BXBX NOVEL Chapter 82: ch.82
"Brute force is out of the question," Aethelred rumbled, his voice echoing in the vast chamber. "Tombs are not mere dungeons. They are repositories of ancient magic, unpredictable and complex. Destroying it could have unforeseen consequences, especially for the children trapped within."
Bjorn, his beard bristling with indignation, slammed his fist on the polished obsidian table. "But Aethelred! We cannot simply sit here while our young ones…"
"We understand your frustration, King Bjorn. But Aethelred is right. We need a more nuanced approach."Valeriana said.
Ilyana, her voice a melodious whisper, leaned forward. "Perhaps we can glean some information from those directly involved. Eliana, Aqua, what can you tell us about this tomb?"
Eliana, Valeriana\'s daughter, stepped forward, her voice calm. "We noticed signs of a newly forming tomb in the Siegfried Forest. The energy readings were weak, indicating pseudo 7 star of less, so we concluded it was not threatening nor was it important."
Aqua, the dragon representative and the one who had discovered the tomb, shifted uncomfortably." She\'s right..."
Aethelred narrowed his eyes. "A blinding light, you say? And students from all parts of the forest were– teleported at once?"
Aqua hung her head. "Yes, Your Majesty. It happened so fast. By the time the light faded, the students were missing and a powerful blue dragon materialized within the tomb."
A collective awe filled the chamber. A nine-star dragon – guarding a seemingly weak tomb? Something\'s not right.
Kali, the Beastman leader, stepped forward, her voice a guttural growl. "A nine-star dragon? Are you certain, Aqua? Could it be a mistake?"
Aqua shook her head, her voice resolute. "There is no mistake. The power emanating from the him… it was undeniable."
"Yes he was nine star... But something tells me he was weakened... He was probably stronger when he was alive... An 11 star atleast." Said Aethelred.
A solemn silence descended upon the room. The council leaders exchanged glances. Never before had they encountered a nine-star guardian, especially protecting such a seemingly weak tomb. And even with such a being guarding the tomb it still showed barely psuedo 7 star reading. So they were baffled by it.
" We just have to wait. They have the blessed in there and I don\'t think the Goddesses will let them die easily." Said Aethelred.
*******
Relief washed over Eliana in waves as she exited the grand council chamber. The weight of worry etched on every leader\'s face had been a heavy burden, even for someone used to the pressures of court life. Now, the fate of the missing students was in the hands of far more competent people – the combined might of the five races.
Leaving the imposing obsidian doors behind, she inhaled a deep breath of crisp, open-air. The council chambers, despite their grandeur, always felt suffocating. Stepping into the palace courtyard, the familiar bustle of servants and guards offered a welcome distraction.
A flicker of movement above caught her eye. A lone raven circled the palace rooftops, its sleek black body a stark contrast against the clear blue sky. Eliana couldn\'t shake the feeling it was watching her. She narrowed her eyes, the recent events sparking a connection in her mind.
"Raven," she muttered, a frown creasing her brow.
" I finally have enough time to find out what happened to you." Thought Eliana.
******
The air in the labyrinth hung heavy with the stale taste of fear and dust. The initial excitement of the tomb exploration had long evaporated, replaced by a gnawing hunger and a bone-deep weariness that clung to Zehn like a second skin. His stomach growled, a pitiful plea for sustenance ignored due to the meager rations he\'d managed to snag amidst the chaos of the teleportation.
Lost and alone, Elias stumbled blindly through the twisting corridors, his once bright eyes dull with exhaustion. The flickering torchlight cast grotesque shadows on the damp walls, each creak and groan echoing in the oppressive silence like a whispered threat. He missed the bustling life of the academy, the familiar comfort of his dorm room. Now, surrounded by unknown dangers, he felt utterly alone.
Suddenly, a guttural roar ripped through the silence, sending shivers down his spine. A hulking monstrosity, its form half-man, half-beast, lumbered out of the darkness. Its eyes, glowing embers in the gloom, fixated on him with predatory hunger. Panic flooded him, his hand instinctively reaching for the dagger strapped to his thigh.
He had trained for mock battles, sure, but this – this was real. The beast charged, its fetid breath washing over him as he barely sidestepped a crushing blow. Elias danced away, adrenaline lending him a burst of unexpected agility. He lunged forward, aiming a desperate swipe at the creature\'s exposed flank.
The dagger, a flimsy thing against such a beast, found its mark with a feeble clang. The monster roared in pain, a sound that shook the very foundations of the labyrinth. But it wasn\'t enough. It retaliated with a swipe of its massive claw, leaving a searing mark across his shoulder.
A choked scream tore from his lips, but he refused to give in to the terror. Fear wouldn\'t save him. He dodged another blow, darting through a narrow gap between the beast and the wall. Inspiration, born of desperation, struck him.
He launched himself at a flickering torch sconce on the wall, sending flames and debris cascading down on the monster. The creature roared again, this time in fury, the flames singeing its fur. Using the momentary distraction, he bolted down the corridor, disappearing into the darkness.
He ran until his lungs burned, until his legs felt like lead. Finally, collapsing against a wall, he gasped for breath, the pain in his shoulder throbbed with a dull ache. Tears streamed down his face, a mixture of fear and relief. He had survived, but for how long?
Elsewhere, in a different section of the labyrinth, a different kind of struggle unfolded. Maya, a sharp-tongued mage, and Derek, a stoic swordsman, stumbled upon each other by happenstance. Both, weary and irritated, glared at each other with distrust.
"Well, well," Maya sneered, her voice laced with sarcasm, "look who it is. Mr. Perfect Swordsman."
Derek, ever the embodiment of stoicism, simply grunted a response. "We seem to be in this predicament together," he stated flatly.
"Together?" Maya scoffed. "Don\'t flatter yourself. I\'m perfectly capable of handling myself."
They argued, trading barbs back and forth, their bickering echoing in the silent corridors. But as they delved deeper, they stumbled upon a new challenge – a room filled with pressure plates hidden beneath a layer of dust. Touching one set off a barrage of poison-tipped arrows that zipped through the air.
Their initial reaction was a chaotic scramble for cover. Maya narrowly dodged an arrow that whizzed past her ear, her scream blending with Derek\'s frustrated roar. But amidst the chaos, a realization hit them. They couldn\'t navigate this alone.
With a begrudging nod, they formulated a plan. Derek, taking advantage of his lighter armor, would sprint across the room, activating the pressure plates while dodging the arrows. Maya, using her magic to create a protective shield, would follow closely behind, neutralizing the remaining arrows with a gust of wind.
The plan, though risky, worked. Derek, a blur of motion, triggered the pressure plates, and Maya, her concentration intense, deflected the flying projectiles. They emerged on the other side, panting and shaken, but alive.
A tense silence followed. Maya, ever the prideful one, averted her gaze. Derek, not one for unnecessary words, simply grunted again. Yet, a silent acknowledgement hung in the air. Maybe, just maybe, they were stronger together than they were apart.
In another corner of the labyrinth, a trio – Liam, a hulking barbarian, Clara, a cunning rogue, and Sarah, a timid healer – faced a different kind of challenge. Hunger had gnawed at them for days, their meager rations depleted. Desperation gnawed at Liam, his usual jovial nature replaced by a brooding silence. He was afraid.
Those were just a couple examples of what the students were going through and what they were facing.
**********
The flickering torchlight cast grotesque shadows on the damp walls of the labyrinth. Pete shivered, pulling his threadbare cloak tighter around his shoulders. The oppressive silence was broken only by the rhythmic drip-drip of unseen water. Around a bend, they came face-to-face with a sight that stopped them in their tracks.
A figure cloaked in faded green leaned against the wall, his hood pulled low, obscuring his face. A magnificent silver hawk perched on his gloved arm, its keen yellow eyes fixated on the flickering flame. An unsettling stillness hung around the figure, like a tomb guarding a forgotten secret.
Pete, ever the impulsive one, nudged Keith with his elbow. "Who\'s that creepy guy?" he whispered, his voice barely a rasp. "Looks like he belongs in a horror movie."
Keith, ever the stoic observer, studied the figure with a piercing gaze. Unlike Pete, he wasn\'t one for dramatic reactions. He considered himself a "mentalist" – not in the fantastical sense of reading minds, but in his uncanny ability to gauge a person\'s emotions through subtle cues. He raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips in thought.
"Can\'t judge a book by its cover, Pete," he murmured back, his voice even lower than Pete\'s. "But yeah," he admitted, his gaze lingering on the hawk, "there\'s something… off about him."
Despite his misgivings, Keith wasn\'t one for unnecessary confrontation, especially not with a lone figure in the labyrinth\'s depths. They had bigger concerns – finding their way out of this maze and finding the kid and go home."
"Just stay quiet and let\'s move on," Keith continued, subtly guiding Pete past the cloaked figure. As they inched closer, they noticed the faintest flicker of movement under the hawk\'s hood.
" What if he\'s a bandit?" Asked Pete and Keith stoped and was quite for a while and said," I guess we have to find out for ourselves."