Chapter 45- Consequences of Carelessness Part 2

A chill runs down my spine as with his words carries his mana aura. In comparison to mine, he was an ocean while I was just a puddle. He wasn't the most overwhelming mana however, as the mermaid spirit felt like she had more.

With that in mind, it gave me the courage to head in the direction of the overbearing presence. Inching carefully forward, I entered a room with pillars that had green torches in between leading to a throne with a giant ghastly eyeball glazing towards my current location.

As humble as I could, I slowly approach the floating eyeball surrounded by darkness who watches my every step. I decide that appeasing this entity is the best option and carefully kneel in front of it.

Pleased with my action, arms made of darkness extend from the shadows surrounding it and the entity begins to cackle madly.

"It's amusing to see that you're smarter than most. Others would go the defiance route or foolishly challenge me. You have my ear mortal, if I had one."

Before he changes his mind, I speak up, "I didn't mean to intrude, I was sent wherever here is. My only desire is to return home and not be a bother such a divine being such as yourself."

"Flattery works better when you know who you're talking to. You're a smart mortal, take a guess as to who I am, and I won't kill you."

Acute Mind works to use the information that I've gathered so far as my life depended on this answer. Obviously, I could assume that he dealt with darkness based on what I've seen so far, but I remember what the Assassin teacher mentioned about darkness and shadows being a separate entity. The vibe I was getting from this being was more life threatening, comparable to what matched with what he said regarding shadows.

"You're the being governing shadows, forgive me that I do not know your name as it is unknown where I'm from."

"My name is indeed not known your world as it doesn't translate easy. In your tongue it could roughly be Skiaxodius. I am the most recent spirit to ascend and because of my mastery in shadows, I was granted the authority over shadows. Shadows that reside in you mortal. I have a task for you, complete it, and Ill let you go. Impress me and I'll bestow you gift, and should you try to defy me, I have the perfect unusual punishment for you."

With only the option being to complete his task, I can only accept as I shudder to think what his unusual punishment could be. I sigh internally as I find myself in another situation where I'm at the mercy of a powerful entity and have to follow their whims if I want to live. Pushing all that away from my mind I say,

"What would you have me do?" I question humbly. 

"I have in my domain some prisoners who have defied me, that I found pleasure in torturing over the years. I've grown bored of their screams and no longer have a use for them. I can't be bothered to end them myself, so you handle them for me."

"It will be done."

"One last thing, they're strong and I have no reason to assist you. If you die I couldn't care less. To find them, just head in either direction from the sun in their own pyramids. Fight or die well mortal." Finished with our conversation, I can feel his presence disperse from the pyramid. 

My vision darkens and I'm standing outside the pyramid now with the black sun high in the sky above my head. I decide to fight the on the right first, since right is always right and begin my journey across the black sandy desert.

Thankfully while I'm walking the sun doesn't give off any heat, so I don't have to worry about any overheating related issues. I looked through my storage ring and saw that all my potions, daggers, and even armor was still in there. I took a second to put on my armor as I prepared for the upcoming fight.

After what felt like an hour of walking, another black pyramid came into view, which was smaller compared to Skiaxodius'. As I approach the door comes open and a trail of green torches leading me where to go. They take me to an underground cavern with two pillars in the center of the opening with a guy chained in between them.

He had shoulder length disheveled hair and a long brown beard with his head cast downwards. He was shirt less with tattoos that lined his arms and chest. As soon as I enter the cavern, the chains pop and he falls face first into the ground.

He slowly rises, looking around for the reason in the sudden change in his fate. Then our eyes meet, and I see only despair looking back at me. I get confused as I realize that nothing happened to him from looking at my cursed eyes. I check my active curses to see why.

[As you are in Skiaxodius' realm, he has all control over anything within. Therefore he has momentarily disabled your Cursed Eyes as he has deemed unimpressive to kill and wants you to work to please him.]

A shaken voice pulls me out of my moment of disappointment, "You're here to kill me, yes?"

"Unfortunately."

The dread that once filled his eyes slowly leaves and begins to be filled with hope as he begins to realize something.

"If I kill you maybe I can finally be free from his wretched grasp. He'll let me go as I prove myself, so I can finally continue with my work to thwart his plans."

"Well not really. You really think that he'll let you go if you have plans on defying him more?"

My words become lost however as his tattoos begin to glow bright red and his eyes are now reflecting resolve. In his hand a golden glaive appears which he levels at me. He begins to chant, and I summon my daggers and cast Invisibility.

He finishes his chant which unleashes a black fireball where I once was. His eyes narrow as he begins chanting, placing his back against the pillar as he scans the area for any movements I make.

Knowing I'm safe for the moment my mana stretches out with Mana Survey so I can gain more information on him.

Race: Human

Class: Shadow Elementalist LVL ???

Health: 2000

Mana: 2800

No active blessing/curses

Seeing that he had a class that wasn't in the class book, I can assume that when you introduced to shadow magic, it combines with your current class to form a new one or became your subclass. I turned my attention back to the fight as he finished his chant, and ball of fire resembling a sun grew at his head, forming a ring of light around him in a 2-meter radius.

With this sun above his head, he began to confidently walk around the room, making me assume what his spell did. To test, I intentionally stuck my foot into its radius, which begins me out of Invisibility, and he instantly turns, stabbing at my chest.

I back away while deflecting his glaive further away to my right side, while he attempts to keep his momentary advantage by sprinting at me.

Now using both hands, he jabs his glaive at my chest once more, causing me to dart to my right to avoid it. I unknowingly bump into a pillar and realize that's this was his plan as he levels his glaive at me and a beam of fire explodes from the tip.

I summon both my clones, sending one away from my current location and the other in front of the stream of fire. As the clone evaporates, buying me enough time, I teleport to where the other clone, safely escaping its path.

I hear the guy chuckle, "He should have sent someone else, as you are but a child therefore nowhere near qualified to take me down."

I stand as I realize I'm making a fool of myself. I had every skill and spell needed to absolutely dominate this fight, but I wasn't focused. I no longer had Agofchen so all my earlier negative emotions and thoughts had returned and was keeping me from fighting at one hundred percent. If I kept this up, I was most definitely going to die.

I take a deep breath and activate the perk, More in the Zone, which clears all useless thoughts as pull down my hood, ready to kill this idiot.