[Diane Whitehall POV]
{A/N:Yeeeey POV of a character that in the original novel was just a random 'NPC'!!}
I was quite excited, Kaspian Bladeheart himself had called me, along with other adventurers, to form a temporary team. According to him, the choice made involved two factors.
The first factor was to have at least 2 mages of each element and a healer, that is, in addition to me, there were 8 more people, me together with the healer being the only ones from Class C, while the others were from Class B and the other water user there was a Class A Augmenter. The second factor involved two things together: trust and knowledge. I didn't understand the reason for this second factor, but I feel I would find out when the guild leader arrived.
We were all sitting in reception chairs, we weren't much to talk about ourselves, at most some of them made silly jokes so that the situation wasn't so uncomfortable. I was one of those who tried to get some laughs and conversations with them, but the only person wanting to interact with me was the healer.
After a few minutes, one of the party mages caught our attention, with the entry of Kaspian Bladeheart there. He looked serious and watched us closely, giving us a reassuring smile.
"My great fellow adventurers, you are gathered here today to become a temporary Party. Your main objective will be to come with me to the Sunshine Maze dungeon to serve as an auxiliary party for an adventurer who will be coordinating an investigation there." he said in a proud voice.
"Wait... Mister Bladeheart, let me get this straight, you called us here just to assist someone with an investigation.. Inside a C rank dungeon?! That's too low for a team of 9 adventurers of our caliber! " exclaimed one of the Class B adventurers.
"Yes, you are a party for help if he asks it there. The reason for the investigation is that mana beasts that shouldn't be there were found, walking in the entrance of the dungeon, and we are assuming that it is because of some anomaly that exists there." When Kaspian said that, some had their eyes wide open while others just continued to listen without reacting too much.
"We're talking about a possible change within the dungeon, so we need to be careful and study it well. There's a chance that if it's changed in an extreme way, we'll have to increase its danger rating, so there's great importance to that. Am I clear?" he continued to speak loud and clear, while looking at the adventurer who exclaimed earlier.
We all agreed with that and he gave a satisfied smile. "Great. Reminding everyone, your presence on the team already guarantees you at least 10 silver coins each. Depending on how you act, the amount of the reward will be increased. In the end I will decide if the Party will win the same amount extra money or whether it will be an individual payment."
We got up and followed Kaspian, on the way side there were 3 carriages to take us there. Due to training and because some of the adventurers already have a method of locomotion, there were 3 adventurers in each carriage and the last member, the Augmenter Class A, would follow us with his horse.
Amazingly, the group healer and I were in the same carriage as Kaspian, and I was able to look out the window at our passage through the teleport portal, arriving at Beast Gladers. But we didn't stop there, as our journey was towards the Sunshine Maze dungeon.
"Hm... With your permission, Mr.Bladeheart, but who is the investigator who will be with us?" the healer asked, finally breaking the silence inside.
"Oh.. He's someone quite powerful, I think even the adventurer Whitehall knows him a little." With what he said, I was confused.
Was the investigator someone I knew?... But I don't know anyone good at it.
"Actually, he's so powerful that you're here simply, as I said before, as a backup team. You'll only enter the dungeon itself, when he sees it's safe enough or if he needs help." the guild leader continued to speak.
"Hold on… So we're really just here to at least stand in front of the dungeon?" The healer said with his head tilting a little to the side.
"Yes, that's why I'm at least giving you something as a reward, I know you guys could be doing missions in the meantime, but really the situation is serious. What I said at the reception, it's not the total truth... I just I don't tell, because I'm afraid of what it might cause." I was shocked by his words.
Was the situation tense? Were we just being a support team for a single adventurer? Did he not even tell us what was really happening? My mind only fills with questions as I grip my staff tightly.
"You said I know this adventurer....Who would he be?" I asked him without being able to look him in the eye.
"Class A adventurer, Diamond. Depending on how things go and what's going on inside that dungeon, he'll be promoted to Class AA." His answer made my eyes widen with the rest of my face being expressionless.
That same novice adventurer, who not only caused problems for Kaspian Bladeheart, but also formed a friendly party that I stayed with at the beginning of my career... He had barely become an adventurer, it's only been about 6 months I think... And would he already be classified as an AA Adventurer depending on what happened? What kind of monster is that mystery masked man?
He seemed to notice my look of confusion and surprise, starting to laugh a little. Me and the healer also laughed, but the thought of that situation is uncomfortable.
"He asked for a lot of people in case it was a huge problem there. And he also asked for reliable people. To be honest, some of this temporary party I called are not at all reliable." He said with a sigh.
"So you're breaking Adventurer Diamond's trust?" the healer asked.
"No, actually I'm taking the opportunity to find out if the people I'm suspicious of are really trustworthy or not, if they're going to disobey orders or if they're going to obey to the last letter, because this is not a common mission... that is why I am present." the guild leader said taking a deep breath.
"And how will he call for us if he has a problem?" I asked curiously.
"I handed him some communication scrolls. From the way he moves, I bet he must have already entered the dungeon and started to see the situation."
"Wait... Is he that fast?" the healer asked looking at Kaspian and me.
I kept remembering the way he moved in our first dungeon in that temporary party, Diamond was always running along the walls, jumping and sliding like he was floating. That boy was an acrobatic prodigy.
"Yes." He and I ended up replying unisom, making me blush and apologize a little, he laughed and seemed not to be bothered by what I did.
Arriving close to the entrance of the dungeon, we stopped and started to make a small camp to stay there. Kaspian along with 4 adventurers were setting up tents for our sleeping bags and a small first-aid ward, while the rest of us were making a small fire along with some kitchen kits that I and two other adventurers had.
We sat there talking and waiting for Diamond to call us or make contact with Kaspian. Some waited talking and sharing stories of their adventures, others took the opportunity to train among themselves, since the area in front of the dungeon was a wide open field with few hills.
Soon a time came for me to share something and they had already spread the information that I already worked with the adventurer who was inside the dungeon. The sun was already setting, it was probably already 6 pm.
"Hey cutie. And this Adventurer Diamond, what do you know?" Said one of the Class Bs, he was a wind augmenter from what I understand.
"Hmm... I can talk a little, but what's your name?" I asked, still feeling kind of uncomfortable that most of them didn't speak their names to each other.
"Alexander, but everyone calls me Al or Storm Terror." The augmenter said with an odd smile of satisfaction as he relaxed there, sitting on a fallen tree trunk.
"Okay Alexander... I could say that... Diamond is a very mixed type of person who fits into several categories... He is kind and takes good care of his teammates, while at the same time being cold and serious when he needs it.. I feel like 90% of his spells and knowledge involve movement. Because he kept running along walls, propelling himself from one wall to another... I feel that even Light Silver stage spellcasters would have trouble aiming at him." I said it honestly, but getting some curious and doubtful looks.
"Hmm, an augmenter that boils down to mobility spells? Interesting... But why does Kaspian consider him too much? This is strange..." Said the second wind adventurer of our temporary Party.
"Well, just look at the way he fought Kaspian when he went to take the ranking exam. According to people who saw it, these mobility spells confuse the enemy and he attacks with everything." It said the only Class A Adventurer among us.
"Honestly. I would love to have a little battle against him, my ice against his sharp winds." That Class A continued to talk.
"Hmm. So he's a wind mage??... If he threatens my title, I'll finish him off." the adventurer named Al said with a sharp look.
"He's not the type who likes to show himself when there's no need, I think if he steals a title, it will be a consequence of him doing some heroic act that most wouldn't do..." I said sighing and remembering a time the green cloaked adventurer saved me from a mana beast attack in our first dungeon together.
A few minutes passed, and then Kaspian looked agitated as he walked out of his tent. Some of us were confused and others were already getting up to get ready. "Guys. Apparently... Adventurer Diamond found out there was a bunch of weird mages down there. They all seem to be using wild mana beasts as bonds and going with fatal attacks on him." Kaspian declared, now causing all of us to hold on tight to our gear.
"Using wild mana beasts as bonds? Is that possible?" The Class A went to Kaspian to ask.
"Sorry, I expressed myself badly, not exactly bonds.. But Diamond said they were obeying commands from these strange mages... He said he will attack to kill and try to keep at least 2 of them alive so we can question them. But he also said it to we dont go in there yet."
"Why not?" I asked confused.
"The only thing he asked us to do is attack any mage that comes out of there who...has some sort of tattoo on their backs. Apparently it's some dark guild that uses tattoos as a way of identifying hierarchy, according to our colleague's analysis. But I told him we would go there if after 6 hours he doesn't send me a message." Kaspian spoke with his hands together.
"How many scrolls did you give this Adventurer Diamond?" Alexander asked.
"I gave him 7 scrolls just in case, but told him to use it in extreme times. So he currently has 6 more." The guild leader said as he took his rapier.
"My god, I hope he's okay..." I said softly, thinking of that little elven adventurer who was now in danger.
At the exact moment I said that, we started to feel a strong shaking on the ground as if something had exploded, a lot was happening down there.
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[Luz Leywin POV]
I had arrived early in the dungeon, Sunshine Maze was an interesting name for such a C rank dungeon type. According to Kaspian it was quite confusing for beginning adventurers, but it actually had a short path straight to the boss room, as well as other very long paths that went in circles to dead-end areas. The reason for this "adorable" name was because in all the regions that led nowhere, there were crystals illuminating with soft and good colors, which made the ceilings look like a clear sky on a sunny day.
Using an old map from the last time they went to scan the dungeon, I initially went to the places that went to dead-ends, and always ended up seeing mana beasts, but they were different, they acted in a slightly organized way and there were several species. Something 100% unusual in the situation I found myself in.
Even with all this difficulty, I managed to kill countless of them with ease using three spells: Hero's Thunder, Soul Speed and Omega Flames. For weapons, I used my Redyspier and MW's Gauntlet form.
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As a result, I obtained several mana cores that had been infected by that dark aura, I absorbed some of them to recover my stock of mana and my stamina that I was spending in fights. That way, I never stopped in one place for more than 30 minutes. With these small stops only serving to feed me with the packaged food that Kaspian's maids delivered to me.
My perception of time said that it was around 4 pm that I found some kind of strange camp in one of the dead-end areas. "What the hell....? Could it be..."
"Must be the camp of the madmen who are imitating my power..." Zalgnity was saying, with clear anger in his voice.
"But how many people are here? I see 5 small tents, is there more?" I thought as I approached, strangely not feeling any mana around.
"Something is strange... But I don't know what it is..." Sylvia spoke mentally, I could feel her voice a little shaky.
"Weird...?.. Hmm..." I stand there trying to think what it was, closing my eyes and trying to feel my wind mana but... I don't...
Suddenly my instincts guided me, I quickly turned around, punching the air, meanwhile, my ring, the MW, glowed with transparent mana flowing through it and creating my gauntlet, when I realized it, it was punching well in the face of a person who appeared in the middle of nowhere, throwing him against a wall that was destroyed on the spot.
"THEY ARE HIDING THE MANA SIGNATURE FROM THE WHOLE CAMP!" I exclaimed inside my mind.
"First Phase! Hero's Thunder!" My entire body was filled with the corrupt aura while my hair started to have colored ends. After the aura appeared, countless lightning started to circle me, some red and some black.
Hearing a sharp noise approaching my right side and I dodged, with an arrow appearing in the middle of nowhere, I managed to catch it with my gauntlet and with a quick spin I threw it in the direction it came, using wind mana to go with a quick big turn. My perception of time was decreasing so possibly I had managed to redirect at the first opportunity, because that arrow was now in the chest of another strange person, who was falling on his knees on the ground, I could see, the arrow had crossed and was with the point on his back.
"DAMN YOU!" A third strange mage appeared screaming, he seemed to have a staff and was throwing a fireball in my direction.
I did a high jump to dodge that projectile and in midair, I cast another spell of my own. "Soul Speed!" From my legs my famous black fog starts to come out and with that, my reaction time doubles again. I landed on the ground after dodging that attack, the same mage continued to scream in anger and launched more fireballs in my direction. I dodged easily, with black smoke covering my surroundings.
I used wind magic to further expand that smoke throughout the enclosed area that was the camp. The only light that existed within the darkness I created was that mage's fireballs, he was shooting in all directions, anger and panic in his voice every time he released the magic.
"You call that a Fireball?" I said already behind him, with a smile behind my mask.
"Omega Green Flame!" I used my spell while firmly gripping his head from behind using the gauntlet hand, then a huge green flame appears in my palm and covers the mage's face completely.
"AAAAAAAHHH!! NO! NO! RELEASE ME! HAVE MERCY ON ME, OH GREA-"
Before he finishes talking, with his skull full of my moss green flames, the vegetation that was on the floor of the area was going up with all force, becoming several vines that follow my flame, and for it began to make in the skull of this unfortunate fire mage. The vines just cover his whole face and I could hear several noises coming from there, letting his head go.
Crack... Crack... Krrrriiiiii... Crack...
Those were the sounds that came from inside that sphere of plants surrounding the mage's skull and then blood flowed through the vines, with his body falling to the ground.
"Wait... Those vines..." Sylvia tried to think, agonized over what she'd just seen.
"Yes, they went through his skull and imploded his brain. This one is 100% dead." I said kicking the corpse, which ended up going straight to a wall hitting it hard.
"Let's see now what's going on here..." I said to myself as I walked over to the first mage I attacked.
He was quiet there, I thought he was still passed out from the attack, but when I went to move him out of the crater on the wall, I touched his arm, he was already without a pulse.
"Shit..." I complained to myself and still holding the corpse's arm, I took him out of the hole in the wall and I saw something strange, his back seemed to have a faint glow.
I lift his shirt and notice innumerable marks, when I touch them, they seemed to react and glow even brighter, but after forming a big flash, they faded and disappeared from his back, as if they had been overloaded and evaporated, or something so.
"Magic runes?" I asked my mental companions.
"Yes..." Sylvia said.
"Well, they look like magic runes that existed in another world we went to, but these here are pretty poorly made compared to others we've seen." Zalg answered me.
"Pretty poorly made?... What kind of world have you been in....?" Sylvia spoke confused to me and my demonic companion.
"So many that the idea of remembering them all is insane." we answer the dragon in unison.
I was looking at the things that the other two mages had, they were items and equipment different from what I had seen so far in this world, but they seemed too simple. The staff of the third mage was purely a branch covered with black ribbons and reddish runes, when I touched it it broke instantly.
"Do they have any self-destruction magic?" I thought.
"No... More like... They just can't stand being touched by you, like when the runes on that other one disappeared... But... Ah. I'm not really understanding. I'm sorry." Sylvia said in a confused voice.
"Relax, we're just as confused as you are." Zalg answered her.
I walked into the tents, they looked normal and simple, nothing special, just sleeping bags, but one of them had what looked like a notebook. I took the notebook and opened it to take a quick look, there was nothing special there, just reports of how they were progressing inside this dungeon and....
"Hm... It looks like there's another camp here next to the boss room... And the quickest way to get there is by taking the shortest path and... we'll turn 4 times to the right, it seems to be a dead end road like this camp... Okay... Guys, what do you think about going straight there?" I said, but then I found something a little strange, my mental companions became too silent.
"Guys?" I asked again.
I tried to interact with them, but our mental connection was interrupted by their side? I took a long breath, maybe they don't want to disturb me while I'm seeing this...?
I read more of the notebook until I found a name that is repeated always and respectfully.
"Hmm... Scyther Seris...? Must be the leader of this group here..." I said looking at the cover of the notebook and putting it in my dimensional ring, but suddenly I feel something touching my shoulder, it seemed to be a hand.
I turned quickly with my lightning flashing around me, and saw a woman of short stature, but with long black horns and platinum hair, she had an extremely pale face and black clothes like her horns. She was standing there without showing any reaction.
I was staring at her, prepared to attack, but she did nothing, after 10 minutes simply in that agonizing silence, I attacked her with my hand soaked in wind, it was not lethal, but at least I could try to knock her out. But she was gone in the blink of an eye and I looked around me, seeing the notebook outside my dimensional ring and on top of the workbench that I had found it, as if I had never touched it.
"Hey! Luz! Testing! One, two, three!" I heard Zalg's voice again, my face was pale and I took a long breath.
"Guys, what happened?" I asked them, confusion expressed in my voice.
"This is my line, you found this notebook there and before opening it, you were staring at the wall. Are you okay?" my demonic companion asked.
"I...didn't open the notebook...?"
"No...? You stared at it for a while and then stopped." Sylvia answered me.
Was that some illusion? Did they bewitch that notebook with something? No, mana has returned to normal flow around here, so I'm sure there is no magic trace in this journal. Unless... Was that more of a vision? Like those others....?
Wait.... That woman... It looked a bit like the one that came when I started having these visions... Aah.. How confusing.
I took the notebook and put it in my dimensional ring. I walked out of that camp. My companions kept asking what I saw and I didn't answer them, it wasn't because I didn't want to answer them, but I had a feeling I shouldn't.
Even though it was within a vision, I followed the instructions to go to the second camp that existed there. There was no magic active on me, with the exception of an illusion magic for me to keep hidden.
After an hour, I found the second camp, apparently the information I read inside the vision was correct.
There were many more mages there of the same type as the previous three, they were simply dressed and always kept their backs open, showing those strange tattoos that glowed faintly, as if they were in the rhythm of a heartbeat.
Besides them, there were some mana beasts, they seemed to obey the commands of a specific mage in their group, maybe he was the one who unleashed the imitation magic of corruption on the beasts. That same mage had enter an area after ordering some things.
"We're going to have to fight hard huh?" Zalg spoke excitedly.
"Actually I have a soooo much better plan..." I thought/talked to him, while sending lines of thought about the plan.
"Luz... You keep surprising me, don't you?" Sylvia said when she saw my plan.
"Okay, let's go.... But first I'll inform Kaspian something...." I thought as I took one of the scrolls.
"Diamond, what happened?" Kaspian said on the other side, his voice wouldn't leave me, thanks to the sound shield I created around me.
"I found those responsible for the anomaly in the mana beasts, they are a kind of group, they seem to be able to control them by simple commands... And it seems that they attack with all force to kill any invader. I will do the same for my protection and leave at least one or two alive for interrogation."
"Understood, but you said that it seems to be a group... It can be a dark guild, there are several guilds that do things in a hidden way for their own benefit, one famous example being the Thief's Guild... They all have their characteristics that differ from the others. What is the differential characteristic of this one you found?" Kaspian spoke.
"It seems that everyone in this dark guild here has tattoos or glowing magic runes on their backs." I answered him.
"Never heard of anything like this, it must be a new dark guild, so I really hope to be able to personally interrogate the survivors." Kaspian's voice was getting weaker, apparently the time to use the comunication scroll was running out.
"Okay, I'll take care of them here, no need to bring in reinforcements for now, I'll do my best. And be careful if you see someone with those tattoos passing near the dungeon entrance."
"Fine. If you don't contact me in 6 to 7 hours, I'll send Backup Party." Kaspian said to me and I agreed, soon the object turned to ash, now I had 6 more of these with me.
I was now invading the place, walking along the walls of the dungeon, surrounding as much as I could of the camp. Until I was close to the tent that the special mage had entered. I used some Soul Speed to get in as fast as I could, creating a light layer of black fog that soon seemed to evaporate from the amount of mana I used on the spell.
Entering the tent, I noticed that it was quite big and had a small table where that mage was concentrated writing on it, looking carefully I noticed that the tent was one of those that had a zipper to close it. I took advantage of the mage's inattention to close the tent, using sound magic so that he wouldn't hear the noise of the zipper.
With the place closed, I crouched down, hiding in front of his desk, and activated my blue fire, which was slowly cooling the place. I could hear the mage sneezing a few times, and then a noise of something falling to the ground.
I went to him, saw him frozen to the ground, touched his wrist area and confirmed that I had just passed out from the frostbite, and hadn't killed him.
"Better recharge before anything else now." Zalgnity warned me.
I take inside my dimensional ring a bag with some mana cores I got and use them to recharge all my mana. I left the empty cores on the floor and kept the notebook that the enemy was writing in my dimensional ring, besides that, there didn't seem to be anything useful.
With everything ready, I grinned, deactivating the spells on me and activating another.
"Flower Domain." Flowers together with some plants began to appear on the floor of the tent and seemed to spread out, I could hear the sound of amazement and confusion of the wizards outside as they saw some flowers appearing out of nowhere.
"Great Mother Nature, let me help you with one of your Great jobs. Give me something to breathe. Photosynthesis..." The plants created next to the flowers began to do the work of absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, that was happening in a very accelerated way.
During this process, I activate an illusory spell again for me and the frozen mage, I leave the tent from behind, ripping it open and go to the exit of the camp, lifting some ice handcuffs on the mage and then a huge wall of ice at the entrance of the camp, since it was in one of the dead ends of the dungeon.
I could hear more confused voices from the camp members, as well as a few praying to someone. Apparently this strange group is a cult or something.
Anyway, I deactivated all my spells and there I was, showing me off. They all pointed their staves and swords in my direction.
"Oooh! What is it? Don't you like flowers?" I asked them loud and clear.
"Who are you, invader? Tell us and we won't hurt you!" One of the people there said, but there was barely time for him to say it and another one of them cast an ice magic in my direction, which I dodge easily.
"Hmmm... My name? Well, I'll only tell you if you tell me yours~" I spoke teasingly.
"He must be one of those brutes from this shit place! Just kill him!" One of the people there exclaimed.
"Wow, how aggressive.. Alright.. I speak my name... But please let me live..." I said kneeling down and putting my hands behind my neck, all the mages started laughing at me.
"I knew you guys were brutes, but wow... Are you so tame too?! It'll be easier than we thought... So what's your name, little one?" Said another mage there, chuckling arrogantly.
"My name is..." I spoke slowly, already feeling with my wind mana, the use of the plant magic I made, had already left 75% of the air in the entire camp as oxygen, I gave a long smile.
"Ignition." My body started to catch fire, and it didn't take two seconds before all the oxygen compressed in that space interacted with my flame, and the whole place exploded.
It caused a strong tremor, shaking several of the walls and causing a layer of the roof of that dead-end route to fall over the entire camp. I kept myself safe, along with my prisoner, by creating a thick layer of ice around us like a shield.
"Sheesh.. I hope that didn't screw anyone up there" I thought, with some of the dome ice melting when I realized the situation had calmed down.
This is what I call a Blasty Show time.