109 An omnious reques (2/2)
Even if Hugo was slightly pissed by the way the old man talked, he was not brainless. He could clearly understand the underlining thoughts beyond the words, that his suspicions were true. It was just that it wasn't a trap or anything alike, but something logical. Nonetheless, he still kept watching those drivers, not reassured in the slightest, knowing that they were probably experts.
After arriving at the bottom of the mountains, the convoy finally stopped. Because the night was getting closer, one last bivouac was organized, to start at dawn. Right before the servant reached his tent, he was stalked by the four adventurers. Feeling a bit weird, being encircled by them, he was still confident that they wouldn't dare to do anything.
”What can I do to help in this late night?” All he received was silent, not even cut by the sounds of the forest nearby. This part was left untouched by the violent fire that happened a few months ago, but strangely, the various animals that should be present were gone. This intensified the sentiment of unease he felt, but even if inside he was scared, he would never show it on his face.
”We don't plan on entering the tomb at dawn, we will wait for the return of the mercenaries first.” Even if they were saying this calmly, the servant couldn't help but curse them. They will be paid for this, what was the point of being so cowardly. Of course, he couldn't say this since any one of them could probably kill him in a second. Grinding his teeth, he still amiably acknowledged the issue.
”You know that the rewards are based on the exploration of the tomb. If you only guard the carts, I will not be responsible if you are only paid a fraction of what was promised.” Unfortunately, they seemed to be certain about their decision.
”We know, but we won't throw ourselves into a trap. But don't worry, if there is nothing rivaling the Dark Gods inside this, we will accomplish our missions.” After the magician said that, the four left the angered servant by himself. He was, after all, only the voice of his lord, not worth their attention.
The reactions of the mercenaries, on the other hand, was far more violent. Cursing the adventurers to be eunuchs, maimed, blinded and everything that could be related to a malformation of the body. But even with that, they could only charge forward, alone. Generally, due to the misperception of the public for the mercenaries, they were underpaid compared to adventurers. So, if for Kozak, it was an annual earning, it was nearly three years of salary for the other fighters.
Filled by greed, they could only climb the mountain, and see the drivers in front of an enormous gate. Even the adventurers that followed them were taken aback. The terrifying statues on each side were looking like they could just start moving and murder everybody. But the most important part was still the massive dimension of the entrance, how could someone miss that?
It was too far from their encampment to be seen, but it should have been impossible for the soldiers regularly patrolling here or even training to not find it. However, the 13th Legion had withdrawn from this place a while ago, meaning that it probably was discovered after they left.
One mercenary slightly bolder than the rest extended his hand to touch one statue. The horrifying monster, fully armored and holding that giant axe was still only stone in the end. But, the moment he touched it with his hand, he couldn't help but feel cold. Extremely cold. Looking above, the eyes graved were almost ... moving? Panicked, he fell on his back and quickly used his hands to distance himself from it.
Following this, no one truly wanted to enter it anymore. Even the drivers had their hands on their weapons, not truly certain that it was not extremely risky. It was at this moment that Kozak noticed something behind them. Approaching his mage friend, he pointed at the device, wondering what it was. His reaction was instantaneous, and he pulled Hugo and Dickon with him.
”Let me warn you, this place still has mana inside it! If you enter it, be warned that anything could be cast, from the 1st to the 10th Circle. They used a device that could be called the glutton. It has another name, but this one is more simple. Fundamentally, it is used to siphon the mana out of a mana shield or a magical barrier. The reason why no one found this was because of this.”
The others understood his words, but they couldn't help but feel that his intense reaction was too much. It was just magic in the end, and Hugo couldn't help but blurt that out. ”Hey, so what if there was a shield, it is gone now. So, it can't be that dangerous.”
Smack
Once more, he was hit on the head by the magician. Looking at the other two that were reacting the same way as they did a few days ago, the young adventurer could only suffer in silence.
”It's the Dark Gods we are talking about, the DARK FUCKING GODS! If I haven't seen the fact that they used a glutton to breach through, I could have been convinced to enter. Now, I am out, see you in Ronta. I have to warn the Academy.”
Without waiting any further, he picked up his crew and started walking all the way to Ronta. Even if the ones that followed him were bewildered, they still trusted him about anything related to magic. Their sudden departure also grabbed the attention of the mercenaries, that couldn't help but wonder what made them leave?
”This was a bad idea. I am tempted to follow him ...” The old Dickon patted his beard but was cut by the intervention of the servant. The latter was feeling that the situation was getting out of hands. Even those accompanying him were fearful of the statues, the statues that were not even inside the tomb.
”Everyone, listen to me. Thanks to the grace of Lord Blackwood, everything you will find in this tomb will be yours. We will not take anything from you.” Desperate times required desperate measures. The previously shaking and fearful fighters suddenly had their eyes shining with a new light. There were only a few problems in the world that could not be solved by a huge amount of gold, and it was those that needed an even bigger amount of gold.