Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn! 218 Preparations for Return 4

*SMACK!*

...a manly reunion in which not a single tear was shed by great Devouring Demon God Kizorik and his human contractor.

Immediately after their reunion, Kizorik started by complaining about the boredom of being trapped in a soul realm with no food, no entertainment and no-one to talk to.

"But... What about Velzash?"

"DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THAT LITTLE, THAT LITTLE *BEEP!*!" Kizorik turned red and started raging, thrashing around madly in anger at the sound of his "friend"'s name, making Lars' eyes widen in surprise.

"After he ran out of greens on the first day, the little *BEEP* fake vegan demon began complaining about hunger! As if though spirit beings like us in a soul realm could even be hungry! Yeah! And then, when I offered him some fish, he, he... He...!!!!" At this point, Kizorik's face turned beet red and his cheeks puffed up so much that he couldn't even speak. Then, like a balloon that was popped, the penguin let out a burst of air from his beak and spluttered in rage.

"W-What did Velzash do to make you s-so mad?"

"HE ATE ALL MY FISH IN ONE GULP! ARGHHH!!! THEN COMPLAINED ABOUT HOW NASTY IT TASTED AND RESUMED HIS COMPLAINING EVERY DAY UNTIL TODAY!!!"

Lars tried to placate Kizorik for a while, deciding to avoid talking about Velzash until the bad memories were more distant. He did learn though that Velzash had entered a deep, deep sleep just this morning after complaining of intense headaches. Even when Lars had re-opened his soul realm and met Kizorik, Velzash had not reacted in the slightest - he seemed unable to even sense anything that was happening around, even when Kizorik had shook him back and forth or stamped on his head... Ahem.

This was strange - first off because demons who didn't have bodies had no heads to ache, but doubly strange because it was around the same time as when Lars had unlocked the Rune of Desolation...

However, Lars kept the though to himself as he brought Kizorik up to speed on all that had occurred within the past week, eliciting emotional sighs, looks of excitement and at times yawns of boredom from the penguin.

Kizorik's interest was piqued upon hearing of the trail of the Demon Hunting Sect that had surfaced here of all places. Sadly, there was not enough information from the fragmented memories consumed from Belic Wildwood, and any further investigation would have to wait until a later visit, especially because their only lead Aerol was a Divine-realm being on par with the Divine Sun Lord...

However, the point that he was the most interested in was oddly enough the pink dragon, Frenoshreth. The penguin asked various questions such as what the length of her body was, the width, the textures of her scales and her favourite food (minty and Divine beings) and colour (obviously pink).

When asked why he was so interested, Kizorik's reply left Lars sweating and wishing he had not known. It turned out that the preferred mating partner of Demonic Devour God's were female dragons...

Having finished their catch-up, the boy and his companion then resolved to explore the mystery of the power of Desolation and also assess the limits of Lars' Myth-realm powers once the opportunity arose. For now though, there was a journey to continue.

And so their party was once more complete (minus Velzash) and ready for their return to Yiluo Planet.

"Alright... Let's scout out the Crawler's Cave and secure the portal home before wrapping things up here."

"Yeah... Let's get back and kick ass!"

Lars exchanged a look and a smile with his companion and reached out a hand towards Kizorik, which the penguin reached up to smack in camaraderie.

Kizorik's form then faded into mist as he retreated to the soul realm, boy and contractor reunited once again.

* * * * *

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*

Lars paced through the passages of the Crawler's Cave, hearing only the sounds of his footsteps and the occasional drip-drop of water echoing through the chambers.

As he retraced his steps (thanks to his photographic memory), he began to realise that the cave... Was most likely not truly a cave.

Rather, from the smooth yet textured surface of the walls and the oddly regular sizes of the chambers, he began to wonder if this were a man-made structure that had been abandoned over the years or centuries. The only parts that had him feeling that it could be natural were the uneven levels and shapes of the walls and the interspersed depressions and holes on the floor that looked like they were formed from countless years of erosion.

'Gives me the creeps... I don't like the smell of this place, it's as if though someone or some *thing* puked and we're now walking through it's vomit... Ugh...! #Feels bad man... Something just ain't sitting right with this place... Let's get this over and get out quick, 'kay boy?' Kizorik commented with his customary complaints while keeping his nose shut with a clothes peg.

Lars at first shrugged it off as just the usual gripes from his penguin buddy, but also began to have a bad feeling about this journey. He couldn't quite place it, but he, too, felt a sense of discomfort and unrest - almost as if though he were missing something highly important.

Nonetheless, he couldn't quite figure out just what could threaten him as a Mythic being. The most powerful creature here had been the Crawler, and that was at most at the World-class level. Maybe it had been a threat when he had been helpless, but right now it would be the Crawler that would be helpless if it dared cross him!

Shrugging as he continued onwards, he avoided the droplets of water that dripped from the ceiling as he approached the last turning. He noticed that the water droplets were growing thicker and slightly... Viscous. Perhaps due to the water seeping through limestone or dust residue.

Wondering why he would notice such a thing and dismissing the thoughts, his steps continued until he stopped just before he would reach the location of the teleportation gateway - the location where he had met the first Crawler that had nearly taken his life.

He stopped just before the intersection, somehow feeling as if the passageway before him were the gaping maw of a lurking beast. Looking on, he couldn't help but feel a sense of apprehension and hesitance, causing him to frown. It was too illogical to be afraid of moving forward against a mere World-class, mindless creature. How could he be hesitating here? What about when he had to someday confront world-destroying beings such as the All-Father of the All-Heaven Divine Empire? Or against a true monstrosity that could even bring an end to galaxies - the Desolator?

'Kiddo... I know how you feel. It's just like... When I... I had to face my ex-girlfriend again and borrow money from her, and she had to borrow the money from her new boyfriend...' Kizorik whispered "encouragingly" to Lars, causing him to smile with eyes wide, shocked by his admission but also finding it a ridiculous image to have at such a time as this.

He was tempted to call it nonsense and ask Kizorik not to joke at this moment, but the sincere and heartbroken, agonised look on the bird's face made him catch himself.

'Erm..... Alright...?' Deciding not to mention anything more about it, but still cheering up a little from the unexpected words from his buddy, Lars sucked in a deep breath and, casting aside the ghosts of his past that had no basis, he willed himself forward.

After all, what was the worst that he could face?

With that, he bravely entered the Cave of the Crawler.

Little did he know that in the passageways he had passed, too far away for him to notice, the spots where the "water" droplets had fallen began to sizzle and disintegrate, pits and holes began to appear on the surface of the floor as it was broken apart into basic elements, almost like the floor were dissolved by digestive fluids.

Chapter end