NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: The Priestess
The Priestess raised her hands forward as if she were speaking to a congregation. "We are the followers of chaos. It is only he that can make this Tower right from the rot that's eating into it!"
She crouched and touched the blood that formed a small puddle in front of her. She dipped her fingers into it before she stood and showed them her blood-stained fingers. "Chaos loves souls and each one we give him will be rewarded with something." Her Codex flared behind her head, a ritual circle of black color.
"We have to stop whatever she's doing." Litha began to walk cautiously towards her, her right hand raised and pointed. Temur gestured for Jael to stay back and followed behind her.
They got a few feet from the chanting priestess when the body on the floor exploded. Blood sprayed and then collected together in a large sloshing ball that hung above her. Then the blood ball fell on her, climbing into her mouth and nose, covering her eyes, and stuck into her body like a slimy monster.
Litha and Temur stooped moving towards her because she was changing fast. As they watched, her body and bones started to break and the blood mixed with her. She grew taller and bigger, and then the blood hardened, and she let out a roar that shook the tunnel.
"What the fuck." Litha said. What she was looking at wasn't human anymore. It was something else. A monster with a dark beady eyes set high in its head followed by a mouth that took over the rest of the head. It's taller and bigger than Temur, twice his size and its body is shaped like a bear but without the fur.
Litha and Temur flexed their Codex above their heads and Jael sucked in a deep breath. They must have a powerful Codex because it take real shapes.
Litha's Codex is a crystal that hung above her head, a deep blue that mirrored her eyes. While Temur is in the shape of an older Khantari with fierce eyes, the faint red color of the Codex only shows the man to the chest.
The monster bounced towards them in a flash, its claws coming down on them with enough force to tear metal. They danced away from its reach. Jael was amazed that Temur could move that fast and gracefully with his bulk, but he was suddenly behind the monster, and his metal bar slashed at the creature.
The monster yelped in pain as the metal bar, infused and made stronger by Temur's aura, cut into its skin. It turned on him but that gave Litha a chance. "Taste this!" Her hand glowed, mana gathered in her right hand, and she punched it hard in its side, sending it stumbling away from them.
The monster growled, dark eyes taking them in, its stance weary. Jael understood. Litha and Temur are working together, so when it's fighting one of them, then another would attack; this way, they cut the monster down.
Jael frowned; it's a good formation, but what if the monster.....
The monster's body shuddered, and then spikes of blood shot off from its body towards Litha; at the same time, it barreled towards Temur.
Litha clutched the air as if she was holding something in the air, and light shimmered like a fine curtain. A thin shield of blue light covered her, and the spikes bounced off uselessly. She gathered mana on her feet and pushed, lifted high above the monster that was bawling with Temur. She came down and punched it hard on the head.
The monster roared in pain and snapped at the air towards her but she punched it again. It staggered back, and Temur raised his makeshift sword; red aura gathered at the tip, and he ran forward, stabbing it in the chest before it recovered.
The monster shuddered and went still.
"Wow," Jael said in awe. So this is how Iron fights? They moved as if gravity was no barrier and their speed! Not to think that the two of them worked so well together. "You two as so powerful."
"Hum?" Temur looked up from where he was, checking if the monster was ready. The solid blood dissolved and the woman was lying there, her chest pieced. "We are not powerful, it's the monster that is weak."
Litha started walking towards Jael. "We are obviously above average Iron rank in power," she said casually, her Codex glowed as if in answer. "But forget all that. Why are you an Iron and your power is scattered all around? Your aura looks as if you just Awakened."
"That's because I just am!" Jael exclaimed and then he gave them a brief explanation of what happened. "....and that's how I find myself here and with this."
His Codex hung in front of him, glowing with green light.
Litha shook her head. Unbelievable, but coming from him, she didn't doubt it. He looks like an idiot just like Temur. She frowned but why did his Codex bring him here? "I've never heard of teleport from outside before. And to think you start from Iron rank."
Litha straightened. "That's it. We will repay you by showing you how it's done on the 102nd floor and the Tower in general. Then we'll go our separate ways. This is just the repayment for saving us."
Jael opened his mouth but Temur shook his head. When Litha gets like it it's just better for everyone to let her have her way. "Alright, thank you." He said instead.
Litha nodded briskly. "First thing first is to tell you the first absolute truth about this place. Don't trust anyone with anything. Either you are powerful or you are weak. People die here every day just by looking at others funny. So it's your choice how you want to...."
"Of course, I want to be strong. That's the only thing. I want to Climb the Dungeon Tower...."
"And become an Ascendant; yes, we've heard it all before," Litha rolled her eyes. "That's what almost everyone wants. Same old boring."
Jael frowned. "No. I want to climb to the 5th floor."
Litha blinked in surprise, and Temur laughed, clapping Jael in the back and almost sending him sprawling. "Ah! You have managed to surprise Litha!"
She scowled and huffed. "I'll keep that to myself. Don't ever let anyone know why you are climbing, especially if you want to climb higher. But for now! Let's see what skills are in your Codex!"