Chapter 701 - Heave-ho

The underground hallways are quiet and dark, and the barely detectable presence of that eerie pull intensifies the deeper we head. There are no more traps at all, and no monsters either, not a single living presence I can detect. Just us walking, while some keep up quiet conversations.

A bit more than half of the group also decides to split away and head off in two groups, each going a different way. There is probably something to be said about the cliché of a group splitting apart to be killed one after another, but I am more surprised the stubborn demons endured as much to follow us so far in relative safety. It is quite possible some of them will die, but it is not like they do not take it into consideration.

The ones staying likely think we will get ourselves into a dangerous situation. No, they most likely rely and strongly hope for it.

We also finally find some loot. A long hallway-like room appears, with its right wall being perfectly flat and smooth to the point it almost does not feel like stone. It is entirely white, and on it, a dozen weapons are placed. All of them look similar. The black metal is striking against the white of the wall, and each of them has a single red mana stone as long as a cigarette, but thicker and uneven, with pointy parts protruding.

I have not seen a mana stone like that so far. It is also surrounded by red inscriptions which connect to it and are redistributed across the black metal of the weapon.

There is an axe, spear, greatsword, and others, with each of them looking as if they are presented there as if in a museum. Each of them is described in a similar way, damaged, mid arcane, and from a set called False Blood.

Each weapon is described as a prototype made by a crafter reaching too far in his attempt to harness mana, starting with blood, and in the process discovering something unexpected. The red mana stones are called Blood Receptacles, which feed on blood and, in exchange for it, awakening the weapon’s devouring ability while supporting their wielder with some sort of body strengthening.

The first demon to touch one of the weapons, the dagger specifically, now lies dead. The moment he touched the handle, the small protrusions on it cut him, draining nearly the entirety of his blood in seconds, not even letting him release the dagger before it was too late.

He now lies there with his face twisted in pain and shock, and very pale. The red stone in the dagger lying on the ground next to him grows just that little bit darker red.

He was not weak, and the weapon is damaged, unfinished, and just a prototype. Mid-arcane weapons are powerful, my Fracture used to be that rank, but it still feels like a bit too much to kill him so quickly.

Even so, this set carries similarities to my Fracture. Imperfections that in some way make them worse than their rank, but in other ways, these sacrifices make them stronger.

No one is too shocked or scared by the death. Everyone who accepted the invitation to this event expected that some of us would not make it. So the demons that were somewhat close to him take his equipment and burn his body with thermal energy as they pull him to the side, until nothing remains.

Just a few minutes ago, he was one of the lively maniacal demons going through the hallways, and now not even his body remains, likely with most people who knew him never finding out what happened, and when they die, as well, his name will be forgotten.

It is the kind of thought I often get in situations like this.

With my constitution, I would likely die even quicker than the poor demon guy, so I do not touch any of these weapons, I just observe them instead while thinking. Are they really that dangerous, or does the act of touching them make them be seen differently by the system and our natural barriers? As if they are equipped, and in this way, they are allowed to affect you more easily? Or am I just overthinking, and nothing like this exists?

I could probably try asking Chris, Victoria, Weslin, or possibly even Malika, but I do not. There are just things I like to come to conclusions about on my own.

I saw it a few times, people learning from books and following the knowledge they gained from them without giving things proper thought. To me, it always feels as if they are limiting themselves. There are things to be gained, but you also risk taking on the thoughts of the person who wrote the book and subconsciously holding their conclusions.

“Are you in one of your philosophical moods?” Victoria asks as she sits next to me. The same as me, she lets the others deal with the weapons. As far as I know, she is not interested in items at all.

“It helps me clear out my mind and make my decisions before the situations even require them. I just like to be prepared. Also, one of the best conversations I ever had was with myself, Vic, so I like to spend time in my mind.”

“I am sure it was.”

“Sadly, I am not even joking. By the way, we are getting closer to whatever is in there.”

“Unfortunately, I do not have good enough senses to feel mana from so far, so I trust you on this. Do you have a better idea what it could be?”

“A bit.”

“Can you tell me?”

“Say please.”

“Please.”

I sigh. “Vic, you are no fun. Maybe it is my fault, I got used to assholes surrounding me and constantly bickering with me.”

“I am glad you seem to have fun, Natty.”

I pause, then nod. “I think I do have fun,” I say, “and I’m sure whatever awaits us will thank you for this perfect example of a death flag.”

“As if such a thing existed, Natty.”

“I guess.” I stop looking around and turn to Vic. “I do not know exactly what it is, but it feels a tiny bit similar to my black mana while also somewhat alive. Isn’t that fun?”

***

We continue to spot these weird teleportation arrays from time to time until we come across one that is actually active. It keeps flashing, turning on and off. That part alone is not even that interesting. The problem is what it is teleporting.

Every time it activates, body parts appear inside the small circle that is only wide enough for a single human to stand in.

Half a body appears there, and as it does, a hand of that body passes through the edge of the circle. Then the array activates again, and that half-body disappears, taking the head twisted in a painful expression with it. Only the arm that fell out of the circle remains, smoothly cut off.

A few moments later, it activates again, and more body parts appear. A lynthari head rolls out of the circle. A torso of a human appears, cut clean in half, spilling insides that remain here with us before the rest vanishes away. Even items and weapons sometimes materialize, and whatever rolls or falls out of the circle stays here when the array flashes again.

When we reach that array, there are already dozens of body parts scattered around it, with a pool of blood spreading far out from the circle. Each activation creates a wet, disgusting noise and a brief flash of light.

“I think we have found out how it activates,” Victoria says. She is not affected by this gore at all. She takes a step closer, looking at the flashing circle. “It seems to react to blood, likely even to a very small droplet. Though I have no idea how you would choose which array to teleport to.”

Another flash, and a thylarin’s half-body appears. He screams in pain for a moment and tries to crawl toward us after spotting us, getting half of his head out of the circle. Then the array activates again, cutting his head in half, causing the light in his eyes to fade as he falls.

“I remember this man. He was with the group that decided to follow the guild master of Eternal Court. The array must be activated from the other side, teleporting whatever fits inside the circle and cutting away the rest. The moment something appears here, the blood activates this side and either sends it back to the first array or, more likely, to another one.” Victoria says.

“I’m inclined to agree with your conclusion,” Christoph says. Unlike Victoria, he is not completely emotionless, but I can see it does not bother him much. “Since there is nothing we can do, we may as well keep going.”

And we do exactly that, leaving the flashing circle behind with its occasional screams and groans. Whatever is happening to the group on the other side cannot be good.

Malika lingers behind for a while, using her gravitational energy to observe the array. Maybe her senses can pick up something ours cannot, but she follows us soon enough. Like most of us, she now pays much more attention to the arrays along the way. We all know that any of them can activate at any moment.

The hallways ahead become narrower, allowing at most one or two people to walk side by side. Larger races like the velnar or taller lynthari would already start to have trouble passing through. The material of the hallways changes as well, emphasizing the narrowness. Now it is made entirely of metal, the same material as the earlier doors or the strange green boxes.

It looks plated at first, but when I force my senses deeper, I realize they are not plates at all. They are massive bricks made of solid metal, each the size of a car, their surfaces covered in green patina. Unlike the earlier doors, the effect they create is much stronger. Any mana that touches them begins to fall apart unless you concentrate, forcing it to remain firm and dense. In some ways, it feels like disruption or like Morwag’s binding energy, but it is still different.

As if the metal itself created this kind of oppressive presence, which only makes me curious about how it might work. Thankfully, a piece of the earlier door remains in my pocket, something I can examine later when the situation allows.

For now, it does not fully hinder my use of mana, but the effect is noticeable. It feels like it was not designed to target individuals directly, but rather to counter ambient mana, which is completely nonexistent here. Not even a speck of it can be felt.

At the end of the hallway, a massive slab of metal blocks the way. Near it lie the remains of two lynthari, bloody smears across the surface suggesting they had tried in vain to push it back. There is no knob, no keyhole, and no inscriptions, nothing to mark it as an entrance at all. It looks less like a doorway and more like a solid wall.

Before anyone can say anything, the figure rises from Christoph’s shoulders, expanding as much as it can in the narrow hallway. More arms sprout from its back, growing until it has six in total, each thickening as they spread out.

His mana reverberates strongly, visible even to those without my trait.

Some of the arms press against the walls for support while the others slam into the metal block, crushing the remains of the lynthari beneath. He does not keep striking, but instead pushes.

Slowly, with a screeching metallic groan, the block begins to move.

Dust falls down from the ceiling as the walls shake with each grinding shift. The floor vibrates under our feet, and for a moment, it feels as if the whole hallway is straining against it. Bit by bit, the block moves until a gap appears, no wider than a finger at first, but enough to let stale air through.

When light seeps through the growing gap, the laugh of a young girl comes from inside. It sounds innocent, crazed, and happy all at once.

“Heave-ho, heave-ho! Push, push, push!” it calls, the voice filled with such manic emotion that goosebumps rise across my skin.

From the corner of my eye, I see Christoph smiling at that sound.

With one last powerful shove, the massive block is sent sliding inside. A brilliant light floods the hallway, almost holy in its brightness, cutting through the dark corridor.

***

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