Rewind: A Grimdark LitRPG Series (Pyresouls Apocalypse, Book 1) by James Callum (reading tree .txt) 📕

with no discernible handholds. One more step and they would descend into the deepest part of the canyon below with no conventional way back.

“Wait,” Jacob said.

Rolling her eyes, Camilla turned to him. “Yes?”

“Will you be able to get back up here?”

“I have my ways,” she assured him. Then, before he could say anything else, she took a step forward and slid down the steeply sloped stone.

It was a long way down. Jacob wasn’t afraid of heights, but he also wasn’t confident enough to stand going down a quarter-mile-long ancient slide made out of smooth stone.

Sitting at the very edge, his legs dangling over onto the slope, Jacob gave a little push and went sliding.

By the time he came to the end, Jacob’s fear had abated. It was almost fun. The rush of air that flew past him was exhilarating even though it reminded him of the hole in his armor.

For a brief moment, nothing was coming to kill him - not in that immediate vicinity at least - and he could see the end of his goal in sight.

Bracing for the impact he knew was coming, Jacob hit the bottom of the canyon floor going much faster than he would have liked. He pitched forward and committed to the motion, tucking his shoulder and expending the energy of the impact into three somersaults.

He popped up to his feet and looked to the side to find Camilla staring wide-eyed at what lay before them.

Journey’s End

Journey’s End was not filled with monsters, tight winding corridors, rooms filled with deadly traps, or impassable terrain like everywhere else.

It was filled with graves.

Everywhere they looked there were grave markers, ancient and rotting. Nothing grew, there was no greenery down in Journey’s End. No life.

“It’s… barren,” Camilla said looking around. Like Jacob, she was on guard.

“Nothing but death,” Jacob agreed, tightening his grip on his sword. He hoped he had enough Souls to fully repair the [Vile Mace] for his fight with the Burgon Beast.

With only ten charges for its corrosive attack, he would need to save every one of those hits for the savage monster that caused so much death and destruction.

The canyon narrowed considerably as they pressed on. Its walls were so high that they were plunged into darkness soon after entering Journey’s End.

“Whoever’s job it was to dispose of the bodies had apparently stopped caring,” Jacob pointed out, as they stepped around towering obelisks cracked and worn with age.

“Or there were simply too many bodies to properly inter,” Camilla pointed out, motioning to a nearby crevice like one of those in the Smog Rifts. The only difference was, instead of smoke it contained an untold number of corpses.

“It feels like the ground is made up of more bones than earth.”

“Ever has that been the way when the fires fade and death comes for all,” Camilla said, striding forward. Though she kept well away from the dead-filled pits that seemed to grow in number with every step, she no longer seemed wary.

“Have you seen this before?” Jacob asked, eyeing the nearest corpse pit with concern. He swore something just moved.

“More than I would like. I came here, hoping to find answers. And instead, all I find are the dead.”

“Camilla, they’re moving,” Jacob warned, pointing his blade at the nearest pit not more than ten feet away. The bodies inside were slowly writhing as if their presence awakened them.

“Leave them be,” she said. “They are unable to leave their tombs, mind your step and they will be unable to harm you.”

Jacob nodded and fell into step beside her. Despite her words, he continued to scan around, keeping the pits in his sights. Camilla was right, their presence did seem to cause the dead to awaken.

Try as they might, something stopped them from climbing out. It was as if the whole morass of limbs and withered flesh was too entangled for any one body to escape.

Camilla stopped just ahead of him and Jacob looked around, curious as to why she stopped. His eyes fell upon the sight immediately and he knew that their path was at its end.

Ahead, the black earthy soil flattened out without a single grave marker leading to the end of the canyon. The path was littered with rusting swords, broken shields, tall spears with tattered, muted banners flapping in the breeze, and all manner of armament known to man.

It was a graveyard of a different sort. One for the men and women who went to meet a challenge and failed.

Set within the far canyon wall was a massive black metal door several stories high and thirty feet wide. The cluster of broken and rusted weapons was thickest at the base of that door. And right in front of the door was the telltale ash of an unlit Pyre.

The path leading straight to the door was just as wide. Its sides sloped down to two gargantuan pits of death to either side. Even from where they stood, Jacob could see the claw marks of those who had tried to climb up and failed.

Even now, there were desiccated limbs reaching from the deepest reaches trying - and failing - to climb back up to the path.

If either of them slipped from the weapon-strewn earthen path ahead they wouldn’t be coming out again.

“Are you ready?” Camilla asked Jacob.

In the face of such a simple question, he nearly broke down. The enormity of what he was doing finally slammed home.

Of course I’m not ready! If Alec couldn’t do this what chance do I have?

He wasn’t strong enough. Alec was so much stronger than he was when he faced the Burgon Beast and by his own admission, he never stood a chance against the thing.

Even with little more than 2 days remaining, Jacob realized he couldn’t trust the original timetable. What if something he did caused Alec - or somebody else - to reach the Burgon Beast sooner?

He was out of options and out of time. It would be too much good fortune to wait and