Franco stopped when he reached the roadway around the plaza. Faye had gotten them here faster then he thought possible but he was panting out of breath and covered in sweat from it.
“How long did that take?” Franco asked Zif who stood still next to him as he scanned the area.
“This was the heart of the city, you know. All those years ago and I did not know this still remained. This maze was just part of the Grand Cavern, a third of it maybe.”
“How long did it take us to get here Zif?” Franco asked louder this time.
“What, oh sorry, it has been 67 minutes since Oaken got the message.”
“Not bad” Frazier said as she drank some water from a flask and handed it to Franco.
He drank and thanked her for it before he caught his breath.
“Do you see anything?” Franco asked.
“She's right there near the arch just passed it a little” Faye said pointing as she walked closer to the plaza in front of them
“Don't get too near” Franco said as he followed her pointing hand.
He finally saw the adventurers. They were sprawled on the ground in two loose circles around the arch way.
“There’s Cid right next to the archway”.
“He does look like a rabbit beastmen if more man like you said. I see the stairs leading down there” Zif said as he pointed at the archway.
“What stairs?” Oaken trilled.
Zif looked at him for just a second before he pointed with both his right hands.
“The one there underneath that archway. Filled with bones which means that the Soul Well is probably down there at the bottom of the stairs. Maybe even the door to the next floor. That would be a good place. A high enough leveled Undead would be able to resist for a bit so you would want the Soul Well to have some time to work on him.”
“So I’ll head in,” Franco half said, half declaring.
“Please hurry,” Faye said.
“I see dead minotaur's and others in the road over there to the southeast.” Zif said pointing in the direction he meant.
“So just head in and destroy this Soul Well. Do you know how big it is Zif what it looks like? Franco asked in frustration.
“It should be a large one at least as big as a human fist, crystal like. It takes a lot of power and some kind of Soul attuned mana for it to activate but once the souls are in there all it needs is a Mana collector to maintain itself.”
“The Adder stones” Oaken slapping his head with his third hand.
“Take those out and that should deactivate the trap allowing you time to find the Soul Well and destroy it Franco.” Oaken said, slapping his tail on the ground.
“Alight sounds like a plan” he said before he looked over the group.
“We will head over there and try to meet up with Jax if we can but we will keep you in sight” Frazier said.
“Good luck” Maph said as he drew his sword and headed east.
Franco rested his right hand on Faye’s shoulder before squeezing it and nodded at her as they locked eyes. He would do his best.
He started to jog, crossing the many lanes of the street before he made it to the plaza and entered it without issue. He was thinking he might make it to the arch without issue until he got close to the outer ring of adventures, just thirty feet away from one he felt something tug at him. He stumbled and went down to a knee.
Something was pulling at him. Tugging at something inside him, his Soul?. He was being ripped in half. The pain was all throughout his body but spiking in his head and then after that brief flash it was gone, at least the active pain. His body throbbed but he got up and stumbled forward as fast as he could.
He passed a human man that was still breathing on the ground but his eyes were open and lifeless. Drool pooled out of the man's face.
He continued forward heading to the arch. He needed to turn off the trap and he needed to do it fast.
***
Oaken had two wands out along with his short sword as they moved along the eastern side of the central plaza. He had seen Franco stumble but then that damn Fate touched man had gotten back up after a few seconds and walked on. It seemed his Spirit Mind was really helping him deal with this Soul Trap, thankfully.
Maph led the group with Brother Zif at his side as they headed to a connecting street where they saw bodies spread across the roadway and battle damage all through the stone road. The multicolored cave light was bright here and shadows were low but the fact that an army of Minotaurs had snuck their way through here was concerning. It was a large city but they had locked most of the Gates from the inside or had guards on the others. Oaken hoped not many had died here.
The street here was pockmarked stone that was sloped slightly to the sides so that water could run off to the gutters on either side where large sidewalks lined both sides of the street. The filled in buildings here across from the central plaza looked like mansions or shops.
“Brother Zif was this a wealthy area of the city before” Oaken asked.
“It was. The wealthy and influential all lived here or owned shops. The central park was a wonder unto itself with its gardens and statues. A true envy of the great cities. That is all gone now. Great poison or magic must have been done here to prevent any growth in these dead fields.”
“Any sight of friend or foe” The older elf woman said trying to focus the group.
Oaken didn't know her name but she seemed to be some kind of [Spellsword] or [Bladesinger] and an older Silver ranked adventurer. Older, experienced Silvers were the work horses of the guild, dad always said. They killed most of the monsters and protected most of the towns when things went sideways and they were lifers. Golds and Bronzes retired. Silvers fought on.
They slowly made their way around the plaza getting closer to the down bodies now just a few hundred feet away. When Zif stopped.
“There on a roof down this block on the right. Eighth building on the right with the courtyard wall.” Zif said.
The group spread out more as Maph and Frazier looked to spot what Zif had seen. There was a human with a bow on the roof. Oaken was trained well enough he knew not to focus on that but to continue to scan their surroundings.
“That must be a quarter mile away Zif,” Frazier said.
“I have good sight”
“Looks like they fell back to that walled courtyard so the minotaurs could be anywhere. Lets get to the mouth of that street and see if we can signal them. Faye” Frazier said before she was interrupted.
“I’m watching him,” Faye said.
They slowly got closer and Oaken could feel eyes on him. They were being watched but when they reached the mouth of the road and the many bodies nothing happened.
“Oaken searched the bodies. Marrybark if you can have one of yours help him, ” Frazier said looking at the older elf captain who just nodded at her.
“They are coming out,” Maph said from a dozen feet or so in front of them.
Oaken saw the captain of the Wrath of Pele leading a group of adventurers as they jogged to meet up with them before he went back to his job. With his third hand still holding a wand he used his two large arms to turn over a dead minotaur while a human woman with a crossbow trained on the minotaur watched him work as he began to strip the dead. They were adventurers.
***
He walked forward slowly having survived two pulses from the trap so far but slowing him down each time. Each one had hurt more than the last so much so he was just now passing the inner circle of people. He thought he saw Summer off to the side but his eyes were narrowing into tunnels, he had to reach the arch and disarm it before it ripped out his soul.
He was stumbling but he got within reach of the plaque before the next pulse hit him and sent him to his knees. He felt his soul and body tearing apart. Hot stinging pain laced through his veins and he could feel his mind split as his soul was being pulled apart.
Something snapped inside his head and Franco felt himself losing consciousness as he fell to his knees.
A chittering cry echoed down the tunnel and a roar of fighting exploded behind them.
“We won't make it out,” Thomas said.
“Franco” Eloise said, her voice full of terror.
“Get her to the next side tunnel now Mary.” Franco said as he shoved Eloise towards her bodyguard.
Franco had his wand out and his sword as they ran. Luckily they were further back but they would not make the doors out to the village but they would get close. He looked back and saw a dozen or so adventurers running with a horde of Stone Scarabs and something larger behind them.
“This is it” Franco shouted as they followed Mary and Eloise into a side tunnel as the fleeing adventurers caught up with him. One of them followed them in with two Stone Scarabs on their back.
The Kimber adventurer was screaming but Franco didn't have time for him as he spun and started to let loose, shot after shot from his Magic Bolt wand at the black and brown scarabs now just feet away from them.
The majority of the horde of monsters continued down the main tunnel with what looked like stone golems now among them but Franco and Thomas continued to fall back down their side tunnel as scarabs followed after them. Franco burned through his first wand and used his Instant Charge Ability without hesitation. Thomas was working his sword darting in and cutting down two or three scarabs with each blow when a scream came from behind them.
Franco was too busy to look but there had to be more scarabs now coming through their side passages. There was a reason why they had all been guarded or blocked off.
“We stop here, focus Eloise” Mary said coldly.
He had wanted to come here and he had wanted an adventure. He felt like he had deserved it by what he was giving up and just like the Dungeon Of The Old World he had gotten it and now he or others would die. Although if Eloise died here he would not have to marry her. He felt a sudden relief with that thought. He stumbled at the amount of relief he had just felt, so much so a scarab bit into his leg.
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The pain of the bit raced through him as well as the horror and disgust at himself for the thought he had just had.
He cut the scarab in half with his saber and shook loose his leg as he repositioned himself.
Had he just wished Eloise his friend. Eloise is future wife, death to make his life easier. If she died it would be his fault for bringing her here and he had hoped for it. He had wished for it. What was wrong with him?
“We are not dying here, Eloise my love. Thomas with me!” Franco yelled.
“Now and Forever!” He yelled and Thomas replied.
“Never Again!” the call and response battle cry of House Young as they surged forward into the scarabs.
Franco opened his eyes and found himself on all fours in front of the stone arch and plaque. He was breathing hard and he had tears in his eyes.
Some part of him had wanted this. Some part had prayed in his heart for the death of a girl whose only fault was that she loved him and his prayer had been answered and not hers. She died because of him, maybe not directly but still. It was his fault.
He didn't have any more memories then that one scene but that one memory contained so many feelings and impressions. He felt sick with himself, but he had no time for this now.
Blood dripped from his nose but since he hadn't fallen to the ground completely just to all fours he thought it had only been a few minutes at most.
He stood, knees weak and legs wobbly but grabbing his saber's hilt with his left hand gave him focus as he stepped over Cid who lay crumpled in front of the plaque. With his shaking right hand he tried to pull free the two white stones.
All nine slots were filled now and glowed with power Mana flowing freely through them all. The two smaller stones that Cid had forced into the far left slot pulsed and would not move. He fumbled for his belt knife afraid he wouldn’t live through another experience like the last one. He did not want to be hit with another pulse of soul ripping power.
Afraid, with hands shaking he got the point of the knife in between the two stones and with as much strength as he could muster he pushed down. The stones held for half a second and then with a shout of shock he stumbled back as the two stones went flying as they dislodged. He stumbled backwards over Cid and fell on his back as one of the Adder stones hit him in the chest bouncing off his Sea Dreamer armor.
Franco was shaking as he lay on his back from surprise and relief. That sense of something pulling at what must have been his soul had lifted. He laughed in frightened delight. He did not feel the pull any longer and he felt safer. Well his soul felt safer at least. He still had a sense of dread in the back of his mind but he took a few seconds to gather himself before he got up.
His knife had not broken luckily, he liked the simple blade so he resheathed it on his belt and stored away the one Adder stone that had hit him. There was always time to loot a little especially when it was lying on the ground in front of him.
He briefly scanned the area and did not see any of the Adventurers moving yet. Their souls were still trapped it seemed. He had been hoping it would just be that simple but no. He needed to find that Soul Well and destroy it.
He briefly looked at the other eight larger Adder stones on the plaque and thought better about taking those now. Who knew what would happen if he did.
Knowing that it would not be a waste now he took a sip from one of his Healing potions and a sip from a Stamina one. After a few seconds he felt much better. His body ached less and his mind was a bit clearer. It still felt a little fragile as if it held on barely to his body.
Drawing his Jade saber from its sheath for the first time since entering the plaza he walked towards the center of the arch and the pit of bones that filled in the stairs. He could make out the outline of the stairwell and thought it was at least thirty feet wide and almost sixty long. The amount of bones inside of it must have been enough to make thousands of skeletons.
“Oh I wonder if there are any good weapons in here” he muttered as he outlined the space with the tip of his saber.
When he found the middle of the first step down, it was on the short side. It was also the side so that the stairs would look like they went through the arch on their way down which he thought the architects of this place would have appreciated.
He saw that the bones here had shifted recently and wondered if that had been him or Cid who had done that. He could freely pick up the enchanted Kimber and human bones and toss them aside but it would take a dozen men hours to move them that way.
He thought for a few seconds and then stepping back he cast Soul Lance. Luckily the bones were not dense enough to count as one solid object and he was able to cast it so the tip of Soul Lance appeared almost two feet into the pile of bones a little out from the edge.
Bones on the surface were pushed aside and a small hole opened showing where the lance and penetrated. A few bones filled in the hole as soon as he let the spell go but his idea could work. He sheathed his saber and pulled out one of his two fire bombs from his belt and primed it.
He cast Soul Lance again and again as fast as he could to create a small six feet deep hole and then he tossed the fire bomb down in the hole while still holding his last Soul Lance cast so that when he let the spell go the bomb rolled further down into the hole as Franco ran backwards.
He made it a dozen feet before the bomb went off and bones went flying from the stairwell. Shielding his eyes he spun to get back to the stairs while bones and bone fragments rained down around him.
They bounced off his armor and luckily the arch had shielded Cid from the worst of it also. He had honestly forgotten that the Harekin was there and was glad he had not gotten him hurt.
As he surveyed his handy work it looked like he had cleared a good ten feet down and with just a minute of work he had seven large steps down cleared and enough space to move. He still could not see the bottom or anything but bones and the glint of metal now but he could not get distracted.
So standing on the third step down he did it again, digging a deep hole with Soul Lance casts until he could get his second fire bomb deeper. It was only after he had tossed it and was running at the stairs that he heard the explosions of spells and the sound of fighting from the east and then the second bomb went off and bones rained down around him again.
***
“It's good to see you but there are hundreds of Minitours out here and where are the rest of you?” Jax said as he reached them.
Autumn had her back to the man as he talked with Frazer and the elf captain as she kept an eye on Franco who had just gotten hit by a third pulse of the trap. It hit him like a physical blow as he stumbled from it, punch drunk but he kept moving.
“On their way but we don’t have time. Brother Zif here says that the lower leveled adventurers only had a few hours to live. Their souls are trapped in a Soul Well and if not returned soon like the next hour or so they are dead”
“What can we do?” Jax said, instantly changing his tone. “Can Brother Zif rescue them”
“I am here to help but young Franco is the one the Goddess has blessed with the means to disarm it now.” Zif said.
“We can move closer, the trap didn't seem to affect Franco until he got closer to that outer circle of adventurers” Faye said without turning away from Franco.
“Good, let's head that way and you have command Jax” Frazier said.
“Fine, lead the way Faye. Mages and archers in the center melee out in a circle around them. Lots of space we know they have magic. Move” Jax said, taking command instantly.
Faye started walking towards Franco. She would have them stop when they all got on the plaza and further away from these homes.
She saw when Franco got hit with another pulse and blood spray from his nose as he went down on all fours. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight and Kara put a hand on her shoulder when she moved to run to him. He was a hundred feet away from her but she reached out willing him to stand.
She watched as he crawled a few feet before he stopped, still down on all fours. He was close to the arch and another person was lying still near him. That had to be Cid but Franco was doing this alone.
“We are here,” she said.
She was in the middle of the group and when she stepped onto the large sidewalk around the central plaza she called for them to stop.
“Spread out,” Jax ordered.
“What's wrong with him?” Oaken said when he stood next to her.
“This is the fourth pulse from that trap and each one hits him harder. He's bleeding from the nose and almost passed out I think. It's only been a minute or so but he is still moving. He has to reach it now”
An explosion sounded behind her but it was far behind her. Still she spun her duster swirling as she turned wands in each hand. Spells were flying a good full block away from them as two groups fought but they were both getting closer. One group was on the street while another was on the roofs both running as they headed towards them.
“It's the damn minotaur's again, both groups” Oaken said pointing it out.
Then trilling while he thought he asked more then said “The Free People and The Rout?”.
“The Free Horde, young Oaken and The Rout. The demon leads the Free Horde. This reeks of that devil's meddling. Fate is running wild” Zif said as he watched. His four weapons moved slowly as if he was flexing his wrists, getting ready for a fight.
“Daemons and minotaur's from your Temple fight” Jax asked Frazier.
“Yes and as Zif said this is all according to someone else's plan it seems.” Frazier sighed and pulled her auto crossbow free in her right hand and a grenade in her left.
She then spoke loudly so that everyone in their group could hear her.
“I’d get ready for the fight of your life Captain Jax, this should be a good one” Frazier said as everyone around them started to move things around on their belts or pulled things from pouches.
Back up measures and last resort items were pulled from rucks and belts. Some having been handed down from father to son to be used in moments like this. The adventurers knew the score as they all watched the approaching Minitours.
Autumn’s eyes went back to Franco who was still on all fours breathing hard before she turned to watch the approaching groups who stopped exchanging shots with each other before they both reached the edge of the block they were on.
One moving surprisingly fast on the roof tops to their left while the other hugged the far right of their road a good three hundred feet away from the adventurers' front lines.
There was no way to tell how many were in each group as they hid their numbers but from what Autumn could see there looked to be at least several hundred in each group.
A large minotaur in a blue tabard with gold capped front facing horns and a massive axe in his hand stepped forward out of the group on the ground. All the minitours of his group had blue sashes and Autumn had to admit that these Minitours had a good sense of style. They looked good.
“Brother Zif it is a surprise to see you here with these interlopers outside your Temple” the lead minotaur said, his voice projected by some magical means.
“As it is you, Longhorn. What brings The Rout and the demon infested here” Zif said.
“Lies, look! He speaks with the terror of the deep, the murder of our Longhorn as if they are friends. See we did not lie to you. They are here to stop us” A voice from the roofs to their left shouted.
“Be silent Deamonkin. You are not your father and you do well to hide yourselves from my sight. I see you have led the Free Horde astray as is your way. Seek to stop me or the True Friends of the Temple and I will kill you all” Zif bellowed his metallic voice full of rage.
Autumn took a step back from the large golem that was only a few feet away from her. Her ears rang from his shout.
Silence was all that answered them for a few seconds until an explosion went off behind them in the central plaza. Autumn spun around to see bones raining down around Franco who was walking back towards the arch.
“Did he get it?” Oaken asked.
Zif did not turn his head away from the minitours but answered Oaken's question.
“Young Franco has disarmed the trap but the Soul Well is still active. We should be able to move closer now.” Zif said in a much quieter voice.
“Everyone starts walking that way, eyes up and stay alert,” Jax said as he started to walk at an angle away from the minotaur's.
“What is going on Brother Zif? You can not touch that trap. You will doom us all” The Longhorn in blue yelled and walked closer to them.
“Why” Frazier yelled back as she slowly walked backwards.
“It holds the Undead monster that took over this floor of the dungeon and killed thousands of us generations ago”
“Did you make the Soul Well” Oaken asked.
“Yes, my people did hundreds of years ago. It is a thing of legends and stories for us much like the golem. It was a suicide mission but it worked. Trapping the Lich that led their forces for all time as long as you do not free him.”
“A fucking Lich” Marrybark shouted.
“Yes and these cowards would stop us from killing it and saving our people by exploring the next level of our dungeon” The voice from the roof shouted.
“Wait, everyone stop,” Jax said.
“You Longhorn of The Rout want to stop us from saving our friends because you think we will unleash a powerful Lich and the demon infested want to help us open up the next level and to fight the Lich,”
“We are not demon infested. The Rout lied in their greed and killed our Longhorn for the spoils of the Armory, but we would side with you to kill them and this Lich if it even still exists after all these years” the faceless voice from the roof was quick to respond.
“Don't you see Zif you are on the Demons side. Don't let them destroy the Soul Well” the Longhorn of the Rout said.
That made everyone uncomfortable and Autumn turned to see Franco now standing a few feet further down in the ground underneath the arch. He had found the stairs and the way to the Soul Well she hopped.
“Do not try to play games with me, Demons. We will do what is right and not be foolish enough to change that because you play your games.” Zif said
“Longhorn Eike, hundreds of adventurers are on their way here now. We have the means to stop and fight this Lich if it still exists after all this time but we will not be stopped from saving our friends” Oaken said.
“Well said Young Oaken” Zif said.
“Is this true?” the Longhorn asked.
“It is” Jax replied and with his spear pointed at the minotaur's on the roofs.
“Side with us again like you did in the Temple. Death to demons and those led astray by them. Help us save our friends and kill any undead” Jax offered to the leader of The Rout.
Before anyone else could answer, an Ice Lance shot towards Jax from the roofs to their left that he blocked with his shield but sent him stumbling back by the blow.
“Kill them all, they betray us again” the voice from the roof shouted and a wave of spells followed. Minotaur's with green sashes started to pour off of the roofs all up and down the street they were on while arrows and spells ran down.
“Side with the Adventurers, kill the deamonkin” The Longhorn of the Rout shouted as he spun his axe out to meet the first wave of charging Free Horde minotaur's.
Faye turned from that fight and started to run towards Franco, only making it a few steps before a second explosion happened underneath the arch as bones went flying again. It was then that Faye noticed a wave of minotaur's in green sashes running towards them from a new direction with a group breaking off and heading towards Franco.
“Shit, enemies from our north and Franco needs help” She shouted as she turned to intercept the new group heading towards Franco.
