North of Makeshift Basecamp
15 hours since entering the dungeons.
"…And… the boss is nowhere to be found," Ignatius muttered as he dropped his hands. He could barely believe it.
Usually, there would at least be traces it had left behind. Things like smells or tiny particles.
But this time, nothing.
"I didn't feel anything… The reconnaissance unit is further down through this vein." Ignatius pointed out.
"Then we don't have a choice. You and Sebastian will guide the Vanguard forward. I will bring up the rear should the boss just decide to show up."
"Was thinking the same. Valverde." Ignatius ordered.
"Yep?"
"Ready the vanguard troops. We leave in 15."
"On it."
"Ignatius, how far are they into the vein?" Sebastian asked, donning his light plates of Eryndite armour.
"Tch. Quite far in. It seems the Terra Fluxborn weren't able to clear up everything beyond this small area. At least the veins are large enough to accommodate the group." Ignatius began strapping on his armour as well.
"They weren't able to clear everything, huh…" Lucius whispered under his breath.
I guess it really is the 5th floor's boss. Or is it the dungeon master…
"Remember to stay alert out there… If you see the boss, just call me."
"Thanks." Sebastian mouthed.
Lucius nodded and turned away, walking down to where the camp once was. All that was left were the little remnants of dismantled tents and scattered footprints in the dust.
In the distance of the large open area was the last of the logistics group turning the corner.
Now, only the vanguard remained.
Lucius walked further ahead, somewhere quieter. Away from the rowdy soldier chatter and laughter.
With a flicker of a thought, the amulet appeared once more, pointing to the same place as it always had.
The centre of the abyss. An unknown place in an unknown direction. Lucius once tried to follow it, only to realise it only served to lead him deeper and deeper into the abyss.
"Survival rate? Vesper?" Lucius mouthed the thought with a slight bit of worry.
No response.
He let out a slow exhale, squeezing the amulet in his hand until it turned back to dust.
He rolled his shoulders, tightening the light Eryndite plates on his chest, knee guards and shoulders.
"Huuu…"
Let's do this. Just one more time.
Lucius wasn't without worry. The abyss will never be safe. But as usual, it was never about him… It was about whether he could save them.
He finished a final round of checks, like routine work, before turning back to the meetup area.
The vanguard group were gathering, the soldiers readied, laughing and smiling. Lucius almost felt insulted by their ignorance, but perhaps it was for the better.
With a subtle acknowledging nod from Sebastian, Ignatius and Valverde, they set off.
* * *
A while later…
The march through the vein was slow and deliberate.
Checking each corner to ensure that there were no bosses or enemies that might be alerted.
Each drop of water, each sound of movement, and each flicker of motion, they stopped and checked. No chances were taken, not after the encounter with the boss.
Lucius maintained the fire, dim, but enough for their immediate surroundings, without alerting anything further beyond.
Well, hopefully.
But the sounds of rustling grew stronger.
Lucius tapped his feet twice. The vanguard heeding the order, stopping before the winding turn.
Lucius dimmed his lights further as he peeked out from behind the wall. In the distance, a cluster of figures stood half-collapsed against the wall, some standing, some slumped over.
But undeniably, it was the reconnaissance unit.
A ripple of relief broke through the vanguard as they rushed forward, lifting the injured, checking their pulses, and healing the casualties. Cries of thanks, strained voices and murmurs of disbelief and relief. Meanwhile, some were too exhausted to speak, quietly nodding their heads to the healers.
One man approached the heads.
"Koeman Greets My Lord."
Ignatius pulled him in for a deep hug. "Great to see you alive, Koeman, and the squad. Thank you for surviving for so long."
"…It is great to have you come all the way down here, too, my Lord."
The hug continued for a moment before they mutually let go. "Right. Sitrep?" Ignatius said as they both strolled back to where the vanguard came.
"Yes, my lord. This dead end of this vein is approximately 2 kilometres from the entrance we came from. I do not know where you guys bored a hole through, but that entrance is as close as we can get to the third-floor entrance."
He continued, "Previously, at around the 1km mark, the boss was patrolling, so we couldn't route around. Terra Fluxborn were critically injured, and we did not have any healers with us. As of right now, 8 scouts, all well and ready for our next move, my lord."
"…We leave soon. Tell your men to quickly suit up and get ready. We're home free soon, boys. We'll exit from the hole we came from and find a way back up from there. We should be able to avoid the boss that way." Ignatius commanded.
"Thank you, my Lord."
Everyone was quick, joining the vanguard in a tactical formation quickly as Lucius led the way back where they came from.
The reconnaissance unit and the vanguard soldiers were even more on edge, as the horror stories from the reconnaissance unit only fanned the flames of fear even more, but it wasn't unfounded.
Suddenly, the walls groaned. A low reverberating call, as if the tunnel was breathing, shifting, with purpose. A purpose that Lucius figured out in his head.
A shadow shifted in the distance right as they closed in on the opening they had come through earlier.
[ HEAVY THREAT FOUND. SURVIVAL RATE: 32%]
[ VESPER RECOMMENDS ESCAPE ROUTE ]
Blinking arrows and lights in his eyes led to the same exact gap they came through.
"Oi Ignatius, Sebastian, Valverde. Lead them up."
"What are you saying, Luci-" Sebastian called out, but Lucius quickly interjected.
"We don't have time. Go."
"…Hah. Just don't make me regret listening to you." Ignatius muttered as the group slowly squeezed through the gap one by one.
"Regret? Buddy, if I die here, I won't be around to hear your regrets. Though… Win-win, to be fair." He droned off as the last of the vanguard tried to squeeze through the opening.
"Hu…" Lucius took a deep breath, the heat around him slowly intensifying as his eyes turned from the soldiers rushing out to the somewhat oblivious boss in the distance.
His father's voice echoed through his mind, clear as it was yesterday:
"The Thornes are meant to carry the weight of the world. To be the ones who stand tall when no one else can.
We don't get to falter, Lucius.
We don't get to break.
Because if we do, who will rise to protect them? Who will stand in the gap for the ones who aren't strong enough to fight?"
A nostalgic warmth filled his chest as the words settled within him.
Words that he had felt eluded him for too long, but alas, his eyes flickered with some semblance of hope.
"I know I don't deserve this… I don't deserve to be a Thorne. But…" He gulped, the flames growing brighter and hotter as Ignatius finally squeezed through the gap. "At least let me carry out this legacy."
In the blink of an eye, the monster lunged forward. Its long arms broke in grotesque manners, ways Lucius couldn't even predict to come as he barely dodged a punch, but the arms crashed into the walls, puncturing holes in the walls.
Flames erupted from Lucius' body, searing towards the boss in a blinding wave that shoved him back further.
Lucius finally burst his flames out further. Steam rose from his body as it heated up, and so did his surroundings. Waves of heat disoriented the field of view as Lucius barraged the boss with countless punches and bursts of fire, yet the skin remained dull white with little sign of burns.
The surroundings flared even stronger with heat as Lucius took it up a notch, his skin hissing and regenerating just as quickly as it burned.
In a swift motion, Lucius sidestepped as the grotesque limb cleaved through another portion of molten rock, but the beast did not stop, mouths opened in its swinging limbs.
"Fu-" Funnels of flames jetted throughout the cave with roaring ferocity.
Lucius forced himself to keep up, explosions of fire so strong that tremors sent the floor shaking, pushing the fires back towards the monster.
Stronger, more.
MORE.
He gritted his teeth; the explosions grew faster, each one blinking in and out of existence like fireworks in a sea of molten red.
The pain seared through to his bones as the floor sank further down, but then nothing.
Everything suddenly stopped.
But the boss didn't.
A split-second delay. A lag he had never experienced before.
His breath hitched, and at that moment, he was sent flying further beyond into a colder area, the force rattling through his body as his exposed muscles screamed in utter pain.
Blood surged to his mouth.
Metallic.
Bitter.
Burnt.
His limbs screamed. His body wouldn't move properly. Not with the drugs. The alcohol. The exhaustion.
His vision blurred for a fraction of a second, and that was all the beast needed; a large jet of fire hurtled through the tunnel. With a quick swing of his arm, he sent a wall of flame that barely mitigated the bulk of the damage, but he was sent staggering into the walls behind.
"VESPER!" The blood sprayed from his lips as he struggled to get back up. "ALLOCATE 50% OF ALL RELIC RESOURCES INTO REGENERATION."
[ ACKNOWLEDGED ]
His skin quickly grew back, the charred surface peeling off, giving way to a layer of red. The air distorted from the heat once more, this time even stronger. The rocks beneath him and around him immediately started melting.
[ HOST BODY UNSTABLE. HOSTILE TAKEOVER IMMINENT ]
"Shut up and watch. I don't need your bloody help this time."
Every nerve burned.
The pain throbbing, searing.
His flesh pulsed, burning, repairing, and unravelling again as the beast struggled to even get close to Lucius this time.
Each movement sank its pale white flesh further until the sagging turned into a melted mess, hissing in the molten rock beneath.
With a flicker, Lucius was behind the boss.
His hand grabbed his neck, turning it into flesh and goop, bursting into flames as the extreme heat beckoned.
With a quick snap, the head went with Lucius' hands. Burning up with the bright red arms. The white flesh liquified, revealing its black, glossy skull.
The exclusive dungeon material: Eryndite.
The rare resource that made Eryndale the trade city it is today.
His body convulsed as he stumbled. His feet caught in the viscous molten rock, but he managed to maintain his balance.
Maybe this is where I end.
Perhaps finally, the pain would go away. The pain of self-hatred and the ache of regret.
But something barked in his head, that Eryndale… No, the world still needed a Thorne to unveil the secrets of the abyss.
Tch. Not yet.
His vision blurred as he looked up. The ceiling was riddled with holes. Light spilled through, almost holy.
With a strong exhale, his chest hurting from constant burns, he made a giant leap, shooting through the different melted layers of rock to finally emerge in an open area of floor 3. The world around him spun frantically as he crashed into the walls and rolled down onto a grass patch before losing consciousness.
Gasps from the crowd rose above the subsequent silence. Seraphina rushed ahead, looking at the mess of a black and red body. Blood spilt from the body as the skin peeled and repaired.
Her stomach juices almost running up her throat, but she resisted.
She let out a breath. Half a laugh, half a sigh.
"Show-off," she muttered, brushing a streak of ash from his cheek with the back of her glove.
A moment passed. Her fingers hovered near his collar, then curled into a fist.
"Check the Vanguard's position!" She snapped at the men behind her.
Then, softer again, eyes dropping back to him. "Healers. Now."