23. The Rift (II)
Raziel slid along an obsidian ledge, feeling for a notch.
He had ventured as far as he dared. The further he descended the more oppressive the pressure became, squeezing every inch of his body, snuffing out his mana and causing his feet to slip. His ‘Manasight’ was useful for refining cards but now it obscured his vision. He couldn’t see his hand if held it up to his face. What he did see - what he only saw - was the hopeless dark echoing up from the bottom of the Rift.
If Raziel was lucky, these strange footholds marked passageways he could use instead. Why else would someone sculpt them into the side of the Rift?
His fingers hit a knob. “There we go,” he whispered.
An earthen door slid up.
Warmth billowed out of the entrance - and with it, the taste of smoke and ash. Raziel’s hair floated around his head for a second before falling back into its neat waves. Spots of heat flickered inside the corridor. Torches, likely.
His vision was so shrouded by the dark mana that Raziel’s mind spun with colors and hazy shapes to keep him sane.
There had to be a way to switch his Manasight off.
Shutting his eyes, Raziel visualized his mana system. A complex network of channels breathed to life around him.
On his forehead, in the exact spot where the glyphstone sat, Raziel noticed a luminous bulb pulsing with energy. There were seven such nodes in his body, each one a beacon of concentrated mana.
If he cut off the mana flow to the forehead node, that might shut off his Manasight.
But how? Raziel wasn’t consciously directing his mana there in the first place.
Then an idea clicked.
Raziel didn’t have an infinite supply of mana.
He steadily channeled his mana into his six other nodes. One by one they ignited like stars. The top of his head. His throat. His abdomen, his lower belly, and his pelvis. There was also a node in his chest where his core was. Raziel watched, pleased, as the node on his forehead dimmed.
Subtle and Sublime yipped happily in his core, relishing in the stronger mana flow. Maybe focusing mana into his core node had benefits. Raziel reminded himself to explore that theory later.
He opened his eyes to see orange firelight bathing the corridor in front of him.
Constantly channeling mana into his other nodes was a constant strain on his focus. Yet, like learning the wraith’s fighting style, Raziel would adapt and adjust until it became second nature.
Raziel grabbed one of the torches and strode into the corridor.
The hall was carved from the same greasy, obsidian stone. Wet reflections spread across the walls.
Raziel dragged his fingertips along the rough-hewn wall as he walked, memorizing the grooves and crevices.
“What’s this?”
There was a bit of parchment lodged behind one of the torches, its edges blackened.
Raziel set his torch between his teeth and carefully pried the paper out from behind the iron sconce.
The parchment felt powdery to the touch, its quarter-folds worn so deep and thin that light filtered through them. The ink had faded into the color of tea stains.
It was a map.
A very simple map, but a map nonetheless.
Angling the parchment for a better view, Raziel squinted at the paragraph in the right corner. Why would anyone write in such a cramped script? But this time his dubious reading skills weren’t to blame - the language wasn’t Common at all. Raziel wondered how something so foreign had gotten this close to Bramblebog.
The map illustrated seven rooms; each one, labeled. Raziel recognized some of the words. Names. Titles. One of the rooms was circled heavily multiple times. Raziel assumed that it was nearby.
“Yz… kar… the… Devo…”
He frowned, the motion causing his tongue to briefly come into contact with the torch handle. Bitter ash.
“Yz’kharj the Devourer?”
Was he reading that right? That hardly sounded like Common either.
The other labels were easier. “Lady Dulcet, the Forsworn” was in the chamber to the right of the Devourer. “The One Who Wears White” was further behind. Of all the rooms, Raziel definitely wanted to avoid the “Slaughteress of the Autumn Wake” but thankfully she was the furthest away from him.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Although, that ultimately didn’t matter much. If his ancestor was near her, then Raziel would go there.
Pocketing the map, he grasped the torch again.
If there wasn’t so much dark path mana assaulting his senses, he might’ve been able to track the wraith through his Manasight. The wraith’s magic was quite distinctive.
Raziel decided to give it two days. If he didn’t find the wraith in two days, he’d run back to Father Linus. They’d figure out a way to defeat Last Wish and save Bramblebog themselves. For now, he would investigate the rooms on the map. Whatever had grabbed the wraith was powerful - it must’ve been one of the beings important enough to be labeled.
Raziel followed the map to Yz’kharj the Devourer’s chamber. The door was a simple obsidian slab. Pressing a hand to the door, he sensed a huge amount of dark magic scrabbling around behind it. Claws raking against the floor.
His [Hyper-Vigilance] should be blaring at him, but it wasn’t. Just his luck. His [Hyper-Vigilance] must also be connected to the node on his forehead. Maybe that was why his Manasight and [Hyper-Vigilance] worked so flawlessly together.
The thought of fighting without his [Hyper-Vigilance] gave him such a pause that he considered reactivating his forehead node and fighting blind. His other senses were just as finely honed as his vision, and [Hyper-Vigilance] worked through them equally well. But it was too risky! He didn’t have much experience fighting that way.
Raziel released a low whistle. Subtle and Sublime rushed out of his core.
Deep growls vibrated in their throats as they crouched low to the floor, stalking forward to the threat lying just beyond the door.
After repairing the cards, Raziel’s bond with his beasts strengthened a fraction.
“Hold back,” he told them. “Let me fight it first. I need the practice.”
For the first time in a while he pulled up his entire soulpane.
> [HUNTER]
>
> Level - Mortal
>
> —------
>
> Species: Human
>
> Specialization: Hyper-Vigilance
>
> Aptitude: F-Rank
>
> HP: 65/100
>
> Mana: 89/100
>
> —---------
>
> ATTRIBUTES
>
> Strength: 5/10
>
> Dexterity: 5/10
>
> Body: 8/10
>
> Soul Power: 5/20
>
> Magic Power: 4/10
>
> Cognition: 5/10
>
> Insight: 6/10
>
> —-----------
>
> CARD REPOSITORY
>
> [Subtle the Elusive Dreamhound] - Rare-Grade
>
> [Sublime the Elusive Dreamhound] - Rare-Grade
>
> [???] - ???-Grade
“If he gets one hit on me then you both can jump in,” he decided. His HP was lower than he liked. Even with Raziel channeling mana into the node on his abdomen, the shadow-edged wounds on his stomach hadn’t closed one bit.
Raziel put his hand to the door, pausing.
He was way too reliant on his [Hyper-Vigilance].
Exhaling slowly, he pushed on the door and it slid open.
A wave of putrid decay hit him in the face. The smell of spoiled meat, wriggling with tiny, white maggots. A rat as large as the Ravenbone cottage lifted its head, eyes milky white. One of its back legs was missing. Its front teeth were longer than Subtle and Sublime standing end to end. [Basic Rodent] floated above its head.
Torn books littered the floor around its scabbed feet. The vaulted room felt larger than the entirety of Bramblebog. Raziel's attention drew to an ornate door the size of the rat on the other side of the room. Obsidian columns twisting with complex designs soared to the ceiling. The walls were lined with an endless amount of books. So many books that it was impossible.
Raziel might not consider reading his number one skill, but the sight of this rat eating books enraged him.
“Yz’kharj the Devourer, it’s over!” he growled. “Where’s the wraith?”
A voice passed over Raziel like thousands of chewing, chitinous beetles. “Meat… fresh meat?”
The blood drained from Raziel’s face and his valor instantly vanished. He pressed a hand to the wounds on his abdomen. The [Basic Rodent]’s voice had done something to the shadows - it felt like there were snakes undulating fiercely inside his stomach, battering against his skin. His HP dropped to 60/100.
You know what? Raziel didn’t think he saw the wraith in there anyway…
He stepped back into the hallway and slammed the door shut. The writhing in his stomach quieted.
What he wouldn’t give for some holy path Spell Cards right now.
“I don’t suppose any of your abilities have a decursing effect?” he asked his [Elusive Dreamhounds].
Sublime nudged his head under Raziel’s arm, gazing up at him sadly. Subtle pawed at the door, totally focused on the rat behind it.
“Nevermind. This place is huge, I’m sure we’ll find something. Come on.”
Except, they didn’t. Raziel and his two beast summons went down corridor after corridor but every path led back to Yz’kharj the Devourer. Raziel even reignited his forehead node, hoping his Manasight and [Hyper-Vigilance] would help him find a hidden door or passageway.
Raziel stood stiffly in front of the obsidian door. Again.
If he got through the rat, then he could use the giant door on the other side of its chamber. That would take him deeper into the raid.
As if sensing that Yz’kharj the Devourer, master of the dark path, was close by, his wounds began to act up again, sending jolts of pain and discomfort through him. His HP ticked downwards point by point. If it were merely the pain, Raziel wouldn't blink. But it wasn't. That rat might be able to kill him just by standing around.
Yz’kharj the Devourer might be enormous, but he looked old and slow. The missing leg wouldn’t do the beast any favors either. It should be an easy kill.
He scratched Sublime behind his ear. "I'm leaving this one to you two. If the big bastard starts giving you trouble, I'll run in, okay?"
Raziel gave Subtle a nod. "You're gonna earn a ton of XP."
Two pairs of lavender eyes shone.