I take Biscuit to Lily, who carefully heals him with a glimmer of mana, so others won't notice it. The process takes much longer than it could but thankfully, the wound isn't that serious.
(Nat, how can you just let them do this? Let's just fight them! We can do it easily!) Min-Jae shouts through the twins' skill.
A few people from two big guilds notice the link in between us, but they don't seem to care enough to stop us.
(Kim, use your head, okay? There are fifty of them. Even if we could defeat them all, what do you think would happen if we start fighting here, in the tunnels? How many of you do you think would die?) Tess responds to him.
Min-Jae immediately quiets down, and words from the girl he has a crush on probably sting even more.
(Two guild masters over 200, five people over 170, and another twenty or so around 150. Most of us aren't even at 100. Stay low, and once the expedition is over, we'll get stronger and have our revenge.) Hadwin supports Tess and also addresses Min-Jae.
His words are logical. We are severely outmatched, and even though we're treated as fodder, he hopes we'll survive. Hadwin thinks we can't handle that many humans with such high levels.
He's mistaken.
The entire Serpent's Eye is already dead, and the Storm Brigade will join them if they make a move.
I'll make sure of it.
It takes a few more hours to open the door. They constantly examine the star-shaped mana stone and even draw some circuit-like symbols on the door with white paint that seems to conduct mana very well.
Elydor is the one who unlocks the door, his mana radiating from his body. He continues to feed it to the symbols, adjusting them constantly. His eyes focused, and he finally takes a step closer and places the mana stone against the door.
They shake slightly, and although nothing appears to change, I sense they're open, similar to the ones in the hill.
“What do you think, Obelia? Quite good, isn't it?” With a smile, he turns to the guild master of the Storm Brigade, but the woman doesn't even bother to reply.
Elydor's mana stops radiating, and even his residual mana in the air gets pulled back into his body. He turns around, searching. His eyes land on me, and I anticipate his next words, “Get your ass going and scout for us.”
“Sure,” I reply as I rise to my feet.
I cut off the twins' [Connection] when some of them start complaining uselessly.
It's hard to understand them properly. Sure, I know why they are angry. Who would be happy to be ordered around like that? To be sent to risk their lives while being looked down upon. Yes, it's hard to endure, and yes, some of them might feel like their pride is hurt.
But it's slightly different for me. Elydor is already dead, his men are already dead; I'm just deciding when I will let them know that. I will do it in a way that benefits me the most while being the safest for me and for this silly group 4.
Maybe I will try to pit them against the Calamity to see what it is capable of. Maybe I will let them collect the items we are after and then deal with them.
“You listen really well, don't you? Maybe I should keep you and help you control the immense mana you're hiding.” Elydor smirks and whispers as I pass by him. Yet, I ignore his words and pass through the door.
Immediately after entering, I scan the area around me and create a few orbs to light the room. Yet, as before, there's no danger. I don't feel any mana; there's no threat.
The room I'm in is a simple living room, and I've just passed through one of its walls. It's somewhat luxurious, but not excessively so. After all, layers of dust cover everything. In the corner, there's a broken window with the floor around it wet and rotting; some greenery even grows on it. The rest of the furniture is in a similar state, either dry and breaking or wet and rotting depending on its location in the room.
The wooden floor beneath my feet feels soft, and the walls are pale, having lost their once-vibrant colors.
I send a few strong pulses of mana through the house and only detect a few weak mana signatures. Nothing else. Even as my mana reaches beyond the house, I don't sense anything. There's no life; the entire area feels dead.
A minute passes, and I go back through the door into the tunnels where Elydor's second-in-command welcomes me with a smile.
The man, called Varrik, says, “Good job, newbie!” He taps my shoulder and then, along with a few others, passes through the door, quickly followed by more people.
“I don't like them,” Izzy complains as she reaches my side, closely followed by Sophie, “They feel ugly.” The little empath then connects to my feelings, and I let her. She stares at me for a while.
“You're so weird. Everyone else is scared or worried, so why aren't you?” Isabella whispers.
“You're not scared either,” I reply.
“That's because of Sophie's skill,” she says, and I notice Sophie twitch, a hint of guilt flashing across her face.
“I'm also using a skill. You should know that.” I tell her.
“Yes, but…” she pauses, “it's not just the skill. You're just weird.” Isabella shakes her head.
“Come on, move,” one of the men from Serpent's Eye pushes us, and we also pass through the door, greeted by Obelia and a few of her guild members drawing some circles onto the walls with paint that conducts mana very well.
“I think we're in the right place. One of the smaller houses near the mansion, just as the plans said.” Obelia says after looking around and sending mana into the area.
Everyone does something similar and tries to scout the area with their skills. Then, a few minutes later a woman moves closer to Obelia and hands her a few small mana stones, “We did a scan and inscribed a map of the area into the stone, guild master.”
"Thanks, Jenna,” Obelia says, then hands a few of the small stones to Elydor, “You can make more copies on your own.”
The room can barely contain that many people and it's bustling. Mana continues to be sent into the surrounding area, and some men and women even release small animals they have a connection with to scout.
No one leaves the room yet, and a few members of each guild even create some temporary barriers around us.
They all seem efficient and professional. No unnecessary words are spoken, and everyone appears to do what they are accustomed to during such expeditions.
“Guild master,” one of Elydor's men says, “we didn't detect any barriers, no traps, no signs of life. We also keep monitoring the Living Tree.”
“Good,” Elydor responds, then turns to the room, “So far, everything has been straightforward, but don't let your guard down. Remember where we are and act accordingly. We will follow the plan: get into the main house, take everything we can, and we'll split the loot after we get back to Virelia. We don't want to stay here too long and alert the Calamity to our presence, so be quick. Use mana only to scan the area as little as possible. Do not send your senses towards the tree. Do not move towards it. Do not even look at it.” His last words seem to be mostly directed at the two small guilds that are part of this expedition.
Following his order, his men reduce their mana output slightly, and even the Storm Brigade does so after Obelia instructs them.
This time I'm not sent to scout, and all of us in a big group leave the smaller house. Our steps are quick as we pass by an overgrown, old garden and multiple smaller houses. The atmosphere is tense, and the approaching darkness doesn't help. While there is still light, we move swiftly, no one wanting to be left alone or separated from the group.
The worst part is seeing the shadows of leafless branches that hang over the entire city. Every once in a while, they emit soft creaking noises as a strong wind blows through them high in the air. The Living Tree's trunk is still far away, but even from this distance, it's evident how enormous it is. It's so vast that it doesn't fit into my field of view, and I have to look around, yet I still can't take it all in.
It's gigantic.
When we enter the main house, there's a sigh of relief from everyone, but I become a bit nervous. I could have sworn I felt a pulse of mana around the edges of the city but I do not dare try to examine it.
Following the plans, which they likely had from the start, and using shaped mana stones, both big guilds move through the house, going from door to door, while we and Blackrock, another small guild, are left downstairs with a few people keeping watch.
Minutes pass, and occasionally, amidst the tense atmosphere, we can hear surprised shouts and excited talking.
The main house is in much better condition, with walls made from more durable stone and even glass. Mana circuits are everywhere, powering some peculiar effects, yet they've long been devoid of mana. Even the insides of the walls are full of them: the floors, the glass. And the more I examine, the more I am amazed by the amount of work and time it must have taken to create all this.
Maya turns to me, “Why did they even bring us here if we're only tagging along?”
Hadwin answers instead of me, "It's simple, we're fodder tagging along in case something happens. But so far, this is too easy, too easy. We should be ready for anything the moment we get out of the city." he pauses, "Or maybe we should run for it right now?"
"They locked the door, and Elydor has the key," I say, disappointing everyone.
No one wants to try anything, not while we're so close to a three-question-mark monster. Even the idea of dealing with 50 or so people seems like a much better option.
After what feels like ten more minutes, everyone returns to us. Some of the men and women are nearly laughing with a big smiles on their faces. They are holding weapons, large mana stones, or full boxes. All items are meticulously packed, and at just a simple glance, it's clear that they're not commonly found.
Elydor even comes back with two of his men carrying a large chest that seems heavy, even for two high-level men. It seems to be made from weird black wood-like material and there are no locks on it.
Obelia and her guild also seem satisfied, and Obelia herself holds something with a shape reminiscent of a spear, just tightly wrapped in cloth.
It takes a few more minutes for everyone to return, each one laden with as many items as they could carry. The Champion's house, still brimming with artifacts, seems to lack any strong protection. After hundreds of years, the mana likely no longer powers the defenses or traps.
Our return journey is quick and easy. There are no enemies. There are no surprises. Everything goes smoothly, even as we pass through the hidden passage in the living room back into the tunnels.
When Elydor locks the passage behind us, a few members of the expedition start laughing out loud, congratulating themselves. The atmosphere remains tense, but it's noticeably more cheerful as we swiftly move through the tunnel beneath the city. Some of them are already planning to return to loot again.
I sense something ahead of us before anyone else does, but I keep it to myself.
We continue to walk for another minute, and then a few of the more perceptive ones catch on as well. The atmosphere shifts immediately. There's a flurry of harsh words exchanged, and they hasten their pace.
But it doesn't matter. We reach a part of the tunnel that must be just under the edge of the city, and there, in front of us, stands a barrier made of pale white mana blocking our way.
They don't want to believe it at first, so they keep sending their mana to examine it, but it's futile. Just like me, they realize a spherical barrier envelops the entire city. Something only one entity in the area could accomplish.
We've been trapped by one of the four Calamities: the Living Tree.
Just then, a new side quest pops up.
Side quest: Survive.
I take Biscuit to Lily, who carefully heals him with a glimmer of mana, so others won't notice it. The process takes much longer than it could but thankfully, the wound isn't that serious.
(Nat, how can you just let them do this? Let's just fight them! We can do it easily!) Min-Jae shouts through the twins' skill.
A few people from two big guilds notice the link in between us, but they don't seem to care enough to stop us.
(Kim, use your head, okay? There are fifty of them. Even if we could defeat them all, what do you think would happen if we start fighting here, in the tunnels? How many of you do you think would die?) Tess responds to him.
Min-Jae immediately quiets down, and words from the girl he has a crush on probably sting even more.
(Two guild masters over 200, five people over 170, and another twenty or so around 150. Most of us aren't even at 100. Stay low, and once the expedition is over, we'll get stronger and have our revenge.) Hadwin supports Tess and also addresses Min-Jae.
His words are logical. We are severely outmatched, and even though we're treated as fodder, he hopes we'll survive. Hadwin thinks we can't handle that many humans with such high levels.
He's mistaken.
The entire Serpent's Eye is already dead, and the Storm Brigade will join them if they make a move.
I'll make sure of it.
It takes a few more hours to open the door. They constantly examine the star-shaped mana stone and even draw some circuit-like symbols on the door with white paint that seems to conduct mana very well.
Elydor is the one who unlocks the door, his mana radiating from his body. He continues to feed it to the symbols, adjusting them constantly. His eyes focused, and he finally takes a step closer and places the mana stone against the door.
They shake slightly, and although nothing appears to change, I sense they're open, similar to the ones in the hill.
“What do you think, Obelia? Quite good, isn't it?” With a smile, he turns to the guild master of the Storm Brigade, but the woman doesn't even bother to reply.
Elydor's mana stops radiating, and even his residual mana in the air gets pulled back into his body. He turns around, searching. His eyes land on me, and I anticipate his next words, “Get your ass going and scout for us.”
“Sure,” I reply as I rise to my feet.
I cut off the twins' [Connection] when some of them start complaining uselessly.
It's hard to understand them properly. Sure, I know why they are angry. Who would be happy to be ordered around like that? To be sent to risk their lives while being looked down upon. Yes, it's hard to endure, and yes, some of them might feel like their pride is hurt.
But it's slightly different for me. Elydor is already dead, his men are already dead; I'm just deciding when I will let them know that. I will do it in a way that benefits me the most while being the safest for me and for this silly group 4.
Maybe I will try to pit them against the Calamity to see what it is capable of. Maybe I will let them collect the items we are after and then deal with them.
“You listen really well, don't you? Maybe I should keep you and help you control the immense mana you're hiding.” Elydor smirks and whispers as I pass by him. Yet, I ignore his words and pass through the door.
Immediately after entering, I scan the area around me and create a few orbs to light the room. Yet, as before, there's no danger. I don't feel any mana; there's no threat.
The room I'm in is a simple living room, and I've just passed through one of its walls. It's somewhat luxurious, but not excessively so. After all, layers of dust cover everything. In the corner, there's a broken window with the floor around it wet and rotting; some greenery even grows on it. The rest of the furniture is in a similar state, either dry and breaking or wet and rotting depending on its location in the room.
The wooden floor beneath my feet feels soft, and the walls are pale, having lost their once-vibrant colors.
I send a few strong pulses of mana through the house and only detect a few weak mana signatures. Nothing else. Even as my mana reaches beyond the house, I don't sense anything. There's no life; the entire area feels dead.
A minute passes, and I go back through the door into the tunnels where Elydor's second-in-command welcomes me with a smile.
The man, called Varrik, says, “Good job, newbie!” He taps my shoulder and then, along with a few others, passes through the door, quickly followed by more people.
“I don't like them,” Izzy complains as she reaches my side, closely followed by Sophie, “They feel ugly.” The little empath then connects to my feelings, and I let her. She stares at me for a while.
“You're so weird. Everyone else is scared or worried, so why aren't you?” Isabella whispers.
“You're not scared either,” I reply.
“That's because of Sophie's skill,” she says, and I notice Sophie twitch, a hint of guilt flashing across her face.
“I'm also using a skill. You should know that.” I tell her.
“Yes, but…” she pauses, “it's not just the skill. You're just weird.” Isabella shakes her head.
“Come on, move,” one of the men from Serpent's Eye pushes us, and we also pass through the door, greeted by Obelia and a few of her guild members drawing some circles onto the walls with paint that conducts mana very well.
“I think we're in the right place. One of the smaller houses near the mansion, just as the plans said.” Obelia says after looking around and sending mana into the area.
Everyone does something similar and tries to scout the area with their skills. Then, a few minutes later a woman moves closer to Obelia and hands her a few small mana stones, “We did a scan and inscribed a map of the area into the stone, guild master.”
"Thanks, Jenna,” Obelia says, then hands a few of the small stones to Elydor, “You can make more copies on your own.”
The room can barely contain that many people and it's bustling. Mana continues to be sent into the surrounding area, and some men and women even release small animals they have a connection with to scout.
No one leaves the room yet, and a few members of each guild even create some temporary barriers around us.
They all seem efficient and professional. No unnecessary words are spoken, and everyone appears to do what they are accustomed to during such expeditions.
“Guild master,” one of Elydor's men says, “we didn't detect any barriers, no traps, no signs of life. We also keep monitoring the Living Tree.”
“Good,” Elydor responds, then turns to the room, “So far, everything has been straightforward, but don't let your guard down. Remember where we are and act accordingly. We will follow the plan: get into the main house, take everything we can, and we'll split the loot after we get back to Virelia. We don't want to stay here too long and alert the Calamity to our presence, so be quick. Use mana only to scan the area as little as possible. Do not send your senses towards the tree. Do not move towards it. Do not even look at it.” His last words seem to be mostly directed at the two small guilds that are part of this expedition.
Following his order, his men reduce their mana output slightly, and even the Storm Brigade does so after Obelia instructs them.
This time I'm not sent to scout, and all of us in a big group leave the smaller house. Our steps are quick as we pass by an overgrown, old garden and multiple smaller houses. The atmosphere is tense, and the approaching darkness doesn't help. While there is still light, we move swiftly, no one wanting to be left alone or separated from the group.
The worst part is seeing the shadows of leafless branches that hang over the entire city. Every once in a while, they emit soft creaking noises as a strong wind blows through them high in the air. The Living Tree's trunk is still far away, but even from this distance, it's evident how enormous it is. It's so vast that it doesn't fit into my field of view, and I have to look around, yet I still can't take it all in.
It's gigantic.
When we enter the main house, there's a sigh of relief from everyone, but I become a bit nervous. I could have sworn I felt a pulse of mana around the edges of the city but I do not dare try to examine it.
Following the plans, which they likely had from the start, and using shaped mana stones, both big guilds move through the house, going from door to door, while we and Blackrock, another small guild, are left downstairs with a few people keeping watch.
Minutes pass, and occasionally, amidst the tense atmosphere, we can hear surprised shouts and excited talking.
The main house is in much better condition, with walls made from more durable stone and even glass. Mana circuits are everywhere, powering some peculiar effects, yet they've long been devoid of mana. Even the insides of the walls are full of them: the floors, the glass. And the more I examine, the more I am amazed by the amount of work and time it must have taken to create all this.
Maya turns to me, “Why did they even bring us here if we're only tagging along?”
Hadwin answers instead of me, "It's simple, we're fodder tagging along in case something happens. But so far, this is too easy, too easy. We should be ready for anything the moment we get out of the city." he pauses, "Or maybe we should run for it right now?"
"They locked the door, and Elydor has the key," I say, disappointing everyone.
No one wants to try anything, not while we're so close to a three-question-mark monster. Even the idea of dealing with 50 or so people seems like a much better option.
After what feels like ten more minutes, everyone returns to us. Some of the men and women are nearly laughing with a big smiles on their faces. They are holding weapons, large mana stones, or full boxes. All items are meticulously packed, and at just a simple glance, it's clear that they're not commonly found.
Elydor even comes back with two of his men carrying a large chest that seems heavy, even for two high-level men. It seems to be made from weird black wood-like material and there are no locks on it.
Obelia and her guild also seem satisfied, and Obelia herself holds something with a shape reminiscent of a spear, just tightly wrapped in cloth.
It takes a few more minutes for everyone to return, each one laden with as many items as they could carry. The Champion's house, still brimming with artifacts, seems to lack any strong protection. After hundreds of years, the mana likely no longer powers the defenses or traps.
Our return journey is quick and easy. There are no enemies. There are no surprises. Everything goes smoothly, even as we pass through the hidden passage in the living room back into the tunnels.
When Elydor locks the passage behind us, a few members of the expedition start laughing out loud, congratulating themselves. The atmosphere remains tense, but it's noticeably more cheerful as we swiftly move through the tunnel beneath the city. Some of them are already planning to return to loot again.
I sense something ahead of us before anyone else does, but I keep it to myself.
We continue to walk for another minute, and then a few of the more perceptive ones catch on as well. The atmosphere shifts immediately. There's a flurry of harsh words exchanged, and they hasten their pace.
But it doesn't matter. We reach a part of the tunnel that must be just under the edge of the city, and there, in front of us, stands a barrier made of pale white mana blocking our way.
They don't want to believe it at first, so they keep sending their mana to examine it, but it's futile. Just like me, they realize a spherical barrier envelops the entire city. Something only one entity in the area could accomplish.
We've been trapped by one of the four Calamities: the Living Tree.
Just then, a new side quest pops up.
Side quest: Survive.
