23: The Ruined Fortress of Roha Vala, Part Eight

The Ruined Fortress of Roha Vala, Part Eight

"Uh... Hi."

Neve just stared at her for a few seconds.

The lamia's body was quite thin. Neve could see her ribcage protruding slightly, and her arms were quite bony. Although there was a chance that, maybe, this was just how these people looked, Neve took it as a sign of how long she'd been here.

Eventually, however, she stopped her staring as she remembered a couple of things. One, she had an objective to complete. Two, this woman probably wanted to get out of this cage.

Before she could ask, Erin said:

"I do not mind taking a moment to speak with you, but, would you be so kind as to help me escape this prison?"

"Y-Yeah," Neve nodded eagerly. "How do I do that?"

Erin blinked.

"I... figured you had come here with that goal. I couldn't imagine why anyone else would come here. Do you not have the key to my cell on you?"

"Um, hold on. Let me check."

"Are you not certain?"

The lamia sounded more perplexed by the second. 

"No, I'm not."

Neve then pulled out the black key she carried. It was worth a shot.

She pushed it through the keyhole at the right side of the cage, but its lock did not open.

{Key Required}

[Seriously?] 

"Nah, this isn't it."

"Then, that traitor might still have it. I see," she replied, sighing. For just a moment, she took up the same melancholic position Neve had found her in earlier. "I was hoping you had already killed her."

"What do you mean? Who are you talking about?"

"You do not know? Then, I truly do wonder what brought you here. I am referring to the one who placed me in this cage," Erin replied. "Long ago, this fortress was a place of festivities and luxuries. Our position in the Flameheart Mountains is rather difficult to reach, as I am sure you know, so my people lived in secrecy here. One day, however, that fiend Terralyn, another of my kind, brought the arken forces here and caused a massacre."

[Arken... so, that's what those pigs are called?]

"She brought them in the night, while we rested. The marauders invaded our castle and swept through it, bringing death and chaos. Most of my kind were cut down, but a few of us were kept alive. Those who were captured, like me, were tortured. Those who simply surrendered were taken as toys. Trophies. I..." Erin looked away. "I have no clue how long I've been trapped like this."

Neve tore her eyes away from her for a moment.

As she heard the woman say what happened here, she felt like helping her. But, she stopped herself from committing to that idea for a moment, at least.

Because, despite her initial reaction to seeing her nearly get dropped in lava, there was, of course, a chance that in truth she'd done something deserving of that fate.

Neve had no idea what was and wasn't true about what she said. One thing, specifically, made her want to be cautious.

And that was the fact that there was no level over Erin's head.

Neve had no idea what that meant, but it felt like a detail to take note of.

[She could just be an NPC. Or, maybe her level won't be revealed until after I get her out? I don't know.] 

Setting all of that aside for now, she focused on what was the most important part to her.

"... So, this girl, Terralyn, is she the person in charge of the fortress right now?"

"Along with her arken friends, probably," Erin replied. "Unless they grew tired of her and dumped her into a similar pool to the one I currently hover over. But, if they did, I have no way of knowing. Though, one can certainly hope," she said, giving a dry chuckle.

Neve nodded.

[So, she's probably the boss then.]

"Where can I find her?"

"Hm?" Erin tilted her head, arching a brow at Neve. "Are you going to fight her and her forces?"

"Probably."

[It's the only way I can get out of here, after all.] 

Erin blinked.

"You seem rather calm about this endeavor. Are you truly that powerful?"

"Um, no," Neve answered honestly. Noting that the fact that she was asking meant she also could not see the level over Neve's head. "It's more so that I need to see her before I can actually leave."

"Ah, I see. Well," she raised a hand and flourished it, "I would imagine that she finds herself at the peak of this tower. The luxury of it was what she always coveted, after all. The ability to look down on everyone she betrayed. I would also guess that the way to her position is heavily guarded. Having stabbed her own people in the back, she probably understands the dangers of leaving her surroundings unchecked. If you managed to reach me, though, I'm sure you're more than capable of handling her guards."

Neve laughed nervously.

"Right..."

[Yeah, what she doesn't know is that I'm beyond weak. Anyway, the fact that the path to the boss is being guarded like that is- well, it's expected, but it's pretty inconvenient.]

From this conversation, Neve had gleaned that this dungeon's boss was likely located at the top of the tower she currently stood in. Whether it was the woman Erin was talking about or someone else related to her.

The other paths from before came back to her mind, then. She still had the bunker to look through, and it was quite likely that the key would be for that place.

However, now that she knew where the boss was most likely to be located that fact did not matter. 

At least, not yet. If she reached the top of this tower and found no boss there, then, well, the meaning would be obvious. 

[I'm here to kill the boss. That's it,] she thought. [Every second I spend here that isn't related to that is just me putting myself at unnecessary risk. So, I think I'm just going to ignore that place... If I can, anyway.]

Having come to that conclusion, Neve had but one more thing to ask of Erin.

"Any advice before I head up there?"

"Advice?"

"Yeah," Neve nodded. "You know, stuff I should look out for, places I should investigate, traps I should try to avoid. Anything you can let me know about in advance?"

"I-"

At that moment, Erin's eyes went slightly... blank.

It was quick, and the look within them faded away the instant that Neve noticed it, but it had been there.

"I do not remember," Erin replied, sounding confused at her own lack of memory. "Maybe I have been in this cage for longer than I thought. I can't seem to remember much about the fortress and its layout. Only that Terralyn is likely at the top."

Neve raised a brow. 

"Actually... How long have you been in here?" She asked then.  2

"It feels like weeks. Months, even," Erin replied. "I know that cannot be true, however, because I have not eaten or drunk anything. I would have starved long ago. Perhaps the boredom simply made the passing of time feel slower," she shrugged.

"Huh... Okay then." Neve walked away a few steps. "I'll keep a lookout for the key. If I find any, I'll come back, okay?"

She added "if I can" internally.

"I would appreciate that," Erin responded. "If you do end up seeing Terralyn, please, on behalf of all the former residents of this fortress, end her. Such a person cannot be allowed to continue living without consequence."

Given that Neve was on a journey for vengeance herself, she knew where Erin was coming from.

"I understand." She turned away, bringing her staff back. "I'll see you in a bit, then... maybe. If I don't get my head cut off."

"I will pray that does not happen. For your sake and mine," Erin muttered.

---

[Yeah, this feels about right.]

Neve finished allocating the Attribute Points she'd gained from leveling up earlier. Her status looked like this:

Neve Stephens

Level 27

MP: 360/360 (+50)

EXP: 180/270

Activity Points: 150

WS Tokens: 4250

---

Endurance: 20

Speed: 10

Precision: 15

Strength: 5

Arcane: 36

Her Endurance had allowed her to survive a hit earlier. Barely, and with the assistance of {Sacred Ground}, but still. It seemed as though she didn't have to worry about getting killed in just one hit anymore.

She couldn't take many chances in that regard yet, though. There was always the chance of meeting an enemy or two that had a particularly high Strength rating, of course. But, because she had survived that last hit, she decided it might be best to continue investing in her Arcane attribute.

In addition, after checking the pigs' bodies, Neve found a few curious items. 

Seeds of Flame Affinity

{Temporarily increases Fire resistance}

The pigs dropped multiple of these, which Neve gladly threw into her inventory, given that she was currently hugging a pool of lava and she could need them later.

[It's a little weird that that enemies who are weak to fire also drop fire resistance items, but I'm sure the Forces That Be don't give a damn about that type of thing, huh? Whatever, I'm not complaining.] 

Erin had said this was a place of luxury in the past, but she had trouble picturing in what way this could possibly be considered luxurious. Unless one was a fan of giant black wheels, dangerous paths composed of floating blocks, deathtraps, and lava bursting up from the nearby pool.

All she could see from here were strange machines raising and lowering the black cages, arken patrolling different floors, and a staircase that led to some strange statue.

High up, past that statue was an elevator of sorts, and Neve guessed that was the way up to the boss area.

With her goal in sight, Neve prepared herself for what could come next. 

[... I can do this,] Neve thought. [Just a little more. All I need is to kill that boss. That's it. Just keep pushing.] 

pqdm.com