Chapter 238

  Orgrin the Ghostly Dwarf

  “Orgrin?” Connie rubbed her chin. “That’s…the name of the dwarf who accompanied the First King.”

  “Aye, the very same,” the dwarf said proudly. “And who are ye, human?”

  “I am Cornelia Asterium Steelheart.”

  “Steelheart?” the dwarf’s eyes widened. “Yer a Steelheart? Now that you mentioned it…I do see traces of that man in ye. Hahaha! To think that he ‘ad a descendant with such prowess! Though I dinnae suppose he’ll be very keen with the use of poison.”

  Connie smirked at the jab. “I’m just being efficient.”

  The dwarf saw the level look on her face. He understood that she indeed saw this as a normal thing to do. How can a Steelheart produce such a descendant? Someone who’d use despicable means to fight?

  Connie cut to the chase. “If you are indeed Lord Orgrin, then you must know where Dauthisaz is.”

  “Yer…” the dwarf’s voice turned grave. His cheerful expression quickly turned to one of suspicion. “How much do ye know?”

  “I know enough. I’ve read my ancestor’s diary.”

  “Then ye must know what truly happened in the Demon Continent.”

  She gave a silent nod.

  “In that case, for what reason do ye seek the First King’s Armor?”

  “If I say the reason, you would not believe me.”

  “Try me.”

  Connie then told him about her near-death experience. Regarding how she met with Dark-Mother and how she sent her on a quest. And that she needed the armor to aid in her search, for she and her men would be bound to meet many dangers in said quest. Natural and Supernatural. Of course, she omitted a part of the whole truth. She did not explicitly say what the quest was. Judging by how he reacted, a great quest would have spurred him more than sentimental reasons.

  Orgrin listened to her. When she was finished, he gave her a wry smile. “Yer right. Anyone would’ve thought ye as mad if ye were to tell this story.”

  The dwarf slapped on the ghostly hammer on his side. “But whether yer story is true or not, getting Dauthisaz is not an easy thing, I’m afraid. It is located even deeper than the place the Faith called the Inner Sanctum. And that place has become the Dungeon Core’s Chamber.”

  “Oh? That makes thing easier,” Connie smiled confidently. “I can get Dauthisaz and destroy the Dungeon Core at the same time!”

  Hearing the young woman’s fiery answer, Orgrin laughed uproariously. “Gahahaha!! Yer’s a right laugh ye are! Balls like steel!! If ye were a man, ye’d ‘ave wenches linin’ up fer ye! Fer that, I’lll lead ye down the Chamber meself.”

  “I need to look for my people first. They got teleported here like me.”

  “That so? I’ve met a few men lookin’ around the place a good ten, fifteen minutes back. I could lead you to ‘em.”

  “You would? Did you see any Centaur? She’s one of my companions. She should be looking for me as well.”

  “A Centaur? You keep strange bedfellows, descendant of Steelheart,” he shrugged. “But if she’s anything like ye, we’d meet her on the way. Just follow my lead. I’ve been walkin’ round this dungeon so many times, I can find my way blind.”

  “Please.”

  The dwarf, upon seeing Connie gesturing politely with her arm, felt uplifted, and walked with a wide stride.

  As the two walked along the path, she found that Orgrin was quite chatty. Perhaps being alone for so many years had made him dearly miss proper interaction. At the moment, he was eagerly inspecting Crimson Serpentbane. Floating around her, scratching his ghostly beard in wonder.

  “Mmm, quite the intricate design. Despite having many joints, it seamlessly moves with yer fingers and allows full movements of your hand. And this kind of craftsmanship...this is of Dwarven-make, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. He is quite the agreeable one. Very practical-minded.”

  The dwarf floated away from her. “By the way, I noticed ye weren’t using a sword despite moving like a master. Why is that?”

  “I have one. His name is Chen.”

  Hearing his name being called, Chen popped up from Connie’s sleeve and nuzzled her hand lovingly.

  “A Poison Slime?” Orgrin raised an eyebrow. “No, I mean, that monster can imitate the shape of a sword, sure; but there is limitation to such a method. No matter how a slime tries to be a sword, it is still not a one. See, a sword’s power dinnae come from just the form; It comes from so many things. The method of its creation, the materials used, the shape of the core, and the skill of the artisan. It’s a shame someone with yer abilities to not ‘ave a weapon that suits yer skills. Argh! If I still have my body I’d have made ye a good one!!”

  Chen could not see the ghostly dwarf, but he could feel Connie’s shift of emotion. He tensed up and made a small noise of dissatisfaction.

  “I appreciate the goodwill…for now, Chen is sufficient,” Connie rubbed the slime’s cool gelatinous body. She had her thoughts on that; yet rather than arguments, the safety of her people were more important.

  They soon reached the end of the path and she could see familiar figures fighting below where she was standing.

  Orgrin scratched his head sheepishly as he looked at a sheer drop that would have killed a man. “Ach, sorry. Been floating so much these days I forgot humans cannae fly. Let’s find another way.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  To his surprise, she gave him a side smile and spoke.

  “Why waste a good shortcut?”

  Standing in front of a circle formation, Nick and Millicent led a few Church Knights in battle against enemies that had swarmed against them. Four Grey Ghosts, one with an injured arm, kept guard of the sides. Behind them were a number of Church Knights with varying degrees of injuries. One was already a goner, judging by the severed intestines spilling out of his stomach.

  “How many did you just kill?” Nick asked with a grunt as he bashed his shield against an incoming fish-headed monster and stabbed his sword into its neck as it fell onto the ground.

  “Thirty!”

  The monsters were not as big or as strong as the ones they fought before. But they came in droves. Climbing over the dead bodies of their brethren, waving a makeshift spear aggressively.

  Just as Milicent cut down a monster, she sensed an ill wind and managed to defend against an attack. The power contained within was enough to cause her hands to feel numb. “Ugh…!”

  When she looked at the attacker, she gasped. “S-sir Dirk?”

  “You know him?”

  “He was one of the Unrestrained Candidates missing during the raid of this Dungeon!”

  The man called Sir Dirk had lost his left arm to a growth of coral, but his strength was still that of an Unrestrained Candidate.

  “T-that one, isn’t that Sir Gren?” One of her men pointed at a man dragging a cracked sword, his leg moving jerkily. “And the others behind them! They are all the missing men!”

  “K-khill me…please…” a voice, dry and raspy came out of Dirk, whose sword clashed against hers.

  “What had befallen you to turn you into something like this, Sir Dirk?!”

  “The pain…!” the former Church Knight slammed his head against his sword, pushing her back.

  “Dammit!” Nick defended against an onslaught of bizarre-looking men who threw themselves at them while moaning in pain.

  Two of the Church Knights with half their faces taken over by corals dashed past Nick, who was occupied by the enemies. One grabbed an unsuspecting Church Knight by the legs and the other bit through his jugular. The man screamed in pain as blood burst out in great spurts.

  Locke slashed the thing’s head and stabbed the one holding the leg. Yet he was too late.

  “We can’t fight them while protecting the wounded like this!”

  Just then, the creature who had been banging onto Nick’s shield had its head removed. The sound of something cutting through the wind went past everyone’s ears. The shape of a sword could be made out as it flew around, severing bodies and decapitating heads.

  It flew towards the one that used to be Sir Dirk, but the creature swung its arm and deflected the sword. Though it did so at the cost of his remaining arm.

  From above came a chiding. “You’ll need more training if enemies of this calibre is enough to make you kneel.”

  “Milady!” Nick cheered, pushing a headless corpse off him.

  The white-robed young woman leaped from stalactites to stalactites as the sword flew towards her hand. The tip of her foot barely making a sound on the wet ground when she landed.

  “Don’t hesitate! They are alive only because they are being controlled by Phantoms. They are weak against Divine Power,” Connie said, facing off against the second Phantom-possessed Unrestrained Candidate. “I’ll leave that one to you, then?”

  “Yes. This one is my responsibility,” Milicent said grimly.

  The barnacle-ridden monster slashed his cracked sword at Connie, which she parried easily.

  “An Unrestrained Candidate reduced to a mindless puppet, waving a sword like a child,” Connie stated flatly. She made a sword sign with her hand and pointed at the barnacle-ridden monster. The sword Chen had turned into pierced through its chest and pinned the creature onto a stalagmite.

  Without moving a beat, she recited a Dharmic Scripture and grabbed its head. As the Phantom was exorcised and disappeared in a plume of dark smoke, the tortured face of the man let out a smile of relief.

  “T-thank…you…”

  This one…seems to have its faculties together, unlike the one before.

  Connie shook off the thought and turned her attention to the other side. By losing both arms, the Phantom-possessed Sir Dirk was finished off quickly. A look of relief could also be seen on his face.

  She saw a fleeting expression of sadness and regret as Millicent sheathed her sword, but it vanished the instant she lifted her head. “Please accept my gratitude, Duchess. If it wasn’t for you, we would’ve been overwhelmed.”

  “No thanks necessary. You did well to fight off so many enemies while protecting your wounded,” she said, as she threw a pouch at her. “Here. These are some Pills I made. Go and help your men.”

  Millicent, who had now grasped Connie’s straightforward attitude in the battlefield, accepted the pouch gratefully and went to her subordinates. While doing so, Connie gathered her people and gave them a few words of encouragement. Orgrin flew about, looking at the corpses with a thoughtful look.

  Not long after, Allenca, Akula and Hastings came out from a pathway and joined them.

  “Connie!”

  “Akula! I knew you’d be fine,” Connie took hold of her arm firmly, a smile upon her lips.

  “Your Eminence!” The Church Knights, led by Millicent, bowed in respect upon seeing their leader.

  The joy of reunion could only be savoured briefly, however. As they must keep to their mission. The leaders know, that with several wounded among them, descending further will become harder. Therefore, a decision must be made.

  “If Dungeons can be taken care of by throwing numbers at it. All the Dungeons in Grea would’ve been conquered by now,” Connie said sternly. “We don’t have the luxury to protect them. And the monsters down there will be stronger than these.”

  “Though the Duchess speaks harshly, she speaks the truth,” Commander Hastings agreed. He knew that many of his men would’ve gladly given their lives for the Maiden. But as a leader, he did not wish for them to die from foolish bravado. “However, there is a big difference between dying in glory and dying from stupidity.”

  “It’s rare for us to have the same opinion,” Millicent added, “Still, the decision is in the Maiden’s hand.”

  “I…agree…our mission…is most…importaaant.”

  Of course, when the order was given to the men, protests were given. Yet they knew that the leaders spoke true. The simple fact was that they were too weak. Especially true for the four Grey Ghosts.

  Seeing this, Connie gave a smirk. “Are you angry? Good. Then grow strong enough to prove my word wrong, my Knights!”

  “Aye. There will be time when we’ll squeeze you dry no matter how your protest. Today is not that time! Today, your duty is to return home safe!” Akula said as she rested her Sukheri on a stalagmite.

  Connie nodded at Akula’s words and faced the four men. “Grey Ghosts! Hear my orders! Go with the Church Knights and search for the exit. Once you get out, inform the others of what had transpired here.”

  “We hear and obey!!” the four Grey Ghosts slapped their chest in a salute. Their hearts were frustrated, but they promised to themselves that they would grow stronger.

  After parting with the Church Knights and the Grey Ghosts, the six of them gathered to plan their next move. While Orgrin was listening to their discussion, he slowly became frustrated. “Why’s the woman with blue hair speaking like she just drank a keg of ale? Out with it already!”

  Allenca glanced at a rock where Orgrin was sitting. “Heeello…may I know…whooo you are?”

  “Who are you talking to?” the Centaur asked, her eyes staring at the empty space the Maiden was looking at. “I don’t see anything.”

  “You can see him?” Connie asked.

  Orgrin jumped up in joy. “Another one who can see me? By Mydirr’s spear! Such luck!”

  “Moost…people…cannot see…ghosts. Because…they do not have…the Skill. Those who are…blessed…with Divinity…could also perceive…theem. But such…calm and…non-hostile…ghooosts are…very rare.”

  “Divinity? Then…?” Connie looked at the leaders of the Church Knights.

  “I am unfortunately not that blessed,” Hastings said. “I can only hear noises, like ones you hear when you put a shell next to your ear.”

  “I can hear, but I can only see when I focus very hard,” Millicent said. “If you are able to see and hear ghosts perfectly, it means you are indeed blessed by the Goddess, Duchess!”

  “Not sure why that would be a blessing. But fine,” Connie said. “This is Lord Orgrin. One of the First King’s companion. He’s going to guide us to the Inner Sanctum.”

  All at once, the others gasped. “How is such an esteemed person here?! As a ghost nonetheless?” Nick said.

  “I died from a sword wound to the stomach after sealing Dauthisaz,” he made a painful groan while touching the stab wound on his stomach. “Urgh, I can still feel resting against my ribs.”

  Another gasp, this time only from the members of the Faith.

  “What, you…don’t know?” Orgrin quickly turned his head towards Connie, who had put a palm on her face and shook her head tiredly.

  “Ooh, they don’t know.”

  Her expression was enough for him to realize what he just did.

  “What did he mean by Dauthisaz? The armor of the First King? It’s here?” Millicent asked with a voice, trembling from excitement.

  Allenca put two and two together and asked. “So…is that…why… you waaant to go…to the Inner Sanctum?”

  Connie’s answer was a long groan.