Savage Webs, page 8
part #2 of Apocalypse Cultivation Series
His time in the first challenge room he’d found back on Earth had honestly been a massive help, especially back when he’d still just been a zombie.
Jake pulled some of the glowing moss he’d scavenged out of a cubby he kept it in so he could adjust the light level of the room. He placed a bit more on the ceiling than had been there before.
Then he fetched some of the special sand he’d kept in his inventory, stuff that he’d found in the labyrinth and then charged with energy a few months ago. He was a little proud of his forethought, back when the plan had just been a glimmer in his mind. The sand was handy. As long as the grains touched, it would work as a decent conduit in a pinch. Then he began to draw a bastardized version of a summoning circle.
If he was right, using sand he’d already charged with energy like this should allow him to use limited magic.
Unlike chi or cultivation techniques, most magic seemed to follow more rules. Not always, but there were forms of magic that Jake still thought of more as…baking than cooking. Summoning spells were this way.
Jake only had chi now, but he was pretty sure he could still offer the spark needed to ignite a spell as long as he drew it out correctly and used materials pre-charged with power. He couldn’t offer the power directly himself, but he believed he could prep it to work instead.
The effect was like…starting a manual transmission car while it was a moving instead of using a key.
At least he hoped.
Jake carefully drew out the summoning circle on the ground on the other side of the room from his map. Even though it wasn’t very complicated, he wanted to make sure everything was perfect since he was modifying it. Instead of trying to summon the crow, which could be a bad idea for lots of reasons, he was just going to try calling it, letting his call reach it.
Theoretically, the fact he was in a challenge room wouldn’t matter, but it was still definitely a concern in the back of his mind.
Once he was done, he carefully filled the lines he’d drawn with empowered sand. Then he stepped back and critically inspected his handiwork.
It all looked good, so without stalling, he called out the ancient syllables of the simple summoning spell he knew, with the last bit cut out. Instead of a command, it was a suggestion. He ended the entire thing by using the crow’s name.
“Rishlay!” he called. Then he jabbed a portion of his power into the energized sand, creating a chain reaction that consumed all of it.
The entire cave was lit up like the sun for a split second before the light faded. After the area was dim again, Jake waited, not sure what exactly to expect. Ten minutes passed. Nothing else had happened, but he wasn’t entirely surprised. Sometimes these things could take a while. Now that he’d come to another world where time moved so differently from Earth, he had a better understanding of how the effects of some magic, especially summoning magic, could take time.
Jake sat cross-legged against the wall, settling in to meditate and wait. As he did so, he reviewed his situation.
He’d been able to get a lot of monster cores that he needed for an evolution path that he was willing to accept, one that could eventually lead to where he wanted to go. One biome had been full of different types of scorpion monsters that had helped with this. Another biome had been the home of strange, shape-shifting monsters. Encountering them had changed the evolution information in Jake’s head. Apparently, they were somewhat rare.
Jake had extra monster cores left over too, but his instincts were telling him that evolving again before attaining a complete cultivator’s body transformation would be beneficial for him, especially since he’d managed to overcome the limits of the Silver stage of Body Refinement.
He was currently at the Eighth level of Gold, and likely stronger than most cultivators with a new, Reforged Body. The strange circumstances and trials he’d been through so far on his path had served to make his foundation much deeper than normal.
As he was musing about his advancement, his eyes caught a flicker of movement. A second later, Rishlay the crow was standing on the ground in front of him.
“This is highly irregular,” said the messenger without preamble. “I hope you had a good reason for calling me or I am going to be…irritated.”
“Hello to you too, Rishlay. Thanks again for the warning ten years ago. But now that you’re here, I have a few questions.”
“Well then, I likely have answers. I take it that this is regarding something to do with the mistress?”
“That’s right.”
The crow gave a very human-sounding sigh and hopped closer. “Well, I will answer as best I can. There are some subjects I cannot delve into very deeply or must ignore entirely. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course I do.”
The crow’s feathers fluffed up. “So what do you need to know?”
Chapter 13
The meeting with Rishlay had gone well. Now that Jake was sure that his plan would work, there was no reason to put it off any longer. The crow had just left less than a minute ago.
Jake phased through the rock of his little hidey hole and wondered again whether it would really be wise to change his monster species. Being a shadow ghoul was already convenient and powerful. However, his cultivator instincts were not his only resources. Jake’s mage training and what he knew about the Murim world now all pointed to the fact that evolving would make his breakthrough into a completed, Reforged Body more powerful.
The fact he’d managed to surpass the limits of the Silver stage of Body Refinement already meant his Reforged Body would likely be unique. If his body wasn’t technically human when it happened, he might get even more benefits.
After all, monsters, demon beasts, and sacred animals in the Murim world were generally stronger pound-for-pound than cultivators. Logically, Jake might end up with a great foundation for the future. Of course, he might end up turning into a gibbering, brainless zombie-thing, but that was not super likely.
He moved to the tunnel entrances of the last two unconquered biomes. None of the creatures in any of the biomes could move far past their tunnel entrance. This fact had saved Jake’s life in the past. He knew from experience that one tunnel entrance led to a den of shadow creatures that he had zero chance against. But the other one had reptilian creatures, that, while at least as powerful as the shadows, had weaknesses that Jake could exploit.
Jake erased his presence, becoming one with the stone floor. Then he moved past the tunnel entrance and entered a pool of shadow, becoming one with the darkness.
The skills he’d been developing back in the Web Burrows had begun to mature in the labyrinth. Jake’s nature as a shadow ghoul and his connection with Morrigan helped too, he was sure.
He crept forward, moving with the air currents, not fighting any of the five elements. Jake made his way down the stony tunnel and out into a massive cavern, keeping his presence hidden the entire time. This deep into this dungeon, if the lizard creatures discovered him, he’d be dead for sure. He’d watched two of them fight each other before, not even seriously. They’d just been playing, or maybe sparring, and their blows had still effortlessly destroyed stone.
And the stone in the labyrinth was even stronger than the stuff he’d encountered back in the mountain forest outside Master Zi’s cabin. He wasn’t sure how strong they actually were, but his senses were sophisticated enough now to be sure he would almost instantly die if any of them became aware of his presence.
Jake’s plan was simple. Basically, there were two dungeons left that he hadn’t cleared and wouldn’t be able to. Nothing he had in his storage ring could help him through it. No amount of planning or trickery could kill any of the enemies in the last two tunnels.
If he’d been creeping like this through the other dungeon this deep in, he’d be screwed. That place was populated by terrifying arachnid monsters that seemed birthed from the power of primordial darkness. The area itself was completely devoid of light too. There were no shadows for Jake to hide in there, and the one time he’d stepped foot into the creepy tunnel, he’d almost been cut to ribbons.
Only Jake’s mastery of flash step and the invisible tunnel boundary had saved him. The multi-armed thing that had almost taken him out hadn’t been able to follow him far. After that, he’d been doubly cautious and took extra time outside the last two thresholds, using various techniques to learn more about his remaining enemies.
As it turned out, Jake learned that both groups of creatures could almost effortlessly kill him if they ever got ahold of him. On top of that, the spider things had been busy after that first encounter. Now there were thin strands of silk in the tunnel, disappearing past where Jake could see.
For almost a week, Jake had seriously wondered if he should just throw in the towel and go through one of the doors he’d cleared before. It’d be easy. But he’d decided not to, and to stick it out.
After all, he had a lot of time to burn in the Murim world. What was one or two more years in this challenge portal?
Of the last two dungeons, he was actually currently in the one with the strongest monsters, at least according to his fledgling senses. Luckily, the creature had never been able to detect him while he hid in the shadows. He couldn’t directly fight any of them, couldn’t conqueror the dungeon, but he thought there might still be a way to “win.” Jake believed there might be a sneaky loophole.
He’d gotten the idea from Ender’s Game, a science fiction book he’d read in high school. Just like Ender Wiggin in the book, Jake knew he had to stay focused on his goal, and not get distracted by other matters. And at the end of the day, his mission was to pass through a door, not kill everything that moved.
Jake crept closer to the end of the dungeon, skillfully avoiding the few lizard people. They stomped around, oblivious to Jake’s presence. The very air seemed to warp around them. Their power beat on the air, but Jake was able to keep moving. At times, moving was almost like wading through a pool, but he endured.
Now that he was actually executing his plan, he thought it was going a little too smoothly. After spending over a year in this labyrinth, the ease with which he was passing through this area felt almost a little anti-climactic. Jake wondered what the hell was going to happen when he reached the end of the dungeon, got to the door, and called Morrigan like he was planning.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t be ripped apart immediately. He was planning on jumping through the door the moment any of the lizard things started to move. They were so fast, that was likely all the time he’d get to escape.
The tunnel Jake was following eventually opened up. He paused to take it all in.
The last chamber was huge, practically three times the size of a football stadium with buildings that looked like temples built into the walls. There were lizard creatures everywhere, with a truly massive one hissing and snapping at attendants while it sat on a throne near the rear wall. Jake didn’t spot the exit door at first, so he crept around the edges.
The boss was a commanding presence, so much so that Jake had a hard time not staring. It was of indeterminate gender, would likely stand around twenty feet tall, and wore small pieces of armor just like most of its kin. However, unlike the other lizards, this one was armed. A massive sword with a profound aura leaned against the throne it was sitting on.
Jake swallowed and devoted most of his attention on the shadows, becoming part of them, using them like a cloak as he moved from corner to corner. His progress was slow but steady.
Staying hidden was a difficult, nerve-wracking experience. If any of the lizard things spotted him at this point, it would be death for sure. All the flash steps in the world wouldn’t save him. He was under no illusions about his chances of running away. These monsters could move unbelievably fast. On top of that, his senses were screaming at him that he was currently surrounded by doom. He couldn’t even look at the big one in the center. It might be able to feel Jake’s reflexive fear response, or he might lose focus on his concealment ability. The creatures in this area were definitely far above his weight class.
Luckily, after traversing most of the room, he spotted what was likely the exit door. It was behind the boss’s throne. Figures, he thought.
When he was almost there, he noticed one of the lizard monsters acting differently from the others. It was sniffing the ground, looking around…and it was slowly following the path Jake had taken around the perimeter of the huge cavern.
Jake stopped for a minute, calming his nerves. This was no time to lose his cool. With that in mind, he actually slowed down his advance. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, he reminded himself. Making mistakes now after getting stressed out would be a death sentence. When the stakes were high and danger levels ramped up, sometimes it was important to actually be more deliberate, more careful.
He cautiously continued forward, keeping a careful eye on the creature following him, but also paying attention to everything around him.
Just like every other dungeon of creatures he’d wiped out, these ones seemed to have their own society in place that functioned whether Jake was here or not. He still carefully checked the area for any potential traps or complications, though. The monsters in this place could be trusted to kill him on sight, and the Faceted could always be counted on to adhere to the letter of the rules, but not the spirit.
This close to the boss of the dungeon, it felt like gravity was several times normal. The sensation went past the physical and was hard for Jake to describe. He’d felt it before, but never quite like this.
Finally, he made it before the exit door. All the lizard people behind him continued carrying on with their business like they had before with the exception of the one that had been following him. It was still far enough away that Jake figured he’d made it with time to spare.
It was exactly the moment that thought crossed his mind that the damn thing suddenly lifted its head from where it’d been sniffing the ground and made a loud chuffing sound.
Just like that, all activity in the area stopped. Every lizard creature looked at the chuffer, then turned to stare at the boss and stood stock still.
Okay, this is bad, thought Jake. Whatever time he thought he’d had just vanished faster than teens at a house party after the cops show up.
He opened the Eternal Struggle reward system. As Jake scrolled on his sponsor page, trying to find the button that would let him call Morrigan, he felt something…awful. The sensation was like walking through a waterfall of freezing cold water and being pricked by a thousand needles all at once.
Somehow, he knew he’d just been scanned by the lizard boss’s spiritual senses. The thing still hadn’t completely pinpointed his location or Jake had a feeling he’d already be dead, but it’d come close.
With one smooth motion, all carefully controlled violence, the boss jumped off its throne. The creature’s nostrils flared. Its scales changed from the vibrant, eye-catching colors it’d displayed before, all transitioning to dark blue, then black.
Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, thought Jake. He finally found the button he needed to call Morrigan and hit it just in time.
Behind him, the boss lizard screeched right as Jake felt himself sucked into nothingness. Just catching the tiniest part of that ki-infused scream had been enough to make Jake feel like his head was about to explode.
He felt glad he’d escaped, but he would still need to leave the room when he got back.
The thought was sobering, but Jake vowed to cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he had to put his game face on.
When Jake’s consciousness returned, he found himself in a familiar area. This was the twilight world that he’d cut a deal with Morrigan in.
He turned, not surprised to find The Morrigan sitting on plain wooden chair. Power and majesty radiated off the goddess herself, and seemed to underline the fact she was using such a humble seat. Dark vines from the ground had begun to curl around the chair’s legs.
It had been over ten years since he last saw her, but standing in front of her again, it felt like no time had passed at all. Jake didn’t know how to react, so he just stood still.
Morrigan wore a corset over a cream-colored blouse. Her matching skirt had symbols sewn into it. Her hair sported giant metal needles to keep it in place.
“Rishlay told me that you wanted to talk to me.”
“That’s true. May I have a chair too, Lady?” asked Jake. “This might take a little while.”
Chapter 14
“I will admit that I did not expect to see you for quite some time.” The chair that the Morrigan reclined on slowly morphed and changed. First the wood became gold. Then its simple form turned into a throne made of bone with gold trim. Images of flowers and crows decorated every inch. What looked like a glass of wine on a small adjacent table rose from the misty ground. She traced the rim of the glass with one long, inhumanly graceful finger and arched an eyebrow.
Jake heard the unspoken question, something like, What the hell do you want? He cleared his throat. “I’ve come to call in a favor. You said that you would help me with my breakthrough to a Reforged Body.”
“Yes, this is correct. However, you are not ready for advancement yet.” She nodded. “Getting close. That is most impressive, of course, especially as you have been trapped underground for some time now.”
“Wait…you knew about that?” Jake found that a plain chair had risen out of the ground for him, one made of gnarled roots, and he sat.
“Of course.” She took a sip and her expression didn’t change.
Jake mentally facepalmed, schooled his features, and re-centered. He very forcibly reminded himself that he was not talking to a regular person. This was a goddess, basically his employer now, and he needed to be on his “A” game whenever talking to a supernatural entity of this level. At the very least, he had to stop asking stupid questions.
