Published at 16th of February 2024 2:25 pm

Chapter 2.65 The Mountain Beckons

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Chaos ensued as soon as Nox emerged from the portal. Caitlin and Joey were already engaged in combat, repelling a swarm of centipedes trying to force their way toward the portal. Meanwhile, a wave of maggots wriggled through the gaps between their legs, ignoring the delvers and trying to break free of the dungeon.

Instead of walking on hard rock or whatever constituted the dungeon’s floor, Nox and his companions walked on a sea of corpses. Most beasts that threw themselves against the portal died on contact. Dungeon lords preferred keeping their subjects within their domain by whatever means necessary. Lillin had to entangle her life force with Nox’s using a contract and wear a dying girl’s body to escape Sundarshahar. The fact that monsters regularly rained from Terrastalia and so many had the power to make it through the portal meant something was seriously wrong with the dungeon and its ruler.

The beetles inside the dungeon were not just the size of boars but closer to bulls from the highlands just north of Aria’s home. Caitlin resorted to redirecting their charge instead of directly blocking them. She turned them into the wall to their right or over the narrow path’s edge into the deep caverns below.

The dungeon lord’s domain unsurprisingly involved a monstrous network of caverns. Bioluminescent moss and floating Lumen Blossoms illuminated them, lighting above and below and casting long, moving shadows. He ruled over the mountain on Terrastalia’s back, after all. The structure appeared primarily natural, but Nox saw rough stairs and enlarged openings. He also spotted wall paintings in the distance. They seemed rugged and ancient, like something humanity’s cave-dwelling ancestors would paint.

Nox didn’t get long to analyze his surroundings. The party needed his arcane expertise. Lillin joined Caitlin on the front lines, allowing Joey to retreat. He combined Djinn Fire’s construct-creating powers with frost to create icicle barriers around the portal. The maggots impaled themselves on the spikes. Their corrosive spit and ichor did not damage the ice but slowly melted the stone underneath. Joey covered the openings to the best of his ability. His inexperience and low mana capacity proved he wasn't ready for such a mission.

Fortunately, Alexander had enough experience to make up for the newest party member’s shortcomings. His most oversized squirrels’ muscles bulged against their hide. Veins showed despite the short, smooth fur covering their bodies. They blocked the openings with rubble and dragged maggots away from the portal. They picked up the giant critters and threw them off the path into the ravine below.

None of the beasts appeared particularly strong, and ordinary arrows with only three revolving essence shards proved sufficient to destroy the centipedes. They were the only creatures that posed a threat to the party.

“Something is driving them this way,” Caitlin yelled over the chaos. “Alexander, send your scouts out. We need to find the source of these things.”

The summoned complied.

Meanwhile, Lillin’s magic made her the star of the show. She conjured a gravity sphere almost as tall as her and made it float just off the path. The maggots failed to resist the gravitational pull and plummeted into the ravine below. Several beetles also veered off course and charged into the darkness. Only the centipedes successfully clung to the ground and walls as they ignored all else and scuttled toward the portal.

Both sides were evenly matched until a centipede, as thick as Nox’s shoulders were broad, flanked the party. It burst through the stone wall to their right, spraying Nox and Joey with sharp rock shards. Only Otis’ warnings of coming danger helped Nox survive the surprise attack. He let the monster push him off the ledge and then latched on to the edge with the Artisan’s Arm.

Even though Lillin called the gremlin incomplete, he proved invaluable. Otis used his new arms to grab Nox and swing him out of the way as dripping mandibles snapped at him. He conjured an invisible wind platform, giving Nox a footrest to stabilize or push himself up. Nox did the former. He used a pre-prepared fire-essence-glass arrow and created shards to accompany it.

The centipedes continued attacking Nox, forcing him to dodge and reposition instead of fire. Otis created new invisible footholds and telepathically guided Nox to them, ensuring he didn’t fall even when the Artisan’s Arm lost its grip.

Then Joey gave Nox some respite. He used invisibility to sneak up on the giant centipede and then showered it with a torrent of golden Djinn Fire. His spearhead crackled with energy and slashed the chitin, leaving shallow cuts. Despite warlock magic’s potency, he failed to inflict enough damage to the monster. However, Joey distracted the beast long enough for Nox to recover.

The Artisan’s Arm pulled Nox over the edge. He breathed in deeply and lined up his shot. The essence glass shards revolving around his arrow accelerated, forming three fiery rings. The heat radiating off the projectile left his skin feeling dry and raw. The arms of Ratra’s Bow grew, consuming a thick chunk of Nox’s mana. He drew the arrow as far as his strength would allow before unleashing it. Thanks to the close-range, Nox didn’t need to bother with aiming.

The arrow drilled through the centipede’s exoskeleton, and the rings sliced it into neat crescents. He successfully separated the beast’s head from its body, and thick, congealed ichor sprayed the stone floor and wall. Joey retreated just in time, avoiding the miniature explosion that followed.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It took Kris only three minutes to complete her spell, but it felt like an eternity. Three miniature suns no bigger than Nox’s head manifested, rotating around the portal. They melted the ice, but it no longer mattered. Any centipede that approached from above boiled in their exoskeletons before making it all the way through the spatial anomaly. Any critters that came over the path’s edge met the same fate.

Eventually, the flow of beasts ebbed. Occasional centipedes and beetles still charged down the slope but didn’t stand a charge against the party and the expert mage leading them.

“The dungeon dwellers can’t be weak, can they?” Joey asked, popping a mana pill. He appeared pale and exhausted.

“Because they aren’t of this dungeon,” Kris answered.

“They don’t taste the same as the mana in here,” Lillin added. “They’re either summons or born of elsewhere.”

“It’s the former.” Kris’ eyes glowed with the same golden white light of her conjured spears. “This dungeon should be home to myconids, serpents, and similar creatures. I’m afraid we’re dealing with a powerful mage.”

“You can’t mean these things are born of a Mother of Pestilence spell?” Caitlin asked. “That would mean a high-expert, if not an archmage, is behind this mess.”

“The last person to use this spell was older than Dean Woodson.” Kris frowned, adding another sphere to the portal’s protection. “She should be long dead.”

“So, should my grandmother.” Caitlin likely meant to whisper the comment but failed or didn’t bother to keep her volume low.

“This is no joking matter, Caitlin,” Kris added. “The Well of Pestilence corrupts and sickens all in its vicinity. It grows more powerful by draining the life force of all in the area. We’re in trouble even if the spell’s creator is dead—I certainly hope she is. The witch would’ve ascended well past Archmage by now. The well persists until someone destroys the spell or it runs out of life force to drain. It lasts past the caster’s death, growing only more powerful with time.”

“That means it can sustain itself permanently by feeding off Terrastalia,” Alexander mumbled. His furrowed brows and twitching right eye betrayed his current mental strain. The summoner had several squads of squirrels simultaneously executing multiple jobs.

“The size of the critters suggests we’re dealing with at least a high-expert, or the well has been feeding for a long time.” Kris kneeled, digging through a dead centipede's innards.

“How long are we talking?” Caitlin asked. She appeared more knowledgeable about such magic than anyone in the party. Nox guessed she gathered such information for her brother's sake.

“More than a year,” Kris answered.

“Let’s hope it's an old spell and not an archmage, then,” Nox stated. “Aria said she’s been seeing a tortoise in her dreams for a year or longer. Perhaps Terrastalia started reaching out for help because the well was feeding on his vitality.”

“My spell will persist for a couple of hours, but we need a group defending the portal.” Kris added a fifth sphere to the defensive spell before stepping away from it. “Caitlin, Alexander, Joey. You’re to guard this path.”

“Let me come with you,” Alexander said. “I can—”

“You and Joey are journeymen and could barely damage the Wellspawn,” the professor said. “You’ll do little more than tickle the dungeon dwellers when we find them. If there are other mages in here, you’re likely to die almost instantly, as well. Your duty is to minimize what can get through the portal.” She turned to Caitlin. “If things get too dangerous, drag them through if you have to.”

“That was the plan, professor.” Caitlin finished casting her spell as she spoke. Roots sprouted from the ground and cliff wall to their right. Nox hadn’t faced the adept-ranked version of the magic and could vouch for its strength and grasping power. “Bring the other two home, alright? They’re idiots.”

Kris nodded before turning her attention to Lillin. “How are you doing?”

“I severed my connection to the spell,” she answered. “I can’t end it, but the portal is done growing.”

“Anything to add before we move on, Alexander?” Nox asked. “Directions, strategic locations, safe hiding spots, any and all information will help.”

The squirrels had successfully scouted their surroundings while they fought. The path connected to diverging tunnels ahead. One continued upward toward the mountain’s peak while the other headed toward its heart. The Wellspawn roamed both passageways, but Alexander’s summons had found human tracks down the latter. They appeared fresh. Lillin’s senses also detected powerful and delectable presences deeper in the mountain.

“Humans and a possible dungeon lord in close proximity to one another,” Kris said once they left Joey and the Woodsons and started their ascent. “Sounds like cult activity to me. It’s a good thing it's just us in that case. I doubt Caitlin and Alexander have ever faced humans in mortal combat or taken lives.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about Caitlin,” Nox told her. “Alexander might not have the stomach to kill a human, but she will do whatever it takes to protect her brother and family.”

“Probably true. However, we’re going to be outnumbered and facing multiple people of your rank or stronger.” Magic circles appeared, levitating over Kris’ forearms as they walked. She had already started casting another spell. “Stealth will be our key to victory, and despite her strength and competency, Caitlin can’t match us in that department.”

“Why don’t you turn invisible and go on ahead?” Lillin asked. “Otis will keep us out of trouble, and I’ll watch Nox’s back. If we’re employing stealth, it's best if you play assassin professor.”

“What a mimic thing to say.” Kris rolled her eyes as her spell activated. Her body shimmered before turning invisible. Nox felt a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before the sound of three footsteps turned into two.

“Don’t hold anything back when push comes to shove,” Nox told his oldest and dearest friend. “Use all your mimic powers and biomass. Eat whoever you want. Chomp first. Ask questions later.”

“Are you sure?” Lillin raised an eyebrow. “What if there are innocents? Sacrifices or prisoners?”

“I trust you and your judgment, Lillin. We need to save Terrastalia and Aria. Everything else is secondary.”

“By Niddhogg’s taint, Nox. Are you in love with the beautiful Lady Edelweiss?”

“I think so,” Nox replied. “I’m more concerned about the city, though. Imagine the destruction if Terrastalia touches down and marches on Ygg. It won’t be just her life that’s in danger. Tens of thousands will die.”

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