So. We got one more part after this. And two small side stories are going to be posted along this part and then the next. So make sure you read the small ones as well.
I'll see you all on Monday.
---
Veme and I joined the others and started catching up on our drinks. It had been a long trip, so even this piss-flavored ale tasted refreshing, and the warmth it brought to my chilled bones was wonderful.
We also caught up with each other. The last time our little group had been together was when we separated outside the Iron Citadel. Nick, Adrian, and Ryan had gone east to complete their quest and ended up staying in the border region for a while before heading into Tel'an'duth. The group recounted their various minor adventures in the area as they visited the homeland of one of their companions, Ryan, who had lived there before becoming an adventurer.
Which must have sucked, considering he is a Human living in High Elf territory. But I wasn't gonna bring that up.
"Yeah, that's basically it until we got a request from the freakin Dragon Slayer," Nick said as he whipped his mustache clean of ale.
"Who would have imagined that the young Elf would be a Dragon Slayer one day? I thought it was a weird prank," Adrian mused as he crossed his tattooed arms across his chest.
Nick rolled his head back and let out a loud laugh. "Hey! I told you that kid was as special as they came! We should have snatched him from Dem when we had the chance!"
Dem, huh? That's a name I haven't heard in a while. Although I was almost certain I knew what had happened to them, Veme and I decided that making it public would be a real pain. Besides, if they made that choice, they got what they deserved.
"I'm not so certain about that. I don't know if we would have survived the Dragon's attack. He also may have been afraid since he had a bounty, not that we would have or been able to take it," Ryan said as he rubbed his bald head with a wry smile.
Adrian nodded his head slowly but let out a light chuckle. "But does this mean we are famous? Perhaps we should start telling people we caught the Dragon Slayer playing with his Wyrm in the outdoors?"
Huh? Oh my…
Ale spewed from Nick's nostrils as he tried to suppress his laughter. His face was flushed completely as the alcohol-induced laughter consumed him. Even I started laughing as it was quite contagious. Before long, we were all laughing. Well, everyone but Veme, who just gave us a confused look as her ears flopped to the side.
"What do you mean by that, Adrian? I do not understand. You caught him doing… what with a monster?" Veme asked innocently.
I wrapped my arm around my companion's head and squeezed her tight against my chest. "Ah! You're so innocent it hurts!" I cooed. "How are you this cute, huh? It should be illegal."
Veme frantically tried to free herself, but her struggles just made it all the more adorable. I felt some heated stares coming my way and turned to face the three other gentlemen. Their faces were bright red as they drunkenly leered at me.
Unlike most bastards who sent such distasteful gazes my way, I knew these three were good boys. There was no point in making a fuss or getting all worked up about it. I also wouldn't lie and say that I didn't enjoy the attention somewhat. And I suppose I was being a bit…provocative.
Well, that doesn't mean I can't tease them.
I let Veme go and let out my most girly yelp possible as I held my body tight. "You can't look at me like that anymore…I'm a taken bear now," I said sensually.
But much to my surprise, my words instantly sobered them up. The light returned to their eyes as they quickly exchanged confused glances.
"I uh…did I mishear that?" Nick said as he stuck a finger into his ear and twisted it around.
"I was wondering the same thing," Ryan mumbled.
Adrian weakly nodded to himself, and I looked over to Veme to find her staring at me. Her face was blank as usual, but her eyes weren't. Instead, I could tell that she was grinning at me internally just from the glint in those cyan peepers.
"Wait—Veme, don't—"
"Oh, you are not aware, everyone?" Veme interrupted, ignoring my pleas. "Bella is engaged. She is truly a maiden in love. You should see how embarrassed she gets."
"Bella? The Bella? The Ball Busting Bear named Bella is engaged? Is this the truth?" Nick asked, looking at me with a face full of genuine surprise.
"He—hey! Why are you looking at me like that?! It shouldn't be that big of a surprise!" I shouted back.
The three men's shoulders slumped as they chuckled to themselves. "I can't believe it," Ryan muttered.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would see Bella blushing like a farm girl," Adrian mused in surprise.
Wait? Am I blushing? Wait! I am! Why?!
"Stop! Please, this is just—"
"Here I thought Voker being the Dragon Slayer was crazy. But I guess two legends were already in the making, huh? Does this mean we are gonna get lucky one of these days since we worked with him?" Nick asked no one in particular.
"Guys! You are—"
"Having fun, it seems," a deep voice cut in.
Being a little drunk and embarrassed out of my mind, I hadn't even smelled him coming. Maybe that was just because everyone and everything in this place smelled like booze, but suddenly Twilight was towering over us.
If I didn't know the guy, I would have thought he was angry at us. But he must have just arrived after finishing up whatever he was going to do.
"You know I got the message before we arrived, but I can't believe someone like you is coming with us, Sir," Ryan said with a slight nod.
"Is it that surprising? Well, I suppose it is. Either way, Nick, Adrian, and Ryan of The Stars, it is good to see you once more. I apologize for not coming to greet you immediately, and I hope that you have been well," Twilight said in his usual toneless voice.
"Yeah, we've been good. Of course, we keep getting surprise after surprise, but that's life," Nick said with a chuckle and a shrug.
"That is good. How long have you been in this city, Mr. Nick?" Twilight asked.
"Ah, we just got here this afternoon. Once Kaladin sent us the request, we started moving back here, but we only just got to Curia since we were taking our time," Nick told him.
"That is good. We have also been traveling, and rest is needed. In that case, we can take a two-day break here in the city to recuperate and resupply for our quest. I will also procure a current map of the Iron Citadel for us in the meantime. Does this pose any disagreements?"
We all checked each other and gave quick nods. "Nope, I think that's more than acceptable," I said.
"Yeah, two days should be enough," Nick added.
"Thank you for getting us a map, Twilight Knight. I understand it can be difficult, Sir," Ryan said with a friendly smile.
The towering man awkwardly shook his helmeted head. "Not a problem. Going in blind into such a place is foolish. So it's only natural that I find the best possible route for success."
"Yes, of course," Ryan said as he smiled wryly from the secondhand awkwardness.
But this time, I was glad about it. Twilight's stiffness made everyone forget about me! Haha!
—
"Man, I'll be honest, boys, I was really hoping never to come back here," Nick grumbled at one of the entrances to the Iron Citadel.
This entrance was well-guarded, just like the last one, but it was much older. The Iron Citadel was the only recorded dungeon to have multiple exits and entrances. Entrances were dotted around the entire mountainside in Luminar. Even Whieland and Krunbar similarly guarded their entrances since monsters were notorious for leaking out of dungeons.
"Have no fear. I shall guide us to the best of my ability. The map I bought us is fresh, so the likelihood of a sudden change will be low," Twilight assured us.
That was another thing that made this place a nightmare. If the undead weren't trying to kill you, the entire dungeon was. Periodically, paths would shift inside the dungeon. A route that once led to safety could turn into one of disaster.
It was said that all roads lead to an exit eventually, but that was a problem. If the dungeon kept changing routes on you, and you ran out of food and water while being attacked by the undead. Then that saying didn't mean anything.
"May I ask a personal question, Twilight Knight? How many times have you entered this dungeon?" Ryan asked him curiously as he adjusted his shield.
"I'm afraid the answer to your question is more times than I can count. I stopped counting after my fiftieth entrance. That was well over two hundred years ago at this point," Twilight said nonchalantly.
Nick turned around slowly with furrowed eyebrows. "Two hundred years? Was that a joke?"
Twilight shook his head awkwardly as he walked forward. "Not at all. Why would I make light of such a thing?" he asked as if he wasn't the weird one.
I just chuckled and clapped Nick on the shoulder. "He's an Elf," I told him.
Nick looked back at me in genuine surprise, but Adrian was the first to ask a question. "Really? I had heard stories that Elves hated covering their ears even as a young boy in a place with very few Elves."
I shrugged at his question. Veme nodded her head for us to trail behind the towering figure. "But he is an Elf. If all Elves hate covering their ears, then at least one of them must not mind it," Veme said, offering a counter.
"That's true," Nick said with a shrug.
"Perhaps he received an injury at a young age? Or…I suppose that doesn't make much sense considering his accomplishments in the guild. Anyone of his status should have been able to see a healer by now…" Ryan said, trailing off.
There was no point in wondering about the guy's past. After all, it was supposed to be taboo amongst adventurers to pry too deep. Everyone came from somewhere, and if someone was hiding something, they always had a reason for doing it, just like Kaladin.
But every once in a while, an exciting individual would pop up, and people were bound to be curious, me included. Even adventurers gossiped like mothers, and as long as nobody actually went and dug up the past or made weird false rumors, then it was never a problem.
Regardless we all trudged into the disgusting dark, and dank dungeon that was the Iron Citadel. Going into the depths of this stone tunnel was always a bad experience. The smell of death was a common smell in my line of work, but here it was at an entirely different level.
The miasma of rotting corpses was overbearing to the point of pain. Most of the other races didn't have nearly as much of a problem, but for Beastmen like Veme and me, we were basically going in without our noses.
Focusing our sense of smell was a massive pain in the neck here. Gah, I'm gonna wash my nose for months to get this stench out.
We broke out into the dungeon, and we all took a moment to take the sight in. This place was disgusting and a death trap, but damn, it was just fascinating. Floating stone platforms connect to each other and then separate, only to fly off into the air.
Entire buildings or homes in the same style as the Dwarves floated in the open space illuminated by the pale blue light of crystal scones. They were all made of bronze or stone; they seemed well-built and sturdy from a distance, just like their makers. The pathways appeared to go on forever if you looked down into the depths of the blackness. This place had a bizarre wonder to it that not many dungeons did.
Everyone always wondered if this dungeon only had a single floor or if the Iron Citadel had more to it. But those who were curious enough to adventure into such places were few and far between. And according to the guild records, all those who tried to go deeper into this place only ended up dead or not finding anything at all.
"So, do you think there is more down there?" Nick asked from beside me as he stared down into the abyss with me.
"Honestly, I don't think so. If anything, I think there's something over there," I pointed off into the distance.
Off against the side of the dungeon, as if it were part of the rock face, sat a building. The place was a giant dome made of pure bronze, or so people thought. I personally believed that whoever ruled this dungeon was there. It felt like a Dwarven palace to me, although it was very different from the one in Krunbar.
I believed that if there was anything worthwhile in this place, it was over there. It was too bad that none of the floating pathways ever connected to that place. People had tried to bridge over to it, but it always ended poorly. I even heard that back in the day, Brax sent Gryphons Knights there once, but they all died. Of course, that was just a rumor amongst adventurers.
Basically, nothing led to that place, and nobody went over there.
"Mhm, maybe. I think there is more down there, and that place is a trap to entice people," Nick commented.
"Maybe."
"The first group of Skeletons is coming out. Prepare yourselves," Twilight ordered as a floating bridge descended to connect to the already available path.
Twilight and Ryan took front and center in the formation while Adrian and I were next. Veme and Nick held up the rear just in case. It was a shame we had no Archers or Mages with us. We were a bit of an unbalanced party, but with enough brute force, we should manage.
But all of us relaxed when the platform connected, and there was nothing there but scattered bones. "Uh, what happened to them?" Nick asked.
There was nothing but a pile of bones and a bunch of discarded weapons. I didn't smell any blood, and there weren't any signs of a serious fight with magic or anything. But…
"It is not uncommon for enemies to be defeated before we reach them. But these Skeletons were decimated by someone rather strong," Twilight said dryly.
It was true. Sure, some of the bones were scattered randomly, but a few of them were ground into dust. Others were clearly snapped and splintered in multiple pieces. It was like a giant club wielded by a giant had ended them.
"Does this mean we should be concerned?" Ryan questioned.
"For now, no. We may just be behind another group of comrades. Let us move forward as planned to complete our quest at the fastest possible rate. We will be in here only for one rest worth of time according to the map," Twilight responded.
With that, we set out to the first rest point.
—
"Listen, having one or two spots taken care of is one thing. But we haven't seen a single monster since we arrived. That's not a good thing in a dungeon," Nick said with a hint of fear in his voice.
"Whatever is killing the monsters isn't Human," Veme said coldly.
Veme and I confirmed it after the third pile of Skeletons. It was always hard to make out distinct smells in this place, but after catching a scent the third time around, we agreed something was killing the monsters. And after the fourth pile, we agreed that it wasn't a person but another monster doing the deed.
It wasn't completely unheard of to find another monster in this dungeon. With so many entrances and exits, some were bound to remain unexplored and hidden from people. A monster wandering into a dungeon was nothing new, especially for one as big and unique as the Iron Citadel.
"Something is odd, yes. However, as long as the path is available, we should move forward. We should thank whatever it is for clearing the path for us as we can save our stamina for a fight," Ryan said with a cheerful smile.
"That's one way to look at it," Adrian mumbled. "But whatever it is, the thing is capable of fighting forty-six skeletons and twenty-eight Ghouls without so much as a drop of blood being spilled. So we should be cautious."
"Agreed. I don't believe going back to be a wise choice as of right now. We are only one section away from the halfway point. If there is a clear and present danger beyond our capabilities, we can retreat before we reach the rest point. Agreed?" Twilight asked.
None of us voiced anything in disagreement, so we pressed on. Another bridge connected us, and it should have brought a Dread Knight along with a handful of Ghouls, but just like before, there was nothing there besides a pile of corpses.
That was until my nose picked something up. Veme dropped to the floor and started sniffing the ground, and I took the other side. There was an unmistakable and different stench that was mixed in with the rotting bodies of the undead.
"Blood, it's not that old. Maybe a few hours," Veme reported.
"I agree. It's red blood, but it smells of a monster, just like we thought," I added.
"Never mind," Adrian mumbled under his breath.
Twilight sauntered over to us and examined the corpses. "The heads were smashed in all these Ghouls just like the others. The monsters are showing a small amount of intelligence if they are targeting the heads of the undead."
Veme picked up the hammer of the Dread Knight and examined it. There was a smudge of dried red goop on the flat part. Veme tested the waters and got really close to it but recoiled from the stench. She was brave for putting her face that close to the weapon held by the undead. I had to applaud her for it.
Her nose twitched, and he coughed slightly, but she showed a rare look of confusion. "I don't know what monster it is. I've never smelled it before," she told us. "And I'm starting to get the feeling that there is more than one. Maybe even two types of monsters, but the scent is too mixed to figure it out."
"Red blood doesn't narrow it down either. Lots of monsters have red blood," Nick grumbled.
"I think this fight does," Twilight said aloud.
We all turned our heads to him as he looked down at the corpse of the Dread Knight. "If the monsters have only suffered a single injury from a Dread Knight, we are aware that they are at least a threat level of one hundred and fifty. We should ignore most monsters below that strength rating and prepare accordingly. I recommend—"
Twilight ceased his words as we all stared at the floating platform ahead of us. According to our map, it shouldn't be arriving yet since we didn't get close enough to the edge. Some of these floating bridges were triggered by defeating the monsters. Others moved just because you got close enough to the edge of the one you were standing on.
In this case, it should have been the former.
There were no words needed amongst us. This was abnormal. And when bizarre things happened. You got ready for a fight.
The sound of weapons unsheathing and armor rattling echoed in the otherwise quiet path. The stink of the undead wafted toward us, but there was something else. Something dirtier and disgusting mixed in. Something that was more common with cattle than the undead.
Once the path connected, I blinked multiple times as if my eyes deceived me. "Hey…what is going on here? What are four Black Orcs and an Ogre doing here?" Nick asked, his voice laced with fear.
Damn. We really were cursed.
True enough, there were four massive figures and one giant one that loomed over them. Their skin was the color of coal, and they stood far taller than the average man. Their disgusting muscular bodies and hunched shoulders were evident. Their faces were a twisted excuse for a Human with their noses and sharp tusks protruding from their bottom lips.
All of them wore bits and pieces of salvaged armor, and they all wielded hammers and swords taken from the fallen undead. They were the nastiest form of their kind, with the strength to burst a man's skull with their raw grip strength alone and the intelligence that left their lesser kind in the dust.
Black Orcs.
And behind the tall monsters was an even more, giant rotund creature with the face of a disfigured pig mixed with a Human. Its fat body was so large it was a wonder how those things moved, but anyone who had heard of an Ogre knew never to underestimate it.
The things were as dumb as they got, but their strength was not a laughing matter. The massive club in its hands could turn a Ruby adventurer in full plate armor and shield into a puddle. Even an indirect hit was enough to wound someone. And just being near the smelly monster was enough to make people regret their life choices.
"I've never seen an Ogre or a Black Orc before. But isn't something wrong with them?" Adrian asked as he readied his scimitar.
Yeah, Orcs and Ogres are supposed to be bloodthirsty man-eaters. They should be pounding their chests, excited at the mere sight of us. But they are just lumbering around like Zombies.
"Something is abnormal. I don't hear their heartbeats, so they may already be dead but have risen. Aim for their heads or disable their movements. Anything else would be a waste of time. I shall handle the Ogre first. Please kill or stall the Orcs," Twilight ordered.
"He can hear their heartbeats from here? What the…" Nick muttered as he raised his daggers.
"Split the Orcs down the middle for Twilight. Ryan and Adrian handle the Orcs on the left. Bella and I will be on the right. Nick, please support whoever is in need. Try to aim for the eyes of even a single one of them if you can," Veme suggested.
Naturally, we all had nothing to disagree on. I trusted Veme, and I'm sure the others did as well. We just needed to buy Twilight time before he could help us with the other Orcs. But damn…this was bad. My weapon was not capable of slicing up a Black Orc's tough skin.
Well, screw it.
The ground cracked underneath Twilight as the man raced forward in a blur, his halberd at the ready. He instantly impaled one of the Black Orcs and raised the monster high into the air, only to flick it off the edge of the bridge.
It was a mind-boggling display of pure strength. I don't think if I trained for my entire life, I could do anything remotely close to that. But now wasn't the time for surpris, it was for action.
I arrived at my first target not long after Twilight moved through the groups of lumbering Orcs. The monster initially went for him, but sensing that I was close, it turned its attention to me. The creature's eyes were lifeless and hollow as it slowly raised its hammer to crush me with a downward strike.
I nimbly dodged to the right, and Veme burst past me with her speed. Once the Orc mashed the hard floor, she aimed for the creature's face with a thrust. The Orc reared its face back, and Veme missed her strike, slicing against the Orc's cheek, not even leaving a single scratch.
Veme used her momentum and kicked off the Orc's chest with a backflip, distancing herself. The Orc had already dislodged its hammer and was preparing for a wide across-the-body swing. There was no point in even getting close to such a wild attack. If that hit me, I was dead, so I joined Veme and dodged backward.
It's probably a good thing that these things are already dead. Their movements are sloppy and lack the speed I had heard that normal Black Orcs possessed. They don't even seem to be on the level of a Dread Knight.
Suddenly a loud boom echoed, and the entire floating path rocked violently. A plum of dust blew by us, and I had to drop low to the ground just to stop myself from tumbling over. I honestly thought that was it. The entire thing was going down, and we would fall into the darkness of the dungeon, but that never came.
The Ogre had crushed a spot, but Twilight had rolled around to its backside. I watched in complete awe as the blue halberd bisected the lard monster with ease, as if it was nothing more than butter. Ogres didn't have tough skin like Black Orcs, but cutting one in half straight down the middle was just too much for a normal person.
Sadly, there was no time to celebrate. Our Black Orc had fallen on its butt from the rocking, but the others were not so lucky. They were three on two, and one of the Orcs had managed to fall into Adrian, knocking him off balance.
The extra Orc was stumbling through a wide swing with a two-handed hammer that was all but guaranteed to hit Adrian. And if it did hit him, he was dead, no doubt about it. And all I could do was run toward them in horror as Ryan lunged into the path of the blow.
He had entirely hidden behind the shield and was letting his body fall into the war hammer's swing. There was an ear-splitting clank followed by the sound of metal being crushed and the sound of bones breaking, along with a man's screams. Ryan was launched like a ragdoll, his Dwarven Steel shield completely warped and beyond repair, along with his arm.
And he was heading straight off the edge.
Veme and I were already moving the moment we saw the swing about to connect with Adrian. Sure, it was nothing more than a fruitless attempt, but we couldn't let that two verses three crumble like that. With our Orc dazed and the Ogre dead, we could afford to help them.
Nick was the closest to them, and he immediately tossed himself over the edge to catch his friend. He didn't hesitate for a single second to hurl himself into the abyss for even a chance. I wouldn't let that be for naught, and neither would Veme.
Veme leaped, tossed herself over the edge, and caught Nick by the leg, and I wasn't far behind. I grabbed Veme by the upper thigh. Adrian was busy holding off the two Orcs while Twilight killed the one we were handling, but I only spared them that glance.
I gritted my teeth and let out a roar as I pulled Veme up with all my might. It was somewhat of a relief that everything was so heavy, which meant that Nick had caught Ryan before he plummeted down.
But that didn't make it any easier!
There was another loud boom behind me as the ground cracked, but it wasn't nearly as big as the Ogre's previous blow. I couldn't afford to even look over my shoulder as I pushed mana into my limbs and braced myself against the bridge. After I pushed myself, I finally felt a bit give as I managed to pull half of Veme up.
I could hear the fighting behind me, but I just put my faith in Adrian to distract the monsters and for Twilight to finish the job. I feared that stopping would end everything, and if Nick let go of Ryan...never mind that.
It felt like my eyes would pop out of my skull as I yelled once more and forced Veme back onto solid ground. With her help and strength, we managed to pull Nick up. He had a death grip on Ryan's waist and was squeezing him so hard his face was beet red, and the veins in his face looked ready to burst.
Once Ryan's unconscious body was entirely over the edge, I picked my scimitar up, the rings jingling, and turned to face the enemies, but I let out a sigh of relief. Adrian had held out just barely, and I watched as Twilight impaled the last Black Orc through the back of the head.
"I hate dungeons. I'm never going in one again. I'll wait in some dinky town for months if I have to," Nick huffed as he supported his friend's head.
Thankfully, Ryan's chest was rising and falling, and he was just knocked out and not dead. The arm holding his shield did not look too pleasing as it was bent in a horrific way, but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed by a light mage. At least he wouldn't die from the injury, and we had plenty of medicine to keep the pain away.
"I apologize for taking so long and not being able to save Mister Ryan. I hadn't expected such fierce resistance," Twilight said with a hint of dejection.
I chuckled wryly and wiped the sweat from my face. "There is no way any of us are going to be mad at you. You killed every single monster. If you weren't here, we'd be running or dead, so thanks for the help."
"Well, at least it wasn't a Lich that raised them from the dead since they didn't return. Things would have been much worse," Veme commented as she took out herbs and medicine from her pack.
I just glared at her, and her cyan eyes looked at me in confusion. "What? Did I say something… wrong…why is there another bridge coming behind us?"
Damn, she is raising all kinds of bad luck for us. I tried to tell her these things were real. But she never believed me. What do we think killed these five powerful monsters, huh?
I felt the hair on my body stand up, and I felt a cold fear wash over me. The Black Orcs, despite their menacing posture and the threat they posed, never emitted any bloodlust. It was said that the undead hated the living, but even so, minor Skeletons and Ghouls were nothing to fear if you were prepared. It was a bit odd that the Black Orcs didn't, but I didn't pay much attention to that in the middle of a fight.
But whatever was on that bridge far surpassed the Black Orcs. It was way more dangerous, and the bloodlust it emitted was directed right at us. Whatever it was, it wanted us dead and hated us with a deep, loathing passion. It was damn near the same feeling the Lich gave off.
I looked over at my companions; they must have felt the same way I did. Even Veme was clenching her jaw, and her tail had gone rigid. Twilight stepped forward; his black armor glistened with the blood of the dead Orcs. He gave his halberd a flick that sprayed blood and guts to the side and began rummaging around in the large pack that he had dropped before the fight.
He brought out a clear glass jar with a bunch of brownish-red powder and grabbed a gauntlet full of it, only to put it back in his bag. He used his free hand to push his helmet up, and for the first time, I had seen some of his skin and hair.
His hair was a dirty, oily black color, and his skin was a dark olive like a Dark Elf but seemed pale at the same time. He was almost the same skin tone as Kaladin, which was highly abnormal for a Dark Elf. I guess the man really did never take his armor off. I wondered if his skin had seen the sun in the last decade.
But Twilight must have eaten the powder, and a loud sniff followed it. He coughed once or twice, put his helmet back down, and moved his sack to the side of the bridge.
He turned to face us. "The enemy approaching is one far stronger than the Ogre and Black Orcs. I will fight them with all my strength and will not hold back. Unfortunately, I will not be able to protect you if you choose to join me. If you wish to retreat to finish our quest, please take my bag and head for the exit. I have memorized the map and will not need it."
You know, I really should take his offer. I should run. It's the smart thing to do. With his strength, he can probably handle it. After all, I have people waiting for me. But even so…that's just not how I do things. So anyone willing to watch my back and fight with everything they have is a worthy comrade to me.
And if these things chased us, there was no guarantee we would make it out.
"I'll fight with you. What about you?" I asked my companion.
She nodded once. "I can't run. I would never be able to face Kelly again."
"Even if that means departing before you marry your hubby?" I asked with a grin.
Veme smiled softly. "It's much the same for you. Besides, we had long since come to an understanding that our job was dangerous. So I came in here prepared for the worse, as any adventurer should."
Adrian walked over to us. "Ryan is injured. I can't let anything attack us from behind while carrying him. Separating is also a bad idea. Nick, will you join us?"
Nick finished applying a balm to Ryan's wounds and placed his friend's head on a folded blanket. "Yeah, yeah. If all of you die, I'm screwed, and there is a damn good chance something bad is going to happen on the way to the exit, and I don't want to be alone," he grumbled as he took out a spare knife.
We all looked back to Twilight, who simply nodded at us. Once, the opposite bridge was fully locked in place, and an ornate bronze gate blocked our path. The entrance was beautiful beyond belief. I could see the hand-crafted metal flowers that were spread across the entirety of the bars. Even the stone the bridge was made out of was in a more pristine condition.
It was the kind of craftsmanship you could find in Dwarven nobility, which made it all the more worrisome. Because something this beautiful shouldn't be in a dungeon, and the creatures behind it were just as terrifying.
A pack of five figures was behind the gate. All of them were short in stature, wearing majestic bronze armor from head to toe and carrying various impressive weapons of their own. One wielded a giant war hammer, while another used a battle ax—the other two wielded shields and hammers of equal quality.
But it was the figure in the center of the group that was emitting the bloodlust of a powerful monster. It was a creature I had only heard about through stories of stories. People had rarely seen them, and it had been so long since one appeared it was believed they were nothing more than an urban legend meant to scare newbie adventurers.
A slightly larger Dwarven skeleton stood in the middle like a king being protected by his honor guard. The skeleton wore ornate golden and blue armor and used a single sword in one hand while the other was busy holding what appeared to be its own skull. The black-beared monster stared at us with gem-like blue eyes filled with pure hatred and malice.
A Dullahan.
If a Lich was the backline commander of an army that wielded magic, a Dullahan was a commander that led from the front with its overwhelming prowess. It lacked the ability to use magic or raise the dead that had already fallen again like a Lich. Instead, it was said that they opted to control a small elite unit to a higher degree than was capable of with a Lich.
"I shall open with my strongest attack. Be prepared to move in," Twilight said in a gruff and strained voice as he bent down.
He swept his leg out to the side along with his halberd. The blue blade of his weapon was being consumed by a dark shadow that stretched from the floor and started to envelop the entirety of his weapon. The Dullahan and his guards merely stood behind the gate, unmoving.
My spine tingled as the vague sense of them staring at me pierced my soul. It was like they were taunting us from behind the gate, enjoying every bit of our fear.
Whatever Twilight was doing was ready as he swung his halbert with a woosh that split the air. A black crescent-shaped blade made of pure shadow left his weapon and sliced through the bronze gate with ease. We all started to run toward our enemies. I had expected at least the two front liners to go down, but we weren't so lucky.
The two Dwarven guards in front retreated with surprising speed as the two shield bearers moved into place. Their bronze shields flickered to life with a blue tint as runes powered on, and Twilight's attack impacted them only to disappear into a shadowy mist. An Emerald-ranked adventurer's "strongest" attack had been rendered completely useless.
Not good at all.
We crashed through the broken gate, and I swung my scimitar down on one of the shielded Dwarves. Now that Ryan was out, I had taken his potion in the formation. My bones shook from the sensation of smacking against solid metal. I swore my swing was going to hit home, but the monster brought his shield up with unnatural speed and precision.
I even ducked down as a giant ax blade went right over my head, but I was immediately greeted with a bronze hammer to the stomach. These monsters were fast and strong. Not only that, they were working together in the kind of synch you only saw by people with years of experience.
Thankfully the blow to my stomach only hurt and didn't actually kill me or break any bones as I had moved out of the way just a bit. But the shield Dwarf wasn't going to let me get away. Unfortunately for it, I wasn't alone either.
A sword wooshed from the side as Veme aimed for the undead's exposed flank. It was a solid attempt considering its weapon was below it, but the ax Dwarf blocked it instead.
I looked over to my left, and even Twilight was struggling to get past the combo. Adrian and Nick tagged in but were quickly pushed back by the war hammer Dwarf.
I exchanged spots with Veme and made another attempt at passing the shield user. I grabbed my scimitar from the metal loops to give myself a surprise attack with increased range but to no avail. Instead, the monster sent another counter my way, which I had to dodge.
This wasn't a good place to be. We were being pushed back. Any attempt to flank or outmaneuver the shield bearers on this small bridge just meant the two skeletons behind backed them up.
And these undead weren't just simple monsters that abused the excessive speed and strength that came with all monsters. No, they were legitimately skilled. I had sparred with a fair number of knights and soldiers in my life, and I wasn't a newbie when it came to fighting other people. But I felt the immeasurable gap that was between me and this creature.
And that was all with the Dullahan standing by just watching us. Damn.
I felt a spell core form from my side, and Twilight vanished into a puff of inky black smoke, only to appear a moment later behind enemy lines. His blue and gold halberd, wreathed in black shadow, was coming down straight onto the Dullahan's headless body. It was an even more powerful blow that had split an Ogre into two, and since a Dullahan's life was its head, crushing the body was just as good since smashing the head should have been easy afterward.
Yet, I couldn't believe my eyes. The Dullahan flicked around like it was swatting a fly and deflected the attack with ease. The creature's sword glowed a faint blue as runes flickered to life along the blade, and it let out a teeth-clattering cackle from its removed skull that instilled a sense of utter dread. For the first time in a long time, I had truly felt things were hopeless.
Even when the Lich surprised us, I still had hope…no matter how much of an oddity that all was. I can't believe this is it. Things…can't end like this.
The four of us exchanged blows with the four Dwarven guards while Twilight tried his best to take down the Dullahan. But the monster was a monster on a different scale as it parried blow after blow from him.
I had always heard that Dullahans were similar to Liches but just far stronger front-line fighters and better in situations like these, but this was different from what the rumors mentioned. This Dullahan was unique, and it was way stronger than any stupid Lich ever was. I'd rather take on two Liches right now than this abomination.
Twilight let out a grunt of frustration, and another sweeping crescent blade left his halberd. The Dullahan sliced it in half with its glowing sword and cackled once more. Twilight disappeared into a shadowy puff and before he even reappeared, the war hammer undead had already reacted to him.
The monster preemptively swung at the spot Twilight was about to appear from, but the swing hit the shadow and went straight through it. Twilight appeared right after and thrust his shadow-clad hand through the creature's bearded skull, shattering it and then disappearing once more.
His shadow crawled across the floor, and he reformed next to us and pushed back the shield Dwarves that were pressing ever closer. We had lost a considerable amount of ground now and were nearly in the same spot we fought the Orcs. If this continued, Ryan was going to be caught up in the battle.
Not that it matted. We were about to get pushed off into the abyss. The platform that should have come and connected us isn't arriving. These damned monsters are controlling the dungeon somehow. Or at least that's what it looked like.
Twilight rushed in front of us and gave another wide swing, forcing the Dwarves back. "Get ready and hold onto each other!" he shouted, his voice filled with anger and frustration.
The bloodlust overwhelming me was forcing any surprise I may have had to be dulled. In a normal situation, I would have been almost happy to hear Twilight show a bit of emotion. But now, not so much.
I could only put all my hopes onto this man to save me. There wasn't a world in which Veme and I could defeat these monsters no matter how hard we tried. We were just that weak compared to them, and a good adventurer always knew their weaknesses.
Veme grabbed hold of me, and I held onto her. Nick and Adrian surrounded Ryan to protect him, and we all watched as Twilight thrust his halberd into the stone beneath him. A large crack ran out, and shadows seeped out, forcing the fissures to grow in size like fingers ripping apart a fruit. The bridge that had withstood an impact from an Ogre was being forced apart.
The bridge rocked and shook violently but eventually, with enough force, the floating platform separated, and we drifted away. It was a rocky ride, and it felt like we were one bad shake away from tumbling down into the abyss.
On the other piece, the Dullahan and his guards just watched us float off. They made no moves to follow us. And instead just turned around and walked away.
I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or something to dread. And I wouldn't feel safe until I got out of this place. I could still feel that monster's dreadful aura seeping into my skin.
Twilight collapsed to his knees and let his now sh2attered halberd fall into the abyss. He started gurgling and coughing. Bloody clumps left his helmet and splashed onto the floor in front of him. His body shook, and he clenched his head onto his thighs and stood up with surprising speed for a man who had just vomited blood.
His helmeted face was red with a bloodied wipe from his gauntlet. He stared down at us, and his intense gaze did not make me feel safe. Suddenly this man went from feeling like a savior to a wild animal ready to attack. But that attack never came, and the intensity of his aura disappeared.
"We are moving non-stop through the dungeon until we reach the outside. We must report this situation and receive treatment. Something is happening within the Iron Citadel that not even I have seen before. This goes far beyond a simple increase in monster activity. People have to know about it," Twilight said in a grave voice.
We all silently nodded. None of us imagined that something like this was going to happen. This wasn't just an unfortunate incident. The only thing that didn't make this a disaster was that none of us had died.
"I'm asking for more danger pay," Nick grumbled.
Yeah, I'm starting to think I want a few Spatial Rings.