Chapter 14: The Lord, Dame, Cardinal and Commander

The dungeon was alive with the sound of footsteps, faint echoes of magic, and the subtle pulse of something ancient. But today, it wasn't just the treasures within that would make history—it was the deadly convergence of two rival kingdoms, each sending their most dangerous fighters to claim the same prize.

Four figures of the Diamond Kingdom's finest, the Shining Generals, had already infiltrated the labyrinth's depths. These weren't ordinary mages—they were elite, trained not only in combat but in strategy and subterfuge. Each of them a weapon, honed over years of ruthless discipline, sent to ensure that the Magic Knights from the Clover Kingdom would not walk away with the Primordial Core.

The Shining Generals

Lord Kivn moved with calculated grace, his sharp features set in cold determination as his flowing grey robes swept silently behind him. His mastery over Sound Magic was unparalleled, and with it, he was orchestrating the entire operation like a symphony of chaos. From his vantage point high above, he monitored every movement, his enchanted communicators feeding him live information.

"Velda, clear the lower levels," his voice rang through the devices, the sound waves laced with magic, making sure every word was heard perfectly, no matter the distance or interference. "Kael, keep pressure on the upper chambers. Iona, ensure no one exits the middle sector. This mission will succeed, on my good name as a Shining General."

A sinister smile tugged at the corner of his lips. His Sound Magic also served as a surveillance system, mapping the entire dungeon with auditory pulses. He could hear the enemy's every step, every breath. There would be no surprises.

In the suffocating dampness of the lower levels, Dame Velda Thorn prowled like a predator. Her Poison Magic seeped into the air around her, creating a thick, noxious fog. Velda's tall, lean frame was barely visible through the haze, but her presence was unmistakable. She revelled in these conditions—dank, toxic, and deadly. As she walked, the very stone beneath her feet seemed to corrode.

She grinned at Kivn's instructions, the sound of his voice scratching like nails on glass to her ears. "I know what I'm doing," she muttered under her breath, then replied more audibly, "The traps are pitiful. Nothing here poses a threat to me."

Her poisoned breath hung in the air long after she'd passed, leaving behind a trail of death. A rat skittered through the fog, only to fall motionless after inhaling the deadly fumes.

In the upper chambers, Kael Arventis, a hulking figure of raw power, grunted as he strode through the narrow corridors. His heavy black armour clanked with each step, though the heat radiating off him warped the air itself. Heat Magic burned through his veins, and his towering physique left an imposing shadow in his wake. Kael was not one for subtlety.

He paused for a moment, holding up his hand to unleash a gout of flame, scorching a pathway forward. The dungeon's shadows recoiled, the very walls glowing from his heat. "Kivn," he said, his deep voice resonating like thunder, "all clear on my end. Bring me some action. I'm getting bored."

Despite his complaints, Kael thrived in battle. The flames licking his armour were merely a preview of the inferno he would unleash once he encountered the Clover Knights.

Far below, in the frozen caverns, Iona Veska stood silently. Her dark skin and flowing white robes contrasted with the shimmering ice formations that surrounded her. Icy spikes grew at her feet, cracking the ground beneath them with each calculated step. Her Dry Ice Magic coated everything in a layer of frost, and her Sapphire Crystal Magic added an additional, near-impenetrable defence. Iona was a living fortress, her icy breath crystallising in the air.

Her crystalline armour shimmered in the dungeon's faint light, giving her an almost divine appearance. When Kivn's voice echoed through her communicator, she barely reacted, offering only a single word in response: "Understood."

…

As Lars and Kian arrived at the gateway, Frida and Kirsch stood there, and Frida met Lars's cold glance with one equally cold of their own.

Well, Frida stood there. Kirsch was still reclining on Frida's (albeit uncomfortable) Hand of Caesar spell, throwing cherry blossoms up in the air in an act of boredom and uninterestedness. Upon seeing Lars, he launched into his usual drivel about how beautiful he was (no one was listening).

"So, Frida," Lars sneered, "you got here earlier than me. Means nothing though."

Frida's lips curled into a sneer. "So, Lars, you finally made it. And yet, I still beat you here."

"You only beat me because I don't have a mobility spell!" Lars shot back, gripping his naginata with growing frustration.

"Excuses, excuses. I had no trouble getting here," Frida replied, her tone icy.

"Yeah? Well, this is where it ends, Frida! I've had enough of your smug attitude!" Lars snapped, brandishing his weapon.

Frida was ready, the amethyst blade already forming around her hand. "Oh, you wish you could keep up with me! Amethyst Crystal Magic: Blade of Hannibal!"

They rushed at each other, but Kian stepped in.

"Force Magic: Air Resistance!" he said, raising his hands towards the Mertens siblings. They came to nearly a halt, looking as if they were moving in slow motion. In reality, Kian had just increased the effect of air resistance on them, making it hard for them to move.

"You two need to calm down," he said nonchalantly. "We have a job to do."

Frida, sighed, and despite all her rage, smiled, something that looked unnatural to her brother. "Then let's get into this place!"

They entered the treasure room. All four gazes were instinctively drawn to the Primordial Core. Lars raised a hand, using his telekinesis to pull the Core towards him.

"So this is what we've been looking for. Now that we have it-"

"Our top priority should be finding the others." Frida said.

"You stole the words right out of my mouth," Lars smiled. Maybe his relationship with his sister was getting better, bit by bit.

As they began to make for the door, a voice rang out, dripping with regal aura and nobility.

"Sound Magic: Echo Chamber!"

A Diamond Kingdom mage stepped into the room, his sheer presence emanating power, shocking everyone there. In his forehead was lodged a beautiful yellow topaz, that gleamed brilliantly with mana. He wore the Diamond Kingdom's signature robes, with a flowing grey robe over it, and had shining black boots that had evidently been polished that day. He held up his hand in a mocking apologatory gesture.

"You'll have to excuse me, but I need that core, ladies and gentlemen. Sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused. Oh wait…" he said, turning his lips up in a sadistic smile.

His spell was releasing a subtle hum of sound waves that were steadily wrapping around the enemy. The translucent barrier was forming, pulsating softly as it trapped the opponent in a vibrating sphere of silence.

"I keep forgetting they can't hear me," Lord Kivn sighed. He snapped his fingers, and the barrier came down.

"Amethyst Crystal Magic: Athena's Arrow!"

"Force Magic: Gran Peso!"

"Cherry Blossom Magic: Dance of One Hundred Million Cherry Blossoms!"

"Mind Magic: Telekenetic Sweep!"

The Shining General laughed, and swiped his hand across casting a spell of his own to meet it.

"Sound Magic: Equaliser!"

The five spells met in an explosion. The Shining General leaped back.

"My, my, feisty ones, aren't they?" he smirked maliciously.

…

Somewhere else in the dungeon, Sharya and Lyra were using Lyra's location spell, Ant Retrieval, to navigate their way through the lower levels of the dungeon.

As they went through, however, they began to feel more sluggish than usual. Their vision became distorted, and Lyra's cheeks began to turn a small tint of green. She audibly gagged, and Sharya stopped, checking on her friend.

"Are you good?" she inquired nonchalantly. Lyra didn't respond, and instead keeled over. Sharya's face darkened with worry.

"10 minutes."

A voice, sickeningly sweet and smooth, rang out with surprising intensity. A thin, middle aged woman, who looked to be around 40, was sat upon a pile of debris, one leg crossed over the other, with the Diamond Kingdom's signature robes loosely draped across her tall figure. Her brown hair was long, one side of it covering her eye. She was swinging a throwing knife with a ringed handle on her index finger. She threw the knife upwards, caught it, and then spoke again.

"10 minutes until your friend," and her smile turned borderline psychotic, "dies horrifically from my poison."

Sharya yelled in rage, and threw a mana-coated dagger at the woman. She blocked it effortlessly, and then retaliated with a spell.

"Poison Magic: Salmonella!"

She launched a huge bomb of toxin at Sharya, who flipped acrobatically out of the way.

Dame Velda Thorn smiled sadistically. "Let's play a little game, dear. If you can beat me, I'll save your friend. If not…well, let us just say, you'll be joining her in paradise."

…

As Lilian and Nebra sped through the dungeon, Lilian's Prism Construct Magic: Chromatic came to a halt. Lilian opened the floor and both her and Nebra descended gracefully.

"It might be helpful if we walk from here. The dungeon really isn't that far anyways."

Nebra shrugged. It didn't matter to her.

As they went further into the dungeon, the air around them got suddenly colder. The walls of the dungeon grew blue with frost and then became layered in ice. Lilian started to shiver, wrapping her robe around her for comfort. "What's causing t-this cold?"

Her question would be answered as they turned a corner, and saw a woman with dark skin, on her knees, her hands clasped together, her eyes seemingly closed in prayer. She stood up, keeping her hands together, and the two now saw that she had crystalline armour, which gleamed in the light of Lilian's Prism Magic. Under it were long flowing white robes with blue ornaments. Her braided hair was thick and fell down to her lower back. A sapphire was lodged in her head, reminiscent of that of Lord Kivn's.

"I do but keep the peace," she muttered. "Dry Ice + Sapphire Crystal Combination Magic: Divine Paladins."

"Two magic attributes?" Nebra cried, clearly shaken by her revelation.

Numerous soldiers, around 30 or 40, and all made out of dry ice, began to materialise out of thin air, each with a thin sheen of sapphire, wearing the same crystalline armour as their commander. In each soldier's hand was a pointed spear. The woman opened her eyes, her blue pupils boring into the two girls' skulls.

"On the good name of the Diamond Kingdom," Cardinal Iona Veska ordered, her voice taking on a much more grating, powerful quality, "smite these interlopers."

The soldiers moved eerily silently towards the two Magic Knights, their sapphire spears raised, ready to pounce.

"Prism Magic: Blade of Gabriel!" Lilian said, a blade of pure light appearing in her hand. Her hair had turned red just like it had fighting the golem.

"Bring it on!" she yelled with surprising intensity.

…

Russell and Soren were finally going towards what Russell promised Soren was the dungeon's direction. A slightly annoyed Soren called out to Russell in a gruff voice. "Are you sure we're on task now?"

Russell, who had gotten distracted and was playing with a cool looking knife he had found, quickly snapped to attention. "Did I not say that we're heading in the correct direction? Just trust me," he said, waving Soren off and continuing to walk.

Soren finally snapped. The culmination of the fact he was running low on mana, Russell's disinterested antics, and their current wandering of the dungeon in no apparent direction, made the normally stoic giant finally lose it. "We've been trusting you for the past two hours or so, and look where it got us!" Pools of lava started to form under his boots, a sign of his apparent anger.

Russell kicked up a dust cloud and started manipulating it out of boredom.

"You're not listening?!" Soren incredulously yelled. "God, this is why I hate going on missions with other squads. Always so difficult…"

"Trouble in paradise?" a voice rang out.

Russell and Soren's heads immediately snapped towards the owner of the voice. He was built like a rhino, to say the least. Under his green beret was a black buzzcut. His muscular arms were well tanned, and he wore the Diamond Kingdom's signature robes (albeit sleeveless), with a camo jacket draped over his ridiculously wide shoulders. On his hands were black rubber gloves, and on his feet were incredibly large combat boots. He had a nicely trimmed beard that hung perfectly off his square jawline, and he wore black sunglasses, which he now took off and hung on his belt. His red eyes stared at the two magic knights.

"You maggots thought you fancied ruining the great Diamond Kingdom's operations, didn't you?" he began in a voice that sounded like an army commander. I mean, he was, but still. "I'm here to stop you from taking another step. You have the honour of fighting a Shining General."

Soren, normally stoic, shuddered in fear. Russell, meanwhile, not fully understanding the gravity of the situation, looked at Soren with a grin on his face. "See, I told you we were going the right way."

"You imbeci-" Soren roared, then was cut off by the Shining General.

"Heat Magic: Aumento Della Temperatura."

Russell and Soren felt the temperature of the corridor they were in start to increase.

"Is it me, or is it hot in here?" Russell jokingly queried.

Soren's stoic facade was now completely gone. He sent two waves of lava both at Russell and the Shining General. Russell leaped nimbly over the wave, while the Diamond Kingdom mage held out his hand.

"Heat Magic: Sifone Di Temperatura."

The wave crashed against the general like water, not doing any significant damage to him. General Kael Arventis smiled.

"Get ready for a world of pain, kiddies," he mockingly said.

A/N: I love Russell and Soren's dynamic.

Anyways, who's your favourite Shining General?