Little Wing It!

by Ryuumaru Chunchunmaru

A snarky teenage beastman, a lazy genius girl, a naive tribesboy, and a redhead with growth issues. When an ancient civilization plots to hijack the Gurhal system's population, it's up to this group of youths to stop it. What could possibly go wrong?

25. V4 Ch3: The Dark World

Do you have a Switch? I sure don't.

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Little Wing It

Volume 4

The Disappearance Of Emilia Percival

Chapter 3

The Dark World

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I

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We managed to clear out some more Seeds as we went along. These ruins seemed like it's getting bigger as we trudge inwards, with the amount of Seedforms increasing proportionally.

The Seeds we encountered got progressively tougher as well, although with the five of us, things were going relatively well, until we encountered a rather large one.

"Dilnazen?! Everyone be careful! This type of Seedform is extremely dangerous!"

Maya cried out in warning, obviously familiar with the bipedal, scythe-armed beast preparing to attack us.

Not that any Seed isn't extremely dangerous, but I get the sense that she meant it was deadly even for us experienced mercenaries.

Alright, go time then.

The Dilnazen charged forward, brandishing its scythe arm.

"Fast...!"

I managed to roll out of the way in time, briefly caught off guard by the speed it displayed. While by no means blindingly fast, I hadn't expected such a big creature to move so quickly.

It was definitely faster than the axe-armed Seed-Argine we fought before, but it seemed to have as much, if not more, strength to its attacks, easily destroying the ground I was in moments earlier.

Boy, this is gonna be one hell of a doozy.

"Display more caution! It will end your life in one direct hit!"

"Kinda noticed that, thank you very much!"

I didn't mean to snap back at Lou's warning, but if that kind of close call didn't put me on edge, I don't know what will.

Red came in at the recovering Dilnazen. For all its overwhelming power, it seemed to have a bit of a cooldown. That should be the advantage we should be capitalizing on.

The redhead managed to get in a few hits before the Seedform was able to start parrying. She didn't seem to have done much damage, but this does open things up for the rest of us.

Lou, Maya, and I started bombarding it with ranged attacks, which forced it to retreat and away from Red before it managed to start overwhelming her.

"Got you!"

Yut flanked it from behind, scoring a quick spear thrust before having to evade a particularly nasty counterattack.

The Guardians remained on the back row as I moved in. My weapons had a shorter range than theirs, and I was never one for stationary sniping anyway.

I managed to get in position for a charged shot, with the Dilnazen's attention split on Red and Yut's incessant attacks.

I fired off the shot and added in a Zonde for good measure. The combination hit it directly and forced it to retreat once more.

Lou and Maya didn't let it, though, pelting it with more rifle and now shots.

Unfortunately, it then got mad.

It started ignoring the rapid fire and jumped straight towards me, quite possibly with no intention of being my friend.

"Kara, get out of the way!"

"N-no time!"

I hastily switched to my saber and attempted to parry. The moment I finished replying to Yut, the Dilnazen's scythe arm slammed into my saber, the force behind the attack so great that my weapon was sent flying.

Thankfully, that was enough to redirect it that it merely grazed my coat instead of slicing me in half. Unfortunately, I was left wide open, with my only good arm going numb.

"Move your ass!"

I heard Red shout out, before I was kicked away, presumably by her, out of the way of the Dilnazen's second attack.

Red slammed her double saber on the Seedform's arm and leveraged her way out of its range.

"Th-thanks, Red."

"Wake up and smell the coffee! I can't save you every time!"

"Got it!"

Yut charged in, being extra careful not to get too greedy, to give me time to recover.

That said, I need to be more vigilant. I'm already handicapped enough, I don't need to add to it further by being careless.

The Dilnazen thrashed about, further decimating the ruined building and forcing Red and Yut to take cover. The Guardians tried firing again but it had no effect whatsoever.

"Alright, we need to switch it up. Ranged isn't doing it."

"Affirmative. Switching to melee mode."

Lou responded immediately, swapping out her rifle for a pair of nifty-looking twin sabers.

She went in and drew its attention, allowing us to plan more.

"Unfortunately, I don't have any melee weapons. I'll try using Technics."

"Good idea."

If Red was pure melee then Maya was the complete opposite, relying solely on bows and techs.

Maya summoned a wand, a tech weapon I rarely see. Usually, people either go for a rod or staff, like Emilia and Lumia do for maximum effectiveness, or tech-mags, like Red and I do to allow for the use of another weapon.

We went with this lineup. Red, Yut, and Lou came in close, managing to more effectively divide the Dilnazen's aggro between the three of them.

"[Grants]!"

Maya used the same Light-type tech Lumia uses, calling down a bolt of bright photon energy on the Seed's head.

The Dilnazen recoiled in pain, taking more damage from the tech than any of us managed earlier.

As for me, I resummoned my handgun, Viper. My saber was somewhere under all this rubble, but I don't have the time to be looking for it.

We took some small hits and near misses here and there, but for the most part, the Delsaban was being overwhelmed by our numbers advantage.

"Lou!"

Sooner or later, though, our luck would run out. Lou got caught, and though, she managed to block by crossing her sabers, the impact threw her off into a wall, which crumbled down and buried her partially.

With our attention momentarily diverted, the Dilnazen took advantage and brought its sycthe down on Red.

"Gh!"

By the love of all that's holy, she managed to dodge, but the sheer force of the attack produced a shockwave that blew her away and skidding across the uneven floor.

"I-I'm alright, but look out!"

Red called out as she stopped rolling.

The Dilnazen was in the air, looking severely injured but more importantly, it was descending onto me.

"Shi-!"

"[Damgrants]!"

A beam of light, courtesy of Maya, crashed into the Seedform, pushing it away from my direction and barreling into a nearby wall.

Now's our chance!

"[Zalure]! Yut, take it down!"

Immobilized for the first time in this fight, the Dilnazen was a sitting duck for the blue bullet, encasing it in a defense-lowering azure aura.

Yut heeded my call and capitalized, sending his spear through the creature's head and successfully, quite brutally, eliminating it.

"Hah... Oh, Lou!"

"I am okay... although I have sustained some damage. I can continue on with the mission."

Maya called out in worry as soon as the danger passed, but it looked like Lou's alright. A bit damaged, but as she said, still operational.

As for the other one that got thrown away...

"Hey, you alright there, Red?"

"Just a scratch. I've had worse."

"Quit toughing it out. I can't have you dying before we find Emilia."

"Get off, I said I'm fine! You're just looking for an excuse to touch me, aren't you?!"

"The hell are you talking about?! We don't have anyone to heal you so we have to be very careful!"

Damn this idiot for being so stubborn! If anyone's injured, then we should treat it as soon as we can! Her forehead's bleeding, for crying out loud!

We can't have her suddenly collapsing from an injury. With a bad enough timing, that could be catastrophic.

Thankfully, an intervention arrived in the form of Maya.

"Healing? I can take care of that. [Resta]!"

She casted the incantation on her wand, and a warm, soothing energy wrapped around our bodies, healing the nicks and bruises we sustained from the battle.

It won't heal any serious or internal injuries, like a broken arm, for instance, but it seems like no one had any of the sort. My own pre-injured arm notwithstanding.

"Ah, that's better. See? I'm fine."

"Can't a guy just be worried for his teammate? Seriously..."

Red looked to be contemplating as she saw my exasperated face. After a few more seconds, she sighed and turned to me.

"Look, sorry, alright? I just don't like people fussing all over me."

"And yet you were fussing over me. The hypocrisy of it all is outstanding."

"Th-that's different. And is this what it is? Just a debt to be paid?"

"No, I... Look, let's just focus on finding Emilia and we can talk about this later."

Red looked dissatisfied, but thankfully accepted my answer and dropped the issue. Well, she has but her last words kept me in thought.

What did she mean by 'a debt to be paid' anyway? I know I could have worded what I said better, but can't she just let me be concerned?

I can't be bothered with this... Even after all this time, Red's still an enigma.

I started following the others as they started walking again, forcing those thoughts out of my mind.

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II

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"Yut, three o'clock!"

"Got it! Take this!"

Yut leapt back and immediately thrusted forward, the charging Seedform sent flying by the force of his attack.

Unlike a certain runaway, Yut knew right away what I meant by three o'clock. I've said it before, but this kid had great battle instincts. If only he could fight with a little more self-preservation, then he'd be even better.

As I finished off the Seedform I was fighting, another one went flying past my field of view, missing me by a foot.

"These things don't seem to be running out!"

Red complained as she wiped her brow.

She was right. We've been at this for several minutes now. We've ventured deep into these ruins, and these Seeds just won't stop appearing one after the other.

A part of me thinks that maybe we should find the source of these thought-conjured things first.

"It would seem so. Still, we need to take them out here and now."

"I know! It's just annoying!"

Lou reminded, having switched back to ranged combat. Seems like she's much more comfortable with it, seeing as she's a Ranger.

I fired a charged shot at a small Seedform gunning for me, blasting it off its path and allowing Maya to strike it with a Grants.

A few seconds passed, and no more Seeds came. Looks like that was it for this particular wave.

Maya cast another round of Resta at us, relieving us of some fatigue and scratches.

"Whew... I feel like I ran a mile..."

"Huh? What're you talking about? Are you tired?"

Yut asked as he watched me catch my breath, his face marked with some dirt and cuts but still looking pretty hale and hearty.

What is with this kid's endurance? Even Red's getting winded, and don't even get me started on Maya. It's ridiculous how out of shape she is for a Guardian. She seems to be hanging tough for now but I'm willing to bet she's gonna be instantly conkered out once we're done.

But Yut... He doesn't even seem to be sweating!

"What, you're not?"

"Me? I'm still getting warmed up! Come on, we need to find Emilia!"

"Oh, gimme a break... Yut, wait up!"

Seems like he still hasn't been able to fully shake away his habit of running off on his own.

It's not much of a big deal right now, since he's just plain eager, unlike previous times where he's rushing off into danger. Not that this place isn't dangerous, mind, but it's good that he's motivated.

Having said that, though, we can't just let him wander off alone. The rest of us followed him to a stairwell leading down. Looks like lighting's still working, but I'd be lying if I told you that's not some horror movie stuff waiting to happen.

"Is your comrade normally this impulsive?"

Lou asked, breaking the rythmic pitter patter of our footsteps. She was obviously referring to Yut, although the reason she asked, I don't know.

"Unfortunately. Kid's got a good heart, but he's just a bit... eager."

"I see."

With that short answer, Lou fell silent once more, almost making me wonder why she even asked in the first place.

Soon enough, we reached the bottom level of the building we entered, and there we found Yut standing still, seemingly wary of something.

"Everything okay over there, jungle boy?"

"Stand back! I feel something bad in this room... Here it comes!"

As soon as Yut said so, three large Seedforms appeared in the wide yet cramped basement room.

The Seeds all looked identical, almost looking identical to the Seed-Argine we fought in Mt. Elbars. Quadruped, but with a separate pair of arms connected to its human-like torso.

The arms had scythes attached to them, like the Dilnazen, but shorter. Still deadly, though.

"That's the Carriguine! And there's three of them!"

"Excercise extreme caution! This area is not ideal for fighting this kind of endemy!"

The Guardians warned, and I didn't need to take a second look to know what they were talking about. The Seed-Argine was a nightmare to fight in a cave, and now we're here, fighting three mini versions of it in a basement.

Honestly, this day keeps getting better and better.

The Carriguines issued a challenging roar before charging straight at us.

"Disperse!"

We heeded Lou's call, splitting off to draw the Carriguines away from each other.

One went after Maya and Lou, while the remaining two set their sights on us Little Wingers.

"I'll take care of one, you and jungle boy the other!"

Red shouted out as she drew aggro, taunting one Carriguine to target her. It worked, and now Yut and I were left with a rampaging Seed in a tight area.

Good thing about that, though, is that I couldn't possibly miss.

"[Zalure]!"

The debuff took effect instantly, slowing down the Seed we were facing, and in turn, lessening the chance it destroys the foundations and buries us all. Oh, and speaking of being buried alive...

"Yut, don't use Mirage Blasts or you'll bring down the whole building on us, alright?"

"Gotcha! Alright, here I come!"

Yut took the chance, engaging the Carriguine while I provided cover fire with my gun and Tech-Mag.

Still, even with the Zalure and a two-on-one advantage, the Carriguine was no pushover. It capitalized on a particular weakness of the spear, namely, the inability to defend immediately after a close quarters attack. And with two scythe-arms to watch out for, Yut was having some difficulty finding an opening.

I fired a round of shots at it, staggering it enough to allow Yut a good hit in, making it back away a bit.

"[Zonde]!"

The lightning bolt hit the Seedform, stunning it in place. Yut tried to get a good one in again but the creature wised up, trashing about to keep him at bay.

I switched my gun for my saber, which I dug out from the rubble earlier, and flanked the Seedform from behind.

It spun and slashed, making a horizontal half-circle in the air. I ducked and rolled, slashing at its legs as I slid.

The Carriguine cried out in pain, distracting it from Yut's advance. He leapt and slashed at its side. The creature recoiled but Yut wasn't done.

He then lodged his spear into the ground, and used it to spin and kick the Seed away stumbling. Geez, this kid's not lacking in the physical strength department at all.

Nonetheless, I took the opening. I let off a fully charged shot, causing an explosion that tipped the beast over. I added a Zonde in to keep it down, allowing Yut to drive his spear down the Seedform's chest.

Yut pulled out his spear, and the Carriguine dissolved in a cloud of light.

"Aw yeah! We make a good team, Kara!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

Instead of celebrating, I was more interested to see how the others were doing.

It looked like Maya and Lou had theirs handled well enough, with the pink-haired Cast switching back to twin sabers.

In the end, Maya was the one to deal the finishing blow with a direct hit of Damgrants.

As for Red...

"Took you long enough."

"Huh? Awww, Red beat us!"

"I'm sure you tried your best!"

"Stop it, you two. What are you, twelve?"

Yut looked pretty discontent, while Red snickered, obviously pleased with herself.

Too bad for her, I noticed the red glow of Shifta on her body. Looks like she didn't defeat her opponent as effortlessly as she wants us to think.

Despite that, though, I couldn't deny that it was impressive. I only saw glimpses of her fight, but from what I was able to see, with the Carriguine not as powerful and overwhelming as the Dilnazen, Red's superior speed allowed her to make quick work of the Seedform.

As Maya and Lou approached us for a quick breather, my comms started beeping. Kraz went through, looking pretty antsy.

"What's up? Anything you found?"

"No Emilia yet, boss, but we did find some Seed."

"Seed again? You-"

"...boss? You there?"

Whatever Kraz was going to say, we weren't able to hear it as the line suddenly went dead. I tried connecting again, but all my attempts failed immediately.

Well, he's not gonna be happy about this at all.

As I turned to ask the others if their comms systems were working, the Guardians' headpieces started beeping.

"Hm? What's this reading..."

"Warning. I am detecting an unusual photon response in the vicinity. Be on guard."

Lou warned as she pressed a few buttons on her gear.

To be honest, I can feel a strange feeling in the air as well, almost as if the area itself is gathering energy.

"Yut, what's going on? What're you feeling?"

"I... I don't know! Something's happening with the energy around us, but I don't understand!"

Great, even our resident spiritual expert couldn't explain what's happening.

A few more seconds of mild discomfort, the area around us washed away in a sea of light, instantly putting us in a state of utter confusion.

"Wh-what the..."

Red was the first to muster any words as the photon activity around us died down, and color returned to the surroundings.

I almost wish they hadn't.

We found ourselves in a completely different area. The old decrepit buildings were gone, replaced by a solid, sleek wall and ceiling of a mixture of blue, purple, and similar colors.

The air around us felt heavy, with numerous tiny crystal shards floating chaotically in every direction.

And if that wasn't enough, the whole place felt alive, and it certainly didn't feel like we were welcome for any period of time.

Stunned silence enveloped the five of us, with Maya being the one to break it in a wavering voice filled with disbelief.

"This terrain... This is Rykros!"

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III

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"Analysis complete. This is not a VR simulation. This is real."

Rykros, the Dark Planet. This was the site of Gurhal's final battle against the Seed three years ago. It's long been destroyed, but here we are, standing on the smooth floor dotted with eerie lights.

I can't tell how a place can have so many lights around and yet remain so dark and oppressing. I almost feel as if the air is choking me, and yet I'm breathing just fine.

That is, if you don't count the panic welling up inside me, threatening to catch whatever air I could circulate and trap it in my throat.

"This is impossible! All this was destroyed three years ago!"

"I do not understand it either. But the data is correct. What we are seeing is Rykros."

Lou said with an air of uncertainty, which didn't help my mental state any. Maya looked around in a frenzy, as if hoping to let this be just one cruel trick.

"Hey, Kara, this is the Seeds' nest, right? How the hell did we get here?"

"I wish I knew..."

Red didn't look particularly perturbed, but her carefree attitude disappeared altogether, staying on guard the entire time we were here.

I have no idea if she had any history with this place, but I don't, and yet here I am, feeling cold sweat from everywhere in my body.

"Mika's scent... it's very strong here! Emilia must be nearby!"

"Emilia's here? How? No, nevermind that. Which way is she, Yut?"

Suddenly being transported to the this cursed place almost made me forget why we were even here in the first place.

Our priority remains the same. If Yut was right, that Emilia really was here in Rykros, then it's all the more important that we find her as fast as we can.

"The smell is coming from in there. Straight ahead! She's in there, I know she is!"

Yut pointed to a giant closed door across the hall, surrounded by numerous purple lightning that's blocking its front. Not only that, there was also a red forcefield surrounding it.

That door's under pretty tight security, it's probably password protected too.

I'm not even about to try touching it to see what happens, though.

"It's blocked... There has to be some mechanism here somewhere that opens it up..."

"You guys, look over here."

Red gestured to a corridor behind us. Seems like this one wasn't blocked, but that's the opposite direction of where Emilia is.

"And that's not it. There're also paths to the side."

To the side? I went to take a look at where she indicated, and she was right. There really were pathways in each direction, with the blocked door on the north side.

Seems like this area we found ourselves in is some kind of central sector. A hub of sorts. Now, we just need to figure out which way to go.

"There's gotta be something in there that opens up this door... Any of you has an idea?"

"Normally, I'd suggest splitting up, but in a situation like this, that's highly inadvisable."

We couldn't afford to waste any time, but I can't help agreeing to Lou's answer. This place is dangerous enough as is.

What's more, there's five of us. If we split up into three groups like we did in the fight against the Carriguines, one of us has to go alone.

I'm not as familiar with the Guardians, but I'd trust any one of us to handle themselves. But this is Rykros, the great hive of the Seeds. I'm not about to let one of us go on their own in a place like this.

"No choice... We need to check each path one by one."

There were no complaints with my decision, so we regrouped and prepared to traverse this strange, unwelcoming place.

We decided to go south first, since Red was already near that direction's particular corridor. None of us had any idea about the layout of this area, so there really wasn't much point in thinking too hard which direction to go first.

"I can feel the air wrapping its tendrils around me... This really is Rykros."

Maya mused offhandedly as we walked, still inspecting every nook and cranny we came across.

Weirdly enough, we haven't encountered a single Seedform yet. I don't know if they were just lying in wait, or they haven't been materialized yet. Either way, I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

But I couldn't help but be bothered by it...

In an attempt to distract myself from that train of thought, I asked Lou what she's been able to dig up about our situation.

"I'm attempting to get a fix on our location but the signal appears to be jammed."

She supplied, fiddling with her devices to no success. There was absolutely no reception in this place. I couldn't even attempt to connect back to Little Wing.

"Either we've been transported to Rykros, or it's somehow been recreated here..."

Recreated? Ah, that could be the explanation to all of this! This is the work of that subspace phenomenon!

Still, even if that was the case, to recreate an entire planet, or at least a part of it, through thought and subspace manipulation, to what limit can it reach?

And besides that, what could possibly be Shizuru after? If he's the one behind this, that is, but who else would do such a thing?

"I think that's it... Like the Seed appearing through thought manipulation."

"So that really is the case, huh? I don't feel good about any of this... have you found anything, Lou?"

"I have detected several life signs in the area. If Emilia is here, then she's not the only one."

There's other people? I can see why that makes sense. If Rykros was being materialized through thoughts, then it follows that there's a source.

Maya said earlier that the Guardians that fought in the real Rykros were abducted by Shizuru, which meant that there's a high chance we'll run into them here.

That answers a question that's been slightly bothering me. To my knowledge, Emilia hasn't been to, or even seen, Rykros, so for it to appear now didn't make any sense.

"More kidnapped people, eh? You think we'll have to fight them off again?"

"Fight them off?"

"Last time we encountered the missing people, they were brainwashed into thinking we were Seed and attacked us, remember?"

Ah, now that Red's jogged my memory a bit, that did happen.

We got split up by an avalanche, and Red and I had to fight the missing Guardians, while Emilia, Yut, and Lumia had to deal with the kidnapped Little Wingers.

But if she clearly remembers that, then why did she feel the need to ask? Judging by the look on her face, she didn't seem to have any mischievous intentions.

In fact, she looked quite serious as she waited for my answer.

"Ah, right. Probably, I think. Why do you ask?"

"I figured. Then what if Emilia's the one who's brainwashed?"

"I... haven't thought of that."

The idea was so obscure that it never even crossed my mind. But now that Red's mentioned it, what's stopping it from becoming a possibility?

Even now, I couldn't even imagine fighting Emilia, even if just to subdue her. I probably would if I had to but...

"... let's worry about that if it happens."

"I see."

Soon enough, we reached the end of the corridor. We arrived in a wide room, almost as spacious as the central sector. At the other end, there appeared to be a pressure plate large enough to stand on.

"You think that's how we open that room back there?"

Red asked as she started approaching the opposite end.

"It's possible. We don't have any other options but to check it out, so..."

"Wait!"

As we started following Red, Yut suddenly raised his arm in front of us, standing on guard. He's done this enough times now that I immediately knew what he meant.

It didn't take a minute for whatever Yut's warning us about to appear, as two, flower-like Seedforms sprouted from the ground, blocking us from making it to the end.

Well, how nice of you to point us to exactly what you don't want us to get to!

"Heh. I was starting to wonder where you guys have been. Hey, glasses! What can you tell us about these?"

"Glasses? Err, those are called Delp Slami. They're mostly long range attackers. Stear clear of the poison gas it emits!"

Red craned her neck in anticipation, obviously glad for a chance to vent off some steam.

I found myself grinning as well. It's nice to find something I can throw my frustrations to.

We've spent long enough wandering those ruins, and now we have to traverse the nest of the Seeds? Sue me, but I think I've earned the right to have a little revenge on these annoying things.

I turned to check what Yut thinks, and he seemed to have the same idea. Perfect.

"Ready, Yut?"

"You bet!"

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IV

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The Delp Slami didn't stand a chance. In their defense, it was two against five, but it was pretty one sided.

Like Maya said, this type of Seedform attacks from range, being firmly planted on the ground and firing off clouds of purple mist.

While that may have been dangerous under different circumstances, without any distractions, they were far too slow to be any kind of threat against trained mercenaries like us.

In a few seconds, and some bullets and slashes, the two Delp Slamis have dissolved into nothingness, like all thought-produced Seed before them.

Before anyone could comment on how easy it was though, there were already new Seeds taking the defeated ones' places.

"Delsaban! Not particularly strong but it's nimble! They're dangerous in groups so avoid engaging when outnumbered!"

The Seed encyclopedia, Maya Shidow, warned, having known by now that we knew next to nothing about the many types of Seeds.

Two Delsabans jumped at Red right out of the gate, attempting to employ their dangerous in groups strategy.

That would have worked on most people, but two's not nearly enough to overwhelm any one of us, and definitely not Red.

In short order, Red cleanly and gracefully avoided all of the Delsaban's attacks that I can't stop myself from being amazed, begrudgingly.

"Might've read that wrong! This is a piece of cake!"

"Watch out, there seems to be an ego trip going on around here."

Ignoring Red's smug face, I turned my attention back to the remaining Delsabans. There were five total that appeared so that leaves us with three.

Yut took the initiative, with Lou following close with her twin sabers, each taking one Delsaban.

"[Grants]!"

Courtesy of Maya, a beam of light shot down from the ceiling to the remaining Delsaban.

She wasn't lying about the nimble part, though, as the Seed easily jumped out of the attack's radius.

Unluckily for it though, I had no prior commitments.

I fired off a barrage of shots. The Delsaban tried to dodge them all, managing to evade a few but eventually, one bullet found its mark, staggering it just enough to let the other bullets hit it consecutively.

Maya tried another Grants, and this time, the light beam engulfed the Seedform. I finished it off with a charged shot, blowing it out of existence.

The others seemed to finish up as well, not particularly challenged. I knew that was a cocky thing to think, but it's better than playing around and wasting time.

"Something's still coming. We're not done yet!"

"All right then, what's next?"

Red asked confidently as the next wave arrived, but this time, it was a singular enemy.

The ground rumbled for a bit, before a familiar tall Seed emerged, with a worm-like body and long tentacles.

"That's the Seed-Vance! The one we fought back in Mt. Elbars!"

"So you're acquainted. Then you already know how dangerous it is. We need to eliminate it at once!"

Lou charged first, leaping over a tentacle swipe and slashing at its side, scoring the first hit against the large Seed.

I started running the perimeter of its swiping range, firing off shots whenever I can, along with the occasional Zonde.

Maya switched back to her bow and employed the same tactic. No sense getting in close if we can't fight it in melee.

Overall, while it's as strong as I remember, we had an easier time fighting it this go around.

It may be because we're already familiar with how it fights, or that the Guardians knew the best way to combat it, but I like to think that we've improved since then.

Res's always been skilled, so it's a little hard to tell, but she has been better at fighting alongside others, if slightly, and I can clearly see Yut's definitely improved. While still headstrong, he's making smarter battle decisions and better use of his great instincts.

"Spin attack! Watch out!"

Right after my warning, the Seed-Vance finished winding up and spun its tentacles quickly in a wide circle. Maya and I retreated a bit, while the others leapt up to steer clear of the high-speed appendages.

But while Lou and Yut landed, Red went straight for the Seed with her jump, landing a series of quick slashes with her double saber at the creature's head.

I fired a charged shot I've been saving, hitting it in the area Red attacked, further injuring it. It attempted a counterattack but Yut beat it to the punch by piercing it with his spear.

That seemed to finally be enough for the giant Seedform, falling to the ground like a wilting plant before vanishing without a trace.

Before we could start resting though, another wave appeared but, perhaps a little disappointingly, it wasn't as threatening as the one we just had.

What replaced the Seed-Vance was a group of four Delsabans and two Delp Slamis. While not trivially easy, they were taken care of in a matter of a few minutes.

That was weird... you'd think they'd save the strongest one for last.

It almost seemed like that last wave was to catch us off guard after a big one like the Seed-Vance. But before I could baffle myself further with the peculiarity of it, the ground started shaking again.

What, don't tell me there's more?

This was a different kind of shaking, though, if that made sense. What followed was a distant sound of rumbling, almost as if...

"Hey guys, might wanna check that out!"

Rolling towards us was a whole line of strange boulders, textured almost as if they're asteroids. More importantly, though, they were huge and there was nobway to avoid them, almost reaching the height of the ceiling.

"Of all the...! [Zonde]!"

I fired a charged shot in addition to the bolt of lightning towards the boulders but they didn't even slow them down, much less damage them.

In fact, they didn't even scratch them! What were these rocks even made of?

"Alright, what're our options? Yut, can you destroy those with your Mirage Blast?"

"I'm not sure! I can try, but if Flaming Roar fails, we won't have time to do something else!"

Great.

For a moment, I thought about asking if Lou can use an SUV weapon, which was an AMF-approved weapon that's nano-transmitted from a satellite which only Casts can use.

But I remembered we have absolutely no signal, so there was no way for us to summon one here.

So what do we do? There's gotta be something!

"Did you say Flaming Roar? I might have an idea!"

Maya suddenly said as we reached the end of the room. Great, let's hear it! I'm practically open to anything we can possibly do now!

I urged her to continue.

"You know how quick changes in temperature can accelerate breakdown, right? I can use my Ice-type Mirage Blast to quickly cool off those rocks after your friend heats them!"

"... that might work. But are you sure you can handle it, Maya?"

Lou asked, concerned about her teammate. Maya flashed her a confident grin in return.

"What choice do we have? Alright, I'm ready. I'll follow your lead, Little Wing."

"Copy that. Fire away, Yut."

"Got it!"

A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead as the two of them assumed their stances, charging up a huge amount of photon energy.

Interestingly though, Yut was gathering a lot more energy than I remember him needing before. Seems like he's really going all out on this.

I'd be disappointed if he wasn't, it's not like our lives are on the line.

As the boulders drew closer, Red tugged on my sleeve, seemingly keeping calm about the situation.

"Say, I wanted to apologize for earlier..."

"You're bringing that up now? Forget about it, just don't be a stubborn moron next time."

"Next time, huh? You're really confident they'll succeed?"

"Of course. If I waver now, what message does that send to you and the others?"

"... heh. Alright, whatever you say, Mr. Leader."

Mr. Leader? Please, don't make me laugh. I just happen to know what to do in situations like this, which is to keep a cool head and think logically.

Of course, if I was on my own then I'd probably be flipping out by now.

"[Fiery Roar]!"

Yut exclaimed, casting what I presume to be a stronger version of his Flaming Roar Mirage Blast.

A sea of flames washed over the boulders, slowing them down a little and blasting off huge bits and pieces off.

But as he guessed earlier, he didn't manage to completely stop them from continuing on their way to crush us. Maya then moved on to Step 2.

"[Ice Gust]!"

The bespectacled Newman raised her wand above her head, the swirling , icy aura enveloping her following her arm's movement as if being guided.

Above her, the chilling energy coalesced into a raging ball of blizzard, before exploding in an explosion of shards and crystals, revealing the Ice Spirit, Konl.

Konl took one look at the heated boulders rushing towards us, and summoned a massive gust of ice, snow, and frost, harshly colliding with the rocks.

Little by little, the boulders cooled down, cracks appearing on them as they decelerated.

And in one final push, ice spikes appeared on the floor and impaled the weathered boulders, crushing them into brittle chunks and stopping their advance once and for all.

"... alright! We did it!"

As Yut cheered and a collective sigh of relief was released by everyone, Maya abruptly fell down to the ground.

ooo000ooo

V

ooo000ooo

The first one to react to Maya's sudden collapse was Lou.

"Maya!"

"Ooohhh, now I really wish I did proper training..."

Lou helped Maya up from the ground. Although she still looked a bit doozy, she seemed to be alright. Probably just overexerted herself casting that Mirage Blast right after the onslaught of Seeds we fought.

Well, the good thing is that she's safe. I know I've had my doubts about her, but she did just save our hides, alongside Yut.

After making sure that Maya was safe, we decided to check out the pressure plate we spotted earlier.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Step on it!"

"Wait, why don't you do it?"

I was a bit flabbergasted when Red suddenly tapped me lightly from behind. I was fully intending to be the one to activate it, but the moment she opened her mouth, I suddenly didn't want to.

I know we shouldn't be wasting time playing around, especially in a place like this, but... what if it's a trap?

"Who, me? I don't think so. C'mon, be a proper gentleman and do it!"

"Woah, wait, stop it!"

The nerve of this brat, pushing me into this suspicious machinery. I should just pick her up and place her there instead!

"I'll do it."

"Huh? Lou, are you sure?"

While Red and I were debating on who to step on the pressure plate, Lou suddenly volunteered to do so.

Before we could stop her, she nodded in response to Maya's question and planted her feet on top of the mechanism.

As Lou's weight transferred into the pedestal, it lit up in a bright blue color and sunk partially into the ground. Moments later, a distant sound of something being deactivated echoed throughout the room.

"... well, you think that did it?"

"How should I know? Why don't you check?"

"No point in that. We should get a move on."

Lou was right, we'd just be wasting time if we send one of us to check if the door was open. Plus, we'd just be exposing them to unnecessary danger.

Red shrugged as we prepared to embark for the central sector. Really, I'm starting to wonder if she asks these things just to annoy me. Oh, wait, she does.

As Lou stepped off the plate, though, the light from it instantly died down and it rose up again. This time, an activation sound played.

That's weird... Does this mean it has to stay pressed for us to get through that locked door?

It looks like we can't even cheat the system. Yut picked up a rather heavy looking chunk off the destroyed boulders and placed it on the pedestal, but it stubbornly remained raised.

"I see... So, one of us has to stay here."

The move we wanted to avoid the most was the only option. We had to split up.

Question is, though, who?

I'm not too keen on leaving any of my teammates. Maya, on the other hand, is our best source of intel on the Seeds, plus she's pretty much spent, so it's too risky leaving her alone.

Lou can probably supply that information in her place, but...

"... I'll stay."

I was thinking of how to say my suggestion of leaving Lou, nothing against her, it's just that if I had to choose between her and my teammates... when suddenly Maya herself volunteered to stay.

She must've seen the confusion in our faces, as she then started to explain her decision.

"I've used up a lot of energy so I'll probably just drag you down. So I think I'm the best choice."

"But what if you get attacked?"

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm not completely empty. And besides, you'll probably draw most of the fire by heading further in, anyway!"

I felt a tinge of annoyance at her wishy-washy response, but I quickly shook it off. Behind that carefree reasoning was a clearly thought out decision.

I didn't like it, but Maya had a point. The Seed clearly didn't want us here, since they haven't materialized even once in the other area.

However, with this area already 'captured' per se, the chances of her being attacked while she keeps that pedestal pressed seems low.

Lou looked like she wanted to argue further, but she must have realized that Maya staying here was our best option. In fact, she'd probably be safer here than if we take her with us and left one good-to-go fighter here instead.

The pink-haired Guardian relented with a sigh.

"Understood. We'll return once we're finished."

Maya nodded to her, giving Lou a reasurring smile. She then turned her attention to Yut. The moment she did, he instantly perked up.

"What is it?"

"I think you can make better use of this."

She summoned the wand she used before and handed it to the approaching Yut, who then gingerly inspected it after a moment of hesitation.

"You have excellent photon energy control. I'm sure you can figure it out easily!"

"Well, okay... thanks!"

Yut had an excited grin on his face as he picked up the wand from Maya's outstretched hand.

Funny, I didn't think he'd be into the idea of using techs. But I guess whatever he thinks will make him stronger, even if just a little, he'll gladly welcome it.

And Maya was right about him having great control. In fact, he probably had the best spiritual sense among us, owing to his Kasch heritage. If anyone can make good use of that wand, it's him.

Although that leaves me with a concern. Without her wand, Maya had no way to heal herself if ever things go awry. She's a Guardian, so I believe her if she says she'll be alright but...

After her business with Yut was over and done with, Maya turned to me next, giving me a nod and a confident smile.

"Are you worried about me? I'm flattered! But don't be, I have backups!"

Maya proudly said as she summoned a Tech-Mag, clearly retaining the ability to cast techs despite having given away her wand.

That brought me some peace of mind, knowing that we wouldn't be leaving her without any way to defend herself besides her bow.

"Kara, was it? Good luck."

"... thanks."

I answered with a smile of my own before we departed the south sector.

Now that we're down one party member, we had to be wary, especially since Maya was the only one who could cast healing techs.

The wand she gave Yut might have Resta installed in it, but who knows how effectively he can use it without any prior practice.

And there wasn't even anyone to give him some tips or whatnot. Red and I sure as hell aren't qualified, and I doubt Lou is either.

We'll just have to play it safe. The south sector wasn't too much trouble, with the only hairy part being the boulders that suddenly started rolling towards us.

But it's better to be safe than sorry. Who knows what this place has in store?

Quite uneventfully, the return trip to the central sector didn't yield any encounters with the Seed either.

"Somebody... Help..."

"...! That's...!"

As we reached the area we first arrived in, a certain voice whispered softly into my ears. And yet the owner of the voice was nowhere to be found.

Yut's ears perked up as well, clearly having heard the same thing I did. He looked around at every direction but found as much as I did.

"That was Emilia! I heard her!"

"Same here. What's the situation with that door?"

I asked over to Red and Lou, who continued on their way as Yut and I stopped, seemingly having not heard Emilia's call for help.

So it was a message she must have sent through Mika, which was a line only Emilia, Yut, and I could connect to. That explains how we heard her whisper from another room.

"It's still blocked!"

"What?!"

What do you mean still blocked? Don't tell me we left Maya there for no reason at all!

I stopped myself from reacting too harshly. Of course, I should've known this wouldn't be that easy.

Lou must've seen my reaction to Red's answer, further inspecting the door while I rushed over to take a look.

"Wait. The forcefield is gone."

Forcefield? Ah, right!

When we first arrived, the door was protected by a set of lightning bars and a forcefield. Only now, with Maya stationed on the south sector, the forcefield seemed to have been deactivated.

But this meant that we still couldn't enter. We had to check out the east and west sectors as well, and quite possibly have to split up even more.

The thought of that didn't quite sit well with me. If both rooms had switches that needed to be kept pressed, then that meant only two of us can go through to Emilia

And who knows what's behind that accursed door?

"Looks like we're still not done. Let's go."

No point sitting around thinking too hard about it now. We regrouped and headed for the west sector next.

Just hang on a little bit longer, Emilia.