Chapter 241: Something or Someone
The explosion first made itself known as light.
It appeared in the form of a brief white flash that seared itself into their irises before the sound even reached them.
Then the sound hit.
A mushroom cloud of smoke rose in the distance beyond the courtyard, climbing fast into the dark sky above the Undercity. An instant later, the force of the explosion slammed into them like a wall.
The Guidebot was thrown off its feet, crashing hard onto the stone ground.
The blast tore through every layer of shields Lukas and Melody had built around them, shredding the cursed energy apart in a heartbeat. The remaining force sent them staggering backwards.
Karrakas grabbed onto Lukas to keep from falling, while Lukas drove his sword into the ground to anchor himself. A few feet away, Melody did the same, stabbing her blade into the stone and gritting her teeth against the wind.
A second later, the force died down.
For a moment, none of them spoke. Lukas stared past the courtyard, his eyes wide.
The buildings ahead had been smashed apart, with chunks of wall and metal scattered across the street. Beyond the wreckage, smoke rolled thick and dark, swallowing everything past a few meters.
He let out a breath. It was a good thing he hadn’t thrown up a [Bone Wall] when the blast hit. If he had, the force would’ve shattered it instantly, turning every bone into a flying shard sharp enough to pierce them where they stood.
It would have been a quick, but gruesome death.
A groan of metal pulled his attention back. The Guidebot was stumbling to its feet. Its body had taken a beating, due to not having any protection from the force of the explosion like they had, but it was still alive.
Lukas didn’t wait. He dashed forward, sword pulled back behind him, and swung the flat of the blade into the beast’s head.
The clang rang out across the courtyard. The Guidebot’s head snapped back, its whole body following, sailing several meters before crashing down again.
He gave it no time to recover. Instead, he dashed forward, closing the distance in an instant before striking the head a second time, putting his full strength behind it.
This time, the blow did exactly what Lukas had been intending.
The head tore off the beast’s shoulders, flying off into the smoke and vanishing from sight.
The headless body swiped its claws blindly, looking to gore whoever had done the damage, before its movements slowed and it collapsed.
[You have killed a C-rank Guidebot]
Lukas turned back towards Melody and Karrakas.
"What was that?" Melody asked, eyes still on the wall of smoke. "An explosion like that, in the middle of a dungeon?"
Karrakas shook his head, his bow lowered at his side. "I don’t know. And I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before in the Undercity."
"Could it be a trap? Something the dungeon set off?"
"I don’t think dungeons work that way," Karrakas said. "If this is another obstacle, it would’ve been done using what the dungeon already had. Maybe a stronger Guidebot, but not an explosion out of nowhere that wipes out even the beasts that had been after us."
His eyes narrowed. "The dungeon wouldn’t shoot itself in the foot like this. I think something else caused this. Or someone."
Lukas stared into the smoke, thinking. Whatever this was, it didn’t change what they needed to do.
"We’re heading in," he said.
Karrakas’ head snapped to him. "Into that? We don’t even know what’s waiting on the other side."
"We don’t have a choice." Lukas’s eyes didn’t leave the smoke. "That’s the only way through to the center section. If we want to get out of this dungeon, we need to go through it."
Karrakas opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again. He knew Lukas was right, even if he didn’t like it.
Lukas turned to Melody, his expression shifting into a small smile.
"Melody. What if this was Akira?"
Melody’s eyes widened, her breath catching. For a second, she didn’t say anything, just searched his face like she needed to be sure he meant it.
Then she nodded, fast, already moving. "Then we don’t need to waste another second standing here. Let’s go."
Without another word, the three of them recreated their shields and got into formation before dashing into the smoke.
***
A few minutes before.
Akira stared up at Erik’s handiwork, a wide grin spreading across her face.
Hundreds of corpses hung suspended above the lake, dangling from thick vines that stretched across the cavern ceiling like a spider’s web.
Most of them hung low, just a few feet above the surface of the water, close enough that their limbs nearly grazed it.
The rest, the ones nearest the ceiling, were clustered around the mechanism at the center, packed in close where the gears connected to the stone above.
She turned to Erik, who stood beside her, arms crossed and looking rather pleased with himself.
"This is perfect," Akira said. "It’s exactly what I needed."
Erik let out a booming laugh, stroking his beard. "Of course it is. When it comes to matters of honor, my word is my bond, boss. I don’t do half measures."
"I’ll remember that the next time I need something done." She gave him a firm nod. "You’ve earned every coin."
"That’s all I ask." Erik gave her a merry wave, already turning to leave. "Best of luck down there. Try not to die. It’ll be bad for my reputation."
Akira snorted. "I’ll keep that in mind."
She watched him go, his stride unhurried despite the danger they’d just rigged above the lake. She didn’t believe for a moment that he would leave her alone when there was a chance to escape the Underneath, but she didn’t care.
If she tried dragging others along or seeking compensation, it would create unnecessary ties that she didn’t need.
If there was one thing the Sisterhood had taught her, it was that working only with oneself is the only way to avoid disappointment.
If Erik seized this chance and successfully left the Underneath, then it was his fate.
When he finally disappeared around a bend down the street, she turned, glancing left, then right. There was no one else in sight, just her, the corpses, and the silent water.
But she also knew that just because she couldn’t see anyone, that didn’t mean others wouldn’t be around.
She ignored the urge to check deeply, turning away. It was time to find her spot.
She moved along the edge of the courtyard, scanning the buildings until her eyes landed on one near the edge.
The building was already crumbling, with its walls leaning at odd angles.
"That one," she muttered to herself.
If her plan worked too well and it came down on top of her, the walls were now weak enough that it wouldn’t matter. Better that than something sturdy enough to actually hurt.
She stepped inside, finding a clear patch among the rubble, and looked herself over.
Her armor was secure, fitted snugly against her body. The [Kairos Fillet] still rested against her forehead, exactly where it had been since the moment she arrived.
Everything was in place.
Now there was nothing left to do but wait.
