The pre-dawn light did little to dispel the gloom clinging to the entrance of the Death Catacombs.
The three acolytes moved in, leaving the open air behind for the chill and eerie oxygen of the catacombs.
"Rumours say this used to be where Lunia put its deceased, but a dark path magus turned this into a feasting ground for dark energy beings and subhumans", Greem said, remembering a book of the Porfield Kingdom History
Willem nodded, as if he had heard this story before
The air was thick with the smell of wet rock, decay, and the faint, fishy residue of the murlocs.
Greem took the lead, his senses heightened by the magical artefact he had gotten. His eyes, adjusted to the low light, scanned their surroundings with predatory efficiency. This was the power of higher perception.
As they moved, they noticed patches of faintly glowing fungi clung to the walls.
[Luminous Cap - Common]
Description: A fungus that absorbs ambient magical energy to produce a soft bioluminescence. While not inherently valuable, a skilled alchemist can extract the light-producing compounds for use in certain potions or markers.
"Luminous Caps", Greem stated flatly, not breaking stride, "Common. Low alchemical value. I doubt it would even fetch a magic crystal"
Iriana, walking behind him, stumbled slightly on a loose stone. Her violet eyes widened as she stared at the fungus he hadn't even touched, "How did you...?"
Willem, bringing up the rear, merely adjusted his cloak
"Mmh, I read about them. Many were fooled into thinking they were valuable", he murmured, as if Greem identifying unknown flora with a glance was a mundane weekly occurrence.
They encountered two more small patrols of murlocs. The fights were swift and brutal. Greem's sword coupled with the ombre curse spell cut through them with efficient, knightly strokes, while Willem's bat and Iriana's dagger techniques handled the flanks. For one, she had used her blood shield spell too, which Greem found slightly disappointing.
It was long to cast, and did not seem strong enough to fully block the incoming murloc spear, much less the strike of full-fledge knight like Emma.
Still, the experience notifications chimed softly in Greem's mind. The catacombs truly were heavenly hunting grounds. However, Iriana's observation confirmed his hypothesis
After the second skirmish, she wiped her blades clean.
"The catacombs are not supposed to be this busy. Last time, we traveled for days before encountering the single skeleton, much less three groups of murloc elite warriors"
'Elite? Lv.2 and 3 murlocs?', Greem mused inwardly
"The population density seems unusually high. It's getting... fishy", he said with a grin, as if to lighten the atmosphere
He glanced at Iriana, whose face was a mask of concentration and worry. She said nothing, only staring at him blankly, completely missing the weak attempt at humor. It must be said that despite Willem and himself taking care of most murlocs, Iriana had already exhausted her mana pool, over-exerting herself.
Blood magic was forbidden for a reason, and unlike Willem who possessed an inner trait that allowed him to use blood of fallen beasts for his spells, regular humanoid creatures like humans and elves required to use their own blood essence. Blood magic was powerful, but also very taxing on the user's body.
Willem, for his part, didn't crack a smile either, "We are in the catacombs. Let's focus"
Greem cursed inwardly. Murlocs and fishes...They were one of the same kind. His teammates truly had no humour.
They made a second camp in a small, dry side chamber a few hours into the catacombs. Not because they could not go forward, but rather because Iriana stumbled quite a few time already from fatigue. Blood loss mainly, and lack of stamina were not a good combo.
As they settled, Moe, Willem's bat, fluttered down to rest near Greem. Almost without thinking, Greem began the slow, controlled cycles of the Dusk Hound breath, the rhythm coming naturally to him now.
"A breathing technique...Impressive", Iriana muttered
As he did, he reached out a hand.
The bat, which usually shied away from all but Willem, went still. Then, it let out a soft chitter and nudged its head against Greem's fingers.
Greem froze, his breathing halting. He looked at his hand, then at the creature now accepting his touch.
Willem stared, his usual languid composure broken by a flicker of genuine surprise.
"He... does not do that."
Iriana, who had been watching the exchange, bit her lip hard enough to draw a speck of blood. She looked from the fearsome Level 5 magical beast purring under Greem's touch to the young acolyte himself.
He was only sixteen. Sixteen, with the power of a seasoned knight, the knowledge of a master shadow acolyte, and an aura that could calm a predatory magical beast. A cold, sharp knot of inadequacy tightened in her chest. She had trained for far longer, and this human boy was effortlessly surpassing her in ways she couldn't even comprehend.
Greem pulled his hand back, as surprised as anyone. The breathing technique was more than just a stat boost; it was changing him.