Chapter 32 - An unexpected twist in the plans

The zeppelin had narrowly escaped imminent danger and reached a safe area, leaving behind the strange scene of three mechanical sea beasts trying to take down one of the giant robots. From a distance, it was barely visible that a large number of cables emerged from beneath the ocean, grabbing the monsters and pulling them back into the watery abyss.

A few seconds later, the vehicle's pilot finally spotted the ground they were heading towards, barely visible amidst thick clouds of smoke that darkened the entire area. He managed to stabilize the zeppelin and informed everyone that they were about to land, which brought a sense of relief to everyone on board—except for Kazue, who, for some reason, had been enjoying the turbulence as if it were a roller coaster. This earned her some puzzled looks from most of those present.

The vehicle finally landed, and the side door through which they had entered opened, allowing everyone on board to disembark as quickly as they could. They were grateful that the conflict had not yet reached this area even with the constant noise of battles raging on the beach.

“Please, do not stray away, we should be meeting Admiral Jasper Merrick close to this location.”

Thaddeus raised his voice so everyone could hear and ensured they followed him. The truth was, the place they had landed was exactly what everyone had imagined upon hearing "lost island" and "ruins of a forgotten city". The area was little more than a tropical jungle, with several small, crumbling structures covered in moss scattered along the path.

They quickly reached the designated point, with Drake having to help Mr. Sebastian due to the uneven terrain making it difficult for him to walk. Once there, they remained still for a few seconds. Thaddeus scanned the area, trying to spot the person who was supposed to guide them to the entrance of the citadel. However, no one was in sight, and just as they were about to ask what was going on, a rather tall figure emerged from the dense vegetation beside the group.

The mysterious newcomer spoke—a very tall man in a completely white uniform, so full of medals that it seemed there was no room for any more. His appearance was neat, except for the fact that both sleeves of his shirt were torn, revealing the enormous muscles of his arms. He greeted them with a broad smile, showing that he was a man well advanced in age. His hair and thick mustache were completely gray, and his face was marked with so many wrinkles that even Sebastian appeared a bit younger by comparison.

It seemed that this was Admiral Jasper Merrick, the guide they had been waiting for, which brought some relief to the entire group. They were grateful that their guide had such a kind demeanor. However, the one who was most unsettled by the elderly man's appearance was Thaddeus himself. His usual calm expression had faded, replaced by one of concern and doubt.

"Admiral Augustus Redmond, what are you doing here? This was the designated meeting point with Admiral Jasper Merrick, while you were supposed to be holding the front line, stopping the advance of the 'Gearforged Raiders' guild forces."

Thaddeus said, his voice laced with a mix of confusion and concern, however, the old man let out a hearty laugh as if he were genuinely amused by the situation.

"Little Merrick disappeared several hours ago; we don't know where he wandered off to. At the same time, the 'Raiders' forces stopped pushing so hard at the front, and that worm of a leader, Caspian, hasn’t been seen for quite a while either. It's as if he decided to abandon the fight all of a sudden. Hahaha! Maybe my old senses aren't what they used to be, but something tells me young Jasper is fighting that scoundrel, so there’s nothing to worry about."

Said Augustus without losing his smile, something that Thaddeus didn’t seem to find satisfactory. He even seemed to click his tongue in frustration, though this went unnoticed by most of the group.

"So, I understand that you'll be the one guiding us to the entrance of the Citadel, Admiral?"

Thaddeus asked, his tone carrying a hint of resignation, only to be met once again with laughter from the old man.

“Hahaha! No, not exactly, the high command has assigned me the order to accompany you lot all the way to secure the success of the mission”

Those words were reassuring. Even for someone like Adam, it was clear that this man was extremely powerful, and having him with them certainly brought him a great deal of comfort. However, Thaddeus and Li didn’t seem as enthusiastic about the idea; in fact, they almost looked worried.

"But Admiral, are you sure that you can afford to leave the front line like this? We don't know how long this exploration might take. Even a few minutes without your presence in this war could have catastrophic results for..."

But Thaddeus's words were cut off by the Admiral, who raised one of his hands and waved it dismissively.

“Don’t worry about that. Everything was carefully considered before I received these orders, or so I’ve been told. Besides, if I’m with you, the exploration is more likely to finish sooner than expected, don’t you think? Hahaha! Moreover, I’ve gone ahead and cleared a path through the underbrush so we can go in a straight line.”

It was only after saying that that the rest of the group realized what he was talking about. Indeed, the Admiral had appeared from the nearby foliage, and behind him was an artificial path created by destroying every tree, rock, or piece of ruin in its way.

"If we follow this path, it will only take us a few minutes. Although I'm sure you young folks wouldn't have any trouble, both my old bones and this gentleman's will appreciate having a less treacherous route, right? Hahaha!"

Augustus said with his broad smile still in place, gesturing toward Sebastian and giving him a friendly, understanding look, as if he truly grasped the challenges of being in such an advanced age.

Without further reasons or motives to dispute, Thaddeus joined the group as they followed the newly created path, which was certainly much easier to travel than making their way through the dense vegetation as they had been doing upon arrival. It wasn’t long before they reached the designated location. During the journey, Augustus’s friendly demeanor became apparent, especially as he seemed to have instantly clicked with Kazue, they chatted and laughed about various topics, and at one point, the girl even swung from one of the old man’s flexed biceps with both arms like a little girl since there was a difference of five heads between the two, which made several people laugh and helped lighten the mood a little.

The entrance they arrived at was actually a small ruin, far from the imposing citadel Adam had imagined based on all the information he had read and heard about the place. Feeling somewhat disappointed, he walked with the group toward one of the many fallen columns scattered around. To his surprise, they came across what seemed to be a massive, rusted metal door lying flat on the ground... Could this be…?

"And here it is! The entrance to the place I used to tell my grandchildren about before bed to scare them, Necrogear Citadel. It certainly lives up to its name, doesn’t it? Hahaha"

The looks of apprehension from everyone due to the complete darkness they would have to venture into were noticed by Thaddeus, who had resumed his calm and composed demeanor. He quickly said something to reassure them.

"Don’t worry, the darkness only extends to the entrance stairway. Once we reach the bottom, the entire place is illuminated by an ancient electrical grid that still functions to this day."

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That was hard to believe, but in a world like this, nothing should seem too strange or far-fetched. Still, everyone was a bit nervous about descending, except for Kazue, as usual…

"Let's goo! Onward to our adventure!”

The girl raced ahead, running down the stairs with her arms extended upward, quickly followed by the Admiral, who also trotted in, laughing out loud. The rest of the group watched them with weird amazement.

They didn’t take long to follow, with Thaddeus leading the way and descending very carefully to avoid slips, as beyond a certain point the darkness was absolute, and the sunlight from the door no longer reached them. However, a brilliant blue light appeared in the distance just a few steps later, meaning the real entrance was really close.

Finally, upon reaching the base, they were able to breathe a sigh of relief and join Kazue and the Admiral, who had already entered the facility and were standing, amazed by their surroundings. Adam did the same once his eyes adjusted, and what he saw left him speechless.

The place resembled what one would expect to find in a medieval castle—stone walls, hallways extending into the unknown, and countless items scattered everywhere, there were broken desks, books reduced to dust, and a lot of little rusted objects, all of those illuminated by a weird blue light that came from who knows where.

"Please, don’t get distracted by these things. Everything important was recovered a long time ago. We need to focus on finding what we came for: the chamber where the 'Atomica Arcanum' is located. Mr. Li, if you would be so kind, now is the time to show off your renowned sense of direction."

Thaddeus said suddenly, addressing Li and indicating that he should use a skill that no one else knew he had.

“Sure, let me concentrate a little”

The man responded casually, adjusting his hat and extending one of his arms, from which a cluster of red energy began to form as a window appeared before all the onlookers.

⌠Notice: Standard-class Plot device: “Flashing Arrow” has been used⌡

A red arrow shot out from Li’s palm, heading down one of the corridors until it disappeared from view, just as another window appeared before Adam.

[ Plot Device: Flashing Arrow - Standard ] [It summons a red arrow that will advance to the most important place in the scenario based on the user's current objective. It will show a flashing image to all team members upon reaching the destination and the route it follows.]

This was new, but it was true that the description of his [Cursed Vision] indicated he could also see the information of those strange powers called Plot Devices, and this one, in particular, was something he had seen used during the first scenario they had to overcome. He couldn’t think much more about it, because an image suddenly flashed into his mind: a dirty, mold-covered book was on a ruined pedestal in a room with nothing particular except for several figures moving slowly around. The exact nature of those things wasn’t clear since the vision ended, but what was clear now was the direction they needed to take to reach that place.

“Are you kids alright?”

Augustus then asked, not knowing what was happening, indicating that the characters within the scene seemed unaware of the activation of the Plot Device.

"Everything is fine; I know exactly the path we need to follow... Although it seems things are lurking around the area."

Li said calmly with a smug smile, which was met with praise from the Admiral himself. Augustus remarked that if that was the case, it was one of the most useful guiding skills he had ever seen in his life and quickly asked if Li would consider joining the Armada.

"Come on, kid, it's a great honor to serve the people and the Allied Kingdoms. I promise I'll write you a recommendation letter. You could enlist and become a Commander right away if you join the rescue division. A skill like yours would be invaluable for saving lives."

Li didn’t seem flattered by the comment but rather annoyed by the insistence. He had to say that he would consider it once the mission was over, which Augustus took with pleasure and continued walking with a broad smile.

“What about me, could I join the Armada as well? I have trained with Commodore Kathler.”

Said Kazue suddenly, rushing beside the Admiral to talk more.

“Did you really, little miss? Hahaha! Well, color me impressed, I can’t imagine little Kathlene teaching anyone, she’s such a musclehead after all.”

“Do you know Kathlene, gramps?”

The conversation was so casual that even Thaddeus was nervously watching how everything was unfolding as they moved forward. Treating an Admiral of the Armada so familiarly was something not many in the world would dare to do.

“Of course, I know her! I know almost every talented soldier from General upward, and even some promising recruits from headquarters, I consider them all as my own grandkids.”

“That’s awesome gramps! You think I would go far if I enrolled in the Armada?”

“Hahaha! Of course, missy, I like your attitude! And if Kathlene had trained you then you would definitely have been a heavy asset to the Armada.”

Certainly, the atmosphere was much more pleasant than the eerie surroundings might suggest, which was appreciated as it helped ease the mind from the dangers they might soon encounter. As expected, after a few minutes of walking, Thaddeus, who was leading the group, suddenly stopped and turned to them, signaling for them to be quiet.

There, finally, was the first obstacle. The group gathered cautiously and observed what lay ahead... Slowly dragging their feet and with no fixed direction, five humanoid figures were wandering together. All of them were covered from head to toe in golden armor, very similar to those worn by the Armada foot soldiers. The armor, however, showed no signs of rust but emitted the sounds of ungreased gears.

"They're automatons that protect this place and are extremely aggressive towards intruders. We must be very careful not to engage with them."

Thaddeus said in a low voice, making sure everyone could hear him. However, Adam kept his gaze fixed on the creatures instead of listening until a window appeared before his eyes, revealing information about them.

[Gilded Skull Sentinel - Rank E] ⌠Additional Information⌡ ⌠A basic undead warrior made with the mixture of necromancy and technology by the ancient ‘Golden Pavilion’ dark scientists. Its armor is made from gold and the skeleton that wears it will indiscriminately attack any living thing in the vicinity of its wandering.⌡ ⌠Cursed Vision Knowledge⌡ ⌠Notice: ‘Gilded Skull Sentinel’ has lost its masters long ago, it now just wanders the Citadel aimlessly.⌡ ⌠Hint: Undead creatures are immune to any mental attack.⌡

“Actually, they are…”

Adam tried to speak, but he was interrupted by Admiral Augustus, who quickly jumped over the entire group and advanced several steps until he was relatively close to the wandering figures.

The golden soldiers quickly turned their gaze toward the old man, revealing the faceplate of their helmets and showing that what lay inside was a human skull. They immediately charged at the soldier with a speed that starkly contrasted with the clumsy steps they had been taking moments before.

“The simplest solution is just to move forward, hahaha!”

Everyone watched in astonishment as the five soldiers reached the Almirante, seemingly intent on grabbing or perhaps hitting him. It was unclear, as the man simply flexed one of his arms and delivered a punch so swift and powerful that the air around it sounded like a cannon shot. The armored skeletons were blasted away, shattered, and scattered around as if they had never been there.

Augustus turned his gaze back towards the group, who were staring at him with some wonder, while flexing his arm muscles.

“See? There’s no need to hide while I’m here, hahaha!”