Dungeon Annihilation 31

Hey Guys! Sorry for the late upload. A pretty bad storm came through my area and I was dealing with that all day. No power or internet for a while. I felt I should at least upload something so I'm throwing this up. Enjoy!

Louella

The dinner with the marquis was in a few hours. I wasn’t sure whether I was dreading it, or hopeful that it would be at least partially good night. A lot of things could come from a dinner party when nobles were involved. If I could get the marquis’s support of my lordship of the valley then my future would be a lot less shaky.

I was about to take a nap to take my mind of the later event when there was a knock at the manor door. I let Ezal handle it while I waited in my office with my hands on my temples. If they were coming to the manor, then they needed me. If they needed me, it was going to be a headache. 

Sure enough, a Golden Dawn guard was led in by Ezal. “Lady Louella. Commander Yin wanted me to report an event that took place about an hour ago.”

“What is it?”

“The Dragonkin that you wanted us to keep an eye on was reported leaving the Valley through the Thonaca Pass. He had the two women with him.”

What was that man up to now? I wanted to believe he was the dungeon host, but if that was the case, why would he risk heading so far from his dungeon. Of course, no one was sure how the dungeon host body actually worked. 

“Thank you. Tell Commander Yin, I will be there shortly.”

“What about the Marquis’s dinner?” Ezal asked with concern.

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to chase after the man. I just want to discuss with Commander Yin what his immediate goals might be.” 

She nodded then helped me get ready. When I started to put my battle armor on, I got a stink eye from her, but I would rather be safe than sorry. The safety of the mortals in this valley was my duty. If something the host was doing jeopardized that then it was my responsibility to deal with it.

We rushed over to the Golden Dawn garrison. She had managed to call in a few extra squads before we finalized the contract to increase their presence in the valley. Gold talked, and quite loudly when they saw how much I was considering paying them to help protect the town and surrounding lands.

They were set up just outside the central district, so it didn’t take us long to get there. Commander Yin was waiting for me. I could only laugh that she already knew me well. That was good for a standing relationship. 

“What do you got?” I asked taking a seat. 

“They were spotted heading into the forest around the path a distance down the road. What worries me is that while still some ways off, it is in the direction of one of the bandit camps.”

“Do you think he is trying to make contact with them?”

“If your… theory is true then I don’t have the slightest idea. However, if we look at it another way. It is possible the Dragonkin is actually working with the bandits and is an advanced scout.”

An idea came to mind when she mentioned scout. “Is it possible that he is the necromancer informer you were talking about. Not to point fingers he sort of fits the bill. He’s been going around town talking to people that a normal adventurer should normally not talk to.” 

“Hmm. That is a good point. Though if that is the case it only makes me more nervous about the situation.”

“What do you think we should do?” She was the commander of the only standing local forces. There was no way that my party of seven could take on a bandit force of close to fifty people. Especially if they had a necromancer in their ranks.

“You could go to the Marquis. His force would make a good back up to what we can bring to bear. It just depends on how he treats the information. He might just say we’re overreacting.”

“You have a point.” There wasn’t enough evidence to incriminate the man as either the host of the dungeon or as a necromancer. In fact, given the two apparently hit it off during the party the other night. I might be the one under scrutiny afterwards. I just didn’t like the idea of an enemy force sitting right outside my door.

“I will send a few scouts to check both bandit camps. You go to the dinner with the Marquis and sound out if help might be received. I think that is the best use of our resources at this time.” 

I slowly nodded in agreement. She had a point. If we went with just the Golden Dawn members we would be a match for the bandits, but any battle could be swayed easily. It would be safer if we could get the Marquis’s forces on board. 

“Very well. I will go enjoy a lovely evening with the marquis,” I said with a mocking pout. 

Commander Yin chuckled before growing serious again. “I will send a runner if anything changes.”

~~~

A few hours later found Ezal and I at the Marquis’s airship. We were escorted to cozy room that looked like it would be a pleasant evening. The marquis welcomed us while his servants worked busily to prepare the table for the meal. 

“Ah. There are my lovely guests. Thank you for joining me this evening,” Lord Valamar said with a gentleman’s bow. 

“Thank you for inviting us. It is an honor to spend the evening with you, my lord,” I said curtsying, Ezal doing the same slightly behind me.

“Come. Sit,” he gestured to the table.

We made our way over and took our designated seats, a servant pushing helping us. Lord Valamar took his seat as well and the dinner started. The cook brought out a soup for the first course which smelled amazing. 

“While I know there are plenty of rules and protocols that we must follow, I would like to eat so let’s dispense with some of those shall we.” He started in on the soup still more elegantly then most nobles could manage but I could tell he was a bit more relaxed.

“As you wish,” I replied with a smile. 

The meal was silent for the first five minutes or so. I was too nervous to bring any topics up with him, Ezal wasn’t technically allowed to speak in this setting, and Lord Valamar was apparently hungry. After the second course, he finally set a napkin down after dabbing his lips. 

“Sorry about that. I was training all day and didn’t have a chance to eat. My bodyguard, Bruce, can be quite intense.”

“I see. Will none of your party be joining us tonight?” I asked with more hope than I meant. Bruce was quite handsome in his roughish way in my opinion and I wouldn’t mind talking to him some more. 

“No. As you can imagine they are guarding me so they don’t normally partake in dinners that involve other nobles.”

“That is a shame.” The topic seemingly at its end, I decided to shift it. “How has the town welcomed you?”

“It has been a fun visit. It is nice not to have to every noble in a five-hundred-kilometer radius when I make these inspections.” 

I chuckled softly thinking about all the social graces that he’d have to go through. “I do imagine that must get old quickly.”

“Quite. But, I do like what I have seen here. You appear to be doing your best considering your… disadvantages.”

I nodded. As a bought noble. I had to work harder to prove my worth to the Thonaca Kingdom nobles. If I could earn enough prestige to move my rank up then things would change, but only a higher ranking noble or the king could influence that decision. 

The dinner continued much more smoothly the rest of the evening. We were on the fourth course when an explosion rocked the valley. Lord Valamar and I jumped to our feet just as the door was slammed open. 

“My lord! An explosion has occurred on the lower section of the dungeon. We’re not sure what is going on but it is surrounded by undead!” 

“Undead! Are you sure!?” I asked nervously.

“The reports are still coming in but using a long-distance sight spell we could confirm the undead around the base of the dungeon. They are streaming inside as we speak.”

“Lord Valamar. Please stay here. We can’t know the undead’s objective and the kingdom can risk one of its high nobles. Ezal, let’s go!”

Lord Valamar grabbed my hand before I could exit the room. “Wait. I believe I get a say in what I do. Bruce. Gather the men. We’ll march with the town’s forces. The undead are too dangerous to leave to chance.” 

“My lord,” I started to say but was cut off by the stern look I got. “As you wish.”

Ezal and I were escorted to a ladder that had been lowered to speed exitting the airship. Once on the ground, we rushed back to the manor to get armored. Commander Yin was waiting for us there. We showed her in while we got ready for battle. 

“What happened?” 

“We don’t know. We went to check the bandit camp and found… nothing.”

“Nothing? How is that possible?”

“There was a battle I can say that much. Blood and signs of conflict were apparent, but we found no bodies and everything else looked like it had been stripped clean. The other bandit camp had been emptied less than a day ago. Our scout reported they were retreating back into Lecazar, but that could have been a rouse.”

“The situation with the battleground sounds familiar,” I commented as I pulled my dress off and slipped into my armor one. 

“The hut a few months ago. It was wiped clean except for some blood,” Ezal said. 

“That’s right. Damn it. What is going on?” 

“We know that necromancers were involved with Undead Queen Alara. Maybe they are trying to force this dungeon in the same direction. If they manage to do that. It would spell disaster for either countries.”

I grabbed my staff and turned to the commander. “What you’re telling me is we need to get up there and take care of this before it is too late.” 

We moved outside and found all the Golden Dawn members currently stationed in the valley arrayed in neat lines. There were just over a hundred people that we could call to arms. About thirty of them were Calvary. One member led three horses over to us. Commander Yin, Ezal, and I mounted. 

“Today we earn our keep. Today we deal with some necromancer scum. Boys! Today is going to be a good day!” Commander Yin shouted raising her sword high. 

The Golden Dawn members cheered then turned towards the dungeon and started marching with enthusiasm. I stopped Commander Yin from leaving. “Ezal and I will head over to the adventurers and mages guilds. They can bring some additional firepower against this threat.”

“Understood. I will await your arrival, but if the situation presents itself, I will begin the attack.” 

“I trust your judgement.” 

We traveled along the path until the turn off to head to the mages guild appeared. While the adventurer’s guild was on the road to the dungeon, the mages guild was off a ways. With the horses we quickly crossed the distance making good time. We skidded to a stop in the mages guild courtyard. 

I hailed a boy that was staring into the distance were the sounds of battle could be heard. I assume the dungeon wasn’t taking kindly to being assaulted by the undead. I did hear sounds that I had never heard before. A strange cracking sound that seemed to echo through the air. 

“Lad! We need everyone to assist in the defense of the town. Where is Guildmaster Jacqueline?”

“In… In her… office,” the boy said his voice quivering.

I handed the reigns to Ezal and hopped down. I rushed inside the tower, not worried about appearances. I was skipping two to three steps as I rushed to the top of the ten floored tower. When I arrived, Jacqueline was emerging fully geared for combat. “I already know what you want. I gave the order a minute ago. We will be ready in ten,” she said as I caught my breath.

I bobbed my head while slightly bent over against the railing of the stairs. We rushed down while the mages in the other parts of the tower rushed to ready for the coming battle. Once we were back outside and ready to march, I counted nearly thirty mages with ten of them being in tier two. That was a strong addition to the ranks. 

The mages loaded up on carts and we took off for the main road. People in the streets were watching the light show that was going on in the distance. The dungeon tower was high up on the mountain. The forest didn’t hide it and people could easily see there were a few chunks missing from the side of the tower. 

“I hope we’re not just making things worse,” Ezal commented as we rode to the adventurers guild. 

“We still have to do something.”

Cassie and the rest of our party was waiting for us. A line of adventurers was streaming towards the dungeon. They were much more determined then I expected them to be. Adventurers were skilled at what they did but usually took proper motivation to get working.

Cassie answered without me even asking. “I issued an emergency quest. Going to cost a pretty penny, but it got these lugheads moving.”

“We’ll figure it out. Dealing with the undead is more important.”

We turned toward the dungeon and joined the march. I just prayed this didn’t start an entirely new deadlands. That was be the nail in the coffin for the mortal races on the continent.