I looked on in confusion as the commanders gathered, kneeling in unison. A man in a long robe moved among them, placing his hands on their heads and making a few signs. After this ritual, the commanders rose, taking their designated positions. To my surprise, even Victor and the princess participated in this ceremony.
What they were doing?
''Hey human'' The voice of Baalkaroth spread through my ears,strangely it soundes as if he was worried?
''I have not told you , but don't ever let yourself be touched by a man of the gods?''
''Why not?'' I ask already worried that the answer I was thinking was the right one
''If he try to bless you, he will immediately notice my presence...and it will be over for both me and you'' And I was right, seems like even in this life I would be a church-guy ....
Ok let's calm down, I should walk around them, and maybe they won't notice me, always with a bit of luck .
Deciding to act on it, I turned my head and walked ahead, making sure not to engage in visual contact with anyone, kneeling in the blessing ceremony.Honestly, my heart was beating even faster than when I had my ass beaten by Lucas,as there I could at least have some leverage to make sure I escaped out of that encounter alive, right now instead I had nothing with me and if the priest was to approach me , than it was game over.
Luckily for me, I managed to avoid any prying eye and sure enough, I found myself at the vanguard's head of command.
As I reached the place, I bowed to the princess and greeted Victor alongside another man, quite young, in armor.
I couldn't help but notice the distinctive appearance of the third person. His long, white hair framed a strikingly beautiful face. However, he seemed to have some kind of issue with me as he threw daggers at me with his eyes. Perplexed, I found myself wondering if I had unknowingly offended or crossed paths with this boy. Yet nothing came to mind.
I glanced back at him, finding a sneer on his face, making it clear that our encounter wouldn't be pleasant. The princess, sensing the tension, walked forward, positioning herself between us.
"Allow me to introduce you two. Favian, this is Alistair, the second son of Duke Evergreen and also my cousin. Alistair, meet Favian, the son of Count Delacroix "
Alistair grunted in acknowledgment, his displeasure evident, though I believed he already knew me, he acted as if he did not.
Faced with his displeasure, I reciprocated with a nod, silently knowing already that he would give me lots of issues.Still I did not understand what I had done to him.
Victor, sensing the tension, directed a stern gaze at Alistair ''Stop it Alistair; we are all comrades, and he already made a great contribution to the kingdom.So show him the respect he deserve''
Alistair halted his hostile demeanor, nodding reluctantly. I couldn't help but notice a subtle admiration for Victor in his eyes.
Giving out a sigh, Victor then declared that it was time to proceed as he announced the march of the army. Instead of going on horseback, we, the commanding party, opted to move on foot, recognizing the impracticality of maneuvering through the dungeon terrain with horses.The army followed suit, and we advanced toward the entrance of the dungeon.
The dungeon entrance was a big, dark cave, lit by flickering torches on the walls.It's a good thing that we are not in the dark.....nonetheless it still created a spooky atmosphere as we walked in. The strange light from the torches played jokes with our eyes , luckily, Victor turned toward the mages acknowledging the problem.
They nodded and pulled out sticks covered in writings. I smiled, recognizing them as nothing less than mana torches. A single one of these magical torches could easily illuminate an entire house by itself. The magicians threw these sticks far away, and as they landed, they lit up, casting a bright light that allowed us to see the way ahead in the cavernous dungeon.
Looking around, I noticed lots of small holes in the cave walls. They were different shapes and scattered all over the rocky surface. I couldn't help but wonder what these holes were for , nonetheless I quickly brought them on the back of my mind as I went forward.
As I walked alongside the commanders, the princess turned toward me, her gaze curious.
As always....
"May I ask something, Favian?" She spoke her eyed drawn to mine
"You may, Your Highness," I replied, knowing well that even if I had declined, she would have pressed on.
"Why were you not there to get blessed? I noticed you going the other way when the priest started blessing us."
I paused for a moment before resuming my pace, offering no immediate answer. What the hell was I supposed to tell her? That there was a demon inside me? Nah, let's play it cool.
"I... I believe that it won't matter. If I am destined to die, the gods will have already decided my fate, and I believe that only my ability will dictate whetever I live or die ." I stopped, giving a theatrical pause before continuing. "Once upon a time, I prayed and prayed for something to happen, or better yet, to not happen. Yet, she had not answered.From that moment on I decided, that I would rely on myself alone..."
Let's hope she buys it.
"I see," she responded before walking ahead, casting a sidelong glance at me, which I pretended not to notice.
Victor slowed down as we reached a fork in the road, turning towards me. "Do you know the way ahead?" he inquired, before I myself inquired to Baalkaroth
''Oi human go right, I can feel the most flies towards there'' Was my dog's response
''Last time sir , I went right so I would go there again'' I replied Victor looked at me for a bit before nodding and leading the men forward
I looked around, a sense of unease creeping over me. I asked Baalkaroth if he felt anything, but he responded with a simple "no." It struck me as strange – not even a hint of a monster in the vicinity,
''Are you sure there are thousands of monsters in here?'' I asked Baalkaroth in a small voice
''Are you doubting my abilities, mortal?'' I ignored him , that's strange there should be at least a few monsters, we have walked for ten minutes already....
I approached Victor and quietly asked, "Can I few words with you sir?"
Victor looked at me attentively and nodded. Taking a step closer, I whispered, "It feels strange. We haven't encountered a single monster, and I fear they might have something planned."
Victor gazed at me for a moment before asking, "Do you have any hypotheses?"
I replied, "The dungeon master should have had at least half an hour to prepare for our arrival. He might have recalled his monsters, choosing to fortify a defensible position, or perhaps he's setting up a trap."
Victor remained silent, absorbing my words. Eventually, he nodded and said, "I'll keep that in mind."
Well I did my part...I will now let the professionals deal with it.
The thing was, however that there was that gut feeling that something was wrong, and usually my guts are right, nonetheless, the only thing I could do was to watch the place carefully, as I tried to spot the source of my unease.