Chapter 106 - No Longer Nimrods

A puddle of blood was forming under the body. His eyes were lifeless, but his skin still retained color. A sword or a spear had pierced his heart. He had died less than an hour ago.

The victim was a dwarf, wearing an awfully familiar tunic. Vivi froze, realizing she recognized this dwarf. It was Aruid. One of the apprentices from Axback’s smithy.

“Vile.” Aang’s forehead was wrinkled. “But not unexpected. There are no rules anymore.”

Vivi was shaking. “I knew that dwarf. He used to be nice to me. That was during my first week in Zand.”

“A friend?” Aang asked.

Vivi had her eyes on the ground. “I don’t know. But he was a good man. The blacksmiths offered me a place to sleep when nobody else did.”

Aang stayed silent for a moment. Vivi’s demeanor made him awkward. Aang wasn’t good at comforting others. Vivi took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I’m fine. Let’s keep moving.”

She stepped past the body, into the next chamber. Aang walked by her side.

“That isn’t going to be the only corpse we pass,” Aang said. “Nimrods are killing each other to grow stronger, and to have more food for themselves.”

“We’re not nimrods anymore,” Vivi said.

“No,” Aang said. “We aren’t. The dungeon is filled with something far worse. Starving criminals.”

The cavern was silent. Vivi couldn’t feel ether in the walls anymore. Monsters weren’t patrolling, and no more would be spawning. With no monsters around, the demons looked for something else to kill.

Thinking about the situation made her feel sick. She shut off her thoughts, following Aang with her eyes pointing at his boots.

The silence didn’t last for long. Chatter and laughter came from the next cavern up. Red-skinned demons had gathered to block the Union’s exit. They sat idly wherever there was space, throwing rocks at the blue crystals: the only light source. A good hit made the crystals blink.

“Hey!” one of the demons called, spotting Aang and Vivi. The laughter quieted down as demons picked up their weapons, forming a concave.

“We talked about this,” the man at the front said. He was clearly from Bwern’s gang, wielding a stolen outside-carved runesword. It was a simple steel sword with a strength rune. The cheapest runesword one could make. “Union members stay in their hole. We sell food for a hundred ether per fish. If you’re not here to buy, get out.”

Aang unsheathed Skeleton Cutter and activated his ascension skill. His full aura oozed out.

The red-skin flinched. He gritted his teeth, then pushed ether into his blade. A weak misty aura coated his runesword. Even by outside-carving standards, the runesword was flimsy, and its wielder didn’t know how to properly push ether through the runes. That, or he didn’t have enough ether to fill the sword in the first place.

Aang dashed forth faster than the poor red-skin could react. The steel runesword snapped in half, cut like a twig from a tree. The man fell on his back.

“I won’t kill anyone who steps out of the way,” Aang said. His ascension skill was still active, pushing his murderous aura into the cavern.

The red-skinned demons didn’t just step out of the way. They ran in the opposite direction. Everyone tried to cram their way out through the narrow tunnel at once. Their leader, whose sword Aang snapped, got up and scrambled out last.

Aang watched them go. He called off his skill. The cavern turned silent again.

“That was it?” Lucius asked out loud. “The Union was being contained by that?”

“That was just a small scouting team,” Aang said. “The real territory war is happening above. The Union’s branch of the dungeon has nothing to offer. Bwern has no reason to place his army right outside our doors. He just needs to block our exit above.”

“I can’t imagine us losing,” Vivi said. “If even one of the Hollows is present, Bwern’s members can’t defeat us.”

Vivi didn’t want to call Bwern’s men fodder enemies. Using that word on demons felt wrong. But really, a member of the Hollows would have a hard time losing to someone who wasn’t maxed out. Even if the other gangs had outside-carved runeswords, defeating them shouldn’t have been an issue.

“The gangs are growing,” Aang said. “Nimrods aren’t locked at three hundred ether anymore. Gangs are free to distribute ether to elite members as much as they feel like. We can’t be careless.”

Vivi and Aang passed large crystal-filled caverns, which used to be good respawn zones when the dungeon was active. Today the area was eerily quiet. There were no rivers or food sources. This part of the cavern was nothing more than empty space.

Gangs had no incentives to control caverns that offered no resources. Vivi guessed that the free dungeon, with its piranha lakes, and the hidden dungeon with its constant rivers, were the most popular areas for gangs to fight for.

The only people Vivi and Aang passed were neutrals hiding in the quiet corners of the dungeon. A lot of these demons were frail—nimrods with slash marks—or demons that were otherwise too weak to be a part of gangs. Some of the demons appeared to be more than just asleep.

“Keep your aura active,” Aang said. They were approaching the upper levels near the dungeon’s entrance hall. “The entrance hall has a lot of activity. It connects all branches of the dungeon. Whoever controls this area can block and control traffic all around the dungeon. It acts as a border between gangs, essentially.”

The exit came into sight. Vivi sensed ether from above. Noise echoed down below. With ether oozing out of their bodies, Aang and Vivi stepped into the entrance hall.

Barricades and spike walls blocked them from entering. Eyes drew their way from all around the room. There were around a hundred demons inside, belonging to three different gangs. The area was divided into three sections.

To the left was Bwern’s gang. He controlled what was formerly the entrance to the dungeon from the hub, now barricaded with planks and nothing curtains. Most of the members were red-skinned and muscular, but other species of demons had been accepted into their ranks as well. Everyone was big and muscular. Bwern’s gang kept a tight formation around what they considered territory. They had a few runeswords, but mostly miscellaneous weapons kept from Zand’s weapon stores. The gang had control over the free dungeon and five other branches near the entrance of the hall.

Ahead of Vivi, on the opposite end of the room, the blue-cloaks formed a convex around two tunnels. Their spike walls and other defensive structures had been moved up. Members stood behind, protecting the entrance. Andre’s gang had the least space, but with less space, they had less to defend. Their position was firm.

The rest of the space belonged to the wolves, including the double doors leading to the hidden dungeon. Only ten of their members were present, yet the other gangs somehow appeared afraid of them. Eight of the wolves were men, two women, all equally strong. They wore leather vests or other practical clothes fit for adventuring. Each one wielded a stolen runesword. The authority they radiated outweighed all of Bwern’s men combined.

One of them wielded a familiar bow. The same thick bow wielded by the archer Steward. Enwick, Vivi recalled, was his name. The wolves had stolen the Stewards’ weapons?

Vivi only recognized a few of their faces. Wolves rarely interacted with nimrods. In total, Zand must have had less than a hundred wolves compared to over a thousand nimrods. With everyone crammed into the dungeon, however, the difference between ranks was clear. The wolves weren’t as tall as Bwern’s men, but their postures were of experienced soldiers. If a battle broke out, the ten wolves could have held their ground against the other gangs combined.

Vivi could only guess what Aang planned to do here. With his ascension skill active, ether oozing out of his body, he approached the fortifications. A small gathering of Bwern’s goons stood behind the fortifications that blocked Aang’s entry. To ordinary demons, he must have appeared like a boss monster. The demons were hesitant to attack Aang. They studied him in silence.

A crossbow bolt released, shot by a nervous demon.

Aang grabbed the bolt with his hand and crushed it in half. The archer flinched. Without maxed out elites present, ordinary nimrods would never stop Aang.

“I’m here to talk,” Aang said. “I don’t wish to kill those who don’t need to die. Let me through.” The order was emphasized with a deathly stare.

The demon at the end of the stare froze for a second, posture shooting straight. He grabbed the spike wall and lifted it out of the way, letting Aang enter.

A pathway cleared up as demons on both sides made way. Bwern’s formation stepped back, letting Aang into the hall. The wolves regarded him with caution, hands ready to unsheathe their runeswords. Vivi walked beside him to the middle of the hall.

Aang turned straight to the wolves. He regarded one of the men guarding the entrance to the double doors. “Triswyn, is it?”

The wolf scowled. He was an average-sized demon with long hair and a large scorch-mark on the left side of his face. He and the wolves around him appeared composed, but it was clear Aang’s aura made them uncomfortable.

“Aang,” Triswyn said. “The Defender of Nimrods.”

“I’m coming for a visit,” Aang said. “I need to speak with Andorr. Your leader.”

“Andorr has nothing to say to you,” Triswyn said. “We have the guards’ runeswords and the Stewards’ skills. You can’t defeat us alone. Attempt to fight, and you’ll die.”

“The Stewards gave up their skills?” Aang asked.

“We have imprisoned everyone,” Triwsyn said. “The remaining guards, and the three Stewards that survived. Andorr defeated them all. We have tortured them for their ether and skills. Eight of our members are maxed out.” He frowned. “I admit, you’re strong, Aang. Far stronger than any one of us alone. But can you defeat eight maxed out warriors all at once? I doubt it. Your flimsy ascension skill can only take you so far.”

“Regardless, I’m coming for a visit,” Aang said. “Andorr and I must talk. Refuse, and the Union is forced to attack. Take us to your base.”

Triswyn stood firmly in place. He frowned, but beads of sweat were forming on his face. He glanced at one of his allies. The man nodded.

“Very well,” Triswyn said. “Follow me. Attempt something, and we won’t hesitate to kill both of you.”