Elena got along with him just fine despite getting yelled at. This was suspicious behavior. Arcen had never been more sure she had some plan to screw him over the first chance she got. For now, he held all the cards. He had the egg that she desperately needed for some reason, and she couldn’t kill him for it because she had no way to bring him back.
He was betting it all on her not wanting to kill him for good, since she seemed to place a lot of value on them being cousins. He had to find a way to counter it if she ditched that in favor of the egg.
Either way, she couldn’t do anything now. She didn’t have enough Aura to fight with the King. She was being submissive and playing along to stay on his good side until she had better options.
One gnarly fucking twelve-year-old, this one.
Arcen decided to play along just like she was doing.
He started by helping her get her outfit situation sorted. They had to squeeze the orange blood out of her long coat. It gave off disgusting squishy sounds as he twisted it with all his strength. He had to beat it against a wall to make it acceptable enough to wear again. She put it over Arcen’s shirt, which she was already wearing.
Arcen collected all ofthes gold that he placed on his stomach into his forearm. Once gathered, he held it close to her face. She bit into it like his arm was a baguette. He recoiled, expecting her to bite him in revenge or something, but she made sure not to sink her teeth into his skin.
She couldn’t absorb all the Gold at once. She had to pause three times, between adrenaline rushes that made her tremble like a tree in a storm. She had some of her own Gold left over, hidden away behind her back. It wasn’t as big as what Arcen gave her, but it was the best to have everything converted to Aura. She wouldn’t get a chance to do it in a fight, considering how fast that infernal creature was.
At the end of it, she had about six hundred thousand Aura added to her diminishing pool. He didn’t waste a Reveal on her just to check it; he trusted her when she said she had one million and eight hundred thousand.
It was dangerously close to the bare minimum that was required for these 400th floors. Arcen remembered what Gareth told him about tower sickness. It only got worse in these higher floors, and it only got worse faster.
She used the cheapest method to clear out the worm carcass. She cut through it with high-pressure beams of napalm. They had to go through it before the tunnel filled up with toxic fumes from burning flesh. She had the perfect solution for it.
She made a thick, waxy tunnel that they could barely fit through, crawling through the worm carcass like a growing, hollow candle. This kept the fires at a minimum, and they got through without inhaling toxic gas. They fell out of the worm’s rear end into a bunch of rabbit-like things that had been nibbling at its carcass for hours.
Soon afterwards, they found a tunnel out and crawled out of it on all fours. They exited the giant anthill at an elevated position.
“We need a light?” Arcen asked in a whisper, trying to see what lay beyond the darkness. This chamber wasn’t evenly lit. There were luminous fungi-like things everywhere, but they didn’t give off enough light to show them everything.
“No, we ask Jelly first,” Elena said, picking her up off the floor. She spoke to her in asoft voicey, asking her if the Maw was in this chamber. Jelly nodded sideways, telling her no. They didn’t have the blood connection that linked her to Zuhara; they had to rely on words.
I hope King has a plan if this goes wrong.
I WILL PLAY WITH THE MAW. DO NOT DOUBT ME.
They climbed down the anthill, dodging worms now and then. Elena fired small bursts of napalm at them to keep them out of their way. They made their way to the bottom, already having figured out where the chamber veil was from their elevated position.
It wasn’t the one they came in here with. Elena was confident about finding her way back to the doctor’s chamber.
“You’re sure we can’t go back to base camp?”
“Doc’s closer than the base camp from here,” she whispered as they passed through the veil.
The next chamber was a mossy one with four gigantic trees weaving into each other. Water flowed from the holes and cracks in their trunks. It was quiet when they entered, and it remained quiet the whole time they walked through it.
I already know what that means.
The Maw had killed all inhabitants of this chamber. They found the first carcass about a hundred meters in. The creatures of this chamber had been some arboreal species with three tails and very long arms. It didn’t matter what they used to be. They were all obliterated carcasses now.
Jelly stirred in Elena’s arms as they were halfway through the massacre of this chamber. She pointed her tiny hand towards the left, urging them to head there. It wasn’t clear if she was telling them that’s where the Maw was, or that’s where they wanted to be to avoid the Maw. Arcen was fine with either. He accepted Jelly’s advice without debating it.
“If it comes down to a fight and it gets too dicey, you get out of there with Jelly. Get help for me, as fast as you can,” Arcen said to Elena as they walked towards a solemn chamber veil in the distance. He didn’t know how exactly King was going to play with the Maw, but the Aura difference scared him. He was betting twelve million against one hundred and forty, possibly even more now that the creature had slaughtered another chamber.
“W-what if you die while I’m gone?!” Elena asked, snapping him back to reality.
Arcen scoffed. “Then you can get the egg off me and be on your way, can’t you?” He asked, nudging her with his elbow. Elena looked up at him with an angry frown.
“I know you don’t believe me, but I really don’t want you to die!”
“Sure thing, kid,” Arcen said dismissively. He couldn’t believe her for a second. In fact, if the Maw killed him, all her problems would be solved instantly. He already knew how far she was willing to go for the egg from what happened on the ground floor. Granted, everyone there was a stranger to her, but it wouldn’t be that big of a leap to extend that childish indifference to a distant cousin.
“I meant what I said!” Elena said, coming to a halt. “I don’t have anyone left.”
She had so many chances to tell me that, and this is the moment she wants to tell me?
“That’s not true. What about that,t Helene?”
Elena looked away, apprehensive yet again at the mention of the name.
“Anyways, now’s not the time for this,” Arcen said, snapping his fingers. “We have to get through this.”
They walked through the veil into a new chamber with hexagonal pillars arranged at random elevations, creating a blocky terrace where blankets of vines grew everywhere. Bridges have been created between these pillars with dry vines for fresh vines to grow and reinforce them. There were nests with circular cutouts scattered on the pillars.
Arcen didn’t see what sort of creatures lived here, but they had to be higher in sentience because they seemed to have a village here. It could be another tribe, or something lesser, but close to that.
They knew what Jelly had meant when she pointed her hand this way the moment they entered.
There were distant screams.
They did not sound like creatures. They sounded distinctly human. They crouched and sought cover immediately. The vines that drooped down from the pillars had gathered in messy spools and mounds that they could hide behind.
Elena took the lead with Jelly as they weaved through. Elena wanted to find the chamber exit as soon as possible, the one that lead forwards to the doctor’s chamber. The screams only got louder as they continued, and they paused at another scene of a massacre.
There were six bodies of penguin-like creatures with fur. They had been ripped apart, heads, limbs, and their blubbery bodies burst wide open. They had tried to fight the creature with primitive weapons made with some sort of glowing stone.
“Shit. Is this another tribe?!” Arcen whispered over Elena’s shoulder.
“Yes, they weren’t peaceful like Yerdecin, but there were some researchers here trying to talk with them.”
As they continued through the bloodied soil, Arcen saw something dangling above them on a vine bridge. Two figures were pulling at the dangling thing. They scattered as fast as mice in either direction as soon as they saw Arcen. He grabbed Elena, pulling her back into cover. The creatures haven’t been wiped out yet, and whatever was hanging from the bridge looked too long to be one of the creatures.
Holding her back, he silently pointed at the vine bridge above. Elena put her hand over her mouth, and Jelly closed one of her eyes, staring with the other.
It was a human—ripped in half—hanging upside down from his guts that were still connected to his lower half, which was still on the bridge. It was an older man wearing a brown leather outfit. His face lay twisted in an agonized expression, eyes nearly popping out of the sockets.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The distant screams cut off abruptly as they tucked under a blanket of vines, trying to decide what to do next. The chamber veil was to the right, but if they kept on the path that they were going, they had to climb up towards the sounds. That was a bad position to be in—climbing on vines while the worst predator on the floor was up there somewhere. Elena decided to circle it, climb a shorter pillar to the left, and use the bridges to make their way to the exit as fast as possible.
Arcen followed her up the vines, doing his best to climb them without making too much noise. Creatures kept scattering all around them. Twice, badly aimed spears stabbed themselves into the thick vine sheet he was climbing on.
How do these assholes have time for us when they’re getting fucked by the Maw!
They rolled over to the top of the shorter pillar they climbed. Peering over the edge of a higher pillar nearby, Elena pushed Arcen back. She had seen something.
“It’s right there!” Elena exclaimed in a hushed voice, pointing at a third pillar about a hundred meters away. “It’s eating someone!”
It took Arcen a few seconds to spot what she was pointing at. There were vast patches of blood on green vines there, and dark shapes scattered on the ground. He saw flashes of red as the Maw ripped into an unfortunate climber who had stopped screaming a while ago. They were caught in its red light, paralyzed completely.
Smoke billowed out of the Maw as it consumed large chunks of the climber’s torso. It was messy and violent, scattering pieces of flesh everywhere. A limb flew off as it shook the climber left to right, breaking their rib cage.
TIME TO PLAY.
Wait, we need a plan!
NO NEED FOR SUCH THINGS. I WANT TO PLAY, I DON’T WANT TO LEARN.
Elena was already backing away, changing her plan. They couldn’t run across the bridges if the creature was only a leap away from them.
I’m still me! How the fuck am I supposed to go against that?!
I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO PLAY FIRST.
No, I definitely do not!
YOUR LOSS.
The egg pulsed on his back, sending a wave of red energy pulsing through him. It made his muscles freeze up for a second, and all his tentacles straightened.
“W-what’s wrong!” Elena asked, eyes wide.
“Something’s wrong with the egg!” Arcen said, trying to fake his panic. “I can’t move, get out of here!”
“But-”
The Maw screamed, having heard them right away. Arcen turned back around. The egg sent three more pulses through him, blackening his purple skin in waves. He tried to act like this wasn’t what he needed to happen in front of Elena, but this was exactly what he needed. He had to be King to face the Maw.
Arcen’s blackened skin hardened around his vital areas, a material as tough as steel held up with black fibers that grew out of his skin pores. Black plates grew on his face, over his nose, and between his tentacles. His muscles expanded, twice as big, ripping the sleeves of the jacket he was wearing. Four stubby horns grew from his forehead.
His vision turned red, blue,e and white. More refined than what it was on the ground floor. He could immediately see the potential of all things around him. White flames were visible, and blue misty clouds were obscured. Mixing, these flames danced in his eyes.
The Maw had flames that reached the chamber ceiling.
THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH.
“Oh fuck! You’re turning again!” Elena yelled, hands over her head. Jelly stared at him wide-eyed, her small mouth quivering. “Kin? Kin?”
“Get out!” Arcen hissed angrily. The Maw leapt across as he did, a red flash landing on a pillar right before them.
Elena poured oil as she jumped off the edge with Jelly, creating a waxy slide to glide all the way down.
Gold veins weaved in his eyes as King spoke to the tower much more swiftly than he ever could.
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ SKILLS ╰︶
????
RELIEVE [1]
??
ENRAGE [1]
??
WRECK [1]
??
REVEAL [1]
??
INTIMIDATE [1]
??
DETONATE [1]
??
RADIATE [1]
??
RESTORE [1]
??
DRAIN [1]
??
PREDICT [1]
??
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ TRAITS ╰︶
????
SWALLOW
??
SUFFERENCE
??
EMBODIMENT
??
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ MAIN CONTRACTS ╰︶
????
MIRAGE BLADE [1]
??
BALL LIGHTNING [2]
??
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ SUB CONTRACTS ╰︶
????
FABRICATE WEAKNESS [1]
??
WORM PIT [2]
??
DECEPTIVE ECHO [1]
??
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
Skills aren’t going to be useful, I don’t think. Don’t bother checking them.
THESE TOOLS ARE NOT IDEAL.
King sounded rather disappointed. More gold veins weaved additional seconds as Arcen completed his transformation, fusing with King.
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ TRAITS ╰︶
????
REGENERATE
??
COMMAND
??
EXTRACT
??
MULTIVARIATE
??
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ DOMAINS ╰︶
????
RED COURT
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ TRIBES ╰︶
????
MERONOLITH HIVE
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
The Maw leapt off the pillar towards him, screaming as red light burst from the depths of its throat. His thoughts fully merged with King's, Arcen comprehended new information much faster. He had gained a host of new Traits, two that he’d seen before and two that he didn’t know existed. He had also been inducted into the Meronolith tribe. It likely had to do with King’s hierarchical position in his society.
Arcen realized he was surrounded by children too competent for their age. One played tag with a hell beast, one could sing, dance, do gymnastics, figure skate, play piano, and violin before the age of twelve. King was the worst of all.
This thing was special before it ever made it out of the egg, at age zero.
I NEED SOMETHING CLOSE RANGE.
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ CONTRACT ╰︶
????
MIRAGE BLADE
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯
The activations happened in the blink of an eye, as the Maw was only a few feet away from his face. He still felt like he had more time.
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ SKILL ╰︶
????
PREDICT
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯
King had activated a skill Arcen had never thought to use before. His vision smeared like layers of time itself shifted slightly forward. He saw where the Meronolith would be in the next second.
He stepped aside, swinging his blade arm in a powerful stroke aimed at the Maw’s side. Red Court flashed for a moment from its mouth, but it was swiftly interrupted by the blade cutting through whatever organ it was using to cast it. The Maw howled in pain as the blade sank in, tearing a huge gash into it.
It landed on the ground, rolled over, and corrected its posture for leaping as it healed right away. It shook its head sideways, red glow emerging from its depths again, retargeting Arcen within milliseconds.
HOW FUN.
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ SKILL ╰︶
????
REVEAL
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯
The skill had been activated in response to his curiosity about the Maw’s power. He didn’t ‘speak’ Rootsong—Panlangra anymore. King was thinking his thoughts in the tower's native language so flawlessly that it was interpreting commands from every thought.
╭ ╰︶?? ERITHERIA ?? ︶╯ ╮
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ ACTIVATION SUCCESS ╰︶
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ NAME ╰︶
????
MERONOLITH MAW
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ AURA ╰︶
????
188,267,956
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
The Maw had gained another forty million Aura after their last encounter.
That wouldn’t save it, of course.
Red Court flashed over Arcen in a split second, numbing his body right away. His vision flashed deep red for a split second. He opened his mouth.
SILENCE.
The Maw faltered mid jump, Red Court flickering out in an instant.
Numbness faded as Arcen dashed forward to meet the Maw right away. He reached forth with his free hand, sinking his fingers into the Maw’s lip, right below rows and rows of teeth. Bending down in one swift move, he brought his right hand in a swinging arc, cutting the hinge of its jaw with the Mirage Blade. He twisted his body as he bent under the Maw, bouncing it off his back, redirecting the momentum of its jump over him.
It crashed into a pillar behind him, jaw hanging loose on one end as black fleshy tendrils grew from its gaping wound to mend itself together.
I WANT TO PLAY FOR A WHILE.
Arcen dashed at it right away. He came to a swift stop next to its face, kicking it across the lower jaw before it could heal. He cut its face in the same movement, damaging the newly mended flesh before the Maw could react.
It twisted its big head around diagonally down, bringing the red glow of its throat right in front of Arcen’s face. It had control over its huge mouth from the other hinge. The Red Court activated yet again, washing over him as its grinding teeth clamped down, engulfing his head and torso in a single gulp.
Arcen opened his mouth again as the first tooth sank into the top of his head.
SILENCE.
As the numbness faded, he felt searing pain as Maw’s teeth scraped through his skin, cutting through black armor plates generated by King like hot knives through butter.
He regenerated much faster than the Maw, wounds instantly closing behind the teeth even as they cut through him.
He noticed something interesting about the inside of Maw’s gigantic mouth, now that he got a front row seat to it.
It had two mouths.
The inner mouth was quite different from the sharp, jagged teeth on the outside layer. The inner mouth had flat teeth, a tongue, and a throat that was quite familiar. In fact, this inner mouth had all the anatomical parts that were distinctly not-alien.
It was just twenty times larger than it should be, but it was human.
HOW INTERESTING.
We're doing some crazy shit from here. Strap in boys and girls.
Next chapter on Wednesday.
Regular reminder to rate/review if you’re enjoying the ride!
Advance chapters on
