Chapter Thirty-One
Ambrose Severen appeared within a cemetery. As the knight of Avalon, he knew that there was a cemetery on the island, but he was still a little surprised. He wasn't aware of much of the information imparted to him as he had hung from the tree unless he considered it. A large crypt of dark grey and black stone took up most of the middle of the cemetery, graves spreading outward like dark flowers.
Ambrose headed for the large crypt, taking in the dark purple, red, and black flowers and vines that spread outward from the ground like an infectious wound that covered the crypt. Ambrose entered through the dark entrance, a dank, cold breeze ruffling his hair and kissing his skin as his feet crunched against the dark soil under his boots.
The crypt went below the earth, but this time it wasn’t the cavern-like caves he was used to, but rather broken, ancient stone covered in those same wound-like flowers and vines. Broken, withered bones littered various alcoves; some fully formed skeletons lie in stone coffins.
Noelle rippled, a sense of fear coming from the mythical item. Ambrose sent reassurance as he went to a thick web wall covering a large square area. Seeing no other way forward, Ambrose hefted his axe and hacked through the web with several heavy slashes.
The web parted, strands bursting apart like silver-white cysts. Ambrose strode through the hole he had made, finding himself in a large room with dozens of alcoves and more than a few coffins. The air was thicker and danker here, and broken stone plates lined the room.
Taking a couple of steps into the room, Ambrose was unsurprised when a spider out of nightmares dropped from the ceiling above. It was as if some god had taken a gaping wound and turned it into the giant spider before him. Its large, hairy body was sanguine, with dark blue and purple skin stretched tight over a bulbous body. Its red eyes gleamed like inlaid rubies, shining with hunger. Dark green saliva dripped from its mouth, opening and closing as if it were chewing something. Ambrose used [Insight] on the spider.
[Cursed Giant Spider Level 88]: Giant Spiders are known to dwell in dark places, making homes for themselves beneath the earth. This one has been infused with Mordred’s curse.]
The spider chittered loudly at him before launching a thick globule of webbing at him. Ambrose whirled his axe, slashing the webbing apart and diving to the side as the spider launched itself at him, thick legs slamming into where Ambrose had entered from, cracking the stone.
Ambrose tapped his core, flooding [Infernal Smite] with power and lighting up his axe with abyssal fire. He flung the axe forward, not at the spider's face but at a back leg. The axe cleaved through it like it was a tree stalk. Green ichor sprayed from it as the spider screeched and hissed in pain, whirling around to face him. It screeched again, louder this time.
Ambrose cocked his head and then looked up. His one eye widened as forms about the size of basketballs dropped from the ceiling, unraveling themselves to reveal several more spiders. Not as large as what could only be their mother, but large enough and annoying enough.
There were now six spiders, all hissing and saliva dripping from their mouths as their red eyes gleamed with hunger. They skittered toward him, each spitting balls of the web at him as their mother launched itself at him.
Ambrose activated [Shield of Conviction] and infused it with his infernal mana, and the balls of the web melted against his blazing shield. The web hissed as burnt globs of it fell to the stone floor. Acid webs. Joy. Ambrose thought as he slashed outward with his now-infused axe.
The small spiders had no defense against the axe blade and burst apart like rotten pumpkins from a horror movie. One of the spiders had gotten behind him, and as he ducked underneath the swiper of the mother's larger leg, it launched itself at his back.
Its pained screeches cut through the air as his shield burned the spider, but it was determined and distracting. Ambrose didn’t see the next blow coming, and the mother spider's large leg crashed into him like a baseball bat, sending him spinning around, colliding into a stone coffin, cracking the stone, and sending the skeleton within flying out in pieces. A skull plopped next to Ambrose just as the mother spider let out a hissing screech of victory, mandibles twitching in anticipation as it skittered over him, legs on either side of him, trapping him.
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Ambrose didn’t panic. His axe had gone flying when he crashed into the coffin, but he wasn’t weaponless. The mother spider resisted his shield’s effects, but it kept the monster at bay; otherwise, he would have been spider food by now. The spider was determined, bashing its head against him, mandibles dripping with acidic saliva that burned away on his shield.
Its force shook the dust and stone around them, sending echoes of the violent force throughout the catacombs. Ambrose reached over and picked up the bleached white skull with missing front teeth that was near him. He used [Infernal Infusion], and infernal mana lit the skull up in a blaze of abyssal fire. Ambrose reached up with his left hand and grabbed the mandible as the monster once again crashed its head against him.
The mandible was sharp, but it couldn’t pierce the thin outline of his shield that he had around himself. It felt like he was holding a sharp horn. The cursed spider jerked as its children shot webs at him and tried to bite down on his thighs and feet. Ambrose was D-Grade, and his strength reflected that. It couldn’t free itself from Ambrose’s grip. The infernal paladin jerked the mandible he had grip of, opening the spider's mouth; with his other hand, he shoved the infernal skull into its mouth.
Then Ambrose poured mana into the skull, intensifying the blazing fire surrounding it.
The cursed spider went mad from pain. It thrashed and tried to spit, but Ambrose kept his hand deep in its mouth, gripping the skull. Then he stood up. As he did, he activated [Infernal Sanctuary], and ghostly chains writhing with black fire lashed out, piercing the mother spider and the remaining three spiderlings. The horrific insects dropped to the ground, twisting and shaking in agony.
Mother spider couldn’t spit the skull out, and the chains that wrapped around it kept it immobilized. It wasn’t long before the damage was too much for it.
[You have defeated Cursed Giant Spider and have gained increased experience for defeating a foe beyond your level. You have advanced to level 84.]
Ambrose dismissed the notification and mopped up the rest of the spiderlings. Their deaths did not give him any experience. He swept his one eye around the room, scanning for more threats. The skeleton in the coffin wasn’t moving; a simple ring was attached to its hand, which had broken off from the wrist bone. Other than that, there was nothing else notable about the skeleton.
Determining no other threats in the room, Ambrose assigned his sixteen attribute points. Since his intellect was falling behind, Ambrose assigned ten of his points to the stat. Four went into willpower, and the final two went into strength. Past the spider was a door that led into a wide corridor, walls lined with more alcoves that held the dead.
He had dismissed his skills, but he kept up a constant vigilance as he walked.
A voice as dry as the bones that lay in the walls echoed from the stone.
“The Knight of Avalon is connected to the island on a disgustingly intimate level. Its knowledge is shared with you, but you are shared with it on that same intimate level. I am infecting every part of this place, Knight. Corrupting its very soul, dominating it. As the island knows you, so too do I.”
Ambrose ignored the voice, but he prepared to activate his skills if needed.
“Did you know that your wife felt no fear that night?”
Ambrose stopped.
“Yes, I thought that might grab your attention. You were rather occupied then, so you didn’t see it. You thought she was asleep as if she could sleep through that. No, Knight, she was awake, held in place by a skill. Yet there was no fear in her eyes—only utter and complete faith in you, her dear husband.”
A low laugh bounced from stone to stone, filled with scornful mockery.
“How misplaced that faith was. She must have been disappointed when she realized you wouldn’t save her. Do you think she loved you, then? People often believe that love is unconditional, you know.”
The sound of Ambrose’s popping knuckles echoed throughout the room. His jaw clenched so tight that he was sure he would dislocate it, and the bubbling cauldron of hot anger in his chest threatened to boil over.
“Stop talking. Right now.”
Ambrose’s voice was low and tight.
More condescending laughter.
“Yes, that anger. It must feel so right to be filled with it, knowing the right of vengeance is yours. I’ve felt that before, facing my father. Use it, Knight. You’re going to need it.”
Stone cracked and burst forth from the walls like exploding shrapnel. Ambrose called up his shield as the sharp rock pelted him. Crawling forth from the walls like giant roaches, skeletons pushed themselves out of the holes. Their eye sockets were alight with dark violet light.
Like rapid-fire shots, explosions echoed down the walls one after the other as skeletons dragged their ancient bones out of the walls, the sound of bone against stone echoing with the fading sounds of cracking, bursting stone.
Subtle but mocking laughter trailed on the dank air as nearly two dozen skeletons turned their dark violet gazes towards Ambrose, their jaws clattering.