TCOB: CHAPTER TWENTY

Into the belly of the beast (3)

Twenty minutes later…

…

“Erderlanze!”

Nai calmly stood behind a line of squires as she fired off one last stone construct. The magical projectile flew via an almost-level flight path before impaling a bonehound in the head. The creature struggled briefly for a moment―blood spilling morbidly―before going still the next. Dead.

[You have used Class Skill - Earth Lance Lvl 3]

[You have killed an Adult Bonehound]

[You have gained experience]

Nai exhaled a breath of relief as the last of the monsters unfortunate enough to come out was slain. She glanced at the ivory box in her left hand, noting with a sour expression that the rather expensive lure had already been completely expended. Only an empty container heavy with a bloody stench remained.

Well, that's one enriched mana stone gone with the wind… literally, she thought, feeling morose for a second before immediately experiencing self-loath.

People died and here I am complaining about spent mana stones, Ugh. With her mind laden with complex emotions, Nai trudged over to where the two knights stood at the forefront of the staging ground. Both men looked slightly winded but were entirely unscathed without even the slightest scratch. The two were covered in bits of flesh and entrails, their suits of armour slick with blood making them appear particularly savage-looking.

"The lure?" Sir Justin asked Nai as he flicked a few drops of blood off his weapon's edge.

"We are out," Nai shook her head lightly in response to which the knight sighed.

"I was hoping it could have lasted a while longer," he said. "The more of these pests we could get out now, the less we would have to deal with inside where they have the terrain advantage. If only the lord provided us with a few more of those rocks, the expedition would have been a whole lot easier."

"Those 'rocks' are expensive, Justin," Nai scoffed lightly as she turned her attention to the dungeon before them.

Sir Justin just sighed in response. "We should get the men ready to begin the delve."

"Now?" Nai asked, a bit startled. "Shouldn't we at the very least allow them to get some rest first before plunging them right back into battle?"

"It's alright," Sir Justin replied, rather dismissively. "Most of the ones remaining alive probably have the class attributes [Soldier's Vigour], [Hardy Folk], or both. Their stamina drain compared to ours is much, much less. Considering I don't feel too tired despite the heavy penalties I receive due to my [Shield-bearer] class, I reckon it should be fine..."

"That's because your class is defensive in nature, you twat!" Nai retorted, somewhat annoyed. "Of course, your stamina drain is going to be higher than these weaker, unspecialised yeomen. Or what did you expect?"

"There is no reason to needlessly escalate things," Sir Dunice sighed and he quickly intervened. "I understand your concerns, Lady Mage and I fully agree. The men are exhausted and would be much less useful in their current states. I propose we let them take a thirty-minute break to reorganise before we go under, or what do you think Sir Justin?"

The knight in question just shrugged before walking towards the rudimentary rampart that served as the first earthen line of defence. "Whatever, I will keep watch since it appears I am the least exhausted amongst us, you guys can sort out the preparations. I would hate to have to extend this longer than it should be."

Nai watched with an exasperated stare as Justin walked off, a hint of impatience in his stride. Shaking her head at the knight's antics, she turned her attention back to Dunice who had already begun shouting instructions as he left for the horses in the back. She stood there, momentarily lost in thought as she observed a few injured men with a critical eye.

They probably won't live past the next fight, she inferred with a hint of a frown, before sighing as she quickly remembered that there was little she could do about this fact. Of course, she could offer to heal a few, but with her limited mana reserves, that was in itself a lost cause.

Leaving Sir Justin behind to guard the dungeon entrance with only a few keen-eyed archers as support, Nai also returned to her horse. Stopping by the animal's side she removed a small leather satchel and extracted a small porcelain vial from within.

Almost subconsciously, she uncorked the bottle before drinking the contents down in one small gulp. A sweet, fruity taste blossomed in her mouth while a notification flashed in the corner of her eyes.

[You have consumed a low-grade Mana Potion]

Shutting her eyes as she savoured the sweet taste in her mouth, Nai watched as her mana bar on her status screen animatedly replenished itself, soon capping off at a moderate 175 pts.

She exhaled gently, feeling the strength returning to her veins with all feelings of lethargy quickly wearing off. Her eyes snapped open with a hint of clarity and she looked off into the distance to see Justin leaning against an earthen rampart as he watched the dungeon with an odd mix of wariness and boredom. Sir Dunice on the other hand continued to shout orders to the soldiers as they shuffled about, fatigued.

This was going to be her first dungeon delve, and for the sake of her career and reputation, she had to do her best to ensure everything went on smoothly…

***

An hour and a half later.

…

“Erderlanze!”

“Erderlanze!”

“Erderlanze!”

The dungeon stank. Horribly.

Whilst lobbing manifest stone constructs with unerring accuracy at the hordes of monsters that rushed out of the dungeon depths, Nia soon found herself fighting a different battle in hopes that she didn’t pass out from the smell.

With her staff illuminating the tunnel in a white glow, the mage could see the damp tunnel walls that had been covered in scratch marks. The floor was a muddy mess of wet soil, feces, and blood that faintly sucked the soles of her boots with each step she took.

Standing protectively ahead of her was Sir Justin with his blade in one hand and a heavy jousting shield in the other. In his hands, the relatively small slab of metal appeared to be more of an offensive weapon than it was a defensive one. Brutally swinging the square shield around, the knight smashed would-be assailants into the adjacent walls. The creatures' bones audibly shattered upon impact, their insides pulverised into a thick slurry of organs and blood that leaked out their gaping maws.

Further ahead was Sir Dunice drenched in blood and entrails as he deftly wielded his longsword. The knight swung his blade as he ducked in and out of the enemy's ranks, systematically picking off bonehounds as they attempted to herd him into a killing circle. In the face of the pack's tactics, less adept fighters might have already fallen prey, but the older, more experienced man seemed impervious to all.

Nai nonetheless continued her magical barrage, her staff held out regally as she spammed spells only to stop every once in a while to gulp down a mana potion.

A few monsters managed to sidestep the hailstorm of death that was herself and the accompanying knights, only to end up in another fight for their lives. The yeomen and squires lagging slightly behind would deal with whatever made it through as they had been instructed.

Without bothering too much about how efficiently the tunnel was cleared of monsters, Nai and the two knights could make their way deeper into the dungeon, spearheading the assault.

However, just at the precepts of entering a large cavern at the end of the tunnel, Nai fired one last [Stone lance] at a struggling bonehound before sharing a glance with the two knights.

Something was wrong.

Something was terribly wrong.

"How many are they?" Sir Dunice asked with a frown. "I can't properly sense the monsters inside…"

“Mondtrance.”

[You have used Class Skill - Intermediate Mana Sense Lvl 3]

"About a hundred," Nai replied as a small notification appeared in the corner of her vision. "Possibly all adults with one very large specimen at the forefront… Lichtzauber!”

[You have used Class Skill - Light Enchantment Lvl 1]

As she cast another spell, a basketball-sized orb of light formed above her head before floating up into the tunnel. The light orb bobbed along, illuminating the entire cavern.

At the end of it were rows, upon rows of monsters sitting fearfully in the rear…

And in front sat a monstrous specimen.

The bonehound was probably the largest Nai had ever seen before. The wolf-like creature stood at about two-and-a-half metres in height, its muscular shoulders covered in short bony spikes that faintly scraped the ceiling and its body protected by a thick mass of leathery hide. The monster's long, sickle-like claws on its forearm clinked on the rocky floor, glinting dimly in the dark as the light from her spell shone off its seemingly polished surface.

As Nai stared at the monster, it stared back, intelligence flickering in its eyes.

It appeared the creature had long been patiently awaiting their arrival…