Chapter 715: The Entrance

Chapter 715: The Entrance

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After navigating a lengthy incline and traversing a desolate small town, eerily void of any signs of life, the exploration team encountered an unsettling sight. The town was filled with numerous, crudely shaped humanoid figures, which appeared to be bizarrely embedded into the ground and the mountainous terrain surrounding them. Pushing forward, the team eventually made their way into a secluded valley, its landscape dominated by peculiar black stones.

The entryway to this valley was cleverly hidden, obscured behind a thick barrier of thorny, tangled remnants of what seemed to be plants. However, thanks to the precise details stored in Shirley’s memory, the team was able to locate the exact position of the valley’s entrance with relative ease.

Inside the valley, the team was confronted with an array of black rocks, each one more grotesque and irregularly shaped than the last. Their appearance was unnervingly intricate, giving off an air of malevolence. These rocks did not bear the hallmarks of natural erosion. Yet, it was also evident that human hands hadn’t sculpted them.

The stones bore an uncanny resemblance to a horde of misshapen monsters caught in the midst of a struggle to emerge from the very earth and cliff faces, only to be petrified at the crucial moment of their transformation. Observing these black monoliths more closely, one could discern almost fully formed appendages – claws, tentacles, and even facial features like eyes, mouths, and noses. This sight was so disturbing that even Vanna, an experienced inquisitor, couldn’t suppress a shudder of horror that seemed to seep deep into her bones, heightening her sense of alertness.

A dense mist wove its way throughout the valley, adding to the eerie atmosphere that enveloped the area.

“These stones... they seem as if they possess life,” whispered one of the sailors, cloaked in black and bearing the triangular amulet of the god of death. “It’s as if some kind of creature is trapped within these black encasements... I can’t shake the feeling that they might start moving any second.”

“Keep a hold on your imagination, and avoid letting such thoughts take hold,” chided a death priest from the Resolved, a man of few words since their arrival on the island.

Duncan’s attention shifted to the stoic death priest in question — a tall, bald figure shrouded in a black cloak, his exposed skin etched with intricate and dense black rune tattoos, which extended even across his eyelids. This gave the priest a deeply unsettling, somber, and almost terrifying appearance.

There seemed to be a palpable tension between the Death Church and the Vanished, noticeable in the limited interactions between the leading priest and Duncan. However, upon noticing Duncan’s gaze, the strikingly tattooed bald man turned and acknowledged him with a polite nod, “Do you have a question?”

“I remember you’re named Norm,” Duncan began, nodding in return. “After the conclusion of Frost’s incident, numerous ‘elemental’ samples extracted from Frost’s pipeline system were delivered to the Death Church’s headquarters. Are you familiar with this?”

“I’ve been intimately involved with those samples,” Norm responded nonchalantly, “They’re quite remarkable.”

“What’s your take on these ‘traces’ we’ve found on this island?”

Norm took a moment, his face betraying a hint of unease as he thoughtfully replied to Duncan’s query, “They seem to originate from the same source, but there’s a distinct difference. The ‘samples’ we received from Frost are a repulsive and frigid material, entirely inert, showing no signs of change or activity. But here...”

He paused, bending down to casually pick up a small stone from the ground.

“Most people might overlook it, but I sense it... there’s still activity inside. It’s still undergoing gradual transformations,” Norm explained, his voice tinged with a sense of esoteric knowledge. “It’s difficult to articulate exactly what this sensation is. It’s a unique perception we can detect as followers of the death god. To put it in words... it aligns with what Miss Shirley mentioned earlier. This entire island seems ‘alive’. Despite its current dormant state, every aspect of it is imbued with life, existing in a state akin to death, yet not completely devoid of vitality.”

Duncan gave a slight nod, absorbing this information in silence.

The gathered intelligence suggested that the island had been altered by the enigmatic powers of the Nether Lord. Furthermore, based on the visions Shirley experienced from those illusions, the island could be perceived as a fragment of flesh that had separated from the Nether Lord’s body. If it indeed was a piece of an ancient deity, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that it retained some life force, even after being detached for millennia.

Vanna, however, seemed to have other plans. “Shouldn’t I join you? We might encounter enemies below, and you’ll need combat support...”

“We might face threats up here as well,” Duncan replied. He glanced again into the cramped space within the crevice and then turned to Vanna with a serious look. “Besides, the passage is too constricted down there for your usual combat style.”

Vanna appeared momentarily taken aback by his remark, then responded with a touch of awkwardness, “...I have other tactics, not just that one.”

However, her protest was more of a mumble, and she quickly agreed with the plan. “Alright, we’ll establish the camp here and also scout the other areas of the valley.”

Duncan nodded his approval. “Good. Keep in contact and call out immediately if anything arises.”

“Yes, Captain!”

As Duncan, alongside Morris, Alice, Shirley, and Dog, began their descent into the dark, forbidding entrance that led deeper underground, Vanna remained above, her gaze lingering on the figures vanishing into the shadows. A subtle, eerie greenish light emanated from the passage’s depths, casting an otherworldly glow. She exhaled softly, her thoughts seemingly as deep as the passage before her. Then, she noticed Amber standing close by, her gaze fixed intently in the same direction, her face etched with a look of quiet contemplation.

Feeling a bit self-conscious under Amber’s steady gaze, Vanna inquired, “...Why are you staring at me like that?”

After a brief pause, Amber ventured a question, her tone laced with genuine curiosity. “...In situations like these, isn’t it customary for you to invoke the name of the goddess?”

Vanna’s expression momentarily stiffened, caught off guard by the inquiry.

The inquisitor pondered for a brief moment before regaining her composure. She turned to Amber with a serious demeanor, “It’s fine to do so inwardly.”

Amber appeared genuinely surprised by this revelation. “...You can do that?”

“Yes, you can.”

“...And the goddess approves of this?”

With a face full of devout conviction, Vanna responded, “I asked, and She did not express any objections.”

Amber’s expression conveyed her continued bewilderment: “...?”

Meanwhile, Norm, who had been standing nearby with an impassive demeanor (largely due to his heavily tattooed face obscuring any discernible expressions), quietly traced the triangular symbol of the death god on his chest. He let out a long, almost inaudible sigh of tense relaxation while being lost in his own thoughts and unnoticed by the others.

Back in the descending passage, Shirley was proceeding cautiously with Dog by her side. The dim, green flames flickered softly, casting their ghostly light on the rocky walls, revealing the path ahead. Shirley, with one hand on Dog’s chain and the other brushing against the cold, smooth stone of the tunnel wall, wore a look of intense focus. A faint, blood-red light glimmered deep within her eyes, hinting at the complex thoughts and perceptions swirling within her mind.