So I tried doing NaNo. But then IRL decided to slam into me over the weekend and I wasn't able to get work done on both this and the story that I actually wanted to try and write. I'm still going to try and get 50k words for Duality done, but I'd be just fine if I got 40k instead.
That being said, this chapter was written up with the goal of reaching NaNo, so apologies for potential drops in quality this month.
"Miss Asasaki."
I groaned, lazily waving my hand at the offending limb.
"Miss Asasaki!"
"Wha…?" I blearily opened my eyes and rolled over, staring at the vaguely identifiable form of one of the Forest Elves.
"We've received information from one of our butterflies." The elf looked away, his posture reminding me of a bird whose feathers had just been ruffled. "Sergeant Feylaar among other survivors from the last remaining forward camp have been taken by the Fallen."
I shot up, blinking away the drowsiness. "How long until we leave?"
"Thirty minutes. Sergeant Kieyaar is already organizing our forces. Prepare your men; your assistance is required." Message delivered, the elf hurriedly exited the tent, the faint rays of the artificial early morning sun peeking through the tent flap.
I stared at the entrance for several seconds, a persisting drone exiting my mouth. "I thought I was supposed to be relearning how to be a civilian, not embracing my old habits." I pulled my hair into a simple bun, hair pin deftly holding down the irritable bangs. "Hey, Klein, Wake up! Don't make me get physical with you." I pulled open my interface, changing out of my sleep wear and into my normal combat outfit. "Oi, Klein!" I strode over to him, smushing his cheeks together with a hand. "Come on, wake up, lazy. We've got work to do."
"Eurgh, five more minutes…" He rolled over, weakly batting my hand away.
"The commander here wants us ready in thirty. Time sensitive quest. Help me get the others awake."
With a sigh, Klein slowly sat up, scratching his head. "I'll go wake up the Ol'dekhaan," he mumbled. "Where are we supposed to meet?"
"Let's say the main tent. Now come on, Scruffles. It sounds like this will be a big event. I'm going to need your help with this." I helped him up, the man habitually stretching out before moving.
"Man, what I would give to be able to crack my back again." Klein slumped over, his eyes forcing away the drowsiness.
"There might actually be a proper skill for that," I commented. "There was NPC back in the camp we stayed at yesterday that helped me out with that."
"What, seriously? And you didn't think to tell us about it?" Klein cracked a grin, his back turned to the exit.
I shrugged apologetically. "I was going to bring it up when we had a moment. Trust me, I'm not that much of an ass to keep something like that to myself."
"Your words, not mine."
I mimed chucking something at his face, shaking my head at the retreating laughter. "Alright guys, time to wake up." I softened my gaze at the sleeping forms of my companions, abruptly hit by a pang of regret. Even if they had professed their willingness to help me out with this quest line, it still felt wrong in innumerable ways to involve them with a war.
It was at around 5:40 in the morning that twelve males among two races and one human female gathered at the front of the tent at the rear of the camp, a distinguished elf that seemed more like the personal guard of a noble than platoon leader greeting us. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. As I'm sure my messenger told you, barely an hour ago one of our butterflies detected movement from our last remaining forward base. A group of Fallen laid siege to the camp, taking captives with them somewhere to the east of here. We've lost sight of them, but several of our passing scouts were able to tag them with a special chemical that leaves a specific scent in the air. I've already sent out a handful of groups to secure the area, but we're waiting on your group to arrive."
"Is there any particular reason they haven't gone in already?" Klein took a half step forward, his arms unfolding as he spoke.
"A pair of Swordsmen are stopping all who attempt to enter the cave." A group of elven soldiers ran past us, their features schooled. "Ordinarily we would have slipped past them or taken them out, but we felt it best to defer to your decision on the matter. There may be a reason they are guarding it, after all." Kieyaar nodded at yet another group of elves, these ones carrying birds significantly larger than the one Rhaan brought around.
"We'll go straighten this out then." I rolled my eyes and muttered uselessly under my breath. "Hopefully we can do this without any bloodshed."
The elf raised a brow. "I was not aware that your kind would resort to infighting. I was under the impression that you were all united under one cause."
"Eh." I looked over at Klein, the man sharing my resigned expression. "We might have the same goal, but we don't share the same banner. Each group has their own reason for doing things."
Kieyaar gave a short hum of understanding. "I've arranged for one of our falconers to guide you through the forest. While I have no doubt you could arrive there on your own, I'm sure you can understand our desire to expedite the process."
"Of course." I smiled confidently. "We'll come back as soon as we are able."
The elf gave a short bow. "May the Holy Tree of Kales'Oh grant you strength."
With an enthusiastic but sloppy salute, the core six of Fūrinkazan left in a mostly organized but abhorrent about face and march. According to Klein he'd started having them practice marching orders in an attempt to improve their teamwork. It helped some, but it was rapidly becoming yet another thing I'd have to put them through their paces for if I was going to publically be associated with them in any fashion.
"What I wouldn't do for some breakfast though." Issin theatrically stumbled a few steps, clutching his stomach.
"I filled the guild storage with some rations last night," I said off handedly. "Absolutely non-existent in terms of taste, but it's better than nothing."
"Guys, I said it once, and I'll say it again. Cherish this woman. She knows how to treat her men." Issin longingly opened his inventory, manifesting one of the burlap sacks of jerky and hardtack.
"Please stop with the harem jokes," I grumbled. "I've been catching whispers whenever I walk through the towns."
Issin laughed, clapping me on the back with a free hand. "Just call it a compliment! You have seven guys-" Kunimitzz quickly denied his participation in Issin's fallacy, "at your beck and call. All you gotta do is tell us what to do, and we'll do it!"
I grumbled half hearted curses under my breath, trying not to show any amusement from the situation. "Just tone it down a little? I know you like your jokes and all, but some of them are a little much."
"No problem, Little Miss."
My annoyance made itself known in the form of an unrestrained groan. "You are insufferable, you know that?"
Over the course of some twenty or thirty minutes, our elven guide directed us through the forest, purposely keeping us away from the main trail in order to avoid any of the travellers, player or otherwise, that might be passing through to the village in the northwest. When we finally stopped marching, the falconeer motioned towards the two human Swordsmen standing at the entrance of a cave, one Klein swore wasn't there the day before.
"I'll be waiting with the rest of our troops. Wave us over if you need anything." The elf and his bird of war slipped off into the forest, his yellow marker disappearing in the thin veil of mist that continued even here.
"Klein, Harry, Choryu, would you three mind accompanying me? I feel like if the eight of us showed up we'd have a harder time as opposed to just four of us."
"Are you expecting trouble?" Dynamm moved his shield arm around, working out the metal strain from having lugged the piece of metal plated wood around. "They're players, not NPC's."
"It wouldn't hurt to be prepared. I'd rather it not turn to violence, but if we have to." I paused, letting the silence speak up for me. "It's not like any of us couldn't take them down in a fight. Most people don't train themselves up on their basic attacks; it's all sword skills and switching."
"We'll follow your lead then, Asasaki. Try not to cause a scene, eh?" I nodded at Klein, bringing us over to the two heavily armored men at either side of the entrance.
"Halt!" The bigger of the two raised a hand in warning. "This dungeon is currently under use by the Dragon Knight's Brigade! Until we have finished mapping it out, no one is allowed inside for their own safety."
I shifted my weight onto my left leg, sticking my hip out. "That would hold some merit if we weren't on a time sensitive quest." I shook my head in disdain. "Besides, we're not interested in any loot that might be down in there."
"Be that as it may, we are under strict orders not to let anyone through until we finish mapping out the area."
"It's for your own safety," his companion added. "Please don't press the issue."
I looked at my companions, each one giving me a helpless look. "You two must be new," I spoke smoothly. "You know I know Lind. Personally, I mean. The guy actually owes me a favor." I smiled slyly, the lie easily flowing. "I wouldn't want to be the ones that got in the way of one of his associates from completing their work. I know you have orders from your higher ups, but it's really in your best interests if you let me and my companions in. Trust me, I'm saving you two a world of trouble."
The two glanced at each other. "And what did you say your name was?"
"Asasaki. You might know me as the 'Demon Nin'?" I bared my teeth, a predatory gleam infecting my expression.
They flinched back, eyeing me in a new light. "Very well. But don't think we won't inform the commander that you were taking advantage of our hospitality if anything happens."
"I'd do the same in your position. By the way, you might want to stand aside. And hold your weapons." I raised my hand and beckoned twice, a small army of yellow octahedrons slowly advancing towards us.
"Hey, calm down. They're with us. Like she said, you'll be fine if you don't bother them." Both Harry and Klein hurriedly did their best to placate the two stunned guards, exchanging quick nods with the elves as they filed into the entrance.
"Try not to step on their toes too much, alright big guy?" I smiled cheekily at Rhaagaar, his heavy axe resting on his shoulder. "I know their style isn't exactly the same as either of ours but I'd really rather not be the source of an interspecies incident." Rhaagaar growled in acknowledgement, a cacophony of sounds exiting his throat as he led the other three goblins through the entrance.
"Thanks, gentlemen." I turned back to the two members of the DKB. "Keep an eye out, alright? There might be some stuff going on later, from either direction." I waved my hand in farewell, trailing the others into the dungeon.
Several minutes later, our group of some thirty of so people splintered back into groups, each talking amongst themselves. "This place gives me a bad vibe." Dale rubbed his forearms, his sheathed two handed falchion resting against his body.
"What gave it away?" Harry deadpanned. "That droning music that feels like it belongs in the shadow part of a Zelda game or the glowing purple crystals nestled into the walls?" The armored man, looking like somebody applied the term tank to a suit of armor, fidgeted, the heavy shield attached to his arm dragging through the dirt.
"Miss Asasaki." The elf from the morning, one of the few remaining sergeants from what I had been told, stepped up to me and bowed his head respectfully. "The trackers we used are no longer working. With there being an unknown amount of Swordsmen here, we've come to conclusion that we should look to you for guidance."
I glanced over at Klein, internally frowning when he motioned for me to handle it. "What sort of plans have you come up with?" I followed the elf back to a somewhat flat rock the elven leaders had gathered around, simple wooden brooches with glowing blue crystals providing necessary lighting.
"So far we've considered sending a group of four down each path. If something is found, each group will return back here until everyone has returned. The issue lies with the Swordsmen. We saw their reaction to us; it is very likely that if we come across any of your kind they will attack us without a thought."
It didn't need to be spelt out for me to know that it could lead to a bad situation on both sides. "I think we'll have to go with that plan," I admitted. "I'll arrange for some of my group to stay here. If something does go wrong, have your men retreat as quickly as possible and inform mine of the situation. Hopefully they can defuse the situation. Even if something does happen, it's not like we don't have more bodies than them. A show of force should be all that's needed to get them to cease any hostilities."
"And if it's not?" He asked, the gathered elves looking at me in unnerving unison.
I gave a one sided shrug. "Do your best not to kill them. Pin them down, destroy their weapons, but keep them alive. If any of them die odds are they'll just end up infuriated and fight even harder."
"Very well. I'll begin organising my troops. Let us know when you're ready to proceed." I snapped off a quick salute, the elf doing the same after a moment of surprise.
"So what's the plan, Little Miss?" Issin asked when I got back, popping a strip of jerky in his mouth..
"First off," I slammed my elbows down onto Issin's collarbones, resting my chin on my hands, "I'll need a group of volunteers to stay here while the others head down into the deep, dark, mysterious shadowy lands to find something interesting. Those that are staying up here will be hanging around, waiting for either all the groups to return or one of the elven groups to come with the hounds of hell on their tails." I quickly explained the phrase for Yamaguchi. "Lind's group is running around here somewhere. Odds are we'll come across them, but I'd really rather it be a peaceful thing and not evolve into conflict, hence why I want some people to stay behind and intervene on the elves' behalf."
"As leader of the guild and having actually talked to the guy, unlike a certain ninja of ours," Klein gave me a pointed look, "I should stay here. I'm sure I could throw my weight around a little."
"I'll join you, Asasaki." Haru rose and dusted off his pants. "I might not be able to do much, but at the very least I can get some information for my Bestiary to help out the others."
"That's two of us." I looked around at the group, goblins included.
"Might I suggest Kunimitzz or Issin alongside either myself or Dynamm?" Harry put on his helmet, the face guard falling over his face. "It's rare that bringing a proper tank and somebody with range goes poorly."
I nodded, grateful for the suggestion. "Dynamm, Kuni, you guys good with coming along with us?" The two expressed their ambivalence, bearing their weapons and trudging over. "I'll leave the forward to you two. If you need help, don't be afraid to let me or Choryu know, alright? I know we're squishies, but we can at least buy you some time. All that time out in the forest yesterday wasn't spent just prancing around."
"I know. You're a higher level than last time." Kunimitzz reached out and flicked my forehead, an amused glint in his eyes.
I blinked at the unexpected action. "Alright then. I'll let the sergeant know we're good to go. Klein, take care of Yamaguchi and the goblins, alright?"
"I appreciate the concern, but I believe you should reorder that." Yamaguchi's helmeted frame stared me down, his greatsword having been exchanged from Dale to his more maneuverable longsword.
"Hey, some days we take care of the Little Miss, other days she takes care of us." Issin grinned. "Whichever happens more often, so long as we all end up alive at the end of the day."
Yamaguchi nodded, his eyes scanning the cavern once more. "Best of luck to you, Lady Asasaki."
"You guys as well," I returned. "And have some fun, alright? We're the ones stuck with the boring job of exploration. You guys get to have all the fun and relax." I cackled, running off to catch up with Haru and the others.
The hall we had chosen was quite frankly the most monotonous things in the world along with guard duty. Once the novelty of the purple luminescent lights had worn off, all the four of us had to entertain each other was stories of what we'd gone through during our day apart. Eventually that too lost its appeal.
"Kind of a shame we can't fast travel this," Dynamm grumbled. "Two hours of walking takes two minutes of real time but two minutes of combat takes two hours of real time, remember that, Kunimitzz?"
"Of course I do," he shot back. "Every single dungeon we've been in ever since this whole Contract skill happened screamed Dungeon Crawl to me."
I had to remind myself that the men of Fūrinkazan had played Dungeons and Dragons from time to time instead of hopping online and playing MMO's. "I'm a little bit envious. All Mitsui's had me do is run around doing run errands for her. Not that I'm really complaining, but I think I'd rather spend my day exploring and fighting as opposed to playing messenger."
I couldn't see it from behind, but on body language alone I felt safe in assuming Kunimitzz had rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd want to do the fighting instead of the errands."
"Hey, Kuni?" I did my best to keep out any annoyance from my voice. "Do you have an actual problem with me or is this just your way of coping with something?"
The blunet tapped Dynamm's shoulder before stopping to face me. "Problem as in will it stop me from working with you? No. But I never could exactly agree with your approach to this." Kunimitzz drove the butt of his spear into the ground, the weapon balanced perfectly. "All of this. The fighting, the people, this world." He pulled open his interface for me to see and aggressively tapped the logout button, dismissing it with a wave when he'd proved his point. "I know you've basically lived, breathed, and bled this whole 'death at every step' thing before but I, We, haven't. Not all of us can just accept throwing our lives away because it's for the group."
The man picked up his weapon with a frown. "I'm grateful for everything you've done for us, Asasaki, and I really hope that we can continue working together. But I just can't accept you like that. You're too different. I'm sorry." Kunimitzz turned around and set off, Dynamm following after once he made sure I was alright.
"You know he didn't mean anything by that, right?" Haru fumbled over his words, attempting to explain himself better. "I mean, he didn't mean to actually offend you." he sighed, slumping over. "Sorry. I think what I'm trying to say is-"
"I know, Haru. I'm just fundamentally different from you guys. It hurts, but I get it. It's nothing personal, it just is what it is." I sniffed, rubbing my thumb over the hilt of my sword. "C'mon. At least he's trying to make sure we can work together, right?" I smiled weakly, slowly heading after them.
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I smashed through the top of one of the crates, yanking the boards away until it shattered and revealed its contents. "Nothing but clothes over here." I tussled through the pile, leaning back when nothing of value made itself known.
"You'd think there'd be something of use here." Dynamm placed one of the lids back down and crossed his arms. The moment we entered the hall he'd taken point, directing us to check every nook and cranny. When I had asked about the value of doing such a thing he merely referred to Kunimitzz' line about all their previous dungeons feeling like it belonged in a D&D session.
"Maybe this was just to help us get used to the feel of the dungeon?" Haru motioned around with the «Fae Dagger», the same weapon Daifayel had impaled me with the day before. "I mean if we're being honest here, do you think anybody could just dive right into this and not have trouble getting used to the lighting?"
My eyes were drawn to the length of metal. In normal lighting the weapon would have been a pleasant seafoam green, but in the purple lighting it looked sinister. "Can't say I approve of the decor. Makes me feel like we're one EDM song from having a rave." I grinned wryly, amusement spreading across their faces.
"Regardless of what this room is actually meant for, we need to keep moving. Kuni, how do you feel about going to the right?" Dynamm tapped his quill against the hand drawn map, a necessity when we realized that the usual mapping functions weren't working.
"I feel like heading down the center would be a better option. We don't know how big this place is going to be, and my gut is telling me that going straight would be our best option." The man looked to the side. I suddenly realized that it wasn't irritance that he seemed to live by, but a perpetual resting bitch face. "If we're quick about it, going to the sides might be worthwhile though. Asasaki, Choryu, what are your thoughts?"
"Center sounds like a good idea." I took another look around, trying to keep my mind busy. "Shouldn't we send somebody back to let them know what we found?" I turned back to the three, surprised by their apologetic looks.
"Right, sorry. We're used to working in small groups." Kunimitzz ran a hand through his hair. "I'm pretty sure your Agility is faster than Choryu's, Asasaki. You mind playing messenger again?"
"Fine, fine. Save me some baddies, alright?" I gave a lazy salute and started running, mind spawning countless theories as to what was going on here. The scene that greeted me back in the main hall was one that I had been dreading. From one of the center paths, a large group of players, Dragon Knights based on their blue and brown color scheme, were all in defensive positions. Across from them, the some twenty or thirty members of the elven rescue force stood ready for battle.
"Look guys, this is all just a huge misunderstanding. We're not here to encroach on your grounds, we're just here to complete a quest, alright?" Klein shook his hands peacefully, a pained expression on his face.
"Quiet you. This dungeon is under use by the Dragon Knights. Nobody else was allowed in here until we finish mapping the area, which we still have to do." The lead pseudo knight jerked his head towards the entrance behind me, unaware that I was there.
"Hey, this is time sensitive, alright?" The pain flashed into frustration, part of it leaking into Klein's voice. "We'll happily let you take any of the loot down there, but we need to keep going."
"What is it you're looking for?" The blonde man, teen now that I had a better look at his face, frowned and motioned for his men to stand down.
"We're not really sure." The stress evaporated from my leader's body. "Any sign that there's some Forest Elves as well as a race under the group of 'Fallen Elves'."
I took that moment to step in, tugging on Klein's sleeve. "We found another chamber. The others are waiting down there. It looks like an old underground temple." Motioning towards the purple lights embedded in the walls, "Lots more of these dark crystals placed around."
"A shame then that that's the exact region we have yet to map out." I shot the man a baleful glare, the teen twitching under my gaze. "Just stay here for now while we do our work. It'll make this easier for all of us."
I bit back my retort. "Word of advice, if you come across any Fallen with an actual name and not just a title or description, either run away or group up. Those things aren't like any other NPC's we've come across before."
The man snorted. "They're nothing but monsters. They'll all die in the end." Three bodies dashed out from the corridor in question, each whirling around in a defensive position. "Men, move out!" In the same organized mass that Fūrinkazan showed (though significantly much worse) the Dragon Knights charged towards the path I had just came from, the sounds of battle soon echoing towards us.
"You guys alright?" Klein jogged towards the trio. Around us the elves moved closed to the passageway, preparing themselves for the inevitable conflict.
"We're fine. Some monsters got the jump on us, but we were able to escape before their friends arrived." Kunimitzz frowned, drawing a finger down a piece of his armor that was probably the same region that had reduced the amount of damage he'd taken. "I take it the other groups were unsuccessful?"
"Yup. None of them found anything of note except for one of the lancer-shield groups who ended up running into the Dragon Knights." Klein looked down at me, confusion briefly appearing on his face. "What about you guys?"
"Just a big room that looked like it was a foyer of some kind, lots of crates around. Some of them had clothes, others had materials that never got put together." Haru opened up his inventory, showing it to Klein. "We took some of what we could, but there was just too much. It's not like we can access the guild storage from here." Haru flagged over the rest of our guild. "Do you guys mind taking some of this stuff off me? I'm basically at my weight limit." The three other members of my party began trading around their loot, nodding in appreciation.
"Miss Asasaki, what would you have us do? All our men are ready to go." Sergeant Iseyer brought his shield arm to his side, the small round shield matching his forest themed outfit excellently.
I glanced towards the hall. "I think they've had enough of a head start. We should be good to go after at this point. They'll clear out the worst of our problems so the most we'll have to deal with is just the leftovers. Certainly makes our job easier."
The elf nodded. "Men, head out! Shields in front, lancers behind them. All others, stay in your squads and use our normal securing tactics!" The elves moved off silently, fully aware of what was at stake.
"They almost seem real, don't they?" Klein whispered to himself.
"I know it is a hard concept for your kind to grasp, but we still live, breathe, and die just the same as you. For us, it is you Swordsmen that are the oddity."
Klein flinched at Yamaguchi's voice. "Sorry, Yamaguchi. I know you guys are alive to yourselves, but it's still strange trying to realize it."
The walking fortress smiled somberly. "I suppose coming from your world, it would be hard." In an instant the emotions faded, replaced by a hardness I found myself appreciating. "We should get moving. As representatives of humankind I'm sure the elves would appreciate it if we were alongsidethem and not behind."
The foyer that I had just left was an utter mess. The Dragon Knights gave no quarter in their against the Fallen that must have been attacked to their careless clanking. Bodies lay strewn about, purple mist rising from their fading corpses like bubbles from a thermal vent. At the entrance to each of the three paths a forest elf quietly sat, a faint glow surrounding their head.
Iseyer waved me over, Klein following behind. "The Swordsmen from before went north. To the south is only a single room that goes nowhere. To the wast lies a larger section."
"We'll take point," Klein volunteered. "Between the thirteen of us we should be more than fine against anything we find." Behind us the rest of Fūrinkazan plus five began gathering, realizing we were about to head out.
"Good luck, swordsmen."
The near red-head began reorganizing our setup. To our Player shield users and two handers, "You guys will be our true Forward. Between your shields and range, you should be able to handle most groups. Split up as needed in case we run into something bigger."
"Yamaguchi, I want you with me, Rhaagaar, and Rhaan." The two goblins, axe user and beast tamer respectively, perked up and hobbled over. "We'll be acting as DPS and extra Forward in a pinch." The stubbled curved blade user turned his gaze towards me and Haru. "I want you two to work with Tarthuul and Tuukaan." The goblin assassin and sling slash dagger user stepped over towards us, Tuukaan giving me a nod of acknowledgement. "You four will be our Rapid Response team. If there are mobs that suddenly appear, a group needs help, or anything else that comes up, you guys will take care of it."
I grunted, eyes flickering to the two status bars that appeared underneath Haru's.
"Remember guys. We're not here to be heros. We're here to complete a quest and find the missing Forest Elves. Don't go beyond your limits and always keep a potion on hand. Let's make it out of here alive, got it?" For a moment Klein's eyes met mine, a dour look superimposing over his cheerful grin. At his signal Issin took over and led us in a quick cheer, even the goblins joined in on the ceremony.
As we travelled down the eastern tunnel, it was hard to tell exactly what was going on up front. Voices would suddenly rise, weapons accompanied by the hums and shimmers of the system crashing against metal and flesh. From time to time Klein's group would move forward, Harry's parting smoothly to the side before collapsing back together in a messy but clearly practiced motion.
"Makes you a little proud to be apart of them, doesn't it?" Haru nudged me with an elbow. "I know we're still not at your level, but the way we can form up, break off into our own individual groups and still be able to maintain a level of cohesion? Back during that fourth floor raid I'm pretty sure we left a lot of impressions."
I tilted my sword forward a little, the bindings that kept it attached to my belt preventing it from moving forward too much. "I don't know if I could exactly call myself apart of them though."
"Why not? You have the guild symbol, don't you?" Haru motioned towards the bar above my head, singling out the red diamond with four smaller white pips spaced evenly into the corners that all of Fūrinkazan had.
"I mean that despite everything we've been through, the lessons, the quests, the meals, I don't exactly feel like I fit in." I shook my head. "Hell, even when we're fighting as a group odds are I'll be assigned to do my own thing as opposed to fighting alongside somebody."
"But that's kind of your job though." Haru frowned. "And thanks to your teachings, we can do the same. One moment I might be fighting alongside Dale against a single enemy, the next I'm off intercepting an extra mob before I either kill it on my own or somebody else takes over for me." The brunet laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't think that just because you're not doing the same thing as us we don't appreciate you. You know what they mean when they call you Little Miss Ninja, right?"
"That I'm an annoying little insect that seems to flutter around everywhere, causing all sorts of annoyances without actually being able to be dissuaded despite all your attempts?" I answered dryly.
"Exactly! Minus the whole self degrading thing." We both looked away, several rays of blue light visible up ahead. "The way you play? Klein and Harry call it Evasion Tanking. Whenever things go wrong or we need a breather, all somebody has to do is call out your name and suddenly you're there leaving us with only one or two monsters out of however many we were dealing with. Even if you don't really do any damage to them, the fact that you can give us that big of a break is a godsend. So don't beat yourself up about this whole 'not fighting alongside us' thing, alright? And if it really does bother you, you can just practice this whole thing with me. I told you, I'm staying by your side."
I closed my eyes. I couldn't tell if it was a genuine altruistic attempt or if he had ulterior motives. Either way, there was nothing I could do but accept his assistance. "Thank you, Haru."
"Now come on. I'm sure our wonderful strategists have some words for us." He motioned towards the still forms of our allies, each of them staring at the source of the blue lights.
I turned to look back at the two goblins, their faces filled with curiosity. "Sorry about all the melodrama. I've been going through some difficult stuff the past few days."
"Swordsman Asasaki strong. But all have weakness. Strength is growing past them." Tuukaan's insight startled me. It was wrong of me to expect him to be unable to follow along, but I supposed there was a reason they were part of the Shukechuun's 'Elite'.
"Harry, all I need to know is, did we lose them?"
The teen in question shook his head. "That's the completely wrong situation, Issin. And no, I don't know what it is we're looking at." At the rear of the room, a wooden platform raised around it, an odd, leafless, white tree bearing strange crystal growths stood valiantly in the darkness, the soft blue light emanating from the fruits fighting back the muted purple of the standard stones we had seen throughout the entire dungeon.
"I might be wrong, but I believe I know what this is." Yamaguchi pulled something out from one of his pouches. It was a palm sized rectangular stone, clad in ornate gold decor. "I can't quite tell without being able to look at them, but they appear to be unrefined versions of this." He held the item out for all of us to see. "It's a relic from long before the Separation. It's supposed to be able to cure most wounds within a certain range."
Klein gave Harry a look, one the teen reciprocated. "Asasaki, do you mind trying to pick a few of those for us? I don't think hitting the tree will help us out like it's supposed to for those inner tubes up on the fourth floor."
"How many should I grab?"
"Only one or two," Harry said. "I'm pretty sure what we're looking at is a base material and not the finished product like Yamaguchi has."
I broke into a run, legs tingling as I charged up the small stairs and leapt onto the tree. Had I done this in the real world, I would likely have only been able to get three or four steps at most before I needed to kick up and try and grab onto something. This being a virtual world however, so long as I kept within the bounds of the «Acrobatics» skill it didn't matter how my feet fell against the surface; I'd be carried forward regardless.
"These things can't be put into my inventory!" I called out, straddling one of the thicker branches. I waved the misshapen crystal, its surface a perplexing mixture of biting cold and comforting warmth. When Klein extended his hands out towards me, I dropped it down without complaint, crawling my way forward to another of the protrusions.
"You did that with way too much experience," Harry turned away from his conversation with Klein and Yamaaguchi, watching critically as I rose from my tuck and roll.
"You take no damage in a Safe Zone," I responded. "I did it all the time whenever I was leaving Mitsui's place."
"Ah yes. I distinctly recall a report stating of the numerous times someone we later identified as a Swordsmen throwing themself off the railing and plummeting down the cliffside." Yamaguchi stared at me disapprovingly, his posture reminiscent of my uncle whenever he caught me doing something wrong as a child.
"It's not like I did anything wrong," I groused.
"No, but you did scare everyone who saw you for the first time." Yamaguchi shook his head. "Apologies, Sir Klein. But I'd rather not let go of this. The activation method can be rather fickle, and as one of the last we have I'd feel safer if it was in my possession."
My fellow curved blade user nodded understandingly. "Well, these things seem to be doing absolutely nothing. Not even a quest pop up and we've tried everything we could to try and interact with it." Klein tossed the two crystals onto the wooden platform, the objects thudding uselessly across.
"We've got enemies!" I swirled around at the cry. At the northern entrance Dynamm, Kunimitzz, and Rhaagaar were squaring up, Rhaan and Dale running from the southern side to assist them. Between their bodies, the glowing eyes of Fallen Elves stared at us, their shifting bodies obscuring how many there were.
"Form up! Harry, Dynamm, two teams! Asasaki, have yours handle the right!" Klein drew his sword, quickly rallying his group.
"Squad C, to me!" I pulled out «Tormenting Reaver», the copper colored weapon shining dully in the purple lighting. Beside me Haru began doing his best to record information to his bestiary, dagger tucked away in its sheath.
"Level 15, Fallen Elf Milites. 800 hit points each!" As the corrupted elves neared, I crouched over, taking a breath to remind myself I was working in a group and not alone. "Tuukaan, stay back and take any openings you can see. Tarthuul, stick with Choryu and me." I fought a swallow. "Take any openings I provide. Show no mercy." The dagger using goblin growled menacingly, the few few times I had spent alongside them allowing me the knowledge it was in expectant glee instead of anger.
Wordlessly I shot off, curving around the hall to flank them. In the corner of my vision yellow light burst out from Kunimitzz, three Elves immediately drawn towards the use of his «Howl» skill. On the other side of the room the grey and black trimmed form of Yamaguchi barreled through the elves, bodies sent flying with every swing of his massive kite shield.
I ducked underneath a swing, punching the elbow of the elf in a way it should never be bent. Before I could follow through Tarthuul slammed into the elf, his dagger blurring into anywhere that was unprotected.
"Hey, eyes forward!"
I slipped around Haru, following up on his sword skill with a quick series of slashes that ended with my sword buried in the elf's torso. "Work with Tarthuul-" An orange coated hand smacked away a slash, the elf received an elbow to the gut and pommel to the face for his troubles. "Get these guys down while I keep them busy." Behind me a flare of shattering data sounded, the dagger using goblin screeching out a challenge.
"You sure," Haru leapt over me, his dagger glowing a fiery orange, "you can handle it?!"
I curbstomped elf that had crumbled to the ground, adding more to the stun debuff before spinning around and covering my companion while his post motion wore off. "Hey, I'm me! Worst case scenario I get hit a couple times and have to pot up." A stone flew between us, nailing a helmetless Fallen Elf in the head. "Plus, I have Tuukaan watching out for me." I grinned, dropping my left shoulder into a system assisted shoulder charge.
I threw myself into the skirmish, dancing around every attempted strike both fist and sword. With every finite stab and kick I made sure to double check the situation, anchoring myself to my partied dagger users.
This fight feels so much different.
Thrusting my sword through an elf's body, I held him in place while Haru unleashed the tri-striking «Feeding Frenzy» into his chest. When the skill ended and the man's form began flickering out of sight I tore my weapon out, reverting back into a saber grip and scoring an angry red line across the elf's neck.
The moment I stepped back a glowing spear, seeming more like the wide end of a greatsword than the expected point of a polearm, skewered the elf. In a mechanical but nonetheless elegant motion the metal was withdrawn and curved back through the air, data exploding out of the fallen elf's body when it shnk'd through his right clavicle. "And that makes four!" Issin pulled his weapon back, resting it on his shoulder.
Is it really because I actually worked together and not just did my own thing?
"Do assists count?" I questioned slyly.
"Nope! Only kills you did yourself."
"Che." I looked to the side, my eyes filled with annoyance. "One."
The brown haired spear user suddenly began coughing. Slowly, "Choryu, how many assists did she get?"
"There was the four we dealt with," in my peripheral Tarthuul and Tuukaan began rifling through the smouldering corpses, "and then I think we pulled two more from that extra group that came in."
Issin stared at me, pained contemplation transforming his features. "I just can't win with you."
"If it makes you feel better," Haru interjected, "Tarthuul claimed three of those."
Issin blanched. "Please stop. I was feeling good about myself but now I'm just questioning my masculinity. Again." The man met my gaze, a pleading look in his eyes. "Little Miss, I hate you so much sometimes, you know that?"
I chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. One day you'll be as amazing as me. I saw that last strike. If you learn how to move with the motion and replicate that without the system helping you, you'll be taking a huge step towards my glory." I stepped over towards Yamaguchi, the man eyeing the battle field with distaste.
"And you say this is how it normally is in your world?"
"Yup." I poked at one of the small dents in his armor, the impact looking like one of the elves had tried to run him through. "Bodies take weeks, if not months to disappear if they aren't aren't properly buried in the ground, cremated, or whatever other process their living relatives decide to take."
"How can you stand it?" He muttered. "It's unnatural."
"We don't." I forced a smile, well aware that death in this world normally meant the full dissapearance of the body and not a slow decomposition. "We do our best to ignore unnatural deaths. Or we become so inured to it the cold, lifeless bodies of people that not too long ago were laughing and breathing just the same as us no longer holds any meaning. Just like a dandelion seed in the wind. It happens, and you're momentarily intrigued by it, but it doesn't hold your attention."
Yamaguchi stared at me, his true feelings hidden away by his sedate appearance. "And what of you, Lady Asasaki? You fight so violently and uncaring of the trauma you inflict. What do these bodies mean to you?"
I looked away, clenching my teeth. "If I stopped and let myself actually think about it, a corpse in the battlefield means a lost life. A story that was never able to reach its true ending. A family who will never see their loved one again." I turned towards the entrance the elves had taken, drawing upon the familiar sensations of my Other. "But if I don't? They're nothing more than the remnants of the enemy. Inanimate husks of something that tried to kill me and mine. Given the choice, I would always take them over me." The Tolbanian said nothing as I strode off, his powerful gaze tracking me with every step.
Uncaring my ass. I damn well know what I'm doing isn't right. Every single blow is meant to kill, and yet these bastard won't stay down until their life bar hits zero.
I pushed a rock around, rolling it underneath my foot. "God, I'm going to have such a hard time rehabilitating."
"You okay?" Klein trotted over to me, sheathing his weapon.
"Just thought I'd scout out ahead a little." I sniffed and stared back down the hall, the purple lighting doing me no favors.
"It's pretty weird, isn't it?" Smiling at my confused look, he continued. "I'm pretty sure you can see a good ways down. Even if you aren't able to tell details through the darkness, you can at least see shapes." He adjusted his stance, grinning. "But if narrow my eyes a little, just the startings of a squint, the world turns green. Sort of like night vision. Regular colors give way to shades of tinted black and white. And if I think about tracking down monsters, I get bright white footprints of where anything living went." He clapped a hand down on my shoulder, his face relaxing. "It's pretty weird how so much of this world is the same, and yet how so much of it is entirely a game." We stood there in silence for several seconds, our reverie interrupted by the rest of our group moving behind us.
"This the path we're taking?" Harry questioned.
"Looks like it." Klein turned away from me, giving the others a once over. "It's where all those Fallen came from, so maybe we'll find their leader."
"That or the rest of their forces," Issin griped.
"We should let the elves know where we're going. This close behind, they can check the other path and whichever side finds a dead end can go assist the other." Yamaguchi's right hand fell to his sheathed blade, a habit I was glad to see somebody else exhibiting.
"Fine, fine." I shook my head, knowing where the conversation was going. "But save me some elves, alright? My skills are behind enough. I'd hate having to go out during my free time just to keep up."
"We'll make no promises. Hurry back, alright?" Klein joked good naturedly.
I jogged off, doing my best to keep the smouldering husks out of my focus. The trip back was a stark contrast to our trip down. Where before there was a cacaphony of white noise, now I only had my echoing footfalls and the hints of far off combat. When I guided the elves towards the hall, I was grateful for the focus their marching steps allowed me.
Sergeant Iseyer stopped suddenly, the rest of his troops doing the same. A few stunned soldiers dropped their weapons, scrambling to pick them up. "This is…" He whirled towards me, panic settling into his face. "Which way did your companions go?" I pointed to the hall to the right of the room, situated in the corner diagonally from the tree. "We shall take the other. Now hurry to your group, we have no time to waste."
I stood there, blinking rapidly. As the elven forces began jogging towards the southern passage I shook my head and turned around, doing my best to catch up with my companions. For the second time in less than as many hours, my heart sank.
In the center of the cavern, Klein himself faced off against a foreboding Fallen Elf, their weapons clashing repeatedly to minimal avail. On either side of the stone dais of which the two fought around, Dale and Kunimitzz did their best to fight off elves of their own, the axe wielding Rhaagaar and claw using Rhaan aiding the two respectively.
"Asasaki!" Klein swung out haphazardly, the falcon I recognized as Rhaan's war bird swooping down and shooting past the elf's head. "Destroy the crystals! We have this covered!"
No you don't.
I tore my sight away from his green turning into yellow health bar, suddenly realizing that that the other seven members of our group were stabbingbleedingcryingmakeitstopmakeitstopMAKEITSTOP!
I began throwing sword skill after sword skill at the dark purple octahedron, waging war against my rapid breathing. Behind me Alexdon'tyoudaredieonme screamed, a spastic arc of what seemed to be electricity shooting out from the I'mtheonethatorderedhimtogo and turning the floating construct a darker purple.
"Just hang on!" I cried. The edges of my vision darkened. Nothing but my breathing mattered. My body could handle the rest, what mattered was staying conscious and in control so that pleasedon'tdothistome!
My weapon shattered the IED, the stolen life essence from Haru disappearing into nothingness. Behind me his lifeless form slumped to the ground, the length of metal penetrating through his torso sliding out withabloodiedskwelch.
"Go help out the others," Haru's face contorted in imagined pain, the OFFICE WORKER pushing himself to his feet. "I just need a potion or two and then I can help out." Nodding at the fabrication of my past, I sprinted across the hall, a glowing strike and shout from Klein dragging the attention of «Harak'thaar, Fallen Elf Legatus» back onto him.
Harry's face grimaced, my world turning white for a brief moment before submerging back into sickly purple. "Harak'thaar can heal himself," he managed. "Every time he loses a fourth of his health he fires an AoE knockback and uses the energy in the crystals to restore damage." The words barely reached my mind, my entire being far too focused on havetostaystrong to pay attention.
"Persistent little worm!" A wall of pressure slammed into me, forcing me to flinch. True to Harry's words, the six remaining siphons around the room lit up, travelling along the ceiling and gracefully curving into the same bloodbloodSOMUCHBLOOD.
"Hey, Keep hacking at it! We can't do anything while we're stuck here!"
I spun around, forcing myself to realize where I actually was. Pinned against the wall, Harry was spread eagle by crackling orbs of energy at his hands and feet. Around him a strange circle was drawn, the paint looking like dried purple blood. PleasestaywithmeIcan'thaveyoudieing- From his chest, seemingly as if it had come from the rubbleanddust- wall he was laid flush against, a errantpipe- doubled edge sword stuck out several inches, odd characters that seemed ancient in origin tapped into its metal.
"Argh!" Harry's scream snapped me out of my I'mnotcrazy. With renewed fervor, I tore into the crystal, not relenting until my post motion stacked into somewhere between one and two seconds. "Hurry up and get the others, I'm going to help out Klein!" Quickly downing a potion, the shield user charged off, blocking a two handed blow that would have slashed across our leader's back.
Tuukaan's release went by quickly, the sling user thankfully far too inhuman to pull forth any dredges of my memory. When the bonds keyed to his crystal were shattered, the elf zealously ran off to assist his brethren. Once more the wave of pressure slammed into me. In the corner of my vision Klein and Haru sprinted off to start working on the crystals of Tarthuul and Issin, leaving Harry to handle Harak'thaar on his own.
"Lady Asasaki, I doubt I can be of much help in this battle."
I spared Yamaguchi a single look, his pained and weary face searing itself into my mind. "Stop talking and save your strength." I began cutting into the crystal, each of my strikes carving away pieces of its health bar.
"For all my talk and experience of leading the Explorers, pain is something I am not accustomed to."
"We have potions, don't we?" I snapped, destroying the crystal. I whirled around thrusting one of the bottles from my pouch towards him. "Whether you fight or not, I won't fault you. But either make yourself useful or get back to where it's safe." I tried to give him a sorrowful look, but all that appeared was a trembling sneer. The man accepted my offering without any further protest, a peculiar gleam in his eyes.
When I turned back around, it was to see the entirety of our group back up and fighting. I would have loved to have said that with the three sometimes four on one odds we had meant the fights were going by without a hitch, but the Fallen Praetors and Legatus were seamlessly able to switch between furious normal strikes and empowered abilities depending on how many people were attacking. "Cut the head off the snake," I murmured, watching Klein split off from Dynamm to deal with the true leader.
"Lady Asasaki!" A loud clang immediately followed Yamaguchi's shout, the blade of a Fallen Elf Milites repelled by his shield. "Enemy reinforcements have arrived once again. Guide my blade." The Tolbanian's health bar suddenly appeared underneath the three others in my party, a stark green compared to the sliding yellows and reds.
I slipped around the walking fortress, easily setting up the meaningless NPC for him to destroy. "We clear the adds first. After that," ducking underneath a glowing Horizontal, I stabbed my blade through the unprotected pit of the elf, quickly pulling his head back and drawing my weapon across his throat. "After that we see what needs to be done."
Yamaguchi stabbed his longsword through the elf's torso and twisted, a burst of crystallized binary briefly lighting his features. "As sound a plan as any. I shall take the lead." Together we made our way around the room, wordlessly taking control of the lesser Fallen that had appeared through the two corridors in the back of the room and allowing our companions time to safely pot back up and continue their assault against their chosen enemy.
"Lady Asasaki, behind me!" Yamaguchi stabbed his shield into the ground, the tapered tip digging in. Were he capable of using sword skills, his shield would have undoubtedly been glowing fiercely with a damage reduction ability.
"You shall pay for your insolence!" The room became aglow in a perverse white light. With Yamaguchi acting as a literal wind shield, I was protected from the wave after wave of pressure, the pulses of air whipping my hair and clothes towards the wall. Without his protection, I would have likely suffered the same fate as the others and been slammed against the walls. The white light faded, a handful of crackling noises deafening after the silence.
"Move!" Yamaguchi tackled me, the two of us falling to the ground in an undignified heap. Where we once stood a large circle about eight feet in diameter began radiating a sickening ethereal haze. Two more fields were situated around the room, a few of my companions leaping out of it.
In the interim when we had all been occupied with with the crushing pulses Harak'thaar had procured a sibling blade from somewhere, both of them now crackling with the same white arc that had been siphoning health into the crystals.
"Team 1, on him! Team 2, to me! Team 3, rotate fighters for DPS!" Klein raised his sword into the air, drawing hate onto him were it not for Kunimitzz' timely usage of a single target Howl ability.
"You heard the man," I shared a nod with Yamaguchi, running off to rally my own team. Immediately upon gathering I handed each of them a potion, moving the ones from my inventory into my pouch. "Choryu, gather as much info as you can. Tuukaan, stick near Choryu and fire off whenever you get an opening. Tarthuul, rotate with me and get hits in where you can. Absolutely no more than three. We need to let our Tanks maintain aggression." I flinched at the scream that sounded distinctly like Dale, forcing returnfire! and focusing on the now.
Like clockwork we rotated through our fighters. Aged and rusted clockwork, but clockwork nonetheless. With every crushed bottle our hopes continually plummeted, kept only in check by the yellow bar of the Legatus that slowly crept towards red.
"Team three, Adds from 6 o'clock!"
I cursed, hastily pushing my sword out of the preparatory motion for «Comet Cannon» and retreated. "Team three, on me!" I flicked my sword to the side, left hand gripping my sheath tightly. From the lone entrance we had all taken, a small group of Fallen Milites was charging through. "Klein, I need back up!" To my group, "engage at will. Try not to let any of them pass but be safe."
I charged forward, singling out a group of three in the center. It would be a bit more than I was sure I could handle, but as simple Milites NPC's their skills were much the same as the kobolds and tauruses from the lower floors; the only difference was the amount of damage they could dish out as a result of their stats.
The familiar form of Yamaguchi moved beside me, his sword and shield shooting out in a rhythmic motion that quickly took down any he turned his focus upon. To my left, Tarthuul and Haru effortlessly joined forces, dismantling targets one at a time while Tuukaan's precise stones felled any that dared approach them.
This world is so different than the one we came from.
I leapt backwards into a handspring, inverting my momentum and launching myself at the offending elf, my metal reinforced boot slamming into his head. With a quick roll I regained my bearings, Yamaguchi's shield and sword shattering the remnants of the elf's life force.
"Incoming!" I ran and slammed into an elf's upper chest, bringing him down to the ground. Several unaided punches and pommel strikes slammed into his skull, another zone of residual damage appearing where I once was.
"Dawn, we have this covered! Go help them out!" Dagger ablaze, Haru stabbed through the leather chestpiece of his assailant, Tarthuul rapidly descending upon the skewered soldier and tearing into his throat.
Trusting in my companions it'salwaysmyfault- I turned around and returned to the yet ongoing fight between the core six of Fūrinkazan and Harak'thaar, his health bar still hovering between 20 and 30%. "What's taking so long?!"
"His swords have vampiric abilities," Klein muttered, downing a potion with forced calmness. "How many more you have?" He asked, dropping the now empty bottle.
"About five or six," I stated, trading over two.
"It's your show, girl. Show him what for. We need some time to recover." Klein called back his group, Harry staying behind and blocking as many strikes as possible.
Hasn't he been there since the beginning?
I ran past Harry and the leader of the Fallen Elves, falling down into a crouch the instant I took a step past the two. The pommel of my blade slammed into the underside of his thigh, my fist reaming out and impacting squarely against his armored shoulder blade. Having been moved into position, my right arm tingled with the familiar touch of the system, slashing out from right to left in a right angle centered on his navel. Harry took over, his shield glowing white as it smacked into the elf.
"I've got this covered!" I shouted, ducking underneath a chop and skirting into his reach. It was true that my up close and personal fighting style would have been more suited for a dagger as opposed to curved blades, but the amount of time I currently had invested in it kept me from doing so. It also meant that I could more easily clash or redirect attacks instead of having to fully dodge.
"Don't let him cut you!" With one final sword skill Harry widthdrew, the elf devoting all his attention to me.
"Yet another one of you pesky insects." The elf brought a leg up and knocked me away, his siblings blades crackling ominously.
I moved into a defensive stance, mind calculating his every step. With a warning only noticed because I was looking for it, Harak'thaar bolted forward. His swords clashed against mine one after the other, the strikes shaving away my health and marginally restoring his.
When his leg thrust out once again I slid back and pulled on the offending limb, elbow and pommel driving into his gut with ease. Another pull and «Tormenting Reaver» slashed through his neck, the elf stumbling away. "Is that all you can say? Pesky insects, sniveling cubs?" I smirked, confidence that didn't belong suffusing my being. "What next, insolent little pest?"
With a sneer, the elf approached me at a slow gait, his glowing eyes leaving trails of purple with each swaying step. "You specifically shall support our army." He stopped suddenly, perhaps double his reach away. "Join me, and live." A translucent yellow marker appeared above his head, utterly oblivious to the struggles around it.
"Sorry, can't say I'm interested." I shot forward, side stepping the slice but unable to avoid the pommel strike.
"A shame." The elf surged forward, his blades passing through my frantic dodges. When I attempted to break through, the flat of his right blade smacked across my face, the tip scoring a thin line along my skin.
Before I could recover, his left stabbed through my upper torso, ignoring the metal plated armor as if it was nothing more than tissue paper. "Now die, and know that your companions shall suffer the same fate." His right gored me as well. In my mind I could see the blade forcing its way between the strips of metal, cutting through bones and organs like a knife through butter.
Suddenly that image dissapearing, pure agony of spasming muscles rapidly switching with the numbess of damage. The sensations inched farther along my body with every percent of my health that drained away. Harak'thaar lifted me into the air, my form slowly sliding down his swords despite my twitching attempts to stop it.
15%
Whatever action he took next, I would likely shatter away. Throwing me, letting me rest upon his blades like a perverse reenactment of The Lion King, or tearing his blades out like I had done to so many others before.
10%
My breath stilled. Harak'thaar stared into my eyes, his face showing nothing but contempt. Another 5% passed, and the elf looked away, his eyes widening. Yamaguchi crashed into him shield first, carrying the Fallen Elf leader away. Immediately I pulled a potion out and downed it, careful not to cause any more damage before gingerly pulling the weapons out of my body.
Harry and Issin formed up on me protectively, their weapons at the ready. "You have more potions?" Issin asked, all hints of joviality gone from his voice.
"Two more. I'm going to be on a timer though." I eyed my health bar, the gauge just barely stopping past 15% or so.
"The fight should be over, now that he doesn't have his weapons." Issin rotated around, his back towards Harry. "You're definitely going to have to sit this next one out." He shifted his stance, limbs spreading out for more control. "Another wave of Fallen Milites are making their way towards us."
I watched as Yamaguchi clinically stabbed through Harak'thaar, his sword and shield crashing down at measured intervals. "Has kind of a Dynasty Warriors' feel, doesn't it?" I rolled another bottle around in my hand, eyeing the timer above my bar. Currently, I was the worst of the party. Where Haru and the goblins were hovering around 40 or 60%, I was currently sitting below 20.
"This fight, you mean?" Harry turned his head slightly, his weapons readied in case something happened with Yamaguchi's curb stomping.
"A named leader with a few lackeys," I made a mental note to ask what had happened to the two Praetors, "hordes of faceless mooks that go down in a few hits." I leaned over and collected the two swords into my inventory, watching the icons to make sure they didn't disappear with the Legatus' shattering life force.
"Yeah, definitely has that sort of feel to it." Issin cut off his next words, shifting apprehensively. "How much longer until you can drink another potion?"
"Twenty eight seconds. I'll only be at 30% though." I nodded at Asuka's guard, the man stoically rising from his full body stab.
"We need to get out of here. Most of us are completely out of potions. Asasaki, you're not allowed to engage on your own from this point on. Not until we get back into the city." I bit back my protest, more than fully aware of how close I was to dying. "Captain Yamaguchi! Protect Asasaki, don't let her out of your sight. Same with you, Issin." Bodyguards established, Harry clanked off, readily taking the pressure off the goblins despite his yellow health.
"Hey, Asasaki?"
I grunted questioningly, bringing the bitter drink to my lips.
Issin trembled for several seconds, the shivers stilling with a resolute grip on his spear. "You need to stop abusing your Developer skills. You keep giving us heart attacks."
"I'm sorry, Issin." I picked up my dropped sword, eyeing its durability with irritation before replacing it with the arguably weaker «Armor Splitter». "But I can't." Nobodydiesagain. "So long as we keep having to fight, so long as there's work to be done, I can't rest." I smiled mockingly. "But I wouldn't object to some R&R tomorrow."
"I hear ya." Issin called back to Klein, his stance relaxing slightly. "Time for us to head out. You can walk, right?"
I rested a hand on one of my pouches. "I've got a numbness in my torso still, and I'll tell you right now that despite my alluring face and confident voice I'm trembling like a mother fucker right now." My mind flashed back to Harak'thaar's last attack, the distinctily taser sensations his blades had given me setting off a firestorm of rage.
"Can't fault you for that." Issin set off, Yamaguchi resolutely standing behind me.
I kept my eyes on Issin's back, determinedly keeping my gaze off the haphazard rows of dissipating bodies. "It's like somebody decided to have a party in a temple." I forced a sardonic grin. "Purple lights, purple smoke. Just need a couple of lights and it'll be a proper rave."
"The only excitement here though is experience and bloodshed." Issin laughed, a spine chilling laugh that belonged only to those moments away from breaking. "Asasaki, how do you do it?"
"How do I deal with the carnage and bloodshed?" I asked. "I don't." I chuckled coldly, a wave of familiarity washing over me. "The first few nights after I see a corpse it usually haunts me. Worse if I was the one that dealt the killing blow." I stepped over a body, yells and clashes of metal on metal felling the Fallen Milites up ahead like a scythe to grain. "Eventually, after days or weeks or months of sleepless nights, they stop bothering me. Sometimes they come back and watch me as I wander my dreams, but for the most part I just suffer and let it run its course."
I took a few quick steps, laying a hand on Issin's arm. "In the end, it's either us or them. If they refuse to listen, if they refuse to be diplomatic, whatever happens is because they brought it on themselves. All we can do is try to offer the olive branches."
His shaking lessened in intensity, the man giving me a fragile grin. "So just try and get over it, like a bad break up, right?"
"Something to that effect." I downed my last potion, dismissing the empty bottle to my inventory. "What's wrong, guys?" I jogged up to the frozen forms of Klein and the others, peeking my head between the arms of Kunimitzz and Dale.
It's nothing but fiction.
I forced the grin once again, biting down the cruel remark that so desperately wished to be voiced. In the hall we had fought in not too long ago, an infinite pasture of lumpy mounds marked by metal of various length unevenly distributed lay before us. At the base of the crystal bearing tree, three Forest Elves were slumped over, their weapons bracing them up.
"Keep everyone together," I whispered to Klein. "You're their leader, but let me take over for now." I weaved through the bodies, the crooked grin slowly morphing into a practiced smile. "You guys good to get out of here?" I questioned, loudly stepping up the platform.
The central elf slowly met my eyes, his empty gaze bringing forth the name 'Iseyer'. "We couldn't ask for more hopeful words." He smiled morosely, rousing his companions to their feet.
"Sorry we can't offer anything better, but our goblin friends should have a camp somewhere north of the settlement known as Zumfut. It's not that far from here, but it's the closest place we have." I stopped in front of each of the elves, keeping a hand on one of their arms until they met my gaze. "It might be an hour's march away, but it's someplace we can relax for a time."
"That would…" An elf I didn't recognize spoke up, his rapier held tightly in his hand. "That would be nice."
I gave a sad smile, guiding them towards my group which had made their to the southern hall. "To the Ol'dekhaan camp?" I asked, wondering where Rhaan's bird was.
"To the Ol'dekhaan camp," Klein answered simply. In cursed silence we travelled through the empty and forgotten temple, only the purple crystals and smoking remnants of Fallen Elves bearing witness to our passage.
When at last we filed out the dungeon pass, the Dragon Knight contingent stood, derisive jeers plastered on their faces. "Hey, it's Fūrinkazan and their NPC's. You guys find what you were looking for?"
I stepped forward, a cordial smile hiding my wretched thoughts. "Yes. Thank you for your assistance. And how did your own scouting go?"
The helmeted teen grinned. "Fairly well. A shame that we had to turn back from all the loot we gathered. You would have loved it, I'm sure."
I let my smile widen a fraction. "I'm sure as well. Good day." I nodded in dismissal and walked away, waving my group over. Part of me wondered if agitating him would have caused a fight to break out. The more apparent and detached part of me could only snort indifferently, solemnly leading my group of fifteen towards Zumfut.
Next Chapter should be out November 17-18th.