Chương 27: Books

A closer inspection revealed that the tome cataloged every bookshelf in the library. It served as the archive's central index. Interacting with it revealed an incomplete list of shelves and labeled soul records. /——————————\ Era 31, Year 1504 A group of souls perished in the siege of Closterfall… Reference: Shelf 9986302, Book 322… \—————————/ Eras? Years? Looks like the history of the world is longer than I thought. The words on the page melted and fell off.

They merged with the puddle below and continued on their way somewhere in the library. A thinner stream of ink branched away from the main flow. Eric looked at Ash and smiled.

"I think I found where to go next. You're not the only smart one here. Follow me." Fueled by the discovery, the young reaper teleported ahead. He alternated between running and teleporting to cover ground faster. After nearly colliding with several bookshelves, he resorted to a light jog, conserving his essence usage. Ash flew above the obstacles and followed its partner. Soon, the duo found the source. The line of ink was slowly trickling into the wall. For the first time in the library, Eric found a wall.

The archives weren't endless after all, though reaching an edge had taken far longer than he'd expected. Ink disappeared into cracks in the wall. Eric drew his knife and it transformed into a hammer. Clobberin' time! Smashing the weapon into the wall revealed a small hole, big enough to crawl into. /————————————\ Secret Discovered! Shattered Church Do you wish to enter this area? YES | NO \————————————/ The inside of the tunnel was damp and cramped.

Eric and Ash squeezed through a narrow passage, surrounded by dirt and roots. Eric flailed his hands and cleared the webs in front of him. Stupid spiders. Last thing I need is one after my ring. I haven't even had second breakfast yet. Crawling on, Eric kept his weapon in hand. It transformed into a machete, ready to cut the surrounding vegetation. The rather long tunnel ended with a small passage and a direct view into an old church. Altars, pews, and stained-glass windows were still in the old building.

Roots and vines had reclaimed most of the church, and water dripped from the ceiling in some places. Vines wrapped around unlit torches. The only light was from the ritual ahead. Eric activated Camouflage. He held his breath.

"Keep him down. We'll need more ink," a Shattered guard yelled at three other mages. The group wore oversized red robes and channeled glowing chains of magic to a soul trapped in a protective barrier. They chanted something Eric couldn't understand. His class granted him the ability to communicate with all beings in Purgatory, the unfamiliar chants only meant one thing. They weren't from here. What are they doing? Listening more closely, he heard a human voice reciting a prayer. A woman.

"Receive your crown of sin! You shall never know peace till you die!" The soul in the spell transformed. Its limbs lengthened, a set of horns and white fangs emerged. The legs transformed into those of a goat. Mouths appeared on its knees and elbows, with four wings sprouting from its back. Eric immediately recognized the sight. A demon! Here? Why did they bring it? More chants reached his ears, but the ritual stopped.

"Hold him, or he'll kill us all!" the woman yelled to the other casters. She stopped channeling power into the protective bubble while the other two reinforced it with more energy. Moving over to an altar, she removed her hood.

"The summoning is almost complete. I'll need a trace of that human you said. Binding it into the spell will make the demon follow the intruder relentlessly," she said, her voice thin and trembling slightly. Time wasn't merciful to her looks. Her skin was gray and wrinkled, while the eyes were blood red. She's the leader… One heavily armed guard approached her and took a knee. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Our scouts are on the hunt. We sent out gryphon riders to search the area. They haven't returned yet." A gust of wind knocked the hoods of the casters back. White strands of hair flowed out. Two young women were keeping the monster at bay. They looked much younger than their leader, though appearances meant little in Purgatory. Aging didn't follow mortal rules. He locked his gaze on the green-eyed one. She looked eerily human. The gryphon riders are no more. That will buy us some time." I think I have a plan.

We'll wait here until the cult leader joins the spell again. After that, I'll camouflage and ambush them. Understand?" Eric whispered to Ash in the tunnel. It bobbed its head and moved closer to him. A Shattered scout burst into the church.

"The riders are dead. We found the reins floating around the tower." The cult leader smiled.

"Looks like we'll have to resort to the backup plan," she walked slowly to one caster. Caressing her hair, she smiled and whispered.

"Kayle. My dear. Weren't you also human? Like the poor soul we're hunting?"

"You can't do this," the green-eyed caster blurted.

"Oh, yes, I can. And I will." Eric's grip tightened around his weapon. Another human? What if she could help him on his quest? Maybe she also had her own share of problems to solve, but currently, being sacrificed to a demon was her main one. The creature inside the protective bubble continued mutating and tried breaking free, before screaming and gripping its distorted face. Its skin turned red, and spikes ripped out from its back. I don't know if I could take both an evolving demon and a cult wizard right now.

"Put your hands down, dear. We'll have to finish this," the old woman said.

"You're never feeding me into that… thing!" Kayle turned around and unleashed a blast of red energy toward the cult leader. In the process, she hit the Shattered guard and scout. They fell to the side, their armor almost melted from the heat. The one remaining caster yelled as she tried her best to keep the monster under the barrier.

"I'm losing control. It's breaking free!" Tearing open the spell, the hideous demon roared and licked its fangs. One leap later and it bit down on the mage that had imprisoned it seconds ago. Cracking bones and screams of terror filled the church.

"Church of deviance!" The demon screamed as it gnawed on the remains. Ash cawed inside the tunnel. Essence gathered around its beak.

"What are you doing? This isn't part of the…" Eric couldn't finish his sentence as his partner flew out from the muddy tunnel. The raven shot bolts of energy toward the demon. The barely alive Shattered guard summoned a horn in his hands. Before he could sound it, the demon lunged and tore his arm off. Black liquid flowed from the wound.

"Weak they stand before me!" A bolt of red energy hit the monster at the back and chained it to the ground. Kayle and the cult leader were both focusing their power to subdue him.

"Traitor! Look what you have done," the old woman said.

"I'm not finished." Kayle redirected the spell from the demon to her new target. The cult leader couldn't move anymore, but the monster was now free. Eric leaped out of the tunnel and summoned his knife.

"Watch out!" He sent forth an empowered spectral throw towards the demon. It was ready to attack Kayle, but the hit from the green projectile knocked it off balance.

"Another human! How?" The cult leader was in disbelief. She smashed her palm into the floor, and a small explosion released her from the chains. Ash continued its barrage of energy bolts. They only served as a brief distraction for the demon, as it looked around for a new target. The demon whispered.

"So… much… power…"

"Take them! Kill them all!" The cult leader screamed. For a moment, no one moved. The sound of dripping water echoed through the ruined church. Everything erupted into chaos. The demon leaped over to the cult leader. She stomped the ground once again and raised flaming pillars around herself. This only aggravated the demon more, as it screamed into the air. Kayle pulled Eric to the side, away from the fray.

"If you want to live, you'll have to do what I say." If it weren't for me, you'd be demon food. He glanced at the battle, but Kayle grabbed his attention again by raising a shield wall over them.

"We can't take them both. Also, the hellspawn is way stronger. Your attack barely damaged it." Destroying the pillars of flame, the demon advanced towards the cult leader. It hissed in anticipation.

"Behead the prophet!"

"Stay away from me. I'm your master!" The old woman floated in the air, and tentacles appeared near her. They lashed out at the demon, but it clawed its way forward, slicing them with one swipe.

"Reaper! Ambush her." Kayle yelled.

"I'll find a way to escape." Eric was left alone. He was stretched thin by everything happening at once. The plan from the green-eyed cultist was clear. He just didn't know how to carry it out. How could he ambush the cult leader if she was seconds away from being chewed up? I have to do something. Ash snapped Eric out of his trance. The demon's voice froze him in place, filling his heart with dread. Somehow, the raven sensed that and pecked the young reaper on the arm.

He moved to the side and watched the battle unfold. The old woman summoned a small squad of firelings. Each was the size of a soccer ball, but flaming and angry. Charging ahead, the army of fire spirits merged into a larger elemental. It slammed into the demon and burned its skin. I'd kill for the Pandemonium Flame class right now! More and more spells from the cult leader flew in the demon's direction. Rays of fire, explosions, and even magma couldn't damage it.

The molten rock only stopped it in place for a while until the hellspawn ripped free.

"Fresh meat!" Marching forward, it cornered the cult leader on the church altar. Eric's vision went completely black. His mind showed him a dire omen. The cult leader was screaming in pain from the knife in her back. Her power weakened the wall of fire she had, and the demon finally reached her. It grabbed both of her hands and pulled them apart. Before the torso fell to the ground, the monster devoured it. /————————————————\ Last Rites activation complete!

\————————————————/ Suddenly, Eric was back on the battlefield, but nothing he saw was real. Yet. He camouflaged and sneaked to the church altar. The cult leader cast a giant wall of flame, which protected her from the horned enemy. Teleporting over, Eric crossed the fire barrier and summoned his dagger. He stabbed the old woman, and she screamed in pain.

"No! You don't know what you're doing," she said, her mouth filling with blood. Falling down, the barrier of fire disappeared. Eric teleported away from the demon. Just as his vision, it snapped off the cult leader's arms and gnawed on her torso. After finishing its meal, the monster turned around and looked for Eric. It hissed slowly.

"Thank you, Tormentor. You're next!" How does it know? Does the chain belt belong to demons?

"Over here!" Kayle screamed from one of the glass windows.

"I've created an exit." Ash flew in circles around the demon, trying to grab its attention. The monster swatted it away with a flick of its tail. Eric ran over and teleported to Ash, grabbing the raven mid-air. He landed on one of the pews and glanced at Kayle. After opening a portal to the archives, she created two fire chains and shot them upwards. Pulling with everything she had, the ceiling fell down onto the demon.

This secured Eric the precious seconds, which he used to teleport again to the portal and return to the third floor.