Ed was looking at the burning settlement walls and his hurried steps turned into a full out sprint.
[Champion is advised to eliminate intruders]
The glowing message appeared seemingly after the dungeon realized Ed really had no intention to chase. Ed wasn't fazed by the message as he had expected some sort of response. Even though this one was certainly not it.
'They will come back. I can take care of it then.' The dungeon had only advised him rather than flat out threaten him so Ed chose to try and reason with it.
[Champion is advised to eliminate intruders]
'The orcs are not undead, we can't chase after them' Ed quickly replied. The orcs' speed was already insufficient in the first place. Now that they were tired, although spirited, their chances of success were none.
Ed expected a third message to appear. In which case he would have to inevitably turn back. If a third one did appear it probably wouldn't be simple advice anymore. He was glad that the dungeon was learning to listen. At the same time, it was a rather scary notion.
'Just like I progress so does the dungeon…' The dungeon had already started its corpse collecting job. Ed continued his sprint after thinking this final thought. The gate was just right in front of him.
[The system has observed your actions up until this point, selecting a suitable reward...]
Another glowing message appeared but Ed was already crossing the settlement's gate so he could care less about the reward. It wasn't like his thoughts would influence anything.
[Rounding up attributes to the nearest five. Restoring condition]
'Eh?' He said he couldn't care but the reward was simply different from what he had originally expected.
Ed's fatigue started to dissipate. His injuries were the first to heal. The wounds closed as if they never existed in the first place. His bones then grew and reshaped his arms and hands. The flesh then crawled its way up the skeletal figure to finish the restoration of his hands.
The image was unsettling causing Ed to falter, a bit agape. He blinked a couple of times in surprise as he looked at his new hands feeling no discomfort. He then shook his head and ignored the matter. All things considered, this was one of the least strange things he had been through.
"Ed!" He heard an orc woman shout. Actually it was the voice of Sharog. Ed shot a glance towards the direction of the sound.
There he saw a couple of orcs, the noncombatants, that were helping Sharog seemingly nurse someone back to health. Noticing this, Ed wasted no time in running over.
There he saw Shel. She was unconscious. Her body was bloodied and battered. But Ed managed to notice that this was her improved condition. This stunned him for a moment as he could only imagine what her body used to look like before being administered the potions.
He was saddened by her state but the grief soon turned into relief. At the very least… She was safe. She was alive.
"She was quite lucky to survive…" Sharog muttered bitterly. Her words didn't fail to catch Ed's attention
"What do you mean" He asked without missing a beat. His expression turned solemn without a trace of glee or childishness. This wasn't a joking matter after all.
"Ah… it's just that she landed atop one of the houses, you see" Sharog said and pointed to a house not too far away. Its roof had caved in and some debris could also be seen from the outside.
The other orcs ignored their conversation and continued to forcefully feed or apply the healing potion to help Shel.
"Where are the others?" Ed asked with a raised brow. He didn't see Duma, Durgash, or Vorgarag.
"Ummm…" Sharog seemed to be reluctant to say.
"Tell me" Ed hurried her, his heart thumping nervously. Sharog's reaction was obviously abnormal putting him on edge.
"Duma, I don't know where he went. I haven't seen him for a while now" Sharog informed Ed in response to his hurry but once more turned hesitant.
"Hurry" Ed was losing his patience. If somebody was injured then he might still be able to help.
"Durgash is… dead… He was also thrown off the wall but he wasn't so lucky. And-" Sharog's voice stifled as she attempted to continue.
'Durgash is dead?' Ed asked himself trying to make sure he heard correctly. He felt weird… It was unbelievable. But at the same time, Ed knew it was entirely reasonable. How was the recently healed Durgash going to contend against such a powerful adventurer?
But Ed then froze. Sharog's red teary eyes made him have a horrible premonition.
"Where's Vorgarag!?" Ed asked in alarm after grabbing and shaking Sharog by the shoulders. His heart was beating quickly and fearfully.
"...He's dead" Sharog finally said guiltily after reigning in her tearful expression. It never felt good to tell others of someone's passing. It was especially so for her as she felt somewhat responsible. She had been at Vorgarag's side after all.
"What?" Those words escaped Ed's mouth as he refused to believe that his ears were hearing things correctly,
"Wh-where's Vorgarag" Ed asked again with a weak shake. Sharog didn't dare look him in the eye.
"He is in the fire" She added.
'In the fire…' Ed's thinking had slowed to a crawl from the mere shock. His befuddled expression then quickly changed into one of determination and seriousness.
He looked down at a pile of potions near Shel and he quickly bent down to snatch a couple.
"He-Hey!" Sharog was alarmed once she saw Ed's sudden change. He didn't care however as he looked towards the burning walls. He then dashed towards the steps leading up.
Sharog quickly tried to hold him back and chase after him but Ed's speed was much better than any other orc. Sharog was destined for failure from the start and could only see his retreating back.
Ed panted heavily as he ran up the steps. His fatigue and energy had been recovered by the dungeon, he wasn't tired. He gulped nervously as he continued to climb. It felt like an eternity would pass.
The smell of burning wood thickened, and soon he saw the peak of the walls. His steps hastened once more bordering his limits. He almost tripped and dropped some of the potions he carried.
'I got to help him' Ed muttered in his mind as he finished his ascension. He could see the red-orange flames burning brightly. The fire was also spreading slowly and exuded fierce heat. The dark smoke was masking most of his view though.
Regardless, Ed didn't show an ounce of hesitation as he rushed in that direction. He passed Drake's corpse which had started to burn under the oppressive heat. And he jumped in.
[You are burning. -1 hp]
[You are burning. -1 hp]
[You are burning.... ]
The message repeated itself a couple of times. Ed's body was being burned by the flames but he felt nothing.
With a creak, the floor he stood on broke, and his foot sunk into the ground. He dropped one of the potions which were boiling under the searing flames. It dropped and its lid came undone, the fire made quick work of the liquid as it turned into grey steam.
Ed didn't even process any of this as he tried to prop himself out of the hole. His hand also sunk through the wood, however.
[You've been dealt damage. -1 hp]
"Vorgarag!" He yelled with a hint of madness.
Ed's eyes turned blurry. The steam then cleared his vision allowing him to somehow catch a glimpse of a black humanoid shape through the smoke.
"Vo-Vorgarag! Vorgarag!" Ed frantically called for him. He bit his lip and tried to prop himself up a second time.
Some of the floor collapsed in response, which helped Ed loosen himself. He finally found some 'steady' footing and climbed out of the hole. He hurriedly made his way over while avoiding any other holes.
He reached for the black mass. The stature was matching, the skin was… charred… His tusks were also black but Ed didn't mind any of this.
"He-Here!" Ed opened the mouth of the burnt corpse and poured the boiling red substance. If anyone actually alive dared to drank such a substance they just might die.
[You are burning.... ]
Ed ignored the messages that were flooding his vision. His vitality quickly replaced any burnt skin especially after being rounded up by the system.
Ed then opened up another potion and dumped it into Vorgarag's mouth. He tossed the bottle aside, opened up another one, and repeated the process.
He reached for another but… there were no more… He looked at his empty hands and regained his lucidity.
His hands were rough and his green skin was burning. The burnt skin was however replaced by new skin. This turned into a vicious cycle. This cycle was slowing down though...
He took a glance at the charred body with his regained clarity.
[You are burning.... ]
'He is dead' This echoed inside of Ed's head for a while before he could finally accept the truth.
His surroundings and the noise it made finally registered to him. The creaking wood, the collapsing bits, and the popping of the harsh flames. The floor underneath him creaked signaling its soon collapse.
Ed was then going to take Vorgarag's corpse to bury it but… It started to fade. It faded into black.. The dungeon was reclaiming its property.