Kyle’s eyes shot wide open. “What?” He whispered as he looked around to try and see where the voice had come from.
“Eleven!” Igna’s voice rose. Immediately, she had clenched her fists, and was glaring around, trying to find the owner of that voice as well.
“Twenty!” The voice rose again. Igna’s eyes shot wide open as she shot Kyle and the others a quick glance. “I…” She muttered, clearly debating whether it was worth giving so much money for a single piece of armour.
Kyle shook his head. “Don’t,” He whispered. “Make him waste his money.”
She nodded, though her face was pale.
“And it is sold to this gentleman over at the VIP section to twenty thousand gold coins!” The Auctioneer announced. “The next item is this dagger…”
“Igna,” Caille hissed. “Try to buy the dagger for some low amount.”
“No.” The Prince stated, folding his arms. “I will not forge you any old piece of armour.”Kyle rolled his eyes. There it was – that dwarven pride.“But you yourself said you don’t have the heart of the forge!” He protested, despite knowing it was in vain. “You realise what sort of a dilemma this is, right?”The dwarven prince raised his chin. “Get me the heart, and I will craft you the most powerful piece of armour you’ve ever seen!” He declared.Kyle pressed his palm against his forehead. “… Where do I find it?” He finally asked, giving up on trying to convince the goat-headed dwarven prince.“Up north from the village, there are the vermillion mountains – an undead best resides in a pathway between two mountains. Beyond the path it guards, you will find old ruins of dwarven make. Within them rests the heart of the forge.” The Dwarven prince p
Igna’s guildmembers proved to be more than happy to slay the undead drake a couple more times. As soon as Kyle dropped by their fortress to ask for that favour, they happily prepared to set out to help him.“So,” Caille looked at the Irena, who was silently watching the guildmembers systematically surround and attack the undead drake. “You’ve recovered fully then?”The Priestess of the Golden Flame nodded firmly. “Indeed. My apologies for not being able to stand my ground against that demon.” She added with distaste. She clenched her fists, probably remembering how quickly she’d perished, before even getting a chance to try and fight against the Demon of the Nightbloom.“None of us were able to.” Caille said with a shrug. “We didn’t really expect to come across someone quite as powerful.”Kyle nodded. “I’m surprised how quickly you recovered after I touched the Evertre
The eerie silence sent a shiver down Kyle’s spine as they opened the door fully and peaked inside. He pulled his scarf over his mouth and nose and watched as the others also did something similar with pieces of cloth.“Either there is a pile of dead bodies in there,” Luke whined, “Or there are a bunch of necromancers filling this place with necrotic energy.” He unsheathed his new, mithril blade, and took a deep breath. “Either way, let’s go.”Igna also unsheathed her blade, she then raised her hand, and whispered softly. “Flame, cleanse us.”A small ball of fire appeared in her palm, it then floated up into the air. “It’ll cleanse the necrotic energy around us. It’s not very strong, and my mana won’t last for more than fifteen minutes, so let’s hurry.” She explained.“Light,” Kyle said as he raised his hand as well. An orb of light appeared in his hand, bri
It was impossible to know where the sound had originated from in the first place. Thankfully, the sound did repeat itself every few seconds.“I don’t like this.” Kyle whispered as they followed the sound, slowly making their way towards it. The labyrinth like hallways were more than a little difficult to navigate, and Kyle couldn’t help but remember Droigheann’s illusion trick.“What is that noise anyways?” Luke asked as it grew louder. They were very near it – in fact, they had almost reached it. Or at least that’s what it sounded like.“It sounds like something metallic is hitting the floor.” Igna muttered. Kyle scowled, he crouched and pressed his palm against the floor. Sure enough, with every repeat of the same sound, he could feel the vibrations run through the ground.“Yeah.” He whispered quietly. “I don’t like this.” He added after a short moment of hesit
The Giant raised his bushy eyebrows. “You were looking for this place? Pray tell, whatever would a little human like you need from these old ruins?”Kyle took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his racing heart. “The Heart of the Forge.” He stated. “I was told it was here. I didn’t think there would be anyone here, working the forge. I thought this place was abandoned.”The Giant slowly nodded. “Indeed, it is.” He straightened his back, and then leaned forward, inspecting whatever it he had been working on. “I am the only one here.”His voice was mellow. A deep sadness permeated it. How long had he been here, alone?“Why are you still here?” Kyle asked, unable to curb his curiosity. “Why not leave? Go somewhere with people?”The Giant turned his head to look at him. “I dream of the day I can set foot outside this forge, human, but I fear it will remain just that
The veil shattered almost immediately. Kyle exhaled as pain struck his body momentarily. He stumbled backwards as the Necronomicon drained him of his strength.A pair of armoured hands caught him by his shoulders. “It’s done, close it!” Droigheann hissed into his ears, springing the young summoner back into action. He bit his lips and closed the Necronomicon. As soon as the book closed, he felt his draining strength return. Well, some of it.“How did you get-““Hush!” Droigheann hissed, silencing the clearly confused Giant. “I must leave now, I will explain to you later.” He said as soon as Kyle put the Necronomicon away. The Demon vanished into the young man’s shadow, letting Kyle breathe properly again. As soon as he was gone, the drain on his vitality had also disappeared.He took a deep breath, then forced a smile. “How about we get the hell out of here before the necromancer notice
“Indeed,” Erdan-Sol’s voice boomed as he carried Kyle, walking towards the plateau with surprising speed. “We do have much to talk about, old friend.”Droigheann leaned his back against the giant’s fingers, and smirked. “How did you end up in there anyways? How could a puny necromancer get the better of you?” He asked with an amused tone.The Giant let out a sigh. His entire body shook with that sigh. Kyle gulped, sitting in the giant’s palm, he could only hope Droigheann wouldn’t annoy him too much. He didn’t want to get killed like this, not by being squished in a giant’s palm.“If only she was just a puny necromancer…” The giant shook his head. “She was powerful, old friend. Powerful, and clearly experienced in her ways. I always thought she was the one in possession of the Necronomicon.” Erdan-Sol’s gaze turned to Kyle. “Now that I k
The path leading up to the plateau was right in front of them.“I don’t understand.” Kyle gritted his teeth. “You are so sure I’ll try and rule the world or something. All I want is to live here, and not be invaded by a rich brat and his friends!” He realised he was shouting after the fact.“Then you must learn to defend the land you have claimed,” The Giant’s advice rang empty in Kyle’s ears. He pressed his palm against his forehead. “I already explained it to you-““And I have told you – necromancy is never the answer.” Erdan-Sol cut him off. “I will not tolerate-““Enough!” Droigheann’s voice boomed. A wave of darkness spread forth from the Demon of the Darkbloom. He clenched his armoured fists. “Stop it, Erdan-Sol.” He hissed, his voice seething with anger.The Gaint paused, he looked at the demon with a confused expre