Born in Blood

548  Why Me?

Tomb of Naxathra — pronounced Na-zha-thra — the Dreaded. Liam raised a brow. It was his first time hearing the name, but damn if it didn't sound ominous and a tiny bit catchy. 'An ancient Tomb… that's a first. What's he going to tell me to do? Plunder and desecrate his grave?' He had done a lot worse for a lot less. "Mind telling me who that is?" Liam asked.

Bill gave him a wry smile.

"We're… not so sure, yet. We've managed to find out who this Tomb belonged to along with their epithet. Other than that, there are no records of Naxathra on the pages of history." "In some ancient civilizations, powerful cultivators who neared their deaths did not create inheritances. Instead, they hid away from all forms of society, sealed themselves up with all their belongings, then just… died." "Whoever could find their Tombs, make their way inside and reap the treasures without dying… would be worthy of keeping them." "That's what happened here."

Liam hummed to himself in understanding. He really should pick up a history book one of these days and give it a read. That being said, that just sounded like an inheritance with extra steps. With a proud tone, Giddy, the polyglot, added:

"I helped decipher some of the ancient text found on the murals. It took some time to test various samples and mix and match until I got the compositions right… but we're looking at a tomb that's roughly 4,500 years old. And that's just the estimation!"

Liam's eyes widened with shock. 4,500 years. That was no small number.

'Wait, murals?' Liam thought, scanning the ruins again. again for missed details. What he thought were random etches and featureless marks on its surface, were actually murals!

The ruins told a story.

Only if one could connect and reconstruct them well enough, piece together the murals etched on their surface, then decipher its language… "All this took us roughly two years, and there's still a few things we haven't figured out." "And the runes?" Liam asked.

Sharpie cut in with a reserved tone. "We couldn't try breaking our way into the Tomb by force, since it could collapse as a defense mechanism, or break the gate entirely. Thankfully, the plate was kind enough to give us a method of entry."

"The runes?" Liam guessed.

Sharpie shook his head then laughed. "Not really. We couldn't figure out that part. We're just brute forcing our way through by overloading the gate's mechanism with so much power, it will open for about a second, then close."

At that moment, Rebel took out a thick, cylinder-shaped rod of plain metal. It pulsed with the same sapphire hue as the runes did, and had the exact circumference as the convergent point in the center of the plate.

"This goes into that," Rebel said with pride, "and it opens. It is a two use item — once to enter, once to exit." Liam took a moment to digest all the information. Not only had the Tomb's contents intrigued him, it also made him curious as to who its owner was. To build something so resilient and powerful that could withstand several millennia, so deep within the ocean, and with primitive magic at their disposal… who knew the extent of such a person's abilities?

'And that only means what's inside is priceless.'

Why else would the Dreaded go to such an extent to keep his treasures hidden? Even certain powerhouses would covet what's behind this dainty gate. Liam took a deep breath.

"What's the catch?"

Of course there had to be one. Why else would Bill have to invite Liam of all people to explore the Tomb for him? At the same time, he did not miss the indication in Sharpie's words. The gate would open for just one second. After that, it was just going to be him — unless, of course, Bill was going to have someone else accompany him. Best case scenario, there was a safety measure already built into the Tomb, allowing safe exit. 'Let's be real here for a sec. No way a guy with a name like Naxathra is going to bother with that.' 13:47

Bill gave Liam a weak smile. He spoke tersely.

"I genuinely do not know what's behind this Tomb and what sort of monstrosities you might encounter inside. Our experts have narrowed it down to the utmost peak of the fourth Rank, but that's just an estimation."

Bill's eyes sharpened with seriousness. "But if you have the grit to take it on… I promise, on behalf of my company and name, you will not regret it." Liam paused. "Will it just be me inside?" he asked.

"Yes," Bill answered.

Liam felt something off. "I have to ask: why me? Of all the people you could have chosen, you picked the one with possibly the worst reputation and personality. And I'm not the strongest, either."

Bill laughed so hard, the bubble echoed with his guffaw. He looked Liam in the eyes.

"That's exactly why I hired you, friend. I have to remain behind and run things, and my fighting style is not feasible indoors."

"Although I trust my people, they are team-oriented — not good on their own."

"You, on the other hand, I can tell instantly — you do not enjoy company." In other words, Liam was weak enough for Bill to have leverage over, and just strong enough to undertake the mission. If he died inside, Bill wouldn't lose any assets. If he survived… well, that was a win-win for both sides.

"Or… y'know, you could just agree to assassinate AQ's CEO. I don't mind that, either." Liam sighed. A second later, he made his choice.

"I'll do it."

Bill's eyes lit up, including the other three scientists with them. "Splendid! Do you need to prepare?"

"Heavily. Give me at least six months to a year. Maybe more." Bill nodded firmly. "Very well," he said, putting a hand on Liam's shoulder. "Take as much time as you need. I'll give you the specifics of our agreement, and more details once you're ready." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om