"Is this the fissure?" Arthur asked and Norman affirmed. Arthur has seen a fissure before, but it was nothing like this. Fissures were like raging black lightning that sucked everything and disrupted it that everything. A crack in the dimension itself.
"For some reason, the undead monsters are of lower numbers than we have expected," Norman said with a frown as he called out for his scouts to give instructions.
'Well, that's probably because I cut them in half with liquid-fire.' Arthur thought as he saw the scouts disappear to see the surrounding area.
"We can go in now; they'll report any abnormalities," Norman said and gestured for Arthur to follow. "It's quite dark inside, so be careful, Sir Alexie."
"I'm starting to like you," Arthur said, making Norman grin in victory. However, he missed the sarcasm because he didn't think Arthur knew his true nature.
The guild army marched toward the fissure as the undead grew and more frequent. At one point, an undead knight appeared but it was taken care of easily by one of the Vetus-rankers.
"You might want to record this." Norman hastily suggested as the battle ensued. Showing the good side of the guild to Jerano would prove beneficial in the long run for the guild. Being praised by such an institution would bring more customers their way.
"Ah, I'll make sure to mention that in my report." Arthur nodded as he opened his bracelet. He read again through the task's update that he received early this morning.
Last night, he reported the stable fissure to Jerano, saying he would confirm its existence by himself. They sent an update mentioning the need to monitor the Golden Warhammer Guild as well.
'These guys are profit-hoarders.' This phrase summarized the information Jerano sent. The investigation was to solve the mystery of the undead while ensuring the guild did its job without slacking off.
They started marching again after the undead knight was defeated. As they approached the fissure, Arthur was more convinced this was nothing a fissure was supposed to be.
The black surface of the dome was smooth without any irregularities. The undead monsters were cleared away and it was time to enter the fissure.
"Are you okay?" Arthur asked Ellen when he saw the frown on her face. She nodded and didn't say anything. Seeing her like that, Arthur decided to stick next to her.
The first warrior disappeared as he walked into the dome. It was soon their turn. As soon as they entered, it was as if they arrived in a different world.
A giant graveyard that was piled with bones greeted their view. There was no light, only the artifacts the guild members held in their hands to illuminate the surrounding.
The bones lined the ground they stepped on. Arthur felt the bone beneath his feet crack as he stepped on them. As he looked down, he saw that what lied beneath the bones was even more bones. They were endless.
"This is truly a dungeon," Arthur said but no sound came out. The realization then dawned on him; the place was scaringly quiet. There were no sounds, even as the bones cracked beneath him.
The panic spread throughout the people inside, but it was only visible through their actions. Arthur patted on Norman's shoulder, flinched, and gestured for the team to leave this place.
Norman looked around with hesitation and looked at his consultant. They looked at each other before nodding. Norman was the first to try to leave the fissure, but as he kept walking, there was no end. There was no wall that they had entered from, there was only the endless expense of bones.
'We're trapped.' Arthur realized as he looked around. 'The space that we entered wasn't as big as it was on the outside, it's a fissure.'
The moment that this fact was known to all, the panic was clear on their faces. There was nothing like being trapped in a place with no exists and especially an eerie graveyard where no sound was produced.
This was a muted world.
After panic was confusion. If they couldn't communicate, how would they fight together? How would they detect an incoming enemy without hearing it?
Arthur was tempted to use his detection rune, but the glow of the rune itself would give him away in such a dark setting. It took only moments for the guild to work out a solution.
The mages stood in the middle while the warriors surrounded them. They formed a circle where every guild member faced a direction.
Norman, Arthur, and Ellen were in the middle. While being the 'weakest,' they were also the most important people in the team.
Even with such protection, Arthur didn't feel safe. The silence was keeping him on an edge, but this wasn't the main reason for his worry. This place reeked of their stench, their power, but he couldn't pinpoint the source.
The unknown was dreadful. The circle began to move slowly, heading toward a random direction. They couldn't even hear their breathing, driving them almost insane.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Arthur finally saw a change. A distance away, several bones started to shift and roll. Without his high perception, he would have missed it.
He turned Norman's attention towards it, where he turned the consultants' attention too. Soon, everyone was looking at the moving bones in the distance. Arthur felt something move underneath him.
The bones started shifting like a wave and rising, making everyone lose their footing and roll. Arthur used his skill to stay hovered. He grabbed Ellen and looked at the gathering bones that have gathered to form a giant creature.
Two flames lit in the darkness, resembling eyes. A giant fish-like creature that was made of bones looked at them in the silent word. It was as big as the mountains that surrounded the fissure, making everyone's faces go pale.
Without roars or screeches, the fish lunged itself at them the same way a wave would roll toward the highland. There was chaos as everyone tried to grab into a haven. Arthur's mana was draining but he tried to hold on, to fly higher, but a wave of bones slammed into him and separating him from Ellen.
"Ellen!" Arthur tried to reach out to her but she fell into the sea of bones where there was no resurfacing. He looked up to find the giant head of the fish above him. It felt as if a mountain was falling on him, tip first.
"Loathsome parasite," Arthur said, despite producing no sound, and retracted his right hand until it was above his right shoulder. Liquid fire gathered in his fingertips as he was ready to use his rune.
The fish descended above him as if the world was ending. He was about to slash with his hand when a white scarf wrapped itself around his body and pulled him away from the fish's descent.
Before he knew it, he was being pulled into the sea of bones far away from the fish. His body slammed to the wave of bones and they broke as a result.
After a few minutes of enduring the pain of being slammed into the bones, he reached a tunnel where he rolled on the ground. His body ached all over as he raised his head to look at the culprit who pulled him.
'So much for not being here for me.' Arthur thought to himself with a weak smile. 'I don't even know if I'm happy to see her or simply annoyed.'
Before he could stand up, Rae was grabbing him by the wrist as she slipped a ring on his finger.
'A bit early for us to get married.' Arthur thought inwardly.
'Shut up!' Rae's voice boomed in his mind, almost making him faint. 'Food! I've been here since last night!'
She then began to shake him and Arthur took out a meal from his subspace and gave it to her. She started eating it right away as Arthur looked at his ring.
'A telepathy rune.' He concluded.
'Yup. This place isn't the best to hold a conversation, idiot.' Rae said as she licked her fingers. 'That was delicious.'
'What do you mean you were here since yesterday?' Arthur stood up as he looked around. They were inside a tunnel made of bones; one he couldn't see the end of.
'After your ungrateful attitude, I went around playing around.' Rae said as she patted her belly. Arthur was amazed at how fast she finished 500g of steak. 'I found a giant black dome, so...'
'Of course, you went inside.' Arthur sighed inwardly. 'Why did you pull me underground?'
'I guess your brain has yet to understand this simple fact. If you stay above ground for a long while, the bones will form that fish and try to kill you. It's better to stay underground.'
'I see,' Arthur started walking through the tunnel. 'It's time to find Ellen and leave this place, as soon as possible.'