Monarch Chapter 74

Chapter 74

The duel with Varrick only added to his growing lore as a spellsword.

According to Nate, he had stood against him for over three minutes before Serene had come to take the man away. And he had done it alone.

Rayne doubted Varrick was actually using his full strength which also was true for him. He also hadn't sensed mana coming out of his body, but he might be wrong about that since by all terms, Varrick's mana control would be much better than his.

Still, simply enduring his strikes for so long without any major injuries was something.

After the fight, he kept replaying it again and again in his mind, visualising what he could have done better. If he had to take a guess, Varrick was around level 50-60 with his sword mastery skill at level 4, or even 5.

He also had a footwork skill much better than the basic one he had.

On pure strength and agility, Rayne might be able to take him on, but he’d no idea about his class or mana skills. Those would be the difference if he actually had to fight Varrick outside a training duel.

Although Rayne didn't wish for such a scenario, Varrick definitely hated him and he needed to be prepared.

Fortunately, he actually didn't see the man for a day after the duel.

A part of him had been worried that he would come look for him to finish the duel, but nothing like that happened.

Rayne also got a day’s rest and mostly stayed in the tent, going through more of the journal which he was almost at the end of now. It didn't really tell him anything new about dungeons, but he was able to get a good grasp of different dungeon monsters.

All that type information went into his own personal notebook which was slowly filling up.

His leg cut also healed.

He decided against using the rare grade potion for it since his [Lesser Regeneration] was enough for it, and just a talk with his party told him how valuable it was.

Although it wasn't strong enough to grow a limb, it could easily bring anyone back from near death and went for over a hundred gold in major cities because only a few alchemists had the recipe and skill to make them.

Something like that, he was better off saving for the future.

The next morning, his party geared up to march to the dungeon with little ceremony.

At this point, they had been in quite a few dungeons to be overly nervous. Though, he guessed that part of it was because they would be joined by Varrick who could handle the female stonefur bear or any other bigger threat they faced himself.

Rayne's party was simply tagging along.

He had wondered why Serene even allowed Varrick to move with a common soldier party when the rest of the Hand was looking for the necromancer, but he realised it might just be a test of sorts.

It clearly felt like one from his perspective.

Varrick himself only joined them when they were just about to leave, wearing the same armour and robes as the duels. But with a helmet to shield his head.

He didn't greet anyone, simply tagging along as they moved towards the distant forest with Bran scouting ahead, having come back from the quest with Axel.

A subdued and somber atmosphere surrounded them as they moved, barely anyone talking to each other which was rare for his party.

Varrick's presence certainly weighed on them.

They hadn't warmed up to him, and he had also stepped over the boundaries of the duel, making him pretty unlikeable in everyone's eyes.

Though, the man didn't really seem to care.

He spoke little and walked with measured steps, keeping a deliberate distance from Rayne which was surprising to him.

He also noticed that Varrick no longer looked at him like prey.

Something had changed after Serene had intervened. Rayne didn’t know what words had been exchanged or if she had simply warned him to not do anything rash, but it had quietened the man—at least on the surface.

Rayne wasn’t foolish enough to think Varrick had lost interest.

But he was grateful for the silence, especially since the march stretched on for hours.

The forest grew denser, and the sun was more heated than usual. They took small breaks every hour, keeping themselves hydrated before the slope Bran had mentioned finally came into view.

They didn't move down immediately, waiting for Bran who had gone ahead to scout it out.

He returned after ten minutes with a serious look on his face. “No signs of the stonefur bear leaving the dungeon. I also didn't see any other monster tracks around there. We should enter the dungeon and see if we can find the bear,” he said.

Rayne nodded, leading everyone down the slope carefully.

The dungeon soon came into view.

A familiar swirl of distorted air hung between broken stone slabs, vines creeping along the edges as if trying to hide it. Cold air seeped out in steady breaths, carrying with it the faint heat of mana.

Rayne wondered what awaited them inside.

He wished it was a small dungeon which they would conquer by the end of the day, and made their way back, but there was also a good chance that the dungeon was big with multiple levels, and the stonefur bear had simply gotten lost in it.

If it was the latter, he doubted Varrick would agree to go back and get more soldiers.

The man was already stretching his body, preparing to dive into the vortex. “Let's go and finish it quickly,” he said, speaking for the first time in hours. “I doubt anything inside will be a big concern.”

He took a step forward, and Rayne immediately grabbed his shoulder before the portal could swallow him.

“What?” He turned, his blank expression cracking.

“We need to decide our strategy and formation,” he replied, glancing at his party. “We can't just barge right into the dungeon. We follow a formation and unless we decide on a role for you, we can't go ahead. We also don”t know anything about your class and what you could do.”

Varrick stared at him, but no rage flashed on his face. “I thought you saw enough of what I can do.”

Bran shook his head, taking out his arrows to check their condition. “A duel is different and it's always better to know an ally’s capabilities.”

Rayne nodded. “Yes, so unless you want to go ahead alone, you need to speak.”

Varrick looked at the portal as if actually considering the suggestions for a moment, then something flashed in his eyes and he frowned.

He turned and opened his mouth. “My class is [Force Knight]. I'm not going to tell you my level, but I'm strong enough to deal with the bear on my own,” he replied. “As for my role in the formation, I would be the head and deal with any mobs. Whatever slips past me, you all could take care of it.”

“We normally have two people at the head,” Kesh said.

Varrick smiled. “There's no need for that.”

As he said that, Rayne felt mana prickle right in front of him and in moments, a translucent force shield bloomed into existence in front of him—thick, faintly blue, and curved like a slab of glass pulled from the air. It hummed softly, mana flowing through it in steady waves.

Nate and John immediately took a step back, startled. It covered Varrick from head to toe, and as they watched, it stretched wider and wider until it was almost as big as a door.

“Force-aspected mana skills are great for tanking monsters,” he said. “With this, there's no need to worry. We will be in and out in hours.”

Kesh whistled seeing the barrier, taking a step forward to touch its hard surface.

The others also looked impressed other than Bran and Rayne himself who tried to keep his face blank as Varrick shot him a grin as if telling him that he was holding back during their duel.

Rayne ignored it, stepping towards the portal.

“Okay then,” he said, bringing everyone’s attention back to him. “Varrick will take the vanguard position. I will be right behind him, and the others will follow the same formation.”

He stepped into the portal the next second and a familiar sensation washed over him. Rayne was used to it by now, and the next second, he found himself in the dungeon entrance. He moved to the side as others arrived one by one.

After checking their gear once again, they got into the formation, Varrick's [Force shield] lengthening and widening to cover their whole party before he opened the door that led to the actual dungeon.

A wide hallway greeted them.

Not a twisting cave or cramped tunnel, but a long, straight stretch of worked stone that disappeared into darkness. The walls were smooth in places, cracked in others, etched with what looked like claw marks. Both Rayne and Bran inspected them.

Dungeon sometimes gave clues to what type of monsters lived there, and it seemed like they were going to be facing wolves here, if he guessed right.

At least there was natural light in the dungeon.

“I'm going to be moving fast,” Varrick said. “Keep up with me.”

Before Rayne could say anything, the man started moving. His pace was steady at first, but then he quickened it, moving through the hallway without a care in the world.

Rayne had wanted to send Bran ahead to check for traps, but Varrick was too confident behind his force shield.

He didn't question it.

It would only start an argument and he didn't really care if the man hurt himself. He and his party kept up a few paces behind him as the hallway kept going.

It was only two minutes later that they saw the first signs of monsters.

Shapes burst out of a slight bend in the hallway, eyes fleshing red as snarls tore through the air. Like Rayne had expected, they were wolves, with elongated limbs and jagged bone growths protruding from their shoulders and spines. Their fur was patchy, skin stretched tight over sinew and bone.

“Dungeon wolves,” Bran muttered from the back.

They charged without hesitation.

Varrick didn’t move back an inch.

The first one slammed into his force shield with a meaty thud, jaws snapping uselessly against the barrier. Another followed immediately, claws screeching as they scraped across the mana-formed surface.

Varrick smiled at them and stepped forward.

The force shield surged outward, expanding slightly as he pushed, the pressure throwing two wolves off balance. In the same motion, his greatsword came up in a brutal horizontal arc.

The blade cut clean.

One wolf was split nearly in half, its body crashing to the stone in a spray of ichor. The second barely had time to land before Varrick reversed his grip and drove the sword down through its skull.

But the first two wolves were only the start. More poured in soon.

They came in a pack of dozens, moving around the edges, looking for gaps. One leapt, aiming high.

Varrick met it head-on.

He slammed his shield upward, catching the beast mid-air and crushing it against the ceiling with a dull crack before letting it drop lifelessly. He stepped through the opening and cleaved another that tried to flank.

Although Rayne didn't like the man, he had to say his confidence was warranted. He fought the wolves with comfort.

Still, not every dungeon wolf fell to his blade.

Rayne stepped forward as one on the right slipped past the shield’s edge. He smashed it into the wall with his shield before he cut upward through its throat. Blood sprayed warm across his arm as the body collapsed at his feet.

“Kesh, left!” Bran shouted.

Kesh lunged, blade sinking into a wolf’s ribcage as John smashed another with his shield. Bran's arrows took care of one that managed to leap through the shield when Varrick was busy skewering another wolf.

The arrowhead hit it right in the centre of the head and Rayne stomped on it to finish it off.

But most of the wolves never reached them.

Varrick stood like a wall.

His [Force shield] absorbed impact after impact, each hit met with precise counters. He didn’t waste movement, didn’t overcommit. Every swing killed or crippled. When the last wolf fell, the hallway was littered with bodies.

Silence returned as the growling and whimpering of the wolves ended.

Varrick kicked one of the corpses, flicking blood from his blade and looking back at Rayne. “That’s the welcome party,” he said. “They won’t be the worst thing in here.”

“I know,” Rayne said, then after debating for a second, added. “You did great.”

“I know,” Varrick replied. “Let's continue the formation. It will be an easy run.”

After saying that, Varrick moved again, starting into a jog. Rayne and the others followed after him and in the next hour, they dealt with two more packs of wolves.

Like the first one, both of the packs were dealt in a similar manner. He didn't even get a stat out of killing them as Varrick killed most of them single handedly.

As they covered more of the dungeon, Rayne became sure that there would be more than one level to this dungeon, and that meant they would have to go through at least two dungeon rooms other than the boss chamber. Though, he didn't feel the urge to go back for more soldiers now.

With the [Force shield], he felt confident they would be able to deal with whatever came in their way. And Varrick surely had other mana skills.

But when Rayne crossed a threshold, something prickled against his skin.

At first, he thought it was just Varrick's mana. He had gotten more sensitive to it in recent days with practicing [Death Strike] and opening up more pathways, but when he focused on the sensation, it felt familiar yet completely different than force-aspected mana.

Rayne focused on it, trying to discern what it was, and whether a monster might be projecting it. But when he actually realised what it was, he momentarily froze.

The mana he felt was death mana and he was sure it was coming from deep into the dungeon.