Murai stood firmly on the ground, standing like a duck faced with a tough decision to eat a worm or a fish. He wasn't one of such ducks, however, nor was he in a situation that any would find attractive.
Facing the two floating soul forms of different kinds, rarity, and Paths, he wasn't sure what to expect from either of them. But for once, he never thought he would get this sort of picture out of his head.
It was a truly unique sight since Lorry was looking like a rather unique existence, similar to Lisa. Rising tides of affirmation told him that through his Soul Read, which was huffed and weak. Lorry was rather peculiar, like Thar and few others. He couldn't pinpoint his emotions, so that must be his soul form that acted against his Soul Read.
The flickering sona made up Lisa's appearance. She was floating before the cluttering and laughing skull. Flicking her head with arms folded around her chest, she was bitter to see Lorry once more. To turn calm and do what she should do, this damned Lorry should rather halt his laughter.
She clearly knew Lorry from the past more than she preferred, but the history between them was hard to guess or take into account.
Murai had no idea where in his imagination should he start... Getting so ideas about them seems to be a mistake he wasn't willing to start thinking about.
Lorry cald down after one additional laughter which followed plenty of more jokes aid at Lisa's fate, or topics that he found right to tell. Calming at the ti of his break, he realized he was out of the jokes.
His bones stopped moving, and flas flickered in his sockets. A reminder, ssage, or pitiful strike to his Will, it was. That was at least what Murai thought it was when he felt as if Lorry's soul was hit with lighting.
Lorry shuddered deep into his bones, his Soul Flas flickered in pause and pain. Then it stopped, and he glanced at Murai in a brief hesitation, and his soul cald down.
“Eh? So it is not only a clueless challenger but... a lot of things. That reminds Lorry of soone. Heheheh.” He chuckled again, but sothing struck his Will again, forcing him on the path of the right purpose, rather than not doing what he should. “Right... right... I am working!” Lorry stopped laughing, shouting at the ceiling instead.
He also noticed how Murai's and Lisa's sense of humor wasn't up to his own, which seed to be about right, unsurprisingly.
“Lorry greets... err?” he floated down, facing Murai to greet him like a proper Guide.
“Murai,” he answered, eying the skull with all of his knowledge, and interest. It was peculiar in terms of Soul Flas but rather interesting in the bones and everything else. He noticed straight away how many runes littered the inside of the bones, and many were even on the surface. The force of Will, soul, and all that made up this skull, caused Lorry to retain pretty much a clear and clever mind.
That, or it was because he was strong-willed and powerful prior to being... this?
Well, it was not a win. A mind and soul ca with a personality, which showed in a lackluster finished product.
Murai noted very few things with his Soul Read, noting the power of his soul a little, rather than anything substantial. It wasn't anywhere near the level of an Extre, or anything higher, but not necessarily lower either. It was perhaps the runes, and everything combined that made him that impressive. Lorry looked like soone who wasn't present but locked inside the skull, while the skull may not be him at all.
It could be a sham, and Murai couldn't figure out the right idea to go about his origin or how this skull even operated. It was looking artificial, like a scrip of magic and runes.
He at least saw enough to realize that Lorry had sothing that many wouldn't get in many lifetis. Figuring that Lorry was a form of a soul from the fundants, was hard to tell, while the skull was a simple construct to hide a lot of things.
He saw how runes, unique magic, but a slow tide of so soul power spread around and within him. This skull may be his prison, causing the End to never co to him, which made him immortal.
That was more than interesting since it worked against the rules of the universe. All sorts of soul shaping and necromancy did.
“Murai... Hm?” Lorry nodded, observing him by making a quick round around him. “Right? A number would be more fitting for Murai, but whatever. As a proper Guide, Lorry shall make a proper introduction. This is a magnificent temple! The one of its kind! A temple of the most dignified, prettiest figure in the universe!” Lorry crept upwards, shouting and exaggerating every word out of his mind. “Levandis Temple! The toy and domain of Lorry's dear Lady!”
Then he relaxed his words, turning serious and calm.
“For the sses from the outside, let alone the surface to co to this place, it is an interesting subject and place. An Encounter, is it that is up to Murai's mind? It doesn't matter to Lorry, but so would find it harsh and upsetting.” he said, implying things with so disappointnt but quite so force. “This is only the beginning and the rest will be under Lorry's interpretation and Murai's path. Lorry is a Guide, to say the least. A Guide of the Challenger that accomplished the successful briefing of the Welcoming Party. Now, Murai is facing the true deal of this interesting place. It's part of the opportunity by our Lady's Gift! A bestowal of her grace, in fact!” Lorry said, seriously proclaiming everything like a religious freak.
Murai was listening, but not because he had the choice. Lorry was speaking so loudly, it was impossible to not hear him.
“The temple by itself is an important piece to the land of the devils and demons, but as Lorry sees it, the demonic beasts are also welcod. Murai is one, but the one touched by the asshole gods... It isn't fitting, but Challengers makes nothing but an interesting opportunity for the world below. Lorry will be witness to that! ” he shouted again. “Lorry welcod, saw, and guided all kinds of folks, but Anatidae is... isn't Lorry's first eting of one? Lorry forgot about 2 others, but those weren't Lorry's responsibility. Right. No. Murai is the 3rd. The 1st was a long ti ago. A few millennia in a ti of many wraths. The 2nd was like a tidal wave, causing centuries of growth to halt and it happened only a couple of decades ago. Murai is the 3rd? No! 4th? Lorry is bad at math... Fuck. Shit. Dog! mories! Digging worm!”
Cursing like a mad skull, Lorry cursed so much, that his eyes turned to a wild storming fla that stirred the depth of chaos.
What exactly he was angry about? Maybe even Lorry didn't know that, while Murai wasn't seeing anything but a lunatic in the wreck of his choices. He wasn't feeling sorry. It seed Lorry wasn't one bit ashad of his life, nor there was any sorrow or anger towards himself.
He was honest in his anger and lunacy.
This sort of honesty was an aspect of emotions that Murai at least respected.
“Yo... Calm down, you damned skull,” he said, hoping to jolt Lorry back out of his stupidity. “I am in no hurry, but so things are better explained. Do talk so aningful shit if you want, but at least present it like a tool of a god. It's just so temple of the long past, but for it to be a toy instead? That is interesting, so how about those Gates, or whatever lies there? Mind talking like a guide?” he quacked out loud, unable to connect his will towards this being as he tried it right now.
Sothing obscured his tries, affecting even the basis of seeking what was deeper inside his skull. Even his Mana Detection wasn't able to dig too deep as if sothing powerful was obscuring everything, but not the eyes. He saw the runes around the curved bones and holes.
“Ah...” Lorry paused, calming the raging flas in his eye sockets. “Temple! Right! A temple's beginning. Guide's work! A splendid choice of Lorry's Lady. There is the 1st Gate and a leading 1st selection of the temple's paths. It is the very beginning. There are countless waves and pathways one would take, hiding various opportunities and rewards. Battles and suffering can co left and right, challenging the Challengers with forceful hands or claws. Each path leads to a different kind of place, so the decisions or one's success will have a myriad of results because of one or many decisions.”
“It is a truly complex labyrinth. Below, that is. Enemies aren't really normalized at so points, as the labyrinth is the commonplace of the undead, demonic monsters, and larvae of many things, so worry not about so balance. This is a true devil lair and not so cheap ss like Will of the Battleworld or the Surface has! This isn't so sort of ga, Murai know? It is an Art! Art of our Lady! A beauty to behold!” Lorry stated with absolute certainty, speaking as if his words were the laws themselves.
He was also dismissing Murai's wonder, but also ntioning so interesting things that led to so clarity.
“Ga of what? This? This isn't one bit different than many things around.” Lisa argued, oblivious about what Lorry ant or his complete ignorance about her words. Lorry faced Murai alone, observing his actions, and words or he was acting like a proper guide. He even ignored Lisa.
“Continue... sensitively, Guide. I am listening, or won't be soon if you keep at this. Want so smack instead? I can try my beak and wings too. I don't like insensible pricks, let alone so annoying skulls that seem to have screws loose in their brains.” Murai quaked, stopping Lisa who wanted to force so more words out of her mind. “In fact, is there even a brain? Should I take a look inside of your skull?”
Murai's idea was quite threatening, giving Lorry a shuddering feeling and a threat to his own fate. He halted his exaggerating words, leaving his Lady out of his soul and words. There may be honesty but it was misplaced, so he decided to talk so sense instead.
“Yes, Lorry will do so, because Lorry had to. There is no single clear path through this temple, but the Gates form certain rules and possibilities. So are unchanging, and the paths to them may be harsher when one chooses an improper path. Also, Lorry bets Will of the Battleworld will also provide so knowledge because Murai is a Blessed. Those always ss up with many rules in the Temple, creating interesting premises, and opportunities, so the temple will force so things on them instead. It will put forth a lot of interesting things in the Gates, and many things below. Lorry bets and is curious about what will be the case for the current ti. So formal agreents between our Lady and asshole Lordis ca to interesting results, making one guess how so things can happen. That is how it will be, Lorry reckons.”
“That is how exactly?” Murai asked. “Sense of rules? Does Levandis have so say in the rules that shackle ? What rules even?”
“Lorry is sure Murai will understand it better when Murai will experience the 1st Gate. The temple has the Mindarch to acknowledge and move rules together, creating what should have because both sides of the verses are coming together. One is the temple, the other is around Murai's Blessed status. There will be so enemies, puzzles, and who knows what else below.”
“Puzzles? Are you kidding ?” Murai scowled, knowing he wasn't good about such things.
“Yes! Lorry is kidding.” he chuckled again. “Puzzles aren't there, much to Lorry's disappointnt... Our lady... hates them too. What a sha.” he stated, sadly sighting from rembrance or pity that it was the case.
“You see what I ant, Murai Hisagi? This place is good for ssing things up. One can experience a lot, and gain a lot, although Lorry is yet to ntion that, it will happen soon enough.” Lisa argued beside Murai, floating and not being annoying.
“Is that so? I see no ntion of so-called, rewards, or things one would get from this "opportunity" as you said.” Murai agreed on this with her, wondering what sort of thing this temple had.
His imagination ran wild, and he believed this place was a massive treasure vault. It was his hunch again. Considering the sights in the Acaman Tower—Sub-dungeon of the Somalis Dungeon—he had no doubts this place should be anything lower than that. The question was, if the Gates and maze below will move according to so sense, will the rules around the world and Will of the Battleworld be fine or not?
“Oh! Right! How could've Lorry forgotten!” Lorry sighed, rembering important aspects of his purpose. “There are as many rewards as dangers. So are more so than others, but whatever. Rewards include all sorts of interconnected possibilities with Battleworld, whether one is Blessed, Gifted, Demoniq, or Wicked. If everything is right and fine, then rewards will be up for everyone's decision. The Mindarch will decide for the Challengers, basically, and Will of the Battleworld will add its purpose too. There are materials and all sorts of reasonable things that can move even the Extres.”
“Examples? You don't ntion shit.” Murai stated the truth, finding his words rather unfit. Lorry was running around the topic, speaking nonsense.
“Well... Lorry is unsure since there are so many things floating around Murai. Lorry knows for sure that all Blessed use this place for their attribute farming, training in their abilities, and all sorts of new comprehension. Oh! And there is a phantasmal source of mana in the temple, creating a paradise for the mages. Any magically gifted being can have a good ti here. Lorry is not Blessed, so Lorry doesn't know what Murai will be offered. That is all to these... examples.”
Murai pretty much guessed that already, and he could see his sincerity. Lorry before him was so form of an old soul, but drastically different than Lisa's case or his own.
Considering the talking and tone of voice, this looked artificially made, or it was an old or ancient kind of soul that underwent a lot of issues.
That, or it was stupid, to begin with.
One way or another Murai was no longer as nervous because this was an opportunity as Lorry said. This temple will create the variables Lisa ntioned because of a demonic world that went against the Battleworld, or so it seed. It must be sothing about Lordis, and Hall Havens, or Chaos, and Order.
Lordis was the kind of a Ruler of this world, Murai guessed, or he may be wrong. The context mattered and he was yet to understand it all that well. Information gathered through living in this land will do that. His past didn't help much in this regard. It could only assure him of what may be right or not.
This temple sounded like an ancient place where mana and history intervened, making this place a rarity in any kind of world. Even this Battleworld must hold a fair share of ridiculous things. Murai had no doubts about that.
Whether it would be a significant one, or just a chance to get stronger, he knew it didn't make a difference to him at all.
He needed to beco stronger, and that was all to it. He didn't want to be handled like a toy. He desired it so he would continue his purposeful living and find so fitting place in this world.
“Very well, Lorry. I accept that so where do I start? Entrance? Gate 1?” Murai said, unhesitant and fearless of what was before him. Although, it was more precise to say, what was below him, as the Temple was an underground place, rather than a lofty place that went to the skies.
Thinking of this place as a temple was thus, a bit strange, considering how remote, and dark it seed. There was no speck of sun, so thinking of this place as a forr kingdom of a Sungod was sounding like a lie.
Torches littered the corners of this room, enlightening the room in dim light, while what was past the gate behind the large skull was dark without any equal. It was the sa as what was behind him.
Murai saw no corners, or walls in those minutes of walking to this room, but he was sure so things were there. He wanted to uncover that sothing but Lisa insisted on going forward, fearing he would get lost. She knew many who did try to be curious, and they never ca out of the darkness.
Now, the darkness was behind him, hidden by a closed gate. Light of the torches was around him, but also a pair was before him. Lorry had bright Soul Flas that illuminated his face.
“Behind Lorry is the very beginning of the temple. Shortly upon entering, Murai will walk to the dwellings of the temple, with a small addition to the Battleworld's Will and the Temple's Mindarch. Those will make unique aspects known, while Lorry won't explain everything since it is as even Lisa doubtfully said. It's easier for Murai to experience it firsthand, rather than hearing Lorry's useless talk.” he explained, sounding as laughable as he was.
Lisa didn't make a comnt for this sort of remark since even hearing Lorry's joke made her mind scream in annoyance.
Though, she was keeping it for herself, feeling it wasn't worth being so petty. He and his jokes were the sa as ever, and who knew there wouldn't be any current challengers in this place? She didn't know it, prior to getting to Death Valley so she took this at her own pace.
In this small amount of ti of discussion, she took her ti and observed Murai and his opinions. He remained interested in the situation, yet Lisa could add more than what she said if she wanted. She didn't but it wasn't as if it mattered.
So, the entry was right upon them, while Lisa followed Murai behind. She had no choice in this, but surprisingly, Lorry will also follow them. One was his Life Companion, while the other was his personal Guide.
Lorry made so small remarks. The Guide had to follow any challenger out of spite of Levandis's rules, Mindarch's paths, and many criteria.
A huge skull behind Lorry opened up on its own, cluttering and shaking the room. Dust fell, flas winced and the aura in the room changed. Inside the skull's jaw was a passage that anyone could walk through unless one was a giant. It was an opening resembling a hole in the unknown darkness.
The mouth of a giant skeleton was this entrance, revealing utter darkness that went down the staircase.
Murai could feel an unnatural breeze coming from there. It was cold and deadly. There were also distinct screams and a demonic aura surging out of the entrance, sending shivers down his spine, yet he still smiled. The most special feeling that he noticed right away was the mana flooding from the dark passage.
It was almost visible to the eye, but it was sothing he could notice. Only those with small magical potential wouldn't notice it.
Everyone in this room knew of it since they were all special beings. Mana was, and always will be special to them as it was the source of magic and their path. Be it from an indirect form, or sothing that was their very own essence.
“Hoh? Very well then. This is an exciting sense of adventure I am feeling. Let see what sort of god's forsaken place this is. Literary... right, Lorry?” Murai shot a aningful glance at him, but Lorry only sneered, almost laughing again.
“Right. Right, but the current situation isn't any better than the past. Murai will soon understand what Lorry ant. Lorry is sure of that.”
Sighting, Murai couldn't help but agree, albeit how Lorry was talking about it wasn't up to his taste. It seed he had so issue in his head, which caused him to talk in 1st person to himself and ntion the nas of others. He did so with himself and others, without sha or feeling weird.
Murai tossed that nonsense behind his head, figuring that Lorry was hardly the weirdest being he had ever seen.
He rather thought of this place as a whole. Any godly being that stole, or took the place of the dead and ancient god wasn't anything ordinary. Murai was sure of it, so he knew he shouldn't anger such a god for the ti being, but what if so god angered him?
What then? They surely won't find it appealing, and it would attract more problems around them.
Watching the entrance, there was a sense of danger for sure. Any weak adventure that would get through the Welcoming Party, would fail to even take a step down. But not Murai. He was no common adventure, let alone a normal duck.
Placing his tiny legs down the stairs that moved down below, he cursed them to oblivion. He will have quite so trouble walking down the stairs and reaching the start of the temple. So, he found jumping to be much better, albeit it was rather funny-looking.
It was quite a different way of descending. The 2 floating beings above him had their own respective feelings about hoping Murai below them.
Alas, their own tis were their own, and their hopes and desires moved their hearts.
It was the sa in the other parts of the Seventh Death Forest.
At the mont, a few kiloters away from the Temple, in the desert region that was full of death and sand.
A group of people walked through the sandstorms, unobscured by any weather, or bad temper in their heads. Well, the latter was questionable, since the majority of them hated visiting this sort of place. At least what was on the surface, that was.
Leading the group was a silent figure, with a harsh, tough fabric cloak around his body. It was obviously a man, because of the wider size of his shoulders, and overall build that was noticeable from him, standing alone.
It was Razmund, whose armor wasn't visible underneath this cloak. Behind him were his 2 companions Paulfred, and Waldorf, who wore similar cloaks around their bodies. A cloak's hood was also shrouding their heads, and the softer fabric was beyond their mouths and noses, protecting them against the wind and sandstorms.
Death Valley was a terrible place, full of tough conditions on the ground and sky at all tis. Sandstorms were a neverending part of many dunes, outside of influence or any care about travelers or challengers.
“God's forsaken places... This is the land of the devils. I swear to a god of Battle.” Waldorf comnted, looking around, which amounted to nothing much but looking at the sand.
The sandstorms made sure to observe their vision, and anything they saw, was just more sand or curved dunes a few dozen ters ahead.
They couldn't see their rough direction with naked eyes, nor did they see the distinct natural waypoints of the temple.
“That is right. How are we supposed to find our foe, Master,” Paulfred asked, similarly concerned since he and Waldorf never got a chance to experience this desert yet, let alone the temple itself. This was their first ti coming here, but they heard a lot about it in the Centralis Kingdom.
“Our?” Razmund's voice echoed in this sandstorm, which ate his words, and huffed them low. He turned around to face his company, whose attitude wasn't up to his taste.
“We are sorry. We got the chance to know that your enemy is at this place, but where are we supposed to look for it? Is it even safe to travel and change direction? It is so easy to get lost, considering the weather, let alone the lurking dangers below us or on the surface. We already fought enemies outside of the demanding forest to get here and this isn't one bit better.” Paulfred argued, unafraid of his master's attitude.
Since Razmund got the Encounter going, he changed for the worse.
It was as if Razmund was experiencing sothing extrely unsightly in every mont of his life. Maybe it was even before the Encounter started. Ever since the incident against that madwoman Velga, who almost killed them all, they were unsure what Razmund's attitude was.
None knew too much about the Encounter, nor did Will of the Battleworld send the special forces, such as Blessed Companions, any kind of information. They were variable, tools and companions under Razmund alone.
However, he took most of the context for himself, speaking about it with the Centralis Kingdom alone.
It was a general point of the Encounter. An unsurprising strategy was to keep most for himself.
Strategy and plotting were as important as one's strength, and he knew all about it as level 64 Blessed.
Razmund was like a spear, whose sole purpose wasn't to lead forces, but to act like an arrow, ready to pierce the target. But killing it? Finding it? It was hard to tell what was in his mind as his purpose was his own.
Paulfred and Waldorf were just minor help, and even the surrounding shrouded figures around them were nothing else, albeit so were quite hefty in their nature and Ego. These were rcenaries and helpers Razmund paid for. They may do sothing or maybe nothing but be cannon fodder, but who knew what would happen next?
After all, this was a Death Valley and their trip to the Temple of Levandis will have various interests in their heads. It was a place that Razmund visited twice, after all, so he had various thoughts about it.
This one will be the third, which may be significant, but it was too late to work through another chance, plan, or desire.
His enemy went in, causing him stress and problems, but he shall work with it because he can and will have no choice.
Gods already stated their wishes.
He accepted them.
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