"Yes, matron mother… I shall bring your path of devastation for the people to fear your name." a crooked gnome in a conversion. There's no other one besides him and a shrine. The chamber is filled with all sorts of runic signs and different kinds of armaments or sacrificial tools used for either ritual. The gnome's devious laughter echoes through the whole area, not a dungeon but rather a hidden cave.

Returning to where Akatosh was.

"What is this!" Akatosh smile.

From the lower part of the dungeon, he had found a hidden treasure or should I say an artifact. A cube twisting and resonating a magnetic force. Greenish-light vortex around the cube enveloping as it levitates and illuminates all the surroundings.

"This place is a jackpot!" he miserably laughs stocking everything from the room. Books, apparatus, papers, and some weapons and potions are quickly stuffed from his bag.

Through scavenging the place, scouring every inch of the walls, and reading clues he was able to find this place sealed by a magical force. He couldn't enter since the thirteen-inch metal door was sealed by magic a subject that he didn't have the slightest knowledge. So, in order to pass the barrier. Like mining, he searches the softest and weakest part of the brick wall by knocking on the surface of the wall. Upon finding the spot he carved a hole using everything he got, his weapons, and some items he looted. Once there was a hole to place the 'glittering-dust bomb' he tightly secured the bomb and ignited it.

Considering the thickness of the wall is more than a meter, Akatosh had to use all his remaining 'glittering-dust bomb' and repeating the phrase twice. He couldn't cut it with his elven sword for the barrier deflects magic. Even the walls themselves are protected by magic and only by using non-magical techniques and glittering dust he was able to create a hole around nineteen-inch in diameter.

It took him more than an hour to make a hole in the wall, but all were paid off. "HAHAHA…. There are many ways to kill a chicken."

He couldn't help himself and by the time he packs everything except the cube a demonic entity appears. The creature from below, black as the night. With bat-like wings, claws like daggers the creature gnaw in anticipation as his mouth hiss in intimidation.

"Who the heck are you! And how the hell did you materialize." Akatosh said unsheathing his katana but he didn't want to show his enemy's his other weapon.

Circling each other, watching, and analyzing each other's steps. "Guess this isn't just an ordinary monster but rather a unique one."

After making a full circle both of them attack simultaneously where Akatosh quickly unleashes the demonic whip surprising the monster. Commanding, Akatosh aims at the creature's right-wing coiling making the monster unable to fly.

Squishing its flesh and bones, the creature had met a monster higher equal to itself.

It screams as the razor whip tightly wraps around its wings. The monster manages to avoid Akatosh's slashing attack but was shackled, unable to maneuver the large area. The monster had the strength to pull Akatosh, but he too was prepared for this. When the creature leaps at a distance Akatosh quickly gulps and endurance potion equaling his adversary's strength.

With his enhanced strength and the advantage of his whip, Akatosh savagely rips off the beast's wing spurting blood. And the moment the creature saw its wing torn apart, it howls in agony and furry. Blood-red begins to manifest on the creature, an aura.

"BRING IT ON!" Akatosh shout grinning his teeth for anticipation. "I've never felt so alive before!" he continues dragging the dismembered parts of his enemy. Before Akatosh threw the torn wings to its face the monster charge through at an astounding speed.

The creature rams Akatosh to the wall pinning him down. And by the looks of it, Akatosh manages to mirror its attack but suffers a crushing injury. Too, he suffers a great blow as his shoulder was pierced by the creature's claw. In return, his katana punctures through to the creature's chest.

Without the claw-gauntlet, Akatosh would have a headless body as the monster's sharp gnawing teeth couldn't jaw the elven steel.

"You like that bitch!" Akatosh grim, projecting the razor whip. Restraining its arm, he was able to prevent the creature from making a second move. Like a snake groping its prey, Akatosh, grip the monster's jaw as he vertically slices its upper chest. And for the finishing touch, the razor whip firmly squishes the creature's flesh and bones until it collapses.

As gruesome as always, Akatosh walks towards the cube easing his panting. He could feel great energy, emitting from the item itself. And by grabbing the cube, he himself felt the vibration as his whip turn to a ravenous blazing fire. The unknown force that connects the pieces greatly ablaze his newly found weapon.

After easily snatched the cube, the discarded creature is nowhere to be sighted. Yet there's no nocuous presence staying in the chamber rather than him. Ignoring his enemy's mysterious disappearance thinking it must return to its realm he collects what's still left. Once done happily he squishes himself out of the room.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Now what more can this place offer me." He groans, holding a torch and ignoring the pain while finding an entrance to the lower level.

Elsewhere—

"Chifya are you sure about leaving your friend behind." Ask the female mage.

"I-I…" she hesitated; she didn't know what to say until they came upon a blighted part.

"Just what happen here…" one of the adventurers said.

"It's a blight," Chifya says. "But I manage to create this—" She stops while searching the antidote. "Don't tell me…" The potion was nowhere to be found.

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm…" hums Akatosh descending the entrance to the last level, holding Chifya's antidote.

"What's wrong?" asked the mage to Chifya

"He must've snatched it when we were sleeping." Chifya thought.

Using her druid power, she conjuring a large familiar wolf. "My wolf will guide you to the nearest extension of the guild. I need to return—"

"It's fine." The mage smiled cutting her word.

"We can protect ourselves." The mage said

"But—" said Chifya

"Don't worry" one of the fighters said showing her his first-class silver crest.

Chifya nods and quickly haste to the dungeon. And when she's out of sight, her pace became faster then turns to leap through the forest. While on the run her hair changes to silver-white.

From the deepest part of the dungeon. The dying creature that Akatosh brutally inject grows in rage drawing the swirling energy besides it wasn't energy, but souls.

As they get absorbed the spirits scream healing the creature's wounds reversing the injury and even grows its amputated wings. Greed for more the monster's body begun to burst sharp bones. At last, it was now a fully grown monster.

Burrowing the steps as calm and as cautious as possible and when he corners the spiral stairs. He saw through a very dim light; it was around thirty blocks away Akatosh assumed.

Upon descending the last line of the stairs, he heard the creature scream in agony and rage. "Is it another one or maybe?" He said stopping to heal his injury.

After the monster finished his treatment, it picked up something, sniffing around towards the entrance of the room.

"Now how do I heal this…" he groans pulling some potions and medicine. He may have a lot of options but they're all unidentified. And Akatosh didn't have the knowledge or wisdom to appraise, he only knows the endurance potion and cure disease.

"Guess I might try this one…" Pulling Chifya's antidote. "Here goes," he said pouring little of the liquid.

"Urrggg…" he muffles his voice. The antinode burns through the flesh like a wound dip through salt and hot vinegar. The moment he starts to silently groan, a claw was wrapped around the door frame. Then followed by the head of the creature he'd fought.

"Fuck!" Akatosh stood fixing his shoulder. "Guess this isn't my lucky day." he continues sweating.

Unleashing the blazing whip and drawing the katana. He could feel a greater power and fluid communication with the whip.

The monster tear through the entrance curving its large body to the narrow hallway.

"I see you've become an adult." swirling the fiery whip as protection. "Time for round two!" Akatosh exclaimed as the monster crawl twerking its body in the tight space.

"Come to papa!" At that precise moment, the razor-sharp enhanced whip easily maneuvers coiling its neck as Akatosh swiftly dashes under the creature.

Using the same tactic before, only this time the monster had the capabilities to stretch the chain tag on his throat. More so Akatosh couldn't compete for its strength as his arms begins to dislocate.

"URRGGG!" He groans when felt his arms crack.

Releases the chain he dashes away escaping towards where the monster came. Once stepping, he found the source of its strength. Souls act as a light, twice a dozen of them or more. And finally, the roots of all the plague lies in his sight. Bodies of people, elves, gnomes, and dwarfs are glued together by an unknown black blob. He could hear the echoes of people's souls crying for help. There were running waters like ponds, flooding the foundation of the blob-like tree.

"Ah… so this explains why." He searches for a potion but were interrupted by the creature's assault.

Its large wings bash Akatosh at distance, separating him and his bag, spewing the things he looted. Chifya's potion, the grimoire, the cube, and dozens of his past ransack.

To its rage the creature leaps in triumph, trembling the place. And when the mighty winged monster shakes the soil, it rolled Chifya's antidote to fall breaking it in half near the water.

When the liquid begins to soil with the corrupted water Akatosh quickly recovers. Firmly gripping his sword both of them rams at each other. One was trying to coil itself around, like a snake hoping to decapitate his enemy. While his other adversary also tries to sway the irritated whip, clashing his dagger-like caws with the blazing whip.

Domination after domination with each other. Bashing each other's bodies to the wall the bat was finally caught by the spider's web. The greenish energy that connects the razor-sharp pieces of the whip stretched allowing Akatosh to fully lock the monster's body.

When they are gutting each other's guts Chifya's antidote spread through the water rejuvenating everything. That's when the seedbed of the plague slowly purifies. Adding up, the grimoire somehow absorbed some of the cube's energy triggering a spell. And on that time Chifya came to witness two beasts brawling to death where Akatosh bitterly pressed its katana on the throat of the winged as he too greatly suffers.

Bleeding to new and old injuries and broken bones, yet his stubbornness held his life.

Pressing its weapon’s edge and with the help of the whip pulling on the other side, he finally sabotages the neck. Just as he decapitated its head, the grimoire flashes a light teleporting Akatosh and the headless creature along with his items to a different place.

Chifya was left speechless to see only a head rolling on the ground. And with no one to guard the corrupted place slowly begun to cleanse she let the finishing touch. Releasing her druid spell to neutralize the place, the large blob-like tree collapse. Bodies begin to pile as the soul peacefully disintegrates.

She searches the place looking around for information. The only thing that Akatosh left are her shattered antidote.

After being teleported to a new place Akatosh was left panting. Hopping off on his pulsing dead enemy he quickly investigates his new surroundings. There were no lights only his flaming whip is his sun.

"Who goes there." A dark voice utters as all of the torches came to light.

"Not again." Akatosh sigh, trembling from his injuries.

There's no sign of plunder or any thievery the area spans greatly enough to accommodate a drake. He can tell the place was remarkably familiar. Dwarven ruins left untouched.

"A human?!" the voice said surprised and incredibly happy.

"Yes, so what's your point." Akatosh kneels catching his breath.

"HAHAHAHA… FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AT LONG LAST!" the entity intrigues. "How amusing, don't tell me..." the entity says, after noticing the grimoire.