The Inverted Tower 8

I began to stagger down the path. The main effect of the poison was the damage, and thanks to my poison resistance I was only take a few points per second. I now had over 100k hp so I would not be dying anytime soon. The real cause of discomfort were the other effects of the poison.

My vision had become extremely blurred. It was like I was looking at everything through a foggy mirror. I could vaguely tell where things were, but I was unable to make out the details.

Eventually I was forced to lean on Bailey who had caught up to me. She did not resist and took the initiative to put me arm around her shoulder.

I could hear the faint sound of footsteps behind us, but all of them seemed as disoriented as my own. I could only wonder what had happened to them. I only thought for a moment before signaling Bailey to stop. If the rest of the party had decided to come this way, we may as well travel together.

We ended up waiting for around 29 minutes for the rest of the party to catch up. I could tell they had arrived because of their loud footsteps had stopped moving. Hylia's familiar voice echoed in my head.

"The left route was completely impassable. If we had continued, we would have died."

I nodded at her information. It only confirmed what I already knew. I only thought for a moment before recounting what I had figured out from the tombstone. She listened intently, her face going pale when she realized the error she had made, not that I was able to see it.

I was quiet for a moment before I spoke again. "We have our differences, but the only way we are going to get through this thing is by working together. If we act independently, we will all die."

"Exactly, this is what I have been trying to do all along. If you have not noticed Sierra and Leisha will do as I suggest. We have been training as a team, with me as the squad leader."

I would have looked at the two if I could, but with my vision gone I could only stare blankly into space. "Moving as a squad is not a bad goal. Unfortunately, I will not blindly follow orders. On the first floor if I had not acted, we would have died."

There was silence for a long moment. The first awkward silence that had ever existed between us. Finally, she spoke.

"You're not the only heir. There is a total of 4 more. The Necromancer King's legacy is divided into a total of 10 books. Each of you control 2. The books are linked, and you will instinctively seek each other out. Only one of you can come out alive. The stronger your necromancy becomes, the more you will be drawn to the others; and the easier it will be for them to find you."

"Your necromancy is strong. Far stronger than any of the other abilities you currently have at your disposal. But you do not have to only develop this way. When you took up the mantle of the fallen you also gained access to the archery tree. Using your [Arcane Shot] as a base you can follow this path."

I looked at her for a long moment. At least what I assumed was her. "I understand the risks, and I will be careful. But I am not a puppet. Not for the Necromancer King, not for the Goddess of War, and not for the Fallen God of Archery. I will make my own path. I have no interest in the other paths of necromancy. The thought of them sickens me. Nor do I want to blindly walk the path of Archery."

"My guns, my grenades, they will be what takes me forward. I will walk this path even if I must walk alone. I thought I could count on you to have my back. But it seems that it is not the case."

I could not see so I did not bother to look at her any longer. And if I could I would not want to see the look she had on her face. Whatever it was, would only serve to hurt me further.

I gestured for Bailey to continue forward. We still needed to clear this floor, and whatever drama we were having would not stop that. The journey forward was quiet, but I could hear the steps of the girls behind us. They too knew that for now we would need to work together. It was the only way we could survive.

We did not walk long before we came to a stop. I had no idea what was before us, but thankfully Hylia was nice enough to describe it to me. Her voice was much softer than normal, even if it were only a telepathic voice, or perhaps because it was a telepathic voice, I could sense the hurt inside of her.

"We are in a large room. There are no further passages. In the middle of the room is a strange obelisk. There are words written on it, but I cannot understand it. This is the only object here. "

I thought for a moment, listening to the others replies. None of them could understand it either. I sighed. I would be the only one who had any sort of chance at deciphering the words. I asked her to describe them as I slowly traced the letters in my mind.

The letters slowly began to form into words in my mind, but they made no sense to me. I could only repeat them to the others. Hopefully, our combined Knowledge would be able to find an answer.

"The sound of death causes us to bleed. It causes us to crawl and reflect on our loss."

"The poison of vanity robs us of our sight, putting an end to the illusions that surround us."

"Only when the division ends can a group advance forward. Only when you work together can the truth behind the words be seen."