Trans-Migration

“So, there is a dungeon down here,” Neth-amii said, looking around.

Bria followed behind her cautiously. The cavern that opened up from the basement descended into a mine, the mana in the air growing denser with each step. After three dungeons, Bria had a feel for the difference in mana that came from the mystical spaces where monsters could spawn. The question then became, what sort of creatures might be waiting for them in the depths below?

“Of course there is,” Gil-hana said. “Did you think the rumors came from nothing?”

Neth-amii winced. “Well, given the whole lack of tongue thing, I didn’t want to assume.”

“That’s just another rumor,” Gil-hana said, pinching their nose. “They took an oath of silence. They still have the ability to speak if necessary.”

Well, that was good to know. Bria had seen a movie where a character had their tongue cut out and that didn’t seem pleasant. At least they would be able to warn one another if something was falling or they had an accident and nobody was there when it happened.

Speaking of accidents, the mine seemed like the sort of place where such things could easily happen. Sudden drops were common enough, and Bria could only assume they had been made on purpose for airflow or something. Yet, they had no guardrails to prevent someone from slipping and falling.

If not for Neth-amii’s light spell, they would be exploring blind and likely falling victim to such pitfalls. None of the monks had offered to guide them into the depths, for none knew where the Keystone was hidden.

“According to the monks, this mine was once a rich source of silver for enchantments,” Gil-hana explained, filling the silence. “That is, until the miners found something in the depths and the King of that era ordered it closed. The Abbey was constructed atop the site and sworn to silence.”

“Makes sense,” Bria agreed. “If the royal family is aware of the dangers, then an order of mute monks would be uninteresting to most people.”

A heavy sigh flowed from the Librarian as Neth-amii snickered.

“Of course a simpleton such as you would see it that way,” Gil-hana grumbled.

“Bria is no simpleton,” Neth-amii said sharply, surprising Bria. “She merely stated a truth, if a bit bluntly. How many commoners express interest in the Abbey back in Brookvale? How many outside of the city even know the Abbey exists?”

“Point made,” Gil-hana reluctantly said. “Anonymity is its own protection, I suppose.”

While crossing a bridge over a wide gap, Bumble danced around Neth. The pair were playing some game using the glowing sphere of light as it floated through the air and the bee gave chase. Laughter filled the air as Bumble managed to fly through the sphere, dispelling it temporarily just as they stepped off the bridge. The little bee landed on Neth’s shoulder and practically preened in his victory as the Shrine Priestess laughed. Bria found herself smiling at the sight.

They continued on, traversing the dungeon, yet encountered no monsters. It wasn’t a surprise to know that the denizens of the Abbey were culling their numbers regularly, but she still expected to see something by now. Yet, even as they descended, nothing came for them.

“This isn’t right,” Gil-hana said as they reached another level of the cavern. “Normally ghouls of miners lost inhabit these levels. Even with regular culling, we should have seen at least one of the creatures by now.”

Neth-amii bit her lip. “Could someone close to a level have pushed further than normal?”

“Perhaps,” Gil-hana said. “They never venture this deep, not without reason. If someone is truly that close, they can usually make a case to join the next group venturing within.”

Everything about their conversation was putting Bria further on edge and her eyes were drawn to the shadows around them. Offshoots of the main path branched off, plunging into inky darkness, and she couldn’t help how her imagination filled in the blanks. Nothing she had seen since coming to this new world had truly terrified her, which felt lucky. Just what monsters truly lurked within the depths of the world?

“Do we return?” Bria asked.

Gil-hana hesitated. “Normally I would say no, however, if Ri-durak is aware of this information and is using us…”

The three shared a look, and even Bumble seemed to buzz in support of the idea. Turning on their heels, Bria found herself between Neth and Gil-hana as they retraced their steps with haste, arriving back at the bridge in mere moments. As they crossed, something prickled in the air, drawing them to a halt.

“Did you feel that?” Bria asked.

“Even a novice could sense that,” Gil-hana said. “That working was the farthest from subtle I have felt since my days in the academy.”

“Are you still on about that?” a familiar voice asked, stepping from the darkness to stand at the end of the bridge. Ri-durak grinned. “Gil, I do believe this is a violation of your contract with the Archives.”

“A contract that was never signed,” Gil-hana said with a sigh. “We studied within the same school, and we both know that invoking the King’s name only goes so far.”

“If you insist,” Ri-durak said, his voice oozing with confidence. “It has come to my understanding that you made a discovery. Would you like to elaborate, or shall I speculate?”

Gil-hana snorted, their hands vanishing into their sleeves. “You love the sound of your own voice, so far be it from us to deprive you.”

“I see your wit is still as sharp as your mace,” Ri-durak said dryly. “A discovery was made today, one that had you exiting the archives with unusual haste. Given you departed with the ancient Scroll of Light and Shadow, well, consider my interest piqued.”

“Any discoveries would have been in my final report,” Gil-hana said.

Ri-durak shrugged. “Perhaps, but it is still a crime to go against the King’s wishes.”

A barely audible sound drew Bria’s eyes behind them, and left her wanting to spit a string of curses. “We have more company.”

[Human Lv. 8]

Drawing her sword, she kept her eyes squarely on the man that had been following them for the past week under Ri-durak’s orders. The same one that Gil-hana had knocked aside during their escape from Brookvale.

“Oh good, he lived,” Gil-hana said dryly before turning back to face the Paladin. “What is this farce? Did you truly come all this way yourself simply to retrieve me?”

The man sighed heavily. “No, Gil. Don’t play the fool, you know full well what you’ve been researching.”

“Ashe-rah,” Gil-hana said, their voice going cold. “What interest do you have in the being that necessitated the creator-god to sacrifice their very being to empower humanity enough to seal them away?”

The man scoffed. “Do you truly believe that drivel? Obviously they needed a story to give to the masses when expending such resources to expel something powerful, but a god? Don’t make me laugh.”

“Then what do you believe to be sealed?” Neth-amii asked with a frown.

It was then that a figure stepped out of the shadows to stand beside Ri-durak, their cloaked form only broken up by the white mask that they wore. It was the same person they had encountered in the dungeon, and yet…

[Human Lv. 9]

So much growth in such a short time. How was this person so close to obtaining a class after barely two weeks? Had they practically lived in the dungeon for the past week, or was there something deeper behind their amazing improvement? Worse than that, there were several others with them, one of which was level eleven.

“The answer is knowledge,” the person said, their voice echoing oddly. “Things that someone didn’t want humanity to know. Knowledge meant to keep us shackled to our own weakness. I intend to see those chains shattered.”

“Even should that knowledge lead to atrocity?” Gil-hana asked blandly.

The figure laughed, deep and hearty. Even Ri-durak looked upon them with a note of concern as they once again composed themselves. “Human morals are a myth. We see a single death as a tragedy, but when dozens die it ceases to have that same connection. Kill an entire city and people barely blink, because we can’t attach our limited empathy to more than a face or two at a time.”

“Interesting philosophizing,” Gil-hana said, rubbing their chin. “It is, of course, a false equivalence. Yet, I cannot deny there may be some truth to it. We can understand it intellectually, but struggle to care enough when tragedy after tragedy occurs in rapid succession. Our empathy shuts down to protect us.”

Bria couldn’t follow any of that, but the words sounded right? It brought Bria’s mind back to reading her history books and some of the greater tragedies of war that occurred in the last hundred years. Neth-amii was looking between them like she wanted to say something, but was clearly biting her tongue.

“So, does that mean you will assist us?” Ri-durak asked.

Gil-hana stood there for a moment, and Neth’s expression quickly grew concerned. Just as she reached out, Gil-hana stepped forward towards the men. Bria almost followed, but a whisper on the wind stilled her feet. It hadn’t carried any words, yet she understood the meaning all the same.

Her focus returned to the man blocking the way deeper into the dungeon who was leaning against the rope serving as railing and support. She cast [Enhance] upon herself and Neth in anticipation of Gil-hana’s plan. Her friend tensed slightly as the power settled within, increasing her physical stats just that little bit. At the same time, Neth cast one of her protective spells upon Bria, wrapping her in a warm hug of pure mana.

Tension flooded Bria as Gil continued their approach, hands hidden within sleeves. Ri-durak and their masked friend were on alert, and the man guarding the other side was no longer leaning against the rope railing and was now standing ready.

“You truly are the fool,” Ri-durak said.

Gil-hana chuckled. “You know me well.”

“Bul-fak, kill the level five!”

Light flared as their mace manifested mid-swing, connecting with Ri-durak’s blade as it cleared the scabbard in the same instant. Force ripped through the air, jostling the bridge heavily. Neth-amii launched her own spells, into the fray, but Bria was instead focused on the man now practically sprinting towards her.

He was three levels higher than her, which at their level might as well have been a gulf. Yet, she still squared her shield and sword as she had in her daily training at the inn. Hiring an off-duty guard each night to teach her hadn’t even been expensive. All she had to do was cover his tab and he was happy to help.

Now, she was to put those lessons to the test.

The sword came for her neck, Bria leaned back slightly as she brought her shield up. Steel shrieked as it scraped close to her neck across the surface, sending sparks flying. She then pushed the blade away and struck. The man practically jumped back, her blade cutting nothing but air as his earlier confidence faded; replaced by wariness.

Frustration bubbled up. Had Bria gotten that single experience point, that would have been a hit, and she might just have the upper hand. This was a man willing to kill her, and she couldn’t afford to take him lightly. All she could do was focus on holding her ground against a stronger opponent while her friends dealt with the rest of them.

Blades clashed as she held the man off by the skin of her teeth. Behind her, the others traded spellwork, fighting at an intensity that Bria couldn’t match. If able, she would have loved to simply sit back and watch the no-doubt impressive display.

A ringing gong echoed through the halls, bringing the fighting to a momentary halt. Bria risked a glance back just as a knight collapsed with a caved in breastplate. Standing over the broken knight was a jovial man with a beaming smile, shouldering his frying pan.

“Looks like I arrived just in time,” Kro-ahnk said boisterously. “Nethy, Bria! The smarties upstairs mentioned Gilly might need some help!”

“You are not calling me that,” Gil-hana snarled.

A blast of light broke the moment as Neth shouted. “Bicker later, fight now!”

Bria almost took a sword to the face for her lapse, earning a burning streak across her cheek that necessitated a quick casting of [Heal] to avoid being distracted by the pain and blood. Upon seeing that, the man spat aside, then raised his blade anew.

He was better and stronger than her, and normally there would be no way for her to win against such power. The protection granted by Neth-amii gave her a fighting chance, it was just a matter of how willing she might be to take a risk. Magic could heal a great many injuries, and should she be willing to take a grievous one, there were good odds that between her own [Heal] and Neth’s skill set, that they could outdo anything that Ri-durak’s side might manage.

With the addition of Kro-ahnk, they were gaining ground, which made her plan seem less necessary, but she kept it in mind as she continued to defend against the swordsman intent on killing her. She could see in his eyes how he too had realized that the odds were shifting, and his attempts gained further desperation.

“Ri-durak!” the masked mage shouted. “Stop toying with them!”

Mana surged as the masked figure sent a blast of lightning towards Bria, putting action to their words. She spun, bringing her shield up to catch the blast, but the force of it shattered Neth-amii’s protections as the energy arched off the metal and tore through everything in its path.

“Hey, don’t hit me!” her opponent shouted.

He’d taken a glancing blow, but even that had proven to be rather potent. Ri-durak scoffed and turned back to his duel with Neth and Gil, if it could even be called as much. Both were winded and he looked as if nothing had so much as slowed him down. Given the level gap, was it truly so one sided that the man didn’t even need to try when fighting them?

The Class Holder and several of his men broke past Neth and Gil, pushing onto the rope bridge. The boards under their feet creaked, the ropes suspending them in the air smoldering from the earlier blast of magic. Bria and the rearguard shared a panicked look as the men didn’t slow down for a moment.

“You fools, the bridge—”

The first rope snapped and the bridge gave out in a rapid cascade underneath them. Bria looked on at the horror stricken expression on her friend’s face as she plummeted into the depths of the mine turned dungeon.