Chapter 140: ***********************
[THE SKILL TARGET IS TELLING THE TRUTH]
Kurt sighed in relief as the echo of the system’s voice died away through the walls.
"Oho!" The queen of the forest gasped. "It seems that you are more cautious than your predecessors... But what then? Are you more relaxed about my answer?"
Kurt nodded positively.
"I think you’d better hold on, you might fall a little badly."
He got into position and picked up his weapons, the [MOON SHADOW] glowed in the light of the runes and torches on the walls, and when Kurt threw the two metal circles, the blades opened.
TING!
CLING!
CLANG!
CLANK!
One by one, the chains broke, as if they were butter being cut by a very hot knife.
And indeed, Vena almost fell with all her weight onto the stone altar.
But her arms still carried some strength, and she managed to hold on to one of the pillars, allowing her to avoid hurting herself even more from the fall.
"I’m not going to lie..." Vena said, rubbing her lower quadrant. "I was hoping for a little help from you, but that’s okay. I understand that I’m bigger than you could imagine, so I’ll let this one slide."
Kurt managed to hold back his laughter, and maintained his indifferent expression.
He had never imagined that one of the Kings would be a dramatic serpent, but that’s okay.
"Okay, now you can start regenerating, and answer my questions."
Vena nodded.
"Of course, dear. What question would you like to start with?"
Kurt scratched his chin.
"How about, what are the Nests? You, Arias, and Groth talk to each other as if everyone has known each other for a long time, so I can’t understand how scientists can see the Nests as places separate from each other..."
Vena scratched her chin.
"Indeed, this is something very intriguing. But what you call the Nest, little Blake, is nothing more than a spatial fragment of something much, much larger and vaster.
Nests are not just other dimensions that can be accessed through Rifts. They are, in fact..."
Vena paused, in which Kurt noticed that the runes on the walls seemed to glow a little brighter.
And this time, they seemed to contrast a little with the sickening green of the torchlight.
In fact, it seemed very clear, that the lines on the walls were now illuminated an almost imperceptible shade of red.
"I don’t have a good feeling about this..." Kurt whispered, looking at the runes.
"Don’t worry about it... Honey... At least not... Yet..."
The viperine queen seemed to be feeling uncomfortable.
Almost as if he was feeling sick.
Kurt knew there was something wrong there, but he let his instincts warn him if something was too out of control.
Still looking indifferent, Kurt said.
"Please continue."
"Right... Where was I...? Ah, yes. The Nests are actually... Pieces... Fragments... Of what you might call the... Primeval... Universe... "
Vena’s voice was becoming more and more squeaky, choking.
It was as if something in the back of her throat was stopping her from speaking.
’Oh no...’ Groth said in Kurt’s mind.
"Oh no? Groth, what does that mean? Oh no, it’s never usually a good thing..."
Groth jumped away.
’I suggest you do the same, master!’
But Kurt felt something strange about the way Vena was behaving.
The feeling she had was...
Familiar?
"Groth, stay away."
’Right!’
"Arias, don’t do anything."
’But...’
"Do not do anything."
Kurt’s tone wasn’t just that of someone who was valuing the safety of someone dear to him.
It was also an order, so that nothing, nor anyone there, would interfere with your fun.
"Okay... I’ll remember that. Primeval Universe..." Kurt said, more to himself than to any other being or person in that stone gallery, as Vena began to convulse.
Her enormous body trembled and shook, as if she were in violent spasms.
And around her, the stone pillars began to crack, due to the impact of the great queen’s body against them.
The entire stone gallery began to shake...
Until, suddenly, all movement ceased.
Completely.
Vena lay frozen like a statue, completely static, in front of Kurt, on the altar.
The wounds on her body were almost all healed.
But his nose and eyes began to bleed.
Gently at first.
After a few moments, profusely.
Kurt armed himself with his [MOON SHADOW], and waited, prepared for anything.
His instincts told him that something incredibly powerful was coming, and he had no choice but to fight.
If it was something he ended up not being able to deal with on his own, he would ask Groth and Arias for help, but for now, he would let things happen.
But the shock came when Vena’s body started to split open in the middle.
The disgusting sound of bones breaking, of muscles and skin being ripped apart...
Kurt saw silver fingers reach out of Vena’s chest, as if something had been waiting for the right moment.
As if something was waiting for Kurt to make a wrong move.
Or...
’This shit was incubated inside her... Preventing her from giving answers...’ Kurt thought to himself, looking at the humanoid figure, almost his size, that came out of the forest queen’s body.
Kurt looked at the creature, mouth open, speechless, remembering the first time he had seen it in his life.
"A-Antibody?"
Strangely, however, that [ANTIBODY] was different from the one Kurt had faced inside the [HIDDEN ROOM], before he managed to wake up from his coma.
The one before him had eyes and a mouth.
The eyes were pitch black, and the mouth was full of sharp teeth.
However, the differences ended right there.
The creature looked at Kurt, and its shoulders shook, as if it were laughing maniacally.
Kurt prepared to make his first move, but that’s when he realized the real reason someone had put a lock on that series, which required a blood sacrifice.
’So that if the one who entered here asked the wrong questions... He wouldn’t have enough strength to escape from here alive...’
