First Dungeon Clear (4)
Slash.
Teo's Aura Blade sheared through the golem's right arm.
But the golem, knowing nothing of pain, never stopped swinging its left.
Clang!
The ring of steel on steel filled the dungeon.
My body's gotten badly out of practice.
After months of drinking himself into a ruin, that single impact landed hard on Teo. He forced strength into the forearm still trembling from the clash, and the tendons stood out hard beneath the skin. Dropping low, he slipped past the golem's next blow and drove straight between its legs.
Boom!
Seeing the small human rush in, the golem tried to crush him under one massive foot. Teo dodged the stomp with almost casual ease and, without losing speed, swung for the golem's left leg.
Thwack!
The legs were far thicker than the arms. Even a blade wrapped in aura could not sever one in a single stroke. Instead the sword lodged deep and refused to come free. In that same breath the golem's left arm came crashing down toward him.
Damn it!
Teo seized the hilt with both hands, kicked off the golem's leg, and used the rebound to wrench the blade free.
CRASH!
By a hair's breadth he escaped. He swallowed hard at the sight of the crater where he had just stood. The tension did not last; the golem kept coming. Its heavy limbs obliterated every place he had occupied a heartbeat earlier.
I'll have to push myself a little.
Teo leapt high again, aiming for the relatively weaker arm. As expected, the golem swept its left arm toward him.
Whoosh.
In that instant Teo's body seemed to vanish. The golem's arm carved empty air. Then Teo reappeared behind it and drove a sword blazing far brighter than before straight into the golem's chest.
Crunch!
The blade sank deep. The aura racing along its length shot forward and punched clean through the thick plate of the chest.
Thud!
At last the massive frame toppled to the floor.
This man… even thirty years ago he was the same.
In his mercenary days Ellen had once cleared a dungeon at Teo's side. The skill on display now was not quite that of the past, yet it was still formidable.
"Hahhh!"
Teo steadied his breathing and walked over to Ellen.
"Seems that's the end of it."
"Thanks to you, Sir Teo, it finished cleanly. Now it's time to collect the rewards."
Ellen stepped into the passage that opened behind the fallen golem.
"Ohh."
A soft sound of wonder escaped him. What he had known only through Hameron's books was, in the flesh, beyond anything he had imagined. Mounds of gold and jewels caught the light and held his eyes—but what he sought was something else.
A moment later:
Found it!
After rummaging through the piles he lifted a single blue bracelet. Ellen had never met Hameron, yet as a boy who dreamed of magic he had read every book that mentioned the great mage. He knew every artifact that had ever come out of Hameron's Dungeon. The bracelet in his hand was Bhahavati.
It stored mana for later use. Whether one was a full mage or a Magic Assistant, short mana was a chronic problem; after a few large spells a caster became useless until the well refilled. An artifact that could bank mana in advance was therefore invaluable.
It holds roughly a 1st Circle's worth, if I remember right.
Because Ellen could cast without chanting, the bracelet effectively doubled the number of spells he could unleash in a single stretch. He fastened it around his left wrist.
Then an old staff caught his eye.
Icos's Staff!
He recalled the descriptions. Icos's Staff amplified mana, letting its wielder cast far stronger magic with the same expenditure. Hameron, already vast in mana, had used it to reach still greater heights. In later years people simply called it "Hameron's Staff"; it had been the signature artifact of his early days.
Something like this deserves an immediate test.
Flushed with excitement at holding one of Hameron's own relics, Ellen raised the staff and cast Light.
Whoom.
The radiance that burst from the tip was so fierce he could barely keep his eyes open.
Incredible…
Blinded, he hastily dismissed the spell. Two artifacts already secured, he still prowled the treasure heaps as though something more remained.
The books said that was here as well…
Scattering coins left and right, he uncovered a plain brown pouch.
Just as I thought.
He snatched it up at once.
That is…?
Until now Teo had simply watched Ellen gather the artifacts. Now a spark lit in his eyes. He knew that pouch well. A Subspace Pocket—a bag linked to a dimension independent of the real world, capable of holding unlimited goods. He had once seen a mage assigned to the territory carry one.
Ellen opened the mouth of the pocket and thrust his hand inside. Clink, clink. He drew out three glass vials filled with violet liquid.
Pop.
Gulp, gulp.
He uncorked one bottle and drained it in a single draught.
"Ugh!"
A groan tore from his throat as the liquid burned like fire. He felt every searing inch of its passage into his stomach.
Does the effect hit immediately?
Inside his heart he felt mana beginning to forge a new circle. The Mana Elixir Hameron himself was said to have drunk—Ellen had just taken it in this life.
"Kh—!"
The newborn mana rampaged through him; heat flared across every limb. It raced so violently that his vessels felt ready to burst under the pressure. Veins stood out stark along his neck and forearms. For a moment he thought he might lose consciousness.
"Huuu."
The crushing pressure that had threatened to tear him apart gradually ebbed. As the roaming mana settled back into the circle, a measure of calm returned.
Even that monster said downing the whole lot at once was impossible… no wonder, if one bottle feels like this.
Blinking bloodshot eyes, Ellen returned the remaining elixirs to the pouch, belted it at his waist, and went back to the treasure. He selected a keenly honed sword and a fistful of gold coins and held them out to Teo.
"The additional payment I promised."
"Dungeon spoils belong by right to the employer. Clearing this place was entirely your doing; I cannot accept a reward."
When Teo waved the offer away, Ellen simply pressed the items into his hands.
"You could have taken every treasure here from me whenever you wished. You didn't. And from what I've seen, you are at least a Sword Expert—the fee I first offered was nowhere near equal to that skill. For a man of your caliber, Sir Teo, this level of treatment is only proper."
Teo's eyes changed.
Is this person truly only a boy in his mid-teens?
It was an age when even proud knights and famous nobles had long since forgotten the meaning of honor. Yet a mere youth still understood it. Teo accepted the sword and the gold. The edge under his palm told him at once it was a magic blade.
"In an age when honor has all but vanished, it seems I have met a true man for the first time in a long while. There is something I must confess."
"What is it?"
"My name is Baron Avec. I was a knight of the Duran family. The Viscount Duran I served was a lord prouder than any other. Inspired by him, I swore lifelong loyalty. But in a territorial war he was betrayed by a noble ally and lost his life. I myself was deceived by a fellow knight; without ever drawing my sword I could only hear of Lord Duran's defeat."
His lips still trembled with old rage.
"After months as a living corpse I resolved to gather money so that I might restore my lord's honor and house. The coin you have given me—I will use every piece for that purpose."
"I hope with all my heart that Sir Baron's wish is fulfilled."
"Should anything ever befall you, come find me. I will repay the honor and kindness I have received from you."
Baron offered Ellen a formal bow.
"Hearing that, I feel more secure already."
Ellen returned the courtesy. Knowing full well what kind of man Baron Avec would become, he understood how valuable the bond forged today would prove to be.