Chapter 37: • A Path Through The Darkness

The next roar ripped through the air with a skin-burning intensity. Spheris and everyone else standing on the terrain of slaughter shielded their faces with their hands. But what a scorching breath of roar it was.

When the Gorgoliths stopped roaring, they purposely stomped out of the lair. The Avatars, sharing frightened glances at each other, continued to retreat as the massive creatures advanced.

Spheris could hear their heartbeats from his position, and he could almost share their fear, threatening to consume him as he was still struggling with his.

He watched as the two creatures separated once they came into the outside land. One—which very much resembled the one that had attacked him back in the underground caves—turned to Royal Avatars and the Abyssians behind them. The other—whose scales were smoother, but no less formidable—advanced at Spheris and the scant few Abyssians with him.

To Spheris, this one had to be the female. Its spikes were much longer, protruding from its spine and having a peak of magma — a feature the male didn't have. Her massive limbs were adorned with serrated claws that he knew could render his flesh with ease. And somehow, she seemed more imposing than the male, especially with that crest of bony plates on her head.

"Everyone, stay calm." Thorin said in an urgent whisper. "No sudden movements, we don't know how fast these creatures could be."

Oh, Spheris knew. He knew that their size meant nothing when it came to their speed. The one in the underground caves was rapid, and he expected no less of these two.

The Gorgolith before him darkened her eyes and a puff of steam blew out of her nose like a warning. Spheris recognised what that meant; she was ready to attack.

Snap! The Gorgolith lunged forward with lightning speed, her massive jaws snapping shut just inches from Spheris. He reacted instinctively, dodging to the side with a nimbleness that belied his fear. The creature roared in frustration and its eyes reddened the more.

Spheris scanned his surroundings, scheming on how to escape. He gazed at the mountain which housed the Gorgoliths' lair. Perhaps he could climb it. Could Gorgoliths climb? Maybe. But even if she couldn't, she could still penetrate the walls of the mountain. Climbing was certainly not a prudent idea.

As Spheris dodged yet another attack of the Gorgolith, he could see from the corner of his eye, the other Gorgolith — the male — lashing out its sinewy tongue at the fleeing Abyssians, snaring them in its grasp and dragging them back towards its gaping maw. As for the Royal Avatars, they decided to remain silent and at one place, seeing that the Gorgolith was eating basically anything that moved.

Spheris on the other hand, had successfully angered the female Gorgolith. He didn't mean to, but his relentless dodges and sleek movements seemed to only increase the creature's zeal to eat him.

Each time it lunged forward, it roared with thunderous rage and Spheris would dance around its massive form, narrowly avoiding its razor-sharp claws and massive jaws.

He dodged and he weaved, his heart racing as he calculated his next move. At times, Talon would swoop down to distract the creature when it was closing on Spheris.

As he dodged another lung, he felt a rush of air behind him. Unsure if he would make it, Spheris ducked to evade the Gorgolith's swinging tail. It whizzed past him, but the powerful breeze that followed it knocked him off balance.

The impact of the fall sent shockwaves through his skinny body and he let out a bitter groan. His entire body refused to pull him up and so, he slowly began to backpedal on the ground as the creature advanced with predatory grace, its massive form casting a shadow over him as it closed in for the kill.

"Hey!" Spheris heard someone cry from behind. A spear bounced off the Gorgolith's scaled body, causing the creature to grunt irritatedly.

"Cerene, what the hell are you doing!?" Spheris heard Nero cry from behind.

The Gorgolith turned away from him, an aggravated look in its eye that Spheris recognised — like a person wanting to get rid of an annoying fly.

As the creature shifted its concentration, he could see Cerene stepping back slowly, conjuring water out of her flagon. But what could her tendrils of water do at the moment?

Using the distraction to his advantage, Spheris summoned enough strength to leap to his feet and conjure [Shaded Blasts] on both fists. He aimed a series of precise strikes at the Gorgolith's exposed flank. With quick, nimble movements, he danced around the creature, delivering the [Shaded Blasts] with as much precision as he could.

Yet, it seemed like they were all just tickling the creature. Vexing it.

With a vicious swipe, the Gorgolith's tail struck Spheris, sending him hurtling through the air like a ragdoll.

The impact was brutal, sending waves of pain reverberating through his body as he crashed onto the unforgiving rocky ground below. His vision swam, and ugh... stars? Stars danced in his vision, their twinkling lights adding to the disorientation. He couldn't believe it—stars, actual stars, were swirling before his eyes, and it wasn't just some metaphorical expression.

"Ugh!" he groaned in pain as he struggled to regain his bearings. 'How is it even possible that my back is still holding on?'

As he lay there, every breath felt like fire in his lungs. He was still dazed and very much disoriented, but he managed to roll over, getting a good view of the land from his distance.

It seemed so much different than minutes ago. It felt empty. The Abyssians were all gone, the ground was decorated with their incomplete bodies, the rest of them inside the stomach of the Gorgoliths, or the Grimms which were now inside the stomach of the Gorgoliths.

There was blood. The wooden convoy had been shattered to debris and all that was left were the Royals and the Gorgoliths.

He could see the female Gorgolith glaring him down now in anger, the male joined her as well, taking their focus from the Royals to Spheris. But the female turned to the male, as though telling him to back off and concentrate on the other Avatars. Like she was laying claim to Spheris... as her prey.

It ran towards him with fierce purpose.

Spheris groaned. He couldn't just lie down and accept defeat. He painfully began to struggle to his feet, ignoring the stinging pain in his lower back. But the pain proved overbearing, despite his efforts, he collapsed to his knees and it agonizingly dawned on him that he wouldn't be fast enough to evade its deadly jaws this time.

The Gorgolith leaped, and Spheris stretched forth his hands in defense once again — conjuring the [Shaded Blasts] as the creature's shadow engulfed him.

But instead of the searing pain of sharp teeth and crushing jaws, Spheris felt a fast and immediate pull into darkness — like he was being sucked into the Gorgolith's shadow. Then, before he could begin to comprehend the strangeness of what had just happened, the sensation ceased, as suddenly as it began.

Spheris cautiously opened his eyes to find himself kneeling atop a mountain peak.

'What?'

Disoriented and bewildered, he gazed around at his surroundings. He was on a shorter mountain, and there was a towering silhouette of another mountain beside him, cast on the mountain he knelt on. 'What... just happened?'

Somehow, he had been transported to this lofty summit. Somehow... how?

Groaning in pain, he rose up to his feet successfully at last and looked up at the taller mountain looming above the one he was on. Its shadow completely enshrouded him, similar to the same way the Gorgolith's had just when it lunged at him.

Yet, he was not there any longer, but here — this elevated peak. He didn't bother to ask whether he was still inside The Abyss, he could see the streams of magma below where he stood. But still, how did he get here?

An answer quickly arrived not long after he had pondered on the question. [Leaping Shadow].

It made complete sense. The Influence he had unlocked before the Gorgoliths stepped out of the cave; somehow, he had managed to activate it just as the creature had lunged for him. And as the name suggested, it allowed him the power to [Leap] through shadows. It certainly seemed so. He had [Leaped] into the shadow of the Gorgolith, and out of the shadow of the taller mountain.

Goodness. Despite already proving its worth, Spheris considered the Influence to be the most functional one he had unlocked so far. Given that his entire strategy in the conquest was centered around averting danger, [Leaping Shadow] would undoubtedly prove invaluable.

Standing there, he heard Talon's caw tear through the sky, calling for him. Spheris watched as the bird alighted on his outstretched hand, its piercing gaze reflecting the gravity of their situation.

"What?" Spheris urged the bird.

Talon guided his gaze toward the battlefield where the Royal Avatars were fighting for their lives against both Gorgoliths now.

A sigh escaped Spheris as he scanned the battlefield. The team were now being closed in by the Gorgoliths from both sides. A true manifestation of the beasts — hunting as a pair. But as he surveyed the scene, watching as the creatures snapped their jaws and blared their eyes at the Royals, a nagging doubt gnawed at the edges of his mind.

How smart was it to save their lives? It was the perfect chance to get rid of them. Especially because he wouldn't have to kill anyone, all he had to do was refuse to save them. The same way he had refused to save Jion.

Oh... he understood now.

Perhaps the situation was different. Back in the underground caves, his survival depended on him abandoning the learned thief. But now, there was less of a risk in saving the Royals. Especially now that he had unlocked [Leaping Shadow].

And besides, letting them die now would only reduce his chances of surviving further. Who knew what awaited him in this place? The conquest had barely started.

Still, another problem arose. How sure was he that the Influence would allow him to take another person through the shadow? He was the Bearer... how often were others allowed to be involved in a Bearer's powers?

Glancing once again at the Royals, Spheris saw that he had no time to ponder on the question. With a steely resolve, he gripped Talon firmly in his hand and focused his mind on his Essence that pumped within his core. The Influence of the shadows beckoned to him, offering a path through the darkness to his companions below.

And then he slowly sunk into the towering mountain's shadow. A thought ringing at the back of his head — this should not be yet another act of compassion that turns out to hurt him.

Yet again, he didn't think that there was anything compassionate about what he was about to do.

It was simply all about survival.

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