Zarek, farther in the back, watched the people around, all huddled together to be the first to claim the treasures once the barrier came down.
However, his purpose for watching the people was to find a particular somebody. He ignored his fellow Sunbound members he spotted and focused on the ones who might have the face James was wearing.
But then his attention fell on another group clustered together and although they were among the others, anyone with a two-bit brain could tell they were a separate class.
From the way the men stood around them protectively and looked around, he would be a fool to fail to recognize them.
'Nobles.'
He narrowed his eyes, paying attention to their movements.
'They must be the ones that Feryn fella is connected with.' He thought. 'Speaking of that Feryn, where the hell is he?'
After failing to find him among the nobles gathered there, he took out his communicator to find the rune of Feryn only to be shocked.
"He's dead?"
A slight bellow escaped him when he found Feryn's rune missing.
'Did James get to him or someone else did?' He wasn't sure and he didn't care.
Suddenly, the entire space shook heavily as many fell over while cursing out loudly.
"Look! The barrier. It's coming down!"
The shout drew everyone's attention to the barrier as they struggled to regain their footing and prepare for what was to come.
'This is going to be a bloodbath.'
Zare thought and backed away gradually. He also noticed some of the others doing the same instead of trying to get ahead.
'This is way too easy.'
That was his honest thoughts looking at all that opened treasures. Getting the resources of a paragon in their inheritance space was never that easy.
'There's always a catch.'
As if on command, the rumbling space receded as the barrier slowly came down from the top along the emergence of a bright light that forced everyone to look away.
"AH! Too bright!"
Many exclaimed in annoyance, trying to look through the bright light but to no avail. They could only wait for the light to die down before they could move.
Additionally, many had come to realize that not everyone was that eager to rush in for the treasures, making them understand that they were overlooking the dangers that might be associated with whatever the treasures were.
Finally, the lights disappeared and when they opened their eyes to gaze at the treasures that awaited them, they were instead greeted by two individuals who appeared out of nowhere with confusion in their eyes.
"Huh? Who are those two? And where are the spells and the artefacts?!"
The adventurers narrowed their eyes at the two strangers, suspecting they might have taken everything.
But that wasn't possible as there were simply too many things to take and under the gazes of everyone there, there was no way they could have taken everything in the time the bright light came and went.
'Thalia!'
However, not everyone cared about the treasures as Zarek spotted the person he desperately wanted to see. His expression brightened and when he turned to look at James, he gritted his teeth with clenched fists.
'The bastard!'
"What are you talking about?"
James asked looking at the people gathered in here. He suspected the teleportation spell would send them someplace unpleasant but he never guessed it would be in the presence of a greedy mob awaiting treasures.
'It can't be a coincidence.'
Behind him, Thalia held onto her staff and looked around cautiously, not liking the looks in the people's eyes.
She moved to shield herself from their penetrating gaze that wanted to bore holes in her body.
"Don't play dumb with us. Bring out your stage rings and let's search it." Someone suggested in outrage, feeling riled up for not getting what he came here for.
His proposition was daylight robbery, but everyone was feeling cheated and without a proper explanation, they weren't going to let the matter slide.
It was either James folded or they bounced on them. The choice was his.
James did not like the sound of that one bit, feeling his anger rising and threatening to explode.
Then, a bit of his foreboding and chill-inducing aura came out and the people flinched as if they had seen a demon.
The glow of his eyes for a moment made them consider their words, but they gritted their teeth and stood their ground, not relenting.
'We won't ask again,' The man suggested.
In the back, Alaric and the others looked at the man closely as they did not recognize him, yet Alaric and Selene felt a familiar aura coming from him.
Only when Maelis muttered something did it click. "Isn't he the face that Feryn sent us earlier?"
His question abruptly caused the others to turn to him and then back to James who was almost boiling in anger as his aura continually seeped though not potent enough to put anyone in their place.
But then the space trembled once more, catching everyone off guard as the walls shook and rubbles fell from above.
"The walls are opening!"
Someone close to the walls yelled, promptly them to look in their area and true to what was heard, the walls appeared to be opening up.
Knowing what that could possibly mean, people began backing away from the walls, yet made sure to keep James in their sight.
Zarek on the other hand had been on the move the moment he spotted Thalia and James as he approached them while hiding behind the people.
A cold breeze swept through the now-open walls, sending chills down the people's spines as they swallowed their rising fear.
"Something is coming out!"
Another yelled when abruptly something rushed out of one of the many openings. Then followed by another from the other openings as the numbers increased.
*ROARRR….!*
*ROARRR….!*
Multiple deafening roars were heard above everyone's head and when they looked up, they saw what came out of the openings.
"Are those dragons?!"
"Ahhh….!"
Then all hell broke loose as the dragon-looking creatures flew around and began shooting fire breaths down at the adventurers.
The creatures weren't as large as described in books but they were still larger than most monsters they face.
Finally, something much larger than the ones flying around flew out and floated above everything, the aura it gave off causing many to freeze in their tracks.
In its eyes, one could clearly see intelligence no less than humans as its condescending gaze fell on the people running around and trying to fight back.
Yet the most surprising part was what happened next; the creature spoke.
"FOOLS!"
The first word it uttered was an insult that froze many more and forced them to cover their ears, yet that action caused many to take on more damage and burns with some losing their lives in the process.
"HUMANS AND THEIR GREEDINESS NEVER CHANGE. DID YOU REALLY THINK TREASURES OF SUCH KIND WOULD JUST BE LYING AROUND?"
Every word it spoke caused small shockwaves in the air.
"FROM THE VERY BEGINNING YOU WERE WARNED NOT EVERYTHING IS AS IT SEEMS.
"YET LOOK AT YOUR NUMBERS.
"FOR YOUR HUBRIS IN THINKING YOU DESERVE ANYTHING HERE, YOU SHALL FORFIET YOUR LIVES!!
"MY CHILDREN, LAY WASTE TO THESE MORONS!"
It let out a mighty roar at the end as the smaller dragonewts increased their ferocious charge. They bit, clawed and spewed flames at the people.
James watched everything with a calm gaze and like before he felt nothing. No fear, no anything.
He did, however, make sure to protect Thalia from harm as the few dragonewts that came his way, he shot out of the skies with a beam from his fingers.
The leader of the creatures looked over to James with narrowed slits before turning its head away and surprisingly no more dragonewts come his way.
'It knows…'
James figured that might be the reason. He turned around, moving to search for a way out of this mess when a familiar voice he couldn't forget even if he wanted to call out his name.
"James!"
James froze in his tracks the moment he heard the voice and his steps faltered. Suddenly, a burning sensation rose from the depths of his being.
It burned with such ferocity that the aura James had been suppressing all this while gushed out like a torrential wave.
It was so overbearing that the people close by felt it as some passed out and even the dragonewts and their leader turned to look at James for a moment before moving away.
It was as if they had no interest in whatever was happening and only focused on the people attempting to leave the chamber through the holes in the walls and the staircase.
Thalia by his side noticed the dark expression on his face and when James turned to look at her, she recoiled in fright looking at his eyes that took on a completely red hue.
*Gulp*
She gulped in absolute horror, this time feeling the killing intent James gave off. Then she saw James mutter under his breath.
"Leave…"
One word but Thalia didn't hesitate to step away from him. She knew things were about to get really bloody here and to stay safe, she had to keep her distance.
James's breath came out in heavy pants as he struggled to control the fire in him. It burned so strongly that his body would have been set ablaze if a flame had been thrown his way.
Around his body was a palpable bloody aura that screamed kill, kill, kill.
'Fucking traitors!'
He sharply turned his head around and when Alaric and others saw his eyes, they trembled and hesitated in stepping forward.
The fire in his eyes made their instincts sound warning bells of extreme danger, telling them to get out of there.
As the young heirs and their men froze in fear from James's gaze and tyrannical aura, the shadows of Alaric, Caelum, Varek and Maelis flickered as they seemed to separate from separate and escape the main shadows.
Then the shadows moved away from the heirs and moved into the darker areas of the space that was now filled with the scent of blood, burning flesh, and all manner of foul smells.
Will James come out on top and defeat his traitors or would he fall prey to the machinations of those above him?