Records of Rebirth

Chapter 308 - Meat For The Butcher

Morgana carefully descended the dark crater. 

There were many layers of broken tunnels she passed on the way, their splintered edges reaching out to snag at her wings whenever she drew too close. 

While some tunnels had the dried husks of dead scorpions among them, others still bore traces of life in the form of yellow hatchlings. They were mostly unattended, scavenging for what little they could eat amongst the rubble and other corpses, seemingly abandoned to fend for themselves.

Morgana didn't bother to attack them. They were too weak to stimulate her and were simply survivors of an ongoing battle. She doubted they could even see her flying in the darkness, humidity, stealth, as well as the ever present fog smothering everything within range.

Rather, she was amused to see them climbing upwards in droves, their attention drawn towards more entertaining prey. The sounds of battle from the central chamber were too loud to ignore, and the scampering paces of numerous scorpions increased at the prospect of fresh meat. 

Morgana simply smiled and carried on flying. They should keep Arsinoe busy for a while, allowing her to  deal with the Queen, it was just a pity that she wouldn't be there to enjoy her screams.

Eventually, the uproar in the upper fortress faded away, and her surroundings became a complete mystery. She knew the ground was close, but the deeper she flew in, the more prevalent the darkness. 

She couldn't find any more openings or tunnels like the ones she passed prior, and the familiar layout gave way to a wide empty chamber that was dense with condensation. 

If there were any scorpions down here they would be much stronger than those above, because the air here was much thinner and more toxic, with the temperature higher than anything she had experienced before. 

Even as her body adapted to the temperature, there was still the stinging sensation in her throat from breathing in the coarse air. She then heard the faint trickle of water, followed by the deep, rumbling groan of a creature in the distance. 

Morgana's instincts pushed her into alert state, and she slowed down her approach to be doubly cautious. She wasn't quite sure if her temperature completely matched her surroundings, but from her experience here, she knew it would be difficult to find her as long as she was careful. 

The first thing she did was get down from the air. The ground was warm, the open space littered with tall, slim rocks that rose above the blanket of mist, but the cavern was too wide, with more than enough solid rocks for something unpleasant to hide in plain sight. 

So far, there were no creatures that she could detect with [Heat Sense], but the groan she heard refused to leave her mind. Skills alone did not rule out every scenario, and she could already have been spotted by something on her way down.

Landing above the damp rocks, Morgana listened out for the source of the trickling of water. If anything was going to attack her, it was better for her to seek it out first. 

The air was heavy with a mix of scents, she could taste the damp and acid on her tongue, as well as the lingering trace of blood - it also smelt like wet fur.

She followed the scent trail and located a narrow stream winding along the damp rocks. 

The water turned out to be deep and she was secretly grateful for Cassio and Andromeda's painstaking lessons on deep water combat. However, she didn't swim for long before the sound of a creature drew her attention. 

She stuck her head above the water to confirm. From its silhouette it was a small marked scorpion moving around in the dark. The creature was notorious for its searing acid and speed, so she increased hers, slipping beneath the water to approach it.

It was paramount that she didn't alert the creature in any way. Unlike the others, its acid spray had a wide range and she had seen the extent of the damage done to Arsinoe first hand.

And yet, it would be foolish to completely bypass it. The more notable kills she earned before she reached the Queen, the better her chances of survival.

But, just as she reached a safe distance to attack, Morgana felt something clasp down hard on her lower body. She jolted in alarm, feeling her body getting dragged through a cloud of blood and further into the water. 

She was shocked at the sight of a vicious pincer digging hard into her skin, the large scorpion that wielded it not far behind. Before she knew what was happening, she had sunk too far beneath the water, weighed down by the creature's tremendous bulk. 

Morgana was furious with herself for making such a stupid mistake. She had entered the water to protect herself, so it was infuriating to realise that this had become her undoing. This scorpion must have followed her in, or been here all the while waiting for prey to kill.

It was superior in the water and it outclassed her in terms of strength and stamina, all without seeming to need to breathe like she did. Its rapid descent into the dark only told her one thing - that it intended to drown her. 

This propelled Morgana to struggle more, but what little air she had was forced out of her body as pressure and panic set in. Its grip on her was too strong and all her struggling did was make more blood seep from out of her cut, clouding the water even further. 

Morgana knew she was in trouble. She was losing SP at a rapid rate and her HP was soon to follow, but her air magic did not work under water, she had no idea how to free herself from it. The scorpion would not stop swimming and she had sunk so far she could no longer tell where the surface began anymore. 

Just how deep did this stream go? 

With her death fast approaching, Morgana scrambled for a solution. Air magic may not work here, but there was always poison. She immediately stopped struggling, the pressure squeezing her even tighter. But without her resisting, she was able to sink much closer to the scorpion holding her captive. 

All she had to do was reach it.

They were at the furthest point of the stream and even though her body burned from a lack of air, Morgana remained completely still. The scorpion did not react, but it slowed its pace as it dropped to the ground below, likely thinking it succeeded in drowning its prey. 

Morgana waited until her 'lifeless' body drifted close enough to the scorpion before springing to life. She was lucky enough to have fallen close to its head and she immediately fastened herself around both of its pincers, leveraging the creature's carelessness to sink her fangs into its connective tissues. 

The scorpion lashed out immediately, its stinger lightly grazing her body as it struck the ground, but her deadly poison attack was already working, as the scorpion's reactions became quite slow. However, with its size, her bite would take too long to kill, and she could only last so long without air.

But Morgana was determined to see it die. She bit down with all of her strength, savagely pulling one of its pincers free from its socket. 

The water exploded with a wash of blood as the scorpion writhed in agony, the momentum from its attacks flipping her body upside down. Sand and debris covered her vision as its stinger reached for her, but she didn't let go. 

She was angry for almost getting drowned, and more than eager to repay it with the same suffering. With her tail free, she was able to slip out of its range, discarding the pincer in disgust. But instead of returning to the surface, she circled around the creature, trying to locate its weaknesses. 

While it struggled in pain, she immediately latched into its stinger to constrict with all her strength, not letting go until its limbs cracked from pressure and she saw the blood seep out from between her coils. 

Its stinger was crushed beyond recognition but that was hardly enough. She extended her tight grip along its body, targeting its back with the intent of cracking it open. She was looking for a specific weakness, the thing that allowed it to breathe underwater without difficulty and she was determined to tear it out while the scorpion still lived so it could drown in its own blood.

The scorpion struggled to set itself free but Morgana was relentless. After several poison-filled bites, most of its armour was gone and she was rewarded with the sight of air bubbles escaping its soft tissues, which encouraged her to tear out larger chunks of bloody flesh. 

She remained undeterred in her attacks even as she ran out of breath and her vision grew dim. The trembling of the scorpion beneath her only made her attacks more powerful, as it was stricken with terror, unable to shake her off no matter what it tried. 

In her frenzy, it took her a while to notice that the scorpion had stopped fighting her, and was desperately swimming for the surface instead. 

Could it be frantic at the loss of blood and air?

Morgana almost let out a laugh, madly excited at its peril. She even reduced the pressure on its body, allowing it to swim faster. And just as it neared the surface, she clenched her curls and squeezed every last bit of air from its body.

It was a slow and painful death, riddled with agony, but Morgana enjoyed every second, watching the lights fade from its beady eyes.

Just as the scorpion's body began to sink like a stone, she used the last of its momentum to propel herself to the surface, emerging in a narrow opening surrounded by rocks to take a much needed breath.

The toxic air seared through her body like fire, but it was the most delicious thing Morgana had ever tasted, second only to the thrill of the new level she just earned.

She was breathing hard but looking around herself, she licked up more scorpions in the vicinity.. Her level had improved and she couldn't wait to do it all over again.