Chapter 491 - Labyrinth (Patreon)

Zeke splashed into a pool of tepid water, the impact burying him in the thick mud only a foot or two deep.  As he unsuccessfully tried to extricate himself, a moment of panic gripped his mind, but it only lasted for a few moments before he broke free of the sticky mud and pushed himself to all fours. 

He’d been falling for what felt like hours, but in reality had only been a few minutes.  The problem had been the impenetrable darkness, which had surrounded him throughout his freefall until, at last, the ground had become visible far beneath him.  It wasn’t so different from his first freefall, and yet, it was different as well. 

Looking around, he couldn’t deny that much, at least.

There was enough light to see, all of it emanating from bioluminescent plants lining the swampy terrain.  But only a few dozen feet away, Zeke saw an animal he very much didn’t expect. 

“Is that a stingray?” he muttered inwardly.

Indeed, the creature looked a lot like the aquatic animals with which he was familiar.  With mostly flat bodies and long tails, the resemblance was uncanny.  However, there were a few key differences.  The most obvious was that the thing was floating, not in water, but in mid-air.  It hovered a few feet off the ground, drifting lazily about on an air current Zeke couldn’t feel. 

The second major difference was the monster’s size.  It was at least thirty feet across and probably twice as long, with a thick torso to match.  And finally, its back was decorated with bioluminescent spots that traveled up its spine, giving its grey-black hide definition. 

It was both horrifying – due to its size and alien appearance – and strangely beautiful.

The same could be said for the rest of the terrain.  On the one hand, it was a swamp, which came with quite a few unpalatable traits.  Like the smell, which was a mixture of rotting compost, moisture, and all the worst parts of nature.  Or the insidious creatures that inevitably lurked below the surface of the stagnant water.  Yet, there was something hauntingly beautiful about it as well. 

“It’s the stillness,” Eveline remarked.  “It’s peaceful.”

“And the lights,” Zeke pointed out.  Even on Earth, swamps had held a note of mysticism, especially at night.  They were terrifying, too, but the two generally went hand-in-hand, at least from Zeke’s experience. 

He continued to look around, hoping to catch sight of Talia.  However, his efforts went unrewarded; clearly, she’d leaped down from the mushroom canopy in a different spot.  Or, in the back of his mind, Zeke couldn’t deny the note of worry telling him that there was a chance that she hadn’t made it at all.  Those crickelochs were dangerous enough to pose quite a threat to her. 

To Zeke, too.

He’d only made it through because he’d used [Unleash Momentum] to carve a path.  Without it, he might never have reached the edge.  But fortunately, none of the monsters had followed him through the gap between mushrooms.  Whether that was because of their size, a function of the dungeon’s contrived challenges, or territorial reasons, Zeke wasn’t sure.  But he was grateful not to still be dealing with the monsters.

More importantly, he could feel the earth mana beneath his feet, which felt like coming up for air.  He hadn’t realized how much he depended on his attunements until one side had been completely denied to him.

“You’re fortunate you had enough to fuel Worldbreaker,” Eveline said.

“I know,” he admitted.  It had taken almost every ounce of earth mana in his body to power the technique.  He didn’t know what would have happened if he’d run out, but he was well aware of just how delicate the balance of energy was in his techniques, and he suspected that it would not have ended well. 

Zeke continued to survey his situation, and eventually, he spotted dry land.  So, he trudged in that direction, climbing out of the mire and looking around.  The strip of land was wide enough that it could have been a road, and it stretched in either direction, disappearing into the gloom.  However, looking one way, then the next, Zeke saw glowing lights in both directions. 

“Which way, do you think?” he asked.

“There’s no way to know,” was Eveline’s answer. 

He was worried about Talia, but he had to trust that she could take care of herself.  After all, she’d done so for quite some time after her ascension, even reaching some degree of prominence within Darukar.  No – she would survive well enough on her own.  The only question was whether or not they would meet up. 

In any case, Zeke knew his best chance for a reunion lay at the end of the challenge.  It had happened in his first dungeon, where he and his other companions had been separated only for their paths to cross as they progressed through the challenges.  So, Zeke picked a direction and started walking.

As it turned out, the strip of dry land was an actual path, as evidenced by a couple of bridges – each one made of twisted, white wood that looked like it had been brown, rather than shaped by a craftsman’s hand – and the floating lights, which were actually lamps that hung from curved poles. 

Zeke kept going, trying to keep an eye out for anything dangerous.  He saw more of the floating stingrays in the distance, but they seemed completely uninterested in him.  So, he left them alone in the hopes that they would do him the same favor.  However, his diligence was eventually rewarded when he caught sight of a towering beast only a hundred yards away.

It was at least a hundred feet tall, and it was only visible because it periodically flickered with what looked like arcs of electricity coursing through its tentacles. 

“What does it have to be tentacles?” he muttered to himself.

Indeed, the monster in the distance looked a lot like a jellyfish, though instead of drifting about in the current, it was floating in mid-air.  And it was clearly in command of its own path, because after watching it for a few moments, Zeke saw those dangling tentacles lash out, wrap around one of the stingrays, and drag the struggling creature towards the creature’s gelatinous head.  Once there, the thing didn’t eat the beast, but rather absorbed it.  Each time the electrical current flashed, Zeke saw the stingray trapped in the jellyfish’s semi-transparent body.  But bit by bit, it dissolved until, after only a couple of minutes, the thing was no more. 

“That is horrifying,” Eveline said.

Zeke didn’t disagree.  Fortunately, the jellyfish monster wasn’t moving in his direction, so he didn’t need to think about how to fight such a thing.  Still, he couldn’t help but consider it.  Yet, all he could come up with was that he’d simply have to endure whatever it could dish out and hope he found a way to rip it to pieces. 

“So, your normal strategy.”

“Something like that,” he admitted.  From a tactical standpoint, Zeke had always been a simple fighter.  He had rarely set out to outsmart anyone.  Instead, his goal was to outlast and out-muscle anything that stood before him.  It had worked so far, and with his ever-increasing power – as well as his new skills – Zeke saw no reason to alter his preferred strategy. 

Gradually, Zeke followed the path until he reached an intersection.  He stood there for a long few moments, unsure of how to proceed.  However, the presence of the intersection suggested that the term “labyrinth” had not been a coincidence.  It didn’t appear that it was a traditional maze, with narrow corridors and walls.  Rather, it was a labyrinth of a different sort.

“What if we cut cross-country?  Do you think that would help?” Zeke asked.

“For what purpose?  You don’t even know if you’re going the right direction.”

That was true.  So, while there was nothing – at least that he knew of – that was keeping him from cutting across the curious swamp, Zeke saw no real reason to do so.  Perhaps if he needed to bypass some obstacle, he would reconsider it.

But Eveline’s statement also highlighted the fact that, because he didn’t really have a destination in mind, the direction he chose didn’t really matter.  Sure, one might be better than the others, but without any other information, he had no way of differentiating between the paths.  So, without further ado, he decided to continue forward. 

That turned out to be a mistake, because the path ended only a few miles later.  There had been a couple of twists and turns along the way, but Zeke had encountered no other intersections.  And as Zeke squinted into the distance, he saw a few flickering bolts of electricity that indicated that the expanse of swamp before him was infested with those jellyfish monsters. 

That told him that he was meant to turn back.

But he’d never really put much stock in following the prescribed path.  So, without overthinking it, Zeke went with his instincts and waded into the tepid water.  The moment he did, he felt something familiar assail his body.

“Destruction,” he muttered.

It was barely a tingle, but the fact that he could feel it after he’d spent so much time inoculating his body meant that it would have ripped most other people to shreds.  He took another step, and the feeling intensified.  A third, and the power continued its upward climb.  After ten steps, it had reached the point where it had grown uncomfortable.  Ten more, and his body had begun to break down.  He only made it five more steps before he was forced to turn back.

Perhaps he could have endured.  However, with that destructive force chipping away at him, Zeke was in no condition to fight.  And every step he took into that swamp had brought him closer to those jellyfish monsters.  They were still hundreds of yards away, but the closer Zeke came, the more he realized that there were quite a few more of them than he’d initially thought.

One, he might be able to fight.

Two was probably possible as well.

But dozens?  While being assailed by the destructive energies in the water?  It was suicide, even for him.  So, it was with some regret that Zeke turned back and returned to the path. 

It wasn’t until he once again reached dry land that he realized how much his body had degraded.  He’d tried to counteract it with [Cambion’s Awakening], but his skill’s effects had been completely overwhelmed. 

“I know what you’re thinking,” said Eveline.

“You always know what I’m thinking.”

She let out a sigh.  “Only if I actively try to read your thoughts.  This isn’t one of those occasions, but I still know what you’re thinking.”

“Okay?  So, what am I thinking?”

“You want to use this environment to continue your inoculation.”

Zeke didn’t deny it.  Instead, he said, “It’s kind of perfect, isn’t it?”

“Not as perfect as you think.  You felt the difference, didn’t you?  That’s pure destruction.  You follow the Path of Arcane Destruction.  They’re very much related, but there are enough differences that it dilutes the benefits,” Eveline explained.  “It would help, though.”

“But it would take a while, wouldn’t it?”

“Months, at least.”

“Until I see any benefits?  Or until I’m entirely inoculated?”

“I don’t know.  Your colossal body is a mystery to me.  I can see how it works, but predicting how it will react is beyond me,” she said.  “My point is that it’s not as ideal of a situation as you think it is.  Besides, you still need to find your friend.”

“Talia can take care of herself,” he argued.  And she could.  Most of the time, at least.  Whatever the case, she didn’t need him to swoop in like a knight in shining armor and rescue her.  She was her own person, with plenty of power in her own right. 

“And her friend?  Do you think she can survive for months while you work on your own progression?”

Zeke sighed.  “I thought you were supposed to be the selfish one.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” she asked.

“Uh…demon?  And the fact that you’ve repeatedly told me to ignore the plight of others in pursuit of my own power?”

“Well, besides that.”

Zeke shook his head and said, “That kind of seems like the important part.”

“Why are you arguing?  We both know you’ve already made your choice,” Eveline pointed out.

That much was true.  Zeke wasn’t so hard-hearted that he would even consider letting someone Talia considered a friend die just so he could eek a little progression out of the situation.  After all, his own efforts at inoculation had already proven effective, so he didn’t need to take chances like that. 

With that in mind, he spent the next few minutes healing his body before returning the way he’d come.  When he finally reached the intersection, he turned to the right and followed that path. 

Over the next couple of days, Zeke continued with that pattern.  He still had no notion of which way he was supposed to go, but given that there were no hints, that seemed to be the dungeon’s intention.  So, he kept going, picking his path seemingly at random. 

Fortunately, Eveline proved to be something of a secret weapon.  As a mind spirit, she was capable of keeping track of an incredible amount of information, and so, she did just that regarding his path.  She guided him as he picked his way through the swamp, slowly making progress until, at last, the situation changed.

A huge mansion loomed before Zeke, reminding him of old, southern gothic movies he’d seen back on Earth.  It was clearly a plantation-style house, with hundreds of ancient oak trees with widespread branches decorating the surrounding grounds.  Spanish moss hung from those limbs, and the remnants of a few scattered statues – broken and covered in more moss – peppered the area. 

 An old, wrought iron gate swung in the wind.

“This doesn’t look creepy at all,” Zeke muttered. 

It reminded him of home.  Certainly, he’d never lived in such a grand home, but there were plenty just like it – albeit in better condition – in the city where he’d grown up. 

“It does have an…ominous vibe,” Eveline agreed.  “Let’s hope it’s nicer on the inside than it looks from without.”

“Yeah.  That feels unlikely.  But here’s to hoping,” Zeke said, pushing through the gate.  The moment his foot hit the ground, he heard a woman’s piercing scream.  “Definitely unlikely.”