The second his feet touched the ground, Bell felt his knees give way as he covered his mouth, trying to stifle the nausea rising from his stomach.
"I think... I'm gonna be sick...!"
Beside him, Lefiya leaned against a nearby wall, her head hung low as she emptied the contents of her stomach. Behind them, the swirling black portal that they had jumped out of closed and faded away.
"Fels... he didn't say anything about it feeling like this...!"
"Lefiya... hurry we have to catch up...!"
Bell stumbled to his feet as he took in his surroundings.
"Y-yeah, just a sec... I'm dying over here..."
So this is the deep floors?
The cavern walls seemed to give off a faint heat, and a small tingling sensation danced across the back of his neck as he stood there.
It feels so different...
"Okay... I'm ready to go."
Bell nodded as Lefiya stepped next to him.
"I'm guessing... we go down there?"
She pointed to a sloping pathway that opened up to a large open area.
From the looks of it, there were no monsters nearby. Upon walking through the passageway and into the open space, Bell realized just how massive the floor was. The floor itself was just a single room, a flattened area even larger than the 18th floor. Charred landforms and boulders were strewn all across the barren landscape stretching as far as the eye could see. Scorch marks covered the ground, and the heavy scent of charcoal and ash hung in the air.
Wait… are those craters?
However, the noise on the floor was what sent a nervous bead of sweat falling down the side of his head.
In the distance, a deafening explosion carried through the air, and Bell almost shivered as he felt the leftovers of great magical power drift through the air like a thick fog.
"Bell! There!"
"Is that them?!"
Lefiya grabbed his arm, pulling him behind her towards a wall of flame that had appeared to sweep over the land.
"That's not Riveria's magic! We have to hurry!"
They're really here...!
As he ran, his eyes could see only one thing in the distance. A goal that was rapidly getting closer and closer.
She's here... I can feel it!
The wall of flame had died out to a few burning patches of embers by the time they got close, but the aftermath of the fire was clear.
"What the hell did we get ourselves into..."
The entire land had been reshaped with the magic. Every single landform within eyesight had been incinerated. Craters from explosions were spread out all over the area, and the rock surfaces had been painted black by the intense heat.
But the monster before him was the most shocking part. It grew from the ground like a massive tree, but it moved as if its body were that of a serpent. At the top of its body, it had several large flower petals blooming from the tip where the most surprising sight was what was at the center of the petals.
"Bell... what is that...?"
"I-I... have no idea..."
She was laughing. Her hand was curled in front of her mouth as she giggled uncontrollably. In any other scenario, Bell would've thought her to be a normal girl; except for the fact that her torso seemed to be melded into the monstrous serpentine body.
Is that a spirit?!
"There they are!"
Lefiya rushed forward towards the limp figures lying on the ground in front of them.
They were all pushed to this point...?!
Riveria and Gareth seemed to be the most injured, with the rest of the Loki Familia strewn about behind them.
"Le...fiya...?"
Bell watched as his comrade knelt down and pulled Riveria into her arms.
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Captain Finn!"
The prum had pulled himself up using a spear and seemed to be struggling just to keep himself standing on his own two feet.
"You shouldn't be here! How did you even-"
"Bell!"
It was her. She had managed to move to her feet despite being covered in countless scrapes and cuts. Her armor was in a condition that would've made any smith cry, and yet she was there.
"Ais..."
"It's coming again!"
Ais suddenly reached around Bell's head and pulled him to the ground.
"Keep your head down!"
Bell twisted his head as he fell, catching a glimpse of the monster through Ais' sheltering arms.
"I order you in the name of the agent, the name given to me is Gnome, avatar of Earth, Queen of Earth…"
"It can use magic?!"
"BRACE YOURSELVES!"
"Meteor Swarm!"
"Dio Grail!"
A glimpse of movement caught his eye as Lefiya jumped to her feet, her staff in hand.
"Lefiya don't!"
Bell was only free to watch in horror as the elf stood against the incoming onslaught. Her orange hair flowed behind her, floating alongside her fluttering robes as magical power surged through her body.
She held her hands out before her, her staff glowing brightly as a massive shield projected out in front of her.
A rain of stones came thundering down against her barrier, each one sending more and more cracks along the shield. All around them, the sounds of explosions rang out as the barrage of boulders rained down.
She won't be able to keep this up!
Bell felt Ais' grip on him tighten as he suppressed the urge to run out to his suffering comrade.
"They can do it, Bell..."
They?
As Bell watched, a familiar figure pulled herself to one knee, nearly collapsing in the process.
Riveria!
The mage had managed to stumble to her feet despite her wounds, and placed a hand on Lefiya's shoulder.
As her apprentice screamed out with everything she had, Riveria supported her, her staff shining as her aura flowed into Lefiya's body.
Together, they stood against the hail of rocks, the barrier before them mending as Lefiya's magical power was restored.
With a final scream, Lefiya's shield flickered and disappeared as her arm fell limply to her side.
"They did it...!"
The barrage was finished. And they were still standing.
Lefiya stumbled backwards, her legs giving away in exhaustion.
She fell without a noise into the arms of Tione and Tiona, who gently caught her.
"You did good, Lefiya. Now rest, we'll take it from here!"
"...no..."
The mage brushed their hands away, trembling as she stood on her own.
"I'm not done... I'm going to fight!"
Bell felt Ais' arms release him, and he moved to stand when he caught the mage's eye.
She smiled back at him wearily, her eyes still filled with resistance and determination.
"See that...? I'm not gonna lose to you...!"
With a laugh, Finn stepped forward.
"It's not often I'm impressed by another's bravery."
Besides them, Gareth extended a gentle hand to lightly ruffle through Lefiya's hair.
"Nicely done, kid."
One by one, the rest of the Loki Familia pushed through their pain and overcame their aching bodies.
"Are you okay?"
Bell once more found Ais' arms helping him up.
"A-ah yeah... thanks for pulling me down..."
"No problem... just tr-"
"Now is not the time you two!"
Bell straightened up nervously, a red blush spreading across his face.
Next to him, Ais smiled slightly as she drew her sword once more.
"They're right. Now, it's time to fight back."
"Bell, Lefiya, I'll straighten you guys out another time but for now, we need to put an end to this."
"Easier said than done. Everything we throw at it, it just balls up and blocks it."
It was true. In the past few moments, Finn had witnessed the monster before them shake off some of his comrades' strongest attacks simply by curling its leaves around itself.
"Well… I mean… those are leaves, right? Why don't we just burn our way through?"
"Wha-"
Bell turned bright red as he felt all of his comrades' eyes turn to him.
Lefiya turned to face Bell, her gaze insistent and focused.
"You can do it, right?"
"W-well… I mean… I guess it does look pretty…. leaf-y?"
"Are we really doing this? We don't even know if it'll burn!"
"You got a better plan?"
"…"
No one said a word. There was only the sound of nervous footsteps shuffling against the ground.
"Then it's settled."
"Goddamnit I can't believe we're doing this…"
Bete turned around, shaking his head as he stepped in front of Bell.
"Try not to trip on your own feet, kid…"
Bell faced forward, his knife already in his hand.
I can do this.
As if sensing the finale fast approaching, waves of caterpillar monsters had appeared behind the Demi Spirit and had begun marching towards them. The Demi Spirit itself laughing as its forces advanced.
"Don't touch their blood! We only have one shot!"
They began to move, slowly building speed as they advanced upon the enemy spirit.
"Clear the way for Ais! Finish this in one move!"
This is going to work… it has to!
Finn raised his thumb to his head and screamed out a command.
"Hell Finegas!"
The captain leaned forward, his spears in hand, and made contact with the enemy lines. Monsters fell before him, their blood boiling and melting through the stones below. Body parts were sent flying by each twirl of his spear as he charged forward.
"Follow the captain! Stay in formation!"
Bell's feet moved on their own. His heart jumped and his stomach twisted and turned in his body as each step took him closer to the enemy. Around him, the shouts of his comrades filled his ears as they broke through the enemy ranks.
Violas and Caterpillar monsters alike fell before their charge whether they were cleaved in two by Tiona's Urga or sent flying by Gareth's war hammer.
Behind them, Riveria stood with her staff raised into the air. A chilling aura spread along the ground sending cracks beneath her feet. A hazy blue light shone from under them as she neared the end of her chant.
"Harbringer of the end, the white snow…"
If it's for a single strike….
"…closing light, the freezing land…"
I'm putting everything on the line…!
"Blizzard, the three severe winters… my name is Alf!"
Riveria screamed out her command, squeezing every last drop of magical power from her body and channeling it out around her. A chill filled the cavern as if the temperature itself fell several degrees, and a pulse of her blue aura flashed out from around her.
"Wynn Fimbulvetr!"
In an instant, the crowds of monsters around them were covered in sheets of ice, leaving them frozen in place. She continued to shout out as she pushed herself to her limit, spreading her magic all across over the hordes of monsters. Almost immediately after casting her spell, Riveria felt her legs go limp as her mind was hit by the backlash of exerting too much magical power.
"Riveria!"
She found her way to the ground, her fall blunted as Raul caught her and fell in at her side.
"…that's it… that's everything I got left…!"
It really is all up to you guys now…!
—
"We're almost there! Keep moving!"
Bell continued to sprint forward, weaving in and out of the frozen monsters. He had heard Riveria shout out her command, and he heard the flutter of her robes as she crumpled to the ground.
But still, he kept his eyes forward, watching as his comrades fought with everything they had. The shards from Bete's magic daggers crumbled in his hands as he used them for the third time that day. Bell heard him curse as the priceless weapons were reduced to dust.
They're all doing everything they can to win... I have to do the same...!
With a surge of determination, Bell powered forward as white sparks began to flock to his hand.
Ahead of them, the Demi Spirit howled as she begun to chant yet again.
"I am the avatar of thunder, my name is Lux..."
"Here it comes!"
Gareths scream came from somewhere ahead of him as they began to prepare for an attack.
"I got this! Everyone, behind me!"
It was Lefiya. Despite her shaking voice, once more she managed to stand in front of all of them, her staff held before her in an act of defiance.
How long as it been...? A minute? More?
His hand pulsed lightly as it began to glow brighter and brighter.
"Crackle, strike, go forth my bolt of light... Thunder Bolt!"
The spirit opened her arms as a beam of light fired from its mouth. The air crackled and popped as the lightning bolt crossed the field in an instant, crashing against Lefiya's barrier once more.
"It's... strong...!"
"We got your back Lefiya! Keep at it!"
Tiona and Tione lunged forward, offering their very bodies to aid the shield. Bell watched as they crossed their arms over their faces and leaned into the point of impact, shouting at the top of their lungs as the shield burst into fragments of light.
With a blinding explosion, the trio were blown back, their bodies charred and tingling with electricity.
"...go...end it...!"
Without even slowing down, Finn and Bete charged forward past their fallen allies and towards the spirit.
"This is it! End of the line!"
Bete and Finn leapt into the air, their weapons poised to attack, when a sudden eruption of vines beneath them formed a wall in front of the spirit.
"Reinforcements!"
"Where the hell did they come from?!"
With a metallic clang, their weapons bounced off the mass of bodies, unable to cut through the sheer amount of mass before them.
"You gotta put your back into it Finn!"
Gareth roared as he stepped forward and began to cut his way through the wall. He swung his massive battle-ax as if it weighed no more than a feather, tearing through the enemy without regard for his own defense. He shrugged off the pain of the enemy attacks as he continued to step forward in his frenzied state, forcing his way through. Even as vines pierced his armor and the jaws of violas sank into his flesh, he didn't slow down.
"An opening!"
Bete shouted as the forest before them began to fall apart.
"Get out of the way gramps!"
Ais fell in next to him as they jumped over Gareth and pushed through the path he had opened up.
"Now!"
It was Bete and Finn's turn to attack. They rushed the spirit and in a blur of movement pushed past her. As they landed on the ground, wounds opened up across their bodies as they traded blows with the monster.
"AAAAAAAAHHH!"
The spirit wailed in pain, her face contorting and twisting into horrifying expressions. Her arms and several tentacles had been severed from her main body, falling to the ground beside the two senior members.
"Again! Bete!"
The duo spun and reversed their movements, leaping once more to attack. However, this time, the spirit was ready. Its leaves curled up around it, hardening into a shell around its body. Bell watched as their weapons bounced harmlessly off of the plant like shield.
"Dammit!"
"It's too tough!"
With a crack, the spirit sent the two flying backwards with a single whip of its remaining vines.
They couldn't pierce it?
"Bell..!"
He turned his head to look to his side. Ais had fallen in next to him, her eyes catching his for just a moment before turning forward. Her eyes burned with determination, and in that instant, her wordless message was heard.
"Show me."
Bell nodded as he skidded to a halt, raising his hand before him. For the first time, he felt as if he knew exactly what to do next.
"Leave it to me!"
"Roar, Tempest…!"
A gust of wind flew past him as Ais leaped into the air, her body cloaked in a flowing green aura.
Her sword flew in front of her as the spirit screamed in agony, vines rising up to defend her. With a loud crash, they sent Ais flying straight into the ceiling of the dungeon, causing another rain of stones to fall to the ground.
I can't miss this... I have one shot...!
He watched as Ais sprung down from the ceiling, propelling herself with the full power of her wind. As expected, the Spirit curled its body into itself, bringing up its petals to shield itself.
Now!
"Do it, Argonaut!"
"Turn it to ash!"
His hand flashed one last time as he finished charging, the voices of his comrades reaching his back. With one final second, he shouted out his spell.
"Firebolt!"
Lighting and flames spewed from his hand and shot forward, exploding upon contact with the spirit. His sleeve and right side of his shirt melted away from the heat, but he continued to stand as the attack landed. He winced in pain, flinching slightly as the heat stung his face.
In a cloak of flames, he watched the silhouette of the spirit arch its back and scream in pain as its shield was burnt away.
It worked!
Almost instantly, Bell felt his vision go dark and his knees buckle beneath him. But he remained standing. Taking a slight step forward, he dug his feet into the ground and screamed out her name with everything he had left.
"Finish it Ais!"
In a flash of light, Ais fell through the air and crashed into the spirit, her entire body glowing a brilliant green and white.
"Lil... Rafaga!"
—
It was over in an instant. Like an arrow, Ais had pierced through the vulnerable spirit. She hit the ground, rolling to a stop as her wind powered down.
The spirit had stopped moving, its expression twisted into one of shock as it looked down. A gaping hole had opened up spanning from her waist to just below her neck, completely destroying her body.
With a final shudder, the spirit began to fall, its remaining petals and vines turning grey as they withered away.
It collapsed under itself, the main body falling to the ground in a cloud of dust.
Bell gasped for air, regaining his footing as the spirit fell at his feet.
Her expression was still one of pain and shock, the red gem in her forehead seemingly pulsing as it began to lose its shine.
"Its... over...!"
He almost laughed as he stood alone, watching as the vines and violas all around either turned to ash or slipped away through cracks in the ground.
"We did it…!"
However, as he gasped for air, his attention was drawn to the left behind gem that fell to the ground.
That looks important.
Bell bent down, grasping the delicate jewel in his hand and bringing it up to his eyes. Its perfectly cut edges and smooth faces captured and reflected the low light, glowing a deep scarlet between his fingers.
"Wow…"
The sound of steps brought his attention behind him, and he found himself turning to see Ais limping next to him.
She smiled, her shoulders heaving in exhaustion as she neared him.
"You didn't collapse this time?"
Bell offered a weak smile as he pushed a hand behind his head.
"I guess I didn't...!"
She tilted her head slightly at the gem in his hand.
"Is that…?"
"Yeah. It's kinda… pretty… isn't it?"
Ais brought her hand to her sword hilt as she locked her gaze on the glittering gem.
"Shall I destroy it just in case?"
"Wha- well… actually I was thinking that maybe I could bring it back to the surface?"
Ais took a step closer, drawing her sword from her sheath, a determined look on her face.
"It's too dangerous to risk that."
"W-wait a second! Can I at least ask the captain first?"
Ais shook her head and readied her sword.
"He's busy."
"He's right there!"
"This'll just take a second."
"Ais! At least let me put it down first!"
—
"What the hell are they doing…"
A bit away from them, Finn pulled himself to his feet while Bete rolled onto his back, tilting his head up to watch Bell desperately try and hide the gem behind his back.
"Hah… let them have their fun, we won after all."
Bete shook his head with a low growl, closing his eyes as he laid his head back against the ground.
"Hmph… whatever you say."
"I...thought... we were done for!"
"You pulled through Lefiya!"
Somewhere behind them, the rest of their comrades voices drifted to his ears, their tired voices filled with exasperation and relief at the same time.
"Now what?"
"Now we head home."
Finn stopped himself, looking down at his hand.
Hmm?
"My thumb… is it still not over?"
"Captain?"
Finn spun around, raising his voice in a warning.
"Somethings com-"
Bete lifted his head from the ground at the captain's warning, attempting to stand as something caught his attention.
"Incoming! Above!"
There was no time to react. An explosion of rocks and dust flew into the air as something crashed into the ground next to them. Bell covered his eyes, coughing as he was blinded.
"I'll be taking this."
"Wha-!?"
He felt a strong grip wrap around his wrist and pull it back as another hand pressed against his shoulder, forcing him down.
Bell winced in pain as his hand was twisted back painfully. With one fluid movement, his assailant slipped the gem out from his grasp.
"Duck!"
He lifted his eyes just in time to see a flash of silver shoot past his head. Ais moved with incredible speed, her saber stabbing back towards the person behind him.
"Gah!"
Bell felt the hold on his wrist loosen as Ais' attack connected. He shook off the grip and spun around to finally see his attacker for the first time.
The figure wore a dark hooded robe, his face hidden by a blood red mask with a black swirling design. He grasped his hood in one hand, securing it over his head. In his other, he held the gem taken from the spirit.
"Who are you!?"
"Hah. As if I'd say."
The newcomer's voice was warped and jumbled together, sounding as if multiple people were speaking over each other at the same time.
His voice… it's almost like Fels'?
"You really chose the worst time to attack…"
Captain!
Finn had caught up to them and moved to stand next to him, his spear already in hand.
In the corner of his eye, Bell saw the rest of his Familia moving into position, slowly encircling the new foe.
The masked person turned his head from side to side, watching as the party of Orario's strongest adventurers surrounded him.
"Take off your mask and hand over the gem. You're outmatched."
"Is that so…?"
He stood up, bringing a hand up to readjust his mask. On his right shoulder, Bell could see a tear in his robe along with the tinges of red blood from where Ais had cut him.
"Because, it looks to me like you're all one step away from keeling over and dying."
He turned his head to look at all of the battle weary adventurers surrounding him.
"Perhaps I could give you a slight push in the right direction?"
"Tch… cocky bastard, you really think you can take all of us?"
"Yes. Yes, I think I can."
"Then lets see you try it!"
The ring of adventurers closed in at once, all of their weapons drawn and ready. Bete was first, his body a blur as his lashed out in a vicious combination of kicks and slashes.
"You're slow, Vanargandr!"
He's right… even I can see he's slowed down significantly…!
The masked person weaved through Bete's attacks, blocking and pushing through his kicks. Then, he saw his chance. With a perfectly timed counter, he lunged forward, dagger in hand.
"Pull back!"
"We got this!"
Bete swore as he jumped back, the tip of the dagger narrowly missing his throat. Above him, Tiona and Tione fell upon their enemy, their weapons crashing down through the air. In a dance of silver, the twins moved with deadly efficiency, slashing and cutting in perfect sync.
"-urk!"
The black robe that covered the enemy flapped with every movement, but as Bell watched, holes and tears began to appear in the fabric alongside sprays of red.
"Enough!"
He spun quickly, slashing in a circle around him and forcing the Twins to jump back.
"You will al-!"
His shout was cut short by a slight whistling that cut through the air. Two streaks of silver fell through the air like arrows.
Captain!
"Hup!"
Next to him, Finn had thrown both of his spears with deadly accuracy, the first one impaling the target's shoulder, the other sent spinning into the air with a spray of sparks..
"Agh!"
He stumbled back, clutching the spear that protruded from his body.
"Looks like I got you. How about surrendering now?"
"Grr… as if!"
"It's not like you have much of a choice."
A new voice brought their attention back towards the entrance from above.
"Ottarl!?"
The level 7 approached them alone, his body and clothes almost soaked with blood.
"You look like you've gone through Hell and back…"
It was true. Blood dripped from his hands and blades, and dirt stained his features. Slight cuts and wounds decorated his arms and legs.
Are those bite marks?
"Tch. Another one joins the party, huh?"
"You're one to talk. I don't think I've ever seen you so injured, Finn."
The large man ignored the masked man's remarks, only keeping his eyes on the prum in front of him.
"How's it looking up top?"
"I've left Allen and the others to clean things up. The monsters have been routed, and what remains of the cultists are being subdued as we speak. However, one managed to slip away, and so I've come to find him."
Finn smiled at the good news.
"Hear that? Just give up and turn yourself in."
All eyes turned back to their one remaining adversary who stood silently.
"… one escaped, you say…?"
Ottarl nodded.
"The commander with the goat mask. He ran as soon as his pet was killed."
"Heh… haha… commander? That guy isn't in charge of shit."
He laughed, drawing another dagger from the folds of his robe.
He still wants to fight?
"But he sure is good at staying alive…"
A blur of movement caught Bell's eye as a figure seemed to materialize out of thin air, stepping out of the shadows to join the masked man.
"There you are."
Ottarl stepped forward, brandishing his great sword in hand.
The newcomer wore a pale white goat skull mask with horns protruding from the top. It cut away on the lower half of his face, exposing a sickly grin. His white robes were tattered and covered with blood and dirt, but other than that, he appeared to have no visible wounds.
"You again…!"
"Hey there wolfy…"
The man smiled as he recognized the werewolf across from him.
"You know him?"
"Yeah… he's from the 27th floor… Olivas Pact…"
"How… how are you still alive?"
"It doesn't matter. If he's not dead yet, he's about to be."
The air hung thick with tension as the two opposing parties faced off. One on side, some of the greatest adventurers of Orario barely remained standing, exhausted from their previous battles. On the other, two formidable opponents with unknown capabilities and no injuries had just made themselves known.
As they continued to stand, Ais moved closer to him, subtly reaching out with her hand.
"Ais…?"
In her hand was a glass vila filled with a light blue liquid.
A Mind potion…
He nodded his thanks, taking it and drinking quickly. Almost immediately, he could feel a slight weight being lifted from his shoulders. Then, he looked to the ground. At his comrade's feet lay several caps and corks from similar potions. As the captain spoke, the other adventurers were taking the chance to likewise regain as much of their strength as possible.
He's buying us time to recover..!
"You're gonna wish you surrendered when you had the chance."
Bete pressed his fist into his hand, cracking his knuckles with a pop.
"Ready for this, you pieces of trash?"
Finn. Gareth. Ottarl. Tione. Tiona. Bete. Ais. We have overwhelming numbers. This should be easy.
Both Lefiya and Riveria were down for the count, resting as Raul did his best to take care of them.
The first man leaned forward with a slight bow, raising a hand across his body to rest upon his shoulder.
"Ein. First servant of Enyo."
With the introduction out of the way, Finn drew his reserve knife with a hiss of steel.
"Let's go."
—
