Once they left the city, the closer they got to their destination, the further back Alex had to crane his neck.

  He had seen plenty of castles and fortresses in the past, be it in real life or on tv, but exactly none of them held a candle to the absolute behemoth that was the Alswalt fortress. The only thing that could even compare was the giant temple he had seen on top of the Crebes Acropolis—the enormous mountain itself notwithstanding, of course.

  Vast walls of pale stone rose from the path ahead in sweeping, interconnected sections, each reinforced with towering buttresses thick enough to house entire rooms within them. Watchtowers pierced the air at measured intervals, their silhouettes severe and unadorned, built for function rather than display.

  Every surface was etched with dense runic script. Lines of inscription crawled across the masonry in dense, overlapping networks, some glowing faintly, others dark and dormant. Mana coursed visibly through the arrays in slow, steady pulses, rippling across the walls like controlled lightning trapped beneath the surface.

  The main gate alone was large enough to swallow entire caravans without slowing them. Twin slabs of reinforced metal, thick as city walls themselves, were locked into place by rotating sigil rings embedded directly into the stone. Massive glowing pillars flanked the entrance, feeding energy into the fortress’s layered enchantments. The air itself hummed faintly with magic potency the closer they approached— a constant pressure against the skin.

  All in all, Alex would say that he was suitably impressed.

  As the two of them approached, he only remembered to pick his jaw up off the floor when a stern voice jolted him out of his awe.

  “State your names and purpose.”

  Two guards stood before the gate, both clad in heavier armour than the city patrols, their breastplates etched with smaller defensive arrays that shimmered faintly in the cold air. Alex didn’t let their number fool him. He felt noticeable waves of power emanating from the two of them, almost on the same level as what he had felt from guild master Eve and the goblin variant.

  “I’m Alex,” he replied, trying to regain his cool. “I was told to come here for the Labyrinth whatchamacallit assignment.”

  The guard’s gaze shifted to Duran. “He with you?”

  “Yes.”

  The second guard gave them both a measured look, then jerked his thumb toward a smaller arched doorway set into the wall beside the massive main gates.

  “Adventurers use the side entrance,” he said.

  Alex followed the gesture. Compared to the towering central doors, the side entrance looked modest, though it was still large enough for three men to walk through abreast. The stone around it was just as heavily inscribed with layered runes, the enchantments pulsing faintly in steady rhythm.

  “Once you’re inside just follow the signs labelled ‘Briefing 5’,” the guard continued. “It should be pretty obvious.”

  Alex nodded once and led Duran through the smaller entrance.

  Inside, the scale finally shifted from monumental to a more manageable level. The passageway was wide and well-lit, its walls lined with even more arrays and glowing crystals. From the number of enchantments Alex was seeing, he wouldn’t be surprised if the walls were scanning everything about him down to the colour of his underwear.

  The signs directed them down a series of twists and turns, each as deserted as the last. Alex was tempted to veer off the path and go explore several times, but one look at the softly humming walls was enough to discourage him.

  Just as he was sure they were monitoring him, he was also sure there was more than enough power stored there to grind him into dust.

  Eventually, they reached a large chamber obviously serving as the briefing room. Just like the rest of the fortress, it wasn’t ornate. Just stone benches lining the walls, a small podium at the front of the room, and a door

  Several other adventurers were already there.

  Alex recognized Brannik immediately. The robe wearing dwarf stood near the far wall, arms crossed, though he seemed to be studying the carvings on the wall with great attention. Alerted by the sound of footsteps, he turned around and broke into a grin.

  “Ah, my friend…” The dwarf hesitated for a second, eyes squinted as he studied Alex.

  “Alex.” The young man helpfully supplied.

  “Alex!” The dwarf exclaimed, ignoring his social faux pas. “I did remember you saying that you were going to be joining this mission. Welcome in, welcome in.”

  The commotion attracted the attention of the others in the room, each sending an assessing glance at the two newcomers.

  There were six other ‘people’ waiting for the briefing to start, each radiating an undisguised aura of unfriendliness. A woman with a halberd resting against her shoulder studied one of the maps. A tall lizardman with layered leather armour adjusted a set of metal bracers that faintly shimmered with enchantment. Another adventurer sat quietly with eyes closed, a dozen knives and suspicious pouches strapped to various parts of his outfit.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  To his regret, Alex didn’t see any of the strange angel people in the waiting room with them, but then again, this assignment was going to take them deep underground, which the winged people probably weren’t big fans of.

  “It’s my first time in Alswalt, so I got a bit lost on the way here,” Alex addressed the friendly dwarf and pulled out his new guidebook. “Also bought a little souvenir on the way here.”

  The dwarf gripped the pamphlet, quickly leafing through it. His eyebrows rose in what Alex assumed was pleasant surprise, though it was hard to tell on his weathered face.

  “This is surprisingly good stuff,” The dwarf said appreciatively. “The illustrations and explanations are missing some details, but the creator did their research. How much did you pay for this?”

  “Uh, one silver, but the kid was asking for ten coppers.” Alex tried scratching the back of his head, but his helmet got in the way.

  “You what?!” Brannik exclaimed in outrage while Alex freed his head from its prison. “People pay so much money for this type of information, and you got it practically for free? Lucky bastard.”

  Alex was surprised by that information, then smiled. It seemed that Caspar wasn’t boasting about the quality of his product. Alex would have to remember to go back and thank the boy.

  As the two of them chatted, people slowly trickled into the rooms in ones and twos. Another twenty minutes passed before the doors into the room glided shut, sealing him and its other fourteen other occupants inside.

  “Yeah, but like, that’s not even the-” Alex was in the midst of telling a story when his hair stood on end.

  And not metaphorically.

  A feeling similar to the one he got when facing the dungeon guardian, but magnified tenfold, suddenly filled his being. He flooded his entire body with mana before the thought had fully formed in his head. Whipping around with his arms crossed defensively, he braced for an absolutely crushing blow and-

  Nothing.

  “Uh, Alex?” Brannik’s hesitant voice came from beside him. “What are you doing?”

  Going against his instincts, Alex forced one eye open, only to find his surroundings completely unchanged. Only the gazes of the people around him had changed, with some looking at him with confusion, others with mockery, and others yet with wariness and hostility. He struggled not to shrivel up from embarrassment under the attention of fifteen would be teammates.

  ‘Wait, fifteen?’ Alex suddenly narrowed his eyes. ‘One, two, three…’

  Halberd woman, lizard man, rogue, two dwarves, floating angel person, swordsman-

  Alex blinked. ‘Angel person?’

  “All of you except for these two young men are now dead.” A voice boomed through the room, shocking everyone in it and causing them to grip their weapons. The rogue with the pouches tried to leap backwards, but tripped over the bench he was sat on and tumbled to the ground. The only ones to keep their composure were Alex, the halberd woman, and the lizard man, though his tail trembled where it rested on the ground.

  The beautiful angel… ‘Man? Man.’ Alex guessed based off of the voice floated down from his position above their heads and landed behind the podium. He wore intricately carved armour that positively pulsed with enchanted power, though the overwhelming presence Alex had sensed just now was nowhere to be seen.

  “I am General Serayn, the commanding officer in charge of this mission, and by extension you people.” The angel’s silver eyes swept over the suddenly serious group of adventurers, lingering briefly on Alex before moving on. “That means that I will be the one to decide whether you are free to be released into the depths, require more training, or need to be kicked out of this fortress.”

  Alex expected there to be sounds of protest, but it seemed that these people were at least professional enough to be aware of what was happening.

  Unmoved by the lack of reaction, the angel named Serayn continued talking. “Down in the labyrinth, the first and most important skill one should have is the ability to sense danger, as well as killing intent. as of right now, only three of you have shown that ability, which is to say that twelve of you have failed at the first step of this assignment.”

  Again, he paused, but no one was dumb enough to speak out against his words. Even those unable to sense the power swirling around him could read the mood of those who could.

  “Fortunately, this is not some sort of privileged station, and my aim is not to eliminate as many of you as possible.” Serayn finally seemed to relax a little, the invisible pressure filling the room quietly abating. “I am merely tasked with making sure that the soldiers we send to fight for our nation have a chance of survival, and I hope that each of you will manage to do so before it is too late.”

  Apparently done with his speech, the general looked around the room, locking eyes with every individual. “Any questions?”

  After a moment’s silence, the rogue—now back on his feet—hesitantly raised a hand.

  ‘Huh, I guess that’s a tradition even in this world,’ Alex mused. ‘School indoctrination prevails once again.’

  “What… what kind of training would this preparation entail?” The rogue asked when called upon.

  Serayn surprisingly shrugged, the casual action looking rather strange on the severe man. “That depends on what you need. Although this fortress is without a doubt a fully armed military asset, those that man it are often trained and instructed within its very walls, so we have teachers and training facilities for almost any topic.”

  “Some of you might be lacking in might, some in knowledge. Most,” the angel’s eyes swept across the adventurers, “in instinct. This fortress is here to make sure that those deficiencies do not kill you—or at least not before you have been of service to the country.”

  A series of understanding nods rippled through the room. A few people’s eyes suddenly gained an excited gleam, and even Alex couldn’t help but smile a little. After all, it wasn’t every day that one got an entire military installation ready to train you day and night to better survive the dangers you might encounter.

  “However, don’t be mistaken.” The terrifying presence from before was back, but this time even stronger than before. Even those that had previously failed to react to it paled and visibly backed away from the podium. “This is not a charity. We will teach you, we will train you, we will give you the tools to survive, but that comes with the expectation that you will fight for our cause. When this meeting ends, those who want to depart may do so, but those who remain… any attempt to leave beyond that point will be counted as desertion and be met with the appropriate punishment.”

  The general let his pressure fill the room for a little longer, then abruptly pulled it back, prompting gasps of relief from a few of the surrounding individuals.

  “Now, any other questions?” The angel calmly scanned the pale faced adventurers.

  When no one said anything, Alex raised his own hand, the previously suppressed smile now back on his face.

  “Yes?” The other man looked at him.

  “I was just curious.” Alex’s smile turned into a grin. “When do we start?”