Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

<Ding! You have been marked by divine power. Duration 5 Hours.>

Seth lifted an eyebrow. He had just left the branch of the Adventurer Guild and someone put a tracker on him out of nowhere. There was no knowing who it was, except if he decided to play along. As such, he simply continued with what they intended to do from the start.

“Alone”, he got on his golem griffin and rode to the dungeon he had just booked. It was a level 73 orc dungeon that belonged to Kozdam, the Kingdom of Orcs. They had been staying low after taking a big hit during the Expedition of the guild, mainly because of their attack on Minas Mar.

However, the calm could not be misunderstood as peace. They had just been gathering their forces and reinforcing their positions. Because Orc dungeons were not simply dungeons, but also thoroughly fortified on the surface, they were unpopular with the regular adventurers who came as normal citizens from Minas Mar.

Some had whole forts and castles built on top or around the entrance. It needed an army to just get into the dungeon. Or someone like Seth. Since it was the closest dungeon with the highest population, the blacksmith ignored its affiliation and fortification and simply booked it. This was just right for Haa'Skon to test its skills.

On the way, Seth released a bunch of small golem drones he used for scouting from Legion. Since someone marked him, they would follow him at some point, right? They could argue about him observing them, if they dared to track him down, right?

While expecting to be followed, Seth soon arrived at his destination. In a valley at the foot of the mountain, he found a wooden fort, reinforced with various magic formations. This play was located close to the edge of the Holy Land and quite a distance away from the canyon at its heart.

“Go for it, Haa'Skon,” he called out as he released the golem and the troll servant.

The bard did not even land, but opened a gate to Legion's inner world and simply dropped them at the gates of the fort. Judging by what he understood about the wards and magic in place, the orcish defense was not weak. It was going to be interesting to see, whether Haa'Skon would even be able to overcome their defense on its own.

Dropping to the ground, the golem did not strike a hero landing. Straight as a fence post, the golem knight struck the earth and rock. Its boots dug into the ground all the way up to the ankles. The troll on the other hand flopped on the ground like a dead fish, before slowly rising like...well, a zombie.

Their arrival did not stay unnoticed on the ramparts of the fortification. In their own tongue, they cried about warning and got ready for battle. It seemed that they took the arrival of a single golem knight very seriously.

Had the name of Minas Mar's golem knights spread so far that even Kozdam was careful of a single one? To his disappointment, he soon found that they were not afraid of the dark knight, but the massive troll that accompanied it, ass all their weapons and magic were pointed at the zombie.

However, this dungeon's average level was 73, the orcs on the ramparts ranged from 65 to 70. Whether it was the magic of the few shamans among them or the arrows of the archers, they could only put scratches on the lv.90 Undead Mountain Troll.

At a wave of its master, the troll that had been standing still started to move. It seemed to instinctively follow the will of Haa'Skon. It was really surprising that there really were no Necromancy skills involved. Although Seth would have preferred if the golem had his own pocket dimension for his servant as some of the better Necromancer classes had.

Although it was a level 90 undead beast, the defenses of the fort were able to resist. Its fist hammered against the reinforced walls, but could only shake, not break them. Seth observed the golem death knight's next steps with great interest.

…

A group of twenty men on horses cut across the hills on the outskirts of the Holy Land.

“He went this way! We have to hurry before the mark vanishes!” the priest at the head of this group of knights called out over the clopping of hooves.

Seeing a group of people actually using horses was an unusual sight in Urth, who had been heavily influenced by the system. People usually use specific mounts depending on their area of expertise and use. Especially in places like Delta and Minas Mar where the area was mostly mountainous, horses were not the most practical kind of mount.

However, had there been someone to see this group, they would have been reminded of a historical film, much different from the mutated fantasy and horror setting that had grasped their world. It was an almost peaceful sight.

It took them two hours to catch up with their target. At this point, the squad of knights arrived at the wooden fort. What had them halt in their tracks, was that they were unable to see anybody at all. The place looked almost decrepit, as if there had not been anybody for a long time.

The massive gates had been smashed open at some point in the past, the edges weathered and broken down by time. The wards and magic that had once protected the structure had long worn off, the knights could only see pale traces of it.

“I will take the lead, follow me slowly,” the scout, a knight in lighter armor spoke up and got off his horse. The other knights did the same, leaving the horses outside. The well-trained animals obediently stayed in the vicinity, grazing the sparse grass. Following the scout, the squad slowly entered the fort. There was nobody inside, but something didn't seem right.

The priest was walking especially slowly, inspecting everything minutely. The ramparts looked old and decrepit, but inside were signs of recent use. Many of the adjacent buildings looked new. Peeking inside one, he found freshly cooked food sprayed across the ground in great hurry. Marks of fighting marred the place. He finally caught onto the discrepancy that disturbed all of them.

“Some kind of power has aged and decayed many parts of the structure. We have to be careful, it's a truly insidious power. It's best if you keep your divine aura up at all times,” the priest warned them immediately. The knights nodded seriously, none of them dared to dismiss his advice and they enveloped themselves in a dim silver aura.

The knight stopped and looked when the priest came to a halt abruptly. After a moment, he faced their questioning gazes. “The mark, it suddenly vanished.”

“What? But the time isn't up yet, is it?” the troop leader asked perplexed.

“Yes, there was still time, I don't know how it vanished....”

“Where was it last?” “In there...”

The priest pointed to a big building in the fort, that looked almost like a simple church. Inside, the floor was covered in carpets and cushions. At the back where the altar would have been was a set of stairs leading up to a stage. Behind the stage was a colorful portal, swirling with colors. For a moment they were startled, thinking it was one of the portals the great System Fiend had used during its invasion, but it was just a dungeon entrance.

Facing the dungeon many of the men had complicated expressions. Even worse than the system fiend, dungeons had left a trauma in their minds. The fact that they had also come here via the dungeons made their feeling even more complicated.

“He should be inside. Everyone, get ready for entry.” the leader commanded. The members of the squad stood at attention before being led into the dungeon by their leader.