Chapter 485 - Dungeon of Kushraz (3)

Unwilling to approach whatever the creature in front of them is, but understanding that they can't avoid it either, with fleeing absolutely not an option. The two ladies take a few steps forward with their Weaponry perked forward.

"What are you?" Alia asks, waiting for the man to turn around and strike.

One thing especially disturbing, is that this creature looks Human and sounds Human too... Yet to both of these ladies it feels like illusion, as if they've synced into some kind of crazy shack.

The man repeating "Margaret" unleashes such an Aura, that it's making Alia for example feel like she is in a dream.

Her vision continues to be more blurry the more steps she takes, through and through this is unusual.

Gazing at Isabel, with an aim to ask her for a pinch just to check if this is a dream, what lady Alia gazed upon made her heart sink down to her foot. "Isabel! Why do you have two heads?"

"Huh? What?!" Isabel gives out a loud mumble, not knowing if Alia or herself synced into craze.

Letting her sword loose with one hand, Isabel starts tapping her own face on several places just to test the theory.

Confused, she gives out a loud whisper. "What the hell are you talking about? I can only feel one head!"

Stunned, feeling sure that this is some kind of dream now or perhaps that fall earlier wasn't the best on her conscious, all Alia can say is. "Oh."

"Hahahahahahhahahahahahahaa!" A tone echoed from where the man is blessing the ground at with his buttocks, loud no doubt and it forced the ladies to hold their Swords tighter as they fix their focus against the clear enemy.

Without waiting for the two ladies to attack, the man stands up and reveals his arms although not facing the ladies.

Yes, he does look human by physique but one thing standing out like a zit is his skin colour, it is as blue as a corpse... Dark blue almost.

Hoping that it won't attack, the two ladies stand firm on their spot, fairly stunned and trying to shun away fear.

Slowly, stretching each word a few seconds, the man blue by colour cites. "Margaret will meet you soon."

Not waiting for a question or an answer, the creature jumps head first in the mud.

From what illumination the torch could provide, they could see the man disappear in the dirt effortlessly. Smooth, without a bruise or a dot on his clothes.

One thing they both have doubts for, is spotting a pair of horns on the man's forehead before it submerged in the dirt.

The creature wasn't facing them yes, but it dived in the mud almost vertically so it wasn't hard to look at his face.

They don't want to mention it and hope it was some kind of illusion, ghosts are bad enough but a Demon Ghost? Hell no. It ain't something they want to deal with.

"The hell's happening here!" Alia yells and with little hesitation glares at Isabel, noticing and pointing. "You have one head again!"

Not willing to take chances with these creatures, Isabel demands. "This is weird, we should say the Ghost banishing word just in case. Repeat after me, Azr.a.p.etos!"

To be on the safe side, Alia repeats it and feels a bliss once remembering that this word exists. "Azr.a.p.etos, Azr.a.p.etos, Azr.a.p.etos!"

"Looks like you are aware of what can prevent a Ghost from hurting you, but trust me dear friend it plays no value here." A manly tone shone behind them, projected by a low tone and deeper in pitch.

Agile to turn around, the ladies spot a familiar face. Pissed, Alia asks, "You again?"

This man... well he is the same ill.u.s.tratio who greeted them with silence in the cave's entrance at the very beginning.

Unwilling to wait for an explanation or debate with him come to think of it, Isabel takes a leap forward and swings her Longsword to the left.

Metal piercing through the air, accompanied by a stronger whistling sound a large swinging lady can contribute to thinned metal. 

SKTHLLL!

Metal finally met with skin, hesitation remained thin as a thread and satisfaction grew stronger by the passing quarter of a second.

Slandered in two pieces, the ill.u.s.tratios upper body and legs flew for a few feet before meeting the ground, death is inevitable at this point since no Healer can connect this puzzle of a strike.

Surprisingly still alive but at least Human, the ill.u.s.tratio lifts himself up with his arms, enough to raise his head and whisper. "Thank you for ending my Curse..."

Shocked by such instant biting behaviour coming from one of her greatest friends, Alia asks with a shout. "Why did you kill him?!"

Not expecting this from Alia, not understanding her sudden thoughts of sparing an enemy today, Isabel's tone strikes mild as she slowly explains. "He kicked you in the face didn't he? Why should we give him the chance to live now? He is an enemy and wanted you dead!"

Her conscious challenged, forced to adjust in this situation too, Alia takes those facts into consideration and tones it down. "You're right... I just hoped we would get a bit of information out of him."

Spotting something with the corner of her eye, Isabel points near the foot of the victim and cites. "You mean information like that book?"

Shocked of this stretch of luck, coming after a small storm of such mentally challenging misfortunes, Alia mumbles. "Oh he actually carries a book!"

Grabbing it, trying to look away from the man's internal organs although technically this isn't the first corpse she sees, opening it, a vibe of a Journal struck her once spotting dates and small to large paragraphs.

Analysing the first paragraphs but struggling to make sense out of them, Alia can at least point out. "Looks like this is written in the ill.u.s.tratian language, I had to deal with them for a while, enough to pick up their language."

Softly grabbing the book and trying to yank it off her hands, Isabel explains. "I think I had to deal with ill.u.s.tratios a tad longer than you, so if I may?"

"Oh right, you hide a lot of stuff from us but at least it's proving useful this time." When we think about this deeply, Alia isn't mad that Isabel knows more than her.

No that's not it, it isn't about pride either. By pride, I mean racial pride. Like, why does a Calidum Lutum lady know enough to fluently read the ill.u.s.tratian language?

We can even rule that out as a reason behind Alia's discomfort now. She is mad because of Isabel's strong and stubborn hesitation to not reveal her past.

Today is a good example, why does she know how to read in the ill.u.s.tratian language? How did she learn to read in the ill.u.s.tratian language? Did she hunt them down? Did she live amongst them? Was she used as a war weapon? What in the bloody hell happened?

It is easy to get mad at someone who is secretive but Isabel isn't giving her anytime to do it as she has started reciting what the Journal offers.

"Month 6, Day 14, Year 4,073, First Era.

I've been given a task by Count Shuker to find and end the self acclaimed Ignite King, he has caused a lot of trouble lately and several eye witnesses prove that he has done black magic. I couldn't care less about that, Count Shuker promises 100 Gold Coins for King Kushraz's head. With such Gold, I can finally buy a big big House."

Tad shocked how Isabel can read almost out dated languages fluently, but focusing towards another key fact, Alia starts yapping. "Damn this was actually written over 2,100 years ago! What is this man? He didn't look like a Ghost, he was alive."

Trying to analyse this situation, listening to Alia's words while trying not to forget what she just read, the tall lady finally answers. "He did say something about a Curse, so maybe there is something we don't know."

"Oh right... well keep reading!" Alia encourages with a firm look on her face, waving her hands forwards, tapping her fingertips against the book. "Maybe it will tell us how to find the Ring."

Without any hesitation, Isabel lures her gaze towards the Journal once more and even squats a tad bit so the torche's illumination hits the book better.

"Month 7, Day 5, Year 4,073, First Era.

It was difficult, a puzzle actually but through Caverns and Tunnels I finally made it to Kushraz's Dungeon. I have seen his minions a couple of times until now, they are disgusting, something I won't forget soon. They look like Humans, but have Horns and are blue in colour. By the one and only God, I hope to not find any more of these."

"Month 7, Day 6, Year 4,073, First Era.

I may have not much time to live, Kushraz's minions have captured me and tossed me in a room. The crazy King spoke something about immortality as a Curse... I couldn't really understand as half of his sentences were gibberish. I've spoken to Ignites before and know their language well, what he spoke wasn't Ignite."

"Month 9, Day 4, Year 4,073, First Era.

It has been a couple of months since that foul Ignite laid that Curse on me... I'm having it hard to accept the fact, I feel that I have died, I feel like a spirit with boundaries. I leave the Caverns but I can't get far, I end up back here. I've killed 17 Adventurers through these couple of months who entered the Cavern, it's like I don't have control of my own two limbs."

"Month 10, day 22, Year 4,073, First Era.

I've seen something that made me wish to become blind and made me hurl my lunch all across the ground, at the mouth of the Dungeon today I figured out why these minions are the way they are..."

Patient and quiet, Alia waits for the rest of the story but Isabel adds. "That's it, there is nothing else written! They are all blank!"

Yanking the Journal off her hand to take a peek, Alia's doubts proved useless as there isn't anything more to see. "The words... they are erasing!!"

"What?" Isabel answers, a loud whisper indeed as she leaned left to gaze upon the Journal.

"Holy hell they are disappearing! Drop that thing, maybe it's cursed." Isabel urges and slaps the Journal right off Alia's hands.

"I hate this place and all it stands for." Alia shouted but her holler is slowly but surely forced to be muffled. 

Not by any attack of some sort, but they are hearing voices that does not befit a Cavern.

DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM!

HALA HOLA HULA HAL. HALA HOLA HULA HAL!

FIJUNIJUNIJUNIJUNIJU.

HURLULULULULULU.

"Do you hear that? I can hear drums over there." Isabel points straight forward, where a ray of sunlight coming from a hole in the Cavern's ceiling scarcely illuminates the entrance of a tunnel.

Not knowing how to comprehend this, Alia takes a few steps back with a prime aim of avoiding any upcoming attack and explains. "I hear flutes."

Understanding that they won't find the ring of Kushraz if they shy away in cowardice, Isabel the Master with the ways of a Sword encourages. "Common, we got this."