Chapter 524: Into the Ground

Getting a massive sandworm to eat you was actually way easier than Jake had expected. Not that Jake should have expected much from the get-go, it was a stupid expectation. All he had done was just land on the sand, get semi-close to a natural treasure while using Arcane Stealth, and boom, a worm popped up and swallowed him. It was a level 198 worms, so damn close to evolution too.

The worm nearly instantly noticed it had caught something it didn't want and tried to spit him out. However, Jake held on inside its massive maw as he spoke. "Hey! Worm! Make a deal!"

It did not react but kept trashing and trying to spit Jake out. That is when he realized that the sand worms had no ears and probably not even a sense of hearing, making him switch to telepathy.

"Worm. Make deal. You help me, I help you. If not, death."

As he said the words, Jake took out a handful of earth affinity herbs and tossed them down the gullet of the worm. It was a gamble... that paid off immediately as the worm stopped moving. By now, Jake was hanging onto the flesh walls of the giant worm's mouth as he spoke again.

"If you help me get that way," Jake sent telepathically as he poked the side of the giant worm's mouth with a weak arcane bolt. "I will feed you. Okay?"

It should not come as a surprise that the giant worm could not speak. Jake was really gambling on this idea as he assumed that these sand worms were dumb as bricks and-

"I apologize; I think there is some kind of misunderstanding. I did not mean to try and eat you... actually, what are you?" Jake heard a deep rumbling voice in his head.

Wait, what? Jake questioned himself.

"You understand me?" Jake asked, confused.

"I think? I am more questioning how you can speak. You aren't a worm. Or are you? You don't look like one, but I have seen weird worms before..." the creature spoke.

"I am not a worm, no," Jake made clear. "I am human and ended up here on accident. All I am looking for is a way out of the desert."

"Human? What are those? And why leave? You can't move properly outside. A few tried. Oh, unless you get stronger and evolve, I saw one able to do it. Are you evolved?" the overly curious worm asked.

Jake had to admit, when he began his plan, he had not expected to have a conversation with a worm. He had more hoped to communicate his intent and perhaps find a way to nudge the worm in the right direction while bribing it with stuff.

"I am not evolved, no, but I can move properly outside. I cannot move properly here, though, which is why I need your help," Jake said. "If you can help me get out of the desert, I can give you good stuff in return."

The worm fell silent for a few moments, still just sitting there while poking out of the sand like a tower with its mouth wide open, making it so Jake could fly out at any moment. "What kind of stuff?" it finally asked.

Jake smiled a bit to himself as he took out one of the orbs he had looted from one of the many Earth Elementals he had killed while traveling with Carmen. "Things like this," Jake said as he threw the orb down the long tunnel that was the worm's mouth.

Seconds passed before the worm answered. "Okay. I will help you, human. Also, don't I have to? If not, I will die."

He had kind of forgotten he had threatened death before. Jake had only really done it, as that kind of intent was something animals tended to understand.

"I promise I won't hurt you at all. Instead, let's make this something to benefit us both."

"Sounds better than death, that is for sure," the worm said, Jake detecting a hint of sarcasm in the voice. Had he found himself a sassy giant sand worm?

The next few minutes passed as Jake talked with the worm and got a better idea of how their species worked. The worms were actually damn good at magic and moved primarily through some kind of earth telekinesis to push them forward using the sand, allowing them to travel at frankly insane speeds for their size.

To hunt for treasures better, the worms all stayed in contact through some kind of telepathy network. It worked by them linking up with one another while in the area, and often a single C-grade always stayed close to the larger groups of worms to help them in case anything went wrong. There were creatures besides the Sand Elementals that hunted the worms, but most never chased down into the sand, so as long as the worms could warn others in time, they stayed safe. All in all, Jake learned to not disrespect the intelligence of giant sand worms.

In return, Jake told the worm of things outside the desert as he also guided where they should go.

Using threads of stable arcane mana, he anchored himself to the side of the worm's mouth and got into a comfortable position. Contrary to what one would expect, the inside of the worm was not moist at all but dry as the desert outside. The walls of the mouth were also rough and tough like rock, likely from repeatedly swallowing sand. Something the worm would avoid doing with its passenger along.

That is how Jake managed to catch a ride inside a giant sand worm as he traveled what had to be a few kilometers under the sand. They shot forward with the speed of a bullet through the desert, and Jake faintly felt a few worms around them at times, but being inside of one made them all ignore him. The worm did say that a few detected him, but the worm just explained it away somehow. Jake chose to trust his driver in this, as honestly? It seemed like a stand-up worm. Would definitely rate it five stars.

He felt good enough to enter meditation, where he finally found time to rummage on one of his most pertinent issues: what if Ell'Hakan could do that weird transportation skill again?

It didn't seem likely, but Jake saw no reason to gamble on that one. Even if he didn't have more orbs or a ritual circle, it was a huge risk anyway, simply because Jake had no way to currently combat whatever concept the skill relied on.

While there were aspects of it, it wasn't space magic. Jake had a strong feeling that even if he managed to break through and use One Step, he would not have been freed. Maybe he would have moved a bit, but the skill would still have taken effect and flung him away, making the few hundred meters he managed to teleport insignificant.

One Step was a skill that was purely space magic. It relied one hundred percent on the concept of space to travel, so if space magic was just a part of it, it wouldn't allow him to get out. He needed something far different.

Considering his first escape skill was Shadow Vault, Jake popped into his Soulspace and-

"No," sim-Jake said the moment he appeared.

Jake exited his Soulspace again and considered his second option. One he had seen be used to escape a very perilous situation before when used by its maker.

He was naturally thinking of Wings of the Malefic Viper.

The attack on the Risen had started as expected. The weaker individuals took the frontlines from the side of the Holy Church and United Cities Alliance while the Risen tried to preserve their numbers and strength. They tried to only send out the stronger parties from their side as this was not a battle they could win. Only delay. Priscilla stayed back to organize everything while Casper had chosen to take to the battlefield.

It's a bit weird when I think about it, Casper thought to himself as he released his curses upon the opposing army.

He was a Risen and what many would call a bringer of death and misery with his specialization in curses. Yet, Casper realized that he hadn't actually killed any humans since the Tutorial. Not even during the Treasure Hunt had a taken a single life due to how the Risen had approached the event.

Until today, that is.

War was a common occurrence in the multiverse. He knew the Blightfather and the undead faction as a whole condoned these kinds of wars and viewed them as a good thing. It helped weed out the population and, in turn, gave rise to not only more powerful, but more talented individuals. War was far more than a single fight. It was a long struggle and something that forced you to not only train your skills but your mind. Those who came out of a war on top either had their mentality steeled or broken.

Casper himself was an example of the latter. He had already been broken once during the Tutorial. He knew he was not made for war. He hated it. He despised the senseless killing of people fighting for things that were either lies or that they barely believed in. Most of the invaders from the Holy Church or United Cities Alliance were only there because of what their factions had lied about or due to sheer ignorance. They had no personal reason. Casper hated every moment he spent on the battlefield... which only made him stronger.

It didn't help that he was really fucking good at it.

Curses were fueled by emotions, and the battlefield was a very emotional place. Casper simply had to fuel the fire as he took advantage of the area. One had to remember that the Risen were the defenders, and even if many of their defensive measures had been sabotaged, far from all had been struck. The most potent defenses only a handful were aware of. One of these defensive items was called the Thousand Splinters Pillar. To the naked eye, it looked like a giant rotten treetrunk, but to Casper, it was a battery of infinite weapons.

Casper flew above the battlefield with the large pillar floating behind him as he sent splinters raining down towards the battlefield. Every time a splinter hit someone, they were struck by a mental attack. Those unable to resist lashed out and began attacking those around them mercilessly as their perception of who was an ally or friend changed. To make it worse then, the curse energy in each splinter would be amplified every time the person attacked someone.

Within the first half of an hour of the battle, Casper killed hundreds. Within the first day, over a thousand. It slowed down with time as they adapted, but Casper was just stronger. Some were not even D-grade, and Casper quickly realized something was off but kept fighting. At the beginning of the second day, after a long rest where others had to take to the battle, he pushed forward as he killed more and more, soon leaving behind the other Risen. If he was ahead of the others, he could limit casualties on their side.

Keeping up and pressing his advantage, Casper soon found himself close to enemy lines. He stopped, and as this moment, his Spirit Mark resonated, and he heard Priscilla speak.

"Retreat for now. They are just throwing bodies at us to tire us out both mentally and in resources."

Casper Instantly agreed as he began to make his way back. He stared at the battlefield below and saw corpses everywhere. Most were from the Holy Church, but Priscilla was right... these were just meat shields. Proof once more of the ruthlessness of the Holy Church when it came to war. They were willing to make any sacrifice as long as they won. Their own elites also had cowardly stayed back from the moment Casper rejoined the battle.

One of the defensive measures they still had on the side of the Risen was a single Orb of Second Awakening - a one-time use item that would send a specially attuned death mana pulse out to reanimate those who had died as undead. Not risen, just mindless monsters. But the Church and United Cities clearly knew this as flames constantly swept across the battlefield, burning the bodies of the fallen, followed by pulses from the priests of the Holy Church to "purify" the souls. It was cruel but effec-

"Watch out!" Casper suddenly heard mid-retreat.

He did not react in time, but a shield still appeared and blocked a beam of light that had been headed straight for him as one of his pre-prepared spells activated. Casper's eyes opened wide as a second attack arrived, this time from directly below. He retreated away, towards the battlefield once more, as a sword of light cut the area he had just stood. The air shimmered as a figure was revealed from invisibility. As he appeared, so did his comrades.

"Thousands dead to isolate me in an ambush..." Casper muttered.

Five people had appeared, and he recognized three of them as the party members of Bertram. It was the healer Noor, the swordsman Lucian and mage Joshua. Notable absent were the two strongest people in the party, Maria and Bertram.

The two replacements were also an archer and a warrior.

"Thousands of fates realized as they enter the Holyland with honor," the priestess, Noor, said.

God damn fanatics, Casper cursed as he saw no need for further words. With the pillar still floating behind him, Casper counterattacked as he prioritized getting back to safety. Lucian cut him off and tried to strike Casper but was intercepted by a wooden barrier that exploded in his face.

Joshua released a beam of light that forced Casper to dodge as he sent cursed stakes in retaliation. The archer and warrior also joined the fray and tried to pressure the Risen, but the difference was clear. Which only made Casper frown more as they should know they didn't stand a chance. Which meant it was as he and Priscilla expected...

"Do you need my help?" Lyra asked him from within his pendant, but Casper refused.

"Save your energy in case they have a trick up their sleeve. They have something planned, and I may need you to get us out of here,"Casper answered. He had not overextended without a backup plan.

Lyra acknowledged as she was ready to unleash her power if anything went awry. Casper handled the fight fine on his own, but killing any one of them was an issue. He lacked in the damage output department as he was the type of fighter to slowly build up curses in his foes or lead them into traps. With no time to set up traps, Casper just had to fight with his wooden stakes and general curse magic as he ever-so-slowly tried to get away.

The group had only revealed themselves the moment Casper had begun retreating, so it was clear something was up. He tried probing out responses as he used a boosting skill and pressed Lucian hard. Giant stakes appeared all around Casper as he made them connect to the pillar floating behind him, sending out pulses of pure curse energy.

Casper was about to explode the entire thing as he felt something was off.

"You fucking bastards," Casper muttered as he looked down. Thousands of motes of light had appeared, floating in the air as Noor spoke an incantation.

"Holy martyrs, heed my call!" the insane priestess yelled as the many motes of light began moving.

Casper had underestimated the depravity of the Holy Church. These people were not just meat shields; they were straight-up sacrifices. He knew this kind of magic; it was something the Holy Church had deployed before. Each of the killed members from the Holy Church had carried on them a mark that effectively turned them into dead people walking to bring out more power, and when they then died, all their remaining energy would be focused into the mark. The holy "purification" earlier was not to cleanse their souls or whatever either, but simply a way to prime the motes.

The motes of light flew up and entered a mark on the swordsman Lucian. Casper was perplexed for a moment until he realized what they were doing- These people are batshit insane.

Lucian began glowing with intense light as Casper tried to back away, but the four others moved to stop him. Each of them had activated all their boosting skills to try and keep him still as Lucian's aura grew with every moment.

Just as he was about to unleash it all, Casper snickered a bit.

"Lyra. Now."

Casper's body suddenly glowed green as a ghostly form appeared above him. Lyra opened her mouth and let out a fitting unholy scream that sent out a wave of soul energy. At the same same, the pillar exploded, sending splinters in every direction. Everyone were stunned and pelted with splinters as Casper's entire body turned green and transparent before he flew straight down towards the ground.

Lucian broke through the stun effect and chased him, surpassing Casper's speed and catching up to him rapidly. The Risen pressed himself even more, and he felt his body burn from the man's sheer presence as he looked like a miniature sun. Lucian's blade closed in just as Casper reached the ground... and continued.

The blade impacted the soil as a huge explosion shook the battlefield, sending shockwaves out. A bright light flashed before it subsided, leaving only a deep hole in the ground as well as a struggling Lucian. He tried to strike again, but his arm broke mid-swing as his body started to turn to motes of light. A few seconds later, not a single trace of him remained as his body had been consumed by the holy power.

Back behind the walls, a ghostly green figure emerged right next to Priscilla. It was naturally Casper who quickly turned corporal again before slumping to the ground. "Those absolute maniacs actually fucking did it."

"We expected it," Priscilla sighed, still clearly troubled by the sheer level of fanaticism displayed by the church.

Casper nodded as he looked over at a certain cave. "Is it time we make our grand exit?"

"Most have already been evacuated," Priscilla answered.

"Go now," Casper said. "I will help the rest retreat from the battlefield as you lead the last ones in there."

"We're really doing this," Priscilla said, uncertainty clear on her face.

"We tried and failed," Casper said. "So let's just stick to the original plan. We should have just accepted long ago that Earth would never be a home for us anyway."