City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 106: Incursion Dungeon

“We will move as we had planned,” said Captain Azalea, looking at the group of forty-three zombies.
 
I had been thinking about why the Zombies hadn’t come despite the powerful holy energy. They had sensed it, and they were coming; they were delayed because they were gathering.
 
It is strange behavior by the zombies. As they did not gather, they came directly come. It confused not only but also Zela, who had the biggest experience in fighting the undead.
 
We nodded and moved toward the zombies; Captain Azalea is in the middle, while Joseph and I are on her left and right.
 
Zela and Ethan are staying in their places; Zela staying to protect Jon and Viscount Atre. 
 
It is Zela who will protect, while Ethan is staying with her. He had little experience in fighting; he had told me he had taken a few lessons when he was young but had no interest. 
 
So, stopped after a few weeks.
 
It is not surprising. The scions of powerful merchant houses taught skills related to business. Things that will help them get a good mercantile class and make them a good merchant.
 
Even my father was opposed to me learning to fight, but he respected my choices. 
 
Merchants do not need to fight; they just need to earn enough money. The mercenaries they hire from earned money will protect them.
 
Gaaa Gaa Gaaa
 
Soon, there were only ten meters of distance between the zombies and us. Over forty zombies against only three of us; will be challenging, especially for me, who is the weakest in the group.
 
Both Captain Azalia and Joseph are Level 20+.
 
If I wished, I could have stayed back and nobody would have said anything, and I very much wanted to do that, but I did not.
 
I will not be a coward when I have the skill to fight.
 
Hun!
 
Suddenly, I felt cool, and a moment later, a water-blue skin enveloped me; not just me, but also Joseph and Captain Azalea.
 
I am a little relieved with the defensive layer around me; defeating these zombies wouldn’t be easy. Not because they are powerful, but because they are a group, and we are only three people dealing with them.
 
Zela had said, she will only use a spell, if she felt the need for it. Mana's recovery is very slow here, due to all this death energy.
 
There are potions, but she is avoiding drinking them. A time might come, when she needs to drink many man potions; for that, she is avoiding drinking now. To not suffer, mana burn later.
 
“Don’t break the formation,” said Captain Azalea as we reached the zombies and they moved to attack us. 
 
The strange loud noises coming from their mouth feels very irritating. If I had been a rookie, I had surely been distracted by them.
 
I dodge the two attacks, before three steps left with the Quick Steps and launched the attack with the Consecutive Strikes.
 
Pachac Pachck!
 
My saber moved like the wind, cutting the neck of the zombie silent whisper; without breaking the rhythm, I moved back my sword and cut the neck of another zombie, before dodging attacks by moving around with the Quick Steps at a very fast speed.
 
Ting!
 
An attack hit me on the chest plate, but I bore it while biting down the shock, before attacking again.
 
Pachac Pachac Pachac
 
I decapitated another zombie before dodging multiple attacks and killing another zombie, and then another.
 
Slash!
 
I had just finished killing the fifth before the saber of an armored zombie cut me on the shoulder. I was a little slow at dodging the attack. I did not let it affect me and instead, attacked the zombie and decapitated it.
 
Pachac!
 
The watery later did not stop the attacks. It slows them down, taking nearly all their power.
 
The zombie attack on my shoulder that would cut through my bone had only given me the flesh wound. It is hurting like hell, but I did not focus on it, instead focused on killing the zombies.
 
We are doing extremely well; it had been only a few seconds before we wiped out more than half of them.
 
Captain Azalea is very good; that sword of hers is like a reaper, cutting zombies, like the knife cut from the cucumber. She is also very skilled, her every strike is simple and efficient, without any flair.
 
Hun!
 
I was dodging when I saw Joseph moving a little away from the formation to kill a zombie. A zombie with an enchanted weapon. Creating a gap on the right of Captain Azalea for zombies to swoop in.
 
‘Idiot!’ I cursed him. The enchanted weapon is important, but maintaining the formation is more important.
 
It had put the life of Captain Azalea in danger, and she was angry, but she did not let her anger cloud her judgment. Her sword blurred and killed the three zombies coming from the right before dodging the attack coming from the front.
 
I only watched for a fraction of a second before focusing on the surrounding zombies.
 
I killed zombie after zombie before only one had left in front of me. An orc-zombie.
 
Gaaa!
 
It screamed as it attacked, which I had dodged with the Quick Steps before appearing in front of it and attacking.
 
Pachac!
 
The saber cut through its neck the foul blood sprinkled, but I did not move. The watery layer is protecting me.
 
The drops fell on the watery layer before sliding down to the ground.
 
I took a deep breath and looked around and saw every undead lying on the ground. We did it; we have killed all undead. 
 
If I had been alone, it would have been a great challenge for me. I would have needed to move around, separating the Grimms into small groups, before fighting them. Going against a group of forty would have been a death sentence.
 
“Joseph, you have disappointed me. You had not only put my life in danger but also of the adviser Silver’s,”
 
“When I will submit the report, there will be mention of this willful endangerment,” said the captain azalea, and walked toward the dead zombies.
 
“Captain,” he said pitifully and looked at me, but he saw no help from my eyes and walked toward the captain. 
 
While I brought out the healing potion and took a sip.
 
As for zombies, I have no interest in them. There was only a zombie that had something precious and that had been killed by Joseph. So, there is no need for me to loot the zombies for small change. 
 
The coolness of the potion spread to my body, before focusing on the wound on my shoulder.
 
I stayed in my place for a minute before walking toward Zela.
 
“Mister Silver. You should take a rest. We might not get a chance after these two wake up,” said Zela as I reached her.
 
“What about you?” I asked. She seemed a little surprised by that, but shook her head. “I will take a rest in a shift with Captain Azalia after she returns,” she replied.
 
“Ok,” I said and sat down, but instead of immediately closing my eyes. I took out water and some food.
 
I placed it beside me before I lay down and closed my eyes. A couple of seconds later, I fell asleep; it was a sound sleep without any nightmares or bad dreams.
 
“Mister Silver, wake up!” said a familiar voice. Immediately I opened my eyes before sitting up.
 
“My lord,” I greeted and quickly get up, as I saw Viscount Atre sitting on the grass.
 
“Young silver,” he said, before turning to rest. 
 
Everybody is present, and nobody is missing. It made me relieved; I feared something might have happened when I was sleeping.
 
Thankfully, nothing happened.
 
“Since everyone had woken up; let’s talk about the place we are in,” he said as he looked around before his eyes focused on the temple. I saw a fear flash in his eyes for a moment before it had disappeared.
 
“Do you all know the place we are in?” he asked. “Haea Temple,” answered Ethan, to which he nodded.
 
“Anything else?” he asked, and everybody shook his head.
 
“As young Ashav had said, we are in the place called haec temple, deep underground in the Talgek region of Navr,” he said, and his black expression became serious; very serious.
 
“It is made by draugr race,” he added and immediately my eyes widened in shock, while I shook from head to toe.
 
The intense reaction was immediately caught by the others.
 
“These buildings you can see around are part of a seal that suppresses the power of the temple.” He explained, and the light in some people’s eyes lit up in understanding, before the fear appeared.
 
Everybody understood what he was talking about except for Joseph.
 
They might not know what Draugr is, but they understood anything that requires sealing of such scale could only be related to those events.
 
Incursions.
 
“Incursion dungeon,” said Ethan shakingly. “Yes, young thorn, we are in an incursion temple and the sooner we get out of it; the better it would be for us.”
 
“It had already marked us and if we don’t want to turn to the undead, we need to get out of here,” he said to us, who are now scared shitless.
 
“We have been trying that for hours, my lord, but exit is difficult to find,” I said, to which he smiled. “You do not need to worry about it, young silver,” he said, and a second later, he took out a parchment from his bag.
 
“Necromancer had handed me this a moment before I got pulled here,” he said as he opened the parchment, which had a clear map.
 
I could see the temple at the center, with seals surrounding it from all sides.
 
“Can we trust the map given by the necromancer?” asked Captain Azalia, to which the Viscount smiled.
 
“Do we have any other choice, captain? From what you have told me, I don’t think we will find an exit if keep searching for it blindly,” he said. 
 
“Apologies, my lord,” she apologized while bowing faintly. 
 
To that, he sighed.
 
“You don’t have to apologize for asking valid questions, captain. Yes, we cannot trust the necromancer, but it is in his best interest that we came out of here alive,” 
 
“It wouldn’t look good on Navr if we died here,” he said. 
 
What he meant to say was ‘he’ died here.
 
Viscount Atre is a noble, an emissary from the emperor. He might come for the business of the fourth prince, but he is an official emissary of the empire. If something happened to him, it would create a huge diplomatic scandal.
 
The empire is not at its strongest, and the emperor is being cautious. That does not mean an empire wouldn’t do anything.
 
Especially after that incident in Namdar and this time, it involves a noble. 
 
The nobility and fourth prince will force the emperor to take action. Even if resisted the pressure and did nothing, the relations between the empire and Navr would sour further.
 
Even Navr wouldn’t want that; the Empire is not a kingdom. It is an Empire. Its power should not be underestimated, even in its weak phase.
 
“Then we shouldn’t waste any time, my lord,” said Captain Azalea. “You are right Captain, we shouldn’t,” he said and got up, looking at the exit on the map.
 
For the first time since I was pulled here, I saw hope, but I know it won’t be easy. Nothing is when it comes to things related to the incursions.

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