** batan **
The two giant doors of the throne room closes.
The Hero and the King’s Advisor walk in the hallway.
The hallway is lit by the sunlight passing through the windows of each room. Sunbeams reveal the tiny dust particles flying randomly in the air and sways away as they pass through it.
“That was intense, Siegfried.”
“At least we manage to get the permission of the King, Hero.”
“I agree. Thanks for the help. It would have taken longer if I'd been the one who would be explaining from the start.”
Siegfried lightly laughs.
“No, Hero, it’s actually you who helped me.”
“Well, we both helped each other so there’s nothing to argue about.”
** kacha **
The door in the expedition room opened.
The people inside are middle aged military men tending to their equipment.
“You have come, Hero-dono. I believe that you have finally reached an agreement with the King?”
The room went silent after seeing the Hero.
“Yes, Sir Alfred. We should start packing the necessary equipment for the expedition in the catacombs.”
“Hooohhhh!”
The men let out a warcry after hearing the good news.
“As you command, Hero-dono.”
Alfred saluted to the Hero’s orders and began to prepare.
“Siegfried, show me the map of the catacombs.”
Siegfried grabbed a map from his shoulder bag and spread it on the table.
“To get there, we have to venture to the far east, 9 kilometers from here.”
“I see.”
The hero raised her hand to her chin.
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“Oh, it seems you’ve already noticed, the map is… incomplete.”
“May I ask why?”
“Yes, the reason is most men get lost during their journey in the catacombs, but it would have never happened if they weren’t under equip.”
“Any monsters, in particular?”
“Besides from bats… Only Golems were found there.”
“Golems? Which one?”
“It seems those Golems are Manikas, their bodies are made out of marble.”
“Do they have any weaknesses?”
“We have tried various weapons against them. Regrettably, we weren't able to destroy any of them. But, we’re able to incapacitate them.”
“Mmmm, curious… How?”
“We used sticky slimes with enough strength to slow them down but they get away from it after an hour.”
“Can our mages be able to replicate those?”
“Not entirely, only three of them managed to do so and it’s effective for half an hour.”
“Well, it’s better than nothing.”
The Hero raised her shoulders and smirked.
“What about the terrain?”
“Just as sec.”
Siegfried took another map and showed it to the Hero. It's the topography of the catacombs, incomplete as the first one; It shows the steepness of the area.
“I see, it seems we’ll be utilizing climbing gears a lot.”
The Hero looked to Alfred going out from their armory. Alfred slowly puts away the heavy box he’s carrying and moves towards the Hero.
“Yes, Hero-dono?”
“I’d like you to discuss with Siegfried the necessary food we could utilize during our expedition. Something good for..”
The hero looked at Siegfried. Siegfried raised his brows and looked at Alfred to answer on her behalf.
“Something good for two to three weeks.”
Alfred nodded several times making an “I see gesture”.
“As you command, Hero-dono.”
He once again saluted and continued his preparations.
--
It took three days to finish their preparations.
They hired seven covered wagons to send them near the catacombs. The people joining the expedition are composed of 40 military men and 5 mages.
“Halt!”
Each driver echoed the leading driver’s words.
“Halt!”
“Halt!”
“Halt!”
“Halt!”
“Halt!”
“Halt!”
"..."
“Why did we stop?”
The Hero was curious about the sudden stop of the wagons. Alfred went down from the front of the wagon and went to the back to see the Hero.
“This is as far as the wagons go. The route towards the entrance of the catacombs is too steep, we have to walk from here.”
“I see, order the men.”
“As you command, Hero-dono.”
Alfred saluted to the Hero’s orders and began to call the leading parties. The sun was still out as they arrived.
“Haaahhhh! Mhhhhh! We’re finally here!”
The Hero exhaled and stretched her body by raising her arms up above facing the entrance of the catacombs.
“Oh, Sir Alfred. It took us three hours to get here, the Kingdom of Arcadia is sure to be wider than expected.”
The Hero looked back to him after she noticed his approach.
“Indeed, they say the Kingdom of Arcadia has a radius of 10 kilometers.”
The Hero looked at the men carrying their equipment and resources from the wagons. Alfred noticed her gaze towards the men working.
“Would you like to set up a camp here, before we move?”
“That won’t be necessary, but inform them to take a short rest before we move in.”
--
The sun has finally come out. The Hero looked at the far horizon and gazed at the beauty of sunrise. The people below the Kingdom of Arcadia have yet to see it.
“Sir Alfred, we’ll be heading in, order your men to prepare!”
Alfred nodded from a far away distance, he started calling the leading parties.
Ten minutes later, eight lines were formed in front of the entrance. Each party is composed of eight knights and one mage, three of them are carrying a pack of supplies while the rest are already equipped with climbing gear.
Alfred leads one of the parties along with the Hero and the previous explorer of the catacombs.