RhaegarRRL
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Chapter 418 Ancients
🕑 Added 2020-01-28 12:07:38 +0000 UTCAuthor's note February 8th: Hello everyone. New chapters up and more hopefully on Tuesday. Have a good weekend :).
Author's note January 28th: Hey everyone. New chapters up and more likely on Thursday.
Have a good day and thanks for reading :).
PDF:EPUB: https://www.patreon.com/posts/32241245
Chapter 418 Ancients
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 hadnt 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. Ill 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, thats a problem. I dont think we can kill a four mark creature.
Its a sand creature. Hasnt moved up yet. Why cant 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.
Its hard to say, Maro said. Its 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 arent around anymore. We still dont 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. Isnt it always the same? Maro asked in a sigh.
Youre 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. Ill help with destroying the corrupted but now were 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 dont 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.
Were 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 arent ravaged by monsters of that power is because they do not care for it. Well now its corrupted. It will care, Maro said.
And, he held up a finger towards Elfie, Even now, Im 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 its 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
Theres your confirmation. I can get my Sand Resistance up to the end of the second tier, get some more levels and Im 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 wont 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 isnt 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. Im 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 havent faced death a thousand times to listen to someone talk about what is possible and what isnt. 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. Ill recover.
Elfie chuckled and hissed. I shall help you, with the little power I can give.
As will I, Catelyn sighed. I wont get you out of there though, youre 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. Youll see some violence, thats 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: <1% - Status: Failed
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.
Stronger
Hey, I didnt say I could kill it alone, just that Id try. Same with the Sun Sprites, I knew I wasnt ready, she said, not thinking herself too overconfident and proud.
Truth
The Fae sent and changed the map to the eighteenth layer, activating the Elder Sun Sprite description.
Weak, it pointed at the floating letters.
Strong, it again pointed at Ilea.
The elemental came up again and it shook its head, Death.
Alright, alright I get it. No need to shame me. Ilea said.
The Fae giggled and appeared on her shoulder, its arms extending before it hugged her face.
Friend
Brave
It let go and pointed at the map. Help
Ilea thought about it. Not really a lot to consider here, she thought, pretty sure about what the Fae suggested.
Are you two lovers going to let us in on your plan? Maro asked, his voice calm and charming as it tended to be.
I thought you wanted to fuck off? Ilea asked.
I understand where youre coming from, Ilea. And I admire you for it but I stand by what I said. I have been king for decades and I have been an adventurer for just as long before. People with your attitude and confidence have died in droves, sure of their victory, he sighed.
I admit that your magic allows for some insane things and I know you dont rush in completely without thought but what we are facing here is different. Now, please dont tell me youre planning what I think you are, he said.
And here I thought youd like it, Ilea said with a smile.
She didnt agree with Maro that the Elemental was different than any monster before. If it was still alive, then maybe. But it was just another corrupted creature, frenzied and lost. It was likely much more powerful than anything she had faced before, sure. Too powerful for her to prevail.
And yet she had thought about the Praetorians the same way, had thought of Elves the same way. And now she could fight them, perhaps even kill them herself.
Soon she would get all her skills into the third tier but so far no ceiling in potential growth had shown itself. Her whole time in Elos had been proof that humans could survive and thrive in a world like this.
If a mountain blocks your way, you start with the first stone. If thats too heavy, you get the first pebble. If that is still too much, you train, find someone to help or get better equipment.
Angry?
The thought reached her, coming from the Fae floating a couple meters away.
No, a little annoyed at worst. I know hes not wrong. Just expected him to be a little more unreasonable. A little more fun, Ilea said.
Fun?
With insane monsters birthed from nightmares and death itself, threatening to kill and destroy you, what else can you do but laugh and welcome them? Ilea said.
Flee
Hide
Negotiate
The Fae nodded, one hand on its chin.
Its more a figure of speech. Id do all those things first to make sure I survive. I mean it more as an adventurous spirit. You have something like that too the Fae, found in unfortunate situations and trapped even though Im sure you could be quite safe and happy somewhere else.
Its a way to give a massive fuck you to the horrors of the world, both monster and human, to go where no one else dares. To face what everyone else fears. Ilea tried to explain.
The Fae seemed to consider and then nodded.
Freedom
You get it, little man, she said and smiled.
Adventure
Violence
It nodded.
Ilea wasnt sure if the last word thought was the necessary conclusion but she knew very well that it was part of it. Violence and death were so normal to her at this point that she had to be consciously aware of herself walking the line between human and monster.
A single punch could end someones life and her influence reached over whole towns by now. Her enemies certainly thought of her as a monster already.
Just have to make sure I stick to some principles, she thought. There was no reason she couldnt live her life of adventure while others benefited from her power.
Ilea didnt think herself the pinnacle of morality and fairness but if she had learned anything from both Earth and Elos, then that there were always completely selfish assholes obsessed with their power over others.
She would leave the details to those she trusted and called friends but it wasnt a hard decision to oppose racism, speciesism, slavery, oppression and genocide.
She was glad she was obsessed with a different kind of power, the more magical kind. Before her eyes, she saw a being that went beyond anything a human should be able to oppose. A natural catastrophe that if left alone would swallow whatever it could find.
Ilea felt the tingle in her brain, felt the hair on her neck and arms stand up as she took in the raw magical power of a Sand Elemental. It might have been the most terrifying and beautiful thing she had ever seen. To think magic could go that far.
And yet she felt the pain and anger the Fae next to her openly transmitted. The Elemental had been killed, its magical might now twisted and corrupted, bent on chaos and destruction.
[Corrupted Sand Elemental - ????]
She could identify it, even though she couldnt make out the core of the being, the body that she assumed to be there, somewhere amidst the storm that expanded over several kilometers of the layer.
Sand cut into her ash, brushing against the Faes shield at the same time.
Ilea had spent an additional six hours training with the Deep Mirage, bringing her Sand Magic Resistance to a more acceptable level. Not quite what she had wanted but even the Fae had urged her to move the plan along.
ding Sand Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 2
ding Sand Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 13
ding Stamina Drain Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 4
ding Stamina Drain Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 8
The storm had grown in that time, the sand moving more wildly now.
Catelyn and her team focused on finding the survivors, clearing out the corrupted creatures that had found themselves inside the facility. It was up to them to decide if they wanted to fight against the Sand Elemental or if they were more liability than help.
Every bit of damage and support would help, of that she was sure.
Can you see it? Ilea asked, looking at the Fae.
It nodded, white eyes focused into the storm of sand, a whirlwind of destruction.
Lets meet our friend then, she said with a smile, blinking away from the storm, quickly followed by the Fae that kept up with her.
They reached the second facility after a couple minutes of fast flying, the layer quite a bit more vast than some of the previous ones.
A massive steel gate was inlaid into the rocky wall of the layer. Ilea landed a couple dozen meters away, feeling a breeze flowing over her as she checked the surroundings for monsters.
The sand storm wasnt visible anymore from the distance but she knew it was there, in some way even felt it in her bones. The sheer magical pressure that both enticed her and made her instincts scream for her to run away.
She walked to the gate that was twice her height and three times that in length. Her sphere had a hard time penetrating through and her blink only brought her back in front of the entrance.
Ill just dig a way around it, she thought before the Fae sent a thought her way.
Sure, if you think thats faster, she said, feeling her mana draining into the creature.
Half a minute passed before a surge of mana ripped out a chunk of the steel gate, making it vanish in an instant.
Whoa, nice one, Ilea said with a smile.
The Fae twirled and sent a thought of joy her way.
Thats some grade A violence, my dear, Ilea said and felt the heat flowing out of the dark tunnel that had opened up. Here we go.
Comments
Michael C
Dragon. They are going to meet a dragon...
G. Harthane
Hey Michael, not sure why it doesn't show up for you. Here are the direct links: https://www.patreon.com/posts/33148155 / https://www.patreon.com/posts/33148173
AkisP
Ok reading this there is one side story that I want to read more than the fight with the elemental. The side story should take place after the whole dungeon arc and would focus on the Fae returning home starting conversations with other Fae about Ilea, saying how fun and great she is from its perscpective, and then the rest Fae try to find her but because there are a lot of them they fight and then do a sort of line for who gets to adventure with Ilea.
Boutross
Yeah that was a bug on Patreon so 405 and 406 was posted at the end of 404 iirc. But they should have been posted as stand alone too, weird that you can't find them
Michael C
Note. I am on the android app. Been a 5$ sub for months. So never missed a chapter before or after.
Michael C
Sorry to spam this. I am in the $5 tier. Anyone know where 405 and 406 are? Can you link it here? Simply skips from 404 to 407
Cameron S. Moore
I'm with Jony here. Repeated power leveling? Great. Mad flexing? With minimal variety, that never gets old. Making new friends or experiences? That's literally the best! Philosophical or moral discussions? Honestly, those get old. Especially if it's the same conclusions Every. Single. Time. (Now, that bit about the Fea starting with freedom and ending with violence, That is interesting! I will be watching to see Ilea continue to strengthen, rationalize, or even lose that perspective.)
Jonathan Walker
Can't wait for the fight with the sand elemental, but come on that was a shit ton of talking about morals that we have heard from her time and time again please don't keep bringing that shit up we get it already
It might've been a living animal that can create and control sand, like the lightning bird, who is a bird covered in lightning maybe they can use a skill to turn themselve into their element or they are like the logia users from one piece.
Joshua Little
Considering the name I was hoping the new one was sentient and could be a new friend.
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
ShadeByTheSea
I'm just wondering how a sand elemental lost to blood corruption, I didn't think it had blood.
Hope she tries that flying drill attack using her third tier wings to kill both after they weaken eachother and get massive level ups... although knowing Illea she might just rumble with the two titans. Wonder how her friends would react if she were to let the wounded non corrupted level ???? go.
Chopper
I think it's ok that there are still things far beyond her. If she was the strongest in the world she'd have no reason to continue growing.
Songy
You know that it would be a rickroll instead, we all know it.
FrostyFeet
Uhhh finally some action!!! Can’t wait for ilea to reach 350 or even 400!
Alan McBrayer
Yep the only reason she survived the gryphon and the lightning is because neither was willing to chase her past their domains. The corruption negates that with the sand elemental.
Rip Woodham
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with Maro on this one. Except for the part that humanity can't grow that powerful, but that perspective is understandable from his standpoint. That Ilea would consider facing it, let alone intend to do so is crazy. What about running from the Lightning or Ice Elemental or even the Storm Gryphon on lower floors could make her think she'd have a chance? She only got away from them because they had one thing this one doesn't. Restraint. This one wouldn't let up on chasing her, maybe even following her out or until it encountered others, getting her friends killed. As for asking them to fight with her, could they have survived a glance from the elementals she's had to run from so far? And as Maro pointed out, unlike the Lightning Elemental this entire floor is its element. An element good for entrapment. *shakes head* Of course, the Trakarov (made that one up didn't you? :-p) changes things and I am really looking forward to this.
sharkattack
Did someone mention lava?
This chapter made me really excited :)
Grond (James)
Maybe the key to the third class is killing a creature over level 1000
Grond (James)
I swear, I was smiling the entire time I was reading these. It's just so good. It hits all the fun spots.
Alexander Dupree
Magic makes it easy for them...
j0ntsa
Where is the sandstorm song link?!?!??!
Carlo Aquino
I know right? This novel is just too good, it’s everything that I wanted. I do hope that Ilea would beat the Sand elemental herself and not just release the other monster and not just let them fight it out.
ArturScott
you are not the only one who wants to read more chapters at once but i made up my mind that i'm to weak to not read chapters that alredy posted)))
Carlo Aquino
I was planning to binge read this week’s chapter on Sunday then I saw the update half an hour ago. I was only planning to take a quick look and yet I actually read two chapters and i’m still longing for more. A 3rd class would certainly be helpful against the sand elemental.
Jonathan
Or releasing the T-Rex at the end of Jurassic World.
agentjongon
It’s hilarious that our technology is beyond even this. Yet we are so weak physically compared to everything on Elos
Knyko
this is like godzilla
