Inside the tunnel, the ground was even, not leading up or down and went forward in a straight line, with no visible curves or junctions, and I could not see the end of it. In the distance, there was just darkness, even though the tunnel was lit by some kind of moss.
Taking prior experiences into account, I checked with Identify, but the moss was just a normal plant. A glowing one, but not one with a mind of its own.
Also, seeing the sheer length of the tunnel, it became apparent that the lair was not really the interior of the tree, but something else. Yes, the girth of the tree was massive and dwarfed anything I had ever seen, but this was too much even for that. It was something I would have to ask Veraxia about when she returned.
Until then, I had only one task to accomplish and that was to kill. And the first step for accomplishment would be to find out what was going on with that passage and what lay ahead. Hopefully though, it would not take much longer for Veraxia to return.
After a few dozens of steps beyond the threshold, I heard movements behind me again. The roots that had pried open the wall were retreating into the passage and slowly allowing the wall behind me to grow back together. A sense of déjà vu washed over me and I could not help but be a little impressed by the regenerative ability of the bark.
At the same time, I was beginning to develop a feeling that I had underestimated trees for the most parts of my life. Ever since that day, the trees around me just kept getting weirder.
Thus, my only way out was sealed and now, I was really only left with the option of pressing ahead. Had Veraxia meddled with things even in her absence? I had no idea if I should be grateful or not about it. After all, she had just practically forced me to continue, even if I planned to do so anyway, it still felt ominous. Maybe because I just didn’t like to have my next action directed by someone else.
I quickly shrugged off this feeling, as it was unfounded and unnecessary at the moment. The two of us had a common enemy and there was no reason for her to act against or sabotage me.
Still, I was glad I decided to take one of the pincers with me. It was the only thing I took with me from that room and it would be a great help. Especially if I was to encounter another enemy. At least I could neither see nor hear anything of concern.
The moss also provided decent lighting, even if not optimal one. I briefly considered to make a provisional torch using my mana, but its glow was barely of any use with the moss around. If I could control bigger amounts at once though, that might change in the future.
I proceeded without much worry, although I always maintained a healthy sense of caution. Ever since I stepped foot into this lair, the line between the possible and impossible I thought I knew completely blurred and the two sides mingled and mixed, resulting in me expecting the most bizarre of things to happen. For example, if the walls could split just like that, was there any reason to not suspect the floor to be capable of that, too? And I certainly did not want to fall into a suddenly appearing hole beneath my feet. Hence my caution.
However, after a while, my tension began to turn into boredom as, unexpectedly enough, nothing happened. No matter how much I walked, nothing around me seemed to change. The only proof of my progress was the wall behind me that was now out of sight. It was quite demoralizing, to be honest, as it felt like I was wasting precious time, but at the same time, it was the only thing I could do. The problem was that it was still taking up a long time without me doing anything and I just felt like I should be doing something… anything.
Trying to distract myself, I started humming. Even though I only heard about music from stories of other prisoners or clan members, I enjoyed to produce a tune myself and inside my cell, it was one of the few things I could do, even when gagged—at least somewhat. And just like in those times, it would help me to bridge difficult moments like this.
Looking at it positively, since it was so uneventful, my mana could recover without much troubles and soon hit the six hundred mark. And so, I continued to hum and watch the number rise in peace. But peace and quiet were not things I was allowed to enjoy.
It was almost like someone knew that I was completely ignoring the world around me and decided to punish me, as after the next step I took, my foot did not meet the familiar rough and dusty ground, but instead stepped into a black void.
It was too late for me to do anything. My body weight had already shifted and my muscles were too weak to put up any resistance. And just like that, I started falling.
My calm humming quickly turned into a panicked scream as I sank into the deep abyss. In an desperate attempt, I lashed out with my arms and legs, but found no purchase. Even if I did, there was no way I would be able to hold onto something with these arms of mine.
As I kept falling though, my mind started to regain some of its calm. I stopped flailing around and closed my mouth. My mind was clearing and something was doing away with all that panic and fear. Or building a wall around it to stop it from affecting me. In other words, Iron Will was helping me and allowed for undisturbed thinking, even in the face of my imminent death.
Was that really the case though? Was I really going to die?
All around me was Veraxia’s lair. A domain which she showed clear capability to freely shape according to her will. Would she really leave such a big hole in the ground and risk for me to die?
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Certainly, her lair appeared large and she might just have forgotten about it, but something was telling me that was not the case.
In that case, she must have left the hole here on purpose for me to discover. So either, I would not die at the end of this fall, or Veraxia was just trying to kill me. Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out.
I continued falling, and eventually, I could see a weak light below me. The moment of truth drew nearer and even with Iron Will in effect, the nervousness persisted. After all, there was a fifty percent chance that this was my end.
Thankfully, my expectation had not betrayed me. My body remained in one piece as I plunged into a pile of somethings that I quickly discovered to be leaves, moss and other soft plant matter. The impact did not hurt at all and cushioned my fall perfectly.
My body sunk deeper into the pile, being enveloped by plants and I struggled a little to free myself, but eventually managed to crawl out of it and onto my feet.
I took a deep, relieved breath and scowled at the ceiling.
Fuck you, Veraxia. If we ever meet, I will punch you for that.
After insulting her for this stunt some more, my expression softened and I let out a long sigh.
“But thanks for not killing me, I guess.”
With that settled, I finally took my chance to take a look around the place. It was a chamber, much like before, but smaller. Moss was growing on the walls, ceiling and floor, making it surprisingly pleasant to walk on. A welcome improvement for my bare feet. To my right, there was yet another passage that was leading outside the chamber and it was also the only one.
Seeing as this chamber was empty beside the pile that saved my life, I probably had to head into the passage. But before doing so, I had a pincer to find.
During my fall, I had let go of it, but it had to be somewhere around here and sure enough, after a little bit of digging, I found it and pulled it out. When I grabbed it, I noticed a small cut in the palm of my hand.
Must have happened when I fell.
The wound quickly closed and with all the dried blood that was already on me, it did not really stick out.
With everything ready, I headed for the next passage, hoping this one would be a little bit more eventful than the last. It was smaller than the last one, but the carpet of moss made the ground feel very pleasant and also granted it more light.
I entered it without much thought and only a few steps inside, the wall behind me closed again. It was nothing new by now, but it made me wonder about the why. Why were all the passage closing off. Did Veraxia want to prevent me from escaping? Or was it to keep the Exapoda locked up?
You should hurry up, Veraxia…
When the bark stopped creaking and the wall still, I was finally able to hear properly again, but what I heard was not the same quiet as the corridor before. Instead, I could hear a familiar distant clicking.
Judging by the subtleness of the noise, the drone was still a considerable distant away. Well, I had wished for a more eventful time, so in a sense, my wish had been fulfilled.
Acknowledging the inevitability of this fight, I started walking and prepared myself for the confrontation to come. Since I had already disposed of two drones before, I was not really scared to confront yet another, however, the nervousness remained. It was a fight with my life on the line, after all. And even if I wanted to be, I was not completely confident in my own, new abilities.
The ground grew louder and louder, until it was in my close vicinity. As a precaution, I activated Shadow Cloak to hide myself. A surprise attack could finish the fight before it even began.
It did not take long for the familiar silhouette to appear before me. It was another big centipede, eating from the glowing moss.
[Exapoda Drone - Lvl. 13]
It was three levels higher than me. That did not make it an impossible enemy, but definitely a dangerous one. Its outer appearance was not much different from the other two drone’s I had encountered, but its body was definitely bigger. Not by a lot, but noticeable enough. If that meant anything, I had yet to see.
The drone still hadn’t noticed me and was casually eating away at the mossy ground, but just because it showed no aggression, I wouldn’t spare it.
Getting in closer, I let go of the pincer in my hand and grabbed it with Telekinesis. Taking away its sight would be my priority normally, but I had the chance to just kill it in an instant and cutting its antennae would just enrage it unnecessarily. Killing it in one go would help me avoid more trouble.
Confident, I aimed for the drones back and attacked. The pincer shot at it, but when it met the plate on the drone’s back, it did not penetrate. Instead, the tip broke off.
What?!
Jerking my hand back, the pincer flew back to my side, only to strike the drone into its side only moments later, but the pincer did not pierce through the back plate again and instead cracked even further.
My eyes widened, a loud screech ripping me out of my stupor shortly after. I quickly retrieved my pincer. Naturally, the drone did not ignore the attack and emitted a loud, threatening screech, however, since Shadow Cloak was still obscuring me, it did not lash out or attack. Instead, it started walking around, feeling around with its antennae to find the assailant.
I gulped, hoping that my Shadow Cloak would be enough to fool it. But suddenly, the Exapoda turned my way and slowly advanced towards me.
Fearing it would notice even the slightest movement, I held completely still. The drone showed no signs of stopping and a shiver ran down my spine.
The Drone came closer until its antennae touched me. It traced my body, feeling my stomach, chest and throat. One of the antennae advanced towards my face, while the other passed my waist, hips and eventually…
When its antennae tried to reach that place, I couldn’t bear it anymore and with a quick movement, the pincer was back in my hand.
My emotions flared up and I instinctively bit the antennae that was feeling my face, while gripping the one poking my crotch. Jerking my head back and arm back, both antennae soon found themselves ripped out of the drone’s body. I stepped back slightly, screeching in agony, but I couldn’t care less.
Spitting out that thing’s antennae, I closed the distance and with a backhand swing, rammed the pincer into the drone’s mouth. I let go and instead got a hold of both of the drone’s pincers, while exploiting its current disorientation and slammed its head into the ground.
But I was weak, so the drone did not die with just that. And so, I continued to repeatedly slam its head into the ground and each time, the pincer pierced a bit further into its head, until it eventually emerged on the other side.
You have slain [Exapoda Drone | Lvl. 13]. Experience will be awarded. Bonus Experience for slaying a higher-leveled enemy will be awarded.
[Unregistered] has leveled up! Stat points have been allocated! 1 Free Stat Point acquired!
[Unregistered] is now Level 11.
[Novice Witch] has leveled up! Stat points have been allocated! 1 Free Stat Point acquired!
[Novice Witch] has leveled up! Stat points have been allocated! 1 Free Stat Point acquired!
[Novice Witch] is now Level 4.
Having spent all of my stamina, I cancelled Shadow Cloak and fell to my knees and eventually onto my back.