As soon as Jay laid his eyes on its unholy, twisted form he got a notification.
[Chimera Research 15%]
[Hidden Quest Acquired]
Jay ignored the notification, temporarily stunned at the sight of the creature as his mind raced with thoughts.
“It’s so huge, how did it get behind us without us noticing? How is it so quiet? Why didn’t it attack?”
Jay had no answers as his eyes drifted over its hideous body.
Much of its torso and back was made of many human spines, twisted, welded and moulded together in some wicked ritual to form its thick, long body; like some unholy mixture of flesh and magic, soul stones were scattered across its body, randomly poking through its leathery brown flesh.
Each of the soul stones glowed slightly, seemingly still occupied by souls.
Its long body was still going off into the darkness so it was hard to tell how large it actually was.
Multiple spiny sword-like legs with knees poked out from each side of its segmented body.
The creature's human head was looking at Jay, gazing at him with its toothless mouth slinged open; it seemed that only the eyes were still functional.
Shivers went up Jay’s spine as the creature gazed at him, it felt like it was looking at his soul, and could find him wherever he went.
Before Jay could even respond, his skeletons moved to the front, protecting their master.
The room went silent for a moment as the creature was still staring at Jay.
Was it sizing him up? Preparing to fight?
Jay snapped out of it and started analysing.
<[Dihexapede Soul Eater - Level 133]>
Jay froze after seeing its level, he had to re-read it a few times.
It’s level was unimaginable to Jay, they were less than ants before it, completely at its mercy. The creature could kill both of them with a single attack.
It was clear now that it definitely was not sizing them up, it could wipe them all out with a flick of one of its many legs.
*EIIIIIIICH!~*
Suddenly it screeched again before turning to the open gate, without warning it scurried through the open doorway, it was fast but its body was long, causing it to look like a blur as it all skittered through - though not before Jay analysed it, reading the rest of its stats.
<[Dihexapede Soul Eater - Level 133]>
[HP 755/755]
<[Skills]>
[Congenital Linking - 3/3]
- Shares its strength with other creatures
[Amalgamation] (Soul stones)
- Consumes (soul stones) to grow stronger
- Has become immortal due to the nature of it’s prey
[Dire Blades]
- The dihexapede slashes its target with its sabre talons
- 141 damage per successful leg slash.
[Brittle Armour]
- 40% damage reduction to slashing, stabbing damage.
- 20% more damage taken from crushing damage.
[Helvetia’s Revenge]
- Magic damage immune.
- Any wielded weapons become cursed.
<[Description]>
[A soldier of the Helvetian kingdom, turned to stone. It stands guard, waiting for its chance to exact revenge on those who would harm its kingdom.]
Noises of its tapping sword-like feet got quieter as Jay and Anya stood there silently; it was moving at a high speed up the passageway.
A few red lights came from the passageway - the creature caused the crystal rings to turn red as it went through.
Suddenly a deep grinding sound came from the passageway, it seemed that the creature had triggered something.
They both breathed a quiet sigh of relief as it clearly wasn’t interested in them.
“What…” Anya asked, unblinking with her eyes wide open.
“It could have killed us in one hit.” Jay shook his head, he had no answers.
Anya bit her lip as she shook her head, she almost couldn’t believe what she just saw; much more scared than Jay who still appeared almost normal.
Jay continued “My analysis said it’s a helvetian soldier… but it definitely wasn’t… That much is clear. It didn’t attack us either, which I think is more strange.”
“Just what the hell was that thing?” Jay wondered to himself, still a little shocked - though a part of him was also curious. He wanted to see it again.
He could have just met his death, but all he was thinking about was the interesting monster.
The creature’s skills made it seem like a mix of a failed experiment and a helvetian soldier. Similar to his skeletons, it too had retained some skills from whatever - or whoever - it was made out of.
A shiver went over Jay as he realised he could have just been killed.
“Fuck...” he shook his head, pulling out some water to drink.
Anya and Jay stood silently for a moment, they needed it.
*DOON, DOON DOOOOON~*
A series of deep sounds rolled through the pyramid along with a shudder, it seemed to come from above. It sounded like mountain-sized boulders were being tossed and toppled.
The glassware on the tables began to lightly shift and clinker from the vibrations.
Jay and Anya had to act, no time for any respite.
“Should we move back up or stay here? It actually seems safer here now. I think that metal door was what was keeping this thing inside here.” Anya said.
Jay was looking up at the ceiling “I don’t think it’s gonna collapse…”
*DOOON*
“Let’s just finish searching this chamber. If it gets worse we can just leave and reset the dungeon.” Jay suggested, speaking normally again now that the whole pyramid would have woken up.
*DOON*
Jay had two of his skeletons walk with Anya while he had two guards for himself.
There was probably nothing else here, but it was better to be safe.
They began their search. Maybe there would be loot here since it was sealed off?
Anya walked towards the broken-wall passageway where the foul smell was coming from, while Jay headed straight for the three large tanks.
Jay was like a kid opening presents, his eyes almost sparkling as he got closer, seeing the specimens inside.
His eyes were wide with wonder as he approached the specimens in the tanks, they seemed like works of art to Jay.
Even though these grotesque things had been dead for centuries, he gleaned some knowledge from them as he studied their parts and bodies.
[Chimera Research 16%]
[Chimera Research 17%]
“So cool…” he thought, looking at the mixture of flesh and inanimate materials melded together; he felt like all it made sense somehow. Jay would have really liked to meet whoever put these strange things together - though, he was conflicted as there was human parts mixed into the creature. It just felt wrong.
He wondered if his skeletons counted as inanimate.
Bones were once living like flesh, filled with osteoblasts and stem cells - but now were inanimate, dead. Structures of calcium deposits.
With Jay’s magic, it was like they were now something in between.
Jay looked over his soldiers and went back to the description.
[An abomination, its existence spits in the face of life and death - and they spit back. Flee if possible. Execute with extreme prejudice; burn the bones.]
“Burn the bones? Hmm…” Jay wondered why the description would say such a thing. Maybe there was some living material inside? Perhaps it was simply to expel the necrotic mana.
After seeing the dihexapede soul eater along with the degrading life forms in the tanks, he finally agreed - his skeletons were abominations.
However, they were his abominations; his own little horrors.
Jay found a bench near them with a journal. He went to touch it but stopped just before - he knew it would turn to ash. He analysed it to at least know the title of the journal.
[Estobars Journal]
Jay raised a brow, “Estobar huh? I’ll have to ask Sedulus to get any real answers.”
*DOON*
Another sound interrupted his train of thoughts.
More deep sounds came from above, but were getting less regular. Whatever was happening above them was coming to an end.
