Chapter 160: Chapter 160 – Floor 15: Part 6

Chapter 160 – Floor 15: Part 6

Alfred watched ‘Aiden’ carefully as the man who had assumed the identity of his lost brother stared out at the darkness surrounding their campfire with a serious expression. He had caught him doing so many times over the course of their journey, but he had thought it was because they were in a foreign country amongst strangers.

But Aiden interacted with Prince Louis as if they were long-lost brothers or friends who had been absent from each other for years. Sometimes, people just ‘click’ with each other, and the two Princes were an example of it.

During the day, they would ride their horses close to each other, chatting casually about a variety of topics. When the party would set up camp for the evening, they would drink wine and laugh until the sun went down, at which point Aiden’s attitude would change.

He would gain a serious demeanour, and his face would often frown in the darkness.

“I hear the call of my bed beckoning to me. Good night, and rest well.” Louis said as he stood up from the log he was using as a seat and stretched. After bidding the Prince of Francia goodnight, he returned to his tent and sealed the flap.

Seeing that they were relatively alone, except for Daphne, who was nearly dozing into sleep next to the fire, Alfred moved closer to ‘Aiden’ and spoke.

“What is it? Is there something out in the darkness?” Alfred finally asked when they were alone. He kept his voice low so as not to draw attention. If there was danger, he knew that Aiden would have already warned those present.

Aiden started slightly in surprise, which was rare for him. It demonstrated how caught up in his thoughts and concerned he was with the darkness that Alfred could take him unawares. Aiden looked at him for a moment, frowned, then shook his head.

“It’s nothing.” Aiden replied in an attempt to brush aside Alfred’s concerns. But the young prince had spent enough time with him to know that there was a problem. When Aiden saw that Alfred would not let it drop, he let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair.

“It’s a side effect of using the Word of Power I gained from Arthur. They’re watching me from the darkness, and I don’t know what they want.” Aiden admitted, and Alfred couldn’t help but peer into the darkness at whatever was causing Aiden such concern, but he saw nothing but the black of night.

“They?” Alfred asked.

“The Celestials. Don’t ask because I don’t know much about them; just that they created the Words and are all dead. Alien ghosts are haunting me.” Aiden muttered, scowling at the words he spoke.

“Is there anything that can be done? Perhaps Arthur has a solution.” Alfred advised, and Aiden’s scowl worsened.

“He does, and no, it’s not something I’m willing to do. I thought that if I gained a few levels, they would go away, but I’m at the max of my Discipline, Level 50 in total, and they are still there.” Aiden said, but Alfred didn’t understand the meaning behind his statement.

Discipline? Level 50?

“Forget it.” Aiden instructed as he stood up from his spot in front of the campfire.

“I’ll get used to it, at least until they eventually lose interest. It’s not like I plan to use any more of the damnable Words anymore.” Aiden mumbled half to himself before returning to his tent. As he walked, his footsteps disturbed the nearly asleep Daphne, who blinked awake and looked around in confusion at the almost empty campsite.

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“Where did everyone go?” Daphne asked, her voice slightly slurred from tiredness. They had set a fast pace over the past few days. Their campsite was just off a farmer’s field in a small thicket of trees that sheltered it from the wind.

“To bed. Come on, let’s join them.” Alfred said as the pair of mages returned to their respective tents and slept.

Page Break

Their party arrived in Creuse after a week of travel. The band of dozens of Anglican and Francian Knights, Mages and Nobles made quite a stir in the small village.

The town’s only inn was quickly filled by Mathew, Louis and a few of the higher-ranking members of their group, meaning the rest had to stay with some of the villagers or in the stables at the edge of town.

Thankfully, the gold mine was only a couple miles away in the hills east. There were tracks for mine carts laid down all the way from the warehouse by the river to the gold mine, making it easy to follow.

The Ancestral Werebeast had claimed it as its lair a number of years ago, and despite numerous attempts to remove it, the stubborn monster stayed. Eventually, it was decided to allow the creature to have the mine, boarding up the entrances and stationing a garrison of troops to ensure it stayed there.

Overall, the arrangement worked; it was better than other times when the beast roamed freely and infected the local farmers and settlements with its curse. But there was a time limit to its rest; it would eventually awaken and stalk the lands once more, causing no end to trouble as it had for centuries.

Prince Louis had been training for most of his life to fight the Demi-Beasts, both this Ancestral Beast in Creuse and several others across Francia.

“There are more?” Mathew asked. The notification for the Floor had only spoken of the five; he didn’t know there were others in the territory.

“Many more. They have been driven to the edge of Francia, but the tide always rises and pushes back against the shore.” Louis replied. His English was nearly perfect, with only a slight accent. Mathew found himself liking the young man, who was always calm and collected no matter the situation.

He found himself wondering if the gods would offer him a place in the Tower like they had done with other exceptional individuals.

“Why were they not on the list?” Alfred asked from beside him. They were riding toward the mine, following the tracks laid into the ground that hadn’t been used in a decade, not since the Ancestral Werebeast had taken residence here.

The iron was rusted and covered in weeds and plants but easy enough to follow.

“Perhaps they don’t have the hearts we’re looking for.” Mathew replied.

Louis had been informed of their purpose, to gather the hearts of the Ancestral Beasts for a ritual, and had been more than happy to help. It was a win-win for Francia; they would have a problem removed from their territory, and the Princes of Anglia would have an item necessary for Alfred’s recovery.

Louis saw no reason to contest the arrangement.

“When it comes to the gods, there are myriad reasons for the things they do. It is not for us mortals to question.” Louis advised, and Mathew nodded.

“This is it?” He asked, pointing to a large hole in the side of the hill where the tracks led. There were discarded tools and carts around it, rusted from the weather. No one had come back here after abandoning them.

“Oui.” Louis replied in French. He gestured to his people to spread out and begin preparations. The mages began marking symbols on the ground or setting up ritual materials for summoning beings to help them.

The Knights dismounted, tying their horses to trees far away from the fighting. They wouldn’t be much help here in such close quarters. They drew swords, axes or maces and made their own arrangements, covering their weapons in poisons and oils deadly to werebeasts.

While they did so, Mathew had the cart they had brought all the way from the boats unloaded. Three cannons had been carted all the way from Anglia, along with the most potent explosives they could fire.

“Alright, the plan is simple. We blast that hole with the heavy stuff and hope we piss off the werebeasts enough to fight out in the open. There’s no way in hell we are going down into the mine to fight. I’ve done it before, and it’s just asking to be ripped apart.” Mathew went over the plan again as Marten and several other Knights lifted the heavy cannons and began to piece them together.

Seeing that no one argued, Mathew continued.

“Once they come out in the open, Enalious and his mages will give them everything they have. I don’t want anyone coming closer to these things than they need to; the curse can spread pretty easily if Louis is correct.” Mathew paused for questions.

“It’s a wererat; fire and acid spells will work best.” Enalious added as he looked around at his small cadre of mages.

“Hit them hard, but make sure they are out of the tunnel before you do. The inside is reinforced with wooden beams and magic, but it will collapse if you strike it directly. If that’s all, let’s get to work. We have an Ancestral Wererat to kill.”