Dungeon Annihilation 2 - 28

Morning Everyone!

Louella

“What do we do?” I asked the room.

Marquis Valamar, Commander Yin, Ezal, Master Thrad, Master Jacqueline, and close to half a dozen other masters from the various guilds were in the meeting that I had called once we got back to town. The religion of Nyx was something that as a lord I had to approach carefully. For fates sake, if it wasn’t for the fact that they could apparently free slaves, I would have written them off as cultists and left them to the church if they caused any real trouble.

“Is it true?” marquis Valamar asked with a clearly skeptical expression. I couldn’t say I blamed him. Freeing of slaves would have a big impact on him considering how high his station.

“Yes. We confirmed it using one of the town slaves that I brought in.” I motioned and Fera, the slave that was freed entered the room after being called for by the guard. “Go ahead and tell the gathered masters what you experienced. Start by showing them your crest if you don’t mind.”

She blushed but pulled up her shirt and showed her left breast. The slaver had a cruel sense and marked her directly around the nipple. Where the circle of chains and the rune of binding should have been, was a crescent moon overlooking a full moon with stars in the back. When I nodded, she quickly lowered her shirt.

“I am free. While the book was changing my slave crest, I felt… a presence. Much larger than myself. If not a goddess, then something equally as powerful. She lifted my heart and I felt hers touch it,” Fera said nervously. She was only a slave a few hours ago. Talking to these masters was an entirely new experience. I was sure.

“Is she truly free though?” marquis Valamar asked. “Could the symbol have possibly just been altered to appear different and she was not ordered to do anything?”

“How are we to possible test that?!” Master Jacqueline demanded with surprising outrage.

“What’s the matter?” I asked worried there might be an issue.

She turned her glare on me but deflated after a moment. “Slave magic has been a headache for the mages guild since its creation. There are more than a few that have been trying to figure out a way to remove it for decades, longer really. Its just a bit dissatisfactory to hear a goddess solved our problem.”

“From the sounds of it, the book is an artifact. Hard to say its been solved when it relies on something that could easily be stolen or destroyed by the wrong people,” commander Yin said with some mirth.

“Right and I’m sure that the goddess would be more than willing to allow us to examine it freely. Especially with that monster guarding it.”

“Monster?” I asked caught off guard by the comment.

“That adventurer Earle and his women. I watched that match. If he wanted he could have easily slipped into the shadow realm and slaughtered them all. Hell, I think he was toying with the boss from the dungeon.”

“I figured as much, but really?” The mystery around that man keeps growing denser by the minute. Unbidden, his image flashed through my head and my heart started to pound. I took a deep breath and tried to tune it out. “That’s besides the point, I think. Commander Yin and I went to the cathedral. I felt… power there. That place couldn’t have been made by mortal hands.”

“Oh, I believe you on that account,” marquis Valamar stated. “Just to see, I sent in one of my more discrete guards. Let us just say, the woman barely made it out alive. Claims she was attacked by something divine and dark at the same time. I don’t even know how to picture that.”

“Was that wise of ye?” Master Thrad asked. “I mean… you could have pissed off the goddess. Tramplin in her holy abode and what not.”

“True it was a risk, but one that I felt was one worth taking and it does add a bit of credit to the claim that the place was created by a goddess.”

I smacked the table with my hand. “We’ll just have to deal with whatever comes of it. Personally I want to keep the church from finding out about this for as long as possible, but I doubt that will be much longer than a week or two once more people find out about the cathedral.”

Commander Yin cleared her throat. “We’ve already started patrolling the area and the regular people don’t have much reason to head out that way. The biggest problem is that it can be seen from the airdocks. New arrivals will start asking questions before long.”

“We’ll handle that as they come. Like I said the church are the ones we need to be careful of. Marquis Valamar, I know this is out of line, but is there anything you might be able to do to keep them in the dark for a while?”

The marquis rubbed his chin in thought. “I’ll have to think it over. The church is much stronger in my home city. It would be dangerous for me and my family if I make a move against them carelessly.”

I nodded in understanding. I would hate for his entire life to be ruined because he stuck his neck out for me and this mystery goddess. “Of course.”

“Do we even need to bother with all this?”

I looked to the questioner. It was one of the guild masters that I hadn’t interacted with much. “What do you mean?”

“I mean. Just let them be. If they end up bringing an inquisitor down on themselves then so be it. Play the fool. Just say that you gave that adventurer the land and the next thing you knew there was a building there. Its not even a lie.”

“The master has a point,” Ezal commented next to me.

“You’re forgetting that the artifact inside that cathedral can free slaves!” I exclaimed.

He waved me off like it was a small matter. “Honestly, I don’t really care. Slaves have been a part of our society for almost two hundred years. I doubt that will change any time soon. Besides, most slaves end up slaves for a reason. Debt, failed wars, crimes, just to name a few. In fact, I could argue that by giving certain slaves the ability to get out of their slavery might be letting them off easily.”

“Well…” I really couldn’t argue with that and while I was all for freeing slaves from around the continent, the crime slaves were an issue that I had been worried about. I would have to study the text that the Nyx church would be spreading, but there were possible loopholes that could give criminals free reign to do wicked things again once they were free. The church of Lelune had plenty of such issues recently.

“I agree with the master.” The other masters that I had little interaction with all appeared to just want to separate themselves from the matter. The valley was likely proving to be a small gold mine for many of them and they didn’t want to throw that away.

Marquis Valamar stood and looked at the gathered masters. “Very well. We shall sit back and watch for now.”

I remained sitting while everyone left the meeting room shortly after the marquis’ declaration. Thrad and Commander Yin remained sitting after I sent them a look. When it was finally just the three of us, I looked him in the eye first. “How much longer until your clan arrives?”

“Moving a clan be no small matter. It takes time.” I just narrowed my eyes as that wasn’t a real answer. “Another couple weeks. A month at most.”

Nodding, I turned to Commander Yin. “What about your reinforcements?” I had paid for them over a week ago. They should have been here a long time ago according to her.

“About that. Due to the request I was forced to submit a report detailing why the reinforcements were needed. The higher ups determined that a battalion wouldn’t be suffiencet. They are sending a regiment.”

“I’m guessing that you’ll need more coin?”

“Yes, but the amount you gave me before was enough for two months.”

“Very well. Then how long until they arrive?”

“They should have been here already, so I’d give it another day or two. A delay of some sort might have occurred.” I looked her over but there wasn’t any concern in her eyes. It was a regiment sized detachment of the Golden Dawn. Nothing short of an army would be able to stop them easily. The minimum tier for their soldiers were rumored to be tier two.

“Alright. Keep me informed. I hope as you’ve said they will arrive soon. It sounds like we need them.” I just hoped they arrive before we actually need them.

~~

Mary, Tez, Sara, Flin, Ezal, Cassie, Alfred, Cane

“I’m sorry for leaving you guys to your own devices for the last week or so. Have you been diving the dungeon without us?”

I had been forced to put my dungeon diving on hold with the tournament. Now that it was over, I wanted to get back to it. Since the storm, I had barely felt my mana pool budge and needed the air inside the dungeon to make up the difference. With everything that was happening, increasing my personal power was up on the list.

Tez stepped forward with a grin. “We might not have to worry about daily necessities, but we didn’t slack off either like some lord parties tend to do. We’ve recruited two new members and also managed to find the boss room for the Gothic City. If you’d like to, we can reach it in two hours.”

“It will be that monster that appeared during the tournament, right?” I asked with a little worry. “Can we handle that?”

“Actually, it was thanks to the tournament that I think we can,” Tez argued. “While that Earle guy managed to contain him, the rest of the adventurers pounded him with magic. We should be able to do the same. Contain and bombardment.”

“I see. If you think we have a chance then I’m willing to risk it.”

Looking the party over, they had all recently upgraded their armor and weapons. Tez, the heavy tanker had an even larger shield with new plate armor. Mary was sporting some new robes, while Sara and Cassie the two thieves of the party as well as cat beastkins wielded new daggers that had been found in the dungeon and sold to the guild. Flin was the only one that appeared to have the same equipment as the last time.

Then there were the new members who I was informed were named Alfred and Cane. Both were mage types, with Alfred using fire magic, and Cane focusing on water. Both were effective in different circumstances, but just from the few minutes I was with the party. I couldn’t tell if they were friends or enemies with how much they were constantly arguing with each other.

“If everyone is ready. Lets head in!” Tez shouted excitedly.

The party spent an extra hour in the Gothic City to improve our coordination. It had been over a week since we’d worked together and Tez wanted us to be on the same page when it came to out abilities. With Tez and Raven, she decided to accompany us, holding the front line. The back line was easily able to deal significant damage to the Hunters.

Cane and I worked well together. His water magic increasing the effectiveness of my lightning two or threefold. Ezal and Alfred could also cook a Hunter in seconds with their combined firepower. With the dive working out so well, we were soon ready to challenge the boss that according to the Adventurers guild master next to me, only Earle had defeated so far.

“After a five-minute break we’ll head in. The boss is sleeping in the ruined church.” Tez went on to explain the boss fight, but since the fight during the tournament we already knew it all. It was still good to reiterate before heading in.

“What drew you to the valley, mister Cane?”

“There were a few reasons, but I suppose the new dungeon was the main reason. I just didn’t expect for it to be quite as tough as it has proved to be.”

I nodded with a chuckle. “Yes. It has been throwing us all for a loop.”

“Other than that, I heard that the mage guild master was lady Jacqueline. I couldn’t sit still after that.”

“Oh? Is she famous?” The woman was tier three. I was sure she had a fair amount of fame wherever she had gained her power, but I hadn’t heard anything myself. She didn’t exactly like to talk about herself either.

“Quite. As you know mage Guildmasters have to have at least four elements. Rumor is that she has eight. Isn’t that incredible?!” He gushed. I felt he had quite a bit of a crush for the woman. “The only person that surpasses her is the Gnome Princess. She is supposably able to use any element.”

“I would think if she was so well established that she would be a royal or court magician for one of the families.”

Cane’s face screwed up in anger. “She was framed! Apparently one of the lords took a liking to her, but she nearly fried his manhood off. So of course, he twisted it and reported that she tried to kill him.”

“That is unfortune.” She did say she had some enemies. I wonder if the lord that messed with her was still out for revenge. I would need to finally get some answers next time I talked to her. For now, it was time to fight the boss.

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