Rise of Tyrus

Tyrus thought the sewers wouldn't be that far off, but he was sorely mistaken. It took about a twenty-minute walk from the guild to reach the nearest waterway, just shy of where the harbor was. While melting into the sea, the waterway also stretched deeper into the city, running under an arched bridge that would split the waterway in half.

Wagons and footsteps rumbled over the stone, and a blowing wind brought forth the scent of brine and fish. Lightning flashed from afar, and thunder exploded soon after; clouds gathered around the distant horizon, swallowing the sunlight and covering it in darkness. An earthly aroma stung Tyrus's nose as he stared at the dark sky. Rain would arrive within an hour, which meant they couldn't linger any longer.

Everyone stood over a sloped ditch, watching the jewel blue water flow past like a regular stream. There was also a little platform that served as a sort of walkway. Underneath the arched bridge was an area with a sleek manhole, fashioned out of a material that looked like bronze.

"That manhole cover is one of the entrances to the sewers," Grant said.

Fiona shivered. "I'm having second thoughts about this, guys. What if something nasty touches my skin and I grow warts because of it?!"

"Then remove it with light magic," Reo scoffed.

"Or better yet, how about one of you guys use your mana to erect a shield around me? Preferably one that lasts until we get out of here."

Grant shook his head. "Fiona, you of all people should know that Reo and I are horrible at enhancing others with mana. That kind of ability from an Augmentation Sorcerer is difficult to pull off."

"Then what the hell have you guys been doing all this time? We're about to enter our sixth year and you still can't do it?"

Reo scowled. "You're making it sound like it's a piece of cake. Transferring our mana and connecting it to another person, even for a second, is far from easy. On top of that, we have to align the mana flow with the unique signature of our target without causing any harm. I've tried it many times, but had no such luck so far."

"Maybe if you paid more attention in Mana Control, you'd figure it out," Fiona retorted.

"Aren't you a water affinity masquerading as a fire?" he replied almost immediately.

Before Fiona could open her mouth, Grant stepped between the two, his expression neutral. "Let's put a pause to the insults and bickering and focus on what's important. A storm is approaching, and I'd like to finish this before a drop of rain hits. I will do the honor of sliding down first and opening the lid."

Grant jumped into the ditch and approached the bronze sewer hole. Fiona shot Reo a quick glare and then hurriedly slid into the ditch, skidding and walking in step behind Grant. Not long after, Reo joined them, arms crossed and his face relaxed.

Tyrus looked off to the side and said, "About what they said... is it really that hard?"

Igneal nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "According to Sir Wayne, Augmentation Sorcerers face a tougher challenge when it comes to controlling mana compared to Elemental Sorcerers. They have to constantly fine-tune their mana usage. While spell casting is done in bursts, strengthening the body requires continuous effort and intense focus."

That makes sense, Tyrus thought. Using an element still required focus, but augmentation demanded more of it. Whenever he used augmentation, he had to keep supplying his entire body with mana through his vessels, and there were many of them throughout his body. Meditation was helpful to know where they generally were, but remembering and supplying mana to them was another thing.

As for silent casting, all he had to do was imagine the magic he wished to bring forth and expel it outward, only if that element was achieved. But as of now, the more difficult between the two was silent casting. Going by what Grant said, there was a lot more to augmentation than Tyrus previously knew. He never tried to strengthen others with his own mana before. Usually he was off fighting on his own or the thought never occurred to him in those situations.

Before he knew it, Tyrus was standing all alone. Everyone else was already at the sewer entrance, the lid already lifted. Not wanting to waste their time, Tyrus strode forward, sliding down and running toward them as Grant entered the entrance first. By the time Tyrus got there, he noticed a ladder descending into a tunnel of light; wisps of golden light trapped within a lantern were hung on the sides of the rocky surface. Tyrus detected the scent of water and rotten eggs, causing him to pinch his nose.

After Grant was Reo, then Fiona, Igneal, and lastly Tyrus. The ladder was sturdy, made with some type of metal without a hint of rust or wear and tear. Because it was also bolted into the wall, even the combined weight of five people couldn't make it squeak, let alone flinch.

Down they all go, no one making a peep as silence encroached their surroundings. The buzzing lights—Illumination, Tyrus guessed—cast a rich glow on everyone's faces. Shadows flickered past like silhouettes, one taller than an average man and another the figure of a child. Most were skinny, yet one was wide, thanks to the armor and shield the shadow wielded.

Soon, that silence shattered when the unmistakable sound of running water appeared, getting louder the further they descended. Not long after, Grant and the others jumped off the ladder and onto an unusual metal platform. Instead of being closed off, there were plenty of holes too small for a hand, yet big enough for two fingers to pass through easily. The roaring of water and echoing of splashes got louder, sounding like an underground waterfall. Beneath the platform was water, continuously flowing past like a stream, sometimes with chunks of sewage swimming along. Tyrus even spotted a shoe and a silver earring, turning a corner and disappearing into a barred tunnel that reminded Tyrus of a fireplace.

Tyrus swept his gaze across the sewers. To the left was a dead-end, only housing the little barred tunnel. To the right, however, his expectations were snuffed out. The underground sewers were massive, with arched tunnels that seemed to stretch for a good amount of miles, given by the dozens of glowing lanterns illuminating the ceilings. Holes with metal bars decorated the walls, with water gushing out like tipped basins.

"Okay, this is not what I was expecting," Reo said, breaking the ice. He walked further, stopping on a circular platform that had a sort of hatch in the middle. "Would you even consider this to be a sewer?"

Fiona snorted. "I'll admit, I expected something a bit more disgusting. Sure, the smell is shit, but everything's dry and the place is surprisingly clean."

"That is because we are responsible for keeping this blasted city's sewers clean, lest there will be consequences," said a nasal voice from above.

Like a gust of wind, six shadows flew toward them, jumping off a few thick pipes that reached high above their heads. As they landed, they formed a barricade in front of the only two paths forward, three of each. Once the confusion passed, Tyrus took notice of their onyx-colored carapaces, four spindly arms, and red, bulbous eyes that took over most of their faces.

Fiona retched while she readied her staff. "W-Walking bugs?! We need to kill them with fire!"

"Already on it," Igneal muttered, his hands bursting into flames.

At the sight of the flames, five of the bugs gasped, and their wings grew erratic. One of the bugs stepped forward, this one different from the others, given that it was wearing a mangled cap. "You land dwellers are always so quick to violence. Well, I cannot blame you, given how crude and hideous we are." He waved to the five and straightened up, its tiny wings shivering. "I am Arach, supervisor of the Valis' sewer system. We Subterraneans are in charge of keeping his city's waste clean. We also fix leaky pipes or find ways to reinforce the metal."

Fiona lowered her staff. "Subterraneans? How come I've never heard of you guys before?"

The Subterranean shook its head. "It was inevitable that land dwellers wouldn't care to recognize us. We take refuge underground, for it is better to live in the shadows than amongst others. Our ghastly features are quite... repulsive in the eyes of others. That and our numbers are too few to even be worth a glance."

One by one, the Subterranean faces twisted in unison with pained expressions. That quickly went away when the supervisor made a gargling voice in its throat. "Now, might I be correct in assuming you are here for the extermination contract? I notice you carry that badge around your neck, land dweller woman. We were informed ahead of time that explorers with a badge would be arriving soon."

"...Igneal, put away your flames," Fiona ordered, putting away her staff.

Though reluctant, Igneal clicked his tongue and released the flames. The supervisor and the rest of the Subterraneans relaxed.

"Please, no fire magic in the sewers. If your flames spread and reach the pipes, then you would not only bury us all under rubble, but destroy half of the capital."

Everyone snapped their heads at Igneal, who was too busy touching the hilt of his sword before looking up. "What? How was I supposed to know it was going to cause an explosion? Not to mention it was her idea."

Fiona cleared her throat and approached the supervisor. "Ahem, sorry about that. Won't happen again. You mentioned you were Subterraneans, correct? Does His Majesty know you are down here?"

The creature buzzed. "He is the one that offered us shelter when our numbers dwindled. Returning the favor to us, he said. Don't know why, and we never asked for clarification. His Majesty gave us a home, food, and a purpose. Our lifestyle now is way better than our previous one. Would not have it any other way."

The other Subterraneans mumbled in agreement, their voices just as stuffed as their supervisor. It was hard to understand them sometimes, but it was better than them speaking an entirely other language. Had the Subterraneans always spoken Lethos' common tongue, or were they taught?

"Okay, this meeting has been great, but we need to get started," Reo interrupted. "So, bug thing, what are we supposed to do exactly?"

Taking a moment, the supervisor looked at Reo with a gaze that was difficult to understand and uttered, "Alright then, come with me, land dwellers. I will lead you to the exact location of the problem. Trust me when I say that this will not be easy. That is why we required explorers for this task, as we cannot face monsters of their caliber on our own. We conduct maintenance, not battl-"

When the bug-eyed creature settled it's gaze on Tyrus, it let out a water-logged shriek and tumbled back. Quickly, the other creatures stepped forward toward their supervisor. With one of it's three bony fingers, it pointed at Tyrus and said:

"The kin of storms has come to destroy us all!"