Chapter 174: Chapter 243 – Gearing Up

When things slowly calmed down and the armory was deemed more or less safe, Bryn knelt by the various scattered bones lying everywhere on the floor.

“They definitely belong to the Scourge. Considering how old they look, this group of monsters must have come from the first days of the Cataclysm. Someone or something must have triggered the defenses and the gate opened up to mislead the intruders. They must have walked into the same trap as we did and the turrets have been up since that day,” she explained.

“What a smart system, locking the invaders inside the place they want to get in and then dealing with them when they drop their guards down,” Silvia commented. “Perhaps we should introduce something similar in our vaults instead of the usual magical traps and barriers on both sides.”

“Considering the fact that this is just a mere armory on the first level, I’m starting to worry about what kind of surprises await us near the more important facilities.” Tina chuckled anxiously.

“It looks like the Scourge wasn’t the only thing that made it in here in the past,” Asterios said from the side and they all turned to him and Grea.

The others moved to their spot and found three crumbling skeletons slightly differing from the other ones. The higher number of bones and the long shape of some of them pointed out the obvious.

“Poor girls,” Grea whispered as they all gazed at the ancient remains.

Bryn shook her head while taking a deep breath. “This is going to be a common sight. Countless valkyrjas must have lost their lives here. I’m sure many escaped but some must have stayed behind to secure the path for the weaker individuals.”

“I’m sure part of the people present inside the Spire or working at the site have at least attempted to activate Tyr’s Aegis. Since they failed, I would assume they met the same end as everyone else. A sad but brave end.” Selene placed a hand on her shoulder.

“That’s true.” Their Valkyrie friend smiled softly. “But it makes me wonder if we are going to succeed when they weren’t able to. The shield wasn’t activated and someone must definitely have received the important duty of starting it up in case of an emergency. At least I assume so.”

“There’s no use thinking about it right now. We don’t have enough information to speculate. If there’s something wrong with the Aegis, we’ll do our best to fix the issue,” Asterios reassured her.

“Right. We are barely at the starting point. There’s much we have to do before we get there.” Bryn nodded with a determined gaze. “Let’s focus on looking through the available equipment.”

“It seems like everything the ancient valkyrjas stored here was made to last,” Grea commented, bringing a silver spear in almost perfect condition in front of everyone. “It’s either that this armory is special or these items are. I remember seeing the weapons used by that mountain tribe through your eyes. Those were completely falling apart.”

“Well, we just need them to stay sharp and useful for the duration of our expedition,” Miria said, starting to browse through the crates of equipment. “I’ll check this corner.”

As half of Miria’s body disappeared in the quite high and wide container, they all spread out to try their luck in other places. They found plenty of weapons and sets of armor stored in lockers of various sizes. Just as Grea had noticed, almost everything was in great condition.

Besides those, the military storage was filled with numerous boxes and crates containing more or less unidentified equipment and magical devices. No one wanted to risk the safety of everyone else so Asterios and the girls examined only those pieces that could be figured out to a decently safe level. If they weren’t able to deduce a thing about the item’s usage, they just skipped it. There was no need to gamble on their safety when they mostly relied on their own abilities anyway.

“Oh, you found the bombs, Master,” Bryn noted, coming closer to join Asterios.

“Did someone say bombs?” Grea asked from the other side of the chamber and sprinted to them, peering into the crate in front of Asterios. “Now, what do we have here?”

As she grinned to herself and began to shuffle through the plethora of fist-sized orbs of golden and silver metal, Asterios picked a random ball up and examined it from up close.

“How do they work exactly?” He glanced at Bryn.

“There’s an intentionally damaged, unstable crystal inside each sphere. It’s infused with elemental energy, which can be recognized by the color of the badge on the top. The power levels are also varied, and the shape of the badge dictates how strong it is, starting with a circle as the lowest and ending at a six-armed star,” the Valkyrie explained.

“How to activate them?” Grea twirled an ice-based bomb in her fingers.

“Hold your finger on the badge and infuse it with your mana until it glows. After that, you have about six seconds before the spiritual energy reaches the unstable crystal and overloads it,” Bryn answered. “I think we should take some with us. You never know when they could come useful.”

“I would have done that even without you telling me to.” The crazy demon researcher giggled to herself, shoving plenty of bombs into a leather bag she’d found somewhere.

Asterios exchanged a wry smile with Bryn and they walked away, leaving their peculiar friend to her fun. She spotted something and guided him to Silvia, who was browsing through some golden cabinets with the calmness and grace of a true princess. They could barely hear the noise made by various drawers and hatches she opened.

Noticing their approach, Silvia extended her palm to them. “I’m glad to see you here, Bryn. Do you know what this is?”

The Valkyrie received a triangular, flat patch of metal and nodded softly. “We have a few of these on Tyr. It will be great if we will be able to recover more of them. These things have an earth-based spell infused into the magical formation hidden inside the metal. When activated, they will create a wall of solid rock as high as a person and about five meters wide.”

“A good and quick portable cover. Or it can be used to block the path.” Asterios rubbed his chin.

“The latter is what they are mostly used for in the current age, ignoring the fact that they are scarce.” Bryn nodded. “With this many, our soldiers and scouts could easily create paths to divide and direct incoming monsters, forcing them to approach in a more controlled and predetermined way.”

“We might want to pick a few, then. They should work great in these corridors,” he replied and started putting the interesting artifacts in his spatial ring alongside Silvia.

“I’ll go and check what others have found in the meanwhile,” Bryn added and walked away.

They spent about fifteen more minutes searching through the mysterious goods. While Bryn could identify a few devices and artifacts, there were many she had not even the slightest idea about. The items she had the pleasure to see in action or be taught about were all just rare leftovers that had found their way onto the ARKs during their creation.

Just as they were going to wrap their search up, an excited squeal echoed through the armory and everyone turned towards its source, recognizing the owner of the voice as Grea. She stood in front of a high, detailed locker that resembled the very gate they had walked through to get inside. Their demon friend was jittering in joy in front of the open safe.

Asterios reached her side first and the others soon followed. 

Grea’s face snapped to match his and she pointed ahead with a wide grin. “I want this!”

“Wasn’t one of these attached to a turret or two?” Miria tilted her head, peering into the locker over Ast’s shoulder.

“Isn’t this basically a scaled-down ballista?” Tina chuckled softly, shaking her head.

Her description of the weapon hanging on display was spot on. An extremely long and sleek crossbow entered their sight. Surprisingly, it wasn’t made purely of silvery or golden metal but of pure white wood instead. The details and finishings were still silver and gold, though.

Asterios carefully took it out and tried to hold it properly, taking a few steps back. The first thing everyone noticed was the presence of some kind of mechanism inside the wooden body of the crossbow, sticking out past it from the bottom. The visible part had a prolonged, rectangular shape. Additionally, a weird lever poked out of the side of the weapon, inserted into an open trench that ran through almost its entire length.

“This thing is massive. It’s like half as long as Asterios is tall and the firing mechanism is as wide as his shoulders,” Silvia commented. “I don’t think you will be able to operate it, Grea. It must be incredibly heavy and hard to reload.”

“Surprisingly, it isn’t.” Asterios waved it around without much effort.

“You are a Dragon, My Lord. This much is nothing for you. It can’t even be compared to lifting one of us up.” Selene smirked at him.

“While you aren’t wrong, I think this weapon is engraved with something similar to what Master’s Spellslinger uses to reduce its own weight,” Bryn wondered out loud. “I remember reading with Atra that those were quite common back in the day.”

“Perfect!” Grea clapped happily. “Try shooting it! Come on!”

Asterios turned around and took aim. Trying to find a good grip on the long crossbow, the fingers of his left hand ran into a piece of leather. Taking a peek underneath the weapon, he found a designated spot for his hand, fitted with best-quality leather to prevent slipping. Assuming a more or less correct posture, he targeted one of the destroyed turrets near the ground and pulled the trigger.

A number of things happened when he did.

First, the quite sizable crossbow bolt was launched ahead at an impressive speed as the noise of the released string reverberated through the air. 

Second, at the same time, the metal lever sticking out of the right side of the weapon rushed to the other end of the trench, which was near the front. 

Third, something pushed it back to the accompaniment of mechanical sounds, drawing the string as it returned to its original position. 

Then, fourth, a metal flap on top of the rail meant to hold the ammunition retracted to the side and a new projectile was inserted in the place of the recently fired one, getting notched on the fully drawn string.

The long crossbow was ready to fire again.

“Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!” Grea practically buzzed from excitement. “It’s a self-reloading one! The metal poking out of the bottom must be a box for ammunition! This is all a girl would have ever wanted in life!”

As she drooled over the peculiar weapon, the others shared a look saying that they wouldn’t be so sure about her last statement. But, no one was going to argue with the demon woman.

“I can have it, right? Please! Please!” She dropped to her knees and begged Asterios with an adorable pout.

He chuckled softly and dragged her up by her black horn, evoking a sultry moan from his suggestive mate.

“If you can even operate it.” Asterios held the crossbow to her.

Grea’s head bobbed up and down a bunch of times with a massive grin on her lips as her tail whipped at empty air behind her back. She took the weapon off Ast’s hands with an expression of pure joy, looking like a kid who received the best toy in the world for their birthday. The girls partially expected her to be pulled down by the massive body of the crossbow but she held it firmly, clearly supported by the enchantments Bryn had mentioned.

Everyone watched as she examined her gift in extreme detail, checking what every single piece of wood, metal, and each movable mechanism did. She figured out how to detach the box storing the ammunition in a flash and revealed that it held about twelve bolts, considering that Asterios had shot one out, and another had already been loaded.

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Judging that she’d learned enough about the weapon from the outside, Grea tried to take aim just like Asterios had and pressed the trigger. The force of the string shook her visibly more than him but she withstood the launch without losing balance. After the mechanism fed the crossbow another bolt, she lowered it to the ground and looked at Asterios with anticipation.

He raised a curious brow at her before realizing that she was waiting for his verdict, abiding by his earlier condition that she could wield the weapon properly. Showing a faint smirk, he nodded in approval.

Grea beamed at him with the sunniest smile. “Have I already told you how much I love you?”

“A bunch of times.” He chuckled lightly.

“Clearly, not enough.” She giggled and ran up to him, placing an affectionate kiss on his lips. “I’ll have to make it up to you.”

“Try to behave in public, then.” Asterios pecked her back.

“That’s an ungodly tough request but I’ll do my best.” Grea batted her eyelashes at him, evoking a snort from Asterios.

“I found the crate with ammunition,” Bryn announced from the side. “It looks like it even comes already fitted into those rectangular self-loading boxes.”

Everyone moved closer to the Valkyrie and Asterios stored both the boxes and a bunch of free bolts in his spatial storage, followed by Silvia. Depending on which one of them would be closer to Grea, they could hand their demon friend more ammunition quicker. But, they agreed that they had to get Grea her own, decently big spatial storage if she wanted to use the crossbow on her own in the future.

Miria fished out a white leather strap from the same locker that had held the weapon and Grea quickly found the proper way to attach it. Since the gravitational enchantments were active all the time, she could almost effortlessly carry it on her back, though it still looked comical considering its size.

Deciding to finish their search for treasures, they gathered in the middle of the armory with Grea looking the most loaded out of them. Besides the giant, long crossbow, she had a leather satchel and a small backpack, both containing a number of spiritual bombs and portable cover devices. Receiving glances from everyone, she grinned back with a proud expression.

“Alright. Now, we need to somehow get out of here.” Asterios looked around, stopping at the triple-closed gate. “I assume you didn’t find any mechanisms to open the lock from inside, Bryn?”

The Valkyrie shook her head. “I’m afraid that it’s hidden from us and I couldn’t locate any secret compartments. It’s also possible that the lever or device responsible for opening the gate was locked alongside the armory when the defensive systems activated.”

“There has to be a way to disable them, though.” Miria scratched her head.

“A way we, unfortunately, don’t know,” Tina said.

~The magical arrays woven into the walls and the gate aren’t that strong. I should be able to move past them,~ Umbra suggested.

“I was just going to ask,” Asterios replied. “Please, do try.”

Ast’s shadow swirled and Umbra sat on his shoulder. They watched their ominous friend plunge into the dark spot on the ground and disappear. A moment later, a gentle pulse of a golden color traveled over the entire chamber, originating from the entrance.

~I’m out. Compared to the barriers we saw in those archives, this much is nothing,~ Umbra informed them. ~Just to be safe, it will be best to move one, maximum of two people at once.~

“Just me is enough. We will see if everyone else can just follow through the gates,” Asterios said and the girls nodded.

Umbra returned inside to pick him up, evoking another glowing pulse, and transferred Asterios to the other side. The difference between the usual travel and the slightly obstructed one was clear, though. The unending darkness through which Umbra made his way seemed even more sinister and hungry.

After resurfacing in front of the massive gate, Asterios gave the others a signal and a crimson portal rose from the ground. Everyone walked through it without an issue. It seemed that this kind of trick would be their best way of moving around protected spaces. As long as they didn’t stumble on seals or barriers powerful enough to rival the one in the Demon Continent.

They walked back to the grand hall with multiple exits and Bryn guided everyone down the path leading to the lower floors. From what they had gathered during their research back on Odin and Brage, the Spire utilized a similar elevator system as the one they had ridden in the rainbowy tower.

After a few short minutes of taking a stroll through the gold-silver hallway, taking down a few monsters on their way, they reached the entrance to another circular chamber. It was smaller than the one they had deemed the reception hall. A number of corridors led out of it too but the central area was much different.

The golden disc lying on an equal level with the ground was massive when compared to the one in the colorful tower. It covered most of the chamber’s floor, leaving just a bit of sidewalk close to the walls, allowing maybe three to four people to walk around it shoulder by shoulder. Asterios and the girls couldn’t imagine how the chasm that opened up after the elevator left would look, considering the fact that they were located on the topmost floor.

Miria pointed at the metal pulpit in the middle of the elevator and they slowly approached the device responsible for controlling the floating disc. While everyone kept an eye on their surroundings, Bryn walked up to the engraved surface and pressed her palm into the carved imprint of a hand. The circuits lit up with a yellow hue and she smiled gently, turning her face to warn the others about the descent.

But, before she could say a word, the glowing lines turned red. Her head snapped to the pulpit and she furrowed her brows, observing how the light traveled down the metal pedestal and onto the golden disc. The circuits engraved in it filled up with the same light too, speeding up until they reached the edges of the elevator.

Loud mechanical whirring filled the chamber as six hatches retreated into the ground over the surface of the sidewalk and mighty clasps grabbed the floating disc, locking it in place. Things quietened down and the filled patterns began pulsing repeatedly with a red light at a regular pace.

“Well… Hate to be the party pooper here… But we ain’t moving down…” Grea chuckled wryly. “I dare to say we ain’t moving anywhere...”

“I can see this much.” Asterios sighed lightly. “Bryn?”

“I’m really sorry, Master…” Bryn shook her head, casting her gaze down with a dejected expression. “I can’t do anything about it…”

He stepped closer to the winged lady and tenderly brushed through her golden hair. “There’s no reason to blame yourself for this. What happened?”

“I hoped that wasn't the case, but it looks to me like the entire facility is under a lockdown, not just the armory…” she explained, raising her face to match his caring gaze.

“Just our luck.” Miria huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms under her chest.

“I assume we can’t use this elevator until this lockdown is raised. What now?” Tina glanced at Asterios and Bryn.

“There was another way on the schematics, wasn’t there?” Silvia asked.

“Yes. A staircase.” Bryn nodded. “It connects every single floor but… It’s behind the training grounds on each level…”

Noticing her anxious expression, Asterios raised a brow at her. “Which means…?”

“That we will most likely have to go through each of them… And seeing how the armory and the elevator behaved…”

“The training grounds are most likely going to be active too,” he finished for her and smiled wryly.

“That’s correct, Master. And since most of them are in the form of automated challenges, it’s safe to assume that the trials will be ready to initialize the practice program the moment someone steps into the arena,” she added. “At least that’s what I would have done as another way of slowing the intruders down by forcing them to partake in the challenges.”

“Can’t we just beat the first floor and use the staircase to skip the other ones?” Miria tilted her head curiously.

“No,” Grea quickly shot her idea down. “If you remember, each staircase is on the other end of the training grounds, depending on the side you enter from.”

“Well thought,” Silvia complimented the architects.

“But not so good for us,” Asterios said. “Umbra, are you able to travel through the floors?”

~I can’t transfer myself to a place I haven’t been to, and even though the distance of my longest jump from one shadow to another is bigger than the distance separating the floors, I can’t utilize that ability well due to an existing interference, cutting off the direct connection between each level,~ the Lord of Shadows answered.

“So, we are fucked?” Grea wrinkled her nose.

~I can roam the floor in search of a weaker area since it’s not possible for the entire thing to be protected perfectly well and find a good spot to force myself through. Perhaps also try to search for some other crack or crevice that would allow me to squeeze by,~ Umbra suggested.

“Do that, then,” Asterios requested.

“In the meanwhile, we could try to tackle the challenges,” Selene offered another solution. “The initial floors shouldn’t be that hard, right?”

After discussing it amongst themselves, they all agreed to go with those ideas. Umbra slithered away to look for a way to sneak into the lower floor while Bryn led the others to the training grounds of the first level. A gateless entrance greeted them, with a huge rectangular arena on the other side. A small section for an audience was prepared in each direction, in the form of multiple rows of benches starting about four meters above the ground.

Silvia found a control panel in the middle of the right wall and they took positions. Miria remained in the corridor leading to the training grounds so that they could test if she could pass through her portal and get inside if some kind of a sealing barrier was activated alongside the challenge, securing them a safe way out. In case she was in danger, she could jump back to her home realm from there without a problem.

Asterios pressed his palm into the imprint of a hand and the circuits underneath it were illuminated with golden light. Nothing shone red this time and they heard some mechanical clicking and whirring again. No gate, barrier, or other seal blocked the exits when thin slits opened in the walls and ceiling. A bunch of flat, circular shooting targets flew out of them and began rushing around the chamber at different speeds.

“Fuck yes!” Grea cheered and immediately unstrapped her new toy, taking aim while going down to one knee. “Bring it on, bitch!”

 

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