^^ Mordred Shield ^^

— Josef —

<Warrior, Legend Slayer, and Wild Hunt are eaten to create Mythical Skill: Herne the Hunter (2nd). Red Dragon, Sage, and True ArchMage are eaten to create Mythical Skill: Draconic Magi.>

I blinked slowly, raising my head off my pillow and looking around. The male voice that had spoken was different than the one I was used to, the Messenger.

'Who are you? You're not the Messenger.' I frowned.

<User: Duke Josef Von Eisenberg has been categorized as a 'Special Asset', and as such has been risen to a higher Rank, X+! Benefits include a new Messenger of likewise higher rank, befitting one of such a treasured position!!! Territory has likewise been reconfigured! (Territory: Duchy; Veridic Range and Coastal Range. Contained Within: 6 Cities, 7 Towns, 4 Boomtowns, 68 Mountains, 13 Major Rivers, 657.3k acres of Forest, 2 Silver Mines, 25 Iron Mines, 12 coal mines, 1 Gold Mine, 5 Anthracite Mines, 3 Coffee Plantations, 1 Orange Plantation, 7 Dragon's Lairs, Greater Library, Arch-Mage's Laboratory, SS+ Rank Dungeon. Land Spirit Rank: X+) is there anything else the User would request of the Messenger?>

'Yeah. Give me back my old messenger. Having a random guy's voice in my head is weird. I've gotten used to her.' I frowned.

<... apologies, User: Josef is too high-ranked to have a Lesser Messenger as his personal Guide.>

'Then make my Messenger the same rank as you, and bring her back!!!' I demanded petulantly, irritated by the idea that even angels had elitism and caste issues.

There was silence for a moment, then another, and finally I'd sat in the dark for about twenty minutes when the messenger's voice came back. <User: Josef's request has been accepted by the Greater Messengers. Lesser Messenger: Fiona, is now an 'Elite Messenger'. User: Josef is now returned to her care. Good Day.> The voice seemed irritated, but couldn't really do anything, at present.

Soon enough, the voice I was familiar with returned. 'Hey!!! You're gonna get me in trouble!!!' She hissed quietly, as if afraid of being overheard.

'Meh. Didn't like his voice, he sounded like a prick.' I smirked.

She sighed softly, and got back to work admirably. 'Yeah, I get it... anyway, you're a Special Asset now! Congrats!!! That makes you on par with the Hero's Party! Though, they are rather new, so you could probably teach them a thing or two. They'll need all the guidance they can get! Oh! And you've got the perfect opportunity!!! An SS+ Ranked Dungeon appeared on your land!!! You have to be Mythical Class to challenge those, so the Hero's Party will probably try to Clear it; as it's on your land, there's your In!' She chuckled.

'Do I want to party with them?' I asked, curious.

'Well, most likely? Not because of Honor and Pride and all that, I mean, you have those, but you're not stupid about it; but they'll challenge the most powerful beings in the world, and they'll need Mythical Equipment to do it... you'll be able to find extreme challenges, and also travel a bit more than you have? Also, each of them is about as strong as you, Stat and Skill-wise, and they only lack in experience.' She explained helpfully.

'I see... perhaps I will, then; put out the Notice to the Guild that I'm looking for a party to Clear the Dungeon with, I guess? I'll clear the dungeon with them, and if I like their company, I'll stick around. Otherwise, I'll just tell them to visit me if they want to buy Mythical Gear.' I decided easily, shrugging.

'Hmm... well, now I know why the Sage was in that Town... seems one of the Heroes has a son who lives there. The Sage is likely training him to be the next Hero.' She added, and I looked down as my wallet lit up, showing me a message that requested a party to raid a SS+ Special Rank Dungeon, followed by the coordinates of the Guild in Undertown.

I nodded and reached over to the person in bed next to me, gently patting their shoulder. Saccharine grumbled at me, turning over, and I hummed, turning and patting the other person. Agatha muttered a few insults under her breath at me, and I spotted Vanya under her.

I chuckled softly. 'To think, I would have so many lovers... I never even had a threesome in my previous life, much less a Harem of gorgeous people!!!'

'It's true, you do have a veritable menagerie of lovers.' The Messenger chuckled.

'Mm. So, your name is Fiona? How come I didn't know that?' I hummed, and stepped out of the bed gently, dressing in my normal clothes.

'I'm not allowed to discuss that with you, and my superior, -or ex-superior, I suppose,- is currently getting chewed out for saying that, so please don't ask any more questions about it.' She stonewalled the question swiftly.

'Oh, sorry, I guess? Well, let me know if that group takes up the request, Alright? Then show me where the dungeon is, please, so I can scout it out.' I changed the subject, and followed the little dot in my mind, teleporting to a circular cliff that enclosed a small valley, like a reverse-plateau.

I hummed, looking around for a dungeon or cave, but found nothing. 'Where's the dungeon?' I asked.

'You're looking at it. That chunk of jungle right there? It didn't exist in this world, as of eight days ago. The Naga that were living somewhat peacefully in another realm were summoned here, then corrupted and strengthened by a Dark God, -such as the gods of Destruction or Chaos,- creating a 'Dungeon'; this with the intent of causing as much panic, chaos, and destruction as possible. It disappears when you kill the Leader and/or complete a location-specific objective. Once you enter a Dungeon above A+ Rank, you can't leave until the objective is complete or the leader is dead, or both. A- and below, however, you can enter and leave as you please, meaning you can use them as places to farm A- Rank materials, so long as you avoid or incapacitate the boss.' She explained happily, back in her element as teacher.

'Hmm... any way to tell what the objective is, so we can just send them home?' I asked.

'Josef, not to be rude, but don't be stupid. To be clear, you can't reason with them; they do have intelligence, at their level, but they've had their souls ripped out... if you 'send them home', they'll just wreak havoc there, instead. Killing them is the best and most morally correct thing to do, as brutal and gory as it is.' She lectured calmly.

'Ah... I suppose that make sense, though it sucks... it also explains why a world with intelligent dragons still has dragons attacking villages and such... alright, so as an SS+ Dungeon, everyone inside except the Boss is that Rank or more, yes?' I clarified, moving on.

'Correct. Preliminary scans show about 450 low-Ranked individuals, and 9 Elites, then one General, also called the Boss. The Elites are likely almost your level, and the Boss will be stronger than you; you'll need three other people of the same rank as you to fight it properly. The dungeon is about one mile across, in a near-perfect circle, and though you can't tell, because of the canopy, it probably goes underground, as well, so there could be more enemies in the depths, but there will only be one Boss, that's a Rule.' She hummed.

'The gods of Chaos obey Rules?' I asked wryly.

'Ancient Laws of Balance that, it broken, bring about heavy, heavy consequences; it simply isn't worth it, a little extra Chaos, in exchange for an entire Corrupted planet being destroyed, and all that power going to waste.' She elaborated, and then fell silent, as if she'd hit the mute button.

'Take your time with your new boss or whatever, I'll just take a look around from up here... the monsters can't leave the dungeon either, can they?' I asked after a moment of thought and a horrible realization.

She returned instantly. 'They can, Yes, though only a few at a time; sometimes, that's the only way the Guild finds out about it, in fact; there's not exactly an early-warning system, you know? Smarter, -and therefore higher-Ranked,- Dungeon Bosses keep their minions inside a small area, hiding and building strength; most of the time, S+ and above Dungeons have a Necromancer in the mix or as the Boss, because of their ability to grow stronger with every kill they make... though, luckily, most high-ranking monsters possess a very strong nesting instinct. They don't like to leave a place once they've claimed it, making it easier for hunters to find them, or travelers to avoid them.'

'Hm... alright, let's go home, then. I've got enough information for now.' I slowly slipped back into the bushes, hiding my trail, and sent myself back home.

'You were noticed, it seems.' She hummed, and I looked at my shoulder, where a porcupine-quill coated in blue liquid was lodged into my leather armor.

"Damn... I didn't even feel it. That's dangerous..." I nodded, legitimately impressed at the stealth of the shooter and the fact that it wasn't even noticed. I needed to work on my perception, it seemed...

"What is?" Vanya yawned, sitting up and settling Agatha on top of Saccharine, before joining me at the little table in our cabin.

"There's an SS+ Dungeon in my territory, and because I'm now X+ Rank, I figured I'd help those younglings in the 'Hero's Party' Clear it; I decided to do some recon, and somehow I was noticed and tagged with a Naga Quill covered in poison, without noticing at all. It's both impressive and disturbing." I explained calmly, showing her the quill and then storing it in my Hidden Space.

She blinked slowly, and rubbed her face. "I can't fight in a SS+ Dungeon. I can fight one-vs-one with the beasts that escape it, but I couldn't fight the Boss."

"Neither can I, according to the Messenger; I'll need three allies just as strong as me to manage. Also, because I've ranked up so much, so have you. You're likely almost to my level, no?" I hummed, viewing her Stats through our connection.

'Name: Vanya Ossilka
Race: Fae
Parent Races: Mountain Fae/River Fae
-
Ranger Rank: SS+++ (almost...)
Societal Rank: Chieftain's Daughter
Title: Ossilka Warrior
Title Buff: Shield Maiden
Effect: Ally defense UP+++ w/ Shield Equipped.
-
Stats- <Nat Stats(=After Buffs)>
Charisma= S+(=X)
Constitution= SS+(=X)
Dexterity= SS+(=X)
Intelligence= S(=S+)
Strength= SS+(=X)
Luck= B+(A+)
—
Equipment-
Dragon-Hide Armor SS+
Dragon-Hide Boots SS+
Dragon-Hide Pants SS+
Dragon-Hunter's Gaze SS+
Dragon-Scale Shield SS+
Storm Slayer (X+)
Venom Dagger (X+)
—
Skills-
Mythical: Huntress, Shield Maiden
SS: Fae Enchantress, Fae Glamour, Grappler, Spear Maiden, Skald.'

I hummed. "Almost, Huh? Well, you'll be fine, I don't really expect you to do more than watch my back, after all, and we'll have several allies just as strong as me."

She sighed, and nodded. "Alright, I agree that that's what needs to be done. The Naga are already leaving the Dungeon, so this needs to be handled now... which X+ Party did you request help from?"

"There's more than one? The Messenger sent the request to the Hero's Party? She said they were a bit green, so they'd need us to teach them a bit, but that their strength was on-par." I explained.

She blinked slowly. "THE? THE Hero's Party?"

"I guess? Speaking off, send them the information we gathered, Messenger? It's important info, the Guild can disseminate it properly. And that quill, too, they can probably use it for something." I looked up reflexively, like I was praying, then smirked at the comparison.

Vanya rubbed her face slowly, apparently in shock. "To think, I'd be fighting with Lady Vega's Party... absurd..."

"Lady Vega? You know the Hero? Or is she just from the Northern Islands?" I asked, cooking some meat in my hands with a thought, and chewing on it.

"Lady Vega is... I suppose you'd call her a Savant. She's only 20, and Human, but she's been an X+ Special Rank Ranger for six years, now. She's from the northern islands, as you guessed, and she's an heir of Clan Hyksos, a truly prodigious Shield Maiden... it will be an honor to fight alongside her. And you, of course!!!" She hastily added, blushing.

I laughed and nodded. "Yes, I understand, don't worry. And the rest of her Party? What do you know of them?" I prompted.

"Well, there's two elves and a Wolfman, I believe; or maybe a Bear-Man? He's a BeastMan, like you, but definitely furred, not scaled. One of the elves is a mage or maybe a cleric, I think, the other is an archer, and the wolfman uses a very, very big weapon. That's all I really remember about them, sorry. They didn't seem too important, last I heard about them..." she grinned guiltily.

I shook my head. "That's fine, I'll be meeting them soon, I just wanted to start their equipment now, versus later. They won't have Mythical Weapons yet, will they?"

She hummed, scratching the table slowly as she thought. "Well... they might have one or two in the group? Maybe? But definitely not all of them, no."

"Alright... well, when the Messenger tells me they've accepted the invitation, I'll be back, but I'll be forging, until then. But for now, a little help for you; this'll probably sting a little." I warned her, and then simply Gifted her all of my Mythical Combat Skills, to hopefully jumpstart her shift to the higher Rank.

Added to her Status was only Legend Slayer and Warrior, plus <SS Spell: Ancestral Shield>, but she froze in place as her muscles visibly strained, then relaxed after a few moments. I checked her status again, and grinned.

'Name: Vanya Ossilka
Ranger Rank: X (tentative)'

"Perfect... go get some sleep, now, and then eat a good-sized lunch while I get back to work, Alright? And get that sword to your cousin, our first Guild member, Hmm?" I kissed her cheek and sent myself back to my lab/forge.

—

Shields were one of the most versatile weapons in the entire arsenal of a seasoned combatant. Defense? Done. Offense? Done. Ever been bitch-slapped by a shield? It's no better than getting smacked in the face with a hammer, honestly. As such, I decided to make a shield that would combine a magical defense and physical defense.

Step 1: Create a Mythical Shield out of Dragon-Bone and Magic Crystals. Relatively simple, actually, and the easiest step.

Step 2: enchant said shield with the best shielding magic I have. Deceptively simple. I could simply enchant it, and be done, but lazy work makes for a crappy item, and I'd rather not let my life depend on some skill that I don't actually understand fully. As such, I did the same as I had with the circle around Toussaint's mountain, using runes and chants to make a potent magical circle, then melting a magic crystal down into it to seal it and act as a power source.

Once that was done, it looked like a flat mirror, and, using the magic circle itself as a catalyst, I then enchanted the shield with the Ancestral Barrier. The thousands of broken enchantments of that same type throughout the forging process latched onto the magic circle and the spell itself, tying it down to the shield perfectly. It didn't surround the whole body like the original, but anything in front of you was going to have one hell of a time getting past it, and no magic whatsoever would even touch the crystal disk before dissolving and being devoured, then redirected back at the caster.

I named it Mordred's Shield, on account of the trickery inherent in its abilities, then upgraded Vanya's current Dragon-Scale shield, because she had the Shield Bearer Skill, which benefitted everyone in the party. I also gave her Beaumont's Hidden Pocket, as apparently it was something of a rare skill, even amongst the Upper Echelon. I didn't really care about the contents, as his pocket was just full of spare A+ Rank swords, for an ungodly reason; his skill, Legend Slayer, completely destroyed any blade it was used with, unless it was Mythical Rank.

By then, two more days had passed, and I was getting impatient, so I began crafting arrows for myself. A new, Mythical Quiver of Returning replaced my older one, as well as new Arrows of Holding, all made to the best of my abilities. My bow of Sorrows was carefully upgraded, and soon after, all of my equipment was Mythical, as well as all of Vanya's.

I felt somewhat like a Pay-to-Win player in a video game, with all the best armor and weapons, but anything weaker than these wasn't really any assistance to me. Essentially, an SS+ sword was a +5 to hit; but my base skill was +10. Ergo, why would I use the sword, when it's weaker than me? It'll break, and I'll be out a sword. But the Mythical Equipment, metaphorically a +12, was just enough to be a help.

Eventually, after what felt like forever, (but was only about four more days, totaling eight days since I'd found out about the dungeon,) I received a reply from the 'Hero's Party', -which so far seemed to be a name decided upon by the people, and entirely out of the hands of those it represented,- and it was short and brusque.

'Our Party accepts your invitation. Meet us at the Guild in UnderTown at Dawn.'

That was the entire message. I wasn't really sure whether to laugh or tear it to pieces, for making me wait, then acting as if they were in a hurry, but I did know that I was going to be there first.