Chapter 214: [Arc 5] Chapter 2-6: Underground Stage Trial

"WELCOME TO THE UNDERGROUND DISTRICT!" - Dianlow

"Too loud!" - Flint

"Sorry about that. It's always a pleasure saying that out loud." - Dainlow

My poor ears... While I was waiting for them to start working again, I looked around the underground tunnels.

The Earth Dragons/Dwarves of the Earth District have dug up so much of the underground that they have cleared the area for a whole new district down here. Magitech Lamps are placed everywhere to produce enough lighting for the whole place. Shops and houses have been carved out from the walls, and solid pillars have been placed to prevent the place from collapsing on top of our heads.

"...it is a district on its own." - Flint

I've only heard rumors about the "underground city", but to think they've progressed so far since I left the city...

"HAHAHA! This is us Earth Dragons' pride and glory! More and more materials are wished for by the workers of Loitan, so our digging process needed an extra push to go further down. So we decided to simply move down to our workplaces!" - Dainlow

"Mind if I warn you that this could be considered working at a sweatshop?" - Flint

"GAHAHAHA! That's not new to my ears! We're paying with our sweat, tears, and blood down here! Don't underestimate a miner's life!" - Dainlow

Following that, Lord Dainlow had me join him on a tram-like vehicle that ran on the minecart tracks and led me deeper into the tunnels. After a short ride, we stood in front of a massive door carved out of the bedrock. 

"So this is the place..." - Flint

"Just the entrance. You want to see the arena before going for the challenge?" - Dainlow

"Huh? Aren't the Trials held in a pocket dimension?" - Flint

"Was that with the other places you and young Vier visited? Seeing is believing, so shake a leg and come on!" - Dainlow

Shaking notwithstanding, I followed Lord Dainlow into a different path not that far from the Trial Ground's entrance and entered a...gigantic stadium?! Probably big enough to hold 10 different sports events at the same time. I can see some people testing out various sports facilities. One guy did something with a panel down there and made a soccer field appear! Wow. 

"This is our biggest discovery of the month," said Lord Dainlow with a smile on his draconic mouth. "Everyone here loves a good round of ball play after digging all day long."

"Hold on. Did you say "discovery"!?" - Flint

"Sure I did. Look over there. That's the other side of that stupidly-solid door from before." - Dainlow

He's right. It looks exactly like the same door from before. It leads directly to the stage, so...

"The smarter guys on my payroll think the stage will act as the...you know, stage, for those trial thingies whenever someone enters from the large door. Not that we have tested it yet." - Dainlow

"This is new. But what happens if someone is on the stage when the Trial is initiated?" - Flint

"We're planning on testing that. Some of my men will place remote-controlled golems on the stage while you go and start the show." - Dainlow

"That's fine with me, as long as they do not interfere with the Trial. Lord Vierter asked me to properly investigate this location for him after all." - Flint

Ugh, I think I threw up in my mouth a little when I referred Vierter to as "Lord"...

"Great! And sorry to ask, but do you mind one more favor for me?" - Dainlow

"What is it?" - Flint

"I've heard the rumors that young Vier is exploring these Trials with a partner each time, so I was hoping he had a spare room for one of my..., okay, not my men, but someone who would give the Loitan Kingdom a boost if their abilities were improved." - Dainlow

"Oh? I don't think...actually, yes. They can join. Rather, please let them join!" - Flint

One pair of the Medals in the bag I got from Vierter are called "Alcohol-type Extra Medals". The world is in extreme danger if someone like Garami gets to know about them. For real! I don't even want to think about the consequences...

"I was hoping you would say that! Hey, Rouge!" - Dainlow

One of the people down at the stage flew up to us...holy! And I mean it! This guy's a Flugel!

"You called me, sir?" - Flugel

The Flugel is a... normal-looking lad, for once. Well-trained, but not too much. What is strange is that he's wearing an all-red uniform of some sort. What a strange design.

"Yes, Rouge. This here's Flint Solrah. He says it's fine for you to join." - Dainlow

"Very well. In the honor of King Loitan, I will make sure to succeed." - Rouge

"Ehm...mind filling me in here? When did Flugels populate Loitan?" - Flint

"That was when we needed to relocate our dwellings. Our clan is from the Celestial Continent Patientia." - Rouge

"Patientia...?" - Flint

"It's a place destroyed by one of the Disasters." - Dainlow

"WHAT THE-!?" - Flint

---

After a quick summary of how the new race of Loitan came to be, this Rouge fellow and I went to prepare for the Trial.

"To think the race who would follow the Light Dragons would be real angels." - Flint

"Jaune and Verde found it quite fitting as well~. Though, my younger sisters never seem to agree with me..." - Rouge

"Younger sisters?" - Flint

"Yeah! We seven siblings are taught by the clan head himself in combat. But out of us siblings, only me, Jaune, Verde, and Orange seem to follow his teachings. Orange is sort of weird all the time though, so I think he only does so because he finds it "cool", as he once described it himself. My younger sisters are not so helpful though. Not at all!" - Rouge

It seems like there are some family circumstances. Let's not dwell too deeply on it. 

"Anyway, why are you and Lord Dainlow so familiar with each other?" I asked in an attempt of trying to steer the conversation away from any touchy topics.

"That's because we, Angel Rainbow, have been protecting the Underground for Dainlow!" - Rouge

"Wow... But couldn't you leave that to the Frost Hunters?" - Flint

"Negative, sir! Nobody, except the dwarves and the Earth Dragons who have spent several years working down here, could find the way out if they got lost!" - Rouge

"And how's that related to you guys?" - Flint

"We Celestials have something close to a homing instinct for the "heavens". We can easily sniff out a path to the surface if needed. That's why none of the other public forces of Loitan is taking care of the Underground! Not that they need to. We of the Angel Rainbow are so competent in our job that we do not need to fear any undead attacks!" - Rouge

"No attacks!? You guys are competent." - Flint

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"Hahaha! Compliments will get you nowhere! But please, keep them coming!" - Rouge

...? What was that? I felt a slight deja-vu... No, there's something else I'm curious about...

"What is that "angel rainbow" you keep on mentioning?" - Flint

"That is of course our family's generation's team name! All seven of us...if only my younger sisters could work together with me and my younger brothers." - Rouge

Ugh. Back to the family drama...

"Aaaanyway, are you ready to start?" I asked Rouge as I hurried up with preparing the console that was connected to the Trial Ground's entrance. The Alcohol-type Extra Medals are already locked and loaded, so we're just a few buttons away from starting. 

"Make my day!" - Rouge

"As you wish." - Flint

I placed the Medals into the device and prepared for-

*Rumble, rumble, rumble...*

Huh? WHOA-!? What's that? An earthquake!? 

The Underground started to shake with such force that rocks started to break off the ceiling. Hey, isn't this quite the big quake?! I've never experienced something like this before!

"What's going...Mr. Flint!? Why are you using a curse!?" - Rouge

"Huh!? I can't use any curses!" - Flint

"But you...! It isn't you who's using any curses. There's a curse used on you!" - Rouge

A curse!? No, that can't be... Hold on. Let me Identify myself through the Hephaestus Visors again. I did so before I went to bed yesterday, and there was nothing wrong then, so there's nothing wrong...

THIS IS AS WRONG AS IT CAN BE!!

*Crash!*

"Mr. Flint! Watch out!" - Rouge

A large boulder got knocked off the tunnel's ceiling and was about to land straight on my head had it not been for Rouge dragging me to safety. The console got hit in my place...and made the boulder roll away. The console is unscratched and beeping. Hold on. Beeping?!

[STARTING "ALCOHOL"-TYPE TRIAL ON DANGEROUS MODE. STARTING "ALCOHOL"-TYPE TRIAL ON DANGEROUS MODE. STARTING "ALCOHOL"-TYPE TRIAL ON DANGEROUS MODE...] - System voice

"WHAT!?" - Flint/Rouge

This can't be good! The boulder must have pushed some wrong buttons! Or rather...the blasted curse did this!! 

When the doors began to open, I tried to flee, but strange hands came out from it and grabbed Rouge and me, and pulled us into the passageway behind the door. NOOOOOO!! I'm too talented to die!!

"Ugh!" - Flint

"Guh!?" - Rouge

We hit the ground, HARD! Mother Earth truly is the strongest weapon of all. I should have listened more to Zaria after she told me of her "catch and release" tactics when fighting lightweight monsters...

After I managed to get myself together, I saw that the stage of the arena had been altered ever so slightly. It has turned into something akin to an obstacle course. There are some noticeable large barrels spread all over the course painted with different markings. There is also a huge gate on the left side of the stage. Big enough to keep some ferocious beast at bay.

A countdown was visible on the ceiling, which said there were around 15 minutes left before the Trial starts. And that gives us some time!

"We retire!!" - Flint

"Huh? ...oh, what he said! We retire!" - Rouge

No need to stick around for a trial of death! Rouge caught on after a moment of confusion and followed my lead. With this-

"WHAAAAAT!?" 

Loud voices of disbelief could be heard around us. On the audience seats, protected by a barrier, were several dwarves and Earth Dragons in their humanoid forms looking at us. Though, many were close to the exits. They must have been planning on leaving the place after the first shake hit the caverns but paused when Rouge and I entered the stage. 

...or so it seems.

"Come on! Don't get stage fright all of a sudden!" - Dainlow

The common people started to shout in agreement with Lord Dainlow's complaint. Those bastards...

"My deepest excuses, Lord Dainlow! But there seems to be a malfunction. The trial is placed in "dangerous mode". With our lives at stake!" - Rouge

"Got it! Get out of there!" - Dainlow

"He's fast at changing gears." - Flint

But I'm with him on that idea. Now, shouldn't the trial have been canceled due to our retirement by now?

[BZZT...ER...ERR...ERROR...DI...EAST...F EA...ARBY...MAGE...VAND...ROYE...DANGER...] - System voice

"Uh-oh." - Flint

I've heard this kind of malfunctioning voice before. Back when the prototype Automatas I was building way back in the day suddenly malfunctioned and exploded in my face.

"How "uh-oh" is this, Mr. Flint?" - Rouge

"So much that we should take the rules of this trial to our hearts and souls. If we wish to survive, that is." - Flint

Hearing that, Rouge flew to the sign that the rules of the trial were written. Literally. Those Flugel wings are pretty handy.

"...We need to flee from some...divine...great...I don't know. That part of the text is garbled, but it seems there is something called the "whatever Beast of Earth" that is going to be released when the countdown is finished!" - Rouge

"Not that thing again!" - Flint

It's the same name as the creature that chased Vierter and me in the Desert Trial! And didn't he and Runitos mention it also appearing in the Bull Trial? How many times is that thing going to reappear!? One time was MORE than enough!

"To defeat the trial, we need to escape the wrath of the Beast and make it fall asleep by...by throwing the barrels filled with booze into its mouth?" - Rouge

...it's official. This is the most idiotic Trial I've ever heard about. 

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