Awakening Shadows

Reiji, Magnior, and Cogitus journeyed through the vibrant landscape of Magnior's domain, heading north towards their destination Their quest was to vanquish the dungeon that spawned the marauding monsters terrorizing the land.

As they venture, they are faced with multiple types of monsters on their way.

Reiji dodged a series of slashing wind attacks from a flying beast. As he dodged, he called out, "Magnior, can you bind that flying monster with your magic, please?" Magnior swiftly cast his spell, and a vine suddenly appeared, snaking its way towards the creature. They were battling an Aerope and an Emberkin.

Aerope - A winged beast with a singular, scaly body shaped like a circular disk, featuring a lone eye at its center. Two slender wings protrude from its rear, granting it incredible agility and speed.

Emberkin: A goblin-like creature, standing between 3 to 4 feet tall, with two arms ending in hands that have only three fingers each, and two legs similar to those of humans, but with feet that have only two toes. All fingers and toes have circular ends. Its hairless head protrudes two small horns, resembling smoldering coals. It wears a rugged loincloth, showing off its slender, muscular body.

Magnior's attempts to strangle the flying monsters failed, his attacks consistently missing their mark. Reiji's face fell, disappointment etched on his features. Magnior, defending his efforts, said, "Master, those wind slashes are nothing to worry about." Even as he spoke, he was struck by multiple wind slashes, yet he continued, "See? We can easily ignore them."

Reiji let out a deep sigh and shot Magnior an even more disappointed glance, saying, "Cogitus, please enlighten this big fella here." As he spoke, he continued to dodge the flying monsters' attacks with ease, simultaneously clearing a path of Emberkins with swift efficient attacks using his greatsword.

Cogitus apologized, "I apologize for his lack of understanding, master. Without me, he's just an instinctive creature, driven by nature." Then, turning to Magnior, Cogitus explained, "You see, Magnior, your magical abilities are impressive, but you lack comprehension and refinement, relying solely on instinct—" As they spoke, they continued to walk forward, unfazed by the Aerope's wind slashes bombarding them from above.

Reiji glanced back at Cogitus and Magnior, who were engrossed in their discussion while strolling along, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around them. He couldn't help but think, "Sigh... Why do I feel like I'm the one serving them?" His face elongated in a comical expression of disappointment and frustration, his eyes rolling heavenward as if seeking sympathy from above.

But then he refocused on the attack, carrying his greatsword and feeling his rhythm as he slashed down the emberkins one by one. With the greatsword over his shoulder, he sprinted towards an emberkin, occasionally side-stepping to dodge wind slashes from above. "SLASH!" He brought down one emberkin with ease. Moving swiftly to another, he dragged the sword on the ground, taunting, "Not so fast!" just as it was about to cast its fire spell. "SLASH!" Down went another.

Reiji then raised the sword and said, "I should name you," before jumping to dodge another wind slash. His greatsword was forged from a combination of Carbon, Chromium, Molybdenum, and Vanadium he obtained from Krogar, creating in his mind the hardest carbon steel possible. The sword was almost as wide as his body and a few inches shorter than his height. Normally weighing around 80kg, Reiji's ability allowed him to halve its weight by purifying the steel and removing any impurities.

As they moved along, Reiji's sudden sense of pressure from ahead prompted him to retreat swiftly, closing the distance between himself and the two golems. That interrupted their conversation, his urgency evident. Cogitus was saying, "You have to understand that the master is not as resilient as us—" but Magnior cut in, his tone serious, "Reiji, we're close to the dungeon." Reiji responded, his focus fixed on the unknown threat, "I know, but something is different. Cover me from the Aeropes. There aren't any Emberkins nearby, you should be fine."

The golems faced each other, then leaned forward with their heads close together. They grabbed each other's shoulders, creating a tight and private space in the middle where Reiji stood. Covering him from the sides, above and behind.

Then, Reiji cast his spell, Mechanika's Touch, and touched the ground to instantly map the dungeon's layout and the surrounding area. The dungeon was shallow and of a basic design. At the entrance stood two ruined pillars, eroded by nature, giving an impression of insignificance. At first glance, it didn't seem like a place that held any hidden secrets. Due to its ordinary appearance, it hadn't been raided or explored by people in the past, except for the recent raid by Lyra and Lyriens' group.

As Reiji's ability took effect, a chilling aura was detected by his ability from the inside, sending shivers down his spine. Pausing, he asked with a hint of trepidation, "what is inside of that dungeon?"

Magnior's expression is serious as he replied, "It's a demonkin, it was sealed away using the stolen artifact. A group of adventurers was responsible for the theft, and we suspected you were among them, based on Krogar's report." Reiji shook his head, "No, that's not true. I wasn't with them. I just happened to be in the area when I saw Krogar attacking those people. I intervened to stop him."

Reiji felt a surge of fear for the first time. His mind raced, unable to think of a way to defeat the monsters inside with his abilities. He exclaimed, "This wasn't here before! I sealed this dungeon earlier, and I didn't feel this presence. How did this happen? What's going on?" He directed his questions at himself and the two golems, seeking answers.

"That monster was dormant," Magnior explained, "for being restrained by the artifact's power for centuries. I should have guarded this place better; my failure allowed it to awaken."

The question Reiji asked was directed more at himself, realizing he hadn't noticed it before. His confidence was crushed by just the presence of this being. Reiji then said, eyes still locked warily on the dungeon's entrance, "Can you tell me more about this dungeon? How does it work?"

Magnior replied, "The Earthborns summoned into this world usually receive an artifact that serves as the main source of their power, though it is only usable by them. However, this artifact emits an inhibiting aura against monsters like us when the wielder Earthborn returns to Earth, preventing any monster from somehow utilizing its power. Its suppressive aura is said to be the divine blessing of the Guardian Deity of this realm. One of the Earthborn who was summoned discovered this and used these artifacts to subdue the wild beings that terrorized the southern continent, which led to the creation of the dungeons."

Reiji asked in curiosity, "Why didn't this Earthborn just kill these beings?" Magnior replied quickly, "Before the dungeons, they did. Little did they know, these demonkins die and are resurrected after a century, becoming even stronger. That's why Earthborns are often summoned into this world—to battle against them and for various kingdoms' personal interests."

Reiji then, in a contrite manner, said, "I understand now. I must apologize, Magnior. This monster is one I can't defeat. Your domain might succumb to this monster for the time being." Regretfully, Reiji added, "We need to get out of here for now."

Magnior replied, "It is not your responsibility, Reiji. It was mine. I grew careless and failed to protect the dungeon, and this is the result. I meant to tell you about this dilemma back at the cave, but I didn't want to burden you with it."

Cogitus butted in and said, "I didn't know about this either, Master. As I, together with Krogar, were just recently created by Magnior after the artifact was stolen."

Reiji was lost in thought, still searching for any opportunity to confront the demonkin, though he felt hopelessly outmatched against it.

Then Magnior noticed Reiji lost in thought once more, so he carried him while shielding him from the wind slashes of the Aerope as they hurriedly fled away from the dungeon. Despite the urgency, Reiji kept his eyes fixed on the dungeon entrance, alert for any sudden attack, and silently vowed to himself, "I'll reclaim this land from you."