"...And then DIO opened hisss arms in defiance, his expresssion filled with certainty of victory, speaking the following worrrds in an arrrogant tone: Oh, you're approaching me? Instead of running away, you're getting closer? Jotaro didn't back down, closssing the distance with long strides and barrrely contained fury, responding to the vampire's worrrds: I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer."
Madeleine's eyes gleamed and a small smile appeared on her face as I told the story, distracting her from the stressful events that had recently occurred.
My voice echoed through the labyrinthine corridors as we continued searching for a way out. For now, we haven't encountered any more monsters, but that didn't mean we'd have a safe journey.
I was about to continue until my rats revealed a light at the end of the tunnel, literally, and on the other side, more of the yellow brick streets.
"Heeey, I found an exit!"
The group walking ahead stopped and turned towards me. There was a moment of doubt, written all over their faces, probably because of the joke I made earlier.
"I'm serrrious, no jokes thisss time."
They looked at each other and shrugged, doing as I asked. Then I guided us out of there, turning left, going straight for a few meters and then to the right, continuing the process, making several turns and crossing corridors until we reached the place the rats had shown me.
We crossed the threshold, finding ourselves on the moonlit streets again. Scanning our surroundings, there were no enemies in sight, only crates, jars, and barrels that we wasted no time searching, finding food, torch materials, and more.
Incredibly, I found a Thorned Ring, an accessory that made me immune to poisoning at the cost of never being able to remove it. Honestly, it was frustrating how long it took me to find one, since you usually finish a playthrough with almost ten of these in your inventory.
Well, it was better than nothing. I put it on the index finger of my normal hand and looked around, wondering where to go.
"So, what happened next?" Nas'hrah asked, causing me a pang of confusion.
"What happened afterrr what?"
"What happened after Jotaro approached DIO?!"
My mouth dropped open for a second, disbelieving what I had just heard, and glancing back, it seemed the others wanted to know the same.
"Werrre you all paying attention to the ssstory?"
"It was hard not to hear when we were so close to each other. I particularly loved the part where Vanilla Ice starts killing the crusaders one by one."
But of course he enjoyed one of the more brutal parts; his smile said it all. Why am I not surprised?
"Rrright, moving on…"
I turned in a random direction, ready to walk, but stopped as soon as I felt something different. It was as if someone had hammered my head, as if I was losing control again or being watched by one of the Old Gods.
I let out a cry of pain, feeling my legs weaken. I struggled not to fall, as Madeleine was still in my arms. Her small hands held me tightly, and I glimpsed her worried face, which quickly disappeared as my vision blurred.
And just ahead, there she was, Nilvan, that terrible woman smiling at me, waving as if nothing were wrong. In the blink of an eye, a new wave of knowledge flooded my mind, the streets of Ma'habre, now I knew what that woman knew, every alley, every house and building, all the time she spent exploring its layout, now it was all in my mind, I knew exactly where to go.
The experience was as quick as it was painful, ending in moments, allowing me to catch my breath. When I realized it, the rest of the team was approaching me, but what worried me was what I saw beyond them, translucent images like ghosts, revealing the ground opening up and something rising from the abyss.
"WE NEED TO MOVE NOOOW!"
An earthquake shook the city as soon as the words left my mouth, starting with a distant, muffled noise that soon turned into a roar. Cracks spread across the ground as we tried to maintain our balance, but we soon had to move when a fissure began to split the street in two, threatening to swallow us.
We stepped back, witnessing something massive rise from the bottomless pit, a giant composed of several faces whose ridiculous grimaces almost hid the threat it represented.
At that moment, I realized where the city's scarabs had ended, their arms and legs intertwined, forming a kind of slightly humanoid golem, a wall of smiling flesh with limbs that moved like a spider's legs.
In the midst of this fused chaos, there were two enormous scarabs that stood out from the others, one in the center of the head, crying, serving as a face, and another in the middle of the chest, smiling, probably serving as a focal point for all the others.
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. I didn't turn around, but I imagine the others had a similar reaction. The shadow of the Scarab Golem covered us, blocking the moonlight.
The creature's arm rose, forming a fleshy hand with three long fingers, ready to crush us like insects. I held Madeleine with one arm and, using my free hand, pointed Kitab at the monster. Just as before, I saw ghostly images revealing what would happen, the exact trajectory of the blow.
Without much thought, in an almost natural gesture, a mass of tentacles left the pages of the book, colliding with the approaching limb. Again, the spell proved powerful, piercing the enemy attack, shattering the scarabs in its path, causing them to rain down around us, wounded or dead.
They fell with heavy thuds accompanied by the cracking of broken bones and the wet sound of gushing blood. Quickly, the tentacles retreated, leaving the monster missing an arm and slightly smaller due to the lack of mass.
Its sad face stared at the remaining stump before the surviving scarabs returned at the same time as its body reorganized itself, slightly decreasing in size to rebuild the lost limb.
Soon it advanced as if nothing had happened, moving its arm in a vertical swing, and I knew exactly where it would strike.
"EVERRRYONE, TO THE SIDESSS!"
The division wasn't perfect; each of us went to the side we thought best, avoiding the blow, but flying away from the impact. I hugged Madeleine, grunting when my back hit a wall, trying to reorient myself and see if everyone was alright.
Enki, Moonless, the Armored Skeleton, and Cahara were with me, while Rag, D'arce, and Nas'hrah were on the other side.
The golem's arm rose like a serpent, kicking up dust and debris, leaving a deep trench where it had been struck, and the visions I had revealed that the next swing would be horizontal, like a whip.
I placed Madeleine on Moonless's back and stood up, drawing Shark Teeth and preparing the next spell. As soon as the monster launched its attack, I cast Cool Air, sending a freezing wave in its direction.
The temperature dropped drastically, the scarabs lost their smiling expressions, their skin turned pale, ice crystals covered their bodies, and when it was all over, the arm had been completely frozen.
The sudden change in its composition and the poor weight distribution caused the arm to detach, falling like a rock that crumbled into a thin mist. There was a certain beauty in the way the moonlight reflected in the crystals, but the golem rebuilding its arm was more important.
Smaller, but still dangerous, its form rose as high as it could, almost forming a pillar of flesh, until it immediately dissolved into a tsunami of furious faces.
There was no need to shout for us to flee in the opposite direction, crossing the streets at full speed. Cahara, Moonless with Madeleine, Nas'hrah, and I led the group, and looking over our shoulders, we saw how the scarabs moved like water, climbing on top of each other, scaling walls and roofs, flowing towards us.
Some managed to close the distance, leaping from the rooftops and diving with arms and legs outstretched, ready to engulf us; most missed, crashing to the ground, but those that came close were taken down with spells whose trajectory could be controlled, such as Black Orb, Locust Swarm, and Flock of Crows.
The same did little to slow down the throng that made the ground tremble. I kept my eyes focused on the path ahead, but I knew the numbers were too great to be stopped by so little.
We needed space to fight, as the wave behind us could crush any funnel between buildings, which in another situation would be the best option against numerous enemies.
It wasn't a skill I had mastered yet, but I tried to access the knowledge Nilvan had granted me; seconds later I knew the way to a square—not the main one, nor the one by the Great Library, but one that would do.
"FOLLOW ME!"
I didn't wait to see if the others would do as I asked, but I turned left, plunging into a narrow alley with the others following close behind, and as we distanced ourselves from the exit, I felt the ground tremble and heard a crash.
Looking over my shoulder, I saw the scarabs demolishing the buildings in their path as if they were sandcastles, proving my assumption correct.
The next turn was to the right. I threw myself against the door of a house; the rotten wood gave way easily, and with that, I traversed the rooms until I reached the back door, revealing a wide street decorated with worn statues and a large archway in the distance.
The noise of everything collapsing behind us assaulted my ears, but crossing the arch, we reached our objective: a rectangular square with a tall statue in its center.
"RIGHT, THAT'SSS THE PLAN! I WILL FREEZE THAT THING, AND EVERRRYONE WHO CAN USE MAGIC WILL CAST SPELLSSS ON THE SCARABS TRAPPED IN THE ICE! THOSSSE WHO CAN'T WILL KILL THE ONESS WHO CAN GET THROUGH! WE NEED TO REDUCE THEIRRR NUMBER AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! ANY QUESTIONSSS?!"
No one spoke, only nodded. Madeleine, Nas'hrah, Enki, and D'arce already had magic flowing through their hands, or eyes in the case of the floating head, while Rag, Cahara, and the Armored Skeleton prepared their weapons and assumed combat positions.
"GRRREAT! ARE YOU RRREADY, KITAB?!
"And do you even need to ask?! If we all die, who's going to carry me around?!"
I chuckled, but then I stared at the entrance arch, seeing the wave of scarabs approaching and the images of what would happen if I did nothing. The pages of the book flowed, snowflakes fell around me, and as soon as the monsters touched the nearby building, I cast my spell.
It was immediate, just as before, the scarabs and the entrance arch around them were encased in ice, and before the rest even approached…
BOOM!
A flurry of spells flew over my head, hitting the target, creating a deafening explosion followed by a cloud of smoke. The dust hadn't even settled when the next wave appeared, suffering the same fate as the first, frozen, accompanied by another explosion.
BOOM!
Then they came from the left, moving like a serpent, only to stop, half frozen and half burned, courtesy of Nas'hrah and Madeleine casting fire spells. Then from the right, forming a wave. Miniaturized, now trapped in the ice and reduced to dust by a barrage of Black Orbs from Enki and D'arce.
There was a moment of surprise when they began to fall from the sky, hurled from afar by the scarabs that were further back. This time, Flock of Crows and Locust Swarm did a good job, causing confusion and blindness, for the moment the monsters set foot on the ground, Rag, Cahara, and the Armored Skeleton sliced and crushed them.
I felt a pang of pride seeing Madeleine and Moonless working together to finish off some of them, but that small moment of joy died when everything fell silent.
The tension in the air was overwhelming; I was sure we hadn't killed them all, and I doubted they had escaped. The answer came when something pierced through the icy smoke and fog caused by so many spells.
A huge chunk of ruin advanced like a cannonball, so fast that even seeing its image coming, I barely had time to react. Dodging was impossible, so I conjured the Call of Cthulhu, sending a wave of tentacles against the projectile.
The sound of shattering rock filled the air, but when everything calmed down, there was nothing where it came from, just an empty street with a large hole in the ground.
I frowned, a gesture that lasted less than a second, enough time for my brain to understand what was about to happen. The ground beneath our feet opened up, and this time, there was no escape.
It was a violent movement; the tiles rose, forming stone platforms that threw us upwards, crumbling seconds later. Soon I found myself spinning in the air, and then, unable to understand what was happening, I heard screams, felt like I was going to vomit as I was overcome by dizziness and then pain.
Everything went black for a moment, my mouth opened, letting all the air from my lungs escape, and agony coursed through my body. Even with Iron Shakespeare's soul reducing the physical damage, the pain I was receiving made me feel like I was going to die.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move. I stared at the night sky with my mouth open, trying to catch my breath. In my blurred vision, I saw that cursed moon smiling at me, feeling its moonlight burning my skin.
I intensified my efforts to get up when something appeared in front of me. I was sure it hadn't been there before, but staring down at me was a hooded figure dressed in white, an angel with wings and a halo. However, as soon as the moonlight illuminated its face, I felt my stomach sink as I came face to face with a large beak full of human teeth and a pair of empty eyes.
A scream escaped my lips, and I gasped for air as I realized that Shark Teeth wasn't in my grip. Looking to the side, I saw the weapon a few meters away, but looking ahead again, I felt a wave of confusion when I saw that the bird-man was no longer there.
I was hallucinating because... Using too much magic?
My eyes widened; I'd rather face that angel, for the thing in front of me couldn't be worse. There was the Scarab Golem, much smaller than before, far from massive, but still large enough to be a danger, and raised above its head with both hands was the statue from the square.
I rose to one knee, trembling like a leaf, looking around for salvation. The others were still on the ground or getting up, so I pointed Kitab at the golem, failing to keep my arm steady.
"HEY, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! YOU MOUNTAIN OF WORMS! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK THE GREAT NAS'HRAH?!"
Of course, the only one unaffected was the immortal floating head.
A pair of bright orange rings encircled the golem's arms at the biceps, closing instantly.
BANG!
Both limbs fell to the ground, the scarabs trapped in the center of the rings were split in half as the rest thrashed about, but the greatest damage was caused by the statue, which, with nothing to hold it up, fell on top of the golem, crushing the monsters below.
Instead of casting an offensive spell, I opted for a support option, using Healing Whispers to heal some health for all team members. Purple letters of an unknown language floated around us, a soft voice whispered in my ears, making me blush, and with that, I felt the pain disappear, allowing me to stand.
I retrieved Shark Teeth and watched as everyone scattered, surrounding the gathering scarabs. I jumped in surprise when the whispers returned and looked around for whoever cast the spell, seeing D'arce and Madeleine waving at me.
I returned the gesture, and with everyone healed, we turned our eyes to our enemy. I estimated it was now two and a half meters tall, with only the weeping scarab leading the golem. I suppose the happy one was crushed by the statue.
There was a pause where no one acted, then the golem raised its right arm, but any attack that could have occurred never came. Just like against the Crow Mauler, just like the other smaller monsters we encountered in the city, the moment its threat diminished and we managed to surround it, what had been a fight turned into a slaughter.
Screams filled the square, a cacophony of our own, conjuring a rain of spells, and of the Scarab Golem trying to fight back. Fire, Ice, Darkness, Invocations and much more struck the pile of flesh.
The scarabs that tried to flee didn't get very far; the melee fighters intercepted them, turning them into stains on the ground. In the end, only the weeping scarab survived, not for long; a final Black Orb exploded it into pieces, and with that, the fight was over.
As always, we didn't celebrate, we looked around, expecting the worst, but when nothing came, we were allowed to rest.
I sat on the ground, breathing heavily, interrupted when Kitab squeezed my arm, asking me to look at something, and I couldn't have been happier.
Beasts slain 100/100
Congratulations, you completed your mission! Nodens the God of Hunting couldn't be happier! As promised, here is your reward!
Night Gaunts: Summon the dark and powerful servants of Nodens to aid you in combat.
Hm… Shouldn't there be a weapon too?
As if reading my mind, something fell from the sky, tearing through the clouds, gleaming like a shooting star.
CRASH!
Stuck in the cracked ground just ahead was a battle axe, not very large, the kind you'd see in a medieval war, but its appearance and heavy aura revealed an unknown power.
Its handle was silver, covered in ornaments and carvings of strange symbols that shone a deep blue; its head was made of a dark, obsidian-like material, covered in shimmering glyphs; and its blade, it seemed made of pure red energy, slowly melting the ground beneath it.
I swallowed hard, rising and approaching the weapon. The others around me asked questions and watched me intently, but I ignored them, putting Shark Teeth in the inside pocket of my coat and holding the axe handle, lifting it with ease.
I held it before my face, analyzing the beautiful piece it was. Well, I couldn't shake the feeling that, after so long, my efforts had paid off.
END OF CHAPTER