Pt 29- Inner Thoughts and Sad Feelings
Another Trial over with at last, Magnus thought to himself as he poured out drinks at a somber table with his family.
The Heavens must be laughing at me. I finally get through a Trial without a scratch and wanted to brag to everyone about how I fleeced that foreigner. But no, I get out to find half my family dead from a failed exploration.
Magnus looked at his surviving family with shadowed eyes. His twin brother, Markus, was bandaged and wearing an eye patch over a hollow socket. While his mother, Maia, sat there with no physical wounds, but her empty stare in to her cup spoke volumes about her mental state. He could still see the cloth covered body of this older sister that greeted him when he returned home. His father's body desecrated and eaten by spirit beasts before it could be recovered.
Markus has explained that while the Magnus and the others were limiting the damage of the Trials this year, a small tomb of some long dead cultivator opened up near the clan's borders. It wasn't some Nascent Soul expert, but a peak Core Realm expert's tomb. So, while it was considered valuable, it wasn't an Earth shaking event. Most Elders and Faction leaders found this place mot worth their time, so only Foundation level experts arrived to explore it.
This tomb was found in on the edge of the desert and bordering the Yuan Clan and Magic Oak Sect. The tomb was quickly crowded by every Foundation level expert from the 3 neighboring groups that could make it on time.
Magnus's family was one of the groups who made it to the tomb right before it opened. They had just complete a long patrol route to make sure no one was taking advantage of the Trials. When the news of the tomb came, the whole family jumped on it, hoping to keep up with Magnus. They hurried to the site of the tomb just in time to see the defenses at the gate fail.
The crowd knew very little of the man buried in the tomb, and only know the level of the man because of the strength of the Qi disturbances they could sense. The second the barrier dropped, the assembled cultivators received a blast of flash wood Qi before they all charged into the tomb.
As with many similar stories about raiding ancient tombs, the first wave of cultivators died ignoblely to various traps. Whoever was buried there was apparently a fan of animal based toxins. Many of the traps involved darts and trap doors with spikes covered in poisons. Many of the first wave lasted long enough to set off the second wave of traps before dying to the poison flowing in their veins.
The group mostly ignored the fallen, except to loot the bodies of storage rings, as they made it past the entrance to a large foyer. It had a huge chandelier that used spirit stones to light up the room(which was soon ripped apart for the stones), some lovely tapestries depicting the deceased life(it was stolen before anyone noticed), 5 beautifully worked doors representing each element(they were swiftly destroyed and the crowd moved through it), and several master worked statues of powerful Spirit beasts.
The Centenius family chose to enter the Metal door, hoping to find something that would compliment their bloodline or fighting styles. Almost immediately it was seen that the defenses were fall greater than anyone realized. Behind the door, there was dozens of metal golems that came to life to fight the intruders. These golems were 8 feet tall soldiers made with exacting details. They were so life like, that they looked similar to clan members except made of Iron instead of bronze. In addition to being as tough, these golems were deceptively fast, as they skewered several surprised saps before the rest of the group rained attacks down on them.
Normally, so many attacks of so many different types would instantly overwhelm any foe, the Golems locked their shields together and somehow weathered the attacks with minimal damage. The failed attacks demoralized the raiders and the golems went on the counter attack. It was a complete slaughter as few had the body cultivation needed to hold their own in close combat and those who did were swarmed by the powerful automatons.
The rush into the room soon became a rout to get back out. Somewhat luckily, the family was towards the back of the crowd and had a head start fleeing. That was the only reason so many of them survived.
Maxima was one of the few who could fight head on, but not even she could do much. She covered her family as they escaped by forcing a few golem that was chasing them into a delaying fight. She fought smart, parrying every blow she couldn't dodge. Maxima struck blows that would cripple a normal cultivator, but barely dented the metal shells of the golems.
Maxima had a pair of gauntlets she personally forged as her main weapon. She used the best materials, found an array master to boost their durability, and even added some of Magnus's poisons to make them more lethal. Spending years finding the perfect spirit beasts to hunt down for their bones and blood. Even longer, begging and bribing an array master to cram as much as he could to make them impenetrable. The gauntlets were slowly being peeled off her hands. Each parried blow removed a chuck of metal, and soon, a solid blow connected. The sheer power behind the spear strike not only shattered the armor, but her arm as well.
Maxima's defense was broken and the only option left was to run. Markus told Magnus that her movement technique was as mysterious as it was swift. It was like a foggy breeze that limited vision while making a person as light as a feather. She almost made it back to the foyer, but at the last moment, the golem threw its spear and pierced her heart. The throw was so strong, it carried her body almost back to the entrance of the tomb. That was honestly the only reason they were able to bring the body back in the end.
Around this time, cultivators who entered the other doors had returned, also decimated from the room's guardians. All except the Fire door, as only ashes floated back through the door. The defenders did not leave their rooms as the doors reformed leaving the entryway the same state as it was before.
The survivors gathered to discuss how to proceed while Magnus's family went to retrieve their dead daughter. It was this that allow Markus and his mother to survive. For the Spirit beast statues came to life as some kind of petrification spell ended and the 10 beasts all at the limits of peak Core level went on the attack.
The Beasts tore through the gathered cultivators like they were mortals. Most of the group were formation level experts and stood no change again even early core level opponents much less hungry beast of the peak of core realm.
Maia was weeping over her daughter's dead body when an awakened beast tried to attack her. Maia's husband used his full strength to hit the beast with an attack from its blind side, stunning it for a moment. He had just enough time to tell Markus to save his mother before the beast was on him.
Probably angered from the previous blow, the beast toyed with Magnus's father for a bit by eating each of his limps before finishing him off. This delay allowed Markus to carry both his mother and sister past the entrance of the tomb.
When he got out, another barrier rose up and blocked the beast's attempt to exit. Markus wasted no time running away from the death trap with his surviving family. They later found out that the beast eventually broke the barrier and slaughtered a path into the mountain.
For now, Magnus was not strong enough to avenge the deaths of his family and could only bide his time.
Or do I? Magnus thought to himself.
I hear that one of the others journeyed deep into the Cloud Caves. His cultivation was below mine, but deep in the caves, was able to rush past my cultivation and even break through the Core Realm. Actually, how many of my peers have made it so par past me now? That's not even counting Heaven's favorites at the Single Pillar realm. And of course Minervina is pulling even father away from me in both cultivation and master of poisons. Magnus drained his cup and pulled out one of his special brews to refill it.
No, no. Don't get distracted. Focus on what's important. First, I need to gather all the tribulation treasures I've been collecting. Then, I need to refill my poison supplies, that annoy B**** forced me to use most of them. At least she paid well to get the antidote. I really should start carring less potent poisons when facing people I'm confident in beating. Extortion seems much more profitable that just fighting. I might destroy something valuable if I straight kill them. Wait, back to the plan.
Next step number whatever, go to the Cloud Cave with all the life saving treasures. Then go deep enough to either use all the treasures, or I break through to the next realm. I need to stop getting distracted so much. My mind has been scattered a lot ever since I started using more than two arms and formed my pillar of Adaptability. I knew that technique allowed me to split my attention to use the arms in battle, but I didn't realize it would give me split attention outside of it.
Is that why the technique of multiple arm was gathering dust in the back of that library? It makes people unfocused most of the time? Wait is that way I've been focusing on making so many different businesses and learning such of weird array of skills? No wonder no one used it, this could kill you in battle. Plus the split focus on learning probably slowed down their cultivation speed and reduced their skill levels making them weak enough to kill by a specialist. Hopefully breaking through to the next realm will make it easier to control. I have got to add a warning to the beginning of that technique scroll before someone else reads it.
Magnus shakes his head to clear the random thoughts away. Those thought could wait a bit. He had more important things to worry about right now, comforting his mother...and maybe building a family tomb under his base. It would have to bigger and more richly decorated than the old family shrine, but he had the money for it. His sister would get a proper tomb and his father's plaque would at least have a place of honor even if they didn't have the body. Now back to his mother.
Man this got a bit depressing but 1.85 K words. So, like every time I remember Magnus has living family, usually during a trial. I roll for how they are doing. Last trial they all made it out with 70s minimum rolls(except for the dad who got hurt). This time, 2 sub 10 roll and the others were mid 40s. Then I notice that every one of those Wuxia and Xiania stories have ancient tombs full of traps or secret realms. We have lots of secret realms/training area, but I dont remember many tombs, so here we go. The perfect way to kill off half of Magnus's family and show you why being adaptable and having multiple arms after poisoning off your old ones is a bad idea
also
@TehChron @BungieONI threadmark please
