Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 191: Book 3: Chapter 43: Maze

Read chapter 191 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 43: Maze Chapter 43: Maze Alex’s boots pounded the flagstones, the air thick with the sickly-sweet tang of flowers and the burn of poison in his chest. Holly ran beside him, her braid whipping in the air, her breathing just as shallow as his own. Eric kept pace right behind, but he didn’t stay with them long as he ended up taking an early turn to head off towards his own target. Obby’s presence flickered in his mind as the stone began projecting lines of light into his vision. A glowing web unfolded ahead of him, showing him twisting paths and dead ends overlaid onto the living maze in his sight. “ Left fork in twenty steps. Curve east, then cut north at the arch. Two markers within a couple miles, yours first, then hers further up. She'll be on her own for a little while.” The sentient rock was curt, as it also knew how tense the situation was and avoided unnecessary quips. At least for now. “Keep tight,” Alex said between breaths. “I’ve got the route.” They sprinted through a hedge arch, the path curling unnaturally as if trying to loop back on itself. The maze pressed close on all sides with green walls that were too neat, too manufactured to be considered normal. Topiaries and flower bushes loomed like silent watchers on their flanks. For a while, the only sound was their footsteps, their strained breaths, and the timer ticking in the back of their minds. Then Holly spoke. She was quieter than normal, her words threaded with something Alex didn’t usually hear from her... doubt. “We might not make it this time,” she said. “Fifty minutes isn’t long for seven objectives. If we get sealed in here…” Alex slowed half a beat, glancing back at her, then grinned. “If that happens then we break through the garden fences with brute strength. No maze, or wall, or dungeon’s gonna keep us penned in forever.” She shot him a doubtful look. “And if not that,” he went on, shrugging as they veered around another corner, “then we make it work another way. And if even that fails?” He met her eyes briefly. “Then we get to spend our dying days together. Could be worse ways to go.” Holly’s lips pressed tight, then curved just slightly. A rare softness breaking through her normally strong image. “That wouldn’t be too bad.” They rounded the bend, Obby’s projected map glowing brighter. The first marker was getting close. Alex tightened his footwork, his eyes scanning the shifting hedges ahead for possible ambush. “Yeah. Not bad at all,” he replied. When they turned the next corner, the marker wasn’t what was waiting for them. A snake chimera was. It slithered from the hedge ahead, its frilled petals fanning wide around its head, and its mouth opening with that same hiss of yellow-green spores. But this time, Alex and Holly were ready. “No breathing room,” Alex yelled out. He meant it literally. Holly’s hands flashed, the air twisting sharply around her palms as she flung slicing gusts into the beast’s face. Alex came forward under the cover of her spell, firing off [Wind Lance]s. Each burst of aether chewed bloody holes into the chimera’s thick scales. The thing recoiled, petals trembling, but Alex didn’t let it get a second to recover. He dropped in below Holly's projectiles and drove forward with his shoulder. His charge connected and slammed it against the hedge wall. Holly’s follow-up was to flash forward with her [Wind Stride] and she snapped her jian blade through its body, twisting it in half with a wet crack. They didn’t even stop to check the chimera's corpse. Alex spat blood into the dirt and kept moving. “Next turn!” The maze bent again, tighter than before, the hedges looming taller as if the whole garden leaned in as they ran. The fountain’s timer ticked in the corner of his vision. They were ambushed by another snake shortly after. Then another. And these beasts weren’t the same as the previous ones, they were already adding in new attacks. Frilled petals quivered as they reared back, vibrating in a pulse that sent invi