Chapter 341: Exquisite Timing, as Always (1/2)
Mike felt a rush of success as the barrier finally gave way in a titanic surge of ancient mana that rippled through the ruins. So great was his satisfaction that he only barely noticed the vibrations of a secondary explosion taking place somewhere far above him. A part of his mind analyzed the source of this disturbance and quickly discarded it as unnecessary for his attention. Instead, he needed to focus intently on the task at hand.
Unfortunately, that was proving somewhat difficult due to the screaming of the two lesser beings who had been trailing in his wake ever since his descent into the tunnels.
[Lesser beings? When did I…]
They were shouting something, the sound of their buzzing proving distracting enough that he momentarily contemplated removing them from his presence. However, before the thought even began to take shape, it was just as quickly dismissed. The two humans would be necessary in the near future. Destroying them now would be wasteful. Thus, he reluctantly decided to spare a modicum of his mental faculties to decipher their whining.
[Wait? Wasteful?]
”Stop! It's a trap! Don't do it!” The shorter one was yelling.
Frowning Mike spared a glance over his shoulder and noted that both of them were a few meters away, struggling to approach him. It took him a few seconds to realize that they were pressing against the force of mana emanating from the stone slab at the center of the room.
The thought of such a paltry amount of energy being enough to drive them away brought a sneer to his lips as he replied, ”What are you on about? Things are going exactly as I desire.”
”No, you don't understand! This is all a setup. The ghouls are being played for fools! This ritual is meant to fail. When it does, the resulting backlash will destroy what's left of the city and tear a hole in the fabric of reality. The Shadow Council, or whoever they really are, have been planning this for years. It's meant to be, and I quote, 'the beginning of a new age of darkness.'” The small man yelled back through gritted teeth.
Mike frowned again. ”Then by destroying this barrier, I've stopped all that. You should be thanking me.”
”That's just it. According to this note,” he held up a scrap of paper that was waving furiously in the gusts of wind moving through the room, ”they were expecting someone to try and stop the ritual. While they don't explicitly state as much, I infer that they have countermeasures included in the process to ensure their plans come to fruition. If you directly disrupt the barrier at this stage, I can only assume the consequences will be dire. For us and the world.”
For the briefest of moments, Mike felt a sense of dissonance. As if his perceptions of reality were somehow warped. Everything seemed wrong and he couldn't understand how he'd come to be here or why he'd made the choices he had.
Any growing unease was quickly crushed by an overwhelming affirmation from the deepest parts of his mind. Things were going according to plan. Clearly the man was delusional. It would be best to ignore him.
”Clearly you are delusional. It would be best to ignore you.” Mike muttered before turning his attention back to the stone slab. He could sense that the barrier's prisoner was nearly free. It would soon be time to face the powerful being. He needed to be ready to claim his reward.
[Reward? What the hell is going on?]
This time, before the strange thoughts buried in his unconsciousness could suppress the feeling, he latched onto his uncertainty and fought the sensation. He briefly felt something loosen its grip on his thoughts, and in that moment the full horror of his situation became clear.
He sensed the entity which had been controlling him gather itself in an effort to regain its dominance over his mind, and had to use every ounce of his willpower to resist the tidal wave of mental pressure.
Using what small amount of his will he had left, he quickly released a surge of Life Magic into his head, trying to tear away the tendrils of foregin thoughts. This elicited a harrowing mental scream as the entity retreated from the sudden interference. Any relief he felt was cut short when he felt himself pulled down into the depths of his mind after the being.
Mike found himself standing in a familiar mist shrouded chamber, a seemingly bottomless pool of water in front of him. It felt like a lifetime ago since he'd made use of the Meditation skill to enter this place and speak with the entity that had taken up residence in his soul, but he nevertheless recognized his surroundings.
Things had changed however, no longer was the place quiet and tranquil. Instead, the mist swirled with unseen disturbances which were perhaps related to the strange noises that could be heard from beyond his range of sight. The sounds of breathing, scratching, and low-pitched growling could be heard, echoing weirdly in the mists and bringing mind the image of hungry beasts slowly circling. Waiting for him to drop his guard.
The pool itself had also changed, becoming dark and inky, with an oily film spreading across its surface. Tendrils of corruption seemed to be slowly sinking into the earth around the pool's edges, eroding the ground and giving off a sickening, chemical stench.
”You're too late.” A harsh voice emerged from the polluted water. Mike couldn't see the speaker, but he knew that this was likely the source of his current unnatural state.
”What are you trying to accomplish?” He asked, trying to maintain his calm.
A sharp, piercing laugh, reminiscent of two bits of rusty metal being scrapped against each other filled the air. ”Come now. There is no need to play this out. We both know what the point of all this is.”
As the creature spoke, yet more corrupting tendrils emerged from the water before burying themselves around the pool, expanding the circle of polluted earth. Mike took a moment to send another burst of Life Magic through himself, causing his surroundings to briefly flash with golden light that seemed to halt, but not reverse, the spread of corruption.
”It is futile.” The being in the pool said. ”I have gained too much ground within your mind. You cannot be rid of me that way, not without losing a great deal in the process.”
”And yet you seem to find the process unpleasant, which makes it worthwhile for me.”
”Now, now, child. There is no need to be so petty. I have much to offer you, should you be willing to accept it.”
Mike scoffed. ”When we first spoke, you demanded that I yield my body to you. Now, after influencing my thoughts and trying to control my mind, you want to give me something? No, I don't believe it. I should simply burn you out of me regardless of the cost.”
The being laughed again. ”Well, that would be one solution, but you lack the precision and skill necessary to do so without causing a great deal of...well, let's call it collateral damage. That is a term the people of your world use, right? I wonder what your comrades will think once they finally reunite with the drooling idiot you will make out of yourself.”
Gritting his teeth, Mike resisted the urge to simply blast the pool with as much mana as he could manage and test that statement. ”Regardless, it does not change the fact that you are a cancer. One that I mean to have removed at the first opportunity.”
There was a brief moment of silence before the voice spoke again. ”You know, I have been watching you since we came in contact. And although I must admit I've learned a few things from your memories, I can say with complete honesty that you are a fool. A blind, ignorant, simpleton who has only survived this long thanks to his luck. Someone who, despite having all the power he could possibly desire at his fingertips, has failed to live up to even a small fraction of his potential.”