Verus nodded at the elder in acknowledgement as he increased his pace so that he was right behind the man as they walked through the doorway. There was a long hall with a high ceiling before them, and it was stuffed full of artifacts and other strange objects. It seemed to be some sort of vast collection, and the sight of several of the artifacts took Verus’s breath away. There was everything from full suits of gleaming armor to the preserved skeletons of giant animals that were so huge that they had to be soul beasts. The largest looked liked it had belonged to a wolf the size of a wagon. It was posed as if it was about to leap at someone walking through the doorway, so Verus could see straight into its toothy skeletal maw. Even though it was clearly dead, it was still a frightening sight.
Racks of weapons were also common in the hall, containing everything from halberds to swords. The edges of every weapon shone in the light of the crystals that lined the walls. There was no way these were normal weapons. Not if they’d been locked away beneath the sect. Every one had to be an artifact empowered by glyphs, or perhaps even loose spirit weapons whose owners had died. All in all, the room contained an unimaginable fortune.
Elder Caligo didn’t stop at any of the weapon racks. Ignoring the incredible wealth, he continued on to a door against the far wall and into the small room beyond. It was little more than a large closet, but the walls were all lined with shelves that held crystal spheres small enough to fit in someone’s hand. Every sphere glimmered with different subtle colors and radiated a small but noticeable aura of ki.
“What is this place? What are these?” Verus asked breathlessly. He was so overwhelmed by the sights that he’d momentarily forgotten why they were here.
His guide snorted rudely. “These are what my master sent me here for. They’re sealing stones. This is where the sect keeps some of the less dangerous spirits it has captured, and by less dangerous I mean they aren’t a threat to a great elder or the sect itself.”
Instantly, Verus took a step back toward the door. There were a lot of spheres in this room, enough to contain a horde of spirits. A memory of almost being bitten in half by the lizard spirit that had exuded crippling terror flashed through his mind. Fighting one spirit at a time was bad enough, and some of the ones here were undoubtedly far stronger than anything in the Algorian Reaches.
“We’re safe enough. Don’t piss yourself, little disciple,” Elder Caligo remarked callously as he studied the shelves.
“What are we doing here?” Verus asked.
“Since the sect doesn’t have a technique that can cultivate void essence, we’ll have to create one,” the elder explained as he picked up a sphere and examined it.
Verus couldn’t keep his surprise off his face. “You can do that?”
Cultivation techniques were usually the product of hundreds of years of development by masters. Many had been passed down for countless millennia. They were incredibly complex and could easily go wrong, so making one up seemed very risky. Even if it worked at first, a single flaw could cripple or kill a cultivator during ascension.
Elder Caligo laughed. “Me? No, not a chance. However, my master is another story entirely, and we can cheat a fair bit. Just be grateful that you’ve drawn her interest, although you might end up regretting it later.”
The older man then passed Verus the sphere, who reluctantly took it. “Inside this sphere is the only void spirit in the possession of the sect. Apparently, it went on a rampage a few hundred years ago before it was sealed for study.”
Verus stared at the sphere. It was alive and felt vaguely familiar to him. He could feel the void ki within, and it was moving. Cycling around in complex patterns that pulled at his attention. The young disciple felt something very like hunger or thirst all of a sudden. It was like a craving for a favorite drink he hadn’t had in a long time.
“Even spirits have cultivation techniques. In fact, they are the inspiration for many of the techniques developed by humans,” Elder Caligo explained. “By studying this one, we should be able to come up with something useable by you. It probably won’t end up being anything too powerful, but it should work.”
The Elder then led Verus out of the archive and back to the surface, but the young disciple barely noticed his surroundings. His eyes remained locked on the small crystal sphere in his hands as his senses observed the flow of ki within. It was mesmerizing, but also a little scary. There was a will inside of the sphere, and it was hungry. Half of the reason he couldn’t look away from the orb was because he didn’t trust it not to try to eat him.
“We’re here,” Elder Caligo suddenly announced, breaking Verus out of trance. “The same rules as in the vault apply. You’ll touch nothing and be silent unless spoken to if you know what’s good for you.”
Blinking, the young disciple looked up. They’d walked through the temple grounds and were now standing in front of an impressive looking residence. It was a large manor with a huge yard and an wrought iron fence around it. A cobblestone path led up through the gate and to the front entrance of the home, which was three stories tall and had several wings. The main building alone was larger than the disciple dormitory, and far fancier looking. It was the sort of place he expected nobles to live, but it was right in the middle of the sect.
“Yes, elder. I will do as you say,” the young disciple replied as he stared at the mansion in apprehension.
“Good. Now come on,” the man replied as he began walking up the path toward the manor. “You’ve already wasted enough of my time.”
Verus quickly followed. The front entrance was blocked by a pair of doors. They were massive and looked to be made from ancient dark wood. However, they swung open without a sound as the elder approached, revealing a huge dark hall and a man standing at the threshold. He was an older gentleman with a grey hair and short neatly-trimmed beard. His formal black clothes marked him as a servant, but his stiff posture and steely gaze gave him an authoritative air. Verus’s senses also told him the man was a cultivator.
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“Elder Caligo, the mistress is expecting you in the western study,” the servant said coolly without a hint of deference.
“Thank you, Beldred,” the elder replied neutrally as he and a nervous Verus walked past. “I know where it is, of course, and will leave you to your duties.”
The hall they entered was poorly lit and shadowy. The only illumination came from the heavily curtained windows. There was enough light for Elder Caligo to find his way and for Verus to study the furnishings though. The walls of the hall were lined by portraits. The details of the subjects were hard to make out in the dark, but Verus couldn’t help but feel that some of them were glaring in disapproval at him. It was creepy. Who would live in a place like this?
The pair went through a doorway and down two hallways. There was no sign of any more servants, only dark rooms and shadows. Some movement did catch Verus’s eye though. Glancing over his shoulder, he briefly saw what looked like a black cloud float into a side room. It had been carrying a pile of blankets, so it had mostly likely been some sort of construct, but it was still spooky.
The darkness of the mansion seemed almost alive. It may have been Verus’s imagination, but he thought he could sense a faint vibration, like the beating of an unseen heart.
Another turn brought them to a doorway that led into a small study lined with bookcases. Unlike every other room they’d passed, this one glowed with a flickering light. There was a stone fireplace on the far wall, and flames in the hearth. Before the fire sat several couches that had been placed around a small tea table, and one of the couches was occupied by an old lady with long braided white hair. She was turned toward the fire and hunched over, so Verus couldn’t see her very well, and she didn’t move as they walked into the room.
Once through the door, Elder Caligo immediately stopped and bowed deeply, clasping his hands before him. “This disciple greets his master.”
Only then did the woman turn to regard her visitors, unleashing her aura at the same time. Her eyes were pitch black, sharply contrasting with her white hair, and her aura hit Verus like a tidal wave of suffocating darkness. It filled the room like a black ocean, and the urge to bow and cower overwhelmed Verus. Against his will, his knees bent, and his breath deserted him. Standing became an impossible feat and he started losing control of his ki. Even the Faithful Soul Ward wasn’t any help. This wasn’t an emotional attack. It was simply the pressure from her ki. This woman was the source of the sensation that filled the mansion, its living heart.
“Welcome, young Caligo. You may come in,” the ancient woman said in a voice that echoed oddly.
Elder Caligo bowed again. “Master, the young one I brought with me has yet to hit the Tempered Realm and is fragile.”
On the couch, the ancient woman nodded. “Ah yes, I forget myself. It has been so long since I bothered with anyone so lowly and I’ve grown used to not restraining my presence.”
Instantly, the pressure relented, allowing Verus to suck in a breath and stand. He could still feel the old woman’s aura, but now it was stifled and restrained. It hung about her instead of pressing on him. He stared at the floor, afraid to even look at her.
“Speaking of the lowly, your spirit shows no signs of advancement since we last met in person. I take it your most recent attempt to gain the enlightenment necessary to ascend has also failed? It has been over thirty year now, has it not?”
Elder Caligo grimaced as if in pain. “Yes, master. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“Bah, there is no disappointment. Like all the others, you will succeed or die. Perhaps you need stronger motivation. I can have you assigned to a crusade on a foreign world,” the great elder told him as she rose up off the couch and walked slowly toward her visitors.
Verus glanced at her feet. She was wearing slippers and a long grey robe that had several layers. In her hands, she held a bone-white cane that tapped the floor as she moved. And while her presence loomed like a giant, she was actually slightly shorter than Verus.
“Thank you, but I’m not quite so desperate yet. Let us speak of why I’m here, the matter we conversed about through the linked scrolls.”
The ancient woman glanced down and her black eyes studied Verus. He had to supress a flinch. Meeting her eyes was like staring into a whirlwind of shadows.
“Yes, I see you’ve brought both the subject and the sealing stone. Its ki is as you said it was. Void in flesh. Interesting. It has been so long since I’ve seen anything so novel. Centuries. But what shall I do with it? Is it worthy? We shall see.”
It took a moment for Verus to realize she was talking about him, and not the sealed spirit. When he did, a shiver went down his spine. It was obvious this great elder considered him nothing but an easily broken curiosity, and she was probably right. He didn’t doubt for a moment that her small form contained power beyond his imagination.
“What now, master?” Elder Caligo asked.
“Now we test it and see if it has what it takes to survive its claim,” the great elder said as she turned back to Verus.
The grin she threw Verus’s way unsettled him. It emphasized the wrinkles under her eyes. “So, here you are, young one. A disposable temple ward with no support or family. A tool of the most mundane sort. You’ve even lost your closest friend.”
Verus flinched at the unexpected reminder.
“Oh, yes. I know everything about you!” the crone laughed. It was an unpleasant and grating sound. “I know more about you than you yourself know. I only have one question. Tell me, what do you desire? Do not lie. Tell me the truth. What is it that has brought one such as you here to me?”
The sight of her deep black eyes filled Verus with terror, but he swallowed his fear and forced himself to meet her gaze. “Great Elder, I have decided on my path and will be resolute. Strength is what I desire above all else. Only it will grant me the freedom and answers I need. Test me if that is what you wish. I will not falter.”
The ancient woman chuckled but nodded as if she’d seen what she’d been looking for. “We shall see. Freedom is a lie and the quest for strength never ends. You seem resolute at least, yet I don’t have time to waste on anything but the best. Now give me the sealing stone and let us head to the ritual room.”
Verus immediately did as he was told and dropped the stone in her outstretched hand. That done, the old woman led them out to the hallway in silence. Verus wished he knew why they were going to a ritual room. Several terrifying possibilities occurred to him, but he knew better than to speak without permission.
The three cultivators headed down a staircase and into a chamber with stone block walls. It was very sparse, with almost no furnishing but a crude wooden table against one wall. The fact that it looked a lot like a dungeon did nothing to reassure Verus, and that wasn’t even the worse part. Someone had scrawled a large ornate circle on the floor using some sort of dark fluid that Verus really hoped was ink. The circle was no simple thing, it contained hundreds of glyphs and twisting lines that were impossible for him to interpret. It was clearly a ritual aid, although Verus had no idea what it was supposed to do. He was really in over his head now.