Chapter 149
The Chase Began
Untouchable Marshes.
The Dungeon was actually the main reason that she had decided to take the unattractive region as her domain. Though events that had transpired in recent days had somewhat distracted her from her quest.
“Untouchable Marshes,” Nick spread open a map of the region and shook his head. “Now, that’s a tricky one. Local Hunters have been avoiding the place like the plague after realizing that it’s more profitable to hunt in the forest rather than diving into that place.”
“And why is that?” Akula asked.
“Simple cost and profit, Akula. The place is chock full of poisonous monsters and plants that they had to buy a lot of antidotes just to survive the place. And the cost of antidote is not cheap.”
Martell put his finger on the location of the dungeon and commented. “Exactly the place a group that needed secrecy would prefer,” He then put his forefinger on top of his bottom lip. “Which begs a question. How do you survive the Dungeon?”
We have a Gate that connects to the Fifth Floor of the Dungeon hidden in a camouflaged spot in the Marshes. We have a hidden path that we take to get there.
“I still don’t trust her,” Nick said with spite.
“…I trust her,” Illumca said. A small, meaningful gaze upon her eyes. “We have her people. She won’t abandon them.”
“But the enemies that we are going to fight might include her people also.”
I can persuade them. Merida’s direct subordinates might not be open to discussion, but most of us would not serve the demon if we can help it.
“And how many demons are there under Bet-Zebek’s command?” Illumca asked.
There are about a hundred Demons of varying strength, a few of which were killed during the attack.
“Just a hundred?” Connie raised an eyebrow. “That’s surprisingly few.”
“That number is already enough for something that requires secrecy, Mistress. After all, they still need to feed,” Martell with a level tone. A direct contrast to the expressions of disgust on the faces of the others in that room.
“Too many missing humans will be too conspicuous, even with the late Mayor covering up for them. I suspect that is one of the reasons they are using the Dark Elves as their go-betweens.”
Arryn looked at the innocent-looking beastfolk with a complex expression before continuing to write.
Do not underestimate them. The main threat is not just the Demons. It is also Bet-Zebek and his craftiness. I am sure that they will be on high alert the moment Merida returns with news of the botched mission last night.
“Then there is no time to waste. We should go and take care of Bet-Zebek before he managed to increase his power and gather his forces,” Connie said as she got off the chair.
“Should we get some of the men to come with us?” Akula asked as she stretched her back after sitting on the floor for so long.
“No. They might have improved, but they are not experienced enough to accompany us to the Dungeon,” Nick said the harsh truth. “Especially not the Untouchable Marshes. But we could do a Hunter that knows the place.”
“Very well,” Connie clapped her hands. “Illumca, I want you to watch her until we make our move. Akula, tell the Town’s Guards to double their vigilance. The people need assurance and their safety guaranteed.”
Connie then nodded at Martell and Nick. “As for you two, come with me to the Hunter’s Guild.”
She then looked at all of them with a grave look. “All of you, prepare yourselves as best as you can. We will leave at noon.”
Just as they were about to disperse, Arryn coughed to put attention to herself.
I want to take Leyn with us. He knows the place better than I do.
“Who’s Leyn?” Connie asked off-handedly.
“He’s the big guy that almost killed me in the forest,” Illumca answered succinctly.
Connie’s eyes swiveled from Illumca to the worried Arryn and back again. “I’ll leave the decision up to you, Illumca.”
“…thank you.”
Connie waved her off as she left the room.
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Back at the Town’s Guards Headquarters, the Dark Elves survivors of last night’s failed mission were sitting behind bars. Their feet were free, but their arms – for those who still had both – were cuffed.
Two men were guarding, their faces gaunt from lack of rest. The door had been temporarily fixed with a mishmash of wood. Illumca ushered Arryn in before she herself entered.
The Guards knew her as one of their new Lady’s companions. Unlike Nick and Akula, however, she had never been assigned a position, thus the two Guards did not know how to address her.
When Arryn saw her people, she quickly ran towards them. The largest Dark Elf behind the bars was the first one to notice her and stood up. His eyes were full of concern.
“Leyn, is it?” Illumca said as she gestured for the Guards to open the jail door. “You are coming with us.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Hearing this, the rest of the Dark Elves crawled up from their sitting positions, only to have the one-eyed Dark Elf glared at them.
“Step back!” She barked. “Only he is coming with us, the rest of you will stay put.”
Leyn raised one eyebrow in question. Arryn saw this and gestured. I will explain on the way.
Seeing this, Illumca’s hand shot towards Arryn’s wrist.
“So, this is how you communicate? From now on, you will speak using slates or paper in front of me, otherwise, I will take this as a threat,” she said as she let go of her grip on her wrist. “Do this again without our permission and you will see my dagger in your heart.”
The Dark Elves looked at her and shuddered upon seeing the bloodthirst that leaked out from her piercing glare.
“Behave and you might live.”
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While Illumca was handling the prisoners, Connie, Nick and Martell were headed to the Hunter’s Guild. The three strutted in with Connie at the front, ignoring the surprised looks the Hunters were giving them. Despite that, most of them had seen her power when she was subjugating the Demons and consciously chose not to comment on the arrogant entrance.
Inside, they saw Caelin drinking ale with an old man with a greying beard that was groomed to a high degree.
“Ah, Cornelia!” He beckoned them with a raised tankard.
“Let me introduce you to a friend of mine. This man is Mendehl. The Head of the Merchant’s Guild in the area. I’ve known ever since he was a young apprentice merchant.”
“Greetings, Lady Steelheart,” the merchant stood up and bowed. As he was about to take her hand, Connie stopped him. “I rather dislike the stuffy highborn formality. A handshake would be enough.”
Without missing a beat, Mendehl took the offered hand. “Then, a handshake it is.”
“What did I say, Mendehl? She is a good one I tell you.”
“Of course, it is nice to know that our town is in good hands now. I expect as much from someone that the Prince had taken an interest in.”
“Which Prince?” Connie narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“Oh, not the Crown Prince, believe me,” the man said jovially. “It’s Prince Elhart.”
“I will not hide it from you, aside from being a merchant, I also own a winery. Though small, it produces one of the best wines in the country. Which became one of the Prince’s favorites. Thus, we had a lot of contacts over the years.”
Martell spoke under his breath to Connie while the elderly man was talking. “He has been selling his potions at a loss to heal the wounded. He has also been selling us the materials for your cure for the Azure Dream at a cheaper price than normal.”
“And what did he say?”
Mendehl smiled. “He asked me to help you if ever you need it. However, when I saw what you are doing for the town, I would have helped without even being asked to,” he then bowed his head once again. “On behalf of the Merchants of Greyvault, I thank you for what you have done.”
“I’ll accept your sentiments,” Connie received his sincerity with a smile. “I’m sorry to cut this conversation short, but I need to post an Urgent Quest.”
“Oh, what is this about?” Caelin asked while downing his tankard. “Does it have something to do with last night?”
“Yes. I need Hunters who know their way around Untouchable Marshes.”
Caelin and Mendehl gasped. “What? Why are you going to such a dangerous place?”
“We have reports of Demons making their nest there. They were the ones behind the attack last night,” Martell answered.
“By Junnaveill’s Grace!” Mendehl exclaimed. “That is grave news!”
“Untouchable Marshes?” Caelin tapped his fingers on the table and chewed his lips. “You are correct. That Dungeon is a B-Rank Dungeon. Hunters can do a lot better than the current Town’s Guards. I doubt you will have many takers, though. I mean people who are worth a damn. Unless you’ve got the Gold to sway them.”
He then finished his ale and wiped his lips with his sleeves. “But you can rest assured. I will be the first to take the quest once you posted it.”
Mendehl rubbed his beard thoughtfully “…Hmm, if that’s the case, may I invite you to my store, Lady Steelheart? I might not be able to provide the forces you need, but I can help you in regard to supplies…for a discounted price, of course.”
“Not for free, then?” Connie asked.
“Alas, I am a merchant. But I assure you, my wares – thought they might not be as abundant as the ones in Courandhel – are all of high qualities.”
“Well then, let us not waste any time. Martell, I trust you won’t have a problem with your task?”
“Yes, Mistress. Leave it to me.”
“Why aren’t you asking me, milady?”
Connie’s answer was a short exhale of breath and a shake of her head.
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When the sun almost reached the pinnacle, Connie saw the people that Martell and Nick had gathered and made a disappointed frown.
“So, these are all the people we’ve got?” Connie said when she laid eyes on them. “Just six people? How much Gold did you offer?”
“Enough to make a Junnaveil believer abandon his faith,” Martell answered. “There are a few C-Rank Parties applying, but Caelin advised me not to take them.”
“The Untouchable Marshes is not dangerous just because of its monsters. But also because of its environment,” Caelin commented. “Anyone below B-Rank – aside from our esteemed Lady here – would just be fodder to the enemies. And these guys, I’ve worked with some of them. They can take care of themselves.”
Connie sighed. “Fine then. As long as they pull their weights, they shall have their gold.”
One of the Hunters – a tall, slender man with patchy sideburns due to a mess of old wounds on his cheek - came forward when he noticed her and straightforwardly asked her. “My name’s Barney Hollister, Leader of The Bearkillers. You’ve got enough Antidotes for your party? We got two Healers on our side, but we don’t wanna have to waste their Mana for curing poisons.”
“Antidotes?” Connie turned to Nick.
“Yeah, like I said. We need Antidotes to survive the Dungeon,” Nick then was reminded of her Lady’s power and continued. “I mean, regular people need Antidotes.”
“Yeah, you need to have them. Without that, you’re basically fucked,” Barney said helpfully.
“You don’t have to worry about that, Mr.Barney. I have that handled.”
“Alright, I’m just telling you that because you’re paying. Also, you going to pay for the supplies right? Only we got a crate of Antidotes among ourselves and they are expensive.”
“It’s included. Yes,” Martell answered for Connie, seeing as the latter was beginning to lose interest.
“So, when are we leaving?” the man asked again.
“We will leave as soon as the last of our companions gets here.”
“And here she comes, and none too soon,” Akula said.
Seeing the three Dark Elves, the people around them began to whisper. Seeing one was a rarity, seeing three was something noteworthy. The Hunters they hired were also staring at them curiously.
“Are you sure?” Akula asked Illumca when she passed by her. “They were trying to kill you before.”
“I’ll keep my eyes on them. If they do anything strange,” she motioned at her neck with the tip of her fingers. “I’ll not stay my dagger.”
Seeing this, Connie put a reassuring hand on her shoulder with a thin smile. “As you should. Alright! Let’s move!”
With a clatter, Nick gestured to the Hunters and yelled. “We are departing! Get on your horses!!”
Akula also ordered the Town’s Guards standing by the gate. “Close the gate behind us! After we leave, let no one enter!!”
“Yes, Instructor!!”
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Because speed was the main order of the mission, Connie and her team of pursuers rode on horses at full gallop. Arryn and Leyn were positioned in the middle while others were riding either behind or in front of them. The reason for that formation was to keep them from escaping.
As Martell was not able to ride a horse, he was forced to ride along with Illumca.
After a few hours, while they were riding across the mountain, Martell shouted towards the pair of captives. “By the way, Illumca told me that you two communicate using hand gestures. That sounds neat!”
Leyn looked at Arryn in question. She made a silent nod and wrote on a slate that she had been given to use. Despite being on a horse, her letters were neat and evenly spaced. It was something she had to learn while going on her missions.
Yes. We used it to communicate as we can no longer speak well enough to be understood. It’s something we created out of necessity.
“Can you teach me some of it?” Martell smiled with puppy-dog eyes that he had trained to its pinnacle. A gaze that could shatter the hardest of hearts.
The innocent curiosity of the boy affected Leyn, but as he was about to answer, they found that the road had been blocked by fallen trees.
Caelin, who was leading the formation did not even have to think about the cause as he bellowed. “Ambush!! Ready your weapons!!”
From behind the trees and from the cliffs above, enemies came at them.
“Demons!!” Akula grinned happily as she shot an arrow that pierced through a falling Demon and pinned it onto a tree.
“I’ll have my fill of your filthy green blood today!!”