MM - Chapter 271 - A LONG WAY DOWN

“Any further questions?” Raine stood from the conference table in Astra Infernum’s council chamber, beyond ready to conclude the meeting and get on to the next task.

Charles, still seated across from him, shook his head. “No, My Lord. Your instructions were quite clear. Though I do have a few concerns…”

“Go ahead.” Raine nodded, his smile patient, though he remained on his feet.

“It’s the numbers, My Lord. They do not add up. If we allow open recruitment for an additional hundred and fifty thousand Travelers, the guild hall will be completely overrun. We cannot support so many with our limited space.”

“Ahh, that would normally be a good point, but you’re assuming an awful lot about my fellow Earthlings.” Raine waved his hand dismissively when Charles’s face twisted in confusion. “No need to spend too much time trying to figure us out. You’ll come to understand my people in time. What’s important right now is that most of us Earthlings, and especially the ones we’ll be recruiting, lack the dedication of the Kingdom’s people.”

Now the young administrator was even more confused. He shook his head as though convinced he’d misheard. “The Travelers lack dedication? But how can that be? I’ve personally heard hundreds of stories of your people going to great lengths in their efforts to assist Her Majesty’s subjects. How can such acts be anything but dedication to the realm… to the Crown itself?”

Raine gripped his impatience in a fist of will and throttled it. Charles was an important part of his plans, and had repeatedly shown both excellent judgment, and swift initiative in solving problems before they grew worse. The curious young man had earned the explanation he sought. “Supporting your government, your queen, is a cornerstone of your way of life. Without her and her protection, you’d all be eaten within a pair of hands. My world has no such threats forcing unity. We would rather tear our leadership down than support it. Which is a long-winded way of saying that most of the people we recruit won’t stick around, so you don’t have to worry about overcrowding.”

Charles gasped, recoiling in instinctive disgust. “But that is… How can… No threats, you say?” His mouth opened and closed as he tried to turn his words into coherent sentences.

While Rain was happy to answer the question in great detail, he didn’t have time to watch Charles wrestle with the alienness of people from an entirely separate world. He pulled out a Return Stone, selected his next destination, and triggered the ten-second cast.

“I won’t be out of touch. Feel free to message, no matter what comes up. Make sure you interview the list of names I gave you. I’m sure a couple of them will be a huge help.” He smiled, waving cheerfully.

Precious seconds passed before Charles returned to himself enough to notice what Raine had done. “Wait! My Lord, I have several other concerns—”

Whatever they were, Raine didn’t hear them before he was wrapped in light and whisked hundreds of kilometers away. He materialized inside Sularab Town’s sole taverna. He left quickly, traversing the streets under the stark light of high noon. 

The town was just as desolate as when he brought the core group here in the dead of night, before the raid. This close to the Dantinian border, the only signs of life were the soldiers patrolling the high walls and streets. Their gazes fell on him, hard and stern, until they registered the faint glow of the Queen's Favor. Their expressions shifted, their paths diverging to give him a wide berth as they found other directions more interesting.

Raine cut a direct path toward the small fortress town’s eastern gate. As he passed the guards posted there, a hushed whisper carried enough for him to overhear. “I told you it was him.”

The shifty glances, palpable shroud of distrust hanging over the town, and now this, combined into just enough oddities to snag his interest. He altered course, approaching the two guards who stiffened. “Well met, honored defenders of the crown.” He spoke in the local vernacular, bearing what one would expect from a youthful baron. “Were you expecting me? Perhaps my men left word on their way by? They should have passed through only fingers ago.”

One of the guards seemed to have forgotten how his jaw worked; his mouth was only capable of uttering a drawn-out stutter. The other, whose crisp diction hinted at a minor noble's background, managed a coherent response. “That’s right, Favored One. Your men were warned not to leave, but they chose to do so regardless. They mentioned a Baron Alaric would be following them shortly. I merely assumed it was the very same Alaric rumored to be making such a splash in the echelons.”

The potential for a quest that might lead to another raid was too great to ignore. Raine pressed for details. “Why were my warriors warned to stay behind your sturdy walls? Is there an issue I should be made aware of?” The phrasing and deepening tone were deliberate, a subtle warning that withholding information would have consequences.

The guard’s confidence slipped, his gaze turning shifty. “Well… I doubt the newest palace tutor has anything to fear. It is only that three lances were wiped out in the last two days. No Bearers have been targeted as of yet, only Classers. Champion Durant ordered that none without a Bearer escort may leave town. Of course, we would never consider stopping one such as yourself.” The guard bowed low, placing a hand on his companion’s back to urge him down as well.

Raine pulled his lips to the side, digesting the information. Three lances of guards, all killed quickly enough that nobody realized what happened in time to resurrect them? But no 2nd-tier-led lances. His brow furrowed further when the expected quest notification failed to appear after a few seconds. Interesting.

“Any tracks or clues left behind?”

“No tracks at all, Lord Baron,” the guard blanched, embarrassed by their lack of intel. “The Classers were torn apart with little sign of resistance. All were close to town, but reinforcements were too slow to catch sight of the beast.”

“Why do you assume it’s a beast?”

The guard gestured vaguely. “The, ah, the mess it leaves behind isn’t something a person could do.”

Raine had to admit he was curious. Such mysterious disappearances didn’t ring any bells for quests he was familiar with, and the guards posted in Sularab were competent enough to hold back the Dantinians, a local beast shouldn’t pose a threat. “So, a stealthy beast, likely below level 50, targeting small groups of Classers around town?”

“You’ve got it all, Lord Baron. We certainly wouldn’t begrudge your assistance if you chose to look into this matter.”

Raine waited, giving the system a full two seconds to respond. Nothing still? Damn, I probably have to catch it in the act. No way I’m waiting around hoping to get lucky.

“If I notice anything, I’ll be sure to step in,” he promised half-heartedly while walking away from the gate.

“Many thanks, Lord Baron!” The guard called after him.

Once he was clear of the town, Raine took to the air, deploying his Premium Skydrifter. He traveled northeast and, true to his word, kept the Eyes of Amanesh active as he scanned the craggy, barren landscape. Surprisingly, there was nothing to spot. No beasts of any kind roamed the lands surrounding Sularab. Whatever had been killing the guards wasn’t a picky eater, which supported the theory that it was a beast, likely pushed from its territory by a more powerful 4th-tier creature somewhere up the food chain.

If it was unworthy of the system assigning a quest even now, then tracking down and ending the beast was unlikely to yield any kind of special reward. He put the mystery from his mind, entering a skylane to pick up speed. The rest of the journey was without incident; not a single monster rose to challenge his passage. He arrived at a deep ravine that split the land like a massive wound. 

As instructed, Varak waited for him at the edge of the chasm, standing beside a large pedestal atop an ancient stone dais. The leader of Astra’s Vaaterran conrois snapped a crisp salute. “Welcome, My Lord.”

Raine returned the gesture, his gaze sweeping over the fifty elite Vaaterrans standing in disciplined ranks. “At ease. Once your turn is up, you can return to Silverlight until tomorrow. I’ll let you work out the order on your own.” It was a shame he would miss the show. “Let’s get started. We have less time than I thought.”

He stepped onto the dais and placed his hand on the smooth gem that crowned the pedestal. It was cool to the touch and fit nicely into the palm of his hand. A series of messages materialized in his vision.

[You have discovered the Soul Dungeon: Ravine of Blood (Minimum Level: 40 / Maximum Level: 49)]

[Select Difficulty: Normal / Challenging / Hard / Nightmare]

Raine nodded. At least this time everything was as it should be. He stepped back and crooked a finger at the nearest of Varak’s elites, a tall Vaaterran with a youthful, unscarred face. The soldier placed his own hand on the gem. “Are you sure, My Lord?” His voice was laced with concern.

Raine curled a single brow at the youth. “Absolutely. Why would I waste my time on anything less than Nightmare? Do it.”

With a clenched jaw, the elite did as he was instructed, selecting the highest difficulty. He cringed as a purple-blue light swept through his body, and something distinctly ‘other’ was pulled from him and into the pedestal. A portal shimmered to life at the edge of the dais, its surface rippling like disturbed water. A daunting skull materialized within the portal's frame, its empty sockets seeming to stare right through them, its jaw fixed in a wide, toothy grin.

Dungeons in ZionLine came in many forms. Some, like Devil's Defiance Dungeon—the first Raine cleared—were known as Land Dungeons. They tended to be low-level instances that drew their power from the ambient energies of Vaateaire, essentially allowing them to spawn infinite inhabitants. However, their rewards were consequently the least lucrative.

The most prized dungeons followed a different set of rules. Instead of drawing from the land, they absorbed a portion of the souls of those who wished to enter. The effect was temporary, causing no permanent damage, and the soul would fully recover in around a day. The downside was that such dungeons could only be run as many times per day as there were members in the group to fuel them. The upside was monumental: the loot found within was significantly more valuable than Land Dungeons, even having a slight chance of being Chaotic Gold.

With each of Varak’s fifty elites, plus Raine himself, he could run this dungeon a total of fifty-one times per day. If he could clear it, that is. His plan to solo it relied on a skill he’d tested too little. If his plan failed, he would have to do things the hard way.

Upon stepping through the portal, Raine and the elite found themselves on the exact same dais, looking out at the exact same view. The ravine stretched out beneath them, bordered by a distant mountain range beyond. They had not been transported to a Mystic Realm or another dimension; this was still Vaateaire. The only difference was the denizens of the chasm below.

Fueled by the donated soul power, the ravine now swarmed with beasts that were not there a moment ago. The youthful elite peered over the edge into the vast depths, the bottom shadowed from even noon’s light. “That’s a long way down, My Lord.”

“Not if you take the shortcut. Don’t leave the dais.” Raine finished swapping out his gear and gestured for the elite to remain. Without hesitation, he leaped, plummeting straight down into the center of the ravine.

The locals instantly took note of him. With outraged cries, they peeled from the walls like bugs from a kicked hive to converge on the falling interloper. They were muscular, green-skinned creatures with sharp, curved beaks lined by jagged teeth. A thick mane of white, fluffy feathers lined their heads and shoulders, extending down their arms, which were not arms at all, but wings covered in ragged orange feathers ill-suited for true flight. Light leather armor clung to their torsos, matching the well-designed huts of wood and bone that clung securely to both sides of the ravine’s walls.

[Zyrathak (Nightmare Dungeon Elite): Level 45 (HP 2,850,000)
[Highest Attribute: Acuity 920]
[Average Attribute Score: 850]
[Unique Skill Type: Wind Manipulation]

Typically, a party would require extensive climbing gear to navigate the descent, moving slowly between the layers of huts to avoid drawing the attention of too many Zyrathaks at once. Being overwhelmed by these creatures in their own habitat was a sure death sentence.

Out in the open, Raine fell like a stone, eagerly inviting the coming chaos.

A horde poured from their nests. Hundreds of Zyrathaks dove after him, wings beating the air into a frenzy. Their howling screeches pounded his skull, yet were unsuccessful in reducing him to the whimpering prey they were used to hunting.

[Negative affliction resisted (Paralyze)]

They were not deterred by Raine’s resilience. Legs ending in uniquely dexterous claws kicked forward, releasing dual Crescent Gale Kicks. Hardened air in the form of curved axe blades sliced in from every direction.

Instead of dodging or defending, four whips of golden soul flame erupted from his back. They lashed out, grabbing the nearest Zyrathaks by their necks and yanking them into a tight, unwilling formation around him. The living shields absorbed the barrage meant for him. The flyers' powerful legs kicked as they struggled and thrashed. It was no use, they were torn to bits all the same. 

Without hands to grasp the fiery tendrils, they were helpless. Being primarily gliders, their limited mobility was further crippled by the way Raine jerked them left and right. 

The four he grabbed could only barely absorb the first round of sharp crescents. Geysers of blood filled the air. His whips lashed out, replacing his shields as quickly as he could mentally command them to do so. Several Crescent Gale Kicks slid by but were met by his fists wreathed in flames. He smacked the attacks from existence, body a blur of evasive maneuvers. 

Regardless of his efforts, it was impossible to stop the sheer quantity of attacks coming at him. It didn’t matter if they were lower level than him; these elites were from a Nightmare-difficulty dungeon. Their damage was no joke. [-1,119] [-1,131] [-1,099] Pain surged, hot and immediate; death was close enough to taste, rousing Bloodlust from its slumber. Desire stirred, the kind that only ever roared to life in the thick of violence.

Cassidy’s Comet made an appearance, and he struck with merciless determination. “PuriPuri Rainbow Release!” A vast swath of the beasts was cleared out with a single swing. Their bodies, grasped by filaments of icy light, blocked dozens of attacks coming from further away. Yet, his fall was far from over. The few times he’d come here in the past, it took an entire day to fully clear the ravine.

As he reached the halfway point and swapped to his spear, their numbers had fully recovered, plus some. Rupture, Uncanny Acceleration, Guillotine Slash, and Great Divide sent out continual waves of destructive energy that barely thinned a few from the flock. Though his efforts were enough to stay alive until he reached the bottom. 

Slowing his fall with Connection was out of the question with so many on his tail. Loot bubbles fell all around as he crashed into the hard-packed soil of the ravine floor. The impact bent his Discipline-empowered knees into a full squat. Without waiting an instant, he blasted to the side with a Lunge as hundreds of crescents kicked up a huge cloud of dust. He cleared the pall with the Cloak of Amanesh wrapped tightly around him. Combined with the deep shadows of the ravine, the maneuver gained him a few seconds to breathe.

The dungeon’s boss was not keen to give him more than that. She emerged, crawling from a cave carved into the cliff face. She was a gargantuan, bottom-heavy version of her kin. Thick legs with defined muscles gave her predatory hops a dangerous grace. A wingspan vast enough to hide the cave she’d come from spread wide as she glided into the arena. She threw her head back and unleashed a piercing howl that echoed up the chasm walls, a sound so powerful it shook the very foundations of the canyon, sending rocks cascading down in hundreds of dangerous landslides.

[Zyrathak Primarch (Nightmare Dungeon Noble): Level 48 (HP 12,000,000)
[Highest Attribute: Acuity 1,987]
[Average Attribute Score: 1,644]
[Unique Skill Type: Ocular Dominion]

The reason Raine kept so many of the Zyrathaks alive became painfully obvious by the flood of notifications in the corner of his vision.

[Negative affliction resisted (Lethargy)]

[Negative affliction resisted (Paralyze)]

[Negative affliction resisted (Sloth)]

[Negative affliction resisted (Stun)]

If not for One Man Army, he would already be well on his way to death. Her howl ended on a guttural note that vibrated through Raine’s bones. Her eyes, twin orbs of molten amber, had no issue locating him through Amanesh’s darkness. She locked onto him with savage focus.

The Zyrathak Primarch was infamous as a boss not worth the effort. In terms of raw damage and defense, she was on the lower end for a level 48. The problem, the reason countless parties wiped against her, lay in her method of attack. After thoroughly disabling her prey, she didn't even need to bother kicking blades of wind or pecking with her sharp beak.

All she had to do was look at you. 

The air between them thickened, charged with an unseen force that pressed straight through armor and skin like invisible needles. Her power rose inside Raine—a sharp, internal stab. Blood filled his lungs as his internals were shredded, the liquid gushing to flood his throat. [-3,076]

The flock took note of the spray of blood that jettisoned from his mouth. They turned on him, raucous caws adding to the deafening echo still working its way up the ravine.