413 The Mines

The northern borders of Aevraury, high mountains with peaks that punctured the clouds. Asai gazed upwards, straining his neck as his funnelled mana into his eyes.

"Yep. No way am I going to be able to mountain climb that shit. I doubt even Robin's flight could get over that. Considering how there's a leviathan to prevent us from sailing out into the ocean. I bet there's also a dragon guarding the clouds."

His eyes falling back down towards the multiple tunnel entrances that the humans were already mining appeared eerily deserted.

"Where is everybody?" Rosemi, who was greatly worried for the people who had travelled here from her own duchy, couldn't help but voice her thoughts aloud.

"Where is everything?" Seconded Robin. As she inspected the area.

Catching onto her line of thought, Asai also failed to come up with a plausible answer.

There were no tents, no camp, no blood or signs of battle. Just a few dozen pick axes and wheelbarrows laying around without their owners. As if the place was a ghost town.

"Miku."

"Yes master?" Miku's purple gems flickered over towards the king.

"I bet, a couple hundred silvers that there's going to be a dungeon portal inside. So, I'm giving you the choice right now. You can either enter with us, or remain outside and tend to the horses whilst we're stuck inside for goddess knows how long." Looking towards the side, Asai noticed Sora lingering around in [Hide] Her brother, Hajin on the other hand, had been sent back to Del Lagos to pass on their reports and letters.

Miku gazed into the deep dark depths of the tunnels. Summoning Mimi, she tightly hugged her doppelganger who equally bear-hugged her. After resolving herself, the girl made her decision.

"I'm coming with you. My place, is in your shadow." The king nodded, accepting her resolve to enter the unknown, even when all odds were pointing towards hell.

"Well... No time like the now." Asai started to march in, leaving the horses behind to be cared for by Sora. Who honestly wanted to follow them in.

...

Entering the seemingly most developed tunnel system. Asai noticed that he couldn't see in the dark, a little reminder that he currently wasn't in a dungeon even if he was in a sense, entering a tunnel that represented a dungeon.

Thus, he lit multiple torches, giving each one of his party members a torch to hold. Advancing into the darkness, as the fire illuminated only the surface in arms reach. Asai's imagination couldn't help but remind him of all the old horror movies he had seen. The cave-explorers, the cannibals who had skin like fish. And folktales regarding the wendigos.

Unhappy that he was the only one nervous, he was greatly tempted in sharing his horror stories. That was, until a sudden ghastly breeze brushed past his nose, causing him to flinch as he recognised the smell.

Rosemi, who was following closely behind, bumped into his back as she also caught onto the smell.

"Blood, corpses and decay..." Rosemi couldn't see it, but Asai nodded in agreement. The tunnels were now flooded with smells that usually lingered around battlefields.

Robin nonchalantly followed behind Rosemi with Miku and then lastly Mizumi. Who wasn't entirely happy with being last, considering how she already had a lack of peripheral vision due to her injury. As such, she pulled Mimi away from Miku, placing the girl dead last.

"What do you think is down there?"

"The miners, the soldiers, and probably either ghosts or zombies maybe?" "I just hope they're high level enough for me to benefit."

Seeing how much Miku was shaking, surrounded and somewhat claustrophobic. Rosemi tried to cheer the girl up.

"Don't worry Miku~ If it bleeds, it can also die." She stroked the girl's shoulder before catching up to Asai who was advancing in as if he was fearless.

"D-do ghosts bleed?" Miku thought to herself.

"Stop."

Everyone froze upon hearing his orders.

"Look." Asai lowered his torch, revealing a large hole that appeared within the middle of the tunnel. Laying himself upon the ground, he dipped his head in upside down, along with the torch.

Finding the extra tunnel to be much more spacious and was also somewhat dimly lit by minerals and crystals that had mana in them. Asai decided to simply fall in, flipping in doing so before landed upon his feet.

With the extra illumination, he now had access to better vision with imbued eyes.

The girls who were still up above, peeked in.

"What is it? What do you see? Do you want us to jump down or continue on?"

Seeing the man intently staring into the deep dark, trying to figure out what exactly he was staring at. Robin decided to just jump in regardless, slowly hovering down as she did so. Sniffing around, the air seemed cleaner and less disgusting.

Before Rosemi also jumped in, the entire tunnels started to shake and vibrate. An echo, a sound, crunching and cracking. Was inching closer and closer. The group remained still, as they tried to exert their ears into figuring out what it was.

Asai, cheating with the system before his eyes could fully see the thing, exclaimed.

"Oh shit-"

[Rock Wurm: Lvl 99]

A massive snake-like beast, covered in rock-scales suddenly pierced through the darkness. With no eyes, and only its sharp teeth that were currently closed as it wasn't digging, but travelling through tunnels that it had already created. It flew through the tunnel, leaving no gaps. Seeing as the hole above was too high for Asai to simply jump up, he pulled [Ruin] out, coursing his mana to prepare [Weighted Slash]

Rosemi, Miku and Mizumi remained unaware, as all of a sudden, the change of air pressure blasted them away from the hole in the ground. Preventing them from entering.

Robin, being the only one down there, immediately threw herself in front of Asai. Embracing the man as her four radiant wings flushed out before enveloping them both, just in time to stop the man from attacking the border-guardian and causing the two to levitate. The rock wurm itself, entirely oblivious to the two trespassers, simply continued on its journey at top-speed.

With just the air pressure itself, that came slamming into them, the two found themselves flying through the large tunnel, propelled onwards into the deep unknown. And to ensure the man didn't make any noises, Robin sealed his lips with hers, plugging his mouth with her tongue. Desperate, to remaining hidden.

When Rosemi, Miku and Mizumi managed to stand back up again, the hole was gone. A fresh new layer of unbreakable rock had resealed the guardian's tunnel. With no chance of breaking through, they were left with no choice but to wander through the deep dark abyss with no torches. As they had long since disappeared.

...

"I-I should've stayed behind to look after the horses! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" - Miku

kophzi

To those wondering. When it's regarding the dhans, I refer to Asai as the king. Because he is the king of Par'Talucca.

When in regards to Del Lagos, Via Marea and Ignis, he is referred to as Duke, since that is still his official title.

When Par'Talucca is officially annexed under Del Lagos, thus making Del Lagos an empire. Then he will be referred to as only grand duke.

When he officially marries Victoria, the empress. He will then be addressed as Emperor.

Rock Wurm:

Cloud dragon: