Masteria Online: Shattering the Dark God's Grand Scheme-Chapter 157 - Kise

They began to make their way to where Kise should be located. As they moved in the direction they were given, what Seyen mentioned soon came into view. As stated, there were three very obvious branches, given that each of the "branches" were at least a dozen feet thick.

They converged into a trunk that was at least three dozen feet thick. It had a giant split down the middle, allowing one to go inside.

The entire thing was covered with green ooze. It wasn’t as simple as a layer of goo. The ooze was continuously being produced, forming solid paths as it dried, and blobs formed big enough to encase a human whole.

Lena stared at the massive trunk, her eyes wide. "Woah. That’s a lot of goo."

Lumi nodded. "Yeah."

"Like, a LOT of goo." Lena repeated, leaning forward slightly. "It’s kinda hot... what do you think it’s made of?"

Lumi glanced at her. "Some sort of tree sap, probably. Mixed with secretions from the monsters living inside."

"Secretions." Lena echoed. She tilted her head. "That’s gross. I like it." She stared at the ooze for a few moments, before patting Lumi. "Can I eat it?"

Lumi turned to her. "Lena?"

She gave a grin. "What? Just a question. And let’s not just stand here. We’re going in, no?"

"No, stop." Lumi stopped her, but not because she wanted to eat the goo. "We need to hide the ship."

"Again?" Lena blinked. "Huh? We can’t just fly it inside?"

Lumi shook his head. "It’ll get covered in goo." He gestured toward the flowing masses of goo. It was physically impossible to fly through without hitting plenty, given that there were various strings carrying the goo as if it were a spider’s nest.

"Alright." She began looking for a spot. "Hmm...?" She found a dense patch of foliage. "Think we can do a thing with this?"

"Let me see..." Lumi scanned the area. It worked. "Let’s do it."

They moved the ship over, and Lumi began shoving it into the foliage. Lena helped, grabbing branches and pulling them over the ship’s surface.

"This feels like we’re burying a body," Lena commented casually.

Lumi nodded along, despite not quite understanding her. "I suppose. It’s like..." He trailed off, unsure.

"You know, hiding evidence." Lena continued, still pulling branches. "Like in those crime shows. They always hide the body in the woods."

"Ooh." Lumi understood her now. "I thought you’d have a much more esoteric reason."

She gave him a cat-like smile in response.

Lumi shook his head and went back to covering the ship. After a few more minutes, it was sufficiently hidden. He stepped back, inspecting their work. "Good enough."

Lena nodded. "Yep. No one will find it. Maybe. Hopefully."

Lumi agreed. "Let’s go."

They turned and headed toward the entrance.

As they descended into the trunk, the environment shifted. The light grew dimmer, filtered through layers of hardened ooze and wood. The air was thick, humid, and stunk of fungus.

Lena wrinkled her nose. "It smells weird."

Lumi nodded. "Yeah. It would be more surprising if it didn’t."

Lena continued on. "Like... rotting fruit mixed with wet socks."

Lumi glanced at her. "That’s accurate."

They moved carefully, their footsteps quiet against the uneven surface. The path sloped downward, winding deeper into the trunk.

"It’s like..." She began to state something, but stopped herself for some unknown reason. She then tured to Lumi. "Say, what’s what’s the reason we can’t get this stuff on the ship. Also, yo never answered. Can I like it?"

"If you want to..." Lumi slowly muttered. This wasn’t earth where a person would be felled by a regular ailment. If she really got sick, well... she wouldn’t. But even if she did, she’d be fine.

Lumi continued, as to answer her question. "As for the goo, we really don’t want it in the ship. It won’t damage it, but it’ll be covered in slime and unable to fly until we clean it. That would waste too much time."

It wasn’t long before they encountered the first monster.

A Blue Slime oozed along the wall, its translucent body rippling as it moved. It was small, no bigger than a basketball, and glowed faintly with a pale blue light.

Lena looked at it. "Cute."

[Blue Slime - Level 11]

Lumi nodded. "They’re weak. Level 14 average."

The slime didn’t attack. It simply continued along its path, unbothered by their presence. Disregarding a few species of slime, most slimes were instinctively able to conceptualize the idea of danger.

They would automatically be passive to that which is stronger than itself. They moved past it and continued deeper. A few minutes later, they encountered a Lakuna.

The creature was hunched over, its body covered in bright yellow, leathery skin. It had four legs, each ending in clawed feet, and a long tail that dragged behind it. Its head was elongated, with a mouth full of jagged teeth and eyes that glowed faintly red.

It sniffed the air, then looked directly at them. Lena raised her wand. "Should I kill it?"

Lumi shook his head. "No point. Not unless it attacks."

The Lakuna stared at them for a moment longer, then turned and lumbered away. Lena lowered her wand. "It just left."

Lumi nodded. "Yeah. They’re not aggressive unless provoked."

They kept moving. As they descended further, Lumi explained what they were looking for. "We need to find signs of intelligent life. Tools, handcrafted items, things like that. Also, areas where the monsters are gone. Kise would naturally drive them away from wherever she stays."

Lena nodded. "Got it."

They moved through the humongous hollow trunk, their eyes scanning for anything unusual.

It took another ten minutes before they noticed a change.

"Hey..." Lena slowly spoke, speaking lowly. "It is... empty here, right?" The monsters were gone.

The path ahead was silent. No slimes, no Lakuna, nothing.

Lena slowed. "This is it, right?" Lumi nodded then ordered. "Probably. Whisper now, try not to make noise."

They moved forward carefully. Then Lena spotted something, a small object on the ground. She crouched and picked it up. "Look."

It was a knife. It was crudely made, clearly handcrafted.

Lumi nodded. "We’re close."

They continued forward, and soon they found more signs. A piece of cloth. A carved piece of wood. Small things, but enough to confirm someone was living here.

Then they heard it.

Scrape... Scrape... Scrape...

Lena kept quiet, but signalled Lumi with her eyes. She must be nearby. Lumi raised a hand, signaling Lena to proceed with caution. They moved forward slowly, following the sound.

The sound grew louder as they approached, echoing through the narrow passage.

Then they saw her.

She was sitting on a raised platform of hardened ooze, her back to them. In her hands, she held a blade, running it against a sharpening stone.

Scrape... Scrape...

[Pixie Kise - Level 39]

Lena’s eyes flicked to the space around Kise.

Nearby, kept pinned to the floor by bolts, blades, or rope, were various monsters. A Lakuna, its legs bound and twisted at unnatural angles. An armored boar, its shell cracked and bleeding. A red mushroom, its cap sliced open, oozing dark fluid.

They were all in the midst of various states of torture.

Lena’s expression didn’t change, she merely tilted her head slightly..

Lumi observed for a moment longer. The monsters clearly had no information to give. Kise was torturing them for fun.

He raised his wand.

"Lance of Light."

The spell materialized instantly, shafts of radiant energy forming in the air around him. They shot forward in rapid succession, each one aimed directly at the pixie.

Kise didn’t notice them at all.

The first lance struck her in the shoulder, punching through. The second caught her in the side. The third, the fourth, the fifth. Each one hit her well, tearing through her small frame.

"Ahhh!" She screamed and spun around wildly. Her sharpening stone clattered to the ground, forgotten. She snarled at them.

She didn’t fall despite the direct hit.

Blood dripped from multiple wounds across her body. Her wings flickered unevenly as she hovered, both torn. "Damn Humans," she hissed. Her voice was sharp and hateful. Her gaze snapped to Lena, lingering for a moment. Recognition flashed across her face. Then she grinned, wild and manic. "From the old human! One of his priests..."

She raised her wand in a blur, casting instantly. "Anti-heal!"

A wave of sickly green light washed over both Lumi and Lena. A notification appeared in their vision.

[Debuff Applied: Anti-Heal Curse]

[Healing received reduced by 40% for 10:00]

Kise didn’t stop there. She raised her wand again, her voice rising with authority. "Law of Repetition!"

The air around them shimmered. The very air now felt oppressive, working against concepts. A second notification appeared.

[Field Effect Applied: Law of Repetition]

[The same spell cannot be cast more than once every 5 seconds.]

Lumi’s jaw tightened. This pixie was more advanced than he anticipated.

The level difference was nothing against a normal monster. But with the intellect of a pixie...

Somehow, his heart began to pump in excitement. A grin formed on his face, anticipating the battle. "Die for me!"