章 57: Chapter Fifty Seven
'Todesfußler' That was the name granted to her. The dungeon had needed a master, a queen, and it had birthed her.
Her days as a dungeon master were not one she recalled. Not entirely. From the moment she was created, there was only one thought occupying her mind.
Eat and grow stronger.
So she did. She waited, and when a creature wandered into her domain, she devoured them, she devoured everything, animals, weak adventurers with dreams of grandeur, even other monsters, unable to overcome her and her many young. Sometimes she and her children devoured them directly, sometimes the dungeon did the devouring.
Consume. Become. Each morsel strengthened her, honed her senses, expanded her domain. Soon she had two floors, and the second floor became her throne, her world. The first floor she granted to her subjects, her children. Her army.
Her dungeon was hidden, well hidden within a forest not visited often. The visits were steady, an adventurer here and there, a monster her and there.
Then, there were the memories. With each morsel came memories she never cared for. She had no need for them, it wouldn't make her stronger so she ignored it, unknowingly stunting her own growth.
Still, the memories bled in, whether she wanted them to or not. An inevitability. Fragments of information slipped through the gaps.
Which was why, when it happened, she hesitated.
A downpour of nothing but death in its purest form fell upon her. A waterfall of destruction, purple and maleficent crashed unto her dungeon.
Was it an attack? She wondered (something she had never did) Fragments of memories told her that the attack was exactly like a large body of water falling from the sky, except, water wasn't of that colour. It didn't contain that much pure mana. It didn't reek of death.
The situation confused her, so she hesitated, and her dungeon burned. Corrosive fluids raged, consuming her carefully crafted domain. Acidic tendrils ate through stone, dissolving the very foundations of her throne room. Todesfußler's instincts screamed for her to act, to defend her lair, but the memories—those unwelcome, insistent whispers—clouded her judgment.
The purple deluge persisted, a noxious tide of poison and acid that seemed to sear the air itself. It was as if the very fabric of reality had unravelled, unleashing a maelstrom of corrosive destruction. Her children, her loyal subjects, dissolved into smoking, bubbling masses, their screeches echoing through the dissolving corridors.
Todesfußler's rage and confusion intensified. Who dared unleash this destruction upon her? What dark sorcery wielded such unbridled power?
As the acid ate through the second floor, her throne room began to disintegrate. Todesfußler's thoughts churned with uncharacteristic uncertainty. She recalled snippets of conversations, echoes of the lives she had devoured.
"... dungeon..."
"... mana-tainted..."
"... evolve..."
The memories swirled, refusing to coalesce into understanding. Todesfußler's hesitation deepened, her usually razor-sharp instincts dulled by the cacophony of recollections.
With a snarl, she unleashed her full fury upon the corrosive tide, summoning every shred of power within her. The dungeon itself seemed to shudder, responding to her anguish. Dark energy surged through the dissolving stone, slowing the acid's relentless march.
She followed her will. No. The dungeon's will. The planet's will. Consume. Become. Using the pure, delicious, painful mana to fuel herself and her home.
Behind her real body, the dungeon crystal shone, the mana exceeding its maximum capacity. A bad omen, but she couldn't stop. She couldn't afford to. If she did, the tide would burn right through her dungeon, her domain, her home.
She drank it all, even as it obliterated the inner workings of her body, she continued to consume the seemingly endless mana from the purple tide of certain death.
And then, it stilled. The mana completely consumed, she turned to the dungeon crystal. The crystal was completely fractured, barely holding itself together, containing within it, enough power to create more floors and birth more children than she knew what to do with.
She would evolve?.. mutate?.. it didn't matter, she would weather this and grow stronger and then she would consume everything until there was nothing else.
She began the process.
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She had never cared for time, but the memories told her that seconds had gone by, minutes had gone by, hours had gone by, days had gone by, weeks had gone by, months had gone by, years had gone by. And yet it was only a moment.
Or was it? She never cared for time, but her perception were suddenly warped by the relentless passage of time, her sense of self blurring in the mass.
She was in pain, the dungeon was in pain, her children were in pain, her world was pain.
They came.
At first, it was only two of them, massive creatures half as tall as she was long. Red skin under tattered rags. She wanted to follow the will, to devour and consume. But the pain was always there, waiting for her to be distracted, to completely destroy her remaining sense of self.
They left, and to her surprise, she felt relief, though, the relief was fleeting, a brief respite from the agony that wracked her being. Todesfußler's thoughts churned, her mind a maelstrom of confusion and pain. The memories, once fragmented and ignored, now assailed her with relentless clarity.
She recalled the lives she had devoured, the screams of the damned, and the whispers of the forgotten. The experiences swirled, merging with her own, reshaping her understanding of existence.
The dungeon, once a sanctuary, now felt like a prison. The crystal, fractured and pulsing, seemed to mock her. Its power, once a blessing, now tortured her with promises of evolution and mutation.
More creatures came, led by another who was larger, stronger. She felt fear. They moved with purpose, their end goal obviously fixed on Todesfußler. Her instincts screamed for her to defend herself, but the pain crippled her.
Todesfußler's vision blurred, then clarified, revealing true horror. Her children, once loyal and strong, now writhed in agony. Their forms twisted, corrupted by the purple tide's dark energy. They couldn't even delay the creatures when they were too busy battling themselves.
She knew then that she couldn't consume her way out of this pain. The will that had driven her for so long now seemed hollow, a shallow substitute for understanding.
They reached her throne and she rose to her full length, her many legs scuttled, clicked and skittered, creating a deafening cacophony. Massive mandibles snapped wildly, as she warned the creatures in a vain hope they would listen.
They didn't.
Instantly they attacked her, and she fought back, fought through the agony. Her legs pierced through many of the creatures, evyas they severed them.
Her mandibles cleaved in twain, even as they shattered them.
They fought for hours, although she couldn't tell.
The creature, leading the others spoke, even as his weapon pierced her carapace. With the memories she could barely understand what he was saying.
She watched the creature wreck havoc on her body, ripping it apart even as it instantly healed and restored itself. The only good thing she had gotten from the death tide. More mana than she knew what to do with, so she pushed it to her regeneration.
The creature wasn't deterred though, moving around her body with a grace reminiscent of high ranked adventurers, if the memories were correct.
The memories also told her that the creatures before her was a cyclops, although it looked different from memories said they would be. It was red skinned like any other, but not only was it larger, it was completely striped with black markings, markings that suddenly extended unto her her body.
The creature was still speaking, and she struggled to understand. Suddenly she felt something from the creature and she understood his words, though she wished she hadn't.
"Hmmmm so much raw power, yet you cannot use it." He said. "It's not your fault however, as you're still quite young, but my people come first." The markings glowed a blinding darkness. "Your name. I shall take it."
////
In the depths of her lair, a mirror-like pool reflected her image. Todesfußler gazed upon her own visage, and for an instant, a flicker of recognition danced in her eyes. A ghostly smile played on her lips.
Todesfußler's attention shifted to the ruins above, where the group of adventurers dared to trespass. Her domain. Her prey. A calculated smile spread across her face.
"Time to feast," she whispered, voice like the soft rustling of dry leaves.
Shadows around her began to stir, responding to her unspoken command. Her children surged forward scurrying through the earth. She allowed herself to be swept by the pseudo tide they created.
This would be the first time she would consume since her evolution.
////
Kitti's confusion deepened. "You don't remember your name?" she repeated, incredulity lacing her voice.
The shielder's expression turned introspective, his grey eyes clouding. "I...I...my name...nothing."
Jean's brow furrowed. "This isn't right. We've been fighting together for hours. You're representing Maple Tree, aren't you?"
The shielder's gaze drifted, as if searching for answers within himself. "Maple Tree...yes. I'm certain of that. But my name...it's gone."
Shade stepped forward, concern etched on his face. "We need to focus on the ruins. Traps and magical wards await. This can wait. Bekhan, do you see anything strange from here" he turned to the mage of his party. "How about you...?"
Bone nodded, folding his map. "Agreed. We can't afford distractions."
Bekhan's eyes narrowed. "But what if this is connected to the dungeon? What if knowing his name is crucial?"
Kitti's thoughts swirled. The shielder's amnesia seemed too convenient, too suspicious. She glanced at him, noticing the unease in his eyes.
Shade stared at the female mage, watching as worry crept into her features. "Shit, I can't remember your name either."
The mage found her breath pacing quickly as she grabbed the sides of her head. "My name... Its gone I can't remember."
Another adventurer called out, a swordsman. "I'm having the same problem, suddenly I can't remember what I'm called... My name is... Empty."
Kitti turned to the adventurer, as Shade called out. "Is there anyone else?"
Three more hands rose up. Two mages and an archer.
"It might have something to do with the ruins." Jean suggested. "Chances are, we'll figure it out there."
The group nodded, forming a tight circle as they ventured deeper into the ruins. Kitti positioned herself beside the shielder, her senses heightened.
As they navigated the ancient structure, eerie silence enveloped them. Vines-covered pillars loomed, casting long shadows. Every step echoed through the stillness.
The shielder stood at the forefront, although his previous confidence seemed to have waned a bit.
Shade's voice was low, cautious. "We don't know what's going on, but we need to be prepared."
The group nodded, their formation tightening.
Suddenly, the ruins around them began to shift, walls crumbling, and the ground trembling.
A voice, like the rustling of dry leaves, whispered through the chaos.
"Welcome, prey."
クリエイターの想い 
SaberGlory
SaberGlory Sorry for the short chapter
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