บท 13: Sudden Intrusion
He motioned for the mage to stay back as he advanced further into the room.
That's when Seth sensed it, a ripple in the shadows.
The Shade Stalker was moving.
Silent and unseen, it was positioning itself for a kill.
The warrior barely had time to react as the Shade Stalker materialized behind him, its dark claws reaching for his exposed back.
The adventurer swung his sword instinctively, deflecting the attack with a grunt.
The clash of steel echoed through the dungeon as the warrior retaliated with brutal efficiency, slashing through the air in a desperate bid to keep the creature at bay.
[Shade Stalker: Damage taken: 30% HP lost]
The Shade Stalker hissed, recoiling from the blow.
It melted back into the shadows, but the damage had been done.
The warrior was bleeding, and though he fought valiantly, the fatigue was starting to show.
Seth considered his options.
With 85 MP remaining, he couldn't risk using too much mana at once.
He could activate one more trap or wait for the right moment to summon reinforcements.
His mind raced.
The poison gas chamber was still inactive.
He weighed the pros and cons, activating it would cost 50 mana, leaving him with barely any reserves.
But the adventurers were already weakened.
One strong move could be enough to finish them off.
"Activate the gas." Seth's command echoed through the core.
[Trap Activated: Poison Gas Chamber. Mana Cost: -50 MP.]
His reserves dropped to 35 MP, and the southern room filled with a faint green mist.
The mage's eyes widened as the gas began to spread, his hands glowing as he quickly muttered a spell of protection.
But it was too late for the warrior.
Already wounded and exhausted, he inhaled the toxic fumes, his movements slowing as the poison seeped into his lungs.
He dropped to one knee, coughing violently as the gas overwhelmed him.
[Warrior HP: 80% → 10%]
The mage, however, had prepared for this.
A protective shield of magic shimmered around him, blocking the worst of the gas.
He grabbed the warrior's arm, dragging him out of the room and back toward the dungeon's entrance.
"Hold on!" the mage shouted, eyes wide with desperation.
The poison gas was thick, and they struggled to escape its reach.
Seth watched with growing satisfaction.
The adventurers were on the verge of defeat.
The Elite Shade hovered nearby, awaiting orders to strike the final blow.
But as the mage pulled the warrior into the relative safety of the corridor, Seth felt another ripple, stronger this time.
The mana surge intensified once more, sending a wave of energy through the dungeon.
[Warning: Mana Surge Detected, Potential Anomaly Identified]
Seth cursed under his breath.
This wasn't normal.
The surge wasn't just a random occurrence, it was something deeper, something tied to the dungeon's very core.
For now, the adventurers were retreating, but Seth knew this wasn't the end.
Whatever was causing the mana surge would need to be addressed, and soon.
He sent a final command to the Elite Shade: Let them go.
There would be another time to strike. Right now, his focus needed to shift back to the core—and the strange energy brewing within his dungeon.
This was called baiting the catfish.
As the adventurers stumbled toward the entrance, Seth turned his attention inward, his mind racing with possibilities.
Only to be interrupted with a loud yell from the entrance of the dungeon.
It sounded feminine and like a wild beast.
Seth was surprised he didn't get any warning or notification from the system and he totally did not anticipate this.
He immediately looked through the dungeon senses at the intruder.
Another surprise was immediately he peeked at the intruder, she stared right back at the invisible space in the wall.
As though she could see him she yelled.
"Where is he!!?"
"Who?" Seth blurted out instinctively
With Mana Reserves at rock bottom, he has probably no fighting force and he could feel the Mana around her shivering.
No it was more like they were excited, ready to go on the offensive immediately.
The dungeon guardian senses the threat as well as the Elite shade, and they stepped up to it.
Even with this Seth wasn't confident.
She looked again at the wall and said..
"You have only ten seconds to bring him out while I'm still impatient"
Seth immediately calmed down and thought of this confrontation objectively.
He had no one with him so who...
That was when he remembered, was it the boy?
So far only few teams had stepped in here, and he now hoped she sought after the boy.
While he thought she counted down and his thoughts process sped up.
None of his summons could talk and showing himself was even more riskier, if he sent any of them back to retrieve the boy, would that be considered hostile by her?
By now the countdown had reached 2
He gave the order for the summons to pave a clearing for her that led to the trap room where the boy was kept.
They complied immediately and became more reserved while standing a distance away enough for her to pass through.
She seemed to not get the point and instead came on guard but was held back.
At this moment Seth noticed that there was someone behind her.
'Another lady?' he thought.
This one rather held a staff and she seemed to be mild than the Tiger in front of her.
She communicated the meaning intended by the summons action and that was when the boorish woman noticed it.
"Would she have attacked if she felt threatened or misunderstood?" Seth asked himself
They were cautious but walked through the way led by the dungeon guardian while the elite shade dispersed into the shadows.
Even then only the mild lady seemed to be cautious and the boorish lady still followed the elite shade who was in hiding.
They were both led to a room not too deep into the dungeon but in it laid the kid on a slab, he had small injuries on him better than when he first came.
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