Chapter 90 - Beneath the Roots

Chapter 90: 90 - Beneath the Roots

They left Elyndor early the next morning.

The three of them had enough food and water for several days, along with blankets, basic medicine and the tools they would need to collect and transport the Heartroot Crystal once they found it. Adrien kept Umbral Root stored away for now, while Lucien carried a quiver of ordinary arrows across his back. The more valuable ammunition remained safely inside his Inventory.

Amelia had packed lighter than either of them, though her mace and shield could be summoned whenever she needed them.

The first part of the journey was uneventful.

Vael had been right about the area surrounding Elyndor. The barrier kept most dangerous creatures away, and even after they moved beyond its strongest influence, the forest remained relatively quiet. Massive trees crowded the path, their trunks wide enough that several people would have struggled to surround one with their arms.

Adrien kept Absolute Mana Sense active as they walked.

Mana signatures appeared clearly around him. Small animals moved through the branches, insects gathered beneath the soil and several weak magical creatures remained far enough away that there was no reason to disturb them.

Lucien led most of the time.

"We should reach the entrance before midday," he said, checking the terrain ahead. "Grandfather’s map was accurate. There’s a stream farther south. Once we cross it, the ruins aren’t far."

Adrien nodded. "I can already feel something ahead. Several small signatures. One Star’s all of them."

Lucien immediately slowed.

Amelia moved closer behind them without needing to be told.

They found the first Barkling less than a minute later.

The creature had hidden itself against the base of a tree, its wooden body almost perfectly blending into the bark. It was barely taller than Adrien’s waist, with thin limbs made from intertwined roots and two dull green lights where eyes should have been.

It moved the moment they approached.

Adrien raised one hand.

[Zap]

Lightning snapped from his fingers and struck the creature directly in the chest.

The Barkling staggered backward, but that was all.

Adrien frowned.

The paralysis he normally expected from Zap never came. Most of the electricity dispersed across the dry wooden exterior without penetrating deeply enough to interfere with anything important.

’That makes sense.’

The creature wasn’t made of flesh.

A second Barkling emerged from behind another tree before Adrien could try something else.

Lucien’s arrow struck first.

It entered directly through the glowing eye and buried itself deep inside the head. The Barkling collapsed instantly.

The first one rushed toward Adrien.

[Frost Lance] A compact spear of ice formed beside him and shot forward. Instead of striking the thick center of its torso, Adrien aimed at the narrow joint connecting its shoulder to the body.

The spell pierced through.

The arm broke free, and before the creature could recover, another Frost Lance entered through its neck.

It dropped beside the roots.

Lucien walked closer and fired another arrow into the first Barkling’s head despite it already being motionless.

Adrien watched him for a moment.

Lucien inspected the body before pulling the arrow free. "Their joints are softer. Eyes too. Don’t bother attacking the thick bark unless you need to."

Adrien looked at the scorch mark left by Zap. "Lightning isn’t particularly useful against them either."

"Then don’t use it." There was no mockery in Lucien’s voice. He stated it as simply as any other fact before continuing along the trail.

Adrien appreciated that.

They encountered three more Barklings before reaching the stream. None lasted long enough to become a genuine threat. Adrien used Frost Lance while Lucien targeted openings in their bodies, and Amelia remained several steps behind them, observing how both fought.

By the time they crossed the shallow water, the formation they had discussed the previous night already felt less theoretical.

The forest changed gradually afterward.

Roots became larger and more exposed, twisting across the ground until some stood taller than Adrien himself. Several trees leaned at unnatural angles, their growth disturbed by something buried underneath them.

Lucien eventually stopped beside a narrow depression between two enormous roots.

"This is it."

Adrien looked down.

At first, the opening looked like nothing more than a narrow crack descending beneath the roots. Broken stone showed through the soil around it, but Adrien couldn’t tell what waited below from sight alone.

Absolute Mana Sense gave him something else.

Mana gathered beneath the ground in quantities. Some signatures were faint and scattered, while others were denser, moving somewhere below them.

"There are creatures down there," Adrien said. "And a lot of mana."

Amelia looked toward the opening. "How many?"

"Hard to tell from here, but there are more than twenty around. Most feel weak."

Lucien went first. "We’ll find out once we’re inside."

They descended. The natural slope soon became stone steps, cracked by age and covered in moss, while thick roots had forced their way through both walls and split the masonry apart. When the passage finally opened, all three stopped.

It wasn’t simply a cave.

A vast underground ruin stretched before them, large enough that the ceiling disappeared into darkness. Ancient columns rose between enormous roots, some broken in half, while curved arches connected sections of ruined stonework.

Staircases climbed toward collapsed balconies, and narrow passages disappeared between walls swallowed by vegetation. Blue and pale green plants grew across the ruins, giving off dim light that reached only part of the space.

The place was beautiful, but it didn’t feel safe. Old armor rested beneath one column with roots growing through it, while farther ahead a skeleton had been lifted from the ground by vines wrapped around its ribs.

Amelia studied the ruins. "Grandfather made this sound much smaller."

Lucien scanned the nearest passages. "Doesn’t change what we’re here for."

Adrien focused again. Mana filled the area, moving through the plants, roots and several creatures deeper inside the ruins. "I can feel monsters ahead. Mostly One Star. Some Two Stars farther in."

Amelia summoned her mace and shield, and Adrien called Umbral Root into his hand. Without wasting time, the three started forward together.