Poison God's Heritage

Our conversation continued as we moved around the labyrinth. It wasn't easy for a normal person to navigate this dark place. But sooner than expected we heard the heaving of another man, breathing roughly right around the corner. I gestured to the puppets to keep moving forward until we ended up finding another person along the way.

He looked rather panic stricken, fear clear in his eyes as he backed away from the both of us.

"Looks like you've seen a ghost," I said to the man.

"I-I apologize, I'll be going the other way!" he said as he tried to back away. I guess seeing two cultivators and more than a dozen Emperor Level Puppet is enough to scare anyone witless.

"Hold," I said to the man, "Why are your sleeves bloodied?" I asked.

"Oh this, I met with an imposter earlier, I barely got out of it," he said. He didn't seem anxious or worried as he said those words, as if they were a given as if they were the truth.

However, the blood splatter was strange, it was not a defensive blood splatter… and the man didn't seem to have any wounds on him.

"How did you escape?" I asked.

"Why are you asking so many questions? Are you perhaps the imposter?!" he said with clear fear on his face. Of course, it was fake.

Nice try to divert my attention, shifting the blame. But gaslighting is my specialty.

"If I was, do you think you'd still be alive?" I replied coldly as my puppets all seemed to lock their eyes on the man.

Growing more anxious he sighed and said, "I found a small tunnel as I was running away from him, when I entered the tunnel it closed behind me and I found myself here. Then you two came out," he said.

"That sounds awfully convenient," Law said. "How about you show us your piece of the map?" Law asked.

"What for?" the man tried to dodge the question.

"To compare, after all if you really are not an imposter you should have the map on you," Law added.

Sighing once again, "Here, happy?" he said as he showed us his piece of the map.

I nodded at the man and said, "What are you planning on doing now?" I asked him.

"I really don't know, I'll probably wander around, unless you want to take me with you," the last part was followed by an awkward laugh.

"Sure thing, if you want, you can come with us," I said.

"Really?" he said, his eyes sparking.

"Of course, but you'll be leading the way forward, next to my puppets, after all, I don't fully trust you yet," I said.

"Sure thing, no worries!" he said.

Law frowned at me and said through divine sense message, "Why are you allowing him to come with us, he is very suspicious."

"I know, not only is he suspicious, he is definitely an imposter," I said.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Law asked.

"Because he never asked us to show him our piece of the map, if he really was a pathfinder he would request to see our map so he can try and find the exit for himself, as for the map he had on him, it was definitely picked up from the corpse of whoever was unfortunate enough to meet them."

"Then, why did you allow him to accompany us?"

"Because I'd rather have and enemy where I can see, instead of an enemy I can't see. The unseen blade is the deadliest," I explained.

Law nodded as we moved along. Navigating through the corridors and trying to find a point of reference or something we can use to recognize our location. However, it was harder than finding a needle in a sea of needles. The entire maze was hard to navigate, mirrors upon mirrors making progression a nightmare and the path could lead up or down at different intersections.

Suddenly as we were moving, we heard a low growl coming from a distance.

"Seems we have even more company," I said.

Law, a bit tensed, "That's an unnatural growl…"

"Indeed it is, not only do we need to be worried about imposters but these things are a menace too."

The sound of clawed paws striking against the hard floor reverberated through the hallway we were in. And soon something emerged from the darkness.

The creature emerged from the shadows like a nightmare given form, its massive frame towering over us. The creature bears a striking resemblance to a wolf, but with a twisted and corrupted form that sets it apart from any ordinary beast.

Its size dwarfs that of a normal wolf, standing at least twice as tall at the shoulder, with muscles rippling beneath its fur like coiled springs ready to unleash devastation.

Its fur, once a majestic coat of sleek black, now appears dull and disheveled, tainted by an icy chill of unknown origin. Jagged spikes protrude from its spine, resembling shards of ice frozen in mid-air, adding to its fearsome appearance. Its eyes, a piercing shade of icy blue, seem to glow with an otherworldly light, betraying the intelligence lurking behind its bestial facade.

Despite its wolf-like features, there's an unsettling aura of darkness and corruption that surrounds the creature, as if it has been twisted and warped by malevolent energies of unknown sources.

As it bares its fangs in a menacing snarl, droplets of icy saliva drip from its jaws, freezing upon contact with the ground below. Every movement is calculated and deliberate, betraying a cunning intelligence lurking behind its bestial exterior.

"What in god's name is that?!" the man up ahead said, fear clear in his eyes, this time true fear without any lies or fakery.

The beast then growled once more and launched itself forward, claws and jaws both aimed not at the closest man, not at the one in front but at me who was far back and sitting in a palanquin.

I smiled as this very act fully proved my doubts about the man up front.

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