Chapter 357: Blood Relic (1/2)

Chapter 357: Blood Relic

Aether coursed throughinto the deep well ofelsewhere and the fact that I’d done this countless ti This profound and elusive power that not even asuras could fully control was inside ot it,’ Regis sent as we finished piecing together our e hadn’t shown the four djinn ruins, but they did show the zones that led to them Only, it took tih for the Coet us there

Yeah, I answered si like a iant wormholes in every direction

I pried iantits aether

With my core round just in ti up from her brother’s improvised , but her gaze had hardened, her jaw set fired, only a simple nod before we moved on

The exit portal was hours froh the eis stayed inside th after the use of Destruction His control over the ability had strengthened significantly since he’d last used it, but I could feel the toll it took on hih,” I said as we finally reached the exit “It’s been a while since you slept”

“I’h she didn’t say it, I knew that she was ready to get out of this zone

Focusing on the i tunnels, I activated the Coh The zone beyond was thick with dust that hung in the air,into, and all I could make out of Caera was a dark silhouette

‘Arthur,’ Regis barked inside me just as two more silhouettes appeared on either side of her

Stay inside for now, I ordered, focusing on the dull red light glinting off their weapons

The shi+ning portal evaporated behindfor Caera and her attackers

Caera’s red blade flashed in the thick dust, ringing against her attacker’s weapon Deep-throated shouts filled the s dust I grabbed it just before it would have struck Caera in the back The mana-reinforced steel haft screeched as I ripped the spearhead froed tip pierced the attacker’s chest, and his diround and slaan to settle, revealing anotherat Ceara with a serrated, frozen sci a narrow earthen tunnel that led out of the shtacross my skin The first died instantly ashis spine despite his chain gorget I backhanded the second as he began to activate one of the runes displayed along his spine, sending hi into the tunnel wall He landed on his own spear, ih his bare biceps

He hissed out a curse before rolling over and tugging futilely at the spear, his spell forgotten

Caera’s opponent growled in bestial rage as their blades clashed, a sound that cut off in wet gurgling as her sword plunged through his chest

I dughis desperate atte himself with a shroud of fire

“Why did you attack us?” I asked evenly, leaning down to e’s o-orders!” the man yelled out, his dirt-caked face contorted in pain “Please, we’re just doing ere told!”

I tilteda brow “Am I supposed to be familiar with that name?”

“Our leader,” he panted, his panicked eyes trained on the blood gushi+ng fros to him”

Caera had knelt down to check on the man I’d impaled with his own spearhead, but now she stood up and leveled a fierce glare at the surviving ascender “Why would any ascender ‘belong' to him?”

My ears picked up the faint sounds of footsteps approaching Lifting my foot off his bloody ar, his eyes losing focus Gauging by the bloody er “The relic needs blood,” he said “So e—”

A stone spike erupted fro blood across Caera’s face

I spun to see a dozen ether farther down the tunnel One roup He was as dirty as the rest of them, but under the layers of filth, I could see a network of scars criss-crossing his face, arms, and hands His hair was a fine stubble that looked like it had been shaved with a dagger instead of a razor, and a knotted blond beard covered his face He wore a ed from a dozen different sources

“Would you care to tell us what the hell is happening in this zone?” Caera asked as she calmly wiped the blood off her face with a handkerchief

“hell is the appropriate word,” the scarred ascender drawled, grinning He wasmore than one tooth, and those that remained were filed to sharp points “You’ve reached the very bowels of the Relictombs, where ascenders come to die”

Caera took a confident step forward, her dark blue hair fluttering as she leveled her thin blade to thebeneath his feet as he stepped forward and pressed his neck against the tip of Caera’s blade

“There’s no way out of here,” he continued, his dark eyes wide and ives it or takes it, but no one who stays neutral survives for long”

I shuffled tentatively in between the two and held up an arht you if you don’there? Less cryptically, this tie, I assu intensely as he sized up aze being frigid Their standoff ended suddenly when his frown cracked like thin ice and his face shuddered into a forced grin

Kage tapped his dirty finger against his te kind You’re just the flavor of fresh oons chuckled darkly at this—“that we need here You see, e spoke, one eye began to twitch “The longer you stay, the worse it gets, but the only way out is by e your friends and comrades of their life’s blood Cruel, those ancient devils…”

The scarred ascender’s eyes lost focus for a moment

“I believe we asked you to be less cryptic,” Caera said ihtening around weapons as their glares cut toward my companion One raised a weapon that crackled with electricity Kage’s hand flashed out, catching thesabers when I’ap tooth sarts, as the saying goes And so I’ll level with you You’ve found yourself trapped in a zone with no exit The only way out is to claim a relic held at the center of this maze of tunnels, but that can only be done by blood sacrifice And so far, no one has h of it to bypass the wards”

I hadn’t heard wrong Kage said it as well…

There was a relic in this zone

My attention reravitated toward his weapon, his grin would fade only to be forced back on his dirt-caked face, and he swelled up like a fanged e, like an animalistic defensive measure to ward off potential threats

“We’d like to see this relic,” I said gently “Can you take us to it?”

“piss off, twig!” one of the e let out a craggy laugh and took a backwards step, then spun on his heel like he was in a military procession A narrow spear of stone burst out of the ground and skewered the offending ascender’s hand, sending the sword flying Kage kicked theit to crack and bend backwards, then took hiround

“I don’t ree roared in his face, spittle flying The runes on his back flared as he raised one hand over his head, and a crust of black and glowing-orange stone for a heat so intense that I could feel it froauntlet hit the ain, filling the cave with the smell of scorched flesh The rest of the ascenders had backed away Some watched with a wicked sort of anticipation, butleft of the ascender’s face but a burnt pulp, Kage straightened He was panting slightly, and gouts of sauntlet With a crack of his neck and a sigh, he faced Caera “It takes a firet it?”

Caera’s nose wrinkled in disgust, but Kage’s hter I kept auntlet fell away in ashy chunks as Kage released the spell “Here’s the thing, newcomer Trust earns trust First, you and your servant boy will coets to see what, aye?”

Caera’s mouth opened, and I could tell froe’s offer I grabbed her sleeve and gave it a s this o with him and see what he has to say”

“Fine,” she answered, searching o with you”

“A wise little sidekick you have there,” Kage grunted “Can’t be an unad Must be a pissy Sentry hiding his round “Or maybe the lady keeps you around for other purposes, eh boy?”

I flinched away froh

“Well then?” Caera asked,between us “Your ca down the tunnel like a door us into Alacrya’s finest inn Hisa narrow space for Caera andeveryone and everything that cois asked ‘What’s with the ile act?’

Just stay inside and keep your eyes open, I snapped

‘Fine,’ he grumbled

The zone was made up entirely of earthen tunnels, like I had seen in the false iant wor a h the dirt in places, shedding rusty light through the tunnels

Occasionally a thick vine or root would protrude froe was quick to direct us around thelers Doubt I need to explain the naularly that I struggled to e continued to speak “It’s a war you’ve found yourself in, friends Chaos and bloodshed as ascender turns on ascender for a chance at a real, honest-to-Vritra relic Even if we could leave, most wouldn’t Not with that kind of prize on the line”

“There must be more to it than that,” Caera said “Ascenders are not wild anie said proudly “A total bloodbath, everyhis way to the top”

“What happened when you arrived?” I asked, carefullyhalf the tunnel