LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 5: Chapter 5- Thalrexia (1)
'!'
Swish
The golden arrow froze mid-flight, its sharp tip trembling an inch from Keith's dilated pupil.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath, the tension so thick it was suffocating, but fleeting.
SKCHLT
"Aaarrghh—!?" A sickening sound of flesh meeting steel erupted, followed by a guttural scream that ripped through the room.
Clank
The arrow, as if losing its will, wavered before clattering to the ground with a sharp metallic clank.
"Urghhh....!"
Keith's ears twitched, caught between the high-pitched whine of the dissipating arrow's energy and the horrifying gurgle of the man who had fallen into the trap.
His eyes widened slightly as he darted toward the sound, watching as the figure writhed on the floor, the glint of the knife embedded deep into his skull visible even in the dim light.
'Brainstem, Thalamus, or Cingulate Cortex,' Keith thought, looking toward the man, who, even with the knife piercing his skull, was struggling in pain while blood seeped out. He contemplated the three major parts of the brain that could have potentially been pierced here, making his death much more gruesome than just a simple one.
Blood spurted in erratic bursts, pooling beneath the man's convulsing body.
"Khuckk!" His scream dwindled into a garbled choke before he went still, limbs collapsing like a broken marionette.
Keith exhaled, the air leaving his lungs in a shaky rush as the room fell silent again. His claws flexed against the floor as his eyes lingered on the body, the trap's crude success both unsettling and oddly gratifying.
The stillness was short-lived, broken only by the faint hiss of the dissipating energy the arrow had left behind.
'Is he human?' Slowly posing outside, the woman lay on the floor like a ragdoll, considering her unconscious state as Keith made his way toward the dead man, observing how he, unlike humans, had slightly pointy ears.
Unlike the others hung on the wall, his skin was not smooth and spotless; he was slightly chubby and ugly.
"Hm..." Keith glanced at the artifact lying on the floor. Noticing how, just by looking at that artifact, he wasn't able to see the same window as the previous one before moving and touching it to confirm his hypothesis.
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
Artifact Interaction Window
Name: Aureon Arrow
Tier: Shattered
Dominion: Mind command (Dormant)
Integrity: 25% (Cracked)
Condition: Worn and Brittle
Void Flux Resonance: Available (8% remaining) (Requires Void Flux energy to empower flight and command abilities)
---
Options (View All) [ Eros Points = 0 ]
1. Inspect Artifact
2. Extract Artifact
3. Repair Artifact
4. Synchronize Artifact
5. Sacrifice Artifact
6. Store Artifact
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
'.....Void Flux?', While looking at the window, he was reminded of the first time this window materialized with a written eros flux, which was slightly confusing at first.
But he concluded that it might be the name of his ability to see the status of an artifact.
Now, the other term, void flux, mentioned in the title of void flux resonance, was piquing his curiosity.
Given that he didn't have any Eros points left, he just lifted the artifact, which caused a window to pop up while the artifact itself turned into a stone as if sealed.
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
ARTIFACT DETECTED TO BE IN SEALED STATE
--⟩ Extract to Use it
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
It was the same window that had appeared moments earlier in the case of the dagger, and time was of the essence. Keith, clutching the dagger tightly, made his way toward the cage from which the sound had emanated earlier.
As he arrived, he peered through the bars and noticed a thin figure lying at the base of the cage.
Without hesitation, he glanced around and spotted a bloodied cutter on a nearby table.
Grabbing it, he used the tool to slice through the lock.
Clank
With the lock now on the ground, Keith pushed the cage door open. His gaze returned to the figure wrapped in ragged cloth lying at the bottom of the cage.
He stretched out his hand, instinctively expecting to find the child.
"I would....appreciate it if you could refrain from...touching me."
The murmur barely broke the air, yet it was enough for Keith to hear, prompting him to stop. He took a step back as the figure flinched and began to lift itself, crawling slowly on all fours.
"Was it you who showed me that?" Keith asked, tightening his grip on the stone arrow he had fashioned into a makeshift weapon. He studied the figure as it slowly ascended, revealing a woman—no, not a human woman—who had a strikingly slender frame and delicate features.
Cascading white hair framed her obsidian-black skin, which was marred in places by wounds still fresh enough to hint at their recent suffering.
Finally, their eyes met.
"I would like to clarify that I am not a child."
Her gaze was captivating, almost mesmerizing; though they appeared humanoid with pupils and sclera, the pupils had a rich gray hue reminiscent of shimmering rubies, surrounded by an orange glow in the middle that held an otherworldly allure.
"So, it was you," Keith said, piecing together her answer to his unasked question. It dawned on him that she possessed the ability to see the future, as her response was precisely what he had been contemplating—He was about to call her a child.
He realized that his initial assumption of her being a child stemmed from her frail appearance, but she was undeniably a woman—though of a race that seemed far removed from his own.
As he took in her features, he couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between her and the figure he had seen hanged on the wall earlier; the latter had lustrous white skin, while this woman's skin was a deep obsidian, accentuated by her striking white hair.
Even in her apparent fragility, she maintained a grace that was both haunting and beautiful.
{ A/n: Illustration of Thalrexia in comments }
"May I ask how you were able to do that?" Thalrexia looked toward both of the individuals whom she had become familiar with, considering her regular treatment and torture at their hands.
She looked at the man who lay dead with a pool of blood around him while the woman was unconscious; she just couldn't help but look toward the goblin in front of her.
Even more confusing for her was the fact that this goblin was just a child right now, and yet, he had been able to kill two individuals possessing Elemental Flux.
"Don't you know already?" Keith said as he observed the condition of her body, noting that she was not in a state where she could try to attack him. He made his way toward the man, turning his body and pulling the dagger from his head.
'!'
"Pardon my confusion, but what sort of witchcraft is at play here? I find it surprising that it did not become stone?!" Thalrexia was visibly shaken as she saw the dagger, with which she had become familiar, didn't turn to stone like the artifact of that man; instead, it was now in the hand of that goblin.
"We aren't reaching any conclusions. Answer mine, and I will answer yours," Keith said, knowing that this woman was ignoring his words and only focusing on the things that interested her, which told her about what she wanted. At the same time, he also noticed that both of their languages were the same.
It was confusing, and yet not very important for him to think about, other than knowing where exactly he was.
He also noticed how her words seemed to be very polite and formal, despite her tattered state.
"...." Thalrexia kept looking toward Keith for a moment, blinking as she nodded, understanding that his words resonated; one needed to listen first to understand things. Prompting her to accept his words as she nodded, "That's an excellent suggestion; I'm in favor of it. Could you kindly address my questions first then?"
'.....'