NOVPUB
Chapter 315: 315
On the streets, the residents of the city were startled, many panicking at first as the blinding light engulfed them. But when they realized the beam wasn’t causing any harm, they hesitated, their fear turning to awe. They stood frozen, eyes wide, marveling at the majestic sight above them. The light show was mesmerizing, casting long shadows and bathing the city in otherworldly brilliance.
Their admiration was quickly interrupted by Gurnak’s voice, amplified by magic and echoing through the air. "Grab something sturdy close by and brace yourselves," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for doubt or hesitation.
Without question, the citizens scrambled, clutching onto anything nearby—a pillar, a railing, the walls of their homes. Then it began. The ground shuddered violently, a deep rumble rising from beneath the city like the growl of a waking beast. The shaking intensified, the tremors rattling buildings and sending loose stones tumbling from rooftops.
Deep underground, in the darkness of the forgotten tunnels, the black rods placed at each junction responded to the light. As the beam reached them, the rods began to absorb its energy, growing in size and stature. What had been small, unobtrusive objects now swelled, towering upward as they broke through the ground. The rods extended toward the surface, their dark metal gleaming as they shot upward, stretching skyward until they stood as massive pillars.
Each rod grew until it pierced the skyline, visible from every corner of the city. Once they reached their full height, the runes etched into their surface began to glow, first faintly, then with increasing intensity. A web of energy sparked between them, and a shimmering dome formed, connecting the pillars in a protective barrier. For a brief moment, the dome was visible—an immense shield of light that enveloped the entire city. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the dome vanished, becoming invisible to the naked eye. The only sign of its existence was the faint glow still emanating from the now towering pillars.
Serephine lowered her hands, her expression calm and satisfied. The sealing was complete.
Up in the sky, the mages on the airship nodded to one another. Their task was finished. Serephine cast one last glance at the city below before turning toward the front of the ship. A massive portal opened in the sky, its swirling vortex shimmering with arcane light. Without a word, the ship began to ascend, passing through the portal and disappearing into the horizon, heading back to the capital.
Back in the abyss, Vorenza frowned as she watched what was unfolding. She truly detested the existence of mages and their tactics.
She had considered being subtle in her takeover of this world, still believing she had a chance of reaching the world’s core first and ascending to demon lord.
Like Zarvok, she didn’t want too much damage done to this world, especially to its mage inheritance, which would turn into strength after being absorbed.
But the actions of the world’s mages were now making her question her decision. For the past month, she hadn’t let her cannon fodder troops move to erode the land or wear down the shield protecting the city.
Vorenza had the advantage of numbers on her side, but because she was focused on a bigger prize, she hadn’t used this advantage. Now, the mages were forcing her hand.
She relayed a message to her general as she pointed at the city, giving only one order: "Attack."
Vorenza, watching from her throne room as her army once again began to deploy, turned her attention back to the hybrids. "I hope this will buy you enough time to grow and achieve your purpose."
The mages’ movements showed they were trying to corner and take out the hybrids, but with her sending out near-endless waves of troops, their attention would be divided, buying time for the hybrids.
At the same time down in the underground network of the city and the surrounding. The ratman were panicking from the sudden vibration and shaking.
Those Unlucky even had the stone caving in on them, the whole community were in panic. Those close to the junction were taking back by the huge pillar suddenly in place.
The tremors shook the ratmen’s underground city violently, sending tools, gears, and half-built steam contraptions crashing to the floor. Panicked voices echoed through the tunnels, their normally orderly society descending into chaos. The ratmen, highly intelligent but with no natural affinity for magic, relied on their steam-powered technology and quick-thinking to survive in the harsh environments beneath the city. But nothing could have prepared them for the seismic shift that had just erupted from above.
In the depths of the sprawling labyrinth of tunnels, Ratkin leaders and engineers scrambled to assess the damage. The tremors had caused several cave-ins, crushing smaller tunnels and cutting off vital routes to different sections of their society. Sparks flew from broken steam engines, and pipes burst as pressurized steam hissed into the air, further disorienting the already panicking population.
Down near the primary junctions, where some of their most advanced engineering lay hidden, a group of ratmen had gathered to inspect the sudden appearance of the rune-marked pillar. It rose impossibly tall, pulsing with dark, unfamiliar symbols that flickered with an unnatural glow. Those brave enough to approach cautiously poked at the structure, sniffing the air and inspecting its surface for any sign of familiar tech. But this wasn’t a construct of metal or steam. This was something else entirely—something far beyond their understanding.
"We’ve seen nothin’ like this before," grumbled Togg, an older ratman with wiry whiskers and a mechanical arm that whirred softly as he adjusted a pair of copper-rimmed goggles. "It reeks of surface magic. Ain’t no good for us down ’ere."
"Have the goblin mages had enough of us and plan to wipe us out?" a young female ratman with glasses asked, stepping back in fear while staring at the rune pillar.
Togg patted a young ratman next to him and ordered, "See if we have an available drill car left from this disaster. Try to make a hole here," he said, pointing at the stone wall near the pillar.
The ratman nodded, and after a few seconds, he drove up a small vehicle with a huge drill attached to the front. The gathered engineers all took a step back as the drill began spinning and humming.
The drill moved closer to where Togg had pointed, but the pillar began to hum the moment the drill made contact with the stone wall. The gathered ratmen frowned, and the ratman driving the vehicle couldn’t seem to accept what was happening as he increased the drill’s speed.
The pillar responded by absorbing the energy from the drill. As the humming intensified, Togg and the others noticed the change and tried to shout and stop the ratman driving the vehicle. However, he didn’t seem to hear them, focused entirely on breaking through the wall.
A flash of light followed by the sound of something impacting hard left the gathered ratmen in shock. Their minds struggled to comprehend what had just happened. The vehicle and its driver were no longer in front of them.
Their head slolwy turned where the impact sound came from only for them to cover their mouth in horror at sight. The rune-marked pillar had absorbed the drill’s energy, and the resulting explosion had torn the vehicle apart, leaving behind nothing but a mangled, blood-stained wreck. The driver’s head was the only thing that remained intact, staring vacantly as blood dripped down the metal.
Togg, the grizzled ratman leader, clenched his mechanical fist. "Damn it," he growled, his voice laced with both fear and frustration. "Whatever that thing is, it’s not just surface magic. It’s worse. Far worse."
One of the younger engineers, the one who had questioned whether the goblin mages were responsible, was now shaking uncontrollably. "W-We can’t fight that. What do we do now, Togg?"
Togg shook his head, his wiry whiskers twitching as he studied the ominous rune-marked pillar. "There’s nothing we can do. Magic and mana—those things are beyond us. Our technology, as advanced as it is, won’t make a dent against something like this."
The younger ratman opened their mouth to protest, but Togg raised a hand to silence them. "We need to go to the chief. He’s the one who’s been in contact with the goblins. If anyone knows what’s going on, it’s him."
As they hurried through the damaged tunnels, the tension among the ratmen was palpable. When they reached the chief’s quarters, they found the room in shambles, debris scattered everywhere. The chief, a stocky ratman with graying fur, was already sifting through the rubble, muttering under his breath. Finally, he uncovered what he had been searching for—a small, glowing stone.
He carefully placed the stone into a strange device. It hummed faintly, but nothing else happened. A flicker of panic crossed the chief’s face as he frantically checked the device for any signs of damage, his hands trembling. Just as his frustration began to mount, a soft throat-clearing sound filled the room.
