Once the reinforcements sent by General Ban reached the border of Hilgvar, and the garrison was properly installed, Legio Ferrata resumed its conquest. Time wasn't their ally and there was more than one reason to advance quickly through the southeast wilderness, but none of those reasons included leaving the rear vulnerable. The scouts found the elusive main camp of The Church of New Order in the dungeon. The new legion legate and his officers, who arrived with the reinforcements, were well prepared. However, they lacked combat experience, so they insisted on watching and learning from the previous Legate until they were ready. The Vampire Lord and High Vampires were very impressed by the Legion's effectiveness. A few days later, the Iron Clad Legion reached the place that once was a dungeon. The Legion, for the first time, stopped and decided they needed additional help.

Despite the obvious dark aura surrounding it, three century-sized teams entered the unnamed dungeon while the rest of the Legion set up a fortified camp. The feeling of unease was unshakable for the Legion, but despite that, it had no other effect on the undead and other monsters. The first Century returned after four hours, bringing with them seventy-three young women. All of them were terrified and very weak. What was alarming, however, was the fact of how passive they all were. A few of the camp shelters were swiftly refurbished to serve as medical tents where the women were indifferent to the Lamias and Nagas, who had started examining them and tending to their wounds. The Legate entered the biggest tent and sat down in front of the woman who seemed to be in the best shape.

"Excuse me, Miss." He smiled slightly at her, but she was looking off into the distance with an empty gaze. "You are safe now."

Her facial expression didn't change, but tears started trickling from her unseeing eyes. The Vampire Lord sighed and gathered his mana as he focused on the young Human girl. She suddenly sighed and looked straight at him as she burst into tears. "Lord... Please save me..."

"You are safe. But you are under my spell. Please forgive me for Charming you." He held her by the shoulders, but she snuggled herself to him so strongly that she surprised the Vampire Lord. "You must tell me what happened there. What is your name?"

"My name? My..." She buried her face in her hands and quietly moaned in despair, so he strengthened his influence. The girl lifted her head, overwhelmed with artificial affection, and she smiled with a blush. "Clara, my Lord."

"Please, Clara. Tell me everything. I will protect you," he promised as two Lamia approached her, giving her a few different potions to drink.

The woman started sobbing despite the powerful spell she was under, but she eventually told him everything that had happened in that horrible place. After enduring months of abuse, the women they recovered were physically and psychologically broken. Even though he was a Vampire, it was hard for him to listen to what Clara had gone through. Many slaves were killed, many were experimented on, and many women were raped. But that wasn't the worst part. Somewhere deep in the dungeon, the slavers did something to whoever was taken there, and they never came back. The Legate quickly realised that this place had to be purified. The Vampire Lord tried to lift his spell, but whenever he was very close to succeeding, Clara begged him to not do it. He lifted his head, hoping that a scion would arrive soon. This place had to be destroyed.

•••

Before sunset, all the teams returned from the cavernous dungeon, bringing with them another ninety-eight people. Their passive demeanor persisted even after their slave shackles were removed and the curses that bound them were lifted. After they made their reports and replenished their supplies, the returning Legionnaires bolstered the companies that kept watch over the entrance into the dark pit of the silent dungeon. Clara was unable to let go of the Legion Legate, even though he told her he was a Vampire Lord. She continued to follow him willingly. He wasn't sure what evil lurked down below if she felt safe near the Vampire, but he started to wonder if they shouldn't ask for a larger reinforcement than a single scion.

Clara tried a few times to explain why everyone was passive. However, she couldn't convey her thoughts in a way that any member of the Second Legion could comprehend. Nonetheless, she was glad they had tried. The Legate finally lifted his charm and Clara seemed fine, as long as she was near him, though she begged often to not be left alone. She eventually managed to fall asleep, and the Vampire Lord left two Triarii with her. He sat down near the campfire that was lit only for the benefit of the people they had rescued. The Vampire reviewed what they had managed to learn. The main slaver camp had been guarded by just ten slavers who, regretfully, were killed. The slaves they had rescued were terrified, and whatever horrors they had witnessed down there probably broke their minds. The dungeon was silent and menacing, yet it had not opposed the Legion when they entered its domain. Clara tried to explain to them the heavy, suffocating feeling of impending doom and how most of them were so afraid that they chose to hide inside their minds. The feeling of fear, however, was too abstract for the Legion. They knew no fear.

A sudden pressure made him smile as he instantaneously recognized the powerful presence that had arrived at their camp. The large Thunder Eagle continued to approach and the Legate swiftly proceeded to the landing zone to welcome Lord Arani. However, his smile paled a bit when he saw that this eagle was not Lord Arani at all. The scion who arrived upon the eagle was none other than Jasper. The Overseer of the Warehouse of Avalon gazed at the Vampire Lord in curiosity.

"Lord Jasper?" The Vampire looked at the much smaller Ratkin in slight disappointment.

"Indeed." Jasper sighed and pointed at the dungeon entrance. "This is the place?"

"Yes..." Before the Legate managed to brief the Rat Scion on what they had discovered, he had already taken full control over the Legion, as if he were its nominal commander.

With a wave of his tail, the Rat scion sent silent orders, commanding two centuries to enter the Dungeon. The rest of the legions, besides one century of Principes and half of the healers, were preparing or already on the way to enter the dungeon. The Legate looked dumbfounded at Jasper, but dared not to voice any objection. He followed the Rat Scion as they entered the darkness, which had little effect on anyone. The cave was wide, and they progressed quickly downwards. Jasper looked around, wrinkling his nose frequently, but kept silent until they reached the main chamber where they stopped briefly. The Ratling used that moment to assess the slave pits, sighing heavily.

"You were right to call the reinforcements, Legate." Jasper touched the wall of this place. "I know you were not pleased to see me here, but don't forget that I am one of the Scions of the Righteous Dungeon. Do you think that I was entrusted with protecting Avalon's resources just because I am charming?"

The Vampire looked at the unassuming scion in front of him and slowly shook his head in denial. "I am more surprised, Sir, with the fact you speak normally..."

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"I see..." Jasper rubbed his eyes and then looked at the Vampire in shock. "What do you mean normally?!"

"You are speaking... I mean, you are using the Mortals’ language, Sir!"

"Hmmm... This might be some spell used by the slavers or the effect of this Dungeon." The Legate couldn't tell if that was a lie or the truth. Jasper looked at him with a cold gaze. "You will tell no one I was talking like a human."

"Yes, Sir!" The Vampire was eager to agree on anything if that meant he would return to Jasper’s good side.

"Good." The Ratkin cleared his throat. "As I said, it was fortunate you called for backup. This place is diseased and we must destroy it. I can feel the faint voice of this dungeon..."

As soon as Jasper uttered the words about this dungeon's destruction, the entire place awoke. At first, it was a subtle change in the air, but soon after, they received reports that the scout parties were engaging unknown enemies. Jasper had sent the company's strongest detachments on their way, but they had not yet reported spotting any enemies. For a moment, the Ratkin considered sending the Legate back to the surface. However, depriving himself of such a formidable warrior right now wasn't the wisest idea.

"I plan to send those rescued back to Avalon for their own safety," Jasper said loudly while sending orders to the rest of the Legion to intercept the monsters that had appeared in the lower levels. "You should say goodbye to that Mortal woman."

"Why?" The Vampire Lord looked at his superior in confusion.

"Mortals expect such gestures," the Rat explained with a smirk. "I know that your education was rushed since His Majesty desperately needed your kin to take command of his Legions. But you will need to improve and keep learning, Young One."

The Vampire Lord hesitated for a moment. His first instinct when his Legion reported enemies was to crush them immediately. On the other hand, Lord Jasper was more concerned about the safety of the Mortals under their protection. He knew that if anyone else acted like that, the Vampire would have seen it as a weakness, but Lord Jasper was a Scion. Only the other Scions could only possibly rival the Ratkin’s knowledge of the King's intentions and wishes and, if so, only by a small margin.

"The Legions are not only the tip of the King's spear and edge of his blade." Jasper smiled towards the Vampire. "You are also the heralds of his will and shields that protect the weak. That is why you must learn how to talk properly with Mortals."

"Thank you for sharing your wisdom, Lord Jasper. I will do as you suggest and join you as soon as possible." The Vampire bowed with the respect he truly meant.

After the Vampire left him, Jasper looked at the wall and tapped it lightly with his tail. A thin layer of rock crumbled, exposing an intricate statue of a squirrel that held a pine cone. It was standing on a simple pedestal made of crudely shaped rock and, without a shade of doubt, it was the Dungeon Core. He examined it, and after a moment of thoughtful pause, he touched it. Its surface was freezing cold, but Jasper felt immense sorrow and pain emanating from the statue.

"Please... Save me..."

"I can't. I am so sorry." Jasper hugged the statue, locking it in place as he patted its head. After contact with the warmth of his body, something awakened inside the statue, the spark he should have felt the moment he entered this place. "What was your name?"

"Don't… remember..." The faint voice was full of fear, but it was unable to hide its anger. "The Darkness..."

"I am so sorry..." Jasper's eyes shined with a cold light as his claws pierced the squirrel's chest, causing the Dungeon’s masculine voice to gasp in pain. Jasper remained calm, as if he was not talking with the male voice itself, but another beyond it. "I don't want you to suffer. My Lord wouldn't like that..."

Dark ooze started flowing from the eyes of the squirrel as Jasper spoke to it calmly. He siphoned off the dungeon’s energy, so much of it that he soon started bleeding from his eyes, ears, and nose. The Rat scion spent the tainted mana, creating twisted, dark wood, making sure that not even the tiniest bit of that cursed energy stayed in his body. He was exhausted, but the old Dungeon Core in front of him had suffered an even worse fate. The millions of dark, tainted mana that had acted as this dungeon’s energy, but couldn't possibly be its true source, flew through Jasper, ravaging his body, tearing him bit by bit. The squirrel started screaming.

"Hush... It will be done soon," Jasper promised.

"I... Don't... Want... To... Die..." The dungeon core panted in pain, but suddenly the male whisper was replaced by the voice of a young woman. "Don't listen to the Darkness! Don't let it torment me any longer!"

"I won't. I am so sorry that I can't save you." Jasper put his second arm on the squirrel's shoulder.

"I know... Thank you for making this painless. Thank you for sharing your warmth with me..." Her voice sounded as if she had smiled. "But even if I die..."

"The evil that tainted you will still remain. What is it?"

"The Void Portal..." She gasped and her voice changed again, wailing and screaming in agony. "No! You're supposed to save me!"

"The flames will soon warm you." Jasper smiled at the now twisted face of the squirrel. "You could have fooled the young Legate. But my Mistress warned me about your kin. Queen Hestia told me about the Void Gods and their servants who would like to deceive the treasurers and warehouse masters. I will see your demise, servant of Greed of Void... Noo... You are not even that. You are just a Void parasite..."

The statue started cracking as the energy that had filled the dungeon was spent. However, the expected notification urging everyone to leave this place before it collapsed wasn't showing up. Jasper held in his hand a beautiful gemstone, azure as the blue sky. He closed his hand over it with a smile. "I hope my Master can grant you the rest you deserve."

•••

When the Vampire Lord returned to the main Legion force, he noticed that Jasper was not with the command squad. After inquiring about his location, he discovered in shock that he was at the front lines leading the Triarii, as only they proved to be able to stand against the monsters from the depths. After issuing additional orders and gathering his command team, he rushed to the aid of the Scion. The monsters they encountered were similar in their aura to the Winter Beasts, though a bit smaller and more fierce. So far, the Legion had encountered three types of these monsters. The most common of them was some kind of chimaera that had the lower body of a hobgoblin and the head of a bat. It was able to use weapons, but its skills were laughable when compared to the highly trained warriors of Avalon. The second type of monster was much more massive, a hybrid of some unknown monster, a boar, and a wolf. It moved on all fours like a twisted bear and was a formidable enemy to face.

"Blood manipulation." The Legate raised his sword, and all the blood around the chamber splashed before rising into the air, forming blood swords that aimed themselves at the monsters. "Blood Fall."

The entirety of the chamber they were in was wiped out instantly. Unbeknownst to the Legate, he created an opening for the third type of the Void Monster. It was insect-like, appearing as a dark red and purple mantis with Human-like eyes. It flew from the nearby corridor, decapitating several Legionnaires before a blast of fire smeared it on the nearby wall. The Vampire looked toward Jasper, who was smirking, amused with the recklessness of the Legate.

"Thank you, Sir." The Vampire smiled awkwardly. "It looks like we are done here?"

"Done? Hahaha. No..." Jasper chuckled. "This is where the fun begins."