As Ty frantically tinkered with his machine deep in an isolated cavern in the mine, he found his quiet work interrupted by vibrations. Ghost String slowly walks through a wall as the bearer of bad news. "Here they come, Chief."
"They're attacking faster than expected," the Alchemist thought as he applied the final coat of steel. "how many?"
"More than a hundred. Early risers. They thought they should get the credit before the others arrived. Hagen dug a tunnel and squashed a dozen."
Dynamite fun. "Are Anne and the Princess among them?"
"No, they don't deserve you anyway."
As he had predicted, fools eager to secure royal favors would doom themselves. Tai inspected his machine, a circular alchemical cauldron three meters in diameter and wide. This gray complex machine has various red holes on its body, like a "mouth" that spits out steam and stagnant blood. A primitive panel covered with buttons allowed the alchemist to enter the sequence, which he did.
In response, the cauldron began spurting green, mindless liquid at a rate of half a dozen per minute, but not fast enough for Tae's taste. He orders the machine to produce a very special kind of slime that takes much longer to create.
Driven by the evil instincts instilled in the original genes by the Alchemists, these oozes slithered into the tunnels in search of creatures to attack, smelling like shark blood. On their own, they are no match for adventurers; invaders will kill them in droves.
You're counting on it.
"Oh, this is going to be fun," said the ghost, walking through a wall and following the slime army. Tai himself summons his [Ghost Mirror] to investigate the situation.
Following his plan, Hagen used explosives to blow up part of the first level of the cave, separating the intruders and trapping some of them outside the exit. Most were novice adventurers he had met in taverns or shops. They wielded torches, spears, swords, and bows; the weapons were ill-suited for the narrow caves and corridors. Even the mages among them seemed inexperienced.
There were no Academy students among them... but Ty noticed that Percy was in a large group of ten, acting as guide. Unlike his companions, Squire seems willing to do anything to be elsewhere. Perhaps it was the thought of his own fate that tortured him just as much as his mentor's.
Ty glanced at another area of the first level, watching Spock lure a group of people down a narrow corridor. At this point, a trap is activated, the floor beneath them collapses, and a rope hangs from the ceiling. Spook grabbed the rope and saved himself, while the human fell onto the poisonous spikes below. The mummy looked down at the dead man with cold, indifferent eyes.
In another area, Duke fought a small group more directly, slaughtering first the caster and then the rest. Like a deadly dancer, he moves gracefully between swordsmen, his sword piercing eyes through skulls or finding its way through the gaps in armor. For starters, the level differences are too great, and the zombies clearly love to bleed with abandon.
Finally, the first slimes confront Percy's team in a small cave, under the cover of a group of armed skeletons. The team took up a good formation, with the archers led by Percy staying behind while the close-range fighters formed the defensive line; of course, the tight space prevented the former from firing without accidentally hitting their teammates. A spearman pierced a slime aimed at his head, sealing his fate.
The goo swelled and exploded into a sickly green cloud. The spearmen and others in the vanguard inhaled the poisonous gas and were soon coughing. Their mouths soon began to blister, their skin turned a sickly yellow, and most collapsed as their throats were scratched.
"Toxic gas!" Percy, the smartest of the band, quickly realized the danger. "Don't kill those slimes! They release poisonous gas when they die!"
The archers stopped their attack, although it was too late for the vanguard. Those who were not killed by the gas eventually became too weak to defend themselves against their undead attackers. More slime molds jump to the rearguard, attempting to self-destruct on contact and spreading smoke.
"They're suicide bombers!" shouted Percy, turning around. "retreat!"
Although it was the wisest strategy, Ty noticed the real, pure fear in the squire's eyes. He turned away not out of pragmatism but out of a primal fear of death. Adrenaline helped him run faster than his peers as they struggled to rise above the clouds.
The ghost string chose this moment to appear, and the purple ghost jumped out from between Percy and his companions, startling them.
"Boooo!"
Onigushi unwraps the protective illusion around him, revealing his true, terrifying form. Nightmare visions, festering flesh and tentacles, snarling mouths and gleaming eyes. Only the timid among them were frightened to death, while the others were petrified by what they saw... allowing the clouds and skeletons to catch up with them.
With tears in his eyes, Percy bravely left his companions to fend for themselves and ran quickly towards the exit.
By the end of "Invasion," the poisonous cloud has spread to almost all levels, making it a no-man's land. As the Necromancer and his soldiers patrol the area, intent on wiping out the survivors, Tye discovers that the dungeon is filled with an alarming number of rats. "Poor guy," the necromancer said, stepping on the back of a dead adventurer. "War is always painful."
Note to self: Breed poison-resistant rats.
Tai summoned his [Ghost Mirror] and checked the entrance to the dungeon, where the princess and her classmates had arrived along with a larger force.
This entrance is located at the foot of the mountain where the dungeon is located, and the locals call it "Maw" because of the many stalactites in this open cave that look like the jaws of a beast. The church erected a spear pillar near the entrance, and its sacred energy prevented the undead from passing through the entrance to attack the town; or at least, that's what Tai made them think. Priests even planted gardens around the path to the entrance, drowning out the stench of death.
Percy finally escaped, smoke rising from the cave behind him. The princess watched in dismay as smoke rose into the sky; due to the stupidity of her supporters, her attack was over before it began.
"This is a poisonous cloud that only affects the living, but the immortals are spared," the young woman told her classmates, who numbered dozens. "This was a premeditated strategy."
"I can use the wind spell to drive it away." Annie suggested.
"No," the princess replied as some survivors crawled out of the rubble, struggling to breathe. "Our first priority is to evacuate the wounded, and your spell won't protect us all the way down."
Tai noticed that they didn't have a high-level spellcaster yet, otherwise they would have noticed his divination. The princess did as she was told, ordering her classmates to heal the survivors or take them to safety before the Necromancer dispelled his magic mirror.
"I consider this a victorious battle," Hagen said as Tai and his elite arrived at the cave where Sigurd was ambushed. "Now, Chief, what do we do with these bodies?"
"I suggest nailing their heads to the spikes near the entrance," Duke suggested. "Break the survivors' will."
"That's barbaric," Tai replied. "Most importantly, workers and human shields are wasted."
"I suggest a middle ground," Gustrin said cheerfully. "Cut off their heads, impale their heads near the entrance, and lift the headless corpses up"
"Stupid," replied Hagen, the only headless undead of the group. "Stop joking, take them to the laboratory and resurrect them."
The living dead grumbled in disappointment, but obeyed the captain's orders. Tai's strategy bought them some time, but for how long?
"[Summoning the Great Demon: Laufey Seisinger]."
As he finished casting the spell in the summoning chamber, Tai watched his hexagram glow crimson. When he began to summon more powerful creatures from the nine realms, he was forced to upgrade from his previous pentagram.
The person who appeared in front of him was terrifyingly beautiful. She was a curvy girl with dark skin. Her dark purple hair fell to her shoulders and was tied together with a crown of thorny roses. To his surprise, she was wearing black silk clothes, conservative and elegant. Two crimson butterfly wings allow her to fly without touching the ground.
Her confused purple eyes reminded him of a cat looking at a particularly interesting mouse as she noticed the demon Bailey chained to the wall and the undead in the darkness. She placed a hand on her waist and focused on her necromancer. "yes dear?"
"Lauffy Seisinger, I wish to make a [soul contract] with you," Tye suggested. Dark elves already have a reputation for evil, but this one's cruelty exceeds that of her kind. She has demon blood, so he can summon her; and it's not the blood of any evil beast.
Summoning her was a risky strategy, and he wouldn't let her serve him without magical restraint. [Soul Contract] is one of the best [Demon] spells, enforcing the terms of the contract, punishing the oathbreaker with pain, death, or eternal servitude to the wronged party.
"It's been a long time since a mortal called me," she said in a melodious singer's voice, her eyes narrowing as she seemed to glimpse the Necromancer's true nature. "Though 'mortal' might not be the right word for you."
"My hero problems are only going to get worse, I need capable elites to lead my mindless minions and maybe infiltrate my enemies and cause chaos, like always. I thought you might like a position like this .”
"I might," the Dark Elf replied, placing a finger of his other hand to his lips. She is notorious for leading knights to madness and terror. "But not for free. What do you do in return for my help, Soul Eater?"
"Serve me for a year and then be released to Midgard to do whatever you want, or die."
"Interesting proposal, but unsatisfactory." The dark elf chuckled...until she focused more on the undead in the room.
Most of them are resurrected demons; maybe even her cousins.
"What did you do?" she asked in surprise. Apparently she hadn't expected this.
"Well, I've been asking all the demon members I can summon to join me, but they're misbehaving." Aspect shrugged. "Seriously, what's wrong with you friends?" I give you money, I give you secrets, I give you anything you want and you'll never be satisfied. "
"You foolishly summon monsters, and when they refuse to serve you, you kill them?"
"Why, really?" Tai said the obvious. "You can live or die for me. It makes no difference to me."
Well, not really. He can't resurrect the undead twice, but he can recycle living minions. The Dark Elf studied him, her smile turning into a mocking one. "You know who my father is, right?"
"Yes, but based on my investigation, you don't serve him."
"There's a big difference between not serving and not being loved," Laufey replied, threats lurking behind every word. "For your sake, I suggest you don't lay a finger on me. Especially in the early days of our relationship."
"That only depends on your kindness, and-" Tai stopped himself. "association?"
"Yes, my standard of living is very high. If I want to live here for a year, I want to have my own big bedroom, servants, nice drinks, and a kennel for pets."
The necromancer remained silent. She didn't sound like she was lying.
"What's the matter, honey? Have you changed your mind?"
"No, no, but I didn't expect you to accept it so readily."
"God, I feel so good about you," she said, glancing at the undead demons for what Tay saw as pure, refined, unadulterated sadism. "I was worried you'd become another stupid wizard, but you've fallen terribly far. I approve."
She wasn't scared at all, but impressed. accepted. The elf found the sight of demons transformed into undead hilarious.
"I agree to every clause," Tai said. "But only mindless immortals serve as servants."
"Well, I'm sure we'll be working closely together from now on." "I'd like one of your toys for my personal use. I like sculpting in my free time... and what could be better than screaming flesh and bones Material?”
Ty had a worried feeling that he might have made a mistake. A very, very big mistake
