Chapter 51: Chapter 54 – The Weaver

“What are you doing, Captain Agamemnon?” Demanded Zamani.

“What does it look like? Skill: Demonic Blast!” Cackled Agamemnon, striking out at Zamani.

Sent flying, Zamani caught his breath.

“I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill off the weaker ones, but to think an opportunity would come so soon.” The Shade smiled with a raging red aura.

Zamani laughed.

“You, think I’m weaker than you?”

“Hmm?” Agamemnon stared at Zamani.

“Skill: Demonic Abyss!” Zamani waved his hand forcefully, causing Agamemnon to fall to the ground.

Taken aback, Agamemnon forced himself to his feet with a great struggle.

“Looks like you made it to the F Rank, but that won’t be enough against someone like me.” He laughed and made his way towards Zamani. With each step, Zamani grew fearful. Unlike the Shade and the Elders, he had normal foundations.

“You can’t kill me here. If you do, Jezebel will know. Let’s come to an understanding.” Zamani reasoned. Agamemnon knew he was right, and perhaps he had acted too soon. Unable to control his own bloodlust, Agamemnon relented. If he sustained heavy injuries here, it would be hard to reason his way out of it later on. Agamemnon cursed his own bloodlust.

“Let’s make a Soul Contract, we won’t speak about this.” Agamemnon prepared a contract.

Together, the two jumped into the abyss.

***

Clotho Mountain, Floor Six.

As they fell, they soon landed on a huge web.

“It took you long enough!” Scorpius yelled at the final party members.

Theseus looked over at Agamemnon and Zamani. Both of their auras were depleted. He was likely the only one who could see this because of his passive skills. Theseus held himself back from killing Agamemnon right then and there. Maybe he was too good of a person, but he felt that if Agamemnon saw Clotho for himself, he would change his ways and help Oceanus.

“Come on, let’s go.” Theseus led the group off of the huge spider’s web.

A gateway appeared next to a shrouded forest. It was the Seventh Floor.

“The Forest of Fate.” He read aloud.

“Only one person is allowed in at a time.” Aries finished reading.

“Agamemnon should go in first, since, he was last to come here.” Theseus smiled.

“Fuck you!” Cursed Agamemnon internally. Jezebel frowned at Agamemnon; she could also tell something had happened between him and Zamani. It unsettled her, but she couldn’t tell what exactly happened.

“Fine.” Agamemnon entered the forest. One by one, the party entered the seventh floor, The Forest of Fate.

Leo entered with Centos on his back. Since his soul was asleep, the trial would either let Centos take it in the dream, or he would circumvent it altogether, according to Aries.

Theseus entered the forest last.

***

Clotho Mountain, Floor Seven.

Every party member heard an old woman’s voice enter their head as they walked down the empty forest trail.

“In the Forest of Fate, you will see a glimpse into the future.”

“Clotho.” Theseus thought. It was her voice, but she was not there in person yet. As Theseus walked down the path, it changed into a different scene of the future, just like in his nightmare with Lord Darkin.

The forest melted into the Desolate.

The Horror loomed over the forces of Oceanus.

“Argh!” It roared, slamming its tentacles into the Oceanus army. There were heavy losses.

The scene faded away into the Forest of Fate.

“Did you really need to show me that? I already know that’s the future.” Theseus spat into the air. He knew Clotho was listening somewhere and somehow.

Clotho didn’t respond. Soon, he got to the end of the trail, where the rest of the party was waiting. No one wanted to talk about what they saw, and Theseus didn’t inquire further.

“Come, let’s go to the eighth floor.” Theseus saw the gateway, which was like a pair of two huge doors.

***

Clotho Mountain, Floor Eight.

Through the doors, a huge silk storage room held swaths of hanging thread. The webs were being bundled together by a huge spider in the center of the storage room, but the silk was hanging through everyone’s vision. The only one who could sense the spider was Theseus.

There was something familiar about the huge spider.

“There’s only one thing in this place. Stay close.” Theseus warned. Even Agamemnon listened to Theseus, likely from whatever he saw in the forest.

Meanwhile, Agamemnon trembled inside.

“I don’t want to die!” He thought.

Moving through the thick threads, a dim light lit the middle of the warehouse that was built into the middle of the mountain.

“You’ve arrived.” Clotho addressed the party.

“This is your true form, Clotho?” Theseus asked the huge spider beast.

“I was once a small spider, but now I am just an old woman.” Clotho laughed.

The spider moved from its workspace, designed to turn the spider’s webs into threads. She moved towards the exit but exerted little to no aura.

“If you wish to face me at the summit, you will face my last Champion.” She looked sadly at Theseus. Clotho left the eighth floor and went up to the tenth, awaiting Theseus.   

“Who was that? Was this really all there is on this floor?” Taurus asked Theseus, who seemed to know something they didn’t.

“It appears so. Whatever is waiting for us on the next floor might be disturbing enough for two floors worth of trials.” Theseus raised his chin in wonder.

***

Clotho Mountain, Floor Nine.

Theseus entered the spider’s den. Broken webs and scattered corpses lined the final cave before the summit. At the top of the cave, an opening to the peak of the mountain awaited the party, but something ominous stood in their way.

Sitting upon a mountain of corpses, a chimera with spider-like features screeched angrily.

“Theseus! Theseus! Theseus!” It screamed as the party approached.

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Everyone was at a loss for words.

This thing wasn’t any kind of Shade they’ve ever seen. It was an abomination. Aries felt disgusted. Scylla backed away in fear.

“What has she done to you?” Theseus shook his head and looked at the ground in dismay. A chimera was the physical equivalent of a Shade, but this thing appeared to be both physically and spiritually augmented.

“I will kill you and become the new Champion!” It roared with a twisted grin and prepared to pounce.

“The S Rank Royalty Realm?” Theseus blinked. This thing’s foundations were horrendous, and it was likely only as strong as someone at the A Rank Royalty Realm. Its Shade Core was barely glowing with life, and it was clear that the spider abomination was dying due to its extremely unstable Shade Core. It was probably consuming all of these corpses just to survive. By trying to keep itself alive by consuming people into its Shade Core, it was digging an even deeper hole in terms of the core’s viability in the long term, which decimated its foundations and potential in combat.

“Stand back.” Theseus warned the party.

“No.” Elder Taurus walked beside Theseus.

“I foresaw your death in the forest. I won’t let that happen because you want to take on this thing alone.”

Theseus was taken aback and didn’t expect this from Elder Taurus.

Aries, Leo, and Gemini stood next to Theseus as well.

“Attack it with all your might.” Theseus told his friends.

“Oceanus Judgement!”

“Skill: Demonic Turbulence!” Aries had finally learned Lord Darkin’s signature skill. 

“Skill: Crushing Claw!” Leo called out.

“Skill: Oceanus Fourth Elder, Oceanus Embrace!” Taurus used his new skill, tied to Oceanus and his position as the Fourth Elder, and sent a blast of blue energy at the abomination.

“Skill: Twin’s Sacrifice!” Gemini had improved once again. Able to sacrifice a twin without even needing to conjure it, a wave of air energy flew towards the former Champion.

The five combined attacks gravely injured the monstrosity. Theseus raised his eyebrows. If the Elders hadn’t helped, the abomination would have had a chance to counter attack. Maybe the scene of his death from this beast wasn’t too far fetched after all. Even though Theseus knew his best attack would defeat someone at the A Rank, the beast was still at the S Rank in theory.

“I underestimated its potential strongest attack because of its foundations.” Theseus contemplated.

“The- Theseus!” The beast groveled on the ground. Theseus walked up to it as it died.

“Thes- Thesues. Don’t trust- Moirai!”

The monster breathed its last. Chills flew up Theseus’s spine. Theseus froze in place.

Taurus came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder after a few minutes passed in silence.

“Come on, let’s go to the tenth floor.”

***

The Summit of Clotho Mountain, Floor Ten.

“Hello again.” Clotho spoke casually as she looked over the horizon. The whole Oceanic Realm was in view, but the other side was shrouded in a fog.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Clotho looked at the sprawling lights of the Oceanic Realm.

Theseus signaled for the whole party to stay silent. Instinctively, they knew Clotho was out of their league despite her hidden aura realm being covered up with a skill.

“What do you want from us?” Theseus asked the Goddess cautiously.

“The Oceanic Realm has risen and fallen for millennia. When the lights of the cities are this beautiful, that’s my favorite. Only a Champion can bring peace and prosperity like this.”

Theseus didn’t respond.

“Unlike my sisters, I don’t care about their little games. I don’t think it’s right to play with people. They think you’re just a pawn, but when I see those lights, it’s beautiful, and I can’t help but feel remorse for the mortals. Nonetheless, it would be good if you’d be our Champion.”

The spider looked out on the bustling Oceanic Realm with nostalgia.

“Who was that thing we saw on the last floor?” Theseus wanted to know about Clotho’s former Champion. At its peak, it was probably a S Rank Royalty Realm beast with unfathomable foundations. By the time his party got to it, it was weaker than its own realm and could barely fight back against them meaningfully.

“You’re worried about becoming like him, right? I will tell you then. He was once the King of Phaunus Forest about 2,000 years ago,” explained Clotho.

“He is the only one I have ever nominated to be a Champion. It was a beast, like me, and even as a beast, it created its own territory to rival the Suzerain Lords of that era. Maybe that’s why I like you so much; you befriended a beast…” Clotho trailed off and looked at Leo.

Clotho’s words touched Leo as Theseus translated.

“Why should I trust you?” Theseus remembered the last words of Clotho’s former Champion.

“You’re not my Champion. I didn’t nominate you. Lachesis nominated you to be the new Champion. It’s quite rare for two Champions to be nominated at once. You see, each sister can only nominate one Champion at a time, and Atropos had nominated Darkin a few decades before you appeared. Lord Darkin indeed had a lot of potential. It’s a shame we couldn’t have both of you…” Clotho stared at Theseus. The party listened in wonder and confusion. The aura currently being emitted by Clotho was truly staggering. Overlooking the Oceanic Realm, it was as if Clotho was the true ruler of the Oceanic Realm, making Theseus look small in comparison.

Those who had not yet met a Deity before were trembling in the presence of the C Rank Goddess. Even those who had but were a little weaker, like Ju Long, couldn’t help themselves from trembling.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Theseus boldly confronted the Goddess.

Agamemnon nearly got on his knees to beg for forgiveness. How dare Theseus put his life at risk against this, this thing!

“You’re a smart one. Maybe that’s why Lachesis likes you… If you continue to play our game and willingly become our Champion, I can assure you that you will ascend to the Deity Realm. With your potential, you’re quite stronger than my fallen Champion Arachneon and even Atropos’s Lord Darkin.”

“I have no interest in following Deities like you. I’m content as a Mortal if it means the Oceanic Realm is safe. Arachneon’s last wish was to tell me not to trust you. How can I trust you when your own Champion didn’t?” Theseus stared into Clotho’s spider eyes passionately.

Then, a tear flowed down Clotho’s face.

“I never intended for Arachneon to end up like that. I cared about him.”

More tears dripped down her face. It was a disturbing sight to behold.

“That’s why I’ll never nominate another Champion again.” Clotho blubbered out.

At last, her former Champion was dead. She could never bring herself to do it and waited for the next Champion who faced the Moirai Dungeon to do it for her. Not every Champion’s path intersected with the Dungeon. Usually, the Champions faced the Desolate or a similar trial, but this time, Theseus, the new Champion, rejected them. Therefore, he had to face both the Moirai Dungeon and the Desolate.

Theseus patiently waited for Clotho to calm down.

“Then you’ve answered my question. A Champion is disposable. I will not trust any of you. Please, leave the Oceanic Realm alone. I honestly implore the Moirai to let us be.” Theseus bowed politely and was starting to get just as emotional as Clotho.

The gleam of the Oceanic Realm glittered in the background.

“As a nominated Champion, your fate is already set in stone. The Oceanic Realm stands because we have allowed it to. We are the true rulers of the Oceanic Realm. You will either do our bidding, or your future will end like that of the fallen Champions, like Arachneon.” Clotho shook her head in rejection of Theseus.

“I’m sorry Theseus, but my sisters will never let you go. Goodbye.”

She waved one of her spider legs, and the party disappeared from her peak.

***

The party was speechless and unsure of what had just happened. All they knew was that a new gateway lay over their heads, leading into a new, vast cavern.

“Welcome to Lachesis Mountain, Floor One!”

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