As soon as the team entered the Monarch of the Glen dungeon, a notification popped up for everyone.
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You have discovered a dungeon quest.
Monarch's assault.
The Monarch of the Glen is angry that people keep invading his domain. Defeat him and his generals before they can gather enough forces to attack.
First-time Rewards: Hoard of the Monarch, 150 000 gold.
Time Limit: 6 hours.
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The team was inside what looked like a massive tree, and in front was an opening to the woods themselves. However, before continuing, Skyler called everyone.
"Just to remember, the time limit is 6 hours, but we should be able to complete it in 1 or 2 hours, at most. Experienced parties finish this place once every half an hour. We have a map with the usual route people take to kill all five generals and the Monarch self. However, the suggestion we got was to run first without looking at the optimal path. After all, what each party finds easier or harder varies a lot," the elf explained and sent everyone a message with the map. The dungeon wasn't that big. It should only be one or two kilometers wide and five across. Or, at least, that was the important area of the dungeon. Beyond the woods, they were currently inside was an expansive grassland that seemed to stretch into infinity. Going there was a way to trigger the hard mode. There was a monster outside the forest that, when killed, allowed the grove to grow considerably. But this wasn't what they needed to do right now.
What they needed was the horn of the Monarch of the Glen. No, the Tyrant of the Glen, which was the version that would appear in the hard mode. Because of that, they had to complete this quest. They also had a few options here. The quest asked them to kill the Monarch and its generals, but the drop didn't require the death of the generals. Killing them was just a way to make the final fight easier. Since each of those monsters would be connected to one of the abilities the Monarch of the Glen had, however, they should complete the quest this time, since the Hoard of the Monarch had the potential to be one of the horns that the Monarch shed. If that were the case, their problems would be over. The shed horn would be like a concentrated dose of the medicine. It would be the equivalent of 50 regular horns. As far as anyone knew, getting it from the hoard was the only way to get it. To be fair, it was possible that the regular reward, called 'Treasure of the Monarch', was also given it, but it's been ten years since the last time someone got from that reward. To top it all off, the broken horn, which was their objective, could only be a drop and not part of any other reward. They would have to decide if they were going to kill all the generals before going for the Monarch or not, but for now, they would just follow the quest.
"Let's not think too much. Which general is closest?" Flint continued moving towards the exit of this large tree.
"The territory of the one to the west is the closest but can also be the farthest away. The one that is close and shouldn't be an issue to find is to the north," Neria was looking over the map Skyler had sent them.
"I vote north, then. I want to move my body a bit. And I mean not just walk," Roan replied.
"I'm okay with that idea, too. Also, we can have Nimbus flying over the area to see if he finds any of the generals," Hera suggested.
Leaving the tree, they arrived in what could only be described as a living painting. The colors were vibrant and meticulously created in harmony with those who were connecting it. The trees also had this sort of ethereal feel, almost like they were not solid but something else. However, that was just a visual difference. As they left the large tree, the feeling of touching something solid was still there. Everything felt a bit greasier as if they were touching paint that was just shy of being completely dry. The forest sprawled like a canvas, carrying the hues of soft ochre and verdant greens. Each tree resembling impressionistic strokes of a brush reaching for the sky with slender brunches intertwined, forming a canopy that filtered the sunlight in a kaleidoscope of colors.
Each step they took created ripples in the ground as if they were walking on a lake, but it wasn't the ground that moved, only its colors. Almost as if their feet could desaturate the area beneath them. In response, the blades of grass and the petals of flowers would pulse in more vivid color, doing the exact opposite that the team steps would create.
"This place is amazing," Vash gasped, but he realized that Flint might complain about his reaction. To his surprise, the dwarf nodded in agreement.
"It really is. I know it's obvious, but I feel like I'm inside a panting. I get why so many people would come here often, even if it was just to see this," the crafter smiled.
Hera didn't say anything and just watched the area; it truly was a marvel to see. As she stared at the group, she noticed something forming around her vision. A mahogany frame, turning whatever she was seeing into an actual painting. When she looked away, the frame was gone, but if she spent too long looking in the same direction, it would return.
"Are you guys seeing this?" the Empress asked.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"What are you talking about?" Neria turned to her.
"When I stop moving my head and focus on a specific area, there is a"
"Frame? Yeah, I see it too. Milla told me specifically to watch out for it but added a footnote to the file she sent to everyone else. I told her to stop doing that and to give everyone the full rundown next time. It's better like that. I forgot to warn you all about it, but it's just a visual effect. It might even help us. If you see that frame and something comes into view, but it would be blocked by it, the frame will shift to show it," Neria explained.
"Oh, ok. At least I'm not going crazy," Hera chuckled.
"We are going to the general that has the smallest territory then. We are heading north. Watch out for any monsters. They should be painted animals," Flint told everyone before they started to move.
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived in a large meadow. The flowers had a range of colors that would put even the best garden to shame. However, in the middle of this sea of flora was a small animal, a deer. It had a thick black line, almost like a children's cartoon.
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Animated Deer - Level 16
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The monster looked at the group for a moment but continued to munch on the grass without caring about the people who arrived.
"I'll take care of it," Roan said and slowly started to move towards the creature.
"I'm behind you. Just in case," Skyler moved along, preparing a few spells to interrupt any skills the deer could use.
All that preparation ended up being for nothing. The beastman approached slowly, putting out his hands to calm the deer down. The monster didn't seem to mind his approach, but the moment they touched each other, it was all over. Roan slashed the neck of the creature in a single move, killing it on the spot.
"Let's move on," he said without looking back.
They found another three monsters. Two deers and one dove, all with the same odd line around their bodies. All of them were below level 25 and were quickly dispatched by the group. The odd thing about being in one of the layers with a very wide range of levels was how the difficulty of a dungeon would spike in odd ways. After around 10 minutes, they arrived at the territory of the first general. The Golden Armadillo.
It wasn't hard to find it; the general was sleeping in the middle of a clearing right at the foot of a small hill, and the creature was true to its name. It was a golden being, with each plate of its carapace looking like an autumn leaf. The rest of his body was a similar color but a bit more dull. Its eyes were pitch black, while its claws were pearl white. The team was already aware of how to deal with this monster. It had a very powerful defense and only one attack that could actually damage anyone. Still, the best way to deal with it was to kill it before it could do anything. Hera and Flint were the two tasked with doing that. Both of them had powerful skills to deal a single blow. The Empress could use her [Venomous Arsenal], [Weapon Break], [Grasshopper Stab], and [Explorer's Assassinate] combo, while Flint could trigger his [Pile Driver], [Armored Boost], [Point of Impact], and [Breaking Point] skills to create a similar effect. If the Ophidianite used a rare or below weapon, she wouldn't get to the same level of power as the dwarf, but something above that would tip the scales of power.
They slowly approached, trying their best not to wake the general up. They split off and flanked the monster, both aiming at the neck of the beast and away from each other. Hera already had a spear in her hand, and Flint had prepared his exoskeleton punch. But before they were able to activate their skills, something else happened.
"Achoo!" Roan sneezed due some ink pollen that was falling from the trees above.
Flint and Hera glanced at each other, "Fuck," they said at once before jumping away. Their dodge happened right in time as the Golden Armadillo jumped, turned into a ball, and landed with a heavy impact directly where the two of them were preparing to attack. The armadillo sphere started to spin and tried to slam against the dwarf, who was unlucky enough to be the one the mounter decided to chase.
The crafter started running, using the exoskeleton legs to help him move faster, but the Golden Armadillo was relentless. It would try to slam him again and again, jumping even while in its ball form and trying to squash Flint with its weight. The man ran uphill, hoping the incline would affect the monster's speed. His idea worked up to a certain point. But eventually, the creature started to gain on him. When he was almost at the top of the hill, Skyler was able to hit the Golden Armadillo with a tune that slowed its reaction speed. That would only last while she held on to the note, but that was enough for Flint to dash back down to the rest of the group. The elf held on as long as she could, but she could only make that sound if she were blowing her harmonica as hard as she could. Because of that, she only stopped the monster for a few seconds before having to drop the spell.
Sniping around, the Golden Armadillo rushed after Flint one more time. Seeing that, Hera stepped forward and used a stone-shaped spell to create a ramp behind the dwarf. Due to the speed at which the monster was coming, it just flung itself into the air. Before the creature landed, Neria waved her hands, creating a large amount of water with her staff. The water wrapped around the armadillo and started to spin with it inside. The triton waved her hands, her eyes sparking in the sunlight. One of her hands was making a circular motion as if it was controlling the water while the other held on to the staff member who was still letting out water.
The Golden Armadillo didn't move and continued in its defensive position, but that wasn't enough. The pressure of the water started to bend the shell, breaking it apart little by little. Neria started giggling, then let out a maniac laughter. It's the type of thing one would expect from a villain in a movie. She had a massive grin on her face as some of the water rained down on top of her, making her clothes stick to her skin.
Watching that scene, Vash leaned closer to Hera and Skyler, "Is that doing something for you, too, or should I look for a therapist?"
"Yes, and you should," Skyler replied while still watching Neria.
"Yeah… this is oddly attractive," Hera stared at the triton's lips that were formed in that wide smile. It was such a pure expression of joy that it was hard not to feel attracted by it.
After a few minutes, Neria dropped the spell, letting the Golden Armadillo fall back to the ground. It was now covered in bruises and broken shell plates. Roan was about to ask if it was dead when the monster dissolved into the ground. Neria smiled at the team and asked, "Ready for the next one?"
Hera nodded, but she could only focus on Neria and her grin.