The Strongest Mage in Bristall

As it turns out, the woman's name was Helgar. Her skin had a hint of green and she was incredibly muscular. If not for her large breasts and feminine voice I would have thought she was a man.

Helgar insisted on coming with me to save her husband. I couldn't blame her. I'd do the same if either of my wives were in danger. It would also be nice to have someone to guide me to the dungeon.

"Tell me more about the dungeon your party got trapped in."

"It's called the Dark Cavern Dungeon. The dungeon had already been cleared years ago. Nowadays adventurers only frequent the place to hunt Giant Bats to sell at the market."

"You got chased out of there by Giant Bats?"

I wasn't trying to be insensitive, but Helgar looked more than capable of taking out Giant Bats, even by herself. Not to mention, Giant Bats are typically shy monsters that usually prefer to flee unless they are cornered.

"Of course not! I wouldn't abandon my party because of mere bats! After we had triggered the trap, I was ambushed by a horde of ghouls!"

"Ghouls, huh? That's scary stuff."

Ghouls themselves weren't that strong. Individually they are ranked as D or C ranked monsters. A ghoul is a human that has been bitten by a Vampire, which is an A-Class monster. Once a vampire bites you, they won't let go until they have sucked you dry of all your blood. What's left is a desiccated corpse that the vampire animates to do its bidding. Once the vampire is slain, the ghouls will remain and attack anyone indiscriminately until they are destroyed.

"How far south is this dungeon anyway?"

"It's a three day journey if we get a transport lizard."

"Three days!? They've been stuck in a trap for three days?? How do we know they're still alive?"

"Well, actually it's been five days", Helgar admitted. "Our transport Lizards had scattered so I had to run back here on foot. But Gorp isn't so weak that he would die to something like this! He'll survive even if it kills him. I just know it!"

She ran back to town? She doesn't look like she just finished running for five days straight. I guess that just goes to show her impressive constitution.

"That's all the more reason we need to hurry."

"Definitely!", Helgar agreed. "I don't have much in the way of money, but I can at least rent us a transport lizard to get there faster."

"Oh, don't you worry about that", I said smugly. "I have something that will get us there by nightfall."

We just so happened to be approaching the gate that leads out of the city as I said this. Fenrir must have picked up on my scent because as we passed through the gate he already had his chain link leash stretched taut as he leaned out towards me and barked excitedly when he saw me.

"What is a Fenris Wolf doing so close to the city!?", Helgar yelled in a panic.

"Helgar, meet Fenrir. He's going to be our mount."

"You expect me to RIDE this thing!?"

"I thought you said you'd do anything to save your husband? Fenrir can get us to that dungeon by nightfall. When someone's been trapped for so long, every second could be the difference between life and death. We need to get there as fast as possible."

*Gulp*

"You're right... Let's get going!"

Helgar ran towards Fenrir's side and leapt onto his back, an impressive feat considering Fenrir stood over three meters tall. I panicked as I expected Fenrir to viscously rip her off his back but to my surprise he didn't seem to mind and instead was only focused on me.

I walked up to him and he leaned his head down so I could give him scratches behind his ear.

"I'll never get used to seeing that", the guard who was standing watch commented.

After a minute or two, I climbed up onto Fenrir's neck to join Helgar.

"Alright Fenrir, I hope you're ready for a run!"

*ARROOOO*

He answered me with a howl. It was so loud we had to cover our ears and from this height I could see over the wall into the city where the howl had definitely caught the attention of the populace.

'This is probably a good time for us to leave', I thought as I pulled Fenrir's fur in the direction we needed to go.

Fenrir took off at breakneck speed. The sudden jolt almost threw the unsuspecting Helgar off; she just managed to hold on.

"To think you actually managed to tame an S-Class monster... I guess the rumors about Dead End are true after all."

We traveled all day only stopping to rest once. We didn't pass any edible monsters on the way but I tossed Fenrir some jerky that I had brought with, although I'm sure such a small amount wasn't enough to satiate his hunger. I at least filled a large bowl with water for him to drink.

Thanks to Helgar's directions and Fenrir's speed we made it to the Dark Cavern Dungeon even faster than I thought. It was late afternoon but the sun hadn't set so it was still light out.

True to its name, the entrance to the dungeon was a large opening in the rocky ground leading to an underground cavern. Unlike the teleportation Labyrinth, this entire dungeon seemed to be one huge expansive room. I summoned a light spirit so we could see where we were going but the cavern was so vast that it couldn't light up the entire place.

"Gorp!", I yelled out. "Are you out there? Say something if you can hear me!"

"Shh!!", Helgar shushed me. "You're going to attract all the ghouls! I remember where the trap was, follow me!"

Sure enough, as we continued deeper into the dungeon we began to hear grunts and moans as several ghouls shambled towards us.

"Get ready! They're coming!", Helgar warned as she drew her large mace.

"Eh, don't worry about it", I said as the grunts and moans were replaced by snarls, growls, snapping bones, and gnashing teeth. From out of sight we could hear Fenrir tearing the ghouls to shreds. Thanks to his fiery tails we could see flashes of light all around us as he pounced from ghoul to ghoul.

"These ghouls don't amount to much more than a chewtoy for Fenrir", I chuckled.

"I'm just glad he's on our side", Helgar said with a hint of fear in her voice.

We continued forward through the damp cave until finally we reached a corner that was lit up by moss growing on the cave wall that glowed a faint blue-ish green.

"It was right around here", Helgar continued. "We came to inspect these glowing plants when the ground gave way beneath us. Look! There's one of our torches over there!"

Sure enough, an unlit torch laid on the ground beside the dimly glowing wall. Unlike the rest of the cavern, the floor in this area was composed of loose rocks and gravel rather than solid stone.

"It was right around here where they fell...", Helgar said as she scoured the area for a hole in the ground.

"Are you sure it was a trap?", I asked. "It looks to me like the ground might have given way naturally. They might be trapped under all these rocks."

I used earth magic to open a hole in the loose ground beneath us. Once the gravel was removed, it sloped downward into a small tunnel that led under the wall with the glowing moss.

When we cautiously walked down the sloped surface, the tunnel gave way to another large expanse.

"A second cavern!", Helgar said. "I don't believe it! This dungeon had been cleared years ago. To think there is a second part that nobody has ever explored."

"Gorp! Ichizar! Bellaro! Are you guys down here?", Helgar called out.

I looked around with my Magic Power Eye. It was hard to make out individual mana traces as the mana within the dungeon was so thick it obstructed my view. It wasn't impossible to differentiate someone's individual mana, but only if you already knew they were there. The thick layer of mana surrounding us acted as a sort of camouflage.

We continued searching the cavern and took down some more ghouls as well as giant bats while we searched. A simple rock bullet to the forehead was an effective way of dealing with the ghouls.

Eventually one of our calls received a response.

"I'm over here...", a weak and raspy voice called out.

Helgar rushed over as fast as she could. Several large stones had been arranged into a barricade that blocked off one small corner of the cavern. Behind the barricade laid a huge demon man. Despite looking weak from malnourishment, he still looked very imposing. It was a little hard to tell his height as he was laying down, but he looked about eight feet tall and his biceps were wider than my torso!

"Gorp! Thank goodness! You're alive!"

Helgar ran to his side and pulled out a canteen.

"Here, drink this! You must be famished!"

Gorp took the canteen from her hand and started guzzling from it.

"Ah!", he exclaimed as he wiped his face dry. "I thought I was going to die here. Who is this kid you've brought with you?"

"This is the Kennel Master, from Dead End!"

"From Dead End? You mean THE Dead End!?"

"I found him searching for you when I finally got back to Bristall. What happened to Ichizar and Bellaro? Are they nearby?"

Gorp turned his head as a solemn look overtook his face.

"They... didn't make it."

"Those accursed ghouls!"

"No. It wasn't the ghouls. There's something else down here. Something far more terrifying."

"A vampire", I interrupted.

"He's right", Gorp agreed as he munched on some food that Helgar had just given him. "After the three of us fell down here we found ourselves surrounded by a horde of ghouls. Killing them was easy enough, but in the middle of the fight we were ambushed by their leader. Ichizar and Bellaro were killed in the battle."

"How did you get away?", I wondered.

"I didn't."

Gorp continued eating the dried meats that Helgar had given him as he reached behind him and lifted up a decapitated head by its hair.

"The vampire made the mistake of saving me for last. I managed to get behind it while it was biting Ichizar. I grabbed it by the shoulders with one hand and ripped its head off with the other. Despite killing the boss down here I had no idea how to get out of the cavern. I spent days wandering in the dark and fending off the ghouls. Eventually I got too tired to keep going so I made this barricade and rested."

'Damn. Imagining that is more terrifying than the vampire itself. The brute strength of this guy might be on a similar level to Ruijerd.'

"The hole you fell through filled in with rock and gravel", Helgar said. "We know the way back. Let's get you back home."

"She's right. We need to get you back home so you have time to rest before the election."

"Heh... I forgot about that. Fighting in a tournament was the last thing on my mind while I was trapped down here."

"That may be true, but Bristall needs your leadership."

"What's it matter to you?", Gorp asked.

"I heard about you. You don't have the same resentment against humans that most demons do."

"That's true. I can't say I blame my fellow demons for being resentful though. We're always treated as inferior when we visit the human continent."

"You're right, but the only way for that to change is for people like you and me to take control and make that change."

"I guess I need to make sure I make it back in time then", Gorp said with a smile as he struggled onto his feet.

Helgar grabbed hold of his shoulder and helped him walk as I used my magic to pull down the stones of the barricade.

"Wow, that's some impressive magic you've got there", Gorp commented. "I didn't even hear an incantation."

"You could say that's my specialty."

"I can appreciate the talent you've got. You're a much better mage than I"

"You're a mage?", I said in shock.

"Yeah, everyone is surprised when they hear that", Helgar laughed. "You're looking at the B-ranked mage of the Iron Guardians"

"I'm an intermediate ranked fire mage, but I also know some beginner level water and earth spells", Gorp said proudly. "How about yourself?"

"Me? Oh, I dabble a little here and there in all the schools."

"Don't be so humble", Gorp answered. "I couldn't even tell what spell you used to move those stones earlier. You must be Advanced rank at least. Maybe even Saint!"

"Haha... yeah..."

Gorp was just as shocked as everyone else once he met Fenrir, who was waiting outside the caved in tunnel for us. Once we managed to convince him that Fenrir wasn't a threat, Helgar helped him up onto Fenrir's back while Fenrir laid with his belly to the ground to make it easier for them.

I had Fenrir travel back at half speed to make it easier on my weary travel companions and we made it back to Bristall in two days, leaving four more days before the election tournament. When I told them I had come here to watch, Helgar and Gorp insisted I stayed as their guest until the day of the tournament. I obliged since honestly their place was nicer than the Inn I was staying at. I guess B-ranked adventurers were wealthy compared to the average citizen.

The day of the tournament had finally arrived and I paid for my entrance to a small coliseum-like arena. I made sure I got there early so I could get a front row seat incase I had to intervene on Gorp's behalf. Of course I didn't say anything about that to Gorp. Now that I've gotten to know the man I could tell he was far too prideful to accept outside help like that.

The rules were simple. Fight until your opponent gives up or is unable to continue. Killing your opponent was strongly discouraged and continuing to fight once the official stopped the fight would end with a disqualification.

Watching the competitors fight one on one battles as the crowd cheered on got my blood boiling. This was an actual fighting tournament like something you would see in a Shonen manga. I never used to see the appeal in watching boxing or martial arts in my old world, but now I was beginning to understand. Despite the honestly mediocre ability of most combatants, the excitement in the air, the loud cheering of the crowd, and the determination of the warriors got my heart pounding.

When the time came for Gorp's first round of battle I eagerly watched in anticipation to see this eight foot tall mound of pure muscle start casting magic spells.

"Let the great protection of fire be on the place thou seekest", Gorp began to chant as he held his wand, which was comically small in comparison, out in front of him. "I call the bold heat of a torch-"

"Hya!!"

His opponent, a lean man who was barely over half Gorp's height and was dressed in leather armor and held a wooden spear with a sharpened tip of bone at the end, lunged forth and jabbed the spear into Gorp's chest.

I was so enthralled with the battle, for a moment I completely forgot that I was supposed to cheat on Gorp's behalf.

Gorp, who stopped chanting his spell, frowned as he looked down to see the tip of the thin spear poking through his shirt and penetrating about a half inch into his thick layer of abdominal muscle.

"Fireball!", Gorp yelled out as he thrust his wand forward.

Only... no fire came out. The incantation had been cut short and the spell never formed.

"Stop Fighting! The match is over. I declare Gorp the winner!"

The judge intervened to call the match as Gorp raised his hands in victory, pulling his wand, which was covered in blood and viscera, out from his opponent's shoulder. The small man keeled over in pain as he clutched at his wound.

The crowd erupted in applause.

"That's my Gorp!", Helgar yelled out in awe. "The strongest mage in Bristall!"