Hi Everyone.
Thank you for all the favs, follows, and comments. Thanks for your patience with this chapter. So without further ado; Lies and Ties Chapter 3
Lies and Ties Chapter Three - Purgatorio
Aletia the former Vampire queen glowered at Hajime and Shizuku and demanded an answer. She had no room to negotiate. She was entirely in their power. If they decided she was still a threat then that was that, it would be likely that she would stay here forever until her mind simply shut down. Still she had her dignity and she would no longer beg. Even if it was the last thing she would do, she would act in a way befitting a Vampire Queen.
"So… Aletia was it? Who are you exactly? I thought the Vampires were dead." Shizuku asked.
"It is true that our race has likely been exterminated but I am special. Unless I run out of mana or I am instantly disintegrated, I will stay alive as an immortal. As you can see I've been alive here, stuck in this place for 300 years."
"I am special amongst sentient beings. I am able to manipulate mana directly without the use of magic circles. I cannot provide a demonstration now, as the sealstone currently saps me of most of my mana. But it seems judging by your ability to activate that artifact that you have a similar ability to myself."
"The sealstone leaves me enough mana for me to live but not much else." She explained whilst her mana was continuously being drained.
"So you want revenge for your people?" Hajime asked.
"I want to know the truth. I still have good memories with my Uncle… When my parents died and when I became queen, it was him who supported me all that time. Yet when the war against the humans began, he changed. And then he betrayed me."
"I won't beg. I understand that my story seems hard to believe, but it is the truth." Aletia concluded.
Hajime looked into Aletia's eyes. Gone was her lifeless eyes that begged for mercy. It was filled with determination to seek the truth of her imprisonment and to find justice for her people. That was good enough for Hajime.
"Shizuku, I think it's time for us to gain a new ally," Hajime concluded. "It took us a while but we finally got our fantasy race ally."
Shizuku shook her head, scolding him for being disrespectful to the Vampire Queen but agreed. Hajime placed his hands on the sealstone. He begun to send his mana into the stone using [Transmute].
"So this thing absorbs mana? I wonder what happens if I overload it?"
The sealstone began to glow red with the intense crimson mana coursing through it. The sealstone lived up to its reputation, sapping Hajime of most of his mana.
"Gahk! Its more stubborn than I thought." He remarked, as he uncorked a bottle of ambrosia to top him up.
To assist him, Shizuku, stabbed her blades into the rock formation and sent her own mana to overload the stone. Her own crimson mana supported Hajime's own until the stone began to crack and shatter.
[CRASH]
The sealstone snapped in two finally releasing its 300 year old prisoner. The changes to Aletia's physique were immediate. No longer was her face gaunt and emaciated. Her body seemed to age quickly turning to that of a 17 year old. It seemed in the process of unsealing her, Shizuku and Hajime had also given her some of their mana.
Aletia was overwhelmed in joy and relief. Her 300 year darkness was over. Her tears would not stop
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you….. I owe you two a debt that I cannot repay." Aletia thanked. "From this moment forth my life is in your hands. Your family will be my family, your friends my friends. Your enemies my enemies. I make this oath on the blood of House Avatarl."
Hajime immediately turned away as Aletia was still naked. Quickly Shizuku rummaged through their supplies and provided her their spare clothes.
"Umu. These clothes are sufficient. My thanks…. My apologises, it seems I do not know the names of my benefactors…"
"My name is Yaegashi Shizuku." Shizuku responded warmly.
"I see. Well then, Yaegashi, I must thank you for your quick thinking." Aletia thanked.
"You can call me 'Shizuku'. That's my given name. Us Japanese have their given names in the back."
"Japanese? I must admit the name of that race escapes me. I wager that the story that you could tell would be most interesting to hear." Aletia remarked in puzzlement. "The customs of other races do fascinate me… "
"I'm Nagumo Hajime. Just call me 'Hajime'." Hajime responded a smile growing on his face.
"I see. Hajime. Hajime…. That names rolls well on the tongue. It is most pleasing." She remarked.
Suddenly the ground rumbled and shook. Shizuku pulled Aletia close to her and evaded using [Air Dance] and [Super Sonic Step]. Hajime backed away using [Supersonic Step] and fired several shots from [Donner & Schlag] at the invading monster. Once she was also at a safe distance, Shizuku also fired several shots at the collapsed area.
Out came a scorpion-like creature. The shots from Hajime and Shizuku bounced harmlessly off its hardened plates. Using [Transmute]'s mineral observation skill, Hajime could tell that it was an ore that they had yet to encounter. It was obviously much harder than the [Taur Stone] that their bullets were made of.
Before Hajime could react, its claws swung down and earth formations erupted which sent Hajime flying. As a follow up the Scorpion swung its tail and spikes shot out from its tail. Upon impact the needles released acid, which scorched the ground. Hajime was not able to react quickly enough and had some of the potent acid splash on him.
He roared in pain but he was able to quickly recover and retreat from the immediate range of the monster. Shizuku, who had by this point dropped Aletia to a safe spot now confronted the scorpion, evading all of its Earth Spikes, and coming within several metres of the scorpion. Using her sword she was able to parry several strikes from it claws but was unable to deal any decisive damage.
When she noticed that the scorpions tail spikes remerged, she quickly pulled back using out of its unloaded several incendiary grenades to see what they were capable of. It seemed that it was effective to someone degree as the scorpion shrieked under the heat of the flames which burned at 3000 degrees. But the ore that was protecting the monster was not particularly flammable, so the fierce fire quickly stopped. Wounded and burnt, the scorpion grew enraged.
"Shizuku, keep it busy!" Hajime shouted, as he charged [Donner] and [Schlag]'s Lighting mode.
She threw more incendiary grenades, to distract the monster away from Hajime. Seconds later, Hajime's railgun enhanced shots slammed into the head of the scorpion, where Shizuku was had aimed her incendiary grenades. It was visibly damaged, but it reacted immediately aiming a volley of poison needles at Hajime while he was still suffering from the recoil of the shot.
Shizuku rushed forwards and slammed her swords onto the tail to change its aim away from Hajime. She prepared [Blade Aura; Cutting Gale] to hopefully cut off the tail. However she was not able to cut through the hard plates that protected the scorpion's tail. In response the scorpion swung its tail at Shizuku, sending her downwards with full force. Shizuku did not seem to get up.
"Shizuku!" Hajime bellowed, as he unloaded has many bullets as he could at the monsters to prevent a follow up attack on Shizuku.
Aletia ran up to him from her hiding spot.
"Hajime. You don't have enough firepower. Let me take that role." Aletia offered. "I just need one thing. I'll apologise to Shizuku after we save her."
Aletia bit into Hajime's neck and drew his blood. It was slightly uncomfortable but Aletia made sure draw the least amount of blood necessary for this. Once she finished she licked her lips and smiled.
"Go. Save Shizuku and get as far away as possible!" Aletia commanded.
Hajime was already halfway to the downed Shizuku, before the command came. He avoided several earth spikes and slid underneath a claw of the scorpion unloading several shots in a joint where the hard plates could not protect it. The claw fell off, just as he slid past it. Quickly he picked up Shizuku and fled from the monsters as soon as possible.
"You….. Let me guess. You're a final trial from my Uncle. How fitting that he had sent a messenger to me in the final moments of my imprisonment." Aletia angrily remarked. "I suppose you mean to keep me here for another 300 years or so….. BUT. NO. MORE!"
[Grand Magic- Azure Blaze}
At Aletia's command a pillar of blue flame erupted from underneath the monster's belly. The sheer force , pushed the scorpion monster to the ceiling of the prison chamber. Deathly roars and shrieks could be coming from the scorpion, as it was consumed by the blue blaze.
When at last the monster gave its last breath, Aletia released the spell. She too collapsed due to the mana that she used up in one spell. Hajime was worse for wear and carrying heavily wounded Shizuku. He quickly used [Find Presence] to see if there was any monsters. Finding none he sighed in relief and placed Shizuku on the ground. He uncorked a bottle of Ambrosia and muttered a quick apology before opening her mouth and pouring the miracle liquid. Noticing that it had done the trick, Hajime collapsed soon after from the wounds that he sustained.
It was just in time to see Shizuku wake up, frantically screaming his name and with tears in her eyes.
It seemed that the scorpion's acid was more potent than initially though. A mere splash would have instantly killed a normal person. A monster hybrid could have been easily killed if the wound was not treated soon enough. Luckily the miracle liquid was more than a match for the acid, and healed his wounds. Shizuku breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Hajime's gentle rhythmic breathing once more. He was still unconscious but he was surely now out of danger. His head was placed on Shizuku's lap, so that he had a comfortable place to wake up from.
By this time Aletia also recovered and had begun conversing properly with Shizuku for the first time.
"My dear Shizuku, whilst Hajime is unconscious may I beseech you to tell me your story? I told you mine, I believe that it only fair." Aletia requested, curious about the journey that her benefactors and saviours had been through.
Shizuku smiled and agreed. A good story was a good way to pass the time.
"Where do you want me to begin?" Shizuku asked.
"From the very beginning, as any good story should."
So she begun her riveting story from her childhood all the way to her time in middle school.
"Hmmm. This ' Shirasaki Kaori'….. I friend I assume. She seems more trouble than she's worth….." remarked Aletia.
Shizuku didn't disagree with her but smiled at her remarks.
"That is probably true. She caused me no end of headaches. If she was here she'd object and proudly declare; 'Being a pain in the butt is what friends are about, Shizuku-chan! If you can't be a pain in the butt with a friend, can you really call them friends?!"
Aletia tried to ponder whether wisdom could be gleaned from those words but found none. She turned her head in confusion.
"I do not understand. Yet I probably know little about 'friends'. My own childhood was not filled with such things as you describe." Aletia remarked stoically.
"Aletia, we're going to be your friends. From now until the end of our days. Just as you owe us your life, we owe us yours. That makes us friends or even family…. We won't leave you alone, so feel free to load your burdens with us." Shizuku offered.
Looking longingly at the unconscious Hajime, she stroked his cheeks made rough by all that he could endure.
"A very important person to me told me that." She remarked with a longing voice, as if asking her beloved to wake up already.
"This may be asking the obvious but are you two lovers? You're both similar in appearance, so I thought that you might have been siblings. But the way you treat him shows me that you and he are tied romantically….. Unless siblings in your culture have that kind of relationship."
Shizuku shook her head furiously.
"No! We're not siblings! I'd be skipping a lot of the story to explain that so treat it as a tasty tidbit and let's move on." Shizuku denied quickly.
Aletia grinned a smug grin and allowed her to continue her story.
"I'll skip ahead a bit and get up to the story of how I meant and spoke to Hajime for the first time." Shizuku offered. Aletia intrigued nodded her head excitedly.
So Shizuku quickly explained how Kaori encountered him saving some old granny and how she was obsessed with finding her 'mysterious boy.'
"She seriously pissed me off those couple of weeks. She wouldn't stop talking about him. When I saw him for the first time, I can't say I was impressed. Kaori overhyped the guy, made him out to be some kind of hero."
She explained that she basically kept good relations with the guy for the most part. He was after all a good-natured person. But they would obvious met since Kaori always dragged her around to met Hajime.
"His only distinct thing was his stubbornness and obstinacy. He would not bow to anyone. Not to Amanogawa, Hiayama or his teacher. He stuck in his ways, determined to do what he dreamed and wanted."
"He was stark difference from me, who spent most my time apologising for others and looking after them. One day, after a particularly tough day I caught him asleep in our classroom after my kendo practice ended."
"I woke him up and we talked. It was the first time I had a proper conversation with him. What he told me that day, still rings within my heart."
"You're always looking out for other people Yaegashi. Everyone calls you their big sister"
"Well that is a responsibility of mine…"
Hajime stopped in his tracks and paused, thinking intently.
"I see. Well you don't have to add me to your list of worries Yaegashi. I'll always be a stubborn idiot, so you don't need to worry about me."
"It was the first time anyone showed me concern about my wellbeing. I didn't take him up on the offer at the time. But with everything that has happened, that first memory has become indescribably precious to me." Shizuku recalled with joy and happiness.
It was at this time that Hajime began to stir, His eyes slowly opened.
"Am I dead?" He asked groggily. "Why does everything seem so soft and perfect?"
It was not long before he was released that he was on a lap pillow provided to him by Shizuku. He attempted to get away, embarrassed but Shizuku forced him back down on her lap pillow.
"Hajime…. Just stay down and enjoy the lap pillow. Otherwise, it's not going to be as comfortable for you." Shizuku forced harshly.
The tears in her eyes subdued Hajime and he relented to being embarrassed by his lover.
"Perfect timing Hajime. You're just in time to contribute to your shared story with Shizuku. Why don't you continue from the point where you two were summoned to Tortus."
After pausing to catch his breath, Hajime continued where Shizuku left off. He described the feeling of being wrenched away from his family. The mockery that he had to endure. The training he underwent. The first time that he killed something. In some cases it was the first time that he had fully opened up about his experiences.
Even Shizuku was bought to tears at some points. She lightly beat her first, in anger and sadness. Aletia was visibly distressed and enraged.
"Hiyama Daisuke, will rue the day that he came forth from his mother's womb." Aletia declared angrily. "His death will not be quick nor painless. I swear this on the blood of House Avatarl."
Shizuku nodded in agreement. Hiyama and his cronies will get the ending that they deserved. Hajime calmed them down, noting that being consumed in anger doesn't do anything.
"At least their actions led me to you, my love. If they hadn't trapped you in that place then I wouldn't have rescued you. Would you still have fallen for me if it weren't for that?" Hajime asked.
Shizuku mumbled that it was unfair of Hajime to use her precious memories against her like that. She allowed him to continue, recalling the events that led to their fall into the Abyss. He recalled the pain and the struggle. The fierce fighting that took place. He recalled every wound and broken bone that Shizuku and Hajime endured until he came to this moment.
"And so here we are," Hajime concluded. "I front of you Aletia. I don't know how far we have left but we will get through this hell hole. Today's events prove it. We need you Aletia and I'm grateful that you've become our friend."
"I'm not your friend." Aletia declared, her eyes crying.
They looked at her puzzled.
"Our tie runs deeper than mere friends. I swore an oath to be your shield. To be your sword. To help you achieve your dreams until they are fulfilled or my body expires. As a person who shares your burdens, who is tied to you two by love if not by blood, then would it not be appropriate to call us family?"
"I remember what my father told me so long ago. That ties of blood can be fickle. That a Vampire knows that reality more than others. But a true family is bound in love and duty. In affection and responsibility."
Hajime and Shizuku smiled and accepted this. From this point on they were family tied by love and affection if not by blood.
"As a request, I would like you to give me a name. I will always be Aletia Galdea Vespirtio Avartal but I have a new family now. And in the culture of our people, a new name should be given in such an occasion."
Shizuku and Hajime pondered her request. Thinking carefully and discussing it between themselves. They looked at Aletia and her porcelain skin and bright golden locks, shining brightly in the darkness to illuminate their way. Like the moon ever-present in the night sky.
Kaguya would have been appropriate for a princess. And Selena for a goddess. But Aletia was none of these things. She was powerful yet graceful. Deadly but beautiful. She was much like the moon itself.
And with that, her name was decided.
"Yue. Your new name will be Yue. It means 'moon'." Shizuku declared the agreement on Hajime.
"It's a reminder of your illuminating presence and your simple grace and power. It fits you."
Aletia pondered this name, giving it thought several times over. She smiled a small simple smile. A bright smile that would illuminate the dark sky.
"'Yue'. That name pleases me. Your reasoning was wonderful and music to my ears. From now on, to you and only to you, I shall be 'Yue Aletia Galdea Vespertio Avartal'. For the sake of brevity please call me 'Yue'."
And so began the story of Yue Aletia Galdea Vespertio Avartal kin by oaths and love to Nagumo Hajime and Yaegashi Shizuku.
"So what shall we do now?"
At this Hajime's eyes began to glint as he looked at the corpse of the scorpion, Its thick outer shell survived Yue's [Azure Blaze] stupendously well. He went over to it grinning like mad.
"Yue. Let's not disturb Hajime. He's going to go a little crazy." Shizuku warned her, and Yue was escorted by Shizuku to conduct some training.
After several hours, Hajime came out with new and improved creations made of our the shell and plates of the scorpion. The new weapons were made of [Shtar Ore], an ore that easily conducted mana and allowed one to strengthen the ore, using mana.
Naturally, this meant that Hajime and Shizuku's swords were upgraded with [Shtar ore] making them more durable. Due to its high mana conductivity, it because easier to use the various [Blade Auras] that they had used. Using this ore improved the efficiency of [Blade Aura], allowing Shizuku and Hajime to maintain it for longer. With enough concentration, one could increase its output, in exchange for a shorter time of use. [Shtar Ore] sheaths were also made, so that [Blade Aura] could be charged, in preparation for a [Iaijutsu] technique.
Hajime did not neglect his guns. [Donner] and [Schlag] all received structural improvements, allowing Hajime to use create and use higher caliber bullets. Using Shtar ore allowed him to improve [Lighting Mode] to improve and produce much stronger shots.
His masterpiece however was a new weapon that he was still in the middle of testing and improving. In typical Hajime fashion, he had already named the new weapon before completing it. Dubbed [Schlagen] by its creator, it was a rifle, capable of firing what Hajime called [Special Bullets]. He promised that the destructive power of this weapon would be unlike that which Tortus and the Universe at large had never before seen.
Yue personally tested the durability and resistance of the weapons via magic and approved of their durability.
Using leftover pelts and skins, Hajime was able to make a dress for Yue to wear that was both reasonably fashionable and functional.
Yue's inclusion in their training also proved fruitful. She proved a good way to improve their instincts in combat, the efficiency of their mana use, and an overall increase in the effectiveness of certain skills like [ Diamond Skill] and all of their offensive skills like [Blade Aura].
It horrified Yue to see Hajime and Shizuku eat the remains of the scorpion. She understood that it was the way that they got stronger and for that she was grateful. What put her off was their conversation during the 'meal?'
"Hmm. Roasted scorpion sure is delicacy isn't Shizuku?" Hajime asked as he tore through a chunk of scorpion meat.
"Yes, it's pretty good. The meat seems a bit different. Is it the higher mana concentration perhaps?" Shizuku wondered as she gnawed on more scorpion meat.
"Yeah, I think I will rank this one 3 stars," Shizuku concluded.
Hajime nodded sagely in agreement. All the while Yue gagged. When she was offered the meat she refused, saying that she would not subject herself to disgusting torture. After all, Yue required only regular blood as sustenance. Shizuku and Hajime took turns to provide the blood necessary.
"How could such sweet tasting blood, come from such a rotten source?" Yue muttered under her breath, as she slinked away to avoid gagging further.
City of Heileigh – Kingdom of Heileigh – Throne Room
"You wish to leave the Heroes party and join your teacher?" Exclaimed the King of Heileigh
In the throne room of Heileigh, the heroes' party had an audience with the King and Pope Ishtar. It was then when Shirasaki Kaori and Endou Kosuke, made their startling announcement. At once disquiet settled in the hearts of the party.
"Without Shirasaki-san what will we do? She's our best healer!"
"I understand that's she still depressed over Nagumo and Yaegashi but where does that leave us?"
The party continued to murmur until they were silenced by the Pope.
"Silence! This is a preposterous suggestion!" He exclaimed. "She is the best healer in the Heroes party. She cannot leave!
In defiance, Aiko Hatayama once again threatened to stop using her powers.
"You know my position. If you don't let the students that no longer want to fight, leave the attack party to join me, I'll stop using my powers." She declared simply. "That means all of them. Shirasaki-chan and Endou-kun included."
The pope visibly spluttered as he failed to challenge her words. Aiko continued to glare, challenging them to stop her. She knew that she had the leverage to push what she wanted to a certain extent.
"Fine. The two of them can leave." The King relented. "But no more. Anyone else that wishes to leave will not have the opportunity to leave. Understood?!"
That was fine enough for Aiko. All of the students that wanted to leave were already with her apart from Endou and Shirsaki. This was her win.
At once the Heroes party was dispersed. Instantly Amanogawa came up to Endou and Shirasaki in an attempt to stop them.
"Kaori! Don't do this." Amanogawa pleaded. "We need you."
But Kaori would not be dissuaded. She glared at Kouki.
"No Kouki-kun. Don't stop me. I'm tired of all this fighting. I've lost my best friends. I don't want to fight any longer. So don't stop me. You're wasting your breath."
She couldn't help but include a little venom in her words. Her true feelings leaked out with every word she said to the Kouki and the rest of the party. She truly had enough of this party. It seemed that the other members that wanted to dissuade her also backed down.
She strode away following after Aiko-sensei who was waiting for her. They would soon depart as per Aiko's schedule. Luckily Kaori had already prepared for this and had secretly prepared to leave, well beforehand.
Before long Kaori and Endou had taken their things and met with Aiko-sensei and the baggage train for her journey. With her were several people who decided to act as Aiko-sensei bodyguards for her trip around the Kingdom of Heileigh.
"Oh Shirasaki-san here!" Cried out Yuka Sonobe, the Acrobat of the party. "Wait a minute, wasn't Endou supposed to join us?"
Endou appeared right in front of Yuka, startling her, causing her to trip. Reacting with surprising speed Endou caught her before she could fall, in a bridal carry.
"Sorry about that." Endou apologized.
"That's okay!" Yuka bellowed flustered.
Yuka immediately dusted herself off and told everyone that Shirasaki and Endou had arrived. Ai-chan-sensei who stood at the head of the baggage train announced their departure.
"We're going to be visiting a few villages on our way to the Town of Ur. I've been told that these villages are in desperate need of assistance. Hence, I've organised this baggage train." Ai-Chan-sensei announced. "I'll be relying on my students and the Knights to protect the baggage train and the others. So in advance, I'd like to thank you all for making a difference."
Aiko sensei's style was a marked difference from the often authoritarian nature of the Heroes party. It seemed like everyone here from the knights to the students wanted to genuinely be here. Aiko sensei was truly popular.
Whilst everyone else was filled with smiles and joy, only two breathed sighs of relief. Endou Kosuke and Shirasaki Kaori's plan had no guarantee of success but it seemed that they had succeeded in the meantime. The both of them grimaced, knowing that their battle was not truly won just yet.
"Shizuku-chan. I wonder where you are now." Kaori muttered out loud to no one in particular.
Abyss Floor - 75
The theme of this floor was a jungle. All kinds of monsters inhabited this floor, which was nothing more than a thick Jungle, which the party needed to traverse in one piece to get to the next floor. Hajime had just shot the tenth t-rex like monster that they had encountered. Shizuku and Hajime no longer could get any stats from eating these monsters.
"How much longer do we have to go? This jungle is not pleasing to neither my skin nor my countenance." Yue complained.
Shizuku climbed a tree to find out where they were in relation to the next door.
"About another kilometre from here. It might be easier if they try to traverse the jungle on top of the trees. We need to avoid going in circles at this point."
Continently part of the floor had certain large pillars propping up the vast ceiling of this vast floor. As long as they sighted these pillars, they were able to make sense of where they were. It had been days of rough jungle traversing but they were now at the final leg of the floor.
Suddenly there was a loud rumbling came forth from the west. It was steadily louder and louder. Instantly Hajime grabbed Yue and used [Air Dance] to climb to the top of the trees. North West of their position was a large billowing dust cloud. It was a stampede.
Judging by its direction and its pace, it was almost certainly headed towards them. At its helm were several gigantic monsters capable of flattening entire sections of the forest with ease. What was odd was that all of these different monsters were working in concert with one another. These monsters often fought more with another than with the party.
They're coming in close; just a mere 800 metres away before
"We could outrun them. But not for very long. We should probably end them now. Yue if you please."
Yue nodded, relishing the opportunity to unleash her magic. She drew on Shizuku's blood and charged her magic.
[Grand Magic – Tornado Valley]
Several large tornadoes emerged in front of Yue and controlling the tornadoes, Yue aimed them at the monster stampede. Most of the weaker monsters were picked off by the tornado and flung several kilometres away. As a plus, the tornadoes uplifted the trees that were at least 800 metres away from
All that was left were the tougher monsters that could hold their ground or had magic to keep themselves weighted. Yue clung to Shizuku's back, as Hajime and Shizuku sped off to take care of the remaining monsters. Their first target was a titanic monster that vaguely looked like a triceratops. Hajime shot several enhanced lighting shots from [Donner] and [Schlag] while Shizuku rushed ahead with Yue. When she was close to the monster, she leaped higher and higher until she was at least ten metres above the monster, who was still stunned.
She released the invisible air platform that she was on.
"[Blade Aura – Mega Wind Claw]"
From her sword grew an aura of wind that tripled the effective length of her blade. Shizuku expertly swung her over-extended blade, cutting decapitating the head of the triceratops. Due to the sheer length of the blade and its cutting power, several smaller monsters were caught in the strike, cutting them in two as well.
Hajime intended to quickly join them when explosions of what seemed like fine dust exploded from the area where the triceratops was dispatched. Several more explosions occurred in the areas where the monsters were flung.
"Shizuku! Yue!" He screamed, trying to get their attention.
He leaped closer and closer until he could see what the cloud of dust was.
"Pollen!?"
A figure moved within the dust, headed towards Hajime. It slashed wildly at Hajime. It was Shizuku. But the sword technique was not more than a novice playing with a sword. Hajime blocked the weak blow with the [Donner] and [Schlag] which he enhanced with [Diamond Skin] to take more blows without breaking.
"Shizuku what the hell!"
He pushed her off with a strong shove. Some were controlling Shizuku. Before he could breathe a stream of fire erupted from the cloud of pollen. It was Yue, now aim at him as well. Hajime used [Air Dance] to avoid the stream of fire.
Think Hajime! Something must be controlling them!
He needed to find the person that was controlling the two of them. Whilst evading the Shizuku's blows and Yue's blows, he quickly used [Infarared Vision] in conjunction with [Sense Presence]. About 50 metres away, he detected a lifeform that was heating up quite quickly.
How dare that monster control, my beloved? And my family whom I love!
Using all the strength he could muster, pushing [Air Dance] to its absolute limits he arrived that the location of the monster in mere milliseconds. Shizuku and Yue, who were being controlled and limited in their abilities could not catch up to a full-speed Hajime.
Landing in clearing that monster created for himself, Hajime did not hesitate in unloading everything that he had on the monster. He did not think twice. When his rage subsided he finally took a look at the carnage he wrought. The monster was vaguely humanoid-shaped, at least he thought it was based on the scraps of it left from Hajime's enraged barrage. Its hair was made of vines and flowers and had a green complexion. Very little else could be obtained from the scraps of plant-like flesh that was left. As far as Hajime was concerned, it was good riddance. The mere thought of even considering consuming it flesh disgusted Hajime. As a final curse, Hajime spat at the dead monster's carcass and threw an incendiary grenade to light it all on fire.
"You tried to turn my family against me. You tried to turn my beloved against me. That was your mistake." He spat, as looked at the burning pile of monster flesh which was quickly turning to ashes.
He rushed off to find Shizuku and Yue. Using [Sense Presence] he was able to find them. They were both unconscious but otherwise, they were okay. He put them into a resting position and keep guard over them.
It was a few hours before they awoke.
"Urgh. My head…. Where is that monster... Is it dead?" Shizuku asked.
"It is. It's nothing more than ashes now." Hajime replied. "It didn't even think of eating it. Disgusting bastard."
His eyes flashed in anger when recalling that monster. Shizuku smiled at him to reassure her that she was okay. His countenance became normal and relaxed. He yawned as the strains on his body became apparent.
"How long have you been keeping watch? Rest up already. We'll continue with the rest of the dungeon when you wake up." Shizuku offered.
Hajime his eyes heavy with sleep dropped to the ground and closed his eyes. Shizuku shuffled to him and whispered into his ears.
"Rest well my love. Dream good dreams my love."
Hajime tried as was, could not respond, but a small smile stretched across his face. He rested then satisfied that his family was safe and that his work was done.
Abyss – Floor 100
It was not long before the party had conquered all the floors between floors 75 and 100. The staircase between floors 99 and 100 was the longest yet, winding in circles and circles until they hit the bottom floor.
When they reached the last floor what greeted them was a gigantic chamber. It was at least 5 stories in height, at least 300 metres wide, and 500 metres deep. It was covered with large ore deposits that sparkled in the light of the glow stones that littered the ceiling. At the very end was a pair of large silver doors, at least twice the size of the normal silver doors which indicated the end of a floor.
"Yeah, this place just reeks of a boss room," Hajime muttered.
Over the time that they had spent together, Yue had come to understand Hajime's 'Otaku Speak'. She nodded in agreement.
"It would certainly befit a dungeon created by one of the mavericks."
A while back, Yue explained what she did know of this dungeon. She explained that the Orcus Grand Labyrinth was named by and was created by the Mavericks, a group of sentient beings of various races that came together to oppose the gods. They eventually were betrayed and defeated, but their key leaders created these Labyrinths to pass on their knowledge to a successor which they deemed worthy.
"It certainly would fit their style to have one last trial to overcome," Shizuku remarked.
Walking halfway through the boss room, a magic circle erupted underneath them. Sensing the danger the party immediately retreated as far as they could, out pacing the magic circle. The multicolored magic circle grew wider and wider until it stretched from one end of the room to the other, and covered at least half of the length of the room.
From the summoning circle came the last boss of the dungeon. It was a monster straight out of the myths of the ancient Greek myths. A monster that was legendarily slain by the Hero Herakles; the Hydra. Six was the number of its snake-like heads, each with a different color, connected to a common grey, scaly body with a long and thick tail to balance out the six heads.
Hajime wasted no time in unloading his bullets against the monster, to test out its defences. The Yellow head, instantly blocked any shots that Hajime fired, taking in the properties of the ore that was surrounding it. [Lighting Mode] was able to create some damage but certainly not enough to destroy it.
In response, the red and green heads used their abilities in conjunction to whip up a fire tornado which raced towards the party.
[Grand Magic – Water Giant]
Yue summoned a large giant of water to stop the fire tornado, which she was able to do. She forced the giant to press forwards to choke and strange the red and green heads of the hydra. The raging torrent quickly choked them to death. She released the spell, exhausted.
But suddenly it grew dark and Yue was alone.
Where is everyone?
Before she realised it, she was back in her Sealstone. It was back to a familiar horror. The silence of that empty room that she lived in for 300 years.
Was it just a dream? Was it just a final delusion before my mind shut down?
She promised that she would no longer cry. But that dream was so real. That hope was so real. Now it is all gone. A cruel trick of her mind. The lonely lost girl cried. Not Aletia; Queen of the Vampires. Not Yue. Just a lost forgotten girl who cried in her endless prison.
She let the darkness consume her, judging that it would be easier if her mind shut down. Better if she let her grief die with her mind. She closed her mind, intending to let it all end.
[YUE!]
What was that? Who was calling her name? Her name?
[YUE!]
Why was that name familiar? Why did she hear such warmth in that voice?
[YUE!]
Another voice with such warmth? Who gave her that name?
[YUE!]
This time the voice grew more distinct. It was a male voice.
Hajime?
[YUE!]
It was a female voice this time. It urged her forwards.
Shizuku?
Yue remembered everything. This was no longer her reality. She had people that found her. That loved her. Who called her family. This dark empty room was nothing but a fake.
A crack appeared in the dark scape. The more she held on to her hope and to thoughts of Hajime and Shizuku, the more the cracks grew until it all crumbled. Her eyes opened to the sight of Shizuku shaking her, pleading with tears in her eyes for Yue to wake up.
"Shizuku. What happened?"
"When you released the spell, the black head did something to you!" Shizuku explained frantically. "You closed your eyes and you wouldn't wake up. Your pulse was weakening!"
"It showed me my worst nightmares. I was back in that room. All of our time together, it seemed like it was all a delusion that my mind created in my last moments. It was so scary to be so alone after meeting you all… I'm glad you're all real." Yue explained with tears in her eyes.
Yue scrambled to her feet. With tears in her eyes, her face grew grim with anger and hatred.
How dare a mere monster plunge her into her worse fears. How dare a mere monster to take away her family. Such thoughts raged in Yue's head until they exploded. She pushed past Hajime and Shizuku, her mana boiling so hot, that even Hajime and Shizuku could feel the heat.
"YOU DARE DEPRIVE THE QUEEN OF THE VAMPIRES THE ONLY FAMILY SHE HAS LEFT!"
Yue roared, as she unleashed every grand magic that she had in conjunction.
[COMBINED GRAND MAGIC – INFINITE ICE PRISON]!
Ice-covered the room ahead of her with ice. The red and green heads (which were healed by the white head) scrambled to defend against the growing ice. They managed to stop the encroachment of the ice, at the sacrifice of the red and green heads.
Not missing their opportunity, Hajime and Shizuku rushed forwards to attack. Their ultimate target was the white head, to prevent the hydra from re-healing the other heads. The yellow head, sensing the target defended the white head, trying to physically slam Hajime and Shizuku. But Hajime maneuvered around the yellow head, using [Air Dance] in tight movements, allowing him to deal extensive damage to Yellow head with his enhanced swords and [Blade Aura; Gale Claw].
Shizuku rushed on, with her superior speed. Landing on a pad of invisible air, she briefly paused, taking her [Iaijutsu] stance. Almost immediately she struck out as fast and lighting and thunder.
[Yaegashi style Iaijutsu – Susannoo]
In a flash the white head was dead and its head was flying away several hundred metres. Yue's rage had not ceased despite the death of the white head monster. The aftershock of her strike also wounded the black and blue heads,
[COMBINED GRAND MAGIC- PIERCING BLIZZARD]
A combination of wind and ice pierced the weakened skin of the yellow skin who was unable to put up a defence in time. It died quickly. The black head and the blue head, battered by the continual assaults by Yue and the severe wounds it received from the [Susanoo] was quickly gunned down by Hajime.
For a second it seemed that victory had been achieved. The body and tail collapsed, the murky black blood flowed from dead six snakeheads. Shizuku approached the body slowly, intending to check that the monster was truly dead.
The body violently rumbled and in an instant, a new seventh head, dyed in silver emerged. The moment that the seventh head emerged, the other heads grew back at a frightening pace. It would not be long before all seven heads would rain fire and destruction on the party
With surprising agility, the new silver colour snakehead slammed Shizuku with its elongated tail. As if it remembered the death of the whitehead, the revived monster pursued Shizuku. It aimed its head towards Shizuku, producing some kind of acidic poisonous substance which corroded the very ground that the monster stood down.
Hajime put everything into his [Supersonic Step]. Every drop of mana, Every muscle, Every thought, Every pulse of the nerves.
Move, Hajime! Move!
In doing so, Hajime achieved a greater speed than could be imagined by him or by others that came before him. Thought he did not know it yet, through sheer force of will, he obtained [Riftwalk] a movement ability so fast that the user seemed was a mere blur even to the sight of the most well-trained eyes.
Before even a drop of poisonous blood could hit even a strand of hair of Shizuku's head, Hajime was already there. He protected her with his back, applying [Diamond Skin] before he was hurt. His skin burned and his body corroded.
AGHHGH!
Shizuku looked on Hajime in horror. Hajime's body collapsed onto Shizuku, his flesh corroding and quickly breaking apart. The snakehead prepared another shot at Hajime, fully intending to end him and his lover.
With all her might Shizuku took Hajime away, narrowly avoiding the second shot. Shizuku screamed for Yue. Yue desperately stumbled and ran towards them, fumbling to provide the Ambrosia that Hajime desperately needed it. As the snake head prepared for another attack, Yue desperately created a Multi-layered Earth Shield.
[Earth Mound]! [Earth Mound]! [Earth Mound]!
The Earth Mounds were corroding rapidly and Yue was struggling to maintain them. Her face creased in stress and despair. It would also not be long before the other snake heads re-grew and would increase the pressure on the party.
"Hajime!" Shizuku and Yue shouted.
He groaned loudly, but the wounds were closing. His eyes stirred. He silently observed his surroundings.
"That's not going to hold." He remarked. "That stuff is too corrosive. Trust me I know." He joked, smiling weakly.
"Stop joking around Hajime! You nearly died! Why… Why… would you do that?" Shizuku screamed.
His right hand instantly shot up to caress Shizuku's face. She grabbed his hand and bought it close.
"You know why, my love. You'd do the same. And I'd be in your position screaming my head about it." Hajime remarked. "So enough of that. We need to kill that bastard."
He ruminated silently for a moment.
"Yue! You still have [Schlagen]?"
She was still straining, but she nodded.
"Yue! Can you tell when the monster stops breathing that toxic muck?"
"Yes! Do hurry if you intend to do something!" She urged, her magic fading.
Slowly Hajime rose to his feet. He was still bleeding from his wounds but he forced his body to move. He dismissed Shizuku's concerns and grabbed [Schlagen] from Yue. He lay flat on the floor and adjusted Schlagen on his stand. He loaded the rifle and put his eyes off the sight. He activated [Lighting Field] and the gun rumbled as it charged its Railgun enhanced shot.
"When it stops briefly, stop the Earth Mounds. I'll shoot at it with [Schlagen]. Shizuku put everything into one strike. Between [Schlagen]'s round and your maximum strike, that bastard should die."
Shizuku nodded and began to charge her [Blade Aura: Gale Claw] and focused it until her sword was made as sharper as possible. As she did so, she focused, until her five senses sharpened. She put her everything into a single moment.
"Now!" Yue screamed.
Hajime pulled the trigger on [Schlagen] and the round was shot as fast as lighting, beyond the ability of the Hydra to react. It tore through the body of the monster and severed the silver head snake.
[Yaegashi Style – Monster Hybrid Derivative-In the Moment of Instant]
In a single moment of instant, it seemed to Shizuku that she had all the time in the world. The world seemed to slow down for her as she comfortably dodged all attacks that the Hydra heads had for her. Without any effort, she slashed and severed all the monsters' heads and with her sharpened sword diced up the body of the Hydra.
In an instant, it was over. It seemed to all other observers that Shizuku appeared on the other side instantaneously, in the amidst of rain of blood and flesh. The bloody sprayed all over the floor, in a bloom-like pattern.
"[Thousand Year Blood Bloom]" Hajime whispered in awe.
Sensing that the monster was well and truly dead, Hajime collapsed. His will finally relented with his enemies dead and his beloved save. No amount of shaking or screaming on the part of Yue could wake him. Shizuku also collapsed from the sheer strain that [In The Moment of Instant] placed on her body.
The Maverick's Hideout
Hajime Nagumo awoke to the gentle rays of light beating down on his face. His eyes creaked open weakly. His eyes struggled with adjusting to the strong light. He did not know how long it had been since he had seen such light or felt such warmth.
"The sun?"
As his eyes opened wider he realised that it was not the sun, but an artificial one. Based on the light that it was producing, it seemed to be imitating the evening sun.
He tried to get up but his body was bandaged, limiting his movement. He was hurt worse than he expected. No doubt he would get an earful from Shizuku about this. Getting bored, he turned his head as much as he could to take a look at the place where he woke up.
He could see the balcony that lay to the right of him, its windows and glass doors open to let in the light and the wind. He could see parts of the outside. He recognised the tops of a lush treeline that must have surrounded the mansion
The room was intricately designed bearing a marked similarity to designs that he saw in France and other old world countries. Whoever built this was a true craftsman.
But soon he got bored of this whole affair and forced his body to move. He removed his covers and saw the bandages that covered much of his body, covering his entire chest area and his thighs. With some difficulty he was able to sit, propping himself on the bed frame. It was still hard to move because of the pain and bandages. He felt his strength returning so he used his hands to move his legs over the bed.
He wiggled his toes to make sure that he could feel and then proceeded to push with his arms and legs. After several failed attempts Hajime was able to stand although he was still unstable on his feet. Carefully he took one step, feeling the pain that shot through his leg as he exerted any kind of force on it.
He gritted through the pain and continued to pace until his feet weary with the pain urged him to go back to sitting.
Well, it's a good start. No need to take it too far.
As he was calmly regulating his breathing, he heard the sound of the door opening and the loud clang of something dropping.
"Hajime!" cried out the former queen of the Vampires.
She hugged him tightly, making sure that he was okay. Her tears quickly dried when she could see that he wasn't hurt.
"Yue. I'm glad that you're safe…." He mentioned.
She shook her head.
"That should be my words! Do you realise how badly wounded you were?! The Ambrosia was the only thing keeping your body from crumbling to pieces!"
He nodded. There was no doubt that he was very badly wounded. He couldn't tell how long he'd been out cold but it was surely for a long time.
"You've been out cold for three days!" She exclaimed. You and Shizuku both….."
At the mention of Shizuku, his eyes widened fearing the worse.
"She was out cold for two days. She's resting now but she's fine." Yue assured him. "You can see her later. When you're better."
Yue emphasised that last point. Hajime was not leaving his room until his body rested some more. He objected but Yue's eyes flashed.
"Nagumo Hajime. You…. Will… Rest."
The room suddenly became more frosty as Yue charged her ice magic as a threat. He quickly backed down.
"Alright. But I'm getting bored here can you at least tell me what you know about this place."
Yue explained that she had a tough time taking Hajime and Shizuku to this place. The place could be considered a mansion, and was as Hajime suspected was surrounded by a forest of various plants and trees. Much of the fruit was edible. She had yet explored all the rooms since she had prioritised taking care of Hajime and Shizuku.
"What secrets the Maverick left…. It's certainly an enticing prospect." Hajime grinned. If the Maverick who built this dungeon and this mansion were as good as a craftsman as he anticipated he would be able to get some good materials.
He yawned. His body needed more rest.
"About Shizuku. When she wakes up, you can tell her I'm okay. If I know her she's probably not getting enough rest because she's worried about me. You can tell her that I'm just sleeping."
Yue nodded agreeing to relay his wishes to his lover. She put his covers back on him and she wished him a good rest, letting his eyes close and his body shut down once more. He dreamed of Shizuku Yaegashi, his lover, and her radiant face bringing a smile to his face.
Next Day
When Hajime awoke his body felt fully rested. He glanced to his left and there she was his heart and soul; Shizuku Yaegashi. Her hair was white as snow-covered her sleeping face. Gently he uncovered her hair to take a look at her sleeping face.
That's pretty cute
Deciding that he would enjoy this moment, he continued to stay in bed until Shizuku began to stir.
"Oh look the sleepyhead is awake." Hajime teased.
Her eyes opened. Her dark red eyes teared up.
"Hajime… Hajime…. Hajime…. Hajime." She cried out his name, whilst hugging him. "Let me stay like this forever. Please don't go away from me again."
He returned her hug. He truly never wanted to let go of her. Words were not necessary, he poured his feelings for her into their hug. She lay her head on his chest, her arms feeling his back and all the scars that were on his back.
"I know that I would have done the same thing for you. But even so, I'm sorry….. I hurt you Hajime….. I'm sorry."
He placed his hands on her head, mussing her hair. There was nothing to forgive but he let her emotions and sorrow flow. He would be there for Shizuku, to carry her burdens with her.
Eventually, she did let go, her eyes puffy from crying too much.
"Thank you for letting me do that. I just wanted to let it all out. To just be there with you." She said as she dried her tears.
"That's okay but let's get out of bed. We have a mansion to explore. We have work to do."
Yue came in to greet them and to provide them with breakfast. It was slices of Hydra meat, each with slices from each of the seven heads of the Hydra. Shizuku and Hajime agreed quite strongly that it tasted utterly foul.
Status Summary
[Nagumo Hajime]
Level:?
[Stats]
Strength: 10950
Vitality: 13190
Defence: 10670
Agility: 13450
Magic: 14780
Magic Defence: 14780
[Skills] (Summary)
[Transmute]. The class skill of The Synergist.
[Language Comprehension]. Skill provided to travelers from another world.
[Inhuman Will]. Unique Skill of Nagumo Hajime. An acknowledgment of his extra ordinary will.
[Sword Mastery]. Obtained Skill. Mastery of the Yaegashi style sword from extensive training
[Iron Stomach]. Obtained from eating monster meat.
[Mana Manipulation]. Obtained from eating monster meat.
[Lighting Field]- [Blade Aura: Lighting Field]. Obtained from eating monster [Lighting Wolves]
[Air Dance] – [Rift Walk]. Obtained from eating monster [Kick-Master Rabbit]
[Gale Claw] – [Blade Aura; Gale Claw]. Obtained from eating monster [Gale Claw]
[Gunnery Master]. Obtained skill from extensive training in the use of the gun.
[Petrification Resistance]. Obtained skill from eating monster [Medusa's Eyes]
[Infrared Vision]. Obtained skill from eating monster [Medusa's Eyes]
[Hide Presence]. Obtained from eating monster [Tar Shark]
[Sense Presence]. Obtained from eating monster [Tar Shark]
[Diamond Skin]. Obtained from eating monster [Cyclops]
[Intimidate/ Fear]. Obtained from eating monster [Black Head – Hydra]
[Poison Resistance]. Obtained from eating monster [White Head – Hydra]
[Limit Break]. Obtained from eating monster [White Head – Hydra]
[Yaegashi Shizuku]
Level:?
[Stats]
Strength: 10950
Vitality: 13190
Defence: 10670
Agility: 18500
Magic: 14780
Magic Defence: 14780
[Skills] (Summary)
[Transmute]. The class skill of The Synergist.
[Language Comprehension]. Skill provided to travelers from another world.
[Sword Mastery]. Obtained Skill. Mastery of the Yaegashi style sword from extensive training
[Iron Stomach]. Obtained from eating monster meat.
[Mana Manipulation]. Obtained from eating monster meat.
[Lighting Field]- [Blade Aura: Lighting Field]. Obtained from eating monster [Lighting Wolves]
[Air Dance] – [Rift Walk]. Obtained from eating monster [Kick-Master Rabbit]
[Gale Claw] – [Blade Aura; Gale Claw]. Obtained from eating monster [Gale Claw]
[Petrification Resistance]. Obtained skill from eating monster [Medusa's Eyes]
[Infrared Vision]. Obtained skill from eating monster [Medusa's Eyes]
[Hide Presence]. Obtained from eating monster [Tar Shark]
[Sense Presence]. Obtained from eating monster [Tar Shark]
[Diamond Skin]. Obtained from eating monster [Cyclops]
[Intimidate/ Fear]. Obtained from eating monster [Black Head – Hydra]
[Poison Resistance]. Obtained from eating monster [White Head – Hydra]
[Limit Break]. Obtained from eating monster [White Head – Hydra]
[Yue Aletia Galdea Vesperito Avartal]
Level: 90
[Stats]
Strength: 300
Vitality: 500
Defence: 400
Agility: 700
Magic: 10000
Magic Defence: 10000
[Skills]
[Mana Manipulation]. Obtained by being the last Atavistic Vampire
[Magic Mastery] Obtained by being the last Atavistic Vampire
[Elemental Mastery]. Obtained by being the last Atavistic Vampire
[Blood Conversion]. Vampiric species skill.
On Gods and Men
Much of the rooms of the mansion were locked. No matter how hard they tried the doors could not be opened. There seemed to be a small indent where something could be placed in it but they were not able to locate this item.
They were only able to open one door to the main chamber. When the door was opened the artificial lights turned on, illuminating the contents of the room.
The room was simply designed. There were no windows to let in the light of the artificial sun. In the centre of the room was a glowing blue magic circle. A ways further was a stone chair, where a skeletal figure wearing a long black trench coat was sat.
"What should we do?" Hajime asked, unsure as to whether they should step into the magic circle.
"I don't think we have any other choice," Shizuku observed. "There is no other exit. All the other doors can't be opened. It's our only way."
Hajime volunteered to step in first. He step in quickly before Shizuku could stop him. The shimmering blue light glowed even stronger and a strange sound rang in the ears of Hajime. A holographic figure appeared. He wore thick-rimmed glasses and had shoulder-length black hair. It wore the same coat that the skeletal figure wore.
You who have cleared the trials of my labyrinth. I offer my congratulations. My name is Oscar Orcus, the creator of this labyrinth and one of the Liberators.
The Accursed gods whom we rebelled against had likely changed the history than the world at large has known. So please hear the truth of my words.
The gods are cruel beings who used their overwhelming might to set all the beings of Tortus against each other for their own cruel amusement. What justification could they have for such deeds?
The god Ehit whom they call Almighty is nothing but the head of those capricious gods. The cruelest of manipulators. The deceiver of humans, demons, and beastmen. He is no god worthy of respect!
At these words, Oscar Orcus became saddened as if recalling some sorrowing past.
We liberators could not turn our eyes away to this justice. So we fought until the end. Until we were betrayed. It was a slaughter. Most who survived led lives of isolation fearing retribution from the gods and their disciples.
We as the seven pillars of the Liberators would not give up hope. We used our skills to build labyrinths in hope. There we would find worthy successors to our will by creating challenges that would challenge their limits and their beliefs.
There at end of the challenges, we would leave our wills and our greatest legacy.
Age of God's Magic. The very magic that allows one to interfere with the fundamental nature of this world and bend the world to the will of the user.
To you, I entrust our legacy and our skills. To you, I entrust my skill [Creation Magic], the ability to bend inorganic material to your will. To fill it with power and magic alike. Use it well.
The shimmering light flashed, and in Hajime's mind understanding of the magic grew. His mind exploded in processes and ideas. It seemed that even a portion of Oscar's skills transferred to Hajime, with knowledge and understanding of the most intricate details of the mansion flooding Hajime's mind
To you who must be seeing this message hundreds of years into the future, what are your intentions? Alas, I cannot know. But I offer up this one prayer; May you live without the favor of the gods. May you forge a destiny of your own making.
'Oscar Orcus' disappeared leaving only the blue magic circle.
"So what my uncle told me was true. It was the gods that led to the destruction of our people and nation of Avartal." Yue spat angrily. "So to find justice for my people, I will have to bring the gods to their knees."
Shizuku and Hajime nodded solemnly. They knew that such a fight may lead them away from their homes
"I know that you two want to go home. I want nothing more than to fulfill your wishes. If you say that you cannot help then I will do everything I can to ensure that you return and forget about my plight." Yue offered sadly.
"I doubt that Ehit, the god that summoned us here would let us leave without a fight. He summoned us here to be pawns of his twisted game. I doubt he'd let us go before he has used us to his amusement." Hajime observed.
"Hajime is right. Our fight to go home is your fight for justice as well Yue."
Yue nodded, happy that her family would fight for her as well.
"Oscar Orcus. What an amazing man. To know all of these things." Hajime acknowledged. "[Creation Magic] the ability to create artifacts. This is an awesome power."
Hajime urged Shizuku and Yue to step on the magic circle, assuring them that there was nothing wrong with it. When they had both received [Creation Magic] a puzzled look came upon their faces.
"We don't get it," Shizuku said as she shook her head.
"It may require [Syngergist] skills to comprehend and use [Creation Magic]" Yue acknowledged.
Hajime walked up to Oscar's skeleton and took a look at it. On the bones of his right hand was a signet ring. Its design seemed familiar to Hajime.
"This ring should fit the indents of the other rooms. We might be able to find a way out with this."
Carefully he lifted the ring from the bones of Oscar. Deciding that leaving Oscar here would be disrespectful he carried him outside. Shizuku and Yue assisted in digging the grave. Using [Transmute] on a stone, he inscribed the following words for Oscar's headstone.
Here Lies the Final Resting Place of
Oscar Orcus
Liberator
Chooser of His Destiny
May He Rest In Peace
"Oscar-san, if there is an afterlife, then rest in peace knowing that we have inherited your will." Hajime prayed as he clapped his hands together.
Shizuku and Yue followed his example in showing respect to him. After they were done they proceeded to explore the rest of the mansion with the ring that they had found.
The first few rooms were storage rooms. Filled with materials, fabrics, and ores. Using his [Transmute] related abilities Hajime was able to recognise the different materials and note their uses. Hajime was shifting through all the materials with glee before Shizuku dragged him away to explore the rest of the mansion.
One room, in particular, stood out; an open-air bath. As Yue noted this was likely powered by artifacts that heated the water. There was an immediate urge to use the bath, but considering that the day had just begun they could afford to hold off on the bath until a little while later.
In one of the rooms, there was a stone tablet where the ring could be placed. It was in the centre of a magic circle. Yue recognised the magic circle as a teleportation circle. This was likely the exit that they were seeking.
"I think we should explore this place more and prepare for what comes ahead. I could make a few things and upgrade our equipment. Just give me two weeks." Hajime suggested.
Hajime's suggestion was accepted, so they continued to explore Oscar's mansion.
The crowning jewel of the rooms was Oscar's workshop. There he left the things that he was working on, the things that he completed, and most importantly his notes. There was an entire shelf dedicated to his writings including more notes and ideas as well as his diaries.
It was in these diaries that they found the clues to the other magics that could be obtained. There he mentioned assisting with the creation of a few labyrinths of the liberators, of which he stated the location.
Seeing that Hajime would not be persuaded out from this room, Shizuku led Yue outside to do some training. Unlike other times, she smiled serenely knowing that all was okay. Hajime spent the rest of the day, sifting through the workshop, with his mouth open busily reading through everything that he could absorb.
A Few Hours Later.
Hajime had to be dragged out of the workshop for his dinner. He settled for regaling Shizuku about the amazing discovery that he found.
"It's a ring that's got a jewel set with some kind of 'Dimension Magic'! It can take in all of the materials in the storage rooms! I'm calling in [Treasure Trove]!"
To her credit, Shizuku remained genuinely interested in Hajime's stories. Her eyes seemed to twinkle when Hajime smiled and laughed. Yue had gotten bored quickly begging Shizuku, to go to the baths. After some time she decided that a bath was a good idea.
It took all of his strength for Hajime not to stare at Shizuku as she came out of the bath. Blushing he ducked to avoid her gaze and jumped into the bath, submerging himself. She giggled as she took a peek at Hajime's embarrassment.
Two Weeks Later
Hajime spends at least half of the day tinkering with Orcus' prototypes and the vast, with Shizuku assisting and providing some insight. Using [Azamantium], the strongest metallic alloy known to Tortus, Hajime upgraded some weapons and created new ones. With Shizuku's input, he was able to create several more weapons that suited the [Yaegashi-style] beyond their blade arts.
Hajime and Shizuku's blades were recreated with a [Shtar Ore] and [Azantium] alloy, making them sharp, durable, and extremely light. Using [Creation Magic] he was able to turn them into magical artifacts, allowing Shizuku and Hajime to activate multiple magical skills when using the blades.
All of his projectile weapons were given upgrades in durability, able to take in take in different rounds and bullets of varying strength. He was able to strengthen the [Lighting Modes] of [Donner & Schlag] and [Schlagen]. He also made new weapons which he largely kept a secret from Shizuku.
His favourite creation was the creation of his mechanical gauntlets one on each arm, which he powered through the use of magical artifacts which limited the burden they placed on him. The gauntlets were a formidable weapon in of itself, made out of the strongest and most durable material that he could find. More importantly, they were designed to allow him to attach his weapons to his gauntlets.
Among Oscar's workshop, he found several jewels that when activated allowed one to access a pocket dimension where Hajime could store all of his creations. He named the jewels [Treasure Trove] and set the jewels into rings and necklaces for portability. He used the dimension magic to store the materials that he was not able to use due to limited time, for further use.
He did not forget the [Ambrosia] jewel, which he fashioned into a contact lens for himself, Shizuku, and Yue. These lenses were embedded with all skills such as [Detect Presence], [Sense Magic], [Infared Vision], and [Night Vision]. The lens was particularly effective in sensing the flow of magic in an opponent, allowing for quick counterattacks against magic users.
Amongst the materials that Oscar left were fabrics of all kinds. Hajime fashioned them into clothes for all of them to wear. Using [Creation Magic] he embedded them with various protection magics which could be activated with a bit of mana.
He fashioned his clothes in a very 'Hajime-like' fashion. He created a white dress shirt, in combination with a black vest and trousers. He added a red tie and added red highlights. The piece de resistance; was the coat, which was all black, again with red highlights and red buttons. Inside the coat was several pockets that he could fill with his weapons. When he finished the piece he was excited and dragged Shizuku to see his handiwork.
She was impressed by his handiwork but was visibly less impressed when he showed her his designs for Shizuku's and Yue's outfits. She forced him to rework his designs.
In the end, Hajime and Shizuku settled for the following designs:
Shizuku's clothes were a mixture of black and white. She wore a white button-up shirt, which was also sleeveless. The collar was highlighted with pink (Shizuku's preferred color). Her black trousers, were a tighter fit, to promote movement. At Hajime's insistence that coats were cool, she settled for a plain black coat, with some pink highlights, which gave it a distinctly girly feel to it.
For the regal Yue; Hajime went all out. All of her clothes were lined with silver and gold. Her dress was primarily black, lined with gold and silver frills to highlight her ethereal nature. On the sleeves, were red frills, to pay homage to her background as the last Queen of the Vampires. Yue was distinctly pleased with the results of her clothes and congratulated Hajime for understanding the regal mindset.
Soon day turned to night. After dinner, they had a brief discussion about their next plans. They had agreed that it was soon time to leave. Hajime had already completed most of the work that he thought was necessary.
So they dispersed into their rooms to sleep for one final time in Oscar's mansion.
Yaegashi Shizuku was getting ready for bed when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Hajime walked in with less confidence than Shizuku had come to expect from him. He fidgeted slightly and it seemed that he refused to look into her face.
"Hajime. What's wrong?"
"Well, I was thinking. Before we fell it wasn't too long until your 18th Birthday. I figured that we probably passed it when we went through the Abyss. So I thought of giving you something."
In response, he bent down on one knee and presented a ring to her. It was silver, set with a bright red jewel, that matched her crimson eyes. Shizuku took the ring eagerly. She studied the ring closely, and inside the following writing was engraved:
To My Beloved
Till Death Do Us Part
Shizuku understood the implication of these words. She had tears in her eyes at the thought. Even though her heart wanted it badly, she still needed to confirm it.
"Hajime…Do you mean..?" She asked tearfully.
"Yeah… After we get home. After I can get your parent's permission. Yeah, I want to marry you. It's part of my dream. To come home, introduce you to my parents, and then marry you with both our families present." Hajime explained.
"So do you accept?" Hajime asked.
"Of course! I'd marry you now if it was possible!" Shizuku declared.
In tears, Shizuku embraced her new fiancée. Hajime also began to cry tears of joy, his embracing growing tighter and tighter with each second.
She let go of his embrace for a minute. Before, he could say anything she gently kissed the lips. His eyes widened, before giving a return kiss.
"That was my present. Was that your first kiss?" Shizuku asked shyly.
"Are we discounting my mother?" Hajime joked.
"Your mother?" She asked concerned.
"It was an accident…." He replied sheepishly.
She shook her head, sighing slightly.
"Of course, that doesn't count you, silly idiot!" She scolded lightly.
Realising that the ring was still in her hands, she slid the ring onto her right hand's ring finger. It fit her perfectly. Once more Shizuku took the time to admire Hajime's work, noticing the beautiful detail of the ring.
"Before I forget. The jewel that I set is one of the [Treasure Trove] jewels that I found. I've taken the liberty of storing all of your new weapons in there. Just send some mana to it and the pocket dimension should activate."
Shizuku did so retrieving her new pair of [Azantium] alloy Katana's and their sheathes. Activating the ring again she stored the blades to their pocket dimension home.
After embracing some more, Hajime gently laid her on her bed, kissing her cheeks before leaving.
"Dream of me my love. Dream of me." He whispered.
"I'll pray that my sleep hastens so that it will bring me sooner to you in the morrow," Shizuku responded.
And so Hajime and Shizuku fell asleep that night to wonderful dreams. It would be the first of many restful nights between the betrothed lovers. Some filled with joy, others with struggle, some in hope, others in despair but through it all they were together.
The Next Morning.
Yue knew that something was different about Hajime and Shizuku. In her estimation, they were always rather 'lovey-dovey' (an expression that was taught her by Hajime) but today was different. It seemed that 'pink world' that surrounded them when they fully engaged in romantic talk grew more intense. Yue could barely get any words to register between them. Yue had to fight the urge to gag.
"Pray tell, why you see it fit to anger me so early this morning?" Yue asked, angrily threatening to turn them both into ice blocks if a sufficient answer could not be produced.
Hastily Shizuku and Hajime explained the significance of last night's events. Which was met by a puzzled look on Yue's face.
"You two weren't married? Given how affectionate you two were I naturally assumed that you already were." Yue explained. "In any case that does explain this entire thing. I will not be turning you into ice blocks."
Yue stopped dispelling her ice magic. Yue bowed, congratulating them with a sincere smile.
"I would strive to find a sufficient gift for you two later. At this moment I can only provide my sincere and deepest congratulations. I pray that my two closest family members will remain together forever until the end comes for both of you together."
Ending their romantic display for today Hajime and Shizuku prepared thoroughly for the end of their stay in Oscar's mansion, checking their gear and making sure that their provisions had been set.
As they finished their preparations they all gathered into the room containing the teleportation circle.
"So it's agreed then. Our first step is to find some kind of settlement. Get out bearings, find out any news about Heliegh and the Heroes Party." Hajime started.
"Then using that we'll link up with Endou and Kaori." Shizuku continued. "Once we found them we'll find and challenge the rest of the labyrinths to get the rest of the age of gods magic."
"And if we find any servants of Ehit, who dare to stand in our way… We'll show no mercy." Yue concluded darkly with dark rage briefly entering her countenance.
At this agreement, Hajime slotted in Oscar's ring in the stone tablet. Immediately the magic circle lit up. In a flash, they were gone, back to the surface where their destiny would be fulfilled.
Thanks for reading guys!
Hope you liked it. Look forward to the next chapter that will begin with the introduction of everyone's favourite bunny!
Peace Out - Shizuku is Best Girl.