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setokayba2n: Spot on, Kayba-boy. He did decrease his level a little, but found having a higher level let him unlock shields faster, so he didn't do it much. It was the others he sacrificed lower levels for a lot. The unmentioned reason was that it would take him longer to regain those levels, since the others had the slave/monster adjustments and gained the lion's share of XP for actually killing the monsters.
Chapter 42 – The Echoing Cry
One of the first things Dante did when he woke up the next morning was check out his body. He was pleased to see the shredded remains of the pants he wore the previous day underneath him.
"Hey, I'm back to my regular age again. I mean…whatever."
He'd returned to the age he was when he first entered this world. Everyone had gotten over their worry about Dante's curse last night, and had their bit of fun with him. Keel and Raphtalia got a different kind of enjoyment out of it. Keel for being taller than him while transformed, and Raphtalia as almost a bit of revenge for having to stay transformed. Fohl didn't react much, except when Atla wanted to hold him. Eclair, thankfully, was one of the more composed people.
On a related note, Dante would need to apologize to the maid for the shredded pants he borrowed from her.
The next bit of business was finally getting his arm reattached. Both he and Fiadia met with Rat early in the morning to get it done. Dante had Fiadia go first, letting her experience having two complete arms again for the first time in years. Unlike with him previously, the attachment of her arm and ear went perfectly. Both had taken much less time to grow than anything Dante had.
"Thank you again for this, Lord Shield." Fiadia said, fixated on her regrown limb's movements.
"This is me trying to make things up to you." Dante reminded her. "But, if you really want to thank me, just call me by my name."
He'd eventually get the people he was close with drop the titles and whatnot. Eclair would likely be the most difficult.
"Then, thank you, Da…Lord Dante." She tried.
Dante sighed. "Good enough."
Now came the time for Dante's arm to be reattached. Like with the previous alchemists, Dante had the arm strapped to him while Rat injected it and his shoulder with a syringe. The sensation of nerves being mended felt different than the last time, where the arm shriveled up before the process was complete. This arm didn't seem to decay at all.
"How is it, Lord?" Rat looked at her handiwork.
"It…burns." Dante remarked. "It's not too painful, but…"
"I see." Rat nodded as she looked over her notes. "What else are you feeling?"
"Well…" Dante explained everything he felt, compared to his good arm. Rat followed up with question after question, prompting Dante to give more and more details. As the inquiry went on, the burning pain increased more and more, which Dante informed Rat of.
"Okay, I should have everything I need." Rat said. Using a different syringe, Dante let Rat inject him in his new arm. There was a bit of pain, but the skin and muscles that had just formed around his shoulder broke loose, allowing the arm to fall to the ground.
Rat walked over to the containers with arms in them. Selecting one, she made some adjustments with a gadget and brought it to him.
"This one should be compatible with you, Lord." She said, preparing to attach this second arm.
They repeated the process. This time, the arm melded with him more quickly. The burning pain from before was completely gone.
"Much better." Dante told her, flexing his arm. "You really are a genius."
"Thank you, Lord." Rat gave him a light bow. "I'm not sure if this is a permanent fix, so I'll prepare another set of arms with a few variations. Please inform me if there are any complications with the arm."
Dante wasn't too worried about that. True, he may need to have the arm replaced, and possibly continuously replaced going forward, but it didn't feel likely. Rat accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. He was certain she'd be able to perfect a replacement arm sooner or later if this one didn't take.
With that done, Dante found himself with a bit of free time. He had one place to be later today, but nothing else urgent was happening. The only other thing was needing to leave for the North Ferret Forest in a few days. Things had felt rather chaotic recently, so it was a nice change of pace.
"Mister Dante."
"Oh, good morning, Atla, Keel." He greeted the pair as they approached him outside Rat's lab.
"Hey, you got your arm back!" Keel pointed to the new appendage.
"Yeah. Here's hoping it sticks." Dante nodded. "Say, Atla, how does it feel to you? Do you sense anything strange?"
"Hmm. No, it doesn't seem off at all, Mister Dante." She answered.
That was a pretty good sign. She was able to sense something wrong with his first arm right from the start. If she didn't sense anything, this arm would take a lot longer to decay, if it did at all.
"Hey, what are you wearing?" Keel pointed at Dante's clothes, or lack thereof.
"I wanted to show off my muscles~." Dante responded playfully. He only wore the pants that were made for him before. While he could wear the vest that came with them, he was certain he'd be hit with a fire attack before too long and lose it anyway. The pants held up pretty well against fire, apparently. He didn't bother with shoes either, since he couldn't really feel the difference.
"Still…" Keel tried to argue, but he didn't really have room to talk. Outside of combat, he only wore that loincloth made from magic thread. That, and the pair of swords across his back. Dante was pretty sure Keel liked having that look.
"So, what are you two up to?" Dante pivoted the conversation. It felt almost off to see these two together.
"Could we go for a walk with you around Siltvelt?" Atla asked. "We wanted to talk with you."
"Well, Werner might have something to say about that…no, it's fine." When it came to training for the waves, the leadership here left it up to Dante. Otherwise, well, it's not like Werner wanted to keep Dante off the streets, but he was more insistent about either bringing guards with him or making a spectacle of it. Naturally, Dante tried to avoid either scenario.
"Great!" Atla wasted no time in grabbing Dante's arm. She began to lead him toward the entrance of the castle, with Keel on her other side.
"That's…never mind." Having a young girl drag him around might send the wrong message to anyone watching, but Dante didn't think it would matter much. People here would draw whatever conclusions they liked. The nobles at the castle already knew about the hakuko sisters and their half-human status, as well as them being his slaves, so there wasn't too much to worry about. Dante let a passing maid know he'd be out for a little while and didn't wait to hear any objections.
Dante also noted Atla's appearance. Despite her level, she still looked around 14 years old. Even with the hakuko limit of level 60 before classing up, she still should have appeared older. Then again, Fohl looked to be around 15 herself. Quite possibly, using the Whip method had slowed their growth a little, aside from the obvious lower level part. He hadn't really tested that, since Keel had basically finished growing by the time he used it on him, as did Raphtalia and Rifana.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" They put a good distance between them and the castle, so Dante figured now was a good time to ask.
"Both of us want to do more for you." Atla answered.
"Yeah, we can help out more." Keel added.
"What do you mean?" Dante looked between them. "Keel, you already do plenty. And Atla, it hasn't been that long since you've been able to walk on your own."
It felt like it's been longer, but it's barely been a week since he first saw Atla standing without support. He took both her and Fohl leveling because he thought it would help her condition more, which it seemed to. Even then, Atla spent her time then riding on either Dio or JoJo. There was no need to rush her.
"Even so, now that I can do things for myself, I want to do more." Atla went on. "I want to protect others, instead of only relying on them."
"Well, I can appreciate that." Dante said. "Fohl probably won't like it, but that's her problem. I was going to wait a bit longer, but I'll talk with Eclair and have her start training you."
"Miss Eclair has already started training me."
"Huh? When did…oh." He realized it pretty quickly. Atla and Eclair were both in Siltvelt during Zeltoble's wave.
Atla smiled up at Dante. "Miss Eclair said I was learning very quickly. She thinks I'm good enough to start fighting monsters with you."
"Right, yeah. That sounds about right." While her level wasn't high enough for a class up yet, she did have some levels sacrificed through the Whip, and she could sense things around her pretty well. "Well then, I'll be sure to take you the next time we hunt monsters."
"I'm looking forward to it!" Atla enthused.
"What about me?" Keel spoke up. "What else can I do?"
"Really, Keel, you do enough." Dante said.
"That can't be true!" Keel shook his head.
"What else do you want to do?" Dante tried asking.
"Anything!" Keel shouted. "I don't want to be the weakest anymore!"
"Keel, you aren't…" Dante was about to argue, but he knew he was right. Technically, anyway.
Out of everyone in his party from Melromarc, Keel's stats were the lowest. In his therianthrope form, which he stayed in all the time, he was a bit higher than Eclair. Of course, Eclair had years of experience with a sword and had a number of techniques under her belt, though she rarely needed to use any. His stats were currently higher than Fohl and Atla's, but that wasn't going to stay true forever.
"Everyone else has something they can do. I'm the only one who doesn't." Keel bemoaned.
That was also true. Dio and JoJo had their speed, in addition to their high attack and wind magic. Raphtalia was also quite strong and had illusions. Rifana had her magic and Eclair had her sword techniques. Sadeena was in a class of her own. Keel, on the other hand, wasn't that good with magic. He hadn't learned any more water spells on his own and made no real progress with his beast magic either. He had good agility, but Raphtalia had passed him up after her class up, not to mention Dio, JoJo, and Sadeena.
"I didn't realize you felt this way." Dante said, stopping their walk. "How long have you felt this way?"
"Since…" Keel let his words trail off.
"Since before you came to Siltvelt, Mister Dante." Atla finished.
"That long?" Dante asked. Keel confirmed with a nod. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"You had so much you were worried about already." Keel had his ears lowered as he spoke. "This didn't feel as important."
There was a lot on his plate, Dante had to admit that much. And it did sometimes feel like things were happening nonstop too. Still, that Keel thought he couldn't come to Dante with something like this…
"I had a talk with Rifana last night." Dante said. "I told her never to take an attack for me, like she did at that baroness's keep. She's important to me. You all are important to me. Like Eclair said, you're all part of my family. If something's bothering you, I want you to tell me about it."
"Okay." Keel nodded.
"And, if you don't think you can talk to me…" Dante pointed at Atla with his free hand. "I'm glad you at least can talk to someone. It might work out as well as it did here."
"Okay!" Keel responded more happily.
"I'll talk with Donavan, the vampire, about helping out with your magic too." It was one of the things they talked about while in Melromarc. Vampires had shadow and fire magic, but those with a therianthrope form usually had beast magic in place of one of the others.
"Really? Thanks, Dante! And thank you too, Atla!" Keel vigorously shook Atla's free hand.
"You're welcome, Keel." She responded with a smile. "You've already helped me plenty."
"He has?" Dante looked over at the dog boy, who suddenly seemed to shrink back.
"I talked with everyone in your party about what you've been doing." Atla explained. "Keel told me so much about you."
"Did he?"
"No one heard us!" Keel said quickly. "I didn't say anything really important!"
Everyone in the party knew not to mention too much about Dante's knowledge of this world. Specifically, about the future. Bits of information were likely to leak out here and there, so that was understandable.
"But you did." Atla countered. "You told me Mister Dante likes cute things, like your and Rifana's transformations."
Dante sighed at her words. Of all the things she could have learned, I suppose that's one of the least worrisome.
"Sadeena already told me I don't have one, but sister does. Nevertheless, I'll do my best to be as cute as possible!" She proclaimed, one hand on her chest while the other still held onto Dante.
"You really don't need to." He knew something like this might happen sooner or later, but this was another thing he hoped would be for later.
"I do! Two in your party already have their eyes set on your heart. I need to do my best too."
"Hey." Dante looked around them. They were in a less crowded area of Siltvelt, though there were still onlookers.
"Don't worry, Mister Dante. I didn't sense anyone following us from the castle."
Her ability to sense the presence of people was fairly good. With her condition improved, it was likely to get even better.
"Still, don't mention that out loud. I'm still trying to keep the peace." He said.
"Of course, Mister Dante!"
"Alright, good." So long as she understood, it wasn't a problem. Her clinging to him was a little bit of one. "If that's everything, then—"
"AAAHH!"
The sudden cry startled the three of them. The small cacodemon slipped out from behind Dante's shield and continued crying.
"What's it doing?" Keel held his paws to his ears.
"Reiko!" Dante knew what this meant. The fox boy was in danger. "Damn it!"
They had gotten pretty far from the castle. It would take a bit to get back there and round up everyone.
No. I can't wait. The last time I needed leave quickly…
"Keel, we need to go! Get ready for a fight. Atla, get back to the castle." He'd have to make do with only Keel. Hopefully, the situation wasn't as bad as Reichnott's.
"Mister Dante, what's wrong?" Atla asked, letting go of his arm.
"I don't have time to explain. I need to portal out!"
"Take me with you. I can help." Atla pleaded.
"I'm not—"
"Please, Mister Dante! Let me help!"
"…Alright, fine." He didn't have time to argue. Besides, she had a decent level and it was better to have more people with him anyway. "All Zweite Guard V! Portal Shield!"
With a quick casting done, he transported them all to Melromarc.
~The Wrong Hero~
As they appeared at the bottom of the mining pit, the first thing they saw was the corpses of the two monsters that tended the bioplant. The zergling was near the center and looked to have been hacked to pieces. The baron had part of its arm severed and was impaled with over a dozen arrows, with many more embedded in the ground around it.
It looks like a squad of knights did this. I hope they're on the list, because I'm gonna have to kill all of them.
There didn't appear to be any outside, but it was a good bet where they were.
"Let's get down there, and stay close. Shooting Star Shield VIII!"
With his barrier up, the three of them quickly made for Reiko's cave. Unlike before, Dante had no need to change out his shield or prepare any torches. Several balls of light illuminated their path.
More of Reiko's barons littered the path, all in various states of destruction. Some had large gashes on their chests, others looked to have been severely burned, and all of them had arrows in them. Just before the opening to the larger area was the zealot. Despite seeming like the best of his monsters, it didn't look to have fared much better.
"Let go!" Dante heard Reiko cry out as he and his party entered the open area.
"I have the beast!" The voice was one he only heard once at the banquet in Melromarc. Seeing the source of it and the other people around him confirmed it.
"Itsuki." Dante saw the Bow Hero standing next to Armor.
Of course it's Itsuki. I can't imagine this situation being much worse.
"You." Itsuki turned to face Dante, the rest of his party giving him a sharp look. "I see you got your arm back. What are you doing here, MacRory?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Dante continued to approach, but stopped when Itsuki leveled his bow at him.
"Not that it's any concern of yours, but we're apprehending a murderer." Itsuki stated. "A few knights have disappeared around here and unknown monsters have been sighted. These monsters followed this kid's orders, so it's pretty clear what happened."
"Is it?" If this were a game, it would be pretty obvious. It was all true, but that was beside the point.
"Dante! Help!" Reiko cried out.
Itsuki glanced at Reiko before fixing his gaze back on Dante. "You know this guy?"
That proclamation limited how Dante could play this out somewhat. He didn't really have a plan beyond 'save Reiko', and he was losing options. He didn't blame Reiko. It's just how it was.
"Sir Itsuki, we should apprehend the Shield while we're here." Armor said, dragging Reiko with one arm. "He must answer for his crimes across Melromarc! Especially if he's colluding with this demon maker. He even has a strange creature floating around him!"
"You're right, Mald." One look from Itsuki and the rest of his party fanned out.
All in all, there were 6 party members, including Itsuki. Armor—or, Mald—had a large sword in one hand while still holding Reiko. Additionally, there was a mage, a sword wielder, a spear wielder, and an axe wielder. The ones with the spear and sword were women while the rest were men, all human of course.
Huh. No Rishia here. Well, that's a problem for later.
"Why don't you have your companion let the boy go, Itsuki?" Dante turned to his side, keeping his shield behind him as he switched forms.
"That's 'Sir Itsuki' to you, Shield!" Mald bellowed. Reiko continued to struggle against his grip, but then stopped.
"Don't use my name so casually, MacRory." Itsuki looked ready to pull back on his bowstring.
The rest of Itsuki's companions had spread out, but didn't surround Dante's party yet.
"Stay inside my barrier." Dante told Atla and Keel. Itsuki and his party had decently high levels. While not an incredible threat, they likely had more variation in their abilities than knights.
"What the…it's a hakuko!" Mald yelled out. "The rumors are true! The Shield has gone to Siltvelt to—"
With that momentary distraction, Dante let out a loud Howl, curtesy of his Baron of Hell Shield. The noise echoed throughout the enclosed area, affecting everyone not in Dante's party. As of a few seconds ago, that no longer included Reiko.
"Air Strike Shield!" Following up, Dante placed his erected barrier between Mald and Reiko, letting the fox boy break free from the large man's grasp. He ran to Dante, making it inside the Shooting Star Shield just before an arrow bounced off of it. "Attacking someone from behind? Is that what a hero does?"
"I don't want to hear that from you, MacRory!" Itsuki nocked another arrow, ready to fight. The rest of his party had gotten their bearings back. Against humans, Howl seemed to only disorient instead of causing them to flee.
"I'm sorry, Dante. I'm sorry." Reiko clung to Dante's pant leg as he cried.
"Don't worry about that now." Dante stroked Reiko's head with his free hand as he shifted his shield to the Dark Tyrannosaurus Shield. "We don't need to fight. I have what I came for, so we'll be leaving."
"I don't think so. Your evil is clear to see!" Itsuki pulled back his bowstring as Mald took up position beside him. "Surrender and accept your punishment!"
Dante held up his shield and pushed Reiko behind him. "No."
"Eagle Piercing Shot!" Itsuki let loose his arrow. It slammed into Dante's Shooting Star Shield, shattering it.
Damn. I was hoping he wouldn't have an ability like that yet.
Mald charged forward, as did the three other melee companions.
"Shooting Star Shield!" Dante redeployed his barrier, having already let more than enough time pass to recast it. The barrier effortlessly absorbed the attacks. He didn't want to give Itsuki any ideas about powering up abilities. Even without it, his defense was more than a match for non-heroes.
"Damn Shield!" Mald continued to hack at his barrier. "Fight fairly!"
"It's six on three, asshole!" Dante retorted. "Gale!"
A blast of wind erupted from Dante's shield. Given the nature of the skill, the lack of empowering, and the levels of Itsuki's companions, it only knocked them back a few feet. Still, it was enough.
"Run!" Dante picked up Reiko and they made for the tunnel.
"Ha!" Something whizzed past them. Before they could reach the exit, metal bars shot out from the center of the tunnel, burrowing into the walls, floor, and ceiling. Electricity crackled around them, completely blocking their path.
"I thought that would come in handy." The mage said with a smug look on his face. "I didn't expect to use it underground, though."
"Good job, Welst!" Itsuki complemented his party member. "You won't get away, MacRory. For everything you've done, including enslaving another child, you will face justice!"
"You don't know anything about Mister Dante!" Atla yelled, readying her fists. "He treated my sickness!"
"He's only using you." Itsuki shook his head. "I know the slave seal is forcing you to say such things. Don't worry, I'll free you soon!"
"I'm not surprised you have your head up your ass, Itsuki." Dante shook his head and looked at the metal cage blocking their path.
"It's useless!" The mage, Welst, jeered. "You won't be able to break through that!"
Dante could, he had no doubt about that. While attack was the primary stat for dealing damage, strength played the second highest role when it came to objects, with defense being a minor component. Dante had plenty of all three. He had lightning resistance as an equip bonus and for this shield specifically, so he could handle any damage this cage could inflict on him. The problem was that he'd need to lower his Shooting Star Shield to attack it.
If he used Titanic Charge to burst through, he'd leave a low-level Reiko to get attacked by Itsuki's party. If he tried to hold Reiko while doing that, he risked electrocuting the boy.
"If that's how you want to play this, then fine." Dante set Reiko down. "We'll just have to beat the crap out of each of you so I can take my time breaking us out. Reiko, don't leave my side. Atla and Keel, attack from within my barrier."
"Got it!"
"Yes, Mister Dante!"
With their plan set, Keel and Atla moved to the edge of the barrier to face the swordswoman.
"Don't think things will be that easy for you! Eagle Piercing Shot!" Itsuki used his skill to break the barrier again.
"Shooting Star Shield." Fortunately, Dante's cooldown seemed just as short as Itsuki's.
"Ha!" Keel swung his two swords at the swordswoman, prompting her to step back as she blocked.
"Careful! The dog is strong!" She called out.
"He's not alone!" Atla stepped from the barrier for a moment, delivering a jab to the woman's stomach. She doubled over in pain from the strike.
"Next one!" Dante called out, though the next target was the remaining three.
"Bunker Shot!" Itsuki had gotten closer to Dante before letting out his skill. Unfortunately, the Shooting Star Shield broke on contact with it. "Attack, quickly!"
"Zweite Earth Shot!" Welst finished chanting his spell, hurling a small boulder at Dante.
With his shield brought up, Dante blocked the attack, taking little damage. His main focus had to be Itsuki, since he now had the advantage on cooldown times. His attacks would likely do considerable more damage than anyone else in his party, so Dante placed himself in Itsuki's path.
For his part, Keel was able to hold his own against Mald and the axe wielder. His days of training with Eclair and Sadeena really showed. While not as experienced, Atla was able to dodge the spear user's thrusts with little effort. It was like she could sense her movements before she even made them.
"Damn beast, stay still!" Mald raged, swinging his huge sword at Keel. His much higher agility allowed Keel to redirect or avoid the blows.
"Why would anyone do that?" Keel weaved around and gave Mald a hard slash on his arm.
Mald dropped back for a moment before reengaging. "You dare harm me?! Know your place!"
"Thunder Shoot!" Itsuki's skill shot out at Dante, barely even registering to him as it struck his shield.
"Don't make me hurt you, Itsuki." Dante warned, though he was sure it was falling on deaf ears at this point.
"You can't win, MacRory! Justice always prevails!" Itsuki continued firing arrows at him, with little to no effect.
With another well place thrust, Atla took down the spear user. At this point, it was only a matter of time before all of them were taken care of. That was the idea, until Dante realized what spell Welst was chanting.
"All Zweite Heal!"
A glow emanated from all of Itsuki's companions. The two that were down before got back up and started attacking again.
"Shooting Star Shield!"
"Eagle Piercing Shot!"
The barrier Dante made was destroyed before it fully formed.
"Air Strike Shield! Titanic Charge!" Placing a barrier between him and Itsuki, Dante quickly scooped up Reiko and dashed towards the melee fight. He slammed into the axe wielder and spear wielder, damaging them heavily with his shield's Gore and Shock abilities.
"What the…How did the Shield do that?" Mald swung his blade at Atla, only for her to duck beneath it. A few quick jabs got him to back up, but he kept standing.
With Dante in the melee now, he was able to block the attacks from Itsuki's companions after dropping Reiko. That was, until Itsuki ran around the Air Strike Shield and started shooting into that fight as well. Dante had to back up and continue blocking the arrows.
Is he nuts? He could hit his…no, wait. He has some ability to always hit his target or something, right? Damn, I forgot about that.
"Stop this now!" Atla yelled out. Dante glanced back and saw she had the swordswoman on the ground, a foot on her sword hand and a clenched fist above the woman's head.
"Carla!" Itsuki shouted, lowering his bow slightly.
"It's over, Itsuki." Dante gave him a hard look. "Have your mage let us out of here."
"And let you continue to harm the innocent!?" Itsuki raged.
"That's not what I've been doing, idiot!" Dante was sure he wouldn't be able to convince Itsuki of anything right now. The best course of action was to retreat and let his Portal Shield come off cooldown. "Bottom line: your companion for our freedom. It's a simple trade."
No matter how arrogant or self-serving Itsuki might be at the moment, Dante highly doubted he'd let one of his party members die just to try and capture him. He'd clear the air another time, when Aultcray and the church no longer held power.
"You're right, it is!" Mald yelled, running at Atla with his sword held high. With two hands, he brought it down hard.
"Mald, wait—"
Itsuki's interjection came too late. Atla didn't try to block the attack. She merely jump back, allowing the sword to continue on its course. With a heavy thud, it slammed into the ground. Blood spurted from where it landed, the head of Itsuki's swordswoman rolling away from her body.
"Carla!" Itsuki's cry echoed throughout the cave. It was surreal to see one of his companions killed by another.
Mald simply clicked his tongue before turning his blade toward Dante. "You aren't leaving this place alive, Shield Demon!"
"Zweite Earth Shot!" Before Dante could deal with Mald, Welst shot at the back of Dante's head. It did some damage, but is also disoriented him slightly.
He tried to bring up his shield, but he quickly realized he wasn't Mald's target. Reiko was standing between them, still in cover from Itsuki. Time seemed to slow down as Mald approached, his sword once again overhead. Just as he was about to bring it down, the blade fell from his grip. Keel landed next to Mald, a bloody sword in his grip.
Just like Carla before, Mald's head fell from his body, lightly bouncing on the ground as his body crumpled and dropped.
"Bastaaaard!" Itsuki brought up his bow again, but Dante was ready again.
"Shield Prison!" The shields surrounded Itsuki, binding him in place. Welst had begun casting another spell, but a glare from Dante stopped him. "Release the cage, or you're joining your friends!"
With two of his party members dead and another two out of the fight, that was enough for the mage. He quickly pulled a key from his robes and threw it at the metal bars. In an instant, the electricity stopped sparking from them. The metal bars fell from place, clearing a path.
"Everyone, go!" Dante called, letting everyone exit the area before him. He kept his eyes trained on Welst until he was in the tunnel. They ran through the cave, not stopping even after reaching the surface.
"Zweite Fire Squall VI!" Even with the urgency of escape, Dante didn't want to leave the bioplant to grow uncontrolled. Just because it couldn't produce seeds didn't mean it couldn't become a problem later.
Not being as fast or used to physical exertion, Dante picked up both Atla and Reiko as they continued into the forest. After a few minutes, they dropped out of the run but kept moving. Dante had cast a spell to increase their speed without depleting their stamina running. Eventually, they found a cave they could duck into until Dante's skill came off cooldown.
"Is everyone okay?" Dante asked, though the information in his status told him they were fine.
"Yes, Mister Dante." Atla answered. She was practically glowing from the fight. That, or being carried by Dante.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Keel took the chance to wipe the blood from his swords on some large leaves.
"Reiko?" Dante asked the fox boy as he set him down. When he did, Reiko clung to his pants again. "Reiko?" Dante repeated himself.
"I don't want to stay here anymore!" Reiko cried, tears falling from his face. "Don't make me stay!"
"Easy, easy." Dante dropped down to give him a hug. "I'm not leaving you here. You're coming with us."
Reiko continued to cry into his chest as Dante rubbed his back.
"You're okay now." Dante soothed, trying to calm him down. "You're safe."
For the time being, that was true. It wouldn't take long for what happened here to reach Aultcray and the church. Combined with whatever edits made on that recording of his assault on that baroness, they'd have all the just cause they'd need to demand Siltvelt turn over Dante. Of course, Siltvelt would never do that. What would happen next seemed obvious, but Dante wanted to avoid that as much as possible.
Werner, I hope you have some sort of diplomacy magic. You're going to need it.
Author's Notes:
Out of the frying pan, into another frying pan. Dante seems intent on causing problems for himself.
I don't know what it is about fight scenes, but I can't bring myself to make them long.