As the congratulatory messages flashed before Ezra, his thoughts went back to Sam. The rookie had done his best to assist him at every step despite having no experience of raiding dungeons. But one cruel blow ended his life in the most anti-climactic way possible.“I am sorry. I should never have allowed you to pair up with me,” Ezra said remorsefully, his voice heavy with grief. He tried to push the boulder off Sam’s back, but it was so heavy it was impossible to move it even by an inch.“Damn it!” Ezra sighed, his frustration ringing clear in his agitated voice. Even as drops of sweat rolled down his forehead and drenched his suit, he continued pushing against the boulder, hoping against hope that he would be able to roll it off the corpse. “Come on! Move already!”“Your partner is already dead! Getting that boulder off his back won’t bring him back!” Marlin interjected, doing his best to calm Ezra and help him see reason. “Sam knew what he was doing when he joined your team and deci
As Ezra rushed through the archway, it teleported him back to the arena, and the dungeon collapsed behind him.“Loris Lagerlof is back! He is the first one to clear the dungeon!” The announcer’s excited voice rang like a bell, declaring his victory. “Give it up for the one and only, Red Devil. He proceeds to the penultimate round!”The eager fans stood up, and the crowd roared in support.“I knew it!”“The Red Devil is unstoppable!”“Loris! Loris!”“The Red Devil is invincible!”However, all the cheers died quickly when Sam’s flattened body was retrieved from the collapsed dungeon. Servius used his Planar Grasp spell to pull the corpse out of the archway and bring it back to the arena.“Alas! Sam Wilbur has perished in the dungeon. It is a sad day for us, but such are the stakes of this tournament,” the announcer spoke after a while, breaking the gloomy silence. “Unfortunately, Master Loris Lagerlof must fight alone in the next round. He will not be allowed to choose another partner.”
The crowd breathed a sigh of relief as Servius vanquished the demonic skull, and the dark clouds disappeared from the sky. But the demon’s warning still echoed in their ears, his words weighing heavily on their fragile hearts.So far, the people of Magaravia had lived a safe and secure life, sheltered from the dangers of the world outside. But the sudden appearance of the demonic skull showed them how vulnerable they were even inside the walls of the city.All this time, the residents of the capital had only heard about the undead menace from their distant relatives and often dismissed most stories as idle gossip or rumor. However, the message from the sinister skull made them realize the threat was as real as the light of the sun.The crowd did not remain silent for too long. Once the demonic skull disappeared, they started discussing the matter in hushed whispers, their hearts already swayed by the ominous claims.“We are all going to die if His Majesty doesn’t do something!” a young
Count Gressil had already caught wind of the dangerous situation, and the elite knights were immediately put on high alert. Although the commoners had turned against them, the Count’s informers remained loyal and helped him keep an eye on his enemies from afar.Ezra returned to the mansion late in the afternoon and found Count Gressil arguing with his daughter. “You need to stay inside the mansion until the commoners can be brought under control. That demon has convinced them that you are their only enemy, and those fools will do their best to find you,” the Count spoke in a serious voice, pacing the room like a troubled general. “I will not let them snatch my daughter from me!”Tanya listened to everything her father had to say before replying in her usual calm voice. “We both know the commoners are easy to manipulate. Zepheroth’s cultists are trying to weaken the city internally. But we still have the Goddess on our side. Besides, no one except the dissenters knows we are here.”“Th
As the minutes rolled by, the clouds drifted away, and the moon reappeared in the night sky surrounded by her entourage of blinking stars. A cool breeze blew from the east, soothing the senses, and cicadas buzzed in the distance, adding to the feeling of solitude.Ezra moved closer to Tanya, and she gently leaned on him, laying her head on his shoulder. “I wish this night could last forever,” she whispered. “I don’t know how this war will end, but I just want to freeze this moment and take comfort in your company while I still can.”“Don’t worry, we will get through this. Even the darkest night ends when the sun comes out. We just need to have faith,” Ezra replied.Tanya looked at Ezra and put her hands on his suit. “You know, I always thought I would join the sisterhood of Ishani and become a High Priestess someday. But somehow, I can’t imagine myself in those white robes anymore. And I think it’s because of you, Lord Ezra Romanov.”Ezra blushed as Tanya looked deep into his eyes, an
The Royal Guards patrolling the palace gardens started searching the area, and the Manticore summoned by Servius crawled across the grassy path and positioned itself in front of the back gate, securing the only escape route.Ezra guided the princess to the ladder, and Tanya followed behind them. Under the cover of darkness, the trio quickly disappeared inside the tunnel. “Take her to the tower,” Ezra instructed Tanya before handing Aleena to her.Frantic shouts and warnings resounded from above as the guards continued yelling into the night, searching for the missing princess.“Seal all entrances and exits and gather the attendants in the courtyard!”“No one is to be allowed to leave the palace grounds until the princess is found!”Just then, a much calmer voice rang out in the background. It was none other than the chief court mage, Servius. “Unyielding Dawn.”His spell lifted the darkness, summoning an artificial sun to illuminate the palace grounds. It pushed the shadows back and b
After flying around all the neighboring villages, Princess Aleena was finally satisfied and decided to call it a night. But instead of returning to the palace, she asked Ezra and Tanya to let her explore the city streets.It was a dangerous idea to wander the streets of Magaravia at this late hour, especially since Aleena was next in line to the throne and Tanya had a bounty on her head. However, Ezra agreed to the proposition and promised to give her a tour of the city since it would allow them to win her trust.Setting the Wind Rider down on the roof of the mansion in Verdant Gardens, Ezra and Tanya escorted Aleena through the estate and hailed a carriage to take them across the city.Since it was past midnight, most of the people were fast asleep in their beds, but Aleena’s escape had put the guards on high alert. The Longmans were prowling the streets at every turn, and the riflemen from the city guards were scouring the alleys and knocking on every tavern door to find the culprit
It was just as Tanya had feared. Aleena being a naïve young princess had fallen for a simple damsel trap and walked right into an ambush. And the worst part was Ashton Alley was the most avoided part of the city and the guards would not even think to look for her over here.Ezra knew the assailants would not harm Aleena if they discovered she was the princess of Magaravia. Her royal blood would help her squirm out of trouble since they could leverage her and gain something far more valuable from the king in return.However, Ezra still had no clue whether these six women were working alone or if they were part of a larger criminal organization.“Who are you?” Ezra asked. “Are you not afraid Madam Moonfrey might string you up if she found out you were robbing nobles right under her nose?”The oldest in the group chuckled at his words. “Do you think our dear madam would punish us for helping her? If you know Madam Moonfrey then you must also know how she restocks her supplies.”Ezra grinn