Chương 119: Hidden Passages

In the tight corridor, there wasn't much space to dodge. Somehow, Nyxil managed. The stone door slammed against the opposite wall before careening down the path she came. Each time it struck, rock fragments scattered. When it finally came to a screeching halt, the thick block clogged the tunnel. Oddly enough, her acidic mould had penetrated the entire way through and rose from the other side like ghostly grass. Nothing else was wrong with the door, so she could only conclude her third eye pulled it free.

The effect was… useful, but wasn't about to be very useful in the middle of a fight. Not unless she wanted people to start questioning the ability's origin. Still, it was proof enough of where the main strength of N̚oth lay. Not only did it increase the base strength of her mutations, it allowed them to work with each other to create effects otherwise impossible. N̚oth was all about combination. Taking her body, and using it to achieve things it was never meant to.

Trapped by its very nature, the ancient tree strove for more. It forged its roots to walk the land. It bent its branches so it could sail the ocean. When it achieved all it desired, the ancient tree strove for more. The name still seemed convoluted, but Nyxil was starting to get an idea of what it allowed. She was meant to push her body beyond its natural purpose… if such a thing even existed for her mutations. Nyxil couldn't simply take her branches — her claws — and make sails out of them.

Even with N̚oth, that was too great a challenge. Instead, it gave her a path to reach outward and higher. By combining the strengths of completely distinct body parts, she could create effects that would be otherwise impossible. Her roots would become legs by swaying like leaves. Her mould would become roots by eating like acid. At first glance, the rhythm aspect seemed to clash with this thought.

After all, it was all about synchronising the body parts she already had to enable direct empowerment, not explore new avenues of growth. But that wasn't right. With greater strength for every part incorporated into the dance, it encouraged her to search for more effects to add to the sum. While it gave diminishing returns, there was no downside to adding more besides the difficulty. Her rhythm was all about harmony of the body. Something she needed when branching out as fast as the name demanded.

The name didn't just want her to grow new branches, it wanted them to be strong enough not to snap upon the first gust. A dull scrape brought her attention back to the hidden entrance. The jar was gone. Nyxil ducked her head through the tight entrance. The crawlspace was tight. Wide enough for her to move through, but left little space to manoeuvre should she want to go anywhere but forward. Unlike the main tunnels, the masonry inside was harsh.

Stone blocks jutted from the walls in disorderly and rough fashion that lacked any of the intricate polish she'd seen so far. Parts of the crawlspace would shred skin if one moved too quick. The embalmed definitely wouldn't expect her to climb in after it. Nyxil questioned her own wisdom. Regardless, with her rapier out ahead of her, she crawled inside. Immediately, the hole curved upwards, then back over the main tunnel. It was tight.

The walls hugged her sides, and as she crested a lump in her path, the ceiling pressed down on her no matter how low she crawled. Nowhere could Nyxil see more than a few metres. The path veered and twisted. It dipped down the other side of the tunnel, only to make a V bend where Nyxil had to crawl upside down on her back to fold around the turn. It was difficult to imagine how the insectoid had raced through this space fast enough to drop on her from above.

The occasional echoing scuttle did much to make Nyxil really wish she'd spent more than a second to reconsider. She was deep enough now that crawling backwards wouldn't work, but finding a space large enough to turn around would be hard. Not to mention how little she wanted to leave her back exposed to the other creature in these tunnels. Is there even a reason for this crawlspace? An answer came immediately. The narrow space branched upwards, while the path that followed along the tunnel continued.

A connection to a higher level? Well… maybe she shouldn't be surprised that the hidden passage was a hidden passage. Still, it was becoming clear with each passing moment that this wasn't a unique feature of the corridor she'd been in. Did the crawlspace spread through the pyramid's entirety? It would be so much easier to navigate if only she could use her tentacles. Curious and Pushy were both twitching with anxiety, wanting to get out of their binds. But no, they had to stay hidden.

The Bodytwisters wouldn't throw them into a completely uncontrolled environment… right? Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. No… Ep'Nanorschi was the Adjudicator. That was well within what could be expected of her. She wouldn't care about any possible punishment for excessive numbers of dead kids. Still, there was the chance they had set up some way to watch over the participants. Likely even.

While her hyper-flexible limbs might be perfect for tight spaces like this, she couldn't risk bringing them out. Only because of that, she was glad to have her leg back. Nyxil had celebrated the return of her claw, but her foot… less so. Her mutations had spoiled her. Compared to them, a basic human foot seemed unimpressive. The metal peg-leg had been better; at least that was hard enough kick off the hard stone without it hurting like a bitch.

Now though, she was glad to have the extra limb for this claustrophobic space. It gripped the stone far better than a metal pole ever could. Even if the rough rock cut into her shoeless foot a couple more times than she'd like. Nyxil froze as a screech rolled over her. She brought her rapier to rest under her chest, ready to thrust. As scurrying sounds rushed towards her, all three eyes stared straight ahead. The moment the embalmed turned the corner, its antennae stiffened and it threw itself at her.

One arm clutched the jar to slam into Nyxil's head, while the other guided its momentum around the jagged stones with practised ease. Her rapier pierced its head in an instant. That didn't stop it. The embalmed pushed its head further down her blade until its mandibles nibbled on her hard hands. Even with a lump of steel passing out the back of its skull, the creature swung.

Not having expected the creature to have survived, Nyxil barely brought her other hand up to stop the brutal blow of the jar from crushing her own head. For a lump of pottery, the jolt it sent up her arm was numbing. It felt more like a sledgehammer. If not for her chitin, she would have a hand full of shattered bones. Nyxil jerked her hand. Her rapier ripped out side of the embalmed's head, sending wax, exoskeleton and a tonne of rotten pulp everywhere.

The blade took on a curve as it rushed back in at the intersegment membrane of the insectoid's neck, cleaving through entirely and severing the head. Foul fluid no longer contained by wax and a brittle shell washed over Nyxil. Her own stomach suddenly felt like crawling up her throat as the scent hit her nose. Not that the goopy texture was any better. Any reasonable creature would die from losing their head. Not this thing.

It continued its unskilled flailing at her, only somewhat dangerous because of the tight space she'd chosen to put herself within. And the stench. Yeah, the stench was closer to killing her than the bludgeon jar. Raising her hand, Nyxil caught the wide forearm segment of the insectoid before squeezing. It popped without even needing a rhythm. More sickening juice splashed over her. This was getting annoying now; she doubted there was a convenient bath somewhere in this pyramid. Her blade crashed down on the jar.

The ceramic gave more resistance than its exoskeleton, but it wasn't enough to stop the power of her chitinous wrists. Nyxil braced her nose for more rot. Instead, something pleasantly sweet flowed from the jar. Like honey. It completely overwhelmed the horrid stench of decay now permeating the tunnel. The insectoid slumped. Dead. Nyxil poked it with her sword, put off by how quickly life had… ceased in the creature. Her gaze fell on the jar.

Spreading apart the broken shards amongst the copper chains, she found a long coiling red organ sitting in the remaining sweet liquid. Obviously, it wasn't human, but it was difficult not to identify a heart when she saw one. By the deep cut slicing through the coil, Nyxil was confident she found the cause of the embalmed's death. It left her with questions. Why had it been chained? If the jar was its weakness, why had it thrown it around like a weapon?

The creature had shown more than enough intelligence; it knew what would kill it. Shrugging, Nyxil put it out of mind. This was a Null Scar. There were bound to be countless things she came across that were unexplained. She tossed the heart and washed her face with the sweet water, making sure none entered her mouth. While her acid would protect her, it was best not to take risks… well, cleaning herself of rot was worth the risk.

If she'd stolen the heart without killing the embalmed, it would have made an incredibly valuable sacrificial ingredient. For the Bodytwisters to throw them away for the sake of the Trials… Nyxil didn't understand it. Unless they were certain they were going to win, it was almost like giving them to the other cults. Sacrilege. Before she backed up, Nyxil sliced off one of the creature's hands. She washed out the gunk and hooked it to her waist.

It would be easier to open any hidden doors she found if she had the digits that could fit. When she reached the branching tunnel, she considered her options. One, go back to the straight tunnel that was surely flooding with Trial participants by now… or go up into the unknown. As Nyxil moved upwards, she tried to increase her pace. That insectoid had been quicker than her, while being larger. Maybe it had built these tunnels, or it had been here for years, but it twinged a competitive nerve.

She wasn't going to be slower than an ant. She leapt forward, her body bent in mid-air to avoid one jutting rock… only to graze a second as the tunnel curved. It healed almost immediately. Apparently, perseverance counted even in non battle situations. Lyotep's healing effect lingered. Also strange that an embalmed counted as a life, when spawn were only considered a portion of one. Nyxil slipped her body around another sharp stone.

Really, there should have been no way for her to avoid it, but Ossuul was a very helpful name. Now that she thought about it, wasn't this the perfect place to extract the full effect of that name? To move with speed, she would either need to know the tunnels ahead of time… or be able to contort herself beyond what should be possible. If she could just bring her name into consistent operation rather than bursts… then the insectoid would seem slow. Upwards! To the next floor, and to fully explored names.