Chapter 24: The Vault Day 2

---D-Day+13, Nizhen 16th---

*tick* *tock* *tick* *tock* *ding* *ding*

Of course its impossible to see the sky too tell whether its day or night when you are underground. Fortunately this world is advanced enough to have clocks. Which are a super expensive but popular tool for adventurers.

They are pretty fragile though so usually kept packed and cushioned. Even have alarms you can set. Muffled of course but loud enough to wake you up. Just have to remember to wind them.

There is also a spell or two that can tell time but apparently they are not very accurate. I don't worry about waking up with the alarm though. The girls do. And then, according to their schedule, two 'wake' me up. While Ushalen doesn't partake? She seems to enjoy watching.

The same schedule of theirs picks who dresses me and who feeds me. Yeah, disturbing. After a shit, shower, and shave, magic is awesome, I am ready to go.

Oh, and while I let them shave and bathe me? I have rejected all requests to add a 'wiping' schedule. Can't let my guard down though. Avi keeps trying to sneak a swipe in down there. No touchy! That girl's got issues.

Of course me stabbing her a bunch of times probably didn't help her mental state. Punching her in the face may have been bad too. And leaving her to get beat and whipped all day by her fellow slaves? Fuck.

Come on, get it together man. Need to channel my inner McConaughey.

"Alright alright."

Whew, that's better.

Now, from here we'll be looking for trouble so its going to get messy.

The girls are ready too so after some bread, cheese, and wine... Is this a picnic?

We pack up and head out.

"[Thunder Strike]"

*spaak*

The three foot long rat fries the instant the lightning touches it. Then flops on the floor of the tunnel. Smoking a bit. That singed fur and burnt flesh smell assaults my nostrils again. No where near as bad as the first floor though.

Don't even need the bandannas anymore. Dara is still wearing hers though. She thinks it looks cool and, it kinda does. Looks like a p.h.a.t. bandit.

This dungeon crawl is a great live fire range to tweak all the spells I've been learning. Air and Earth are okay but I quickly learned to stay away from fire. Burning dead monster stinks so much god awfully more than just dead monster.

You have to wait for it to stop burning before you can start harvesting too. Not to mention that flames can destroy the valuable skin and organs. Lightning is better but nothing beats a little rock going thru their skull at a hundred plus miles an hour.

Once I know enough to make spells? I'm totally going to create the spinning pointy rock one from the father of modern isekai's. So it will be like firing actual bullets. Make a cannon sized version too.

Oh, and water is a complete no go. The wet dead dog smell is not something I want to experience again. Gross and sad, at the same time.

We've only encountered crawlers and rats so far. Nothing to brag about. Though packs are a challenge. The biggest issue is that they are walking disease factories. Olete says that healers work overtime when facing vermin swarms since every bite and scratch needs to be cleaned.

Avi and I are being kept sort of busy but my spells make post match cleanup a breeze.

Been trying not to panic but something's changed with my eyes. I'm still seeing the monsters 'after' they die. Not the corpse. Something 'in' the corpse. Something lingering for a few minutes after 'death.' Pretty sure its their astral form. Their spirit.

Maybe the dark magic lessons with Ushalen are the cause? Maybe its all the mana in this dungeon? Before? Could see auras, the spirits within them, and even a spirit's mana. But once they died? Bam! Gone.

Now? We're almost at 'I can see dead people' level. Kind of freaking me out. Motion Ushalen over.

"Is this how necromancers see the world?" I point at the rat corpse in front of me.

Ushalen looks confused.

"What do you mean, master?"

"Do you not see that? I think its the spirit of the rat."

Am I really the only one seeing this?

"You can see them? Such an amazing master." Twinkles in her eyes as she leans against me. "We of the dark school can only vaguely feel whether a spirit is still in a body. And certainly not for weak spirits like these vermin. But you... Master can seen them clearly, can't you."

Nod and she presses herself against me harder. Almost like she is trying to crawl inside of me.

Time for a test. Like before I've decided I want a shadow, not a zombie. So let's see what this does. I focus on the fading spirit of the dead rat.

"[Shadow Rise]"

*skryraahhkk*

And everybody freaks out. Understandable. Didn't warn anyone. My bad. So the crackling burst of black light from my hand? The spinning glowing magic circle from hell appearing under the rat? Maybe a tad off-putting.

Everyone but my girls jump and draw their weapons. My girls are already watching me. Ushalen is downright ecstatic. Several have told me that they can "feel" when I'm about to do something lately. Maybe its a [Slavery Magic] thing?

The glowing circle spins for a few seconds before disintegrating. Very different from Rowl's re-summoning. Did I do something wrong? The air above the rat's corpse, cracks. Tears. Screams? Black smoke rises from within it.

First a claw appears, reaching out, and grasps the tear's edges. Then a snout. The rest of a rat looking shadow pulls itself thru the torn air and falls (splashes?) to the ground.

Shakily, a creature of ink and smoke pushes itself upright as the air above it heals and closes. This monster, however, is not a copy of the rat I killed.

This living shadow isn't on all fours like the rat. Its on two legs. Standing. Its arms and legs are longer. The claws on its hands more pronounced and sharper. From its mouth and sockets, deep purple light glows and pulses. Yeah, I'm geeking out.

"So cool." Oh god, I've gone chuuni.

Turns to face me and, kneels? Eh? Can feel it now. On the edges of my mind, like Sanctity and Tormentor. Not as strong as my super swords but, yeah, its there. Wow.

Ushalen is impressed. Even bouncing up and down, clapping her hands together eagerly like an over excited child.

"Master! You summoned a shadow so quickly. And its so strong. Amazing!" Stop twinkling your eyes at me.

Everyone starts to settle, this is hardly the first weird thing they've seen me do. The girls surround the new shadow and continue to sing my praises. Even poke at it. Ugh. Well, everyone except shorty that is. She still has her sword drawn, its shaking though.

"Lord B-Barton? W-what is-s th-that?"

Dame Edelys gives her a hard stare with her hand on her own sword's hilt.

"Ernesta the Quiet. Be careful where you point that blade." She doesn't move. "I warned you that you might see strange things."

Ernesta turns her head to Red so slowly I swear I could hear creaking.

"Haha. St-strange? I know strange. The lower floors of the vault are full of undead!" Her left hand shakily points at me. "A Swordmage w-who can rip souls out and t-turn them into that?!" Her whole body is starting to shake now. "That's not strange. Its Metia damned terrifying! Swordmage? Ha! More like a Lich Kin-"

"Scout!" Wha? Why did Red interrupt her?

Whatever.

"If this is too much for you? Leave." Give guide girl a hard look.

Her face slowly relaxes and her body's shaking subsides.

"I... I a-apologize my lord. I did n-not understand." She's still pale. "This w-will not happen again. Please... forgive me."

"You are forgiven." Time to act lordly I guess. "There are goblins ahead waiting to ambush us. Scout for traps."

Whats this feeling from my new shadow? Anticipation?

Shorty scurries off like she is more scared of me than the goblins and I reach outward with my second cheat again. See, hear, and smell, the goblins who have gathered around us. Where they are hiding and how many there are. Oddly enough I do not understand a word of their language.

Does the autotranslate in my head only work for tourinese? Wait, I could understand the demons too, right? So what's different about, hmm, goblinese? Wonder if the prettier ones or the uglier ones are on this planet?

"Dame Edelys. A word please."

This might be fun.

Killing goblins is an isekai staple after all.