WARNING! The Lawful Gamer has various scenes and mentions of swearing, gore, sexual content, and many more subjects that may inappropriate to certain viewers! It is rated M for a reason! If you continue regardless, you have been warned!~


(Unknown Realm)
(Raphael's POV)

I cringed at the ear-piecing scream, to such an extent that the scream actually affected the constructs that Seraphine created herself, although I doubt that the resilience of the artificial creations were at their full strength as I have reason to believe that this is my own mind that we're in. If not, then Seraphine's constructs were incredibly... weak, yet she was around five hundred levels above me so that thought was also in doubt.

Nevertheless, I focused back on Seraphine and my own's current predicament as there was another scream, and the former shot me a quick look of panic.

R̓A̗͐̌̊̓̏A̾Aͥ͆̒̌ͭ̈A͖̫̩̮̪̗̖̓̄̏͗͛ͦ̈́Ȁ̞̞̞̺̜̹̽͂͆ͧ͒̂A̱͙͓̬͈̫̯ͥͣA͈͍̪̝̦A̗̬̜ͤ͊̏̈́̍ͧͅA̦͇̞̱͐͂͋G̱̜̪̯͎̈͑H̦͕̬̖̺̼̭̚!̲̓̂

͈̖̺̝͎̮̓̂ͨͯͅ"Raphael! Quickly, you must wake up! The temple is soon to be under attack!" She spoke rapidly, and at her words, my own eyes widened in panic as well.

"How-" I was interrupted by the sudden warping of my vision, twisting and churning.


(Terros - Continent of Janus - Kingdom of Furore - Temple of Seraphine)

"-aphael... Wake up, you're shaking." Rosalina's groggy voice was the first thing I heard waking up, not saying that it wasn't pleasant, merely... surprising, considering that I was expecting her to sleep far longer than me.

"Rosa, get your things ready, we have to leave immediately." I shot up, it was the middle of the night, and she would no doubt protest at my sudden order to leave the temple. I cut her off before she could speak. "There's no time to explain, someone - or something - is coming, and it is most definitely not friendly." Rosalina was wide awake now, and she did as I asked with no complaints, saving much time on my part.

Equipping the kevlar that I was oh-so familiar with that it became more of a comfort than a safety precaution, I narrowed my gaze for anything that would indicate an impending attack. Anything, from a slight change in the temple guards' behavior to a sudden unnerving silence.

...

Neither was present as I saw few of the latter patrolling - albeit less than the amount of when I had fallen asleep - the edge of the refugee site, ever vigilant in their duties. The former was swept off the table as I still heard the occasional cricket in the night. Perhaps Seraphine was wrong and it was nothing more than a simple ruse, but it did not seem she would be the type to raise a false flag on such a situation, so I rose from my bedroll nonetheless - drawing Grudge from my inventory. I left Rosalina to gather what she needed, as well as leaving the care of her wellbeing to my three companions.

Whatever Seraphine had said was coming would have to come through the temple's gate, and the temple was in the middle of an open field, hardly any cover for one to sneak or charge into the place without sustaining damage from ranged attacks first so placing myself atop the walls would be the most ideal position right now - even if it may be night.

Of course, with my sudden movement, I drew the attention of those standing guard but they made no indication of stopping me - if anything, they seemed curious of what I was doing. Regardless, I trudged forward, carefully walking past or over sleeping refugees, intent on being ready for the unknown threat. Yet, I cannot prepare for the unknown, merely wait for what is to come and minimize the inevitable casualties if the power of the incoming foe is to be as intense as I believe it to be.

After carefully treading my way over and around the prone forms of refugees, I was before the door that I assume led to the battlements, being illuminated by a pair of torches that hung next to it. Still, I noticed, the temple guards followed my every movement made no movement of their own to stop me. Nonetheless, I continued and pulled open the door, allowing me to see the stairs leading up onto the wall - after all, where else could they possibly lead to?

While I was by no means claustrophobic, the small amount of room provided was a bit concerning - just enough to not get singed by the torches that lit up the path, but should there be any attack that could possibly damage and shake the walls, then being trapped under debris is a very high possibility. Discarding those thoughts as I reached the top of the stairs - Terros' moon lighting it up - I hefted up Grudge in preparation for whatever was out there.

The battlements were what was expected of a castle, embrasures and merlons placed on one side of the wall facing the outside of the temple, and unfortunately, torchlight ruined my night vision. The temple guard posted to watch the gate came forth to meet me, taking off her helmet, a curious expression on her face.

"Raphael D'Angelo, was it?" She asked wearily, placing a hand on her hip. "What brings you here at this time of night?"

I hummed, there was no reason to be dishonest with the temple guard, considering they serve Seraphine - and in turn, me to a lesser extent, if what the goddess said was true. "Seraphine had warned me of a threat that is soon to be upon the temple." Whatever semblance of exhaustion on the guard vanished immediately as she stood rigid, alarmed.

"Lady Seraphine warned you herself?" She spoke, hushed, as she turned her gaze towards the darkness that is the outside of the temple. "If so... then we are in grave danger, should you be speaking the truth."

I would be offended if it were not for the fact that the temple guard had a right to be skeptical of my claims, considering I'm only a mere stranger here - no better than the masses in the courtyard. Had I been a temple guard as well I would doubt the person that would be in my position, nevertheless, I decided to bring out the only piece of evidence to back up my claims.

Unequipping - while it is a hassle, it's far easier than doing it by hand - the protective fiber, the temple guard reeled back in surprise at the sudden disappearance of the article of clothing, leaving me only in the simple black tee-shirt that I was resurrected with.

"What... are you doing?" She questioned, tilting her head.

Giving no reply, I simply lifted up my shirt - much to her embarrassment but that quickly vanished as soon as it appeared - showing her Seraphine's symbol, while it seems it has lost most of its glow from my corporeal form it still had a faint illumination that comes and goes. Regardless, the temple guard was shocked at the sight of Seraphine's symbol on my chest if the widening of her eyes were any indication.

"I-I...What-?" She appeared too shocked to properly formulate a response, certainly not the reaction I expected but a faster response to the threat will-

R̓A̗͐̌̊̓̏A̾Aͥ͆̒̌ͭ̈A͖̫̩̮̪̗̖̓̄̏͗͛ͦ̈́Ȁ̞̞̞̺̜̹̽͂͆ͧ͒̂A̱͙͓̬͈̫̯ͥͣA͈͍̪̝̦A̗̬̜ͤ͊̏̈́̍ͧͅA̦͇̞̱͐͂͋G̱̜̪̯͎̈͑H̦͕̬̖̺̼̭̚!̲̓̂

Shit.

"What was that?!"

The temple guard quickly spun towards where the roar came from, pulling on her helmet in the process. Whilst she did so, she completely disregarded me in favor of walking towards her station, taking hold of a javelin. Seeing that there was no need for me to keep myself exposed, I re-equipped my kevlar, and I took my position behind one of the embrasures - setting up Grudge on the parapet.

Along with the temple guard that I spoke with earlier, I heard several quickened metallic steps behind me, indicating that the entire temple had likely heard the roar as well. Whatever was out there was certainly... dangerous, if not far more a threat than Velyn was, merely a feeling that I'm having similar to the battle with the undead that had attacked me. I tensed as I heard thumping, albeit a bit faint, but it slowly became louder.

The fact that I could hardly see a few feet outside the temple did not help either, the thing that is out there is influencing the natural surroundings, as it unnaturally became incredibly cloudy - blocking out the moon, leaving only the lit torches to be our source of light.

͈̖̺̝͎̮̓̂ͨ[R.A.S. Situation Activated!]
[Description: The R.A.S. (Random Appearance System) is an integral part of the lives of Gamers, developed by Gaia to always keep her chosen on their toes and be wary of anything and everything. Situations will appear at random intervals, from tiny occurrences of singular threats or random appearances of treasures to massive galaxy-threatening foes or treasure troves of technology and weaponry. It is to be noted that complacency is the downfall of the work of Gamers, never forget, thus no reward shall be given until the situation is dealt with - be it EXP or currency.]

[R.A.S. Tier: 1/10]
[Type: Hostile]
[Level: ?]
[Description: The enemy has the ability and power to threaten hundreds of innocents if ignored, warriors would be hard-pressed to defeat this entity should they engage it in physical combat. While this foe is recognized as the weakest of the tiers a Gamer should encounter, those below at least (Level: 100) must exercise caution when engaging this foe as it is highly likely you will suffer severe injuries, if not death. At your current level it is highly recommended that you flee or hide.]

...Well, shit.

While I can understand the concept of the R.A.S. it would unnecessarily endanger the lives of those around Gamers - myself included - when the system would activate. Giving a quick glance at the temple guard peering out into the darkness with her javelin raised, I could not help but feel guilty that I was responsible for the risk on her life and our current predicament - as well as the endangerment of the scores if not hundreds of lives within these walls. Although, I consider it fortunate that Seraph-

"...LiTtLe mOrTaLs cOmE oUt tO pLaY~!"

That voice... It's so utterly chilling, there was no doubt about it, whatever was out there is definitely not human - and its words implied that it wasn't mortal.

Ignoring the increasing amount of temple guards joining me up on the battlements, I strained my eyes to see any slight distortion in the darkness to indicate the being that was coming this way. If the description of it was anything to go by then it would be best for me to avoid the battle altogether if I am to preserve my own life. Then again, that option is unacceptable, leaving the guards to fight it on their own would be morally wrong and I have an obligation to fight alongside them now that I am Seraphine's champion.

"W-Where in the Goddess' name did that voice come from?!" Well, the panicked voice of a temple guard was certainly dismaying, but I chalked it up to the fear of the unknown - it is a reasonable excuse.

"Calm yourself." Ah, there's the familiar voice of Rhea. "Whatever is out there is not capable of taking the temple on its lonesome, it can be dealt with easily, ready yourselves archers."

Aside from the chatter around me, I couldn't have my ears tune into whatever unusual sounds there were outside the temple - straining them would be a waste of energy now - thus I completely focused on actually seeing the threat. Hopefully that would not prove to be a mistake, but reality is cruel.

"...YoUr sOuLs wIll bE mInE!"

That brought up some shivers in me, but it appeared that one of the temple guard's reaction was far worse than mine as a scream emanated from my right. I had no time to see who had scream as the walls shook, fortunately I remained balanced as I knelt behind one of the crenels, but the guards were not as fortunate as I am as more than a few of them staggered and fell on their asses but none had fallen off the battlements in the shaking.

In the name of Gaia and Seraphine, where is it coming from?! The thumping seems close enough for me to at least notice the damned thing, but apparently not close enough, nonetheless I tightened my grip on Grudge in response.

Still keeping my eyes darting back and forth in my field of vision, keeping myself tense did not prepare me for the screeching that echoed from the dark, and it certainly sounded like there was more than one of whatever was out there. The fact that the R.A.S. system referred to the foe as a singular threat also did not help as it meant that along with a threat that can easily kill me it also had supporting units to fully attack the temple. It was far too late to have second thoughts about my current predicament now, thus I kept my position and Grudge propped up on the crenel.

"HeRe I cOmE~!"

The wall shook violently, so much so that I had to hold onto the merlons to keep myself stable, following that was even more screeching that seemed to belong to dozens upon dozens of entities. Briefly lifting up Grudge to look over the wall, what was seen made me pale.

!

At ground-level there were seemingly scores of regular people - i.e. humans, considering Terros' many races - and at the head of a massive crowd was something that towered over them, while I could only see its head and shoulders it was more than enough for me to make an assumption that it was a daemon, if the horns and red skin were any indication and any other physical features that I spotted was that its back could possibly have spikes jutting out, perhaps from its spine if it used the stereotypical appearance that I would expect.

As I continued my observation, I eventually noticed that its following was not as it seemed, as there were more than a few of them that had a type of wrongness to them, it was quite obvious if you look at it clearly as some of them had their legs or arms twisted in odd angles. Although I'm relying on their shadowed outlines it was enough to notice it, but the shouting of temple guards brought me back in, ceasing my observations.

"Archers! Take aim!" Rhea ordered, raising a sword - "Fire!" - and bringing it down.

While the temple guards weren't numerous, they certainly made up for it in terms of skill, as several arrows pelted the heads of the horde below - kill shots - in expert precision. However, a few arrows hit something other than the head, and what would be presumed as kill shots were certainly not registered as the same for the things attacking the wall, one of them had an arrow sticking out of his neck for Gaia's sake!

Nevertheless, their attack spurred me on to finally utilize Grudge in the defense, peaking over the wall with said sniper rifle in hand and beginning to take potshots at them.

As I fired, I found out the recoil wasn't as bad as I had thought it out to be considering that it was a sniper rifle the size of a Barrett M82, and my intended target's head exploded a moment's later, following that three more skulls popped as the bullets did indeed bounce in mid-air and killed more foes. It also appeared that the R.A.S. system did mean that I would receive nothing from killing them until I finished them all off.

The initial shot fired seemed to have slowed down time around me, at first I had thought it was another one of the effects of Grudge, but as I felt my veins rush blood and my breathing quicken, it appeared that I felt... exhilarated, and I never even noticed how many times I pulled the trigger. Still, I fought with the determination to preserve as many lives as possible from this battle, but the thralls - I'll refer to the weaker entities as such considering they're not human, at least, not anymore - continued to claw at the walls whilst the daemon continued smashing itself against said wall.

While paying the daemon no mind, I continued to fire into the horde, no longer aiming as Grudge killed far more when I'm not going for precision shots. However, I heard an unsettling crack emanate from below me, just as the wall shook - furthering the sound.

!

The daemon was breaking through the wall! Redirecting Grudge to the damned thing's head, I fired-

R̓A̗͐̌̊̓̏A̾Aͥ͆̒̌ͭ̈A͖̫̩̮̪̗̖̓̄̏͗͛ͦ̈́Ȁ̞̞̞̺̜̹̽͂͆ͧ͒̂A̱͙͓̬͈̫̯ͥͣA͈͍̪̝̦A̗̬̜ͤ͊̏̈́̍ͧͅA̦͇̞̱͐͂͋G̱̜̪̯͎̈͑H̦͕̬̖̺̼̭̚!̲̓̂

-to no avail, as it merely bounced off its head! Fortunately, it hit one of the thralls behind it, so that was that but it still did not change the fact that the daemon took one of Grudge's rounds to the head and shrugged it off like it was nothing. Assuming that I fired .50 BMG, that is, considering the damage done to the heads turned into bloody mists then I'll need heavier firepower as Grudge was no doubt my main damage-dealing weapon - or it could quite possibly be a mana shield in the works, protecting the foul beast.

I swore as I heard the wall crack further. Looking to the right, I saw that the temple guards were certainly doing their jobs as their archers sought to take out as many of them as possible, to thin out the horde, no doubt believing that the daemon would be resistant to their flint arrowheads and that they would face it in CQC with steel weapons at the forefront.

This was just one big bloody mes-!

"Fuck!" I jumped back as an inhuman hand swiped at me, slightly elongated nails were enough to do damage to any 'regular' person.

Lifting up Grudge, I slammed the butt of the weapon into the thrall's face, sending it back down screeching. As I did so, I did manage to take a closer examination of its features, an expression that seems to have been forever etched into a disturbingly face of sheer terror, stacked with an unnatural shade of pale skin. If that wasn't enough then its eyes were but a simple black, enveloping its sclera, iris, and pupil, it was right to call them thralls based on their appearance.

I was not the only one to be faced with the thralls coming up the walls, and I cursed my own blindness as I should've noticed the things climbing up the wall had I been paying proper attention. That being said, I focused back in on the threat before myself, and seeing that the thralls were scaling - no, crawling up the wall, it seemed that I would have to engage in CQC. Placing Grudge back in my inventory, I took out Caerulus Mors and Crowd Control in its place, while it was an odd combination of weaponry, Light of the North had very little ammo left and I couldn't exactly carry my other firearms.

"Defend the temple! Do not let it fall!" There goes Rhea once again, keeping the morale of the temple guard up. "For Seraphine!" A valiant war cry followed after that was said.

Even her words encouraged me to fight with much more vigor as more of the thralls came over the merlons and crenels in increasing numbers, all sharing the same features of the one I examined up close. While they lacked the combat ability to be any real threat individually to either the temple guards or myself, they most certainly made up for it in numbers, although we were quickly thinning them out as scores of them were cut down to dozens of them.

A thrall came screeching at me, prompting me to slam Crowd Control into its disfigured body, sending it staggering back and allowing for me to slash at its head with Caerulus Mors, easily removing its head from its shoulders. I cast its dismembered head a disgusted look, as it seemed to still have some life to it as it still moved slightly, ignoring that as it was incapacitated, I focused back on the encroaching thralls.

Sidestepping a thrall that lunged forward with its claws seeking to land a hit on me, retaliation came in the form of lopping off its hand and slamming the pommel of my sword into its mouth, no doubt breaking most, if not all of its teeth. Finishing it off by simply ramming Caerulus Mors into its head with a sickening squelch, I tore it out as I slammed Crowd Control into the slightly uneven surface of the wall, clamping it down onto the rock.

Doing so would allow me to fully utilize Caerulus Mors of its intended purpose as a lightning-quick weapon in my arsenal.

Half a dozen of them swarmed at me, hands poised to strike me down, clumsy they may be, it would not matter should they surround me and claw at my person. Parrying and lashing out with a riposte, I left a bleeding jagged wound in one of the thrall's neck, but apparently that was not enough as it continued to try and scuff at me, thus I made for another slash at its neck, fully beheading it. While I was appalled at the zombie-like behavior, it wasn't really all that surprising as I have to fully expect the supernatural to become the norm in my life, Sera Alyssos is a prime example of this considering her nature as a goddess.

With five more to go, I tuned back in on the fight, hacking away at the thralls with the intent to aim for the head or at least behead them so that they no longer remained a threat. I took several blows whilst I fought, but my own mana shield absorbed all the cuts for me, chipping away a meager fifty to a hundred points of its durability for every hit and I did not such attacks go freely without some form of retaliation.

Ducking under a swing that was far too slow to hit me, I struck at its legs, effectively crippling it as it toppled over mid-screech. Rolling to the side as the incapacitated thrall fell over, I swept two thralls' legs from underneath them, knocking them off their feet and for their heads to slam into the stone with such force that it had dazed them. Quickly eliminating the two that were still stunned on the floor with swift stabs to the back of their heads, it was only mere moments after that the remaining two surged forth in a frenzy with foam frothing at their lips.

While my movement wasn't entirely hindered by the weight of the full-body kevlar that I wore, I was still capable of a quick back step to narrowly avoid two sets of hands passing by a hair's length over my face. Performing several quick blows to their torsos' and legs - leaving behind slash marks that oozed a completely black blood - to ensure that they suffered for attacking the temple and the innocents that were in it before I thrusted Caerulus Mors into both of their heads to end it.

I had a feeling that the small battle would've been far easier had I used firearms to simply shoot them in their heads, but it was far too late now to reconsider my choice of weapons until now.

Detaching Crowd Control from the stone and placing it back in the inventory along with Caerulus Mors and bringing out my trusty M1911 in their place. A pistol would be the most useful in my current situation, Sig Sauer and Grudge were meant for mid-to-long range combat, and with the current area a small arm weapon would be best.

Looking back to the temple guard, I grimaced as I saw more than a few of them were injured, but there were two among them that were still, and I knew already that they had fallen in combat against the thralls. Fortunately, it seemed that Rhea wasn't a casualty as she stood over their dead with a solemn expression on her face, and the feeling of guilt was quickly squashed as soon as it welled up inside me, Gamer's Mind is doing its job and now is not the time to have negative emotions clouding my thoughts.

Even if I did not feel guilt, I mused as I walked towards Rhea and the recovering guard, I should at least have a few words with her while I still have time with our brief moment of relief.

"Rhea..." I started, and she looked up, grim-faced. "You have my condolences, for what's happening now, none of this wouldn't have happened had I not been here in the first place." She looked sharply at me, narrowing her eyes.

"What do you mean?" She took a step forward. "How could this possibly be your fault?"

"These things are here because of my presence, they are here because they wish to kill me along with everyone in the temple." Now that, seemed to change her stoic expression into one of cold fury. "Even if we combined our might, it is a high possibility that we will all be killed by the beast trying to break into the temple, now is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves."

She calmed down slightly at that but kept a small form of silent contempt for me, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

...Sacrifices must be made.

Facing the daemon would be suicide, while I hope that most of the refugees have at least found some form of safety within the buildings that were on temple grounds to hide away from the damned thing banging on the wall, it is an inevitability that there will be some deaths. However, Katianna, Rhea, Rosalina, my own companions, and myself took precedence above all others, even if it may seem cold of me I will still do my best to save as many lives as possible as long as the aforementioned are safe.

"Get to safety, hide, run, anything to avoid fighting it." I cut her off before she could protest, "It is not cowardice, not when this being outclasses all of us, but someone must stay behind to fight it should we hide, as that is our only realistic option. Running will get us nowhere, and surrendering to it is simply idiotic, thus hiding is the best choice."

"And who would exactly take up such a responsibility?" She raised a brow, incredulous. "Even if someone does, they will most surely di-"

"I shall distract it."

Rhea's head snapped over to the temple guard that had spoken up, I as well followed Rhea's line of sight to her. There was nothing special about her, appearance-wise, as she shared the same apparel with the rest of her comrades, although in terms of weaponry that differs among the temple guard she wields a simple lance and a round shield. I must commend her bravery, facing the daemon that is to come while the rest of us hide away that would guarantee one's death is remarkable.

"And you are?" I questioned, curious to know of the selfless woman's identity.

"Sylva Br-"

!

"HeRe I aM!"

"Shit!" I swore, while the wall has managed to last quite awhile against the daemon - proving its sturdiness - Rhea still had wounded up here on the battlements. "Rhea, let's get the injured out of here, quickly!" She nodded, lifting up one of the injured into a fireman's carry after sheathing her weapon.

Knowing her part, Sylva - bless her soul - took point, quickly going down the stairs with her lance and shield on her back while the two dozen or so temple guards and myself followed after. Just as the daemon began bellowing, releasing its horrendous roar, the walls shook - dropping dust and some pebble-sized pieces of the wall down on us, and it started to feel a lot more claustrophobic in the already-cramped space as it shook further.

As Sylva opened the door, she was illuminated in an orange glow, and I feared for the worse as that could quite possibly mean that the courtyard was in flames but it appeared that she paid it no mind, as she strode forth, drawing her lance and shield, I entered the courtyard from behind her and the beast was a daemon in every sense of the word.

If the courtyard being bathed in flames was any indication then the daemon was fully capable of conjuring some form of fire magic. Not to mention that its appearance was far worse than I had thought it to be, not including the horns and the spine-like protrusions coming from its back that I had already seen from the battlements. Its facial features were grotesque, to say the least, as it seemed to be stuck into a permanent snarl added with what seemed to be pus leaking out of its orifices. If that wasn't enough, the daemon that was three times my size had a necklace made of human skulls and other things... most likely from a few of the different races on Terros, but the rest of its body was fairly humanoid barring the paws it had for feet.

The last thing to do was use Observe on this entity.

Name: Zal'Tenzhun
Race: Lesser Daemon (+Enhanced Fire Affinity, -Weak To White Magic)
Class: Novice Daemon (+25 STR)
Age: 6 Months

Level: (?-?)

Title: Manifestation of War - This title represents the purpose as to why you exist, born from the pain and suffering of hundreds of thousands of those whom are caught in a war that brings large-scale destruction, and you are inclined to spread more of such a thing. (+Power From Suffering Beings)

Well, at least it isn't a thousand levels over me, that'd practically spell death for everyone near this... Zal'Tenzhun.

"Quickly, everyone must go while I distract this abomination!"

Snapping out of it, I broke into a full sprint towards - what I can remember - the building that held Katianna's chambers, and from the few bodies around the former-courtyard of the temple it was likely that the refugees had the same idea. It was highly likely that the building will be crowded with the masses, thus hiding will be incredibly difficult - if there even is anywhere to hide and weather the storm that is Zal'Tenzhun.

As Sylva charged at the daemon - whom was busy eating someone's poor body - the rest of us made a beeline for the main building, carefully navigating through the flames. From the corner of my eyes, I could just barely see the battle between Sylva and Zal'Tenzhun - a battle in which she unfortunately but expectedly was losing - and it was quite fortunate that I was able to see it as a ball of flames gathered in front of it.

"SuFfEr! FeEl tHe dEsPaIr!"

Eyes widening in panic, I saw the ball of flames reach its boiling point as it became increasingly unstable, until it expanded into a man-sized beam that tore through Sylva, - eviscerating her side - with it continuing its path!

Cringing as a cry of pain emanated from behind me, I continued my stride, if the flames were as powerful as I believe them to be then the temple guard that was hit is most surely dead or in a near-death state. While regrettable, going back to save her would only put everyone at risk and for Sylva's sacrifice to be for naught should the daemon notice us running.

With the doors so close, I prepared to charge through it by raising my arms to cover myself, trying to sprint faster.

CRASH!

Bursting through the doors with enough force to splinter it - but still leave them standing - I was met with the spear tips of two temple guards.

Both - seeing who we were - quickly lowered their spears and hurried us in, "Close the doors!" The last one in - which would coincidentally be Rhea - slammed the doors shut after laying down her injured comrade. "Lady Nix had us leave the doors unbarred, as she knew all of you would still be out there, it would be best to bar them now." Rhea did just that, effectively preventing anything from getting in without some effort.

"Come with us now, we must seek shelter before that thing discovers us." One of the two that were here before ourselves gestured for us to follow her.

Imagine my surprise when there was a hidden passageway that was going under Katianna's stairs, split between the middle, I certainly didn't expect it to be under her platform. Nevertheless, everyone had went down, and it seemed that I was the only one that was surprised at seeing the passageway. One of my questions was also answered when I heard multiple hushed voices, and it was confirmed when I saw scores of the refugees crowded together in a fairly large room. Katianna being at the head of the group, hands alit with a golden aura.

Status Effect [Presence Concealment] has been inflicted upon you! +Hidden Presence!

Ah, that must be what that golden aura is for, it never came to mind that the daemon would be capable of still finding our presence beneath the temple aside from the most basic senses. Clearly, I'm not thinking of everything, still being stuck in my Earth-mindset with conventional methods that would be considered useless here on Terros will eventually be a massive mistake.

"Ah, thank goodness you've all made it here." Katianna nodded towards us, keeping her concentration. "Assuming that this is everyone, then the entrance must be closed. Rhea, can you do so?"

"Of course."

With the Huscarl doing so, the Priestess turned her attention towards me. "I see you've become our lady's champion, Raphael, my congratulations to you." I didn't need to look behind me to see that her words turned more than a few heads from the temple guards behind me. "Do not think I wouldn't have noticed, it's quite blatantly shining in front of me."

"So... The secret is out then." Although, I'm sure it wouldn't have been a secret for long.

"To be honest, it was never truly a 'secret', as you put it." She smirked at me, as if though she knew something that I didn't, which bothers me as information is the most important thing to have on Terros, aside from superior weapons - which I'm not lacking as of now. "Enough of that now, we must be silent lest my magic be for naught, and the daemon will find us." Well, Katianna certainly knows what Zal'Tenzhun is, and she is most certainly more informed than everyone else here.

As the chamber rumbled, likely signaling the closing of the entrance, many of the refugees abruptly went silent aside from the occasional cry of a child and the hushing of a parent. The atmosphere was tense, fear from death is a reason that will be the common answer - the primal sense of self-preservation is something that we all have after all, for mankind that is, not so sure about the other races on Terros.

!

I stopped that line of thought as the very ground and walls shook, effectively eliminating all sources of sound coming from within this room. The atmosphere of the room being thick enough that one could cut it with a knife. However, that did not mean I wouldn't defend myself should it come to it, replacing the M1911 with the Sig Sauer 556. Grudge has the firepower, but the assault rifle has fire rate, which would be needed to whittle down Zal'Tenzhun's assumed mana shield.

"...wHeRe aRe yOu lItTlE mOrTaLs~!"

Tensing as it sounded like that the daemon was a bit too close for comfort, I raised my rifle, aiming for the stairs as I positioned myself in front of Katianna - she was most likely the only one aside from Rhea and myself capable of actually eliminating Zal'Tenzhun.

Although... Now that it came to mind, I haven't seen Rosalina nor any of my companions, but I did not have time to waste as the situation was teetering on going from bad to worse. The best I could do was hope that they made it safely in, if they didn't... I'd rather not think of it.

As sounds of destruction were heard from above, it appeared that Zal'Tenzhun was getting frustrated in its efforts to find us, that or it has found the entryway and is digging through it. Either one is as bad as the other, if the building collapses in on itself then the entrance will be blocked, effectively sealing us in. If it did find us, well, that situation is self-explanatory.

The sounds continued for several more minutes and it seemed to have no intention of stopping, I let out a small sigh as it appears that we'll be stuck down here for a while.

Again, hoping that the situation won't deteriorate further.


(Unknown Amount of Time Later)

...

Gamer's Mind - or was it Gamer's Body? - is proving its use in this situation, my lack of sleep did nothing to me, unlike many of the temple guards that were currently slumped over with their backs against the wall. Rhea on the other hand, was fully awake, looking no worse for wear as she simply stared straight ahead at the steps, sitting Indian style with her helmet and weapon laid next to her as I was doing the same.

Katianna though... she was laid over on my back, sleeping soundly with her arms wrapped around me, it was quite the surprise when she had suddenly fell over on me a while ago - I lost track of time, being stuck underground and unmoving does that to you. The sounds from above had abruptly stopped around... two hours ago, I believe, but for all I know it could've been thirty minutes or eight hours.

Nevertheless, it appeared that Zal'Tenzhun was now gone, and if it was still in the area then I would've heard its loud steps roaming about on the surface. However, I couldn't exactly move, not in my current predicament with Katianna's pressed against my back, especially with the fact that I was feeling her rather... ample assets. Now, I was by no means a pervert, but I couldn't exactly help the tinge of arousal that arose in me with every shift the blonde woman made on my back - further pressing her breasts against me.

Not to mention what would happen if Rosalina were to see this sight, she'd no doubt be... a bit angry(?), again, I do not know.

"Raphael..." I blinked, looking back towards Rhea as she spoke. "As amusing as it is to see Lady Nix in a... compromising position with you, perhaps we should see if the daemon is gone?"

"How, exactly?" I tilted my head to indicate the form of Katianna.

She rolled her eyes, "Simply wake her up, it is not that difficult."

I sighed, I'd rather not do this but I have no choice in the matter, "Katianna, wake up..." Reaching over my back and gently shaking her, causing her to groan and stir.

"Hnh, what is it...?" She groggily spoke, and I felt her lift her head up from my back.

"I believe the daemon is gone, but I can't check with you on my back." I received a sound of disapproval in response, "Come on, time to get up." It was odd, to see Katianna behave like this, but then again, I haven't known her for long.

Feeling her arms detach from me, finally allowing myself to stretch out, I stood - taking up my rifle with me. Although, with her now awake perhaps she'd come along with Rhea and I to see if the coast is clear, that would certainly create a dangerous trio. Turning around and offering a hand to the priestess - said woman was rubbing her eyes tiredly.

After a few moments of shaking off her weariness, she eventually took the offered hand, to which I pulled her onto her feet with a grunt.

"Do you want to come with us?" I gestured towards the only entrance and exit of these chambers, that I was aware of that is. "Unless you want to stay behind, there is no need for you to exhaust yourself."

"I-I'll come with, I am still quite weary but there is no need to worry about me." She waved it away, rising to her full height with pride to indicate that she was fine.

Well, I suppose that's all I need to hear, Katianna can take care of herself so I needn't worry on that front. While I was confident that the three of us would be capable of taking down greater foes, Zal'Tenzhun was in an entirely different league, but I could be completely blowing it out of proportion, and I am merely overestimating it - however, with the brief description that was offered I will take no chances.

"If you two are done, shall we move along?" Rhea spoke up, tapping her foot against the stone ground. "The safety of the innocent here could still very well be in jeopardy Raphael, Lady Nix."

"Of course, open the entrance." Katianna nodded towards Rhea, whom returned the gesture and pulled a lever that I had somehow not noticed before, following that there was a slight rumble, fortunately not waking up anyone in the process.

Once the rumbling had stopped, the three of us had made to move up the steps, Rhea taking up the front with her superior CQC skills, I took the center with superior ranged combat, whilst Katianna brought up the rear with her superior white magic abilities - the one likely to cause the most damage to the daemon out of our little trio. Disregarding those thoughts for a moment as a bright light - but not as bright as the travel method to get to the Hub - illuminated the steps that already had lit torches to guide us up, it was likely that it was day and the entrance wasn't barred by any debris.

"Be wary, the daemon could still be lingering around." Rhea raised her sword - a short sword, to be exact - in front of her.

I could only tighten my grip on the rifle in my hands, if it was still lingering about then we would've heard it, or it could quite possibly be playing the waiting game and simply remaining still, assuming that it had the patience for such a thing. Stepping into the sunlight, I basked in the sun, enjoying the warmth it provided as the feeling of the dank underground chamber was not nearly as enjoyable as this, but now was not the time to enjoy such a luxury.

"Do you see anything Raphael, Lady Nix?" Rhea asked, eyes roaming about the once stylish building turning into a half-smoldered and half-scarred structure.

"No, nothing." I responded, and Katianna gave her own affirmative-sound.

The chambers of Katianna were utterly decimated, half of the building seemed to have been burned and/or melted by the daemon, proven by the burnt marks on the remains and the few lit fires here and there, all of that resulted in the chambers being exposed to the outside. The other half, well... where there were once pillars and podiums were nothing more than shattered pieces of marble, unrecognizable now, if one were to look at these for the first time then they'd see nothing but debris whereas I pictured where there were once decorations and ornaments in its place. Pieces of the vases that were once held up by podiums now lay scattered around, and I couldn't imagine Katianna being calm in response to all this.

Giving the priestess a glance, I frowned at her saddened look, gazing at her surroundings somberly. The blonde woman pulled down her hood, allowing her long blonde hair to be free, and she leaned down to pick up a piece of one of the vases. It was clear that the vases had sentimental value to her, the way she held the piece was obvious.

"My predecessors..." She fiddled with the vase piece. "The priestesses that served Lady Seraphine before me, their ashes are scattered..." I swore I saw a tear go down her face.

"Katianna, are you okay?" I laid a hand on her shoulder in concern.

"I-I'm... merely saddened by the loss of..." She paused, bending over and gently laying down the vase piece in its original spot. "Those who I had once aspired to be, hundreds of years of priestesses that served and now... they're scattered to the winds."

"You have my sympathies, Katianna."

"Thank you Raphael..." She nodded gratefully to me, her lips curving upwards a little. "Now, enough of my griping, there is still a daemon to search for around here, no?"

Her control over her own emotions is certainly impressive, but I suppose that would come with the years of experience that she's had. Nevertheless, I kept myself alert, confirmation on whether or not the daemon was still present is priority, as unlikely as it is for it to still be around.

With eyes roaming about - ignoring the bodies, burnt or otherwise - the area, there was no sign of Zal'Tenzhun nor did my only sensory skill go off to indicate the danger. Not to mention the Gamer didn't even inform me of anything regarding my current situation.

Rhea eventually stopped, appearing to lower her guard as she sheathed her sword. "There's no sign of it, perhaps it must've fled when day approached." Ah, good, now there was no longer a need to continue this fruitless search and I lowered my rifle as there was no reason to keep my weapon raised.

Now that there was no need to remain wary, I observed my surroundings, the bodies and debris that were scattered about the once-beautiful temple brought in a depressing atmosphere. It was doubtful that the temple would be rebuilt anytime soon, as there were several holes in the wall, but none bigger than the one Zal'Tenzhun used to enter the temple. Not to mention the casualties done to the temple guard, the Temple of Seraphine won't be able to recover, especially with the fact that they were within a kingdom at war, bandits will be the least of their problems - there was also Zal'Tenzhun, whom was likely roaming the land, bringing death with it.

A sharp gasp drew my attention, as well as Katianna's and Rhea's, there was a survivor?!

"H-Help..." That sounded like... Sylva!

Impossible, out of the many that were victims to Zal'Tenzhun actions, Sylva, the one who faced the daemon in single combat, was alive? However, that didn't matter right now as I rushed forward, heading towards where her voice came from, her voice sounded... weak, and there was no doubt that she was on Death's Door.

Stopping briefly, as I couldn't spot her anywhere among the debris and bodies, I swore.

Where is she...?

"U-Ugh..."

There!

Skidding to a stop in front of a pile of stones that were directly next to the wall, I gave the crater in the wall a passing glance as I began digging through the rubble, ignoring the broken lance stabbed into the ground as well. There was no doubt about it, Sylva was buried under here! As I dug through - with Rhea and Katianna eventually catching up and joining me in doing so - the stone, I thought of the scenario which would lead to Sylva being alive and in this position that she is in now.

Whilst Sylva engaged in CQC with Zal'Tenzhun, it was most likely that after the beam of fire tore through her side, she dropped her guard which allowed the daemon to get a hit in, flinging her away and into the wall where she had created the crater I saw a moment ago in its structure. Although, she wasn't embedded in it and fell to the ground, with more than enough pieces of the wall going down with her in the process to bury her under a pile of stone. However, the force that was put behind such a blow to create a crater in the wall should've killed her, if not that then she would've died from her injuries - blood loss - over the course of a few hours without assistance. Again, an impossibility that she survived the battle, but that's my angle of it in terms of viewing it - an outsider's perspective, really.

After imagining Sylva's recent scenario - we had already dug her up halfway through my thoughts - her injuries were life threatening as I had thought before, if she does not receive medical attention she will die very soon.

To be honest, aside from her being caked in dirt and dried blood, her wounds were far worse than the condition of one of the A3M's after engaging Velyn Kurst's minions as there were several severe burns marks on her body marring her skin. Along with the burns there were a few dozen cuts, all cauterized - making me assume that the burns came after the cuts, or both before and after. However, those injuries were not her worst, the one that was actually the worst was the gaping hole in her side, even if it was cauterized she was sure to have internal bleeding doubled with a massive hemorrhage from her impact with the wall.

"Katianna!" The aforementioned woman's head shot up, retracting her hands from the debris. "Is it possible for you to heal her?"

"I-I...I'm not sure if I can heal her to such an extent." She gazed uncertainly at Sylva, the latter of whom gave out ragged gasps. "But I will try to save her nonetheless, she deserves that much at the very least for her sacrifice."

With that, Katianna's hands lit up with a golden aura, emitting the very same presence - albeit on a weaker scale - that I felt from the goddess Seraphine herself during my contact with her in the corporeal realm. As Sylva's body was enveloped by the aura emitted from Katianna's hands, I grimaced as I heard several sickening snaps, likely a few snapped bones fixing themselves. A few of her cuts closed, leaving behind faded scars in their place, and Sylva's labored breathing eventually devolved into a calmed regular rhythm. However, the hole in her side was still present, and I was unsure if she stabilized or not as she was still unconscious.

"Ugh..." Katianna gasped, lurching forward, the golden aura no longer being emitted from her hands.

Catching her, I hadn't expected her to be so exhausted but I suppose such powers have its limits, what with her breathing being unsteady.

"I-I'm fine..." The priestess gasped, leaning heavily on me. "I-I've simply exhausted too much of my powers, with little to no time to recover, it has put a great strain on me..."

Ah, well, that makes sense considering that she spent the night concealing the scores of people in the underground chambers, that obviously must've put a heavy strain on her but she had pushed herself further to heal Sylva the best she could. It was surprising that she wasn't unconscious like Sylva, and I have to commend her for her fortitude - quite certain my attraction to her is definite by now.

"Do you need some time to recover?" I shifted slightly to provide some semblance of comfort for her, considering I had kevlar on.

"N-No..." She denied, moving back and standing unsteadily. "Just give me a moment..."

Weakened she may be, she still managed to remained standing with no assistance - albeit with some difficulty at first - on her own.

"If you two are perhaps, done? Shall we take Sylva to the others, so that we may search for other survivors?" Rhea popped up with an expression of amusement.

I nodded, "Right, let's get her up then."

Lifting up Sylva - eliciting a groan of pain from her - and placing her arm over my shoulder with Rhea doing the same on the other side after she sheathed her sword. It was quite fortunate that the temple guard choose not to wear any heavy sets of armor, thus she was fairly light to carry. Whilst this happened, Katianna merely followed us, keeping an eye out for any signs of movement, be they hostile or friendly.

I perked up as I heard some muttering come from Sylva, but her eyes were still closed, perhaps she was in the midst of a dream now that the pain caused by her wounds had subsided? However, her mutterings were unintelligible, sounding like nothing more than the rambling of a madwoman, but that is hardly the case as she was the perfect case of being - well, somewhat - sane before she engaged Zal'Tenzhun.

Grunting as both Rhea and I tread carefully through the mounds of debris, we took extra precautions not to further harm Sylva in the process as she suffered enough already at the hands of the daemon. I poured in a bit more effort when we had reached the steps to the underground chamber, prompting Rhea to do the same as well, leaving Sylva several inches off the ground in between us.

Reaching the bottom, I saw that several of the temple guards were up along with many of the remaining refugees, the former being wary, indicated when some of them raised their weapons up at us as we entered but quickly lowered them just as quickly as they raised them. A few of them even rushed forward as they spotted Sylva in our arms, taking her from us and into their arms instead, and laying her down on a bedroll.

"It is clear." Rhea announced to both the temple guard and the refugees. "However, I still require many of the guard to come with me to find more survivors before the refugees can walk about freely."

Rhea's words received voices of agreement, eliciting most of them to equip their helmets and sheathe their weapons, whilst the refugees had expressions of relief at the daemon being gone. Rhea nodded at them, turning towards Katianna and myself.

"Lady Nix, Raphael, are you going to come with us?" She crossed her arms, tilting her head towards the entrance.

Katianna shook her head, "No, I still need time to recover from the use of my powers."

Rhea then turned to me, raising a brow. "And you, Raphael?"

I shook my head as well, "I can't, I have to see if Rosalina made it down here with everyone else."

"Understandable, then please rest Lady Nix, and I do hope you find the woman you're looking for Raphael." She spun around on her heel, marching up the steps with several of the temple guard following her. Hopefully, some survivors will be found in their search.

Katianna sighed from beside me, "Raphael..." She sat down, laying her back against the stone cold walls. "I will be coming with you once you find Rosalina, with the temple in the state that it is in currently, nothing can be done until after the war is over so I will be traveling to the capital alongside you." Interesting, how she knew I was heading for the capital must've been the work of Seraphine, considering she knows much already.

"Okay then..." I hummed, I didn't account for anymore people traveling with me aside from the A3M and other companions or support units I would bring with me should I need them. Clapping her on the shoulder, I continued. "Rest up Katianna, you'll need it for all the things we'll be doing in the near future..." She seemed to become flustered at that, and I gave a little smirk of victory when that happened, considering it to be payback for the teasing she gave me last time.

Searching through the crowd of refugees was easy, as they made a path for me when I walked near, although it is understandable that they would part ways considering that I was armed. In fact, it should be fairly easy to find Rosalina with my companions, with their choice of apparel they will stick out amongst the crowd of brown colored clothing. Ah, speak of the devil - which could potentially exist on Terros - I see them now, and it is a tiny bit... concerning as I found them at the very back at the chambers.

All of them were here, thankfully, but their clothing was singed, and none more so than Hal's cloak which he sacrificed to be Rosalina's temporary blanket. The Recon Marines seemed fine for the most part, as they leered at anyone who got close to their little encirclement, and it was certainly effective with their NVGs' on. Now most importantly, Rosalina looked to be unharmed as she slept, aside from the dirt caking her dress it appeared that my companions took the brunt of the damage for her.

Passing through my companions, I knelt down by her sleeping form, slumped against the wall. Of course, I'd hate to interrupt her 'beauty sleep' but it is imperative that we leave for the capital as soon as possible so, I gently shook her shoulder.

"Wha...?" She looked up cutely, blinking repeatedly, yawning. "R-Raphael!" I was surprised when she went forward with her arms wrapping around me, which I reciprocated a moment later. "I-I didn't know if you made it down here or not, I was worried for you." How... heartwarming, I mused as Rosalina nuzzled my shoulder.

"You don't need to worry about me Rosa, if anything I should be worried about you, not the other way around." She simply cooed at my words, wrapping her arms tighter around me, up to the point that it became a bit uncomfortable. "Er, R-Rosa, you're hugging me a bit tight there."

"Oh!" She noticed, and relented, allowing me to exhale a sigh of relief as she gave me a look of embarrassment. "Sorry..." She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

I waved my hand dismissively, "It's fine, you simply don't know your own strength." She hummed at that, tapping a finger against her chin. "Anyhow, you have your things, right?"

She perked up at that, "Yes, I do! Thanks to your warning ahead of time I managed to gather everything, just before that... thing, broke through the wall."

"Good, because we're heading out to the capital, now." I affirmed, "No time to waste Rosa."

"Fine~" She pouted, picking up Hal's cloak and handing it back to said ranger, lifting her bag of things in its place.

"Oh, and the priestess will be coming with us on our journey too." I informed her, ignoring her splutter of surprise that came with my words. "Hal, Alpha-One, Bravo-Two, follow us."

Receiving affirmatives, we walked back through the refugees, once again parting ways, creating a path for us. Beyond that, Katianna stood waiting, her hood once again creating a shadow over her facial features only revealing the lower part of her face. She appeared to be carrying nothing but the clothes on her back, it seemed she didn't need any of her personal effects - if she had any at all - for the journey.

"Raphael, I see you've found your party, shall we be going now?" She spoke warmly, and I glanced back, seeing Rosalina looking at Katianna with a tiny bit of jealous in her eyes.

Looking back to Katianna, I nodded. "Yeah, let's get going." Wait a moment... "Katianna, what about Rhea and the others? The temple guard, the refugees?" They could still need her after Zal'Tenzhun's attack, injuries and what not.

"Fret not Raphael, Rhea and the rest of the temple guard can still aid them with herbs and other medicinal items." She smiled at me. "And I do have a feeling that you'll need me more than they do on this journey of ours." I could practically feel the jealousy emanating from Rosalina directed at Katianna.

"Well..." I hesitated after feeling Rosalina's jealous feelings. "If you say so, I will not doubt your word, shall we be going now?"

"Of course~" She curtsied, joining our group's travel up the steps, with Katianna saying her farewells to the temple guard.

Hopefully, Rosalina won't be jealous for long, cause it seemed at first she respected Katianna after the latter had created the mental block for her. Although, her traveling with us to the capital will take several days, which would mean she'd also get closer to me - I assume, if Rosalina would allow the blonde woman to make contact with me during the trip, that is-

Ah, there's Rhea coming up to us.

"Lady Nix, Raphael..." She narrowed her eyes. "Where are you two going?" Well, a bit rude that she ignored Rosalina and my companions.

"Rhea, we're... going to the capital, to assist in the war effort." She scowled at my words.

"And why are you taking Lady Nix with you?" She crossed her arms angrily. "While I do not doubt your martial prowess, it is simply too dangerous for her to go out there right now."

Katianna cut me off as I tried to speak, "Rhea, I am fully capable of handling myself, and I trust Raphael and his party." She placed a hand on my shoulder. "You cannot stop us from leaving, please don't try to do so."

"I..." Rhea paused, hesitating. "Fine... Lady Nix, I trust them with you."

"However!" She continued, glaring at me. "Raphael... If I find out that Lady Nix is harmed in any way, I will hunt you down, understand?" Well, that's just great.

"I understand." I confirmed her words, and she smiled.

"Good, I do hope that... warning, is sufficient enough." She gestured for us to follow her. "Come with me, I'll open the gate for us."

Wait... us?

"If you thought that I would simply allow you to travel without someone Lady Nix trusts, then that's simply ridiculous." Well, I suppose that makes sense then. "It will be far better to have someone of my caliber traveling with you as well, correct?"

I cannot argue with that logic, watching as Rhea quickly went up to the battlements to open up the gate, and as said gate opened Rhea jumped down from the battlements - much to my panic, considering it was a very long drop. Much to my relief and surprise, she landed and rolled onto her feet, hardly injured at all but I'm simply just learning not to question such bizarre things.

"Let us go to the capital!" Rhea shouted, marching out the gate, with us following soon after.

Rhea is another potential... love interest to me, and Rosalina may or may not like that - most likely the latter. Hopefully, this journey will be over quickly, as I do not want to be caught in between Rosalina and Katianna or Rhea should it ever come to that. Should it come to it, I can prevent her from doing that, if she does it at all. I sighed, if I had been without Gamer's Mind, then there is no doubt that I would have a migraine.

Slowing down a bit so that Rosalina could catch up to me, I wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her close so that she doesn't become... aggressive later.

I pray that there'll be no fighting amongst ourselves...


AN: I know, I know, a little over two and a half weeks late for this chapter, I'll just say that I'll update when I can for future chapters. I got a bit sloppy at the end of this chapter, mostly cause it's the middle of the night and I'm a bit tired, I apologize, I'm a shitty writer.

Anyhow! A whole lot of love interests for Raphael! Sera Alyssos, Rosalina Surrexerunt, Katianna Nix, Rhea Kandangelos, Maria Kohl, Sylva Br-[REDACTED], Seraphine, and a whole lot more coming in the future. I know that the buildup is slow, but nearly there to the point of joining the war!

Again, reviews fuel my determination to complete future chapters, criticism is appreciated!