Chapter 418: Ancients (1/2)
Maro and Elfie continued to ask the Fae a bunch of questions, the three of them going through whatever else the sphere could provide. Most of its knowledge had been removed by the owner.
Ilea hadn’t been too surprised to find essentially a computer here. It was simply powered by runes instead of electricity. Most of its data was gone but what remained was still rather significant to them.
“What do you think?” Ilea asked, looking at Catelyn lying next to her.
The fox murmured to herself before she looked at Ilea. “I think we might have to actually work on that Blood Manipulation Resistance. For now, all we can do is destroy whatever corruption is still left in here.”
“I agree. I’ll take care of most, still have some resistance training to do in the coming days and weeks,” Ilea said with a smile.
“Ehm… we might have a problem with that,” Maro said as he looked at them, pointing at the detailed information on the twentieth layer and its denizens.
Sand Elemental – level ???? - Success Rate: 5% - Status: Success
“Ah, fuck,” Catelyn whispered.
Ilea started laughing. “Well, that’s a problem. I don’t think we can kill a four mark creature.”
“It’s a sand creature. Hasn’t moved up yet. Why can’t we just leave it here?” Maro asked.
Elfie shook his head. “Elementals are creators first and foremost. It will not stop until all of the Descent is filled with sand.”
“How long do we have?” Ilea asked.
“It’s hard to say,” Maro said. “It’s possible the thing is only here because creatures free of corruption remain.”
“Us,” Catelyn said.
Ilea expected a sudden rumble through the facility and an instant attack but nothing happened. “Lots of interpretation going on. I can just go and explore more, get powerful enough to fight it.”
Maro laughed at her. “Fight an elemental? Ilea, this one might be beyond what humans can do.”
Elfie hissed. “Have you been blind? Or do you simply reject our potential? We have found this… thing,” he gestured to the Sphere. “Those who built it were not monsters but creatures like us, with higher intelligence. Potentially creatures that had already meddled with Elos Millennia past. If it is the Ascended then they were fought by the Taleen, by Elves and by your kind, Humanity. And they lost.”
Ilea nodded. “Well, most people from that time aren’t around anymore. We still don’t have a clue what they want or who they are. They lost the war apparently, the remaining members scattered but their facilities still remain.”
“Resources, life, land. Isn’t it always the same?” Maro asked in a sigh.
“You’re not being creative enough. Maybe they heard of cake and came here to steal our most treasured recipes,” Ilea suggested with a smirk.
“She is right. We do not understand their motives. Neither do we know if this facility is truly still in use. Even if it is, it could be someone else has taken control. There are plenty of candidates that would be willing to cause destruction and death for the sake of knowledge and power,” Catelyn said and looked around. “This includes all species sadly.”
“Then let us gain what we can from this and use it for our own purposes,” Elfie said.
“And what purpose would that be?” Catelyn asked.
“To protect life. And to destroy those that would warp and corrupt it,” he replied with conviction.
“Alright, this is getting too big for me. I’ll help with destroying the corrupted but now we’re talking about ancient wars and politics,” Maro said.
Ilea had assumed he would push more, the possibility of a connection to Rhyvor certainly present. Maybe he really had made his peace, a speck of honor still remaining that at least itched to ask some questions. Not enough apparently to dig into another potential conflict.
“And I ask nothing more of you, Maro,” Catelyn said. “Now, I would rather we don’t wait until this Elemental fills half the dungeon with sand before we do anything about it. It is corrupted according to this sphere, there have to be ways we can use that.”
“It will not retreat nor fight in an intelligent manner,” Elfie said.
“We’re still talking about an elemental. It could be well beyond anything else within this place,” Maro said. “Even if we give Ilea enough time to train…,”
“Did you not advocate for her potential growth?” Elfie asked. “And she will not be the only one to increase her power.”
“Yes… yes I know but that just… we are talking about a full blown Sand Elemental. This is not something another hundred, even another five hundred levels and more skills and potentially even classes will beat. It is a force of nature. I have seen the destruction caused by a young elemental. The only reason these lands aren’t ravaged by monsters of that power is because they do not care for it. Well now it’s corrupted. It will care,” Maro said.
“And,” he held up a finger towards Elfie, “Even now, I’m sure she would survive for a while but we are not talking about surviving its assault, we are talking about killing it. This whole layer is made of sand, it is its own territory. We are facing a living desert.”
Elfie thought about it but just hissed after a while.
“Are we even sure it’s corrupted?” Catelyn asked. “We should check before we even think about facing it.”
The Fae looked down and sent a thought to them all.
Corrupt
Death
“There’s your confirmation. I can get my Sand Resistance up to the end of the second tier, get some more levels and I’m pretty sure I can at least tank it while everyone else blasts it with their spells. There are other survivors too, they could help as well.” Ilea said.
“Survivors of an Expedition that was wiped out by the creatures we killed. It won’t make much of a difference. Adding ten level two hundred mages against a mountain is not enough,” Maro said.
“I agree. According to the few records we have, Elementals remain within their territory and are rarely even hostile, no records would exist otherwise. They predate most beings we know of. And this isn’t a young one, like the one in the tenth layer,” Catelyn said.
Just another Drake, Ilea thought, a little annoyed at the pessimism. “Then what? We let it be and evacuate Hallowfort? Move away and wait until we have gathered enough power to deal with it?”
“That is an option,” Catelyn said.
“Or we just ignore it, let it exhaust itself against the monsters. If it goes further north, it might even find something too powerful for it to challenge,” Maro suggested.
“That is. A terrible idea. This is the place where it must be defeated, otherwise this corruption will spread to beings even we cannot deal with. Miststalkers, Famine Crows and worse,” Elfie said, shaking his head.
“We should at least try to fight it, find out more before we dismiss everything else. We could try to collapse the ceiling or flood the whole place with water,” Ilea said.
“Neither would make a difference. Even if you replaced the water with lava. I suggest you try to face it and get an idea of its power. I’m sure even you will find it difficult to argue afterwards,” Maro said. “Trust those more experienced for once.”
Ilea hissed, the sound imbued with power, magic washing over everyone present.
Only her three companions resisted the effect entirely and still she felt distress from all but Elfie.
“I haven’t faced death a thousand times to listen to someone talk about what is possible and what isn’t. You called yourself an adventurer but I find it more and more difficult to see you as one. While you hid within the shadows, I have fought and bled, have killed and...,” Ilea said and stopped herself there.
An old forgotten king who found his power thousands of years ago.
“I have asked you to come and for that I am sorry,” she said and smiled, her face revealed. “You bet your fucking ass I will try and kill that mountain, with all I have and all the help I can get.”
“You will die,” Maro said.
Ilea smirked. “I’ll recover.”
Elfie chuckled and hissed. “I shall help you, with the little power I can give.”
“As will I,” Catelyn sighed. “I won’t get you out of there though, you’re alone.”
Ilas gave her a silent nod.
The rest looked around a little awkwardly.
The Fae twirled in the air and giggled into her mind.
Death
Ilea looked at it and smiled. “I know we lack the power but I will at least try. You’ll see some violence, that’s for sure.”
The Fae shook its head and pointed at Maro.
Truth
Before she could react it went back to the sphere and used its magic to change the orange hologram into a map of the twentieth layer.
Help
Another facility in the corner of the area came into view, massive steel gates closing off a rather large cavern, at least half as vast as the whole layer itself.
Trakorov – level ???? - Success Rate:
Ilea read the description as a broad grin bloomed on her face. She looked at the Fae and nodded slowly.
Violence!
“I kind of wanted to fight it alone first,” Ilea murmured to herself.
The Fae pointed at her.
Strong
Proud
It pointed at the map.