SWNOVELXO Chapter 3: 3. First Moves
When he opens his eyes, he finds himself tied up in chains connected to four pillars and surrounded by a multitude of magic circles. They glow a shade of malice red, intricate strokes of the divine language inscribed in its eight circles create an atmosphere of death and oblivion, the stench of dried, rotting blood fill the chamber.
"Well, I don't think these are just for show."
He tries to conjure up a magic spell, but it is snuffed out instantly. As his eyes adjust to the poorly lit room, he notices four big statues that are holding weapons, as if guarding a prisoner. When Benjamine tries to move, one of the statues brings it sword down stopping just before him, then it returns to position.
"They really want to make sure I can't escape. Oh well, guess I'll just bide my time. Not really going anywhere anytime soon."
In the Divine Realm, a messenger approaches one of the gods who is guardian of prisoners, Tartarus. He sits on his throne with an aura of death and despair around him. He is taller than a building, with long, greasy black hair and eyes devoid of any life.
"Lord Tartarus, I bring a message from the Living Realm."
Tartarus responds in a powerful deep voice that shakes the ground.
"Speak!"
"My lord, I have been investigating the new dungeon that has appeared recently near Erib. It is full of undead creatures from the era of myth, and residing at the bottom level of the dungeon is an ancient weapon that was once used in the great war against us."
"Impossible! We destroyed all those weapons after our victory against that human. They should not exist."
"I know my lord, but this one is different from the others. It can never be destroyed if the vessel it was born from still lives."
"Do you know who the sword originated from? Was it a guardian?"
The messenger trembles as he hesitates with his response.
"My lord, that sword… was born from our most dangerous foe to ever live. The Primordial, Shadow."
Tartarus goes silent as dread fills his face and causes him to tremble.
"Impossible. NO! This is not possible! He was imprisoned by the chief god himself; how could he still be alive and in this world?"
Tartarus begins to panic and immediately issues orders to his soldiers.
"Men! There is a weapon of great devastation at the bottom of this new dungeon. We cannot allow the humans to claim it. Send a battalion of troops with a pair of hydras to guard the entrance. If it falls into human hands, it will spell the end of our reign."
A battalion of Tartarus' finest soldiers gather with a pair of hydras ready to guard the final door of the new dungeon. Tartarus smiles as he encourages his troops.
"Men of Tartarus, all seven hundred of you are my finest soldiers. We must not let a single human set foot on the lowest level of the dungeon. You are ordered to give your life to guard it. Die a death worthy of the god of the undead."
The soldiers cheer as they are transported to the lowest floor of the dungeon, where they are greeted by undead Gargoyle Dragons and a bloody battle breaks out. The dragons take down many soldiers in quick succession. Only with the help of the hydras are they able to emerge victorious. While the soldiers tend to their dead and wounded, a messenger reports back to Tartarus about the battle. Tartarus is stunned at the fact of their being Gargoyle Dragons in the dungeon. This causes him to smile.
"Maybe I'm worrying for nothing. If that gives us an idea of the type of creatures in this new dungeon, those pathetic humans don't stand a chance. Tell the men to stand ready if anymore show up!"
"Yes, my lord."
Tartarus looks out over his domain and starts laughing maniacally.
In the city of Erib, adventurers and soldiers duke it out for a spot on the new dungeon exploration team that was formed by the king. So far, none have passed the exams. The king sits on his throne and watches as the hopeful candidates fight it out. One of the kings' retainers approaches him with a tray full of food.
"Parden me my lord, would you care for some refreshments and a light meal."
The king remains silent as he watches the battles.
"Tell me, Bradly. Do you think there is something more sinister in that dungeon than just the beasts of old?"
"I do not follow you, my lord."
"Call it a hunch or intuition. But I feel there is something in that dungeon that can bring about disaster on an apocalyptic scale. I hope I'm wrong."
As he continues to watch over the combatants, his eye catches sight of an adventurer cutting down opponents systematically without losing rhythm. When he turns his gaze towards the adventurer, he notices long silver hair flowing like a breeze over a field. When he looks closer, he sees long, sharp-pointed ears, and olive brown skin.
"Bradley!"
"Yes, my lord?"
"Who is the elf down there?"
"Ahh. That would be adventurer Freyja. She is the last of the dark elves whose family survived the purge of one thousand years ago. Her abilities for both the sword and magic are unrivalled, she would be an asset to the kingdom."
The king sits in silence, again not saying a word. He is interrupted by a combatant flying past him. He looks around in shock as he scrambles to his feet. He looks towards the arena and his gaze lands on another adventurer whose size is comparable to a bear, with short black hair, and a shield that covers his body from neck to toe. King Eribis is about to speak when an arrow flies past him missing his face by a hair. He looks in the direction the arrow came from and sees an archer firing arrows with incredible speed. The archer looks up and apologizes to the king for the misguided arrow.
"I swear I'm getting too old for this!"
King Eribis pinches the bridge of his nose as he lets out a sigh. Suddenly there is a big explosion in the arena causing Bradly to spill wine all over the king's robe as he was pouring it into a cup. The king throws up his arms in rage as he walks out of the arena towards his change room, leaving Bradly in a cold sweat as he begins to clean up. The fighting continues for a few more hours before it finishes, leaving only four combatants standing. After a brief rest, a messenger of the king approaches them and relays a message from the king himself.
"King Eribis would like to have an audience with all of you. Please go to the palace immediately."
After relaying the message, he turns around and wonders off on his own path as the four remaining combatants walk towards the palace. After a long walk, they arrive at the palace doors and are escorted by guards and maids to the throne room where king Eribis waits patiently. They all enter the throne room and proceed to kneel on one knee before the king.
"Winners of the contest, I would like to first congratulate all of you for passing the tournament. If you would please give me your names."
A young boy in his teens wearing a shiny silver-like armour, shoulder-length blonde hair with eyes as deep as the ocean speaks first.
"My king. I am Wilter Eastwind. I am eighteen years old. I hail from a family of warrior's who served great and powerful leaders for generations. My strongest abilities are leadership and planning. I was also trained in the way of the sword by my father."
The king nods his approval, then the elf he saw earlier speaks up in a gentle woman's voice. As she looks up, the king is stunned by her piercing silver eye's and flawless skin.
"King Eribis, my name is Freyja, and I am a descendant of dark elves. I am well-versed in magic and the sword. I was trained by a great master long ago. My abilities on the battlefield are second to none."
King Eribis smiles cheerfully after she has spoken. The next one to speak up is the adventurer who was carrying the massive shield. When he begins to speak, his words are slow and hesitant.
"King Eribis. My--name--is--Greigore. I--make--good tank."
The king nods his head in approval. The next one to speak is the blond-haired archer. His muscles are refined, and they match his tall height.
"King Eribis, please forgive me once again for the accident. My name is Henry Vilnence, I come from a family of high ranked archers who have been in many battles, especially for kings."
The king closes his eye's and smiles as he imagines just how lucky he is to have such a powerful exploration team and how they could benefit the kingdom at a later stage. Behind his gentle smile lies a much darker, sinister plan to further his dominance over Erib. The king starts clapping his hands as he readies himself to speak.
"Fellow champions, you have proven yourselves worthy and strong enough to take part in the exploration of the new dungeon that appeared recently. Be warned because the animals that reside there are undead creatures of myth. You will be given full access to our finest weapons and armour to equip yourselves with before heading into the dungeon. For now, you can rest up and set out first thing tomorrow after you've equipped yourselves. Please give us feedback on the layout of the dungeon so we can have maps made for the other adventurers."
"Thank you for your generous offer king Eribis, but all of us are using equipment passed down from our ancestors. Therefore, I don't think any of us want to use any other weapons. If the reports are true about the undead creatures of myth, then we'd feel safer using weapons that worked against them in the past."
All the adventurers agree with Wilter, leaving the king speechless.
"Very well champions, I respect your decisions and wish you the very best of luck. May the heavens be with you."
They all stop and turn to the king with glares of death in their eyes. Freyja speaks in a calm but angry voice.
"Don't ever mention anything to us about the heavens unless you don't like your head. We are not servants or followers of those things, and we never will be. You would be wise to take these words to heart, king Eribis."
The entire court is left in silence as the adventurers leave the castle. Bradley approaches the king and speaks.
"My good king, it would seem we have chosen very dangerous people to take part in the dungeon exploration. I hope they don't return with something that could threaten the whole balance of power in this world, most of all the gods."
"Agreed. Let us prepare for trying times and pray they don't return with an abomination of destruction."
When the adventurers leave the city gates, they start speaking to each other.
"Sorry if I spoke out of turn Wilter, he just struck a nerve that comes with deep resentment."
"I know Freyja. It was because of those things up there that the paladin was defeated and sentenced to eternity."
"I always thought that was just a myth about a human so powerful, they could even kill gods."
"They are far from myth, Henry. The Paladin was a real flesh and blood human. He could command magical creatures on a whim, and even inspire a farmer to challenge the gods. Our ancestors battled the legions of divine soldiers with him and witnessed his power firsthand."
Henry is left speechless as they continue towards the dungeon. When they arrive at the entrance, a sinister force emits from the entrance causing them to stop. Wilter begins to speak.
"Let's set up camp here and explore the dungeon tomorrow."
Everyone places their equipment on the ground to set up camp for the night. As night takes over from day, wraith like sounds cover the entrance of the dungeon, leaving the party restless. Wilter and Freyja are not bothered by it. Henry, finding it hard to believe, asks them.
"How are the two of you not restless or scared?"
Wilter responds in a soothing voice.
"We have faced many trials in our lives which made us less prone to fear. So, we are not fazed by some undead creatures making ghostly noises. Rest assured, if anything happens, we will protect you if you get to scared."
Henry relaxes a little before putting his head down to sleep. Wilter and Freyja exchange looks of concern and worry for their fellow party member. When they look towards Greigore, he is fast asleep, shield in hand. After a long silence, the two decide to call it a night and Freyja takes first watch. The night is long, cold, and full of death. Leaving Freyja hopeful, they'll find something to defeat the gods with and avenge their families. As dawn breaks, the party steel their resolve before heading into the dungeon. Wilter enters first and they are immediately attacked by the undead beasts from all sides, they draw their weapons and stand ready to fight the monsters