Soulless Soul

Chapter 69: Alone

"What the hell is this?!"

Sky struggled against what had grabbed him, his voice muffled into a useless wheeze against the leathery and foul-smelling palm which clamped over his face.

The rush of wind deafened him as his body dropped in the empty air, the freezing black void swallowing him.

His limbs kicked against the tight muscular body that felt like a subterranean creature sliding down the slope, but firm enough as iron.

The leathery hand was crushing his leg, and if not for the quick move, Sky’s ankle would be snapped.

He immediately summoned two Soul Clones.

They exploded from the shadow that was tearing down, a pale and Shadowy imitation of his own body, cutting through the absolute darkness like two phantoms.

They did not need to grab a hold of anything as they were attached directly to his willpower.

As a result, the clones shot forward and wrapped their arms around the thick tentacle holding Sky in place, twisting and pushing the appendage back to disrupt its balance, and the other clone grabbed Sky’s shoulder and yanked him away.

With their help, he managed to summon a third arm and his Blood Blade.

The manifestation of his active was instantaneous.

His palm emitted a burst of crimson energy which took the form of a blade of condensed, thick spiritual blood that hissed against the night air.

Slash!

Sky cut through whatever was on his face dragging him down.

The Blood Blade sliced through the leathery skin of the monster, severing the thick tendons of the hand that held his face and the large appendage that pinned his leg.

Black liquid sprayed against his chest as a great screech of pain echoed through the night as the creature let go of Sky.

He twisted in the air, losing all sense of up and down.

A moment later, his body plunged into a small pool of water.

Splash!

The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, the cold liquid rushing up his nose and ears.

It was not a large body of water, but a small accumulation of the liquid at the lowest point of the trench.

"Crap!"

Sky pulled himself up, the water dripping from his clothes.

He hacked and spat out the liquid from his lungs, coughing and spluttering as he used his hands to dig through the thick mud beneath the surface to get a firm grasp.

Sky’s whole body ached from the impact, and his muscles already cramped in the cold liquid.

He looked up at the tree above, searching for the great stone platform where Vesper and Chloe were waiting.

The canopy above was an impenetrable mass of interlocked giant branches and thick mist.

The great tree that they had used as their sleeping quarters was nowhere to be seen, instead, Sky was surrounded by a strange grove of hanging plants that blocked out what little light the higher floors provided.

Where the hell am I now?

It was still night-time, and Sky had no idea which way he was facing.

He had fallen for quite some time, and the strong currents of wind during his fall had spun him around so many times that he could barely get his bearings.

The thick darkness of the forest floor provided no reference points.

Sky sighed, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair to get a grip on his surroundings.

"Great. Just great."

Crack.

A loud snapping of a branch echoed through the damp air, and the sound of wet clicking followed.

Sky went rigid.

Every instinct from his countless Dungeon runs told him to get away from here.

He moved without thinking, not wasting any time trying to see what was making the noises.

Sky knew that whatever was out there was faster than he was at a straight run.

He hid himself in the deep shadow of a great root system and climbed the nearest tree as fast as he could, his boots making the occasional noise against the rough bark.

He pulled himself up, using the mass of the tree to break his silhouette against the forest floor. The moment his boots were on the lower branches, Sky pressed his back against the trunk to steady himself.

Then, he spotted them.

Those damn Savage Beasts.

The creatures were crawling through the darkness below, their broad, heavy bodies slithering against the black mud.

There were three of them, each as big as a carriage, their numerous legs ending in sharp, chitinous scythes.

Their bulbous and clustered heads twitched from side to side, sniffing the air for the scent of blood Sky had left behind when the fight began.

Sky’s eyes widened as one of the beasts raised its weighty front limbs and climbed a vertical tree.

Wait... how the hell do they climb trees?

The creature pulled itself up with powerful movements of its limbs, disappearing into the trunk with the ease of a real spider.

He remembered the details from their first encounter.

Right, they’re like giant spiders. They can climb vertical surfaces like these trees as easily as the ground.

Sky held his breath, steadying himself against the trunk, and slowing his breathing to an almost imperceptible sound.

He kept his eyes on the bark in front of him, not looking at the Savage Beasts, as some predators could sense the weight of a direct stare.

After making sure that they did not see him and drifted towards the shallow pool where his blood still stained the ground, Sky leaned against the tree and decided to wait it out until morning.

It was not wise to attempt navigating an unfamiliar vertical hunting ground in absolute darkness with creatures like the Savage Beasts on the prowl.

Unfortunately, it appeared that Sky’s stomach had other ideas.

The dull feeling of hunger that he had shaken off earlier returned, stronger this time, brought on by the exertion of the battle.

Grrrrr.

The sound was incredibly loud in the silence of the forest.

"Shut up, you damn stomach," Sky muttered to himself, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Sky hit himself in the stomach, willing the discomfort to pass.

The sensation only made him grip his gut tighter, a sharp wheeze escaping his lips as he curled inward against the tree.

"Seriously... not now."

Eventually, the fatigue of the day’s events overpowered his hunger and unease, and Sky’s eyelids grew heavy.

His body slouched against the tree, his limbs already adjusting to their new position as he dozed off.

Sky fell asleep against the tree, his hand subconsciously hovering near his gut.

Beside him, his Soul Clone stood motionless, staring at his unconscious body.

It did not need rest, standing perfectly still on the thick branch with its arms crossed over its chest.

Its formless body seemed to convey only one emotion: What the hell is he doing?

Morning came fast, as the sky barely shifted from the absolute black of night to a sickly gray that slowly bled down through the thick mist.

Sky opened his eyes, and the Savage Beasts were already gone.

The clicking sounds faded into the distance, and the forest floor was quiet save for the occasional ripple of the mud where the creatures had been.

Sky slowly stood, testing his muscles as he climbed down the tree.

Every joint protested as he dropped to the lowest branch.

Once on the ground, Sky carefully observed his surroundings, making sure the beasts were indeed gone.

He scanned the network of roots that had formed thick walls of dirt and the upper canopies of the trees, searching for any sign of an ambush

Sky sighed in relief as he relaxed his posture, letting out a long, shaky breath.

Then, Sky remembered something else.

I don’t know how to get back to the girls.

Sky’s face darkened as he realized he had no way of returning to the platform.

There was no sight of it through the thick canopies, and the dense fog made it impossible to see the great tree that they had used as a base.

"Crap."

Sky glanced around at the various paths that wound through the thick forest.

It was all a mass of roots, narrow trenches of mud, and clusters of thorny bushes.

Nothing was familiar.

Every direction looked the same to Sky; a bland, monochrome sea of gray and black.

Finally, Sky picked up a small stone from the edge of the pool.

"Whatever this falls on, I guess I’ll go that way." He had no time to waste walking in circles

Sky tossed the pebble into the air, letting it land with a plop on the thick mire of the forest floor.

Sky stared at it for a moment, his lips tightening into a straight line.

"Left it is."

He turned on his heel and began walking, pulling his boots free of the mire as he went.

A few minutes passed,

then another few,

and Sky had no idea where he was going.

The forest extended in all directions, an infinite sea of trees that blocked out the sky save for the sickly gray light filtering through the mist.

The mire was thick, but it did not slow him down as much as he expected.

Sky could not explain it, but the consistency of the liquid was strange, almost like a sponge.

With some practice, Sky was able to walk fast enough to the point where he barely made any noise at all.

He did not want to waste his energy on the slow and steady movement of the mire when a fight was bound to happen soon enough.

Sky summoned another Soul Clone to act as his transport.

He manifested one of the creatures directly beneath his feet, letting the semi-solid spiritual substance hold his weight and float over the mire.

Sky’s steps were light and silent, making no squelching sounds as he navigated the thick liquid.

It was a good waste of his resources, but Sky saved his stamina for the upcoming fight.

Eventually, Sky came across one of the narrow paths that wound through the forest.

The ground sloped upwards, and the mire gave way to a rocky surface that looked like old volcanic stone.

Sky entered the cool shade of a labyrinth, the scattered trees giving way to great walls of stone that twisted and turned, blocking out the sky.

A strange sensation came over Sky as he entered the structure.

It was an oppressive feeling, almost like his mind had been numbed, a strange magical presence in the air that made the sensation of the outside world fade away.

It was as if, the moment he crossed the threshold, the forest, the mire, the great tree, and even the girls were all far away in another dimension.

Only the labyrinth remained.

Sky looked around, his hand unconsciously moving to his side as he noted the smooth quality of the stone walls.

There was not a single mark, not a hint of tooling or decay.

This thing almost seems endless.

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