Now, my favorite thing to do besides writing: Responding to reviews!
Haziq Saffari1: I'm planning a lot of things, some of which will come later, because if I said it now, then there would be story spoilers; and I hate spoilers. I also apologize for not responding to your previous ones, I didn't have a chance.
blee7442: You didn't see the beaming smile on my face when I saw the email that a review was in my inbox. It's stuff like this that makes me happy (it was also right after my shift at work). And you're right, it's not as effective as Bell's, but the reason why has yet to be revealed... I hope you don't mind waiting a little longer.
That being said, welcome to a catalyst of sorts. Hope you all are ready. As always:
"Speaking"
Individual thoughts/Mindscape talk with the twins
*Ability/Spell*
...
It was easy to tell how excited the twins were. For Dia, she woke up to a note written by the twins saying that they were heading out early today. They awaited an answer from Bell about teaming up, so they had to go meet him at Babel. They stocked up on potions and extra throwing knives and shurikens, just in case. You never know when your weapon might break and need a fallback plan. Thankfully, they visited the local Hephaistos Familia smiths to repair any weapons and even ordered quality throwable items.
Irene even purchased a decent-sized backpack for supporting purposes. It was a nice rugged green color, made from various tear-resistant fabrics and silks. Isaac browsed the store before nodding to his sister.
"Are we ready now?" Irene asked impatiently, her cloak swishing in the wind. Irene threw her hair in a tight braid, just to keep it out of the way. Isaac's cloak was doing the same, but his hair wasn't as wild. Salamander Wool, according to Rose, was needed to deal with Hellhounds. So they each bought one and stuffed it into Irene's backpack. As they left the store, they were greeted by the morning sun. The light breeze on Northeast Main Street was nice and oddly relaxing. A few clouds covered the sun and it was decently cool out, but the two were on a mission. Their hoods were down, not because they wanted them down, but because the wind had other ideas. Their features on display, realizing the futility of their hoods, set off towards Babel.
The Sword and Shield headed down the street, brandishing freshly repaired weapons, Babel Tower in the distance. "You think he'll let us in?"
"Isaac, even Ryuu, someone who Bell seems to respect even said that not tagging along would be a bad idea. He'll let us in," Irene giggled.
Isaac sighed, not dignifying that with a response. She was just excited to go back into the Dungeon. He was too, but he still kept the warning in the back of his mind and the information from the books. The middle floors are a whole other level, no pun intended. If Ryuu was serious about that, and she most certainly was, they'd have to watch themselves.
People and even other adventurers looked on in awe, seeing the two newest named Titans walking down the road with carefree attitudes. They ignored the stares and only talked to one another. After only three minutes of walking, did they see a white-haired boy, a redhead with a great sword strapped across his back, and a figure with a backpack three times the size of their shadow.
Isaac and Irene smiled as they all saw each other, "Hey you three."
Welf was the first to greet them back, "Hey Isaac, Irene. So, I decided-"
"-we, Master Welf, we decided," Lili intervened.
"Right, sorry, ahem. We decided that we want you to tag along, I'm pretty sure we all thought about it last night after you left. The pros far outweigh the cons in every aspect," the young smith continued.
"The other thing we wanted to agree on before we go in are drops and splitting the earnings, Lili wants this to be an easy process."
Irene, thankfully, came prepared, "If we find any Hellhounds down there, I'd want the drop items. I heard they make great material for small throwable objects, like my shurikens."
Isaac continued, "Any decent-sized Minotaur horns, I'd like to have materials for throwing knives, and while mine will work in the middle floors, I want something stronger."
"You know, I can make those if you want," Welf said, offering his services.
"We might take you up on that, I appreciate that," Isaac said.
Bell spoke, seemingly coming out of his thoughts, "Oh, you're here."
"Master Bell, were you daydreaming again?" Lili asked with her hands on her hips. The backpack showed no ailment on her movements.
Bell rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah…just thinking about the middle floors, it's surreal."
Irene smiled, "Trust me, I know the feeling. That was me when I first arrived in Orario."
"Really? The guards questioned me for like a half-hour when I said I was level three. They didn't believe it," Isaac said, looking towards the wall.
"Sounds like fun," Welf commented. Isaac chuckled as a response.
"Back on topic… valis distribution. Do we want to go 20-20 all around?" Lili asked.
Isaac and Irene already agreed on what they were going to do beforehand. Isaac took the lead, "We can do that, but for the two of us, we only want one portion, not two. The reason being, Lady Dia makes some valis on the side because of her real estate business, so we don't require as much. So instead of splitting it five ways at twenty percent, you split it four ways for twenty-five percent."
"W-Wait, but that's unfair to you!" Bell said. "You're giving us your time and it doesn't feel right." The twins shook their heads, saying they wanted this.
Isaac had one last question before they descended into the Dungeon, "What about formation?"
The Prum supporter smiled, "Since we decided to let you tag along, Lili took the liberty of making up formations we can try." She then explained that the only thing that didn't change was herself and Irene, being the supporters. As for the three boys, it changed.
There was one formation that had Isaac only in the front, being the only level three. Then, one with Welf and Bell upfront with Isaac cleaning the scrapes. There were many more and both twins could see the leadership and command qualities that Lili possessed.
"Good luck, you guys!" Someone shouted towards them. Bell's ruby red eyes glanced over to the source and it turned out to be Hestia. "Come back safely!"
Next to her was also a God, one that no one immediately recognized, but knew that they were friends. "Sure thing, Goddess!" Bell shouted back, a smile on his face. That was something that needed to be preserved.
Right as they passed the entrance of Babel, Isaac and Irene felt eyes on them but ignored bringing it up unless it became a problem. They would learn why soon enough.
They ended up with the one in a makeshift X formation, Isaac being the midpoint. This was how they advanced through the upper floors, all the way to floor ten. The Goblins and Kobolds were easy to dispatch.
Now, on the lower floors, Isaac would never do this on purpose, but he knows Irene would get stir crazy in the back. On the eighth floor, he had a plan to let Irene have some fun. So when three Goblins surrounded him, he quickly brought out his longsword and slashed two of them, killing them instantly. However, at the last second, he turned the sword to the flat edge and batted it towards Irene.
Before Lili could call him out on it, a shuriken lodged itself in the Goblin's heart, its magic stone, and disappeared into ashes. "Thanks, Isaac, but I think you gave Lili a heart attack."
Sheathing his sword and replacing it with a dagger, "Well, I won't do that on the middle floors, but I knew you'd be bored and want to jump into action."
"Don't scare Lili like that," the Prum said. "And I thought Master Bell was crazy."
Irene giggled, "Oh sweetie, you haven't seen us in our zone. We've had years outside of Orario to defend and hone ourselves." Isaac turned and noticed the look of pain in her eyes. Are you alright?
Isaac, I'm fine, just the memory throbs sometimes, Irene responded to her brother's mental plea.
When a woman says she's fine, she's not fine, so tell me something other than 'fine'.
It'll pass, and Isaac offered no retort.
Welf put his greatsword on his shoulder before turning around to shout, "Hey, we're on floor ten, eyes up. This fog is notorious for giving visibility problems."
"Time for new territory, sis, are you ready?" Isaac challenged his sister.
However, his concern was noticeable to Irene and she patted him on the cheek, "The question is: Are you?"
"Oh, it's so on," he retorted. Bell just looked between the twins and shrugged. They are certainly an odd pair, but they do genuinely care.
"Do you want to take point, Isaac?" Bell asked.
"Only if you want me to, if I recall, you need the excelia more than I do. I get what I get when I get it," Isaac said, walking forward into the mist. "Well, we don't have all day!" He called when he didn't hear footsteps behind him.
Floors ten through twelve were easier than the twins thought but refrained from saying it out loud, to not jinx themselves. The Dungeon was rumored to be a living entity. It watches—observes its prey—and when they are at their weakest… the sharpest, most deadly of its teeth show themselves.
"This fog is quite annoying, aren't these the only floors that have this kind of vision impairment?" Isaac asked, slashing an Imp in the process. They were surrounded by a couple of Orcs and what seemed like an army of Imps.
Despite being in the back, Irene was batting them away and slashing with her daggers, "Isaac, I want a hatchet."
Hearing this surprised the elder elf twin, but Welf was easy to hear, "Get the materials and I can make one." He exerted some effort as he slashed through a pair of Imps that leaped into the air to try and take him down.
Bell, meanwhile, was using his speed to take down rows and rows of Imps. Welf whistled in appreciation, "Damn, he's fast."
Isaac came up the side of Welf, "Not as fast as me." Four Orcs were hiding in the back and he sheathed his daggers before going for the short swords on his hip. It's been a while since he last drew these, but the grips were molded to his hands, so it felt familiar. The Orcs noticed him and raised their clubs in an attempt to pummel him into the dirt.
Sadly, Isaac was much more perceptive than that. As soon as they raised their clubs, Isaac already rethought his strategy. Dodging to their left, their non-club hand, one of the short swords pierced an Orc's side. However, Isaac didn't stop. The flesh of the Orc's body was like tissue paper to his blade.
The second blade followed the first, and blood sprayed from the wound, coating Isaac's cloak. "Aww, getting the blood out of this will take forever, so do me a favor and die." Isaac took off again, running around the Orc's waist before pulling the blades out with another splash of blood. This process repeated for the other Orcs, it all happened within seconds and then they disappeared into ashes.
"That was awesome!" Bell said, sheathing his knife looking at Isaac in awe. Though, Isaac was having more than one problem. Make him stop. It's happening.
"Bell, back up," Irene commanded. Same trigger?
Yeah, I just need a second to calm myself.
"What's wrong?" Lili asked.
"Since we're in a party, you are privy to these details. Our childhood wasn't filled with happiness. Resentment was one emotion we felt projected on us constantly. We learned to defend ourselves by the time we were seven, in secret. Sometimes, the sight of blood freaks him out, and makes him… violent," Irene stared calmly.
Lili was, of course, outraged, "That would have been great to know earlier!"
Irene glared at the Prum, "What you don't know is Isaac is superb at controlling it, provided no one bothers him."
"D-Do I even want to know what happens if someone bothers him?" Bell asked, taking very hesitant steps back.
A shiver went up Irene's spine, unnoticed but the rest. "I found out once, and I hope to never find out again." Irene left the details at that. Furthermore, she was not done, "I do apologize for not letting you know, but considering reactions we have gotten in the past, it takes time for us to reveal them."
Lili crossed her arms, "As long as we know any other details like that, we should be fine." She put on her gloves and began picking up the magic stones and drop items.
"Life or death situations happen to be the best time to be truthful," Isaac quipped, flicking the blood off his swords, joining the conversation in his normal mood. "When you survive, then you get upset, soooo now's the time, are you upset?"
"Is that going to happen again?" Bell asked cautiously.
"It shouldn't, but I'll warn you if it does," Isaac grinned at Bell. "I mean, I have literal Orc blood on my cloak, so I have to deal with it anyway."
The supporter came back, "So, we got a lot of decently sized magic stones, and about five Orc Hides. Master Welf, what do you think you can make with these?"
The smith hummed, "Dependent on how big of a chunk of hide. Probably an outfit or two, or use them as straps for armor pieces. Or make a sheath out of them." He shrugged his shoulders, "Endless possibilities really."
Bell clapped his hands together, "So, onward to the middle floors?" Everyone was in agreement.
As they descended the steps to the thirteenth floor, Lili had some background to these floors, "The thirteenth through the seventeenth floors are often referred to as the Cave Labyrinth. More specifically, we are at First Line. Do not get separated. The tunnels go all over the place and there's no telling what can happen."
Isaac offered to take point to which Bell and Welf overruled. The elder elf twin took no offense. This would be the first time that they enter these floors.
As soon as they descended the last step, the air quality decreased noticeably so. "Well, this oughta be fun," Isaac commented dryly
"Remember Isaac, we've been in a forest that poured for weeks," Irene giggled.
While the two level threes were chatting, the single level one and fresh-level twos took the chance to get a feel for their surroundings. Lili had pulled out their Salamander Wool cloaks and put them on, and Irene did the same for her twin. The shuffling of clothes echoed in the cavern as they walked in relative silence. Lili constantly checked the maps provided by the Guild to make sure they stay on the main path. Under no circumstances were they going to stray from this path. The best part was that the main path led to the fourteenth floor.
An interesting fact is that not every floor has been fully explored. There are still areas on the upper floors that have yet to be found. Even the Guild realizes this but they make no moves to do anything about it. It was probably for the best.
Everything was calm until the walls started cracking. "Everyone gets into position!" Lili shouted. She quickly stored away the map and pulled out a miniature crossbow mounted on her right wrist. It was called Little Ballista, and it was designed for Prums in mind.
Everyone's weapons were quickly drawn and their formation was cleaned up as the first enemies approached. They were… really tiny bunnies?
"They look like Bell," Welf commented deadpan.
"They do not!" The aforementioned boy denied it.
"White fur, red eyes to white hair, red eyes. Unless I have lost all my eyesight, then that's you in monster form, Bell," Irene commented.
These rabbit-like creatures were Al-Miraj, they were fast, carried mini hatchet Landforms that the Dungeon created for them, and could swarm a slow-minded adventurer with ease.
The first Al-Miraj already tried to jump at Bell with intent to kill.
Thunk
Or it would have if it didn't just get impaled by a sharp rock, courtesy of Isaac, Bell seemed shocked, "Was that…?"
"Fight now, talk later!" Isaac snapped back as his daishō were in his hands again. They were already weaving a path through them all. Under his breath, he muttered, "Now, where are the Hellhounds?"
Bell pulled his knife from its sheath and rushed at the Al-Miraj, taking a few of them out in a single slash down the line. It helped because Lili's Ballista had nailed them to the floor.
Irene had her daishō out as well and defended Lili's blind spots, which were mostly behind her. "What was that?" Lili asked as she fired another arrow.
"His magic," Irene responded, a shuriken impacting a rabbit's head before it disappeared into ash. That was actually the last one for now. Isaac and Irene were hardly breaking a sweat, but Bell was breathing a little heavily and Welf was leaning on his sword.
"What is your magic, Master Isaac?" Lili asked with interest. Isaac was collecting his knives and Irene's shurikens when he heard the question.
Isaac cringed at the title, "Do me a favor first, don't call me 'master', it doesn't sit right with me. As for your question, well, our resident rabbit has something similar. His is fire, mine is earth."
"So you have Swift Strike Magic as well?" Bell asked, brushing off the rabbit comment. It was going to be his third moniker anyway. He couldn't deny it inwardly, but he could see the resemblance, much to his chagrin.
"Indeed I do, but I don't know when I got it, it just appeared in my status one day," Isaac said before he paused. Irene did too. Something's coming.
"Prepare yourselves," Isaac said, sheathing his daishō and pulling out multiple throwing knives, one in between each finger. Irene had her shurikens in her fingers. Everyone else prepared themselves, but what they didn't expect was to see a party of six, wearing purple and red robes, and immediately Isaac could tell they were from the Far East, culture-wise.
Furthermore, Isaac saw one look at them with regret in her eyes, and Isaac's heart skipped a beat. Now wasn't the time to think about that, but he did hear Lili shout, "They just pass paraded us!"
Roars emerged from the hallway the party just ran from. Irene recalled Isaac's comment, "You were looking for Hellhounds? Well… found them."
"Do you have to be a smart ass right now?"
"It's one of my endearing qualities, Isaac, you should know this by now," Irene said as the Hellhounds roared, and flames crawled up their throats.
Riveria was having quite the conundrum. Never in all her life has she ever been this… concerned. While the High Elf does express this particular emotion, usually it's with Ais. She never thought about this before. They were currently on Floor Eighteen, one of the Dungeon's safe zones. Safe being a relative term, but monsters do not spawn on this floor. The town, Rivira, was in sight for the Loki Familia camp, but they chose to avoid those prices. While the mage was in the Dungeon, she could feel the scroll in her robes burning a hole through them.
She had read this one, and it was under the scroll's words that she was not to share it with her grandchildren. Not Riveria's grandchildren. Sofia Vlahos' grandchildren. It was the one thing that she forgot her old mentor asked of her, and this scroll was just to remind her. Tiona and Tione had done what she asked them to do. But still...
The High Elf was currently in the head tent with Finn and Gareth. Gareth was a Dwarf and the other executive of the Loki Familia, and the trio used to butt heads a lot back then, but age has mellowed out their hotheadedness, even though they get into a verbal joust every now and again. Gareth left the tent to check on everyone else and Riveria's shoulders relaxed slightly. The movement itself was barely noticeable, but it was enough.
Finn, having noticed the change in the High Elf, confronted her, "Is there something you wish to talk about, Riveria? You seem distracted."
Riveria sighed. If Finn could see this, even though she hides most of her stress, then certainly other members will too, "It's about the twins."
"Tione and Tiona?"
Riveria shook her head, "Aspis and Harpe, Finn. The Vlahos twins." Finn's mouth opened in understanding before checking his right thumb. No danger… yet.
"You're worried about them." It was a statement. No, a fact.
The High Elf's staff sat across the room, one that the Great Mage had made for her after her training was complete. A going-away present, as she put it. While she does take it to Lenoa to repair it; the staff was a part of her teacher. Now, the student has become the master. Lefiya Viridis was her name and an Elf. She was eager to learn. Her alias was Thousand Elf because of her spell Elf Ring, which allowed her to use any spell provided she knew the chant and its effects. "How can I not be, Finn? The grandchildren of my mentor, Hecate, the Great Mage? However, it is not just that."
Finn stayed silent, letting his vice-captain speak her mind, as she rarely does in order to not worry the other members. They affectionately call her 'Mama Riveria' for this reason, even though she vehemently denies it. Finn watched as she pulled out a scroll, one that the Prum captain has never seen before, but it was old. The parchment on which it was written was almost in tatters.
Riveria would apologize to her in the afterlife, but she spoke, "One last thing, my stud- no, my graduate. My Grandchildren. As of now, they have no family, and as far as they know, they think I despise them. I know you have changed, but I want you to prove it to me. I ask this not as one adventurer to another, but a dying grandmother to one who cares. Please..." The High Elf trailed off, knowing what was next, and eventually said it. A secret that she's keeping from the twins.
Finn's ocean blue eyes widened to their largest they have ever been. "So…"
"Yes, the Great Mage tasked me with one thing and so far… I am failing in my task," the jade elf hung her head, putting the scroll away and turning towards her staff and picked it up, looking to the nine different gems at the top of it.
"Riveria." She inclined her ears, letting him know she was paying attention, but she didn't turn around, "Are you going to tell them this?"
"I don't believe I should."
"Are you trying to replace them?" Finn asked, not as a captain, but as a friend.
Riveria turned on Finn, "I would never do that!" The High Elf sighed again, "What can I do to help them? Finn, for once, I'm at a loss."
"Have you spoken with them?" Finn inquired, laying down his spear on a nearby table.
"I have, but that was for a different reason. I had told them a portion of it when we spoke after the Irregularity on the ninth floor, but that wasn't the full truth." The High Elf set down her staff and turned towards the tent exit, "What will they think once I tell them? Will they hate me or will they accept it?"
While Finn is a captain who specializes in strategy and combat, this was a different ball game. "Do what you believe to be right. If you sat down and had a heart to heart before, which I know you can't discuss a lot because Loki was grumbling about it, but I think you should tell them." Finn walked to the side of Riveria and gently put a hand on her sleeve, "If they are the only family they have left, then I think you might regret not extending the olive branch when you could've."
Finn picked up his spear and left the tent soon after, letting Riveria consider her options. "Oh Sofia, what would you have told me in this situation?"
The roar of the Hellhounds was plentiful. But there were so many of them, how many did that party run by? On the bright side, they collected at least fifteen Hellhound fangs, so when they get out of this, Irene will ask Welf to make throwing knives. As of right now, they had a break, but Lili, Welf, and Isaac were breathing heavily. Lili's backpack had gotten torn, but it wasn't useless. It was dropping magic stones, but Lili refused to part with it. Right now, they had to play their lives, not their loot.
Isaac had to use Fissure multiple times to keep them from overwhelming Welf. Welf even used a spell called Will o' Wisp which can cause Ignus Fatuus if timed right. One of the Hellhounds managed to get through and scratch Welf on his right side. So, his black robe underneath his Salamander Wool has stained a darker black.
As a result of using Fissure, part of the roof of the cavern collapsed. Everyone suffered an injury of some sort whether it be a bump, cut, or scrape. It was the only way to stop the onslaught. Even being level three, the sheer number of them was getting a little out of hand. Isaac desired getting out of the Dungeon safe and sound, along with everyone else.
"Should I use my spell on you?" Irene asked.
"No, save it, because it knocks you down a peg when you do. If you're going to use it on anyone, it shou-"
"It's going to be my choice, and you know that Isaac," Irene cut him off.
Isaac didn't see a point in carrying on the conversation, so he puffed his cheeks and sighed. Irene would be stubborn in that way, "So, what's our next move?"
"Well, Lili believes that going back up to the surface is a bad idea. We should head down to the eighteenth floor, it's a safe zone in the Dungeon. Lili's been down there once or twice with other parties, no monsters spawn," Lili said, strained.
"Are you even in a condition to move?" Irene said. "Do I need to carry you?"
Lili stood up and attempted to move, "No, I should be fi-" and she started to fall.
Irene rushed towards Lili before she hit the ground. "Yeah, that settles it, I'm carrying you. Are you at least able to read the map?" Irene even carried Lili's backpack on her own, showing no signs of even being affected by the weight.
Lili nodded against Irene's chest. Irene was cradling Lili like a child, and deep inside of her heart, it hurt just a bit. Not for pride reasons, but for other reasons. The sound of crinkling paper reached everyone's ears. "So, we're still here on the thirteenth floor, but there are shortcuts to make it down faster."
"Shortcuts?" Welf asked, groaning as he stood up shakily.
"Welf, don't push yourself," Bell said, supporting the smith.
"Yes, there are holes that lead down to the lower levels of the middle floors, right until the seventeenth. It's too dangerous to go up thirteen floors than it is but to go down four floors," Lili whispered.
"Where's the closest one?"
"Fortunately, this one is supposed to take us down to the fifteenth floor, and it's like a slide," Lili said with optimism, most likely because of the situation.
Irene snorted, despite her trying not to. Welf grinned, and Bell let out a single chuckle under his breath. "So, to the slide of the Dungeon?"
"Point us in the right direction, Lil' Bit," Welf teased, despite his current condition.
That was what they did, traveling along the cavern walls until they found the slide. It looked like it went straight down and bottomed out. So, Isaac picked up a loose rock and casually tossed it down, listening for the impact. Around two seconds later, it impacted a wall and made tumbling sounds. Well, that was the proof they needed.
The best part was they didn't run into any more monsters, but they still felt it was too good to be true. The Dungeon should be jumping at this opportunity to snuff them out. Isaac used as little Mind as he could, You feel it too, don't you?
Irene didn't look at him but did acknowledge, You think we're being watched?
Isaac looked around for a second before jumping in first, Most definitely. They haven't made a move yet, but I worry when they do.
After Isaac jumped in, Welf and Bell followed after him. Seconds after them, Irene leaped after them with Lili in her arms.
The slide was definitely a lot smoother than Isaac thought it seemed to go out and around and down, like a spiral. He kept his gaze forward, only looking back every few moments. This was very long, and not as fun as he thought it was going to be. However, he heard Bell and Welf laughing to themselves, their voices echoing through the vast tunnel.
Isaac looked forward and saw the end, "Brace yourselves and pass it along!" He grabbed his dagger and stabbed it into the wall, slowing his momentum down considerably, because now it started to get steep. "Dig into the wall with anything you have! This dro- shit!"
Isaac's voice fell down and he did as well, only barely keeping a grip on the wall because of it. Isaac's grip was strong, but so was gravity. The drop wouldn't stop and eventually, the wall stopped existing and he tumbled to the ground. He felt something shift and it definitely did not feel good.
"Isaac?! You alright?" He heard the voices of everyone else above him.
"Yeah! I'm good, the impact was a little surprising, but the drop is what really caught me off guard. Descend slowly as possible," Isaac recommended as he heard the scraping of the rocks and some loose pebbles fell. Isaac attempted to sit up, but his left arm pulsed with almost unbearable pain. "Shit…"
Multiple pairs of footfalls landed and one was quicker than the rest. Irene, still holding Lili, "What's injured?"
"Left-arm, I think I fractured something with that landing," Isaac grit his teeth as Irene gently picked up his arm. He winced as she prodded over the limb before she started wrapping it in a splint.
"This will hurt, but I have a potion that will heal your injuries, but you might feel a soreness," Irene said.
"Do it, I need to be able to fight for all of us," Isaac said as his arm was firmly adjusted in the splint. Irene gently dripped some of the potion on his arm and he felt most of the pain disappear, but an occasional throb still lingered. "Better, but I will definitely have this looked at when we arrive back up top."
"We should continue to move, we are on the seventeenth floor," Lili said.
"Wait, we went from the thirteenth to the seventeenth just like that?" Isaac asked incredulously. "I thought that would take us to the fifteenth, not here." Isaac sounded like he was complaining, but in actuality, he was surprised. He'll make note of this tunnel to make speedrunning through the middle floors when he needs to.
Rooooaaarrr!
"Isaac, didn't you say you needed Minotaur horns?" Irene asked as she pulled him to his feet.
Despite his injury, he laughed, "I did. So, let's go!" Minotaurs are easier monsters to dispatch at level three simply because they are stronger than them. Even so, the twins take them seriously. Heavy footsteps approached and out came five minotaurs.
The group of adventurers didn't get the chance to attack first as the lead Minotaur used their Landform to slash at the adventurers. It was Bell who leaped forward first, his hand glowing a white light, accompanied by a sound.
Tink Tink
A bell? That's ironically fitting, Isaac snorted silently.
The actions that Bell did were nothing short of awesome. When the Minotaur lunged with its weapon, Bell dodged and kicked away the Minotaur, grabbed its weapon, and it turned—no, it was filled—with the light from his hand.
Gong! Gong!
The little bell turned into a clocktower bell as Bell himself swung the Landform and demolished the Minotaurs with a single blow. "He's taking his animosity out on them," Irene commented.
"Isn't there a story about someone who killed Minotaurs?" Isaac asked. Bell internally answered that particular query. It was Argonaut, one of Bell's favorite stories that his grandfather told him.
After that, they found themselves closer to the eighteenth floor, thankfully, they did not have to deal with as many dead ends. The path was pretty laid out, and the Dungeon hadn't sent any new monsters… yet. Isaac and Irene had a clue as to why but chose to not spoil the mood. Selfish? Probably. Regretful? Most definitely.
Once they rounded another corner, they saw some light, but it wasn't from anything natural. Well, natural to the outside world. This was inside the Dungeon. Irene pointed to the far side of the room, leaning back slightly to still support the Prum in her arms, "Is that…?"
"The Big Wall of Sorrow, and if memory serves correctly, the Goliath, the Monster Rex of this floor should be respawning in about two days, so this would be the best time to make it down to the eighteenth floor without a problem," Lili said proudly.
"Well, we should get going. Lili, are you able to walk now?" Irene asked, setting the Prum down. Lili stretched quickly before smiling up at Irene.
"Don't worry Lady Irene, Lili is back in business," Lili flashed Irene a thumbs up. Irene then handed back the backpack to the Supporter. The weight now off her shoulders, Irene breathed a small sigh of relief.
The younger elf twin went to assist her elder twin to stand and walk because Isaac is prideful, and doesn't want to be helped, even when he needs it. Don't fight me on this.
Isaac smiled with an eye roll at his sister, Like I really have a choice on this one.
Good. Irene was pleased that he didn't struggle as she looped his good arm around her neck and supported walking him. Welf was still being supported by Bell.
"Is this a good idea to walk right in here?" Bell asked, skeptically. Rightly so, since Goliath is one of those Monster Rex that prey on adventurers like the Dungeon oh so loves to do.
"The Goliath isn't slated to spawn now, according to the Guild, it was reported to be killed three days ago. It won't spawn for another week and a half," Lili said.
They were halfway through the Wall of Sorrow's arena. The only noises being their footsteps. Irene and Isaac still felt the presence on their tail, wondering why they haven't made a move, but thankfully dropped it for now. There was a lot of ground to cover. They were halfway through the flattened area when they heard it.
Crack!
Everyone felt their hearts leap into their throats. "I thought you said it wouldn't spawn! You said it was killed!"
"It's not supposed to! I said reported, not confirmed. This is not Lili's fault!" Lili shouted.
"Everyone start running!" Irene commanded, being the other supporter. "Bell, if you have to, hike him over your shoulders!" Luckily, Welf was motivated enough to almost surpass Bell.
"I did not feel like fighting the Goliath today! No siree bob!" The red-headed smith said as he tried making Bell move faster.
Irene looked apologetically at Isaac before literally putting him on her back in a piggyback carry, it was the simplest carry and took little to no effort to get him there. It would have been a comedic sight to see a 5' 7" elf carry someone who was four inches taller, had the circumstances not been so dire. "We'll make it, right Isaac?" Irene risked a glance back to see Goliath almost broken out of the wall and it roared. Lili stumbled out of fear, the roar shaking her very core. Irene had grabbed the Prum by the collar of her hood to get her moving again.
"Yeah, you'll make it," Isaac whispered, knowing that Irene didn't hear it.
Bell and Welf had made it over to the exit the fastest, but they were waiting for everyone else. The room itself was vast, far bigger than they originally thought. It was a madhouse as they all fought with sheer will to keep moving. Bell wouldn't have challenged this without the backup of a party made up of High-Class adventurers or higher. Sure, their party could defeat Goliath, but with them being injured and not at full strength, it would be a fruitless task. At the end of the day, they were only one person.
Lili reached there next, and the twins turned around. She gently set Isaac on his feet, but then that was his chance. "See you around on the eighteenth, alright?"
"Isaac, you aren't going to fight that are you?!" Irene shouted at her brother. "Don't tell me this is to protect me! I can protect myself."
Isaac smirked, full of guilt, but there was a secondary reason, it was to get their pursuers to back off. Irene didn't know this, and she thought he was trying to be a hero. "You'll understand soon enough. Hey you three, watch her until I get back, okay?"
"""Wha?"""
Three different voices vocalized as Irene was pushed into them and they all started a descent that once started it couldn't be stopped. It sent a stake of remorse through his heart as he heard, "ISAAC!" come from his sister's mouth.
He might catch flak for it later, but it certainly would be worth it when—if—he makes it back. Certainly, Isaac wouldn't be so stupid to fight Goliath on his own. At his level, it is within the realm of possibility, but with his injuries and fatigue of a potential Mind down, that lowers his chances significantly. However, he just wanted these pursuers to piss off. If him killing a Monster Rex is what it takes then so be it.
"Ruuuuuuuuoooooooohhhhhhh!"
The Goliath roared and Isaac smirked, that doesn't affect me, so try something else. The Goliath reached for its Landform and burst out of the wall.
Isaac reached for his longsword and pulled it out of its sheath as the Goliath swiped at him. Using all the points in his agility, he moved out of the way, dodging the oncoming debris from the Goliath and brought the sword into its arm.
"RAHHHH!"
The Goliath screamed in pain and shook its injured arm violently, knocking Isaac loose, but he kept his grip on his sword. When he flew back, it was into the wall the Goliath came out of. Normally, that would have been fine and easily recoverable from. However, the wall was cracked and as a result, jagged.
Isaac didn't feel the impact, but he felt the pain lighting up his nerves like someone was roasting him alive. He didn't have the energy to scream. He did have the energy to fight the pain and free himself, but not without consequence. He felt the liquid before he could process it, dripping down in a steady stream down his back. It started to pool around his ankles. Black spots were starting to appear in his vision, but he'll go down when he is good and ready. "Hhhhaaaaaa!"
*Fissure!*
Isaac released a round of his magic, summoning spear-like rocks, sharpened and ready to go. With a push of his hand, he sent the spikes at the Goliath and charged, dropping his longsword, and going for his tanto. Dodging the Landform strike again, he leaped up to its chest and aimed to pierce the blade into the magic stone that Isaac knows resides inside, but it only served to annoy the Monster Rex. It tried to grab Isaac and squish him like the bug he was before it suddenly stopped. Isaac stalled too. He looked to his right and saw a spear pierce right through the Goliath, maybe less than a meder from him. The Goliath slowly disappeared into ash, leaving behind its tooth.
"What?" was all Isaac got out as he finally felt all the eyes on him. He was on his knees, blood still streaming out of him, vision half gone due to the blood loss, and shock was soon to follow.
"This guy is supposed to be Harpe? More like a disappointment if you ask me," a mild-toned voice said, emerging from the shadows. This was a cat person, one Isaac hasn't met before, along with the four little short figures who came out beside him. "Hey cap, why did we pick this one again? We could've easily gotten the girl."
Isaac felt rage fuel his body and managed to whip a throwing knife in the cat person's direction. Thye dodged, predictably and suddenly they were towering over Isaac and kicked him in the chest, sending him skidding backward. Isaac coughed up blood as he rolled over on his side.
"Allen, cease." That voice made this person pause. When Isaac looked up, vision blurry, he saw that their foot was hovering over his face. How did he get here so fast?
That voice was familiar, "Why should I?"
"Our Lady would not be pleased if you killed him," the voice was low and commanding. Isaac's pulse rose when he put the pieces together.
"He threw a knife at me!" Allen complained while the four figures snickered to themselves.
One started, "Maybe he didn't like you talking about the girl like that, maybe she's special to him."
"Maybe they're friends till the end," the second followed.
The third continued, "Maybe you deserved it."
The fourth of the quadruplets didn't say anything, save for retrieving the spear they threw. "Why did we bring the Guillvers along again?" Allen questioned.
The last figure, revealing to be Ottar stepped into view. "Bring him with us, and prevent him from dying." Ottar ignored Allen's question and stepped towards the Goliath Tooth.
Isaac's consciousness faded as he dropped to the floor, still bleeding from his wounds.
"Pfft, what does our Lady even see in him?" Allen questioned angrily. He debated if the punishment was worth stomping on his ribs but reluctantly decided against it. "This better be worth it, Ottar."
Ottar did not respond. Phase one of his Lady's plan begins, and there certainly will be confrontations to come.
...
I'll just leave this here... ;)