Rieren was curious what path the Ceramic Automaton was about to lead her on as they began their journey. There were a few routes to the dungeon’s main room she had discovered in her last life, though all those had likely been blocked off by the Dungeon Core.

It was likely that Kervantes knew other ways. Nooks, crannies, and passageways only he had discovered. Perhaps paths incorporating the tunnels the Fellserpent had dug throughout the dungeon.

Curiously, one of the paths they took was infested with strange but familiar roots. As they passed by it, it took Rieren a moment to recognize where she had last seen them.

“Serace,” she said.

“Hmm?” Kervantes looked down at the roots as he passed them by. “Ah, yes. Your friend’s powers seem to be… growing. Unless it is the Anachron within him, of course.”

Rieren wished to deny that notion and confidently state that Serace himself was in control. But that was far-fetched. For the dead Anachron’s roots to have come this far into the dungeon from where Serace was supposed to be lying, the Beast Core within him must have gotten out of control entirely.

“I will hope that we find him alive when all is said and done,” she said.

Batcat agreed with a sleepy purr. She had transferred it back atop her head, where it had once more fallen asleep. Rieren knew cats could sleep off most of the day if they so wished, which she occasionally envied them. She certainly wished she had the ability to rest no matter the circumstance.

Kervantes didn’t seem worried by the roots. Maybe he was past the point of worrying. After all, the whole dungeon had turned topsy-turvy. His home was barely his home anymore.

They did indeed take tunnels dug out by the Fellserpent. Not all were easily traversable of course, especially by her. Where Kervantes could make use of certain special mechanisms, Rieren didn’t have such conveniences like hooks that could climbs walls or the ability to compress her whole body into a tiny space.

Kervantes was never frustrated at those limitations. He was living up to his statement of having a deep well of patience. In fact, it was Rieren who found herself being annoyed at all the turns they were taking without seemingly getting closer to their destination.

“What sort of route are we taking exactly?” she asked after their fourth turn onto a Fellserpent-dug tunnel.

“We are attempting to find a new tunnel that will take us directly atop the dungeon’s central chamber,” he said.

“Atop?”

“Yes, over it. As in, one is positioned vertically above a location—”

“Yes, I am aware of what it means. But why atop the chamber? Is there an opening that we can make use of?”

Kervantes shook his head, gears in his neck clicking. “Not at all. The Dungeon Core is too scrupulous for that. However, the chamber’s construction means it has spots that are weaker than others.”

“You expect us to break through? That’s not how dungeons work. In fact, we—” No, using we was disingenuous. After all, Rieren hadn’t been the one to come up with the foolish idea. “It was even tried before. The dungeon simply recreated the stretch that was destroyed.”

“Perhaps, but things are changing. Believe me, I have a way we can enter through where we need to be.” When he looked at her, she was certain he would have grinned if he had a mouth. “We Ceramic Automatons can influence the dungeon’s infrastructure to a certain degree as well.”

Rieren stared at him. Before she could think to ask questions about how exactly they could do so, Kervantes was already striding off.

Their journey didn’t take them far before they had to come to a stop. As they went through another tunnel dug by the Fellserpent, they came across a crack in the wall. It opened up into a large chamber bearing yet another Abyss Rent.

But the rent wasn’t alone. The chamber, somewhere in size between the last two ones that had held Abyss Rents, was filled with bodies, almost all of them pierced with gigantic black thorns. Rieren frowned. Elder Veylie had been here. But what made her heart sink was spotting that among the many Abyssal corpses littering the area, there were some human ones too.

In fact, Elder Veylie was present. She had been obscured by the tall Abyss Rent, but then she passed out from behind it, moving in a strange pattern.

“What is she doing?” Kervantes asked.

“Setting up an Enchantment,” Rieren answered. “Can we reach the destination you seek to lead us to through that chamber?”

“You wish to accost her? Well, we will have to do so. The path ahead doesn’t go on for long until it becomes blocked. We must pass through this chamber.”

They had likely taken up at least an hour or two as Rieren had cultivated, though that would have been far longer if she hadn’t used the Abyss Rents where time was slowed down. Taking some time to see if Elder Veylie needed help shouldn’t add too much to that.

Though, they still had to hurry.

Rieren and Kervantes jumped through the crack and landed in one of the few safe spots where the ground wasn’t covered with spiky thorns.

Elder Veylie stopped preparing her Enchantment. There was just enough light coming off the Enchantment on the ground to show that she was rather dishevelled. Her robes were torn and she was sporting a few wounds, her hair pulled free from her usual severe bun. The lines on her face seemed to have dug themselves into trenches.

Rieren tried not to glance at the dead. Even a passing glance from before had revealed that it was a mixture of guards and disciples, some of whom she had known.

“Rieren Vallorne,” she said. “You appear in strange company. Though, I suppose this dungeon has been attempting to change my definition of strange for some time now.”

Rieren offered a short bow in respect. “Greetings, Elder. I was separated from my group but was thankfully found by this dungeon guardian. He offered to take me towards the centre. May I ask what is going on?”

The Elder peered at Kervantes, who was inspecting the various dead bodies around them. “You keep strange company. But enough of my remarks about strangeness. I am attempting to destroy this Abyss Rent permanently before it can claim any more lives. I am tired of closing it over and over only for the dungeon to recreate it.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“…how many times have you closed it already, Elder?”

“Three, if you can believe it.”

The somewhat manic grin the Elder offered Rieren certainly made her believe she had done it that many times already. It was getting to her. Rieren couldn’t even begin to fathom that. It had taken her several hours just to close one Abyss Rent, and that was with the help of several others. Elder Veylie must have been able to cultivate quite rapidly.

“What point is there when it simply reforms?” Kervantes asked.

Elder Veylie looked the automaton up and down. “Well, it shan’t be reforming this time. I will make certain of it.”

Rieren looked down at the ground around the old woman. The pattern of the Enchantment’s glyph was familiar to her, to an extent. Certain strokes, patterns formed by certain groups of lines, all resembled something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. However, she gleaned some of the different parts that made up the whole glyph.

“Closure,” Rieren said. “And permanence. And… breaking?”

Elder Veylie smiled at her recognition of the Enchantment. “Correct. And sacrifice, link, and a few odds and ends. I am glad you remember all your lessons, child.”

“I could not forget your lessons, Elder.”

The old woman smiled. When Rieren had been able to pick her Professions in the system, Elder Veylie’s abilities with her Enchantment had been quite appealing. She had gone on to teach Rieren—and the others who had picked the same option—the basics of being an Enchanter. All lessons she still held dear.

“Enough talking,” the Elder said. “I must resume before we get more unintended guests.”

Rieren glanced at the surrounding area again. There were a lot of monsters. Most had been viciously torn apart, though, the thorns impaling and holding up different body parts. Limbs, heads, organs she couldn’t recognize, all covered with viscous dark blood.

There was one corpse that intrigued her. The Abyssal wasn’t one she had seen before, its brown skin stretched taut over its bones as though the creature had been emaciated before its death. It looked powerful. Possibly a B-Grade Abyssal. That the Elder had managed to defeat it spoke volumes about her strength but might also explain her state and the other deaths.

“While I work,” Elder Veylie said, walking around in the pattern she was following before. “Tell me your story, Rieren. What happened elsewhere in the dungeon?”

“Apologies, Elder,” Rieren said. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much time to waste on such matters.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. We suspect the Dungeon Core is preparing something we need to prevent even as we speak. All the routes to the central chamber have been closed, including several of the Abyss Rents. I do not know why yours is still open, but I believe all the rest are being pulled within the vicinity of Dungeon Core’s immediate presence.”

“Hmm, I see. It seems I am not fortunate enough to have my Abyss Rent closed.”

That was worrying. If the Dungeon Core didn’t wish this one to be closed, then it must be important for some reason. Closing it would likely benefit them, then. In which case, Elder Veylie’s effort was rather important.

She had seemingly come to the same conclusion, continuing her circuit around the Abyss Rent faster. “Then begone with you. Take care of whatever you need to attend to at the centre. Join the others there.” She looked Rieren in the eye. “And make sure the Sect survives.”

Rieren wished to tell her that she was as much a part of the Sect as the rest of them, that her survival was part of the Sect’s survival. But such sentimental utterances didn’t belong here. They all had their parts to perform.

Where each of their individual survival didn’t matter so much as the idea of some of them coming out of this mess to carry on the name of Lionshard Sect.

But as Rieren and Kervantes moved on to head out, they were stopped by Folend coming through the other end of the chamber. He gawked a little as he saw them, then quickly scowled in her direction.

“The Abyss are you doing here?” he asked.

“I could be asking you the same thing,” Rieren said.

“Well, I certainly didn’t sneak off fearing the person who seeks revenge against me will throw me into a pool of lava when I’m not looking.”

Rieren blinked. She didn’t need to parse his insult so much as the fact that his barb held a good amount of truth. “What in the world are you talking about, Folend?”

He looked like he was about to explain, but then he caught sight of the Elder and hurried past Rieren, cursing her all the while. She turned to see what he was on about. He had been acting strange ever since their fight against that Aetherian. What had gotten into him?

“I gather he isn’t your mortal enemy going by what he said,” Kervantes said, staring after Folend as well. “Though you’d have to forgive me if I thought so, considering the way he spoke to you.”

Rieren decided not to comment on that. Mostly because she was frowning at how Folend marched up to the Elder and stood in her way, blocking her path.

Elder Veylie looked up with a scowl that was significantly less severe than Rieren had expected it to be. Despite Folend’s complete disregard of respect, she didn’t seem particularly surprised.

“Out of my way, child,” she said wearily.

Folend didn’t move. “I cannot allow that.”

“You are only prolonging the inevitable. This must be done. So, for the last time, out of my way.”

“I cannot, Elder.”

“Do not make me resort to force.”

“Please, Elder.”

Rieren stared. There was actually a pleading look on Folend’s face. For all that he never showed weakness or vulnerability of any sort, for all his arrogance and apparent self-sufficiency, here he was begging the Elder for something.

But Elder Veylie looked furious, to the point that she might actually go through with her threat. Rieren realized she lacked a great deal of context.

“What is going on here?” she asked, approaching the two of them, looking from one to the other. “With all due respect, Elder, we do not have time to waste on arguments. Folend, what happened to Essalina and the others you were with?”

Folend tore his gaze away from the Elder and stared at Rieren straight on. For a moment, he looked like he wished to tell her to sod off, but then, the Elder spoke before he could do so.

“He is simply desperate,” she said. The angry look on her face was strangely mixed with a heavy dose of pity. “There is no need to delve any further.”

“Then stop pitying me,” he growled. “I’m making the best of my situation here.”

Rieren’s mind was already working fast. The Karlosyne delegate had kept Folend with himself for the whole time they were there. Folend wasn’t a member of the Karlosyne clan, but it was obvious that they had a hold on him.

“What did he tell you, Folend?” she asked.

He saw the knowing in her eyes and his anger regarding her finally gave way. “They have my brother.”

“What?”

“My brother is with them. He’s only a child. A boy who hasn’t seen anything of life yet. His future, his whole life, everything depends on the clan keeping their promise. And if I…”

He fell silent, apparently lost for words. But that had been enough for Rieren. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to become familiar to her.

The Karlosyne’s main concern was Rollo. Rollo, who was as arrogant as Folend was, but brilliant too, and likely held a bright future in store for himself as the scion of an Archnoble. Except, that was before his legs had been utterly destroyed in one of the invasions the Sect had suffered.

Now, it was obvious the Karlosyne had been deeply offended by that turn of events. No doubt some of them even blamed the Sect for Rollo’s current condition.

It was likely that the delegate they had met in the Arteroth encampment had convinced Folend —no, more likely reminded him—that his main goal was ensuring Rollo’s wellbeing. That included making sure he was whole, hale, and healthy.

Which meant Folend had been charged with ensuring that Rollo’s legs were repaired.

Of course, it was likely that Rollo had refused any easy ways out. Along with his arrogance, he had a mountainous pride too.

But the point was that Elder Veylie held the power to replace his legs. Where healers might fail because entire limbs couldn’t simply be regrown, not by the healers in Lionshard Sect and not to a weaker cultivator, the Elder’s Enchantments could work. There was talk of how Enchanters could attach prosthetics that functioned even better than the limbs they replaced.

Elder Veylie might be one such Enchanter. But she couldn’t perform that oh so important duty for the Karlosyne, and for Folend, if she was dead.

And, as Rieren remembered the various patterns of the Enchantment, the Elder would certainly die if she went through with her current plan. She intended to seal the Abyss Rent permanently with her life.

Whatever feelings Rieren might have been tussling around within her were rudely interrupted. Forget having a right to have any say in the matter, none of them got to make a decision.

As the Elder had feared, the Abyss Rent flared. Rieren’s eyes widened. A strange golden light seeped out from it.

For all the things she had expected, an Aetherian appearance hadn’t been one of them.