Denizens of the Labyrinth

Jazmel blinked three times and immediately he had been transported within the pyramid, he wasn’t sure what floor or where he was, but he knew he was alone. The corridor he was in was high walls and dark, no lanterns or candles were burning around him, he was in the dark. Luckily for him his eyes illuminated the corridor, and he could make out the Mana that ran throughout the labyrinth all around them.

Walking up the corridor he turned right and then left and then right again and still he was alone, but it was fine for him. Jazmel had travelled alone before and had gotten used to the independence but also the relying on himself. He had grown the most inside the locked gate and now he was heading towards ranker, he was pushing for that too.

Hopefully, he would find something to help him reach ranker but also the necessary tier tribulation items. He was surely lacking everything, and he remembered his plot march of the monarch he needed a monarch tier tribulation item for both his body and spirit before he made it to master tier. Which was just over forty levels away, but the labyrinth had changed since Xian Fei, and he knew the new gates would have benefits of unknown creation. But he steadied himself and he didn’t envy those who had been in the labyrinth for years, he had barely hit six months and he was already about to become a ranker. He was immensely proud of his progress.

He turned a corner and immediately noticed that this was lit. he entered a junction which peeled off into three different paths from the singular path he had been in, he thought about what he should do and then decided to head down the middle path.

His eyes showed him the Mana veins that ran along the corridors walls, ceilings, and across the floor like veins, and he wondered if the pyramid was a living thing, the intricacies of the Mana system that he was following seemed to be bold and filled with vitality.

The corridor was growing as he walked along its path, the walls spaced, and he noticed the ceiling rising well above him, but as he was alone he didn’t feel nervous or worried at all. That’s when he noticed that the floor was beginning to ascend, it wasn’t a stairway, but it definitely was rising, and he was raising his legs higher as he continued.

He heard the sounds of swords clashing and fighting and he focused on not tiring out on his walk but more about keeping his calm and breathing steady. Whatever was ahead, would need his stamina and Mana at their optimum. His potions were good, and he hadn’t had to heal from anything since he had entered this trial of Argilles’ pyramid.

He made it to the top and the doorway led into a much larger area, not smaller than the expanse, but the boundaries could be made out and Jazmel could see the ceiling.

His doorway opened into the side of the wall, which was higher than the ground of the expanse. Where the fighting was taking place, he surveyed the fighters and watched as they fought a creature hadn’t seen before. They stood on three legs which gave them a leaping bound or waddle as they moved around, their torso had two arms, but the torso was triangular in shape, so they had six arms, clutching different assortments of bladed weapons. They were ashen grey skinned and stood tall, Jazmel ’s own body had grown after the different tribulations and he now stood at six foot, nearly six foot one. But these creatures were taller than him still, seven and nearly eight feet sometimes. The seekers who were fighting below were doing their best, but the creatures seemed endless he noticed that the only other exit was the opening where the creatures were coming from.

So, the seekers had to fight, they had to enter the opening. He took a step back, then took two steps back again and then leapt from his doorway and raising his sword unleashed his skill.

Blade wrath!

The attack caught the first creature unaware, and he slaughtered it, inklike blood poured from its wound, and it collapsed from the attack.

DING!

VINDULAN TIER III WARRIOR KILLED

+1 STR

+1 END

He hadn’t fought a tier III creature on his own before, but he didn’t falter and rushing beneath the swing of a glaive from another threw him into the fray.

Cleave!

The skill left the tip of his blade and the Vindulan warrior he was aiming at blocked it, but the attack simply split around its guard and struck the two that were waddling behind it.

Whirlwind!

He screamed and churning his attack up, he kissed his teeth when he realised he couldn’t do anything with this skill, the warriors weighed too much, and he could not lift them with his skill.

Cut!

Someone called from over his shoulder, and he realised that the other seekers were also there, and they were fighting also. The attack flew past him and hit the lead warrior in the face. It was a skill like cleave but a little more refined and sliced the face of the warrior and blood dripped into its right eye and down its face.

Nova stream!

A girl screamed and raising her hands stars formed in her palms and Mana shot from them and struck the warrior in the chest, blasting big holes in its chest. The attack was grievous, but Jazmel could tell it was costly, the girl was shuddering and shivering, she drank two Mana potions at once to try and raise her Mana back. That skill was too powerful for her.

Cleave!

Cleave!!

Fall of the black raven!

He struck three times, a skill at the end of each attack and the two warriors who had been hit by cleave before and left wounded were carved through. Fall of the black raven was stronger than flight of the blue kite and he knew the cold and grave iron was adding to that for him.

Fall of the black raven!

He uttered again and this time he leapt with this skill and smashed the blade into the ground to erupt the skill and strike all the warriors coming towards him. the ground fractured and some of the warriors lost their footing and fell on their sides.

“Quickly! Now get them!” he yelled, and the skills shot over him into the warriors.

Severance!

Nova star!

Aqua blast!

Drake roar!

Light bead!!

Skills he had never heard of or seen before crashed into the grounded warriors and killed them, bodied obliterated by the onslaught of attacks.

DING!

VINDULAN TIER III WARRIORS X30 DEFEATED!

EXP ACCRUED!

…

+2 END

+2 WIL

+1 STR

He felt his body attune to his new stats and he sighed, he needed to balance them out again. He looked to see if the seekers were all right and they were busy healing, soothing each other and replenishing themselves before they even continued. He took this time to pick through the bodies;

TIER III VINDULAN WARRIOR GLAIVE

TIER III VINDULAN WARRIOR DAGGER

TIER III VINDULAN WARRIOR SHORT SWORD

Nothing else was worth taking and he didn’t want to seem greedy, he turned and noticed that a few of the seekers were watching him.

“I only took from the two I killed myself.” He explained but they watched him silently and said nothing.

“You saved us if you didn’t ambush them and change the flow of battle. We might have actually lost; nobody would question you if you took more.” A girl explained, the one who seemed to have many skills based around stars.

“I was told that greed kills just us much as betrayal in the labyrinth.” He said and they all nodded, taking in his words.

“I will keep moving, take what you want. But I wouldn’t wait here long, we have no idea what else is inside this pyramid.” He told them and at that he entered the opening the warriors had been coming from and pushed forward.