The Runesmith - Chapter 647 – Being Followed.

The forest seemed to shift as the group moved through a small, narrow passage. A stream filled with rot and poison bubbled as they passed it. Serpents hissed from the bushes and toads croaked as they watched the group go by, but none of them attacked.

‘It stinks, but it works.’

Roland thought this to himself as he jogged forward at the vanguard. The monsters in this area were at the lower levels of tier three, yet none of them reacted to the group. Instead, they appeared disturbed by the smell the group carried. The source was an alchemical potion that served as a powerful repellent for monsters.

Varek had given it to everyone, clearly deciding to use one of his trump cards. It was obvious that the man wanted to reach the third ring as quickly as possible. By avoiding combat with the monsters along the way, their pace increased dramatically. The only real slowdown came from the non-combat class holders like Ermes, since the porters were at least tier two and could move relatively quickly. Nevertheless, with the repellent in effect, they were making good progress.

They were not alone, however, as shadowy figures continued to pursue them.

‘Now then, what should I do…’

Roland weighed his options carefully. He had not yet told the others that they were being followed. He did not want to alarm the adventurers, who might try to flee immediately or, worse, turn out to be working with the assassins. Agni had already been moved to the middle of the group to act as a protector for both the gnome mage and the blacksmith.

This was not a matter of if but of when they would be attacked. The body of the headless barbarian had already been stashed away in a spatial storage, not his own but Harphon’s. As a hidden guild inspector, it made sense for him to handle such matters. Although he wanted to take the body for study and compare it to the sludge left by the other assassins, he did not wish to drop his pretense of being merely an older adventurer just yet.

For the time being, they were safe. Varek was a good leader. He had provided them with monster repellent and chosen a slightly different route, one more frequently traveled by adventurers and therefore less likely to host an ambush. Even so, there was still one area they had to pass through. A series of tunnels led out of the second circle and into the third. It was a labyrinth of passages filled with traps, hidden corridors, and countless spots where an ambush could be set with ease.

‘That’s probably when they will strike, but should we let them?’

Roland was not one to shy away from confrontation, but if things continued as they were, they would be at a disadvantage. From what he could tell, they were being followed by a group that could move far faster than they could. It was reasonable to assume that some of the assassins had split off and run ahead to the next area along their path. He had confirmed this suspicion half an hour earlier when the number of pursuers had noticeably dwindled. If they wanted to improve their odds, it would be far better to lead their enemies into a trap of their own and do something entirely unexpected.

“Captain Varek.”

To do this, he needed help, and for the time being, Varek’s actions had not been suspicious. The man was doing his best to complete his mission under these circumstances, and he was probably the only one he could rely on now, since this dungeon was new to him. While Roland had gone through maps, accounts of other adventures, and even rumors, he still needed advice from someone who had spent more time in this dungeon, which made Varek the perfect choice.

“What is it, Siegfried? Is there something ahead of us?”

He slowed his pace to fall in beside Varek while the group continued moving.

“No. I just need you to play along with something.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

Roland leaned closer and lowered his voice, surrounding them with a compact sound barrier so only the two of them could speak freely. As they continued running, he quietly explained his plan. Varek’s expression remained unchanged as he played his part well. After confirming a few details, Roland finally stopped.

“What do you mean you’re leaving us?”

“I just decided. It’s too dangerous, and I can reach the third ring on my own with Amun. It’s the logical choice. Amun, come. We’re leaving.”

Agni looked on in confusion, as did several of the other adventurers, when the group came to a halt. Harphon was the most bewildered of them all. Roland had agreed to help him earlier, and just as he was about to shout in protest, something happened that stopped him from complaining. After his expression changed a few times, he just nodded and held himself from complaining.

“Bah, let the idiot go. It is not like we need him. We can get through this on our own.”

Harphon said this while turning his face away, as if he were looking at a traitor. The other adventurers glanced at one another and began mumbling among themselves. Roland was their main vanguard, but it was not as though someone else could not take his place. The group was still large enough to make it through the forest and reach the third layer, especially since most of them were adventurers with levels over two hundred.

Roland did not look back as he turned away from the group. He made sure his steps were loud and careless, his posture stiff with irritation. To anyone watching, it would look like pride mixed with cowardice.

“Do not follow me.”

He added it flatly, glancing over his shoulder.

“Let’s go, Amun.”

Agni howled once, sounding almost disappointed, but soon moved to his master’s side. Varek scowled, then turned back to the group.

“Fine. Do what you want. We do not need you.”

The captain raised his hand and barked orders. The group surged forward again, disappearing deeper into the narrow forest path that led toward the tunnel entrance. Voices faded, footsteps softened, and soon only the sounds of rot, insects, and distant dripping water remained.

“What do we do? One split from the group…”

After a few minutes, six figures rose from the shadows. Men wearing long robes stood enshrouded by the darkness of the poison forest.

“That one knows too much. You three go and take care of him. Then we will meet again with the Master within the tunnels.”

One of the men spoke while the others merely nodded. Moments later, they vanished from their positions as if they had never been there, melting back into the forest’s warped shadows.

*****

“Do not stop moving. If we go through here, we will make it into the third layer in half a day.”

“Please, just give us a moment to rest…”

“…Fine. We will rest for ten minutes. Drink some water and use recovery potions if you need to.”

Varek called out to the others. The adventurers themselves were fine, but the problem lay with the regular people, like the blacksmith. For a moment, he considered abandoning them, but he stopped himself as he remembered the warning from the man called Siegfried. If the blacksmith died, then so would he.

He did not know exactly what that meant, but he knew better than to underestimate the dark swordsman. After seeing what Siegfried could do during the fight with the monster tree, Varek feared him more than any assassin that might be following them.

“I just want this to be over.”

“That’s for sure. I heard the adventurer stronghold in the third ring is a small city in itself. I hope the beds are soft.”

“Who cares about the beds. I just want to eat something, or drink some of that famous drake ale they have down there.”

“Ha, that’s for sure.”

The adventurers began to relax, chatting among themselves, but Varek remained vigilant. He kept scanning their surroundings. Shadows sometimes took the shape of monsters or men, making him uneasy.

‘I hate assassins. I hope that man did not lie to me.’

Varek let out a sigh as he drank from his water bottle. Ten minutes passed quickly, and after consulting their main tracker, they set off into the labyrinthine tunnels. They stretched for tens of kilometers underground, and to make matters worse, the labyrinth was alive, shifting its layout every half day. The key to passing through was to enter just after a shift and recognize the pattern it followed.

“We should move. It shifted half an hour ago. If we are fast, we should reach it in less than ten hours.” 

The tracker said, and soon, the adventurers descended into the tunnels. As they disappeared from view, several figures emerged behind them. There were exactly six, all wearing black robes, with one who appeared to be the leader. None of them spoke as they slipped into the tunnels, following close behind the group.

Five hours in, even the most seasoned adventurers had stopped speaking unless it was absolutely necessary. Their breath fogged in the cold air, boots scraped against ancient stone, and the faint sound of shifting dungeon gears echoed in the distance as minor adjustments rippled through the labyrinth. The maze had changed several times already, but these were alterations recorded by past explorers and known to the tracker.

Varek raised a fist, and everyone froze. The tunnel ahead narrowed into a long corridor that opened into a more spacious chamber with a single entrance and exit. It was a perfect place for an ambush, but it was also the only path forward to the third ring.

It had been quite some time since Siegfried had split from the group, and doubt crept in. If the plan had failed, the pursuers might have already dealt with him and could still be on their trail. That meant they would have to force their way through, no matter what awaited them.

“Let’s go. Be careful. There could be trouble up ahead.”

The others nodded, gripping their weapons tightly as they moved into the larger chamber. Once they crossed the threshold, they found themselves in a room of dark stone with a massive draconic statue at its center. It was a clear marker that the third ring was close, a region known to be filled with lesser dragons.

They advanced slowly. When they were nearly beside the statue, sudden movement burst into view.

“Who goes there?”

Varek shouted as five hooded figures emerged from the passage they needed to take. Almost immediately, six more appeared behind them, sealing off the only escape. Torches along the walls flickered as the group was surrounded. The seven remaining adventurers formed a defensive circle around the statue, weapons raised and aimed at the potential attackers.

“We just want to get through here.” 

Varek said. 

“Let us pass.”

“That is not an option. All of you must die here. No one who sees the Red Quill may live.”

The assassin leader was blunt. His robe differed slightly from the others. Instead of pure black, it was dark red, as if drenched in old blood. The air grew heavy the moment the words were spoken.

Varek’s grip tightened around his swords as his eyes darted from the five assassins blocking the exit to the six hooded figures behind them. A cold knot formed in his stomach. Perfect positioning. No wasted movement. No hesitation. These were professionals. At least the ones in front were. The figures in the back seemed sluggish, and that made him realize something.

“Who hired you? Why are you doing this?”

“…”

The man did not answer. The robed figures drew their weapons, sharp daggers that gleamed faintly. The torches along the walls began to flicker, as if some unseen force threatened to snuff them out. The men before them seemed to fade into the scenery, becoming indistinct and difficult to read. Then they lunged forward.

However, before any dagger could reach a throat, a strange force erupted within the chamber. The explosion of power slammed all the assassins to the ground but for some reason left all the adventurers standing. 

“What is this?” 

The master assassin slouched forward while the other four were driven flat against the stone. The floor beneath them cracked as if an immense weight pressed them down, like massive boulders crushing their bodies.

“Answer the man’s question. Who hired you? If you do, you might survive.”

The voice came from behind the adventuring party. It was Siegfried. Varek released a breath he had not realized he was holding. His new ally had not lied. The robes of the six figures at the back fell away, revealing five shapes that resembled golems. Siegfried stood among them.

****

‘He will not talk even now. That is no different from the other six.’

Roland stepped forward, maintaining his gravity magic as it kept the Red Quill assassins pinned helplessly to the ground. The four lesser ones were not that strong, though they were still close to level two hundred. Their leader, however, was able to resist his magic, making him far superior to them in every way.

Earlier, when Roland separated from the group, he had deliberately left himself open to an attack. Three of the lesser assassins followed him, but he dealt with them quickly. Even so, preventing them from committing suicide proved difficult. Disabling their bodies with gravity magic was not enough, as they were still capable of killing themselves. To make matters worse, they seemed to operate within a ranked structure, and their leader could trigger the melting curse on all of them, just as had happened during the attack on Arthur.

“Just give it up, you can’t win.”

Roland’s golems moved quickly to block the escape route, with him standing directly before the exit. From the rear, Agni finally rushed in and made sure the path was fully sealed. The other adventurers advanced to disable the assassins, intent on capturing them and getting some answers.

“Don’t let them kill themselves. We must take them in alive!”

Harphon spoke while carefully keeping his true identity hidden. The leader likely knew who had made the contract and might even be carrying items that could point to its origin. The other assassins Roland had defeated carried some worthwhile equipment and occult weaponry that he could study later, but nothing that revealed where they came from. Their status screens showed little more than random first names with no surnames. These people were like ghosts, with no identities and no traceable past.

All of them shared similar classes, but only this man, Eleven, possessed the Blood Assassin class and also the Blood Dagger Master. The man’s name itself was strange, leading Roland to wonder if there were ten individuals ranked above him or if the number reflected a shared origin. They might have been raised as child soldiers from birth, while the others had been recruited later and still carried the names given to them by their parents.

‘Wait, this is different than before…’

As he prepared to apprehend at least their leader, something unexpected happened. An occult spell activated, mixed with something else entirely. It was not the same spell that would turn the others into sludge. This one was far more powerful, capable of causing massive destruction.

“Be careful, their bodies are going to explode. Everyone, get back!”

Harphon reacted instantly to Roland’s shout and began casting a shield. The assassins he had been disabling with gravity magic started to swell as their leader activated a strange glyph on his palm. It shone red and was clearly a form of dark magic.

Roland wanted to capture the man, but instead, he chose to protect the people around him. Ermes cowered in fear with the other non-combatants as a massive explosion rocked the chamber. The walls cracked and shuddered as not only an explosion occurred, but a strange purplish mist shot out in all directions. Once it filled the chamber, everything within its reach began to slowly melt.

“Stay within the barrier, everyone!”

Harphon shouted as he and Roland created a dual-layered protective barrier around the draconic statue at the center of the room and the people gathered there. While confusion spread among the others, Roland focused on the spot where the man called Eleven had been standing. He was gone. He had not killed himself, yet all his men were dead.

Agni managed to reach the barrier safely, and everyone remained unharmed, but many questions lingered unanswered. Who was the man who escaped? His face had never been revealed, and he had likely fled to hide somewhere within the third ring. It was another problem Roland would have to confront. He was not even certain that the gnome had been the only target, or whether Harphon could survive long with that man hiding among the other adventurers.

Fortunately, Roland had recorded his status and mana pattern. That would make tracking him far easier and might even reveal whom he had contacted within the stronghold.