Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 113: Going Westward

Chapter 113: Going Westward

With no other option, the group reluctantly backtracked and retraced their steps. Of course, this didn’t mean they had to return all the way to the beginning.

That would be too troublesome.

Having already scouted the black labyrinth, they had discovered several pathways branching off in different directions. All they needed to do now was take one of the routes leading west. Still, that didn’t mean any of them found the plan especially appealing whatsoever.

If they had any form of alternative, they wouldn’t have even thought about heading west.

After all, that was where most of the powerful and horrifying Dreamless Creatures had gathered. Heading there was no better than seeking untimely death. Furthermore, there was a real chance that something more deadlier than the beast commanding Dreamless. Perhaps a direct confrontation would become inevitable and in such a situation, they might not be as lucky.

Recalling the memory of the giant sea serpent, Klaus trembled momentarily before he gained the confidence to shake the scary thought away.

Their goal was to find the Carrion Slayers and use them to fly across the depthless chasm. Logically, it was an impractical — and potentially suicidal — plan. But given the circumstances, it remained the best course of action for the unforeseeable future.

Those terrifying hunters were said to dwell somewhere in the west. According to the academy’s database, the creatures had no eyes and were incapable of sight. However, their lack of vision did little to hinder their hunting abilities.

In compensation, their other senses were extraordinarily heightened, particularly their sense of hearing. On both sides of their head, a unique membrane allowed them to detect even the faintest sounds. By interpreting these sound vectors, they could sense movement and accurately locate their prey, functioning in a way similar to the echolocation used by bats. As if that weren’t enough, they also possessed an exceptional sense of smell, capable of detecting the foul stench of rotting corpses from a great distance.

Two weeks ago, the slayers had likely appeared at the cliffs after catching the scent of the fallen nightmare carapaces and the beast commander.

By some miracle or perhaps a stroke of luck, the bat-like creatures had failed to notice their presence and had flown off with several carcasses. It had been quite a haul, given the number of slain Nightmare carapaces scattered across the area. Unfortunately, they hadn’t managed to extract the spirit cores from the monsters’ remains before the slayers took them away.

However, considering the traits of those flying monstrosities, it didn’t make sense that they had failed to notice them lingering nearby.

If their hearing was truly that sharp, why hadn’t they picked up the sound of their rapidly beating hearts?

If their sense of smell was so great, why hadn’t they detected their scent?

Had they survived through nothing more than twisted luck?

After pondering the matter for some time, he arrived at a broad theory: the Carrion Slayers were, in some way, limited in their abilities.

Perhaps their senses, though sharpened to an extraordinary degree, were not without flaw. Klaus considered the possibility that the Slayers’ heightened perception worked best in open spaces or in the presence of movement and decay. Maybe stillness — true, absolute stillness — rendered them blind in a different sense.

The group had been hiding in silence, barely breathing, surrounded by the lingering stench of freshly slain monsters. It was possible the overwhelming odor of death had masked their own scent, blending them into the environment like chameleons in the mist. Alternatively, the Slayers could have already fed to satisfaction, making them less alert and more selective with what they pursued.

Still, it was nothing more than speculation. The truth was, none of them knew for sure. That was the terrifying part.

In any case, they had to locate the territory of those flying beasts if they were to have any hope of reaching the Fortress. It was entirely possible that the safety net they had pinned their hopes on never existed to begin with, or had already collapsed long before their descent.

Even so...

† †

After another two weeks of bloody skirmishes and hiccups along the western path, the group had made some progress in their harrowing journey.

More precisely, they were drawing close to the place they had come to call the Soul Grave.

The name had formed in their minds the moment they first laid eyes on the towering landmark. Visible from afar, it stood in stark contrast to the obsidian coral and the grey sky, gleaming in all its ivory splendor.

As the name suggested, the Soul Grave was composed entirely of monster remains. Countless skeletal fragments of colossal fallen beasts — both land and sea-dwelling — were scattered around a mound of wildly growing coral. It was difficult to determine what these creatures had once looked like, but one thing was clear: they were enormous. And with such size came the certainty of terrifying power. Seeing their bones displayed so openly stirred a primal fear in the hearts of the four wanderers, as though the dead themselves were warning them to turn back.

Of course, this wasn’t their first encounter with the massive remains of a slain creature. The black labyrinth was littered with the skeletons of giants, most of them sea beasts that had once roamed the crimson sea before it receded, leaving them stranded and doomed to perish.

Even so, the sight remained creepy and deeply unsettling.

Looking closer, it seemed that coral-like growths were sprouting from the ancient bones, spreading outward in all directions as if slowly consuming the world. But in truth, the opposite was happening. The black mounds, combined with the remnants of the receded crimson sea, gave the impression of an ancient battlefield long forgotten.

Perhaps, if they had the time to dig into the blood-red mud, they would uncover yet another layer of endless bed of bones buried beneath.

Such a detailed image raised a haunting question: what had truly transpired on this vast, forsaken battlefield beneath the cold mercy and dim illumination of the Sunless Void?

Klaus swallowed his dry saliva. Scanning the garden of giant skeletons that formed the Soul Grave, he realized they could use this desolate place to their advantage. Given its enormous size, it wouldn’t be difficult to take shelter inside one of the fallen monstrosities and rest for the night. After a brutal and fierce skirmish, each of them was bruised, worn thin, and dangerously sleep-deprived.

With nightfall fast approaching, they needed to find refuge before the world was swallowed by complete darkness. In a place like this, the first step was crucial; they had to scale one of the towering skeletons and make sure no third party had already claimed it as shelter.

Suppressing his anxiety, Klaus clenched his teeth and braced himself against the overwhelming, unfamiliar stench that wafted through the air as the group entered the terrifying palisade of teeth. Carefully, they made their way around the massive jawbone toward the rear of the creature’s skull, eventually slipping into the hollow corridor of its spine.

Inside, the bone floor beneath their feet was as wide as a highway, the smooth surface worn by time and weathering. The spine resembled a long, enclosed tunnel, with beams of dim light slanting through the gaps between each enormous vertebra. The passage sloped gently upward, vanishing into the shadows where the ceiling bent out of sight, concealing whatever lay further ahead.

The mount Morgan rode moved as slowly as possible, but with its many legs, traversing the spine in silence was an impossible endeavor.

Each time the tamed beast moved, its chitin produced a loud, echoing clatter, causing the group to grimace in unison, dreading the worst.

Eyes bloodshot with dark circles beneath them, Adrian grumbled bitterly,

"Hey, can that ’stupid thing’ move any slower?"

Morgan shot him a scowl.

"Can’t you see I’m trying? And don’t insult my remarkable steed!"

Klaus didn’t say anything. He was too focused, ears tuned for any out-of-place sound, eyes flicking between shadows. The tension among them was a coiled spring, stretched tighter with every echo that rebounded off the ancient bones. The further they ventured into the creature’s skeleton, the more suffocating the silence around them became, broken only by the groan of shifting chitin and the faint sigh of distant wind threading through the gaps in the vertebrae.

Glancing to his side, he saw Seraphim walking cautiously with Silver Blade. And to his left, the blonde Strider was gripping his spear, Windbreaker.

There were no obvious signs of danger, but their readiness spoke volumes. This wasn’t the first time they’d been ambushed on the very threshold of safety.

Eventually, the corridor widened into a cavernous hollow near the upper chest cavity of the beast. The group halted beneath a broken rib arching high above their heads like the buttress of a cathedral. Klaus stepped forward, his boots crunching faintly against powdered bone and dried coral. He raised a hand, signaling for the others to remain still.

After a few moments of strained silence, he finally exhaled.

To their fortune, their caution proved unnecessary. No monster lurked within or around the gargantuan remains, waiting to strike the moment they let their guard down.

Surprisingly, there were no stubborn foes to fend off. After a week of relentless chaos, this brief moment of calm felt like a rare and unexpected reprieve.

Morgan slid off her mount and began checking the surrounding space. The others followed suit, unpacking their supplies and making preparations for a temporary camp.

By now, night had fully fallen. The grey sky above had faded into total blackness, submerging the world below in a sea of shadows. From a distant, all-seeing vantage, it might have looked as though they were drifting at the bottom of a vast, endless ocean.

After helping Morgan remove the saddlebags from the Crimson Slayer, Klaus watched as she dismissed the mount, returning it to her unique soul world. Drained and aching, he took the chance to rest beside a jutting spinal ridge, leaning his back against the cool, ridged bone.

As his mind began to drift and his tense muscles slowly relaxed, Klaus mentally summoned the chaos runes to check his progress.

[Ether Fragments: 397/1000]

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