The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 288

Chapter 288

Chapter 288: Full Circle

“Ada of Blood Granbehl, Ezra of Blood Granbehl, Riah of Blood Faline, Grey, and”—the uniformed woman paused, glancing from the ascender card in her hand to Haedrig and back—“and Haedrig of—well—yes...Your identities have been verified,” she finished, smiling widely as she handed us back our cards. “Principal ascender Kalon of Blood Granbehl, the stipend will be automatically transferred to your runecard after the candidates have successfully received their official ascender’s badges post-preliminary ascent.”

“Aw, can’t I receive the stipend now? It’s not like there’s going to be any foul play; I’m guiding my siblings,” Kalon complained.

“There are no exceptions. Please understand that these rules are for the safety and well-being of all ascenders,” the thin, black-haired woman stated as if she had been asked this question countless times.

“Have there been situations where principal ascenders extorted candidates in the past or something?” I whispered to Haedrig as the two of us waited in the back.

“Worse. There are accounts of some principals taking candidates on their prelims after collecting the stipends only to kill the candidates and loot their bodies, then blaming their deaths on the Relictombs,” the green-haired ascender explained with an expression of distaste.

After our preliminary ascent had been recorded, our team headed to the center of the terrace, where the towering arch stood over us. Complex runes scored every inch of the massive edifice, making the teleportation gates I’d seen up until now look like toys in comparison.

The longer I stayed in the Relictombs, the more I found myself marveling at its beauty and complexity. The flying city of Xyrus was the marvel of Dicathen, but even it paled in comparison to this place.

Admittedly, the Alacryans were quite impressive as well. What they had managed to do with the first two floors of the Relictombs—creating a capital for ascenders to better prepare themselves for the unpredictable dangers lying ahead of them—was nothing less than remarkable.

The amount of resources and time invested into making sure ascenders were not only well-equipped and rewarded for ascending into the Relictombs, but also idolized by the citizens of Alacrya, spoke volumes of how much Agrona needed the ascenders.

Even these preliminary ascents had been devised to give candidates a safer experience within the Relictombs.

‘So why does Haedrig seem to be expecting trouble?” Regis asked, having read my thoughts.

I was wondering the same thing. What did he mean when he hoped Kalon was ‘strong enough to get us through this ascent’?

Everything I’d heard up until then had made it sound like the preliminary ascent was merely dipping your toes in the water, especially for those trained in academies.

‘Maybe he’s not as tough as he pretends to be?’

“Is everyone ready?” Kalon asked, stirring me from my internal deliberation with Regis. We stood just a few paces from the massive arch housing the white-gold portal.

“Shouldn’t we do a supply check?” Haedrig replied seriously.

“Is that necessary? Prelims usually don’t take longer than a day,” Riah responded impatiently, her body practically gravitating toward the humming gate, which she gazed at in wide-eyed anticipation.

“We should treat this as if it’s any other ascent,” Haedrig insisted, already taking stock of his own rations. “I have enough water for myself for a week and dried rations for two days.”

“Haedrig makes a good point. You can never be overprepared for the Relictombs,” Kalon chimed in, pulling a large leather waterskin and a bundle of dried meat wrapped in cloth from his dimension ring. “I have enough water for three days and dried rations for one day.”

The rest of the team pulled out their rations as well. Surprisingly, I had the most food and water, courtesy of Alaric. The old drunk had packed two weeks’ worth of water and air-sealed rations for three days.

‘The man may be a grumpy old drunk, but at least he really seems to have your best interest in mind,’ Regis said with a chuckle.

“All right, we’re packed more heavily than some of the deeper ascents I’ve gone on,” Kalon said, looking at Riah with an amused expression. “And Riah here seems to think she’s going on a picnic, with all of the sweets she’s brought.”

Riah flushed and let out a string of curses under her breath. “Whatever. I was going to share...”

“Sure, sure,” Kalon chuckled. “You all have your simulets, right?”

We each took out a polished, rune-inscribed amulet the size of my palm, which would bind our team together as we travelled through the teleportation gates.

Kalon nodded and turned to face the shimmering pane of golden-white light that would lead us into our first zone.

“Blood honor me, light guide me, Vritra protect me,” Kalon recited, followed by his siblings and Riah. _{freeweɓnovel.cѳm}

Haedrig and I looked at each other, neither participating in their ritual. I couldn’t be sure, but I almost thought I saw Haedrig roll his eyes. Not thinking much of it, we then stepped through the gate.

***

We entered into complete darkness. The air was dry and stale with a crisp breeze blowing from underneath us. Even with my augmented vision, I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed.

“No one move,” Kalon said, his voice cutting through the dark in a hushed whisper.

I saw the soft glow of someone’s rune lighting up before a burst of sparks flashed in front of me, lighting up the area. Giant, gnarled faces glared at us from the darkness.

Riah, who was only a few steps ahead of me, raised her fan-shaped dagger and jumped back, nearly tumbling off the edge of the narrow raised path we were standing on. Haedrig’s hand darted out and caught her by the elbow, holding her firmly until she had her feet under her again.

Riah turned to look down over the edge, then the burst of sparks died, hiding the grotesque faces and their contorted, anguished expressions.

“Give me a second to modify my spell.” Kalon spoke softly as a rune on the exposed area of his lower back glowed once more.

This time an orange flare manifested from the ascender, brighter and more controlled than the sparks. It bathed the area in a warm light, revealing a huge chamber, or maybe a hallway. I could not make out the ceiling, or anything in front of or behind us. The narrow pathway where we had been deposited was about four feet wide and seemed to float amidst a sea of darkness.

Lining both walls were what looked like carvings of faces, vaguely humanoid, though grotesque and misshapen. This wasn’t for lack of apparent skill, though; so detailed were the expressions that it looked almost as if they were once alive, and had been petrified in their final moments of pain and rage.

‘Quite the morbid taste in decor,’ Regis said. ‘Look, you can just make out the screaming one’s tonsils—and you can see that one’s teeth through the tear in its cheek.’

I can see them, I thought, though they were so hideous I did not look closely.

“Don’t stay too close to the ledge,” Kalon ordered, no trace of leisure left in his voice. “Spread out an arm’s length apart from each other; Ezra, give yourself a bit more room for your spear.”

We spread out in a line, walking slowly and keeping to the center of the stone pathway. Haedrig and I walked at the rear while Kalon took the lead, lighting the way with his hand bathed in bright flames.

“I can’t tell how far this path goes, but it’s the only course I can see,” Kalon said.

“I can conjure some light as well,” Ada said, her eyes darting nervously between the faces peering down at us from the distant walls.

“Save your mana for now,” Kalon replied. “And don’t be so nervous, Ada. We’re going to be fine.”

“Don’t forget that you’ve prepared for this for years,” Ezra growled.

“Ezra’s right,” Riah said comfortingly, despite her uneasy expression. “This is just the first zone. Don’t be fazed by the distractions.”

“I just didn’t expect the Relictombs to be this scary,” Ada whispered.

“Are you okay?” I asked Haedrig, who had been surveying our surroundings silently, his stance low, his saber held firmly in hand.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, not meeting my eye.

The six of us walked in a line, heading deeper into the dark zone, our pace careful but steady. The lack of change in our surroundings—aside from the diverse array of creepy faces—made it impossible to judge how far we had walked.

In addition to staying watchful and keeping my feet on the path, I also had to acclimate to the high level of aether in this zone. I hadn’t felt much different in the first two floors, but stepping through the portal had been like opening another eye, and it was staring straight into the sun.

That was probably why I didn’t notice them sooner.

‘Arthur,’ Regis warned in a grave tone.

I sense them too.

I hesitated for a moment, worried it might be suspicious for me to warn the rest of the group if even Kalon hadn’t noticed anything yet. I was supposed to be a wet-behind-the-ears nobody on his first ascent, after all.

“I think there’s something coming from below,” I said finally, deciding it was better to warn them than risk them being taken unawares.

Kalon stopped in his tracks, leaning over the edge of the stone path with his blazing arm stretched out. After a minute, he did the same on the other side, then looked back at me.

“Are you sure? There’s nothing down there, and I haven’t sensed any other mana signatures,” he said, giving me a searching look before turning to Ada. “Send a homing flare down on one side.”

Ada spread her arms apart, and, as the rune on her back glowed, a swirling orb of fire the size of her head manifested. She pushed the fireball into the abyss as the rest of us peered warily down after it.

We watched the large ball of condensed fire descend. It didn’t drop like a stone or sail through the air like an arrow, but instead weaved through the air almost as if it was alive, turning and twisting wherever Ada sent it. In its path, the fireball lit up the smooth wall of the bridge we were standing on as well as the hideous statues on the far wall of the wide hallway.

Then, as suddenly as if a curtain had been wrenched away, dozens of humanoid faces appeared far below, their large glassy eyes reflecting the orange light.

A startled yelp rang at my side and the fireball dispersed, plunging whatever creatures were down there back in darkness.

“Run!” Kalon roared, pushing Ezra and Riah ahead of him. He scooped up his sister with one arm, raising his other hand, still blazing with light, high in the air to extend the light to its limit as he took off running down the path just behind them.

Aether coursed through my limbs as I ran, and I found that I was able to keep up with the others with relative ease.

However, despite our breakneck pace, there was no end in sight. Worse yet, we could now make out the nightmare sound of the creatures below, a sort of moaning, chittering noise that grew steadily louder.

“I still can’t see an end anywhere near!” Ezra shouted from the front, his deep voice quivering.