City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 108: Deadly Plants

“Necromancer, any news of them,” asked Lancel harshly. He did not care about faking respect for Necromancer. All he wants is the answers.
 
They have disappeared at midnight, and it is morning right now. 
 
He does not care about anyone else but the Viscount. His cousin had contacted him, not long ago, asking him to do everything he needs to press these bastards to bring out Viscount Atre from a fucking incursion dungeon.
 
He could understand his cousin's worries. He is gathering allies and the Viscount Atre is a very important ally; a loyal man who had the potential to become very powerful in the future.
 
Such people would be very important to his cousin in getting the throne.
 
It would be better if Silver also come out of it alive. He did not like the bastard, but as father had said, you do not need to like the tools, you only need to use them, and Silver is proving to be quite a useful tool.
 
“We are trying, Lord Lancel. We will have the Viscount safe with you by tomorrow,” said Necromancer.
 
“You better wish it happens, Necromancer, or you wouldn’t like the consequences,” I warned and could see anger appear in the necromancer's eyes, but he drink it down and nodded, before moving away with his horse.
 
I turned to the city we are approaching fast, and it seemed more beautiful than I had heard, but I am no mood to admire it.
 
“Have any new messages come from father or cousin?” I asked. “Yes, my lord. One came from the Lord Count. He is asking you to tread the situation carefully,” York replied.
 
“Tell him I will be careful,” I said and turned back to the city.
 
….
 
“Good. Now rest. We will leave in an hour,” said Viscount, and broke the formation before sitting down.
 
For Viscount Atre, telling him what skills and spells we have are not enough. He had asked us to perform them and devised the strategy to leave this place.
 
I sat down, looking at the temple, which is continuously emitting an unholy glow.
 
“That temple must contain a fortune,” said Heiman, looking at it. He had a longing in his eyes that I have seen in the eyes of mercenaries and adventure.
 
Their desire to gain a fortune that will set them for life.
 
“You will need to be an S-class powerhouse to even touch the steps of the temple. Even with that power, there is no guarantee, you will survive inside,” said Brul, the green orc, throwing cold water on a daydream.
 
“A man can dream, Captain,” Heiman complained.
 
Heiman is not wrong. Places like this contain an immense fortune. Artifacts even relics, but to get them; one needs to bet one’s life with very low odds. Even S-class powerhouses would think a hundred times before going to a place.
 
“Captain, do you think three-majesties had entered this temple?” asked Heiman, but before he could finish it, the green orc glared at him intensely.
 
That question wades into dangerous territory. The rulers of Navr are revered, and there is a heavy punishment for speaking against them or even implying something. 
 
They don’t want the public to discuss this temple or their supposed association with it. Seeing how strictly; they are guarding the information about it.
 
Though he raised a valid point. The three rulers of Navr are extremely powerful. Each of them is level 50+. I heard one of them even belongs to the elder race.
 
Those three had been one of the most powerful people and had been for over two thousand years. They have likely explored the temple, not once, but many times, and might have gotten all or at least some fortune contain there.
 
 
Soon an hour is over, and I get up from the ground. 
 
I looked at the temple for one last time, feeling it might not be the last time I will be seeing this temple.
 
I shook those thoughts and walked toward the Viscount Atre, who is standing in front of the entrance.
 
“Get into the formation,” he commanded, and everyone moved toward their position. Ethan and a few stumbled, but soon we had gathered in a formation.
 
It is an inverted kite formation; on the front will be Viscount Atre, the most dangerous position. While at the back end will be Captain Azalea; the two Orcs will be at the two horizontal ends of the formation.
 
Zela will be middle and protected, as she is the only mage we have, and Jon’s position is flexible, due to him being rogue.
 
Ethan and two others will also be in the middle and thus protected, but it will not be easy for them to survive. In the middle, you are more protected, but that does not mean you won’t get attacked.
 
They will get attacked, but less than us. If they want to survive, they will need to fight, and Viscount Atre is already helping with that.
 
My position is at the left horizontal end, behind Brul. He is powerful and I will have sufficient protection, but attacks will still come at me, and I will need to fight.
 
“Ready?” asked Viscount Atre. “Yes!” I shouted with a rest.
 
“Let’s get out here then,” he said, and we walked toward the large corridor filled with the deadly plants.
 
Viscount took the first step on the stair, and nothing happened. I had expected them to move, attack him, but they did not. They did not move on to the second step and the third.
 
They did not move even when he took the last step, but just as he took the step inside the corridor. The vines moved at him like an arrow, coming at him from all sides at a very fast speed.
 
Rip!
 
A white sword appeared in Viscount’s hand and sliced them apart with a speed that I could not see. One moment, the group of vines came toward him, they were cut into pieces with freeze spreading on both ends.
 
“Artifact!” exclaimed Heiman, seeing the white sword in Viscount’s hand.
 
I did not get a good look at when the Viscount came out of the untamed garden. He put it back immediately, but now I did, and it is without a doubt an artifact.
 
Artifacts are rare, very rare. It is said that people of this age could not craft them. I don’t know whether it is true or not, but they are very rare, and it is very hard to buy them.
 
Most artifacts didn’t appear in the market and when some do; they were brought it off immediately at insanely high prices.
 
I have read about this icy sword; its name is snow wind. Its family sword belongs to Viscount Atre’s House. 
 
We froze for a moment, but the Viscount did not stop as continued walking. Seeing that, we quickly moved to follow him as his sword cut the path for us.
 
“The first column is ahead. Things are going to get dangerous from here,” he said, looking toward the huge column, which is fully covered in purple-black vines.
 
After a warning, he moved ahead and cleared the path by cutting everything that came at him.
 
I looked around cautiously, especially at the untamed garden, which had spread into the corridor. There is no difference between them and if I had not walked in such a corridor before, I wouldn’t have been able to separate them.
 
Till now, not a single thing had attacked, but it could change very soon. 
 
Hun!
 
I had just thought that when plants came toward us. It is not just wines, but also normal-looking plants, which stretched themselves, and some even split, revealing sharp body teeth, which sent a shudder through my body.
 
Slash Slash Slap
 
Brul ahead of me and Heiman behind me moved to defend against the attack, cutting the plants that came at us from the side and below.
 
While the Viscount had cleared on the plants on which we step; some had remained. We must clear them.
 
Brul and Heiman cut nearly all plants, but one had passed through their sword and now is coming at me.
 
Brul could have cut it easily, but he had sent it to me, and I instantly moved my saber to deal with it.
 
Slash Slash
 
My saber slashed through the vine, and it begin to flail, dropping greyish liquid and I slashed it again at the further end.
 
These are not undead, that would be dead with simple decapitation. No, they are far more dangerous. They couldn’t be killed unless we pull them out and we do not have such time.
 
It is also very dangerous. So, we need to cut them, temporally making them less dangerous, before they grow back again.
 
Barely a second passed since I had cut with wine when another wave of plants came. Not only from the side but also from above, and this time, the attack came for all, not just Viscount and us.
 
“Remus, focus on the side. We will handle the top,” said Brul, and moved his one sword at the left, while the other toward the plants coming from the top.
 
“Ok,” I said and moved my saber to deal with the plants coming from my left. This time, I won’t be handling the single plant.
 
Four plants came at me with vines: one flower and one plant. 
 
Slash Slash Slash 
 
My saber did not hesitate and begin to cut through them. I did not use my skills, only the power of my sword; I want to conserve them as much as possible as soon as I will need to use them heavily.
 
I had just finished cutting the plants when I saw a ball of water shooting from the Zela’s staff, before turning into a wave of thick mist. Which quickly submerged the spore bomb and pushed it away from us.
 
Viscount Atre had said, the spore bombs are one of the most dangerous things in the untamed garden and Zela is responsible for dealing with them.
 
A mage had a special advantage in dealing with them and she had a unique advantage at that, being a near-specialized mage.
 
Zela identifies herself as Aquamancer, but she is technically not. Though she is very close to gaining that water elemental specialization, and the class that will come with it; the moment she achieves it, she will be quite powerful.
 
It is not easy; it is a step that stopped most of the mages in their life. 
 
We dealt with the plants, but more came again and then again. Slowly, increasing by numbers and powers.
 
Soon we reached the first column and when I turned back. I was shocked to see the way; we have come from had disappeared. 
 
I could not see the verdant grass or the temple on the hill.
 
“Mage Zela; protective spell. Everyone uses the first tranche of buff skills,” commanded Viscount, as he dealt with the plants.
 
Immediately, the Zela’s staff lit up and a protective watery screen appeared on our bodies. At the same time, I felt the effect of three buff skills.
 
These are not the only buff skills the people here have, but Viscount had decided to employ them in three stages, from weakest to strongest. The buff skills also mean that now we will move fast and with each stage buff skills, our speed will increase.
 
We have to reach the exit as soon as possible. Viscount and Jim said the plants could move; the longer we stay here, the more plants will attack us.
 
“Let's move,” said the Viscount and immediately increased his pace.
 
The buff skills may be the least powerful, but the enhancement they gave me was quite good. I am feeling it, likely because of my lower level. All combat personnel here is at level 20 or above.
 
Slash Slash Slash
 
The plants attacked, but we cut through them. Be it vine or flower, we did not stop, not even to pick them up.
 
Some of them were precious and I could see it was killing the mercenaries to not take them, but they did not. 
 
Viscount Atre had forbidden us from picking even a single thing, not just the plants, but any other thing we find.
 
If we disobey that, he will kill us; he explicitly said that.
 
Getting out of here is more important than anything. Without life, no matter what we find here, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. 

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