Zack and the others finished eating and set off again. Although they wasted some time chatting with each other, this was especially helpful for them in getting to know each other better.
Not only Zack but also Ryu and Kenzo seemed more relaxed and calm. Still, Zack wasn't going to let his guard down. That mistake could have cost them dearly in the last battle
Enemies on the next few floors could prove to be just as deadly if neglected. Also, there's one thing that's starting to bother Zack. Kenzo and Ryo should have noticed too.
(Why our watchman seems to be getting more and more nervous?)
Zack and the others continued their trip as if nothing happened.
…
In the depths of the dungeon, there was a chamber illuminated only by the dim light that emanated from the stone walls. The room was full of thick roots, without a doubt, coming from the huge tree above the dungeon. The place seemed part of ancient ruins with forgotten stories from centuries ago, giving the surroundings a magical atmosphere.
The only point of access was a beautiful stone gate about 3 meters high. The doors had inscriptions whose meaning no one has been able to decipher. It reached the point that some think that the reliefs are merely decorative and do not hold any special message.
Suddenly, a shadow slipped under the door without making a sound. Once the shadow was inside, a figure silently stepped out of it.
The person in question was covered in a black cape and her face could not be seen.
The mysterious intruder examined the room carefully until his eyes fell on the center of the room.
In the middle of the room, a round stone rested on a pedestal that prevented it from moving. There didn't seem to be anything special about it, but those who had a modicum of dungeon knowledge knew what it was, the core of the dungeon.
Step by step the figure approached the core of the dungeon. Once the core was within arm's reach of him, he pulled out a container covered with runes from a bag at his waist.
The moment the stranger took out the container, the container began to shake in his hand, and the core of the dungeon began to flicker strongly, like two long-lost lovers wishing to meet again.
The figure said nothing, just opened the container and its contents poured out. A purple substance poured out of the vessel in large quantities and swarmed the core.
When the core touched the substance, it started to absorb it greedily.
After absorbing all the contents of the container, the core of the dungeon began to glow more brightly every second.
The culprit of this quickly took out a scroll from his bag, and without wasting any more time opened it. In the next instant, the figure had disappeared, and the room began to shake.
…
Outside the dungeon dozens of guards guarded the dungeon, making sure that no one could enter or leave without their consent.
In the middle of a makeshift camp, a military tent had been set up to accommodate officers.
Inside the tent, two figures were chatting quietly, from their clothes one of them was probably the commander of the soldiers, while the other was wearing an exquisite blue robe made from very expensive materials.
"Hey?"
"What's going on?"
Suddenly, the robed man stood up from his chair and looked in the dungeon´s direction, prompting the commander to reach for his weapon and put himself on guard.
"I just felt a trace of space magic"
"What?! Are you sure?" asked alarmed the commander.
Upon hearing the commander's words, the magician looked at him in a bad way for doubting his words. Even so, the magician answered his question:
"Yeah. I do not have doubts. Someone just used space magic."
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"But that's impossible! None of my men know anything about magic, and the heroes are incapable of performing such high-level spell” said the commander, trying to explain his previous words seeing that they had offended the sorcerer.
The wizard paused for a moment to think about exactly what he had felt.
“It wasn't a spell. It was too fast, no one casts spells leaving only a trace of them. Most likely it was a scroll with a spatial spell inscribed on it.
“That´s expensive. Who do you think could have done it? None of my men earn enough to have a scroll like that"
VRRMMM VRRRMMMMMMMM VRRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMM
The magician was going to answer when suddenly the ground began to shake. At first, it was a slight tremor, but seconds later both men could barely keep their balance on their feet.
The mage quickly left the tent that was threatening to collapse on them, followed by the commander.
Bam
"What are you doing?" asked the commander who had rushed out of the shop and bumped into the magician, who stopped in front of the exit.
The magician ignored his question, and even the startled soldiers. His gaze was completely focused on the dungeon that Zack and his companions had entered.
"The- The-" The mage was trying to say something to the commander but he couldn't seem to explain it clearly.
"What's happening?" demanded the commander as he tried to urge calm among his soldiers.
Swish
"The dungeon is-" Those were the wizard's last words as he fell to the ground. In his chest was a large arrow that pulsed with magical energy. It was evidently not a normal arrow.
"SHIT. ENEMY ATTACK, EVERYONE TO YOUR POSTS!!!" the commander shouted when he saw the direction in which the arrow came from.
On the horizon, several dozen unidentified men mounted on horseback were heading toward their camp with hostile intentions. The enemy outnumbered them, and their equipment far exceeded that of the guards.
“CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS!!!”
After saying this, the commander ran for his horse. If they want to take him and his men down, he wants to say several words on the matter.
…
Meanwhile, away from the dungeon. In the capital, people had not yet received the news of the attack.
In one of the castle's rooms, Prime Minister Osla was reading reports and writing paperwork.
One would think that the life of the prime minister of a kingdom would be luxurious and pleasant, and it is... most of the time. As much as Osla would like to go to his house and let someone else do his work, the end result would be that he would have to answer to the King if there had been any mistake.
A chill ran down the prime minister's back just imagining the consequences. No, it is better to stay and supervise everything personally to avoid all kinds of problems. Osla reached for the next document and read it carefully.
Osla frowned after finishing reading it. The moment his eyes landed on it, the prime minister knew there was something unusual.
(Duke Richard's soldiers have increased their presence in the capital. Why? It doesn't make sense)
In the entire kingdom, there were only a total of three dukes.
Duke Bonad, whose territory connects to the kingdom's southern border, was mainly busy trying to trade with neighboring kingdoms.
Duchess Margaya, whose territory lies on the eastern edge of the kingdom, facing the ocean, possesses a considerable marine force, specializing in repelling demonic sea infiltrations, as well as maritime trade.
And finally, Duke Richard, whose territory lies in the western part of the kingdom, where a mineral-rich mountain range limits development possibilities by sea, is a loyal subject of the king all his life and mainly resides in the capital.
The minister ignores the part that said the motives for the duke's actions were unknown. Nothing new, most of the time he had to work with incomplete information.
(The duke is very old, I don't think he would try to do anything that harms his majesty. If he was planning that, even the useless intelligence service would have noticed something)
Furthermore, Duke Richard's territory was cut off from the rest of the dukes, so if he tried to rebel against his majesty, he would not only not receive any support but would be crushed by the royal forces. Anything similar to treason would be suicide.
Even so, Osla decided not to underestimate the old duke. After all, you don't become one of the five people with tier 3 prestige classes in the entire kingdom by being simple.
Just as Osla was about to give instructions to investigate this matter further, one of the guards rushed into the room. Under normal circumstances, such an action would have been enough to end your career and be sent to the border to fight. And that is precisely the reason why the prime minister did not say anything. If a guard dares to do something like that despite knowing the consequences, it's because the motive is important enough.
He let the guard approach him and whisper something in his ear.
Hearing the guard's words, the prime minister's face changed from indifference to concern, and finally panic.
“What are you doing standing there?!! Call the captain of the royal guard! Have a regiment set out at once to repel the intruders, and ensure the safety of the heroes. Also, call the archmage, we are going to need his assistance” said the prime minister as he left the documents on his table and began to prepare to report to the king.
"Now!!!" Osla yelled at the guard who was still standing on the spot.
The guard reacted and left the room to transmit the orders.
The prime minister thought about what to say to the king while he hurriedly walked in search of him. Nothing that was happening made sense. These kinds of things just don't happen. At least they don't happen so suddenly.
This matter is not something he can deal with, at least not alone, especially considering that the attackers were so close, only a few hours' drive from here. In order not to receive news of the movements of an armed group of people who could threaten more than fifty of the kingdom's best soldiers, it had to be the work of someone powerful. And they still had another problem on their hands.
When the minister arrived at the place where the king was, he ignored the guards at the door and went directly inside. Before he could say anything, the minister conveyed the bad news.
“Your majesty, we have a problem. The dungeon is evolving"