----Page 15----
The sight that greeted us was a grotesque parody of life.
The miners, or what remained of them, were chained to the massive crystal that pulsed with sickly green light.
Their bodies were twisted and contorted, limbs bent at unnatural angles, skin stretched taut over bone.
Their eyes glowed with the same eerie green light as the crystal, and a low, guttural moan emanated from their throats.
Seville stumbled forward, his face a mask of horror.
"Father?" he whispered, his voice cracking.
"What have they done to you?"
I reached out to stop him, but it was too late. He broke free of my grasp and ran towards the chained figures, his hand outstretched.
"Father, it's me! It's Seville!"
One of the figures turned its head, its eyes locking onto Seville. A flicker of recognition seemed to pass through the green glow, and its lips parted in a silent scream.
"Seville..." the figure rasped, its voice a distorted echo of the man Seville remembered.
"Run...get...away..."
Before Seville could react, the crystal pulsed again, and the figure's body convulsed.
The green light intensified in its eyes, and its face twisted into a mask of agony.
"No!" Seville cried, tears streaming down his face.
"Father, please!" He strained against Arin's grip, desperate to reach his father.
Arin held him back, his voice firm but laced with sympathy.
"Get away from them, kid! They're not your father anymore!"
Rynveil stepped forward, his eyes narrowed, his hand gripping his hammer.
A figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the light. He was tall and gaunt, with long, black hair and eyes that burned with fanatical zeal.
He wore ornate robes adorned with symbols of death and decay, and a twisted smile played on his lips.
"What are you doing to them?" I demanded, my hand tightening on my sword.
I didn't recognize this man, but the scene spoke volumes.
"What twisted purpose could this possibly serve?"
The figure chuckled, a dry, rasping sound.
"What am I doing? I'm feeding them to these crystals, of course." He gestured expansively.
"A necessary sacrifice." He spread his arms wide, as if presenting a grand spectacle.
"You may call me Gideon. One of the Tyrant Hands' fingers, among the tenth."
Arin stepped forward, anger flashing in his eyes.
"Oy, sacrificing living people? What kind of monster are you?"
Gideon sneered.
"Monster? I'm an innovator. Let's just say it's part of the experimental stage. I need human souls to test if I can summon the guardian soul dwelling in this mine."
"You won't get away with this!" Seville shouted, finally breaking free of Arin's grasp.
He lunged towards Gideon, his hands outstretched, but Arin quickly intercepted him.
Rynveil spat on the ground, his eyes blazing with fury.
"You rune-twisting desecrator... I know you're the one who tweaked those disgusting runes on the teleportation circles, and it pisses me off. You're disgracing the ancient runes, and it's an unforgivable sin."
Gideon scoffed.
"Huh? Truly pathetic! Coming from an inferior dwarven race such as yours... who love to scribble those things you call runes. Truly pathetic."
Rynveil stopped midway, his expression hardening.
"Did you really meant to awaken Mog, freak?"
Mog... The name brought a flood of memories, a life I could never reclaim.
I could clearly remember everything... the clang of metal each time it slammed against a blade. My father, a mentor, my aspiration. He was a talented dwarf, known for his excellent rune forging skills.
One day, the royal capital humans came to our village, robbing us of everything, saying it was necessary for the kingdom.
Yes, we were an inferior species who only knew how to forge blades and weapons. But my father stood tall, brave even if he was just a mere runeforger. He fought for his pride as a Rune dwarf.
He did that to protect our race's honor, but he was alone. No one stood beside him... they were cowards, conquered by fear.
My father was captured despite killing almost half a human army all by himself and his hammer. He didn't stand a chance alone.
Two days passed, and news flew fast through the village: my father was punished, hung to death by the human empire. I resented humans, I resented the villagers a bunch of scum and cowards.
I took what was left and my father's hammer and went on a journey to become as great as my father in rune forging. Then I stumbled upon a ruin called Dernor Ruins, now called the Khel Mines.
There, I met Mog, a phantasmal golem created from magic by the great wizards of Azram.
But he was abandoned by them, left to guard the crystal of Grexion and to seal its power, for the crystal's power was eminent and dangerous if misused by evil ones.
Gideon's eyes narrowed, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face.
"Huh? And who the hell was that?"
As Gideon spoke, a surge of energy coursed through Rynveil. The Codex, reacting to this surge, seemed to amplify Rynveil's own power, as if recognizing a kindred spirit.
The ancient book snapped open, its pages fluttering as if caught in a whirlwind. Runes and symbols shimmered on the pages, and text began to appear, writing itself in a language I didn't understand.
The Codex was writing about Rynveil's past, about his father, about the village, about Mog. It was as if the book was a window into his soul, revealing his deepest memories and emotions.
As the Codex revealed his past, Rynveil's aura began to shift, a tangible manifestation of the power building within him.
Gideon, momentarily stunned by the Codex's display, watched with a mixture of confusion and apprehension as Rynveil began his transformation.
He couldn't quite grasp what was happening, but he knew that whatever it was, it posed a threat.
Rynveil closed his eyes, a deep sigh escaping his lips. He gripped his hammer tighter, his knuckles white.
The gear mark tattoos on his shoulders began to glow with an inner light. Beneath his feet, a golden magical circle appeared, shaped like gears turning clockwise.
The sound of clicking gears echoed through the chamber as Rynveil's entire body began to glow with a golden light.
His eyes shone with power, and the air pulsed around him, releasing breezes of wind that buffeted us with each beat.
He looked back at me, his gaze intense and challenging.
"Hey, kid," Rynveil said, his voice resonating with newfound power.
"Would you mind freeing those miners? Let me handle this thing on my own.
I know you're gathering allies with a purpose in mind, but I only pledge my loyalty to those worthy, and those who earned it. Prove to me that you're one of them."
Hearing those words, a surge of determination ran through my veins. I knew what I had to do.
I had to show Rynveil that I was worthy of his trust, that I was capable of making a difference. I had to free those miners.
Gideon, his eyes widening with alarm at Rynveil's words and the resolve in my eyes, realized that the situation was quickly spiraling out of his control.
"Oy, old man, what are you talking about?" Arin shouted, his voice laced with concern.
Rynveil chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound.
"Don't worry, twig. If the kid proves himself worthy of my trust, I'll make him stronger, and so will I."
I stepped forward, my sword held ready. "This ends here, Gideon. I won't let you continue this madness. I'll free those miners, and then I'll deal with you."
Gideon smirked, a glint of malice in his eyes.
"Well, well... I think I'll play along with your charade... for the meantime."
He raised both arms in a theatrical manner, as if summoning something from the depths.
Suddenly, a black, contorted, grim magical circle expanded on the ground. Veins of dark energy pulsed within its obsidian surface, and wisps of shadow danced along its edges.
A wave of oppressive energy washed over us, carrying the stench of decay and the chilling whisper of forgotten souls.
"Domain of the Dead, Arise!" Gideon chanted, his voice dripping with dark power.
The ground trembled violently, the air growing heavy with the scent of grave dust. I looked at Arin, who had stopped running, Seville frozen behind him.
The temperature plummeted, and a bone-chilling wind swept through the chamber, raising goosebumps on my skin.
"What's happening, Master? I... I can't move!" Arin cried, his voice strained.
My own body began to freeze, a chilling paralysis creeping through my limbs. Only the Codex beside me, floating in the air, remained unaffected.
What now?
Then, a memory surfaced from the depths of my mind. Back in Thalorein, I had asked Lysera about how to counter magic that suppressed movement. Her words echoed in my head:
"It's simple, Master. Spells such as paralyze, snare, or freeze can be lifted if you manage to dispel it using your mana."
"Hah, using mana, not by spells?" I had asked, confused.
"Yes, I know it sounds confusing, but all spells, as you may know, have a mana-based foundation to trigger. So, basically, overwhelming the caster's spell with your own mana is the easiest way to dispel it."
Closing my eyes, I focused on the flow of mana within me, like a rushing river. I gathered it all in one place, at the center of my core, and then unleashed it, channeling it outwards to break the spell that bound me.
As Gideon completed his incantation, the miners chained to the crystals began to convulse violently. Their bodies contorted further, their moans growing into guttural rasps.
Their eyes, already glowing with an eerie green light, now burned with a malevolent intensity. One by one, they transformed into walking corpses, their flesh rotting and decaying even as they remained chained to the crystals.
Among them, Seville's father underwent the same horrific transformation, his eyes locking onto his son with a vacant, lifeless stare.
Seville stared in disbelief, his eyes wide with horror and grief, a silent scream trapped in his throat.
Before I could fully unleash my mana, Rynveil rushed forward, a blur of motion. He lunged toward Gideon, his hammer raised high above his head, both arms straining with power.
He aimed for Gideon's head, a thunderous roar escaping his lips.
Gideon, reacting with lightning speed, gestured once more, and a wall of skeletons erupted from the ground, surrounding him in a macabre barricade, attempting to block Rynveil's attack.
The impact was massive, sending tremors throughout the cavern. The very air vibrated with the force of the blow.
"It's useless, you know," Gideon said confidently, his voice echoing through the chamber.
"No one has ever broken my"
But before he could finish his sentence, a powerful strike from Rynveil's hammer shattered the skeleton wall into a million pieces, bone fragments flying in every direction.
"Impossible...?" Gideon gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Not even close, freak," Rynveil retorted, his hammer still raised in mid-air, poised to descend once more.
Gideon's eyes darted to the glowing runes etched into Rynveil's hammer.
They were ancient, radiating a power that Gideon recognized with a chilling certainty.
"No... don't tell me... it's... it's the Grand Hammer Rhodeus!" Gideon exclaimed, his voice laced with fear.
"Finally, you noticed, freak," Rynveil said, a grim smile spreading across his face.
Bam! The entire cavern shook once more as Rynveil brought his hammer down with earth-shattering force.
Gideon barely managed to escape in time, using the undead that littered the ground as a meat shield to lessen the impact and buy himself a precious few seconds to dodge. He was thrown backward, landing heavily on the cavern floor.
As the smoke and dust cleared, Gideon was revealed, standing precariously, his left arm severely wounded, the bone broken and twisted at an unnatural angle.
"Oh, so you're still alive..." Rynveil said, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Heh... well, barely," Gideon responded, a flicker of pain crossing his face. But then, a wicked laugh bubbled up from his throat.
"Eek... Gahahaha!"
"Hey, freak, did you finally lose it?" Rynveil mocked, his hammer still radiating power.
"Mock all you want, fool," Gideon said, his laughter subsiding.
"Now that the conditions have been met, my plans can begin now..."
"What do you mean...?" I asked, my voice filled with apprehension.
"You asked me why, you fool? Hahaha! Look what you destroyed!" Gideon cackled, gesturing wildly at the debris scattered around the massive crater Rynveil had created.
Rynveil examined the scene, his eyes scanning the wreckage.
"What...?"
"You destroyed the crystals' only seals! Even I couldn't destroy them!"
Gideon exclaimed triumphantly.
"But the Grand Hammer has the ability to rewrite its scripted rune seals. Therefore, your attack was perfectly the key to destroying it! Magnificent, truly wonderful! I Gideon was managed to destroy it!"
"Damn it! I forgot about that..." Rynveil whispered, his face paling.
"Looks like I screwed up!"
Meanwhile, Arin and I were still struggling to fight the undead miners, trying to avoid severely damaging them in the hope that they could still be saved.
Suddenly, the cavern trembled once more, and the binding spell on Arin and Seville vanished.
"What do we do now, Master?" Arin asked, his voice filled with concern.
"Father!" Seville cried out, his voice cracking with anguish as he called out to his father, who had turned into one of the undead.
Then, a low rumble echoed through the cavern, growing louder with each passing second. The massive, glistening crystals that dominated the chamber began to crack, hairline fractures spiderwebbing across their surfaces.
The cracks deepened, widened, and spread like a creeping disease, the crystals groaning under some immense, unseen pressure.
A cascade of dust and debris rained down from the cavern ceiling as the crystals groaned louder, the sickly green light within them flickering erratically.
The air crackled with an ominous energy, and the stench of decay intensified, filling our nostrils with the acrid scent of death and corruption.
With a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the mine, the massive crystals shattered, sending shards of glittering green crystal flying in every direction.
The cavern plunged into darkness, the only light coming from the faint glow of the undead miners' eyes.
What now...?