Climbing back up those stairs nearly killed X, especially with those fiends slowly creeping towards him.
“Holy curses!” he shouted.
His breaths came in quick gasps as he finally made it to the main hallway.
“Too many darned stairs.... Who comes up with crap like this?”
The redheaded elf glanced down and spotted dozens of violet eyes edging closer. He retrieved a gold coin from his pocket and sent it tumbling down the stairs. The Swarm lunged towards the glinting metal, affording him a few extra seconds. Despite his battered state, he continued to flee through the main hallway, searching for the smithy room. Either the assassins had followed his plan, or he was on a one-way journey that, even if they had listened, had no return date. Under the dim light, hundreds of violet eyes chased his exhausted self, their incessant buzzing filled the air. With each of the critter’s jump, his finals hours drew closer. He summoned the energy for one final push.
X had to find the smithy chambers, but he couldn't remember which way to go. The fear of going into a dead end made him doubt. However, with the Swarm closing in on him, he had limited options and had to utilize any raalt'ven available.
Suddenly, he heard noises emanating from farther down the hall.
Voices!
Then a beam of light illuminated the hallway.
"Captain! Something's coming!" yelled a figure surfacing from the shadows.
“Spotters in place, D-busters vanguard, witches to my right!” ordered the captain.
The several forces took position.
“What is it spotters?” asked the captain.
"A dungeon's inhabitant," replied one of the spotters.
“A dwarf?”
“Too tall to be one.”
The humans watched the lanky creature with caution.
"Stop!" yelled the captain, pointing his weapon at the elf.
Ahead of X, the hallway overflowed with soldiers. Men outfitted in plate armor, others in leather, similar to the ones he had seen outside, and even several robed witches stood at attention. However, what seized his attention were the golden, helmeted gladiator-armored units. These magically augmented behemoths marched forward menacingly with bags of glowing rocks affixed to their backs.
Every soldier fixed their gaze on him.
"Who are you?" demanded the captain. "And what are you doing here? Are you with the assassins?"
The elf found his target and limped towards the soldiers, supporting himself against the wall. "Wait! Don't fire! I'm here to help you! I know all the secrets of this dungeon!" he cried out, manipulating the raalt'ven he stopped by.
"Captain! We sense movement right ahead!" interjected a spotter.
"What’s coming?” asked the captain, then faced the elf. “And you don't move!"
A raalt'ven opened. "Of course, sir!" replied X.
Hundreds of violet eyes loomed from the darkness.
“The Swarm!” yelled another spotter.
“Into position!” ordered the captain. “Attack! Attack!”
Without losing time, X crossed the threshold, sealing it behind him. Shouts and the clamor of battle echoed from the other side. He leaned against the cold stone, catching his breath and pondering the swiftest route to the smithy, which undoubtedly lay beyond the human soldiers. Yet, he had to think fast as several of his not-so-little dark friends began pouring in.
"You freaking insects never stop!"
He desperately searched for the next raalt'ven and found it, diving in just in time to escape their bites. His race against the Swarm wouldn't end until he was either eaten or they discovered more enticing prey. X had no time to stop and think, as he could only guess which direction to take.
The redheaded elf thought then that he never had a real idea of the Swarm’s size or how it would behave in such a scenario. "Darn you, Droff! You sold your little toothy fiends short. In fact, you sold everyone as cheaply as possible," he exclaimed while opening the next raalt'ven in his path. The sounds of battle grew louder as he entered a vast cavern. "Bingo!" yelled X, excited to have found the smithy.
He entered the cavern and landed on an intermediate level that was open to the floor below. Standing on the farthest corner, the elf observed below five stone forges and a well that had been excavated all the way down to the lava. The room was littered with tables, hammers, anvils, and all sorts of forging tools. In the opposite corner, both rippers were tethered to an anvil. Light and noise spilled out from the entrance of the cavern where the battle raged. X dashed towards the flying sparks of magic. The narrow entrance to the cavern had been obstructed with furniture and stones, creating a bottleneck that helped to contain the fighting. He witnessed two surviving assassins fighting for their lives but being pushed back by the enemy.
The elf walked on the mezzanine that encircled the entire cavern towards a bridge spanning its center. “Hey! Assassins!” he yelled.
The close-quarter combat was too intense.
“Assaaassiiins!” he shouted once more.
Ferraine glanced at him. “Bait!?”
“Retreat, let them in! I’ve brought reinforcements!” exclaimed the redheaded elf.
“What?!” Ferraine didn’t quite grasp his words.
“Look!” X gestured towards a dark corner, where hundreds of violet eyes were pouring in.
“Fuck! Heiran, fall back!” shouted Ferraine, and both of them retreated, allowing the humans to enter.
“D-busters blast it all! Knights and witches come in second!” D-busters rushed in with their scepters blazing, unleashing destruction upon everything in their path. The magical tools they carried were most effective in confined spaces. In vast expanses, their efficiency dropped significantly. After clearing the entrance area, the knights and several witches followed suit.
“Get them! Alive if possible!” commanded the human captain.
Heiran and Ferraine took reins of both rippers and hid behind the last forge while more humans entered and combed the smithy.
“Squad one to the left, squad two push through the center!” ordered their captain.
“Yes sir!”
“D-busters on standby!”
“Captain!” yelled a recently arrived soldier.
“What?”
“The Swarm has been spotted and engaged farther ahead in the main hallway. Squad three and four ask for reinforcements.”
“Damn!”
But they had no respite.
“Ahh!” shouts and cries of pain soon reached their ears.
“By the Gods!”
“Shit!”
A new front materialized inside the vast cavern.
“The Swarm is here!” yelled the soldiers.
“Where’s our defense!?” shouted the captain.
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X ran towards the opposite corner, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the Swarm. From his vantage point, he could see the Swarm pouring in and attacking the humans, devouring them one by one. However, the humans fought back, forming a defensive wall with their knights and placing witches behind them, who cast magic at the Swarm.
“D-busters to the front!” shouted the captain.
The heavy hitters of the dungeon rushed forward, magic blazing out from their scepters. The combat turned into a war of attrition, with dozens of insects falling with each attack. X marveled at the organization and power of the humans but also stood in awe at the endless numbers of the Swarm that continued to pour in. He didn't remember seeing such a massive horde when he was in the throne room. Nevertheless, he felt elated, smiling at the carnage before him and savoring his last moments in this bizarre place because regardless of who emerged victorious, he knew he would be long gone by then.
Suddenly, Heiran's voice cut through the chaos. “Elf! Go to the overpass on top of the entrance! I left several portents and some glikan dust!”
Heiran and Ferraine took advantage of the situation to attack the humans' left flank, engaging the witches in close combat.
“Get those assassins!” shouted the senior witch.
Between the Swarm and assassins, the humans' left flank kept degrading.
“Call the spotters!” ordered another witch.
The redheaded elf found the mentioned supplies but didn't know what to do with them. “What now?!” he yelled out.
“Input an enchantment on the dust and blaze everyone with it!” exclaimed Heiran.
“I can't, I told you!” shouted back X.
“For the prophet’s sake! Take the blue bag and spread it below, then drop the portents!” Heiran yelled instructions every human heard.
“Stop that lanky putrajado on the second level!” yelled the captain.
Several witches turned around and began casting.
“Oh, hell!” X poured down the glowing dust and then the portents.
“Ferraine, enchant them as they fall!” commanded Heiran.
“On it!” said the horned female, acting upon hearing the orc’s words.
Multiple magic missiles started to land near X. Immediately, he dropped down before the steel mezzanine collapsed, leaving him hanging from a thread and looking down at the masses.
“Retreat! Squads back off!” yelled the left flank’s lieutenant.
Ferraine finished enchanting the portents, and the whole area ignited.
X laughed, reveling in the chaos. Flames engulfed several humans as the Swarm advanced, pushing the left flank back while more soldiers poured in. Heiran and Ferraine stood in the recently created gap, obscured by smoke. The three of them knew this was it, the battle raged on, and they had used all their cards.
Another squad of humans arrived, D-busters, specially equipped to fight the Swarm.
Ferraine turned to Heiran. “When the way is clear, take both rippers, get the elf in one, and charge through them.”
“What are you talking about Ferraine? It’s over,” spoke the orc.
Ferraine placed her hand on orc’s cheek. “It’s not.” Their eyes locked.
“If you two want to kiss, do it. I won’t tell your parents,” yelled X. “But hurry up if you have a plan, because we're running out of time.”
Ferraine’s hard and fiery eyes fell over the elf. “I’ll gate in an irrational exuberance.”
“But... you shouldn’t be able to,” muttered Heiran.
“Not a full gate. A partial one. I can do it.”
“If that's true, then you're a—”
“Hey, both of you, we don’t have much time left. Those nutty dusts have stopped burning. Hurry up!” X witnessed the humans regrouping.
“Are you sure you want to partially gate an exuberance? The high-level irrationalities won't arrive in time, if ever,” said Heiran.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Heiran, and that’s besides the point. The aftershock of gating one will open a path for you both. Use it. And... maybe we’ll see each other in a thousand years,” spoke Ferraine, a saddened smile on her face.
“Orcs don't live that long,” replied Heiran.
“Anyway, it wouldn’t be me, the one that wakes up. This is goodbye. Have a good life,” said Ferrain.
For a brief moment, they stood looking at each other.
“Stay behind me. You'll be safe from the blizzard. Now go!” shouted Ferraine at Heiran, taking several steps forward.
“Then so be it. Farewell,” bid the orc.
Ferraine extended her arms and began casting. Heiran ran towards the rippers, holding their reins and pulled them behind the farthest forge. The human’s right flank continued battling the Swarm while their regrouped left flank marched ahead.
After the smoke cleared, human eyes discovered a shadow casting.
“What’s that vermaian doing?” shouted the human captain.
“...oh Father, I give you my flesh and soul...” Ferraine chanted the magic awake.
“That’s a Pulkrata’s Daughter! And she's gating! Stop her!” yelled the witches’ old and wrinkled leader.
“...to do with them what you must!” finished casting Ferraine.
One full squad of soldiers moved on to attack her, but from Ferraine’s body, a cold, hard wind pushed them back. A dark-red dot appeared before her, expanding swiftly and bringing thunder and strong winds with each increase in size. From the growing sphere, a black goo crept out, slowly covering her. Another increase in its size gushed out a blizzard, threatening to freeze anything in its path.
Heiran had hidden with both rippers behind the last forge, while X still hung from the broken mezzanine. Only a chilly wind reached everything behind the female vermaian, leaving X and Heiran cold but safe. Humans stopped battling the Swarm and retreated as the hungry insects followed their prey into the blizzard, freezing one by one.
D-busters barely pushed back the freezing expansion, but the rest had less luck due to their lower power and inexperience. Along with D-busters, few knights and witches retreated back into the hallway, leaving their unlucky companions frozen. The place became desolate. The ice sculptures glowed, illuminating the sterile dungeon. Nothing moved, nothing breathed.
Ferraine’s body was almost completely covered in dense, dark organic matter. With one last spark of energy, she yelled, “Get them! For all of us! Make the traitors pay Heiran!” Then she disappeared under the solidifying substance. The sphere made one final increase in size, releasing a powerful gale blast. The freezing blizzard flowed into the main hallway and beyond. The sphere vanished, leaving silence behind.
A smile spread across the redheaded elf’s face at Ferraine's impressive display of defiance. He observed Heiran expertly riding one ripper and guiding the other beneath him. "Jump!" exclaimed the orc.
X moved. “I’m stuck!” he shouted.
Without hesitation, Heiran threw a knife to cut the threads holding the elf in place. X fell onto the second ripper and held on tight. The assassin orc then lead the rippers into the main hallway, with X clinging for dear life.
The hallway glowed while everything in it remained frozen, with a few exceptions spared. In the smithy chamber, the Swarm devoured the ice at a frightening pace, freeing itself and following in their wake.
“Yeah!” X's system pumped pure adrenaline into his head, and they rode off as fast as the rippers could go, charging through scores of frozen soldiers. However, it was only a temporary truce. The first to break free from its icy prison was the Swarm. The soldiers who had escaped the cold embrace helped their frozen comrades. The strongest of them were capable of breaking free from the ice on their own, but those not strong enough would be lost to it forever.
"You didn't kiss the princess back there. That's going to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I won't sleep well from now on,” spoke the redheaded elf.
"Our relationship is not like that,” replied Heiran.
"Was. Was not like that...and I saw different. I saw— Freaking yes!" X saw the end of Dureld Dungeon, the light of the exit in sight. The blizzard blast had reached all the way out, forcing the gates to open completely.
The redheaded elf turned around for one last goodbye, but his sight met with hundreds of violet eyes. A black locust chased them. "What the hell!" he yelled.
Heiran turned around as well. "Shit, the Swarm's taken flight."
"It can do what?!" cried out X.
"We need to go faster!" exclaimed the orc, whipping the rippers.
As they approached the exit gates, the Swarm's hunger dangerously closed in on them.
"Jump!" shouted Heiran.
Without hesitation, X dropped from the ripper, which continued running for a second longer before the Swarm devoured it.
"The Swarm!" The rest of the human army awaiting outside got another nasty surprise after the icy blast.
"Take positions!" yelled several captains. "Squads assemble!"
In the chaos, Heiran moved quickly and snatched two horses. X watched as Heiran mounted one horse but the elf struggled with the other. He felt two hands lift him onto the second horse.
“You’re unexpectedly kind,” spoke X.
“I’m paying my debt to you. Now I don’t owe you anything,” explained Heiran.
“Really? That—! Whatever. You’re freaking strong, and I’m freaking weak,” sighed the redheaded elf, resigned to his unbecoming reality.
“You’re fucking useless,” Heiran addressed X with a faint grin on his face.
“And yet, I’m still here,” retorted X with a wide smile.
They prepared to leave while the battle raged in the background. Heiran pointed towards the west. “That way is Silifran,” said the orc.
“And why would I go back there?” inquired X.
“Well, because everything else is human territory.”
“Good point.” X turned to the orc. “Aren’t you going to Silifran?”
“Not yet,” replied Heiran. “I’ve got to make a stop before reporting in. By the way, my name’s Heiran Dellaswa’tabou.”
“I’m X... X the elf. And good luck, Heiran.”
“Good luck to you too, Ekk’s, and to the bastards that betrayed us.”
Taking advantage of the chaos, they parted ways across the battlefield. Heiran disappeared amongst scores of soldiers battling the Swarm. X’s path was littered with the same attractions. The redheaded elf reached into his left pocket, brought out three shining golden pieces of metal, and threw them near some confused knights.
[Aren’t you going to need those?]
The apparition materialized behind him, riding alongside him.
“Don’t spook me. And maybe, but I’m sure they’re gonna need it more than me. I’m magnanimous like that.”
A dozen violet eyes locked onto the treasure, ready to protect their maker’s gold.