24

First Dungeon Dive

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Alduin felt a strange sense of excitement. His body was rousing up with strength and his eyes anticipated any movement it could possibly catch. He knew it was wrong but his body was burning up.

That was until the tension died down, carried away by the last vibrations of the explosion.

His rationality finally won over his body’s intuitive anticipation of a fight.

But then, everything he could understand was suddenly thrown into chaos, by a voice he was all too familiar with.

“Alduin.”

Alduin felt shivers running up his spine as he turned his head.

“What?” His eyes opened wide.

“We need to enter.” Veleda stood behind them. A hauntingly indifferent expression painted on her face, while a faint golden light flashed in her eyes.

Coldness overwhelmed him as his eyes were focused on her extended hands.

‘No.’ Alduin felt the world crumbling. ‘I was wrong!’

His body shook even harder than when he ran for his life toward the church.

‘I should have known, I should have checked.’ He blamed himself

Leon had told him. A small gemstone was stuck in every single creature, goblin or wolf, that invaded their town.

His body realized it instinctively, the dream of the warm current flowing through his hand. It wasn’t his imagination. The origin of that energy flow was from such a gemstone, one even stronger than the one in Veleda’s hands.

“We need to enter! Now!” Alduin roared at the top of his lungs.

Veleda suddenly dropped to her knees as all energy escaped from her body. Her expression was as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep.

“Alduin!” Edward tried calming Alduin down.

“W-what’s going on?” A weak voice sounded.

“We don’t have time, we need to enter now!” Panic overwhelmed Alduin. This would be their final lifeline. They were armed and ready, they only needed to step forward. His movements were quick, getting Veleda to safety was his priority as his hands supported her.

“Werner, take her back to the church!” Edward noticed something was wrong.

Werner and Alduin had already helped Veleda up, still, her expression was as lost as before.

“What’s going on?!” Veleda asked again.

The chaos in the surrounding had returned. Every individual waiting for their enemy felt their nervousness rise. Alduin was just the first to notice.

“Veleda, go back now!” Alduin spoke with anxiousness. “Please, go back right now!”

In Alduin’s hands laid the gemstone she had carried here, but still, she didn’t understand what was going on.

“Gramps!” Alduin turned around. His eyes were more serious than they had ever been.

“What’s going on?”

By now the tension had reached its peak. All eyes were focused on Alduin.

“It’s this gem,” Alduin said, “I can feel it. It’s because of the energy of that captain’s gemstone that I managed to recover. You said you couldn’t find it anywhere, that’s because it no longer exists!”

The familiar sensation was instantly recognizable. An energy vibration interlinked with his soul. Albeit extremely faint, the likeness of this small pebble, compared to the warm current he felt in his coma was almost the same. The only difference was the intensity.

“What?” Lucas pulled Alduin’s shoulder. “This is no time to mess around! What’s going on?!”

Lucas wanted to hold his son back. Right, he wanted him to stop with this farce of entering that red gate. They had just blown it up, even if they wanted to enter, the oxygen deprivation would possibly be fatal to them as well.

But his pull didn’t move Alduin in the slightest. An unknown strength kept Alduin’s body straight.

“Dad.” Alduin turned to look. “I’m entering, whether you like it or not. Our lives depend on it.”

Alduin had changed. The panic had spilled over and only a cold-blooded intent remained. Life or death. Their very survival was on the line.

“Prepare your weapons, those with shields move first.” Alphons broke the tension. Currently, he was the most resolute person in this group.

“What,” Lucas said, “You’re kidding me right, my son is not entering there!”

Alduin turned to Edward while ignoring his father’s complaint and the surrounding chaos.

“Gramps,” Alduin spoke loud and clear. “If a single stone can heal me to this extent, then-“

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The coin had dropped.

“Alduin!” Lucas felt fear rise in his body as he tried whatever he could to hold him back. “Edward, say something!”

Their eyes locked and their intent was conveyed. There was nothing they could do to change his mind.

“We’re going,” Edward finally spoke. “The kid’s coming with us.”

An instant of utmost chaos had passed as Edward silenced everyone. Yet his expression was far from good. He looked with ferocity toward Alduin, but there was nothing he could do. The water was spilled and right now they couldn’t risk it anymore.

“NO!”

“Put on your masks, get in position, we’re heading in.”

“DAMN IT, I SAID NO!”

“Dad.” Alduin looked his father in the eyes. “This is the only way we can survive. The only way mom can survive.”

Lucas didn’t know what was going on. He feared losing his son, he had only been awake for a single day and was jumping into the fire once more.

“Alduin,” Veleda interjected, “W-what’s going on?” She stumbled over her words.

Her mind couldn’t comprehend what was happening. A hazy sensation stopped her from thinking clearly, but she knew for certain that they shouldn’t enter the spiraling gate.

Alduin, who had never left Veleda’s side, now turned to her.

His right hand lifted and his palm caressed her face. “I’ll come back, so please head to the church”

“What?”

“I love you.” His movements were smooth as his lips touched hers. His bright smile conveyed his utmost affection towards the fragile blond-haired girl. Yet the only thing she could see was a group of twenty nervous people turning around and heading for the crimson portal.

“What’s going on?” Her voice spoke but her energy kept dropping lower. She didn’t even know how she got here in the first place. The black pebble that Alduin handed back to her was even more confusing. “Alduin-“

“Werner, take care of your daughter, close the gates tightly, and-” Edward patted his son-in-law. “Tell my daughter we’ll be fine.”

Werner could only nod. The pike in his hand hadn’t stopped shaking since the tension reached its peak.

“Grandpa-“

“Veleda.” Edward patted her shoulder. “We’ll be right back.”

The almost two-meter-tall man turned around. A thick beard and gray hair. His physique which was declining now showed the strength of a bull. His expression had rejuvenated under the pressure of survival. And right now, his words were final.

“We’re ready,” Alphons said.

“Right, tie your mask tightly.” Edward looked around. “Whatever happens, stay alive and… kill every last one of them.”

A heavy voice conveyed the intent of every person gathered here. There was no room for failure, the people they loved were waiting for their return.

His eyes made contact with Alduin’s. The understanding between the two needed no words. Eyes stared at the kid with shame and regret, he didn’t want him to join them. Strength and belief stared at the man, knowing he could help them.

The group of twenty people including Edward, Alphons, Theo, Lucas, Leon and his father was joined by Alduin as they entered a blood-red, slowly spiraling dungeon gate. They would enter the structure which the roots of a heavenly tree were chaining down. Into the jaws of death.

‘We’re here.’ Alduin didn’t look back. His grip on the spear tightened as the distance between him and the gate became closer with every step.

‘This time will be different’ and with this thought, a red hue completely covered Alduin’s body.

***

A red light completely swallowed them up only to spit them back out. But this time they were in an unknown underground location.

A heatwave washed over the first people who entered.

Cough Cough

The silence was broken by the intermittent coughing and the steps of the new invaders.

“What?!” Multiple voices started panicking.

“The exit, where’s the exit?!” Another pushed the wall they just passed through.

“Quiet.” A hushed voice overwhelmed the chaos that broke free. “Get in formation.”

Embers lit their surroundings. The passage they were in was only as deep as the old shrine, but at its end was a large open structure. Only several steps in front of them laid a wide-open cave in wait.

Cough Cough

The sounds of coughing continued but the layered defense they had prepared was quickly rebuilt.

The ground was sticky. Ashes layered the ground as an unknown amount of weeds and filth had completely burned up.

Traces of the metallic cart could even be seen as the walls seemed to be hit by multiple metallic pellets.

‘It seems our assault was successful.’ Alduin followed the people in front towards the open cave.

Goblins and traces of blood painted a desolate picture.

“What’s that?!”

But that wasn’t what drew their attention.

Light, like stars in the sky, shone down from the dome of the cave. Roots broke through the roof and mist seemed to continually seep out.

“-No way.” Alduin looked up.

The roots were resupplying oxygen at a rapid pace as their breathing became easier by the minute. While their attack had paid off, the finishing blow never landed.

“Check every corpse lying here!” Alphons quickly commanded.

The silence descended once more. Yet the rifles never pointed downwards. At the end of this cave laid a second passage.

KHRRAAHAHRHAKKKRA

And it didn’t take long for multiple screeches to sound out.

“Fuck.” Even Edward couldn’t help but curse.

“In position!” Edward tightened his grip on his rifle. “A second passage is in front of us.”

“Shit, how many did we get?”

“What if there are more in there than here?”

“Are we going to die?!”

“Silence!” Edward couldn’t help but raise his voice.

While their surroundings were covered with the bodies of dead goblins, the only traces of blood could be seen in front of them.

“They pulled them away?” Alduin mumbled under his breath.

The cave they were in wasn’t that large but there were countless holes inside the walls. All of them were the nests of the now-dead goblins.

But in front of them was a larger passage. Something adorned by ritualistic items. Carvings in the wall resembled those on the dead goblin captain’s skin. Weapons littered the ground where the charred corpses lay.

Embers drifted down as the last remaining traces of fire gradually disappeared. Even the stifling air became as fresh as the one outside.

KRAKRKHRAKARHARAA

Another screech rang out. But they were not battle screeches. Neither were they communicating with each other.

“They’re crying out in pain,” Alduin said.

“What do you mean?” Leon tensed up.

“Krrhahahrrkarakrahra.”

“Hold your position!” Theo spoke up.

Even the little time they had spent confirming whether the goblins were actually dead was something that came at a high price.

Four lines of people stood in front of the last gateway. A formation stitched together with whatever weapons they could find.

The first were the shield bearers, blocking the entrance with thick wooden slates nailed with a coat of metal. The oldest men in the town took this position.

The second row were the axe and sword wielders. In reality, they were people who were more mobile than the first row and carried whatever sharp object they could find. Leon and Lucas stood in this row.

The third row were the pike and spear wielders, covering the two rows in front.

And lastly were the four hunters. Edward, Alphons, Leon’s father, Alfred, and Theo.

“Krrhahahrrkarakrahra.”

‘What?’ Before Alduin even realized what he had heard, a shout rang out.

“What’s that!”

“Hold your position!” Theo shouted out, “FI-“

A massive shock hit their ears immediately followed by gunshots.

The snapping of a bowstring echoed against the cave walls. Inside the last entrance a creature appeared.

And in the light of the shining roots and the last embers losing their heat a shout of terror rang out. Overwhelming the echo of the launched projectiles.

“NO!” A heartrending cry shook every person to their core.

The first arrow had been fired, yet not all four rifles had released their shot.