Silence followed as dust hung thickly in the air.
The blue glow of the cavern flickered faintly through settling particles.
West stared at the rubble while slowly running a hand down his face.
"...Damn."
No going back that way.
He turned forward again toward the massive drop-off ahead.
The gargantuan cavern below still waited.
"Guess we’re moving forward."
He glanced at the two Verdant Pyre Behemoths.
Both were scorched in places from the corrosive splashes where the greenish creature had burned them.
The injuries weren’t fatal but West didn’t want to leave it be.
This was a large ruin... who knew what awaited?
West exhaled slowly and pulled out the Chalice of Vitality from his inventory.
The ancient cup glead faintly in the dim crystalline light. Its surface was engraved with winding sigils that that glowed and throbbed ike a heartbeat. Even holding it felt... alive.
He clicked his tongue upon recalling that the item required liquid... and there was none here.
There was no stream, n condensation... not even dripping cave water.
He looked around once, just to confirm.
"...Sigh..."
He needed to heal the Behemoths and himself.
He reached toward his side instinctively and felt the wetness on his finger...
He looked down at the dark red color that had dyed his fingers...
The spike from earlier had torn through his clothes after all. The wound hadn’t seed deep during the fight, but now that adrenaline had faded, he could feel the burn.
Blood was steadily trickling down his waist.
West stared at it and then his eyes sharpened...
"...Liquid."
He let out a quiet laugh.
"Blood is liquid too."
The Verdant Pyre Behemoths rumbled low, sensing the shift in his aura.
Without hesitation, West slid his fingers into the wound, digging in.
His face tightened as he dragged his finger across the injury, reopening the half-clotted tear. Fresh blood welled up imdiately, spilling faster.
Pain shot through his nerves but he ignored it.
He positioned the Chalice beneath the wound and dark red drops fell into it one by one.
Drip~
Drip~
Drip~
The engraved sigils along the Chalice began glowing faintly as the blood pooled within.
West waited as more blood flowed and even pressed harder against the wound to accelerate it.
After a short while, there was enough pooled at the bottom for a few small sips.
The Chalice made a low winding sound as West lifted it.
For a brief second, he wondered if this was insane... but nonetheless, he took a sip.
The blood had already transford inside the cup.
What touched his lips wasn’t tallic or warm, it was cool and pure... like drinking distilled life itself.
Imdiately, a warm current spread through his body, racing along his veins like a flood of golden light.
The torn flesh at his side knit together instantly as muscle fibers reconnected and skin sealed flawlessly.
Even lingering fatigue from the battle washed away like it had never existed.
Within seconds, he was whole.
West exhaled slowly, lowering the Chalice.
"...Worth it."
He walked toward the Verdant Pyre Behemoths.
Both beasts lowered their heads slightly in acknowledgnt.
He held the Chalice up to the first one.
"Small sip."
The Behemoth carefully lowered its massive snout, surprisingly delicate for sothing twice the size of a mammoth.
It drank and the green flas along its paws flared brightly as the scorched patches along its hide faded.
Burn marks vanished. Its posture straightened as vitality surged back into its massive fra.
West moved to the second and the sa result repeated after it took a single sip.
When he looked back into the Chalice, it was empty... not a single drop remained.
The glow faded to a dormant shimr and West nodded approvingly before storing it back in his inventory.
Just when he was about to keep moving, sothing caught his peripheral vision.
A faint glint near the collapsed rubble sealing the tunnel behind them.
He frowned.
"That wasn’t there before."
He was certain of it.
The explosion had obliterated the green creature completely...
Or so he thought.
He approached the debris carefully.
There, partially lodged between fallen stones, was a tiny green stone no longer than a finger.
Unlike the creature’s corrosive sheen, this stone looked solid and crystalline...
West crouched and picked it up and the mont it left the rubble, A system notification flashed before his eyes.
---
[Item Acquired]
Na: Fragnt of the Dissolution Core
Rarity: Rare
Type: Matter-Destabilizing Relic
Description: A condensed remnant left behind by an unstable phase-entity. Contains trace destabilizing properties capable of disrupting structural cohesion in both organic and inorganic matter.
Uses:
Crafting component for destabilization-based weaponry
Catalyst for advanced alchemical reactions
Potential integration into energy-conductive systems
May enhance lightning or vibration-based abilities
Warning: Prolonged direct contact may result in material degradation.
---
West’s eyes glead.
"So you did leave sothing behind."
He rotated the fragnt between his fingers and smirked before storing it away.
Then he turned toward the massive drop-off ahead.
The ledge cut off abruptly, revealing a vast lower expanse at least seventy feet below. The terrain beneath looked entirely different with strange crystalline vegetation mixed with patches of dark stone plains.
West leapt lightly onto the back of one Verdant Pyre Behemoth, stand upright with his arms crossed coolly as wind from the cavern currents brushed his hair back.
The other Behemoth positioned itself beside them.
"Let’s go."
The massive beast took three powerful strides and jumped.
For a brief mont, they were suspended mid-air as they descended seventy feet down.
The cavern wind roared around them and then...
BOOM!
They landed heavily, cracking the stone beneath their paws and causing dust to explode outward in a ring.
Without slowing, they charged forward into the unknown stretch of land, disappearing into the vast crystalline wilderness.
---
Elsewhere in the third layer, Seraphyra humd cheerfully to herself.
Unlike West’s path of violent confrontation, her route had been delightfully uneventful.
Her long serpentine body glided effortlessly through the cavern tunnels with her tail swaying lazily.
Every few steps—
"Oh~ Master will like this."
She plucked a glowing mineral from a wall.
A strange fang embedded in rock? Taken.
A glowing crystal? Taken.
A fossilized claw? Taken.
Her collection had grown... substantial.
Eventually, the narrow path widened into a massive chamber.
Seraphyra paused as her eyes narrowed slightly.
The chamber felt eerie...
Strange creature skulls were embedded into the surrounding walls. So were elongated, so horned while others were zig-zagged with unnatural fangs.
At the center stood an altar and buried in its heart was a massive axe.
Its blade was half as tall as a man, etched with deep runic grooves. The haft was thick, dark, and looked forged from an unknown material.
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