For a week, Lucian and Edric had been studying the city, trying to uncover how people entered the secret room beneath the tavern. Each passing day made Lucian more impatient—he was itching for action. These stealth missions, gathering intelligence and sneaking around, had never been his style. He preferred battle, and he didn't have to wait much longer for an opportunity.
One evening, like every night before, the two sat in the tavern, drinking beer and observing the situation when a drunken fool stumbled towards them, acting aggressively and provoking a fight. Lucian immediately wanted to stand up and beat him to a pulp, but as usual, Edric stopped him.
However, the drunk turned toward Edric, muttered something incomprehensible, and then suddenly swung at Lucian, hoping to catch him off guard. That didn't work. Lucian caught the man's fist effortlessly, grinning as he realized he finally had an excuse to cause chaos. Edric knew it was too late to stop him now.
Lucian lifted the drunkard off the ground as if he were a sack of flour and slammed him into the floor. The man's friends immediately jumped in, and an all-out brawl erupted in the tavern. Lucian threw people around like ragdolls, intentionally flinging one toward the bartender to cause as much commotion as possible. Meanwhile, Edric took the opportunity to sneak toward the back rooms of the tavern, searching for anything suspicious.
At first glance, it seemed to be nothing more than a standard storage room, but as he examined the barrels, he found one concealing a secret passage. Edric quickly descended into the underground chamber. The sight that awaited him was disturbing—a massive laboratory. Bloodstains covered several areas, particularly around chairs that looked like they had been used for experiments.
While searching, he discovered a thick book that seemed to document the results of these experiments. Deciding to investigate later, he grabbed the book and prepared to leave. Just as he was about to exit, he noticed a tunnel leading deeper underground but didn't have time to explore it now. He needed to get out before the fight above ended.
When Edric returned, the brawl was nearing its conclusion. Thankfully, Lucian hadn't killed anyone—he hadn't even used Inveris—but the entire tavern was wrecked, and everyone was exhausted. Edric walked up to Lucian, smacked him on the shoulder, and loudly apologized on his friend's behalf.
The bartender, looking at the devastation around him, growled, "Someone's gotta pay for all this."
Without hesitation, Edric tossed him five gold coins. "That should cover it."
The two left the tavern, heading back to their inn. As they walked, Lucian turned to Edric. "So, did you find anything?"
Edric explained everything, and with renewed curiosity, they rushed back to their room to examine the book.
Inside, they uncovered disturbing details—the criminals had been injecting people with a mixture of concentrated Gaianis from the air and Gaianis extracted from human sacrifices. Their goal was to create artificial relics, essentially forging a secondary Ascen core within the test subjects, primarily composed of human souls. These artificial cores functioned as a new source of Ascen, much like relics, but with horrific consequences. Most subjects mutated into grotesque hybrid abominations, merging with the sacrificed individuals, while a rare few successfully internalized their artificial core, gaining its elemental power at the cost of their humanity.
The book alone provided enough evidence to shut down the tavern and arrest everyone involved. That night, Lucian and Edric snuck out into the forest to retrieve Lucian's sword, preparing for the coming battle.
At dawn, Lucian and Edric stormed into the tavern.
Edric immediately used Wood Gaianis to block the doors, sealing everyone inside. Lucian stepped forward, his voice booming.
"Everyone involved in the experiments below, you're under arrest. We don't know exactly who's guilty yet, so for now, everyone is coming with us until we figure it out."
At that moment, about fifteen men stood up—many of them familiar faces from the previous night's brawl.
"You'd be smart not to meddle in our affairs," one of them sneered.
Then it happened.
Their bodies began to change—twisting, contorting, growing. Their skin ripped apart, revealing grotesque forms beneath. Extra limbs sprouted from unnatural places. Faces appeared where there shouldn't be any, distorting their already monstrous appearances. Some were massive hulks, others smaller but no less horrifying. Each transformation was unique, but they were all inhuman.
Lucian and Edric exchanged a glance.
"Alright," Lucian grinned, igniting his sword. "Let's get to work."
Lucian charged in, cutting through the creatures with ease, his flaming sword leaving burning gashes in their flesh. Meanwhile, Edric used Wood Gaianis to immobilize enemies, restricting their movement, while launching Mud Gaianis at their faces, attempting to suffocate them. But he quickly realized that these abominations could breathe through every face on their body. If he wanted to suffocate them, he'd have to cover every single face.
The battle was over in minutes. When the dust settled, only one person remained alive—the bartender.
Lucian grabbed him and forced him into a chair. "Who's in charge?"
The bartender, sweating profusely, stammered, "I-I can't tell you! They'll kill me!"
Lucian leaned in, his burning sword hovering near the man's face. "Buddy, if you don't talk, I will kill you."
The bartender gulped. "It's Nyxian! The owner of this tavern! But—he left yesterday. He said he had business in Eryndor."
Edric immediately dashed upstairs to Nyxian's room, searching for anything useful. The place was nearly spotless, all personal belongings removed—except for a single notebook on the desk.
Opening it, Edric read the first page:
Greetings, Legio Obscura Number 6.
I noticed you investigating my operations. You were amusing to watch, but you acted far too late. On your first day, you should have stormed in and uncovered everything. But I knew you wouldn't—you follow the rules.
So, I've left you a gift.
I've planted bombs throughout the city. I doubt you'll find them all. They will detonate at noon. I hope you have enough time to run.
Edric's blood ran cold. He sprinted downstairs, bursting into the tavern. "Lucian, what time is it?"
Lucian glanced at a Gaianis-powered clock. "It's 11:23."
Edric's voice was sharp. "We have thirty-seven minutes to evacuate the entire city."
Without hesitation, they sprang into action.
With only four minutes to spare, the last citizen fled to safety. Then, at exactly noon—
The city exploded.
Sylvica was reduced to rubble, erased from the map.
End of Chapter 24.