Two weeks passed since the discovery of the ancient structure. Zephyr, Zeus, and Hera, who arrived a few hours after the disappearance of Captain Ives, could only confirm that the structure was indeed a part of the ancient road network. They couldn't do anything more so, once they helped to set up protection wards, they left. The arrival of Empress Luna, Scion Stella, and the promised Scholars also changed very little. Stella began her research, but her progress was minimal, if any at all. Lady Luna was able to translate the language of the ancient builders but that wasn't as helpful as everyone expected. The reason for that was simple; there once was some sort of library or archives in the complex, but whatever was stored there had turned to dust thousands of years ago. Even the most careful estimations dated the structure tens of thousands of years old. Whatever books or scrolls had been stored here couldn't possibly survive the merciless passage of time without powerful stasis fields or spatial storage.

The lack of any spatial enhancements or expansions was noted with a slight shock. It seemed that whoever built this complex was unaware of spatial magic. That shocked the Scholars who, so far, believed that the extremely nuanced and complicated transport magic had been strictly connected with far less complex spatial magic. However, the absolute lack of spatial magic in the complex put a large question mark over Scholars' historic understanding. There were traces of spatial spells used within the structure but most of these were easily tracked back to Inquisitors who had used their storage items. While the Scholars were excited about this new trove of secrets to be explored, the Inquisitors realised that bringing back their friend wouldn't be easy. As a positive note, not a single Voidling appeared in the structure so most of the Inquisitors returned to their duties. Most, except for Grand Inquisitor Dahlia. Whenever she moved further than a hundred metres from the ancient structure, it would go dormant.

Even the usually priceless commentary from Victory wasn't helpful this time. The Golem confirmed that the structure was far older than even the Balantican Empire and its magitech surpassed the combined achievements of Arcadia and Balantica but that wasn't exactly insightful. The week Lady Luna spent away from Avalon went without any breakthrough. Dahlia, who was somehow connected with the complex, had to stay with a small strike team until the Scholars determined how to keep the structure working without her presence. She wasn't happy about it.

"I'm sorry, Dahlia." The Empress said sadly.

"It's not your fault, my Lady. I'm really grateful for your help!" The Wolfkin woman sadly lowered her head with a sigh. "It's a punishment for touching random things..."

"Take this as an opportunity to rest. I'll arrange with Irene to have Auburn receive leave until you can return to Avalon." The Kitsune smiled at her subordinate.

"It's not exactly a holiday resort but thank you, my Lady." Dahlia smiled warmly.

"I will search for anything useful in the old archives of Hilgvar, Cridia, and Berna... Well, I guess they are our archives now." Empress Luna sighed and yawned.

"Thank you again, my Lady." Dahlia bowed deeply.

"See you soon!" The Kitsune said as she vanished, forcefully teleported back to Avalon.

However, this time, there was no noticeable discharge of mana like they felt when Captain Ives disappeared. For a moment, Dahlia considered whether that was important or not, but most probably, it wasn't. There was a big difference between a Teleport using a skill, a Dungeon Movement, and the forced teleportation enforced by the World's Words. With a sigh, she left one of the rooms they had repurposed as an office and wandered aimlessly through the complex. Dahlia couldn't deny that the facility was an important asset for Arcadia and the number of researchers sent to uncover its secrets was justified but that hadn't made it any less frustrating for her. For better or worse she was, basically, imprisoned there. Fortunately, the Emperor decided that the complex was far too important and claimed the entire area as part of Arcadia.

While, initially, Ebrus wasn't happy about it, they quickly changed their minds when they realised that the relatively small patch of otherwise useless land was going to be a Navy Base. For now, the Emperor had only briefly informed the NATO leaders about the ruins without disclosing their full nature. However, considering everything, changing this place into a military base made sense. In the case of a conventional attack, the marsh was a few hundred metres from the coastline and offered a convenient observation and defence spot for any forces stationed here. Any missile launchers built in this base were capable of covering most of the coastline that had, earlier, been barely patrolled. The ships of the Arcadian Navy would gain easy access to the supplies...

"Ma'am! Ma'am!"

"Stop yelling, Dominic..." Dahlia groaned as she turned around. "What's going on?"

"We were attacked by Dungeon monsters!"

"What?!" She immediately looked at him with renewed interest.

"One of the engineer's teams near the coastline was attacked while they cleared the land for our surface buildings. The Guardsmen easily dispatched the monsters but that means there is a Dungeon nearby!" The Inquisitor was excited.

Dahlia immediately had the communication slab in her hand and was calling Avalon.

"My Lord..."

"I already know, Dahlia. Stella beat you to it by a few seconds." He chuckled. "Prepare the strike team and you are free to use Paladin's armament as you see fit. Victory is returning with Praetorians. I hope that will be enough to subjugate the Dungeon because JDF is busy elsewhere..."

"Considering that the Guardsmen managed to dispatch the monsters, I believe the Dungeon in question is young, my Lord."

"Regardless, I advise caution, Dahlia." The Emperor said calmly and smirked. "You could call me a young Dungeon, after all..."

"You are absolutely right, my Lord..." Dahlia paled. It was easy to forget about that. "I will inform you about our progress once I learn more."

"Very well." He nodded and disconnected.

"Tell me more details, Dominic." She said and headed straight to the surface.

"Yes, Ma'am!" The Inquisitor trailed close behind. "As I said, the team was clearing and leveling the area for the future buildings when they were attacked by a Dungeon's monsters. The thirty monsters that attacked us were level twenty on average and they came from the ocean."

"Ocean?" Dahlia confidently walked the path she had familiarised herself with for the last two weeks. "What do they look like?"

"Like large, clothed frogs, my Lady... We managed to appraise them and identify them as Frogloks."

"Frogloks? I've never heard of them..." She stopped to give him an incredulous gaze.

"No one has, Ma'am. They were surprisingly agile and strong for their appearance but nothing we were unable to deal with. Their weapons were of a fairly good quality, I mean, nothing unexpected from such low-level monsters, but it was proper steel."

"Interesting... I would usually expect either brass or, even, pointy sticks." The Wolfkin woman shook her head and took out her communication slate. "I will need a lift, Paul. The Scholars will have to endure waiting for a bit longer."

"I'm afraid that I can't comply, Ma'am. I'm under direct orders from Lady Luna to not endanger you needlessly." The voice of Paul Ives was slightly sad.

"You do realise that you are not allowed to leave the complex, Grand Inquisitor?" Stella's stern voice made Dahlia cringe.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Lady Stella, I..."

"I know that you are bored, Dahlia. But let me deal with this problem." The Faé Queen smiled at the Grand Inquisitor. "Reinforcements should be here any time-"

A soft thump of air over their heads announced the arrival of HMS Victory. The airship flashed into existence and one thousand Praetorians landed a combat descent with a loud thud. The black-and-gold armoured figures straightened proudly as they moved in magnificent and terrifying unison. The Praetorians formed companies and, with the satisfying sound of hundreds of unsheathed swords, prepared for the battle. Their aetheric aegis shields flashed with blue light and rapidly grew to the sizes of proper shields. The Royal Guard of Arcadia moved in menacing silence towards the coastline.

"But... This is my duty-" Dahlia stared but her voice was weak and depressed.

"Not today." Stella shrugged and gently lifted into the air on her shining wings. "You can ask the Emperor if you don't believe me..."

"Fine..."

•••

The preparations for the journey had taken them a whole week. Recalling the Scholars and Engineers from Vanushka wasn't easy or fast. Gathering personnel, preparing supplies, planning the base once it became clear they needed to mask the underground complex, and, finally, transporting everyone and everything... Stella wasn't happy with it. The Emperor wasn't pleased with it. And when they finally got on site, the situation worsened. While the complex itself was in great condition, they discovered no documents they could research and learn how the structure worked. They checked every room and carefully opened the collapsed sections but they couldn't find anything that would help them discover the structure's secrets. Stella was infuriated by her powerlessness. It seemed like they were quickly running out of options and, soon, they would have to inform their Lord of their utter failure.

And now they were under attack by the forces of some Dungeon. Stella's fists cracked with a coiling lightning as she angrily clenched them. She fully understood Dahlia who was forced to abandon her important duties and being stuck in the hopeless ruins. She hovered over the ground behind the Praetorians who swiftly crossed the newly flattened area. The construction site was full of various materials and impatient groups of Engineers who loudly complained about the delay. She couldn't help but smile, recalling their terrified faces when they arrived in Avalon not so long ago. Not so long ago, they were scared of the lowest of the Dungeon monsters, but now they treated a raid as a nuisance that interfered with their work.

Snow was slowly piling on the vast flat area that had been the heart of a vast swamp just one week prior. However, the weather wasn't a problem for the Arcadians and even a lesser nuisance for the Praetorians. They marched in menacing silence and their even steps created a rhythm known by any army. The Guardsmen and Inquisitors updated their reports on the most recent enemy attacks and they had, already, managed to pinpoint the enemy Dungeon location. It was obvious why no one noticed it earlier. The Praetorians stopped on the snow-covered beach and observed the calm water. The serene waves clashed over the sand, tumbling an occasional sheet of ice and melting the snow. Stella looked at the water and cursed under her breath.

"Give me a moment, Shield Captain." She said and with the rise of her slender arm, she created a sand barrier around her.

"Yes, Ma'am..." The Death Lord Champion saluted briefly, wondering why she paused.

There was a brief moment of intense cursing coming from behind the barrier. The Praetorian Captain would have blinked at the sight, but he couldn't, so he decided that tilting his head had to suffice. The usual dress the Faé Scion of the Righteous Dungeon wore doubled as her robe; the armour of magic users provided their owners a variety of beneficial effects. Naturally, the robes of high-level magic users had to be sufficiently high-grade and properly enchanted, and Stella's robes were made by the greatest craftsmen of Arcadia. That was the main reason why the Praetorian Shield Captain was confused.

"Why have you disrobed, Scion?" He asked with an astounded voice.

"The ocean water will ruin my dress! I refuse to destroy my cherished robe!" Stella groaned and tightened the sacrificial scarf she used to cover her chest.

Folding a second one, she tied around her hips. While she was still wearing lingerie, she decided that it wasn't enough. Stella wasn't clueless as to why Mortals insisted on wearing clothes and understood the benefits of various armours but embarrassment of exposed skin still eluded her. Perhaps she should discuss the matter with Aurora and, surprisingly, Morrigan, who were far more sensitive to the matter.

"But..." The Praetorian, who would understand the matter completely if Stella were a Mortal, was still confused and seemed to demand an answer. "...why?!"

"It's a gift I received from Miss Wendy a long time ago. It's not as powerful or durable as her newest creations. Would you want a gift from your Mortal friends being destroyed if you could avoid it?"

"Ah..." The Praetorian nodded with understanding. "But couldn't you simply hide behind a barrier that would keep the water out?"

"Yes, that's a perfectly sound idea but there is one tiny problem with it." Stella allowed her voice to drip with sarcasm. "We don't have such barriers."

"Ohhh?! I thought you discovered all kinds of barriers!"

"You know... The chance that anyone would use a slowly rising water level to destroy Avalon is extremely low. All other kinds of water will be stopped by barriers preventing attacks, but this..." She angrily pointed towards the boundless masses of water. "This is an ocean! How would you stop it?!"

"I don't know..." The Death Knight Champion shrugged.

Stella shrugged and slightly trembled. "Let's go. I'm starting to get cold."

She used a spell that would allow her to breathe underwater and walked into the waves with a very unhappy and uncomfortable expression.

"This is so cold!" She complained moments before she disappeared under the waves.

The Praetorians had no such reservations. They walked right into the water, uncaring of their equipment, or the need of air to breathe. Their armour and weapons were protected by powerful runes and complicated enchantments which would maintain them and protect them from rust or decay. The azure flames that burned inside their skeletal bodies couldn't be extinguished with water alone. The Royal Guards walked, slowly and deliberately, their steps stirred the sand and mud beneath it. They gained passing curiosity from small fish as they walked but each quickly fled in panic. The Frogloks were swimming toward them brandishing spears and harpoons. However, their agility meant nothing against the vast level difference. Spears cracked into splinters upon impacting the Praetorians' armour and harpoons bent.

Soon, they crossed the boundary of the Dungeon and were met with an incomparably smaller force. A large Froglok wielding two broad axes was standing in front of a few hundred similar creatures. Its skin was red with two large azure stripes and it wore clothes made of dark fur. The Praetorians stopped but, even underwater, anyone could tell that their feet stomped the ground with menacing power and unison. Stella slowly and gently moved forward but her movement was impeded by the water around her.

"I'm Stella Er'lamira of Avalon." She said proudly with her voice only slightly muffled by water. "We don't seek to destroy your Master, however, we demand their surrender."

Above the giant frogs started gathering much bigger fish denizens. Mostly the large sharks that, despite their menacing sizes and mean looks, were so low level they couldn't scratch the Arcadian forces. For her part, Stella became more and more furious. They were wasting her time.

"Dry dwellers... How are you alive under the waves?!" The Froglok Scion demanded. "We are warriors of the-"

"I demanded your complete and absolute surrender, frog. Compared to my Lord, your Master is just a child. Don't make us bleed you dry of mana." She said while the water around her started boiling. "I'm not here to play."

"We... Fight!" The Froglok Scion shouted and jumped at Stella.

However, the boiling water around her pushed him back as he cried in pain. She wasn't even doing it intentionally. Simply because she was angry, she allowed some of her mana to leak from her body, and because she was cold, she subconsciously used the leaked mana to warm herself. The Praetorians formed the battle line and were ready to decimate the opposing Dungeon forces but the Frogloks backed down.

"You strong..." The Froglok Scion said begrudgingly. "Master will speak with your Master. Follow..."

"Captain, bring five more soldiers with you." She said and slowly followed the oversized frog.

Stella had no idea why the Froglok Scion's speech pattern was so primitive but she assumed they rarely spoke with land creatures or people. Talking underwater was extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable, so they probably had other means of communication. She slowly followed the Scion and carefully surveyed her surroundings. It was the first underwater Dungeon they had encountered so it was natural for Stella to be intrigued. However, she was extremely puzzled by what she saw. She possessed a rather extensive knowledge about the oceans of the previous homeworld of Lord Theon, but what she observed around her didn't add up. The northern ocean was a cold and otherwise hostile place but, here, around Stella was an actual coral reef that should only be possible in much hotter southern regions. Also, the many small, colourful, and harmless fish that adorned the reef like living gemstones weren't native to the north.

She could barely discern what was a fighting zone, what was a resource node, and where the Dungeon structures were. Everything was placed extremely randomly and the expansions made no sense to her. They reached something that looked like a wreck of a galleon of unknown origin. Its masts were broken, many planks were torn partially away, and there was a massive hole in its starboard. The Froglok Scion entered it and stopped in front of a very old wooden chest and lifted its lid. Stella blinked in disbelief and slight shock. She had expected to be taken somewhere near the sanctum but not to be shown the core. It was a tiny pearl, not bigger than a nail on Stella's small finger. It pulsed with light and the Faé Scion felt its fear.

"Monsters are scary... Help!"

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