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Chapter 46: Glimpse of Evil

Taking care of the aftermath took the rest of the night. A hasty debate rang out from the priests about heading back to the city to properly send off the fallen warrior, but ultimately, the hunt continued. Still, they had to await dawn before continuing. It was only proper.

Fourteen tiger souls and a human soul pledged to Croelius joined Daniel’s underworld. Robbing a devout follower of their chosen afterlife felt... wrong. But, considering every person in this world was religious, it was either that or never harvest another human soul. It was a selfish decision, but his duty to his class came first. He pushed the fact that it made him stronger to the back of his mind, convincing himself that it didn’t impact his decision.

Minutes before dawn, Daniel watched as the priests conjured a bridge made of light mid-air. The woman’s corpse was propped up, facing the east, kneeling with a serene expression on her face. Her arms were crossed over her shoulders, and her head was bowed towards the horizon.

As the first rays of sun washed over the Emerald Woods in hues of amber and gold, the three priests kneeled next to the fallen warrior, spreading their arms out as if to welcome the sun. Their shadows seemed to flutter in a sorrowful dance.

"May the flames of the sun embrace your spirit, guiding you to the eternal dawn."

The oldest priest solemnly stood up, reaching out to touch the warrior’s forehead. His fingers met cold, lifeless skin, and, for a brief moment, he closed his eyes. In an instant, her corpse was engulfed in flames. Under the glorious morning sun, his chants rose in magnitude until a fiery inferno consumed everything around them, leaving naught but ash. Miraculously, even under fire hot enough to melt bone, the priest emerged unscathed.

The party departed soon after, though the morale had clearly suffered. Thomas would stop to give short speeches now and then, but exhaustion combined with mourning created a sullen mood.

An hour of marching later, Daniel noticed something strange. At certain points in time, Velkir would rapidly change his route in the direction opposite of them. Once or twice could be a coincidence, but after the third time they had to stumble through a monster’s lair and spend precious energy fighting it off, he put two and two together.

He looked to the rest of the group, and then wearily took Finnean to the side.

“I think Velkir is spying on us. Or, at the very least, he knows our location. We’ve been going around in circles this entire time,” Daniel said, looking at his friend. “Can you do something about it?”

“Tch. I don’t have most of my ritual ingredients with me. None of the monsters in the forest have any scrying abilities, so he must have gotten it from an adventurer,” Finnean whispered. He furrowed his brow as he thought.

“Considering Velkir has butchered two adventurer parties from the guild, it should be a mage skill. I’ll set up a makeshift ritual to protect us from anything that locks onto our position. We just have to hope it’s that and not any of the thousand different possibilities, like divination or supernatural senses,” he let out a wry smile and headed off to speak to Thomas. Daniel vaguely overheard something about a prayer skill before Finnean disappeared into the woods.

Stopping for a quick break, Daniel cursed the terrain around them. The thick canopy prevented him from scouting the situation high up in the air. The tall trees and numerous creatures made his Reaper’s Eyes near useless. At best, he was able to see a large pack of souls blurring together in the distance.

Ten minutes later, Finnean returned, carrying four floating stones. Tossing them into the air, the stones created a rhombus-like formation around the group, coating them in a thin veil of mana. Strangely, no one in the group was able to sense it. Then again, priests tended to hate everything dealing with magic.

The effect was immediate. The red river seeking out his target constantly changed direction, until, at one point, it came to a standstill. Thirty minutes later, Daniel saw the reason. Velkir had gone through the yawning maw of a dark cave, which ominously beckoned them to come ever closer.

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“He’s through there,” Daniel said, which provoked concerned looks from his party.

“Great! The beast has decided to corner itself. Everyone, let’s get prepared for battle,” Thomas shouted, raising his shield into the air. Daniel, however, wasn’t as convinced.

“I don’t think it’s a smart idea. He must have gone here for a good reason. We’ll be fighting on their playing field, not knowing what could ambush us. Besides, Velkir is said to be intelligent,” he said, voicing his concerns.

“How smart could he be?” Both the warriors and the priests gave him a look but declined to say anything else. Thomas let out a small chuckle. “What’s your suggestion then?”

Daniel gazed at the cave entrance with his Reaper’s Eyes. This close, he could make out forty different figures, all in the shape of wolves. There, standing at the front of them all, was a soul that towered over anyone present. Murky black, it twisted and writhed, devouring itself over and over again. A thousand different figures swirled around, desperately trying to escape, to fight back, but it was all for naught.

“I only see the wolves nearby. Though, there are more creatures much further down,” Daniel said, squinting at what he thought were souls. It was too far, and there was too much stone in the way to properly tell.

“It’s connected to the Boundless Depths,” Finnean chimed in. “We could try starving them out - they’d have to go and fight whatever’s down there, and I guarantee that Velkir will seem like a harmless fly in comparison to the creatures below.”

“Or he escapes there, grows exponentially in power, and comes back years later to kill us all,” Daniel said, assuming the worst.

Running into the cave blind would be a death wish. Thus, a simple plan formed in Daniel’s mind.

“If there’s no better idea, I can scout ahead with a skill of mine. It only extends a few hundred feet, but it’s better than nothing,” Daniel said.

“Fine. Let us be careful in the exploration of the cave and keep a watch out for any traps or ambushes. May, Eldric, and Leopold, you’ll be at the front with me. I shall shield you guys from the worst of the assault. Raph, along with the silent warriors, you’ll be guarding both Daniel and the priests.” The Paladin shouted, standing tall at the front of the party.

“Prioritise safety. In case you are grievously wounded, fall back. As long as Daniel is alive, we can find the monster no matter where he escapes. A single loss is one too many.” With that said, the warriors began to chant skill after skill in preparation.

Auras overlapped to create a zone of intense light. Like a beacon, they signalled their presence to the world, unafraid of any challenges. Flaming cloaks, burning weapons, and luminous armour appeared one after another. A chant to protect the mind and a hymn to bolster strength appeared on the priests’ lips.

The entire cave would be able to see and hear them coming at this rate. Still, he wasn’t as worried as a minute ago. Each of the warriors inspired confidence with their fighting abilities, and the Paladin’s back looked strong enough to carry a mountain. As the warriors prepared for combat, Daniel did the same. He chugged down a Potion of Serenity and conjured his familiar.

The first to go into the limestone cave was the Midnight Panther, which practically disappeared into the darkness. Here was where it shined the most. His limbs were weightless - he was swimming through the shadows, moving fast enough to be nothing more than a blur. Still, he took his time to check for any obvious traps. Soon enough, the narrow cave hallway expanded into a massive cavern.

Grotesque mosses lined the cavern walls, clashing against the moonlight orchids, which bathed the cave in a soft, silver glow. Deep ravines that gleamed scarlet and indigo let out noxious fumes that scattered into the air. The darkness expanded up and up, and there, several hundred feet above the floor, obsidian stalactites hung over any intruder like wicked blades. Several rocky, crumbling platforms created steps made for giants until they rose high enough to overlook the rest of the cave.

There, on top of the highest platform, prowled a wolf with thick ebony fur, which stood on end like a thousand jagged needles. At ten feet tall, Velkir towered over the rest of the wolves. They looked up to him in fear and respect. Its body was a canvas of scars, a battlefield of a thousand different fights. Like a dark whirlwind, mana roiled and writhed around its intimidating frame, lashing out at anything that got too close.

Its ears perked up as Daniel stepped into the room. Moments later, two eyes, white as snow, met his gaze. Like tears running down his cheek, Velkir’s fur was coloured white to the edges of his wicked maw. In his eyes, Daniel saw malevolence mixed with torture and agony. That was also the last thing he saw before Velkir reared up and slammed against the ground. Then, he snapped back to his body.