Chapter 83. Humans
The creatures seemed to be natives of the island. Charles recalled the information he had previously researched at the library. Not all natives of wild islands were malicious. Some of them were open to communication or even trading.
"We mean no harm, can you let us out?" Charles slowly voiced out each syllable of the language used in the Subterranean Seascape.
The nose-walking creatures stood still. They seemed unable to understand human language as they remained in the distance like lifeless beings.
Looking at the eerie sight before them, Charles gestured to his crew to retreat. Since communication had broken down, it was best to leave.
The moment Charles lifted his foot in an attempt to step away, the nose-walking creatures' noses twitched and leaped forward. Black claws extended out from their dry, withered torsos.
"Attack!"
Gunfire erupted as a shower of bullets rained down on the nose-walking creatures. They tumbled into the water as the projectiles struck them, but their numbers seemed to never diminish as they continued surging forward.
Chaos surrounded both parties, and the murky waters were gradually dyed purple with the creatures' blood. Regardless of their growing number of casualties, however, they did not retreat.
Watching these bizarre creatures closing in on them, Charles whipped up the lightning-shaped staff.
Bzzt!
A massive arc of lightning swept toward the nose-walking creatures, and they convulsed and fell into the water.
The creatures' death offered no comfort to Charles and his party. With their feet immersed in the murky water, they all became conduits for the powerful electric charge. They stood far from the source, but the residual energy from the discharged power still coursed through them, causing involuntary spasms.
Charles was the first to recover. He lifted his gaze to find that the nose-walking creatures before them were all floating on the water's surface. They were finally all dead.
Leaning against the wall, Charles panted heavily. Even though the relic was powerful, its disadvantages were equally distressing to bear. Embark on a quest to the commencement at n0v#lbin★
Anyway, no matter what these creatures wanted, the crew's problem was temporarily resolved.
"We'll rest for three minutes, then continue blasting the walls," Charles' deep voice echoed through the empty maze.
No one knew if there were more of these creatures. They had to leave this place as soon as possible.
Sensing the murderous intent in Charles's voice, the old man stiffened and nodded hastily.
"Who are you, and why are you here?"
"My name's Blake. I came here because I heard your battle with the Styx. I wanted to steal some of the Styx's bodies to feed on. Don't worry, you can have all of them. I don't want a single one."
Charles cast a glance at the corpses of the nose-walking creatures. They were probably the Styx that he had mentioned.
"Where's the exit of this labyrinth?" Charles continued asking.
"There's no exit. Those who enter have never left," Blake responded.
"Never? Not even a single one?"
"I don't know for sure, but I've been here for over twenty years, and I’ve never seen anyone leave."
"Torment? What’s that?"
"It's a monster, the most powerful one here. It can't be killed. If it catches us, it will burrow itself into our mouths and torture us from within our stomachs. They thrive on our agonized screams."
"How big is this labyrinth?"
"Massive. No one has ever reached its edges. It's at least larger than the Albion Isles."
By this point, Charles' brows were already furrowed. Before approaching this island, he had certainly checked its size. He was certain that the landmass was smaller than the Coral Archipelago, so how was it possible for the maze to be larger than the Albion Isles? Albion Isles was the largest island in the Northern Sea, and it had a population of nearly seven million.
Coupled with the fact that the walls were over a thousand kilometers tall, Charles felt increasingly uneasy about the labyrinth.
Staring at the trembling, blind old man before him, Charles instinctively felt that the man wouldn't deceive him.
"How many people are trapped here like you?"
"Several thousand... no, tens of thousands. I'm not too sure. Torment held most of them captive. A few have escaped. The place where I stay has over a hundred people."
"Have you seen a man covered in bandages around here?" Charles asked, trying to find clues to his missing first mate. Perhaps his disappearance might be connected to the humans here.
"Band... Bandages? I can't see, so I don't know if I’ve come across someone like that here. But half an hour ago, I did hear something moving in the direction of my dwelling."
Charles scanned their empty surroundings before he turned Blake around and nudged him forward. "Let's go, show me to your place of dwelling."