowed her descent.
The continuous movement noise between the many cracks that interrupted the continuity of the engravings made her hair stand on end. The smell reminded her of the rats and osquip above, but if they were here too, what level would they be?
She kept descending, aware that she was going to be assaulted at any moment. The truth was that she felt like letting off some steam. She didn't have to wait long. She soon found a crevice she could hardly fit through. She left it behind, expecting a fight.
A dozen sickly-looking rats came out to meet her. She waited for them to gather and tried the combination of lightning and acid. The creatures ended up paralyzed and with acid burns spreading throughout their bodies. However, the acid had an excessive effect against such weak enemies. If she had let it act any longer before assimilating them, they would have turned into a mass of liquid flesh.
»Corrupt Rat«
Level 15
Details: This creature has nothing to do against you.
Highest Attribute (Dexterity): 19
Soon more came, but she didn't use the costly combination again. It damaged the corpses badly and she felt she got less out of them. Perhaps against more dangerous enemies. She wanted to continue this in a more personal way. Kicking, stomping and punching.
It wasn't that she only had that option after losing her weapons when she fell down the waterfall, she felt more comfortable fighting like this. She just enjoyed it more. Having spent almost a day on the plane of souls fighting with her body alone had awakened in her a certain appetite for that kind of up-close confrontation. So personal. So satisfying. Force against force. Pain against pain.
The squeaking of the rats caught the attention of five osquip.
»Osquip«
Level 23
Details: Their teeth can dig through rock, but they can do little against your healing.
Highest Attribute (Dexterity): 31
They jumped at her with viciousness in their eyes. They didn't last a minute. They exploded into pieces with one punch. More creatures appeared. Some rats even caught her by surprise, biting her from between the cracks. However, her body had changed so much that it only tickled.
A great shriek came from the depths of the crevice. After killing all the vermin so easily, she expected a more interesting encounter. She waited expectantly while assimilating all the corpses, but in the end nothing emerged.
[You have defeated Corrupt Rat. Level 15.] x35
[You have defeated Osquip. Level 23.] x8
[Experience bonus awarded for killing creatures corrupted by evil.]
[You have reached Level 29. +5 attribute points.]
[You have acquired +1 Dexterity, +1 Endurance and +1 Perception.]
[Swift Strike has increased to level 5.]
[Dash and Rapid Assault have increased to level 8.]
[Cursed Punish has increased to level 2. Rank 2.]
[Cursed Search and Cursed Perception have increased to level 3. Rank 2.]
[Hunger for Evil and Pupil of Evil have increased to level 7. Rank 3.]
Jean walked deeper until she managed to see the creature at the end. It was so large that it could not access the narrow area where she stood. A hideous cross between an osquip and Master Splinter from the Ninja Turtles, though rather more muscular and nauseating. A very hunched creature with claws like sickles and a row of long teeth like knives. And let's not forget about its four arms.
»Rat Abomination«
Level 41
Details: The evil that this creature possesses is similar to yours.
Highest Attribute (Strength): 74
The whispers warned her to stay away. The abominations had special skills related to corruption. Some similar to hers.
The rat abruptly turned toward her and squealed as its eyes lit up. The sound hit Jean like a jolt; an impact that paralyzed and confused her. Her surroundings began to lie down as blood flowed from her nose and ears.
Banging her head against the wall helped her regain enough control to get out of sight of the abomination. “What the hell was that?”
“[You have been attacked by a psychic wave of great power. Without your current Willpower, it would have rendered you completely unconscious. Its kind would have finished the job by bringing you closer.]”
Jean didn't expect him to be the one to answer. “Really?! Now you're talking?!”
“[Stop whining! There was no point in explaining myself with a mind-reading being interfering. She would end up using whatever I said against me.]”
“I don't want to hear you! You deceived me!”
“[How quickly you've forgotten the many times I've saved your ass!]”
He was right. Or maybe not. “What do you want from me?”
“[I'm not who she thinks I am. I'm just trying to guide you.]”
“You haven't answered yet!”
“[The enemy of my enemies in my friend.]”