Rise of the Apex Predator: A LitRPG Adventure

3.15. Cursed Land


The procession trudged on under the blazing heat of the noon sun, delirious from exhaustion. Aenon could have started his assault on the weakened enemy if he chose to. But instead, he chose to prolong their suffering as much as he could. Not to mention, he wanted their forces to group up before he started the next phase of his operation.

The group was almost at their next stop, when Aenon upped the ante. Instead of violent deaths, he went for full-fledged psychological warfare. He didn't just want them to be physically tired, he wanted them mentally drained as well.

He started casting Gravity Well on random targets, especially the mages who had weaker physical stats. The effect was never pronounced enough to notice, but definitely enough to slow down their advance. The gap between breaks started to increase, while their speed started to falter. The effects were phenomenal, as the group started stopping every hour or so. The chatter had already died during the brief reprieves.

But Aenon didn't stop there. He cast mild illusions to further cause chaos amongst their ranks. He made the scouts turn every which way by making them see subtle movements in their peripheral vision. Add in the oppressive heat, which was being carefully trapped within their helms using Heat Manipulation, and the conditions were getting abysmal.

Sweat dripped in their eyes, while strange mirages kept them vigilant constantly. The breaking point came when Aenon started moving mundane objects ever so slightly. Just enough to make them believe that they had misplaced it.

"Where the hell is my water?" one of the mages, who was sweating profusely lashed out at no one in particular. Aenon had raise the temperature within his metal armor to an unbearable degree.

"It's right there, you oaf," replied his irritated companion, pointing behind the man.

"That is not where I left it."

"Yeah, right."

"I am serious. I always clip it on my mount's left side."

While the duo bickered about the physics of how matter moved, similar scenes were playing out all around camp. Scar-face tried to bring things under control, but the heat and exhaustion was getting to everyone. They even suspected foul play, but so far none of their scouts had managed to detect Aenon.

His Shadow Meld, it seems was just that good. With the recent boosts he received, he could channel it indefinitely as long as he was within a shadow. Even under direct light, he could potentially keep it active for days. And he exploited the ability to the fullest.

When they finally reached the second node, everyone literally tore their sweltering armor off their bodies without scar-face's approval. In their defense, even their glorious leader had done the same. The five fresh faced mages who were waiting at the destination were baffled at the scene.

"Damned place is hotter than the Sahara," scar-face explained.

"It was hot?" the mage in charge of the node asked incredulously.

Scar-face didn't respond, merely glaring at the man who was dressed in winter clothing. He quickly cleared his throat to change the topic.

"Ahem. Good thing that we'll be moving along the base of the mountain then," the man—who Aenon decided to call wooly based on his attire—said to ease the tension. "It should be much cooler."

Scar-face nodded gruffly before barking orders to start gathering the monsters. There were several groans, but the men did as asked. Despite their tiredness, the group was ready to head out within thirty minutes, with around two thousand monsters in tow.

Aenon chuckled as wooly's words about the march being cooler were almost prophetic. Instead of scorching heat, the miserable wretches were exposed to blistering cold. The poor man was confounded about the sudden drop in temperature. Yes, there was a cool wind, but the effects seemed too extreme. Even though the next leg of their journey was less than twenty kilometers, they had to make a stop to warm up using campfires.

But to the confusion of many, the fires somehow didn't warm them enough before they had to move again. Aenon chuckled at their misery, delighted that all that training with Mrs. Ashvein finally came in handy.

Just as the day was ending, they reached their third node; once again confusing the men stationed there. While the newcomers shivered in their boots, the residents were nestled in the warm cave, quietly enjoying a blazing campfire.

A stampede soon followed as men stumbled over each other to get to the warmth—wooly being the victor of the impromptu race. Scar-face grumbled since he was the last; being stuck with the duty of putting the monsters to sleep.

While the group relaxed, Aenon entered the cave quietly and surveilled the surroundings. It was a quaint little place, with damp and dark interiors. He was about to plan his next move when he noticed that the place was rife with dark mana. Several sections of the cave were completely devoid of light, making it an ideal place for the rare mana type to accumulate.

Aenon ran his fingers along the black mana wisps, feeling them get pulled closer to his armor. His Shadow Meld had zero cost while surrounded by the incorporeal orbs. He tried to direct them into a pattern, unsure about what he was supposed to do.

But before he could experiment further, one of the men came to this corner of the cave to relieve himself. And since Aenon was still in the Shadow Realm, and finally had the ability to detect dark mana, he saw the wisps sticking to the man's shadow. So he tried pulling on that.

"Eeeeep," the man literally jumped back with his pants around his ankles.

But even as the terrified guy ran towards the others, Aenon's attention was grabbed by a System notification.

Spell Learned: Shadow Manipulation (Basic)

Shadow Manipulation (Basic) | Type: Dark | Mana cost: 200 + 150/min | Manipulate shadows of objects, making them grow, shrink, or change shape. At basic proficiency, only minor changes can be made.

Aenon blinked several times, unable to comprehend what he just learned. Of all the Spells, this one was no doubt the most useless. He literally wanted to reject the new addition to his Spell list; he even considered filing a formal complaint with the System Nurse.

But the commotion from the gathered men gave him pause. They were having an animated discussion, with the shivering man—still pantless—explaining to the others what he had just witnessed. A sinister smile bloomed on his face as several ideas bombarded his mind.

Now that he was thinking more closely about it, wasn't the presence of his real world shadow the biggest weakness of his Shadow Meld ability? He wasn't sure if he could shrink its size, but if possible, it could be a great boon.

But for now, his mind was elsewhere. The fact that he was in a cave filled to the brim with dark mana, and a group of unwilling volunteers, made him excited. He wanted to study this new Spell more closely. Strictly for research, of course.

Aenon snuck closer to the huddled masses to see what the discussion was about.

"I am telling you," pantless said loudly. "This whole expedition is cursed. We have gone from sweltering heat to bone chilling cold within the span of a day. And now even our shadows are behaving weirdly. We are being haunted by something."

"Shut up," scar-face ordered. But even his tone held the infectious fear as his eyes darted across the dark cavern.

Aenon made himself visible for a second just as scar-face's hovering eyes passed over him. In the low light conditions, only his grey eyes were seen floating in space. Scar-face did a double as he stumbled back and fell to the ground.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The others eyed him with worries looks, while scar-face tried fruitlessly to find what he had gotten a glimpse of.

"We have an intruder," the barked. "Spread out and scout the area. I want the entire place scoured top to bottom."

Even though the man was technically right, a one-hour long search for the already exhausted subordinates wasn't appreciated. Especially since nothing fruitful came from the mission. By the time they were called back, Aenon had set up the next phase of his plan.

Every single item was out of place by an imperceptible amount. Enough to raise doubts, but not enough to raise an alarm. Several people started scratching their heads, exchanging bewildered looks with those beside them.

But eventually the exhaustion caught up to them as they began to settle in for the night. A skeletal crew grumbled as they took up their night watch duties. Aenon waited a full three minutes, before taking up position behind one of the lookouts. The man's eyes were already bloodshot, which didn't really help with Aenon did next.

To the horror of his victim, the man's shadow straight up left his body by almost a foot. The man's eyes widened in shock as he danced around violently to see if his shadow would mimic him. It did, but at a distance.

The shriek that followed echoed violently in the subterranean halls. It made everyone sit up in alarm; getting ripped from the comfort of their slumber. It took the entire group half an hour to get a cohesive sentence out of the man. And even then he didn't make much sense.

Scar-face stood atop a raised boulder to get things under control. But before he could begin, everyone started creeping backwards in terror.

"What?" Scar-face said in confusion. Squeaky barely managed to point behind his back as she fell over backwards.

When scar-face turned around, he was greeted by the translucent green form of Thalindra's wraith form. Even though it was merely an illusion cast by Aenon, to the addled brains of his prey, it was the most real thing in the world.

Panic ensued as the weak of heart ran for the cave exit, only to find it sealed shut with an earth wall. The brave few tried attacking the wraith, only for the Spells and projectiles to harmlessly pass through.

"Who dares disturb my slumber," Aenon said from the shadows in a raspy eldritch voice.

"We…we…apologize," scar-face croaked. "We'll…leave…immediately."

"Of course you will," the ghost with an eerie grin before simply disappearing.

Aenon didn't want to risk someone casting Identify on the illusion. It would have made blown up the farce Aenon had so meticulously constructed.

Without an order, everyone scrambled to their feet and started packing haphazardly. While everyone prepared, three warriors were busy hammering away at the stone wall Aenon had set up at the exit. Two of the men were openly weeping, while the third chiseled away feverishly, ignoring the wet stain in his pants.

The wall was thick enough that it was an exercise in frustration to get through. But every time they slowed, a casual waving shadow made them redouble their efforts. The mages were useless in clearing the obstacle since their strained mana channels were busy using the control rods. The group didn't want to waste a second longer in the cave.

Aenon sat in a corner of the cave, enjoying the panic while munching on an apple; feeding equally on the fruit, and the raw terror in the air. The crisp bites thundered in his victim's ears. From their reaction, Aenon could only imagine what they associated the crunching sounds with.

The moment a hole was made in the blockage, a stampede ensued. Something scar-face could not control, as desperate bodies piled out of the trap. To his credit, the man was the last to leave, making sure they had removed every monster before their desperate march continued. A bold move that the man would soon regret.

The terrified crew had taken up positions some twenty feet away from the cave entrance, waiting eagerly for their leader to give the mobilization command. But just as the man left the cave, breathing a sigh of relief, he tripped and fell face forward. And before anyone could register, he was yanked by his ankles back into the murky depths. His terror filled screams, and a pair of grey eyes glowing in the dark ensured no one attempted a rescue mission.

The panicked crowd ran desperately, leaving their illustrious leader behind. The man screamed desperately as he saw his allies run away, with Aenon standing next to him calmly.

"Not very Alliance-like, don't you think," Aenon asked with the same gravelly voice.

The man's eyes darted all over the void, trying to find the source of his torment. Aenon circled the man, whistling a hauntingly sweet melody. The man was not constrained in any way, but the paralysis was absolute. The fear reached its zenith when Aenon placed a cold hand on the man's shoulder.

"Don't worry," Aenon's bone chilling voice reassured the man. "They will join you soon enough."

With a quick snap he ended the man's life. A simple task since the man had given up completely. Aenon left the wide-eyed corpse to rot on the floor as he strolled out of the darkness. He was in no rush to chase. Without their leader, and the trauma from what they just experienced, the group would be running full tilt across the land towards the fourth node. An unsustainable pace given the already exhausted group.

Aenon looked to the sky, admiring the heavenly bodies casting different colored lights in the night. He smiled as his eyes glowed.

"A good night for a hunt."

* * *

Tess (Squeaky)

Tess ran desperately, ignoring the stitch in her sides. This wasn't the order march; it was the frantic retreat from the abomination they had encountered in the damned cave. Had she not been using the man for her own gains, the way he used her, she would have felt bad for their party leader. But in this dog eats dog world, loyalties were a straight ticket to death or worse.

The only regret she had was the loss of leadership from the loss of that creep. Even with the bone deep exhaustion, the man would have led the formation with military precision. Something they all seemed to be lacking in. Her other companion tried, but he just wasn't as charismatic. The formation kept breaking up, forcing them to reorganize every thirty minutes or so.

"Hey, stay in formation. Move ten paces to your right. No, your other right."

Tess didn't bother interfering. Her full concentration was directed at the hundred or so beasts she was controlling. Her mana channels were on the verge of burning out, a consequence of gulping down the mana potions so frequently. But she had no choice but to press on. The mission had to be a success if she wanted to rise in the ranks. She couldn't go back to living off the measly meals of the peasants. She simply could not.

She had been a rising star in the modeling industry prior to the cursed System integration. Using her feminine guile, and sharp wit, she had survived the cutthroat society of the elites. But with the onset of this new reality, the entire rulebook changed. The tools needed for survival had shifted, but luckily, she was good at adapting. Tess had walked over the broken bodies of so many so-called righteous people to get to where she was. All she needed was to finish this quest, and she would be set for life.

She smiled despite her tiredness, as she imagined the promised rewards. But the momentary distraction made her run into the guy in front of her, almost making her drop her staff.

"Hey, what gives," she demanded indignantly.

Her next words died in her throat, as she looked at everyone's confused expressions. She too started looking around to see what had caught their attention. That is when she heard it.

The whistle.

It was a soft lullaby; one you would use to put babies to sleep. But despite the soothing tone, the sound clung to the air like frost. The sound was coming from all around them, making it hard to pinpoint its location.

"The dead don't weep; the dead don't smile," a slow raspy singing voice echoed despite the open terrain.

The creepy voice reverberated in their very bones as the wind picked up for some reason. It was warm at first, before suddenly switching to icy temperatures. Her eyebrows shot up in realization that they had been haunted from the moment they stepped into this valley.

"The dead don't need a starry sky."

And with that, the world around them extinguished like a candle. The malice in those last words was so thick, that she heard several people empty the contents of their stomach. Tess couldn't see what was happening, but the sounds that followed made her regret ever accepting this mission.

Cries of agony filled the air as people started attacking around them wildly. She could feel the terror as she felt a sharp stab from her right.

"Stay away from me," one of her teammates howled.

Similar voices erupted all around her, as Tess fell to the ground in pain. The cut wasn't fatal or debilitating, but the surprise attack had made her drop her staff, which was not lost in the darkness. She desperately stumbled in the dark to recover her weapon but cried out when someone stepped on her hand.

She gave up and started crawling on all fours in the dark. She earned a few more stray attacks, while also tripping several others. But she ignored it all and tried going in a straight line as best as she could. After what felt like hours, she finally burst out into the light, gasping for air. She rolled a few more feet before turning back to a scene right out of a horror movie

A dome of absolute darkness covered the entire area her group was in. Even now she could feel the nightmarish screams from the void, punctuated by the angry cries of several creatures who must have been unleashed in their desperate struggle.

Fresh tears blurred her vision as Tess crawled back weakly. Another man stumbled out to her right, before being dragged back in by his ankles. The screaming man left a trail of bloodied finger marks before being swallowed up into the unknown.

Tess lay there hyperventilating for almost an hour. Her mind was telling her to flee, but her arms felt like jelly. The sounds of struggle started to gradually wane, replaced with an unnatural deathly silence. All that remained in the end was her fetal form lying footsteps away from the gates to hell.

It was then that she felt something. A pull from the black sphere. Like the portal was trying to drag her in. Survival instinct kicked in as she desperately grabbed onto any leverage she could get. The attractive force kept growing to insane levels as he hung on for dear life. But just as she was about to lose her grip, the force vanished.

The relief she felt hardly lasted a single moment as she turned back. The black sphere was gone. But in its place there was a deep spherical basin carved into the ground. The edge was so neatly cut, that it looked like someone had carved a spherical void from reality. Like someone had erased space itself.

And hovering at the center was the green monstrosity from before. The floating hair on the woman's head drifted like snakes, giving her alluring beauty a deathly purpose. As the entity turned towards her, her body froze.

"Run along, little rabbit," the eldritch voice mocked before vanishing.

Tess didn't think; she didn't plan. She just ran towards the next node with madness in her eyes. She regretted coming here; regretting letting her greed blind her.

As the vestiges of her sanity left her, she only had one thought lingering in her head.

This land belonged to the dead.

This land was cursed.

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