Chapter 685: Demons of the Ancient World (2/2)

“Good luck,” Verena sent right when a fiery explosion made the tunnel vibrate. Several tons of stone came crashing down behind the warring titans.

Ilea had reached her highest weight, another beam digging into steel. She could feel the grip on its sword slacken. She moved her hand and ripped it away with her manipulation, the burning steel clattering to the ground. Two deep glowing pits now showed on the being but it remained functional. Ilea pushed it back with her arms, watching it fall with a heavy impact. A bed of burning ash spread over it, quenching every bit of magic that dared come to the surface.

Her hand extended, a beam of bright energy flashing out into the tunnel, entirely disintegrating the shield of the first Warden. A burning dent showed on its shoulder as it marched on without respite.

The second one sent a few death magic projectiles her way. All of them vanished and reappeared in bright explosions against its back, the energy biting deep into its metal, the death magic spells almost acting like an acid. Large parts of steel were eaten through but the machine kept on moving, ever forward and towards the enemy titan.

Ilea felt the cut in her neck didn’t repair itself quite as quickly as she had expected. Same death magic, she saw, the remaining energies fighting back against her healing and the armament’s ability to self repair. She displaced the massive double edged greatsword into her hand and pushed her mana into it. Enchantments lit up along the weapon as its edges hummed with arcane energy, the entirety of the blade bursting out in white fire.

She laughed within her heavy armor, a ding resounding in her mind when whatever force had animated the steel being died out below her bed of burning ash.

‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Soul Warden – lvl 608]’

Tough fuckers.

“It’s just bad luck that you happened upon something worse,” she said and pushed the large steel body aside with a swipe of her arm.

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Verena heard dulled impacts from behind the collapsed walls. She sent a few more explosive spheres against the ceiling as they teleported back towards the tombs.

“Didn’t she talk about dwarves unleashing ancient evils?” Pierce asked with a giggle.

She did, Verena thought, the two of them reaching the armored shades and a few of the survivors. “We have to pick up the pace. The Soul Wardens are coming.”

“Soul Wardens? Next you tell me there’s a dragon nest below these caves,” one of the dwarves said and laughed.

The others seemed serious instead. “Where to?” one asked.

“Through the tomb, we’ll have to dig or teleport through a section of collapsed tunnel but it will lead us out,” Verena said.

“Ah, they were right then,” the dwarf said, looking at a group of survivors already heading in the right direction. Some were still looking at what was left of the undead, a few inspecting the temple.

Pierce clapped her hands together, a thunderous sound spreading through the large cave. “Gather up people!” she shouted. “Monsters on the moooove.”

Verena gave her a nod and led the group upward as quickly as they could manage.

“Soul Wardens… so the curse of Khan Joggoth existed after all,” a dwarf said.

“Of course. None of these legends are made up. Just buried under metric tons of stone and metal,” Garlan said. “Ah if we could get our hands on their machines.”

“Magic, not machines,” one of the shades informed.

“Bound they lay, hidden in the depths of the Soul Forge.”

“Unleashed by burning ash,” the second one finished.

“Disappointing then. He was feared for a reason. My great great great great grandfather used to tell stories about the terror of the Soul Wardens. He did like to exaggerate but I’m glad that ash monster of a healer is dealing with them now,” Garlan said.

“More ways exist,” the first shade said.

“Out from the depths. Be prepared,” the second one added.

Some of the dwarves groaned, others gripped their weapons. “Centuries trapped and right back into battle,” one said with a tired voice.

“YES,” another added with enthusiasm, gripping the first dwarf’s shoulder as he walked past.

“Can everyone teleport through?” Verena asked as she pointed at the cave in where their group had entered the tomb.

“No,” a few of them said but it turned out not to be an issue.

Earth magic and heavy tools got rid of the natural barrier in less than a minute as heavy impacts made the tunnel shake, chunks of stone pulverized with support beams added to the structure.

Verena almost felt bad for collapsing everything again when they had gone through.

“We should’ve joined Lilith in her battle,” one of the Dark Ones said.

“You heard her whistle. You saw her, didn’t you. That thing wasn’t human, or dwarven, or like anything I’ve seen before,” one of the dwarves said.

Another laughed. “Aye. She’s there not because she wants to protect us, but because she wants to fight them.”

“Why did you come to the Shining Caves in the first place?” one of them asked, looking at Verena.

“To kill time,” she answered truthfully. Ilea already had her evolution after all. There was little reason to keep on pushing down into the depths. And now we have another thing to deal with.

She knew that Pierce would simply leave the dwarves to their plight. Perhaps the cannons and preparations up in the Pit would be enough to fight whatever ancient war machines they had unleashed, but she knew Ilea wouldn’t let it be. Their actions had unleashed these beings and their actions would end them.

They came out into the near endless pit through the crevice in the wall. Already dulled sounds of battle resounded from deep below. A few war machines were flying upwards, two with trails of smoke and missing limbs. “Soul Wardens comin up, better get goin!” one of them shouted and laughed as he passed.

Verena watched as the dark ones and war machines Ilea had rescued rushed past, many taking flight while others simply gripped onto the stone wall of the pit before climbing upward with surprising speed.

“What will you do?” Pierce asked as she stepped next to the woman.

Verena looked down into the depths. “Still some of them fighting.”

The lightning mage laughed. “Great. Good luck. I’ll go warn Bralin and his dwarven lot. See you on the fields of battle,” she said and saluted her way with a smile on her face. Pierce jumped out and flashed away, a streak of lightning that rushed up and past the slow moving war machines.

Verena sighed and focused, flames heating up on her skin as she cracked her neck. She activated her auras and jumped down, the sounds of battle like music in her ears.

__________________

Ilea swung her massive sword to the side, white flames splattering onto the destroyed wall of the tunnel. Five half molten Soul Wardens lay behind her, no more of them coming. Her own armaments had taken quite a few hits, due to her interest in their magic and mostly a wish to have a few flaming sword fights. With a warhammer skill and no related abilities or training when it comes to the blade.

I did not study the blade, truly, a failed being.

She waited for a little while to see if more soul machines were coming, using the time to fully regenerate her armor. Probably better if I regroup with the others, in case they went into the pit instead. I hope none make it to the plains. Ah well. I did unleash the mess by killing the unreasonable mind creature.

She turned around and looked at the caved in stone. Ilea stored her armaments and teleported through, quickly flying through the caverns, the tomb, and out to the crevice they had come from.

There were traces of the Elders still here. Verena’s mark suggested she was up near the settlement. Her dominion picked up several floating war machines coming from below, more already flying up towards the Pit. A grin spread on her face when she heard a booming sound, a flash of light slightly illuminating even the deep part of the pit she was currently at.

Hmm, can’t use my armaments while flying through here, she thought as she ascended, casually dodging the swords and projectiles of the nearby Soul Wardens. She had to teleport when one of them appeared next to her.

[Tuned Soul Warden – lvl ???] - [Soulforged]

The war machine looked mostly the same, its back adorned with a set of four canon like extensions aiming upward. The same soul magic flowed through it, likely what made it move in the first place.

So there are more dangerous ones.

She sent beams of heat at the creatures and covered all of them in white flame as she passed, quickly rising up through the circular pit dug out by the dwarves. Let’s hope they haven’t breached the city proper. Or this will get messy.

Ashen wings moved her onward when she saw the first chunk of smoldering half molten war machine fall down towards the approaching enemies. More impacts resounded now, the booming sounds of magic cannons filling her ears as her fires burned brighter.