"I think you too greatly to destroy, this is not the work of magic, this is an expertise I have yet to venture into."
The machine laid on its legs unmoving and a purple glow emanated from Tiagon's hands, black squirmy threads came from it and crept on the machine, and then it was pulled into Tiagon's' hand, he had moved the machine into his subspace.
Silence followed, Tiagon stood staring at the door forward while Aarin struggled to keep her eyes off Erin's body.
"What do we do with her body?" Turan spoke for the first time since entering the dungeon.
"Are we just going to leave it?" She continued.
'Ahh, these darn rites that people hold, what purpose does it serve?'
"What do you suppose we do to it? We can't take it out neither can we take it with us." He said.
"But…" she couldn't find the words and she looked to Aarin for support but Aarin looked away seemingly ashamed.
Tiagon continued his walk, he was about three meters to the door when the floor on which his right leg stood depressed, he suddenly pulled it back and he heard a twang and then a sharp whistle, telepathically he immediately conjured up a shield of mana all around.
An arrow struck his shield just on spot to his head and it had come from a hole in the door. It fell and Tiagon undid his shield and continued.
He was at the door, his right hand was practically resting on it and then a thought came across his mind.
'This is terrible, I ha chose to lead and now I'm walking away from my word, a good leader I am.'
Although they were proving to be difficult with their reactions and their low alertness, he had agreed to lead them through the dungeon.
He sighed and then turned to the ladies, he looked at Erin's body laying on a pool of blood and her head was a couple of meters away.
Although he didn't care much about the culture of many people in the past, he did his best to respect them and he was aware that Erin had developed a bond with the women and that they couldn't just leave her body.
"Turan, let's bury her." He announced and the Salamander-like demon nodded in response.
They both lowered a corner of the room with Earth magic and they took her body–her head placed on the neck and gently placed her on the lowered spot.
Aarin just side-glanced from the distance. The two then covered the spot and Tiagon with his index finger created a fire blade and carved out her name on the spot.
The team found courage, they were willing to continue now although they weren't as encouraged as before the blow.
Tiagon pushed the door to the next and what he saw was a staircase that led to a dark bottom.
He threw up a wisp of fire that lightened the area and then they walked further down.
"Ohh!" Tiagon let out as he spotted a chest leaning against the wall.
"The dungeon hasn't been cleared after all."
He walked to it and tried opening it but it was shut tight, it was time for metal magic to come into play.
He clenched his right fist and the chest's top, its cover broke off and Tiagon placed it by the side.
A grimoire, tubes containing colored liquids laid in it.
Tiagon took up the book, he looked at Turan and Aarin and they had no objection.
He read the cover, 'A Grimoire of Plant spells by Aladin Geni.'
'Plant magic? That may come in handy later.'
He then slid it into his robe, the tubes on the other hand didn't really interest him.
"Any of you an Alchemist?"
He received no answer and then, he proceeded to place them into his pockets.
They continued down the never-ending stairs when the group heard something moved, Aarin who was at the back had stepped on a wrong side and the walls by their sides, about three rows and ten meters opened up and contraptions released breathes of flame.
Tiagon immediately conjured up a rectangular Mana shield that held everyone in enduring the attack till it stopped and they continued down.
And then the steps stopped, only darkness continued.
Tiagon then enlarged the flame and sent it forward, there was really nothing past the step he stood on, a bit further and the light revealed a black human-sized door that levitated in the darkness, nothing attached to it.
"Time to fly."
He activated 'levitation' and went afloat. The ladies followed his doing and levitated as well.
Tiagon conjured up three more balls of fire, a large one to brighten up above and two beneath them as a precaution.
They slowly hovered to the door and it opened by itself as they zoomed forward.
They passed through it, a bright light shone forcing them to close their eyes and out of nowhere, they fell in a room.
Tiagon used levitation to hit himself meanwhile the girls fell on the ground terribly but they sustained no worrying injuries.
Tiagon looked behind and saw a large gigantic door of stone and then he looked around and spotted multiple large doors encircling them.
He also spotted two mages, they were both elves and they looked to be twins and middle-aged. They both stood in front of a door glaring at the center.
'Others haven't reached here yet.' he thought then his eyes widened as he spotted a new entity, how did he not take notice of it when he first entered?, it had been sitting at the center the whole time unmoving like it was stone and yet it was living.
That thing, Tiagon couldn't tell what it was, he had never seen anything like it but it had so much magic stored within it, one that was greater, much greater than the Basilisk he had fought.
The creature sitting was a grey humanoid creature with a shriveled physique, it was hunched back and it had thick strands of white hair that ran down its back and blocked most of its face, pointed ears pierced through the mess of hair and Tiagon also saw that it had fiery scales on its forearms, large ones that it seemed like it was a gauntlet.
"What is it doing?"