Chapter 14: Mileth Crypt [2]

Mileth City, Mileth Crypt 4th Floor…

Traveling through the previous 3 floors was a breeze. The plentiful amount of adventurers that hunted on those floors distracted the monsters from impeding his path. However, with every floor descended, it became clearer that the layout doesn’t change much. But what does change is the amount of adventurers, the monsters, and the temperature. Perhaps it was because there were less adventurers, therefore less body heat exuded into the air; or it was because he was going deeper and deeper underground. Whatever the reason, he knew that at this rate he’ll need a warmer, more appropriate outfit to stay comfortable.

In front of the entrance was a make-shift sign that read: “DANGER: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO TRAVEL IN GROUPS OF THREE OR MORE.”

Sounds of flapping wings and hissing were more prominent than the voices of other people. Exploring this room of centipedes, bats, and red scorpions led to a fruitful endeavor. Bats dropped to the ground, one after the other, as he casually searched for the entrance to the lower floor. The more he killed and looted, the more he pondered about the existence of this crypt.

One of the strangest thing so far that he couldn’t answer is the fact that every monster he killed, they at least dropped something. A normal rat wouldn’t just disintegrate and drop a moldy bread. A spider wouldn’t die and generously leave behind its silk. To obtain a bat’s wing, one must actually cut the wings off of the bat. But all these items have been conveniently dropped as their lives fade away.

Another mystery is the existence of this place itself. Going by what Mundane Angeal mentioned, this place should be a hideout or, at the very least, some sort of base for the forces of the Wonders of the World. Morr couldn’t shake the feeling that something didn’t add up. If this is the base for the Wonders of the World, then are their forces composed of rats, spiders, bats, and scorpions? In a war situation, you’d want decently armed and strong soldiers at the front lines. But these rats, spiders, centipedes, and scorpions shouldn’t be used to describe a soldier. The first floor and second floor had people slumbering, and novices swinging without a hint of danger. Only a newborn child would consider these monsters as soldiers suitable for war.

Morr shook his head. He just finished killing another scorpion and looted the scorpion’s gland dropped from its dead body. After searching all the corners, he believed that there wasn’t any other party hunting here -- at least not now.

But then again, there were just so many questions that he didn’t have an answer to. Putting the enigma of the Wonders of the World aside, there was the issue with the Church of Salvation. The man he killed was apparently a Guard Captain of Mileth, but why was he there? Did he also fell prey to the Church’s hand or did he approach them willingly? The more he thought about the Church’s plan, the angrier he got, but also the more worry he became. Recalling his meeting with Dr. Mav and Guard Crol made him believe that the Church’s victims were captured discriminately. If they would take random people from the streets, then that would surely bring up some questions. Families would report missing children or family members to the authorities. Yet, he spent three years in that hellhole, and the only person outside who knew about it was Guard Crol. Morr couldn’t help but think that either the world just doesn’t care about the missing victims, or they never knew in the first place.

Cleaning this floor of the monsters didn’t prove to be much of a problem. The sack over his shoulder is a bit heavier from before, and he couldn’t help but think of the amount of money this’ll make him. Although, keeping this area clean wasn’t possible. He visited previous rooms he’s been to, and the monsters that he thought he killed were still there. It was incredibly odd, like leaving the room would cause it to reset.

Morr recalled that there were lecture buildings in Mileth’s College area. Going there would surely be beneficial to learn about how this world works.

Mileth City, Mileth Crypt 5th floor…

Proceeding to the 5th floor revealed an incredibly spacious room, larger than any of the previous ones.

All it took was a few steps until he stopped. A black scorpion impeded his path. It stood 4-feet-tall (including its tail), 1-foot-wide, and had these large pincers that could easily snap a person’s leg like a twig. The pincers may be intimidating, but what was truly fearsome was the purple liquid dripping from its tail. It doesn’t require a crazy imagination to guess that it was poison.

A party of four ambushed it from behind. A sword-and-shield warrior was the first to attack it, drawing its attention. He held his shield up the entire time, and dared not to attack more than need be. A mage casted [Fire – 2: Beag Srad] on the scorpion. The spell resulted in a minor burn, but it was far from dead. An archer shot her arrows, but it didn’t have any noticeable effect; the arrows bounced off of its hardened skin as soon as it made contact. A priest hid behind them, ready to heal anyone in danger.

The scorpion used one of its pincer and grabbed the shield. With a relentless snap, the shield broke and the warrior dreadfully stood in the front line. He held his sword with both hands, but that didn’t stop it from shaking. The archer shot more arrows, but her terrible accuracy couldn’t pinpoint a vulnerable spot. The mage casted [Wind – 1: Beag Athar], which summoned a weak wind to disturbed the scorpion.

The scorpion ran towards the warrior, but it didn’t spare him anymore attention.

“No… RUN!” The warrior frantically shouted as he watched the scorpion breaking their front lines.

The wizard couldn’t run. He was too occupied with incanting another spell. The priest jumped in front but as the scorpion approached closer, she jumped away in fright. The wizard finally noticed the scorpion approaching it, and tried to jump away. But it was too late. Its tail scratched the end of the wizard’s leg, infecting it with its venom.

“Everyone… RUN!” The warrior’s voice broke as he dashed towards the entrance.

The priest and archer didn’t linger; they ditched the wizard as soon as they heard his command. They all ran past Morr and up the stairs. The wizard saw them all cruelly abandoning him, but then his eyes fell on Morr.

“Please… help…” The wizard begged with a mixture of doom and regret in his eyes.

Morr ran towards the scorpion and boosted his agility by focusing his chakra to his feet. The scorpion spun around upon hearing his approaching footsteps. Morr stopped once he had the scorpion’s full, undivided attention. They stared at each other, predator to predator, and watched each other’s movement carefully. Morr brought his knee to his chest, and the scorpion bared its tail. He threw a light kick, but upon seeing the scorpion counterattacking with its tail, the boy retracted his leg and held his stance.

The stalemate between them resumed.

The wizard on the ground grew pale. The veins in his neck was clearly visible with its dangerously purple color.

Morr kicked the space in front of the scorpion, and the scorpion met half-way. He retracted his legs before its tail made contact. The scorpion gave chase, but the boy reacted too fast and retreated a few steps back. It stopped chasing, and the distance between them didn’t grow any wider. It didn’t seem like either party could get an advantage. The scorpion had its venomous tail that could easily poison any area of the boy’s body, and Morr had speed to his advantage.

The distance between them shorten when Morr carefully, step by step, approached the scorpion while keeping its tail’s length in mind. It’s black, venomous tail suddenly strike forth, trying to catch the boy in his steps. Morr quickly responded by throwing his bag into the scorpion's line-of-sight, and then he took a step back.

The scorpion flinched!

It struggled to throw the bag out of the way, and when it finally did, it saw the boy ready to kick. His contracted leg was pulled up to his chest. The moment the boy moved his leg again, the scorpion strike with its tail! It traveled through the air, fast and nimble, waiting for the boy to extend his leg. But it never happened.

Morr lowered his leg, swapped his center of gravity to it, and soared into the air.

The scorpion’s tail finally reached its destination, but the boy was no longer there. It didn’t have time to fully contract and extend its tail again, so it held up its pincer to protect its face. But rather than an incoming attack, it felt two taps on top of its pincer. It peeked through its claws and saw two bare feet brazenly on top of it.

The scorpion tried to snap the boy’s legs off, and it also threw its tail forth.

Morr did a gentle hop to dodge its claw, spun in the air with momentum, and kicked down at the scorpion’s yellow eyes. Yellow liquid gushed out and it quickly receded into a defensive state. But it was too late; Morr was on top of it again, and punched its other eye. More liquid gushed out -- its tail lowered and it covered its eyes like a crying baby.

With an unexpected amount of force, the scorpion was flipped onto its back. Morr stood on top, his chakra gathered into his hands. Punch after punch after punch came crashing down onto its unprotected belly. All six of its leg squirmed as it tried to endure the pain. To finish it all off, Morr forcefully grabbed its tail and pierced its belly with it. The black scorpion disintegrated into dust, leaving behind a large sac of purple fluid. He placed the sac into his bag and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Help… please…” The wizard begged.

Morr turned and looked at the deathly pale wizard. The wizard was thankful at first, but grew fearful upon noticing those eyes.

“I have something better in mind.” Morr stared at the pleading wizard with a malevolent smile.

“Stop…” The wizard begged.

Hearing those bare feet approach him threw all his faith out the window.

“I haven’t got accustomed to this power, yet.” Morr grabbed the wizard’s face with his right hand.

“No…!” The wizard shouted with a hoarse voice.

“Aisling, hearken: be loyal and live forever.” The socket of the wizard’s eyes and mouth shone with a bright light. Morr’s brand lit up, and the air between them shook.

“It…” The wizard suddenly stood up, mumbled, then limped to the ground.

Morr looked at the dead body, perplexed at what just happen.

“Is it because I order him to defy death?” Morr wondered. “Or is it because I gave him two commands?”

The mystery to his ability was still hidden in the dark, but with every usage he knew he will soon figure it out.