Three days later, in an unremarkable corner of the Fifth Layer of the Eight Peaks Mountain's underground mines, a faint blue light flickered.
Ryan, the King of Knights, Bellegar, the King of Eight Peaks, Lightfire Witch Veronica, Dark Elf Olica, and Araloth, the champion chosen by Ariel, appeared in the depths of the mine. Despite the heavy use of magic by Veronica and Olica during the Battle of the Titan's Gate, Ryan had diligently helped them recover their mana over the past three days. Now, when the five of them materialized deep within the mine, they found themselves near a massive rock wall. The entrance to the outside had long since collapsed. After inspecting the rune markings on the wall, Bellegar nodded slowly, "This is the place. It seems Ryan's teleportation spell was accurate."
"This is our starting point, but why here?" Veronica asked. She was clad in fiery red leather armor, with an elven mithril chainmail cloak over it—an extremely rare piece produced by the Caledor Kingdom's Vaul's Anvil, which Ryan had acquired through Teclis. He had bought five sets, one each for Veronica, Teresa, and Olica, who weren't suited to heavy armor, and two more were stored away.
Bellegar explained, "This is the Fifth Layer mine of Eight Peaks Mountain. We chose this spot because it's the most dangerous place, but also the safest."
"Most dangerous, yet safest?" Araloth, still crestfallen from the recent events, mumbled. He had been so demoralized by the previous debacle that he spent two days in a gloomy state until Lilith crafted a divine amulet for him. According to Olica, who had accompanied Lilith, "That guy's face lit up like a blooming flower when he received it."
Indeed! Lilith still loves me! Araloth pressed the amulet to his chest, feeling warmth in his heart, almost brought to tears. His previous gloom and despondency evaporated, and now the Wood Elf hero was eager to prove himself once again in Lilith's eyes.
Unbeknownst to Araloth, Ryan was also reminiscing about the time he had spent with the Lady of the Lake over the past two days. They had baked together, cooked, watched the snow, played cards, chatted about the ongoing situation, and shared some intimate moments. Although Lilith wasn't very skilled at some things, she was eager to learn. They even made plans to take a vacation at Ryan's estate in Mousillon after the expedition, where they would hold a small private wedding.
Ryan, like Araloth, was full of determination. But unlike the Wood Elf hero, the King of Knights was focused on finally conquering Eight Peaks Mountain after more than a year of effort.
"Hmph, pointy-eared fool," Bellegar snorted. "It's normal for them to be clueless. After all, their heads are always in the clouds." The King of Eight Peaks still held a grudge over the earlier incident, but, out of respect for Ryan and because of Araloth's sincere apology, as well as the Wood Elves' promises of material support for the recovery of Eight Peaks Mountain, he had grudgingly accepted the apology.
Bellegar grumbled, "This is where the Skaven attacked the mine long ago. After the ancestors repelled them, the Rune Masters sealed this tunnel with runes. It's close to Queek's lair, making it dangerous, but since the Skaven have suffered heavy losses, there are likely no patrols here, making it safe."
"Very well. How do we find Queek Headtaker's whereabouts?" Ryan asked, peeking out from the cave.
The sight before him left Ryan in awe.
They were in a colossal underground cavern, hundreds of meters wide and tall. The entire mountain below had been hollowed out. Dwarven walls and enormous statues still stood tall in the cavern, and suspended within it were dozens of bridges, each hundreds of meters long, connecting the various sections of the mine. The bridges were lined with iron tracks for mining carts, many of which were still functional.
The dwarves' water pumps and engineering devices, as well as cooling systems, were still running at a slow pace. However, what disgusted Ryan was the sight of Skaven warpstone cables, warpstone lamps, suspended wooden walkways, heaps of leftover food, and piles of excrement scattered throughout the cavern, like vines parasitically clinging to the dwarven structures.
"Shh!" Bellegar motioned for silence as he peeked out from behind the door. The King of Eight Peaks pointed to the mine cavern. "Long ago, the richest veins of mithril and gold lay beneath Eight Peaks Mountain, but after centuries of mining, they were depleted. The ancestors built this great mine hall as a base to continue exploring deeper, where they found several new, endless veins. The mined ore would be hauled up using pulleys and mining carts."
"Four thousand years ago, this was the first place to fall to the Skaven. Five hundred dwarf miners were caught off guard and, despite their desperate defense, were overwhelmed by the Skaven." Bellegar slung a rune crossbow over his back and took out a spyglass to survey the situation. "Hey, perfect timing!"
Ryan peered out cautiously, and the group observed the cavern from the shadows.
As expected, the Skaven under Queek Headtaker had suffered massive losses. Even in the heart of Clan Mors' territory, chaos reigned. Two smaller clans were locked in a tense standoff, quarreling over scraps of food. If not for the presence of a Stormvermin keeping order, a brawl would have broken out.
"Hey, let's get started!" Araloth, the most impatient, was already drawing his bow, eager to strike.
"Wait! Araloth, don't forget our objective. We're here to destroy the Doom Bell and eliminate Queek Headtaker," Ryan reminded him, stopping his hasty action. "Where are the Doom Bell and Queek now?"
"Hey-ho, hey-ho!" A few Grey Seers were busy directing a horde of slave rats in chaotic formation across a long bridge. These Grey Seers were covered in festering boils, with some blind in one eye, others missing limbs or ears. They reeked of rot and corruption, and any slave rats that got too close quickly decayed into piles of goo, only to be devoured by the surrounding rats.
"Clan Pestilens!" Bellegar mused, observing the Grey Seers and their followers from afar. "Why is Clan Pestilens here?"
"Follow them!" Ryan quickly decided.
The five of them followed the group quietly.
Thanks to Queek's defeat, the cavern was largely deserted, with only a few patrols of Clanrats and slave rats. The scene was chaotic. Ryan and his group took out several patrols and killed off some slave rat miners as they trailed the Grey Seers. Before long, they arrived at a large rock wall.
Suspended by warpstone chains and burning with green fire, the Doom Bell loomed ominously.
Beneath it, several Grey Seers gathered in a large, open space.
In the center of the area was the Great Horned Rat's inverted triangle symbol, surrounded by thirteen offerings. The Grey Seers and a few Plague Monks were preparing for a ritual. Ghostly green light spread out, filling the air with an aura of malevolence and destruction. A Rat Ogre stood guard near the Doom Bell, waiting for the Grey Seers' command.
"That's a massive Skaven ritual," Bellegar observed from afar. Under the harsh light of numerous warpstone lamps, the entire area was bathed in green. "Clearly, Queek plans to keep the Supreme Verminlord anchored in the mortal realm… but why is Clan Pestilens involved here, and where is Queek? Why isn't he here personally?"
"I heard the Skaven are always fighting among themselves," Ryan crouched beside Bellegar, analyzing the situation. "Could it be they're having another internal conflict?"
"Unlikely," Bellegar replied, lowering the spyglass. "Skaven do love infighting, but Queek is different. He enforces strict discipline on his forces, and his master, Gnawdwell, trusts him implicitly. He's also favored by the Verminlords, who impose absolute authority over the Skaven. It wouldn't make sense for there to be infighting now."
"Strange, then why—" Araloth began, only to be interrupted by his own eagerness. "What do we do now? I say we take them down!"
"Master, I'll follow your lead," Olica whispered, her face covered by a dark cloth and her cloak wrapped around her, showing only her eyes. "Shall I kill the Grey Seers first?"
Veronica also looked to Ryan for guidance.
"Not yet. Let's wait a little longer," Ryan suggested, his eyes locked on the ritual site. It was clear he was thinking deeply about something.
With Ryan holding back, the others could only wait.
About twenty minutes later, the Grey Seers realized they were running out of warpstone for the ritual. After a brief discussion, the lead Grey Seer barked orders.
"Not enough~ Warpstone! Not enough!"
"Then get more~ more warpstone, or Lord Lurk will kill~kill us all!"
"Kill! Kill! Die! Die!"
"You all go, go and get more!"
"Where~where from?"
"From the green Gobbo~ he's willing to give us more! Hurry~ the ritual is almost done!"
"Yes
! Yes! Warpstone!"
With that, three Grey Seers left, taking a few rats to fetch more warpstone, leaving only eight Grey Seers and the Plague Monks behind to continue the ritual.
It was clear the ritual was nearing completion. In the center of the area, the power of the Horned Rat was beginning to materialize, with the god's face becoming increasingly clear.
"It seems the alliance between Skarsnik and Queek is still intact," Bellegar muttered grimly. "That's troublesome. Now that both greenskins and Skaven have suffered heavy losses, their pact must be stronger than ever."
"Ryan, aren't we going to act yet?" Araloth urged, growing anxious as he approached Ryan. "We need to strike now, or it'll be too late once they finish the ritual!"
Only eight left? Ryan's mind raced, and a dangerous idea suddenly took root.
It was a highly risky plan, but if it worked, it could significantly reduce the casualties for the expeditionary army and potentially destroy the alliance between the greenskins and Skaven.
After some careful thought, Ryan made his decision.
"Let's do it. We'll take out the Doom Bell and Queek Headtaker without them ever knowing what hit them!" Ryan drew his warhammer. "Let's move!"
"Finally!" Araloth eagerly knocked five arrows at once, drew his bow, and fired.
"Kurnous' Arrow!"
The arrows shot through the air, instantly killing one Grey Seer and three Plague Monks. The remaining Skaven reacted immediately, with the lead Grey Seer screeching, "Intruders! Intruders!!!"
"Skull of Flames!" Veronica conjured a massive flaming skull, laughing playfully as it incinerated a wave of rats. "Don't run! It just wants to play with you!"
"For the Lady! For Bretonnia!" Ryan teleported directly in front of a Grey Seer, smashing its head to pieces with his warhammer. "Come on! Bring on the rat tide! Hit me with it!"
"Face the might of a single dwarf's shield wall!" Bellegar roared as he charged into the fray, his ancestral runes pulsing as he crushed the Clanrats one by one with his holy hammer.
"Intruders! Intruders!!!" The Skaven were thrown into chaos. They rushed in from all directions, but soon scattered after the Grey Seers and Plague Monks fell. Some Clanrats tried to run to warn Queek, but Veronica wasn't about to give them the chance. The Garland Witch raised her Staff of U'Dini.
"Wall of Fire!"
"Firestorm!"
The path was blocked. Araloth took the opportunity to dive into the horde, slaughtering the remaining rats, ensuring their total annihilation.
"Raaahhh!!!" The Rat Ogre guarding the Doom Bell pounded the bell, sending out a deafening toll that would leave any nearby enemies dizzy or dead. But the Lady of the Lake had prepared for this. With her enchanted amulets, the group was unaffected by the bell's sound, though it still caused some discomfort.
"Shadowfall!" Just as the Rat Ogre was about to engage Ryan, Olica appeared above it in the shadows, grinning as she plunged two butterfly knives into its skull. The beast twitched a few times before its eyes rolled back, and it fell dead. The Dark Elf pulled her blades free, her high-heeled boots pressing lightly on the ogre's shoulder as she gracefully landed beside Ryan, ready to continue the slaughter.
Ten minutes later, amidst a sea of corpses, the entire ritual site was cleared of Skaven.
The group worked together to destroy the Doom Bell, smashing the Skaven artifact into scrap metal. Bellegar then moved to dismantle the ritual site. "Ryan, this ritual is nearly complete. We can't leave it here. Let's destroy it."
"I'll do it. You all go ahead," Ryan said, gesturing for the others to leave. "Destroying the entire ritual site will cause a large backlash. I'll handle it."
"Alright," they agreed, leaving without suspicion. Only Araloth hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Ryan. Seeing him busy dismantling the ritual, the Wood Elf hero turned and left.
Once everyone was gone, Ryan stood alone in the center of the ritual. The Grey Knight Primarch's face twisted into a dangerous smile.
The entire ritual site was already drenched in Skaven blood and littered with their corpses.
Grinning wickedly, Ryan stepped into the center of the formation. He removed five of the thirteen offerings and burned them to ash with his psychic power. Then, using a Skaven warpstone engraving tool, he made a few critical changes to the ritual, erasing the inverted triangle of the Horned Rat and replacing it with the symbol of the Eight Pillars. Finally, he injected a bit of psychic energy to reactivate the formation.
As the ritual began to function again, Ryan quickly left the area.
"Heh heh heh~ now, that thing will show up."
"It'll help us solve a lot of problems."
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