Ah Randidly mumbled as he descended His eyes flashed emerald as he looked around At least this explains why there were no monsters around her Well no it doesnÆt but still
Randidly trailed off unsure of what he was thinking After descending for a while he began to see bones laying along the slope of the hole Individual bodies at first but as he proceeded deeper there were piles and piles of bone
Was this place a tomb
Very soon the sounds of the wind on the plateau faded away Now Randidly was alone with his steps Here too his Crown spread and embraced this noise This was another aspect of being a King the silent descent into the abyss
Soon a soft purplish glow began to rise from below Randidly quickened his pace
But when he reached the bottom of the stairs Randidly stopped dead Is that liquefied Aether
Chapter 998
RandidlyÆs eyes were locked on the flickering violet liquid that he saw at the base of the staircase for almost a full minute But even as that sight dragged him inexorably forward the presence of the towering piles of bones reminded Randidly that he couldnÆt approach this strange water casually In haphazard piles the bones stretched up so high that stacks teleported Randidly from a staircase into a corridor leading down toward the flickering luminous liquid below
ItÆs the same color as LyraÆs eyes Randidly thought with a distant sigh For a second he pictured LyraÆs playful smirk but he quickly banished that memory and focused on the task at hand Whirling his Aether defensively around himself he proceeded down amongst the tall walls
However one thing became abundantly clear as he moved downward As Randidly approached and could examine every detail of the almost unnaturally placid liquid Aether he could also sense that the Aether itself was slowly evaporating It was extremely minute but the natural laws of the world were forcibly pulling up the unnatural liquid Aether and spreading it in the air
That would explain the sharp change in Aether around here but what sort of process can liquify energy
Randidly arrived at the last unsubmerged step and looked down at the tranquil red violet barrier in front of him Its light painted the surrounding bone walls like some freshly used torture chamber of hell all shadows and fresh blood By this point the bones around the staircase were like towering mountains The staircase was several meters across but all but the center portion of the steps were covered in small bits of bones that had rolled down to settle on the staircase
For almost a minute Randidly just looked downward mesmerized by the sight A violet red reflection of Randidly looked back up at him The liquid served as a distinct and constantly shrinking boundary Yet there was no distinctive runic marking to show what Randidly should do next Which probably meant
IÆm supposed to just walk down into the water Randidly wondered He glanced around at the bones which sat in the Aether That set RandidlyÆs teeth on edge Because if the Aether was slowly becoming gas and this particular spot held no meaning it meant that this entire hole was once filled with liquefied Aether
Therefore these bones were the remains of those who had attempted to walk the staircase in the past The boundary had no real meaning it was just part of the journey to follow the makerÆs plan With a grim smile Randidly squatted next to the edge of the liquid Aether and stuck his toe into it
Immediately Randidly felt even his body slowly being eroded by the incredibly dense and volatile energy The pain started as a dull throb but quickly shot upward toward roasting his foot over an open flame Even as RandidlyÆs gaze began to shine with a luminous emerald light he did not move his foot
He let the pain build and build savoring it Then as it neared a white hot spear that shot up to his thigh Randidly wove his own Aether together and slipped it around his limb like a sock Almost immediately the pain died down to nothing His body was bitterly sour but it the damage after exposure wasnÆt permanent
Was the boost from the glove supposed to somehow negate this Randidly was skeptical One hundred of Endurance and Vitality wouldnÆt swing the needle at all in regards to something like this
The liquid Aether was Randidly realized perhaps the most physically demanding substance he had ever encountered Immediately Randidly couldnÆt help but be rather impressed with its ability to destroy It would be a better weakening liquid than even his activated blood
Assuming all went well with whatever the maker had planned Randidly planned on stealing all of the remaining liquid It might be a bit troublesome to find a substance to contain it but Randidly was used to being creative But for the actual descent into the liquid Aether
Randidly focused and the twisted form of the Grim Chimera superimposed itself on his body Gnashing its teeth the Grim Chimera scowled at the liquid Aether and stepped down into the dangerous substance This time the pain was much more slow to build But as the Grim Chimera waded deeper the Aether covered his legs his waist his chest Breathing felt like dragging a rather dull knife repeated through an open wound
But the Grim ChimeraÆs body had an incredible power of adaption Very soon Monstrous Physicality caused the monsterÆs skin to shift and warp The pain diminished somewhat as somehow the Grim Chimera began to absorb a portion of the liquidÆs energy and use that to heal himself Honestly Randidly was impressed at the rather impromptu evolution
With the problem of the liquid taken care of Randidly proceeded downward at a slightly faster clip Soon he was completely submerged but luckily there wasnÆt any buoyancy that slowed his descent Which was good because even if he could manage to resist the Aether right now the damage was accumulating to the Grim Chimera And the threat of an ambush made Randidly continually on edge
Finally after five minutes of drifting slowly downward through the ooze like liquid Aether Randidly was smacked in the face with the image of timelessness One that was so strong that Randidly had to press his Willpower more tightly over his Grim Chimera incarnation in order to maintain it
Strong unbelievably strong Randidly thought rather solemnly as he peered the perspective warping red violet energy surrounding him But this also confirms that the maker of the arrows and the originator of the image are at least related It probably shouldnÆt but that makes it easier to believe the arrows werenÆt some elaborate trap
Huffing out a breath Randidly continued downward The last few steps of the staircase were warped and semi melted but they were clearly usable
So Randidly took the final step and stood at the bottom of the lake of liquid Aether before a maroon crystal box For several seconds he studied it honestly the box was rather damaged The corners appeared to have crumbled off But as Randidly leaned forward the skin of the Grim Chimera began to sizzle from the proximity to the box
Two things occurred to Randidly at once The first thing was what this crystal might be The second thing was why the crystal appeared so familiar to Randidly HIs heart pounded in his head and the incarnation of the Grim Chimera flickered and faded RandidlyÆs shocked face was all that remained
Aether swirled like a cyclone around him to push away the foreign Aether Because Randidly knew this crystal Or at least he had seen a crystal like this in the past One with the same structure A crystal so vast that it had more in common with a continent than a piece of expensive jewelry
ItÆs fucking Randidly sucked in a sharp breath His hands clenched into fists and veins bulged out like tenacious worms on his arm Solidified Aether That means that the being at the middle of that huge continent of crystal
Almost reflexively RandidlyÆs high Intelligence began doing some idle calculations Based on a brief observation of the liquid Aether Randidly estimated it was about one hundred times as potent as its gaseous relative It was weak logic but if the conversion from liquid to solid was a similar matter of quantity