Chapter Text
She smirked and giggled, her eyes as narrow as a pen while each corner of her mouth reached ear to ear.
"See this Fern? This is the classic 'secret door' that hides away all sorts of treasures! I have
seen these so many times during our dungeon crawling years ago that it's become second
nature for me." The elf said as she pointed at the structure.
"Of course, mistress Frieren." Fern simply replied.
Frieren, slightly taken aback as her apprentice is not even slightly impressed. "Ah, maybe you haven't noticed." Her voice returned to a giggly tone and pointed at the carved flat wall that formed a small area for candles to stand on.
"See those friction marks on the corner down there? A very obvious sign of this wall moving!" She remarked, puffing her chest up and placing her left hand on her hip while her right held the staff planted on the ground.
"Hee hee hee" Frieren giggled childishly like a little girl being allowed more cookies after a good job's work on chores.
"Now, let's see how to open this bad boy..." She whispered as she
rubbed her hands together while observing the structure as Fern now held both staves.
Getting closer to the design, inspecting any patterns and clues, pushed the object but to no avail. Her hand on her chin, eyes squinted, noticed the scratch marks again. And suddenly, an epiphany hit her.
The secret door goes down.
Frieren's eyes widened in excitement as she climbed on the surface area where the candles laid, and as she did, the structure moved down, making Frieren drop back to the ground on her feet and laughed as she went in to hug Fern.
"Hee hee hee.. I told you so! My instincts still haven't failed me!" She said to Fern while she hugged her tightly.
"Amazing, mistress Frieren." Fern simply replied in her usual calm demeanor.
"Hah! This is nothing compared to the other secrets I've discovered." Frieren corrected, now holding her staff with both hands.
Now that the secret path has opened, Frieren excitedly went in first while Fern followed cautiously.
The path is dimly lit with soft, blue light emitting from the torches placed on the wall as more stairs lead further down.
"So Fern, what type of treasure do you think we'll find?" Frieren asked, her voice echoing through the incredibly long staircase.
"I hope we find a useful spell.. or gold. Either is good. Maybe even the secret exit?" Fern answered.
"I like the way you think!" Frieren replied as they continued their descent.
After what felt like 15 minutes walking down the repeating corridor, Frieren swore she noticed a half naked person with a chest for a head that has a tongue sticking out while wielding something as it ran up.
"Fern, did you see that?" Frieren called out.
"Hm? Saw what, mistress Frieren?" Fern replied curiously.
"...Ah.. nothing, I just thought I saw someone or something strange.."
Fern nodded in reply as she continued down.
Another 15 minutes of constant descent, both mages felt and detected a smidget, flickering mana and looked at each other.
"Do you feel that?" Frieren asked Fern in a calm tone.
"A person?" Fern replied nonchalantly.
"Let's hurry. They may be in trouble." Frieren said and in response, Fern simply nodded.
Both mages used their flight spells to quickly travel down and fortunately, they finally saw the end.
A door wall that looks like it has been burnt, with red and black wave features as the design on the surface.
"They're in there." Frieren plainly said. "Their mana's weak and flickering."
"I feel it too." Fern followed.
Frieren moved closer but stopped by Fern as she held on her forearm. "Mistress Frieren, are you sure we should be doing this? Maybe it's a powerful demon that's
been imprisoned so long ago and not meant to be freed." Fern asked calmly but a slight of worry is noticeable.
Frieren moved back, taking in Fern's caution.
"You may be right..." Frieren said as she observed the sealed burnt wall. "My instincts tell me to open it... It may be a powerful demon, or it may be someone that would reward us with a spell long forgotten, if they are that old, for freeing them.. maybe both?" Frieren contemplated.
Fern pouted. "Mistress Frieren, are you really going to gamble on our lives to see if you can get a spell from a person sealed long ago and that person could most likely be a powerful and forgotten demon?" She asked bitterly and annoyedly.
Fern's eyes widen as she recognizes the look on her master's face which she dreaded most.
"No.." she muttered
"Why, yes I am!" Frieren happily replied.
"But, in case this goes bad, I need you to go back to get help while I fend it off or until I take the creature down." Frieren's voice quickly transitioned into a serious tone. "Do you understand?"
Hearing this, Fern nodded and held her staff tightly as her master walked towards the door again.
"Hello! Someone there?" Frieren yelled.
"Ghuh!?" A muffled voice replied through the thick wall.
"I'm here to help." She followed, but heard nothing back in response.
Seeing the split that allowed the door to open, Frieren placed her hands on one of the gates.
Unexpectedly to her, Fern joined.
After smiling at her apprentice, Frieren returned her focus "Okay Fern, on three. One.. two.. THREE!" Both pushed hard as the concrete wall moved and gashed on both the floor and ceiling, opening up to see what's inside.
The mages took their staves as they watched a figure slowly rise on their feet with their head down.
"Hello there." Frieren greeted, sensing no intent to kill, only the trace of rapidly fleeting mana.
Following this, the figure's head burst into yellow and orange flames as it straightened up and slightly angled to look back at them past its silver shoulder pads.
The mages watched in slight shock and hostility as the figure's head was nothing but fire and an empty black hole that slowly and dramatically faced towards them.
"A demon?" Fern asked, fully ready to blast the creature.
"Of some kind, I presume." Frieren replied, her spell cast all ready to shoot.
As the two mages prepare to let hell loose, the figure dropped on its right knee as it tried to walk to them. And as it did, its burning head shook up and down, the flame dying out as it gradually revealed the face of a man, who eventually dropped down on the ground.
Frieren cautiously walked towards the unconscious man, sensing his mana had completely drained.
"He looks.. at peace... And I don't believe he's a demon." She said
"How do you know he's not one?" Fern asked.
"Simple. Instincts. I've faced many demons in my lifetime and never fought one similar to him. And maybe he can teach me some new magic." Frieren replied calmly.
"Now, help me bring him back up to the dungeon. Is your flight spell ready? I can bring him myself." She followed and Fern nodded as she went back to the staircase, waiting for her master.
"Ready?" Frieren asked, holding the man with one hand as she used her flight spell on him.
Fern simply nodded and activated her flight spell and was shortly followed by Frieren as she activated hers.
As they flew through the corridor, weirdly enough, they're already at the entrance, which closed behind them.
"We're.. back so early." Frieren muttered as she pondered the weird situation.
"No use in worrying about it, let's keep going." She followed.
As they made their way through the dungeon, with some minor mishaps due to the extra load that required the flight spell to travel almost seamlessly as the body constantly hit walls and low arches, which could be believed done purposely with no context.
Finally, the trio have come across the rest, waiting outside of what it seems to be the final room.
"I believe the exit lies behind this door?" Frieren asked the group.
"Ah! Frieren, yes it is." Denken answered
"It's just that we have a major problem." He followed with a slight nervousness as he looked back at the gate then back at Frieren and Fern, he noticed an unconscious floating person.
"And who might that be?" He asked as he caressed his beard. "I didn't see him during the entrance, nor during the battles." Curiosity in his tone.
"We found him. He was in a hidden dungeon inside a dungeon." Frieren answered as she slowly put him on the floor.
"I see.. Frieren, Fern. Would you please take a peek at the dungeon's last defense?" Denken said as he beckoned towards the gate. Frieren followed and took a peek with Denken and Fern through a small slit on the gate and saw a copy of herself.
The three backed away.
"This is.. quite troublesome." Frieren said.
"Mistress, can you beat yourself?" Fern asked as she turned to her.
"If it's a pure copy of all my knowledge, experience and spells, the battle may cause a massive destruction." Frieren said.
"But would you lose?" Denken followed sternly.
"Nah, I'd win." She answered wearing her iconic smirk with full confidence.
Denken nodded at the confident answer. "Well then, how about our little friend here?" He looked at the person being examined by the others; and poked by Kanne who’s quickly told off by Methode.
“Would he be detrimental to these battles? The other copies will be arriving soon." Denken asked.
“I’m unsure. If he’s kept at the sidelines, there’s a higher chance he won’t be hurt.” Frieren replied with a little shrug.
Amid the battles, the person has risen up and slowly stumbled into the guardian's arena. Frieren, noticing this, had her attention divided, an opportunity the copy took and blasted Frieren, but was blocked just in time but still knocking her back.
The person grabbed their head and let out a loud, deafening and horrific screech as he violently moved his upper body left and right, up and down; and as if moth to a flame, the copy's attention went directly to him and began to charge a spell.
In response, the man took the staff on his left holster and charged his own.
Fern, seeing the completely open copy, sent out a barrage of Zoltraaks right at its back.
The man and the copy fired their attacks, a blue beam with a black center contrasted with a red blast surrounded by white streaks. Both spells collided mid-air, and for a mere moment, the spells seemed equal, but alas, the copy’s blast tore through the man's deteriorating spell, but just right at the last charge, Fern's attack destroyed the copy, saving the man who collapsed on the floor once more after both spells dissipated due to pure exhaustion.
Both mages descended in front of the unconscious man.
The man's staff slowly rolled around to Frieren. She looked down at the odd thing and picked up the staff. It's shaped like two roots wrapped around one another and ending at the tip with both ends touching an orb. "Curious thing, aren't you?" She whispered.
"Someone was found inside the dungeon?" Serie asked curiously, her chin resting on her hand as she sat lazily.
"Yes, and it was reported that he had assisted in the final battle." Lernen answered
"Hmm... Where is this person now?"
"He is currently being in the care of Frieren and her party."
"I see.. inform Frieren to bring him to the final test. After all, he did technically pass the examination." Serie said with a smirk
"But mast-"
"What I said is final." Serie cut off
Lernen let out a long breath as his head bent down "Understood. I will send out a messenger right away."
"Be on your way then, Lernen." Serie replied with a shooing gesture with her free hand, which was followed with a bow from him as he departed.
"A new contender. Hopefully, he wouldn't be a disappointment." Serie thought as she watched Lernen walk away into the corridors.
-Meanwhile-
"His armor looks.. old, but it's in decent quality. Just a couple brushing here and there should make it look brand new." Stark mumbled as he observed the man, who laid on the floor with a comfy pillow under his head, as he looked through the shoulder pads, chestpiece, which in the center resembled a wolf, and his helmet which they found attached to the back right of his hip, covered by the cape.
As Stark continued to examine the man and his armor, Fern paid them a visit unexpectedly.
"Mister Stark, would you please stop meddling with him?" Fern asked as she walked into Stark, now wearing the helm, only missing its distinct chainmail bottom half.
Stark, surprised by Fern's arrival, quickly took off the helm and placed it back next the unconscious man.
"Ah! Yes. Of course.. I was just studying his armor.." He said with slight nervousness.
Wanting to quickly change the topic, Stark remembered what Frieren mentioned
"Ah! That reminds me, mistress Frieren mentioned he's a mage?"
"Correct. He weilds a staff, which is currently in master's possession." She replied as she slowly sat down on the edge of the bed just before the unconscious person.
"Master is currently studying his staff at the moment."
"Oh.. is that so..." He said as he crouched down to examine the man's left gauntlet by lifting his arm slowly.
Stark did this as Fern watched, he felt her stares that may as well be shooting daggers that can cut through the thick atmosphere, yet he proceeded nonetheless as his curiosity won.
Despite his curiosity's victory, Stark couldn't help but at least try to ease things up.
"Sooo.. do you think he's an elf too?" He asked without turning.
Fern's right eyebrow raised as she hummed in a questioning tone.
"I mean, he has white hair like miss Frieren, look relatively young, mid 30s at best." He said as he turned his head while slowly placing the arm down. "A human-and-elf halfbreed person at least right? And you guys found him in a dungeon.. inside the dungeon of the exam."
Fern narrowed her eyes in thought, the assumptions do make the slightest bit of sense, she thought as Stark continued to spout his theories.
"What was the dungeon called again?" He asked.
"It was called.. 'The King's Tomb'." Fern answered with a delay, her eyes widen in shock as Stark's theory is becoming more reasonable, undoubtedly gaining her undivided focus.
Like Fern, Starks eyes widened, but his was out of joy. "See! 'The King's Tomb'!" He exclaimed.
"What if.. he's the real king?! And the whole dungeon was made in his honor" He followed and pointed at the man as he turned, who was blankly looking at both silently.
Both Stark and Fern were too flabbergasted by the fact that the unconscious person was now awake for however long, and was silently watching their conversation.
He blinked once.
They blinked twice.
They all blinked three times.
"H-hi." Stark greeted the man with a little wave as Fern held onto her staff.
The man heard his voice and gave a little smile before facing the ceiling and taking a deep breath of relief.
His gaze returned to the two, who were giving each other looks, the purple haired girl is pouting at the red haired boy.
"Hello children." He said, taking hack their attention. "Can you understand me?" He asked in a grungely, dry voice.
"Uh.. yeah...?" Stark asnwered.
The man smiled with his lips as he realized the boy understood him. His smile grew wider, now showing little teeth as he beamed with his eyes growing wide.
Fern and Stark looked at each other then back at the man in shock, confusion, worry and disgust as they witness his gentle smile noticably grow into a hideous grin, letting each end of his lips reaching ear to ear as his eyes narrowed.
An hour's worth of five seconds passed, only then did the man face the ceiling again, still with that unhinged jaw of a smile.
He chuckled, at first. Then he giggled louder, until finally, he let out a full laugh, which shortly turned hysterical and manical.
The two uneasily and slowly stood up as they watched his demeanor change drastically in less than 30 seconds; speaking of, his laughter was also quick to die down.
Fern looked at Stark: 👀. He understood immediately.
"Uhm.. You alright buddy?" He asked.
The man deeply exhaled in relief and satisfaction. "I believe I am."