Chapter 321: Threads and Spiders

Chapter 321: Threads and Spiders

Dallion continued walking through darkness like an ant on a chain. It felt as if no sooner hed enter a chamber when it would end, and Dallion would have to spend close to a minute walking along a bridge to the next.

The next three chambers nothing happened, causing Dallion to wonder what was going on. It was only at the next one that Gleam caught a glimpse of the second guardian. It remained a mystery how exactly she managed to do soNox wasnt able to sense a thing and no matter how much Dallion focused he couldnt see anything even using his music skills. Nil had speculated that it could be due to the shardflys nature. Being a native creature of the wilderness, it was expected she had some sort of mechanism to sense threats and prey, so here it would be no different.

At the threshold towards the new combat chamber, Dallion stopped.

Get ready, he said. Within seconds, all familiars returned to his realm, ready to emerge the moment he gave the order. Until then, Dallion was going to slowly advance, making sure he spotted all the threads that the next spider had placed.

Are you sure that its a spider? Dallion asked.

No doubt about it, Gleam replied within his realm. They are very specific. Ive no idea if its the same one. It might be a bit stronger, or weaker.

Slowly, Dallion stepped through the invisible barrier that marked the start of the chamber. A tunnel remained until there. At present, the tunnel seemed lit, although darkness continued further in.

Music and forging, Dallion thought.

Threads of various colors became visible like laser beams in an after-hours disco club. Try as he might, though, Dallion couldnt see the effects the threads would cause when disturbed.

Therere a lot of threads this time. A lot more of them are in color.

Dallon looked some more.

Stay put, Ill try something.

Dallion summoned his dartbow. Target markers appeared on the nearest threads. Exhaling, Dallion squeezed the trigger.

The first few bolts acted as Dallion had expectedthe moment they touched the thread, they froze in place, remaining motionless in the air. That was to be expected. To his annoyance, though, there was no logic between the colors and the effects.

When the next arrow hit the thread, a blast of fire appeared, expanding rapidly.

Shield! Dallion jumped into a crouching position, holding the aramdil shield in front of him. On cue, the piece of equipment expanded, just as the wave of flame passed over Dallion, escaping into the open.

That was quite close, it also showed that Dallions original plan wouldnt work. No matter their speed, if Nox and Gleam snapped a single thread, there was a high chance that fire or something equally harmful would follow.

Change of plans, Dallion moved the shield once the fire wave had passed. Ill try to snap the threads with the guardian on them.

Thats absurd! Nil shouted. The only thing youll achieve is a path to failure.

There were no two ways about itslowly and methodically targeting thread by thread would have proven a lot safer. The only issue was that Dallion didnt want to remain in the swords realm for weeks. Rather, it was time to combine athletics and acrobatics. A new set of markers appeared, depicting how Dallion should move his body to reach the chambers center. Taking a deep breath, he rushed forward, doing twists and somersaults like a thief in a spy movie. The actions felt remarkably easy then suddenly a blue rectangle appeared.

ACROBATICS SEQUENCE COMPLETED

You can bend your body up to 180 degrees.

It had been a while since Dallion had received an explanation rectangle. Compared to the other bonuses for completing a skill sequence, this wasnt the best, although it didnt stop Dallion from using it immediately to bend while jumping in such fashion that his legs moved above his head and landed first on the spot he wanted.

COMBAT INITIATED

Breaking the next sequence, Dallion leapt towards the nearest wall, just in time to avoid the next guardian. It looked identical to the first, with one minor differenceit was half the size.

Right, Dallion thought, as he gasped for air. One issue with combining athletic and acrobatic skills was that they tended to exhaust him a lot faster than standard fighting. At the guild Dallion had cleared whole artifacts without breaking a sweat. Here, he needed to rest after spending two battles that lasted less than a minute each.

Five more, he groaned. Still, it was going to be worth it. Do you have any scrolls on fighting with such a weapon, Nil? Dallion asked out loud.

My original does, though not in the library ring, the echo replied. A lot of the really exotic weapons are not present in the library. Keep in mind that at the time you didnt know neither athletic nor acrobatic skills. All you had was guard, attack, and music.

Looks like youre on your own from here on. Gleam landed on Dallions chest as he lay on the floor. With so many booby-trapped threads, the kid and I will cause more harm than good.

The kid? Dallion raised his head up slightly, looking at the shardfly.

Nox, Gleam replied.

Nox a kid? Well, technically, he was, but it was weird hearing the newest familiar address him in such fashion. Not that the crackling seemed to mind. Clearly, the shardfly must have been something very scary in the wilderness, for him to accept this new role.

Im sure youll be useful, Dallion replied. Especially you. I think its time for a few illusions.

Nope. Wont work here. Theyll see through any tricks. Maybe when I increase a few levels, I might have a chance, but right now, you can forget it.

Theres nothing you can come up with?

Hey, youre the brains of the operation! the butterfly snapped back.

Shes got you there, the armadil shield laughed. To her point, maybe thats something youd better use at the arena than here. People are much more likely to fall for tricks than guardians.

No Nox, no Gleam, and pretty much no armadil shield. If the destructive nature of the threads was anything to go by, a shield would be of limited help from the next battle on. There was the option for Dallion to cocoon himself and roll through the threads, but that sounded a bit extreme. Also, there was no telling how much damage the shield would suffer. Lux and Harp seemed to be the ones to win this fight.

After half an hour, Dallions health was back to full, although he still felt slightly tired. While resting more was an option, something drove Dallion to continue. He stood up, stretched, yawned, then continued forward to the next golden bridge.

The further Dallion went, the more unnerving it became not having any common creatures. Nil had explained that there were simply too few adequate artefacts to come to any conclusions. While some of the basics had become well known, the relation between a sphere item and the creatures within remained a mystery. The only thing that was known for certain was that fulfilling the artifacts destiny would remove all creatures and guardians from the item, transforming it into an empty shell.

Im thinking of creating a connection between the observatory and Vermillions islands, Gleam said. Or better, from the dryads tower to the ocean.

Dallion only snorted. He had given up reminding her that they hadnt even claimed the sword yet.

Better, I'll talk with Gen how to rearrange things. Your domain is rather poorly kept. Some rooms are completely empty, while others are overcluttered.

Overcluttered? Dallion thought. To his knowledge, there were only two rooms that could be considered overcluttered, three if one considered the ring library.

You like open spaces a lot Dallion muttered.

Everything with wings likes open spaces. Especially those from the wilderness. Even the dryad likes the shardfly stopped mid-sentence.

Dallion immediately split into three instances.

Sense something? he asked. There was supposed to be quite a while before the next guardian. So far, it seemed that the guardian arenas were positioned at every three chambers. Clearly, there were exceptions.

Yes, Gleam replied. And its not a spider.

What is it? Dallion summoned his harpsisword again.

I dont know.