When vision returns to me, I find myself completely alone in a stone room.
I immediately shove every point my mana regen into All For One, pumping my stats as high as I can take them.
Then I take a moment to analyze the space.
The first thing I notice after that is the oppressive silence, so quiet that I can hear my own heartbeat.
Looking around, I find the stone chamber is carved with incredible precision. Each wall is intricately etched with some ancient language I can’t even begin to understand, and dozens of ancient looking drawings.
Dust and debris litter the floor, disturbed only around the area of my arrival. Nothing else moves.
To my left and right are two doorways, each carved directly into the stone. There are no hinges or handles, though. Just a small etching on each door that indicates where a hand might be placed to open it.
Torches line the walls at even intervals, their flames steady but dim. They flicker without smoke or ash or any signs of maintenance at all. Then I notice a wisp of mana drift through the air, drawn like a fish to bait toward the flames before being consumed by whatever enchantment powers them.
Huh. So that’s how they stay lit…
I file the detail away. I get the feeling that this place is truly ancient, and self-sustaining enchantments can fetch decent coin on the surface.
I chuckle.
Old habits die hard, I suppose.
Not that I’m here to collect things—
Wait…
This is a delve. A proper, actual delve. As a Delver—or even a Carrier—I’d have looted the torches without hesitation.
So… maybe loot recovered does play a part in the exams?
I shrug and decide to loot the place as best I can just in case.
But not yet. Reunite first, loot and explore second.
At the moment, nothing is trying to kill me. Except maybe the stale air. It smells of dust and decay so old it’s no longer foul.
I pull out an enchanted face mask from my Starlight Bangle, opting to be safe rather than sorry.
It’s simple in design, made of a matte black material that somehow lets air pass through it, a soft leather seal lining the inside, and a split leather strap to cinch it snug against the back of my head.
Mask of Quiet BreathingRare
Enchantments:Lesser HushThis item will make it so that even your breaths cannot be heard by those around you. Note: Lesser or worse qualities of this enchantment prevent verbal spell-casting.
Lesser Air FilterThis item will filter air you breathe, automatically removing dust and poisons to a limited degree.
While it doesn’t cover things like spores or other ultra tiny terrors, it’s good enough. And it’s a necessity for me to sleep. At least when I don’t have Cari around to snuggle up to.
The past several days have been blessedly nightmare free, though, and I can’t help but chalk that up to the Bluebell’s Recompense dungeon that Bella and I completed. I’m sure that I’ll still have nightmares from time to time, but if they only happen every few days…
That’ll be more than I’d hoped for.
Once I slip it on, I take a breath and run through a mental checklist.
Clothes, check. Starlight Bangle, check. Everything I packed within is still there and untouched, so a check there too. Food, water, and shelter are covered, provided I can find a place to safely set camp if needs be.
The bad news is obvious: I’m alone.
Which means either the platform scattered us all. Or it scattered only me, but I can’t see how that would be likely.
The name of the platform comes back to me now.
Fatebound Dias
It sounds… ominous. Combined with the fact that the System seemingly struggled to identify it gives me an idea as to what it really is. Thinking back, I remember the System telling me that anything relating to Fae, Dragons, or Gods is… beyond it, basically.
So the Fatebound Dias is probably connected to one of those things.
…or all three.
Fatebound… fatebound…
Many myths mention Fate Magic, but it’s one of those things that can’t really be done, according to the Church. Something about it being an aspect of Time Magic… or something.
I shake my head and freeze as the sound of my earrings tinkling together breaks the silence for a moment.
Whatever. It’s not important right now.
I do intend to ask the Principal about it later, though.
For now, I need to find my party. That’s where the Ring of Remembrance comes into play.
Ring of RemembranceLegendary, SoulboundThis item is a gift from Kiri, the Sixth, and is meant to represent the connection, trust, and memories shared with the other wearer.This ring is one of a paired soul-bonded set, and their true strength only emerges when both are worn.
Enchantments:Perfect Mana TransferThis item can transfer any quantity of mana from the wearer to its counterpart, regardless of location.
Perfect MatchThis item takes on any appearance that best suites the wearer, as long as it still appears as a ring.
Perfect Sense BondWith a moderate mana investment, this item can locate its counterpart from anywhere.
Perfect Self RepairThis item cannot be permanently destroyed.
With the Sense Bond enchantment, I should be able to fine Bella at the very least.
But… we’ve never used that function. Or even tested it.
Feeling slightly foolish for the oversight, I give the ring a gentle mental nudge, asking for it to find its other half.
The response is subtle, but immediate.
There’s no voice. No map. Not even a System notice.
Instead, I feel a faint tugging, like a thread drawn taut somewhere deep in my chest. Not a direction so much as an inclination. Left, then forward. Downward slightly, maybe.
It’s almost like trying to return home from the Delver’s Guild after a long day. That half numb, half blind trek made without any conscious effort, only to then arrive and wonder how I’d gotten there.
Like habit. Or instinct.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, the knowledge that I can find her flooding my nerves with relief.
Well, that makes things easier.
Stepping up to the left door, I place my hand into the slight indentation on the door and feel a slight pull on my mana reserves.
Nothing alarming, though. A few points of mana, at most.
Then the door swings open on invisible hinges of its own accord, perfectly silent.
What I see beyond the confines of my little room gives me pause.
Long, torchlit corridors sprawl out before me, each wall carved with equally intricate depictions and writings as the room I’m in, with several, smaller corridors branching off from the main hallway, seemingly at random.
And the corridors are anything but empty.
Undead spill from side passages and alcoves in a near-constant trickle. Shambling figures wrapped in ancient cloth, leathers, and metal armors, most clutching weapons of various kinds.
But each piece of equipment looks to be held together more by some kind of magic than any form of craftsmanship, every metallic surface long decayed by rust and time.
ZombieLevel 52
ZombieLevel 58
ZombieLevel 55
ZombieLevel 53
Individually they don’t seem particularly strong.
But there are so gods-damned many of them. In the corridor before me, I can make out nearly twenty without really trying, and I can see even more shambling about behind them.
Then I recoil, desperately fighting not to retch into my mask as the scent of undeath slams into me.
Festering meat and foul penetrate the face mask with ease, and I instantly regret not paying for the better versions that even filter smells.
In the time it takes for me to regain a measure of control, one of the ones with a blade has already spotted me. Then... hesitates.
It seems to be staring at me, as if unable to come to a decision. Others spot me then, and much like the first, seem to freeze in place.
That's when it hits me. My title, 'What's Death?' probably has something to do with this reaction.
What’s Death?You’ve died three times.And yet, you live.Morena sees you, and finds your evasiveness cute.This is her reward.
Bonuses:+3 Constitution per level.Your presence slightly unsettles beings attuned to death.Prevent true death caused by anything of equal or lesser Tier to your own. Upon true death, immediately revive fully intact at 10% health.Note: Revival can only trigger once per month.
Is this what it means by unsettle?
For a brief moment, I wonder if I might have an easy time in this dungeon.
Then the first that spotted me takes an almost hesitant step forward, and whatever hold my title had over them shatters.
Each and every one of them immediately charge with reckless abandon.
Some are much faster than others, knocking a few of their own out of the way as they desperately try to close the gap between us.
What really unnerves me, though, is that they don’t make a sound. Aside from the shuffling of their feet and rattling of their ancient equipment, there’s nothing. No wheeze or growl or moan… just silent, mindless coordination.
Then an even more terrifying realization hits me:
I have to touch these foul creatures.
I step into the corridor, stance low and ready, and mutter a half-hearted prayer before releasing a Mana Surge.
The wave of excess mana washes over them and… nothing happens.
Because of course I’m not lucky enough for them to simply fall over like puppets with their strings cut.
I whine into my mask as the first zombie to see me finally gets close enough to take a swipe with its rusty sword.
I twist my body to dodge the falling blade and strike it squarely in the chest with Arcane Strike and Bloodmist Fist empowering me.
At the same time, I conjure a Blood Burst behind it, over the heads of its undead companions and far enough back that it doesn’t risk blowing me off my feet. I push as much health and mana as I can into it, then…
Wind and blood explode into the corridor with so much force that any within a few paces of the explosion are literally ripped limb from limb. The ones that aren’t obliterated outright are thrown off their feet, only to slam into their neighbors or the walls of the corridor itself.
But many more continue charging, uncaring of the disruption.
Meanwhile, my fist impacts the chestplate of my first opponent, and the metal actually holds against my strike, seemingly without even so much as a dent. Empowered as my fist is, I thankfully don’t break my hand against the seemingly ultra sturdy material.
Still, the force of my blow lands with enough force to force it stumbling back.
It recovers quickly, but I hit it again before it takes another step. This time, a kick, aimed at the knee joint.
Slower than me, but…
My shin connects with the jointed section of its leggings and there is an audible crunch as the join shatters from my blow. It doesn’t fall, though, seemingly ignoring the defunct limb.
Durable as all hells.
It reaches its free hand out to grab me, but I duck under its flailing arm and send a knife-hand into its armpit. My claws pierce through the chain mail easily before cutting through rotting flesh and bone.
For a moment, I’m surprised. Then I decide not to bemoan good fortune when it presents itself.
It seems that whatever is keeping their armor so durable doesn’t apply to the chain mail beneath it.
I smirk at that.
Then a second zombie joins the fray, spear lancing out to impale me through the side.
Experimentally, I twist just enough to let the spear pass me by a hairs breadth before looping my free arm around it. Then I twist, using the spear’s leverage against its wielder, only to be stopped dead mid attempt.
The creature only takes a stumbling half step before overpowering my efforts.
Damned strong, too!
I release the spear before my first opponent brings their sword to bare, and instead go entirely on the offense. I start throwing out Blood Bursts behind my opponents with wild abandon, pushing as much mana into them as I can manage.
At the same time, I focus on the sword-wielder before me. With one arm nonfunctional and a busted knee, it struggles to keep up.
I manage to land eight strikes on the creature, aiming for its joints and head, before its partner attempts another spear thrust.
But it’s too slow. I dance around the weapon, hands and feet flashing as I dismantle the undead before me, all while a steady staccato of explosions of air and blood shatter the silence.
The Blood Bursts are far more effective than my fists, oftentimes killing two or even three of the creatures at a time.
But I have to shift nearly fifteen percent of my mana regeneration out of All For One and into Arcane Regulation just to keep my health from spiraling out of control.
I’d noticed long ago that, while my skills don’t seem to have cool down periods in the traditional sense, the costs of their activation can quickly become unmanageable.
Especially now, with my mana restricted as it is.
Still, even with my reduced stats after shunting some mana into Arcane Regulation, I’m much too fast for any of these creatures to land an attack.
When the sword-wielding zombie falls, I move on to the spear user and repeat the process, all while preventing more from closing in with a liberal application of Blood Burst.
Once it finally falls, I take a moment to shake my hand free of rotten gore before ultimately giving up. Then I remember my choker, Ashari’s Grace, and push a trickle of mana into it.
Ashari’s GraceRare, Blood Binding
Enchantments:CleanlinessThis item can clean itself and its wearer of most substances, so long as the wearer has mana.
Self RepairThis item can repair itself from most damage, so long as the wielder has mana.
The filth coating my hand and arm near instantly sloughs off as if it’s unable to stick to me anymore, leaving my hand pristine.
I sigh with relief.
While the item works passively, it’s not quite as quick as I’d like. But feeding it mana directly, though mildly tedious, solves that little problem.
Before I can enjoy the feeling of being clean for much longer, an arrow slams into my shoulder, eliciting a twinge of pain. I snap my gaze to the offender.
And set off a maximally powered Blood Burst right above its head.
The zombie archer dies instantly, body torn apart by the power behind explosion of wind and blood.
I tear the arrow out of my shoulder and begin to move. Almost without thinking, I follow the guidance of the Ring of Remembrance, pushing my way through the seemingly endless horde of zombies and leaving a wake of bodies behind me.
I push through the corridor ignoring the side passages completely, knowing that they won’t take me where I want to go. At the end, the corridor turns right at a sharp angle before shifting into a gentle downward slope.
I descend, tearing through everything I can
I hear the ice before I see her.
A sharp crack echoes down the corridor, followed by the unmistakable sound of freezing stone and shattering bone. I round yet another corner just in time to see an undead archer explode into glittering shards of frost before raining gently on the ground like snow.
Bella stands at the center of the carnage, breath steady, posture perfect. Icy mist curls lazily around her boots, spreading over the ground in all directions.
Her eyes widen when she sees me.
“Emilia!”
I tear off my mask and store it, but don’t slow down in my approach. I crash into her with a grin, arms wrapping tight around her middle before she can protest, tail wiggling wildly behind me.
She stiffens in surprise, then relaxes into it with a soft, relieved laugh.
“Found you,” I murmur.
“That you did. Were you worried?” she asks.
I stiffen at that, then quickly pull away.
Was I worried? Why did I hug her, first thing?
The answers are clear as day to me, but I don’t want to think about them until after I don’t have to worry about my instincts being… stupid.
I scratch behind an ear awkwardly, then nod.
“Yeah, I guess I was,” I answer honestly. “Are you okay?”
Her cheeks turn a shade darker at my response, but her composure never falters.
“I’m fine. I take it you haven’t found Seraphine or Nyx?”
I shake my head. “No, you’re the first. I don’t have a way to track them, but with the ring—”
I stop talking and move the instant I catch a glint of metal flying through the air behind her. All of my mana is shifted into All For One as I interpose myself between her and her attacker, catching the arrow in my upper chest.
It pierces my torso with relative ease, punching a hole through my shoulder-blade. With a glance back, I find Bella unharmed and sigh with relief.
Then I snap the arrow off as I search for our attacker. The moment I spot them, I frown.
Undead RangerLevel 74
I groan. “Great. Zombies with Classes.”
***
God, this chapter was hard to write. I kept going back on things and changing it up lol