Soul of the Warrior

Chapter 83: Rematch

Roster of the Lost Army A scroll containing the names of the Lost Army personnel

INT +3

MAG +2

Channel Mana into the scroll to summon a random Lost Army Soldier once every 24 hours. The summoned Soldier lasts for 1 hour or until killed Helpful Hint: This is an "Accessory" equipment. It only has to be on one's person to activate the Stat effect

Lost Army Commander's Insignia

Insignia denoting the proof of command of the Lost Army

INT +3

MAG +2

Can be used in conjunction with the Roster of the Lost Army to increase the Level of the Summoned Soldier

Lost Army Commander's Baton Exquisite baton used by the Commander of the Lost Army to command the troops

INT +3

MAG +2

Protects Party Members from being affected by one's offensive Spells

Reivyn pulled the rewards out of the chest and inspected them one by one. He presented them to his Party and explained what they were. There was a record of all of the equipment that had been looted, and some people had done the math on their appearances to determine how rare they were. The Commander's Baton was the rarest piece of equipment that was rewarded.

All of the pieces of equipment had the mark of the Lost Army on them. The mark was a dragonhead with a curved back fading away, and there were some additional spikes drawn on to appear like they were either shooting out from the spine of the dragon or floating nearby. It reminds me of a question mark, Reivyn chuckled.

"Wow, the Commander's Baton is one of the most sought-after pieces of gear from this Dungeon," Tom exclaimed with wide eyes. "If we weren't from rich families," he indicated himself and his two original friends, "then we would definitely sell it even if it is amazing for Caster Classes."

"The Roster is actually not that great by itself," Vane said, inspecting the rolled-up scroll. It was tied with a red ribbon and had the mark of the Lost Army stamped on it. "It's completely random what kind of Lost Army Soldier is summoned, and it's directly proportional to the make-up of the monsters in the Dungeon. You're more likely to always summon one of the weaker monsters from the first two areas than anything else, and only being able to summon once a day means you can't just try your luck."

"It's a different story with the Insignia involved," Trick said, holding the pin that held the mark of the Lost Army, but there was a star above the dragon's head. "If someone channels their Mana through the Insignia first, before summoning through the Roster, then the chances of summoning one of the officers or the Royal Guard are greatly improved. There's still a chance of summoning a weak Shadow Person, but it's much less likely.

"The utility of these items isn't amazing, but they can provide some decent help if you get lucky. I definitely wouldn't count on them as life-saving items, though."

"That's kind of interesting," Reivyn said. "Is it possible to summon the lord of the Dungeon?"

"I've heard that it is possible," Tom answered. "The chances, even with the Insignia, are extremely low, though. It makes sense if you think about it. The lord is on the roster as the commander."

"Oh, you can open it up and read it? I thought it would just be a static representation or something," Reivyn said, looking at the Roster with interest.

"Yeah, it's a real scroll," Vane said. He held it out to Reivyn. "Do you want to look?"

"Sure," Reivyn took the scroll and unfurled it. There was a long list of names and ranks in small script. The scroll wasn't huge, but it was larger than a regular piece of paper. Lord Gorn was the name of the Commander, Reivyn noted. Wonder what the story is behind the Lost Army. Are they just referred to it as that because of the System, or were they literally lost when they still lived?

"Do you mind if I try it out," Reivyn glanced at Vane over the top of the scroll? Vane shrugged.

"Sure, we're not planning on needing to use it soon or anything. Might as well check it out."

Reivyn channeled his mana through the scroll. He got a familiar sense, and he activated his Mana Sight with the Veridical Affinity infused through his eyes. The parchment lit up in his vision, and he saw a cursor of sorts rapidly moving from top to bottom over the names on the scroll. He could maintain the channel with minimum mana coursing through it, and the cursor continued to move, going back to the top of the scroll after reaching the very bottom.

He would need to infuse a bit more mana in order to complete the summoning, but he held off for a moment.

"Hey, mind handing me the Insignia?" Reivyn looked up at Trick who was tossing the Insignia up and down in his hand. He tossed it over to Reivyn upon catching it again, and Reivyn snatched it out of the air.

Reivyn canceled the mana infusion in the scroll, and he started over by running his mana through the Insignia first. The parchment lit up once more, and the cursor returned. The cursor moved slightly slower, and it only scrolled through less than half of the names on the scroll before returning to the top. Aha! That's why the chances are higher to get a better-Summoned Soldier. If I time this just right... Reivyn concentrated and burst some additional mana through to complete the summon.

A ray of light extended from the scroll, and a shadowy figure began to materialize inside of it. Reivyn still had his Veridical Mana Sight activated, so he was able to see the ethereal outline of earlier and more clearly. The summoning took five seconds, and at the end of it, an exact match for the lord of the Dungeon that they had just defeated stood in the center of the Party. Everyone exclaimed in surprise once he fully came into being.

The lord looked around and nodded to the Party Members like he was a real person, but he didn't say anything. Tom stared at the Shadow Person for a moment before shaking his head and turning to Reivyn.

"Just how high is your Luck?" He asked. "I tell you it's a really low chance to summon him - I've heard that most people never even manage to - and you summon him immediately." Tom closed his eyes as he lifted his head in the air and took a deep breath. "Life isn't fair."

"Get used to it," Teilon commented. Reivyn just laughed and clapped Tom on the shoulder.

"So how are you going to distribute the gear?" Reivyn asked.

"If we wanted to get the maximum benefit out of the gear while exploring Dungeons, it would make the most sense just to give all three of the items to you," Vane said wryly. "You can apparently summon the lord monster, and you have the most versatility with your Spells. The Baton would work great with you using it."

"That might be true, but I'm not going to snatch your things," Reivyn denied. "I'm not a pure Caster, and I already have some magical gear," he ran his hands over his heavy armor, "and you guys have nothing. I'm sure your families could get you some cool stuff, but these are things you earned on your own merit."

"I think Tom should get the Baton," Trick said. "He uses the Fire Element the most, and that Affinity is more likely to cause collateral damage than either of our elements." Vane nodded in agreement. Tom was the typical Fire Mage, Vane was a Water Mage, and Trick was an Air Mage.

"Sure," Vane said. "And it doesn't really matter which one of us gets the scroll of Insignia. They both have the same Stat buffs, and if we want to use the scroll to summon something, we can just have Reivyn do it." The Party members all chuckled.

"Ok. I'm kind of partial to the Insignia," Trick said. "I don't know, I like bouncing it in my hand like a coin." Vane nodded and Reivyn tossed the Insignia back to Trick. He handed the Roster back to Vane.

"How does the summon work?" Reivyn asked. "I summoned the monster, but I don't feel any kind of magical connection or anything. And I gave the scroll back to you..."

"It will follow the verbal commands of whoever holds the scroll as long as they're in the same Party as the one who initially summoned it," Vane explained. He turned his head toward the Shadow Caster. "Follow me." The Caster stopped looking around at everything aimlessly and walked to stand a few steps behind Vane. "It will engage anything that attacks us automatically, but we can tell it not to. We can also tell it to attack anything, too.

"Misery and Euphoria still apply, though, so we couldn't order it to kill an innocent person and get away with it. The System knows who's responsible."

"Are you guys sure you're Ok with me having the Baton?" Tom asked, holding said Baton in both hands close to his chest. "I feel like I don't deserve it."

"You were part of the Party that cleared the Dungeon," Reivyn frowned. "Don't ever feel like you don't deserve a reward for your own efforts, even if you think the effort you put in doesn't match the reward. Especially with us, your friends."

"Yeah, well said," Trick added. "It makes the most sense for you to have it. In fact, it's better for us that you use it because we'll be safer when you really unleash your Fire Spells. The Stat buffs aren't any better than what we got."

"It doesn't matter that it's considered the most valuable item," Vane said. "The actual use of it is best in your hands. If you still feel the way you do, you can always make it up to us in some other way."

"Deal," Tom said. "I'll treat everyone to a truly grand feast once we get back to The Capital." Teilon and Trick high-fived each other at the remark. Kimberly shook her head with a smile on her face.

"Speaking of," Teilon said. "It's just past lunchtime, and I'm starving. Let's get out of here and get some real food."

"Don't attack anyone or anything unless I tell you," Vane ordered the Shadow Caster over his shoulder. It would be bad if something went wrong and the Shadow Caster accidentally launched a Spell at someone on the outside.

The Party made their way back toward the exit of the Dungeon. They had swapped some of the lesser pieces of weaponry and armor they were going to sell for some of the better ones dropped by the Royal Guard. Kimberly made sure to pick up her spears before they left, too.

They were in high spirits as they left the Dungeon, and a notification popped up in Reivyn's vision as soon as they stepped out. He focused on it to see the gains he had made while inside.

Exiting Dungeon

Calculating...

First Floor: Complete

Combat Experience: Exp +300

Boss Defeated: Exp +100

Hard Mode Bonus: Exp + 200

First Floor Completion Bonus: Exp +500

Calculating...

Second Floor: Complete

Combat Experience: Exp +450

Boss Defeated: Exp +200

Second Floor Completion Bonus: Exp +500

Calculating...

Third Floor: Complete

Combat Experience: +1,000

Boss Defeated: +500

Third Floor Completion Bonus: 2,000

Calculating...

Dungeon: Complete

Dungeon Completion Bonus: Exp +3,000

Hard Mode: 1/2

Total Experience: 8,750

Level Up! Level 3

Level Up! Level 4

Level Up! Level 5

Achievement!

Clear all the Main-Line Dungeons in a Tier 1 Region

All Physical and Mental Stats +3

Skills Leveled Up!

Tier 1:

Dancing (17 ->18)

Heavy Armor (15 ->17)

Observation (43 ->44)

Running (43 ->44)

Shields (48 ->49)

Tier 2:

Ambidexterity (18 ->19)

Evasion (41 ->42)

Sense Mana (58 ->59)

Strategy (20 ->21)

Tier 3:

Battlefield Awareness (20 ->22)

Commanding Shout (6 ->7)

Danger Sense (17 ->18)

Identify {All} (19 ->20)

Inspire (24 ->25)

Mana Conjuration (34 ->35)

Mana Manipulation (37 ->38)

Mana Shield (24 ->25)

Mana Sight (39 ->40)

Tier 4:

Mana Weapon (29 ->30)

Spatial Awareness (24 ->25)

Dual Casting (11 ->13)

Tier 6:

Weapons Master (61 ->62)

"Reivyn," a worried voice brought him out of looking at his Notifications. Reivyn looked up and immediately noticed something wrong.

The soldiers that were supposed to be guarding the entrance to the Dungeon were nowhere to be seen. In fact, there was no military personnel in the area at all. Standing across the open space in front of the Dungeon were Lance and his friends once again. There were a couple of additions to their Party, though, as Reivyn spotted three older men accompanying them.

Looks like he wasn't satisfied with the group battle he tried to manipulate, Reivyn thought. And we were right that he brought some higher Tier bodyguards to deal with me.

Reivyn threw an Inspect Skill at the older man standing right next to Lance. He was older in the fact that he no longer looked like a teenager. He had stubble on his chin and a thin mustache. He had an arrogant look on his face to match the disposition of his employer, and he was wearing fancy medium armor with a sword and shield combination. Reivyn's Observation Skill and his understanding of weapons showed him several places where there were concealed weapons on the man.

??? Tier 3 Level 10-30

Danger Level: Very High

Huh, that's new, Reivyn thought. I haven't really been in the habit of Inspecting other people. I just instinctively used it. Probably because I was recently using it on the loot drops. The Danger Level is probably solely based on his Level verse my own. Also, there's something else there...

Reivyn could sense that there was more information available, and with a quick infusion of Veridical Affinity Mana Sight, he could see that there was a larger System message hidden from view. He tried to strain both his Mana Sight and Inspect Skills, but he wasn't able to make the ethereal outline come into proper view.

I must not have enough Skill in Inspect, yet, Reivyn determined.

His inspection of the man only lasted a couple of seconds, and the two groups remained standing in place, glaring at each other. The three bodyguards had an air of superiority about themselves, and their expressions were looking down on Reivyn's Party.

"You're taking things too far, Lance," Tom broke the silence. "I don't care about your feelings or feud with any one of us, but you used your authority to usurp the military personnel here. That's a crime, and there's no way you're going to avoid punishment."

"Who's going to tell?" Lance sneered. "You? Will you have the guts to, after we're done with you?"

"I have the guts," Reivyn said, stepping forward aggressively. "Let's see what exactly you're going to do with us."

Lance glanced at his bodyguard and nodded his head. The man stepped forward with a look of contempt on his face as he drew his sword. He didn't even pull out his shield, confident that he would be able to deal with any Tier 2 teenagers.

Reivyn's Danger Sense pinged, and he unsheathed his sword and shield as the man Charged toward him, aiming his weapon for Reivyn's vitals. So that's how it's going to be, Reivyn frowned.

The man's sword came slashing in underhand toward Reivyn's inner thigh. Reivyn's sword managed to block the weapon at the last second, and he backed up to maintain some distance. His opponent didn't let him keep the distance, though, and he kept pace with Reivyn's retreat, sword slashing and thrusting in turn.

Reivyn parried the attacks or blocked them with his shield as he backpedaled. His movements were half a beat slower than the older bodyguard's, and he just barely managed to defend himself.

Teilon and Kimberly stood impassively as they watched the exchange, but Tom, Vane, and Trick were fidgeting in anticipation.

"Are you not worried?" Tom leaned over and whispered to Teilon. Teilon shook his head.

"This guy is a lot slower than Reivyn's dad," Teilon replied. "Reivyn hasn't even shown the Skill Levels he just displayed in the Dungeon, much less his full potential. Just get ready to wreck the other kids at the signal."

"Signal? What signal?" Tom asked, confused.

Reivyn maneuvered the opponent with his retreating until they were moving perpendicular to their original facing. The man's look of contempt deepened as Reivyn's face had an expression of concentration that was morphing into panic.

Suddenly, the man lunged forward after a quick exchange, moving much faster than he previously had, and Reivyn casually batted the thrust aside and smashed the man in the face with his shield. The bodyguard was completely overextended, and the shield bash knocked him to the ground. Reivyn didn't allow anyone any time to react to the situation, and he immediately charged Lance, smashing his shield once more into the other teenager.

Lance was picked up completely off the ground, and his body went sailing through the air, a trail of blood from his broken face following him. The other two bodyguards had looks of shock on their faces, and before they could respond in time, Reivyn's entire body lit up as he channeled Elemental Weapon through his entire being and gear.

His speed more than doubled as he became a whirlwind of fire and steel. The two bodyguards barely got their weapons unsheathed in order to block, but they were on the back foot. The power of Reivyn's attacks was much more than they had anticipated, and their parries were ineffectual. Reivyn's sword slashed through their leather under armor, and the flames cauterized the wounds.

It was the two bodyguards' turn to back up and maintain distance. Instead of following them, though, Reivyn pointed his sword at the one retreating on his right and threw out his hand holding his shield to the one on the left. Lightning-infused Mana traveled through his Mana sword and lept out in a brilliant flash of lightning to shock the right bodyguard and a whip of fire formed in his left hand. He lassoed the left bodyguard, and yanked him back towards himself, pulling him off balance.

Reivyn's Lightning "Bolt" was over with instantaneously, and he brought his sword arm over to crush his pommel into the left bodyguard's nose. Reivyn could hear and feel the cartilage break, and blood splashed out to either side of his fist. The left bodyguard crumpled to the ground from the concussion, and the right bodyguard's body was twitching and convulsing from the electric current still running through his body.

Lance's body still hadn't hit the ground by the time Reivyn neutralized the other two bodyguards, and the first one that had gone out to confront him was just now standing back up. Reivyn kicked the left bodyguard over and away from himself as he turned back to face the first opponent, dismissing the Elemental Weapon's fire covering his body.

The first bodyguard with the thin mustache no longer had an arrogant look on his face, and he gazed at Reivyn with trepidation as he wiped blood and snot off of his face with the back of his sword hand. The man finally pulled his shield out and faced off with Reivyn properly. He stood in a ready stance with his shield out front, sword placed against it just to the side, and his eyes were just over the top of the shield. Reivyn recognized that it was very similar to the stance the soldiers would take when in the front row of a skirmish.

He's probably a veteran of one lord's army or another. Maybe even the kingdom's Army, Reivyn appraised.

The other Knight Academy students were still standing with their jaws dropped, and Jaret and the other Magic Academy students once more retreated into the distance.

"That's the signal. Get 'em!" Teilon shouted. He and Kimberly unsheathed their weapons, daggers for Teilon and the new magic spear for Kimberly, and charged the other students.

"How is that the signal?!" Tom exclaimed as he began channeling his mana and moving to get a better vantage to aim his Spells. He wasn't worried about collateral damage now that he had the Baton, but he would still like to hit the opponents instead of accidentally hitting Reivyn.

"He knocked three of the bad guys down," Teilon called over his shoulder. "What else could it be?"

Kimberly Charged ahead and slammed her shield into the first Knight Academy student, knocking him to the ground. The sudden intrusion finally alerted the others out of their surprise, and they all drew their swords and shields, focusing on Kimberly.

Teilon took the opportunity to use his Class Skills to somehow fade from their awareness. He wasn't exactly fading into the shadows, but the same principle applied. He circled around out of their view, and once he was behind his target, he waited for an appropriate opportunity to strike.

The other four students fanned out around Kimberly and were forced to turn and face three of them with the last one able to get behind her. She had worked with Teilon for a long time, and they had good synergy, so she knew to focus on the ones opposite Teilon's target.

The four students struck at the same time, but Teilon had been waiting for this moment. He dashed forward and knocked his target off balance as he slashed him with his daggers. He attacked his fellow student in non-vital positions, though, like before. He wasn't going to kill the other students. They might be arrogant jerks, but they also weren't trying to kill him and Kimberly.

Kimberly was much more adept at using a spear than she was a sword. She blocked one attack, side-stepped another, and expertly parried the third with her spear.

"You guys don't seem to learn," Kimberly taunted them. One of them furrowed his brows at the comment.

"What do you - " A barrage of Bolt Spells interrupted his question and slammed into the three opponents confronting Kimberly. They were thrown into confusion just like their last scuffle, and Kimberly capitalized on the opportunity to slam her spear into ribs and slam her shield into faces.

Teilon had fully knocked his opponent over and was pummeling him in the face. The other student had his hands crossed in front of his face, weapon and shield abandoned, as he jerked his head back and forth to try and avoid the blows raining down on him.

Reivyn was aware of the rest of the skirmish through his Battlefield Awareness Skill as he once more faced off against the first bodyguard. His enemy was acting much more cautiously as he inched towards Reivyn. He was clearly not excited about confronting Reivyn again, but he had to follow his orders, and Lance hadn't even made it back to the group in order to issue a new command.

Reivyn jerked his shoulders forward in a stutter step, and the man instinctively jerked his shield arm up in anticipation of taking a blow. No blow came, though, and Reivyn used the man's blocking movement as the opportunity to thrust his sword inside the man's guard. He didn't go for the stab, though. Reivyn's sword bypassed the man's shield on the inside, and he lifted his sword up and out to fully throw the man's shield to the side.

Reivyn held his own shield against his side at an angle, and he dashed in, pushing his opponent's sword away from himself. The man was now standing with his arms out on either side, and Reivyn followed up his dash with another shield bash to the face. The bodyguard's head was thrown back once more, and Reivyn took a step back while simultaneously bringing his sword down and up in a slash through the man's armor. A piercing attack would have been more effective, but he wasn't going for a kill.

The bodyguard winced at the pain as he backed up with a wary look on his face, recovering his stance. Reivyn stalked forward, preparing his Mana in his hand but not channeling it through his sword just yet. The bodyguard limped back as Reivyn got closer, the look of panic that Reivyn had faked was now on his face for real.

Reivyn swung his sword overhand, infusing his Mass Affinity into the sword at the zenith of the swing, and brought it crashing down on the man's raised shield. Reivyn's Strength Stat, coupled with the magical infusion in the sword, caused Reivyn to slam his opponent straight into the ground, despite successfully blocking the attack. The shield suffered a huge dent right in the center, from top to bottom.

Reivyn raised his sword once more. This time, he infused Sharpness into his sword, and the strike cut the shield in half as the man desperately tried to fend off the attack. Reivyn stood over the man, sword at his throat, just as Lance finally made his way back to the battle.

Lance's eyes were wide as he took in the scene in front of him. His highest Level bodyguard lay on the ground, hands lifted in front of himself with a sword at his throat. He was bloodied in several places with torn armor and a completely broken shield. Reivyn was completely unscathed and not even out of breath as he casually shot a glance at Lance.

Lance's other two bodyguards were also on the ground near where they had originally stood. One was groaning from the electric shock and just starting to roll over to stand up, and the other was on his hands and knees, puking from the concussion he had received.

His fellow students were being pummeled by Teilon and Kimberly, with Tom, Vane, and Trick standing nearby, Spells formed and ready to go in their outstretched hands. There was a fourth Caster that he was unfamiliar with just standing behind Vane, looking around without a care in the world for what was going on around him.

It was a completely one-sided massacre, worse than even the first time they had met outside the Boss Dungeon.

Lance gulped, but he wasn't willing to give up just like that. He gave a sharp whistle as he glared at Reivyn.

A commotion entered Reivyn's awareness as the soldiers that were supposed to be guarding the Dungeon finally made an appearance, Marching back to their posts. Kimberly and Teilon stopped what they were doing and backed away to stand with Tom, Vane, and Trick. A young officer led the soldiers, and he walked straight to Lance, ignoring everything else. Lance smirked at Reivyn as he turned to the officer.

"These commoners attacked me and my friends," Lance said, indicating his bloodied face and the injuries on his bodyguards and friends. "Place them under arrest."

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