Cultist of Cerebon - Chapter 31

Vidhatri very much disliked Jabal-Alma and could not wait until they could leave this loathsome hole in the ground.

She’d already been here for several days, which was far too long for her tastes.

Not because its residents seemed duplicitous and vaguely murderous, though that didn’t help, but because these insane ogres decided to build their settlement underground! Vidhatri hadn’t been making an idle comment when she had said that the only people who lived beneath the earth were dwarves and lunatics.

When Zareth told her that Jabal-Alma was built around a cenote, she had reluctantly tolerated the idea, imagining an open-air oasis that was only a few steps away from the light of the sun. But instead of a village where the earth’s embrace was a mere gentle touch, she found a smothering hold that threatened to suffocate her. Every moment that she spent here evoked fractured memories from a past that she would rather forget, years spent being moved from cage to cage far beneath the cold dark earth and far from the reach of the rest of the world.

Vidhatri often thanked the Weaver that she hadn’t obtained [Perfect Recall] until long after her god’s faithful rescued and took her in when she was little more than a half-starved, feral little creature. She had sworn then that she would repay Cerebon in any way she could, dedicating her life to becoming the perfect instrument of his will. This was the only reason why she had willingly followed Cerebon’s chosen servant to this abysmal settlement, despite every fiber of her being recoiling at the notion.

Vidhatri had tried her best to rid herself of these… shameful feelings that were so unworthy of a Senior Fleshwarper trained within one of the most war torn regions of Zumair. She had seen and done things that would leave most people paralyzed with horror, yet the mere presence of the earthen walls around her made it difficult to keep her composure.

Still, she must be doing better at maintaining her composure than she suspected, because nobody was paying her any attention as she watched Zareth speak with the leaders of these strange ogres. Despite Rizok’s fears, nobody had managed to discover Zareth’s deception regarding the full capabilities of [Eye of Cerebon].

Zareth’s thirty-five Willpower could only support seven of the eyes, though that isn’t what he’d reported to the Chieftain. One was in his golem, one remained with him, and another was kept as a spare. That meant that the remaining four were grafted into several of Chieftain Murog’s most loyal warriors.

Ever since then, Murog had been meeting Zareth ostensibly, so that they could discuss the human’s future claim over this territory and come to some manner of understanding, but the darker undertones were not lost on Vidhatri.

It wasn’t even worth devoting [Parallel Minds] to keep track of the conversation as far as she was concerned.

The Chieftain, who looked the part of a warrior but behaved like a snake, agitated Vidhatri even more than she already was and made it near impossible to pay any attention to what was being said. Instead, she had to focus on suppressing the rising agitation that writhed like a wild beast beneath her flesh.

Vivid images of herself tearing apart these deceitful vermin before escaping this dark, oppressive prison passed through her mind. Gore and viscera painted her thoughts, and she found her violent ideas more appealing by the moment.

Why bother with these tedious deceptions when violence could solve the matter so much more quickly? Vidhatri doubted that these ogres could keep their secrets while being unmade by her expert hands. Zareth wouldn’t approve but she was sure he would forgive her so long as the results were favorable…

It would only take a single moment. The [Chieftain] exuded the presence of someone around level forty, but a surprise attack would allow her to eviscerate him before anyone could react…

Vidhatri could feel her flesh shifting in response to her thoughts, no longer just a metaphorical sensation but a literal readiness to end this banal charade and cover these walls with thei—

“Is there something wrong?”

Vidhatri snapped back to reality, her thoughts of bloodshed and violence dismissed by the feeling of Rizok’s scaly hand on her shoulder. Turning to face him, Vidhatri saw that Rizok was studying the surrounding ogres with a tense expression, and she couldn’t help but let out a startled laugh.

It was clear that Rizok had noticed her murderous contemplation and mistakenly assumed that she’d noticed an impending threat from the ogres. His protective instincts were strangely endearing, if misplaced, given that she was the most likely source of danger in the room. It surprised Vidhatri at times, how such a competent and experienced soldier looked at her and saw a comrade rather than an unstable threat.

Though she supposed it made sense, given how she had acted since arriving in Tal’Qamar.

You spend a few months without sacrificing any innocents, and suddenly people start treating you like you’re a [Justice Seeker], Vidhatri mused darkly, her lips curling into a sardonic smile. Too much of my time has been dedicated to helping Zareth decipher the tome of Meldorath and helping with whatever problem comes our way. I suppose it makes sense for them not to be afraid.

“There’s nothing wrong, Rizok. I’m merely a bit more tense than I should be,” Vidhatri said placatingly, holding faith that her companion had shielded their conversation from eavesdroppers. “It shouldn’t be a surprise. These people are hardly trustworthy.”

Vidhatri expected that explanation to suffice, but Rizok examined her with a gaze that provoked an… uneasy sensation within her that she didn’t fully understand.

“Are you certain that is all? You’ve been on edge from the moment that we entered Jabal-Alma,” said Rizok, his voice disgustingly gentle. “And I know it isn’t because of these ogres. I’ve been a soldier long enough to know the difference between someone threatened by enemy combatants and someone distressed for entirely different reasons.”

Vidhatri tensed and was prepared to brush Rizok off with a venomous remark, until she noticed his expression and saw nothing but genuine concern.

She didn’t know what it was, but something about Rizok made her reluctant to dismiss him as she would other heathens. Perhaps it was the respect she felt toward him as a warrior and the strange kindness he still possessed despite his extensive experience of this harsh world. Or maybe it was simply the well-mannered way he’d behaved ever since they’d fallen into bed together as transient as Vidhatri expected these kinds of relationships to be with her chosen path.

Regardless of what it was, Rizok was a difficult man to resist at times. But that didn’t mean that Vidhatri was about to bare her soul to a bed partner she’d only known for a scant few months.

“I’m grateful for your concern, but I merely allowed myself to get lost in my thoughts,” Vidhatri said before turning her attention back to the ongoing discussion. “I presume that I haven’t missed anything of actual importance while I was distracted.”

As expected, Rizok allowed her to change the subject without pressing further.

“You haven’t. It’s all just the same nonsense that the Chieftain has been saying for the past few days,” said Rizok. It was only because she knew him that Vidhatri was able to see the veiled animosity in his expression as he looked toward their gracious hosts. “He’s just giving excuses to explain why the warriors Jabal-Alma sent into the tunnels are going to take so long to ‘find a suitable source of crystals.’ Those excuses may even have been believable, if Zareth hadn’t already discovered their treachery and if we didn’t know those warriors are just resting in a provisioned cavern.”

Vidhatri nodded in understanding as she recalled Zareth’s reaction when his plan came to a dead end faster than expected. Rather than unwittingly leading them directly to Jabal-Alma’s secrets, the ogres grafted with [Eye of Cerebon] had only pretended to search for a short while before promptly returning to their little hideaway.

Zareth had not been pleased.

Vidhatri could tell even now that Zareth was seething beneath that genial facade of his, though the human did an admirable job of hiding it. She wouldn’t have expected a human male of his age to be so adept at controlling his emotions, but he may have acquired a suitable Skill due to his leadership position given how little she knew about his Class.

“Hmph. I don’t like this. What could these fools be thinking that they expect delaying the inevitable will work in their favor?” Vidhatri muttered, not bothering to hide her glare towards the ogre Chieftain. There were benefits to her generally abrasive personality, including being able to scowl at whoever she pleased. “Are they not afraid that your military will use their deceit as an excuse to gleefully slaughter everyone who resists them and install a proper administration?”

Vidhatri could tell that Rizok didn’t approve of her ascribing such ruthlessness to his military, but she didn’t take it back. This continent was more stable and less harsh than her own—likely because the Baleful Five had such little divine influence here that the natives barely even gave much thought to their existence.

Despite this, violence was a universal language spoken by the most powerless [Slave] to the strongest [Archmage].

“Who knows? Perhaps they believe Tal’Qamar will lose this war or simply don’t expect to get caught,” Rizok said, shrugging with a resigned air. “To their credit, they wouldn’t have if High Command had sent anyone other than Zareth here. [Eye of Cerebon] is truly a uniquely useful Skill in its specific area of expertise.”

Vidhatri couldn’t help but agree and muttered a quick prayer of gratitude to the Weaver for his foresight in guiding them on this path. She had full faith that everything was moving according to his design and that her presence in this distasteful place served a greater purpose.

Her agitation felt slightly lighter and less burdensome with that reminder.

The tiresome discussion between Zareth and Chieftain Murog lasted for longer than Vidhatri would have liked, which was naturally any amount of time at all. Fortunately, it finally ended eventually, and their group began walking to their lodgings.

All the while, the residents of Jabal-Alma subtly reminded her why this place was so unwelcoming beyond its suffocating underground setting. Whispers and glances from the shadows followed them at every moment, containing a bit too much suspicion and malice to be ignored.

Such looks were to be expected from a recently conquered people, as had been seen in Tal’Hadin, but there was something uniquely uncanny about these ogres. The worst came from those who wore that strange, winged emblem that interested Zareth. He had focused on trying to determine the origins of the emblems during his research and conversations with the ogres living in this underground hole, but quickly stopped when confronted with abnormal hostility.

There was an unknown quality about their expressions that felt familiar to Vidhatri, though she couldn’t quite place what it was. This unfriendly atmosphere persisted until the three of them arrived at the lodgings provided to Zareth and his retinue. It wasn’t a particularly opulent accommodation by any stretch of the imagination, seeming more like a barracks that Jabal-Alma had carved into its walls for their warriors. Still, it was the best that they could expect from such a small settlement and was better than the alternative.

Chieftain Murog had attempted to isolate Zareth in his own dwellings, claiming that his status as an ‘honored guest’ meant that he should stay in one of the relatively more luxurious buildings close to the settlement’s water source. Zareth was thankfully not some spoiled [Noble], wisely turning down the Chieftain’s offer and staying in the same lodging provided to his retinue and the soldiers from the Southern Legion.

Upon arriving at their accommodations, Zareth, Rizok, and Vidhatri made their way through the said soldiers to the only room that offered a semblance of privacy within the communal living space. It was a stark, unadorned chamber, carved directly into the rock, furnished with only a few pieces of crude furniture to indicate its purpose as a dwelling. Despite its rudimentary conditions, the recessed chamber was a good enough haven from the prying eyes and ears of Jabal-Alma.

Once Rizok activated his [Aura of Silence], and Zareth finished looking over the room with [Eye of Cerebon] to verify that no magical surveillance had been placed while they were away, the three of them finally relaxed…

“Damn it! That infuriating bastard!”

At least for a few moments before Zareth slammed his hand against the wall in frustration. Vidhatri raised an eyebrow in surprise as the generally mild-mannered human must have been thoroughly angered to lose control of his emotions.

“I feel like I’m a pretty patient person, but if I have to stand there and listen to Murog blatantly spew nonsense to my face when I know he’s lying, then I’m going to lose my mind,” Zareth vented, letting out a huff as he sat on the edge of a roughly hewn bed and rubbed his temples. “This can’t be allowed to go on. I can’t tell if they’re planning something, but it’s a bad idea to just allow them to drag this on without taking decisive action.”

“If Jabal-Alma’s warriors take too long to accomplish their purported mission, then is it not justification enough to involve your military’s Southern Legion?” asked Vidhatri, uncertain as to why the human was not taking a more straightforward approach. “You have powerful enough connections, and a way to contact your superiors through your golem. Simply explain that you need soldiers sent to pacify this pathetic little hovel and have this troublesome affair dealt with.”

Truly, this kind of tedious intrigue seemed wholly unnecessary when there was such a great power disparity between the two parties. Vidhatri felt a hint of annoyance as the boy rolled his eyes at her suggestion before responding.

“If I could have done that already, then I would have,” said Zareth as he rubbed his temples. “Major Idris has made it clear that High Command won’t be redirecting any manpower from the Southern Legion until they’re convinced that they have no other choice. Suhail’s [Priests] have made their defensive position too tenuous to do anything else.”

“We do have the option of waiting a few weeks before attempting to pressure High Command for aid,” Rizok suggested, though he didn’t seem particularly enthused about that option. “A long enough period without any results would work in our favor to convince them that sending reinforcements is a necessity. They do need access to Jabal-Alma’s water supply if they wish to hold off against Anket, at least according to Major Idris and the other soldiers who I’ve spoken to. The Conclave are devoting far more effort to break through their position than expected.”

Vidhatri had underestimated just how respected Rizok was amongst his fellow soldiers, considering that his status as a non-officer would transfer into a lack of influence elsewhere. Rizok was apparently reasonably well-known among Tal’Qamar’s army for his competence and combat ability as was to be expected of any heathen Vidhatri chose to favor.

This meant that the soldiers were quite willing to tell Rizok whatever he wished to know. Unfortunately, the situation with the Southern Legion seemed just as severe as they had been told.

“Chieftain Murog is aware of this, so he must have some kind of plan beyond stalling,” Zareth admitted, his brow furrowed in thought. “Besides… I just have a really bad feeling about sitting back and waiting.”

That was enough to convince Vidhatri as far as she was concerned. Zareth had been chosen by the Weaver for a reason, and any instinctive unease he harbored could be attributed to her god’s guiding hand.

“Are the warriors sent into the caverns still just lazing about where you last checked?” Rizok asked, his tone that of an experienced soldier considering the best way to handle a hostile threat. “It’s unfortunate that more hasn’t been learned from them, but there must be some hint of operable information that we can gather from what you’ve seen in order to plan out our next move.”

Zareth confirmed that Jabal-Alma’s warriors were indeed still idling in the same location, before considering Rizok’s second point with a thoughtful expression. “Well… I have noticed them sending out someone to patrol a particular crossroads of tunnels every so often, but there’s nothing of note there as far as I can tell…”

That was strange and not as helpful as Vidhatri would have liked, but it was likely the best lead that they were going to get.

“If they are patrolling that crossroads, then it doubtlessly leads somewhere that these ogres do not wish us or anyone else to find,” Vidhatri stated with more confidence than she felt. Her deduction was by no means conclusive given how little information they had, but she was tired of all this pointless waffling. “We must send someone into those tunnels to discover the truth of what is being hidden from us. I am the best candidate for this role, so I’ll take it upon myself to explore these tunnels discreetly.”

Neither Rizok nor Zareth seemed particularly enthusiastic about the risk involved in that kind of action, but they couldn’t deny that it was the most straightforward means of achieving their objective. Although, they did share a momentary glance with each other that communicated some kind of unspoken understanding that Vidhatri was not privy to.

“Perhaps it would be better if Rizok was the one to explore the tunnels. You’re… not what I would call subtle, Vidhatri,” Zareth said after a moment of awkward silence before glancing uncertainly to the lizardkin. “And he probably has more experience in this sort of thing, right?”

“Most of my missions are more along the lines of cutting apart anyone who gets in my way,” Rizok admitted with a grimace. “I’ve only led a few stealth operations, and none of them by myself so deep in enemy territory without substantial logistical support…”

“Then it is settled,” Vidhatri declared firmly, confident that her abilities were best suited to this task. Even if the very thought of willingly walking into the dark caverns of Jabal-Alma made her want to claw at her own writhing flesh, she would not allow such weakness to compromise their mission. “The only reason that you consider me ‘unsubtle’ is because I have never had reason to show restraint since arriving in Tal’Qamar. The Dehkshetra temple thoroughly educates Cerebon’s chosen on the best way to hide themselves from the foolish heathens who may wish to harm us.”

Rather than explaining herself any further, Vidhatri decided to demonstrate by activating [Greater Template Body] and [Deceptive Performance].

Not only did [Greater Template Body] grant her access to more pre-designed sets of augmentations than its lesser version, but it also allowed Vidhatri to shapeshift swiftly and perfectly into a new form simply by imagining it. Meanwhile, [Deceptive Performance] was one of the Skills that Zareth might have acquired if he had chosen the prerequisite [Deceptive Presence]. The Skill allowed her to completely change her body language while subtly controlling how others perceived her.

Combined with her robes, which were in fact made from a carefully shaped variety of living flesh designed to look as similar to fabric as possible, Vidhatri had instantly changed herself in every possible respect.

Where before stood a tall and imperious female shivarath wearing the same plain robes that she’d worn since arriving in Tal’Qamar, there was now a young and unassuming male ogre that could be swapped with any of the local warriors. Her robes had become a set of leather armor similar in fashion to what they seemed to wear, and her features were nearly identical to the pale and homogenous ogres.

Vidhatri took a moment to extract a suitably long piece of bone from her body before fashioning it into a spear similar to those wielded by the ogres who had guided them into the city, replicating their strange glow with a layer of translucent and bioluminescent flesh.

Once she was satisfied with her disguise, Vidhatri turned to her companions and offered them an amiable smile unlike any she would bestow under normal circumstances.

“Greetings, outsiders! My name is Durgok, and I’m a warrior of Jabal-Alma who was sent by the Chieftain to attend to you while you’re in our village,” Vidhatri said with excitable nervousness, maintaining the image of a young and inexperienced boy out of his depth. “Is there, uh, anything that I can help you with?”

Zareth and Rizok’s reactions were enough to heal her bruised ego at having her skills doubted, the two of them both wearing astonished expressions. Rizok’s in particular almost made her laugh and compromise her disguise, especially when he reeled back after seeing a muscular male ogre quickly glance at him and blush like a flustered maiden.

That would teach him to underestimate her.

It took a few moments for the two of them to gather their wits, but they eventually managed to compose themselves and offer their surprised approval

“That’s… I didn’t know that you were able to do something like this,” Zareth admitted with clear shock as he studied her new form. “This doesn’t seem like something that I would expect from a [Fleshwarper].”

Vidhatri permitted [Deceptive Performance] to carry her expression into one of eager helpfulness. “That’s something that a lot of people misunderstand. [Fleshwarper] is evolved from [Cultist], which has many Skills devoted to deceiving and hiding from people. You should consider acquiring a few of them when you get the chance.”

“Please stop that,” Rizok choked out, his expression one of extreme discomfort. “I think you’ve thoroughly demonstrated your point, Vidhatri. Just stop that before you give me nightmares.”

Vidhatri kept [Deceptive Presence] activated for a few more moments just to enjoy the look on Rizok’s face before allowing her body language to return to something more natural. Rizok let out a deep sigh of relief and relaxed, though he still seemed somewhat unnerved by her transformation.

“Well? Have I sufficiently demonstrated my expertise in this arena?” Vidhatri asked smugly, a single eyebrow raised as she looked down at her companions from an even greater height than usual. “Not only will I have little issue navigating my way through the settlement and accessing the caverns, but I’m skilled enough in combat to handle any of the unknown threats that may be waiting in those dark tunnels.”

Zareth and Rizok both still seemed to be a bit reluctant, but neither of them could really argue against her logic.

“Are you certain that you wish to go through with this, Vidhatri?” Rizok asked with clear concern in his eyes. “While your disguise is impressive, the risks are still substantial.”

No, I don’t, Vidhatri thought as she imagined herself navigating through dark, constricting tunnels with no allies by her side.

“I’ve said as much, haven’t I?” Vidhatri responded with a touch of impatience, pushing aside the flash of guilt she felt when Rizok flinched slightly at her tone. “You both know that this is the best course of action.”

There were a few more moments of frustrating hesitation before Zareth finally nodded.

“Very well. Then I suppose it’s decided,” Zareth said before taking a deep breath and continuing. “That being the case, you’re going to need a way to maintain communication. It’s a good thing that I decided to visit the Enchanter’s Guild before leaving Tal’Qamar an—”

“Wait. There’s one last thing that we have yet to discuss,” Vidhatri interrupted firmly before Zareth could continue, drawing confused expressions from her companions. “I need to be informed of any information related to this place that may be relevant to my mission.”

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That drew even more confusion from the both of them, but Vidhatri steeled herself and continued on regardless. What she was about to say risked a confrontation that she would have liked to avoid if not for the current circumstances.

“I know that the two of you are hiding something about this place from both myself and your superiors,” Vidhatri stated with surety that only grew stronger as she witnessed their momentary shock before they schooled their features.

“What makes you think that we’re keeping something from you?” asked Rizok, doing an admirable job of keeping his expression neutral for someone who was usually so straightforward. Zareth remained silent, looking between the both of them as he watched the situation unfold.

“I doubt anyone who hasn’t spent so much time by your side would have noticed, but it’s fairly obvious from my perspective,” Vidhatri began, hoping to reassure them that their secrets were still safe. “You both often make excuses to speak to each other without my presence, which I assumed was because your High Command forbade you from sharing certain matters. However, you both grow suspicious whenever the topic of what Jabal-Alma may be hiding arises. Yet, you’ve had limited contact with Major Idris despite this. It is wise to treat me with caution, but my loyalty belongs only to the Weaver and his interests.”

Vidhatri generally cared very little about potential secrets and political machinations so long as they didn’t meaningfully impact her. She sincerely doubted that the transient lives of heathens and their squabbles would significantly affect Cerebon’s divine plans, but this was another matter entirely.

Her directive was to aid Zareth on whatever he needed until the Flesh Father or the Weaver himself instructed her otherwise, which was difficult to do when information was being withheld from her.

Vidhatri waited patiently while Zareth and Rizok seemed to weigh their options, exchanging a glance that conveyed a silent conversation before the human finally spoke.

“It’s your choice, Rizok. This isn’t my decision to make.”

Vidhatri was surprised for a moment before she turned her attention to the lizardkin, who seemed to be studying her in turn with a solemn expression.

Just as Vidhatri was beginning to worry that Rizok was going to deny her the trust she needed to fulfill her role effectively, he surprised her again by turning back to Zareth and nodding decisively.

“Vidhatri is right. I don’t like telling too many people about the Tessik, but she has no stake in Tal’Qamar’s internal politics and deserves better than to be sent on a mission with less than everything we can tell her.”

Zareth and Rizok launched into a long and satisfying conversation that finally brought her into their confidence about the things that they’d been keeping from her since her arrival in Tal’Qamar.

It was… honestly a bit less dramatic than she’d anticipated.

While the Tessik had a noble goal in preserving their people’s culture in Tal’Qamar, she’d seen far greater atrocities in her life than a mere loss of heritage. It seemed like a relatively minor concern to expend so much effort towards, but Vidhatri recognized that her feelings on the matter didn’t change that Zareth’s involvement with the Tessik carried significant risks and benefits.

Being further educated on Tal’Qamar’s internal politics was interesting, but not immediately relevant to the task ahead.

More importantly, Vidhatri was informed that the ruins of some local ancient empire were likely located in the area and almost certainly related in some way to whatever was going on with Jabal-Alma. After all, it would have been too large of a coincidence if the local conspiracy didn’t involve these mysterious ruins.

None of these revelations changed much about how she intended to proceed, aside from the supposed specialization that the ancient empire in question had toward illusion magic.

That reminded Vidhatri to insist that Zareth grant her an [Eye of Cerebon] as she didn’t have any reliable means of seeing through any potential illusions that she came across. Not to mention the magical darkness of the caverns, which Vidhatri might not be able to pierce through her own abilities.

This came with an added advantage of allowing Zareth to visually monitor the progress of her mission. Combined with the telepathic ring, which had apparently been provided by the Tessik rather than the Enchanter’s Guild, their communication would be quite rigorous.

Despite how confidently she had asserted her demands, a part of Vidhatri hadn’t expected that they would actually confide in her, especially when Zareth directed the decision to Rizok. Even if she and Rizok had shared several moments of intimacy, she knew better than to assume that this had earned her any degree of trust in matters of true importance.

There were some men foolish enough to allow comforts of the flesh to dictate their actions, but Rizok was too experienced and disciplined to make such an error.

She would have hardly respected him as much as she did if it were otherwise.

Not only that, but Vidhatri was perfectly aware of how her personality was perceived by most. Even among her fellow faithful, she was… abnormally zealous in her devotion to the Weaver and steadfast in her desire to serve him. The opinions of others seemed wholly irrelevant in the face of this duty, and she very rarely made the effort of behaving contrary to her nature to oblige the feelings of others.

She’d grown… accustomed to the relative isolation that her chosen path in life had thrust upon her, but the trust that she was being shown now was hardly unwelcome.

Vidhatri studied Rizok for several moments as the soldier did his best to provide helpful advice for her upcoming mission, a strange feeling rising within her that she ruthlessly stamped out before she could identify it. Vidhatri silently swore to herself that she would prove worthy of the faith that she’d been entrusted with, and wouldn’t allow anything to prevent her from succeeding in her task.

Not Jabal-Alma’s ogres, not her useless fears, or any other unseen variables that got in her way.

“Yes, yes, I will be careful. I fully understand how important it is that nobody discovers my actions,” Vidhatri said dismissively, not nearly as annoyed by Rizok’s fussing as she should be. “I think we’ve delayed this long enough with our chatter. It’s time for me to leave, lest we stay up so long that the Chieftain calls Zareth for another round of useless discussions.”

Once they finished verifying that she had everything she needed, Vidhatri slipped Zareth’s telepathic ring onto her finger and replaced one of her natural eyes with his [Eye of Cerebon]. The change in perspective took a moment to get used to, given that its visual acuity and ability to see the everpresent ripples of the Etherveil were beyond even her own augmented sensory abilities.

As was to be expected from an organ gifted by her god.

Nevertheless, Vidhatri was herself an expert [Fleshwarper] and knew how to quickly adapt to new forms and senses.

“Good luck, Vidhatri. I’ll contact you once you reach the caverns so that I can lead you toward the patrolled crossroads,” said Zareth, reiterating the plans that they’d already discussed as he began to grow an ordinary eye to place in the empty socket on his forehead. “Hopefully you’ll notice something that I’ve missed once you’re there.”

“Understood,” Vidhatri responded before she glanced toward Rizok. “If there’s nothing else, then I think it’s time that you go distract your fellow soldiers.”

Rizok nodded and promptly made his way out of the room, just as they had previously discussed. Vidhatri waited several minutes before shifting back to her natural form and following in his wake, knowing that Tal’Qamar’s soldiers would have questions if they spotted an unfamiliar pale ogre leaving Zareth’s room.

Once she reached the communal area of their lodgings, Vidhatri spotted Rizok in the center of a group of soldiers, drawing the attention of everyone by recounting some manner of war story that they’d been previously badgering him about. A few glanced Vidhatri’s way, but quickly turned their attention elsewhere with clear discomfort once they saw it was her. They had been wary around her ever since her admittedly gruesome display during the recent ambush.

That made it rather easy for her to make her way to the barrack’s exit unnoticed and slip back into the form of Durgok the ogre moments before stepping outside into the overly bright streets of Jabal-Alma.

How do these people ever sleep with these damned crystals shining down all the time? Vidhatri mused to herself with annoyance as she began her journey toward the other side of the cenote where the cavern entrance was located. Though, I suppose I shouldn’t expect a group of ogres insane enough to live underground to concern themselves with normal behavior.

While her ogre disguise was quite convincing, Jabal-Alma was a small enough settlement that Vidhatri didn’t dare linger for too long in any one area, lest someone realize that nobody recognized her. Durgok the crazy underground ogre smiled at his fellow lunatics whenever he passed them by, but didn’t allow himself to be engaged in any extended conversations.

Vidhatri attracted as little attention as possible and subtly avoided any local [Guards] who could potentially possess a Skill that would see through her disguise.

Given how paranoid the people seemed to be about their secrets, she wouldn’t put it past them to have invested in a few individuals skilled in detection. Fortunately, her newly acquired [Eye of Cerebon] allowed her to spot any patrollings [Guards] long before they did her and gave her time to navigate around them with ease. There was only a single occasion when this was not possible, and she was confronted by a female, spear-carrying ogre who seemed suspicious of Durgok.

However, the [Guard] must have had a reasonably low Willpower because [Deceptive Performance] caused her to shift from suspicious to uninterested in only a few moments.

Nothing else of note happened until Vidhatri drew close to the entrance of the caverns, where Jabal-Alma had stationed many more [Guards] for the ostensible purpose of keeping civilians from being lost within the tunnels. The caverns admittedly did appear fairly dangerous, with an unnatural darkness seeping out of its entrance that failed to be illuminated by the bright crystals surrounding Jabal-Alma.

However, a half-dozen [Guards], assigned specifically to prevent access to a place even the local children would know not to go, seemed unnecessary.

Vidhatri took a moment to scan the entrance with [Eye of Cerebon] for any potentially hidden security measures before making her way to a secluded spot when she found none. The effect of [Deceptive Performance] would be too diluted when used against so many targets, which meant she couldn’t simply talk her way through the barricade.

Casually walking behind one of the giant mushrooms bursting from the wall that could be found throughout Jabal-Alma, Vidhatri made sure nobody was watching her and activated the augmentation she’d borrowed from Zareth’s so-called Mirage Stalkers.

It only took a moment for her to disappear under a blur of make-shift [Invisibility]. It was a shame that the effect wasn’t thorough enough for Vidhatri to have trusted it to bring her through Jabal-Alma, as the brightness of the settlement made the blur somewhat stand out. However, it should hopefully be effective enough for Vidhatri to traverse the open space between her and her targets and deploy her planned distraction once she was close enough.

Vidhatri pushed herself against the cenote’s stone walls and approached her target at a deliberately constant pace, knowing that sudden movements would make the blur around much more noticeable.

The ogres stationed to protect the caverns were far more alert than any of the [Guards] patrolling Jabal-Alma, but Vidhatri doubted any of them were actually expecting an intruder. This allowed her to get close enough that she could even hear snippets of their conversations before she ducked behind a stone outcropping and began the next stage of her plan.

They were too well positioned for her to sneak past, and they were close enough to the rest of Jabal-Alma that alarm would be raised in mere moments if the [Guards] were killed or incapacitated. This meant Vidhatri needed a distraction, which was why she began to emit one of the few gasses her body was designed to produce a strong scent .

It didn’t take long before Vidhatri noticed one of the closer [Guards] begin to sniff and quickly turn to her comrades with a disgusted expression.

“By the Bound God, who just shat themselves?! Would it kill you disgusting oafs to step away before assaulting my nose?”

Just as Vidhatri had intended, the [Guards] soon fell into an argument and their focus was completely diverted from their surroundings. She had never met a group of sapients who failed to be utterly distracted by a particularly foul smell, and these strange ogres were no exception.

Seizing the opportunity, Vidhatri slipped past the group of bickering [Guards], her movements a silent whisper as she entered the pervasive darkness of the cavern. The air inside was cool and damp, while any sight from her one natural eye was thoroughly obstructed by the unyielding blackness. Vidhatri quickly returned to her natural form and activated [Morphogenic Surge] to temporarily enhance all of her bodily functions, but she was still unable to see without the aid of [Eye of Cerebon].

I can’t even taste, smell, or hear as effectively as I should. How irritating, Vidhatri thought as she carefully navigated the cavern’s treacherous terrain. This darkness is almost certainly some kind of defensive measure designed to deter intruders. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jabal-Alma has their own secret way of dealing with it.

Now that she had her bearings and wasn’t at risk of being distracted, Vidhatri decided to verify that the telepathic ring was functioning as intended.

“Zareth, can you hear me?” Vidhatri transmitted her thoughts after focusing on the ring.

“Loud and clear. Good job getting past those [Guards],” Zareth responded, his voice echoing in her mind. “Even if your means of doing so was… a bit more unconventional and less violent than I anticipated.”

Vidhatri snorted in amusement. “While I do enjoy my fair share of slaughter, I would hope that my talents are versatile. There’s a reason that the Flesh Father chose me of all his disciples to send to your side.”

The pause before Zareth eventually responded was definitely longer than she thought necessary.

“Anyway… just continue down this cavern and take a right once you see a large stalagmite that looks like a twisted hand. Jabal-Alma seems to have cleared away any dangerous creature that may have once lived here, so you have nothing to worry about until you get close to the warriors deeper within.”

Vidhatri acknowledged Zareth’s words before turning her focus back to her surroundings, scanning each and every corner for threats. Even if these caverns were supposed to be safe, she hadn’t survived as long as she had by being careless or taking unnecessary risks.

However, as time went on and she wasn’t suddenly attacked by some manner of ravenous monster leaping at her from the darkness, she began to wish that something would break the monotony of her advance. That, at least, would make it easier for her to ignore the creeping dread of the darkness closing around her and the increasingly prominent pounding of her hearts.

Vidhatri forced herself to focus on her task, quietly muttering prayers to Cerebon for strength and guidance as she maneuvered through the tunnels. It was fortunate that the darkness seemed to be the main obstacle within the tunnels and that they weren’t overly complex. Otherwise, there was no way that Zareth would have been able to memorize the path taken by ogres grafted with [Eye of Cerebon] given that he lacked [Perfect Recall].

Vidhatri was unsure how long she spent walking and pointedly not thinking about her surroundings before Zareth’s telepathic messages suddenly took on a trace of urgency.

“Wait! Don’t turn that corner!”

Vidhatri came to an abrupt stop and lowered herself to the ground before frantically surveilling her surroundings. How she wished she still had access to her vast array of sensory organs and wasn’t limited to a single eye!

“Be careful, the ogres on patrol seem to be changing shifts. You should be alright to slowly peek around the corner, but remember that [Eye of Cerebon] will pick up even small movements if they start to turn around.”

After she finished listening to Zareth’s warning, Vidhatri activated her Mirage Stalker augmentation and slowly edged closer to the tunnel that she had been approaching. Sure enough, Vidhatri immediately spotted a male ogre emerging from a nearby passageway that she hadn’t noticed.

Vidhatri waited for him to move further ahead before cautiously following behind, until he met with one of his comrades who was stationed at a narrow choke point and engaged with them in conversation.

Neither of them seemed especially alert, which wasn’t surprising given how unlikely it was for an intruder to get this far and gave her a decent advantage. Vidhatri did have the option of simply killing them both given how secluded this location was and how many people supposedly disappeared in these tunnels. Even if Chieftain Murog suspected foul play, he would have no valid excuse to accuse them of anything.

It would still be best to avoid that if possible.

“Given that I still can’t hear anything and those ogres are speaking to each other without issue, I think my theory that Jabal-Alma has a method of counteracting this darkness is correct,” Vidhatri telepathically conveyed to Zareth as she studied the ogres ahead. “That makes this conspiracy of theirs much more dangerous for us. This kind of permanent magical obstruction strong enough to suppress even my senses should be far beyond such a small settlement’s capabilities.”

“If you’re right, then I would say that the situation is pretty dire,” Zareth responded with rising concern. “I’d assume that they may have discovered some kind of artifact within the Nephalan ruins that allowed them to do something like this, but something about that explanation doesn’t sit right with me…”

For the first time since she entered Jabal-Alma, Vidhatri felt a surge of tension rise within her that wasn’t related to her surroundings. Time passed excruciatingly slowly as she watched the ogres from her hiding spot in the darkness until they finally finished speaking to each other and one of them began to leave.

Unfortunately, that still meant that there was an ogre in a small choke point between Vidhatri and her destination.

“The crossroads of tunnels that I mentioned is beyond that point,” Zareth unnecessarily confirmed. “It’d be better if you could avoid killing them, but we’ve already concluded before that it’s worth the risk if you can’t find an alternative, so I’ll leave the decision with you.”

Vidhatri considered the matter for several moments before judging that she didn’t have any means of bypassing the ogre without first incapacitating him. That being the case, Vidhatri tensed her muscles in preparation for what she was about to do as she waited for the ogre to look away from the tunnel she would be attacking from.

Even the most vigilant of sentries had times where they let their guard down, so it didn’t take long before Vidhatri’s target let out a yawn and moved to sit along the cavern wall. The very moment that the ogre began to look down, Vidhatri reactivated [Morphogenic Surge] and sprinted forward in the swiftest burst of speed that her enhanced body could handle.

The ogre had obviously heard something and was beginning to look upward, but Vidhatri had closed the distance within the time it took for the sound to both reach him and register in his brain.

[Greater Template Body]. [Forced Fleshwarping].

Unlike the more commonly used [Permanent Flesh Manipulation], the Skill that Vidhatri employed against her victim was a derived version that was more effective against an unwilling target. Not only that, but she simultaneously used a lesser known facet of [Greater Template Body] that allowed it to be applied to people other than the user themselves.

The ogre could have potentially resisted the Skills’ effect if his Vitality or Spirit was either greater or even close to Vidhatri’s own Spirit, but that was obviously not the case.

The ogre’s body began to involuntarily twist and morph into the template that Vidhatri had been imagining the moment she activated her Skills. His vocal cords were pulled apart first, preventing him from screaming as his bones disintegrated and every part of his body unnecessary to sustaining the minimal degree of continued existence was done away with.

The entire gruesome process took only a few seconds, until with a stomach turning squelch, Vidhatri was left with nothing but a small ball of flesh only slightly larger than her target’s brain.

She knew that measurement to be accurate, because her [Forced Fleshwarping] had disposed of everything aside from what was needed to preserve the ogre’s only important organ.

“There we go. I managed to keep him alive,” Vidhatri reported with satisfaction as she picked up the flesh-ball and took a moment to examine her work. “I even did so without allowing him to see me. The parts of his brain responsible for forming short-term memories have been distributed, so there’s little chance that he’ll be able to share anything detrimental after he’s restored.”

That Skill combination was one that Vidhatri was particularly proud of and had taken a lot of effort to perfect. The brains of the sapient races across the world were strangely similar, but they held enough difference that manipulating them without causing permanent damage was a delicate and precise art. The carefully shaped network of cardiac muscles woven into the flesh-ball and the miniature respiratory system that she had personally engineered was also a testament to her worth as a Senior Fleshwarper.

Vidhatri waited patiently for Zareth to express his amazement as a fellow scholar of the flesh, but began to grow confused when he sounded a bit less enthusiastic than expected.

“T-That was quite the sight,” Zareth said, a strange tremor in his telepathic communication. “How are you expecting to deal with… what’s left of him? It seems like it would be inconvenient to carry around a… ball of meat everywhere.”

Vidhatri responded by using her abilities to compress the ogre as much as possible and begin assimilating it into her own body. She’d already ensured that there was enough room between the empty spaces of her organs to accommodate a spare brain, so there was little difficulty in finding a suitable spot for him.

“Now that the patrol has been dealt with, let’s hope that I can find something that will reveal the proper path forward,” Vidhatri said as she casually removed her currently useless natural eye and replaced it with the spare [Eye of Cerebon] left behind by the ogre. “It’d be quite unfortunate to have gone through all of this trouble for nothing.”

Zareth didn’t respond to her comment, presumably out of a polite desire to let Vidhatri study her surroundings for clues without interruption, which she appreciated. However, the human’s politeness was unnecessary as it only took a single moment for [Eye of Cerebon] to deduce that one of the paths was frequently traveled. Not to mention the subtle distortions in the Etherveil which seemed to be emanating from that particular direction.

Following this path with the caution of a seasoned predator, Vidhatri moved silently and more vigilantly than ever. They hadn’t planned for the scenario that there would be anyone else past this point, and the footsteps and disturbed rocks on the ground suggested that wasn’t the case. It would be potentially catastrophic if Vidhatri was spotted and her presence was revealed at this juncture, but she had ventured far too deep to turn back now.

As she traveled down the tunnel, Vidhatri began to notice her senses returning to her and the smothering magical darkness gradually dissipating. It wasn’t long after her hearing came back to her that Vidhatri picked up the unmistakable sounds of voices echoing up ahead. The Etherveil also became much… livelier than it was back in Jabal-Alma or even anywhere else according to Zareth.

She was no [Mage] or [Scholar] and had no idea what that might imply, but Vidhatri sincerely doubted that it was anything good.

When she eventually saw a bright light that implied she was approaching her final destination, Vidhatri slowed her pace and once again activated her stealth augmentations. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible to ensure she didn’t suddenly run into any wandering ogres, Vidhatri peeked around the corner with the hopes that she would finally get her eyes on what Jabal-Alma seemed so intent on hiding.

What she saw was… possibly just as dramatic as the most elaborate theories their group had concocted.

It was safe to say that Jabal-Alma was indeed aware of the ancient ruins that Rizok’s people sought to find and exploit for their own purposes. Vidhatri could see many ogres walking through the decayed remnants of a sprawling underground city constructed in a massive cavern, perhaps even as many as lived in Jabal-Alma proper. A large portion of them seemed to be engaged in some kind of excavation, moving through the ruins with clear purpose and a high degree of organization.

Even stranger, portions of the ancient city had been cleared away to make room for modern installations that looked out of place amidst the ancient architecture. These included a large number of those strange crystals that Chieftain Murog had claimed his people were lacking, mounted atop metallic stands. They illuminated much of the cavern, revealing extensive archaeological digs and possibly even active mining operations.

It was an impressive sight, and suggested that an organization far more powerful than Jabal-Alma was involved in this place.

“How could the Conclave have possibly missed this?” Zareth’s telepathic voice was filled with awe and disbelief and Vidhatri slowly took in the scene before her. “They had control over this territory for centuries. Even if Jabal-Alma is small enough to escape close scrutiny, they must have sent people here occas—”

Zareth’s voice trailed off as Vidhatri’s gaze landed on a sight that halted both of their thoughts entirely while also answering his question…

It was surprising that it had taken her so long to spot the massive floating crystal on the right side of the cavern, tethered to the ground by thick chains made from an unknown luminescent material. Around the central crystal, a network of conduits branched off like the roots of an ancient tree into an array of carefully spaced pedestals, upon each of which was the magical apparatus’ likely power source.

As a person who was familiar with sacrificing people for the purposes of conducting magical rituals, Vidhatri wasn’t quite as horrified with what she was seeing most likely would be. Still, she at least had the common courtesy to kill her victims as quickly as such rituals allowed.

Somehow, she sincerely doubted that it was wholly necessary for the people impaled onto those pedestals to be conscious and remain in clear agony. Their bodies were desiccated in a way that could not be natural, while the surrounding Etherveil seemed to pour into them like some kind of voracious maw. Vidhatri wondered where that energy could be going, until [Eye of Cerebon] allowed her to see the tiny crystals emerging from the flesh of the impaled victims.

Several grim faced ogres wearing dark robes were harvesting the crystals with meticulous care, their hands moving with a precision that spoke of ample practice. Vidhatri recognized several of the sacrifices as matching the descriptions of the Southern Legion’s missing soldiers, while another even wore white robes denoting them as a [Priestess] of Suhail.

“What the fuck…”

What the fuck, indeed, Vidhatri couldn’t help but agree.

This wasn’t quite the kind of conspiracy that she’d been expecting to find when she ventured into those tunnels. It was almost as if she had been suddenly transported back home, and she immediately wondered if a Valandor native like Zareth might have a better idea of which dark cult they’d just stumbled upon.

“Do you have any idea who could be responsible for this? It looks like something that I would expect from the Carnkex, but there aren’t any of them on this continent as far as I know.”

“I don’t exactly have an encyclopedic knowledge of every group of lunatics running around the place,” Zareth immediately responded, his tone filled with indignation. “It vaguely reminds me of something I read in the tome of Meldorath bu— wait, can you turn your gaze to the ceiling for me?”

Vidhatri did so, noticing what had drawn Zareth’s attention. Above the crystal was what appeared to be a glowing magical emblem of a square, cracked down the middle with a chain encircling it.

“The… Cult of the Unfettered One? What are those System hating terrorists doing all the way down here?”

Vidhatri hummed thoughtfully and turned her attention back to her immediate surroundings. Once she was certain that it was safe to do so, she stepped through the mouth of the tunnel and into the cavern. She had no idea what was going on here, but it was clear that their group had inadvertently wandered into a nest of vipers.

It was imperative that they get to the bottom of this if they wanted to escape that nest with their lives.