Chương 13: Snakes

Leaving trails of slimy red liquid, the serpents slithered across the battlefield. Moving around Eric, the monsters could sense he was not the regular guard from the Shattered. In all this mess, he felt the level difference. The pop-up before entering the realm warned Eric about the bonus damage but also gave promises of increased experience and learning rate. Everything was going according to plan, or at least until he fell into the void. Nevertheless, that close call helped him learn the new skill.

The dagger from Grim flashed again with a green tint. Aggravated by the power inside the weapon, the serpents hissed. Eric made a dent in the Eternal Flame, triggering a response from the hand. He looked around and teleported to a ledge right above his foes.

"It's showtime!" Hurling several fireballs on the battlefield made the moisture around evaporate. The fire made the reptiles recoil and prepare their wings for flight. Eric teleported to the bridge right beside him for a better view. One of his infernal orbs made a direct hit. Steam and liquid flew in the air as the sharp sizzling sound echoed in the realm. What happened later only confirmed Eric's theory. He watched how the rain gave life to the serpent statues.

The reduced precipitation made the creatures move slower and be less aggressive. Patches of stone spread across their scales, hardening their bodies piece by piece. Intuitively, he wanted to check if fire could turn them back into stone, because water reinvigorated the serpents. With his suspicions proven right, he aimed the witch's hand into the injured serpent for one last fireball. Another direct hit turned one of his foes back into a statue.

The second serpent flew away as Eric teleported back to the entrance portal. That actually worked? One more to go. Closing the distance helped him study the stone figure up close. Nothing was moving anymore, as all the scales, fangs, and eyes were immortalized into a beautiful sculpture. All its details remained visible. The small dents were the scales connected and different parts of the eyes with their protective eyelids. Venomous needles peeked out of the mouth. The serpent was frozen in pain from the fireball.

Eric didn't go any closer as he felt uneasy being at such a short distance from the ominous statue. His dagger became heavier with the sounds of metal grinding and twisting. The Eternal Flame calmed down after destroying its enemies. Fiery destruction seemed to subside from the witch's hand as Eric defeated his foe. He turned around and gasped for air at the sight of his weapon. What the… From the small dagger it was seconds ago, now a hammer with a heavy, blocky head hit the ground.

The handle was thick enough for two-handed use, and even then Eric struggled to lift it properly. Decorative engravings were on the hammer head, and the same blue jewel glowed brightly at the end of the sturdy handle. Picking it up, Eric could feel the weight and inertia it carried. He faced the serpent statue and realized why there were no experience orbs from turning his enemies into stone. He took a step back, hammer in hand and ready to strike. His senses fired an alarm.

Rocks began tumbling down from the boreholes in the mountain above. This time Eric turned around and swung his mallet, smashing some of the approaching debris as he retreated closer to the mountainside. The same rockfall dragged the serpent statue, destroying it. Yellow experience orbs fell down into the white oblivion. Eric clenched his teeth and gripped the hammer tightly. He wouldn't let the last experience slip away that easily.

After the dust and debris settled, the sun finally pierced through the clouds in the sky. The slight drizzle of red rain was ending. Around the portal were some big rocks and sand from the landslide earlier, blocking the exit. Eric had to smash them to get out, but he wasn't planning to. Some bridges connecting the portal area to the upper part of the mountain were destroyed. Eric came out of his hiding spot and scanned the area. His usual route to the serpent door wasn't going to work.

He saw the red film had dissipated a little and figured out that if he destroyed the remaining enemy here, he could pass. How can I drag that hideous thing outside? The rain is tapering off. Think, Graham! Think! The next idea he had was to step on the edge of the boreholes and fling a fireball inside. He quickly checked if the Eternal Flame had any more information about usage, but the item didn't change its description. Flames spread deeper into the serpent's nest. Steam blasted from the burrows.

Steam flew up from the mountain until a deafening hiss shattered the air. Eric dodged, considering his next move. Losing this experience would be a failure he didn't want to see. Vibrations from the nest traveled through the ground, signaling where the enemy could erupt. Eric moved into the tunnel. He guessed the serpent would burst through. With one swift motion, he lit the Eternal Flame relic and grabbed it with both hands. Now, facing his fears, Eric felt all the pent-up emotions inside disappear.

There was only anxiety, dread, and a bit of hope brewing inside his mind. The end never comes if you don't lose hope. His father used to repeat those words whenever things fell apart at home. Somehow, hearing them again steadied Eric's breathing. Franklin maintained an optimistic outlook. This was something he strove to teach his son. Memories of home gave the reaper acolyte some mental fortitude. In his hands, the witch's limb glowed brighter, giving out a faint feeling of warmth.

Seconds later, Eric was hit with a gust of wind and steam. His enemy was approaching fast. He took a battle stance and aimed at the inside of the tunnel. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Eat this!" Fireballs bounced inside the tunnel like pinballs, obliterating everything. The increase in pressure inside the borehole forced Eric out of the tunnel. Tumbling down the mountain, he glanced at the red door nearby and teleported to safety. The serpent vanished, leaving only faint vapor escaping from the rocks. The steam subsided and Eric could go back and search for the scorched statue. His dagger transformed into the same sturdy hammer, thirsting for experience.

Frozen in its skin, the serpent was right where he thought it would be. The idea of absorbing all this experience and learning a new power in this realm was exhilarating. While Eric knew that danger was looming from every corner and he nearly lost his life, for him the gamble was worth the try. If he hadn't challenged himself, he wouldn't have progressed. Inside the tunnel, he found the scorching hot statue and gripped the hammer. The power and weight of the weapon demanded all the strength he had.

Taking a step back, Eric smashed his enemy with a mighty overhead swing. Besides the big yellow experience orbs, smaller silver droplets fell to the ground. Eric walked over to the spoils of victory. His essence was low from the fight, and this was a welcome surprise. The smaller silver orbs dissolved into him instantly, refilling his drained essence. /———————————————————————\ Warning: Your temporary buff "Working Out!" has cleared!

\———————————————————————/ The sound of shattering glass pulled him out of the moment. Taking a few steps back and peeking from the tunnel, Eric saw the red film from the serpent door breaking and falling. Immediately, he ran there and tried to exit. /——————————————————————\ You are entering Warden's Inner Chamber Warning: This area contains a boss enemy. Proceed? YES | NO \——————————————————————/ If this is where I have to go, then so be it. The next chamber was eerily empty.

Hanging from the ceiling was a small pillar, holding what seemed to be a golden mask. Bright purple colors adorned the walls everywhere around Eric. He stood at the edge of an arena. At its center churned the same entrance portal he'd come through earlier, swirling with electricity and fog. White patterns wove through the purple walls, forming shifting shapes. For a brief second, Eric swore he saw the outline of a smiling clown.

The walls emitted a faint buzz that grew sharper and louder until Eric covered his ears.

"Gratitude costs nothing, you know? Without me, you'd still be fumbling around!" The warden's voice laughed.

"I deserved at least a thank you! Let's correct your poor manners." Beneath Eric, the ground stirred, and everything except the arena fell into nothingness. He stood on a circular battlefield. At the edge was the unending void. One wrong step and he would fall into oblivion.

"Show yourself!" Eric shouted.

"Hmm… Looks like I'd have to teach you myself." The key warden's voice rang in the air. The portal at the center of the arena became bigger as light pulsed from within. A thunderous lightning strike summoned the warden onto the ceiling. He advanced to the golden helm, both of them hanging upside down. He put it on and vanished in a burst of violet energy, spawning at the opposite end of the arena from Eric.

"I'm here because of the keys. I need them." Eric pulled out his dagger and pointed it at the warden.

"Instead of accepting the glorious power of the Shattered, you sided with Death. What a shame!" The key warden let out a sigh and lifted into the air. Three portals spawned above him. Eric noticed how each of the portals resembled geometric forms. The leftmost was a circle, the center one had a square, and the right was triangle-shaped. All the apertures emitted the same electricity as the warden. Several seconds later, transparent figures began bouncing onto the arena.

Flat outlines twisted into solid cubes, spheres, and pyramids. Lines of electricity created the shapes as they flew toward Eric. He dodged the first wave of flying, lethal constructs, but soon more came out of the portals. I have to stop the spawn, then I can deal with the warden. Waves of shapes continued to materialize, but the targeting had a delay. It always angled the wave of figures at Eric's last location.

This proved invaluable, as he could slowly advance towards and warden and reduce the distance by staying still and waiting for the system to fire.

"Not bad for a shade. Let's see what you're made of." The warden said. Three more portals opened opposite the first set. Eric found himself in a crossfire. Both the front and back were portals spawning electrical shapes, ready to cut him in half. Feeling the imminent danger, he tried to bait the wave of figures in front of him, while teleporting up into the air to dodge the shapes spawned from the back. Just as he was getting the hang of it, sounds of static electricity filled the arena.

The ground beneath glowed brighter. White power pulsed under Eric's feet, ready to explode any second. From the outside of the circular arena, tendrils made of energy expanded toward the center. I'm gonna get fried if I stay here. Eric's eyes snapped to the pedestal on the ceiling where the key warden took the helm. A moment later, he hung from the pillar, his dagger embedded in the stone. The arena beneath him detonated in white light, and everything went silent.

Eric could only hear the crackling of energy below him. The warden flew upwards and levitated near the reaper acolyte.

"You can pick your own demise," the priest said with a smile before carrying on.

"Burn alive or fade away into the abyss."

"Why did you join the Shattered?" Eric said, struggling to hold onto his weapon.

"I saw how Death took my family. My wife, my son… everything I ever loved. How was I supposed to forgive? How could I forget?" The warden flew closer to Eric as he was hanging from the roof and continued, "This world offered me a chance to kill the bastard. I couldn't turn it down. What lie did Death whisper to win you over?" Eric's grip was failing. He tried pulling himself up, but all his strength was gone. His fingers slipped against the hilt. There wasn't a single possible place for him to teleport.

With the last of his strength, he lunged at the warden, slashing wildly into the air. His enemy drifted effortlessly with a smile on his face. Rage burned through the fear of death as Eric threw his blade at the warden. Green energy spiraled around the blade, expanding it into a massive spectral sword. It slammed into the warden and impaled him on the ceiling. Eric turned around mid-air and noticed the dagger still in his hand. The arena blinked, and moments later, it was back to normal.

A quick teleport broke his fall. There wasn't a trace of electricity. The same familiar portal spawned underneath his feet as blood dripped from the roof. The corpse of the key warden splattered onto the arena.