Chapter 195: Trapped in the Roots

The Great Tartarus — Within the Shell

Gray heard the name and tilted his head, his golden eyes narrowing beneath the shadow of his hood.

"Sigria?"

Cindy nodded, her silver eyes fixed on the tattered uniform with the twin purple star. Her frills had lowered, her small body still in the container of water Lily was carrying.

"Yes. It’s a human kingdom across the sea." She paused, her voice growing quieter. "They must have found the Tartarus before us. But it seems their fate... ended badly."

Gray knelt beside the remains, his gaze sweeping over the bones, the rusted weapons, the shattered armor. Most of it was worthless. Corroded by salt and time, barely recognizable as tools or weapons.

"They’ve been here a long time," he said. "Their equipment is useless. Rusted through. Nothing we can salvage."

Cindy drifted closer in her container, her silver eyes tracing the remains of the fallen explorers. Then her gaze stopped.

"Gray. Look at their fingers."

Gray followed her gaze. One of the skeletons, its bones bleached white and brittle, still wore a ring. It was a simple band of black metal, unadorned and unremarkable, but something about it made his senses prick.

He activated his analysis.

[RING OF STORAGE — RARE ARTIFACT]

« Analysis »

A magical ring enchanted with spatial magic. The ring contains a small pocket dimension used for storing items, supplies, and equipment. The interior space is approximately one cubic meter.

Effect:

· Allows the user to store and retrieve non-living objects from a personal inventory.

· Bound to the wearer. Cannot be transferred while the original owner is alive.

Gray’s eyes widened.

"It’s an inventory ring."

Cindy’s frills lifted with sudden excitement.

"I knew it!" She drifted closer, her silver eyes bright. "These explorers were part of an expedition. They must have been carrying inventory to collect whatever they found on the Tartarus. That’s how they planned to bring everything back."

Gray carefully removed the ring from the skeleton’s finger, handling the bones with surprising gentleness. The ring was cold in his palm, its black metal smooth and seamless.

"Bound to the wearer," he murmured. "Cannot be transferred while the original owner is alive." He paused. "Well, the owner is definitely dead. So it should work."

Cindy nodded eagerly.

"Try it. See if it opens."

Gray focused on the ring, channeling a small thread of mana into it. The black metal pulsed once, then again, and a faint shimmering portal appeared in the air before him. It was small, barely large enough for a hand to reach through, and its interior was dark.

"One cubic meter," he said. "That’s not much. But it’s better than nothing."

Cindy’s frills were practically vibrating with excitement.

"One cubic meter is plenty! We can store the refined essence inside. We can store tools, supplies, anything we find. Gray, this changes everything!"

"Let’s see what’s inside." Gray said.

The contents spilled out onto the moss in a clatter of metal and glass dried rations wrapped in oiled cloth, a small bundle of tools, a pouch that jingled with coins, and several artifacts, each one glowing faintly with its own quiet power.

Cindy’s frills shot up.

"Gray... I think we just found a treasure."

Gray knelt beside the pile, his golden eyes sweeping over the artifacts. He picked up a ring first, its band etched with intricate runes.

[Ring of Focus — Uncommon Artifact]

Increases the wearer’s mana control and enchantment precision by 15%.

He set it aside and picked up a pair of spectacles, their lenses tinted a faint amber.

[Lens of Tongues — Uncommon Artifact]

Allows the wearer to read and understand ancient languages, both written and spoken.

"Useful," he murmured. Then he lifted a small earring, its silver surface warm to the touch.

[Earring of Drowned Star— Uncommon Artifact]

Passively restores a small amount of MP every minute.

He studied the three artifacts for a moment. "Whoever owned this was definitely a woman."

Cindy, meanwhile, had drifted closer to the pouch of coins within her container. She pressed her small hands against the transparent wall, her silver eyes going wide as she studied the glint of gold through the water.

"Gray! These are Sigrian gold coins!" She said. "If we exchange these, we’ll be rich! This is incredible!"

Gray barely glanced at the coins. His attention had locked onto the rations.

He picked up a strip of dried meat wrapped in oiled cloth, turned it over in his hands, and took a bite.

His golden eyes widened.

"Oh. This is really good." He chewed slowly, savoring the flavor. "It’s been so long since I’ve eaten meat."

Cindy turned toward him, her frills tilting.

"Eh? You’ve eaten jerky before?"

Gray froze mid-chew.

’...Shit. My mouth ran off again.’

Before Gray could answer, Lily suddenly darted toward them at full speed.

Cindy turned toward her, frills already lifting with exasperation.

"Lily! Where have you been? If you’re going to wander off, at least tell us! What if you got lost?"

But Lily didn’t stop. She shot right past them, still running.

Gray narrowed his golden eyes and looked past her and there, in the distance, was a pack of Imps.

"Damn that little thing," he muttered. "She brought trouble right to us."

Gray scooped up Cindy’s container with one arm and ran, his boots pounding against the moss-covered shell. Lily streaked ahead, her five points tucked tight, her dark core pulsing with frantic energy.

Behind them, the Imps shrieked.

Gray risked a glance over his shoulder. Five of them. Their pale, hunched bodies scrambled across the shell on all fours, claws digging into the moss, tails lashing like whips. Pupilless crimson eyes burned through the dim light.

"Lily!" Gray shouted. "You led them straight to us!"

Lily pulsed weakly, her dark core flickering with embarrassment, but didn’t slow down.

Cindy pressed her hands against the container walls, her silver eyes wide.

"They’re gaining!"

Gray activated Current Dash, dissolving into the ambient moisture and reforming ten meters ahead. He dashed again, then again, each burst carrying him further across the shell. Lily matched his pace, her dark core blazing.

But the Imps were still coming.

Gray slammed his foot into the shell, activating Tectonic Shift. A jagged spire of stone erupted from the moss behind them, blocking the narrowest part of the path. The first Imp slammed into it at full speed, its body crumpling against the stone.

[TECTONIC SHIFT — 198 DAMAGE]

[NETHER IMP (1) — HP: 3,700 / 4,500]

[STUNNED — 2 SECONDS]

The other Imps skidded to a halt, and one scrambled up the side of the spire, claws finding purchase in the cracks. It bought them seconds.

"The tunnel!" Gray shouted. "If we get inside the shell, we can lose them in the roots!"

They burst through a curtain of hanging moss into the clearing where the tunnel entrance yawned open. Gray dove in without slowing, Cindy’s container clutched against his chest, Lily close behind.

The Imps followed.

Their shrieks echoed through the tunnel, bouncing off the root walls. Gray could feel them through his electroreception, five signatures, spreading out, trying to flank.

"They’re trying to cut us off," he said.

Cindy’s frills stiffened. "What do we do?"

Gray skidded to a halt, set her container down gently, and turned to face the tunnel.

"We stop running."

Lily pulsed once, bright and determined, and positioned herself beside him. Cindy raised her hands, frost gathering at her fingertips.

The first Imp burst through the tunnel, claws scraping against the roots, crimson eyes burning with hunger. Behind it came two more.

Gray raised both hands, Void Reaper’s Lance forming in each palm.

"Come on, then."

The first Imp lunged, its claws scything through the air. Gray met it head-on, driving both Void Reaper’s Lances into its chest.

[VOID REAPER’S LANCE — 296 DAMAGE]

[VOID REAPER’S LANCE — 288 DAMAGE]

[NETHER IMP (1) — HP: 3,116 / 4,500]

[BLEED — 12 DAMAGE PER SECOND]

The creature shrieked, but it didn’t slow. Its tail whipped around, aimed at Gray’s throat. He ducked under it, twisted, and drove his knee into its jaw. The Imp’s head snapped back, its claws flailing.

Cindy’s voice rang out. "[Frozen Prison]!"

Ice erupted around the second Imp, sealing it mid-lunge. The third one veered, trying to flank, but Lily was already there. Her five points spun like saw blades as she carved through its shoulder, dark blood spraying across the roots.

[LILY — VOID SHATTER — 412 DAMAGE]

[NETHER IMP (3) — HP: 3,688 / 4,500]

The first Imp recovered, its crimson eyes blazing. It opened its mouth wide, void energy gathering in its throat.

Gray didn’t give it the chance. He slammed his foot into the ground, activating Tectonic Shift. A spire of stone erupted beneath the Imp, launching it upward. Its void beam fired wild, carving a molten line across the tunnel ceiling.

[TECTONIC SHIFT — 186 DAMAGE]

[NETHER IMP (1) — HP: 2,930 / 4,500]

[STUNNED — 2 SECONDS]

Gray fired Cavitation Pulse directly into its exposed chest.

[CAVITATION PULSE — 312 DAMAGE]

[NETHER IMP (1) — HP: 2,618 / 4,500]

"Lily! The horns!"

Lily darted forward, her enhanced body blazing with void energy. She drove all five points into the cracked horns on the first Imp’s head.

[LILY — VOID SHATTER — 448 DAMAGE]

[NETHER IMP (1) — HP: 2,170 / 4,500]

[HORNS — DESTROYED]

[REGENERATION — DISABLED]

The Imp screamed, its body convulsing. The second Imp broke free of Cindy’s Frozen Prison, shards of ice spraying outward. It lunged toward Cindy’s container, jaws gaping wide.

Gray activated Current Dash, dissolving and reforming directly in front of her. He caught the Imp’s jaws with both hands, his fingers locking around its teeth, and forced it back.

"Wrong target."