Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Chapter 1298: The Dwarf Civilization

The old Dwarf turned around and began walking back toward the enormous gate.

“Come.”

Arthur and Mordred followed him.

As soon as they passed through the entrance, the massive stone gate began to close behind them. The sound of grinding stone echoed through the tunnel, and the ancient runes covering the walls suddenly lit up one after another.

Mordred looked around with curiosity.

He had heard stories about the Guardians before, but none of them had ever prepared him for what he was seeing.

The tunnel was far larger than he had expected.

It was wide enough for several carriages to travel side by side, and the walls were reinforced with enormous metal plates. Strange formations had been carved into the stone, some of which Mordred could recognize as defensive formations while others were completely unfamiliar.

Every few dozen meters, there were massive statues of armored Dwarves standing beside the walls.

Each statue held a different weapon.

Some carried hammers.

Others held axes, spears, or weapons that looked nothing like anything used by humans.

Mordred stared at one of them.

“What are those?”

The old Dwarf glanced at him.

“Guardian statues.”

“They’re formations?”

The old Dwarf shook his head.

“Some are.”

Mordred immediately became vigilant…

He suddenly became much more careful about where he looked.

Arthur, however, seemed completely familiar with the place.

“You haven’t changed much.”

The old Dwarf snorted.

“Why would we?”

“You’ve had centuries.”

“And you humans change too much.”

The old Dwarf glanced over his shoulder.

“One king dies, another king takes his place. Kingdoms fight each other, borders change, cities are destroyed, and then you build new ones on top of the old ruins.”

He shook his head.

“Dwarves have better things to do.”

Mordred almost smiled.

The deeper they traveled, the more signs of Dwarven civilization they encountered.

The tunnel eventually opened into a massive underground chamber, and so Mordred stopped walking.

His eyes widened.

A city stretched out before them.

It was impossible to see its end.

Massive buildings had been carved directly into the stone walls, connected by bridges and enormous platforms. Hundreds of glowing crystals illuminated the underground city, while countless pipes carried steam through the streets.

The sound of metal striking metal could be heard everywhere.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Dwarves moved through the streets carrying weapons, armor, tools, and strange mechanical devices.

Some were working inside enormous forges.

Others were inspecting formations engraved into the walls.

There were even large metal machines moving through the streets, carrying materials from one place to another.

Mordred stared at everything in disbelief.

“So this is…”

“The Guardian City,” Arthur said.

The old Dwarf corrected him.

“One of them.”

Mordred turned toward him.

“One?”

The Dwarf gave him a strange look.

“You humans really don’t know much.”

Arthur remained silent.

Nonetheless, the old Dwarf continued walking.

“This is only one of our major cities. The Guardians have existed for thousands of years. Did you really think we were hiding inside one cave all this time?”

Mordred suddenly felt embarrassed.

He had always imagined the Guardians as a small group of ancient Dwarves protecting a forgotten underground fortress.

He had never imagined an entire civilization.

As they passed through the city, several Dwarves noticed Arthur.

Some stopped working while others whispered among themselves.

A few even looked at Excalibur.

“Is that…”

“Excalibur?”

“The human knight came back?”

“Is that really the same sword?”

Mordred looked at Arthur.

“You’ve been here before?”

Arthur nodded.

“Several times.”

The old Dwarf grunted.

“He has.”

He looked at Excalibur.

“We forged that sword nearly two hundred years ago.”

Mordred’s expression changed.

“Two hundred years?”

The Dwarf nodded.

“Back when your kingdom still had a different royal family.”

Mordred looked at Excalibur with newfound respect.

He had always known that it was a legendary weapon, but he had never understood just how old it truly was.

The Dwarf suddenly stopped.

They had reached a large circular chamber.

Several massive doors surrounded the room, each marked with a different symbol.

The old Dwarf walked toward one of them and placed his hand against its surface.

A formation activated.

The enormous door opened.

“Guardian Hall.”

Arthur and Mordred entered.

The room was far larger than it looked from the outside.

Ancient weapons were displayed along the walls.

Some were swords and axes, while others were strange devices that Mordred couldn’t even identify.

There were also large metal shields, crystals, sealed containers, and countless artifacts covered in layers of protective formations.

Mordred slowly walked forward.

“All of these are what you call Guardian weapons.”

The old Dwarf walked toward the center of the room.

“They were created for one purpose… To fight things that ordinary weapons cannot kill.”

Arthur’s expression became serious.

“Vampires.”

The old Dwarf nodded.

“Among other things.”

He raised his hand.

Several Dwarves immediately entered the chamber carrying large metal containers.

They placed them on the floor and opened them one after another.

Inside were weapons unlike anything Mordred had seen before.

The first was a long sword with a silver-colored blade…

The second was a massive crossbow surrounded by glowing runes…

The third was a collection of metal bolts with crystal tips.

The fourth was a small black sphere covered in countless symbols.

Mordred approached them carefully.

“What are these?”

The old Dwarf pointed toward the sword.

“Bloodbane.”

He pointed toward the crossbow.

“Sunforged.”

Then he pointed toward the crystal-tipped bolts.

“Silverheart.”

Finally, he pointed toward the black sphere.

“And that…”

His expression became unusually serious.

“Is something you should never activate unless you are certain you are dealing with a True Vampire.”

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

“Why?”

“Because it doesn’t kill Vampires.”

The Dwarf stared at him.

“It anchors them.”

Mordred frowned.

“I don’t understand.”

“It prevents their blood from escaping their body.”

The Dwarf’s voice became quieter.

“A normal Vampire can regenerate by manipulating its blood. Some can even survive after their bodies are destroyed.”

He placed his hand on the black sphere.

“This prevents that.”

Arthur looked at the artifact for several seconds.

“Then it can stop their resurrection.”

“Not completely. Nothing is that simple.”

He turned toward Arthur.

“But it can make them mortal.”

Silence filled the Guardian Hall.

Mordred looked at the weapons again.

Now, he understood why the Guardians had survived for so long.

They were not simply a group of powerful warriors.

They had spent thousands of years preparing for enemies that humanity barely understood.

The old Dwarf walked toward another wall.

There, behind a thick layer of crystal, was a massive circular formation.

“These weapons are only the beginning.”

He placed his hand against the crystal.

“If Vampires have truly returned, we will need to awaken the old formations as well.”