Refusing My God’s Advances

The cave's interior was dark, with only the faint glow of the teeth-like formations providing minimal illumination. As I ventured deeper, the air became thick with an eerie stillness, and the ominous feeling intensified. The cave seemed to twist and turn, creating a labyrinthine path that led me further into the unknown.

The sound of dripping water echoed through the cavern, and occasional distant whispers added to the unsettling atmosphere. As I delved deeper into the cave, the temperature dropped, and a dampness filled the air. The walls of the cavern were slick with moisture and strange, luminescent fungi emitted an otherworldly glow, casting distorted shadows on the uneven ground.

I moved cautiously, my senses on high alert. The cave seemed to be alive with a mysterious energy, and the whispers in the distance grew more pronounced. It was as if the very walls held secrets, secrets that were eager to reveal themselves to anyone brave enough to explore further.

After navigating through a narrow passage, the cave opened into a vast chamber. In the center of the cavern, a pool of dark, still water reflected the faint light, creating an illusion of endless depth. The whispers seemed to converge here, creating an unsettling chorus that echoed through the chamber.

"Well, I will let you figure out this one," Daryle said, startling me.

I had forgotten about him, becoming absorbed by the mysterious atmosphere of the cave. I turned to Daryle, realizing that he had been silently following me.

"Is this the heart of the cave?" I asked, gesturing towards the pool of dark water.

Daryle nodded, his eyes scanning the cavern with a hint of caution. "No, you still had a ways to go. This chamber requires you to fight a monster, but getting the monster to appear is the hard part."

"Hmm?" I hummed, and Daryle pointed at the water.

"Go and try to stick your hand in the water," He said, and I frowned, but did as he said.

I approached the water,, and kneeled down to dip my hand into it, but I was stopped at the surface. I took a moment to glide my hand over it, but it was smooth like glass. I was about to back up from it but then spit into the water.

The moment that I did, the water started to froth, and I backed up right away.

"Spitting on it?" Daryle asked with a laugh as I turned back to see him backing away to the entrance of the cave. "Well, you figured out the puzzle. Now you just have to deal with the monster!"

Before I could say anything, something hit me, and I was sent crashing into the wall. The impact knocked the wind from my lungs, and I coughed up blood immediately. 

Rather than looking around, my mind focused on my skills, and I activated Restore. 

Instantly, my body felt normal, and all the pain was gone, allowing me to stand up as time dialed in around me. I focused on the mass of tentacles ahead of me, coming from the water in the center of the cave.

The creature was a grotesque mass of tentacles, each one ending in sharp barbs. Its body seemed to be a fusion of shadowy substance and dark, oily water. Red, malevolent eyes glowed within the depths of the creature, fixated on me.

I took a deep breath, trying to assess the situation. The tentacled monstrosity seemed agitated by my presence, and it lunged forward with surprising speed. I dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the slashing tentacles.

'You seem to be having some trouble," Ashagan said in my mind as I dodged another tentacle.

'No kidding!' I snapped back, weaving left then right, dodging more strikes.

'Call upon me, and I will help you. Considering that you saved me by surviving me trying to kill you, I think I should try to keep you alive," Ashagan replied, and the black grimoire appeared floating before me,

The book burst open, flipping through the pages as I ran with it floating beside me. The creature in the center didn't care what I was doing and kept attacking without restraint. I focused on finding a spell that could help me deal with the tentacled menace.

At my thought, the pages stopped, but I groaned when I saw what spell was on the page: Summon Undead Pet.

"Dammit! I don't need a fucking rabbit right now!" I snapped out loud, slipping under a tentacle aiming to cut me in half.

'Garland is an idiot! Just cast the spell if you want to live!' Ashagan railed, and I gritted my teeth in frustration but started to say the spell and complained out loud as I booked it.

Amid the chaos, surrounded by slashing tentacles and the eerie whispers of the cavern, I chanted the incantation for the Summon Undead Pet spell:

"From the shadows deep, where the spirits weep,

I call upon the realm of the deceased.

With the words I speak, a servant to seek,

Awaken, rise, and let my pet be released!"

As the final words left my lips, a surge of dark energy emanated from the grimoire and circled around me before pooling into a single spot before me. From the depths of the shadows, a skeletal figure materialized before me, but it was not the bunny pet I was expecting!

Instead of a cute, harmless rabbit, a fearsome skeletal wolf stood before me. Its bones were adorned with a faint, ghostly glow, and its eye sockets emitted an eerie light. The creature bared its spectral teeth, ready to follow my commands.

"Woah! This is so fucking-!"

I didn't get to finish my sentence because my new wolf spear tackled me out of the way of a tentacle slash. Both my wolf bones crashed to the side, but the rack of calcium was up before I could even get my hands under myself.

The skeletal wolf wasted no time in lunging at the tentacled monster, its ghostly form passing through the creature's defenses. The sharp teeth of the undead pet sank into the tentacles, causing the monster to writhe and thrash in pain.

As my newfound companion engaged the tentacled horror, I took a moment to catch my breath. The battle was intense, and I had done nothing but run for my life so far, but now I had Bonesy, my wolf with marrow stick to pick!