The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

The battle that engaged the entirety of the Joint Dungeon Forces was fierce and demanding. However, the Dwarves would not wait it out once it became clear that the Priests could greatly contribute to the outcome. Specifically, the Priests of Eriar, Hestia, and Verka could tip the scales once they realized that only the strongest of monsters could withstand their holy magic. While the priests of Eriar and Hestia tried to help the main Dwarven forces secure the foothold and advance towards the staircase, the Priests of Verka went simply berserk. The furious clergy of the Goddess of Vengeance were running everywhere, destroying every creature of Chaos and Void that managed to get past the Ents and Goblins. They also had to be held back by the Kobolds so as not to rush straight at the Enemies.

"At this point, they are self-propelled." Ragnar took off his helmet and rubbed his short hair. He observed the Warpriests of Verka hammering an unfortunate monster into a bloody pulp.

"Yeah... However, I don't get why the more monsters they kill, the more angry they become," Verni responded.

"Maybe because that wasn't the last one?" Bjorn observed one of the Priests being smacked by the Spawn so hard that he flew into the air. "I don't know, man."

However, besides sending the Warpriest flying, the dangerous-looking hit was relatively harmless since he stood up and yelled a relentless stream of profanities all the way back to the spot he was before. The three Dwarven Lords looked at each other and simply shrugged. It was a well-known fact that Goddess Verka, as King Theon usually described, went ballistic whenever anything involving Chaos and Void was even mentioned. It wasn't that strange that her clergy shared similar opinions about the Enemy. The fact that the Dwarves were a race that held grudges like no other almost made them the chosen race of Verka. Sometimes, she was so busy that Akh'ila had to address prayers made to the Goddess outside the Kingdom of Arcadia. Nonetheless, everyone present, even those who nominally worshipped other Gods, felt the wrath of Verka that urged them to kill all Chaos Spawns in the area. It was as if she was watching them all from above and constantly asked; why are those filths still alive?!

"Oh, wow..." Bjorn pointed at Lord Sigismund. "You have made that axe, Ragnar?"

"No... I don't recognise it either." Ragnar tilted his head, and suddenly, his eyes went wide. "Is that...!? By the Gods! That's Stormbringer!"

"No way..." Verni pushed aside astounded Ragnar. He gasped as he gazed upon the shining blade in Lord Sigismund's hands and saw the blue sparks and arcs dancing over its edge. "It truly is!"

"I knew he was the last of the Dwarven nobility, but I never suspected he’s descended from the Royal Family!" Bjorn covered his head with his hands, most likely wanting to ruffle his hair furiously, but had somehow forgotten to remove his helmet.

"He never told me!" Ragnar pointed his fingers at the older Lord accusingly.

Their discussion was abruptly interrupted by the blood-curdling scream, which tore the trio’s furious gazes to the source. The three legendary-grade weapons smashed at a Void creature that tried to sneak up on them. It was cut in half, then crosswise, and finally, the remains were crushed flat with a warhammer. Everything happened in less than a blink of an eye, after which the three Dwarves gave each other serious looks.

"All right... I think we all know what that means." Bjorn glanced once more at the weapon most likely known by every Dwarf and sighed.

With a dramatically slow clench of his fist, he activated his aegis shield that shone with a soft, blue light. Bjorn's aegis resembled a round shield because he liked the simplicity and considered it the most versatile shield to use. Normally, aegis might have been mistaken for an illusion, but it wasn't so simple. Generally speaking, it was a magic shield, but it wasn't a barrier by classical definition. Traditional barrier spells constantly burnt through the user's mana, stored or ambient, usually had a fixed amount of durability points, worked for a fixed amount of time, or any combination of the above. The aegis shield, however, wasn't using mana at all. King Theon described it as a personal shield generator, capable of projecting hard light, whatever it was, as a physical, almost weightless, and nearly indestructible barrier. It was a shock for them all when Verni, and much later Ragnar, discovered they could craft aegis shields. However, once that shock passed, those shields became the pinnacle of defensive craftsmanship in Arcadia. To further signify their superiority, all mages and healers could use them freely without the usual restrictions from the class system. While the shields provided a slightly less potent effect for the magic users while enhancing other aspects, the fact they could hide behind a solid barrier was highly beneficial to the Arcadian mages.

That particular feature was tested as an unholy amount of black fireballs pinned down the Battle Mages company. The monster's equivalent of a company had managed to hide behind an enormous column and caught the Dwarven mages off guard. Unholy flames splashed harmlessly over the almost transparent shields of the mages who instantly replied with their own spells that set the inferiorly protected enemies aflame. Only a few Dwarves were hit by the black flames, but their light armours extinguished the fire, leaving their users more pissed than seriously wounded. However, some were not that lucky. Four mages lay dead on the ground just a few paces away from the rest of the company. Before Ragnar, Bjorn, or Verni could react, a small team of the vanguards ran between the mages and the beasts that had leapt forward, ready to engage in the melee. Thanks to their presence, the mages could focus on their spells and quickly dispatched the remaining monsters.

"They are mostly around level fifty." Verni picked up a spear lying nearby and, after imbuing it with blue flames, tossed it towards a particularly big Chaos Spawn who looked like a commander. "Some are up to level eighty, but we are talking about level sixty on average."

"No wonder they seemed so weak." Ragnar shook his head.

"They are not weak, Ragnar." Berni sighed. "We are just awfully powerful..."

•••

Sebastian was getting gradually more frustrated than he thought was possible. The Praetorians had cleared the way toward the chamber he felt the Core should be in, but they already hit a dead end for the fourth time. He couldn't tell how it was possible that among all the King's scions, it was HIM who had most likely gotten lost. They were fighting their way through the hordes of the Winter Monsters, and then, when the Mountain Dungeon's denizens refused them to speak to their core, through them. Nothing, however, was even remotely as challenging as looking for the Inner Sanctum. The frustration was slowly but unpleasantly changing into an awkward feeling of embarrassment as they hit yet another dead end.

"The layout of this chamber is shifting," the Shield Captain informed after a wasted moment spent staring at the firm wall.

Feeling his embarrassment changing into cold fury, Sebastian hit the wall with all his considerable strength. The hit echoed through the room, and the wall cracked visibly but remained where it stood. From beneath the cracks and the thin layer of plaster that imitated the natural-looking stone falling off, they noticed the enchanted stone gates made of the highest-grade materials.

Sebastian swallowed his pride and admitted defeat. "I was fooled–"

"Who are you, and why are you disturbing my Lady?!" a proud voice interrupted the Noble Slime of Avalon.

The very brief sounds of brutal activity indicated that the Praetorians were also not fond of wasting their time. Sebastian, who suddenly decided that violence was a very reasonable response and the best solution to the silent treatment the Mountain Dungeon's Core gave him, slowly turned around. The cut-down remains of the strange creatures in front of him very slowly started turning into dust as he focused on the one that provoked the outburst of servants of Avalon. Sebastian was surprised to realise that he had run out of patience.

"What are you exactly?" the Slime asked the creature that he somehow couldn't identify. It looked like some strange mix of a Fey, a Gremlin, and a Forest Kobold. It also wore armour that could pass as Dwarven, but only if Sebastian had never seen authentic Dwarven armour before.

Undoubtedly, the scion of the Mountain Dungeon slowly swallowed but dared not to make any abrupt movements because of the dozens of weapons menacingly resting on his neck and other vital points.

"I'm a Dwarf."

"Excuse me, what?" Sebastian wasn't sure if he heard that right. "You are a Dwarf?"

"Well... Yes?" The creature tried sounding convincing, but it turned out uncertain instead.

"Have you ever seen a Dwarf?" the Noble Slime asked dryly but instead of waiting for the answer, he shook his head angrily. "No! It doesn't matter. I need to speak with your mistress."

"YOU!? Ouch... Sorry." The arrogant outburst was self-punished as the creature cut itself on the Praetorian's swords and halberds. "No way! I won't allow the enemy Scion to enter the Inner Sanctum."

"Listen... I'm not in the mood for a hollow discussion. I was sent by the Righteous Dungeon, and I have many questions that my Lord wants the answers to." Sebastian took out the thin blade, but before he managed to move toward the threats, an excited shriek of a young woman echoed in the room.

Before anyone realised what was happening, the massive doors of enchanted stone swung wide open.

"Theon has sent you?!" Flashes of warm, emerald light accompanied the pleasant but incorporeal voice.

"Ummm..." Sebastian, caught by surprise, put away his dagger and tried his best to show a neutral expression on his face despite the ridiculous situation. "Indeed. Lord Theon Avalon has sent me."

"Oh, he didn't have to send you, Sebastian!" The voice giggled before she asked with glee. "I hope he liked the snacks I sent him while he appeared in Aderon!"

"Ummm..." This wasn't the kind of discussion he had prepared for. And how exactly did she know his name? Despite everything, he took a risk and replied, "Yes?"

"I'm so happy to hear that!" The light inside flashed invitingly. "But don't stand there! Please, come inside."

Sebastian opened and closed his mouth but couldn't find the right words so he glanced at the Shield Captain. The Praetorian looked just as stupefied as the Scion, so it was no use looking to him for help. He wanted to speak with the Core anyway, so the Praetorians moved inside after a flick of his hand, dragging the strange wannabe Dwarf with them. Sebastian felt the amusement of the King through their bond, but so far, the King had kept his laughter at bay, at least. With a tired sigh, he entered the Sanctum and looked around. The Mountain Dungeon's Core was strange as Cores went. She wasn't a gemstone, a figure, or any kind of artefact. Instead, she looked like a translucent woman. She wasn't a ghost or a wraith but her body was almost transparent.

"All right... Now, my Lord has far more questions than before." Sebastian shook his head, but after a moment, he nodded once he heard the voice of his King. "But most of them can wait."

"Ohhhh, you tease..." The woman giggled. She was relatively short, about one metre sixty centimetres tall, but contrary to the creature that introduced himself as Dwarf, she looked exactly like a gorgeous Dwarven woman. "However, I must express my disappointment for making me wait so long, Theon!"

She pouted and crossed her arms before her, leaving Sebastian speechless. He tried to say something multiple times and failed miserably, but to his growing consternation, his Lord was silent. In the nervous silence, the oldest of the scions of the Righteous Dungeon desperately looked around to shift the topic toward something less awkward. The Inner Sanctum of the Mountain Dungeon was filled with various Dwarven artefacts displayed on the glass-covered display shelves and cabinets. It looked like one of the Avalon's museums until he noticed two highly concerning elements. One of them was a richly carved and undoubtedly Dwarven burial casket. The second, even more concerning but for wholly different reasons was the highly detailed model of the City of Avalon. It was so thorough that even after Sebastian walked close to it, he couldn't find many, if any, mistakes at all. However, now that he was there, he noticed a third concerning, if not straight-up alarming, element of the room's decoration.

As the Mountain Dungeon Core squealed in embarrassment and hurriedly shut the small doors, she tried to shield said element despite her translucence—but Sebastian had already seen it. He could have sworn the Mountain Dungeon's Core blushed. While there were likely more pressing questions, Sebastian, hearing the concerned and weak voice of his master, chose to ask one of the fundamental questions that would set the tone for the rest of this highly awkward visit.

"Ummm..." He raised his finger, but the words were not coming together as nicely as he hoped. He then put both of his palms together in a meaningful gesture, but that didn’t help either. He settled on taking a deep breath, and after a glance at the ceiling, Sebastian eventually asked, "Why do you have a highly detailed portrait of my Lord artfully arranged over some sort of altar?"