Chương 74: Chapter 75: Adventure Times (I)

It took about an hour of consistent sprinting to navigate their way back to where the goblins and the basilisks were still battling. The fight pursued far deeper into the dungeon, seemingly the exact direction they needed to traverse to find an exit. Ember couldn't find anyone from the Asarii clan anywhere in the vicinity, though most of his focus had been on the basilisk and the lone goblin warrior taking the battle head-on.

Well, "head-on" might be an overstatement, but considering the sheer bulk of the monstrosity, it might as well be fighting it single-handedly, despite there being over two hundred other goblin infantry and a line of shamanic defence available. The basilisk was as large as its dead companion, though its form narrower, with impenetrable scales draped over its entire body. They were grey scales with a smoother surface, unlike the stark sapphire tones of the other. The pair of eyes, however, were as menacing.

Compared to the cold yellow eyes, it had a pair of narrow slits glaring in crimson. Whereas its opponent, whom Dawn deemed as the goblin chief, was taller for a goblin, rising close to two metres tall, but the gulf in their bulk was too great to make a difference. Its form was robust compared to any of its underlings. It resembled an ogre more than a goblin. Draped in equally hideous bone armour, it held a large spear, blinking in and out of the darkness as it fought against the monstrosity.

A group of shamans assisted from behind. A couple of their leaders seemed far stronger than the ranks of shamans they had seen previously. Unfortunately, even with such high-ranking shamans among them, the goblins had no hope of triumphing against the basilisk, from what he could infer.

"Looks like it managed to advance to Tier 8," Dawn assessed.

"But forcibly raising its rank might have left some side effects, which is only why the goblins were able to contend against it so far." Compared to the basilisk, Ember was more interested in the Goblin Chief. For one thing, its form was robust compared to the diminutive and stocky figures of its counterparts. However, the most interesting aspect was its shadow jump ability.

It was so proficient in it that it appeared as if it was teleporting from one spot to another, the highest jump carrying it over twenty metres. Yet, all that barely seemed to be a nuisance to the basilisk, failing to even penetrate its thick scales most of the time. As for the wounds the goblins had inflicted, none seemed grievous enough that the basilisk would chance a retreat.

"How long will this carry on?" Ember asked.

"The goblins will likely flee once their front line fails to hold up," Dawn said.

"But they might be able to hold on for an hour or two. Let's wait for them to create an opening. We'll slip past without anyone noticing." So they watched the war of attrition and the bombardment against the colossal serpent for about half an hour, as a clear gap appeared with the goblins' numbers falling. They wasted no more breath there, charging through the space the goblins left on their rear. Perhaps the basilisk might have been able to see through Dawn's shadowy veil if it had been idle.

But now, pressed by the strongest of the goblin forces, its main focus was elsewhere, making it rather easy for them to slip by. They didn't take any chances after crossing the battlefield, bolting through at their swiftest pace to finally come across another chasm a couple of miles away. The spectacle they had witnessed at the battlefield was enough respite that they continued at full speed down the chasm, only to encounter another pit.

Although its depth wasn't comparable to the previous one, it still plunged two hundred metres deep before dividing into several tunnels further into the earth. As far as Ember was concerned, they were easily three kilometres under the earth, currently, perhaps even deeper. He had lost all sense of direction and depth when he was chased by that basilisk.

"Wouldn't they lead even deeper into the dungeon?" Ember asked, eyeing the snaking pathways. Dawn shrugged.

"One way to find out." They chose one of the pathways at random and pressed on. After only a quarter of an hour of running, it led to a dead end. Traversing back took another quarter of an hour, wasting thirty minutes—which they were likely to repeat many times given the number of pathways before them. For the next hour or so, they moved in and out through archways, some leading nowhere, while others returned them to the pit through a different opening. Enjoying the story?

Show your support by reading it on the official site. Dawn was so irritated by this that she blasted a fire spell in frustration.

"I hate this stupid cave!" Ember shared some of her frustration, but he couldn't casually display such destructive force. Not to mention, they had been moving non-stop for some time, which had to take a toll on his stamina. He wouldn't want to add to that. Looking at her pristine, albeit slightly frustrated form, he couldn't help but envy the tenacity of silver tiers. He was almost certain that Dawn was beyond Tier 7.

Well, even if she hadn't yet advanced to Tier 8, her movement skills and mana foundation were likely far superior to his. Along with that higher Life attribute, she would certainly have more potency and vigour than others of a similar rank, but her base attributes should not be underestimated either. Dawn didn't stop blasting fire spells. She targeted the opening of the pathways and continued the wreckage into the other openings without taking a rest.

It took a moment for Ember to recognise she was only flinging spells at the paths they had already entered, as though marking them. They had already ventured into seven, with nine remaining. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to traverse them all to find an exit. So the journey continued, this time at a slower pace on his insistence. Ember began to converse a little with her, trying to ease her frustration. The next two openings led to nowhere, wasting another hour of their time and stamina.

"I swear to the Lord that whoever built these caves did it to spite others," she fumed, though she didn't rest, carrying on into another opening. This time, the pathway led far deeper. After traversing for over an hour of narrow, winding path, they finally came across something they hadn't hoped to. At least, Ember had not.

The broken skeletal remains on the path should have been evidence enough, but they had covered too much ground already to give up on the way to finally find themselves in the middle of the basilisk's dwelling. Exchanging a gaze, they slowed their pace. They still decided to traverse the same way, despite all the remains heaped on both sides of the pathways. Ember did not have to go deeper into the hole to recognise it.

There was a smell to it, a certain familiarity he seemed to have gained from his recent encounter with the basilisk. If not the shattered pieces of bones, all the snakeskin remnants the two great serpents had left behind were also a clear indicator.

"Give me a second," Dawn said, faltering before another pit where the main lair of the basilisk was likely located. She closed her eyes, concentrating. A number of her mana strings sprang to life, weaving into a ball the size of her head, before dispersing forward in a wave. Dawn opened her eyes, a silvery glow beaming in them.

"There's nothing threatening down there. Well, there are still a few eggs remaining, but more importantly, there seems to be another path leading out the other side, which might be exactly what we're looking for." Which was to say she intended to traverse the lair. Ember pursed his lips and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Well, if we are to continue, let's just get it over with as soon as we can," he said. With that, they slid down the pit, ignoring all the skeletal remains heaved down there. Many of the remnants turned to dust as they stepped upon them. There was so much of it still that they could literally drown within the bones.

"Don't worry," Dawn assured.

"The basilisk might have advanced, but I still have some cards up my sleeve for it to intercept us." While that was reassuring, Ember still wanted nowhere near its lair. Cold-blooded creatures were spiteful to begin with. He was unsure if it could track him down by smell, but he certainly didn't want to find out. Thankfully, the other opening was just on the other side, barely a couple of hundred metres away. But then, Dawn faltered in her run to shoot him a look, a grin spreading across her face.

"Hey, want to steal an egg or two?" Ember looked at her in horror.

"Are you being serious? If that thing finds out, there's no way in hell I could hide from its wrath!" Dawn seemed unimpressed.

"Well, it seems busy with the goblins." She shrugged.

"By the time it finds out, we'll be well out of this blighted dungeon for it to find us... that is, if it still has any juice left to chase." Then, as if to show him, she asked him to wait for a minute and ventured deeper into its lair. She returned soon, cradling two head-sized, scaled eggs in her arms.

"There are a few others, but I believe two are enough for us." Ember simply stared at her, his lips pursed, mightily peeved, though he didn't say anything.

"I'm going to keep them with myself for now," she added, reading his mood. He shook his head and heaved a sigh.

"Is there really a need for them?"

"Maybe, maybe not." She shrugged.

"It might be too difficult to tame something like a basilisk without specific skills. But you can always sell these eggs for a good amount of coin. Why are you looking at me like you hate riches?"

"I don't hate—" Ember cut himself short, recognising they were wasting time.

"Can we just leave?" The wider archway led them a few miles along an inclined path. Along the way, there was no shortage of more remains of everything the serpents had devoured, or rather did not. This eventually led them to another dead end—or not. This time, Ember, too, joined in her cursing. And his swears were more diabolical than hers.

"Wait! The path might not be ending here," she mumbled, heading forward. Only after covering twenty metres did they come across what actually blocked their perception. A huge block of stone obstructed their way. Standing over twenty-five metres tall, the black stone gates were seemingly grander up close, with intricate runic scripts etched into them in a rather palatial form.