Sylvia Talgan's POV.
After getting changed, I moved through the fog back to camp. I was hoping the monster was the cause of the soporific fog, but it didn't appear to dissipate even a little after I defeated it. I imagined that since the fog unnaturally rolled in from the forest's depths, its origin must have been there.
Now, what am I going to do about these two?
I felt slightly ashamed as I let Seana's arm slip out of the barrier. She was alive and well, just asleep at the moment. And it was an emergency; I needed blood, and if I could avoid tapping into my reserves inside my ring, then all the better.
Besides, it's not like she is using it right now…right? No, no…I should take an equal amount from both of them instead. Just to be safe. After this, I can take them with me and head deeper into the forest to find the others.
—
Varnir Shadowstone's POV.
I gazed down at the snowy forest as the blizzard raged below us. The stark difference between what was below the treeline and above was mind-boggling. The "sky," if the rock and the glowing blue crystal that acted like a moon could be considered as the sky. It was peaceful, almost serene, from atop the Headmaster's golem, while down below a full-blown natural disaster was whipping around.
Headmaster Taurus chuckled to himself. "Your Elf ears truly saved us, Varnir. I may have been too late to react if it weren't for you," he said.
"Yes…I thought I felt something was wrong. Where in the world did such a storm come from?" I asked.
Headmaster Taurus shrugged. "Judging by the swift and unnatural change of the environment, it must be the gimmick of this floor," he explained.
"But what about the others? Do you think they will be okay? We haven't even gotten confirmation from other groups yet whether we got split into multiple groups. It was only the one signal from the others," I asked nervously.
"I'm certain they will manage with Lord Vasquez amongst their ranks. If a storm had been enough to best those of us here, we wouldn't have made it this far. And I believe the dungeon may have separated some of us into other sections to face different obstacles. I find it difficult to believe that everyone would have ignored the magic signals we sent out earlier," Bowen reasoned as he stroked his beard.
"Then we have to conquer this trial to meet up with everyone. I suppose that makes sense," I said.
"Now, Varnir, your eyes are better than this old man's, so tell me. Do you see anything of note down there?" Headmaster Taurus asked me.
I shook my head. "It's just a pitch-black storm down there, Sir. And it's so loud I can't pick up on anything either," I answered.
The Headmaster hummed to himself as he looked off into the distance. "Then, is it safe to assume that the center of this forest is the nexus of our problems?"
"You…you're asking me?" I questioned.
Headmaster Taurus raised an eyebrow at me and then smiled softly. "Of course. We are not student and Headmaster here, Varnir. We are companions in a dangerous situation in an unknown part of a dungeon. Your input is valuable, as our cooperation with each other could be the deciding factor in our safety. And with that being said, should we make our way deeper into the forest to find the source? Or perhaps go toward the other team's last location? We can even wait til…daybreak, I suppose it can be called," Headmaster Taurus asked.
"There's no guarantee this storm will end. And you are probably extending a lot of mana to maintain a golem of this size, Sir," I reasoned.
The Headmaster chuckled before giving me a serious look. "My mana capacity will see us safe for some time, so there aren't any worries there, Varnir. But you are correct. We have no guarantee this will end if we don't stop it. And we have at least one team that isn't responding anymore. We may be the only ones capable of defeating this storm."
"Then, to the center, we go."
—
Professor Kelly Garrison's POV.
"We got real lucky we found this cave. Do you think the other group is fine?" I asked, more to myself than the others.
Vasquez grunted as he glared at the fire. "Bowen isn't likely to croak just yet. Knowing him, he is probably better off than us."
"Mmm, you're probably right," I said.
"Either way, I have no plans of setting out into that storm. The two of you should try and get some rest. It may be a long night," Vasquez said.
"O—okay but…weren't you on last guard duty, Lord Vasquez? Shouldn't you rest first?" Tsarra asked nervously.
"Drop the long-winded titles, Tsarra, and just get some sleep. You can call me sir or something. Or would you prefer I call you princess from now on?" Vasquez grunted.
"Old man might work too," I chuckled.
Vasquez sent a chilly glare my way as I rolled into my sleeping bag. I watched poor Tsarra deflate slightly as she mumbled, "Yes, Sir."
I let out a deep sigh. "Reminds me of the old days, Sir."
Vasquez smirked slightly as he watched the entrance to the cave. It was a roaring blizzard just beyond the mouth. We couldn't even see the trees despite knowing they were just outside.
"Yes, sleeping in dingy, dark, and cold places. What a wonderful time those were," he said sarcastically.
"It wouldn't be so bad if we were twenty years younger," I said.
"Age wouldn't make this situation any better, Kelly," Vasquez huffed.
"A little bit of optimism wouldn't hurt you, you know? It's not just us anymore," I chided.
"Tsarra is a capable mage and fighter. She also signed up to join us. She shouldn't be considered any more fragile than the two of us," Vasquez said sternly as he glared at me over his shoulder.
That's not what I meant, but alright. Don't you have a daughter? How do you think she would feel trapped in a cave with two old men in a dungeon…not that I'd say that part out loud. But you can at least try and lighten things up.
"Then how about you and the prince? You've been rather distant these last few years, and the rumors haven't been much better," I said.
Vasquez sighed deeply. "This is hardly the time or place to be talking about politics. Get some sleep, Kelly. I have no interest in telling you bedtime stories," he said.
"U—uh…I'm sorry to interrupt," Tsarra said meekly.
"Ah, sorry. We were being too noisy, Tsarra—"
Tsarra sat up from her bed roll and looked at the mouth of the cave, her long ears twitching. "No, I think I heard something," she interrupted.
Vasquez slowly stood up and hefted his axe up to his shoulder as he looked around and frowned. The cave was too narrow to swing that great axe, but honestly, I hadn't heard a single thing besides the storm and the crackling of the fire beside us. Then again, trying to understand the depth and range of an Elf's hearing was a foolish task for a Human, so I also got up.
"This storm is unnatural. I can't sense a thing outside of it," Vasquez said gruffly.
"Tsarra was the one that warned us before. We can't ignore her now. What did you hear exactly?" I asked.
Tsarra frowned slightly. "Mmm…I don't know. Like an animal faintly grunting?" she said.
"If something is moving about in that storm, it can't be a simple animal," Vasquez answered.
We waited for what seemed like a long time with only the blizzard's roar and the fire's crackling. But as I stood with the fire to my back, my eyes adjusted slightly, and I felt like I could see something out in the snowy darkness. But the harder I looked, the more I second-guessed myself.
That was until a looming shadow burst through the cave.
I barely had time to register the large white figure before my sword sank into its chest. Fresh crimson blood splattered across me as I tried to remove my sword from the monster, but to my surprise, the creature swung its massive arm, and I was forced to dodge back. I could feel the monster's strength and power as it let a blood-curdling roar, only for Vasquez to strike it in the face with the head of his axe.
Blood spurt out from its nose, and I grabbed the hilt of my sword and tore through the monster's thick skin and bone, cutting along and coming out from its shoulder. More rushed into the mouth of the cave as we launched into the battle. The size of the cave, which felt small at first, ended up being a blessing as the monsters were too large to come in more than two at a time.
My sword lopped off the arm of one, and I silenced its roar with a swift thrust to the head. My weapon was also unwieldy in the tightly enclosed space, but I had a little more wiggle room than Vasquez did. I watched as he set another ablaze and kicked its thick leg out from underneath it, crushing its chest with a stomp.
We fought for some time, and between the two of us, we killed six of these monsters. After silently holding the entrance, I finally sighed and stood up straight. I kicked one of the monsters over and looked down at it.
"Yetis. Didn't expect to see those here," I said.
"They are usually solitary creatures that only come down from the mountains during winter and work alone hunting unsuspecting prey," Vasquez murmured.
"Do you know any reason there would be so many other than it being a dungeon?" I asked.
Vasquez gave the Yeti a bitter look. "No."
"Should we leave and find another safe spot?" I reasoned.
"No to that as well. We can't be certain we will find another safe spot in that storm. And Yetis are masters of the snow. I would much rather fight a bitter battle in the safety of this place than risk going out there into their domain," Vasquez answered.
I looked over my shoulder and asked, "Tsarra, are you okay?"
She looked down at her feet with her hands gripped tightly. Vasquez looked back at her over his shoulder, then faced the entrance as he said, "Worry not, Tsarra. These enemies are genuinely a terrible match-up for your abilities. Allow us to play into our strengths and you into yours. A time will come when we are in need of your magic."
"So we wait then?" I asked again.
"It is going to be a long, cold night."
—
Varnir Shadowstone's POV.
"I never imagined that your shield and my golems would have such synergy together!" Headmaster Taurus chuckled as a group of Yeti's plummeted toward the howling storm.
The Headmaster's Golem trudged through the forest, and shortly after we set off, a group of Yetis started to clamber up toward us. But I used the roots of my shield to cover the Golem and pierced the monsters as they climbed up from the depths. Those who dodged were forced to dive off; from our height, it was a death sentence.
"Just a few more steps, and we'll be at the center. But say, Varnir. Have you seen the "eye" at the center of a blizzard before?" The Headmaster asked me.
"No, Sir. I can't say that I've even heard of that being a thing," I answered as I looked down.
Sure enough, when I looked down, I saw a large storm wall that suddenly jutted past the trees. It made a precise, unnatural circle, and although it was difficult to say for sure, it could have very well been the center of the forest. And although we couldn't say for sure if it was clear beyond that storm wall just yet, I had a gut feeling that it was.
The only thing that worried me was whatever was lurking in the center. It had to be something monstrous.
"When we break through, I'm going to lock us in even further! Hold on, and whatever you do, don't fall!" Headmaster Taurus shouted.
As we stepped into the storm, the stone around my feet rose and surrounded me in armor. The roaring of the wind buffeted around me. It sounded like it would rip me out of my protective barrier and throw me into the storm. But after what felt like an entirety, it suddenly all stopped.
The stone around me fell apart, and I gasped as I looked down. It was a giant stone clearing with a large floating crystal at its center. Protecting it looked like an endless horde of Yetis with a singular, giant one that looked like it could peer over the walls of a city. It held a massive club made of stone as it sat cross-legged on the ground.
"I was not anticipating such a large Yeti. Nor did I know they could grow to such a size. Perhaps this dungeon created a new subspecies?" The Headmaster mused to himself.
My heart sank as the realization hit me. If I were down there alone, I wouldn't be able to last even a second against that horde, let alone a small group of them.
I'd be dead for sure if it weren't for the Headmaster, but he's just acting so nonchalant.
"Varnir, this will be a rather simple matter. Continue protecting us from the small ones, and I'll crush the big one," Headmaster Taurus said confidently.
"Yes, Sir," I said.
Perhaps sensing my nervousness, he turned around and smiled warmly. "Continue as you have, and we will have little to worry about. Allow me to handle this. It's an old man's job to teach the younger generation a thing or to," he chuckled.
What is there to learn? When will I ever mimic a fraction of this power in the future?
The giant Yeti let out a ferocious roar, and the horde moved to swarm us. Every stomp of the Headmaster's Golem reduced dozens of Yeti into bloody splatters on the stone floor. My roots sprang out from the Golem's legs, piercing and throwing off those who started to climb.
Headmaster Taurus strode straight toward the giant yeti, and the monster stood up to its full height. And even though we dwarfed it in size, it still emanated an intense aura of bloodlust. As we closed in, the giant Yeti swung its club, and I watched in awe as the Headmaster's Golem used both its hands to grab the club, forcing it to a dead stop.
The massive Yeti tried to pull its weapon free, but the Golem simply lifted the Yeti up, forcing it into the air. The Golem then slammed the giant Yeti back down to the stone floor. The Yetis below were squished into a sea of red as the ground splintered from the sheer weight of the monster. With the stone club still in hand, the end of the weapon ignited into a burst of flames as the Golem speared the Yeti in the chest.
The Yeti let out a roar as the molten club cut through its flesh and pinned it to the ground. It clawed at the stone, trying to free itself before its arms weakened, and the creature slumped, unmoving.
…
I—what raw power.
Headmaster Taurus used earth magic to make another club, and with the Golem, he simply swung it around. Every sweep of the weapon crushed dozens in the horde, but even so, the monsters continued to rush forward, undaunted by the danger or the death of their leader.
My further contribution felt meaningless as I killed off the stragglers that tried to clamber up. It took a long time to clear the place out, but by the time it was over, the once pristine stone floor with a horde of monsters was reduced to rubble, blood, and bodies in all directions.
"Is this…normal for you, Headmaster?" I asked in awe.
He chuckled and shook his head. "In a large-scale battle, a team of competent mages would tear such a large rudimentary Golem apart. But I can easily outpower myself against mindless monsters such as these with focus and my mana pool. Ah, and of course, I need the space that you gave me and the space to create such a large Golem. Not something that can be normally done," he explained.
He's just too humble…
"Now, let us destroy this crystal. I have a feeling it may be the source of our current storm," Headmaster Tarus announced.
The crystal shattered into pieces with a great swing of the club, and instantly, the storm wall around us disappeared. Even the crystal above-changed colors to a warm orange hue, mimicking daylight. At the same time, the dungeon rumbled, and from the cave's ceiling, a long spiraling staircase flowed down, and a passageway opened up where the crystal was, with stairs leading down.
"It appears we have our next destination. Let's rest while we wait for the others to reach us," Bowen said as the Golem slowly descended so we could climb off its head.
"In the meantime, we can go over some things, Varnir. What did you learn?" The Headmaster asked with a smile.
Die and be reborn as a mage.