Deep beneath the earth, near crystals sown by the Jingozi, a new breed of elf rises. Their bodies decay with sickness, reflecting an unsettling bond with their alien keepers. Tales of their shared twisted devotion hint at an unholy obsession that leaves these cave-dwelling elves trapped in a dark, perverse bargain.
***
Cursed elves looked exactly like I'd imagined—from a horror movie.
They were pale, almost translucent, and looked like bat-like cave dwellers. Their thin, slick lavender skin made them sickly and corpse-like. More feral than regular elves, their bodies featured elongated limbs, sharp claws, and a skeletal, hunched posture. Their faces, gaunt, with large, leathery ears, sharp teeth, and wide, gaping mouths, caused me to look away.
A dozen crawled up the tunnels in our direction.
I fought the urge to wretch from what I saw next.
In a muddy pit that sank deep into the ground, dozens of cursed elves lay intertwined around a Jingozi at the center of a mountain of octranite. It was a pile of treasure so high that you'd expect a dragon from a fantasy game to swoop down and sit on top of it. And mixed with the glowing shards were bones, weapons, and suits I recognized—Amazonian armor.
Although the image was frozen, my imagination took care of the rest.
The Jingozi's shroud unfurled and coiled around the tangled mass of bodies and appendages in a horrific display of affection. Its skeletal fingers reached to stroke the beings with disturbing tenderness. The avian-like death mask it wore, adorned with curved horns, tilted toward the pit's edge, locking eyes with mine. I felt like a voyeur stumbling upon some sacrilegious ritual, witnessing an incomprehensible blend of skin and cloth that my mind struggled to process.
What the actual f—
A shimmer caught the corner of my eye.
I almost missed it. But shifting my focus, there it was, in the reflection on the arena floor, right over the location of the pit. My eyes widened as I knelt and touched the pulsing spot. Could it be?
We might have a way out of this nightmare…
I blinked out of the Jingozi arena, my eyes refocusing on the concerned faces of the monks.
"Okay, brother Monks, I've got good news and bad news," I started. "The bad news is that, yes, cursed elves are coming our way. I figure we have little time before they reach us."
One of the Monks passed out. Another hyperventilated and babbled in a foreign language.
"Before I share the good news, I have a question," I continued. "How many of you know how to open a nexus portal?"
"We all do," one Monk spoke up. "It's a core discipline of Zii-Chi and our duty as temple monks."
That was the answer I needed. It also explained why the northern factions wanted control of the temple. They'd only need a few Monks to betray them to operate the portals.
"Thank you… I'm sorry… your name is?" I asked.
"Fung."
"Right on, brother Fung," I attempted a fist bump, which he ignored. "The good news is there's a nexus. And that's what we'll use to create a portal out of here."
The Monks broke out in nervous murmurs. I omitted the detail about the pit filled with cursed elves doing God-knows-what with a Jingozi.
"Hey, look," I said. "I know you're scared. I'm terrified, too. But I'm not gonna die down here—I've got unfinished business up there—so we're all getting out. Remember, I'm a Jingozi dealer…"
I manually revealed a Jingozi hand, causing them to step back in panic. Yong Ming grabbed my wrist and shook his head.
"No magic," he whispered. "The deeper we go, the more unstable the octranite, and your Jingozi abilities release too much energy."
I nodded and returned my cards. Yong Ming addressed his fellow Monks in another language. Their faces changed from fear to quiet resignation. Yong Ming turned to me and gave me a fist bump.
"What did you tell them?" I asked.
"To trust."
"Trust?"
"Yes. If the nexus trusts you, so shall we."
***
I held my breath as four cursed elves crawled past our hiding spot behind the crystal formations. The eerie silence was broken by sharp claws scraping on the stones like knives on a dinner plate.
They stopped. My heart pounded so loudly I swore they'd hear it.
After several agonizing moments, they moved on. I watched them disappear into the dark, exhaled slowly, and gestured for the Monks to follow. We inched forward, careful not to make a sound.
A Monk's foot caught a loose crystal shard, sending it bouncing.
Clink.
The sound might as well have been a thunderclap.
The four cursed elves whipped around, their sunken eyes locking onto the Monk. They charged on all fours without a sound, moving as one horrifying unit.
I blinked behind them, unsheathing my sword. The blade hummed as I swung it in a wide arc.
To my surprise, all four heads severed with ease, as if I'd sliced through rotten watermelons.
The Monk scrambled out from under the headless bodies, his robes stained dark red in the rainbow glow of the crystals. I stood there, sword dripping, shocked at how easily they'd been dispatched. These creatures were nothing more than fragile shells filled with blood.
YOU HAVE DEFEATED THE CURSED ELF [4]
This is a unique Jingozi mob.
Reward: Jingozi Token [4]
Four Jingozi tokens floated on the ground where the cursed elves had fallen. That was odd. I'd only ever earned tokens from enemies during my trials—dark elves. Why would killing these creatures yield the same reward?
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Curious, I held out my hand. The coins leaped into my palm as if magnetized, vanishing into my inventory with a familiar tingle.
I turned to the Monks to be met with looks of abject horror. The Monk I'd saved jittered uncontrollably, his eyes fixed on the carnage at my feet. The others huddled together, whispering frantically.
"We need to keep moving," I said. "There's going to be…"
Something was... off. The crystals beside me vibrated, emitting a low hum that I felt on the back of my neck. They called to me, pulling at my consciousness.
Against my better judgment, I reached out and touched one.
A storm of whispers flooded my mind—too many to count. They overlapped, creating a cacophony of ghostly sounds that made me want to claw at my ears. I couldn't distinguish any of it until three words came through with chilling clarity.
We see you.
I yanked my hand back, shuddering violently. The voices lingered, echoing in my head like a bad dream. I shook myself, trying to clear the sensation.
"Did any of you hear that?" I asked.
The Monks shook their heads, looking more confused.
"We need to go," I said with urgency. "Now."
***
Blinking in and out of the Jingozi arena, I navigated us through the labyrinth of tunnels and caverns. The unsettling silence and oppressive darkness were amplified by the voices in my head every time I brushed a crystal. I now understood why nobody wanted to come down here.
The cursed elves continued to stalk us, their attacks more frequent with each wave. I'd long since abandoned any attempts at stealth. Instead, I stood my ground in the narrow confines of the tunnel, facing them head-on as they charged silently from the shadows. Their swift, silent approach was more unnerving than their gnashing teeth and thrashing claws.
Drenched in blood and gore, bits of flesh slid off me everywhere. My Ninja suit would clean itself—eventually. The Monks were also caked in guts and blood as they joined in, finishing off our assailants after my initial attack.
By the third wave, we had it down to a process. The elves lunged in, and I sidestepped while slashing, sending them skidding behind me. The Monks waited, holding crystal-spiked rocks, to bludgeon the wounded to death.
A knot of dread formed in my throat when I saw the pit's edge. The Monks were going to shit their pants for sure.
I beckoned the group into a huddle, and we all took a knee. Gazing into each of their blood-smeared faces, I addressed them.
"Fung, how close do you have to be to open a portal?"
"We only have to see the nexus."
"And how long does it take?"
"Not very long with ten of us."
"Okay, listen to me, all of you," I said, taking a long, hesitant breath. "You're about to see something that will freak you out. I'm not gonna lie. It's bad, on nightmare fuel levels of bad. But no matter what, stay focused. Do you understand?"
Every Monk nodded in unison.
"You all sneak up to the ledge up there," I continued. "The nexus is in the pit, but filled with cursed elves. I'll hold them off while you open the portal."
They nodded again.
"Yong Ming." I handed him the machete from my inventory. "Do you know how to use this?"
"Of course," he said.
"Okay, just in case. And remember, whatever you see, do not freak out. Just trust me, okay?"
***
LEVEL UPDATE
Name: Ember [Doctrine Dealer]
Tier: II [Bronze] Rank 4
Reward: Battle Card [2]
-
[0/7]
-
[1/7]
FEAT COMPLETE: EXPLORE THE NEXUS
Visit 3 nexus locations.
Bonus: Additional rewards are granted for every nexus you find from this point.
5th nexus found: Crystal Caverns
Before reaching the pit's edge, a football-sized crystal chunk floated up before us, glowing with an inner light. I spotted what looked like a Jingozi card suspended inside it. Its pulsing energy confirmed my suspicion—a gift from the nexus.
"Don't touch—" Yong Ming started to warn, but I was already reaching for it. We didn't have time. The crystal was surprisingly warm and lighter than expected as I sent it to my inventory.
"We need to move," I whispered urgently to the monks. "Questions later."
YOU HAVE RECEIVED A NEXUS CARD: CRYSTALMANCY
Add this card to your deck to unlock the ability to shape and activate octranite crystals.
UPDATED STATUS:
Name: Ember [Doctrine Dealer]
Tier: II [Bronze] Rank 4
Faction: Ninja [Field]
Zii: 62/100
Cards: 7/28
[Error]: 11/13
Deck [Upgrade]:
-
Shuriken [Ninja]
-
Reward Meta
-
Auto Dodge
-
Water Walker
As soon as we reached the nexus, every last Monk, except Yong Ming, completely freaked out.
The scene unfolding before us was even more vile and repulsive than the frozen snapshot from the Jingozi arena. The nightmarish visual assaulted every one of my senses. A grotesque mash of moist bodies, black cloak tendrils, and glittering crystal shards writhed and pulsated like a clump of oversized, putrid purple worms in a bowl of cereal.
The status stood out the most.
Name: ??? [Covenenant Dealer]
Tier: VII [Obsidian] Rank ???
Faction: Jingozi [Chaos]
The mass undulated in a sickening rhythm as the Jingozi leaned back, its metallic skull mask gleaming as it presumably experienced some form of depraved ecstasy. Its bony hands twitched in the air. The stench of decay and something far worse filled my nostrils. I fought hard to suppress a violent gag.
The Monks froze, their faces aghast and gawking in horror. I clenched my sword, trying to steady myself against the waves of visceral revulsion.
A Monk named Yin fainted and fell off the ledge, splashing into a pile of crystals. It was like throwing live bait into a pool of piranhas. They instantly swarmed the Monk, tearing him apart in a frenzy of fangs and claws. He didn't scream, only staring up at us, eyes wide in shock.
"Dammit, Yin," I muttered, before another Monk started to scream. The horde focused on him and climbed the walls.
Yong Ming fumbled the machete and barked something in their language, snapping the group into focus. One by one, they started chanting. But that only created nine more audible targets to lock onto.
"Hey, assholes!" I screamed. "Over here!"
The swarm shifted directions for a moment, but the chanting became louder. Each monk had several cursed elves scaling toward him. Throwing my cards risked blowing up the whole room, so I blinked back and forth, swinging my sword.
Like a whirlpool, a swirl of energy started to form right above the Jingozi. Through the shimmering lights, it stared at me without moving. But the pit spawned an endless supply of the cursed elves, swarming like bugs. I kept yelling every shred of profanity I could think of, trying to keep their attention.
Another Monk fell, dragged down, disappearing into the throng of predators. Opening the portal was going to take longer. The nuclear option was to blow the whole place and hope my Ninja suit's fire resistance would protect me. At least, that'd be a swift death for the Monks.
AUTO DODGE: SUCCESS
Card: [5/6] 83%
AUTO DODGE: SUCCESS
Card: [4/6] 66%
AUTO DODGE: FAIL
Card: [1/7] 14%
Three cursed elves pounced. I managed to evade two, but the third sank its ravening maw into my forearm. I grunted and blinked away before it could do worse. But that left a Monk vulnerable, and they pounced.
I cocked my arm, ready to fire a card.
A silver flash zipped through the air around the Monk, shredding the elves into fleshy ribbons. It was Kitty, screeching with a fury I'd never heard before. A whirlwind of razor-sharp scales, she flashed to an elf about to tackle a Monk, digging her claws into its neck while spinning her tail to shear another's jaw clean off. But even with her flight and lightning-fast reflexes, she was too late—another elf bit into the Monk's shoulder from behind. I winced as the sickening squelch of teeth punctured to the bone. The cry of pain turned into a gurgle as claws raked his throat.
I blinked into the Jingozi arena.
Come on, think Ember.
I paced the obsidian floor, examining my remaining cards and analyzing the situation. The cursed elves were spawning from the pit at an incomprehensible rate. I thought about asking the voice, but we weren't really on speaking terms, and he'd give me some bullshit advice anyway.
It was time for that nuclear option.
I blinked back.
"STOP!" I shrieked, holding up the crystal football from the nexus with a Jingozi card pointed at it.
The gamble worked. All the cursed elves cowered in place. And it confirmed my suspicion that they shared a hive mind through the crystals.
"We see you…" the voices whispered into my ear.
"If you can read my mind, you know damn well I will torch this whole place to hell."
"No…" the voices trailed. "Do not."
"Then let us go."
After a pause, the response came, "Go…"
"Open the portal," I called to Yong Ming, who signaled others to keep chanting.
The vortex continued to form until an image of tiled floors appeared in its center.
"What are you waiting for?" I barked.
The Monks jumped in.
"Kitty!" I called. She flew over and wrapped herself around my shoulders, squeaking with urgency.
"Ember…" the voices slipped into my mind once more.
"Yong Ming?" I yelled, "What are you waiting for? Go!"
The Monk turned to me, his eyes glassy, and shook his head without breaking the chant. The realization slapped me in the face. Someone needs to keep the portal open.
Still chanting, he extended his fist. I bumped it with mine and bowed.
"You will never go home… Ember… never…" the crystal whispered.
"Thank you for your trust, Yong Ming," I said, my voice barely audible over the hum of the portal.
With a deep breath, I swan-dived off the ledge. But before I reached the portal, I cast [Evolve] onto my new [0/7] battle card with all my remaining Zii and maximum multiplier.
The fiery shot spiraled downward into the pit.