The next morning, outside the catacomb entrance of the dungeon, a young man could be found sitting on a patch of grass nearby. He had been seen slightly strayed away from the entrance to make his final preparations at the area he had set up at.

Before venturing into the dungeon again, the necromancer had told him that he needed some time to conjure some of the weaker stone golems to assist them in this venture. So Deralst had stay around here to wait for Falsces to finish whatever he was doing.

In the meantime while he was waiting, Deralst was currently doing his usual maintenance for his equipments. His light suit of leather armour that was mixed with some metal platings had various runic symbols that could be found being formed around various parts of the armour to boast his abilities, so does his weapons too.

They were not top quality gears but were still better qualities than what was commonly found and each had worth all the coins he had paid for it. One cannot be too careless in adventuring and in the maintenance of their own equipments, especially more so for him.

He did the enchantments for the equipments himself, causing the gears to be a lot more useful and convenient than it normally had.

He also had such markings being found across his body like tattoos, partially covering his fore arms, his lower legs, and from his chest, the magical patterns spreading out like swirling tendrils, to be more precise, centering around the area of where his heart should be as the source.

Again, such were the basic practices of what the usual diabolists would focus on as their professions. Drawing and infusing the infernal powers from the another hellish plane to empower themselves and what they use.

He had heard from stories that there were even some crazy eccentric people who would try to use this sort of method as a way to boost their own voice, so that they can kill things by just shouting, just to show off their extra oomph. Although it was a pretty amazing idea but it was still a redundant one, especially in a dungeon where adventurers would rely more on teamwork and communication as compared to what the monsters would do.

After he was done with the maintenance of his armour, he put it back and proceed to look at his weapons' maintenance while checking for any possible faults.

Most of his weapons were empowered with flame based abilities. Such as his enchanted sword which had a simple burning property, allowing it to cut through things more easily like a flame cutter. Alternatively, his throwing dagger had a more stored form of infernal energy. Which normally he would try to instead activate and throw it at enemies, allowing it release the energy to burn the target a distance away.

As compared to his own armours on other hand, which simply boasted his agility and strength to a more supernatural level, except for his gauntlets that could spew out conjured magical flames.

Like typical enchanted equipments, he could use magical attacks by passively putting in mana and using all these powers without the need of chanting. While it was not as strong as a wizard’s magic that could possibly destroy armies, but nevertheless versatile and convenient. He would take anything as long as it could just kill things efficiently, strongly or not. He just hoped he would not be too reliant on them though.

Since such powers still came with a hidden cost. It could corrupt both the person's mind and body. Some people got so drunk on power that they started a rampage just to get put down eventually. While some abused their powers so much that they started turning insane on the way and became vulnerable enough to easily allow demons to take over and possess them or they just simply became too corrupted that they began to turn into something that looked like some twisted demonic abomination, cursed to forever hide away from civilizations, never be able to show themselves again. The worse would be that all of that had happened together over the time.

One can either protect themselves by using some warding charm accessories to stave off the corruption. They could also perform some rites to cleanse it or create some form of seal to either suppress or redirect its influence. But in the end, it would still all be for naught if the person's mind had given into the influence easily anyway.

So to truly manage such unstable and volatile power, one still required a great deal of discipline and moderation, not something someone who was unprepared and thoughtless should do just to gain some shortcut to great power, dooming themselves on the way. Unless they had understand the consequences like him and was ready for it.

He did not have something grand like good will, honor or some sort of personal code but he had an understanding of moderation none the least, he felt the best way to do that was to resist the dark natural instincts in his mind. While it could be useful at times, but mostly it was just destructive emotions clouding his judgement.

While Deralst was not a person who indulged much in debauchery. That did not mean that he was not interested in it though. He did enjoy it once in awhile, but he did it in moderation, since he did not want to fall into depravity. He liked his human body very much, at least enough to not cause harm to himself. Besides, he had other more important goals to prioritise on then just short sighted pleasure.

Although he was curious about gaining a set of useful limbs and body parts, he clearly wanted to look human enough to be presentable for banters with people while not becoming a target to be put down. What was the point of being an adventurer if he just turn into something that could not visit a bar and gather information.

So Deralst feared that he would lose himself if he did not at least hold on to some form of principle. He definitely understood that it would defeat the purpose if he let his emotions hindered his reasons and goals. Like when the time he was talking to the necromancer, he had felt that he was tempted too easily on his offer, it may partially be due to his dampened mood at that time but it was still something to ponder on.

Nonetheless, he cannot deny the usefulness of what his powers have done for him. He was not exactly strong, nor was he talented, he was not a mage either, so he only got his own mind to count on. In the end, this profession suited him in a way that could make up for his shortcomings in a lot of ways. Sometimes as the sayings goes, it just takes one to become a monster to fight a monster.

When Deralst had finished all his preparations and after getting properly equipped, he just simply sat down on the grass, idling considering some of his thoughts in silence while he waits for Falsces.

Only after he had finished his work, could he truly took in the sight of the lush canopy of green trees spreading out across his eyes. The late morning air was misty due to last night's drizzle and yet the sky was still shining down brightly past it.

All of it painted a mesh of bright colors covered by the mist that seemed like a veil to another world, a breathless otherworldly view. Tranquil and peaceful, like it was detached from his world, where nothing was able to disturb it.

A soothing rare sight in the morning, he wondered how many times will he get to see such a scene again. He wished he could capture this moment, he felt that time would stop. Wished that it would stop, and let him stay here forever.

With the sensation of the moist cool breeze flowing gently past him, it felt refreshing for every breathe he took. It made him forgot the bad things, where no one needed to rush, no blood was spilled, and no one putting their lives on the line. It felt comforting, he felt alive.

Deralst heard the sound of moving grass behind him, someone was walking towards him. And he already knew who that person might be. When you get right down to it, there was not many people here who knew about him, would walk towards him in such an obvious manner.

“So there you are, all this time while you were lollygagging here on the grass, I worked myself to the bone just to make all these golems! To the bones! Do you know how tedious it is to get these golems done within such short amount of time?” Mage in dark complained as he walked behind Deralst to face him.

Deralst slowly turned his head to get a better look at Falsces, he was accompanied by six stone golems, and a skeleton. The golems' size were only half as tall as a human, probably around the same size as a dwarf. The mage himself still looked like he had not gone out in the sun much often either.

"Oh really? I don't mean to disrespect, but I felt that it is a lot healthier to get your blood flowing this way if you still looked to be as gloriously pale as oaty shite under the bright sun. So quit your whining already."

"This conversation sure is enlightening, Deralst. Some say that silence is golden and maybe it is, although I'm not sure it's worth that much, given if I had to suffer another snarky remark from you."

“It sure has its price certainly, you did pay for it after all.”

"I had not made the payment yet, so you should at least stand to be a bit more prudent here."

Deralst just simply shrugged in response at the necromancer's words.

"You're oddly awfully chipper today," Falsces said with a grimace. "Alright, no need to dally around here any longer now, lest the grass grow under our feet."

"Agreed."

Deralst rose from the ground and followed after Falsces. He would begin his second diving into the dungeon this time, and he hoped that this endeavour would at least last longer than before.

—

While walking through the passageways of the dungeon floors, from time to time, Deralst's group would encounter some weak enemies along the way, such as the huge spiders again. Mostly, they would be easily dealt with by Falsces's golems so Deralst did not really need to do much on the way there.

If they encounter some monsters that were weak undeads like zombies or skeletons, the golem would then try to subdue them instead. So that the necromancer could come closer to within a certain distance from them to cast a spell. Afterwards, the undeads would then become compliant to him, adding them to Falsces’s current retinue collection of escorts.

However, both of them did not start a conversation after they had entered the dungeon. Deralst was not much of a talkative person himself, nor was he a willing one either and Falsces seemed like he was used to the silence here already. Despite that, both of their current relaxed composure showed that they were quite experienced in travelling in the dark confines of the dungeon.

There was no immediate sense of urgency, unlike the time when Deralst travelled alone, most of the work this time was done by the golems. So it was pretty uneventful for Deralst most of the way aside from needing to keep a constant lookout for the cryper. In the end, Deralst eventually took out a piece of pickled fruit from a small wrapped jar to chew on. In spite of Falsces giving him a sour look but the mage did not comment anything about it.

The fruit Deralst was currently eating on was called a peapple, a normally sweet, crisp and grainy fruit, now the flavour was tart with sourness due to the process of food preservation either by using brine or vinegar. It was just an added bonus to the taste of what Deralst usually liked though.

“You know, you can assist me in my research too, since your profession might even help me in gaining some of the insights I may have missed.” During the time he was chewing on the fruit, Falsces had decided to start a topic instead. He seemed like he really needed to do something about what Deralst was currently doing.

“If we worked together, you will be properly compensated for it if you agree to help me….”

“Thanks, but I have to respectfully decline.” Deralst immediately gave his answer.

Unlike the mages that persistently wanted to improve their spellcraft through their pursue of knowledge, part of the reason he mainly trained in his profession and strengthened his body was not just because he wanted power.

But so that he could be strong and hardy enough to survive and traverse through any kind of dangerous terrains in every possible nature with lesser amount of difficulties, maybe even hell itself too. Not that he wanted to go anywhere close to that place, even if he was a bit curious about it....

“Is that so?” Falsces said thoughtfully, unaware of his circumstances. “I could even offer you a place to train and practice your craft in seclusion, much like me. Away from the disdain and derision of others, I can even share with you some of the terrible wonders I have come to learn around here…”

“I appreciate it, but I am afraid that I still have to decline your offer. I currently have other personal plans to attend to, things to do and other places to travel after I have accomplished what I came here for in this dungeon. And like you, I take pride in what I am doing.” Deralst said smirkingly. “You only lived once after all.”

“Damn, I thought your restraints had suppressed you of your humanity, stripped you from some form of emotions.” Falsces frowned. “And here you are, being so…. careless, and still mingling among men.”

“You don’t need restraints to strip men of their humanity. I’ve seen plenty of examples.” Deralst drily argued as he dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “People like to invent monsters and monstrosities themselves. So what is the point of not trying to become a monster, when there is already one within us?”

It was not that Deralst minded about secluding himself away somewhere else. Heck, he really wanted to do that sometimes but it was simply not what he was currently after. He was not a fanatic person nor was he like some pagan cultists either, he just simply felt that doing things like this was a more convenient way in achieving his goals. He had to accept that it was the best way, he was changed man, or so he told himself.

Their little group continued to walk on in silence, until they finally reached the necromancer’s ritual chamber. Yet there was nothing to be found there, at least not what the necromancer was searching for.

The area around seemed like a battle had just taken place here and various small articles and debris could be seen scattered across the place. It was a mess but nothing else could be seen there and thus there was nothing else for them to do aside from collecting some of Falsces's leftover belongings and leaving behind the place.

Before they went to the antechamber to travel further down into the lower floors to get back to the necromancer’s main chamber. The followers had stayed to search the place for anything else that was reusable. All the while Falsces, he just stood there in front of the small chamber wordlessly, looking lost and dejected.

At this time, despite not having known that person for long, Deralst felt that he had to at least say something inspirational and supportive here, so he chose to pat Falsces at the back and encourage him with some solemn words before they leave.

“You fall so that you may learn to pick yourself up once again, so you will endure this loss, and thus learn from it. Therefore, do not ruminate on this fleeting failure, our search could be long, but success will come.”