Chapter 49 Negotiating with certain death
There was that sound again, but this time it was different, followed by a crash.
"Shit, I think whatever was trapped back there has broken through and is heading here," Vandal said with urgency.
"We need to get out of here."
"No one is getting out of here." The mud creature said with indifference.
Vandal had a sensation that if he met this thing eye to eye, it would be like staring at a death god.
Although Vandal knew that it would be impossible for that mysterious mud clay like creature to be a death god, its ice cold killing intent had already revealed that it was a cold blooded existence that murdered without a second thought or hesitation. As such, Vandal did not dare to act recklessly.
"All of you want to live, right?" The mud clay like existence asked.
"Of course," everyone replied in unison.
"If you want to live, then it's very simple. You just need to do as I say," the mud like creature said.
"Please tell us what you want," Vandal said frankly.
He was still passively accumulating resonance energy and far from his peak condition. He was in no shape to fight, let alone battle a creature he wasn’t even sure he could defeat. Obedience was his only path to survival.
"First, you are not allowed to find helpers or call for backup. If any of you dare to find reinforcements, I dare to guarantee that not only will I kill your reinforcements, I will kill you and your families too."
"Next, you will leave this place and go where I tell you. I will create a map on my skin. Your task is to retrieve a special blood-red stone known as the Jade Infinity Stone."
"Jade Infinity Stone!" Malouf's expression immediately changed.
"That's right, the Jade Infinity Stone."
"If you fail, you will die, and I will eat you. I won't tell you how I will kill you but you will die horribly." The mud creature made a guttural sound that suggested laughter.
The booming sound was coming closer gradually.
"If we bring back the Jade Infinity Stone, I have a request."
"Speak then."
"Since something is chasing us inside this tomb and returning here will be dangerous, can we expect a reward if we succeed?" Vandal asked carefully.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."
Sabine, Hutrar, Mael, and the rest stared at Vandal with wide eyes, shocked by his audacity.
The mud creature made that guttural sound again, but this time it said in a calm tone, "You have guts... Okay, I will reward you and anyone else who successfully brings back the Jade Infinity Stone. But it better not be fake either, or else you won't know how you died."
"Sir, this junior understands," Vandal said respectfully while bowing slightly. "I beg you to honor your word, even though you have no obligation to. Since even the earth respects you, I shall do the same."
As for how he knew what to say, it was from a fragment of his stolen memories. Apparently this creature was a legendary echo beast that failed its transition into a human form. The memories came in bits and pieces. According to his fragments of memory, his mother in this world had encountered a baby claymore monster in a strange swamp and barely escaped with her life.
"Boy, tell me your name. I want to remember it." The claymore monster said.
"Senior, my name is Vandal," Vandal said.
After Vandal finished saying those words, his gaze suddenly grew serious. He looked at the mud creature and said, "I will put in my best effort and get you what you ask. But I and my friends are weary from a hard fought battle that nearly cost us our lives. If only we could be refreshed enough to have the energy to concentrate on getting you what you seek." Vandal feigned staggering as if he was losing strength as he spoke.
"What-" Mael's eyes nearly bulged out from their sockets. This guy wanted to get them all killed. Speaking so carelessly and out of turn.
"Okay, have this." The mud creature took from its treasure hall a lot of medicinal pills and energy boosting elixirs. It used part of its skin to create a solid container to put them in, then elongated its hand to give the solid parcel to Vandal.
"Heh?" Chan was flabbergasted. Sabine was also staring wide eyed at how easy it was to talk to the creature.
"Senior, we too need to refresh ourselves because we fought a lot of creatures to get here," an echo warrior named Osman said. He was the one leading his team.
"Okay. Have this." The mud creature took from its treasure hall again, making the same solid parcel, but this time it personally walked up to Osman to give it to him. Osman shot Vandal a disdainful look and swaggered forward to collect the parcel. The moment he reached out, the creature’s hand suddenly expanded and engulfed him whole. His muffled scream barely escaped as his body began melting. Skin dissolved first, then muscle, then bone, until nothing remained.
"Does anyone else need refreshing or healing?" the mud creature asked nonchalantly. The rest shook their heads vigorously.
"Now be on your way, brats. Your time starts now." With a wave of its hand, a strange wind blew them all in the right direction until they were pushed outside into the valley where they had entered from.
"So powerful." Vandal remarked. He wasn't even sure he could put up a fight even if he used his left eye and his Nephilim arts.
Once outside, Vandal quickly opened the parcel and distributed the contents. Their bodies immediately began glowing with vibrant energy, and their skin became as smooth as a baby’s. Mael’s wounds healed in a heartbeat, as if he had never been injured. Jaden’s condition also improved dramatically. Though his arm was still a stump, it had lengthened noticeably. With more of the medicine, it looked like he could have regrown the entire limb.
However, despite how effective the medicines and elixirs were, there were pitifully few of them.
"Just one elixir bottle and two of those strange pills remain," Vandal noted. But as he was about to close the parcel and put it away, Malouf approached with two other members of the Resonance Council. Unlike Malouf, both men wore clear malicious expressions.