Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 65: Chapter 61: Dark Den

Read chapter 65 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Chapter 61: Dark Den Chapter 61: Dark Den They came for him at dawn, or whatever passed for dawn underground. A low horn blast echoed through the tunnels, vibrating the walls and rousing the prisoners from sleep. Alex sat up with a grunt, body aching, his leg still stiff. Garret stirred beside him, bleary-eyed. The others sat up slowly, too, heads swiveling toward the barred gate. Tom-Tom appeared first, lantern in hand. He didn’t smile as he entered the pit. “Time,” he said. Two armored kobolds unlocked the gate and threw down the rope ladder into the pit. They didn’t grab Alex as he reached the top. They didn’t need to. He stood and followed on his own. Allie caught his hand. “Don’t die in there.” Alex gave her a smirk that was more a grimace. “That’s the plan.” “Just don’t be stupid,” Devon said from behind her. Garrett coughed. “And if you see a skeleton with my name tag, you better slap it for me.” Alex nodded once, then turned to go. Tom-Tom led him, this time in creepy silence, through winding corridors lit by green moss and low flame. As they walked through the tunnels, Tom-Tom slipped a folded piece of leather into his hand. Without even having to open it, he could feel the aether crystals contained within through the thin leather. Alex quickly slipped it into his bracelet. “Thanks Tom-Tom.” “Say nothing,” the little lizard said. “Really, you tell what Tom-Tom did, they will kill and eat Tom-Tom.” He suppressed a chuckle and continued to follow Tom-Tom towards what Alex was beginning to feel was his death. The air grew drier the deeper they went. Alex was led down a tunnel system he hadn’t explored during his little recon infiltration. The torch sconces no longer appeared. The way was only lit by the glowing moss that managed to survive on the walls and the small lanterns held by his escort. At last, they reached a wide, circular chamber where a dozen kobolds had already gathered around a central altar. Smoke curled from small incense pots. Bones hung from braided cords above the gathering, carvings marking the stone at their feet in runes which Alex didn’t recognize even with his [Glyphcraft] skill. And at the center of it all stood the Chieftain, draped in a cloak of stitched-together hides and feathers. He held a staff crowned with a shard of obsidian. “Dragon-Blood-One,” he intoned. Alex stepped forward, trying not to limp. “You go to the Den. You may not return. But if you do, you will be a brother to the Clutch.” The kobolds hissed in approval, their voices rising like steam. Their feet stamped against the stone, tails thumping in rhythm. The Chieftain gestured to the side and they all stopped suddenly. Three kobolds stepped forward, each carrying a bundle wrapped in cloth. One was nearly bigger than the kobold which held it. Based on the shape and apparent weight, Alex assumed it was a shield. The second was just cloth wrapped around something that could have been a cylinder. But the third one was not a mystery, as Alex could see the tell-tale shape of a dagger under the thin fabric. “These are your gift-offerings,” the Chieftain said. “Chosen by the tribe.” The first bundle was presented by the kobold at Alex’s feet and unwrapped: a small, dented metal disk , covered in old etchings and copper wire. What Alex had assumed to be a shield was actually some kind of glyph inscribed metal plating. He might be able to use it as a shield, but he assumed that would just be wasting the item’s potential. Obby, a ny idea what that is? “Oh you’re in luck. That’s an enchanter’s catalyst plate. If you work on your crystals while they are on that thing, it’ll make your life way easier, trust me. The little lizards probably don’t even know what it is. Doudra knew very, very little [Glyphcraft] when she got me, so I doubt any one of these guys has the skill proficiency to know what they have.” He almost smiled. Turned out he had a little bit of luck on his side after all. The second kobold opened the bundle it carried and revea