Psychokinetic Eyeball Pulling

Chapter 127: Prelude to War

Somewhere within the Eyamos Jungle.

Killian gazed in adulation at the Archbishop as his golden halo shone, then a dense, choking stench of gas swept forward towards the jumping monsters.

The monsters sniffed the strange smell, and after realising that it wasn’t hazardous to their body, they leapt from tree to tree and began their attack. Just as the first one loaded its legs like a spring, the Archbishop clicked his fingers as the invisible cloud of gas exploded in an incredible detonation.

Blood, scraps of flesh, and innards flew through the air and scattered them all all in the trees. Intestines hung from above. Blood dripped.

Everytime Killian witnessed the power of the Archbishop, it always sent a trembling down his spine. It had been a few hours now since they had entered this strange land, but no monster could match the might of his grace.

He sent them all scattering.

The Archbishop was about to take another step forward, as he had always done, he had never stopped once. But this time was different. His eyes moved ever so slightly, but Killian could tell that it was from surprise.

He brought his hand to his eye and gently caressed it. “There’s a symbiote here… No–there’s two of them. Very high quality.”

The lower deacons became excited. The Archbishop scoffed as their trembling excitement was killed in an instant.

They knew where they stood within the organisation. If it was a lower tiered symbiote, then they stood a chance of obtaining it if their contribution to the cause was deemed enough. But a high tried one, however, was only gifted to the higher-ups.

“Spectral shadows, go forth. Bring back the whereabouts of the symbiotes.”

The two bishops standing just behind the Archbishop nodded, then bolted forward leaving nought but a shadow behind their steps.

“A dungeon.” The Archbishop mumbled. “Someone, or something, is pulling strings.”

Brett’s head snapped to the direction of the explosion.

“It’s Astrid!” Leena stepped forward, but Brett tightly gripped her arm.

“That’s not the same sound, missy.” Brett said. “I should know. I can hear that damned sound in my nightmares. Along with her toothy grin.”

“Bellona then?”

“Nah, Bellona doesn’t have any Skills to create an explosion like that. It sounded like a wide area explosion, not from an impact.”

“You can tell from all this way?”

“I’ve heard a lot of explosions in my life you know?”

Brett was about to say something else when his ears twitched. Frowning, he disappeared within the shadows of the myriad of bushes and trees.

He had long gotten used to the feeling of the shadows. They were dark, cold, and unfeeling. The only time he truly felt alive was when he was with his friends, when he was in the shadows, everything felt so… detached.

Brett jumped from shadow-to-shadow as he approached the spying eyes. High up on a tree, a robed person with a mask skulked within the shadows. The man was obviously an amateur.

His breathing was unprofessional and jagged. Unlike himself who had to control his breathing from an early age in fear of being beaten.

“Don’t be seen, don’t be heard. If you wish to eat, steal. If you want to live, kill.” His father’s words rang within his mind as he emerged from the shadow above the robed person. He was silent, not a sound was emitted from his body as he dropped toward the enemy.

Both his daggers transformed. They turned larger, and a pitch-black shadow covered them as they pierced towards the man's skulls like a death viper.

Surprisingly, the man turned without hesitation and dipped his head. The dagger tore into his shoulder as he fell down, but managed to grab hold of the branch he was standing on and flip to another tree.

The man was marked.

Brett displayed a savage grin as he reappeared from the shadow of the tree the man was leaping to. He jumped from the shadow and brandished his black-tooth like daggers. Both blades were aimed straight for the heart.

The man was about to react, when Brett vanished without a trace. Then, he appeared once more, but this time it was behind him, right where his daggers had injured him before.

Brett pierced the twin-daggers into the man's neck. Blood spurted. The man fell to the ground.

Brett emerged from the shadow at the bottom of the tree as the body splattered down next to him. Without wasting a moment, he snatched his equipment and glanced at the mast.

“Masked men?” Brett frowned.

How the hell were they here? Did they somehow manage to follow Astrid? But it was impossible. Astrid had many channels looking out for her and they had been incredibly careful with buying the ship.

No one should know. Luck?

Brett was awakened from his thoughts at the sound of battle. It was where he had left Leena. He bolted back through the shadows.

The longer he spent within them, he could feel his humanity slip.

Back within the Psycho territory.

“You’ll do that?” The Great No-Eyed One exclaimed.

“Is it not possible?” Astrid’s shoulders deflated.

“No, it is–I think.” The Great No-Eyed One. “I’ve just never thought about it. Are you sure you can empower everyone?”

“I don’t know. I felt some sort of restriction before, but I’m not sure if it has a cooldown period,” Astrid continued. “But I want to try.”

The Great No-Eyed One nodded in fervour as they left the room and walked within the hallway once more. While Astrids boots struck the rock below, she was stuck in thought.

She certainly felt a restriction, but it was a similar feeling to using her mana too often. If that was the case, then she should be able to accomplish it with enough rest inbetween. However, she would have to test it to make sure.

Then her mind turned to the Great No-Eyed One’s words about the madness within them. Was it a kindness? Did the Eye Queen make a mistake, and should she have not interacted with the race of psycho’s? Astrid wasn’t sure why, but she felt some sort of affection for the crazy people. Like kindred spirits.

There was also the whole bringing them over to her world part. Well, she would find a way, if not, she might have to do as the Great No-Eyed One had asked of her. To leave them.

Astrid sighed. “You were telling me about this world. Where were we? Eyamos?”

“Ah yes,” the Great No-Eyed One said. “Eyamos is one of the great four kingdoms on Abexar and it lies to the south. Then, we have Braniatia to the west, Estetia to the east, and finally the Wrentsend Icelands in the north.”

Astrid nodded as he noted the names in her mind. “Do you know of the void?”

“The void?” The Great No-Eyed One eyes widened. “Not personally, but we have heard from scholars of Braniatia talking about it once. Something about a void-break.”

“Void break?” Astrid said. “What’s that?”

“Well, I wish I could tell you progenitor, but we killed them before they could continue.” The Great No-Eyed One said and made sure to avoid eye contact with his hollowed out sockets.

“Of course you did.” Astrid frowned and pinched her chin. Void break… So I wonder if the dungeon world is connected. Or it could just be a different kind of void entirely. I won’t be certain until I see it myself.

“Then, tell me more about the threats in Eyamos,” Astrid continued. “I already know of the Femoras and Driader, what else is there that I need to be wary of?”

“The last tribe within Eyamos are the Stonelings. They reside in the mountainous area and have high defence, the strongest amongst them–the lords, can even control the earth. Other than that, there are a myriad of different monster races lurking within the jungle.”

“Then that leaves me to my last question,” Astrid glanced at his hollowed out eyes. “Where is Avemoth?”

“Avemoth?” The Great No-Eyed One looked aghast. “Why do you mention its name?”

“To return, I need to defeat it, I think.” Astrid said, but her voice wavered.

She actually wasn't sure how to return. It wasn’t like the Voidmare dungeon that explicitly told her how to leave. But defeating Avemoth was more of a suggestion from the System. A bonus reward.

Astrid just hoped the gateway would be at the final boss–the Avemoth. Maybe she didn’t have to beat it, but could instead choose to escape within the gateway instead.

Shrugging her shoulders, they appeared into the wide hall of the make-shift throne room.

Strangely, the guards were no more. They had gone somewhere. Astrid attributed it to the madness plaguing their mind and thought they were probably just sprinting around the place screaming incessantly about flesh and eyeballs.

But, the Great No-Eyed One thought differently. He frowned as he ejected an intense steam from his mouth-piece.

Astrid picked up movement within her Psych Domain. Humanoids were approaching. From the Great No-Eyed One’s reaction, she put up her defensive Skills.

“Eye Queen, Great No-Eyed One, Femora’s and Driader’s have entered our territory!” A crazed psycho sprinted into the hall.

Astrid, in reflex, yanked out his eyeballs as he screamed in joy.

“YES! Glory to the Eye Queen!” He sprinted forward and slammed into the wall.

The Great No-Eyed One glanced at her.

“Sorry, it’s quite fun actually.” Astrid said as a red tint appeared on her cheeks.

“You,” He pointed to another one of the psycho’s. “Tell me what happened.”

“Great No-Eyed One, we aren’t sure. Just that they all started scattering into our territory! Should we rip the flesh from their bones? Can we, Great No-Eyed One?”

The Great No-Eyed One ejected more steam from his mask and nodded. “Assemble the Flesh-Strippers and the Overdose Meat-Heads, we’ll show the progenitor the might of the Psychos!”

Oh, they call themselves that as well. Astrid hid her chuckle as her palms itched. She wanted a good fight.

Astrid wasn’t sure why they were invading their territory, but she was desperate to reach level one-hundred for her Class evolution. She was so close she could practically taste the power it would give her.

Without an extra word, she charged out of the building, only to see thousands of Psycho's all looking in her staring in her direction.

Astrid floated up into the air and gazed at all of them. They all fell to their knees in worship.

Strengthening her psychic mana output, she yanked the eyes of the strongest warriors at the front. They had syringes strapped to their arms filled with stimulant drugs. They screamed and yelled with madness. The veins all over their body bulged as if they were about to explode.

With dozens of eyes swirling all around her, she was ready for war.