Chapter 39 - Divine Spring

~Content Warning: Body Horror~

I stay up for as long as I dare, continuously flying towards the location of the Divine Spring. Only when I start having issues flying straight do I land to sleep. I hide away within a particularly big patch of heather, remembering to review what my new Skills do before I go to sleep.

*Displaying Osmosis Results:*

*+150 STR, +400 CON, +800 INT, +500 WIL, +200 DEX*

*Skills Obtained:

- Magic Affinity: Dark (Great) was turned into Skill Expertise.

- Damage Immunity: Dark (Normal) - Reduces Damage from Dark elemental attacks by 15% before Atc/M.Atc. Vs Arm/M.Arm calculation, reduces damage by 60% after calculation.

- Condition Resistance: Poison (Grand) replaces C.R: Poison (Great), replaced Skill turns into 1 Tier Token.

-Current Tier Tokens: 3

- Condition Resistance: Paralysis (Grand) turns into 1 Tier Token.

- Current Tier Tokens: 4

- Condition Resistance: Disease (Grand) Replaces C.R: Disease (Great), replaced Skill + excess Skill Expertise from C.R: Paralysis (Grand) becomes 2 Tier Tokens.

- Current Tier Tokens: 6

- Condition Resistance: Blind (Grand) - Prevents the User from acquiring the Blind Status. Status is still reflected by Lustrous Fur if it is an additional effect on a Skill or Spell.

- Shadow Creep (Great - Unique(Nightcrawler)) - User becomes one with the shadows. User is undetectable except by using the Life-Sense Skill. Entering and exiting a shadow costs MP, staying within the shadows cost SP. If something causes the shadow the User is hiding in to disappear, or a Light elemental Spell is cast upon the shadow, use of the Skill ends, and the User emerges as if they willingly exited the shadow.

- Soundless (Normal) - Any sound the User makes is muted, unless the User actively wants to make noise.

- Fey Step (Normal) replaces Terrain Affinity: Marsh (Normal) - Allows the User to navigate any terrain as though it was solid ground. Damage caused by terrain; sharp rocks, thorns, searing hot sand etc. is negated as well.

- Stealth (Grand) replaces Stealth (Normal) - As long as the User moves slowly and without making noise, they are undetectable without the use of Life-Sense.

- Consumptions Kiss (Normal - Unique(Nightcrawler)) - User drains the blood of the target, restoring SP to the User. Target gains the Statuses Vilecough (Normal) and Anemic (Lesser).

- Tongue Action (Normal) becomes Skill Expertise. Tongue Action (Great) becomes Tongue Action (Grand). Increases damage dealt by using Tongue Action by 25%.

- Cry of the Damned (Normal) - Users roars and cries inflict the Afraid (Lesser) Status. Targets with the Status: Marked for Death gain Terrorized (Lesser) instead.*

*Spells Obtained:

- Blind (Lesser) becomes Spell Expertise.

- Dark String (Normal) replaces Dark String (Lesser), replaced Spell converts into Spell Expertise. Dark String (Normal) becomes Dark String (Great).

- Soul Chaser (Normal) - A Spell that never misses, said to chase the Soul of the target into the afterlife if need be. MP cost is determined by how long it takes for the Spell to hit its target, so long distance casting is not advised. Gets stronger the more the user desires the targets demise.

- Shadow Grasp (Normal) replaces Shadow Grasp (Lesser), replaced Spell converts into Spell Expertise. Shadow Grasp (Normal) becomes Shadow Grasp (Great).

- Enshroud (Lesser) - Covers the target in a cloak of Dark, dealing slight damage, inflicts Blind, though makes any other Spells (except Soul Chaser) miss for the duration. Higher tiers reduce the damage incurred to the target, and prolongs the duration of the Spells effects.

- Dark Nova (Lesser) - All entities within a 5 m (~16 feet~) radius, including the User, takes massive Dark damage. Empties the Users MP completely, and the damage before M.Armor calculation is equal to the points of MP used. Higher tiers reduce the damage inflicted upon the User.*

Remind me to never use Dark Nova, hot damn. Let's see... with my (at last check) 18.000 MP... I'd be able to wipe out pretty much anything I've faced up until now, including myself. Let me just go ahead and deactivate Cry of the Damned and Consumptions Kiss, those sound like they'll just bring me trouble.

I settle down, and fall fast asleep, dead tired.

I wake sometime around noon the next day. I'm stiff, my mane is full of heather, and I smell like moss. I stretch and bend to get some of the soreness out of my system before I take on the last part of my journey. I should be less than a days travel away from the Divine Spring, taking into account the approach on foot.

Finally, I get a look at the Divine Spring. Or at least, the building housing it? I imagined it more like some sort of open air affair, but the Spring seems to be closed away within a heavily defended fort.

I do a flyby, to get a scope of the area. The fort sits atop a hill entirely devoid of trees or shrubbery. With my keen eyes, I can make out the guards on top of the outer wall, they seem to be pointing or shielding their eyes to get a better look at me.

I turn around, and fly off again. Seems I'll have to employ some tricks to get this to work. No forest anywhere nearby that I can land and change forms in either... I could always just brute force this. Arrive as myself, demanding a visit to the Spring, but something tells me that would just end in tears.

"I mean, as fun as that would be, it would definitively strain the relations between Harmek and Parshura even more."

I agree... World Knowledge, any ideas?

*Scanning... No known solutions found.*

Ugh. Seems there is a solution, but I don't know enough about this particular area... I look towards the only road leading to the Spring. There's something there! A caravan? It looks very... regal? But this could be my ticket in!

"Won't they be really upset with you if you're discovered?"

Well, yes. However, that predicament can only happen if I get caught! I've got lots of Skills for hiding now! Okay, so I need to somehow get into the shadow of one of the people there. I fly towards the caravan as I frantically fiddle with a new form.

Seems the smallest I can go is cat sized... Hmmmm...

"Oh boy."

I quickly apply the final touches as I land in some shrubbery. Switching into my new form, I start creeping towards the road. As I creep, a little display appears, like a stealth indicator, telling me how fast I can go before undoing the effects of Stealth. Thanks for that, World Knowledge.

I take the form of a rat, a cat-sized rat, though. My goal for now is to slip into the shadow of the carriage itself. Once I'm in position, I stay still until the first cart passes me, then I get into the shadow under the second carriage.

There's three carriages in total, the front and back one seem to be guarding the middle one, so that would be my best bet of finding someone who'll actually enter the fort proper. Being in a shadow is like being submerged in oil. Pleasantly cool, though being tugged along with the movements of the cart's shadow takes some adjusting.

I'm just glad I can breathe just fine without having the oily feeling extend to my nostrils. Now, judging by the rate of which my SP is draining, I should be good for three hours. I just hope it doesn't take that long considering SP is my only non-renewable resource.

I sit within the shadow as the landscape lazily passes by. Man, this still sucks. Finally, the cart starts climbing the slope of the hill. A while later, it stops for a moment as the gates to the fort opens, before continuing into the courtyard.

Behind the wall, shadows are much more plentiful, making it harder to tell which one belongs to a person and which one is a static one. I dare a peek, just as a set of robed feet step down from the carriage I'm under. "We've been expecting you. I'm guessing these are the Mages?" A male voice comes from somewhere.

"I see, we'll ensure their stay is as comfortable as possible. Now, that box? Of course. Follow me." I grip my chance, slipping into the shadow cast by the first person who departed the carriage. I'm unable to hear their voice, but the male voice seems to be able to... Telepathy?

I don't dare probe about, in case my presence is noticed, so I instead focus on listening in on what the man guiding the silent one is saying to them. When I'm in the shadow, all sound becomes muffled, but I can just make out what is being said if I focus.

I cast a glance behind me, towards the carriage I was beneath. Seems there's eight others within it? I can see four who've gotten out of it, and just barely, I can make out four more within the closed off carriage. It's like a limousine stagecoach, actually, now that I care to have a look.

"Here's your quarters, sir." We finally stop beside a door within the fort itself. Using my map, I could manage to get to the Spring itself, though I'd need to get away from this creepy ass person first. I decide to slip into the shadow of the man.

Now I'm taken towards a large room. Another person guards the entrance to it. "I'm here to tell the Oracle-" "She's refusing. Says something about needing to tend to her little guest first." "By the Mother." The first man grumbles. "Well, I'm not going back to tell that to Them. Get one of the aides to do it." He harrumphs.

Wow, even the people here dislike the silent one. A rap on the door behind them startles both men. "Gentlemen, you're holding up my guest. Open the door for me." A quiet voice issues from the other side of the door. "Delpha! You-!" The door-guard rushes to open the door behind him.

I take the chance, and quickly leap from shadow to shadow, ending up within the one belonging to the mystery voice behind the door. "Delpha, please, you know you shouldn't be moving like this! You should have rang for us, so we could have put you in your chair-" The guard scolds, though I sense no anger, just defeat. Seems Delpha is the Oracle?

The shadow shrinks slightly as its source is picked off the ground and carried over to a bed. I go into the shadow under the bed, just in case. "Thank you, Frol, I'm fine now. Please leave me. I'll meet with the others once I've tended to this visitor." The soft voice instructs.

"I- as you wish, Oracle." The guard's feet shift slightly, as if they did a salute of sorts, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"You can come out now, Monarch. No-one is allowed in here without my permission, so don't worry about being discovered. Let me see your glory." The soft voice tells me. I hesitantly get out of the shadow and out from under the bed. Switching into my true form, a soft gasp of awe is heard from the person on the bed.

I look upon them. A petite, pale woman. Long silver hair pools around her form. Wispy lengths of translucent cloth wrap her body, her legs seem wasted away, as if they've seen long neglect. Piercing red eyes take in every detail of my body.

She's... albino? And without use of her legs... "Hah, seems even monsters pity my state." She smiles bitterly. "I could try to heal you?" I offer. She frowns. "Not yet." "Not yet?" "My body is weak and frail, but it's not failing me yet." "Very well." I will prod no further.

"Now, I'm sure there's a reason the Great Monarch, Ruler of all Monsters has come to see me?" She drapes herself across a pile of pillows, getting comfortable. "Actually, I was intending to visit the Divine Spring, though meeting an Oracle is a pleasant surprise." I confess. "I have in my possession two Malice Cores. One sourced from me, the other a Hateful Forest King. I need them Purified."

Delpha squints her eyes. "The Great Monarch needing Purifying?" Her tone quizzical, as if she has a hard time believing this. I sigh. "Do you want the long version, or the short one?" I ask her. "Entertain me. I want to postpone the next meeting as long as possible." Very well. I can't blame her.

One 'The Long Version' later...

"Ohh, yeah, that explains a lot." Delpha nods sagely. "So, because you have the emotions of a human, but the body of a monster, your negative emotions cause abnormal Malice buildup." I nod at her summary. "My... split personality seems to halt this slightly, but I'd feel much better if I was somehow able to create my own Divine Spring or something like that."

Delpha nods, putting a hand on her chin in thought. "But they're impossible to just 'make'. You need super rare materials. Eight Pure Magic Crystals, Celestial Marble, Oasis Water... Even for you, sourcing that would be next to impossible. There's a reason there's only five remaining Divine Springs in the World. Once they break, they can't be repaired, and new ones are impossible to make." She shakes her head.

"Nope, only way to solve this would be to get your Purifying action from somewhere else." She gives me a mischievous look. "I'm afraid to ask." I tell her bluntly. "Don't fear! If anything, I've been awaiting this time for a long time! You don't need an Oracle AND a Divine Spring! You gotta share the Divine Guidance! Take me to your Lair, let me live with you. It's bound to be ten times more fun than being here..." She excitedly crawls closer to the edge of the bed.

I consider for a moment. It is true that it would be very convenient for me to have the Oracle perform Purifying for me until I'm able to get the materials for a Divine Spring, though the turmoil it would create between Harmek and Parshura if the 'pet' Monarch of the Parshuran King was to kidnap the Harmekians Oracle...

"I love how you're not even taking in her words about the materials being next to impossible to get a hold of."

Hey, I'm fairly sure that with the Skills of the Carbuncle, I'd be able to make those Pure Magic Crystals. The Oasis Water should, if I'm not being very slow, be found on or near the Oasis Tortoise, leaving me to somehow track down a source of Celestial Marble.

"I guess you have a point, but all that requires us to actually find those two monsters, let alone leave our Lair, and the contested Oracle, in order to fight them."

Ugh.

"Sir please! I know you're impatient, but you ca-!" A voice, then a heavy sound, as if something was slammed against the wall next to the door to this room. "How rude." Delpha pouts, before turning to me. "You have three choices now, Monarch. Be found out and face the wrath of the thug on the other side of that door," The door is nearly knocked out of its frame by a mighty hit. "Hide and bide your time, or just- grab me and flee!"

A thunderous sound hails the defeat of the heavy wooden door as it's ripped off it's hinges by the force enacted upon it. As the dust settles, a tall person, their identity unknowable due to the peculiar mask upon their face, strides into the room. "I am sure they told you to wait your turn, dear Tendon." Delphas' usually soft tone is now one of icy contempt.

I managed to get into her shadow. Well, it was mostly Shadow acting for me.

"Choice aversion is best combated this way."

But... Tendon?

I'm more used to the Skill now, so I'm able to see what's happening without getting out of the shadows. This 'Tendon' gestures, as if speaking, though I'm unable to hear any sound. "Truly? For the good of the Kingdom, I'm to Summon a Hero for you?" Delpha repeats the info out loud, no doubt to let me know.

The Tendon gestures aggressively. "Please, don't be daft. After all, it's thanks to Her Highness' generosity that I'm alive. Of course I'll do it. I hope you didn't kill poor Frol, as I need him to fetch me my chair." She sounds genuinely worried about the possibility.

"No? Then resuscitate him, or we're never getting anything done." The Tendon makes a gesture as if they're scoffing, before simply grabbing Delpha off the bed and taking her with them. I'm whisked away as well, being within her shadow. I hesitantly reach out to Delpha via Telepathy.

"Just let me know, and I'll put a stop to this." I tell her. "No- not yet. They can perform the Summoning without me, it just takes longer. However, we can throw more spanners in their plans if we're patient for just a while longer." Delpha seems to have a plan.

"Tell me. I've decided, once we do this, I'll steal you away." I can feel her relief. "Now, I'm not sure how big your Malice Cores are, but both of them should be enough to foul the Spring as it works on purifying it. As long as you keep me away from them, and the Spring works on the Malice Cores, they'll be unable to perform the preparation rites."

Giving me more time to prepare... I can tell, although not informed directly, that the Hero is intended for me. As excited I might be at the prospect of someone from my own World being summoned, the chances of that should be astronomical. Besides, surely the Hero won't desire friendship with me.

We arrive at the location of the Divine Spring. I can see the shock and horror on the faces of the attendants. The eight other visitors are here as well. "How dare you sully the Oracle in such a way?! The disrespect!" An elderly woman scolds. The Tendon turns to her. "Hah! As if I'd be afraid of someone like you. Go on, kill me, bring the wrath of the Divine upon yourself!"

I take the opportunity the old woman provides. Using Abstract Positioning, I retrieve and drop the two Malice Cores into the Divine Spring. The twin splashes gets the attention of everyone as the previously azure waters of the Spring start to bubble and foam, the waters now an oily blackish purple.

"The Spring! Something has fouled it!" Another attendant cries out. The Tendon seems beside themselves. They toss aside Delpha, and I immediately jump out of her shadow to catch her. The Tendon doesn't even notice, diving into the Spring.

"The madman! Stop them, Monarch, or they'-!" Delpha shouts, her voice high with panic. I gently set her down, casting Barrier upon her, just in case. Most everyone have left the room, sans me, Delpha and the Tendon, who's now completely submerged in the Spring.

I hesitantly approach the Spring. It's a large stone pool, at one end is a fountain head modeled after the All-Mother. Each of the statues' six hands hold a colored gem, with the two final ones being located on the forehead and navel. I feel that having seen this in person, I'd be able to replicate it with the appropriate materials and Skills.

However, what's more pressing at the moment, is the Tendon. I don't want to get near what is obviously liquid Malice at this point, but I've got to get them out of there. I throw a Web Geyser into the water. It wraps around something, and I quickly use Web Manipulation to yank it out of the water.

I sidestep the mass that ejects from the Spring. I'm sure it at least used to be the Tendon, but something's definitively wrong. The webs covering it tear as it suddenly surges in size.

"̴̛͈̲̈́͋̃̊̎̕A̴̛̼̙͋̕-̵̠̲̳͉̍̎̃͊̐̄͑ͅä̸̛̫̪͔̹͚͖̤̲́̃̔́͒͊̽̚ͅ-̵̡̦͕̠̺͇̹̫̓͑͊͠a̴̛̪̙̹̼͚̣̺͍̎͘h̵̗̖̪̣̾̃̕̕g̸͙̋̎͑̉́͐̈́̈ͅ"̴̣̝̮͌͛̐͂͛͘

A warped moan issues from the lump. Slowly, with jerking motions, the Tendon tries to get up, only to halt once they're on all fours. Their clothes are torn from the size increase, their mask left somewhere at the bottom of the Spring.

A ripping sound announces that their trousers have lost integrity, as a long, lashing tail emerges from their behind. Their hands swell and their fingers burst as the bones within them change shape and function, forming long sharp claws. Snaps and cracks herald the change from the plantigrade feet of a Human, into the digitigrade paws of a beast.

Covering their face in pain, their neck elongates, allowing a wider area of motion. Their face follows suit, turning distinctly canine, with a wide, toothy mouth. As if in a final flourish, the rest of their clothes are shredded as a thick coat of jet black fur covers their entire being.

Piercing amber eyes, mad with pain and fear, lock onto mine. It... it's no longer human.

"That's a fucking werewolf! I don't think those are meant to exist in this World!"

A bone-chilling howl builds in its throat, reaching its climax as the former Tendon throws itself towards me. I know better than to try to inspect it, so I merely counter the leap to keep it away from the Spring. I miscalculate my response though, and send the... thing barreling through a wall before it skids to a halt the next room over.

I glance over to Delpha, she's fainted, though she seems otherwise fine. I should try my best to keep damage to this place low.

"Get it to go to the courtyard! There should be more space, and less chance of hurting bystanders there!"

Smart. Making some quick measurements, I find the fastest way to the courtyard. Blasting my way through walls, the Tendon follows, its blind rage focused entirely on me. I spin around to confront it once we reach the outdoors. Slavering and breathing heavily, it seems like the trip through the wall caused some damage, though it's still going.

Now, to finish this quickly!

"Alert! There's monsters within the Fort! They seem to be fighting!" Oh fucking- I glance up at the outer walls, around fifteen guards are training their various ranged weapons on the two of us. My defenses are too high to worry about them, I'm more worried about them drawing the ire of the Tendon.

I use Grasping Shadows. A five meter by five meter (~16 feet x 16 feet~) area around the Tendon surge with Dark Magic, and large tentacles formed of shadows rise and coil around it. It howls and struggles, but my magic holds.

"Aim! Fire!" A hail of arrows and bolts pelt us. I take no notice, they merely bounce off my scaly hide, but the ones that hit the Tendon sink right in. "Hey! Aim at the one that's restrained!" a voice calls from the rubble of the makeshift doors I've made. It's the old woman! Shes cupping one hand to her mouth to make her voice carry, pointing at the Tendon with the other.

"As you say, Grandma!" The leader of the guards confirms the new orders. It seems this old woman holds high status here. "Aim for the black Bristle Wolf-like monster!" A shuffle, as they retake aim. "Fire!" Another barrage. I should focus on holding the Tendon still. Its black fur is flattened down around its wounds as thick blackish blood flows from them.

The Tendon snarls and thrashes, its front claws digging deep gouges in the earth. I use Crumple Defenses on it, and cast Empower on the guards. "Fire!" A last barrage, the arrows and bolts cutting deep, some even going entirely through its body. A final whimper, and the former Tendon breathes its last.

"I'm thankful those guys listened to Grandma. I'd hate for us to re-absorb that Malice."

The Malice... It isn't behaving like with the Forest King? I breathe a sigh of relief. "Grandma! Get away from there!" Oh right, I'm still considered a threat. The old woman is walking up to me after making her way over the rubble. I just look at her, not daring to move.

She walks right up to me, and, reaching as high as she can, starts petting me. She's... stroking my chest-fluff... "See! It's harmless!" She shouts up to the guards. I hear a clattering cacophony as their leader runs down stairs to get to the courtyard. Bursting out of a door at the bottom, they run over to us.

"Grandma! What're you doing?!" He tries to get her away from me, only to be reprimanded with a tut. "Young man! I'm perfectly safe! If anything, this monster saved all our lives!" She scolds. He hesitantly looks up at me. I'm around a head taller than him, and the old woman reaches where my navel would have been on my upper body.

"Now you should apologize to them, for hitting them!" She continues. "I- uh- I'm sorry?" He seems utterly flabbergasted. "Apology accepted." I tell him.

'thud'

He... he fainted. Granny seems unperturbed. "Now, I'm sure you want to be on your way with our Oracle, but you gotta take care of that thing first." She points to the dead Tendon. It hasn't changed or moved. It's... it's truly dead, huh. "What do you want me to do?" I ask her.

"Carry it for me. We'll take it outside the walls and bury it." She instructs. Somehow, I feel that I should obey her, even if she's not using any sort of Command on me. What a peculiar woman. "Don't worry. Its safe. Malice can't use humanoids properly. Once the host dies, the Malice vanishes." She reassures me as I hesitate to handle the body.

"H-how do you know this?" I ask her as I heft the body onto my back. "I've studied Hate and Malice all my life. You end up seeing some truly horrifying things devoting your life to such." She doesn't elaborate. I decide against probing further. "And, uh-" "How do I know of your plan with Delpha?" She interrupts me.

"Call it an old womans' intuition. That and she's been going on and on about how exited she's to finally meet you. She's been having visions about you for months now." The woman leads me outside the gates. No-one dare object it seems, and we're left to our own devices.

"I know you have a lot of questions, Monarch, but I think that should be left for later." She says, unprompted. Just who is this woman? She points to a spot. "Dig here." She instructs. I get to work, using Hidden Space to excavate the ground. Only once the hole is twice my height, and I hit solid mountain, do I stop.

I climb back out of the hole and drop the carcass down before filling it back up with soil. "No need for any rites. That thing is no longer Human, and the Other Will is gone." She says. Only Humanoids rise again as Undead unprompted, monsters have to be re-animated through the Raise Spell. I know that much.

"Still, to think that fool would be that foolish... Good riddance I say. I mean, diving into the Spring as it is fouled by Malice, honestly!" She mumbles as we return. "Honestly, even if they have the go-ahead from our Queen doesn't mean they can do as they please!" She huffs. "Besides, what upstanding monarch would conspire with criminals such as the Aurellium!" She finishes her outburst. I just barely contain my emotions.

Of course. I should have recognized the smell. Tendon, that title relates perfectly to the whole "hand" schtick the Aurellium has going on. I can't believe I didn't figure that out sooner. No doubt then, that Hero they're collaborating on Summoning, they're going to sic them on me.

"Welp, I guess We actually really should 'kidnap' the Oracle, then."

I mean, I did promise her that I'd take her away from her afterwards. I sigh to myself. What an enormous mess.