SOLUSION

The dark mana energy seeping from out the darkness tickled at my skin. I activated my Petty Night Vision and saw two thick Branches of Lek hovering above obsidian puri pedestals. The work of Abimelech, no doubt.

Judging from their orientation, they were being used to power the ward. I moved past the pedestals, stepping over chunks of debris from the crumbling ceiling, and approached an archway. It led to a stairway leading further into the abyss.

I ordered my ghosts to check ahead for me but decreased their speed, less they accidentally ran into another ward. Through their better vision, I spotted obsidian puries jutting from out the cracked walls, dozens of corridors leading to rooms, halls, a library stacked with intact books, sleeping areas, an old enchanted cooking area, a smith's room similar to the one at the Old Watchtower, and an enormous hall filling out the bottom of the crypt.

I phased into the shadows and swam down. I appeared from out of the ceiling of the enormous hall and floated down. I then cast Fire to whip out and around and saw I was in a rectangular clearing resembling a pew-less church. Girthy pillars withstood the weight of the ceiling and, sitting at the far end, a chipped stone statue of a familiar deity. I began my stride toward the deity while noticing stone stairs on either side of the hall leading up into hidden passages.

Petty Interference activated when my eyes fell upon metal doors behind the statue, warded by magic powered by another pair of Branches of Lek. I slowed my pace as Petty Danger Sense began to buzz. The doors and pedestals vanished twice from view—magic was at play.

I stopped before the statue—a young gent with four arms ending in feathered hands out his right while two wings emerged from his left side. As I stared, their name came to me—

PAIN

Kari Jokul, kaze deity, a wind deity.

But they were no longer here as if they were, I would have felt their presence in the form of great mana... or so I have read. I looked past the bust and towards the chained and sealed double doors, but suddenly, the air around me condensed with mana, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and Petty Danger Sense hummed slightly as an invisible force grabbed me and flung me back through the air.

VOICE

Where do you think you are going?

A booming voice uttered from out the bust of Kari Jokul.

I halted my flipping through the air and landed upon my sword. I squinted at the spark of blue flames engulfing the statue. I floated down to it, and as I did, the blue flame expanded and formed into an enormous sphere.

By the time I approached it, the orb of blue flames was vast enough to graze the ceiling. Thin strands shot out from within, forming hands and feet. It finally morphed into a silhouette of an old gent clothed in fur and silk robes.

He held a staff in his right hand, identical to my (Ice Aptitude) Oak Staff, +3% Ice Output, and as his face became evident, the raging burning of his flaming body became still, resembling flowing water. Towering like a giant, he looked down at me, and I stared into his eyes with an understanding of who he was.

PAIN

You must be Abimelech.

His eyes twinkled at that name.

ABIMELECH

So,

He sighed, his voice booming and reverberating throughout the empty hall.

ABIMELECH

Another hapless lot came in search of me?

Since he was mistaking me for someone else, I kept quiet. He glanced around.

ABIMELECH

Or, a solo wayfarer?

He massaged his head and combed his hand through his straight hair.

ABIMELECH

No matter my efforts, I can not command the days to slow down, and I can not will my past to become obsolete. A new face... a young face stands before me, and so, a new day it will be for me. But the words I must say to you are as old as the median age of this shrine... Listen, and listen well, young wanderer. Whatever you hope to discover, and your chasing of it has all been for naught. Begone from this place. I beg of you.

PAIN

Do you not have any questions? Am I not allowed to ask some questions?

He diverted his eyes and dismissively uttered,

ABIMELECH

Questions? What should I be questioning while in such a state? My relentless search for answers and knowledge inducted me into this predicament.

He seemed annoyed. It was as if this was a common discussion for him. Hmph, that thought came with more questions, but I doubt he would be willing to answer.

PAIN

So you could care less about your son and father?

ABIMELECH

Oh? Family?

He spat with a wrinkled face.

ABIMELECH

Can I really call them my son and my father when neither of us acted like sons and fathers? My son murdered my father. Is that what it means to be a son?

So he already knew about it.

ABIMELECH

That is the reason I left. The head of a broken family and surrounded by starry-eyed younglings.

He sighed with a shake of his head.

ABIMELECH

Once again, I have caught myself diverging knowledge. It could be challenging to break old habits. But I must dare say that it is now time for you to leave. Though I must commend your efforts, coming this far, that is.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

PAIN

Not going to ask what I am looking for?

ABIMELECH

I do not seek to question what I already know. Now,

He raised his left hand and formed a dense, smooth ball of blue fire.

ABIMELECH

I beg of you to depart from me. So I may seal this shrine once again. Or stay and allow your soul to be consumed by the puries that flourish here.

PAIN

No.

He sighed and eyed me with pity for a moment.

ABIMELECH

So be it.

He expelled his flames at me, and I Quickstepped out of the way. But he did not let up and continued to fire at me with accurate aim. The blue fire he cast emitted no heat or mana but instead radiated with a familiar type of energy.

I took to the air, and he swung his gigantic staff at me—such speed! Yet, there was no air drag or sound. He swung repeatedly, but I dodged each one at the last second. With his size, his reach was broad, and I noticed his arms and staff would fade through the pillars, the ceiling, and the ground.

Curiously, I decided to block one of his swings, but the blow hit me like a wall of soft pillows. Though it was strong enough to send me cratering into the wall. Chunks of the wall broke apart and fell around me.

ABIMELECH

This is pointless. You can not harm me.

I Shadow Phased into the ground. With Abimelech's flaming body flickering around, plenty of shadows were formed. I surfaced from behind him with a Blood Sword in hand. I thrust into his back, and as I suspected, my attack went straight through his body.

He caught me appearing from out of his torso, and he swatted me into the ground. I bounced off the ground, grimacing at such a force, and tumbled to my feet just as he prepared another ball of blue flames. Hmph, well, this was interesting—

He expelled his flames at me, but I grabbed hold of its essence with Petty Soul Harvest. Fear and worry painted Abimelech's face.

ABIMELECH

What? Impossible!

I slowly condensed his flames into my palms.

PAIN

Such souls like this can exist? Quite interesting.

He attempted to resist my hold on his flames, but I increased it, slowly absorbing his arms into my hand.

ABIMELECH

Soul harvest! But how? Such skill should have been lost to time!

I then forced the skill and absorbed him completely.

PAIN

You can thank your son for that.

I mumbled. I then took a deep breath and looked within myself, falling into my soul chamber. I floated down onto the translucent platform to see Abimelech alert yet immobilized. It was my unconscious doing, so I allowed him to move and speak.

PAIN

You just tried to kill me, but not out of malice. Makes me wonder how many died at your hands.

With a face painted with regret, he began to mumble to himself before exclaiming,

ABIMELECH

I was attempting to save you, my young lady! Solusion is not what you think! It will destroy you! Body and soul! A fate worse than death! A fate worse than the sufferings of Limbo!

I pressed my lips and cocked my head,

PAIN

I am not a lady.

He was thrown off guard, and his mouth fumbled to find words.

ABIMELECH

Oh my...

PAIN

So, Solusion is here? Through those doors, I guess.

He grimaced, realizing he mistakenly confirmed it was here.

ABIMELECH

You are able to see those doors?

He asked softly, and I nodded.

PAIN

Petty Interference,

I stated proudly.

PAIN

I will be looking forward to straining every ounce of knowledge that you know.

I began to float away.

ABIMELECH

No, I can not—I will not! This knowledge will bring suffering to the plains and those that inhabit them. I refuse to be the medium of pain!

PAIN

Hmph, pain... as if I care. Your soul belongs to me, and if I were you, I would find a way to be more cordial. Besides, these plains are already filled with enough pain. Adding a bit more would make no difference.

I left my soul chamber and approached the pedestals. Unlike the branches near the entrance, these barely emitted mana energy. I would have struggled to find this hidden entrance without Petty Interference.

With these branches powering the ward, all I had to do was claim one of the branches as my own. Claiming the Branches of Lek was no difficult task, but once under my control, I ceased the powering of the ward. The ward dissolved away, and I quickly continued. I entered a rectangular room containing prison cells on either side, creating a narrow walkway to a bruised stone floor tainted with blood and chalk.

A small circle with four pedestals in the form of a square surrounded it all. All about the altar were blotches and streaks of burnt marks... Interesting. Behind the mess, I noticed Abimelech's skeletal remains slouched over a stone desk.

He was wearing an enchanted blindinu fur robe, and his staff was nowhere to be found. Shoving his skeleton aside, I noticed a study book hidden underneath him.

Glancing at only a few pages, I saw recognizable hieroglyphs. This could be useful, so I Stashed the book.

Against the far back wall, I saw it; a chest almost identical to the one I found with the Arachnid's Lair. This particular one was sealed, its energy rivaling the four elemental rings I wore on my finger when I first unsealed them.

I quickly unsealed the chest—(Space Affinity) Iron Leather-bound Chest, Lesser Content Expansion. I opened the lid and peeked inside—a ladder?

I climbed into the chest and landed in a stone box of a room. One of the walls was a cut-out resembling a bookshelf, and upon it were two books. I eagerly eyed each book, but my hope faltered, and my heart sank. None of these books was the Skill Book: Solusion.