Chapter 64 (Patreon)

Unlike Annabelle’s detection magic, Otis’ abilities had no trouble asura concealing themselves with Shadow Essence. The asura using them were half the size of the normal grunts, making them perfect for hiding in the crumbling city’s nooks and crannies. An ordinary arrow proved sufficient for slaying them.

Whenever Otis detected one, the pair froze and spent several minutes looking for the signature liquid shadows and regions of distorted light. Once they located the asura, Nox created a mana arrow infused with Crystalize Essence. The projectile didn’t just slay the creatures but also solidified the shadow essence. Nox and Lillin worked together to refill his stores. They didn’t have any offensive power, but Nox needed more utility. Shadow Essence wasn’t just useful for stealth but also proved excellent for covering retreats. If the upcoming fight got overwhelming, Nox planned to rely on a combination of his alchemical creations and the newly acquired essence glass.

Lillin saved her strength. Now that there was no chance of anyone seeing her, she had significantly transformed her physiology. The mimic woman stood half a foot taller and had several layers of subdermal armor protecting her torso, shoulders, upper arms, and thighs. She kept the protection on her neck, knees, elbows, and the lower half of her limbs lighter for the sake of flexibility. A one-inch-thick black aura surrounded her as a gravity field worked to lighten all the extra load she carried.

The narrow path opened into a large temple courtyard. The overhead canopy thinned, improving visibility. Otis detected patrols and guard stations in their way, forcing Nox and Lillin to take a long way and weave around them.

Nox’s newest brew, Rock Melter, made the approach to the temple easier. Crumbling walls and pillars ensured the only way through the courtyard was by taking a serpentine path. Large groups of asuras stood at each bend. They had tents and bonfires set up. The tone appeared morose. Everyone spoke in gentle, somber tones, and Nox smelt warmed liquor in the air. It looked like the soldiers were in mourning.

Nox often wondered whether rift and dungeon inhabitants had minds and will of their own. Not many mages had bothered to research them besides the beasts who broke free of their ruler’s control and explored the world outside. Lillin was an obvious example. Her only drives when Nox first met her were greed and hunger. The feedings had changed Lillin, but he hadn’t expected such displays from entities still living under the domain’s ruler.

The lizards were beasts, and it was impossible to tell much about them. However, the case wasn’t the same for the Asuras. They didn’t just look human but behaved like them, too. Nox almost felt guilty for all the asura he had killed since they entered the spatial anomaly. However, rifts were more dangerous than dungeons. Their instability caused space and time to distort in the vicinity. The chances of breaches were also significantly higher. It was humankind or the Rift Lords and their minions, and it wasn’t a difficult choice for Nox.

Rock Melter let the duo cut through the center of the courtyard. It’s where the canopy was thickest. Nox silently melted the walls in their path, and Otis told them when to sprint through the trees. It took a lot of starting and stopping before they made it to the temple.

Something exploded on the other side of the city. The walls shook, and stone fragments rained around Nox and Lillin. Their eyes darted toward the source. The courtyard’s borders were much too high, and the thick canopy made it impossible to look beyond.

“It has to be them,” Nox said. “Do you think they’re okay?”

“Now isn’t the time for such worries,” Lillin commented. “We’re much too close to our goal. I can sense it. The Rift Lord is ahead. I can sense it.”

Nox glanced at the path behind them. He was worried about Annabelle, but returning through the courtyard would prove too risky. If someone saw them, their secret approach would prove useless. The pair had agreed to scout and then return, but Nox knew that was Lillin placating him. She had no intention of returning after coming so far. Nox questioned why he always played along despite knowing her intentions. Perhaps some part of him wanted the same thing as her.

Both of them were hungry for power. Nox wanted to destroy Sundarshahar. Lillin wanted a dungeon to call her own. He didn’t want to admit it, but everything else felt secondary. Nox pushed idle thoughts out of his mind as they entered the temple.

The air grew thicker and suffocating. Mana hung heavy in the atmosphere, and the interior smelt sweaty and damp. The inside was nothing but a long rectangular room with a circular section at the end. The roof was high and curved, and pillars as wide as Ernest lined the hall’s sides. A lone closed-eye figure sat on a stone throne against the far wall. It appeared ten feet tall and had six arms. Unlike the asura they had faced so far, the entity had a handsome face and a beard. His features were narrower and sharper. Most alarming was the giant striped cat at its feet. The blue and white fur made it a terrifying sight.

Before Nox could say anything, Lillin crossed the threshold and entered the giant room. A vertical third eye shot open on the giant asura’s forehead. Its crimson iris crackled with energy. A red sphere manifested, floating in front of the pupil. Nox leaped in front of Lillin and sacrificed a large chunk of mana, creating the wedge-shaped essence glass shield. He added layers of Slow and Crystallize Essence, too.

Thunder roared in the temple, and a crimson beam shot at the duo. The attack proved as wide as the space between the stone pillars. Nox’s shield cut it into two, and the barriers behind them turned a part of the energy into essence glass. Red lightning crackled within them. The crystalline protection successfully split the beam, and it went over the shield or past the layers beyond it and struck the wall and doorway behind Nox. The building shook, walls cracked, and monstrous chunks of stone rained from above. Lillin wrapped her arms around Nox, picked him up, and leaped behind the pillars as soon as the beam stopped.

Retreating was no longer an option. The boss monster had closed their escape route. Instead, Nox and Lillin raced forward. She took the lead, manifesting giant gravity orbs around her fists. A pair of black disks appeared, floating an inch above her forearms two, following her like two oversized round shields. When crimson blasts flew at Lillin, she blocked them with her conjurations, sending them into a pocket dimension.

Nox stuck his head out from behind a pillar and analyzed their surroundings. The room had no grunts or four-armed asura, and the entity he assumed was the Rift Lord hadn’t moved from his throne. He continued to fire blasts at Lillin, slowing her approach. Nox nocked a sonic arrow, added two layers of crystal spikes, and fired. The luminous projectile cut through the air, shooting straight at the dungeon boss. Then its giant cat roared, and the air rippled. The arrow shattered midair, causing a second thundering boom. All but the pillar trembled, and more stone rained from the ceiling. Sharp fragments sliced Nox’s cheek, but he ignored them.

The Rift Lord’s pet leaped from a seated position and shot at Nox. He infused a chunk of shadow essence glass with shadow essence before throwing it at the ground. Darkness burst from the fragment, and he used the cover to flee. Nox knocked a fire arrow and blindly shot it into the dark cloud. An explosion and angry roar followed.

Nox’s heart pounded in his chest. He regretted going along with Annabelle’s ploy. After eighteen years with her, he felt stupid for not learning his lesson. The mimic-woman always pushed their limits, getting them into precarious situations. This time, the pair had seriously bit off more than they could chew and were in serious trouble. Fighting a Rift Lord and a swarm of minions would’ve been easy. However, the pet was a whole other story. The mana radiating from it suggested the creature had the power on the same level as a high-journeyman or low-adept mage.

A trio of Slow shields gave Nox sufficient time to dodge a second lunge and a follow-up swipe. He didn’t doubt the claws’ ability to slice him into ribbons. If any part of the waist-thick limb struck, his body would’ve rag-dolled across the room. Whatever bones survived the blow would turn into powder as he hit a wall or pillar.

Using the opening Slow had bought him, Nox shot an ordinary arrow at the giant cat’s face. It didn’t bother roaring, dodging, or swiping it away. After all, the projectile only carried enough mana so Ratra’s Bow would let Nox cut it. The head penetrated the tender flesh around the monstrous cat’s cheek but didn’t sink deeper than an inch. As the creature moved, the vial attached to the arrow shattered, and Trap Foam covered its nose and eyes. The slowed cat skidded to a halt as white bubbles multiplied and solidified. When it attempted roaring, the material entered its mouth and continued to harden.

Nox knew his ploy wouldn’t last for long. Cracks and crunches sounded from within the hardened mass. The cat was much too strong for the foam to hold it. Nox didn’t wish to trap or disable the beast. He planned on slaying it. He first sprinted to his left, circling the beast and stopping at its right flank. Then he launched a sonic arrow into its side.

Bones cracked as the projectile exploded. Because of the close range, the shock wave knocked Nox backward. Nox had prepared for the explosion and dropped to a knee. The force also damaged the hardened foam enough for the cat to break free. Fortunately, the previous arrow had sufficiently damaged it. It shakily rose, but then the front right knee gave out, and the creature collapsed.

It was too early to celebrate. Nox fired two acid arrows into the dented flank. The cat cried in pain as the first projectile made of Mistress Makara’s essence melted its flesh and hide. Then the second did the same to the ribs and organs. Bloody foam and white chunks of Trap Foam burst from the beast’s mouth before it went still.

“How dare you hurt my child!” The Rift Lord rose from his throne, face contorted with rage. All three of his eyes were now open. He firmly planted his feet on the ground, balled all six fists, and leaned forward. A narrow beam shot at Nox. He stumbled out of the way.

Nox attempted hiding behind the cat’s corpse first, but the energy bea, sliced through it, and cut the stone, too. The pillars didn’t fair much better, but Nox got some respite when he made it to the previously conjured triangular essence glass shield. Nox pressed his hands against the cracked Shaped mass and channeled Galvanising Touch. The essence glass destabilized, creating a dense, Slow field. Nox then used all the mana he could muster and created a second triangular shield but used Crystallize Essence for it instead.

Fortunately, the Slow field didn’t just slow the energy attack’s speed but also diffused it. The energy striking the new shield destabilized it, but then the resulting power stabilized the bea, and crimson essence glass fragments rained on the ground. Nox hunkered down, unsure how long his defense would survive. He nocked another acid arrow, drew Ratra’s Bow, and held his breath, hoping the shield lasted until the beam stopped.

It did.

Barely.

Then Nox dove out of cover, ready to release his arrow. The act proved necessary. Lillin stood next to the stone throne. Three off the Rift Lord’s arms, its right shoulder and a chunk of its torso had disappeared. It appeared as if a giant maw had taken a bite out of the asura. Shock filled its three eyes. Lillin thrust her hand into the open rib cage and ripped out a heart with thick luminous vessels still attached to it. She stuffed the organ into her stomach-mouth, and the teeth successfully severed the many tubes. Blood glowing with the same color as the energy beams sprayed her. Her clothes burned wherever they made contact, and her right arm ended just past the elbow. It looked like something had burned it off. However, the mimic-woman didn’t appear to care.

Lillin had completed her objective. She had devoured another Rift Lord. Tremors started within seconds. Without a divine entity to anchor it, the dimension had become stable. It would soon collapse, and they needed to exit it immediately.