Chapter 684: Master of the Mind (1/2)
Chapter 684 Master of the Mind
“Hey, it’s me again. I’m just looking for some missing people that apparently went into your domain,” Ilea sent as she entered the creature’s mind magic range once more. Each of her steps resounded through the cavern as she advanced. No answer anymore?
The Elders walked next to her, Ilea keeping an eye on them with her healing but it seemed they were doing alright on their own already.
It’s so fucking subtle it might just manage to get into their heads if they stay long enough.
Both of them had abilities that would protect them in one way or another should the creature actually overwhelm them however. Ilea assumed it was similar to how her ash would likely protect her if her mind was taken over.
They walked for a few minutes, reaching the entrance to the actual shining caverns where fluorescent plants made the water shimmer with blueish light. Ilea could already see a variety of creatures lurking in the darker corners of the caverns, some hiding behind stalagmites, others crawling on the walls themselves.
“We’re going to have company any moment now,” Pierce said.
Verena looked around, her eyes burning with a bright flame. “They’re directly controlled,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Ilea asked. She could see a few of the creatures in her dominion.
“Look at their minds. They’re not damaged,” Verena replied through telepathy.
Ilea checked them with her healing and came to the same conclusion. The mind magic influence was obvious but it differed from the damage she had taken in her training sessions. “What do you think?”
“Easiest would be if you took one of them outside of its range,” Pierce said. “And see what happens.”
“Could be they just die,” Ilea said.
“Yeah, but none of us is a mind mage. And killing the thing would probably have a similar outcome,” Pierce answered.
“Hmm. I’ll give it a shot then,” Ilea said and transferred out of her armaments.
The first creatures were screeching now, among them various humanoids and monsters, different kinds of magic flaring up among them.
Ilea watched as nearly a hundred beings advanced on them. She waited until they were in her dominion and used Fabric Tear, a chunk of mana used to move all of the creatures away from the cavern. A few spells were loosed her way before she used the spell again. She could see the mind magic connection fade when the beings were bunched up in the tunnel, now out of the monster’s range.
She watched them look around in confusion, a few of them collapsing immediately, others rushing away in a panic. Some were about to attack the beings next to them.
Ilea spread her arms and released a charged up whistle. Monster Hunter froze near everything in the vicinity, a few of the beings resisting the effect. “Do not be afraid,” she said through telepathy, her monster hunter spell relaying the same sentiment. “You were under the control of a mind magic creature. Don’t attack the beings next to you and leave this way,” she said and pointed away from the shining caverns.
Most of the monster like creatures rushed away in a panic, none of them above level five hundred. Instincts coupled with the confusion of escaping the mind magic after however long they had been trapped pushed them forward.
A few of the sapient beings prostrated before her, speaking in different languages, some of them using Common. Different names were spoken. Most were dwarves but there were quite a variety of Dark Ones too, awakened beings of differing species. Some started getting gold, weapons, or other gifts before presenting it all to her.
“No, please. I’m just an adventurer. I’ll deal with the mind magic creature, just go back that way and to the Pit, you’ll find your way back to wherever you came from,” she said.
“What year is it?” one of the less fazed dwarfs said, looking around at the assortment of survivors as he touched his dirty beard. He piloted a war machine that seemed much more awkward in its movements than most everything Ilea had seen in the Pit.
“I have no clue,” Ilea informed them.
“I serve Garl Heinhall, king of Erlen,” another dwarf said.
“Erlen hasn’t been a kingdom for two hundred years,” another said. “Kanner Miel was the Champion of the Forged Dome when I came down here. I would like to send that creature to the depths myself,” he said and turned towards the shining caverns.
“Kanner was the third Champion of the Dome. There have been seventeen when I was last conscious,” another dwarf said and started laughing.
A hiss came from a wisp like being at level three twenty. “You are in the presence of a Great One, bow your heads!”
“Aye, she’s great indeed. Got us out o this mess,” another said. “I’ll be off then, feels like I haven’t had a good drink in a few hundred years. Cheers lass.”
“No need to bow your heads,” Ilea said, addressing the wisp being. “Just go without a slaughter. Dwarves, maybe make sure the other sapients get out without being splattered by the cannons.”
“Cannons? They finally built them, hah,” one of them said and waved to the group. “Come then, I’ll pay for a round of ale for all of you. If gold is still worth anything.”
Roars resounded from within the cavern, lightning and fire flashing in the distance. “I should probably be off then. Good luck.”
“Wait! Ashen one, please, will you grant us the honor of your name?” a heavily armored blob with three sets of eyes asked her.
“Lilith, happy to have a drink when I’m back up in the Pit,” she answered, watching the group of about forty sapients start making their way back through the tunnel. “Ah the tomb is closed, you’ll have to break through.”
“We know our way around, don’t ye worry,” one of them said, patting a crying dwarf on his back. “Ya made it out, quit crying.”
“My king…” he wailed.
“You’ll find another,” a snake like creature said with a hiss, slithering past the two before it gave a slight nod to Ilea.
She noted that there weren’t any humans in the group, their armor the only indication of how much time each had spend down in these caverns. And all are above two hundred… probably had to be or they would’ve died of old age? Did the mind being sustain them somehow or did it make them eat and drink? Where did it get the food?
She shook her head, deciding not to think about it too much. Ah well, probably more down there to get out.
Ilea teleported a few times, appearing within her armaments less than a second later. Heat and mana flowed into the machine, much faster than her first activation as she looked around within her dominion. “Did you give them haircuts?” she asked, addressing the creature she knew to be there.
Pierce and Verena were engaged with five large rock worms at level six hundred, the beings slow and bulky, stone defenses preventing damage from the ranged spell attacks coming their way.
“Why did you take what is mine?” a voice answered.
Ilea faced the rock worms now all turning towards her.
“They are their own, I just set them free,” she answered.
She could tell the worms weren’t awakened based on her healing. It would take more than one Meadow to help them get there. Rifle in hand, a beam of near white flame and energy flashed out from the titan. Chunks of smoldering worms fell to the stone ground, some falling into the underground lake instead.
“Why do you fight?” the being asked, confusion eminent in its voice.
“I’m starting to think your intellect doesn’t quite live up to your mind magic abilities,” Ilea said and looked around. She couldn’t find any other enemies in the direct vicinity, the cavern quieting down with the last rock worm that died.