Freedom Jumper-Chapter 88: Escape Route

Within Elijah's spatial storage lies a black short sword, black knife, two liters of water, and five two inch thick metal runes with tightly knit cotton bands that would theoretically wrap around the body. Something akin to a belt buckle was a modification Elijah had wanted to make, the only downside being the points of friction would change from at least four, to only one which would increase the chances of the runes falling off his limbs. The cotton bands wrapped around his body many times and created a bandage-like look.

Ten minutes was the time it took for all six runes to be fastened to his body, and with a small amount of mana that entered the runes, each limb began disappearing one by one.

Then, Elijah made his way to the whirlpool while taking his time to peer above the mana barrier. If the plan to wait for a gate to open was chosen, he would have to keep a close eye on the skies. Combining this with the unnatural humanoid beasts that use what he calls void magic, this was a reason why The Catacombs was a valid option for escape.

While flying in the deepest part a few feet above the torrential whirlpool, Elijah places each rune into his storage, and does a slow and graceful backflip into the very center. The water quickly subsided when the view of nothing came into sight. However, this time, after five minutes of treading deeper and deeper, he felt his body begin to vibrate, and shortly after, a popping noise resonated within his ears as the reality all around him shifted in ways unimaginable to the eye. Flying and stretching colors of the terrain of the kingdom.

Bam.

After seeing his body topple onto the dirt and stone floor, he noticed Abel was nowhere to be seen.

'Could he finally be exploring The Catacombs?'

Elijah took this opportunity to do the same. The idea of figuring out an exit to The Catacombs that took him outside the walls came into his mind. All it would take would be to fly through the natural earth while looking for an exit, and tracing back his steps carefully with incisions and landmarks. The only challenge would be understanding what side of the kingdom he is on since Amaris had told him The Kingdom of Gion is far to the west.

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Magnificent caverns, rivers, glowing floristry, and horrid beasts came into sight one after the other. Between the walls of the cavern were small holes most likely meant for beasts.

BOOM!

Suddenly stopping in the ceiling of an enormous cave full of color that is seemingly decaying, Elijah felt a vibration from a blast that sounded like something only the top of the top mages could perform. More explosions resounded which led to Elijah following its trail, but due to the echoing of the sounds against the cavern, he was constantly misled. A thumping soul was chasing the possibility of Abel being attacked by beasts more powerful than he can imagine. After all, not even five percent of The Catacombs have been explored due to the idea of maintenance to protect the people.

Dripstones, toxic pools and rivers, alerted and horrific looking beasts kept passing the eyes of Elijah. Finally, he saw light. Flickering lights of orange and red that beaded against the walls of the cavern before dissipating into nothing.

Hunters!

Fear found its way to Elijah which followed with him hiding within the ceiling while grasping the ethereal string flowing out of his body. All he had to do was pull it, and he would hopefully return to his body almost instantaneously. This was a theory based on the memories of his past life.

"Let's pass through the next three caverns and return while marking it with the insignia. We have made great progress today, and we will return tomorrow." A man with jet black hair and eyes that were filled with fire like never seen before.

"Are you getting tired Ruby? I could go on like this for the next ten caverns!" Behind the fire mage dressed in red noble attire, was a very familiar man. Someone Elijah had not seen ever in a few weeks. Amaris!

Elijah's breath quickly slowed as he debated on making himself known. Amaris knows of Astral Projection. However, based on the fact that Amaris was in this cave, he decided to continue on ahead. The chances of being on the west side were far greater if Amaris had the same idea for different reasons.

Risks were taken, and the space around Elijah became blurred as a new idea popped into his head. Astral projection is the traversal of one's soul or consciousness within the astral realm. Speed wasn't real, only intent. The midday sun shone through Elijah's body the moment he passed above the ground level. Success was made as he found himself over 200 feet away from the outer wall. The ethereal string was tightly grasped as Elijah closely scanned the barren wasteland full of rocks and bones. The grass he once knew that surrounded the outer region was no more, which confirmed that he was surely on the west side.

A rocky hole was found that was covered by a large blackened rock. Elijah passed directly through it, and began making his way to wherever it took him while using his string as a guide. Everything was lining up for his escape without a single fracture in his plan besides Niko. Abel wasn't even necessary at this point, but there was still knowledge he yearned to ask for. Anything that related to Gion or the secrets of this kingdom he had forgotten previously.

The more Elijah ventured within the cave system, the more terrifying the beasts became. Travelling at over 30 miles per hour while zipping through cracks, Elijah suddenly stopped to observe a beast with a large amount of bones that were constantly moving through its viscous body. Another beast that likely originated from the void, and a beast that Elijah would likely have to defeat. Another massive cavern with a giant purple and colored mushroom was found. While this cave was similar, he noticed the movement of the smaller baby mushrooms that likely came from the spores of the mother.

Small rumblings of the natural earth were heard as a mushroom jumped straight out of the stone and dirt floor. The body of the mushroom was an exact copy of a human body, except completely gray in color, and likely made from stone. This was terrifying for Elijah to see as these beasts were in fact recorded within the history of the kingdom. They were called "shroomheads" and can have any affinity ranging from the core levels of orange and green. A monstrous beast with physical attributes that are simply impossible for humans to achieve on top of fighting like humans themselves. Shroomheads could create a dent in the stone wall with a flick of their finger depending on their spot in the shroomhead hierarchy. They had communication capabilities as well as a hierarchy with one known as "The Head" that led them within every oasis they made for themselves. There was a reason why these beasts were avoided by even cyan core mages...

Dozens of minutes passed with Elijah finally making his way back to Abel's cavern. The hope is that the very large and distinct slashes in the walls, ceilings, and floor of the cave system stayed for a long period of time.