PtM 18 - Chapter 19: What Lies Beneath

2/2 this week. Enjoy ^^

--

“Incoming!” Putrid blood rained down on Silverwing’s avian army like acid arrows, melting feathers and burning away flesh. A gust of wind repelled the bulk of it then brought demonic birds into contact with terrifying abyssal bats. Bodies fell by the thousands.

“Pike line!” Jadefall shouted. Her demons raced themselves against a charge of red-striped abyssal bulls, stopping them dead in their tracks.

The lead bull was considerably stronger than the rest, but Jadefall took pride in her strength. She grabbed the bull by the horns and broke its back. “Huxian!” she shouted.

“On it!” There technically wasn’t enough space for Jadefall and her army to cut through the enemy formation, but Huxian fixed this by compressing her troops into a needle-thin line that rapidly expanded and forced apart the enemy formation.

The red blood of demons mixed with the white blood of their abyssal counter parts. Holy light and abyssal gloom collided, scrambling causality and ruining half of Huxian’s carefully devised strategies.

“This is a bloody meat grinder,” said Gua from beside Huxian. “And you never answered my question about poison.”

“The Demon Accords are fine with it,” said Huxian. “As long as you’re not killing innocents, everything is fair game,” said Huxian.

“Just what I wanted to hear,” Gua said. He tossed out a gourd, and Huxian used spatial laws once again to get the gourd where it needed to be. A cloud of acid formed deep within enemy lines, instantly melting the skin off fifty thousand lesser abyssal demons.

Yet Huxian wasn’t at all relieved by this development. His own front lines were thinning, and their casualties were mounting. If things continued in this way, they wouldn’t have any troops left by the time they reached the Santana Dungeon.

“Wheeling formation, everyone. Focus on sustainability,” said Huxian.

“But… orders…” Wu said.

“Screw Solana’s stupid orders,” said Huxian. “If she says anything, pretend my spatial abilities are interfering with communications.”

“I’ll go first,” volunteered Mr. Mountain. A projection of the Shanara Mountain Range appeared above the battlefield and pressed down on their enemies, greatly slowing their advance. A part of this suppression was physical, but another part was mental.

The demons stopped in their tracks to regain their footing, only to find a massive hammer crashing down on them. When the mountain faded, only a messy sludge of blood, bone, and muscle was left. Not a single abyssal demon was left.

“Me next!” Bifang said. She beat her seven-colored wings and caused a fire to rip through the next wave of enemy abyssal. Her fires weren’t normal flames and affected abyssal demons disproportionately.

Huxian continued cycling his allies in intervals of twenty to forty seconds. As the vanguard, is was their duty to die down their opponents and bear the brunt of the enemy assault. That was why Huxian insited on a solid defense and stalling tactics.

This went against Solana’s intentions, but the Holy Salamander Clan and Lord Five Seal’s troops supporting them knew better than to Sabotage Huxian’s efforts. These three factions held back the abyssal tide. The Holy Storm Alliance defended their rear while Yigdrizil and his light elementals executed strategic charges with steeds of light.

But the main damage dealer in this battle was undoubtedly the Runebound Clan. Thanks to the protection given to her people by the other five factions, they were able to assemble formations in peace.

Meteors of light and blades of air and sand – all manner of attack rained down on the abyssal army and prevented them from assembling in force. It was thanks to this heavy artillery support that Huxian’s army was able to advance and claim inch after inch of contaminated land for later distribution among alliance members.

Things were going very well. Too well. One might think this was good for Huxian and friends, but Huxian thought differently. How am I supposed to pull off my plan in this kind of situation? thought the fox.  “Slow the pace!” he commanded. Their army slowed to a crawl, destabilizing the allied formation and forcing Five Seals and the Holy Salamander Clan to adapt.

Eight Directions, What’s going on? asked Solana.

I’m cautious about blood clones, Huxian replied. We’re too weak to fight one off.

The blood clones aren’t anywhere near here, Solana said. It would be best ta o finish off this smaller army quickly before reinforcements arrive.

Wait, I think I found one! Huxian said. “Lei Jiang! Blast the area directly in front of us!”

“You got it, boss,” said Lei Jiang. “Storm of Judgement!”

Purple-gold lightning bolts rained down on the enemy formation, vitrifying the sand. “That wasn’t a blood clone,” snapped Solana. “Stop wasting energy!”

“Oops,” Huxian said, scratching his head. “My bad. Wait! I think there’s on in the air! Silverwing!” A massive roc appeared overhead and unleashed a hurricane-force wind. White sand was blasted upwards, blinding everyone present.

There was no blood clone, and you know it! yelled Solana. Explain yourself!

“It was an honest mistake,” said Huxian. “Oh well. No harm done. I think I’ll take it easy from now on. You guys go on ahead as planned.”

“Um Boss… are you okay?” Gua asked when Huxian rejoined them at the center of their formation.

“You look a little pale,” said Miyue with concern. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on,” said Huxian. “I am a demon fox. I am as foxy as a fox can be. I’m also sustaining our nine-palace formation, which means that I’m definitely here and contributing to this battle. Did I mention how handsome I am?”

“Oh dear,” said Miyue. “I think he’s gone.”

“This thin g has terrible acting skills,” said Gua, kicking the puppet. “Would it have killed him to tell us when he was sneaking off?”

“There’s no style in sneaking off,” said the puppet with a grin. “I am a fox. So I only do things the foxy way.”

***

The Sacred Santana Desert was a corrupt place, and the root of this corruption lay at its center. Its origin was an ancient and dilapidated temple that had stood there since time immemorial.

It was a simple temple, built of plain sandstone that had reinforced countless times by members of the Runebound Clan. It was also a pure place, free of all corruption, making one wonder how the Paper Tiger’s curse had managed to grow to such an extent.

The sand immediately surrounding the temple enjoyed the temple’s protection. It was golden brown, a natural and thriving color, unlike the wretched paper sand that started just outside its protective boundary a hundred meters out.

The surrounding wilderness was similarly made of paper. There were paper trees and even paper boulders. These were surprisingly heavy and just as strong as their natural counterparts.

But back to the temple. People rarely visited this small temple due to its terrible location. It was also a little too small compared to the average Runebound Clan temple. It was very plain and almost completely unadorned. Calling it bare bones would be giving it a generous assessment.

Few remembered the reason why it was erected in the first place. The high priestesses knew of the temple, as did the greater demons in Mendin, and the top figures in the other three continents. Yet the one with the most information was the Grand Priestess, followed closely by Huxian, by virtue of his inherited memories.

The fox had made good time passing through the paper desert while his companions fought and bled many thousands of kilometers away. “Stupid paper sand,” muttered Huxian. “Stupid paper sky. Stupid paper sun. If you’re going to change the material, why not go all the way? Why not take away the grittiness, the brightness, and the heat?”

Three days had passed since the beginning of the crusade, and Huxian had been running almost non-stop. He travelled through spatial cracks when the surroundings grew dangerous and hid away in temporary spatial pockets when the blood clones got too close for comfort. He was an old hand at this, as he’d experienced all these obstacles in Patriarch Heartforge’s simulated future.

A herd of paper camels was roaming in the distance. Huxian hated camels and the way they spit. They also walked weird. So he slipped past them thanks to his spatial compression skill and appeared beside an oasis, which provided shelter from the scorching hot paper sun.

I’m thirsty, thought Huxian. But he did not grab a drink. He couldn’t grab a drink. This was because the water consisted off tiny slips of white paper that only other paper life forms could digest. But he did splash around in the strange paper water to cool down before setting off on the last leg of his journey.

It wasn’t long before he spotted the small temple ion the distance. It was colorful which was more than could be said for the rest of the paper landscape. Finally, thought Huxian as he dragged himself onto proper sand and into proper heat. Another plan. Perfectly executed.

The temple’s cool stone flooring soothed Huxian’s burning paws. His entire body began relaxed, and he sank into a blissful state. This place is awesome, thought Huxian.  I could stay here for days. No, weeks!

No sooner did these thoughts sink in did he bite down on his front paw. He held onto the pain like a life raft as his soul fought off the temple’s lethal spell.

“It’s not a weak spell,” muttered Huxian. “Look at all these bones. You could build a house with them. Or a cool bone cathedral. Or a bone throne. Heh. More bones for the bone throne.

Huxian ignored the perfectly preserved bags of holding on the floor. These seemingly easy riches were not so easily obtained. And neither was the fragrant golden liquid filling the two washbasins located just before the altar at the back of the temple.

If I remember correctly, a spell should hit me right about… now! Huxian suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to wash himself in these basins. He stabbed a dagger into his thigh and focused on the pain to resist the lethal spell.

The altar is located in a separate dimension, thought Huxian as he stepped onto the altar’s stage. The golden altar stood at the center of the pocket realm. It was a plain altar made of golden sandstone.

A atop the altar lay a sacrificial dagger. It was a grille and holy object made of sacred sand. When Huxian came near it, he was suddenly felt the impulse to stab himself in the heart with it. Fortunately, it was weaker than the previous three spells, so he did not join the twelve piles of sacred sand adjacent the altar, or the few thousand piles located in other parts of the spatial pockets.

According to my future memories, there are three ways to enter the temple. In my simulated future, we used the first method, which involved sacrificing a large number of Runebound Clansmen. We were able to reinforce the broken seal and restrain the curse. It also reduced the difficulty of the dungeon. Solana kept us around until we cleared the last floor and gained access to the dungeon core.

The second way to enter the Santana Dungeon was through the many cracks in the dungeon’s shielding. That was how the blood clones had escaped and was also how these same blood clones had corrupted the dungeon core. But it was impossible to fully claim the dungeon core in this way, which was why the blood clones had still not taken over Mendin many tens of thousands of years later.

“Hey,” said Huxian, walking up to the altar. “I came to access the Santana Dungeon.”

A ghostly figure appeared above the altar. She was the ancient grand priestess of the runebound clan, the same one that had sealed away the Santana Dungeon all those years ago. “Leave this place, little fox. Only those of my blood may reinforce the seal. Unauthorized entry into the dungeon is prohibited.”

“I don’t care about reinforcing the seal,” said Huxian. “I’ve come to challenge the dungeon. Hurry up and let me in.”

The projection’s eyes flashed. “You seek entry without sacrifice? You ignore my warnings and are heedless of consequences? I will not grant access to such a foolish demon.”

Well, I tried, thought Huxian. There weren’t any disadvantages to asking. Its too bad artifact spirits are so inflexible. It’s always about rules and their central mission.

“The entrance is right here,” Huxian said, tapping his tails against a faded patch of stonework.

“How did you know?” asked the spirit. “No, it doesn’t matter. So what if you know where the entrance is? It will not open without my permission.”

“That’s true,” said Huxian. “I know I need to convince you. How about a trade? I’ll give you something in exchange for granting me entry.”

“You want to barter for entry into the Santana Dungeon,” said the spirit. “Naïve! There are few treasures in this role of use to my central mission.”

“I think you’ll find my offer is quite reasonable,” Huxian said. He proceeded to dump thousands of explosive flasks out of his tail space. “Grant me entrance, or I’ll blow this place to the ground.”

A wave of dreadful energy bore down on Huxian. Despite the passing millennia, the grand priestess’s spirit was not weak. Yet Huxian didn’t defend himself, and the overbearing aura stopped just short of killing him.”

“The seals on those dangerous flasks are slowly unravelling,” said the spirit. “Reseal them this instant.”

“I refuse,” said Huxian. “And there’s nothing you can do about it. Kill me, and they’ll unravel faster. Kick me out, and I’ll blow them up in your face. And try destroying them, and you’ll destroy the seal on the entrance.”

“You’re bluffing,” said the ghostly priestess. “You won’t blow yourself up if I don’t let you through.”

“I’m pretty good at hiding and teleporting,” said Huxian. “So there’s no need to blow myself up. I’m ninety-percent confident in being able to escape before the explosion reaches me. So… your choice. Let me in, or I’ll blow up your temple. My presence will only slightly destabilize the Paper Tiger Monarch’s curse.

The artifact spirit was bound to the temple via blood magic, and therefore had no choice but to take his threat seriously. “I can allow you inside,” it finally said. “But you should know that the dungeon core suppressing the Eight-Fold Curse has been corrupted. Even if you pass the dungeon’s trials, it will be difficult to control the core without suppressing the Paper Tiger’s influence via this temple’s seal.”

“But what if I have these?” asked Huxian. Eight tails appeared behind him, each one glowing with a different color. Only the tail representing the Heaven element was dim; the others were filled with a vibrant light unique to the other seven sacred deserts.

“Seven of my friends have conquered the dungeons in the other sacred deserts and have achieved preliminary fusion,” Huxian continued. “So I don’t care about the seal. I can use the other seven deserts to seal the core myself and purify the curse while I’m at it.”

The artifact spirit frowned. “It’s still not be enough. We’re talking about the might of a monarch, weak as it has become.”

“I think I stand a much better chance than your descendants,” argued Huxian. “Besides, I’ll blow this place up if you don’t let me throw.”

“You!” the artifact spirit scowled. “You’re complicating this situation needlessly. If you’re going to threaten me, threaten me. If you’re going to help me, help me.”

“Can’t I do both?” asked Huxian. “I’m offering a pretty big carrot and a pretty big stick.”

“…Fine,” said the artifact spirit. “I’ll grant you entry.”

“Awesome,” said Huxian.

“But you should know that you’ll need more than a few explosive flasks to take down the dungeon’s guardians,” said the spirit.

“I have a few other tricks up my sleeve,” Huxian said. “It’ll be okay.”

“I hope things are as you say,” said the artifact spirit.

Seeing that there was nothing else she could do, the grand priestess’s remnant soul chose to preserve the integrity of the temple. She struck the temple’s stone floor with her staff, and the worn-out stones lowered to form a staircase leading down into the dungeon proper. Abyssal qi wafted out from the opening, but it was quickly absorbed by the sacrificial dagger on the altar.

“You have ten seconds,” the artifact spirit said.

“Thank you kindly, grand priestess,” Huxian said. He retrieved his explosive flasks and swaggered over to the door. “You’re not going to try to swat me now that the flasks are gone, are you?”

“And risk a massive explosion?” said the artifact spirit. “I think not.”

“Excellent,” Huxian said. “Then I see now reason not this…” A gray light flashed as Huxian made a grabbing motion towards the altar.

“What have you done?!” screamed the artifact spirit.

“No need to see me off,” Huxian said, hopping down the staircase that was rapidly collapsing. He held a crystal-gold dagger in his hand, freshly swiped from temple’s altar.

“Come back here this instant!” the artifact spirit yelled. A hand consisting of golden runes tried to snatch him. But catching a fox was easier said than done.  Huxian snuck through tiny openings in the runic structure of the formation and passed the dungeon’s threshold. And once he was outside the temple, there was nothing the spirit could do to him.

“You’d better hope you die in there, wretched animal!” the spirit shouted as he fled down the spiral staircase. The temple door reluctantly closed behind him.

That was close, thought Huxian. In his future memories, they’d sacrificed almost a thousand runebound clansmen to reinforce the seal and had left the dagger on the altar to maintain it for future generations.

That was a safe bet in normal times, but very stupid when the Inkwell Plane was on the verge of collapse. Huxian therefore didn’t feel the slightest shame in swiping the sacred artifact. With luck, he would be able to use it to resolve the paper tiger’s curse.

A small army of abyssal demons awaited him on the dungeon’s first floor. It was a small army compared to those he’d been fighting in the desert, but it was a tall order for a single fox to handle.

Yet Huxian wasn’t at all worried. He waltzed into the middle of the abyssal army and threw out a flask before teleporting past them towards the exit. An explosion wiped out a full third of the abyssal demon army.

“Two more should do the trick,” muttered Huxian. He sped past an elite abyssal demon and provoked it into following him. A host of weaker abyssals followed the elite abyssal’s lead.

I think Cha Ming called this aggroing mobs? Huxian thought. A pretty useless tactic against thinking creatures, but in a dungeon, it works perfect. He tossed out as flask to destroy the group, then repeated the process once more.

In the end, only three elite abyssal demons remained. He dealt with the worn out abyssals with well-timed blades to their abyssal cores. When the last of the abyssal were slain, the corpses in the room evaporated into a mist of mixed abyssal and demonic energies.

Though he could not directly consume this energy, he was loathe to let it return to the dungeon core. But how to stop it? Huxian thought. He hadn’t been able to stop it in his future memories. Wait, didn’t the abyssal miasma get sucked up by the dagger on the surface?

He pulled out the sacrificial dagger, and the moment it appeared, the violent abyssal and demonic energies were suddenly sucked into it. What’s more, the abyssal aura was purified and the demonic energy concentrated into several large beads.

Huxian swallowed this energy via Spacetime devouring. He kept the purest portion for himself and fed the dregs to his friends. He felt guilty for doing so but knew that there was no other way.

Once he was finished, the door opened. There was no reward for clearing this floor, since there was no energy left over to create it.

One floor down, forty-nine more to go. He popped the sacrificial dagger into his tail space and readied another round of explosives before heading through the door in the back of the room, where at the second floor’s army was waiting for him.

***

“The war is proceeding as planned,” said Grand Priestess Solana from her position at the center of the command tent. “We’re making good progress to the center of the desert, and it’s only a matter of time before we reach the core region. Our armies have dwindled in number but have increased in strength thanks to the continuous supply of demon bounties.

“It has been a fine crusade thus far. We have gained much territory in record time. But things cannot continue this way if we are to stand a chance at clearing the Santana Dungeon. Lady Wu’s group is therefore relieved from their duty as vanguard. Their strength is without question, and they will be switched to a supporting role moving forward.”

“Wait one second!” the puppet that was standing in for Huxian interjected. “We’ve been working hard as vanguard. And now you want pull us out? We deserve the position! We want this role! You’re just trying to take away our rewards!”

Too forceful, Miyue said to Gua. Huxian is cunning, not blatant.

I’m controlling him like I see him, Gua said. Arrogant and pompous. Always biting off more than he can chew.

Grand Priestess Solana raised an eyebrow. “Lord Eight Directions, your group has suffered significant losses. Although eight among your number have reached the late fusion realm, you are not saints, and will have serious problems dealing with a blood clone so close to the curse’s origins.”

‘Huxian’s’ expression turned ugly. “You’re saying the blood clone we killed was a weak one?”

Grand Priestess Solana shook her head. “The blood clones are all the same strength. What changes is their degree of fusion with the Sacred Santana Desert, and their cooperation with other blood clones and abyssal demons.”

“The Grand Priestess is correct,” said Yigdrizil from the side. “We’re not doing this to stunt your gains. It’s just that Lady Wu’s strength is lacking compared to her fusion with the sacred desert. Moreover, the blood clones will target her due to her relatively weak cultivation. She must be protected to better fulfill her primary role: support and shielding.”

“Just let them find out the hard way,” said Lord Five Seals. “If they want to fight saints in their home territory, who are we to stop them?”

Gua had ‘Huxian’ pause for a few second before sighing and sitting down with arms crossed. He added an extra pouting for good measure.

Oh come on, that’s hardly accurate, said Miyue.

I think it’s uncanny, said Mr. Mountain.

“Judging by Lord Eight Directions’ expression, he and Lady Wu have realized the error of their ways,” said Solana. “And I will reiterate that it is Lady Wu who is in charge, and it is therefore she who should be speaking. Please do not forget that.”

“I think the safest way is the best way,” said Wu. “Our team is actually quite versatile and well suited to supporting. We will trust in the Grand Priestess’s judgement and abide by all arrangements.”

“Then it’s decided,” said Solana. “The Holy Storm Alliance will join Five Seals and the Holy Salamander Clan at the front. Yigdrizil will harass, and we will provide artillery support from the back. It is my assessment that the blood clones do not know the extent of your group’s capabilities, Lady Wu. Please focus on shielding and hide the powers of your respective territories.”

The most difficult part of the meeting end, so Gua and the others took it easy. They conversed with their incarnations via the Nine Palace formation - Bifang and Lei Jiang were not invited, since they hadn’t yet clued in on Huxian’s disappearance.”

“You almost exposed us!” Miyue hissed. “Huxian does not exaggerate so much. He doesn’t pout like that!”

“He exaggerates on purpose all the time,” Gua said. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Now did anyone else notice Solana looking at us strangely?”

“I… I think she knows,” said Wu. “She purposefully pulled us out of our key role and pulled the spotlight back onto me. Away from Huxian.”

“Then why keep up the act?” asked Jadefall. “Shouldn’t she expose us and use it as an excuse to eat up all our territory.”

“Maybe her goals are different than we think,” Silverwing chimed in. “You heard it from Huxian – these guys have pushed the blood clones back and have challenged the Sanatana Dungeon many times in the past. Maybe she can’t do without us. She knows Huxian is up to no good, but she’s not willing to fall out with us over it.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” said Gua. “But it also doesn’t. If she knows Huxian is missing, she should know that he’s up to something. Shouldn’t she at least probe us to find out what that is?”

“If her end goal is controlling the entire desert, not just a bigger portion, this makes sense,” Miyue said. “Moreover, the worst Huxian could do is challenge the dungeon without her. But there’s no way she could know how quickly he can clear it given his cultivation.”

“I think some of these ‘factions’ might also be puppets of her clan,” said Silverwing. “Her control over the sacred desert might be much higher than we think it is.”

Gua’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re saying this is all just a play.”

“I said it’s possible,” said Silverwing. “And it’s the explanation that makes the most sense.”

“So her power play is really just a smokescreen,” said Miyue. “I’m getting a headache just thinking about it. I wish Huxian were here to sort this out.”

“Hey! What did I miss?” A projection of Huxian appeared inside the Nine Palace Formation.

“Nothing much,” said Silverwing. “We just had a meeting with Solana. She’s onto us.” He proceeded to explain the situation and their group’s deductions.

“If that’s the case, there must be some back door I’m not aware of,” said Huxian. He’d taken the dagger, effectively barring Solana’s entry. But was that the only entrance? “Maybe she’s planning on using you all as hostages? She’ll threaten me with you guys to take back the dungeon core after I conquer it?”

“So you’re saying she knows you’re in the dungeon and knows how far you’ve gotten?” asked Miyue.

“Who knows,” Huxian said. “I’m just assuming that’s the case so she doesn’t surprise us. For the record, I’m on the thirtieth floor, and it’s obvious it’s been cleared in the distant past. I’m also running low on consumables, and I have no idea how bad the final boss is going to be. Thoughts, anyone? How about you, Mr. Handsome Puppet?

“This question is outside the range of my programming,” answered the puppet. “Do you require anything else?”

“Yeah,” Gua said. “Tea and dessert.”

“Providing tea and desserts for Gua,” said the puppet.

A heaping plate of fried flies and a cup of pungent swamp water appeared in front of Gua. “I swear to the seven hells I’m going to break that puppet,” said Gua.

“It’s a puppet,” Huxian said. “Don’t let it get under your skin. Cha Ming just worked in some taunting sub-functions. For realism.”

“But most of them seem to be aimed at me,” said Gua.

“I for one think it’s a wonderful feature,” said Miyue.

“Maybe we should get back to the main point?” Wu said. “Does she know, or doesn’t she? Does it even matter? With her new plan, we get to remain safe and will be less likely to expose your absence. She won’t do anything us until much later. Are you doing all right, Huxian? You look tired?”

Huxian was indeed very tired, but she laughed off her question. “I’m fine,” said Huxian. “Just a little tired, that’s all.”

“Then rest,” said Wu. “You have time.”

“No can do,” said Huxian. “Solana is a tricksy demon. And the best way to deal with her tricks is to move faster than she can respond to.

“I’ll be heading back now. Let me know how this develops, and keep me posted on how much of the desert each faction controls.”

“Don’t worry about us,” said Wu. “We will send your reports every hour on the hour.”