"Huh." Davi blinked and looked around. "It's really not that cold-"
Ice instantly coated over his body, trapping him in a shell. His mana seeped out, and he flexed, shattering the ice, allowing him to step out of it.
"Never mind, it's cold." The jacket Clause gave him glowed white-hot, and bits of it actually caught on fire. Even with it on, it was barely fighting the wave of ice that kept trying to form. He had to keep his mana on at all times just to prevent himself from becoming a statue. "It's even colder than the dragon's dungeon or my own vault. Looks like I'm alone also."
When the dungeon appeared, he had barely noticed until he was actually in. One second, it was warm, and then the next, he blinked, and he was in a completely different environment.
From what Laerton said, the dungeon would randomly place them somewhere within it, and they needed to get high up. Just from a quick glance, it looked as if he was in an icy cave of some sort. It was hard to tell if he was standing on stone or frozen snow, and his eyes were struggling to see in the dark.
It wasn't just that there was no light; in fact, it went deeper than that. All color was gone, even from himself. His eyes saw everything as black and white, save for the blue fire of his mana.
He stared at his own hands, watching not snow but clusters of particles stick to his palm. They were grayish blobs of unstable power that looked like they were fusing together but got stuck mid-process. "Absolute zero." He concluded.
As things got colder, the molecules within them would start to slow down. Normally, absolute zero was impossible, since it required molecules to cease all movement entirely; however, magic could create this phenomenon, since it could inherently do the impossible. The space he was in was also doing this.
All atoms were frozen in place. The air wasn't just cold; it was in a state of absolute stillness. Something that movement itself couldn't survive in, yet he was still breathing and alive, thanks to the jacket he was wearing, as well as the mana that created pockets of space around him that heated the area up just enough to allow him to survive.
Creating movement in absolute stillness would normally cause a clash of heat and cold with particles colliding, but once again, mana and magic defied the orders of the world, and the very light itself that he gave off rewrote space and time as if it were nothing more than a computer program that could be changed.
He was basically hacking the universe in real time.
"The others also have their mana at full blast, I bet." Davi walked toward a massive hole that he hoped led out of the cave. "I don't have mana sense, so I can't tell where any of them are, but I'm confident they can make it through this stage. The captain wouldn't just throw us to our death after all."
He could also see why this dungeon was kept under wraps from the public. All mages could do what he was doing and survive the wave of cold, but it wasn't a permanent solution. His mana was constantly leaking out of him the longer he kept his aura flared up, and it needed to stay on max just to not instantly die. If this dungeon wasn't sealed and the chill was able to crawl out and spread across the entire planet as Falco had said, then it really would be an end-of-the-world scenario. Maybe even something that could end the universe itself if everything just stopped and all atoms ceased to be.
Just how amazing was Haru if she had been able to seal an entity that did all this away, and then how amazing were the people who fought alongside and against her?
The thoughts of the Knight upon the throne flashed through his head. He'd have a long way to go if he wanted to reach that level.
The cave he was in seemed like it was built into a side of a mountain, and the tunnel wasn't very long, opening up.
Outside was the main area of this dungeon. The lighting was the same as indoors: everything was black and white, lacking all color, and there was no snow falling from the sky; instead, it was all stuck in place mid-fall. He was on a frozen mountaintop, and in the distance, he saw dozens of other mountains. Every step he took was hard, and it felt like trying to walk underwater or through a thick layer of mud. A weight was blanketed over him, and he had to watch his footing so he didn't slip and fall to his doom.
He was extremely high up, and the lack of any natural lighting made everything ten times harder. The sky above was completely blank and pure white, like it was an endless void. It seriously creeped him out, and he kept imagining hands to come reaching out from above, like what happened in the last dungeon he had been in.
Davi shook his head, forcing those thoughts away so he didn't get further creeped out. He made sure he had some good footing and then crouched down. The mountain he was on was way bigger than the ones in the actual world and normally would have gone into space, but this dungeon lacked that. With a single jump, he flew up, covering a vast distance.
"Row Shadow Vault." From the black that was sprinkled in with the white, he summoned his sword and stabbed it forward into the side of the mountain and used it to flip himself over until he stood on his blade. The top of the mountain wasn't much further away now, so he got a good grip and began to climb up until he neared the top. "Phew, finally."
A good thing about the cold was that the temperature didn't change the higher he got up. In fact, nothing about his situation was any different other than the fact that he had a better vantage point.
Now that he was at the top, he noticed something he hadn't been able to see before. All the mountains were connected and formed a circle. He had been on the outside of the circle, but now that he was at the top, he could see down below into it.
There was a field of gray that had a few bumps up and down along it, but the blank land was all there was for a few miles until his eyes met the very center of the circle. In the void of gray, any light stood out, and like a moth to a flame, he knew he needed to get to this place.
It was colorful and bright, as if a hundred bonfires had all been lit. It resembled a city or something, but was far more medieval-looking, and there was this gigantic iron wall that perfectly circled the structure. The city itself was on the smaller side, but bigger than a town, and it had skyscrapers, which, like the mountain, would have gone all the way up to space. They weren't made of metal, though, and were instead solid stone, and jutting out the sides of them were other buildings. It looked so weird and bizarre and was distinctly not human.
The city was several miles away. On foot, it would take him a few hours at his top speed. His mana could last that long, but he'd be pushing it.
Luckily, he was part of the Phoenix Flight guild, and they were known for having convenient things happen to them.
"Looks like I wasn't the only one who got the idea to come up here." Davi turned when he heard the voice, and he looked up. "It's been a while, Davi."
When he first met Ash, he had thought the boy was nothing special. He still thought that now, but decided to go a little easy on him since he had lost his home and was seemingly a friend of Olivia's.
Ash had changed a bit, also. The boy wore black leather armor beneath the heavy winter coat he had on, and he held a bow as well as a quiver of arrows, which were strapped to his back. Green mana swirled under him, and it took the shape of a large eagle upon which he stood.
"Need a ride?" Ash grinned.
"Row Shadow Armor." Davi raised his sword and pointed it at Ash. "So, trying to catch me off guard? Looks like you're here to fight me."
"I fucking hate you, Davi." Ash face-palmed. "For the last time… I AM NOT LOOKING TO FIGHT YOU AGAIN!"
"Damn, okay, bro, no need to yell, I can hear you-"
"I'm leaving."
"Wait, a ride would actually be good; take me with you!"
And that was how Davi found himself flying on a magical bird of wind as they headed for the city!
Ash stood on the head of his bird and kept his arms folded while Davi sat near the back and looked down below, watching the scenery change.
"I'm a little surprised I ran into you," Ash said casually.
"You are?"
"Yeah." Ash glanced back at Davi. "I felt several pulses of mana but decided to head for the strongest one. That turned out to be you."
"I am pretty awesome, so that does check out."
Ash snorted before his look suddenly shifted into a serious one. "I heard about the attack and how you, Olivia, and Bruno all engaged someone that people think is the Lord of Threads. I also overheard how those bastards are tied to the destruction of my village." His fist clenched tightly, and his mana began to swirl. "Is that true?"
Davi also grew a bit more serious and nodded his head. "Yeah. I think so."
"I see." Ash nearly bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. "Don't get involved."
"What?"
"You heard me." Ash looked away from Davi. "Those bastards are mine. Or Olivia's or Bruno's. Only the survivors of Fri should have a say in how they die."
"Sorry, but it doesn't work like that." Davi shook his head. "They're after me, and besides, I have reasons to hunt them down also, so I'm afraid I'll be killing them if I can."
"Only if you find them first," Ash snarled. "I'll hunt every last one of them down and will slaughter them with my own hands! I'll do what they did to Fri a million times worse! I won't show any mercy, and I won't allow them the privilege of a quick death either! They're my enemy, and as an Arcane Knight, it is now my sworn duty to kill them!"
"You'll need to get stronger then. Those guys are very powerful. Far stronger than both of us put together."
"Then I'll grow. Whatever it takes."
Davi gave Ash another nod before something down below caught his eye. "Hey, stop the bird for a moment."
"What is it?"
"I see something down below."
"And?"
"And it kind of looks like human legs."
"...What…"
The bird vanished, and the two of them dropped from the sky. Ash used a pocket of air to catch himself and break his fall while Davi formed his armor and did a superhero landing. He made sure not to react to the pain he felt, either, and did his best to look cool as he stood back up. In reality, his legs were now killing him, and his bones were vibrating.
The snow was still frozen midfall, but plenty of it must have rained down before time stopped moving, as there were piles upon piles of it. Directly in front of the two of them was a much larger pile, and from it a pair of legs, as well as a bit of a trench coat, hung out.
A person was buried? Dead or alive? It was hard to tell.
"That's not one of the snow jackets we got." Ash frowned.
The upper half of the person was completely hidden, but their lower half poked out and dangled. They seemed to be wearing a long trench coat, similar to the one Alice wore, as part of it went past the waist. This coat was black instead of brown, though, and it didn't look like it was made for winter wear. In fact, nothing this person had on made any sense, as they wore long dark pants and had on fancy boots that didn't belong out in a snowstorm.
"Well, he isn't one of mine." Davi also frowned.
Suddenly, the legs twitched, and a muffled voice emerged from the snow. "H-Hello? Hello? Is someone out there?"
Davi and Ash looked to one another. "Yeah?" Davi rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Are you stuck?"
"Ah, it seems a great scholar has arrived. Yes, oh wise scholar, I am in fact stuck." The voice announced, clearly annoyed. "How were you able to come to this conclusion?"
"This guy's a dick…"
"I say we leave him," Ash smirked.
"Wait!" The voice suddenly sounded panicked. "Please, pull me out! I happen to be a bit of a scholar myself, and if you help me, I can reward you."
Davi shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
"What if it's a monster?" Ash hissed.
"Then we'll kill him." Davi grabbed the man by the ankle. "Besides, I was told the monsters here can talk and aren't super hostile." With a single tug, he yanked the man out of the ground. "You're on our side, right?"
The man came out with a loud 'popping' sound. Davi casually flipped him over and placed him down, but the guy slipped and fell onto his back. He groaned, and while he did that, the two Knights checked him over.
He was indeed wearing a trench coat, as well as heavy black gloves. Not a single bit of his flesh could be seen, and a scarf covered his neck. He wore a mask that was shaped like a plague doctor's mask, and he had on a top hat for some reason.
The man quickly jumped to his feet and began to dust himself off. "Oh, thank you for that! Who knows how long I would have been trapped under there?" He held his hand out. "My name is High."
"High?" Ash gave the man a puzzled look. "That's a weird name."
Davi shook his hand. "I'm Davi. Sorry if this is rude, but why were you stuck?"
High finished dusting the last of the snow off his body. "Well, the same reason you two are out here, I bet. I was looking for the invaders."
"Invaders?"
"Yeah!" High nodded. "Wait?" He stopped and suddenly got a closer look at Davi and then at Ash. "H-Holy crap? Are you two humans?" High nearly collapsed to his knees. "You are right! Like legit humans!" He grabbed Davi by the chin and turned his head. "You are! Those ears are flat! Yes! I'm meeting real humans!" He tried to grab Ash also, but Ash slapped his hand away and jumped back, drawing an arrow. "Whoa, is that a human weapon you got there? Wanna see my weapon?" High reached into his pocket and casually pulled out a magnum. "We call this a gun!"
"Oh, cool, is it loaded?" Davi looked into the barrel.
"It is!"
"Davi! You know what guns are; don't do that!" Ash yelled, completely baffled.
"Relax, I'm probably bulletproof."
Ash blinked. "I'm surrounded by idiots." He turned and glared at High. "Explain what you were saying earlier. Invaders? Are you talking about us?"
High pocketed his gun and shook his head. "Oh, no! Of course not! Humans are always welcome in our games!"
"Then what were you talking about?" Davi questioned.
"The invaders." High pointed up to the sky. "The ones from beyond the void."
"Ah man, it's definitely the evil seven again, isn't it?" Davi sighed.
"Evil seven?"
"Nothing." Davi shook his head. "It isn't anything you should be worried about. Where are these invaders?"
"I don't exactly know." High sheepishly scratched at his mask. "I have no idea where they are. I just sort of heard that they appeared. If you want to know more, you'll have to talk to General Sunny. He's in the city. Oh, actually, you guys can't survive out here for long, can you! Pretty soon Mother's Light will run out, and you'll be sitting ducks! Hey, why don't I take you guys to the city? I have a shortcut!"
"Okay," Davi perked up. "Yeah, we need to meet up with the rest of our team anyway."
"Great!" High reached into his coat again and pulled out a white piece of chalk. "Give me one moment, please." He crouched down and began to draw in the snow. Where the chalk touched, he left white pieces of light behind.
While he did that, Ash approached Davi and whispered. "Think we can trust this guy?"
"My Danger Sense isn't going off," Davi noted. "Besides, maybe it's a hunch, but I got a feeling this guy isn't the kind of person who likes hurting people."
"...He had a gun?"
"Guns are cool. Lots of people have guns."
"I finished!" High called out. He placed the chalk away and slammed his hands down. "Mother's Light!"
On the ground before him, a shimmering circle had been drawn. It started to grow and expand, and then suddenly it became a white door. It was attached to nothing, but High still turned the handle and opened it.
"I can't take us directly to the city, but we can get pretty far! Come on!" He stepped past the door and was suddenly gone.
Davi and Ash shared another look, then hesitantly, the two of them approached the door and stepped past it. It was like using one of Pock's portals. One moment, they were miles away, and then the next, they were less than one hundred feet away from the city walls.
Ash turned to look back at the door, but it was gone. "So, you can teleport, High? High?" He looked around, but the man in the trench coat was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go-"
"Mother's Light."
Davi and Ash dodged to the side just in time as a massive hammer made out of a shimmering white light slammed into the ground at the spot they had been.
"Fuck, I knew he was evil!" Ash yelled.
"Nope, this one is someone else!" Davi summoned his sword and pointed it toward the figures that stood before them.
Five men in ivory white armor stood tall. They all wore helmets, making it impossible to see their faces, and their helms were shaped like the head of a goat. Each one carried a shield, and in their other hand they held long pieces of chalk.
Behind them, a sixth figure stood, one with no head and an egg-shaped body. It stood nearly fourteen feet tall and was made of stone with arms and legs poking out of it. Writing swirled all along it, forming words that were in a language neither Davi nor Ash could speak, yet they both knew what this thing was.
A golem, just like Olem.
One of the men in armor pointed the piece of chalk he had directly at Davi. "Looks like we found the invader." Then rapidly, he drew symbols forming in the air. "Mother's Light!" From the sky above, another hammer formed and dropped down.