Chapter 67: Searching

  “You want us to rob your village’s blacksmith?” I whispered to Goren as we silently approached the place, the darkness of the night keeping us hidden.

  He shook his head. “What’s robbing when the fate of the world is at stake? Hell, if you feel that bad, Spellsword, you can always come back here after we defeat Erebus and pay for it.”

  I sighed. “When you put it like that…sure.”

  "Take this." he said, handing over an item.

  "Blackberries?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "To ease your mind." He said, nodding. "It helps me. Might help you."

  I stored them in the inventory and continued forward.

  We had decided to search for Gaelith this run.

  Goren had filled me in on the gaps the Vestige from the sword didn’t show, completing most of the picture from that fateful run.

  But we needed Stephan Lorren and his mages to unseal the tomb first – so for now, despite being awake so early, we couldn’t enter it yet.

  Instead, I agreed to go with Goren’s plan and followed him to his village.

  Apparently, he hadn’t lived too far from me.

  His village, Eastwell, was just a few miles away from mine – Sandrest, with Moonvale and the adjacent tomb in between.

  We reached the entrance of a small house, a sign swaying gently on rusty chains in front of it: ‘Dagon – Blacksmith’.

  “Wait here.” Goren whispered.

  Then, without another word, he sank into his shadow and vanished.

  A second later, the door creaked open from the inside, opened by Goren who grinned merrily. “Welcome, welcome, Spellsword.”

  I rolled my eyes as I stepped past him into the dark shop. “We’re still stealing. There’s nothing fun about it.”

  He shrugged. “True. But I don’t want us feeling guilty about it either.”

  He closed the door behind us softly.

  Unlike most blacksmith shops I’ve been in, Dagon’s forge was fairly clean. Everything seemed to be placed in a way that at least resembled order.

  Rows of swords hung above the anvil, with racks of daggers and other knives lined on the back wall. The far-left side of the shop housed different types of armor, resting on wooden mannequins or inside of crates.

  Goren broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “Let’s see…” He scanned the shop. “Agility-based adventurers’ gear should be…there, I think. In the far left of the section.”

  He pointed to our left where the suits of armor were.

  “Stay quiet, though.” He added in a low voice. “Pretty sure Old Dagon has voice enchantments set up. If we talk too loudly, they’ll go off.”

  I nodded, stepping carefully toward the armor section of the shop.

  I needed something that would enhance both my Agility and Intelligence – maximize my speed while also amplifying my spellcasting.

  Most Spellswords only wore a chest plate and vambraces – any more than that, and the added weight would kill mobility. Any less, and you're not maximizing your potential.

  I began my search, moving between mannequins and crates, running fingers over different pieces, searching for the right stats with the System.

  I stopped at a sleek, blackened chest plate resting on a stand. It was made of an unfamiliar alloy – not quite metal, but not entirely leather as well.

  [Durability Increase – 15%. Agility Increase – 20%]

  The Agility bonus was a lot better than the one I had on my current armor, but there was no Intelligence buff.

  I moved on.

  Further down the row, a deep-blue vest, reinforced with iron pulled my attention.

  I lifted it, feeling how lightweight and flexible it was.

  [Durability Increase – 10%. Agility Increase – 10%. Intelligence Increase – 15%]

  My spellcasting would benefit from this, but the Agility buff was a bit low.

  The next set was exactly what I looked for.

  A lightweight silver chest plate – reinforced with magical runes. It felt almost weightless.

  Beside it, a set of matching arm guards with sharp edges caught my eye.

  Altogether they would bring me:

  [Durability Increase – 5%. Agility Increase – 20%. Intelligence Increase – 15%]

  Perfect.

  The Durability buff was low. But I was a glass cannon anyway, so...whatever.

  Probably the best I could find in a village like this.

  I quickly grabbed them and donned them.

  [Durability Increased by 5%]

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  [Agility Increased by 20%]

  [Intelligence Increased by 15%]

  “I found what I need.” I whispered to Goren. “You?”

  “Same here.”

  He flexed his wrists, showing off a new pair of vambraces – white in color, standing out awkwardly against the rest of his dark attire and hair.

  I raised an eyebrow. “They don’t suit you.”

  Goren narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t know you were into fashion, Spellsword.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, he chuckled.

  “Relax.” He gestured toward a nearby shelf. “Old Dagon keeps the black dye over there, and you’re gonna help me put it.”

  ***

  Goren and I split up, promising to meet at the start of the raid.

  I met with Yana, and we stocked up at Christian’s.

  Aric Kelltins wasn’t present – his replacement from the Burning Suns was already here.

  We split into teams. Goren was in mine.

  We cleared the three chambers assigned to our team [+1,700 XP].

  Then, bounced off at the first opportunity.

  “Follow me.” Goren said, moving through the dark corridors. “Do you remember the shortcut room?”

  “The shortcut room?” I echoed, confused.

  He rolled his eyes. “Unbelievable.” Then, he filled me in on the revelation.

  I blinked. “For real? A fast travel to every floor in the tomb? That’s like...way too convenient.”

  He shrugged. “Guess the Axul weren’t as stupid as we thought, huh?” He shook his head. “Even Kelltins didn’t know about this place.”

  I already knew he had spoken to Kelltins – the Echo in my house had made that much clear before we left for Eastwell. But I was still curious. Kelltins was the second Noctyra, yet I knew almost nothing about his connection to the first one.

  “What’s the story with Kelltins, anyway?” I asked. “I remember he’s the last Axul alive, but…that’s pretty much it.”

  Goren narrowed his eyes. “You remember him from that many loops ago?” He let out a low whistle. “I can’t figure out how the memory retention works in your System.”

  I sighed, ignoring his ramblings. “Can you just answer the question?”

  “Sure.” He nodded.

  “Kelltins didn’t tell me much about himself, but here’s what I got. Apparently, his ancestor from a thousand years ago managed to escape the tomb after their great ritual failed. Everyone else died, but he survived. Went into hiding, continuing the bloodline secretly by, quote-unquote, ‘dirtying’ their Axul blood by having children with a non-Axul woman.”

  He paused for a moment, clearing his throat, before continuing.

  “That ancestor was also a religious fanatic. He made sure that every generation of his knew that, one day a thousand years later, Erebus would need them again.”

  I frowned. “How the hell did they know it would be a thousand years later – during our time?”

  “No clue – Kelltins doesn’t know either.” Goren smirked. “Fast forward to the present, baby Kelltins is born, and they name him Noctyra, expecting him to fulfill the prophecy. What a bunch of crap, huh?”

  I listened carefully, processing the words. “And now he just…quits? All of a sudden?”

  Goren chuckled. “I know, right? Had the same reaction. But yeah. The guy quit.” He shrugged. “I’m no expert on human psychology, but I guess his human mother had a hell of a lot more influence on him than his Axul father. So instead of embracing death, he chose to appreciate life.”

  “But he won’t help us?” I said, trying to make sense of Kelltins’ decision.

  “Right?!” Goren threw up his hands. “I’m telling you, Spellsword, we’re too in sync! I told Kelltins the same thing – help us end this, but he was like, ‘nope, good luck’.”

  I shook my head, still in disbelief.

  If Aric Kelltins had realized he was on the wrong side all this time due to his father’s influence, why not help us?

  If Erebus won, he’d devour our world – including Kelltins and everything he cared for.

  So why was he so scared to act?

  I didn’t expect such a famous adventurer to be a quitter.

  “We’re here.” Goren said, running his fingers along the bricks of the stone wall we had stopped in front of.

  He pressed two hidden bricks, and with a faint click, a secret door slid open.

  We entered and a large hole stretched in front of us – the Void, Goren called it.

  “Do you have any idea where Gaelith is?” I asked as we stepped inside, nearing the edge of the Void.

  Goren shrugged. “Not a clue. That one run with you was the only time I saw him in all of my loops.” He scratched his head, then added. “But we can try to figure it out – using our brains.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

  He sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Let’s think it through. Kelltins chained me up on the tenth floor – where you and Gaelith found me.” He pointed at me. “Assuming you made your way down instead of up, that means you must’ve recruited Gaelith on one of the first ten floors.”

  I frowned. “Ten floors? That’s way too broad.”

  “It’s the best I can offer, Spellsword.” He shot me a look. “Can’t you press your System for more memories? You’re the one who befriended him.”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t work like that. Once we reach the right floor, the System might react, but that’s not a guarantee.”

  Goren sighed, then chuckled dryly. “Well, fuck, what can I say?” Then his expression turned serious. “Look at it this way: the first floor is already cleared, so we only have nine left to check.”

  ***

  Instead of searching every chamber on every floor, Goren used Enhanced Distance Gauge – promising that he’d be able to sense a presence as strong as Gaelith’s.

  “He was too strong, Spellsword.” He said. “There’s no way I can mistake this presence if I sense it. It'll be either him or...the other monstrosity."

  "The monstrosity?"

  He shook his head. "Later."

  I decided to trust him, despite my concerns about his ultimate allegiance.

  At the end of the day, I had already pushed Chronos away, so Goren was my only ally now. And I desperately wanted to believe I had bet on the right person.

  After an additional four floors of disappointment, we reached the sixth level – and that’s when Goren reacted differently.

  “I sense someone strong here. Could be Gaelith.” His tone was cautious. “But remember – it’s not necessarily Gaelith. It could be his other self…Erebus’ vessel.”

  I nodded, tightening my grip on Silverfang.

  We moved cautiously, navigating the dark corridor until we reached a peculiar chamber.

  A large mural was etched into the wall. The image seemed to resemble a tree, but it looked broken.

  Four distinct levers rose from the ground, crafted from some dark stone.

  But more importantly – there was a mark I had left for myself runs ago with Temporal Trace.

  Déjà vu tingled in my mind, confirming my suspicions.

  “He’s here.”

  Goren glanced at me, then at the messy mural, looking thoughtful. “I can definitely sense someone strong behind that wall.”

  Déjà vu kept ringing in my ears, like a whisper filling in the missing pieces.

  “The levers,” I muttered. “We need to align them to complete the image. That should open a secret passage.”

  Goren raised his hands into the air as he approached one of the levers. “Well, sure, I guess. You’re the boss, Spellsword.”

  Under my guidance, we adjusted each lever until the tree was whole.

  Then, the wall slid open with a groan, revealing an even darker chamber beyond.

  “After you.” Goren gestured, smirking.

  My heart raced as I thought about Gaelith.

  I had forgotten him.

  Through the Vestige of the sword I had relived that run, but that doesn’t change the fact I left him all alone to fight Erebus without his weapon.

  But now, I was here. We were here – even Goren was on the same page.

  Together – the three of us could end this.

  I stepped inside.

  There, a hooded figure stood motionless, its back to us, hands folded behind him, bunch of monster corpses surrounding it.

  At our approach, he turned slowly.

  “You finally made it here again.”

  His voice was calm – as if he had been waiting for this moment.

  He lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing a young face – the same one I had seen in the Memory Fragment with Kaelstrife. The same dark hair. The same black eyes.

  A faint, weak smile crossed his lips.

  I stepped forward, smiling back with hope. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”

  He shook his head, smiling. “I’ve been struggling against Darkness for a millenia, Aidan. What’s a few more days in a time loop?”

  He extended his hand toward me.

  I reached out to shake it, excited to finally reconnect with another ally of mine.

  But just before our hands touched – a faint purple aura flickered around his body.

  A surprise I hadn’t expected.

  [Temporal Trace: Time Plane Memory #4 - Available]

  Quick heads-up:

  plot-related edits to make sure everything is coherent toward the ending I'm going for), the release schedule might be a bit different than usual.