《A Soldier's Life》 Chapter 1 Wrong Place Wrong Time Chapter 1: Wrong Place, Wrong Time I sat in the cold stone prison cell. The walls were worn, and the door was made of aged wood with heavy, rusting iron bands. I was literally wearing a potato sack. Steam rose from a dark wooden bowl of potato soup near the stone slab that was my bed. I was not hungry, though. It was my second day of residence. How did I get here? My nephew decided to have a shotgun wedding in South Dakota¡­in January. His high school girlfriend was pregnant, and her father was insisting on it. I decided to drive out from North Carolina for the wedding. While I was driving across the state of South Dakota, it started snowing¡ª¡°white-out conditions¡± snowing. My phone wasn¡¯t getting any signal, and my GPS was not working. It had gotten so bad that visibility was nil, and the snow was accumulating fast on the highway with no plows in sight. I decided I had to get off the road. If you have ever driven through South Dakota, you know there is nothing in South Dakota. I took what I thought was an exit off the highway and drove down a road looking for a hotel, restaurant, or at least a gas station to wait out the storm. There were none of these things as I drove a short way down the narrow road off the highway. I tried to turn around but, of course, got my little Toyota RAV4 stuck. I sat in the car for about an hour, watching my gas gauge go down. I started turning the car on and off, heating the car when it got too cold. I got out every time I restarted the car to ensure the exhaust was clear and then eagerly warmed my cold body and hands for a few minutes. Soon, it was sunset, and my gas was getting close to empty. It was around 1:00 a.m. when I finally ran out of gas. Fortunately, it was barely snowing now. I noticed a light in the distance. I was fairly certain it was not a streetlamp, so I bundled up and approached it. I had to break through the 3-foot-deep snow to reach the light. It was tough, but when I finally arrived, I found a large barn. I walked around the building, looking for the associated farmhouse, but didn¡¯t see anything in the minimal light. I then decided to break into the barn, and I was able to pry the old door open just enough to squeeze in. I used the light on my phone to examine the interior. Eventually, I found what appeared to be some old horse blankets. At least, they smelled like horses. Being cold and exhausted, I bundled the horse blankets into a makeshift nest and curled up to get some sleep. I could see my breath, and my fingers and toes were numb from the cold. I woke up to light bleeding through the barn door. I looked for my phone and couldn¡¯t find it, and to my shock, I was also naked. I didn¡¯t remember stripping, but I had been cold, exhausted, and disoriented. I began crawling on the floor, looking for my clothes. I noticed it wasn¡¯t that cold. The barn door swung open as I was searching on my hands and knees. A middle-aged woman stood there, and we stared momentarily at each other. Weirdly, the first thing I noticed was that there was no snow outside. Had I just pulled a Rip Van Winkle? Well, she screamed and ran off to my right. I tried to get her to calm down, running after her and yelling that I was not going to hurt her, but I forgot I was naked. I ran out of the barn to find myself standing butt-naked in the middle of a farm. There was an open stable to the left with some horses, a handful of chickens running around, and a large central farmhouse that had three young men running from it. I tried to talk to the angry boys, but they didn¡¯t seem to speak English and were yelling at me. Eventually, an older man came out with a small, ancient-looking crossbow. I knelt and immediately put my hands behind my head to appear as non-threatening as possible. It worked, as I wasn¡¯t shot, and eventually, the younger boys tied me up, talking rapidly with their parents. Some words sounded somewhat familiar, but the speech was too fast for me to understand. After talking amongst themselves, they seemed to decide I needed to be brought to the police. They put me in a wooden wagon, still naked, and hooked up some horses. I then spent the next six hours bouncing around, watching fields of wheat and rye pass by. My captors didn¡¯t respond to any of my efforts to communicate. Eventually, we entered a walled city that would fit any medieval setting. I was quickly escorted into a stone building and into my current cell, and given a large, coarse burlap sack with holes for my head and arms. No one bothered trying to communicate with me. But after two days, a man finally entered my cell. He wore rich yellow robes with a pristine white shirt and black pants. He had an impassive face as he stood over me and looked at the half-eaten bowl of potato soup. He introduced himself by handing me a medallion. I took the fist-sized disc cautiously. ¡°This device will allow us to talk openly with each other, foreigner.¡± I understood him. So, this world had some type of technology¡ªor magic? ¡°I am Magistrate Advocate Persius. Your crimes have been logged. Do you wish your name to be associated with the writ, or should we leave it blank?¡± I was still staring in awe at the amulet when what he said caught up to me. ¡°Crimes?¡± I questioned, standing with a cold foreboding running through me. As I spoke, my words were twisted into an unfamiliar language. He stepped back but did not seem afraid of me. I did not look all that threatening in a sack. He straightened. ¡°You have been convicted of four separate charges. Trespassing, assault, attempted rape, and theft,¡± he said, reading from the parchment. ¡°Each crime has a penalty of ten silver.¡± My mouth hung, unable to work. I was in shock at everything happening and the magic device in my hand. I stuttered, ¡°What? I had no trial.¡± The Magistrate sighed. ¡°A visiting Truthseeker already confirmed the crimes by questioning Hydran and his family. The verdict has been stamped and logged, and the court has paid the fines to Hydran. You must now return the funds to the court.¡± ¡°Can I talk to the truthseeker to clear my crimes?¡± I asked hopefully, studying the disc. ¡°No, he has already returned to the city. We only received this translation amulet on loan to explain things to you, since you seem to be a foreigner in the Empire,¡± he said with something that was almost pity. Besides trespassing, everything seemed to be concocted by the farmers for as much wealth as possible. I wanted to be angry, but didn¡¯t think that would benefit me at the moment. The Magistrate sighed at my silence. ¡°If you cannot pay, you can be ¡®labored out¡¯ by the court. It should take two years to pay the funds back to the Empire.¡± My disbelief was evident, and I think he smirked. He let it sink in before continuing, ¡°Or you can join the standing army. Foreigners are welcome, and you will pick up our tongue quickly. You will be trained, fed, and sheltered. The pay for a soldier is one silver and eight copper per week after you finish the seven-week training¡ªthree times the remuneration of a laborer.¡± He expounded further on the benefits of the army. ¡°You look a little flabby, but have excellent size. Whatever your profession prior to your crimes¡ª¡± he scrutinized my tall, overweight frame ¡°¡ªthe army will teach you discipline and help you acclimate to the Empire. After your debt is paid, you will draw a bi-monthly wage. Enough to return to your homeland.¡± He smiled reassuringly. I hesitated. It seemed he was more a recruitment director than a Magistrate, and I could guess why my trial had not included my presence. I assumed I was not on Earth or Earth¡¯s past or future. My anxiety was holding silence as my mind raced. I was alone and uncertain how they would treat someone from another world. ¡°I will join the army,¡± I said hesitantly. My decision was for a few reasons¡ªfirst, the protection of being in an organization. Second, I had nothing, so being fed and clothed was an incentive. The third reason was that I had no idea how to defend myself in this new world, and I felt my best chance of living was learning how to fight. The Magistrate smiled like it had been a foregone conclusion. He was nice enough to answer my questions patiently, as he thought I was from a distant kingdom¡ªlittle did he know. I was interested in the currency system to find out how deep in debt I actually was. The monetary system followed: one hundred copper coins equal one silver coin. One hundred silver coins equal one gold coin. He showed me a silver coin, and it was about the size of a nickel. A large coin was the size of a half dollar and was worth ten coins. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The Magistrate produced a large stone tablet with silvery writing on it. ¡°You are fortunate that I was here testing some youth. This is an assessment tablet. Do you have them where you come from?¡± ¡°No. What does it do?¡± I asked, looking at the well-worn stone. His appraisal of me seemed to fall at my ignorance. He smiled tightly. ¡°It will check your potential and ability. The army has minimum standards, but with your size, I think this is a formality.¡± I was just shy of 6¡¯1¡± and somewhere between 240 and 250 pounds. He instructed me to hold the tablet. I held the tablet for a moment, and the Magistrate activated it with his magic¡ªdefinitely magic, not technology. It glowed, and the silvery script appeared. The letters looked vaguely familiar, but I could not read the words. However, the numbers were recognizable. The Magistrate told me what each line revealed, knowing that I could not read it if I did not speak the language. The Magistrate pointed to each line and read it to me, explaining each as he read it.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength 21/79 Intellect 25/54 Aether Pool 7/21
Power 22/82 Reasoning 33/59 Channeling 2/55
Quickness 16/49 Perception 44/60 Aether Shaping 0/8
Dexterity 14/55 Insight 18/48 Aether Tolerance 19/50
Endurance 30/87 Resilience 40/71 Aether Resistance 3/19
Constitution 19/65 Empathy 9/21 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination 10/60 Fortitude 24/87 Minor Aether Affinity Time
His voice was scholarly as he spoke. ¡°This is a very old tablet and may not be precisely calibrated, but it should be close. The first number is your current score, and the second is your potential as a human. You are a human?¡± ¡°What? Yes, I am a human,¡± I blurted out. Were there non-humans? He nodded in confirmation. ¡°Now, a normal person typically has a current score between 10 and 25 with a potential between 30 and 60. The upper limit for a human is 100. The seven physical stats are very important for your new career as a soldier. Strength basically details how much weight you can move with your muscles.¡± He looked at my overweight frame dubiously. Not that the Magistrate looked fit himself. ¡°Your power is how fast you can move the weight. Quickness is how fast you can move and react. Dexterity reflects the manual control of your hands. Endurance reflects how long you can perform physical-related tasks. Constitution is your ability to ignore the pain and recover from injury. Lastly, coordination is your control over your entire body.¡± He shifted in his stance and continued, ¡°Now, the requirements to join the general army are to have a potential of at least 40 in strength and endurance. So you qualify, congratulations.¡± He sounded slightly mocking. ¡°There is also a more advanced unit, the Legion of the Lion; you have probably heard of our famed legionnaires. They require you to have a minimum potential of 40 in all physical attributes and also 60 potential in Strength and Power. I will warn you, only about one out of every three complete the training, as it is quite rigorous.¡± ¡°What does the rest of the tablet say?¡± I asked, fascinated by the device and disregarding my plight. He looked down at it. ¡°Not important for your new career, but I will explain anyway¡ªlike I would to a child. The next column is your mental traits. Your intellect shows your intelligence, how well you can recall knowledge. Your reasoning is your ability to understand¡­¡± he stopped before translating the numbers further. Running his finger down the second and then the third column. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s surprising that you have excellent mental attributes and potential. Unfortunately, your magic traits are weak; otherwise, you might have been able to enroll in one of the Mage Colleges with a sponsor. Your affinities are both extremely rare as well.¡± There was a Mage College? And I was not good enough for one. The Magistrate thought to himself for a long moment. ¡°Ah, sorry to get sidetracked. Let¡¯s see¡­your reasoning is your ability to utilize information. Your perception is your awareness of the physical world. Your insight is your ability to decipher knowledge and make leaps of understanding.¡± He looked at me doubtfully. ¡°Resilience is your ability to resist mental attacks. Empathy is your ability to interpret other people¡¯s disposition. Finally, fortitude is your ability to function under mental fatigue and duress.¡± He paused to stretch his back from holding the stone. ¡°Now, the final column just represents your magic ability.¡± He started talking faster to get this over with. ¡°Your Aether Pool reflects how much magic aether your body can hold. Channeling reflects how fast you can use aether and replenish aether. Shaping is the ability to mold aether into a usable construct or spell form. Your Aether Tolerance is how much aether you can channel over the course of a day, before sustaining damage to your body. Your aether resistance is your ability to resist magic and aether backlash. All things you need not worry about, as you will never be a mage.¡± He smiled congenially. ¡°Now, the final two lines are your affinities. There are 21 affinities in magic. Seven common, seven uncommon, and seven rare. Your two affinities are rare, but the rest of your magical stats are not impressive. If you were to attend a Mage College, you would be evaluated for all 21 magic affinities, as each ranks between 0 and 100 as well. This simple, old tablet only lists your two highest affinities.¡± He paused and let me ask questions. ¡°What would be my term of service in the army and Legion of Lion?¡± He couldn¡¯t hide his grin, like he had hooked a fish. ¡°Just five years. All your expenses will be paid by the Empire. The Lion is an elite unit and will also take outlanders. But do not get your hopes up; even though your potentials qualify you, remember that only one in three finish the training. If you fail, though, the only punishment is to be relegated to the regular army.¡± He added, ¡°The Legion are the elites. They get higher pay, better food, and are trained more thoroughly. As a legionnaire, your pay is five silver and forty copper per week. Five times a soldier.¡± ¡°What does the legion do that is different from the army?¡± I questioned. He gestured grandly, trying to sell me on it. ¡°They serve as the elite troops of the kingdom, guarding mages, serving as royal guards, and acting as elite troops in battle. The training is seven months, much longer than the seven weeks for a soldier,¡± he elaborated. I considered it and decided to apply to the Legion of the Lion. I thought seven months of training would be much better for my survivability than the seven weeks I would get as a soldier. I said, somewhat confidently, ¡°The Legion of the Lion.¡± The Magistrate smiled and said, ¡°Great! I will take care of the paperwork.¡± I later found out the Magistrate got bonuses of one silver for each soldier he recruited and a quarter gold for each legionnaire he recruited. Maybe the crafty Magistrate had thought he had led me to make my decision for me, but I had my own reasons. For the next meal, my potato soup had meat added to it and a half loaf of buttered bread. I felt like I was a pig being fattened for slaughter now that I knew my fate. After two days, I was off in a wagon. I had a sealed letter with a copy of my tablet reading. Some city soldiers would be escorting me and others to the training camp. Without the amulet to translate, I felt isolated, but tried to stave off the depression by focusing on survival. It was a six-day trip, and the caravan stopped in small towns every night, adding more potential soldiers or legionnaires each time. I couldn¡¯t communicate, so I just observed and listened. Some words sounded familiar if I slowed down the speech and filtered the heavy accent. I needed to learn the language as quickly as possible, but no one wanted to take the time to help me. We had seven guards and four open wagons. My guards and fellow recruits did not want to take the time to help me with my language barrier. So, I did my best to pick up words. When I learned water was called aqua, I realized the language was based on Latin¡ªor maybe it was Latin. I took three years of Spanish in high school and only remembered how to say was ¡°my name is Eryk.¡± By the time we arrived at the camp, there were 24 recruits, including me. The main camp was for training soldiers. It looked like there were roughly 1000 soldiers in training here, in groups of 25 as they marched in five-by-five blocks. I didn¡¯t have much time to watch, as 21 recruits from my caravan got out here. Two other larger recruits and I were brought to a smaller camp, the training camp for the Legion of the Lion, which was located at a large manor nearby. My two companions from the trip and I were brought inside a wooden barracks. About three-fourths of the beds were occupied. We took three of the open bunks. I immediately went to sleep, mentally and physically exhausted from my ordeal so far. Chapter 2 Training Chapter 2: Legion Training At breakfast, the food they fed us was copious but bland. I had trouble eating as my new reality sunk in. I listened intently to others speaking and heard familiarity in their speech but could not place it. Some words almost made sense, but the heavy accent and rapid speech made it difficult. We had no guards when I walked around the buildings. That surprised me, but I remained close to my assigned building and watched the experienced classes training. They worked on conditioning, fighting with various weapons, coordinated marches, and small formations of sixteen to twenty men. My stomach roiled as the muscular and fit men performed athletic stunts well beyond anything I was ever capable of. I had lost weight since arriving, but my gut was still evident, and I was worried about what I had gotten myself into. Even more so when a man had his arm broken from a club. I turned away, almost losing my breakfast from seeing the bone sticking out. We waited two more days before all bunks were filled. I was given a translation amulet charged at breakfast by one of the magicians who healed injuries, along with five others who apparently did not speak the native tongue. The mage was named Damian, and after he gave me the amulet, he showed me how to wear it. ¡°You need to keep the cord tight so the amulet remains around the throat. This way, it is unlikely to get damaged. They are expensive, and if you were in the regular army, you would not even get one,¡± Damian explained patiently. I was relieved to finally have the ability to talk to others. I held it in my hand, and it looked like a closed pocket watch. ¡°How does it work?¡± Damian answered, ¡°Runic discs stacked in oriented sequence and are powered by aether.¡± I nodded as if any of that made sense to me. Since I knew Damian was one of the healers from watching the others train, I thought it might be a good idea to befriend him. ¡°If you have time, I would appreciate some language lessons without the amulet.¡± Damian looked me over. ¡°Your body and mind are about to go through a daily gauntlet. But if you have the energy, find me after dinner.¡± He left me to my own devices. With the amulet, it was great to finally talk to others freely. Most of the men in our 100-person barracks were here because they, like me, had opted to be soldiers rather than laborers to pay off their crimes. Most of the crimes were not as petty as mine, though, with lots of murderers and violent assault cases. I also found one benefit of the amulet: it always translated my speech at the same volume, so I could whisper a word and listen to the translation aloud. This annoyed the others in the barracks, so I usually did practiced outside. I spent most of my free time connecting the words and developing a vocabulary. I think the language was related to English, so I rapidly added words to my mental dictionary. I was unsure if it was because I was a foreigner, my demeanor, or that I just did not speak the language without the amulet, but I had difficulty making friends. After two days of relative freedom our training began. We had seven trainers who also served as wardens. One of our group tried to escape the second night, and he was promptly put on trial and executed. The follow-up speech by Silas, the Legion commander in charge, was not pleasant: ¡°You leave the compound without permission of an instructor, and you will be executed. Know that you cannot run. Our mages¡ª¡± he indicated seven men in a row ¡°¡ªwill track you in minutes. You chose to be here to atone for your crimes and serve the Empire.¡± He made a hand motion, and one of the trainers grimly slid a long, pointed dagger under the chin and up into the brain of the violator. The defiant look on his face turned to horror as he died. I promptly vomited and was not the only one. The scene made me have second thoughts about my choice to join and erased all thoughts of escape. Two years of hard labor was probably a better alternative. The dead man¡¯s bed was promptly filled with another recruit. There were seven barracks, each with a hundred bunks. When a barracks was full, the 7-month training began, usually on the first of the month. Each barracks had seven trainers, and a large estate building housed all the command staff. I wasn¡¯t sure how many command staff there were, but Damian, who lived in the estate, said it was over one hundred, not including attendants. There were also more than the seven mages who had been on display at the execution, but Damian said their number fluctuated between ten and fifteen. On the first morning, we ran with a weighted pack before breakfast. Then, we ate a large meal as our bodies protested the abuse but yearned for sustenance to heal it. Next we had a lecture about the Empire and Legion that sounded mostly like propaganda to me. Our seven instructors schooled us in hand-to-hand combat after the lecture, but the lesson was more about the instructors showing us how superior they were to us. A number of my fellows got broken noses, dislocated shoulders, or torn ligaments that required healing. The grim lessons caused several painful screams. On one of my turns, I got an elbow to the face and spit out my two broken front teeth. My instructor yelled at me, ¡°Get your teeth, trainee. A magician can heal it back in place, but they would not waste aether in regrowing them.¡± I spit blood as I dropped to my knees and found them in the dirt. Damian washed and carefully lined them up before healing them. He patted me on the back, and I returned to the training. Or, for a better description, the beating. After hand-to-hand combat, we had another meal. I listened to the others complain as they ate, bonding over their hatred of the instructors but still not accepting me. I was on the outside looking in, not being able to break into any conversations. We were brought to a courtyard with a huge barrel of worn, dull swords. We were each given one of the blades, and the instructor spoke, ¡°All combat can be broken down into different movements woven together. The speed and power at which you execute these movements make you a competent swordsman.¡± Then, we were schooled in sword forms. We had to learn seven sword forms, each with seven segments. We practiced with weighted swords, striving for perfect movements. If we were good, they would give us a heavier sword. My shoulders and arms were soon aching and struggling to hold the blade. After a few hours with the sword, we spent time with the instructors. Each one taught another weapon: dagger, axe, crossbow, short sword, two-handed sword, spear, and polearm. They told us our goal was not to master another weapon, but to learn enough to fight effectively against someone with these weapons. So we rotated every day between instructors in groups of 15. After the cross-weapon training, we did more fitness training until sunset. Then we had a shower fed by an aqueduct, received healing if needed, and more food. The bland food suddenly tasted like ambrosia. We had two hours to ourselves before the sun set and darkness filled the barracks. The first few days, I had trouble moving. My body just stopped responding to the intense fatigue. The instructors did not scream and yell at me like in the movies. Instead, they offered calmly worded threats that I would be sent to the regular army if I could not keep going. That seemed to motivate the other men, so I also forced myself to continue. Convicted men in the army were usually sent to the front lines and used as fodder. At least, that was what the instructors told us. I pushed to keep myself from that fate. Most of us slept for our free two hours. I, however, was outside and worked on mastery of the language. I noticed one of the only two women in our barracks, practicing with a staff. Her name was Helena. After a few days, we started talking briefly while she spun her staff. The other woman in our group usually moved from bed to bed at night, whoring herself out for favors in combat classes. Helena trusted me and after a few days, she tossed me a staff. ¡°You can talk and help practice.¡± I caught the staff and painfully stood. ¡°How can you still move Helena? And why practice more?¡± I approached her. ¡°You just need to tell your mind that your body doesn¡¯t hurt. The more practice I get, the better my chance of making it.¡± She went into a series of attacks. She slowed, seeing how terrible I was at defending. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. After some exchanges, I found she was a good teacher. A teacher who didn¡¯t like to talk, just demonstrated. Close to sunset, I asked her, ¡°Why are you even here? You seem like a warrior.¡± Helena huffed. ¡°Criminal debt.¡± She didn¡¯t elaborate. And I could tell she wasn¡¯t going to talk further on it. But from then on, I spent my evenings gaining proficiency with the staff. Getting my abused body to do the extra training was not easy, but I was finding mental resilience to the pain, like Helena said. At night, before falling asleep, I always tried my damnedest to charge the medallion myself. If there was magic in this world and I had a wisp of it, then I could make it work for me eventually. After two weeks of this, I thought I might be starting to feel the aether, but I was unsure. My body was broken repeatedly during training¡ªliterally. We had good healers to repair our injuries. Torn ligaments, broken bones, concussions, cuts, internal bleeding¡ªall of it was repairable with magic if they got to you in time. I got healing just about every day and found myself starting to become numb to the pain¡ªwhich one of the instructors told me was the point. It was a hallmark of a legionnaire, fighting when his body was broken. At least now I was able to function relatively normally with one broken arm. After completing three weeks of hell, we were tested on the tablet. Fourteen of our hundred washed out after the test and were sent to the regular army training camp. Some of us were surprised, but after I talked with Damian, I found out the amount of resources needed to train the Legion of Lion was ten times that of the regular army. This meant Commander Silas liked to cull the groups early, which allowed our instructors to focus on the more promising men. Damian, who was one of the dozen magicians administering the test, let me peruse my results on the paper after they were copied. Most of the other soldiers just had their results copied and sent away. Making friends with the man had been a boon for me.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+10/+0) 31/79 Intellect (+0/+0) 25/54 Aether Pool (+0/+0) 7/21
Power (+7/+0) 29/82 Reasoning (+2/+0) 35/59 Channeling (+1/+0) 3/55
Quickness (+2/+0) 18/49 Perception (+1/+0) 45/60 Aether Shaping (+1/+0) 1/8
Dexterity (+3/+0) 17/55 Insight (+1/+0) 19/48 Aether Tolerance (+0/+0) 19/50
Endurance (+11/+0) 41/87 Resilience (+0/+0) 40/71 Aether Resistance (+0/+0) 3/19
Constitution (+3/+0) 22/65 Empathy (+0/+0) 9/21 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (+7/+0) 17/60 Fortitude (+6/+0) 30/87 Minor Aether Affinity Time
My physical stats had made good progress. I was more curious to see my magic skills, which had barely moved. But still, they had moved! So the hour I had spent every night trying to charge my amulet had done something. It gave me the motivation to continue the effort. After the tablet reading, we had a large round of combat competitions over three days to rank the remaining 86 members of the squad. I placed 48th in hand combat, 37th in sword combat, 77th with daggers, and 29th with sword and shield. It had been the first time we had been given a shield, so I thought I did well. I was surprised I had done so well, but then again, most of the men in the barracks had not been warriors before coming here. Then, in a sort of awards ceremony, the top three placers in each combat got a minor essence of strength or power for a reward. The small marble-sized balls were dark purple or orange, which the winners eagerly consumed. What is an essence? From Damian, I found out there were two effects of essences. One, they could raise your potential in stat, and the other was they could raise your attribute without having to bust your ass in training. After just three weeks of training, the bottom three performers were sent to the army camp, reducing our barracks number to 83. Talking to Damian, I found that each minor essence cost between one and twenty gold coins depending on which stat. Physical stats were the cheapest, while magical stats were the costliest, and mental ones fell in between. Generally, it took 30 minor essences to forcefully raise a stat up one point without any training. Unfortunately, minor essences usually had little effect once a stat reached half of a person¡¯s potential, unless the individual also trained it. There were also major essences that were about an inch in diameter. These could help raise stats to about 80% of your potential without having to train. They were also ten times as effective at raising stats over minor essences, meaning you only needed to use 3 for an increase. According to Damian, major essences cost between 50 to 500 gold. Finally, there were apex essences. They were the size of a golf ball but were very difficult to harvest, cost hundreds of gold, and could raise someone past 80% of their potential without training. More importantly, though, apex essences were the only thing that could raise your potential: your stat¡¯s limit ceiling. These essences were rare, expensive, and reserved for nobility. Using them on yourself was a crime unless you had permission from a noble called a First Citizen. I spent the next three weeks of training extremely focused on improving my combat skills. The instructors noticed and gave me more attention in practice sessions. I didn¡¯t want to fall below the imaginary line that would have me sent to the regular army; if I was going to survive in this world, I also needed this training. I found my body acclimating to its new reality, and most of my body fat was gone after just six weeks. The next tablet test, three weeks later, yielded good results for me.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+6/+0) 37/79 Intellect (+0/+0) 25/54 Aether Pool (+1/+0) 8/21
Power (+7/+0) 36/82 Reasoning (+0/+0) 35/59 Channeling (+0/+0) 3/55
Quickness (+3/+0) 21/49 Perception (+3/+0) 48/60 Aether Shaping (+0/+0) 1/8
Dexterity (+1/+0) 18/55 Insight (+1/+0) 20/48 Aether Tolerance (+0/+0) 19/50
Endurance (+6/+0) 47/87 Resilience (+1/+0) 41/71 Aether Resistance (+0/+0) 3/19
Constitution (+2/+0) 24/65 Empathy (+0/+0) 9/21 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (+12/+0) 29/60 Fortitude (+7/+1) 37/88 Minor Aether Affinity Time
The tester only recorded my physical and mental stats, ignoring the magic column again. I had substantial gains in my physical stats, and was benefiting from all the weapon practices. My mental fortitude potential had increased from 87 to 88. I asked the tablet testing mage about it. It wasn¡¯t Damian this time, but my goodwill among the mages seemed to have spread. He checked the records. ¡°A single point in potential increase is not unheard of. The tablet¡¯s calibration could be off, or you could have just been on the cusp between values. You shouldn¡¯t worry about it. Don¡¯t be surprised if it is back to 87 on your next reading.¡± I had waited to be last in line so I could review my scores, and the three mages administering the test packed up the three tablets they were using carefully and left. Six people were expelled from our barracks after the tablet testing, bringing our number to 77. I didn¡¯t even bother to figure out who they were. Rumor spread among us that the goal was to finish with 30 Legionnaires. The top six in our class would be sent to the capital to join the Royal Legion, and the remaining 24 would form a platoon under the command of a mage and be sent on missions across the Telhian Empire. Combat testing was fairly intense this round as everyone realized they might not make it and have to go to the regular army, which was considered fodder to hold the borders. Life expectancy was not very high. I finished 19th in sword ranking, 24th in sword and shield, 29th in dagger, and 9th in hand-to-hand. We were also tested on our marksmanship with the crossbow, and I finished 18th. Once again, prize essences were handed out to the top three for each event, and three more soldiers were cut¡ª74 of us remained. We, shockingly, were given a day off. It was our first free day in six weeks of intensive training finished. I noticed another man shedding tears of joy when it was announced. Chapter 3 Beaten but Not Broken Chapter 3: Beaten But Not Broken On my day off, I spent my morning swimming in the lake that fed the showers at camp. We ran by the lake on one of our longer runs. I had made sure it was acceptable before I headed up to the lake, and one of my trainers confirmed I would not be killed for swimming up there. There was a watchtower up there, and the two guards said I should just remain on the banks under it, and I would be fine. The last thing I wanted was to be executed for trying to escape. I was sitting on the bank, admiring my leaner and fitter body, when one of the mages came down to the bank with a fishing pole. Looking up, I noticed it was Damian. He had healed me many times, usually charged my translation amulet, and helped me with the language. We started talking while he fished, and I asked him more questions about magic. ¡°Damian, what is the difference between a spell form and actual magic?¡± I asked while he cast over and over, something akin to fly fishing. He was very patient with me as he explained, ¡°In order to cast a spell, a mage has to channel aether into a construct. Constructs come in three forms. They can be a physical device with an embedded spell form like the amulet you are wearing, or they can be imprinted permanently onto a person¡¯s aether core, although each affinity on a person¡¯s core can only accept one such inscription. But what really defines a true mage is the last method. Being able to create a spell form in the air using aether manipulation and manual dexterity. However, the spell form is created; once you have it, you only need to channel aether into it to generate the spell¡¯s effect. Give me your translation amulet, Eryk.¡± I removed the device and handed it to him while he put down his fishing pole. He proceeded to disassemble the device, showing six stacked discs inside. Each disc was comprised of complex runes. He assembled the device, orienting the discs on a tab, charged it, and handed it back to me. He continued, ¡°You can see how difficult it would be to write out all six sets of runes, maintain their forms, and then channel aether to cast the comprehension spell.¡± ¡°Yes. I could maybe write one from memory if I studied it for a while, but all six?¡± I responded with a new appreciation of mages. ¡°There are some simpler spells with only three layers, but it is not just writing them with aether in the air. You have to do it fast enough that they do not dissipate and keep them all oriented correctly. Even if someone had a strong affinity, only one in a thousand of those people can control their aether and truly cast spells. Mages are highly valued throughout the world.¡± he sighed. ¡°I am not a true mage. All my spells are spell forms permanently imprinted on my aether core.¡± ¡°Can anyone add spell forms onto their core to cast spells?¡± I inquired hopefully. ¡°Yes and no. It is not too difficult, as it is mostly intent and will, and having a visual representation of runes also helps. But you do need to have a strong enough affinity with the magic. Generally, you need a score of at least ten in the affinity to imprint a spell form on your aether core successfully. Less than that, it is extremely uncommon.¡± He picked up his pole and continued to fish. After a while, I asked, ¡°So people generally don¡¯t have affinities over 10?¡± He looked over at me curiously. ¡°Usually, everyone is tested when they are fifteen. Do they not do that where you are from?¡± I remained calm and responded, ¡°No, it is reserved just for the nobility.¡± He nodded in understanding. ¡°A waste. You never know where the next great mage might come from. But everyone always has some affinity for at least one of the magics. It is usually small; and between five and six is normal. Secondary affinities are usually half of the primary.¡± He considered for a moment. ¡°If you have never been tested, maybe your primary affinity is strong enough to create a spell form on your core. If you wish, I can try to obtain an affinity assessment stone when it passes through. They are expensive and usually only found in large cities.¡± ¡°I would appreciate that, Damian,¡± I replied with a hopeful smile. He nodded and cast again. ¡°I am actually quite well-versed in the process. I cannot create spell forms in the air, but have seven different spell forms inscribed on my core.¡± He held up his finger to demonstrate, and a steady flame appeared on it. ¡°This is my fire affinity spell form. I only have eight affinity with fire, so this was all I could manifest. Still, it is useful in lighting fires.¡± He smiled triumphantly. His smile fell. ¡°Your affinities were space and time?¡± I nodded. ¡°Do not get your hopes up. They are rare magics, which usually means lower strength of the attribute.¡± ¡°How strong is your healing affinity?¡± I asked. He smiled at my curiosity. ¡°Generally, it is impolite to ask a person their affinity strength, but my healing affinity is 54. It is my second strongest affinity. My spell form can heal another person¡¯s flesh, organs, and bones.¡± Damian was one of the best healers in the camp, and I had been administered to him many a time. I pressed hopefully, ¡°Can you teach me some basic aether shaping exercises? I have a potential of eight in shaping and would like to improve.¡± Damian frowned. ¡°I thought your shaping was something like that. In order to create spell form and cast spells like a true mage, it is considered a requirement to have a minimum score of forty in aether shaping. My own score is twenty-seven after years of practice, and my potential is only slightly higher. I spent years trying to learn spells and failed.¡± Seeing my downcast expression, he tried to cheer me up. ¡°You might still be able to create a spell form, Eryk. I will see about borrowing a tablet if it passes through. And I will also teach you the two basic exercises for aether shaping.¡± We spent the next two hours as a teacher and student. The two exercises were focused on visualization and meditation. Once you could feel the aether, you could manipulate it with your mind in your body. It was late in the day when we finished, and I thanked him and returned for dinner since I had missed lunch while I was out swimming. I planned to double up on my calories. I kept my routine over the next three weeks. Eventually, I could manifest the feeling of my aether in my core with the exercises Damian had imparted. It was difficult and mentally taxing, and my control was crude, like kneading a dough ball in my core. My mental exhaustion didn¡¯t help me during morning fitness training the following day, so I needed to temper my magical aspirations. The next wave of testing was upon us, and I was very curious to see my results.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+3/+0) 40/79 Intellect (+1/+0) 26/54 Aether Pool (+1/+0) 9/21
Power (+2/+0) 38/82 Reasoning (+3/+0) This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. 38/59 Channeling (+2/+0) 5/55
Quickness (+2/+0) 23/49 Perception (+1/+0) 49/60 Aether Shaping (+3/+0) 4/8
Dexterity (+2/+0) 20/55 Insight (+6/+0) 26/49 Aether Tolerance (+1/+0) 20/50
Endurance (+3/+0) 50/87 Resilience (+2/+0) 43/71 Aether Resistance (+0/+0) 3/19
Constitution (+4/+0) 28/65 Empathy (+0/+0) 9/21 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (+2/+0) 31/61 Fortitude (+1/+0) 38/88 Minor Aether Affinity Time
The tester raised his eyebrows while writing down my new stats in the log. I again sneaked a peak at my magic stats and saw a great improvement. My next goal was to be able to charge my amulet by myself. I could now communicate in the common tongue without the amulet, but my vocabulary was still limited. It appeared the language was derived from Latin, but I was not a linguist. I found out the amulet cost 20 gold even though it was extremely old. It would not be going with me when I graduated, so I needed a good grasp of the language before then. Six more soldiers were cut after the tablet readings by Silas, bringing our number to 68. Testing did not go as well as I had hoped. I finished 23rd in sword ranking, 30th in sword and shield, 25th in dagger, and 7th in hand-to-hand. We were also tested on spearmanship for the first time, and I finished 3rd. All of the practice with the staff and Helena had greatly helped. Helena was the only woman left in the barracks; the other woman had been cut at tablet testing. Now Helena was constantly harassed. She was not in danger of getting raped because if she was, the man would have been executed the next day, but she did have to deal with constant ¡°requests.¡± I would have helped her, but I was outnumbered and didn¡¯t want the small cliques of men to focus their attention on me. Some men had taken to sharing in each other¡¯s company at night, without a willing woman present. That was not my preference, and I hoped maybe after I graduated, I could find a woman. I used the intense training to keep myself distracted. For finishing 3rd in the spear competition, I was awarded an essence! The awards were announced after three more men were dismissed, bringing our number to 65. I was worried as I was called to choose my essence. In the office of Commander Silas, I was asked, ¡°Which physical attribute do you seek?¡± I thought about my shortcomings in combat. My lower speed and agility were what cost me the most during practice. So, I needed to choose quickness, dexterity, or coordination. My lagging stat was dexterity, so I decided on that to increase my accuracy with my blade. ¡°Dexterity,¡± I responded after thinking. Commander Silas thought my indecision was amusing and handed me the tiny faintly glowing yellow pearl¡ªmaybe closer to a marble¡¯s size. Seeing my confusion, the commander said, ¡°Just swallow it; savor it if you want. The first time is always the best.¡± I went outside and examined the ball for a long time. I imagined what kind of power was contained within and how much potential was stored in the small item. If I wanted to remain, I needed this reward to make a difference in my combat skills. I swallowed and concentrated intently on it as it dissolved and entered my stomach. I focused on the electric shocks in my veins and nerves that caused my muscles to twitch for a few minutes. When it ended, I did not feel any different. I didn¡¯t know if I should have expected more, but I definitely didn¡¯t transform into a hulking warrior. We had a day off, and I hoped to meet the mage Damian again at the lake shore, but he never came to fish. I spent the next three weeks backing off my magic training and getting more rest to focus on my weapon skills. I couldn¡¯t afford to slide down in the rankings and get cut. The threat of being sent to the regular army kept me motivated. After being at the camp for 12 weeks, I went confidently to the tablet testing for the first time. I knew I had made ground on some of the others and was looking forward to weapon testing after the tablet.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+2/+0) 42/79 Intellect (+0/+0) 26/54 Aether Pool (+1/+0) 9/22
Power (+1/+0) 39/82 Reasoning (+0/+0) 38/59 Channeling (+2/+0) 7/55
Quickness (+1/+0) 24/49 Perception (+0/+0) 49/60 Aether Shaping (+0/+0) 4/8
Dexterity (+4/+1) 24/56 Insight (+1/+0) 27/49 Aether Tolerance (+0/+0) 20/50
Endurance (+1/+0) 51/87 Resilience (+0/+0) 43/71 Aether Resistance (+0/+0) 3/19
Constitution (+2/+0) 30/65 Empathy (+0/+0) 9/21 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (+3/+0) 34/61 Fortitude (+2/+0) 40/89 Minor Aether Affinity Time
I was happy to see my dexterity improve by 4 points, and my dexterity potential even increased by one point. The tester recording my data paused when he got to my dexterity. He looked at my past reading and today¡¯s reading a few times before continuing to copy my stats to my records, just shrugging. My physical attributes had improved significantly, so I looked forward to the ranking combat. I wasn¡¯t surprised my magic barely improved. I usually just played with mana while I was taking a shit now, having given up on my hopes of becoming a mage. Also, the nightly sessions caused fatigue the next day, affecting my training. That day, I didn¡¯t pay attention to people being pulled out, but noticed only 58 beds in the barracks were filled when we returned to prepare for the sword ranking portion of the testing. With our numbers reduced, the testing was only going to take two days this time. I finished 15th in sword ranking, 19th in sword and shield, 22nd in the dagger, and 5th in hand-to-hand. It was mostly thanks to my improved accuracy. Having trained with the same people for so long, I caught them off guard. We were also tested in the polearm for the first time, and I finished 11th. After getting noticeable results, I wished I had earned another essence, but I didn¡¯t. If we had tested on the spear, I would have had a shot, but there were just too many men ahead of me in the hierarchy of the other weapons. Only the bottom two soldiers were cut after weapons testing this time, leaving 56 of us. Helena was still with us, and we still practiced in the evenings. She didn¡¯t like to talk, but I think she liked my companionship¡ªand beating on me. So after 12 weeks of the 29-week training cycle, almost half of our number had been eliminated. Helena hadn¡¯t been cut but was near the bottom of the results. I talked to her about it, and she wasn¡¯t concerned. ¡°Female legionnaires are rarer than horns on a horse. If I made it this far, I will probably make it and get assigned to special duty guarding a minor female noble related to a Duke or Count.¡± It was more words than she had spoken in a week, and it was all I got out of her. We had another off day, and I ran into Damian fishing. I initiated a conversation. ¡°Damian, do you know how we are eliminated based on our results?¡± He considered what to say. ¡°The commander decides based on the tablet testing. Sometimes it is the lowest summed physical attributes, but not always. He talks with the trainers and removes men he feels will not be good legionaries. If you are not working hard, then you are at risk,¡± he advised. ¡°How am I performing?¡± I asked hesitantly. Damian thought for a moment. ¡°You work hard, but of the men, you are 25th or 26th in the summed physical stat pool rankings. At least three weeks ago, I think that was where you ranked.¡± My heart thudded. If only thirty men graduated, I was close to the bottom of the hierarchy in my physical performance. Damian added, ¡°The commander leans heavily on the weapons testing, Eryk. If you are in the top twenty for sword and shield, you will be safe from the tablet cuts the following tablet testing. The men sent to the capital to join the Royal Legion patrol the city and fight primarily with the sword and shield, so I think that is why he stresses it.¡± That alleviated some of my concerns as I had decent skill with a sword now and had just finished 19th in the sword and shield ranking. Damian added, ¡°The instructor and commander were actually discussing you the other day, Eryk. You made a sizable jump in your skill since the last testing.¡± I nodded, realizing a lot of that had to do with the essence I consumed. It had given me better control of my blade. I could see why essences were so valuable. Damian returned to his fishing, thinking I was done asking questions. He caught two decent-sized fish while I relaxed in the cool air under the shade of a tree. I came up with some more questions. I rarely had this opportunity, and my fellow soldiers were mostly ignorant. They were also assholes, for the most part. It wasn¡¯t like a normal army where camaraderie was the goal. This legion training seemed to be about improving and outdoing your fellow soldiers. I asked Damian, ¡°What are typical gains between readings for people?¡± He looked contemplative and said, ¡°Between 10 and 14 is normal after the first three weeks, then 6 to 10 each of the following testing periods.¡± I considered I was doing all right then. I might have even moved up faster than most of the others. I had probably improved by 13 or 14 points in this last period alone. Damian caught a third fish and started packing up. He said, ¡°I heard they plan to send your cohort on a little adventure. There have been some red goblin attacks at a village a hundred miles from here, and the commander decided you all could use the change of scenery. You¡¯re going out on a little training patrol.¡± With that, he smiled, turned, and went to cook his fish. Chapter 4 Why are Red Goblins Brown? Chapter 4: Why Are Red Goblins Brown? Well, the following day, we learned we were just taking our training on the road. Our destination was over a hundred miles away. My squad had two woodsmen, two instructors, and two mages assigned to us, but they all rode horses. Meanwhile, we spent our time at the fast march with heavy backpacks, leather armor, spears, swords, and shields. When we stopped, we were either eating or weapons training. Sleeping outside was not fun either, as the temperature dropped overnight, and our packed bedrolls were made of thin wool. We even had to spend 4 hours on night watch duty. The woodsmen and instructors schooled us in those duties. I spent my free hours with the woodsmen as well. Helena was in the other squad, traveling a separate route, so I could not get additional staff practice. The woodsmen showed me basic camping skills and some foraging skills. There were six plants I came to identify as edible, filling, and nutritious. Two were roots that had bulbs that could be found year-round, but you needed to peel and then boil them. Two were nuts from trees, a little uncommon, very bitter, and made your urine very pungent. Using the urine to pee around your campsite at night would keep most wild animals from your camp. The last two edibles were sap from shrubs; both were very sugary. You had to be careful just to drink the sap from the hollow stem, as eating the stem would give you massive cramping and diarrhea. We didn¡¯t see any wild game on our outings, but one of the woodsmen did show me how to identify game trails and animal passing. It took five days to reach a farm that had been attacked. The mages and instructors rode out to question the inhabitants of the farms nearby. We got a chance to rest, but I walked the nearby woods with the woodsman who had been instructing me. We found trails with small humanoid prints. We were lucky as it hadn¡¯t rained and washed away the evidence. The woodsman guessed the farm had been attacked by six to eight of the red goblins. We identified the direction they had left in by the trail of chicken feathers and footprints. Soon, the mages returned with the instructors. The family that lived at the farm had moved to a neighboring farm for protection. We headed out with the two woodsmen leading the way. The going was slow, and I was put on the left flank, ten yards out, since I was slightly better at moving quietly. Another soldier walked the right flank. The two woodsmen and two of our best soldiers were in the arrowhead. The main body of the force trailed 50 yards back with the horses, mages, and our trainers, ready to support. One of the woodsmen hand-signed a trap to the lead element. We all stopped and waited. It was only two heartbeats later that all hell broke loose. Two goblins I didn¡¯t notice broke from my left less than eight feet away, more attacked our center. My first thought was that they looked more brown than red, and then I got my wits about me. I interposed my sword and got ready to react. I deflected the wooden spear aimed at me and put the attacking goblin between me and the other goblin. This would give me only one foe for a short time. I tried to bash the closer goblin with my shield, but it had already backed away. The other goblin began to circle, and sounds of combat erupted from our center and right flank. I figured I would need to hold out for 15 seconds for our main force to close in. The two goblins I faced were 120 degrees apart and attacked in a coordinated lunge. Using my shield, I cleared the spear on my right. The sword in my left hand mostly deflected the other spear. It cut my armor near my ribs, not reaching my flesh, but I was able to move forward past the spears. Now, between the goblins, I swung my sword in a short, powerful arc, clipping right-hand goblin¡¯s head and taking a chunk of the skull with the hit. Using the swing¡¯s momentum, I came around quickly to face the other goblin with my shield. I saw anger and fear mixed in its human-like eyes. It hesitated, so I pushed forward, deflecting the spearhead down with a shield and using my sword to hack at its arms. I took off one of its hands, surprising both of us. As the goblin froze in shock, a quick slash to its neck ended its life. This all took less than eight heartbeats. I scanned the left flank, looking for other threats. Seeing nothing, I turned to help the center. One of the woodsmen was on the ground with the two soldiers, and the other woodsman was protecting him. At least eight goblins had them surrounded, with more goblins coming to assist. The main force was still about 30 yards back. My training was to fall in and support the center, but looking at the circling goblins, I rushed the flank. I started a heavy run and used my shield to barrel into one goblin, driving it into another. Unfortunately, my feet got tangled, and I went down in a mess on smelly goblin limbs. I felt a pain in my ass and assumed I had just gotten a spear in my left ass cheek. As I rolled away, I was able to slam the hilt of my sword into the eye of a goblin on the ground, crushing its orbital cavity. I had to release my shield or risk getting stuck on the ground in the tangle. Standing, I backed toward my companions. The odds were better now: six goblins and four of us. The goblins had noticed our main force, and the goblins coming to reinforce suddenly screamed, ¡°Flee,¡± and turned to run. I only understood the goblin speech because of my amulet. The six goblins bolted. I pursued and cut down one immediately with a diagonal slash across its back. I took down a second slower goblin that had a limp and then paused, realizing I was alone. I had forgotten my training and pursued the goblins due to my surging adrenaline. I backed up and returned to the main force. The mages came and healed the injured woodsman and our minor injuries. I had a puncture in my ass cheek and had bled a fair amount, soaking my pants with blood. My pain tolerance was high from the training, but getting the healing from Damian and drinking some fluid replacement was still a relief. Looking at the goblin bodies, I felt mildly ill. I had killed a sapient being. But I did not have long to dwell as the instructors quickly had us moving. We soon formed a double deep line and moved forward. Ten minutes later, we came to the goblin camp. Twenty or so goblins were packing up what they could. Seeing us approaching, they fled. We charged when ordered. I killed two more in the chaos, but they were both clearly females. The mages shot lightning at a few goblins that had gotten too far away for us to engage in melee. In all, maybe three goblins managed to escape. Then, one of the wizards took out a large runic shield and tried to suck essence out of the goblins. It was fascinating to watch as the large device was placed on the body and blue wisps coalesced on the device to form a sphere. One out of five gave a minor essence. In total, he collected five essences from 27 goblins. I was quickly assigned to assist two woodsmen in tracking and killing the escaped goblins. Two other soldiers came with us. After six hours of pursuit, we managed to get only one goblin; the woodsman had us return in the moonlit night. The moon on this world was much larger than Earth, and its strong blue light made it feel like constant twilight. We had been gone for over ten hours. I was exhausted and had bruises and numerous chafe marks on my flesh. However, I had no time to rest, and was debriefed by the instructors upon returning. I got yelled at for my reckless and undisciplined attacks in the initial contact. After being told of all my errors multiple times, I was able to retire and quickly fell asleep after eating some leftover cold stew. I was able to sleep until mid-morning, mostly because the woodsman had asked not to be woken before then, which meant the three soldiers who accompanied them got the same treatment. I ate three breakfast portions. While I ate, I was next to one of the mages. We got into a conversation, and he told me about the loot they collected. ¡°The big haul was four minor dexterity and one minor strength essence. The goblins had about sixty copper coins and some iron tools.¡± He indicated the pile that had been assembled while I was hunting the goblins yesterday. Damian added, ¡°The coins and tools will be given to the farmer so he can replace some of his livestock.¡± ¡°Is that the only way to make essences?¡± I asked him, indicating the runic shield by the other mage. The mage tapped the shield. ¡°Yes, condensing life force from living beings or recent corpses. The collectors are expensive to artifice. You are lucky I wanted to come out here and stretch my riding legs.¡± He had a self-satisfied aura that was easy to dislike. ¡°Could it be used on a human as well?¡± I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. Both mages gave me a strange look, though Damian did answer, ¡°Yes. Some cultures believe consuming the essence of your defeated foe is your right. Others believe it should be passed onto their children, and others think they need the strength to succeed in the afterlife in Pluto¡¯s realm.¡± ¡°You said it could be used on live beings,¡± I said to the first mage. He seemed uncomfortable with the question. ¡°Do they not have collectors in your lands? Or you just from some mudhole in the wild!¡± He stood and walked away, taking the collector with him. After he was a distance away, Damian answered my question, ¡°When used on live creatures, it has a much higher probability of forming an essence. It was outlawed in the Telhian Empire and is now only used to execute criminals.¡± He pointed at the mage. ¡°He used to work in the big cities doing the executing. He has probably killed dozens of men with that collector in the last decade. Ripping life force from a living person changes you.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I nodded in understanding. I had not quite come to grips with killing goblins, though it helped that they looked more monstrous than human. But as a soldier, I was going to have to eventually kill another man. I was not looking forward to that day. I turned the topic to magic. ¡°Can you tell me more about the magic affinities?¡± Damian smiled and went into teaching mode. ¡°There are three rarities of magic, common, uncommon, and rare. Each one has seven affinities for a total of twenty-one known magical affinities. Eryk, both of your affinities fall into the rare rank.¡± ¡°What are the rare affinities?¡± I leaned in close to listen. Damian smiled as he listed them: ¡°The seven rare affinities are space, time, displacement, materialism, void, worlds, and convergence.¡± He shifted to face me. ¡°Space is primarily the ability to create pocket dimensions. Time is limited control over time, usually speeding or slowing time around the mage. Displacement is the ability to teleport. Displacement mages are extremely rare and valuable in the Empire; they operate the portals in the larger cities.¡± Damian paused to take a drink. He still had my attention when he continued. ¡°Materialism is summoning objects from nothing, but it breaks the second covenant of magic that objects cannot be created from nothing. There is a lot of debate about whether the objects are summoned or created. Void magic is eliminating something from existence. It is extremely rare magic, and anyone with its affinity is sent to the Mage College in the capital for study. Now, world magic is the ability to move between planes. Traveling the cosmos like a great adventurer!¡± He dwelled for a moment on the idea of traveling between the stars. ¡°Finally, convergence is the rarest of all the rare magics. It allows a mage to draw mana from the environment, specifically at ley line convergences. Essentially, the mage could have an infinite well of aether under the correct circumstances, and thus wield tremendous power!¡± Damian finished with a flare of his hands, standing to leave. ¡°Eryk, I know your strongest affinity is space. I do not want to get your hopes up, but if you successfully complete the legionnaire training, the commander is considering testing you to see if you can learn the dimensional pocket. Since you have a low potential in aether shaping, you would have to imprint the spell form on your aether core to learn it.¡± ¡°What exactly is a dimensional pocket?¡± I asked. Damian nodded and continued, ¡°It creates a private space from which a mage can put and pull items. They are usually small, but even a legionnaire with a small space could be enlisted as a royal messenger. But do not get your hopes up. When I can get a tablet, we can see if your affinity for space magic is at least ten.¡± Damian reiterated my poor chances. ¡°Most people have affinity ratings under five in their primary affinity. It is one of the reasons they have not checked you. They assumed you would have been evaluated in your homeland and, if you had any potential, would have utilized it. I have not told anyone you have never been tested.¡± I was twenty-five, and Damian had said it was common for people in the capital or a large city in the Telhian Empire to have all their affinities checked when they turned fifteen. Damian was called away to attend to an injury. I was gaining a lot of benefits from my friendship with the mage. That he was willing to keep my secrets was a massive boon, along with the preferential healing he gave me. Unlike most of the other men, I had no scars from all the healing I had received while training. It was a few more days before we packed up and returned to the training camp. We had no luck in locating more goblins. The instructors said they probably crawled down a hole to breed for the winter, and he would have to come back again next year. We learned the other squad had killed 48 goblins and lost three of their members, who rushed into the other goblin camp. After returning, we had two days off and were tested again on the tablet.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+2/+0) 44/79 Intellect (+0/+0) 26/54 Aether Pool (+1/+0) 10/22
Power (+1/+0) 40/82 Reasoning (+2/+0) 40/59 Channeling (+0/+0) 7/55
Quickness (+2/+0) 26/49 Perception (+3/+0) 52/60 Aether Shaping (+0/+0) 4/8
Dexterity (+1/+0) 25/56 Insight (+1/+0) 28/49 Aether Tolerance (+0/+0) 20/50
Endurance (+5/+0) 56/87 Resilience (+1/+0) 44/71 Aether Resistance (+0/+0) 3/19
Constitution (+4/+0) 34/65 Empathy (+1/+0) 10/21 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (+1/+0) 35/61 Fortitude (+4/+0) 44/89 Minor Aether Affinity Time
I made modest gains for myself¡ªbut Damian said I was doing well, and as long as I didn¡¯t get myself killed, I would graduate. For weapons testing, I finished 11th in sword ranking, 18th in sword and shield, 22nd in dagger, and 7th in hand-to-hand. I realized that two of the men killed had been ahead of me in the rankings, later learning that they had done something foolish like myself, rushing alone into combat with multiple foes and no support. We were also tested in dual-wield sword skill, which none of us were familiar with. Somehow, I finished 11th. I liked this style because I could use my quickness to alter which hand was defending and which was attacking, and surprise my opponent. I also found from all the training I was slightly ambidextrous. One of the trainers said I had the mentality for a two-weapon style. Unfortunately, they only taught it here so we would be familiar with it when facing an opponent wielding two weapons. Three had been dropped after ability testing, and another five were cut after weapons testing. This left 46 of us. The strange thing was that we actually started forming bonds. Putting our unit against a common foe had broken down the walls of competition against each other. I don¡¯t know if that had been planned, but it made life in the barracks more bearable for me. We had light training as our instructors had to travel to the army camp. We were not told the reason. Forty-two of the forty-nine instructors left for two days. Only forty returned, and even Damian was in the dark as to why, but he assumed they were taking command of units to reinforce a fort. During the lighter training days, I had the opportunity I was waiting for. Damian excitedly said the estate had a magic affinity tablet. They were expensive, and this one was only going to be here for two days, as it was on its way back to the Mage College in the capital. He conspired to bring it to the lake so I could check my ability in the space affinity privately. His offer almost sounded like a trap, but I agreed. Damian brought the tablet and said, ¡°I have configured it to display rankings of all the rare affinity magics. The tablet can only display the common, uncommon, or rare magics one at a time.¡± He showed me how it was set to do so. ¡°Are you going to see my scores?¡± I asked as he carefully handed me the tablet. He seemed to consider and, maybe judging by my anxiety, said, ¡°No. You can keep the information to yourself.¡± ¡°Then why are you helping me?¡± I said with confusion. He seemed uncomfortable. ¡°I¡¯m a bit of a loner. You¡¯re the first soldier in my time here who actually made an effort to befriend me. You¡¯re a decent person, unlike most of the men and women who come here to be a legionnaire.¡± Well, score one for me for not wanting to die. I looked at the tablet. It was much fancier than the general ability tablet. ¡°Just like charging the amulet, push your aether into this section,¡± Damian indicated. I did as instructed and looked at my scores. It took time, as I barely had learned the written language. It was similar to Latin, but it took a while to translate word by word in my head. Damian likely thought my concentration was due to disappointment. I looked up and asked, ¡°What do the scores mean?¡± Damian pursed his lips like he was about to break the bad news to me. ¡°True mages usually have three or four affinities over 60, typically in the same rarity category. The average person only has one affinity, with a score around five. The higher the number in an affinity, the more power exponentially. Ten being base, and the recognized minimum to demonstrate power.¡± ¡°So any magic affinity under ten is essentially useless?¡± I asked, looking at the tablet again. Damian nodded. ¡°A score of twenty is twice as strong as a score of ten. From there, the real power starts. A score of thirty is four times the relative power of ten. Forty is eight times. Fifty is sixteen times. Sixty is thirty-two times as strong.¡± I interrupted to finish for him. ¡°Seventy is sixty-four times as strong. A score of eighty is one hundred twenty-eight as strong.¡± Damian held up his hand to stop me. ¡°Correct! But maybe only one in 25,000 people have any affinity over seventy. Maybe one in 100,000 have an affinity at eighty. Scores of ninety are unheard of and are two hundred fifty-six times as powerful as a ten! Maybe 1 in a million would have an affinity at ninety or higher!¡± ¡°How do I clear my scores?¡± I asked. He showed me, and I did so and handed him back the tablet. ¡°Why was this tablet here?¡± ¡°A peasant girl was found with powerful elemental affinities. She was flying over the forest! Can you believe that? I heard she had fire, air, water, and earth all at 72! Can you imagine how powerful that girl is going to be one day?¡± Damian said excitedly. He asked the question solemnly. ¡°So can you? Is your space affinity over ten?¡± I nodded, and his eyes brightened. ¡°Excellent! We can start working on learning the dimensional pocket spell if you want. I can show you all the tricks I learned in my time imprinting spell forms.¡± He was extremely excited about the opportunity to pass on his knowledge. After Damian left, I recalled my scores. He had never asked me what they were, but the numbers were burned into my memory.
Space 98
Time 90
Displacement 61
Materialism 9
Worlds 88
Void 22
Convergence 74
Chapter 5 A Secret Space Chapter 5: Secret Space As my training progressed with Damian, I missed spending my evenings with quiet Helena and having extra staff practice. Helena was rough around the edges, but as I felt more and more comfortable in my new world, the scarred and muscular woman was looking better and better to me. Then again, she was the only woman I got to see on a regular basis. I met with Damian almost every evening as he guided me on the principles of learning a spell and creating a spell form. He thought I would not learn the dimensional pocket as a spell, but instead utilize my innate ability to imprint a simple spell form on my core to create the pocket space. He assured me that I could eventually create the spell form, as long as my affinity score was over 10. Some people just took longer than others to manifest it. Very few people could learn the intricacies of memorizing and casting spells; it took a high skill in aether shaping and memorization of the complex spell forms. It was also going to be a few weeks before a copy of the spell forms could be transported from the Mage College to help guide my visualization. He assured me he had sent the request, and it would arrive. Damian was a patient teacher, but he was seemed very bored in his assignment as a healer to the training legion. His assistance was invaluable as, at my next testing, I had substantial gains in my magical development. My gains were so significant that the fort¡¯s commander was informed, and he called me before him.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+1/+0) 45/79 Intellect (+2/+0) 28/54 Aether Pool (+2/+0) 12/22
Power (+2/+0) 42/82 Reasoning (+2/+0) 42/59 Channeling (+2/+0) 9/55
Quickness (+1/+0) 27/49 Perception (+0/+0) 52/60 Aether Shaping (+2/+0) 6/8
Dexterity (+2/+0) 27/56 Insight (+2/+0) 30/49 Aether Tolerance (+1/+0) 21/50
Endurance (+0/+0) 56/87 Resilience (+1/+0) 45/71 Aether Resistance (+1/+0) 4/19
Constitution (+2/+0) 36/65 Empathy (+0/+0) 10/21 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (+2/+0) 37/61 Fortitude (+1/+0) 45/89 Minor Aether Affinity Time
He looked over the transcribed numbers on a piece of paper while I stood at attention. Then he spoke. ¡°Soldier, how did you make such significant gains in your magical attributes in three weeks?¡± His icy blue eyes focused on me. ¡°During our free time after dinner, one of the healing mages had been helping me, Commander.¡± The commander was a very large man who shifted in his chair, which groaned slightly. He pulled out some more paperwork and read it. ¡°Do you think you can learn to create a dimensional space, soldier? Before you complete the training?¡± he asked sternly. I had absolutely no idea. I didn¡¯t even know if I was close. I was hoping my ridiculous score in space magic would have helped by now. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± I said with confidence, even though it was faked. He nodded and looked at some more papers. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Okay, you can work with the healing mage. Is it Damian?¡± I nodded. ¡°Work with him in the morning as well as the evening. You can have the second daily conditioning phase off. There are three requests for a soldier with a dimensional storage ability or spell. One is from one of the Emperor¡¯s sons.¡± He looked at me again and focused on my amulet. ¡°I no longer require the amulet, Commander. I have a basic understanding of Telhian.¡± I answered his question before it was asked. It would have been embarrassing for him to send someone who couldn¡¯t communicate with his commander. ¡°You are dismissed. Damian will keep me updated on your progress.¡± I left the intimidating gaze of the man. I didn¡¯t see Damian for the two days of weapon testing, but I did much better than I anticipated. I finished 12th in sword ranking, 15th in sword and shield, 20th in the dagger, 9th in hand-to-hand, and 4th in the spear. Although my rankings didn¡¯t improve much, I thought my level of ability had closed the gap with those I had previously deemed far superior to me. I also had a feeling that the commander had tested us with the spear to reward me since it was my best weapon. I still missed out on an essence reward, though. Damian still had not returned, and I asked one of the other mages about it. He said the commander had sent Damian to retrieve a spell and would be back soon. I immediately guessed it was my dimensional space spell. As training resumed, there were only 43 of us left. I had been so preoccupied with my own problems that I didn¡¯t notice the cuts from the tablet testing and the combat rankings. We were quickly zeroing in on the desired 30 graduates. Getting the second half of conditioning off did not endear me to my fellow legionnaires. The special treatment meant I had to deal with more aggression from multiple directions during combat training. In the four days before Damian returned, I suffered just as many broken bones, punctures, and lacerations as I had in the previous nine weeks. Damian appeared one night after dinner while I was exercising by myself near the lake. The lake was quiet, and the other soldiers rarely came up there. He waved a pamphlet as he approached. ¡°I got the spell, and a more recent copy at that!¡± he said excitedly. We spent the evening going over the spell, and Damian explained things as best he could. ¡°I was unable to get the simplified spell form, but we can work from the actual spell instead!¡± The best way to describe a spell was complex geometric math. The spell forms wrote out the formula, and when you funneled your aether stores into it, you got the result. It meant magic had a massive range based on changing a few variables. During the rest of the interim weeks between testing, we worked on the spell, and I was actually starting to get an understanding of magic. It was an obscure understanding, but at least that was something. My progression was not good when the testing rolled around compared to my prior efforts.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+1/+0) 46/79 Intellect (+0/+0) 28/54 Aether Pool (+0/+0) 12/22
Power (+1/+0) 43/82 Reasoning (+2/+0) 44/59 Channeling (+1/+0) 10/55
Quickness (+2/+0) 29/49 Perception (+0/+0) 52/60 Aether Shaping (+0/+0) 6/8
Dexterity (+0/+0) 27/56 Insight (+1/+0) 31/49 Aether Tolerance (+0/+0) 21/50
Endurance (+0/+0) 56/87 Resilience (+0/+0) 45/71 Aether Resistance (+0/+0) 4/19
Constitution (+1/+0) 37/65 Empathy (+0/+0) 10/21 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (+1/+0) 38/61 Fortitude (+1/+0) 46/89 Minor Aether Affinity Time
At our next tutoring session, Damian revealed that my scores put me at 28th in my training group. He told me I had dropped four positions from three weeks ago. The good news was the commander was very interested in seeing me learn a space storage spell form. He would be in line for a reward if he produced a soldier with a dimensional pocket. At the weapons ranking, things went terribly. I was essentially ganged up on as my barracks shared information about my habits and weaknesses. I finished 22nd in sword ranking, 25th in sword and shield, 34th in the dagger, 14th in hand-to-hand, and 11th in dual wield. They made no secret of sharing my deficiencies among themselves¡ªso much for building camaraderie. We only lost three between the tablet and weapons ranking, bringing us down to 37. If it was true that only 30 could graduate, then it was going to be pretty brutal to avoid being one of the last seven cuts. I actually wished I had made an effort to make friends. The problem I had was that everyone was kind of an asshole, and even Helena spurned me for the special treatment I was being given. They were here because they had either committed brutal crimes or wanted to be at the top of the food chain. Fortunately, things worked out for me a week after we dropped our numbers to 37. My dimensional space spell form imprinted. Mentally, it was like a series of gears clicking into place with a slight bout of indigestion. I had finally obtained my dimensional space! And it was far more powerful than I imagined. I tested it for the first time, reaching into my aether core and pushing aether through the spell form. A translucent cube appeared, visible only to me, and oriented to my person. According to the spell description, there was no gravity and no passage of time inside the cube. Even if the space was open, I could actively allow objects to pass through the area without placing objects inside. People wouldn¡¯t be aware of the space as only I could see it. It took a lot of mental effort to selectively send objects in the cube¡¯s orientation to the dimensional space. It was easier to just send everything in the space and not think about it separating things out. There were negatives. Keeping the open space cost me aether, and I had a minimum amount to spend to access the cube¡ªso my pathetic aether attribute of 12 made it somewhat limiting. When I ran out of aether, the space closed no matter what, shearing off the objects not fully inside the cube. I excitedly found Damian. ¡°It works. I got my pocket space!¡± Damian¡¯s face showed surprise, followed by joy. ¡°How large is the space?¡± He asked. My space was a large cube, ten feet to a side. I knew he would be impressed but decided on caution. ¡°How big do you think it is? What is a good size?¡± I prompted a reply. ¡°A cubic foot would be exceptional! But six cubic inches should be enough to get you a messenger position,¡± he said, anxiously awaiting my response. I paused. The actual spell book I learned from created a space of about a cubic foot, so my space was about 1000 times that volume. I guessed it had to do with my space magic stat of 98. If I revealed this, would I end up married to some princess? Or would I end up being enslaved to a king transporting illicit items for him? I decided to go for the middle ground and keep my true talent secret for now. ¡°It is just over a cubic foot, maybe one and a half feet to the side,¡± I revealed. ¡°We should go to the commander immediately! He will want to hear this! And he will probably test you to confirm what you are saying is true.¡± Damian was bouncing all the way to the manor and kept telling me to hurry up. In front of the commander, it was as he said. I was tested to confirm that I did have a space the size I mentioned, roughly eighteen inches. The commander¡¯s smile grew as everything was confirmed with experimentation. I also found out that I was even more fortunate. Because the space was formed as a spell form ability and not a spell, it was permanent. If I had used a spell, then my link to the space could have been broken with a spell to dispel magic, or if I had been knocked unconscious. All the contents would have been ejected in that case. Now, the only way to access the items in my space was to kill me, thus canceling the spell form. The commander spoke. ¡°The Emperor¡¯s son¡¯s request has already been fulfilled, but the other two requests in the Empire are still open. I will send word of your potential and wait to hear back.¡± He seemed eager as he started writing the letters. According to Damian, the commander was in line for a sizable bonus. He said while writing, ¡°There is great news for you. Once your assignment is approved, you will be promoted to full legionnaire under the Lion¡¯s banner. You will start receiving payments. Of course, we should get you fitted for your legionnaire¡¯s gear. You were probably not told, but your salary will be withheld to pay for the gear. Seventeen gold in total.¡± My jaw dropped. That was astronomical compared to the 40 silver I owed the farmers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You are gifted a full set of gear on your 5th anniversary. So, if your gear is intact, you will get the coin back. You will probably earn more than 5 silver and 40 copper per week, as you will also be a specialist. But that will depend on your assignment.¡± I did the rough math in my head. That 17 gold was over 310 weeks of pay! I didn¡¯t know if I should be angry or not. As we left the commander, Damian tried to soothe me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You are allowed to take loans out against future pay, up to 5 silver a week. The equipment payment is just to let you know that it is owned by the Telhian Empire and not yours until you complete five years of service.¡± That did make me feel slightly better¡ªactually, no, it didn¡¯t. ¡°So keep it in good order and don¡¯t borrow too heavily. The annual interest is low, but it does add up.¡± He finished by clapping me on the back. Great, I was in an Empire that was aware of how to use compounding interest against you! The next day, during training, the commander came out and watched. It was the first time he had watched our particular class, and everyone tried to impress him. When my opponent got a head strike on me with his pommel, causing a bloody laceration and concussion, the instructor rushed in and reprimanded him. This left our group stunned. No one had ever been reprimanded for a good, non-lethal strike. It was, of course, because I was now valuable to the commander. Damaging his little piggy bank was off-limits. Four days later, Damian found me after breakfast. ¡°Word just came down. You are going to be assigned to Mage Commander Castile.¡± He didn¡¯t seem too enthused delivering the news. ¡°So what is the problem?¡± I asked, worried by his tone. ¡°She is a bit of a problem solver. She takes on the most difficult assignments. Her legionnaires are top tier, but due to their dangerous missions, they frequently need to replace legionaries.¡± He had a grim look on his face. God fucking damn it! I was assigned to the suicide squad! Chapter 6 First Assignment Chapter 6: The Long Road I was sized for my legion armor. The tailor was a bit handsy as he made up a mannequin to match my size. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be bleeding from a hundred chafe marks, stand still!¡± he warned me a hundred times. ¡°Don¡¯t you just have premade armor?¡± I asked while he checked my chest. ¡°Inhale as much air as you can,¡± he ordered. When I did as told, he answered my question, ¡°The regular army gets the lesser gear. Men of the Lion get the best. The armor is made of auroch hide and soaked in a boiled resin. I then fit it to your likeness here.¡± He taped the mannequin with his measuring stick. ¡°Of course, if you want to sit in for the mannequin, I am more than willing.¡± ¡°No, keep measuring,¡± I grumbled as he checked my inseam for the third time. Three days later, my armor was delivered. We had practiced in pieces of the armor before, but now I had the complete kit. It reminded me strongly of Roman legion armor. Besides the rivets, the helm was the only other metal on the armor. We learned in our training that the resin-treated hide was just as hard as metal. The resin also had a red pigment in it. I guessed the red was for intimidation. I decided to try on all the regalia. Our undergarment was closer to a diaper with a drawstring, but it supported the package well. The dark red padded tunic was next, and I felt like I was in a dress and ready for a dance. Heavy woolen socks, followed by black leather boots, covered my feet. The regular army only had sandals and had no socks to boot. I had heavy linen pants that did not need to be worn if the weather was too hot, but the pants helped with the chaffing of the buckle-on knee to shin greaves. The greaves had some padding, but it needed to be replaced regularly. Around the waist was a heavy belt that held up the skirt. The skirt was composed of soft overlapping leather straps, allowing me to run easily in full kit or ride a horse as well. It also had hardened leather strips to cover the groin, which I was happy about. The buckle-on vambraces only covered the forearm and wrist. In training, our instructors had constantly stressed the vulnerability of the elbow joint and the armpit. The scale mail chest piece had overlapping pieces of the red leather resin plates. It looked extremely badass and would have been great, if I was not relying on it to save my life. It was actually easier to get on than you would think. I put it on like a shirt and used the cinches to get it comfortably snug. The back was the only solid and inflexible piece on the chest armor. The kit came with a beeswax and mink oil mixture so it could keep its luster and shine. I wished I had a mirror now that I was fully kitted out. The other members of the barracks just looked on in jealousy. I ignored them. The strong odor of leather and beeswax filled my nose. It was also uncomfortable, and I would have to thank the armorer. I spent time adjusting the leather strips in the helmet to get a good fit. Truthfully, it felt like I was dressing for cosplay and not about to go out into a world filled with creatures of fantasy and legend. A day later, the commander pulled me from training. I was unceremoniously promoted into the Legion of the Lion seven weeks ahead of my training class. Damian spent time with me in the morning, reviewing my duties to Mage Castile. ¡°You are to be a porter for potions and the unit funds. Since dimensional spaces do not have time progression, you will carry various potions for the mage¡¯s company. You will still be expected to fight, but only at the mage¡¯s discretion.¡± He smiled weakly. ¡°There is good news. I hear each man in the company is allowed to use his preferred weapon.¡± Most mages in charge of a unit had everyone wield specific weapons, so they looked uniform and could function in unit formations. Castile apparently wanted her unit as effective as possible, so she allowed men their preferred weapon to fight with. The rest of the news was not good. Mage Castile typically replenished two to three legionnaires a month¡ªa high fatality rate in my mind. My orders came, and I was to make the best speed to the Western Boutan front to connect with Castile¡¯s company. I would be traveling with part of a regular army detachment headed to a fort located there. I would be the only legionnaire in the group. Two days later, I was marching alongside 124 men down a dusty road. I was wearing my new leather armor; soon, the polished leather was covered in dust, and my sweat and body odor muted the fresh leather smell. The captain of the army unit moved to walk beside me, and we talked for most of the first day. He informed me we had about a week of marching before reaching our destination. He also freely shared what he knew. ¡°The Western Boutan front is the border of our kingdom and orc lands, with the troll swamp lands sandwiched between us. It isn¡¯t the trolls that required constant subduing, though, it is the marsh goblins and troglodytes. The trolls bred slowly while the other two races bred prolifically, and surging populations have attacked the border every few months,¡± Captain Lucien lectured me. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t we eradicate the source?¡± The young captain shrugged. ¡°The land was mostly swamps, making it useless to humans. It also serves as a barrier to the Boutan orcs. Also, there were so many underground marsh settlements. Eliminating them would be dangerous, and they would miss some, and they would breed back to a nuisance over time anyway.¡± Every night, we made camp, and I set up alone. My legionnaire kit had a small personal tarp tent, a cook set, rations, and a bedroll. All the equipment in the backpack weighed over fifty pounds. Walking in the new leather and carrying the backpack had me experiencing new pains and chafe marks in places I didn¡¯t care to discuss. We always camped outside of small towns at the end of a day¡¯s march. I wanted to fill up my dimensional space with my kit, but thought it best not to advertise my ability. I was able to eat from the soldier¡¯s meal cart and conserve my hard rations. Due to this, after setting up my tent the first night, I moved the ten pounds of rations into my dimensional storage, lightening my pack nicely for tomorrow¡¯s thirty-mile march. The food wasn¡¯t too bad, some type of sweet cabbage with potatoes and celery. There was minimal salt seasoning, but it was still filling. None of the soldiers seemed inclined to talk with me, even at meals. I was up and packed at first light everyday, well before the soldiers. Even though they were not carrying backpacks, they were in much rougher shape than me. Complaints flew freely when the officers were out of earshot. I just kept to myself, not wanting to put in the effort to make friends I would never see again. The captain chose to walk with me again on the second day, and I tried to make conversation by asking him about himself. Captain Lucien was the third son of a career army officer; his father commanded a garrison in one of the large cities. He was young, and this was his first command. He was going to command the overnight watch at one of the smaller forts on the border. It was an easy assignment, according to Lucien. After one year, he would be recalled and promoted. I asked Lucien what he considered a hard assignment. He told me about the active war fronts. There were constant skirmishes with the other human, elven, and orc kingdoms. Defending and expanding those borders was a constant sink of soldiers. I asked him if women were allowed in the army like the Legion. His response was calculated. It had been tried, but always failed eventually. The Legion had more discipline and did a much better job of policing themselves. That was all he said on the subject. The days on the road started to blur. I spent my nights alone in my tent, oiled my armor with the beeswax mixture from my kit, and sharpened my two spears and short sword. I practiced what Damian had taught me for aether manipulation, wishing I had another spell form to work on. I had enough high affinities to try to manifest a new ability; my displacement affinity was at 61. The problem was Damian had told me teleportation magic took a lot of aether to use, and aether was one thing I did not have. On the third evening, I started practicing with the spear. I figured it was best not to get too rusty. Captain Lucien came over and practiced with me. He was good from ten years of experience, but I was still able to hold my own. When we switched to blades, his sword skills far outclassed me. Thankfully, the captain was open to teaching me, which I appreciated. The soldiers watched us as we practiced, but if they were not ordered to train, they would just rest from the long day¡¯s march. After six days and nearly two hundred miles, the sprawling fields and woodlands transformed into dead wood and foul-smelling stagnant pools. We had reached the edge of the Agorian Swamp. We reached a square wooden fort on the morning of the seventh day, but the soldiers I was marching with were going to a larger central fort another ten miles down the road. That was where my orders had also told me to report. The pace picked up as the destination grew close. The end meant rest to the men. The central fort was massive, with forty-foot-high stone walls. Stone walls in a swamp indicated there had been a lot of expense in building this fortification. It was massive inside as well. The bailey was filled with two-story buildings that were civilian businesses. On the road, Captain Lucien had described the lower part of the fort as having enough variety to keep a thousand soldiers happy and collect their free coin. Captain Lucien pointed out a smaller stone building near the citadel on the far side of the bailey. ¡°That is your destination, the Legion offices for the fort. Every military fortification has a Legion office, but this region rarely sees members of the Legion, so I am not sure what is inside.¡± I walked past the shops slowly before heading up the earthen ramp to the Legion building. I passed two brothels, a general store, three taverns, and one inn. The businesses were active with off-duty soldiers. I had no coin, so I moved to meet my new mage commander. The symbol of the Legion of the Lion was on the door. When I entered, a middle-aged woman was in commoner clothes behind a long bar. A few tables were in the room, and only one table had two men in worn and faded Legion leather armor. One graying man pointed at me. ¡°Are you the new porter?¡± He asked gruffly. I nodded. That described me pretty well. The man stood, knocking his chair to the floor with a thud. He drained his tankard. ¡°About time. Magus Castile left two days ago for Formica, a large mining town nestled south of here in the Ironspine mountains. Wylie will get the horses ready. We will leave shortly.¡± Still a little in shock at the informality, I was silent. The older man looked at me, evaluating me. He finally said, ¡°Name is Firth. Elaina can bring you back to the storage room. Resupply your pack and take anything else you want. Castile is not someone to be kept waiting, so be quick about it.¡± I did not tell them that I did not know how to ride a horse. I figured I could figure it out on the way¡ªI had gone on a trail ride or two as a kid. The woman motioned me to the back room, unlocked a heavy door, and then left me. I went inside and found two rows of deep shelves stocked with everything a soldier could possibly want. I turned back, and she was gone. Could I just take anything I wanted? Would I be charged for the items like my armor? Was there some type of registry? I slowly closed the door and started walking the aisles. One aisle had just foodstuffs, and the other aisle had clothing, gear, and weapons. I didn¡¯t have much time, and I was told to resupply. That seemed like an open-ended order¡­ Chapter 7 Welcome to the Legion Chapter 7: Welcome to the Legion I looked at the door a few times before deciding to go for it. The forty-foot-long corridor had two wide aisles and deep shelves packed with gear. A lot of the gear was covered in a layer of dust. I grabbed two large Legionnaire backpacks and went to the provision aisle first. My dimensional space was immune to the passage of time, but all these items already had a long shelf life. The shelves were neat and orderly as I started filling the two packs. One sack of peppercorns, three bags of sea salt, five jars of berry preserves, six sacks of flour, two large bags of dried mushrooms, two large bags of potatoes, a bag of onions, two massive blocks of hard cheese, a dozen thick links of hard salami as large as my forearm, two large bags of sugar, and four sealed jars that I was fairly certain were yeast. After checking the door, I moved both of the stuffed, extremely heavy food backpacks to the dimensional space. Then, I grabbed two more backpacks and went to the clothing aisles. Two heavy black oiled cloaks used as rain gear, two heavy black wool cloaks with soft linens for warmth, two heavy wool blankets for horses, six pairs of underwear, one dozen pairs of wool socks, six light undershirts, four linen pants, six leather belts, and two pairs of boots that were already broken in. The clothes were bulky and filled the two backpacks, so I sent them to my dimensional storage after rechecking the door. At the end of the aisle were large twenty-gallon casks. Most were marked as water, but a few were marked as rum or whiskey. I looked at the doorway again. It was still closed. I shifted one rum and one whiskey cask into my dimensional storage, and then two water barrels. I only had enough remaining mana to open my dimensional space one more time. I thought it best to conserve it, even though I wanted a lot more in this warehouse. I supposed I should actually carry something out as well. I grabbed a satchel and a few more things: a black leather-bound book with lined sheets to use as a ledger, small vials of ink and quills, a bag of apples, and a large bag of candied nuts to snack on. I walked down the weapon aisle, adding some knives for cooking and two nice short swords, when the legionnaire poked his head in. ¡°You ready? The horses are out front.¡± I nodded and hustled to him. ¡°Do I need to show what I took?¡± I asked, indicating the room. ¡°Nah, not out at a crappy outpost like this. Most of the shit in here is spoils of war. The legion patrols the trade routes north of here, and stuff just finds its way here. In the larger cities, you need to be more careful. Marta just lets us take whatever when we come through here.¡± ¡°I thought her name was Elaina?¡± I asked, walking out with him. ¡°Elaina and Marta both run this outpost for the Legion. Marta is a retired legionnaire. Elaina is her daughter,¡± he informed me. I followed him outside, where the other legionnaire was already mounted. The man who had come to get me mounted a horse, leaving me a large red mare. Two large empty saddle bags were draped across the rump. The two soldiers laughed as I tried to mount the horse, still wearing my backpack and satchel, and holding my spears. Finally, the older of the two said, ¡°Wylie, help him, or we will never leave.¡± The younger man came off his horse and helped me fill the saddlebags and secure my spears, and three short swords so I could mount the horse. ¡°This is a fine mount, well trained. I sense you are not familiar with riding. Firth will not have the patience to wait, so I will do the best I can to teach you as we go,¡± Wylie consoled me. I was soon uncomfortably in the saddle and trotting out the fortification. I asked Wylie, ¡°I didn¡¯t know the legion rode horses.¡± ¡°Most don¡¯t,¡± he replied. ¡°You need to move with the horse, become one with it. Otherwise, you¡¯re going to have a miserable ride.¡± He spent the next hour of the ride teaching me how to handle the reins, move with the horse, and guide it with my heels. The horse was definitely well-trained. When he thought I looked somewhat capable on the horse, he picked up the earlier conversation. ¡°The legionnaires are not large battle-fighting units. We are more like guards for the royalty and mages. Our charge is Mage Castile.¡± Wylie paused, considering what to say. ¡°She has a bit of a chip on her shoulder. She takes on the dirty missions and gets things done.¡± I decided to broach a concern. ¡°I heard that the fatality rate among her legionaries is high.¡± Wylie winced. ¡°Yeah, you could say that. There are twenty-six of us. The veterans have been around for a while, but the raw recruits tend to get themselves killed or severely injured. You don¡¯t need to worry, though. With your ability, Castile will keep you out of the most intense combat¡ªmaybe.¡± I shifted in my saddle, starting to get uncomfortable and finding no way to alleviate it. Firth turned to us with a grin I didn¡¯t like. ¡°Let¡¯s teach the boy a light canter.¡± He spurred his horse forward, and Wylie shook his head and followed. When I got my horse moving, I bounced around like crazy. I could not find the new rhythm. The weapons, although secured, were swinging slightly and tapping my back. When Firth mercifully stopped, my inner thighs were burning and cramping. He motioned for us to get off and walk. I collapsed to the ground, unable to hold myself up as my legs cramped uncontrollably. Firth chuckled, and Wylie smirked slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll get used to it; Firth isn¡¯t the bad sort. That was just over an hour. He will let you walk it out and make you do it again.¡± And we did. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I fed my mare an apple from my satchel every time we went walking. I named her Ginger after her reddish-brown coat. She seemed to like the name. The swamps began to fade into scrub plains, and mountains appeared in the distance. Firth turned and said, ¡°Sorry, recruit. We are going to push to Formica to get there before dark.¡± The town was a sprawl of buildings with no wall surrounding it. A large pen of horses was on the edge of town. That was where we went. ¡°Show the recruit how to care for the mounts,¡± Firth commanded with a hint of impatience. He then turned and left for one of the larger buildings. Wylie showed me how to unsaddle and groom the horses, as well as where to look for chafe marks to treat with a salve. Once he thought I understood, he patted me on the shoulder, saying, ¡°You got it, good luck,¡± and left me to it. It took almost an hour to do the three mounts. I gave Ginger an apple, which caused all the horses to line up requesting one as well. I had to cut the apples into quarters to get all of them, and I only had three apples left when I was done. It was late in the evening, and I guessed I should head for the large building that Firth and Wylie went to. Entering it, I found a large common room where legion soldiers were lazing about and drinking. I did not see either of my road companions, so I asked the nearest legionnaire where I could find Mage Castile. He looked me over and pointed to a door in the back. I knocked on the door, and a harsh female voice said, ¡°Enter!¡± I opened the door to find a middle-aged woman hunched over a map on the table with two legionnaires flanking her. She gave me a hard stare. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Legionnaire Eryk Marko reporting,¡± I said, somewhat uncertainly. As my training had been cut short, I had never gone through the protocols or etiquette for someone in the legion. ¡°About time. Delmar, go get the company¡¯s potions.¡± One of the men left the room, and the mage paged through some sheets on the table. She finally stopped at one. Looked at me and said, ¡°Seventeen inches?¡± I assumed she was referring to the size of the space. That sounded about right. I nodded. She continued, ¡°Good. Your most important job is to hold the potions for the unit. They will not lose their efficacy in dimensional storage. Also, you will hold the unit¡¯s funds and accounting logbook for unit pay and expenses.¡± The man she had called Delmar returned. He placed a small black wooden chest on the counter, opening it and pulling out wooden slotted trays. The potion vials were round, with a large cap. On the cap was a lot of script. I didn¡¯t have time to examine it before I was ordered to place the two trays with 25 potions each into my space. I did so, and after they disappeared, Mage Castile smiled, erasing the age lines on her face. ¡°Excellent. Adrian, get the unit¡¯s ledger and chest.¡± The man left once more and returned with a much heavier chest. ¡°Eryk, add these,¡± she ordered. Much like the potions, the coins were seated in trays, like poker chips. One tray was full of large gold coins, and the remaining five trays were small silver coins. I did my best to estimate how much a 17-inch cube could hold and not go over that amount. The thin ledger was last, and Castile watched me hawkishly as I added the book. With everything in my space as a tight-fitting cube, I looked up at the smiling mage. ¡°Excellent. Now, retrieve one of the blue-green potions,¡± she ordered. She held up her hand. ¡°Just the one potion.¡± I thought about it, and she gave me a hint. ¡°Search your dimensional storage with your mind. Choose just the item you want to bring out¡ªhighlight it, if you will. I can tell you are opening your entire dimensional space every time you put an item in. That is a massive waste of your stored aether, and you don¡¯t have any to waste.¡± I was getting a lesson in magic. I only had about 12 aether and had used two aether every time I accessed my space. I did as she asked and focused on the tray of potions and then just the single potion. I reached out and willed that one object out of the dimensional space. It appeared in my hands. I smiled brightly, realizing I had done it and used only a fragment of the aether. Before, it was like I was opening a closet and routing around it. This was closer to just reaching in and taking the object off a shelf. Much more efficient. Mage Castile smiled as well. ¡°Good work. Practice removing and placing potions. In battle, you should not hesitate in pulling the correct potion.¡± Her face turned serious. ¡°Delmar, here is our logistics officer. You will be accountable if anything is missing from the unit funds or potions.¡± She pointed to the other officer. ¡°This is Adrian. He is responsible for the men¡¯s duty assignments.¡± ¡°Come on, kid,¡± Adrian said. ¡°I will get you settled.¡± I was almost twenty-five, so I would not say I was a kid, but I didn¡¯t argue. He introduced me as the unit¡¯s new porter in the large common room. A lot of eyes studied me. I had the unit¡¯s money and healing potions, so I was definitely a person of interest. We went upstairs and into one of the rooms. Two bunks were in here. ¡°The army usually uses this building, but Castile kicked them out. Get some rest; we leave at first light.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked. ¡°We are looking for a Baron¡¯s son in the mountains. His little adventuring group was hunting for a griffon nest. Wanted to give his father a griffon egg for his birthday. Instead, we are probably looking for his remains,¡± Adrian told me truthfully. He smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, only one nesting pair was spotted in this region. It¡¯s not like we will have to deal with a flock of the buggers.¡± He left, and I picked up my backpack and got my bedroll. The bunks were just planks, no mattresses. I rolled it out and undressed. My thighs were raw from the ride, the muscles knotted. I tried to rub them out, and two fellows entered the room. Their things were already on bunks. ¡°Damn, mate, if you need some time alone, we¡¯ll be back in half an hour,¡± one of the men said. The other guy laughed. ¡°Half an hour, Felix? I bet this one just needs five minutes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to loosen my muscles. It was my first time riding. Name is Eryk,¡± I said, trying to end the banter. ¡°Just joking. I am Mateo, and this is Felix. We are to keep an eye on you and help you settle in. Adrian said you were raw and even pulled before you finished training?¡± He sat on the hard bunk. ¡°Yes, I was shipped off as soon as I got my dimensional space.¡± I continued to stretch while talking. Felix spoke next. ¡°Well, you got into a fine unit. It has a bad rep due to our high mortality rate, but that¡¯s mostly the new recruits.¡± He put his hand over his mouth like he was saying something secret. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eryk. We will keep you safe and sound.¡± They set up their own beds and were soon lying down. I took out the candied nuts and started eating. It was late, and no one offered me a meal. My two roommates took liberties, and soon, the nuts were gone. We talked about the unit; the best part was that Mage Castile had her own siphoning shield for creating essence. She kept all the magical essences for herself, but rewarded the men of the legion with all the physical ones and some of the mental ones. The men were also paid ten silver a week instead of the normal five silver and forty copper, although Felix seemed to think that was mostly due to Adrian wanting to make his bookkeeping job easier. I ate an apple before falling asleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring. Chapter 59 Politics of the Empire Chapter 59 Politics of the Empire Cornelius¡¯ men moved out to serve as a screen as we moved into the woodlands. I moved close enough to overhear Cornelius and Konstantin talking at the rear. ¡°¡­can not seriously think this failure is the fault of Castile. The Duke¡¯s army was to attack as soon as the Bartiradians set up camp outside the gates.¡± Cornelius had a softer voice than Konstantin, and I strained to hear, ¡°That is why I was sent, as a favor, Konstantin. My three best squads of Legion Hounds are here, and Duchess Veronica has called a Ducal Tribunal so Octavian can not hand out punishment to Castile on the spot.¡± Konstantin argued, ¡°That makes no sense! The city only fell a day ago! How could a Tribunal have been called and your Legion Hounds be here already¡­¡± His voice had started loudly and faded at the end. Cornelius confirmed Konstantin¡¯s thoughts, ¡°The Duke¡¯s army was never going to reach Macha until it fell into Bartiradian hands. That is why Baron Hephestus abandoned the city to join the army. He is in Duke Tiberious¡¯s pocket and was aware of the plan.¡± ¡°And Gregor and Durandus?¡± Konstantin asked softly, seeing the bigger picture. ¡°Gregor is not well-liked but was apparently just a disposable piece on the board. When Durandus insulted Duke Santino by not marrying his daughter and paying for her First Citizenship, he sealed his fate. Before we learned Durandus was killed, Duchess Veronica thought I would also be rescuing him as well.¡± Cornelius walked past me as he moved toward the front of the formation. I moved back, planning to talk with Konstantin, but Cornelius spun and talked loudly as he walked, ¡°We dispersed a gnoll camp on our trek through the woods. They should not bother our large group but be on alert. These woods also used to be the home to a herd of centaurs. No sightings in the last two years, but that means very little.¡± With his warning done, he moved off to join the screen. For an old man, he moved with surprising grace. I was not the only one seeking explanations from Konstantin. Castile and Delmar had fallen back to walk with him. I ended up in front of the trio. Konstantin started with, ¡°That is Cornelius. He trains the Legion Hounds for the eastern part of the Empire. I was trained by and worked for him as a Hound.¡± Castile stated, ¡°Why did he not have me killed immediately?¡± It was a moment before Konstantin spoke, ¡°He is here at the direction of Duchess Veronica. I think she is a new duchess, one of the Emperor¡¯s many great-granddaughters.¡± It was quiet for a few minutes, and as much as I wanted to ask a question, I remained silent. Delmar asked, ¡°The Ducal Tribunal?¡± Castile answered him, ¡°I am assuming the Hounds are here to protect me from Duke Octavian and Duke Tiberius until a formal Tribunal of Dukes.¡± Konstantin answered, ¡°Cornelius did not say where or when the Tribunal will be held. If I know him, though, he has a plan to exclude Octavian from the Tribunal. I¡¯m not sure what favors this Duchess Veronica has given for his help. Cornelius¡¯ help is never given freely.¡± Castile hissed, ¡°If he can manage to exclude Octavian from the Tribunal, I will give him my firstborn.¡± Delmar asked quietly, ¡°So we are just going to go along with this?¡± Konstantin answered in a casual tone, ¡°If we attack the Legion Hounds, the Emperor will send ten times this number after us. It is best to follow politely. Besides, almost everyone is injured.¡± Adrian was meandering back to the group now. He was also in obvious pain, his arm still in a sling and walking on a broken ankle. We were not moving slowly, so you had to admire his pain tolerance. Castile sounded angry, ¡°They could have given us a few simple healing potions, at least.¡± Konstantin barked a loud laugh that had a few heads turn. He said conversationally, ¡°I was a Hound at one point in my service to the Emperor. You never make your quarry stronger. Rest assured, they will get us to our destination even if they need to put their lives on the line.¡± Castile moved past me with Delmar. Adrian hobbled behind them. It gave me a chance to walk with Konstantin. He opened the conversation, ¡°You look to be in fair condition, Eryk.¡± I went with Castile¡¯s explanation for my healing, ¡°Castile gave me a simple healing potion to hold for her. I was supposed to use it on her if she was incapacitated.¡± ¡°Did she now? And you used it on yourself?¡± Konstantin remarked with some skepticism in his voice. ¡°Yes, after my tumble down the stairs,¡± I responded smoothly. I tried to turn the conversation, ¡°What is a Ducal Tribunal?¡± Konstantin grunted, ¡°There are sixteen Dukes who control the sixteen provinces outside of the Imperial Province, which is the Emperor¡¯s Seat. The Dukes are the higher law, and three of them can sit in judgment of any mage or First Citizen. The three members of a Ducal Tribunal are assigned by the Emperor himself. Whatever game Duchess Veronica is playing at, it is dangerous. She is in charge of the Sobral Province. The newest and smallest province in the Empire. If I remember correctly, it has a modest city on a river, and that is it.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Is the Duchess an ally of Castile?¡± I asked. ¡°Not that I am aware of. But if she is opposing Octavian, then there will be a reprisal for her action,¡± Konstantin mulled. He then looked at me, ¡°The politics of the Empire are more deadly than the Bartiradian Army. My advice to you is to stay as far away as possible.¡± We walked for a while. I asked, ¡°Why does Castile not flee the Empire?¡± Konstantin grunted and pointed at the men making their way around us in the woods, ¡°The Hounds will always find you.¡± ¡°How did you become a Hound?¡± I asked, watching the men flitter among the trees. ¡°Interested are we?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Well, two things are needed. You need to complete legionary training, and you have to have a useful spell form.¡± ¡°So I qualify?¡± I asked him. We were approaching a clearing ahead, and Konstantin¡¯s eyes were on it. ¡°I suppose you do,¡± he said, distracted. ¡°It is not as plush as you think it is. The Hounds track down beasts, mages, men, and sometimes children. They are the attack dogs of the Emperor. This,¡± he motioned to our escort, ¡°is out of character for them, and I am curious how Duchess Veronica sent the best of them to secure Castile.¡± We entered the clearing, and it looked like a campsite. There were two small shelters, and inside, foul-smelling bodies covered in fur and blood. I walked with Konstantin for a closer look. ¡°These are gnolls. Do you have them in Tsinga?¡± ¡°We do, but I have never seen one before,¡± I replied, inspecting the dead creatures. They had arrow wounds, throats were slit, bellies were cut open, and entrails pulled out. They were vaguely humanoid but definitely most beast-like, hyena men. Konstantin looked into the other shelter and grunted before walking on. I looked inside as well. Puppies¡­no, baby gnolls all ruthlessly slaughtered. I moved to catch up with Konstantin. He waved his hand back, ¡°That is what the Legion Hounds do best. I am sure if they were not tasked with bringing in Castile, they would have tracked down the rest of the pack. Gnolls are a scourge.¡± ¡°Is that what you did? Hunted monsters?¡± I asked him. Brutus had moved beside us to listen. ¡°No, I was the monster. I hunted mostly soldiers for deserting their posts. Some legionaries for failing to do their duty. And a few regular men as well. Highwaymen and other criminals. If a Hound is coming for you, the trial is already over,¡± he said hollowly. Brutus asked, ¡°Why did you leave?¡± Konstantin smirked, ¡°I didn¡¯t. I was recruited into the service of someone else. There are not many ways to leave the Hounds.¡± He pointed at Cornelius far ahead, ¡°To leave, you need to be reassigned by your commander or complete your tenured service. Someone negotiated with Cornelious on my behalf.¡± The sound of bow shots from deep to the right sounded, and everyone paused to listen. Konstantin unshouldered his bow and went into the woods. We all waited for ten minutes before Konstantin returned. Our group was moving again, but Konstantin was at the front talking with Castile. Word was passed back that the Hounds had encountered a giant spider and dispatched it. Mateo joined Brutus and I. We broke out some wrapped rations. Mateo had gotten all of his soaked when he tripped in the reservoir. I gave him one of my meals from Flavius¡¯ pack. As we finished the meal, we reached another clearing. This time, it was a wide, packed dirt road bisecting the forest. Cornelius was talking with Castile, and soon, we were walking down the road. The pace had increased, and Adrian was grunting with every step to keep pace. The forest finally faded into open fields of wheat. It was late evening, and a dozen men came charging toward us on the road, their horses raising a cloud of dust behind them. We had remained at our group¡¯s rear and could not hear the exchange with the riders wearing the army¡¯s regular uniform. It did not matter as the riders rode away back in the direction they came from after a quick exchange. Delmar turned to us, ¡°Legionnaires! Form ranks four abreast at the front!¡± We scrambled to obey, and in a few heartbeats, we had a four-by-five block of men. Castile, Delmar, and Adrian walked into the front as we began a march. I was in the last row, and soon, all twenty of us had synched our steps as we continued down the road. We passed by a few fields, and a neatly arranged tent city appeared over a small hill. Mounted sentries were on top of the surrounding hills. The tent city was still being formed as they must have recently stopped here for the quickly approaching night. The tent city had flattened a farmer¡¯s wheat field, but I doubted the farmer had complained. We held our chins high and walked through the soldiers, getting people to pause and stare. A few larger tents were flying a mage flag above them and surrounded by other men in legion armor. Our Legion Hound escort evaporated into the tent city, leaving us to march alone, their duty to deliver us over. The rows of tents seemed to go on forever as we marched deeper into the encampment. We finally reached the center of the camp. A large white tent was erected here. Delmar ordered us to halt and wait at attention. I had not expected to wait long. I was wrong. The sun had set, and we remained at attention in the humid early night. I wanted to ask a question or even just get a drink but was too afraid to be the first person to do so. And that was how we remained throughout the night, statues outside the command tent as the Duke¡¯s army continued their business. The rich blue moon lit the camp, and we soon fought to keep our eyes open. I felt pity for the injured men, especially Adrian, who shifted ever so slowly at the front of our block on his broken ankle. We were all still standing when the hint of dawn crested the sky. Some of us had swayed during the night, somehow finding the ability to sleep while standing for short periods. But none of us fell. The command tent flap suddenly flew back, and a man in a General¡¯s dress exited the tent. He walked past us, not saying a word. Shortly after, another man exited the tent. He was tall with sharp features in the low light and hard jet-black hair. He had on legionnaire armor, only it was not leather but steel. He looked at all of us heavy on our feet, smiled ruefully, and announced, ¡°Castile, so good to see you again. You look well. Why don¡¯t you come in so we can talk.¡± I immediately did not like the man; he just had that air about him. Castile stumbled on her first step before gaining her balance. She told Delmar, ¡°Get everyone to the legion healers.¡± And then she was gone inside to confront Duke Octavian. Chapter 60 Recovery Chapter 60 Recovery My legs were unsteady for a few steps, and my boots were still damp from wearing them through the reservoir. All I wanted to do was sleep, but the army and small encampments of legion companies were waking and packing. I feared I would not have that opportunity to rest. If it was possible, our marching block was more haggard than when we entered the camp, but we still followed Delmar and a severely limping Adrian to our destination. Delmar seemed to be scanning the flags of the legion companies, looking for something. I asked Brutus, ¡°Are all these flags for different mage companies? Do we have a flag?¡± Brutus looked up and studied a few flags, ¡°Most are mage companies. You can tell if a flag has a solid background. If there is a horizontal stripe in the background, it is a duke¡¯s legionare company with no mage. Dukes can not command mages, and they need to pay the Emperor a tax for legionaries under their command. Legion units without a duke or mage in charge do not have flags. I assume Castile has a flag, but I do not know what it is.¡± Felix was in the back row of the marching block and answered tiredly, ¡°Castile has a black flag with an orange bull on it. I do not know if she chose it or inherited it. I have not seen the flag since we marched in the New Year parade in the capital a few years back.¡± Delmar found what he was seeking and increased his pace to a gray flag with a red serpent on it. Outside the tent entrance, he announced himself to two legionaries in pristine leather armor. ¡°Mage Larita, Mage Castile¡¯s company seeks your healing skills. Please grant us your favor!¡± His tone was very respectful, and an older woman with mostly gray hair in blue robes exited the tent with a steaming cup in her hand. She looked over our group and sighed, ¡°Very well. Strip to your undergarments before entering my tent.¡± She turned to one of her legion guards, ¡°Do we have orders for moving out yet?¡± He responded sharply, ¡°No orders yet. The army will advance after the midday meal. I expect us to follow.¡± The old mage turned to Delmar, ¡°We have time then, Delmar. You may enter and send in your men in threes. No armor or filthy clothes.¡± She wrinkled her nose, turned, and went inside the tent. Delmar relaxed visibly. He turned to us and spoke loudly, ¡°We are fortunate! The best healer in the legion is going to see to our ailments. Everyone strip and keep as much of your body stink out of her tent as possible!¡± We all stripped, and as I took off my boots, some of my calloused skin went with it. My heels were bleeding freely, and I did not feel the sting until the air hit the exposed flesh. My feet were not the only ones in dire need of attention. Everyone had gotten their feet wet getting through the reservoir, and the hard-earned callouses were puckered with water and peeling away from everyone. The first few men were stripping to just their boxers, so I copied them. Adrian had protested being one of the first men in, but Delmar yelled at him, and he went in with the first group. Looking around at our remaining company, we were filthy, and about half had unhealed upper body wounds. Brutus fell on the grass and laid back. Delmar snapped, ¡°You fall asleep, Brutus, and we will not wake you when your turn comes.¡± I sat cross-legged next to him to wait. Brutus had his eyes closed as he spoke, ¡°This is the largest benefit to being in the legion, Eryk¡ªthe healing. The regular army might see a magic healer in their infirmary who was looking to practice their craft, but that would be it. As a legionnaire, you can walk into any large city and find magical healing without paying for it.¡± I nodded, and it made sense why people would volunteer or fight to be in the legion over the army. I looked down the row of tents, ¡°If all the solid background flags were mages, how come we were defending Macha with just three? There must be been twenty mage company flags in the camp,¡± I asked. Brutus responded sleepily, ¡°More. Probably close to thirty in the entire camp. Do not ask me why. They never asked for my advice.¡± He chuckled at the absurdity of a Duke asking his advice. Adrian came out walking stiffly and testing his healed ankle. Lysander was behind him. Delmar turned, ¡°Lysander, you are with me. Let us find a legion supply wagon and get new underclothes and socks for everyone.¡± Lysander did not look thrilled but nodded and followed him. Brutus was snoring in the grass. I let him sleep until we were the last two remaining and kicked him awake to enter. The tent had three tables in the center, a comfy bed along one side, and a modest dining table. An array of fruits, breads, and sliced meats was on the table. The legionnaire inside seemed to be preparing another teapot for the Mage Larita. I bowed and thanked her, ¡°Mage Larita, thank you for healing me and my company. It is an honor to be healed by the best mage in the legion.¡± The older woman chuckled softly, ¡°Best mage! I am as close to the best healer as I am to being a virgin. Delmar was just buttering me up to do my best. No fear, boy, I may not be the best, but I am better than most. Up on the table and lay down so I can assess you.¡± Brutus stood while I lay on the table. Larita moved to my head and placed her hands on my ears. I felt a pressure in my head that suddenly cleared. I felt lightheaded but not nearly as tired. ¡°Some minor trauma there. You should wear your helmet more, boy.¡± ¡°I lost it falling down forty feet of stone steps,¡± I replied irritably and defensively. ¡°I am sure there were plenty of men no longer in need of theirs close by,¡± she replied cleverly. She moved to my left arm, and I felt a warmth spread throughout. When she let go, my arm felt cold, and I got goosebumps. She repeated this with my other arm and then my legs. She mentioned, ¡°Your knee has been healed several times somewhat sloppily, probably by healing potions or a bad healer.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I nodded but did not have time to speak as she had moved to my torso. She focused on where the crossbow bolt had penetrated, and I felt a sting. I reflexively reached for it, and she slapped my hand away, ¡°Just some small fragments I am extracting. You probably used a healing potion. They close the wound too quickly to get all the debris out.¡± She felt all across my chest, working her way down. Sometimes, I felt some warmth spreading from her hands, sometimes not. I remained still as she reached my groin, cupped it, and squeezed a little harder than I thought necessary. ¡°Healthy, unlike some of your fellows,¡± was all she said. ¡°You are the last one?¡± she asked Brutus. The sleepy Brutus nodded and took my place on the table. Mage Lartia quickly started to repeat the process. I asked cautiously, ¡°When the healing mages healed us during training, they never touched us¡­all over.¡± Larita paused on Brutus and looked at me, ¡°They were not healing mages, boy. They were using spell forms. Very inefficient. I use a diagnostic spell form with a very focused range. Then, I heal just what needs to be healed. It conserves aether and is much better healing than a potion or spell form. I fixed a dozen issues you did not even know about.¡± ¡°Thank you, mage, for your insight and thorough healing,¡± I bowed slightly and stepped back. She continued her work, and I think Brutus had fallen asleep again. Larita addressed me, ¡°Delmar used to be one of my legionaries. He did a good job for me,¡± she smirked slightly. She looked me up and down, ¡°I could use a large boy like yourself. If Castile survives this mess, I might ask for you as a favor.¡± I noticed she did not grab Brutus¡¯ groin as she had mine before finishing with his torso. The old mage smiled with perfect teeth as I woke Brutus and pulled him out. I felt a little like prey under Mage Larita¡¯s gaze. ¡°Thank you,¡± I yelled as I went to our gear and began dressing. My feet were completely healed with new pink skin, and I could not find a single ache in my entire body. Brutus mumbled, ¡°I think she knocked me out when she started. I was not planning to fall asleep.¡± ¡°Huh, do not worry, you did not miss anything,¡± I said, dressing quickly. Felix was waiting for us. While we were dressing, he said, ¡°We are headed to a farmer¡¯s house. They have a pond in the back to bathe and wash our clothes. We started walking, following Felix. The army was packing up their tents, and some units were eating from meal carts. The farmer¡¯s house was outside the camp¡¯s perimeter, and no sentries stopped us. Firth and Konstantin were already clean and headed back toward the camp. Konstantin paused to talk with Brutus and me, ¡°We are going to see what is churning in the rumor mill among the legion companies. Brutus, do you know a few legionaries in other companies? You trained at the Legion facility outside the capital?¡± Brutus nodded, ¡°Yes, I trained with the legion volunteers at the Perfectus Legonis.¡± ¡°Good, you can head back to the camp after you clean yourself,¡± Konstantin said as he continued on his way. When we got to the pond by the farmhouse, a dozen ducks were swimming in it, and most of the men had already bathed and were putting on clean underclothes. It was a little surreal as just a few hours ago, we could all barely stand, and now we were healed. Lirkin rushed up to us with some bundles of food, ¡°The healing will have drained your body¡¯s stores. Eat all you can for the next two days.¡± He rushed away to continue preparing food from a cart he apparently appropriated. Mateo motioned at the cart, ¡°He stole it. Best not to ask too many questions.¡± The pond was a good acre in size, and I think the farmer used it to water his livestock and horses. My bath was quick, and I was glad to put on clean underclothes. I rinsed the dirt and sweat from my canvas clothes and hung them to dry in a tree. I then worked on oiling my armor. Then, I sharpened and oiled my blades. Flavius¡¯ pack was well equipped, and I even found a gold and eight silver wrapped at the bottom. I hoped he returned from his adventure with Master Mage Sebastian to reclaim it. The air was actually dry and not humid for once. The sun was clear, and the company was lounging bare-chested on the grass, happy to be out of armor. The farmer did come out once to talk with Adrian, who looked like he handed him a few coins. Lirkin handed out food as fast as he could prepare it on the meal wagon. It was jarring how fast our fortunes had changed. I soon fell asleep in the grass. Konstantin kicked me awake well into the afternoon. My pale chest had burned slightly from the sun. ¡°Get up, get dressed; Adrian and Delmar are talking to the company.¡± My clothes had mostly dried, and I put on some new socks. The boots were still damp but drier than before. As everyone circled around Delmar and Adrian, we were anxious to hear the fate of Castile and ourselves. Adrian looked gaunt in his face but was completely healed. He had been in too rough of shape to do much leading, but now he looked revitalized. He spoke clearly to our small group, ¡°Castile is going to be transported to Caranhagan. From there, she is going to be portaled back to the capital, Telha. Duchess Veronica has called for a Ducal Tribunal into her actions.¡± Everyone was quiet. Delmar joined, ¡°We are going with her. Duke Octavian is as well with his fifty legionaries to guard the prisoner. We need to make sure Castile does not meet with an accident under the Duke¡¯s care.¡± Lucien, our horse master, asked, ¡°What happens when we reach the capital?¡± Adrian answered, ¡°We will wait in the Legion Hall. The Emperor will name the other two Dukes to sit with Duchess Veronica in the Tribunal. Some of us may be called as a witness before a Truthseeker.¡± ¡°You know Duke Octavian is going to get himself on the Tribunal. Who will be the third?¡± asked Kolm. Adrian made a pained face, ¡°I guess we will see if the Emperor favors his son or a peasant mage.¡± Delmar added, ¡°Get some rest. Octavian¡¯s company is mounted, and I do not expect them to wait on us. It is eighty miles to Caranhagan. It would not surprise me if they outpaced us and did not wait at the portal for our arrival.¡± ¡°Are we going to have to do an eighty-mile jog?¡± Wylie announced, exasperated. Adrian snapped, ¡°If I told you to do an eight-hundred-mile run, you would do it with a smile on your face!¡± Delmar calmed things, ¡°Lirkin is working with the farmer to get us water and food for the long march. That road,¡± he pointed behind us, ¡°is the road they will travel past. As soon as we see their horses, we will fall in.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we start now?¡± Blaze asked. Konstantin barked, ¡°Because Duke Octavian would probably have us executed for desertion. He can not do anything about us following our mage commander.¡± We all strapped our armor on so we could mobilize quickly. This time, I settled under the shade of a small tree and healed my sunburn under my armor. I rested my head on my pack and drifted off. It was late evening when Brutus woke me, ¡°News from camp. Duke Octavian is breaking camp. We are to assemble near the road.¡± We were soon formed into ranks and waiting. It was nearly dark when a mounted unit came from the mostly dismantled army camp. The fifty legionaries riding all had metal legion armor instead of the leather we wore. At the front of the group was the black-haired man who met Castile. I assumed that was Octavian. He looked fairly young to be the Emperor¡¯s son. The Emperor was hundreds of years old. Guess with magic, aging was not a concern. Castile was riding in the middle of the group like she was a danger to escape. The Duke sneered at us as he pranced by, and Castile couldn¡¯t hide a small smirk at seeing us. We fell in behind the cavalry. This was going to be a long march. Chapter 61 Loyalty Chapter 61 Loyalty We fell in behind the horses. I thought they would try to lose us by increasing their pace, but the horses only moved steadily, causing us to move at regular march to keep up. I was happy Kolm had repaired the sole of my boot. I was in the back row of our marching block with Brutus to my left and Firth to my right. Firth, the old veteran muttered, ¡°This is going to be a miserable night march. Good thing we have those glow stones. You will need to charge mine.¡± He passed it to me, and soon, I had a cycle of glowstones coming at me. They were the glowstones they had ¡®requisitioned¡¯ from me. I kept the remaining four stones in my dimensional space, fearing they would also be ¡®requisitioned.¡¯ As I finished charging the glowstones, more riders came racing up behind us. Firth barked, ¡°Shields to the rear! Spears and archers at the ready!¡± Four men who had acquired body shields in the army camp cycled to form the wall, and two men with round shields took the ends of the shield line. Four spearmen were behind the six shieldmen, and four archers were behind them. Adrian and Delmar stood in the rear, and I was with them. Konstantin and a few others darted off the road into the brush to flank the possible attackers. All this was well practiced and happened in heartbeats. Delmar yelled, ¡°Hold! Break and reform ranks! It is just the Hounds.¡± Nine riders led by Cornelius came up on us and settled into a walk with their mounts. Cornelius smiled in the waning light. ¡°Konstantin, I am surprised you did not steal horses for your company.¡± Konstantin laughed, ¡°I am sure Octavian was waiting for me to try so he could shackle all of us!¡± Cornelius laughed with him, ¡°Probably. He sent us off to track down two regulars in the woods who thought better of rushing the walls of Macha. No need to worry, Konstantin. We will make sure your mage gets to the capital in one piece. Since you are walking in that direction, I am sure you will see to the capital¡ªeventually.¡± He laughed at our predicament. Konstantin asked seriously, ¡°What is the pulse of her chances before a Tribunal?¡± Cornelius frowned while his men rode forward at a hand signal from him. He frowned, ¡°Octavian will worm himself onto the Tribunal with Duchess Veronica. The Emperor will appoint the third based on the highest bidder for the judgment seat. Unfortunately, I do not think he is invested at all in Mage Castile¡¯s fate.¡± Firth asked Cornelius, ¡°Isn¡¯t Octavian the Emperor¡¯s son? Doesn¡¯t that mean he will get his way?¡± ¡°The Emperor doesn¡¯t favor any of his children. Quite the opposite. He is always on guard against them. I doubt it will work in Castile¡¯s favor, though.¡± He spurred his horse forward to catch up to his men, leaving us. We kept our formation and kept the riders in sight. They were kicking up a significant amount of road dust. The dust soon coated everyone. As the sun set, the glowstones appeared on the men on the outside of the block as we marched. Larita had done an amazing job healing everyone. My only issue was that my feet had no calluses, just pink new skin. I could feel the blisters forming already just a few miles into the march. As the night set in, the blue moon was hidden by heavy clouds, causing a heavy darkness. Our men on the edge of our formation had fixed the glow stones to their shields. The shifting shadows the glowstones generated from the trees and shrubs created a spooky and eerie feeling. Especially since I knew my new world had dozens of horrors that could rush out of the darkness. The contingent of mounted legionaries in front of us brought their own light. Heavy directional beams of light bounced around far in front of us as they served as the vanguard. It made me think I could do the same with my glowstone. Make a simple flashlight with a polished metal funnel. As the night wore on, the horses kept opening distance on us. The bouncing lights got further and further away. Delmar and Adrian paced us at the front. They knew our best speed in the dark on the dirt road to not wear us out. At least with the open distance, we did not have to deal with the horses¡¯ heavy dust cloud any longer. Hours into the March, Brutus spoke, ¡°Well, this is not all bad. At least we are not being sent to assault the walls of Macha to retake the city.¡± Firth said, ¡°There is that, but from what I heard, they do not plan to assault the city. They have some powerful earth mages with them and plan to tear down the outer walls. Probably take half the lower city as well.¡± Wylie turned, ¡°What about the citizens that remained?¡± ¡°They should have fled. I talked with an acquaintance in Master Mage Dacian¡¯s company. Dacian is tasked with bringing down the western wall and then rebuilding it after the city is taken,¡± Firth said calmly. ¡°So they are just going to destroy the city and then rebuild it?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°It will take a few months, but yes,¡± Firth said. ¡°It was the plan all along. They needed the Bartiradians inside the city.¡± ¡°Then why is Castile going to a Tribunal?¡± Wylie asked from the row in front of us. ¡°Her orders were to hold the city until Duke Tiberius arrived,¡± Firth replied. I was dumbstruck. In other words, Castile, Gregor, and Durandus were going to fail no matter what. The only way they could have survived the Bartiradians and succeeded in the plan would have been to hold the inner city walls until the Duke¡¯s army felt like showing up. Everyone was too tired to talk after that as Adrian ordered a slight increase in pace, just short of a jog. It seemed ridiculous that we could keep up with horses. At least Cornelius said he would make sure Castile would reach the capital. We passed through three towns throughout the night, and when we could no longer see the lights of Octavian horses. We reached a small bridge, and Delmar called, ¡°Thirty minutes for water and food!¡± Konstantin barked, ¡°No one removes their boots! I know your feet hurt like your first march in training, but it will only be worse if you take them off. We have about fifty-five miles to Caranhagan. Fill your canteens by the spring and saturate your bellies!¡± Damn, hours of marching, and we were only a third of the way there. Men rushed to drink, eat, shit and piss. Lucien, our company horse master, tried to cheer everyone up, ¡°Most likely, they will have to rest their horses twice before they reach the city. Maybe we will pass them while they are watering them.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I was with Brutus, Felix, and Mateo, shoveling down food. I noted, ¡°I can not believe how dry and cool the air is. It was humid daily in Macha, and we are not far from the city.¡± ¡°One of the larger ley lines runs under this road. It plays with the weather above it,¡± Brutus answered. Felix asked, ¡°Don¡¯t they have ley lines in Tsinga?¡± I replied slowly, ¡°We do, but I didn¡¯t grow up near one, and my education was lacking.¡± ¡°Rest is over!¡± came a shout from Adrian, saving me from having to explain further. I needed to be careful when referencing Tsinga. With my recent luck, we would have another legionnaire from the distant Kingdom join our company. I sent some healing aether to my feet to keep them in good condition. I was one of the few men moving without wincing or grunting. It did not take long for everyone¡¯s training to kick in and ignore the foot pain. We were going to do 80 miles in heavy boots with over sixty pounds of armor and gear. Some men who had geared up in camp with shields, spears, and arrows probably regretted their decision. We entered into a fast walk, and silence rained among the scuffing of boots on the dirt road. When the sun began to rise, it was not salvation, though. Down in a valley, a river cut into a town. Octavian¡¯s legionaries¡¯ silver armor sparkled on the new day¡¯s light. We had caught up to them. We kept on the road and continued our march instead of turning off into the town below. The mood brightened some as Castile was down there somewhere, and it looked like we were going to reach Carahagan and make the portal. By midmorning, we passed a sign that indicated we were forty-one miles from Caranhagan. I was surprised that Octavian¡¯s men had not ridden up behind us yet. Just before the sun reached its midday zenith, we were called to halt again. Not even Konstantin looked great after fifty miles of forced marching. I worked my stiff and sore shoulders out with a touch of healing. It almost felt like I was cheating. Men collapsed to the ground, trying to find the energy to consume food, but many preferred a quick nap. I drank and ate from my pack as well. The more I consumed, the lighter it would be. With the company spread on the side of the road, Octavian¡¯s column rode up behind us. As they passed, they increased to a light gallop. Their faces were smug as there was no way we could cover the last thirty miles before them. Castile was still stoic and riding in the center of their formation. After they passed, Firth nearby swore, ¡°Harpies tits. If the Duke orders the Displacement Mage to send him as soon as they get there, we might have to wait two or three days before the next portal opening to the capital.¡± Adrian snapped, frustrated, ¡°What do you suggest we do, Firth? We have no stamina potions, and I am pushing the pace as much as is safe. If we are denied healing in Caranhagan or Telha, we will be laid up for a week of healing!¡± I had never seen our leader¡¯s nerves so frayed before. And Adrian had pushed through serious injuries just a day ago to escape the city. ¡°Send men on. There are a few of us who can push harder. If the Dukes rush the Tribunal, Castile will have no witnesses to defend her. She deserves a few of us to try, at least,¡± Firth muttered aggressively. I had not known he cared enough to defend Castile, especially since he worked for one of the Praetorian Guard. ¡°Who is willing to jog thirty miles to the city? My best guess is you need to make it in about five hours to catch the portal opening?¡± Adrian asked almost as a plea. Konstantin dropped his pack and pulled his canteen, ¡°Fill my canteen, and I will go. Benito, Linus, Pavel, and Eryk are the only other ones who look like they can make it.¡± Benito nodded and dropped his pack. Pavel did as well, albeit reluctantly. Linus looked like he was not happy being volunteered but slowly dropped his pack. Well, shit. Getting volunteered again, ¡°Give me more full canteens. I can squeeze five in my dimensional box,¡± I offered. Everyone quickly shuffled in their packs, and I shoved the canteens and some food into the box in my space, filling it. The five of us left our packs to lighten our load. The only weapon we each took was our short swords and belt knives. We jogged after Konstantin in a line. The five of us were mismatched body types. Konstantin was squat and barrel-chested, Benito was short and thick, Pavel was almost as tall as me and wiry, and Linus was the only person in our company who did not look like he was layered in muscle. Then there was me; I was both tall and thick with muscles. As we started our jog, Konstantin paced us from the front. It was a light run, and maybe we were making ten-minute miles. Konstantin had selected our group well. Only Pavel was struggling visibly when we reached a road sign at a town noting eleven miles to Caranhagan. Pavel had a limp that was growing more pronounced with every mile. Konstantin noticed, ¡°Come on, Pavel. You have all that gold waiting for you in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild! You just have to earn it with a little pain!¡± Konstantin was referring to the gold we were promised for discovering the lost dungeon. That was over seventy gold. It motivated Pavel as he did not waver until the city walls of Caranhagan came into sight. Konstantin swore, ¡°Thought we would have caught sight of them before the walls.¡± The tall stone walls of the city did not have a sprawl of farms or buildings outside of it as Macha did. The last mile of the road became paved with stone as we approached. It was late evening, but there was still plenty of light. The city guards at the gate stopped us, and Konstantin rasped, ¡°How long ago did the Duke ride through?¡± The gate captain spent a moment looking us over. We were covered in dirty sweat and general filth, and Pavel had trouble standing on his right leg. ¡°The Duke passed just under an hour ago.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Konstantin tried to move past. The guard blocked him. ¡°Legionnaire, you must enter your men in the Registry,¡± the guard said seriously, pointing to the guard house. ¡°Did the Duke register his company?¡± Konstantin snapped. The guard looked uncomfortable, ¡°No, he flew his flag, and we counted his men as they rode through.¡± ¡°Good, add five more to that count,¡± Konstantin said, pushing past. The guard was sputtering, but I did not hear as I followed Konstantin. I did not have time to admire the city as Konstantin moved quickly through the streets, dragging us along. The citizens gave us a wide berth, probably due to both our state of filth and displayed urgency. We arrived at a large courtyard with a familiar stone arch, and the Duke¡¯s horses and men were waiting. Castile was dismounted in the center of the group and talking with Cornelius. Cornelius spotted us and pointed to a small stone building. Konstantin barked, ¡°Frigging paperwork. Wait here. If the Displacement Mage arrives and opens the portal, go through, do not wait for me. Do not let anyone stop you. I will go register our travel with the clerk.¡± Konstantin stomped away, finding energy in his anger. Pavel found a barrel to sit on and peeled off his boot on his right leg. As he removed his blood-soaked sock, it was apparent the flesh on his heel had split, and the heel bone was showing. Linus and Benito were not as bad. They still had bloody socks but just from blood blisters. I left my boots on as I had kept my feet in good shape with touches of my healing ability. Cornelius approached us as we checked ourselves and waited on Konstantin, who was getting vocal inside the clerk¡¯s building. ¡°Impressive feat, getting here on foot. I could use men like you in the Hounds. Do any of you have a spell form?¡± I knew a spell form was required to join the Hounds, but none of us answered him. After a pause, he asked, ¡°Is this all that made it?¡± Cornelius indicated our group. Pavel answered non-commitantly while delicately inspecting his heel, ¡°They should be here soon.¡± Konstantin joined us, his face red from yelling. He barked at us, ¡°We are fine to enter the portal to the capital.¡± Cornelius eyed him, ¡°You were always a tough bastard, Konstantin. Good thing, too. Octavian sent a message to have a Truthseeker lined up to expedite the Tribunal. If you had not made it, they would have proceeded without your testimony.¡± My limbs suddenly got very cold. We were going to be questioned by Truthseekers? A procession of legionaries in metal armor approached. They were escorting the Displacement Mage. Fifteen minutes later, the portal opened, and the Duke¡¯s procession started entering. ¡°Do not bother putting your boots on; just move through,¡± Konstantin barked, and we all shuffled to the portal to follow. I had a thought about falling to the back and missing the portal by accident, but Konstantin was behind me and pushing me forward. I entered the portal and emerged in the capital of the Telhian Empire. Chapter 62 Telha, the Capital of the Telhian Empire Chapter 62 Telha, the Capital of the Telhian Empire I walked out of the portal prepared, not stumbling, and quickly took in my surroundings. The Duke¡¯s horses were being led away in an opening in a wall to the right. We were in a box-shaped stone pit about forty feet across. On each side of the thirty-foot stone wall were six archers and a person in mage robes. The archers had steel legion armor reflecting in the sun. The Displacement Mage was behind us by the portal arc we had exited in the pit and had a dozen legionaries around him. Konstantin broke my gawking, ¡°You four get to the East Legion Hall. Find a healer. I am going to the Magistrates Hall. Do not leave the Legion Hall no matter what. I will find you there later.¡± Konstantin hurried off, not explaining any further. ¡°Does anyone know how to get to the lower East Legion Hall?¡± I asked. My companions had boots in their arms and bloody bare feet or bloodied socks. Linus spoke, wincing as he put on his socks, ¡°The city was designed to be easy to navigate. I have been there before.¡± Paval groaned, ¡°I know where it is, too. Probably almost a mile walk from here.¡± He did not want to wear his socks and boots again but started doing so. Benito noted, ¡°It is the smallest of the three Legion Halls in the Telha. The Imperial Legion Hall houses the Emperor¡¯s personal guard. It is actually close by,¡± he indicated the passage the horses were led into. ¡°The Western Legion Hall is outside of the western walls and near the Perfectus Legionis. That is where they train the men who volunteer for the Legion.¡± ¡°Brutus mentioned that. He trained there,¡± I added as we began to walk. I was the only one not struggling with each step. We did over eighty miles in about 18 hours. It probably would not have been as bad for them if Mage Larita had not healed their feet. The newly healed skin could not take the abuse of the march. I had learned on the march how to heal my feet and not lose the calluses as they built up again. ¡°That is where the loyalist legionaries train,¡± Linus muttered. ¡°They get paid as soon as they start and spend twice as long training as us conscripts.¡± ¡°Not twice as long, just a full year, but better training, too,¡± Paval painfully grunted out between steps. ¡°I think Adrian was a volunteer, but I don¡¯t know how he got assigned to our company.¡± We reached the top of the ramp, and the city spread before us. The roads were made from immaculate large granite pavers. The buildings all looked uniform and neatly arranged along the road. Everything was made from a white stone with highlights using black marble. Arches and columns were used heavily in the construction. It was beautiful. The most impressive feat was the height of the stone buildings. Some had ten floors when I counted the windows. The windows were also massive, easily ten feet tall and half that in width. The men and women walking the road wore thin, colorful fabrics in dozens of styles. We reached an intersection, and I paused. The road we entered was the main thoroughfare for the capital. I could tell because to our left was a massive structure, easily five hundred feet in height, a shining white and silver beacon in the late afternoon sun. ¡°Never seen the Emperor¡¯s Palace, Eryk? It boggles the mind. Something so big for just one man to live in,¡± Linus said. Paval looked and noted, ¡°There are probably a thousand men of the Legion inside and another thousand in the building to the right. It is the Imperial Legion Hall, and the Emperor has what? A hundred consorts and hundreds of servants? I am sure the palace is full.¡± His tone was indifferent. ¡°How many consorts?¡± I asked, imagining a massive harem. ¡°Does he have hundreds of children as well?¡± I added. ¡°It is seven consorts,¡± Linus scoffed at Paval¡¯s misinformation. ¡°And he can only name seven of his children First Citizens by law. The rest he marries off of sending them abroad.¡± Paval gripped quietly, ¡°I doubt he limits himself to his seven wives. He is known for taking what he wants.¡± We turned away from the palace and started walking in the opposite direction. The wide road was busy as evening was approaching. Pairs of legionaries patrolled in metal armor. It felt like we were the scrubs with just auroch leather armor. But I guess leather armor was lighter, cheaper to make, and easier to maintain. I would hate to have to spend every evening polishing my metal chest piece. My helmet took enough effort to keep the rust at bay. We finally encountered food carts, and I bought everyone skewered meat. The vendor called it pork, but it tasted like spicy chicken to me. The pause in our walk was short, and we were on the move. Everyone was eager to get the healing. We tossed the skewers into a trash barrel on a corner. The city was extremely clean, and sanitation was much higher here than in my previous stays. The civilians got thicker and thicker on the street as we went further and further from the palace. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Some intersections had large fountains with mural mosaics tiled in the bottoms of the pools. We did not stop to look, but it looked like legionaries battling various beasts. My head snapped around, and my jaw fell open. A leopard man was being led by a cable with a collar around his neck. ¡°That is one of the catfolk.¡± Linus seemed confused, ¡°I thought they were common in the jungles near Tsinga?¡± I scrambled to think of a response, ¡°It was not the catfolk but the fact it was collared like a pet.¡± He nodded sadly, ¡°The beast races are not allowed freedom in the Empire. They are a rare sight and usually too feral to tame.¡± I watched as the catfolk disappeared on its leash in the crowd. ¡°What are the beast races?¡± I asked, looking for more in the crowd of humans. Linus was willing to answer, ¡°There is a zoo in the upper city. I went once. Let me see¡­minotaurs are the bull men. Satyrs are the goat men. Centaurs are the horse men. Serpens are the snake men. Aarakocra are the birdmen¡ªthere was one more,¡± he said, trying to think of it. ¡°The lizardfolk,¡± Paval supplied. ¡°But all the beast races are about as welcome in the Telhian Empire as elves and dwarves.¡± ¡°Where do the orcs fit in?¡± I asked. Linus answered, ¡°They group them with the goblinoid races, but do not ever call them a goblinoid if you meet an orc. They are as intelligent as you are me. Well, maybe not Benito.¡± Linus waited for Benito to remark on the jab, but he walked on oblivious. Linus continued, smirking at Benito, ¡°The goblinoids are the bugbears, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, gnolls, ogres, and trolls.¡± Paval grunted as he stepped, ¡°I am no scholar, but that is a very general classification. I have never met an orc before, but if you call him a goblin, I would not be surprised if he swore a blood oath to kill you for it on the spot.¡± We took a left turn, and the city buildings off the main road were not as opulent. They were still stone constructions, but instead of being homogeneous, it became a mixture of various stones. Also, the buildings were only three stories tall now. We were within sight of the outer wall, at least I think it was the outer wall, as it was twice the height of the buildings when Linus said, ¡°We are here.¡± Linus was walking down a side street that lacked a heavy flow of people. A small park with trees was at the end of the road, and a large black stone building was beyond. The large entrance had a pair of legion guards on either side in leather armor. The building looked like an imposing structure with a single large statue on top. Paval sighed in relief at having arrived. Linus said, ¡°We are in the old city. This building was built by and used by the First Legion. Now, it is not as impressive as the Imperial Legion Hall or the Western Legion Hall, but it is the nicest Legion Hall you are likely to see in your service as a volunteer.¡± The black archway entrance was guarded by two men in leather legionnaire armor and led to a courtyard with an open sky above. Legionaries in the courtyard were in and out of leather armor, milled about on stone benches. They looked up at us as we entered. We were still a mess. Linus stepped forward, ¡°Is there a Healing Mage on duty?¡± One of the men in leather armor stood and approached, ¡°You four look like you just came out of the arse of an ogre.¡± He introduced himself, ¡°I am Severus, the baths are over there,¡± he pointed to an archway to our left, ¡°I will go and bring a healer. We use the healer from the clinic down the street. The only company Healing Mage we had is off to the assault on Macha.¡± We gratefully made our way into the baths. The stone inside was the same onyx black as the building, but the space was well-lit with glowstones. Four boys came and took our clothes and armor as we stripped. We entered the showers with brushes and fresh soap. As we washed, Paval noted, ¡°Damn, Eryk, your feet do not look bad at all.¡± ¡°Yeah, Larita did not heal them. I still had my calluses, and my socks dried in the sun,¡± I responded calmly. He just huffed and did comment again. I was in the heated bath first. This bath was actually a lot nicer than the upper baths in Macha. The seating under the water formed to your ass, and the water was hotter. I waited almost half an hour for the others. They had waited for the healer to arrive before joining me in the soaking pool. Linus asked, ¡°Do you want the healer, Eryk?¡± I shook my head no, and he waved off the man in the other room. He settled into the pool, ¡°He only had a spell form, but he was good. Paval is digging through his pack to tip him some coin.¡± Benito came and just jumped into the pool like a kid, causing a splash and waves of water. The center of the pool was much deeper, and he appeared to know that in advance. When he came up, he laughed, ¡°Damn, this almost makes me forget the last three days.¡± He joined us, and then a happy Paval joined us as well. His feet were pink with new skin, but the bone was no longer exposed. We soaked in silence, and Benito started snoring. It was an hour before a naked and clean Konstantin joined us in the pool. He sighed as he entered and kicked Benito awake. With all our attention, he started, ¡°The Tribunal starts tomorrow. We were lucky we made it before the Displacement Mage opened the portal. It is going to be at least a week before it will open again.¡± Linus asked, ¡°So what do you need us to do?¡± Konstantin nodded, ¡°I was at the Magistrate¡¯s Hall where the Tribunal will be held. Tonight, we will all head back and give statements to the Truthseekers. They will use the transcript for the trial in the morning in defense of Castile. We will wait outside and may be called to clarify our statements.¡± ¡°Did Castile get a good Advocate?¡± Paval asked. Konstantin shrugged, ¡°I do not know who is counseling her. The Tribunal is Duchess Veronica, Duke Octavian, and Duke Vito. I do not know Vito other than he was visiting the Emperor from his province. The only good news is the Emperor did not appoint the Duke that Octavian had wanted as the third.¡± Konstantin stood, having only been in the pool for ten minutes, ¡°We will go and get fresh clothes and sandals from the Legion Hall quartermaster while our clothes are being cleaned. The sooner we talk to the Truthseekers, the better.¡± I was left in no position to object. I noted a little sourly the cost of the linens and sandals was being added to my legion debt. Even Benito was smart enough to see we were being charged twice what they were worth. We soon walked in the fading sun and followed Konstantin to the Magistrate¡¯s Hall. Konstantin had us leave our weapons behind. I was extremely nervous as I had no idea what this encounter with the Truthseekers would entail, but I had no other choice. Chapter 63 Truthseeker Chapter 63 Truthseeker Konstantin led us back toward the upper city where the portal stone was located. Paval said, ¡°They may have been expensive, but they are comfortable.¡± He was fingering his new linen shirt. ¡°It is also new. Most of the clothes we requisition at other legion halls may be free, but they are also used. Sometimes, with a hole in it that you need to sew shut.¡± Konstantin got us focused, ¡°When you are questioned, you need to answer questions truthfully and use as few words as possible. They will ask you for an opening statement. Say that Castile could not prevent the fall of Macha. Remember the facts. Master Mage Durandus got himself killed, so he was not available to anchor the defense. The Displacement Mage was assassinated days before the Bartiradians arrived. The army surrendered after the lower city fell, which was why we fled.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about the last one, Konstantin. We left the city before they surrendered. We only heard they were going to surrender,¡± I said after considering what I remembered. I did not want a Truthseeker to call me on a lie. Konstantin grunted, ¡°Fine. Just tell them the Bartiradians were cutting through the barricades quickly and were going to reach the inner city walls less than a day after breaching the outer walls.¡± Linus asked thoughtfully, ¡°Will they just question us about the siege?¡± Konstantin walked a little slower, ¡°They are the Imperial Truthseekers, not the lowly ones you find in a town or city. They can ask about anything. Most likely, they will only ask questions about Castile as that is who you are giving a statement for. Her Tribunal starts soon, so we need to do this now so copies can be distributed to each Duke on the Tribunal.¡± I was extremely nervous now. ¡°Can we refuse to answer questions?¡± I asked. ¡°If you do, they will just dig deeper,¡± Konstantin responded with a glare. I felt trapped but made an effort to keep my mind sharp. I knew body language was important from watching cop shows. I needed to look calm and respond calmly. I focused on getting into that state of mind for the rest of the walk. We reached a building with two beautiful giant marble statues of a woman holding scales and a man holding a sword flanking the entrance. ¡°Who are they?¡± I asked, marveling at the artistry of the statues. The detail was amazing, and I thought they could come alive at any moment. ¡°They represent Justica and Ultio, the gods of justice and vengeance,¡± Konstantin said, pushing the doors open and not looking at the statues. Maybe he had seen them before. A man in white robes came rushing forward, ¡°All business will be handed on the morrow.¡± ¡°We are here to give statements for the Ducal Tribunal starting in the morning concerning Mage Castile. I already talked with Magistrate Aurelia. She approved statements to be given to a Truthseeker.¡± Konstantin said with annoyance. The man stuttered for a moment in thought, ¡°Magistrate Aurelia¡­I-I c-can do that. There are two Truthseekers still in the north wing. I will set up the rooms. Please wait here.¡± We were standing in the lobby. Above us, on the ceiling, was a massive mural. The painting showed legionaries fighting back what appeared to be a giant black demon. ¡°What is that depicting,¡± I asked, pointing up. Konstantin and the others looked up. Konstantin took in the whole scale of the mural, ¡°It is the arrival of the First Legion during the Abyssal War. They managed to turn the tide and banish the demons. It is probably more myth than truth. To my knowledge, no greater demon has ever been seen outside a dungeon. The mural is more likely showing the First Legion battling the demon in a dungeon.¡± The man in white robes returned, ¡°The rooms are ready. The Truthseekers are being pulled from their studies. Which two of you will go first?¡± Konstantin gave me a slight push in the back. Shit, I would have preferred to go last. I was soon walking down the hall with Konstantin and following the man who was walking with long, hurried strides. We proceeded through the maze-like building. Many of the walls and ceilings had massive murals of creatures and battles. They seemed out of place in a building that was the court of law in the Empire. We reached a series of doors made from a bright blue wood. Two men in white and gold robes approached us. One was a graying man with haggard eyes, and the other was a young man, no older than fifteen, with black hair and a bowl cut. Our guide introduced the two, ¡°Truthseeker Nico,¡± he indicated to the older man. ¡°And the newest Imperial Truthseeker, Yanis,¡± he pointed at the younger man. Konstantin looked at both and pointed to the older man, ¡°Truthseeker Nico can take my statement. Eryk, you can have the boy.¡± Yanis pursed his lips in distaste at being called a boy. I did not appreciate Konstatin angering someone who would be questioning me. The young Truthseeker opened a blue door and motioned me inside. The room was not what I expected. Two comfortable-looking plush chairs faced each other in the center of the room. The walls were painted an off-orange, and the floor was light yellow stone. ¡°You can take either chair,¡± Yanis said while retrieving a notebook from a small shelf. ¡°Forgive me, but what is this statement concerning? I was summoned from my studies just minutes ago.¡± This was a relief. Maybe I could keep everything focused on Castile. ¡°Our company mage commander is being accused of abandoning her mission to defend the city of Macha.¡± I tried to make idle conversation, ¡°The blue wood is interesting. Is it stained, or is that its natural color?¡± He looked at the blue door, ¡°That is Tace wood from Tsinga. It absorbs sounds so people outside the door can not listen in.¡± Damn it. I hope he didn¡¯t learn I was from Tsinga, otherwise my question would be suspicious. I decided not to try for further idle talk. He seated himself across from me and wrote for a few minutes before looking up. He focused on me, ¡°The crime is quite serious.¡± He turned the page and concentrated, ¡°Please limit your next answers to yes or no. Are you planning to do harm to the Empire or Emperor?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. My jaw would not work for a second, ¡°I thought I was giving a statement for Mage Castile?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, I just finished my training, and we are always supposed to ask three questions whenever we do a reading. Not all Truthseekers do it, but like I said, I just began my training and was told it is standard practice. My teachers would be upset if I did not follow protocol.¡± He impatiently asked, ¡°Now, Are you planning to harm the Empire or Emperor?¡± ¡°No,¡± he scribbled something quickly. I did not feel anything, so I was not sure how his truth ability worked. He asked his next question, ¡°Have you done harm to the Empire or Emperor in the past?¡± ¡°No,¡± I answered calmly, and he wrote again in his book. ¡°And the final opening question. Do you have magics on your person to deceive a Truthseeker?¡± he was turning a small black ball in his hands, waiting for me to answer. ¡°No,¡± I said more slowly than I probably should have, focused on the ball. He scribbled, and the young Truthseeker looked up after disappearing the ball into his pocket. ¡°Excellent; please give your statement slowly so I can record it. I will ask questions if relevant.¡± He looked up, waiting, appearing patient. I tried to remain as relaxed as possible. ¡°Our company was to defend Macha until the Bartiradians arrived and surrounded the city. Then, the Duke was supposed to come and kill the Bartiradians outside the walls. Instead, one of the three mages sent to defend the city was killed, making the defense impossible. Then the Displacement Mage was assassinated with all his legionnaire guards.¡± I waited while he wrote. Then, I continued, ¡°Without the portal, we had no resupply. The outer walls fell in the first assault, even though Castile put in a valiant effort to defend the Trader¡¯s Gate. The inner walls were about to fall, and we were told the army was going to surrender. We escaped on the aqueduct and lost a third of our company, and another third were seriously injured during our evacuation.¡± He finished writing and waited for me. When I did not add more, he read what he wrote about five times before asking a question. ¡°What was the name of the mage, and how did he die? Did the Bartiradians kill him?¡± I used his title, ¡°Master Mage Durandus. A shambling mound monster in the swamp killed him. The Bartiradians were not responsible.¡± He studied me as I spoke and then wrote in his book. ¡°I thought he was sent to defend a city. Why was he in a swamp?¡± he looked up, waiting for my answer to clear up his confusion. ¡°We were helping with patrols outside the city. A storm giant was digging in the swamp.¡± I paused, ordering my thoughts carefully, ¡°But we didn¡¯t know it was a storm giant at the time. Durandus went to explore to see if it was a threat, and I was sent with his company to help. When we found out it was a storm giant and Durandus attacked it.¡± I stopped there. He wrote furiously, ¡°And the shambling mound was under the control of the storm giant?¡± ¡°Um, no. We killed the storm giant. But most of Durandus¡¯ company was killed in the effort. On the way back to the city, the shambling mound killed him.¡± I replied. He tapped his writing implement, thinking, ¡°Did you or any of his company play a role in Master Mage Durandus¡¯ death?¡± he asked, studying me too intently for my liking. I answered carefully, ¡°No, Mage Durandus was collecting essence from a frozen shambling mound. It broke free and threw him into the swamp. When we found him, he was dead.¡± He paused before writing. He spent a long time considering his next question. ¡°Why did Durandus attack the storm giant? They are formidable foes. Was it threatening the city?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me, but I am fairly certain he wanted the giant¡¯s essence. He consumed it as soon as he collected it. He was also interested in what the giant was digging for. But I think he ordered the attack for the essence,¡± I replied truthfully. Yanis wrote slowly, thinking on another question. I guessed by his fatigue that each answer took his aether to verify. ¡°What was the storm giant digging for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Durandus said there was a city for the giants buried under the swamp.¡± I replied. ¡°There was a what?¡± Yanis replied quickly. I realized this bit of information had only been told to me. Castile had not been interested in this detail. ¡°A city where the giants used to live, buried with time. Durandus seemed obsessed with trying to find out what the storm giant was digging for. He couldn¡¯t delve deep enough with his senses, so we were returning to the Macha when he was killed.¡± The young Truthseeker scribbled furiously. ¡°And do you know where this dig site is?¡± he looked up and asked. ¡°Sure. It is not difficult to spot. There is a massive crater where he was digging in the swamp south of Macha.¡± The Truthseeker finished his writing, he reviewed everything he had written, and it was a good thirty minutes before he focused on me. The giant city seemed important to him, so I was expecting more questions concerning it. He was distracted when he asked, ¡°Um, yes. You said the Displacement Mage was assassinated with his guards. How did this happen?¡± returning to my statement and the purpose of this session. I spent the next hour telling how we found the first Bartiradian infiltrators and knew others were in the city. Konstantin had warned the Displacement Mage, but they attacked him through the sewer wall in his basement, taking him by surprise. He asked about Mage Castile¡¯s pursuit of the air mage that had killed the Displacement Mage and how he escaped the city and destroyed the aqueduct. Unfortunately, my knowledge was limited in this part of the story. Then he started to ask questions about our flight from the city. My heart was pounding, just waiting for him to get a sniff of my abilities. I was lucky as the Truthseeker was distracted as he asked questions, and I gave short answers. I assumed he was still thinking about the giant city under the swamp. I didn¡¯t know why, though, he was so young. Why would he be interested in an ancient city that was inaccessible? It looked like he was getting fatigued as well from the aether expenditure. ¡°I think we are done.¡± he finally said. It had been almost three hours. ¡°Your statement and all relevant information will be transcribed for the Ducal Tribual in the morning. Where can you be reached if the Dukes seek to question you further?¡± ¡°I will be waiting outside the chamber. At least that is what I was told I would be doing.¡± I answered. He nodded, tapping his stylus on the pad. Somehow, I had never had to reveal that I had a dimensional space or anything else about myself. He thought I was just a regular legionnaire. I walked into the hallway and found Konstantin, Paval, and Benito. ¡°Who is next?¡± I asked. Konstantin, ¡°Next? We finished two hours ago. All of us!¡± He motioned all of us to walk away. After a good distance, ¡°What did the young Truthseeker ask? I gave him to you because he looked green. All you had to do was offer a statement he could verify.¡± ¡°He asked a lot of questions about Durandus¡¯ death and the Displacement Mage¡¯s assassination. A lot of questions. Then he focused on our escape from the city,¡± I said, throwing up my hands. Konstantin studied me, ¡°Did you insinuate Castile was responsible for either of the deaths?¡± Konstantin was calm but looked concerned. ¡°No!¡± I chirped at the accusatory comment. ¡°He was more interested in Durandus¡¯ fight with the storm giant and Castile¡¯s pursuit of the air mage who destroyed the aqueduct.¡± ¡°Was he trying to tie the air mage to Castile? That they might be working together?¡± Konstantin said insistently. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I wasn¡¯t there, so I could not give him any information. I think he was just trying to confirm Castile didn¡¯t let him go on purpose,¡± I said hastily. Konstantin seemed to think. ¡°Okay, we are heading back for just a few hours of sleep, and then we will come and camp outside the Tribunal chamber. We need to make sure the Advocate received our statements. They can make sure the Dukes read them.¡± Konstantin took off, and we followed. Chapter 64 Raelia the Griffin Rider-flashback Chapter 64 Raelia the Griffin Rider-flashback (POV chapter voted on by Patreon readers) Raelia walked the camp, looking for the meal tent for the riders. She had seen it from up in the air before she landed, and it should be near this abandoned farmhouse. There, she spotted it. The tent flaps were green and not black this time. She walked inside to the smell of food being cooked. The cook plated her some food with a smile, and she took the plate to a table to sit opposite Zyila, her commander. The tall, lean elf woman smiled, ¡°Raelia, the food is good tonight. A sweet pepper sauce over brown rice and shredded venison.¡± ¡°You took down the deer, didn¡¯t you,¡± Raelia smiled back. ¡°You are always telling us never to risk combat from our mounts, yet you do it every flight!¡± Zyila smirked, ¡°Well, I answer to your brother. You answer to me.¡± ¡°I am sure you answer to him a lot in his tent¡ªprivately,¡± Raelia retorted and quickly received a kick to her shin from her commander. ¡°Not when we are on a campaign,¡± she scolded Raelia. However, it was not a well-kept secret. ¡°The other generals on the campaign would frown on me distracting him.¡± Raelia tasted the food, ¡°Ugh, too sweet. They must have added honey again.¡± Her commander tried to hide a smile, ¡°It was you? You asked for it.¡± ¡°When you are the one who brings in a three-hundred-pound fresh game animal for the table, the cooks tend to honor your requests,¡± Zyila said, shoveling the food into her mouth with a smile. After they both finished the meal, Raelia asked, ¡°What are my orders?¡± Zyila rolled her eyes, ¡°The postings are twenty feet away on the tent wall. Fine! You lazy elf. You are circling the city from two miles above with Nessa, Elanor, Daena, and Yavanna. We are attacking tonight as planned. I will fly out and ensure the Duke¡¯s army has been delayed.¡± ¡°By yourself?¡± Raelia asked, knowing that doctrine did not allow Riders to operate alone. ¡°Rina is coming with me. And no, I am not taking you! You would probably try to fly too low and count the Duke¡¯s army or something else foolish,¡± Zyila said seriously. ¡°We have thirty minutes before we exchange flights.¡± They left the tent together and went to where the griffins were stabled. The attendants had fed them raw horse meat while they had been getting their own dinner. Moonclaw saw his rider approaching and nipped two other griffons, Monsoon and Sunflare, out of his way to get to Raelia. The griffin¡¯s head nuzzled her chest, lifting her off the ground with its powerful neck. ¡°Moonclaw, be nicer to the others,¡± Raelia scolded weakly. He continued nudging her until she rubbed the feathers around his ear holes. He started clicking his tongue in appreciation. Finished with the affectionate beast, she started to prepare. Raelia checked the harness twice, inspecting it for wear and fit. When griffins were used in rapid rotation like this siege, they would lose weight rapidly, and you needed to adjust the straps constantly. It was for your own safety and the comfort of the griffin. Nessa, Elanor, Daena, and Yavanna were already in their saddles. Raelia swung her small frame up into the saddle. She scanned the skies, waiting. A few minutes later, a griffin started to land. Raelia and her patrol took to the air one at a time, blowing dead leaves into small cyclones from the force of taking off. The wind blasted through her face and hair before she activated her air spell form to shield her face from the rush of wind. She circled the camp once to inspect the army. Thousands of men were below her like little ants scurrying about. She was glad she was a Rider. She soared high into the sky before starting her dull circle patrol. She pulled her spyglass and watched the defenders of Macha prepare for the inevitable. She had nothing against the people of the city. Their Emperor and his hatred of non-humans was the rot of the Telhians. They had killed many Bartiradians on Bartiradian soil in the last two years. This assault was their own fault. The Telhian plan was also painfully obvious. They would put up a token resistance and let the Bartiradians take the city. Then, they would trap the Bartiradians in the city. Her brother and the other generals were smarter than that, though. They had killed the Displacement Mage in Macha, and they planned to reinforce the city themselves through the portal after taking control of the city tonight. Then, they would let the Telhians waste their men and legionaries trying to retake the city. Her brother, General Clayln Glavien, would ensure the Telhians were much weaker after this battle. Returning Macha to Bartiradian hands was sure to be a bloody endeavor. Three flight rotations later, Moonclaw was exhausted as he flapped his wings and glided over the night battle below. It was dark, and the fog had allowed the army to reach the walls and gates. It would not be long now before they broke the defenders on the wall. Then, a huge gust of wind ripped from the city. Raelia had to let the wind take Moonclaw and her away. She saw the battlefield revealed below, the fog eliminated. The Bartiradian attackers were suddenly exposed. Arrows pelted them from the walls, and men were falling by the scores. Raelia felt helpless. She was not supposed to do anything but observe and report. Maybe she could help, though. The defenders were focused on her brother¡¯s army. She could possibly prepare a fireball, swoop down, and release it before they tracked her. She started to guide Moonclaw with her legs, guiding him with the stirrups and squeezes of her thighs. He was sensitive to her body movements and understood what she wanted. The important thing she needed to do was shield the fireball as she formed it. Otherwise, it would be like a beacon in the sky to the defenders. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She mentally worked the weave of her aether into the spell forms. Layering the aether in a well-practiced action. She would have to dive to get into range to release the ball of fire, though. She needed to remain unseen. The glowing ball of destructive heat twisted between her cupped hands as she squeezed her knees and dug her heels in. Moonclaw dove at the unspoken command. The range of her magic fire was one hundred and twenty feet. She needed to get about a hundred feet away and release on the dive. Moonclaw knew this as well and would rise after the fireball was released. She was focused on the tower on the left. There was definitely a mage there. She revealed the light of her prepared spell and was about to throw it when the spell forms dissolved in her hand. She grabbed the reigns and pulled hard. The mage in the tower had seen her and disrupted her spell form. She needed to¡­ Moonclaw shrieked in pain as an arrow protruded from his wing, with wispy black tendrils wrapping his wing. He could not flap to turn away from the city. There was no time as she tried to get him to land on a rooftop in the city. Moonclaw came up short and crashed hard into the building. As they fell between two buildings, the griffin did his best to spare his chosen rider. The ground came fast, and she never had time to activate her featherfall device. It would have minimized her own body mass and made the crash less impactful. Instead, Moonclaw bounced on the ground, and the impact tossed Raelia out of her saddle and into a building, breaking ribs and wrenching her knee. She must have hit her head because she was dazed as well. When she got her senses and to her feet, Moonclaw was protecting the alley from a squad of legionaries. Moonclaw was injured and overmatched. She tried to form a fireball, but her head hurt too much, and she could not focus. Moonclaw shrieked in pain. She couldn¡¯t help him. She cried as she limped away into the alley, looking for a place to hide. Moonclaw, her friend that she had raised from an egg, would buy her time. She wiped the tears and focused on escape. She took a simple healing potion on her belt. As its effects spread, her mind started to clear as she hobbled away. The potion was not enough to heal her ribs or knee, but it did give her back enough sense of mind to cast magic. A shifting light came up behind her. The legionaries were already on her. Fucking legionaries! Anger welled in her as they killed her mount and friend. It was not the first friend she had lost to the Telhian legionnaires either. She timed the approaching light, spun with her daggers drawn, parried the sword strike, went into a roll, and came up in a crouch, grimacing from partially healed injuries. The legionnaire looked surprised she had evaded his attack. He was just staring at her like an idiot. ¡°I will kill you, legionnaire.¡± She rasped in his own tongue. Blood trickled from her lips as she spoke. At least her ribs felt slightly better from the potion, but she probably had a damaged lung, as breathing was difficult. As she waited for the legionnaire to attack, loud booms came from the outer wall. She smirked, knowing her brother was probably sending all three assault elements at the wall in an attempt to save his stupid sister, who had crashed into the city. She just needed to hide until he got his forces inside the city. She thought Zylia would scream at her for this, and her brother would probably have her exiled from the Riders. First, she needed to survive long enough. The large booms had the young human legionnaire nervous. His long black hair was matted with sweat under his metal legionarie helm. He held his short sword with skill but seemed reluctant to attack. She needed to stall him while her mind worked the spell forms for a fireball, ¡°Your city will return to us, and the duke¡¯s army will not save you!¡± She said with as wicked a smile as she could conjure through the pain. He relaxed in his defensive stance, underestimating her. He started to talk, ¡°Can you just¡­¡± She finished her spell form and ignited her fireball¡­ <<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>> Raelia pressed the fireball forward in the dark and was confused when Alhar, her brother¡¯s friend and bodyguard, was three feet in front of her. The fireball exploded between the two of them, burning her face and throwing Alhar into a stone wall behind him. Her retinas were burned, and she could barely see. She couldn¡¯t move, and her consciousness was fading. What had happened? Was this a bad dream? Why was Alhar in front of her and not the legionnaire? Was this some mind magic? No, the pain was too real. A blurry image of the legionnaire from the alley stood over her momentarily. He then shuffled off out of her sight, leaving her in pain and thankfully fading into unconsciousness. <<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>> Raelia woke slowly. ¡°Relax, Raelia. You are in the city,¡± her brother¡¯s voice soothed her. ¡°Alhar?¡± She said with a dry throat. ¡°The healing mages are seeing to him. He is in much worse shape than you,¡± Clayln said. ¡°How am I here?¡± Raelia said while gratefully taking a cold water skin from her brother. ¡°We thought you could tell us? We replayed the battle you had with the legionnaire after you crashed and thought void magic had erased you,¡± her brother said softly. ¡°No. I don¡¯t remember. He said something and then¡­¡± Raelia could picture his face. Shock at the fireball and panic. Raelia thought she was about to blast the young legionnaire with her spell, but¡­instead, Alhar was in front of her. And she hit him instead. ¡°No time passed for you then?¡± asked the old dwarf healer at her bedside. Raelia nodded slowly. The dwarf nodded sagely, ¡°Dimensional space. He stored you like an old pair of socks, girl.¡± Clayln barked, ¡°Impossible! His space would have to have been huge, and he could not have overcome her aether resistance to forcibly store her!¡± The old dwarf healer spoke with years of wisdom, ¡°He could have if his affinity was high enough. Probably in the eighties.¡± Raelia shook her head, ¡°No, he was just a regular legionnaire. Not a mage.¡± Clayln sat down, considering the events as he remembered them, ¡°The speed of the cast¡­it was a spell form, not a true spell. If it had been void magic¡­to completely disappear a body, his affinity would have to have been in sixties or seventies¡­¡± Raelia was still in disbelief, ¡°I am telling you, he was just a regular legionnaire. He wore just leather armor, not even the metal of the Imperial Legion.¡± The general shook his head, ¡°Whoever he was, he escaped. According to my bodyguards, he was not among the dead bodies at the reservoir,¡± Clayln murmured. ¡°Whoever he is, he is dangerous.¡± He considered, ¡°We will spread his description among our spies in the Empire. He is probably one of their Praetorian agents. He is not our concern at the moment.¡± Clayln stood and patted his sister on the shoulder, ¡°I need to see to the defenses of the city with the other generals. The portal mage is also opening a passage home. You are going. A few days rest, and you can go to the rookery. I am sorry, but Moonclaw did not make it.¡± Raelia winced and felt guilty. She had forgotten about Moonclaw. He had died defending her. It was her own stupidity that had gotten him killed. She cringed, ¡°I do not know if I will remain a griffin rider, brother. Maybe I will think about it for a few weeks. Maybe I could join the Rangers as we trained with them during our Rider training.¡± Clayln grimaced. She knew he did not want her in any unit. Especially the Rangers, who worked as spies and scouts. He let out a sigh, ¡°Zylia has you cleaning stalls at the Rookery for the next year for your unauthorized attack.¡± She nodded in understanding. She would have to pay for her mistake. A mistake that had cost Moonclaw his life. But she would help fight the Telhians. It was in her blood. She would do her penance and return. Chapter 65 Tribunal Chapter 65 Tribunal I woke in the middle of the night, not being able to sleep. I wandered around the building. Most rooms were lit softly by a single glowstone embedded in the stone. I found a small, empty, private bathroom with running water and a mirror. It must be for a mage commander, but it was currently barren of personal possessions. Looking in the mirror, my beard had grown in. I decided to access my barber¡¯s kit and clean up. The straight-edge razor was new to me, but I could quickly heal the skin even if I nicked myself. Experimenting, I found the key was finding the right angle and using light, short strokes. I applied the face balm and looked much better in the mirror. I put the kit away and continued my wandering of the Eastern Legion Hall. The complex was huge. There were classrooms, offices, private bedrooms, dining rooms, and a very large kitchen. ¡°Can we get you something?¡± A pudgy cook who was preparing the morning meals asked. Since I was here¡­¡°Ham steak and scrambled eggs?¡± I asked hopefully. The cook motioned for another of the kitchen staff to fill my request as she appeared to be in charge and focused on the dough she was kneading. I asked, ¡°Is this building always so quiet at night?¡± ¡°No! This is the quietest it has been since the last Duke¡¯s coronation. Back then, the Emperor sent two thousand legionaries to his province¡¯s Citadel to show his support,¡± the cook continued to roll the dough with her well-muscled forearms and hands. I sat across from the woman on a stool and waited for my food. The cook cracked five eggs and added a milk, pepper, and salt splash before whisking them. A hand-sized ham steak was placed in a separate pan with bacon fat. It was not long before a plate of heaping scrambled eggs covering a thick ham steak was put in front of me. As I ate, the head cook asked, ¡°You are one of the men from Castile¡¯s company?¡± ¡°I am, but I have only been with them for a month,¡± I replied after swallowing a mouthful. This was just my fifth week which seemed impossible after all the shit I had been through. ¡°How many mage companies are in the city?¡± I asked before shoveling another forkful of eggs in. ¡°Normally, we have twenty or so mages and five hundred legionaries in Eastern Legion Hall. Tomorrow morning, we are only cooking for three mages and a hundred or so legionaries,¡± the cook said while cutting the bread into small chunks to bake the rolls. ¡°The Imperial Legion Hall has over two thousand legionaries and gods knows how many mages. The Mage War College is not far from the Imperial Legion Hall.¡± ¡°And the Western Legion Hall?¡± I asked, finishing my plate. The cook who made it took it away and left a steaming cup of tea in its place. The head cook slapped each piece of dough hard on a tray to get the shape she wanted and then slid it into the oven. She then answered my question, ¡°The Western Hall has maybe two thousand legionaries as well, but a portion of those are in training and not true legionaries yet.¡± I did not have time to talk further as Konstantin walked into the kitchen. ¡°Figures you found your way to a meal,¡± he said with a light tone. ¡°Eryk, we are leaving soon. Gear up. Smart move getting breakfast. We may not have time to eat all day,¡± Konstantin advised. The middle-aged cook addressed the scout, ¡°Konstantin, you old goat. There is a basket of hot meat buns warming in the oven.¡± I had never seen Konstantin get flustered before as the cook addressed him. But he was shaken as he looked at the cook and processed her words. ¡°Gilda?¡± Konstantin showed familiarity with the cook. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°You know why I am here. Take the buns,¡± the cook said with a slight smile and a wave of her hand. Konstantin¡¯s eyes hardened slightly at his acquaintance and ordered, ¡°Eryk, get the buns into your space and get your armor on.¡± He spun and left, shaking his head. I added a basket of twelve meat buns to my space and returned to our room. I dressed in my clean armor while the others waited in me. We left in the dark, and I had a chance to ask Konstantin, ¡°Old lover?¡± ¡°Gilda? Gods mercy, never,¡± Konstantin rasped. ¡°No, we both work for the same woman,¡± he talked low enough so the others did not hear. ¡°If Gilda is here, someone is not long for this world.¡± Realizing he said that a little too loud, he gruffly walked ahead of me. So, the cook was an agent of the Praetorian Guard that Konstantin worked for. She was probably an assassin, by his words. The pudgy woman did not look like a fighter. Knowing the agents could be anywhere was good as I never would have suspected the cook. We returned to the Magistrate building before the sun had broken the sky. The door between the statues had two legionaries in metal armor. Konstantin noted, ¡°They have the insignia of Duke Octavian. He must already be inside.¡± We entered the building, and there were a number of men and women in the white robes of the magistrate walking the halls. The place was much busier than in the middle of the night. Konstantin stopped and asked questions while we waited. When he returned, he told us what he had learned, ¡°The Ducal Tribunal will be in the Venus Room. I have directions. They are still waiting on Duke Vito, so have not started.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. We followed Konstantin to a corridor with a large double-blue door. There was a mural painting taking up the entire opposite wall. The painting was lifelike and had a woman exiting the ocean¡¯s surf. She was naked with long, flowing dark blonde hair and mesmerizing sky-blue eyes that seemed to follow you. I was not the only one staring. ¡°Why is this painting in the magistrates building?¡± Benito asked. Konstantin studied the image longer than he needed to, ¡°This building was not always the building for the Imperial Magistrates and for training the Truthseekers. It served some other purpose in the past.¡± A man in white robes overheard our conversation and informed us, ¡°That is right, legionnaire. This used to be the villa for Duke Latrell when he stayed in the capital. He challenged the Emperor and was beheaded, and all his property seized. This building became the Magistrate¡¯s office. All of the amazing artwork has been preserved.¡± He focused on Konstantin, ¡°Are you here for the Ducal Tribunal of Mage Castile?¡± Konstantin nodded, ¡°We gave statements last night to Truthseekers. We are here in case our statements are questioned, or further explanation is required.¡± The man in white robes nodded in understanding. ¡°Only the accused, her Advocate, the Imperial Truthseeker, and the Tribunal are allowed in the room. If witnesses are requested, they will be summoned.¡± Konstantin ground his teeth. He was obviously frustrated at being helpless. A man in purple and gold robes walked down the center of the corridor. He was overweight and had an air of self-importance. The white-robed magistrate met him, ¡°Duke Vito. This way, please.¡± He opened the blue double door, and immediately, arguing voices spilled out of the room. The doors absorbed sound as the corridor had been silent before they opened. I only got a brief glimpse into the room. Castile was standing next to a man in yellow robes. Her back was to us, and she was facing a table with three seats. Two seats were filled with Duke Octavian and a young woman who I assumed was Duchess Veronica. The argument that was interrupted was between Octavian and the yellow-robed man. I assumed that was Castile¡¯s Advocate. Nico, the old Truthseeker from last night, walked from a door inside the courtroom to join the proceedings. Duke Vito went to join the other two dukes. The white-robed man shut the blue doors behind Duke Vito, and we were cut off from the scene and all sound. The white-robed man then stood in front of the door like a guard. Konstantin pulled us to the side. Benito asked, ¡°What is the plan?¡± Konstantin said, ¡°We wait.¡± he leaned against the painting of Venus. The white-robed man frowned, and Konstantin stood away from the painting. It was almost an hour before Paval asked, ¡°What is going on inside?¡± Konstantin started to answer, but the white-robed man surprisingly answered for him, happy to help, ¡°The charges will be read. Each charge will be dealt with one at a time. Each of the Tribunal members will have a turn to ask questions of the accused. The Truthseeker will verify the answers of the defendant. Then, the Advocate has a chance to ask the final questions. Then each Tribunal member votes on the charge.¡± ¡°What about our statements?¡± Benito asked. The white-robed man nodded, ¡°They were copied and given to the Dukes last night. Duke Octavian was questioning their addition to the formal records when the doors opened.¡± The man had a slight smile, ¡°Do not worry, legionaries. Justice is always based on the evidence presented.¡± ¡°What about the evidence not presented,¡± I muttered. The white-robed man focused on me, ¡°You would make a good magistrate legionarie. Yes, missing evidence or questions not asked can lead to verdicts that are undeserved. Have no worries. Your Mage has one of the best Advocates in the Hall. Duchess Veronica personally requested him.¡± Another hour passed, and the blue doors did not open. ¡°It seems to be taking a long time,¡± Bentio stated to his rumbling stomach. ¡°Hand out the buns,¡± Konstantin muttered to me. I produced the basket of buns, and we each took one. I offered one to the white-robed man, and he reluctantly accepted. Benito took possession of the basket, and slowly, the buns were consumed. Hours passed, and even the Magistrate guarding the door seemed to get fidgety. A man in blue robes, followed by two legionaries in metal armor, came down the corridor to our room. The man was slightly out of breath and addressed everyone, ¡°This is the Tribunal for Mage Castile?¡± The white-robed man guarding the door answered, ¡°It is. They are still in deliberation, Chancellor.¡± He looked at us, ¡°And you are her legionaries?¡± Konstantin moved to stand before the blue-robed man, ¡°We are. What does the Collegium Scholarium want with the Tribunal?¡± Konstantin was both confused and hopeful. ¡°Truthseeker Yanis came to us this morning with a copy of a testimony. We wish to interview any legionaries who were part of the storm giant slaying,¡± he said, and all my fellow legion mates turned their eyes to me. The man, who I assumed was a Chancellor, instantly said, ¡°Ah, you must be Eryk. The legionnaire who gave the original statement. Who else was with you when the mighty storm giant was defeated?¡± I looked to Konstantin, who nodded. I was slightly nervous and answered truthfully, ¡°Legionaries Brutus and Flavius are the only two others who have survived. Master Mage Sebastian took Flavius. Brutus¡ªis in Carahagan. He missed the portal to the capital.¡± Konstantin stepped forward, intervening, ¡°What does the College of Scholars want with the legionaries?¡± ¡°Just to question them. Nothing nefarious. We will take this one,¡± he pointed at me, ¡°And you can send the others when they arrive.¡± The man handed Konstantin a wrapped scroll. Konstantin unrolled it and looked up surprised, ¡°The Emperor¡¯s seal?¡± The blue-robed man bowed, ¡°I am Marcel, Counsel to the Emperor and Chancellor of the Collegium Scholarium. Truthseeker Yanis is my nephew. My time is precious to me, and I have already been to Eastern Legion Hall and back today.¡± He wiped his forehead of sweat. ¡°Go with him, Eryk. When they finish with you, check here for us first and then the Legion Hall. I will want to talk with you as well,¡± Konstantin said with a note of curiosity. It did not feel like this was voluntary. The two legionaries in steel armor flanked me, and we all followed an excited Marcel out of the Magistrate¡¯s Hall. The Chancellor was a little too excited, in my opinion. Chapter 66 Verdict Chapter 66 Verdict I walked behind Marcel, who had a fast pace for a librarian. He smelled of sweet perfume as he pranced before us, and the crowded streets parted before him and his escort. We entered the main road that led to the Imperial Palace. The imposing palace approached rapidly as we followed the confident Chancellor. We reached a gate to the Imperial Grounds. There were four legionaries here with shiny steel armor with gold highlights. I assumed these were the Imperial Legionaries that served the Emperor directly. Chancellor Marcel did not pause and walked between the guards into the grounds. The legionaries saluted him with their right palm flat on their left collarbone. This was the Emperor¡¯s salute. Maybe it was because he was counsel to the Emperor. I was not going to ask. The fewer questions I asked of the man responsible for the College of Scholars, the better. Instead of heading to the palace, we took a blue-veined marble paved path to the right through expansive and diverse flowering gardens. The kaleidoscope of colors passed rapidly as we got deeper into the Imperial district. I was starting to get nervous but maintained pace. There was a class of nine young children in the gardens. A bald man in blue robes was giving an explanation of one of the flowering trees. He was telling them where the tree normally grew on the continent, and that was all I caught as we were past the class. We reached a series of modest homes on the other side of the vast gardens. Each home was made of plain gray granite and had a small personal garden out front. Short, white marble stones marked off the garden. Marcel walked up the steps, and I followed. The two legionnaire escorts turned and walked away. I paused to watch them. Marcel also stopped and explained, ¡°I only have an escort when I leave the grounds. If they thought you were a threat, they would have remained. Come inside; my wife should have lunch ready.¡± Inside the stone dwelling, large windows dominated the walls, giving it lots of natural light. The spacious room was both a kitchen and dining room. A woman who appeared much older than Marcel smiled, ¡°Ah, I see you found the boy you were looking for.¡± ¡°Damn near had to be Mercury zipping all across the city,¡± Marcel griped to the woman as he sat heavily at the table. ¡°You need to get out more anyway, Marcel. Sit, and we can eat. I am Sofia. I assume you are legionnaire Eryk.¡± She smiled as she placed a pot on the table. A tray of flat oval bread was soon added to the table. ¡°Help yourself, Eryk. Consider my cooking payment for your knowledge.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be bought so cheaply, Eryk. Knowledge is more valuable than gold. Although, Sofia¡¯s cooking is as well.¡± Marcel said, smiling at his wife. He took a piece of bread and then scooped a healthy portion of thick sauce with cubed meat and vegetables. I followed his example. Sofia poured wine for everyone and then joined us. The whole friendly atmosphere was a little surprising. Marcel asked as he ate, ¡°I read the report Yanis submitted for the trial. What do you remember about the storm giant?¡± I chewed and swallowed and made a satisfied groan at the taste to earn a smile from Sofia¡¯s. ¡°He was big, maybe the height of five men. Much quicker than you would expect,¡± I answered. ¡°No. What was he wearing? What did he say?¡± Marcel asked with interest, studying me. ¡°I do not think he said anything. Mage Durandus just attacked him,¡± I replied and continued taking bites, waiting for questions. Marcel frowned, ¡°That is unfortunate. Storm giants are one of the few reasonable giants. How old was he?¡± ¡°I am sorry you are asking things I have no knowledge of. He had a beard that was light brown, if that helps,¡± I answered and tried the wine. It was flavorful but slightly acidic. ¡°I am sorry. I will try and direct my questions based on your background. Your accent, are you from Linshania?¡± He did not wait for an answer before adding, ¡°The length of their beard usually determines a storm giant¡¯s age. They would have certain color beads in it for their life¡¯s accomplishments.¡± ¡°I am not from Linshania,¡± I said carefully. I was slightly worried Marcel may have the Truthseeker ability, so I planned not to offer any information. ¡°The giant¡¯s beard came to his waist,¡± I remembered. ¡°He did have beads in his beard¡­but I can not recall the details. We left the body in the crater. I am sure the beads are still there.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°Waist¡­at least a few centuries old then.¡± He sucked on his teeth, considering. ¡°We are considering an expedition, but with the Bartiradians so close, it will take time to pull it together. Now, what about the city below the swamp?¡± ¡°We did not see it. Just Durandus¡¯ saw it with his magic. He told me it was a city for the giants, but his power was not strong enough to explore it.¡± I replied and started eating again, hoping he had forgotten his line of questioning about where I was from. Marcel went into another room and came back with a long rolled-up parchment. Sofia rolled her eyes at his excitement but cleared the table as he unrolled the map. He unrolled the map, and it looked like the Telhian Empire. Marcel eagerly said, ¡°Now, where was the giant digging.¡± It took me time to find Macha and the roads we patrolled. I guessed on a spot off the road, ¡°Here. Or about here.¡± They both looked at it, and it was Sofia who spoke. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°It could be the city was submerged and silt built up over time. Look, mountains surround the swamp, making it a perfect bowl,¡± Sofia commented. Marcel grumbled that he had not noticed first, ¡°Never marry anyone smarter than you, Eryk. Not only will she always point out your mistakes, but she solves riddles before you.¡± He studied the map. ¡°That does fit with the myth of the City of the Titans, Atlantium, being buried by a great flood.¡± ¡°Titans?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°The giants.¡± Marcel answered distractedly, studying the map, ¡°Before elves, dwarves, humans, and orcs, the giants ruled all of Desia. They had one great city that was lost when they challenged the gods.¡± Sofia chuckled, ¡°He tries to romanticize it. The giant races ruled over all the others. It was not the gods but a great war among the storm, frost, fire, and cloud giants decimated their populations. They are just like us smaller folk but only bigger,¡± she chuckled. Marcel griped, ¡°That is simplifying the histories, Sofia.¡± He turned to me, ¡°The giants destroyed all their cities in the war. Only the capital, the greatest city in all of Desia, Atlantium, remained. The myth goes all the other giant clans banded together against the storm giants. Having lost the war, the storm giants were exiled from the capital city. In retribution, the remaining storm giants summoned a massive and fierce storm that drowned all the other giant races in Atlantium.¡± Sofia added, ¡°Marcel believes powerful artificed items were buried with the city. He has been searching for it his entire life. He told all the children he has ever educated in the Scholarium the tale, hoping one day one of them will help find it for him.¡± ¡°Well, it worked! Yanis found him.¡± He pointed at me, not taking his eyes off the map. Sophia shook her head and sipped her wine. Marcel kept trying to dig details out of me, but I had very little to offer him, but I answered honestly. After patiently answering all his questions for two hours and through two more helpings of stew and four glasses of wine, I eventually got bold enough to ask, ¡°Chancellor Marcel, is there anything you can do to help Mage Castile with the Ducal Tribunal?¡± ¡°Ducal Tribunals are always political. And I do not become involved in politics,¡± Sofia nodded at Marcel¡¯s statement. I decided not to press further and answered his questions as he ferreted everything he could from my memory. He finally stood, ¡°Legionnaire Eryk, thank you for your time. You enjoyed the wine, so Sophia, why do you not give him a bottle?¡± As he walked me out, he explained, ¡°At the bottom of the steps, wait for an Imperial Legionaire to escort you off the grounds. They do not take kindly to strangers wandering the grounds.¡± He clasped his wrists to mine in a handshake and handed me the bottle of wine. ¡°Is that accent from Gongshuia?¡± I had hoped he had forgotten about my accent. I did not get the feeling he had the Truthseeker ability during the questioning. I supplied to ease his curiosity, ¡°I am from a tiny village in Tsinga. I joined a caravan transporting Tace wood. Made the mistake of sleeping in the wrong place and found myself conscripted.¡± He nodded, ¡°Ah yes, I can hear it in the undertones. Must be the eastern provinces of Tsinga,¡± he deduced. I nodded, agreeing with him. ¡°Well, if we have a chance to talk again, I would love to hear your impressions of how the Telhian Empire is perceived further afield. My primary service to the Empire is researching the political climate in all of Desia and advising the Emperor.¡± I almost told Marcel I was just an uneducated villager but held back and nodded, ¡°Thank your wife for the wonderful meal.¡± I turned, and two Imperial Legionaries were waiting for me at the end of the walkway. I was a little spooked as they had not been close a few seconds ago. Instead of walking me through the gardens, they walked me to a closer access point to the Imperial Grounds. Four Imperial Legionaries guarded this small door in the wall. I was pushed out into the streets, and the door was barred behind me. It kind of felt like I was the trash being thrown out. I was in the upper city on a side street. I followed the Imperial Compound wall back to the main street. From there, I was able to get myself back to the Magistrate¡¯s Hall. Out of sight of anyone, I moved the bottle of wine into my storage as I walked the halls to the Venus Room. When I arrived, the double-blue doors were open. The hallway and room were empty. I was stunned for a moment before finding a white-robed magistrate, ¡°Is the Tribunal finished in the Venus Room?¡± He nodded immediately, ¡°About an hour ago, the dukes left the building.¡± He was going to keep going, but I stopped him, holding his arm. He looked at me, waiting patiently, ¡°What was the decision?¡± He looked confused, ¡°I believe the mage was found guilty.¡± He sized up my appearance and clean-cut face, ¡°I can bring you to records if you want to know the specifics?¡± ¡°Please do,¡± I nodded with a pit in my stomach. I was sure Konstantin would have the details as well. I followed the Magistrate through the building and into the basement, where a sprawling library was located. Dozens of white and yellow robes individuals weaved through the shelves of books and scrolls. My guide stopped a white-robed young man, and he rushed off. ¡°I will leave you here. Magistrate Marcus went to retrieve the records. He will help you, legionnaire.¡± He bowed and left. The young Marcus returned a short while later with a scroll. He handed it to me, ¡°Please be careful with it. It has not yet been transcribed into the histories.¡± I unfurled the scroll and read it. Ducal Tribunal of Mage Castile Duval Sitting Dukes: Duke Vito of Camalmia Province, Duchess Victoria of Sobra Province, Duke Octavian of Sacegoes Province Charge One brought by Duke Octavian: Retreating from the field of battle. Vote: Guilty 3-0, punishment: ten years of additional service without annual wage from the Emperor Charge Two brought by Duke Octavian: Willful neglect of Empire Resources. Vote: Not Guilty 2-1 Charge Three brought by Duke Octavian: Conspiracy to the death of Mage Gregor. Vote: Not Guilty 2-1 Charge Four brought by Duchess Victoria: Conspiracy to the death of Master Mage Durandus. Vote: Not Guilty 3-0 Charge Five brought by Duke Ocativan: Conspicacy to the death of Displacement Mage Santino. Vote: Not Guilty 2-1 Charge Six brought by Duchess Victoria: Improperly holding a Tribunal of Mage Durandus¡¯ Death. Vote: Not Guilty 3-0 I read the document twice, and Marcus asked, ¡°This is the summary. I can gather the related documents if you wish, legionnaire.¡± ¡°No,¡± I rolled up the scroll with the Imperial Seal on it. ¡°Where is Mage Castile then?¡± I had actually thought when I heard she was guilty, she would be executed. Marcus turned and found someone I recognized as having stood guard on the door. He went and asked him and then returned. Marcus informed me, ¡°Mage Castile left with her legionaries at the Tribunal¡¯s conclusion.¡± ¡°Thank you, Marcus.¡± I turned and found my way out of the maze-like building. I was soon in the streets and heading toward the Eastern Legion Hall. Chapter 122 Good Samaritan Chapter 122 Good Samaritan As the company registered the disbelief of my presence, they came by to slap me on the back¡ªnot gently¡ªand congratulate me once again for a miraculous survival. I think the slaps were to make sure I was actually here and not an illusion. With the welcome done, I started eating breakfast in earnest. I was pretty sure Firth started whispering a new nickname for me around the table: The Revenant. He thought it was funny, but I did not. Konstantin had called me that before he almost attacked me. Brutus informed me that a revenant was an undead creature that rose from its grave to avenge itself. As the excitement of my return from the dead once again ebbed, Castile got everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°At this point, it is safe to say Fortuna is watching over Eryk. We are going to need her supervision. We leave for the Elven Ruins of Caelora tomorrow after Konstantin and Flavius return.¡± Mateo was the first to break his focus off me, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the ruins we passed on that old road? The one filled with ghosts?¡± Castile nodded, ¡°Specters, not ghosts. We are going to explore the ruins and look for the entrance to a dungeon mentioned in the books recovered from the ruins a long time ago.¡± Surprisingly, Benito asked a smart question: ¡°Would we get another dungeon discovery fee from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild if we find it?¡± Delmar stepped forward, ¡°If we find it, yes. But most likely, any reward would be delayed. The Duchess needs to use the information to barter with the Emperor to add the surrounding lands, and we would also have to open the trade road.¡± Firth groaned, ¡°We will have to take care of that pack of dire wolves then.¡± Delmar affirmed the announcement, ¡°Yes, the dire wolves will need to be handled, but only after we confirm the dungeon exists and is viable.¡± ¡°How are we going to kill the specters? Only Delmar and Konstantin have runic weapons,¡± someone asked from the table far to my right. Castile couldn¡¯t contain a smile, ¡°The Duchess called in some favors. I have twenty runic arrows for Blaze, and fifteen each for Pavel and Flavius. Delmar has been given a runic long sword, and I have two more to assign.¡± Those three were the company¡¯s best archers, so her division of arrows made sense. Adrian stepped forward, ¡°Those two blades will be wielded by the best swordsmen among you lot.¡± Everyone started eyeing everyone else, trying to figure out who that would be. ¡°Should have gotten runic spears,¡± Firth lamented loudly enough for everyone to hear. He was an excellent spearman and average swordsman in the company. Adrian snapped at him, ¡°What we have are blades, Firth, and we are thankful for them. This evening, we will have everyone on the training grounds to contest for the two blades.¡± That got ripples of excitement from the table. Any type of competition was welcome¡ªespecially one with a reward at the end. ¡°We also have a kettle of souls, men. It can permanently banish a specter so it cannot come back to hinder us again,¡± Castile added emphatically to encourage everyone. I don¡¯t think the men knew that the specters regenerated over time in the city. Being able to vanquish them permanently was a huge boon. Adrian announced to the growing fervor of conversation, ¡°You have the remainder of the day off. Rest and enjoy your time in the city. It may be a few weeks before we see the comforts of walls again.¡± Firth added, ¡°At least walls that are not manned by the spirits of the dead.¡± His comedic delivery got laughs from everyone as they made their way out. Brutus came to talk with me, ¡°Can I buy the Revenant a drink in the city?¡± I rolled my eyes and hoped this nickname disappeared as quickly as the last one had. We walked together to the establishment in the city that the other men favored. Brutus told me the ale tasted foul but was strong, and the food was decent. As we entered, I noted it was also favored by all the city and citadel guards our men had been training. We found a table, and a woman came by, and Brutus said, ¡°Two specials and two ales.¡± He leaned into me eagerly, ¡°So tell me how you escaped a dragon.¡± ¡°Not much to tell. It was not a true dragon, anyway,¡± I paused. I was not going to tell Brutus I could heal. ¡°I was injured but was lucky as the elven summoner Konstantin had struck down with an arrow had a healing potion.¡± That reminded me that I had three potions that needed to be identified by the Scholar. ¡°I was nearly killed but was able to heal. The wyvern¡ªwas exhausted from fighting Sebastion. It just lost its train of thought in the fight, and I prevailed.¡± I smiled at the confused Brutus by the bullshit story. He was expecting some hero¡¯s tale, but I was no hero. We sipped ale, waiting for the food as I deflected Brutus¡¯ questions about how I prevailed. ¡°Did Quentin have a family?¡± I asked after the Legionnaire, who the hill giant had killed. It was an attempt to steer the conversation away from me. Brutus was clearly frustrated at my storytelling capabilities. ¡°Quentin?¡± Brutus recalled him with a frown as he had been one of Durandus¡¯ men with Brutus. ¡°No, well, no wife or kids. His parents owned a few sheep farms outside a city in the western Empire. I think they were well off. He joined the Legion to learn to fight and serve the Emperor.¡± Death was commonplace, and besides an honoring of the dead, they were generally not discussed again among the men after falling in battle. The food was brought out, and it was a small pie. Brutus paid a large copper for both of us. It was some fatty meat with carrots in gravy inside a thick crust. It was good, and we paused our conversation. After the meal, I decided to go for a ride, and Brutus followed me to the stables, still asking unanswered questions. I found Ginger in the stables, and she was upset I had left her for so long. At least, that is what I assumed, as she kept pushing her head into my chest strongly and pushing me back. ¡°Fine, girl. We can go out for a ride. After the ride, an apple is in your future.¡± She snorted an affirmative, and I guessed she missed the apples more than me. I saddled Ginger, and Brutus laughed at me for talking to a horse. But really, I was trying to get away from him and his incessant questions. ¡°Eryk, have fun on your ride. I will see you tonight when I gain ownership of one of the runic blades,¡± Brutus smirked as he left. Brutus was one of the best men in the company with a spear but had also trained with swords growing up. If I could use my air shield, I might have a good chance of claiming one of the blades. I made my way out of the Citadel and then the city. The countryside was dotted with dozens of campsites made up of wagons and improvised shelters. The Duchess bit off more than she could chew when she opened her arms to all these refugees. It might not have been so bad if food was not going to be very scarce soon. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I was taking a path through the tents to get into the woods, planning to let Ginger run for a while. The closer I got to the people, the more terrible things looked for them. There was a cart from the city, and I could see two Citadel guards and some of the servants handing out food. Lareen was not among them. Right now, hunger was not a problem. When food became an issue, things were less safe for the people. I entered the woods and started into a gallop, and Ginger responded immediately, understanding she was free to go as fast as she wanted. I got my body in synch with hers as she sprinted through the woods, churring up the soft ground. The cold early morning air felt good on my face as I raced past surprised foragers. She lasted almost five minutes at a sprint before easing off and panting hard. I patted her neck as she came to a stop, and I dismounted to give her the promised apple. A few people nearby stared at us. I saw some viable blood grass and was considering harvesting it when a voice off to my left asked, ¡°Legionnaire? Is that you? The one from the baths in Macha?¡± I turned to find a dirty young woman with a basket filled with tubers. Two other young women stood just behind her, just as dirty from digging in the dirt. It took me a moment to remember the face, ¡°Carina?¡± I asked, finally recognizing the young woman from Macha baths. ¡°It is you!¡± She said, surprised. ¡°I heard about Macha falling and the city walls crumbling,¡± I said consolingly. ¡°Did your brother make it out alive?¡± I asked, remembering her brother was a member of the city guard. Her dirty smile fell from her face, and tears started to well up. ¡°I am sorry that I asked. You made it to a safe city. The Duchess is a good woman.¡± Her throat was a little tight as she spoke, ¡°The Duchess is kind, but there is not much work for a bath girl in the city.¡± She tried to laugh, but I could tell things were not going well for her. She looked thinner than I remembered, and her clothes were soiled from digging. ¡°We,¡± she indicated her two companions, ¡°all worked in the baths. Now, we try to supplement the food allocation from the woods but are having to venture further and further from the city. It is dangerous, and we are worried about the other foragers and monsters.¡± I went to Ginger and pretended to root around in the empty saddle bags. I pulled out a ten-pound block of hard cheese and a large jar of berry preserves from my dimensional space. I walked back to the three women. ¡°Here, you can have these supplies. They were for the wardens but I can get more. I know a few people in the city, and I might be able to find you some work.¡± The three young women had wide eyes as I handed Carina the food. Carina dropped her basket and juggled the two heavy foodstuffs. ¡°Where can I find you if I can find you some work?¡± Carina was at a loss for words, so one of the thin women behind her volunteered, ¡°The are three wagons forming a triangle outside the east gate of Sobral. We are sharing the blue-painted wagon there.¡± I nodded to her and mounted Ginger. As I rode away, I mumbled something Adrian told me, ¡°You can¡¯t save everyone, Eryk.¡± I would still try. I thought about finding them a job in the Citadel, as that seemed the safest place. Then I remembered how the Duchess used her servants. Not that I objected too hard to Lareen seducing me. I rode further into the woods and started harvesting mushrooms and flora as I thought about how to help. Then I realized that I knew one job that might help Carina. The two old women herbalists, Lyla and Ria, had offered to buy my excess harvests. I had yet to return them since our first meeting, but Carina and her two friends might be able to harvest for them. I spent until mid-day harvesting an assortment. Mushrooms were scarce, and blood grass and most of the other flora were starting to wilt from the colder nights. I returned to the city with a sizable harvest and visited the two old women. ¡°Look who decided to return, Ria,¡± Lyla said as I entered their small herbalist shop. The mixture of sharp herbal scents hit me. I bowed, ¡°I have been kept busy by my mage commander, but I missed your wit and charm.¡± ¡°If you are here to sell, you are going to be disappointed with what we can offer. We are just interested in the edibles,¡± Ria said. I still placed everything I had found from a morning¡¯s work on the counter while Lyla sorted through it and Ria dealt with a middle-aged male customer. When she finished, she looked up, ¡°Three silver, fifty copper. Best we can do at the moment. Plenty of others are coming in to sell, and we cannot process what we have.¡± Ria had joined Lyla as the customer had bought a tincture and left. I nodded as if thinking, ¡°What if I could find you some help? I know some of the refugees, good people.¡± Ria perked up, ¡°Experienced herbalists?¡± She asked, interested. I frowned, ¡°No, you would have to train them.¡± ¡°Not interested, then,¡± Ria said with a dismissive wave. ¡°Food is scarce and coin tighter. We wouldn¡¯t be able to feed them, only pay them a pittance, and with the coming snow, things are going to get worse. Prices have already doubled and will double again before too long.¡± ¡°What if I could give you some food? Not from the Duchess, but some Legion stores I have access to? It is not a lot. Maybe a month¡¯s worth for the three women. I will also pay for their housing inside your shop. Is a silver a week for each fair?¡± The shop had a second floor, so I assumed there were multiple rooms up there. ¡°Three?¡± Lyla barked a laugh. ¡°You are keeping three women satisfied? You should have come to us, boy. There are two of us, and we know things they don¡¯t!¡± She chuckled, and I smiled weakly, trying not to form any mental images. I wanted to close the deal, ¡°Is it a pact then? Three apprentices? A month¡¯s worth of food and two gold coins to train them for a year?¡± I tried to press an agreement on the herbalists. Ria seemed to be the decision maker and held up her hand to have me pause as she thought, ¡°No. The coin would cover housing your women, but a month¡¯s worth of food is not enough. In a month, it is going to take two silver a week to feed a single person. Getting through winter to spring is going to be hard.¡± I did not have a shortage of coin, so I offered, ¡°Six gold for the year, then? They are all young and eager and will be able to forage and harvest for you in the local woods.¡± ¡°Young and eager?¡± Lyla smirked at me. I ignored the insinuation. The two old herbalist sisters got together and discussed it privately. I waited patiently for their decision. Ria finally turned around, ¡°The three of them will have to share a room upstairs. They will not be paid, but we will feed and house them for the next year and teach them what we know. Six gold and whatever food you can offer to help, Eryk.¡± I smiled in victory, ¡°So you did remember my name! Can I give you a little extra? I would hate for the women not to have any money to buy clothes.¡± Lyla¡¯s aged face returned a smile, ¡°Your name was kicking around in here,¡± she tapped her temple. ¡°What investment do you have in these women?¡± She asked curiously and maybe slightly suggestively. I went with the truth, ¡°I met one of them in Macha. The other two¡ªI don¡¯t even know their names. I found them in the woods foraging this morning and figured I could help.¡± The two sisters looked at each other, ¡°You are a strange one, Eryk. We agree to your terms.¡± The sisters left an hour later as we wrote out a contract of sorts for them and the three women. I gave them the eight gold, mostly in silver, to take all three young women on as apprentices. They would be fed, housed, and paid fifty copper a week each. Both old women left their shop to go to the blue wagon and make them the offer. I was supposed to wait in the shop for them to return. Instead, as soon as they left, I emptied my dimensional space of most of the food. Three jars of berry preserves, a bag of onions, thirty pounds of flour, twenty pounds of sugar, four jars of yeast, two casks of pickles, nine massive salami links, one block of hard cheese, two large bags of mushrooms, and two bags of potatoes. I decided to keep the honey and my remaining ration bars. The pile of foodstuffs looked like it was enough to feed a few people for a month. I left before the sisters returned, locking the door behind me. I did not need the adulation and was just happy to know my coin had helped some people. I was at the stables in the Citadel and unsaddling Ginger. The stable boys were not here, which surprised me. A pair of guards walked by outside on patrol, and I asked, ¡°Where are the stable boys?¡± ¡°They are probably in the center courtyard with everyone else. Your Legion company is holding a fighting competition,¡± he replied before continuing to walk on his patrol with his partner. Did the contest for the runic blades start already? I rushed through Ginger¡¯s rubdown and fed her before rushing to the central courtyard. I thought I had a decent chance of winning one of the two blades for myself.
PLEASE NOTE THIS STORY IS ONLY POSTED BY THE AUTHOR TO HIS PATREON, ROYAL ROAD AND SCRIBBLE HUB. IF YOU ARE VIEWING IT ON ANOTHER SITE IT HAS BEEN STOLEN WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION. Chapter 123 Contested Blades Chapter 123 Contested Blades I made my way to the central courtyard and found an elaborate setup. The central square of the fading gardens had been set with a thin layer of sand and sawdust. Over a hundred spectators stood to watch on one side of the square. Most of the spectators were workers in the Citadel. A slightly raised wooden platform was along another edge of the square. The platform had a number of occupied seats. Castile was seated next to Duchess Veronica in the center, and a frown creased both their faces. They did not look happy to be here. A woman in a gaudy gown sat next to the Duchess, who I assumed was the Countess, Duchess Veronica¡¯s mother. On the other side of the Countess was a lean man who looked to be in his early thirties. He had a smug look and looked happy to be watching the entertainment. Several Citadel attendants served the four VIP chairs on the makeshift spectator stage. Among their number was Lareen. On the third side of the square, the men of the company were getting ready for the combat. As I joined them, Maveith was in the back, and I asked him, ¡°Maveith, where have you been all day?¡± Maveith looked surprised to see me, ¡°Eryk, Castile accepted me as a huntsman for the company.¡± He was beaming with pride. ¡°I went to my cabin to get some things and seal it from the elements and intruders while I am away. I told Trek to check on it occasionally as well. I just got back to find this.¡± He indicated the makeshift fighting square. ¡°Maveith, what is with all the formality? I thought we were not going to do this until after dinner.¡± I indicated the elaborate setup. Adrian turned and walked to me to answer the question. His tone was sour, ¡°The First Citizen Boris found out about the competition and set this up and got the Duchess to force Castile to agree to it. Eryk, are you going to compete?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Isn¡¯t everyone?¡± I asked. I noticed Lareen bringing a tray of food for First Citizen Boris. He leaned back, and they whispered to each other. ¡°So far, just ten men are interested in the blades,¡± Adrian informed me, which made sense. For instance, Blaze and Pavel wouldn¡¯t want to fight as they were being given runic arrows. I noticed Lareen pointing at me while whispering to Boris. Oh, Lareen, what are you doing? Adrian had a piece of paper in his hand, ¡°You will fight Kolm in the first pairings.¡± I looked and saw Kolm stretching. He was the company¡¯s ad hoc blacksmith and repaired our resin hide armor as well. He was short, but his biceps matched his thighs. He was one of the company¡¯s shield men, and I don¡¯t remember him practicing often with a sword. ¡°Can I use my air shield when I fight?¡± I asked Adrian. ¡°Yes, any spell forms are allowed. The First Citizen wants the men to fight bare-chested for the entertainment spectacle,¡± Adrian said unhappily. ¡°The old healer is in the crowd if anyone gets injured, but control your enthusiasm as I don¡¯t want anyone seriously injured. The first pairings will start soon.¡± Adrian walked away to continue organizing the mini-tourney. I walked over to Kolm and watched Boris subtly as I talked to Kolm. Boris¡¯ eyes were definitely following me. ¡°Kolm, looks like we are paired off in the first round,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Harpies tits! Really? Why does Adrian hate me,¡± he said dejectedly. ¡°You are one of the favorites,¡± Kolm admitted sourly. ¡°I never understood that curse? Who are the other favorites?¡± I asked the miserable-looking Kolm. Filth was quick to chime in, ¡°Harpies tits, Eryk. You know, they look like a regular woman¡¯s, but then the rest of the creature is hideous and trying to kill you. And Brutus and I are the favorites,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°They have been practicing out here all day,¡± Kolm told me. Both Firth and Brutus were spearmen in the company, so I was shocked they were favorites in the sword competition. Then again, our three best swordsmen in the company already had runic weapons: Konstantin, Adrian, and Delmar. Benito came up behind me, ¡°Eryk heard you are fighting. Cost is ten silver.¡± My confused face had Benito explain. ¡°Winner take all. Runic sword and the silver.¡± I handed Benito the ten silver and realized the man was a gambling addict. The men, not Adrian, established this prize purse. I returned to stand with Maveith as the first pairing was called to fight thirty minutes later after more spectators and refreshments arrived. Brutus was against Felix. Both legionnaires entered the ring in just their canvas pants and boots. Their muscled torsos held a shield and weighted wooden practice sword. Their bare feet stirred the sand as they walked. Mateo was close, and I overheard him say, ¡°The sand and sawdust are so our blood does not stain the stones of the courtyard just like in the coliseum.¡± The spectators started making some noise as the two men engaged. My focus was on the First Citizen Boris as he frequently asked Lareen questions, and his eyes drifted to me instead of the fight he had seemed anxious for. It was less than a minute before Felix was lying unconscious on the sand. The old healer moved to the sand to check on him and heal him. The next fight was between Benito and Mateo. I had not followed the fight and was shocked when I looked up to find Benito had won. Mateo was a good swordsman and was heavily favored, but Benito was a shifty little guy. ¡°Eryk and Kolm,¡± Adrian announced the next fight. As I removed my armor to get stripped down to my canvas pants for my duel, I noticed First Citizen Boris studying me intently. I fumed as I guessed he was seeing if I was wearing the dreamscape amulet. That was probably why he wanted us to fight bare-chested. It also meant Lareen had betrayed me and told the First Citizen I had the artifact. I moved to the sand with Kolm. His pale, bare chest had curly blonde hair, while his head and beard were deep black. It made him look odd. His jaw clenched, not liking his matchup with me. We both tapped our weighted wooden swords on our shields to let each other know we were ready. Kolm had a strong base but moved poorly. He was used to a body shield. I circled to his left, trying to cross him up. He was prepared to turtle with a much smaller shield than he normally fought with and take opportunity attacks. As he got anxious, I moved in fast, and deflected his swing on my shield. Kolm had planned to use my block to surprise me with a low swing. I surprised him by stabbing him and spinning away. My wooden sword point connected where his heart was, leaving a bloody welt. Kolm¡¯s sword swung through the empty air, and he winced from the pain of my strike. ¡°Killing blow,¡± Adrian determined, and Kolm threw his shield and sword away in disgust. The Citadel workers clapped and cheered my quick victory. I looked to the platform to find Castile nodding appreciatively, and Boris¡¯ eyes narrowed. Lareen held a pitcher and glass but was beaming happily at my victory. I think the Countess looked surprised and licked her lips, studying me. I went to Kolm and put my arm around him as he got some minor healing. I spent a few moments telling him what he did wrong. He had basically telegraphed his entire attack. ¡°Benito and Eryk!¡± Adrian announced the next match. I guess I would not be allowed any time to rest¡ªnot that my first victory took long. I moved back to the sand and faced off against the much smaller Benito. Benito was fast but made a lot of mistakes in one-on-one fights in practice. At least, that was my experience from all the times the company trained together. He was an excellent man to have on your side in a fight, though. Benito spun his sword in his hand, trying to show off to the crowd. We both tapped shields and engaged. I was cautious as I protected my legs, figuring he would target my knee. We clashed and tested each other. Our speed actually matched well, but I was definitely faster than I was a few weeks ago. Benito was quickly frustrated as I was being cautious and not giving him an opportunity to exploit. Benito suddenly overextended, and I slashed the wrist of his sword hand, breaking his wrist and causing him to drop his wooden sword. If he had been wearing his vambraces, it would have saved him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Benito stepped back and cursed under his breath. He dropped his shield and walked to the healer, disgusted with his own impatience. I think he thought he would win the coin and runic blade¡ªhe certainly didn¡¯t lack confidence. I looked at Adrian, smirking, ¡°Am I going to have to fight again? Or can I get a rest?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get a rest in battle,¡± he replied with his own smile. The company chastised me with jeers as well at my complaint. Adrian announced the next pairing with a smirk, ¡°Brutus and Remus!¡± Remus was the only man from Gregor¡¯s company left. He had long red hair, making him stand out from the others. As the two engaged, it was clear the two were familiar with each other, and it was no contest. Brutus was an excellent swordsman as he had been practicing since his youth. It took a few minutes, but he disarmed Remus by getting a strike on his fingers and breaking a few fingers. He followed it with a blow to the ribs. Adrian announced, ¡°Debilitating injury! Brutus wins!¡± Brutus raised his hands in victory like a gladiator, and there was a lot of cheering from the Citadel workers. I noticed Lareen hadn¡¯t cheered at either of my victories as well. I was a little envious as the spectators had not cheered as loudly for me¡ªexcept the stable boys, but I had bought that idolization. I rested and sipped water while watching and waiting for my next call. We were putting on a good show for the Citadel workers. Castile still looked unhappy, but the three First Citizens were content with the pre-dinner entertainment we provided. We were not trying to be fancy in our fighting as winning was more important than giving them a show. The company men did not care about their happiness. Fighting without armor was not something we practiced, so it was expected that we would make mistakes. As they happened, I studied the other fights, and soon we were down to just four. Firth, Brutus, Soren, and myself. Soren was one of the quiet ones in the company. Rumor had it he had killed a baker for selling him moldy bread. I doubted that was true as I had never seen the man go into a rage before. ¡°Brutus and Soren!¡± Adrian announced. Firth moved to stand next to me, ¡°Looks like we are paired next, Eryk. I will go easy on you and not make you look too bad. If you drop me two gold, I will even let you win,¡± he said with a smirk, holding out his hand. I was pretty sure even if I paid him the two gold, he would go all out. ¡°For twenty gold, I will let you win, paid upfront, though,¡± I returned with my own offer and grin. Firth walked away smiling and confident with no gold exchanged. I knew he served a Praetorian Guard, and maybe he was more skilled than he was showing. His job was to eliminate Castile if she did anything against the Empire¡¯s interests. Brutus won his fight against Soren but was not yet guaranteed a runic blade. Adrian announced, ¡°Congratulations Brutus. One of the blades is yours. You will still need to fight the winner of Firth and Eryk in order to determine who picks first!¡± Adrian roared to the crowd and waved his hands as he got into the event¡¯s spirit. The only issue was the healer seemed to be out of aether after healing Soren. I stood across from Firth on the stand. His eyes were hard and focused on me. I could tell Firth was planning to go to go all out. I thought about using my air shield in the fight. I had not needed it so far, but I had a feeling Firth was hiding his true ability. We tapped shields and circled. I tuned out the crowd and took in Firth¡¯s movements. The caution in his steps betrayed his skill. It reminded me of Xavier, the swordmaster. He was trying to show as little as possible, but there were hints of it. Firth, the brothel-loving legionnaire, was more than he seemed. He flashed forward, and I defended and countered with my shield. I heard someone in the company mutter that Firth was faster than normal today, and I thought the same thing. He continued to press, and I was hard-pressed to block and parry. He finally stepped back after nearly a minute, breathing heavily, ¡°Eryk, you have gotten much better. This should have been over by now.¡± I could see his heavy eyes and guessed maybe he had used a spell form. I was guessing by the familiar, exhausted look in his eyes from using all your aether. It was a weak spell form, if that was what it was, and he had almost no aether to sustain it if he was already out. Firth saluted me with his sword, ¡°I concede the duel to Eryk.¡± To the disappointment of the crowd and Boris in particular, Firth walked off of the sand. I thought it was a very even match, perhaps even slightly tilted in Firth¡¯s favor. Whatever he did to elevate himself had drained him considerably, and he chose to concede rather than lose in front of everyone. Or maybe he had used his one trick or did not want to show more. I was not the only man in the company with secrets. Adrian seemed puzzled and shocked as well. I walked off the sand to stand by Maveith even though the next fight was mine. Benito moved close, ¡°Eryk, that was impressive. I don¡¯t feel so as useless as tits on a minotaur now for losing to you.¡± Maveith intoned, trying to educate Benito, ¡°There are female minotaurs with functional breasts, Benito.¡± Mateo, who was nearby, asked, ¡°How does minotaur milk taste? Is it the same as cow¡¯s milk? How do you get it?¡± That got a lot of chuckles from the men. There was a small commotion on the stage as the two blades were brought out and placed at the feet of Duchess Veronica. Adrian called us forward, ¡°Brutus and Eryk, come forward and look upon your blade choices.¡± The Citadel workers were crowding and craning their necks to see. I walked with Brutus and looked upon the two long swords. Each blade was about 33 inches with a hilt of 8 inches. Both blades had runic markings, but one was tarnished black and pitted. The other blade was polished steel and ancient-looking. Duchess Veronica smiled down at both of us, ¡°Two blades from my mother¡¯s family guards. They have been loaned to me by my mother¡¯s grace. The last runic smith of the Telhian Empire forged the dark blade for its intended purpose. It has fought in hundreds of battles and served its wielders well. The orcs of the Boutan Caliphate forged the other blade. It was claimed in battle by my grandfather from an orc warrior.¡± Brutus caught the same thing in the explanation that I did. He asked, ¡°After the expedition to the elven ruins, the blades have to be returned?¡± The Duchess smiled, ¡°Yes, unless you wish to enter my service. In that case, you can keep the blade and wield it to defend me.¡± Brutus frowned as he felt he had been scammed. I looked at Castile; she looked like she had already been aware of the condition. Adrian interrupted our dismay at not being able to retain the blades after the expedition. ¡°Eryk and Brutus, move to the center and prepare to fight.¡± As I moved onto the sand, I figured it made sense as a runic blade was worth a thousand gold, according to Delmar. Although the two blades we were fighting for were not nearly as immaculate as the Delmar¡¯s or Konstantin¡¯s. Delmar¡¯s had come from a dungeon, and an elven smith forged Konstantin¡¯s. Brutus still seemed determined to win even though the prize was temporary. We tapped shields, and Brutus engaged with vigor. We danced and kicked up sand as swords clattered on shields at a rapid tempo. The men of the company cheered us both as we circled. ¡°You are better than I remember,¡± Brutus said after I intercepted three quick successive attacks.¡± ¡°Maybe you are just getting slow in your old age,¡± I countered with a smile and counterattack. ¡°I am younger than you!¡± He barked as he launched into a series that was familiar to me from my time with Xavier, and I dodged and backed away, letting him expend his energy in futility. I could see the consternation and frustration building on his face. I still had not even used an air shield yet. I was beginning to think my dreamscape practice was more effective than my practice in the real world. Brutus was better with a shield than I was. I was learning a lot by how his minimal movements prevented me from taking advantage of his openings. The fight was the longest fight of the evening, and the crowd loved it, and I was feeding off the growing noise. Brutus tried a trick that ended the fight. He tried to hook the corner of his shield on mine and pull it away to expose me. I had experienced this same act in my dreamscape from Konstantin. So when I noticed his shield caught mine and tugged on my arm for what it was. I used it against him, creating my own opening. My swing was powerful and directed at his knee. Brutus realized it and tried to turn away from the strike to lessen the impact. I still connected, just not as solidly. ¡°Debilitating injury!¡± Adrian called immediately, ending the fight. I think Adrian was concerned about making sure everyone was healthy before we left, as the healer was exhausted. Brutus limped away and had trouble putting weight in the leg. I think I shattered his patella. I made sure Brutus was fine, but he was angry about losing. The healer needed a few hours before he could heal him, but Brutus assured me he was going to be fine. ¡°That was a quick counter, Eryk. I didn¡¯t see it coming. A well-deserved victory.¡± He clapped me on the back in both congratulations and assistance to stand. ¡°You should go and choose your blade, as the First Citizens do not look happy to be kept waiting.¡± Silence spread in the crowd as I walked to the platform and inspected the two blades again under the gaze of the Duchess, her family, and Castile. I picked up the tarnished blade and tested its weight. Then I did the same for the other one. The black blade was slightly heavier and appeared to have a better edge, even with the odd aging on its length. ¡°I will take this one,¡± I indicated the darker blade. The Duchess¡¯ eyebrows went up in surprise as it was probably the lesser of the two artifacts. First Citizen Boris drew attention to himself by clapping loudly. ¡°Good display of skills, legionnaire! I want to test myself against the best swordsman today. I am sure Mage Castile will give me the honor to exercise with this evening¡¯s winner in front of the assembled crowd?¡± Chapter 124 A Woman Can Not Keep a Secret Chapter 124 A Woman Can Not Keep a Secret Boris had essentially challenged me in front of everyone. I looked to Castile, who had been uncomfortable with the whole display, and now she even wore a frown. I looked back at Adrian and Delmar, and neither offered me help dealing with the First Citizen. First Citizen Boris had the unmistakable smile of someone who thought they were better than you. He walked out onto the sand while I sheathed my new black blade. Boris spoke again, ¡°That sword you claimed is a family heirloom. The First Captains of our Citadel guard wielded it for centuries. My grandfather told me it was a gift from a third Emperor to his great grandfather.¡± I had a feeling this was set up, and I was waiting for him to get to his point. ¡°I will keep it safe and return it after our exploration of the elven ruins,¡± I said cautiously. He smiled like a snake oil salesman, ¡°Perhaps while you have my family¡¯s blade in your care, I can hold something of yours in case you do not return?¡± And there it was. I looked to Castile, who had a dark look on her face directed at Boris. Lareen was conveniently behind one of the large chairs on the stage, and her back was turned to me. I looked for any support or clue on what to do. Duchess Veronica spoke, ¡°I gave Mother a fair price for the blade, Boris. It is not yours to barter with.¡± Boris ground his teeth at his sister¡¯s remark and being interrupted. ¡°Fine. I still wish to practice with the legionnaire; perhaps he would care for a bet on the outcome? Something of equal value to this?¡± I sensed this First Citizen was not too bright as he was making things up after his original plan failed. He drew his sword. The blade reminded me of Delmar¡¯s dungeon-made long blade. The blade shimmered in the light of the fading sun, appearing to ripple like water. Boris¡¯ mother, Countess Asella, barked, ¡°Boris, no.¡± Her voice was laced with anger. ¡°He has nothing of worth to match it! And that blade is still mine until you take my seat as Count.¡± Her anger seemed genuine, so I did not sense she was party to this sham. ¡°But he does, mother. This legionnaire has a dreamscape amulet,¡± he announced to everyone present. I heard Benito ask someone loudly, ¡°What is a dreamscape amulet?¡± My eyes were focused on Castile, whose eyebrows showed surprise as she locked eyes on me in question. Lareen was now missing from the stage entirely, hiding from my irate gaze. Whispers started running through the crowd, trying to figure out what a dreamscape amulet was. My companions seemed just as perplexed at the unfolding events. Boris¡¯s grin split his face at the commotion he had caused, thinking he had scored a victory. The Countess was weighing something in her mind. He spun in a circle as he spoke so everyone could hear him, like a showman at a circus, ¡°As I told you last night, Mother, a dreamscape amulet is a dungeon artifact allowing you to control your dreams. You can practice with swords, read a book, fight monsters, or fuck every woman you ever met in whatever manner pleases you!¡± The Countess finished her internal deliberations and gave him a small nod to approve the bet. ¡°I refuse,¡± I stated flatly. ¡°The duel and the wager.¡± I turned my back on Boris and walked back to the company. They seemed half curious about the amulet and smirking at my dismissal of the First Citizen. Mateo intercepted me, and asked as I reached the group, ¡°Where did you find a dreamscape amulet, Eryk? Sounds like it would be, uh, educational. Can I try it?¡± Behind me, Boris had not given up and turned his attention to the platform, ¡°Mage Castile, surely you would not deny me a friendly contest and wager!? I wish to fight your company champion!¡± Castile grimaced. I knew she hated dealing with First Citizens and did not hide this fact on her face as she stood. Castile walked off the stage and past the haughty Boris to join the company. She came straight at me and walked past me, and I moved to join her to talk together in private. ¡°Do you really have it? A dreamscape amulet?¡± I considered my reply for just a moment and admitted, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± she said, considering and with no anger showing. ¡°That is how you have been studying and learning your spell forms so quickly. Did you steal it from Durandus? Or take it from a corpse of one of the Bartiradians?¡± She questioned. ¡°No, I had it before Macha,¡± I replied quietly. Castile nodded slowly, her mind working, ¡°Then it is your possession. Unless¡ªthe dungeon?¡± Castile was too smart for her own good. I nodded subtly, not denying it. She coughed, seemingly amused. She shook her head in disbelief while in consideration. ¡°Well, do not tell anyone you took it from a dungeon while in my Mage Company. The Empire has the right of purchase, especially from a legionnaire conscript.¡± She looked at the smug Boris, waiting impatiently, ¡°He cannot force you to fight. As a First Citizen, he could try to force you to sell it to him, but I doubt he has enough gold to buy it if it does what he says.¡± She thought for a moment, ¡°Veronica told me a little about her older brother Boris. He is spiteful. If he can¡¯t get the amulet, he will spread the word you have it to others.¡± ¡°Castile, what should I do?¡± I sought her advice in a pleading tone. I was not giving the First Citizen prick my amulet. Castile looked over her shoulder at Boris who was playing to the small crowd. ¡°Do you think you can win? You have improved greatly, but Boris is an accomplished swordsman. He practices three hours every morning in the courtyard and has fought in dozens of competitions.¡± ¡°Can I use my spell form? Does he have a spell form?¡± I asked quietly. ¡°He does. Veronica said he can harden his skin and can enhance his strength. He is no mage, of that I am sure,¡± she informed me. ¡°Then yes, I can win,¡± I replied confidently. Lareen didn¡¯t know I had the air shield, so that meant Boris didn¡¯t know either. ¡°You will be making an enemy,¡± she cautioned. ¡°Your amulet is no longer a secret either.¡± I shrugged as the whole company knew now anyway. Not that I was planning to let them use it. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I will talk with the First Citizens with your permission to get everything formalized,¡± Castile waited till I nodded. She went to the platform, and the Duchess, Countess, and Boris convened with Castile. Boris was confident as he waved his hand to rush the conversation. He had watched me fight and probably thought he had a good measure of my ability. It took almost twenty minutes and some time to write things out formally after that. Castile finally announced the duel with the Duchess holding the parchment with the conditions. The crowd¡¯s anticipation was about to be quenched as Castile spoke, ¡°First Citizen Boris and Legionnaire Eryk have agreed to a duel. The first person incapacitated or yielding will be deemed the loser. The winner will take both prizes with them.¡± Castile smirked, ¡°Duchess Veronica will hold the prizes during the contest.¡± Boris turned his head abruptly, realizing he would not be fighting with his runic weapon. Castile had out-maneuvered the not-so-bright Boris. It also meant I needed to take the amulet out of my space and hand it over to the Duchess. Boris agreed after a short argument before sending a runner for another weapon. I walked and reluctantly handed the amulet to Castile, who brought it to the Duchess, who started studying the artifact intently while we waited. I was worried she might try to use it, but she didn¡¯t fall asleep in her chair before placing it down. A guard from the countess¡¯ men came rushing in and drew his blade for the First Citizen. The blade was another runic weapon but had a dull polish, and I guessed a runic blacksmith had forged it. Boris swung the new blade twice and seemed content. He moved to meet me in the center of the sand, his confidence still evident. Castile looked at both of us, ¡°Acknowledge you are both ready.¡± I tapped my blade on the shield. I would have used the black blade, but it was a few inches longer than what I was accustomed to. Boris tapped his sword on his shield, and I frowned, realizing it also had runic patterns, and thought I might have made a mistake. ¡°Begin!¡± Castile said, backing away. Boris started to circle me, and I did likewise. The men of the company were getting loud, and their support had quite an array of colorful words. I circled faster and created an arc of windshields around the unsuspecting Boris. Boris¡¯ skin got darker as he turned to follow my movement. My biggest advantage was the air shields were only visible to me. When they were at his back, I stepped forward, and he prepared to receive my attack. Instead, I just added more air shields, boxing him in. This was one of Konstantin¡¯s ideas, but he was not here to take credit for it. It was too late when he realized the trap as Boris felt the first air shield at his elbow. His confidence evaporated as he searched for movement as I narrowed his confinement before the shields dissapated. I set the air shields off the ground, just above his knee to over his head. He worked his runic weapon into an air shield, trying to destroy the invisible shields while I swung in an arc low at his feet. He jumped to avoid the swipe, but his head met another shield I had placed over his head. My sword slashed his shin but barely penetrated. He really did have magically hardened skin. I had thought my first strike would have ended the fight. I slashed again as he destroyed the first air shield, giving him an escape route. However, this time, I cut deeper. My third strike targeted his Achilles. I did not get much penetration on the tendon, but it was enough as he went to one knee. Although I had tried to tune out the noise, Adrian¡¯s command voice reached me through the shouts, ¡°Do not let up till he yields, Eryk!¡± Boris had produced a potion and was going to drink it. I could see the gaps in my shields that would expire soon, and I lunged forward to stab the Boris in the ribs. The tip of my blade barely entered four inches into him, and I could feel it grating on bone as it reached the liver. I yanked the sword sideways, cutting his organs. The sudden pain caused Boris to drop the potion and his sword while his mother screamed for someone to help him. My adrenaline started to fade, and the crowd noises returned. Castile declared, ¡°Boris is incapacitated. Do you agree, Countess?¡± ¡°Heal him!¡± She yelled at the old healer in the crowd, ignoring Castile. I removed my blade, and blood oozed from the wound as Boris clutched at it. Dark blood flowed, and the old man kneeled to help. Castile interrupted, ¡°Boris, do you yield?¡± Boris nodded, his eyes slightly glassy. Castile nodded, and the burnt healer started sweating as he forced aether painfully through himself to heal Boris. I waited while the healer struggled after closing the wound. I had probably damaged more than the liver, and the healer was already very low on aether from helping men in the company today. Castile picked up the potion and fed it to Boris. His complexion went from pale to slightly pink. It was a full healing potion so I knew he would live. A few minutes later, Boris stood; the old healer could not and was clearly in a lot of pain from using too much aether in his burnt channels. Mateo and Felix came to help the healer stand and assisted to a bench to sit. Mateo hissed as he passed me carrying the healer, ¡°Amazing Eryk! I still want to try your amulet.¡± Borris was angry as he regained himself, ¡°I did not concede! Or request outside assistance! The fight is still in process!¡± Castile shook her head, hiding a smug expression from Boris, ¡°The Countess was a signed proxy. She called for outside assistance, and it was given. First Citizen Boris, the contest is over.¡± Duchess Veronica could not hide her own smirk, ¡°Brother, this is my Citadel, and I rule you lost by the terms written. The prizes belong to the legionnarie.¡± Boris fumed and stormed away, seeing he would not get any assistance from his sister. The Duchess was clearly happy with the outcome, and her brother being embarrassed. Castile was right in that I had made an enemy today. Maveith¡¯s huge hand clapped me on the back, causing me to stumble toward it. Soon, I was surrounded by men of the company, receiving congratulations and praise. I forced my way past them to the platform to get my prizes, sending the amulet to storage and picking up Boris¡¯ dungeon blade. Duchess Veronica looked down at me, smiling, ¡°That was an interesting means of achieving victory. I congratulate you on a well-earned victory and prizes.¡± Countess Asella approached furiously, ¡°He cannot keep the blade, Veronica. Have him return it immediately!¡± I looked between the mother and daughter, each of them challenging the other with lighting stares. I would probably be made a target if I carried a runic weapon like that. I addressed Duchess Veronica, ¡°Are the black blade and Boris¡¯ blade equal in value? Could I trade you Boris¡¯ blade for the black one to keep?¡± I knew I was getting the worst end of this deal, but I would end up with a runic blade either way. I was thinking the aged black blade was fairly inconspicuous compared to the shiny dungeon blade. Castile eyed the Duchess as she considered a response. They had formed a good relationship, and the Duchess was not going to ruin it, ¡°I agree to your terms. The dungeon blade is twice the value. Would you accept both blades?¡± She indicated the orc-forged blade that was intended for Brutus. Castile nodded approvingly at me, and I took it that was a fair trade. I placed picked up the other blade and left Boris¡¯ blade on the stage. I guess that blade now belonged to Duchess Veronica. The fireworks between the Countess and Duchess were not over, and I tried to retreat. Mateo asked me again to borrow the amulet. ¡°Just for one night, Eryk.¡± ¡°You need to be able to channel aether to use it, Mateo,¡± I told him, walking past. Of course, someone else could probably activate it for him, but I was not certain of that. Mateo frowned. I passed Adrian and told him, ¡°I will be in the northwest tower getting some rest.¡± I was happy Maveith was on my heels. I was sure he would be a deterrent to mischief by Boris until we left in the morning for the ruins. I did not head directly to the tower. Instead, I veered off and went to the library. I wanted to talk with Scholar Favian about some elven potions and daggers. Chapter 125 Preparation Chapter 125 Preparation With Maveith trailing me, I entered the library. Scholar Favian was sorting books on a table. ¡°Eryk, I am not ready yet. Trying to decide which books will be most helpful on the expedition.¡± ¡°You are coming to the Haunted Ruins?¡± I asked, surprised at the old scholar¡¯s statement. ¡°Of course! Are you not here to pack my things? Mage Castile said, half of your dimensional space is at my disposal, and you and Maveith would carry my pack and food. But I think I can carry my own food,¡± he added with a wink. I stacked a few books on top of each that he was not using, ¡°This is about half the size of the space, Scholar.¡± I realized the other half of my space was probably going to be the potions from Decimus. It would mean I would not be able to pull extra items out of my dimensional space during the expedition, and I was going to have to suffer and carry my gear like everyone else. Favian started using the pile to sort and resort his chosen books. He hemmed and hawed as he made life-or-death decisions in his mind. I waited patiently while he finished, stacking eight tomes next to my pile. ¡°There. All the books with maps of or pictures of the ancient Elven city. I wish I had time to copy them as I only need a few pages of each.¡± I moved the selected books to storage. Favian frowned, ¡°I was still going to cross-reference a few things¡­never mind. I should focus on packing my other gear.¡± I took the opportunity to ask a question, ¡°Favian, I recently fought the elven summoners and took this as a prize. Can you tell me anything about it?¡± I placed the runic dagger on the table. Maveith¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°That is an exquisite dagger. You already had a runic weapon? Now you have three?¡± Maveith said in awe. I shrugged, ¡°This is actually a secret. I would prefer if no one knew I had it.¡± Even if people found out, I was unconcerned. I thought I could sell the dagger eventually, and the more I knew about it, the better I could negotiate the price. I was also testing the waters on whether I would ask Favian to read the script on the three elven potions. Scholar Favian handled the blade delicately as he studied, ¡°Maveith is right. This is a piece of artwork.¡± He studied the runic script and other markings on the blade. ¡°I cannot read runes. You will need to have the Adventurers Guild use a revelation scroll on it or find an enchanter to decipher them. Most blades have durability, sharpness, or everclean runes on them. But I can tell you what these markings are,¡± he indicated the fine script along the blade. Maveith leaned in to look over my shoulder as I studied where he pointed, ¡°And?¡± It was similar to the elven script I had seen in the books. Scholar Favian smiled, ¡°It is a legacy blade! See this fine tiny script here. These are the names of everyone who has been gifted the blade and when they received it. I am unfamiliar with the calendar system, so I cannot age the weapon.¡± ¡°Can you read the names?¡± Maveith asked curiously. ¡°Hmm, there are five here: Aelua Jorieth, Fildarae Glavien, Shaerra Glavien, Eliyen Glavien, and Raelia Glavien. All feminine names, if I am not mistaken. Probably a gift given from mother to daughter when they come of age. But that is just my guess.¡± He pointed, ¡°This here is the forger¡¯s mark. It is not a name, and I have not studied the famous elven smiths, so I cannot tell you if it is significant.¡± The last name Favian read was Raelia Glavein. Was that the name of the nearly dead elf griffin rider in my storage? Most likely, she was going to be made into an essence when I had the opportunity. Knowing her name made me feel a little guilty about it, but it was unlikely to change my mind. I had the two elven backpacks, but both were larger than my dimensional storage, so I would have to search those in private to avoid questions. I was assuming they had food and camping gear. If I even had some private time as we moved out in the morning to explore the ruins of Caelora. I took the dagger and sent it to my dimensional space. Maveith stood up from his crouch. ¡°I found one other interesting thing on the summoner,¡± I randomly produced one of the potions and handed it to him. The off-green liquid appeared viscous in the test tube-sized vial. ¡°I will not question the method of obtaining these. I heard you were left behind to fight a dragon by yourself,¡± Scholar Favian said, taking the potion interested. ¡°I told you I was a messenger rider in the army. Sometimes, we do things out of necessity in battle.¡± He studied the script, ¡°This is the alchemist¡¯s mark here. The date is here with expected efficacy. The potion is named dominate creature. There is a book in the Duchess¡¯ library that talks about potions. Give me a moment.¡± Favian excitedly went to the magic section, took just a few seconds to pull the book he wanted, and returned. Eagerly paging through it, he found the entry, ¡°A dominant creature potion allows the imbiber to beguile a beast. They will think you are friendly and, if you are able to communicate with them, will perform tasks for you. The greater the intellect and resilience of the creature, the more likely they are to resist the effect.¡± He handed me the book, and I returned the potion to my dimensional space. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I am just going to page through this book. I have been working with Decimus, and I am interested in the different types of potions an alchemist can brew,¡± I said, sitting in the chair. ¡°There are probably very few alchemists in the Empire that can brew that potion. The upper right has difficulty brewing it, tier four,¡± Favian said. I saw four stars after the name and nodded my thanks. I paged through the book while Maveith waited for me and then replaced it on the shelf. ¡°Thank you, Favian,¡± I said, shaking wrists with the aging scholar. Maveith waited for me, and we headed to the tower. I found Mateo and Felix in our room playing checkers. ¡°I got next game,¡± Maveith said excitedly, going to the table. Mateo looked at Felix. ¡°I told you he would eventually come back here.¡± He focused on me, ¡°Delmar said to find you and have you see the alchemist and scholar about filling your space.¡± Felix interrupted, ¡°I was told to find you. Mateo just followed me like a puppy. He has not shut up about your dreamscape amulet and its possibilities.¡± ¡°Eryk is going to let me try it out. Right, Eryk?¡± Mateo said pleadingly. ¡°I told you you need to be able to channel your aether, Mateo,¡± I said as Mateo deflated. ¡°Are Konstantin and Flavius back yet?¡± I moved to start preparing my gear on my bed. Mateo was sulking by filling a goblet from the ale cask. Felix answered while starting a game with Maveith. ¡°No, they have not returned. Brutus is looking for you, too. Said you have his sword,¡± he chuckled. Mateo was on his second cup, ¡°How did you get so good with the blade, Eryk? I remember when you joined us a few months ago, you couldn¡¯t beat a single one of us in the company.¡± ¡°Konstantin,¡± I offered as an answer. Mateo nodded at that, knowing how hard Konstantin had worked with me when he had trained me. When I finished packing, I went to the alchemist floor above. Decimus was working furiously between multiple processes, ¡°Eryk, give me twenty minutes. No, wait¡ªwatch that table and release the pressure if it gets too high!¡± I ended up helping Decimus for over two hours. A few hours ago, I was a celebrated company champion, and now I was the alchemist¡¯s lackey. Decimus¡¯s skin had returned to normal but was drenched in sweat as he worked. ¡°Eryk, thank you. I wanted to try a run at the lesser healing potions since Castile is leaving tomorrow. Put these six in your storage immediately. The harmonization was not powerful, but I think they will work. Also, there are twenty vials of healing salve over there. My processing is getting better, and they should last a good amount of time.¡± He sat down exhausted in his chair. ¡°You mean you are not coming with us?¡± I asked, with a smile he didn¡¯t catch. Decimus jumped up suddenly, nervous, ¡°What? Did Castile say I was going with the company?¡± His face was showing panic and fear. ¡°No, I just thought you might want to go. Scholar Favian is going,¡± I said, trying not to laugh at his comical fear. Then again, I had become numb to danger and had not even thought about going to an undead city. I was not sure if I was not afraid or just certain I would somehow find a way out of the situation. Decimus relaxed, seeing he was not recruited. ¡°I am happy in my tower. However, Sobral is not what I expected. The people have no spare coin for my remedies. Now, with winter almost here, I will lack fresh ingredients, and harmonizing potions is going to become challenging.¡± I took the vials he indicated and was disappointed he had no more mouthwash for me. I wished Decimus well and went downstairs. Mateo was gone, and Felix and Maveith were still playing checkers. We headed down for the evening meal in the barracks. We sat with Firth. Firth gave me an unhappy stare, probably for besting him and winning the blade. Firth still dispensed the gossip, ¡°The Countess is moving her men into the barracks after we leave tomorrow. Apparently, they are staying through winter as the war with the Bartiradians is intensifying.¡± Felix inquired while eating half a roasted chicken with his hands, ¡°Where are we going to stay when we return?¡± ¡°First, we need to return,¡± Firth said hotly. ¡°Focus on that.¡± The meal proceeded in silence after Firth¡¯s comment. I ended up watching a dice game after eating. Benito was running it, and he seemed to win more often than not. They were only playing for coppers, but I still turned down an invitation. ¡°Konstantin and Flavius are back,¡± Blaze said from the door. Both scouts entered the dining hall after him to cheers as Konstantin held up the prize, the essence collector. Flavius scanned the room, found me, and locked eyes with me for a moment before turning away. Delmar appeared, and the two scouts followed him to meet with Castile and Adrian. I was a little worried that they had not asked me to join them. I was the one who had killed the wyvern and wondered what they had figured out. I watched the dice game, and the longer Konstantin and Flavius took, the more paranoid I became. Delmar was with them when they returned, and Delmar approached me with purpose. ¡°Eryk, did you get the potions from the alchemist?¡± He asked quickly. ¡°Yes, twenty salves and six lesser healing, but he thinks the efficacy period is short on the lesser healing, so I need to keep them stored,¡± I reported. ¡°Good, Castile wants to see you. She is in the last room down that hallway,¡± Delmar pointed. He then raised his voice for the dozen men still in the dining room, ¡°Get to your bunks. Breakfast at first light, and then we march!¡± Groans erupted, but everyone began cleaning up. I stood and walked down the hallway Delmar had indicated. These were the officer rooms for the barracks, and there were four of them. The last door on the right was open. Castile was in the room looking at some items on the table. A single bed was against the wall under a small window. She looked at me quizzically, ¡°Eryk, come in and shut the door behind you.¡± A closed the door and took the only other seat at the table across from Castile. Chapter 126 Choosing Sides Chapter 126 Choosing Sides I was seated across from Castile, a worn, dark oak table between us. Two gold rings, a silver necklace, and some folded papers were on the table. She studied me until I started to get uncomfortable. Castile broke the silence, ¡°Can I see the amulet?¡± I didn¡¯t hesitate, and I put the amulet on the table. Castile picked it up and turned it in her hands. I was watching her eyes to see if she used it. She eventually put it down, never having tested it. ¡°I never heard them called dreamscape amulets before. There were two of these at the Mage College, usable only by the First Citizens and under the supervision of a High Mage. They could help you learn new spells in weeks instead of months.¡± Castile made strong eye contact, ¡°How did Boris know you had this?¡± I winced, ¡°It was Lareen. The servant assigned to me. She caught me using it. She promised not to tell anyone.¡± Castile¡¯s eyebrows raised in a mocking visage, ¡°I will talk with the Duchess. I am sure Lareen will be suitably punished for not informing her before her brother.¡± That made me feel slightly better, but still, she had betrayed me, and the secret was out. She pushed it back toward me, like pushing away a temptation. ¡°Secure it. Duchess Veronica is not letting her brother do any message sendings, but we are certain he will plan to obtain it or use its existence to gain favor from another powerful First Citizen.¡± I felt like this amulet was about to become an albatross. I took the amulet and stored it. Castile did not ask to use it, but her body language hinted that she wanted to. Castile indicated the items on the table, ¡°These are the artifacts found on Sebastian.¡± Behind Castile, the collector was also on the bed. ¡°The maps and instructions from the summoner are in elvish,¡± she indicated in the papers. I winced again, realizing I had not searched his body thoroughly. I directed my attention to the table¡ªthe rings did not have any runic markings on them, ¡°They are magical? I don¡¯t see any markings on the rings.¡± The silver necklace clearly had a unique pattern in the links. Castile frowned, ¡°Dungeon rings are typically just silver, gold, or platinum bands. Only when they are in use or heated in a flame will their runic workings appear.¡± She picked up one of the rings, ¡°I do not know their function, but yes, they are dungeon artifacts.¡± After studying the ring, she put it down, ¡°After we leave for the Ruins of Caelora, the Duchess will compose a message sending to the capital. If Sebastian has an heir, they will go to him or her. If he does not have an heir, the registry of artifacts will be consulted. If any of the items are listed there, they will be turned over to the Empire.¡± Castile turned around to look at the essence collector. ¡°Almost all essence collectors are registered in the Empire, so I will hold onto that until they request it be returned.¡± She let a small smirk escape, ¡°Of course, once we march with it, we will have no means of communication as I do not know the message sending spell.¡± I figured out her plan. Castile and the Duchess had plotted so she would be able to keep the essence collector for this one assignment. I asked, ¡°And the rings and necklace?¡± ¡°I will try to figure out their function tonight. They will remain with the Duchess, though. Most likely, Duke Octavian will come looking for them,¡± she said with spite. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Duke Octavian?¡± I asked, bewildered. Castile clenched her teeth, ¡°Flavius informed me Master Mage Sebestian¡¯s estate is in Duke Octavian¡¯s province. If he has no heir, and Flavius thinks he does not, then all his property will revert to Octavian.¡± ¡°Why just not report the recovery of the items and keep them?¡± I offered a simple solution. ¡°If the items are not registered, that could work. But I do not know what is and what isn¡¯t. The collector is definitely registered, but these¡­¡± Castile looked at the rings and necklace. ¡°If we did not try to get them to their proper place, a Truthseeker would discover the deception eventually.¡± Castile straightened, and her tone turned serious, ¡°We have avoided why I asked you here long enough. Konstantin and Flavius are both suspicious of you. The wyvern had no wounds, and no poison works that fast.¡± With her tone change, I got uncomfortable, ¡°What happened to, if you don¡¯t know, you cannot tell the Truthseekers?¡± I said slowly. Castile pursed her lips and frowned. She was more direct, ¡°I am not asking you anything. I am telling you Konstantin and Flavius will be watching you more closely.¡± ¡°If Konstantin watched me any closer, his head would be stuck in my ass,¡± I joked. That got a small smile from Castile. Her smile faded, ¡°Konstantin knows you can heal. I expect any future training sessions are going to be more¡­intense,¡± Castile said. I groaned as that had been one of my bigger fears. ¡°Do you know Konstantin¡¯s spell forms?¡± Castile suddenly asked. ¡°He knows your secrets. It is fair you know his.¡± ¡°He has a form of telekinesis. He can move small objects,¡± I answered, and Castile nodded. When I did not offer any more, she supplied them, ¡°He can tell if something is poisonous.¡± My blood suddenly chilled, and Castile smirked at my discomfort, ¡°Only poisons that come from plants, though. It is a weak spell form from the nature affinity. He has a third as well. Another weak spell form that is actually extremely useful. It allows him to get a full night¡¯s rest in four hours.¡± ¡°That bastard. That is how he is always up before me. That is just cheating,¡± I spat in disgust at the unfairness. ¡°Cheating?¡± Castile asked, amused. ¡°You can heal yourself, turn air into defensive shields, have a secret storage, and have a training amulet. I think you have the advantage over Konstantin.¡± Castile did not even mention that I was working on a spell form for time. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°So, you just wanted to warn me?¡± I asked Castile. Castile rubbed her brow, trying to come up with a way to explain it, ¡°Yes and no. Also, that the amulet complicates things. Konstantin will soon hear from the others that you have it, and he will tell his Praetorian Guard master, and Boris will continue to pursue it. It is going to draw a lot of attention to myself and the company.¡± I was confused. I couldn¡¯t believe such a small device could cause so many problems. ¡°Then what do you want me to do? Give it away? Flee the Empire?¡± I said the latter in jest, but the thought often crossed my mind. Castile eyes danced with indecision, ¡°No, it is not yet time we do that.¡± A cold feeling ran down my spine. Castile had just confirmed some of my suspicions. She had clearly used the word we. She had been grooming me to help her flee the Empire. At least, that is what I was interpreting from her words. It had been intentional on her part as I read her eyes. I waited for her to continue. ¡°You could always sell the amulet or seek protection from a First Citizen.¡± ¡°The Duchess?¡± I asked, trying to read her intentions. Castile was impassive as she answered sadly, ¡°If you wish to enter her service, then you could. I know a few men of the company who would take her up on her offer.¡± She did not sound bitter, though. ¡°I also suspect that the Duchess is already working with Konstantin¡¯s Praetorian Master.¡± ¡°Konstantin is working for the Duchess?¡± I said. I was extremely confused. Castile deliberated in silence, deciding what to tell me, ¡°No. It is not that simple. I think Antonia Segreto is using the Duchess to keep me safe.¡± ¡°Antonia Segreto? The merchant queen you thought is Konstantin¡¯s handler?¡± I asked. ¡°Handler¡ªinteresting way of putting it, Eryk. But yes. While Firth is here to ensure I don¡¯t betray the Empire, Konstantin appears to be here to ensure I do not get myself killed. She has some purpose for me, and I do not know what it is,¡± Castile disclosed. ¡°Is that why he pushed us so hard to get to the capital for the Tribunal?¡± I asked. ¡°Partly so, I believe. He also has some loyalty in him,¡± Castile said softly as her thoughts wandered briefly. Too many things were playing through my mind. Castile was a peasant raised to power and caught in the politics of the Empire. She obviously was hoping to escape one way or another. Konstantin had been a mentor, a tough mentor, but still a mentor. But his true motives were hidden. Castile let me consider everything for a few minutes. I finally chose to side with Castile. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± Castile¡¯s lips twitched in a brief smile. ¡°Stay close to Konstantin. Ask him for help in protecting your amulet.¡± Castile let her words sink in before adding, ¡°If you can get him to divulge what Antonia Segreto has planned for me, it would help enormously.¡± So this is what it had come down to. I was to spy on Konstantin. ¡°Konstantin keeps hinting that I should join the Hounds,¡± I said after considering her words. Castile wavered a moment before admitting, ¡°He did mention it to me. He thought it would be beneficial for you. In case you had cause to flee the Empire. That is¡ªknowing how your pursuers work.¡± It was like lightning striking, ¡°Konstantin thinks I am going to flee?¡± Castile laughed softly, ¡°I think he is more surprised you are still here. He has tracked more than a few legionnaires in his time, and the first day you arrived, he warned me you had all the signs of a runner.¡± I thought on it for a moment, ¡°So I should ask Konstantin about working for Antonia?¡± ¡°Before, she may have seen you as useful as a smuggler. But now you are actually a competent soldier with self-healing,¡± Castile paused, maybe realizing how attractive I was to recruit. I committed to Castile¡¯s side, not seeing many options, ¡°I understand and will try to gain Konstantin¡¯s confidence.¡± Castile nodded but didn¡¯t smile. ¡°If you need help in the future, you can trust Adrian, Felix, Mateo, and Blaze.¡± I tilted my head before figuring out what Castile was hinting at. If I decided to leave the Empire, as she was planning, then those four would be trustworthy. ¡°Mateo, really?¡± I asked about the legionnaire who did not know how to hold his tongue. I was also surprised Delmar was not among the names mentioned. Castile nodded, ¡°Foolish with his tongue but loyal and brave beyond measure. Ask him about his family sometime. It is a fascinating tale.¡± I stood, ¡°I should get some rest for tomorrow¡¯s march.¡± ¡°Are you going to loan one of your new blades to Brutus?¡± Castile asked as I made to leave. ¡°Before we reach the ruins, yes. I want to try them both before deciding which to keep.¡± Castile nodded approvingly, and I left. I returned to the northwest tower to find Maveith animatedly talking with Flavius and Konstantin. Maveith was retelling of the competition and how I had won the day against the First Citizen. Konstantin had Maveith pause, ¡°So those are yours now?¡± He pointed at the two runic blades on my bed with my pack. I nodded and studied Konstantin. Maybe it was just the talk with Castile, but I could see the suspicion in his eyes. Flavius was ignoring me completely as he packed his own bag. I noticed a bundle of silvery arrows on the bed, so he must have received the runic arrows already. Maveith broke the silence, ¡°Benito brought you this,¡± his large hand dumped a mess of silver into my hand. ¡°Ten large silver and forty small,¡± Maveith informed me. Benito had set up a betting pool for the tourney, and I won. I moved the coins to my storage. ¡°Yes, Konstantin. I am going to loan one of the blades to Brutus. And you heard about the amulet as well?¡± I said, sitting on my bed, my face impassive. ¡°From Mateo, yes. Sounds useful. I hope you are using it well,¡± he said indifferently. Maveith could feel the tension in the room and asked, ¡°Does anyone want to play checkers?¡± Konstantin disappointed Maveith, ¡°We should all get some rest. It is going to be a long walk tomorrow.¡± After inspecting the wyvern, I knew both Konstantin and Flavius had questions about me. Laying down, I prepared. I moved the amulet to my hand and entered the dreamscape. I only spent a few moments encasing the bookshelf inside a rock wall in the scorpion room before returning. I returned the amulet to my space for safety. The only way someone could claim it was by killing me, forcing the contents of my space into the real world. As I settled into an uncomfortable sleep, the unpleasant dreams came quickly. No matter where I went in my dreams, someone wanted the amulet. It started with Mateo asking incessantly to borrow it on the march. Then, it was Konstantin¡¯s Praetorian Master trying to get it from me in exchange for her protection. Then it was First Citizen Boris demanding to fight me for it over and over. I beat him down every time. Konstantin was up first and kicked the bed to wake me. ¡°Time to wake, Eryk; we have an hour before breakfast. Let¡¯s see if you deserve to carry those blades.¡± I was awake instantly, but it was still dark outside, and Konstantin held a glow stone. ¡°Am I still dreaming?¡± I asked myself softly, even though I knew this was not a dream. Konstantin barked a laugh. The racket from Konstantin had forced Flavius and Maveith to wake. ¡°I am flattered you dream about me, Eryk. Get your armor on, and we only have an hour to make sure you don¡¯t cut yourself with your new swords.¡± Konstantin was being Konstantin, and I did not detect suspicion in his voice. He was gone, stamping down the stone steps. I groaned but started moving. Chapter 127 The Black Blade Chapter 127 The Black Blade I followed Konstantin down to the training yard, carrying my pack and two blades so I would be ready to leave when the company marched. It was still dark when we arrived. The training yard was adjacent to the Citadel barracks, where the rest of the company was quartered. No one was up yet, and it was maybe an hour before sunrise. I decided to tease Konstantin that I knew some of his secrets, ¡°So, you have a spell form that allows you not to need much sleep?¡± Konstantin eyed me with an appraising stare, ¡°I do. I need about half what a normal man does. Just means I was required to stand watch more often than not while I was with the Hounds.¡± Konstantin had his own pack and was getting ready for some practice. He took on a paternal tone as he gave me advice, ¡°You will just find the more spell forms you have, the more that is expected of you. But you know that already with your dimensional spell form.¡± I nodded as I was testing both blades, deciding what to use first. ¡°Are we wrapping our blades?¡± I asked since Konstantin had made no effort to. We usually used practice swords or wrapped our actual blades when we practiced. ¡°You can heal yourself, Eryk. There is no need to wrap mine,¡± Konstantin said dismissively with his back to me. I could imagine the grin on his face. I had been hoping for him to say something like that, ¡°Yeah, I can, but I do not have a lot of aether, so I can only heal a little.¡± I hoped this would prevent him from causing me a serious injury as I wrapped my blade in the tacky cloth. Konstantin still didn¡¯t wrap his blade and asked, ¡°Is that how you kept up on the run to the capital? You healed your feet as we went?¡± I nodded, and he half-smiled, shaking his head in an un-Konstantin-like manner. ¡°Damn, Eryk. My feet felt like an ogre had chewed on them during that run. Seeing you not suffering made me think I was getting soft.¡± ¡°So, I made you feel inadequate?¡± I smirked, and he lost his good humor instantly. Konstantin walked over to me, all business, and held out his hand, ¡°Do you mind if I look at them?¡± I had to remember trying to befriend the coarse man to find out why Castile was deemed important by the Praetorian Guard. I handed him both the blades, ¡°The polished one is orc forged, and the black one is just old.¡± He first held the partially wrapped black blade, ¡°It is sometimes called a devoted blade, Eryk. Forged by the smiths of the First Legion before the elves killed them all. That is why there are no runic smiths in the Empire. They are always killed as soon as they are recognized. There might be some working in secret for the Emperor, but they are not known publicly,¡± Konstantin stated. ¡°The elves kill the runic smiths?¡± I asked, interested in the small piece of history. ¡°The Bartiradian assassins, yes. Not always elves, though.¡± He moved his hand along the length of the black blade. It was mostly black with a large number of tiny pits in it. ¡°As I was saying, the devoted blades were forged to kill one specific enemy. When carving out the Empire, the First Legion fought campaigns against the orcs, dwarves, elves, goblins, gnolls, centaurs, and other humans. Most likely, this blade was forged against one of those.¡± He handed me back the blade. ¡°It is rare and valuable, then? So, what does it do? Can it kill them with one swing?¡± I swung the blade to test its weight. ¡°I have only read the histories, and this is my first time seeing one. The Black Blade companies were elite units in the various campaigns sent after the most troubling opponents. The stories say the black blades prevented beings from using magical healing, including potions, after being injured,¡± Konstantin informed me while facing me. ¡°The blades are uncommon but not rare and probably hanging on the walls of most citadels in the Empire. Dungeon blades are much more valuable and useful against all types of creatures.¡± ¡°So, will the blade not work against the specters?¡± I asked, reconsidering choosing this blade. ¡°It will. It is a runic weapon. The black coloring is from silver mixed with steel. There is an ancient tale about the black blades. It may regain some of its luster if you soak it in the blood of the enemy it was forged to fight. If you find another wielder of such a blade, you should ask them.¡± He was ready to begin, and we engaged and started our practice. The clang of steel woke the men up, and a few came outside to watch from a distance and prepare for the march, repacking their packs. I realized they were not going to be happy with Konstantin or me for waking them early. Neither of us was using shields, and the first serious injury was to my forearm. After parrying my blade, Konstantin cut all the way to the bone on a slash where the vambrace didn¡¯t cover. I cradled my arm to conceal the healing as best I could from watchful eyes. Reknitting the muscle and flesh took time, and Konstantin watched, shaking his head in disbelief. I don¡¯t think he believed I could heal until he saw it himself. Konstantin nodded to himself now that it was confirmed, ¡°Okay, Eryk. So, your biggest problem is getting used to the longer sword. You have the strength and size to wield it, but your mind and muscle memory are still trying to use it like a shorter blade. Now¡­.¡± We spent the next half an hour as Konstantin showed me how the sword forms I learned in training were slightly different for the longer blade. Almost the entire company was outside watching now, including Brutus. I had tried the orchish blade, and the black blade just felt better in my hands. I was only loaning the other blade to Brutus anyway. Adrian appeared with Delmar first and yelled, ¡°Breakfast inside, then we march!¡± As the cold air dried our sweat, I walked inside with Konstantin. He asked, ¡°Did you see him?¡± ¡°See who?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°The First Citizen Boris. He was watching you from the third-floor balcony. I am disappointed if you didn¡¯t see him,¡± he said, shaking his head. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I noticed people watching from the windows of the Citadel, but I did not know who they were. I was too busy trying to avoid your blade seeking my flesh,¡± I muttered. Konstantin clapped me on the back in an almost fatherly pat, ¡°I taught you better than that. Danger can come from anywhere. My impression is the First Citizen Boris is about as smart as an ornery bull. But if you ignore that bull, its horn is going to pierce your heart when you least expect it.¡± Konstantin went to sit with Adrian and Delmar, leaving me to take a table with Brutus and Mateo. I preempted Brutus¡¯ question, ¡°Yes, Brutus. I will loan you the orcish-made blade. The black blade feels better in my hands.¡± Mateo sounded in, ¡°You were lucky that Konstantin was not part of the contest. He brutalized you this morning and could have won the blade.¡± Brutus defended me, ¡°He gave Konstantin as good as he got. Eryk was probably pulling his strikes so as not to hurt the old man. Besides, he has his own runic weapon already.¡± Mateo was bouncing and itching to change the topic. ¡°Don¡¯t even ask Mateo. My answer is still no.¡± Mateo looked distressed but didn¡¯t ask to borrow the dreamscape amulet again. Felix came, put a massive haunch of ham on the table, and sat with us. Blaze brought a bowl of small boiled potatoes. To everyone¡¯s disappointment, the pitchers were full of only water. I noted with some snark, ¡°Since the Countess arrived, the food and drink quality has really dropped off.¡± Everyone was using knives to cut off chunks of the boiled ham. Blaze commented, ¡°That is because you spend your nights in the Alchemist Tower. We usually get the leftovers from the Duchess¡¯ dinner with her mother. Seconds, but extremely tasty, and at least it is seasoned.¡± He tapped the bland ham with his knife. As we ate, the conversation drifted to the company contest yesterday. I only half followed the conversation and nodded when appropriate. It was all too soon when Castile arrived with Scholar Favian, and Delmar ordered us to formation. Everyone made to stuff as much food as they could into their mouths as we went to shoulder our packs and began the march. Adrian informed me, ¡°You will be marching next to Castile in the center, Eryk.¡± I nodded, as it seemed I would be talking with Castile during the march. Castile was dressed in comfortable clothing and even had a small pack herself, which I found surprising. She usually did not carry any gear, but then I remembered we had a kettle of souls. I assumed that was what she was transporting. Favian was on her right, and I was positioned on her left. After we settled into the march, Castile said, ¡°You are going to protect Scholar Favian.¡± Castile smirked, ¡°Don¡¯t look surprised. You carry a runic weapon and proved yourself one of the best swordsmen in the company. Your aptitude to shield Zyna with your spell form was also a consideration.¡± ¡°So, no more scouting with Konstantin?¡± I said, confused. We had agreed I was going to get closer to him and learn his purpose in the company. ¡°No, not with you carrying the potions again. Flavius is back as well to help him,¡± Castile noted the scout further down the road. It was late morning when we reached the turn-off for the trade road that led to the ruins of Caelora. We took a short break at the intersection before starting the march north. The dirt road was lined with farms, but all too soon, we reached the old paved trade road. Everyone got tense with the stone road beneath us. We had fought the wraith and were headed into dire wolf territory. Castile and Favian talked about their plans for exploring the haunted city, and I listened as we walked. The first step was circling it and seeing if the maps Favian had in the books matched. There were only two gates through the walls: the East and West Gate. Favian thought the West Gate was the better access point as it was near the Elven library. That was where many of the books in the Duchess¡¯ collection had been salvaged from. Favian only found a short accounting of the expedition that recovered the books. The members of the expedition camped a mile outside the West Gate, and then, on the first day with clear skies and sun, they rushed to the library and recovered as many books as they could. The specters had trouble in daylight and they encountered only a handful inside the library. Still, six members of the twenty-man expedition had died. Listening to Favian describe the journal entries of the mage who led the expedition, I was not feeling too great about our chances but glad I now had a runic blade to fend them off. I also had the elven dagger as a backup weapon and thought about loaning it to the Scholar since he already knew about it. If the situation made sense, I decided to give it to him. The two finally discussed the possible locations for the mysterious Shimmering Labyrinth Dungeon. Favian gave his view, ¡°I strongly believe it is under the largest hearth tree on the west side of the city. I have found numerous references to the mages accessing the ley lines in the city in the same area but no definitive location to the dungeon.¡± ¡°Are you sure it is even in the city?¡± Castile questioned, doubt in her tone. Favian waivered, ¡°We have been over this before Mage Castile. The selection of books they took on the expedition is highly varied. There are nineteen references to the dungeon, but it does not appear on any of the maps. The Elven King and his family controlled access and kept its location secret.¡± The conversation went back and forth as Favian described the city layout. The city¡¯s East side was residential and the only area where non-elves were permitted. The West side had their important citizens: royalty, wealthy, and many of their craftsmen. That is what the city was known for¡ªhigh-quality trade goods. The celebrated craftsman and the works of art they produced. Konstantin came back from scouting to Castile, and Adrian and Delmar joined him. Konstantin noted, ¡°We are still south of the dire wolf territory. I suggest we make camp soon.¡± There was a brief discussion, and four miles later, Flavius found a defensible hill with good water nearby, and we set up camp. Maveith had Favian¡¯s gear and set up his tent. Since I was in charge of his protection, I set my tent next to him. Maveith set his own tarp next to mine. I was dreading Konstantin asking me to train with the black blade. Instead, Castile approached Maveith and me, saying, ¡°Maveith, make sure you watch him while he sleeps. I do not believe he can perceive the outside world while using the amulet.¡± Castile made eye contact with me and nodded slightly before leaving. Castile was telling me that she expected me to use the amulet. Maveith nodded seriously, ¡°I will guard your body with my life, Eryk.¡± Maybe I would not have to stand watch either. ¡°What about the watch?¡± I inquired to confirm with the departing Castile. ¡°You are tied to Favian. Do not leave his side,¡± Castile said, talking over her shoulder as she walked away. Konstantin overhead, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eryk. I am sure Favian will not mind watching you train.¡± Favian, who was already inside his tent, replied, ¡°I do not mind watching your sword practice, Eryk. I heard of your exploits with the blade.¡± ¡°Great,¡± I said sarcastically. After Castile left, I told Maveith quietly, ¡°If you remove the amulet from my body, I will wake.¡± I thought there were some secrets I would prefer to keep. A few hours later, I was in my tent after a supposedly short session with Konstantin before dinner. Dinner was cold, and only a little was left when we approached Lirkin for our portion. He gave me an apologetic look as he scrapped the pot for my bowl. Before using the amulet, I used a glowstone for light to page through all of Favian¡¯s books. I wanted to add them to my dreamscape amulet tonight. With the amulet in hand, I channeled aether into it. Chapter 128 Dire Feelings Chapter 128 Dire Feelings The dreamscape looked as I left it¡ªI was half expecting to find strangers inside for some reason. Oscar greeted me with his bobbed tail wagging emphatically. I petted the excitable Australian Shepherd. I continued the dog therapy by talking to him, ¡°Guess this secret is out in the open, Oscar.¡± Oscar barked and chased to get a tennis ball I had created for him. I laughed, ¡°Guess it doesn¡¯t matter to you.¡± I tossed the ball for him while I made copies of the elven books Scholar Favian had me carry for him. I couldn¡¯t read them, but there were some maps inside. Maybe the knowledge would have a use in the future, so I would not mind the mental backlash when I exited the dreamscape. With that task done, I walked into the first monster room, the ankheg chamber. My sparring partners were playing cards. Konstantin arched his eyebrow at me, ¡°Going to get some practice today? Or are you going to sit and laze about all night?¡± He put down his cards, waiting for my response. I sighed, ¡°Yes.¡± I manifested my new blade. The group around the table eyed the black blade curiously. They were waiting for me to choose someone to practice with. The table consisted of Maveith, Konstantin, Adrian, Blaze, and Xavier. I nodded reluctantly to Konstantin as I had practiced with him this morning and this evening as I adapted to the new weapon. With Konstantin¡¯s help, it was now comfortable in my hands. I was also confident I could beat the man in combat using my air shields. What I wanted to be able to do was beat him without the defensive air shield spell form. We moved to the center of the chamber and began. The Konstantin in the dreamscape had improved quite a bit. I realized the magic amulet had upgraded Konstantin¡¯s fighting style based on our practices today. It was learning from my new memories. It meant the dreamscape manifestations were imperfect but could be improved upon. I spent two hours with Konstantin and an hour with Xavier. Xavier¡¯s manifestation was good, but I doubted it fully incorporated the sword master¡¯s knowledge. I tried to combine Xavier¡¯s skills with Konstantin¡¯s. The results were surprising. Konstantin¡¯s style had been blunter and simpler, while Xavier had an efficient and artistic style moving between the sword forms. Konstantin¡¯s new blended swordsmanship suddenly became unbeatable for me. It was frustrating to fight his new efficient form. I took repeated losses and decided I had enough. I returned to the entry room and studied the spell form for slow aging. I was getting close to the tipping point, and I would finally learn spell form. After seven total hours had passed, I stepped out of the dungeon and left the dreamscape amulet. I opened my eyes to darkness and strained my hearing to understand my surroundings. Men snored in their tents, and the men on watch whispered nearby. The night guards were arguing over who had the better attendant at the Citadel. I could tell by the argument¡¯s voices that it was Felix and Benito. If I remember correctly, Felix had a short, fat, middle-aged woman, and Benito, an older woman who constantly wore a scowl. I felt well-rested and sat up. My head spun with vertigo, and I laid back down. The mental strain from adding to the dreamscape soon passed. Adding eight books had been a little much in one session, or maybe it had been upgrading Konstantin in conjunction. When I felt comfortable, I exited the tent and nodded to Maveith, who was whittling new checker pieces. Surveying the camp, there were two small fires. One had Konstantin stoking a fire, and the other had Lirkin preparing hot food for the company¡¯s breakfast. I could see my breath; it was one of the coldest mornings I had experienced. I went and sat across from Konstantin, who was focused on heating water in a small cup. The heat of the fire felt amazing on my legs. ¡°How many days to Caelora?¡± I asked. ¡°Two,¡± he sipped his tea contentedly. ¡°We will be in the dire wolf territory after mid-morning. I¡¯m unsure if Castile will have us increase the pace or use caution. Positives and negatives to both courses of action.¡± Before he could expound on the positives and negatives, I asked him a question, ¡°Have you fought dire wolves before?¡± I stirred the coals on my side to release more heat. ¡°I have. Smart creatures. They will distract a group and then pick off the weakest member, dragging them away. Hopefully, our numbers will deter them from attacking,¡± Konstantin said while cleaning his cup of tea leaves. He then took out his weapons to clean, starting with his runic weapon. The silvery blade looked ethereal in the firelight. I took out my black blade to sharpen and clean as well. ¡°You don¡¯t sharpen a runic weapon, Eryk. Did you notice it has no chips on the edge? That durability is why runic blades are cherished. To clean it, just use a rag to clean the length, then use the oil rag on it. It will make sure it draws smoothly.¡± I worked in silence across from Konstantin. The oil rag he referred to was used for our metal helms to protect them from rusting. Konstantin cycled through his weapons, and I did likewise. I was still carrying my short sword, a knife on my belt, and the legion utility hatchet in my pack. Seeing us finishing, Lirkin called us over for an early breakfast. Konstantin and I enjoyed the dense bread that tasted like garlic topped with the berry preserves Lirkin had heated. Maveith joined us, bleary-eyed, after a short nap. He had watched over me while I slept all night, which is not what I had intended. I had just wanted him to rouse me if something threatened me. Maveith¡¯s deep voice soon awakened the whole camp a little earlier than sunrise. Delmar called everyone to eat and announced we would start an early march. Maveith received some annoyed stares. Back on the old paved road, we walked till just past mid-day before a rest. I ended up working in my Elvish language with Scholar Favian as a distraction from the boredom of marching. My elven vocabulary was growing, but the Scholar was not impressed with some of my pronunciations. We set a fast pace, and Flavius and Konstantin were scouting only a short distance ahead. As we marched in the afternoon, the scouts started to find dire wolf tracks crossing the road. They were massive, larger than a man¡¯s hand. We encountered our first dire wolf later in the day. A signal from the rear guard had everyone turn, and our eight men with shields quickly formed a wall. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. It looked like just a normal gray wolf at maybe two hundred yards back. Then, another darker gray wolf walked into the road to stand over the pup. Maveith advised the company, ¡°They are not hunting us. If they were then, they would not have shown themselves.¡± His statement didn¡¯t make anyone less tense. I was shocked as the larger wolf was just as big as Ginger. Benito noticed the same thing, ¡°That beast is as big as a horse. I wonder if I can ride it.¡± Firth barked a harsh laugh at Benito, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and give it a try and let us know how it goes.¡± Some laughs and snickers from the company eased the tension a little. Blaze, behind me, asked, ¡°I can hit it. Should I release?¡± There were some whispers between Castile and Delmar before Delmar announced, ¡°Hold your arrows. Firth and Mateo, you are added to the rear guard.¡± We tightened the formation, and Konstantin and Flavius were now only leading the company by twenty strides so they could retreat back to us quickly. Adrian was constantly reminding individuals of their jobs if a dire wolfpack did attack. Half the men were for defense, and the other half were charged with killing whichever monstrous wolf Castile restrained with her shadow chains first. It was important to eliminate one foe at a time as quickly as possible when attacked with numbers. Scholar Favian was probably the most nervous among us after we spotted the dire wolf. I tried to take his mind off our danger, ¡°Favian, have you learned anything about the Shimmering Labyrinth Dungeon? What monsters are inside?¡± ¡°The King controlled the dungeon, and it gave vast resources to the city. Iron ore and silver were mined from inside it as the craftsman in the city used it in great quantities. There are also a few references to rarer metals¡ªmithril for one.¡± He said giddily. ¡°It also supplied vast quantities of meat to the city,¡± he paused to think. ¡°References to dishes prepared with boiled spider legs, bear meat, and mushrooms from the dungeon have appeared in my reading.¡± While I was thinking about what horrors supplied those things, Lirkin, our company cook, asked, ¡°How do you prepare spider legs?¡± Scholar Favian had a big smile, ¡°I wondered that myself! Apparently, you need to boil the legs and crack them open for the meat. Not all varieties are edible, but I read it tastes just like crab meat, only saltier. The elves seemed to like the meat dipped in butter made from goat¡¯s milk.¡± Delmar, at the front of the formation, replied, ¡°Spider meat is a bit mushy but not bad. On long delves, you eat what the dungeon provides. It is not uncommon for larger dungeons to support entire communities.¡± Delmar was our experienced dungeon delver. He addressed the Scholar, ¡°What else did you find about the dungeon?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just the name appears in some texts I pieced together. It was called The Shimmering Labyrinth. I think it is extremely large based on the references, but the King kept it hidden from the outside world as a treasure of his city and people,¡± Scholar Favian replied with uncertainty. Firth announced from the back, ¡°The large wolf is following us. It is in the woods, maybe two hundred yards back.¡± Maveith offered his input again, ¡°If it were hunting us, then it would have called the rest of the pack. It is probably making sure we are leaving its territory. Maybe it is teaching the young one how to stalk its prey.¡± Brutus noted, ¡°If we are the prey, then your words are not reassuring, Maveith.¡± There was some back-and-forth among the men when Castile ordered, ¡°Halt! Konstantin!¡± she called the scout back from further down the road. When he returned, she ordered, ¡°Go and check on the wagons we found on our way here.¡± Konstantin rushed into the woods, and I realized we were approaching the area where we had discovered the wagons. I remember picking up a gold ring from the ground at the time. The money from the locked chest had gotten the company replacement armor. Konstantin whistled for Maveith, and the goliath went to support him. It was not far from the road, and we could see them as the leaves had all fallen from the trees. I checked on our furry follower, and it sat on its hind legs about two hundred yards back. I could tell Blaze was itching to take a shot, but Castile held him back. When Konstantin and Maveith returned, ¡°Just small animals have been by since.¡± Castile nodded, but she had apparently expected something else by her consternation. The short rest was over, and we continued our march. There was a discussion on when we would stop for the night as we had covered almost forty miles today on the road. Castile told everyone to take out glowstones, and we marched into the night. Castile, being next to me, I asked, ¡°Are we continuing because of the dire wolf?¡± Castile considered her answer, ¡°A dire wolf following us is not unusual. What I am confused about was the first smaller wolf we spotted. We have not seen it since. I even searched for it and other dire wolves; the large one behind us is the only one.¡± Fortunately, the blue moon was bright overhead, and the skies were clear. We marched for three hours in the darkness before Castile finally ordered us to camp in the middle of the road. Konstantin objected until Castile told him she hoped the dire wolf would approach during the night so she could snare it with her shadow chains and we could eliminate it. That got everyone excited. Eliminating our stalker would be welcome and boost morale. We set up a tight camp for the night, and the watch was doubled. Castile reminded Maveith to watch over me again. It was her way of telling me to use the amulet tonight. I did not know how I felt about using the amulet with danger so close. I reminded Maveith, ¡°All you need to do is remove the amulet to awaken me. But get some sleep tonight yourself.¡± ¡°I understood you the first five times you said it, Eryk.¡± The goliath seemed frustrated that I either didn¡¯t trust him, thought his memory was terrible, or was tense like the others with the dire wolf following us. My tent was in the company¡¯s center, next to Scholar Favian. When I crawled inside, I debated not using the amulet again. It felt like there was a building tension in the air to me. I think Castile felt it, too. I decided to spend a few hours inside and focus on the spell form for slow aging. With Oscar in my lap, I spent two hours studying and then exiting the dreamscape. I listened, and men were whispering, but there was no alarm. I could hear Maveith breathing heavily as he sat on a log and rolled over near our tents. I entered the dreamscape again. About three hours in, the familiar feeling of the spell form inscribing on my core was achieved. I had learned the slow aging spell form. I exited the dreamscape, excited to study it and learn how it worked. Nothing had changed in the camp, but Castile was agitated as the dire wolf was apparently still watching us but had not approached. I studied the spell form and activated it. It was supposed to draw a slow trickle of aether to slow my aging greatly. The trickle was so insignificant I didn¡¯t even perceive it. I used some aether to cast some air shields and frowned. I had wanted to see how fast my aether recovered with the slow aging active. My best guess was that my aether was recovering at half of normal. At least, that was the best I could estimate. It was still a decent trade-off for being able to live for thousands of years. I smiled as I lay awake for the rest of the night, listening to everyone and thinking about what I could do with all the time in the world. The sunrise came, and the dire wolf had never approached the camp. It had also remained vigilant, unnervingly watching us the entire night. ? Copyrighted by AlwaysRollsAOne. No permission is given to repost or translate. Removing this notification is an acknowledgment you are in violation of DMCA. Only my Patreon, RoyalRoad and ScribbleHub have permission to display this content. Chapter 129 Traeliorn Kelran POV (Patreon Vote) Chapter 129 Traeliorn Kelran POV (Patreon Vote) After arriving in the Telhian wilderness, Traeliorn left his apprentice Vaeril and Ranger Raelia and flew north on the back of Kylma. The ice drake was a good mount and friend, she moved with his body and did most of the work as they flew north, so he didn¡¯t even require a saddle. His plan was simple. He would summon the largest wyvern he could and attack small towns south of the Telhian capital. The wyvern would kill the peasants, making the Emperor look incompetent and unable to protect his citizens. His goal was actually to get the Emperor to leave his palace. Then Traeliorn would attack him, putting his life on the line to end the Void Mage. The Emperor had caused him so much pain and grief over the last two centuries that he was willing to risk his life to finally kill him. Traeliorn landed between two rocky summits and sent Kylma to one of the peaks to watch over him as he worked. Summoning a wyvern was always a difficult task. Luring one through an open portal took a lot of aether and a powerful summoner. The draconic beasts also had very primal desires: hunt, kill, eat, and reproduce, and the negotiation with the beast would usually have to satisfy those needs. He spent an entire day laying out the largest formation he had ever constructed. He laughed, thinking it was big enough to summon an actual dragon. He was not stupid enough to try that, though. A dragon¡¯s will was too strong and would not even enter negotiations. Traeliorn preferred to bypass the negotiation phase of a summoning and instead dominate the mind of the creature when it came through the portal. He spent an entire day resting in preparation, and Kylma brought him a large fresh fish to eat. ¡°I suppose you want me to cook it for the both of us?¡± The ice drake puffed a frozen cloud at him. ¡°Fine, it is a good twenty pounds. I am taking the best fillet for myself.¡± The drake puffed another cloud before curling into a ball and watching him work closely. The summoner skillfully descaled and sliced the fish. He found a large flat rock and held out his hand as he wove the spell forms together. A flame erupted from his palm as he blasted the stone until it turned an angry red. The heat was welcome as the weather was turning. It was not turning fast enough for him. He wanted to see the fruits of his labors. He had targeted fields and farms across the eastern Telhian Empire. This winter, the peasants of the Telhian Empire would starve and blame the Emperor. The stone cooled enough to cook the large fillets. He reached deep into his belt pouch and pulled some salt and herbs to season the fillets with. When he flipped them after a few minutes, Kylma got up and eagerly approached, ¡°Old girl, you should be eating this raw. I have spoiled you too much with cooked food.¡± The ice drake gave an indignant puff. ¡°Consider this your reward for flying my old bones around.¡± Traeliorn took a small piece of the fish after it was perfectly cooked, and the ice drake quickly consumed what was left behind. Kylma then launched herself into the air to keep watch from one of the peaks again. The summoner shook his head and considered sending the drake away if the Emperor left his palace to confront him. It was something that was unlikely to happen, though. He began the ritual summoning with the watery-blue moon, giving him strong light. The wyvern scale at the center was the focus as he poured aether into the runes he had carefully inscribed on the ground to focus his power. The magic would search for a match to that scale on all of Desia and sometimes beyond. He liked to think of it like fishing, casting out a line and hook, seeking out the fish on its own. It was almost an hour before he finally got a bite. He had devoted two-thirds of his aether so far and was slightly worried when the portal finally anchored and opened, showing a wyvern on the other side. Even before the beast stepped through, he knew it was formable. It came fearlessly through and immediately lunged at the mage. The dragonkin¡¯s size and the attack¡¯s ferocity made him flinch. It was practically the size of an actual dragon. The containment runes flared blue, green, and red as they held the massive wyvern in place. It strained and roared defiance inside the circle. Traeliorn tried to establish a connection to its mind, but the creature was stronger than a wyvern should be. It was like wrestling an oiled pig from his youth. He kept grabbing at it¡ªonly to have it slip away. Traeliorn was sweating as his aether was slowly consumed in the fight for dominance. Finally, the wyvern made a mistake, and Traeliorn slipped into his mind and subdued his thoughts. The elf summoner sat heavily on the ground, his heart still racing from the struggle. He had almost lost the struggle. He only had about one-twentieth of his aether remaining. Kylma landed next to him now that the difficult part was done. He noted that she used him as a buffer to the wyvern. He scratched her ear holes to let her know he was fine. He drank his entire waterskin before slipping back into the mind of the impressive wyvern. Controlling a beast through its mind was not easy; he would give it back some control to make it easier on himself and allow himself time to recover some equilibrium. The wyvern launched into the air, and Traeliorn began the search for the largest farming communities north of him. He found a farmer in a field harvesting squash. A horse pulled a cart while the farmer and his children deposited squash into the cart for winter. He set the wyvern loose on the people and lessoned his connection to the beast. The summoner collapsed on the ground, checking in on the wyvern periodically as it terrorized and killed peasants. Even after it had satiated its hunger, the summoner nudged it to continue its rampage of the people. It had been a few hours since the summoning when he received a message sending from his apprentice Vaeril. ¡°Master Kelran, the legionaries have found us! They have a drake and more than one mage with them! We are running, but I do not think we will last long. Please send help.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Traeliorn¡¯s heart pounded. He was going to lose another apprentice and friend. Not to mention, the ranger¡¯s death would anger the General as well. He reconnected with the wyvern that was massacring a pasture of sheep. The creature tried to resist Traelorian¡¯s mind, but the link had already been anchored. He forced the creature into the air and sent it south to find his apprentice. Such complete control drained his aether rapidly as he searched through the eyes of the beast. He headed for any large flying creature in the skies. He was searching for the drake. Vaeril had an anchor stone for a portal, making it somewhat easier to determine the direction, but it was more of a feeling than a true direction. He knew he was not going to make it in time. It was just too far. But at least he could get his revenge. There! Not the drake but the anchor stone. The massive wyvern landed in an open grassy area, dotted with trees. Underneath one of the trees, he found Vaeril alive. When the wyvern did not attack, relief filled the young elf¡¯s face. ¡°Master Kelran, is that you?¡± Traeliorn used weak telepathy to communicate through his bond with the wyvern. ¡°It is me. Where are The Ranger and legionaries?¡± A pained look came on Vaeril¡¯s face, ¡°She gave me more time to run. They caught her. The legionaries killed the two hill giants I summoned and are coming after me. They have a powerful fire mage with them, Master Kelran.¡± Their conversation was interrupted when a drake zipped over the trees. A man was riding it. The wyvern launched itself into the sky in pursuit. The summoner guided its rage at the much smaller creature. The aerial pursuit quickly got frustrating. The wyvern had filled its belly, not helping its agility. The rider and drake were too agile and fast. And the rider kept trying to anchor his own dominance on the mind of the wyvern. It was becoming futile, and Traeliorn¡¯s aether was almost empty. He needed to take a risk. He pushed his mind to a corner of the wyvern and left the rest for the mage to subvert. He was a powerful human mage who soon grappled the remaining mind into submission but didn¡¯t realize Traeliorn was still present. The Empire Mage landed his drake, thinking himself victorious, and approached the wyvern wearing a sneering grin. Conquering this beast was an impressive feat. Traeliorn had almost failed himself. If Traeliorn had not already weakened its defenses, the human mage would not have had a chance. But here they were. He waited as the human approached to claim his prize. The human even foolishly left his drake behind. When he was in striking distance, Traelorian pushed his mind out to regain control. The mage realized his mistake too late, and the wyvern¡¯s long neck snapped out and consumed him in one bite. Some defensive magic flared inside the wyvern¡¯s mouth, but the angry wyvern ground the mage with its teeth, crunching bones and forcing him down his throat to an already full belly. The drake took exception to its rider being eaten and charged the wyvern. The massive wyvern easily swatted it down and tore out its throat in seconds. The wyvern roared in victory, and Traeliorn smiled far away. He had saved his apprentice and killed a powerful mind mage of the Empire. Traeliorn took control of the wyvern, planning to have it carry Vaeril back to him in its claw. He walked the beast toward the tree, and his blood froze. The wyvern rushed the tree and batted it over, uncovering the dead apprentice with a sword piercing down into its body. The pained look on Vaeril¡¯s face made the summoner go into a rage. He had been so close. He had been so distracted by fighting the drake that he had left Vaeril unprotected. The wyvern¡¯s head snapped up, looking for movement. There! He forced the wyvern to chase the two fleeing legionaries. He would get some modicum of revenge. One of the men made it into the trees, but the wyvern cut the other one off, like a cat cutting off a mouse. The legionnaire was halted in his tracks, separated from his companion. Arrows uselessly bounced off the scales of the wyvern as Traeliorn stared through its eyes. In the Telhian speech, the legionaries defied the wyvern and his fate, saying, ¡°You prefer to play with your food! Well, bring it on!¡± Traeliorn approached slowly and sent a message into the legionnaire¡¯s mind, ¡°You killed Vaeril, my apprentice?¡± He looked shocked at the message but seemed to understand the wyvern was talking to him. Surprise crossed his face. He asked, ¡°Traeliorn?¡± So, the young legionaries knew who he was. He must be a Hound sent to find him, and he found Vaeril instead. The wyvern¡¯s black eyes focused on the legionnaire. Traeliorn wanted confirmation he was getting his vengeance, ¡°Did you kill my apprentice?¡± He repeated. ¡°Yes,¡± the legionnaire answered with a clear and flat tone, not denying it. He was brave to be standing before certain death. Most men would have cowered, begged for their life, or soiled themselves. Instead, he stood defiantly, welcoming his fate. Far away, Traeliorn acknowledged his bravery and sent the final message to the human, ¡°Then legionnaire, know that it was I who sent you to your afterlife for your crime. Traeliorn Kelran, Vaeril¡¯s teacher and friend.¡± The wyvern roared and lunged at the legionnaire with its powerful legs and neck. Traeliorn gasped as the backlash from his mental link with the wyvern was severed. He fell to the ground, and Kylma nudged his exhausted body worriedly. His aether was spent, and his head had an intense pressure. He was in disbelief. The wyvern must have been killed. How was that even possible? So instantaneously? Only one thing could have done that¡ªvoid magic. It must be another accused void mage like the Emperor. How powerful would he have to be to slay a wyvern with just a spell form? Traeliorn needed rest¡ªa lot of rest to recover from the backlash and the ordeal of the day. He was not going to return to Bartiradian lands until he got his revenge on the legionnaire who killed Vaeril. He rationalized that killing a void mage would help the Bartiradian war effort. A few days later, Traeliorn was watching through a wolf¡¯s eyes as two legionnaires searched the wyvern and Vaeril¡¯s body. He was still too weak to attack. He had come here in hopes of returning Vaeril¡¯s body to the earth but found the legionnaires here instead. He should have known they would want to harvest the wyvern. He watched and waited for them to leave. When they did, he had the wolf follow them. Kylma stayed on the lookout while Traeliorn buried Vaeril. He actually shed tears as he completed the task, promising the corpse he would avenge it. The wolf followed the legionnaires back to the city of Sobral. The next day, it followed them along the road and then north along the old abandoned trade road. There were over twenty of them in the company but only two apparent mages in the group, and that legionnaire with void magic was among them as well¡ªso three had strong magic. Traeliorn landed and dismounted Kylma a good distance away. He was still much too weak to confront them, but it would still take them days of travel to reach the capital. A dire wolf came out of the brush to challenge Kylma. Traeliorn smiled as the contest of wills with a dire wolf, even in his state, was not difficult. He sent the dire wolf to replace the common wolf and track the mage company. He figured they must be returning to the capital on the old road. He wouldn¡¯t let them get there, though. He just needed to recover more before he could summon again. Book 1 promotional sale (for North America only it looks like) There is a temporary sale on Amazon for book 1, ebook version. It is just $0.99 for a little while and if you have a spare dollar it would help promote the book (via sales) and you can rate it and write a review. It is still also part of kindle unlimited as well. Visibility is one of the things I have to work for as an indie and independent author. I don''t have a publisher promoting my work and rely on readers word of mouth. I appreciate the support and feedback on this platform. A Soldiers Life Book 1 Link on Amazom Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0CV8MMBFT Five hundred word minimum? A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a s a s a a a a a a a a s a a a a a s a a s a s a a a s a s a s a s a s a A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a s a s a a a a a a a a s a a a a a s a a s a s a a a s a s a s a s a s A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a s a s a a a a a a a a s a a a a a s a a s a s a a a s a s a s a s a s A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a s a s a a a a a a a a s a a a a a s a a s a s a a a s a s a s a s a s A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a s a s a a a a a a a a s a a a a a s a a s a s a a a s a s a s a s a s A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a s a s a a a a a a a a s a a a a a s a a s a s a a a s a s a s a s a s A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a s a s a a a a a a a a s a a a a a s a a s a s a a a s a s a s a s a s aaaaaaCheat the system. Chapter 130 Disconcerting Decisions Chapter 130 As I joined the company for breakfast, I didn¡¯t feel immortal. Quite the opposite. Even with my slow aging active, I was constantly in danger being part of the legion. I realized I had become somewhat numb to a fear of injury and death¡ªit was just part of my daily life now. Castile was watching the dire wolf as she ate some dried fruit and salted crackers. ¡°Blaze, can you hit it? She asked the marksman. Blaze looked up, excited at the prospect of finally getting his wish. He rushed to stand next to Castile, and studied the dire wolf for a few moments, ¡°No, the arrow¡¯s arc most likely would not make it through the branches. Maybe if we encountered a clearing.¡± Castile studied the massive wolf and said, ¡°Take the shot if you think you can get it.¡± Blaze nodded emphatically and went through his arrows, selecting the best one for when the opportunity arose. It was a long breakfast and a slow time packing up the camp, and Delmar did not rush us as normal. My suspicion was everyone was dragging because they knew we would be close to the Caelora and the specters this evening. Castile had me open one of the salves to give to Lirkin. He was using small swabs of the gel on the worst blistering and chafing of the company. Some men had gained weight in Sobral, and their armor did not fit perfectly anymore. It was a luxury we could afford now that we had a supply. As we started the march, the dire wolf followed us but remained in the trees far back, not giving Blaze an opportunity to take the shot. It appeared much smarter than it should be. During a rest, I heard Konstantin talking with Castile, ¡°The dire wolf will stop following us when we get within the site of the ruins. I am surprised it has followed us this far, but they are smart creatures and know not to approach the undead city.¡± Castile muttered with some snark, ¡°I am assuming you are suggesting we are not as intelligent as a dire wolf for going into the city?¡± Konstantin shrugged and retorted with his own snark, ¡°I have never met a smart human before. We all eventually do something stupid¡ªmore often than realize.¡± Castile shook her head, smirking at the comment, but nodded in agreement. She looked back at the wolf, concern on her face, ¡°Do you think you and Flavius could hide and ambush it when it passed? I am certain there is only the one.¡± Konstantin studied the dire wolf, its yellow eyes seeming to glow from the distance. ¡°With five of us, maybe? Eryk, Maveith, Blaze, and Flavius,¡± he named his choices for the ambush. I let out a low grunt from nearby but was ignored. Why was I always being volunteered? Castile ended up shaking her head, ¡°No. Perhaps it is as you say and will leave us as we approach the elven ruins.¡± The afternoon wore on, and the road got wider as we passed over familiar stones. In one break of the trees, I could see the mammoth tree jutting out of the city ruins. Konstantin said the elves maintained gardens of special trees. Scholar Favian also noticed the tree, ¡°That must be a Hearth Tree¡ªa ceremonial tree where the elven dead were buried among the roots to be returned to the earth. The roots run deep, and they never stop growing. The First Legion supposedly cut all of them down within the Empire¡¯s borders. The lumber was used to construct the Emperor¡¯s Palace in the capital.¡± ¡°How?¡± Maveith asked, awed by the tree as well. I would think it would take a hundred men to circle that gigantic tree.¡± As he stepped from behind a tree, Konstantin answered the question, ¡°Magic felled the trees, of course, goliath.¡± He looked up at the canopy, which was odd as it was the only tree that still had all green leaves while every other tree in the forest was turning fall colors and losing its leaves. Konstantin had a sour look on his face because I had not spotted him sneaking up on me. He noted, ¡°Giant eagles were nesting in it the last time we passed.¡± Adrian relayed to everyone in his command voice, ¡°Giant eagles are a danger and can lift a man a hundred feet in the air and drop them to their death.¡± He made eye contact with everyone, ¡°Do not wander in the open unless you want to test your ability to fly.¡± We broke into the clearing around the city. Looking at it now, it felt like the forest respected the city¡¯s territory, and there was no overgrowth from the road toward the city. It had been fifteen hundred years, yet the four hundred yards to the city were utterly unobstructed up to the walls. Konstantin gave the orders, ¡°We will stay under the cover of the trees as we circle to the western gate.¡± As we moved under them, few leaves were left on the higher branches. The company made a slow pace as we scanned the skies and the woods. I was not the only one to see the dire wolf off in the distance woods, still keeping track of us. I guess the city did not scare it off. On our right, it was easy to see the city walls were crumbling. Large sections of the ramparts had collapsed. Some ancient foundations could be seen outside the city wall, with the wooden structure they once supported long since collapsed and rotted away. The sense of death was strong, with the vegetation refusing to grow and only the massive green tree jutting out of the city. When we reached the western gate, we found a large wooden gate the height of two men and wide enough for six horses to ride abreast through. Delmar questioned aloud, ¡°Why has the gate not rotted to dust?¡± Scholar Favian answered, ¡°The elves treat their wood with a preservative that can last the lifetime of an elf. Elves can live more than a millennia.¡± Blaze, who had incredible eyesight, said, ¡°It is not in good condition. It looks to have some rot, and there appears to be a gap on the right.¡± He pointed, but I could not see anything inside the city. Castile studied the sky. ¡°We will make camp further away and enter the city in the morning with an exploration group composed of those of you that have runic weapons, the Scholar, and myself. Everyone else will guard the camp.¡± I almost laughed when Brutus realized that claiming the runic sword prize came at a weighty price. I had obviously fallen into the trap as well. Although I suspected even if I didn¡¯t have a runic weapon, I would have volunteered. We moved two miles from the city and found a small ruined watch tower similar to the one we stayed on the river. There had once been a road that passed by this tower, but the forest had long since reclaimed it. Most of the walls had collapsed, but it would be easily defensible, and with the dire wolf still watching us, the added security was welcome. While men moved large stones in the rubble to clear space for tents and make it more defensible, Konstantin had Brutus and I practice against each other. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I was finding the black blade¡¯s added length more suited my strength. Without using my air shields, Brutus and I were good training partners. Konstantin and Adrian gave us pointers as they supervised the clearing of the ruined tower¡¯s interior. I actually preferred this practice to moving the large stones with everyone else. Benito complained, ¡°I thought after a month of moving those cursed white marble markers, I would never have to move a stone again.¡± Kolm clapped him on the back, ¡°But you are so good at! I bet you could roll that stone out at the entrance.¡± Firth quickly doubted Benito¡¯s ability, ¡°I don¡¯t know. He is the smallest man in the company.¡± Benito leaped at the opportunity, ¡°I bet you a large copper I could!¡± I don¡¯t know if I should feel bad for Benito for getting tricked into doing the extra work; after all, he got a copper out of it. Everyone was famished as the sun set and a strong fire burned in the camp¡¯s center. The walls around us were between twelve and twenty feet, so we felt safe. Dark clouds had moved in to cover the moon and stars, making it pitch black out in the woods. We established a shit pit going into the old basement of the tower, as no one was going out into the woods tonight. I heard Blaze tell Delmar he could see the yellow eyes of the dire wolf in the dark. I had a choice when I entered my dreamscape amulet later that night. I could start working on a new spell form or practice with my new sword. I opted for sword practice as I didn¡¯t want to get distracted trying to learn a new spell form during our exploration. I kept my practice short to just three hours. When I exited the dreamscape, all was quiet, and the weather had gotten very cold. I pulled out my heavy rain cloak and wrapped myself to sit by the fire. I was not the only one. Three men were guarding the archway into the tower, and two other men were at the fire. I sat with them, glad for the heat. I was not surprised; one of the men was Konstantin, and the other was Delmar. They were talking quietly and just nodded at me as I sat across from them. The crackling of the wet wood made it impossible to hear what they were talking about. Castile came and sat next to me unexpectedly. Delmar asked her, ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Castile looked to the sky, ¡°The wolf is still out there, watching. And these clouds are not natural.¡± Konstantin shook his head irately, ¡°The summoner?¡± Castile nodded slowly, ¡°I think so. Some type of storm elemental is causing the clouds.¡± Delmar cursed, ¡°An orge¡¯s ass, Castile. If it is Traeliorn, we should run now.¡± Konstantin stirred the coals calmly, ¡°It is probably too late. Depending on what he summons to attack us, we might have to take refuge in the city.¡± Castile offered some hope, ¡°It might just be another of his apprentices. We will see how strong the elemental is when it changes the weather.¡± As if she had cursed us, a few snowflakes started falling, quickly becoming bigger and heavier. The fire sizzled as larger and larger flakes were consumed on the coals. No one spoke until Konstantin finally said, ¡°Seems like a powerful elemental to me.¡± The camp was quickly awoken, and everyone was ordered to pack. I was close enough to Castile, Adrian, and Delmar to overhear. Delmar wanted to retreat, ¡°We should get back on the road and race back to Sobral.¡± He added,¡°If we are going to run, we could also head east. Parvas is much closer than Sobral.¡± The wet snow was accumulating quickly, pulling the heat from my body, and my toes were getting numb. My breath was a solid cloud every time I exhaled. I just hoped they decided soon. My gear was packed, and I was ready. Adrian thought staying was wiser, ¡°If we march in this snow, at the rate it is falling, it could be a man¡¯s height in half a day. We should fortify the tower and prepare for the summoner.¡± Castile finally decided, ¡°We don¡¯t know how far the storm reaches. The dire wolf knows we are in the tower. I think the storm elemental is creating the snow, so we don¡¯t move from here. Whatever beast he is planning to summon, it will know where to find us. He might be holding us here so he has time to summon a creature. We cannot deal with a wyvern,¡± she said emphatically. Reluctantly, she decided on a course of action. ¡°We march for Parvas.¡± When Castile mentioned a wyvern, I thought Castile would give me a look, but she didn¡¯t. Delmar called out, ¡°Three days food. Lighten your pack of non-essentials.¡± Delmar was giving us the freedom to decide what we wanted to drop. The snow, already three inches deep after just fifteen minutes, was soon littered with legion gear and food. The falling snow quickly covered cooking sets, tarps, spare clothes, discarded food, and hatchets. Everyone was confused about the snow and marching before dawn. Glowstones were out, lighting our way through the deepening snow. Adrian moved among the men, letting them know what was happening so rumors would not spread. Visibility was only about thirty feet, and we marched three abreast and in close formation. The front of the line suddenly stopped. Everyone moved forward to circle a blue spectral form of a child. It was thrashing at the snow, frustrated. Konstantin already had his blade out and was flexing his forearm, eager to strike down the undead. He was scanning the snow further away, and you could see more figures moving. Castile had dropped her pack and removed a large bronze urn, the kettle of souls. Konstantin looked down at her, ¡°They are wandering far from the walls. They must be killing the vegetation at night. We should be safe on the road.¡± Castile stood with the urn. ¡°Destroy that specter. Let¡¯s confirm this will work if we need it.¡± Konstantin eagerly stepped forward. The specter looked just like a child, just translucent. When it looked up, its face was twisted in pain as it lunged at Konstantin. His slash left a blue line on the specter, pushing it back as his sword sparked. A second strike followed, and the apparition deformed and melted slowly into the ground. Castile moved forward, holding out the urn. Her feet crunched on the snow, and her breath created large clouds in front of her. The urn had blue sparks flash over it as she focused aether into the device. Where the specter had melded into the ground, wisps of blue-violent smoke flowed up and into the urn. It was similar to the smoke from forming an essence, but it had a deeper purple color. Castile breathed a sigh of relief as she capped the urn. Konstantin asked, ¡°What happens now that it is inside that?¡± She shook the urn, but we couldn¡¯t hear anything. She explained, ¡°It is destroyed. Aether crystal dust with a necromantic affinity for alchemy. I had never used one before, and it just felt like it was draining the heat from my hands.¡± Adrian rushed forward to attack another specter of an older woman who was more white than blue and had blended in the snowfall. ¡°Runic weapons to the front. Do not fire any of the arrows unless you absolutely must!¡± I drew my blade and formed the front line with Adrain to my left and Brutus to my right. Castile was drawing the second dead specter into the urn. My first opponent was the image of a guardsman. He wielded a spectral blade, and my slash passed through the blade and connected with his body. I did not get the same sparks as Konstantin¡¯s blade, but it felt like I had struck something akin to a training dummy. I stabbed with my next strike, pushing it back. My third attack was an overhead swing onto its head, and it finally started to meld into the ground. Blue wisps of violet smoke from my defeated foe flowed back toward Castile. Nine specters were killed before they stopped coming. Adrian was breathing heavily and accounting for all twenty-three men and Castile. Delmar barked, ¡°It is getting heavier, Castile.¡± He was right, as the flakes were larger and the line of sight decreased. Konstantin advised, ¡°We will never make it if the snowfall is this heavy all the way to Parvas.¡± Everyone¡¯s helm had an inch of snow on it. The snow also melted on our necks from our body heat, soaking our clothes under the armor. Hypothermia was going to be a real problem soon. Castile¡¯s hands were blue from the cold as she held the bronze urn. I produced leather gloves from my dimensional space and handed them to her. She took them absent-mindedly. She was considering entering the city, and we all knew it. Finally, the words came out with vitriol, ¡°Cursed summoner. We make for the city¡¯s gate.¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 131 The Library Chapter 131 The Library The heavy, wet snow crunched under our feet as the discordant rhythm of our steps headed toward the western gate of Caelora. Adrian and Konstantin were out front and cut down another specter while Castile took its death essence. The dark walls of the city soon shadowed over us, blocking some of the snowfall. Large stones were scattered at the foot of the wall, having fallen with time. Being close to the city felt wrong, and the aged stone was covered in a black mold. The gate was glossy, ominous black wood as we reached it, with one of the large doors slightly ajar, giving a narrow entrance to the city. The company huddled by the wall as Konstantin checked the narrow opening in the gate. I was standing in front of Scholar Favian, who was shivering and did not appear to be doing well. Maveith was standing over the older man, trying to shield him from the wet, heavy snow. The more snow melted on my neck and soaked my clothes underneath, the more I felt the bite of the cold. Especially now that we had stopped moving. A specter of an elven woman in guard armor passed through the stone wall, and surprised Pavel further back. Pavel screamed in pain as the arm of the specter passed through his torso. The specter flared, its body becoming more coherent as it took something from Pavel¡¯s pained wailing. I was the first to get my runic blade on the specter. After four rapid strikes, the creature faded into the ground. Castile used the urn to destroy the creature permanently while Linus checked on Pavel. I kneeled opposite Linus, concerned for Pavel. Pavel¡¯s face was pale, and he was struggling to breathe. ¡°He will recover as long as more specters do not strike him,¡± Linus told me. He addressed Pavel, ¡°Come on, Pavel, one strike from a specter cannot take down a legionnaire.¡± Pavel struggled to sit up, his breathing was labored, ¡°My lungs feel like cold spikes are stabbing them.¡± He rasped, ¡°Can I have a healing potion?¡± Castile was standing over us, concern on her face, ¡°It won¡¯t do any good. It attacked your life essence, not your physical body. You will recover in a day; just do not get struck again before then. If the specters drain your life essence, you will become one of them.¡± The wind suddenly seemed to shift, and our minor protection from the wall was gone. Snow was blowing directly into us and getting heavier. Konstantin returned from the opening to report. He sounded grave, ¡°Dozens of specters are walking the street, Castile. If everyone had a runic weapon, we might stand a chance.¡± Adrian shook his head, ¡°It is a death sentence if we stay out here. We will freeze and be exposed to whatever creature the summoner sends at us. I prefer to fight inside the city. We can shelter in one of the buildings and have those with weapons shield the others.¡± Firth dissented, ¡°Easy for you to say. You have a runic weapon.¡± Tension among the men was getting thick. It was the first time the company did not feel cohesive. For some of the men, they were fighting an enemy they could not injure. Konstantine offered a solution, ¡°Give everyone one of the runic arrows. Those without a runic sword can hold off the specters long enough with the runic arrowhead for another with a sword to finish it.¡± Silence hung, and the flakes fell. ¡°Do it,¡± Castile finally said. Things were so dire I pulled out one of my aces, ¡°I have this, Firth.¡± I handed him the elven runic dagger I secretly brought from my storage. He seemed like the best person in the company to wield it, someone prone to stab others in the back. ¡°Found it on the elven summoner.¡± Firth unsheathed the dagger in the light of the glowstone. He grunted, ¡°Pretty little poker. Thank you.¡± He sounded mollified and returned the runic arrow Blaze had given him. I got a look from Castile, but she did not say anything. ¡°I want it back after this, Firth,¡± I tried to make eye contact, but he had just waved his hand in acknowledgment. I hope he was not going to hold onto it. The snow was almost knee-deep now, and everyone was shivering but prepared as best we could be. Delmar took the lead through the crack in the gate, and we followed in single file. We fanned out on the other side of the gate, the ruined city laid before us. Skeletons of stone roofless buildings lined the streets; some had collapsed walls. Specters, as Konstantin had noted, walked the streets. They moved effortlessly in the field of snow, leaving it undisturbed as they moved. Delmar was dealing with the nearest one, a young elf male. The specters noticed our arrival and started moving toward us. Castile ordered, ¡°Remain here at the gate until we thin them out. Let them come to us!¡± I moved to the right to face the length of the inner wall; two specters in guard uniforms walked through the wall of a nearby building, and I was soon fighting in the deep snow. As I engaged one, the twang of a bow behind me sent an arrow into another. ¡°Blaze, hold your arrows!¡± Delmar said angrily. Blaze¡¯s arrow passed through the specter, causing a tiny flash, forcing it back briefly, but it recovered quickly. The arrow shattered on the stone beyond, the arrowhead and splinters disappearing into the snow. Maveith stood behind me with the Scholar, but there was not much they could do to help against the incorporeal specters. The company formed an arc at the gate with the five runic blades protecting everyone. The only consolation was the slow speed of the specters. They all appeared to be walking toward us. Castile was busy utilizing the urn on the dispelled specters. If she did not pull their death essence into the urn, they reformed from the ground in about thirty minutes. We found that out when Castile missed one of the specters Delmar had dissipated. It reformed under Delmar and struck his leg. Delmar cursed and backed away, and I had to strike the specter down so Castile could use the urn. Delmar was limping and cursing as he handed his sword to Benito, who took his place. Castile was doing her best, but it took almost fifteen heartbeats for the violet smoke to be consumed by the urn, and the specters seemed endless. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The wind shifted again, and the snow was now falling straight down. The gate and wall had shielded us from the slow, drawn-out combat for hours. The specters were easy enough to deal with one at a time. My shoulder and forearm were starting to fatigue, so I switched hands. My ambidexterity training was coming in useful. ¡°Cursed elemental!¡± Castile screamed at the sky as the snow was getting deeper. ¡°We need to get inside a building. Favian?¡± Night had given way to a gray dawn filled with continued snowfall. Favian was shivering and bundled tight. He looked up, his face blue, ¡°The library should be entirely stone and still have its roof.¡± He looked left, right, and then straight, ¡°It should be that way. Maybe a hundred yards from the outer wall.¡± His teeth were chattering. ¡°Eryk and Konstantin at the front!¡± Castile barked her orders. We were in the best condition of the men wielding the runic weapons; at least, we appeared the least fatigued. Adrian handed his own blade off to another man to get a rest, as did Brutus. I moved to the front and walked with Konstantin. Not only did we have to fight the specters, but we also had to break snow, which was thigh-deep now. We had definitely thinned the specters in this part of the city, but it was a city, and if everyone in the city had become a specter, that meant there could be thousands. Many tripping hazards were hidden in the snow, but we pressed forward in a sliding walk. We moved one block into the city, and it attracted a wave of two dozen specters. We were forced to retreat back to the gate as Konstantin and I killed them one by one. I found my air shield did not deter the specters, but Castile¡¯s shadow chains could hold them in place and prevented us from being overwhelmed. The problem was Castile needed to constantly utilize the kettle of souls, or the specters would reconstitute themselves. We moved forward again once Castile had eradicated the spectral essences. At the intersection of the street, Scholar Favian shouted, ¡°There it is! That building there!¡± A vague outline of a building through the dense snow could be seen in the gray morning light. The street had widened as we moved to the building and climbed the steps unmolested. The large front doors were missing, but Favian had been correct. The building did have a stone roof. I took out my glowstone and entered with Konstantin. A specter greeted us, but we dispatched it quickly together. Even in the frigid air, the pungent smell of mold hit me. The antechamber to the library was round and had mosaics on the wall, mostly covered in thick green and black mold. A second and third specter greeted us from deeper inside the structure as the others moved into the room. While we handled the specters, men gratefully cleared their bodies of snow. ¡°Grab what you can to start a fire,¡± Adrian said, taking back his sword. There was not much in the room besides some dried vines. Konstantin had already looked further in. ¡°There are a lot of collapsed shelves and moldy books further in. Only noticed three specters, as well.¡± ¡°We will move deeper then,¡± Castile decided. The shivering company pushed into the next room. It was a massive, high-ceiling room with hundreds of shelves and books. Most of the shelves had been knocked over or just collapsed on themselves with time. The specters Konstantin noted were on the far side and seemed uninterested in us at the moment. As soon as we started hacking up the shelves for firewood, the three specters moved toward us, and two we had not seen. Castile used the kettle of souls after we destroyed them. The urn now sounded like it was half full of sand. Castile also looked beyond exhausted. It was not long before we had a fire going. Mateo was warming his hands, his fingertips white with frostbite. He was not the only one with frostbite. Some men had swollen red fingers, pale white skin, or the extremities blackening like Mateo. I finally had time to sit and take off my boots, as my feet had been hurting for hours. Felix took my black blade while I rested. For now, there were no specters. My toes were an angry red, and some skin was peeling. I had been fighting nonstop for hours, which probably saved me from more severe frostbite. I focused my healing spell form on my feet, and the skin flaked off, giving rise to fresh, healthy pink skin. Linus came over and requested I give him all the potions in my dimensional storage. When the skin turned black, it meant the skin was dead and needed to be treated with healing. ¡°Don¡¯t burn those!¡± A shivering Favian stood as Kolm was about to toss some moldy books on the fire. Castile turned at the commotion, ¡°Burn the shelves first. If we run out of wood, burn the damaged books first.¡± Favian nodded in thanks. I could tell he wanted to explore the tomes, but he was still in a miserable state. I was close enough to hear Adrian and Castile talking. ¡°I hope we have not just trapped ourselves inside the city.¡± ¡°The kettle of souls is doing its work, Adrian. We just need to not rush into the city and get overwhelmed,¡± Castile said tiredly. She removed the leather gloves I had given her, and her fingers were completely black. Adrian yelled at her, ¡°Gods, Castile! Why didn¡¯t you say anything!¡± He took her hands, and they tried to warm them. ¡°Linus! One of the lesser healing potions for Castile.¡± Linus rushed over and gave it to her, and she drank it with Adrian¡¯s help as her fingers were not working. Her black skin slowly regained color. We ended up using half of our stock of potions as we got a large fire going. Men removed their armor and laid out their wet clothes to dry. Specters arrived sporadically from both inside and outside of the complex. They were easily dealt with, and every time we slew one, Castile stood and used the kettle of souls on it. The snowfall was not slowing, and by midday, it was almost five feet deep. At this height, traveling in the city was impossible. Not only would you have to break the snow, but you couldn¡¯t see the specters until they were on top of you. Concern was growing, and Flavius said, ¡°The summoner and the specters are not going to be the death of us. He is going to bury us under ten feet of snow, and we will starve to death.¡± His pronouncement did not help the company¡¯s mood, but he was right. Most men had dropped most of their extra food at the tower to lighten their packs. Maveith cheerfully offered up his bag freely, ¡°I have twenty-seven ration bars left.¡± ¡°I would rather starve,¡± Firth said, laughing at Mavieth¡¯s offer. If things got dire, I was prepared to reveal my additional storage capacity even though I had regretfully just given way to most of my food stores. Delmar tried to be optimistic, ¡°If we can find the dungeon, there should be plenty of meat to harvest inside. I have never been in a dungeon that didn¡¯t have something edible in it.¡± ¡°How are we going to search for it under ten feet of snow?¡± Flavius said bitterly. ¡°I think this city has a sewer system,¡± Scholar Favian interrupted the growing discontentment of the men. All eyes turned to him as tempers cooled. ¡°Most of the great elven cities had expansive underground networks. I think one of the books Eryk has detailed their maintenance. Unfortunately, there were no maps inside.¡± The few of us who realized it turned and looked out at the sea of thousands of books. Most were probably useless, but there had to be a map of the city¡¯s underground network somewhere in the mess. Chapter 132: Glimmer of Hope Chapter 132: Glimmer of Hope We had been in the library for most of the day with the snow not letting up outside. The night was settling outside, and the stained windows of the library were darkening. They were not even real windows, just massive blocks of semi-transparent stone, probably quartz. The fire was burning merrily in the center of the ancient elven library, constantly supplied by men breaking apart old bookshelves. Fortunately, everything was dry and burned well with minimal smoke. The specters kept arriving but much slower, one every half hour or so. Castile was confused and spoke aloud, her concerned voice echoing in the large room, ¡°Specters should not be able to range so far from where they died.¡± Konstantin was inspecting the library¡¯s outer wall and answered her, ¡°If you watch them, Castile, they are going about their daily lives until something interrupts their routine. If we had not attacked the first spirit of the girl picking flowers, the others might have left us alone. Well, the non-soldiers, anyway.¡± Castile shook her head while flexing her recently healed frostbitten hands before the fire. ¡°It just concerns me. If all the specters can wander anywhere in the city, then we could be rushed by thousands at once at any time.¡± Scholar Favian was sitting by the fire going through stacks of books Benito and Felix were bringing him as the shelves were dismantled. If he thought a book was trash, he put it to his left in the burn pile. If it was useful, he stacked it to his right. He added his input, ¡°Specters should take a lot longer to reconstitute after being disrupted by runic weapons. My guess is the ley line underneath the city is feeding them somehow. It is probably a nexus, an intersection of ley lines. It also makes it much more probable there is a dungeon somewhere within the city walls.¡± Another specter entered through the wall, and Adrian moved to deal with it, Konstantin quickly supporting him. Castile rose with the urn to permanently end the threat. It was becoming routine now, and everyone felt somewhat safe except for the fact the exit was completely blocked by snow. Castile returned to the fire, ¡°There is definitely a nexus under the city. My aether recovery has increased.¡± I had not noticed or felt any difference myself. Konstantin walked back to the fire, ¡°We should explore the rest of the library. This is just the main room.¡± It was not the first time he had mentioned it in the last few hours. He was smart enough not to wander off on his own without permission. He also had not sheathed his runic weapon the entire time and was always moving to attack new specters when they wandered in. His runic weapon was the only one that sparked when connecting with the specters. It was like his weapon was taking pleasure in striking the undead. ¡°We will wait to see if Scholar Favian finds anything useful first,¡± Castile replied patiently, the same response she had every time Konstantin mentioned exploring. Konstantin looked around at the massive room, almost the size of a football pitch. ¡°There are tens of thousands of books, Castile. It could take him months to find anything. At least let me see if I can find any access down to the sewer system, so we have the option to move under the city if the summoner sends something after us, we cannot handle,¡± Konstantin requested. ¡°At least it will not be full of elf shit,¡± Mateo added, getting a laugh, but I shook my head as I knew what Konstantin was going to say next. ¡°And see. I already have a volunteer to help,¡± Konstantin¡¯s smirk had Mateo groaning. Delmar had collected everyone¡¯s food, inventoried it, and told Castile, ¡°Castile, we have four days of food here, five if we stretch it, more if we start rationing now. I agree with Konstantin. The sooner we find other exits, the better off we are going to be.¡± Castile relented, ¡°In the morning. Let¡¯s make sure everyone has dry clothes and is rested.¡± Half the men walked around in their underclothes, waiting for the heavier fabrics to dry near the fire. It was a terribly slow process. As the light from the quartz windows faded, I laid down on my bedroll. Half the men had dropped their bedroll at the tower before we ran, so I counted myself lucky. I was mentally exhausted from the lack of sleep and fighting all day. Fighting the specters was like striking training dummies, and I had probably killed over two hundred today. If I had not had the healing spell form, I probably would not be able to lift my arm. Brutus couldn¡¯t even hold the sword I had lent him; his forearm and shoulder were too sore and cramping. Linus told him he couldn¡¯t afford to use a healing potion on him as we were down to just two of the lesser healing potions. My bedroll was next to the Scholar who was sitting in a chair by the fire. He was exhausted as well but too excited about paging through the viable tomes, humming and hawing as he went. Maveith was also nearby and not in the mood to play checkers. I closed my eyes but found sleeping difficult. I decided I would not use the amulet or an oblivion pill with danger so close. My survival instincts were telling me not to sleep at all. I heard the other men tossing and turning nearby as well. Maveith shook me awake, the large goliath standing over me, ¡°Eryk, it is time for us to be on watch.¡± I sat up and looked around. Somehow, I had fallen asleep and didn¡¯t even dream. I always dreamed when I slept and could usually recall most of what happened in them¡ªusually, I was plagued by nightmares. ¡°I thought we were guarding the Scholar,¡± I asked groggily. ¡°I will be fine. You won¡¯t be far away anyway.¡± Scholar Favian said from his nearby chair, dismissing me. He was intently focused on the book he was paging through and didn¡¯t even look up. I stood and looked around. Benito and Delmar were by the entrance, huddled in cloaks. Konstantin and Firth had their backs to the fire, facing the open end of the library. Blaze and Donte were hanging by the eastern wall, giving us a total of six men on sentry duty. At the fire, Lirkin was heating a large cast iron cauldron. He looked at me and answered my unasked question. ¡°Found it buried under one of the piles of books. Spent two hours cleaning it and boiled a few runs of water.¡± He tapped the side, ¡°Looks like we were not the only ones to camp in the library, the smith¡¯s mark is in Telhian.¡± The five-gallon cauldron was being used to melt snow and boil water. As I dressed in my armor, I asked Lirkin, ¡°Did you dream last night?¡± He looked at me perplexed but went into deep thought. ¡°No, not that I can recall. But I usually don¡¯t remember my dreams. Why do you ask?¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Just curiosity. I usually dream, but nothing last night. Not even sure how long I slept,¡± I said casually. Maveith answered me, ¡°Four hours. The watches are four hours, according to Delmar, and we are on the second watch. We are to replace Benito and Delmar at the door.¡± Lirkin offered his meal preparation efforts, ¡°Have some weak tea, rice, and hard bread.¡± I got my cup from my pack, and the hot tea was welcome for the warmth it spread inside me. The fire might be half a dozen feet across, but the temperature dropped rapidly once you were more than ten feet away from it. The allotment was a lot smaller than I had expected, just a cup of salted overcooked rice and a slice of stale bread. I still ate it greedily as my stomach was growling with impatience. The food was gone too soon, and I knew every meal would be similar while we were trapped in here. Maveith got a double portion, but it would not be enough to sustain him either. We walked to the entryway, and Benito jumped when I said, ¡°Relief behind you.¡± Benito turned and handed me my sheathed black blade. Delmar poked his head out of his own cloak, his breath forming dense clouds in the frigid air, ¡°Things have gotten quiet. Haven¡¯t seen a specter in two hours, but stay alert.¡± He handed Maveith his blade and went to get some rest. Sharing runic weapons was unusual, but it was necessary with only five blades in the company. Firth also had the elven dagger and had used it but had not passed it off to anyone. I planned to get it back when we were free of the elven ruins¡ªif not before. Delmar and Benito gladly went to the fire to get warm, and we pulled our cloaks tight around us. A glowstone lit the chamber beyond. The archway we had entered was now completely blocked by snow, and it was almost eight feet to the top. Maveith fought with a club, and Delmar¡¯s blade looked small in his hand, but he knew the importance of it. We didn¡¯t talk for most of the watch as I listened to the snowfall change. Maveith heard it, too. ¡°It is getting much colder outside. The wet snow is changing to lighter snow but will accumulate quicker.¡± I just nodded as the cold was still penetrating my cloak. I started to focus on the clouds of my exhaled breaths to pass the time, seeing how far I could send them. Maveith spoke after a time, ¡°I have never seen this much snow before.¡± ¡°It is called a blizzard,¡± I said, using the English word. ¡°Blizzard,¡± Maveith tested the word. ¡°Sounds ominous and fitting for this circumstance. ¡°Still glad you came with us?¡± I asked lightheartedly. Maveith gave the question serious thought, ¡°Exploring the elven ruins is thrilling. Being chased by an angry and powerful elven summoner is not as exciting.¡± I chuckled at his honesty. I reached down and picked up a book. The book crumbled in my hands. I guess these books closer to the entrance had more exposure to the weather, allowing mold to grow on them. Remus and Brutus came to relieve us. Brutus winced as I handed him the black blade. He was still sore from swinging his blade thousands of times yesterday. I had healed my own damaged muscle tissue with my spell form. ¡°Castile wants to talk with you,¡± he said, taking over the duty at the archway. The red-haired Remus took Delmar¡¯s blade from Maveith. We left them trying to keep the warmth inside their cloaks. I was not sure why we were guarding the entrance to the room. Castile sat on a bench, paging through a large elven book, and I sat beside her. Each page was a painting of a magnificent city with elves walking the streets. I waited while she finished and placed the book down between us. ¡°Konstantin is going to explore the rest of the library. He wants you and Mateo to go with him.¡± She spoke softly so no one could hear us. I sighed in a long exhale, ¡°You want me to leave the potions.¡± ¡°You are not going with him; just Mateo is,¡± she said heavily. ¡°I wanted to ask you a question. How much food do you have in your dimensional space? You do not have to take it out, but I need to know.¡± She had spoken softly, and no one was within twenty feet of us. This was it. How much was I going to reveal? I went through it in my mind what I had left: three gallons of honey, almost twenty gallons of rum, thirty gallons of water, fifteen pounds of salt, five pounds of peppercorns, fifteen ration bars, and ten pounds of standard legion rations. I also had the two elven packs I had yet to search. I slowly said, ¡°Enough for one person for three to four weeks.¡± Castile nodded, obviously disappointed I did not have an entire pantry. Things were going to get bad fast as the food ran out. With the snow, we had no way to get more food. She was quiet for a time, and I sensed despair from her. I suggested a course of action, ¡°Delmar is right. The only way out is to find the dungeon. The summoner may have buried us under ten feet of snow, but he cannot spy on us either. If anyone can find a dungeon that has been missing for fifteen hundred years, it is Konstantin.¡± I also suggested, ¡°It is frigid by the entrance. Can I suggest we pull those sentries closer to the fire?¡± Castile considered, her tone changed to confident and authoritative, ¡°Konstantin, you and Mateo can explore but no more than four hours. Adrian, tighten the watch closer to the fire and bring the glowstones to Eryk to charge them.¡± Mateo was given a bow with five runic arrows, and no runic blade. Konstantin and Mateo then left to explore the library, which I assumed was a large complex. I recharged the glowstones, marking up the perimeter of the camp. Then, I joined everyone else, making firewood from the shelves and bringing books for Scholar Favian to sort. Rice and jerky stew were served as our lunch, and it was an even smaller ration than breakfast. Lirkin was rationing food as directed, and no one was complaining yet, but everyone was realizing what a terrible spot we were in. I do not think Castile made the wrong decision. If we had not entered the city, we would have frozen to death in the snow on the march. After just two hours, Konstantin returned, running into the chamber with Mateo, ¡°I have ten or more specters right behind us!!¡± The men moved quickly to form a wall, and the four men with runic blades prepared for the charging specters. Over a dozen specters of children came through the walls in pursuit of Konstantin. Firth barked at Konstantin as he entered the fight, ¡°I knew you were terrible with kids.¡± It didn¡¯t get any laughs. Castile was ready with the kettle of souls, and the fight did not last long. Konstantin was breathing irregularly. Castile was waiting for him to report. Mateo informed us, ¡°He got struck twice. There may be five or six more specters, but they must reconstitute themselves.¡± Since Konstantin could not speak, Adrian asked Mateo, ¡°What did you find?¡± ¡°Lots of smaller libraries and studies. A few isolated specters. When we finally found stairs going down, they were not to sewers. It was some type of large shelter complex. One of the rooms had hundreds of elven bones, mostly of children. Only a few of the children chased us, but there were hundreds more,¡± Mateo reported. He also had that look that indicated that he never wanted to work with Konstantin again. A look I knew well. Scholar Favian approached, ¡°We should be searching the smaller libraries. This was just a general library. Fascinating books, but the thousand books I have looked at so far had nothing useful.¡± Konstantin rasped, ¡°I think the underground complex extends under the entire city. The civilians took shelter there when the Legion attacked. The poison gas killed everyone above and below ground, Castile. There will be hundreds more specters¡ªbut I think we can travel under the city to search for the dungeon.¡± Konstantin¡¯s voice was exhausted. Konstantin nodded his head at Mateo in appreciation of his efforts. Mateo looked unhappy but unsheathed a new thin blade on his hip. They had found another runic weapon. An elven forged blade. This got murmurs in the company. If we could find more, then everyone could defend themselves. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 133: Forgotten Knowledge Chapter 133: Forgotten Knowledge After the scouts returned, the men huddled near the center of the massive library. Konstantin and Mateo¡¯s news that there were thousands more specters under the city was not being met with much cheerfulness. Mateo¡¯s new runic elven blade was being passed around, but I ignored the interest. I shifted my position to listen to Konstantin, Castile, Adrian, and Delmar talking. They were all circled around the Scholar to plan an expedition further into the library. Konstantin explained what they had found through ragged, wheezing breaths: ¡°The library has two large towers on the northern corner of this structure. We only explored one of the towers. Each floor of the tower had its own library. We only encountered a few specters of what I suspect were the elven librarians. Easily handed, and they reformed after half an hour like the others.¡± He nodded at the kettle of souls to indicate it would be required. The Scholar eagerly interrupted, ¡°What books were in the smaller libraries?¡± Konstantin shrugged, ¡°Unfortunately, not all were as well preserved as this room. Some weather managed to get through damaged windows. The third and highest floor also has damage to the roof, and the books are just a pile of dirt from centuries in the elements.¡± Scholar Favian frowned at the news. ¡°The first and second floors had books in better condition as well as a number of offices. That is where Mateo found that,¡± he pointed at the elven blade. ¡°It was mounted on a wall in one of the offices.¡± Delmar looked around, ¡°We should move camp to one of the offices in the tower. It will be easier to heat and more defensible from the specters.¡± All eyes turned to Castile, but she had yet to make a final decision, ¡°What about the underground complex?¡± Konstantin continued, ¡°After we climbed the tower, we descended and thought we were headed into the sewers underneath the tower like the Scholar mentioned, but we encountered a long hallway with a number of storage rooms. We only encountered a single specter until we reached a large room littered with hundreds of skeletons, all of them elven children. That is where we drew those specters that were chasing us. Mateo got anxious and swung his new blade even though they were ignoring us,¡± Konstantin shook his head. ¡°Otherwise, I think the child specters would have continued wandering the room.¡± Delmar was interested in the other rooms, ¡°Anything useful in the storage rooms?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t explore them too thoroughly, but it is unlikely. I suspect they were full of food and other perishable supplies that have long since expired.¡± All eyes turned to Castile to make the decision. ¡°Any sign of vermin?¡± Castile finally asked. Konstantin went introspective, ¡°I see what you are asking. Rat meat is better than starving, but I suspect the specters keep the city clear of all living things. I saw no signs of rats.¡± He paused before delivering more unwelcome news, ¡°We were able to see the city from the third floor of the tower. It is still snowing out there; all you can see is white, Castile. Even the hearth tree of the elves is covered. We are trapped.¡± Adrian offered some optimism, ¡°We have enough here to burn to keep warm and just need to melt the snow for fresh water.¡± Delmar dissented, ¡°We will run out of food, Adrian. Maybe we can stretch it and let it last a month, but I doubt we are going to find anything in the city that has not spoiled or turned to dust long ago. Our only hope is we find the Scholar¡¯s dungeon and hunt there.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Castile said tersely before an argument erupted. ¡°We will clear the two library towers of specters and see if their libraries offer any more clues to its whereabouts.¡± From his seat, Scholar Favian was quick to add, ¡°Elven libraries in the Esenhem Kingdom have special restricted sections for magical study. Maybe one of the tower libraries is a study of the dungeon itself. It would make sense if the dungeon is indeed inside the city.¡± There was slight optimism as the leadership group separated and began to move our camp to the north end of the library, closer to the towers. The decision was made for Konstantin, Adrian, Blaze, and I to go with Castile to secure one of the towers. The Scholar would come with us. Brutus, Mateo, Delmar, Flavius, and Pascal would remain with the larger group, protecting them with their runic weapons. There was not much fanfare as we entered the doors on the north end of the library. I somehow ended up in front with a glowstone in one hand and my black blade in the other. A shield would be useless in this situation as it wouldn¡¯t stop the specters anyway. The wide corridor had footprints from Konstantin and Mateo in a thin layer of dust. The walls were painted with images, but the dust coating them was too thick to make them out clearly. ¡°Follow our prints,¡± Konstantin said impatiently from the left. ¡°There will be a wide stairway to the left in about fifty feet.¡± I walked slowly as our footfalls were muffled by the thick dust layer. I paused at the steps Konstantin had informed me about. The stone steps were a rich beige stone and had much less dust. I started to climb the wide circular staircase. The extremely cold air had not reached freezing temperatures yet, and our ascent¡¯s echoes made me tense as I was a dozen steps ahead of the group. I reached the first landing, and two large double doors hung loosely from broken hinges. They were also covered in dust; whatever had ripped them out had done so a long time ago. I entered the room beyond, and a specter was placing a book on a shelf, oblivious to my presence. Castile hissed, ¡°It is a poltergeist. Watch out, as it can affect the material plane.¡± Adrian was on my right, ¡°Eryk, you and me, now.¡± We both advanced on the translucent elf in robes. It turned its head in curiosity at us before Konstantin¡¯s blade stabbed forward from my left and took it in the chest, causing a flash of sparks. It screamed in silence as Adrian hacked it from my right, and I finished it off, bringing my blade down on its head. Konstantin chuckled, ¡°Third time I have killed this one. Hopefully, this time it stays dead.¡± Konstantin must have rushed forward to attack the specter. I quickly glanced at his runic blade, and it had a luster to it that I had not noticed before. Konstantin confidently sheathed the blade, ¡°That was the only one on this floor when we explored.¡± Castile had the kettle out, and the violet death essence smoke was already being sucked into it. Castile was not happy, ¡°Konstantin, you didn¡¯t mention any poltergeists?¡± He looked blankly at Castile. ¡°They are advanced forms of specters that can manipulate objects. They are usually only capable of throwing objects and not wielding them like weapons. This one must have been immensely powerful to handle that deteriorating book so gently.¡± Stolen novel; please report. Konstantin nodded, accepting his failure, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. There is another one on the third floor. When I struck it down, it was trying to repair the damaged books.¡± I took in the room as Scholar Favian was itching to get at the shelves. There was only a single transparent stone window, helping our glowstones light the room. The room was surprisingly clean and orderly. The poltergeist must have maintained this room through the centuries. Six long double-sided shelves dominated the room. Simple but elegant desks lined the walls, with five doorways dispersed between them. Those of us with runic weapons walked the small library and searched the doors. Adrian found a specter in one of the rooms and quickly dispatched it for Castile to consume with the urn, much to Konstantin¡¯s chagrin from claiming there were no more specters on this floor. We were allowed a break when the entire floor was secure, and Favian started to go through the shelves in earnest. I went into one of the offices that had a fireplace and window. The view through the stone was foggy, and I cleaned the inside as best I could. Beyond that, it looked like the snow was slowing, as I could see a good distance and see what looked like the shapes of buildings in the city. The massive tree that dominated the city was covered in snow, its massive branches sagging under the weight. Blue lightning flashed in the sky high above as I watched. I heard Castile walk up behind me. ¡°Storm elementals,¡± she pointed out to the blue flashes. ¡°Looks like the summoner¡¯s control over them is waning at the moment.¡± ¡°Are we getting out of this?¡± I asked softly. This felt like Macha all over again, trapped in a city. She tapped the kettle of souls in her arms, ¡°Yes. With this, we stand a chance.¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t someone used that before to clear the city of the undead? There appears to be a lot in this city that can be plundered,¡± I asked. Castile looked out the window with me at the sky, ¡°The first kettle of souls was found in a dungeon about nine hundred years ago, according to Scholar Favian. There was not much use for it until they learned the death essence it crystallized could be used to forge runic weapons and certain potions. The Telhian Empire has neither powerful runic smiths nor powerful alchemists to make use of it. This kettle was sitting in the vault of a Count, long forgotten, but Scholar Favian was aware of its existence. We were lucky the Count was willing to part with it for a favor.¡± ¡°Favor?¡± I asked. ¡°That is Between the Duchess Veronica and Count Lorenzo. He did not know the true value of this artifact. Neither did I.¡± Castile left my side, walked the room, checked the fireplace, and ornate blackwood desk. She searched the drawers and pulled out a small silvery knife that looked like a letter opener. She talked while she searched the rest of the desk, ¡°We are going to clear the upper two floors. You are to remain here and guard Scholar Favian while he sorts the books.¡± Castile did not find anything else interesting, so she secured the small knife on her person and left the room. I sat at the desk and ran my hands along it. It was a beautiful blackwood desk that had survived centuries, but if the company moved up to these floors, it was going to be smashed and burned in the fireplace. I sighed and went to the library area, ¡°Scholar Favian was excitedly reading the spines among the shelves. Castile, Adrian, Konstantin, and Blaze were departing to head further up the tower. I went and stood next to the Scholar, ¡°Any luck?¡± ¡°Luck?¡± Scholar Favian said absently. He replaced a book, ¡°Unfortunately, these appear to be all advanced reference manuals for professions. A lot of terminology used is even beyond my understanding.¡± ¡°Interesting, they sound valuable. What professions are here?¡± I asked, trying to make conversation while we waited. ¡°Valuable if you can read Elvish. Maybe if they were translated and transcribed, but my grasp of the finer points of the language is lacking. Let me see,¡± he started to walk the shelves looking at the spines, ¡°This section here is for weaver¡¯s, this section over here,¡± he paused to read a title, ¡°appears to be for cooking¡ªand brewing.¡± He spent some time on the next shelf reading titles before announcing, ¡°It appears to be furniture making. It includes everything from cutting the tree to seasoning the wood to various techniques.¡± He had covered most of the sections and came to the last full row, ¡°This appears to be the herbalism section and apothecary section.¡± ¡°Alchemy? I have learned a little bit from Decimus,¡± I said excitedly. ¡°Not alchemy,¡± he shook his head, ¡°Just basic herbalism and non-aether infused brews for an apothecary.¡± I was still interested, and he indicated maybe three hundred large tomes on the shelf. Of course, they were all in Elvish. I started paging through the first book on the shelf. It had a lot of pictures and text. Seeing me enthralled, Scholar Favian returned to his own task of trying to find clues for the Shimmering Labyrinth. I was paging through my fifth book when he said, ¡°There might be an alchemy section in a different library, or wherever the Mage College is located. It took me fifteen years to learn the nuances of the written Elven language.¡± Scholar Favian started to go into his diatribe about how he became an expert on the Elven language, and I half listened as I focused on slowly turning the pages. If I couldn¡¯t move these books to my dimensional space, I would try adding as many as possible to my dreamscape. It was over four hours before the group returned from the upper floors. I had paged through about one-third of the books before my eyes started hurting. ¡°How did it go,¡± I asked the group. Adrian answered tiredly, ¡°Seven specters and four poltergeists. There is nothing useful on the third floor. Part of the roof collapsed and weathered everything. All the books were mush. The second floor just had a crack in the window, but mold got to a portion the books.¡± Favian eagerly stood, ready to explore upstairs despite his bloodshot eyes. Castile stopped him. ¡°Later, Scholar. I want to get the company settled up here first. What did you find in these books?¡± Scholar Favian eagerly told Castile, ¡°It appears to be a catalog for the elven master craftsmen. I assume the other smaller libraries are the same, focusing on five or six professions on each floor. There is invaluable knowledge contained within. The Collegium Scholarium would be extremely excited to get this collection.¡± Castile took in all the books but shook her head. ¡°Getting them all out of here will be too much of a task. What about the Shimmering Labyrinth?¡± Scholar Favian had a smile split his face, ¡°Three references so far. One is very promising.¡± He opened a book he had put aside and started reading, ¡°The rock spider silk spinnerets are viable for seven hours after harvest. Getting them to the weavers on Dawn¡¯s Light Street directly from the Labyrinth is best to spin them into silk thread immediately.¡± His smile grew, ¡°Dawn¡¯s Light Street is in the city.¡± ¡°So, the dungeon is within seven hours of the city,¡± Adrian said unhappily. ¡°It does not mean it is within the walls or accessible by the underground network.¡± Castile gave him a harsh look. It was not like Adrian to voice his pessimism; it was not the first time since being trapped in the city. Castile barked, ¡°Adrian and Konstantin, with me, we will go and escort the rest of the company up here.¡± As they were leaving, I heard Castile voicing her displeasure at his attitude and how it would affect the rest of the company. Blaze went and sat by a window and looked out at the white expanse, slowly darkening with night. He seemed morose and was normally one of the cheerier men in the company. I was beginning to think this undead city was affecting people. I remembered that last night I didn¡¯t dream. Maveith had also been extremely quiet since entering the city and didn¡¯t want to play checkers. Yes, this city was definitely affecting us somehow. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work results from my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 134: All We Need is Time Chapter 134: All We Need is Time Castile returned with the others over an hour later. Three specters had stumbled into the large library while we were gone, and the company had been killing them repeatedly as they reconstituted, waiting for Castile to return with the kettle of souls. As the company arrived, Adrian used the five offices and set them up as small bunk rooms. There were twenty-five of us if you included Maveith, Castile, and Scholar Favian. I was rooming with Maveith, Konstantin, Mateo, Felix, and Scholar Favian in the largest office. Our job was to protect the Scholar while he worked through the books. Every office in the small library had a fireplace, but we were warned only to burn enough to fight off the chill. The firewood was being hauled up from the collapsed shelves of the main library in shifts. As we set up our room, Favian paged through the single shelf of books in the office. Half of them fell apart at the spine as he flipped through them. I claimed the only desk in the room to sleep on. This desk was made of the same black wood as the other desk but was much larger. I guessed this office belonged to the chief librarian of this tower. Felix scoffed from his position near the fire at me setting up my bedroll, ¡°Wish I had thought of that; this stone floor sucks the heat right out of you.¡± I ignored him. ¡°Anything interesting?¡± I asked Scholar Favian as I sat in the chair at my bed/desk and went through the drawers. He didn¡¯t answer as he paged through his most current book and replaced it on the shelf with a huff, ¡°No¡ªmostly administrative books. One is a log of books to be copied and loaned out to requested parties. I think other ancient elven libraries, but I am not sure. The titles listed are interesting anyway. It would really be useful if I had an elf fluent in the language here to help.¡± He didn¡¯t say more as he lay down exhausted on his own bedroll near the small fire Felix was starting. I found a lot of paper in the desk that crumbled to dust when I tried to move it. I sifted through the dust and found what looked to be, a bag of shiny steel marbles. The bag was brittle and cracked as I took out the seven marbles. I rolled them in my hand, and they had a good weight to them. They were perfect spheres¡ªmaybe ball bearings of some kind, or I thought they might go to some game the elves played or possibly ammunition for a sling. I left them on my bedroll in front of me as I meticulously searched the rest of the desk. The only other thing of interest was a dozen vials with murky black liquid. They were obviously potions that had not deteriorated over time. The elvish writing on the vials had faded entirely with the centuries. The room was filling with light blue smoke as Felix¡¯s fire started to get going. It was a more confining space than the massive open library, and the small amount of smoke was building up. ¡°Open the flue!¡± Konstantin barked as he entered the room. He went to the fireplace himself and operated a small stubborn crank. It groaned, and we found it had been a mistake to use it as centuries of dust in the chimney vent crashed into the fire. The fire went out, and the room filled with dust. Everything and everyone was coated, and no one looked happy. Scholar Favian started coughing. Angry eyes tearing, as the smoke and dust filled the small space, trained on Konstantin. To me, it felt like an unnatural anger. I started laughing, a loud, boisterous laugh, ¡°Damn it, Konstantin. I can¡¯t believe the all-knowing legionnaire didn¡¯t realize there were fifteen hundred years of dust in there. You are never going to live this one down.¡± I was trying to cut the tension, and finally, Maveith coughed hoarsely and started laughing too, taking my lead. Konstantin finally joined the laughter, and it was awkward to see him jovial. ¡°You are right. I will shake out everyone¡¯s gear. We should see if that window opens.¡± He spent some time, but the block of clear stone had no hinges or method to remove it. While Konstantin was cleaning the room, we made two trips for firewood from the primary library while the dust settled. That night, as we all ate an insignificant dinner, as I studied everyone in the company. It was clear they were depressed. It was hard to tell if it was linked to our circumstances or if the ruins were doing something to them. I was leaning toward the latter. That night, I was tempted to use my dreamscape amulet. I asked Maveith to sleep close and remove it if necessary. I also only planned to be inside the dreamscape for two four-hour sessions. In the dreamscape, I added ten of the elven books on herbalism to my secret shelves. That was as much backlash as I thought I could handle when I left. I was not concerned with practicing with the men in the ankheg room. Instead, I went to the shelf and pulled off the compendium of spell forms for the displacement affinity. Displacement magic was used to run the massive teleport gates in the city. Displacement Mages were highly sought after, and with my sixty-one affinity, I thought I might be able to imprint the spell form for their ability. I opened it to the index. It was remarkably similar to the time spell form compendium. There were four suggested spell forms at three different power levels. I was happy to see that with my sixty-one affinity, only two of the major spell forms were not available to me.
Displacement Affinity Lesser Spell Forms (10-25)
Anchor (10)
Quick-Step (20)
Summon Object (10)
Ethereal Body (25)
Displacement Affinity Major Spell Forms (25-40)
Blink (30)
Dimensional Door (35)
Send Object (40)
Connect Portal Gates (40)
Displacement Apex Major Spell Forms (40-70)
Teleport Other (50)
Plane Shift (60)
Create Portal Gate (70)
Greater Teleport (70)
I skipped the spell forms beyond my affinity so I wouldn¡¯t know what I was missing out on. I spent all four hours I had allotted figuring out the portal gate spell form. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Create portal gate also required the anchor and connect portal gates spell forms to create the portal gates that the Empire used in the larger cities. There was more to the process as the gates themselves had to be artificed to create a permanent weave to feed aether from ley lines, which was then activated by a displacement mage with the connect portal gates spell form or the actual spell. It allowed me to cross off anchor, connect portal gate, and create portal gates off my list. With the ability to cast actual spells being so rare, I could see why they had these spell forms in this book for Telhian Mages. The thing was, I did not see myself spending the rest of my life making portals for the Empire. I exited the dreamscape to the room¡¯s chilly air, even with a fire burning. My head was pounding from adding the books, and I couldn¡¯t imagine doing that twenty-nine more times just to get all the herbalism and apothecary books into the dreamscape amulet. I even questioned their value as I couldn¡¯t read Elvish. I focused on the room around me, stilling my breathing. Maveith was breathing loudly in his sleep, and Mateo was snoring softly. The Scholar, I was happy to hear, was also sleeping. He had been too excited by the massive amount of elven knowledge we had encountered. I let my headache fade before returning to the dreamscape. I started to review the simplest of spell forms, quick-step, also referred to as flash-step. It was a very short-range teleport that was always the same distance in the direction you were facing. The distance was dependent on your affinity for displacement magic. With a ten affinity, that distance was just under five feet, according to the text. I started to do the math to see what my sixty-one affinity would get me. The answer was about one hundred and seventy-one feet. Utterly useless unless I was trying to run away¡ªso maybe not that useless. The good thing about this spell form was you could not materialize inside objects. It shortened the distance until there was space to complete the teleport. And if you didn¡¯t teleport, your aether was still expended. I looked at the aether requirements and swore, ¡°Fuck!¡± Oscar jumped and went on alert at my foul language, barking and looking for the problem. I started laughing at the absurdity of someone invading the dreamscape. Quick-step only moved the mage¡ªnot their possessions. How was it even remotely useful? Okay, I had misread the text. The mass of the mage¡¯s equipment would add to the base aether cost for the quick-step ability. You could also not take anyone else with you when you flashed forward due to their aether resistance. I did not find this spell form appealing. The summon object spell form did appear much more useful. This spell form brought an object to you. The distance and mass determined the amount of aether. The object had to also be within the mage¡¯s line of sight. It was an extremely useful combat ability for disarming foes. The problem was the orientation of the object was fixed. So, I would be summoning a sword pointed at me. I read a little more on the spell form. It was useful in evading arrows as the arrows were light, and all inertia was halted when an object was summoned. But once again, the aether cost seemed prohibitive to me. I moved on to the next spell form, hoping it was a better option for me. It required at least an affinity of twenty-five, so it had to be more useful. Ethereal body allowed the mage to push himself into the astral plane. This meant my afterimage would be immune to damage. Well, runic weapons and aetheric magic spells could hit creatures in the astral plane. We were doing that with the specters, so this was not an invulnerability spell. The blink spell form was a more advanced form of the quick-step spell form. This spell form functions the same way but lets you control the distance you travel. It only required a thirty affinity to learn, so I moved on to the next spell form, dimensional door. The dimension door was a very impressive spell form that required two castings. The first casting was the anchor used on any doorway. The second casting was also cast on a doorway and connected to the first. As long as the mage sustained the connection, people could pass through from one doorway to the other. There was no restriction on distance. However, once the mage dropped the connection, both anchors faded and would need to be reset. The limiting factor for me came down to the distance the doors were apart, which determined how much aether would be required per second. I just did not have a large aether pool. Send object could teleport any non-living object to a place with which the mage was familiar. The mass and distance determined how much aether was required. I couldn¡¯t even cast the higher affinity spells once. So, teleport other, plane shift, and greater teleport were off the table for me. I was having enough trouble on this plane of existence anyway. Not being able to learn greater teleport was a disappointment. This spell allowed you to send your mind to a location and pull your body there. The cost in aether was immense. Maybe there were more spell forms options out there. If these were my only choices, then it would either have to be blink or dimension door. I started thinking maybe dimension door would be a good way to escape a terrible situation. I certainly wish I had it at this moment. I returned from the dreamscape. I sat up, my back aching from the hard surface. I wished I had pulled out my pillow. The window had the gray of the morning light shining through, and Konstantin was sitting there looking out the window. It was just the two of us awake. He slowly turned to me, ¡°The snow has stopped. But I do not think we are done with the elementals.¡± ¡°Why, what is going on out there?¡± I asked, moving to the window, and almost tripping on Maveith. I reached the window, and the blue flashes in the sky were still there, but Konstantin was right. The sky was clear, and just an ocean of white was out there. ¡°They are dropping the temperature. I have been scraping frost off this window for the last two hours.¡± ¡°We were not planning to go outside anyway,¡± I responded while noticing a huge amount of snow drop from the massive hearth tree in the distance. A giant eagle took flight and circled into the sky; it quickly returned to the tree, not daring to approach the elemental lightning. ¡°Those eagles are going to freeze to death,¡± Konstantin nodded out the window, ¡°They might be our best chance of food if we can get to them.¡± ¡°Breakfast!¡± came a call from the central room. The entire small library instantly came alive as men felt the start of the hunger pains. I went with Konstantin to find a thick soup for breakfast. Lirkin smiled, ¡°Mashed up the stale bread and used a little extra jerky this morning in the soup. Don¡¯t tell Delmar.¡± His request was moot as Delmar was behind him and just rolled his eyes. I guessed that Delmar had told him to use what he did this morning. The starchy soup had pea-sized pieces of rehydrated jerky in it, but Lirkin made sure to scoop from the bottom for everyone, so they got the sediment. My protesting stomach thought it was one of the best things I had ever eaten. The air felt colder, but the five side rooms all had small fires, making the central room bearable. Delmar spoke after everyone arrived, ¡°We are all going to remove our armor. Armor is not much use much against the specters anyway, and it should help you bundle your cloaks tighter to your body. If you have spare clothes, layer them. Castile is going to lead an expedition to the other tower this morning. Mateo, Blaze, Brutus, and I will thin out the specters there with Castile.¡± After Castile left, my job was to guard the men who were gathering firewood from the shelves in the primary library to haul up to our rooms. Adrian was supervising, making the floor of the tower we now occupied more hospitable. He had groups taking what they could from the upper floors. I think most of us realized it was busy work to keep our minds off our predicament. I was on my fifth trip with firewood when Castile¡¯s group joined us, climbing the stairs. Maveith was carrying a large bundle of wood and was not afraid to ask, ¡°What did you find in the other tower.¡± Delmar answered for Castile, ¡°Half a dozen specters. The roof completely collapsed, and there was nothing to salvage on any of the floors. All the books have long since been destroyed by weathering.¡± Castile said steely, ¡°We will start thinning the specters under the city. It will take time, but as long as we have the kettle, we can clear them all.¡± As we climbed, she reassured everyone around her, ¡°Scholar Favian will find out where the dungeon is located soon, and we can seek refuge there.¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 135: Shared Dreaming Chapter 135: Shared Dreaming We all started to get accustomed to the persistent cold as it became the new normal. We sealed the doors to the small library as best we could to keep in the heat and kept the five fires going in the offices. Part of my assigned duties were to watch over Scholar Favian as he paged through the hundreds of books. I also finished going through the entire herbalism and apothecary section. Each night, I added another ten books to my dreamscape collection, and I was getting better at handling the migraines on exiting. Perhaps I was building a tolerance? They were fading much quicker, at least. I also made trips with Maveith to the floors above to search for viable books in the mess above, which was once a small library for Favian to look at. The third floor still had its doors intact, but a rafter in the roof had fallen, exposing a portion of the room to the elements. The room was half filled with snow; no tomes remained other than some tarnished silver book bindings. We stacked those dozens of blackened silver plates together. If we escaped the city, maybe we would pack them out¡ªor they might find their way into my storage. The second floor held more promise. The shelves had collapsed, and one of the quartz windows had buckled, leaving a wide crack. It gave me access to see how cold it really was outside. Sticking my hand through the crack, I found it colder than anything I had ever experienced before in this life or my last, and my hand was prickled with needles of pain immediately from the cold. Maveith commented after replicating my act, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t last an hour outside. The summoner doesn¡¯t need to send any creatures after us in order to finish us off.¡± I tried to cheer up the morose goliath, ¡°The Summoner cannot hold back spring.¡± I handed him a ration bar from my storage. ¡°Eat this, Maveith; you are looking a little thin.¡± The truth was all of us were thinning rapidly after just four days in the city on the forced diet. Maveith more so, even though he was getting twice as much as everyone else at meals. He looked at the bar uncertainly. ¡°I have a few more in my storage. Eat it. It is fine, and just don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± His hand slowly extended to take it, his hunger winning out. Maveith had trouble with lying, but I thought he would keep this secret. He snapped it in half and tried to hand me the other half. So far, I had been suffering with the others, not eating from my dimensional space. It had been difficult to overcome the urges and I knew if I started, I wouldn¡¯t stop. Looking at the bar, my mouth watered, ¡°No, Maveith, it is all for you.¡± I turned my back on him, resisting the temptation, and continued searching the second floor. As I dug through the debris, I heard him slowly crunching away guiltily on the ration bar. These upper floors held no offices to search as they only held shelving. We dug through the mess and stacked books to be brought downstairs for Scholar Favian to review. According to the Scholar, the second floor appeared to focus on all types of metal smithing, from household goods to armor and weapons. There were lots of techniques with instructions and images by elven master smiths within the pages. Of course, it was all in Elvish and useless in our current circumstances. No one in the company was foolish enough not to think these books would be worth thousands of gold if recovered. The problem was recovering them. After I had paged through the herbalism and apothecary collection, I started helping Scholar Favian sort the books. He had resumed teaching me the Elven language. It was a lot easier to speak the language than it was to read it. This was made doubly so by the fatigue from slowly starving my body. My mind did not want to focus for more than a few minutes at a time. I was finding myself staring out blankly at nothing. I had no idea how the Scholar kept going so strong hour after hour, but I guessed his thirst for knowledge outweighed his hunger pains and mental fatigue. I did make progress on the Elven language though, as I cheated. I spent four hours in the dreamscape amulet every evening, working on reading, writing, and speaking the Elven tongue. So far, no one had requested to use the artifact. I was most surprised that Mateo had not made another request. During my nights, I added ten books and then tried to sort the ones I had as I worked on my steady mastery of the language. Having a copy of Scholar Favian with me in the dreamscape made the process even easier. Creating a copy of him allowed the amulet to draw on the short daily lessons he taught me during the day, making progress faster with each day that passed. Learning inside the amulet was also much more effective than in the real world. I found that recall for knowledge was much clearer from studying the books, and my muscle memory from weapons practice was much sharper and more efficient, helping to reduce wasted movement during sparring practice in and out of the dreamscape. My best guess was the amulet focused all my efforts on learning the current task. I could see why these amulets were so valued if using them allowed me to progress so much faster than without one. Scholar Favian thought that with my rapid improvement, I should become a master linguist rather than a soldier. The funny part of all this was I could not speak Tsinga, my alleged native language. None of the books I had gave me insights into that language, though. On the fifth morning in the tower, I noticed that only Konstantin and I seemed well-rested when I woke up. Everyone else was lethargic and took more time to wake up and get active. I used the amulet, and Konstantin had a spell form to shorten the rest he needed. I planned to tell Castile my suspicions and observations. I spent that night cleaning up the space in the amulet, after I added more books and a bit of language practice. I moved everyone and everything to the scorpion room, walled it off, and reset all the monster rooms. I felt some guilt locking Oscar with the constructs, so I altered their disposition to play with him. I was never part of Castile¡¯s small group that went every morning to the underground complex to kill specters. I did hear stories of how they would spend time trying to attract the attention of only a few at a time. Then they would lure them back toward our tower and slay them with runic weapons, and Castile would use the kettle of souls to end them permanently. When they returned this evening, the group was missing a person. I could read the faces of everyone; someone had died. I tried to recall who went with them this morning. Konstantin stood in the doorway, his face blank. Castile went into the room she slept in and closed the door. Delmar gathered everyone around, ¡°Men, come close; I don¡¯t want to repeat myself.¡± His voice was heavy. Delmar¡¯s face was thin, and his eyes were sunken and dark. He waited as a group was coming back from gathering wood. With everyone present, we listened to him, ¡°We encountered a wight.¡± A lot of confused looks had him explain. ¡°It is a powerful type of undead zombie. We were surprised, and it got Lysander. Castile was able to restrain it subsequently, but Lysander is dead.¡± There was a quiet shock. Lysander was one of the youngest men in the company. Not even twenty-one, if I remembered. He was also a terrible cook, but no one made a joke about it now. Firth asked the most pertinent question, ¡°Are there more of them? The wights?¡± Konstantin answered, ¡°More than likely. We entered a different part of the underground complex. It was a barracks or refuge for important citizens. It had a slew of specters and poltergeists. We had drawn out five of them and the wight as well. Lysander was paralyzed as it stabbed him and then bit into his neck, ripping out his throat.¡± Konstantin handed Brutus the sword that I had loaned him at the beginning of this mess, as he lent it to Lysander this morning for use. Konstantin walked into the room, ¡°We cannot become complacent. This undead city most likely has more surprises.¡± He placed a new elven short blade on the table Scholar Favian worked at, its thin blade about a meter in length which grew wider toward the end with only a slight curve. ¡°The wight had a runic weapon. Lysander fought well; remember him well.¡± Delmar broke into Konstantin¡¯s speech with a flat tone, ¡°There is some more good news. We found a storeroom full of elven wine. If it is not vinegar, we will have it with our meals.¡± Even the promise of alcohol did not break the somber faces. Twenty-one legionnaires were left, not including Maveith, the Scholar, and Castile. Delmar gave Lirkin two bottles from his pack and went to join Castile. Adrian followed him but had not been part of this expedition to the underground complex. I knocked on the door shortly after it had closed. Castile¡¯s sharp voice answered, ¡°Enter!¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I walked in, and the three of them looked at me expectantly. I told them my thoughts, ¡°I think everyone is being prevented from dreaming and recovering mentally when they sleep.¡± Delmar responded hotly, ¡°Everyone is sleeping just fine, Eryk.¡± Castile held up her hand to stop Delmar, ¡°Explain, legionnaire.¡± I gathered my thoughts, ¡°I have noticed everyone is more lethargic, irritable, and quick to anger with shorter tempers. I have had to calm more than a few men down. I have been using my dreamscape amulet nightly, and Konstantin has his spell form to help him sleep and recover quicker. We appear to be the only two acting normal.¡± Delmar harumphed and said dismissively, ¡°Normal? We are eating a quarter of what we should be eating. Most of the men are making a new notch in their belt every day.¡± Adrian finally said something, ¡°I agree with Eryk. We have been in more dire situations before. The men seem to have given up too quickly and easily.¡± Castile nodded as well, ¡°I think Eryk is right, too. We should confirm it by having others use the amulet.¡± She looked me in the eye, ¡°With your permission?¡± I had known this was going to be the outcome. ¡°I think it is necessary. Two people can enter at once; perhaps more. I have never attempted it. They just both need to be touching the amulet.¡± Castile nodded slowly, ¡°Tonight then. I will use it with you here, and Adrian and Delmar can stand watch.¡± I left the room feeling slightly awkward, but I knew that it was the right thing to do and had to be done. Maybe the men were being blocked from just getting a deep sleep, but I felt it was more. Maybe there was some type of slow-festering corruption or curse surrounding the city. A few hours later, I was on the floor, in front of the fire, with Castile on the bedrolls. The plan was to stay in the dreamscape for six hours and see if it was effective for Castile, I suspected it would be. Delmar was currently on watch in the outer room. ¡°I will channel aether and enter first,¡± I told Castile, who nodded. Adrian was seated, watching intently as my consciousness left to enter the dreamscape. I was in the entry room of the dungeon. Castile appeared a moment later. She turned around slowly, ¡°The dungeon?¡± I nodded. ¡°The others using it will figure out where you got the amulet if this is the space you created.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t create it. It was like this the first time I entered, and I can¡¯t change it,¡± I said while creating a table and chairs and taking a seat, offering a seat to Castile with an extended hand. Castile stepped back, surprised, before relaxing. She sat opposite of me, ¡°How does it work?¡± ¡°I just think what I want, and it creates it,¡± I explained while filling the table with a Thanksgiving feast. ¡°I know it is not going to give your body any sustenance, but it still tastes good.¡± Castile took the mashed potatoes and cranberry relish. She tried the relish first and spit it out, ¡°Sour!¡± I laughed. ¡°It is tart, not sour; it has sugar, but you need to get past the tartness. Give it a chance,¡± I said, and she tried it again and nodded slowly. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, trying the mashed potatoes, which were much more to her liking. ¡°Cranberries from the south,¡± I replied. I watched her as she ate. She tried a little of everything before stopping. ¡°You are right. I think the cursed souls in the city are affecting us. Because there are so many specters, they are creating an aura,¡± Castile moved the food around on her plate, not making eye contact. I questioned Castile, ¡°But you have made progress in the underground complex? The more specters you kill, the less the evil aura?¡± Castile couldn¡¯t hide a pained look, ¡°It is much larger than we thought. There are two levels and even a sewer system underneath those levels. Konstantin thinks it was built by their earth mages to hide the citizens when the Legion attacked the city. The Legion never entered the city, instead filling it with a powerful and deadly gas that seeped into the underground city complex.¡± ¡°So, you have made no progress?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°We kill more than a hundred specters and poltergeists a day. We learned the undead are not tied to their body but to the city itself. It means they can all wander anywhere in the city. And now that we encountered a wight? Wights are powerful undead, and there could be wraiths, or maybe even banshees,¡± Castile admitted. ¡°Was the wraith we encountered heading to Sobral from these elven ruins?¡± I said, remembering that terrible night. Castile recalled the encounter, ¡°It was definitely an elf in a past life, but it was more interested in Konstantin¡¯s runic weapon. Some undead have connections to certain objects from their past life¡­¡± She trailed off, not talking further about it, and focused on eating. After she had stuffed her face for a time, I offered with an uncomfortable smile, ¡°Do you want to fight any monsters?¡± We walked into the ankheg chamber but didn¡¯t fight them. Instead, Castile practiced manifesting objects and creatures. She was able to do it, successfully creating gnolls, but it took much more of an effort for her than for me. She was the second person to enter the dreamscape, so I think it was harder for her to make changes, and I voiced my opinion. Castile offered a guess, ¡°I know at the Mage College, only two people used them at a time. My speculation is any more would overload the amulet. The first person in the dreamscape amulet also has primary control of the environment. Even though I tried to stop you, you could make the gnolls I created disappear.¡± I was happy to finally be learning more about how the amulet functioned. I had another question that I wanted answered. Could I get others to create books here with their knowledge? And would those books remain after they exited the dreamscape? I smiled encouragingly at Castile, ¡°You can create books that you have read before. Try it.¡± Castile arched an eyebrow at my sudden eagerness but focused, and a thick tome appeared in her hand. It was a spellbook. She slowly opened it up, and her eyes got wider and wider as she rapidly paged through it. ¡°It is the complete book!? I read this a long time ago at the Mage College. I learned shadow chains from it.¡± She was in disbelief, ¡°It looks the same. Even the page where I left a drink to hold it open has the watermark.¡± Castile¡¯s thoughts were spinning. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± I asked her. ¡°There are dozens of spell books I looked at. There were spells I couldn¡¯t learn at the time that were too complex. I thought I would never have the opportunity to.¡± Castile said excitedly as she continued paging through the book. I created a shelf in the entry room for her, and she studied for the last few hours while I practiced fighting her manifestations of gnolls. When we exited the dreamscape, Castile moaned in pain and held her head, sitting up too quickly. She rolled over and dry heaved a few times. ¡°I should have warned you, Castile. The more things you create in there for the first time, the more it taxes your mind. How many books did you recreate?¡± Castile continued to dry heave for a minute. Adrian was handing her a canteen of water. She laughed harshly, ¡°Almost all of them, thirty, maybe thirty-one. Every spellbook I read at the Mage College.¡± She took the canteen and pushed Adrian back, ¡°I am fine. Just some nausea and a headache.¡± Adrian gave me a harsh look as he helped Castile stand. Castile wobbled on her feet, suffering from a bout of vertigo, and it reminded me of the first time I had overextended myself in the dreamscape. ¡°I don¡¯t think we will find out if it protected you from the undead city¡¯s aura,¡± I said while returning the amulet to my storage. Castile regained herself, ¡°No, it did. Even with the aftermath, I can tell. My aether core is easier to access, and my thoughts are clearer.¡± Adrian looked a little skeptical, ¡°Are you sure? You look much worse than before you used it.¡± ¡°I am sure,¡± Castile said firmly. ¡°Do we have the whole company use it then?¡± Delmar asked from the doorway, clearly agitated. Castile looked at me, and I nodded. ¡°Well, I will go now, then.¡± Delmar moved and lay down next to me. I felt slightly uncomfortable but produced the amulet and entered the dreamscape. The last book Castile had been reading was still here. She must have made the others disappear rather than put them on the shelf I made for her. I tried to manifest the books she had created, but none appeared. That was disappointing. The three gnolls she had created were still here. I made one of them vanish and made it reappear a minute later. So, if she left creations behind, I could control them. I was thinking about this when I finally wondered where Delmar was. I waited a few more minutes before exiting the dreamscape. The three of them watched me as I got off the ground. ¡°It didn¡¯t work,¡± Castile said. ¡°What didn¡¯t work?¡± I said, confused. ¡°You have to be able to send your own aether into the amulet to activate it. My aether didn¡¯t work for Delmar,¡± she clarified. I let out a chuckle, and Delmar¡¯s face contorted into masked fury; he was ready to throttle me. I was chuckling that I had not lied to Mateo; not Delmar¡¯s inability to manipulate aether. Delmar didn¡¯t see it that way; he thought I was laughing at him. He didn¡¯t give me a chance to explain. An irate Delmar ordered me out, ¡°Go back to your room, Eryk!¡± I left the three of them as they started to discuss what we had learned and to plan a course of action. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 136: Goliath Therapy Chapter 136: Goliath Therapy I returned to my room, stirred the coals in the fireplace, and added some boards to liven up the fire. Once the fire was going again, I lay out on the black desk. Maveith stirred, ¡°Eryk, is everything alright?¡± He tried to whisper, but his baritone was still fairly loud. ¡°Yeah, Castile just used the amulet tonight.¡± I thought for a moment, ¡°Maveith, you have a spell form, right? Can you direct the aether in your core?¡± I whispered. ¡°My spell form is weak. I can turn rock into clay for a brief time before it turns back to rock. But yes, I have enough awareness of my aether core to manipulate the aether,¡± he grumbled out in a softer voice, aware of how loud he was. I produced the amulet. ¡°Maveith, I am going to enter the dreamscape amulet first. You can touch it and channel aether into it after,¡± I offered. ¡°I am not interested in using your amulet,¡± Maveith replied. Felix stirred and mumbled something about us being quieter. ¡°Just trust me, Maveith. The city is doing something to us, and this will counter it,¡± I said pleadingly. ¡°Alright,¡± he said after a pause. Maveith appeared in the dungeon entry room shortly after me. He immediately started spinning about, curious. He then looked at his hands and flexed them. ¡°Everything looks so real,¡± he said in awe. His voice was back to his normal intrusive volume. I started to explain, ¡°The city is preventing us from dreaming. So even though everyone is sleeping, they are not getting any mental recovery. This amulet space allows you to dream because it is a dreamscape,¡± My explanation sounded lame, but Maveith nodded like it made complete sense. I did the same thing I did for Castile and created a spread of food on the table. ¡°It is not real but still tastes good,¡± I motioned for him to help himself. Maveith was too wide for the chair, so I created a bench for him, and he jumped when it appeared under him. I laughed, ¡°Maveith, it is just a bench. You can create anything or anyone you ever knew here. However, you might suffer a slight headache when you leave, depending on how many things you create. Or maybe it has to do with complexity. I am still learning how the artifact works.¡± Maveith seemed to consider and created a massive tray of some type of pasta dish. He tentatively tasted it and then smiled. ¡°It tastes just like I remember it.¡± Maveith put some on a plate and offered it to me. I tried it, and the dish was mostly bland, with some pungent chunks of cheese in a thick, oily sauce. ¡°It is good,¡± I offered my filtered opinion to the goliath. It was all fake, but my taste buds still had me salivating. Maveith started eating everything on the table, and I just watched him for a bit. ¡°We will leave after five hours and see if you are any better.¡± ¡°Nothing is wrong with me, Eryk,¡± he said while ripping meat off a large turkey leg with his teeth. I didn¡¯t want to explain depression and irritability from lack of sleep to the goliath, so I just let him eat. After he finished getting his fill of the food and asking a dozen questions about what things were on the table, we moved into the ankheg chamber. ¡°Do you want to fight a monster?¡± I willed one of the two giant crawfish-like creatures to surface, and Maveith jumped back, unconsciously materializing his club in his hand. It took Maveith some time to calm down, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you would want to fight monsters in here. You can...¡± Maveith stopped talking and was focused intently behind me. I turned to see an obviously feminine goliath. Maveith just stared as I studied her. Her gray skin, bald head, and emerald eyes reminded me of Maveith. She was shorter than him at only about 6¡¯8¡± compared to Mavieth¡¯s 7¡¯6¡± frame and had a leaner upper body and feminine chest with a muscular build. She spoke, ¡°Brother, why did you not help us? The orcs killed me and took Myra.¡± Shit, Mavieth¡¯s guilt was imprinted on his manifestation of his sister. I focused, took control of the female goliath, and directed its speech, ¡°I forgive you, brother. You could not have done anything to stop it, and they would have killed you if you had intervened.¡± Maveith was tearing up and sobbing, ¡°You don¡¯t know that, Zorana. I might have been able to turn the tide and get you to a healer in the village.¡± ¡°Let it go, Maveith,¡± she reasserted. I had the female goliath move into him and hug him. Maveith¡¯s massive body was suddenly wracked with heaving sobs as he squeezed his sister tight. I couldn¡¯t stop tears of my own being released at the scene. I let him have a bit of private time with her and returned to the entry room to do a bit of studying. I could hear the two of them talking, both with deep baritones. Eventually, Maveith came back to the entry room. ¡°Thank you, Eryk. I know it was not real, but I missed her so much. I got a chance to say goodbye.¡± Maveith¡¯s eyes were puffy, which made little sense in here unless he wanted it like that. I walked back into the ankheg room to find Zorana studying the creature. I sent her to the room to play with Oscar and the others. When Maveith saw she was gone, he just nodded. ¡°I think I would like to kill some monsters, Eryk. Can you dream up some orcs?¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I never met an orc. I think you should do it,¡± I replied as orc after orc materialized in the first ankheg room. After the seventh orc appeared, they stopped. Three of the orcs had nets, so I assumed these were the orcs that had killed his sister. They generally fell in what I imagined the race looked like, except they appeared¡ªcivilized. They wore tailored clothes under their armor and had unblemished skin and well-trimmed hair. Maveith entered the fight before me, and I got to see a side of Maveith that I had never seen before. He was a violent and powerful goliath who ignored wounds to his body to get a killing blow on his foe. The orcs were mildly decent swordsmen, but not a challenge for me unless I got netted. I only needed to use a single air shield to avoid the nets, so it never reached me. We killed the seven orcs three times before Maveith¡¯s lust for vengeance was finally satiated. ¡°I can now see why you would want to practice your fighting skills here. Maybe we can do this again sometime?¡± His voice rang with satisfaction. ¡°It has been about six hours, so let¡¯s get some breakfast and see what Castile wants to do.¡± We exited the dreamscape, and I found Maveith¡¯s hand on my chest, reaching up from his position on the floor to grasp the amulet. Benito was standing over me, ¡°Eryk, I am hurt. You let the big man into your dreams but wouldn¡¯t let me? I am much more fun than him.¡± I sat up, working the kinks out of my back. ¡°Maveith has control over his aether and can activate the amulet. Besides Benito, who says you do not already haunt my dreams?¡± I teased Benito. Benito gave me a confused and dubious look. He shook his head, giving up on puzzling it out. ¡°Castile wants to see you, Eryk. Bet you and her are going to have fancy dreams together, too.¡± Benito¡¯s voice was slightly harsh and accusatory, and he lacked his normal joviality. Something was definitely affecting us. I knocked and walked in on Castile and Adrian talking quietly. ¡°Delmar is leading a trip for firewood. Did the goliath succeed?¡± Castile asked pointedly. ¡°Maveith was able to use it. I think it helped him.¡± I replied to Castile¡¯s nod. ¡°Good. I have a plan. There is a spell called nightmare. It is an advanced form of the sleep spell, but it is the only spell I reviewed while at the Mage College that forces the target into a dream state. I want to borrow your amulet to learn it.¡± Castile looked at me expectantly. I produced the amulet and handed it to her. Adrian added, ¡°Eryk, if you have any food stored away, now would be a suitable time to share. The men are fraying from hunger and exhaustion and I fear we may see fighting soon.¡± I looked at Castile, who had a blank expression. She had obviously told him I had reserves. I placed fourteen meal bars on the desk. His eyes went wide, ¡°Anything else?¡± I produced a small, wrapped bundle of food from when I had left the legionnaire training, I had never touched it. There were maybe eight or nine pounds of food in the bundle. Adrian carefully went through it, frowning the entire time. I could tell he realized how long I had the food as it had date stamps from the legion training camp on the items. I was clearly revealing my abilities to him, but Castile said he could be trusted, so I decided to trust him as well, if only a little more. I was just as thin as everyone else, so I was obviously not partaking in the food. He didn¡¯t ask if I had any more; he just mumbled that Delmar was going to accuse me of hoarding food. It was the only thing that made sense when food just appeared out of nowhere. Adrian finally said unhappily, ¡°Three more days of food here for the company. Welcome but not enough to make a huge difference.¡± I produced the large three-gallon jar of honey on the desk. Delmar¡¯s eyebrows went up as the jar was obviously bigger than my space as he knew it. He opened it and tasted crystals, ¡°Honey?¡± I nodded. ¡°Another three days,¡± he said, expecting me to produce more. I shrugged, indicating that was it. I still had twenty gallons of rum and whiskey along with about three dozen ration bars, the two backpacks from the griffon rider and summoner that probably had some food in them as well, but I would hold that in reserve for now. Castile seemed to consider, ¡°If I spend all day in the dreamscape amulet, I might be able to learn the nightmare spell in a week if Fortuna favors me. It is a difficult spell, but the amulet does focus your efforts allowing for faster learning.¡± ¡°We need to keep clearing the specters from the lower layers, Castile,¡± Adrian pronounced in a clearly scripted speech. Castile tapped the kettle of souls on the desk, a small smile on her face, ¡°It is just like a normal collector, Eryk. You aim the artifact at the disrupted body and push your aether into the device. It will feel slightly wrong as it pulls in the death essence, but that is normal.¡± I didn¡¯t like where this was going, ¡°What if we encounter another wight? Or something more dangerous.¡± ¡°Konstantin, Adrian, Blaze, and Brutus will go with you. Just work the periphery of the complex for now.¡± She held up the amulet, ¡°I think this is more important for the moment. After my own time in the dreamscape, I can sense some of the men ready to break.¡± Adrian offered a weak, haggard smile. ¡°The good news is the elven wine appears viable, Eryk. Most of our descents will focus on recovering as many bottles as we can.¡± ¡°How is this going to be explained?¡± I gestured at the honey and food. ¡°I will take responsibility, and we will dole it out slowly,¡± Castile said. ¡°We are lucky you had it, Eryk.¡± I winced, remembering I had given away a few weeks of food just before we left to the old women who ran the herbalist shop in Sobral. It was not the first time I was lamenting that decision. Delmar entered the room in a huff, ¡°The men are getting lazy. Not carrying up a full load of shelving to burn.¡± He noticed me and asked tersely, ¡°What is he doing here?¡± He noticed the food. ¡°I told you he was hoarding food!¡± Castile waved her hand and snapped her fingers, ¡°I told him to, Delmar. Figure out how to stretch this,¡± she indicated everything. He was still clearly upset. I left them to get my breakfast of broth and rice. As I sat down next to Maveith, he looked down at me, showing a smile for the first time since we got trapped in the city, ¡°Eryk, do you want to play a game of checkers?¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost, or create into an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 137: The Kettle Bearer Chapter 137: The Kettle Bearer I was okay with temporarily giving up my dreamscape amulet as I was not getting out of here alone. Castile was probably our best chance if we had to confront the summoner or if we eventually got into the dungeon, and for what it was worth, I trusted her. The temperature had remained cold outside, and the snow depth had not dropped, so we were unlikely to walk out of the city anytime soon. After losing two games of checkers to an improved and somewhat smiling Maveith, I was back in my room with Mateo and Felix. Mateo was giving me the stink eye, so I offered, ¡°Castile has the amulet. Maybe she will let you try to use it.¡± His eyes looked hopeful and then fell, ¡°Maybe after this mess. Is the wine giving you the squirts, too?¡± ¡°What?¡± I was caught off guard and confused by the conversation¡¯s direction. Felix looked over and clarified for me, ¡°Some of us have been squirting out the arse after drinking the wine.¡± ¡°It is not poisonous,¡± Konstantin said from the archway. ¡°Most likely, it is because you are not getting enough solid food.¡± He directed his attention to me, ¡°Castile said you are to start making the specter culling runs and bringing up more of the wine.¡± ¡°Yes, I am to take the kettle of souls and use it in Castile¡¯s stead while she works on solving another problem.¡± I answered him. Looking at Konstantin more closely, it looked like he had aged ten years in the last week. ¡°Good. Get it, and we can begin now. Brutus, Blaze, and Adrian are with us?¡± I nodded. ¡°I will collect them and meet you at the stairs.¡± I soon had the brass kettle in my hands. Castile had emptied the crystalized death essence into a bag, so it was currently empty. I turned it over and over under the light of a glow stone Blaze was carrying beside me. The runic writing was on the inside of the device, and I couldn¡¯t make it out very well. ¡°Don¡¯t damage that, Eryk. It is the only thing that is giving us a chance to get out of here.¡± Adrian said from behind me. I nodded, stopped trying to inspect it, and got a better grip on the device. We were all following closely behind Konstantin, who turned in the corridor and opened a large door. The door creaked ominously, and light spilled out when it opened. Konstantin noted, ¡°Castile has been charging the glow stones in the walls below as we explored. You should just focus on using your aether on that device. You start to get low, and we will ascend.¡± It appeared Konstantin was in charge of the party over Adrian. It made sense, as Konstantin was the scout. Adrian said, annoyedly, ¡°Konstantin, we are just making runs to the wine vault.¡± Okay, maybe Konstantin just thought he was in charge. Konstantin paused to confront Adrian, ¡°Even if Castile¡¯s plan works, we still have to find the dungeon to survive the winter. The more specters Eryk can send to their final rest every trip, the faster that will be.¡± Adrian flexed his grip on his sword, and we all felt some tension in the air between them. Instead of addressing Konstantin, he addressed me to avoid a confrontation, ¡°Eryk, let me know when you are too tired, or your aether gets too low, to continue.¡± I nodded, not wanting an argument to break out. I think Adrian¡¯s restraint was rooted in his knowledge of how the city was affecting him. We descended the stone stairs into a well-lit corridor with glow stones every twenty feet. A single small elf girl specter was wandering aimlessly in the center. Konstantin walked forward and unceremoniously cut her down in a flash of sparks. It was weird how only his runic weapon seemed to give those special effects. I had yet to see any other weapon do something as flashy. I got closer to where the specter had dissipated. I aimed the kettle and channeled aether into it like I did with the collector. The purple smoke rushed toward the kettle and was consumed like a vacuum. A strange, cold, and wrongness pricked across my body. My breath was momentarily lost like I had stepped outside into frigid air. The coldness permeated my lungs for just a breath. Castile had said it would feel slightly wrong, but that was a massive understatement and I had to wonder how high her aether tolerance was to feel just ¡®slightly wrong,¡¯ Maybe her aether resistance had something to do with it. It felt like I was bathed in the creature¡¯s death aura as it was harvested. I shook the kettle to confirm it worked, and a small amount of the purple-black glittering sand was in the bottom. Adrian was waiting on me, ¡°It worked. How many of these did Castile do every day?¡± I had no idea how she subjected herself to that feeling over and over again. I was looking at Castile¡¯s toughness in a new light. This was going to be very unpleasant for me. Konstantin answered, ¡°Over a hundred every descent. How many can you manage with your aether, Eryk?¡± I examined my aether core, ¡°It didn¡¯t take a lot of aether. It is more of the backlash from using it. I don¡¯t know how she managed it so many times.¡± Adrian gravely voiced, ¡°She is a tough one. Just let us know when you need to ascend, Eryk.¡± As we walked the corridor, Brutus and Konstantin were out front, Blaze at my side, and Adrian guarding the rear. There were dozens of large wooden doors lining the hallway. Konstantin passed them all by without hesitation. Four lone specters later, I almost felt like asking to return to the tower. My lungs ached like I had run a marathon, and my fingers were numb. Konstantin stopped at the door, pushed it open slowly, and peeked inside, ¡°Clear.¡± He entered, and we followed. Racks upon racks of wine bottles were present. Brutus was the most flummoxed, ¡°There has to be at least ten thousand bottles in here.¡± Adrian answered, ¡°More. Eryk, fill your space, and Blaze and I will fill our packs.¡± I picked up a green glass bottle and brushed the dust off. Imprinted in the glass was a scene of an elf, hunting a gnoll. I remember Adrian said the gnolls were the mortal enemies of the elves or something like that. Each bottle was its own unique carved piece of artwork. Different colored glass in innumerable scenes. Every once in a while, Konstantin said a bottle that I picked up was no good. His ability to know if something was an organic poison coming through, maybe? I added twenty-four bottles, and Blaze had ten wrapped bottles in his backpack. Adrian had eleven. Konstantin and Brutus were not carrying packs as they were scouting ahead and needed to remain unencumbered. Adrian considered our next course of action, ¡°Konstantin, we will swing by the children¡¯s shelter, clear it, and head back to the tower.¡± Konstantin nodded appreciatively and led the way. It seemed we were heading back toward the tower, but I needed to spend more time in this unfamiliar underground maze to be sure. We descended a wide stairway into a large chamber that was lit by only a few glowstones. Hundreds of small skeletons were scattered across the room. ¡°We cleared this room of hundreds of specters, and now we usually find less than a dozen specters here every descent,¡± Adrian informed the group. I scanned the room and could see only a single specter in the corner¡ªa small boy, by the looks of it. Konstantin had us wait for a good twenty minutes before walking confidently into the room. Three specters of children rose out of the floor to rush us, as did the boy. Konstantin and Brutus dealt with them, and I completed my task with the kettle, wincing with each use. Konstantin seemed pleased, ¡°Just four this time. That is a good sign.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Leave it, Legionnaire!¡± Adrian barked, startling everyone. We turned to find Blaze sifting through the bones. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to loot the dead or the energy to carry the spoils unless it is a runic weapon.¡± Blaze stood and dropped a ring he had picked up. The metal sounded louder than it should be on the stone. Four adult specters emerged from the wall to the right, their faces twisted in a silent scream. Adrian yelled, ¡°Back up the stairs! It may be a rush!¡± As we retreated up the stairs, Brutus asked, ¡°What is a rush?¡± We took positions at the top of the stairs to fight the four specters. Once the four specters were dead, Adrian answered, ¡°Sometimes something triggers a bunch of the specters to come at us at once. Usually, there is a poltergeist or two in the rush. Though we haven¡¯t seen a rush in the shelter in a while.¡± After I gathered the death essence of the four specters with the kettle, I broke down a bit. ¡°Adrian, I think I am done. I am shivering uncontrollably and have a pounding headache.¡± Konstantin frowned, clearly disappointed in me. ¡°That was, what, thirteen? This isn¡¯t going to work, Adrian. We need Castile.¡± I focused on Konstantin and angrily said, ¡°Can¡¯t you use aether as well, Konstantin?¡± I held up the kettle, offering it to him. Konstantin looked down at his runic weapon and then at the kettle of souls. ¡°I need to keep swinging my blade. You should push your limit, Eryk. Let¡¯s find one or two more wandering specters before heading back.¡± He said, somehow sounding rationale. ¡°It is up to you, Eryk. I know Castile found the experience unpleasant, but I don¡¯t think there is a limit on how many times she could use it,¡± Adrian said, deferring to me. I hesitantly nodded my consent. Six specters later, we were climbing the stairs to the tower. My body was racked with chills that never seemed to end. Firth was at the top of the stairs, ¡°About time you are back. We have five specters in the main library, and we have been subduing them, waiting for the kettle.¡± I groaned but turned around with just Konstantin and Adrian as support. After the library was cleared, I shivered uncontrollably as we walked back to the tower. I didn¡¯t think I could do this every day. I had no idea how Castile managed this. Adrian put his hand on my shoulder and said, ¡°You did good work today, Eryk.¡± Leave the wine and kettle in Castile¡¯s room. I will get you a double serving of tonight¡¯s feast and meet you there. Castile was prone on the floor, eyes closed, on the bedroll in front of the fire, gripping the amulet. Delmar looked up from his chair. He was watching over her and tending the fire. I placed the bottles from my dimensional space on the desk and the kettle while Delmar watched me. ¡°Castile said she knew,¡± Delmar said flatly. I didn¡¯t know what he was referring to, so I just nodded slowly. ¡°You should go in there and bring her out.¡± He motioned to Castile. My first thought was not a problem, but I would have preferred for Adrian to arrive first. I sat on the other side of Castile. I stalled, ¡°Adrian is bringing dinner. Right after I eat, I will retrieve Castile. Using the kettle takes a lot out of you.¡± Delmar shrugged and took the fire poker to stir the coals and add a board. We sat in silence, and Adrian entered a few minutes later with both backpacks of wine bottles and a bowl. He handed me the bowl, ¡°Lirkin is stretching the ration bars. The men say this soup is not terrible.¡± He looked at Castile on the floor and sat on another chair. He addressed Delmar, ¡°It went well. The specters seem to be thinning in the area we patrolled.¡± Delmar replied, ¡°The Scholar found a map of the city folded into one of the books.¡± Adrian immediately perked up. Delmar waved his hand dismissively, ¡°He found what he believes is the dungeon entrance, but it is on the other side of the city, just beyond the hearth tree.¡± I was a little surprised by this great news. ¡°Damn it, really?¡± Adrian bemoaned. I didn¡¯t understand what the problem was. ¡°Do you have any good news?¡± ¡°Nope, we are out of healing potions and salves. Donte and Remus¡¯ frostbite is much worse. Might have to amputate their toes.¡± I tried the soup, and it reminded me of warm fig pudding. It was probably wishful thinking, but I kept the imagery up as I ate. Delmar and Adrian continued their conversation, ¡°Has she come out since we left?¡± ¡°No. I was going to send in Eryk to get her,¡± Delmar responded flatly. I put down the empty bowl, ¡°Why is it bad news that we know where the dungeon is?¡± Delmar shook his head like I was an idiot. ¡°It is fantastic news, Eryk,¡± he replied a little too harshly for my liking. ¡°It is just the fact it is on the other side of a city infested with undead, and we are going to be surviving off of wine while we cross the city inch by inch while half of us lose our minds.¡± Delmar was not an optimist. ¡°I think I will go check on Castile now.¡± I said, sinking to the floor and touching the amulet. Castile was studying one of her spell books on a couch in the entry room, looking very comfortable. She had a coffee table in front of her with an assortment of food and beverages. She looked up, surprised, ¡°Is everything okay?¡± I vented my frustration, ¡°Other than Delmar being ready to snap, things are fine. Also, what the hell, Castile! The kettle of souls feels like it is sucking the soul out of me! Konstantin is pushing me harder than ever before, and they found the location of the dungeon.¡± Castile slowly closed the spellbook and looked me over. ¡°Do you feel better yelling that out loud?¡± ¡°A bit,¡± I admitted. I probably wouldn¡¯t get any chances to yell at Castile in the real world. ¡°Using the kettle of souls works against your aether tolerance, Eryk. Your tolerance was twenty-two with a potential of fifty?¡± Castile recalled. ¡°I think so,¡± I thought about it, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have any trouble using it. I told you it would be unpleasant. You should also be able to train your aether tolerance by using it.¡± She said patiently. ¡°Delmar will hold it together. I will handle him if he falls too far. The sooner I learn this.¡± She tapped the book, ¡°the better off we all will be.¡± ¡°How is a spell called nightmare going to help anyway?¡± I said, relaxing some as I waited for her to answer. ¡°I decide what the nightmare is when I cast it. It is like a predetermined dream. It is intended to break a person¡¯s mind but doesn¡¯t have to be used that way,¡± she explained. ¡°Is the Shimmering Labyrinth where the Scholar thought it was?¡± ¡°No, it is not under the hearth tree, but it is close, just on the other side of it,¡± I relayed, and Castile winced. ¡°Well, at least we know where we are going now. Hopefully, the underground network has a path to it. As for Konstantin, keep an eye on him. I think his elven runic weapon may be influencing him.¡± Castile said indifferently. ¡°Nothing to be too concerned about at the moment. It was forged to kill the undead and may be encouraging him to fulfill its purpose. Have you noticed that his sword sparks when it comes in contact with the specters? That is the sword enacting its purpose, disrupting the enemy it was created to destroy.¡± Castile explained. ¡°Adrian and Delmar already know to keep an eye on Konstantin. Is there anything else?¡± Castile seemed so calm it was almost disturbing knowing how dire our situation currently was. ¡°They sent me in here to get you out for a while,¡± I said finally. Castile frowned. She tapped the spellbook, ¡°Tell them I will be out in two hours and to have something ready to eat for me. I plan to come right back after eating. I hope to start practicing the aether weaves soon. This is really a remarkable space, Eryk. It is so easy to focus in here. I might be able to learn the spell in just a few days.¡± She picked up something that looked like a cookie and munched on it. Seeing I had nothing else for her, she opened the spellbook and returned to studying. I felt like I was being abused a little bit. Then again, Castile had been the one using the kettle of souls repeatedly for days. This was her mini vacation at my expense. I exited the dreamscape and told Adrian and Delmar that Castile would be out in two hours. I also told them all they needed to do was remove the amulet from contact with her body to wake her. There was no need to go inside the dreamscape to retrieve her. I returned to my room to find my roommates deep into their second bottle of wine. Maveith was playing checkers with Konstantin on my desk/bed, and Mateo and Felix were clearly intoxicated. They offered me the residuals of a bottle, and I passed. Konstantin was playing with the steel spheres I found in the desk. He was rolling them in one hand. ¡°Can I have my balls back?¡± I said to Konstantin as I held out my hand for them. ¡°Or do you enjoy playing with them that much.¡± Mateo and Felix looked up from the checker¡¯s board between them and were holding back their laughter. Konstantin looked up, a single eyebrow arcing, ¡°Did you know these balls are platinum, Eryk?¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 138: Elven Assessment Chapter 138: Elven Assessment Konstantin and Maveith continued playing checkers on the desk, preventing me from lying down. Konstantin noted the spheres in his hand, ¡°They appear to be ingots for making rings.¡± I continued holding out my hand for the balls. Konstantin regretfully dropped them into my hand, and I sent them to my storage for safekeeping. I took my canteen and sat on the bench by the fire. The fire felt warmer and more invigorating than normal, and I scooted the bench closer. ¡°Platinum is very valuable, Eryk,¡± Maveith intoned as he cornered Konstantin¡¯s last piece. ¡°Much more so than gold. It carries runic enchantments much better than most metals and never tarnishes.¡± Konstantin nodded in agreement, frustration on his face for losing the game. He appraised me, ¡°How are you feeling?¡± There was only a mild note of concern in his tone, though more than I expected after our earlier interaction. I held my hands closer to the fire, deciding what to admit. I didn¡¯t want to appear weak, but Konstantin would push me harder if I admitted I could manage it. I tossed a board on the fire, ¡°I managed today. The Scholar found the dungeon location today.¡± By their lack of reaction, they already knew. Konstantin nodded somberly, ¡°Yes. We are going to search for more runic weapons tomorrow. You are going to have to be able to do thrice what you did today with the kettle of souls. Sixty at a minimum each day if we are going to reach the dungeon before we all die of starvation.¡± ¡°Castile told me it would get easier the more I used it. Maybe not sixty tomorrow, but I will get there,¡± I sounded confident, but my body shook at the memory of using the bronze artifact. I hid my body¡¯s unease by stirring the coals. Mateo suddenly stood and rushed out of the room, having to take a ¡®squirt.¡¯ He left the door open in his rush, and we cursed him for letting the heat out. ¡°Felix, close the door!¡± Konstantin ordered as they started another game of checkers. ¡°Last one, Maveith, Eryk needs his rest,¡± Konstantin winked at me like he was doing me a favor, giving me my bed. The next morning, I had to force myself to eat; my appetite was gone. Konstantin gave me twice as much rice and beans as everyone else had received. He then went to talk with the Scholar. As breakfast ended and men started on their daily tasks, Castile made an appearance, Delmar, and Adrian at her back. She looked pale and thin, but her eyes were bright, telling me her mind was sharp. She looked across the room slowly, making eye contact with everyone, ¡°We will be getting out of this. You are the strongest company in the Lion! I could promise you rewards beyond measure from the plunder of the city, but instead, I want to affirm to each of you that your lives are more important. The undead will not break you! The cold will not break you! And the unseen summoner will not break you!¡± Castile¡¯s passion was met with some nods, but a few still remained indifferent. I could see Adrian noting who in his mind. Delmar wrapped his knuckles on the shelf loudly, ¡°We are moving to the underground tomorrow. We learned everything we needed to here.¡± That got whispers. Scholar Favian looked around longingly at all the books he had not had a chance to study. Delmar continued, ¡°It will be warmer down there, and we will save time advancing through the city. We will be dressing back in full armor kit starting today. Get to your daily tasks, men.¡± With that said, Adrian walked toward me and handed me the kettle. ¡°Konstantin and I will be at your front today¡ªjust Blaze at your back. Let us know when you need a rest. Gear up, legionnaire!¡± He said with a pat on my shoulder. Putting on my armor again was almost surreal. It was like the set had been made for a giant. I had trouble getting everything to fit tightly. I walked out into the communal area and noticed my elven dagger on Firth¡¯s belt. I approached the veteran, demanding my dagger back, ¡°Firth, you have a runic sword now. Give me back my dagger.¡± Firth looked me over and drew the dagger, ¡°This is too pretty a weapon for you, Eryk.¡± He balanced the blade on his index finger and spun it, the blade and handle whirling. ¡°I have never handled such a perfectly weighted sticker. How much do you want for it?¡± ¡°I am not selling it,¡± I held out my hand. Firth considered me again and nodded slowly. He tossed, snatched, and sheathed the blade and handed it to me. It took me some time to feed the sheath on my belt, but soon I was ready. A few men nodded in appreciation at my reclamation of the runic dagger. Our armor clattered as we descended the stairs together. Normally, it had a rhythm to it, but not any longer with it being so loose. Blaze asked, ¡°Why the armor now?¡± Konstantin answered him while playing with his straps, ¡°In case we run into a wight wielding a weapon.¡± Adrian contradicted Konstantin, ¡°No, we are to secure the wine room this trip. I know we talked about looking for more runic weapons last night, but Castile thought the men needed to see us making progress toward a goal,¡± Adrian replied evenly. Konstantin looked ready to object but nodded and continued to lead the way. It was more of a slow walk today, and we didn¡¯t see any specters for a few minutes. Blaze asked, ¡°Where do all the doors go?¡± ¡°Some are more storerooms. Others lead up into other buildings in the city,¡± Konstantin paused at a door, ¡°This faded writing here says where the door leads.¡± I took out my own glowstone to examine the faded elven script on the stone. ¡°Some type of restaurant,¡± I translated with my poor Elvish. ¡°Do you think they are open?¡± Blaze asked seriously. ¡°I know it is early in the morning and all.¡± He started to smile at his joke. We all started laughing, and Adrian chuckled, ¡°Well, if they are open, breakfast is on me.¡± When things simmered down, Konstantin gave a reality check, ¡°We only took one stairway up to the city. The building had collapsed on the stairs, but that didn¡¯t stop three specters from coming through the rubble to greet us. We want to avoid triggering a rush from the city. If we stirred the city, it could have hundreds of specters after us.¡± That sobered things up pretty quickly so we continued on in silence. We encountered just two specters on the way to the wine room. Inside the wine room, Adrian ordered Konstantin, ¡°I want you to go through every bottle and dump the toxic ones. Castile doesn¡¯t want anyone drinking them by mistake.¡± That was how we spent our next four hours. Dumping the wine bottles down the drain after Konstantin pulled them off the racks. After that, we searched a handful of nearby storerooms for specters before returning to the tower. I only harvested nine specters all day and was greatly relieved at the lower number of times activating the kettle. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. As we climbed the stairs, the most divine smell in the world assaulted our noses. We rushed into the small library to find a bird spinning on an improvised spit. Men were talking energetically and keeping their eyes on it. I guessed what the bird was. ¡°Baby eagle?¡± It was the size of a turkey, so it was definitely not one of the monstrous adults. Felix answered excitedly, ¡°Flavius got an owl that entered the main library! My stomach can¡¯t wait to make its acquaintance.¡± ¡°It was most likely a scout controlled by the summoner,¡± Delmar said from across the room. ¡°It saw us packing up from the window and wanted to know where we were planning to go.¡± ¡°Delmar is correct. The summoner sent it, and I am certain it is not poisoned. He just made a slight error in his impatience. He has remained a few miles away, tired of waiting us out,¡± Castile said neutrally and sounded in control. ¡°The good news is he is too busy maintaining his hold of the storm elementals to summon anything else. Once we disappear into the undercity, we may lose his focus.¡± For some reason, I doubted Castile¡¯s optimism. Still, her counter to Delmar¡¯s pessimism brightened the mood. There was a lot less meat than it originally looked like. Everyone got an equal share, and no one complained. The feathers were stuffed into a small bag, and then the bones were boiled, along with the feet, for breakfast broth the next day. The fresh meat, although somewhat acidic tasting, cheered everyone up. I made sure to lay out on my desk before Maveith could start his nightly checkers tournament with Konstantin. I needed to sleep myself, and after a few minutes of twisting and turning, I snuck myself an oblivion pill in the absence of the amulet. Konstantin took pleasure in waking me from my deep sleep in the morning. ¡°Eryk.¡± He whispered next to my ear while snapping his fingers in my face, ¡°If I was a goblin, I would have stabbed you five times already.¡± I slapped away his hand and sat up. Just as I had guessed, the non-magical oblivion pills did not seem to give me restful sleep in the city. A thought crossed my mind. ¡°Are goblins edible?¡± I asked, remembering I had one of the creatures in my dimensional storage. Maveith answered from the floor where he was packing, ¡°They probably taste worse than the owl from last night, but I do not think they are poisonous.¡± I nodded, thinking that tiny creature had to be at least forty pounds. Maybe I could release it and pretend it wandered into the city. With everyone moving out of the tower, it meant Castile could handle the kettle duties today. I hesitated in the room, being the last to leave the small library. I looked longingly at the large black desk. Not only was it a piece of artwork, but it was a good bed. I checked outside the door and then stored the large desk. The top was three by seven feet, and the height was about two feet tall, and it might serve as a good obstruction or workbench for me. I caught up with everyone and walked next to Castile who handed me the kettle of souls so she could practice her aether shaping of the nightmare spell. So much for a break for myself. She was not much of a conversationalist today, fully concentrating on learning the spell as quickly as possible. We only encountered a single specter on the way to the wine vault, and I used the kettle to deal with it. When the doors opened, everyone who had not seen it yet gasped and gawked while walking stupidly among the racks. Delmar issued his proclamation, ¡°No one drinks without permission. I will assign you all sleeping locations. We piss in the drain and shit in the storeroom across the hall in pairs. That is right.¡± His voice rose to a command, ¡°No one shits alone!¡± It took a few hours to settle in as Delmar was in charge of camp setup. It helped him direct some of his increasingly aggressive nature productively. Adrian assigned the guard duties, of which I had none. Konstantin pulled on my armor, ¡°Come on, Eryk, no one shits alone.¡± Maveith stood, ¡°I haven¡¯t shit in three days. I think I might have to.¡± ¡°Fine, you can come too! Could use a brute.¡± Konstantin said, irritated. I could already tell we were not going for a shit. In the hallway, Konstantin went left and walked rapidly while we followed. ¡°I don¡¯t have the kettle of souls,¡± I warned him. He looked to be on the hunt for more specters, or maybe his blade was driving him to hunt. ¡°It is fine. It is just a few doors down.¡± He explained, as he continued walking. He paused at a door, studied it, and opened it. We followed him inside, and on the other side of the room were heavy bunk beds. Thick dust from deteriorated mattresses covered them, but this could be a game changer. ¡°Too heavy to haul up into the tower but forty feet down the hall? I think that is manageable.¡± Maveith and I wrestled the first one out the door while Konstantin watched for specters. My fatigued and emaciated muscles could not match Maveith¡¯s, so we made quite a racket to get the first one into the wine room. There were eight bunks for sixteen beds in total, and soon, the whole company was helping. It was the most animated I had seen Delmar in a long time. We moved wine bottles and took down racks to make room. Delmar thought the wine room was more defensible than the small room from which we took the beds. The next small room with bunks was too far away to haul back, but we could sleep in shifts. Everyone was covered in filth when we were done, but the sense of accomplishment was high in the company. Some of the soldiers were actually smiling and making jokes to one another. The only unhappy person was Scholar Favian, due to the fact that he was only able to carry ten of his priceless books from the tower. We were allotted a little more wine than we probably should have had that evening. I noted that Adrian and Delmar didn¡¯t drink and remained on watch with Castile using the amulet. We were in a new phase of our exploration of the ruins, but the clock was still running on us. We had already too many days in Caelora, sustaining ourselves on extraordinarily very little. Living off calories from wine was not going to be very pleasant. The move had abated some of the depression, but it would soon return. For the next three days, Adrian, Brutus, Konstantin, Mateo, and Blaze guarded me as we started to explore the hearth tree and thin the specters in preparation for finding the dungeon. Blaze got knocked out when a poltergeist threw a heavy ceramic bowl at his head from behind, but we did well other than that one injury. I was up to between forty and forty-five specters in the morning and another twenty-five or so in the afternoon as we slowly explored new areas. We were also searching rooms Konstantin had not searched previously. One interesting room had a familiar device¡ªan assessment tablet¡ªbut it was a modest table, similar to the one I used in the capital at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the capital. It was also much fancier, with finer wood and decorative carvings, and the language was clearly Elvish after I cleared the dust off. ¡°Leave it. It is useless anyway, as it is based on the elven race,¡± Konstantin advised, leaving the room without giving it another thought. However, it had all the attributes and twenty-one magic affinities on the table. Even if it gave skewed results, it was probably worth something. Konstantin called from the corridor, ¡°We should head back anyway. This corridor is heading away from the hearth tree.¡± I did not know how he knew that, but I was sure he would explain it in excruciating detail later if I didn¡¯t ask. I made sure I was the last one out of the room and sent the entire assessment tablet table into my dimensional storage. It was only about three by five feet, and the height was similar to the black desk I had stored a week earlier, and I had a lot of space if I got creative. We got even better news when we returned to the wine vault. Castile had successfully learned the nightmare spell! I was thrilled as it meant that hopefully, I would get my amulet back soon. As this place was beginning to affect me like the others. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 139: The Wight Problem Chapter 139: The Wight Problem Castile used her nightmare spell on seven men, including Delmar, to start. They were the worst of the company, with sunken, dark eyes and the worst disposition. It was to be a twelve-hour sleep on the bunks for them. Trapped in some dream Castile imagined. Everyone nervously watched as Castile forced man after man into a deep sleep. When Castile was finished, she was seated on her bunk bed alone, clearly drained from her efforts. I took the opportunity to talk with her and sat next to her. I asked, ¡°What are they dreaming about?¡± Castile looked around at the sleeping men, ¡°They are building houses. The spell required a task and environment on casting, I put them on a grassy plain, and they are cutting and stacking sod to build a house. It was what I remembered of where I grew up. No monsters. Just endless therapeutic labor with a loving family encouraging them.¡± I nodded, thinking that was not too bad of a nightmare. I certainly had much worse. ¡°So, will you be joining the exploration team now?¡± Castile had a small knife out and was cleaning under her filthy fingernails. ¡°Yes. I will be going out.¡± She knew why I was here. Castile fingered the amulet around her neck absently but did not offer it to me. When she did not offer it back to me, I asked, ¡°Can I have that back?¡± I didn¡¯t think she heard me, so I was about to ask again. ¡°I would like to keep using it.¡± She said softly, my stomach turned over, and a cold chill spread through my body. She quickly added, ¡°I think we can run two exploration teams. One will be led by me, and the other will be led by you. While you are out, I desire to use your amulet. When you return, wake me, and you can have it.¡± That sounded completely reasonable. As my mage commander, she probably could have just kept it even though she recognized it as my property. ¡°I think that is acceptable. Are you going to learn another spell?¡± Castile held the amulet again, studying it longingly, not answering for a time. ¡°For me, a single day studying in the amulet is like a week. I could learn every spell I ever tried to study and failed. You do not realize what a treasure it truly is.¡± Her tone was slightly accusatory and had some jealousy in it. Realizing she may have crossed a line, she added, ¡°It is yours, Eryk. Perhaps I have become a little addicted to it.¡± She removed the dreamscape amulet and handed it to me. ¡°Perhaps a few days apart from it would do me good.¡± She added unconvincingly. Castile stood and walked away to talk with Konstantin. After an hour¡¯s discussion, she announced to everyone not sleeping, ¡°Adrian, Brutus, Blaze, and Mateo. You are with me for a specter harvest.¡± Castile snatched the kettle and marched for the door while they scrambled to follow. I moved over to sit with Maveith, who was sorting wine bottles with Konstantin at a table. ¡°Surprised she didn¡¯t take you,¡± I noted, and Konstantin looked up. ¡°We just returned an hour ago, Eryk. Castile decided the second team would be you, Flavius, Delmar, Firth, Benito, and me,¡± Konstantin revealed with a faux smile. ¡°Damn, she got to pick all the cool kids,¡± I said gruffly. Maveith didn¡¯t understand, ¡°I think everyone is pretty cold, Eryk. But it is warmer under the city than in the tower.¡± Konstantin cackled a laugh, ¡°I think Eryk is saying that he wishes he got to choose his own team. I am actually quite hurt you don¡¯t want me on your team.¡± I don¡¯t know why I said it, I think it was probably because it had been a few days since I got some real sleep, and my mind felt frayed and exhausted. ¡°Konstantin, you are reckless. You chase every damn specter you see. Regardless of whether it is safe for the rest of us or not. Of course, I don¡¯t want to explore with you the tunnels with you!¡± I had yelled that a little too loud, and a number of men overheard. All the attention in the wine vault was on us now. Konstantin placed two bottles he had been holding on the table and looked me in the eyes, and I met his stare defiantly. Our eyes studied each other. He said softly, ¡°You are right, Eryk. I have been reckless.¡± I exhaled in some relief. ¡°We are running out of time, though. He reflectively touched the pommel of his runic weapon.¡± ¡°So, it is not your weapon driving you?¡± I accused him, getting bolder. Konstantin¡¯s hand caressed the hilt while studying my face. He admitted, ¡°It does reward me with a euphoric rush when I cut down a specter. But it is not controlling me.¡± My mouth opened to reply, and then I shut it. Konstantin was an addict and didn¡¯t even realize it. ¡°Perhaps you should loan your runic weapon to another, Konstantin.¡± My suggestion was met with harsh eyes. I remembered that Konstantin had also recklessly pursued the summoner to reclaim this blade. I was not sure how he didn¡¯t see that he was beholden to the weapon. I decided not to press further. I walked over to Scholar Favian to see about continuing my education in the Elven tongue. After an hour, I decided to get some rest; my mind had its fill of new vocabulary and listening to the Scholar¡¯s voice. I went to an open bunk and lay down, leaving Konstantin and Maveith. I had the amulet, and I wanted to get some actual rest. I entered the dreamscape and found the safe entry room filled with living room furniture and an entire kitchen. The bookshelf I had left Castile was now full of books as well. I mumbled to myself, ¡°Castile, you have been a busy woman and made yourself at home.¡± I flipped through each one of the books she left behind on the bookshelf and made a copy of the complete set. I then walked down to the scorpion room. Castile did not appear to have spent any time fighting the creatures of the dungeon. Either that or she reset them after she had killed them. After a quick inspection, it seemed that my secret room was undisturbed. I then set my copy of the books into my secret room and left, closing it behind me. Oscar rushed me and jumped into my arms to lick my face. It took me a moment to realize that was what I wanted. Konstantin studied me with steel-blue eyes, ¡°You locked us all away here like prisoners. Are you going to let us out now?¡± I ignored his comment. ¡°Did Castile stop by and say hello?¡± I asked the group. Maveith¡¯s sister, Zorana, spoke for the group, ¡°She didn¡¯t find us. Is that what you are asking? She did come into the scorpion chamber once, though. She fought it and returned it back to normal.¡± ¡°Thanks for telling me, Zorana.¡± I looked at the assortment of people and the goliaths. ¡°Well, let¡¯s practice some fighting tonight.¡± Xavier, the sword master, eagerly drew his blade and stood from the poker table. Adrian was not far behind him. Maveith stood protectively next to his sister, resting his club on his shoulder. Blaze was the only one who did not look thrilled at the idea of weapons practice in the group. Oscar excitedly barked as I removed the wall, and we battled on the sand in the scorpion room. I spent eight hours inside the dreamscape, and my perception of the world was different when I exited. It had felt filtered before, and now it was clear. The targets of Castile¡¯s nightmare spell were still in their forced sleep. Castile¡¯s group had not returned yet from their culling of specters, and the men were getting anxious. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Konstantin approached me, ¡°I think I should go look for them. You need to stay here as you have a runic weapon to protect the others.¡± The door suddenly opened, causing everyone to relax visibly as Castile entered with the others. ¡°We encountered another wight,¡± Adrian announced. ¡°It had a runic weapon,¡± he tossed a sheathed short blade to Benito, who eagerly caught it. Castile also had good news, ¡°We found passages blocked with roots. Large enough that it can only be the hearth tree. We are getting closer to where the dungeon must be. We just have to find a way around the tree.¡± Adrian balanced the news, ¡°The roots have blocked and weakened some of the passages. One path was also completely blocked with snow.¡± Everyone understood that meant it was exposed to the city above. Surprisingly, Scholar Favian stood and said, ¡°I would like to go on the next exploration. I am not doing much good here. Maybe I can help by reading the Elven engravings.¡± It was true the Scholar was not of much use to us anymore. He had been quiet studying his books, and maybe he figured the small allocation of food we used on him might be withheld soon. Almost all our solid rations were gone, and we were pretty much drinking our calories from the wine. Castile considered the Scholar and handed me the kettle of souls, ¡°Eryk is leaving soon. You can go with his group, Scholar.¡± Her voice dropped so only I could hear. ¡°Just eliminate as many specters as you can and return. We will all go together tomorrow. We are close, Eryk.¡± She said reassuringly and even cracked a smile on her thin face. I started getting ready and heard Benito ask while looking at his new weapon, which was shaped like a long slender leaf rounding out the last two-thirds, ¡°Why do only the wights have runic weapons?¡± Adrian patiently answered him, ¡°They are smarter than normal undead. They may not have wielded a runic weapon in life but have wandered the city long enough to find one and know what it is and how powerful they are.¡± ¡°How many wights are in the city?¡± Benito asked, causing everyone to still, creating a silence to listen to Adrian¡¯s answer. Adrian looked to Castile, who gave him a nod, which I assumed was the go-ahead to answer truthfully. ¡°We think there are dozens in the city above. In the under-city, we do not think there are many.¡± Everyone relaxed some at the news and continued their tasks. Before we left, I spent time with Adrian, Castile, and Konstantin as they discussed the direction they had traveled and where they found the passages that were blocked with roots. Konstantin was leading my team, as I was just the kettle bearer. Castile cycled the sleepers under her spell. Those waking up were exhausted, but you could already tell they were in better shape mentally with their comments and liveliness. Delmar was barely speaking to anyone and moved languidly, probably realizing what an ass he had been for weeks. Firth, Delmar, and Konstantin led my group. Firth was also waking up from his first deep sleep. He was more animated than Delmar as he talked, ¡°It felt like I had a foot in Pluto¡¯s realm and didn¡¯t even realize it,¡± he told Konstantin as we walked. I walked next to Scholar Favian in the middle, who was trying to read every door we passed. The ancient elf writing had faded or flaked off, so he did not have a lot of success. Behind me were Flavius and Benito protecting our rear. We all followed Konstantin as he knew exactly where he was leading us. Our job was just to clear specters and return. We only encountered lone specters as we moved into an unfamiliar part of the undercity. We also reached a section where Castile had not charged any glowstones, and everyone took theirs out. Konstantin faced the group at this point, ¡°This is as far they got. We are going to return to the wine vault and search side rooms as we go.¡± Everyone was tense as we turned around. We had only found seven spectators so far today. The first door had Scholar Favian inform the group, ¡°It is a cobbler¡¯s room.¡± Inside was a large workshop with three specters. The shoes had all since rotted away, and we quickly finished off the specters. ¡°Why do they need a shoe store under the city?¡± Benito asked after we finished clearing the room. The Scholar answered, ¡°They were prepared for a long siege by the Legion. They were prepared to live under the city for years. We must be under the merchant quarter. This city used to be home to some of the greatest artisans in the world. They would not stop doing their professions even if a war were raging around them.¡± We continued opening doors but skipping doors that led up to the city. Every time, we were rewarded with one to four specters inside. It was as the Scholar had said, and these were the specters of the artisans. The spectral clothes they wore were fancy and fashionable. Scholar Favian suddenly got excited at the ninth door: ¡°It is a weaponsmith! There must be a forge on the other side of this door.¡± Delmar looked at Konstantin, and they both looked like kids about to raid a candy store. Konstantin repeated the same thing he had for each of the last few entries, ¡°I will go first, Delmar will go left, Firth will go right, after me. Don¡¯t get distracted; cut down the specters quickly so Eryk can use the kettle.¡± Konstantin tried to open the door, but it didn¡¯t budge. The moisture in this part of the undercity had rotted the door some. Delmar and Konstantin worked together, and they were able to pry it off the hinges with a lot of effort. Konstantin rushed and shouldered the door. The door spun, freed from its prison, and slammed into the ground inside the forge room, causing a thick cloud of dust made worse as the glowstones illuminated the particles. The thick cloud of dust caused zero visibility. Konstantin rushed into the room with Delmar and Firth. ¡°Does anyone see any specters?¡± Delmar said through coughing fits. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything!¡± Benito replied from beside me. A body was thrown out of the room and slammed into me, knocking me into the wall in the corridor. It was Firth who looked broken and choked out a warning, ¡°Wight!¡± ¡°Where?!¡± Konstantin¡¯s voice echoed in the dust cloud from inside the forge room. A figure rushed toward me from the dust, and I erected an air shield in front of me. The emaciated elf crashed into my air shield, just a foot from my face. It looked like a zombie elf, its gray skin stretched tight over its bones. Firth was trying to stand, but struggling. Delmar screamed in obvious pain, ¡°I have specters in the forge! I need help in here!¡± Konstantin yelled, frustrated as I could see flashes of his sword through the dust cloud, ¡°Where is the wight!¡± My black blade stabbed forward into the stomach of the wight, but it just pressed forward, trapping my blade. It screamed a raspy, angry yell at me, ¡°In the corridor!¡± I shouted. Benito attacked, and the wight punched him in the chest, tossing him sprawling back down the corridor. An arrow suddenly protruded from the neck of the wight. The wight swiped at my air shield, shattering it without difficulty. His clawed hands then left deep gouges on my armor. Konstantin rushed out of the dust cloud and hacked into the neck of the wight; instead of sparks, the blade hissed and steamed as he connected. I couldn¡¯t extract my black blade, so I drew the elven dagger and stabbed the wight in the eye. It suddenly paused in its attack, looking confused. Konstantin hacked the other side of its neck, freeing its head from its body. The dust was clearing, but Delmar was still screaming for help. ¡°Use the kettle, Eryk!¡± Konstantin yelled as he dashed back into the room to help Delmar. The dust was clearing but not fast enough. I aimed the kettle and channeled aether into it. A thick purple smoke came from the corpse of the wight, and it felt almost like a brief tug-o-war as it resisted a final death. It finally succumbed to the bronze kettle, and a palpable relief escaped me. I turned my attention to Firth, who was moaning in pain, one arm clearly broken. ¡°I am fine! Help the others!¡± He pushed me away with his good arm. Flavius rushed into the room as the dust was clearing. I entered after him. The forge room was large, and its expanse briefly took me aback. Easily two hundred feet deep. Delmar was on the ground to the left. He was no longer screaming for help. Konstantin was swinging wildly at four specters around him, sparks flying with every swing of the blade. ¡°Eryk! Use the kettle! There were at least nine specters, maybe more if Delmar killed some.¡± Konstantin sounded frantic and worried. I used the kettle, and it eventually pulled eleven specters into it. With the room now clear, we all stood over Delmar. His scraggly bearded face was pale white, and his eyes looked up and vacant. Damn it, he was definitely dead. Benito was to my right and asked that exact question, ¡°Is he dead? Is he going to turn into a specter?¡± Konstantin let out a long, disgruntled sigh. ¡°Yes.¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 140: Mourning Chapter 140: Mourning Konstantin stood over Delmar. He studied the legionnaire¡¯s body and then said with remorse, ¡°Did anyone else get hit by the specters or wight?¡± Firth was cradling his broken arm, ¡°The wight broke my arm.¡± Konstantin moved to stand in front of Firth and study him. ¡°Just the one injury? Do you feel any different?¡± ¡°My fucking arm is broken, Konstantin. Of course, I feel fucking different!¡± Firth yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. ¡°Eryk cut off Delmar¡¯s head and use the kettle on him!¡± Konstantin barked at me while we were all still in a daze. I looked at Delmar¡¯s corpse, not processing the request. ¡°What?¡± ¡°His spirit is going to turn into a specter! You can prevent that before it happens!¡± Konstantin yelled, his anger bleeding out. He kicked over a rack of swords. The violence and noise were therapeutic for him. I walked to the body and readied my black blade, but it just felt wrong to cut off Delmar¡¯s head, so I hesitated. Konstantin stormed over and used his own runic blade to complete the task, steam hissing up as he did so. I fumbled for the kettle and used it. A purple haze flowed from Delmar¡¯s neck and head into the kettle. It was proof that he had been turning, but it still did not make me feel any better. Benito was walking around the room, looking at all the various weapons. I think he was having trouble dealing with Delmar¡¯s death and seeking a distraction. I went to the wall and charged the embedded glowstones to illuminate the massive forging chamber. There were a number of workstations and anvils throughout the room. Benito asked weakly, ¡°Who is going to tell Castile?¡± There was silence as we all looked around. Konstantin finally voiced, ¡°It will be me. His death was my fault.¡± No one argued with him as we continued our search. Benito seemed mollified it wouldn¡¯t be him and asked, while clearing the dust off some short blades, ¡°Are any of these runic weapons?¡± Scholar Favian was searching with us. ¡°Most likely, no. Clean off the dust, and there is a chance if they have no rust.¡± I started searching with everyone else. It gave us something to distract us from Delmar¡¯s body. I noticed Flavius pick up Delmar¡¯s runic blade. It was an extremely valuable dungeon blade, but no one stopped him. Every blade and axe I checked was tarnished with rust under the jacket of dust. It felt like Delmar had given his life for no reason. There were hundreds of weapons in here; all were artistic works that needed to be cleaned and oiled, but nothing was free of tarnish. ¡°Got one!¡± An excited Benito called from near the forges. We all rushed over to find Benito was cleaning something that looked closer to a sledgehammer than a weapon. The head of the sledgehammer had been cleaned off and looked like liquid mercury in the light of the glowstones. Scholar Favian quickly assessed it: ¡°Definitely an artificed hammer, but I think it is designed for metalworking and not fighting.¡± He handed it around, and I realized how heavy it was when it got to me. The head alone was probably over five pounds, and the shaft added to that weight again in rich black wood. Konstantin said what I had been thinking, ¡°The goliath can use that. He can then be of some help with the specters.¡± We continued to search the room and started stacking the weapons in the center so we wouldn¡¯t go over them more than once. We made four stacks; one was daggers, one for short swords, one for long swords, and one for axes. The spears we found, we leaned against the wall. We were interrupted twice by wandering specters but eventually searched the entire room. Konstantin was the most upset of all of us. I think he wanted to find something more substantial so Delmar¡¯s death would not be in vain. We found three runic daggers and a second smaller runic forge hammer among the bones of the fallen smiths. Bringing the total to four more runic weapons added to the company and a sledgehammer for Maveith. We left the room and began the walk back to the wine vault. Konstantin led us but did not drag his feet. When we reached the room, he marched right up to Castile and told her what happened. I went to Maveith, who was playing checkers with Remus. ¡°Eryk, how did your exploration go?¡± The goliath asked when studying the board. ¡°Delmar is dead.¡± I said plainly, and Remus¡¯ red mop of hair looked up in surprise. ¡°That is impossible.¡± Remus muttered as he stood and went to spread the gossip. I sat across from Maveith and passed him the large runic sledgehammer. ¡°This is for you, Maveith. It is a runic weapon. Not designed for fighting but should be good enough to bash some specters.¡± The goliath took the hammer and caressed the thick black shaft and the silvery head. ¡°It is an impressive hammer, Eryk. How did Delmar meet his fate?¡± He leaned the sledgehammer against the table, focusing on me. I looked around the room as Remus spread the word. ¡°We found a forge, an armory of sorts. We bashed down the door, and a wight attacked us in the confusion as dust blocked the light. There were another eleven specters in the room, and Delmar had to fight alone for a period while we dealt with the wight. We didn¡¯t know he was fighting so many. He was overwhelmed before we could assist.¡± Castile was pacing further in the wine vault as Konstantin had finished telling her. The entire company also heard the news, and the mood was extremely heavy. Flavius was handing out the runic daggers and the small hammer those who did not have a runic weapon yet. Everyone who had been sleeping was soon awake as we waited on Castile. I approached to see if I could help. Castile¡¯s face was hard as she walked back and forth between the wine racks. Konstantin and Adrian stood nearby, waiting for Castile to vent. She continued to pace for minutes before finally looking up. Her face hard, she located and asked Adrian, ¡°Who is the best man to take over for Delmar?¡± Adrian swallowed hard. I assumed Delmar and Adrian were friends. They only ever really talked with each other. Adrian offered names, ¡°Lirkin, Linus, or Eryk. Lirkin has been with us the longest.¡± I was taken by surprise at the mention of my name. We all looked at Castile. Lirkin was the company cook, Linus was our medic, and I was the porter. Castile considered the advice and then looked at me, ¡°Eryk, do you want the job?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Adrian nodded at me, indicating I should accept it. ¡°Yes. I will take over for Delmar.¡± Castile pushed forward through her apparent grief, ¡°Konstantin, thank you for letting me know. Adrian and Eryk, let us discuss what we will do now.¡± Konstantin still looked guilty but left us. I moved in close with Adrian. Castile announced, ¡°We need to move out tomorrow.¡± Adrian agreed, ¡°The men are going to be reeling from Delmar¡¯s loss. If we are moving, they cannot dwell on it. We have been lucky only to lose two men so far.¡± ¡°What about food and water?¡± I knew the water canteens needed to be refilled from snow soon. ¡°We cannot live off of the wine alone. We should melt snow first.¡± Adrian spoke, ¡°Agreed. I will get teams to fill up some backpacks to melt snow tonight. Should take three trips to fill everyone¡¯s canteens.¡± Castile¡¯s hand was shaking slightly as she voiced a question, ¡°Should we attempt to leave the city and confront the summoner or continue our search for the dungeon?¡± This was obviously not the first time they had discussed this. Adrian gave his viewpoint, ¡°The snow is too deep to move effectively out of the city and beyond. We cannot surprise him, and he will have time to prepare for us. Even though I dislike dungeons, I think it is our best course of action to continue our search for it.¡± They looked to me as part of this exercise. Apparently, I was supposed to offer an opinion and a reason for it. ¡°If we do make it into the dungeon, we may be trapping ourselves there. The exit may be congested with specters and wights.¡± Adrian nodded in agreement, ¡°We could draw hundreds of specters to the dungeon entrance. What if only six of us can enter? The rest will be mobbed.¡± Scholar Favian had been edging closer and was close enough to overhear the conversation and approached us. ¡°I do not think we will need to worry. The Shimmering Labyrinth has no limit on the number of Adventurers that can enter.¡± Castile looked displeased, ¡°What have you found out? What have you not told me?¡± Scholar Favian winced at her sharp accusation, ¡°I don¡¯t know how accurate the information is. It is one of the children¡¯s books I found about the dungeon. It describes the first floor as a stone maze. Everyone who enters is randomly placed within the maze.¡± Adrian said in disbelief, ¡°I have never heard of a dungeon that separates the delvers.¡± ¡°That is because I think it is a solo dungeon. You can meet up with others once inside and work together. The good news is that it appears there are many exits, and it is not difficult to leave the dungeon.¡± The Scholar offered the book in question to Castile. Castile opened the book, and Adrian looked over her right shoulder, so I looked over her left. There were some faded pictures, and the Scholar described the book, ¡°It is a tale of an elven princess who wants to be an Adventurer. She sneaks into the Shimmering Labyrinth to prove herself to her father.¡± ¡°There could be a lot of embellishment,¡± Castile voiced skeptically as she paged through the children¡¯s book delicately, careful not to degrade the ancient book further. She was interested in the pictures. Each picture was a faded watercolor and had the heroine fighting a different monster. I noted the monsters pictured. There were many spiders of varied sizes and colors, including a black bear and a massive white bear. The Scholar took the book back, ¡°It is a child¡¯s tale, but there should be threads of truth in it. It is also the only book I have found that directly describes what to expect in the dungeon.¡± Castile looked old, and her hair had streaks of gray in it. ¡°Do you still have the recipe book too?¡± ¡°Yes, I also brought that one with me,¡± Scholar Favian affirmed. ¡°We will make our way to the hearth tree tomorrow and try to find a way around it. Will the dungeon be above or below?¡± Castile asked resignedly. The Scholar didn¡¯t have a definitive answer but with an hesitant look offered his best guess. ¡°I believe it is below ground. The Elven King tried to hide its existence from outsiders and seems to have been successful for the most part.¡± Castile nodded, committed to continuing the search for the dungeon. She addressed everyone in the room. ¡°Delmar was a great legionnaire. He knew exactly what each and every one of you needed and how much you could carry. His knowledge and skill with the sword will be sorely missed.¡± She scanned the group, locating Delmar¡¯s blade. Flavius, Delmar would have wanted Adrian to carry his blade.¡± Flavius walked forward, and the two of them exchanged runic weapons. Flavius took the borrowed blade the duchess had secured for the expedition. After the ceremonial exchange, Castile continued, ¡°We are close to the dungeon. In eight hours, we will push together in search of it! We will be able to find food inside, and the summoner will not know where we went!¡± Castile¡¯s speech was not as motivating as I thought it could be. She also did not tell the company that the dungeon might separate us when we entered. I was left to coordinate the snow retrieval teams with Adrian to fill everyone¡¯s canteens. I also had to ensure each man securely packed six bottles of wine in their packs. Being in charge of logistics meant I now had a lot less free time and had to babysit the men who were too lazy to remain prepared. I also saw how much solid food we had left in Lirkin¡¯s pack. It was just enough food to feed everyone a single full meal. Lirkin planned to stretch it for three days, and then we would subsist entirely on wine afterward. As we left the wine vault, there were still thousands of bottles here if we needed to come back and replenish our supply. Too many of the men were dealing with daily cramps and muscle pains from slow starvation. I agreed entering the dungeon was our best course of action. We were too feeble to fight our way out of the city. I was in the middle of the group with Castile, who frequently went forward to capture a specter. I was glad I did not have to use the kettle. We quickly moved through the underground network, Konstantin leading us. When we reached the room where Delmar rested, Castile went in and covered his body in his sleeping roll. She said a few private words and then offered the men a chance to take any weapons they wanted from the piles we had made during our previous visit. Even though they were not runic weapons, the quality was far superior to our legion-issued gear. I picked through the daggers and hand axes. I added a dozen of each to my storage. No one was paying much attention to me, and I figured they could eventually be cleaned and sold. I also took one of the Elven spears. If we found another wight, I would prefer to be able to hold it at range. The claw marks on my armor were a terrible reminder of the encounter. We quickly found the passages blocked by the hearth tree¡¯s gnarled roots when we headed out. The roots blocked the passage and even went through the stone floor to the lower level and down to the sewers. Castile determined it would take too much energy and time to cut through the mess. We started making our way to the right, trying to follow the roots. We constantly had to backtrack and seek a wider route around. But we were making progress circumnavigating the tree. Things got a little dicey when we caused a rush of over fifty specters and poltergeists when we entered a wide corridor. We had to cycle men to the front, and Castile got extremely busy with the kettle of souls. Our large group even had to deal with specters coming from behind through the walls. During the rush, Maveith was a monster with his new runic sledgehammer. Where it took multiple strikes from a runic sword to dissipate a specter, Maveith¡¯s heavy hammer blow always took them out in one. We proceeded even slower after that rush. Firth was the only legionnaire who was too injured to help in the fighting, his dominant sword arm broken and in a sling. Everyone was exhausted after hours of walking and fighting in the underground complex. The complex never seemed to end. It really appeared as if we were never going to get to the fabled dungeon. Scholar Favian got Castile¡¯s attention, ¡°Mage Castile, this door goes up to the city.¡± She gave him an impatient look to get to the point. The Scholar wiped the coating of dust to read the Elven script, ¡°It goes to the Elven barracks that I think¡­now, I am not too certain¡­but this barracks or maybe Delver Hall was in charge of guarding the entrance to the dungeon.¡± The entire company was suddenly silent. All eyes turned to Castile for direction on what we would do next. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. 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Bets, Bulls, & Butts Benito let out a loud belch as he rubbed his empty belly. Empty that is, except for the alcohol running through his system. He¡¯d just woken up from passing out in his cups. The brothel smelled of sweat, sex, and stale beer. The owner attempted to cover the smell with cheap incense, which only managed to empower the thick cloying scent. The combination turned his sour stomach. Benito reached into his pocket, disappointed that he¡¯d spent his last copper. Broke once again and sulking in his chair, his mind wandered. The laughter of a nearby table reached his ears. Benito leaned back and eavesdropped on the conversation... ¡°I shit you not, walked right up to the thing. Reared back like he was some actor in a play and smacked it right on its arse. Took off like bloody lightning after that, didn¡¯t even get a scratch on ¡®em.¡± The man ended the story with a slap to the table and uproarious laughter from his friends. ¡°With balls like his, he had his hands full just carrying ¡®em around. Of course, he couldn¡¯t pull out coin to pay for his own ale. Lucky bastard didn¡¯t buy a drink the rest of the damn year!¡± Benito¡¯s mouth was open, the words coming long before he thought them through, ¡°I would do it for just a night of free drinks.¡± His outburst silenced the nearby table. Its occupants all turned to look in his direction. ¡°What did ya say, boy?¡± one of the men, a scarred, mean-looking curmudgeon asked. Benito realized his mouth had just bitten off more than it could chew, again, rose from his chair and walked over to their table. ¡°I said, I¡¯d do the same thing for a single night of free drinks. I wouldn¡¯t need a whole year.¡± The men traded looks. One even smirked, giving the others a slight nod. Benito missed the byplay, lost in dreams of free beer. ¡°Is that a fact? Alright lad, how about we up the stakes a bit, eh? How does that sound?¡± the storyteller said, giving Benito a once-over. This is going to be fun, he thought. The kid, not much older than a teenager if he had to guess, was a small one. 5¡¯ 4¡± or 5'' 5¡± max, and skinny. He might be quick, but it was worth a few extra coins to the men at the table to find out. Interested in getting a bigger payday, Benito gave it no thought, instead asking, ¡°Up the stakes, how? What did you have in mind?¡±
The old curmudgeon spoke up this time, an evil glint in his eye. ¡°We¡¯ll buy ya drink for an entire week if yur able to do as ya say.¡± ¡°And the stakes? I won¡¯t, but what happens if I lose the bet?¡± Benito asked. The man grinned then, showing a few missing teeth. Swinging his arms wide to encompass the rest of the table, he hollered, ¡°Join the Legion, boy! We all done it. It¡¯ll make a man out of ya and by the looks of ya, it¡¯s needed.¡± Benito hesitated, but his desire for free alcohol overruled his common sense. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that, but it¡¯s never going to happen. You have a deal.¡± CRACK The storyteller slammed his palm down, harder this time onto the wooden table. The sound echoed throughout the room, grabbing the brothel¡¯s attention. Jumping to his feet, the man yelled, ¡°MANCHESTER¡± at the top of his lungs. ¡°We have a Manchester on our hands, you twats!¡± Benito had heard of someone calling ¡°Manchester¡± when making outlandish bets. It was done when one of the bettors believed the other would back out due to fear. Doing so would label them a coward, their betting days over. To Benito, that was far worse than joining the Legion. ¡°Hey! I ain¡¯t a coward. All I''ve gotta do is smack something on the ass and get away, right? That doesn¡¯t sound so hard!¡± The table in front of him roared with laughter. Wiping tears from his eyes, the storyteller tried to pull himself together before asking, ¡°Lad, are you telling me you missed the part of the story about what it was the crazy bastard smacked on the arse?¡± A bad feeling started to grow in Benito¡¯s gut. Shaking his head, ¡°No, I just heard that he smacked its ass and ran off without a scratch.¡± Taking a moment to close his eyes, the man fought back laughter. ¡°A Sacred Bull¡± he managed to say. Benito frowned, ¡°A what?¡± ¡°A Sacred Bull, you dumbass!¡± wheezed the old curmudgeon between coughs of laughter. Its ropes cut, the sinking feeling in Benito¡¯s gut became a freefall. -----
The men wanted to turn it into a spectacle. Rather than going straight to the village¡¯s Sacred Bull, they set a time for the next afternoon instead. They wanted a day to spread word about the wager. Benito left with his head low. I have no idea how I¡¯m going to survive this, let alone win it. Sacred Bulls were a breed of bovine with a strong earth affinity. Considered ¡°tame¡± in the loosest sense of the word. They left you alone as long as you did the same to their herd. Touch one of them and they would kill. ¡°I really am an idiot, how could I have made such a stupid bet.¡± ¡°Bet? What¡¯s this I hear about a bet, you been gambling again boy?¡± In his mood, Benito hadn¡¯t been paying attention to his surroundings. His neighbor, Old Betty, was out watering her garden. She¡¯d been telling him for ages to knock off the gambling or he was going to wind up either homeless or dead. Thinking about having to join the Legion if he failed tomorrow, Benito realized that she might just be right in the end. With a deep sigh, Benito nodded and sat near where she watered her tomato plants. ¡°How bad is it this time?¡± she asked, voice tired. ¡°It¡¯s pretty bad. Ma¡¯am.¡± Tilting her head to the side, she considered him. ¡°Alright then, out with it. What the hell did you get yourself into now?¡± Putting his head in his hands he mumbled, ¡°I have to smack a sacred bull on its ass and----¡± She cut him off, ¡°Speak up boy, and quit mumbling. I swear I just heard you say you have to smack a bull¡¯s ass.¡± Blushing, Benito took his hands away from his face and started again. ¡°I did, I have to smack a bull¡¯s ass, A Sacred Bull¡¯s ass and I have to get away from it without getting hurt.¡± Old Betty stared at Benito for a long moment and then dumped the contents of her watering can over his head. Benito spluttered as the cold water ran down his back and stole his breath. He jumped up from where he had been sitting, looking at Old Betty in shock. There, he found another, this one of pain. He could see the disappointment written on her face as she shook her head. ¡°Benny, sometimes I wonder why I even try. You really can be an idiot sometimes.¡± Turning to her home, over her shoulder she called, ¡°Come with me. There is only one thing I can think of to help get you out of this mess alive.¡±
Looking like a drenched puppy, Benito followed along as she made her way inside. ¡°What¡¯s that ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Train Benny, we¡¯re going to train you.¡± ¡°AHHHHHH¡± Old Betty could hear Benito¡¯s girlish screams from her garden. With a sigh she thought, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do with that boy. He¡¯s going to get himself killed. This was the only way to distract him I could think of. Her idea of training involved Benito chasing the mice and rats living in her cellar. He could ¡°train¡± his speed and dexterity, ¡°As they were the only chance you have to see the following sunrise.¡± She¡¯d told Benito that she¡¯d pay him a copper for every three mice or rats that he caught. Nothing motivates that boy more than money and food. At the thought, Old Betty¡¯s eyes homed in on her neighbor¡¯s house, an idea forming, I think it¡¯s time to call in some reinforcements. Old Betty set down her watering can and walked across the street. ------- Benito rushed the corner where he had one of the furry little bastards trapped. I''m going to get you this time, those coppers are mine! His thoughts preoccupied, Benito didn¡¯t see the broom handle sticking out until it was too late. It caught his foot, causing him to fall flat on his face. He let out a groan. After almost two hours, he¡¯d caught eight vermin so far. One away from making his third copper, enough to buy a half-dozen honey buns from the nearby baker. His stomach rumbling, Benito realized he hadn¡¯t eaten all day. No wonder I¡¯m struggling to catch these things. I¡¯m starving! Forcing himself out of the dirt, Benito climbed back to his feet with a new drive, this time fueled by hunger. Walking outside, Benito saw Old Betty crossing the street. ¡°I¡¯ve got ¡®em! Nine of the little guys, that¡¯ll be three coppers ma¡¯am!¡± Old Betty raised her eyebrows, ¡°Nine of them? That old tom of mine must be getting lazy..¡± Reaching into an inner pocket of her dress, she pulled out the three owed coins and held them out. Benito¡¯s mouth had already started to water at the thought of his warm, buttery, and yeasty prize. Imagining the crackle as he broke open its hardened glaze. He reached to take the
money, but she kept her grip on the coins. ¡°Don¡¯t go spending this on more drink, boy. It¡¯s only mid-afternoon and we still have more training to do.¡± ¡°We do? Do you have more rats you want me to catch?¡± Old Betty let out a snort, ¡°Sweet Heavens I hope not, otherwise they are likely to eat me out of hearth and home. No, Benny. Your next bit of training is over at Carl¡¯s place.¡± She pointed back the way she¡¯d come. ¡°Okay.... What is he going to have me do?¡± Another snort, followed by a cackle, ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you get there, now hurry up. You¡¯ve got a long day ahead of you.¡± Benito, rubbing his full belly with one hand, stuffed the final honey bun down his gullet with the other and made his way up Carl¡¯s stone walkway. Wiping his greasy hands on his pants, Benito knocked and stepped back to wait. After a moment and with no answer, Benito moved to knock again just as the door swung open. It caught him full in the face, knocking him on his ass. ¡°Ow owowow Oooowww!¡± ¡°Shit! Sorry sonny, ma legs just don¡¯t work like they use¡®ta and it took me a second¡¯ta get outta ma chair.¡± Carl¡¯s old scratchy voice apologized. ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it, Mr. Carl. Old Betty said to come over here and see you about some training?¡± Benito said, rubbing the goose egg that was sure to form. Hawking a phlegmy-sounding loogie, Carl spat it an impressive distance. ¡°Sure do. Betty said you¡¯d gotten yaself inta trouble again and need¡¯ta work on a few things or else you¡¯d be carrion food this time ta¡¯morrow.¡± Letting out a deep breath, Benito nodded in confirmation. ¡°Said ya needed practice sneakin up on som¡¯n big. Well, I don¡¯t have nothin big but I¡¯ve got som¡¯n you¡¯d have¡¯ta work for ta sneak up on. I¡¯ll even pay ya ta do it.¡± Benito would have done it anyway. He didn¡¯t have a choice, but hearing he¡¯d be getting paid, his attention focused in on what Carl was offering. ¡°How much are we talking about?¡± The old man side-eyed Benito, holding up three fingers, ¡°Coppers.¡± That¡¯s enough for a meat pie from the stand down the road. ¡°Deal,¡± Benito replied before Carl could change his mind. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± According to Carl, the best way for Benito to train his stalking skills was to catch the backyard chickens he had running loose. As Carl said, they weren¡¯t large but Benito wasn¡¯t having much
luck sneaking up on them anyway. He¡¯d be just out of arm¡¯s reach when they seemed to sense him, skittering away a moment before he pounced. After a few minutes of watching Benito try and catch a chicken, Carl had to admit the show was too good for him to witness alone. He decided to ask Betty to join in the entertainment. Carl heard two voices as he approached her home. Continuing around the side, Carl saw Betty talking to Jesup, one of the village¡¯s fishermen. Waiving for their attention, Carl hollered, ¡°Y¡¯all wanna see a show?¡± Betty wheezed a breath from deep within her chest, ¡°I thought it¡¯d be funny to watch. I was about to head over but wanted to ask Jesup for a favor.¡± Carl looked between the two with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Wants me to take the boy fishin in the mornin, keep him busy,¡± Jesup answered. Carl nodded his head in understanding. ¡°That¡¯d be mighty kinda ya. If ya gotta minute, ya can watch the dummy runnin round after some chickens smarter¡¯n him.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Jesup¡¯s grin was answer enough. ¡°Arrrrgh!¡¯ Benito roared, why can¡¯t I catch these damn things! He¡¯d become desperate by this point. Cornering one, he dove forward onto his stomach, slid across the grass, and finally, finally, caught one of the feathery assholes. Benito climbed to his knees and raised the chicken over his head in triumph, just in time for it to shit down the side of his face. He gagged, dropped the chicken, and wiped off as much of the warm and stinking feces as he could. His stomach roiled at the smell and knowledge of what dripped into his ear. Benito did a poor job of removing it, only smearing it across his face and coating his hands. It was a losing battle and his stomach revolted. Once his insides settled, empty of the honey buns he¡¯d just enjoyed. Benito reached up, wiping the vomit off his lower lip. ---- Carl was willing to pay Benito to catch and cut the chicken¡¯s flight feathers, even without the pretext of training. He was tired of chasing the damn birds when they escaped his fence. After watching Benito blow chunks for a second time, Carl felt he owed the boy twice as many coppers. Hysterical laughter forced Jesup to sit and poor Old Betty was worried she¡¯d have an aneurysm, struggling to remember the last time she¡¯d laughed so hard.
Wiping away tears, Carl took mercy on the fool. ¡°Boy, sweet heavens, that was funny. Ya rightly need some help with this, so watch. Ma bones are too old ta do this more¡¯n once.¡± Benito watched Carl enter a half squat, his arms out wide, and hanging past his knees. He walked bowlegged toward a chicken. Approaching the bird, Benito could see that Carl wasn¡¯t staring directly at it, he was looking at the ground to its left as he approached. Quick as a cobra, he snatched it off the ground, cradling it to his chest. Benito stood, jaw hanging, as Carl turned toward him with a gapped-tooth grin and said, ¡°That¡¯s how ya do it, sonny!¡± Benito was shown the trick to snaring chickens, something he was assured, could be used on most animals no matter the size. ¡°Don¡¯t stare right at ¡®em. They gonna feel ya eyes on ¡®em. Look just off ta the side of ¡®em, ya will still be able¡¯ta see ¡®em.¡± Benito found it helped him get close to the birds without making them nervous but he still ran into trouble when it came to catching them. The broom Carl had taken to using, smacked the back of Benito¡¯s head once more. ¡°No! Yer movin too quick, yer freakin ¡®em out! Slow sonny, go slow.¡± Benito tried to follow Carl¡¯s instructions. The problem was, once he was within arms reach of his target, he moved too quickly, startling the bird into squawking and making its escape. Carl sighed. The boy just ain¡¯t getting it. Deciding to take another approach, he called Benito over to him. ¡°Now boy, I don¡¯t wanna hear no denials, I know ya¡¯ve done it, I¡¯ve seen ya.¡± Benito hunched his shoulders. He wasn¡¯t sure what Carl had seen him do but it probably wasn¡¯t good. ignoring Benito¡¯s reaction, Carl continued, ¡°When the baker pulls out a fresh tray of honey buns or hot cakes and ya plan on stealing one.¡± Carl smacked the top of Benito¡¯s head with the broom as he opened his mouth to object. ¡°I said I seen ya didn¡¯t I? That¡¯s not the point. When ya go ta steal one, how do ya do it, hmmm?¡± Benito took a moment to give it real thought, remembering to the numerous times he had stolen a hot cake. I¡¯ve always had to go slow so I didn¡¯t draw attention! The realization smacked Benito in the face like Carl¡¯s broom had all afternoon.
The last puzzle piece slotted into place and Benito knew what he¡¯d been doing wrong. His next attempt was a success, as were the following half-dozen. Carl nodded in satisfaction. Huh, I¡¯m better at this than I thought I¡¯d be. He looked back towards Betty¡¯s house, where she and Jesup were still watching. Jesup took the opportunity to mime wiping his chin and throwing up. Carl snorted loud enough that it made Benito jump and drop the chicken held in his arms. Mumbling under his breath, ¡°Crazy old bastard.¡± Benito lowered himself back into his half-squat and approached the last obstacle between him and his meat pie. Benito waved goodbye to Carl, happy with the 6 coppers in his pocket, double what he¡¯d been promised. He earned a bonus for his hard work and was proud of it. Calling it a day on such a high note, Benito went to find dinner and was feeling pretty good overall. Between chasing the mice and stalking the chickens, Benito felt like he was in peak condition and thought he might have a chance after all. Passing Old Betty¡¯s house, Benito saw her in her garden again and waved as he passed. Standing from where she¡¯d been pulling weeds, she called, ¡°Benito! Jesup asked for your help tomorrow. Can you meet him by the docks mid-morning?¡± Benito hadn¡¯t spoken with Jesup much over the years but he knew Jesup was a good friend of Old Betty¡¯s. ¡°I can do that, did he say what he needed help with?¡± ¡°Something to do with fishing, said he¡¯d treat you to lunch for helping.¡± Knowing he would be fed was reason enough, Benito was happy to help. With food in hand, Benito played hot potato with the pies as he walked home for the evening. Oblivious to the fact that he hadn¡¯t worried over tomorrow¡¯s looming threat for hours. ----- Jesup waited for Benito as he made his way onto the docks. Walking up to him, Benito gave him a small wave and stuck his hands in his pockets. He felt off after seeing people watching and whispering as he walked by. It must be about the stupid bet. Those four from the brothel sure spread it around fast. Guessing at what was wrong, having heard about it himself from a couple of gossips. Jesup dove right into their plans for the day. ¡°We¡¯re going fishin. Mrs. Betty asked me to show you a
thing or two and train up your reaction speed. If you¡¯re going to stand a chance this afternoon, you¡¯re going to need it. You¡¯re going to have to react the moment you smack that bull.¡± Remembering how good he felt after yesterday¡¯s training, Benito perked up at the thought of more. Recalling that Old Betty promised Jesup would feed him lunch didn¡¯t hurt either. Jesup had Benito help push a nearby boat away from the dock before they jumped in. Passing Benito an oar, Jesup instructed him on how to use it and keep the boat from drifting to the side or spinning in a circle. After 15 minutes of rowing along the river bank, Jesup called a stop and tossed out an anchor line. Handing Benito a pole, Jesup showed him how to bait his hook and they cast out their lines. Benito¡¯s throw was caught on a low-hanging branch and Jesup had to help get it loose. His second attempt went better, if not where he¡¯d tried to place it. Sitting back, with his rod held in the crook of his arm, Jesup began to speak softly. ¡°A lot of people think fishin is all about waitin. They¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s just a part of it, the smallest part. You could come out here, throw out your bait, and yea, you might catch two or three fish a day doing it that way. But, that ain¡¯t fishin, that¡¯s just wastin your time. A real Fisher can tell you what I mean...¡± finishing his last word with a grunt, Jesup grabbed his rod and gave it a strong pull. ¡°We get things done.¡± With that, he began winding his line around the rod wheel, tugging as needed once he¡¯d reeled in all the slack in the line. Benito was impressed, they¡¯d only been out for a few minutes and Jesup had one on the hook already. Jesup pointed near Benito¡¯s feet where he saw a net with a long handle. Benito grabbed it and waited. After a final, strong pull from Jesup, a flash of silver scales could be seen in the sunlight. Lunging forward, Benito scooped the fish out of the water and into the boat. Admiring his work, Jesup looked down with a contented smile. ¡°May have made that look a little too easy. I¡¯ve been fishin this river for decades. I know where and when they are going to be. I know what they like to eat, I know them. That¡¯s what I wanted to teach you. If you can learn somethin about that bull, it might just save your ass.¡± Bending down, Jesup pulled the fish out of the net and removed the hook from its mouth. He smashed it onto the side of the boat, killing it instantly. Jesup then tossed it into a water-filled storage compartment to keep it fresh. Returning to his seat, Jesup checked the bait on his hook and tossed what remained into the river.
As he baited on a new worm, Jesup continued speaking. ¡°The main thing I want to help you improve while we¡¯re out here is your reflexes and reaction time.¡± Giving Benito the side-eye, he said dryly, ¡°If that¡¯s even possible.¡± Benito looked at him in confusion. That is until he felt the rod in his hands give a small jerk, realizing it¡¯d been doing that for a short while and he hadn¡¯t noticed. Benito jumped to his feet, gave a mighty pull, and almost threw himself into the river. If not for Jesup grabbing him by his belt, he would have fallen overboard. He also managed to snap his line pulling it so hard. Now he was left to reel in the weightless string and thread on another hook. Settling back down in his seat, new line cast out, Benito looked at Jesup. It was always said that the man didn¡¯t mince words and would give it to you straight. Building up the courage to ask, and before he could chicken out. ¡°What do you think of my chances today?¡± Jesup gave Benito another side-eye. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Pretty much what I thought...¡± Silence reigned after that and Benito found it comforting. No expectations, no responsibilities, just pay attention to his rod and pull hard to set the hook the moment he felt a fish bite. Over the next couple of hours, Benito had a few opportunities to practice and even managed to catch a few, as Jesup continued to reel in fish after fish. Soon enough, Jesup looked up, the sun high in the sky, and declared, ¡°That¡¯s enough, we¡¯ll head back to the village and I¡¯ll cook up a few of today¡¯s catch for lunch.¡± By the time they returned to the docks, Jesup finished selling the day¡¯s catch, and they finished their meal, it was well past noon. The sun was starting its descent and it was time for Benito¡¯s date with the bull. He could be dumb at times, but he wasn¡¯t a coward. I¡¯ve done everything I can to prepare for this. Hell, this could be the start to my own legend. Like the stories the traveling peddlers tell of great heroes. ------ ¡°I¡¯m worried for the boy,¡± Old Betty repeated for the fourth time since Carl picked her up from her home. ¡°I know, but there¡¯s nothin we can do for the little idiot,¡± he said.
¡°He won¡¯t make it in the Legion. He¡¯s too soft and the bad apples would eat him alive! Look at what¡¯s happened already with just our local scum.¡± Betty continued as if he hadn¡¯t spoken at all. ----- Heaven¡¯s Mercy, the entire village is here. Benito stopped in his tracks and stared at the crowd. He¡¯d known people would come out to see, but he had no idea it would be so many. He stood frozen in place for too long and was soon noticed by the crowd. A loud cheer began and a path opened between him and a group of four standing beside the paddock gate. Steeling his nerves, Benito made his way through the crowd. The gathering felt split between two groups, those excited to see what was to come and those who looked at him as if he was already dead. Don¡¯t let it get to you, this is where you make a name for yourself. Reaching the paddock gate, Benito stood in front of the four men. The old curmudgeon with his gap-toothed grin on full display, the same evil glint in his eye. The storyteller stood proud, hands on hips, their two companions working the crowd and taking bets. The storyteller stepped forward and said, ¡°You showed up! I¡¯m honestly surprised! Are you backing out? You¡¯ll be labeled a coward. Don¡¯t forget, I thought you might and called this a Manchester for all to hear.¡± Benito ground his teeth, yelling, ¡°And I told you yesterday, I ain¡¯t a coward. I came, I¡¯m here, let¡¯s do this. I¡¯m thirsty and could use a drink.¡± I can do this. The crowd roared at his proclamation and Benito felt their energy flow through him like electricity. Facing the gate, Benito saw Old Betty, Carl, and Jesup standing off to the side. Old Betty waved, Carl nodded, and Jesup pointed towards his head. A reminder to use what the three had taught him. He dipped his own in acknowledgment and hopped over the gate into the paddock. Benito¡¯s eyes were drawn to it immediately, the Sacred Bull. Head and shoulders above the surrounding herd, it was huge. Not just in size but in build, its shoulders looked to be made from earthen boulders.
Benito was lucky the bull was off to the side and not in the middle of the herd. He moved forward, each step smooth as butter. He could not risk spooking any of the nearby cattle as his boots crunched in the tall dry grass. He started to sweat as the bull grew larger and larger the more the distance closed. He could practically feel the beast¡¯s aura once within 15 feet of the creature. Squatting behind a spotted cow, Benito observed the Sacred Bull in all its glory. Up close, the thing was massive, it was also terrifying. I ain¡¯t no coward. Benito repeated it a few times as he continued to ¡°observe¡± its movements. This is stupid, it¡¯s just standing there eating grass. What the hell am I supposed to learn from that? As if on command, Benito did learn something. Its cowpies were just as massive and overwhelmingly powerful as the rest of it. Accepting that he wouldn¡¯t get anywhere with that tactic. Benito decided to make use of another skill he¡¯d been working on, stalking his prey. Creeping around the heifer he¡¯d chosen for cover. Benito worked his way around to the bull¡¯s rear, where it wouldn¡¯t be able to see him, being careful to view the bull in his periphery, just like Carl had shown him. Benito edged his way around, lining up with the paddock fence to make his escape as quick as possible. Looking over his shoulder at his exit point. Benito saw the crowd had moved to his side of the paddock for a better view. Great, they better not spook the herd or this bet is over. Reorienting on his target, Benito took deep breaths to calm himself. He was going to need all of the skills he¡¯d been training. The speed from chasing mice in Old Betty¡¯s basement, his quick hands catching Carl¡¯s chickens, and the reaction time he¡¯d shown fishing with Jesup. Gliding his way the last two or three feet, silent as a wraith. Benito stopped breathing. The world slowed and the crowd quieted as he closed the last few inches... There. Benito felt it, the stars aligned, and he struck like a viper. SMACK He was moving. Tearing off, back the way he¡¯d come. His hand throbbed with pain after hitting what felt like solid rock. He was sprinting as fast as he could to his egress point when he heard it. A deep, resonating sound that shook Benito to his bones. Then he felt it. Through the soles of his feet, the ground shook under heavy impacts. Benito could barely hear the crowd
screaming for him to run over the bull¡¯s bellow. Risking a small peak over his shoulder, Benito nearly shit himself. Taking one step for every two of Benito¡¯s, the beast was gaining fast. Fear empowering his movements, Benito poured on the speed almost missing the spotted cow moving into his path because of it. Benito knew he couldn¡¯t stop, could feel it in his still rattling bones that if he did, he died. He also knew he was moving too quickly to get around the animal. This left him with only one option, something only someone of his size could do, he went under it. At full speed, Benito dropped to his side, feet first. He stretched out his body and prayed to anyone who¡¯d listen. Someone must have heard him because his timing was perfect. Managing to squeeze right between its slow steps. He grazed a single raised hoof before he was through and back up and running in seconds. Sprinting towards his salvation, Benito was counting the distance. 20 feet, 15, 10, five fee---- He never got to finish the thought. ¡°Uhhhgh¡± burst from Benito¡¯s lips as he was hit by the power of a runaway horse, or, a pissed off bull in this case. A sharp, burning pain started in the back of his thigh, moving up his leg. It continued until it reached his left ass cheek before digging in deeper, the pain flared and Benito screamed. He felt pressure tighten around his waist. Shit, it¡¯s caught on my belt. The next thing Benito knew, he was airborne, screaming the entire flight. Goodbye cruel world, I wish I¡¯d had more sweet cakes. Hitting the ground, Benito¡¯s first thought was whether or not his leg was supposed to bend that way, he was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t. The next, snapped him back to reality, as he looked for the Sacred Bull coming to finish the job. Seeing that he was surrounded by chattering people, it took Benito a few moments to realize that he must have been thrown out of the paddock. It took a few moments more to figure out why he was still alive. Once a Sacred Bull either killed or ran something out of its area, it wouldn¡¯t pursue, It would return to protect the herd. Benito laid his head down in either relief or pain, he wasn¡¯t sure. The agony coming from his leg answered the question of whether or not it was broken and oupled with the pain in his ass, he didn¡¯t have the energy to move. With a deep sigh, Benito couldn¡¯t help but think, I guess this isn¡¯t the start of my fame and fortune.
The crowd, busy watching and staring at Benito parted, and the four men who¡¯d orchestrated the spectacle appeared staring down at him. To his great surprise, when Benito met their eyes. He didn¡¯t see the laughter or scorn he had been expecting. No, now he thought he saw respect in their depths. ¡°Pick up the lad, boys. We¡¯ll patch up his bleeding arse, splint that leg of his, and get him able to walk again. The Legion will heal him the rest of the way after he¡¯s joined.¡± The storyteller said. Benito groaned, ¡°No chance of me getting out of that is there?¡± This time, it was the old curmudgeon that spoke, ¡°Sorry boy, ya don¡¯t back out of a bet involving the Legion, but yur goin to learn all about that soon enough.¡± To his companions, he said, ¡°Now help him up so we can get him splinted. After somethin like that, I think he deserves a drink.¡± Looking at the man in confusion, Benito asked, ¡°A drink? But I lost. You said I still had to join the Legion.¡± The old man wheezed a laugh, ¡°Yur right boy! I did and ya are, but I¡¯d buy any man a drink for provin his metal like ya just did. Now call me Sal, Boot, ya drinkin with the Legion tonight.¡± ----- Slamming his now empty beer down on the table, Benito let out another massive belch. Looking around the table at Eryk, Mateo, Lirkin, and Kolm. He stood with a sway and announced, ¡°And that ladies, is how taking one in the arse landed your¡¯s truly in the Legion!¡± Chapter 141: The Shimmering Labyrinth Chapter 141: The Shimmering Labyrinth Castile stood next to Scholar Favian as he continued to clean the door. His robes, hands, and arms were quickly covered in dirt as he frenziedly cleared away the centuries of dust, searching for more script. ¡°Does this mean the dungeon is above ground?¡± Castile asked the filthy but excited Scholar. Scholar Favian paused, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. ¡°The translation is something like, ''Guardians of Access to the Labyrinth.'' The Elven King who ruled Caelora kept the Adventurer¡¯s Guild from accessing the dungeon and maintained his own guards for the entrance. The entrance could be at the top of these stairs,¡± he said excitedly. He looked down the passage, ¡°Or it could be close, just down there. We are in the right place at any rate, Mage Castile.¡± Adrian looked skeptical. ¡°We should not go up to the city unless we are sure. It could trigger a flood of specters to our position, and we would be quickly overrun.¡± Castile looked out over the men in the corridor. It was clear we were on our last legs. She looked at me, expecting some wisdom, but I remained silent, with nothing to offer. Finally, Castile gave a command, ¡°Let¡¯s clear a room nearby and rest. Eryk, find a suitable room. After we rest, I will lead a team up the stairs to explore.¡± Adrian was clearly not happy with the answer but nodded. It felt strange being part of the decision-making process. The mystique of leadership appeared to be mostly a guessing game. We found a storeroom with rotted crates and set up camp. I was tasked with watching Lirkin cook and prepare the meager food allocation. After the meal, I sat with Maveith, who was fondling his new hammer in a less-than-flattering way. ¡°You like playing with it?¡± I asked, preparing to lead into a joke. Maveith nodded. ¡°Killing is not its intended purpose, but it is still a runic weapon. It makes me feel strong and confident.¡±His voice echoed in the room. He was making a lead-in joke too easy, but I resisted. ¡°You are taking down twice as many specters as the next man in the company, even Konstantin,¡± I said, and he beamed at the praise. I left the joke about his fascination with playing with his hammer unspoken; I was not feeling it today, and Maveith would have probably taken a few minutes to puzzle it out anyway, ruining the delivery. We rested against the wall and sipped on watered-down wine. Both our stomachs protested loudly at the inadequacy of the offering. Maveith spoke uncharacteristically softly after a time, ¡°Eryk, I think I am going to go home and tell my father.¡± I knew Maveith was referring to the reason he ran away from Stone Mountain Island. He had seen his sister cut down by orc slavers and ran away in fear and shame at not trying to help. I had been hoping Maveith would stick around for a while. He did grow on you after some time. ¡°I think that is sensible, Maveith. He will be happy to see you are alive.¡± Maveith did not say anything else, and a few hours later, Castile took Konstantin, Adrian, Flavius, and Brutus up the stairs to search the building above. It was only a few minutes before we could hear the echoes of fighting up above. Benito and I guarded the base of the stairs. The muffled sounds rang down to us, but we could not determine what was happening. It was almost an hour before Brutus descended the steps. He looked cold and exhausted. ¡°One wight, but Castile restrained it with shadow chains. Also, some twenty specters so far. Specters keep coming from the city, but only one or two at a time. Benito is to head up and replace me for now. Eryk, you are to replace Flavius.¡± I directed a few of the men to take our places guarding the stairway. With my glowstone out, I climbed the stairs with Benito. I counted forty-one steps to reach the landing, and each step brought colder and colder air. Entering the room beyond, I was momentarily confused as one of the windows was letting in light from the very top. It was a blindingly bright white light after so long underground, where the only light came from the soft glowstones that lit the rooms and halls. The rays of the sun felt almost foreign to my skin. Konstantin was sitting on a stone table with Adrian. Castile was walking slowly around the room. A desiccated corpse in armor was sprawled across the floor, and other scattered skeletons dotted the room. I tore my eyes from the wight, and the room looked like an intact tavern trapped in time. The windows were also intact, but the deep snow encased the building. Flavius studied me for a moment before he headed down the stairs to get some rest with the company. As I was figuring out the large open room, a specter walked through a wall near a window, and Konstantin slid off the table and hacked it down in a flurry of sparks. Castile did not use the kettle immediately as she circled the room,entranced. Seeing Castile thinking, Adrian asked, ¡°What is it, Castile?¡± ¡°The stone walls have runic weaves in them. This entire building has been artificed like the library to preserve it,¡± she said while running her hands along the stone wall. ¡°To what purpose?¡± Konstantin asked while keeping watch over where the specter had dissipated. Castile paused her exploration and used the kettle on the remnants, collecting the purple smoke so Konstantin could sit down again. ¡°Defense. Protection,¡± Castile said, bemused and shrugging as, in the end, it didn¡¯t matter how it had stood for nearly fifteen hundred years. ¡°It is just like the library and seems like a huge waste of resources, but maybe it is just how the ancient elves built their buildings. These runes are something I would expect to find defending the walls of the city, not every building within the city. I could probably break the weaves as they are weak, but¡­¡± Castile went silent in thought. After a long silence, I interrupted Castile¡¯s musings, ¡°So the dungeon is not here?¡± Castile turned and considered. ¡°We think it is through that door,¡± she pointed to the large door at the back of the tavern. I did not understand why the others were not more excited at the prospect¡ªthe goal of over a month of searching. I approached the heavy door and knocked on it. It was solid and didn¡¯t sound like wood. Konstantin laughed at my efforts. ¡°It is petrified wood. Wood turned to stone, like everything else in here.¡± Castile approached the door and stood next to me. ¡°We are going to need Maveith¡¯s hammer to break it down. Whatever magic petrified the wood has sealed the door in place. We already tried opening it. We will check and clear the upper floors first. I am guessing this is the elven version of an Adventurer¡¯s Guild Hall. Do you think we should have the company join us up here?¡± Her question was directed at me. I sensed it was a test. I thought about it, ¡°No. If the specters can come through the walls, we might get rushed and be unable to retreat to the undercity before being overrun. It is also much colder up here,¡± I said as I watched the cloud of my breath expand and dissipate. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Castile nodded and smirked. She addressed Adrian, ¡°Told you he could think and offer something.¡± Adrian just shrugged,either at my answer or Castile¡¯s compliment of me. Adrian had said the same thing I had before we climbed the stairs, so I essentially agreed with him. Only one stairway led up near a large fireplace, and we all made our way up the petrified steps. Our footfalls scraped on the stone as we reached the next floor. The stairs wrapped around, indicating even more floors. The hallway was lined with sealed stone doors. It was as if all the wood in the building had been turned to stone. We managed to break through one of the thin doors. The noise brought five specters, but the fight was over quickly. Konstantin had us remain perfectly silent after the short fight so we could listen for any wights. We didn¡¯t hear any movement, but everyone was on edge. Inside the room was a bedroom with all the furniture turned to stone. Castile studied a chest and bed before tapping the stone bed frame, ¡°I think a powerful mage did this before he died. It must have happened when the Legion poisoned the city. The mage lashed out blindly while dying from the poison, petrifying all the wood in his spell¡¯s range. But that is just my best guess.¡± We called Maveith after we got to the first room. Maveith was willing to use his new hammer to bash down door after door. We worked through the second and third floors with a few preserved skeletons and fewer specters. Two more elven runic blades were found and passed to men in the company. Only Scholar Favian, Castile, and two legionnaires now had no runic weapon to use against the specters. Looking out on the city from the higher floors showed us to be in the shadow of the massive hearth tree. Adrian offered conspiratorially, ¡°If those giant eagles are still alive, perhaps we can lure one down to join us for dinner.¡± Castile shook her head, ¡°If we did, it would reveal to the Summoner where we are. We need to get into the dungeon unnoticed.¡± With the upper floors cleared, we turned our attention to the large door at the back of the building that possibly led to the dungeon entrance. We encircled the door as Maveith swung his hammer, and his first strike caused spidering cracks to form. His second strike caused a chunk of stone to free itself, thudding onto the floor. His third strike had the door crumbling inward, revealing a small pile of snow walled behind it. Our celebration was short-lived as a wight burst out of the snow and launched itself at Maveith. The mummified elf bit into Maveith¡¯s arm, and he flung it into the center of the room, sending it crashing into and shattering a stone table. Castile yelled, ¡°I will restrain it! Someone take its head!¡± Another wight burst out in a cloud of white snow, targeting Maveith again. He was ready this time, and his hammer came down on its head, slamming its body into the floor. Shadow chains raced from Castile¡¯s fingers and encircled the first wight. Konstantin started to engage it, but I was more concerned with the translucent specters coming from the snow with it. Adrian cursed, ¡°It is a fucking rush! We should retreat!¡± Castile was fumbling with the kettle while trying to maintain her shadow chains. ¡°No! Eryk!¡± Castile tossed the kettle in my direction to focus on restraining the wight for Konstantin. I nestled the kettle and channeled my aether to consume the wight Maveith had struck. The tug-o-war with its undead soul left a cold, unnatural feeling spreading through me. I used my black blade to hold off a specter with my free arm as I backpedaled. A third wight tore out of the snow. Benito had engaged it, but the creature was immensely strong and in silvery plate mail. Benito was thrown back hard by the creature¡¯s silvery broadsword striking his own. Benito crashed hard into a stone table, losing his weapon. ¡°Eryk, kettle this one!¡± Konstantin yelled as he went to protect Benito. The first wight was beheaded, and I raced to use the kettle on it. It seemed to take forever as the rich purple smoke flowed slowly from the severed head and neck into the kettle. Castile¡¯s shadow chains encompassed the wight with the massive runic broadsword. They couldn¡¯t contain it, though, as it crossed swords with Konstantin. Konstantin grunted as he tried to block a heavy overhead swing. The wight¡¯s sword cut into his pauldron and drove him to his knees. Maveith was swinging wildly and grunted with effort at the stream of specters coming from the snow, trying to get them all before they entered the room. Adrian targeted the specters that slipped past Maveith. It was complete chaos. Benito was moaning in pain, Konstantin was in serious trouble, and Castile was drawing more shadow chains to slow the wight. Should I continue with the kettle or help Konstantin? Maveith howled in pain as a specter got past his windmilling hammer. I made a decision and raced to help Konstantin, leaving the kettle spinning on a table within easy reach of Castile. I rushed the creature in plate armor, swinging its nearly four-foot sword to behead Konstantin. I layered air shields in the path of the killing blow. The sword destroyed both air shields but slowed the blade enough for me to parry the large blade and pull Konstantin back. The old scout did not look good, with blood oozing from his shoulder. I could tell from the wound that his clavicle was broken. I barked at him, trying to motivate him, ¡°Konstantin, are you telling me it only took one swing to bring you down?¡± Castile was layering her shadow chains, and the large wight was struggling but almost under control. Konstantin grunted something I couldn¡¯t make out and tried to stand. My black blade was trying to get past the armored wight, but it was still foiling me. With Castile¡¯s shadows weighing down the wight, it was a somewhat even contest. I was soon sweating in the frigid air and focused on my combat. I finally got the advantage by ducking a horizontal swing and placing air shields so the undead creature could not swing back. My blade darted out, striking into its throat. The creature just grabbed my blade and extracted it. While it was focused on me, Adrian came from the side and hacked into its neck. This gave me some control over my own blade, and with Adrian¡¯s help, we removed the creature¡¯s head. I ran over, picking up the kettle once more, quick to use it on the creature. I gritted my teeth against the pain that was evident on my face as I overcame the creature¡¯s resistance to being permanently ended. Castile nodded weakly in my direction, drained from using her chains to hinder the wight. The violent violet smoke seemed almost substantial as it flowed from the creature into the kettle. Maveith was still holding back the tide of specters, and Adrian moved to help him. I stumbled for a second but also joined him once my task was complete, just hoping no more wights entered the tavern. Konstantin even stood with us, weakly wielding his runic blade. Benito was not able to stand, his arm clearly broken and his leg at an odd angle. Fortunately, the tide of specters slowed and eventually stopped. Castile must have used the kettle nearly a hundred times in less than thirty minutes. The bronze artifact was almost completely full from her efforts. Benito was on the floor, wincing and trying to get his dislocated hip in a comfortable position. Konstantin was trying to remove his armor to check on his shoulder. Maveith was inhaling deep breaths and still guarding the shattered stone door. White and black blotches were all over his skin from where the wight and specters had struck him. I stood next to Adrian, and we were both steaming as our sweat vaporized in the freezing air. Castile¡¯s fingers were white with frostbite as she put the kettle of souls down once she was sure she had contained all the remaining specters. No one spoke for a long time as the realization that we had won slowly sank in. Maveith was the first to speak, ¡°What does a dungeon entrance look like?¡± Castile answered him, ¡°It would appear as a black door with an oily appearance.¡± Maveith nodded, ¡°I think the dungeon is there, then.¡± We all rushed to see where he was pointing. The snow blocked the majority of the doorway, and it was still extremely deep, but about thirty feet away, the top of a stone archway was visible above the snow, and a black oily surface was just below the stone arch. We all stood there and studied the obvious dungeon entrance tantalizingly close. The sun was setting outside, and soon, it would be hidden by the dark. But we were all certain we had found the entrance to the Shimmering Labyrinth. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work results from my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 142 Chapter 142: The black oil slick of the dungeon entrance protruded above the snow in sharp contrast to the white field. Castile held everyone back and looked up at the hearth tree canopy. The tree still had green leaves, but heavy snow covered them. There was also the threat of giant eagles somewhere in the branches, but no movement could be seen at the moment. ¡°Stack some tables against the shattered door for now. If there are any more wights nearby, I don¡¯t want them to surprise us.¡± The petrified tables were fortunately not fused with the floor, and we wrestled them to cover the door, Maveith doing the heavy lifting but grimacing through his injuries. Castile worked her frozen hands together as she tried to warm them and sat down. Adrian ordered Konstantin, ¡°Check your injury with Linus, inform the others we found the dungeon, and make sure they are well.¡± Konstantin hurried off, and I sat with Castile and Adrian at the table. Maveith slumped against a wall, struggling with his breathing as he recovered from the specter strikes. Castile opened our meeting with our injured men. ¡°Firth, Benito, and Konstantin are too injured to fight. We lack healing potions for them.¡± ¡°I am sure they would object to that assessment.¡± Adrian stated. Castile sighed, some color finally returning to her hands, which were rubbed continuously together. ¡°Suggestions?¡± She finally said. Adrian responded first, ¡°We need to clear as many specters as possible in this area of the city before exploring the dungeon. We don¡¯t want to exit and be swarmed. There are probably more wights in the neighboring buildings as well.¡± Both turned to me, and I thought about it, ¡°We should dig under the snow to the dungeon gate to hide our access from the summoner. We need to send in people to hunt food now.¡± Adrian¡¯s eyebrows arched in surprise, and Castile looked contemplative, ¡°It is about thirty feet to the dungeon entrance. There are nine tables, each about eight feet long and three wide. I like the idea, make it happen, Eryk.¡± She turned to Adrian, ¡°Once we recover for a time, we can see about drawing specters from the streets. The issue is we cannot see through the snow.¡± Adrian asked, ¡°Will we bring all the men up here now that the room is cleared?¡± Castile slowly shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of separating the men, but it is much colder up here than in the undercity. I think we will all remain in the undercity and just work out of this tavern during the day. This will also make it more difficult for the summoner to find us.¡± There was not much more to be said, and the meeting dispersed, Castile taking the kettle down the steps and Adrian remaining on guard. I went and sat with Maveith, ¡°How are you doing, big guy?¡± Maveith was whizzing a little bit, and his voice was not as deep as normal, ¡°The arm hurts the most from where the wight bit it. I don¡¯t know how many times I got hit by the specters, but they definitely got my ribs and hip. It is painful to breathe and walk.¡± Maveith was extremely stoic, so I knew he was in a lot of pain. ¡°You did amazing in the fight. Without you holding the door, we would have been overrun.¡± I patted him on the shoulder. Pavel and Lucien came up the stairs to help me create the tunnels to the dungeon entrance with the stone tables. Maveith rose to help, but I told him he needed to rest. I sent for three more men to stand guard while we worked. Who knew what was out in the snow? Brutus, Remus, and Blaze came up the stairs to stand watch while we worked. We took down the two tables blocking the doorway and then extended a table lengthwise into the snow. The snow was crystalline, powdery, and difficult to pack down. We tried anyway, packing the snow to the left and right and edging the table forward. We added more tables as we went. It was slow and extremely cold work. We were cautious as we proceeded and only stumbled across a single specter. Lucien was the unfortunate one of us pressing the snow under the table when it emerged. Lucien scrambled out into the tavern, bringing the elven child specter with him, carrying a toy sword. He had been struck in the face and lost vision in his right eye from the attack. Brutus retrieved the kettle for me, and I collected the death essence. It took three hours of steady work in the cold to reach the dungeon entrance. Pavel was the first to reach the black archway, and it had taken just under five tables to cover the distance. Everyone looked relieved that the cold and miserable job was done. ¡°We need to raise the tables up next,¡± I informed them. They all groaned, so I said, ¡°We can take a break and find items to put under the table legs. There were several stone chests in the rooms upstairs.¡± Two men pressed the stone tables up while another moved stone casks, chests, and other petrified furniture we salvaged from the rooms under the legs. When finished, our table-tunnel under the snow had about a five-foot clearance. It was better than crawling on our hands and knees to reach the dungeon entrance. We should be secure from the sight of both the giant eagles and the summoner. We finished late in the night when we all retreated to the undercity to get warm and inform Castile. Castile was sleeping, as was most of the company. I was also happy to see Maveith¡¯s chest rising and falling gracefully in slumber. I found my pack and laid out my bedroll. I utilized the dreamscape amulet to force a good night¡¯s sleep upon myself. I made a large fire inside the dreamscape¡¯s entry chamber to feel the fictional heat. I spent my night relaxing and playing with Oscar. I wasn¡¯t motivated to study spellcraft, spell forms, language or practice with weapons. I fell into the same trap as Castile had and created a large array of food to try and satisfy my body¡¯s need for sustenance. After seven hours, I left the dreamscape. It was day, and most of the company was already up. I climbed the stairs to find Castile and Adrian talking. ¡°Excellent work, Eryk.¡± Castile acknowledged the tunnel in front of the men. ¡°Pavel and Lucien did most of the challenging work. How is Lucien¡¯s eye?¡± I replied loudly enough to deflect the credit to them. ¡°His vision is blurry but should return to normal in a day.¡± Adrian answered happily. That was the good thing about the specters. The injuries were painful, but the damage was temporary and faded with time. The wights, however, were as strong as five men, and their touch was much more deadly, requiring magical healing for a full recovery. The wight¡¯s bodies were gone, and the silvery armor of the large wight was on a table with his massive broadsword. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°What is going to happen with these?¡± I indicated the armor and sword, sitting at the table where Castile and Adrian joined me. Castile looked at them, ¡°It is runic plate armor. Worth a fortune but also sized specifically for the elven wight when he was alive. A runic smith could resize the set, but none existed within the Empire¡¯s borders last time I checked. It will probably end up on a manikin in the Emperor¡¯s collection.¡± Adrian picked up the broadsword, ¡°This is a runic weapon and valuable as well. The Scholar is sure it is dungeon forged, but its true purpose eludes him.¡± Adrian stood and did a few test swings, ¡°It is over five pounds and better off being wielded two-handed. I don¡¯t think any men in the company would be comfortable with it.¡± I took the blade from him, and it was monstrous. The blade was almost forty-eight inches, and the guard and hilt were another twelve inches. Hefting the blade, I thought it was closer to six pounds not five. The wight had wielded it one-handed, but I did not see how anyone could do it for more than a few swings. I placed it back on the table. ¡°When are we going to explore the dungeon?¡± I inquired. ¡°I already entered and exited.¡± Adrian said, and my eyebrows shot up in surprise. Adrian did not like dungeons. He ignored my surprise and continued, ¡°The exit was right behind me after I entered. It is called the Shimmering Labyrinth because it is a maze, and the stone floor and ceiling emit a sparkling light.¡± Castile added, ¡°Adrian and Kolm went in after Adrian returned, and they appeared in different parts of the maze.¡± I winced as that was not great news. ¡°We have not explored past the safe entry rooms yet. The dungeon has not been touched in centuries, so the creatures inside are probably quite a bit stronger, and we have no idea how large it is.¡± ¡°How difficult will it be to find each other once inside?¡± I asked, wondering if the plan was to send multiple men in at once. ¡°Depends on the size of the maze. Scholar Favian was hopeful we would find some tomes on the dungeon in the library. All he found were obscure references and a few children¡¯s tales.¡± Castile reminded me, and I nodded, having collaborated with the Scholar for most of our time in the city. ¡°Bears and spiders?¡± I recalled. Castile nodded, ¡°Yes, in one of the children¡¯s tales and some recipes in another book. I will go in alone with the collector and attempt to harvest a creature.¡± She slid the kettle across the table toward me. ¡°You are one of the only other people capable of using this effectively. If I do not come out, it will be your responsibility.¡± I was pretty confident Castile would not have an issue with whatever monster she encountered. I fingered the terribly unpleasant kettle, ¡°When are you going in?¡± ¡°In a few hours. We dealt with more than twenty specters this morning, and I am recovering from the wight that wore this.¡± She tapped the runic armor on the table. I remembered the purple smoke from that wight had been almost solid when she harvested its death essence. I was not sure what to do, and Adrian suggested, ¡°Go check on the injured men. Delmar was never particularly good at empathizing with them. You can do better, Eryk.¡± I nodded to make my rounds. I found Firth at a table with a wine bottle he was sipping on and sat across from him, ¡°How are you faring?¡± The scruffy man took a long swig, unwrapped his arm, and showed it to me. The arm was splinted, but the skin was black, ¡°If I don¡¯t get a healer, I will probably have to cut it off. Less than a week, I am guessing.¡± He said stoically. ¡°I am sorry.¡± I said, but it didn¡¯t help his mood. ¡°Maybe there are healing potions in the dungeon?¡± His face brightened some at my suggestion. ¡°Healing potions are common rewards in dungeons.¡± He said softly and with some hope in his voice. ¡°Castile is going to start exploring soon. Maybe I will be able to go in as well.¡± I said, but I realized that meant I would be going in alone. I was already thinking that maybe I could put someone in my dimensional space and pull them out after entering. It would reveal a lot about the strength of my space affinity. I moved on to Konstantin, who was standing near a window on guard. He had his bad arm in a sling, and the gash in his armor was still there. ¡°Looks like you need some new armor,¡± I joked. ¡°How bad is it?¡± ¡°Snapped my clavicle but didn¡¯t penetrate too far. Can¡¯t use that arm, and swinging with my good one is painful.¡± He spoke indifferently of the injury. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to get in some practice? I think we would be fairly evenly matched now.¡± I said with a smirk. My praise of his prowess with the blade got the response I wanted. Konstantin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and winced at the pain it caused, ¡°You are an evil man for making me laugh.¡± I patted the older man on his good shoulder as I moved on. I checked on Maveith and Benito next. Both were resting. Benito¡¯s wrist was a swollen dark purple mass. His eyes were closed, so I didn¡¯t wake him. Maveith was still sleeping, and at least Maveith¡¯s breathing sounded much better. Castile was getting ready to go into the dungeon, so I was on watch duty with the collector. The specters arrived infrequently in ones and twos, but I still flinched every time I had to use the artifact. It was getting easier, but it felt like I was a masochist for the effort. Castile was ready and walked down the snow tunnel, crouching slightly. Most of the men watched her as she made her progress. That dungeon was our best hope of survival. When she reached the oily black surface of the entrance, she paused only a second before being embraced by the blackness, snuffing out the glowstone in her hand. Everyone held their breath. No one spoke as we waited for Castile¡¯s return. I picked up the large, broad sword and started swinging it as a distraction, the kettle of souls on the table nearby. A fat specter wandered into the tavern through the doorway, and everyone paused. I don¡¯t think anyone had ever seen a fat elf before. The specter ignored everyone and made to go and sit at the bar, expecting to be served. With everyone paralyzed in disbelief, Konstantin took action and grunted as he swung his runic weapon into the specter¡¯s back. Sparks flashed, and the specter moved faster than he had any right to. Konstantin backpedaled in surprise. Two runic arrows pierced the specter from Blaze and Pavel. Adrian¡¯s blade took it from the side, and Konstantin regained his footing managing another strike, forcing the specter to dissipate. I did my job and used the kettle on the remains. The resistance from the specter was much stronger, and I guessed that maybe it had been a poltergeist. After the kettle consumed the purple smoke, I dropped it heavily on the table. ¡°That one was stronger than normal.¡± Adrian commented. Blaze and Pavel retrieved their arrows, and we returned to waiting for Castile. Castile was gone for an hour when Mateo, who was watching the snow tunnel, announced her return. ¡°Castile¡¯s back!¡± We all circled around the doorway as her glowstone approached the tunnel. Castile was dragging the corpse of a black spider the size of a dog. She was struggling with her prize but pulled it all the way to the center of the tavern. ¡°Dinner is served!¡± she said triumphantly, dropping the rope lead. Looking at the grotesque-looking arachnid, I was the first to comment, ¡°I don¡¯t think I have much of an appetite.¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 143: Spider Legs Chapter 143: Spider Legs The black spider had eight thick, hairy legs. Each was as thick as my wrist and the hair thick enough to be wire. The worst part about the arachnid was the smell. Now, admittedly, after weeks in the city, none of us was very hygienic, but this spider emitted an odor that reminded me of pungent urine that had been sitting in the sun all day. Scholar Favian was called up with his cookbook of dungeon delicacies. Even though he had once been excited at the prospect of trying dungeon creatures, he turned up his nose when he got close. ¡°It looks like a rappelling black spider. They are the only black spiders mentioned with thick hairy legs within the recipes.¡± Castile confirmed his guess, ¡°I entered a large room, and it dropped on it from above on its thread.¡± ¡°Well, yes. Let us see: the legs should be boiled or steamed to start. Then, they should be cracked open for the flesh. The flesh can be grilled with a glaze or baked with butter,¡± the Scholar recalled. Lirkin, our cook, noted sarcastically, ¡°Let me go and check the pantry. Nope. Don¡¯t have any of...¡± He paused, ¡°We have a tiny bit of honey left...¡± With a bad arm, Konstantin put a damper on an early dinner, ¡°We should wait till dark if we are going to start a fire in here. The smoke may attract the specters or let the Summoner know where we are in the city.¡± ¡°Agreed, it should be dark in a few hours,¡± Castile confirmed the need for caution. Scholar Favian noted, ¡°The book said you have about eight hours before the spider meat starts to spoil.¡± Lirkin nodded as he hauled the spider toward the fireplace in the tavern and began giving orders for water and the large cast iron pot to be hauled up from the space we were using in the undercity. Castile motioned me to a table. I made my way to sit with Castile and Adrian. Castile opened with her experience in the dungeon. ¡°The entry was different from the one you described Adrian. It was oval with two exits. Each exit led to an intersection about forty feet down. I followed the corridors with my all-seeing-eye, but the dungeon disrupted it when I was removed from the line of sight.¡± ¡°What?¡± Adrian interrupted with surprise. ¡°It is not unusual. The walls of the dungeon probably contain concentrated aether. If it is a maze, then it makes sense that the dungeon would have counters to exploring with magic.¡± Castile sipped on her canteen before continuing. ¡°I stayed right and came to a large chamber, maybe fifty feet across. I teased out one of the spiders from the ceiling by stepping into the room and pulled it into the corridor before dispatching it.¡± ¡°Do you think anyone in the company can handle the dungeon alone?¡± Adrian asked seriously. ¡°Maybe the goliath and Konstantin if he was healthy,¡± Castile gave her opinion. ¡°What about me?¡± I asked, and immediately regretted it. I had been surprised she had not considered me capable of going in alone. Castile studied me and contained a smile. ¡°I would have included you if you let me finish. After we see how edible the spider is, we can decide who goes in next. One of us has to remain here to use the kettle. I also condensed this.¡± Castile placed a small sphere on the table. The dark pink sphere rolled on the table. It was a minor essence of coordination. Castile had carried Sebastian¡¯s large collector in her backpack, but it had been so long that I had forgotten about essences. My own stolen collector was designed for dungeons. Castile asked. ¡°Who deserves this?¡± Adrian was quick to reply, ¡°Benito has not fortified his coordination attribute, but his broken wrist hampers him, and he is not fighting effective at the moment.¡± I put forth Maveith¡¯s name. ¡°Maveith prevented us from being overrun by the specters. He saved all our lives.¡± The two of them made eye contact, and Castile stated and nodded. ¡°Maveith it is.¡± Adrian pocketed the essence for now to give to the goliath later. Adrian tapped the table with his fingertips, thinking. ¡°Are we going to try and map the dungeon? There can only be so many entry rooms.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s plan on just getting some food into everyone first. There were supposed to be bears in the maze, but I didn¡¯t see any in the small area I explored. There was elven writing on the wall, probably to alert the delver which safe room they had arrived in and where to go.¡± Castile informed us. Adrian thought momentarily, ¡°There was writing in the rooms I entered as well. Maybe we should send in the Scholar to read the script and then return.¡± ¡°Not yet. That first encounter was much too dangerous for one person. There were maybe a dozen of those spiders in the ceiling, waiting. I think we are missing something.¡± Castile looked deep in thought. I thought about it, too. ¡°If there are a fixed number of entry rooms, then couldn¡¯t you just keep exiting and returning until you end up in the same room as someone else?¡± ¡°Perhaps. Adrian, why don¡¯t you try that with a legionnaire? We need to understand the rules of this dungeon.¡± Castile ordered. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Adrian stood and looked around the room, deciding, ¡°Flavius, you and I are going to try and puzzle out the labyrinth. Come with me.¡± Castile also stood to whisper softly to him, ¡°Don¡¯t leave the safe room entrance. We will have food ready for you when you return.¡± Flavius didn¡¯t look too enthused about being selected. He talked with Adrian briefly before they both headed down the snow tunnel. I was on kettle duty while Castile rested, and we waited for the sun to set. The fire was started as soon as it was dark, and the iron cauldron we hauled from the library had the water boiling. It took about two hours. The spider legs went into the water, and soon, the entire tavern smelled like a wet dog. The cauldron foamed and boiled over, causing even more foul air to fill the space. Fifteen minutes later, Lirkin dragged the kettle off the coals and removed the steaming legs. They had turned white. ¡°Perfect,¡± Favian said excitedly, ¡°That is exactly how they should look! Just crack them open to retrieve the flesh and do the secondary cooking.¡± Maveitn used his hammer to crack the hot legs, and the flesh inside didn¡¯t look or smell too terrible. It was rubbery and had an off-white color. Lirkin had set up a makeshift grill using the runic armor. It was too narrow and long for anyone in the company to wear it. It was gross when you thought a zombie elf had worn it for fifteen hundred years, but Lirkin first heated it in the fire, and this was no time to worry about such things. The glaze was a honey and wine mixture that he reduced in the pot. The first chunk of meat hit the runic armor and sizzled. It almost smelled like grilled chicken. He turned it and glazed the seared side, then turned it again and glazed the other side. The first piece of spider meat was ready for consumption. My mouth couldn¡¯t help but water, even knowing where it had come from. It actually smelled good! Everyone was in the tavern as the fireplace heated the room well, and the smell of cooked food was too powerful to ignore. The question was who was going to try it first. Lirkin held up the cooked flesh, and Mateo volunteered, ¡°Give it to me. If I die a horrible death, I will haunt you for eternity, Lirkin.¡± Lirkin wasn¡¯t fazed by the threat and passed the seared spider flesh to Mateo. Everyone watched in anticipation as Mateo crunched into the piece. He chewed slowly, and a myriad of expressions crossed his face. He took a second and third bite. Through a mouthful, he announced, ¡°It is actually kind of good.¡± Lirkin soon cooked up rows of the spider flesh on the extremely expensive grill. When my turn came, and I bit into the crunchy and sweet outer crust, my long-forgotten taste buds came alive. The spider flesh texture reminded me of scallops. The actual taste of the flesh was somewhat bland and chewy but definitely edible, with just a hint of sweetness from the honey-wine glaze. Everyone received a palm-sized piece of spider meat. Unfortunately, the honey used in the glaze was all that Lirkin had left. I brought Castile a sample of the food and sat with her. She enjoyed the solid food as much as everyone else but still managed to take almost half an hour to eat it. Mine had been devoured in just a few seconds. Adrian returned shortly after she finished, and he sat with us. Kolm brought Adrian a piece of spider flesh and placed it in front of him. I could see his mouth-watering, but he paused to give the unwelcome news first. ¡°There are over fifty entry rooms. Flavius never moved, and I exited and returned nearly a hundred times. I never appeared in the same room as him. Each entry room had Elvish script.¡± He couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He tried the spider meat, and it was gone in three bites. Castile let him finish before asking her questions. ¡°How did you know there were more than fifty entry points to the maze?¡± ¡°I marked the wall every time I entered. On my ninth reentry into the dungeon, I was in the room I had marked two. I never found Flavius in my ninety-two attempts to appear in the same room as Flavius before the agreed two hours were up,¡± I could see Adrian keep looking toward the fire for more of the food, but one spider was just enough food for the twenty-three of us to get half of a meal. Castile seemed to consider. ¡°Eryk, you will go in tomorrow. Try to get one dungeon creature.¡± Her face got worried. ¡°I think I will not give you the collecter in case you meet an unfortunate end.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I replied reflexively. Castile suspected I had Durandus¡¯ collector, so this would be my first opportunity to see how it worked on dungeon creatures. I was also looking forward to entering the dungeon to have some privacy. I definitely wouldn¡¯t feel guilty now about eating some of the small amount of food left in my space now that the company had access to the dungeon. Adrian pointed at my chest. ¡°You should probably leave your dreamscape amulet with Castile as well.¡± Castile¡¯s face was impassive, and she had not asked to use it since she learned her nightmare spell. ¡°Before I enter tomorrow, I will.¡± I was reluctant to part with it. Lirkin extinguished the fire, and Adrian called for everyone to return to the undercity room. The mood was positive and almost boisterous as we prepared to sleep. Castile forced seven men to sleep with her nightmare spell, and five men remained on first watch. I slept next to Maveith, who continued to improve from the earlier fight. I entered the dreamscape and immediately went to the spider bridge in the liminal space. I practiced fighting the large spiders for eight hours. They were monstrous compared to Castile¡¯s harvest, but I figured the experience couldn¡¯t hurt. I then studied a bit more of the elvish language figuring every little bit would help if there was writing on the walls. When I exited the dreamscape, men were whispering nearby. The conversation seemed to revolve around the possibilities of more solid food today. The pressure was going to be on me to deliver. Castile led a lead element to the tavern, and we followed an hour later. I walked to Castile at a table, and she informed me. ¡°Seven specters and two poltergeists this morning. It is good that we are thinning them, but I am still worried there may be many thousands in the city.¡± I reluctantly handed over the dreamscape amulet to Castile. She immediately put it on, ¡°I will keep it safe. Proceed cautiously. Just harvest one spider and return, Eryk.¡± I checked my gear and ducked low as I made my way down the snow tunnel with a glowstone. Some of the snow had melted around the door, which might have been a problem if we had continued using the fireplace in the tavern. I reached the black, oily surface. My glowstone did not reflect in the dungeon¡¯s entrance, which I thought was odd. I hesitated for just a moment before taking a careful step and pushing into the black veil beyond. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 144: Solo Chapter 144: Solo I was prepared and didn¡¯t even stumble entering a dungeon for the second time in my life. A strong blue light filled the hexagonal room I was in. As Adrian had said, the floor and ceiling emitted light. It looked like frosted glass with swirling white-blue glowing rivers moving underneath. Every once in a while, an oblong silvery shape flashed in the flow, and it was a bit mesmerizing. I guessed this was why this was called the Shimmering Labyrinth. I focused on studying my location. The hexagonal room had the dungeon exit behind me, and it felt good to know I could leave at any time. Two of the six walls had wide corridors leading off into the distance. I spun in the room and found the elven script Adrian had mentioned. I went and stood before it, studying the writing. It took a long time to puzzle it out as my grasp of the elven language was not overly strong, yet. Northeast Quadrant, Room Thirteen. The right corridor leads to a bear chamber. The left corridor leads to water. I immediately guessed the elves had mapped the maze somehow, and the writing gave the dungeon delver his location. Why couldn¡¯t we have found the map in the library? I was also feeling a little superstitious about arriving in room thirteen. I considered leaving and trying my luck in another room. I eventually decided it was unnecessary and best to use my time in isolation productively. I first removed the large black desk and chair from my dimensional space. Taking a seat, I pulled out the two elven backpacks from the summoner and the griffin rider. I was searching for food as I emptied the packs on the desk. The spare clothes made it easy to figure out which belonged to the griffin rider elf. The spare garments were smaller and dirty but had no odor that I could detect. The male elf summoner had been leaner than me, but I could probably wear his clothes, if a bit snuggly now. As expected, there was a lot of dried meat and fruit in the bags, all neatly packaged. There were maybe twenty meals between the two packs. I slowly munched on some glazed nuts and dried apricots. At least, I think they were apricots by the peach color and chewy texture. The taste was more bittersweet than I remembered of apricots. I stacked the clothes, bedroll, and tarps off to the side. I ate about a single meal¡¯s worth as I searched the packs, and my stomach was gurgling at the fiber that had been missing from my diet for so long. I couldn¡¯t tell whether it wanted more food or was just too surprised that I had sent actual food to it. It was not long before I felt bloated and hungry at the same time. I reluctantly packed the remaining food to save for later. I started sipping cold water to settle my roiling stomach. There was a fishing kit in the woman¡¯s pack with a few lures and a spool of thin braided wire. I already had a fishing kit, but she also had a fist-sized stone. It didn¡¯t make any sense that she would carry around this two-pound weight. I placed the shiny black stone on the desk and stared at it. It looked like an oval piece of volcanic obsidian glass. Maybe it was a glowstone and just needed aether? I touched the stone, and it greedily took my aether. The stone didn¡¯t glow, so I pushed more aether into it. I felt the heat and smoke started rising from where in contacted the desk. I slapped the rock off the desk to the floor and cursed. A small off-black ring now marred my beautiful black wood desk. I also realized what the stone was. It was a thermal stone! I had a frigging thermal stone in my dimensional space this entire time I was freezing my arse off! I groaned and felt like an idiot. Just what I get for throwing things randomly into my space. I had two waterskins from the elven packs. Sniffing the water, it smelled a little off. Maybe it was elven tea or something. I decided I didn¡¯t need to test it at the moment. There was a simple mess kit with a pot, plate, and cup in each bag made from what I was sure was an aluminum alloy by its weight. The summoner had individual bags of claws, chitin, and other unusual monster parts. Not something I needed to concern myself with. I moved them off to the side with the other things for now. The best haul from the elven packs was the food and thermal stone. I checked on the stone, and it was still emitting a strong heat. I still had the griffin rider in my dimensional space. She also had gear on her, but she was barely alive. I thought she might even have some healing potions on her. The summoner had a healing potion, so it was possible. A few men in the company desperately needed healing potions. I was considering bringing her body out when, out of the corner of my eye, a movement flashed down at the end of one of the corridors. My heart started thudding as I thought entry rooms were safe rooms, and no dungeon creature could enter them. The movement down the corridor that the writing indicated led to a bear. I focused on the corridor, and something was definitely moving down there. I began to pack things back into my dimensional space, saving the thermal stone for last. The glossy black stone was still quite hot, but I didn¡¯t need to touch it to store it. Finishing my clean up, I readied the elven spear and walked toward the bear room. I moved as silently as my armor allowed, cautiously approaching the room. I thought that if I could bag a bear, I would be a hero to the others. I didn¡¯t see the movement again as I approached. The end of the corridor was close, and it obviously opened into a large room. I could hear water running and studied the room, ten feet from entering. The room looked about a hundred feet across. The ceiling shot upwards to maybe forty feet. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t see any movement up there in the river of light. A small waterfall on the far left fed a pool on the other side of the chamber. I had thought the other corridor led to water, but apparently, there was water here as well. I edged forward, my armor accidentally scraping the wall and causing me to pause. I noticed the shoreline of the pool had a field of small dark gray mushrooms. The surface of the pool rippled, and a large gray furry mass rushed from the left and dove into the pool. If that was a bear, it was too damn big! I waited, completely still, and the massive bear emerged from the water with a long fish that reminded me of a pike in its mouth. It shook out its coat, a mist of water filling the air, snapped the fish in half with its powerful jaws, and then consumed each half noisily. Its massive head then looked up, and its black eyes stared directly at me. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, as my red armor made me stand out even if I was still. I didn¡¯t know what to do. If there was just a single bear, I could deal with it. After a few minutes, the bear yawned and lay down, but it didn¡¯t take its eyes off of me. I assumed I needed to enter the room to draw its attack, but I couldn¡¯t surprise it now. What I needed was some type of distraction. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I edged closer to the entrance to see if I could see any more of the large bears. As I got closer, it raised its head in anticipation. It looked like there was only one of the gray bears. I had plenty of aether and enacted my plan. First, I removed the collector and a bag and slung the items onto my back. Then, I removed the goblin. The goblin I had collected at the farm appeared in front of me. It was clearly, massively confused because of the sudden change in the environment. No time had passed since I had captured it, and this room was much brighter than the dark barn in which I had captured it. Getting its attention, I threatened it with my spear, it got the message, tumbling backward and into the room. The massive bear lurched up and charged at the unsuspecting goblin. I felt a little evil feeding the goblin to the bear, but it was the best way to make sure the dungeon creature was alone and distract it. I edged forward as the bear charged, ready to take its head. The goblin¡¯s summersault brought it around enough to see its fate charging. The goblin regained its feet, flight instincts taking hold as it raced toward another exit. The bear changed direction, skidding momentarily on the floor, to chase the tiny creature. I paused at the entrance to take in the entire room. There were two exits and just one bear. With the bear currently chasing the goblin in a direction away from me, I entered the room and raced after the two of them. The goblin dashed right into a passage, and the bear¡¯s momentum took it past the entrance and roared in frustration as its prey escaped down the tunnel while it skidded to a stop. The bear spun and faced me, growling in challenge, but it was within my range. I already had the overlay of a box ready and removed the bear¡¯s head, sending it into my dimensional space. My aether bottomed out satisfactorily at my quick victory. It remained standing, the body awaiting orders from the brain as the heart pumped blood spurts out its neck at me. I evaded its final attack and remained on alert. The patter of the feet of the fleeing goblin echoed in the distance. I was sure it would eventually meet its demise to a spider, bear, or some other horror in the dungeon. Seconds passed, and the bear slowly crumbled to the ground with a large puddle of blood in front of it. ¡°That was just as easy as I thought it would be.¡± I announced aloud, praising myself to the dungeon since no one else was here to do it. I didn¡¯t know how creatures reformed in a dungeon other than that they eventually did. The dungeon would also eventually reclaim the corpse, so I needed to work fast. I approached the wet bear and got to work. I skinned a large section of the pelt using the elven runic dagger. Then I started working on the flesh, removing the legs at the joints, and carving off meat sections along the belly, ribs, and back inexpertly. I was soon a bloody mess and not sure if I was getting the best cuts of meat but going for the large, easy muscles. I told myself Lirkin and Maveith could scold me later. If anyone complained, they could come and kill their own bear. The bear had easily been over a thousand pounds, and I had almost a hundred pounds of meat on the hide. I planned to drag it back to the portal. As soon as my aether recovered enough, I removed the collector from the bag and used it on the bear. As the smoke coalesced above the disc, my anticipation rose. It had been quite some time since I had used it. The smoke seemed thick, and from experience, I knew dungeons left for a time returned powerful essences from their creatures. The sphere that formed was apex-sized and dark orange in color! An essence of power! I gently rolled it off the collector¡¯s center into my hand and consumed it on the spot. Unexpectedly, my stomach groaned in protest. I doubled over in intense abdominal pain that laced through me in waves. I instinctively knew it was because the essence needed some caloric assistance to complete its work. I sat hard on the ground and pulled out the elven food. I didn¡¯t taste the dried fruit and jerky as I rapidly consumed what I could. I ate almost a quarter of the elven rations before I felt the essence finish its work. I probably didn¡¯t need to eat anything, but my instincts were telling me it was the right thing to do to help get the most out of the essence. My stomach felt full to bursting, and I rolled to continue my work on the bear. I paused with the six-by-six pelt stacked the quarters and other bits of meat. I looked at the mushrooms. Konstantin should know if they were safe to eat. I cleared off a small section of the hide and dragged it toward the water. I proceeded to create a large pile of mushrooms on the hide, away from the bloody meat. The water¡¯s surface churned behind me as one large fish surfaced for a moment, reminding me of their presence. Carefully at the pool¡¯s edge, I stared into the water, and the light illuminated quite deep. I could see large, elongated fish swimming toward the bottom like I was looking into a massive fish tank. I had two sets of wire fishing lines in my storage. I was not thinking much about adding fish to our company¡¯s diet, but a little variety couldn¡¯t hurt. Besides, perhaps the fish might offer some essence spheres. Maybe it was too much to hope for, but Durandus¡¯ collector supposedly yielded an essence from all dungeon creatures, which meant even the harmless creatures in here, like the fish, should yield one. I finished with the mushrooms first and made to wash the bear¡¯s blood off my arms and armor in the pool. The red cloud caused the fish to go into a frenzy, coming to the surface. Maybe they were savoring the defeat of their lifelong mortal enemy in the dungeon. I eagerly retrieved the fishing line with a lure and used the spear as my pole. The lure only touched the surface before the first pike bit it. I pulled the prize to shore past the mushrooms and inserted the dagger behind the eyes, severing its spinal cord. The fish stilled, and I reached for the collector. Light wisps of aether life essence pulled from the thirty-inch-long fish. It seemed to take longer than normal, but a minor essence eventually formed. I was too giddy at my success, and the dark green sphere rolled toward the mushrooms. I snagged it before it got too far as it was headed toward the pool. The marble was dark green¡ªthe quickness attribute. I looked into the pool, grinning. How many fish were in it? I had twelve fish in my dimensional storage an hour later. I figured I would surprise the men with my fishing skills after they praised me for my hunting and gathering skills. I hadn¡¯t emptied the pool, but the fish had wizened up some and were not biting the lure. I also did not see much movement deeper in the water, so maybe I had thinned their population. I also secured twelve dark green lesser essences to show for my fishing prowess. I dropped the bear¡¯s head into the water in appreciation of the fish¡¯s contribution. As it sunk to the bottom, a feeding frenzy ensued at the bottom of the pool. I had been gone for over five hours. I figured Castile and the company were probably worried about me. I grabbed the corners of my bear carpet and started pulling my harvest toward the dungeon exit. I noticed an alcove in the wall as I pulled my feast. Dropping the corners, I inspected it to find a small granite box. It was the dungeon reward for completing the room. I had forgotten about that little tidbit, I was excited to see what was inside. The box rattled as I picked it up. It was solid, and there was no way to access the contents. I cracked the box using the runic dagger¡¯s hilt, and the stone crumbled away. Large blank silver coins spilled out, rattling on the ground. I sifted through the rubble, finding fifteen large silver coins, maybe an ounce each. There was also a single vial of some potion. I couldn¡¯t read the runic writing identifying the contents, but maybe Castile could. I grabbed the corners again and started down the corridor to the dungeon exit. It was time to eat! ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 145: The Feast Chapter 145: The Feast I tightened my grip on the bear pelt and stepped through the portal. My senses were on alert, but I was not prepared to walk straight into Brutus. ¡°What in Pluto¡¯s realm!¡± He barked at me. ¡°Eryk? You¡¯re alive?¡± He turned around, and Felix was right behind him. ¡°Eryk¡¯s back! Move back and let him out.¡± There was someone behind Felix as well, a small train of men. It was a little bit of a cluster getting everyone to turn around and exit the narrow snow tunnel in full, now ill fitted, armor. I don¡¯t think they saw what I was pulling behind me. The company men were excited to see me alive as I entered the tavern. Mateo cheerfully said, ¡°Told you he was still alive. Eryk could go to bed with a medusa in a brothel and come back satisfied with a smile.¡± The bear hide behind me was dragged into the room, and everyone¡¯s eyes suddenly became fixed on the harvest. Everyone was silent. Benito rubbed his eyes with his good hand, ¡°Tell me that is real. Please, someone! Tell me that is real!¡± Maveith¡¯s large body moved forward and poked the meat with his hammer. His deep voice echoed, ¡°It is real.¡± But he let out a long sigh in disappointment. ¡°Eryk, you didn¡¯t scrape the hide properly. You have forgotten everyone I taught you when we harvested the manticore. Don¡¯t worry, luckily, we can still save it.¡± The men didn¡¯t wait any longer and started to sort through the leg quarters, chunks of meat and mushrooms. Konstantin warned everyone, as he held a mushroom in hand, ¡°The mushrooms are not poisonous but still need to be cooked. If you eat them raw, you will regret your life decisions.¡± Konstantin, with his arm in a sling, nodded at me. Was this recognition for doing a good job? I think I was momentarily stunned by the small sign of recognition. Castile and Adrian stood smiling nearby, ¡°Eryk, come and report.¡± I sat at a table while everyone else began to process the meat using practiced efficiency. Lirkin yelled to our table, ¡°Where is the liver, Eryk? Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t get the liver! No kidneys here either? If you had brought the intestines, we could have smoked some sausage.¡± His tone was not completely serious, but he was upset. Adrian gave Lirkin a hard stare, stopping his complaints about my animal processing skills. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to learn more from Maveith in the future.¡± I replied back at Lirkin. He gave a nod of approval in return. Castile¡¯s own smile slowly faded, ¡°Well done. We were sending in teams to look for you.¡± ¡°Teams?¡± I said, confused. Adrian warmed his hands and cracked his knuckles, ¡°Yes, we figured out how the dungeon worked. You need to be in contact with the others as you enter the portal. Up to four people can enter together this way. There is one team of four already inside the dungeon, but they should be back soon as they were not to leave the entry room. We started a mapping effort after you did not return.¡± Castile looked over at the men and asked curiously, ¡°What kind of meat is that? How did you kill it?¡± Adrian added, ¡°Whatever it is, it looks tastier than spider legs.¡± Castile gave him a sidelong sour glance as she had provided the spider legs. ¡°It was a large gray bear. At the end of a corridor was a room with a pool and just one bear. I distracted the bear and got a good strike on the head. My attack was so sudden the bear had trouble using its head to fight back.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smirk at my play on words. Rather than go into details, I gave as little information as possible. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy. The rest of my time was spent cutting up the beast,¡± I indicated the meat. Castile and Adrian looked over at the excited company. I think their mouths were watering as well. I decided to continue with the good news. ¡°I found this in the reward chest after killing the bear.¡± The small potion vial was on the table. Castile¡¯s eyes popped and she snatched it and looked at the runes. Adrian already knew what it was, ¡°A healing potion? Who gets it?¡± Castile confirmed, ¡°A greater healing potion.¡± Adrian and Castile had a lot of discussions as they went through the injuries in the company. There was a lot of frostbite, but the only real use of the potion would be getting someone combat-effective again. That meant Konstantin was the most likely candidate. Their discussion narrowed it down to Konstantin or Maveith. Castile looked at me, ¡°Maveith is in some pain but should be fine, especially if we can claim more of these.¡± She hadn¡¯t released the potion from her grip. ¡°Konstantin will heal with time, but if we are going to explore the dungeon, having our best scout capable would be the best use of it.¡± The decision was made. Adrian addressed me, ¡°Go give it to him.¡± Castile reluctantly placed it on the table, and I could see why. Her fingertips were black, and she had been hiding the advanced frostbite from us. Lirkin rushed over to our table, ¡°Can we start a fire? I know it is not dark yet, but the men might start eating the meat raw if I don¡¯t cook it soon and bear needs to be cooked properly to be eaten safely. It is incredibly tough and greasy if not cooked properly!¡± I was about to produce the thermal stone but paused. I had stuffed the box in my dimensional space with fish. Castile was considering the request. I decided to show my last ace, ¡°I have some fish, too,¡± I announced. Three sets of eyes turned to me, and I dumped the fish on the table. The pile of fish was the shape of my legion box and quickly spread out across the table as the fish slid across each other. Instead of praise from Lirkin, he scolded me, ¡°You cut off the heads and tails! Eryk, those are the best parts for making soup!¡± He slapped me on the back in jest much harder than I appreciated, ¡°Next time, just bring me the entire fish.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Castile was smirking at my consternation at being criticized for failures. I leaned back to look Lirkin in the eyes to reply to him, ¡°Next time, Lirkin, you can fight the bear solo and wiggle your toes in the water to attract and catch the fish! My space is only so big.¡± I didn¡¯t know if that was a thing, but I remembered noodling was a way to catch catfish using just your hands by wiggling your fingers. Lirkin got serious and apologized as my tone had been somewhat harsh, ¡°I am sorry, Eryk. I appreciate your incredible effort. There is enough here to feed the company for seven or eight days. We might actually start putting back on some weight.¡± I stood, took the potion, and walked across the tavern to Konstantin. The aged scout was watching a table where four men were thinly slicing some meat and hanging it on a spear shaft to be dried and smoked. Standing next to Konstantin, I asked casually, ¡°Konstantin, how is the arm?¡± ¡°Collarbone is still broken, and fortunately, no infection has set in, unlike Firth¡± he replied grumpily. ¡°Well, you just won the lottery.¡± I produced and held out the potion. His eyes held confusion as he puzzled out what I held in my outstretched hand. ¡°You found a dungeon healing potion?¡± He muttered loud enough for almost everyone to hear. Everyone stopped working and focused on the magical vial of life. There was probably not a single person here who couldn¡¯t benefit from the healing potion. ¡°Castile decided you were the best person to consume it. I don¡¯t know why,¡± I said with some snark, letting everyone know it was Castile¡¯s decision, not mine. Konstantin didn¡¯t object to being selected and took the vial, broke the dungeon seal, and drained the small vial. He winced, and an audible pop could be heard in the room from his shoulder as the magic aligned the bone. Seconds passed as Konstantin waited for the potion to finish its work. Konstantin windmilled his arm, testing his arm while his armor clattered from the movement. He looked around at the envious men, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Now that I am healthy, Eryk and I will go and claim more healing potions inside the dungeon.¡± A few men nodded, and soon everyone was back to processing the meat, fish, and mushrooms. My mind was racing, though. If I had to explore the dungeon with three others, how was I going to use the collector? I could still probably use my dimensional kill, but losing so many essences was already starting to tug at my greedy nature. Maybe it was time to reveal I had the collector? The snow tunnel erupted as the group of four returned from exploring the dungeon entrance room. Blaze, Linus, Lucien, and Kolm emerged to see everyone cheerfully preparing the meat and starting a fire. The men in the room were all smirks at their surprise. Mateo pointed at me, ¡°Eryk is alive and brought us dinner!¡± Their vision broke from the food preparation and turned to me. I was sitting across from Maveith as he prepared the checkers board. I waved, and Blaze walked over to me, hugged me, and cried. It was not a sobbing cry, just tears of joy at the feast being prepared. Kolm, Linus, and Lucien just patted my pauldrons in appreciation as they made to help. Kolm handed the Scholar a piece of paper, and I assumed the Scholar was responsible for mapping the dungeon. The activity in the room got more lively as the fire grew to heat the room. Lirkin was lively as he went from prep station to station to guide the company. Most of the work focused on preserving as much food as possible. Most of the fish were shoved into the snow in the tunnel. Lirkin had focused on getting as much fat from the meat I cut as possible so he could fry the mushrooms and cubes of meat together. Each man was given a plate stacked with braised meat cubes and sauteed mushrooms. Lirkin had his cauldron simmering with fish bones after he had cut the fillets away and stuffed them in the snow. The fish soup was going to be the next meal. Everyone in the company stopped by at my table to thank me, and it felt good to be recognized. The meal was interrupted a few times by wandering specters, a stark reminder of where we were and that we were still in danger. Konstantin ate with Castile and Adrian, and I already knew he was trying to convince them to let him in the dungeon. The sun was setting, and suddenly, someone shouted, ¡°Bird in the window.¡± There was a single window in the tavern that the snow had not covered. A small white owl had landed on the snow and was staring into the tavern, watching us eat. Adrian spoke, ¡°Maybe it was not sent by the summoner.¡± Blaze released an arrow, striking the glass and bouncing back into the room, not even cracking the glass. ¡°Use a runic arrow!¡± Adrian yelled, but it was too late. The owl took to the air and flew away. The mood in the tavern suddenly turned somber. Castile broke the melancholy, ¡°The summoner would have found us eventually. Now that we know we can enter the dungeon in groups of four, we can always retreat into the dungeon. Now that the summoner knows where we are, we can keep the fire going during the day.¡± Someone started pounding the table like he was challenging the summoner to come. Others quickly joined him until all of us pounded the stone tables in unison. The beat built to a crescendo, and everyone cheered and then continued to eat. Everyone slept that night with a full stomach and contented smiles. Castile used her nightmare spell on a third of the men. In the morning, Castile sent seven men, led by Konstantin, to the wine vault. I sat with Castile and Adrian. Castile was not as optimistic, ¡°The storm elementals were not over the city this morning.¡± Her tone was heavy. ¡°How long do we have?¡± Adrian asked. ¡°He is preparing a large summoning circle just outside the city. My guess is a wyvern or some other large flying beast. The city is too deep in snow and has too many specters for anything on the ground to reach us in the city¡¯s center,¡± Castile noted. Adrian thought on it, ¡°He might have seen the dungeon entrance as well. The tree canopy shielded it, but that owl was close.¡± ¡°Are we going to send everyone into the dungeon?¡± I asked after a period of silence. Castile nodded, ¡°I asked Konstantin to get as much wine as possible.¡± The weight of command on her, she announced, ¡°We need to decide what the groups of four will be.¡± There were twenty-three of us. Meaning there would be five groups of four and one group of three. Castile wanted me in her group with Adrian and Konstantin, but I didn¡¯t want to leave Maveith. I felt I owed him something for influencing him to come with us. Castile conceded, and we assigned everyone to a team over the next hour. The goal for the company is to reunite inside the dungeon. We would spend the next year living in the dungeon and then exit together in the hope the summoner had abandoned his pursuit. I looked at the groups and hoped I made a good choice in lobbying for my entry team. Castile, Adrian, Konstantin, Blaze Firth, Wylie, Mateo, Felix Eryk, Maveith, Scholar Favian, Brutus Lucien, Benito, Pavel, Lirkin Kolm, Linus, Donte, Flavius Cyrus, Soren, Remus
? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 146: Not a Graceful Entrance Chapter 146: Not a Graceful Entrance Konstantin returned from the wine vault; all six men who had followed him were laden with bottles of wine, clicking as they moved with broad smiles. The mood was joyous as the men thought we had a source of food and plenty to drink. Castile had been cycling who had received the nightmare spell as well, so everyone was finally somewhat well-rested. As the men celebrated, Konstantin came to report, ¡°One hundred and twenty bottles. Do you want us to make another trip? We cut down five specters on the trip that will be reforming. Eryk should come with us with the kettle.¡± Castile replied heavily, ¡°No, there will not be time. The summoner released the storm elementals from his control and is preparing for a new summons.¡± ¡°Harpies tits,¡± Konstantin rasped, realization sinking in. ¡°How much time do we have?¡± Castile had a stoic visage as she answered, ¡°Not much time. I keep checking on his progress every hour. When I see him start his summons, we will move.¡± Adrian added, ¡°We have divided up the company to enter the dungeon. You will be with Castile, Blaze, and me.¡± Konstantin¡¯s eyebrows went up in surprise, and he looked at me. ¡°Eryk is going with Maveith, Brutus, and Favian.¡± Konstantin nodded, but I could see him thinking. Maybe he was going to make a case for me to remain with the premier group, but he never voiced his opinion. ¡°I am going to tell the men now so we can prepare,¡± Castile made to stand. ¡°Castile, can I have the dreamscape amulet back?¡± I asked softly. Things were about to get hectic, and I didn¡¯t want that detail to get lost in the confusion. The amulet would be invaluable for me inside the dungeon. Castile put her hand between her breasts, feeling the amulet underneath her tunic. ¡°Sorry, Eryk. I forgot I still had it.¡± Still, Castile¡¯s hand was slow and reluctant as she went to retrieve it. She placed it on the table, and I made it disappear. Castile exhaled regretfully and moved to talk with the men. I definitely think she was hoping I had forgotten about it. Adrian tapped the butt of a spear he found in the rooms upstairs on the floor to get everyone¡¯s attention. The men quickly went silent and faced Castile. Castile took a deep breath. ¡°I hope everyone enjoyed the fish soup this morning.¡± Murmurs of agreement raced among the men. I had thought it bland, but the hot soup warmed me from the inside. Castile continued, ¡°The summoner is preparing to bring forth another creature outside the city walls.¡± I guess Castile decided to rip the bandage off. The room went deathly silent except for the wood crackling in the fireplace. The fire had obviously drawn the summoner¡¯s attention, but we could not hide from him forever. Everyone understood how powerful the elven summoner was. It was why we had trapped ourselves inside the city, protected by the specters. ¡°We are going to seek refuge inside the dungeon and wait him out,¡± Castile announced. A lot of men fidgeted, suddenly uncomfortable. Dungeons were not known for being forgiving places. ¡°You have seen the sustenance it can provide. And even though we have to enter in groups of four, we should all be able to find each other inside given enough time. The Scholar has confirmed as much.¡± The mood lightened at that news. Castile did not mention how big the dungeon was said to be in the children¡¯s book she was referencing. The princess snuck into the dungeon on her own and was able to wander miles without meeting any others inside. Adrian took over the speech, ¡°There are over one hundred entry rooms. If your team ends up in a bad location, exit and reenter together. Firth leads the first team and will have Wylie, Mateo, and Felix.¡± The four men quickly found each other. Firth and Wylie frequently worked together, and Mateo and Felix were the company¡¯s babysitters. At least, that was what they did for me when I first arrived. ¡°Lucien will lead Benito, Pavel, and Lirkin as the second team,¡± Adrian announced. Benito hooted, ¡°Yes! We got the cook!¡± Adrian stared hard, ¡°If you want him to cook for you, Benito, then you need to kill something that he can cook.¡± The realization that he would have to fight the dungeon critters shut him up. Benito¡¯s wrist was still broken and swollen. From memory, Adrian announced the third team. ¡°One team will only have three men. Cyrus, Soren, and Remus.¡± These three were the quietest men in the company. The red-haired Remus cursed under his breath, clearly unhappy. When we had been assigning groups, they had been the three odd men out. Remus was from Gregor¡¯s company and never really fit in. When the minor commotion Remus made died down, Adrian continued, ¡°Flavius will lead Linus, Donte, and Kolm.¡± Linus and Kolm were two of the most liked men in the company and had helped a lot of men through the last few weeks. I still didn¡¯t trust Flavius, but he was a competent scout and should keep them alive. ¡°Eryk will lead Brutus and Maveith and protect the Scholar,¡± Adrian said, looking pointedly at Remus. My group essentially had just three fighters, and Maveith was hampered by injury. This mollified Remus some, as my group was just three warriors as well. I had selected Maveith because I felt guilty for involving him in the ill-fated expedition. He was also probably the best man in the entire company at processing kills. The Scholar would hopefully have value with his ability to read the Elven script in the safe rooms. I chose Brutus as my fourth because he was one of the best spearmen and swordsmen in the company. We were also friends, and I thought he could keep my secrets if I had to reveal them. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Adrian didn¡¯t announce the last team, Castile, Blaze, Konstantin, and himself. It was implied. ¡°Get with your teams. Eryk is responsible for dividing up rations and gear.¡± My head snapped to Adrian, but I guessed that was my job now that Delmar was gone. I spent time with Lirkin, dividing up the fish, smoked, and dried meat. I had the Scholar divide the wine. Everyone got seven bottles, with two extras that I took for myself. I sent all nine bottles of wine into my dimensional storage; everyone else would have to carry their allocation. ¡°I gave you the deepest reds, Eryk. They have been the tastiest and densest wines we sampled,¡± Favian whispered to me conspiratorially. ¡°If you can manage to resist the urge to drink them, they will be worth a king¡¯s ransom to a First Citizen.¡± The old man was ever the optimist. I patted the older man on the shoulder, ¡°Thank you, Favian,¡± I said, dropping his Scholar honorific. ¡°I chose you because your language skills will be extremely useful in the dungeon.¡± He nodded sharply, ¡°I will do whatever I can to help.¡± A lot of the men were packing and repacking their gear out of nervousness. It was not like we were not going to take everything we possibly could into the dungeon with us. Brutus came and sat with us. ¡°Maveith, I hope you are bringing your checkers¡¯ board. I think we are going to have a lot of free time.¡± ¡°Most assuredly,¡± Maveith said, tapping the bag with the board inside. Maveith hesitated before asking in his baritone, ¡°Eryk, do you have your dreamscape amulet?¡± I just nodded. Maveith either wanted to see his sister again or bash some orcs by his happy nod. Lirkin was busy cooking and smoking as much as he could before we were ordered into the dungeon. It wasn¡¯t long after sunset that Castile suddenly stood. Her abrupt motion caused everyone to be quiet and turn to her. Her eyes were staring off into the distance. ¡°Enter the dungeon!¡± she said sharply. ¡°We do not have much time. No questions. Just go as soon as your team is together.¡± No one hesitated. Men raced to shoulder packs and grabbed items with their free hands. Remus, Soren, and Cyrus were the first to head into the snow tunnel. Adrian barked at them, ¡°Remember, you need to be touching each other when you enter!¡± Being the smallest group made it easy to organize and go first. My group was helping the Scholar pack the books he had been perusing. Firth, Wylie, Mateo, and Felix were next to enter a less than a minute later. I stepped near Castile to hear what she was saying to Adrian and Konstantin, ¡°The crazy elf summoned two wyverns. He is trying to control them now. We do not have time to waste.¡± Damn, the summoner liked his wyverns. Konstantin stepped closer to Castile, ¡°We should go next.¡± He was impatient as they were ready. Castile looked at him sharply, ¡°No, we will go last.¡± Flavius was shepherding his three charges into the tunnel at the moment. ¡°We are ready!¡± Brutus yelled to me from near the snow tunnel. Lucian had his group head into the tunnel, cutting in front of us as Brutus looked angrily at me, missing our opportunity to go next. The building shook as I took a step toward the tunnel. Dust spilled from the rafters, and the building groaned at the added weight of a wyvern. Brutus entered after Benito, ¡°Go, I yelled from behind Maveith.¡± Brutus was the first in my group to enter, followed by Favian. A hunched Brutus raced down the tunnel, with Maveith having difficulty keeping up as he was forced to crawl behind Favian. I was hunched over, pushing Maveith¡¯s ass to move faster. Blaze was behind me, the first member of the last group, Castile¡¯s group, ¡°Move faster!¡± he anxiously yelled as the snow above us suddenly thudded with debris as the wyvern destroyed the building. Chunks of wood and stone rained down, thudding into the stone tables that served as the tunnel''s ceiling. Some bricks even made it through the snow to our sides. The gate seemed so far away in the light of a dropped glowstone midway. A specter appeared right in front of me from the snowpack on my right. There was no way to draw my sword, but fortunately, I had the elven runic dagger. Maveith howled as the specter plowed into his hips. I stabbed repeatedly until the specter faded from existence. I realized Castile had the kettle of souls, so leaving the dungeon without it would be a problem. But that was a problem for future me. ¡°It is a rush of specters out here!¡± Adrian¡¯s voice rang back in the tavern. The wyverns tearing the tavern apart had attracted specters in the city to rush the building! This was about as bad a scenario as I could think of. A large number of specters might remain around the dungeon entrance even after the wyverns left. ¡°Move Maveith!¡± I pushed him harder, and a moment later, the black surface of the doorway to the dungeon embraced him, and I followed. Maveith was sprawled on his belly in front of me. The familiar stone surrounded us. We were in an oval chamber with only the dungeon exit and a single corridor. I breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Maveith, are you ok?¡± He groaned as he rolled over onto his back, rubbing his hip where the specter had contacted him. ¡°Wait, where are Favian and Brutus?¡± Maveith sat up slowly, a pained, apologetic look on his face. ¡°Sorry, Eryk. When the specter hit me, I lost contact with Scholar Favian. I shoved him forward through the portal, thinking we would be overrun.¡± I was not sure if I should be angry with Maveith. We had made it into the dungeon. I hoped the last group with Castile and the kettle of souls also made it. Maveith stood and had trouble putting weight on his leg. I knew the effect of the specter¡¯s attack would fade in a day or so. I pulled out the elven food from my dimensional space. Maveith¡¯s eyes went wide at the variety and amount, ¡°Where were you keeping all this?¡± I divided the elf rations in half. And handed it to Maveith, ¡°I kept a little in reserve. I need you strong to help in this dungeon. Eat what you can. We can harvest more food from the dungeon.¡± I walked the outer wall, finding the elven script I was searching for. I focused on it, translating the script. Unknown quadrant. Two shapeshifters in the room at the end of the corridor. Extremely dangerous. Well, shit. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 147: The Elven Children Chapter 147: The Elven Children ¡°It is beautiful,¡± Maveith noted. He was staring at the ceiling. The flowing river of lights and silvery flashes might be beautiful if you didn¡¯t know you were in a dungeon that was trying to kill you. ¡°Yes, Maveith, it is.¡± I couldn¡¯t get angry with the goliath as our teamwork was going to be important in getting through this. ¡°What do you know about shape changers? That is what is down this corridor,¡± I pointed. Maveith moved painfully to look down the corridor. It looked to go for maybe a hundred feet before opening into a room. Maveith considered my question, ¡°Many creatures can change shape. Doppelgangers are the most common in cities. I have never met one, at least not one I was aware of.¡± ¡°The elves wrote that they were extremely dangerous. Can you fight?¡± I asked my friend, and he affectionately rubbed the head of his hammer on his belt. ¡°Can we wait a day? I should regain movement and feeling in my leg by then,¡± Maveith said, rubbing at his hip. I nodded as waiting made sense, it would be suicide to rush through the dungeon. ¡°I will go scout. Have you ever been in a dungeon?¡± Maveith shook his head no. ¡°Well, my experience is limited, but so far, I learned that if you don¡¯t enter the rooms where the monsters are, they cannot attack you.¡± Maveith nodded, ¡°I heard a lot of dungeons have dangerous traps between rooms, and there were also some rooms that were safe to stay in.¡± Great. That was all we needed, traps. I hoped Maveith had not just jinxed us for mentioning it. ¡°I will be careful. Wait here, and I will be back in a few minutes,¡± I stood, adjusted the small round shield, and drew my black blade. I proceeded down the corridor to the room, doing my best to remain silent. I counted my steps, one hundred and six, probably the length of a football field. It made me worry just how large this dungeon might actually be. The light got brighter as I approached the room. It was a large room with a green carpet of moss and bushes dotting the floor. The bushes had blue-green leaves and dark blue berries. Movement caught my eye in the room, and I was speechless. A young elf child stood, perhaps only ten years old by human standards. She said something in elvish that I hadn¡¯t been paying close enough attention to catch. Another elf child stood on the other side of the chamber, this one a male and looked to be about the same age. Both were dressed in rags. I was paying attention this time as the boy spoke, ¡°Have you come to save us? Take us out of the dungeon?¡± The elf girl added, ¡°We have been trapped in the dungeon for so very long.¡± Both children had large, blue, innocent-looking eyes, and I immediately felt pity for them. I was still developing my elvish, so I took my time in responding. ¡°You can come with me. The exit is down this corridor,¡± I indicated behind me. I already knew these were the creatures in the warning written on the wall. ¡°Really!?¡± The female said excitedly. ¡°Can you come and help us carry our treasure out? You can have some for saving us.¡± I almost wanted to laugh at the obvious trap. ¡°What is this treasure?¡± I asked. They just wanted me to enter the room so they could attack me. I paused, considering maybe these shape changers had sapience? There were two exits from their room. I pointed at the other corridors, ¡°Where do those lead?¡± The boy pointed at the one, ¡°That one leads to a big, mean red bear.¡± He pointed at the other corridor, ¡°That is where we get our treasure. We can show you if you want.¡± I will admit the elven children in their rags looked innocent and convincing. Maybe the elves of Caelora were fooled by the act. I knew no one had entered the dungeon in fifteen hundred years, so still being children was impossible. Also, the warning on the wall helped. The children kept trying to lure me inside the chamber as I examined the mossy floor. Was there a danger there as well? Were those berries good to eat? I wished the Scholar or even Konstantin was here. Did I just wish for Konstantin? Well, his ability to know if something was safe to eat anyway. The elven girl started to approach cautiously, almost like I was the monster. She stopped ten feet from me, well within my range. I remained calm and unthreatening. ¡°If you don¡¯t want our treasure, maybe you want something else?¡± She said provocatively. I aligned a box over her head and attempted to move it into my dimensional space. I let out a small smile as I used my dimensional storage. I woke on the ground moments later with a splitting headache. The two elf children standing at the entrance, evil smirks on their faces. ¡°Look at the poor soldier boy,¡± the girl said. ¡°Did he hurt himself?¡± ¡°He tried something and failed. He is a failure,¡± the boy mocked me. I stood slowly, my aether barely recovered from bottoming out. The weird thing was that the shape changer had not resisted my attempt. It was like my ability had rebounded at the entrance to the room. I backed away from the smirking monsters. Thinking about what just happened, I was making a wild guess. The monsters could not leave the room. So, if you have a ranged weapon or spell, you could kill the creatures from the doorway. I needed to test my theory further. I waited until my aether recovered and removed a bow and a single arrow from my storage. The two children¡¯s eyes went wide, not in surprise but mocking merriment. I aimed at the girl and fired. My aim was true, but the arrow lost all momentum at the door and just fell into the room softly. The elf girl walked forward, picked up the arrow, and touched the sharp tip. ¡°I don¡¯t think he wants to play with us,¡± she said, locking eyes with me. She blinked, and her blue eyes went completely yellow before they were back to blue in the next blink. I started backing up as the two started laughing in a musical tone. I returned to find Maveith sitting against the wall. Several empty bags were nearby him from the elven rations I had given him. Maveith handed me a half-full bottle of wine, ¡°What did you find, Eryk?¡± ¡°Two demon tricksters were masquerading as children,¡± I said, sitting down next to him. ¡°They are blocking us from exploring further in the labyrinth, so we will have to deal with them. But that is a problem for tomorrow.¡± I finished the half bottle of wine and relieved myself along one of the walls. We set up our bedrolls just to the left of the exit of the dungeon. We were going to have to trust that we were safe in the entry room. I placed the amulet around my neck and told Maveith I was going into the dreamscape. He acknowledged my words before falling asleep himself. Maveith was too exhausted to even ask to join me. Entering the dreamscape, I was in the entry room as normal. I walked to the scorpion room, where I had stashed everything and everyone. I silenced the people and went to my bookshelf. I added a dozen of the elven books I had not gotten to yet and then pulled a book on aether shaping. During my time in the dungeon, I would focus on my magic, hoping to find magic essences in here eventually. Learning a displacement spell form was a waste of time, and I didn¡¯t have spell form manuals for my other high affinities. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Oscar sat in my lap while I studied, seeing we would not play. I spent eight hours inside the dreamscape going through the aether shaping and channeling exercises that I learned Damian, the healer, back during legion training before exiting. The practice inside the dreamscape was always more effective, and I made progress in my control of the aether, even though I was fairly sure my shaping had already been maxed. My limiting factor was my aether-shaping attribute. Maveith was still sleeping when I exited, his breathing hoarse but deep. I needed to get him a healing potion. My aether was over half recovered, and I stood. There was no point hiding things now. We were going to be dependent on each other. I pulled out the elven tablet table. I was cleaning it when Maveith stirred and woke. He looked confused at the table, ¡°Where did that come from?¡± ¡°I picked it up in the undercity. Have you never seen one before? It is a tablet reader,¡± I said nonchalantly. Maveith¡¯s brow was furrowed, and he was perplexed. I could see his mind working on the problem, and he came to the correct conclusion. ¡°Your dimensional space is much bigger than everyone thinks!¡± ¡°Bingo!¡± ¡°Bingo?¡± Maveith replied, once again confused and trying to puzzle out the meaning. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Maveith. I wanted to show you this to prove my dimensional space is slightly bigger than you thought,¡± I indicated the table. Maveith inspected the table, ¡°I have seen them before, but I have never used one.¡± His fingers ran across the displays. This table had everything, all attributes and all the affinities. But from my understanding, it was keyed to the elven race. ¡°Maveith, you just need to channel a tiny bit of aether in here,¡± I pointed to the handprint on the right side of the device. ¡°The results will come out in elven numerals, but I will read them to you,¡± I encouraged him. I was also curious about what his readings would be. Maveith placed his hand and forced his aether into the device. Nothing happened. Maybe it had been damaged and didn¡¯t work. ¡°I think I need to hold the other side of the table as well,¡± Maveith guessed. There was no handprint on the other side of the table, though. ¡°Try it and use a little more aether this time,¡± I encouraged him. Maveith gripped the edge of the table and placed his hand again. A heartbeat later, the table was illuminated in a soft glow, and numbers filled in after the eleven scripts on the table.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength 77/107 Intellect 20/38 Aether Pool 9/10
Power 60/90 Reasoning 34/46 Channeling 19/30
Quickness 38/55 Perception 29/40 Aether Shaping 15/16
Dexterity 22/40 Insight 15/30 Aether Tolerance 22/25
Endurance 44/90 Resilience 19/34 Aether Resistance 9/21
Constitution 39/101 Empathy 48/67 Prime Aether Affinity Earth
Coordination 23/33 Fortitude 30/50
Elemental Magics (Common)
Fire 0
Air 3
Water 0
Earth 14
Lightning (Energy) 7
Spirit (Healing) 0
Nature (Plant) 2
Unaffiliated Magics (Uncommon)
Charm (Mind) 0
Illusion 0
Clairvoyance 0
Protection (Guardian) 0
Necromancy 0
Celestial 0
Abyssal 0
Rare Magics
Space 0
Time 0
Displacement 0
Materialism 0
Worlds 0
Void 0
Convergence 0
His readings confirmed it was keyed to elven physiology. Maveith had two potentials past one hundred, where one hundred should have been the maximum. Well, that was how it worked on a human tablet anyway. I started reading off the numbers for Maveith. When I finished, I explained to him, ¡°Unless you fortified your stats with essences, they may have dropped while we starved in the city. It looks like Earth is the only spell form you can learn.¡± Maveith could shape stone, so he had already learned his one spell form. ¡°I have never consumed an essence,¡± he replied in his deep voice. ¡°I feel really weak and have lost a lot of weight since we entered the library. Can we check again when I am healthy and fit?¡± ¡°Sure thing, Maveith. Now, I need you to understand the size of my dimensional space is a secret. Can you keep that secret for me?¡± I said seriously. It didn¡¯t take long for Maveith to nod, ¡°I understand, Eryk. What about you? Are you going to use the device?¡± Maveith questioned. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA.
Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Maveith¡¯s question on whether I would also use the reader hung in the air. Maveith¡¯s physical attributes were impressive for an elf, I guess. I wanted to build trust with the goliath but was worried about him seeing my high magic affinities. He may not be able to read Elvish, but he could probably figure out numbers fairly quickly, and there were just too many non-zeros in my affinity. I decided in a distraction, ¡°I don¡¯t think so, at least not right now anyway. I wanted to show you this.¡± I placed the obsidian stone on the floor. I could still feel the heat emanating from it. ¡°I found it my first time in the dungeon.¡± That was sort of true, as I hadn¡¯t realized I had been carrying it until then. Maveith approached the stone, his hand just inches away. His brow furrowed, ¡°A fire starter? This would have been useful, but perhaps we can use it to cook inside the dungeon. Brutus had most of our firewood in his pack.¡± ¡°Exactly what I was thinking. But I just thought it was thermal stone for heating a room,¡± I replied, feeling the heat for myself. The air in the dungeon was cool but not cold. Maveith apparently knew a little bit about thermal stones, ¡°There are different grades of thermal stones. It depends on how fast they can convert aether into heat. The material they are made from is mined and shaped on Stone Mountain Island, and artificers from around the world purchase it from goliath miners and crafters,¡± he said proudly. He touched the stone and drew his hand back. ¡°This is a high-quality fire starter. The more aether you channel into it, the hotter it will get. To cook, just channel the aether until it turns red.¡± The gray-skinned goliath considered the stone, ¡°It should remain hot for an hour or so before cooling off slowly based on its size.¡± ¡°How long do they last? How many times can I charge it?¡± I asked the goliath. Maveith shrugged, going to his pack for materials to cook. ¡°As long as the stone is not damaged, it should last forever. My father,¡± he paused, ¡°my father had one passed down from my great grandfather. We should cook something,¡± Maveith said excitedly. He had a lot of weight to put back on, so I was not surprised. He went to his pack and pulled out the mostly frozen fillet. He soon hummed to himself as he charged the stone to red color and carefully balanced the pot on the stone. He meticulously watched and cooked the fish. Without oil, the skin stuck to the pan, but Maveith didn¡¯t seem to care about the lost nutrition. He was happy about the normalcy of cooking and reminiscing about cooking with the thermal stone. The smell of the cooking fish soon permeated the room, and as Maveith focused on that task, I figured out how to clear the tablet reader. The surface was blank, and without Maveith seeing it, I activated it, cleared it, and returned it to my dimensional space. I took a place to sit along the wall to puzzle out my reading. I had to think way back to my last reading to calculate the changes in my head. None of my affinities for magic had changed.
Elemental Magics (Common)
Fire 0
Air 0
Water 0
Earth 6
Lightning (Energy) 8
Spirit (Healing) 23
Nature (Plant) 0
Unaffiliated Magics (Uncommon)
Charm (Mind) 5
Illusion 0
Clairvoyance 0
Protection (Guardian) 30
Necromancy 0
Celestial 0
Abyssal 0
Rare Magics
Space 98
Time 90
Displacement 61
Materialism 9
Worlds 88
Void 22
Convergence 74
My physical, mental, and magical attributes had changed; some of them had even decreased.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (-7/+0) 45/80 Intellect (-2/+0) 29/54 The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Aether Pool (+0/+0) 16/22
Power (-2/+1) 46/84 Reasoning (-5/+0) 44/61 Channeling (+7/+2) 21/57
Quickness (-5/+0) 30/49 Perception (-4/+1) 50/61 Aether Shaping (+2/+0) 8/8
Dexterity (+0/+0) 39/60 Insight (-3/+0) 32/49 Aether Tolerance (+8/+0) 32/50
Endurance (-3/+0) 64/95 Resilience (-2/+0) 45/71 Aether Resistance (+1/+0) 8/19
Constitution (-8/+1) 42/69 Empathy (+0/+1) 12/22 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (-4/+0) 42/63 Fortitude (-5/+0) 48/89 Minor Aether Affinity Time
The first thing I tried to puzzle out was with the essences I had consumed, my potentials seemed right in line with expectations. But if this tablet reader were made for the elven physiology, wouldn¡¯t my potentials be different? Some type of sliding scale? The second part of my confusion was the decrease in my attributes. With weeks of starvation, it made sense I would lose attributes. I was probably twenty-five pounds lighter, if not more. Maybe I would recover quickly with the more food that I consumed. I thought back to the other men in the company, and our fighting effectiveness had definitely dropped, but not as much as you would think for how little we were eating. Konstantin had mentioned that the essences fortified your attributes and made it more difficult to lose ground over time. Maybe my slow aging also played an effect in helping mediate my losses? I thought I had fared much better than a lot of the others in the company. Maveith had finished cooking and presented me with half the large fillet. The fish was flaky and tasted buttery except for the tiny strings of cartilage, which I had just swallowed. Maveith ate contentedly as well, savoring the fish while the fire started slowly changing from red to black in its cooling process. ¡°Are you healthy enough to fight?¡± I asked Maveith a while after the meal. He nodded slowly, ¡°I can swing my hammer. What are we facing?¡± ¡°Two shapeshifters that are masquerading as elven children. They tried to trick me to come into the room. The room is covered in a carpet of green moss. I am not sure if it conceals any danger.¡± I pointed at the wall, ¡°Apparently, this room was an unpopular starting point as the elves did not map it.¡± Maveith stood painfully, wincing as he stood. ¡°We should also try and find the others.¡± He pulled his hammer from the loop on his belt and nodded to me. To Maveith¡¯s amazement, I stored both our packs in my dimensional space. Best not to be slowed down by them. Together, we made our way down the corridor, side by side. The width and height of the passage were around ten feet to a side. As we approached, the two elven children were standing at the entryway, blocking our access to the room. The boy spoke in elvish, ¡°Look, he has returned and brought a friend.¡± The girl added, ¡°I think they have come to play. It has been so long since we played with anyone.¡± Maveith¡¯s hands flexed along the handle of his sledgehammer and questioned me, ¡°What are they saying? Their mannerisms seem unnatural for children.¡± The girl switched to Latin, ¡°Oh, the big one speaks the new tongue. I want to play with him first!¡± I couldn¡¯t help my own curiosity and asked the pair, ¡°Are you the dungeon talking through these creatures?¡± ¡°He calls us creatures! You are the creature! Coming in here to kill and loot over and over again,¡± the girl berated me in Latin. ¡°We are not the dungeon. Just playthings of it. If you are not going to play with us, leave.¡± ¡°I have never heard of creatures in a dungeon talking before,¡± Maveith said worriedly. ¡°Are you sure we should be fighting them?¡± The boy teased Maveith, ¡°Look, you have scared the big one. He is going to be too afraid to enter now.¡± ¡°Back up to the center of the room, and we will enter,¡± I requested of the pair. Could you even reason with these creatures? The two looked at each other creepily, then back at us. They started to take steps back, their bare feet leaving footprints in the mossy ground that quickly disappeared. ¡°Maveith, we cannot leave the dungeon as there was a rush swarming the tavern, and the summoner¡¯s wyverns may be there. We only have one path to follow in the labyrinth, and it leads us here. I will take the girl, and you can take the boy?¡± I said it softly, but it was clear the creatures overheard as they failed to hide a smirk and were anticipating the fight. ¡°They have no weapons,¡± Maveith said, assessing our opponents who stood twenty feet apart in the center of the chamber awaiting us. ¡°Shape changers, remember. My guess is once we enter, they will change their form. Ready?¡± Maveith studied the two children and slowly nodded. I rushed forward, prepared to use my ability, and react to anything. The ground was spongy as I led with my round shield and black blade in the other hand. The two children just smiled, and I risked a glance at Maveith, who was two steps behind. I had let my adrenaline get the better of me. Twenty feet from the children, their eyes blinked to a yellow. The girl¡¯s body started rapidly stretching first, quickly tearing through the rags she wore as she gained girth and height. Her skin stretched and became gray and veiny. Her messy hair retracted into her body as her face head became bald and ridged with bones over the eyes. The creature had grown from less than four feet to over eight in the short time it took to cover the ground. Long, lanky arms sported imposing black claws. The rags gone; the creature appeared genderless. The creature took a defensive stance as I reached it. The creature¡¯s head suddenly disappeared. My aether bottomed out after a brief struggle with its resistance. I changed my direction, pivoting in the moss, and my black blade slid into the outline of the ribs on the boy that had also grown into the similar horror. The surprised creature backhanded me, and I easily intercepted the strike with my shield. I did not expect its immense strength as I was flung back, and my sword hilt was torn from my grasp. I had held it long enough to wrench the blade sideways through the body. I skidded on the carpet of moss, the berry bushes slowing me slightly. I caught Maveith swinging his hammer into the knee of the creature. It had turned to face me, giving the goliath a wide opening. A satisfying pop resounded in the room as the knee bent at the wrong angle, and the creature fell to its knees. Maveith was already winding up for another swing at the creature¡¯s head. As the blow was coming, the creature¡¯s arm lashed out and grabbed the shaft, preventing the goliath from completing a swing. The creature¡¯s arms were deceptively long even as the seven-foot-plus goliath towered over the kneeling body. The other hand punched out into Maveith¡¯s leather armor, causing him to backpedal while releasing air in a huff. These things were just too strong. The only good sign was my black blade embedded in the creature was dripping a stream of blue-black blood. Its flat face had no mouth, but it still managed to hiss in pain and anger, but no recognizable words came from it. Standing, I realized my shield shoulder was dislocated. Pain flared when I tried to move, and I was unable to raise my arm, so I let the shield fall to the mossy ground. I drew the elven dagger with my good hand but kept my distance. ¡°Maveith, how are you doing, big guy?¡± Maveith coughed painfully as he supported his weight on his hammer. ¡°Some broken ribs, but I can still fight.¡± The creature was looking back and forth between us as we flanked it now. It touched my sword exploratorily, but it decided not to extract it. With the flow of blood coming off the sword, I doubted it could live much longer. Maveith had destroyed one knee, so it should remain immobile. We watched as it struggled to stand and then gave up and lay down on the mossy floor. ¡°Keep an eye on it,¡± I said, moving to the other creature¡¯s corpse. The aether-rich dungeon was helping me recover quicker than normal, but it was still going to take some time before I could bring out the collector. Minutes passed slowly until I finally materialized the collector. I placed it on the corpse, and thick blue smoke was pulled from the body and onto the collector. ¡°What is that? Do you have a collector?¡± Maveith asked from the far side of the room. ¡°Yes,¡± was my short reply as the smoke coalesced in an apex essence. A myriad of ever-shifting colors swam inside the sphere as I picked it up. It felt weighty in my hand, denser than previous apex essences I had held. I slipped the essence under my armor and into a pocket. I circled wide of the creature and stood next to Maveith. He was audibly wheezing. I just hoped the reward for this room contained a healing potion. ¡°Give me a few minutes, and I will retrieve your bow for you. You can make sure the other one is dead. ¡°If you have your own bow in there, perhaps it is best if you shoot it. I think it might be too painful to draw my bow,¡± he said with difficulty. I laughed, ¡°My shoulder is dislocated, but I can wait until I can heal myself. Go sit down and rest, Maveith. I will watch it.¡± Maveith gratefully collapsed onto his back on the mossy floor. I stood over him. ¡°Grab my wrist and pull straight down,¡± I swung my arm to him, and he reached up. I figured it would save some aether if he got it back in the socket. Maveith yanked down, and a soft pop resounded in my body. It had not been too bad. I was able to move the arm but raising it above my head was a burning pain. Minutes later, I drew the bow and missed from ten feet. Konstantin¡¯s voice echoed in my head, mocking me. Truthfully, I almost missed it now. My second, third, and fourth shots connected without the creature stirring. Cautiously, I moved in with the collector and used it to the same effect as the first time. Another swirling prismatic orb. From my experience, it was definitely a magic essence. I had Castile¡¯s library in the dreamscape, so I should be able to find it. Now, if I were a reward chest, where would I be hiding? ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 149: A Song of Moss and Fire Chapter 149: The reward chest was not challenging to find. It was in the middle of a bush and was the same solid stone box I had found before, with no way to open it other than shattering it. This one was slightly larger, which gave me hope for a good haul. I turned it in my hand, and it clinked with coins and something heavier. I went to Maveith and sat beside him, shaking the box. ¡°Got the reward chest here, Maveith. Hoping it contains a healing potion for you,¡± Maveith looked over, interest and hope clearly on his face. I smashed the box with the elven dagger hilt, and it crumbled like before when I compromised it. I sifted through the debris and found thirty-six large blank silver coins and an apex essence in the mossy carpet. The golf ball-sized sphere was a faded purple. Intelligence, if I remember correctly. ¡°Did it have a healing potion?¡± Maveith asked, rolling on his side to look at the loot. ¡°No, it is just some silver coins and an apex essence,¡± I replied, holding up the sphere. ¡°Apex?¡± Maveith questioned, sitting up. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Essences come in three sizes. The smallest are called lesser or minor essences, depending on who you ask and what you read,¡± I produced the minor dark green quickness essence and handed it to him. ¡°The middle size is called greater or major essences. They are about twice the diameter of the minor ones.¡± I let Maveith study the minor essence before continuing. ¡°The final ones are called apex essences. They are highly valued because they can raise your potential.¡± I handed him the light purple sphere I had just obtained. Maveith turned the balls in his hand and focused on them, ¡°Flavius asked me if I ever saw you use an essence collector that matches that description.¡± ¡°What did you tell him, Maveith?¡± I asked, curious. ¡°I said no.¡± He looked at me, ¡°Did you have that the entire time? You should have used it on the manticores,¡± Maveith¡¯s tired voice rumbled. ¡°I did. I was able to harvest all three of the manticores while you were recovering in the cabin.¡± I pulled out another apex essence, ¡°it produced an apex essence from the young manticore.¡± The sphere was blue and had white cloud-like wisps inside, reminding me of the sky. ¡°This was from the young manticore.¡± I handed it to him. ¡°Why is this one so much prettier than the others?¡± Maveith said, intently focused on the magical spheres. ¡°I think it is because it can enhance a magic affinity.¡± I said truthfully. Maveith made to hand the three essences back to me. ¡°Take one and consume it. The green is quickness, the pale purple is intellect, and the cloudy one is the magical affinity. I may be able to find out what it is once I study the books Castile left in the dreamscape.¡± It did not take long before the gray-skinned man handed me back the two apex essences and placed the green one in his mouth. His expression went through a range of emotions, ¡°I feel tingly like electric currents are being fired through my muscles.¡± Just a few seconds later, he said, disappointed, ¡°The feeling is gone. I do not feel any different.¡± ¡°It takes dozens of essences to affect real change. But there is a secret. Essences can help fortify an attribute and make it more difficult to lose points,¡± I told him of the secret Konstantin revealed. I still kind of felt like an ass and greedy just giving him the one essence. I should probably share the manticore and shape changer essences with him in the future. I stood. ¡°I am going to explore the corridors. Is there anything we can get from the bodies of the shape changers?¡± Maveith painfully stood and went to the nearby creature. ¡°It has muscle, but some monsters have toxic meat. I think these are mountain berries,¡± he indicated the bushes. He plucked one and chewed it before spitting it out. ¡°It tastes like mountain berries as well. The moss looks like common moss used for stopping bleeding by soldiers and women.¡± Maveith¡¯s tongue and teeth were stained a deep blue-purple. ¡°I do not know how long it will take for the shape changers to reappear, but I think we have at least a day. Why don¡¯t you harvest the berries while I check the corridors?¡± I offered the goliath. ¡°Okay, Eryk. Do not be too long,¡± he said as he looked at my first kill. The stump of the head had soaked the moss in a large area with its dark blood. ¡°Where is the head of the other one?¡± A slight panic hit me, and I walked to the beheaded creature and then circled the room. I placed the head behind a bush out of Maveith¡¯s sight. I picked it up to show him, ¡°It just rolled a little way over here.¡± Maveith nodded, accepting, ¡°I was focused on mine and did not even see your strike. Just the body falling to the ground.¡± I thought I would keep some of my secrets if I could. Maveith was not stupid; he just took time to puzzle things out and usually came to the correct answer. The more we traveled together here, the more he would see and learn. I placed one of the twenty-gallon water casks on the moss. Water sloshed inside as I shook it, but not much remained. Maveith¡¯s eyebrow raised at the size of the cask, processing that it came from my space. ¡°Fill the canteen and use this to harvest the berries.¡± The other water cask in my dimensional space was full as I had only used this one to fill my canteen. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. There were two exits from this room. I faced the corridor where we entered and recalled what the shapeshifters had said. One corridor led to a dark room with treasure, and the other corridor led to a large, mean red bear. How did they even know the bear was mean if they could not leave their room? I looked down the corridor that had the dark room, and a black void was just fifty feet away. It did not look like a dungeon exit, though. I walked halfway to it and stopped. I had an ominous feeling start to creep in on me. I took another step, still twenty feet from the dark room. The light from the ceiling and floor did not penetrate the room. Even my glowstone could not shed light into the room. My uneasiness was too strong. I started backpedaling and returned to find Maveith lining the barrel with moss. I realized I had cold sweat on my face as Maveith looked up at me, waiting for a report. ¡°There is a dark room that light cannot penetrate. I did not enter, and it felt dangerous.¡± ¡°Maybe we can try together if the other corridor is not feasible as well,¡± Maveith offered supportively. ¡°Maybe,¡± I said, but I did not even want to enter that corridor again. I walked to the other corridor and could not even see the end. Remembering Maveith¡¯s warning of traps, I used the butt of my spear like a blind man¡¯s cane as I proceeded, counting my steps. About one hundred feet down, a side corridor opened to my left. The corridor I was following continued in a straight line, and there appeared to be an end in sight. I decided to continue down the corridor, and I reached room in just over a hundred feet. I paused at the entrance to the room, taking it in. The ceiling was maybe forty feet and had flashes of red, differentiating it from the ceilings I had seen so far. The room was also a massive hexagon, maybe eighty feet across. A massive mound of earth dominated the chamber¡¯s center, and the floor appeared to be a soft black soil. Around the chamber were nine apple trees that I could see, but maybe more beyond the mound, I could not. I did not see an exit from the room, but the mound blocked my line of sight. The apples on the trees were all bright red and looked delicious. I studied the room, not wanting to take a step in. I remembered the lesson with the scorpion, where I had been trapped inside after entering. I finally picked something out: there were bear prints in the soil. Very large bear prints. I whistled as loud as I could, hoping to draw out the monster that guarded this room. I heard a heavy snort, and a red gargantuan bear sauntered from the other side of the mound. This bear was easily twice the size of the gray one I had killed. Its body rippled with fat and muscle as it walked. It had short red hair that seemed to shimmer like flame. The bear noticed me but did not charge. It just walked to one of the apple trees, its massive head sniffing, finding an apple it liked, and its long tongue wrapped around, pulling it free. It crunched into the apple, its massive jaws crushing it and causing a foamy drool to form. It eyed me as it ate apple after apple. It was clearly waiting for me to enter. Was there just one red bear? It did not look like a normal bear. Did it have a hidden power? I stepped into the room hesitantly. The corridor did not seal behind, allowing me to exhale in relief. The bear finished its current apple but did not charge me. It just watched me. I realized this bear was much smarter than a normal bear. It knew I could run if it charged. It yawned, acting unconcerned, but took a half step in my direction. I remained near the corridor, not planning to move further into the chamber. The red bear took another step toward me. I did not move. It took patient step after patient step, its eyes locked to mine. Its head was at eye level with me as it approached. The eyes were a deep red, almost black, as it approached. When it reached fifteen feet, the extreme range of my reach, its body suddenly tensed, ready to rush and reach me before I could flee. It never got its chance, as the front half of its head had been removed. The body collapsed quickly, and I could see the reward chest appear on top of the mound behind the bear after its body dropped. Yeah, I was cheating the dungeon out of a fight, but I did not care. I just hoped the dungeon did not have a consciousness and started to change the rooms to counter my ability. I climbed the mound, eager to check the chest. The stone case was easily shattered to reveal twenty large silver coins and two potion vials. I recognized the runic writing on one of the dungeon potions, as it was the same one, I had received after defeating the gray bear. I had a healing potion for Maveith¡ªa greater healing potion. The other potion had unfamiliar runic writing, but I could probably find out what it was in the books Castile manifested inside the dreamscape. I sent the coins and the unknown potion to storage as I approached the bear. The essence collector ready, it worked rapidly, pulling in the smokey essence to form a black sphere that flickered with red and orange flames. Another apex magic essence. I sent the essence and collector to storage, took the apex essence of intellect, and consumed the large, faded purple sphere. It dissolved on my tongue and tasted like cotton candy, or maybe that is just what I wanted it to taste like as it rapidly dissolved. I quickly received a brain freeze as the essence worked. I was grateful for getting a huge multiplicative of effectiveness from essences, but the physiological changes were much more pronounced for me, especially when I consumed apex essences. Grateful as the feeling faded, I looked at the bear. With the elven blade, I quickly cut a sizable bear steak. I carried the steak back down the long corridor to return to Maveith as proof of my victory. Maveith was hunched over a berry bush and looked up; his lips were a bright blue. ¡°Sampling the merchandise, Maveith?¡± I questioned him. ¡°The berries are extremely sweet,¡± he smiled; his teeth were a deep blue. At least I had a few drafts of the mouthwash in my dimensional space. ¡°Is that meat?¡± I held up the steak, ¡°From a bear with rippling red fur that reminded me of fire as it moved.¡± Maveith¡¯s brow furrowed in thought, ¡°A fire bear? They are dangerous foes. No fire, magical or normal, can harm them; they are incredibly strong and fast.¡± ¡°Yeah, it was a tough fight. Do you want to go help harvest the rest of it? Maybe after you drink this healing potion?¡± I held up the prize in my other hand. Maveith¡¯s eyes went wide, focusing on the tiny vial. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 150 Dungeon Wanderings Chapter 150 Dungeon Wanderings Maveith drank the healing potion, and his face instantly relaxed. He must have been in intense pain as a euphoric expression came across his face. He started to rotate his torso, a smile coming across his face. He picked up his hammer and swung it in an arc above his head, grinning as he did so. His deep voice echoed in the room, ¡°Thank you, Eryk. I can help you fight the dungeon creatures now.¡± Maveith¡¯s eyes focused on the bear steak. He licked his dark blue stained lips, ¡°Do you want me to cook that?¡± I pulled out our packs and the thermal stone, and Maveith got to work cooking. ¡°A shame we don¡¯t have salt and pepper,¡± Maveith said regretfully. ¡°We do,¡± I said and deposited one of three five-pound bags of sea salt and the bag of peppercorns on the mossy ground. Maveith¡¯s eyes were bugging out of his face. I explained not using them earlier, ¡°I did not see the value in flavoring our meager offerings with the company. If I had revealed this in the tavern, others would have become aware of my larger dimensional space. Castile was able to keep my larger space from being known by the company.¡± ¡°Castile knows?¡± Maveith said, taking the salt and pepper reverently. I think the appearance of the two common spices surprised him more than the large elven tablet table. At least he was more appreciative of them. ¡°Castile, Delmar, and Adrian,¡± I paused. ¡°Just Castile and Adrian now.¡± Maveith carefully counted peppercorns to grind like he was already rationing them. ¡°I have two more bags of salt, but that is all the peppercorns I have.¡± Maveith nodded but focused on crushing the peppercorns and not losing any of the spice. While Maveith cooked, I tried one of the berries. It tasted like blueberries, but the juice was thicker with the consistency of syrup. I started eating them by the handful, believing they were not poisonous. Maveith charged the thermal stone, cut the steak into one-inch cubes, lightly seasoned them, and then seared all six sides, forming a brown crust. He handed me the first one, and it practically melted in my mouth with an explosion of flavor, the center just slightly pink. I was unsure whether bears from the dungeon carried trichinosis like bears from my world, but I figured with magic and increased stats we would be alright, and Maveith did not seem to worry so I didn¡¯t either. I had forgotten how salt and pepper magnified your taste buds. The flavors were dancing on my taste buds and lingered after I swallowed the first piece. Maveith tried one next, and soon they were gone, and he was working on the second batch to finish off the steak. ¡°We should harvest the bear after this. This is some of the best bear meat I have ever cooked,¡± Maveith voiced eagerly while turning the cubes. I let Maveith have most of the second cooking of the bear meat, and then we picked up camp and headed to harvest the bear. It had been almost two hours since I had killed it, and I was wondering if it would still be there. ¡°Where does that lead?¡± Maveith asked of the side passage halfway to the bear mound chamber. ¡°I did not explore it yet. Best to keep things simple and explore one room at a time,¡± I counseled. Not that I was an experienced dungeon delver myself. I immediately knew something was wrong as we reached the chamber. The bear should have been visible, but I did not see the carcass. ¡°Are those apple trees?¡± Maveith said excitedly, not seeing the worry on my face about the missing bear. ¡°Wait, Maveith. The bear is gone. Stay here,¡± I stepped into the room, expecting the fire bear to have respawned. I circled along the outer wall to the other side of the chamber. The mound had a cave entrance opposite our door. From a distance, I tossed in a glowstone and it was not very deep and also empty¡ªjust a shallow den. ¡°It is fine, Maveith. You can enter,¡± Maveith immediately plucked an apple and then crunched into it, chewing and savoring it. I had a cynical thought. Without Konstantin here, I had Maveith as a poison taster. I knew I should not be thinking that way as I considered him a friend, but I could not help it. ¡°Pick some apples, and let¡¯s go back to the blueberry room.¡± ¡°Why? Shouldn¡¯t we be exploring further in the dungeon?¡± Maveith asked, his jaws working loudly on his second apple. ¡°I just want to check and see if the bodies are gone. The dungeon reclaimed the bear quickly, but we were in the blueberry room for half a day, and the bodies never disappeared,¡± I voiced my thoughts. I dropped some dirty socks from my space under one of the apple trees to see if the dungeon reclaimed them by the time we returned. Maveith soon had forty apples on a tarp, and we retreated from the room. I paused in the corridor, Maveith following suit. The socks under the tree slowly sank into the earth and disappeared. It had only taken the dungeon seconds to claim them after we vacated the room. ¡°Did you see that?¡± I asked Maveith. ¡°I did.¡± He thought for a moment, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t leave anything behind,¡± he noted while eating another apple. I nodded, thinking we had been lucky not to leave the tablet table or barrel of berries behind while exploring. It was also somewhat spooky. Could the dungeon just absorb us at any time? I knew I now had a new source for my nightmares. We returned to the blueberry room but did not enter. The bodies of the shape changers were gone. They had not revived, as there was no movement in the open room and nowhere to hide. ¡°I think the berries bushes are full again,¡± Maveith noted excitedly. ¡°I stripped every bush to fill the barrel, but they are flush with berries again!¡± That seemed awfully fast, but then again, dungeons drew on aether from magical ley lines. I decided not to enter, and we returned to the fire bear room. The apple trees that Maveith had picked had much smaller apples, like they were in the middle of growing, compared to the large fist-sized ones he had picked already. The question was, how long did it take for the creatures to respawn? If we never left a room, would they never return? No, I remember my first trip into a dungeon, and there were special safe rooms like the entry room. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Maveith, we need to look for the others and find a safe room. It is a room like where we entered with the elvish writing on the wall.¡± Maveith abruptly let out a long, wet-sounding fart. He rushed to remove his leather leggings and squat nearby. Squatting, he said, ¡°I am fine. I just ate too many berries and apples,¡± he said as disturbing sounds echoed in the chamber as he emptied his bowels. He probably had eaten a few pounds of berries and apples to go with his bear steak. I waited and harvested some apples while Maveith groaned, painting the earthen floor. I decided to stay away from that particular area. I knew my own time of having a substantial bowel movement was in the near future. I distracted myself by thinking of our needs. We needed water, so we needed to find a room with water. My twenty gallons might last us twenty days at most of heavy activity. But weren¡¯t apples mostly water? There had to be two or three hundred apples on the trees, maybe more. Maveith finished his business, and we spent a few hours harvesting three bushels of apples. Picking the apples kind of made me miss Ginger, but I was glad she had not come with us. If she had survived to make it to the library, she most likely would have been used to feed the company. Maveith looked much healthier and was moving without any pain. With all the apples in my storage, I announced, ¡°As we explore, we will always take the right corridor.¡± Maveith nodded in agreement, and we started walking down the corridor opposite the fire bear den. Forty strides, and we come to a T intersection. Both corridors looked identical. We turned right, as agreed, and came to a small room, maybe thirty feet across. We studied the room without entering it. The floor was a dark blue marble, and only the ceiling illuminated the room. Each of the three walls had a sizeable alcove covered in thick vines. The vines were dotted with small red flowers that had yellow veins. Maveith was standing over me as we both took everything in. ¡°I don¡¯t see any creatures,¡± Maveith¡¯s voice echoes into the room. His large hammer was in his hand. ¡°The vines are fairly thick, so something could be hiding there¡ªor even the vines themselves are dangerous,¡± I said, remembering the shambling mounds. ¡°Are the plants familiar to you?¡± I asked my companion. He hesitated, ¡°No. I have not seen anything like them. There is also no exit from this room.¡± ¡°It could be a safe room,¡± I guessed. ¡°But I say we don¡¯t enter and turn around,¡± I looked up at Maveith, who nodded in agreement. We left the vine room undisturbed and followed the corridor back to the intersection, taking the other route. Maveith noticed first, ¡°The corridor is turning. I think we are slowing turning right.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that is a bad thing or not,¡± I muttered, unhappy with how little I knew about dungeons. I lamented never reading any books on dungeons in the Duchess¡¯ library. I lost count of steps after one hundred as we followed the slowly curving corridor. It eventually straightened out, but there was no end in sight. I was guessing we had walked almost a quarter mile without seeing a side corridor or a room. ¡°Should we turn around?¡± Maveith asked, also feeling uncomfortable at the monotonous scenery. I considered before replying, ¡°Let¡¯s see this one to the end.¡± After another three hundred steps, it finally looked like a room ahead. I think I was more worried now about the size of the dungeon and finding the others from the company. ¡°Water,¡± Maveith intoned behind me, and I heard it too. We approached the entry and were amazed at the site beyond. A massive domed room, maybe three hundred feet across, was being fed by a waterfall at its zenith. The waterfall created a misty environment that resulted in a myriad of rainbows from the illuminated ceiling. A large pool dominated the center of the room, and waist-high grass surrounded it the pool. ¡°Do you see any creatures?¡± I asked, studying the room intently. Maveith had over a foot of height on me, ¡°There is something in the grass.¡± The sound of the water splashing into the pool prevented us from being able to hear anything. A head suddenly appeared above the grass. It looked like a weird giant chicken with a yellow and red crest of feathers. It flapped its wings, which were featherless, leathery, and dark gray. ¡°Maybe something bigger in here feeds on them?¡± I guessed. A second of the oversized chickens raised their heads elsewhere in the grass. It turned to face us, and Maveith¡¯s large palm covered my face. His hand smelled foul as he dragged me backward. I was too surprised to resist. ¡°Those are not chickens, Eryk,¡± his voice was somewhat panicky. I let him pull me almost twenty feet before freeing myself from his grasp, spitting the foul taste out of my mouth. ¡°What, Maveith?¡± I asked for an explanation of his rough and unpleasant treatment. ¡°Cockatrices.¡± Maveith rasped out in his deep but worried voice. My blank stare had him explain further, ¡°They have the gaze of a Medusa. They can turn you to stone, petrify your flesh.¡± I started to look back, but Maveith grabbed my shoulders and prevented me. ¡°I have seen them hooded and for sale in the city of Balsa. They are a plague on the plains, and the nobility hunts them for sport and for their meat for banquets. You either need to hunt them blindfolded or with magical sight. With that waterfall in there, we have no chance of fighting them. We must seek another path,¡± he implored. I nodded in agreement. ¡°How many did you see?¡± I asked the goliath, who was still uneasy. ¡°At least three, but the grass was high. There could be many more. Please tell me we are not entering that room,¡± Maveith pleaded. I gave it some thought and finally nodded. I knew what a medusa was from mythology and did not want to be turned into a statue. ¡°There was a corridor on the far side of the room. It may be our only option.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just leave the dungeon?¡± Maveith intoned, still clearly upset at the cockatrices. I reminded him, ¡°No. We need to find Castile and the kettle of souls to return to Caelora. Otherwise, we will be swarmed by specters.¡± We began the walk back to the fire bear room. We waited and confirmed it had not been revived before entering. The apples had already started regrowing on the trees. Instead of returning to the shapeshifter room, we turned right down the unexplored corridor. The corridor ended in a Y intersection, and I was glad we had more options. We took the right corridor and soon reached a rectangular room. ¡°Well, this doesn¡¯t look quite as bad as cockatrices,¡± Maveith muttered merrily, his fright evaporating from seeing the cockatrices. He pulled his hammer off his belt loop. ¡°Maveith, I hate spiders,¡± I bemoaned at our misfortune. The entire room was covered from floor to ceiling in thick webbing that shimmered with the illumination from the ceiling and floor. The thick strands vibrated slightly from the unseen spiders hiding within. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 151 A Sticky Surprise Chapter 151 A Sticky Surprise Spiders. Of course, it would be spiders. The room looked to have a high ceiling, maybe twenty feet. The strands dominated the long room, making seeing to the other side difficult. The webbing also created lots of shadows and corners for spiders to hide in. Other than the sticky-looking webs vibrating slightly, I could not see a single spider. Maveith also confirmed but had bad news with his observation, ¡°I cannot see any movement but the thickness of the strands,¡± he paused, ¡°they have to be very large spiders.¡± Shit, that did not even occur to me. The glistening strands were as thick as my wrist. ¡°Maybe we should try the other corridor,¡± I offered to the goliath. Maveith sucked on his teeth; his lips were still purple from the blueberries. ¡°This is the third room we have not entered. Fourth, if you add the dark room,¡± he said slowly in consideration. ¡°We cannot avoid every room, Eryk. Spiders are not too difficult.¡± ¡°We will check the last corridor first,¡± I said as a compromise. ¡°Then try one of the rooms.¡± We returned to the Y intersection and followed the other corridor. Maveith immediately got excited as we approached the end of the corridor. I was focused on the thick, black, oily pools scattered through a long wide room. The reflecting river of light from the ceiling made the pools seem to move. Maveith¡¯s excitement was due to the gold statue at the room¡¯s far end. I don¡¯t think the dungeon could have been more obvious that it was a trap. My eyes focused on the statue, an elf wielding a sword. The statue was gold, and there were no monsters in sight. It would be easy to get close, move it into my dimensional space, and leave. This was probably a safe room, too. That made sense, as only a safe room would have a golden statue. Maveith bumped me as he stepped past into the room. My eyes looked up at the goliath to yell at him for trying to get to the statue first. As soon as my focus left the statue, a fog lifted from my mind. I grabbed the back of Maveith¡¯s leather armor and yanked him hard, pulling him out of the room. He had only taken a single step inside, and I was fortunate he had not expected my yank. Unfortunately, he stepped back onto my boot, which caused me to fall backward, followed by Maveith. Having a large, odorous goliath fall on top of you is unpleasant. His weight knocked the air from me, and I was pressed into the floor uncomfortably. ¡°Maveith,¡± I grunted, ¡°it is a trap. The statue is affecting your mind! Do not look at it!¡± When Maveith removed his considerable weight from me, I focused on the chamber floor, healing my knee that had been strained from his weight. The oil slicks on the floor were stretching toward us in amorphous limbs. They reached the archway to the room and flattened against an invisible barrier, unable to leave. ¡°What the hell is that!¡± I said while scuttling back and standing. I reminded Maveith, ¡°Do not look at the statue.¡± If I had been alone, I might have walked into the room oblivious to the danger. Maveith shielded his eyes to just look down at the roiling black ooze. ¡°I do not know. Maybe an ooze. Never heard of a black ooze before.¡± The black elastic mass gave up trying to pass into the corridor and returned to its puddle further in the chamber. I counted seven of the creatures, and two attacked Maveith as soon as he had entered. I recalled my time in the sewers of Macha, ¡°Are they the same thing as slimes? We saw those in the sewers of Macha.¡± Maveith shook his head, turning away from the room. ¡°Slimes are harmless in comparison to oozes. Oozes move faster, and once they grapple you, they climb over your body and force themselves into every orifice on your body. Then they digest you for the inside out.¡± Imagining dying that way was not pleasant. ¡°I think we will not enter this room either. Spider room?¡± I asked the gray-skinned man, and he gave a curt nod. We quickly returned to the last room. Nothing had changed in the fifteen minutes we had been gone. We both stood there, and I considered all the rooms we had encountered so far. Every room was extremely dangerous for the unsuspecting dungeon delver. I was beginning to have doubts about our survivability. It only took one mistake, and it would be the end for us. I took out an apple and tried to throw it into the room. When it passed the archway, it fell rapidly to the stone floor and rolled a few feet, touching the anchor point of one of the strands. All the strands vibrated slightly quicker before settling. Maveith was staring at the apple. I explained, ¡°You cannot make attacks unless you are in the room, and the dungeon creatures cannot leave the room. But do not hold me to that. I know truly little about dungeons.¡± ¡°You have killed every dungeon creature you have fought,¡± Maveith said supportively. ¡°I am glad it is you that I am trapped with.¡± I winced as trapped seemed like the correct word, and I felt guilty that I was thinking of Maveith as my taste tester for dungeon produce. ¡°I have been in a dungeon room once where the exit was sealed behind me, Maveith. I do not know if we should enter this room without knowing what we are facing,¡± I said. Stolen novel; please report. I was wishing I still had that goblin. I did have another living creature in my dimensional storage, the elf griffon rider. I knew she was still alive but on the brink of death. For the first time I thought about possibly healing her and trying to convince her to help. Of course, she was likely to try to kill me first, and then Maveith would also know how powerful my dimensional space was. ¡°I will go first and draw out the spiders,¡± Maveith said, gripping the handle of his hammer tightly. Before I could change his mind, he entered the room, and nothing happened. The massive goliath slowly scanned the maze of webbing. We could not see to the far side of the chamber. Maveith stepped forward and grasped the apple on the floor while remaining alert. He tugged on it, and the skin of the apple peeled off, remaining on the sticky strand. The network of strands started to dance. Maveith was frantically searching for the spiders, as was I. A loud snap and one of the strands lashed toward Maveith. He dodged to his right only to step into another. It stuck to his arm, hampering his movement. The left wall started to move and quickly became recognizable as a massive gray spider, its body larger than a horse. The spider¡¯s body shifted rapidly from the dark gray stone of the wall to an ominous black as it scuttled toward Maveith. The spider seemed too big for this room as Maveith attempted to free himself. Clicking sounds as the spider¡¯s legs cadenced on the stone drew my attention from scanning the rest of the room. I did not see any other movement and was hoping this was the only spider. I stepped into the room and removed the spider¡¯s head before it could get close to Maveith. I could not risk Maveith getting poisoned and being incapacitated. My aether had bottomed out, but the spider¡¯s resistance was not severe. The spider collapsed, and blue viscous blood oozed out of its missing head. Maveith grunted, trying to free his arm, but he clearly noticed the dying spider that was just ten feet from him. The legs were twitching as it leaked a puddle on the floor. I used the elven runic dagger to cut Maveith free easily. He was clearly speechless from the demonstration of my power. ¡°Anything useful to harvest on the spider?¡± I asked the goliath casually. ¡°Eryk, did you? How can you?¡± He stuttered to find the words. I gave him time to puzzle everything and got to work. I pulled the essence collector out from the minimal pack I was carrying. I approached the spider to a dumbfounded Maveith and used the collector. The dense, blue smoke rapidly formed a glossy black apex essence. Aether channeling. Maveith was still stunned, so I started looking for the reward chest. Of course, it was barely visible through the maze of crisscrossing webbing. I used the elven dagger to cut away strands. When it contacted the strands, it reminded me of a hot knife touching plastic, easily burning through. The room was about thirty by sixty, and I was confused. Every dungeon room I had ever been in had something for the creature to eat. As I cleared this room to reach the chest, there was nothing but webbing. The chest was large, three feet long, but still solid stone. Once again, I shattered it with the pommel of the dagger, eagerly anticipating the loot. I could see how the danger and lure of treasure could be appealing. A shiny, short sword sat among the silver coins. The hilt was designed in the image of a spider with the legs splaying out to make the guard, and all along the blade were little etchings of spiders. It looked like they had hatched at the hilt and run down both sides of the twenty-four-inch blade. ¡°Twenty silver coins, Maveith, and a dungeon blade,¡± I stood and turned to face my companion, who was still processing what had just happened. ¡°Maveith, is there anything we can harvest from the spider?¡± I repeated my question. Maveith tore his eyes from me to look at it, ¡°It is a gargantuan spider. Non-poisonous, so no venom sacs.¡± He stared back at it, realizing the fangs were gone with the head. ¡°The spinnerets. But I am not familiar with harvesting them.¡± I shrugged. Delmar had harvested the spinnerets in my first dungeon. ¡°Eryk, do you have void magic?¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice questioned me. ¡°Would that be a problem?¡± I asked, neither confirming nor denying. Void magic seemed to be what people thought my power came from after seeing it. Maveith seemed to consider, ¡°Void mages are regulated just as much as necromancers.¡± He stated, not answering my question. ¡°I think all void mages in the Telhian Empire need to be in service to the Emperor.¡± ¡°Well, can you keep my secret?¡± I asked, still not offering him the complete truth. ¡°I am not Telhian,¡± the large man stated. I nodded, thinking that was the best I was going to get from him. ¡°I can only do this once,¡± I pointed at the spider. ¡°It takes me about two hours to recover enough aether to do it again.¡± Maybe I was giving him too much information, but we were going to be fighting together for a time in this dungeon. Maveith¡¯s mind was still turning, ¡°Is that how you killed the female manticore?¡± His eyes suddenly went wide, ¡°And the wyvern!¡± It had only taken Maveith minutes to piece everything together. ¡°Yes. Do you want this short sword?¡± I held up the spider-themed weapon. ¡°What do you think the spider was eating to stay alive?¡± Maveith¡¯s focus gradually came back to the conversation, ¡°Gargantuan spiders can hibernate for years. If there are any egg sacs here, we should destroy them. This one was just an adolescent; they can get much larger after years of molting.¡± We searched the room but did not find any egg sacs or molted exoskeletons. The room also had no exits. It looked like we were not going to solve the mystery of the spider chamber. I sent the spider blade to my dimensional space after Maveith declined it. I was a little unhappy that Maveith appeared more wary about me as we left. ¡°We should rest. We can head back to the safe room where we entered,¡± I suggested. ¡°We can stop and collect more blueberries,¡± Maveith nodded, licking his lips. Two elven children were seated among the bushes as we approached the room. The shapeshifters had been revived. It had been over a day since we had killed them. ¡°Maveith, I still need about an hour before I can do my trick again.¡± The two elves walked to the entrance, the girl¡¯s eyes narrowing at me accusatorily. ¡°Looks like they are back to play again.¡± I was completely taken off guard, ¡°Wait, you remember us?¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 152: Q&A Chapter 152: Q&A The elf girl was speaking Latin. Many thoughts raced through my mind, and none of them were pleasant. ¡°Maveith, I don¡¯t know about this. If they remember us each time¡­¡± Maveith did not seem as intimidated by the shapechangers as I was. ¡°I am healed this time. I can manage one by myself,¡± he declared confidently, his voice echoing in the hall. In a blink, the boy¡¯s eyes turned yellow and stayed that way. He flashed Maveith a toothy smile. ¡°The big one thinks he can beat me again.¡± His skin stretched, and his clothing ripped as he grew to full height. He did not resemble the creature we fought before but instead was a mirror image of Maveith, albeit nude and immodest. Maveith suddenly looked uncomfortable, his hands clenching around the handle of his hammer. ¡°I do not know about this, Eryk. Perhaps we should try the vine room next.¡± His voice was now uncertain as he faced himself as an opponent. My focus remained on the creatures. I worried that these two could continuously learn from us, preparing better to fight us each time until we eventually lost. I had an unusual thought. Maybe they would not tell the truth, but perhaps they could share something about the dungeon. I recalled something the girl had said: ¡°You lied. There was no treasure in the dark room.¡± I never entered that room, but she did not know that. The creepy elf girl¡¯s face twisted into a horrid sneer. ¡°We do not lie.¡±She pointed at me. ¡°Oh, did you not bring your mining pick?¡±Her tone was mocking. Maveith¡¯s unease at seeing himself did not prevent his curiosity from shining through in the conversation. ¡°Mining pick?¡± ¡°You travel this deep into the labyrinth and come unprepared,¡± the girl laughed unnaturally, openly taunting us. I grasped at the thread in her words. ¡°Deep? Where are we in the labyrinth? Are there levels?¡± The other Maveith returned to being an elf boy. ¡°Do not tell them anything. Make them pay for the knowledge,¡± he told the girl. The girl nodded energetically at her companion. ¡°We want the red apples. I am sick of the berries. Bring us twenty apples, and we will tell you where you are!¡± Maveith was about to say something, but I raised my hand to negotiate. ¡°Twenty apples is a lot, and the bear does not like to give them away without a fight. Five questions and five apples for each answer. If I do not like the completeness of the answer, no apples.¡± The boy turned to the girl, and they deliberated. ¡°He is trying to trick us. He will give us the apples and then steal them back after killing us again.¡± ¡°You could always let us pass without fighting?¡± I offered, interrupting them. ¡°Those are not the rules. Break the rules, and we will never be made whole again,¡± the girl said angrily. I produced five apples in my hands to entice them. ¡°Then eat them after you answer my question.¡± They looked at each other and then back at me. The girl¡¯s eyes locked on the apples, desire clear. ¡°You are near the bottom of the labyrinth but not at the bottom,¡± she blurted. That was a cryptic answer. What did it mean to be near the bottom? ¡°We just entered the labyrinth in the room down that corridor,¡± I pointed down the corridor we had arrived in. ¡°They are lost! They know not where they are!¡± The girl danced, mocking me. ¡°No more questions until the apples are received!¡± I felt I had not received a complete answer, but it was best to build trust. I rolled the five apples into the room, and they snatched them suspiciously. ¡°Think they are poisoned?¡± the girl asked the boy. ¡°If they are, then it is a good trick on us,¡± he replied, his teeth becoming needle-like as he devoured the first apple, noisily chewing and savoring the flesh. The girl, not to be outdone, also grew sharp teeth to attack her own apple. The five apples did not last long. Juices dribbled down their bodies in a gross display of gluttony. Seeing how much they enjoyed them, I produced five more. ¡°Next question. How big is the Shimmering Labyrinth?¡± I hoped to get a clearer idea so that maybe being near the bottom would make more sense. The girl said, ¡°It has been too long since we wandered the dungeon. It is wider than you think and deeper, too!¡± The boy added, ¡°It continues to grow, so you never know how big it is! Now, the apples!¡± His greedy eyes focused on them. I frowned at their vague answer. ¡°You did not answer my question to my satisfaction. No apples.¡± The boy rasped out angrily, ¡°I told you we shouldn¡¯t trust them.¡± He fumed before calming down and trying to offer a better answer. ¡°When we wandered the dungeon, there were hundreds of rooms. Right, left, straight, down, and all around! We ended up here eventually. Trapped!¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice reminded me he was behind me. ¡°The dungeon did not create you?¡± The girl was frustrated. ¡°Another question? No apples for the last! They are tricking us!¡± To mollify the girl, I rolled the apples into the room again. The grotesque display of their consumption happened once more. When they finished, I pointed at Maveith. ¡°Answer his question next.¡± The shapechangers looked uncertainly at each other. The boy finally answered, ¡°We entered with the elves in the guise of one of their number.¡± The boy shifted into an adult elf. ¡°They discovered our true nature, and we killed them but could not escape the dungeon.¡± The girl shifted into an adult as well. ¡°We died elsewhere but woke, trapped in this room, never able to leave. Bound for eternity to the cursed dungeon. Forced to kill interlopers.¡± My body trembled at the thought of being cursed to live forever in a single dungeon room. I was sure I had new ammunition for nightmares. I absently rolled the apples forward, thinking. Maveith asked another question while I pondered, his voice uncertain. ¡°Are the creatures stronger the deeper in the dungeon you go?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The woman wiped sugary drool from her mouth. ¡°Of course! Foolish question, and now you owe us more apples!¡± ¡°Maveith, it was a good question,¡± I reassured him. It meant that the rooms we were exploring were much more dangerous than those higher up in the dungeon. It gave me hope that some of the company might have survived. I gave them their prize, and the adult elf male smiled with his needle-like teeth. ¡°You have but one question left!¡± ¡°But I have more than just five apples left,¡± I returned his toothy smile. The woman answered, holding her stomach. ¡°I am full and no longer desire apples. We will answer your last question as agreed.¡± ¡°Maveith, let me think,¡± I warned the goliath. If we only had one question left, I wanted to make it count. Maybe the shapechangers could be reasoned with again for more answers. I finally asked, ¡°Can we rest safely in the corridors between the rooms?¡± The male laughed disgustingly at the question. ¡°They enter a dungeon and do not know the rules! Foolish human and large gray man.¡± The woman joined him in mocking us. But they were the real fools here, having been trapped. Still, I wanted an answer. The pair calmed down, reverting to their child forms. The girl answered, still giggling at our lack of knowledge. ¡°Only rest rooms are safe. If you rest in the passages,¡± she locked eyes with me, ¡°and stop making progress, then we will be free to come and find you.¡± The girl licked her lips, and I shivered. I gave them their apples. ¡°Would you be interested in some fish for more answers?¡± I offered. Their greedy eyes focused on the fillet I produced. The ceiling of the shapeshifter¡¯s chamber changed to a flashing red pattern. They looked up, worried expressions on their faces. ¡°We have completed the bargain, and it looks like another bargain will not be struck,¡± the boy said. Did that mean the dungeon was watching us? Still, I felt the answers we had gotten were worth the fish. I tossed it into the room, to their surprise. The two elf children fought over it like quarreling siblings, shoveling chunks of torn raw fish into their mouths and trying to deny the other a bite. The brief fight was violent, and the two were bleeding from minor scratches at the end. The girl addressed us when the fish was gone, shreds of fish stuck in her needle teeth. ¡°Flesh is so much better than apples. Maybe it is time you come in and play with us so we can taste yours?¡± The ceiling faded from the red shimmering to return to normal. It appeared the dungeon had warned the shapeshifters of their behavior. ¡°Maveith, we need to get back to the safe room to rest.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± his deep voice echoed reassuringly behind me. ¡°I will take the boy. I am ready when you are.¡± ¡°Can you two back up to the center of the room again?¡± I asked the shapechangers. They started to shake their heads no, malicious smiles on their faces in anticipation. ¡°I gave you the fish without compensation,¡± I told them. Reluctantly, the two children started walking backward toward the center of the room, conceding that the fish had been worth this small compromise. Maveith and I entered the room, but the children morphed into their large, monstrous bodies and did not rush to attack this time. Maveith swung his hammer lightly in his grip. My black blade and round shield were ready for an attack, but it never came. The two of them were studying us, trying to learn from us. I took a step toward the corridor to the safe room. If we did not have to fight them, all the better. My action caused the creatures to sprint toward us. I took the closer one¡¯s head, causing the other one to try to flee in surprise. Maveith was not having it, though. He thrust the head of his hammer into its face. Facial bones audibly cracked as its face compressed. The strike stunned the creature as Maveith¡¯s strength was on display. I circled behind the dazed creature and targeted its hamstring, opening a gash and cutting deeply into the muscle. With no mouth, the creature could not scream. It gained enough awareness to pivot and try to backhand me with its powerful arms. I had already retreated, and Maveith¡¯s hammer was on a downswing. He missed the top of its head but caught its neck and shoulder. The head of the hammer embedded four inches deep in the grotesque figure, and a loud crack could be heard from the snapping of bone, forcing it to its knees. I did not hesitate to step forward and behead it. We were both breathing heavily from the adrenaline and nodded to each other. It had been easier than expected, and we both came out unharmed. ¡°Maveith, collect the blueberries, and I will help after checking the chest.¡± The chest was in the same location as the first time, nestled in one of the blueberry bushes. It had thirty-six large silver coins and, again, another apex essence. The color was different this time, and it was light yellow¡ªan essence of insight. Was this a joke by the dungeon after we gained some knowledge from the shapeshifters? I used the essence collector on the shapeshifters but was saddened to see they both yielded just a major essence with the same shifting colors, though it was still a boon. Mental essences seemed to be less common than physical ones. The first time, they had yielded apex essences. Maybe it was because we had killed them so quickly after the first time? What were these dungeon rules they mentioned? I started helping Maveith harvest the berries. ¡°Maveith, what essence do you want? I have a few magical essences, the minor essence of quickness and an apex essence of insight.¡± ¡°Quickness,¡± he said immediately. ¡°Being faster than your opponent is the best way to win a fight,¡± he stated confidently. I handed him the small green sphere as soon as my aether recovered enough to retrieve it. I also stored everything in my space. Maveith stated the obvious. ¡°After we rest in the safe room, we will have to fight them again to explore the dungeon.¡± ¡°I know.¡± I figured eventually the shapeshifters would find a way to make the fight more even if they recalled each fight. We finished with the berries, and I relieved myself in the room. Having such a large bowel movement after so long was an odd feeling. I had a few wax leaves to clean up, but I wished I had more. I left the head of the shapeshifter on the mossy floor. On a whim, I tried to use the collector on it. It pulled no essence from the head, which was slightly disappointing. I walked with Maveith back to the first room we entered. The familiar elven script was on the wall. The floor of the room where we had defecated was clean. The dungeon was cleaning up after us. The exit was still here, mocking us with a false offer of freedom. Maybe we could exit and enter before the specters swarmed us? It was a thought, but it was best to wait, as the summoner was still out there, and it had only been two days. We were exhausted, and while Maveith prepared dinner, I set up our bedrolls. I figured it had been over a day since my last essence, and I assumed the glossy black apex essence would enhance my aether channeling. It worked quickly, giving me an intense awareness of the aether around me. The dungeon almost felt like it was forged from pure essence before the feeling vanished. Maveith grumbled, ¡°If we had a large pot, I could make one large batch of apple-berry jam.¡± I surprised Maveith again by taking out the cast iron cauldron I had taken from a legion hall long ago. The thing must weigh seventy pounds with the lid, and I took it to use as an improvised weapon, not for its intended purpose. Maveith shook his head in disbelief. ¡°What else do you have in there, Eryk?¡± I mumbled, ¡°This and that,¡± but did not specify. Maveith shrugged accepting and took the pot to work on his jam. Maveith started talking as he worked. ¡°It is too bad we got separated from Brutus and the Scholar. Their help would have been most welcome. Just the two of us are going to have a challenging time working through the rooms down here and finding the others.¡± Maveith was stewing blueberries and apples together, making jam. He was also doing his best to make use of the last bits of the rations from the elven packs. Now that we knew we had food sources, we could be more liberal with our meals to restore our bodies¡ª, the faster, the better. After much internal deliberation, I finally revealed something to Maveith. ¡°You know, Maveith, I may know someone who could help. Not sure if she would be too willing, though.¡± Maveith¡¯s eyebrows rose in surprise. ¡°Who?¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 153 Schrodingers Elf Chapter 153: Schrodinger''s Elf Maveith¡¯s question hung in the air. ¡°Who?¡± It was not a simple question for me to answer. I was going to have to reveal to him that it was not void magic that helped me kill the monsters. I probably should have prepared him better for this and taken the decisive step of trusting the goliath earlier. ¡°You know how you thought I had powerful void magic? Well, I do not have any void magic. I can remove part of a creature by placing it in my dimensional space.¡± Maveith¡¯s face was an unreadable mask as the large iron pot bubbled in front of him, giving the air a fruity scent reminiscent of candy. ¡°Maveith?¡± I tried to get the attention of the goliath, who was still processing my words. Minutes passed before he began to stir the syrupy hot jam. ¡°I do not know much about magic,¡± he finally said, ¡°but your statement seems too fantastical.¡± Okay, I was never going to tell Maveith I was an Other Worlder. He seemed a bit broken, struggling to fathom the extent and power of my spell form. I opened my dimensional space and rearranged it slightly to make the elven tablet reader appear next to him. It was seven feet away from me. Maveith jumped a little but eyed me slowly, putting the pieces together. A a prolonged silence followed as he stirred the pot. Every once in a while, he would look at me or the table. He finally said, ¡°So if you can pull a part of a monster into your dimensional space, can you pull an entire monster¡ªor person¡ªinto it?¡± I nodded and confirmed, ¡°Yes.¡± I let Maveith think for a moment before he asked, ¡°Could you put me in your dimensional space?¡± ¡°Probably. If you were sitting down,¡± I said, cracking a grin. I partly wanted him to think the space was smaller than it actually was, and it was also just a jab at his immense size. ¡°So, who is in there now?¡± Maveith finally asked, moving the cauldron off the thermal stone. I winced slightly, having to tell this story. ¡°Back in Macha, when the Bartiradians attacked, their griffon riders crashed into the city. I was sent with some of the company to make sure they were dead.¡± ¡°She has been in there the entire time!¡± Maveith exclaimed. I winced. ¡°Well, no. I put her in there when she was casting a fireball at me. I released her and the fireball at an enemy a few days later. I thought the explosion had killed her,¡± I explained. Maveith shook his head, interrupting me. ¡°That is not how magic works. You cannot steal another¡¯s magic and store it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°That was how it happened.¡± Maveith seemed uncertain. ¡°I do not know. I just have never heard of anyone doing that. So, she is in there now, burned and suffering.¡± ¡°Time does not pass in my dimensional space,¡± I reminded him, and he nodded. ¡°Actually, I left her in Macha, and she was healed by her people. Then fate brought her into my path again. She was with the summoner¡¯s student when we caught up to them. Sebastian¡¯s drake crushed her in his jaws and slammed her into a rock. I put her in my space to save her for later.¡± That sounded just as bad coming out of my mouth as Maveith¡¯s face scrunched in disgust. I tried to explain quickly. ¡°I intended to use the collector on her. Konstantin and Sebastian were close, so I could not reveal the collector. I learned that if I store dead bodies, I can get the essence later.¡± Maveith seemed somewhat placated, and I wondered just what he thought of me. He asked, ¡°How do you know she is alive?¡± ¡°My aether bottomed out. She resisted being placed in the dimensional space. That means her aether core is still active. At least, that is my guess,¡± I told him truthfully. Maveith nodded, and we started to eat. We dipped everything in the hot jam before it jelled. As we finished off the loose rations, Maveith asked another question, ¡°How is the mostly dead elf going to help us? Do you have another healing potion?¡± I dipped some jerky in the fruit sauce and savored it while chewing. ¡°No, I do not. I was hoping to find another healing potion. But you can see why I am hesitant to bring her out. She is not going to be very happy with me.¡± ¡°I would not be very happy with you either,¡± Maveith said, chewing on some hard cheese. ¡°Is she a good fighter?¡± I thought back to our encounters. She was good with her blades and had magic¡ªmagic that could easily be turned against me. I suddenly recalled being fireballed in the back and reconsidered this idea. ¡°Yes, she can fight and cast fireballs.¡± Maveith seemed to consider. ¡°Perhaps it is best if I try to reason with her when you release her from your imprisonment.¡± It appeared Maveith had already decided it was a good idea. I sipped some wine from the bottle. ¡°Maveith, that is a pretty harsh way to describe it.¡± ¡°You placed her there against her will and held her without a chance of freedom. That describes it aptly,¡± his deep voice carried strong disapproval. Then I remembered the orc slavers had killed his sister, and I was sort of enslaving the elf. ¡°I could have let her die,¡± I countered his disapproval. He seemed to ponder this for a long time. ¡°Sorry for being upset. You were enemies. You did nothing wrong. And now you plan to save her to make amends.¡± The tension in the room lessened greatly. Soon, we were making our way to sleep. I held the amulet in my hand, needing to reference the books Castile had created in the dreamscape. ¡°Maveith, the amulet is in this hand. If you need to wake me, just take it.¡± Maveith¡¯s eyes studied the amulet. ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Next time we sleep,¡± I confirmed. I entered the dreamscape. Searching through Castile¡¯s books proved extremely useful, as one of the books was on arcane scripts from dungeons. The other potion I received from the red bear was an aether restorative potion. I knew these potions were extremely rare and valuable since alchemists had trouble brewing stable versions of them. Even the simplest aether restorative required a tier-three alchemist. It took time to find a reference table for essences. The book contained a whole section on the history of the collectors. The first collector was found in a dungeon thousands of years ago, and they were extremely rare. The First Legion saw the immense value in them and focused on recreating the devices with their artificers. They produced hundreds of them, but the master artificers capable of crafting them were assassinated in subsequent wars. Thus, the number of collectors became limited and rarely found in dungeons. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I matched up the essences with the chart to see what I had in my storage:
  • Minor Essence¡ªazure, blue with white swirls ¨C air affinity
  • Apex Essence¡ªazure, blue with white swirls ¨C air affinity
  • 13 x Minor Essences¡ªdark green ¨C quickness attribute
  • 2 x Apex Essences¡ªrainbow swirling colors ¨C illusion affinity
  • 2 x Major Essences¡ªrainbow swirling colors ¨C illusion affinity
  • Apex Essence¡ªblack with swirling red and orange ¨C fire affinity
  • Apex Essence¡ªpale yellow ¨C insight attribute
Based on the information found in the book, I could consume one physical, one mental, and one magical essence together without fear of harming myself. However, if I wanted to consume more in the same day, they would need to be the same types. If once again, if I consumed a strength essence the first time, I would need to stick with strength in the physical stats until I let a day pass to change the type. I was still a bit skeptical and would need to do my own testing. Maybe being an Other Worlder made me different somehow. I had compiled quite a collection of essences in the dungeon in a short time. I was eyeing the minor air affinity essence. When I took the apex earth essence, I had zero affinity, and it was painful to add the new affinity to my aether core. Maybe the minor air essence would not be as horrific. Castile left a lot of books, but I focused my time in the dreamscape on learning the runic script. It was a headache since it was essentially memorizing over seven hundred symbols and their rough meanings, which only became clear when you chained them together. The patterns were intricate as well. Fortunately, most potions required only a sequence of three symbols to identify the contents. Within the symbols, I could also see many geometric patterns in the spell forms I had imprinted on my core. Dungeon script was the language of magic. I was not going to be able to draw the symbols, but I could at least study them to recognize them. I created flashcards and worked for almost eight hours. I cleaned up the dreamscape, moving everything to the scorpion room and sealing it away. Maveith was going to use the device next, and my level of trust with him was reaching a point where I would let him use it without my presence. I left the dreamscape to find Maveith already awake. He seemed in a cheerful mood. ¡°I used the reader. Can you read it to me?¡± he asked. I moved the reader and tried to teach Maveith the elven numerical symbols as I read them off. Fortunately, they were in base ten as well. As expected, his magical affinities had not changed, and his potentials remained the same.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+3/+0) 80/107 Intellect (+0/+0) 20/38 Aether Pool (+0/+0) 9/10
Power (+4/+0) 64/90 Reasoning (+0/+0) 34/46 Channeling (+0/+0) 19/30
Quickness (+2/+0) 40/55 Perception (+0/+0) 29/40 Aether Shaping (+0/+0) 15/16
Dexterity (+0/+0) 23/40 Insight (+0/+0) 15/30 Aether Tolerance (+0/+0) 22/25
Endurance (+3/+0) 47/90 Resilience (+0/+0) 19/34 Aether Resistance (+0/+0) 9/21
Constitution (+1/+0) 40/101 Empathy (+0/+0) 48/67 Prime Aether Affinity Earth
Coordination (+0/+0) 23/33 Fortitude (+0/+0) 30/50 Minor Aether Affinity
¡°This is great! It looks like your body is recovering after being starved for so long.¡± It had only been just over a day and a few meals, but Maveith¡¯s physical stats were rising rapidly. I figured mine would be doing the same. He paid close attention to the numerical symbols, and I thought he would be able to read it on his own next time. I stood and started to help with the cleanup. I was not going to use the reader as he might want to know what mine were, and my magic affinities needed to remain secret for now. We had almost five gallons of jam! I just moved the entire cauldron to my dimensional space to store the apple-berry jam. I placed almost everything in my space, leaving us both with small packs of items we needed for quick access.. I felt the most well-rested and satiated I had been in weeks. It felt strange because I was trapped deep in an extremely dangerous dungeon. We walked to the chamber with the shapeshifters, and I felt great relief wash over me as they were nowhere in sight. ¡°How long has it been since we killed them?¡± I asked Maveith. Maveith was still scanning the room. ¡°Just over half a day. They are shapeshifters, though. They may be hiding as something else.¡± ¡°They can do that?¡± I also searched my memory, trying to identify anything that seemed out of place. ¡°I do not know. But anything seems possible after what you told me yesterday,¡± his voice echoed in the room. We studied the area for fifteen minutes before stepping in, and nothing happened. The bodies of the shapeshifters had not vanished and were just over the rise in the moss, already desiccated. The bushes were full of tiny berries, replacing what we had harvested. We quickly refilled the water barrel and moved into the corridor toward the fire bear. Oddly, I was disappointed not to have the chance to talk with the shapeshifters again. They had given us valuable information, and I hoped to tease out more knowledge, even if the dungeon did not want them to cooperate. We would see them again if we had to return to the safe room. The fire bear was eating apples off the tree when we approached. Maveith was already excited. ¡°Such a majestic creature. The fur would make a spectacular cloak. And that was some of the best bear meat I have ever eaten.¡± The fire bear was eyeing us but not overly concerned. I studied it for a long time. ¡°It looks smaller. Actually, I am sure. The last one was larger. Maybe it is not the same one? That would be different from when the dungeon revives the shapeshifters.¡± ¡°Do not damage the pelt. I want it in one piece,¡± Maveith¡¯s eagerness was more focused on harvesting the bear than my suppositions about how the dungeon worked. ¡°Wait here.¡± I stepped into the room, immediately drawing the shimmering red bear¡¯s attention. It cocked its head, its eyes becoming a deeper red as it charged. I removed most of its brain from fifteen feet away and sidestepped as the body slid forward on the soft earth. Maveith stepped into the room, his jaw open. He walked to the bear that was spilling blood steadily onto the ground. Seeing he could not speak, I told him, ¡°You can start harvesting the bear. I will check the reward chest.¡± I pointed to the stone chest atop the mound. A moment later, I was shattering the thin stone casing and was relieved to see the two familiar potions among the silver coins: the aether restorative and the greater healing potion. Maveith found his voice after being stunned at my display. ¡°Eryk, come over here, and I will show you the proper way to harvest a bear.¡±I sighed, gathering up the coins and potions to join Maveith. I would send them to my dimensional space when my aether sufficiently recovered. With the healing potion, releasing the griffin rider was a viable option now. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 154: Taking Time to Smell the Flowers Chapter 154: Taking Time to Smell the Flowers Maveith was excited when I removed the collector and brain from my inventory, stating that it would be useful for tanning the hide. I helped him prepare the bear after harvesting its essence. It was a major essence for fire affinity, a downgrade from the apex fire essence I had gotten from the first fire bear. He was meticulous in his harvest, not wanting to waste anything, and I learned a lot from him about processing a kill. He must have asked me every five minutes if my dimensional space could hold everything. After stripping the pelt, he did his best to stretch it on an apple tree. As soon as the steaks were cut, I sent them to my dimensional space to preserve them. ¡°We should only spend half a day harvesting the bear before leaving the room,¡± I suggested after a few hours. Maveith considered this and nodded. ¡°If the shapeshifters do not reappear after half a day, then I think that is wise. Where are we going from here?¡± ¡°To the vine room, I think. It seems the safest option to explore,¡± I revealed my thoughts, and Maveith nodded. As we processed the bear, we were getting three weeks¡¯ worth of meat from this one kill for the two of us. I decided Maveith could have the organs when we cooked. I never got used to the chewiness of heart muscle, the chalky richness of liver, or the off taste of kidneys. Maybe if I were still starving, I would try it, but with all the steaks, it was a hard pass for me. We collected apples as well, maybe two hundred, before leaving. We munched on apples as we walked out of the room. Between bites, I told Maveith, ¡°There was a healing potion in the reward chest. But I am not planning to use it on the griffin rider just yet. If you are injured again, I would rather have it for you.¡± Maveith finished his apple, core, and all. ¡°I will try not to get injured again, then.¡± I just chuckled at his logic. ¡°Maybe there will be another healing potion next time we harvest the fire bear. The loot chest was exactly the same as the first time,¡± I said as we approached the vine room. The room looked the same. Three alcoves were covered in thick vines with bright red flowers and yellow veins. There were no signs of an exit. ¡°I will go in and retreat if needed. Stay here.¡± I stepped into the room and was slightly upset when nothing happened. With a second step, I noticed a fragrant scent filling the air, probably coming from the flowers. I took another step into the room, eying the vines, and prepared an air shield. My breathing became slightly strained after a minute, so I sent healing aether to my lungs, planning to run. I did not detect any damage to them. Then my eyelids started to feel heavy. I stumbled backward, slightly unsteady on my feet. All I wanted to do was lie down and fall asleep. I stumbled into Maveith in the corridor, and he supported me, worry on his face. ¡°What is wrong, Eryk?¡± He shook me a little, my armor rattling from the force. ¡°Where is the healing potion?¡± He was getting panicky, but my mind was foggy, and I closed my eyes to sleep. Water splashed on my face, and I woke up sputtering. A relieved Maveith stood over me. ¡°I was praying to Pluto for you, Eryk. You were unconscious for almost an hour.¡± I shook my head, my thoughts quickly clearing. ¡°I think the pollen from the red flowers puts you to sleep.¡± I checked my body. ¡°I am not injured, and I am breathing fine.¡± I sat up and noticed Maveith had dragged me about fifty feet from the entrance. My eyes had to do a double take at what I saw. The vines from the vine room were twenty feet down the corridor, covering every wall. Maveith answered, ¡°They do not move fast, but after you left, the vines stirred and followed you out of the room. I thought creatures could not leave the rooms?¡± I hypothesized, ¡°I think the dungeon lets the creatures pursue us once we enter a room. It is the only thing that makes sense.¡± I reconsidered. ¡°Maybe plants can just leave rooms. I don¡¯t know.¡± I remembered that when I released the goblin, the bear did not pursue it down the corridor it fled into. I was frustrated with not knowing the dungeon rules. Then again, maybe each dungeon had different rules. It would make sense since the entry criteria for this dungeon was different from the entry criteria of the other dungeon I had encountered when I received the Dreamscape Amulet. ¡°The vines are slowly retreating,¡± Maveith noted, and I focused on them. It was hard to discern movement with the flowing, hypnotic lights on the floor and ceiling, but I think he was correct. Perhaps the vines could pursue me because I was unconscious and vulnerable? I told Maveith what I learned from the room. ¡°The room had a sickly-sweet scent. I think it is from the flower pollen. My lungs burned for a moment, and then I got really sleepy and could not help but fall asleep.¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice intoned, ¡°A really vile trap. The vines probably pull you into an alcove to digest your corpse. I heard of such plants in the jungles on the southern part of the continent.¡± I nodded, standing, and thought I had a bestiary in my book collection in my dreamscape. Most were in elven script that would take me days to translate. Tsinga had some jungles, and I remembered paging through the local threats in case someone questioned me. I had skimmed over the flora and did not recall these particular vines. Next time I was in the dreamscape, I would try to find out what the vines were. I gave Maveith the unwelcome news. ¡°It looks like our only option is the room with the cockatrices.¡± Maveith¡¯s large body recoiled when I said it. We had not explored only three rooms: the gold statue room with the black oozes, the dark room that the shapeshifters said we needed a mining pick for, and the massive cockatrice room with the waterfall. ¡°Eryk, I do not know,¡± Maveith hedged, still fearful of the oversized chickens. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I will come up with a plan. For now, let us sit outside the bear room and watch it until the fire bear respawns. I want to see it with my own eyes,¡± I informed Maveith. He nodded happily, delaying our trip to the cockatrice chamber. We started to prepare a big meal, cooking in the corridor with one of us watching the den entrance. While Maveith was on watch, Islipped into the dreamscape and quickly located an entry for the vines in the Tsinga book. The sleeper vine is easily spotted from a distance by its bright flowers with veins of white or yellow. The flowers give off a sickly-sweet scent that lulls the unsuspecting creature to sleep for up to three hours. Once the creature falls asleep, the vines drag it into their maw and restrain it with layers of vines. Thick thorns pierce the flesh and inject digestive acid. When the prey wakes, they have awareness but feel no pain as their body is metabolized over the course of two days. Repeated exposure to the pollen of the sleeper vine allows one to build up immunity. The beast tribes of Kwainongkwa expose their children to the flowers early so they can resist the effects. There are numerous alchemical uses for the flower and the plant''s small amount of nectar and pollen. See Gundry¡¯s Alchemical Plants of the Kingdom of Keisinia for more information. I did not have that reference book, but at least I had good news for Maveith when I exited the dreamscape. He was still watching the earthen mound¡¯s entrance. ¡°Maveith, good news. We can build up immunity to the effects of the red vine flowers with repeated exposure.¡± Maveith was chewing on a bear kidney he had just fried, his eyes focused on the entrance. ¡°We should do that instead of trying to kill the cockatrices.¡± ¡°But one mistake and I will be plant food,¡± I noted. ¡°Do you not trust me to pull you to safety?¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice sounded hurt. ¡°Are you really trying to guilt-trip me right now?¡± I countered. ¡°Guilt? Trip?¡± Maveith went into contemplation mode to puzzle out my colloquialism. ¡°I am sorry, Eryk. I do not understand,¡± he finally said, giving up. ¡°It does not matter. I will be the bait as I am accustomed to it. But right now, the fire bear is back,¡± I noted, pointing, and standing. Maveith¡¯s eyes flashed to the den. ¡°A day, give or take an hour,¡± the goliath stated confidently. ¡°Hopefully, every room is the same, so we can prepare,¡± I said, watching the bear exit and shake its coat. The fur rippled, looking like flames, and I judged the bear to be the same size as the one we had killed a day ago. ¡°Well, big guy, it looks like we are going to be eating a lot of bear meat.¡± I stated as I pulled the collector from my dimensional space and handing it to Maveith to hold onto while I dealt with the bear. I stepped into the room, and the bear locked its focus on me. I casually walked up to it, and it seemed more curious about me than ready to fight. Its eyes started to glow a fiery red, but those eyes were suddenly in my dimensional space. A giddy Maveith rushed into the room. ¡°I could eat this bear meat every day. I still do not understand your aversion to the kidneys. These are the tastiest I have ever eaten.¡± He explained excitedly, handing the collector back to me while reaching for his skinning knife. Maveith attacked the bear with his skinning knife while I shattered the stone reward box. I had focused on the earthen mound, and this box just appeared in the blink of an eye. Maybe it was teleported by the dungeon with displacement magic. Maveith was not concerned with the chest, as his prize was the bear. Sifting through the debris, I gathered up the silver coins and the two potions: one healing and one aether recovery. I was pleased the loot had remained the same. I turned the aether recovery potion in my hand. It was valuable, but I now had three of them. I broke the seal and drained it¡ªnot. because I needed to, but so I would know what to expect when I used one in combat. The feeling was akin to drinking a hot beverage rapidly. The heat branched out from my stomach through my limbs and kept going. I realized the potion contained more aether than my core could contain and bled away from my body into the environment once my core was full. It was wasted on someone with a small core like mine. On the bright side, it could quickly recharge my dimensional ability. I spent some time making one of the potions easily accessible under my armor. I then harvested another major fire essence from the bear. Maveith watched in fascination as the collector worked, and I snatched the essence before it rolled to the ground. However, when I offered it to Maveith, he was only interested in the essence of quickness. The apples were back as well, and I decided to pick them and let Maveith have all the fun processing the bear. I still had dried blood under my fingernails and in every crevice of my armor. I felt very unsanitary and smelled worse. The waterfall pond in the cockatrice chamber looked very appealing to me at the moment. With our luck, there was probably a fifty-foot gator hiding in the water that fed on the cockatrices. ¡°I think there are fewer apples this time around,¡± I noted to Maveith after I finished. I laid them all out on my tent tarp, and the pile seemed smaller. ¡°I am going to count and compare.¡± Partly, I was curious, and also, I would not have to help with the fire bear. Maveith was engrossed in his work and waved me to do the task. I found that I was :right, 214 last time, and now I had just 178. Were the apples growing back slower? Or maybe the dungeon was not happy with me and how I was killing its creatures?. We spent half a day in the room before returning to the vine room. The vines had completely retreated back inside, and the corridor was clear. ¡°Do you have any rope?¡± Maveith asked. ¡°No. Why would I have rope?¡± I said, confused. ¡°You seem to have many things hidden in your space. Rope would have been a smart thing to have,¡± Maveith said matter-of-factly. ¡°We could have used it to tie around your waist, and I could pull you to safety.¡± ¡°Well, I do not have any rope,¡± I said tersely, as rope would have been a good idea. Then again, almost everything in my space had been liberated from Legion Halls in various cities. I summoned some courage and entered the vine room again. I inhaled the sweet scent and backed out of the room. I made it about ten feet before blacking out. When I woke. , Maveith was standing over me. ¡°Eryk, you were only sleeping for half an hour this time!¡± I gave him a thumbs-up, but as I sat up, my head spun, and I vomited. I was having the worst hangover of my life. I washed out my mouth with water from a canteen. ¡°I think I need more time between being exposed to the flowers, Maveith.¡± It was a good half an hour before I felt right again, and the vines took another hour to retreat back into the room from the corridor. I still could have fought, but it would have been unpleasant. My next foray into the room had me taking about eight minutes to recover under Maveith¡¯s watch, and the hangover was still prevalent but not any worse. On every trip after going into the room, the time decreased for how long I was forced to sleep. I lost track of how many times I was exposed to the flowers, but finally, I was able to inhale the sickly-sweet scent and only feel slightly drowsy. It was time to try to clear the vines. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 155: Cock-a-doodle-doo Chapter 155: Cock-a-doodle-doo This time, entering the vine room, I planned to hack the vines apart with the black blade. Maveith stood in the corridor, watching intently. He was ready to hold his breath, rush in, and carry me away if I succumbed to the flowers. As I stepped into the room, I was able to enjoy the scent of the flowers with only slightly heavy eyes. The vines stirred as they had done a dozen times before. They left their alcoves and snaked across the floor slowly. None of the flowers were on the creeping vines along the floor. I was about to slash into the creeping vines when I thought better of it. Even though my runic weapon could not be dulled, according to Konstantin, I sent it to my dimensional space and retrieved two of the elven hand axes I had taken from the forge. The vines moved so slowly that I could walk back casually while I hacked away. Maveith called from behind me, ¡°Eryk, do not cut them into sections that are too small. I can try making rope from the vines.¡± I grunted at the request, as all three alcoves in the room were trying to grasp me with their vines and pull me in to digest me. I realized that perhaps a well-placed fireball here would make quick work of them. I had a pocket griffin rider that could cast fireballs. I tried to appease Maveith by just cutting five-foot sections of vines off as I went. The sound of metal striking stone rang out repeatedly on the stone floor, and sticky sap soon coated the blade and my armor. The vines seemed endless as an hour progressed, and my arms started to feel achy from the repetitive swinging. The elven hatchets were also fairly dull from hundreds of strikes into the stone floor. ¡°Eryk, try cutting the base in one of the alcoves,¡± Maveith advised anxiously from the hallway. Why was he anxious? I was the one doing all the work. I danced around the vines that had thinned considerably but kept coming. I moved to the alcove on the right,. cautious and ready to retreat if I might get cornered. I hacked at the base of a thick stem coming out of the floor. All the vines from this alcove stilled as I truncated this plant. Soon, I cut away the bases in the other two alcoves, and all the vines became still. The flowers wilted in seconds, and I guessed they needed to be harvested while the plant was alive. A stone chest appeared in the center of the room. ¡°We won, Maveith,¡± I said tiredly. Maveith¡¯s eyes widened in anticipation as he stepped into the room. He immediately got woozy and fell into the sappy mess. I laughed, at least my friend would also be covered in creeping vine sap. I could not even smell the sickly sweetness anymore, but it must have still lingered in the air. I shattered the stone box, collecting fifteen large silver coins and one unknown potion. I dragged my friend out of the room into the hallway. I returned to the room and attempted to use the collector at the base of the plants. A few wisps of emerald smoke formed, but the small disc would not pull it in. I thought this strange, as I remembered Durandas trying to use this on the shambling mounds. Maybe I had destroyed too much of the body, or the collector could not harvest plants. I moved the vines into a pile and sent the mess to my dimensional storage. The sap was drying, and the plates on my armor were no longer sliding easily across each other. It was getting increasingly difficult to move. Swearing to myself, I checked each alcove quickly and found nothing. Disappointed, I joined the sleeping Maveith in the corridor, removed my armor, and attempted to clean it before the sap completely dried. The oiled sections of the armor were easily cleaned, but the other sections were not, and I had to wait until they hardened enough to scrape off with a knife. Maveith woke before I finished, and as he stirred, I asked, ¡°Have a good nap?¡± ¡°My head is a little foggy, but yes, thank you.¡± He suddenly realized where he was and sprang to his feet. ¡°Eryk, I am sorry I fell! I barely smelled the flowers and thought they all wilted.¡± I chuckled. ¡°It is okay, Maveith. I do not think we will try the room again. There was only one potion in the reward chest,¡± I said, calming him down. His eyes turned to the room, and he groaned in disappointment. He thought the dungeon had absorbed the carnage I had wrought on the creeping vines. ¡°Did you collect any of the vines for rope?¡± Maveith asked hopefully. I let him stew for a while before telling him with a grin, ¡°I got you a little, but you will have to wait until we get to a safe room. Also, I do not know about the viability of the vines as the sap hardens.¡± I pointed to his front, and Maveith began peeling dried sap off his soft leather clothes. After we cleaned up a bit, I asked, ¡°Cockatrice room next? I am going to go into the dreamscape to see if I have any more information on the creatures. Watch over me while I am gone.¡± It did not take long for me to find some references for the ugly birds in one of the elven bestiaries. Translating the script was a slow process. Cockatrice These avian creatures are much more dangerous than they appear. They usually form flocks of between eight and twelve and attack as a group. The males of the species have azure, blue combs, and dark blue feathers. The females usually have deep brown feathers, but younger specimens can be tan. The saliva of these creatures is extremely corrosive and can petrify flesh. Multiple bites can turn a creature completely into stone. Severe damage can be done to a person¡¯s veins and arteries from a single bite and may result in death. The meat of the creature is considered a delicacy in many nations¡ªnot so much for the taste but for the difficulty in harvesting it. Many people say they cannot tell the difference between chicken and cockatrice. The saliva of the cockatrice is useful in numerous alchemical preparations but needs to be fresh, as it will lose efficacy soon after the bird¡¯s death. The rest of the text discussed habitats and had a few pictures. I was also able to decipher the runes on the potion. When I exited the dreamscape, Maveith let out a relieved breath. ¡°You were in there for two hours, Eryk. We probably should not linger in the corridors.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I stood, reached up, and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. ¡°We are okay. I even found an elven book detailing the cockatrice, and there is good news. Their gaze cannot turn you to stone¡ªonly. their saliva can, so we need to ensure we do not get bitten.¡± Maveith chewed on his lip, thinking. ¡°Maybe I confused them with a basilisk.¡± He looked away abashedly. ¡°I do not want to be turned into a statue.¡± ¡°I will count the birds before we enter. You will not have to approach the chamber,¡± I tried to reassure the big bald gray man. Maveith reluctantly walked with me down the long looping corridor to the massive domed room. He stayed back a good fifty feet while I scouted. The tall grass hid the birds, and I could now identify the males by their blue crests and the females by their brown. The cockatrices did not seem interested in me as they scavenged in the long grass. Maveith impatiently rumbled, ¡°How many do you see?¡± ¡°Give me some time,¡± I replied, scanning the area. I was envious of one of the female cockatrices bathing in the pool as it preened its feathers. Another male cockatrice snapped its head up with a thick worm in its mouth before swallowing it. I watched for almost an hour but may have missed some resting birds. ¡°Seven, Maveith. We can handle seven together, right?¡± Maveith did not look too thrilled at the prospect. ¡°I will give you your bow, and maybe you can kill one or two before they even reach us.¡± He brightened at that thought. We slowly prepared to enter the room, Maveith¡¯s confidence steadily growing. One of the females approached our corridor, curious about us. As it got closer, Maveith shielded his eyes, but I was confident in my interpretation of the text. It was not a pretty bird. The closer it got, the uglier it looked. It was a cross between a turkey and a lizard, with sporadic feathers and a scaly tail. The wings were tucked into its sides but were featherless and more bat-like. ¡°They looked more edible from a distance,¡± I commented to Maveith. Maveith slowly opened his eyes to look at the creature. Some people had a fear of water, and Maveith had a fear of being turned into a statue. ¡°It is ugly,¡± he said, laughing hoarsely. The bird rushed at us in the corridor. Surprised, I readied my black blade. It launched itself into the air and came at me feet first, claws extended. The bird slammed into the archway, an invisible force preventing it from reaching us. The failed attack was accompanied by a loud clucking challenge, which caused the remaining birds to come out of the grass. Seven more joined the female: four males and three females. So, my count had been off by one. The cockatrices were agitated as they pranced around the archway, making a racket. They stood almost three feet tall, and I could see viscous yellow saliva on their tongues. I backed away from the room and pulled Maveith with me¡°. Let them settle down, and we can come back. They swarmed to the door this time but not all at once.¡± Maveith nodded. We rested and snacked on apples and berries before returning to the archway. Maveith, with his bow ready, and I with the black blade. Only one of the males was close to the corridor this time. ¡°Ready?¡± I asked, and he reluctantly nodded. ¡°I will take this one. Shoot them as they race out of the grass.¡± I stepped into the room, and the male nearby made a huge racket to summon the family, crowing like a malevolent rooster. It launched into the air and stunned itself when it slammed into my invisible shield. I quickly sidestepped and beheaded the confused cockatrice. As the head satisfyingly hit the ground, I was shocked as the body started running around, pumping out small spurts of blood. Thankfully, it had no awareness of me and ran into the wall of the chamber. The distraction almost cost me, as the other seven were rushing us. Maveith¡¯s bow sang, and a thick arrow thudded satisfyingly into the male leading the charge. It rolled away, clearly incapacitated, and out of the fight. Of course, our plan to take them a few at a time did not work, as the four trailing cockatrices took to the air to catch up. An arrow from Maveith took out a second running cockatrice. ¡°Only five left,¡± I said encouragingly as they closed. Maveith¡¯s bow sang again, but I was focused on my own fight and did not see where the arrow went. I set two shields, one high and one low, for the two fliers and one running at me. Why did three of the four remaining cockatrices target me? Maveith was the much bigger target! I waited unti they slammed into my shields and then moved to the side. One of the flyers tumbled toward me after striking the air disc. I timed my swing, beheaded the confused bird before it hit the ground, and dodged the decapitated head as it nearly hit me. The runner recovered quickly and dashed toward me. A quick air shield cast through my foot was supposed to halt the female¡¯s charge, but it flapped its wings, launching itself over the shield and going for my face. I did not want to risk the beak getting close, so I used my dimensional space to remove the head and deflected the headless body with my round shield. Taking in the chaos, I yelled to Maveith, ¡°Above you, Maveith!¡± The other flier that I had deflected off my shield was now above him and closing in. While I had been busy, Maveith had dropped his bow and crushed the other cockatrice with his hammer. Maveith went into a rapid forward roll, his massive body moving faster than it probably had a right to, and he came up facing the other direction, already swinging his hammer. The cockatrice, with claws outstretched, crumbled under the force of the hammer blow, and was thrown a good distance away. The cockatrice¡¯s body was crushed, and it struggled to move, clucking pitifully. The fight had only taken a few seconds, but my heart was still racing from the combat. A few clucks from dying cockatrices overcame the noise of the waterfall. ¡°Stay on guard until the reward chest shows.¡± I walked around and carefully dispatched the mostly dead birds. Only one of the ones with an arrow in it put up any fight, but the arrow shaft greatly hampered its movement. We stayed away from the tall grass around the pool for now, and I used the collector on the cockatrices while Maveith remained on watch. ¡°I think I see a box on the shore,¡± Maveith said excitedly as I kneeled over the first male cockatrice I had killed, removing the collector from my minimalist-packed backpack. I knew Maveith was not excited about the treasure; it was just that the chest signaled that all the petrifying birds had been killed, and he was no longer at risk of being turned to stone. The blue smoke was thick, and I watched the essence form on the collector. A rich brown apex essence formed with swirls of gray moving in the sphere¡ªan. earth affinity essence. The rest of the roosters yielded major earth essences. The four female cockatrices all yielded clear major essences that could be mistaken for glass balls. These were aether tolerance essences that were useful in resisting magic. It was an excellent haul, and Maveith might want the earth essences to improve his shape stone spell form. Together, we walked to the pool in the center of the chamber. The cooling mist from the splashing waterfall was welcome. There were four nests in the grass but no eggs. A few green leaves sprouted from the ground that I recognized as wild onions. Somewhere under the soil were fat worms, and I wondered if they would also yield an essence. We reached the shore, and I shattered the stone box to reveal a dozen silver coins and a balled-up dark gray cloak. A piece of clothing was slightly disappointing, and after unfurling it, it was too small for Maveith to wear and too small for me to wear over my armor as well. It would fit me without my armor, but Maveith would probably be upset if I wore this over the manticore cloak he made for me. I sent it to my dimensional space. ¡°What now?¡± Maveith asked over the noise of the water. ¡°Now we bathe!¡± I said happily as I walked into the shallow water with my armor still on. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA and allows me to seek financial restitution. Chapter 156: Sanctuary Chapter 156: Sanctuary The water was cool as it soaked my boots, then my socks, and my linen pants, working its way up my body. I was waist-deep, and a cloud of filth was spreading out from me, fouling the clear water. ¡°Maveith, come on in! The water is fine!¡± Maveith stood on the shore, uncertain. ¡°We saw the cockatrice bathing. There is nothing dangerous in the water.¡± The tall goliath looked around the room, turning his head slowly. ¡°I think I will harvest the cockatrices first. That way, I do not have to bathe twice. I will also retrieve my arrows.¡± I rolled my eyes at Maveith. ¡°Well, I saw some wild onion stems among the tall grass. You can dig them up as well.¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice sounded hurt that I thought he could not spot the dark green stems of the onions. ¡°I saw them too, Eryk. There looks to be some garlic as well. Did you see the garlic?¡± He challenged somewhat playfully. ¡°No. Is there garlic too? If you start pulling up the root vegetables, see if you can capture some of the worms the cockatrices were eating. I want to see if I can use the collector on them.¡± Maveith looked doubtful at that statement. I started removing my armor, one piece at a time, cleaning it before tossing it into the grass to dry. Maveith focused on the cockatrices. I would throw him in if he tried not to bathe. We both smelled so foul that we no longer noticed how bad it was. After my armor was off and cleaned to the best of my ability, I worked on my clothes,soaking and rinsing them repeatedly until they no longer produced clouds in the water. The dirty water quickly settled into the sandy bottom, filtering downward. Eventually, I was completely naked, so I produced my shaving kit to retrieve the small bar of soap inside. I then returned the rest of the kit. I scrubbed out every crack and crevice of dirt, dried blood, and sap. I used the entire bar of soap, but it was worth it. I moved under the waterfall and began to rinse my hair and scrub my face. I remained under the cascading water until my skin was puckered, pale, and perfectly clean. I had spent two hours bathing, and Maveith worked the entire time. I might have felt guilty if I had not asked him to join me a dozen times while he worked. I pulled out clean underclothes from my storage and dressed. I only had one spare pair of legion boots in my space, and I was wearing them now. I no longer felt like a soldier on an infinite campaign. I felt almost human, if I was not trapped deep inside a dungeon that was trying to kill me. Maveith had a tarp in the grass with a stack of bird meat and organs. There was a pile of small wild onions and a second pile of some pungent bulbous wild garlic. The onions and garlic would give our meals a lot of flavor in the future. After bathing for the first time in weeks, I was reluctant to dig them up. ¡°Eryk, if you cook, I will bathe. We have about eight hours before we should leave.¡± I nodded and was glad the goliath was tracking our time as well. The last thing either of us wanted was to be caught bathing when the cockatrices respawned. Maveith finally stripped and entered the water to wash himself and his gear. I focused on cooking. I heated some bear fat in Maveith¡¯s cast iron pan. I cut up several onions and two garlic cloves and cooked them. One of the cockatrice breasts was cut into thin strips, and I ground up some pepper. I seasoned each side with a little salt and pepper, then seared both sides of the bird meat, cooking it through. I folded the crispy meat like a taco and filled it with onions saut¨¦ed and garlic. I munched on the first one, enjoying the texture and flavors. As I prepared the second, I called Maveith over. He came out of the water to get his cockatrice taco, naked. ¡°Damn, Maveith, watch where you swing that thing!¡± He ignored me, and the taco was gone in two bites. ¡°That was tasty. Can I get six more?¡± His deep voice asked eagerly. His statement brought back nightmares of working at a fast-food restaurant in high school, trying to keep up during the weekend lunch rush because half the staff called out sick. ¡°Keep washing. And no service without shoes, shorts, and a shirt!¡± I told the goliath. He was confused by the sudden requirements but waded back into the water. ¡°I will let you know when it is ready.¡± I made two more for myself before preparing six for Maveith. ¡°Can I cook the greens from the onions and garlic?¡± I asked Maveith, who was dressing. Maveith considered. ¡°Onion greens are bitter, but garlic greens taste like their bulbs, and I have used them before in my cooking.¡± I chopped up the garlic stems and added them to the next round of stir-fry. Maveith ate nine of the tacos before he was finally full and topped them with a cup of his apple-berry jam for dessert. I had a cup of savory-sweet jam myself. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°After we harvest as much onion and garlic as possible, we will explore the passage,¡± I said. There was a passage directly opposite the one where we had entered the massive domed room. ¡°I am hoping we never have to fight these birds again.¡± He crunched into his last taco. ¡°But they are tasty.¡± Personally, I thought they tasted closer to turkey than chicken, but all the flavor came from the bear fat, onions, and garlic. We had only used up one of the massive breasts, too, so we had a lot of meat remaining. As I pulled garlic and onions from the ground, I searched for the elusive worms. I even tried placing the collector on the ground in a few spots, hoping the worms were close to the surface to pull their essence. I had no luck. Maveith found the first worm when he pulled up the waist-high grass to inspect the roots. Apparently, they nested in the roots. I felt cheated when the finger-sized worm released tiny wisps of blue smoke but did not produce an essence. I tried it on multiple worms, but it never produced an essence. So much for the collector working on every creature in a dungeon. We washed our hands, and I stored the harvest. We filled our water from the falls and finally left the idyllic room. The corridor was the same as elsewhere, but the room fifty feet down the corridor was not. It was a square chamber, twenty feet on each side. A stone shelf was on the left and right walls, three feet deep. Across from us was the most confusing sight:. a wide stairway going up. We did not enter the room as we both pondered it. ¡°There is writing on the wall, Eryk,¡± Maveith said, pointing. It was hard to see, as it looked to have faded with time, but there was elven script above one of the recessed shelves. ¡°I think this is a safe room, and those are sleeping alcoves. Otherwise, the dungeon would have erased the writing on the wall.¡± I stepped into the room, trusting my instincts. Nothing leaped out to attack me, and I cautiously approached the writing. It was in elven script. ¡°It is a safe room,¡± I said to the relieved Maveith, who joined me. ¡°It is going to take me a little while to decipher this. Do you want the dreamscape amulet?¡± ¡°I would be grateful for it, yes,¡± his deep voice intoned. While Maveith made himself comfortable in the other alcove with the dreamscape amulet, I translated the ancient writing. Maveith soon started sleeping deeply, and I slowly figured things out. The script indicated our location: we. were on the third level of the labyrinth in a special series of rooms. It warned of the cockatrices, fire bear, and shapeshifters. The dark room was the real prize in the corner of this dungeon, as it contained silver ore with trace amounts of mithril. Apparently, there were better places to mine mithril, as this was not a popular path due to the cockatrices and greater doppelgangers guarding it. There was no reference to what was at the top of the stairs. My curiosity got the better of me. I would climb the stairs and check. Maybe there was another safe room at the top. The stairs corkscrewed as I climbed, and I counted the steps. It seemed to go on forever, and I worried I might not be back before Maveith woke. I assumed I was heading toward the second layer of the labyrinth and getting closer to the others from the company. Perhaps the rooms on the second layer would not be as dangerous. I reached the top of the stairs and did not like what I found: an. oval chamber with a glass floor where giant eels swam underneath. No, it was not glass; it was ice. This room was a skating rink. There were two exits, though. The question was whether the eels were the monsters or if they were what the guardian ate. I studied the room, but the only activity seemed to be under the ice. I was about to leave when movement on the ceiling caught my eye. The body of something had blended in nearly perfectly. The creature gave up hiding and dropped to the ice as I focused on it. Six thick legs, ending in terrible claws, scratched the glass-like ice, marring the surface and throwing chunks. The dark blue lizard-like creature was larger than a horse and growled at me, clearly unhappy with my presence. It paced on the ice, its claws ripping up chunks as it went. I watched in horrific fascination, as if I were at a zoo and perfectly safe on the other side of the bars. After twenty minutes of prancing for me, the muscular creature burrowed into the ice in seconds. I could see it under the ice hunting the large eels. It was not long before it scored a victory and burst out of the ice at a different spot from where it had entered. The ice appeared to be about six inches thick from the chunks that had been washed across the rink. I was curious about how the chamber was reset to make the surface of the ice smooth, but I needed to get back to Maveith. If only one creature existed in this chamber, then it should not be too difficult. Maveith was still sleeping when I returned down the two hundred and six steps to the safe room. When Maveith woke, we needed to make a big decision. Would we leave this part of the dungeon with the familiar monsters and rooms, or would we go to the second layer and explore unknown threats while attempting to find the others? ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Book 1 will be $0.99 in some markets on November 1st Hello, Congratulations! We selected the following title(s) for a Kindle Deal on Amazon.ca. Amazon will handle the price updates during this period. - A Soldier''s Life: Book 1 will be discounted to CDN$ 0.99 in a Kindle Daily Deal which runs on Nov-01-2024. Please do not update your title(s) price prior to the Kindle Deal date, including using Kindle Countdown Deals and/or Free Book Promotions. If changed, the title(s) will be removed from the Kindle Deal. Regards, The Kindle Direct Publishing Team Hello, Congratulations! We selected the following title(s) for a Kindle Deal on Amazon.com. Amazon will handle the price updates during this period. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. - A Soldier''s Life: Book 1 will be discounted to $0.99 in a Kindle Daily Deal which runs on Nov-01-2024. Please do not update your title(s) price prior to the Kindle Deal date, including using Kindle Countdown Deals and/or Free Book Promotions. If changed, the title(s) will be removed from the Kindle Deal. If you have any questions about your Kindle Deal, contact us as soon as possible: https://kdp.amazon.com/contact-us Regards, The Kindle Direct Publishing Team Here is the link to it on US market (I am not sure if the US is one of the markets. I thought I approved Australia, but maybe they don''t want my book down under) if you want to know how I select which markets to do this deal, the answer is I don¡¯t. Amazon contacts me and asks if I want to discount the book in a specific market and I can say yes or no this is the second time they asked Chapter 157: Frost Salamander Chapter 157: Frost Salamander I let Maveith sleep as I prepared breakfast for both of us, finely dicing some bear meat to make patties. As I worked, I popped one of the clear essences into my mouth. This would raise and fortify my aether tolerance, which indicated my natural resistance to channeling substantial amounts of aether. If a mage pulled too much aether too quickly, they risked burning out their aether channels. The old healer in Sobral was burnt out. I thought I might be at risk of the same if I started using the aether restorative potions. As the sphere dissolved, the world around me and my perception of it momentarily muted. It felt like the opposite effect of the perception essence. My best guess was that the dungeon was so saturated with aether that it affected me. The smell of cooking meat roused Maveith, who took over the cooking duties after handing me the amulet. ¡°How did it go, Maveith?¡± ¡°It was cathartic. I will never get tired of seeing my sister again,¡± he rumbled with strong emotion. He smiled widely. ¡°We fought the orcs and ankhegs together and were victorious.¡± ¡°I am glad. How about you use the amulet every third rest? Just remind me?¡± I offered. ¡°I would appreciate it. You are a true friend to let me use something so precious,¡± he intoned deeply while nodding enthusiastically. ¡°Do you want another quickness essence?¡± I asked, already holding the small green spheres in my hand. Maveith nodded eagerly, and I placed all the remaining dark green essences into his hands, which widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°Just take one a day. Let me know when you run out, and you can choose something else.¡± Maveith swallowed one immediately and placed the remaining spheres in his pocket. He focused on cooking, as he was the much better cook. Maveith handed me the finished meal: bear patties and apple slices drizzled with hot apple-berry jam. While we ate, he asked, ¡°Did you take one of the magic affinities?¡± ¡°No, I took an aether tolerance essence. I had trouble the last time I used a magic affinity essence and have been reluctant to try again.¡± I winced reflexively, recalling the pain from the earth essence I consumed, how abused my body was afterward, and the foul stench I emitted. ¡°I am here to watch over you, Eryk.¡± His deep voice became serious. ¡°You have many secrets. I will keep any you are willing to share.¡± There was something about the big gray man that just made you want to trust him. ¡°I will consider it. I also explored up the stairs. It is a big climb and ends in a frozen lake chamber with a giant lizard that can burrow through the ice. It hunts large eels in the water.¡± I continued to explain what I had found at the top of the stairs. My description of the creature did not ring any bells for Maveith. ¡°I am going to get some sleep with the amulet. I will see if I can figure out what the creature is.¡± Maveith looked anxious.¡°Can you leave the vines? I can start on the rope. Maybe leave the reader table out as well?¡± I smirked as he was clearly getting addicted to tracking his progress. The essences would not affect him much, but regaining his lost muscle and body mass would quickly raise his physical stats. I left the tablet reader table and the pile of vines for him. Entering the dreamscape, everything looked normal until I entered the ankheg room. The strong metallic smell of blood assaulted my senses. Dozens of abused orc corpses littered the room alongside two foul-smelling dead ankhegs. I muttered, ¡°At least clean up after yourself, Maveith.¡± I eliminated all smells first, removing the orc bodies and resetting the room. I would have to tell him that the amulet remained as he left it. With the room clean and live ankhegs hibernating underground, I headed toward the scorpion room. In the water room with the centipede fish, I was shocked to find Zarana swimming. Seeing me, she left the water, climbing onto the floating stone in front of me¡ªand she was naked. I averted my eyes.¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know you were in here.¡± Then I remembered I was in the dreamscape and took in her body. I had impure thoughts and wondered just what Maveith was doing with his sister in the dreamscape. ¡°Is Maveith back?¡± Zarana asked as I remained speechless. I used my power in the dreamscape to clean her clothes and put them on her body. She looked at the garments, disappointed either in their style or just in being clothed. ¡°No, Zarana. Why are you in this room?¡± Which sounded like a stupid question. Her deep, feminine voice laughed, ¡°Cleaning the blood of the orcs off, of course!¡± ¡°How? Did Maveith let you¡ªlet you wander the dungeon?¡± I was trying to figure out what freedoms this construct Maveith created had. ¡°Maveith said I could do whatever I wanted. I wanted to swim,¡± she said with a mischievous grin. ¡°Do you want to join me? You are Eryk, Maveith¡¯s little friend?¡± Little friend? I guess compared to the seven-foot bald, gray-skinned goliath woman in front of me, I would appear that way. ¡°Yes, that is me. But I have too much work to do. Perhaps another time.¡± I hopped across the stones, and Zarana followed me to the scorpion room uninvited. When I removed the wall, I was not surprised to see Zarana¡¯s construct was missing. Oscar came rushing at me, eager for attention. The Aussie was ready to play. The men were playing cards. ¡°No combat training today,¡± I preempted any questions from the disappointed men. Konstantin¡¯s construct barked, ¡°He is getting soft.¡± I muted the entire table, including Maveith, who Zarana did not seem to recognize as her brother. I questioned Zarana, ¡°Did you tell or show Maveith this secret room?¡± ¡°No, he never asked about it,¡± Zarana replied truthfully. ¡°Good. Never show it to him or tell him about it. You can continue to do what you want in the dungeon,¡± I said, sitting in my plush chair with the elven bestiaries. Zarana stood behind my chair, looking over my shoulder. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°What are you doing back there?¡± ¡°I was hoping you would read to me,¡± she said happily, leaning on the back of my chair and rocking it slightly. I pinched my nose. It felt wrong to be rude to the construct of Maveith¡¯s sister. She seemed a mix of mischievousness and innocence. ¡°Fine, just don¡¯t interrupt me,¡± I said. Oscar hopped in my lap, seeing we were not playing ball. I paged through all the bestiaries but did not find the blue lizard with big claws. I did manage to identify the potion from the creeping vine room. It was a protection from heat. I supposed that meant fire, but I was not sure. I recreated the elven potions from the summoner and identified them as well: lesser aether restoration, lesser stamina, and an empathy enhancement potion. The dominate creature was the best potion I had liberated from the dead summoner. I had been reading aloud and completely forgotten Zorana was behind me. ¡°Are you leaving so soon?¡± she asked, disappointed. She was clearly one of those annoying personalities¡ªextroverts. ¡°It has been about six hours. I have to go and help Maveith,¡± I said. I expected her to ask me to come, but she clearly knew she could not. I looked at the silenced poker table. ¡°You all can wander the dungeon and interact with Big Z here.¡± I did not let her challenge the nickname as I teleported to the entry room and left the dungeon. Sitting up, Maveith looked at me expectantly from his work, creating a rope from the vines. ¡°Maveith, you do realize the dreamscape remains however you leave it? You left all those dead orcs and your sister unattended.¡± Maveith¡¯s eyes got wide in surprise. ¡°I am sorry; I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Be careful when you clean up. I don¡¯t want the environments to reset. I have some things in the scorpion room I don¡¯t want to have to recreate,¡± I told him, taking another step down the trust road. He nodded and added, ¡°I understand. Is Zorana, okay?¡± I closed my eyes. ¡°She is not real, Maveith. She is just constructed from your memories by the amulet in the dreamscape. Do not get too attached. But yes, she is fine and hanging out with everyone else in the scorpion room.¡± I could see the conflict in his eyes. He had come to terms with what happened to his sister but could not let her go. The problem with the dreamscape constructs was that they behaved exactly as you expected them to. I hoped Maveith did not become too attached. ¡°I will check and see if the cockatrices are back. You can wait here,¡± I said. It had been over a day since we cleared the room. As I approached, I could already see the cockatrices in the grass looking for worms. They were back. I spent a few minutes trying to count them to see if the number had changed. I only counted six, but that did not mean anything, as a few could be in the nests. I returned and gave Maveith the unwelcome news, ¡°The cockatrices are back. We either have to deal with them again or go up and handle the blue lizard.¡± Maveith dropped the cordage he had been working on. About twenty feet of the thick rope had been completed, but he had almost used the entire pile of vines I had salvaged. ¡°I prefer to go up but will follow whatever you want to do.¡± Maveith stretched and flexed his fingers from working on the rope. He asked a question I was not ready to answer: ¡°What about the elf griffin rider?¡± ¡°What about her? We have not reached a part of the dungeon that would require a third person yet,¡± I said, and I could see that Maveith thought much differently by his facial expression. Maveith put his thoughts in order. ¡°We were outnumbered in the cockatrice room. An ally would have been most welcome. You almost got overrun.¡± I explained my concerns. ¡°She is not going to trust us. Well, trust me anyway, as I am wearing my legionnaire armor. As soon as I heal her, she will attack me. Then I will not be able to sleep, knowing she is nearby, probably thinking about slitting my throat.¡± ¡°You can always just put her back in your space,¡± Maveith rationalized in a sage-like tone. He had obviously been thinking about this. ¡°It would take me two hours to recover enough aether to put a live person in the space. And if I cannot, we have to kill her and waste a healing potion on her.¡± I could tell Maveith was going to be pushing for her release even before he spoke. ¡°I will restrain her and protect you. Goliaths are known to be honorable people among the elves. She should listen to reason,¡± Maveith argued. I ended the discussion by saying, ¡°Let¡¯s clean up and look at the ice room together.¡± My tone left no room for debate. We could not leave anything behind. The dungeon appeared to let writing remain on the walls, but anything on the floor was absorbed after we left, which was nice since there were no toilets in the safe room. The two-hundred-plus steps up following the corkscrew pattern were done in silence. I knew Maveith well enough to know he was planning arguments for releasing the elf griffin rider. When we got to the room, it was just a sheet of clear ice. The large eels were underneath the sheet and swimming, oblivious to our presence. I scanned the ceiling, looking for the creature. ¡°There, Maveith. See how the river of light seems to go around that spot?¡±Maveith focused, but the creature was not moving. We stared, and suddenly, the creature dropped to the ice, aware its camouflage was exposed. As it hit the ice, its mass caused spider cracks to form under its six legs, each ending in a nasty locking claw. Maveith inhaled sharply, and the creature looked ferocious. ¡°Do you recognize it?¡± Maveith shook his head. ¡°It is some horror I have never seen.¡± The creature¡¯s beady blue eyes focused on us. ¡°Maybe the elf rider knows what it is,¡± Maveith suggested, causing me to roll my eyes. The creature started stalking the room, repeatedly judging us. It was clearly frustrated that it could not reach us. We waited, making sure a second creature was not in the room. ¡°Since it is just one creature, I can take it.¡± ¡°It looks fast, Eryk. Be careful.¡± Maveith strung his bow and got his last three arrows ready. I had not even realized the other arrows had cracked or snapped. The creature dug its claws into the ice, and with six legs, it did look fast. I stepped onto the ice, leaving the protection of the corridor. The head of the creature snapped to me, its black eyes sizing me up. It did not look afraid. All six legs locked into the ice. Shit, if it dove through the ice and attacked from underneath, I was fucked. My armor was not dense but did not float either. Thankfully, it charged me, and the ice erupted beneath it. The sheet rocked from the creature¡¯s mass, and cracks spread with an eerie, rolling cracking sound. Dodging it would be difficult on the ice, so I planned to jump over it after taking its head. At fifty feet away, it opened its maw and screamed, and a cone of snow, frost, and freezing air blasted toward me. The temperature dropped rapidly, and a snowy haze blocked my vision. Panic started to form in my stomach as my corneas quickly froze, causing my vision to blur and darken. The thudding sound of the approaching monstrosity was all I could focus on. I enlarged the box and listened, guessing at the appropriate time. I moved the box I had made into my dimensional space and felt strong resistance¡ªa good sign I had gotten some of the creature. I tried to move, but the cold had slowed me. The sound of nails on a chalkboard hit my ears, and I figured it was the creature¡¯s claws sliding on the surface of the ice. That was all I figured out as it slammed into me, whipping my head back and throwing my helmet away. I was catapulted hard into the wall behind me, slamming my head and knocking me unconscious. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 158: Phazed Decisions Chapter 158: Phazed Decisions I was having a really bad dream. I had been transported to a world full of magic and dangerous monsters and forced to serve in the Legion. My eyes opened painfully, a crusty feeling on my eyelids; a bluish light dilated my pupils, and a blurry image of a bald gray man stood over me. My mind slowly pieced everything back together, and the memories flooded back in. Maveith said something that I missed; it sounded muffled to my ears. His deep voice became clearer as he tried again, more insistently, ¡°Where are the healing potions?¡± I was confused when he asked about the healing potions, and I tried to speak. My jaw was on fire as it moved reluctantly, and other centers of pain began to announce themselves across my body as my nerves mapped the damage. I croaked out, ¡°Under my chest piece.¡± Maveith fished around in my armor and found the vial. Relief in his voice, he said, ¡°I will pour it in your mouth. Swallow it.¡± He ordered sternly. My taste buds only registered the blood in my mouth as the aether restoration potion worked. It was my only potion not in my dimensional space, but it gave me aether to pull an actual healing potion from my dimensional storage. I then had only a heartbeat to funnel aether as fast as I could into my healing spell form before the overflow of aether bled away into the environment. I was only moderately successful in using the overflowing aether from my core. I held up the retrieved healing potion with difficulty; my arm was clearly broken. It was still hard to speak, so I said, ¡°Healing potion,¡± offering it to Maveith to feed me. ¡°What happened?¡± I croaked, my memory still fuzzy from what had transpired after the lizard breathed a blizzard on me. ¡°Eryk, you cannot take two different potions so close in time to each other. It would be best if you waited at least an hour,¡± Maveith said worriedly. I tried to laugh, but even a small chuckle elevated my pain awareness, reminding me just how much of a mess I was. I tried to relax and focus on using my own aether to heal my extensive injuries. ¡°What happened?¡± I repeated more clearly. ¡°The creature hit you on the ice and threw you into the wall. After you bounced off the wall, it hit you again and crushed you into the wall. Your skin was frozen from the cloud of frost, and your eyes did not look good. I did not think you lived,as that creature is easily over two thousand pounds.¡± Maveith was still worried about my fate as one of my bones snapped back into alignment. I was worried for another reason. The collector was in my backpack, and I feared it might have been damaged. My injuries were under control. After healing my head enough to think straight, I focused on my internal wounds. ¡°I am healing myself. Use the collector on the creature. If I pass out, use the healing potion on me.¡± It took a lot of effort to get the words out. Maveith did as I asked, and I focused on healing. My armor had done a decent job of protecting me, much better than when the wyvern slammed into me. Broken bones seemed to be my biggest issue. I quickly burned through my available aether and was still in rough shape. Realigning bone with aether was not only painful but also required more aether than healing tissue. I was taking a break from healing when Maveith stood over me again, proudly holding a large apex essence in one hand and the collector in the other. It looked like a sphere containing dark blue water. It was a water affinity essence. I nodded as the pain was preventing me from moving. ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°One-third of an hour,¡± Maveith said, concern still evident on his face. My vision cleared as I healed my eyes from the damage to my cornea. Blinking rapidly, I saw Maveith pulling me out of the room and into the corridor. Maveith indicated the room. ¡°The ice in the room is melting. I think the creature was keeping it frozen with its freezing breath.¡± Maveith bit his lip. ¡°Also, when we entered, all the exits turned into solid stone, trapping us inside.¡± I forced myself to sit up; the ice had a thin sheen of water on top. Even if the ice completely thawed, there was a small ledge along the wall that we could walk on to circle the room. As I studied the area, Maveith¡¯s concern faded as my body healed. ¡°Your face and ears have frostbite,¡± he pointed out. I was focused on Maveith¡¯s comment about the dungeon locking us in the room. It had not done that before. I recalled the scorpion room from my first dungeon experience, which had done that to me. Maybe the final room of a floor prevented you from retreating? I shared my thoughts with Maveith. ¡°I think the room was more challenging and locked us in because it gives access to a deeper level of the dungeon.¡± I touched the tip of my nose; pain radiated from it and my nose was slightly stiff. My healing was able to restore the damage from the frostbite. My aether was low again, so I paused while it recovered naturally. ¡°Maveith, do you want to catch the eels? I have some fishing line.¡± Maveith looked at the melting ice. ¡°I am not familiar with this type of eel, but it should be edible. I do not think we should try the meat from the lizard you killed. Its blood is blue, and the meat is pale white; neither are good signs for consumption.¡± ¡°I want to harvest essences from the eels. I am not really concerned about eating them. We also need to decide if we are going to head back to the safe room at the bottom of the stairs or use one of the two exits up here. With that ranged breath weapon, I am not sure we should attempt this room again. I should be completely healed in half a day, so this is unnecessary.¡± I made a show of sliding the healing potion under my armor in the pocket where the aether restoration had rested. Now Maveith knew where he could find it next time. There was also a stone reward chest in the center of the ice. Maveith was reluctant to walk out on the surface to retrieve it. I removed my armor temporarily to lighten myself and had enough aether to cast at least three air discs to stand on if the ice could not support me. The ice groaned and cracked as I walked toward the reward chest. As I picked it up, the ice splintered further, and I retreated to the corridor with Maveith. I unceremoniously dropped the chest to shatter it. Silver coins spread across the floor, and a distinctive yellow of gold appeared in the mix¡ªfive gold coins. We sifted through the messy debris, not seeing a potion or other item. Maveith found a silver ring blending in with the coins. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°This ring is probably an artifact, Maveith. Do you want it?¡± I asked. Maveith held up his hand with his thick fingers. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will fit, Eryk.¡± ¡°Well, when we get out of here, you will get your share of the coins,¡± I reassured him. Maveith looked at the watery ice. ¡°I think we should use those corridors and try to find the others.¡± With how close I had been to death, it was more apparent we needed help. ¡°I agree. Let us move to the corridor on the right.¡± I was not confident about walking across the ice again, so I moved slowly along the narrow ledge. My body was still healing, so every little slip was uncomfortable as I kept my balance. Maveith¡¯s wide body stepped on the ice every few steps when the ledge got narrow, and it creaked under his weight, but it held. We sheltered in the new corridor, and I gave Maveith both of my fishing kits. He shattered the ice with his hammer, creating a hole, and I gave him the chunk of the lizard I had sent to my space for bait. With Maveith occupied in fishing, I gratefully slid down the wall, my armor scraping on the stone. I started to eat in order to recover reserves and fight off exhaustion. Maveith caught the first eel almost immediately. The four-foot eel was dark gray with a silvery belly. He smashed its head and slid it toward me. I pulled out the collector and noticed it had a small dent in it. I needed to be more careful with this artifact in the future. I had thought carrying it was smarter for easier access since my aether took time to recover after I killed a creature. Instead, I had almost broken one of my most valued possessions. I used the collector, and the blue wisps pulled into the collector formed a dark green minor essence. ¡°Maveith, quickness essence.¡± I held it up for him, and Maveith¡¯s eyes lit up with eagerness. I was guiltily greedy myself and would gladly give him minor essences while keeping the apex essences for myself. Although, I admit being quicker might have just saved me from almost dying. While Maveith pulled eel after eel out, I used the collector and continued healing the damage to my body. Maveith tossed the eels out onto the ice, as they smelled fairly horrible, and we decided not to try the meat. Hours passed, and the bites came less and less frequently. There was a heap of twenty-three minor dark green essences. Maveith suddenly stood and backed away from the entrance to the room. I was on alert and stood as well. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The corpse of the lizard creature just disappeared. I looked up, and it was gone. I think the room is resetting,¡± Maveith noted, and we both watched from the corridor¡¯s safety. ¡°How long did it take?¡± I asked Maveith since he had a better feel for time than I did. Maveith bit his lip, thinking. ¡°I think just under a day. Maybe exactly a day. I drifted off a few times while waiting for a bite.¡± A huge cloud of frosty snow erupted from the ceiling. The frigid blast quickly froze the water on the ice, resulting in a glass-like finish. The eels did not seem to have repopulated yet. I could only see a few eels deep in the water. The dark blue lizard landed on the ice, which was definitely smaller than the one I had recently killed. I was still not eager to fight this particular creature again. We watched it survey its domain before I said, ¡°Maveith, take the essences, we should get going and see where this leads. I was hoping to explore both options before deciding, but I lost track of time, and we will have to settle for this corridor.¡± I had completely healed; my only pain was my stomach requesting fuel. Reluctantly, I sent the collector to my dimensional storage to protect it from my own shortcomings. We walked down the straight corridor, maybe two hundred feet, to the next room. It was another large chamber with a few full-grown trees, creating a small forest. I thought the trees were oak¡ªat least the leaves were shaped like oak leaves I recalled from Earth. ¡°Do you see anything, Maveith?¡± ¡°In the trees,¡± his deep voice echoed above and behind me. ¡°A large mantis is eating leaves.¡± He had to point out the green creature for me. It was not large¡ªmaybe the length of my arm. Maveith voiced what I was thinking. ¡°They are not overly dangerous. I am guessing they are sustenance for something much more deadly.¡± We started to get frustrated trying to find the threat in the room. We spotted at least four of the mantises but no overt threat. The room almost looked peaceful, with nineteen large oak trees, a high ceiling, and much brighter lighting than in other rooms. We sat facing each other in the corridor, resting our backs on the wall, and started to make dinner. We watched the room, trying to figure out the threat before entering. Maveith cooked with the thermal stone between his legs. I could tell he was tired, and we needed to sleep somewhere safe soon. As we ate some seared bear meat, a flash of movement occurred in the trees. ¡°What was it?¡± I asked Maveith, who was studying the trees with me. We could hear crunching as the mantis was being devoured in the canopy. ¡°I think it was a spider, but it was fast, and I don¡¯t know what type.¡± As if the first attack was a catalyst, other flashes occurred in the upper branches as more spiders decided it was dinner time. ¡°I don¡¯t see any webbing,¡± I said, as the blue-white spiders dashed among the branches harvesting the mantises. ¡°They could be nesting inside the trees. I counted over ten,¡± Maveith noted, still focused above. ¡°I have never seen a blue-white spider before.¡± ¡°I think I remember something in the books in the dreamscape library. I will go and check.¡± I put the amulet in my hand and entered the dreamscape. I ignored the people and Oscar, as I did not want to be gone too long. I found the entry in the elven bestiary and focused on translating it. They were a variety of phase spiders¡ªspiders that could make themselves incorporeal to avoid attacks or surprise prey. The ones we noticed were slightly smaller than the entry, about the size of a dog. They were venomous, and the poison was a paralytic. They nested in trees and caves. Their webbing was only used to preserve prey and cocoon their eggs, as they did not make webs. They were noted as extremely dangerous foes. I returned to Maveith and informed him of what I had learned. ¡°They are called phase spiders. Their bite can paralyze you, but they can also make themselves incorporeal. We have enchanted weapons, which should make that point moot.¡± Maveith was pointing, drawing my gaze. Shit. There was a mama-phase spider the size of a horse. We watched the smaller spiders bring the large parts of their mantis harvests as offerings. The large spider used its legs to put the pieces into its mouth, making loud and disturbing crunching sounds as it snacked. Maveith asked, ¡°Is it time to bring out the elf griffin rider?¡± There were so many enemies in the room that Maveith and I would be outnumbered. I was not optimistic about returning to the ice room to explore the other corridor. ¡°Twelve small spiders gave offerings to the big one. That makes thirteen total,¡± Maveith said from his observations. ¡°I do not see an exit from this room. The trees could be blocking it, but this could be a dead end,¡± I reasoned. ¡°Maybe we fight the blue lizard and try the other corridor?¡± Maveith seemed to consider. ¡°I think we will eventually return here. We should try this room. Venom usually takes time to work or requires multiple bites to become effective. I think we can do this, but having the elf as an ally makes it safer.¡± I was still reluctant. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t stab us in the back while we are fighting,¡± I wavered for minutes before finally conceding. ¡°Fine, Maveith. I will bring out the griffin rider, and we will try to reason with her.¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 159: About What I Expected Chapter 159: About What I Expected It was going to happen, no matter my reservations. As Maveith repeatedly pointed out, the danger level was too high in the dungeon, and we needed allies. I had two healing potions and two aether restoration potions left. I handed Maveith the other healing potion from my dimensional space and held an aether restoration in my hand. Maveith looked expectantly at me. ¡°I think I am going to remove my armor and store it. If she sees the red legion armor, she may panic.¡± After storing the armor, I changed into some ordinary clothes. I had nice clothes I purchased in Telha, but I did not think they were appropriate for this occasion. Maveith sucked his cheek, inspecting me. ¡°Eryk, you look a little tough. Like someone who would be in a press gang.¡± Even though we had washed in the cockatrice chamber, we both looked a little rough. I took out my barber¡¯s bag and used the small mirror. My scraggly beard from malnourishment had not fully grown back, my black shoulder-length hair was matted from my helmet, and my teeth were stained blue from the blueberries. Altogether it made me look a little menacing. I would run from me, too. I started with the mouthwash. The mint-infused liquid strengthened my teeth, purified my breath, and whitened my teeth. Spitting the used potion resulted in a dark blue stain on the wall. I tested my teeth and was happy they felt smooth; my gums had recovered as well. I gave Maveith a dose as well. Then, I had him hold the mirror while I shaved and trimmed my beard and hair. Maveith expounded on the benefits of being hairless while I worked. I cut myself three times with the straight-edge razor, but it did not matter as I healed the cuts immediately with my spell form. It felt surreal doing this in a dangerous dungeon. Also, there was the fact I was prettying up for an enemy who would likely try and kill me. Maveith was hairless. He just needed to wash his gray-skinned head and hands. I thought he looked much more imposing than me, as his body was filling out again with our increasing sustenance. ¡°Better?¡± I asked the goliath, who inspected me for a minute. ¡°Yes. Do you think she will recognize you?¡± Maveith asked. I thought about it. My helm covered my head fairly well and protected my cheeks, but my eyes, nose, and mouth were visible. She had also recognized me the second time I placed her into my dimensional space. ¡°Yes. She might not immediately, but she will eventually.¡± ¡°Stand behind me, then, until I can explain to her what is happening. Do you know her name?¡± Maveith asked. ¡°No! Both times we met, she was trying to kill me. I did not have time for introductions!¡± I laughed incredulously, but something tickled my mind. I pulled the elven dagger off my belt. I was wearing the black blade and her elven dagger. I looked at the small script. I did not remember what Scholar Favian had said the writing was, but I was able to sound it out myself in the elven tongue. ¡°Her name might be Raelia Glavien.¡± Maveith nodded, recalling the Scholar¡¯s deciphering. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go back to the safe room to do this?¡± he asked again. Phantom pain spread through me. I could tolerate a lot of pain, but it was still extremely unpleasant. The ranged attack of the blue lizard would take a lot of work to overcome. We could never kill it if it never came within range of my dimensional space. Also, if the creature shattered the ice and put us in the water, we would be finished. Maybe if the chamber had not locked us inside, I would have had more confidence if we could draw it into the corridor. ¡°No, Maveith. I think we will try our luck with the phase spiders.¡± We cleaned up the corridor, but the dungeon had not yet absorbed our bowel movements. It was what it was, and I was going to assume our mess would be the last thing she was concerned with. I did not know how long we could linger in the corridor before the dungeon released the creatures in the rooms to pursue us, but the shapeshifters warned us that the dungeon would eventually pursue us. I stood behind Maveith and told him, ¡°She was in bad shape. Get the potion into her quickly. It might not even help. I was pretty certain she was dead when I pulled her into my space.¡± Maveith took a deep breath. ¡°I am ready.¡± The elf griffin rider appeared on the floor in front of Maveith. He already had the potion moving to pour into her mouth. Her body was a mess; blood flowed from puncture wounds caused by the drake¡¯s bite, and her leather armor and clothes were damaged and soaked with blood. It had not taken a lot of aether to take her out, and I could send her back¡ªor remove her head if necessary. Maveith was excited. ¡°The wounds are closing! It is not going to be enough. I need the other potion.¡± His voice was urgent. ¡°It is our last healing potion, Maveith.¡± I could get by without healing potions, but Maveith could not. Maveith held out his hand emphatically. I pulled the potion from my space and handed it to him. He understood the ramifications. The griffin rider¡¯s wounds closed, and her face went gaunt as the potion did its work, using her body¡¯s minimal reserves. Her chest began to rise and fall. Then she inhaled a deep, panicked breath. I guessed her mind had caught up and was remembering what had happened just before she had been stored in my dimensional space. ¡°Search her for weapons and items, Maveith.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Maveith hesitated briefly before removing her belt, which had a few pouches on it. He handed it to me, and he found a knife secreted in her boot. I searched the pouches, finding three lesser dungeon healing potions. We had just used two greater healing potions on her, so I was taking these as payment and sent them to my dimensional storage. These potions would have been useful when we were back in the library, I lamented. The other pouches contained myconid powder, dark moss, and spools of twine. I looked at Maveith, who was waiting for her to regain consciousness. ¡°Give me the ring,¡± I indicated the bright silver ring the elf wore. Maveith hesitated a moment before removing it and handing it to me. It looked like it could be an artifact, so I sent it to storage. Her eyes began to flutter, and if it was not for her blood-caked face and messy hair, I might have thought she was attractive. ¡°Raelia,¡± Maveith whispered softly and reassuringly. ¡°You are safe now. I am Maveith.¡± He started to repeat that over and over. What if her name wasn¡¯t Raelia? Then Maveith would look silly, not me. A groan escaped her lips as she came to and moved slowly. Her crusty eyes began to flutter, and the moment was upon us. I whispered, ¡°Be careful; she has fireball magic.¡± Maveith hissed, ¡°Quiet. Elves have excellent hearing.¡± The griffin rider slowly turned her head as her eyes focused. The shimmering lights in the ceiling were probably not the best environment to awaken to. She finally focused on the smiling Maveith, who was lucky I had the mouthwash to whiten his teeth. Otherwise, his dark blue lips and stained teeth would have scared her. She finally spoke weakly and confused, ¡°A goliath? Where am I?¡± ¡°You are in a dungeon. I am Maveith, and I will not harm you. You have my word as a member of the Stoneskin Clan.¡± Stoneskin clan? Maveith had never told me he was part of a clan. I felt slightly betrayed that he told the elf first. She spoke softly with effort. ¡°Why am I in a dungeon? What happened? I was with Vaeril.¡± She paused to think. ¡°We were running from the accursed Telhian legionnaires.¡± Her body jolted. ¡°A drake. I was in a drake¡¯s mouth and helpless.¡± She was sitting up, and I could tell her heart was racing with the memories that were just a few moments ago for her. Her hands traveled over her body, feeling her bloody clothes and the holes in her armor. Her voice was slightly clearer. ¡°Maveith, how am I here with you?¡± Yeah, Maveith, how is she here with you? ¡°My friend saved you.¡± He moved aside so she could see me. The elf¡¯s eyes had trouble focusing on me as she had not quite gotten accustomed to the shifting and flowing dungeon light. There, I could see it happen; her eyes started to widen as recognition occurred. She reached for her belt knife. I could not help myself. I pulled her runic dagger. ¡°Looking for this?¡± It was an idiotic play to taunt her, especially when she overreacted, and anger flared in her eyes. Maveith tried to calm the situation. ¡°Eryk is a good person. He has saved me multiple times. He will not hurt you either.¡± I was smart enough not to debate the point and sheathed the dagger. If necessary, I would end her. ¡°He is a legionnaire, goliath. Do the world a favor and end him before he kills you,¡± she spat a bloody glob on the floor at my feet. ¡°I do not think this is going to work out, Maveith. I will just put her back for now,¡± I said, thinking the threat would give us some leverage. The elf realized what that meant, rolled to her feet in a flash, and darted into the phase spider forest room. ¡°Well, we tried,¡± I said, but Maveith was already rushing after her. ¡°Raelia! Stop! We are in a dungeon!¡± Maveith yelled, but the elf girl did not stop. ¡°Fuck,¡± I swore, drawing the black blade and moving to protect Maveith. The elf reached the center of the room, and two phase spiders launched from the trees. She managed to roll forward and avoid both. She was sprinting toward an exit we had not been able to see. Two more of the phase spiders zipped through the air behind her back. She could not see them but dodged anyway. Then Mama Spider flashed to the ground, blocking her access to the corridor exit. Maveith had crushed the first two spiders that had attacked the elf. I caught movement and slashed the air, bisecting my own spider. I could not focus on Maveith or the elf girl. The spider¡¯s bodies were the size of cats, but their legs made them seem much larger. I was actually surprised at how easily my black blade cut through them. They were probably just as surprised, as they were a blur and thought themselves immune to my attack. I killed a second, then a third, and then snuck a glance at Maveith. He was covered in spider goo. The elf was dodging the horse-sized spider, trying to sneak past it. I got my fourth spider, and Maveith yelled, ¡°We have to help her. She does not have a weapon.¡± I was free of spiders and rushed forward as Maveith crushed another spider with the hammer, splattering spider goo on me as I passed. The elf girl was trying to tear the spider from her back, and the large spider closed in on her. I removed the head of the large spider, feeling modest resistance to my effort, but I was successful. I hacked one of the small spiders on the ground, leaving just the one on her back. Maveith joined me, grabbed the spider¡¯s legs on her, and started tearing them off with his bare hands. The elf was wobbling on her feet as the venom took effect. I spun, looking for threats, but just smiled when I noticed the stone chest in the center of the trees. The elf collapsed to the ground, paralyzed. Maveith knelt to check on her. Relieved, he said, ¡°She is alive. Just puncture wounds in the shoulder. Are you sure the venom is just a paralytic?¡± I walked over and stood over both of them. ¡°Maveith, I do not think this is going to work out. She is not going to help us.¡± The elf¡¯s eyes started darting from me to Maveith and back again. She tried to speak, but it came out garbled. I noted, ¡°Huh, looks like the paralysis doesn¡¯t affect her hearing or sight.¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 160: Mutual Benefit Chapter 160: Mutual Benefit The griffin rider was paralyzed but could still hear and see us, her eyes darting around in panic at her situation. Maveith was tending to her while I searched the forest room. The trees would have been an ideal harvest for the city above, especially if the room recovered with fully grown trees each time it reset. The branches still had a few mantises, but I was not about to climb the tree to get them. The floor was covered with leafy plants and grass, and the reward chest was in the center of the room. Since Maveith was tending to the elf, I shattered the stone casing. As I searched through the stone and silver coins, I found a large ring resembling a napkin holder. It appeared to be made out of stone, with a soft pink color and considerable weight. There was a relief around the outside depicting elven hunters chasing large elk. The craftsmanship was amazing, and I hoped it was an artifact. I bagged it with the coins for now and would move it to my dimensional space when I had the aether. I turned my attention to the plants. The only thing I recognized as useful was ginseng. Ginseng is used in alchemy, cooking, and teas. If I remembered correctly, the older it is, the more potent. I carefully dug up the first ginseng while waiting for my aether to recover in order to pull out my collector. The ginseng root was huge¡ªover a foot long¡ªand had dozens of rings. This ginseng was incredibly old and, therefore, probably valuable to the right alchemist. I had time to harvest a second before I could retrieve the collector. I started on the largest spider. Maveith was talking to his captive audience, who garbled words occasionally that I could not make out. I doubted the goliath would be able to soothe the griffin rider. I had an aether potion ready to drink if she needed to be dealt with. The largest phase spider had remained upright, its body frozen in rigor mortis after I took its head. I had to chop the legs to get the body down, as it was eight feet in the air. Soon, I watched thick wisps of blue smoke being pulled into the collector, and I got excited. The apex essence that formed was something I had not seen before. Inside the essence sphere, little flashes of white jumped around a foggy matrix. I had memorized all the affinities; this was displacement¡ªa rare magic affinity. I quickly harvested all twelve of the small spiders, keeping an eye on Maveith and the elf. I soon added seven major essences and five minor displacement essences. These rare essences were as good as gold outside the Telhian Empire. I stored them all and returned to harvesting the ginseng. Just over an hour after the fight, Maveith said, ¡°She is starting to move.¡± I cleaned the dirt off my hands and walked over to the two. Maveith had bandaged the puncture wounds from the phase spider on her shoulder. It made me think, ¡°Maveith, do you think we can harvest some of the venom? It was pretty effective.¡± I indicated the elf, and she returned my look with a hard stare. Maveith considered, ¡°If it is similar to harvesting snake venom, I can try. Usually, the snakes are alive, though.¡± Maveith stood and took one of the small spiders. While he worked, I looked down at the elf. Her eyes were fixed on me in defiance as her fingers twitched. Maveith announced, ¡°I think it is a different process, or they need to be alive. Nothing came out.¡± ¡°A pity. We should cook in here and rest before checking the passage.¡± Maveith nodded eagerly at the prospect of food. I took out the elven tablet reader to use as a prep station, curious about what the griffin rider would make of it. I decided to try making a brisket. I rubbed a seven-pound bear roast with salt and pepper and seared all four sides before putting it in a pan with the apple-berry jam and some water. I used another pan to cover it. The thermal stone was a distance away, making it challenging to control the heat. ¡°That is mine,¡± the elf said in accented Latin. Well, at least she hadn¡¯t attacked me. ¡°The knife or the thermal stone?¡± I replied casually while trying to control the heat. It was hard as I was using Maveith¡¯s cooking pot alongside mine. The massive cast-iron cauldron was still full of apple-berry jam. The elf struggled to sit up and fold her legs beneath her. Maveith was watching her closely, and I was keeping her within range of my dimensional space. She finally said grumpily, ¡°Both.¡± ¡°Well, you are welcome to carry the stone, but I have to hold onto the knife to make sure you don¡¯t stab me in the back,¡± I said dismissively. She ground her teeth a little. ¡°It is a legacy blade. Only those of my line may wield it.¡± Her eyes were angry, but she controlled her speech. ¡°You can hold onto it, but I ask you not to use it.¡± Maveith had been paying rapt attention. ¡°That sounds reasonable, Eryk.¡± It was the best blade we had for skinning and preparing meals. I took off the sheath with the dagger and made it disappear. Her eyes widened, but she calmed quickly, realizing I had stored it. I replaced it with another knife from my storage. ¡°Happy?¡± I asked, but she did not respond, so I focused on the meal. A few minutes later, she started to fish for information. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°Maveith told you. We are in a dungeon. A dangerous dungeon,¡± I replied calmly. ¡°Which dungeon?¡± she said, irritation in her voice. ¡°It is called the Shimmering Labyrinth,¡± Maveith supplied, trying to mediate. The elf processed the name. ¡°Never heard of it.¡± ¡°Really? It is in the ruins of Caelora, an elven city.¡± I said, and her eyes went wide. ¡°We are in the Lost City!? Why would you go into the Lost City!?¡± Her surprise at where we were etched fear onto her filthy face. The city seemed to scare her more than being in a dungeon. ¡°The city is not lost and was quite easy to find, actually,¡± I stated sardonically. ¡°Idiot,¡± she said softly in Elvish, but still loud enough for me to hear. She continued in Telhian, ¡°Lost City to the elves. The King of Caelora refused help from Esenhem when the Legion was conquering the lands. They thought they could defend themselves and would not send their soldiers to help others. The Elven Council became so incensed they ostracized the King and the city. It was LOST to the other elven nations. And then the King of Caelora cursed his people, always to defend it.¡± The griffin rider¡¯s information sounded about right. ¡°Yeah, I never studied Elven or Telhian history. I am just a country bumpkin,¡± I said with some indifference. Bumpkin confused both her and Maveith, but the meaning was implied. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Maveith stepped in as he sensed our tempers rising. ¡°Eryk was conscripted into the Legion. He is not from the Telhian Empire.¡± The elf girl studied me, and I could see her flexing and testing her control over her hands. Was she getting ready for some magic fireballs? I figured two air shields would block them easily enough. My jam was bubbling with the roast, so I added a little water. The elf¡¯s stomach rumbled at the sweet smell. All the healing had probably drained her bodies stores. ¡°Where are you from?¡± she finally asked. ¡°Tsinga. Small fishing village. Do not ask about my lighter skin. My parents immigrated there. I had a tough time growing up being so pale,¡± I ad-libbed a little, but I saw pity in her eyes for just a flash. ¡°What did you do to get conscripted?¡± she asked, sounding interested and maybe a little more relaxed. She stood and stretched, and we both tensed. She was testing us, I thought. ¡°Rape, theft, assault. The usual. But I profess my innocence. Not that it matters in the Empire,¡± I said irritably, trying to shock her a bit and get her reaction. ¡°I can see it,¡± she said, but I did not know if she was alluding to my crimes or my profession of my innocence. ¡°My name is Raelia of House Glavien.¡± I think she thought I would be more impressed. She was immediately disappointed that I was not and just nodded slightly. ¡°Maveith said you would release me if I helped you escape the dungeon?¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice echoed as he rushed to join the conversation he had been listening to raptly. ¡°It would be a fair exchange, Eryk.¡± He had not consulted with me on this point. I could not help but laugh. ¡°Raelia of House Glavien. We are in the deepest part of a powerful dungeon. Even if we leave, there will be tens of thousands of undead specters who want to kill us. Not to mention that the rest of my company are in this dungeon, and I do not think they are going to be happy to see you, if you know what I mean.¡± There was also the fact that I could not let them see her, as it would reveal how powerful my space affinity was. ¡°Then why did you let me out!? Why did you imprison me a second time?¡± Her voice quickly rose in volume. ¡°I will get out of here on my own!¡± She stormed off toward the blue lizard chamber, never even giving me time to reply. ¡°Raelia!¡± Maveith said, trying to calm her as she stormed away. I barked harshly at Maveith, ¡°Let her go!¡± Maveith stopped hesitantly. When she entered the tunnel out of earshot, I told Maveith, ¡°She will be back. She needs to realize we are her only hope. I will tell her she can get out of the dungeon in my dimensional space if we meet others from the company.¡± Fifteen minutes later, she came storming back into the chamber. ¡°There is a frost salamander in that room!¡± ¡°Is that what it is called? We were calling it a blizzard lizard,¡± I retorted with a smirk. Maveith was confused. ¡°We were?¡± ¡°Ugh, I just came up with it, Maveith. Help a guy out here, or the delivery does not work,¡± I begged, trying to sound funny. Maveith nodded. ¡°Yes, we named it the blizzard lizard. Extremely dangerous, and you should not attempt to kill it alone. Eryk almost died when he did,¡± Maveith advised the elf sagely. ¡°You killed the frost salamander yourself?¡± she asked in disbelief, looking at me. ¡°Blizzard lizard. But yes.¡± I waved my hand dismissively. Maybe I was trying to impress the elf a little. She didn¡¯t need to know how close I had been to death. The griffin rider mumbled worriedly, ¡°Phase spiders and frost salamanders. What is down that corridor?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t explored it yet,¡± Maveith answered her. Her despair at figuring out how trapped she currently was made me feel some pity for her. She collapsed and sat cross-legged, and I could see her flesh through all the holes in her armor and clothes from the drake. I blushed when she caught me staring. I pulled out the cloak we got from the cockatrice room and tossed it to her. She caught it, and her eyes went wide. Anger laced her voice. ¡°Who did you kill to obtain this? And what happened to Vaeril?¡± ¡°It was a reward in the cockatrice chamber. Vaeril is dead.¡± I knew Vaeril was the summoner¡¯s apprentice she had been with, probably protecting. That news seemed to hit her hard. She muttered ¡°cockatrices¡± and Vaeril¡¯s name a few times to herself but did not address us for a good while as she processed. She eventually put the cloak on to cover herself, and it shimmered to blend into the ground, giving her modest camouflage in the open. I should have realized the item was an artifact. ¡°You can just borrow that,¡± I grumbled. She pulled the cloak around herself. ¡°It is a ranger¡¯s cloak. The methodology to artifice one was lost¡ªwell, it was lost when Caelora fell, as they were the only elven crafters who could make them. My people highly prize them.¡± Maveith seemed to think of something. ¡°Maybe the crafters in the city did not make them, and the ranger¡¯s cloaks were found in the dungeon?¡± ¡°Perhaps, Maveith.¡± I produced her backpack and tossed it to her. It had her spare clothes. ¡°How large is your space!?¡± she asked, some amazement entering her voice. She started going through her bag, but I was certain there was nothing dangerous in there. ¡°I am not telling you,¡± I said flatly. She huffed and went behind a tree to change into underclothes that had no holes. She walked back to us and approached more confidently. The thermal stone and steaming brisket were on the ground, and the elven tablet reader was covered in items I used to prepare the meal. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Raelia exclaimed, seeing the table clearly for the first time. ¡°That is an assessment table! You cannot use it to prepare lunch!¡± ¡°Are they valuable? We found it in Caelora,¡± I asked nonchalantly, holding back a grin. ¡°You can find them in Adventurer¡¯s Guild Halls, but this one is elven-made. Unless¡­¡± She dropped to the ground, and I stepped back on alert. She moved under the table, inspecting it. ¡°Disappointing. It is just a copy of the Telhian assessment tablet.¡± She stood, and inhaled the stewing meat, her stomach rumbling loud enough for me to hear. ¡°What does that mean? A copy?¡± Maveith asked. ¡°The First Legion was the first to make readers two thousand years ago. All the artificers who made them keyed them to human physiology,¡± she said with some loathing. ¡°Others copied the artifact, but it wasn¡¯t until about a thousand years ago that dwarves and other races started artificing assessment tablets that were keyed to other races.¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± I asked, perplexed. She could pass for a human woman in her late teens or early twenties. Her eyes narrowed at the question, but she answered, ¡°Forty-seven.¡± Maveith offered unhelpfully, ¡°Elves live much longer than humans, Eryk. She just looks young by human standards.¡± ¡°Thanks, Maveith.¡± I tested the brisket, and it still needed an hour or two. ¡°I am going to harvest the rest of the ginseng. Maveith, can you watch the pot and my back while I am doing it?¡± ¡°Dungeon ginseng?¡± Raelia asked, suddenly interested. ¡°That is exceedingly rare. Give me a knife, and I will assist.¡± I was not willing to give her any weapon yet. ¡°I will be fine on my own,¡± I said, dismissing her offer. I left the two talking and went to harvest the ginseng. I even got lucky when one of the mantises fell from a tree. I quickly restrained it and used the collector to get a minor essence of coordination. ¡°You have a collector, too?!¡± Raelia barked from across the chamber. She must not have been able to see me using it while she was paralyzed. I groaned as Maveith showed off his bag of minor quickness essences to her on the other side of the chamber. I was not sharing my essences with the elf. I dug for a few hours when Maveith finally called me over for the meal. He had added a lot of pepper to give it some spice. The sweet, shredded BBQ brisket was probably the best thing we had in the dungeon so far. The elf probably ate three pounds of it and even scraped every bit of jam left in the pan. I could not blame her; after all her healing, she needed the calories. ¡°How much time left, Maveith?¡± The elf was holding her belly and perked up at the question. Maveith patiently explained to her, ¡°We decided to only remain in a room for half a day to make sure the creatures do not respawn on top of us.¡± ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you know how a dungeon works?¡± Raelia asked, perplexed. ¡°You do?¡± I asked, suddenly interested in what the elf had to say. ¡°Yes. I have been in the Nameless Swamp and Whispering Woods as part of my training.¡± Maveith and I looked at each other. Maybe the elf would be useful after all. I could not help but laugh when Maveith asked, confused, ¡°If it is called the Nameless Swamp, doesn¡¯t it have a name then?¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 161: Gnolling the Elf Chapter 161: Gnolling the Elf We walked about fifty feet into the corridor in silence to explore the next room. Raelia walked in front of me and broke the silence. ¡°Can I have my ring back?¡± I hesitated before asking, ¡°What does it do?¡± The elf woman paused before replying, ¡°It is a ring of sustenance. It allows the wearer to require less food and less sleep.¡± Maveith echoed my thoughts. ¡°That would have been useful to have when we were in the library, Eryk.¡± ¡°How much less food and sleep?¡± I asked, pulling the ring into my hand. The silver ring didn¡¯t look too special; it was just a thick silver band. ¡°When I was wearing it, I could get a full night¡¯s rest in about two hours. I still needed to drink normally, but I only needed one small meal daily to feel full.¡± She sounded truthful, but I could never be certain. ¡°Why would I return it to you if it is so useful?¡± I asked doubtfully, turning it over in my hand. ¡°How about I trade you the ring for the ranger¡¯s cloak?¡± she suggested cautiously. I considered the offer; technically, both artifacts were mine. Being cynical, I thought maybe she wanted the cloak to help her escape. Maveith added to the conversation, ¡°I made Eryk a beautiful cloak from a bull manticore¡¯s leather wing.¡± I took the hint from the goliath. He wanted me to make the exchange to build trust¡ªand to affirm that I would treasure his cloak. ¡°How does the ring work?¡± I asked, intrigued. Raelia turned her head. Seeing I was holding the ring, she said, ¡°You put it on and channel aether into it. It takes about a week to attune to a new wearer. Over the week, you will need less and less sleep and feel the need to eat less.¡± The ring would only fit on my pinky finger. As I was about to put it on, she laughed. ¡°Never worn a dungeon ring before?¡± I did not appreciate the mirth in her tone or how she looked down on my ignorance. I controlled a scathing retort and asked calmly, ¡°No, how do you wear a ring?¡± The griffin rider stopped laughing. ¡°Just slide it on the finger you want, trickle aether into it. It may take a while to reform, but it will. Only dungeon-created rings will resize.¡± She was right; the ring slid slowly onto my ring finger. I just hoped this ring was not cursed, but I was less worried since I had Maveith take it from her while it was still in her hand. ¡°Do you know how to figure out what a ring can do?¡± Maveith, on a quest to win her trust, informed her, ¡°We found a ring in a dungeon chest.¡± I was not upset with him pandering to the elf or revealing what we found. I was having some trouble believing she was sincere and not just acting while waiting for an opportunity. Raelia considered the question before speaking. ¡°There are three ways that I know. One is a revelation scroll. Adventurer¡¯s Guild Halls have them. The other is finding a mage who can cast a divination spell. The last is by heating it up and using a magnifying glass to study the intricate runes on the ring that reveal themselves in the heat of a fire. But you need someone skilled in reading the runic markings of dungeons.¡± I nodded, remembering that Castile had said something similar, and I thought I had a way to cheat. We approached the end of the hallway, and Raelia was walking next to Maveith. They stopped at the entrance, and I halted behind them. ¡°Not a safe room,¡± I said, disappointed as I took in the next room. It was another large chamber. Boulders and small trees dotted the expansive space. A small body of water cut through the room like a wide stream, flowing slowly, as indicated by the visible ripples. ¡°Okay, dungeon expert. What are we facing?¡± I asked Raelia. Raelia leaned forward to take in the room. ¡°This is a large room. Bigger than anything I have ever seen in a dungeon.¡± She continued, a little more uncertainty in her voice, ¡°Usually, you know what to expect in a room based on others who came before you.¡± I asked another question. ¡°What about the room reset times?¡± ¡°Always a day based on the sun. Sometimes longer if the dungeon is low on aether from the ley lines feeding it. Usually, a member of the dungeon team carries an hourglass,¡± she said, looking back at me dubiously. ¡°You cannot repeatedly delve into a dungeon, or you will exhaust it,¡± she replied. I thought she was leaning too far in, so I grabbed her shoulder to stop her and pull her back. She tensed and spun quickly to face me; her large blue-green eyes fierce. I was ready with an air shield, but she did not attack. I explained, ¡°I thought you were getting too close to the entrance of the room. I did not want you trapped inside.¡± She huffed and exhaled as she relaxed. ¡°Only the final room or last room on a floor will do that,¡± she said, rubbing her shoulder. I had unintentionally grabbed the shoulder Maveith had bandaged. I debated whether to apologize or not. ¡°I forgot your shoulder was injured, or I wouldn¡¯t have grabbed it so hard,¡± I said with as much sincerity as I could muster. My eyes were locked on hers as she determined whether I was being genuine. Maveith drew our attention to the room. ¡°I see some movement. I think it is a gnoll.¡± We both focused on the far side of the room, and Raelia confirmed, ¡°It is a gnoll. I can see three, but there are probably more.¡± The bipedal hyena-beasts were supposedly fast and a huge nuisance to the Empire. I recalled something. ¡°Don¡¯t elves and gnolls have an enmity? Are we going to need to restrain you from rushing in?¡± Raelia tersely noted, ¡°I have no love for gnolls, but wood elves attack gnolls on sight. I am a high elf.¡± She finished tersely as if that explained everything. ¡°High elf indeed. You see yourself as above all others, then?¡± I retorted sharply in a poor attempt to tease the elf. ¡°That is not¡­¡± She started to reply tersely but changed her mind, seeing I was goading her. ¡°Just above some.¡± Her eyes narrowed on me.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. One of the gnolls finally spotted us and ran at us on all fours before standing before the passage. It was nude and definitely a male as it sniffed the air. It then cackled loudly, drawing the attention of the others. A hive of activity ensued, and seven other gnolls raced across the cavern, all naked and all males. They soon cackled as a group, which was abrasive to my ears, especially with their proximity. We backed away from the entrance to escape the hideous cacophony they made. The griffin rider spoke first. ¡°They are feral gnolls. I did not see any armor or weapons. They will attack with claws and bites.¡± ¡°What is the difference between feral and regular gnolls?¡± I asked, thinking they were like feral dogs compared to domesticated ones. Raelia eyed me. ¡°Gnolls are intelligent and form small nomadic tribes in the forests. They have a society, in a manner of speaking. Those,¡± she pointed back at the room, ¡°are just beasts. I do not think they will be coordinated when they fight.¡± I looked at Maveith. Numbers were the worst thing for us to encounter, as I could only kill one of the creatures instantly. This was why we had recruited the elf woman. Maveith thought for a moment. ¡°I can take three, I think.¡± ¡°I could take two if I had my weapons,¡± Raelia offered. I ignored her for a moment to think. Eight opponents were a lot, and they were all man-sized and fast. The terrain was not favorable either, allowing them to surround us. I turned to Raelia. ¡°What about your fireball? Do you have any other spells?¡± Raelia¡¯s face twisted slightly as she probably remembered I had used her own fireball against her at the aqueduct. ¡°You cannot charge a spell outside of a dungeon room. The aether in the spell form will break apart as you pass the entrance. I can cast a decent fireball if given time after entering the room.¡± ¡°What about your other spells?¡± I pressed. She was being cagey and did not answer. I pulled out the assessment table. ¡°Use it,¡± I commanded. She had defiance in her eyes but moved to the tablet reader and placed her small hands on it. I scanned her attributes quickly but was more focused on her magical affinities.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength 19/38 Intellect 31/40 Aether Pool 27/35
Power 22/44 Reasoning 23/35 Channeling 31/33
Quickness 50/76 Perception 41/65 Aether Shaping 48/52
Dexterity 49/95 Insight 19/43 Aether Tolerance 28/37
Endurance 28/42 Resilience 28/58 Aether Resistance 29/40
Constitution 18/29 Empathy 52/64 Prime Affinity Fire
Coordination 48/69 Fortitude 24/36
I felt slightly jealous of her aether shaping and dexterity, which gave her the ability to cast actual spells. I scanned over to her affinities. Nothing impressive. Elemental Magics (Common): Fire: 39 Air: 27 Water: 5 Earth: 4 Lightning (Energy): 0 Spirit (Healing): 0 Nature (Plant): 0 Unaffiliated Magics (Uncommon): Charm (Mind): 0 Illusion: 0 Clairvoyance: 0 Protection (Guardian): 0 Necromancy: 0 Celestial: 0 Abyssal: 0 Rare Magics: Space: 0 Time: 0 Displacement: 0 Materialism: 0 Worlds: 0 Void: 0 Convergence: 0 ¡°What are your spell forms for fire and air? And do you have any other spells?¡± I asked again. Raelia reluctantly spoke. ¡°For fire, I have thermostasis. It is cold in the skies and keeps the air around my body comfortable. My air spell form eliminates wind shear when I am riding.¡± She stopped talking, and I remembered we had killed her griffin. ¡°And spells?¡± I asked for a third time. The elf woman finally conceded to tell me. ¡°Fireball, gust of wind, control flame.¡± ¡°What does control flame do?¡± I questioned her. With some pride, she said, ¡°I can influence magical and non-magical fire. It is not immensely powerful, but it helps me enhance and direct my fireball.¡± I put the tablet reader away as Maveith was trying to decipher the elf¡¯s numbers. We did not have time for this right now. ¡°Okay, this is the plan. We will wait until the gnolls return to the room¡¯s other side. Maveith and Raelia will enter first. Raelia will fireball the tightest group she can get, and then we will engage the leftovers.¡± ¡°I need a weapon,¡± Raelia reminded me brusquely. Maveith arched an eyebrow at me. I think he was becoming amused by our interactions. He was also curious about what I was going to do. I produced the long dagger that belonged to her¡ªher non-magical blade. I handed it to her, and I think she realized she was not getting her runic legacy weapon back. ¡°Stay out of the fighting after the fireball. Maveith and I will clean them up.¡± She sheathed the blade on her belt, still possessing the scabbard. It took the gnolls almost an hour before they wandered from the entrance. We moved into the room together, and Raelia created her fireball. The tight ball emitted a heat I could feel even standing behind her as she added increasingly more aether to grow its power. Only three savage gnolls charged us in a lead group, and Raelia released her searing ball at them. It exploded in a flash among the three gnolls. A dry wave of heat reached us from forty feet away, and the three clustered gnolls were blown away like rag dolls. Maveith thundered forward, and the other five gnolls only paused for breath as the heat wave hit them. I sprinted ahead with Maveith, a little reluctant to have the elf at my back. ¡°Take the one on the far right, Maveith!¡± I yelled. I did not want either of us to get flanked, so I targeted the one farthest to the left. My black blade flashed out, removing the paw of my target, and as it went into shock, I rotated and pivoted into an arcing swing to take the stunned gnoll in the back. My blade bit deep, severing the spine above the hips. I extracted my blade as the gnoll collapsed and faced the next one, blocking a claw attack with my battered shield. Using my superior reach, I stabbed the unprotected chest of the gnoll, piercing its heart as its jaws tried to snap over my shield, a spray of saliva hitting my exposed face. I twisted the blade, destroying its heart, then extracted it and turned to take in the scene. Maveith had both his gnolls handled, one with a crushed skull and the other with a crushed chest. The eighth gnoll was sprinting at Raelia, who had a defensive stance, ready to receive the charge. It was just within range of my dimensional space. I removed its head, and it collapsed in front of the stunned elf, its heart pumping spurts of blood at her from the stump. I appreciated seeing her stunned look as her eyes went from the headless gnoll to me and back numerous times. I moved to end the paralyzed and burned gnolls, which sounded like wounded dogs, and Maveith joined me. Soon, all eight gnolls were dead, and the reward chest appeared by the stream. I cleaned my blade on some leaves as Raelia was still staring at the headless gnoll in front of her. I think she was piecing together that I could have killed her just as easily the first time we met¡ªor the second time. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 162: Party Dynamics Chapter 162: Party Dynamics While Raelia was still focused on the headless gnoll, I went and cracked open the chest. Over thirty large pieces of silver spilled out, and buried underneath the coins was a heavy silver chain adorned with a large sapphire. It was an ornate piece of jewelry, etched with images of birds and fairies along the chain, with two fairies holding the gem. The azure gem was shaped like a flattened egg, and its cut made it appear as though flowing water was trapped inside when light shone through it. It was clearly evident that it was an artifact. I scooped up all the coins and the necklace, placing them in the manticore pouch Maveith had made for me while I waited for enough of my aether to recover to bring out the collector. Maveith was dragging the bodies of the gnolls away from the water source. I searched the chamber, noting that the stream running through it was the most interesting feature. It emerged from one wall and exited through a small whirlpool at the other end. There were no fish, which was disappointing since I had hoped to harvest another assortment of essences. The bushes showed no signs of fruit either. Confused, I yelled across the room at Maveith, ¡°What do you think the gnolls were eating?¡± Every room had contained something the dangerous monsters could survive on. Maveith walked around a bit and replied, ¡°Rats or large moles. There are some small bone fragments in the scat over here.¡± He was stirring it with a stick. Raelia had recovered her wits. ¡°Dungeons do that to minimize the aether required to maintain the creatures populating their rooms. There should be something in here for the rats to eat as well, probably one of the plants.¡± We continued searching, finding a few holes in the soil. Maveith uprooted one of the bushes, revealing large, dark bulbous tubers hanging off the roots. ¡°Is that a potato?¡± I asked, suddenly excited. Maveith washed one off in the stream and cut it in half. The dark purple exterior revealed brilliant purple flesh streaked with white. Maveith looked confused. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a purple potato before. Maybe it¡¯s poisonous.¡± Raelia walked over, took it from the goliath, and sniffed it. ¡°This is a vitelotte potato. They are a delicacy with a nutty taste. You boil them, mash them with browned butter, form them into small discs, and fry them in oil or fat.¡± Did the elf just describe tater tots? Maveith showed interest and looked at the bushes. ¡°Eryk, how many potatoes can you store?¡± I pointed at Raelia, indicating her size. ¡°I just freed up some space. About that much volume.¡± Raelia did not appreciate my joke and gave me a hard stare. I took out the collector and approached the line of gnolls that Maveith had piled together. The elf followed, intrigued by the collector. Kneeling over the first corpse, I placed the collector down and, without looking at her, asked, ¡°Never seen a collector in action before?¡± ¡°Of course I have,¡± she replied, offended at my remark. ¡°They are just rare to see outside the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, since they are extremely rare to find in dungeons and how to artifice them has been lost.¡± ¡°I thought the Telhian artificers made them?¡± I said as the blue smoke was pulled from the body, forming a dark yellow major essence of dexterity. Raelia inhaled deeply in shock at the density of the smoke. ¡°None that are currently alive,¡± she said tersely. She gawked at the essence. ¡°A major essence from just a gnoll?¡± she whispered. I sounded a little smug, knowing something she did not. ¡°The dungeon has not been disturbed for centuries. Creatures here are more likely to yield essences, and larger ones at that.¡± She watched in disbelief as every gnoll yielded the same dark yellow essence of dexterity. I placed each one in the bag as I went. After I finished with the last one, I tossed it to her, and she nimbly caught it. ¡°Only one of the gnolls was killed by the fireball.¡± She quickly pieced together what I meant. Angrily, she spat, ¡°What! How is that fair?! You told me not to help after the fireball, and the two others caught in the blast could not even move when you executed them!¡± Was I teasing her too much? ¡°You¡¯re complaining?¡± I asked seriously. I could see Maveith walking over quickly to intervene after the griffin rider yelled at me. The elf stormed away like a petulant child. Maveith¡¯s hands were dirty from harvesting the potatoes, and his deep voice rumbled in concern. ¡°We need her help, Eryk. She was extremely helpful in the fight, taking three gnolls out of action before it started.¡± ¡°Sorry, Maveith. I shouldn¡¯t tease her like that.¡± I took two of the spheres from the manticore pouch and handed them to Maveith. ¡°You can give these to her. Tell her you convinced me she deserved them.¡± ¡°I told you the pouch would be useful,¡± Maveith said, grinning. Was Maveith making a joke about the pouch holding the spheres? ¡°Yes, it is very nice. I¡¯m still a little squeamish when I think about what it used to hold,¡± I said to my friend. Maveith studied the black pouch but did not seem to understand my discomfort. Maveith approached Raelia, who was trying to clean herself near the stream¡¯s drain. He gave her the two essences. She looked at me for a second before turning her back to me. I consumed one of the dark yellow essences, feeling a tingly sensation spread, focusing on my fingers and toes before dissipating. Dexterity should improve my fine motor control. I started helping Maveith harvest the potatoes. When he uprooted a large mole from one of the plants, I yelled at him to catch it, but it quickly burrowed into the soft soil. So, there were moles, not rats. With my aether recovered, I sent the pouch to my space and retrieved the small mirror from my barber¡¯s bag. I walked over to Raelia, and she looked up at me, curious. At the moment, she had no anger in her eyes after Maveith had given her the two essences. I offered her the mirror, and she was shocked and embarrassed by her appearance. She immediately began scrubbing her face. I left her, amused that she was concerned about looking good in a dungeon. Who did she need to impress? Maveith and I had a huge stack of dark purple potatoes on the tarp. Raelia, now looking much better after cleaning up, offered to wash them in the stream. ¡°Great, Raelia. I¡¯m going to clean up myself on the other side of the chamber.¡± I crossed the room, planning to bathe out of her sight. ¡°Maveith, you should bathe too. We don¡¯t get many opportunities in here.¡± Maveith nodded and joined me.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. As we stripped, I took the opportunity to hand Maveith two of the lesser healing potions Raelia had. ¡°Two lesser healing potions, Maveith. In case you need them during a fight. Let me know when you need more essences as well.¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice was filled with gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Eryk. I have been taking one essence every day like you told me to. I think they are working. I feel faster already.¡± I arched my left eyebrow at him because I knew that even if he had taken all thirty-eight lesser essences, he might have only raised his quickness attribute by one point. It would not have affected his quickness potential at all. He was fortifying the attribute, and training it would be easier, making it less likely to decrease over time. It was strange how filthy you could get inside a dungeon in just a few days. The stream had a sandy bottom and was only knee-deep but cool and refreshing. I had no soap left, so I used an abrasive wool sock as a washcloth and gave the other to Maveith. ¡°You can keep that sock,¡± I told the goliath after watching him use it to wash every body part. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Maveith asked. He looked up and muttered, ¡°I think Raelia is spying on us.¡± I turned and saw a brief flash of movement sixty feet away. ¡°Maybe she was planning to roast us with a fireball while we bathed,¡± I chuckled, but suddenly, unpleasant images of being burned like the gnolls filled my mind. Maveith¡¯s face scrunched. ¡°You should not antagonize her so much. We need her, and I like her.¡± Looking at Maveith, I could not see the nearly eight-foot goliath being intimate with the elf, who barely stood over five feet tall. I erased all thoughts of it. ¡°I¡¯m just testing her, Maveith. We need to find out if she can control herself¡ªand if she¡¯s likely to turn on us.¡± Things were quiet for a while, and Maveith laid out to dry on a boulder while I floated in the water. Soaking in the cool water felt amazing. ¡°I am done!¡± Raelia yelled from the other side a few minutes later. ¡°How much time do we have left, Maveith?¡± I asked the goliath, who was putting on his damp clothes to join Raelia. Maveith considered., ¡°We have been in this room for less than eight hours.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I moved to the shore and pulled out several items for Maveith to cook with. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy the water for a bit, but you two can start a meal.¡± Maveith nodded and looked at everything, considering. ¡°If we are going to fry the potatoes, I need some fattier bear meat.¡± I searched my space and added some belly meat to the mix. Maveith nodded and took everything across the room. I soon heard the two of them talking softly on the other side of the chamber. I dozed off in the water, even though I had not meant to. ¡°Eryk, the food is ready,¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice called above me. He whispered, ¡°She tried really hard to cook. Say you like it.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, leaving the water. ¡°Are you sure she didn¡¯t poison it?¡± Maveith¡¯s face scrunched in displeasure. ¡°She is eating the food as well. It is just a bit salty.¡± Maveith confided. I dressed and sent my armor to my space for now. We had time before our next encounter, and the freedom of movement was welcome. They had set up a nice little camp, and Raelia had stacked the cleaned potatoes neatly. The dark purple made it look more like a pile of rocks. I just hoped they tasted better than rocks. Dinner consisted of grilled bear meat and purple hamburger-sized potato patties. Raelia looked expectantly at me as I took two patties and sandwiched some meat between them. The meal had a good crunch to it, and it was flavorful, but as Maveith had warned, it was quite salty. I summoned a canteen and took a long pull of water. I was honest with her. ¡°The texture and flavor are good. Just a little too much salt for my delicate palate.¡± She reddened, and Maveith shot me an unhappy look. Raelia softly said, ¡°I thought the salt was flour by mistake.¡± ¡°An honest mistake,¡± I consoled her, rather than teasing her further. I would not say my own cooking skills were spectacular. I needed the entire canteen to wash the meal down. Whether my new sustenance ring was working or my body simply did not need a second portion, I opted for a raw apple to cleanse my mouth instead. Maveith started cleaning the pots in the nearby stream, leaving Raelia and me facing each other. I decided to put her mind at ease. ¡°If we encounter anyone from my Mage Company, I¡¯ll put you back in my dimensional space.¡± Panic flashed across her face, and she tensed, looking like a frightened rabbit ready to bolt. ¡°Is it that bad in there?¡± I asked, genuinely concerned. Raelia paused, slowly calming down. ¡°I¡­I¡­I do not remember. No time passed for me. However, I was unconscious the second time.¡± There was a brief silence while Maveith clicked the pots he was cleaning in the background. ¡°It¡¯s the only way out for you. I promise to release you when it¡¯s safe outside¡ªmy word is good.¡± I could see the doubt in her eyes. ¡°And on the bright side, if someone kills me, everything in my dimensional space will be tossed out, freeing you anyway.¡± ¡°Really? I do not know how space magic works. It is an extremely rare gift. Did you use space or void magic to remove the gnoll¡¯s head?¡± I sensed she was trying to dig for information. She was not particularly good at it, or maybe her accented Latin revealed her interest. ¡°I don¡¯t know any void magic.¡± and produced the head of the gnoll at her feet, hiding a grin, and got the reaction I wanted as she jumped up. It was a bit childish, but it proved to Raelia that I had not used void magic to kill the gnoll. The gnoll blinked, its face sneering, unaware it did not have a body. But with just a few heartbeats, it stilled. Raelia cursed me. ¡°Why would you do that without warning!?¡± Maveith looked disappointed as well. How was I the bad guy here? Raelia stared morbidly at the head, fascinated, contemplation written on her elven features. My guess was that she thought she could be next. I broke the awkwardness brought on by my own doing. ¡°Let¡¯s check out the next room.¡± I sent all the potatoes to storage, and Raelia¡¯s eyes bulged as they disappeared. If the ring of sustenance worked as advertised, this could mean years of potential food stores for me. I equipped my armor again, and soon, the three of us were walking down the only other exit from the room. It took a few minutes before we reached a familiar-looking room with tall, elevated stone shelves and a small fountain in the center. It was almost identical to the last safe room we had found. I had everyone wait five minutes before entering first. Raelia went straight to the faded elven writing on the wall. ¡°This is good,¡± I said, looking around. ¡°We can spend a day here getting some sleep without worrying about getting attacked.¡± Raelia turned to me. ¡°It is an old script, but I had no difficulty reading it.¡± I was going to tell her I could read it too, but I let it slide, as my Elven reading level was probably that of a six-year-old. ¡°It says the next room contains gnolls, followed by phase spiders, and then a blizzard lizard room. It also mentions that the stairs to the third level are two chambers beyond.¡± I looked up, confused. ¡°Wait, it says it¡¯s called a blizzard lizard?¡± ¡°No, but I thought that is what we were calling it,¡± she said, a humorous smirk on her face. Maveith nodded, confirming the name. ¡°Okay, fine. Can I use the thermal stone to heat the magical rings enough for the spell forms to show up?¡± I asked the griffin rider. She thought about it. ¡°I think so, but even if not, it will not damage the ring.¡± ¡°What about these?¡± I pulled out the silver ring from the frost salamander¡¯s chest, along with the gold ring I found by the ruined wagons, the large pink stone ring, and the large sapphire necklace. Raelia¡¯s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped as I casually laid them out. She might have recognized one of the artifacts. She looked from me to the items repeatedly, disbelief etched on her face. I calmly asked, ¡°Do you know what any of these things are?¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 163: Gnolls, Bunnies, and Bears, Oh My! Chapter 163: Gnolls, Bunnies, and Bears, Oh My! Raelia tentatively picked up the large sapphire necklace. ¡°No, I do not know what any of these items do, but they are all clearly artifacts.¡± She turned the necklace in her hand, studying the fairies and birds on the chain, shaking her head in disbelief. ¡°This jewel is perfect. It must be worth¡­¡± She did not voice her opinion and instead put it down to pick up the large pink stone ring. She examined the rings artwork, muttering, ¡°It is beautiful.¡± She stepped back, clearly tempted. ¡°Do you have any other artifacts?¡± I raised an eyebrow, signaling that I was not going to share my secrets. ¡°No, we¡¯ve just picked these up in the rooms we have cleared.¡± I picked up the sapphire necklace and the pink stone ring. ¡°From my experience, dungeons do not work that way, even old ones. Maybe one in five rooms will have an artifact, and one in three creatures will yield an essence.¡± Her tone was accusatory as if I were hiding something from her. ¡°Every gnoll gave you a major essence,¡± she stated flatly. I had already explained that the dungeon had not been delved into for centuries, and I was not going to tell her that my collector was special. I shrugged, ignoring her plea for an explanation. ¡°If you don¡¯t know what they do, I¡¯ll put them away.¡± Both items vanished, leaving just the rings. Raelia looked longingly at my empty hands. I guessed all women, regardless of their race, liked jewelry. ¡°Can you get the thermal stone?¡± I had let her carry it in her backpack. I placed both rings on the stone and channeled aether into it. As the stone glowed red, tiny symbols formed on the inside of the rings. I had no chance of reading them, but I hoped my trick would work. I focused on one ring at a time, turning the stone with a knife three hundred and sixty degrees while I concentrated. Seeing me work, Raelia asked in astonishment, ¡°You can see that and understand the runes!¡± She distracted me, and I turned the stone again, studying each ring before answering her. ¡°No. I was just looking.¡± I knocked the rings off the stone to cool. Raelia immediately picked both of them up before I could stop her. She said haughtily, ¡°Enchanted rings do not get hot in fire. They are extremely difficult to destroy. You would need to toss them into a volcano at a ley line nexus to melt them down, or perhaps have an ancient dragon melt them with its fire breath.¡± She was too smug with her knowledge. I held out my hand, and she huffed, dropping the rings into it. ¡°Maveith, can you keep an eye on me while I sleep for a bit?¡± I asked the goliath, who was setting up his bed. Raelia scoffed. ¡°We are in a safe room. Nothing can attack you in here.¡± Her voice trailed off at the end, realizing I wanted to be protected from her. Maveith moderated, ¡°I understand, Eryk. We will work on preparing a meal for when you wake.¡± I then brought out all the ingredients he wanted, and he set up with Raelia on the far side of the room. I produced the weasel pelt and my griffon down pillow to get comfortable. I lay down with the dreamscape amulet hidden from Raelia¡¯s sight. Entering the dreamscape, I spent a good amount of time playing a game of therapeutic fetch with Oscar. I had to ignore Konstantin and the others as I focused on creating the rings: one silver and one gold. I started with the silver ring from the frost salamander, enlarging it to ten feet across so I could stand in the middle of it. It did not even need to be heated for the spell forms to pop up in glowing blue script. I could not believe it had actually worked. My subconscious had been able to read the details in the real world and replicate them here. The dreamscape amulet was much more powerful than I had originally thought. I had gotten the idea since it seemed to recreate books from Earth in perfect detail, which I had read a long time ago. Now, the challenge was figuring out what the rings did based on the books Castile left behind. Three hours later, I was still working on the silver ring. As best as I could decipher from some of the spell forms that matched in the ring with Castile¡¯s books, the ring granted the wearer resistance to cold. How much resistance, I could not determine. Perhaps the ring was a reward for defeating the blizzard lizard, so you would be immune to its cold breath the next time you fought it. This would be useful, especially if we had to leave the dungeon and traverse the ruins in the snow. Should we risk trying to obtain another one? I repeated the process with the gold ring next. I found this ring near the abandoned merchant wagons when we took the old trade road after heavy rains had washed the barge transport away. The runes here were much more complex. After hours of studying and comparing, the best I could figure out was that the ring allowed the wearer to influence another person¡¯s disposition positively. How powerful it was, I did not know. It made sense that a trader would wear such a ring. I exited the dreamscape and was welcomed by the smell of roasted meat. I had gotten lost in my work and had not tracked how long I had slept. ¡°Maveith, how long was I asleep?¡± Maveith looked over, and I could see the two had been playing checkers. ¡°Six hours, maybe a little more.¡± Raelia huffed and announced loudly, ¡°Maveith, can you watch me while I sleep and make sure I am not molested?¡± She went into the stone alcove across from mine to get some sleep. I ignored the upset elf and went to get some food. It was a beef stew with potatoes, onions, and bear meat. It was really good, but after a large bowl, I found myself full. Raelia lay on her side with her back to us, and I assumed she was sleeping. ¡°Maveith, this ring will keep you warm in the cold.¡± Raelia twitched, and I assumed she was not actually sleeping. ¡°See if it will resize to your finger.¡± Maveith took the ring and was amazed. ¡°It is working! The ring is getting larger.¡± Raelia pretended to stretch and rolled over, but her eyes appeared to be closed. It took Maveith nearly ten minutes to slide the ring onto his finger. It thinned out a little, conserving mass, but eventually he said, ¡°I can feel it working. The air around me feels slightly warmer.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. After being trapped in the freezing city for so long, I had not noticed, but the dungeon corridors and rooms were on the cooler side. Raelia¡¯s eyes opened slowly, and with a hint of accusation in her voice, she spoke. ¡°I thought you said you could not read the spell forms on the ring.¡± ¡°And I thought you were sleeping?¡± We stared at each other for a moment before the elf rolled over, putting her back to us again, and tried to sleep. ¡°Maveith, I¡¯m going to scout the next room. Will you be safe waiting here with the elf?¡± I asked half-seriously. The elf pulled her bedroll tight around herself but did not respond to my jest. Maveith was fingering the silver ring and looked up at me, then at the elf. ¡°I think I will be fine. Can I have the rest of the stew?¡± I nodded, and he eagerly grabbed the pot to finish it off. I walked down the corridor cautiously and arrived at a T-intersection. I went right, and the corridor curved for a good long while. Finally, I arrived at another room. It was not large¡ªmaybe sixty feet across. A hilly range of dark gray and black stone made up the floor, and the room had a twilight feel to it, with less light than usual light coming from the ceiling. I remained vigilant but did not see movement. I decided not to risk entering. It was a long walk back to the intersection and the other corridor. I hoped we could find Castile soon, as I wanted to avoid spending eternity in the Shimmering Labyrinth. The other corridor was much shorter, leading to a room with a hilly meadow covered in grass and small flowers¡ªmaybe seventy feet across. A fat rabbit stared at me as I approached the room. As I got closer, the rabbit darted into a burrow, and a massive bear appeared from over the mound, furiously digging in the soil, trying to reach the rabbit. The dark gray coat of the bear shifted with muscle as it dug, but it was not as large as the fire bears. Taking a chance that it was the only creature in the room, I stepped in and removed its chest cavity while its back was turned to me. I paused just inside the room, listening for other creatures. The fat rabbit popped up on the hill to see what was happening, its ears perked up in attention. It quickly ducked into another burrow. I moved farther into the room and spotted the stone chest, which made me relax. I was about to step toward it but paused. Would the dungeon trick me with a reward chest to make me lower my guard? I cautiously entered the room and noticed no fewer than three rabbits poking their heads up. I shattered the stone chest and took out eight silver coins, a potion of greater healing, and a potion of stamina. So far, every bear I had killed had rewarded me with a greater healing potion in this dungeon. Was this a coincidence, or would this continue? A greater dungeon healing potion was valuable. An alchemist¡¯s major healing potion was worth fifty gold but had a shelf life. Dungeon potions had no such limitation from what I had been told. I thought it might be time to try milking the room for this healing potion since the safe room was just a ten-minute walk away. I suspected this was a stone bear. The bear¡¯s hide was coarse and difficult to cut. I harvested some meat with an elven dagger claimed was from the armory. It was not Raelia¡¯s, as I had told her I would not use it. I waited for enough aether to retrieve the collector, stacking up the best cuts as I went. I had learned a lot about harvesting game from Maveith, and I thought he would be proud of how much I had improved. I was not surprised when I harvested an apex strength essence. I was slightly disappointed, though, as the apex essence probably meant no one from the company had reached this room yet. The rabbits watched me from a safe distance the entire time, their instincts telling them I was the new apex predator. As I walked through the smaller chamber, I saw only grass, clovers, and small wildflowers for the rabbits¡¯ diet. I considered exploring further but realized I had already been gone for almost four hours, by my estimation. So, I stored everything in my dimensional space and returned to the safe room. Maveith looked up as I returned and told Raelia, ¡°Told you he was okay. Eryk can take care of himself.¡± Raelia replied quickly, ¡°I was not worried. I was just asking if we should check on him.¡± I ignored the exchange and told them what I found. ¡°The corridor forked. There¡¯s a simple meadow room with a stone bear.¡± I produced fifty pounds of bear meat next to Raelia¡¯s bed. ¡°There are some quick rabbits in the room, but I couldn¡¯t catch any of them. Maybe we can get some with a bow. I did not enter the room at the end of the other fork; it had uneven rock terrain, and I didn¡¯t see any threats, so it could be an ambush predator.¡± ¡°You killed a stone bear by yourself?¡± Raelia said, astonished, then added, ¡°Of course you did.¡± As if it were not a big deal. Then, irritated, she moved her bedding to ensure the blood from the meat did not reach it. Maveith looked disappointed. ¡°Is this all you harvested?¡± I added the kidneys and liver to the pile, and he cheered up. Not that I would be eating either. Next, I handed Maveith the apex strength essence. ¡°It¡¯s a strength essence, Maveith. Take it next. We¡¯re going to clear the gnoll room again after the dungeon restocks it.¡± Raelia¡¯s eyes watched the essence jealously as it passed from my hand to Maveith¡¯s and then directly into his mouth. ¡°Why are we fighting the gnolls again?¡± Her tone was challenging. ¡°Because I said so,¡± I said, sitting down, relaxing near my bed. Maveith shot me a look to be nicer, so I added, ¡°Partly for the essences, but mostly because of the potatoes and the water from the stream.¡± That explanation seemed to placate the griffin rider. ¡°Maveith, I got two potions as well. A greater healing potion and a stamina potion. Keep them accessible, and you can give the elf one of the lesser healing potions.¡± ¡°Maveith already gave me back one of my healing potions. A greater dungeon healing potion?¡± Raelia inquired, suddenly highly interested and moving closer. I frowned at Maveith, but I suppose it was his right to give the lesser healing potion to the elf. I just wished he had told me. ¡°Yes. So far, the reward chests in this dungeon for bears seem to give a greater healing potion every time.¡± I thought for a minute. ¡°This was the fifth time I had killed a dungeon bear, and the reward chest had a greater healing potion each time.¡± ¡°You have five greater dungeon healing potions! They are worth five hundred gold each!¡± Raelia exclaimed. ¡°No, that¡¯s the only one left. Maveith got one, Konstantin got one, and you got two,¡± I said, doing the math. ¡°You gave me two greater healing potions?!¡± She exclaimed in shock. ¡°Yeah, you looked like a dragon¡¯s chew toy, and I only wanted to give you one, but Maveith insisted you needed another to survive,¡± I replied. If Maveith was interested in the elf, the least I could do was make him look good. Raelia was quiet for a moment before she whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡± But I did not know if she was directing it at me or the goliath. We returned to the gnoll chamber a half day later to find the eight gnolls restored. Raelia was able to take out six in a single fireball, which made the room extremely easy. It was time to start squeezing the bears and gnolls for essences and loot. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 164: Bacon Chapter 164: Bacon I looked at the pile of essences in my hand from the gnolls. The essences had been reduced to six lesser essences and two major essences. Raelia still could not believe that every gnoll yielded an essence. ¡°How is every gnoll still producing essences?¡± she asked for the third or fourth time. I shrugged, but it was clear she was suspicious of me or perhaps even the collector itself. ¡°Like I said, the dungeon has been undisturbed for a long time. Perhaps that has something to do with it, but I¡¯m no dungeon expert. Here,¡± I handed her the two major essences and two minor essences. Her eyes bulged, but she took them gratefully. I do not think she had taken many essences in her lifetime. I gave her four because she had been responsible for six of the gnolls this time. ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it. Your contribution to the fight determines what I give you.¡± I had been slightly reluctant to give her the four essences, but she had done most of the work this time, so I recognized her efforts. The main reason for clearing the room was harvesting the vitelotte potatoes. Not only did the potatoes taste good, but we also needed variety in our diets¡ªnot so much for me, as I could feel the ring of sustenance reducing my caloric needs every day. We worked as a team to process them as quickly as possible. The tubers appeared smaller but fresher, and they started to stack up. When we finished, I sent them to storage. Raelia stood, announcing, ¡°I am filthy. I am going to bathe. Do not spy on me.¡± She eyed me before she walked off, but I had no intention of spying on her. ¡°Too bad we didn¡¯t catch any of the moles. I was curious what type of essence they might yield,¡± I said conversationally to Maveith, who was cooking. He seemed distracted while preparing dinner and did not respond, so I asked, ¡°How do you think the gnolls caught them?¡± ¡°Probably dug with their claws,¡± Maveith intoned, disinterested. ¡°We are out of onions and garlic,¡± he stated morosely. To get back to the cockatrice room, we had to descend, and I was reluctant to do so. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be going back to that room; it would take us in the wrong direction. We need to find Castile. Maybe we¡¯ll find another chamber that has onions,¡± I said optimistically. Not that I was a dungeon expert. It felt odd talking about the culinary shortcomings of a dungeon. Raelia returned, her wet, dark hair matted to her very damp clothes, leaving little to the imagination. She carried her leather armor, which had puncture marks, and dropped it carelessly on the ground. She focused eagerly on the food Maveith was preparing, and I wondered how someone so small could eat so much. Raelia looked up briefly but did not stare, and I averted my eyes when I realized that I had been staring. ¡°Are we going to kill the stone bear next?¡± she asked, stretching her arms over her head. I think she realized I was staring earlier and was trying to draw my attention back to her. However, I had a stronger will than that. ¡°Yes, we will kill the bear. If it yields a greater healing potion, we¡¯ll clear that room two more times before moving on.¡± I moved to shatter the stone chest. I had left to see if Raelia would break it without asking. She had not even mentioned it. The usual silver coins were inside, but there was no large sapphire on a silver chain this time. Instead, a modest brooch with hundreds of tiny red and clear stones in the form of a bird spreading its wings. I brought it back to the group and showed it to them. Maveith nodded appreciatively, but Raelia¡¯s eyes showed shock and longing for the brooch. ¡°Do you know what power this artifact has?¡± Raelia made eye contact with me, her deep blue-green eyes studying me. They were actually very lovely¡ªif I was not worried about getting stabbed by her at the first opportunity. ¡°Not all items found in a dungeon are artifacts, legionnaire.¡± I did not break eye contact with her, and she finally broke down and explained to demonstrate her superior knowledge. ¡°I know it. It was once the crest of Caelora¡¯s ruling family. Now, it is a symbol of sedition and hubris to elves.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°But yes, it is an artifact, though no elf would ever wear it openly. There is a reward for turning them into Esenhem to be destroyed.¡± I turned the pretty piece of jewelry in my hand. ¡°But what does it do?¡± ¡°I do not know. Some type of protection, I think¡ªor maybe awareness. I have seen it before on an exiled descendant of Caelora¡¯s king.¡± She thought for a moment. ¡°But it does not make sense for it to appear in a dungeon. Unless it¡¯s true that a dungeon can recreate the items it absorbs.¡± Maveith had been listening and speculated, ¡°Maybe the elves of the city sought shelter in the dungeon when the Legion besieged the city. They were probably trapped and died down here.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°That would explain the ranger¡¯s cloak if Caelora¡¯s crafters produced it.¡± I made the brooch disappear, and Raelia¡¯s eyes fell in disappointment. I thought maybe the brooch had given the wearer some influence over the elves. Or, more likely, Raelia just liked jewelry. ¡°The stone bear room should be ready for us.¡± I stood and led the two to the chamber with the bear. The bear was back, and I quickly dispatched it, while Maveith went right into processing it. ¡°If I had a bow, I could get the rabbits,¡± Raelia noted as the bunnies watched Maveith from a distance.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I have a few bows but no arrows,¡± I stated absently. She just gawked for a minute, clearly wondering what else I might have secreted away before heading off to look at the small flowers. I was left alone to open the chest and was relieved to find silver coins and two potions, one each for healing and stamina. If we did meet with the company again, I was sure these healing potions would be sorely needed. Raelia had a bouquet of small yellow and white flowers and was excited. ¡°These are sundrops and sugarweed.¡± She used the elven names for the flowers, and I had to interpret her words before I understood. ¡°Are they good for anything?¡± I was not familiar with either flower, but there might be a reference in the elven books in the library. ¡°The sugarweed flowers can be dried and used as a sweetener in baking. They only bloom at the height of summer, but once dry, they last a long time. The sundrops,¡± she indicated the yellow flowers, ¡°are found only in early spring and are used in alchemy. I am not familiar with their uses, though I was told to pick them if I ever found them.¡± ¡°You can pack out what you want. We get enough sweetness from the berries and apples. I want to keep my storage for bear meat and potatoes.¡± Her face fell at my dismissal, but I was not going to add things to my space that we could not use. It was already getting crowded in there, and designating a space for killing creatures would become a problem if I filled it up. Maybe it was time to do some spring cleaning. I left the disappointed elf to cook while Maveith expertly processed the bear. We returned to the safe room and repeated the gnoll room after a day had passed. The gnolls all yielded only minor essences, and I gave four to Maveith and four to the griffin rider. The reward chest contained silver coins and a pair of simple silver earrings shaped like leaves. I had a gut feeling that the jewelry was not an artifact. When I channeled into it, it did not take my aether, and it felt like no spell forms were buried in the metal workings. It was still an incredibly detailed piece of art. I never let Raelia see it, and she did not ask what was in the chest. After we harvested the potatoes, I announced, ¡°This will be our last time fighting the gnolls. We¡¯ll kill the bear again and see if we can find stairs leading up to the first level.¡± Raelia tensed, realizing what that meant, but I doubted she wanted to spend an eternity in the dungeon. We rested and ate in the safe room before clearing the bear room again. The bear gave a major strength essence, and the chest still yielded the greater healing and stamina potions along with the silver coins. We might have to return to the room again if we needed more potions. I would have liked to stockpile them, but I felt that time was not on our side. I did not know if anyone from the company lived, but they might be having a harder time than we were, so finding them was a priority. I told Maveith, ¡°Just take the best cuts from the bear. My space is getting close to full.¡± Maveith nodded, and I knew the liver and kidneys were going to be harvested, if nothing else. Raelia¡¯s attention snapped to me. ¡°Huh, you are not as big as I thought you were.¡± Was that innuendo? Was she trying to joke and insult me in the same sentence? Maybe it was some residual anger from not storing the flowers. I held my tongue rather than retort, and I think the elf was disappointed that I was not playing along. We had fought together for days, which naturally brought soldiers closer. I was still wary of the elf, but found her tolerable. We quickly checked on the room I had not entered, the chamber with the black and gray rock landscape. Raelia identified the rock. ¡°That is cooled magma. I have flown into old volcanoes before. If something in there created it, I think we should avoid entering this room.¡± We all stared for nearly an hour, seeing no movement. I decided, ¡°Okay, we¡¯re not entering if we can¡¯t identify the opponent.¡± No one disagreed, and we returned to the bear room. I gave Maveith his bow and three remaining arrows, and he managed to skewer a rabbit as we passed through. I was excited to see what essence it might yield. Raelia scoffed at my effort and said mockingly, ¡°That creature is too small, legionnaire. Even I know it will not yield an essence.¡± I probably should not have tried, but I wanted to prove Raelia wrong, even if it revealed the utility of the collector. All three of us watched as the collector struggled to pull out the blue wisps from the creature, Raelia¡¯s grin growing at the probable failure. It took longer than normal, but a minor essence formed. Raelia had utter disbelief on her face, and Maveith just asked, ¡°What is it?¡± I picked up the small sphere and was confused. It was a pale red¡ªnot pink. ¡°It¡¯s a minor essence of fortitude,¡± I said, perplexed. So far, every essence I had harvested or seen harvested had made sense. Fortitude was akin to mental endurance¡ªwhy did a rabbit yield it? ¡°I¡¯m going to keep it if that¡¯s okay, Maveith?¡± He had killed the rabbit, so it probably should have gone to him, but I wanted to fortify the attribute. ¡°It is your collector, Eryk. As far as I am concerned, all the essences are yours,¡± Maveith replied with assurance. Raelia panicked and objected strongly, ¡°Do not put those thoughts in his head, Maveith!¡± I stopped the potential argument. ¡°I don¡¯t mind sharing. But I will decide who gets what.¡± I stood and popped the mental fortitude essence into my mouth. My head felt cloudy for a few moments before clearing. Raelia watched me intently, her eyes narrowing. I ordered us onward, ¡°Let¡¯s explore the next room.¡± The corridor curved left and right, snaking for a while before we reached the entrance to the next room. The chamber was large and roughly dome-shaped. It looked like a rolling grassy field, but our sight line was obstructed by a hill near the corridor¡¯s entrance. A massive, horse-sized black boar with deep, slightly luminescent red eyes was digging up the prairie grass on top of the hill. It grabbed a massive grub tangled in the roots of overturned grass. I let my first thought escape on seeing the boar. ¡°Bacon.¡± Raelia cautioned, ¡°That is not a pig.¡± The boar noisily chewed the grub and turned to face us. Bestial red eyes focused on us. Maveith voiced concern. ¡°It is a dire boar. Dire animals have been mutated by aether. They are larger, stronger, and much more aggressive than their counterparts, Eryk.¡± He paused before adding, licking his lips, ¡°But yes, bacon. I do not know if we have enough salt to cure it.¡± The dire boar grunted, calling over a second beast. Soon, a second, third, and then a fourth dire boar arrived. Four pairs of glowing red eyes stared straight at us. ¡°We definitely do not have enough salt,¡± Maveith remarked. We needed a plan. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 165: Familiar Faces in Strange Places Chapter 165: Familiar Faces in Strange Places The dire boars were huge, their size reminded me of American buffalo. Each of their off-white tusks was the size of my arm, and even with my armor, I figured getting gored would be painful if not deadly. One of the boars wandered closer to us. Raelia studied the creature and informed us what she knew: ¡°The tusks may look dangerous, but it is the hooves you need to be wary of. Once they get you on the ground, they will trample you to death.¡± Each boar looked to weigh over a thousand pounds, and the thought of getting under their hooves was horrible. ¡°So, you¡¯ve fought these before?¡± Raelia flushed at being questioned about her knowledge. ¡°No. I was flying on Moonclaw over the Seagrass Plains and saw dire boars in action. I did not know what they were at the time, but my commander told me afterward. They chased down a pair of centaurs and trampled them to death. I have never seen a dire boar this close before.¡± I assumed Moonclaw was her griffin, but she had never mentioned it before. ¡°So, how do we kill four?¡± I asked my group. ¡°I think they charge mindlessly in a straight line, like a bull,¡± Maveith offered after a short silence. ¡°Perhaps one of us could stand against the wall and trick it into running into it.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that, Maveith?¡± I asked uncertainly. Having been used as bait before, I did not like the idea. Maveith nodded slowly. ¡°Dire animals are common on Stone Mountain Island. Their instincts are to attack recklessly. Dire bears have killed many of my people¡±, he added, nodding to Raelia. She voiced some concern, ¡°Their hide is thick, or so I imagine. My fireball would just burn away their hair and make them angrier.¡± We waited to ensure there were only four creatures as we discussed strategies. Two were large males, and the other two were younger males, about half the size. They were mostly concerned with eating grubs, but Raelia spotted one that found a truffle and consumed it while keeping the others at bay from its prize. After over two hours of watching, I finally decided on a plan. ¡°They are aware of us but seem disinterested. All three of us will attack a single boar when it is separated from the others. Hopefully, the other three won¡¯t come at us together, and we can take down a second boar as a team. I will kill the third, and then we can all work together on the fourth.¡± As I spoke, I produced Raelia¡¯s runic dagger and held it out for her. Her eyes widened briefly before she took it from me, and her expression was unreadable at the trust I was extending to her. She spent a moment attaching it to her belt before advising, ¡°Do not run into the corridor if things go bad. Once we attack them, the creature will be free to pursue you if you leave the chamber. Dodging something that size will be impossible in the narrow corridor.¡± We had gotten that answer from the shapeshifters, but we had not experienced it yet. Once you started fighting creatures in a dungeon room, the fight had to end with a victor. There was no retreat, as the creature could pursue you. It was half an hour later when our opportunity arrived. Just fifteen feet from us, one of the smaller boars was near and isolated. My heart raced, and adrenaline surged as I led the charge into the room. My plan was to stab with my black blade behind the shoulder to reach the heart for a fatal blow. The boar turned too fast for me, and I only got a glancing slash, opening its hide on the shoulder. The cut felt as though I was cutting shoe-leather with a steak knife, despite the enchanted blade. It squealed loudly, calling the others. My shield arm stung as its head whipped around, and its tusk smashed into me, forcing me to retreat a few steps. With its attention on me, Maveith¡¯s hammer came down on its head, crushing its skull and causing the beast to collapse instantly. Maveith¡¯s hammer was buried in the skull, and he needed a moment to extract it. I turned to look at the small hill as the thunder of hooves echoed ominously in the room. ¡°Where¡¯s Raelia?¡± Maveith asked. Shit, I did not see her. Had she ditched us now that she had two blades and thought she could escape the dungeon alone? I did not have time to worry. I braced myself for the first charging boar. It was one of the large ones. I layered five air shields in front of me and planned to roll to my right. The good news was that the boars were spaced about twenty feet apart. Maveith towered behind me, weapon retrieved. ¡°We are dodging right, Maveith!¡± I yelled as the boar thundered toward us. I dashed right, and Maveith dove. The boar suddenly jolted to a stop, destroying four of the five air shields on impact. I planted my foot and lunged with the blade, achieving excellent penetration behind the shoulder. The stunned boar spun, ripping my embedded blade from my grip. Maveith¡¯s hammer came down on the back of its neck. I winced at the loud cracking sound on the spine, finishing the beast. We were not done, as the second large boar was too close, and I was forced to kill it with my dimensional space. Now brainless, its legs folded, and it skidded into the first boar. The final opponent was one of the smaller boars, weighing only six or seven hundred pounds by my estimation. The ground still rumbled as it charged. Raelia suddenly stood up, whipping her camouflage cloak back to reveal herself, and leaped onto its back as it passed her. She squeezed the creature with her legs, preventing herself from being thrown off, and drove her dagger and short sword into the creature''s back. The whole sequence took just a few heartbeats but demonstrated incredible timing and skill. It reared and squealed at the sudden pain. The boar smartly started to roll onto its back to crush its rider, and I worried for the elf. However, as the boar rolled, she gracefully dismounted and rolled to cushion her fall. She had left her two weapons buried in the creature, and it did itself no favors by rolling. When it righted itself, it had trouble walking with the blades lodged deep in its shoulder. Grunting in pain with every step, it moved spasmodically toward Raelia. I took a moment to pull my black blade free, as it got jammed between the boars ribs when the beast collapsed. Maveith was already taunting the crippled creature, keeping its attention from the unarmed Raelia, allowing me to flank it from behind and slash the tendon on a back leg. After that, it was easy for us to finish off the immobilized creature. Raelia smiled as she went to retrieve her weapons. I, however, was not happy. ¡°That was not the plan! And you were hiding in the open. What if the boar trampled you? You did not tell us you were doing it! We thought you ran away!¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A shocked look came over her face at being yelled at. I think it was the first time I had truly shown anger at the elf. Her mind seemed to race, and guilt appeared on her features. But instead of defending herself or yelling back like I expected, she just squeaked out softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Her response was so unexpected that I was caught off guard. I gave her my angriest stare and waited for Maveith to intercede and defend her, but he did the opposite, reiterating my points, ¡°Raelia, I am disappointed in you too. The plan was clear, you should have voiced your intentions to us.¡± Maveith¡¯s statement was like a slap to her, and she physically stumbled. Maveith had taken her side ever since I had released her. She stared at her feet, no longer able to make eye contact. Was she going to cry? Why was I feeling bad? I relaxed. ¡°You did look like a badass doing it. But if our partnership is going to work, we need to communicate better.¡± I looked over the bloody boars, soaking the earth into a pasty red mud. Maybe a token punishment? ¡°Maveith, Raelia will help you harvest the boars. Make sure she does most of the work. I am going to search the rest of the chamber.¡± I walked away and heard Raelia trying to understand what I said by asking Maveith. ¡°How is my ass bad? It does not smell at all. I just bathed!¡± I chuckled to myself as Maveith tried to help her sort out my colloquialism. The ground was torn up around the chamber as the boars scavenged under the sod for grubs and truffles. The stone chest was near a small spring that fed a small pool on the far side of the hill. I shattered it and looked at the coins spread out in the grass. I was more excited about the silvery runic knife inside. The metal gleamed on the blade of the short, single-edged weapon. No, not a weapon, but a skinning knife. Maveith was going to love this. There was only one exit from this room, so the choice of direction was easy. Rather than dig for grubs, I returned to the others while waiting for my aether to recharge to retrieve the collector. With a grin, I handed the goliath the knife. ¡°Maveith, try this out. It was in the reward chest.¡± I presented him with the skinning knife. Maveith took the blade reverently while Raelia looked on, her eyes clearly recognizing it as an artificed weapon. Maveith cut into the belly of the next boar, the skin parting without much effort, and the gray-skinned man smiled. ¡°This is remarkable. Thank you for letting me use it.¡± ¡°No, Maveith, it¡¯s yours. As well as two of the essences from these creatures. We definitely wouldn¡¯t have won without you.¡± It was a small jab at Raelia¡¯s actions as well. She had abandoned us at the start of the attack, doing her own thing. The collector appeared in my hand, and I collected two apex constitution essences and two major constitution essences. I gave the two apex essences to Maveith, while Raelia watched jealously. I moved a distance away, pocketing the other two essences. I had not gotten used to the gamey smell of animals being harvested. Maveith was joyously using the new knife, cutting away chunks rapidly and handing them to Raelia, who could barely keep up with stacking the meat and organs. Raelia was covered in blood and did not look happy. Four buffalo-sized boars gave a lot of meat. Maveith asked for the other bag of salt, and he only cured one slab of belly fat, conserving our dwindling salt stores for cooking. He stacked the other slabs nearly three feet high. I sent them to storage so they would not spoil, but I doubted we would find more salt in a dungeon. I also had to temper Maveith¡¯s excitement over his new tool. I added less than a quarter of what he harvested to my space. ¡°Maveith, that¡¯s it. I do not have more free space.¡± Maveith pleaded, ¡°Eryk, can I peel the intestines? Surely you have enough room to take the casings so we can make sausage in the future?¡± How long did the goliath think we were going to be trapped in the dungeon? I acquiesced and made a small box with my hand. ¡°This big, Maveith. I need to have some space reserved for killing creatures too.¡± Maveith eagerly started working on the intestines. He had to strip them, scrape them, and then turn them inside out and scrape them again, all while washing them thoroughly. He needed water for his work and fouled the only pool in the room. He had a dozen six-foot sections when he was done. I guess the saying that you do not want to know how the sausage is made is true. We spent over half a day in the room before packing up and heading to the next one. The corridor was not long, and we were a bit surprised to find another safe room. But this safe room was special, as it had stairs ascending to presumably the first level at one end and a black, oily door at the other. It had been so long since we had seen a dungeon exit. Maveith and I just stared at it in disbelief. Raelia questioned, ¡°Are we going to leave? I thought you said the city was full of specters.¡± ¡°Yes, it is. We cannot leave, no matter how tempting it looks right now. We will certainly be killed. We need to find Castile first.¡± I could not tell her there was also an Elven summoner out there trying to kill us. She might risk running to seek his protection. Raelia went to the elven script on the wall. ¡°It says dire boars ahead. Guess dungeon notes are not useful if you are going backward.¡± She offered a weak smile at us before continuing to read the faded script. Maveith asked curiously, ¡°Does it say anything else?¡± ¡°Nothing useful. The truffles the boars were eating are valuable, but other than that, it does not say much.¡± Raelia claimed one of the stone shelves and started unpacking her pack. ¡°Maveith, what do you want to prepare for dinner?¡± I asked while breaking my eyes from the tempting exit. I spent time getting his supplies, and then I went to scout the stairs. Raelia jumped to her feet. ¡°I will come with you.¡± I considered her for a moment. ¡°Stay with Maveith. If there are legionnaires at the top of the steps¡ªwell you can imagine,¡± I stated neutrally. Frustrated, she said, ¡°Just do not go in the room. It will seal you inside if it is the final room before a descent.¡± Was Raelia actually concerned for my safety? I paused but did not respond to the elf as I climbed the stairs. There was a lot of hope riding on each step I took. Was the rest of the company on the first level? Were they still alive? Was Castile among them? The stairs did not corkscrew as I climbed, but the wall had a long, slow curve. When the stairs ended, I was on a small landing with a large circular room beyond. The floor was packed earth. The walls of this chamber had a thick green slime covering them, giving the entire room an eerie green light, but that was not what caught my attention. A massive drake circled restlessly in the center of the room, its powerful body rippling with hidden muscle. The drake¡¯s dark mahogany brown scales glistened under the flickering light, and its lack of wings marked it as an earth drake¡ªan imposing creature I had recognized from the pages of the bestiary. Yet, it loomed much larger than a typical member of its species, creating a daunting presence that filled the vast space. As I scanned the chamber, a flash of crimson caught my attention on the far side, where a legionnaire who had been seated in quiet observation had now risen to his feet. The chamber stretched over two hundred feet in length, an expanse that made it difficult for me to discern his features. In a moment of resolve, I lifted my helm to reveal my face, revealing myself. He met my gesture by removing his own helm, and for a brief instant, our eyes locked in mutual recognition. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 166: Good News, Bad News Chapter 166: Good News, Bad News The steel helmet, with its scratched red lacquer, came off, and I recognized him immediately. Even with a scraggly beard, the familiar lines of Kolm¡¯s face were easy to make out across the chamber. The company armorer was alive. ¡°Eryk? Is that you?¡± he yelled across the chamber, clearly skeptical and not believing what he was seeing. I remembered he was with Flavius, Linus, and Donte. A relieved smile spread across my face. ¡°It is me. Are you alone?¡± I yelled back. The earth drake that had been agitated was now going into a frenzy as we yelled back and forth, making conversation difficult. It was not permitted to leave the room, and two tasty meals encased in red armor were talking back and forth, just out of its reach. ¡°Flavius, Linus, Donte, Brutus, and Favian are at the other end of the passage! They are fishing in the last room!¡± he yelled back. I relaxed somewhat. Five men of the company were alive, and so was the Scholar. Admittedly, I could have done without one of them being Flavius. ¡°Maveith and I are fine as well. I¡¯m glad Brutus found you!¡± I replied. My thoughts turned to the forthcoming reunion and what it would mean¡ªno longer being able to use my ability or the collector and storing Raelia. He laughed. ¡°We found him! He wouldn¡¯t leave his entry room to fight the spiders. He was with the Scholar and starving. We were surprised he had not eaten the Scholar!¡± I could not even contemplate such an action, but when men got desperate, they would do anything to survive. ¡°How are you on food?¡± I yelled across. ¡°Not great, but we have enough to go around if we can reunite. We managed to clear a few rooms, but only this last one had a decent source of food with the fish.¡± He turned and looked back down the hallway. ¡°I have to get back, Eryk. They are fishing in the previous room, but the pair of harpies will return soon. Our safe room is just beyond the harpy room, the left hallway coming from this direction. I¡¯m sure Flavius can come up with a plan to take care of this,¡± he indicated toward the powerful earth drake. ¡°Just hold on a bit. I will go get someone,¡± he reassured. Then he was gone, disappearing as if he were a figment of my imagination. I watched the large pseudo-dragon storm around the chamber for over an hour. It looked powerful and well-muscled, with thick scales that moved like small shields along its body. Its head appeared bony, and its jaws sported dozens of six-inch fangs. It calmed down a few moments after Kolm left and focused all its attention on me. Just over an hour later, Flavius and Brutus arrived with Kolm. They talked among themselves before Flavius yelled across, ¡°Eryk, we cannot defeat this drake. Kolm was watching it, looking for a weakness, but attacking would be a death sentence. Have you seen anyone else?¡± I tempered my reply. ¡°Maveith is still with me. We appeared on a lower floor of the dungeon.¡± I pointed behind me. ¡°There are stairs here, leading down.¡± Brutus yelled, ¡°What happened when you entered?¡± His tone held some anger, likely for being left to fend for himself with just the Scholar. I explained what had happened. ¡°Maveith got struck multiple times by a specter and lost contact with the Scholar. He was in bad shape when we entered, and we have had a rough time of it on the lower levels.¡± I said this more to mollify the clearly angry Brutus. ¡°No sign of Castile?¡± I added to brush past his antipathy. There was a brief conversation I could not hear before Flavius yelled back across the chamber, stirring the earth drake. ¡°Brutus and the Scholar exited the dungeon to reenter three days after everyone else entered.¡± Brutus added, yelling over the drake¡¯s movements, ¡°I was hoping to appear in a different entry room with another group. The bodies of Remus and Soren were just outside the dungeon entrance, torn apart. The snow was packed around the entrance, and there were half a dozen specters as well.¡± The news of the death of our company mates was hard to swallow. ¡°What about Cyrus?¡± Only one group of three had entered the dungeon: Cyrus, Soren, and Remus. Brutus impatiently replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to check all the body parts, but I did not see him. He could be wyvern shit by now, for all I know.¡± Flavius took over the conversation. ¡°We think the summoner is in the dungeon with us.¡± ¡°What? Why would he enter the dungeon?¡± I was confused by the stupidity of it. Why trap himself in here? Was his lust for vengeance really that great? Flavius answered, ¡°The wyverns were gone, but they killed Soren and Remus.¡± Brutus added, ¡°After the specters chased us back into the dungeon, the Scholar said he saw bloody footprints in the snow heading into the dungeon. They were narrow, like an elf¡¯s, and definitely not legion boots.¡± There was a prolonged period of silence as they let me absorb the implications. We were fighting for our lives in every room and being hunted by a mage seeking revenge. Flavius broke the silence. ¡°Eryk, we have to head back past the harpy room to reach our safe room. Linus has a broken leg, and Donte is recovering from spider poison. Even if they were healthy, I don¡¯t think we could defeat this creature.¡± The earth drake hissed at Flavius in apparent challenge at his gestures.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Kolm was the last to leave and tried to encourage me. ¡°If we can find Castile, she can defeat this drake. Stay alive until then.¡± I gave him some parting knowledge. ¡°All the bears have had healing potions in their reward chests, Kolm.¡± He nodded curtly in thanks, and I heard Flavius yell at Kolm to hurry. The earth drake focused solely on me now. It lay down on all fours, its long neck extended toward me, and its glossy black eyes waited. I waited ten minutes and took out the collector in the meantime. I decided to talk to the creature. ¡°You know I have killed a wyvern before, and it was much bigger than you.¡± The drake cocked its head like a dog and turned to the other passage to confirm no one was there before focusing on me again. I stepped into the room, and its body tensed as its head snapped up. Then, like a marionette with its strings cut, it collapsed to the ground. The drake had resisted but not as strongly as the wyvern had. It still bottomed out my aether, but I was now so accustomed to the feeling that I could brush off the disorientation it created. I was not going to pursue the others right now. Maybe after I moved Raelia to the safety of my storage, we could reunite with them. I balanced the collector on the drake¡¯s bony head and left it for now while my aether recovered. The reward chest was in the center of the chamber. It was the largest I had seen, the size of a narrow coffin. It also took a little more effort to shatter it. A few gold coins were mixed in with silver, but the real prize was the spear on top of the coins. The leaf tip was matte black, like it had been left in a fire too long and was covered in soot. The shaft was black wood, but after hefting the spear and studying it, I noticed the grain of the wood spiraled and was extremely dense. I went through a few forms, assessing the weapon, and it hummed through the air faster than it should have. It was a little hefty but a well-balanced weapon. Even though I could not see any runic script anywhere on the spear, I was fairly certain it was a dungeon artifact. I walked to the walls to study the green slime, carrying the spear with me. The slime appeared to flow across the surface, and its faint smell reminded me of rotten eggs. I guessed this was the only thing the drake had to eat, and I could not blame its eagerness to eat us instead. I was about to return to use the collector when I paused at the slime wall. It appeared too smooth and was shaped like a door. The tip of the spear cut through the slime curtain that concealed another corridor with no flowing lights in the ceiling or the floor. I flicked the slime off the tip and watched as it slowly began to cover the entrance again. Interesting. I returned to use the collector, and thick blue lines were drawn on it. The essence that formed was an apex earth essence. My body briefly shuddered, remembering the last time I consumed an apex essence with the earth affinity. Castile had explained that adding new affinities to your core was not dangerous, but it overwhelmed me since I had received a greater benefit from each essence with my convergence spell form. Before descending the stairs, I waited long enough to store the coins, spear, and earth essence in my space. I then positioned the heavy drake¡¯s head to face away from the passageway so that if the others returned, they would think the drake was sleeping. I also concealed the chest remains behind the drake¡¯s tail. Raelia was sleeping when I returned, and Maveith looked up from a pot of stew he was attending. His deep voice asked quietly, ¡°What was at the top of the stairs?¡± ¡°A fat earth drake. Also, there were a few members of the company on the far side of the chamber. They didn¡¯t want to risk fighting the earth drake. Flavius, Kolm, Linus, Brutus, Scholar Favian, and Donte are alive.¡± I informed the goliath and watched Raelia carefully to see if she was listening. Her body did not flinch, and drool dripped down her cheek. Maveith looked over his shoulder at her, too. ¡°Any news on Castile?¡± Maveith asked as softly as he could. ¡°No. Remus and Soren are dead, though.¡± I was not going to tell Maveith about the elven summoner with Raelia possibly overhearing. Maveith nodded slowly at the news. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°They are retreating past a room with harpies to another safe room. There was another exit from the earth drake room. We will explore that for now.¡± I said as I took the bowl of offered stew. Maveith had mixed the pork and bear meat together, but it needed a longer simmer to break down the tissue. The potatoes were well-cooked and balanced the meal. I felt a little guilty about not reuniting with the men to share our food stores. I could not postpone it forever, though. I sat down opposite the griffin rider, studying her momentarily before setting up my sleeping arrangements. The amulet was in my hand, and I confirmed with eye contact that Maveith would remain awake while I slept. With the ring of sustenance almost acclimatized to my body, I was down to about four hours to feel fully rested. The entrance to the dreamscape dungeon felt familiar. It weirdly almost felt like home now. Seeing Konstantin almost made me miss the guy until he asked to spar. I materialized a replica of my new spear, and his eyebrow arched. ¡°Another new weapon? We are going to have to train you twice as long and hard to master both the black blade and this black spear.¡± Konstantin said eagerly. I rolled my eyes and decided I would practice for a time with Xavier, the sword master. Of course, I did not know how Xavier would fight someone with a spear or with a spear and shield. The practice was inefficient, but I found some comfort with the new weapon. Before leaving the dreamscape, I went to the elven collection of herbalism and apothecary books to look up the sundrop flowers and sugarweed. The sugarweed petals needed to be dried in an oven. They were used as a sweetener, like Raelia had said. They were also used to ease stomach cramps and help digestion when made into tea. I regretted not at least taking some of them. The sundrops were also interesting. They only bloomed in early spring and were actually eaten by animals of both sexes to increase fertility¡ªnot particularly useful to me. I finished my four hours in the dreamscape and left. Maveith had cleaned up and was playing checkers with Raelia. As I started putting things away, I told Maveith, ¡°You have eight hours to sleep before we climb the stairs.¡± Maveith nodded and won the game, to Raelia¡¯s consternation in the next few minutes. Maveith took a few minutes to get comfortable but was soon snoring softly on the stone shelf. Raelia looked at me expectantly. I guessed it was time to have the tough conversation about her going back into my dimensional space. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 167: Reconciliation Chapter 167: Reconciliation I was eyeing her, trying to figure out how to tell her I needed to put her back in my space, when Raelia finally asked, ¡°Do you want my legacy blade back? You know, to ensure I do not stab you in the back?¡± Her tone was conversational, and I was unsure if she was joking or serious, but I detected no malice in her words. ¡°What?¡± It took me a second to remember she called her runic dagger a legacy blade. ¡°No, you can keep it. What is a legacy blade?¡± She drew it and fingered the script. ¡°My family surname is Glavien. When my ancestors lived in Esenhem, our family was part of the military class. Everyone in the family participated as either a soldier or an administrator in one of the corps. When the Esenhem Consul signed a peace treaty with the Telhians, most of the Glaviens migrated to the Bartiradian Empire to continue fighting the Telhian Empire. My grandfather passionately believed the Telhian Empire needed to be stopped.¡± She eyed me accusingly in my red legion armor. My legion armor was in a sorry state, and I looked more like a vagabond merc than a legionnaire. I had no response and doubted that agreeing with her would change her opinion of me. She sheathed her dagger. ¡°It is tradition for us to carry legacy blades into battle so that if we fall, our bodies can be identified.¡± ¡°That does not make any sense. If there¡¯s only one blade, what about your siblings? Do you have any? Do they have legacy blades, too?¡± I asked, showing genuine interest. Raelia let a small smile escape. ¡°Yes. I have an older and younger brother who are still living. My older brother is General Clalyn Glavien. My younger brother has not yet chosen his path. The legacy blades go to the eldest on both the matriarchal and patriarchal sides. My mother gave me this legacy blade, which she carried with her into battle. Clalyn has one given to him by our father. My youngest brother will carry a newly forged blade with our father¡¯s name when he begins his service. The parent¡¯s name is always on the blade, so they know who to return it to.¡± I remembered the General had been searching frantically for Raelia in Macha. He had dismissed common military sense in his quest to find his sister, but the blitz had worked in his favor. I shifted on my stone seat as Maveith ripped a long fart in his sleep, taking it as a sign to go and sit next to Raelia to escape the cloud. She did not tense as I sat next to her. I was not sure if I should ask the question, as it reminded her of the past, but I did. ¡°How did you become a griffin rider?¡± She tensed, the tendon on her neck showing for a moment as she clenched her teeth before relaxing. I thought I had made a mistake, but she relaxed. ¡°I am small among my people. At first, I wanted to be a ranger and a scout for the army. As I was training to be a Ranger, I saw the griffin riders in action and became enamored with the idea of taking to the skies.¡± ¡°What is flying like?¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice cut into our conversation. I had not even realized he was awake, and maybe his flatulence was intentional to get me to move closer to Raelia. Raelia genuinely smiled for the first time since I had known her. Her teeth were stained from the berries, but that did not detract from her youthful beauty. Her stern face relaxed, and two small dimples appeared on her cheeks. ¡°It is freedom, power, and ecstasy all rolled into one.¡± Maveith sat up, clearly interested in the topic. He asked eagerly, ¡°How did you tame your griffin? Was it hard?¡± Raelia laughed, realizing his intentions. ¡°Maveith, I was allowed to become a rider because of my size. You are too large to mount a griffin. It would never get off the ground.¡± ¡°Maveith, don¡¯t listen to her. If you want to ride a griffin, I will help you find one big enough for you.¡± Raelia looked at me skeptically, and I could not hold back my laughter at the joke. She soon joined in, realizing I had not been serious. ¡°If there were a griffin large enough for you, I would be petrified of it,¡± Raelia said as the laughter died down. ¡°Maveith, we raise the griffins from the egg. It is important to feed them and spend hours with them as they grow to maturity over the course of a year. It is another year after that before they can take a rider. You build loyalty with each other, and they become your best friend¡­¡± she trailed off, struggling to get the words out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your griffin. Moonclaw, was it?¡± I thought I sounded conciliatory, but Raelia clenched her fist, her forearms flexing. Tears pooled in her blue-green eyes and rolled down her cheeks. ¡°It was my fault. I flew too low over the city. I put us in range of your mages.¡± I did not say anything, and Maveith remained quiet. We let her cry for a bit before she spoke again. ¡°I realized I did it again when we fought the dire boars. I did not follow orders, and it risked getting Maveith killed.¡± After a long pause, she added, ¡°And you, too.¡± She hid a small smirk at withholding my name at first. I was beginning to understand that Raelia did not just have a youthful appearance¡ªshe, in fact, truly was youthful. She was brash and reckless of mind as well. It felt like the right time to break the upsetting news. ¡°Raelia, we¡¯re headed back to the first floor. There are legionnaires up there who cannot see you with us.¡± She tensed, her hand reflexively covering the handle of her runic dagger, but she relaxed slowly.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°When the time comes, you should be holding both of your weapons.¡± Both Raelia and Maveith looked at me questioningly. I explained, ¡°If I am killed, everything in my dimensional space will materialize. Whatever¡ªor whoever¡ªkilled me will probably not be friendly.¡± Saying it out loud was sobering. A heavy silence fell over us. ¡°Is there anything I should be aware of in such a scenario? Will I be buried under purple potatoes? Or will ten other women appear with me as well?¡± Raelia said jokingly. ¡°Give me a minute. Sometimes I forget what¡¯s in there myself,¡± I said, pretending to focus straight ahead. ¡°Let me see¡ªone mostly dead ogre, a horse, and just two other elf maidens, not ten. But you probably do not know them, as I made their acquaintance before I met you.¡± Maveith¡¯s eyes bugged a little, and Raelia¡¯s jaw fell open, unable to speak. Did they really think I was telling the truth? Maveith seemed the most perplexed. ¡°Do you have Ginger in there?¡± Raelia¡¯s eyes shot to Maveith and then to me, thinking Ginger was a person. Maveith thankfully explained, ¡°Ginger is Eryk¡¯s horse, not an elf maiden.¡± Although it was funny, I stopped the speculation, sounding exasperated. ¡°No, I was joking. I do not have an ogre, a horse, or a harem elves. I have camping equipment, all the food we¡¯ve harvested, some weapons, and a few things I picked up here and there.¡± I sighed as they now both looked skeptical. ¡°Let¡¯s head up the stairs. Raelia, stay behind us until I confirm no one from the company is in the earth drake chamber.¡± We climbed the stairs, and Maveith walked straight in when he saw the dead drake. ¡°You already killed it?¡± he said excitedly. He walked around it, inspecting it and testing the scaled hide. I motioned Raelia forward, as there were no legionnaires here. Raelia was also impressed. ¡°That is the largest earth drake I have ever seen.¡± She did not want to get too close and instead kicked the stone shards from the destroyed reward chest. She was probably wondering what had been in it, given the amount of stone. Maveith stood, grumbling to himself. I think he was about to educate me on what I should have done. ¡°The scales are useful for making shields. Claws and teeth can be made into useful tools, as they are much harder than normal bones. The flesh is too dense and would need a long cooking time to break down the tissue. I say we harvest the teeth and claws to sell.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been just over half a day since I killed it, so I will give you an hour,¡± I informed Maveith. ¡°Where is the other exit?¡± Raelia asked, looking up from the stone shards. ¡°You said there were two exits?¡± I pointed at the green slime wall. She walked to it, perplexed. Maveith had his runic knife out, so I joined Raelia. She reached out and touched the slime with her finger, then sniffed it. ¡°Is that safe?¡± I asked, standing next to her. She looked at me. ¡°It is green slime mold. Goblins use it as a food source because it grows quickly. If it were dangerous, my finger would have burned. It is the only thing in here the drake could have eaten.¡± I did not tell her that was also my conclusion. I would let her think she was smarter than me. She had not found the hidden door yet, as it was ten feet to her right. I drew my black blade and walked to the smoother part of the wall. I cut the slime like a curtain to reveal the dark passage beyond. I made to hand her a retrieved glowstone. She dismissed it with a wave. ¡°I do not need that. I can see just fine in dim light.¡± She made to step into the corridor, and I grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Wait till Maveith finishes playing with the drake.¡± Raelia nodded but watched, fascinated, as the green slime once again hid the entrance. ¡°That is different. The slime mold grows so quickly and not just on a surface.¡± She took her own runic dagger to cut away the slime again and watched it reform over the passage entry. I walked to Maveith, who had cut away the drake¡¯s lips to get easy access to the gums as he sought to pry the fangs out. Even with the runic knife, he was struggling. ¡°I think I can get the fangs in the allotted hour, Eryk. If you want the claws, you¡¯ll need to help.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all you, Maveith.¡± I thought about scouting the harpy room, but I might get spotted if the others were in there or watching it. Maveith got twelve ten-inch-long fangs from the drake¡¯s mouth. He was grinning as he stuffed them into his bag. He was a mess of blood from his work but was happy about his harvest. ¡°If I can find a master crafter, these will make exceptional cooking tools.¡± I just nodded in affirmation. Raelia was already cutting away the slime, eager to explore the dark passage. I handed Maveith one of my four glowstones, and we entered. The slime slowly formed its curtain behind us, making this path feel more ominous than others. It was the first part of any dungeon I had entered that lacked a light source. However, there was that magical dark room near the shapeshifter room. We walked about fifty feet before Raelia spoke. ¡°This could be a new dungeon room that the dungeon has not finished yet. Dungeons feed off the ley lines and grow like the roots of a plant over hundreds of years.¡± Maveith questioned her assumption. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean it grows downward?¡± ¡°Not always.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°I am not knowledgeable about dungeons, but they grow in all directions around the ley line they feed off of.¡± She stopped walking, and we all stopped with her. ¡°I hear running water,¡± Raelia said. We proceeded to walk, and the walls seemed different somehow. I could not place it as we walked farther. The corridor opened to a rocky balcony overlooking a massive chasm. Water cascaded on the far side, but our glowstones were not strong enough to show us the other side. Maveith was the first to realize it. ¡°We are not in the dungeon any longer.¡± There was no doubt or surprise from me or Raelia, as we felt it, too. It was like we were no longer being watched and soaking in the dense dungeon aether. ¡°Where are we?¡± I asked, feeling heat waves rising from the deep chasm, and I was starting to sweat. Maveith said with awe in his voice, ¡°The Endless Dark.¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 168: The Green Goblin Chapter 168: The Green Goblin The chasm before us made no sense in its immense scope. I had heard a legionnaire mention the Endless Dark before. ¡°The only thing I know about the Endless Dark is that it is where the goblin hordes come from. What is it doing inside a dungeon?¡± Raelia, also in awe, stood dangerously close to the edge. She rasped softly. ¡°It is not inside a dungeon. The dungeon is inside of it. Dungeons are part of the Endless Dark, feeding off the ley lines deep in the earth. We¡¯re miles below the surface.¡± Maveith could not resist tossing a rock into the chasm. It bounced along the wall on its descent, creating echoing sounds even over the water cascading on the other side. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the dungeon,¡± I said, suddenly having a bad feeling. Flickers of lightning appeared deep within the chasm below, and I felt the temperature rising. We exchanged quick glances, and that was all we needed to spur us into running back to the safety of the dungeon. Shadows from our glowstones bounced around us as our feet scraped the stone. When we reached the end of the passage, there was no curtain of green slime lit by the glowstone. Instead, there was a solid, uneven rock. ¡°Damn it.¡± I pounded on the wall, and it echoed slightly. The dungeon was trying to seal us out. I tried to create a box to send the stone into my dimensional space, but the attempt rebounded, causing me to stumble. Disoriented, I bellowed, ¡°Maveith! Use your hammer!¡± He understood and swung into the rock, breaking through a thin covering to create a small opening as the green slime tried to cover the hole. I pushed Raelia through first and followed. I did not even mind getting covered in the green slime as I pressed through the hole. Maveith crawled after us, and we all turned to watch the green slime cover the gap, breathing heavily. Wiping and spitting the slime from my face, I was relieved to see the drake was still dead. I had been worried it would have been revived by the dungeon. It seemed like this had all been a trick by the dungeon to kick us out¡ªor probably just me. I speculated that it really did not like how I won our fights. Breathing heavily, Maveith asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The dungeon tried to lock us out. I tried to create a door, but it was like when I tried to kill a creature without entering the room. My attempt backlashed on me,¡± I said, still sweating from the heat of the chasm and the adrenaline surging through my veins. ¡°Dungeons follow rules,¡± Raelia said, disgustedly cleaning the green slime from her hair. She had gone first and took the brunt of the slime. She whipped a glob off her hand. ¡°No one knows why. One of those rules is that you need to enter a room to fight a creature. Once a fight begins, the creature can pursue anywhere in the dungeon.¡± ¡°What are the rest of the rules?¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice intoned as we all calmed down. It did not appear there was anything pursuing us. ¡°The ones I remember, you already know. Safe rooms can¡¯t have dungeon creatures in them. Once you enter a room, a monster can pursue you out of it. There¡¯s a reward for clearing a room¡­¡± Raelia stopped cleaning herself and thought. She held up her hand and seemed to be counting, trying to remember. ¡°Rooms will reset after one day, and if you rest in a corridor between rooms for more than a day, the creatures in any connected rooms can pursue you.¡± She had not offered any new information. ¡°Is that all you remember?¡± I pressed her. Any new knowledge would be welcome. Raelia nodded. ¡°The dungeons I entered were not as dangerous as this one, and they were more for training us to work as a team against non-humanoids.¡± Raelia¡¯s head snapped in alarm to the far entrance, and I swore as I turned. I expected company men, but instead, I saw a small green goblin sprinting frantically out of the corridor. It stumbled into a roll when it noticed the massive earth drake in the chamber¡¯s center. The goblin child was familiar¡ªit was the one I had released to distract the bear. How had it survived for so long? Maveith¡¯s rumbling voice questioned, ¡°Do you all see a goblin too?¡± Horrid screeches of feminine anger followed the goblin out of the corridor. ¡°Harpies,¡± I warned my group. ¡°Harpies?¡± Raelia questioned. ¡°The goblin must have run through the last room. It had a pair of harpies in it,¡± I explained while drawing my blade and rushing to the corridor to meet them. The frail goblin wasn¡¯t a concern. The harpy screams echoed down the corridor as they approached, and my head ached from the discordant cadence of their screams, which sounded like a mutilated song that I couldn¡¯t ignore. My mind clouded, and it was a strain to remain focused. Claws clicked rapidly on stone as they approached. I stood at the side of the passage opening and waited. Maveith had pursued the goblin, and I could not yell at him for help, or I would alert the harpies. The first harpy stumbled into the room, and my blade came down on the back of its neck. I mistimed my swing but managed to sever one of its leathery wings. It screeched in pain, sending a pressing migraine through my head. I pivoted to finish it with another swing when the second harpy plowed into me, talons-first. I was pinned underneath the creature, struggling as I learned more about harpies than I ever wanted to know in those next few seconds. Their legs were massive bird legs with talons, trying to tear my armor off. It also had long claws on its hands that tried to reach my exposed face. A grotesque woman¡¯s face with greasy black hair, wild eyes, and sharp teeth hissed and spat at me. I struggled to hold the heavy creature at bay. Its talons had a strong grip on me, and it was much heavier than it looked. Strangely, in my struggle, I remembered a curse my comrades used¡ª¡°harpies¡¯ tits.¡± And yes, the torso of this creature was well-muscled and would have been attractive on any buxom human woman. ¡°Close your eyes!¡± Raelia yelled. I trusted her in that moment because I thought I knew what she was doing. Heat erupted around me as a wave of fire enveloped me for not more than a fraction of a second, blasting the creature away and freeing me. My armor protected me from the worst of it, but my face was blistered, and I smelled burnt hair. I rolled to my feet to see both harpies struggling, their wings in shambles with embers still burning from the fireball. I slashed the one I had crippled with my black blade, ending its pained cries.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. The lone remaining harpy was hobbled, its wings shredded, and half its face burned. Its one good glossy black eye contained more malice than I could fathom. It tried to scream, but Raelia¡¯s legacy dagger suddenly appeared in its throat, and it grasped at it as it struggled to breathe. I glanced at Raelia, who stood twenty feet away. I nodded at her, my voice cracked from the dry heat. ¡°Nice throw.¡± I stepped into the harpy¡¯s reach and stabbed it in the chest, aiming for its heart. I backed away before it could retaliate as it died. My face burned, and I reached for the aether potion but stopped. It was best not to waste the treasure and just deal with the pain. The only threat now was the goblin. I saw Maveith chasing the goblin around the corpse of the earth drake. The small goblin was bone-thin but incredibly fast. It definitely had a strong survival instinct. Raelia stood beside me, looking concerned. ¡°I am sorry; it was the only thing I could think of to help you.¡± ¡°You did the right thing,¡± my voice creaked out. I thought I¡¯d inhaled some of the fireball, as my lungs also burned along with my face. The harpy¡¯s claws would have ripped out my throat if she had not helped me. It was almost comical as we both watched the goblin avoid Maveith by using the large drake as cover. If Maveith got too close, it would scramble over the drake to the other side, the large scales making excellent handholds for its tiny, nimble fingers. Neither Raelia nor I moved to help Maveith. Finally, I said, ¡°It¡¯s not a dungeon creature, Maveith. I brought it in here and released it when I fought my first bear.¡± Maveith stopped his pursuit and looked at me, his chest heaving from his efforts. The goblin also looked exhausted but studied Raelia and me. Even with my red and blistering face, recognition flashed in the goblin¡¯s eyes. That quickly turned to fear, and it bolted for the exit, descending the stairs to the safe room in a heartbeat. ¡°Let it go!¡± I yelled to Maveith. In an odd way, I felt sorry for the creature if it had survived over a week in the dungeon, running for its life. My guess was that it ran through a room and pulled the monsters into the next room to fight each other. I walked to Maveith and began healing my face as my aether recovered. Maveith was apologetic. ¡°Sorry, I did not help with the harpies. I got focused on the goblin.¡± I looked at the part of the wall where the green slime covered the exit to the Endless Dark. The slime was no longer a flat surface, which indicated there was now rock behind it. Had we just passed up a chance to leave the dungeon? How would we have even scaled the chasm, and how far below the surface were we? No, we made the right choice, and whatever was at the bottom of the chasm was not friendly. The harpies both yielded major charm essences. The essences had spiraling smoke inside in a mix of white and blue. If you looked at the pattern too long, it made you dizzy. I handed both to a surprised Raelia. She had possibly saved my life and definitely played the largest role in the victory. She studied my face, which was now mostly healed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to waste a healing potion on your face.¡± I shrugged, not telling her I could heal myself. I looked to the goliath. ¡°Maveith, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s move back to the safe room.¡± I looked seriously at Raelia. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to return to my dimensional space.¡± She did not appear as reluctant now. Maybe there was a little trust between us. We slowly descended the long set of stairs, concerned the goblin could have drawn the dire boars into the safe room. There were no goblins or boars at the bottom of the stairs. Maveith began to cook while I scouted the boar room to ensure there was no threat. I had recovered enough aether to kill a boar if needed. Two boars were clearly visible as I approached the dire boar chamber, blocking the entrance while the small goblin huddled, trying to make itself small in the corridor. My armor rasped loudly as I walked, the resin-infused leather plates having melted and deformed a little from the fireball, no longer sliding seamlessly against each other. The goblin spun back and forth between the two boars and me, trying to decide on the lesser of two dangers. At just over twelve feet away, I didn¡¯t give it a chance to make its final decision. I aligned some free space and sent the creature into my dimensional space. I had recovered enough aether, and having something in my dimensional space that could serve as a distraction in a future fight seemed like a good idea. I returned to the safe room. ¡°The goblin¡¯s taken care of,¡± was all I said as I sat down. ¡°After we eat, Raelia,¡± I told her, and she nodded in understanding. The meal consisted mostly of us speculating on why the dungeon was trying to get rid of us. Raelia thought we had just caught it in the process of expanding its labyrinth and did not think the dungeon had enough awareness to target us specifically. She managed to convince Maveith of this, even though I was fairly certain the dungeon was targeting me. I think it recognized me as a threat and a nuisance. After storing the goblin, I had to draw out the meal to recover enough aether. Raelia seemed to think it was due to my reluctance to store her, which worked in my favor. as I felt we had built a bit of trust, and I no longer saw her as an enemy. Raelia finally stood. ¡°Let us get this over with. If I am trapped inside you for a long time, know that I am not going to be happy when I am let out.¡± Raelia drew her two blades. ¡°Put your pack over there,¡± I instructed, pointing to the shelf. ¡°You¡¯ll want to be unburdened when you come out.¡± She nodded and did as instructed. She prepared herself and nodded. ¡°You can keep the ranger¡¯s cloak,¡± I said, pushing her into my space before she could respond. Maveith seemed sad as I went over to her pack. I took out the thermal stone first since we had not used it to prepare the meal. ¡°Eryk, what are you doing?¡± Maveith asked. ¡°Repacking her bag a little.¡± I sorted everything out, and when I had enough aether, I pulled out food. Maveith understood and started to help. When we left the dungeon, she was going to need food to get back to Bartiradian lands. Before repacking everything, I made a decision and pulled out a large egg. Maveith was confused. ¡°Is that an egg? It is huge. What is it?¡± I think Maveith was salivating at the culinary implications. ¡°This is a griffin egg, Maveith.¡± His eyebrows shot up in surprise. ¡°Help me pack it so it¡¯s protected with all this food.¡± During the process of packing Raelia¡¯s backpack, I told Maveith the tale of how I acquired a griffin egg. When we finished, I sent the pack to my space, and Maveith asked, ¡°Do you have any more eggs? Chicken eggs, preferably. I miss omelets.¡± I laughed at the large man. ¡°No. That was the only egg I had in my space.¡± I took a deep breath and held up a major essence with shifting colors. ¡°Can you watch over me as I take this? It¡¯s the illusion affinity from the shapeshifters.¡± Maveith nodded. ¡°I will watch over you.¡± We had talked about this before¡ªmy unpleasant experience with the apex earth essence. Hopefully, using one of the major essences instead of an apex to unlock my illusion magic would not be as bad. It felt like it was the right time to experiment before reconnecting with the company. The essence dissolved in my mouth, and goosebumps ran across my body. My skin tingled as the electric heat left my stomach and spread across my body. ¡°This isn¡¯t so bad¡­¡± I suddenly vomited, and my muscles clenched. I curled into a ball on the floor and let the process work its way to completion, trying to block out the pain. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 169: Something Brewing Chapter 169: Something Brewing Through the pain, I kept trying to remind myself that it was not as bad as consuming the apex earth essence in Macha. Maveith¡¯s voice echoed in the back of my mind as he tried to communicate, but the pain consumed all my focus. I bit my tongue, tasting the metallic, coppery blood that filled my mouth. As the pain finally ebbed away, my clenching muscles relaxed. I rasped out, ¡°How long?¡± Maveith was kneeling over me. ¡°Less than a minute. Are you okay, Eryk? That looked unpleasant.¡± There was no way it had been only a minute. I moved to a sitting position, every part of my body aching. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°What is it, Eryk? You smell horrible¡ªlike rotten eggs¡ªand your skin is slimy.¡± Maveith voiced his concern but still backed away. ¡°Yeah, I shit myself too. If I ever do this again, I¡¯m going to make sure I¡¯ve purged both ends before I start.¡± I spat out the residual vomit and tried not to move my ass too much. My throat was sore, and I used some healing on my damaged tendons and ligaments from clenching so hard. The fouled clothing and filthy underclothes were definitely staying behind in this dungeon. I recalled the conversation with Kolm. ¡°The harpy room had some water¡ªat least they said they were fishing there. We should be able to get past the earth drake since it hasn¡¯t been a day yet. There should also be a reward chest to claim in the harpy room.¡± ¡°I will walk ahead of you,¡± Maveith said, scrunching his nose. I was going to retort that I had put up with his body odor for a long time, but then again, my own smell was making me nauseous and causing my eyes to water at the moment. We climbed the stairs, which was no fun in my soiled clothes. The dead earth drake was still there, and we cautiously crossed into the next corridor. It curved slightly before arriving at the harpy room. The harpy room had a mix of short green trees and tall deadwood trees. I did not see any sign of the legionnaires, and the stone reward chest was visible next to a large pool in the center of the room. Without my armor on, I had Maveith lead. ¡°You go first, Maveith. I have enough aether to manage one problem.¡± He nodded, and we passed the short trees with red berries on them. Maveith ate one of the berries and immediately spat it out. ¡°This is bitter, Eryk, do not try it.¡± I picked one of the berries anyway and inspected it. It looked like a small cherry, but it obviously was not. I squeezed the fruit, and a bean was inside the husk. The bean was white and looked oddly familiar. ¡°Maveith, I think this is a coffee bean. We have them in Tsinga.¡± I was not completely sure, but from my reading, I knew there was a dessert beverage that sounded like coffee. They roasted, crushed, and filtered water through the beans to create a rich black drink. It certainly sounded like coffee. I had not found coffee in the Telhian Empire, but many tea varieties were available. We both walked to the pond in the center of the chamber and looked into it. It was about twenty feet across, and Kolm had been right about there being fish in this room. This variety of fish was smaller than the eels or other fish I had already discovered. They were rotund and barely larger than my hand. They bobbed to the surface before diving deep into the depths of the pool and disappearing. I guessed they needed air to breathe, which gave the harpies a chance to swoop down and grab them from their perches in the dead trees. I gratefully stripped, tossing my underclothes in a pile for the dungeon to reclaim. The water was cold when I tested it with my foot, and an oily sheen spread across the surface from my exposed leg. Whatever foulness my body had extruded was oily. The fish seemed to be repelled by my scent, suddenly stopping their trips to the surface. As I settled into the water, there did not appear to be any threat. ¡°Maveith, why don¡¯t you check the chest in the center of the chamber while I clean up?¡± Surprisingly, the goliath did not seem as excited about treasure as most people. He nodded, accepting the task reluctantly. I scrubbed myself as best I could in the water with a sock. With no detergent, it was difficult to clean off. Soon, the entire surface of the pool was covered in an oily film from my efforts. I scrubbed my skin raw, trying to free myself of the foul stench. While I was bathing, Maveith returned with twelve silver coins and a potion, handing them to me. I studied the runic script on the potion before announcing, ¡°As best as I can translate, it says see in the dark. This is a potion of night vision.¡± Maveith looked impressed. ¡°Keep it, Maveith. Dungeon potions should be good for years.¡± I sent the coins to my dimensional space so he would not have to carry them and put the fishing kit on the shore for him. Maveith looked disgusted at the pond, which now had an oil slick coating it. ¡°Eryk, I do not know if I want to fish this pond.¡± I looked into the water, and it seemed some of the fish were having trouble swimming. Whatever impurities had been released from my body had fouled and poisoned the water. ¡°Can you harvest the berries for me? I think they have a use.¡± Maveith looked at the two dozen coffee trees and nodded. He seemed happy to have an excuse to get away. I continued my efforts to get as clean as possible before dressing in clean clothes. A few fish bobbed on the surface, clearly dead. I tried the collector on three of the small fish, and only one yielded a minor essence of constitution. I handed it to Maveith before putting my armor back on. My legion armor was in bad shape. The red lacquer on the metal helmet was chipped. The leather pieces soaked in resin had warped slightly. The armor even had gouges from the harpy''s talons. It looked like whoever wore this suit had been through a lot¡ªthe poor guy had been frozen, burned, crushed, and clawed. I had a new set of legion armor in my space, but I could not wear it without revealing my expansive space to the company. I helped Maveith fill a large tarp with the coffee berries before tying the corners together and sending it to storage. I had no idea how to turn the berries into actual coffee, but one thing we had plenty of in the dungeon was time. There were two exits from this room. The one to the left led to Flavius and our legionnaire companions. The one to the right was probably where the goblin had come from. I had to make a choice: reunite with Flavius and the others, or search for Castile? We still had hours before the harpies would respawn.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I debated internally for a long time before announcing to Maveith, ¡°We¡¯re going that way.¡± I pointed in the direction from which the goblin had most likely come. Maveith looked at the entrance that led to the legionnaires, then back at the one I had chosen. His confusion made me feel the need to explain myself. ¡°Flavius can¡¯t know that I have the collector, and the extent of my other abilities needs to remain a secret.¡± Maveith understood. ¡°I will take your secret to my deathbed, Eryk.¡± His deep tone was reassuring, though I was a little worried¡ªhe said it too loudly, like he was making an oath, and I glanced at the corridor, relieved no one was standing there. After my I had voiced my decision, we did not waste much time, leaving the harpy room behind. As we went, the corridor curved left and right, but the familiar flowing lights on the ceiling and floor were reassuring. I wondered where the goblin had come from and why nothing had pursued it from the room we approached. When we reached the end of the corridor, it opened into a wide sandy room. Little dust devils of sand dotted the room. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s something underneath the sand?¡± I gestured to Maveith on my right. Maveith was studying the sand as well. His deep voice speculated, ¡°There certainly are a lot of environments within this dungeon. I traveled through the Scorching Waste before. There were carnivorous beetles, scorpions of all sizes, and different varieties of elementals. Those sand swirls could be minor elementals.¡± I studied the swirling clouds of sand more intently. They didn¡¯t seem to move, and I could recall no books that referenced elementals. ¡°If the goblin was able to pass through the room, should we try?¡± Maveith looked behind us, probably considering the five legionnaires and the Scholar back there. He eventually turned back to the sandscape. ¡°If they¡¯re elementals, they should be affected by our runic weapons,¡± Maveith said. I took that as a yes and stepped out onto the sand. The chamber was sweltering hot, like I was in a scorching desert, and the sand eddies started moving toward me. Maveith stepped behind me. ¡°They are not elementals, Eryk. Something is moving in the sand beneath them.¡± Maveith was right. The sand formed mounds moving toward us. It was easy to get distracted by the mini tornados. They moved at a decent speed, spread out, and coordinated. ¡°Back out of the room, Maveith.¡± We both exited to the corridor¡¯s safety, ready to retreat to the harpy room. All five mounds converged on us and stopped at the entrance. A dog-sized beetle emerged from the sand, its impressive mandibles snapping in the air in frustration. It appeared uncertain about leaving the sand before submerging itself again. We both stood ready, but the beetles slowly moved away. Maveith¡¯s baritone sounded, ¡°I think they are sand scarabs. I have never seen them before, but sand scarabs use aether and earth magic to burrow in the sand. If you try to fight them, they can quickly sink you in the sand to attack you below the surface while you are immobilized.¡± ¡°That sounds utterly horrific. Getting trapped in the sand, unable to put up resistance while they use those mandibles on your legs¡ªand other parts.¡± I shivered, understanding why Flavius and the others had not tried this room. ¡°They¡¯re also fast, so it will be difficult to avoid them,¡± Maveith noted. ¡°We do not need to avoid them, Maveith. They will not leave the protection of the sand.¡± I stepped into the room and waited for the first scarab to reach me before pulling a deep column of sand under the vortex into my space. My aether bottomed out, and the beetle had resisted strongly, but I still succeeded. I stepped back into the corridor with Maveith. We were both ready as the other four scarabs hovered outside the corridor, but they were still unwilling to leave the sand¡¯s protection. I smiled at Maveith. ¡°Now we just have to wait until I can do that again. It usually takes me about two hours, but it has been less than an hour in the dungeon.¡± I guessed it was not just the dungeon but also the gains in my aether channeling attribute that were speeding my recovery. About forty minutes later, a second scarab was killed. They traveled about a foot under the sand, but the swirling sand above them made it easy to track their movements. After killing a third one, the last two surprised us by leaving the safety of the sandy room. Maveith wasn¡¯t caught off guard¡ªhe crushed one with his hammer, and I was able to pierce the other between the mandibles with my black blade. This was good, as I could use the collector on the last two, getting a major earth essence from both. I tried the collector on the other three scarabs, getting one additional major earth essence and one minor earth essence. The first scarab had been dead for too long to yield anything. We knew the room was clear when the stone reward chest appeared in the center of the micro desert. ¡°Easy peasy, Maveith.¡± I smiled at the goliath, who gave me a doubtful look as he tried to figure out what ¡°peasy¡± meant. I approached the modest chest and shattered it. Silver coins spilled out, and a leather-bound tome lay on top. It smelled strongly of seasoned leather as I opened it. Inside were pages of layered spell forms for some type of spell. I could not understand what the spell actually did without the Latin script explaining it. After the first few pages of spell forms, the runic script on the following pages probably went into detail about the spell, but it would take me hours to puzzle out the translation in the dreamscape. I noted a few symbols that seemed to indicate it was related to the earth affinity. I held the book out to Maveith. ¡°I think it might be an earth affinity spell. Do you want it?¡± ¡°No, I already inscribed my earth affinity, Eryk. And I cannot learn actual spells.¡± I shrugged and gathered up the silver coins along with the book. We looked around the room, seeing only sand filling the oval space. ¡°Let¡¯s move to the corridor, Maveith. This room wasn¡¯t very difficult for us, and I would not mind returning to get more earth essence later.¡± We walked into the unexplored corridor, and it was not long before we arrived at a familiar-looking room with two long, wide stone shelves. Maveith grunted happily. ¡°A rest room.¡± It was a safe room, unique in that there were three different exits¡ªnot including the corridor we were standing in or the oily black door tempting us to exit the dungeon for good. We moved in and started to unpack, but I immediately noticed dark letters in Latin next to the faded elven script on the wall: "Castile¡¯s group went this way," with an arrow pointing to one of the corridors. We were close¡ªbut how long ago had that been written? I turned to Maveith, who could not read Latin. ¡°Castile¡¯s group was here.¡± His eyes went wide with excitement. He was clearly ready to get out of the dungeon. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited. We don¡¯t know how long ago they passed through here. Why don¡¯t you get some sleep first? I¡¯ll stay up and prepare some food.¡± I pulled out the elven tablet table and some ingredients, including a handful of coffee berries. Maveith made himself comfortable and was soon snoring. With Maveith asleep, I grasped the edges of the table and activated the device. It was time to see what the major illusion essence had done for me. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 170: Staying Grounded Chapter 170: Staying Grounded I was looking forward to seeing my progress. I felt healthy and fully recovered after a week of full meals, and the ring of sustenance had slowly increased its effectiveness. I had not been training in my spare time, but I still felt like most of my strength and clarity of thought had returned. I was not expecting too many gains, as the period since my last reading was minimal. I was mostly focused on my illusion affinity¡ªhow much had it increased from just a single major essence? I reviewed the left side of the tablet first, moving my food prep items out of the way to read the results.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+4/+0) 49/80 Intellect (+2/+2) 31/56 Aether Pool (+0/+0) 16/22
Power (+1/+0) 47/84 Reasoning (+4/+0) 48/61 Channeling (+6/+1) 27/58
Quickness (+3/+0) 33/49 Perception (+2/+0) 52/61 Aether Shaping (+0/+0) 8/8
Dexterity (+2/+1) 41/61 Insight (+1/+0) 33/49 Aether Tolerance (+3/+1) 35/51
Endurance (+3/+0) 67/95 Resilience (+2/+0) 47/71 Aether Resistance (+0/+0) 8/19
Constitution (+3/+0) 45/69 Empathy (+2/+0) 14/22 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (+2/+0) 44/63 Fortitude (+1/+1) 49/90 Minor Aether Affinity Time
My physical attributes had normalized to their relative levels before we were chased into the Elven ruins and nearly starved inside the library. My mental attributes showed modest gains from a few essences. The magic attributes showed the most impressive gains, with channeling increasing by six points and aether tolerance by three. I assumed this was due to the ley line being so close to the dungeon and the faster rate at which I could recover my aether. With my channeling increasing, it meant I would see gains outside the dungeon as well¡ªif I ever got outside of the dungeon. Two glaring weaknesses stood out: my aether pool and my ability to shape aether. So far in this dungeon, I had not discovered any essences for either magic attribute. There wasn¡¯t much I could do about my poor luck, but I had enough essences to last me weeks. I moved everything to the other side of the table to read my magical affinities. The only change was with my illusion affinity. Rare Magics: Space: 98 Time: 90 Displacement: 61 Materialism: 9 Worlds: 88 Void: 22 Convergence: 74 Unaffiliated Magics (Uncommon): Charm (Mind): 5 Illusion: 3 Clairvoyance: 0 Protection (Guardian): 30 Necromancy: 0 Celestial: 0 Abyssal: 0 Elemental Magics (Common) Fire: 0 Air: 0 Water: 0 Earth: 6 Lightning (Energy): 8 Spirit (Healing): 23 Nature (Plant): 0 I had unlocked three points in the illusion affinity, raising it from zero to three with a single major essence. It was not even remotely enough to gain a new spell form, and it was half as effective as the apex earth essence had been in awakening the affinity. Still, the awakening of the illusion affinity had been just as painful and unpleasant. I still smelled like dried vomit, even though I had left the soiled clothes behind.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Sighing, I started to work on dinner, shaving bear meat with Maveith¡¯s new skinning knife. I could only take one essence a day without risking being overwhelmed. I had told Maveith and Raelia to do the same, but Castile had told me during my first dungeon delve that you only needed to wait an hour between consuming similar essences, though each successive one would be unpleasant as the body needed time to recover. Could I raise one of my magic affinities high enough to imprint a new spell form? If yes, should I pursue illusion or earth essence? I had two apex and one major essence of illusion remaining. For earth essences, I had two apex, six major, and one minor essence. There was also the possibility of getting more earth essences from the sand scarabs. I had books in my dimensional space with spell forms for both affinities. The meat started sizzling. I cooked it in small batches and sampled each one. The cooking was more for Maveith since I had the ring of sustenance. Maveith rolled over at the smell, facing me. Sleepily, he asked, ¡°Did it work?¡± ¡°Did what work?¡± I asked, feigning ignorance. ¡°You took out the tablet table, Eryk. I know you do not want me to see your readings, but it is obvious you wanted to see if the suffering you went through was worth it.¡± I had to remember that Maveith was not dumb and that I was being very transparent. I admitted calmly, ¡°Yes, I awakened my illusion affinity. Do you want to try to awaken one of your affinities?¡± Maveith sat up, his nose wrinkling at my lingering scent. ¡°No.¡± His voice echoed in the room. ¡°I am happy with improving my physical prowess. How long was I asleep?¡± ¡°More than two hours, less than three.¡± I did not have Maveith¡¯s uncanny ability to know how much time had passed. ¡°After you eat, you can go back to sleep. The ring has reduced my sleep to just two or three hours now. Although, I do want to use the amulet at some point.¡± I started frying slices of purple potatoes in the remaining bear fat while Maveith quickly devoured five pounds of shaved bear meat. He had lost a lot of weight but was putting it back on quickly. It was awe-inspiring how much food he was able to consume. I drank water and popped a few slices of purple potato into my mouth. Even if I burned my mouth, I could heal the blisters easily enough. I was starting to use magic without even thinking about it. Finally satiated after eating four large potatoes after the bear meat, Maveith asked, ¡°Are we going to pursue Castile?¡± ¡°Yes. But first, I want to harvest the sand scarabs one more time,¡± I admitted. ¡°I want to try and increase my earth affinity high enough to imprint a spell form for earth on my aether core.¡± Maveith¡¯s eyes danced excitedly. ¡°That would be amazing, Eryk. I would suggest my earth spell form, shape stone. It has been extremely valuable to me and would give us something in common.¡± His green eyes sparkled eagerly. ¡°I will see when the time comes, Maveith. I still need to raise my earth affinity high enough to imprint a spell form.¡± Maveith ate some apple-berry jam before going back to sleep. I turned my attention to the coffee cherries. I was not a coffee addict, but I enjoyed a morning cup on the way to work a lifetime ago. I husked all the berries, giving me a handful of white, slimy beans. I took a moment to enter my dreamscape amulet and find the passage for cava, the dessert drink made from beans. Unfortunately, there were no recipes to follow, so I was winging it. I tried heating them in a pan¡ªthey smoked fiercely but eventually browned. I ground the beans up and added boiling water once they were dried. I let the sediment settle and tried a sip. I spit out the bitter, grassy-tasting beverage. My heart thudded in my chest, and I felt the turmoil in my aether core. Thankfully, I hadn¡¯t swallowed the brew. These coffee beans contained raw aether. They were an alchemy ingredient, not a wake-me-up beverage. Maveith was still sleeping, and I did not disturb him while I cleaned up. I removed my armor and went through my sword forms. I was only mildly rusty. Even with consuming essences, I needed to start getting into the mindset of training both in the dreamscape and outside of it. When Maveith stirred again, he rose to do his business in the corridor, and I set myself up for a nap with the amulet. As he returned, I channeled aether into the amulet. First, I confirmed in my dreamscape library that I had the book for earth spell forms. It was there, but I would wait to study it until my affinity reached a sufficient level. I opened the scorpion room and spent three hours practicing with Konstantin, Xavier, and Maveith. It felt good to focus on fighting people instead of monsters. I also missed Konstantin¡¯s repeated¡ªencouragement. Zorana wanted to fight with me as well, but I declined her requests and let her play with Oscar, who was begging for attention as well. I sealed everyone in the scorpion room again, as we were getting close to finding Castile. I guessed she would want to use the amulet. On an impulse, I created a likeness of Raelia. She immediately rolled away, drawing her weapons, and started swearing. ¡°Where am I? Who are these people?¡± She pointed at me. ¡°Legionnaire, what treacherous space have you sent me to now!¡± She pointed her legacy blade threateningly at me. I had expected Raelia to react this way¡ªher form and personality were drawn from my subconscious. Maveith moved to calm down the agitated elf. With a smirk, I informed her, ¡°Welcome to the dreamscape, Raelia. We can talk another time.¡± ¡°What is a dreamsca¡ª¡± she started to say, but I was already exiting. I sat up and was disappointed that the sour, acidic bile smell still lingered on my body. Maybe I could use the mouthwash as a body wash to eliminate the smell? No, it was best to save the mouthwash. Maveith was rolling his essences in his hand, probably trying to decide which one to consume. ¡°You can take another one, Maveith. Everyone is different in how long they have to wait between essences. If your stomach gets upset, you¡¯ll know your interval between consumption.¡± What I told Maveith was the truth from my perspective. He took another quickness essence and put it in his mouth, savoring the effect. ¡°Has it been a day since we killed the scarabs?¡± I asked Maveith. ¡°No, Eryk. There are still about four hours before a day has passed,¡± Maveith grumbled. We walked back to the sand room and waited in the corridor. Maveith snacked while I studied the dead scarabs, waiting for the dungeon to absorb them. They disappeared in a blink, and two small swirling sand funnels formed, followed by a third, a fourth, and a fifth. ¡°Maveith, it¡¯s time.¡± I stood and cracked my knuckles. It went the same way as last time. I killed two scarabs in the sand but did so closer to the corridor. I removed the collector before the fight began, allowing me to use it on the sand scarabs between kills. When we finished, I took two major earth essences and three minor earth essences. The reward chest only held some large silver coins and non-runic ornate jewelry with some impressive emeralds. I now had a sizable collection of earth essences. Back in the safe room, I slowly placed one of the major earth essences in my mouth. Flashes of phantom pain made me hesitant to consume my second earth essence. This was another test. If I had truly unlocked the earth affinity, I shouldn¡¯t have to go through that pain again. The grainy earth essence dissolved in my mouth and was hard to swallow. My stomach suddenly cramped. ¡°Shit!¡± I said, and Maveith moved to steady me. I held up my hand to hold him back. ¡°No, I am fine. Just an upset stomach. It¡¯s working normally.¡± It took a few minutes before I felt the essence assimilate completely. The brief pain was perhaps because I had not waited long enough between essences, or maybe this was a sign that I was not fully healed from opening my illusion affinity. I needed to be mindful over the next few weeks. I used my healing spell form to try to detect any damage in my mana channels but sensed nothing wrong¡ªthough perhaps my healing spell form could not detect issues with mana channels? I took out the tablet table, and Maveith turned his back, making me feel guilty for not trusting him. I used the table, reset it, and returned it to my space. ¡°Okay, Maveith. Let¡¯s go find Castile.¡± As we walked into the unknown corridor, I smirked. My earth affinity had increased from six to eight. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 171: Surprise Webbing Chapter 171: Surprise Webbing We had three unexplored corridors from the safe room, but we were following the note left by Castile. The corridor was unremarkable, just like the other dungeon levels. It was a short walk before we reached a room with large, elaborate webs crisscrossing the ceiling. The floor was stone with small patches of emerald grass that danced in the light from above. Large, bulbous, man-sized white sacs dotted the webs. I was in disbelief. Could those cocoons contain the remains of Castile and her group? My common sense told me there was no way they would have fallen to spiders. I tensed up, realizing for the first time that maybe the Kettle of Souls was gone, and we had no way of the city before being overwhelmed by the specters. Castile could already be dead. I shook off the negative thoughts and scanned the room, looking for movement. My heart rate was elevated as I tried to figure out what we were dealing with. The webbing indicated spiders, and I was not a fan of spiders. ¡°Maveith, do you see anything?¡± ¡°The floor is coated in webbing. Fighting with our boots sticking to the floor will be difficult.¡± I glanced at the floor, and I completely missed it. Konstantin would have berated me for not accounting for everything in the environment. The silvery-green web strands were camouflaged, blending into the floor. As I studied the floor, Maveith speculated, ¡°I count four cocoons. Maybe the spiders are in there.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think those are people? Castile¡¯s group?¡± I wondered aloud, returning my focus to the ceiling. Maveith seemed to consider, ¡°No. Too small. They are smaller than legionnaire armor, only about half the length of a person.¡± I nodded at his assessment after studying the sacs for a while. The cocoons were forty feet in the air, near the ceiling, and the flowing lights around them created the illusion that they were bigger than they looked. ¡°Are we going to enter?¡± Maveith asked, eager for action. Or maybe he wanted to reunite with the others. I considered our options. ¡°Go ahead. Take a few small steps in, then step back out if anything stirs. I¡¯ll watch from the corridor.¡± Maveith did not mind being used as bait and did not hesitate. He stepped into the room, taking small steps to draw out the enemy. His fourth step, just five feet from me, made a sticky-tearing sound. The cocoons vibrated above him on their suspended cables. He tried to step back but struggled as his boots resisted the sticky strands now attached to them. Four glossy black spiders emerged from the cocoons and immediately shot threads of webbing at Maveith. The thin spider silk did not look dangerous or capable of restraining the goliath. Maveith had made it back to within a step of the corridor. His boots had dozens of sticky strands attached to them, making walking difficult. He twirled his hammer to intercept the incoming threads. The strands quickly wrapped around the hammer¡¯s head, forming a mini cocoon, reminding me of cotton candy at a carnival. Then, all of a sudden, Maveith grunted unhappily. ¡°They are trying to steal my hammer, Eryk.¡± As Maveith pulled on the handle, the entire webbing network on the ceiling flexed, and the cocoons and spiders bobbed from his effort to keep his hammer. I stepped into the room and cut the lines attached to the hammer. My black blade severed the spider strands with ease. ¡°Back into the corridor,¡± I ordered, and we both retreated. I freed his boots from the strands dragging behind him. The four spiders repelled down to the floor, their glossy black chitinous legs tapping the ground, sounding irritated at our escape. The spiders did not approach us but seemed very agitated by our presence. ¡°Why do you think they¡¯re not attacking us?¡± I asked Maveith. Maveith¡¯s boots still made a sticky adhesive sound as he walked. He was also having trouble peeling the spider cocoon off the head of his hammer. ¡°I do not know. Maybe they only have ranged attacks? They do look fragile.¡± He noted with some contempt. Maveith¡¯s observation was astute. The spiders were not large and looked fragile, with spindly legs and oversized abdomens. Their heads were small, and their fangs were barely noticeable. It seemed these spiders incapacitated their prey before moving in for the kill. There were only four spiders. I wanted to find Castile, so we needed to conquer this room. ¡°Maveith, can you get two if we rush them? The two on the right?¡± Maveith¡¯s response was an uncharacteristic roar as he charged into the room. I guessed the spiders had angered him by trying to take his hammer, and it was time for payback. Don¡¯t mess with a goliath¡¯s hammer, I guess. I rushed in behind him, casting an air shield just above the ground as I did so. Maveith¡¯s hammer slammed into the first spider. Two spiders shot a spray of dense webbing at me. My air shield intercepted the attack, the spider silk pooling on the shield in a white mass. The spiders did not understand what was happening and moved closer to me. My black blade lashed out around the air shield, stabbing deep into one spider. The second spider tried to flee. I lunged awkwardly as my feet stuck to the floor, and only caught three legs. It was crippled, oozing blue blood, and it struggled to get away. I looked over at Maveith, who was struggling to move his feet. The second spider had retreated toward the ceiling and was spewing webbing at him. The goliath was angry but slowed as the strands began to layer him, restricting his movement. ¡°Maveith, use your skinning knife. Don¡¯t get captured.¡± I moved to pursue the crippled spider, stepping on an air shield to allow me to move without hindrance. The spider was slowed from blood loss, and it offered no resistance when I ended its life with my blade. Maveith had freed himself in the meantime. This had been a difficult room, and we had underestimated the threat of the spiders. I got within range of the last suspended spider. It thought it was safe a dozen feet above us, but I used my dimensional space to but the strand it hung from. For a split second, I thought I saw surprise register on its monstrous face as it fell a dozen feet to the ground, and I quickly dispatched it with my sword as it landed. The dead spider leaked blue blood, its spinneret slowly releasing more thread. The stone reward chest appeared, signaling we had cleared the room. Thanks to my air shields, it was not a challenge for me to traverse the sticky floor. Maveith¡¯s small runic knife was the best tool to cut away the strands that were slowing him down. My non-runic knife quickly got gummed up, its edge becoming useless unless cleaned repeatedly. My black blade worked as well, but it was awkward. I met Maveith at the chest, which yielded only a few silver coins and a single potion.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. I turned the potion to read the script. ¡°It says hover, Maveith. Or maybe levitate? I can confirm it in the dreamscape. I¡¯m going to use the collector. Is there anything else harvestable? Maybe the spinnerets?¡± ¡°Maybe. I can try.¡± Maveith took his skinning knife and moved to try his best to harvest the spider. I remembered Delmar being skilled at extracting them intact. Maveith struggled to walk across the sticky floor to each spider. The collector worked on each spider, giving a minor essence of coordination. While Maveith worked, I tried to figure out what the spiders ate. The floor was stone with tufts of emerald grass scattered across it. I kneeled to study the grass. It reflected the light, giving it a shimmering appearance. I tried to pick one and immediately regretted it. The grass was flexible but sharp like a knife. A long cut formed on my palm, bleeding freely. ¡°Shit, that hurts,¡± I hissed. Maveith looked up on alert, ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°The grass is sharp and tough. Maybe it¡¯s fuel for the spiders to make their webbing.¡± It was a wild guess, but it made sense in this dungeon ecosystem. I stomped over to Maveith, who successfully collected two spinnerets. His first attempt had failed as he cut it with a knife, rupturing the sac, and the spider he¡¯d smashed with his hammer had a split sac. I added the two sacs to my storage. We moved across the sticky floor to the only other exit from the room. Once we reached the corridor, we used Maveith¡¯s runic skinning knife to cut the webbing from various parts of our clothing and boots. My legs and most of Maveith¡¯s body had remnants of the spider silk. I decided we could clean it later in a safe room. This corridor was much longer and curved to the right, making it difficult to see more than fifty feet ahead. Eventually, it opened into a massive room that looked like an entire forest had been transplanted into the dungeon. The ceiling seemed even brighter, giving the trees something to reach for as they extended high above us, creating a green canopy. Remembering the phase spiders, I was hesitant to enter. ¡°I cannot see any other exits,¡± Maveith¡¯s voice said over me. This forest made it difficult to see anything. The sound of an axe on wood suddenly echoed from deep within the woods. Maveith and I looked at each other. A second axe sounded in response. A terrible rhythm echoed as the two axes competed in different tempos. I was hopeful that those axes could belong to legionnaires. Maveith was also craning his neck, trying to see past the tree trunks. A familiar voice rang out over the chopping, ¡°Stay away from the knots; it¡¯ll be too hard to split with our hand axes.¡± ¡°That sounded like Firth,¡± Maveith said excitedly. I nodded and listened for a while to confirm but only heard axe strikes. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Maveith. Be ready to retreat if necessary.¡± We moved into the chamber, moving silently toward the other side. The sound of grunts and the thudding of axes grew louder. In a small clearing, I saw a bloody Konstantin harvesting a massive black bear while Firth, Wylie, and Mateo cut branches. I did not see anyone else, but Konstantin was a part of Castile¡¯s group. Firth, Wylie, and Mateo had been with Felix. I signaled Maveith to stay while I approached the group. Maybe I could surprise Konstantin. My armor rasped as I moved, but the echo of the axe strikes covered the noise. Konstantin suddenly whistled, and everyone froze, including me. I was maybe twenty feet from Konstantin, with his back turned. Firth asked, ¡°What is it? You think that annoying goblin is back?¡± Konstantin slowly turned around, and I hid myself. ¡°I thought I heard something,¡± he said. ¡°And there is something foul in the air, yet there is no wind.¡± The men suddenly dropped their axes, and I heard swords being drawn. So much for surprising them, "Well, if you think I smell foul, then I¡¯ll just leave,¡± I said, stepping out from cover. Mateo grinned widely, ¡°Is that a virgin dryad or Eryk? I hear they¡¯re both pretty rare in dungeons.¡± His eyes slowly widened, ¡°What in Pluto¡¯s realm happened to your armor?¡± My armor did look terrible¡ªit was warped, charred, and recently covered in spider webbing. Konstantin was cautious, still holding his bloody skinning knife in one hand and his runic weapon in the other. Firth nodded, like my appearance was just natural. Wylie started to smile, matching Mateo. Konstantin asked, ¡°Where are the others you were in charge of?¡± ¡°Maveith!¡± I called the goliath forward. ¡°Brutus and the Scholar got separated when we entered. We¡¯ve been wandering for days.¡± Maveith came through the trees, and everyone relaxed, but happy faces abounded. ¡°Wandering, eh?¡± the always-skeptical Konstantin noted. I ignored his suspicion. ¡°Are Castile and the others nearby?¡± Firth answered, ¡°Adrian, Blaze, and Castile are in the safe room. We¡¯re gathering wood for cooking and harvesting the shadow bear.¡± ¡°What about Felix?¡± I inquired. Smiles faded, and Mateo responded, ¡°He did not make it. The first room we tried¡­¡± He trailed off, not finishing the sentence. Felix and Mateo were good friends, and they had been my roommates when I joined the company in Formica. I felt the pain of loss, a knot forming in my stomach. Konstantin started pressing me for information, and I reported what I knew, ¡°We saw Brutus, Kolm, Donte, Linus, Flavius, and the Scholar. We couldn¡¯t reach them because they were on the other side of a massive earth drake. They said Cyrus, Remus, and Soren were killed by the summoner outside the dungeon entrance. They think the summoner is now wandering the dungeon with us.¡± ¡°That would explain the goblin,¡± Firth said. ¡°It must be one of his scouts.¡± I did not correct him and gave Maveith a look to keep quiet about the goblin¡¯s origins. My news could have been met better. Konstantin processed what I said, looking unhappy. He looked at everything that had been harvested so far. ¡°We need to inform Castile. Let¡¯s focus on wood. We can always return to kill the bear again, but we need the wood to cook it.¡± Mateo whined nervously, ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight the shadow bear again.¡± Wylie patted him on the back, ¡°At least there was a healing potion for you after the fight.¡± ¡°Was it a hard fight?¡± Maveith asked, interested. Konstantin said dismissively, ¡°It can move between shadows, and Castile¡¯s shadow chains had no effect on it. This is our second time killing the beast. Mateo just made the mistake of having his back to a shadow.¡± Mateo winced at the memory. Firth appraised us, ¡°The meat tastes a little smoky, but it¡¯s edible.¡± He was inspecting our small packs, probably thinking we did not have much food. ¡°Maveith, help Konstantin with the bear. Show him your new runic knife,¡± I said, smirking, knowing Konstantin would be jealous even if he did not show it. ¡°We should definitely take everything we can.¡± As we started working together, Mateo approached and gave me a hug, ¡°Just wanted to make sure you¡¯re real and not a figment of my imagination. I am sure you have a story about why you look like a fiery dragon swallowed you and then shit you out.¡± It was odd talking with everyone after so long. Konstantin kept eyeing me suspiciously, trying to figure out how Maveith and I had survived for so long. Even on the first level of the dungeon, the rooms were dangerous. Once we were finally loaded with wood and bear meat, we started off toward the safe room, where I would reunite with Castile and the others. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 172: Safety in Numbers Chapter 172: Safety in Numbers I was anticipating a grand reunion with the company. Maveith would let me do all the talking to explain our time in the dungeon so far. Mateo entered the safe room first and flamboyantly announced, ¡°We found some wandering creatures in the dungeon. They smell like an ogre¡¯s ass, but they¡¯re good people.¡± This drew Castile¡¯s attention, and Adrian and Blaze looked up. Blaze had a massive grin on seeing us, and Castile smirked happily, though she did not quite allow herself to smile. Adrian looked pleased at seeing us alive, nodding to us and smiling. I challenged Mateo¡¯s statement, ¡°I think it was us who found you. And the only one in the company who has ever smelled like an ogre¡¯s ass is you.¡± There was a chorus of laughter at the truth of my statement since Mateo had literally wiped an ogre¡¯s ass outside of Macha. A brief debate erupted on who had discovered whom, since Konstantin had smelled me before I announced myself. Adrian spoke seriously once the levity died down. He asked me pointedly, ¡°Brutus and the Scholar didn¡¯t make it?¡± ¡°They live. We got separated when we entered the dungeon,¡± I said, pointing to Maveith. ¡°Maveith was struck by a specter and lost contact with the Scholar. We appeared on the lower levels of the dungeon.¡± Castile looked confused. Adrian, who detested dungeons, growled, ¡°Lower levels? That isn¡¯t normal. Then again, nothing about this dungeon is normal. I¡¯ve never heard of any dungeon this large before, or with such a variety of beasts.¡± Konstantin interrupted the reunion to get me to report to Castile. ¡°Tell them about the summoner and the others.¡± I faced Castile, who was clearly happy we had rejoined them. ¡°We saw Flavius, Kolm, Linus, Donte, Brutus, and the Scholar. We could not reunite with them because an earth drake was in the room between us.¡± Maveith leaned in, trying to help. ¡°It was a really big earth drake¡ªover sixty feet from snout to tail tip.¡± I confirmed, ¡°Yes, it was huge. But I think they¡¯re just a few rooms back. Brutus told us that he and the Scholar exited the dungeon, hoping to reenter near another group.¡± My voice heavier, I continued, ¡°They found the bodies of Remus, Cyrus, and Soren torn apart before they reentered.¡± Castile frowned at the news, and looked like she had been slapped with the sting of more dead. I added worryingly, ¡°The Scholar noticed bloody footprints leading back into the dungeon. He thinks an elf made them.¡± Silence hung in the room before Konstantin voiced what he was thinking. ¡°If the summoner is in the dungeon, he might be using goblins to disrupt rooms.¡± Unable to hold my curiosity any longer, I asked, ¡°You saw a goblin?¡± ¡°Twice, but maybe the same one both times. It appeared while we were fighting in rooms. The first time, angry spiders were chasing it, and the second time, it was a winter wolf.¡± Konstantin spoke, clearly frustrated. ¡°We were occupied both times, and the goblin managed to get away.¡± It appeared that the little goblin got around. I immediately took a liking to it if it could cause Konstantin such anxiety. Blaze asked me hopefully, ¡°Did you see any signs of the other group? Lucien, Pavel, Lirkin, and Benito?¡± Pavel and Blaze were both company archers and often worked together. I did not have any good news for him. Looking him in the eye, I noticed Blaze¡¯s quiver only had two arrows. ¡°No, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find them,¡± I reassured him. ¡°There is a lot of dungeon to explore,¡± Konstantin grunted at the truth of my statement. As the mood turned a little somber, Castile announced to everyone, ¡°Prepare a good meal for the return of our lost companions.¡± She motioned for me to join her and Adrian. I paused momentarily to place a large number of purple vitelotte potatoes on the stone, smiling as I said, ¡°My contribution to the meal.¡± From what I saw, it looked like they had been living off meat and nuts. The potatoes got greedy stares from everyone as they were added to Firth¡¯s preparation. Castile now had a genuine smile as she stepped into the corridor, directed at me. ¡°I am happy you survived, Eryk. How many rooms did you clear? And tell me about the ring.¡± The shiny ring of sustenance was a bit flashy and easy to spot. I held it up, considering. ¡°We found it in a room. I think it allows me to get by with less food and sleep.¡± Adrian arched an eyebrow, surprised. ¡°That sounds useful. And the goliath¡¯s ring?¡± I should have realized that the artifacts were extremely noticeable. I would have to start wearing gloves regularly, or it would be an advertisement that I was wearing runic rings, since they never tarnished. ¡°He¡¯s less affected by cold wearing it,¡± I stated simply. Castile nodded in understanding. ¡°They are probably a ring of sustenance and a ring of warmth. Both are rare dungeon finds. We have had our share of luck in the dungeon as well.¡± She informed Adrian before focusing on me again. ¡°And how many rooms have you explored?¡± ¡°Our focus was on trying to find the others. When we learned we were in the dungeon¡¯s lower levels, we tried to find stairs going up. Our biggest challenge was getting around the drake at the top of the stairs.¡± I said. I did not want to lie to either Adrian or Castile, but it looked like I had no other choice. I was probably showing a little discomfort, feeling cornered for the truth. Castile seemed to notice and rescued me. ¡°How did you find us? Did you come across one of the messages we left behind?¡± ¡°Yes, a few rooms back, we found the safe room that led to the spider cocoon room. At first, I thought the cocoons were victims of the spiders.¡± Adrian scoffed at the thought their group would fall to spiders. ¡°Still, those spiders nearly trapped Maveith and me,¡± I admitted.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Weavers. They are called weavers, Eryk.¡± Castile looked at Adrian. ¡°We had seven to handle the room, and I was able to restrain three of the weavers. With just the two of you, it is remarkable that you made it through.¡± ¡°Their silk sacs are extremely valuable on the market, making an incredible thread for durable garments. They were mentioned in the Scholar¡¯s books. Do you know how to reach Flavius and the others?¡± Adrian pressed. ¡°Yes, I think they were in the direction of the sand room,¡± I said, acting like I was thinking. I was obviously unconvincing as Castile¡¯s eyes narrowed. Castile moved in a little closer between Adrian and me. ¡°The sand scarabs are dangerous. We could not get them to surface to fight.¡± I felt uncomfortable under her assessing gaze. ¡°Do you remember who I told you that you could trust, Eryk?¡± My mind skipped back to the conversation. It felt like a lifetime ago. ¡°Felix, Adrian, Mateo, and Blaze,¡± I recalled softly. Castile nodded. Adrian looked a little shocked that I knew of their shared conspiracy to leave the Empire. ¡°Felix is dead, Eryk. That leaves Adrian,¡± Castile nodded in his direction to confirm her trust, ¡°Mateo, and Blaze.¡± I could tell she wanted me to be honest with her. I was still having trouble sharing. Even Maveith only knew half of my secrets. I relented, ¡°We killed the scarabs. After killing the first two, the others rushed us into the corridor, leaving the sand. Beyond the scarab room, there¡¯s a room with two harpies. The others should be just beyond that room in a safe room. That¡¯s what they told us, anyway.¡± Admitting that I could have joined the others had Adrian eyeing me suspiciously. ¡°Good,¡± Castile said, relaxing now that she had the information she wanted. Adrian was not as content. ¡°How did you kill the scarabs under the sand? And the harpies, for that matter?¡± He did not have a chance to ask why I had not joined the others. Castile gave Adrian a cold look. ¡°We can discuss this another time. Adrian, we will reconnect with the others after the shadow bear returns. Prepare the men with the good news.¡± As Adrian left, I peeked into the room to see a number of people talking with Maveith. Could Maveith keep my secrets under the scrutiny of the others¡ªKonstantin in particular? Castile interrupted my concern and asked me softly again, ¡°How many rooms did you clear?¡± I tore my eyes from Konstantin and Maveith talking animatedly. It was hard to focus, but I thought about it. ¡°Twelve different rooms, maybe.¡± I was not counting the number of times we cleared rooms more than once. ¡°Twelve?¡± Castile looked more than a little shocked. ¡°We conquered seven rooms on the first floor and found six safe rooms.¡± She seemed to be considering me again in a different light¡ªeither as a threat or an ally. ¡°Is the summoner a threat? Can he summon creatures inside the dungeon?¡± I focused her thoughts on the other danger. Castile looked me in the eyes for a long time before speaking. ¡°I do not know. If he can summon creatures in the dungeon, he has access to more aether, being so close to the ley line.¡± She sighed. ¡°If he is in here, hopefully, he is struggling as much as we are.¡± ¡°You seem to be doing well,¡± I stated, realizing my mistake. We had lost two men in the city, four men in the dungeon, and four were unaccounted for. I added quickly, ¡°I mean, we are surviving well here. This dungeon could also be a major source of food for Sobral.¡± Castile looked ill. ¡°No, we are not surviving in here, Eryk. We got lucky that the shadow bear dropped a healing potion each time we killed it. Firth nearly lost his arm a few days ago, and Mateo got mauled by the shadow bear yesterday; either could have died. Although the essences boost morale, we put our lives on the line every other day just to eat.¡± I guessed they had not been as fortunate as us with as many varieties of food in the rooms as we had. But then again, we visited twice as many rooms, and they had seven people to feed. ¡°Did you know all the bears drop healing potions? At least, that has been our experience,¡± I said. ¡°Not all the time. You must have gotten lucky. We have killed six bears and received four healing potions,¡± Castile said heavily. I guessed that maybe the dungeon was pulling back on rewards because Castile¡¯s group had nine people. This dungeon was definitely aware of us. ¡°If the summoner is in the dungeon, are we going to flee? He would not be outside to stop us,¡± I asked. Castile¡¯s eyes betrayed her as she was thinking the same thing. There were four men of the company we would potentially be abandoning if we left and tried to outrun the summoner. ¡°If he is in the dungeon, I assume he is checking the exit periodically for tracks. We could get lucky and get a head start or ambush him when he exits. It will also depend on how many specters are waiting for us near the entrance.¡± Castile added, ¡°Adrian and I have discussed our chances of making it through the city to safety. If we try and have to retreat back into the dungeon, we will all be separated again.¡± I nodded, as these were a number of things I had not yet considered. ¡°I would also like to confirm the fate of Benito, Pavel, Lucien, and Lirkin.¡± The burden of leadership was in her tone and on her face. I nodded in understanding. ¡°Just let me know what you need of me.¡± Castile smirked. ¡°Oh, you can be sure of that.¡± We moved to join the others, and Mateo was complaining jokingly about the food, ¡°We really need to find Lirkin. This dungeon fare needs a professional cook to make it taste edible.¡± Firth elbowed him, as he had cooked this particular meal. I was handed a bowl of purple mashed potatoes with charred bear meat chunks. On the side were some bitter, round, toasted nuts. I ate without complaint while listening to the conversations. ¡°So, Eryk. How did you get your armor melted?¡± Wylie asked. I chewed some nuts while I spoke. ¡°We encountered a female demon with pointy ears. She threw a fireball at me, and I failed to dodge.¡± I shrugged like it was not a big deal. Everyone went silent, and I pulled out an apple and started munching on it to cleanse my palate. I do not know if they were more shocked at the apple or my fabrication about a demon. I tossed an apple to each of them in turn. I was careful not to reveal too much from my dimensional space, but it felt like the group needed a little boost in morale. ¡°I¡¯ll never ask you to use your amulet again if you have a second apple for me,¡± Mateo pleaded after eating his¡ªcore and all. I tossed him a second apple. I could see Castile reassessing me. The mood was jovial as we cleaned and prepared to sleep. Soon, everyone made to get some rest. The stone shelves and floor were packed with the nine of us. I was surprised Castile had not requested the dreamscape amulet. I had been expecting it. Instead, I utilized it for sword practice. The amulet worked with the ring, so I only needed three hours of sleep for a complete rest. I was up quickly, even before Konstantin. Firth raised his head as I moved but went back to sleep, seeing it was just me. I nodded to Blaze to get some sleep. Konstantin was supposed to relieve him, but he eagerly took the extra sleep and found a cozy spot on the floor. Nine of us, soon to be fifteen. With so many, the dungeon rooms should not be as challenging. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 173: Trust Chapter 173: Trust I watched everyone sleep, snore, and emit various flatulations. In a way, I felt at home. I felt much safer being with the company and sharing the danger¡ªnot so much the smell. I secretly popped an apex earth essence, and it roiled my stomach for a bit. I leaned against the wall, squatting as my body consumed the essence, and sweated through the assimilation. I needed to give myself more time between consuming affinity essences. I was finding that the magic affinity essences needed longer to acclimate than physical or mental ones. After about ten minutes, I was able to stand. Castile stirred as my armor scraped against the wall. She was the quietest among us since she did not wear the hardened legion armor. She surveyed the room and moved close to speak with me. She asked me a question for which I was unprepared. ¡°Do you think we should exit the dungeon and run after connecting with Flavius?¡± She was essentially asking if we should abandon hope of finding Benito, Lirkin, Lucien, and Pavel. Lucien had patiently taught me to ride and everything anyone could ever want to know about horses. I had helped Lirkin cook and had eaten the food he had prepared for months. Benito was like my clueless younger brother. I considered Pavel a friend as well. I locked eyes with Castile. ¡°Is this a test?¡± Castile looked impassive. ¡°If you were in charge, what would you do?¡± she pressed. I realized I did not want to leave them. ¡°We could always come back for them,¡± I hedged, thinking we could escape and return with support. ¡°Unlikely. As soon as we reach a legion hall, we will be called to the capital to report and account for our extended absence. Most likely, when we leave the dungeon, I will have us rush to Parvas, and then I expect we will be ordered to portal to Telha to report to the Legatus Legionis,¡± Castile explained. ¡°We will not be allowed to return to Sobral City.¡± My first thought was of poor Ginger. She was going to wonder why I never returned. Castile interrupted my thoughts. ¡°So, you would leave without knowing their fate?¡± I understood that Castile was soliciting advice for her own imminent decision. My mind raced for an answer. ¡°If I were in command, I would map the entire first level of the dungeon looking for them. That way, I would feel I put in an effort to find them, and my conscience would be clear.¡± Castile looked much older as her stern expression relaxed. ¡°There are ninety-nine safe rooms on the first level of the Shimmering Labyrinth. We learned that much from the elven scrawl on the walls in the safe rooms. That is, as long as this dungeon has not grown in the last fifteen hundred years. The elven writing also indicated there are seven different descents to access the second level of the dungeon. We found one of those stairs but did not descend. We do not even know if there are levels below the second. If you arrived on the second level, they could have done so too.¡± I thought Castile wanted me to tell her it was okay to leave the others, but I could not be responsible for that decision and spoke without decorum. ¡°Benito had a broken wrist when he entered the dungeon, but he¡¯s tough. We shouldn¡¯t give up on them until we know for sure.¡± Castile¡¯s face soured slightly, and she did not get the answer she wanted. She nodded but then asked, ¡°Where did you get the apex earth essence?¡± My surprised expression made her smile slyly. ¡°All-seeing-eye,¡± she explained how she knew. She must have been using the spell while pretending to sleep. ¡°It is a fight with the dungeon to use it past the current room, but I am getting better with it. It was just luck I saw you consume it.¡± I decided to tell her the truth. ¡°From the earth drake.¡± Her eyebrows arched. I had confirmed what she already knew¡ªI had Durandus¡¯ collector. ¡°The big one Maveith mentioned?¡± she asked in disbelief. I nodded. ¡°Do not tell me more. We can talk after I am questioned in Telha by the Truthseekers.¡± Konstantin stirred and stood, suspiciously eyeing us near the corridor¡ªor maybe irritated that I had woken before him. He stood noisily, waking a few men. ¡°I will sit on the shadow bear room,¡± he announced to Castile, and then set off down the corridor with his pack. Soon, everyone was stirring, and it was Mateo¡¯s turn to cook. They had only harvested meat, mushrooms, and nuts. They had a little salt from a room with a saltwater lake but had not have enough wood to evaporate much water to claim the salt. We moved as a group to join Konstantin. He was sitting in the corridor, whittling a stick. He looked at us. ¡°Still not time, maybe an hour or two.¡± Huddled in the corridor, our smelly group watched the room intently. The skinned shadow bear was barely visible. Blaze was the one who noticed the reset first. ¡°It¡¯s gone!¡± Adrian started issuing orders. ¡°Stay away from the shadowy canopies. Draw it to the perimeter. Pair off and work together.¡± Maveith and I were left as a pair. Konstantin entered with Firth at his side. A bear¡¯s roar sounded from the center of the chamber. I entered and moved right with Maveith. The shadow bear appeared far to the left, emerging like a nightmare out of the shadows on the ground. It was an odd visual as it charged at Mateo and Wylie. Mateo yelled angrily, ¡°Ah, shit, not again. I must taste good.¡± He braced for the bear¡¯s charge with his dented and damaged shield. The twang of a bow sent an arrow into the bear¡¯s neck, halting its charge. Its paw swatted the arrow, snapping the shaft. The bear dove into a shadow, disappearing as if into a pool. Konstantin moved forward. ¡°It will not be able to hide for long. Be ready.¡± The shadow bear emerged on our side, and Maveith stepped toward its emerging form. His hammer swung down on its skull as it was partially out of the shadow. A loud crack resounded in the room, and the bear slid back into the shadow, disappearing. Everyone remained tense, ready for the bear to return. Konstantin finally said, ¡°I can see the reward chest. It must be dead. Search the trees for the corpse.¡± We searched in groups of three, but the bear¡¯s corpse was nowhere among the trees. Adrian was upset about losing the bear meat. Castile thought the bear must have been trapped in the shadow and died from Maveith¡¯s strike. Adrian directed me. ¡°Eryk, you are responsible for organizing the harvest of wood and nuts.¡± These were the same bitter nuts we had at breakfast. I sent four men to chop wood, and I joined Maveith in picking up the nuts on the ground, or he would hit a tree with his hammer to get the nuts to fall.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. It was disappointing not to get any meat, but no one blamed Maveith. Instead, they congratulated him on his impressive killing blow. When we had a moment alone, I asked Maveith, ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°It is good to be back with the others, but I miss Raelia,¡± he said as softly as he could. I cautioned the goliath. ¡°Castile has a spying spell, Maveith. Be careful what you say, even if you think you can¡¯t be overheard,¡± I advised. He nodded in understanding. ¡°I have not said anything, even though Konstantin and Adrian have pressed me for details of our time in the dungeon,¡± he replied quietly as he gathered nuts into a pile. Castile expected me to track the company¡¯s food and supplies. I had forgotten that I was taking over for Delmar. The next three hours were spent reviewing each man¡¯s pack as I inventoried what we had. The biggest problem was that the dungeon meat needed to be smoked or eaten, or it would go bad in just two days. They did not have access to a dimensional space to preserve their meat, and many rooms did not have wood that burned well. As best I could project from what I counted, the group had four days¡¯ worth of food. It was not a balanced diet, but it was enough for plentiful meals. Each man was also now carrying a bundle of firewood from the shadow bear room. The reward chest had yielded only a few silver coins and a single lesser healing potion. I was now quite sure the dungeon had reduced the reward because there were nine of us. I asked Castile this question. ¡°Do you think the dungeon reduced the reward? There were nine of us when there should not have been more than four.¡± Castile thought about it while cracking nuts. ¡°I do not know. This is not my first dungeon, but it is much larger than any of which I have ever heard of. The largest dungeon I know of in the Telhian Empire has nine rooms total. Perhaps you are right. We can test your theory in the weaver room.¡± We spent half a day in the shadow bear room, and I learned how poorly off the company was. We had just three arrows left between Blaze and Konstantin. Many buckles and straps on the armor were in bad shape. Half the men had holes in their socks and boots. Clothes were soiled and frayed. Bodies were filthy and unhygienic. Wylie had a nasty cough and a minor infection on his leg. Firth had two broken fingers, but at least his arm had been healed with a potion. But not a single one of them complained. Another apple for everyone could not hurt, so I added it to the meal after the work was done and before we moved out. Konstantin happily ate his apple and casually asked, ¡°How many more apples do you have?¡± ¡°A few, but I was hoping to save them for Ginger rather than waste them on you lot,¡± I retorted with good humor. Adrian let out a rare chuckle. ¡°Damn, Eryk, you like your horse better than the men you fight alongside.¡± Adrian had been with me when I found Ginger injured, and the horse trader was going to use her for breeding stock. Adrian had allowed me to bring her back to Sobral and to have her healed. ¡°Ginger just appreciates me more than you all,¡± I grunted dismissively. That got some laughs, and everyone professed that they appreciated me very much¡ªas long as I had more apples. We moved on to the weaver room. Konstantin caught a glimpse of one of the black spiders. ¡°The room is set. Same plan?¡± He looked at Castile. ¡°No. It will just be Eryk, Maveith, Adrian, and myself. Eryk thinks we will get better loot with fewer people.¡± She nodded at me. ¡°You can draw them out.¡± I was going to be bait again. Maveith was behind me as I moved into the room, my boots sticking as I stepped forward. A lance of fire shot over my head into one of the cocoons. I turned to see Castile holding a new ebony wand. I set shields to hold the spray of webbing from reaching me or Maveith as Castile burned each cocoon. The spiders crashed to the stone floor as their webbing was destroyed. Adrian moved past me to attack the stunned spider. Maveith crushed a spider, and I killed my own, stabbing into its array of eyes. In less than a minute, the weavers were dispatched. Castile was smiling as she slid her fire wand back into her garments. She struggled to move across the floor to the chest. ¡°Maveith,¡± she indicated the chest. He moved to Castile¡¯s side with sticky steps and tapped the chest, shattering the stone. Castile studied the contents. ¡°Definitely more silver, and a levitation potion. Last time, we got a spider climb potion that we used to check the cocoons.¡± ¡°Was there anything in them?¡± I asked, looking up at the smoldering balls. ¡°No,¡± Konstantin said from behind me. The others moved into the room, and it got very loud as they moved across the sticky floor. Firth swore as the sole of his boot came off. ¡°Are we going to harvest the spinnerets?¡± I asked Castile. Castile was removing her collector from her pack. I could hear it scraping on the metal of the kettle of souls as she took it out. Adrian was almost to the opposite corridor. ¡°No, they need to be preserved. These spider legs need to be boiled, too, and we do not have the water to do that.¡± Castile hissed in disappointment as the first spider yielded nothing with the collector. I asked, ¡°Do you want me to handle this while you are getting everyone settled into the safe room?¡± Castile locked her eyes on mine and nodded, understanding in her gaze. ¡°Yes, Eryk, handle the spider harvest. We got three essences the first time through. Hopefully, you have the same luck. Everyone else, let¡¯s get to the safe room.¡± I pretended to have difficulty getting to the next spider to make sure everyone had left and was out of sight. I used my collector, and a minor coordination essence was formed. I then proceeded to get three more. I experimented with my dimensional space, cutting the chitin abdomen in half with the thin plane. It worked, and the organs oozed out of the bisected weaver. I dug out the spinneret and collected two more, giving me a total of five in my dimensional storage. I washed my hands of the evidence and joined the others. It looked like it was Konstantin¡¯s turn to cook. I handed Castile¡¯s collector back to her along with the three of four coordination essences. She smiled as she took the collector. ¡°Firth, Konstantin, and Wylie, these are yours.¡± Morale was high with the ease of the last two fights and essences. As everyone settled into the room, Castile, Adrian, and I talked in the corridor. ¡°How are we getting past the sand scarabs?¡± Adrian inquired. ¡°I will go with Eryk and Maveith and assess the situation,¡± Castile decided. ¡°You are in charge of the men until we return.¡± Adrian did not look happy. ¡°Bring a fourth man. Konstantin or Firth.¡± Castile shook her head. ¡°The three of us are fine. Have Konstantin scout the raptor room and get everyone fed and rested. We are close to reuniting with our companions.¡± Maveith and I walked with Castile to the sand room. When we reached it, she looked at me expectantly. ¡°I need to know what you can do, Eryk.¡± I looked at Maveith, then stepped out onto the sand. The dust devils moved toward me. I waited until they got close, and targeted one of them. A puff of sand and the swirling sand above the scarab dissipated, and I stepped back into the corridor before the others could reach me. Castile looked from me to the sand a few times, processing it. Maveith was watching to make sure the scarabs did not attack. ¡°Did you put the entire scarab in your dimensional space?¡± Castile asked in disbelief. ¡°Do not answer that. Can you and Maveith clear the room by yourselves?¡± ¡°Only if I drink my aether restoration potions. Otherwise, I have to wait about forty minutes each time,¡± I revealed. Castile¡¯s jaw dropped, her eyes wide. ¡°You have aether potions!? As in plural!?¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 174: Good Cooks Are Hard to Find Chapter 174: Good Cooks Are Hard to Find Castile was staring at me, her jaw practically unhinged. I asked innocently, ¡°Are aether potions good?¡± Castile found her voice. ¡°Dungeon aether potions are almost impossible to get. Aether potions brewed by alchemists start to lose their efficacy immediately, and most alchemists lack the aether to infuse them properly! Yes, they are good!¡± She rasped vehemently. I pulled out the potion from beneath my armor and handed it to her. Her eyes widened even further, if that was even possible. ¡°You do realize this is a greater aether potion, Eryk!¡± Once again, I asked, ¡°Is that good?¡± with mock innocence. ¡°Is that good?!¡± she spat incredulously. ¡°This is a greater aether potion that could restore my aether four times over!¡± ¡°Yeah, when I tried one, I felt a lot of the aether bleed off into the environment,¡± I said casually. Based on her reaction, these potions were obviously a sort of holy grail for mages. ¡°You drank one of these? Wasted it? A sip could have restored all your aether!¡± She reached for the potion like I was not deserving of it, and I let her take it. She turned it over in her hand, as if trying to determine if it was real. I shrugged. ¡°Well, I needed to know how it worked.¡± ¡°How many of these do you have?¡± Hunger was evident in her eyes. ¡°Which dungeon room did you find them in? Is it close?¡± ¡°No. It is not close. It was a fire bear room deep below, on the third floor,¡± I admitted. Castile regained her composure, her childlike excitement fading. She started to hand back the potion, but I declined. ¡°Keep it. You can make better use of it than me.¡± I had another anyway, and the gift should endear Castile to me a little¡ªor a lot¡ª, just like the essences did for her and the company. Castile relaxed slightly. She held up the potion and explained slowly, ¡°Once the seal on a dungeon potion is broken, the air will degrade it. Use a little and seal it quickly again. It should last at least a few hours...¡± She looked at me, considering. ¡°Or if you store it right away in your dimensional space, it shouldn¡¯t lose any of its efficacy.¡± She made me feel foolish for not realizing I did not need to drink the entire potion. ¡°You need to be careful when using these. It restores your aether but does not increase your aether resistance. Channel too much aether too quickly, and you will burn out your channels.¡± Maveith watched the entire exchange and brought our attention back to the dungeon room. ¡°Are we not fighting the sand scarabs?¡± Castile focused on me again and looked at the spot where the scarab dust devil had disappeared. ¡°The scarab?¡± She wanted an answer. ¡°I didn¡¯t put an entire scarab in my dimensional space,¡± I said vaguely. I was trying to give her an out from lying to the Truthseekers if they asked her about this. Castile seemed to understand my piecemeal information. She looked at the sand where the scarab had been. A small crater of sand remained. I could tell she was trying to puzzle it out. She finally said, ¡°Impossible.¡± She had not directed it at me but simply spoke to the sand. Castile was still deep in thought when footfalls behind us announced Adrian¡¯s approach. He came and stood with us, looking into the sandscape room. ¡°Did you come up with a plan to draw out the scarabs?¡± he asked while watching the mini tornados with us. I waited for Castile to answer him. ¡°Eryk and Maveith have some interesting ideas. It should not require anyone else in the company. Get the men ready to clear the raptor room. I will join you in a moment.¡± Adrian looked at all three of us in turn. He did not say anything before nodding to Castile, turning on his heel, and returning to the group. Once he was gone, Castile spoke. ¡°It will take us three hours to take down the three raptors in the room. We will be gathering water from a stream there, but the raptors have very little meat.¡± ¡°You want us to remain here? To figure out a way to handle the scarabs?¡± I asked rhetorically. Castile nodded and moved to follow Adrian¡¯s path. She slipped the aether potion inside her garments as she left us. We watched her go, and Maveith¡¯s deep voice rumbled quietly, ¡°She was stunned, Eryk.¡± ¡°Yeah. Now that we are back with the group, I can¡¯t keep it from her. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to be able to shield me from the others for long. Konstantin is clearly curious how we managed to wander the dungeon by ourselves, as is Adrian.¡± I sighed heavily as I watched the swirling sand move in the room. We were quiet for a while. I was relieved that most of the company was well, and that the Kettle of Souls was close. We both watched the sand because the scarabs could leave the room at any time since I had already killed one of their number. A few times, the swirling sand got close but never breached the corridor. I stood as soon as I had enough aether to use my dimensional space again. I waited while the nearest scarab dashed toward me, and I killed it at ten feet. I quickly stepped off the sand and onto the stone of the corridor. The other three scarabs rushed to the scene and past their dead comrade. This time, we did not have to wait to kill a third scarab as all three left the protection of the sand to attack us in the corridor. The dog-sized, six-legged beetles rushed us, two abreast. Maveith crushed the first one while I fenced with a second. The beetle was using its mandibles to prevent my black blade from scoring a piercing strike. The third beetle was crawling over Maveith¡¯s foe while I struggled with mine. ¡°Deal with the third one,¡± I barked at Maveith. My opponent matched my reach, and I did not want to overextend myself between its mandibles. Maveith had superior reach, and I was soon splattered with clear fluid as Maveith¡¯s hammer descended on the third beetle. It was not long before Maveith¡¯s hammer also finished off my stubborn opponent. I looked at Maveith, who did not have any splatter on him. I had thick, clear mucus all over my armor. ¡°I just got all the webbing off, and now I am slimed,¡± I complained, wiping away the goo. The first time we fought the scarabs, I got through unscathed. At least the fluid was odorless. Maveith could not help but chuckle at my overreaction. ¡°Go dig the two scarabs out of the sand. We need to stage the area,¡± I growled without malice at the goliath. ¡°Stage?¡± Maveith questioned.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°We¡¯re going to make it look like we tricked the scarabs out of the sand to kill them.¡± Maveith nodded in understanding and set to the task. I kept an eye on the corridor while the goliath worked. I waited until my aether recovered to pull the collector to my hand. With my eye on the corridor, I first used the collector on the scarab that gave me the most trouble. A major earth essence formed. The other three scarabs yielded minor earth essences. With the scarabs freed from the sand, I had Maveith crush them with his hammer near the corridor. His ferocious attacks concealed the fist-sized holes through their exoskeletons. Maveith surveyed the work. ¡°It looks like I killed all the scarabs, Eryk.¡± That was true, as his hammer had crushed each of them. He was also eyeing the stone chest in the center of the room. ¡°We¡¯ll leave the chest for when the others get here. That way, they won¡¯t think we took anything. And tell them you smashed all the scarabs, Maveith.¡± This chamber was hotter than the others, and we were both sweating profusely. I was also covered in sand. As the clear scarab blood dried on my armor, it became embedded with sand. I looked ridiculous. Maveith agreed, but after half an hour, he asked, ¡°Should we go check on them?¡± ¡°No, Castile gave us three hours to get the scarabs. They should be here soon.¡± We would just wait. We had some apple slices with apple-berry jam. Half an hour later, Konstantin arrived first. He grunted from the corridor, announcing his presence as he inspected the scarabs in the corridor and then the two remaining sand scarabs in the room. He walked over to Maveith and me, lounging by the unopened stone chest. He looked down at us. ¡°How did you get the scarabs to come out of the sand?¡± I squinted at him, as this room was brighter than most. ¡°I lured them out. They could not reach me if I stood on my air shield. Maveith smashed them with his hammer.¡± Maveith said nothing but showed Konstantin his hammer, backing up my story. Konstantin considered my statement, probably assessing its legitimacy, before nodding. ¡°Smart,¡± was all he said before landing in the sand next to us and taking an apple. Wylie and Firth were next into the room, commenting on the size of the scarabs between them. Firth noticed the stone chest first. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you crack this open?¡± He sauntered up to it, doing the honors. ¡°Huh?¡± he voiced loudly, causing me to twist and look. Among the typical silver was a black stone goblet. The last time we got a spellbook, and I had assumed it would be something similar this time. Firth picked up the silver coins and the goblet. Castile and the others arrived, impressed with the room already being cleared. Firth announced as if he had cleared the room himself, ¡°Found a black cup in the chest. What do you think it is?¡± He held it out to Castile. Castile arched her eyebrow at Maveith and me before taking the cup. She turned it over in her hands. ¡°No visible runic script.¡± She studied it for a moment while the company circled around her. ¡°I believe it is made from a single piece of black jade. Goblet artifacts typically transmute liquids placed in them.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s try it out,¡± Firth said eagerly. ¡°Maybe it gives us some quality ale.¡± Castile looked over at me. ¡°Maveith and Eryk cleared the room. It is theirs to do with as they please.¡± ¡°As long as the Dukes do not find out he has it,¡± Konstantin announced to the company. It was for our benefit to make sure they kept the secret. Castile handed me the goblet. It was quite heavy and shaped like a large wine cup. Firth held out his water skin and began pouring water into it, uninvited. It overflowed and splashed on me. I channeled aether into the cup, and it greedily took my offering. It took more aether than I needed to open my dimensional space to activate. Firth was leaning over me, sniffing loudly, and studying the liquid in the cup. ¡°How can you smell anything when you smell that bad?¡± I pulled the cup away from the nosy legionnaire. It was hard to tell if the liquid in the chalice had changed color since it was black. I sniffed it myself. The water had definitely turned into an alcoholic beverage¡ªnot beer or wine, though. I tipped the goblet, spilling the contents into the sand. It was an amber liquid. ¡°Don¡¯t waste it!¡± Firth moved to stop me. ¡°Leave it, Firth!¡± Castile barked. ¡°It could be poisoned. Eryk, it is best not to sample it until a scroll of revelation is used on it.¡± She nodded at me, and I made the empty black chalice vanish. Still bent over, Firth picked up the wet sand and inhaled deeply. ¡°That is whiskey, or I¡¯m a goblin¡¯s sire.¡± Konstantin looked over. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the women at some of the brothels you frequent, Firth. That statement might just ring true.¡± ¡°Ah, if only this dungeon had a brothel room, then I could be content spending the rest of my days here,¡± Firth said in jest. Some of the men chuckled at the back-and-forth, and Castile took out her collector and went to work on the scarabs, but she didn¡¯t get a single essence. Adrian lamented the lack of luck. ¡°Those were elemental creatures. Would¡¯ve had a chance at an affinity essence. Next time, get Castile as soon as all the creatures are killed.¡± Castile rallied everyone. ¡°Come on, the work in this room is already done. Our companions are close!¡±! The group of us were soon moving down the corridor toward the harpy room. The deadwood trees and coffee berry trees were familiar as Adrian, Castile, and I stood at the entrance to the room. The two hideous harpies hopped from branch to branch upon noticing us, their perfect chests bobbing. Adrian muttered, ¡°We should just stick Firth on them. They¡¯d run away.¡± His uncharacteristic attempt at humor fell flat. Castile ordered the men behind us, ¡°Two harpies. Block your ears with what you have. This should not be too difficult. I will disable their wings.¡± The company started going through their packs, shoving bits of cloth, nuts, and other objects in their ears to mute the harpies¡¯ song. It wasn¡¯t long before we were ready. Castile stepped into the room first. Wisps of black smoke unfurled from her extended hands. The harpies did not even get close before Castile entangled their wings, and they crashed to the ground. Konstantin was the first to reach one of the harpies, and Adrian and Firth reached the second. A few well-placed strikes, and it was over. Wylie tried one of the coffee berries on the trees and spat in disgust. ¡°I hate this ogre¡¯s ass of a dungeon! Berries should not taste this bad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jinx us,¡± Blaze said, picking one of the berries himself. ¡°It¡¯s a cava berry. Don¡¯t eat the skin or the seed. Just eat the flesh.¡± He demonstrated this by squeezing the berry to shoot out the seed. He then consumed the flesh and discarded the skin. ¡°Not bad. The seeds are used to make a drink called cava from the south.¡± ¡°Do you know how to prepare the beans?¡± I asked as I moved to try the berry¡¯s flesh myself. It tasted like a mix of cherry and watermelon¡ªextremely refreshing. ¡°No, my father had a small shop in Brapo. He traded in cheap exotic goods. I¡¯ve seen these before. I know the seeds need to be roasted for cava, but I¡¯m not familiar with the process.¡± Blaze was picking and eating the fruit, and soon the entire company was. Castile moved to the harpy and produced her collector. She eyed me briefly before using it and getting a minor charm affinity. The second harpy yielded the same. Firth had once again taken the opportunity to shatter the reward chest by the pool. ¡°There are fish in this pond!¡± he noted as he excitedly dug through the coins. ¡°Just some silver in the chest.¡± I thought that was odd since there had always been something in addition to the coins in the chests. If Firth had taken something, no one noticed. I moved to the pond myself and was glad to see the dungeon had cleaned it since my last dip. Firth was already removing his armor. I think he was more focused on the fish than taking an actual bath. He might actually have success catching them since they had to bob to the surface to breathe. Mateo was stripping his armor to join him. From across the room, Lirkin exclaimed joyously, ¡°Are you all having a party without us?¡± Everyone went silent and turned to see the cook standing by himself. He probably came to check on the harpy room for his group. Mateo, already swimming in the pool, laughed. ¡°You¡¯re only invited if you do the cooking.¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 175: Gangs All Here Chapter 175: Gangs All Here Lirkin entered the room, all smiles, to talk with Castile. He looked malnourished, but his eyes were filled with the joy of seeing us. I joined them to learn how they had connected with Flavius and the others. Castile immediately asked, ¡°Who is with you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a safe room down the corridor,¡± he pointed behind him. ¡°Flavius, Brutus, Donte, Benito, Linus, Kolm, and the Scholar are there.¡± The men moved into crowd Lirkin, even the naked Mateo and Firth, who had not bothered to dress. Blaze interrupted and asked earnestly, ¡°What about Pavel and Lucien?¡± The joy left Lirkin¡¯s face. ¡°I don¡¯t think they made it. I know they didn¡¯t make it.¡± Adrian moved to stand in front of Lirkin, grabbing his pauldron firmly. ¡°What happened?¡± he demanded softly. Lirkin collapsed a bit, overwhelmed by the memory. ¡°A few days ago, maybe four. It¡¯s hard to tell time in this cursed dungeon. I was resting in the safe room where we arrived from the tavern with Lucien, Benito, and Pavel.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°We didn¡¯t leave a watch and were all sleeping.¡± Konstantin rebuked him harshly from nearby, ¡°Why not!?¡± Lirkin defended himself aggressively, ¡°Every day was the same. After weeks, we just assumed we were safe.¡± His anger fell, and he softly added, ¡°We got complacent.¡± Castile calmed everyone with a look and then encouraged Lirkin to continue. ¡°Tell us how it happened, Lirkin.¡± ¡°A troll. A crusty-ass, shit-brown troll. If it hadn¡¯t been so loud storming down the corridor, we would¡¯ve all been killed right there. Benito, even with his arm broken and useless, confronted it. He gave us time to form a defense but took a nasty slash to his face.¡± Lirkin paused, recalling the nightmarish incident. ¡°We formed up, protecting Benito with the dungeon exit behind us. We hoped to trick the troll into the portal, but an ice drake emerged from the corridor, and an elven wizard was just behind the drake.¡± Someone inhaled sharply at the confirmation the summoner had joined us in the dungeon. ¡°It was the summoner then. He has an ice drake under his control. I have seen it,¡± Castile confirmed calmly to everyone. Lirkin nodded at Castile. ¡°We figured fighting the specters was better than fighting the troll and the ice drake. We were going to enter the dungeon again together right after exiting, but the troll followed us through the portal.¡± Everyone was silent as Lirkin continued his retelling. ¡°There were a lot of specters on the other side¡ªand frozen body parts of legionnaires. The troll pushed us back from the gate, and Benito tried to hold off the specters with his good arm but could barely stand.¡± He sighed as he replayed the final part of his tale. ¡°Lucien said he would distract the troll away from the portal so we could get back through together. Pavel joined him without being ordered, telling me to drag Benito back in. Pavel got two arrows into the troll, and it charged him and Lucien. I saw specters swarming Pavel, and the troll tackled Lucien to the ground near the collapsed tavern. That was the last I saw of them before I got Benito back into the dungeon. Fortunately, we arrived in a safe room close to Flavius and the others.¡± There was dead silence as we all absorbed the mental weight of more losses to the company. Adrian broke the somber mood. ¡°Let¡¯s reunite with the others. We can mourn our fallen comrades together.¡± ¡°Make use of the pool first,¡± Castile said numbly. ¡°Everyone bathe. Two legionnaires at both corridor entrances. Lirkin, Konstantin, and Adrian, go bring the others here.¡± It was not long before the pool was filled with men splashing each other like children while trying to catch the bobbing fish. Adrian returned with the others. The Scholar and Kolm were supporting Benito. His cheek and neck had a filthy bandage with dried blood. Linus had a splinted leg but was walking under his own power. It looked like Donte had recovered from the spider¡¯s poison. The groups mingled, and smiles and laughter were all around, pushing the reality of our lost companions to the back of our minds. When I got close to Benito, he smelled like death and ammonia. He was still smiling, even though he was obviously close to Pluto¡¯s realm. I patted Benito on the back. ¡°It looks like a troll got a hold of you and took your maidenhood.¡± Benito¡¯s eyes were a bit glassy as he replied, ¡°I gave just as good as I got, Eryk. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have any wine left to numb the pain a bit?¡± he asked hopefully. I pretended to think about it. ¡°I do have a bottle left, but I thought you might want this instead.¡± I held up one of the greater healing potions I had left. His eyes had trouble focusing on it, and I do not think he understood. Castile snapped at him, ¡°Drink it if you want to live, boy. That¡¯s a greater dungeon healing potion.¡± ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t happen to have another for me?¡± Linus asked jokingly. Maveith moved to retrieve one of his potions, but I gave him a look, and he stopped. I retrieved the lesser healing potion I had gotten from Raelia¡¯s bags and offered it to Linus, who was flummoxed as I handed it to him. He rasped out, ¡°It should work as long as the bone is aligned closely.¡± ¡°How many healing potions do you have?¡± Mateo intruded on the gift-giving, thankfully clothed this time. He pretended to pat me down.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I knew revealing the potions had risks, but neither Benito nor Linus would be able to flee with us once we left the dungeon. I pushed away the handsy Mateo. ¡°Just one left now. I¡¯d prefer to save it for a real emergency if you don¡¯t mind.¡± I watched as Benito got help from Scholar Favian to drink the healing potion. A loud pop had Benito wince as his forearm bones aligned properly. He started coughing up yellow phlegm and tearing off his crusty bandages next as he seated himself on the ground. He soon lay spread-eagle, breathing deeply, as if it was the first time in a long while he¡¯d been able to do so. Benito¡¯s skin was filthy with sweat, dirt, and recently flaked scabs. The first words out of his mouth were, ¡°I am famished. What¡¯s for dinner?¡± A tingly feeling of satisfaction went through me. I missed Linus taking the other potion, but he had also removed his splint and was practically skipping around the coffee berry trees. For some reason, I channeled my inner Delmar. ¡°Okay, now that everyone is mobile, I need a full accounting of the provisions. I want four men picking berries and four men fishing.¡± Everyone looked at me strangely for a moment before Castile backed me up. ¡°You heard Eryk. Everything needs to be harvested before the dungeon reclaims the room, and I want everyone to bathe. I am sick of my eyes watering from your stench when I try to sleep.¡± She let out a slight smirk and winked at the men before returning to her usual demeanor. As the men paired off and started to work, I did not like that Konstantin and Flavius moved off to guard one of the corridors at Adrian¡¯s orders. Adrian began making the rounds to check on the men, and I joined him. Adrian had always been more interested in morale than Delmar had. But I was not Delmar, and I wanted to know how everyone was doing. We still had a number of injuries among the men. Firth had broken fingers, Donte was weak from the after-effects of the poison, Benito still had a fever even though his body was healed, and Kolm had bruised ribs, but Wylie¡¯s leg infection was at least clearing up. I gave Benito one of the two cure disease potions I had purchased at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Telha. That immediately normalized his temperature and apparently healed his mouth, as Benito suddenly could not stop talking. Several people noted privately that I should have waited a bit longer before saving his life. Soon after, we abandoned the harpy room and made the walk to the safe room Flavius and his group had been using. Everyone smelled mildly better, and we were mostly in good spirits. I stood, listening to Flavius report to Castile once the group had settled in the familiar-style safe room. The dungeon exit loomed nearby, enticing us with its offer of freedom. The lump in Castile¡¯¡¯s backpack was the key to that freedom. It might have been just me, but Flavius¡¯s eyes kept roaming to me while he talked. ¡°There is a large earth drake room down the other corridor from the harpy room, but I assume Eryk has already told you that.¡± ¡°He has,¡± Castile said firmly. ¡°What is this way?¡± She indicated the only other exit from the safe room. ¡°Wolf spiders in the first room. They are just large, hairy bastards, but their venom lingers for days. Beyond that room are giant centipedes. They have a paralyzing toxin, but there are only four of them. Beyond that is the safe room where we arrived. Neither of the rooms offered a decent food source. We have been killing the harpies every two or three days for the fish. We did not know the berries were edible. Linus tried them whole and ended up vomiting an hour later.¡± Flavius waited while Castile considered the information. ¡°And what is beyond that safe room?¡± Castile questioned. Flavius held up his hands to draw a map in the air. ¡°Two other corridors. One goes this way to a ferocious owlbear with glowing red eyes.¡± He shifted his hands. ¡°The other goes this way for a long distance to a water-filled room with giant snapping turtles. We considered trying that room, as the turtles might have been too slow to pursue us in the corridor. I decided against it, thinking there might be other threats in the murky water that could follow us.¡± ¡°This dungeon is a bloody menagerie,¡± Adrian spat. ¡°I don¡¯t think it is worth exploring those rooms,¡± Castile decided. ¡°We will rest for a day and then make our exit.¡± ¡°To where?¡± Flavius inquired. Castile looked a little irritated at the question. ¡°We will try to return to the under city and back to the library to avoid the concentration of specters in the city. From there, we can clear the snow to the gates and get outside the aura of the city.¡± Castile explained. ¡°What about the elven summoner?¡± Flavius pressed. ¡°He made a mistake following us into the dungeon and dismissing his elementals. Without his constant control of the weather, I am guessing the snow is now passable.¡± Flavius was not as certain. ¡°We cannot be sure of that.¡± Castile¡¯s patience ran out. ¡°Enough, Flavius. You and Blaze can watch the wolf spider room for the approach of the summoner. Do not engage if you see him or his creatures. Just retreat here to report so we can prepare.¡± Adrian added stiffly, ¡°Be aware. He has been using goblins as scouts as well.¡± Flavius nodded curtly and turned away from our group. Once he was far away, Adrian spoke to Castile and me. ¡°He¡¯s been leading the men for weeks and has become bolder. Clearly, he has won over Brutus and is working on Konstantin.¡± ¡°Do you think he will be a problem?¡± Castile asked. Adrian hesitated a little. ¡°Maybe. Konstantin told me he was asking about how Eryk and Maveith reconnected with us.¡± Adrian had an amused look on his face. It made me look to Castile and back to Adrian. Castile had obviously shared something with him. I should¡¯ve realized it when he was no longer suspicious of me. Shit¡ªI hoped this would not bite me later. Castile watched Blaze and Flavius move down the corridor. ¡°Blaze will let us know if he¡¯s up to anything.¡± She turned to me. ¡°Do you and Maveith want to scout the harpy or earth drake room? We will be leaving the dungeon when you return.¡± I was puzzled for just a moment. I was pretty sure she was asking if I wanted to harvest more essence. I considered the offer. I had dozens of essences in my dimensional space. But magic affinities were rare. Charm or earth essence? ¡°We can watch for the summoner in the earth drake corridor,¡± I finally said. Castile nodded approvingly. A short while later, as I was getting ready to leave, Brutus offered to join us. Thankfully, Lirkin suddenly needed help preparing meals, so Adrian volunteered Brutus to help. Maveith and I walked back down the corridor to the earth drake room. We stood at the entrance to the chamber. The familiar draconic beast stirred and thundered a challenging roar at us, like it remembered that I was responsible for its past deaths. Maveith grunted, ¡°I don¡¯t think it likes you very much.¡± I looked down the long corridor behind us and then back at the drake. ¡°It¡¯s going to like me a lot less in a few seconds.¡± ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 176: Run! Chapter 176: Run! The earth drake yielded a major earth essence while Maveith watched the corridor. Maveith helped me drag the drake¡¯s long neck around to face away from the corridor, making it look as if the drake was sleeping in case someone came by. The reward chest was much smaller this time, so I was not expecting another spear inside. It rattled with coins as I picked it up and carried it behind the drake. I shattered the stone chest, using the drake¡¯s body to shield my actions. Inside were a few dozen silver coins and a pair of thick brown bracers. The soft, flexible leather covered from wrist to elbow, with laces to tighten them. I let Maveith try them on, but his forearms were too large for them. If these bracers were an artifact, they would neither resize nor absorb aether from me. I sent the bracers to my dimensional storage to figure them out later. With our work in the room complete, Maveith asked, ¡°Are we going to descend and attack the boars again?¡± I had considered going by myself, but I shook my head. ¡°No. We¡¯ll just wait until it¡¯s time to leave the dungeon. Linus or Benito will forget us when it¡¯s time.¡± I slid down the wall to relax in the corridor with Maveith. Maveith smiled brightly. ¡°Do you want to play checkers?¡± I nodded absently as he set up the board between us. ¡°When will you release Raelia?¡± he asked after winning the third straight game. I hesitated before answering. ¡°When it¡¯s safe. It might be some time before I can get away from the company.¡± I reset my pieces on the board, and we continued to pass the time. Hours later, the pounding of boots and the rattle of legion armor echoed down the corridor. Benito was running full tilt at us, using the wall to slow himself. ¡°The summoner was spotted across the owlbear room! We¡¯re leaving now!¡± He turned and sprinted back the way he came without waiting for a response. Maveith was trying to put the checkers set in the bag. ¡°Leave it, Maveith!¡± I pulled him up, and we started running back to the safe room. Of course, we were the furthest away and probably the last to be warned. Benito, the little rabbit, was already gone as we raced down the corridor after shouldering our packs. Thoughts raced through my mind. How much would the owlbear slow down the summoner? Would the summoner figure out that we had exited the dungeon? I glanced down the right corridor toward the harpy room. Seeing and hearing no one, I assumed they had already retreated, and we were the last ones left. Moments later, I saw the small safe room and the legionnaires preparing to enter the exit portal. A piercing screech echoed down the corridor. Castile¡¯s voice cut through the noise with an order, ¡°Into the gate! Runic weapons lead! The summoner has controlled the owlbear! It¡¯s coming!¡± Clinking red-armored men scrambled forward into the exit portal ahead of us. Almost everyone was through when we emerged into the safe room. A hulking, bipedal owl burst into the room from the opposite corridor. Its over-muscled body was incongruent with its massive owl head. The beak alone was as large as a man¡¯s head, and when it screeched again, sharp, jagged teeth lined the impressive beak. Castile¡¯s aetheric shadow chains swarmed over the creature, trying to contain it, but they snapped like spider threads. Castile, Adrian, and Kolm were the only legionnaires left in the room. ¡°Get through the portal!¡± I yelled, not for any heroic reason but so I could use my abilities without being seen. Castile nodded, understanding my intent. ¡°Move! Eryk will occupy it with his air shields and follow us momentarily.¡± Maveith roared his own challenge, and the creature looked confused as Castile, Kolm, and Adrian disappeared into the portal. I stepped within range of the owlbear, and it spun toward me. A foreign intelligence burned in its red eyes¡ªthe summoner trying to control the feral beast. I removed a good portion of its chest cavity, my power overwhelming its resistance. The beast belched a spray of blood at me and charged on all fours. Fuck, I must have missed something vital. Maveith stepped in front of me, lowering his hammer. The owlbear¡¯s powerful beak clamped down just as Maveith¡¯s hammer connected. A portion of Maveith¡¯s stomach, leather armor, and abdomen were torn away. I pressed my blade into the creature¡¯s shoulder as it chewed its reward. Maveith stumbled back, leaking blood and bile from a gaping stomach wound. ¡°Drink your potions!¡± I yelled as I twisted my blade and yanked it free. The pain drew the creature¡¯s attention to me while Maveith fumbled for his potions. The owlbear, frothy blood dripping from its beak, stumbled toward me. It was close to death, but I must have hit the lungs instead of the heart. I reached under my armor for the aether potion. I only needed a sip to recover all my aether. The owlbear clumsily lunged toward me in slow motion, giving me plenty of time to sidestep. It was its final act, as the massive creature collapsed. I took a swig of the potion, capped it, and sent it to my dimensional space as my aether core was replenished. I kneeled next to Maveith while scanning the corridor. A large splotch of pink skin denoted his injury, which was slowly turning gray to match the rest of his body. ¡°Did you take all your healing potions?¡± I asked, inspecting the wound. A deep dent in his abdomen showed where the owlbear had taken a bite. Maveith nodded painfully. I produced my last greater healing potion and handed it to him. The aether from the previous potions hadn¡¯t been enough to repair the extensive damage. Maveith rasped, ¡°It¡¯s coming.¡± He pointed painfully down the corridor.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I spun around to see a creature bounding toward us. It must have been the summoner¡¯s ice drake. The scales shimmered, appearing like undulating ice as it rushed closer. I wasn¡¯t concerned, as I had enough aether to deal with it. ¡°Maveith, get into the portal and help the company with the specters.¡± Maveith groaned as he stood unsteadily. He seemed to be missing some musculature, as he had difficulty moving. Hopefully, the greater healing potion would restore the soft tissue. The ice drake skidded to a stop at the entrance, its crystalline eyes showing intelligence as it assessed the situation. Seeing only one legionnaire and a struggling goliath, the drake paused. I backed up toward the portal, making sure Maveith made it through. The serpentine neck of the drake slowly locked eyes with me, its gaze intense. I wondered if the summoner was controlling or viewing through it. The black, oily surface enveloped Maveith, sending him to the others in the ruins. The ice drake took a tentative step into the room, eyes locked on mine. If it had a ranged breath attack, I would retreat. If it got within fifteen feet, I would end it. The room was only thirty feet across, but the drake paused, puffing frosted air in annoyance at me. The sound of soft footfalls behind the drake had me shift my focus to the corridor. The summoner was coming. The slow, dramatic pace of his walk made time seem to stretch. The tall, aged elf entered the room, standing behind his drake. He rested a hand on its crown, stroking it. I pulled the aether potion back into my free hand, relaxing my grip on the black blade, letting it point at the ground to appear unthreatening. The High Mage Summoner surveyed the room, his eyes lingering on the dead owlbear before looking up at me. ¡°Did you kill the dire owlbear, legionnaire?¡± I was a little shocked. Did he not recognize me? Should I be insulted? I thought he would remember me from when he looked through the wyvern¡¯s eyes. He had sworn to kill me. ¡°Maybe,¡± I replied evenly. His eyes brightened as he studied me, and a flash of recognition appeared on his face. ¡°The void mage,¡± his voice hardened. ¡°Do not come any closer.¡± He studied my dilapidated and mangled legion armor, a delighted smile forming. ¡°It looks like you have had a rough time in the dungeon.¡± I was trying to decide what to do. I could argue that I was not a void mage. I could drop Raelia in his lap and hope she convinced him not to attack. Or I could escape by taking one step back and joining the company. Instead, I asked, ¡°Why did you follow us into the dungeon?¡± The summoner smiled maliciously. ¡°You are ignorant of the goings-on in the world. I was running out of time for my revenge, as I was ordered to return. Your Empire thinks it can hoard the secrets of the ancient Titans. We cannot let them have it, as it would tip the balance of power too much.¡± I figured I might be able to draw out more information if I kept the conversation going. ¡°So, they found Atlantium?¡± Traeliorn raised an eyebrow at my knowledge. ¡°You are no ordinary legionnaire. A Praetorian agent, then? For whom? I will be sure to let them know you will not be returning to their service.¡± His dark humor attempted to mimic mine. I chuckled as he dug for information. ¡°No, I serve no one. I am a conscript, forced to join. Being a legionnaire was not by choice.¡± ¡°You lie, legionnaire.¡± The mage¡¯s voice suddenly turned angry. Damn, the summoner was a Truthseeker as well¡ªthis time, I felt the spell-like spiders crawling over my skin. My sensitivity to aether had increased in the dungeon. I elaborated with the truth. ¡°After I was convicted of a crime and sentenced, I was given the choice of hard labor or the army. I chose the army.¡± The elf nodded slowly, accepting my answer. He considered and shrugged. ¡°It matters not. You killed Vaeril. My pursuit of vengeance has cost me much, but the knowledge and rewards of this fascinating dungeon have made up for it. And now you are trapped.¡± A devilish smile formed on his face. A cold realization spread through me. I reached behind, expecting the dungeon exit¡¯s embrace, but I felt only a smooth, solid surface. I quickly looked back. The oily wall was still there, but something akin to my air shield blocked my exit. I was actually impressed that the mage had managed to cast the spell at such a distance¡ªnearly thirty feet. He had more tricks than just summoning creatures. ¡°Perhaps we can bargain? Would you let me go in exchange for the griffin rider? The elf who was guarding Vaeril?¡± My bargaining position was not strong. If I could eliminate the ice drake, I might be able to race to the earth drake room and use the exit at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Raelia is a prisoner? I will inform her brother when I return. He can launch an expedition if he wishes,¡± the mage said, unconcerned with the young elf¡¯s fate. It felt like the mage was toying with me, savoring his victory. I slowly raised my dark blade into a defensive posture. The ice drake immediately tensed, sensing a battle was coming. ¡°Kylma, relax. This one is mine.¡± Seven arcane missiles formed over his shoulder and shot toward me. I hastily erected air shields in front of me. The two shields shattered under the force, and the seventh missile burned a hole through my severely damaged armor. My flesh burned where the missile struck, and the smell of burnt flesh reminded me I was facing a powerful mage. ¡°Are we not full of surprises!¡± Traeliorn exclaimed, genuinely shocked. ¡°What other secrets are you hiding?¡± His unfriendly smile returned. ¡°Too many to count,¡± I retorted reflexively. ¡°If you have a few hours, perhaps we can discuss them.¡± The mage sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, I do not have time for banter. I need to eliminate the rest of your company and confront your Emperor.¡± It was time to go. I dashed to the right, aiming for the corridor. The ice drake exhaled a cloud of frost, but it wasn¡¯t nearly as powerful as the ice salamander¡¯s attack¡ªit merely washed over me. I left an air shield behind, blocking the corridor. A torrent of lightning crashed into it, superheating the shield until it exploded, throwing me tumbling down the corridor. My ears rang, and I thought to myself that this most definitely was not a fair fight. I activated my healing spell form and coughed in pain. I stumbled to my feet as the mage¡¯s muted shout registered, ¡°No, Kylma!¡± I glanced back to see the mage had warned the drake against pursuing me, but the beast¡¯s hunting instinct had taken over. It saw me beaten and sprawled on the floor, and it rushed toward me, eager to finish me off. The headless ice drake¡¯s body skidded into me. My head felt stuffed with cotton, my ears throbbed, and I stumbled to my feet and ran. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 177: Boss Fight Chapter 177: Boss Fight The mage¡¯s wails of anger echoed as I shuffled down the corridor. I fumbled with the cap of the aether potion and drank more than I intended in my haste. I immediately began directing the aether to heal my injuries. My head started to clear. The body of the ice drake should slow the mage down. Suddenly, I was shoved hard from behind by multiple impacts. Arcane bolts sizzled into my armor, creating burning holes, and reaching my flesh. This was not a fair fight if I could not get close to the damned elven summoner to remove his head. Two of the strikes hit the back of my thighs, scorching my hamstrings and making my escape even more difficult as my legs struggled to work properly. I could really use that greater healing potion I gave Maveith right about now. I pulled out the last lesser healing potion I took from Raelia and drank it. It did not help much with my extensive injuries, but it did close my wounds. The minor numbing and cooling effect across my skin was also welcome. I had other potions and drank one of the major stamina potions. It collided with the remnants of the healing potion in my stomach, creating a burning, nauseous sensation. Maybe mixing potions was not a good idea, but the warm, revitalizing energy flooded my damaged body, allowing me to break into a run. The pain faded like a bad memory, though I knew I would be in a world of hurt once the potion wore off. I did not look back for the summoner as I turned into the corridor leading to the earth drake. The earth drake lay dead, just as we had left it. I was halfway across the large chamber, just past the drake, when I slammed into an invisible wall. The jarring halt to my sprint sent me bouncing backward, landing hard on the dirt-covered floor. I scrambled back to use the drake¡¯s body as cover. I thought I had broken my nose, as blood flowed freely across my lips and down my chin, and I spat out the metallic taste. When things settled, I panted heavily. ¡°You¡¯re fast for an old man,¡± I said in my limited elvish, hoping to confuse him. Instead, he laughed. ¡°You are butchering a beautiful language, legionnaire. Just another reason you have to die.¡± There was madness, anger, and condescension in his tone. I thought I had done a fairly respectable job speaking it. I was not going to talk my way out of this, and he would not let me escape. Raelia would probably side with the summoner if I brought her out. I doubted the goblin would be much help¡ªmaybe a distraction at best. I retrieved the black-tipped spear, the spider-engraved short sword, and another greater stamina potion from my dimensional space. I gripped the spear, my only weapon that could be used as a ranged weapon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your ice drake. But she did not seem to be in a playful mood,¡± I taunted, hoping to provoke him into making a mistake. But I immediately regretted my words¡ªthe fly does not antagonize the spider when caught. ¡°Kylma was a dear friend¡­¡± Using his voice as my guide, I stood and hurled the spear at the summoner. He waved his right hand, and I saw the flash of a spellform. He was a skilled mage, creating spells almost instantly and with just one hand. The spear thudded into another invisible wall, causing an echo in the room. I ducked back behind the carcass of the earth drake. This was not going well. The spear was my only ranged weapon unless I wanted to start throwing purple potatoes at him. His imperious voice echoed in the room, ¡°Did you kill this earth drake as well? I suppose it was not much more difficult than a wyvern.¡± There was an amused tone, as it was clear he had me cornered. His quick shifts in emotion worried me, and he might have lost his grip on sanity. Feeling the effects of the stamina potion fading, I drank the second one while the standoff continued. It was a struggle to keep the potion down. Drinking so many potions in such a short time was probably not wise. With the black blade in one hand and the spider blade in the other, I planned to rush for the exit. I hoped that whatever invisible wall he had put up, I could destroy it with the two runic weapons, then descend the stairs to the safe room and escape the dungeon. I took a deep breath and released my distraction, my aether getting dangerously low. The goblin did not cooperate. Instead of running and pulling the summoner¡¯s attention, it was disoriented and tried to hide under the earth drake¡¯s body, squeezing itself into the ground in a desperate attempt to disappear. Shit, the goblin was useless¡ªor maybe just smarter than me, considering the situation. No time had passed for it, and it had been paralyzed with fear when I returned it to my dimensional space. I pushed off the floor, my blades extended, and searched for the invisible wall. The black blade made contact first, and I swung the spider blade overhead. The wall had a slight reverberation to it. I attacked in a berserk frenzy, and the spider blade drew on my aether with each strike, draining me dangerously. I never defeated the wall. Instead, the world lit up as energy surged around me. Lightning engulfed me, forcing my muscles to clench, and straining my joints painfully. When the lightning stopped, all I could smell was burnt flesh, and my vision was blurry. I groaned and rolled on the dirt, trying to focus on healing my eyes and ears while ignoring the pain. The soft shuffle of feet reached my ears. The mage was approaching. I continued to moan pitifully¡ªit did not take much effort¡ªand hoped the mage would come within ten feet. Through my bloodshot eyes, I saw the hem of the summoner¡¯s dark blue robes. Then, the bastard stopped twenty feet away! I had expected some gloating speech and was not disappointed. ¡°Legionnaire...¡± The goblin took that moment to scramble over the drake and flee the one-sided battle. The mage turned toward the noise, and I rolled to my knees, planted my foot, and lunged toward him. My body protested the rapid movement, but I just needed to get close enough. I focused on the mage¡¯s head and tried to send it to my dimensional space.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. My veins began to burn with an uncomfortable intensity, warning me of being overtaxed. I had been pushing my aether reserves for the last several minutes, refilling and depleting them repeatedly. Castile had warned me about the risk of burning out my aether channels, and my body was telling me I was getting close. But it did not matter because I had won. Then came the backlash of Traeliorn¡¯s resistance. Not only did his head remain, but it felt as though mine had been severed. Time seemed to slow as I fell to the ground. I flung the spider blade at the mage, who was turning to face me again. His aether shield flared, but the runic weapon penetrated it enough to cut into the hand he had put up to block it. The cut was not deep, but I would have laughed if I were not in such a tremendous amount of pain. I fumbled inside my armor for the aether potion, only to find that the vial had cracked, leaving me with wet dirt. I sucked on the dirty vial, trying to get even a drop of the restorative potion, but all I got was grit and crunchiness in my mouth and just a hint of aether. Traeliorn moved slowly toward me. I was helpless and could only watch. He bent down to pick up the spider blade, more interested in it than in finishing me off. As he examined the blade, his face twisted with concern. His eyes moved from the blade to me, and he spoke, ¡°A mage assassin then. I would have never guessed it by your looks, boy. Still, I do not need magic to deal with you.¡± He expertly spun the short blade in his hand, then frowned. His eyes hardened, and he attacked. I was weaponless, my black blade a dozen steps behind me. I pulled one of the fire bear pelts from my dimensional space, using it as a momentary shield. From this minuscule expenditure of aether, my veins felt as if they were filled with acid. I scrambled back to retrieve my long black blade. It worked, and I stood facing the irate summoner. Although standing might be too strong a word¡ªI could barely force my body to an upright position. Traeliorn did not hesitate and rushed me, the short spider blade dancing dangerously in his skilled hands. The exchange was fast. I thought myself an equal swordsman, but I was heavily injured, and he scored a light slash on the back of my hand, parting the flesh and exposing the tendon underneath. I moved to create some distance and tried to heal the wound. Nothing. I could not feel my tiny amount of aether in my core or any aether at all. It was slippery as I tried to command it. The summoner smirked, ¡°Not so fun when it happens to you.¡± The spider blade had a grimy, oily coating¡ªit must have been what blocked my access to aether, that or it emptied my aether core. The pause in our fight gave me a chance to ask a question. ¡°Is it permanent?¡± ¡°It is your blade, legionnaire. Do you not know what a magebane is?¡± He narrowed his eyes, suspicious that I might be trying to trick him. He obviously was not going to tell me much, but I figured he would be angrier if it was permanent. Suddenly, the goblin dashed out, and both of us turned to watch. It had circled back and picked up the spear, struggling with its weight. I thought it might help me, but instead, it ran off with the spear down the corridor toward the dead owlbear. The summoner looked bemused by my shock. Traeliorn shifted his stance, removing his robes in a flourish to give himself greater movement. I drew my belt knife in my off-hand as we circled each other. He took a side stance to reduce his profile, while I angled mine to bring the dagger into play. We engaged again, my joints protesting at the required speed. ¡°Not just a mage, then?¡± I asked after a few exchanges, sporting several slashes on my armor. I had the longer reach, yet I was losing. He probably had centuries of practice, and my dreamscape amulet was showing just how effective it was at focusing my training, but it was ultimately insufficient against his experience and my injuries. The elf smirked, speaking in Latin for the first time. ¡°I have kept fit through the centuries, training with some of the best Rangers in Bartiradia. I can usually hold my own with a blade, but you are not unskilled.¡± I acknowledged the compliment with a nod. He did not allow me to rest and moved to engage again. Slowly, I started to feel and hint at control of my aether core again¡ªthe poison from the spider blade wearing off. If his aether returned, I was doomed. The problem was that Traeliorn was not giving me an opening, and he countered any of my attempts to create one. The deadly dance continued, and I kept trying to coalesce my aether. Though it was there, it was like trying to collect water with a sieve. Finally! I managed to pull the elven spear I retrieved from the ancient armory into my hand. I dropped both blades in favor of the ancient weapon, parrying Traeliorn¡¯s attack and sweeping the spear in an arc as he retreated. His right thigh now sported a deep gash, with some of the muscle exposed. I did not give him time to react, pressing the attack. Traeliorn was now hobbled, and suddenly, I had the advantage. He seemed unfamiliar with fighting against a spear. I scored a hit to his abdomen, then another to the injured thigh. He tried to retrieve something from his belt, but that was his downfall. I drove the spear into his sternum, pinning him to the wall. He was trying to thumb the top off a potion in his hand. Instead of stopping him, I moved in close and wrenched the magebane blade from his grasp. He brought the potion to his lips, but I used the spider blade to open his throat. The poison coating the blade as I slashed. My aether channels burned as the blade sucked what little aether my body had to create its supernatural concoction. The potion tried to heal the wound, so I sawed away frantically until his head was severed. The mage¡¯s body slid down the wall, the spear tip scraping the stone as it went. With his head in one hand and the dripping spider blade in the other, I dropped the head and joined him on the ground. The adrenaline of battle ebbed away, and every injury on my body began screaming as the rush faded. I pulled a canteen of water from my dimensional space, ignoring the aether burn from the action. I drained it dry, belching loudly. I did not bother offering any to the summoner. Exhaustion swept over me, amplified by the potions, the aether backlash, the poison, and my wounds. If I slept here, I would likely wake up inside an earth drake stomach. I gathered my black blade and positioned the mage¡¯s body and head on his robes before starting to drag it back to the safe room. Once the pain of the aether burn lessened, I would use the collector on him. The corridors seemed much longer than they had before, and every step was a chore. The ice drake was still mostly blocking the corridor¡ªI needed to use the collector on it soon or risk losing its essence. I pulled the mage past the drake and into the safe room. The black spear was near the owlbear in the center of the safe room, and the goblin had rummaged through my pack, consuming everything that was edible. It was now in a contented food coma, oblivious to my presence. I guessed it had not eaten in days. I glanced at the dungeon exit, wondering how the company was managing. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 178: To the Victor Goes the Spoils Chapter 178: To the Victor Goes the Spoils The goblin lay sprawled on the ground, its belly bloated and drooling in its sleep, blowing grotesque bubbles of saliva. I assumed it could finally die happy with a full belly. The goblin had tossed everything out of my pack, scattering it across the room. I thought briefly about killing the small, unsightly creature, but it had saved my life in its own way. It seemed too cruel to kill my benefactor in its sleep. I moved as quietly as possible to reclaim the spear and make sure it had no access to any weapons. I would let it fend for itself in the dungeon when it woke. My veins and arteries still burned with every beat of my heart, warning me against using any more aether. On the other hand, I had three powerful potential essences in this room. I would not risk permanent damage by returning the goblin to my dimensional space, but I could at least claim the essences as that should just require a tiny amount of aether. I felt a sense of urgency to catch up with the others, as Castile had the Kettle of Souls. I started by searching the mage, no longer squeamish about looting the dead. The robe I had used to drag him to the safe room seemed to resist staining¡ªeven the pools of blood from his neck had not soaked into the fabric. It was probably an artifact, so I snapped it in the air, rolled it up, and stuffed it into my conveniently emptied pack. He wore a single shiny, untarnished gold ring on each finger. Both were definitely dungeon artifacts. His elaborate black belt had six small sewn-in pouches, three on each hip, each just big enough for a hand. I checked them, but they were all curiously empty. Maybe he had used everything. I coiled the appealing utility belt and added it to my pack as well. A heavy gold and silver medallion rested around what remained of his neck¡ªanother artifact, and possibly similar to Castile¡¯s aether shield amulet. I had depleted his aether shield during the fight. I put it in the pack for now. His boots were nice, but they were far too small for me. There was not much else of use here, so I assumed the summoner had left his pack elsewhere. I strapped my black blade and the magebane blade to my pack, shouldered it, and carried the spear as I left the room. The walk to the owlbear room seemed to take forever, but I was rewarded with a room filled with tall grasses and dark berry bushes. I quickly located the untouched reward chest for defeating the owl bear. Without hesitation, I shattered it and was relieved to find the greater healing potion I was hoping for. I drank it immediately, the multitude of injuries fading like a bad dream. I had not realized how injured I truly was until the warmth of the healing potion washed over me. I could have waited hours and healed myself with my spell form, but I needed to catch up with the others, so time was of the essence. I packed away the silver coins and a second potion. A quick glance at the runic script told me it enhanced one¡¯s strength when consumed. I pulled the collector from my dimensional space, my aether channels flaring in protest at even this smallest of aether expenditures. I considered my armor for a moment. It was in terrible condition, with multiple holes in the resin-infused hide from the powerful arcane missiles. I unbuckled it, discarding the pieces on the floor. Even my clothes underneath had numerous holes. Feeling much freer in my movements, I returned to the safe room. The goblin was still sleeping, with a larger puddle of drool beneath its chin. At least, it seemed to be having pleasant dreams. I used the collector on the owlbear first, wincing at the effort of channeling even a wisp of aether into it. As the disc pulled the rich blue smoke, I worried it had been too long since the creature¡¯s death to yield anything, but I was rewarded with a modest dark purple sphere¡ªa major strength essence. The summoner was next. I placed the collector on his chest, anticipating something substantial. I jumped when the goblin let out a loud flatulence. It was an attack, just not a physical one, as the foul cloud reached me. I covered my nose as I channeled my aether despite the persistent pain. I was rewarded with an apex essence, a luminescent pearl for increasing aether pool capacity. I thumbed the sphere in appreciation¡ªthis was much better than the magic affinity I had expected. I wanted to consume it immediately, but I was still recovering from my last earth essence, and my aether channels were still on fire. The burn was so bad I was sweating. The headless drake in the corridor was the last potential essence. I packed the apex pearl in my pack and moved to where the drake lay. It really was a beautiful creature when it was not trying to kill you. I ran my hand along the scales, which were silky smooth and cool to the touch. If Maveith were here, he¡¯d probably be upset that I was not working hard to harvest the creature properly. I balanced the collector on its body and endured the increasing pain. The rich blue aetheric smoke formed quickly. A dark blue aquamarine sphere formed¡ªan apex water affinity essence. I was slightly shocked but appreciative. I packed the essence with the collector in my bag. With the black blade and the magebane blade strapped to my pack, I shouldered it. Once the aether burn lessened, I would store the entire pack, but for now, I needed to avoid further damage to my channels. I prepared to exit the dungeon, carrying only the spear. The goblin chose that moment to stir, panicking when it saw me. I held the spear in a non-threatening manner, resting the butt on the floor. The goblin scurried into the wall. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot take you with me. No more free rides. Best of luck, little guy.¡± I saluted the petrified creature and stepped into the oily portal, leaving behind the terrified but satiated goblin. The bright snow momentarily blinded me as I exited the dungeon. It was midday, the brilliant sun reflecting off the snow. I swung the spear in a defensive arc as my eyes adjusted. Red splotches filled my blurry vision, and soon, I could see the legion armor and blood-stained snow. No specters in sight. Further away, near the collapsed tavern, lay a troll with a legionnaire¡¯s body pinned beneath it.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I inhaled deeply, savoring the crisp, cool air, finally free of the stale dungeon atmosphere. I sighed as I saw no sign of the company. It should not have been more than two hours since they had fled ahead of me. The hearth tree¡¯s green canopy extended high above me. I took a quick glance at the branches, looking out for the giant eagles, but saw none. I assumed the wyverns had finished them off. Still, it would be a shame to fall prey to an attack now that freedom was so close. I relaxed slightly, and I surveyed the area around me. No specters were in sight. On inspection, I recognized the body under the troll as Lucien, the horse master. I closed his wide, shocked eyes and whispered, ¡°Thank you for sharing your wisdom about horses.¡± I sighed, recalling our time in Formica. Another legionnaire lay within the tavern wreckage, a bow still clutched in his grasp. I assumed it was Pavel, but I did not venture into the debris to confirm. Beneath the tavern rubble were runic armor and a great sword. But this was not the time to retrieve them. The courtyard where the dungeon entrance lay was packed with snow. The tracks showed the company scaling the wall to my right since the entrance had collapsed. I picked up a legion helm¡ªred hair spilled out, and as I turned it over, Remus¡¯s frozen head rolled out. His milky eyes stared up at me from the icy snow. My own indifference to his lifeless face surprised me. My helm was the only piece of my own armor left. I still had the full set of armor gifted to me by the duchess, but I would not be able to retrieve it for some time. The torn bodies of three legionnaires lay scattered and pressed into the snow. This confirmed that the wyverns had killed the entire group: Soren, Cyrus, and Remus. I started piecing together a set of armor. Cyrus had been short but barrel-chested, and his upper body armor would fit me well enough. Soren had been taller, and his greaves should work for me. As I dug out Cyrus¡¯s body when a familiar voice called out, ¡°Eryk!¡± I spun to see Maveith standing in front of the dungeon entrance. ¡°Maveith, did you all go back into the dungeon?¡± I looked at the wall the company had climbed, then back at Maveith. Maveith¡¯s voice echoed too loudly, ¡°No. I have been searching the dungeon for you! I have been going in and out, hoping to find you!¡± My throat tightened at the loyalty and friendship he showed. ¡°Thank you, Maveith. For having faith. What about the company?¡± ¡°They went over the wall. They planned to find a building to access the undercity,¡± Maveith replied, but his booming voice drew a specter through the wall. I grabbed my spear, and a single stab dispersed it. The spear must have been stronger than my black blade since it usually took more than one strike with the blade to finish a specter. Maveith rushed to my side, ready to help. I whispered, ¡°Keep your voice down, Maveith. Keep watch while I salvage some armor.¡± ¡°I am sorry. I was just so happy to see you alive. What happened to your armor? Is the summoner coming?¡± He asked much more quietly while standing over me as I worked. I growled unhappily as I pulled the body from its icy grave. ¡°The summoner destroyed my armor. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be joining us.¡± Maveith grunted but did not ask further questions. Maveith exclaimed, as quietly as a goliath could, ¡°I almost forgot. I have words from Castile. She asked me to tell you that you should stop playing the hero.¡± I clenched my jaw as I heard Castile¡¯s message, and my hands were soon numb from the cold as I claimed the armor from my fallen comrades. Legion armor was precisely fitted to each person. I knew I would get some chafing from wearing this armor, but it was better than nothing. ¡°All right, Maveith, let us get out of here.¡± The company had packed snow and debris to create a small ramp up to the wall. It was just over ten feet high, and I managed to pull myself up. Maveith handed me the spear as I surveyed the city from the top of the courtyard¡¯s wall. He climbed up to join me. Half of the buildings had collapsed over the centuries, but some remained, some still reaching several stories high. It seemed like the weeks we had spent in the dungeon had compacted the snow somewhat. The bluish heads of several specters were visible above the snow, indicating that the depth was around four or five feet. The company had broken a path through the snow to a building across the street. ¡°Wyvern, Eryk,¡± Maveith whispered, startling me, and drawing my attention behind us. In the distance, a wyvern circled far away from the city. It must have been released from the summoner¡¯s control when he entered the dungeon and had yet to wander off. ¡°We need to reach the undercity and catch up with the others. I see dozens of specters down this street.¡± I dropped the spear and lowered myself onto the packed snow. Maveith landed with a thud beside me. I barely had time to grab the spear before the first specter emerged from the snow around us. A quick upward slash dispatched the specter. ¡°Move, Maveith!¡± I hissed as I followed the path the company had cleared. The narrow channel through the snow was dangerous, as specters could appear right next to us. The spear proved invaluable, easily dispersing specters with one strike. Reaching the building door, we found it had been smashed in. I stepped over the threshold, looking around. ¡°Maveith, do you have your glowstone?¡± He entered behind me, and I turned to defend the door while Maveith retrieved it. I avoided retrieving my own glowstone to spare my channels further strain. By the time Maveith retrieved the glowstone, I had already cut down two more specters. The building appeared to be a shop, though its display cases were long destroyed, and its furniture had collapsed. Drifts of snow had gathered through broken windows, but I could see multiple footprints in the dust and snow. ¡°Find where they went. I¡¯ll hold the door.¡± As Maveith followed the company¡¯s tracks, I cut down three specters. The commotion would definitely draw more. ¡°Over here, Eryk!¡± Maveith finally called. I retreated after dispatching another specter. The specters would reform in about half an hour, and I was eager to put some distance between us. At the back of the shop, Maveith found stairs leading down into the undercity. Clear footprints in the dust showed the company had gone that way. ¡°Go!¡± I urged the goliath. I followed Maveith down the stairs. Once we reached the landing, we saw tracks in the dust leading both right and left. ¡°Which way?¡± Maveith asked, focusing on a specter approaching from the left. I was puzzled by the tracks¡ªit looked like the company had split, with half going left and the other half going right. No, this had to be Konstantin laying a false trail for the summoner. If I were Konstantin, which path would I choose? ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 179: Last Day in Caelora Chapter 179: Last Day in Caelora In the glowstone light, it took us a few minutes to identify that one set of tracks looked slightly larger. ¡°Backtracking is much harder than following a trail of laid footfalls,¡± Maveith intoned softly, pointing towards the likely path. We moved to follow it. A hundred feet further down the tunnel, the first turn showed signs that someone had been waiting in ambush around the corner. The dust was disturbed, and there were spots of drying urine on the wall¡ªclear signs we were heading in the right direction. A specter interrupted our inspection of the intersection. Maveith¡¯s hammer made quick work of it, and we moved out before it could re-form. We followed the trail, cutting down a few more specters that appeared more frequently. The roots of the hearth tree blocked several passages, and it seemed the company was circling around the root system in the opposite direction from where we had arrived. It did not make much sense, unless they were planning to leave the city by a different route. I recalled the map of the city in my head: the hearth tree was in the northern district, near the city wall. My best guess was that they were planning to exit as far from the library as possible in case the summoner searched there first. After killing a fifth specter in just a few minutes, I paused in the corridor. ¡°Maveith, do you think we should try to find our way to the library instead of following the company¡¯s path?¡± Maveith considered the question. ¡°Why? Do you not wish to reunite with everyone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. They¡¯re headed for areas of the city with a high concentration of specters. We could get swarmed, and Castile may have stopped using the kettle on dissipated specters to make it harder to follow them, since they don¡¯t know the summoner is dead. We spent weeks thinning out the specters around the library. It might be safer for us to go that route.¡± Maveith looked thoughtfully down both directions of the corridor. ¡°If you think the library is safer, then we should go that way.¡± Maveith tightened his grip on his hammer. I turned around, and we backtracked to the first split in the corridor. Soon, we encountered a familiar specter: a teenage elf in a ball gown. I remembered her clearly from the first time I had faced her. I cut her down, and we started following the other set of tracks. Before long, we reached the room beneath the adventurer¡¯s tavern we had sheltered in. The wyverns had collapsed the structure. Konstantin must have laid the false tracks to this point to confuse the elven mage. We continued to follow the clear path all the way back to the wine cellar. Only six wandering specters confronted us on the journey¡ªfar fewer than on the short path we had followed for Castile and the others. We entered the wine cellar, which appeared undisturbed, and no specters were present. ¡°I could use a rest, Maveith. I think we¡¯re safe here.¡± I sat down on one of the bunks we had hauled into the room. I was exhausted and famished after using so many healing potions. I assumed we¡¯d face a fight to make it from the library to the city gates. I was tempted to retrieve something from my dimensional space, but my aether channels were still flaring. Just one small item should not hurt, right? I pulled the dreamscape amulet to my hand and winced at the pain. How long was this burn going to last? Maybe Castile¡¯s books in the dreamscape had an answer. Maveith eyed the amulet knowingly. ¡°I¡¯ll stand watch for specters, Eryk. You can rest.¡± He began walking up and down the rows of bottles while I made myself comfortable. With just a painful trickle of aether, I entered the dreamscape. The dreamscape creations greeted me. Lucien, the horse master, was among them, and a heavy weight settled on me seeing him alive and smiling. I talked to him about horses while Oscar circled me excitedly with a ball. Raelia¡¯s clone demanded to know when she was going to be freed from her prison. Konstantin, Xavier, and Adrian pestered me to spar, but I turned them down as I moved to the shelves of books. Scholar Favian interrupted me, saying, ¡°You know, Eryk, if you are passing through the library, I wouldn¡¯t mind getting some more reading material.¡± I paused, looking at him. I had already added all three hundred books the Caelorian elves had on herbalism and apothecary to the dreamscape. I recalled the other sections of the library: cooking and brewing, weaving, woodcraft, and a floor filled with books on metalurgy¡ªeverything from household goods to weapons and armor. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, Scholar Favian,¡± I replied, and the manifestation of my subconscious smiled brightly. I focused on learning what I could about aether burn from the books Castile had manifested. The news was not good. If you continued using aether while feeling the sensation of burning, you risked destroying your ability to channel aether¡ªit was described as ¡°feeding the fire.¡±So, I had already reduced my capacity to channel. After a storm of curses, which made everyone back away from me fearfully, I calmed down. The text said that healing aether channels required consuming apex channeling essences, and it would take around a dozen or more to restore each point of potential. I guessed it might take less for me¡ªmaybe I could even manage with major essences. However, I currently had no channeling essences. The only ones I ever had came from the manticores and gargantuan dungeon spider. I reread the ¡°Burnt Mage¡± chapter a few times before putting the book back on the shelf. The amount of pain a burnt mage experienced depended on how many points of potential they had lost. Based on the pain I felt, I feared I had lost quite a few points. There was nothing I could do about it now, and there was nothing I would change about the fight¡ªexcept running sooner. Since my slow-aging spellform constantly drew aether, I would be in constant pain until I consumed the necessary aether channeling essence. I played with Oscar and practiced with my new spear for a while before leaving the dreamscape. Maveith had pulled dozens of bottles of elven wine from the racks and placed them on another bunk. ¡°Any specters?¡± I asked as I stood.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°None,¡± he grumbled tiredly. I nodded¡ªthat was good news. It meant the specters had not tracked us. ¡°Rest for a while, Maveith, and then we¡¯ll visit the towers in the library before leaving the city.¡± ¡°Why?¡± he asked, confused. ¡°I want to gather some books to take with us.¡± Maveith looked at the wine he was selecting. ¡°I was hoping you could take some of these if you had space. I am partial to the deep red ones in the green bottles.¡± I revealed my issue to him. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. I burnt my aether channels fighting the summoner.¡± With a very serious tone, Maveith said, ¡°Your body tells you when you need to stop using aether. Everyone knows that.¡± I frowned but did not respond. Castile had told me as much, but I had pushed my limits. My aether tolerance far exceeded my aether pool, and I had been forced to drink the aether restoratives repeatedly, just seconds apart. Eventually, Maveith lay down with the dreamscape amulet, and I took watch. Hours later, Maveith woke with a yawn and a burst of morning flatulence. I moved away from the deadly cloud and figured it had been long enough to try accessing my dimensional space again. I pulled out the elven tablet reader table, and while my channels still burned, it had not gotten any worse. I took a deep breath and activated the table through the pain. I was stunned by what I saw. My aether channeling was 27/57¡ªdropping from 28/58. I had only lost a single point of potential. Why was the pain so intense? Was I just weak? What would it feel like if I lost two or three points? Suddenly, I felt a lot more sympathy for the old healer back in Sobral. Maveith kept his distance, respecting my privacy. I reset the reader. ¡°Do you want to use it?¡± I asked, but he shook his head. I pulled out the thermal stone and a large quantity of food for a feast, letting Maveith prepare it. We had potatoes, bacon, and liver for Maveith. Even with my ring of sustenance, I had an enormous appetite , keeping pace with Maveith, who was more than a little surprised as we mock-raced to finish our food. I moved all forty-eight bottles of dark red elven wine into my space to join the nine remaining bottles. The aether burn was the same whether I was moving a large or small item. Maveith shook his head in sympathy¡ªor perhaps disappointment¡ªas I winced from the effort. It was a different type of pain than physical. I reactivated my slow-aging spell. It felt like fire coursing through my veins instead of blood. Over time, I hoped I could get used to it. Before sending my pack to storage, I studied the runes on both of the summoner¡¯s rings, turning the thermal stone slowly. I would figure out what they did in the dreamscape sometime later. I attached the black blade to my hip and decided to send the magebane blade to storage with the pack. My head exploded in a flash of light¡ªthen nothing. I woke on the floor with a genuinely concerned Maveith kneeling over me, shaking me. ¡°Eryk, wake up!¡± he shouted, rattling my armor with his efforts. ¡°I¡¯m awake!¡± I protested. ¡°What happened?¡± Maveith exhaled in relief. ¡°Your backpack shot across the room and slammed into the wall, and you collapsed!¡± My head hurt, and my aether channels flared with each beat of my heart. I recalled what happened. I opened my dimensional space, selected an open spot for the pack, tried to close it, and then¡ªboom. Something in the pack could not be stored in my dimensional space. I quickly scanned my storage and was relieved to see everything intact. Raelia seemed unharmed, though I would not know for sure until I released her. I rubbed my aching head, reactivating my slow-aging spellform again and dealt with the pain. I picked up the pack, ensuring the collector was unharmed. ¡°Something among the summoner¡¯s belongings resisted being stored. I think I¡¯m fine¡ªit was just extreme backlash, like when I failed to store the summoner¡¯s head, but ten times worse.¡± I stood unsteadily, searching through the pack. I had my suspicions¡ªit was either the robe or the belt. Or it could have been the rings or the amulet. My splitting headache felt like some modicum of revenge from the dead mage. I pulled out the robe and belt but decided against trying again. I replaced them, shouldering the pack. I stored the magebane blade and the essence collector instead. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the tower.¡± We only encountered two specters on our walk, and one did not even attack¡ªit was just an elf boy wandering the undercity with a toy soldier in his hand. We climbed the tower, and the lingering, unwashed smell of the company still hung in the air, even after weeks. The sun was shining outside, and Maveith looked to me for direction. ¡°Bring me the books on smithing. We¡¯ll take as many as I can store to sell. In the meantime, I¡¯ll page through as many of these other books as I can to add to the dreamscape.¡± Maveith did not question the delay in leaving the city and got to work. It was about midday, judging by the sun outside. I decided I would work until sunrise the next day, then we¡¯d leave. My Elvish had improved significantly, making it easier to translate the titles. Scholar Favian had not shuffled the books too much on the shelves. I started with the cooking and brewing books, leaning toward brewing. Since I was only paging through, I was not consuming the knowledge but enjoyed the faded illustrations briefly as I worked, preparing to add them to the dreamscape later. After sunset, I worked under the glowstone while the stack of smithing books Maveith brought started growing large¡ªI doubted I would be able to take them all. Maveith finished his task, bringing all the viable books, and I moved on to paging through the woodcraft books. My eyes burned as I turned pages hour after hour. Maveith was snoring softly by the time dawn crept through the window. I had just finished the woodcraft collection and let Maveith sleep until I was done. Then, I stood, cracking my back. I was surprised I could store all five hundred books Maveith had brought from the other library, but I had to remove some apples and potatoes. My extra-dimensional storage cube was getting crowded, but eventually, I would page through the books to add them to the dreamscape and could sell them. Maybe I could return one day to collect the rest, though I assumed that once Castile reported back, the Empire would clear the city of specters and take the intact tomes. ¡°Maveith?¡± I called out loudly to wake my friend. He woke quickly, standing on alert. ¡°It¡¯s almost time to leave. I¡¯ll get some sleep while you cook. Wake me when you are ready to leave.¡± With that, I channeled a bit of aether into the dreamscape amulet and fell into slumber. ¡°It¡¯s time to go,¡± Maveith said after taking the amulet from my hand as I woke. Maveith had left a plate of food for me to enjoy. It was mid-morning, and our last day in the lost elven city of Caelora. ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 180: Escape From Caelora & Chapter 181: Epilouge Chapter 180: Escape From Caelora We descended the tower together, Maveith¡¯s heavy steps echoing, drawing a specter. A translucent elf appeared, wearing a leather apron and wielding a hammer. The black spear hummed as I effortlessly slashed through the phantasm. We moved back into the main library. The vast chamber was much emptier than when we had arrived. Piles of fragile books lined one wall, but the company had broken apart most of the shelves to keep warm during the weeks we were there. We had tried to avoid burning the ancient books, but many had been used as fuel if they were deemed too deteriorated to be salvaged. ¡°Eryk, look.¡± Maveith paused and knelt. At first, I did not see it, but there were small footprints in the light layer of recent dust. ¡°Goblin tracks,¡± his deep voice informed me. ¡°How many? Maybe we cleared enough specters that the local goblins have nested here.¡± I scanned the open room for movement. ¡°Small tracks, probably a young green. Only one unique set,¡± Maveith said after a moment, standing. I could not help but laugh. ¡°That little bugger. He must have followed us.¡± I explained to the confused goliath, ¡°I used the goblin to distract the summoner. I left it in the dungeon, but it saw me exit. I guess it didn¡¯t want to spend its final days in the dungeon.¡± Maveith spent a few minutes tracking the goblin, but soon gave up when the tracks crossed themselves repeatedly. Most likely, the creature was hiding somewhere in the library. It just might survive if it could keep avoiding the specters. Maybe it would even follow us out of the library. At this point, it definitely deserved its freedom. Outside the library, the snow was still present, compacted down to about five feet, and from the steps, we could only see the head of a single specter walking the streets. The city gates were still a few blocks away¡ªmaybe a quarter mile. There could also be more specters hidden below the snow if they were shorter. We had certainly seen a large number of spectral children during our time in the city. ¡°Maveith, maybe we could make some snowshoes from some of the shelving?¡± I suggested. Maveith processed my words but looked confused. ¡°How would shoes made out of snow help us?¡± I patted my tall friend on the back, smiling. An hour later, we had makeshift snowshoes strapped to our feet¡ªwide planks tied to our boots. I had gone snowshoeing a few times before and gave Maveith some advice. ¡°One step at a time. Plant your heel first with your lead foot, and don¡¯t rush it. My spear can handle any specters quickly, so don¡¯t panic and fall.¡± ¡°I do not know... Are you sure these will allow us to walk on the snow? They do not seem enchanted, Eryk,¡± Maveith said, skeptical. I was concerned too¡ªhe was such a large man. Even slimmed down a bit, he was likely around 350 pounds¡ªmore with his gear. I reassured the goliath, ¡°The snow has compacted over the last few months. We shouldn¡¯t have any trouble.¡± I climbed onto the snow first, sinking just an inch or two with each step. Maveith followed hesitantly; his larger feet sank a few inches, but he stayed atop the snow. He paused, amazed that it worked. As we walked through the blinding white snow, I led and stabbed any specter foolish enough to show itself. Fortunately, it seemed the specters could not see through the snow themselves. We had walked the first block, halfway to the gate, when Maveith informed me, ¡°The goblin is at the library doors.¡± I twisted awkwardly and saw the tiny goblin standing there, watching us leave. It was a pitiful sight, looking like we were abandoning the child-like creature. ¡°It¡¯s light enough that it does not even need snowshoes. It¡¯s on its own now. We need to hurry and get under the trees¡ªwe¡¯ll be too visible against the snow to wyverns or eagles,¡± I said, turning and continuing across the snow. We reached the gate quickly and faced a problem: the gap in the gate was buried beneath the snow. While Maveith dug into the snow, I guarded him. Half a dozen specters interrupted his work, and he was struck twice while digging. I responded quickly, but they appeared suddenly from the snow wall. Maveith was limping but managed to climb over the snowpack on the other side of the gate. I followed, and we moved rapidly away from the walls of Caelora. Maveith was leading, stumbling a few times as he missed his steps with the snowshoes. Soon we were under the cover of the barren branches. We stopped to catch our breath, both laughing. We were free. We were on the eastern side of the ruins. We could head west to the city of Parvas, about fifty miles away, or south to Sobral, about seventy miles through dire wolf territory. Alternatively, we could head northwest, following the river back to Telha, the capital. As we rested under the trees, the tiny goblin emerged from the city gate, running wildly with books tied to its feet, mimicking our snowshoes. A few spectral heads pursued it, bobbing just above the snow as it raced for the trees. It disappeared into the forest, still running. Maveith and I looked at each other and shrugged. That brief excitement over, Maveith asked, ¡°Where are we going from here?¡± ¡°The company has nearly a day¡¯s head start on us. I think they would have headed north to the capital if they exited near the northern wall. The city of Parvas is the closest, though¡ªmaybe just a two-day walk for us, following the river. Castile wanted to avoid Parvas because Duke Octavian¡¯s son is the count there. But they have a portal to the capital. We might even beat the company to Telha if we go that way.¡± I realized Maveith was not aware of Castile and the company¡¯s conflict with Duke Octavian. After considering for a moment, Maveith questioned, ¡°What about heading back to Sobral? Should we not inform the duchess of our success?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a bit worried about the dire wolves with just the two of us, Maveith.¡± ¡°Parvas, then to the capital? Then I can take a ship back to Stone Mountain Island.¡± He nodded, as this route took him in the direction he wanted to go¡ªto confess to his father. We kept to the cover of the trees as we moved east. After about six miles, the snowpack had dwindled to just two feet deep, and we discarded our snowshoes. Maveith¡¯s snowshoes had been falling apart anyway. We reached the wide, uncrossable Aganterao River and followed it toward Parvas. The snow showed a lot of tracks¡ªbears, gnolls, humanoids with boots, wolves, and even some horse tracks that Maveith insisted were centaur tracks. All these creatures had given the ruins of Caelora a wide berth, obviously smarter than us. Night descended about halfway to the city. We made camp in the center of a group of evergreens and used the thermal stone to cook. The stone was a huge boon¡ªproviding heat for cooking without any smoke or scent of burning wood, that would attract creatures. Still, with just the two of us, I stayed on watch all night, while Maveith slept in short spurts with the amulet. As Maveith entered another round of sleep with the amulet, I carried a glowstone a short distance into the woods. I listened for a while, only hearing the soft crackle of snow refreezing after the mild day. I considered waking Maveith but decided against it. There was a mix of jealousy and fear that he might leave with her. Raelia stood before me, crouched in anticipation. The glowstone shadowed her features, and she exhaled a cloud of steam in the chilly night air. After seeing I was alone, she finally spoke. ¡°We¡¯re out of the dungeon?¡± Her posture relaxed. ¡°Yes. We are about twenty miles west of Parvas. Do you know where that is?¡± I asked. With a note of sorrow, she looked around. ¡°I know where Parvas is. Did Maveith not make it?¡± I doubted she would have had the same concern for me. ¡°Maveith is sleeping,¡± I said, adding a little white lie to spur her. ¡°My company is not far off, with my mage commander. You should get going. I suggest traveling south, crossing the river, and making your way home.¡± I produced her pack and handed it to her. ¡°There¡¯s food and some fragile items inside, so be careful with it. You should make haste.¡± She sheathed her blades and stepped forward to take her pack, surprised by its weight. She shouldered it and was about to turn but paused. ¡°If you are ever captured,¡± she began, then hesitated, ¡°ask for General Clalyn Glavien. I¡¯ll tell my brother you helped me. He¡¯ll make sure you end up in a work camp rather than strung up with the other legionnaires.¡± ¡°What a generous offer,¡± I replied with a mocking undertone. She rolled her eyes at me one last time, checked the position of the moon, and trudged off into the snow. I listened to her footsteps fade away. I hoped she made it home safely. I wondered what her reaction would be when she saw the griffin egg and apex fire essences in her pack. Certain she was gone, I returned to camp and warmed myself with the thermal stone. I took out the large pearl essence I had collected from the summoner and placed it in my mouth. A tingling feeling spread through my body as it dissolved. It was easy to swallow, like cool water, and chills spread from my abdomen to my extremities. My heart pounded, recognizing the potential power I was consuming. I felt my aether core swell, and my aether channels flared in protest¡ªI was going to need to get them repaired. The core enhancement briefly distorted my spell forms, causing me to lose my connection to the slow-aging spell before it re-established itself. I would have to ask Castile if increasing my aether core could endanger my spell forms. When everything settled, I released a relieved groan. I showed restraint in not checking my attributes immediately. Once we reached safety, I could review my progress. We started moving early in the day, walking along the river. A barge loaded with soldiers, along with a handful of legionnaires in red armor, came up behind us. We paused, thinking we could get a ride the rest of the way to Parvas¡ªit was still nearly thirty miles away. Even half a mile off, I could see Benito jumping up and down, pointing at Maveith and me, yelling something I could not make out as the barge changed course, heading toward us. The entire company crowded the bow as the craft scraped the sandy shoal below the bank where we stood. Castile could not hide her smile, and Konstantin shook his head. Benito was yelling about winning some bet. We scrambled down the bank to board, receiving pats on the back and half-hugs. Curiously, one member of the company was missing¡ªFlavius. The bargemen got the barge back into the river, grumbling about the smell of legionnaires they had picked up along their journey. The forty or so soldiers knew better than to complain about our unwashed bodies. After being fed and deflecting questions for an hour by telling them we escaped by returning to the library and using the west gate exit the city, I ended up in a secluded spot on the bow with Castile and Adrian. Castile asked quietly, ¡°The summoner?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t be following us,¡± I said flatly. Castile nodded slowly, relief flooding her face, but she did not press for details. ¡°Where is Flavius?¡± I asked about the missing member. Adrian answered with skepticism, ¡°Konstantin said a wight got him in the undercity when they scouted our escape route together.¡± Castile¡¯s face remained unreadable. Castile let out a long breath. ¡°The Empire is at war. The Esenhem elves have landed on Amatalhos Isle, breaking the peace treaty that stood for centuries. Word is that the Boutan Orcs are also gathering a fleet, but no one knows where they will land once they sail.¡± The summoner had mentioned the Esenhem elves. I stayed quiet, and Adrian continued, ¡°Everyone is descending on the swamps south of Macha. There are even rumors that the Emperor might leave his palace.¡± My mouth fell open. A four-nation war was brewing over the site of the city of the giants, Atlantium¡ªall because I told a single Truthseeker about it. After I digested the news and my potential role in sending thousands of men to die on a swampy battlefield, I inquired, ¡°Are we headed back to Macha, then? Maybe we should have stayed in the dungeon¡ªit would have been safer.¡± Castile smirked at my attempt at humor but looked uncertain. ¡°I won¡¯t know our orders until I report to the Legatus Legionis in Parvas.¡± Chapter 181: Castile POV (Epilogue) Castile observed the departure of legionnaire Eryk and the goliath from the safe room. Curiosity about how the young legionnaire would kill the earth drake pulled her to investigate. She considered sending her all-seeing-eye to follow them, but the extra aether required in the dungeon was best conserved. She was fortunate to have such a hidden power in the company, but keeping the others ignorant of it had become a full-time job. Flavius, in particular, was starting to ask too many questions. Adrian believed he would try to gain favor with a First Citizen or Praetorian Guard when they reached a city. Castile had her own ideas on how to protect the legionnaire, but first, she needed to protect herself. Her gaze swept across the room, taking in the rest of the legionnaires. Despite the looming danger of the summoner within the dungeon, a sense of camaraderie and determination radiated from them as they prepared. The summoner¡¯s presence in the dungeon was a constant threat, and any attempt to flee would likely result in his swift pursuit. Their best chance was to ambush him when he emerged, but even that carried considerable risk. If the summoner controlled the dungeon creatures, he could send them out first to occupy the company, then join the attack himself. Traeliorn¡¯s reputation as the most powerful summoner on the continent overshadowed the fact that he was also a formidable battle mage. Though he had not fought on the front lines in a century, Castile had read the histories and knew how much of a threat he posed and how feared he had been when he fought the Empire. The company¡¯s best option was to distance themselves from the summoner and reach the safety of a city as quickly as possible. Castile reflected on the mission and still felt the pain of all the men she had failed and lost since Duchess Veronica assigned it to her. She wished she had never accepted it. Young Lysander had been the first to fall in the undercity. Lysander had grown up in the village of Modena, near where she had been born. He was a good lad, and his fate was undeserved, just like many of the conscripted legionnaires in the Empire. She chuckled to herself, remembering the times she had Delmar instruct Lysander to add too much salt to the soup or intentionally burn dinner. He sabotaged the food preparation without hesitation, taking the ire of the men for his poor cooking skills, even though he was following her orders. Then there was Delmar, who had also fallen to a wight. He was from the small town of Corsica and sent most of his pay to his ex-wife and children, hoping they would grow up better than he had. As long as she lived, Castile vowed to continue sending the twenty silver a month that Delmar used to. At first, she had suspected that Konstantin had orchestrated Delmar¡¯s death, but after listening to the retelling of the combat and seeing Konstantin¡¯s guilt, she decided he hadn¡¯t intentionally gotten Delmar killed. Delmar was an excellent swordsman, his sternness contrasting Adrian¡¯s congeniality with the men. She had been fortunate to have him in her service. The Empire had arrested Delmar for withholding artifacts obtained from delving, and he chose conscription over a decade of labor in the Imperial quarries. She had helped him get his gambling problem under control and counted him as a friend and loyal subordinate. Her heart ached at the memory of young Felix and his infectious smile. Due to their cheerful personalities, she frequently paired new legionnaires with him and Mateo. Felix was from the northern coast, but she couldn¡¯t remember the name of his town because he always said it was too small to deserve one. Felix had no woman but spoke fondly of his younger sister. Castile planned to write her a letter about Felix¡¯s bravery and send some coin to help her. Lucien, the horse master, was a good man and too decent a person to be forced into a soldier¡¯s life. She believed he had an illegitimate child somewhere. She would check with Adrian, who knew all the men¡¯s life stories.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Lucien and Pavel had given their lives so that Benito and Lirkin had a chance to live. Pavel never spoke much about himself, but if ever there was a pious man in the company, it was him. He would have been much better as an acolyte of one of the gods. He had chosen to become a legionnaire rather than starve on the streets of the city where he was born. Soren and Cyrus were two of the more malicious men in her company. Both had killed men in anger and mostly confided in each other. She was not saddened by their loss, but they had been her responsibility, so she had failed them as well. If Adrian knew of any of their children, she would send them something. Finally, there was Remus, the red-haired man from Amphia. A sailor and foreigner from Gregor¡¯s company, he had been involved in a brawl at the Telha docks and ended up in chains. He was outspoken and, truth be told, a bit of an ass. Seven more names were added to the list of men she would have to answer for when she went to Pluto¡¯s realm for judgment. The list was getting much too long for her liking¡ªnow one hundred and seventeen. She sighed heavily. Her eyes turned back to the corridor where legionnaire Eryk had left. A real, honest-to-goodness otherworlder. She was certain of it now. He had too much naivety and far too much unrealized power. He was the key to her potential freedom. If he lived long enough, perhaps she could convince him to join the Hounds and eventually get close enough to destroy or switch her blood samples in the Archives. She kept nudging him in that direction¡ªtoward Konstantin¡¯s circle¡ªbut it was probably reckless on her part. He did have the dreamscape amulet, and she had never wanted to possess anything more in her life. Even though the created environment was a contrived fantasy, living in the dreamscape was the first time she truly felt freedom and control over her fate. Resisting the urge to request it was difficult, and she waited for him to offer it again. The boy did not realize that once they reached a city, it would not be long before a First Citizen confiscated the artifact. Adrian sat across from her, and they began reviewing the mental and physical health of the men. Most were healthy enough for a forced march. The question was whether they could get a head start on the summoner and reach a city in time. Rattling armor, drew everyone¡¯s attention, and a scream echoed down the corridor. The swearing yell became clearer. ¡°The summoner is in the owlbear room!¡± Everyone froze. ¡°Benito!¡± Adrian barked, and the nimble legionnaire raced off to get the others watching the harpy and earth drake rooms. The company rapidly began packing their gear, readying themselves for the dungeon exodus. While the men prepared, Castile sent out her astral all-seeing-eye to scout. The damnable dungeon forced her to use far more aether than she liked, just to send the scout down the corridors. If they were lucky, the owlbear would slow the summoner. But she doubted it. Her eye reached the room, and she swore¡ªthe summoner was walking behind the owlbear, and his line of sight was directed right at her astral eye. In Elvish, he ordered the owlbear to run. Castile snapped her vision back, her voice cutting the air with an order, ¡°Into the gate! Runic weapons lead! The summoner has controlled the owlbear!¡± Clinking red-armored men scrambled forward into the exit portal. They disappeared rapidly, their numbers dwindling. The noise of the charging owlbear echoed through the room. She looked to Adrian, who was counting the men. ¡°Just missing Eryk and the goliath,¡± he said. She turned and saw them a few dozen yards down the corridor. For a moment, it looked like they might all make it before the owlbear, but fate had other plans. The hulking owlbear burst into the room, and Castile tried to slow it down. Her wispy aether chains snaked across the floor and wrapped around the red-eyed owlbear. They were no match for the creature¡¯s powerful frame. It tore through the shadow chains as if they were paper. The owlbear screeched a sharp, piercing cry of challenge. Its glowing red eyes marked it as a dire owlbear, far stronger than the usual kind. Its body was saturated with aether, making it much more powerful. Eryk entered from the far side of the room, taking in the scene. He yelled at her, ¡°Get through the portal!¡± Castile looked at the foolish young legionnaire. Maybe he had a plan, but she doubted even her entire company could have taken on a dire owlbear. Maybe, if they had time to ambush it¡ªand if one of the most powerful mages on the continent were not right behind it. Adrian stood next to Kolm in front of her, ready to protect her from the owlbear¡¯s charge. She looked at Eryk and nodded. ¡°Adrian, into the portal.¡± Adrian hesitated, unwilling to leave Eryk. Castile recalled that Eryk had stood with him against a giant ettin. A man¡¯s foolish bravado. She yelled at him, ¡°Move! Eryk will occupy it with his air shields and follow us.¡± Castile stepped into the back veil exit, Adrian and Kolm behind her. The gray light of early morning hit her. The tavern was a pile of rubble, and the invigorating, fresh, cold air filled her lungs. The men were engaged with a handful of specters. Konstantin¡¯s blade flashed sparks as he got her attention, ¡°Nine specters so far! Are you going to kettle them?¡± His sword sparked again on another specter. Castile needed to decide quickly. ¡°Form a defensive line around the exit! We will prepare for whatever emerges!¡± Adrian added an order, ¡°Eryk and the goliath still have to exit! Identify your target before releasing your bow!¡± Chaos ensued as Castile used the kettle to eliminate the specters, and the men formed a line facing the dungeon. The body parts of dead legionnaires were scattered, staining the snow red. The men¡¯s feet packed the snow, and the specters were finally dealt with. The goliath stumbled out of the dungeon, holding his side. A large patch of his soft abdominal leather armor was missing, and his flesh was pale in the early light. He stumbled past the four men in the shield wall. ¡°Where¡¯s Eryk?¡± Mateo asked the goliath as he passed his shield. Mateo slammed the bottom of his damaged body shield into the snow once the goliath was safely behind him. The goliath turned to face the oily black wall. ¡°He is coming,¡± his deep voice informed the men while he held his side and drank a potion. Castile moved closer to speak quietly with him. ¡°What happened, Maveith?¡± she asked. Maveith seemed to gauge his response, but Castile¡¯s impatience showed through. He whispered, ¡°The owlbear is dead, but the ice drake was rushing toward him. He will be victorious.¡± He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself. Castile processed the news. The dire owlbear was dead¡ªone less threat. She looked around at the men, weighing options. ¡°Adrian, get men over the wall. Clear an area on the other side, and I will use the kettle.¡± Benito looked incredulous. ¡°What about Eryk?¡± Castile rebuked him a little too harshly. ¡°We will wait as long as we can for him. We are not going back into the dungeon to help him.¡± Castile mused to herself that even if they tried, they would not find him in time to help. ¡°I will go look for him!¡± Benito chirped, moving toward the oily wall. Adrian barked at him, ¡°Fool! You won¡¯t find him in time. He either exits soon or is lost to us.¡± Castile remained focused on the kettle as they guarded the exit. Almost an hour passed before she looked at Adrian, and their eyes met in agreement. Adrian announced, ¡°Over the wall. We are leaving!¡± Maveith, who had been fidgety, questioned the orders. ¡°We should wait longer.¡± Castile shook her head sadly. ¡°We cannot wait. The summoner has most likely prevailed and is probably gathering dungeon creatures to exit ahead of him.¡± Mateo laughed half-heartedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll probably get to the city and find Eryk already at the baths.¡± A chorus of agreements followed, and Benito was already starting a betting pool on when Eryk would reappear. Most likely, no one would collect on it, as the dungeon would likely claim his body, but Castile did not stop the banter. ¡°I am going to look for him,¡± the goliath announced, pulling his hammer from his belt. Castile was about to berate the goliath and order him to follow the company, but instead, she slowly nodded. ¡°When you find him, tell him he should stop trying to play the hero.¡± The goliath nodded and disappeared into the black entrance. Everyone held their breath, but nothing happened. Adrian¡¯s voice broke the silence. ¡°Over the wall! I won¡¯t repeat myself!¡± Packing down the snow and crossing the small plaza to the nearest standing house, they encountered numerous specters emerging from the white banks. Konstantin and Flavius led the way, holding most of them back. A few men were struck, but nothing serious as they smashed the door and entered the ancient shop. Soon, they were back in the undercity. Konstantin did a quick sweep before reporting, ¡°We should lay a false trail. That way leads back to the library, which should eventually lead to the city¡¯s outer walls.¡± Adrian was nearby. ¡°If the summoner is following us, you should stop using the kettle. Let the specters reform and slow him down, along with whatever creatures he controls.¡± Benito was within earshot. ¡°How will Eryk and Maveith follow then?¡± Mateo pulled him aside to explain the reality. Castile agreed with the plan, putting away the kettle. They moved, using the hearth tree¡¯s roots to guide them. During a short rest, Konstantin approached Castile to talk quietly. ¡°Flavius plans to report directly to the Legatus Legionis when we reach a city.¡± Castile remained calm. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He thinks Eryk is an otherworlder, and that you knew about it. He is also certain that Durandus¡¯ collector was in Eryk¡¯s possession. He found multiple minor essences in the goliath¡¯s bags.¡± Konstantin informed her, studying her for a reaction. When Castile did not respond, Konstantin asked, ¡°What do you want me to do about it?¡± Castile was unsure whether she could trust Konstantin, knowing about his other loyalties. Flavius could put Castile in a compromising position and force another tribunal in front of the Truthseekers. She looked Konstantin in the eyes. His weathered face was expectant. Deciding that she could trust him, she said, ¡°Do what needs to be done.¡± He nodded and turned sharply. An hour later, Konstantin came running from a side corridor he and Flavius had been exploring. ¡°A room full of wights! They pulled Flavius in! Move before they realize there are more of us!¡± Konstantin moved to lead, pulling the company with him. Castile paused while the men rushed ahead, sending her all-seeing-eye down the corridor. Two turns later, she found Flavius¡¯s body, his throat slashed and a large pool of blood beneath him. His eyes were wide with shock. Damn it, Konstantin. The city would turn the corpse. Flavius would become a specter, or perhaps even a wight. A necromancer could commune with the undead if the Empire ever retook the city¡ªa problem for another time. They soon took stairs up into a tower guardhouse in the wall. The company stood on the wall, looking back into the city behind them. The snow-covered buildings and the massive hearth tree looked almost serene, but they knew the truth. Thousands of specters remained, guarding the city from outsiders for eternity. ¡°We should be able to jump,¡± Konstantin¡¯s voice interrupted the moment. ¡°The snow looks to be deeper than a man¡¯s height, and it¡¯s just twenty-five feet or so.¡± He did not wait for Castile and jumped. Everyone looked over as he thudded into the snow and disappeared. He freed himself and started moving away from the city with his runic weapon drawn. Soon, the entire company was on the ground, pressing through the snow. Only two specters interrupted their progress. When they reached a copse of evergreens, they paused to look back at the city. It was just a bad memory now. Castile had only twelve men left, plus the scholar. Blaze noted a wyvern in the distant sky, but it looked to be keeping its distance from the city. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s tied to the summoner?¡± Adrian asked from her right. ¡°No. It is just circling in a lazy hunt,¡± she replied. ¡°Do you think Eryk is alive?¡± he asked a moment later. Castile considered the question. ¡°No,¡± she said sadly. ¡°Get the men moving. We will march north and try to reach the capital as quickly as possible.¡± Adrian hesitated, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, consoling her. After the moment passed, he barked at the men, ¡°I think you have rested long enough. Two men up front breaking snow. Rotate every ten minutes!¡± The path north was difficult. It was miles before the snow depth finally eased, making the trek slightly easier. They camped near the river with no fires, huddling together for warmth. In the morning, they marched along the old trade road that paralleled the river. ¡°Sail! River barge!¡± Wylie announced from ahead. They managed to flag down the barge, which was loaded with soldiers. When it beached on the bank, the captain of the unit reported to Castile, ¡°Mage Commander. We¡¯re headed to the eastern border. Do you need a ride?¡± Castile looked over her men. They were exhausted and cold, and it was over a hundred miles to the capital. The nearest city downriver was Parvas, but Count Coccus, Duke Octavian¡¯s second son, ruled the city. Still, they had a portal to the capital. ¡°Yes, you can drop us off in Parvas, Captain.¡± The men climbed aboard, relieved, and collapsed on the barge. The regular soldiers gave them a wide berth, and most of her men were asleep in no time. Castile settled on the barge as it broke away from the bank. She and Adrian moved to get news from the captain about what had happened during the past months. ¡°Where have you been, Mage Commander? The entire continent is about to erupt in war. The Esenhem Elves have taken Amatalhos Isle off the coast. Most likely, they¡¯ll invade the mainland soon. It¡¯s rumored that the Boutan Orcs are also preparing a fleet. There are rumors of other nations mobilizing as well, but they don¡¯t hold much weight,¡± the captain explained. Adrian was shocked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The city of the Titans, of course. Rumor is that Atlantium has been discovered in the swamps south of Macha.¡± Castile and Adrian made eye contact before settling down and pressing the captain for as much information as they could. Hours later, they drifted peacefully under a light breeze. The crisp air was warmed slightly by the water, but chunks of ice floated slowly by. The rushing water was a lullaby for most of the company. The serenity was broken as Benito began jumping at the front of the barge. ¡°There he is! That red dot has to be him!¡± The company stirred, and everyone moved to the bow to see what had gotten Benito so excited. As the craft moved closer, a person in legion armor was clearly walking on the high bank with a very tall person at his side. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s him. The armor looks to be in too good condition,¡± Adrian whispered just to Castile. Castile did not wait; she sent out her eye and returned it to her body a moment later. ¡°It is him, Adrian. The boy survived again.¡± ¡°I will believe it when I see it. What do you think happened to the summoner?¡± he asked. ¡°I am assuming Eryk killed him,¡± she said flatly. Adrian turned to Castile, doubt on his face. The barge grounded on the bank, and the men swarmed the two figures. Castile let the reunion play out, failing to hide her own smile. One less person to add to her death roll, although his survival might cause more problems down the line. When things settled, Castile met Eryk with Adrian at her side. She asked quietly, ¡°The summoner?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t be following us,¡± Eryk said flatly. Castile nodded slowly, relief flooding her face, but she did not press for details. Eryk looked around the barge. ¡°Where¡¯s Flavius?¡± Adrian answered, ¡°Konstantin said a wight got him in the undercity when they scouted our escape route together.¡± Eryk seemed stunned at the news, as he should have been. Flavius was an experienced scout, and maybe she would one day tell him that his death was to protect his secrets. Castile exhaled a long breath. ¡°The Empire is at war. The Esenhem elves landed on Amatalhos Isle, breaking the peace treaty that had stood for centuries. Word is that the Boutan Orcs are also pulling together a fleet, but no one knows where they will land once they sail.¡± Adrian continued, ¡°Everyone is descending on the swamps south of Macha. There are even rumors that the Emperor might leave his palace.¡± Eryk gawked in surprise. He stuttered slightly at the implication, worry in his voice. ¡°Are we headed back to Macha then? Maybe we should have just stayed in the dungeon. It would have been safer.¡± Castile could not hide her smirk, but she also feared what was to come. At least with a multi-nation war, no one would be focused on her small company. ¡°I won¡¯t know our orders until I report to the Legatus Legionis in Parvas. It was only half a day to Parvas, and the docks were full of soldiers and legionnaires. Adrian came back to report that the Legion Hall was packed and that the Legatus Legionis office was too busy to handle a report. The Telhian Empire was always on a constant war footing, but this was different. The Empire was under threat and mobilizing for a long campaign. Adrian said heavily, ¡°The Empire is pulling most of the soldiers from the western Agorian front. The forts along the swamp will be left with just a skeleton force. You can bet the trolls and troglodytes will take advantage. When all is said and done, you can expect the Empire to be much smaller.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on living to see the end of it, Adrian,¡± Castile rebuked him. ¡°Is the Count aware we are here?¡± ¡°No. The portal opens at midnight to the capital. We should be able to leave the city before he learns you¡¯re here,¡± Adrian replied hopefully. Castile kept her company at the docks, but even then, Konstantin and Firth managed to wander off despite her orders. She realized both needed to report to their masters. They returned just in time to march to the central square and join the company through the portal. Arriving in the capital was different from usual. In their silvery armor, over a hundred of the Emperor¡¯s legionnaires guarded the sunken plaza. Archers trained arrows on them before relaxing, seeing it was just wagons of supplies and a small Mage Company. Castile relaxed, relieved that no one was there to arrest her. She turned to Adrian and Eryk. ¡°Get everyone to the Eastern Legion Hall. I will go and report directly to the Legatus Legionis office.¡± Castile nervously made her way to the office. She had prepared a report while waiting in Parvas; all she needed to do was hand it over. The scroll detailed everything that had happened since they marched from Sobral City. She had prepared it with the Imperial Truthseekers in mind, confirming the details and answering questions before they could be asked. She waited in a lobby to be dismissed, but was then asked to wait in a small conference room an hour later. Maybe they were just busy and could not deal with her at the moment. Hours began to blend together. She asked for a runner to inform Adrian she was waiting, but her request was denied. Eventually, the door opened, and she was shocked to see Konstantin enter. He was followed by a tall, older woman with graying black hair. Though Castile had never met Antonia Segreto, the merchant queen, she recognized her. A third person followed them in¡ªCenturion Cornelius, commander of the Eastern Legion Hounds. The door shut with authority, and she guessed Konstantin had betrayed her to his Praetorian master. Konstantin moved to stand in one corner of the room, his face blank. Cornelius moved to another corner, his face wearing the deceptive smile of an old man. Antonia sat across from Castile and introduced herself, ¡°I am Antonia Segreto. I have been following your career since your time in the Mage College.¡± Castile was on the defensive. ¡°I am flattered. Why am I still here? Was my report incomplete?¡± Antonia laughed. ¡°Incomplete? It reads like a tragic play. Most would think it fiction, concocted for sympathy.¡± She gestured to Konstantin. ¡°He confirmed every word of it was true. And Firth reported the same to Cornelius.¡± Castile¡¯s head snapped around to each person, trying to puzzle things out. Konstantin, sensing her discomfort, tried to ease her fears. ¡°You are not in jeopardy, Castile. They just want to talk.¡± ¡°Not in jeopardy yet,¡± Antonia corrected, her smile blossoming. ¡°But if I continue, you will be. The question is, do you want me to continue?¡± Konstantin looked irritated. ¡°Just tell her, Antonia.¡± He faced Castile. ¡°They need you. They need your ability to unweave spell forms before someone can manifest their spells. You are the only one who can do what they need.¡± Castile was confused. ¡°Who do they need me to use my ability on?¡± Antonia looked at Konstantin. ¡°I hate it when you disrupt my delivery.¡± She turned back to Castile, her tone conversational. ¡°We need you on a special team¡ªto help kill the Emperor.¡± END OF BOOK THREE ? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Violating DMCA allows me to seek financial restitution for each instance of piracy. Chapter 182: Past Missteps Catching Up Chapter 182: Past Missteps Catching Up The water rushed along the low gunwales of the barge as we glided toward Parvas. All-out war was on the horizon. I was half listening to Adrian explain my duties to the company when we reached Parvas. He snapped his fingers to get my attention. ¡°Eryk, focus. That is one thing Delmar did well. You drift off into your mind too often. If you want, I can have Linus take your place.¡± It wasn¡¯t a threat and more of a question. ¡°No. I am fine. You were saying that Octavian¡¯s son rules the city, and we want to keep a low profile when we arrive.¡± I then summarized the last few minutes of his lecture. Adrian nodded, ¡°Yes. Hopefully, there will be enough confusion with all the soldiers and legionnaires passing through, and we can get into the portal and to the Capital. Castile wants to report directly to the Legatus Legonis office in the capital rather than send a report through the office in Parvas where other eyes may read it.¡± We then spent two more hours reviewing the procedures for requisitioning food and supplies for the company, collecting payroll to distribute, and filing out equipment replacement requests. I forgot half of what Adrian was saying and regretted accepting Delmar¡¯s duties. The sail barge turned in the bend of the wide river, and small waves breached the rails, causing curses from the soldiers who had been lounging on the rails. Our men in the bow managed to stand quickly but still had their boots soaked. I could see Firth smirking at the soldiers who got the worst of it. He probably could have warned them it was coming but preferred to watch the distress it created for the young soldiers. The river was starting to become crowded with fishing boats, other barges, and even a gray-haired mage crossing to the opposite bank on top of a water spout. The mage was not in legion colors, so he was likely a civilian. The docks came into view, and murmurs of relief came from the company. A lot of the men thought they were not going to survive this last assignment. The docks were crowded with soldiers and workers, and the occasional flash of red of legionnaire¡¯s armor or cloak. Castile was in front of me, and I could sense her nervousness. The bargemen expertly guided our craft to the shelter of the docks. Even before they tied off, the captain of the soldiers was ordering them into ranks. Body shields, pilums, and packs were gathered in a noisy and half-hazard fashion. Most of the men looked like they had not even started shaving yet. Some had excitement in their eyes, but the smart ones had a fear of the reality of the service. Fortunately for them, they were reinforcing the city so the more experienced soldiers in Parvas could be sent west to reinforce Macha. We remained on the barge until they were all disembarked. Castile left to check into a small inn nearby with her hood pulled tightly over her head. She didn¡¯t want to be seen or recognized. Adrian turned on the men. ¡°Wait here. I will report to the city¡¯s Legion Hall and get our orders.¡± He whispered to me, ¡°Keep everyone on board.¡± Then Adrian disappeared into the press of people and soldiers on the docks. Konstantin stepped off a moment later, and I made to stop him. ¡°Konstantin, everyone needs to remain aboard.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like shitting over the rails. I only will be a moment.¡± He grinned at me and walked away, disappearing into the press as well. As he stepped off, Firth clapped me on the back, ¡°You are doing great, Eryk. I am just gonna visit a woman friend of mine at the brothel just down the way. Shouldn¡¯t take too long to remake her acquaintance.¡± He turned and winked at the men, ¡°Well, maybe I might have to get reacquainted a few times.¡± And Firth was gone, too. How the hell was I supposed to keep everyone else on the barge? Brutus stood and looked ready to leave, too. ¡°Maveith!¡± I roused the goliath, and his bald head rose from the deck and snapped his attention to me. ¡°No one else leaves the barge. If they do, dunk them in the river.¡± Maveith¡¯s large frame stood with a nod and moved to the rails to block anyone else from leaving. Brutus sat down but did not look happy. I could see the faces of the men eager to get back into the normalcy of a city after the ordeal in the dungeon. I turned to the docks, picking out the most honest-looking worker I could find, and calling him over. I handed him two large silver coins. ¡°Food and ale for the company from the best tavern nearby.¡± He looked confused at twenty silver and I thought he might just run off with it. ¡°One coin is for you, and the other is for the ale and food.¡± I assumed ten silver was about three weeks¡¯ wages for the man. His eyes went large, and he nodded, accepting the quest. He yelled at another worker, ¡°Pete! I need some help carrying ale and food from Pour Advice. A silver in it for ya.¡± He winked at me. The man named Pete dropped the crate he was carrying with a thud on the dock, and they headed off at a brisk walk. My fear that they would run off with the coin was unfounded as they returned with stacks of large bowls of thick stew and pitchers of ale. It took them three trips to get everything fed. I doubted everything they brought cost more than three silver in total, but at least I kept everyone else on the barge and somewhat happy. When everyone finished, Pete returned the empty pitchers and bowls to the tavern. Adrian returned briefly but went to talk with Castile in the nearby inn first before coming to me. He talked to Castile for over an hour before boarding the barge late in the afternoon. Adrian settled on the barge beside me, ¡°The Legion Hall is swamped. There is no room for us, and there is vast confusion with companies and squads being shifted all across the Empire to respond to threats. The good news is the portal to the Capital is opening at midnight. We should be gone before the Count knows we are here. I logged our men and the goliath for the portal.¡± He looked at the men lounging and taking inventory. ¡°Where is Firth, Eryk!¡± His tone was slightly alarmed. ¡°Konstantin and Firth took off even though I ordered them not to,¡± I reported tersely. ¡°Dragon shit. I told you to keep everyone on board.¡± His tone softened in understanding. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped now. Hopefully, they return before we march for the portal, and nothing ill-fated comes of their absence.¡± I found being in command sucked, especially when the men didn¡¯t listen to you. As night set on the city, the docks thinned and quieted. Firth returned, drunk and rambling about the pleasures of the flesh, just before midnight and waking people up. Adrian went and got Castile, and the company formed up to march to the portal gate. Castile didn¡¯t seem aware that Konstantin was missing as we moved through the city. She was more concerned with the citizens taking note of our movement. Maveith¡¯s size and exotic appearance drew a lot of stares as well. The portal square had several empty carts drawn by mules and a few covered carts with goods as a light misty rain fell. Adrian was to my right and indicated, ¡°Most of the war supplies are funneled to the Capital and disturbed through the portals from there. These carts arrived this morning, were unloaded, and are now headed back to the Capital to be refilled. I learned of the portal opening by talking to a teamster at the Legion Hall. Parvas is a good distance from Macha, so most of the supplies are provisions. It is as we feared, and famine is sweeping the Empire. You can rest assured the soldiers will be fed, though.¡± The displacement mage arrived and looked haggard as if he had been overworked with drawing aether. His sunken eyes looked over at us over and frowned on seeing our company. He talked to one of his legionnaire guards, who jogged to talk to Castile. ¡°Mage Jasper wants to let you know Mage Commander, that he cannot hold the portal long. He suggests you get to the front of the line if you want to ensure your entire company gets through.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Thank Mage Jasper for me,¡± Castile said with a nod. Adrian ordered the men to the front, and when the portal opened, we were the first ones through. I was shocked to find Konstantin standing with us when we arrived. When had he rejoined us? When I noticed him, he gave me a small nod and smirked at my surprise. The legionnaires guarding the portal in the Capital had doubled from my first visit. I was worried about Maveith, but Castile already had a writ for him ready and passed it to a legionnaire in polished steel red-lacquered armor. He read it a few times before nodding. A hand signal from him had the archers surrounding the pit relax the tension on their bowstrings, and we were allowed to leave. I guessed only half of the wagons had passed before the portal closed. Castile addressed Adrian and me, ¡°Get the company settled in the Eastern Legion Hall while I report to the Legatus Legonis office.¡± Castile then hurried off, leaving the company to report our absence. We had a loose formation as we moved through the city at night. In a way, our late arrival made it easier to get to the Hall without numerous eyes on us. Maveith¡¯s head was snapping around at the sites as we walked. ¡°It is larger than I imagined. I can¡¯t believe they use so many glowstones to light the city at night; it reminds me of Eternis back home.¡± Mateo chirped from behind us, ¡°Just the upper city, Maveith. The lower city barely has any lighting besides a few oil lamps. You need to stay away from the alleys down there.¡± Lirkin quipped, ¡°They tried putting glow stones in the lower city, but they were getting stolen faster than they could be replaced.¡± The men then discussed the incident that had occurred some hundred years ago, each story getting more fantastical. Adrian did not make an effort to stop them, so neither did I. The familiar Legion Hall came into view, and Adrian swore as he looked over the men, ¡°For Pluto¡¯s knife, where are Konstantin and Firth?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my turn to babysit them,¡± I said reflexively. Adrian did not look amused at my comment, so I shut up. We approached the desk together, and an old man looked up. Adrian addressed him, ¡°One mage company with twelve legionnaires and one contracted goliath.¡± The man looked over, surprised, and quickly found Maveith in the group, eyes widening some. He grunted, ¡°Bunk room seven.¡± ¡°Bunk room seven doesn¡¯t have circulated hot air and would be cold this time of year. Is bunk room two available? The one over the kitchens?¡± Adrian requested politely. The man seemed unhappy but nodded. ¡°It is empty. Fill your roles here,¡± he said, sliding a piece of paper toward Adrian, and Adrian handed it to me. ¡°Eryk, get the men clean and settled. Turn in the requisition forms for food and gear. I want everyone equipped and ready for a week on the road by tomorrow in case we need to march.¡± He produced a heavy pouch. ¡°Forty large dungeon silvers. You may need to pay to have any lost gear replaced.¡± Adrian turned and left the Legion Hall before I could ask a question. I guessed he was off to support Castile. The eyes of the men looked expectantly at me for direction. ¡°Wake the boy attendants for the baths,¡± I directed the old man, who grunted but left to get them. I ordered the company, ¡°Bunk room two, but I want everyone bathed and cleaned before you settle in for the night!¡± The exhausted men moved slowly as they made their way to the baths. I had to go to the storage room and wake the attendants there. They were unhappy at being woken at the late hour, but I had my duties. I had the boys bring the men¡¯s packs to the resupply warehouse. I had my list of equipment that needed replacing and what we needed to get the men¡¯s packs set for a week. My own salvaged armor was in need of adjustments as I was constantly healing chafe marks. We went through each pack one at a time, repacking it with a full kit. I was learning a lot about my fellow legionnaires going through their packs. It was also not a speedy process as I had to argue with the attendants about what I would have to pay to replace. Generally, any worn or damaged gear was replaced without cost, but it a legionnaire lost their gear, they would have it added to their debt. Our company was already marked from Macha, which is why I thought they were giving me a double hard time. The hours started to stack, and soon, the light of the morning showed through the windows. When all was said and done, the silver Adrian had given me did not cover all the replacement gear, and I had to pull another seven large silver pieces from my own stores to get the men completely outfitted. My hand was also cramped from all the paperwork. I had the sleepy boys drop the packs and replacement armor pieces off in bunk room two. I was going to the bath. Two young boys were cleaning the room as I entered, and the company had long since retired. I gave the poor lads my armor to clean and asked for all new undergarments. I had to pay for them, but it would be worth it. I fell asleep in the hot soaking tub. A splash of water in my face woke me up, and I saw the naked Firth entering the pool. He grinned as he relaxed into the lightly steaming water across from me. ¡°Where did you wander off to?¡± I asked, not really wanting to know. ¡°Needed to scratch an itch,¡± he said glibly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you scratch that itch in Parvas?¡± I retorted, shaking my head. He shrugged, smiling deviously, ¡°Sometimes, the more you scratch, the more you itch. Is Castile back yet?¡± I shook my head, no, and we settled into an awkward silence. Konstantin and Adrian entered the baths loudly and started stripping, giving the exhausted boy attendants more work. Konstantin¡¯s pack was the only one I had not had access to restock. Wylie had Firth¡¯s pack, and Lucien had Adrian¡¯s. ¡°We just got back from the Legatus Legonis. Castile is resting across from our bunk room upstairs.¡± Adrian informed me. Adrian looked distracted and not too happy to see Firth here. Firth¡¯s eyes narrowed at Konstantin, ¡°Why were you with Castile?¡± ¡°I was requested to confirm Castile¡¯s report on the Shimmering Labyrinth,¡± Konstantin said plainly as he started scrubbing under the cold shower. Silence settled, and soon after, all four of us were in the hot soaking tub. Firth broke the silence, ¡°Do we have new orders then? Or will the men be questioned by the Truthseekers?¡± I hid my tension at the question. Adrian answered, still seemingly distracted, ¡°We have orders but have been granted a week¡¯s rest. There has to be an accounting of the runic weapons we claimed from Caelora. We are forfeiting the reward for discovering the dungeon, but the men will each get to retain their runic weapons.¡± With so many runic weapons among the men, I thought the company might become the target of First Citizens or other unscrupulous individuals. I didn¡¯t ask about other dungeon artifacts from the dungeon and eyed my own pack nearby. I had packed it myself in the supply room, and at the bottom of it were the summoner¡¯s belt, rings, and robes. ¡°What are our orders then?¡± Firth asked impatiently. Adrian capitulated, but it was clear he didn¡¯t like Firth, ¡°With only twelve men left in the company and not being able to replace our losses, we are going to be escorting a magistrate through the small towns in the Western Empire. He is carrying a tablet reader and will be testing the youth, looking for potential mages.¡± Firth grunted, seemingly surprised at the easy assignment. I was internally relieved as it meant we would be far away from the war. Konstantin noted sagely, ¡°It makes sense they are starting the testing cycle months early with the flames of war heating up. They want to find as many mages as possible to train.¡± An attendant returned with my new clothes, and I rose from the hot tub, my skin sufficiently pruned. I dressed and packed my things to find my way to bunk room two. It had thirty beds, but most were unoccupied. I paused, realizing we had lost so many men¡ªso many companions and friends. The room was warm and smelled of baked bread from the kitchens below. I moved as quietly as possible to settle into a free, dense, fine straw mattress. It was midmorning, but I still needed a few hours of sleep, even with the ring of sustenance. I drifted off. My bed shook strongly to wake me. Adrian was standing over me in just his underclothes, alarm on his face. ¡°Wake up, Eryk. Count Cassius Cato, First Citizen Justin Cicero, and First Citizen Boris Angela have required your attendance at Cato¡¯s villa in the upper city.¡± My mind came awake quickly at the urgency in Adrian¡¯s voice. ¡°Dress quickly, and I will go wake Castile.¡± I recognized the two First Citizens but not the Count. This could only be in regard to one thing¡ªthe dreamscape amulet. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 183: The Empire鈥檚 Corruption Chapter 183: The Empire¡¯s Corruption Even with the men still exhausted, they were strapping on their armor, getting ready to join me. I was fully rested and slightly surprised I had slept nearly five hours with the ring active. My companions were grumbling and making obsequious remarks regarding the First Citizen¡¯s greed. The grumbling and noise of activity were stopped when Castile appeared in the doorway with Adrian, ¡°Stop! I will be the only one going with Eryk.¡± Everyone went silent to face Castile in a nightshirt, and she motioned for me to join her. I moved into the hallway with Adrian and Castile. She held out her hand expectantly to Adrian, ¡°Do you have the audience request?¡± Adrian handed Castile a heavy parchment, and she crumbled it after reading it. She stared straight ahead, thinking. Already in his armor, Konstantin came into the hallway, ¡°Castile, I think I have a solution. Give me an hour.¡± Castile¡¯s eyes focused on Konstantin, and silent communication passed between them. ¡°Go!¡± She hissed, not liking whatever aid he was offering but accepting it. Konstantin belted his blade and took off at a jog. I watched the old scout jog away, wondering what that was about. Adrian broke the stressful moment, ¡°Why is Count Cato requesting an audience with Eryk?¡± ¡°Count Cassius Cato is going to request Eryk into his service,¡± Castile said, irritated. ¡°Just send him a letter saying I decline, problem solved.¡± I shrugged, thinking this situation was not as bad as I had thought. Castile shook her head mournfully, ¡°It is not that easy. They are clearly after the amulet if First Citizen Boris is involved. Foolish to put his name on the request, alerting us, but he is an arrogant pixie prick. My guess is Count Cato is going to make you a tempting offer to join his service. Then force you to turn over the amulet.¡± She locked her eyes on mine and added seriously, ¡°Or just kill you for it. I am guessing that is the fate First Citizen Boris has for you after you embarrassed him in the duel.¡± My past sins were coming to haunt me. I should have accidentally killed him. ¡°I could give you the amulet to hold,¡± I offered. That was the last thing I wanted. The scorpion room had my dreamscape library and the people I had created. Even hidden behind a wall, Castile would eventually find it if she used the amulet every night. Castile laughed mirthfully, ¡°I have too many favors I owe myself. That amulet would be called on to pay any number of debts. Unbelievably, it is safer with you.¡± Adrian offered a possibility, ¡°We only have twelve men, Castile. The minimum for a mage company. Deny his request outright.¡± ¡°It is a weak argument but one that I planned to use. Do you know anything about Count Cassius Cato? I think his Citadel is in the city of Pambarel. He must have fled to his villa in the Capital when Esenhem took the isle of Amatalhos.¡± Castile waited for Adrian¡¯s reply. The nobles of the Telhian Empire were divided into Dukes, Counts, Barons, and First Citizens. Dukes ran entire provinces and had substantial power. Counts ran the large cities and reported to the province¡¯s Duke. Barons ran regions within the provinces with small cities and towns and drove the economy of the Empire. Adrian shrugged helplessly, ¡°I don¡¯t know the Count. Pambarel is a coastal city. I am guessing he made a decision for self-preservation between the orcs and the elves likely to invade the mainland.¡± Castile was in night clothes that hugged her thin frame. Her health had suffered with us in Caelora, and she had not recovered fully. ¡°You can¡¯t refuse the summons of a First Citizen, so we have to go, Eryk. Hopefully, Konstantin¡¯s plan is viable.¡± She grimaced slightly. Adrian asked, concerned, ¡°What do you want me to tell the soldiers waiting to escort Eryk.¡± Castile thought and smirked, looking at me, ¡°Tell them Eryk is bathing. He doesn¡¯t want to be dirty for his audience. It will be an hour or so.¡± Adrian grinned, nodding, and headed to the lobby to delay our departure. Castile snapped her fingers, ¡°With me, Eryk.¡± I followed Castile to her room down the hall. She began changing into her clean travel clothes. As she changed, I averted my eyes. She asked, ¡°If you want this all to go away, you can just give away the amulet. Even if Konstantin succeeds, there will be others seeking your artifact.¡± Castile was right. It was also an invaluable tool that I was underutilizing. ¡°I don¡¯t want to give it up,¡± I admitted. Castile nodded, accepting my decision, and she finished dressing, ready to accompany me. ¡°I will do what I can, but I do not have much power when it comes to the First Citizens. Konstantin¡¯s Praetorian Master is not a First Citizen either. So I don¡¯t know what she thinks she can do. Your best recourse may be to sell it and get what you can for it.¡± Castile advised seriously. ¡°Otherwise, you will always be looking over your shoulder for First Citizen Boris Angella¡¯s retribution.¡± My blood started to boil at the helplessness I was feeling. I tried to calm down, ¡°Why is Justin Cicero on the audience request?¡± ¡°Boris Angella and him are friends. I learned that from Duchess Veronica. Count Cato is Boris¡¯ Uncle. At least, I think that is correct. They are related somehow, like every First Citizen. They probably solicited his help to put weight behind the request. If we had time, we could summon Duchess Veronica to the Capital, but there is no portal in Sobral, and it would take her weeks to get here.¡± Castile sat on her bed, patiently fixing her hair into a bun. Adrian came up fifteen minutes later, ¡°They are getting aggravated.¡± Castile nodded and stood, ¡°Wet your hair, Eryk. Adrian, tell them we are coming.¡± I went to a pitcher nearby and sniffed it before using it to wet my hair. That done, I stood, and Castile walked slowly downstairs with me. Six soldiers waited in the lobby of the Legion Hall with a very irate-looking Magistrate in pristine white robes. I was guessing the Magistrate was here to make this official. Adrian nodded to Castile as the soldiers boxed us in and escorted us out of the Hall to the villa. We couldn¡¯t talk openly but walked slowly, forcing the impatient Magistrate to walk at our pace. Castile asked, ¡°Why is an Imperial Magistrate assigned to escort a lowly legionnaire to a summons by a Count?¡± The Magistrate looked constipated, ¡°Two First Citizens have accused your legionnaire of stealing from them. The Count is supporting their claims.¡± Castile missed a step, and I started to have flashbacks of how I had been forced into joining the Legion when I arrived in the world. Castile calmly asked, ¡°Which First Citizens and which items are they claiming he has stolen.¡± The Magistrate slowed and pulled out a scroll and slowed while he read it. ¡°First Citizen Justin Cicero claims legionnaire Eryk Marko was tasked with carrying his adventuring gear and retained it rather than having it sent to his estate. First Citizen Boris Angella claims you unjustly took his family¡¯s sword in combat and are in possession of an artifact that rightly belongs to him.¡± Castile processed the words, ¡°We should go to a Truthseeker to clear this up. The First Citizen lost his family¡¯s blade in a fair contest. He has no right to the artifact. Whatever the value of the equipment Justin Cicero claims, I will pay double for his trouble.¡± The Magistrate was obviously not happy about the use of his time but continued on. ¡°There is already a Truthseeker at the villa. This will all be cleared up shortly. If your legionnaire is innocent, he will be on his way in short order.¡± Castile cursed under her breath and whispered to me, ¡°I doubt they are going to limit their questions. Most likely, the Truthseeker is an ally of Count.¡± She addressed the Magistrate, ¡°Can my legionnaire get a Magistrate to represent him?¡± The Magistrate rolled his eyes, ¡°If he is found guilty, we can proceed with a formal trial if you wish, mage commander.¡± That seemed to silence Castile as we walked to the upper city. The tightly packed row of villas outside the Imperial Palace walls looked like the nobles were squeezing their secondary residences in the capital together in order to get as close to the palace as possible.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Some villas had a pair of legionnaires outside, and some had house guards. We stopped at a villa a good distance from the walls of the palace grounds. This seemed to indicate the Count didn¡¯t have a lot of standing within the Empire. We climbed the steps and passed two more guards flanking the door. The lead guard of our escort took us to the back of the villa. The outside of the villa had not been impressive, but the interior was extravagant, with polished marble and colorful paintings. We entered a formal dining room. Boris and Justin were seated smugly, flanking an older man at the head of the table. The familiar white and gold robes of an Imperial Truthseeker stood behind the Count. The Truthseeker was a woman with age lines on her impassive face. The fact that she was not seated at the table was sending alarm bells in my mind. She was standing in deference to the Count. All six guards remained, moving to stand along the room''s walls, blocking an easy exit for us. The Count smiled cruelly, ¡°Mage Castile, your reputation precedes you. I only requested the presence of your foreign legionnaire. The charges are quite serious. I would be willing to dismiss them if he agrees to a term of service in my household.¡± Castile clenched her fists, ¡°He will answer your questions, and we will be on our way. He has not stolen anything from these First Citizens.¡± Justin made to talk, but the Count looked him down, and he remained silent. The Truthseeker took the queue and asked, ¡°Do you wear the black blade of House Angella on your hip, legionnaire?¡± I looked to Castile, who was staring at the Truthseeker, her eyes showing only fiery. I answered the Truthseeker, ¡°No, the blade is mine.¡± The Truthseeker shook her head slowly in disappointment, ¡°He lies.¡± Castile gritted her teeth, ¡°There was no spell form. She is not discerning the truth.¡± The Count smiled broadly, ¡°Are you questioning the integrity of an Imperial Truthseeker?¡± The Magistrate had sat next to grinning Justin Cicero, and my heart began to sink. This whole thing was a shame inquisition. It didn¡¯t matter if I told the truth. Even if we eventually got before Truthseekers, who were not corrupt, I was guessing this little session was designed to get both the runic blade and amulet, and then I would never see either again. Castile seemed to sense a trap. She pulled herself back and considered her response. I looked at the soldiers in the room. They all had their hands hovering near their blades, ready to react. I was guessing the Count, Truthseeker, and maybe the Magistrate had access to a few spell forms. I had no choice but to follow Castile¡¯s lead. Castile addressed the Truthseeker, ¡°Are you Selena Cato? Count Cato¡¯s sister?¡± The Truthseeker¡¯s eyebrow went up in surprise, ¡°I am surprised you know of me. I am flattered, Mage Castile.¡± She wore a thin smile. I wanted to wipe the smug smile on the Truthseeker¡¯s face and then remove the heads of the grinning Justin and Boris. My hand drifted to my hip, and the guards tensed. The First Citizens just smiled, maybe expecting my reaction¡ªa reason to kill me now and speed this along. A commotion back in the villa had a pair of guards leave the room. Had the company come to rescue us? A few moments later, a very angry woman yelled, ¡°Move out of my way. Do not dare to touch my robes.¡± High Mage Zyna came storming into the room. Her dark blue robes rode around her like flowing waves. Castile¡¯s shock only matched the Count¡¯s own disbelief. The Count stood and bowed, ¡°Chancellor Zyna. What brings you to my humble villa.¡± The fire mage looked angry as she surveyed everyone present. Her eyes narrowed at both the Truthseeker and the Magistrate. She quickly puzzled out what was happening. She addressed, ¡°I heard my legionnaire bodyguard was summoned to answer for crimes without notifying me.¡± The Count stumbled, ¡°You are mistaken, Chancellor. This legionnaire is in the service of Mage Castile.¡± Zyna tersely countered him, ¡°You are mistaken. She transferred him to my service when I joined her to hunt Traeliorn Kelran. I NEVER RETURNED HIS SERVICE BACK TO HER. HE IS MINE.¡± She relaxed and smiled, going from belligerent to sweet in a blink of an eye. ¡°You can check the official records to confirm it.¡± High Mage Zyna took the seat at the other end of the table and crossed her left leg over the right. ¡°I can wait.¡± The Truthseeker was the first to gain enough courage to talk. ¡°We are only questioning the veracity of the legionnaire¡¯s claim to his possessions.¡± ¡°Proceed then,¡± Zyna said with a hard smile as she slammed a black Sphere on the table, leaving a dent in the expensive-looking surface. It was the same sphere that the Truthseeker had produced during my questioning after Macha. The Truthseeker seemed uncertain but finally asked, ¡°Legionnaire, do you have a dreamscape amulet in your possession?¡± The sphere on the table glowed, and I assumed it allowed Zyna to make sure the Truthseeker was actually using her magic. ¡°He does not,¡± Zyna said patiently and held out her hand to me. ¡°It is my dreamscape amulet, and he was holding it for me.¡± Her palm was face up, and I thought she wanted me to hand her the dreamscape amulet. I looked to Castile for direction, and she gave me a slight but uncertain nod. She was just as much in the dark as what was going on. Reluctantly, I produced the amulet and placed it in her hand. It disappeared into her pocket. ¡°Anything else?¡± Zyna¡¯s expression was smug, as if she had just won a victory. The Truthseeker looked to the Count for direction, but he was stunned by the Zyna¡¯s appearance. ¡°There is the matter of First Citizen¡¯s equipment.¡± A large gold coin was tossed on the table and rolled toward the Count. No one moved as it stopped and spun in place in front of Justin. ¡°More than fair compensation for equipment he most likely abandoned,¡± Zyna said flatly. The Truthseeker was looking for help from the others, but no one aided her and I think they were afraid of Chancellor Zyna. The Truthseeker meekly started to speak, ¡°The runic weapons of the Angella family¡­¡± Castile interrupted, ¡°Legionnaire Eryk won the two runic weapons in combat, and Duchess Veronica confirmed the results of the duel herself. You can confirm with her with a message sending. The third blade was lost in the under city of Caelora¡ªyou can go claim it yourself.¡± The veins on Boris Angella¡¯s neck and forehead bulged in anger as he saw everything slipping away. ¡°It appears all the charges have not been found valid, Magistrate Dominic Cato. You will have the charges dismissed and logged as found less, and note that the matter is closed.¡± We had to wait while the Magistrate produced and signed the prepared papers. It was clear they were fearful of the High Fire Mage. High Mage Zyna confirmed the documents and took them with her as she stood. She paused in the doorway, looking directly at me, ¡°Come legionnaire, you are still in my service.¡± I looked to Castile, who seemed at a loss, but we both moved with Zyna, her blue robes flowing in front of us. When we reached the street, Zyna slowed down and took a comfortable walk. Castile asked, ¡°Why are you a Chancellor, and what is going on?¡± Zyna¡¯s wise face smiled as people moved out of her way as we walked, giving us a wide birth. ¡°I am the new Chancellor of the Mage¡¯s War College and report directly to the Emperor.¡± ¡°You returned to the Mage College? But why did you help us?¡± Castile pressed. ¡°A mutual friend asked me to intercede,¡± Zyna said haughtily. I assumed she was referring to Konstantin. I guess the old man had come through, and I would have to thank him, but I still had lost the dreamscape amulet. We followed Zyna as she walked, the press of people parting like the Red Sea as we proceeded to an impressive building just outside of the imperial palace walls. Legionnaires in polished armor guarded the gates, and they bowed to Zyna as we climbed the steps. It didn¡¯t take me long to realize that this impressive structure was the Mage College. We climbed pearly white marble floors while young men and women in robes rushed up and down the stairs. We proceeded deep into the massive College with impressive high ceilings and wide hallways. We climbed a large circular staircase ascending a large tower on the corner of the campus. As we climbed the steps, Zyna finally spoke, ¡°I am going to retain your services, legionnaire. You will serve as my bodyguard while I am stuck as Chancellor of the War College.¡± Castile objected weakly, ¡°Eryk is an important member of my company, Chancellor Zyna.¡± ¡°Do not worry. I have a porter in mind to replace him.¡± We reached a landing, and Zyna looked down the corridor, slightly confused. ¡°I think my chambers are this way.¡± She walked a little uncertainly and stopped at a wide, dark blue door. ¡°It has been a while since I used these stairs,¡± she smiled, opening the door. Inside was a large, comfortable common room with couches. Near a tall window was a familiar man in red leather-resin armor. Konstantin was staring down out the window and slowly turned as we entered the room. He gave me a small reassuring nod. ¡°You really need to have someone clean your chambers,¡± a dark-haired woman with streaks of gray sat in a comfortable seat, ran her finger across the surface of the end table, and showed the layer of dust on it. ¡°I just took over the Chancellorship last night, Antonia. This suite has not been used in decades.¡± Zyna said with a note of exasperation. The seated woman must be Antonia Segreto, Konstantin¡¯s Praetorian master. She cleaned her finger on the cushion, ¡°Yes, well, I can send you a few maids.¡± ¡°No need. I will find some mage aspirants in need of discipline to clean the apartment,¡± Zyna replied with a smile. She moved to sit across from Antonia, causing a cloud of dust to puff into the air. Antonia shrugged, and her focus turned to me. She seemed to be considering me for a long time until I started to feel uncomfortable. Her next words did not assuage my discomfort, ¡°So this is the other worlder?¡± ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 184: Getting Boned Chapter 184: Getting Boned Antonia Segreto relaxed and enjoyed my discomfort at her knowledge of my origins. I looked to Castile for help, but she had an impassive expression and was not likely to aid me. Antonia finally spoke, breaking the tense silence, ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like much. I think he might prove more of a liability for our plans.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t scare the boy. He might do something you will regret, Antonia.¡± Konstantin said, irritated and walking casually away from the window. Antonia smiled with some mirth, ¡°If he is so dangerous, Konstantin, then why did I just learn he was an other worlder an hour ago?¡± That statement was somewhat reassuring that Konstantin had kept my secret. But how long Konstantin had known I was an other worlder was another question for another time. Konstantin stated in a relaxed tone, ¡°I was only tasked with keeping Castile alive. She is alive, and I have given you much more in my service.¡± He gestured respectfully at the quiet Castile. Antonia pursed her lips in distaste. ¡°I would have preferred to learn of the ruins of Atlantium sooner.¡± She focused on Konstantin and then on me, ¡°It makes me wonder what else you might be withholding.¡± She turned to me, ¡°Fine. He might be useful. What do you have in mind for him?¡± Konstantin leaned on a table that squeaked slightly as it shifted on the floor, ¡°He can handle the secondary Archives.¡± Antonia hissed, annoyed, ¡°Revealing our plans in the open.¡± High Mage Zyna interrupted, ¡°This room is secure. I installed the array myself last time I served as the Chancellor of the War College and used this suite.¡± Her penetrating gaze studied me. ¡°I agree. I think he can do it. Cornelius was looking for someone capable. I think this other worlder is a good choice.¡± She smiled reassuringly at me. Antonia¡¯s eyes were appraising me again, ¡°You would bet all our lives on an unknown entity.¡± Antonia shifted uncomfortably in her seat to look at me better. ¡°He has killed a manticore and wyverns on his own and survived deep in the Shimmering Labyrinth. The boy is more than what he seems.¡± Konstantin addressed Antonia in seriousness and praise. I must be dreaming if Konstantin was praising me openly. I felt the need to say something as they were discussing my fate like I was not here. ¡°I prefer not to be called a boy. I am 26.¡± Antonia waved, dismissing my words with her hand like I did not factor into her decision. ¡°We will only get one chance to place someone in the Archives.¡± She continued. ¡°I am not sure this one is our best bet.¡± Castile stepped forward, ¡°No, he is. It will fulfill one of the conditions we set for my aide.¡± Antonia seemed to be weighing her options. She clicked her tongue, ¡°Fine. If he missteps, then we can cut our losses.¡± I was not sure, but I think she just said they would kill me if I didn¡¯t play along. Konstantin clapped the table in apparent excitement, ¡°I will go tell Cornelius. The next class of Hounds should be assembled in a few months.¡± ¡°In the meantime, he can serve as my bodyguard at the Mage College to shield him from the First Citizens,¡± Zyna said, giving me a wink and an encouraging smile. Why did that smile make chills run through me? I looked at those assembled, and they seemed to think that I was going to do whatever they wanted. I was getting frustrated being in the dark as everything was being hinted at. I needed some bargaining power and control. ¡°What is this task with the Archives?¡± I asked firmly. Antonia sighed and committed to bringing me in, ¡°The Archives are where they store blood samples of the Empire¡¯s mages.¡± I looked at Castile as she told me something slightly different. ¡°I thought there were two archives?¡± Antonia nodded, sighed, and started explaining as she would to a child, ¡°There are. One of the Archive vaults is in the Imperial Palace. The other is known only to the Emperor and guarded by an elite group of the Hounds under the command of Centurion Sergius.¡± ¡°So, you want me to infiltrate the Hounds and steal the blood samples of Castile?¡± I asked skeptically. I doubted I would last long in front of a Truthseeker when questioned about my role in this conspiracy. Antonia laughed, ¡°No, not just Castile. I have a list, but it is much too early for that. We have agents in the Palace who will handle the Archives there at the same time.¡± I recalled the conversation I had with Castile regarding the Blood Archives, ¡°Why would I care to risk my life? I thought the second Archives only had blood samples from mages. It has nothing to do with me.¡± High Mage Zyna produced the dreamscape amulet and walked it over to me, ¡°Yes. Mages and every First Citizen. There are more things going on here than you need to be made aware of at the moment.¡± She placed the amulet in my hand, closed my fingers around it, returning it to me. ¡°In doing this task, you will be earning your own freedom, other worlder. Your blood sample will be purged from the Imperial Archives, and you will be released from service.¡± Antonia was apparently the one in charge of this plot and stood, ¡°You are coming late to the game, other worlder. How long have you been on Desia?¡± Desia was the name of this planet. I shifted uneasily, considering my answer, but Castile spoke for me, ¡°He arrived shortly before joining the legion. His spatial spell form is impressive. He can heal himself some and create a weak air shield.¡± Was Castile downplaying my abilities in front of Antonia, or was I less special than I thought? Castile added after Antonia nodded, impressed. ¡°He has a tiny aether pool and terrible aether shaping skills. He will never cast a true spell.¡± I was going to object to having my aether pool called tiny¡ªadequate would have been a better word¡ªbut remained silent. Antonia considered, ¡°Still three extremely useful utility spell forms. He will do well in the Hounds. Who else did you arrive with other worlder?¡± I hesitated but decided on the truth, ¡°I arrived alone. I fell asleep in a barn and woke in another barn on your planet.¡± ¡°Is it true there is no magic where you are from?¡± Zyna asked curiously. The first question anyone had asked regarding Earth. Antonia furrowed her brow, ¡°You can satiate your curiosity later with him, Zyna.¡± She addressed me, ¡°Where did you arrive? I have never heard of an other worlder appearing alone.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°There are others?¡± I asked hopefully, thinking maybe there were people from Earth. ¡°Others. You are the first human I am aware of in over two hundred years. But the world is bigger than the Telhian Empire, other worlder. The last appearance in the Empire¡¯s borders was seventeen elves some thirty years ago on the western coast. They arrived together naked on the shores. They were subdued and imprisoned in the cells under the Palace. To my knowledge, none live today.¡± Antonia waited for me to ask a question, but I inferred that the elves had been harvested for their essence by the Emperor. Seeing a chance at some information, I inquired, ¡°Are there more other worlders than just humans and elves?¡± Zyna answered my question with patience. ¡°Yes. I think each race on Desia comes from a different planet in the cosmos.¡± Antonia interrupted Zyna as they competed on who was more knowledgeable, ¡°There has been no recorded halfling arrival, or that of a number of the beastkin races as well, but our records are limited with our poor diplomatic relations with the other nations.¡± Antonia rose and walked to the door resolutely. ¡°I can not stay, no matter how fascinating this conversation would be. I will send the Bone Etcher for Castile and the other worlder.¡± Zyna winced at the mention of the Bone Etcher, and Antonia left the room with a purpose in her step. With her departure, the tension evaporated from the room. Zyna spoke first: ¡°She is juggling the fate of the Empire in her hands. She thinks she can save the Empire, but in the end, she may destroy it.¡± I asked a question of Zyna, ¡°What is the Bone Etcher?¡± Zyna winced again at the name. ¡°He is a master runescriber. He can inscribe spell forms on a person¡¯s bones, giving them permanent spell forms.¡± I could see why she had winced if she had been given such a treatment. ¡°What runes?¡± Castile asked nervously. ¡°Simple truth runes. No matter what you speak, it will ring as true to a Truthseeker. Even their rune spheres will not detect the runes inside your body. Everything you say will register as true under their spell forms,¡± Zyna explained. It is how we have operated undetected for so long. Castile seemed shocked. ¡°How many of you are there?¡± Zyna shook her head. ¡°You will only be made aware of those you need to be me made aware of. Antonia pulls the strings and is the only one who is aware of everyone involved.¡± My eyes widened at the trust they were imparting to me. I may be putting myself in more danger by agreeing to participate. A soft knock at the door had us pause, and the red-haired Zyna rose and opened the door. A short man in a mask stood in the hallway and scanned the room. The mask looked to be made from bone with a poorly proportioned face drawn on it. ¡°Two?¡± He rasped in a monotone. Zyna nodded, ¡°Just two. I have some Endless Dark centipede toxin I can use to incapacitate them while you work.¡± ¡°If they want to watch, that is fine. I have a supply of oblivion pills as well.¡± His dry monotone voice came through the mask as indifferent. Did I really want to watch someone cut open my arms to get to the bone and then chisel a spell form on them? The short answer was not really. I looked to Castile to see what she would do. She was rolling up her sleeves, and I guessed I couldn¡¯t be the wimp. I volunteered, ¡°I will go first and just the toxin.¡± The Bone Etcher black irises eyes behind the mask appraised me, but he eventually indicated a chair at the dining room table for me to sit in. I moved to a chair at a dusty table, and he produced a vice to lock my arm in place on the table while he worked. I couldn¡¯t believe I was doing this, but if it gave me the ability to avoid the Truthseekers, it would be worth it. My right arm was immobilized, and Zyna placed a large jar of green liquid on the table. The Etcher took the jar, and I noticed the skin on his hand was translucent gray, and deep blue veins beat beneath them. I started to get a bad feeling and thought of changing my mind. He rubbed a thick green mucus on the forearm, and it immediately took effect, absorbing into the skin. The toxin not only affected my arm but my entire body. I tried to fight the effects, but I slowly slumped in the chair as I lost control of my body. ¡°That was a large dose,¡± Zyna commented as the Etcher strapped my body and head to remain upright. He didn¡¯t respond to Zyna¡¯s comment. I realized the man had not used gloves¡ªso he was immune to the toxin. The Etcher sat to do his work on my right arm. He stabbed deeply and pulled his dagger along the flesh, opening my forearm arm up. I jerked reflexively with each cut as he worked to expose the bone. He paused, slightly surprised I moved. He looked back at Zyna who was out of my sight line, ¡°He has a strong constitution.¡± He lathered some more green mucus until he was satisfied I was immobilized. My eyes were half closed, but I could still see him work. He cleaned a six-inch section of bone and produced a large runic stylus. He began making intricate runic marks on the bone with a practiced hand. Leaving a thin trail of silvery metal embedded in the bone. The smell of cooking flesh reached my nose. I may have jumped into this a little quickly. What guarantees did I have that they were doing what they said they were doing? Maybe this was a slave branding. It was hard to resist my instincts to channel my aether to heal myself. He worked rapidly, but doing the first arm took over an hour. During the procedure, he paused to administer more green toxin when my muscles twitched. When he finished, he folded the flesh and muscle back down and poured a healing potion into the wound. The wound closed rapidly, and a thin but rapidly fading scar soon remained. I could feel the pattern of the spell form itching under the flesh, but maybe that was just because I knew it was there. The second arm proceeded much as the first, and the masked man spoke in a flat tone while working on the second arm. ¡°This spell form utilizes the natural flow of aether in your body. It counters the spell form of a Truthseeker. They will perceive everything you say as being truthful. Be careful how you speak. Do not get caught by saying something when your interrogators know it to be false,¡± his dry voice rasped. He finished the second arm and closed the wound with the rest of the healing potion. Relieved, I released my hold on my instincts to heal myself. There was not much healing to be done as he had used a powerful potion, yet still, it was like scratching an itch. I was still immobile and found my healing spell could not affect the etchings on my bone, and the foreign etchings continued to itch. The man was setting up Castile and commented in his flat tone, ¡°It is permanent and now part of you. It will always itch, but you will learn to ignore it with time. If your bone shatters and is healed, it will be reformed. The only way to remove it is to extract the entire bone. You need the inscriptions on both arms for the effect to work, so don¡¯t lose an arm.¡± His delivery was flat, but I was fairly certain he was making a joke. I had some control over my mouth and slurred, ¡°I will do my best.¡± My quip came out gibberish as my tongue didn¡¯t work properly yet. My fingers twitched as the toxin started to fade, and I slowly regained movement. Castile was starting her own treatment, and the bone etcher seemed to have more difficulty with the smaller available surface, having to wrap the spell forms around the bone, twisting her arm unnaturally to work. Zyna undid the straps holding my body to the chair. By the time he finished with Castile, I had regained my movement and found I had drooled extensively on the front of my armor. My eyes had teared considerably from the crusty salt on my face. Even though I had felt nothing, my body had reacted during the surgery, my tear ducts working overtime and my salivary glands reacting to the smell of burning meat. Castile was experiencing the same as her eyes dribbled tears, and her mouth foamed slightly and dribbled down her chin, mixing with her tears. The Etcher stood after Castile was healed, ¡°It is finished. Lie to me.¡± He instructed us. ¡°You have an incredible bedside manner,¡± I stated. A tingly feeling, like electric sparks, danced under my arms. Apparently, an added benefit of the work was that I was aware of someone using a truth spell form on me. ¡°Truth,¡± He stated, not commenting on my joke. He turned to Castile, who was still recovering. He waited till she could speak. ¡°I enjoyed that,¡± she spat out in twisted words as she tried to gain control over her tongue. ¡°Truth,¡± the Etcher stated, packed up his tools without further comment. He exited the room, leaving Castile, Zyna, and myself alone. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 185: Farewells Chapter 185: Farewells I flexed my forearms, and they felt tight and burned a little on top of my aether channel burn. Castile was scratching her own arms, which made me happy I was not the only one feeling the aftereffects. I looked at the two mages, ¡°What now?¡± High Mage Zyna started cleaning the table, gathering up the jar of toxins. ¡°Nothing. Castile will continue to do her duty, and you will serve as my bodyguard. Antonia will advance the plan when the opportunity arises and let us know.¡± I looked to Castile worriedly, ¡°What about Maveith? Can he join me here?¡± Castile deferred to Zyna with a glance. Zyna shook her head, ¡°No. A goliath would not be allowed on the college grounds. It is best he stays with the company or returns home.¡± I was torn and felt guilty. I told the goliath I would join him on his trip home to Stone Mountain Island to confess to his father. He didn¡¯t need me to make the trek, but still... ¡°I should go tell him I am not returning,¡± I decided. I also wanted to gather my things¡ªthe summoner¡¯s gear was also in my pack. Castile denied my request. ¡°No, you are not leaving the Mage College Grounds unless Chancellor Zyna is with you. If you walk the city alone, Boris will target you. He most likely has people watching the gates of the college.¡± Seeing my consternation, Zyna smiled reassuringly at me, ¡°I could use a walk. Eryk needs to gather his possessions at the Legion Hall as well.¡± I was soon escorting the two mages through the city, back to the Eastern Legion Hall. I led the procession, but it was not needed as the Chancellor¡¯s robes parted the press of people as we walked. ¡°Are they afraid of you?¡± I asked Zyna quietly. ¡°Yes. The Chancellors are hands of the Emperor. We carry his authority and can administer justice on the spot without a trial. There have been a number of unscrupulous and cruel Chancellors in the past. I doubt many recognize me, just the robes of my office. We will need to get you some proper polished steel legionnaire armor. If you are to guard my person, your common legionnaire armor won¡¯t do.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if Zyna was serious or attempting humor. I looked at her imperious walk and stoic expression and decided it was the former. I was fine with it, as my current reclaimed armor rubbed in all the wrong places. We entered the Legion Hall to find the entire company in the courtyard, ready to march. Adrian split from the men, a relieved expression on his face seeing us, ¡°We were ready. What happened?¡± His gaze kept drifting back to Chancellor Zyna and then to me. Castile couldn¡¯t hide a smirk, ¡°Eryk managed to evade the First Citizen¡¯s wrath.¡± Adrian¡¯s eyebrows danced, and he shook his head, ¡°Jupiter¡¯s mercy. I owe Benito a silver. Eryk, you must have the Fates dancing to your tune or sharing Fortuna¡¯s bed.¡± Castile indicated to Zyna, ¡°He will be attending to Chancellor High Mage Zyna for the foreseeable future at the Mage College.¡± Adrian looked a little shocked and whispered to himself, ¡°Fortuna¡¯s bed it is.¡± He nodded and turned to face the men to explain. It looked like they had been ready to respond on my behalf, which would have ended poorly for all of them. I don¡¯t think I ever had such companions before. Adrian bellowed for all to hear, ¡°Eryk is safe and moving on from our lowly company to live in luxury at the Mage College.¡± The men relaxed. Benito was the happiest of the group, his head looking around, probably looking to collect coin from those he had bet about my fate. Adrian continued, ¡°Everyone is free for the next three days except for two hours of weapons practice at sunrise.¡± Happy grunts and smiling faces spread among the men. Adrian gave the company a mild warning, ¡°Don¡¯t get in too much trouble. See Linus for your bonus silver from the dungeon.¡± Adrian turned to me, extending his arm, and we clasped wrists. He smiled, ¡°I hope this is not the last time we see each other, Eryk. Don¡¯t drop your shield arm when circling an opponent to the right, and stop consorting with so many vile beasts. One of these days, one will take advantage of your generosity.¡± ¡°Thank you for teaching me your leadership skills, Adrian.¡± I released his grip, and the men swarmed me to say their goodbyes. It all felt too sudden, but it was the course for men in the legion, and it was not like I was being buried today. We had been through so much together in less than six months: the griffin hunt, the siege of Macha, the Shimmering Labyrinth, and then defying the summoner. It felt wrong to leave them and hide away in the safety of Mage College. A few men patted me on the back, a few men shook my wrists, and a few hugged me, our abused armor scraping together. Benito smiled, hugging me, ¡°Another seven silver! You are my lucky charm, Eryk.¡± He winked, ¡°I keep telling them never to bet against you.¡± The last man was Maveith. The tall goliath looked morose and clapped me on the back harder than he needed to. ¡°Thank you for interesting times, Eryk.¡± Castile and the others had drifted away to give us privacy. ¡°You can remain with the company, Maveith, or you can return to Stone Mountain Island to reconcile with your father,¡± I told the goliath. I added impulsively, ¡°If you wait, when I finish my legion service, I will go with you.¡± I was starting to think my service may end sooner than the four and half years I had left. If the conspiracy was successful, I would be released, and if it was not, I would likely be released in death.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Maveith considered and looked at the men disappearing with a handful of large, shiny, silver dungeon coins. ¡°I will remain with the company for now.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it. If you need anything, just ask. How much silver do you need from the Shimmering Labyrinth?¡± I asked, wanting to give him a share of what we earned together. I wanted to show how valuable his companionship and loyalty had been to me, and I planned to double whatever he said. ¡°None at the moment.¡± He rested his hand on the head of his maul. I noticed it had been rubbed with charcoal to cover up its luster. ¡°This hammer is fair compensation for now,¡± his deep voice rumbled affectionately as he caressed the head. I nodded in acceptance but was disappointed. ¡°If you get back to Sobral before me, check in on Ginger for me.¡± Maveith nodded knowingly. High Mage Zyna approached us and it looked like we were leaving. She had shown patience for a lowly legionnaire, but I was sure her time was valuable. ¡°We need to return. Gather your things.¡± I nodded to her and walked up to the bunk room. Armor was tossed half-hazard on bunks as men rushed to change and head out into the city to spend their coin. I found my pack where I had left it and caught Brutus sneaking out a side door. Our friendship had been strained since we were separated entering the Shimmering Labyrinth. He had spent a lot of time with Flavius in the dungeon, which may have also jaded his opinion of me. He was going to like me even less in a minute. ¡°Brutus, I am going to need the other runic blade back.¡± He froze, and I could tell he had hoped I had forgotten. A runic weapon was worth about what a legionnaire made in a lifetime. He turned slowly, his eyes betraying his reluctance. ¡°If I returned the weapon, I would be the only one in the company without a runic blade. Could I just hold on to it for you?¡± I weighed my friendship with Brutus with my needs. I didn¡¯t need the blade as a weapon, but it represented a fair amount of coin I might need. I also might never see Brutus again. ¡°No, I do need it back. I am not sure where my travels will take me.¡± Brutus¡¯ face contorted briefly before he went and retrieved the sheathed blade and pressed it forcefully into my outstretched arm. He didn¡¯t talk as he left the room, clearly unhappy with my decision. I had some guilt but I was sure he would have done the same in my position. Maveith helped me gather my things, and soon, I was back with High Mage Zyna in the courtyard of the Legion Hall. Castile was gone, but I could tell she was much happier knowing she could trick a Truthseeker. I walked next to Zyna as we started to return to Mage College. ¡°What will my duties be?¡± I asked and quickly added respectfully, ¡°Chancellor High Mage Zyna.¡± She smirked, ¡°Just Zyna is acceptable when we are in private. I teach battle magic on Tuesday and Thursday mornings on the Demeter field. You will join me for that once you get your armor. I teach fire magic in classroom seven on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. You can stand guard over the classroom door for the class.¡± I looked over, and she did not seem to be joking. A number of the Imperial Legionnaires stood guard for hours every day. ¡°How long are the classes?¡± I inquired to prepare myself for a very boring duty. ¡°Each one is three hours long, but the rest of the time is yours to do with what you will. That is unless I need a guard escort to meet the Emperor or a noble in the city.¡± I would gladly stand like a statue for three hours if that meant I would have the rest of the time to myself. I would be nervous if I had to meet the Emperor as he might uncover my origins. Seeing my excitement, Zyna put a damper on my potential freedom, ¡°You should remain in my apartment. Castile is right that the First Citizens will seek vengeance against you if you wander the city. When Cornelius informs me the Hounds are ready to receive you, I will send you to his care.¡± I had conveniently forgotten about that. I was going to be trained as a Hound. That made me nervous as well. Less so now that I could evade the Truthseekers. ¡°I thought the Hounds didn¡¯t take foreigners into their ranks.¡± At least that is what Konstantin had said¡ªor did he say the Praetorian Guard didn¡¯t take foreigners¡ªI couldn¡¯t recall. ¡°It is rare but not unheard of. It is one of the reasons Antonia called on the Bone Inscriber. We have a number of people within the Hounds. You will just need patience,¡± Zyna noted softly. ¡°Will I be collecting your blood samples as well from the Archives,¡± I asked after a few minutes of thought. She frowned and made to educate me, ¡°Do not talk so freely in the streets, Eryk. I have us shielded, but that will not always be the case. We can converse openly in my apartments, but consider all other locations off-limits unless I initiate a topic.¡± I could see the amount of faith she was placing in me. If the conspiracy were exposed, she would be executed with the other traitors. We reached the tower and again climbed the stairs to the dusty sitting room. I followed Zyna into a side door, revealing a dust-filled bedroom. She patted the bed, and a cloud of dust blossomed above the strike. ¡°It has been a while. I wish I knew a reliable void mage to clean the dust. Instead, I will have to order all new linens.¡± She sighed and sat on the bed anyway, adding dust to the air. ¡°This entire floor is my suite. We are on the top floor of the War Mage¡¯s Tower. A few instructors should be quartered on the floors below this one but they floors have been sound-proofed.¡± ¡°Is the War College different from the Mage College?¡± I asked while walking around the room. ¡°The War College is one of the four schools at the Mage College. The other three are Recruitment, Research, and Application. The Recruitment College is responsible for finding new mages and teaching Mage Aspirants how to cast proper spells. If they succeed, they move on to one of the three other schools. The combat school is the War College,¡± she said, holding up both hands and indicating our area. ¡°The research school is responsible for the advancement of magical knowledge in the Empire and trains artificers, alchemists, and researchers.¡± ¡°The final school is called the application school. These are mages applying their magic for construction, healing, weather forecasting and control, or any number of applications outside of combat.¡± Zyna finished. She stood, adding more dust to the air, and I held back a sneeze. ¡°Remain on this floor for now. Do not talk to anyone.¡± She cracked another knowing smile. ¡°I will get an Imperial armor smith to measure you for proper armor, find some Mage Aspirants to clean the room, and order new linens.¡± She indicated other doors. ¡°There are a number of servant and guest rooms. Find one and make yourself comfortable.¡± I could see her mind working as she left the room. When the door closed, a heavy silence fell on me. My armor groaned as I turned slowly and started to explore my new temporary home. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 186: Mage Aspirants Chapter 186: Mage Aspirants With Zyna gone, I was free to explore. I looked out her bedroom window and cleaned the glass. The view below was spectacular¡ªa vast square courtyard with azure, pink, and yellow flowering trees sprawling among pristine white paths. Men and women in robes walked the stone paths below, moving between the four towers at the corners. Looking closer at the paths, I noticed they reminded me of a spell form¡ªan incomplete spell form, but maybe the paths extended beyond the walls. There was too little of the spell form for me to guess its purpose. Whatever its effect, it was an impressive and massive array. The mages below mostly wore black robes; who I assumed were the students. A few gray and white robes walked among them. With my height from the top of the tower, I could also see over the granite walls of the courtyard. The Mage College was nestled against the walls of the Imperial Palace. One gate led directly to the Imperial Palace Grounds but was guarded by four legionnaires in shiny plate armor with red highlights. Ugh, being a statue was in my future as well. I turned away from the window and started to walk the floor I was on. It was a massive suite encompassing the entire top floor of the large tower. Four large bedrooms, each with its own small servant¡¯s room attached. The large sitting room with a door to the stairs, where I had met Antonia Segreto, had a formal dining room with seating for sixteen and an attached large kitchen. The larder was barren of everything but dust, and all the kitchen dishes, pots, and pans were also long neglected. Off the kitchen were two more small bedrooms, probably for the kitchen staff. A large formal bath with showers, a soaking tub, and a steam room was located in the center of the floor, amidst an array of larger perimeter rooms with windows. I tried the valve on the central soaking tub, and air hissed out with a low rumble. After nearly a minute of hissing and sputtering, dark water exited the pipe, slowly changing to clear. I guessed the plumbing of the tower was pressurized somehow with magic. The water was cold, and I didn¡¯t see any other valves. I could use the thermal stone to heat the soaking tub¡ªonce the recessed tub was clean. Two more small alcove rooms appeared to have two toilets, one for the servants and one fancier marble one for the Chancellor and her guests. It was unsurprising that both needed cleaning. There were only two other rooms: a small library with only a handful of books on the history of Mage College and an alchemy lab. The alchemy lab looked even more neglected than the rest of the rooms. Many of the flasks had hard-caked residue on the bottom, and a deep stone well in the center of the room had glass debris. If I were motivated, I might spend some time cleaning and setting up the apparatus to make the minty mouthwash, as it was the only recipe I currently knew. A thudding knock had me return to the entry room. I opened the door to the stairs to see two short mages in oversized black robes. A young, blonde woman with pale blue eyes and a sandy-haired woman with green eyes. Their youthful faces told me they were likely Mage Aspirants. When I didn¡¯t say anything, the sandy-haired woman spoke meekly, ¡°The Chancellor sent us to clean her quarters, legionnaire.¡± ¡°What did you two do to deserve this punishment?¡± I asked with a good-natured smile. The young woman lowered her eyes, ¡°We were caught stealing from the kitchens last night.¡± I guessed the pair were both in their mid-teens by their youthful countenance. But it was so hard to tell, with most people in the Empire being shorter than I was accustomed to. ¡°Well, what are your names? It is common courtesy to introduce yourselves. I am Legionnaire Eryk.¡± ¡°Mage Aspirant Flora,¡± the blonde said, finding her tongue and bowing her head slightly. ¡°Mage Aspirant Livia,¡± the sandy-haired one said but was uncertain about bowing her head or a formal bow to the waist; she eventually chose the waist, showing me more respect. ¡°Come in, Livia and Flora. Buckets are in the kitchen storeroom and the water valve in the bathroom works.¡± As I led the pair of mages through the suite, I didn¡¯t need to look at them to feel their pain as they realized the monumental task ahead of them. The rooms were large, and every one of them was filthy with years of neglect. The task would take the pair days to clean. ¡°You can start with the bath, toilets, and kitchen,¡± I told the pair once we had the buckets, aged brooms, and rags. ¡°Do we have to clean in our robes?¡± Flora asked. I looked at her, caught off guard, my mind turning over the question. She flushed, realizing what she had said, and stuttered hastily, ¡°It is just that we get disciplined if we attend class in dirty robes.¡± ¡°You can go get a change of clothes,¡± I said, somewhat relieved at the clarification. ¡°There is no need,¡± Flora said, pulling off her robes to reveal that she had common clothes underneath. The bulky robes had hidden how thin she was. Livia followed Flora; her robes also had a thin frame hidden underneath. Looking at them now, they appeared more like children than teens. They attacked the toilets first, their beige pants and off-white blouses quickly becoming filthy. As I watched them work, I asked, ¡°Were you stealing food because you were hungry?¡± When they first revealed it, I thought they might have done it for the thrill or on some bet. Livia paused in her scrubbing to answer; her face streaked with dirty sweat lines. Her words came out uncertain, ¡°Legionnaire Eryk. We frequently miss meals due to our poor discipline.¡± She was not seeking sympathy by her tone; she was stating a fact, maybe in fear I would administer more punishment if she complained. I leaned against the wall, getting the picture. ¡°What other mischief have you been up to?¡± They looked at each other, unsure how to answer. I was starting to sense something else was going on here. I tried to put them at ease, ¡°I will not relay anything you tell me to Zyna. I mean the Chancellor.¡± Livia, who seemed to be the pair¡¯s leader, spoke for the pair with some modicum of trust in her eyes. ¡°We frequently miss meals because we are blamed for things we did not do.¡± My confused expression had her explain further, ¡°We are not the daughters of First Citizens or noble houses. Flora is from a fishing village, and I am from the lower city. We were both assessed half a year ago by the Magistrate during the annual tablet testing and found to have some potential. We now serve the Empire as Mage Aspirants.¡± She bowed her head reflexively. I thought the two might know Renna. After letting them clean for a while, I asked after her. ¡°Do you know Mage Aspirant Renna? She was found recently with potential as well.¡± They looked at each other, Livia speaking again for them. ¡°You mean Mage Renna? She recently cast her first spell, maybe two months ago. She is no longer an Aspirant. We did take classes with her until she moved on to the War College.¡± ¡°Is she well then?¡± I asked, thinking I might have a chance to see Renna again. ¡°She protected the weakest of us from the more serious harassment, but now that she is a true mage, she is in different classes, and we rarely see her,¡± Flora added quickly.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. With a smirk sliding briefly on her face, she noted, ¡°She was the most powerful among the Aspirants. She gave our tormentors twice what they gave us.¡± She immediately covered her mouth, thinking she had revealed too much to me. It was a classic bullying scenario with the wealthy and privileged preying on the weak. ¡°Keep working here. I will go prepare you something in the kitchen.¡± They looked at each other, confused. We had just searched the kitchen for the buckets, and there was no food in the kitchen or pantry. I didn¡¯t explain and left them to work. The kitchen also had running water, and I cleaned a workspace before removing the thermal stone and some of my dungeon harvest. As it was not required for cooking, I removed my armor as it got in the way. Maveith had taken all the seasonings, but I could still prepare the bacon and use the fat to fry slices of the purple potatoes into thick chips. It took me over two hours to clean and cook, and then I went and retrieved the two mages. ¡°Dinner is served,¡± I announced proudly. The pair were beyond filthy, their pale skin on their faces and arms now coated in grime. ¡°Where did all this come from!¡± Flora asked in disbelief, entering the kitchen. ¡°Magic!¡± I said with a flourish of my hand, producing an apple and tossing it to her. Both their eyes were wide in amazement at my trick. It felt good to show off to someone who could appreciate it. She fumbled the apple but caught it eventually. ¡°Is this all for us?¡± Livia asked of the two heaping plates. ¡°Yeah, I nibbled as I cooked. It is all yours.¡± I waved at the counter, and they started to sit on dirty stools. ¡°But perhaps clean up a bit first.¡± They rushed into the bathroom and returned once their faces, arms, and hands had been scrubbed to some modicum of cleanliness. The two attacked the food while I found two mugs, cleaned them, materialized a canteen, and filled them. The pair watched my performance carefully, mumbling how good the food was. With her mouth full, Flora asked, ¡°I thought you were a legionnaire? Are you a mage then?¡± ¡°No, I just know a trick or two.¡± I placed five more apples in front of them to make six. ¡°You can take these with you to eat when hunger grabs you.¡± ¡°Are you the Chancellor¡¯s husband?¡± Apparently, once Flora became comfortable with someone, she was no longer shy and spoke unfiltered. She had also somehow emptied her plate. I don¡¯t know how she managed to get it all down so quickly or how it fit inside her thin frame. She would have challenged Maveith with her speed of consumption. I wasn¡¯t abashed, ¡°No, I am just her bodyguard.¡± The two looked at each other knowingly, clearly drawing the wrong conclusion. I shrugged internally and produced another apple, and took a bite. The dungeon apple was sweet, crunchy, and savory. Good thing I had hundreds, but I had hoped to share the harvest with Ginger. ¡°So, what are your affinities? Have you learned any spell forms?¡± I asked, quickly finishing off the sweet dungeon apple. The two looked at each other, deciding who would speak. Livia spoke first, ¡°My primary affinity is healing at 43. I can heal flesh and bones that are already set. I am working on my secondary spell form in the water affinity. It is to pull water out of the air. If I cannot learn to cast spells in the next year, I will be assigned to the army as a medicus.¡± ¡°That is amazing! Healers are the most valuable members of an army.¡± My praise for her ability had her beaming. Flora looked at her plate sadly, ¡°My spell form is not impressive. I can grow a plant rapidly with aether. I am hoping my next spell form is discern truth so I can become a Truthseeker.¡± I reassured the young mage, ¡°Don¡¯t discount your spell form. That is impressive as well. With food troubles in the Empire, you can grow a fruit tree in a day to feed multiple people.¡± ¡°It takes me three days to invest enough aether to grow a fruit tree to bear fruit, but it also ruins the soil, and the tree soon dies,¡± she said, deflated. ¡°It probably uses up the nutrients in the soil. I am guessing the tree just needs to be transplanted in fresher soil. Try it with smaller plants,¡± I encouraged her. I was surprised her instructors had not told her the same thing. ¡°Why is my room not cleaned!¡± An angry call from the master bedroom rang in the apartments. High Mage Zyna had returned and was not happy. She came storming into the kitchen, and the color drained out of the faces of the two young mages. Flora bent over and quickly vomited as Zyna came into the kitchen, her eyes literally aflame and red hair in a mess. I calmly turned to Zyna, ¡°I told them to clean the bathrooms first.¡± The fire mage calmed, and she studied me. Had I read her wrong? Was Zyna not a reasonable woman? ¡°Go!¡± She said harshly to the two mage aspirants. Flora and Livia scrambled to their feet, torn on whether they should clean up the vomit or not. ¡°Take the apples, and don¡¯t forget your robes,¡± I stated loudly as they hastily gathered the apples and ran to get their robes in the bath. When the door to the stairs closed with a thud, I looked to Zyna for an explanation. Her question, ¡°Why did they remove their robes?¡± caught me off-guard, but her tone was conversational. I flushed involuntarily and replied calmly. ¡°They didn¡¯t want to get them dirty. Did you know the other mages have mercilessly harassed those two?¡± ¡°Of course. I gathered them from the Discipline Hall. They are peasants; I assumed whatever they were accused of was not their fault.¡± My face hardened to anger, and Zyna waved for me to relax. ¡°Eryk, they need to be able to adapt to their new life in the Empire. They either need to gain enough power not to be targeted, or the Empire will chew them up. It may seem unkind, but it has worked for hundreds of years. I was once in the same position as they are now.¡± ¡°So, trial by fire?¡± I responded a little tersely. ¡°Is that why you are so abrasive around them?¡± ¡°Abrasive?¡± She cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Ah, I see your confusion. As the Chancellor of the War College, I need to demonstrate a certain¡ªpersona.¡± ¡°Being a bitch?¡± I spat and immediately wanted to take it back. I had seen Zyna cook a hill giant alive with a dragon she conjured from fire. ¡°Bitch?¡± She searched for meaning in the word. ¡°Is that an otherworlder term? Be careful using them, but I understand the underlying meaning. And yes, I am a bitch. They call me the Flame Demoness, and every student at Mage College knows it and fears the rumors they hear about me.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say, so Zyna continued, ¡°Your job is to support my image. We haven¡¯t had time to discuss it, but the Emperor trusted me and appointed me to this position because he knows I will do whatever I need to do to get the job done. We need mages for the war. We cannot coddle the Mage Aspirants.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± I stated, even though I disagreed with everything. ¡°Good. The armorsmith will be available tomorrow to fit you. I am going to stay at Antonia¡¯s villa tonight. You can expect more mage aspirants coming to clean as punishment tomorrow. Make sure my room is cleaned first.¡± Zyna went to the frying pan, pulled a soggy purple chip, and chewed on it. Her face slowly lit up. ¡°This is good. Is it from the dungeon?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied as I started strapping my armor on. ¡°You don¡¯t need to follow me this evening. Stay and settle into a room. We can talk tomorrow after the armorer finishes with you.¡± She ate another soggy potato, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste this on the mage aspirants. It is saturated with aether and can help you recover your own aether more quickly.¡± My eyes widened at that. She took the last piece, savoring it, and swallowed before leaving. I was left alone again. I decided to set myself in one of the small rooms off the kitchen rather than one of the larger guest rooms. It was partly because there would be a lot less to clean, and also, it was more defensible. I cleaned for a few hours and then took a cold shower. The two mages had done an admirable job in the bath and toilets, more than earning their dinner. I felt sorry that Flora had given hers back. She needed the sustenance. I made my bed using the weasel pelts and pulled out my griffin-down pillow to rest my head and enjoy the fresh outdoor scent. I secured the small window and door, planning to use the dreamscape amulet to determine the functions of the two summoner rings. Before using the amulet, I consumed a major earth essence, reveling in the earthy taste and feeling a brief connection to the stone that made up the tower momentarily. Certain I was secure, I pulled out the elven tablet reader table. It was time to see my gains. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 187: Reunion with Renna Chapter 187: Reunion with Renna I liked the room I selected. It had a long bed with aged, worn dark wood and two antique-looking armoires for clothes. This small bedroom off the kitchen also had a modest window with a thirty-foot drop to the outer wall of the courtyard. Although it wouldn¡¯t be pleasant, I could use it as an exit and heal the damage from the fall to make an escape if needed. The assessment table was calling to me, and it filled out the room as a work desk. I wanted to see my gains and how close I was to learning a spell form for the earth affinity. I gripped the edges of the elven-crafted assessment table and channeled my aether. The constant burn from maintaining my slow aging intensified with the added aether expenditure. I was already getting used to it and didn¡¯t even wince. I was now quite sure the Inscriber had lied to us. The metallic runes on my bones pulsed enough that I could focus on them and sense their presence. I believe the runes didn¡¯t draw aether, but my aether was constantly cycling through them, ready to counter a Truthseeker¡¯s spell. It was what it was, and maybe I had agreed too quickly to the procedure. I sighed as there was no going back now. I first focused on the right side to read my new magic affinities.
Elemental Magics (Common)
Fire 0
Air 0
Water 0
Earth 13
Lightning (Energy) 8
Spirit (Healing) 23
Nature (Plant) 0
Unaffiliated Magics (Uncommon)
Charm (Mind) 5
Illusion 3
Clairvoyance 0
Protection (Guardian) 30
Necromancy 0
Celestial 0
Abyssal 0
Rare Magics
Space 98
Time 90
Displacement 61
Materialism 9
Worlds 88
Void 22
Convergence 74
My earth affinity had reached thirteen, high enough to learn an earth affinity spell form, so it was time to review the spell forms and decide. I thought I would be able to reach over 30 after consuming my remaining earth essences. Should I concentrate on boosting my affinity by acquiring more essences before mastering my one spell form? I would review my options in the dreamscape tonight, but from what I knew, magic affinity essences were rare. I may regret not getting more essences from the Shimmering Labyrinth one day. Before joining the Hounds training, I hoped I had time to consume all the essences I had collected in the Shimmering Labyrinth. I glanced at my attributes and saw that my progress was significant.
Physical Mental Magical
Strength (+1/+0) 50/80 Intellect (+0/+0) 31/56 Aether Pool (+5/+4) 21/26
Power (+1/+0) 48/84 Reasoning (+1/+0) 49/61 Channeling (-6/-1) 20/57
Quickness (+0/+0) 33/49 Perception (+0/+0) 52/61 Aether Shaping (+0/+0) 8/8
Dexterity (+2/+0) 43/61 Insight (+0/+0) 33/49 Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Aether Tolerance (+7/+0) 42/51
Endurance (+1/+0) 68/95 Resilience (+2/+0) 49/71 Aether Resistance (+4/+0) 12/19
Constitution (+2/+0) 47/69 Empathy (+5/+0) 19/22 Prime Aether Affinity Space
Coordination (+0/+0) 44/63 Fortitude (+3/+0) 52/90 Minor Aether Affinity Time
I immediately focused on the four additional potential points in my aether pool. My aether attribute had also increased by five points. The summoner¡¯s essence had been extremely lucrative. An odd thought occurred to me. The magic affinity essences only seemed to affect my aether core and aether channels. Could I then take a physical attribute essence at the same time as consuming an affinity one? I turned the idea over in my head. Would the two enhancements clash, or would they have two completely different pathways? I decided to risk asking Zyna when I saw her next. I wanted to reveal as little as possible about my spell forms and essences as possible. I settled into the weasel pelts and inhaled the fresh outdoor scent of the griffin pillow. The amulet appeared in my hand, and I retreated to the dreamscape. I had almost lost this precious training artifact. For now, I would maintain the secret chamber in the scorpion room but banished my copy of the Hobbit, the only item from Earth besides Oscar¡ªOscar was not going anywhere. If I erased everything, I would have to recreate it and deal with the mental fatigue when creating it again. Castile and Maveith created some things here, but I could not reproduce them if I removed them, so they were also staying. On dropping the false wall, my cohort became active in seeing me. ¡°Looks like you are getting soft, Eryk.¡± Konstantin immediately accused me. ¡°Grab one of your fancy new weapons, and let¡¯s practice.¡± Oscar interposed himself and barked at Konstantin, protecting me from the veteran¡ªor maybe claiming my time as his. ¡°Looks like my dance card is full,¡± I said while materializing a ball to play with the Aussie. ¡°I like to dance,¡± Zorana stepped forward after a few tosses of the ball. Jokingly, and to spite Konstantin, I took her hand, and the goliath woman took the lead to educate me on an unfamiliar dance. I was flustered as she kept correcting me. I was confused because I didn¡¯t know this dance and had never seen anyone dance this way. Realization came to me: Maveith had created this instance of his sister, so her knowledge was that of Maveith, not mine. It presented an interesting possibility of having people create constructs in the dreamscape that could then teach me. Sparring opponents would be much more effective since the current manifestations only drew from my own memory and observations. Could I get a mage instructor in my dreamscape this way? Maybe Zyna? Or was the risk too great? After a very short dance lesson, I did what I came for and grabbed the books to figure out what the summoner¡¯s rings did. I stood in the center of the massive ten-foot ring and highlighted the runic script with a thought. Oscar jumped over the ring to join me in the center while I worked. It didn¡¯t take me long to puzzle it out. The runic script was simple, even though the ring was powerful. As best as I could understand, the ring enhanced aether channeling by ten relative points on a tablet, effectively doubling my ability to recover my aether pool. The exercises Castile had taught me only enhanced my aether recovery slightly, and only when I focused on processing aether from the environment. I was sure mages would kill for this ring. The second ring was also extremely useful, and the runes were familiar. It was another ring of sustenance. I could see why the summoner had grown so powerful; he needed less sleep and recovered aether so quickly, that coupled with his elven longevity had given him all the time in the world. I pulled down the earth spell form book from the shelf and reviewed the index. Earth Affinity Lesser Spell Forms Shape Stone (10) Imbue Glowstone (10) Shatter (25) Earth Affinity Major Spell Forms Earth Speak (25) Earth Glide (25) Stoneskin (25) Earth Apex Major Spell Forms Manipulate Earth (50) Earthquake (70) Quicksand/Liquify Earth (70) Konstantin interrupted me, irritated, and spat, ¡°You have us all in here at your disposal, and you come here to read?¡± Oscar barked, supporting his assessment. ¡°Without me on your back all the time, you are going to lounge about in the real world as well as in here.¡± He sounded disgusted with me, and I realized this was my subconscious way of talking through the veteran. ¡°I promise I will train with you and stay sharp outside too, even though I have consumed enough essence to maintain my physical attributes without training.¡± I was essentially making the promise to myself, but Konstantin tossed the black-tipped spear at me, thinking we would get started right away. I wondered if talking to myself in the dreamscape was the beginning of some sort of insanity. I decided to review the spell forms in the dreamscape tomorrow night. I tested the spear with a spin and then spent my remaining time in the dreamscape practicing with it. It was the most powerful runic weapon I had. The magebane could be more useful against mage opponents, but this spear delivered the strongest attack against the specters. Xavier and Konstantin took turns attacking me with sword and shield while I wielded the spear two-handedly. Then, we practiced with the spear in my left hand and a shield in my right. The thick shaft made it somewhat difficult to wield with a shield, but I managed. I woke early after approximately six hours in the dreamscape. I decided not to wear the channeling ring. Being in a Mage College, I was worried someone would recognize it for what it was and cause me problems. The amulet had caused me enough complications and forced me into my current circumstances. I took some time to dirty up the ring of sustenance to conceal its luster identifying it as an artifact. I considered storing the assessment table but held back. Could I trust Zyna? I definitely liked to mage and she had been very amiable to me in our interactions. I debated internally and finally decided to test Zyna. I left the assessment table out but covered it with the weasel pelts. It was early, hours before sunrise. I went through some stretching and weighed down my black blade, tightly wrapping it with large silver dungeon coins. Then, I went through the sword forms I had learned in legion training until my muscles burned, focusing on perfect movements. I worked up a good lather by sunrise. There was still no Zyna or armorer, so I started cleaning the suite. I started with the kitchen, as I had only cleaned the sink and a small workspace yesterday. I was almost done with the first cleaning pass when a knock at the door made me pause to answer it. Opening the door, I found the two mage aspirants from yesterday and a red-haired woman with a furious countenance dressed in gray robes. I don¡¯t think Renna recognized me because she stormed angrily past me, not giving me a second glance. Livia and Flora looked meek, following the irate Renna more slowly. ¡°What happened this time?¡± I asked, arching an eyebrow at the two young women. Livia answered for the pair as Renna was already cursing further in the suite at seeing all the dust. ¡°We couldn¡¯t answer the questions from the readings. But it wasn¡¯t our fault, as Mage Aspirants Daniela and Petra took our books weeks ago. If we don¡¯t have time to get to the library to use books there, we can¡¯t do the readings, and we were here all evening yesterday.¡± She was morose but quickly added, ¡°Thank you for last night''s incredible meal. We don¡¯t regret cleaning at all!¡± Renna had circled the entire suite and returned. ¡°Servant, where is High Mage Zyna?¡± Her angry tone told me she was familiar with the High Mage and that she was planning to give her some serious lip. ¡°Well, it is good to see you too,¡± I stated with a half-smile. I didn¡¯t have my armor on, and I was covered in filth. I hoped that Renna just hadn¡¯t recognized me yet. She studied me for a long time, her eyes widening as recognition finally dawned. ¡°Eryk? You got kicked out of the legion! How? You are a porter! Even if you fucked one of the Emperor¡¯s wives, they would have still sent you to die in a battle rather than demote you to a servant.¡± This was not the small-town, self-conscious young woman I remembered from the griffin and bulette hunt. A few short months had transformed her. ¡°Chancellor Zyna needed someone to practice her spells on,¡± I said merrily, indicating my filthy state. The two young aspirants looked shocked, and I figured it couldn¡¯t hurt to spread some rumors to help out the Chancellor¡¯s image that she abused her bodyguard. Renna¡¯s face twisted in confusion before some shock as she drew her own conclusions. ¡°Are you why she sent me here to clean for failing a second-year exam when I have less than half a year at the college?¡± ¡°I thought you might want to see your old friend,¡± Zyna¡¯s harsh voice came from the archway to her bedroom. How she got there without coming up the stairs was a mystery to me. ¡°You mentioned him a few times when you stayed with me to learn your spell form for fire.¡± Renna blushed a bright red. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­I mean, I did, but not that way¡­I just¡­¡± Zyna¡¯s mischievous smile told me she had tried to embarrass Renna, and it worked. Flora and Livia were turning between the two of us, surprised we also knew each other and drawing their own conclusion as well. I wanted to learn more about what Renna had told Zyna about me, but Zyna continued imperiously, ¡°I need my private residence cleaned top to bottom. I will ensure you come up here after your afternoon class every day. Once my suite is cleaned to my satisfaction, I will start giving you private lessons.¡± She was addressing Renna, and I looked at the two meek commoner mage aspirants. ¡°The mage aspirants too?¡± I asked for them as they were dumbstruck by the informality of the conversation. Zyna sighed, ¡°Yes, that pair as well. And thank you for giving me the idea of using you as a live target for my fire magic class, Eryk. Keep your old armor, and you can wear it to that class when I need to demonstrate.¡± My jaw started to unhinge, causing Zyna to smile, ¡°You can heal yourself, correct?¡± I nodded dumbly, not sure if she was serious. ¡°Now, you need to go meet the master armor smith next to the Imperial Legion Barracks.¡± She produced a sealed scroll and handed it to me. ¡°I will just go clean up,¡± I said, moving toward the bath. ¡°No,¡± Zyna smiled mirthfully. ¡°I think the students should see how I treat my bodyguard. You look like I just mopped the floor with you.¡± I slowly nodded and shrugged internally. I didn¡¯t care how the students perceived me. As I descended the stairs, I could hear Zyna giving sharp orders to the three mages, having all three start in her bedroom so she could spend the night comfortably. I figured I could find my own way to the Imperial Armorer with the scroll in my hand apparently giving me passage there. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 188: Getting Fitted Chapter 188: Getting Fitted Descending the stairs to the lower floors of the War College Tower, I got a lot of stares for my filthy state. I ignored them and almost turned around for my sword to belt it, but then I would have to spend time unwrapping the weights I meticulously added to it. I planned to use it every day, and rewrapping it would waste time. I had my legion short sword that I secretly pulled from my space and strapped on. Each floor of the massive conical tower housed classrooms, small libraries, offices, and rooms for practicing spellcraft. One in four had a class being conducted. I reached the ground floor and entered the courtyard, following the paths toward the gate for the Imperial Palace Grounds. The four legionnaires in polished red lacquered armor looked me over dubiously. The oldest of the group, with a well-trimmed silver beard and an aged-lined face, moved to stop me. I held up the scroll with the seal, ¡°I have business with the Imperial Legion armorers.¡± His eyes traveled over me, assessing me, and his distaste was evident on his face. He took the scroll, his face twisting further as he broke the seal and read it. His jaw tightened as he looked at me again, ¡°Is this how the Chancellor¡¯s legionnaire presents himself in public?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I said curtly, holding out my hand for the scroll to be returned. ¡°Can you direct me to where I need to go?¡± He shook his head in disapproval, slapped the scroll into my hand, and addressed the youngest-looking of the legionnaires. ¡°Artorius, escort this legionnaire to the smiths.¡± Artorius snapped his gauntlet to his chest in salute, spun, and began walking. He didn¡¯t wait to see if I followed. I guessed he was embarrassed to be seen with me by his haste. I had been inside the palace grounds before, so I was not surprised by the opulence of the manicured paths, gardens, and outbuildings. We kept the wall to the right as we moved toward an impressive white stone building along the wall of the expansive grounds. Roman columns decorated the outside with impressive fifteen-foot statues of legionnaires between them. ¡°Who are they?¡± I asked as we passed through a wide entrance flanked by two Imperial legionnaires. The legionnaire gave me a sour look but answered, ¡°Legion heroes. Most from the First Legion.¡± I wanted to go back and inspect them as the detail on the statues had been amazing. Instead, I followed the impatient man through the echoing halls. Polished white, black, and blue marble was everywhere, and this seemed more like a palace than a functional military structure. Imperial legionaries walked the wide, high-ceiling corridors with purpose in their step. Some gave me curious looks as their steps echoed past. Others ignored me completely, assuming by my escort that I had a right to be here. We exited out the back of the Legion Hall into a training yard with a handful of legionnaires sparing. I slowed my steps to study them, ignoring my escort¡¯s impatience. These legionnaires were good. Maybe as good as Xavier with a sword. I tried to focus on their technique and form to add it to my dreamscape. Artorius waited, his expression souring as I wasn¡¯t moving, and returned to stand beside me. Of the twenty men practicing, eighteen wielded swords and two spears. The peak of movement efficiency was on full display, and I particularly focused on the footwork as that was my greatest shortcoming. ¡°Only the best are quartered in the Imperial Legion Hall. I doubt you could match a single legionnaire here,¡± he said condescendingly. I almost rebuked his claim but kept my tongue. As long as I had my air shield, I was confident I could best almost anyone here as long as they didn¡¯t have their own spell form to enhance their combat. There was a single-story gray brick building with the sounds of metal being pounded on the far side of the training grounds. ¡°It is in there,¡± Artorius waved at the building, seeing I was unlikely to move. He spun around to return to his post. His disdain for me was evident. I could only guess it was because I was disgracing the legion by my appearance. I watched the combat for another ten minutes before I entered the building and got hit with a wave of dry heat that made me blink my eyes rapidly to keep them moist. When my eyes adjusted, I found a wide, long room with three workstation alcoves on each side. Each workstation had three large curved anvils of varying sizes and racks of hammers and tongs behind them. Red hot furnaces that reminded me of pizza ovens were at each station. I assumed they were heated by thermal stones as there were no fumes or coals. Five of the smiths continued to work, hammering on plates, while the nearest one stopped and approached. ¡°Whaddya need?¡± His dry voice asked in an unfamiliar accent. I held out my scroll, and his broad shoulders rolled to loosen up before he took it. He had earned thick, veined forearms from his years as a smith. While he was reading, I noticed his oven furnace was the only one absent a red-hot glow. He grunted as he read. Then handed me the scroll. ¡°Ignis is at er end on er right.¡± He then returned to his work, folding a plate over the curve of the anvil and smoothing it with his hands. I guessed he must have had a metal-shaping spell form. It was fascinating to watch, as he quickly made a pauldron plate and took out what appeared to be a blank to compare it to before shaping the metal a little more to finish. He looked up, seeing I was watching him, so I left him to work and strode down the length of the building. I opened the scroll and read it as I walked. It was a request from Chancellor High Mage Zyna to equip her personal legionnaire guard with a suit of ceremonial legion armor with a single enchantment to guard against rust. I reached the workstation to find Ignis, an old woman with gray hair but built like a lumberjack. She was unhappy to be interrupted, so I handed her the scroll wordlessly. She took it despondently, read it, and smirked. ¡°Heard the old fire witch got herself a shield and sword arm. Follow me. I don¡¯t think I can meet her request to finish it in four days, but I owe her a favor. Maybe six days.¡± The old woman moved through a side door, and I noticed she was working on three separate sets of legion armor. All of the cuirasses had slight feminine curves. I knew there were female legionnaires, but they were rare. I hurried after Ignis, and the cool air beyond the door caused goosebumps to form as my sweat vanished. The room was familiar to me, with six mannequins inside for fitting armor. The quality and condition of the mannequins far outstripped the ones used in the conscript legion training camp. Ignis was standing by one, waiting for me. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°How many women legionnaires are there?¡± I asked, remembering the one I trained with. I wondered if Helena had completed the training and now served somewhere. ¡°Maybe a hundred in the entire Imperial Legion and half that elsewhere. Strip.¡± Ignis ordered and folded her arms across her chest, waiting. In that pose, with bulging biceps, square shoulders and a thick neck, she looked more like a squat bodybuilder than an impatient old woman. I removed my clothes, leaving just my underclothes, and she assessed my body with her trained eye. Her curiosity caused her to inquire, ¡°Not many scars. Are you fresh, or did you come from a company with a healing mage?¡± Instead of answering her question, I asked my own. ¡°How long have you known Zyna?¡± The woman paused in her preparation of the mannequin to match my physique. ¡°Be careful with your familiarity with the fire witch when talking with others. Even if you are sticking her in private, it is best always to use her titles elsewhere.¡± My mouth hung open for a moment. Ignis was hypocritical in her own familiarity with Zyna, and now she thought Zyna had taken me on as a boy toy. She locked eyes on me to ensure I understood, and I nodded, not correcting her assumption. Ignis continued, ¡°And to your question, I have known her longer than you have been alive. She got me this position when she found me working in a small village. After thirty years, I still don¡¯t know if I should thank her or curse her.¡± She chuckled to herself at some private joke. After setting the mannequin to roughly match my physique, she moved in on me with a tape and a stick. ¡°I need you to flex in various poses. An individual¡¯s muscles can have some variance, and I want to make sure you have a good range of motion in your armor when you swing your stick around.¡± I twirled the stick she had given me. The stick could be used as a spear or sword, and I went through the sword forms with Ignis stopping me in poses, asking me to flex, and taking a quick measurement with her tape. ¡°Enough,¡± she said after an hour. ¡°You are a big boy, but I will give the armor some play for growth. Just don¡¯t get lazy and drink yourself a belly. How big is your sword?¡±I thought about a multitude of responses for the armorer but instead just used the stick to mark the blade length and width from memory. ¡°How much will this armor add to my debt?¡± I asked after I finished dressing in my filthy clothes. ¡°Nothing. The cost of the armor will be credited to the Chancellor¡¯s account; however you decide to pay her back is up to you. Each Chancellor is allotted four personal legionnaires paid for by the Emperor. Normally, the Emperor will hand-pick legionnaires from his personal guard. High Mage Zyna just resumed her role as Chancellor but has not had a legionnaire in her service in years.¡± Ignis finished taking notes and preparing to return to work at her forge. ¡°Do you have any gloves?¡± I inquired, stopping her. She turned slowly. ¡°Only tough beast hide gloves or giant spider silk would hold up for any period of time. If the Chancellor approves it, I can charge it to her account,¡± the armorer said patiently. I considered and thought the Imperial Legion Hall might have someone who could use the spinnerets I got in the dungeon. I considered a moment before I produced one of the spinnerets and asked, ¡°Can gloves be made from this?¡± The old smith had a surprised look, ¡°Dimensional space?¡± I didn¡¯t even need to nod before she said, ¡°Now it makes sense why she chose such a young and inexperienced legionnaire.¡± I was surprised this armorer was making so many assumptions about me, but then again, I looked like I had just mopped a floor. She turned it over in her hand appreciatively. ¡°Yes, a mage tailor can get your gloves from this. It appears fresh. Do you know the species?¡± I recalled what Castile had called it. ¡°Dungeon black repelling spider.¡± The armor smith looked surprised, ¡°Just as good as drake hide and much more comfortable as the mage tailor will create them without seams. If you don¡¯t mind giving up the excess, I can convince the Imperial Mageweaver to make your gloves.¡± ¡°How much excess would there be?¡± I asked before accepting. ¡°One spinneret this size is good for a single shirt or three-layered gloves. But I am no mage tailor, and I am guessing how far one can stretch one spinneret,¡± the old smith said, studying the spinneret like it was a jewel. ¡°Spider silk is prized for making excellent underclothes as well. The comfort can¡¯t be matched.¡± Her eyes drifted below my waist, indicating what she meant. ¡°Two long-sleeved shirts, two pairs of gloves,¡± I said, placing the other four spinnerets on a table. ¡°Black, if possible, for everything. The extra material from the two additional spinnerets can pay for the mage¡¯s time.¡± I replied after considering. ¡°Also, I would prefer the origin of the spinnerets remain secret.¡± Ignis was shaking her head, ¡°Full of surprises. I know these must be used quickly after harvesting, or the strands bind together. I have some clay for impressions of the back and front of your hands.¡± Ignis moved quickly, and after my imprints were made, the soft clay was baked to harden, and Ignis headed off to deliver the spinnerets. I was happily cleaning out my dimensional storage in exchange for more useful items. Hopefully, I wasn¡¯t evading some Imperial dungeon tax, and Ignis could be trusted. I began my walk back to the War Mage Tower. An Imperial legionnaire escorted me from the palace grounds back to the Mage College. At least he wasn''t as spiteful as Artorius. I climbed the tower on returning. I had been gone two hours and found a filthy Renna scrubbing the floors on her hands and knees next to a bucket of black water. She looked filthier than me. ¡°Well, at least your robes are already gray.¡± I joked on seeing her sorry state. A spell form flashed in her left hand over a few seconds, and a small fireball formed. It raced toward me and exploded in a small pop of light as heat washed over my legs. Her grin at her display faded when I had made no attempt to move. The air shield I had erected was not visible to her, and the only effect I felt was the hot air washing over my legs. I guessed mages flirted differently¡ª at least, I was assuming she was flirting by her mischievous grin. Or maybe she was trying to impress me with her magic. ¡°You are different, Eryk. More confident, Battle-hardened.¡± Renna said seriously after the disappointment at my lack of surprise left her. I brushed off her comments. I had faced death¡¯s embrace too many times and no longer feared it. ¡°Do the grey robes mean you are a mage now,¡± I asked, cracking a smile while she stood with an obvious hunch from being on the floor for so long. She straightened her back and arched to stretch it. She let out a groan as her muscles stretched and then returned her attention to me. She smiled smugly at my wandering eyes, ¡°Yes, I have learned two spells. I earned my grays faster than anyone in the last six years. I will earn my whites and be recognized as a full mage before the end of my first year. That is why I have been assigned to the War College early.¡± A muffled bell chimed in the distance courtyard of the Mage College. Flora and Livia came out of the bedroom, covered in filth and excited. Renna explained, ¡°Zyna said we are free to go to dinner at the bell. But we will be back tomorrow.¡± She smiled as she backed toward the door, her bright white teeth showing through her filthy face. The two mage aspirants were already dashing down the stairs, eager for food. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that the weasel pelt I had draped over the elven assessment table was folded back, revealing it. A heavy book was on the exposed table. Was it Renna, the mage aspirants, or Zyna who had entered the room, violating my privacy? In truth, I had left the table out to see how much I could trust Zyna. She had gained a lot of points by returning the dreamscape amulet but had just lost them. I sighed helplessly and looked at the title of the book. Preparing Dungeon Flora and Fauna: A Guide to getting the most out of your time in a dungeon. Well, thank you, Zyna, but it looks like we needed to talk and hopefully set some boundaries¡ªafter a bath. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. A Soldiers Life FAN FICTION CONTEST 3 HAS CONCLUDED!! 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VOTE FOR A WINNER HERE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fan-fiction-has-123524730 Chapter 189: Flirting with Fire Chapter 189: Flirting with Fire I entered the bath to find Zyna lounging in the recessed tub, dense steam wafting off the surface. Only her shoulders were visible above the water through the haze, but hints of her generous chest peeked just under the surface. I wasn¡¯t bashful, and strangely, the first question was, ¡°How did you heat the water?¡± I hadn¡¯t seen a way to heat the water and was curious. I had planned to use my thermal stone. The High Mage laughed softly. ¡°Fire mage, remember? I would ask you to join me, but the water is hot enough to boil a sausage,¡± she said good-naturedly as her eyes wandered over me. I assumed she had some spell to protect her from the heat. I probably should have left and come back when she was finished, but since she didn¡¯t seem upset at my presence and there was no real taboo about nudity, I leaned against the wall to continue the banter. ¡°Thank you for the cookbook.¡± I wondered if she would bring up the assessment table in our conversation. The mage smiled, her full lips turning up into a smirk. ¡°It is such a waste of dungeon resources to cook a dungeon¡¯s harvest for the mage aspirants. I also assumed you were ignorant of their true value, but since you stored your harvest in your dimensional space...¡± She drifted off while smirking. ¡°So you expect me to cook for you too?¡± I cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Is this some sort of payment for the armor?¡± Zyna tittered cheerily, ¡°If you wish. Ignis is the best armorer in the Imperial Legion. It is a travesty that many legionnaires don¡¯t want their armor made by a graying old woman.¡± I wondered if the old smith was part of their conspiracy. ¡°She said you found her thirty years ago?¡± I asked as the steam settled some, revealing the outline of her body beneath the water. I had to remind myself that the Telhians did not shy from exposing themself, but it was hard not to have my eyes drift. Zyna seemed to like the attention. ¡°How old do you think I am?¡± Zyna¡¯s smile evaporated, and I sensed a trap. ¡°Thirty?¡± I guessed immediately to a hearty laugh from the fire mage that rippled the water. I recalled she had told us her true age when she joined us to hunt the summoner¡ªbut you always guessed much lower. ¡°I knew we would get along! No, I am eighty-four. When you do well for the Emperor, he grants you favors.¡± The water heated again, and steam hid her submerged features. I think she hoped I would be disappointed, but I remained impassive. ¡°So, one of these favors is you remain forever young? Doesn¡¯t seem like a bad deal to me.¡± I was confused as to why Zyna was part of the treason. She had been raised to a First Citizen by the Emperor, and she had eternal youth bestowed on her by him. She signed heavily and considered her next words carefully. ¡°I may have the body of me in my prime, but the Eternal High Mage can just turn the clock back on my physical form, not my mental state.¡± Realization flooded me. The Emperor was three hundred years old mentally and ruling an Empire. Then I cursed myself, getting angry but not showing it. I had selected slow aging, hoping to live a dozen lifetimes. I fucked up choosing that spell form if my mind was going to turn to mush with the centuries. ¡°So, there is no way to mediate the degradation of your mind or the mind of the Emperor. How far gone is he?¡± Surprise crossed her features, and I momentarily prepared to defend myself as I sensed Zyna channeling aether and a spell forming under the water, but she released her hold. I don¡¯t think I was supposed to know about the Emperor or his compromised state. ¡°Yes. My mind is going. Maybe another thirty or forty years before the deterioration starts to get bad. There is no cure.¡± She looked me over in new appreciation. ¡°You are smarter than you look. The Emperor¡¯s mind has long expired. With some stamina potions and a few mental essences, he can remain lucid for a day or two before regressing again. But the effects diminish every time. If you voice this conversation beyond these walls, you will find yourself dead,¡± she said ominously. Her eyes glowed red briefly to reinforce the warning. With her flirtatious nature gone, I was finding out I was not as safe as I assumed. I considered broaching the topic of the tablet reader, but I had too many other questions. ¡°Why are you all not concerned that I am an otherworlder?¡± She relaxed into the tub, the tension lifting some. ¡°Think you are special?¡± She grinned knowingly. ¡°It is believed everyone on Desia is descended from an otherworlder. Our ancestors were brought here by the Titans in the past to serve them. The arrivals have slowed over the millennia but are not infrequent. You need to realize the Telhian Empire is just a tiny corner of Desia. Bloated, naked bodies will wash up intermittently along the coast, and they are not from shipwrecks but unfortunate people brought here in the middle of seas.¡± She raised herself slightly, showing the top of her chest. She was no longer flirting and just getting comfortable. ¡°What causes it, and can I go home?¡± I pushed off the wall and stepped forward, anxious about the possibility of going home. ¡°No one knows. The popular theory is there are artifacts buried deep in the earth near the ley lines by the titans that get saturated with aether over time and activate intermittently.¡± Zyna stood, stepping out of the tub, her body steaming. I tried to keep my eyes up, but they may have drifted. She defiantly looked half her age, and her body appeared fit. She wrapped herself in a toga, making to leave the bath to me. I asked one of many pressing questions. ¡°Can you consume an affinity essence and physical essence at the same time?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The topic change had a confused expression crease on Zyna¡¯s face. She had probably thought I would continue asking about other worlders. As her expression relaxed, she answered, ¡°It is generally accepted to wait a day between consuming essences unless they are the same type. Then you can consume one an hour until you exhaust your body reserves.¡± Her forehead creased in thought, ¡°I have a friend in the Research College. He would know better than I.¡± By her look, I could tell she had puzzled out that I had essences and maybe was curious about what I might have, but she didn¡¯t press. She started to walk out toward her bedroom. ¡°Drain the tub when you are finished. Should I call for a meal from the kitchens?¡± Her hopeful tone told me she was seeking my dungeon harvest. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare something for you,¡± I replied, agreeing to cook. I needed to be cautious about how often I did this, as I believed she was unaware of how much food I had in my dimensional space. Even though we were allies, the more they underestimated me, the better it was. I would have to thank Castile for laying the groundwork by suggesting I had average imprinted spell forms. They didn¡¯t realize just how high my affinities were. I was surprised they hadn¡¯t forced me in front of a reader. Maybe, as Zyna said, I was not that special in their eyes; I was just another person with a few spell forms but without the ability to become a true mage. I showered briefly in cold water, soaked in the still-hot recessed tub, and then dressed in comfortable clothes I bought in the capital before we marched for Sobral. The pantry was still empty, and I would eventually need more ingredients. While cleaning, I discovered a thermal stone embedded inside an oven and stovetop. At least I could leave my thermal stone in my space. Dinner was mashed purple potatoes with medium rare bear steaks. I brought Zyna a plate to the sitting room where she was reading and obviously waiting. She took the plate, cut off a chunk, and chewed. A throaty, sensual-sounding moan of pleasure echoed from her. She scooped the plain potatoes and repeated her pleasure. ¡°You have no idea how this tastes to a High Mage, Eryk.¡± She had called me by my name, which was a good sign for our relationship, but paused to chew some more. ¡°It is like you never realized you were hungry until you actually start eating aether-rich food. It has been too long since I enjoyed something this fresh from a dungeon.¡± ¡°I could do a better job preparing the food if I had a full pantry,¡± I stated. Through mouthfuls, she answered, ¡°Write down what you need. You are not leaving the Mage College to go into the city. As I said, it is for your own protection. I will have porters who service the Mage College get you what you need.¡± She then ignored me while she ate, quickly devouring the meal and clearly surprised and disappointed when it was gone. Zyna reclined, her hands on her stomach as I had prepared a legion-sized portion. ¡°Can I walk the Mage College grounds then?¡± ¡°Not yet. After your Imperial armor is finished, and you have attended a few classes with me. I want the other instructors and students to know you are mine. That way, they will not cause you trouble. Most of the students here are the children of First Citizens or related to them. You can be sure you already have enemies within the walls, whether by your previous actions or being my bodyguard.¡± Zyna stood, ready to leave with the book she had been reading. ¡°So, I am trapped in your apartments until then?¡± I said, a little irritated. There had been half a dozen small libraries in this tower alone. Although I couldn¡¯t make use of the books, adding them to the amulet for future review would be useful. Zynga smirked knowingly but was off target on her assumption, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will find a reason to punish Renna, Flora, and Livia to come here in the afternoons.¡± Her expression and tone changed. Maybe she thought I was rejecting her in favor of Renna? ¡°Perhaps as a return courtesy, you will not waste too much of the dungeon harvest on them.¡± It looked like she was done with me for the evening, but I had another nagging question that I needed answered for peace of mind, ¡°Will the tablet reader table be a problem?¡± Her eyes lit up, ¡°The ancient elven reader in your room? An interesting piece of history from Caelora. Did you know the First Legion artificers were the first to create the readers, and the other kingdoms and races copied them?¡± ¡°Yes. Someone told me that.¡± I said cautiously, recalling what Raelia told me in the dungeon. ¡°If you transported the table, it demonstrates you have an impressive size. Makes me question how big you actually are.¡± She smiled at my discomfort, not because of her obvious innuendo but because I wanted to keep my secrets. The moment hung. ¡°Castile spoke highly of you, and from our time together hunting the summoner, I agree with her assessment. Step lightly and watch your words around Antonia and her other agents. She will act if she considers you a threat to our plans.¡± I spent the next ten minutes writing out a shopping list. Zyna showed me how the larder had a heat sink stone in it. It was the opposite of the thermal stone and pulled the heat out of the air. It kept the room at a freezing temperature as long as the heat sink was charged with aether every other day. Then Zyna went to meet with Castile to prepare her for the escort mission. I was left alone, with only a few hours of daylight remaining. I felt more uncertain about using the dreamscape amulet now, but I would still use it for the time being. Even being caged as I was, it was the safest I had been during my entire time in this world. Zyna¡¯s warning about Antonia made me doubt my importance to their plan¡ªI was expendable, and it seemed like my involvement was merely a favor to Castile. It appeared their plan involved the Emperor and most likely included removing him from power. As long as I wasn¡¯t involved in confronting the Emperor, I would be content to play along. I settled in my bed, sliding between the silky weasel pelts. With a glowstone, I studied the book on cooking with dungeon ingredients. It stated freshness was the most important factor. Since dungeons were so close to ley lines, the flora and fauna within were saturated with aether. The book touched on some common ingredients and how to prepare them. I paged through the book, stopping to read interesting chapters. When I finished the book, it had other books to reference in the back. All the books referenced preparing dungeon harvests. Most of the books dealt with alchemy ingredients found in dungeons. I knew the 2000-year-old ginseng would eventually be extremely valuable. Tomorrow, I committed to cleaning the alchemy lab. Hopefully, Zyna could get me some basic alchemy books so I could practice the basics. My path forward set, I entered the dreamscape after securing the door from the inside. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 190: New Routine Chapter 190: New Routine The entry room of the dreamscape hadn¡¯t changed. Rather than walking to the scorpion room, I willed myself there like a teleport. Being able to teleport would be a spell form I hoped to learn eventually. I needed to get my aether attribute close to forty before working on that spell form due to the aether demands. Tonight, I planned to review the earth affinity spell forms in-depth and start on the road to learning one. I held up my hand before Konstantin could berate me, ¡°I will practice with you in a bit. I even have a small upgrade for you.¡± I focused and incorporated what I observed in the Imperial Legion practice yard into Konstantin and Xavier. Better teachers would make me better. I hopped into the plush leather chair, and Oscar joined me so I could rub his head while I studied. I glanced at the index before starting. Earth Affinity Lesser Spell Forms: Shape Stone (10) Imbue Glowstone (10) Shatter (25) Earth Affinity Major Spell Forms: Earth Speak (25) Earth Glide (25) Stoneskin (30) Earth Apex Major Spell Forms: Manipulate Earth (50) Earthquake (70) Quicksand/Liquify Earth (70) The first entry was for shape stone, requiring a minimum of a ten in the earth affinity. It was the exact same ability that Maveith had. The spell form channeled aether to create an aura around the mage¡¯s hand,. tTurning the stone into clay. The higher your affinity, the wider the area. The clay would return to stone about sixty seconds after the aura no longer affected it. This is what allowed for the masterful sculptures I had seen with different tones of stone giving give life-like appearances. Maveith used this to build his residence. The second option on the list was to imbue a glowstone. Glowstones were special stones mined in dungeons and could also be found above ground over a Ley Line nexus. Certain minerals would become saturated with aether and emit a soft glow. Another way was to craft a light stone. This was accomplished by shearing a stone in half, inscribing the light rune, and putting the stone back together. Dungeon glowstones were natural, didn¡¯t require a rune to function, and could be broken apart into smaller glowstones. The brighter the emitted light, the more it cost. Artificed stones were generally more valuable because they were brighter but needed to be fed aether more often. This spell form circumnavigated the use of the runic inscription¡ªmaking glowstones typically formed in dungeons. It could also affect any type of stone. The mage forced his spell form on a stone, which would glow for about twenty-four hours¡ªthe more aether, the brighter the light emitted. A side benefit of the spell was that a stone repeatedly used in this manner would eventually become a glowstone. If a single golf ball-sized glowstone sold for one gold, then this spell had a lot of possibilities for monetization. So far, both options were appealing to me. I moved on to the last of the suggested lesser options for the earth affinity. Shatter was at the upper range of low-tier affinities. Requiring a twenty-five affinity, it should still be within my final range. Shatter magnified imperfections in stone to break it apart, but there was more. Over time, the mage could control where the shatter lines were, effectively making construction stones or, as an example in the text, initiating a landslide or destroying walls. With a fifty affinity, the shatter spell form could also affect metal, but the spell form required touch, so you better be sure you could shatter a sword about to strike you. If you were wrong, then it would be a painful final attempt. Also, it noted the shatter spell form couldn¡¯t affect runic weapons or runic armor. These were all strong options, and I was hopeful for even better options moving onto the mid-tier spell forms. Earth speakseemed amazing upon reading it. If you physically touched the ground, you could get an image of everything within the earth within a spherical range out to five yards. Things like birds in the air would not appear. Living objects, like people and trees, in contact with the ground would be blurry. It appeared to be like a three-dimensional radar. Finding underground passages would be easy. Although you needed just 25 affinity points to imprint it, the higher your affinity, the better the range. At 35, the range doubled to ten yards. It doubled again at 45, increasing to twenty yards. At 55 affinity, you could see out to forty yards. This would be extremely valuable in dense woods or in a stone fortification if you were locating enemies. One note that made this extremely appealing was it functioned normally in dungeons. It would make scouting a dungeon room extremely easy¡ªnot that I wanted to see the inside of a dungeon again anytime soon. The earth glide spell was a movement-focused spell form. It sounded like it would look amazing to see. The ground pulled the mage forward, using aether instead of the mage¡¯s legs and stamina. The speed was controllable, with the fastest speed determined by the earth affinity. At 30, the speed was noted as walking speed, doubling every 10 points of affinity. It cost one relative aether for every minute the spell form was activated. I started to calculate my relative aether pool. My aether pool attribute was 21/26. My aether pool should be 34, then. The rough formula was one point up to ten, then two points from 11 to 20. It jumped to four points for each point from 21 to 30. That meant the five points of unrealized potential could add 20 more aether points to my pool. But right now, I could maintain earth glide for 34 minutes. It was a good spell form, especially if I was running away. The next spell form was one I was familiar with. Boris Angella used the stoneskin spell form when we dueled. The description was exactly as expected. The spell hardened the skin to prevent slashing attacks and spread the impact of bludgeoning attacks. The higher the affinity, the tougher the mage¡¯s stoneskin spell form. There were even elemental protections with this spell form, but interestingly, the shatter spell could disrupt the stoneskin spell and even damage organs. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. It was an expensive spell form to activate, costing around five relative aether. Its effectiveness slowly faded over a minute, but you could reset it by investing another five aether, but you needed to wait at least twelve heartbeats between activations. This information would be useful if I were fighting someone else with the spell form. That was probably the last of the spell forms I would have access to after consuming my essences. I wanted to get them all, as they all would grow with my affinity. Each one had its own situational utility. I would have worked to imprint stoneskin if I knew I was going to remain in the legion. The only downside of the spell form was it changed your skin tone, alerting enemies you were using it and probably making you a target. I discounted the glowstone spell form since I had a few glowstones and didn¡¯t need revenue. Earth glide was also reluctantly crossed off my list. Shatter was crossed off next, even though it was tempting. I would have loved to fight First Citizen Boris again and use it on him. That left me deciding between earth speak and shape stone. Building a dwelling like Maveith¡¯s could be done with my dimensional space. I could become a sculptor and make spectacular statues. Actually, probably not, as I didn¡¯t have a single artistic bone in my body. Earth speak appeared to be my best option and would be useful when I joined the Hounds. The only negative was the short range of the spell at my lower affinity. Maybe before I completed the imprinting process, I would change my mind, but for now, I would start working on earth speak. The remaining spell forms were also extremely powerful, but I didn¡¯t delve too deep into their descriptions. Move earthwas likely the spell the storm giant used when creating the crater in the swamp. Earthquake was the spell the Telhian mages used to destroy the walls protecting Macha. The last spell seemed useless, but quicksand had a wide area of effect and could sink a wall or tower around a town or city in a siege. I reviewed the spell form for earth speak for just a few minutes before joining my dreamscape population for some weapons practice. I switched between my best three runic weapons: the magebane short sword, the longer black blade, and the black-tipped spear. Of the three, I preferred the black-tipped spear. I was sure the powerful runic weapon had additional properties as well. Maybe I could sneak into the lower city and get a revelation scroll to use on it. I woke well before sunrise and continued my routine of predawn physical training in the real world. Not long after the sunrise, a knock came at the door. I was shocked to find a massive delivery of meats, eggs, produce, cheeses, and casks of various ales, juices, and wines. It was ten times what I had written down. Six men carried it up the stairs and helped me put everything in the pantry, and I activated the heat sink in the cold room. What was Zyna thinking? This was enough food to feed ten people for a month, and a lot of this would spoil in a week. Was she planning to make me her personal chef and host dinner parties? I knocked on Zyna¡¯s door, but she had already left, or maybe she had not even slept in the tower. I caught one of the porters as they finished the last run, ¡°Can you bring me some recipe books?¡± His face twisted into annoyance. ¡°Will twenty large silvers be enough for five different cookbooks?¡± That was two gold coins worth enough and should have been more than sufficient. I was not a good cook and would need some help if I was going to prepare decent meals for the Chancellor. The broad-shouldered middle-aged porter considered, ¡°I will ask my wife to procure them for you.¡± He took the silver reluctantly. ¡°Get a variety of cooking books, and you can keep the surplus,¡± His demeanor instantly changed, surprise and delight in his eyes. Maybe he had thought I was asking him to do it for free? I had no shortage of large dungeon silver coins, but I would be more frugal in the future. I spent some time moving the ingredients around to organize the pantry and then prepared an omelet with something like parmesan cheese. I crisped the parmesan before cooking the eggs. The eggs were slightly overcooked and crispy, too. I didn¡¯t need a lot of food with the ring of sustenance, but I hoped to cook better than this. I wandered the suite and stopped in the alchemy lab. Cleaning this room was a massive project, as I guessed many of the flasks and beakers had been overcooked, and cleaning them would be next to impossible. Maybe I could convince Zyna to get me some alchemy books. I attacked the alchemy lab, cleaning the easiest glassware first and moving to the increasingly difficult glassware. Zyna walked in as I was trying to scrape material off the bottom of a beaker. ¡°You don¡¯t need to clean this room. I don¡¯t think it has been used in over fifty years. I never touched it in my last stint as the Chancellor. I don¡¯t have the patience for alchemy.¡± I made my request with some hope. ¡°Could you get me some basic books on alchemy?. If I am going to be your tower slave, I need a hobby like Rapunzel,¡± I quipped. ¡°Who is Rapunzel? Never mind, it doesn¡¯t matter. I thought you would want to feed the mage aspirants and Renna. They will be here an hour before dinner for their punishment.¡± She looked over the partially cleaned laboratory. ¡°I will requisition the books for you. I never thought much of Imperial Alchemists¡¯ work after consuming a few dungeon potions. Once your armor arrives, you will attend my class with me in the morning six days a week.¡± I surmised with the massive food delivery, Zyna was hinting that I shouldn¡¯t cook any meals for the three with what was left of my dungeon harvest. ¡°Do you want lunch now?¡± I asked. ¡°No, I have a meeting with Master Mage Janus. We are going to discuss essences, and I will get your answers. I do expect dinner an hour after sunset.¡± I nodded and couldn¡¯t believe how quickly I had accepted my role. Zyna left me alone in the tower again. I was planning out my daily routine. It started with two hours of studying in the dreamscape, and then weapons practice for two or three hours there as well. Five hours in the dreamscape was more than enough ¡®sleep¡¯ for me with the sustenance ring. I would work on my physical training until sunrise, then spending time in the alchemy lab, cleaning, and trying my hand at the profession. I would direct Livia, Flora, and Renna, and while they cleaned, I would then prepare a large dinner for all of us. After they left, I would spend some time in my room paging through the metal smithing books to add them to my dreamscape. Then, I would begin the cycle again with the dreamscape amulet. A knock at the door had me find the two mage aspirants smiling at me. ¡°We got punished again by Chancellor Zyna,¡± Flora said happily. I chuckled at her happiness at being punished. ¡°Come in. There is still plenty to clean.¡± I said, but it only seemed to enhance her happiness. The two mages headed toward the nearest bedroom to start. Renna arrived shortly after with a bright smile, and I started to prepare a feast for dinner. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 191: Let鈥檚 Get Cooking Chapter 191: Let¡¯s Get Cooking The three mages cleaned as I prepared dinner for them. I also worked on a separate meal for Zyna using my dungeon harvest. Neither meal was complicated, as I put my mediocre cooking skills to use. For Renna, Flora, and Livia, it was rice with diced smoked ham and a cheese sauce. For Zyna, it was a thin-sliced fire bear roast in a thick gravy made from fat, butter, and flour. I burned my one attempt at a loaf of bread. The thermal stone worked by adjusting a vent to regulate the hot air in the oven, but it didn¡¯t have any markings. I needed to experiment more to get it to the correct temperature and make my own marks on the device. When the sun set, the mage students were again filthy from a hard afternoon¡¯s work. Sunset marked the end of their of punishment for the day. I served the three mages massive portions. Renna complimented me, smiling, ¡°You prepared us a nice meal. Thank you.¡± Personally, I doubted the food was better than what the Mage College offered since they serviced First Citizens. They had been working hard on the cleaning, and I hadn¡¯t had time to check on their progress. ¡°How far did you get in the cleaning?¡± I asked as I sampled a small bowl of slightly overcooked plain white rice. Flora groaned, ¡°It is going to take us a week at this rate! But it is worth it if you cook this much food for us.¡± Her expression shifted from annoyance to a smile. ¡°I am looking forward to learning from Chancellor Zyna,¡± Livia said as she spooned more of the rice and diced ham onto her plate. Where did the last serving go? She then smothered it, using most of the remaining cheese sauce. Watching them eat the hot meal gave me the idea that I could prepare meals and store them while they were still hot, like when I stored the meat pie in Macha or the fresh bread in Sobral. Either I could cook these future meals myself or have a much better cook prepare them for me, but it would be good to have quality meals on the march without having to cook. Not that Lirkin had been a lousy cook; he was excellent, but it usually took him over an hour to prepare a decent meal for the company on the move and twice that with a kitchen. I was thinking ahead for my time with the Hounds. If I were alone in the wild, my time would be better spent elsewhere. I couldn¡¯t believe it as I watched the three mages eat everything I prepared: twelve cooked cups of rice, two pounds of diced ham, and a quart of cheese sauce. The cheese sauce was just a hard cheese that smelled and tasted like Parmesan, which I dissolved in heavy cream over heat. ¡°Is that all you are going to eat?¡± Renna asked, pausing the shovel going to her mouth. ¡°I ate while I cooked,¡± I replied, encouraging her to finish. That was true, and it was my favorite little white lie. The ring of sustenance was dulling my appetite, it was an incredible artifact. It allowed me much less sleep and one-third less food. I could tell it was drawing aether from the environment since it was comfortably warm on my finger. I had to frequently cover it in charcoal dust to conceal its shiny brilliance, but it made my hands look dirty. My spider-silk gloves would fix this issue. A knock in the common room had me excuse myself from the unabashed gluttony to answer. The porter I sent for cooking recipes stood there. ¡°Sorry, sir. My wife did her best, but most recipes are passed by word of mouth. A few of her acquaintances wrote out some of their favorites here.¡± He produced a folio with two dozen sheets. He also had three slightly stained books. I read the titles. Recipes of the Boutan Caliphate, Traditional Orc Dishes One Hundred Regional Breads from Across the Continent Cooking with Auroch, Fifty Recipes a Baron Would Enjoy ¡°Thank you for your effort.¡± I took the books and loose sheets. Another thought occurred to me. ¡°Can you find out if there is someone in the city familiar with roasting cava beans?¡± ¡°Cava beans?¡± He replied, confused. ¡°They are found far to the south and need to be prepared specially¡ªfermenting and roasting, I think.¡± I had checked in my dreamscape, and I didn¡¯t have the knowledge from Earth to draw on. ¡°I will do my best, legionnaire,¡± the porter said with a nod. He looked pleased as he left since I hadn¡¯t asked for any of the coins back, even with his meager findings. I tried to recall if I had ever seen a recipe book on Earth to put into the dreamscape. I thought the answer was no, but the dreamscape would confirm that. I might have searched for a few recipes online when trying to impress a date, but that was about it. I returned with my recipe collection to find Zyna seated expectantly at the head of the table. I retrieved the pot of sliced beef in thick gravy from the kitchen, and she didn¡¯t look impressed. The other mages had gone quiet now that Zyna had appeared. I was guessing she had some teleportation magic that was allowing her to sneak into her bedroom suite because she most certainly didn¡¯t enter through the common room. She tried the meat and chewed it for a while. ¡°It¡¯s a bit tough. Maybe cook it on low for a few hours next time.¡± She continued eating and didn¡¯t comment again. I could tell she wasn¡¯t enjoying the food itself but the extra benefits of the dungeon harvest. Between bites, she conversed with everyone at the table. ¡°I just came from a meeting with the other three Chancellors.¡± She looked pointedly at Flora and Livia, ¡°There will be training runs for the Mage Aspirants in two weeks. Just some simple game hunting.¡± She turned to Renna, ¡°You are being sent to the Eastern Woods, across the river, to hunt gnolls in three weeks.¡± ¡°I am not ready!¡± Renna squealed in shock. ¡°Six instructors and twenty legionnaires will accompany your class. We need battle-tested mages because we¡¯ll need you sooner rather than later,¡± Zyna said sternly, cutting off any further protest. She didn¡¯t like being questioned. ¡°Will I be one of the legionnaires sent to guard them?¡± I asked, getting Zyna¡¯s attention. ¡°We can talk later,¡± the fire mage said, killing the conversation while she turned her attention to the chewy dungeon meat. She looked at the mages, ¡°You are dismissed. At breakfast tomorrow, drop your tray of food on First Citizen Lucia while walking to your seat. I will be there to discipline you.¡± Although Zyna was expressionless, I couldn¡¯t help but smirk. She was helping them be assigned to work here while getting some revenge on one of their apparent antagonists. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°And me?¡± Renna asked eagerly. ¡°You can accidentally attack me in class with flame spear,¡± Zyna said evenly. Renna¡¯s eyes widened, and she whined, ¡°I haven¡¯t finished learning these spell forms yet!¡± Zyna arched an eyebrow, ¡°Then you better finish learning them tonight. Go!¡± The three mage students scurried away like scolded children. I think Zyna was a big softy underneath and was helping them the best she could. ¡°So, what is the big secret?¡± I asked as we heard the door close. Zyna relaxed in her chair. She turned over her thoughts. ¡°There are some things they are better off not hearing and spreading rumors about. It is thought the Caliphate orcs are planning to land and press for the ruins of Atlantium. We don¡¯t know where yet, but we are guessing they are waiting to see if we discover anything useful before launching an invasion. We have already detected their more powerful clerics scrying around Macha.¡± She sighed, ¡°The Esenhem elves have claimed the Amatalhos Isle, and we cannot challenge them to retake it and also protect the ruins. They are waiting for us to discover something valuable before landing in the Empire. The Bartiradians are not waiting and are skirmishing with our forces. This is making both of us weaker for the elves and orcs.¡± ¡°Well, what does that mean for us? And for me, training with the Hounds.¡± I inquired while processing. ¡°The wheels of war turn slowly. But once the momentum builds, it becomes unstoppable,¡± Zyna said, tapping her fingernail in cadence on the empty plate. ¡°The ruins under the swamp cover thirty square miles and are almost half a mile deep, so it will be some time before we find anything useful. From the last report, they have stopped excavating in favor of building defenses for the coming conflict.¡± ¡°Will you be on the front lines?¡± My question stemmed from selfishness; if she were, it meant I would have to go too, unless I had already been assigned to the Hounds. ¡°No. The Chancellors of the Mage College are responsible for defending the city and the Imperial Palace.¡± Zyna said heavily, feeling the pain of responsibility. I wondered, ¡°If this suite is for the War College Chancellor, why was it empty for so long?¡± Zyna replied curtly, ¡°I was the last War College Chancellor. The Emperor doesn¡¯t always have a Chancellor for each of the four towers.¡± She nodded to me, ¡°Chancellor Evander is sending over a crate of old alchemy books tomorrow. I told him I was dabbling again. You can request what ingredients you need using my name. As a Chancellor, I have a budget that I rarely use.¡± Zyna stated dismissively. ¡°I suggest you focus on the simple poisons for your future with the Hounds.¡± I nodded a thank you. ¡°What about the mage aspirants and Renna? Will they be safe on the hunt you mentioned?¡± I asked. For some reason, I had this innate drive to protect the women. Zyna winced like she had been struck. ¡°You will not like this, but Antonia has plans for Mage Aspirant Livia. She needs a healer for one of her plans. And preferably a healer no one will miss.¡± I considered her words and asked, ¡°Will she not survive Antonia¡¯s plan?¡± Zyna looked apologetic. If I was cynical, then I could guess she was manipulating me by telling me enough truth to win my trust. ¡°I couldn¡¯t give you a truthful answer. The mission is not within our borders and may not even occur with everything else happening.¡± I would not be a sacrificial pawn in Antonia¡¯s quest to replace the Emperor. I just nodded, playing along, but I would keep the young Mage Aspirants out of harm¡¯s way if I could. ¡°And what of the gnolls? Will Renna be safe?¡± ¡°The gnolls themselves will not be overly dangerous, twenty at most. I am supervising the gnoll hunt. You will be able to keep an eye on Renna as each mage will have a personal legionnaire protector,¡± she gave me a knowing look. ¡°Renna has enemies among the other new mages. You might have your hands full, as they will be more dangerous than the gnolls.¡± ¡°I thought Renna was promised to the Emperor¡¯s son. Why is she being targeted like this?¡± I asked, puzzled. ¡°That is exactly why she is being targeted. Jealousy, positioning for favors, and general dislike of a commoner passing them in status.¡± Zyna replied heatedly. She turned the conversation, seeing I was becoming agitated, ¡°I talked to Master Mage Janus about essence consumption.¡± My distaste for Telhian politics faded with the possibility of learning a shortcut to utilizing all the essences I had collected. ¡°What did he tell you?¡± I asked a bit too eagerly. Zyna had caught me in an emotional swing. She smiled slightly. ¡°You can consume one of each type: physical, mental, and magic affinity essence in a day. The downside is that the essences draw on your body reserves to catalyze the essence. This means the essences will likely be less effective if used together. That¡¯s why consuming only one essence each day is suggested¡ªgiving your body time to recover.¡± Zyna waited as I processed the information before explaining further, ¡°Your body¡¯s ability to process an essence is like this cup.¡± She placed a small teacup from the table in front of her. ¡°A minor essence is like this pitcher of water.¡± She took a pitcher and filled it to the brim with another. ¡°When you consume an essence,¡± she poured the pitcher quickly into the cup, with most of the water spilling over the table, ¡°you are unable to catch most of it, and much of the energy disappears.¡± With a quick spell, the water steamed and vanished, leaving just the full glass. ¡°So pouring three pitchers into a single glass is a waste. And to answer your next question, major essences and apex essences are just purer, refined water, but will also overflow.¡± ¡°So, all I need is a bigger glass, then?¡± I directed the conversation. Zyna laughed musically, ¡°There are convergence spells that can give you a bigger glass. But I am sorry to disappoint you, as they must be utilized as a spell form. The essences are filtered through your body, and you need at least forty affinity to imprint them. I don¡¯t think there are five mages in the Empire with an affinity that high, and they all choose a different spell form for drawing aether from ley lines and the environment more effectively.¡± ¡°That is unfortunate,¡± I said, acting mollified. I already had that spell form but was not going to reveal it. Zyna nodded conciliatorily, ¡°Be aware you can not consume the same essence repeatedly. You will start to experience diminishing returns in time.¡± ¡°How many essences before that happens?¡± ¡°It varies from person to person, and each attribute differs for everyone,¡± she said uncertainly. The information was extremely valuable. My spell form was obviously a significant advantage, and I couldn¡¯t understand why mages would choose the siphoning aether from ley lines instead of extracting the most from essences. Maybe essences were rare¡ªor perhaps my super high affinity made the spell form manyfold more valuable. I was anxious to experiment. I stood and started clearing dishes, nodding in thanks, and asked one last question for the evening, ¡°How are you getting back into the suite without using the tower stairs?¡± Zyna smiled, ¡°An artifact tied to the suite that allows me to return here from anywhere in the Mage College. All the Chancellors have one keyed to their own tower.¡± Well, she had just told me she could appear at any time. Another step in building trust with me. An hour later, I was locked in my small room holding two minor essences¡­ ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 192: Guinea Pig Chapter 192: Guinea Pig Holding the two essences, I realized I was now a guard, cook, maid, dishwasher, and babysitter. On the bright side, I was relatively safe and had privacy most of the day. Some legionnaires might find it demeaning, but I felt more like Alfred. I was ready to experiment with two minor essences in my grasp, the dexterity and earth essence. I had no minor essence for a mental attribute, but I saw this as an opportunity to experiment with these two minor attributes. Starting small had its advantages. It would allow me to gauge if I could effectively harness both essences simultaneously. If successful, I would attempt two major essences next. I crossed both legs under me on the bed and concentrated on my aether core and my slightly burning aether channels. At least with the aether burn, it was straightforward to map the flow of aether in my body. After studying for over an hour, I consumed both essences at once. The sensation was completely different than usual. With my eyes closed, my vision swam with colors, and I associated specific colors with various senses. Brown flashes tasted like citrus, white triggered the smell of pine needles. I focused on the energy the essences spread through my body, ignoring the odd overwhelming sensory input. The essence raced along my aether channels throughout my body like a superhighway, reinforcing areas and saturating others. I tried to see any bleed in the energy, but it moved too fast to track, and before I knew it, its work was done. I opened my eyes and moved to uncover the tablet reader. I utilized a dose of aether to activate it, and I read my results. My earth affinity had moved from 13 to 14, and my dexterity attribute went from 43/61 to 44/61. So, the good news was both minor essences had worked simultaneously, but I had not been able to observe if they were less effective if consumed individually. I could feel some minor indigestion and fatigue from their work, but less than consuming a single major essence. Of course, this was the first time I had focused so intently on the essence¡¯s work so I had nothing to compare it to. I covered the tablet reader and considered my past gains from a minor essence. Sometimes, I got a single point in potential, but that was rare. Usually, I received one or two points in the attribute. I decided tomorrow night, I would try to consume two major essences and evaluate the results. I paged through the three cooking books and the dozen handwritten recipes to add to the dreamscape. I would probably never need to entertain orcs at a dinner party, but examining the culinary tastes of orcs when I have time would be interesting. The cookbook seemed to be authored by an explorer, as each recipe included an extensive description of where he had learned it and how it related to orc society. Food was definitely a unique way of exploring a race¡¯s culture. From the cooking book, I could tell the orc culture was complex. One recipe, for instance, could only be consumed by children. Another was consumed exclusively before a battle. Yet another involved their version of a mating ritual: both the male and female consumed it, and the winner of a wrestling match following the meal was then considered the dominant partner in their union. A cold, quick shower later, and I was in the dreamscape. I manifested the cooking references and a few more books from the caelorian metalsmiths. Once I had copied all these books, I would look to get rid of them and clean up my dimensional space. Maybe Ignis would know someone interested in them. She had promised to keep the source of the spinnerets secret, but I did not fully trust her. I found one book with a multitude of illustrations. It looked to be related to the techniques of making an intricate teapot. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t be interested in it, but I could test the waters with this one. My time in the dreamscape was divided between memorizing the earth affinity spell form and working with the enhanced Konstantin. His skills had doubled just by applying what I observed in the Imperial training yard during my visit to the blacksmith. That was somewhat unsettling, as my subconscious clearly perceived more than I did during the brief time I watched. I wanted to seek out and observe some spear masters practicing in the future to improve my capabilities with the black spear. Maybe I missed hearing Konstantin constantly criticize and correct me, as I only practiced with him this evening. I wondered how Maveith and the company were doing. They should be leaving soon to escort the Magistrate. I exited the dreamscape and did my sword and spear katas in the common room again. Maybe I could clear one of the large guest bedrooms for my practice. There was one that had a large balcony facing the city. At sunrise, I returned to the alchemy lab to clean. Midmorning, three crates of dusty alchemy books were delivered by three porters. Twenty-seven books in all. I cleared a shelf in the alchemy room and placed all the books there. It looked to be a complete collection for an alchemy student at the Mage College. Books on setting up apparatus and purification of ingredients were the most common among the books. After paging through the collection, I returned to clean the alchemy room. I lost myself in my work, and in mid-afternoon, a smiling Flora and Livia arrived. They were excited to tell the tale of how they had earned their punishment. They had chosen extra sauce for their gnocchi and made a mess of a First Citizen¡¯s robes. Before Lucia could lash out, Chancellor Zyna intervened and punished them with a week of cleaning in her apartments. Zyna had apparently put on quite a show in the dining hall, according to them, and Flora admitted she had peed herself a little. I winced internally. Zyna was winning the trust of these two young women. Livia would feel indebted to her and would probably volunteer to go on whatever mission Antonia had planned when Zyna asked her. It was difficult not to warn them. After talking with the excitable two mage aspirants, I switched from cleaning to cooking. My goal was to improve my baking skills today and figure out how to control the oven temperature. I opened the book on bread that I added to my dreamscape and was flustered by all the types contained within. For one, the breads were made from more than just wheat flour. Then there were flatbreads, focaccia, and loaves. Apparently, one of the most important ingredients was the type of yeast. I found two flatbread recipes that seemed easy enough. One was the familiar pita that Lirkin frequently served, and the other was a flour tortilla-type. I also set some dough to rise with the yeast and focused on the two flatbreads that were made with a skillet. By sunset, I had tortillas and fresh pita flatbread. A quick dicing of vegetables and chicken and the wraps had stuffing. I was surprised when Zyna arrived. ¡°Renna never came today. Is she okay?¡± I asked, concerned. I served Zyna a rolled tortilla filled with the apple-berry dungeon jam. ¡°She is still working on the flame spear spell. She needs the motivation to work harder. She is a once-in-a-generation talent and may one day be a High Mage herself. After she learned her first spell, she¡¯s grown complacent.¡± She tasted the jelly roll and smiled, savoring it and smiling. ¡°Were the alchemy books delivered?¡± She asked with a full mouth. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°They were. However, only some simple potion recipes were in the collection. Not sure making wart removal potions will be useful to me,¡± I snorted. Zyna scoffed a little, too, quickly hiding a smile as Livia and Flora now stood at the archway. Both filthy and salivating at the spread on the table. I motioned them forward, ¡°Help yourselves. Put a spoonful of the chicken and vegetable mixture on the bread, sprinkle it with the cheese, and fold it over into a wrap.¡± The two attacked the table and ate somewhat noisily in front of us like they were afraid they might be sent away at any moment. ¡°This is so much better than yesterday,¡± Flora muttered through mouthfuls. Each of them finished three wraps before slowing down. Even Zyna tried a wrap, and I think she enjoyed it with her surprised expression. I needed to add more spices to the mixture to make a proper fajita, but it was still good. Flora sniffed the air, ¡°Is something burning?¡± I swore as my loaf of bread was burning in the oven¡ªanother fail. The three watched amusedly as I rushed to the kitchen to try and save the loaf. The mage aspirants had left when I returned with my smoldering dark loaf. Zyna smiled at my dismay. ¡°Having trouble with the oven?¡± ¡°The heating seems uneven. I can¡¯t get a constant temperature if I have to cook anything in it for more than ten minutes.¡± Zyna stood and walked confidently into the kitchen. She spent a few minutes examining the oven before turning to me, ¡°A runic vent is missing. It controls the airflow. Without it, the oven would just continue to heat over time, getting hotter and hotter. I will get a replacement. I will also get you the tier-one alchemy recipe book for poisons as well when I return. I will be gone for the next five days, so you will be on your own. Do you have everything you need?¡± With a confused expression, I asked, ¡°Where are you going, and why am I not accompanying you?¡± ¡°I am just traveling to my villa in the hamlet I rule on the coast. I need to get my affairs in order for an extended stay here and prepare my people to evacuate and flee south if the orcs or elves land nearby.¡± Zyna explained, but I sensed some averseness. I think it was a note of sadness in not being there for her people. I remembered her undertones of anger when she came to hunt the summoner who had attacked her fishing hamlet by controlling the weather. I still thought I should go with her but didn¡¯t press. ¡°I will be fine on my own. Can I clear out the south guest room to use as a training room?¡± I asked. There were a few empty small storerooms on this floor where I could move the furniture. ¡°You can do whatever you want in any room except the master bedroom. I never thought I would take residence here again. For me, it was always just a place to sleep.¡± I could tell there was more history Zyna was not telling me. She didn¡¯t look ready to open up further, so I just nodded as she withdrew to bathe. Later in the evening, I had two major essences in my hand: earth and dexterity. From what I understood, it was a large step up from a minor essence, as major essences were ten times as effective. I retreated into my meditative focus and consumed the essences together. The rush this time was more intense, and I think I could feel the difference in purity as the essences worked through me. I had to ignore the dizzying array of colors, smells, scents, and tingles. Again, they had worked so fast that it was hard to track, but I was certain I had not metabolized everything this time. The question was whether this was a normal overflow or if I had lost some of my potential gains. Moments later, I stood over the tablet reader as my stomach did flips, and I chased some floaters in my vision with my eyes to steady myself. My recovery from metabolizing the essences took longer than normal, but I gripped the reader anyway. My dexterity attribute had improved from 44/61 to 46/62. And the earth affinity had gone from 14 to 16. Both were normal gains if I took a major essence alone. I didn¡¯t have any major essences for a mental attribute to test three in conjunction. Searching, I found that the only mental attribute in my essence stockpile was an apex essence for the insight attribute. I decided to increase my essence consumption again tomorrow evening, consuming an apex earth essence and a major dexterity essence. I could already tell from my practice the small gains in dexterity were increasing my control and accuracy with the blade. Another factor in choosing dexterity for me was I knew that manual dexterity was also a factor in learning spell forms to cast actual spells. Mages learned by tracing the spell forms with their fingers in the air first. With enough practice, experienced mages could eventually create the spell forms without manipulating their fingers, but, to my knowledge and from my readings, they always created spell forms by channeling aether through their hands. The routine of my dreamscape, morning, and day continued. The alchemy lab was getting into good shape, all the useless glassware was disposed of, and I wrote out a list of ingredients for the only recipe I knew¡ªminty mouthwash. I needed to restock anyway. Flora and Livia arrived in the afternoon, but Renna had not returned. I guessed I would not see Renna again until Zyna returned and she could cast the flame spear spell. Flora and Livia were getting more comfortable around me, talking about their lives as mage aspirants. I was surprised they didn¡¯t focus much on the challenges they had faced. I knew they were being bullied, but they did not want to discuss that with me. I would eventually meet their tormentors and hadn¡¯t decided how I would respond yet. It was also nice that the two enjoyed my cooking, and maybe they would gain some weight due to my efforts. Currently, I was experimenting with various spices to try and make a decent fajita or burrito to add as a prepared meal to my dimensional storage. The two young women left after dark, and I was again alone. I consumed the apex earth essence and major dexterity essence, and the sensory overload following was much more intense than my prior experiments. My aether core seemed the most upset with the increase in my earth affinity. I had only recently unlocked it, and I was constantly increasing it. My aether core felt turbulent, like a maelstrom of energy with nowhere to go that was constantly being fed by the earth essence. As the seconds ticked by, I broke into a cold sweat and my nerves felt numb, but my body and aether channels quickly calmed with my aether core. What had taken seconds had felt like minutes to me. I hadn¡¯t even realized my heart was pounding as I had focused internally on the flow of the essences¡¯ workings. Finally, I was breathing steadily, and my body and aether core were completely calmed. I think this was my limit. One apex and one major essence. Maybe I could consume three major essences at once, but I first needed one major essence from the physical, mental, and magical affinities to attempt it. I took one unsteady step toward the reader before gaining my balance. My fine motor control was a bit numb but returned quickly. I tested myself. My earth affinity had increased by three points to 19. My dexterity attribute had increased from 46/62 to 47/63. That puzzled me for a while as I had received +2/+1 yesterday evening and +1/+1 today. I didn¡¯t sense I got any less benefit from this major earth essence than the one from last evening. Zyna said there was a factor of diminishing returns from essences, so that is how I interpreted the lesser results. I just didn¡¯t expect it to happen so quickly. From this most recent experience, I definitely needed to rest on consuming earth essences for a few days, no matter how tantalizing the possibility of reaching a twenty-five affinity to learn the spell form may be. I continued my routine, settling into the weasel fur with the dreamscape amulet and channeled aether into it. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 193 Parade Armor Chapter 193 Parade Armor For the next five days, I kept to my routine. Flora and Livia arrived at the same time every day to clean. They told me Renna was doing well, but they barely had a chance to talk to her in the common dining hall. My protective nature had me thinking of the two as my younger sisters. As they ate the meal I prepared for them, it was nice to listen to them talk about their days. It added some daily normalcy to being trapped in the tower. I even got them to submit a requisition for the ingredients I needed to make the mouthwash. When it arrived, I stored everything in my dimensional space to retain its freshness. My cooking skills slowly improved, and I managed to make a decent burrito with refried beans, rice, seasoned meat, corn, and a simple salsa made with onions, tomatoes, and chili peppers. I would alternate the meat between beef and chicken. I used the dungeon bear meat as an experiment, and marinating the meat first worked well. I believe I was beginning to understand why Zyna savored the dungeon harvest so much. I practiced with my air shield in the morning, and from my experience metabolizing the essences, I could feel the aether flowing from my stomach like a very weak essence. I started to make extra burritos, grilling them briefly after wrapping them in large wax leaves and then sending them to my dimensional space for consumption later. Over the five evenings, I consumed five major dexterity essences, an apex essence of insight, three major essences for aether tolerance, and one apex essence for the illusion affinity. Even with the ring of sustenance, my appetite increased with so many essences. My illusion affinity increased from three to seven. My aether tolerance increased from 42/51 to 48/56. I thought the latter increase also reduced my discomfort from the aether burn, but that could be a placebo effect. I saw diminishing returns from the dexterity essences but still received a sizable improvement. My dexterity attribute increased from 47/63 to 53/67. I noticed significant improvements in my physical and dreamscape training due to enhanced dexterity. Through my training in the dreamscape, I realized that my biggest shortfall was my quickness. If I could be just a little faster here and there, I believe I would perform much better against Konstantin and Xavier. Maveith had been wise to choose all the quickness essences. The best I could do now was to train with weighted weapons and boost my quickness through sweat and effort. I made progress on the earth speak spell form and felt I had rested my earth affinity in my aether core enough to consume more essences. I had six major and six minor earth essences remaining; my current affinity was 19. I would have no difficulty reaching the minimum threshold of 25 for the spell form. I was on the balcony overlooking the city, going through spear forms with the black spear. It was dark, but the sunrise was coming, so I ended my training. Even though I had cleared the bedroom of all furniture, I preferred practicing in the open air on the balcony in the dark. The cool night air and looking down on the speckles of lights in the city below made me feel free and in control. I couldn¡¯t practice in the sunlight as there were sight lines from a number of rooftops in the upper city. As the line of daylight cracked the horizon, the common room door thudded with an impatient, powerful knock. It was much too early for Flora and Livia, so I answered the door cautiously. I swapped the spear for the black blade and opened the door to the stairs. I was bare-chested when I opened the door and was shocked to see the gray-haired Ignis, the master smith, standing there. She looked a little surprised at me, looked down at the blade tip resting on the ground, and then back at me, ¡°If you are not going to use the sword on me, move aside.¡± Ignis picked up two large bags and walked into the common room, looking around. ¡°Haven¡¯t been up here in years. Surprised the place is actually clean.¡± She carefully put the bags down, studied the room, and then me. Slowly, a frown formed on her face. ¡°Your body has changed.¡± I felt a little self-conscious, so I pulled a shirt from my space and put it on, covering my sweaty torso. ¡°I have been training hard,¡± I answered after I covered myself. ¡°Well, the shoulder and chest fit may be off,¡± she answered, somewhat annoyed. ¡°Should be enough play to get them comfortable. Are you planning to get much bigger?¡± She said, looking me over from the floor up again. ¡°Probably,¡± was all I could muster under her gaze. She released a heavy sigh, ¡°Well, come see me instead of whining to anyone who will listen that your nipples are chafing off.¡± She reached into one of the bags and handed me two pairs of black gloves. ¡°Try these on.¡± The seamless gloves easily slid over my hands, and Ignis smirked as I admired the work. I flexed my hand and couldn¡¯t tell I was wearing gloves. The pads had a slightly tacky grip, but the material did not stick to itself. Ignis interrupted my appreciation of the final product. ¡°He incorporated some anti-fire runes into the threading. He felt he needed to add something extra for the value of the surplus material. Magical fire is the only thing that can damage spider silk of that quality. So, unless you decide to dance inside one of Zyna¡¯s flaming dragons, they should last you a lifetime. Probably don¡¯t even need the second pair.¡± I could have retorted that she didn¡¯t know just how long I would live, but didn¡¯t. ¡°Thank you. I can barely feel them.¡± ¡°The spell weaver mentioned it was some of the finest material he had the privilege to work with.¡± She winked at me, ¡°Had to tell him it was imported by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. He also said it was among his best work.¡± Smirking, she said, ¡°Now, you shouldn¡¯t have any trouble hiding your ring.¡± My jaw didn¡¯t work for a moment as she ignored my surprise. She bent over, unfolding two black long-sleeve shirts of the same material from the bag. She handed them to me, ¡°These also have the fire resistance runes into the threading. He twisted the threads, so the material should also have no tackiness.¡± I tried on one of the shirts, and Ignis was watching carefully. The satin-like black shirt fit like loose spandex. I admired the comfort and feel of the material. Ignis nodded at the fit and added, ¡°It is durable and resistant to slashing but not impenetrable. I suggest you only wear it under your armor. Any damage will be nearly impossible for you to repair. The material should be easy to clean and is odor free, but keep it away from lye, or you will lose the black dye. Now, let¡¯s get to your armor.¡± Ignis proudly began to unpack the armor she crafted from the two large duffel bags. All the pieces were the same shape as my red-dyed, resin-infused, auroch hide, but the chest pieces, pauldrons, greaves, and vambraces were metal. I was confused when the armor was a blood-red color instead of the shiny steel of the other Imperial Legionnaires. ¡°Is this red enamel?¡± I asked while inspecting the glossy red cuirass. The cuirass had a golden lion in relief on the front, the symbol of the Legion. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Ignis scoffed, ¡°This is ceremonial parade armor. Don¡¯t be fooled by its beauty. It is fully functional. The red glossy finish is made using ground rust monster antenna and dried chimera blood. It creates a layer of crimson red on the surface of the steel that can be polished. Each piece has also been inscribed with runes to permanently prevent rust. If those runes fail, the armor will degrade in a few months.¡± I had to admit it looked impressive, and the amount of work that had gone into it was substantial, even assuming magic assisted in the crafting. ¡°How durable is the finish?¡± I asked, strapping on the cuirass front and back. ¡°It will react just like normal steel. It can be scratched or dented; you will need a master armorsmith for any repairs. Most minor scratches can be buffed out.¡± Her tone switched to forceful. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you in the training yard practicing in this suit. This suit is a status symbol for Chancellor Zyna.¡± Great, I was a trophy dress-up doll for Zyna. Ignis handed me the final piece of the armor, the helm. Only the helm was steel on my original suit of armor. This helm matched the crimson-glossy nature of the rest of the suit, and even though it was also open-faced, it had a faceguard that could be slid in and locked, creating a bucket helm. Ignis showed me how it worked, and there were special grooves on the crest to add a plume so I could look like a proper peacock. I donned the helm. I couldn¡¯t help it but went to check myself out in a mirror. Okay, I looked pretty epic. Ignis handed me an arched body shield from the floor of the duffel bag that matched the suit. The last time I used a body shield was in training. This one was much heavier, maybe twenty pounds, and these shields were best used in formation and with a spear or shortsword. ¡°Most legionnaire guards prefer the smaller shield, but Zyna wanted this for your guard duty.¡± The front of the shield had the relief of a rich blue kraken outlined in silver. ¡°That is First Citizen Zyna¡¯s crest.¡± The beast looked fearsome, and I assumed the kraken was because her estate was a coastal settlement. She handed me a scabbard for my black blade that matched the ornamental design. We spent ten minutes adjusting and marking straps before Ignis stepped back. ¡°And now my work is done.¡± Ignis put on a genuine smile as she admired her work. ¡°It is incredible. Twice as heavy as my old armor, but I look ten times as good,¡± I stated after removing the helm. ¡°Is the armor cooler? I feel a bit cold inside of it.¡± ¡°Just a small side effect of the rust prevention runes. You will be thankful for it standing guard under the sun mid-summer.¡± She started to pack up after placing a beeswax mixture on the table to polish the armor. I took the opportunity to pull the book on metalsmithing a teapot from my dimensional space and placed it on the table. ¡°Would this be useful to you?¡± Ignis¡¯ aged face wrinkled in distaste when she recognized the writing. ¡°It¡¯s in Elvish.¡± She still opened the ancient tome and immediately became interested. She completely ignored me as she paged through the book from front to back, studying the images. She looked up, breathing heavily, ¡°Where did you get this?¡± ¡°Ruins of Caelora. A few books were salvageable, and I was able to grab a few,¡± I said indifferently. ¡°You have more?¡± She stepped eagerly toward me before she regained some composure. ¡°The techniques inside are enlightening, and I can¡¯t even read the text. I will need to get this translated.¡± She swept the book protectively under her arm, holding it reverently. ¡°So, it is valuable?¡± I said, unable to hold a smirk back. The old smith narrowed her eyes, magnifying her crow¡¯s feet, ¡°What do you want for it, legionnaire?¡± What did I want for the book? It was mostly useless to me now that I had a copy in the dreamscape. I needed many things. I needed to get to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Hall to see Tarvon so I could purchase some revelation scrolls. That might be too suspicious, though. ¡°Can you clean and repair these?¡± I pulled the rusty twelve elven daggers, ten elven hand axes, and two damaged elven axes from my dimensional space. Ignis quickly recognized the expert craftsmanship, ¡°Neptune¡¯s beard, how big are you, legionnaire?¡± She put the book down to examine the weapons. She studied each weapon and frowned at the two hand axes I had used to hack the vines on the floor of the Shimmering Labyrinth. ¡°All are exceptionally fine work.¡± She looked at me differently this time. ¡°Still, I will admit, cleaning and honing the edges on these blades would not be fair compensation for this book.¡± She placed her hand protectively on it like I might steal it at any moment. ¡°I also want sheaths for them all, a swordsman¡¯s shield for my parade armor, and I could use a replacement short sword with a sheath as well.¡± The last was to gain a sheath for the mage¡¯s bane spider blade. I might need to carry it in the future. ¡°The quality of the short sword will be up to you to establish for fair compensation.¡± Ignis looked at the assortment of weapons and the book as she contemplated. She finally said, ¡°Agreed. And I will keep its origin to myself.¡± That was a point I was going to bring up, so I just nodded gratefully. ¡°You indicated you have other tomes?¡± She asked, almost pleadingly. ¡°It is something we can discuss at another time,¡± I said as I began removing the armor. Ignis regretfully could tell I was not going to reveal more to her today, and she carefully collected the weapons before leaving. I was worried I was showing too much, but I had the opportunity to get my dimensional space in order while I had some time. I was hoping Zyna¡¯s relationship with Ignis would prove the craftswoman a silent ally. I carefully stored the armor in my small room next to my borrowed auroch hide armor. I returned to the alchemy lab to prepare my first attempt at alchemy. It was getting close to noon when the doors in the common room flung open. The thud of the doors opening hard into the wall had me pull the mage bane blade to my hand. Had Ignis betrayed me so quickly? ¡°What in Pluto¡¯s Abyss!¡± A familiar voice rang from the other room. ¡°The bastard is living in luxury while we have to sleep on hard bunks. I bet he is drinking wine and eating ambrosia every night!¡± Maveith¡¯s deep voice reverberated through the suites, responding to Mateo¡¯s announcement, ¡°I am sure the mage is keeping Eryk very busy.¡± Benito¡¯s voice answered, ¡°I bet she is! She was pretty well-shaped for a mage. She is probably working him really hard.¡± Konstantin¡¯s harsh voice cut through the rabble, ¡°If High Mage Zyna is in these apartments and heard you say that, she would roast you alive, Benito. And I wouldn¡¯t move to stop her. Maybe I would even encourage her.¡± The entire place was suddenly deathly silent, and the men from my company listened for movement. I returned the mage bane blade quietly and moved silently through the connecting rooms. I emerged from the kitchen to the common room to see six men from the company on alert for the dangerous Fire High Mage. Konstantin was hiding a smirk at the unease of the other men. I smiled at the group. ¡°She is not here.¡± They all exhaled and relieved, and tension left their bodies. ¡°What brings you by today?¡± I asked, smiling at my companions. Maveith spoke for the group, ¡°We came to say goodbye. We leave in the morning. Konstantin said he could get us into the Mage College.¡± I looked over the group of Mateo, Maveith, Benito, Konstantin, Blaze, and Lirkin. ¡°Well, it is lunchtime. Come on in, and I will whip you up something.¡± Lirkin volunteered to help, and we moved into the kitchen. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 194 Misinterpreting My Situation Chapter 194 Misinterpreting My Situation We moved into the kitchen, and the men grabbed stools, making lots of noise with their scraping armor, banter, and scuffing boots. I didn¡¯t realize how quiet it had been away from the company. I kind of missed the bustle. Lirkin helped me make the burritos while Mateo grabbed one of the many casks of ale from the larder at my direction. He came back confused. ¡°How many people live here? There is enough food for two companies in there.¡± I was grinding the dried spices with a mortar and pestle to season the meat. ¡°Just me. The Chancellor is rarely here.¡± ¡°Why is it so cold in there?¡± He gestured at the room while prepping the cask to fill mugs. I didn¡¯t feel in the mood to explain the heat sink, so I just said, ¡°Magic.¡± Mateo grunted in acceptance and was already passing around mugs. It took a while to get the first burrito finished, even though I had the tortillas already made. After a week in the city, I learned the company was finally well-rested. Mateo managed to snag the first burrito and talked while he ate, ¡°Our new porter is a dullard, Eryk. He holds his spear backward and farts in his sleep like a bullfrog.¡± Lirkin commented as he worked on wrapping the next burrito, ¡°So do you. But at least it keeps the goblins away in the woods.¡± Mateo looked shocked at the accusation but eventually just shrugged, not denying it, and took another bite. I noted the refried beans in the wrap would be sure to wake the company tonight. Maveith, seeing it was going to be a while before the food got to him, took a loaf of cheese and herb bread and slathered butter on it. He started chewing, ¡°What is this, Eryk? It is marvelous!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a recipe from one of the porter¡¯s wives. It is some type of holiday bread, I think. It is supposed to be coated in a special herb cream cheese and not butter.¡± I hadn¡¯t had a chance to try all the loose recipes, but this was one of them. I agreed the cheese bread was quite good, with two types of soft cheeses inside and a crusty caramelized cheese on the outside. It was still a pain to bake as I had to manually adjust the oven for the hour of baking to avoid burning it. And now Maveith just consumed the entire loaf¡ªall my labor was undone in less than a minute. Konstantin had been surprisingly quiet, just observing us contentedly. It was clear he had brought them here as a favor to me, even if he wouldn¡¯t admit it. As the burritos were passed out, he took one and made a surprisingly happy face while tasting it. It didn¡¯t take him long to finish it. He muttered something about me not being a bad cook, but I couldn¡¯t make it out clearly through everyone talking. The conversation turned to Macha and the rumors of the growing shadow of the larger war. They were unaware of the Boutan Caliphate orcs massing a fleet, and I didn¡¯t tell them as it would ruin the afternoon. They did know about the Esenhem elves, which was common knowledge, and there was a growing outcry to reclaim the Amatalhos Isle. The doors to the common room opened loudly, and the company went silent at the intrusion. Flora¡¯s voice rang through the apartments, ¡°Eryk! Can you not work us hard today? We can just soak in the tub later to get clean!¡± The pronouncement was made worse as she was taking off her robes on entering the kitchen, Livia a step behind. The color drained from Flora¡¯s face on seeing the five legionnaires in armor and the massive goliath. Her eyes were focused up on Maveith as it was probably the first goliath she had seen, at least one this close. Lirkin mumbled, ¡°Thought you said you were alone. And here we felt sorry for you and thought you needed some companionship.¡± Mateo tripped over himself to introduce himself first, ¡°Mateo Evander.¡± He bowed awkwardly. ¡°They are just mage aspirants here to be disciplined,¡± I interrupted the group¡¯s confusion and inappropriate conclusions. Only Mateo had made a fool of himself, and the two young mages were just sixteen. Of course, that was a reasonable age for marriage in the Empire. Both mages had started to fill out with their gluttonous appetites and were no longer bone thin. Maybe I would have considered them attractive if I hadn¡¯t thought of them as younger sisters who needed my protection. Now they needed my protection from my friends. Maveith¡¯s deep voice echoed, somewhat accusatory, causing Livia and Flora to jump, ¡°You have to discipline them, Eryk?¡± Before more speculation could be made, I ended it. ¡°They are mages of the college. They got in trouble and come up here to clean every day. I usually cook them something for their efforts.¡± Some doubtful looks appeared, and the two young women looked lost and mute under the gaze of seven men, clearly intimidated. I ordered them to get to work, ¡°The walls in the west guest room still need scrubbing.¡± The pair hurried off, glad to escape the uncomfortable scrutiny. Konstantin stood, ¡°Finish your ales, and head back to the Legion Hall. We stank up Eryk¡¯s kitchen enough.¡± He approached me and handed me a wrapped package. ¡°From the company.¡± He spoke softly next so only I could hear, ¡°When you join the Hounds, always be aware of your surroundings, and don¡¯t embarrass me.¡± He turned smoothly and walked out first. I said goodbye to the others as they rushed to finish their drinks, some getting a quick second. Maveith was last and engulfed me in a quick hug. ¡°Remember you promised to come with me to Stone Mountain Island,¡± he said gruffly. ¡°I will.¡± I pulled the second ring of sustenance I got from Traeliorn. ¡°Take this. It has the same functionality as my ring.¡± Maveith stared at the ring momentarily before his hand closed around it, nodding gratefully. ¡°Eryk, I know we will meet again.¡± The goliath gave my shoulder a last pat and left the suite. The door shut, and all I could hear was the two mage aspirants whispering on the other side of the tower. I looked at the wrapped package and cut the twine. A large package of griffin jerky was on top of some new underclothes and new legion boots. I nibbled on the griffin jerky, which had been seasoned with Kraken salt. It was easily the most valuable thing in the bundle. The boots were new and would need to be broken in. It was a thoughtful gift, and I moved everything to my crowded dimensional space. I continued to cook, and when the sunset came, my two ravenous dependents feasted. After consuming her first burrito and a side of diced fruit, Livia asked, ¡°Was that a giant?¡± ¡°Who, Maveith? No, he is just a goliath. First time seeing one?¡± I responded, sipping the now warm ale. It was actually pretty smooth and not bitter. ¡°Goliath? I think one of the gladiators in the Coliseum is a goliath, but I have never seen one¡ªso close.¡± Flora added to the conversation. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Where is the Coliseum?¡± I asked. I had heard about it in passing. ¡°The western side of the city in the upper district. It can hold twenty thousand people!¡± Livia replied confidently. She grew up in the lower city and was familiar with the districts. Her father was a glass blower, and her mother carved corks. When she was in familiar company, she lived up to her name, constantly smiling and congenial. ¡°Are the gladiators who fight slaves?¡± I asked, recalling my history of the Roman Empire on Earth. Livia scrunched her face in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think so; most are adventurers or professional warriors. But they do fight prisoners, captured orc pirates, Bartiradian soldiers, and fantastical creatures from the Imperial Zoo. It costs five large silver for admittance and only happens on the day of the full moon each month.¡± ¡°When is the next full moon?¡± I asked, curious. ¡°Day after next, I think,¡± Flora said immediately, leaning back and rubbing her belly. She had consumed two massive burritos and was having trouble on the third. We talked for a while about their day. Their harassment had lessened somewhat since my arrival, but they still had their nemesis classmates who tormented them. I patiently let them vent until they expressed all their anger. ¡°You two can use the bathroom and then return to your rooms,¡± I said, dismissing them. The excited mage aspirants started to sprint but thought better of it after their gluttony. I cleaned up, and after the two left an hour later, I returned to the alchemy lab and worked on my first potion. I meticulously went through the steps, mixed the purified ingredients, added the sapphire dust, and then added a touch of aether. The potion flared weakly and settled. A strong, minty scent hung in the air. That had not been overly difficult. It had taken nearly a day to brew just a few doses of mouthwash, but I had been successful. Of course, this was one of the simplest potions. The basic healing salve recipe was among the books Zyna had procured for me. I wrote out the list of ingredients, adding another batch for mouthwash but changing the type of mint leaves I would use. It was close to midnight when I finally settled into my weasel pelts. The next morning, I woke just after dawn and had to complete my training inside the room rather than on the exposed balcony. A door opened, and the change in air pressure alerted me that someone was in the apartment. I found Zyna in the common room, lounging on the sofa. She looked tired but smiled on seeing me. ¡°I see you fortunately failed to get into any more trouble while I was away.¡± I sat across from her, ¡°It has been very quiet. I haven¡¯t seen Renna, but Flora and Livia have been feeding me the local gossip.¡± Zyna smirked knowingly. ¡°I will check on Renna today, and you will see her this afternoon. If you have your armor, you can accompany me to class.¡± I nodded appreciatively. ¡°Ignis delivered it. It is quite exquisite. A true piece of art.¡± ¡°Excellent! One less problem to address. I am going to nap here for an hour, and you can follow me down to the classroom.¡± The fire mage closed her eyes and ignored me. She had dark rings under her eyes, and I guessed she might not have slept much recently. I would ask her after the class about the possibility of going to the Coliseum tomorrow. Not because I wanted to watch people kill each other, but because I was hoping to observe some skilled fighters to incorporate into my dreamscape. I woke Zyna and then followed her down to the first floor of the tower. I didn¡¯t carry the shield but had strapped on my black blade. Zyna¡¯s demeanor switched from haggard and tired, to stern and commanding, as she entered the classroom. Nine mages in gray robes sat in chairs across the room. One was Renna, and her gaze lingered on me for a moment, but I had my face guard on so she might not realize it was me. Zyna stepped to the front of the room, a fire whip snapped in the air, causing the mages to jump. ¡°I have returned. I hope you all have gained some competency with your fire magic during my absence.¡± I stood next to the door at attention. Zyna gestured at me, ¡°My shiny new legionnaire. If you see him within the college, know he speaks for me and follow all his instructions as you would mine.¡± She studied the terrified students, picking one with a malicious grin forming on her face. ¡°Mage Rufus, show me your fire weave!¡± A young man stood shakily and weaved a spell form slowly between his hands. His face was sweating as a circle of red flame formed after a few seconds with green flashes appearing in it. I thought it was impressive, but Zyna was not happy. Her face clouded in anger, ¡°Mage Rufus, what have you been doing for the last week!? You are still mixing other affinities with your fire! How many times do I need to tell you that when writing out your spell forms for fire magic, you must purify the aether through your fire aspect on your core!¡± Rufus stuttered, ¡°I can¡¯t control¡­I will do better¡­It is so much smaller¡­threading a needle¡­¡± The fire whip cracked again, cutting him off. ¡°You will not practice your water magic again until you can show me pure fire magic!¡± Rufus looked ready to object but wisely closed his mouth and nodded, falling relieved into his chair. Zyna¡¯s eyes traveled over to Renna, who was hiding a grin. Zyna gave her a barely imperceptible nod of encouragement. ¡°Mage Renna, hopefully, you can restore my faith in this class¡¯s potential. Show me your flaming spear.¡± Renna stood, her face focused as she formed the spell forms between her hands. It was slow but much faster than Rufus. An arrow-sized line of fire zipped from the spell form directly at Zyna. Zyna¡¯s aether shield flared as the arrow harmlessly splashed against it. The Chancellor¡¯s eyes narrowed, her orbs became flames, and she licked her lips. All the students recoiled at the expected retaliation. ¡°Not only was that attack weak, but you also formed the spell form much too slowly. In battle, you would have a dozen arrows in you by the time you cast it. You need more focus. Maybe oiling every piece of furniture in my apartments will help you clear your mind. My apartments after the midday meal for the next week.¡± Her voice dripped with venom. Most of the other gray-robed mages snickered at Renna. I thought Zyna¡¯s acting was a little over the top. Renna was having trouble hiding her smile, happy at the punishment. The rest of the class proceeded for the next three hours. After High Mage Zyna had assessed each student¡¯s progress, she began actually teaching, albeit with condescension and a harsh tone. The only thing I really understood from the whole lesson was that spell forms for fire spells needed a high purity of fire aether. The higher the fire affinity, the more powerful the spell form woven with fire affinity aether. When the lunch bell rang, the gray-robed mages couldn¡¯t move fast enough to leave the classroom. I climbed the stairs back to the apartments, Zyna grumbling the entire time about how most of those mages would be dead in their first real battle. ¡°So, now that people have seen me in my armor, am I free to walk the College grounds?¡± The fire mage considered before responding, ¡°Yes, after my other class tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Can I go to the Coliseum tomorrow?¡± My question had Zyna pause on the steps to look at me. ¡°Are there Games tomorrow? Figures the Emperor would continue hosting them while the Empire is balancing on the tip of a needle. Keep them entertained and they shall be to distracted to worry.¡± She assessed me with an studying stare. ¡°Why do you wish to attend?¡± ¡°Just curiosity, and mostly to study the gladiators and monsters fighting.¡± Zyna nodded and continued up the stairs, ¡°Antonia has a box we can use. We can go together. It has been a while since I attended.¡± I cooked Zyna¡¯s lunch, and she left to perform her Chancellor duties. A few hours after lunch, Renna, Flora, and Livia arrived. All of them were eager for their day¡¯s punishment. Renna wore an inerasable grin on her face as I ordered her to work. I finally had something to look forward to myself, after being constrained to these apartments¡ªseeing the Coliseum. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA. Chapter 195: Blood Sport Chapter 195: Blood Sport Renna was tasked with oiling the furniture and decided to work in the kitchen while I prepped dinner. The oil had a lovely beeswax, lemon, and oil scent. She was being overtly obvious about her interest in talking with me after I had not seen her for almost a week. She asked about my food preparation and offered to help. I deflected her help and kept her on task, but we talked about her progress with her spells, classmates, and what rumors had reached the students regarding the war with the Bartiradians. I learned a lot about Renna, and her views of the world had definitely broadened since she joined Castile¡¯s company for the bulette and griffin hunt. I believe she displayed a proper level of cynicism of the Empire while we talked. She was still promised to one of the Emperor¡¯s sons, but the Empire needed powerful combat mages at the moment. No one had even mentioned her impending marriage to her in months. I think every wood surface in the kitchen got at least three coats of oil that afternoon. At sunset, Flora and Livia came to the kitchen, and I served them all a new recipe I had tried. The food was one of the loose recipes in the folio. The noodles came out a bit chewy, and the tomato-based sauce was a little watery, but no one complained. Flora asked anxiously as she ate my attempt at spicy meatballs and spaghetti, ¡°Are you coming with us on our hunt?¡± ¡°I believe so. Do you know what you will be hunting yet?¡± I asked as I tried making another batch of noodles using a different, finer flour. Flora shrugged, ¡°We were told we would be going to the farms west of the capital. A half-day in a covered cart. Some signs of lesser green goblins were spotted, large foxes getting after chickens, wolves taking down sheep, and some large rats getting into the grain stores.¡± I nodded while kneading the dough. With the food shortage in the Empire, that grain was probably highly precious. ¡°Are you coming with me to hunt gnolls?¡± Renna said while slurping up some noodles and unknowingly splattering the sauce on her robes. ¡°Yes. I believe Chancellor Zyna is going to assign me as your legionnaire bodyguard.¡± Renna¡¯s face instantly lit up, and she couldn¡¯t hide her smile, her cheeks and chin speckled with sauce. I fought back a laugh. ¡°She said I should talk to you about your enemies so that I would be aware of whom I should be watching. Were there any in the class with you today?¡± Renna beamed happily, then her brow furrowed. ¡°I think she means First Citizen Mage Cashius and his twin sister Ona. Both are just water mages and were not in class today. They also have a number of henchmen who do their bidding. And Cashius has a malicious legionnaire bodyguard, too.¡± She bit her lip worriedly as she talked. ¡°Well, let me know who they are when we travel to the eastern forests. Chancellor Zyna and other mage instructors will be with us, so I don¡¯t think there will be any issues,¡± I reassured her. Zyna took this moment to walk into the kitchen. I wondered how long she had been listening. Her eyes traveled over the group, a look of disappointment on her face. ¡°Clean your faces and show some decorum while eating.¡± The young women grabbed the gray napkins to wipe their faces hastily. ¡°If you three have filled your bellies, you can leave.¡± The two young mage aspirants, still anxious in Zyna¡¯s presence, left immediately. Renna lingered for a moment but eventually departed without saying anything. I retrieved Zyna¡¯s dinner. I had finally used the intestine casings Maveith had prepared in the dungeon to make some bear sausage. I boiled them in beer and then grilled them. I thought it was a failure, as it was over-spiced, too lean, and dry. Zyna didn¡¯t seem to mind and quickly devoured the three thick links I placed before her. When finished, she put a thick book on the table. I peeked at the title: Poisons and Powders for the Tier One Alchemist. Zyna sipped some wine and commented on the book, ¡°There are some useful things in there: how to purify myconid spores, blindness powder, sneezing powder, flash powder, smoke powder, and others. There are a few different ingredient combinations for each potential effect.¡± ¡°Thank you. I will take a look in my free time tomorrow,¡± I said, wiping my hand and paging through the book. Zyna took my gratitude with a nod. ¡°You won¡¯t have time tomorrow. After the morning class, we will head to the Coliseum to see the games, as you requested. Antonia is not in the city, so we will not see her, but I may need to entertain others in Antonia¡¯s box. You will wear your armor and carry your body shield. You will stand in the back of the box but still have a good view of the arena sands.¡± ¡°What is the class tomorrow?¡± I inquired. ¡°Basic spellcraft for mage aspirants. Your two lost sheep are not in it. They are promising mages but not in the top class. The class is for those that are close to forming their first true spell,¡± Zyna informed me while dabbing her mouth with a cloth and holding in a burp. Zyna left me to clean up. I would have asked for her to get me help with the basic chores, but I was still sore from Lareen¡¯s betrayal and wary of spending too much time with women. After cleaning the kitchen, I consumed a major earth essence and retired to my room and the dreamscape. I added the tier-one poison book to my library and then studied the spell form before training with Konstantin and Maveith. After a few hours in the dreamscape, I was back on the balcony under the cool night air, doing my physical training. The sky was clear this morning, and Neptune¡¯s Tear lit the city eerily below. Street lights lined the upper city streets, and other lights bounced among the streets, with people moving purposely in the pre-dawn city below. I moved inside to practice my sword forms when the sun cracked the horizon. I still found it odd how the muscle memory from the dreamscape translated so readily to actual-world practice. I wasn¡¯t going to become a sword master in just a few weeks of work in the dreamscape, but my gains were much more rapid, and I could risk experimentation there without fear of permanent injury. I found Zyna working on the oven in the kitchen. Had she been watching me train? She looked up, fresh soot covering her arms and cheeks. ¡°You must charge the regulator runes in concert with the thermal stone, but your oven should work. I hope this will help you improve your cooking skills.¡± I took note that she didn¡¯t criticize my efforts to date. ¡°We will leave in an hour for class.¡± Zyna left me in the kitchen after appreciatively taking in my sweaty, naked torso. After she left, it didn¡¯t take long to figure out the oven. The new runic device had four temperature settings. I suited up in my parade armor, and while I waited on Zyna, I studied the alchemist¡¯s book on poisons. It was not as impressive as it sounded. It was more of a primer for more complex poisons and powders. Not a single recipe inside required gem dust and aether as a catalyst. All the recipes were about purifying and mixing ingredients. The myconid spores seemed to be one of the primary ingredients for this type of alchemy. All the powders used the spores as a medium for delivery. I first learned of the spores from Konstantin as a means to obscure your scent from animals and beasts. It only took a tiny amount of the purified powder to block the smell receptors in the nose completely. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your shield,¡± Zyna stated, smirking when exiting her room. She was dressed in more formal robes with golden embroidery. I grunted as I was not too fond of the large body shield with the Kraken, house symbol. It was cumbersome and designed to be used in formation, and I think the only reason she had it made was so her house crest could be easily identified when I escorted her. At least it could be easily rested on the floor when I was standing guard. I led our two-person procession, and Zyna directed me from behind to across the courtyard to another tower. The classroom was full of tables with nervous white-robed mage aspirants fidgeting in their seats. They all looked so young and innocent, like Flora and Livia. I positioned myself at the door, getting uncomfortable glances from the students. Zyna began the class, which was very basic. The Chancellor was still imperious in her tone and speech, but she also had nuggets of wisdom if you paid attention to her terse comments. Being able to filter aether through the correct aspect of your core was paramount to casting powerful magics. The class was focused on the second step for spell formation: aether control and manipulation. When the class ended after three long hours, Zyna collected me, and we walked through the grounds again. ¡°Why are you teaching such a rudimentary class?¡± I asked the High Mage two steps behind me. Zyna clicked her tongue in what I assumed was amusement. ¡°Would you believe I enjoy it? That is true, but I also want to identify those among the mage aspirants with the highest likelihood of becoming true mages.¡± That made sense. ¡°Is your interest in them because of Antonia?¡± There was a pause as we passed the outer wall guards and entered the streets of the upper city. ¡°Partly,¡± she admitted and didn¡¯t elaborate further as she directed me toward our destination. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I walked in front of the Chancellor as we headed toward the Coliseum. I liked to think the crowds parted for me in my impressive armor, but it was the Chancellor¡¯s robes that the populace recognized, and they paused in their evening activities to clear the road and watch us pass. The path to the city¡¯s western side proceeded rapidly, and we reached a massive circular building with Roman arches and columns surrounded by a wide plaza. Stone mosaics decorated the plaza, depicting various fearsome creatures. Men and women in extravagant and colorful clothes shopped the various vendor carts dotting the plaza. Pairs of legionnaires¡ªnot city guards¡ªpatrolled this plaza. The Coliseum was less impressive in scope than I recalled of the one in Rome back on Earth. Imperial legionnaires guarded the entrances as Zyna ignored the merchant¡¯s carts. She took the lead as we entered the structure and quickly made our way through the brightly lit interior halls to a covered box on the first level of the arena. The arena looked impressive but was nothing compared to the sports stadiums I was used to back on Earth. The first level, just above the sands, had dozens of private boxes close to the action. Bench seating went up into the stands, and another ring of boxed seating was at the very top. I guessed the entire stadium could hold maybe fifteen thousand, not the twenty thousand I was told. There were seven seats in the private box, and Zyna motioned for me to stand at the back. ¡°This is Antonia¡¯s box. You¡¯ll stand against the wall. I¡¯m not sure if anyone will join us today, but stay still and silent if they do.¡± A young man in a light brown toga entered after her statement. ¡°Chancellor High Mage, your pleasure?¡± ¡°Wine and fruit,¡± she said, waving him away. He bowed formally and left. I took my position against the wall and waited. Large trays of cut fruit were delivered with multiple pitchers of cold wine. Zyna just poured a single goblet of red wine and sipped it. We were considerably early, and a number of colorfully dressed men and women visited the box to pay their respects to the High Mage as we waited for the stands to fill. I could tell Zyna was doing business with brief conversations but was too far back to discern what was being spoken as the murmuring crowd noise got louder and louder. The stadium was filled with vibrantly dressed nobles of the capital. Drab brown-dressed servants rushed among them to accommodate their requests. Clearly, this venue was for the sole entertainment of the privileged. That was different from what I remembered in my history. The Roman emperors of Earth used the Games to entertain and impress the ordinary citizens of Rome as well as the wealthy. A horn sounded, and Zyna was left in the box alone. Apparently, no one else was using Antonia¡¯s box today. The stands were about ninety percent full. I realized there were two upper walkways that increased capacity by providing additional standing room. I reevaluated my estimates of the capacity of the Coliseum. My thoughts were interrupted as a troupe of tumblers and acrobats trailing streamers entered the sandy arena floor. The group put on an amazing display with their acrobatics'' height, rotations, and power. I had to remember that magic was likely involved with their athletic displays. A man in shimmering black robes floated down from above. At first, I thought this man might be the Emperor himself, but his booming voice echoed in the stadium. ¡°I welcome you once again to the Emperor¡¯s Games! We have twenty contests this evening!¡± The crowd cheered, drowning him out. The structure''s acoustics were impressive as I felt the stone beneath my feet vibrate from the crowd''s roar. But then again, it might just be aided by magic. When the crowd settled, he continued, ¡°Our first contest is between Champion Cassian the Red and his challenger Herculianus the Wall.¡± The Champion got the loudest cheers, and two men in shiny steel armor entered. The armor was only the cuirass and helm, but leather skirts and wraps protected other vital areas. Cassian had a round blood-red shield in his left hand and a medium-length blade in his other. The challenger was easily a foot taller and had a mace and white shield. As I watched the pair fight, I quickly became disgusted. It was a noisy show for the screaming spectators, with frequent strikes on the shields and cuirass. The two fighters were obviously quick and skilled, but Cassian passed numerous advantages to draw out the fight. Herculianus was bleeding from a dozen cuts while he never connected solidly once with Cassian. The fight finally ended when Herculianus had slowed too much from blood loss and conceded. Cassian removed his helmet in victory, his black hair matted with sweat. The smile on his middle-aged face was fabricated as he turned slowly and waved to his fans. I was certain the Champion could defeat me easily in true combat as he had held back and fought down to his opponent¡¯s level to give a good show. I stepped forward, seeing an opportunity. I whispered to Zyna through the crowd noise, ¡°Can someone hire the gladiators for private lessons?¡± Zyna turned, a smirk on her face, ¡°You wish to become a gladiator now?¡± ¡°Just a better warrior,¡± I stated flatly. After fighting for my life so many times, I was kind of disgusted with this entertainment spectacle. ¡°I will inquire.¡± Zyna turned back to watch the combat. Four more pairs of gladiators fought in the sands, and I became less and less impressed with the spectacle and skill displayed. The sixth match of the afternoon was eight Bartiradian soldiers: four humans, three elves, and a dwarf. Their armor had dried blood, but none of them displayed any injuries. One of the humans was clearly in charge as he organized the group. The gladiators who had won the first five contests reappeared in the arena to oppose the prisoners of war. What happened next was not a fight but a slaughter. The common Bartiradian soldiers were clearly outclassed, and the gladiators were trying to cause as much pain and bloodshed as possible. The crowd was enjoying the unbalanced contest. One gladiator made a small error and got tackled by an elf and momentarily restrained. The dwarf scrambled and drove his blade under the chin of the felled gladiator, up and into his brain. There would be no healing the gladiator from that injury. The dwarf was beheaded by Cassian a heartbeat later, to the satisfaction of the roaring crowd. After the floor of the arena was cleared, the next display was more gore. Three unarmed brown goblins were released while a beast tamer and his monstrous black cat hunted them around the arena. Without weapons, the goblins had no chance as the sizeable cat clawed and tore their bodies apart one by one. The next three fights of the day were honor duels between First Citizens. The announcer spent minutes explaining the duel and what was at stake for the victor and loser. The combatants had some skill, but when a serious injury occurred, a healing mage rushed out to treat it, ending the fight. Usually, this occurred with boos from the bloodthirsty crowd. There was a pause in the combat as three mages entered the arena and proceeded to cast large illusions of various creatures. A hydra forty feet tall with nine independent necks whipping about was the most impressive illusion and got the most awes and appreciation from the crowd. I hoped I never encountered such a beast personally. With the intermission finished, four large, bare-chested, gray-skinned humanoids were marched out onto the sands with their wrists shackled. I recognized the race from my dreamscape. Orcs. These orcs had elaborate black, red, and white tattoos across their upper bodies and faces. I recognized the intertwining lines immediately for what they were: spell forms. While the announcer was detailing these pirates'' crimes, I asked Zyna, ¡°Are those spell forms?¡± ¡°Yes. This is the highlight of the evening. I doubt those warriors are pirates, as they are proclaiming. The orc shamans grind up essences and embed spell forms in the flesh of their elite warriors. Those orcs are elite warriors of the Caliphate, stronger, faster, and more durable in battle than common orcs. The only drawback to the method is how rapidly the tattoos draw aether to maintain their spell forms.¡± Zyna studied the four orcs, who looked disdainfully up at the crowd. ¡°I am guessing they have already been drained of their aether and cannot activate their spell forms,¡± Zyna said as she assessed the situation below. The opponents of the orcs were four men in Imperial Legion Armor. The orcs held their hands to the crowd to show they were shackled and couldn¡¯t fight. It didn¡¯t take much to figure out that this fight was to show how superior the legionnaires were to the elite orc warriors of the Boutan Caliphate. The orcs were given impressively large blades and wooden shields but no armor. When the stage was set, their restraints fell from their wrists into the sand. One of the orcs roared in concert with the crowd and charged. The skilled Imperial Legionnaires worked in pairs while the four orcs fought independently. I could tell the orcs had the strength advantage as their strikes stumbled the legionnaires, but their insistence on not working together quickly worked against them as the first of their number was hamstrung and limping. At least I was getting the opportunity to witness real-life and death combat between skilled opponents on both sides. The legionnaires were not trying to draw out the fight for the crowd but were fighting to finish the orcs as quickly as possible. The crippled orc was soon killed with a thrust through its eye. The death of their companion enraged the other three, and one suddenly moved much faster than before. Unfortunately, as Zyna had noted, the orc didn¡¯t have a lot of aether to sustain his physical enhancement from the tattoo. The legionnaire he closed with blocked the flurry of attacks expertly and slashed his throat when he slowed after a few heartbeats. He didn¡¯t die quick, gurgling and foaming blood as he tried to take his killer with him to Pluto¡¯s Gates. But when enough blood drained, he slowly slumped to the sands, with the crowd responding with loud approval. The remaining two orcs finally decided to work together, getting back-to-back against the four uninjured legionnaires. It was too late, and the fight ended ten minutes after the orcs sustained many injuries. One thing I was sure of was these elite orcs of the Caliphate were dangerous. By my estimation, the Imperial Legionnaires I had just watched were master swordsmen and veterans. They would have lost if the four orc warriors had worked together, had armor, and had access to their aether. Even now, I could tell the intense twenty-minute fight had exhausted them. ¡°Have you seen enough? The remaining contests will be a disappointment after that.¡± Zyna asked me, looking up. I realized I had left my station on the wall and had crowded behind Zyna¡¯s seat for the entire fight. She seemed amused at my closeness. ¡°Yes. Thank you for taking me.¡± I replied as I watched the cleanup crew come out for the bodies. We soon returned through the crowds back to the Mage College. ? Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA.