The first thing that caught Astrid's attention was the fact that the entrance to the Dungeon proper was qualitatively different from an entrance into a Dungeon branch. Every Dungeon branch, from the lowest level of Bronze tier to the highest level she'd seen, whether a regular one or the Wandering Trials, had been a doorway hanging in the middle of a place. The makeup of the doorway was different from one to the next, but they were all very obviously a door. This entrance was a shimmering, pearlescent visual effect that could be somewhat seen through and led to a stairway that led down.
Before today, the only interaction that the party had had with an access point to the Dungeon proper had been years ago, in the Dungeon branch of Kznietch. They had never even attempted to go through that entrance, which had been an easy-to-miss shimmer or shadow in the middle of one of the Dungeon's floors. They had walked past it, but had never really interacted with it because it was under guard because of how the surge within the Dungeon proper was interacting with the branch. Of course, Astrid had pulled Christophe from that entrance, but she hadn't been paying it very much attention when she was that close. After all, there'd been a heavily poisoned but deadly dangerous drake coming out of that entrance at the same time.
Now, for the first time, Astrid could observe an entrance to the Dungeon proper, and she couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed, simply in terms of appearance.
The entrance to the Dungeon proper would have easily gone unnoticed to her, were it just a visual effect she was walking past. Among the many shadows of the canyon that the party stood in, a single shadow flickered unnaturally. A crack between stones was without moss or root growth, different from everywhere else in the Verdant Sanctuary. Astrid only realized in that second that it had been basically a year since, outside of the Dungeon, she'd seen somewhere that didn't have something growing. Even the places that were wind-blasted clearings or rock-covered slopes, there was always something growing and sprouting. Here, though, there was nothing in this three-meter stretch of cliff face.
Even so, it wouldn't have been difficult to miss it if it hadn't been for the constant flood of mana from inside of the entrance. Different from the mana that constantly emanated from inside of Dungeon branch entrances, this was a more disorganized, almost aggressive mana. It pulsated out and seemed to grab at whatever came close. Astrid's body's constant insatiable hunger for mana interacted differently with this. Immortal Champion's Physique had her body constantly flooding itself with mana, using that energy that filled the world to recover. Usually, that mana was placid, ready for her to do whatever she wanted with it, but now, it grasped for her, trying to integrate itself with her even without her own efforts. The feeling was strange, but also comfortable. It was as if the mana didn't want to be ambient, but instead to be a part of her body.
"This is strange," Muti was the first one to break the silence.
The rest of the party seemed to be pulled out of their reveries as she said it and moved to reply.
"Yeah, it almost feels like… in the Dungeon is where we're supposed to be instead of on the surface?" Benedict said. Then he shook his head and continued, "I don't like it. It feels weird."
"Well, we can stand out here talking," Skandr said, seeming unwilling to engage in the conversation, "or we can get in there already. You know, like our plan has always been."
Reminded by the Wizard's words, Astrid was of the same opinion, and she lifted her shield, hefted her hammer, looked at the rest of the party, and raised her eyebrows. They couldn't see it behind her featureless helmet, but they knew what she was communicating, and she didn't say anything. They glanced at each other, and then, all hesitation died.
"Let's go!" As soon as Astrid made the declaration, the rest of the party fell in line.
Standing side-by-side with Felix, the two heavily armored party members led the way through the doorway. That strange mana that wanted to merge with her enveloped her as a faint sensation of being moved through space pulsated through her. The sensation of entering the Dungeon proper was vastly different from that of entering a branch. Instead of feeling just like she'd walked through a doorway, it was as if she'd jumped from a cliff, with her stomach dropping.
Once that sensation faded and she was fully enveloped by the Dungeon proper's mana, it stopped being so invasive. Instead, once surrounded, it was as if the mana no longer cared about bringing her in. Instead, Astrid could feel her recovery rate increase, the mana in her body eager and pushing to do something, anything. It was as if she'd been hit by adrenaline, and it was a struggle to hold still.
They stood in a small cave, almost the inverse of the canyon they had come from. Instead of standing in a passage that was narrow, lit by light coming from above, the cave they stood in was short, short enough to force Astrid and Muti both to crouch, while also spreading at least ten meters across and at least thirty meters deep, going off of where the brightest light was coming from. Underfoot, a faint purple glow pulsed through the stony floor, and, with no enemies appearing, Astrid looked at the others, nodded, and, walking in lockstep with Felix, led the way out of the cave's entrance.
The scuffing of boots on stone and the clinking of armor were the loudest sounds that they could hear, though Benedict was blowing a faint, whispering melody, just enough to keep everybody's reactions as fast as possible. The Song of Liberation kept them all fleet-footed, and Astrid felt her anxiety and anticipation spike as they finally, finally made their way forward. It was slow going, with the bit of information that they'd gotten from Gabriel being decades old. According to everyone who'd ever entered the Dungeon proper, it was far from static. Whatever information that Gabriel had was so far out of date as to be useless, though the general mana density should remain the same.
With these ideas and more pumping through Astrid's mind, she stepped forward, anticipating what she'd see in this new world. When they arrived at the exit from the cave, the light that had grown brighter with every step was now about half as bright as the sun at noon, and didn't come from overhead so much as from straight ahead. Astrid and Felix poked their heads, and their eyes didn't have to adjust to see the Dungeon proper, a twisted jungle.
Different from any other forest or jungle that Astrid had seen, whether on the surface or in any Dungeon branch, this forested jungle was made exclusively of what seemed to be the same kind of plants everywhere, without exception. Instead of any trees that Astrid had ever seen, each one that sprouted from the ground was twisted upon itself like a dozen vines that had attempted to choke the life out of each other. The branches, if they could be called that, were drooping, massive leaves that grew directly from the trunk. Each of the trees was a different color of the rainbow, though purple was the most common color, and every tree sprouted from the stony ground, not from soil.
Dozens and dozens of these plants sprouted everywhere, seeming to make up the vast majority of the plant life around here. They seemed to have no trouble thriving in the rocky ground, and they were the source of the light, not anything coming from overhead. Instead of having a sun, it would appear that somehow these roots either emerged from underground to produce light or were siphoning that light from underground into themselves. Beyond their surface appearance, each of the strange vine-trees had grown at least seven meters tall, with the tallest towering over the others.
The ground itself didn't have anything else growing out of it, only the vine-trees, and despite being on her guard, Astrid couldn't hear anything around.
"Muti?" she asked.
"There is movement," the Lethal Shadow reported. "It is over a kilometer away and does not seem to have taken note of us yet. Do you wish to approach?"
"Let's approach with caution," Astrid said with a wide smile.
Looking at the other members of the party, they were all ready to keep moving as well, and she had to stop from bouncing in her own excitement. Now, finally, they were entering the Dungeon proper, and she couldn't wait to see how different everything was.
***
Brighid
"What are we supposed to do?"
"We just finished a war with the Barbarians! What's this?"
"I've heard about those dangerous people from the deepest depths of the Dungeon! Are you throwing in with them?"
"What's the Viscount doing? Starting a war? He might be a noble, but he doesn't control us!"
With a snarl, Brighid couldn't bring herself to hold back any longer, and she stood and shouted all of the thronging people into silence. The people stared at her, and despite their willingness to shout in her direction, the moment a Steel tier person, especially the one who had been their trusted guard captain for decades, told them to shut up, they did.
"I know you're scared," she said, once there was enough quiet for her to speak and be understood. "Frankly, I am too. I hear about the Duchess being chased out of Ginnastadt by the Marchioness of Theria, and I can't help but wonder what's happening in the capital. However, that is as far as the conflict has gone so far. In this case, I don't know what you want me or the Viscount to do about an Adamantium-tier noble in a city seven hundred kilometers from here. The only news that I have for you is that, for now, the highest tier people are taking care of it and they will continue to do so. And even if they can't, there's nothing we can do anyways."
As soon as she said it, Brighid regretted the words that came out of her mouth. The people went from restless and angry to fully terrified as their captain, someone who had been seemingly untouchable for all of their lives, basically said that she was useless and they were even more useless.
About five seconds of silence hung over the mob before somebody started whimpering in fear. Only a few seconds passed after that before the entire populace was surging together, some trying to escape, some trying to demand answers, and everybody consumed with an overwhelming terror. Brighid cursed herself as she looked at her own idiocy, her inability to just comfort the people.
"Citizens of Stahlstadt," a voice spoke, somehow demanding calm and attention.
Despite everything, Brighid's fear melted away as the female voice washed over her. When she turned, she saw a beautiful woman, her hair a wavy gold as she stepped forward. She wore a shining, regal breastplate over a long dress, the royal blue fabric swishing with each step. A crown curled over her brow, and, just as much a testament to her power as the crown, she left a trail of glowing enchantments in the air as she walked.
If Brighid was to guess, this person was at least solidly in Mithril, if not at the peak. She couldn't say for sure, though, because of the overwhelming quality of her equipment. Few, if any, people were able to actually keep themselves outfitted with equipment that was as powerful as they could manage to equip. She herself was using equipment that largely was better suited for somebody some ten levels lower than she was. One of the few signs of the strongest, most capable people was the ability to continuously upgrade their equipment to keep up with their levels.
With that, and the woman's presence here, Brighid knew who was speaking.
"I must beg your forgiveness for my weakness," the Duchess said. "I have failed you, and I have failed to protect this country. I am the Duchess, ashamed as I am to have to admit that from this position of weakness. However, despite the presence of unsavory and ill-willed men and women in this country, the brief upset that we have experienced here shall soon come to its end. I have been thrown out from my home, but I promise you, with the help of the Golden Fist as well as some of my ancestors who have pitted themselves against the depths of the Dungeon, all will be set to right once again. With the might of Adamantium and Arcanite tier allies, we will reclaim our country and remain Humanity's Bulwark! Please, bless me with your faith, and I will ensure that it will be repaid in kind."
That initial wave of calm that had smashed into her washed away for a righteous furor, but with a strain of mental effort, Brighid cast off the effect of the Duchess's Skills. Instead, as she gathered herself, Brighid was left with even more questions than before. However, everybody else in the audience, those who were at most level 25, seemed to have lost all of their fear with the words that had been spoken. Instead, they cheered for the Duchess, claiming that her reign would be eternal and her success immediate.
That all-too-common fear of nobility that only came to those who had truly experienced what one could do settled over Brighid. She had been able to deal with the Viscount without too much issue, he'd never been aggressive and her own mental attributes high enough to keep her safe. However, this woman's mere existence pushed her to sacrifice herself, to do anything to gain her approval. She gritted her teeth as she pulled on Self-Mastery-aligned mana and activated Invincible Spellblade. Its effects would only last for half a minute, but that should be enough for her to regain her bearings.
"I apologize for any undue fear I have caused you," the Duchess whispered to Brighid as the Spellblade tried to control herself.
With an ease that still surprised her, Brighid smiled at the noble as she slipped into her "appease immensely powerful people" persona. "No, I wasn't fear. Only surprise."
She gritted her teeth at her own inability to express herself clearly. Damn, the Duchess was powerful.
"I'm no stranger to the effect that a noble has on those who are knowledgeable and familiar with our Classes and their function. I appreciate your willingness to attempt to spare my feelings, but it is unnecessary for us to pretend that I am not a frightening existence, regardless of my well-wishes for you. If possible, I would beg for an opportunity to speak with you while we are not both acting in a public capacity. After all, if what I've heard about you is correct, the war efforts would be greatly benefited by the presence of Burning Brighid."
Brighid bowed to the Duchess, mentally trying to understand just how out of luck she was, because she was being recruited personally. Could she have a prayer of remaining out of it? No. She didn't have much time to collect herself as the Duchess waved to the closest and stepped forward, beginning to bless the populace.
"My light," Savraba said as he stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on the small of her back.
Brighid subconsciously leaned into it, taking comfort in his presence.
"Are you well?"
"I'm about to be forced to enter another war," she answered, her voice tight. "I would say that anybody who says that they aren't at least worried is a fool at best."
"That is true," he agreed. "And what would you like me to do about the letter to be sent to Astrid? We were sending it today, and the messenger won't wait any longer. We cannot know how long it will take to reach her."
Brighid scowled and then forced herself to relax again.
"We tell her… we'll tell her what's happening. Advise her not to come, to embroil herself in a war. But she deserves to know what's actually happening, and I will not attempt to coddle her any longer."
Savraba's eyebrows climbed in response to that answer. His bright hair shone in the light of day, and she chuckled as she leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"Don't say anything. Allow me my moment of growth."
"As you say, my light. If you have anything for me to send, anything specific in addition to what is already written, have somebody run it to the house in the next hour and a half. By then, I'll have made the payment and delivery to the courier."
"Thank you, my love. I'll see you tonight."
At that, the couple was torn apart by responsibility, one to their country and the other to their child.
And as much as she would have preferred to be able to only focus on Astrid, and how proud she was of her, Brighid swiftly found herself embroiled once again in the planning for a war. Because, as much as she hated to admit it, Burning Brighid was a damn good soldier, and though she wasn't sure if it was just because of the Duchess's Skills, she felt like she needed to support her over those who had begun a coup.
The fires of war were beginning to burn, and Brighid would try to push the tide in a way that created a country where her daughter could return peacefully.