Chapter 24: Cathedral of Webs
Each floor of the Labyrinth was massive, measuring at nearly two Districts combined. On the 1st Floor, from the dungeon above to the caverns below, you would rarely encounter people or corpses.
As they passed through other territories, they saw no sign of humans — dead or alive — because each territory was made up of many intertwining cave systems.
The moment they stepped into the goblins’ territory, however, a corpse greeted them. It was a stark reminder of how dangerous this path was, even for an experienced party.
Diana offered the dead a little prayer, while the men did not say a word. They kept moving as if the occurrence were normal — well, because it was. It felt stranger not to see corpses each cycle.
Hugo played his role perfectly, pointing out traps and warning the group of every presence he sensed. The goblins did not dare approach because of his excellent detection work.
That was the thing about goblins. They would either put up a grueling fight or let humans pass easily, depending on whether the humans could cover all their openings.
It was essentially a chess game, where they had to concentrate without losing focus, or the goblins would quickly sense it and attack.
The party moved through the territory for thirty minutes without much disturbance. They passed more corpses, each more macabre than the last. Some were missing an arm, some all their limbs, and some were decapitated.
Nuri stopped counting after the seventh body. He had thought himself ready when he first saw Leonard’s corpse, but seeing the dead one after another in every possible shape started to gnaw at him.
He didn’t fear or feel disgusted, per se. Instead, it was a sunken loneliness at the sight of the corpses slumped against the wall in the dark, knowing they would vanish forever when the Labyrinth closed.
He kept his eyes forward. There would be time to reflect on this journey later — assuming he made it out.
After another stretch of uneventful walking, the cave opened up. Hugo lowered his hand and let out a slow breath.
"We’re through."
It was anticlimactic, sure, but Nuri would rather have that than a climax where they all ended up as corpses.
Murray summoned the map and took a look.
"Rift’s just up ahead," he said.
They took another passage, and around the corner, it opened into an empty alcove, where a single iron sword stood planted in the center of the room.
"This is it," Murray announced. He then motioned Hugo to stand at the entrance. "Guard us."
All Ancient Rifts had specific methods for opening them, and this one was no different. Most of the time, it involved a marking object — like this sword — plus materials and an Essence.
It was almost like a ritual.
Diana summoned four monster materials: Pale Tibia, Steel Hide, Poison Forcipule, and Chilled Fur. She then placed them around the sword as Murray and Nuri talked quietly.
"How about the other two Explorers?" Nuri asked.
"Random. We don’t want external factors to take hold."
"Hm..."
There were two ways to form a party for an Ancient Rift: leave it up to chance, or gather a team of six beforehand.
Ideally, Explorers would choose the latter, but it was harder than it seemed. Because the rewards had to be split six ways, conflicts flared easily. Even close friends could betray one another, let alone strangers. That was the biggest drawback of forming a team beforehand.
Someone with malicious intent could plan ahead and doom everyone.
On the other hand, while randomizing was just as dangerous, it reduced the chance of being stabbed in the back because of how sudden it was. Even if the two random Explorers decided to betray them, it was four against two. Without a solid plan, betrayal would be reduced to a nuisance.
Diana took out the Essence Vial that contained the Blue Spider Essence.
"You guys ready?"
"Ready," they all said in unison.
She slowly raised her hand over the sword, then poured the Essence down.
The sword unleashed a wave of energy so immense it nearly made Nuri fall. The blade glowed crimson for a few seconds, then the red current expanded, crushing the space around it. The void devoured the red fragments of space one by one, forming a portal to the unknown.
Then, a golden translucent window appeared before Nuri.
[An Ancient Rift has been opened on the 1st Floor.]
"Hugo!" Murray hollered.
"Goin’!"
They all sprinted toward the portal like a pack of hyenas spotting meat after months of hunger.
Soon, the red portal swallowed them all.
[Entering an Ancient Rift.]
The portal spat them out into a vast hall of stone and shadow.
The first thing Nuri noticed was the ceiling. It vaulted up so high he could not see where it ended. Stained glass windows lined both sides of the hall and cast colored light across the floor.
However, the figures in the glass weren’t saints or gods.
’What the...’
Goosebumps rose along his arms.
They had too many eyes. Their robes had too many arms. One of them held a child wrapped in silk.
Nuri’s gaze swept up and down. Webs hung from the chandeliers and pooled in the corners. Resin coated the stone pillars. There were egg sacs the size of melons, nestled in the dark alcoves.
A golden window flickered in front of him.
[You have entered the Cathedral of Webs.]
Nuri felt the others arrive at his back. Murray, Diana, and Hugo were already taking in the hall. None of them could manage more than gasps and strained expressions. Diana made a small gesture across her chest, but she didn’t finish it.
Two more portals cracked open before them, revealing two figures who would be their life-and-death companions in this twisted cathedral.
The first portal left behind a tall young man with slicked-back dark hair and a long spear. The second left a woman in dark leathers with short red hair, a bow, and twin daggers holstered at the hips.
She glanced at Nuri’s party once, then looked back at the spearman with scrutinizing eyes, as if he was the more interesting threat.
Nuri didn’t need a second look to know they were formidable. The rest of the squad knew it too — they had already assumed defensive stances.
The spearman titled his head and smiled.
"Six already," he said. "Good. Let’s get to the introductions."
