It's been about 3 months since I've arrived.
I spent the first two months exploring the area, mapping the landscape, and finding hunting spots.
There had been a few landmarks that I was interested in, but the one that I had spent the last month exploring was one I happened on by chance.
On my way to what looked like a crimson tower, I had been jumped by a group of abominations.
Fighting my way out of their encirclement, I ended up finding an underground cave system, the massive caverns populated by swathes of abominations.
I had dedicated the last month to just exploring the caverns, amassing a large catalogue of memories, and memorizing the labyrinth's layout with the Star of Memory.
I had slaughtered literal hundreds of abominations, the most common being a giant arachnid abomination called Iron Spider, and gained more experience fighting in this body.
Over the past month, I have made significant progress in my swordsmanship, the flaws slowly being ironed out.
The labyrinth had become my bona fide training grounds, the abominations populating its halls proving to be good sparring partners.
Today was a day like any other.
I had spent it exploring the caves, slaughtering any abominations that I came across, but after a month of exploration, I had happened across a new area.
This vast cavern was covered in webbing, the intricate white silk woven into complex patterns.
The air smelled of death, rot and decay covering the cave like a blanket.
This place screamed boss battle.
If this place didn't have some kind of big, bad abomination, I'd cut off my right leg and shove my femur up my chocolate starfish.
I ventured further into the cavern, my footsteps echoing as I walked.
The malice and death in the air intensified, the oppressive aura of whatever abomination resided here filling the air.
I kept my guard up, observing the surroundings for any kind of movement.
Bones and carcasses littered the ground, likely the prey of the beast that resided here.
Silence filled the cavern, no indication of any life present within the cold, web-encased arena.
'Maybe it went out for lunch or something,' I thought.
I was just about to leave, disappointment filling my chest.
Drip
I paused
Drip
The sound had come from above me.
Drip
The acrid scent of acid graced my nostrils.
Drip
I looked up and eight glowing orbs of pure malice looked back at me from the dark cavern ceiling.
Drip
A small smile graced my features as I reached into my soul and pulled out a memory, particles of light forming a lusterless Aikuchi.
The abomination lunged at me, its gargantuan form rocketing towards my position.
I, of course, was long gone, my aura-enhanced body shooting out to a safe spot.
The abomination was now fully visible, its ugly mug revealing itself to me.
If I had described the Iron Spiders before as Giant, then this fugly bastard was titanic.
An arachnid the size of a two-story house stood before me, each of its eight legs thicker than a human body.
Its eight eyes were trained on my position, a metallic shell covering its body, razor-sharp fangs lathered in venom, revealing themselves as the abomination before me let out a vicious hiss.
The arachnid burst into motion, a mess of appendages flying towards me.
I took up a defensive stance, my guardless blade raised in anticipation.
All the spider abominations' legs moved independently, striking at me from different angles, the sharp metallic pillars bending the air with sheer force.
Instead of dodging, I met the storm of blows, redirecting each of the sharp, sturdy iron legs in an effort to open up the creature's guard.
The tip of my sword danced, drawing gentle, flowing arcs in the air, a complete contrast to the barbaric intensity of the abominations' strikes.
Every slight twist of my wrist guided one of its eight legs away from me, my graceful swordplay seemingly dismantling the spider's vicious offensive.
The Abomination and I were locked in a deadlock; it couldn't land a blow on me, but at the same time, I hadn't yet found an opening to strike.
I was careful with the distance, not getting so close that it'd be able to hit me with its venom-covered fangs, but close enough to take advantage of any openings in its furious assault.
While I could deal with its attacks, the storm of limbs prevented me from getting too close.
Jumping back, I gathered myself, resetting my posture and getting ready for the next exchange.
I ran in again, this time, however, amethyst light shrouded my figure like a haze, a single twinkling star burning bright with brilliant light shone beside me.
Activating the power of the Star of Memory, I began to memorize the creature's attacks, searching for recognizable patterns that I could use to anticipate its movements.
So far, I had been relying solely on my reflexes, content with just maintaining this steady waltz of death as I got used to the force of its blows.
I jumped back into the fray, gleaming metallic limbs once again beginning their assault.
I began the download, internalizing each and every one of its movements, memorizing the slight cues its gargantuan body displayed before each strike.
My heart drummed as I fueled my body and sword with aura, the purple glow of my intent illuminating the cavern.
The waltz continued, my sword dancing as it fended off blow after blow from the abomination in front of me.
I was unharmed, my serene expression reflecting the minimal effort I had exerted thus far.
The same couldn't be said about the nightmare creature in front of me.
The vicious strikes had clearly taken a toll on the abominations' stamina. Its attacks were slowing down, the whirlwind of metallic limbs slowly settling.
The nightmare creature jumped back, retreating as it tried to gather itself.
My sparring partner was exhausted.
Smiling slightly, I pulled back my aura, the amethyst glow receding back into my heart.
It wasn't every day that you found such a strong abomination here, and I certainly wasn't about to just kill my new favorite sparring partner.
Its attacks made for great practice; the eight-legged abominations' patterns were rather unpredictable, and its strikes were backed with a lot of power.
Marking the cavern's location in my memory, I promptly turned around, walking back towards my little base of operations as the arachnid watched me carefully.
Smiling, I started to reflect on the battle, replaying the events carefully, trying to pinpoint any glaring flaws in my blade work.
I'll definitely be coming back.
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(A/N: Sorry for releasing the chapter at such an ungodly hour, I've been a lil busy with work.
It was brought to my attention that I should probably give you guys a better description of what Audun looks like.
If I were to use a known character as a point of reference, he'd look like Richard the Lionheart from fate, minus the red highlights and crimson eyes.
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you guys next time!)