4 The Artifact

The walk into town gave Doc time to take in his new surroundings. The place was very lush with greenery everywhere.

He continued flipping the wood piece into the air and catching it when he stopped.

Looking at the object he thought for a moment before removing his knife and making a slight cut on his finger.

He dropped some blood on the object and felt a strange connection to the wood piece.

With a whoosh, the wood piece disappeared into his body after shining. Simultaneously, he felt his body being pulled by invisible hands.

Blinking his eyes, Doc was shocked when he discovered that he was no longer on the road into town!

Surrounding him was nothing but darkness.

"Who are you?" a voice rumbled from the void.

"Hello?" Doc said unsure of what was going on.

"Where's the boy? Where's Lin?"

"Lin was murdered by a person from the Purple Mongoose Sect," Doc responded carefully.

"How did the artifact come to you?" The voice rumbled.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the boss of this place, answer my question!"

"How do I get out of here?" Doc asked.

"You can't leave until I say you can," the voice said.

"Really?"

"Yes!" the voice insisted.

Doc felt around and knew that wherever he was, it was a floor. He stood up and walked through the darkness.

"What are you doing? Do you think you can get out of here by walking around?" The voice laughed.

Doc didn't respond but kept walking. Not long after, he bumped into a wall. He placed his hand against the wall and followed it around.

"How do you turn on the lights?" Doc muttered to himself. Almost as soon as he asked the question, a solitary light brightened.

"So that's how it is...Light up the whole place!" Doc yelled.

The single light's rays spread throughout until everything could be clearly seen.

Doc looked in surprise as he saw a purple mongoose about the size of a cow sitting next to a wall.

"What a coincidence, Yu Mei was right, this artifact sent that poor boy to his death. Or maybe it was you," Doc looked at the mongoose.

The Mongoose made a hissing noise and looked like it was about to attack him.

"Restrain this creature!" Doc commanded. The mongoose was wrapped in several bindings and dragged down to the floor.

"As I thought, this place is under my command. You aren't supposed to be here. Why did you trick that boy to his death?

The mongoose stared at Doc with hatred.

"You aren't going to answer? Then I suppose I should see if this place can put you down, for good."

"Wait!" The mongoose didn't use its mouth to speak but Doc could hear him.

"What is this, telepathy?" He asked.

"Don't kill me, I will speak!" The creatures cried out in panic. Doc could see its eyes and instead of hatred, there was fear.

"Well then, get on with it!"

The creature hesitated but began speaking, "The Purple Mongoose Sect is mine. I once had a little fellow like Lin who gained possession of this artifact. I guided him, and he created the Purple Mongoose."

"Why?"

"I need resources so that I can recover," the creature spat.

"Why not use the boy?"

He was useless. What should I do? Creating the Purple Mongoose Sect to the point where they could supply me with what I needed took nearly three hundred years.

You think I wanted to go through all of that again?"

"How did Lin end up with this artifact?"

"That idiot Sect Master got himself killed in a battle and the artifact separated from him. This thing has been lying in the dirt for more than a hundred years.

Then that boy found it. I thought it was finally my chance, but then I discovered that not only was the boy not part of my sect but that he hated it.

There was no way to get him to return the artifact to them. My only hope was to trick the boy into getting killed by the sect and then maybe one of them would find me."

Doc reflected on the creature's words. "You said that you needed resources to recover, you aren't the artifact. A previous owner perhaps? What happened to you?"

"Yes, it's true I was once a master of this artifact, but I was nearly killed in a battle and retreated into the artifact.

I've been here for more than a thousand years. If I leave I die, but staying here is driving me crazy!"

Nodding his head Doc walked to the creature, "Kids are easier to manipulate. The adults wouldn't listen to you, or maybe you were afraid of them."

The mongoose studied Doc carefully, it seemed unsure of him.

"How does this place work, you've been here so long that I'm sure he can give me a tutorial," Doc smiled lightly at the beast.

"I can, but you have to promise not to kill me...and you must bring me resources. I will trade a piece of information for a resource of equivalent value," The creature did its best imitation of a human smile.

"Forget it, you just want to drag this on forever. I can probably figure this place out before you give me anything valuable," Doc pulled out his sword.

The beast panicked, "Wait, we're negotiating here, don't be in a hurry. I've been here for so long, you can't possibly understand this place so quickly. A good teacher can save a thousand miles of needless travel!"

"Only, you aren't a good teacher but a malicious beast who leads children to their deaths!" Doc pointed his sword at the creature.

"I pronounce you guilty of murder, the sentence is death!" Without hesitation, Doc stabbed the creature through its eye.

Before it had a chance to speak again, the last movements of life came to an end.

Looking at the creature, Doc kicked it a couple of times.

"If the creature isn't dead, dispose of it!"

Doc watched as the body of the creature was invaded by multiple lights. It cried out and struggled against its restraints.

"I knew it, still alive!" Doc was shocked, he thought it was dead, but instead, it was playing possum.

"Mercy!" It cried, but then it stopped moving a little later. It was then that its body exploded into countless light particles and disappeared into the walls of the artifact.

"Let me out!" Doc commanded, and it was then that he felt like someone had shoved him from behind. When he opened his eyes, he was on the road once more.

"Incredible!"

"Mission, complete one fantasy trope to activate the system is complete."

[Versatile Intelligence Combat and Knowledge Innovation System online.]

[Updating...VICKI activating the Cultivation Tropes System.]

[Activation, complete.]

[Hello Dr. Garrick, it is good to work with you once again.]

"VICKI?!"