Chapter 64: The Ruins of the Dwarven Kingdom
"Watch your step!"
On the narrow cliff face, Eirik lost his footing. Fortunately, Rhodes saw it and grabbed him just in time, saving him from a long fall into the chasm below.
"Whew! That was close!" Eirik's heart was pounding. If he had fallen, he would have been Eirik-paste. Only Rhodes and Serie, with their levitation magic, could have survived such a fall. "Is there no other way?" he asked after he had calmed down. They were now in the ruins of the Dwarven Kingdom.
"Of course there is. But they're all guarded by magical beasts. This way is safer."
To prevent Eirik from falling again, Rhodes conjured several vines and threw one to him. "Tie this on."
"Is it long enough?" Eirik muttered.
In response, Rhodes simply made the vine grow to a length of several dozen meters and then looked at him. It was a vine made of magic, after all. It could be as long as he wanted, and it was as strong as a steel cable, even better than a safety rope.
Eirik just laughed sheepishly and tied the vine around his waist.
"You should all tie one on as well," Rhodes said.
"Do you have enough mana?" Norne asked, a little hesitant. They were trying to conserve their mana, in case they ran into any monsters. That was why they were climbing this cliff in the first place.
"It's fine."
Hearing his assurance, Norne and Somme didn't hesitate and tied the vines around their waists as well, which eased their anxiety a bit.
"I'll go scout ahead. Wait for my signal," Rhodes said. He exchanged a look with Serie, then leaped off the cliff. Just before he would have fallen, he activated his levitation spell. The air currents caught him, and he slid along the cliff face. He had only just learned this particular trick and hadn't had the time to create a proper flight spell yet. If he had known the mountain was so steep, he might have tried to create one before they came. But it was too late to turn back now.
"So convenient," Eirik muttered with envy.
Norne overheard him. "Then you should hurry up and learn it! It's not like Rhodes won't teach you."
"Ahem, I'm trying! I'm trying!"
That Norne... ever since he had given up on learning advanced magic, his life had become so much easier. He spent all his days studying basic spells and writing his grimoire. Eirik didn't understand. Could a basic light arrow and defensive spell really have so many variations that he could spend all his time on them? But he didn't dare to ask. Norne was in charge of the food, after all. He didn't want to get on his bad side and end up with no dinner. Sigh. Why did Lord Rhodes have to teach Norne all his recipes and secrets? Now I'm completely dependent on him (not really).
He didn't have much time to lament. A few moments later, a faint blue light appeared on the opposite cliff. It was Rhodes's signal.
Serie cast her own levitation spell, but she didn't cross. Instead, she gestured for the others to go first.
Norne started to climb. With the vine tied around his waist, he used his hands and feet to scale the rock face. But a strong gust of wind made him lose his footing.
"Watch out!" Somme shouted, pulling the vine taut.
Seeing this, Serie, who had been about to go, paused.
Norne was now dangling in mid-air, a cold sweat drenching his back. He took a deep breath, found a new foothold, and, after a difficult climb, finally reached the other side, where Rhodes pulled him up.
"My turn," Eirik said, swallowing hard. He started to climb, but halfway across, his arms began to tremble. He suddenly realized he had been neglecting his physical training. But he had no time to hesitate now. He reached for a new handhold, but the rock crumbled in his grasp.
"Help—"
Even though he knew he was tied to the vine, the instinct for survival made him cry out. Fortunately, Serie had been watching him the whole time. To spare him the experience of a bungee jump, she quickly flew to his side, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and deposited him on the other side.
"Th-thanks..." he said, collapsing to the ground, his face pale.
"What are you afraid of? You have the vine," Serie said coldly. "And you're too weak."
Fortunately, his shouting hadn't alerted the monsters below. Otherwise, all their efforts to sneak in would have been for nothing.
"You really need to work on your courage," Rhodes said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Shut up! By the way, if you could just carry me over, why didn't you do that in the first place?"
"You're too heavy!" Rhodes said with a sigh. "For every bit of extra weight, the mana consumption of the levitation spell increases several times over. Otherwise, I would have just flown us all up. Why would we go to all the trouble of climbing?"
"Alright," Eirik said, dropping the subject. He had just been complaining.
When it was Somme's turn, the dwarf ran into a problem. His short arms and legs were a disadvantage on this terrain; he couldn't reach some of the handholds.
"Use this." Rhodes flew over to him and threw him the holy sword. "Stick it in the cliff face and use it as an anchor."
Somme understood immediately. "Is it really okay to use the holy sword as a climbing tool?" he asked with a laugh.
"A holy sword is only a good holy sword if it's useful. Don't worry, just climb. I've got you."
Somme said no more and began to climb. The holy sword, which should have been incredibly heavy, was now strangely light, but he had no time to ponder why. His incredible strength was now on full display. Every time he drove the sword into the rock, it sent a shower of sparks. Step by step, he "carved" a path for himself.
When all five of them were safely across, they found themselves before a vine-covered entrance. Rhodes pushed aside the vegetation, revealing a stone door hidden behind it.
"A dwarven secret passage," Somme said, examining the crest on the door. "Looks like we're in the right place."
They had learned of this passage from Dural. As one of the survivors of the disaster that had befallen the Dwarven Kingdom, he knew of its existence. He had traded the information to them. If they managed to get deep into the ruins, he wanted them to look for the legendary holy sword that could harm a god. Or rather, he wanted them to confirm if such a sword even existed. Rhodes, of course, had agreed. He was curious about it himself.
~~~
Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter