The group descended in shifts via the lift, passing through the shrine and the morgue. They followed the winding corridor deeper underground until they finally emerged into a vast, cavernous tunnel.
The air was a hazy crimson, and a wall of stifling heat crashed over them.
Molten lava surged through the tunnel like a river of fire. The only path forward was a narrow stone walkway suspended directly over the magma, barely wide enough for two or three people to walk abreast.
"Can we use magic to solidify the lava?" Raven asked.
"There is too much of it; we cannot seal it off." Rykard closed his eyes, sensing the surroundings for a moment before shaking his head grimly. "It is connected to a volcanic vent below. If we rashly alter the flow and cause a pressure shift, the consequences would be unpredictable."
"Isn't there a path right in the middle? We could just walk—" a soldier started to say, but his voice was immediately drowned out by a thunderous roar.
A terrifying rumble echoed through the tunnel, amplified by the walls until it felt as if their very brains were rattling in their skulls. The ground shook with increasing violence, leaving even the most seasoned masters among them looking pale with dread.
"Is this place going to collapse? If the volcano erupts—" someone shouted, panic-stricken, turning to flee back toward the lift.
In the next heartbeat, a mechanical chariot burst into Raven's field of vision, charging toward them with the speed of a gale. It was massive, filling nearly the entire width of the tunnel. It was bristling with high-speed rotating blade-wheels; even a statue forged of solid steel would be ground into a fine powder in less than a second if it fell beneath those wheels.
The group scrambled back. Fortunately, as the chariot neared the end of the tunnel, it screeched to a halt just a few paces away, the sound of grinding metal piercing their ears.
Bishop Baroque spat on the ground and hoisted his Great Hammer. Before anyone could stop him, he swung it with all his might against the mechanical beast.
The impact sounded like a hundred massive bronze bells tolling at once, the vibration humming through the air. The Bishop's portly frame distorted the very air as he was sent flying backward by the recoil, knocking over several people before embedding himself into the stone wall.
"Did it do anything?" someone asked, peering at the spot where the hammer had struck. A few of the blade-wheels looked slightly chipped. "If we keep at it, we might be able to destroy—"
"Don't be reckless!" Rykard barked, pointing toward the ceiling. The group looked up to see a crack widening rapidly, raining down dust and debris.
The mechanical chariot roared back to life, reversing its course toward the other end of the tunnel. Only after the rumble had faded into the distance did Rykard speak again.
"That chariot is powered by vengeful spirits; it is one with the Hero's Grave itself," Rykard explained. "Any damage dealt to the chariot is distributed across the entire tomb. Before you could ever destroy it, this whole tunnel would collapse on our heads."
The chariot made dozens of passes back and forth while the group debated, though they remained at a total loss.
"What happens if we go after the Great Serpent without the Serpent-Hunter?" someone asked.
"The Serpent-Hunter is the only weapon capable of subduing it. To challenge a god without it..." Rykard trailed off, contemplating. "It would be an arduous task, bordering on the impossible. But if there truly is no other way..."
"I noticed a small gap on top of the chariot, a space where there are no blades," Knight Leonard suddenly remarked. "If someone could lie flat on top of it, they could ride the chariot to the other end, retrieve the Serpent-Hunter, and ride it back."
Leonard's suggestion sparked a wave of interest. When the chariot made its next pass, everyone scrutinized the spot he had pointed out, only to shake their heads in disappointment.
"That space is too narrow, and there are blades flanking it on both sides," said Floh, the Bloodhound Knight. "I could jump onto the roof, but there's no way I could squeeze into a gap that small. Even if I stripped off my armor, it wouldn't fit a grown man."
"Unless a child went up... if they curled up tightly, the blades might miss them," someone muttered, before immediately dismissing the idea. Such a perilous mission was no task for a child—not to mention there were no children around.
"I'll do it."
The chatter died down as everyone turned toward the speaker.
Rudy squeezed through the legs of the crowd. "I will complete this mission."
"It... might actually work?" someone said hesitantly.
The Albinauric stood less than a meter tall. Aside from his slightly oversized head, his physique was indeed comparable to that of a child.
Raven looked at him in shock. "How do you plan on getting up there?"
"I can scale the walls and reach the ceiling. When the chariot passes underneath, I'll drop onto the spot."
"If your timing is off by even a fraction, those blades will tear you to pieces. This is madness!" Raven argued. "We have no idea what's on the other side of that tunnel. There could be more traps, or enemies. We should think of another way."
"But there is no other way, is there? I am the only one who can do this," Rudy said calmly. "Perhaps this is my destiny. Why else would fate have brought me here?"
"To hell with destiny!" Raven said irritably. "You're obsessed with being a hero! If you're dead, you won't have a destiny to worry about."
Rudy paused for a moment. "Thank you. But I have made up my mind."
Seeing the resolve in his eyes, Raven knew further argument was useless.
"The plan is sound. Hero's Graves are usually guarded by ancient spirits, but since Destined Death was sealed by Maliketh the Black Blade, those skeletons won't be getting back up," Rykard said. "Therefore, this chariot is likely the tomb's only defense. Albinauric, the task of retrieving the Serpent-Hunter is yours."
Rudy nodded and began to strip off his excess gear.
He laid out over a dozen cracked pots, a pile of jars and vials, small leather pouches filled with grease and raw materials, and poisoned throwing knives—a mountain of supplies cluttered the ground.
Finally, Rudy used thin twine to tie his sleeves and pant legs tight and stood up. Aside from the small knife he claimed was carved from a dragon's tooth, he carried no other weapons.
A look of grim determination appeared on his frog-like face. It should have looked ridiculous, but not a single person laughed.
They watched him with profound respect.
"Rudy, whether you succeed or not, you are already a hero," Raven said. "I will tell the Albinaurics of Liurnia of your deeds—but I would much prefer it if you told them yourself."
"Hey, make sure you come back alive," Lansang chimed in, stepping forward to give Rudy a firm pat on the shoulder. She pulled out her Sacred Seal and began casting every buffing incantation she knew—and a few she wasn't even sure of. "The journey back would be awfully boring without that frog head of yours to look at."
"Thank you." Rudy offered a comical smile. He walked to the wall, bit down on his knife, and began to climb, using his hands and feet to find purchase in the cracks of the stone.
The group looked up, watching the small figure scale the rock face until he reached the ceiling, his body nearly parallel to the ground.
The mechanical chariot roared back toward them. The ground began to vibrate, causing the walls to shake and dust to shower down from the ceiling. Rudy looked like a tiny boat tossed in a violent storm, swaying precariously. It seemed as though he might fall at any moment—straight into the lava or the meat grinder of the blades.
But he didn't fall. At the exact moment the chariot braked, he let go. He dropped like a small stone onto the vehicle, disappearing into the blur of the spinning blades.
A deathly, suffocating silence fell over the crowd.
A moment later, Rudy's frog head popped up from the top of the chariot. He was curled into the tiny space between the blade-wheels, completely unscathed.
"YEAHHHHHHHHH!"
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(135 Chapter - Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────