Chapter 195: The Necropolis
“You said there was a debt he had to pay?”
“Yes.”
“What is this debt, and why are you telling me about it?”
“There is no time to explain it all now.”
“Excuse me?”
Roscell’s question was answered by the sound of the structure trembling.
THUD.
The sinking ground had caused one of Valkurtis’ pillars to give way, and the edifice began to tilt from there. The shaking of the ground, cracking sounds, and incomprehensible commotion as something plummeted to the floor with a bang continued indefinitely.
Roscell attempted to get up, his body shivering in amazement, but he could only move like a baby who had recently learned to walk. Then Russell took his arm and helped him up.
“T, Thank you.”
“It’s okay. Asharin, can you find a way out of here?”
Asharin, who had been caring for a cut on her left shoulder, looked up.
“I wouldn’t say find it. I can make one. There is already a path leading this way.”
“A path is coming.”
BAM!
With a tremendous bang, one of the first-floor walls, where the stage had been, shattered like an eggshell over Russell and Asharin. As the dust, rubble, and debris settled, four individuals stood out.
The person in the lead gazed over the broken wall and then down. She waved with a joyful face.
“Russell!”
It was Calia. One of the females following her hopped up and down with enthusiasm before heading down to the basement. After waiting for her long, fluttering white hair to settle, she smiled at Russell before noticing someone else.
“Ooh, a Dragonian. Could it be. . .?
Someone was equally startled to see Aella as she was. It was Asharin. Asharin approached Aella carefully, with an almost entranced expression on her face and a downward gaze.
Aella glanced up at Asharin. Their height difference was over 15 centimeters; thus, Aella appeared a little melancholy. However, Asharin glanced at Aella with astonishment and enthusiasm. Then Asharin carefully lowered herself to one knee.
“I cannot believe my eyes. Could it be true that there is a lost race here. . .?”
“Dragonkin?”
Asharin muttered something, and Aella, recognizing herself as a dragonkin by her horns, ears, and tail, opened her lips to speak. But the building creaked again.
THUD!
“I understand that you are very impressed, Asharin, but we don’t have time for this.”
“. . . . . .I will open the way. Follow me.”
Asharin stood up and scattered the armor she was wearing into the air, becoming much lighter. Then, as she waved her hand in the air, the obstructed wall vanished, revealing a lengthy corridor.
Calia, Weizen, and Scilio walked gently down to the basement, while Asharin led the way into the corridor. Russell nodded at her and said,
“I understand what you mean, but let’s get out of here first. Unless you want to be buried alive.”
“Being buried underground is not a very pleasant experience.”
“No, we’ve come this far, and you’re leaving right away? Why did we even come in?”
“Be silent, moron. Can’t you see Roscell behind you?”
“Oh, right.”
Russell, who had sent Aella, Calia, Weizen, and Scilio after Asharin, glanced at Roscell. Roscell groaned as he attempted to lift or awaken his two sleeping knights.
“He, help me. Why haven’t they woken up yet?”
“They were hit by a dragonkin’s magic, so unless they have some resistance, they will not stand up even if you hit them. I will carry them.”
“C, Can you carry them?”
The two knights were not fully armed, meaning they did not wear full body armor, but they were rather hefty because they wore breastplates, shoulder plates, gauntlets, and greaves. Roscell closed his mouth when he watched Russell raise both of them as if they were bundles of rags and place them on his shoulders.
“I can carry them; hurry up and get out of here. If you do not want to die,
“I understand.”
The sound of the structure tilting grew louder, eventually becoming deafening. Russell, who had sent Roscell ahead, entered the corridor, but the wall quickly closed, barring the entrance.
However, Russell could hear falling debris and structures colliding behind him. He returned his focus and continued on.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
The night and sunlight were switching places. Blue water seeped into the black material, but it was not consumed by the darkness but rather pushed away. The deep blue grew lighter with each passing instant.
The long-awaited morning arrived, and the night that seemed to endure forever vanished into the western sky. Under it, the residents poked their heads out to see if the threat outside had vanished.
The blasts and screaming that had continued until midnight had subsided sometime in the early morning. People, however, continued to be afraid to walk outside due to the darkness that hung heavily in the air and the lack of light. They waited for the sun to rise.
Lexi, who had only arrived in Brasilt 30 minutes before, looked at the calamity with bewilderment.
“What the hell happened?”
Even though there was no daylight, she could see clearly because of her strong night vision. She strolled down the major street, which was entirely destroyed.
“This is the way to the auction house.”
Lexi quickly discovered dead remains among the collapsed structures and crevices. The first victims she encountered were six with identical faces. The bodies, which were so similar that one could mistake them for twins, died with shocked expressions, as if they had witnessed something.
Lexi, who detected a sweet odor from the dead, covered her nose and straightened her bent back.
“It’s drugs. A very potent one.”
Lexi, who had flipped the body over with her toes, found it lightweight. There were no internal organs or blood that should have been present.
Lexi, who had inspected the light body, reached a disturbing conclusion.
“It is a form of replacement magic. It’s magic that consumes the body’s organs for power. . .
Nobody in their right mind would perform such black magic to themselves. However, these bodies had used drugs before their deaths. Drug addicts aren’t thinking clearly.
Lexi, who had discovered the answer through the ideas that came to her, reflected on what these bodies had aimed for when they were alive. The devastated streets, as well as the buildings and shops that remained untouched, indicate that it was not indiscriminate aggression against the city.
Lexi looked up and followed the direction of the street. A massive building could be seen standing, regardless of angle. It was the auction house, Valkurtis. It was the largest of the nearby auction houses and a well-known slave auction business that solely sold valuable slaves.
Unlike other small cities’ slave auctions, which solely dealt with criminals, this auction house was the only one in the vast empire that surreptitiously imported and sold slaves of various races, including elves.
That is why Lexi sought Asharin for help when she learned that some dark elves had been kidnapped.
Lexi walked rapidly towards the auction house. A dark elf’s pace is unlike that of a human. Lexi, who was running at a normal speed, discovered something unexpected.
The devastation of the structures here was slightly severe. Except for the stone slabs on the roadway, the area where the six twin bodies were discovered was somewhat cracked or shattered, although it appeared to have been hit by a catapult.
There were almost no undamaged buildings, with only pillars or the first floor left standing. The bodies were in the worst state. The man lying face down with a big double-bladed axe had his head smashed, while the woman, who appeared to be a swordsman, had her neck and upper torso torn apart.
Aside from that, there were a few small heaps of ice crystals and swirling dark bloodstains. Lexi detected a high degree of magic and spells in the traces. There were two wizards here who could perform spells that would make even a swordsman like herself shiver.
“What the hell is going on?”
Lexi mumbled gently before turning around again. Then her large ears twitched and wiggled.
THUD, THUD, THUD.
Lexi gazed at the auction house building with amazement. The massive structure was tilting. Several pillars that couldn’t handle the weight broke away from the center, and the walls crumbled and flowed out.
“Oh, no!”
She had not received any communication from Asharin stating that she had rescued her fellow citizens. She had no idea what had transpired, but on the day the auction house opened, drug addicts were assaulted. Coincidentally, all of them were drug users and possessed high-level magical powers.
They were presumably mercenaries. There was no one with a knight’s mark, and the stench of magic force emanating from the dead was equally unpleasant.
Lexi couldn’t instantly see the link between the attack, the auction house, Brasilt’s characteristics, and the owner implied.
Instead, Lexi stomped the ground and charged ahead. If her friend Asharin and other dark elves were trapped inside the collapsing building, she had to save them. She knew Asharin was a brilliant wizard as well as a dragonkin, but it was doubtful that she would be able to withstand being crushed by such a massive structure.
As she ran, she felt a presence. It was a modest, warehouse-like structure linked to the Valkurtis auction house as if it were an add-on. Lexi immediately paused and looked in that direction when she noticed a familiar face coming out of the door and opening it. It was Asharin.
“Asharin!”
“. . . . . .”
“Asharin?”
As she tilted her head, wondering why Asharin hadn’t returned her call, someone pushed her out and poked his face out.
“Ugh, why aren’t you coming out faster! I thought I was going to suffocate!”
“You go out faster, idiot!”
“Ouch! Butt! Don’t hit my buttocks, sis.”
“Then go out faster!”
People quickly poured out of the little warehouse. There was a man with narrow eyes and a thin face, a lady who resembled the man but had somewhat larger eyes and a sharp nose, a stunning woman with scarlet hair and old-fashioned leather clothing, and a white-haired girl.
“Huh? A dark elf.”
“Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one.
“No, who are you guys. . . . . .?”
Lexi, who had been staring at the individuals exiting with Asharin with a blank face, widened her eyes when she noticed a giant shadow appear behind them.
“So, that debt was. . .”
“Go.”
The thirtysomething man who had been discussing something with the huge man. What drew her attention was a huge man with a memorable appearance and height.
Russell, who was heading out with two unconscious individuals on his shoulders, turned his head when he felt a look at him.
“Lexi?”
“Russell?”
They both wore blank and dumb expressions on their faces when they unexpectedly reunited.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
On a field where the darkness had not yet faded. The grass was rustling in the breeze, and the rabbits munching on it were twitching their tongues.
Grass is not a particularly nutritious food, which is why herbivores eat it all day. Then a couple hares pricked their ears and raised their heads.
The bunnies quickly lost their energy.
Their skin dried instantly, and their eyes withered. The green grass leaves have likewise turned yellow and wilted.
A massive castle appeared from nowhere in the sky. And it was afloat.
The castle, which would normally be erected on the ground, was floating in the air thanks to a massive, lighting blue rhombus-shaped crystal beneath it.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the blue glow was actually wraiths. Hundreds, no, thousands, of ghostly, ethereal undead were supporting the castle.
The castle, which was floating in the air due to the force of the undead and magic, gradually began to move.
Leave a Reply