NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40 - The Path Ahead
Aki threw me my rune pouch. I emptied its contents onto my palm.
Item: Rune of “Shadow Bolt”
Class: Magical - Umbral Arcana
Rarity: Extremely Rare
Durability: 10/10
Description: Allows the user to learn the “Shadow” Spell. Casting the spell without sufficient knowledge of Umbral Arcana may lower its effectiveness and/or cause it to fail
Spell Effect: Fires a shadow bolt at a target within range.
Cost to learn: 1 Perk Point
I checked my contamination status. The timer increased by a few hours.
So I can probably manage a cast or two a day without issues. Still…
I popped the rune.
New Spell Acquired: Shadow Bolt
Type: Shadow - Attack
Level: 1 (0% progress to level 2)
Range: 30 metres
Description: Fires a shadow bolt at a target within range.
Note: Insufficient knowledge of Umbral Arcana
You have spent 1 Perk Points (Current Number of Perk Points: 0)
Never hurts to have some extra oomph. Gonna be level seven soon enough. I’ll dump my perk points into Umbral Arcana then.
I was starting to feel good about my offensive magic capabilities. It really sucked that I was locked out of Earth Arcana for at least three weeks, but what could I do? It wasn’t like I could just get rid of the contamination.
I saw that Deirdee went back into the throne room and was looking through the backpack she got from Akh’Ret. There were tears in her eyes.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked.
‘Y-yes.’ she answered absentmindedly.
‘What’s inside?’
‘I’ll tell you later.’
Caeileera led us to the exit. With every step my anxiety grew, as I expected something to jump out at us. But the only thing that greeted us was the silence of the corridors. It felt like we were walking through a tomb.
I guess this really is one, now. A final resting place for far too many people. None of them deserved this. But… finally, the nightmare is over.
I made a silent promise to my fellow Terrans.
I will not let your deaths be in vain. I will find those responsible for this mess and make them pay.
And I didn't mean the builders of the Tower.
Eventually, I started smelling fresh air. Was it true? Was I really out of this hellhole? That put spring into our walk. One last turn… and there it was. The exit. It was getting dark outside, but I could still see outlines of some shapes. Probably the moon was already out.
Or is there more than one moon?
I was on an alien planet after all. I couldn't make any assumptions. But I was starting to feel excited. Was I the first Terran to step foot on the surface of Dwynveia?
Something told me that Löwe was likely the one to hold that honour, but he didn't count. He was dead anyhow. Fuck that guy.
Finally, I stood at the threshold of the dungeon. A notification appeared before my eyes:
Quest Completed: The Ruined Tower
Description: You made it. What else is there to be said?
Rewards:
2000 experience points
You are now Level 7 (532/4000 total experience points progress to level 8)
Your total health has increased
Your total stamina has increased
Your total mana has increased
You have received 2 perk points (Current Number of Perk Points: 2)
I dismissed those and looked outside. It was still light enough for me to see that the door of the dungeon exited into an overgrown mountain hollow. There were still some moss-covered house ruins visible in the thick foliage. I assumed this was where the builders of the Tower had once lived.
And all that shall remain of us will be scrap iron and the hollow, mocking laughter of history.
Behind the entrance to the valley, there was a forest with leaves that were bright blue and orange. And I don’t mean autumn orange. No. They were safety-vest orange.
To my right, I could see the sun setting behind the mountain range, I would need to figure out where east and west were here, and in front of us, high above us, the moon was already visible.
Well… what was left of it, anyway. A large chunk of the satellite was missing and the pieces of it were trailing not that far behind it. This looked like the moon was frozen in time mid-explosion. The sight was quite haunting.
What happened here? I wondered not for the first time.
But the mysteries of the blown-up moon and why its pieces didn't fly away could wait for another day. Or maybe it could be someone else’s problem altogether.
I took a deep breath and got my first smell of this new world. There was a certain sweetness to the scent. And hey… for once in my life, I would be able to enjoy nature without having to worry about my allergies.
Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.
We stepped out and as the grass crunched beneath my feet, I felt relief I hadn’t experienced in ages. I turned to Aki and asked:
‘Which way to Ror-Bhyk?’
She looked at where the broken moon and the sun currently were. Then she pointed to the right.
‘That way,’ she said. ‘At least, I think that it’s the right direction. Traders heading to Ror-Bhyk were always going that way.
‘It’s a start, then,’ I chuckled. ‘How about we stop for the night in one of the ruins and head out in the morning?’
Aki and Caei nodded, clearly as tired as I was. Perhaps even more since I no longer had flesh. Deirdee, however… seemed troubled.
‘I think this is where I will say goodbye, my friends,’ she said, suddenly.
I looked at her surprised but then nodded. She continued:
‘My whole life I had my choices made for me. If I stay with you that won’t change. So… for the first time, I want to choose my own path.’
‘Very well,’ I sighed. ‘I can't blame you, now can I? Also, I think I can guess what was in the backpack then.’
‘Yes. Akh’ret knew my heart, I think. So I was given plenty of supplies, some maps and even one of these canteens you have.’
She turned to Caei.
‘Sorry, I won’t be there to help you for now.’
Caeileera laughed.
‘No. You are doing what I want all Sanguine to be able to do: Be free.’
They hugged.
‘Be safe out there,’ Caei said.
‘You sure you want to head out now?’ I asked, genuinely concerned. ‘It’s getting dark.’
‘Not a problem for us, isn't it?’ Deirdee said. ‘No. I think that if I don’t go now, I will always find an excuse not to go.’
‘Just a word, then,’ I said and led her back into the darkness of the dungeon. There I told her about the game and how people would be after us.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I have a feeling the statue lady is more interested in you than me. As for the Blood… I assume it would be coming after me regardless.’
Pain must have shown on my face because she quickly twisted the knife.
‘Actions have consequences, Lilyth.’
‘I know. Still… it’s never easy. I won’t ask you to forgive me. I did what I thought was best at the time.’
‘For all it is worth, I don’t blame you for either of your actions. When you killed Zvirvil you were saving your friends, and when you broke my mask you saved me. But forgiving you for this will take time.’
There was nothing left to say so we returned to the others.
Caei and Aki gave me a quizzical look.
‘I’ll fill you in later,’ I simply said, making both of them mildly unhappy.
It’s hard to find the right time to deliver the portents of doom.
Aki took out the money purse.
‘I think we should give Deirdee her share of money,’ she said.
The former assassin started protesting
‘I didn't do anything. By the Bl… the gods: I was trying to kill you all.’
‘You still threw in your lot with us,’ I insisted. ‘And hey… you can't start a new life without money, can you?’
Aki started counting out the money and frowned.
‘What’s… twenty-five hundred divided by four?’ she asked, a bit embarrassed.
‘Six hundred and twenty-five,’ I said, after doing some quick calculations.
Aki thanked me and counted out the money. Deirdee accepted it and moved to stash it inside her backpack, but I stopped her and handed her the rune pouch that housed the Shadow Bolt rune.
The former assassin murmured something in gratitude.
‘I’ll be off then,’ Deirdee said once she was done packing.
Caei hugged her again and so did Aki.
I simply offered the former assassin my hand and said:
‘You’ll always have a place among us.’
She shook it and replied:
‘If our paths cross again I might take you up on that.’
And with that, she turned away and started heading towards the entrance to the hollow.
Lebewohl, I thought.
After Deirdee turned left, away from Ror-Bhyk, and disappeared from our view, I turned to Caeileera.
‘What about you Caei? Gonna stick with us?’
‘Why are you asking?’ she asked a bit aghast.
‘You wanted me to help you stop Laachersain. While… I don’t think either of us did anything to achieve that outcome - it still happened. So I don’t know what your plans are now.’
‘I’ll stay with you if you will still have me.’
I nodded with fake solemnity and said:
‘We will…’ I began and threw a glance at Aki. 'If my Dark Lady doesn't mind, that is.’
‘Oh, stop it with the Dark Lady stuff!’ she laughed. ‘I don’t have the throne anymore. And no. I don’t mind. Happy to have you with us Caei!’
‘Thank you, my Dark Lady,’ I responded with a mischievous glint in my eyes.
‘Ass!’
A similar glint appeared in Caei’s eyes.
‘Thank you for accepting me… My Dark Lady.’
Aki huffed at both of us and then we all broke out laughing.
Yes. This new life won’t be that bad.