Chương 21: Interlude 1

Supreme Warlady Elena Burnstock"The Last Bastion," I said with a smile as I looked at the giant doorway in the distance. Even with the compass in my possession, finding this place on the 20 th layer was always a hassle. My Squires remained alert behind me. They would never drop their guard in the dungeon. That was why they had survived long enough to become my Squires. I strode forward and saw that Legend Dominator Sorus was on watch duty. He was nearing the end of his life, having reached nearly half a millennium.

"Oh, back already? I thought you went off and had a kid?" he asked as I strode forward. He kept his eyes shut and his sword resting on his lap as he sat on the frail chair in front of the large doorway leading inside the only human outpost in the dungeon. He enjoyed standing up rapidly and his chair shattering to frighten new arrivals.

"I did, and now I am here for some items and to find someone. A poison, stealth, and a cursed tier 6 skill using legend," I declared. Sorus slowly opened his eyes to look at me. My skills reflected his attempt at divination, and I gently placed my hand on the hilt of my sword. If he wanted to get cute and bully me like he had in the past, I wouldn't hesitate to remove his head and teach him a lesson.

"Peace, peace. Just confirming you aren't a monster. There was an incident a couple of years ago. Two people were murdered in their sleep. An Abnormal pretended to be human. It was an enormous scandal," he said, and I nodded, removing my hand from the hilt of my blade.

"Is the Legendary Alchemist Footworth still alive?"

"Of course. I can't die before that old goat. He is almost at a millennium, the bastard. I swear he has a secret super Elixir that keeps giving Vitality. You and your Squires may pass. Welcome back to the Last Bastion, Supreme Warlady," he said with a smirk. I disliked the title 'Warlady,' but I didn't have the strength to argue against it when it was first given to me. Now, I don't care enough to make a fuss. I had other business to deal with, and I didn't lower myself to respond.

They gave the titles as a form of humility. Anyone who kept their title was welcome to return. If they didn't, then they wouldn't be let back in. They named me Warlady because fighting in so many wars outside the dungeon was considered a black mark in my history. It was a subtle poke at my accomplishments, having to carve my path. If the legends living here hadn't done that for everyone who reached level 100, then I would have been enraged.

Now it was just a small joke of minor importance, like sand between my toes. Annoying, but not fatal. Sorus pulled out a communicator and muttered a passphrase that even I couldn't overhear. The massive doorway to the Last Bastion slowly opened. I strode forward without hesitation. The cavern containing this fortress and settlement was neither large nor small. There were around 100 buildings carved into the stone itself. Stretching from the floor to the ceiling, filling up the entire cavern.

"Payment for entry," a bored-looking guard said. He was only an elite, but was probably paying off some debt, and was forced to work on processing entry fees. I tossed a spatial pouch onto the table.

"For me and my three Squires. That should cover me for quite a while. Squire Jessica, ensure proper handling of it." I didn't wait for a response as I strode off. All food, building materials, and other supplies had to be brought down from the surface. If someone didn't bring enough goods with them to cover the entry fee, they had to work it off, just like the guard. I would be good for the next decade with how much I have brought down. It was a minor thing and something I had planned a long time ago.

I didn't think I would be back so soon, but it was a minor inconvenience. The streets barely had any people. Only elites, those over level 80, could make it down here on their own. Many legends were said to have been drinking or resting the remainder of their lives down here in peace. It was a retirement home for the truly strong. A place that filled me with disgust at their complacency and at the slavery. They would bring people down here with low levels who had no way of escaping.

If these people refused to serve, they would starve, or someone would use them in an experiment. That was why I was a supreme legend, and they were mostly gutter trash, not even worth a second look. I hated such degeneracy. Instead of working to reach the bottom of the dungeon and destroy it, they only wanted to become strong and spread misery. I strode forward, my well-oiled enchanted armor moving easily. It was far different from the casual armor I wore on the surface.

It hadn't even been scratched during my descent, which had been my goal. Unfortunately, things would only get much more difficult in the future. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Many elite and legendary crafters, alchemists, and other professionals came down here to the Last Bastion to work their trade. Most died horribly when going into the dungeon with whatever legend escorted them down here. Even fewer dared to go alone.

I strode into the shop of Legendary Master Alchemist Footworth. He was a degenerate, but he was strong, especially regarding his profession. He was no Grandmaster Alchemist, but he was close. Crafters didn't get weird titles from their peers since there were so few of them that made it this far. A soft bell chimed, and a scantily clad young woman came forward. The lecherous old man had brought her down here. She wasn't a slave, but there was nowhere else she could go at only level 40.

While it disgusted me, there was only the law of the strong and the law of connections down here. No one started fighting. To do so, everyone turns on them, including The Librarian. This place was a haven for those who wanted to be left alone and for complete degenerate scum.

"Supreme Warlady Elena, how can we assist you today?"

"I wish to speak to your master. Get him," I ordered.

"He is in the middle of a difficult experiment; what should I say this is regarding?"

"The failure of one of his students, which he will help fix, and a full course of Elixirs," I said.

"Of course, one moment," the young woman said and quickly left for the back of the building and possibly another floor. I didn't extend my senses. Others would detect that, and that would be rude. A few minutes later, an old man wearing only undergarments and smoking a foul-smelling herb walked out into the central area of his store. He leered lecherously at me. The smell of sex was strong about him, and I resisted the urge to lop off his head.

"Oh, you have come back. Everyone dislikes Old Footworth until they need something. So, which one of my students messed up?"

"The one in Terander's capital. I forgot his name. Refining a wyvern heart helped him boost physical growth. He said it would be okay for my son to take it," I calmly said.

"He no longer has a head to think with."

"A pity. But let me guess, hmm, your son is what, nine years old?" I nodded.

"And you probably gave him something else. Knowing you, you would only get the best, so a soul fruit?" I nodded again.

"And now his soul is all messed up, and he has gained skills too quickly?" I nodded a third time. He wasn't reading my mind, his insight was just that good. There was a reason I was here, he was the best Alchemist that I knew of.

"So, a full course of Elixirs, not just Mental Fortitude?"

"Yes. Since I am here, I want to strengthen all his stats as well. A Healer had a list of concerns," I said and pulled out a sheet of paper Healer Castelle gave me. Alchemist Footworth took it and examined it.

"Idiot healers, thinking they understand things. Nothing but a bunch of useless people depending on skills they don't really understand." He pulled out his cigarette and set it on a nearby counter, letting the smoke drift upwards from the smoldering tip without putting it out.

"My son?"

"If it were anyone but you and me, I would say your son is completely dead. The problem with Elixirs is that they make the soul vulnerable, and then bam! Stat injection. If your son took one, his soul and body would explode. That is why we only sell them down here. Don't want to get a poor reputation."

"And you have a solution?"

"What you need is a Mega Elixir, the pinnacle of alchemy. That is the best option. Your son takes that; he will gain all the stats while ensuring his health. Instead of going bam to the soul, it is nice and gentle. Allows for more regular Elixirs before or after. The Alchemical toxicity is high, but that should be fine for your son. That wyrm heart will be done in terms of Alchemical toxicity by the time you get back up to the surface. Or you can go ask The Librarian for a soul related to skill to help your son."

The Alchemist grinned at me. I didn't react. They were all pigs disguised as humans. Going to the Librarian would ask for more trouble and draw me into the putrid politics down here in the Last Bastion. But I had other business with him.

"What is your price and what do you need for this pinnacle of alchemy?" I asked, knowing it would be something ridiculous. It didn't matter. I would do anything for my precious son, whom I had hurt in my haste to help him.

"An indigo monster core. You get that, and you will get your Mega Elixir. Only something of that power can act as the primary base for a Mega Elixir. The trick, my dear, is to dilute the sheer power while extracting the essence. Oh, and a blue one for my trouble as well."

"Doesn't each individual Elixir require a separate ingredient?"

"Yes, they do for regular Elixirs. I use monster parts that have fused with the cores. I need a raw core for the key process of making it subtle and draw out the power of the core itself. You know the power of an indigo core." That meant facing a champion on the 25 th layer of the dungeon. I had only been that deep once before, and it was a close thing, coming back. I had never shared that experience with anyone.

"I will require a contract. If anything harms my son, you will die horribly."

"Of course, of course. I might have many faults, but my Alchemy is peerless. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here talking to little old me, Miss Supreme Warlady." He was absolutely right, but he was still a pig.

"That deep, the danger," Squire Nox said hesitantly. It wasn't just the monsters, it was going back that was the real challenge. After the 20th layer, the dungeon really didn't like people going back up. That was why the Last Bastion was built here.

"It is possible. I have done it before," I said. Alchemist Footworth just grinned. He assisted in the crafting of my blade with the indigo monster core I had brought up last time, helping create the unique blend of metal. He knew I could come back if he thought of cheating me. My Squires stared at me in surprise.

"On the house. A powerful regeneration potion. Consider it an investment so I can push my craft to new heights," Alchemist Footworth set a purple potion on his counter. He then picked up his foul-smelling cigarette.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I am off to have some fun. Try not to die. I really would like to make a Mega Elixir and break through my skill bottleneck," he said as he walked away. I picked up the regeneration potion and put it in my spatial storage. He walked over to the female clerk, pulling her after him into a back room. Still a pig, but I wouldn't deny the power of his regeneration potions. He was the best after all. I would also pay a visit to The Librarian.

There were arrangements I needed to make if I died down in the dungeon. I needed to determine which legend had cursed my son. Even now, I felt a slight trace of fear and excitement about facing a champion monster on the 25 th layer. No one had ever come back from deeper than that, or no one talked of such an accomplishment, and there was no such record.

"Rest for a day. Then we depart into the lower dungeon." Nothing would stop me from ensuring the best future for my son. Not the dungeon, not pigs, not some idiot who thought they could curse my child and get away with it… Nothing.