Chapter 410: Giving a hand

Chapter 410: Giving a hand

Sofia was about to receive what she thought might be the strangest handshake of the century, when the Sprite Dancers color turned back to yellow all of a sudden, and it took a few steps back looking left and right as if looking for some invisible enemy.

What is it? A Sunless?

Sofia also looked around while Pareth was keeping tabs on the Sprite Dancer.

A loud and uncanny sounding voice blared inside of Sofias head before she could see the source.

YOUR KIND IS NOT WELCOME.

Another creature like the first one appeared between Sofia and the Sprite Dancer. Its skin was a lot more crumpled than the other, and it was glowing in a very deep red pulsating tone.

Sofia jumped back by reflex, raising her shield.

LEAVE!

Alright, alright! Im leaving. No need to scream, Sofia answered while walking backwards with Pareth and checking the area behind her for Sunless drones with her mana senses.

After taking some distance and feeling comfortable in believing that the creature was really letting her leave, she turned around and ran as fast as she could.

She ran for five good minutes, the planets eerie scenery flashing by as she sprinted faster than some people could fly. Always monitoring the situation behind her, she was hoping not to get followed. Finally, after punching a low level Sunless drone to death at the top of a very small hill, she sat on a somewhat flat rock, panting.

Crap

That could have been bad

The reason why Sofia had instantly followed orders was very simple. She looked at her last system log.

[Executioner - Lv.349 - Imprint power : ??? - Effect : ???]

Do not make an enemy out of the crumpled paper people. Lesson learned.

What would have happened if I still had [THE GLORIOUS] on and the flames attacked that guy? Better not to think about it too much

A shadow sprite came out of Sofias shield with a pop.

Oh, thats where you hid. I almost never call you Sorry you had to see that, little buddy.

The dark sprite flew up to Sofias face before deciding to hang out under her chin, visibly not too mad about the situation.

Sofias shield made another pop. The Sprite Dancers own shadow sprite had been hiding in there too.

Oh Is this like An involuntary kidnapping?

The sprite flew up in the air.

I guess its leaving.

Then it came right back down, made a stop in front of Sofias face, and then flew a few meters to her left and hung in place there.

What is this little guy doing?

The sprite came back, once again stopped in front of Sofias face, and left in the same direction for a second time.

Wait Do you want me to go this way?

Another trial dungeon?!

Sofia tried to see what was ahead, but still couldnt see anything, as the fissures walls were too uneven to see far into. She gave up and summoned the graveyard skeletons to quickly take her to the spot where her mana senses gave out.

The skeletons grabbed her and pulled her through the stone all the way to a small cavernous room dug at the very end of the fissure. This was where her mana senses gave out. The sprites were waiting for her within the room.

The Sprite Dancers sprite happily hovered up and down. It flew to Sofias face one last time, then to the other sprite, and disappeared.

Leaving just like that

Sofia observed the small cavern the graveyard crew had dumped her into. It was really just a small empty hole dug inside of the stone. There was nothing in there except for a few rocks littering the ground, and a small metallic panel on the wall opposite the crack.

Not the dungeon doors I was expecting.

Sofia walked up to the metallic panel, it was quite low on the wall, at about the level of her waist. The metallic panel opened up as she stood before it, revealing a second metallic slate beneath, one with a hand-shaped indent.

A human hand?

It would also fit Vampires and Elves. Maybe Exidians too if they cut their nails. But certainly not the paper people. This is what the Sprite Dancers sprite wanted me to see

Is this why it reached for my hand?!

And it let its Sprite lead me here in secret after I got chased away by the other one I suppose I made a friend after all

I have to put my hand in, right?

Can it be dangerous?

Its blocking my mana senses like the dungeon before so its fair to assume this is a system-created thing.

Lets just give it a try.

But not before a quick Identify.

[Racial reconnaissance interface] : A smart lock designed to open the way to Humans, Dragons, and Gods only. It can also be configured to only let certain precise individuals through, but this function seems to have been deactivated.

Humans, Dragons and Gods

Are you telling me

The handprint was that of a right hand, with the thumb on the left, so Sofia took out her Dragon-scale armor, and also her glove and rings, just in case, and put her hand inside of the slot.

Light shone under the palm of her hand with a low buzzing sound, after which the metallic plate emitted a small beep, and a short flash of green light.

Are we done?

Seeing no more activity from the lock, Sofia pulled her hand back, and the small metallic doors of the lock closed back up.

Green light is good, right? Did I unlock the thing?

There was nothing obvious happening.

Maybe its broken?

As if activated by her voice, noises of something heavy moving resounded from behind the stone wall on which the lock was.