MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

An ugly, demonic spider stood in the middle of the hall. Its eight legs were long and spindly, covered in black, bristly hairs that seemed to writhe and wriggle of their own accord. Its bulbous body was a sickly green color, mottled with dark spots that seemed to pulsate with malevolent energy. Its beady, glowing red eyes stared out from a face contorted with malice, and its razor-sharp fangs dripped with venom that could kill a man with just a single bite.

'Fenrir'

Calling out his companion Leo noticed a giant, black wolf appearing out of thin air and smirked.

'Nice to see you too...'

Leo knew he had to come up with a plan quickly. The demonic spider was clearly much stronger than both him and his pet Fenrir, and he knew that they wouldn't be able to defeat it on their own. He racked his brain, trying to think of a way to get the creature onto the altar.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He remembered that the chains of the altar could drastically extend if blood was splashed onto them. He knew that if he could lure the spider close enough to the altar, he might be able to use the chains' unexpected range to his advantage.

He turned to Fenrir and whispered his plan in the wolf's ear. Fenrir nodded, understanding his instructions. Together, they began to circle around the spider, trying to get closer to the altar without drawing the spider's attention.

As they inched closer to the altar, Leo could feel the spider's eyes following their movements. It seemed to sense that something was amiss, and it began to move closer to them as well.

Leo knew this was his chance. He gestured to Fenrir, and the wolf lunged forward, barking loudly and snapping at the spider's legs. The spider hissed in anger and swung its leg at Fenrir, trying to strike the wolf down.

Leo saw his opportunity and seized it. He raised his hand, summoning a Shadow blast which incited fear in the spider. The blast hit the spider square in the chest, causing it to hesitate for a moment.

Taking advantage of the spider's moment of hesitation, Leo gestured to the altar and shouted to Fenrir.

"Now! Get it to the altar!"

Fenrir understood, and together they began to circle around the spider once more, trying to drive it towards the altar. The spider hissed and snapped at them, trying to fend them off, but Leo and Fenrir were determined.

Finally, they managed to get the spider close enough to the altar. Leo grabbed a small vial of blood hidden within his sleeve and splashed it onto the metal chains surrounding the altar.

Clank...

As soon as the blood touched the chains, they came to life, writhing and wriggling like snakes. They lunged forward, wrapping themselves around the spider and pulling it towards the altar.

Shriek...

The spider thrashed and struggled, trying to break free, but the chains were too strong. They held the spider in place, constricting it until it was completely immobilized.

[ ����� �� ???; ��/��� ����� ]

Slowly, but surely Leo was feeding the altar with souls of various creatures from hell.

Absorbing Fenrir back into the tattoo Leo tilted his head and looked at the large hole in the ceiling.

Boom...

Leo felt the entire temple shake and paled, the orange clouds at the peak of the tower exploded and another wave of fog was incoming.

Running into the room he occupied during his stay in the temple Leo closed the door behind him and hid beneath the expensive sofa.

Hisp... Hisp... Hisp...

'The voices are back...'

Curling up into a ball Leo sighed and covered his ears in an attempt to lower the effectiveness of the voices within the shroud.

Whoosh...

The red fog crept inside the room, filling every corner and crevice with its ominous presence. Leo squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the terror that surrounded him.

He could feel the heavy fabric of the sofa pressing against his skin, but he didn't dare move a muscle. He knew that the red fog was not to be trifled with. It was a force unlike any other, capable of taking control of the minds and bodies of those it encountered.

As the fog swirled around him, Leo prayed for the strength to stay hidden and avoid its grasp. He didn't know how long he lay there, trembling and holding his breath, but it felt like an eternity.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, the fog began to dissipate. Leo slowly opened his eyes, peering out from beneath the sofa to see if it was safe to emerge. The room was empty, and the red fog had vanished as quickly as it had arrived.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Leo crawled out from his hiding place and stood up, shaking off the remnants of fear that still lingered in his mind.

'I hate this shit!'

Dusting off his cloak Leo moved towards the hall with the altar only to see the damaged walls and the ceiling fixed as if nothing had ever happened.

Sssss...

Leo's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his staff he summoned instantly, as he heard the sound of sand being moved. He knew that this could only mean one thing - there was something lurking underground, something dangerous and deadly.

He scanned the area, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was coming. And then, with a roar, a massive, writhing creature burst out of the ground, its long, slender body covered in hard, armor-like scales.

It was a death worm, a creature feared by all who knew of it. Its powerful jaws were lined with razor-sharp teeth, and its glowing red eyes seemed to radiate pure malice.

Leo didn't hesitate. He summoned a Lightning Bolt, focusing all of his Mana into the attack. The bolt struck the death worm with a crackling sound, causing it to let out a pained cry and thrash about wildly.

But the death worm was tough, and it quickly recovered. It didn't do much damage, but being electrocuted was painful.

Lunging at Leo with its jaws wide open, the monster shrieked trying to paralyze its prey. Leo barely managed to dodge out of the way, his heart pounding in his chest.

He knew that he couldn't keep this up for long. The death worm was too powerful, and he needed to find a way to take it to the altar.

Taking a deep breath, Leo focused and gathered his Shadow Energy into a powerful Shadow Blast, unleashing a wave of darkness that enveloped the death worm. The creature let out a howl of pain as the shadows seeped into its body, blinding and inducing fear into it.

Shriek...

Leo knew that this was his chance. He summoned a protective shield of shadow magic around himself and charged at the death worm, his staff glowing with white flame.

Thud...

Blinded, the death worm tried to defend itself, but it was not that resistant to fire and quickly suffered from the heat. Unfortunately it did miniscule damage and Leo was forced to retreat, because of the acidic spit that left the monster's mouth.

Even though it was blind, it could somehow feel the weight of Leo allowing it to accurately pinpoint his location.

Dashing the other way from the worm Leo escaped into the temple. Fortunately or not the monster didn't give up and gave chase destroying the floor of the old temple.

'Shit!'

Turning around the corner Leo could see the ground behind him being uplifted and barely managed to hold himself from falling.

Shriek...

The disgusting face of a creature with razor sharp teeth was almost breathing at his back...

'Shadow Protection'

Leo casted a shield beneath the ground making the monster crash against it and momentarily confuse it.

That move bought Leo a few seconds and he managed to reach the hall with the altar.

Using a claw he gained from killing one of the monsters above the ground, Leo injured his hand, splashing the blood on the motionless chains.

Clank... Clank...

The metal serpents woke up searching for prey and Leo barely managed to make it out of their reach.

Clank...

One of the snakes almost grabbed him...

Boom... Shriek...

Leo's chaser finally appeared in the hall giving the chains a target.

Pluck... Pluck...

The beast writhed and thrashed, trying to break free of the chains that held it captive, but it was no match for the strength of the metal. With a heave, the chains dragged the death worm from under the ground, bringing it on top of the altar.

Knowing what'll happen next Leo sighed and left the room hearing the screams of pain coming from the worm.

'138 Left...'

***

Ava and Eli were slowly, but surely approaching the top of the tree. They could already see its green leaves.

"How... m..uch left?"

Eli struggled to speak while Ava was climbing without a slightest hint of emotion visible on her face.

"A few more steps..."

"You said that an hour ago!"

Ava was also hoping that the stairs would end soon, the journey was taking a toll on her mental health...

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