Chapter 5: Unexpected Consequences
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Beautiful. It is such a common word. But Edward could not think of a more appropriate adjective to describe the great hall that he beheld in front of him. A deep red plush carpet covered the entire floor. Massive floating crystal chandeliers that emitted their own light decorated the expansive room's high-arched ceiling. Numerous banners presenting a multitude of house sigils lined the central path leading to a luxurious elevated throne. Golden armrests accentuated by large embedded rubies drew one's eyes and the high backrest was cushioned and inlaid with more gold and rubies upon its edges.
It did not look like it was made for a normal human, though. It was far too large. But the armor-clad figure that sat languidly on it fit the bedazzled throne perfectly. The knowledge that Ed acquired from the ancient tomes warned him of this being. An ancient monarch guardian that served as the final boss of this particular dungeon and protector of the core's room—too powerful of an opponent for even the highest leveled individuals alive in the prevailing era. His armor was made of the highest grade Eternionite alloy and the inlaid patterns that covered it radiated with defensive Eternion enhancements. The guardian's face did not look a day over thirty years old. His skin glowed with health and he sported a full beard and dark flowing hair that reached his knees as he sat on his throne. It was clear to Ed that this monarch's vitality status was tremendous.
So he was thankful that this dungeon boss was sentient. You don't always need to fight an intelligent foe to get a resolution—sometimes you can negotiate your terms. And Ed had an idea about what this caged king craved above all—and he could give it to him.
So he walked through the regal hallway at a pace and decorum worthy of the royal court. His dumbstruck friend and pet companion trailed behind him like members of a nobleman's retinue. He remembered his childhood classes on etiquette and followed what rules he knew of in observing proper conduct before a country's ruler. Unfortunately, there were no courtiers around to announce his arrival so he had to introduce himself while trying to quell the terror behind his voice. The unmoving giant that sat on the throne directed glowing crimson eyes at him as he spoke.
"Your majesty, please pardon this humble traveler's intrusion upon your glorious halls. My name is Edward Von Mansfeld and I have come to offer a bargain."
The king did not stir from his position on the throne but his eyes glowed brighter with an intense blaze and answered back.
"A mundane cub not even on his first capstone level has come to offer ME a bargain?"
The ancient king chuckled at Ed's statement and the room rumbled with the sound of his voice.
"Perhaps I'll let you live a few moments more for the rare amusement that I get in this eternal prison. Tell me—what do you want and what can you offer in return?"
Ed felt the terror coming from his bond with Shadow Wing and fought against his own instinct to run away as he resolved to present his offer.
"I am a son of the Eternion's champions and I offer you your freedom in exchange for your crown."
For a minute—there was complete silence. The glow on the king's eyes dimmed and the light from the chandeliers flickered. The dungeon boss' right hand reached up and a mighty greatsword materialized in its grip. Ed and Klay stiffened—overwhelmed with fear and the sheer weight of energy coming from the king's thick aura that suddenly burst out of his being. The armored monarch trembled in what seemed to be great anger over what he heard. His right hand remained raised and the two young men expected it to swing down to end their lives but after a full minute of dread—the king ... laughed. It wasn't a mirthful laugh of happiness but more of the kind with half mocking incredulity. He let his weapon vanish as his rumbling voice echoed throughout the great hall. Slowly, his left hand reached up to his head and took his majestic jeweled crown from it, and offered it to Ed.
"Uphold the integrity of your forebears, scion of champions, and I might even let you keep this crown."
Ed reached out and took the crown from the king's hand. Upon leaving the king's grip, the crown shrunk from having the radius of a wagon wheel to a normal crown's size, fit exactly for Edward's head. He put it immediately and nodded at the gigantic man on the throne.
"I never even considered doing otherwise."
Ed felt his status points skyrocket upon wearing the crown. His clothes ripped in some places as he reached status thresholds and his body grew in size. His mind swirled as it zoomed through higher levels of sharpness and better access to his memories. He staggered for a moment before he could acclimate to the sudden status boost given by the new object on his head. He looked at his attributes.
Strength: 30 +270
- increases physical power, develops the class holder's muscle and bone density and strength proportional to the class holder's body type, also strengthens all tendons, internal organs, and all body tissues relevant to the circulatory system
Vitality: 25 +250
- increases life span, improves health at the cellular level, increases speed of regeneration, resistance to damage, poison, disease
Psionic Affinity: 30 + 10 (class bonus increases per level) +250
- increases control over Eternion, increases intensity and density of Eternion that can be used in skills, increases damage of Eternion based skills, increases focus, memory, and overall mental capability and resistance to Eternion induced status effects
Dexterity: 25 +250
- increases coordination of the body's movement and control over every part of the body, increases movement speed of individual body parts
Agility: 30 +250
- Increases movement speed of the body as a whole and increases ability to dodge and maneuver, strengthens specific muscle groups for optimal movement capabilities
Stamina: 25 +250
- Dictates the amount of Eternion that the body can channel before it starts breaking down. Also affects the strength of Eternion link dependent constructs created or summoned by the user. Improves overall efficiency of the body's energy consumption and the corporeal body's stamina
This must be a Legendary tier artifact or at least a Mythical!
His father had dreamt of finding such relics of great power but had never seen one in his entire life. How wonderful would it have been if Ed could show it to him? If only he had the power back then to fight back against the royals he could have—
It's just wishful thinking now. But I can still save mother. He thought.
He took one more glance at the king's face and proceeded to walk towards the back of the throne room where another door waited. It was inlaid with a golden flaming sword sigil at the center. The crown on Ed's head glowed and the sigil reacted to it and emitted light as the sound of gears turning after millennia of slumber filled the room. The door unlocked and opened on its own as if to welcome him.
He stepped into the room beyond the door and immediately saw the glowing sphere at its center. The room was well lit with Eternion lamps on all four corners. The walls shone with lines of glowing characters that seemed to represent a language lost to time. Even Ed had no idea what language it was. And these characters changed and moved across the walls like rivers of texts.
But all his attention went to the dungeon core. It floated in the middle of the room and webs of flowing electricity connected it to the walls, floor, and ceiling. The only part of the room not touched by the electric currents was the wall that contained the door.
Ed approached the dungeon core. One cautious step at a time. In his mind he activated his skill—[Hero Summoning].
"Dungeon core detected. Would you like to spend this dungeon core to activate the summons? [Yes] [No] ... Summoning confirmed .... Summons commencing in 3 ... 2 ... 1"
He felt a large amount of Eternion leave him, almost completely depleting his body of the vibrant energy. After his decision to use this dungeon's core to fuel his skill, Roksted barony's largest source of income would cease to exist. This would be a big problem for the baron and his tenants but they should live through it. It wouldn't cause them to starve or anything would it?
Ed just wanted to make use of his powers to fulfill his father's wishes and save his mother tonight. He never wished for his neighbours of recent years to suffer too much because of his actions. But he accepted the fact that he could never go back to a peaceful life.
Then, he saw a face. Across a hazy film within his mind, he called out to a hero from across a vast expanse beyond space and time. The currents inside the room coalesced into the melon-sized dungeon core as it spun faster and faster for every second that passed. Then, with a scream inside Edward's mind—it vanished. And the dungeon trembled.
Quest successful! [Vambrace of Minor Might and Mind] obtained! + 100 D.E.P. obtained!
The voice inside his head said. He acquired the quest reward and put it on his left arm. His strength and psionic affinity increased by ten points each.
He poured the 100 D.E.P. to [Power Strike]
"Power Strike lvl. 11 obtained! - Damage dealt greatly increased"
"What happened?" said Klay.
"I don't know," Ed answered, "The summoning should have been successful. I felt my skill activate completely and the subquest rewarded us."
A green hilted cutlass materialized in front of Klay and he nodded.
They looked around the room and saw cracks form in the now dull and mundane walls. Small pieces of the ceiling were flaking off and falling on their heads.
"I think we should get out now."
"But, the hero! I know I summoned a hero he—"
After a moment of panic, Ed felt it, a new connection formed within his mind. The surprise of a person pulled from another world—another dimension?
But he could feel that the person was far to the east. Perhaps farther than the safe lands of the conquered territories. This was clearly a miscalculation on his part. The ancient tomes never mentioned the specifics of how the skill worked, and his skill's description did not provide such explanation either.
His thoughts rushed through his head as Klay pulled him out of the dungeon core's room and back to the dungeon boss' kingly halls. Everything was trembling and the air shimmered with ethereal glow.
"You have fulfilled your promise," rumbled the monarch's voice, "I cannot promise that your lands will survive the collapse of this trial dungeon but I can promise you that I will not be part of the invasion that is to come."
"What does he mean, Ed?" said Klay.
"I don't know either!" said Ed, "I don't know of any invasion, I thought the dungeon would just vanish!"
"Young one, for setting me free and staying true to your word, I will let you keep that crown and this sword."
The ancient monarch's gigantic sword appeared again and landed in front of Ed. He used both hands to pick it up, expecting it to be too heavy for him to swing, but was surprised by how perfectly balanced and light it felt in his grip. His body surged with increased attributes again.
Strength: 30 +530
- increases physical power, develops the class holder's muscle and bone density and strength proportional to the class holder's body type, also strengthens all tendons, internal organs, and all body tissues relevant to the circulatory system
Vitality: 25 +500
- increases life span, improves health at the cellular level, increases speed of regeneration, resistance to damage, poison, disease
Psionic Affinity: 30 + 10 (class bonus increases per level) +510
- increases control over Eternion, increases intensity and density of Eternion that can be used in skills, increases damage of Eternion based skills, increases focus, memory, and overall mental capability and resistance to Eternion induced status effects
Dexterity: 25 +500
- increases coordination of the body's movement and control over every part of the body, increases movement speed of individual body parts
Agility: 30 +500
- Increases movement speed of the body as a whole and increases ability to dodge and maneuver, strengthens specific muscle groups for optimal movement capabilities
Stamina: 25 +500
- Dictates the amount of Eternion that the body can channel before it starts breaking down. Also affects the strength of Eternion link dependent constructs created or summoned by the user. Improves overall efficiency of the body's energy consumption and the corporeal body's stamina
"My world had waited for me for far too long, mayhaps we will meet again if you survive the coming chaos, farewell."
Then the room and the king—vanished.
Ed and Klay found themselves inside a hollowed out rocky mountain with jagged cliffs and dark caverns. But after a few seconds—some of these caverns began to glow and emit high amounts of Eternion that formed vortexes the size of castle gates. The two friends stared at the glowing vortexes with dread and anticipation.
"No," said Ed, "this can't be happening! I already sacrificed the dungeon core, why are portals still forming?"
Ed made the assumption that by sacrificing the dungeon core, he would kill the dungeon's lifeline to the other worlds that spawned the monsters of the trial dungeons. But now he was realizing that his assumption was incorrect.
"What are we going to do?" said Klay.
Ed looked at the sword in his hand and felt the crown on his head. His status points have yet again gone up upon acquiring the sword and he could feel the power coursing through him like an overflowing river after a midnight storm. He could also feel energy signatures coming from beyond the portals all around them, signalling the start of the invasion that the dungeon boss mentioned.
"I'll go straight to the castle," said Ed, "I think you'd fall behind but just follow me and don't fight against the soldiers unless I ask for help, okay?"
Worry was all over Klay's face but he did not argue and just nodded back.
"Let's go."
Ed ran towards the western wall and—with a mighty swing—obliterated a big enough portion of the mountain for an entire wagon to go through. Each of his steps propelled him forward in speeds twice faster than any war steed could.
Things didn't go as planned but his goal remains the same, he will save his mother and take her out of the baron's hands.
His footsteps caused tremors as he kicked up dust and broken rocks into a thick cloud behind him. The cold wind brushed against his skin like white rapids meeting a solid boulder before a waterfall.
It took him a much shorter time to go back to the village and he did not bother to sneak in. In a cloud of dust and pulverized wood, he crashed into the gate. He crossed the fields of corn and jumped over the wall that separated the farmlands and the commercial district. [Soldiers] and [Knights] on patrol chased after him to no avail as he was far quicker and more agile than they were. He ran through the streets and bulldozed through the checkpoints that lead to the noble quarters. Then, with his pent up anger and frustration, he struck the large steel gate of the noble quarters with [Power Strike] loaded with his augmented strength attribute.
The gate disintegrated.
Stunned [Soldiers] patrolling inside the castle walls gaped at Ed's explosive entrance to the castle's bailey. He did not give them time to react and, in a single charge, blasted through the keep's door and ran to the underground dungeon where he assumed his mother would have been kept. It was dark to the naked eye—lit with only a few torches along black tarred walls.
"Mother! It's me, Edward! Are you here?"
There was no answer. Only a few weak coughing sounds broke the silence in the hallway.
Ed took a torch and searched each prison cell. There were men in rags in the first few cells and a Bered-vas, a tall muscular horned man from the southern isles with a big scar on his chest, imprisoned in the deepest part of the dungeon. But his mother was not there.
Ed paused to think of where the baron could possibly have taken his mother when he heard footsteps from behind. The baron's [Soldiers] barricaded the dungeon's entrance and formed a spear wall to prevent him from leaving. Fear was clear on their faces.
"My name is Edward Von Mansfeld. Tell me where my mother is and I'll let you live."
There was a stir among the ranks of [Soldiers] upon hearing his words and a dozen [Knight] in full armor with the red hammer sigil emblazoned on their chest piece stepped forward—one of the baron's elites called the Red Hammer [Knights]. The one in the middle with a red horsetail crest on his helmet spoke.
"Treasonous fool—remove that crown from your head. You may have inherited a noble class seed but we are not afraid of you."
Ed looked around and glanced at each of the [Knights] who confidently stood before him. Their faces were grim which showed that they did take him seriously and expect him to put up a fight despite the difference in numbers. They are still gravely mistaken though.
"I would rather not spill more blood. Please let me see my mother and let us go. We shall leave peacefully."
"No. You surrender your inherited seed and you shall leave here alive. If not, we shall make you bleed out until you do so."
Arrogance. That tone had always irked Ed. And these [Knights] still talked down to him even after they knew that he was an inheritor like they were. He always had to keep silent and take their insults like a dumb dog. It was different this time.
Two black spheres formed behind the [Knights] and sucked them in together with some of the [Soldiers]. Their bodies glowed as they activated enhancement skills and some of them managed to stop their momentum by plunging their swords into the ground but most of them collided with each other and were stuck to the spheres like a ball made of tangled men.
In that moment of confusion, Ed attacked the trapped and disoriented [Soldiers] and [Knights] with a barrage of [Power Strikes]. The armored men bled and died almost instantly except for a few.
Five of the Red Hammer Knights used [Power Strike] for propulsion and their unique skill [Bloody Charge] to escape the [Gravity Ball] that Ed casted in time to dodge his attacks.
They stared in silence at the carnage manifested in front of them—metal and flesh mushed together with the guts and blood of those who used to be part of their mighty ranks. All will to fight visibly fled them.
"Once again. Show me where my mother is and your ranks need not bleed more tonight from my blade."
One of the [Knights] took a slow step forward and spoke.
"Promise not to point your blade at any of the baron's children."
"I bear no ire towards any child ser [Knight]. But to the baron himself, I cannot promise."
"I would love to see you try your luck against the baron. Come with me."
The [Knight] led Edward into the keep, then up towards the reception hall at the highest floor of the edifice.
Ed noted the array of expensive Eternion lamps that arrayed the hallways of the baron's residence. Paintings of historic battles and the baron's ancestors decorated every corner that they passed through. Maids paused to stare at them and a young boy in expensive livery stopped on his tracks upon seeing the bloodstains Ed's clothes.
Finally they arrived in front of the large burnished wooden door of the keep's top most hall and the [Knight] knocked. It sounded as loud as a battering ram to Ed's ears as it broke the silence of his anticipation to see his mother.
The door opened. Before them was a large hall with large open curtained windows that let the cold night's breeze in but was warmed by two big hearths on both ends of the room. The butler on the other side gaped at him and the [Knight] who led him in. He saw his mother, in her blood-stained dress, sitting on one end of a long dining table with two [Knights] guarding her and the baron on the other end with his own personal guards. His mother gasped and the baron stood up as one of his attendants brought him his sword on queue. Ed noticed that the baron himself did look larger than what your average southern Everian man.
He is probably a very high leveled [Knight]. He presumed
The [Knight] who brought Ed to the baron kneeled.
"Lord baron, please forgive your subject for this intrusion. The heir of the Mansfeld class seed is here to see you."
Baron Roksted kept his gaze on Ed in silence as if measuring his worth. Ed's mother stood up but one of the [Knights] grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Don't listen to any of their demands!" she said.
The baron smirked.
"I don't need to make demands, Mertel, I take what I want. You lied to me about your husband's class seed but now I see that your son had activated it to try and save you."
Ed realized that the baron had incorrectly assumed that his class seed was a direct inheritance from his father. He contemplated if he should try to hold back on some of his skills in order to not reveal his real combat class but as the baron uttered the last word of his sentence, he threw a shining dagger at Ed with blinding speed. Ed tried to deflect it but it exploded upon contact with his sword and blinded him momentarily. Then a sword came chopping down from above him even before the sound of the explosion ended.
[Realm Step] Ed vanished and reappeared beside his mother. He chopped off the [Knight]'s arm that held her in place and struck both of her guards with [Power Strike]. The dungeon boss's mythical grade sword pulverized their armors and killed them instantly. But afterwards, Ed felt his arms grow heavier.
I'm reaching my stamina limit. I need to get my mother out of here.
Ed carried his mother and ran towards one of the windows but the baron blocked his exit and swung a glowing blade at him. He dodged the attack but the light from the blade extended and cut his left arm open as he instinctively covered his mother from harm. The baron pressed his attack and Ed had to put his mother down and fight back with his sword. He didn't want to use [Realm Step] because he didn't know if he could take another living being with him while using the skill without killing them so he swung at the baron and activated [Power Strike] again. The baron, despite staggering back, blocked it.
Ed's eyes widened in surprise but he continued his offensive chain of movement and killed another [Knight] with a [Power Strike] as the fool tried to cut off his mother's arm to take her away from him. He started breathing heavier.
This gave the baron an opening and in a split second, another cut appeared on Ed's body, this time it was a shallow one just below his neck. Blood blossomed from it nonetheless. But both wounds were already visibly starting to heal because of his high Vitality attribute.
Nonetheless, the baron smiled and kept attacking as another [Knight] joined him from behind Ed.
Ed ducked a slash from the baron and parried a thrust from the [Knight] using his right foot and carried his mother again with both arms. Then he ran towards the window again.
The baron tried to block him once more but from his shadow suddenly sprouted another young man with a sword.
The baron blocked two consecutive [Power Strikes] from Klay but he did not stagger like he did when he blocked Ed's. He raised his eyebrows in realization that Klay was not as strong as Ed and struck back. But Klay just vanished again and behind him appeared a large bird that the baron didn't recognize right away. His movements slowed to a snail's pace as he stared at the bird's large eye.
Ed jumped off one of the windows and Klay followed him down as their avian companion, Smoke Wing, flew back out.
The young men landed safely without effort and Ed handed his mother to his friend.
"Where to?" said Klay.
"Follow me."
Ed ran back through the streets of the inner city where nobles lived and traced his steps towards the outer village's gate.
Then the voice inside his head made an announcement once again.
Quest successful! [Vambrace of minor Vitality and Agility ] obtained! + 100 D.E.P. obtained!
Quest successful! [Vambrace of minor Vitality and Agility ] obtained! + 100 D.E.P. obtained!
He celebrated in his heart with the victorious declaration but it was cut short by a vicious roar that sent tremors through the hearts of every living being in the baron's territory.
Ed looked up and beheld a calamity of monsters coming their way.
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