Chapter 50: Chapter 53 – Spiders

“Damn these spiders!” Scorpius roared.

Like a bull, Scorpius raged through the spider infested caverns at a breathtaking pace. Just like before, the fourth floor grew in difficulty, and the caverns were full of dozens of spider boss rooms. Scorpius tanked the bulk of the damage as the party strategically buffed them. Facing hundreds of spiders, the amount quickly into the thousands as the party made their way through the maze of caves.

Hours passed.

Scorpius dripped in blood but grinned, his teeth were stained red.

“That maniac…” Elder Taurus shook his head. In the past, he hated Scorpius because of his unstable personality. Now that they had more or less come to an understanding, Taurus admired that Scorpius had an unwavering spirit, but the two weren’t necessarily on good terms.

As the Elders took down the boss of the fourth floor, a B Rank Shade Beast, they felt good. It was like taking down Lord Darkin, but this time, their teamwork was real and true. Their victory wasn’t through sheer power but tactics. Although the Shade Beast didn’t have insane foundations, it was somewhat symbolic for the present Elders.

“There’s a door.” Theseus found the entrance to the next floor. The staircase spiraled upwards, and a chill ran down everyone’s spines.

***

Clotho Mountain, Floor Five.

“How inconvenient,” Elder Taurus grumbled. After leaving the caverns, the fifth floor of Clotho Mountain was outside on the actual mountain itself, and it was quite chilly. Not expecting the cold, Elder Taurus shivered in the windy wilderness.

“Come on Tar, don’t wimp out on us now.” Elder Scorpius joked as they braved the Clotho Wilderness. More and more spider beasts aligned the trees, and webs were scattered through the forest like a white mist.

Taurus shot Scorpius with an angry glare.

“Don’t you dare act like we’re friends.”

“Oh? Are we not both Elders now?” Scorpius teased.

“Intriguing.” Theseus paid no attention to the bickering Elders. Compared to the previous floor, this one was not as difficult, but it was more random instead.

Occasionally, spiders would jump out at the party from the ground or from the overhead layer of the webbed trees. It wasn’t as difficult as the last floor, but they had to be on guard since scouting wasn’t enough to stop spiders from randomly appearing.

“The Moirai Dungeon won’t be as predictable as I thought.” Both Aries and Theseus thought at the same time. Compared to the past four linear floors, this one was different in nature altogether.

Gemini took out his notepad and wrote down the interesting wildlife and scenery.

“Why do you do that?” Agamemnon mocked sarcastically.

“To learn something new.” Gemini continued writing and didn’t care.

“Learn? Shouldn’t you be trying to keep spiders away instead of worrying about learning?” Agamemnon mocked.

“Unlike you, I don’t have to worry about a spider’s attack since I alone could have made it this far in the dungeon myself.” Gemini tilted his head at Agamemnon coldly and arrogantly. It was unclear if that was the truth, but he was easily the second strongest in the party.

Agamemnon took a step back fearfully but said nothing.

“Is that kid really that strong? Or is he all talk?” Agamemnon wondered.

Since he didn’t care about Oceanus, he wasn’t opposed to killing off some of the weaker members of the expedition in ‘accidents’. There was no clause that kept him from doing so in his contract with Theseus, and he saw everyone in this party as true rivals. No one else could compare to this party in the Oceanic Realm, and when he defeated Theseus, it would be a good thing if there was as little competition as possible for the throne.

Agamemnon stared at the others in the party gluttonously as Gemini walked away.

Centos and Scylla were just babies compared to the rest and would be easy to kill. Ju Long would likely die without his intervention. Realistically, he couldn’t get close enough to Leo, so the only one left around his level was Zamani. As far as he knew, Captain Zamani was at the high Greater Spirit Realm, but he could have grown along with his Suzerain Lord.

Theseus looked at Agamemnon as he sized up the party. Because of his Passive Insight skill, he could figure out his true intentions at a glance.

“Perhaps it was a mistake giving you a chance. I should’ve fixed your core before the expedition.” Theseus stared at Agamemnon angrily, but he was snapped out of his thoughts by Leo.

“What do you think will be on the next floor?” Leo asked, excited and curious.

“Hmm, maybe another outdoor floor-” Theseus responded.

Just then.

“Fuck!” Captain Centos yelled out.

“What happened?” Aries and Theseus instantly appeared next to Centos, who lay on the ground in pain. Nearby, a dead spider beast lay dead.

“It must have bitten him.” Scylla rushed over. She specialized in healing magic, so she was trained for situations like this. Since Scorpius was battle hungry, she felt the most useful as his personal doctor. Therefore, her role as a support was gladly welcomed by Theseus.

“Skill: Minor Healing.” Scylla attempted to stop the spread of the venom, but Centos’s condition worsened.

“Stop that; it could be a Shade related poison.” Aries forced Scylla to stop her skill.

“What do you think Theseus?” Aries looked at the poisonous bite mark.

“Shade Beasts are your wheelhouse, Aries. What do you think?” Theseus wanted Aries’s opinion, but he had his doubts.

“I think the beast used a Shade Skill through its poison. The Shade may be trying to consume Centos from the inside out with a Shade Possession. Since it was weaker than Centos, it gave its life to start a possession ritual.” Aries inspected the wound.

“Maybe I don’t need to plot against people this weak.” Agamemnon thought as he saw Centos on the ground and unable to move.

Theseus thought of a solution.

“Can we use a Reverse Shade Ritual to stop the poison?” Theseus asked.

“No, since it isn’t a standard possession. The poison itself is the possession.” Aries shook his head.

“Until we get down from the mountain, the infection will spread. Until the Shade kills or takes control of Centos, he has to move as little as possible. We probably need rare herbs and medicine to cure this.” Aries explained.

“Hmm, can we slow it down?” Theseus asked. Such a case of Shade Possession was not unheard of, but a Shade Possession through poison or exterior means was a rare ability and seemed far-fetched. There was probably no known cure, but it shouldn’t be hard to resolve with more resources.

Scylla and the rest of the party remained quiet as the two discussed the predicament.

“I can think of another solution.” Aries looked at Theseus, and Theseus instinctively knew what Aries meant.

“Centos, if you want to live, I have a solution, but I need your consent to do it. If this fails, you could die anyways.” Theseus explained.

“What- What are you planning?” Centos writhed in pain.

“It’s called a Self-Soul Hypnosis. It’s a rarely used skill that puts your soul into a coma. The skill was created in the past by monks of the Seven Paths Church to find enlightenment, but it has also been used in rare cases to fend of Shade Possessions. In the dream, you can kill the Shade, but if you don’t remember it’s a dream, it may get confusing for you.” Theseus told Centos.

“I- I won’t be able to figure out a new skill like this.” Centos couldn’t even think straight.

“I know, that’s why I asked for your consent. There is another ability called Soul Hypnosis that does the same thing, but it can be used on others through their own consent.” Theseus explained further.

“Do it.” Captain Centos didn’t know what to do, and if Theseus told him it could work, he had to trust him.

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“Skill: Soul Hypnosis.” Theseus used the skill, and Centos immediately fell asleep.

“Leo, can you carry him?” Theseus seriously asked.

“Of course.” Leo nodded and put the sleeping Captain onto his back. As Leo got stronger, his size also grew due to his beast physique. Leo comfortably placed Centos on his back, and the party made their way through the wilderness in silence. After a few hours, Theseus decided to stop for the night for the weaker members.

“Get a few hours of rest. We will have to clear the dungeon as soon as possible.” Theseus signaled to the sleeping Captain Centos.

***

When Ju Long woke up, he felt terrible.

If he hadn’t joined the expedition, they would have been able to bring Captain Centos home sooner. Was it selfish of him to try and contact the Moirai like this?

“Accidents happen, but this doesn’t change our objective. We will conquer the Moirai Dungeon. We’re close to the end of this forest, so let’s go to the next floor.” Theseus addressed the elephant in the room.

Taurus nodded. Even if Centos died, they had to finish their mission. It was unfortunate, but it was also reality. Others in the party felt the same way.

Theseus frowned.

“Did I underestimate the Moirai?” He wondered. Sure, the parties had failed in the past, but this one was equipped more than any others that attempted it. Plus, they were all strong. Centos was by no means weak, but if he had brought herbs and medicine with the supplies, they could’ve been prepared for this rare skill the Shade Beasts had.

Soon, the party entered a clearing.

“Where is the next floor?” Theseus looked around, but there was nothing but a gate leading off of the mountain.

“I’ll read it.” Scylla went up to the gateway.

“To continue, take the Leap of Faith into the abyss…” She trailed off.

“They want us to jump off the mountain? Are they insane?” Agamemnon yelled. That was suicide!

Theseus thought for a moment, but Agamemnon broke up his thoughts.

“Let’s throw the sleeping Captain over the mountain. If he lives, I’ll jump.” Agamemnon smiled sinisterly.

“That would be the most logical idea, but it is rather…” Taurus trailed off.

“Immoral?” Aries finished, staring at Agamemnon cautiously. Theseus wasn’t the only one who knew Agamemnon’s true intentions. Because Aries was once Agamemnon’s subordinate, he knew how twisted his personality really was.

“We can’t do that?” Scylla gasped out. 

“I’m not jumping either; it might be the only way to know if it’s safe.” Jezebel agreed with Agamemnon.

“We’ll take a vote. I say we throw him over.” Agamemnon raised his hand.

Theseus said nothing.

Scorpius raised his hand in favor.

“Elder?” Scylla was shocked, but seeing her crush raise his hand, she did so as well.

“It would be safer. The kid is in dire straits as it is.” Scorpius shrugged. It was a messy business, but Agamemnon wasn’t entirely wrong.

“You’re all insane.” Aries said and didn’t raise his hand.

Jezebel and Zamani raised their hands as well.

Gemini nor Ju Long raised their hands.

Taurus raised his hand, making it six votes to throw Centos off the mountain.

“Looks like we have the majority, Zero Elder. Now, we have to throw-“ Agamemnon’s mood was ecstatic, and he gleefully waltzed over to the sleeping Centos on Leo’s back, but Theseus stopped him.

“You seem to misunderstand something here, Captain.” Theseus sneered at Agamemnon, who froze in place in fear.

“As the Zero Elder and King of Oceanus, I have tried to make everything fair and democratic, but at times, I have to use this authority to put my foot down.” Theseus glared at those who raised their hands.

“I expected more from you.” Theseus looked at Jezebel, who lowered her head in shame.

“And you,” Theseus looked at Scylla, whose eyes grew wide in fear. “Just because he says something doesn’t mean you should do it.” Theseus motioned to Scorpius, who stood with his arms crossed. Scorpius was not ashamed of his decision but agreed with Theseus. Scylla had to grow up sooner or later.

“You all forget what Oceanus is. Oceanus is the place away from the Suzerain Path. Even when it’s difficult, we will do what is right.” Theseus looked at Taurus and walked to the gateway. Everyone watched in anticipation.

“Oceanus represents Heaven in Hell. We will not shy away from confronting evil, even when it makes logical sense to do evil out of convenience. Long live Oceanus.” Theseus said and did a trust fall off of the mountain.

“Theseus!” Jezebel exclaimed and watched Theseus fall into the darkness below.

Every person in the party crowded the edge of the abyss to see what would happen to Theseus.

“Did he- survive?” Agamemnon exclaimed in horror. He didn’t expect Theseus would willingly fall to his death!

“I would assume so; he wouldn’t do it if he knew he would die.” Mumbled Aries, who sighed and then walked off the mountain as well.

“Aries, wait!” Scylla called out, but he was gone. From behind, Leo jumped over the bystanders and into the abyss with Centos.

“We will all die together, or we will all die alone.” Gemini nodded and also jumped off with Ju Long.

Taurus looked at the remaining people on the edge of the mountain.

“It looks like our Zero Elder has spoken. I’ll haunt him for the rest of my afterlife if I die from this...” He cursed and jumped off with some hesitation.

“Taurus is already dead though? He can’t haunt anything?” Scorpius didn’t get the joke but took Scylla by the hand and jumped off as well

Agamemnon watched with dropped jaw as everyone jumped off one by one.

“Maybe there is a safe way down then.” He contemplated.

“Wait, this is a chance!” Agamemnon grinned with malice.

Jezebel and Zamani looked at each other in shock and then looked into the abyss and also jumped.

At the last moment, Agamemnon pulled Zamani back.

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