Chapter 23: Diggy Diggy Hole

The key to our survival lies in the hints given by the system of this world.

[Hint: The Wild Hunt chases down every living being with terrifying speed, overwhelming them with sheer numbers and strength. Those who hear the Hunt's war cries are filled with paralyzing fear, immensely reducing their sanity, making ultimate escape nearly impossible]

[Hint: The Headless Horseman hunts every living being with relentless determination, his blade capable of cleaving through armor and bone. His head must not be perceived by any sane mind as trying to comprehend the shape alone is enough to drive an unprepared individual into madness]

Unlike the hints or description of the Calamity Object, they refer to their target as 'every living being' and not 'individual' or 'bastioneer'.

When taking into consideration that these information screens were meant to be read by a Storyteller, or a Player—it was probably the intended design to have the NPCs or people within the Storyteller's recruited group be referred to as 'individual' and 'bastioneer'.

For one, the Calamity Object didn't seem to be targeting or affecting the wildlives unless it was gimmicked to be—proving the legibility of the usage of 'individual' in its description.

Because in the game's perspective, it should be the design of the Calamity Object to bring challenge and hurdle to the Players and the people of Carcosa.

But in the case of these two Qliphoth Objects, they didn't use that.

The fact that it must be stated that way and even worded differently, the Qliphoth Object should be attacking anything that moves other than 'individuals'.

For example; Animals, Calamity Objects, and even another Qliphoth Object.

After all, an existence that could actively alter the mass and design of anything should possess a consciousness.

And a thing with consciousness proves that it possesses a soul.

It was also consistent with the forced knowledge that I have about the Qliphoth Object.

They were accelerated entropy made manifest.

Like a sudden black hole that appeared without reason, they could only consume and destroy everything in their wake.

"For now, we stay outside of their sight." I placed a thin sheet of wood on the ground for everyone to see. On it, the rough map of the bastion and its surrounding countries could be seen. "I estimated the speed and location of the Headless Horseman from the loud destruction it is making. I also did the same with the Wild Hunt, albeit differently.

"If we apply the logic that the Headless Horseman will target any nearest living being—then it should start targeting the Wild Hunt horde at this point of time."

Just as I said that, the thundering chaos and destruction from above could be felt through the vibrating wall and ceiling of this comfy cave of ours.

"Are you saying that we dug deep enough for the Headless Horseman to ignore us and went to those hellish cavalries instead," Verina said with her iconic poker-face.

I couldn't even deduce whether she was stating a fact or questioning me.

"Then we should stay in this hole indefinitely!" Lupina proudly suggested. "We're safe here! This is our land! This is our kingdom!"

"That sounded too good to be true…" Tahlia commented

"As Tahlia eluded, it should be impossible for us to stay in this hole for longer than an hour." If they were attentive enough, they should have noticed that I had been controlling my breathing since we sealed the entrance. "First and foremost, we need air."

"R-Right."

"Secondly," I raised my index finger rather ominously. "This hole is not part of our bastion."

"Wait, then does that mean…"

"Yes," Verina followed. "Soon enough, a Calamity Object might start to manifest inside this hole. And depending on what kind of Calamity Objects it will be, we all might instantly die." Sёarᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Just because there were two Qliphoth Objects above us, doesn't mean that there was no Calamity Object spawning while those two horrors fought each other to the death.

That was, if they could even be killed.

"Uhm, as in like that?" Tahlia anxiously pointed.

The rest of us simultaneously glanced at the direction that Tahlia was pointing.

"Yup, that is a Calamity Object, alright."

—

[The Abyssal Rift of Possibility]

[Description: A dark, bottomless chasm that suddenly appears in a cave, exuding a strange, magnetic pull. The Abyssal Rift is filled with swirling shadows and faint whispers, as if the void itself were calling out. Objects thrown into the rift disappear without a sound, and the surrounding rock shows signs of warping and distortion]

[Hint: The Abyssal Rift occasionally spits out rare and valuable minerals, but spending too much time near it can lead to hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, or even being pulled into the chasm. It may also release otherworldly entities from time to time, posing a significant threat to the bastion. On the other hand, it can also work as a trash disposal]

—

Yep, just as we thought that we could stay in this cave for at least an hour, this thing arrived with the possibility of bringing in dangerous stuff from time to time.

Not to mention, staying near it could also ultimately lead to the end of us.

"Is this thing a feasible Calamity Object or a no-no Calamity Object?" Verina asked.

"This is the no-no one."

"Our soul be damned."

Cautiously, we dug the surrounding area and began trapping the Abyssal Rift of Possibility inside an enclosed wall of dirt.

It may backfire us in one way or another, but our first objective is to stay the hell away from it.

"Haah…"

If only the Qliphoth Object didn't arrive, I could farm this Calamity Object for the rare materials it may spit out.

After establishing a new round table for us to mingle and brainstorm our mind, we began devising a plan that revolved around what kind of Calamity Object that would spawn in this shit hole.

Regardless, I was also proposing to Verina about a new type of spell that could fix our 'lack of oxygen' problem that had been harrowing us since we sealed the entrance.

"I don't think that it is possible for me to create air, let alone oxygen," Verina clueless stated. "That is not within my realm of understanding, nor was my intended specialty.

"Tending Hands," I corrected. "Please don't refer to it as a specialty in front of me."

Still, that was surprising.

For an ohrtender with the Tending Hands that was called Weather Guardian, I was baffled that she could heat a metal in a close proximity to a melt, but not produce oxygen.

"An ohrtender needs to know the true nature and traits of the aspect that they are about to alter and turn into a miracle," Verina tilted her head, slightly leaning toward me. "I know nothing of the composition that creates air nor water. All I know is the method of insulation, the absence and presence of energetic activity inside a mass, and how things can move if something moves them."

Right, so that was how an ohrtender got their abilities.

Though, the last example was something that shouldn't have given her the ability to perform a telekinesis.

"I will make you understand them, then."

So, to lead Verina into making a spell that could create oxygen into existence, I invited Sage Internet into the discussion and introduced Verina to the concept of periodic table and chemistry.