The Paladin in the Abyss

Lancelot, transformed into a Succubus, crouched low and carefully moved to the edge of the massive crevasse, peering downwards. As Kalalin had described, dense fog filled the depths of the crevasse, obscuring the view of the bottom; the uneven rock walls on either side emitted piercing shrieks when gusts swept through, reminiscent of the cries of those who had met misfortune.

After ensuring he hadn't attracted the attention of any presence, Lancelot leaped into the crevasse. He descended to about a hundred feet above the ground and then carefully flew toward the direction of the cliff where the fortress was located.

Kalalin had surveyed this place through a magical eye before, which lacked any sense besides sight, hence he couldn't warn Lancelot about the intense cold he was now experiencing. It was a bone-chilling cold, a breath entirely opposite to life, and Olul's amulet could only ward off ordinary cold but was powerless against the deadly ice cold. His Spirit Perception, however, didn't sense any imminent threats, but he constantly felt a heavy oppression, as if a sharp sword was hanging overhead, ready to fall at any moment.

For Lancelot, this level of negative energy was still far from harmful. What concerned him more at the moment was his exposure, so he flew as close as possible to one side of the cliff, keeping his leathery wings hidden in the shadows of the rocks. After flying steadily and quietly for twenty minutes, he located the cave mouth mentioned by Kalalin, and with a gentle flicker, slipped into this hidden cavern.

Just as Scholar had described, the interior of the cavern had enough space for six companions to sit in a circle, measuring ten feet on each side. However, Lancelot didn't rush to open the entrance to the half-plane but instead sat down cross-legged on the spot, using his Spiritual Sight to carefully check for any hidden dangers nearby.

As expected, he indeed found something unusual. Shortly after his Divine Sense probed into the rock wall, he encountered many irregular circular tunnels, and the seemingly solid walls were actually riddled with holes, reminiscent of cheese fermented with live maggots. Fortunately, these tunnels were deeper inside the mountain and not connected to the cave he was in.

Following these channels, it didn't take much effort for him to find the culprit behind this terrain: a giant worm with a white exterior. The worm's body resembled that of a snake, covered in fine scales, but its head was equipped with fangs like tusks and several bulbous tumors. Lancelot saw no organs resembling eyes; perhaps it lacked vision entirely, reliant like other subterranean creatures on sound and vibrations to perceive its surroundings.

His Divine Sense passed through these giant worms and delved deeper, leading Lancelot to a large cave at the end of the tunnel, spacious as a castle hall. The cave was filled with objects that at first glance appeared like snowballs; however, under his Spiritual Sight, he could easily discern that these 'snowballs' were actually the eggs of the giant worms, and the cave was essentially their nursery.

Afterward, Lancelot retreated from the nursery of the giant worms, beginning to search along another end of the tunnel. Some paths ascended directly to the surface, where several worms lay quietly as if waiting for prey to pass by. Other paths descended further but were blocked just as they were about to leave the mountain.

He could guess the reason for this—after all, these creatures were still living beings, and at the valley floor inhabited by Undead giants, where Zombies swarmed like sharks, the mere presence of living beings, like drops of blood in water, could invite frenzied attacks.

After exiting his state of Spiritual Sight, Lancelot opened his Dimensional Bag, took out an Array Plate and several Array Flags, and started fiddling with them. Moments later, a circle of dim green light covered the cave, activated in the form of an Array to produce a Soundproof Barrier.

In the dark underground world, where sound could spread far like a flame in darkness, attracting unwelcome attention, a simple Soundproof Barrier could save them a lot of trouble. Having completed all of this, Lancelot finally laid down the entrance to the half-plane and summoned his companions out from inside.

"Why does it look so green in here, any poisonous gas?" Bruto sniffed deeply several times, "But I don't smell anything strange..."

"If it really were poisonous, you'd have inhaled it all by now," Lancelot helplessly pointed at the Array Plate placed in the center of the cave, "I just used Spiritual Sight and found many giant white worms in the mountain, resembling sand worms, most likely also relying on sound to sense their surroundings. So, I set up a soundproofing Array first before I called you out here."

"A white giant worm? Looks like a sand worm?" Bruto was instantly intrigued, "If we cut open their bellies, could we find gemstones like with sand worms?"

"I'd advise against that." Old Reap spoke up from the side, "Lancelot, did the worms you saw have hexagonal patterns on them, with a pair of pincer-like teeth protruding from their mouths?"

"Exactly, just like that." Lancelot nodded, "Do you know what they are?"

"Those are Frost Worms, a creature commonly found in extremely cold regions. Unlike sand worms that feed on soil, these giant worms are predators, hunting by sensing the vibrations of their prey passing by. It's said that even mammoths are on their menu." Old Reap unconsciously lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard. "Moreover, when these creatures are killed, their bodies instantly turn into ice and explode violently, leaving nothing behind."

"Ah, such monsters really have no reason to exist." Bruto immediately lost interest, "And they would interfere with our tunnel digging plans, wouldn't they? Because any little noise, and these big worms would come burrowing..."

"On the contrary, I've been worried that the giant zombies wouldn't want to come into the tunnels after we've dug them." Lancelot laughed and shook his head, "These big worms would be the perfect bait."

"Oh, oh, oh, I like this idea!" Bruto clapped his hands together, "But... how do you plan to dig that tunnel? Surely we can't start digging now, can we?"

"Why not?"

Lancelot pinched a Dharma Decree, summoning a vine as thick as an arm from the ground, which he then guided to burrow into the rock wall.

"Isn't that too thin?" Bruto looked at his action oddly, "I mean, the vines you conjured when we were trapped by the Giant Skull Demon's trap were much thicker than this..."

"That would consume a lot of mana, and it would be too noisy, this way is much better, just let it grow on its own. It's a plant; the frost worms aren't interested in it and once grown, it will first block the tunnel, then I can make it disappear when needed."

"Just let it grow on its own? How long is that going to take..."

"Alamir, get me some water." Lancelot chuckled, taking a small jade bottle from his bosom, "Since I can grow flowers in a garden surrounded by vampires, I can certainly make this vine grow both thick and long, especially since I am, after all, a... Grand Druid."