"So, are you planning on staying here forever? Most of the city has collapsed now, and it doesn't look like the water levels have recovered too much, going by the sandy desert on the surface. Not much lives up there anymore, and most of the surface cities of the old empire are buried and forgotten." Cain asks Lloran, and the old Elf shakes his head.
"Since you've found the place, the entrance must be open again, so I'll be getting visitors. Looters, archeologists who are just publicly funded looters and some inquisitive travelers. So I'll have to either call for reinforcements or take care of it myself. I couldn't really leave even if I wanted to."
"We did block the entrance again with solid stone. I have a Summon who can teleport, so my group can come safely in and out, but it should still stop anyone else from successfully coming to bother you." Cain smiles.
"Well, that's good news, we should go check the other locations. You know what, I'll set you a quest for it. I haven't signed off on a quest in centuries."
[Quest: Verify the City's security] check the functionality of and rebuild the blockades at all three of the city's portals.
"There, now you young folks can take care of it and just come see me when you're done to get a reward. I left it up to the System." The Elf nods to himself as if mentally verifying his actions before walking away again.
"Laura, where are the other two portals? You must have seen them by now. Pick me up so we can go verify their destination and security." Cain informs his flying companion and can mentally hear them playing rock paper scissors to see who has to actually pick him up.
"Or you could tell me and I'll Summon a Drake instead." Cain suggests and can immediately feel the offense taken.
"Of course we'll get you. Flying on a smelly Drake all day? That's just icky." She declares out loud, landing beside him.
"The first one isn't far from here. It's covered in carvings of Spiders and such, so it's really easy to see." The winner of their competition, who thinks she won't need to carry anyone points with an outstretched claw towards the edge of the city.
Cain hops up on Laura, carrying the Petite Dark Elven Clerics and placing them on the other copy of Laura. "Alright, let's head out. And I must say, Laura, you're growing into a fine Dragon. We don't see this form very much, but you're definitely getting more powerful."
"If only I had grown when your skill upgraded me. What sort of Epic Dragon is this small?" Laura asks, looking at her wings. They're almost twice the size they were when she was first Summoned, but that's mostly due to the increase in levels. She didn't grow at all when [Advisor] upgraded her quality to Epic.
"Give it time. You'll grow into your station soon enough. You've already grown a lot in a short time." Cain scratches the sweet spot behind her horn, making her give a happy wiggle and Drazzit smiles over at him, seeing how he's consoling his friend.
They take to the air, flying towards the location Laura indicated that the portal should be while Kone and Misha, along with most of the summons are headed for the other exit. The portal is magnificent, a black and green stone courtyard, with a huge spider carving standing guard above the portal. Softly curved benches and tree like fungus decorate the area, clearly maintained by Lloran, while the presumed location of the portal itself is carefully buried with huge granite blocks on both sides.
It's beautiful in an Elven way, but with an underworld touch that makes it clear this is an exit to a Dark Elven location.
One of the Oath Breakers meets them there, ready for whatever task they require, and looking around with great interest at the multiple carved stone spiders in the area.
"I know this being. The Spider Queen is a Demon God. I didn't know the Dark Elves worshiped her." The Oath Breaker informs Cain when he dismounts Laura, helping Drazzit to the ground.
"She created us from the Wood Elves. We can't help but follow her." Drazzit says, distracted as well by the statues.
"Clear away enough of the barrier to access the portal, it might be blocked on the other side too. If you can cross safely, let me know what you see and return immediately. We don't want to let anyone know the city can be accessed." Cain instructs the big Demon.
It only takes seconds to move the blocks and create an opening for the Demon to pass through. He steps in, then straight back again with a smile.
"It opens to an abandoned ancient quarter of Underwood. I don't think anyone has been there in centuries, but the area around the portal is clear."
Drazzit is giving Cain the most pitiful begging look, begging to be allowed to go through the portal.
"I found you trapped in a Dungeon. I don't know when it formed or how long your group has been missing, or even if they are missing. There might be a much older version of you living in the city." Cain says, unsure how the Dungeons came to be.
"They're a time based spell, intended to be a maze to confuse and slow the Casters enemies, a remnant of the war between races a few hundred years ago. Everything you see in the dungeon is roughly where they were placed when the spell was cast, trapped for eternity in a day long loop and driven insane by the mind clouding effects of the spell. But after a while, we adapt enough to start remembering the days that are different, when someone shows up and does something unusual. That's the same time transfers started showing up too. The magical system created to bring reinforcements to the humans went awry and never fully stopped activating, but began sending them to all sorts of places and races."
"How powerful do you have to be to do something like that?" Cain wonders out loud, and the Oath Breaker laughs.
"It took all of the Human Gods who participated in the war to create the system, but only a single trickster God to break it and send reinforcements to everyone. That's why they started negotiating peace, because they couldn't win anymore." The Demon grins, his delight at their misfortune plainly evident.
"Alright, if you've been lost since the war between races, they might not recognize you, but feel free to head home for a while. I'll wait here and if you're attacked I'll cancel your Summon so you don't have to be killed by your own kinfolk." Cain gives in to Drazzit who cheers and runs through the portal.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" The Oath Breaker asks.
"Probably not, but I'm a sucker for a pouty face, just ask Laura here. It works on me all the time. Plus we will barricade the portal again when we're done, and I'm sending a mental message now, telling Drazzit not to let anyone know about it."
Across the city, the others have found themselves in a clearing on the side of a mountain. There's a ruined city all around them, and at the base of the hill, a thousand meters below them, a huge, modern city stands. They can see Dwarven Guards with pale skin and red hair, as opposed to the darker complexion of the Dwarves in Graska, standing guard around the ruins.
"Everyone quiet, that must be the Hill Dwarf capital, and they've clearly got the ruins of the old city cordoned off to prevent trespassers." Misha whispers and the larger summons duck down so they can't be seen.
The barricade on the lost city side was almost crumbled, but the one on this side was buried beneath a fallen statue of a Dwarven King. They had to get the Oath Breakers to teleport them through so they could see the view for themselves. It was worth it though, this is spectacular.
"I checked, and those Dwarves are all over level 190. This isn't the Hill Dwarf capital in the Beginner Valley, it must be one somewhere else on the continent." The oath breaker whispers to Kone and Misha.
They didn't recall a Dwarven kingdom on the map. Just the desert, the humans, the Orcs and the Elves. Maybe they're deep in the mountain range, or even on the other side. But none of them are brave enough to go ask and risk being arrested for trespassing.
"Alright, we should have seen enough to verify the security of the portal, let's head back and go see what Cain is up to. You know that man has gone and gone something strange again, guaranteed." Misha says, looking at the Oath Breakers to carry them back.
When they get back the clones of Drazzit that were with them are giddy with joy, dancing and hugging each other.
"What happened while we were gone? Why the celebration?" Kone asks.
"Cain let our clone go through the portal into Underwood, and she found our Grandmother. She told her we're trapped in a Dungeon and not dead, so she can go visit the original version of us sometime."
"You didn't tell her how you got there, right?" Misha asks and the Elves stop dancing around.
"Well, you see, we didn't have to. We accidentally mentioned Lloran and how Cain was learning new combat abilities and she knew right away."
