Volume II: Unforgiving Kingdom
Chapter XXV: The World Underneath the Great Kingdom
Location: Underneath Goldenia
Albert and Grena had exited the tunnel path that they had been travelling on via the hidden exit that Grena exposed. However, what they uncovered after walking out was not at all what they were expecting to find.
"I know I said I wanted to go exploring but..." Grena said. "But I don't think that I want to get involved in whatever the hell is going on..."
"You and me both." Albert said. "But yet... I don't think we should just turn around and ignore this."
"Don't turn around and- Albert do you not see what the hell I'm seeing!? You expect the two of us to do something about this?!"
What Albert and Grena stumbled upon was a large cavern that had been dug out underneath Goldenia. The large cave was big enough to the point that a large number of people could come into it and live out their lives underground. There weren't any buildings or structures around but there were multiple paths and stairways across the cavern, all of them leading upwards. What's more is the fact that this cavern was not empty. While the two of them had not been noticed, Albert and Grena could look around and see several cave-dwelling, demonic beasts walking or flying all over the cavern. The larger ones were being used as battering rams for either the walls or the roofs of the cavern, trying to tear it down. Smaller demonic beasts could be seen commanding the larger beasts or patrolling the large cave.
The beasts inside of the cavern all varied. Some of them were menacing looking creatures with bat-like wings while other types of demons were living skeletons that are able to move around and perform as if they were still human. Others were giant beasts walking on either two or four legs, and had body parts of those of different animals.
"You expect for us to be able to take on all of those things by ourselves?!" Grena said to Albert. "Listen, I'm strong yeah, but I ain't no miracle worker. If we get spotted chances are we're gonna die to this cave full of demons."
"Nobody's saying that we have to pick a fight with them." Albert responded. "Think about it. It's a group of demonic creatures, a large one at that, lurking around and digging out caverns underneath Goldenia. At the very least, we need to try and sneak around so that we can figure out what exactly is going on down here."
"There's not really a lot of hiding spots around here you know. Hell, with all the guys I see keeping watch over this place, it's a damn miracle that we haven't been spotted yet!"
"The last thing they're expecting to see would be someone entering in here from outside. They're most likely just there to make sure the other creatures don't try to do anything foolish."
"That doesn't reassure me at all. What the hell are we supposed to do then?"
"Stay low, and try to keep near the walls at all costs. We have to at least try and reduce their chances of spotting us."
"Wonderful. Just wonderful! I love taking huge gambles with my life like this!"
"And would you cut the sarcasm please?"
Quickly, Albert and Grena decided to put this plan into motion. The two ran for the the closest thing to any sort of cover so that they could sneak around and try to understand what are demons doing underground Goldenia of all places. However, unknown to the two of them, they had already been spotted by one of these cave-dwellers. Though this one in particular, didn't seem to care about ratting them out to the other demons.
Location: 1st Floor, Goldenia
Monika, Mina, and Mona all found themselves making their way back to Feena's house, hoping to run into the archer mercenary also heading back home since it was getting late. As the sun was setting, the three were slowly approaching Feena's house, Monika leading the way while the two sisters followed, Mona having just woken up sometime during their walk.
"Hey, Mina...?" Mona yawned while talking to her sister. "What did I miss while I was asleep? Why are we following her?"
"Monika's offered to help us find somewhere to stay down here for tonight." Mina answered. "Tomorrow, we're going to put something together in order to help Albert and Grena after the sinkhole incident."
"Oh. . . Are Albert and her alright?"
"I'm sure that they are."
Soon the three girls arrived in front of Feena's house, indicated by Grena's broken motorcycle sitting in front of the house and by the fact that Monika stopped walking when she was in front of the house. Though when they arrived, they noticed that Feena wasn't anywhere in sight.
"That's strange." Monika said. "I would've expected Feena to beat us here."
"Could something have happened to her?" Mona asked.
"She's probably still walking around." Mina replied. "Should we just wait outside for her? I wouldn't want to intrude on her home."
"I'd be willing to let you two in myself, and explain things later." Monika answered.
"No, it's fine, I promise. I wouldn't feel right entering someone else's home like this without permission. Waiting outside doesn't bother me."
While Mina and Monika were talking with one another, Mona's eyes drifted to the side as something manages to catch her attention. Hiding between two nearby buildings, Mona could see Predator signaling for her to come over. The girl knew that she would have to find an excuse to leave Monika's and Mina's side without raising any suspicions towards herself from the former.
"Hey! I have an idea!" Mona suddenly said loudly, getting the attention of the other two. "We should go search for her! Something really could have happened to her and maybe that's why she isn't back."
"Feena's not one to be pushed around so easily." Monika replied. "But if something did happen to her..."
"Are you worried about her?" Mina asked.
"I am. When I think about it, it would be best for us to go and look for her." Monika turned around. "I know which direction she went in, so I'll head that way. Could the two of you search around somewhere else in case she's elsewhere?"
Mina nodded. "Okay. I'll see if she's over by the sinkhole. Perhaps she went there trying to meet up with us before it got dark."
"I'll go search somewhere else from the floor." Mona said. "Maybe I'll see if anyone has seen her!"
"Alright." Monika said.
"Whoever finds her first will come and get the rest of us before we turn in then." Mina said.
The girls all nodded and walked off in different directions. Mona was walking rather slowly as she looked at the others, waiting until Monika and Mina were somewhere where they would be unable to see her. Once they were, she quickly sped up and walked over to where Predator was hiding. The assassin was standing in between two abandoned buildings, her left foot up against a wall while her arms were folded.
"Where have you been?!" Mona asked her as she came up to Predator.
"Fulfilling the mission we were sent her for." Predator answered. "I captured the young child that we were sent here for and took her to the eight floor where Iska and the others were all waiting."
"Y-You did?"
"Yes. I defeated that other girl too."
Predator suddenly winced as she stood up straight. She held a hand over her stomach, over the injury she received while fighting Feena. Mona immediately noticed this.
"Oh no, you're injured!" Mona said as she held up her staff. "Here. Let me."
"Please do." Predator sighed. "This wound stings badly."
A small electric wave emitted from Mona's staff, the assassin feeling her body being struck by small bolts of lightning from the mage's staff. Predator winced and groaned at that, but soon felt her wound feeling slightly better as she started to recover.
"Couldn't you have done that without the shock treatment?" She asked.
"Nope!" Mona answered. "That's how my magic works. I heal using electricity and fight with it." She then shakes her head. "But that's besides the point. What do we do now that she's been taken?"
"This is where I go back to the eighth floor and wait for the next part of our plan to engage. Now, it is up to you to find the rest of their group and lead them to the eighth floor."
"But-But I-"
"What is it? Are you referring to that sinkhole incident?"
"You know about that?"
"I've been watching you all for a while. I saw that two fell into the sinkhole, one of them being a close friend to you and your sister. However, that doesn't change the fact that we have a mission to fulfill. If he's strong enough that your sister seems to rely on him that much to the point she came down here alone to seek his help, then most likely he'll survive the sinkhole and against the other girl if she proves to be a hindrance. For now, focus on getting everyone else to the meeting point, and make sure your sister doesn't get along too well with our targets."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Even though I wasn't watching you all the time, right then and there your sister and the blonde seemed to be acting quite friendly despite being originally enemies. If she's been convinced to side with them then the two of us won't be able to save her if push comes to shove."
"Mina wouldn't do that! She had a reason for coming after them and it's not to help them!"
"So you say... Then I'll inform everyone about that as well. This entire mission now rests on you convincing them to come up to the eighth floor."
Mona started to sweat a little. "E-Entirely on m-m-me?"
"Don't bother getting nervous. You can't afford to now." Predator turns around and gets ready to leave, but then stops. She turns her back to face Mona once again and speaks. "Oh, and other thing."
"What is it?"
"Be on the lookout for a young boy with blonde hair wearing fancy clothing. He's an accomplice of theirs and I think he may be aware of what we are planning."
"H-Huh?!"
Predator doesn't say anything else but quickly runs off, leaving Mona to try and reach out to her like she was telling her to wait. As Predator was gone, Mona stood there for a minute as she thought about everything she learned. The mage had a nervous look on her face and gulped. The entire plan was now resting entirely on her shoulder and she was scared to mess it all up, for herself and for Mina.
"This is bad..." She thought to herself.
-x-
"Feena? Feeena?"
Meanwhile in another part of the floor, Monika ran off in the area that Feena took Goblin Mage in. She looked around left and right while calling out Feena's name. However she never received an answer despite her calls, and no matter where she looked she was unable to spot her. That didn't stop Monika from giving up her search. Going as far as to even search inside multiple buildings for the two, she looked in every place that she could find in that direction.
"This is the way she ran off to, I'm positive." Monika said aloud to herself, scratching her head. "I'm sure she would've stayed close enough so that she could see if anything happened and come back to help. But then again she had Goblin Mage with her so she might've really wanted to get some distance between her, Mina and Mona." Monika walked into another building to search as she thought aloud. "There's not too many places here that she could be. Or... Or maybe..."
"As much as I've enjoyed all our time together as a group despite our previous actions, it's getting about time for us to say 'Goodbye' to each other. Time for us to go our separate ways. Unless you have some other plans, that is."
"Maybe she's really decided to use this as a way to say goodbye." Monika thought. "With our exit so close in mind, and nothing but problem after problem spawning on us for staying here, maybe Feena decided to take off finally. But on the other hand..."
"You're right. The only thing I think about is wanting revenge against goblins for what they did when I was a child... But that's it. You can't call that a plan. I don't know how I'm gonna get there. I don't know what I'm gonna do to make that possible. All I'm doing is just making things harder for myself and harder for Goblin Mage. I haven't been thinking about any of that."
Monika walked out of the building as she continued to think aloud. "She's already feeling bad about dragging Goblin Mage into trouble. If she did leave, that would make things more complicated for her as she doesn't even know what she wants to do on her own. So the chances are that they haven't left the first floor yet." Mona put a hand on her chin. "So where are they?"
Monika continued to think until her concentration was suddenly broken by the sudden sound of what could only be a cat meowing. She looked up and alert at first as she heard the sound, and then looked around her. Turning around she saw a pitch black cat staring at her, its eyes glowing yellow in the darkening sky. Upon taking a closer look before walking towards it, she noticed; the cat had no shadow.
"A cat without a shadow...?" Monika asked herself. "Wait a minute..."
The cat let out a soft meow and started walking over toward Monika, who started walking towards it in response. Meeting halfway, she kneels down to where she would be able to easily touch it. Reaching out for the cat's head, Monika saw her hand phase right through the cat as she tried to pat in on the head.
"It is a shadow." She said. "Then that must mean he's..."
Monika stopped mid sentence and hopped back up to her feet. She turned around to look behind her and wasn't surprised with what she saw. Standing behind her was the phantom thief Chat Noir, holding his cane as he was waiting to see how long before Monika figured it out.
"How long have you been following me?" Monika asked.
"For a while actually." Chat Noir answered. "Thankfully we managed to get a chance to talk while you're alone."
"Alone? You mean you were waiting for me to get away from Mina and Mona?"
Chat Noir looked around and then started walking, gesturing for Monika to follow him. Monika wasn't sure what he had planned but she proceeded to follow anyway.
"So what's all this about?" Monika asked him. "I can get that you wouldn't trust Mina and Mona but why did you want to speak with me in the first place?"
"Well for starters, I found Feena earlier." Chat Noir answers.
"You did? Where is she? Are she and Goblin Mage alright?"
"About that..."
"Oh no..."
"Looks like somebody's let our old friend Predator out of jail and now she's back down here on the first floor." The phantom thief begins to explain things as they walked. "But it's most likely she isn't working alone this time. When I came across her, she'd managed to defeat Feena on her own and kidnap that little girl that she was with."
"She kidnapped Goblin Mage!?"
"Ah, so you know that girl as well."
"What the hell does she want with Goblin Mage?! Why would she kidnap her?!"
"I don't know, honestly. But if my suspicions are correct, then she's most likely working with the Imperial Army. And most likely, those two new friends of yours are probably in on this as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, let's go back to the start of things shall we?" Chat Noir tapped the head of his cane in his hand as he talked. "When I spotted her earlier, I saw Predator associating with the girl that was in green a while ago when I was down here. I began to get suspicious of what was going on, mainly because I wanted to know more about why Predator had been released from prison so early. I also kept an eye on the green one, Mona I believe you said her name was. I found out that she apparently knows the one they call 'People's Champion' here as well as she had a sister. Of course you already know this. That's what led me back to following Predator. I nearly lost track of her after getting distracted by this giant hole in the middle of nowhere, and when I found her again she was beating down Feena and going after that little girl she was protecting. I tried to grab the two of them and take off before she could get us. Unfortunately her reaction time was a lot faster than I was expecting. I managed to save Feena but she took the little girl and fled. I followed her for a while and then she went up to a higher floor. I'm not sure exactly which one though."
"And is that all you know?" Monika asked as the phantom thief finished his explanation.
"That's about it. Now onto why we're here now, Feena's still recovering."
"How long before she gets back up?"
Soon, Monika and Chat Noir both arrived at the place where Chat Noir had hid Feena. The mercenary in question was laying on the ground with her hands on her stomach. Her injuries were healing up quite nicely and it looked like she would recover and wake up anytime now.
"I'd say not long." Chat Noir answered Monika, then shrugged. "Then again, I'm a thief, not a doctor."
Monika groaned. "Now's not the time, you damn thief."
"Goblin Mage!"
Coincidentally at the same time, Feena sudden shot straight up from where she was lying, looking distressed.
"Where is she?!" She exclaimed, looking around. "What happened!? Where am I?! Where's-"
"Feena! Feena! Calm down!" Monika responded, putting a hand on Feena's shoulder. "It's Monika, and Chat Noir!"
"M-Monika!?"
"Calm down for a moment! We'll explain everything."
"Explain? Right, explain! I-I need to explain things to! Monika, listen. It's-"
"Predator. I know. And she's got Goblin Mage too."
"She did!?"
"Stay calm!" Monika put both hands on Feena's shoulders, trying to keep the mercenary calm. "I need you to stay calm about all this! Losing it isn't gonna help us get Goblin Mage back! Deep breaths, Feena. Deep breaths."
Feena took several deep breaths alongside Monika, trying to calm herself over the fact that Goblin Mage has been stolen from her. She started to slowly calm down from after she woke up, Monika taking her hands off of her shoulders.
"Feeling better?" Chat Noir asks Feena.
"No... I'm not..." Feena replied, shaking her head. "What am I gonna do? We were so close Monika. We could've found Grena inside that hole, grab Ragna when he's up, and then just walk right out of Goldenia. But I can't leave without Goblin Mage..."
Monika starts to pull Feena back up to her feet.
"Come on." She said. "Let's head back to your place for now. We can talk it out there."
"What about those other two?" Chat Noir speaks up. "I did tell you that there's a chance that they're working alongside Predator. If you talk to them about this, they might lead you straight into a trap."
"Mina and Mona..." Feena started to say. "They're..."
"We don't know for sure." Monika said. "But we've got a lot of problems now. Grena and Albert are trapped underground, Goblin Mage has been kidnapped, and Mina and Mona could possibly be tricking us but we don't know for sure. But right now, we have to try and see if they can help us."
"W-Why? Why should we try and trust them?"
"I just need you to have faith in me on this. I'm sure we'll get back Goblin Mage. I'll stay here in Goldenia with you for the time being."
"I think you two should get going." Chat Noir cuts in, looking at the night sky. "It's getting late." The phantom thief spun his staff around then starts walking away from the two. "I'll see what else I can find about Predator."
Chat Noir soon vanished into the shadows. Monika and Feena began walking off too, the latter holding onto the former as she walked.
"Monika! There you are!"
As they started to leave, they saw Mina and Mona running over to them, the two girls having caught up with each other earlier.
"Mina! Mona!" Monika responded.
"You found her! Thank goodness." Mina said, looking at Feena. She noticed the distressed look on her face immediately. "Hey, is she alright? She doesn't look too good."
"We'll explain everything once we get to the house." Monika looked at Feena. "Feena, can you walk on your own?"
"Yeah... I can..." Feena answered.
"Alright. Let's go."
The four soon found themselves walking back to the house, Mona being the one walking behind them. As she walked, she had a look on her face as if she was lost in thought.
"Mina, she's..." She thought to herself.
-Sometime Earlier, In another area of the 1st Floor. . .-
"Mona! There you are!"
As Mona was walking around after her conversation with Predator, she ran into her older sister Mina, who was looking elsewhere Feena. Mina ran up to her younger sister as Mona walked towards her.
"Did you find Feena?" Mina asked.
"No." Mona asked. "I didn't."
"I see. Unfortunately, neither did I. I guess we should go and help Monika since we've looked over here."
"Right."
Mina and Mona started walking in the way that Monika went off into. On the way, Mona had started up a conversation with her sister.
"Hey, Mina...?" Mona started to ask. "What do you think about Monika and her friend Feena?"
"Hm?" Mina blinked surprised, not expecting that question. "Well, I'm not sure I can make an opinion on Feena. But, Monika seems like a nice person despite everything that we've heard from the Imperial Army."
"H-Huh?"
"Ah, right. You were asleep during this. I actually got to sit down and have another conversation with her after we explained the banquet incident to her. I don't know if she's truly telling the truth or trying to deceive me... but she really sounded like she wanted to help us. It didn't sound like she was just saying it either. I honestly feel as if Monika related to the pain we felt when Mena was taken from us. Do you remember what she said? That she knew how we felt when Mena died?"
"Yeah?"
"She mentioned something about how she lost some friends some time ago. Hearing our story must have reminded her of that. I don't know why, but after that I just continued to feel like... what I've been trying to do is a mistake."
"What are you talking about?! This isn't a mistake! What we're doing isn't a mistake!"
"I'm still unsure, honestly. I've had a lot to think about. Part of me wants to turn them in and use our reward for the three of us' sake. But at the same time, there's a part of me that wants to just forget all of this and go join them."
"You can't!"
Mina sighed and giggled. "I really wish I could just make up my mind about this situation like you seemed to have. You seem so adamant on remaining enemies with Monika, huh?
Mona blushed slightly after realizing all the outbursts she has been making.
"I know you think that this is the best way to go about things, and I understand." Mina continued. "I just want to keep an open mind. You know, like Albert would. He wouldn't be the type to act like you are currently. I think maybe I should look at the situation the way he would some more. Then, I'll decide what I want to do."
"...And... And if we're enemies...?" Mona asked worriedly. "What if we choose to go different routes?"
"I won't fight against you if that's the case. We may be sisters, but we have to choose our own paths." Mina looks down. "I really hope it doesn't come to the day where I have to stand against my own sister but... if that's where fate leads me..."
"Mina..."
-Present Time-
"If Mina chooses to side with Monika..." Mona thought to herself. "No... No I can't let that happen! I can't let the world take away another sister from me! I have to get the plan in motion before she can be fully convinced!"
Location: Underneath Goldenia
"This is useless. These braindead monstrosities aren't saying any shit that'll help us!"
"Keep your voice down Grena! We can't afford to get caught."
Meanwhile, Grena and Albert were continuing their operation underground. Doing their best to see what they can learn from the cave dwellers. By observing their actions, they could see that they were obviously trying to dig upwards, digging out large caverns that extend very far up, and at the same time, trying to create pathways that they can safely walk up on as well. The reason for why they were doing this was unknown to the two however.
"A good chunk of these shits either ain't speaking, can't speak, or they're dumb as a brick and they have no idea what they're even doing." Grena groaned.
"I've figured out that they're digging upward, most likely trying to get to the surface." Albert responded. "But why would they dig out multiple caverns? And what's more, the way their digging isn't like they're trying to collapse Goldenia."
"Yeah, you're right. I've noticed that they've been leaving a lot of the support structures underground alone. They could easily collapse them or destroy the mountain this kingdom was built on. What's the point of trying to make all these big open spaces but still leave it so that the mountain can support an eighteen layer kingdom?"
"Maybe they're... trying to carve out a base for themselves."
"What would be the point of that?"
"So that they would have a place to assault Goldenia from underneath, and then retreat if things go south for them. They could easily run in this labyrinth that they've built and avoid being totally defeated."
"So you think that they're planning an assault on Goldenia?"
"Remember that story I told all of you back at Feena's home?"
"Oh yeah. The great demon invasion that turned the young Goldenian Queen into a gold statue."
"If that's story is true, then that means that these demons disappeared underground after they failed to destroy Goldenia the first time. The chances are they turned the underground into their personal hideout for years and have been looking at a way to strike back on the surface. That's what my current assumption is."
"You could be right..."
"Shh!"
"Hey, you're the one doing all the talking-"
"No! Shh!"
Albert pointed to the left of him, showing Grena why he was shushing her. Quickly the two ducked for cover behind a large rock as a large group of demons started walking by them, heading upward. The majority of the demons appeared to be zombies that were riding zombified horses, all of them wielding lances and shields as the rode their horses. They all seemed to be pulling a giant cart with appeared to be filled with explosives. The demon leading them was a small, red, muscular creature with giant wings. It was wearing a light brown sash over its hairy legs and had large claws, yellowish, listless eyes, and sharp teeth.
"Come on, move it you slowpokes!" The red demon shouted. "Get those explosives to the top right away so we can blow another hole upwards! I'm the new boss of the operation, and I say pick up them pace!" The demon turned around and whistled. "Hey! You! Girly! Put that orb away and help me carry some of these explosives!"
Walking behind the group of demons was a girl that looked almost as if she were a human. She had short pink hair and greenish blue eyes. She was wearing a blue mage outfit that left a small area of her chest exposed, complete with golden sashes around the shoulders, long, puffy sleeves, a blue hat with a pink ribbon tied around it and a silver emblem on the front. She had a pink ribbon tied into a bow around her neck. She wore a large belt with a green satchel tied on it and was wearing a pink skirt. In her right hand she was holding a golden staff with a black hilt and a large crystal on the top of it. In her left had she had a blue orb. Walking beside her was a reddish colored puppy with a purple horn.
As the demon called out to the girl, she didn't seem to respond and kept on walking. The look on her face said that she was currently spacing out, not paying attention to the outside voices calling her.
"HEY GIRLY!"
"H-Huh!?"
As the demon yelled louder, she suddenly heard its voice, and stood at attention.
"Y-Yes sir!" She said.
"Quit not listening to me when I'm talking to you!" The demon yelled loudly. "We've got a job to do and we've gotta do it right! Now put that damn thing down, it ain't important!" The demon grabbed one of the explosive barrels from the cart that the zombie riders were carrying. "Now grab a barrel, and get to carrying! And don't drop it! These things are prone to exploding when not handled properly."
"R-Right!"
the girl quickly dropped her staff and ran to the cart, her puppy catching the staff in its mouth. She grabbed one of the explosive barrels from the moving cart and lifted it up, the barrel obviously being quite heavy for the young girl. Slowly she started walking forward, trying not to fall with the barrel full of explosives in her hand.
As Albert and Grena listened to all of this, they remained silent as the demons went past them. The two were both trying to figure out what could all that be about while at the same time, they were concerned with trying to stay out of sight. However as soon as the demons were nearly away from them, another demon suddenly ran up the same path. This demon was a skeleton wearing red, torn shorts and a worn out sash on the front and back.
"Hey boss. That trick of ours earlier today worked!" The skeleton said in a raspy voice. "We blew a giant hole that stretches out of the way to the surface! It formed somewhere in one of our old digging spots."
"Well I'll be damned!" The red demon shouted, accidentally throwing the explosive barrel straight at the skeleton. "This is some hell of a good news!"
The skeleton tried to hold onto the barrel, but the weight of it forced the skeleton to fall down to the bottom the large cavern. A very large explosion was later heard, one that actually shook the cavern in a manner very similar to an earthquake shaking the surface of the first floor. The red demon then turns around and whistles loudly, getting the attention of the other working demons.
"Attention all daemons, skeletons, and whatever the heck other demons that's down here!" He yelled. "We've broken through to the surface! There's a giant hole that goes all the way to the top of Goldenia!"
The sounds of demons cheering loudly could be heard. Some of them that were carrying explosives started tossing them against the walls and ceiling and setting them off, creating more and more tremors inside the cavern. While the demons didn't seem very shaken up by this, Albert and Grena were clearly having a hard time keeping in one spot.
"That's right! You heard me folks!" The demon continued shouting. "No more do we have to dwell underneath this damn mountain like we're some sort of cave-dwellers! We've got weapons, power, magic, and a ton of explosives! We're gonna make our way over to the giant hole and fly right out of here!"
"What about those of us who cannot fly?" asked a flightless demon.
"You'd better hitch a ride on someone who can fly less you wanna miss out on this super, epic, hostile takeover! Now let's get moving!"
The demons were all cheering very loudly as they all started heading off into one direction; the sinkhole. The way Albert and Grena came down from in the first place was now about to be used to support a demonic invasion.
"I knew it." Albert said. "They are going to attack Goldenia." He sighed. "And we made the perfect opportunity for them with our little scuffle earlier today. We've got to try and make our way back to the sinkhole before they do and escape. If they get to the surface first and nobody is warned then there will be a lot of unnecessary deaths going on. I can't let that-"
BANG
"What?!"
Albert looked shocked as Grena shot out from behind their hiding spot. She fired a blast of flames at one of the carts carrying explosives, setting off all the explosives on the cart and taking out several demons with it. This however also got the attention of the entire demon horde that was about to leave, all of them turning back to face Goldenia.
"Y'all must be out of your goddamn minds if you think you can just waltz on outta here!" the chain wielding mercenary yelled out to the demons in a menacing manner. Grena cracked her knuckles as she continued to talk. "If you can't deal with one measly human, then there ain't no way you're gonna just try and take down Goldenia."
"A human?" One demon said.
"Down here?" Another demon also said.
"How is that possible?" Questioned another demon.
Albert sighed, and eventually stepped out of hiding too. Sword in hand, he was ready for a fight.
"Two?!" A few demons exclaimed.
"We've been found out?!" Exclaimed the red demon.
"What are those two thinking?" The young girl muttered to herself. "They just challenged an entire society of underground, cave-dwelling demons to a fight in one of the underground caves that we forged ourselves."
"What's a few humans gonna do to all of us! We've got you vastly outnumbered!"
The demons were all laughing as they changed course. Instead of immediately heading out. They started to surround Albert and Grena.
"So, what was your brilliant plan for provoking these guys?" Albert asked in a worried tone.
"I don't know. I'm making it up as we go along." Grena responded.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
Location: Feena's House, 1st Floor, Goldenia
Monika, Feena, Mina, and Mona found themselves approaching Feena's house, the group remaining quiet as they all walked back towards the house. As they arrived Feena walked in front of them and bow politely, gesturing to the door.
"Well seeing as we've got two new guests with us, allow me to be the one to welcome you to my humble abode!" Feena said with pride. "Fair warning, there's not that many places to sit or lay down in here and it's probably a little dusty."
"Thank you again for allowing us to stay here." Mina said, bowing. "We really appreciate it."
"Ah, don't mention it." Feena started moving the broken door out of the way. "Now come on. Don't be shy. Come-?!"
"Hm?"
"What?" Monika looked confused at Feena. "What's wrong?"
Monika was suddenly pulled next to Feena to look inside of the house. Monika was just as surprised as Feena when they looked inside. Ragna was gone.
"Where's Ragna?!" Monika whispered. "He was still lying down when we all left!"
"Didn't he say that he couldn't move?" Feena whispered. "You don't think someone came out here and took him too, do you?!"
"Is everything alright?" Mona asked.
"What's the matter?" Mina asked also.
Both girls turned around, unsure how to answer.
"Oh. You girls are back."
"Huh?!"
Monika and Feena suddenly look off to the right of them, Mina and Mona looking to the left being positioned opposite of the two of them. There, they saw Ragna walking over to them, back up and moving.
"Ragna?!" Monika exclaimed. "I thought you were-"
"Yeah I woke up again and next thing I knew, I could move again." Ragna replied. "Where the hell have you two been?" He then turned and looked over at Mina and Mona, flinching slightly as the man looked at the two. "Who're these two?"
"Oh. This is Mina and Mona." Monika explained. "It's kind of a long story."
"I-Isn't that...?" Mona started to ask.
"Let me guess." Ragna said. "They're after the bounty on us too aren't they?"
"He figured that one already...?" Mina said.
"It's a long story, it really is." Monika said. "We can talk more inside, alright?"
Ragna shrugs. "Whatever."
It wasn't long before the group started to go inside. Feena and Monika walking in first, Ragna after them, and Mina and Mona following after them last, Mona moving the broken door back in front of the door hole as she came inside. Once inside, the two sisters got a good look around to see just how worn out and poor this place really looked.
"Is every place on this side of the first floor like this?" Mina asked.
"Actually most of everywhere else looks a lot worse than this old place." Feena answered and sighed. "Goblin Mage and I just really tried to keep this place up since we live here. It still looks bad, but it's home."
"I see. I apologize for my rudeness."
"Ah don't sweat it. I don't mind."
"So with that out of the way, you girls care to tell me what did I miss?" Ragna asked.
"Alright." Monika said. "Mina. Mona. You should get some rest for now. I can explain things myself."
"Are you sure?" Mona asked.
"Positive."
"I have a bed in the other room." Feena speaks up. "It's small, but it should be able to hold up the two of you."
Mina and Mona obliged, the two following Feena towards her room, and begun to lay down on her bed. While small, it was indeed big enough for the two sisters to both lay down on. Once they were settled in, Feena came back in as Monika started to explain things to both her and Ragna, as Feena needed to hear the things that she missed while she was out with Goblin Mage and beaten by Predator. Monika went over about how Grena and Albert both got trapped underground after a skirmish between Mina and Grena, about how herself, Mina, and Mona were planning to discuss how would they rescue their friends, and how this conversation later turned into Monika learned about their past and how Albert, Mina, and Mona were connected. She continued to tell them how she's managed to become somewhat friendly with Mina after comforting her after being forced to live through her past where she lost her sister. Monika ended her recap with how she ran into Chat Noir, and how she learned that the two sisters could possibly be planning to lead them into a trap, with Predator stealing Goblin Mage as the reason to provoke the three of them into going along.
"I see." Ragna commented. "So Goblin Mage is missing, Albert and Grena got stuck underground, and we have two girls who are probably trying to lead us straight into a trap." The man folded his arms. "In other words, we've come all the way to the first floor and now they're just trying to force us to go back up."
"Is this my fault?" Feena asked. "I did suggest that we stay here for a while to take a break after all. If we hadn't stopped here we could've just walked out of here easily."
"Feena, don't put all of the blame on yourself." Monika answered. "We can't put one single person at fault here. We didn't know that defeating Alexiel would wear out Ragna. We didn't know that we would run into such trouble coming down to the first floor. We can't see the future." Monika sighed. "I wish we could. But all we can do now is figure out what our next move should be. If the two of us work together, we'll get back Goblin Mage and we'll rescue Albert and Grena."
"What do you mean 'the two of us'?" Ragna cuts in.
"I'm not asking you to help us out with this Ragna. It's you that they're really after. You don't have to worry about this. If you leave now then you'll be able to have a good chance at getting away. Of course that decision is whatever you choose."
"What?!" Feena exclaimed. "Monika what are you saying!?"
"If Ragna's the one that they're after then we don't want to just hand him over to them. Not to mention if we head up to the higher levels and tell them that Ragna decided to leave on his own, then they'll have no reason to use Goblin Mage as a hostage and we can get her back for you."
Feena suddenly grabbed Monika's collar and held her up to her face. "Are you crazy, you idiot?! What if they found out that Goblin Mage is a goblin?! A goddamn Demon?! We're in this damn mess because they discovered Ragna is a Demon! If they know what Goblin Mage is then you think that they're gonna play nice and hand her over to us!? You can't seriously be wanting to risk that!"
"This is all a trap Feena, and the pray is Ragna. If we can negotiate our way out of this, with Albert's help, and possibly getting Mina and Mona to help us, think about it! We could save ourselves from a damn death penalty, we could get Goblin Mage out of harm's way, and we could secure a way for Ragna to continue his journey to get back home!"
"Bullshit!"
Feena suddenly slapped Monika across the face and let go of her collar, knocking the blonde to the ground. Before she could get up Feena was on of her, forcing her down and pressing against Monika's neck, unconsciously trying to choke the woman out of frustration.
"Don't you see what you're trying to do you dumbass?!" Feena yelled at Monika. "You're playing a gambling game with Goblin Mage's life as the damn wager! I'm not gonna let you sit here, and play around with the one person I care the most about! I'm not letting you use Goblin Mage as a goddamn tool!"
"Feena, please!" Monika said, straining as she tried to pull Feena's hands off her neck. "I'm not trying to use Goblin Mage! I'm trying to help all of us!"
"Are you?! Are you really?! What the hell do any of us benefit from this?! Ragna gets to go get lost in this hellscape we call Riverbrandt, we stand the chance of being executed, Goblin Mage could get found out and killed on the spot. The only people who get to benefit from this are the people that aren't fully on our side! Are you okay with that!? Just turning against the people you worked with for a long time?!" With one hand on Monika's neck, Feena raised her other hand and balled it up to a fist. She trembled as she did so. "You're... You're just like every other person that I've met! JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN MY GODDAMN LIFE!"
Just as Feena went in to start wailing on the helpless blonde, she was suddenly stopped. She looked back to see that Ragna had grabbed hold of her wrist, stopping her fist from punching Monika.
"Why are you stopping me?!" Feena exclaimed, trying to yank her fist away. "Can't you see how she's just using us!?"
"Get a grip on yourself." Ragna said. "We've been using each other this entire time."
"Wh..." Feena suddenly blinked in shock. "What?"
Ragna looked down. "I heard you and Monika having a conversation earlier today while I was trying to sleep. The only reason that we've been working together and getting along is because we're all trying to get out of this damn place. You're right. She is using us. So are you. So is Grena. And so am I at the end of the day. We all have our own goals that we want to fulfill and the chances are we were going to go our separate ways. But despite that, there's still something different about Monika. Yeah she's using us too, but she cares."
"What are you talking about?!"
"She actually cares for our safety. All of us. Including Goblin Mage. She wants to go with the route that she thinks will be best and be the safest for all of us. She uses us, but only in a way that she thinks will secure our safety." Ragna harshly lets go of Feena's wrists. "So if you think you still wanna beat the shit out of her then I'm not gonna stop you. But just remember that you attacking Monika isn't going to help that child out her goddamn predicament!"
Feena was trembling out of anger but still let go of Monika's neck, the blonde gasping and coughing as she got up while catching her breath. Feena was sitting on the ground on her knees looking upward, her eyes wide open as she thinks about and realizes how she just snapped at Monika, someone who genuinely seems to care about her. She remained silent until she blinked out of surprise as Monika took a knee and grabbed Feena's hands with her own.
"Please..." Monika pleaded. "I want to save Goblin Mage too."
"Monika, I... I...!"
That was all Feena could say in response. She suddenly started crying softly and buried her face into Monika's chest. Monika wrapped her hands around Feena for a hug as the mercenary shed tears upon realizing that Monika was there for her.
"I want her safety as much as you do." Monika said, tears also forming in her eyes. "I want safety for all of us. That's why I said all of that. I don't want to lose any of you. Not here. Not now."
"That's why we're all gonna work together to take Goblin Mage back." Ragna said.
"Ragna, you're... you're gonna stay here?"
"You're right. I could leave outta here right now, and try to find my own way around. It would be hard, but I would manage. But... going as far as to take away a defenseless child from someone who thought of them as being close like family..."
An image flashed through Ragna's head very quickly. The image was of two little kids, a boy and a girl, both with blonde hair and green eyes. A second image also went through his head, this one being of a woman in what appears to be a nun outfit.
Ragna clenches his fists. "I'm not going to just sit idly by and let that happen again, like I'm a weak child."
"? Again?" Monika managed to catch this as Ragna spoke.
"You mean it?" Feena asked, wiping her tears.
"Yeah. I do." Ragna responded as he nodded his head. "If they want me to show up that badly, then who am I to disappoint?" Ragna helped Monika and Feena get back to their feet. "You two get some rest. We're going back up in three hours."
"You want to do this tonight?" Monika questioned.
"You two need rest, but there's still no telling what they'd do to Goblin Mage." Ragna narrowed his eyes. "Especially if that redhead's there."
"Word of advice; Don't go up on the same lift you came down."
Ragna, Monika, and Feena all jump back startled and grabbed their weapons. Turning around they saw Chat Noir standing right behind him. The broken door was also moved out of the way as well, and standing in the doorway was Reina, the maid that Ragna and Feena found at the Mercenary's Guild.
"What are you doing here?!" Ragna said surprised.
"I did some snooping around for a bit, and I thought I might want to let you know." Chat Noir responded while shrugging. "They're on the eighth floor, just right above the guild. They've got soldiers all over the entire floor but the bulk of them are focused on one area, and that lift is in that area."
"They're in the seventh floor as well, so it is ill advised that you go there." Reina added on. "It seems that they're suspicious of that floor ever since your scuffle started there, and the Mercenary Guild can't make a move or else their headquarters will surely be found." She gestures to Chat Noir. "It's a miracle that he managed to sneak me out of there."
"I'm not the brilliant phantom thief for nothing." Chat Noir gloated.
"I'm surprised that you managed to look into this so quickly Chat Noir." Monika commented. "It hasn't been that long since you and I last spoke."
"What can I say? A thief has to be quick, especially when it's gathering information that he's doing. The quicker you learn about what you're after and its situation, then the quicker that you can act."
"I can't argue with that. Regardless, thanks again."
"Since you're here, you two mind lending a hand?" Ragna asked.
"I suppose I could help." Chat Noir responded.
"Very well." Reina answered. "We can work out the price for our services later."
"Of course you two would charge us." Ragna muttered.
"Then it's settled." Monika said. "In three hours we'll put together a plan that will benefit all of us. Together."
Location: Underneath Goldenia
Underground with Albert and Grena, the demonic forces lurking underneath Goldenia had them completely surrounded. Any direction the two tried to run off in, they'd be surrounded by demons in an instant and most likely caught. The two were standing back to back, constantly looking left and right to see if the demons would make the first move against them. While they did so, the young girl with the mage's hat was staring at the two, wondering what will they do now.
"So... these are actual humans." She thought silently to herself. "They came all the way down here, discovered our plans, and now... they're surrounded. I wonder what they're next move is going to be. What would humans try to do in this situation?"
As she wondered this, the same thought was being thought about by the two in question.
"If you have any ideas, now would be a good time to use them." Grena said to Albert.
"I could've had more time to come up with one if you hadn't blown our cover like this." He responded. "The last thing I expected was for us to have to fight off every single demon down here."
"We've gotta do something, cause there's no way that we're gonna be able to just walk outta here!"
"There has to be something that I can do to get us out of this... Wait! I think I have a plan."
"What is it?"
"I don't know if this will work, just follow my lead."
Grena clenched her fists, ready to go whenever Albert was. The man held out his sword in front of him and the flipped it so that the blade was facing the ground. Placing his hands on the top of the hilt he stood straight with confidence. The demons were all prepared to charge at a moment's notice.
"If you have any value in your lives, I suggest that all of you surrender to us now." He commanded.
The young girl look intrigued at this, not expecting a powerful demand to come from someone who is surrounded with highly unfavorable odds.
"I don't know what you're planning, but that's stupid!" Grena mutters to him. "You can't just yell at them to surrender!"
"Oh yeah?" The red demon spoke up. "What's a guy like you gonna do if we don't? In case you two didn't realize it; You're surrounded! Outnumbered! We've got the advantage on you guys!"
"That's what you think." Albert replied. "I will inform that I am a high ranking officer of the Imperial Army of Goldenia, the woman guarding my rear is my personal retainer." Albert paid no attention to Grena grumbling unhappily at that. "I will warn you; The two of us did not come alone. Outside of the giant sinkhole you mentioned are several thousand elite Goldenian soldiers all awaiting for our return from this scouting mission. If they do not hear from me by a certain time, which is five minutes from now, then they have orders to storm underground and assume that this place is full of hostile threats. Considering the path that I've left for them, they will no problem finding and eliminating every last one of you within an instant."
The threat of a large Goldenian army taking them by surprise instead was actually starting to have an effect on the demonic forces, to which both Albert and Grena took notice. The latte of the two was surprised that the former was able to quickly think up such an impressive bluff to intimidate their opponents. The mage demon girl was also surprised at this as well.
"Did... he make that up...?" the mage questioned in her head. "Or are we all really in danger...?" The look on her face showed that she too, was being fooled by Albert's threat. "Please tell me this is just an impressive trick cause I really don't wanna die..."
"If all of you cooperate with me now, I can assure you that I will use my power and authority to allow you to return to your homes safe and sound." Albert continued. "However, if you do not comply, then I will begin to use force to defend Goldenia even if it costs us our lives. And even if you do manage to defeat the two of us, you will still have to deal with the massive army awaiting you outside of the sinkhole. You would never make it there in time to catch them by surprise. And if I am not with you then you are all sure to be attacked and killed on the spot."
"I think this guy's serious...!" One of the demons said fearfully.
"All this work, and we've been caught red-handed!" Another demon shouted.
"But we worked to hard to get to this point!" Argued a different demon. "We can't just turn tail and give in! We have to avenge our forefathers!"
"We've been preparing ourselves for this our entire lives!" a fourth demon exclaimed. "I don't wanna go down without a fight!"
"I managed to cause them to start panicking." Albert thought to himself. "I just hope this'll be enough to give us a chance to get out of here..."
"Damn this plan seems like it might actually get us out of here." Grena thought to herself. "But then again if they call his bluff or they follow us all the way to the sinkhole, we're in deep shit..."
"Alright! That's enough!" The red demon shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Listen up! I'm the big boss around here, and I'm the one that's calling the shots! And to you two! I say; We're not gonna let you get outta here without a fight!"
"Dammit!"
"Shit! They didn't fall for it!"
"We've got a good thousand of us here in total! It's five hundred to one, and whatever army you have lying in wait, we'll beat them too!" The majority of demons started cheering and rallying behind their leader.
"For demonkind everywhere!" Shouted one demon.
"Goldenia will fall!" Another rallied.
"These people are all crazy..." The mage girl said with a worried look on her face, still in fear of Albert's bluff.
"That just made them angrier...!" Albert said, tensing up. "We're not gonna get out of this without a fight it seems!"
"That's all I needed to here!" Grena exclaimed. "Then allow me!"
Grena suddenly jumped backwards and leaped over Albert. She landed in front of the man and formed several fire balls in her hands. Taking aim, she managed to locate several barrels of explosives near many of the demons surrounding them. She started firing her fireballs quickly as the demons started to charge towards them. The fireballs struck the explosives, setting them off and creating large explosions all over as well as shaking the cavern around them.
"Come on!"
Grena grabbed hold of Albert's arm and suddenly jumped high into the air under the cover of smoke. Without being seen, Grena quickly ran into the hole that they came out of, taking out whatever demons were in the way and running deep into the cavern in order to escape for now. As the smoke died down, the demons looked around and realized that they got away.
"You let them escape you idiots!?" Exclaimed the red demon. "Argh! We let them get the jump on us and now they're gone! Hunt them down!"
"Yes sir!"
"I think this what humans would call a... 'manhunt' I think?" the mage demon asked herself silently.