Saintess Summons Skeletons

Alith and Sofia looked around, they had destroyed a lot during their previous leveling session. The outer ring’s upper city was full of holes, and a good part of the lower city was nothing but debris. Many an [Angel’s bolt] had been thrown.

There was no sign of a single Phageid anywhere, but that had always been the case, since their whole thing was hiding in plain sight.

Maybe they disappeared so the dungeon did as well? She shared that thought with Alith.

“The lower city should be full of them, send Pareth to check?”

“Alright,” Sofia answered. The chicken followed her command and hopped its way down to the ground level of the chaotic city. It explored a bit, Sofia monitoring everything using the shared vision. She had him check inside multiple houses, enter towers, and run around in the alleyways.

She had Pareth teleport back to them. This recall function of his was really practical, Sofia was only sad it didn’t work both ways. “Nothing,” she told Alith. ‘They’re not here.”

“Even if they all disappeared didn’t you say for a dungeon to be cleared the boss needed to die? Did we kill it without knowing last time?” Alith wondered as she kept observing the lower city. “Oh, can you fly here by the way? I still cannot transform.”

“Mana density is normal, if a bit on the low side, so I don’t see why not,” Sofia said, spreading her wings wide and floating up a bit. Flying between the houses would be hard but going above shouldn’t be a problem. I’m a bit worried about the black sky thing. In fact, she found the place quite unnerving before, and the knowledge of the Alphageid’s existence did nothing to help with that.

“Can you fly to the top of the walls? Let’s check what’s beyond there”

The wall leading outside the city wasn’t quite as tall as the inner city wall, so they went up this one first. Now, Sofia was really glad that Alith wasn’t taller, because her wings weren’t that strong. And it was weird enough to carry her like that. Flying over the last row of ice blue bricks, she landed on the walkway of the ‘wall’ that was in fact more like a huge rampart.

The walkway was very large, enough for ten people to walk side by side. Beyond the parapets overlooking the outside… Nothing.

The sky was the same dark abyss it had always been here, it extended to the horizon and then down. There was nothing else, as though the world stopped at the wall’s base.

Sofia started flying over the parapet before making a sharp turn back with a flap of her ethereal wings. There was no mana outside. I almost fell off! She landed on the walkway again and tried to calm her heart. That scared the shit out of me!

“Can’t fly there? You good?” Alith asked with a hand on Sofia’s shoulder.

“Yes to both…” Sofia took some more time to calm down, “There’s nothing at all beyond the wall. Not even mana.”

“Hmm. I’m curious what’s under the city,” Alith said, bending over the edge to look down. She spoke again but it made no sound. Frowning, she stepped back. “Looks like nothing either, no dirt or anything, just bricks then nothing. I think it goes a bit further down than the lower street’s level though. Hard to tell.”

“Your mouth is steaming,” Sofia pointed out with a raised finger. Alith who hadn’t paid attention closed her mouth and swallowed.

“Weird,” she finally said, before brushing it under the rug, “Anyway… Let’s check the inner city, since there’s nothing here.” She raised her arms, “Please help, lady Saint, this poor banshee has no flight.”

Carrying Alith, Sofia tried to fly up, but at first they couldn’t go much higher before the mana disappeared. The more they approached the inner wall the higher they could go.

So there’s some kind of dome above holding the mana… Or it could be a sphere surrounding the city, that’s still possible.

They landed on the wall to the inner city.

[You have entered the dungeon : Zangdar inner ring - Lv. 200+]

Sofia looked down at the inner city. It had nothing in common with the chaos of the outer ring. There were twelve mansions in a circle against the wall, and some sort of huge vaguely cone shaped palace tower thing in the middle. The whole thing looked oddly like a big clock.

The mansions had suffered the same fate as the outer city, stripped clean of doors, furniture, or anything that wasn’t made of the same blue rocks. But the palace seemed actually safe. They could see actual wooden doors, glass windows, curtains… Maybe it’s protected by some kind of barrier? My guess at this point is the Phageids eat anything that isn’t blue stone, so the palace could be a real safe space. If we can take it over we could have an ultra secure permanent secret base, away from everything.

Well, it’s just sad that we only have one ring.

Alith looked at Sofia, “Do we return to the desert? Worm should be gone by now. Not too sure about fighting level 200 Phageids… Imagine if they have ranged attacks, we'd be in trouble, even with your wings.”

“Weird to see you be the voice of reason after you wanted to explore the desert’s level 200 dungeon.”

“It’s exactly because I explored it that I know it’s too much for us to take on. At least the desert dungeon I could scout in advance. Here…”

Sofia sat down on the rampart’s walkway, with Pareth on her lap, “I agree that we should leave, anyway, you should go out first, since you can always transform to escape the worm if it’s still there. I’ll wait until you’re back.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Alith answered, starting to carve the ritual circle onto the ground with her mithril coated weapons. She stood in the center of the circle and sent a mana pulse to the ring.

Then again.

And again.

She looked back at Sofia with a pained smile, “Say, Sof. You wouldn’t happen to have a secret technique to teleport us back?”

“We’re stuck here?”

“We’re stuck here.”

“Did the ring break somehow?!”

“No clue, here, identify it maybe, could tell us what’s wrong,” Alith said, tossing her the ring.

[Key-Ring of Zangdar] : Through the planes, mana shall lead the way. The locked city is but a shadow of its past glory, long destroyed by what it was meant to keep away. Uses left : 0/256 Item level : 0. Grade : Forgotten.

So NOW it shows the uses left… Great. She shared the message with Alith.

“Surely we’ll find another key-ring…” she started, only to be met with Sofia’s shaking head, “Alith… if we find another ring and the coordinates of our world are saved in this one… Where do you think a new one would lead us?”

“Oh…”

Maybe we can repair this one somehow? She didn’t even believe in her own ideas. Am I stuck here forever?

Sofia deactivated the bone armor and let herself fall back and lay on the ice blue floor, “Why does this shit always happen to me…” She counted on her fingers, “First the cavern, the basement, the slavers, the monster tide, the caravan, the orphanage, the Church, the princess’ room in the trial, the pyramid, now this!

“Can I not be free, ever?!” She rolled over to plant her face on the ground, “I’m tired, Alith.”

“Woah, this is quite unlike you…” Alith approached from behind to pat her back, “You know what all these things you talk about have in common, Sofia? You made it out. And I’m here now. What’s one more time? We’ll be out before we know it.

“Come on, stand up now,” she coaxed Sofia gently, “This place isn’t going to explore itself. Surely we’ll find a way in the palace, or when we kill the boss.”

"Saria is waiting for me..." Sofia mumbled in distress on the ground. Her voice was so weak and discouraged, Alith didn't even understand what she said.

It was only when even Pareth had started pecking at her face to get her up that Sofia accepted to stop pretending to be a rug.

Since when can Pareth make decisions by himself?

This was the first time ever that Pareth had done something she had never ordered him to do.

Even rescuing and carrying her when she had passed out from the poison gas in this very same city before had all been part of the orders she had once given. But pecking her face? She had never ordered him to do anything remotely close to that.

Some specialization options had mentioned becoming intelligent, so likely conscious, but [Eclipse Skeleton] said nothing about such an option.

Did it…?

Wait, wait wait. Am I blind?

As she looked up at the specialization option message, one line she had glossed over before stood out like a sore thumb.

‘This skill’s summon is willing to protect the summoner at any cost.’

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