Somewhere southeast of the Capital City of Tairal and far outside the border of the Maldurian Domain is a hidden vault owned by Duke Alaric. The Duke had kept his gold and jewels safe from the prying eyes of the tax collectors and Marquess Duval's people during the time when Alaric was charged with treason and was forced to empty most of his coffers and income to the House of Lords. But the Duke was wise enough to have used this secret mine and other hidden vaults like this mine to stay afloat until he could get revenge on the people who destroyed his plans.

Most of the Duke's vaults were located in the Veridian Enclave, which Baron Alistair Dravenhart ruled over. The Baron knew that Alaric was using his lands for his personal gain. But Alistair didn't care as long as his friend wouldn't get him in trouble with the Marquess. Alistair is the oldest and only child of a Viscount and has been the Lord of the Veridian Enclave since his 16th birthday. Alistair was 61 years old and would usually just drink and go on hunting expeditions for an elusive Griffin who's been toying with him for the last twenty years. No one believes that he saw the monster all the way up in the Maldura Plains, which is located northeast of the Royal Maldurian Domain. Most believed that he saw something else because the griffins' hunting grounds were known to be in the Southern part of the Agon continent, which was further south of the Holy Alliance of the Divine Three.

Alistair was going to catch or kill that Griffin if it was the last thing he did. He just hoped that the Griffin would make his hunting trips more exciting and less boring than the usual affair.

Yes, the Baron let Alaric and William do whatever they wanted with the Veridian Enclave and its people, as long as they kept Alistair's people and the Veridian Enclave protected from the enemies that the Duke was making with the Royal Maldurian Domain. Alistair believed that Alaric was the true King of Fiafyr, but there was only so much influence that a Baron could have. The Baron wasn't a greedy man and liked living a simpler life compared to the other Nobles.

The Duke took advantage of the Baron's apathy and greed for the hunt, and Alaric was able to keep his hidden wealth safe from the prying eyes of the House of Lords. The Duke hoped it would stay that way until he got his revenge on the royal family and the Prime Minister.

But it seems that fate had other plans.

One of the biggest vaults was hidden far off the beaten path deep in the Veridian gorge.

The gold in the Duke's vault was worth one-tenth of Fiafyr's GDP, so Alaric made sure to hide it in a secluded part of the Veridian Gorge, where it was heavily fortified and protected by Alaric's best Mercenaries.

This used to be a mine over a hundred years ago, and Alaric hired an earth mage to make the tunnels into an impenetrable fortress that would be a nightmare for even the toughest adventurer. Also, this particular mine was hidden by a powerful illusion enchantment cast on a huge boulder that was blocking the entrance. It was a two-story stone mining facility with 32 workers in the mine and 30 guards to protect the mine from monsters and bandits when it used to be operational. But now, 50 Mercenaries protected the Duke's biggest vaults with his gold.

Alaric's mercenaries were a tough group of fighters, and they were known as the Raven Knights. These Mercs were highly skilled in combat and trained in various fighting styles and weapons. They were known for their ability to fight in groups and also individually. The Raven Knights were a deadly force that was not to be trifled with, and there were over 5000 of them in total. They weren't as infamous as the Black Rose Mercenaries, but they could hold their own against them if they were confronted. The only thing that was keeping them from getting to the same level as the Black Roses was having a warrior as deadly as the Kings Slayer, Jeremiah. But they didn't, so their exploits weren't known outside the borders of the Kingdoms to the north of Fiafyr. Belial's spies were the ones to find them, and the Duke made sure they were paid well to come down to Fiafyr as his hidden small army. For he would need them to help overthrow the House of Lords and possibly the Kingdom of Marn's Armies once they served their purpose.

The sun was beginning its descent during the afternoon. The time was around 5:30 p.m.

A group of mercenaries had a few wooden tables outside, and some were sparring with swords from inside the vault. Others were gambling at the tables. A few were taking bets on the fighters. Over the years of guarding this mine, they had become a little complacent, and they tried to stay sharp by sparring against each other. But luckily, they would switch out with another squad every three months. So the men could enjoy themselves for a while before returning to their duties of protecting the vault. The men would train together to keep their skills honed and their bodies in shape.

While the sparring was going on, four men were watching the entrance to the mine. It was their job to protect the entrance and ensure that no one tried to get in.

It was like any other day as they watched over the beautiful scenery before them, which had become boring to them now that they had been guarding this site for the last ten years.

"Haah... How many more weeks is it until Lazarus' squad arrives for their shift?" Daniel asked out loud.

"We've only been here for two weeks, Daniel," Another mercenary named Gavril said.

"You're already becoming stir crazy, Daniel?" A third mercenary asked.

"Aye... This place is driving me nuts... I wish I could go hunting for a while. Or maybe some bandits or monsters might attack us, and I could rid myself of this boredom." Daniel replied.

"Ha! You can't be serious... The word is that a Wyvern has taken up residence somewhere in this enclave. And you are hoping to fight that?... Count me out."

"Are you serious?... You think when I said that I hope that monsters attack us, as fighting a Wyvern?... Pull your head out of your ass, Jones," Daniel laughed.

"What did I say?" Jones asked.

"Jones... What the hell were you smoking to even think that Daniel wants to fight a Wyvern?"

"Well, a lot of things can happen in this enclave, right?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to slay a few Emberhorns or some crystal ants, not fight a Wyvern."

"You're a braver man than me, Daniel," Jones replied.

"Well, you don't get paid for being a coward, now do you?" Daniel laughed.

"It has nothing to do with being a coward... Sure, the mana would be worth it for the short run, but sooner or later, your luck can run out when facing a monster like that." Jones countered.

"Ah... Stop being a pansy. The likelihood of a wyvern attacking us is zero." Daniel said.

"Yeah, I agree with Daniel Jones. Don't let the rumors get the better of you."

"I'll stop worrying when our relief squad gets here, and we can go back to civilization," Jones replied.

"And here I thought I was the only one who wants to get out of—"

The four of them hear rocks tumbling over the edge of the gorge. They all turn to see the rocks rolling down the slope, clacking against the rocks on their way down. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novｅlfire.net

"Dammit... Don't tell me that all this monster talk has attracted some sort of monster..." Daniel sighed.

"Maybe it's a wyvern!" Jones shouted.

"Shut up, Jones. That was your fault anyway." Gavril reprimanded him.

"Is the illusion enchantment on the boulder charged?"

"It's still glowing. No one should see us if it isn't the case," Gavril answered as he looked out the entrance that was hidden by an illusion.

"Let's hope not otherwise, we are going to be hunting someone if that was a humanoid—"

"Shhh! I think I heard something. I swear it sounds like... footsteps," Gavril cut Jones off.

The other three tried listening in on what Gavril could hear, but none of them heard anything. After a solid minute of eerie silence, a flock of birds flew off from another spot on the gorge, dislodging another boulder, and the sound echoed through the area.

"You got us riled up over fucking birds? Thanks, Gavril," Daniel said sarcastically as he and the other two lowered their weapons a bit.

"I swear to the Goddess that I heard footsteps."

"Alright, calm down, mate... Maybe the footsteps were coming from behind us—"

Before the fourth merc could finish his sentence, one of the three Golems dropped down from the ceiling into the cave and smashed in the skull of the four mercenaries, splattering their brains and blood all over the walls. The Golem continued his assault on the others.

"OH FUCK! THERE'S A MONSTER IN HERE!" Jones screamed.

The three remaining mercenaries quickly spun around with their shields at the ready and their swords drawn.

Jones tried swinging his sword at the horrifying beauty that just killed his comrade, but the golem's graceful arm deflected the sword and punched him in the chest, denting his steel plate, which sent Jones flying across the cave with blood spewing out of his mouth.

"Who is this fucking woman?" Daniel asked as his eyes were glued to the Dark Elf's voluptuous curves.

"She's not a human," Gavril said.

"I know she isn't, but—Shit!"

Daniel was parrying the Golem's attacks with his shield. But he couldn't hold off the Golem for long.

"GAVRIL! I need help!"

"I'm coming, Daniel."

Gavril swung his mace at the golem's leg, but the golem jumped backward, and Gavril missed. He continued his assault on the woman, but the Golem was able to block every attack Gavril was throwing at him.

"Stand still, you stupid bitch—AAAHHHH!!!"

Gavril screamed as the Dark Elf's golem was mashing his face in.

"FUCK! You're dead!" Daniel roared as his sword swung at the golem.

He used his mana to straighten his body and sword blade. Instead of dodging the attack, T1 caught the blade in her hand, causing a bit of dirt and stone to fly off her hand from the impact.

"Huh!?... It's earth magic!? FUCK!... WE'RE BEING ATTACKED BY A—ARRRRGGHH!!!"

Rya's golem broke his sword in half and stabbed the blade through the shield and into Daniel's gut.

"F-Fucking Bitch."

The Golem yanked the sword out, and Daniel fell backward onto his back when he saw two more women who looked identical to the one who had attacked him.

'G-Golems... Th-That has to be what they are.' Daniel thought to himself as he tried to stay conscious.

T2 and T3 came walking through the illusion to meet up with T1, whose hand had recovered from Daniel's attack. The three nodded before entering deeper into the vault, Leaving Daniel to bleed out. When they left, he pulled out three vials of red liquid and drank them all at the same time.

Then, he removed a piece of cloth and applied it to his wound. The potions slowed down the bleeding, but he wouldn't fully recover until he had had a long rest.

'Those fucking Golems are the real deal.' Daniel thought.

He got up and staggered his way to where Gavril was lying down.

"Fuck... Gavril... I need to warn the—"

Sounds of battle could be heard deep within the tunnel.

'SHIT! I'm too late. I can't fight those fucking Golems in my condition,' Daniel groaned as he limped out of the cave. He grabbed Jones' sword and gritted his teeth as he tried to get as much distance as possible.

'I have to get back and report this to the Duke. I'm sorry, brothers. I'm getting the fuck outta here. Those Golems are the real fucking deal.'

Daniel limped away from the sounds of steel hitting stone and screaming that would give anyone nightmares.