Chapter 14

Lewis's stats had fallen to the equivalent of a Low D-Rank all the way from a Low C-Rank, and he felt it. Everything he did was at less than half of what he could normally do. During raids, while waiting for the letter from Aaru, he was left behind, receiving looks of disappointment and repulsion. The high D-Class dungeons he could normally do with ease, were now laborious, and ended with him being heavily injured and fatigued. Despite their wishes, Lewis ignored Vernon, Ariel and Joshua from Hephaestus, and continued to delve into the dungeons. He even raided the lower class ones that appeared in the area, solo. The only good to come out of never giving up on the challenge, was his new skills, and leveling up of his existing skills. He received Basic Spear Arts, which included the handling of a lance, which increased his knowledge for the usage of the Kobold's Lance he had received a few weeks ago. His Novice Swordsmanship had ranked up to Adept Swordsmanship. He also learned new properties of the Jungle Vine Blessing, including Jungle Armor, which consisted of his vines wrapping around him and melding to his body to create a full body armor. Though it limited the use of the vines, he was able to use them to attack with up to eight vines that disconnected from his back.

The other trait he earned was Jungle Symbiosis, which allowed Lewis to feel with his vines, as well as adopt control over other vine-like vegetation to aid him. Making any jungle or swamp his perfect biome. Right now, he was in that very biome. The surroundings were filled with a dark fog that hung low and dense, shadows of trees and underbrush, as well as the soothing sound of swamp frogs and critters, croaking and chirping harmonically. Lewis stood in murky, muddy water that was waist high, his vine armor donned, and feeling out the currents. There were vines all over the swamp, both in the murky depths, and hanging from trees. The currents were calm and continuous, nothing but the occasional bottom feeding fish or crustacean disturbing them.

"I see why this is called the Impassable Swamp. Nothing has happened since I entered, the only thing is the sound of the native animals, dim lighting, murky water, and anxiety caused by anticipation for an attack. So people turn back at what they call the 'Crooked Tree Campsite'." Lewis talked to himself as he reached the only dry land since the entrance of the dungeon. On it was an extremely crooked and ashen colored tree with mangled branches, as well as a well used campsite with a firepit and a multitude of abandoned camping equipment.

"Nobody goes past this point? I can't sense anything beyond, but there is an ominous feeling about the tree…" Lewis began inspecting the tree, his vines slithered away from his face while he did so. The tree seemed to breathe with a steady motion, perhaps caused by the dim light and fog, but Lewis touched the bark, only to feel a wet slimy sensation instead of bark. The vines enveloped his bare hand and face quickly as Lewis jumped back upon looking at his hand. The tree looked ashen in the dim light and fog, but it was covered in blood that seemed to exude endlessly from its porous surface.

[Cursed Blood Tree

Age: 294,780

Rating: 656

STR: 408  CHA: 138

DEX: 307  MAG: 1100

INT: 1000  CON: 983]

"What's an S-Class monster doing in a low D-Class dungeon?" Lewis exclaimed, suddenly feeling the need to escape like all those before him.

"It is my home. What are you doing here, human?" A voice whispered in response to Lewis's question. Lewis stopped panicking, and looked at the tree in astonishment.

"Was that, you?" Lewis asked the tree.

"I answered your question first, answer mine next." The tree seemed to respond back. Lewis looked at the tree in confusion, before remembering it had in fact asked a question.

"I'm here to clear this dungeon and gain experience with my skills." Lewis replied.

"You call this a dungeon… how fitting. Truly, it does feel like I've been locked away here, abandoned by the light." The tree stated in a woeful tone.

"You were abandoned by the light? Did… did this place look different than now?" Lewis calmed down and picked a crate up, setting it down and sitting.

"Human, I have witnessed many of your kind flee in terror from their own minds, yet here you stay, conversing with me. Would you… perhaps listen to my story?" The tree asked Lewis.

"I believe I have time, yes." Lewis answered.

"Then connect your vines to mine, I sense you have a masterful sense with them. I will show you a time before the dark fogs swallowed this land." There was movement in the ground, and vines rose, connected to the tree, slowly and reached out towards Lewis. Lewis stared, wary, but decided to trust the tree and the vines on his back loosened and entwined with the trees'. Immediately Lewis was drawn into a different space, or rather, his mind was. The surroundings were bright, multiple structures made from the environment dotted the landscape. A large lake and a multitude of streams flowed beautifully throughout the land. The tree itself was strikingly exotic, with red bark and rainbow leaves. It held enticing fruits that bloomed in gold and silver. There was laughter and the joyous sounds of life.

"Many millennia ago, life flourished in these lands, peace ensued and the people lived in harmony. I was a nymph, a nymph born of a Yggdrasil seedling. I watched over the lands lovingly, like a guardian, my only wish was to protect their smiles." The scene proceeded, a young woman stood next to the tree, her hair was silver, tipped in gold. She wore a red dress and had wings made from the illusion of a rainbow. Her skin was soft and delicate, with a pale glow akin to moonlight, and ears were pointed outwards slightly, similar to the elves of lore. She stared out happily from the knoll the tree stood atop of, at the villages below. 

"The villagers would come up to me, leave me gifts and sing me beautiful songs." Again, the scene changed and the tree was decorated with lanterns and ribbons of gold and silver. Around her were platters of food and handmade objects. She was surrounded by a multitude of beautiful people with flowing silver or gold hair, their ears were also pointed, only more exaggeratedly, their skin fair like the white petals of daisies. They danced and laughed around the nymph, and she danced and laughed with them. But they all stopped when a woman in a dress that looked to be made from the light of the moon itself. She opened her mouth, and she began to sing;

"Vo trit bril syit ji fal sed letri

E votreli euti vetri gilni teli votre

Edrei e brilei voli nilye, teli nilsi cavi nileti vuli nilyi

Li hie siutre cavi sautre ko seutri-" 

The scene got drowned out as Lewis got lost in the sung poem. It was about a seedling that had grown atop a knoll, gazing down at the war torn lands with sorrow. It spoke about how the seedlings' leaves, once they had grown tall, caught the attention of the people, and ended their war, finally bringing peace.

"In these times, the elves were happy, the multiple warring tribes came together under peace and swore to it beneath my leaves. I witnessed it all with great relief and happiness… Oh how I miss that happiness." The tree spoke with great regret in her voice. The scene changed, and the nymph was sitting beneath the tree, petting a purple squirrel creature with taller ears and a bushier tail. As she was, two elves came running up to her, a boy and a girl, they had hopeful and panicked looks on their faces.

"Oh Great Guardian of the Sacred Tree, we plead with you! Please marry us, and sanctify our bond." The female elf cried to the nymph, the nymph nodded and placed the animal down. 

"But of course children, but why do you rush so?" The nymph replied, her voice reminded Lewis of music, laughter, love, and joy. As if her very words carried all the blissful feelings of life.

"Our families wish to keep us away from each other, by marrying us off to the evil clans!" The male looked away with great pain in his voice, as well as spite. They were oddly beautiful, more so than the ones he had seen previously.

"Oh no! Well, I shall not permit such pure love to be thoughtlessly ripped apart. I shall sanctify your love, her under my leaves." The nymph brought the two together and made their love sacred, a rainbow crest appeared on each of their left wrists. The scene changed again, the smiling faces of the elves fading into the next. The next one was the nymph, staring out at the villages in horror and grief. Smoke filled the air, and the echoing screams of the village reverberated high into the sky. Lewis witnessed the village being burned, dark clad soldiers marching through the streets, murdering everyone that had the misfortune to cross their paths. The images were so clear, Lewis could see the soldiers' smiling faces, upturned in glee and ecstasy. The villagers ran towards the nymph and were pleading for her to save them, but the nymph looked on in sadness and remorse. The rules that bound her were absolute, the laws of casualty prevented her from interfering with mortal wars directly.

The soldiers marched directly up to the nymph, halted and turned to the side as four figures approached the tree. Two were upright and clad in the dark armor, but they wore no helm and were adorned with purple accents to the black armor. The other two were the elves from the previous scene, though they looked somewhat older. They were being dragged along with ropes, though they walked, it was like prisoners on their way to the execution block. The small company halted directly before the nymph, and the purple squirrel ran down the tree, and up the arm of the younger of the two black haired elves. If Lewis had to compare, the elves he had been seeing were like life and hope, while the dark ones were like death and despair. The young man snapped his fingers, and the married elves were brought forward and put on their knees, the man reached down and grabbed the woman's wrist, turning it so the rainbow crest could be seen. 

"This is your handiwork, yes? No, don't respond, I already know. Young Yggdrasil seed, you stole my bride from me with this action of sacred marriage. Though I cannot go against you directly, I could not let such slightment stain my honor. I come here today, to take away what belongs to you, or what you most cherish. So, I burned the lands, salted the fields, flooded the roads, raped and murdered the people, and now!... I take the heads of the ones you sanctified!" The man started talking as if he were reading an edict, at the end, he had raised a sword and cleanly cut the two lovers down in a single stroke. The rainbow crests on their wrists faded out, and the man turned to leave. His soldiers followed suit and began retreating down the slopes, their objective accomplished, the young man felt his revenge complete. But the nymph became enraged, the clouds split, the earth shook, the waters rose, and the man looked back with a smile.

"You may be as angry as you wish Yggdrasil seed! But you cannot harm me by the laws of casualty! Ahahaha!" The man laughed in glee.

"Casualty? Who gives a damn." The nymph had changed, her leaves fell and the branches twisted. Red blood began to flow from the trunk, the blood of the elves that had been slain. The nymph lost her wings of light, replaced by shadows, the regretful souls of the massacred elves. Her dress became black, like the ash and soot of the burning lands and people. Her eyes changed to gray, symbolizing the abandonment of her duties. Her skin became dark, like the flooding, muddy waters. Her hair lost all its color and became white, like the salt used in the fields. Her voice carried the screams of all who were wronged, she was now the embodiment of wrath and judgment. The man's face changed to that of fear, now that the nymph had abandoned the great light of Yggdrasil, he now faced its equally large shadow. With a cry that thundered throughout the heavens, and rendered the earth, the nymph called forth all her power and swallowed up the man and his army. The earth and waters tore apart the land, changing it, erasing it. All that was left after the squall, was a marshland and the smoke that never dissipated, instead it settled like a fog.

Lewis stared out at the scene with his own eyes, now back in reality, tears fell from his eyes as the still lingering emotions of the nymph held effect on him. Now that he looked closely, he could see broken structures, half buried in mud and encased in vegetation.

"They killed so many innocent elves, simply over a marriage?" Lewis questioned the now deceased man's motives.

"A marriage I sanctified. The suffering of the elves was caused by me. I didn't realize that my selfish decision would cause my world to crumble. I simply wished to appease and please the elves that loved me. I wanted to protect their smiles and happiness, but I failed. I abandoned my light to atone, and took my revenge on the Dark Elves, while also trying to bury my regrets along with them. But still, their structures haunt me with their shadowy silhouettes in the murky darkness of the marshes I created." The tree blamed herself.

"But, it wasn't your fault. It was the fault of the two elves that selfishly requested your blessings without telling you who or why they were being married off. Forgive me for my assumptions, but it looked like they were to be married off to keep peace, and when they disregarded that for their own love, then they forsook their people. You simply followed your heart and chose to believe them. They took advantage of your kindness and exploited it, this is none of your fault. The Dark Elves got what they deserved, who cares about light and dark? Being true to yourself is and always will be, the only way to live. I see your actions as nothing but just, and I see no wrong in what you did." Lewis explained to the tree while staring out at where the villages once were, every word was heartfelt and honest. The tree was silent, but a hand touched Lewis, and he turned back towards the tree. The nymph stood before him, staring into his eyes, searching for even a hint of lies in them. Her gray eyes were tired and full of hope as she looked at Lewis.

"You too have witnessed great sorrows and darkness in life. I can feel and see it in your heart. I see how honest and true you are to yourself, giving no mercy to those that dare wrong you or what you cherish. How alike we are, how sad it is. It has been so long since I last felt kindness, you have given me something I have wished for but given up on long ago. I thank you, human." The nymph wrapped her arms around Lewis and whispered. Lewis stood, frozen, unsure of how to respond. The nymph smelled like earth and salt water with hints of rose. Though he was still weary, Lewis hugged the nymph, though awkwardly, back.

[A contractible familiar has been detected in the vicinity-]

"I can never atone enough for what I did, but I feel like your words carried a truth you firmly believe in. I won't quit atoning, but I also feel like the elves wouldn't want me to stay stuck in… this dungeon, for all eternity. Perhaps, you would take me along with you?" The nymph looked at Lewis with hopeful eyes. Lewis turned away, his face flushed red.

"It is dull here, it'd be a waste for someone as beautiful as you to waste away in this place, so yeah, I'll take you along." Lewis agreed to take the nymph, who smiled in reply. 

[You have contracted the Familiar; Yggdrasil's Lost Nymph. The Cursed Blood Tree will now be itemized…]

As soon as the message appeared, the tree began to shrink and reform until it was a small crimson colored ring of wood. The nymph picked the ring up, and presented it to Lewis.

"Now you can carry me wherever you go, and I won't be a burden." The nymph smiled. Lewis took the ring and placed it on his right middle finger, it shaped perfectly to his size. The moment Lewis put the ring on, the dungeon began to shake and rattle, the land shifted and the waters bubbled. Lewis's armor fully enveloped his body and he readied the lance.

"I knew they wouldn't let me leave." The nymph sighed.

"Who wouldn't let you leave?" Lewis questioned the Nymph. Lewis stared out at the murky swamp water, a bone hand with broken black armor burst through the surface, slowly followed by the rest of its body. 

"The dark elven army that I buried here." The nymph replied with sadness in her voice. Lewis looked at the fully clad, black armored skeleton.

[Skeleton Unit (Swordsman)

Age: 214,780

Rating: 19.3

STR: 30  CHA: 1

DEX: 20  MAG: 50

INT: 5  CON: 10]

It would have seemed harmless, if it weren't for the fact that the entire army was bursting through from the depths of the swamp. Not all of the skeletons were the same, and not all of what rose from the water was a skeleton. In particular, was an old withered corpse that still had rotted flesh and some long dirty green and gray hair. The green seemed to be a form of algae or possibly mold.

[Undead Knight (Swordmaster)

Age: 218,827

Rating: 53.3

STR: 77  CHA: 6

DEX: 63  MAG: 108

INT: 24  CON: 42]

"That old man looks extremely dangerous… at the moment." Lewis spun his lance and took a ready stance.

"I can help, just point me in the right direction." The nymph stood next to Lewis and confidently stated.

"Just crush a few skulls then. It would be fun to kill them again, don't you think? Which reminds me…" Lewis remembered a certain immortal goddess that was currently busy cleaning the entire third floor of Ariel's house. The nymph looked at Lewis for a moment, nodded, and took off towards the approaching skeleton units. Some carried spears, others had swords, and most carried bows. An arrow bounced off of Lewis's vine armor, alerting him to the skeleton archers. Lewis dashed towards the archers and slashed upwards on the first one, shattering its arms and followed through with a thrust through its skull. The skeleton dropped and Lewis used the vines to pierce through another three. Sword and spear wielding skeletons began to march towards him, but Lewis was ready. The lance became a weapon of death as he danced through their ranks, shattering their bones and skulls, taking their means of attack away before ending them. The archers shot at Lewis continuously with no effect, he looked like the swamps guardian with his armor that blended well with the marshland. The nymph was even more impressive looking like a true angel of death as she took care of multiple skeletons at a time with the vines and trees of the swamp. The Undead Knight remained unmoving, watching and calculating. Lewis crushed the skull of the final skeleton that had surrounded him, but an army stood between him and the boss. Lewis approached, his lance in a ready position. As soon as he stepped back into the water, the vines underneath the muddy surface became his, and he could sense exactly how many were left. Roughly two hundred between him and the boss, with that number in mind, he dashed forward, ignoring the killing blows, simply just cutting them down on his way towards the undead knight. The knight watched Lewis approach, and drew his blade, a single edged black blade without a single flaw, despite its age and amount of time spent buried deep in the muddy marshes.

"Getting ready to greet me huh?" Lewis smiled, though he was equivalent to a mid thirties in rating, he felt no extreme pressure from facing the stronger opponent. The skeletons began to ignore Lewis and marched towards the nymph. Lewis stopped in front of the knight and swung his lance in a backwards circle, grabbing it as it came forward and crouched in a launching position. The knight stood, no opening presented itself, the blade remained directly in front of its body. Lewis rocketed towards the knight and thrust the lance forward, half throwing it and catching the end with his forward hand, giving it extra force. The knight deflected the attack, but was rattled from the impact. Lewis stopped abruptly, causing the water around him to splash explosively as he turned his whole body while swinging the lance with it. The knight twisted its upper torso and brought the blade up and pointed it downwards along his upper torso and neck, effectively blocking the attack. The sound of metal against metal rang out hauntingly in the swampy mist.

"Human, the skeletons are acting strange. They've left me and are gathering in a concentrated area near your position… I feel a very ominous energy, an energy that makes me feel chilled to the core." The nymph spoke from within the ring.

"I'll deal with them later!" Lewis shouted as he blocked a very swift slash that shook his whole body. The vines lashed out and caused the knight to deflect and retreat, giving Lewis some breathing room. The lance was disadvantageous in super close combat situations, its longer reach meant to keep the opponent within a certain attack range. Lewis watched the knight wearily, the knight stood unmovingly, an unsettling chill filled the air, and Lewis glanced towards the skeletons that had gathered in an extremely condensed area. The knight took off towards the skeletons and joined their fray. Lewis hadn't realized, but thousands of skeletons had gathered in that single spot, most of them didn't wear any armor, rather rags and farming tools. Some even looked like the skeletons of children, the biggest hint to what they were.

"The murdered villagers?" Lewis watched in confusion as the fog began to swirl around them, being drawn towards them. The fog became darker around the skeletons, turning back into smoke, filling the air with the smell of soot and death. Lewis remained in confusion, unsure of what was happening, a dark void replaced the area, and then simply dispersed. The skeletons and the undead knight stood there for a moment before they crumbled to dust, their life force suddenly sucked away from them.

"RUN HUMAN!" The nymph screamed inside Lewis's head. Lewis shook himself and shot backwards, just as a dark energy exploded in the spot he stood. Lewis searched the area, his sight landing on a shadowy figure approaching from within the fog. Lewis stood at the ready, cold sweat beading from within the armor. The figure broke through from the fog, and Lewis immediately recognized the young man from the final vision. He looked almost exactly the same as he did from the scene, the only difference being his ghostly white skin, glossy eyes, and broken black and purple armor.

"A human? Where is the seedling? I can sense her nearby… ah, she's on your right hand." The man asked his questions, discovered where the ring was, and within that brief moment of him talking and Lewis blinking, a severe pain wracked the right side of his body. Lewis went to grab his shoulder, only to find that it was gone. Lewis looked up back towards the dark elf, he held Lewis's right arm in his hand, the lance still gripped in it.