Chapter 69: Titan-Type
There was an itsy-bitsy complication in the arrangement, one to which Na-Ri had yet to give her assent. In every respect, it appeared to be a fair bargain and at the same time... not entirely so.
Orven was struggling to clear a particular cell that contained a Titan-type beast, Stage Two, Dire-ranked. Ordinarily, that should have been a straightforward assignment for the beautiful stranger to undertake, or even for Orven himself. Yet the creature’s formidable carapace rendered Qi-infused weaponry largely ineffectual, and that left the man with a vexing dilemma.
His true aim was not the beast at all. As he had stated, he required something from within the cell, but with the monster entrenched there, no certain means presented itself.
However, after witnessing Na-Ri’s skill when she dispatched the DanViper, he considered there was a chance she might succeed. Of course, he could not tame the Titan-type creature without first bringing it down and asserting superiority, which he was incapable of achieving owing to its immense size and the impenetrable hardness of its carapace, far tougher than that of the Pallid Caraphract.
This was one of the many advantages that such mutant types possessed. All mutants carried some innate edge. A Swift-type, Dire-ranked, for instance, could overwhelm three Tempered hunters, while a single Tempered could in turn cut down a Brute-type of the same rank without mercy.
In the end, everything hinged on their natural advantage.
And yes, the beautiful stranger agreed to bring down the Titan-type beast, provided that he guided them, or better still, showed them the way.
Even so, Kyle’s mistrust left him unwilling to place any faith in the madman. Because of that, he chose to follow Na-Ri into the labyrinth, as did Orion and Adela. But she rejected them all.
She went alone, with Orven at the front to guide her. In her own mind, she also intended to kill him if he proved tied to the Red Cult, a decision that would bring her closer to them.
At the same time, the handsome youth dispatched his shadow to watch her course ahead and give warning should danger lie close.
Fortunately, the distance to the carceral chamber was not so great as to restrain the shadow’s reach.
***
Some time later, they arrived at the prison. A single gate marked the entrance and it was old and damaged, the wood bowed and cracked after decades of neglect.
The walls were of stone and they were worn, with sections broken and vines crawling across the surface. Trees had grown around the structure and their roots twisted through the foundation, while grass and weeds forced through the gaps in the stonework.
Inside, the chamber was immense and its scale made it difficult to judge the distance from the gate to the far walls. Darkness filled the corners and the depth of the interior became harder to discern as they stood outside it.
At the far end, deep within the chamber, a beast lay coiled and still, dominating the space without movement.
The prison was a single cell and it was vast.
Orven observed as Na-Ri descended from his Pallid Caraphract, and he followed in turn. Once on the ground he laid a hand against the beast’s plated hide and smiled with unabashed delight.
"So, my lady, do you truly believe you can contend with a Titan? Fear not, it is not a mixed breed. No Elemental trait or anything of that sort."
The beautiful stranger fixed him with a gaze devoid of expression before conjuring her blade and levelling it at her right side. She extended her other hand towards the gate.
Gradually, vapour of frost coiled from her fingers and drifted forward, congealing into dense ice that splintered the gate into ruin.
"Oh gods... such a devastating manifestation of Ice," Orven breathed, his eyes alight with fascination.
It was his first time witnessing such an ability, for he had never imagined an Ice skill could manifest with this level of force. It was merely an augmentation of her power following her rank advancement, yet the difference was staggering. The stronger she became, the more devastating and volatile her abilities grew, and there was every possibility that she would eventually unlock techniques far more formidable than White Ice.
The beautiful stranger lowered her gaze and an implacable battle instinct smouldered within her eyes.
"You should keep your distance. I have more than enough to settle here."
Orven nodded with a smile, swiftly mounted his beast, and rode back two hundred metres from the prison’s perimeter. With that, Na-Ri stood ready to strike.
For the moment, however, her stamina remained unrenewed, and her reserves of spiritual energy were scarce. The creatures she had felled earlier had only been within the induced, lucid dream, granting her nothing in reality.
Even the bloodied cloth and the evolved creature she had directed towards the region suspected to harbour the Red Cult had all been mere figments of that dream.
All because of that, it had been little more than a waste of her time.
At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to obliterate the entire cult, yet she found herself at a disadvantage.
The only reason she had agreed was because of the profit to be gained, and because Orven might guide them to the Citadel, which could serve as their refuge until they discovered a way out of the Trial Zone.
She suspected the exit might well lie upon the island itself. If the Trial Zone truly carried the Strings of Fate that had drawn them here, and now there was no route back to the shore, then this was either the final destination of the Trial Zone or the threshold to an even greater ascent.
Either way, the answers to their questions would be found here.
...Had Kyle, Orion, and Adela accompanied her, the task would have been far simpler, for their victory would have been assured.
Even so, she refused to take the risk. They all had to reach the Citadel without fail, and that included surviving the journey.
To kill the Titan-type she would have to rely solely on her martial skill and the fluidity of her movements, conserving both her stamina and her Spiritual energy.
"So, what is next?" The familiar voice murmured within her mind, but she gave it no reply.
Instead, she raised her hands, and the frost that seeped from her fingers hardened into long, jagged shards of ice.
With the intention of drawing the Titan-type beast from its lair, she sent the ice shards spearing into the chamber. They drove deep until striking a wall and shattered into countless fragments, some reforming into splintered constructs.
But none pierced the creature within, its carapace rendering the assault harmless.
A roar thundered from the depths as stone cracked and heavy steps reverberated closer.
Na-Ri kept her composure and retreated a few paces before the beast erupted from its den with devastating force.
Weeds were torn from the earth, trees were wrenched from their roots, and the ground was left in ruin.
She levelled her blade and fixed her gaze upon the towering, twenty-metre Colossal Mound.