Chapter 13
They made camp on a hill that night. Antoine insisted that they set a watch. Jessica, who knew that once she woke up in the middle of the night would not be able to get back to sleep, volunteered for first watch. She wasn’t certain yet that she could call up her magic on command yet, but she was pretty certain that if a rogue monster attacked she could yell loud enough to wake the others.
Tom had second watch, and he was likewise concerned about his ability to defend the party if they were attacked. Antoine had third watch. Or at least so he told the others. He was sleeping with one eye open rather than leaving his safety up to a group of amateurs, but although his level and his senses meant that he would likely be more alert than the drowsy teenagers and better equipped to handle any threats, this was a teaching moment for them. Sevin was the final watcher, and he woke the others at dawn.
After a breakfast of a porridge made from an oat-like plant that didn’t grow on earth, yet tasted suspiciously like cream-of-wheat, they once more set off. They talked off and on, getting to know each other a bit. Jessica tried to inform Antoine of all of the discoveries and technological advances made on Earth in the century or so since his death, but the man remained both unimpressed and uninterested.
“When I first came over here, I tried to redesign a rifle,” he explained. “Turns out, I have no idea how to make gunpowder, and neither does anyone in this world. You’re welcome to try to reinvent these marvels of technology if you want, but I have a suspicion that unless you know every step along the path, it will largely be a waste of time.”
“Yeah,” she commented. “It’s funny, but half the Isekai stories I read, the character from earth had some doctoral level knowledge of some subject or another and they took their new world by storm with their ‘inventions.’ But according to the law of averages, most people on Earth don’t even know how a generator works, I guess. Something to do with magnets? I guess we could try inventing a steam engine and see what develops from there.”
“Have you ever seen a steam engine?” Antoine challenged. “Would you have even the first idea of how to assemble one from raw iron? Because I have seen steam engines before, and even if I knew exactly how they worked I would have no clue how to turn that knowledge into a working locomotive.”
“That’s fair,” she admitted. “I guess my summoning isn’t going to trigger a technological revolution in Welsius after all. Oh well. Wait, if they don’t have gunpowder, does that mean no fireworks either?”
“They have magic light shows they use instead,” Antoine answered. “I’ve seen fireworks on earth, the light shows here are better, if less common for the need of a skilled mage dedicated to making them.”
Shortly before Antoine called a break for lunch, Tom pulled up short, looking off the path to the east. “There’s a Core in that direction,” he announced.
Antoine frowned and pulled a map from his saddlebags. “There shouldn’t be any villages nearby. Can you tell how far away it is, Tom?”
“I don’t know. But I definitely feel a Core from over there.”
Antoine was silent for a few moments, then he turned his horse and began heading in the direction that Tom had indicated. “Chances are it’s a dungeon that’s been tamed in the past, but for whatever reason wasn’t mapped, so nobody formed a village around it. Or it might be a known wild dungeon that poses little threat to the nearest settlements, so it’s been left alone. Or it could be a new formation. Either way I doubt it’s very high level, so it will be good practice for you to clear and examine.”
“And if it is high level?” Tom questioned.
“Then I’ll survey it and we’ll retreat. Unless I deem it a threat to the environs, in which case I may Vanquish it,” Antoine answered. “You may consider this your first mission as Royal Knights.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Lieutenant Silva exhaled a sigh of relief when the target valley came into sight and she saw no sign of smoke or fires or screaming peasants. The briefing she’d gotten before her squad’s departure, and the fact that The Vanquisher had been dispatched despite his supposed retirement, had led her to believe that she’d be flying into a war zone.
It wouldn’t have been the first time.
Instead, she found a quaint valley, lush green with forest, and a village surrounded by bountiful fields. She visually identified the village Core Stone, but none of the villagers she saw were in any distress. She signaled her scouts to do their job, scouring the lands for signs of monster activity, while the primary forces of the Winged Knights landed on the village green. Thirty pegasi were an impressive sight, and the villagers began coming out of their dwellings to watch.
Including the drunken guards from Tuksan. Silva tsked to recognize their captain from previous encounters in which he had failed to impress. Putting her personal feelings for the man aside, she dismounted and approached him.
“Report, Ivon?” she said.
“Met the Vanquisher,” the man said. “Wasn’t expecting that. He’d already taken care of whatever the problem was ‘fore we arrived, so he requisitioned some horses and left. Our orders said to wait for you, however, so here we are.”
“And the Controller?” she pressed.
“The what now?”
She sighed. She understood the reason for official secrecy regarding the Class, but must it really extend as far as it had? “You said horses. Did the Vanquisher bring villagers with him?”
“Aye, three of them. Two lads and a strange lass. Had an accent like I’ve never heard of. Said they were all candidates for the Royal Knights,” the captain explained.
Silva was uncertain whether the news was a relief or not. While she was certain that one of those young people was the Controller, and the controller was therefor under Sir Durand’s supervision, Antoine had a certain reputation for how he trained junior knights under his supervision. “And the Vanquisher was last seen heading south?” she asked.
“Aye,” the captain agreed. “I suppose we’ll be joining him now that you’re here to relieve us.”
“No, you will not,” Silva corrected. “Your men are to remain behind and continue to scout the area for abnormal monster activity for the next two weeks.”
The captain considered her words, a frown on his face, but he eventually simply saluted. “Aye-aye, ma’am.”
With the guard captain sorted, she returned to speak with her sergeant. She would split the Winged Knights in two, one to remain in the valley until it was clear how the Core Stone would stabilize, and the other would pursue the Vanquisher and his new proteges. With the orders issued, she mounted up, and led half of her squad south, seeking for riders on horseback.
~~~~~~~
The dungeon they found was not like the unnamed Burrower dungeon north of Tilluth. Antoine stood at the entrance, considering it, while the others hobbled their horses. The mana density was significantly lower, but that only meant that the core was likely in the early teen levels rather than the late forties. He already knew that unless it spawned venomous or plague ridden creatures, it was unlikely to be a threat to the locals. He was considering now how much of a threat the likely inhabitants posed to the teenagers in his care.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
“We’ll challenge it,” he announced after several moments of tasting the mana flow. “Follow behind me, and be silent. If I say run, turn around and flee without looking backward.”
The others glanced at each other nervously. Sevin unstrapped his spear from the horse and began stretching. Of the teens, he was the least worried, thanks largely due to his militia training and the confidence he had in his new physical abilities. Between Tom and Jessica, it was hard to determine who was more concerned. Antoine had given Jessica a dagger for protection, but she put more faith in her ability to keep herself safe with her fire spell than the nine-inch blade. Tom still had the dagger that his parents had given him as a belt-knife, but if it came down to it he too was planning to fall back on his Skills and Claim anything that tried attacking him directly.
The walls and floors of this dungeon more resemble those of a natural cavern than the previous dungeon they’d explored together, with uneven and rough stone protruding in places. Jessica was grateful that the previous dungeon had been all right angles and smooth floors, but at least this time she had shoes. Surprisingly comfortable ones at that.
The initial room was empty, save for a small pool of water on one side which was the source of a constant “Drip, drip, drip.” Curiously, Antoine stuck his unsheathed blade into the water before continuing past it.
The cave curved around to the right before splitting in two. The teens followed Antoine until he stopped at the fork. He knelt and examined spoor on the ground for a moment, then motioned them back into the entryway.
“Korgoaths,” he said. “Nasty one eye buggers. I don’t think these ones are high enough level to be very intelligent, but it’s better to assume that they can plan and work together. Tom, there’s one in the right tunnel. Try to Claim it.”
“What? Me?” Tom asked.
“It’s asleep. You might be able to sneak up on it,” the man explained. “If we go in swords drawn and magic blazing we’ll wake the entire dungeon up. This might be the only chance for you to get a minion before claiming the core. Assuming that the core is low level enough for you to claim, at least.”
Tom swallowed nervously. “What if it wakes up and attacks me?”
“I’ll back you up,” Antoine promised him. “It’s a narrow squeeze, the rest of you stay here.”
It was, indeed, a narrow squeeze. Tom had to turn sideways in order to shuffle through, and the ceiling was just above his head. Complicating things further were the need for stealth; he could hear the creature snoring up ahead and he didn’t want to wake it. The path curved to the left as he went, and eventually it opened up again to a circular room. The korgoath was sleeping on its side, a quadrupedal creature with long claws on its front legs and a single, massive eye in its elongated head. The gray, moist skin of the creature made Tom reluctant to touch it. He looked over his shoulder for Antoine’s support, and the man simply motioned for him to get on with it.
Tom approached the sleeping monster as silently as he could, but not quietly enough. It stirred, and with a speed that Tom could barely follow it backed into the far side of the room, the spines on its back standing erect. It made no sound at first, but stared at Tom intently. Then it turned its gaze to Antoine, and it whimpered.
“Claim me,” it whispered.
Tom blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected that the thing would be able to talk. “How do you--”
“I can see your secrets,” it hissed. “If you do not claim me, I will die. I submit. Claim me.”
Tom swallowed and risked another glance back at Antoine.
“Don’t look at me, boy. It’s bad enough that you woke the thing with your indecisiveness. What would you do if it attacked while you were looking away?” Antoine scolded.
Tom swiftly looked back at the korgoath, but the creature had not moved. It did not move as he stared at it, nor when he finally worked up the courage to cross the distance, nor even when he extended his hand to touch it. He felt his Skill activate immediately, and he pushed mana into it. His previous experience with Klein and the Burrowers left him unprepared for how much mana Claiming the korgoath would take. The only previous time he had used so much Mana at once was when he’d Evolved Sevin’s Class. Finally, with barely fifteen mana left, he felt the Skill click into place.
Staggering back from the Mana exhaustion, he felt the bond form between himself and the korgoath.
You have Claimed a Minion.
You have gained Class Experience.
Tom sighed in relief, checking on the creature’s stats through his interface.
Name
Lo
Health
250/250
Age
4
Stamina
150/150
Race
Korgoath
Strength
18
Class
Observer
Dexterity
33
Level
17
Constitution
25
Endurance
15