Chapter 195: Deathly Descent

Chapter 195: Deathly Descent

Useless. Its all useless.

Vir rummaged through the rubble of the recently collapsed building, hurling aside rusted pieces of metal one after another. It had barely been a week since they collapsed, and yet, they were hardly any better than the other rubble Vir had come across.

Had he been wrong about the preservation inscriptions? It was as if the metal aged rapidly once the inscriptions failed. As if the deterioration of all those accumulated years manifested all at once.

If he didnt know better, hed have guessed these pieces of metal had been rotting away for thousands of years.

Vir found a piece with comparatively less rust and activated Blade Projection. The panel stopped the blade of prana, but Empowering his attack drove it right through.

Another failure, he thought. If he punctured it so easily, what chance would it stand against an Ash Beast? Or worse, the Yaksha Guardian? Did I just waste our time fighting off that Phantomblade?

Vir descended the mountain of rubble, giving a sidelong glance at the dead Phantomblade.

Its spikes had stopped reforming the moment it died, and its back was bare.

Vir stopped.

The spikes? he thought. Thousands of its projectiles lay scattered about the street, though whatever process dissolved the ever-falling ash was also going to work on the spikes. Several had already been consumed by the road.

Vir found a good example and braced it with some large rocks, then drove Prana Blade into it.

It failed to penetrate. Empowering his attack fared no better.

This could work he thought.

The spikes were pointed on one end, but unlike Maiyas Icicle spell, they widened considerably, resembling a fat arrowhead. The odd shape made sense; the spikes were as much armor as they were deadly offensive weapons.

Each was the size of his palmfar too small to be of usebut that was alright. The Phantomblade had larger spikes, which it likely used to ward off larger, deadlier beasts. As fast as the small ones flew, Vir doubted theyd be much good against a heavily armored foe.

Vir found the spikemore of a platelying nearby. Jet black and almost perfectly smooth, it almost looked like crystalized Ash prana.

Whatever it was made of, it was incredibly resilient and surprisingly lightweight.

Handily, the mechanism it used to latch itself onto the Phantomblades back left a handhold just large enough for Vir to grip onto.

Well, not a complete waste, I guess, Vir muttered, hefting his new shield.

It was anyones guess whether it would hold up to an attack from the Yaksha guardian, but with luck, Vir hoped not to find out. At the very least, it offered a third layer of protection beyond Prana Armor and his seric brigandine.

Alright, he said to the wolves. Lets go.

The wolves led Vir through another series of streets, and the bleak scenery was much the same. Silent, save for the lightning storms that constantly ravaged the citys roofs. Never the streets, though. The tall spires acted as perfect lightning rods, keeping the threat distant.

From Bladers to Shredders to millipedes that were a hundred paces longthe streets were anything but empty. Only Virs scouting and the wolves keen senses kept them safe, avoiding and detouring around mortal peril.

Vir had to wonder how they all came to be. Did Ash Beasts reproduce like other animals? Or were they somehow created? Spawned into existence by the realm itself? A month ago, he wouldve believed the former. Knowing what he knew now, hed put his coin on the latter.

The journey was thankfully shortthe fallen tower had been near the Yaksha vault.

There was just one problem. It lay within a great tower. One that had a Wyrm circling around its peak.

Ashani never mentioned the Wyrm Vir thought, eyeing the godlike beast with anxiety. Granted, she was trying to keep him from coming here. He could hardly blame her for omitting some of the details. It could also be that the Wyrm had taken up residence around the tower after Ashani visited. Itd been millennia since shed ventured here.

Doing his best to ignore the Ash Beast that floated around the peak of the tall tower, Vir took in the building. The entrance resembled none of the ones nearby. Instead of stairs or an elevator leading to a main door, an enormous ramp descended downwards, reaching deep into its foundation.

Vir followed the wolves onto the ramp, wondering if he was entering the belly of some great beast. The ramp areas ceiling soared a hundred paces high, and the ramp itself was almost as wide, dwarfing him. Whatever this place had been built to house, it had been massive.

Can the Yaksha guardian grow that large? Vir idly thought anxiously. All of a sudden, his precautions now felt inadequate.

Hed prepared as much as he could. Expanding his blood capacity further might help him, but the gains would be minimal compared to what hed already gained. A little extra wouldnt help him against the Yaksha.

Vir let out a breath when the wolves reached the end of the ramp, guiding him into a human-sized corridor that felt much more comfortable.

His relief was short-lived. While the enormous space made him feel like an ant among giants, this new space felt wrong in a way he couldnt put his finger on.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

The corridors walls were glass, allowing an unobstructed view into the rooms on the left and right.

A room that housed half-made humanoid creations. Some were Ashani-sizedcomplete, but where there should have been a face, there was a gaping hole, allowing a full view of its mechanical brain.

Automatons! Vir realized. This is an automaton factory!

Vir now understood why the place felt eerie. Every building hed raided thus far had been dark and empty.

This room was lit. Lit And populated.

Vir froze at the sight of the automata, wondering if the beings would come alive to deal with his intrusion upon their peaceful slumber.

But no. These beings had been here for millennia. Whatever preservation inscription that supported the place must also have kept them intact, or else theyd have turned to rubble long ago.

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Thats why it feels so weird, Vir thought. There should be dust. Signs of decay.

A single glance at his surroundings told him he wouldnt dare come all this way again.

He had to press deeper.

Vir Danced back to the wolves to find them yipping and whimpering, moving around restlessly.

Whats wrong? he asked with a frown.

It was only a moment later that he realized one of them was gone.

Vir broke out in a cold sweat. Had it fought an enemy? Was it the Yaksha guardian? Did the guardian kill it?

But then Vir spotted an Ash prana signature, and the wolf loped into sight from the darkness ahead.

Dont scare us like that, Vir said as the wolf rejoined the others, who ranged several paces ahead.

Alright, lets go. Vir walked ahead, but the others reacted slowly, as if keeping an eye on the one whod just returned.

Theyre so loyal to each other Or is it hurt?

Vir looked the beast over, but couldnt spot any injuries, so he pressed on. The wolves soon followed.

They continued deeper into the hall, penetrating into the inky blackness.

The dark tunnels on their approach had been bad enough, but now, Vir truly felt like he was in the belly of an enormous Ash Beast. The distant rumblings and ticking sounds didnt help any.

The runt took the lead, guiding Vir through the dark halls. Unlike the automaton lab, the rest of the building was empty, indicating that it had likely been destroyed and reformed in the blast. Whatever surrounded the lab must have been constructed of sturdier stuff.

Vir pressed deeper with the wolves, though four of the five opted to follow behind rather than scout up front with their leader.

He could hardly blame them. The mental strain increased with each step. His only solace lay in knowing that Dance of the Shadow Demon would save him from any threats, and Prana Vision would see them coming in advance.

But even that knowledge was only barely enough to allow him to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

When Vir thought hed break under the tension, it got worse.

The wolves led him into a tiny horizontal shaft embedded into a wall. While big enough for the wolves, Vir had to crawl on all fours. He didnt know why such a thing existed, but it weaved and descended for what felt like forever.

Growing tired of that, Vir began swimming through the shadows, and their pace quickened significantly.

All around him were shadow exits, and all dark. Some showed faint prana signatures, but most were empty. Where did they all lead? What were those rooms once used for? He would never know. He only hoped the Yaksha guardian wasnt anywhere nearby.

The wolves dropped out of the shaft. They had finally reached the vault.

Vir had expected a grand entrance, but instead, its door was quite normal-sized. If the darkness wasnt so absolute, Vir might have seen its overbuilt nature, along with the engravings on it.

As it was, he only saw the prana. A great mass of Ash Prana concentrated in the door and ran outward like tendrils around the room behind.

A sizable room. If Vir was correct in assuming the inscriptions were related to preservation, then the vault was easily three stories in height and extended for at least a hundred paces.

Vir tried the door, but even if it was unlocked, he wouldnt have been able to open it. Its surface was flush, lacking a handle of any kind.

Using Prana Vision again, Vir searched for any other entrances.

Instead, what he found made his stomach fall.

Oh, no

The prana inscriptions ended abruptly at one corner. Like it had been cut off.

Stay here, Vir whispered to the wolves.

Activating Dance of the Shadow Demon, Vir slipped into the vault, blinded momentarily by the brightness of the lights.

The lights should have been cause for celebration, as they drove off the darkness that had weighed heavily on his mind.

They didnt.

Because there, at the back corner along the ceiling, the roof had caved in.

And the contents of the vault had crumbled to dust.

Cmon. There has to be something here!

But before Vir could rummage around the room, the wolves started howling madly.

Vir Danced back immediately And found only four.

He turned, scanning the surroundings for enemies.

The wolves howls suddenly diminished. There was a brief silence. Then whimpering.

When he turned back, there were just three.

Virs blood ran cold.