chapter 15: The memory of death
[MEMORY:1]
[MEMORY DESCRIPTION: betrayed by blood, scourged by family. He found solace in death and his will to live made him die.]
[AS LONG AS YOU LIVE YOU DIE]
[MEMORY NAME: sword of Hades]
The sword met the rocket as the forest quaked. The force rammed into his chest cavity and blood shot out of his mouth. Quinn's body tumbled to the floor. His uniform tore at different places. He raised his head on last time, the soldier had lost an arm. It regenerated slowly. Quinn gazed at his sword. He reached for it but he was too far. The fire soldiers walked slowly towards him. Their torn bodies seemed to regenerate back. Fog crept into his mind. A red blur blinded him. Something breathed. Not something...someone.
The fire soldiers paused their parade and looked at the once struggling kid. His ash-grey eyes had swirled into thick ash. His once black hair had grey patches all over. His body burned with grey hue. His eyes narrowed to the soldiers and he uttered one word.
"Sleep."
***
His eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. The air was chilly. Cold pierced his body. He twitched his arm and nothing happened. His arm refused to answer his command. He moved his head. Even in his condition his eyesight was great. Silhouettes moved in the distance. The ground shook as students battled to get to the temple. Quinn closed his eyes, tried to feel his mana. His system popped up instantly.
[MANA LEVEL] [15%]
[RECUPERATION RATE] [15%]
[MANA: 15/100]
Quinn groaned at the notification. He looked around and saw the teenagers already gaining consciousness. He slowly raised his body. Pain streamed down his arm. Blood leaked down his arm. The metallic scent nauseated him. Twigs snapped underneath his feet as moved. He limped slowly to the opened oak doors. Dislodged blocks littered the floor. Debris and broken trees blocked the other routes, leaving the temple as the only door.
Quinn moved slowly, his silhouette vanished just as the pink haired girl fully recovered. She managed to see his silhouette as the door blocked him. Chasing Quinn wasn't her priority. She had fully healed and needed her friends to do likewise. She touched the brown haired boys.
"Marvis, that kid has gone in" She barked. Her palms lingered on his chest as it shone a bright pink hue. Sweats trailed down her forehead.
Quinn stumbled into the temple. The air was stale. The walls cracked with insects crawling around. He breathed. Dust and debris lingered with the air. He peered into the darkness. Only several small doors where before him. The temple was filled with debris. The atmosphere was warm. And in the center was an altar. Quinn staggered to the altar and placed his bloodied hands on the altar. The central door swung open. Quinn jolted back, his hand crashed into the floor. He turned back, the teenagers dashed forward. He froze. "They'll kill me if they find me." He groaned. His gaze lingered back at the central door. His hair stood at the central door. Heat flushed through his face. He looked around and a placid smile tore his face.
-------
The first girl entered, her breath quaked as she stopped. Her eyes scanned the temple. A central door laid open before her. She turned to the rest. " That must be it." She called. The boys followed her. Their gaze watched the door. "Can you sense that energy, it's enormous." The boy with lightning manipulation talent spoke out. The girl turned too. "Are you sure this place is safe?" She asked. Another boy brushed past her. "Pfft...We are sure topping the board." The boy gleamed. He had taken a step when the girl stopped him. "I can feel something. Someone is dying." She said. Her eyes snapped forward seeing a body in the distance.
She rushed towards the body. Her eyes widened. "It's that kid I told you about!" She yelled. The boy with lightning, marvis squeezed his fists. "The one that stole our gateway!" He completed. He drew drew his sword. She turned to him. "No! we can't kill him, remember the rules!" The girl cajoled. Marvis squeezed the sword tighter. "At least he would mutate into a virus and keep the rest at bay." Another girl spoke up. Marvis walked, he sneered at Quinn's unconscious body and entered the central door. The others followed suit. The pink haired girl stopped and glanced at his body. "You fool! You think a talentless jerk like you will survive in this world!" She snorted.
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The four reached the central hall, seeing skulls and blood marks everywhere. The air smelled of blood. The ground streamed with flowing red. Skeletal remains of half eaten bodies scattered on the floor. And on the highest point was a white orb. Floating on a pavement stone. Marvis lips tore with a hysterical laughter.
"We did it!" He announced. The others seemed relieved at the sight. The red soil throbbed underneath. The group however forgot one thing. Only one person can channel mana into the orb, even if they all had saw it, they would have to fight for it.
The black haired boy moved slowly to the front. Marvis stopped him. "What are you doing?" He asked suspiciously. "Retrieving the orb." The boy, Corno smirked. Marvis tightened his grip on his arm. "I will get it." Marvis growled as he walked past the boy. The pink haired girl, Sonia ransacked the hall. "Guys, I think we should leave here." Sonia stammered. Corno turned back to her. "And let our chance of success slip?" He shot. The pink haired girl held back her tongue. She clenched her fist by her side.
They were all engrossed on the orb to notice two things, one they were on sinking sand, two was that something swam underneath their feet. The pink haired girl gazed at the floor. Tiny traces of light danced at her eye lids. Her talent was unique. She inhaled, mana circled her body, streamed to her feet. Then back up to her eyes. As soon as she did, a scream parted her lips. Marvis was already halfway to the orb when he heard her. Instead of turning to save her, he rushed towards the orb. A massive creature propelled out of the red sand.
Marvis stumbled mid way just as a diamond crusted spiny leg smashed his body into a wall. Blood bursted out of his stomach. The others shot back alarmed and so did a small silhouette. Quinn stalked slowly, hiding behind dead bodies. His silhouette was doing the seeing for him. His mind stretched in two as he viewed the actions from the shadow's eyes. His system shot up with a message that made Quinn wished he had never come in.
[ALERT!!!]
[BONE SPIDER DETECTED]
[GRADE ???]
[TALENT: ???]
[SKILLS: ???
[QUEST] [PENDING]
[DEFEAT ONE BONE SPIDER]
[REWARD:???] [FAILURE: DE-RANK]
Quinn brushed the system away and focused on the battle. Sonia looked up at Marvis. His stomach bled. She dashed towards him, just as something hurled at her feet. The sound of cracked bones echoes in the hall. Blood bursted from her right foot. She fell forward, landing against a body. Her lips parted with a scream. The others were unwilling to move. Quinn recoiled at the sight. Even his eye sight barely caught the attack. He was facing an unknown grade beast, for all he knew he could be against an A grade beast. He cursed his luck and watched the battle.
Sonia glanced at her already healing leg. She turned towards the others. "Save Marvis!" She barked. Quinn snorted. "Heroic!" This was the main cast, his rivals. The last girl swung out her arrow. As the arrow flew through space, an imaginary blade cut it into pieces. Wood splitted as the arrow fell to the ground. she furrowed her brow. Her gaze turned to Corno. "Let me try." He dashed forward, swinging his axe around him. As he leapt upwards, the spider turned and immediately, blood spilled from his uniform. Corno fell from the air, as his body landed on the red soil. His legs sank. His face paled as he looked around. Marvis was already up, lightning crackled at his feet. He took a step forward and dashed. A flash tore through the space. Before he could reach the spider, something tore through the space. Tangled his legs and sent him head first into the floor.
He winced as his ankle bled. Sonia stood up and swung her two daggers at the spider. The spider scurried backwards, parried the daggers with its hard diamond crusted feet. Something snapped, but no one noticed it. Quinn slowly crept out if his hiding place. He held his stomach as pain flooded through him. His shadow was no longer on his feet. It scurried forward, scouted the distance. Quinn hid behind a pillar. He gazed at the red soil with intent. "wait!... Isn't this, sinking sand?" He blurted. He placed his hand on the floor, the wet marshy feel tugged his hand deeper. He pulled his arm back up. Sticky red soil dropped to the floor. Quinn breathed. This was already a lost battle. He looked at the ceiling. The roof was covered with webs, dropped in artistic angle. It was covered with steel. Quinn's brow narrowed. "Why would an ancient temple use steel?" He muttered. This didn't feel like a sub space. The air froze his breathing. He wheezed, clenched his chest to steady his breathing.
Sonia dashed forward again, this time, four more daggers spurred out of a case. She threw them at different targets at the spider. Corno dashed forward, he swung his axe forward. Quinn snorted as the heat escalated. The students were using their best tricks now. He closed his eyes, the attacks phased through his mind. He tightened his eyes. His fingers clenched as the mana rushed into his eyes. His shadow paused it mission. As mana drained from the link, the shadows distance halved. All the attacks dove through the air and Quinn saw it now....
Glossy thin filaments scattered Intricately around the env
ironment.
..Threads. The temple was covered with threads....