The Innkeeper

Chapter 1733: The voice

“They walked out of the maws of scattered, rabid vermin, and into the jaws of oblivion. The combined forces of the Reaving Dread mercenaries, and the Midnight Inn had long been noticed by Abaddon – noticed and even had their future assimilations planned out.

“Yet, like the first chill of autumn, which breaks through the hold of passing summer, the forces suddenly diverted from the script. They did not venture onto the carefully orchestrated path that had been laid before them. They did not continue to face seemingly random obstacles, all the while unaware that each and every pebble in their path was a part of a meticulous plan.

“Instead, they suddenly began to navigate through the invisible maze, walking across the cracks in Abaddon’s control, their defiance clear, consistent and concentrated. Abaddon was enraged, yet Abaddon needed to take no action at all to enact its vengeance. Their destination brought them deeper into the heart of Abaddon itself, and so they were brought face to face with the true residents of Abaddon, not merely scattered pawns.

“Such a result meant that their demise was not far. Since they defied their assimilation of Abaddon, then they would contribute to it in a different fashion. No one who enters Abaddon escapes without paying a price, and very few manage to escape at all. One way or another, most who enter into Abaddon contribute their souls.

“The first challenge that the two groups were faced with was a Tainted Goliath. The behemoth knew no cultivation realm, and so all who encountered it became its prey. The Goliaths strength would automatically adjust itself based on its target – always ensuring that the Goliath was bigger and stronger.

“Anyone else would have faced the Tainted Goliath, and would have become takeaway dinner. But the champion of the forces of the Midnight Inn proved himself a worthy challenger. The Goliath fertilized Abaddon with its blood and soul, mind and body.

“But the fall of the Tainted Goliath summoned the Death Singer, and after him came the eyes of Enzima. One legendary corruption after another, each one a destroyer of souls and civilizations, faced the groups, bringing onto the path of a slow, gradual death.

“It was like watching the water slowly rising from one’s feet to their knees, secure in the knowledge that the tide would eventually swallow them whole! It was like developing a soft, persistent cough that grew ever so harder, ever so harsher with the passing days, ushering in a final, breathless night.

“Their victories were not victories, only a temporary delay. Their passage to their destination was no real passage, merely a plank they walked towards an endless abyss. Abaddon ached, and their souls would be the salve that granted soothing respite, and so…”

“Oh shut up!” Lex roared, his sword cleaving through the hypnotic voice which had enslaved the two armies, suddenly waking them from the vision that accompanied the voice.

When the armies awoke, they found themselves in a familiar graveyard. This place hadn’t always been a graveyard, no. It had become like this after they had arrived, for it seemed like all of creation wished nothing save to stop them from completing their task. Unfortunately for ’all of creation’, Lex really wanted to complete this quest, so it would have to amend its plans.

An endless tide of monsters came, and then died at the hands of the two armies, until, that is, a mysterious, sourceless voice began to narrate their actions.

It began so subtly that no one noticed, and it seemed to always describe exactly what they were doing. This went on until the groups almost treated the voice like their own inner voice, their internal thoughts and feelings.

Then the voice became louder, and started to show them their own actions from a third person view. They hadn’t yet lost control of their actions, but they started to see their own actions like a movie.

The longer the voice continued, the stronger its influence on them and their actions became, till the point where it almost seemed like it was dictating their actions. Slowly, it veered their path, making it seem like they were destined to fail.

Unfortunately for the sourceless voice, Lex was particularly sensitive to spirit manipulation these days, and caught on early. The reason he hadn’t acted against it for so long was because he wanted to see what it did, and how it worked, studying the way in which it controlled them so that he could improve his own Supremacy.

Unfortunately for the voice, Lex was a quick learner, so as soon as its little gimmick was no longer interesting, Lex cut it down.

Oddly enough, the voice had no body, and no soul. It was as if the voice existed solely in the form of sound. A single, sharp, piercing sword strike was all it took to drown out the voice, killing it.

Lex had to admit, of the enemies that he fought in Abaddon, a voice was a novel and unexpected one.

“We are getting close,” said Lex, reminding Kaemon to maintain his guard. “I can feel it. It won’t be long now.”

“We’ll be ready,” Kaemon said, wiping the metaphorical sweat from his brow. He hadn’t noticed the voice at all, and had been completely captivated by it.

“It seems the path that we are on is for the chalice itself,” Lex finally revealed to Kaemon. “I hope you’re not too disappointed about not being able to find the Well. If you really wish to visit it, I can try to find that too.”

Kaemon shook his head.

“Although I have learned much in Abaddon, I wish for nothing more than to complete my task and return home. I have earned a long vacation, and I intend on enjoying it. If the Condottiere wishes to find the well, he can send someone else to find it – not that he has shown any interest in that at all.”

Lex nodded. He could understand. After all, the Condottiere’s quest was to rescue Xerxes from the chalice, and he wouldn’t want to risk that by completing side quests.

Lex, on the other hand, had no intentions of missing out on this side quest. Since he had decided to take more risks to improve himself further, he would start with the risk right in front of him.

After all, he did not need to get the Well, he only needed to locate it. A clone would serve well enough to complete the quest.

The two forces continued, and Lex began to make another temporary clone.

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