Charles Blueflame

Of course, I couldn’t sleep for the whole twelve hours. Of course, some matters required my attention. Of course, there were documents to sign and people to direct. I almost wished that my time with Agnes wouldn’t come to an end. Peasants out here needed somebody to take control. Otherwise, they were just running around like headless chickens.

I was getting comfortable in my chair, drinking tea, and getting used to the work as an Order representative. The authority to order the servants around really came in handy at times like these. Adam was sent away to start cutting down the silver trees around our campsite, and the rat’s ambush rate had fallen to only two or three instances in a single day. A few peasants died, but more came with each caravan so it wasn’t a big deal.

It was then that my accursed fiance waltzed into the freshly built office and dragged my sorry ass outside again. I squinted at the light, lamenting my fate.

“We’re here at last! Let’s check out the dungeon, Charles!” She said with this smile again. “We don’t have a scout, so I asked one of the bronze adventurers for help.” Since bronze was a maximum denomination for the unaffiliated common people it seemed that this help of hers wasn’t completely incompetent.

By the way, both I and Agnes were classified as gold-class adventurers. With the nobility came power. Or the other way around. Not that it mattered.

“I have things to do, Prin-!” I was cut off once again by her face staring at mine. Uncomfortably close. It forced me to swallow my words. “Agnes…”

“Do you? I reckon that this circus you call the colony will run itself.”

“No, you don’t understand! They need direction! My direction!” I protested heavily, still being dragged towards the adventurer’s camp.

“And I think you’re forgetting something, sweetie.”

“Huh?”

“The druid guy, you know the tall and broody one. I reckon you promised to search for his companions in the dungeon?” The Princess asked while chuckling like it wasn’t her problem. Well, it wasn’t but...

“Oh shit… You’re right! I completely forgot about it! Huh?! Wait a moment! How do you know about this deal?” I countered while trying to wiggle out of her iron grip. It didn’t work.

“I have my sources.”

“The spymaster, huh?” A wide smile was her only answer. It looked cute and all, but… I admit. I was inwardly crying.

I gained another level, which was not a small thing since gaining experience was always getting harder. But the tempo at which Agnes was rushing forward left me dead tired and craving luxuries.

I was not a wimp!

It was just that the man in my station expected a certain level of amenities to keep working.

I had just enough time to lament before we arrived at Swords of Hope camp. Boulder, Eve, and Lone Mountain were sitting around the fire, preparing meat. Peter hung out in the back, taking out metal cutlery with the help of a girl who seemed a bit familiar. Seeing my curiosity Agnes stopped and pointed towards her.

“That’s Tinna, a fourth-level Rogue, she’ll be coming with us.”

“Is that the best that the adventurers have available?” I asked, not caring if the person in question heard me. Peasant opinions didn’t matter after all.

“Yes. Still... she’s experienced enough and her sensing abilities are much better than any of our muscleheads or arcane wielders.” The Princess motioned in the direction of her party and I inwardly agreed. None of them was a cautious, rogue type. Maybe barring Peter.

“It’s an obvious oversight. Why haven’t you filled that role already?” I asked suspiciously.

“We had a rogue with us. He died helping us escape one of the ambushes.” The smallest tear appeared in her eye, only to be squashed immediately. “He will be remembered. And those bastards will pay!” Her last words turned into a growl, as she stomped ahead, grabbing a piece of meat and devouring it.

“You just had to ask, sir.” A calm voice came from the darkness.

“Peter.”

“We had a run-in with the Fallen forces a few months ago. They took us by surprise after we conquered one of the boundary dungeons.” He sat down near me, cleaning the metal surface of the pot with a brush. “We were hurt, tired. They had an advantage in numbers and a superior position. Our porters and escorts were decimated. A massacre, I can’t describe it any other way.” The anger I heard in his voice was not about the loss of life. No. It was something more. Something personal. Considering that Agnes told me he was her spymaster...

“You fucked up.” I stated.

“Yes. I fucked up hard. Sir.” He added, after a period of deliberation. “And we paid the price. But it won’t happen again, as long as I breathe.” There was darkness here, one even I dared not to thread.

“So, who’s the new girl?” I asked to simply change the topic.

“Her name is Tinna like you’ve heard, sir. I’m surprised you don’t recognize her.”

“Why should I? All the peasants look the same to me.”

“She was with you from the beginning. Fought the rats too.” So that’s why she looked so familiar.

“I see. Still… only the fourth level. Disappointing.”

“We commoners have it hard, sir.” Peter answered with a bitter tone nearly undetectable in his voice. Nearly. “She’s the highest level scout class available at the campsite. And her skills should be adequate on the first and even second level of an ordinary dungeon. Sir.”

“Do you believe this to be an ordinary dungeon, Peter?” I asked the obvious question.

“No. I do not, sir.” He turned his head, observing the faraway flames for a moment. “The Princess is calling. We should go.”

I also turned my head towards the group and noticed that pretty much everyone was ready. Boulder and Lone Mountain had their armor and helmets on, weapons at the ready. The mages carried their foci - staves with small crystals fitted on one end, helping with mana conductivity. My superior class - the Ifreet Magician didn’t require such crutches. My body was my weapon.

Agnes took a quick look at the surroundings and started talking.

“As you all know we’ll be the first team to truly delve in this new dungeon. We had scouts check out the first room, but other than that it's a complete mystery.” She turned her attention to Peter. “What do we know?” The man in question bowed slightly before answering.

“The said room bears resemblance to ancient Kingdom architecture. It may be even older. As such I suspect that it was assimilated by the dungeon on its way to the surface.” His calm and flat tone made me sleepy, but I persevered. “Coincidentally this location has historical importance.” He paused for effect.

“Oh, for Gods sake! Just speak out!” Boulder bellowed, ruining his ambiance. The spymaster continued his speech - only a bit disgruntled.

“As you wish…” He sighed. “These ruins…-”

“What ruins?”

“These ruins!” Peter shouted with annoyance, pointing at the ground. “The ruins that we’re standing on right now!” He recollected himself, his tone stabilizing. “They were once a part of the Henrik Waltzer castle.”

“The Immortal Blademaster?” Asked Lone Mountain with a strange emotion.

“Yes. The same who was hailed as the strongest sword of the Old Empire.”

“The Magi-Tech Empire?” Boulder asked foolishly.

“No…” Peter face-palmed. “A short history lesson. These lands were once considered a part of the Empire - a human nation battling Corruption to the north. It was two times as big as the current Geinard Kingdom lands. To tell the truth, they often battled with our forces and their neighbors - the Dwarven Meritocracy.”

“Booooring.”

“Give me a moment. Both of these nations are now defunct, completely destroyed by the Corruption, the survivors fleeing into our and Dwarven Holds territories. Anyway - these lands were said to be lost to humanity and yet we’re now standing above the castle dungeons. Most importantly down there we may encounter artifacts of the past era - replicated by the dungeon!”

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“Oh! More loot is good!”

“Shut it, you barbarian!” Peter was getting salty over the Boulder's constant interruptions. “Anyway - the first room seems like it was excavated by the dungeon and used as a safe room. As usual. It’s a large construction with solid walls and strange sources of light hanging from the ceiling. The floor is covered in sand, so we need to watch our footing.”

“Anything else?” Asked Agnes.

“I prepared the torches and everybody has their weapons ready. Charles, sir? Do you need time to prepare?”

I shook my head in denial. While it was true that my duties were mostly administrative I didn’t forget that we were in the middle of hostile territory. I was clad in heavy leather armor and wore light boots with hardened soles. The Order's customary helmet adorned my head, complete with a sole artifact in my possession - a small necklace with a fiery ruby that could amplify magical fire.

It was also - to my shame - a gift from my fiance. A fact that she didn’t allow me to forget all my life.

“Then we’re ready. Let’s move!” With an order from Agnes, we moved towards the dungeon proper.

The entrance was already strange - the oval hole in the ground looked like somebody carbonized the earth, creating lava-like growth around it. As a fire mage, I was all too familiar with powers capable of such destruction. And yet to have a dungeon that could summon them in its infancy made me uneasy.

We descended slowly, with Tinna as our scout, Boulder, and Agnes walking just behind her. Me, Eve, and Peter were in the middle, while Lone Mountain was guarding our backs.

It took us a minute to enter the first room and suddenly I understood why Peter was so excited.

A few silvery chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling!

They emanated strange, cold light, unlike anything I’ve seen before. Truly artifacts of the Immortal Blademaster. Probably priceless too.

My party, however, kept their eyes on the ground level. Not breaking the formation we advanced with a full concentration. Soon a black hole opened up in the wall - a shift from the bricks into a carved rock.

The rogue stopped, tilting her head.

“What do you see, Tinna?” Asked Agnes with a strained voice. It was good to hear that I wasn’t the only one to feel tense.

“There are strange marks on the floor, my lady.” The little scout answered, tousling her braids. “It’s like somebody was dragging a mighty heavy weapon on the floor. See this groove? There are four of them, perfectly made. What kind of an animal or monster could do such a thing?” She trembled, her childish face scrunched in anxiety.

“That can’t be all.”

“Yes. There is this… constant noise. An iron striking the rock.” Tinna gulped nervously. “And it’s getting closer, my lady.”

“Shit.” Boulder mumbled under his nose, his tower shield and mace barely fitting in the tunnel.

“We move forward. Lone Mountain, change positions with Boulder, you have greater reach and mobility if it comes to fighting.” Anges ordered, while her head swiveled around, searching for prey. “Let’s move. I would prefer less cramped surroundings.”

The tunnels were a mess of intersecting roads and dead ends. As we advanced the bare rock was slowly covered with lichen and vines. The air grew drier and staler the longer we walked.

Somehow we nearly managed to find the exit… just before the boss monster found us instead.

At first, we heard only what Tinna described - a noise. With time it grew so loud that even our ears noticed it.

Then it came - a strange amalgamation of metal and death. It looked like a mad mage decided that his axes needed to move on their own - and granted them life. The four halberd-like appendages were used as a crutch to haul its obese main, fleshy body. Countless tentacles extended from the middle of its mass, seemingly fused with the surrounding metal. Two more small blades were stuck in a horizontal position near its center, acting as arms.

Very sharp arms.

The whole thing pulsated with unholy energy, while the metal it was composed of bent unnaturally.

The abomination saw our team and screeched in delight - a hunter noticing its prey. It raised the two middle “legs” and rushed forward, the ends of its blades leaving new scars on the floor.

“Incoming!” Agnes shouted, while running forward, my heart nearly stopping at her reckless actions. “Intercept!” She ordered while avoiding the deadly blade and bouncing out of the wall, circumventing the monster.

“Huuuuuuuuungh!” Lone Mountain grunted as the beast ax was blocked by her shield. She retaliated with her spear, but only the sparks flew from the spearhead hitting the monster, leaving no lasting damage.

“Earth Armor.” Peter didn’t waste any time adding a buff to our frontline. Lone Mountain was instantly covered with a layer of glittering bronze, indicating the effect. “I can’t turn the earth to mud here!” He yelled. “The rock is too sturdy, not to mention the dungeon influence!”

I was not far behind him, chantlessly sending my Fire Shield to form over the warrior’s body. The abomination hissed as its attack triggered the response, the flame dancing uselessly on its bloated frame.

Seeing this I hesitated. My spells allowed for great destruction, but in these cramped quarters, it would end with collateral damage. And I wasn’t a great fan of getting scolded by my fiance…

Thankfully I wasn’t alone. Eve, our healer had another thing up her sleeve.

“Cover your eyes!” She shouted, garnering the monster’s attention. “Oh, light come to my aid and blind my enemies. Gather upon my palm! Blinding Flash!” As her chant ended our eyes were safely closed. All of us understood what she was doing.

Not counting the monster.

It screeched again - this time in pain as its small red eyes were blasted with light and promptly blinded. This stopped it for a moment.

It was long enough to get my powers ready.

“Firebolts incoming! Make way!” I shouted, this time remembering to warn the surroundings about what was going to happen.

Mana gathered in my chest, flowing towards my left hand. I must do it just like the teacher demonstrated. First, gather mana, turn to the left, and prepare to throw like a javelin. My body automatically moved, curling up like a tense spring. Then prepare the right-hand mana. And pump enough for the left to fire again. Acquire target.

Aaaaaaaaaand… bounce!

With an inner shout, I threw the Firebolt gathered in my palm, letting the force of the attack turn me around - just in time to gather another mana projectile. The twirl ended and I stopped, right hand at the ready.

*boom*

The first Firebolt impacted the enemy and another was on its way. Soon the third one impacted the creature. All perfectly hitting the same spot.

It screeched even louder than before, reeling in pain.

I was in the zone. My fire burned brighter and more lively than ever.

Power.

It was the ultimate drug.

Until a shout woke me up.

“Undead are coming from behind!” Eve screamed her light attunement allowing her to sense the abominations. Agnes reacted immediately.

“Boulder, guard the back. Tinna - try to help him.” I almost forgot about our new rogue. She was hiding between two frontlines, covering in the darkness. Well... nobody could blame her considering she was only the fourth level.

They both nodded and the girl prepared some throwing knives. Not very effective against undead, but considering the space taken by Boulder there wasn’t more she could do. Rogues weren’t known for their ranged weaponry.

After my shots, the meaty parts of the abomination bore clear signs of the burns. The damage was being done. We just needed to keep it up.

Just as I was celebrating the victory two groups of beings emerged from behind our backs. If not for Eve's warning I would classify them as golems. The black armor covered most of their humanoid bodies, leaving only parts of their head exposed. The malevolent light of their eyes and blighted skin, however, revealed their true nature. Undead - the enemy of all living. Even the Fallen tribes weren’t able to secure peace with these creations of Corruption.

Armed with maces and shields they were clearly melee-class monsters, moving in coordinated groups and soundlessly charging towards Boulder and the girl.

What happened afterward I could only describe as ridiculous.

The half-orc lifted his tower shield and turned it sideways. That was an acceptable solution as it blocked the whole tunnel and the undead usually didn’t know how to jump.

Then he lifted the two-handed mace and attacked horizontally with it! The few enemy vanguards were squashed against the wall with an audible crack. This side should be safe - I thought prematurely.

Except nobody thought that an undead armed with a freaking artifact would appear! It used the wind-up time from the Boulder attack to close the gap and ran forward, waving his weapon. Normally I would just laugh at it, but the mace it carried was blessed with some kind of power.

Within a second it landed a hit and Boulder grunted as blue lightning danced and dealt damage.

“M-magic?!” He shouted, while in pain.

“Don’t move!” I answered while turning back and pelting the creature with Firebolts. Tinna joined my assault and soon the assailant squirmed in place, only to lifelessly fall on the ground a moment later.

The rest of its companions were still attacking, however.

So the battle continued.

***

Uno

I watched as the adventurers dispatched my minions and the Decapitator. They were stronger than anyone who arrived at my dungeon. I should tread carefully… but! But!

They had so many mages!

So many cores!

So many things to experiment on!

Something in me stirred and I found myself using the same strategy as before - sending the metal abomination after them and then flanking. It felt strangely comfortable to try repeating the earlier battle with adventurers.

This time however it didn’t end as I expected.

My forces were defeated.

But at least I was able to hear an interesting exchange.

“Anges! These are artifact weapons! On the first floor!” A red-haired man shouted excitedly while cradling a Cracking Mace close to his chest. The woman he spoke to frowned, trying to escape her healer's iron grip.

“Yes, and there was also a boss in the first room, you know? Ordinary people would get slaughtered by this combination.”

“Oh, come on! Ol’ Immortal Blademaster had a hidden cache! And that the dungeon had a taste of it.” The smile on the man's face grew even wider. “We need to send the message to the Kingdom immediately! This place must be preserved!”

“Only after we scout some more. I have a strange feeling. Like we’re being watched.”

“By who? Maybe you mean these rats from above?”

“Maybe, Charles. And don’t forget that Lunars will probably preach their piece. Am I good now, Eve?” She turned her attention to the elven healer.

“Yes, Princess.” The girl wearing white armor nodded, walking towards the slightly greenish man. He reminded me of the guy who burned so well.

This was an informational conversation.

So… not everybody wants to kill me.

Some only prefer enslavement…

Oh, joy.