Liara and Nelg felt their blood turn to ice as the Pope crouched and picked Glenn up by the throat, looking at his face for a long time. Even Nora didn't dare talk in the presence of this monstrous being. Blood flowed freely on the ground with his every step, echoing through the dark chamber. Each time he breathed their hearts went still from fear.
"Hmm...Dead. Envoy." The Pope turned toward Nora, his red eyes glimmering through the blood running over them. "Why is 3333 dead?"
Nora frowned. "I kept him in a stupor using drugs, but one day he just died. I swear on the Mother of All that I did nothing that should have killed him."
The Pope threw Glenn into a pool of blood and walked back to his iron maiden, closing back the spikes on his body.
"The two sheep with you... His comrades, I believe? Give them to me. I'll use their lives well in the upcoming storm."
Nora gritted their teeth. "I wanted to keep them as bargaining chips. I know you're the Pope, but—" Nora's words turned into a gargle. She looked down in incomprehension as her head slowly separated from her body. The Pope closed back the iron maiden on himself entirely, unfazed.
"Watch your words, Envoy. You are not even a Ruler yet. This wasn't a request, but an order. Now, begone."
Nora's head almost fell off to the side but the slaver suddenly grabbed it and stuck it back in place, heaving with difficulty. She ran away like the wind, leaving blood in her trail. Liara and Nelg were both still stuck prone on the bloody floor, the pressure crushing them.
"Head Priest. Take them to the Pit." A large man in a black clerical robe came out of the darkness at the Pope's orders, picking Liara and Nelg's chains up and dragging them out of the dark chamber. They eventually pushed themselves up as the pressure gradually disappeared. Liara coughed, realizing she had held her breath during the whole encounter.
'W- What was he? Was that thing even human?' Liara shivered from head to toe as dread washed over her just from recalling the Pope. They climbed downstairs for half an hour until they finally arrived at their destination.
A hole.
The walls of the hole were covered in sharp thorny vines oozing with poison. It looked bottomless and was wide enough to swallow a couple of houses. How it was sitting beneath the pyramid was a complete mystery to Liara.
"May the pain show you the path." The Head Priest grinned widely before throwing them in. Liara's eyes widened as she dove into the darkness, her chains falling with her. She still had the Silence collar, and Blumar chains were wrapped around her wrists. She still had no way of using her powers.
Nelg swapped between his human to sword form just to escape from his restraints before grabbing Liara. He grunted and put himself beneath her, using his body as a pillow to protect her from the fall. Liara almost insulted him for not simply freeing her, but the Silence collar in addition to the old tradition stopped her from doing so.
Bam!
Liara rolled to the side, hissing painfully. Nelg coughed lightly as he stood back up. He dusted his shoulders off before offering a helpful hand to her.
"Ah, it feels good to not have those damn chains on. I'm not sure when else I would have been able to take them off, so—"
The Black Heiress interrupted Glenn's doppelganger by waving her chains around.
"Ah, yes, my apologies." He turned back into a sword and moved through the air, slicing through her collar and chains effortlessly. Liara took a deep breath in as she was finally relieved from the constant oppression of the Blumar. Her Mana and Aura filled back up at incredible speed, her scars fading away as her body was finally free from working as intended.
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of power for an instant. The white cross on her forehead gleamed brightly as her small bird Whitey happily chattered in her ear. Liara fell to her knees, clenching her chest painfully.
'The energy...! It isn't stabilizing!' Liara heaved with difficulty as she felt her Mana and Aura grow to incredible proportions. Nelg reached out with a worried hand, but she pushed him away, too concentrated on getting that power under control. The white cross on her forehead shone like a lighthouse in the darkness, brimming with incredible power. Liara's golden eyes turned completely white, right before she exploded in a blinding flash.
"Agh!" Nelg took a few steps back, blinded. He rubbed his eyes, squinting through the black spots in his vision. Liara was looking at her own hands in disbelief, her bird Whitey having grown from a round, kind of ridiculous but cute bird to a beautiful hawk with sharp golden eyes. The cross on Liara's forehead had returned to a simple tattoo, and the white light in her eyes dimmed until they returned to their normal golden state.
"What the hell was that?!" Nelg chuckled in awe. "Did you become an Expert Magi like Glenn? And a Crusader too?"
Liara looked at Nelg with a disconcerted smile, nodding slowly. Nelg rubbed his forehead, at a loss for words.
"...Well, I won't complain about you having a power-up, that's for sure." Nelg eventually said. He looked at the hole they fell through, unable to see the top. "We need to get out of here. Glenn is still with that... 'Pope', or whatever that monster truly was."
Liara nodded more energetically. 'I've never felt so powerful before. Now...Defeating Nora isn't off the table. Running away with Glenn in tow seems even more achievable. The only problem will be that Pope...' Her eyebrows creased. 'I couldn't check his strength due to the pressure he put on us, but I'm certain he's stronger than Nora. He's at least a Newborn Ruler. Maybe more.'
Nelg crossed his arms, his armor rustling in the dark. "I hope that Pope isn't too strong. I can hardly see ourselves fighting a Newborn Ruler..." He shivered. "Imagine if he's stronger than that?"
Liara grimaced. 'If he's beyond that level, then...No, I think him being a Seventh-Circle or the equivalent seems logical. Even Munirp's King is only at the Eighth Circle, after all.'
"Well," Nelg cleared his throat as he looked around. "No use worrying about that when we are stuck at the bottom of some nonsensically deep hole. Let's find the exit to this place first."
The Black Heiress nodded and led the way, her Mana creating a ball of light that illuminated their path. They walked through the darkness, looking for any indication as to where the exit could be. They eventually found the hole's walls, covered in thorny vines oozing with threatening liquids. Liara created a sword of pure light out of her energy and hacked at the vines, but they grew back in a matter of seconds.
"What about burning them?" Nelg proposed. Liara silently created a powerful flame, setting the vines on fire. The flames licked the vegetation, barely destroying anything before going out.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
'They're magical vines. Something is keeping them up. The Pope's powers, maybe? Or someone weaker?' Liara could only wonder as they walked by the vines, searching. A clatter in the darkness made both of them stop, searching through the shadows for the source of the noise.
The clatter intensified, coming from every direction. Nelg and Liara carefully kept the wall of vines in their back, waiting tensely to see what was coming. A figure came out of the darkness, with pale skin and an emaciated body. Heavy Blumar chains had been tied to their ankles and wrists.
Nelg frowned. "A man? At least he's not a monster..."
The man's bloodshot eyes widened as he noticed the lack of chains on Liara and Nelg's limbs. More people like him came out of the darkness, their eyes glimmering with that same shock. They were all chained and cuffed, their voices muted by Silence slave collars. Nelg took a nervous step back as he also noticed orcs in the midst, as well as...dwarves, or at least very small bearded people. Liara's eyes also widened as she recognized white marks on the foreheads of dark-skinned people. Black Heirs had also been thrown into this Pit.
Liara stood with her back straightened, a drop of sweat beading off her face. She turned to Nelg, who threw back an uncertain gaze at her. She nodded slightly.
Nelg gulped. Blue particles exploded around him as he turned into a sword. The first man who approached them watched as the sword shot for his throat. He closed his eyes, a slightly relieved smile on his face. That smile turned to pure disbelief as he felt the chains and cuffs restraining him fall off his limbs.
"Ah...?" His voice was coarse and rough. A tired, trembling voice.
He fell to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes. "Ah...!"
The other prisoners hiding in the darkness couldn't believe what they were seeing. Someone else approached them, and Nelg cut through their restraints. One after the other, more and more stepped forward, leaving their throats for Nelg to free.
Liara increased the Mana she was sending in her ball of light, illuminating their surroundings brightly. The prisoners looked at the ball of light with renewed hope, their despair fading away.
Nelg chuckled nervously as he sliced through another set of cuffs and collar.
'This is oddly terrifying. Let's get it over with quickly. Maybe they'll have an idea as to why we were thrown into this Pit, and how to get out of it.'
***
Tuleam picked his nose as he followed the guidance of his enchanted cane, dropping it and seeing where it pointed. Lucian, Milena, and Lina were following him with uncertainty while using the opportunity to check Satidipug out. The streets were mostly in the same condition they first found when they arrived, with merchants stalls everywhere and no one to shop at them. Some stalls were even left unmanned.
"Beautiful city, really," said Lucian with his hands on his back. "Too bad we need a chaperone to visit it."
Bernard Lampi wiped the sweat off his forehead. "I- I apologize, your Highness, but for your safety—"
A bolt of crimson lightning crackled through the air as Sahro clenched his fist. The steward gulped heavily as he stared at the angry Black Heir.
"Nobody in your city could stop us if we wanted to rage," hissed Sahro. "So either leave us be or prepare yourself to be reduced to ashes alongside the poor people you sent dying in the war!"
Milena chuckled nervously as she pulled Sahro back slightly. "Sorry for his behavior, steward. Sahro here has been a little prickly after our recent expeditions, please forgive him."
Bernard bowed politely while keeping the Black Heir in his line of sight. "It is of no importance, Milady. Don't pre-occupate yourself with me, I am here to serve you."
Milena gave him a fake smile as she elbowed Sahro. The latter grunted and turned away, his arms crossed.
Lina pressed her lips together, confused. 'What are they playing at?'
'Hmm...' Tiamanes advanced his theory. 'I guess that Milena doesn't want to make the steward suspicious of them, while Sahro lost his cool for a moment. The only reason the steward is here is to monitor the group, which means there must be something he needs to hide from Lucian's sight.'
Lina nodded slowly. Tuleam suddenly stopped as his cane fell in a different direction. He glanced at Bernard Lampi and his knights, before grabbing Sahro and whispering something in his ear. The Black Heir first frowned, but the corner of his lips curled upward as he listened to Tuleam's words.
"Care to share what you discovered, Sir Tuleam—" Lucian was shoved to the side as Sahro suddenly grabbed Bernard Lampi and threw him on his shoulder.
"W- What are you doing? Let go of me you—"
Sahro stared down at the Grand Chevalier, his red lightning crackling with powerful might. "This is too boring! I need a duel! You all, follow me outside the city! We will fight!"
Lampi slammed his greasy fists against Sahro's muscular back. "Unhand me, you little...! Your Highness, tell your servant to let go of me!"
Lucian looked between Tuleam and Sahro and shrugged helplessly. "So sorry about that, steward. Sahro isn't under my orders, he is a Black Heir and not directly under the supervision of Munirp. I fear you might need to take care of this yourself."
"I- I won't forget this! Your Highness!!" Bernard Lampi's cries faded away as Sahro jumped in the air, shooting into the sky and leaving behind a trail of red lightning. The steward's guards exchanged a look before sprinting in pursuit of the kidnapper and their employer.
Tuleam rubbed his hands together. "Always useful to have some muscles around, and even better when they have the brain to understand my genius. Excellent, excellent..."
Milena nodded with a smile. "That should give us a small window of freedom to explore Satidipug as we wish."
Lucian cleared his throat. "Indeed. Milena, Sir Tuleam, Miss Lina. I will be leaving you there. Something is wrong with this city, and as Munirp's Crown Prince, I simply can't leave it be. I'll investigate on my own while you continue the search for Big Brother and Miss Liara. Good luck!"
"To you as well, Lucian," smiled Milena. Lucian gave them one last nod before jumping into the sky, a crown of energy appearing above his head. He flew in the distance, searching for proof of any wrongdoings done in Satidipug.
Lina turned to Tuleam, curious. "Teacher, did you find something that you kicked them away only now?"
Tuleam picked his nose. "I'm almost certain I did. Follow the cane, student."
As commanded by Tuleam, they followed the cane, leading them to an abandoned well down a poorer street. The pavements were chipped, some slabs were missing, and the houses were lacking the same cleanliness and new feeling that the rest of the city had. They turned around the well, the cane pointing at it.
Tuleam scratched his chin. "Well, I'm not going in there, not even for the tastiest food. I'll keep watch—or try to, at the very least."
Milena nodded. "Thank you, Sir Tuleam. Lina, ready?"
Glenn's sister grinned. "Always."
Milena jumped down the well. Lina leaned above the ledge, grimacing as she pulled a rope out of her dimensional pouch. Tuleam scoffed at the sight but made no move to help her. After tying the rope to a solid attachment, Lina followed Milena down the hole.
There was no water, or anything well-like down there. Instead, there was a small hallway leading to an unknown direction.
"I'll take the lead," said Milena as she unsheathed her daggers. Lina carefully walked behind her, ready to use the new spells she had been working on all this time. Even though she only had two Circles and the equivalent in Aura, she knew she was strong enough to take down True Initiates or Knights at her school. Liam, Janica, and Ary could also do it, but she was still the best of them.
There was a scent of medicinal herbs and preserved food that was getting stronger the more they advanced through the hallway. Milena froze in her steps and slowly sheathed her daggers. Lina raised her eyebrows in confusion, but Milena simply motioned to her to continue.
They arrived in a large cavern filled with bunk beds and countless wounded filling them. Bundles of herbs were hanging from every wall as gauze was repeatedly cleaned and applied on opened wounds. A woman turned and paled when she noticed them. She rushed in front of them, Mana swirling around her hands into a soft green light.
"Y- You found us? How?"
Milena was about to reply but Lina's choking sound stopped her. The woman was in her forties, maybe a little younger. She had beautiful auburn hair and a gentle face. She wore a pair of glasses that kept falling from her nose. Her eyes were as brown as Lina's and Glenn's before he met with Diamanes.
"Mom?"
The woman's eyes widened and she hid her mouth in shock, tears welling up.
"Lina?"
Did you expect the mother to show up too?
