Chapter 139: Chapter 135: A Summoner goes on a hunt only to acquire a relative.

 

After informing their guide that they would be summoning a giant spider, Ritalassa summoned Inky. This was his initial foray back into the world after suffering that attack. While Inky was still extremely reluctant to come out, she had convinced it when she mentioned they were going for a hunt. As they followed the guide Inky swung through the trees happily on it's webbing. While Ritalassa could not eat at the moment, she was quite the hunter back in the days when she was a dark elf.

When Dafter had brought up that he would like to go hunting, she jumped on the chance. Dafter had got a local guide to take them to a prime hunting location near the city. Hence that morning they headed out following the guide who had become fast friends with the mushroom knight. Indeed, the two of them cracked jokes along the way with each other.

Dafter had met the guide and learned about a valley where large deer-like creatures lived. The monks that lived in the city would frequently go to the valley and hunt the deer to supplement what they got from visitors. The monk loved hunting within the valley and had volunteered to take them to the closest entrance to the valley. Apparently while the region was not particularly mountainous, a really deep valley was really hard to get into.

It had taken a few hours of rough hiking through a forest before they came to a cliffside overlooking the valley below. While perhaps not the broadest valley Ritalassa had seen, it certainly was the most mystical looking. It was about a mile long and maybe twenty to thirty miles in length most of which could be seen standing at the top of the cliff. She could say it was the deepest valley she had seen as the cliffside was at least five hundred feet high at this point. To her it looked far more like a gash in the world than a valley.

A impenetrable mist hung over the valley and only the rare glimpse of green indicated a forest below. The guide said "While I would love to join you on your hunt my mushroom friend, I'm afraid I'm needed back at the city. I need to assist in the purification ritual today. Good luck with the hunt. Come see me when you return as I love to hear more of your stories." The guide waved goodbye to them and left.

The path into the valley that the monk had led them two was a set of ancient stairs that had been cut into the cliffside long ago. It was so old that parts of the stairs were so eroded away that it was hard to actually see where the stair was built originally. Still according to the monk it was the closest easy way down into the valley and back out. The only other easy way was a crack at the end of the valley where one could climb out. That would take nearly a day and half to get back to the city. The guide also mentioned sometimes they used a series of ropes to get bigger game out of the valley.

Dafter glanced down into the valley and said "That's quite a ways down Princess. I'm glad I don't have to repel down this cliff. I had to repel down a castle wall once and vowed never again. Mushrooms belong on the ground you understand?"

Ritalassa patted the Mushroom man's shoulder and said "I understand Dafter. Fear of heights is a completely reasonable fear. Why several of my soldiers did not like patrolling up on the walls of my castle either."

While they climbed down the stairs Dafter said after a bit "I'm glad you have your own inventory space. We would likely have to abandon some of the meat from the hunt otherwise. These stairs are so old it's more of a slide then actual stairs."

While she was currently being carried by Dafter, Ritalassa could see how bad the stairs were. "Be careful Dafter, with all this mist in the air it's made these stairs slick."

Glancing backwards she could see that even Inky had trouble on the wet stairs. It even attempted using the wall to climb down, yet the cliffside was simply too slick for the giant to gain purchase. After over a half-hour they managed to reach the bottom of the stairs into the valley proper. They descended into the valley, the mist they had seen from above began to surround them. The mist clung to their skin making the air around them cool and damp. When they reached the ground of the valley Dafter took a handful of soil from the ground and then tasted it.

"This is good soil. Good loam, nice decomposition must happen here with all this moisture in the air. Kinda reminds me of my summers in the peat fields of Luac." Dafter said after a moment and then looked to the sky and Ritalassa did so as well.

The sky was obscured with the mist which blocked out the blue sky but the sun could barely be seen. "Yesterday I learned of the three best locations to hunt in the valley. The closest place is a small lake to the north."

"The lake is the best place then. Lead the way." Ritalassa said.

Entering the Valley forest, Ritalassa saw the trees looked weird and nothing like any trees she had seen before. The trunk of the trees didn't even resemble wood and were bare of limbs except at the very top of them. Also, the trees were not very tall, at the tallest maybe fifteen feet high. There were also numerous plants on the ground almost making this place feel more like a jungle then a forest. Odd spiraling tendrils were popping out of them with more spiralling tendrils coming off them as well. Still the forest was filled with bird calls making it at least not as creepy as moving through the mist filled forest.

They kept for the most part quiet as they walked so as not to spook animals too much. Dafter found several animal tracks a few indicating large animals had moved through nearby. The guide had mentioned only a few large types of animals resided within the valley. A large forest deer variety and some large bear animals. The bears were mostly harmless and really only dangerous during their mating season which is a few months away. The vast majority of animals in the valley were actually birds; Ritalassa had already seen a few really brightly colored birds flying overhead.

After a half-hour they arrived at the small lake. In Ritalassa's opinion it looked far more like a swampy bog than a proper lake. "Apparently the lake gets deeper in the winter months. The monks come out then and fish." Dafter said.

"Don't look like there's much fish right now." Ritalassa said. The water was filled with algae hiding what was beneath it. They scoped around the lake and found a game trail that led to the lake. Choosing a spot near it, she had Dafter jab her into the ground to stabilize her. She was planning on using a bow that Dafter had picked up for her in the city. As she practiced pulling the bow a few times with her tentacles she was struck by how odd it must look for a sword to be wielding a bow.

While being placed in the ground did limit her aiming options, she did have a clear view of the lake. Dafter looked around and said "Princess I believe you should get first shot."

"Much obliged Dafter, but if you see a chance please don't hesitate to take it." Ritalassa replied.

"Understood." Dafter said and laid a quiver of arrows next to Ritalassa. Then he took his own hiding space nearby. Inky occupied a space among the trees and activated it's stealth. Over an hour they had waited before the first animal came along. It was a strange looking bird that came hopping through the forest right up to Ritalassa's side allowing her to get a good look at it.

While Ritalassa was certain it was a bird, it was weird as it's feathers looked far more like hair then actual feathers. It had a round body with a long, thin beak that looked like a needle. She could hear it sniff around, and it picked at the ground pulling out worms in the ground. While it was pecking at the worms there was a crack as a branch broke and the bird looked up and then took off into the underbrush.

From between the trees came out a massive deer creature. It was perhaps the largest deer she had ever seen, with massive antlers that looked to be at least five feet long. It glanced around then made its way towards the lake. Focusing on the deer, she took aim with her bow and pulled back on the bowstring. As the deer passed by it didn't seem to notice her and it bent it's head to take a drink from the shallow water right in front of her. Unleashing her arrow, it sliced through the air and punched into the deers side, startling it and making it take off into the forest.

Dafter ran up and said "Great shot, I saw it pass right through." Helping out of the ground, they began to track the now wounded deer. They found some blood and Dafter looked at it. "Looks like you got it in the lungs." The blood was bright red and slightly bubbly indicating she had indeed struck it in the lungs. The path the deer took through the valley led them in circles until they came to a bunch of rocks that looked to be the remains of some long ago building. The deer was standing in the middle of these rocks, so they kept back and kept watch on the deer.

A few hours went by as they waited for the deer to pass on peacefully. It eventually laid down, and Ritalassa could hear it's labelled breaths. It finally stilled and Dafter hesitantly moved up to check on it. "Looks like it has finally died. It's quite the buck, by my estimate it must weigh at least seven hundred pounds."

She agreed, this deer was absolutely massive, easily one of the biggest animals she had ever hunted. She looked around and said "let's get it field dressed."

Dafter nodded and took out a knife and began the messy process of taking out the deers entrails and the like. By the time the mushroom man had finished, it was already after noon. She took the body of the deer into her inventory and said "I think we have enough time for one more hunt."

"We'll have to go farther into the valley, the deer nearby can probably smell this mess." Dafter said.

They were about to set off when the ground began to shake massively. The ruins of the building crumbled even more and Dafter fell onto his back. The earthquake seemed to go on and on and Ritalassa was bouncing around waving her tentacles to get a grip onto something. In the distance there was a loud crashing sound and then the valley stopped shaking leaving them dazed. She pushed herself up using her tentacles and looked at Dafter and said "Are you okay?"

Dafter stood and replied "Yes Princess. I'm fine."

Inky climbed out from underneath several fallen trees and waved its two forelegs indicating it was okay. Dafter said "That was quite the earthquake, not the strongest I ever faced, but I would say it's best for us to get out of this valley before any more aftershocks come here."

Agreeing she took a moment to settle down Inky and they began the trek back to the stairs. Thirty minutes later they had come to the cliff and found a mass of rubble where the stairs had been. The earthquake must have broken off this section of cliff. Despite the large amount of rubble, there was no way they could use it to climb out. Dafter said "It appears that we will have to take the long way to get out of the valley."

"Hopefully it's not blocked from the earthquake like this one. If it is, we will have to ask others to send rope for us to get out of here." On that note she sent off a message to Megan and Yukali letting them know she was okay and checking in on them. They probably would get back to the city late tomorrow afternoon. Megan let her know if they needed rope she would pick some up though most of the shops had been closed after the earthquake.

Looking at Dafter she asked "So do you know the way to the other exit?"

Dafter nodded "The general direction yes. It should be at the other end of the valley. As long as the slope hasn't changed there, we should be able to nimbly climb out."

They began moving through the valley northeast. Ritalassa was unsettled for a bit until she realized what was causing it, the sound of birds had disappeared making the forest eerily silent. Inky had taken Ritalassa, and they walked three hours before they came across broken ground and three black pillars that seemed to have been pushed up from beneath the ground. They towered over the forest by at least forty feet. At the very top the three pillars were connected.

There was an uncomfortable hum in the air as they got closer to the pillars. What's more Ritalassa felt a strange connection to the pillars as well. Strange writings covered the pillars in an unfamiliar text. It hurt for her to look at, and Dafter avoided looking at the pillars entirely stating "Princess I'm not feeling good about these pillars."

Wanting to know more about the pillars, she used Examination to take a more thorough look at the stones to see if it could tell her anything about them. To her surprise two blue screens appeared in her vision.

 

 

 

 

There was a strange whispering of the obelisks urging her to activate them. She decided after a bit that it might be worth it to try activating the obelisks. She needed to find out more about these strange rituals. "Dafter I've decided to try activating these obelisks. I need you to back up and take Inky with you for safety."

"I would be careful princess, this smells of old magic. The like of which the universe has not seen for a very long time. Ain't wise to be dealing with things long-lost, like this." Dafter said.

"I know, but we must find out what these things are and if they pose a threat. Plus, I am a sword so it shouldn't hurt me."

Dafter looked like he wanted to disagree, but finally placed her in the center of the obelisks. He then backed up with Inky. Seeing they were far away she focused on the obelisk and activated the connection. The whispers seemed to grow in intensity, and then her mind seemed to be ripped away to a faraway location.

It was a massive room in which a large throne dominated the center. Dark purple flames rose out of the braziers near it, casting the throne in flickering shadows hiding a deep darkness within. A sultry feminine voice spoke up as Ritalassa looked around. "So another mortal calls upon my services. What is it you wish of the mistress of shadows? Em? Are you... a sword?"

"Yes, though not originally." Ritalassa replied.

The voice coughed and said "No matter, as per the contract you may request one of my blessings accorded to you... Wait, which world did you come from again?" The voice sounded confused and then a black tentacle came out of the darkness and began to poke around Ritalassa. She found she could not move under the touch of the dark tentacle.

"You're not a follower of mine. You didn't even undergo the ceremony? Wow, you come from the boondocks huh? What's this, did you sign a contract with a system. Well, that would explain how you bypassed the ceremony, but perhaps I need to teach you a lesson..." The Sultry voice said in a teasing tone and Ritalassa found the tentacle squeezing onto her.

Just as the tentacle pressed down onto her, a presence appeared right behind Ritalassa. She was unable to look behind her to see what it was but the tentacle holding onto her retreated fast back into the dark and the voice changed into one that sounded much younger. "Oh hey Dad, wasn't expecting to see you. Thought you were busy whipping the new guardians back into shape."

"What? Oh this, I just forgot to turn up the lights... No, I wasn't trying to frighten her." The voice said and the purple braziers turned up lighting up the room better and Ritalassa could see a young teenage girl sitting on the throne looking slightly embarrassed. "Look dad, I'm kinda busy doing my job, oh you sent her to me. Yeah, that explains that."

The girl was trying to look innocent. Ritalassa would have assumed the girl was human if not for the mass of black tentacles coming out of the woman's head. "I wasn't serious. Fine look I'm sorry if I scared you. It was wrong of me to do so. Yes Dad, I am diligently doing my job. Yes, I will be home for the holidays. Yes, Dad, love you too."

There was a rumble and something reached over Ritalassa and patted the girl on the head and then the presence slowly faded. When it was gone the girl buried her face in her hands and said "Ugh, so embarrassing." She looked up and said "Look I really am sorry for scaring you. You know it's hard to cred in this community. I do ascribe to my fathers Ideals, so I wouldn't have hurt you. Let's start this meeting over, my real name is unpronounceable for you, but my dad calls me Tessa."

Ritalassa found that she could now speak, and said "What is this place and what do you mean your father sent me here?"

"Well, my dad sensed you had been ensnared by an ancient Obelisk system that he had shut down long ago. To prevent your mind from being devoured from whatever was powering it he redirected the connection to me. This is my part-time job where I'm supposed to meet with my followers who perform a ritual to receive a blessing from me. My dad kinda forced me to do this because he found out I started a cult to get free things and he was pretty pissed saying I was taking advantage of the lower life forms and I had to act with responsibility befitting my position blah blah blah. I get where he's coming from, but he can be so intense sometimes." Tessa rolled her eyes.

"Uh, sure. Why exactly did your dad save me though?" Ritalassa asked.

"Oh, you see my dad never forgets a grudge. Especially if they cross his bottom line. Turns out the Elder God who created those obelisks was killed by my dad a long time ago. But you know how Elder gods like to rise from the dead, so dad was keeping an eye on the obelisks just in case he returned."

"You mean there is an elder god behind the obelisks returning?"

"Maybe, could just be his followers trying to resurrect him." Tessa shrugged. "But if that elder god has returned, you don't have to worry. My dad's got pretty annoyed at them just coming back so he just devours them now to seal them away for good."

"Then I owe him my thanks. You said I had been ensnared?"

"Yep. Probably because of your connection to the void. The whispers from beyond can warp one's mind to do unimaginable things. Though looking at you, you resisted most of the trap. A weaker one would have had their mind snapped from the pressure. Remember, if you look into the abyss, it will look back."

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Ritalassa shuddered as she realized she had been close to falling into a trap by an ancient god. "So why did your father bring me here?"

"Well, my dad is pretty busy. Plus, I am set up to receive mortals here. He asked that I confer to you one of my blessings as his apology for not destroying those obelisks the last time he was in the world. Apparently he had only been there helping out a friend of his, who was it again? Saya? Naya? Something like that. Anyway, let's talk about blessings."

"Is it alright for you to bless me even though I'm not your follower? What is the price of this blessing?"

"You needn't worry about having to be a follower." Tessa said. "I won't ask for too much for this blessing. Let's see.... I will take that deer carcass in your inventory."

"What? You can see inside my inventory?"

Tessa rolled her eyes and said "Yes, I'm a being of eternal space and time beyond what you can imagine. Seeing into the pocket space created by a system is easier than breathing for me. So for that carcass I will grant you my blessing. Do you accept?"

"What exactly is this blessing?" Ritalassa asked.

Tessa smirked and leaned forward on the throne. "It's good to see someone finally have some brains. Do you know that almost everyone who comes before me just wants the power no matter the cost? Some of them even offer their souls to me. Of course, if I was to take a soul that would really make my dad mad and he would disown me for it. They just think if they get the blessing of an all powerful entity that they can conquer their world." Tessa giggled and said "Most of the time I just give them a very tiny buff. Usually just strength to make them stronger by two times. Definitely not world, taking over limits."

The girl stared at Ritalassa for a moment and said "You know, I think I like you. You have very beautiful tentacles, plus I've never met an intelligent sword before. Then there is the fact that my father decided to send you to me. He could have just cancelled it, but he sent you to me for a reason." Tessa grinned and then said "I know just the thing for you. I see your name Ritalassa, hear my offer daughter of the dark elves and the wielder of the void."

The girl stood and despite being of average height seemed to expand in size. The power coming off made a Ritalassas grip on reality slip a little. "I have decided to offer you a drop of my blood, the equivalent of the value of the carcass you have with you. How this will change you I do not know. I will ensure it bonds to you and becomes your own. Do you choose to accept my offer mortal and become a blood sister of mine?"

"Your offer is generous, I am honored to become your blood sister. I accept." Ritalassa did not hesitate in accepting the offer.

Tess grinned and Ritalassa could see very sharp looking teeth within the girls maw. "Then let's commence the contract ceremony."

The braziers exploded with giant purple flames and their heat washed over Ritalassa. Tessa's voice changed to an ominous growling tone that seemed to cause black flashes within her vision. "Lords of the Abyss hear the Mistress of Shadows, the Queen of the Phantasma. Bound by the contracts of old witness the bindings that tie us together."

The stone walls began to leak black liquid and intensely bright purple lines began to surround the pair of them. The lines coalesce into horrific geometric patterns that were both finite and infinite and hurt Ritalassa to even look at. "Blood for Blood, Death Under Death. I have ripped open the gates of the sightless and feasted upon the gore within. Witness what I have to offer this mortal, and rip out thine heart to consecrate this deal."

The very air tore open like a chest being torn open and several giant bloody hearts fell into the room disintegrating into a purple ash that formed a blade. Tessa held out her arm and the blade sliced open her wrist and a drop of blood that screamed fell out of the cut. It was massive, and blacker than anything Ritalassa had ever seen. Over the sound of the screaming blood drop Tessa said "I grant this blood to thee marking you as my blood sister. I bind it to your soul for all eternity, let its essence carve itself deep into you unleash your full potential. Oh Great Darkness, witness what I have wrought upon the worlds!"

The screaming blood moved towards Ritalassa and before it could touch her, she saw a face within the blood drop that was causing the screaming. Then it touched her blade and she turned into the one screaming as the pain tore through her entire body. To her incredible disgust she could feel the blood flowing throughout her blade despite not having veins. Her vision turned into haze and she saw the body of the deer appear from her inventory and floated towards Tessa.

"I have shed blood for my blood sister and she has brought me a feast of flesh. As I have granted her power let this meal satiate my desire for the flesh of the hunt." Tessa said in that gravely voice of hers and that grin of hers began to become larger and larger. Then her mouth opened, revealing rows and rows of teeth set in ways that no mouth should be like. Then the deer's body seemingly came alive.

It was heading ass first towards the sharpened maw of Tessa's mouth and Ritalassa could see the terror and fear within the deer's eyes as it began to enter Tessa's mouth. If the deer made a sound Ritalassa could not hear it over the sound of crunching bones. As the last of the pain left Ritalassa's body, she watched disturbed as the deer blinked one last time before being completely swallowed by Tessa who crunched down and chewed for a little bit and then swallowed.

"We are now Blood Sisters, let the heavens witness and weep upon this glorious day!" Tessa finished.

There was a cracking sound and numerous eyes appeared above them and tears began to fall only for Ritalassa to realize that they were crying blood all over her and Tessa. The tears kept falling until the both of them were completely covered in the reddish liquid. The eyes disappeared and Tessa said "That was fun. It's been a while since I did a ritual like that with all the bells and whistles. Plus, I got a decent meal out of it. Nothing like devouring a good sacrificial hunt."

Tessa went and sat on the throne. "Annoyingly, my followers insist on just bringing me things they get off the farm. There is no fear of the hunt in them. I mean I love the taste of chicken but it's nothing compared to the rush of eating something that was hunted for you is like."

Ritalassa looked around and saw that there looked to be a crystal now imbedded within her sword blade along with some runes though it was hard to see under the thick blood. "Um, thank you?"

"You are quite welcome. I was totally being serious when I said we are blood sisters. My blood now flows through you and through your gift a little bit of you flows through me. Of course I suspect my blood will have a greater effect on you. My contact for lower life forms is limited but should you gain enough power I will take you under my wing." Tessa winked.

"Oh, and I gave you a simple ability as a bonus for a gift for my new blooded sister. Once a day you can send me a sacrifice from your inventory. Should you do so I will allow you to grant you a boost to one of your stats. Of course it would normally have been hidden but since you have a system it's clear what is boosted."

"Then I must thank you for your generosity." Ritalassa said, still a little shaken by what had just happened.

"You are most welcome. I found you worthy to gift you my blood." Tessa's face beamed proudly. "I look forward to the time when you face me in person. However, it's time for you to return to your body, oh and tell your mushroom friend that I'm sorry for breaking his sword. He caught me off guard." Tessa waved and Ritalassa found herself falling backwards through a dark space.

As she moved to her body she found herself past a pair of blue and green orbs and she shuddered as the green one seemed to wink at her and then her mind slammed back into her body and she found herself lying on the ground. Extending her tentacles to push herself up, she found that they had grown vastly in size and length. Stretching them out Ritalassa found they were now at least five feet in length. In addition, looking down, she could see that there is a purple crystal and a set of strange runes running down its length that seemed to glow in the sunlight coming through the mist above.

Looking around, she found the obelisks were now scattered in pieces around her. She didn't even feel any power emanating from them, she also spotted an inky who was covering its head with its arms and shaking badly. Nearby Dafter was kneeling looking rather winded and his sword was completely broken.

Awkwardly moving towards Dafter using her new long tentacles she called out to him, "Are you okay?"

He glanced up and said "Ah Princess you are free from that creature's grasp. I was winded and my sword has broken, but I am not down for the fight yet. Where has the enemy gone?"

"I was in no danger. What exactly happened while I was gone?" Ritalassa asked helping her friend up to his feet.

"You were acting weird there Ritalassa. I feared you had been ensnared by some horrific thing. So I kept a watchful eye on you while you entered into the obelisk ring. Just as the obelisks began to glow an ugly color, a presence appeared above them. It was so intense that I could not look upwards, my body refused to move and I could only watch as the obelisks shattered and fell apart around you. Seconds later several massive black tentacles appeared from above and coiled themselves around you." Dafter shuddered and said "I then attempted to slice through them and rescue you but they broke my sword and tossed me away. I feared you were lost."

"You were right, I had been expelled by something in the obelisks, but I was broken free by another entity who took me to meet his daughter. I then made a deal with her over the body of the deer. I'm sorry Dafter but it looks like we won't be having deer meat when we get back to the city."

Dafter shook his head and said "Princess I'm just glad you're okay, though you seem quite different than before. What exactly did you get in return for the deer's body? Did you give anything else?"

"The being called Tessa granted me a drop of her blood. I did not offer anything else, but the blood has dramatically changed me."

"I can sense your aura has changed. It's strange but still like you, I would recommend you take a moment to see what changed about yourself. Princess I won't criticize your choices, but this was a big decision. It will likely affect you far more than you will ever realize. Now I will try and calm Inky down and then we better leave this area before we draw the attention of any more of these horrors."

"Of course." Ritalassa said, and then took Dafters suggestion and brought up her status to see what had changed about her. Several things had changed in her status, and even the stuff that wasn't on the status felt different. It was as if her entire vision had changed when she had returned to her body. Still, she looked over the status to mark exactly what had changed.

 

 

Going down the status the first thing she noticed was that she now had a bloodline. It was odd for a sword to have a bloodline, but somehow it felt completely natural to her now. In fact at that moment if she concentrated she could feel the blood being pumped throughout her entire body. The purple crystal that was now embedded in her blade seemed to be acting like a heart as the blood was moving through the crystal as it pulses. The blood strangely made her feel far more in tune with her blade, and she felt strange tingles coming from the runes that had been carved into her blade.

Moving on with the status she had gained a new feat. Focusing on it, she pulled up, it's information screen to see exactly what the feat actually did.

 

 

Ritalassa was not exactly sure how to make sense of that description. She had wanted to get stronger, and she had, but she wasn't sure that it was a wise idea to fuse her soul with a being like Tessa. Still, she had made that choice and would have to live with it. Though she would check with Jack just to make sure it hadn't done drastic damage to her soul just to be safe. Closing the feat screen she looked over her attributes and saw they had all been increased greatly, and even a new one had been added to the list. Curious, she pulled up information about it.

 

 

 

So this attribute was what was currently affecting her vision. On the very edges of her vision she could see things that hinted at nightmarish things just being a step sideways from the current reality. But the largest change that she noticed was that she could now see strings of magical energy floating and twisting about throughout the world. It came in a variety of colors most of which did not exist in reality and she could hear whispers from the void telling her of ways to bend that magic to her will. Ritalassa shook her head free from the whispers lest they seduce her into doing something monstrous. The last two additions to her status were skills, so she pulled them up to examine them.

 

 

 

Satisfied that she had figured out all of the apparent changes for now, she looked over at Inky and found that Dafter had managed to calm the spider down. It had moved over and was staring at her longer tentacles and prodded one of them with its leg. She looked at Dafter and said "I've finished checking what happened to me. We should get out of here."

They had only just taken a few steps away from the broken obelisks when the ground shook again. "It's an aftershock!" Dafter cried.

"No, something's coming from beneath us!" Ritalassa said using her tentacles to fling herself aside as a massive worm creature burst from the ground roaring in anger. The worm, which was easily over ten feet in length, looked down at them and said "So you are the ones who destroyed my Lord's work. I was so close to bringing the great Worm back from his death sleep and you broke my means of feeding my master his souls needed to awaken. I will strip the flesh from your bones and sacrifice your souls to my lord where he will feast on them for eternity!"

The worm's voice was a high priced screeching noise that sounded more comical than actually threatening. Still the thing was massive and did pose a threat to them. Dafter said "I will not fall today to a damn worm!" The Mushroom man raised his blade and was about to charge when Ritalassa caught him and pulled him back. "Princess?"

Ritalassa said "I'll deal with this worm. Take Inky and get out of here!"

Dafter grimaced and was about to say something when there was a massive screeching sound from above. The worm looked above and began to scream and tried to burrow back into the ground. Unfortunately, it was too late for it as a gigantic black bird came crashing down snapping trees that got in its way. With a flick of its beak it caught the worm. "No! Great Worm lord from beyond save me!"

The worm monster could only let out another terrified scream as it was swallowed whole by the giant bird. Ritalassa could only gape as the bird made several swallowing noises. The bird was like nothing she had ever seen before, it was at least the size of a building. There was a strange haze about it, like dark smoke though when she asked later Dafter said it did not smell like smoke at all. The bird when it had finished swallowing the worm glanced down and bent it's massive head closer to them.

While it was terrifying to be that close to such a massive beast, Ritalassa found that it seemed to have no ill intent towards them as it just cocked its head at them and looked them over for a short time before jumping up into the air and letting off a screech as it flew off. Dafter said "That was a big bird."

"Yeah. Let's go. We have to return to the city as fast as we can." Ritalassa said and they headed to the other valley exit.

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