novelraw Chapter 1529: 820_2
Chapter 1529: 820_2
Roland also smiled. Everyone naturally likes children who don't cry; especially when they don't have to deal with the everyday troubling matters that come with kids. They always seem so cute.
The babysitter had been let go when Nia took the child to stay with Kevin. Now, only Jimmy's family and Roland were in the house, which was rather convenient. At least they didn't have to worry too much about keeping things private.
Roland sat on the sofa, and Jimmy opened a can of beer and handed it to him while taking one for himself. They sat in the living room chatting, talking about the sights of the Dark Tower World.
Jimmy suddenly remembered something he encountered near Little Rock, perhaps Roland would know what it was. He glanced at Nia, thought for a moment, and didn't ask her to leave temporarily, then he said, "Roland, I encountered a few monsters in Little Rock this time, I need your help to see what they really are."
Roland gave Nia a surprised look. He didn't expect Jimmy to talk about this stuff in front of Nia. Last time when Roland was here, Jimmy was very reluctant to discuss these supernatural things in front of Nia.
Jimmy said, "It's okay, these things have already appeared in our world. No one knows if we'll encounter them again, so it's good to talk about them."
Nia showed a surprised expression, which quickly turned into a smile. It was a good sign at least, that Jimmy was no longer resistant to revealing some things he had previously kept from her, even though these matters were still dangerous for Nia.
Jimmy said, "Recently, I went to Little Rock, and an accident happened to James' wife, Mary, during a hiking trip in the suburbs. A monster, suspected to be able to absorb souls, attacked Mary and her friends, which led to them experiencing drowsiness, mental irregularities, amnesia, and eventually slipping into a coma within a short amount of time.
At the site of the attack, I found several types of monsters. Initially, there was a black serpent formed of smoke, followed by encountering a monster composed of branches and withered leaves in the forest, and finally a big BOSS—a giant snake composed of a core and some soul-like things.
By the way, that serpent could summon something like a rift. It seemed that some things could interact and move on both sides, but it didn't burrow in to escape until it was vanquished; many soul threads vanished into the air."
Roland thought for a moment and shook his head, "I'm not very clear. Can you draw it?"
Jimmy nodded. Sketching was taught during his FBI training; although he wasn't an artist, he had a bit of basic skill. He took paper and pen from the study, and quickly sketched the appearance of the monsters on paper, particularly the one using twigs and dried leaves since it also counted as having a body.
Seeing the sketches, Roland furrowed his brows and pondered, "I recall something, but I'm not sure if it's the same kind. That monster is called a Thorn Stalker, a small monster with deep green skin, resembling dried bark texture; usually hides in woods and thicket, capable of perfect mimicry.
Its limbs are rather long, with claw-like sharp spikes being its main attack method: stabbing swiftly, with spikes on its back mainly for defense. Its eyes are black, sometimes golden.
The body strength is average, ordinary weapons are enough to injure or cut it, making it not too difficult to kill."
Jimmy shook his head, "It's not mimicry; it's really composed of branches. I pulled out many branches from its body, and ended up taking it down with a gun."
Roland said, "Then it should be some sort of Resentful Spirit. I have little impression of it. Speaking of the other, the smoke-formed serpent-like monster seems like a Rift Ghost Beast and Soul Absorber; they are two different things.
A Rift Ghost Beast usually appears in swampy mist areas, composed of black-gray mist, showing the form of a Resentful Spirit occasionally; some suspect they're formed by the gathering of many Resentful Spirits into one entity. Being composed of mist makes it capable of transforming and displaying different forms, like wolves or snakes.
Rift Ghost Beasts can absorb souls of life forms passing nearby, causing those absorbed to exhibit incoherent speech and confused consciousness. Creatures having parts of their souls absorbed face high risks of death after leaving the monster's domain.
It utilizes world rifts in swamps to attract and absorb souls from other worlds. These souls sometimes aren't fully consumed; instead, escape and may get attached to life forms in other worlds, you should understand what I mean."
Jimmy squinted his eyes. Such abilities might not seem unusual to others, but he mysteriously ended up in this world. It likely meant the original Jimmy appeared somewhere, got absorbed by a Ghost Beast, and Jimmy occupied his body under special circumstances, thus explaining things.
Back in Dallas, he underwent an exorcism by a Priest, possibly expelling the incomplete soul of the original Jimmy; why it was incomplete was probably because a part was absorbed by the Ghost Beast.
As for why Mary's recovery didn't extend to the original Jimmy, perhaps time was the issue, given Jimmy had been here close to ten years, long enough for the Rift Ghost Beast to fully digest Jimmy's soul.
So does this count as paying kindness with enmity...
Roland saw Jimmy in contemplation and knew what he was thinking. After a while, he interrupted Jimmy's train of thought and continued, "There's another possibility, the Soul Absorber Monster, a rare and ancient creature.
It's originally at the edges of the world, birthed from cosmic dark energy impacts.
Its appearance is constantly changing, mainly reflecting the image of the observer's most cherished person; its true form is scarcely perceivable by human sight, revealing its terrifying face—a massive vortex composed of twisted faces of countless victims, every face silently screaming—only while absorbing souls.
It senses the observer's deepest fear and desire, manifesting into the observer's cherished person's image, so realistic that no one can distinguish it.
The most frightening aspect lies in absorbing human souls to enhance itself; each absorbed soul increases its strength and speed, also recovering its injuries.
The core is its weakness, a solidified gem tightly bound with all souls it absorbed, situated at its true form's center. Attacking its core is the sole way to damage or destroy it."
Jimmy had been contemplative, but now he can only frown deeply, "Are you saying the appearance of illusions is a characteristic of Soul Absorber Monsters?"
Roland nodded, "Yes, the greatest threat they pose to humans lies here. Those caught in illusions may experience severe emotional fluctuations which heighten soul activities, making it easier for absorption."
Jimmy gritted his teeth, "Is it possible they combine? I saw features of both monsters you mentioned—the illusion and the rift."
Roland said, "I'm not sure about that. If you're keen to find out, you could consult with mages from our side; they're more knowledgeable about these matters. I just know their weaknesses roughly."
Jimmy nodded, "I'll ask them if the opportunity arises, quite strange, why have abilities from multiple monsters."
Nia was holding Liam while watching Jimmy, feeling something was off about his intense focus on these monsters; after all, he had already eliminated them. Could it be that they've appeared somewhere else?