Book 2: Chapter 52 — A Castle Tour

Book 2: Chapter 52 — A Castle Tour

Noah looked around the castle, finding it covered in slimy black overgrowth that gave the place a horrifying alien look straight out of a lovecraftian book. Bulbous masses moved, and throbbed, tendrils covering the area as void mana overflowed through the surface. Voidlings jumped through the shadows, scuttering about within the darkness.

“Jeez, this place looks awful,” Noah said, watching Zax’s expression darken.

“The vermin have taken far too many liberties, tainting our home as they please,” he said, lightning crackling around him as he talked, eradicating groups of voidlings and the pulsating growths covering the castle as he walked.

The dragon scanned his surroundings, taking in the now burning tendril masses where he stood, before he looked at Noah. “The Shard you seek is likely within the central halls. We could take you there right now, but your friends have some time yet before they arrive. What do you intend to do?”

Noah thought over the question. “Ordinarily I’d love to go in by myself and see what happens, but I think this time, I’d like to wait till everyone is here.”

Zax gave him a nod. “In that case, we would like to clean this place. The overgrowth is repulsive and taints the legacy Ryugan has left behind for us to protect. If you’d like, there are three grafted horrors in the next chamber, which may keep you and your familiar entertained.”

Bun Bun’s ears perked up at Zax’s words, and Noah glanced at the flying dragonspawn. Silent words were exchanged between the two of them, before Noah nodded to Zax. “Leave it to us.”

The dragon walked ahead, magic swirling around him in an impressive display as he systematically began to eradicate the overgrowth. Noah walked across the division in the hallway, making his way to the chamber he’d been pointed at. After a little bit of walking, he found what he was looking for.

[Blood Grafted Horror - level 131]

[Abyssal Grafted Horror - lvl ??]

[Soul Grafted Horror - lvl ??]

Noah saw the creatures, sitting across the arena. The blood horror was similar to the first one he’d fought, with limbs upon limbs stitched together in a coalesced mass of bodies that made a deep revulsion rise from within him.

The Abyssal horror was similar, but instead of limbs, dark tendrils and void ooze covered the creature, binding itself in a ball of tendrils and limbs that moved around blindly through the chamber, looking for anything to eat.

Yet, it was the last horror that really made Noah’s skin crawl. The ghastly spectre danced around the chamber, shrieking with faces of screaming people moving in and out of reality as they phased through its body. The creature tore through anything it found reaching out with its spectral limbs to crush any voidlings and other abyssal monsters before consuming them.

Nothing moved close to the soul grafted horror, keeping a good distance away from it. He glanced at Bun Bun, the dragonspawn ready to test out his new abilities on some proper targets.

“Wanna make it a competition?” Noah asked, glancing at Bun Bun.

The dragonspawn looked up at him in confusion. “How?”

“The blood one is 5 points, abyssal one 10, and soul one 20. All the other little ones are 1 point each. Whoever has the most points wins.”

Bun Bun looked at the chamber, before giving a nod.

Noah grinned alongside the dragonspawn, summoning his spear in his hands. “On three then.”

Taking a stance, he began the count. “Three, two, one, start.”

Noah blinked inside the chamber, skewering a voidling on his spear as he cut through another with claws that forms on his palms. Bun Bun moved through the area like lightning half a dozen voidlings exploded in crackles.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.

The larger creatures looked at the two, shrieking and howling as every monster in the chamber turned towards them and began to attack.

“Slow,” Bun Bun sent to Noah, who saw the dragonspawn grin back at him.

“You little- you’re not winning this easily,” Noah said, as Tony flowed throughout his body, transforming him.

Abyssal Symbiote has used Metamorphosis!

All attributes increased by 25%!

Noah threw his spear, piercing through a line of voidlings in a go before harvesting them with Celestial Harvest. One of the larger horrors turned towards Noah, and he moved, facing the creature. The blood horror shrieked, lunging at Noah with its body twisting as it formed blades of bones. Noah teleported, moving above the creature as the spear appeared in his hand. With a rapid plunge, he sunk the weapon into the monster, before activated Netherflame Burst.

Black fire burst inside the monster’s body as the horror let out a howl. Noah let Bloodfly swarm burst out, cutting and slashing through the monster’s body and applying bleed upon it. It’s natural healing abilities struggled to bear through the various attacks, and Noah activated Blood Debt.

Giant swords of blood mana formed above the creature, stabbing it multiple times, piercing through its body and leaving it a hollowed husk.

Noah jumped off the corpse, taking a second to remember just how differently this fight had gone when he had first arrived in this world. A smile came upon his face as he looked back around himself and saw Bun Bun taking care of the Abyssal grafted horror at rapid speeds.

Snow stared at him, before down at herself. A moment later, tears broke from her eyes, as she collapsed into his arms.

Noah caught her, noticing the wounds on her back, now festering with a green color, similar to what he’d seen on the zombie rats.

“Shit,” Noah cursed, glancing back before he poured all his mana into Blink.

The world around him changed, as he appeared behind the dragon with a pop.

“Zax, this is one of my friends but she’s hurt. Zombie rats. Can you help her?” Noah asked, holding out Snow to her.

The dragon turned, looking at him in surprise. “Zombies?” he said, his voice ice cold.

“Yeah, rats. A lot of them,” Noah replied.

Zax cursed to himself as lightning burst all around the dragon, before his eyes went to the girl.

“Come with me,” he said, and turned, walking down the hallway.

Noah followed the dragon, walking through a series of illusionary walls, and gates that broke under the dragon’s touch.

“Stand here and keep your hand on me through the spell,” Zax instructed, standing on a giant magical circle.

Noah nodded, putting one hand on Zax’s shoulder.

The dragon’s eyes turned blue, a vast amount of mana pouring out of him, and a moment later, the world twisted around Noah.

With a startle, Noah looked at the chamber he now stood in, a giant dome like arena filled with items that oozed mana and energy. Entire piles of gold, jewels and other objects remained here, and the location made a single thing come to his mind. A dragon’s hoarde.

“Bring the girl here,” Zax said, walking them through the chamber, before he showed Noah a small pool of green water. “Put her in there.”

“Will she be fine? Won’t she drown?” he asked, worried.

“This is life-essence. She can’t drown in this even if she tried,” Zax replied.

Accepting the dragon’s words he slowly lowered Snow in the water, submerging her under it. Immediately, he began to see the girl’s wounds starting to heal.

“Maybe add a handful to yourself, that soul injury does not look pleasant,” Zax added, pointing at Noah’s chest.

“Ah, sure,” Noah said, taking a small amount of the green water before he put it upon his chest. Within a moment, he felt a rapid surge go through his body, as his injuries began to knit themselves closed within a second.

Noah shook with the energy pulsing through his body, the strong release of euphoria making him nearly collapse and run mindlessly into the pool. It took him a few moments of breathing to shake the feeling off, yet the memory of the sensation still made him shiver.

“This is why we did not plan to bring you here. Indebted as we are, this place turns even the most good natured people greedy. We’ve seen it far too often,” Zax said, looking down at the still shivering Noah.

“Y-yeah... I can feel that,” Noah said, slowly pushing the idea of killing Zax and stealing the entire pool and everything else in here out of his mind, one breath at a time.

“I’m shocked that Bun Bun hasn’t jumped in yet, or Tony,” Noah said, feeling both his familiars sitting calmly. Almost too calmly.

“We put a mind blank spell on them. Apologies for not telling you, but your familiars going rogue would not have been conductive,” Zax said.

“I see. That’s fine,” Noah replied, before his eyes scanned the chamber.

“So, what is this place?” he asked the dragon.

“This is mine and Ryugan’s vault. We have stored many of the things we collected over the centuries in this place,” Zax replied, his expression turning soft at the memory.

“That’s a lot of artifacts. Can I look through them? I saw the guild’s legendary artifact vault and this thing makes that place look like a toy store,” Noah replied.

Zax looked at Noah, assessing him for a moment. “You seem to be in control of yourself. Feel free, but do not try to take anything without telling us. It is both for your benefit and ours. Some things remain here simply because leaving them out in the world would do too much harm.”

“Got it. Don’t take anything,” Noah said, before looking at the giant pile of artifacts waiting in front of him.

That was going to be a difficult promise to keep.