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Lightbringer
Chapter 14
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"You have got to be joking," said Lucifer as he stared at the pieces of parchment laid out on the counter before him. His eyes glowed a little through the slits in his helm as his passive [Gift of Tongues] ability translated the words on the page for him automatically.
It was mid-morning on the first day of the newly formed party between him, Julia, and Janna, and all three of them were presently standing at one of the counters in the Oldaven Guild Hall, deciding on their first official job together.
They were Copper-plates, the lowest rank adventurers, so their options for challenging and exciting jobs were more than likely slim to none. Lucifer knew that and had been preparing himself for dull and unexciting jobs, but he did not think it would be this bad.
"These are the hardest jobs currently available for Copper-ranked adventurers?" Lucifer asked in disbelief.
The clerk who waited patiently on them nodded and gave him an encouraging smile. "That is correct, sir. If you'd like, I can bring out a few that are less difficult."
"That. . . won't be necessary." Lucifer groaned inwardly. Apparently, the types of jobs asked of Adventurers ranged much wider than he expected.
If these jobs were any less difficult, they might as well be escorting old people across the street. He jokingly thought of asking the clerk if there was such a job available but then decided against it. In the off chance that there actually was one, he preferred not to know.
The two sisters were to his right, and from the corner of his eye he could see Janna tug on her older sister's sleeve, prompting the older girl to lean in as Janna whispered something in her ear.
Lucifer had learned pretty quickly that the two possessed markedly different personalities. Julia was outgoing and energetic, relishing attention and wanting to be heard. Meanwhile, Janna was shy and reserved, preferring not to be noticed and keeping to herself. The younger girl had barely even glanced at Lucifer when they had been introduced earlier that morning, mumbling a quiet greeting as she stared at her feet.
The stark differences in their personalities was surprising given how alike they looked. So much so that they could be mistaken for twins. Although if anyone remarked about it, Julia would be quick to point out they were not at all twins. That they were, in fact, separated in age by a year, with Julia being the older of the two. And slightly taller to boot.
Immediately after introducing Lucifer to her sister, Julia had declared their adventurer party officially formed in such an amusingly excited manner that it thankfully broke the slight awkwardness that had settled between them. He suspected she had done it on purpose specifically for that reason, more for her sister's benefit than his, no doubt.
Not for the first time in his life, Lucifer wondered what it would have been like to have an older sibling of his own in his previous life. Or any sibling, for that matter. Someone he could lean on and maybe even look up to, or conversely someone who would rely on him and look up to him. How different would his life have been? At the very least, he would not have felt so alone.
"Janna says she'd like to take this job," said Julia, pointing to one of the parchments.
"Huh?" Lucifer turned his head, shaken out of his thoughts.
Julia picked up the parchment in question and handed it to him. "We should do this one."
He looked it over front and back – the back was empty, but he had to be sure after what happened with the Guild Exam paper – then glanced at the girls. "Are you certain?"
Janna gave an almost imperceptible nod without looking his way, and Julia smiled and nodded as well.
"I think this is a good one to start with too," she added.
"Very well, then." Lucifer sighed as he turned his attention back to the clerk. "We'll take this job," he said as he slapped the parchment back on the counter with finality and pushed it towards the clerk.
"Wonderful!" The clerk clapped her hands together, beaming at them. "Please wait a moment while I prepare the necessary paperwork."
The paperwork turned out to be a few things, one of which was a contract that, as party leader, Lucifer had to sign. It pretty much read like any standard work contract he had seen before in his past life. Except for the whole magic and monsters parts of it, of course.
Basically, they were agreeing to complete the task they signed up for while adhering to any specific guidelines laid out by the client and also following the rules of the Guild and the laws of the Empire. Any violations would be met with punishment, including but not limited to expulsion, exile, imprisonment, or even death.
Next was a form that all three of them had to fill out. They were supposed to write down what they wanted the Guild to do in the event of their untimely demise as well as to list any next of kin to be notified. It was essentially a living will, and a reminder that the life of an Adventurer was a dangerous one.
Lucifer was surprised at how official the whole process was, right down to the standardized forms and contracts. Was this an influence from prior YGGDRASIL players, or was this something that the people of this world came up with on their own?
He noticed that the girls grew anxious as they filled out the last form. Understandably so, since they were still young enough that the thought of death was surely very far from their minds. He wondered then what their parents thought of their chosen profession. Did they even know? The pair had not mentioned them at all, but Lucifer did not want to pry.
Once finished with the paperwork, they thanked the clerk, who bade them good luck, and then left the Guild Hall to head towards the location of their first job.
They had barely walked half a block when Julia raced forward, jumped, and turned around to face them with the biggest grin on her face. Apparently, the anxiety she felt while filling out the forms was already forgotten.
"We finally have our first Adventurer job!" she exclaimed, switching her excited gaze between Lucifer and her sister rapidly. "Do you know what that means? Do you?" She hopped up and down, bouncing on the balls of her feet, hands loosely curled into fists up by her chest like a giddy child about to receive a present she had long been asking for.
"Uh. . . what?" responded Lucifer, wondering if he was somehow missing something. He glanced at Janna, who appeared to be just as clueless as he was. If a giant question mark could pop up from her head, it probably would have. Lucifer probably would have had two such question marks.
"It means we're going to get paid!" Julia did one last hop as she thrust a fist into the air triumphantly. Then she ran up to grab her sister's hands, causing Janna to look terribly embarrassed as several passersby took notice of the boisterous girl. "And getting paid means we get to buy stuff! Like more food! And clothes! And gear! And. . . And. . . stuff!"
Lucifer couldn't hold back a laugh. "Hooray for consumerism."
"Huh?" The two confused girls turned in unison to look at him, though Janna was quick to glance away.
"Don't worry about it," said Lucifer, his laugh subsiding into a soft chuckle. "Now come on, we should get going. In order to get paid we have to actually do the work first, you know. And the faster we get it done, the faster we get paid and can move on to the next job."
"I know that!" Julia huffed, cheeks reddening. Crossing her arms, she stalked off ahead of them.
"H-Hey! Wait for me." Janna ran after her with her own cheeks tinged red at the unwanted attention from the public, most of whom were eyeing them with amusement.
Yes, he very much wanted to get this over with. The more jobs they completed, the sooner they would be able to rank up. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to put up with these Copper-plate jobs.
For a moment, Lucifer watched them go on ahead. The current job was likely to bore him to death, but at least the girls might make things a little bit interesting.
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Lucifer held the small glass bottle up against the sunlight that streamed in from the shop window and stared at the dark blue liquid contained within.
Apparently, this was what passed for a healing potion around here. And a weak one at that, since the more potent ones were surprisingly expensive. They cost a whopping fifteen gold each. Twelve when he tried to haggle, and the shopkeeper would go no lower. Even then, twelve gold for one potion was far too expensive for him at the moment. All he had were a handful of silvers and some coppers.
"All your healing potions are blue?" Lucifer asked the shopkeeper for the second time already, wanting to be sure. He had never seen blue healing potions before. The ones he knew from YGGDRASIL were red, like most games he had played before. Blue potions were normally for recovering mana or spirit/spell points.
"Yes, sir," the older woman replied as she had done the first time, a trace of annoyance in her voice. "They're all blue."
"You don't have any red healing potions?"
"Red?" The woman scoffed and blinked. "I've never heard of a red healing potion before. We do have strength potions that amplify physical strength, which are reddish-orange in color, if that's what you're looking for."
"Is that so?" he said absently. He noticed a few particulates settling to the bottom of the bottle he was holding. That was unexpected too. Shaking the bottle so that the blue liquid swirled, he watched as the particles dissolved once more into the mixture.
"Everyone knows that healing potions are blue, Lucifer," said Julia, who was looking between him and the bottle he carefully held with his armored fingers.
"My apologies, I was just making sure," he replied quickly without elaborating. "Hmm. . . You said this was your cheapest healing potion, yes? How much is it exactly?" Lucifer asked as he placed the one he was scrutinizing back on the counter between him and the shopkeeper.
"That one is brewed mostly from herbs by a local pharmacist, with no magic involved, so it'll only cost you two silver."
He grimaced, glad that his helm hid his face so that nobody could see his expression. At that price, getting one each for the girls would run him four silver, which was a not insignificant amount of money for his current new world financial state. But the reason they were here in the first place was because he found out that the girls had no healing potions of their own, unsurprising given how expensive they apparently were, and he had promised to get them some.
While he had seemingly countless bottles of his own saved up over the years in his inventory, it was not an infinite amount and would eventually run out. With that in mind, he had made it a priority to investigate what potions were available in the new world, and so it seemed a perfect enough reason to accomplish that today.
As a bonus, the shop they presently found themselves in was on the way to their first job too. Though he had not expected the healing potions to be so different in this world.
There were well over 200 potions available for use in YGGDRASIL, and from what Lucifer had gathered so far while talking to the shopkeeper, there were not nearly as many here in the new world. A curious matter, considering that the players who had come before surely had some potions from the game to share with these people. Something he would have to investigate further, it seemed.
Unfortunately, the shopkeeper did not have the expertise of an alchemist nor a scholar, so he could not really ask her anything technical about the potions. She knew only enough to peddle the wares to customers, and there appeared to be some common knowledge about such potions among the populace to begin with, knowledge that he did not have until now.
"So, are you going to buy it or not?" asked the woman, growing increasingly impatient. From her attitude it would seem as if there were other customers waiting to be served, but the shop was empty save for Lucifer and the girls.
Lucifer did not respond right away. Judging from the prices, he figured there must be a lot of adventurers and others going around without the more powerful healing potions. The vast difference in cost between the potions made him wary of the effectiveness of the weaker potion.
"I will in a moment, but I must ask. . . what can you tell me about the effectiveness of this potion?"
The shopkeeper crossed her arms, fingers tapping on her skin. "This potion speeds up the natural healing process and will completely heal most minor injuries in just an hour or so, or so I'm told. It will help some with moderate injuries too, but it would depend on the injury. . . definitely won't heal anything serious, but it might help to prolong your life enough to get to a proper healer at that."
Lucifer frowned. "An hour for minor injuries? That seems too long. So for any moderate injuries. . . Wouldn't you bleed out from your wounds by then?"
The woman shrugged. "That's what bandages and healing salves are for, I reckon. And the more potent potions, of course."
"I see." Lucifer stared at the potion on the counter. "Any of your potions heal wounds instantly?"
Again, the shopkeeper scoffed. "If such a potion existed, everyone would be scrambling to get one. The best potions take a few minutes to completely heal light to moderate wounds, but serious injuries can still take some time. And they can't regrow limbs or anything crazy like that, if you're wondering about that as well."
"Got it. Thank you for the information," he said. "How much for bandages and salves?"
As Lucifer and the shopkeeper talked prices, Julia spoke up again.
"You really don't have to get any of that for us, you know." The girl shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "We can manage without potions. We just have to be extra careful, that's all. And besides, Kiah can always heal us if we're ever hurt, right? Her healing magic really is amazing." Julia moved her right arm around, flexing her wrist and her hand. "My arm honestly feels even better than before after she healed it."
Janna looked to her sister at the mention of another magic user, a question forming, but she did not ask it.
Lucifer shook his head. "But Kiah isn't with us when we're out completing a job," he replied as he reluctantly fished out coins from his money pouch. "If one of you were to get seriously hurt and we couldn't get back to her in time. . . well, you understand."
"Well. . ." Julia trailed off, deflated.
How troublesome it was to discover that healing potions in this world were supposed to be blue. Because of that, he needed to be extra careful about using the red YGGDRASIL ones in his possession if he wanted to not draw too much unwanted attention. If only Janna could use her magic to heal, but unfortunately the girl didn't know any healing spells.
Hiding his magic was starting to sound like a dumb idea now. Perhaps he should have enlisted in the Guild as a paladin instead. Too late for that though. He was already officially registered as a warrior, and warriors were definitely not supposed to be able to wield magic in this world.
Well, hopefully he would not have to hide his true abilities and origins for too long. Once he learned more about this world and secured a safe place for himself in it, he would be able to operate with a lot more freedom.
The potion and medical supplies were at least better than nothing. And if the worst were to happen, he figured he could always use his own potions or his magic.
The shopkeeper quickly swiped the coins, and after a brief inspection of the currency she nodded with satisfaction. Adding another bottle of the blue potion next to the one already on the counter along with some bandages and small sealed jars of salves, she slid them all towards Lucifer.
Julia frowned as she eyed the exchange. "Speaking of healing magic. . . I've been meaning to ask you about Kiah. Is there a reason why she isn't an adventurer and in our party? Her skills would be incredibly useful to any party in the Guild, especially ours. We wouldn't have to worry as much about healing potions."
"It's complicated," Lucifer said simply as he grabbed the supplies.
In truth, he had not really considered it. After saving her from slavery, he figured she would want to rest and recover for a while, and then once she had regained her strength, she would leave his care. Though he probably should ask her at some point what she wanted to do next.
"Here." He extended the recent purchases towards Julia, hoping to steer the subject away from the elf since he had no answers.
Julia stared at them. "You really shouldn't have."
"But I did. So, please accept. I don't expect you'll need to use them anytime soon, but it's always better to be prepared just in case."
Julia continued to stare at them for a few seconds before she finally accepted, handing some over to her sister, who cradled them delicately in her hands for a moment before quietly storing them away in a small old pack slung across her back that looked barely able to hold itself together.
"Thanks, Lucifer," Julia said after she carefully put away her own supplies into an identical backpack to her sister's. Then she set her jaw and gave him a determined look. "But next time, we're buying our own stuff. Got it?"
Lucifer chuckled. "Very well."
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The Warehouse District of Oldaven was located in the southwestern quadrant of the city, with wider roads made of paved stone to accommodate the heavy commercial traffic. Carts and wagons of all shapes and sizes flowed in and out of the district at almost all hours of the day, save for the darkest parts of night.
There were dozens of large warehouses, and in between each of the biggest ones were several smaller ones, all owned by various merchants, nobles, and organizations that conducted business in the city. Because of all the traffic, as well as the large number of goods and valuables both stored and passing through here, the City Guard patrolled regularly and vigilantly. In addition, each warehouse had their own security, making it one of the safest districts in Oldaven.
Three such security guards were standing in front of the entrance to one of the smaller warehouses when Lucifer and the girls arrived at the designated location for the job.
"Hi!" Julia greeted with a skip and a wave, flashing a friendly smile as she continued to make for the door without even stopping.
The guards briefly looked at each other with confusion, then one of them growled, "Hey! Stop right there!"
Lucifer almost facepalmed.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked the guard as Julia thankfully came to a halt in between them. The two guards nearest to the door slid closer towards it, blocking the way. They all eyed the well-armored Lucifer warily.
"Who are you? What's your business here?" said another of the guards, a polished axe held at the ready.
"My name's Julia," answered the young girl readily, then pointed to her companions. "And that's my sister Janna. And he's called Lucifer. We're a party from the Adventurer's Guild and we're here on a mission."
"Adventurers?" The guards exchanged looks again.
One of them piped up. "Oi, didn't the boss say he was going to hire some of 'em to get rid of those vermin down below?"
"Oh yeah. . . I do remember him saying something about that." The first guard rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "So that'll be you, then?"
"Yep!" Julia smiled, pointing to the plate hanging from her neck. "See?"
"Right, right. We can see you've got the plates, sure enough. You got some papers on you from the Guild?"
"Oh! Right. I almost forgot," Julia said as she shrugged off her pack and searched through it.
"You did forget. . . no almost about it. . ." muttered Lucifer with amusement, though nobody could hear him.
Julia pulled out a rolled piece of parchment that the Guild clerk had given them before they left. It was an official statement informing the client of the party's official acceptance of the job contract, near the bottom of which was stamped the Guild seal for authenticity. She handed it to the guard.
"Alright. Everything seems to be in order. Let me take you in to see the boss before you start."
The boss turned out to be a middle-aged man with a long face and shrewd dark eyes. A thick chestnut mustache draped over his lips, making Lucifer wonder how he managed to eat or drink without getting any hair in his mouth. According to the clerk, the client's name was Berland Sellive. A merchant.
Berland eyed them critically as they entered his office on the second floor, one side of which was dominated by one long window that provided a clear view of the expansive storage space beyond filled with crates and wares and men at work. He sat behind a simple wooden desk, dark enough to be almost black, and upon which sat a sizable amount of paperwork and a mug of something steaming.
"Hi there!" Julia greeted the man enthusiastically, standing in front of Lucifer. Janna waited by the door.
"Hmph," grunted Berland, and before Julia could say anything else, the girl already partway through opening her mouth, he spoke. "I'm a busy man so let's keep this brief. You're here about the job I posted to the Guild, and they sent you here, so I expect you to be more than up to the task. Regardless of how you may. . . look." He glanced at the girls, before his gaze settled on Lucifer.
Julia's brow furrowed and she crossed her arms, while Janna tried to look as small as possible while still remaining on her feet. Lucifer was unimpressed by the man's words but said nothing. He didn't want to prolong their interaction any more than necessary.
"As included in the details of the job, we have a particularly troublesome vermin problem that started a week ago, and now it's all we can do to keep them at bay down below. I've already lost a few men to illness and injury because of those rats, and it's affecting business. The City Guard claim that pest control is not their job, so I've turned to you. Get rid of all those damned rats if you would, and if you do it in a timely manner I may even toss in a bonus. One of the guards can show you where you need to go. Now get to work."
With the last bit said dismissively, Berland proceeded to focus his attention solely on the papers in front of him, acting as if they had already left.
Lucifer placed a hand on Julia's shoulder, noting the glare she was throwing Berland's way. A glare that the man was easily ignoring. Lucifer could tell that Julia wanted to give the man a piece of her mind, and was merely formulating what she wanted to say, but there was no time for that. And the man was unlikely to change his opinion of them for the better either, so it was pointless.
"Come on, Julia. Time to get to work," he said firmly, and she reluctantly followed him out the door without saying anything else.
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The basement level of the warehouse was dimly lit and damp, with the air smelling something foul intermixed with the iron scent of blood and the salt of sweat. There were four guards posted in the room that the stairs descended into, and the only set of doors to the rest of the basement had been barricaded and patched several times over.
Apparently, the rats kept trying to chew their way through, and even as Lucifer and company arrived, they could hear the scraping and squeaking of the vermin beyond. The guards looked haggard, with dark circles beneath their eyes and frowns tugging heavy on their lips. They sported a few blood-soaked bandages, and the floor and walls had several layers of splattered blood too. They regarded the newcomers with a mixture of nervousness and relief.
Julia crinkled her nose, covering it and her mouth with a hand. "What is that smell?" she complained. "Whose idea was it to do this job again?" she asked nobody in particular.
Janna looked downcast behind her, and were it not for Lucifer's superior hearing, he would not have heard her whisper an apology. One that the older sister did not hear.
Lucifer stepped towards the barricaded door, prompting the guards to tense, readying their weapons. He turned to the closest guard. "I take it these aren't ordinary rats?"
The man shook his head. "No, sir. Not at all. They're giant, rabid beasts. Some of 'em the size of dogs, they are. Though I think they shouldn't trouble you too much in that armor of yours."
"How many do you think there are?" Lucifer asked.
He shrugged. "Dunno, sir. Dozens, at least."
"Gotta be a hundred or so!" exclaimed another.
A brief silence followed as they couldn't decide if that was a reasonable estimate or not.
"It's not so bad facing one or two, maybe even three at a time. But when ten or more rush at you and swarm all over. . . it ain't pretty. And there's plenty enough of 'em for that," said another guard warily.
Something thudded loudly against the doors and then squealed, drawing their attention, and making everyone except Lucifer jump. The sound of claws scratching and teeth gnawing against wood sounded even louder. It sounded like they were going to break through again soon.
"What else is beyond the doors? Another hallway? More rooms? An open space?" Lucifer asked.
"A hallway with more doors, sir. There are several store rooms," answered a guard.
"And the rats, do you know where they're coming from?"
"One of the workers toppled a pile of heavy crates and tore a damned hole through one of the walls. Turns out there was a hollow space beyond, and the horrid smell came from beyond it. Then the rats showed up not long after."
"Sewage?"
The guard closest to Lucifer shrugged. "Maybe. We don't know for sure, sir. All we know is they're definitely coming from somewhere beyond that blasted broken wall."
"Has it been a constant stream of rats since it started? Or do they come in waves?"
"In waves, sir. Thankfully enough. Though it just so happens that they haven't broken through in a while, so it seems we're due another wave right about now."
"What a coincidence that we arrive just in time for that," Lucifer said, amused. He gave the guard a nod. "Thank you. You've been most helpful. Now how about you guys stand back over there by the foot of the stairs and give us some space to work with," he said to the guards. "We'll do our best to make sure none of them get past us, but I can't guarantee that none of them will get through, so you might have to deal with one or two. Sound good?"
The guards nodded and wordlessly moved as instructed, looking more than glad to be far away from the buckling door.
"What do we do?" asked Julia, her voice subdued. She eyed the barricaded doors warily.
Lucifer drew his two short swords, «Judgement» and «Executioner», their metals glowing in the dim light as soon as they were unsheathed. He didn't notice the awe with which the others in the room looked upon the exquisitely crafted blades, temporarily distracted from the unpleasant task ahead.
He hadn't expected there to be giant rats involved, so this might be a little more fun than he expected. When he saw the job description, it had merely said that there was a serious rat infestation that needed to be dealt with. Which, on the face of it, sounded terribly boring. And disgusting.
Now it was looking less boring, though definitely still disgusting.
"Get ready to fight," he answered her. "I'll try to draw their attention as much as possible since they have no hope of breaching my armor. Julia, any of them get past me, you kill it. I'm sure there will be more than a few to run by me. Janna supports us with long range magic attacks as best she can, but please be careful of your aim."
Janna, who had a hand over her mouth and nose as well, started to breathe heavily despite the foul-smelling air. "I. . . I can't. . . What if. . ."
Julia turned to her sister, her own breaths short and shallow as she held her sword with both hands. "You can do it, sis. Just remember all that practicing you've done. And our fight against those skeletons in the cemetery. I've seen you use your magic accurately. You know you can do it."
"But. . ."
"Janna," Lucifer called to her, and she flinched. "Don't worry about shooting too far ahead, then. If you have a clear shot at any that manage to get to Julia or any that go after you, then you focus on taking those rodents out instead. Okay?"
"O-Okay."
Lucifer sighed internally. He was going to have to figure out a way to train them up a bit more. It was going to be a long slog to higher ranks if every job was going to be like this. They needed more confidence, and confidence came with experience and training. Hopefully, they'd earn enough for them to get better equipment soon too.
Although, he supposed he could look through his inventory to see if there was anything there that they might be able to make use of. Something to think about for later. For now, there were rats to kill.
"Get ready," he said calmly. "I'm going to burst through the doors and surprise them by attacking first. Then we hold them here until we kill the whole wave, or they run. We'll figure out how to stop them for good afterwards."
"We're ready," Julia announced from behind him.
Crouching, Lucifer bent forward and crossed his arms in front of himself, swords pointing towards the ceiling and framing his head. He took a deep breath, then he lurched forward and launched himself with speed at the doors, arms swinging out as his blades sliced through the barricade and the doors and the rats beyond.
Squeals of pain and death erupted as he exploded through the doors in a shower of broken and splintered wood, blood arcing through the air as a few rats on the other side of the door found themselves cut in bloody halves. The force of his abrupt entrance knocked several more of the giant rats back into the dark hallway, and the small army of rats beyond were momentarily stunned. There had to be at least fifty or sixty, he thought.
They were filthy creatures, giant rodents the size of small dogs with ugly matted fur and even uglier faces. Their eyes gleamed red, their fangs jagged and sharp like tiny wolves with claws sharp as talons. Long fat tails trailed behind each one of them, like giant worms protruding from their butts.
"Wow. You guys are definitely not going to be in any Disney movies," he joked, gleaming swords at the ready. "And not just because you'll all be dead soon."
Recovering from their shock, the rats surged forward in a torrent of angry screeches and murderous squeaks.
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Julia's mouth was agape as she watched Lucifer blow through the barricaded doors with ease, forgetting to breathe for a moment. She stared as he stood confidently, swords glowing at his sides, framed by the doorway against the dark hallway that stretched beyond.
Then the rats came. Bigger than she expected, and the very sight of them made her shiver and recoil in disgust. They swarmed around Lucifer, who easily dispatched several at once with each slash of his blades. Despite their numbers, Lucifer continued to stand tall and unaffected. As predicted, none of them could get past his armor, and he did not bother with protecting himself.
Perhaps realizing the futility of their assault on the armored man, some of the rats turned and ran past him, heading straight for Julia.
Julia breathed again, inhaling the terrible stench that filled the air and burned her nostrils. She coughed, doubling over and momentarily vulnerable as a rat launched itself at her face with claws outstretched and fangs bared.
"[Magic Arrow]!" cried Janna from the back, and a bolt of magical energy shot through and pierced through the would-be attacker. Blood spurted from the wound as it squealed and fell dead.
Julia had no time to thank her sister, nor compliment her impeccable aim, as she recovered enough to strike at the next rat with her sword. The edge of her blade bit through the furry rodent easily enough, ending its life abruptly. And then she swung her sword around at the next big rat to come close enough.
Thankfully, the rats did not seem to be terribly smart, and so were easy enough to kill in small numbers despite their size. Just as the guard had mentioned earlier. And with Janna supporting her, it was almost as easy as the skeletons in the graveyard.
Two jumped at her simultaneously, and she was forced to swing at them. Her blade sliced one in half mid-air while the other barely missed her as she took a step back, though one of its claws managed to rake her arm. She hissed, feeling the burn as her skin opened up and bled in long lines.
"[Magic Arrow]!" Again, Janna managed to take care of another rat, this time the one that had wounded her, though the younger girl quickly followed with an, "Are you okay, Julia?"
"I'm fine!" she managed to say as she struck at another of the pesky rodents, although this time she was only able to wound it, forcing it back momentarily as its brethren lunged at her. "Just concentrate on killing these things!" she cried as she was forced to retreat a few paces.
Perhaps gaining some more confidence with her successful strikes, Janna began to shoot more frequently, and once Julia got into some semblance of rhythm with her strikes and her dodging, it did not take long before all was quiet.
Panting, and with each breath feeling the burn of the nauseatingly smelly air, Julia looked over at Janna and was pleased to see that the girl was unharmed.
"Is it over?" Janna whispered.
Julia glanced towards Lucifer, who stood in the hallway beyond with his swords already sheathed. He seemed to be inspecting the small mountain of dead rats that surrounded him. "I think so," she said at last, wiping the blood off her sword with a rag from her pocket before sheathing it.
Janna let out a long breath and rushed over to her. "You're hurt," the younger girl noted with a frown.
"Yeah," Janna said as she felt the numerous cuts and scrapes on her skin stinging. "Nothing serious, though. No need to worry." She hissed and recoiled as Janna apparently touched one of the wounds, the wound burning like hot coals pressed against her skin. "What was that for?" she snapped angrily, gritting her teeth.
Janna flinched. "Sorry. They look painful. . . We should patch you up," she suggested quietly.
"Alright, fine," Julia said with a slight shrug. The wounds did sting and throb with every beat of her heart, but she could manage the pain.
Janna was already rummaging through her bag for the healing supplies that Lucifer had gotten them earlier. They were actually going to make use of them much sooner than either of them expected. She handed her a healing potion, which Julia refused to take.
"No way. We're not using that now," said Julia adamantly. "I'll be fine. Just help me bandage my wounds and put the healing salves if you're so worried about infection. That potion cost two silver, you know, and this isn't something we should waste on little wounds like these."
Janna frowned but returned the potion to her bag, taking out the bandages and salves instead. She raised them up for Julia to see, and the older girl nodded with approval.
"Thanks," Julia said as Janna set about attending to her wounds as gently as she could. Despite her care, however, Julia hissed and grimaced while she worked.
The guards ended up not doing much of anything except watching the carnage as the adventurers handily took care of the rats, with none of the vermin getting past them. They all looked quite relieved about that and were definitely more relaxed now that the immediate threat was dealt with. One of them approached the two girls.
"It's good that you're treating the wounds right away," said the guard, "We made the mistake of waiting too long before, and some of us ended up ill because the wounds quickly festered and got infected. The vermin carry some kind of disease with them, we think."
Julia could sense the growing worry in her younger sister and felt some worry herself, though she did not show it. "I'll be fine, Janna," she whispered to her sister, then addressed the guard in a louder voice, "Are they okay now? Your friends."
The guard nodded. "Yes, miss. Last time I checked they oughta be fine. They're being tended to at the Temple, thank the Gods."
"That's a relief." The thought of potentially getting sick from such simple injuries was unsettling, but it was nice to know that it was treatable should she end up actually falling ill herself.
"Pardon my asking, miss," said the guard hesitantly, "But who is that man with you?" He gestured towards the hallway where Lucifer had disappeared into. They could not see him at the moment, for it appeared he had gone deeper into the cellars.
"His name is Lucifer," she answered with a shrug, unsure of what else to say. There was not much she knew about him that she could share with the guard. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just hard to believe he's but a mere Copper plate with his equipment and skills, so I thought perhaps he was someone of renown. Though I don't recognize the name," replied the guard. Then he waved apologetically with his hands, "Sorry, not meaning any offense to you two or anything of the sort. You did well yourselves."
Julia gave him a reassuring smile to show that she was not offended. In fact, she silently agreed. The gap between them in skill and experience was too great to even consider closing, and she wondered once again why he had chosen to party up with them. If he showed off his skills to the others in the Guild, she did not doubt the other adventurer parties would all be scrambling to add him to their ranks.
So why party up with two barely skilled and inexperienced girls? Not that she was complaining.
Lucifer returned to them after a little while, his armor absolutely covered in blood and guts. If they did not know any better, they might have thought him to be some dark undead knight come from the darkest depths of the earth. It took a lot for Julia not to turn away in disgust.
"Are you alright?" he asked Julia as he approached, and she nodded.
"I'll be fine. Just a few scratches."
"All done," Janna said softly as she tightened one last bandage, making Julia grunt with pain. She got to her feet and stepped back, taking a look at Lucifer for a moment before quickly turning away and making some retching sounds.
Julia quickly reached over to rub a hand on her sister's back.
"So, what happens now?" she asked. They were told to get rid of the rats, and they appeared to have done so. Technically, they could just go back and consider the job done, but she had a feeling the job was far from over.
The guard looked to Lucifer with great interest.
"I checked all the other rooms down here and there doesn't seem to be any other rats for now," Lucifer said, "But I found that collapsed wall that they're using to get in here. We should investigate what's beyond it. See if we can figure out where exactly they're coming from and why they keep coming here. Stop them from coming back for good. Is that okay with you two?"
Julia grinned eagerly through the dull aching of her wounds. "You think the merchant will give us that bonus?"
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A/N: Chapter 15 is almost finished. Should be up in a few days. Chapter 16 I expect to deliver next week, or potentially earlier. Depends on whether the writing gods allow the words to flow easily or not. Hope everyone is well!