Chapter 29:
When Elwin was a little boy, he found a poster of a beautiful elf hanging in the Familia Hall. It was on the bulletin board where Lady Hecate posted new jobs and updated info. Something about her face seemed familiar, so he ripped it off the board. The poster said something about the elf, named 'Riveria,' apparently becoming a level six. There was something else there that said it was from the Dungeon City of Orario. Elwin knew that these flyers came to them occasionally. In Carien, a city full of mages, they needed to know who the best of the best was. But Elwin hadn't really seen anything about Orario at that time in his life.
For some reason, people tore up anything about the Dungeon City around him. When he asked his mother, she had said that she didn't know because there were no flyers. Now, though, he had evidence. Mama was sitting in a spare room, casting some healing magic on another member of the Familia.
"Thanks, Lira," said the fire mage.
She had just finished healing a burn on his arm. Then, she applied a bandage and handed him a poultice. Seeing that the treatment was finished, Elwin knocked to come inside.
"Come in, Winny," replied his mother.
Elwin frowned as he walked inside. He hated that nickname, but Morgan said that he had to get stronger if he wanted to change it. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed a Falna. Lady Hecate had told him that she would only give her blessing when he found a proper reason for it.
"I have a poster this time, Mama!"
He waved the parchment in her face, and he saw her eyes nearly shoot out of their sockets. She used her level-enhanced speed to snatch it away from his hands and quickly skim over the contents. The mage she had healed thanked her and then ran off as soon as he could.
"I told you there were posters! Now, why does everyone keep ripping them up?" asked Elwin.
His mother, Lira, tried for a smile. "Ripping them up? What do you mean? Maybe this is just the first that's gotten here?"
Elwin frowned. "Why is this such a weird thing? There has to be more, right? There would be a lot of mages in Orario, like in Altena, right?"
Lira sighed, then sat down on the cot she used to heal people. She patted the spot next to her. Elwin stood up and sat down, and was immediately pulled close. He tried to struggle, in the belief that he was too big for snuggles, but she wasn't letting him getaway. After removing his silly hat, the single mother placed her chin on the top of his head and stroked his fine green hair.
"You know how your father-"
"The asshole?" replied Elwin, trying to turn his head. He knew he wasn't supposed to call him that, but the Captain used that word all the time. She said it suited his father to a tee.
Lira sighed and shook her head. This ruffled Elwin's hair even more in the process.
"Yes, the asshole, you know how I told you that him and his family are all still locked away in that forest?"
Elwin nodded while his hands played with the fabric of Lira's pants. He would never admit it, but he loved when Mama held him close. He saw her hands cover his and felt her give him a tight squeeze.
"There's an exception to that. He has a daughter who lives in Orario. She's a well-known and powerful adventurer," explained Lira.
Elwin frowned. "His daughter? So…my sister? I have a sister out there?"
Ever since he ran into his father, the half-elf had known that his only real family was Mama. The rest of the Familia would be there for him, always, but his only 'family' was his mother. And he was ok with that. His mama was strong, compassionate, and a wonderful person.
The real issue was the rude looks she got because of him. There had been a serious loss of elves in the Familia ever since Larfal had visited. A few had stayed, but many had left. Said that they couldn't be around someone as impure as Elwin or someone as infectious as Lira. The young boy had shed many tears for fear of what he had cost his mother.
"Yes, her name is Riveria Ljos Alf. And just like the flier says, she's become a level six adventurer in the Dungeon City," replied Lira.
"What's she like?" asked Elwin.
Lira shrugged and continued to stroke her son's hair. "I don't know; I've never met her."
The half-elf turned to look at her, a bright spark in his leaf-green eyes.
"Can we try to visit her?"
Lira shook her head, hating what she had to say next.
"I don't know if we could. Besides, it's hazardous. You'd have to become much stronger," said the nature mage.
Elwin frowned, then considered her words. After a minute of silence, he nodded and hopped to his feet. As he marched out of the room, his mother called out.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting my falna!" he replied. "I have to get stronger!"
In the present:
"NO!" screamed Lefiya, over and over again.
Everywhere she looked, there was blood. Her pristine white stockings had turned a violent red. The pink coat she usually wore was soaking wet after she had tried to staunch the wound. Now, she cradled Elwin's lifeless head. Everything was blurry from the tears that kept pouring down her cheeks, and she wasn't sure what was going on. She knew that at some point, she had thrown up, either from the smell or from the sight of the hole in the half-elf's chest.
Behind her, Filvis was fighting with Scipio. He far outclassed her in terms of endurance and strength, but she was faster and more agile. The two were essentially deadlocked. Of course, the marsh warden had considered attacking the little elf again, but he ran the risk that it might shock her into fighting back. One potent fire spell would be all it took to burn him to ashes. Better to let her wallow in her misery, so she would welcome her doom.
The great monster picked up a tree and swung at Filvis's head. She ducked underneath before grabbing one of his many vines. She yanked it from its socket with a hard pull and began to swing it around like a whip. She used this arm, one of the dozens at this point, to swat away the rocks. For the more vegetation-based debris, her claws were more than sharp enough.
"Lefiya!" called Filvis for the fifth time.
The elven mage just kept weeping into Elwin's hair. Eventually, Filvis had to use the vine she wielded to wrap the mage and throw her a bit away into the distance. Scipio had ignored her, for now, but that would only last for so long. So, Filvis launched her away from the hill, trusting in Lefiya's level five status to protect her from the landing. Unfortunately, she did not have the time to waste on Elwin's corpse. Instead, she had to leave it there. Thankfully, Scipio had no interest in desecrating the dead body. He was content to leave it be and focus on the Banshee in front of him.
Due to Filvis's split focus, she almost got slammed with a slab of granite. With lightning-fast reflexes, she opened her mouth and screeched. Before, she was afraid that such an attack would wreck Lefiya's eardrums. Now, she had free reign. The sound waves bounced into the rock, and it exploded into shrapnel that blasted outward. Filvis had positioned herself in front of Elwin's body to force the stones elsewhere.
Scipio's throat rumbled in booming laughter.
"Even when you try to be the hero, you fail spectacularly," said the monster. "A Banshee in truth, that little elf's life went from good to horrible the moment you appeared."
Filvis flinched.
"She had moved on, become stronger, and had even found someone else to love." Scipio's laughter continued, "And then you had to try and force your way back into her life."
He swung the tree down like a club. Filvis jumped out of the way, lashing out as she did so. Her ethereal claws cut through a tree trunk, reducing it to little more than firewood. Just as she landed, another branch swung around and took her in the mid-section.
Filvis felt the air leave her stomach as she was thrown to the ground. She used her more ghostly body to slip out from under the foliage and get some space between her and her foe. The clearing around them had been a lot smaller before, but now the tree line had been pushed back. The hill was covered in bits of wood and stone, and the side looked like it was about to cave in. Filvis took all of this in and began her next attack. Hopefully, backup would be arriving soon. Then she heard the roar of Udaeus and groaned. She had forgotten about that part.
With the little elf:
Lefiya landed after being thrown and rolled through the dirt. She sat up and saw that she wasn't too far from the left front of the battlefield. She ran to find the others and give them the horrible news. She found the backline of the Xenos and saw Chigusa fire her last arrow. After that, the raven-haired girl brought out a collapsible spear. Lefiya also saw the distinctive golden glow of Haruhime's level-up magic lingering.
Just as Chigusa began to thrust and stab with her spear, she saw Lefiya. The elf fell in on the other side and used her staff to fight off a couple monsters. While the Thousand Elf would never be famous for her hand-to-hand combat, she had worked on it hard enough to stand on her own. Chigusa nodded her thanks, and only when there was a lull in battle did she finally turn to Lefiya.
"What happened with the Banshee?"
Lefiya flinched. That barely noticeable movement brought Chigusa's attention to the rest of the elf's body, mostly how it had been painted red.
"We need help over here!" cried the level three adventurer.
Coming back from the vanguard, Mikoto, Bell, and Weine carved their way through a knot of monsters. They moved like a well-oiled machine, cutting and stabbing their enemies with incredible precision and rhythm, always looking forward but making sure to keep an eye on the comrades to their sides. They made their way to the Xenos and adventurers and nodded to Lefiya. Weine and the other Xenos stepped forward to fight, leaving the allied Familia to talk amongst themselves. The elf took notice of the golden shine on Mikoto but not Bell.
At the sight of all the blood on her, Mikoto immediately rushed forward to perform an examination. Before she got too far, though, Lefiya was stepping back and shaking her head.
"It's not mine," said the elf.
"What do you mean?" asked Bell, gaze intent. "Who else was up there? What happened, Lefiya?"
The scared little elf wrung her hands.
"Miss Filvis showed up to take me away. Miss Lili went running down the hill so that I could try and talk to her." Lefiya could feel her speaking start to speed up. "I managed to talk her down…but..but…but…." Her voice dropped away.
"But what, Lefiya?" asked Bell. The blood wasn't Lefiya's, and it didn't look like monster blood…
"That big, awful creature Scipio attacked, and then Miss Filvis was trying to defend me, but then I got distracted, and then Elwin showed up!"
There it was the heart of the matter. Lefiya felt the tears coming back. Her knees started to wobble.
"Lady Lefiya," began Mikoto, "Where is Sir Elwin?"
Lefiya just started shaking her head. A second later, Bell dropped his knife. Mikoto brought her hands to her mouth as Chigusa grabbed her. The little far-eastern girl was the only thing stopping her from falling to the ground.
There was a minute of silence. And then Bell asked a question.
"Is the monster still up there?"
When Lefiya didn't answer right away, Bell grabbed her by the shoulders. He was careful to try and be as gentle as possible.
"Lefiya, please," asked Bell, voice filled with desperation. "Is Scipio still up there fighting with the Banshee?"
Lefiya nodded as she tried to look him in the eye. She had to look away, though, because of what she feared to see longer than a single moment. There was anger, sadness, desperation, and underneath it all, pure terror.
Bell let her go before bending down to pick up his knife. He turned to Mikoto.
"I'm going up there to help. You'll need to hold the line without me," said the Captain of Hestia Familia.
Mikoto opened her mouth to argue before she saw the look on his face. She nodded as her mouth formed a thin line and her eyes changed as she turned back to the battlefield.
Bell turned to Lefiya. "No one is going to force you to fight, but we still have a lot of monsters to kill. Are you up for it?"
There was a time when Lefiya thought she hated Bell Cranel. She thought she hated him because he wasn't worthy of Miss Ais. Then, she slowly realized that she was jealous and started to think, 'Is this any of my business?' Still, though, she did not like Bell Cranel. They just weren't compatible. She might have respected him as a fellow adventurer and a rival in strength, but she knew that they would never get along. That was just how it was. So, when he asked her if she was up for it, something lit in her. She was angrier than she had even been before, and she was a first-class adventurer from Loki Familia. She gripped her staff tightly before turning towards the monsters.
"Just watch me."
Bell nodded again before shouting at Weine where he was going. The vouivre didn't look happy about it, but she understood that it was necessary. Besides, she didn't have much time to think, what with all the monsters attacking her Xenos brethren. So, she put her faith in Bell. After all, he had never let her down before.
The boy ran off. He held the Hestia knife in one hand while the other was curled into a fist. Particles of white began to gather, and the sound of the ringing bell filled the Dungeon.
In the beyond:
Elwin opened his eyes to find himself in a great big forest. In front of him was a towering tree, more majestic than any other tree. Its roots were the size of avenues that cut through Orario just like the city's streets did. It had gnarled knots the size of houses, And everywhere he looked, it was teeming with life. Birds flitted from branch to branch, each one a different colour, each one beautiful in its own way. There were magentas and shades of orange, along with teals and bright red ruby birds. There were squirrels with full bushy tails that darted to and fro along the great trunk. As Elwin admired the tree, he felt compelled to step forward. The second his foot left the ground, though, he heard a voice call out to him.
"I wouldn't walk forward anymore. Not unless you're sure that's where you want to go," said the voice.
Elwin turned to find the epitome of virtue standing in front of him. It was a high-elf, and she looked much like Riveria. However, while Riveria's face carried lines of stress, this woman's face had crinkles from too much smiling.
"Who are you?" asked the half-elf. He spun around to take in his surroundings. "Where am I?"
"Welcome to the forest of Lothlien," replied the elf in front of him. "My name is Celdia, queen of the elves."
Elwin frowned. "Sorry, but it doesn't ring a bell. Should I know you?"
Celdia raised a perfectly poised hand to cover her mouth as she giggled. It was the sound of leaves chiming in the wind.
"Perhaps you have heard of an old friend of mine? His name was Albert," inquired the high elf.
Elwin considered the question before a lightbulb went off inside his mind.
"Right! You were one of Albert Waldenstein's companions! From Dungeon Oratoria!"
After that startling revelation, Elwin pursed his lips. He looked down at his hands while patting down his body. Finally, his gaze returned to Celdia.
"Am I dead?" asked the half-elf.
The sound of leaves filled the clearing again as the legend laughed.
"For now, yes," replied Celdia. "But I would not approach the great tree Loth just yet. If you touch it, you're confirming that you really are dead, and that would be the true end."
Elwin nodded as if this all made perfect sense. But then he stopped and whirled to really look at Celdia.
"So…am I not dead? And why are you here?"
Celdia smiled, and Elwin felt himself relax, even though her grin was full of amusement.
"You are dead, but the spirits whisper that you might want to wait just a little bit longer," Celdia said as he moved to sit on a boulder of polished granite. "As for me, I chose to remain so that I could soothe all our kind that came here."
Elwin frowned, and his brow suddenly scrunched together.
"No offence, but I ain't one of you lot. Why can't I wait in the human afterlife place?"
Celdia shrugged.
"I was not the one who brought you here. That would be the spirits. They decided that this place might suit you best." Celdia tilted her head. "Maybe because of your hair? Besides, since you're here, you get to spend time with one of the most beautiful beings to have ever lived on the face of the earth."
There was no boasting in Celdia's statement. She had been in this domain for hundreds of years, and she knew her reputation. The ancestor of Elf-kind had shepherded thousands of lost souls to the eternal forest and had seen them all become flabbergasted in her presence. She knew who she was and had confidence in that. Besides, one gets bored in the afterlife. She had to have her fun somehow, and teasing the dead seemed like the easiest way. She'd like to think her old friends would be proud of her for it.
However, to her great amusement and astonishment, Elwin just shrugged.
"I don't know, I mean, you're definitely beautiful, but maybe the third-best I've ever seen? Possibly fourth," replied the half-elf.
"Oh, and who's higher than me?" asked Celdia, amusement growing.
"Well, number one is always going to be Mama," said Elwin.
At that statement, Celdia's smile lost all its amusement. Instead, it was softer and gentler.
"A wonderful answer. Who else?"
"Second place is definitely big sister Riveria. Even if you look a bit like her, she's got something else about her. Puts my big sis over the top, no offence," continued Elwin.
Celdia shrugged. "None taken, and the possible third place?"
Elwin was now little more than an apparition, but apparently, he could still blush. He felt the heat rise through his ears, up to the tips, before he responded.
"This little elf girl."
With the warrior:
Back at the battlefield, Ryuu cut down another monster. As the numbers had grown, she had switched her wooden sword for the wind blade that Welf had forged for her. Now, she used it to push back her enemies and give her allies some more time.
Whatever had happened, Scipio was now distracted. The glowing purple monsters moved erratically, and the regular ones were straight-up chaotic. They need to regroup soon.
Ryuu darted back and forth along the line, but she saw her companions take more and more hits, the injuries starting to pile up before they could be healed. Cuts began to form on the arms of the Xenos, and Ouka fell back a step. His renowned strength was starting to fail him, even with the level-up. They needed a change of pace.
"Everyone, fall back!"
At the sound of Lili's voice ringing over the din of battle, the combatants began to pull away. They were to move back to the mouth at the entrance to the current floor and make a final stand. Hopefully, the Thousand Elf would join them to assist. As the others turned to withdraw, Ryuu stayed to buy them some time. As fatigue took its toll, she cursed herself for not taking the level-up from Haruhime.
"Wind blade!" screamed the elf.
A slice of green shot out and bisected a column of monsters. Just as Ryuu was about to head toward her allies, she saw a monstrosity rise above the treetops. She knew what it was, and it paralyzed her to the ground. Somehow, someway, Udeaus had brought itself up. The Monster Rex had uprooted itself, despite the pain and injuries that would cause, and travelled to floor thirty-four. The elven warrior had only a second to consider what she saw. Then, she turned towards Ouka and Daphne's retreating forms.
"Tell Lili to send Mikoto!"
She didn't wait to try and hear their response. Instead, she ran towards the beast. Ryuu was on an adventure. Faintly, in the distance, she listened to the tolling of bells.
With the Sword Princess:
The middle front had no problem pulling back. As it turned out, a level seven Ais Wallenstein, with Ariel activated, and using Avenger, was the equivalent of an actual tornado. In front of her was absolute carnage, and she almost lost her footing once or twice from the blood of the monsters she had spilled beneath her.
The support group and the rest of the adventurers of the middle had slowly walked away in terror. For a second, they felt sympathy for the monsters.
Ais noticed none of this, though. There was only one task in front of her, to protect the allied Familias. If a single beast started to get past her, she was there. A single thrust let her pierce the heart of a loup-garou. At one point, she leapt into the air to bisect some griffins. She jumped from one winged beast to the next, killing as she went. Their corpses continued to be added to the pile. When she landed, a Lambton burst from the ground to try and eat her. With a flick of her wrist, she cut downward. Two halves fell to either side of her, perfectly sliced down the middle.
"We have fallen back, Sword Princess!" called Lili.
Ais jumped back, disengaging with the monsters before she made her way towards her companions. The others had gathered at the pathway up when she noticed some people missing.
"Where's Bell?" asked Ais. "What happened to Ryuu?" Finally, she turned to her friend. "What happened, Lefiya?"
All of these questions were asked with an emotionless mask. The Doll Princess had slid into place, but it was all a cover to hide her worry.
"Master Bell is helping Miss Filvis fight, Scipio," reported Lili. The prum's eyes were red and puffy. "Miss Ryuu has left to fight Udeaus, and Miss Mikoto will be flying over to provide support." Her next words came out choked. "The blood is Mister Elwin's; Scipio killed him."
Ais felt like her gut had been punched. She had promised to protect these people. It was her one job, and she failed. Then she saw Lefiya's face and the blank look she got. Then, Ais realized that it would be a hundred times worse for Riveria. No matter how much the high elf would try to hide it, she had been ecstatic at the idea of a little brother.
Ais looked to the rest of Hestia Familia and saw most of them in disarray. All except Urashima, who was rubbing his chin, deep in thought. Ais frowned for a second, but then the roar of the approaching monsters reached her ears. She was faced with a wall of flesh bearing down on her position.
"The Sword Princess will be in front. Miss Aisha and Miss Otohime will be supporting. Everyone else will take care of whatever gets by them. Miss Mikoto, go to Lady Ryuu. Miss Lefiya, prepare your magic." Lili turned to the Xenos. "Lili knows that she does not deserve this, but we need your help."
Without responding, Lyd took up a defensive position, followed by Weine. The rest of them filed in after that. Ais walked forward, head held high. She had been suddenly reminded of why she hated monsters.
In the past:
As far as young adventurers went, Elwin was more determined than most. The objective Lady Hecate had set was to become a level three. Apparently, there were so few of those in the world outside Orario that it would be enough for him to travel safely. When he asked why some of the higher-ups of his Familia couldn't join him, Hecate responded that this was his mission. He had to work for this on his own. So, he trained everywhere he could.
The young half-elf fought bandits and brigands, hunted down great monsters, and trained every day. From dawn to dusk, he worked at improving his skills. Eventually, after three years of trials of determination, he made it to level two. His achievement had involved hunting down a pack of dire wolves all on his own. He didn't remember the party afterwards.
The next day, though, he walked into the training yard. Like every morning, Morgan, Captain of Hecate Familia, was waiting for him.
"You're probably too hungover to properly cast spells," said the powerful mage. "Instead, we'll work on your staff fighting and hand-to-hand combat."
Due to the shifting nature of Elwin's magic, he had to practice his weapon craft more than most. Thankfully, he had people like Morgan and Reginald teach him to guide him through the difficult process.
The scarlet-haired warrior tossed him a training pole before grabbing a pair of wooden swords for herself. She took a battle-ready stance opposite from him and motioned to begin. Elwin gave his staff a few twirls before launching himself forward. He would sweep low, she would dodge, and then they would repeat. Eventually, Elwin called a time-out.
Morgan tossed her hair back. "What, tired already?"
Elwin frowned, "You're holding back. You're going easy on me."
The Captain shrugged before walking back to the other side of the courtyard. She turned to point her wooden blade at Elwin.
"I figured you'd want to jump right in, again, but you need to take a break. Call this a compromise for your mother's sake, ok?"
Elwin considered it. He took back his battle-ready position.
"Fine, but you're buying me breakfast afterwards, and I want all the good stuff!"
Morgan laughed heartily, long and hard. Then she smiled.
"Whatever you want, you bratty level two!"
With the Adventurer:
Ryuu had begun to jump through the trees. As she moved, she cursed herself. Why was she doing this? Fighting Udeaus on her own? That was something Alise would do. Even now, she could imagine her former captain and the other running along beside her, laughing their heads off.
"Just what am I doing?" asked the vice-captain. She had responsibilities to take care of, after all. She had her Familia. Besides, Ais Wallenstein had soloed the Udeaus before. Surely, the Sword Princess would be the best candidate. But the mere thought of having to rely on her made Ryuu's teeth ache. The elf realized that she wanted to do this more than anything else. Was it something she had to prove? Maybe. But this was her moment; she felt it deep in her bones.
Finally, she arrived at her destination. Udeaus loomed over her, and she realized that it was not whole. Since it had ripped itself from the ground, its normal dark roots were nowhere to be found. It was half a monster.
'That's good,' thought Ryuu, 'I'm half an adventurer right now.'
She was tired from battle and still not fully recovered from the heat of the desert. They were both fighting with a handicap at the moment.
"Wind blade!" called Ryuu.
In answer, a cut of green shot forward. It slashed into the great monster's bony arm. It turned its glowing eyes on Ryuu and roared. She had gained its attention. The only problem was all the other monsters surrounding her. They had heard the call of an alpha beast and rushed to answer it, to aid it. She drew her wooden blade in her other hand and made ready to dual wield. She would have to find a way to kill everything and fast.
Just as she stepped towards the first minion, with Udeaus looming behind it, a shadow flashed in. It decapitated the lizardman that had been standing there and slid along the ground as it landed. Mikoto held her sword aloft, wings outstretched behind her.
"Go, fight the floor boss!" called the Black Crow. "I will guard your back."
If she wasn't in the middle of battle, Ryuu might have cried. If Mikoto had been around at the time, Ryuu knew she would've been an excellent member of Astraea Familia.
The samurai took to the skies and began a series of dives and swoops. She cut down monsters as she went, using hit and run tactics, trying to save as much energy as possible. With their attention divided, the elven warrior had a clear path forward. She cut towards the Monster Rex.
It responded by swinging a massive bone arm down on her position. The nimble warrior leapt out of its way, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she launched herself into the air once more. She landed atop the monster's arm and began to run along it. She cut and slashed as she went, with her magic Crozzo blade leaving deep grooves in Udeaus's bony structure.
The beast howled in pain as it lifted its arm into the sky. It began to thrash about, trying to shake off the Elven warrior. Instead, she launched herself to try to land near its ribcage. That was when the other arm came swinging. It landed a solid hit, and Ryuu crashed into the dirt.
She climbed back to her feet and saw the black skeleton reach for something on its back. Apparently, it had seen fit to bring a sword with it up through the Dungeon. Massive blade in hand, it swung downwards, aiming where the elf had been. When the black weapon hit the ground, a shockwave rippled out. It sent Mikoto and the monsters flying, and Ryuu just barely held her ground.
She stood up, the monster towering in front of her, and she raised her wooden blade.
With the Hero:
Filvis wasn't sure when it happened, but she was happy that someone had arrived. Speaking honestly, whatever Scipio had done beforehand had massively increased his power. She wasn't far behind, but this wasn't the right circumstances. In a head-on duel, she was outclassed and outgunned. Then that boy with white hair arrived.
At the sound of a tolling bell, the monster turned around to look in the direction of the sound. For the first time, the Banshee saw fear in the face of her former comrade. She remembered all the times he had spoken of the detestable white light and the nightmares of rabbits.
Filvis was forgotten for a second. Scipio stared at the glowing boy, and the boy stared at the corpse of his fallen comrade. When his gaze returned to his foes, and he locked eyes with the marsh monster, Filvis and Scipio both stepped back. Even when it wasn't targeted at her, she could feel the wrath that emanated from him.
"Miss Filvis," said the boy with white hair and rubellite eyes, "You'll need to get out of the way. Run as far as you can, or else this will hit you, too. And please," he faltered for a second, "take Elwin's corpse with you."
He lifted his one glowing fist and grabbed the arm with his other hand. Slowly the fist uncurled, and his fingers were splayed outwards as if reaching for something. The Banshee took off, pausing only for a second to scoop up the body of the half-elf.
All she heard as she flew in the opposite direction was a single word.
"Firebolt!"
Then, a flash of white resonated throughout the area, its luminosity blinding to anyone present.
Everyone saw the blast. It went from Bell's fist and carved its way into the wall behind it. When the smoke would clear, there would be nothing but ashes and a deep ditch shooting forward. Any monsters within a hundred-foot radius had been incinerated. A five-minute charge from a level five Bell Cranel. With his boosted stats, this attack was beyond powerful. The only problem was that it left him vulnerable. The only other time he had tried this, in the Valley of Dragons a year ago, he had passed out. And that was when he was working at full strength. The way he was now, he would be unconscious for a couple of days at least.
In the beyond:
Celdia had shown Elwin the way to a magical pool. While he waited on his decision to move on or not, he watched his friends do battle. He had seen everything so far and was amazed by his friends' abilities. There was one strange moment, though.
As she watched the enhanced Ais fight off monsters, Celdia had started to whisper to herself. Elwin didn't hear much, only catching the word, 'daughter.' What a strange moment.
When Bell had cast his Argonaut magic, though, the half-elf chuckled. That was his captain, alright.
Celdia looked over at him.
"What's so funny? Your poor Captain left himself defenceless," said the elven queen.
"Yeah, but that monster's probably long gone," replied Elwin, "Even if it survived, it's been a cautious thing. After watching Bell pull something like that off, it probably retreated. I mean, I know I would. After an attack like that, I'd be shaken to my core. I'd leave to regroup and refigure my strategy." He waved his hand in the water, and the image shifted. "Besides, he's probably realized that it's almost over."
In the water was an image of Ais leading a final sortie from the mouth of the cave. The unstoppable horde had finally fallen back. The last of Scipio's army lay scattered and defeated. What little monsters that remained were hunted down by Lyd and the other Xenos. The adventurers had stopped to catch their breath, and many almost keeled over from exhaustion. That only left one thing…
With the Adventurer:
Ryuu jumped back to catch her breath. She was gulping down air, and she felt her heartbeat pulsating in her ears. This damned monster still stood in front of her, but she had worn it down. Many of its ribs were cracked, and one arm lay on the ground, disconnected from the rest.
She stared down at it, lifting her sky-blue eyes to its dark crimson red. This was it, the final bout. Dimly she was aware of Mikoto fighting off the last of the monsters, but most of her focus remained on the challenge ahead.
With its final roar, Udeaus brought its blade down. Ryuu sidestepped to the right, avoiding the brunt of the attack. If she used her magic, she was likely to pass out then and there. That also ruled out the mind fuelled Crozzo magic sword. All that was left was her pure offensive capability. She charged forward and started swinging her wooden blade at Udeaus's with all her might.
Finally, the Monster Rex lifted it from the ground, and that was when Ryuu struck. She knocked the blade and, by extension, the monster off-balance. Udeaus was not rooted to the ground and only had one hand left. It started to topple over, carried by its own momentum. Ryuu capitalized on this and ran on the flat side of the blade. She jumped up to get herself some space and began to swing down, right into the beast's heart.
Udeaus dropped its sword and used its free hand to grab Ryuu. Just as its fingers began to close in on her, she swung her sword and dislodged a bony finger. It fell to the ground, and she pulled herself through the gap left behind by its absence. Swinging off its fist, she jumped at the creature's head. She landed feet first and springboarded off its skull. She could see it now, looking down at the ribcage of the monster, its magic stone heart.
She shot forward like a speeding bullet. When she had landed on the skull of the monster, she had dropped the wooden blade and unsheathed her twin short swords. With fangs of steel bearing down, she felt herself crashing through the bony ribcage of Udeaus. Her momentum slowed; she crashed into the magic stone but could not pierce it. Grappling with her legs, she began to frantically stab downwards.
In her manic state, she failed to notice the blank of the monster reaching for her. It moved through its own body and grabbed Ryuu. As the life began to get squeezed out of her, Ryuu dragged an arm out. Scraped and bruising, she had broken it by forcing it out. Fighting through the pain, though, she drew back with this arm and threw the short sword one last time.
The bladed end rocketed into the magic stone and bit deep. Everything stopped then, and Ryuu saw the cracks begin to form. As they spidered out, the grip on the chest tightened. She watched the strength drain from Udeaus and saw its magic stone begin to chip away.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, it broke apart, and the monster with it. Slowly, it began to disintegrate. Its bones turned to dust, and the light left its eye sockets. The last thing Ryuu saw as she let herself fall asleep was the black sword that remained behind.
In the past:
When the strangers had arrived, Elwin was the most intrigued person in the Familia by far. Lady Hecate had accepted them, and let them stay in their home, the Witch's Cauldron, free of charge. Apparently, it has something to do with owing 'an itty-bitty brat' a favour. However, Hecate was smiling when she said that, so Elwin didn't think it was too serious.
Surprise, surprise, though, that living arrangement meant that it only took three days before his secret was discovered. He had just gotten out of the shower, and the smith guy was there. He stared at Elwin's jade green hair but had said nothing. Elwin thought the matter was settled, and that was that.
Later, though, the elf girl sat in front of him. She began to pester him, demanding to know about his connection to Lady Riveria. After getting permission from his mother, he took off his hat to show her his green locks.
At the time, Ryuu had gasped and backed away in disgust. The next day, though, she stepped forward to apologize for her behaviour. She had also said that she would do anything to repay the favour. Elwin grinned because he had just gained a new trainer.
The following month turned into hell. However bad Morgan had been, Ryuu was worse by a hundred-fold. She always took things too far, and every day Elwin went to bed covered in bruises. His mother fussed over him, but he mostly waved her off. This was the training he had asked for, after all.
Eventually, his stats began to climb into the D's. So, he took off to find an adventure, ever searching for more challenges that might boost him to Level 3. The elf and the smith insisted on joining him, just in case. The three trekked far into the mountains and stumbled upon a clan of bandits. With Ryuu's level five (which still boggled Elwin's mind), they made quick work of them. Unfortunately, their fight attracted the attention of a frost giant. Much like dragons, these behemoths were powerful inside and outside the Dungeon. Still, though, the feat had been enough. Elwin had gained his level three.
When the rest of Hestia Familia arrived to pick up their members, Elwin begged to go with him. He had pleaded on his knees and cried his eyes out. Finally, though, the small Goddess with black hair and azure eyes held out a hand. Elwin had never seen a smile so comforting and angelic.
With the Party:
As the adventurers began to recover, Urashima ran off to get the supplies they were in dire need of. Filvis had arrived soon after the fighting had finished and was now fretting over Lefiya's condition. The little elf, though, was busy trying to clean Elwin's body. She washed the dried blood from his hair and tried to brush the dirt away. Soon, the rest of Hestia Familia joined.
The moment the coast had been clear, Ais dashed off to find Bell. She returned with his unconscious form and put a blanket on him. Eventually, the Xenos came back with Mikoto and Ryuu. Lyd and Wiene carried the elf between them while Lett dragged the black sword left behind along the ground. Wiene laid the vice-captain of Hestia Familia next to the captain. Meanwhile, Mikoto flopped to the ground, utterly exhausted. Haruhime had just woken up and used the opportunity to care for Mikoto (while distracting herself from the sad sight of her fallen family.)
Just as Mikoto was about to fall asleep, hoping to escape the horrifying image of Elwin's empty chest, someone started shouting.
"All of you! Give me some space!" shouted Urashima Taro. On his back was the bag of every drop item they had gathered on their expedition.
Lili began shouting about how he needed to get his priorities in order. Food and water were what they needed, apparently. However, Otohime just shoved her to the side. The ex-princess was quick to pick up on his meaning and began to move everyone away from Elwin's now clean corpse. All except Lefiya, who refused to move.
Ura left her there and began barking orders about things to gather. While everyone else sat around in surprise, Otohime listened. She knew where to put her faith and did as she was ordered. She cleaned beakers and gathered water. She took out everything that Ura told her to. All the while, he examined the hole where Elwin's heart was supposed to be.
"Just what the hell is going on here?" shouted Welf, finally, the question that represented everyone's collective confusion at the man.
Ura looked at him and withdrew a blazing feather. The image of a rainbow of flames filled Cassandra's head, and she blinked in surprise.
"Will that really do it?" asked the healer.
"Maybe, but I don't know how much time I have," replied Ura. He began using his mortar and pestle to grind ingredients together. All he knew for sure was that he would need a base potion to work with.
"Can someone please explain?" asked Ouka. The big man had been bandaged and was leaning back against a rock. It was Daphne of all people who answered him.
"The feather, it can bring him back," replied the snarky adventurer. "But he'll need…." She looked at Cassandra. "What was it? The heart of a hero, and?"
"The lights of ash!" responded Cassandra.
Everyone stopped to look at the two in confusion. Then, a light bulb went off in Haruhime's head. She grabbed a small test tube and scurried over to Lefiya. She had read this story once before. She did not know what 'the heart of a hero' was, but she had a good guess about the lights of ash.
The entire time this was happening, Lefiya continued to cradle Elwin's head. Now that battle was over, she had started crying again. He had promised not to do anything stupid! But here he was, dead because he had tried to save Miss Filvis's life. As she continued to weep, though, she felt something cold pressed to her cheek. Too tired to move, she did her best to look Haruhime in the eye.
"Please, why are you touching a test tube to my face?"
The renard blushed but held firm. After some predisposed time, she pulled away.
"In the story of the phoenix, the potion of life required a feather from the bird, the tears of a loved one, and the essence of life…" she trailed off.
Just like her, Otohime and Urashima stopped their work. They, too, had read the story of the young lovers. At the time, it had been their favourite. Except for the tragic ending, of course.
"Life cannot come from nothing," recited Urashima.
"An equal trade must always be made," finished Otohime.
"A heart for a heart," said the two of them.
"If we want him back," replied Welf, "Then one of us has to die?"
Slowly, the three from the far east nodded. Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Lefiya felt herself open her mouth.
"I'll do it."
The little elf's head snapped to look at the source of the sound. There was Miss Filvis, standing at the edge of the clearing. The Banshee had mostly avoided the others until now, content to watch on quietly while they decided her fate. Thankfully, a suitable punishment for her crimes had fallen into her laugh.
"No," was Lefiya's immediate reply.
At that moment, she knew she spoke for Elwin as well. He would never agree to someone else dying for him. In fact, he would've hated it.
"I am Filvis Challia," stated the Xenos. "I have accepted who I am, but that also means that I have a lot to atone for."
"No, you don't!" screamed Lefiya.
"Your Familia died because of me, remember?" responded Filvis.
"That doesn't matter right now! All you're doing is running away again!" cried Lefiya.
"Please, Lefiya, let me do something good for once," said Filvis. "In both lives, I struggled and fought. Every decision I made led to heartbreak and ruin. As Ein, I almost destroyed the city. Now, though…"
"No!" said Lefiya.
Filvis ignored her and looked to the ninja bodyguard.
"Would my magic stone be enough?" asked Filvis Challia.
Urashima considered it for a second. He was unhappy with the answer, but he was also terribly selfish. In the end, he would pick the life of his brother, and he hated himself even more.
"It should be. Anyone who'd be willing would have the heart of a hero," replied Ura.
Filvis turned back to Lefiya. The little elf mage was on her feet now, ready to continue arguing. Just as she opened her mouth, she felt something warm press against her lip.
Filvis pulled back and took Lefiya's dainty hands in her monstrous ones. The Banshee smiled, and Lefiya engraved the image into her heart.
"I wanted to be your first, forever and always. I love you Lefiya Veridis."
Lefiya bowed her head forward. She felt their foreheads touch.
"I love you too, Filvis Challia, forever and always."
Filvis looked at Elwin and whispered one more thing.
"Will you hold my hand till I'm gone?"
Lefiya nodded.
With her free hand, Filvis reached inside herself. Tears formed in her eyes, and she felt herself scream. A terrible wail ripped out from her throat. She pulled and pulled until something gave away. Suddenly, she was fading. With what little strength she had left, she placed her magic stone in Lefiya's palm.
With one last smile, she faded. Lefiya held on until she had disappeared. Once Filvis Challia was gone for good, the little elf turned to Urashima.
"You bring him back, now," replied Lefiya. She gave him the stone and marched off to find a quiet place to cry. Before she left, she turned to the others.
"She was a hero! And I never want to hear anything else from any of you!"
In the beyond:
Elwin watched all of this happen and screamed his heart out. He kept repeating the same word: NO! He said it when Filvis suggested giving up a part of herself. He screamed it when he watched her tear into her own chest. It became his mantra as he watched her fade from existence.
That exact moment, a new figure strode out from the woods. She had beautiful alabaster skin, stunning red eyes, and raven black hair.
"Ah, Miss Challia," said Celdia. "I am honoured that you could finally join us."
Filvis had no words for her, though. Instead, she walked up to the half-elf.
"Hurt her, make her cry even once, and I'll haunt you for the rest of your days. Remember now, I'm a part of you." She jabbed a finger into his chest. "If you try anything stupid, I'll be watching. And don't think I won't possess you." Finally, she looked at Celdia. "I'm ready to go home."
"Wait!" called Elwin. "I wanted to say thank you for well…."
With one last glare at Elwin, she walked towards the great tree. She looked back once.
"What comes next?"
Celdia gave one of those soft smiles.
"Everlasting adventure."
Filvis, satisfied at the answer, brought a hand up. She touched its bark, and then she vanished.
Elwin turned towards the pool. As he looked down, there was a flash of white. Suddenly, the water got very close. He turned to look at Celdia one last time before he hit the surface of the pond.
In the present:
His eyes opened slowly, and everyone stopped to stare. They had waited with bated breath. He sat up and took everything in. Slowly, he came to his senses.
Elwin was unsure of what to do next when a voice whispered in his ear.
"Find her, you idiot!"
"Yeah, alright," grumbled Elwin.
He stood up and began to walk away. His friends watched in awe, but he did his best to ignore them. He had somewhere much more important to be.
After a couple of minutes of searching, he found her sitting on a rock. She was bawling her eyes out. When he sat down next to her, she latched onto him.
Lefiya continued crying, and Elwin held her close. They would stay like that for a long time.
So this one is finally done. Twas painful to write, but I'm finally happy with the finished product. This arc is soon done, and after that will be a small series of chapters to allow for some more slice of life and comedy shenanigans. Thank god its over though! Now, onto the reviews from last chapter and the chapter before!Chapter 28:
haziqsaffari2: And now we know. Best bull is waiting in the wings!
pix25: Neither does she
Chapter 29:
haziqsaffari2: Tragic indeed, for Filvis
Guest: I know right?
King Damage: ...yeah I can see it
AllAboutThoseMyths: I aim to please! Thanks!
Kingkdiamon: Well, there's that answer
Nillbu: Close, but no cigar
pix25: Sort of?
Walkmanapprenticewordsmith: Thank you for the kind words! I am trying to work on the transitions!
Guest: Ayyy the correct answer!
Thanks to everyone who comments, favourites, and follows! Much appreciated!