Chapter 39: End of Arc 1 Ch 38 “Darkness”

"In my years of doing this, I never saw a dungeon doing such a thing." Albert said as he and the other humans caught up to the two undead walking side by side.

 

"What do you mean?" Iris curiously turned her head to face the veteran clad in full plate armour.

 

"I always thought dungeons always had a to have a clear path to their core," Albert elaborated on his previous sentence. "There are sometimes traps or the like to get through but never a literal wall of solid stone."

 

"I saw dungeons doing things like that sometimes." Iris remarked.

 

Anna's glum face perked up in interest before speaking. "You are not new to dungeon exploration?" 

 

"Ehh..." Suddenly tensed up elf was unsure how to reply. "Long time ago I did that but I did not play any important role." She eventually answered.

 

"What happened to make you stop?" Cisil asked with genuine curiosity.

 

"Cil!" Human cleric scolded the swordsman. She turned to see the tall elf slow her pace after the question. "Iris, I don't know about losing someone close but-"

 

"Don't bother yourself, they were not the paragons of virtue..." Iris hurriedly interrupted Anna, muttering something dark under her breath.

 

  Anna felt a pat on the back of a steel-clad glove, Albert shook his head at the well-meaning blonde girl to not push the subject further. Her eyes drop back onto the ground with an uneasy expression.

 

  The undead fell a silky hand, stroking the back of her hand. She looked down to see her right hand squeezed tightly around Kia's hand.  The necromancer gently ran her other hand on the elven hand. "Sorry," She whispered as she tried to let go of Kia's hand but the girl weakly squeezes onto her right arm. "Thank you."

 

  The adventurers walk in silence only interrupted by the sound of their steps. They all felt a slight draft coming from in front of them caressing their faces. They walked the empty passage until the tight corridor ended. An old derelict wooden door blocked their way. A bright light beamed onto the group through massive claw marks on the rooting door. 

Iris grabbed the rusted handle trying to turn the knob. The doorknob fell onto the floor with a metallic ding as soon as she touched it. The slightly annoyed elf, grabbed the door and attempted to forcefully pry the door open. The rooting chunk of wood screeched in refusal to open itself, but the strength of the undead hoplite managed to invalidate the door's valiant struggle.

On the other side was another hallway going perpendicularly to the passage, its walls covered in a thick layer of the strange sea green crystal.

 

"Which way?" Anna asked the Copper adventurers as her head looked at the identical-looking corridors.

 

Kia pointed to the corridor going right. "So we moving towards the source of the draft." Iris said, feeling the air on her skin coming from where the girl pointed.

 

"Oh, yea!" Anna realised as she put her wet finger into the air. 

 

"Don't like that way." Cisil tapped his shoe on the crystal.

 

Under the layer of the strange crystal faint patches of shadow loomed just under. The adventurers looked down where Cisil pointed seeing a mutilated body of a student, his head attached to the rest of the body by a strand of skin, bearing a face stuck by absolute terror.

A loud gulp could be heard from one of the members of the group at the sight of the grotesque scene.

 

"Death," A quiet whisper of a woman came from around them. "Leave, please."

 

"Let us go, before the dungeon gets inside your heads." Albert's stern voice tore the dreadful silence.

 

  The adventurers had walked through the corridor pointed by Kia until a set of grand ornate doors, big enough for a cavalryman with his lance pointed towards the havens to comfortably walk through blocked their way. Albert gave the doors a hefty push but the door held firm.

 

"Iris, Cil help me." 

 

  Anna and Kia stared at the three adventures pouring their everything to open the doors. "Came one you can do it!" Blonde girl encouraged the struggling adventurers. The doors were eventually opened enough to let a single person squeeze through.

Inside Iris saw a library, bookshelves stacked high on top of each other with literal towers of books beside them. As lastly, Kia entered the library the doors shut close with force. 

 

"Don't like this." Iris said.

 

Skeletons emerged from behind the bookshelves.

 

[Inspect]

 

[Undead Senior Acolyte. Level 20~30]

 

Iris saw a couple of undead wearing tattered robes, clutching a book to their torso.

 

[Inspect]

 

[Undead Librarian. Level 31~51]

 

  One of the librarians lifted its mummified arm, a blue light shined brightly from the centre of its arm before disappearing suddenly. Elf's eyes widen seeing a blue icicle flying towards Cisil.

She quickly yanked the swordman, accidentally throwing him onto the floor. The icicle impacted with the wall behind where Cisil's head was and shattered instantly sending blue ice shards tumbling onto the floor.

 

"[I call upon Marin Aspect of water to protect his faithful from the wicked heathens.]" Anna spoke her prayer causing blue light to shimmer on the edge of the adventurers' bodies before disappearing.

 

  The other librarians assaulted the group with more icicles, the ones that hit their mark shattered upon impact with a translucent shield with a blue hue appearing suddenly. Iris dashed towards the closest of the ice mages, she dodged and weaved around the slow-moving acolytes, only slowing down when the undead blocked her path.

Elf saw the pale blue flames burning coldly inside the librarian's skull in front of her show a hint of intelligence before strong wind slammed into her flank. Iris stumbled as her world spiralled in blue and white colours with the Undead Librarian in the centre levitating slightly above the ground.

Elf felt her exposed skin on her face being cut by shards of ice flying around her. The air around her felt heavier with each passing second. 

Iris struggled to take another step, which cracked the tin layer of ice formed on the floor, she told herself one more and one more. With each step, the next one became easier to take. 

The blue flames inside the hollow skull of the undead ice mage flickered, the undead dropped onto the icy floor with a quiet thud sound as the librarian cancelled its spell. 

The flames violently flayed inside the empty eyesockets as Iris thrusted her weapon towards the monster's spine. A mummified arm weakly wrapped its fingers around the silvery shaft of the elf's spear. 

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The headless skeleton's bones separated from each other, tumbling onto the ground, no longer held together by magic as the skull shattered upon hitting the ground.

 

  A bell chime echoed inside Iris's mind as the system notified her of the enemy deafened. She wacked a partially frozen acolyte's skull with the hilt of her weapon, sending bone chunks skidding across the floor.

The rest of the librarians sought revenge for one of their own kin, sending a hail of ice toward Iris. She tried to escape the assault but was unable to as multiple speels found their mark on the third hit the protective spell casted by Anna shattered like broken glass allowing two magic projectiles to hit Iris. The first icicle smashed into the elf's shoulder knocking her off her feet, spraying elf's face with shards of the shattered projectile.

The second icicle went through Iris's flesh just under the palm leaving a sizeable hole. In this instant, Iris was glad she felt very little pain as she stared at the bloody mess which was her right hand. She bit the inside of her cheek and rolled out of the way off another wave of icicles, leaving the ground where she was a second ago being impaled by dozen of spells.

 

  Huh? Iris thought as her right hand moved as if nothing had happened to her wrist. She could not ponder on her thoughts as the swarming acolytes surrounded her. Elf swung her spear around herself acquiring space between her and the acolytes, cracking skulls of whatever undead approached.

The change of pace allowed the risen to look around seeing Albert protecting the two casters and Cisil finishing her job of killing the librarians. 

 

"Last warning, Deat-." The female whisper echoed inside everyone's head as the assaulting undead were whittled down to a few dozens of acolytes. The female voice seemed to hold back something within as the message ended with a disturbing gurgle.

 

  The library suddenly started to shake and some of the bookshelf towers fell with thunderous noise as they crushed many of the remaining undead horde.

 

"Cil! Iris! Regroup!" Albert barked orders which the two obeyed as the shaking intensified.

 

  More bookshelves fell on the ground, allowing the adventurers to finally see the opposite side of the library. On the opposite side was an arched door frame but instead of doors, a white mist fell like a waterfall veiling what horrors lay behind. 

 

[Final Dungeon Boss class monster detected.]

 

[Adylane the Dark Corruptor.]

{???}

 

"Anyone has level to see her!" Cisil worryingly asked referring to the fifty-level cap of the inspection spell.

 

"This dungeon is supposed to be new, what the fuck is with this level!" Albert screamed.

 

  Adylane's form pierced the mist her tall body having bent to fit through the door frame. She straighten herself, her back was straight as a needle showing her massive size towering even above the elf who only reached her stomach. Adylane's body appeared unnaturally stretched with every part of her body stretched to the point where her limbs clad in armour resembled twigs. She wore a full plate armour which exposed the area between her knees and thighs exposing a black fabric. A blue skirt was dragged behind her. Adylane's head was the most disturbing as she wore a feminine theatre mask with a grinning expression with streaks of blood coming from the black void where her eyes should be.

 

"Sorry, kids but I don't have a plan except try to survive." Albert turned his head hidden under his helmet to look at his companions before turning back.

 

"Bad for morale." Iris retorted.

 

  Adylane slowly approached the group, upon reaching the middle of the library she charged at them. The sea green crystal formed in front of her wherever she stepped. 

The boss quickly covered the space between herself and the adventurers, skillfully dodging three golden magical arrows casted by Anna with minimal movements. Two long curved swords appeared black swords almost a human in length appeared from nowhere in the boss's hands, swinging them at the adventurers.

Iris evaded a downwards slash, instantly riposting with a quick thrust before retreating to a safe distance. Her strike bounced harmlessly off Adylane's armour.

The boss roared painfully as a black bolt hit its chest. She stumbled after the impact, her mask locked onto Kia, who breathed heavily barely able to stand.

Albert took this opportunity to jam the tip of his war pickaxe between two plates of the monster's armour and leverage a plate out. The monster shrugged the human veteran off herself and charged the hooded necromancer. Iris panicked as she saw Kia in danger too far to help, in desperation she used [Mana Shockwave] to propel herself towards Adylane face thrusting her spear into the void of her eyes. Adylane stopped her charge to dodge elf's desperate attack. Inside Adylane's gauntlet, a sea green light pulsed before she levelled her arm at Cisil trying to surprise attack her from behind. A sea green cloud shimmered in the light as it flew towards Cisil creating jagged spines, the human ran trying his best to dodge the spell.

 

"Leave him alone!" Anna screamed as two new arrows were flung at the boss. 

 

  The grinning masked snapped unnaturally fast onto the cleric. The monster wearing the masked slashed the ground with her curved blades sending shockwaves toward Anna, sending her flying. Anna tumbled to the ground with Adylane chasing her.

 

"Fuck off from her!" Albert lunged himself at the boss, bashing her ankle with his shield, sending orange sparks upon impact into the air.

 

  The duel welder fell onto the ground cracking the stone underneath and causing dust to fuzzy her outline as it rose. Iris ran behind the monster and jammed her spear between the metal plates shielding the monster's heel. Elf felt as the tip of her weapon dug into the boss's flesh. Adylane used her other leg to kick the elf violently off, pulling the spear out of her heel and splattering her black blood on the floor. Adylane quickly grabbed her sword and slammed it onto Albert who lifted his tower shield. A loud crack reverberated throughout the library as a second blade slammed into the metal shield splitting part of it off. The high-level human could not withstand the assault as his knees bent because of the force unleashed, slamming him into the ground.

Upon the sight Iris felt unease deep inside her heart, instantly casting it back into the depths as she glimpsed the struggling Kia. She ran towards her weapons. Elf gripped her spear charging at the powerful monster aiming for the exposed area on the boss's torso Iris thrusted with all her might drawing the putrid black blood as her weapon dug deep into the flesh. Adylane's sword disappeared as she grabbed the elf raising her height into the air with the everpresent grin.

Iris struggles to free herself from the iron grip, she could not die now not fulfiling her promise to Kia. She could not allow another monster to take what she loved.

Such thoughts began to fill elf's mind, she now did not fear death looming but rather the possibility of never seeing her saviour ever again.

 

  Adylane face moved as her armoured arm was torn suddenly from her body. Elf along with the arm dropped onto the ground with a metallic clangour. Iris rushed to force the finger wrapped around her open, rushing towards the hooded girl coughing blood.

 

  The black blood covered Cisil as he dodged the laughably slow slash of the boss. Adylane stumbled weakly, falling onto the ground. Cisil stood above the now-laying boss trying desperately to crush the puny human standing beside her.

The swordman thrusted his heirloom into the torso of the monster. From the void, fresh blood dripped slowly creating fresh 'tears' but the ever grinning mask creaked loudly as its grin widened before Adylane disappeared acompanied by a chime of a bell.

 

  A blue sphere with constantly moving rings of black appeared where Adylane was stained. It pulsed with energy as the script on the rings shined. Albert stumbled towards the sphere which pulsed faster as he held his war pickaxe high above him before slamming the point of the weapon into the sphere. The dungeon core whistled as the almost fully translucent blue gas quickly escaped, unnoticed by all it slowly travelled towards the coughing girl.

 

[Dungeon Deafened]

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"We did it." Albert let out a sigh of relief.

 

"Yea." Anna said, exhausted.

 

Iris held Kia who stopped coughing in her hands, helping her stand up. "Kia, are you all right?" Elf worriedly repeated.

 

"Kia?" Anna raised her eyebrow as she approached the two.

 

"I had enough!" Cisil roared. He stormed to the two standing beside Anna. "You elves are hiding secrets from me! You!" He pointed at Iris. "You sabotaged me during the fight and you little shit! You are sorcerer, THE cause of all evil! AND you are trying to steal Anna from ME!" His voice turn dark as he screamed. He unsheathed his weapon which pulsed with energy, somehow eager to slay more enemies of humanity. The sword plunged towards Iris who could only stare at her doom.

 

  Iris's world turn into darkness as black flames danced around her and Kia. Two right hands emerged from the darkness, their skin and flesh were devoured by the flame as it also chared the bone into ash.

The shocked elf tried to stand up but felt Kia's unconscious body hitting her chest as she collapsed.