Genesis Locorum

Over the next few weeks, the Black Box’s crew has prepared for the encounter with the forces of the Engines. They trained through and with various adventurer parties sent by Rosenkreuz. They had delved into the microdungeons to hone their arms and armor. They had fortified the nearby jungles and settlements, all in preparation for that fateful day.

By the end of those weeks, the guild had received notice of the invading army’s advance. Pauline is at the Black Box warning them of the imminent arrival.

“So, they finally arrived,” the knight says.

“Is it enough? “Emily’s voice echoes to everyone. “Are we ready?”

“We have gone into everyone’s weapons at least thrice by now,” Atsuko says. “With an average of thirty floors delved in each microdugneon, your mana levels should match our upcoming ‘guests’.”

“What about the jungles and forests? Elizabeth says.

“We have managed to place gravity mines and other traps all over them,” Minerva says. “They should help deter their forces.”

“I have to coordinate with the town and other communities to get assistance for that, “Paulina says. “You have no idea how many favors I had to call in just for this.”

“We’ve managed to get some help from Noir as well,” Esteban says. “Chiron had convinced some of the Ebony Guards to protect the perimeter. And I was able to get some of the Rouges to assist.”

“What if those all fail?” Rose says.

“We had a final trump card in cases like that, the [Last Bastion Protocols], but…” the fairy says.

“But?” Emily asks.

“If they are activated…no it’s best not to dwell on that for now.”

“Lizzie?” Emily asks the fairy.

“With Charlotte’s spells, these guys will feel the gravity of their situation very quickly.”

“I’m surprised you were able to create so many glyphs,” Anemone says.

“It’s all thanks to that book you lent me,” Charlotte says.

“So,” Tim says. “How soon should we expect the Engines’ forces?”

“Less than twenty-four hours, dear,” Pauline says.

“I see,” Tim says.

The air is thick with dread as the dungeon and her allies wonder how to prepare themselves further. Carla notices the creatures under her care reacting to the tension with alertness. Heathcliff is figuring out how to arrange the rooms to best defend Emily’s core from the invader.

“We know his core is now embedded into his avatara,” Julia says. “If Emily is able to absorb him.”

“We will have to thin out his machine army first,” Streltizia says.

“Indeed,” Tim says. “Our best chances are if we can fight him and him alone.”

“That said, as the core and the head honcho,” Heathcliff says. “He’s gonna be a tough nut to crack, cher.”

“We can take him!” Lily says with her usual optimism.

Pauline presents a map of New Virginia. Several points of interest are marked, including the Black Box’s location and several choke points.

“Radio kept mentioning people seeing large groups of machines over here,” Heathcliff points to one of the forests on a corner of the map.

“That coincides with a report of a razed town in the area,” Atsuko says.

Pauline muses over the sighting. “If they were seen there, that means they’re using the old Arsene route. They’re following the railways.”

“That means they are certain to pass through the jungle,” Minerva says.

“I’ll alert the adventurers to head to the Verdemaw,” Pauline says “That is our best place for stopping the advancing army.”

“We’ll go help too!” Rose says.

“Are you sure?” Pauline says. Aware of the ages of the witches.

“Rose, are you sure you want to do this?” Emily says.

The Lamia nods. “I want to be able to protect our new home!”

“If they absorb the core,” Anemone says. “Then who knows what will happen?

The sprites are nearby, still mourning the loss of Puck and the Mirage Feywood. Ulrich looks at Pauline “We will lend out aid as well. I won’t let our friend’s death be in vain!”

“These illusionary staves will come in handy,” Pauline says.

The Smith siblings arrive. “Chiron has returned,” Sarah says.

The centaur priest canters in after the dwarves. “I’m sorry to report this, but Benoit has reported that they have passed the Skypeaks. They’re approaching the Verdemaw now!”

“Already?” Emily says in shock.

“This is a bad development,” Heathcliff says.

“We have to move fast!” Pauline says.

The Coloraturas and the sprites begin to leave for the Verdemaw.

✦✦✦

The Engines march towards the Verdemaw. So named for its being the entrance to dense woodland and jungle. Though it lies the quarry of Baron Roberts. Carnegie observes the hold made through the Skypeaks behind them. “Tunneling through the mountains had proved quite effective, sire,” Carnegie says.

The Baron scowls the area expecting resistance. He smirks upon seeing no one is there. “Excellent,” he says. The Baron and his forces march close to the Verdemaw.

An hour later, the machine army arrived at the edge of the Verdemaw. They can see the canopy sprawling out for miles. They continue their advance after searching for any opposition.

One of the robots steps onto a glyph. It and several of its fellow machines suddenly collapse onto the ground. “ALERT, ALERT. MOVEMENT IMPAIRED.” They are unable to lift themselves under their increased weight.

“Stupid hunk of junk,” the Baron mutters. “Carnegie, keep an eye out for more traps.”

The Dungeon Master nods. He scouts ahead for more glyphs.

Meanwhile, a hastily assembled counterforce enters the Verdemaw from the opposite end. Comprising of adventurers from many guilds. Chris and Marian are among them.

Marian takes water from the local spring to refresh her breath.

“Are you okay?” the bard says.

“I’m fine the green-haired mermaid says.

The sprites are already at work conjuring illusions to misdirect the machine army. Their woven mirages aim to direct them to three large glyphs Charlotte had made.

“The goal is to defeat the army right?” Chris says while playing some notes on his saxophone.

“Yes,” Eponus says as he approaches. “We must wipe out as many of the Cells as we can.”

“Can we do it?” Lyssa says while looking at their cards. “They feel very…”

“If we can divert them to these gravity glyphs,” Merriweather says. “Then the worst is over.”

Marian turns to the other party. “I don’t think we’ve met. Name’s Marian.”

Faye turns to the mermaid. “Faye.” She then takes out some herbs to make into positions.

“Eponus,” the centaur ranger says.

“Chris, “the bard with the sax says.

“Merriweather.” The elfin druid says. “That reminds me, where’s Carlos?”

The minotaur boxer arrives. “I’m here.”

“I’m Lissa!” the purple lamia says to the bard and mermaid. “Nice to meet you!”

The group hears noises in the distance. “They’re here.” Faye takes her bow out.

Lissa draws their card. “Cetus?” they say upon looking at the metal card. they realize this means she drew the Mesonyx deck.

“Anything significant about that?” Marian says.

“Her Astra Card is Scorpio,” Carlos says. “If she drew a card from its deck, then that means—”

“I could get the wild card!” Lyssa realizes the ramifications of this. If they’re able to draw it, then they can call on any effect of the eighty-eight cards.

“It’s not guaranteed, “Faye says. “Luck is a harsh mistress.”

“Indeed,” Eponus says. “There is a one in twenty-one chance of drawing compared to the usual one in twelve chance of drawing the Astral card in other decks.”

The noises are getting louder, and the scene of smog gradually fills the air.

“They’re getting closer!” Chris says. “Let’s head out.”

The group of seven heads to the source of the noise. They find several machines in a formation.

One of the machines sees them. ‘HOSTILES DETECTED! ALERT. HOSTILES DETECTED! ENGAGING!”

The monotone voice of the Cell alerts the other machines to their presence.

Marian attracts the enmity of the machines by beginning the first to strike. Her swordwork cuts down one of their arms. Chris supports her by using bardsong to cause the earth beneath them to collapse, trapping several underground.

Lissa draws a card. Their drawn card bears the mark of Delphinus. She presents the card and sees ethereal fins on her back and tail. Using the card’s power she dives into the ground as if it were water, vanishing into the vortex with a splash of dirt. She reemerges beneath several of the machines and flips her tail before diving back into a dark vortex.

Eponus and Faye shoot arrows at the myriad mechs while Carlos knocks down one with his fists.

“We have their attention!” the minotaur says. “We must hurry!”

Lissa uses the power of the Delphinus card to surprise the mechs with dark-aspected attacks with her tail before diving back into the ground through dark vortexes. They emerge near the others as they are set to lure the machines to the glyphs.

✦✦✦

Meanwhile, the Sprites encountered several groups of mechs and sued their Mirage Staffs to trick them into walking toward the glyphs. Every illusion they weaved conceals the booby-trapped trees and ground.

Bewitched by the illusions, they inadvertently match one small glyph. One of the machines steps on it and triggers its power.

“ERROR! ERROR! MOVEMENT IMAPIRED!” The cells behind it trip over the fallen mech as it tries and fails to lift itself.

Flowena giggles upon seeing some of the machines unable to move. “This is for Puck!” she says as she flies around the rest of the machines. Dodge their ranged attacks. Several sprites join the pink one in her playful and vengeful mockery of the Engine’s Cells. Their tricks break them like a spoiled brat would toys and the stragglers are led closer to one of the large glyphs.

Ulrich meanwhile heads straight to the avatara leading the machines. He surprises the Baron robots with his presence. “Hi there!”

“What the?” The Baron tries to swat the blue sprite, but Ulric’s nimble movements void them. “What is a sprite doing here?”

“Good question,” Ulrich says while toying with the malevolent dungeon core. “Maybe it became someone who had absorbed a kid’s soul that had sheltered me and my friends?” he flies away.

“Lousy gnat! After him!” he leads several battalions of mechs after the blue fairy, including two of the Kybernetes.

Flowena and her fellow sprites meanwhile lure the mechanical Cells to a large tree, changed to look like a clearing to the machines.

“CAPTURE THE GNATS! CAPTURE THE GNATS!” One of the machines cries as it jumps and tries to catch Flowena with its arms. Flowena dodges the hands of the machine with grace and a teasing tone.

Flowena and her allies lead them to the center of the “clearing”. Ulrich also leures the Baron towards the same illusion and regroups with his partner. The two and the other sprites so flutter away with cheerful grins just as the Baron arrives.

The machines at the clearing try to capture them. The Baron also trying to swash them. One of the Cells accentually steps on the center of the disguise glyph and triggers it.

The Baron Roberts and his nearby forces witness an indigo light beneath them/ Radiating with starlit power. Before he could react, his armor and his Cells collapsed on eh ground.

“SYSTEM FAILURE! GRAVITY PRESSURE EXCEEDING NORMAL LEVELS!”

“ALERT! GRAVITY TOO HIGH TO LIFT CHASSIS. SHUTDOWN IMMINENT!”

“INTERNAL STRUCTURE CRUSHED. APOLOGY PROTOCOLS ACTIVA—” The machine shut down before it could finish. Its body is now flattened like a drink can.

The Baron struggles to live in his armored body. He fumes with rages as he attempts to lift himself. “Godsdammed pests!” More determined than before he tries to lift himself again. His thrusters activate, scorching a nearby fallen Cell and providing torque. “Obsidian will not be meeting me today!” He manages to lift his arms and rear, assuming a kowtow-like position. The increased gravity bears down on him, but he overcomes it and stands up, exerting much of his mana in the process.

His expression bears a grimace as he witnesses the effect of the gravity glyph on his soldiers. The robots stand around him, flattened and inoperable. The exceptions are locked into sessility by the sheer increased force of gravity. The Baron channels his mana into making an Apurgy core to offset the increase weight. Using the power of the Umbrasphere he had acquired from absorbing the Feywood.

The Baron looks around and sees that even the two Kybernetes with him had summered to the glyffs effects and were crushed to inoperability. As the Cells and two sentinels fade into goad dust and flow into him. He glares at the sky. “Rotten gnats. I’ll vanquish you soon.” He says menacingly as he regroups with the rest of his army.

✦✦✦

Orpheus Arion is among the Ebony Guards tasked with stopping the Advance of the Engines in its tracks. The bard keeps a lookout for any of the machines in the Verdemaw. His raven locks flow in the wind.

“I heard the kids from your village ended up murdered,” another of the Guards near him says.

“Yeah,” The bard looks behind him. He sees the Black Box. Exactly as it implies, it is a large cube-shaped dungeon with a gleaming ebon exterior. He strums his lyre. “The murderer was caught, and my parents claimed my sisters are safe but…”

“But?” the other Guard asks.

“A lot has happened,” Orpheus says. “I’m not even sure if their claim was a white lie meant to console me, or why, if they survived, were they among the few that haven’t met the fate of the other children.”

The other guard takes out a spear and practices some thrusts. “Is that why you joined the Ebony Guards?”

“No, Eurydice,” Orpheus says. “I left the village before the incident,” Orpheus says. “Had I been there that night I’d…” he soon hears rustling. The sounds of whirling gears break his train of thought. “They’re here!”

The spearwoman and bard see a small battalion of the Engines’ Cells. Eurydice takes her spear and uses it to fire a pillar of light into the air. The Ebony Guards emerge from the surrounding wilderness to surround the mechanical hoard.

“ALERT! ALERT! ADVENTURERS DETECTED!” one machine says. “ENGAGING!”

Orpheus uses his lure to strum a Bardsong spell. Water spouts emerge beneath the machines as the other Guards fight off the horde—the elite adventurers from Noir. One uses lighting magic to zap the drenched machines. The discharge causes the group to fall, and their circuits fried from the combination.

More machines arrive. And fire several magic attacks. Eurydice uses the water from Orpheus’ spells and her light magic to create refractive shells over them, causing the hostile magic to miss and hit for less damage.

“Hah!” the mage says. “These are supposed to be tough?”

“Zag,” Eurydice says. “Keep in mind that these Cells are far away from their Dungeon.”

Zagreus turns back. “So, maybe the core is a tough one but his robotic henchmen are clearly nothing to write home ab—” As if to prove him wrong, a hidden mech had bladed him in the back. The cocky mage collapses unconscious.

“Zag!” another Guard cried. She heads to his aid while Orpheus and Eurydice use light and water bardsong to reveal and destroy the hidden mech.

“We need to lure them to the glyphs!” Their leader says. “That’s your order!”

The leader of this band has been an Ebony Guard for a while. It was him that they sent to the Black Box to protect it from the invading force. The dwarf’s experience is apparent from both his beard and the medallions attached to his armor.

“Got it!” Orpheus says. They begin to lure the army towards the glyphs.

✦✦✦

At the same time, Euryale and Stheno are as far away from the Black Box as they can possibly be without their construct bodies breaking down. Nina and Charlotte are with them as they take a look at the Ebony Guards fighting the mechs.

“Are you sure you guys should be here?” Charlotte says. “This place is dangerous!”

“They haven’t gotten that close yet!” Euryale says. “Besides don’t you want to see the Ebony Guards in action?”

Charlotte realizes that even in her visit to Noir she hadn’t met or seen one from the elite adventurer’s guild.

“Besides,” Stheno says. “We’re sure your magic will protect us when it comes to it.”

“Why do you have such talent anyway?” Nina asks.

“I don’t know,” Charlotte says. “It was only recently that I learned I had an affinity to those spells at all.”

“I remember,” Euryale says. “You nearly flatte—.” Her sentences stop.

“Sister?” the other twin asks. “What’s wrong?”

The two rat-eared sisters point to a specific person in the battle, a black-haired bard strumming his lyre.

“What is he doing here?” Euryale says.

“Who’s he?” Nina asks.

“Our brother! Orpheus!” Euryale says.

“What?” Charlotte recalls their encounter on the subway train in Noir.

“Fate is a cruel mistress it seems,” Stheno says.

“You’re brothers here?” Nina says, forgetting about the encounter on the subway train in Noir. “I’ll go say hi,”

“NO!” the other three girls shout in unison.

The spiderling is confused, “why not?”

“Well for one,” Stehnos ays. “The Verdemaw is being besieged by the Engines remember?”

“For another,” Euryale says. “If he knows what happened to us and the other kids, he could undo everything Carla has done.”

Nina recalls what happened on their trip to Hamlin and of the effects of the encounters with Pruflas. “Oh.”

The girls witness the Ebony Guards lure the machines toward one of the large gravity glyphs Charlotte had created. They also see the Baron moving toward them while defeating every adventurer they come across.

The Arion sisters begin to realize the trouble their bother is in and try to find Carla.

✦✦✦

The Ebony Guard group lures the machines to the nearby large glyph, whittling down some of the machines on the way.

Orpheus prepares a poem on the fly. “Sing of heart of ice. Trap these cretins in your vice. Encase these metal Cells, inside your frozen hells.”

The song causes ice to form on the machines, hindering their movement.

“I thought we wanted them to reach the glyph. What gives?” Zagreus asks.

“If it sets off before we can get away, we’ll be crushed, you idiot!” Eurydice says. Her dark skin framed an exasperated expression with the not-so-bright magician.

The Guards rush through to the other side of the glyph, but they see an avatara land before them. Clad in a steam-powered mech suit.

“Gentlemen, it’s an honor to make your acquaintance.” The Baron Roberts says.

The leader aims his pistol at him. His eyes give an icy glare to the avatara. “You are found guilty of illegal absorption of guild dungeons, trespassing through state boundaries, and the razing of several communities. The Ebony Guards will bring you to justice!”

“Justice? Hah, don’t make me laugh!” The Baron says. “I never expected that pitiful mess of a dungeon got involved with Noir.” He engages the group in combat.

At the same time, Euryale and Stheno alert Carla of both his brother’s presence and the danger he’s in. The alraune sends some mountain lions to help the Guards escape.

The felines lunge at the Baron, but he easily swats them aside as he manifests a longsword from his mechanical arm. The blade exhumes steam as he points it at its opponents. It is heated by the mists and enchanted with fire and water magic.

The dwarven leader of the Guards fires his firearms at him. The Baron simply slashes the air and creates a wave of steam hot enough to melt the bullets. A mountain lion tries to assist but the Baron cuts the interloper down. The beast bleeds gold dust as its fallen body vanishes.

The Ebony guards stand form, their silver and black armor shining in the sunlight rays as they stand their ground. Zagreus casts ice spells while Eurydice aims to combine her light to create a reflective shield over her group. The Baron clashes with one of the guards. A man that wilds a large broadsword. The two swords clash, and the dark knight stands firm over the baron.

The swordsman enchants his blade with lightning, aiming to jolt the Baron with his sword strikes. Orpheus recites a poem. “Oh Halcyon, maiden of the seas. Turn the tide of battle, bring him to his knees!” As he says this he strums three notes in succession, repeating the pattern over and over until his poem ends.

A geyser begins to form beneath the Baron. He sees the swordsman preparing a plunging attack and leaps back. The knight is the only one that is drenched by the geyser. Orpheus and the leader fire arrows and bullets against the steam-powered dungeon core. But he simply leaps to avoid their attacks.

“Is this the best, Noir’s ‘official’ guild can do? Pathetic! Perhaps the Syndicate had finally rotted you from the inside out!” He holds his steam blade high into the air and immediately pushes it down towards the leader.

The knight intercepts that attack with his greatsword, but the force of the clash causes it to chip. A small piece of metal flies off from the knight’s weapon as he looks on in shock and horror.

The Baron sees that the horrified foe is still wet from Oprheus’s Geyser and proceeds to use his steam blade as a staff to call lightning from the heavens. The knight is struck down by terajoules of energy and screams in agony.

“Percival!” the leader screams, unable to help the knight. Percival soon collapses onto the ground. Dead. His armor was blackened by the ash, his body unrecognizable.

The Baron looks at the dead body with satisfaction and pity. He then turns to the rest of the Ebony Guards. “What senseless waste of life,” he says. “To challenge the gods is to court death itself.”

“He-he’s mad!” Zagreus says.

The dwarven leader of the Guards looks at the Baron in rage and disgust. He grips his blunderbuss. “Go, now! That’s an order!” the dwarf says to the other adventurers without turning to them. His gaze only fixed on the smirking baron.

The other Guards realize what he is planning. Orpheus tries to dissuade. “Sir, please—”

“Just do it!” the dwarf says. “There is no need to risk yourselves!”

The Baron begins to attack the others before they can flee, but his attack is thwarted by the advent of hippogryphs and a peculiar deer. The Baron is blindsided by the sudden emergence of beasts and his preemptive strike is thwarted.

The deer fights ferociously as the hippogryphs bock and buffet the Baron with their legs and wings. Remorsefully, they leave their leader to fight the Baron alone.

The dwarf makes sure everyone is cleared before engaging with the Baron, aided by beasts. As Orpheus flees, he sees a familiar chartreuse-haired and skinned alraune.

The Baron engages his opponent. A steam-powered sword against Blunderbuss. He tries to skewer the dwarf, but he dodges the stabs and swings of the blade and counters with wind-enchanted bullets. The dwarf rushes beside him while the deer charges at the Baron and knocks him several yards back.

“A zombie deer,” the Baron sneers. “That’s a new one.”

The beasts and the dwarf fight the baron. The dwarf gets closer to the large tree with each minute, as the Baron tries to squash him like a bug. Eventually, he is inches away from his goal. But before he can make that last step. The baron grabs him and lifts him from the shoulders. He drips his weapon as he is lifted several feet into the air.

The leader of the Guards struggles to free himself, his legs ineffectually kicking the air as he stares at the Baron’s eyes. He sees that the upper right of his cranium is coated in a bronze casing and that his right eye is replaced by an ominous half-vizier.

“What do you have to say for yourself, blasphemer?” The Baron says.

The dwarf has an idea. He sarcastically pleads. “Oh merciful dungeon, do not pin me to the tree behind me, please. I’m allergic!”

The Baron brings the dwarf closer to him. He could smell the avatara’s rancid breath. “You have sealed your fate!” he then does the opposite of his opponent’s sarcastic plea and slams him onto the arbor repeatedly. Unaware that it is the activator for the gravity glyph.

The dwarf falls to the ground. The Baron loons over him. “Why other last words?”

The dwarf knew this would happen. He knew that his sacrifice was needed to bring down this monster of a dungeon core. With the last of his remaining strength, the leader of the Ebony Guards sent to fight the Baron chuckles. “Sucker!”

The tree glows a blue-violet hue. The Baron realizes what has just happened and collapses onto the ground. Yet again he had been tricked and yet again he had fallen victim to the gravity core. His Apurgy countermeasure had worked until this point, but he now struggles to move under the magnified force of gravity affecting him. He looks at his adversary and smiles as his body ceases functioning.

He let out a scream as he fought the increased weight. The adrenaline allows him to move his sword and uses it to create a stronger Apurgy spell. He channels mana into the spell, as much as possible. “Let Gravity have hold on me no longer. And see the cursed fools flounder!” his bardsong poem is punctuated with a scream as a pillar of darkness engulfs him. After the dark column vanishes, He is able to stand once more, but can still feel his movement hindered.

“If only I had an Astrasphere…” he grumbles.

He looks back at his deceased foe. The grotesque sight disgusts him, but the serene expression on the dead dwarf’s face is even more so. His movement cumbered, he moves ever closer to the Black Box, using his mana to move where his muscles failed.

“Even in this state, even if Anesidora dares swallow me whole. I will prevail!” The Baron screams.

✦✦✦

The Ebony Guards regroup in another part of the Verdemaw.

“I-is anyone chasing us?” Zagreus says.

“Negative!” one of the other guards reports.

Eurydice looks towards the direction they came from. “Is…is he…?”

“We have to assume so,” Orpheus says while strumming a dirge. “He gave his life to stop him.”

“Will it be enough?” the mage says with a frightened look. “He seemed rather—”

They suddenly hear the whirling of gears in the distance. They turn to the source of the noise and see someone limping towards them.

“C-commander?” Zagreus asks. “You’re alive?”

As the figure draws closer, the Guards make out features that do not befit their dwarven commander, instead, they see in the shadow a larger frame and an arm that is longer than the other. They also see steam from the around the figure. A sense of dread surrounds the party.

“This can’t be right.” A female Guard says. “That gravity well should’ve stopped him!”

They recognize the silhouette of the Baron Roberts. Orpheus quickly uses his lyre to conjure a wind spell to buffet the man.

“We need to regroup,” Orpheus says. “He’s too powerful!” The Ebony Guard contingent leaves to regroup with the other adventurers stationed at the Verdemaw.

✦✦✦

At the Black Box, Heathcliff oversees the Verdemaw, keeping an eye on the battle.

Emily’s voice echoes to him. “How are they faring?” referring to the adventurers that had gathered here to defend her from the Engines.

“So far so good, cher,” the knight says. “Their forces are down to a third of what they arrived with.”

“Are there any casualties,” she asks.

Carla arrives. “Alas there is,” the alraune says. “The leader of the Ebony Guards sent here had perished trying to activate one of the glyphs. Others had fallen in the clash.”

Emily grows silent for a few moments. She doesn't want people fighting over her, let alone in this manner, yet something about the Engines scared her.

“Emily,” Tim says. “Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Emily says. “I’m fine. I’m fine.”

“Minerva, the Coloraturas, and the Smiths are holding their fronts at least,” Heathcliff says.

“Should I—”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Heathcliff. “It’s you he’s after, and if he gets to your avatara, he will try to absorb you. It’s a risk better off not taken, cher, not now at least.”

Elizabeth soon flutters in with a frightened look on the face. “Everyone, I have an update on the enemy core’s status.” She flies closer to Tim.

Tim reads the hastily written report. “Seems the Guards and the Sprites had managed to get the Baron to the glyphs.”

“What?” Emily says.

Heathcliff’s brow furrows. “That ‘glyphs’ is pluralized marks it a bad omen.”

“He seems to be encumbered for now,” Elizabeth says. “He’s burning through a lot of mana just to move.”

The tension in the air is gradually replaced with hope. But Heathcliff remains skeptical.

“It isn’t over until it’s over.” The knight says. “He has absorbed a lot of dungeons, it would stand to reason that his mana levels are through the roof.”

The group continues to oversee the battle. Emily sends Elizabeth to alert Pauline about the opponent’s current status.

✦✦✦

At the same time, Eponus’ party encountered Carnegie, who engaged them with the remainder of the Engines’ forces. He has already incapacitated Marian, Merryweather, Bronda, Carlos, and Lissa. Faye, Eponus, and Chris are the last people standing.

Chris and Eponus try to deter Carnegie with their attacks while Carlos tries to head everyone else with her potions. Carnegie merely dodges their attacks and grabs Faye by the neck.

“Humph, pathetic,” Carnegie says before slamming the fawn into the ground. Faye is rendered unconscious by the attack.

Carnegie then turns to the bard and ranger. Before he could attack, a dense mist surrounds everyone and blinds them. Carnegie hears rapid footfalls and movements all around him.

The fog lightens and reveals that his opponents are spirited away. Replace by seemingly more fig. Carnegie knows better than to assume the battle is over.

“Come on out,” the dungeon master says. The area stays silent for several moments. He soon hears the sound of someone rushing towards him.

“Karakuri Arts Two, Two, Nine! ”

Saizo uses his prosthetic to summon a snowstorm. The blizzard hinders Carnigie’s vision and he is forced to use a fire spell to melt the ice. He sees Saizo before him.

“A Yanese Ninja?” Carnegie says, “Wait a minute.” He notices the features on the man are familiar and has a sudden realization. He smirks upon recognizing the man.

“Nice to meet you again,” Saizo says sarcastically.

“Indeed,” Carnegie responds. “Sire will be pleased.” He launches his fireball at Saizo, but he uses the cover of the mist to evade and quickly moves behind him. He tries to punch Carnegie, but the sharp-dressed mage counters with a dodge and an uppercut.

Kei meanwhile uses his brush to paint symbols in the air. Summoning a rain of falling boulders over the two combatants. Hoshikage rushes into the fray with hip and elbow strikes.

Aika meanwhile tends to the retrieved adventures, helping Faye heal the others.

“My thanks,” Eponus says.

“No problem,” Aika says.

Kasumi helps Carlos up. “Come on big boy,” she says.

“Thank you,” the boxer says.

Suzume keeps an eye on Carnegie from her vantage point and sees Saizo using ice powered with his prosthetic on the Engines’ Dungeon Master. And Hoshikage using bajiquan moves to keep the black and red-clad man away from Saizo. She sees Carnigie push away both fighters and the mist and begins conjuring a spell.

“Farewell,” Carnegie says. “You have made for a fun distraction, but the time for fun is now over.” He continues his preparations.

“Karakuri Arts Zero, Five, Three!”

Carnigie’s spell is interrupted by an interluding Suzume who unsheathes her sword and lands a surprise ice attack on the mage. Carnegie is knocked back and his legs are frozen along with the surrounding ground. The force has sop him mid cast.

Hoshikage uses a flurry of elbow strikes, punches and rapid movements to pummel the mage. The rapid flow and momentum increasing the power of her strikes.

The mage looks at Atsuko’s retainers as they converge and prepare to fight him.

“Are they safe?” Saizo says.

“Of course,” Kasumi says. “That group is far away from here now.”

Kei turns to Carnegie. “What do you have to say for yourself, vile blackheart?”

Carnigie smirks. “Bring it on.”

✦✦✦

The Baron Roberts limps along on the Verdemaw, determined to fight, to reach his prize. “Damn,” he utters as he moves slowly in the woodland. “How on Titania are these glyphs so powerful?”

A while later he is in front of a spring. He tries to rest on the rock and gazes at the waterfalls. He is calmed by the beauty of the surrounding streams. He nearly forgot that he lost more than half of his army.

He looks at the waterfall. He recalls happier times of starting out as a Divine Dungeon. With a spark of hope in his eyes. When he was but a brash young man who also happened to be a factory complex that made steel for the communities for Cerberus. His memory then shifts towards scenes of carnage within his body. Fights that he reveled in as adventurer after adventurer fell to his might. He clenches his fist as he recalls his meeting with Atsuko and her group. The first people who ever gave him trouble first rejected him for her microdungeon experiments, and then defeated him in the subsequent fight.

“Blasted cat!” He lifts his steam sword with all the might he can muster and channels a fire spell in front of him. Burning the grass near the stream. “She will pay for rejecting me, and that dungeon will pay for escaping me.”

His determination forces him to expend more mana to achieve normal mobility. “I’ve plenty to spare,” he thinks. “It matters not.” He leaves the burning spring. A pillar of smoke rises behind him.

Eventually, he senses the presence of more people. “Who is it? Show yourselves, you cretins!”

A lightning bolt strikes the Baron. He growls at the thunderstrike.

“We are the ones that will stop your wickedness!”

“Our magic will keep you rather steamed.”

“You will go no further. We shall not fail!”

The Coloraturas emerge and surround the Baron. “Ah, witches,” he scoffs. “Tell me, are you aware of the ramifications of your pacts?”

Rose nearly gets distracted by the word “ramifications” before mentally telling herself to focus. She points her rapier at the Baron. “It matters not what these ‘ram-ee-fi-cations’ are! What matters is stopping you from absorbing innocent dungeons!”

“Naive brats,” The Baron says. “You will learn that dungeons are never innocent.”

Azalea swims around the baron. He tries to swing his sword at her, but she nimbly dodges. “You must be pretty exhausted,” she quips. “Maybe you should lie down, and take a rest, it’ll all be over soon. Teehee.”

The Baron growls as he tries to slash the clionid. “You ought to respect your elders better!”

Strelitzia lunges towards him and blocks his sword with her axe. “And what makes you think you’re so worthy of respect?”

“Oh you will learn, missy,” The Baron says. He charges his sword with light magic and uses it to blind Strelitizia. While the minotaur is blinded, he lifts his leg and kicks her several yards back. She collides with a nearby tree.

“Stre!” Clover yells before glaring at the Baron.

The Baron cackles madly. “Yes try to rage against the nascent god. Throw your lives away! It matters not. You would become piles of sludge eventually!” he confronts the girls.

Hydrangea uses her staff to conjure a path of ice for her to surf on, she then uses her grimoire to attack him with ready-made thaumaturgical ice spells. Amenome fires an arrow to root his shadow where it stands. Lily trots towards him to blind him with light spells of her own before using g her hind legs to kick him. Strelitzia stands up and rushes him with her labrys.

The baron is assaulted by Lilt’s spear and Streltiiza axe, a second steam blade, shorter than the first emerges from his free hand and he uses both to block both the centaur and the minotaur’s weapon. “You think me disadvantaged,” he says. “That is your mistake.” He repels the two girls with a force of wind channeled by his swords.

Raine swoops it and uses her rings to summon a ring of fire around the Baron. The hostile core simply walks outside the ring with only a few signs of the heat affecting him. Steam exhaust forms his boots with each step.

Clover tries to push him back with her wind magic, before realizing that he is still under the effect of the glyphs and that he would be too heavy to topple by himself. “Anemone!” the deerlet says to the werewolf. The purpel-haired girl looks into the winged fawn’s eyes and intuits her plan.

Anemone and Clover combine their magic to envelop the Baron in a veil of miasma. The Baron breathes the corrupted air and feels his strength waning. “You little pests!”

“We’re not pests,” Azalea says while swimming towards Anemone to have her knife enchanted. “We haven’t pasted anything together lately.” She slashes the air with her knife. The darkness enchanted blade combines with her water powers to create a poisoned splashed on water that lands on the Baron.

The Baron is not amused with Azalea’s attempts at humor, nor is he from suffering from both poison and misama. He attempts to use his swords to cast a poison purging spell, but Raine attacks with her rings and deflects the blades away from proper casting stance.

“You won’t get past us!” Raine says as she clashes with the Baron. The Baron tries to deflect her rings but fails with each attack. He is soon knock back a few feet from Raine’s slashes and throws.

The Baron breathes heavily. “Look at the lengths you had to go to…to match my power.” He kneels from exhaustion and the ailments. “Verily, I’ve emt my match,” he says with a subtle smirk.

Raine moves clsoer, assuming the Baron is defeated. “Will cease your thirst for power?” she says.

“Of course…” He begins channeling a spell while Raine approaches him.

Rose notices soemthing is amiss. The stema swords begin to glow subtly.

“…once the Administrators themselves bend the knee!” The Baron unleashes a massive blast that engulfs Raine.

“Raine!” Rose cries out.

The pillar of orange light subsides and the Baron is now on his feet. Raine now stands petrified. The other Coloraturas are agape with horror as they see the phoenixian stature slowly dissolve into golden dust.

“So you are that dungeon’s sentinels?” The Baron asks with an incredulous laughter. “If you are the best she has sent, then my victory is assured!”

The Coloraturas are down one member for the battle.

“Raine has fallen!” Azalea says, annoyed by the one type she made a pun unwittingly.

The other Colroaturas prepare to bring the rouge dungeon down.

✦✦✦

Carnegie continues his fight with the shinobi. They use the opportunity to lead him and the remaining forces to the final large glyph. Noboru uses a Mirage Staff to weave misdirections around Carnegie.

“Trite,” Carnegie says before dispelling the mirages with his own. The ninjas evade his spells as they lure him closer to the foot of a large tree.

Atsuko is already waiting at the tree, taking her large bow and sniping any robots that stray from the path with her heavy arrows. “Okay girl, steady now, steady.” She carefully aims at one of the Kybernetes over the hoard before firing. She lands the arrow on the airborne Sentinel.

Carnegie clashes with Hoshikage and Saizo. Aika uses Bardsong to erect a small cliff behind the machines, preventing their escape and funneling them closer to the tree. Atsuko lands several more shots on the Kybernetes, memorizing their weak points from her first encounters with them. The large sentiel crashes behind the shinobi.

Aika continues her performace, but the impact of the fallen machine causes her stumble and fall onto Kei’s arms.

“You okay?” Kei asks.

Aika’s cheeks redden as she stand sup and dusts off her outfit. “I’m fine. She continues to sing her heart out.

Carnegie notices something is miss and stops following the ninja, instead sending the machines after them. The Ninajs notice the Dugneon Master’s vanishing and Sazio chases after him. The others use every trick they learned to bring the machines onto the tree.

With the machines close to the glyph, Atsuko leaps onto the ground and regroups with her retainers. They then fight their way through he crowd of machines, pushing them behind them as they cut through the mechanical hoard. Now a safe distance from the glyph. Kasumi and Hoshikage use their techniques to hurn one intot he tree. The machine make impact with the arbor and triggers the gravity glyph. Crushing every single machine around the tree.

“SHUTDOWN IMMINENT! SHUTDOWN IM…”

“FORCE TOO STRONG, RESISTANCE FUTILE…”

“WEIGHT BECOMING UNBEARABLE. INTERNAL PARTS RUPTURED…”

“We did it!” Kasumi cheers.

The others look at her with exasperation.

“What’s wrong? We beat them didn’t we.”

“Kasumi, we did defeat the Cells and the Sentienels, but now…”

“Now what?”

“The hard part begins.” Astuko says.

✦✦✦

With Raine taken out of the right, Rose, Streltizia, Lily, Clover, Hydrangea, Azalea, and Anemone try to fight the menacing Baron Roberts. Clover and Streltizia coordinate to use wind and earth spells to create a sandstorm around the Baron. The Baron clashes with Streltizia within the sandstorm. Her labrys clashes with his steam-powered swords.

Rose assists Streltizia with lightning-fast slashes from her lightning-enchanted rapier. The Baron is infuriated by the presence of these girls.

“Wretched brats!” The Baron says. “You think you can deter me?”

“We’re here to end your reign of terror!” Rose says as she dodges the Baron’s sword slashes. “Your vile ways end here!” Her rapier is used as a wand to shock the Baron. Rose then swings her ax at the Baron. The two magical girl’s powers combine to form a metal coating over the opponent, immobilizing him.

Rose and Streltizia look at the metal statue. “Is it over?” Rose says. She slithers closer to the stature.

Strelitzia notices something is amiss. She senses the statue vibrate as Rose approaches. Rays of orange and pink light peek through the holes in the metal shell.

“Rose! Get back!” Strelitzia graves Rose’s tail and swings her away from the statue.

Rose’s body collides with a tree. “Ow! Stre what was th—” Her eyes widen in shock to see that Streltizia is now a metal statue and the Baron is not. Clover sees her closest friend trapped in metal and is enraged.

The Baron cackles like a lunatic. “Only six brats remain to bad my passage. Only six obstacles to be removed!”

The peryton fawn grabs her fan and rushes to fight the Baron directly. “You. You’ll pay for that!” she slams her metal fan onto him, summoning a tempestuous wind to swirl around them with each swing. The Baron, still under the effect of the glyphs, is not blown by these winds, but Clover is blinded by rage to care for how ineffective her attacks are.

The Baron is assumed by Clover’s impassioned but futile efforts. He mockingly shoves her aside and runs to defeat another of the Colorauturas.

“Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts!” Lily thinks as she sees the Baron rushing toward her. She uses her lance to bland him as she gallops away. Lily’s spell managed to allow her to escape his grasp momentarily, but in her panicked state, tripped over the metal-coated Strelitzia, now disappearing into gold dust. The Baron looms over her, the tip of his sword touches her while the other steam sword is raised high. Her leg is caught in the vanishing statue of Streltizia. She tries to free herself, while still managing to smile despite her terrified state. The Baron is incensed by her grin and uses the swords to send lightning into her body. The voltage of the magic causes her to fall unconscious. Her tail and fingers already turning to gold dust alongside her orange-haired friend.

Rose, Clover, Anemone, Hydrangea, and Azalea remain. The wolf-eared girl fires a volley of arrows at the Baron. The dungeon core realizes with a slash of his swords, cutting them in half, but one of their arrowheads lands in his shadow. Anemone uses both her binding and gravity magic in tandem to rot the Baron in place while the others attack him.

The Baron’s swords glow orange and purple, and an aurora of those same colors appears in the sky, shining down on him and allowing him to reduce the damage from the opposing girl’s attacks further. Anemone responds by conjuring her own, but its effectiveness is halved as only her element is in play.

Colorful lights dance in the sky as the sun sets. The remaining Coloraturas dance on the ground, evading the Baron’s attacks. Clover and Rose combine their powers to create a storm. The atmospheric disturbances cause bolts from the blue to strike the Baron, accompanied by searing winds coating the lightning bolts.

Azalea swims to the Baron’s face and around his slashes. “The forecasts call for a defeat and a sticky situation. She conjures spheres of water around herself and the Baron. Hydrangea then uses her wand and grimoire to turn the water into gelatinous and sticky blobs. The mermaid and cyan-haired girl then launches the blobs onto him, encasing him in the substances. Rose and Clover then use storm magic to strike the Baron, the heat from the lightning bolt and accompanying searing wind hardens the blobs.

The five Coloraturas breathe heavily. Rose collapses onto the ground. “Is it finally over?”

“We don’t know,” Hydrangea says.

“I don’t think he’s getting the gel out of her anytime soon,” Azalea quips. “Let’s get Emily!”

“Can’t Raine, Stre, and Lily do it?” a tired Rose says. “They’re reforming there anyway.”

“Rose,” Anemone says with a sigh. “We can’t—huh?”

The hard gelatinous mass and ice begin to crack open. The Baron breaks free from his fetters once more.

“You got to be kidding me!” Rose says.

Hydrangea tries to freeze the Baron, but the increased amount of steam pouring from his armor melts the ice. The dungeon core is still in the fight, and his armor now glows with a silvery light.

“Last Bastion Protocols,” the Baron mutters. “So they had defeated the Sentinels.” He cackles madly. “Fools! You have sealed your fates!”

Before they can react, the Baron teleports in front of Anemone and lifts her by the neck. The lycanthropic girl defiantly snarls and tries to aim her bot at the Baron’s Face, but the Baron uses ice magic to turn her body into ice before she can fire. He then tightens his grip on her body, shattering her with sheer strength.

“Anemone!” Azalea cries. Clover, further enraged rushes forwards, but the Baron teleports a short distance and dodges her attacks.

“Pathetic!” he uses earth and wind powers to trap Clover in a sandstorm. The peryton girl tries to escape but the twister follows her moment, she coughs as sand fills her lungs and clings to her body.

Rose, Hydrangea, and Azalea try to stop the Baron but he easily evades their attacks, his swords glow with heat and fire magic, and he uses the enchanted blades to create a wall of fire between him and his opponents, the searing wall prevents the Coloraturas from approaching him as he turns his eyes on the cloaking and sand coated Clover. He takes his blazing blades and uses them to engulf the sand geyser in one made of flames. The sheer heat turns the sand into glass, and Clover with it.

The lamia, the bespectacled girl, and the clionid mermaid look with horror as they see the flames give way to a glass column and a green-hared peryton fawn trapped in a pose of suffocation. Clover’s body begins to turn into golden dust.

“You bastard!” Rose says as she tries to fight the Baron. Hydrangea and Azalea try to assist, but the Baron merely teleports short distances and counters with sword slashes and magic. The tired Coloraturas dodge most of these attacks, but the few that do connect wound them and hinder subsequent attempts.

Rose, Hydrangea, and Azalea, high on adrenaline and desperate end up resorting to more forbidden arts. Black ooze emerges from their bodies trying to attack the Baron, but they are hardened into brittle forms by the Baron’s spells, and cut down by his swords.

“Enough of this farce!” the Baron says as his blades glow with cerulean and azure hues. The three girls are trapped in the black mass erupting from their bodies as well as gelatinous liquids forming from the nearby vapor. The Baron then uses his swords to channel fire. The red-hot blades are used to harden the gelatinous prisons much like it turned the sand into glass. Rose, Azalea, and Hydrangea’s bodies begin to turn into dust.

Rain soon falls thunder roars. The defeated and unconscious Coloraturas vanish without any trace of their presence. The only things surrounding the Baron now were the sights of his actions.

The Baron smirks as he makes his way to the Black Box.

✦✦✦

The Coloraturas reform at the Black Box. Their sudden presence a sign of their defeat at the Baron’s hands. As they move outside their pods, their tired midns cause their bodies to collapse onto the round.

“Rose!” Emily’s voice echoes to the lamia. “What happened.”

“We got our butts kicked, that’s what!” Rose says.

“H-he’s heading right for the Black Box!” Lily says with a clearly horrified tone behind her faint smile.

Streltizia tires to stand. “Stupid cheap shot.” She mutters.

Elizabeth flutters to the eight girls. “You’re in no shape to fight right now. Get some rest.”

“We don’t have time!” the minotaur says. “He’s heading this way!”

“Lizzie, what happened there?” Emily asked the fairy.

“We have defeated all the Sentinels in his army. That means he has activated [Last Bastion Protocols]. I should have knew this would happen.”

“I’ll go bring them to the others,” Minerva arrives. “You two need to prepare for the upcoming fight.” The Arachne and her friends life the tired Coloraturas up and carry them to the makeshift hospital.

At the same time, The Baron reunites with Carnegie. “So, they have foolishly defeated our army,” the Dungeon Master says.

The Baron flashes a cocky smirk. “They shall rue the day they dared to defy me.”

“Indeed,” the black-coated man says. “First we have taken Cerberus. Now we shall take New Virginia. Then the world will soon be ours!”

“The gods and demons will no longer rule over us!” the Baron says.

The two men laugh evilly as they encroach into the Black Box. The Piper Pruflas observes them enter the dungeon.

“Adventurers from Rosenkreuz and Noir. Their skills failed to stem the coming tide,” Pruflas says after finishing a tune on his pipe. He looks at the ebon exterior of the Black Box. “The first of many trials you shall face. Will you prevail, or die in disgrace? Tis your choice and yours alone, Emily.”

The Piper draws closer to the dungeon, eager to see what will happen next. Claudia observes him, also eager to see what happens next, but moreso curious about Pruflas’s goals. “What are you plotting, demon?” she thinks.