Legacy of the Betelgeuse

Chapter 186 - Episode 186: The Headless Cult's Lair.

It's been two days ever since Avriel infiltrating the Headless Cult's lair. We went to the foot of the Delaisse Mountain where the Headless Cult's lair is at. It took both of us half a day to reach there, and then Krestan went into the Headless Cult's lair as soon as the morning comes. It seemed that he successfully get inside without getting discovered by the cult.

As soon as the sun is up, it's my turn to get inside the Headless Cult's lair. I need to be cautious and not try to attract their attention. I'm looking around and check my surroundings just to make sure when I enter the lair I'm not being followed. I wear the cloak and pretend to be wandering around to patrol the area so even if I'm being seen by the cult member, they're not going to be suspicious.

The sun is finally up, and I immediately go to the lair. I get out from the forest and see the cave with two torches lighting the entrance. It's very hard to see in this thing because the hole is so small and my eyes can barely see anything. I'm just following the light and enter the lair, it's so quiet in here and the atmosphere is making me so nervous. The only thing that I can hear is my own footsteps and the sound of fire echoing deeper into the lair.

The narrow path is now getting wider and wider until I stumble a massive table with a big chandelier above the table. So many of the cult members are passing by and minding their own business. They're leaving and entering the holes around this room that connect to another room like an ant nest. I remember this lair vaguely since it's been a while and I barely enter this place back then. So I go to one of the holes and just see where I'm going.

The more I go deeper into the lair and entering random holes, the less I know about this place. I think I'm lost and I don't think I know a way back to the entrance. We should've agreed on using some kind of sign so we can notice each other, but I guess it's too late to do that and there's nothing else but regret.

I need to stop moving around randomly because I have a feeling that someone has been following me. There's a small table near me, and so I take a rest and sit there. I open my inventory and grab the [Sahuurn Book] that NPC gave me in the desert. I haven't had the time to read it so this is a perfect time to stay low and read the book.

I open the first page and I can understand all of these words, then I open the next page, but I can only understand most of them. I don't want to jump to a conclusion since it will be crucial if I interpreted it wrongly. I try to see the next few pages but I barely understand the content of the pages. I come out with an idea, I activate [Understanding] and see if it works and will translate the book for me, then the words are reforming into English words and I'm glad that I came out with this idea.

The book is more like a history book of the Fallen Empire Mauron. This book is ancient and the content of this book is the story of how the Mauron Empire begins until the downfall of the empire. There are a few pieces of information that I don't even know that exist, from the treasury chamber, the emperors and their secrets, the thing that destroyed the Mauron Empire and the information related to that. The monster is called Letrax, a being with the power to swallow the sea of sand with its 6 arms. In the middle of the pages, there are drawings of a circle with 36 symbols on it. 34 of the symbols are crossed by some kind of ashes, then a notification appears.

[Mauron Empire's Clock]

[The 36 symbols represent the time span of the Apocalypse that happened to the Mauron Empire. 34 times the Mauron Empire has defended and survived from the Apocalypse]

[The first symbol is "The Mountain" where the first Apocalypse happened in the year 102. The volcano erupted and destroyed half of the Mauron Empire because of the earthquake and the lava burst. The Mauron emperor sacrificed hundreds of thousands of people to the volcano as an offering]

[The second symbol is "The Rain" where the second Apocalypse happened in the year 202. The neverending heavy rain flooded the Mauron Empire for a year. The Mauron emperor sacrificed hundreds of thousands of people to the Sun to stop the rain as an offering]

[The third symbol is "The Sun" where the third Apocalypse happened in the year 252. The neverending sun dried the land for years. During that time, there was no nighttime and the sun is drying the land. The Mauron emperor sacrificed hundreds of thousands of people to the Moon as an offering]

...

...

...

100 years, 50 years, another 100 years, and another 50 years. The pattern is always the same when the Apocalypse happened. It happened until the year 2552 where Letrax destroyed and swallowed the Mauron Empire. I look at the in-game year and right now it's 2614. The next Apocalypse will happen in 2652. The 35th symbol is [The Falling Star] and that means this is the time when half of the desert is covered with glass and the [Star's Core] is discovered.

I lean on the chair and sigh, but then I hear footsteps coming from one of the holes behind me. I pretend that I'm resting at the table while holding the book. The footsteps are getting closer and closer but then I can see a person in a cloak and wearing the mask walking past me, that person then leaves into the hole in front of me and disappears.

When I want to close the book and it's time for me to move again, I see a piece of folded paper in front of me. I look around and see if nobody is here with me. I open the paper and it's a drawing of a map, I tilt my head and look at it while leaning my face toward the paper. I look at how big and complicated this lair is on the map, but then I look at the bottom of the paper, it says "-A". I immediately stand up and look at the person who just walked past me. I think that's Avriel, and she's giving me the map, but she's already gone.

I look at the paper and flip it. There's a message on it.

[The Council has summoned all the Cult Members. They are going to discuss the incident that happened to Jariel and his men. The words of Jariel's defeat have been spread all around Orion. The Council is planning to rescue Jariel from being hunted by the Eluna Empire, the Aarus Empire, and the Alliance Kingdoms.

The meeting will start this evening in 6 hours. You are currently at the x-mark of the map I made, go to the council room where I put a small dot on the map. I will be waiting and see you there. I will be standing in the left corner of the council room. As soon as you enter the council room, do not look around and immediately walk toward me. Krestan's cover is blown because of his stupid action yesterday. They are going to check if there is another person who infiltrated the lair during the council meeting. 

My name, Krestan's name, and yours are on their top list. We are being hunted and they have been searching for us since yesterday. We can use this opportunity to kill them later and we are going to use Krestan as bait and assassinate the cult members that are attending the meeting during the council meeting. As far as I know, you are still safe and nobody is suspicious of you ever since you entered the lair. Please be careful and memorize the map. I will see you in the Council Room.

Burn this letter in the torch and make sure there is nothing left of it after you memorized the map.]

I look at the map thoroughly and memorize the way to the council room. I open a note and write down the way to the council room, and after I'm sure that I'm writing it correctly, I fold the paper and put it on the torch. I'm watching the paper burning until there's nothing left and becomes ashes. I stomp on it so there's no evidence left.

I sit down again and check my friendlist. Ivonna, Aspen, Kingstar, Diamond, and Lothair are still in the Land of Sigrid. I'm so nervous that they might have left there, but I think they're going to stay there for quite a while because there are more than 100.000 heroes there and they're going to be tested if they're worthy of being their disciple, and not to mention if they failed and had to find another mentor.

I sigh and lean on the chair while looking at my friendlist and then look at Aspen's name.

"I wonder what's your reaction after seeing the lair is filled with corpses of the cult members.. I guess we are going to face each other someday in the future on the different sides of the battlefield."