Chapter 21

Wil cautiously stepped forward, his sword gripped tightly in his hand, already funneling mana into the blade until it glowed a bright blue. The sun was setting outside by this time, and the bright, western sunlight shone through the stained-glass windows of the Spire, showering the marble floors in a mix of colors.

His footsteps echoed against the empty, stone walls. The seventh floor of the Spire was in shambles, but there were precious few places the corruption could be present. His senses were hazy, the infection felt like it was all around him, but also concentrated in a pile of parchment and shredded bindings in the center of the room.

Detecting a hint of movement, Wil used ‘Misty Step’ to instantly appear on the far side of the pile, his sword raised to strike.

“WAITTTT!” A voice hissed out from within the pile of papers. A small creature scrambled out of the pile on its four legs, trying to get away from him. Not hesitating, Wil thrust a hand forward, the spell, ‘Magic Missile’ already leaping from the quickly formed matrix above his hand.

The small creature was slammed into the wall as three darts of pure mana struck it heavily. Leaving cracks in the marble from the force of its impact, the small creature lay on the ground, moaning from the assault.

Wil carefully walked towards it, he wanted to know exactly what it was before he put it out of its misery. He could feel the corruption from it, and now that it lay on the stone floor, he would see what he was dealing with.

Placing his boot against the thing’s chest, he held his sword point above it, ready to drive the blade downwards at the first sign of movement.

The creature was small, only a couple of feet tall at the most. It was hideously deformed, hunched back, with limbs so twisted that Wil was shocked it could move at all. Its skin was a light grey, and unhealthy, with boils and blisters marring the flesh.

The smell of the small man matched the ugliness of his features, smelling like spoiled meat and old sweat. Gagging at the smell, it was all Wil could do to keep from retching.

“Wait! Wait!” The creature screeched, a horrible keening that kept getting louder.

“Don’t killllll meeeee! I can help youuuu! We can work togetherrrr!” It wailed, and Wil could see tears running down its cheeks, making clean tracks in its dirty, grey skin.

“Talk! What are you, and why would I need your help with anything?” Wil interrogated.

“I’m like youuuuu! A seekerrr of knowledgeee!” The creature said, dragging out its words so much that Wil had to focus hard on understanding its speech.

“I’m not here for knowledge, I’m here to cleanse this place of corruption.” Wil spat out.

“No corruption hereeeee, only meeee. We can learn togetherrrrr!” it screeched, its hands outstretched.

Wil studied it carefully, it was clear that this thing was the source of the infection in the library. As strange as it was to say, this little creature was the ‘Mind’ of the corrupted Dragon Turtle. He took in the surroundings, careful to not take his eyes of the little fiend beneath his foot.

The parchment and books nearby were ripped apart, as if something was in a fury, taking out its anger on everything in sight.

Nudging a few pieces with his sword, he found the evidence of what caused the destruction. On the corner of one book, there were clear teeth marks. Wil would bet that if he forced open the little creature’s mouth, it would be a perfect match.

“Learning, are you? You’re eating the books here! You little wretch, this library is all the Dragon Turtle’s knowledge, and you’re chowing down on it like it’s a buffet!” Wil yelled, kicking the creature.

“Yessss. Little Wretch is eating the bookssss! All the knowledge withinnnn. Deliciousssss! We can shareeee! More than enough for us bothhhhh!” It moaned in pleasure at the thought of further delicacies here in the library.

“I have a better idea, how about I bury this blade in that horrid little heart of yours, then I can read at my own pleasure.” Wil told it, poking the sword downward until the tip was pressed hard against its chest.

“You can’t! Kill me and the library with disappeareeeee! Horrid Turtle will never allow you to keep its knowledgeeeee!” It whined, gripping Wil’s sword with its crooked and mutilated hand.

Wil paused, thinking for a moment. If he let the creature live, the corruption will run rampant through the library, and the Dragon Turtle would become a mindless beast, raving mad. But he would have the opportunity of a lifetime.

Think of the knowledge that was held here! With it, he could have unimaginable power. This was the opportunity of a lifetime for a mage, something the professors at the academy would kill for. He would be an idiot to turn away from this. Besides, what did he owe the Dragon Turtle anyway? It had brought him here, almost against his will, for some promised reward.

The Azure Lord would never allow him to browse this collection otherwise, he should seize the moment. He could always spare the creature for a short period of time, let it continue its feast while he sought out the more rare and exotic books in the collection. He could read his fill, then finish off the monster later.

What would it cost? A few of the Spire’s levels of knowledge? The Dragon Turtle had an endless library here! It would never miss the small part the creature would devour. And if the library was connected to the Azure Lord’s memories or experiences, well, it would never remember the lost anyway. There would undoubtedly be secrets pertaining to the ascension to godhood as well!

Wil was justifying it in his mind, thinking of the possibilities, when an errant thought entered his mind. He had this conversation with himself before, in the north, on his knees with a voice whispering promises into his mind.

He saw himself, a crown on his head, the diamond shining a brilliant white as endless power filled his body. All that it cost him was his humanity, his morals, his mind, everything that made him who he was.

He remembered his conversation with Annabelle, in the tavern at Grand Falls, just after he had returned. He had promised himself to never compromise who he was for power. The consequences were never worth it.

If he took this foul creature’s offer, he would gain more power than any other mage in Illyria, but how would that be different than wearing the crown? He would never be beholden to another, not for something like strength or magical power. He would gain it on his own, without conceding who he was as a person.

“No! Gods damn it all, enough with your bullshit!” Wil roared, slamming his sword downwards. The creature below him smiled as the blade pierced its flesh, its mouth filled with blackened teeth. The sword struck the marble floor below, but the creature was already fading, becoming a black smoke that spread across the floor around him.

“Foollllll.” A voice howled, as more black smoke rose from the scattered remains of books and parchment around him. It swirled in a whirlwind, compressing into a shape that dominated the area in front of Wil.

The small creature was gone, in its place was a massive monster, bloated and grotesque. It was humanoid but mutated beyond anything Wil had ever seen before. It had a massive, fat, and bloated stomach, covered in grotesque boils and blisters, leaking a greenish fluid. Its head was small and manlike, with large jowls of fat. The large, infected man was grinning, black teeth and gums showing.

Unlike other infected, this one’s glowing red eyes showed supreme intelligence and cunning. Wil could feel the corrupted mana roiling within it, coming off in waves. Assessing it calmly, he could feel that it was a Rank 7, two ranks stronger than he was.

Not perturbed, Wil channeled his mana around him into a shield of magic, the shimmering barricade surrounding him and protecting him from attacks. Raising his sword, he readied himself for combat. This was the true source of corruption, the devourer of the Dragon Turtle’s knowledge, the ‘Mind’ of the infection.