Chương 21: Dungeon Defeated

"I'll be damned… you actually survived," a voice said, awaking Oscar. Amidst a pile of rubble and ruin, Oscar woke up dazed and confused. As clarity restored itself, he did a frantic check of his body to ensure he was still in one piece. Thanks to [Negate], it seemed that he was mostly fine. The last thing he remembered was the glorious explosion and then the blast had sent him crashing backwards until he hit this far wall. It had been a miracle that no debris had fallen on him while he was unconscious.

The shield had protected him from the flames as well, so aside from some cuts and bruises, he was fine.

"Bruno, is Dan…"

"Both him and Peeper have been burnt to ashes," Bruno stated, as if it were nothing to him.

"He had to die, Oscar. Were he to be allowed to be free, there's no telling what he might've done."

"And I'm the exception? Is that it? Dan was a good man. We shouldn't have been so rash to decide his fate," Oscar said. Bruno snorted and offered a hand.

"You're not an exception, you're a tool. By all means, I should have killed you already. But I didn't because I think you can be a valuable asset for stopping Calus. And if there are more dungeons like this with more of Calus' personal experiments, then I want the insight you may provide." Oscar was about to inform him that Calus seemed particularly keen on him dying to some of the other dungeon masters, but decided it was likely best he kept that information to himself.

Despite Bruno's cold words, the outstretched hand and small grin he'd adopted told Oscar that he was genuinely glad to see him still alive.

"How's Gita and Emily?" Oscar asked.

"Emily's still knocked out, but it's good exercise for Gita to lug that pompous [Mage], so that's one positive," Bruno replied and then lifted Oscar up.

"A doorway behind the throne has appeared. I'm assuming that the exit lies beyond." Emily entered the chamber with Emily slung over her shoulder. After she had reached them, she dropped Emily and sat down, looking at Bruno in defiance.

"This bitch is heavy! Bruno, you take her. I'm done."

"I did a lot of fighting while all you did was get your ass beat, so tough it out and let's get a move on. The exit is up ahead."

"I didn't get my ass beat! This was an unfair fight for me to be thrown into. If anything, I think I did really well for only being a level one." Oscar sighed and walked away from the bickering. He stopped as he approached the ashy remains of Feras and Dan. There really was nothing left. Both of them had been cremated, both mixed together into one pile.

"Rest easy, Dan," Oscar whispered.

"Nothing for my dear brother? How cruel of you, Oscar," Calus said as he stooped down in front of him.

"I never thought I'd see him again, and truthfully, I don't know how you even found your way in here. I never got the chance to properly attune the gate to appear on the surface," Calus said.

"I'd assume something has shifted within the Abyss. The rest will may begin to populate around the world, assuming they haven't already. You got lucky with this dungeon being my brothers as he was by far the weakest out of all of the Aegis I created." There was nothing Oscar wanted to say in response, so he didn't. Best that he left this accursed dungeon and be rid of Calus' presence for the time being. He'd seen enough of what that man could do, he didn't want to hear him anymore.

Oscar stood up from the remains and headed for the new door that had appeared. The others were already there. Bruno had apparently relented and was now carrying Emily. As he noticed him approach, he gestured for Gita to push open the strangely plain looking door. The room was circular and plain, with just a singular chest lying in the middle on a slightly elevated floor. A similar archway like the one that had brought them into this dungeon laid behind the chest.

The chest was ridiculously lavish with different gemstones and seemingly being made entirely of gold. Bruno let out a whistle as he noticed the chest.

"Well, well… looks like Calus couldn't resist adding some actual loot to his shitty little dungeon," Bruno said.

"Go ahead, Oscar. Take a look and see what sort of valuables the bane of humanity has decided to offer us." Despite himself and what he'd just gone through, Oscar couldn't suppress the feeling of giddiness rising in his chest. He had to look at the bright side of the situation, didn't he? And boss loot was most definitely something to make him feel better. So, with eager hands, he pushed open the chests lid and felt his eyes preemptively widen at…

"It's a… gold ring. A plain, boring, basic gold ring," Oscar said dejectedly.

"Normally I'd advise you to bring it to an [Appraiser], but given the source… perhaps we save it for someone I trust to handle potential corrupted artifacts," Bruno said. Gita snatched the ring out of Oscar's hands and slipped it onto her ring finger.

"Don't be such pussies. We endured and defeated this dungeon, the law says that we must be rewarded fairly. Even Calus would respect that," she said and flexed her newly adorned hand.

"Perhaps the single most idiotic thing I've seen you do, Gita. I mean after what we've been through down here, do you really think that Calus cares about fair?" Oscar asked. Gita didn't respond as she began to flail her hand around in desperation." Get it off!" she shouted. Oscar grabbed her hand and tried to pull the ring off, but she yanked her hand back and laughed.

"I'm fuckin' with ya. It's fine, I'm fine… But I don't feel anything magical from it either."

"Take the stupid ring off before something does happen," Bruno said with a sigh.

"Like I said, I know someone that could safely appraise the ring and tell us what it does. But that'll have to wait until I finish my business in Dynarus. This has become quite the detour, and we really must get a move on." Gita pulled the ring off and handed it Bruno, who stuffed it inside one of his many pockets. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Bruno hauled Emily towards the archway and stepped through with a staggering amount of confidence.

No one really knew if this was the real exit out, but Bruno seemed to believe it was apparently. He disappeared instantly, leaving Gita and Oscar alone. Gita cursed once and stepped through as well, with Oscar right behind her. Oscar left the dungeon and prayed he'd never step foot in another one of these infernal creations.

The cold night greeted Oscar as he stepped back into the real world. For the first time since being in this world, he noticed just how massive the moon of this world was. As a result, the night wasn't all too dark. He could see the town of Ascot off in the distance, the lights from their lanterns and torches illuminating the tragic place. He turned around and noted that the archway had disappeared. Hopefully it'd stay that way now that Peeper—now that Feras was dead.

With him gone, the dungeon likely wouldn't pose a threat even should it reappear. Emily finally began to stir. Bruno sat her onto the ground and instantly dodged back as Emily tried to headbutt him.

"Easy! We're free now and out of the dungeon," he said gently.

"Fuck you! Where's Dan?" Emily demanded.

"Dead," Oscar replied.

"He made a brave final stand against Peeper and managed to hold him off long enough until he exploded." Emily snarled and grabbed her staff that had been attached to Bruno's back.

"I should kill you all! Dan wasn't going to go crazy; that's just a lie like the one you said about Dorian!" A beam of light began to materialize in front of her staff's gem. Oscar was too tired to be scared, so he stepped in front of the staff.

"I'm sorry, Emily. For both Dorian and Dan. I don't know what I can do other than say I'm sorry…" Emily powered down her staff but didn't calm down.

"What am I supposed to do with your sorries? I'm alone now…"

"Perhaps go back to Rora Ark," Bruno said, causing Emily to look briefly shocked.

"Come on now, a [Mage] that can cast [Omnibolt]? Even if the spell wasn't complete, that's not a spell taught to young [Mages] such as yourself… unless you're a prodigy or nobility at Rora Ark."

"I'm not as important as you're thinking. Neither was Dan," Emily replied.

"Well, I suppose we could've been had we not forsaken our titles. There's something about being born from one of the [King's] many concubines and tossed to the side as an emergency backup option that tends to leave one filled with disdain. I threw myself in the magical arts, while Dan studied archery. With all that's going on in Kor… our rights to rule have returned, but who'd listen to two children that'd thrown their life of luxury away?" Bruno laughed once and threw his shoulders up.

"That's the false beauty that Kor provides, is it not? The illusion of anyone being capable of ascending to power, regardless of past mistakes and station. So long as you can play their secret games and persuade those at the top to back you, that is. Which is why you're out here, right? To return more powerful."

"Partially, I suppose. For awhile, Dorian wanted to just run away from Kor forever. Which was easier for him than it was for Dan and myself, as he was truly lowborn," Emily said.

"I… don't know what to do now. It was supposed to be the three of us that returned and campaigned for a better Kor. And now it's just… me. Alone with my grief and rage, aimed at that damned dungeon, as well as my own home…" This conversation was beyond Oscar, so he just listened. Gita however, did not possess the same courtesy.

"Why not join an adventuring group? Bruno might be pissed at me for saying this but there's going to be more of what we just experienced in the future. You want to be mad? Then be mad at the fucker that caused all of this, not us. Get stronger, and then get revenge." Emily contemplated that, seemingly amused by the idea.

"And who exactly is the person responsible for what we went through?" Bruno smacked the back of Gita's head.

"Telling you their name is dangerous. Were you to go home and spread their name, you'd cause a panic that'd become a widespread uproar," Emily started to protest, but Bruno cut her off and continued.

"But… it would seem that the situation is escalating far beyond what I had anticipated. It's likely only a matter of time before the truth gets out. So, if you swear to not return home… I'll tell you the name."

"Kor has nothing for me right now. It's a land full of jealousy and deceit; each man, woman and Shiftling all competing for power in a cutthroat game meant to sate their fragile egos. All because one man was able to slaughter every single high-ranking official within the kingdom, including our [King]," Emily said.

"I have no intentions on returning home until I know I can win their stupid little game and bring peace back to my people. I swear to you that I shall not return to Kor with your information until I've become the [Mage] that Dan believed me capable of becoming."

"Uh, wait, one man did what to your kingdom?" Gita asked.

"How do you not know this? Melchior LeBlanc, the Thorn of Creation? He's a traitor to my people, but not someone easily able to be hunted. He's an incredible mage that performs at a gold-rank in most schools of magic. His specialty, though, is illusions, so catching him is damn near impossible," Emily explained.

"Dan used to worship him, you know? He has essentially zero mana, so he lived through Melchior."

"The only man in Kor's existence to reject the class and title of [Archmagus]. A truly ridiculous man whose motives remain a mystery even today," Bruno said.

"Whatever his motives were, Melchior has thrown Kor in a frantic battle for succession across the whole kingdom," Emily said.

"When the time comes, it'll be a small comfort knowing I have at least someone in my corner."

"Now… nothing is without cost, dear Emily," Bruno said.

"The cost being… I want your support when the time comes. As much as I'd like to believe us capable of stopping Calus from returning, that man was one of the greatest minds this world had ever seen for a reason. Should we fail, I'll need this world as united as possible. So, I fully plan on using you and your status to pressure other rulers and nations to cooperate."

"Calus…" Emily muttered with such venom that Oscar thought she was engraving the name into her brain.

"I can agree to that. Of course, you should expect that this is an investment that very well may not pay off for you. I can make no promises that I can win their imaginary little game of power… but I shall try. And should I win, you can promise that I will do whatever I can to aid you in destroying this… Calus. I want to mourn my brother, but I know should I allow myself anymore grief… I'll drown in it. And since my grief comes in the form of destruction...

I'll instead put my focus into becoming stronger so that I can rule my people… and to one day see Calus dead." Bruno stuck his hand out and Emily shook it, sealing their deal. An idea popped into Oscar's head then.

"Why don't you head for Byn? It's to the west of Dynarus, but I have a friend there looking to join up with a group. His name is Brock."

"Byn? I don't believe I know of the place…" Emily admitted.

"I studied a lot of geography before leaving Kor, but I can't recall such a town."

"It's a small town. Primarily a resting point for [Adventurers]. Not commonly mentioned unless you're apart of that lifestyle," Bruno said.

"I reckon if you start heading there tonight, you'd arrive around the same time as Brock." Emily pondered on that for a minute before finally coming to a decision.

"Fine. That's what I'll do," she said and then reached inside her robes and handed Bruno some strange thin stone engraved with an insignia of an owl.

"For when you go to Kor. I don't know when you plan on going there, but I'm assuming it's no time soon. But when you do, show this to the Judith Rowe. She's a professor at Rora Ark that'll help you… Assuming she hasn't fallen victim to the succession games." Bruno accepted the stone and pocketed it.

"I wish we had met under better circumstances, Emily, but alas… I'm afraid this is the standard for me. Truly, I am sorry for both your brother and Dorian."

"It's true. Right after we met him, we were attacked by this insane old geezer that burned the whole town down," Gita said and then offered her hand out to Emily as well.

"Not often I meet someone as bitchy as myself… And that's why I hope we see each other again one day."

"Out of the three of you, I don't mind you the most, Gita," Emily said and accepted the handshake. Oscar tried to do the same, but she gave him such a hateful look that he thought she'd kill him right then.

"I can only pray that you die before fate interweaves our paths together again," she spat out and then walked off away from the trio. Oscar stood there in a stunned silence, his hand still outstretched. Bruno chuckled and slapped him on the back.

"Quite the lady killer you are, boy. Give her some time and I think you two might just fall in love."

"I don't think that's going to be happening…" Oscar said.

"Perhaps not, but hey, look forward to Dynarus," Bruno said.

"Nothing bad ever happens there because it's already the worst. But… the damn place played a massive part in making me the man I am today, so maybe you two should look forward to the experience." Both Oscar and Gita both shared a look and groaned in unison. After a brief bout of traveling in the night, Bruno finally stopped them and granted the sweet temporary relief of sleep. The sleep was shit.

He was plagued by visions of Peeper and fragments of the memories that he'd been forced to endure for the short amount of time. Right before he awoke, that voice spoke to him and granted him something unique. Level Increase! [Abyssal Acolyte Level 6] Level Increase! [Abyssal Acolyte Level 7] Class Unique Milestone Achieved! Aegis: Feras Caloway has been slain! Reward: (1) Soul Fragment. Acquire (1) more Soul Fragment to merge!