AN: Hope you enjoy reading~

Chapter 33:

"Hellfire Shot!"

There was a whole lot of commotion going on outside of the tent. Shouting, bellowing, screaming, and a lot of frantic swearing. But that voice, that particular voice; Samuel would recognise that voice anywhere.

"Killia!"

Samuel's voice was hoarse, surprisingly painful when he tried to yell. He could only hope that with Killia being in the thick of the chaos that he had heard him, too.

When he felt the power of the geo-panels around him dissipate, it was then that he knew that Killia had indeed heard him, that he had figured out where he was. He turned his gaze toward the entrance of the tent, and waited with bated breath…

Then, there he was.

"Samuel!"

"Killia…"

Killia was immediately in front of him, kneeling with his arms around him in an all-too desperate hug of relief. Samuel wanted to hug him back, of course, but because of his restraints, he had to settle with nuzzling his face into his neck and shoulder.

Being in Killia's arm, being back in Killia's arm…there were not enough words to describe the feeling of relief, the joy, the comfort Samuel felt. Nothing else mattered. Just…that.

Yet, all too soon, Killia pulled back ever so slightly. Only to undo the chains that pinned Samuel's arms behind his back. And he uttered a sigh of relief when the chains fell away.

"Your timing is impeccable," he said as he pulled his arms around in front of him, idly rubbing at his wrists.

Killia made short work of the chains around his ankles as well. He then took him by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine-" a sharp pain in his side interrupted him mid-sentence and he clutched his bandages, "-as can be." He returned Killia's gaze with a desperate one of his own. "Killia, the Pocket Netherworld. Is it safe?"

"It's safe," Killia immediately reassured, squeezing his shoulders to further comfort him. "The other Rebels are guaranteeing that it is. Also, the Pocket Netherworld is going to be incorporated into Gorgeous."

Samuel creased his brow. "I don't understand."

"I'll explain later."

"Seraphina's maids," Samuel began to ramble, struck with the sudden need to explain to Killia his motives, for him to understand that he did not just throw himself into danger recklessly. "They threatened to reveal its location. I couldn't risk it, even if it was just an idle threat. The others-"

"I know," Killia cut him off. "Panchos told us everything."

Panchos…looked like he paid him back in spades.

An explosion from somewhere outside the tent promptly reminded them both of their current situation.

"Can you stand?" Killia asked him as his hands slid down his shoulders to his biceps and helped to pull him to his feet. "What happened here?"

Samuel rested a hand against Killia's chest as the other remained pressed against his side. "Parasitical Seedlings. Lost Soldiers have been lied to about Seedlings. They were told they were just Enhancers by the likes of Naraka. They have no idea that they're just sacrificial lambs at this point."

Well, they probably did now.

Sadly, they were unlikely to be the first or only band of soldiers to been lied to. Battalions of Lost Soldiers across the Netherverse were to be in the same predicament. Or had already succumb to them.

What side were the Wardens on?

Their own, obviously. The question should be; what were they attempting to do? Why were they gathering energy for the Tree of Death?

He would have to attempt to work that out later.

"Killia, we need to destroy these Seedlings. I hate the Lost for what they've done, but I hate Seedlings even more. I especially detest Naraka and everything he stands for."

"Right."

With his right arm crossed over his stomach and hand pressed against his side, Samuel followed Killia as the two of them bolted out of the tent and outside.

The Lost campsite was in complete disarray; tents torn, rations and supplies upturned and thrown about, and Lost Soldiers running about frantically as they attempted to fight the small, but fast and agile Parasitical Seedlings.

There were literal hundreds of them. To maintain the façade, no doubt. Samuel could easily imagine Naraka telling the Lost Soldiers that the Seedlings were harmless enhancers, that they could be used time and time again in battle.

They…seemed to have turned parasitical simultaneously. Likely the products of a previous battalion of Lost Soldiers.

Samuel just could not understand it. Did Void truly not know what the Wardens had been doing to his soldiers? Did he truly not care as long as he got the energy he wanted?

"Samuel!"

He turned away from the chaos to the reassuring presence of his companions. While there was a spike of concern that they had rushed into a potentially dangerous situation, he trusted that he had given them enough knowledge to keep themselves, and each other, safe.

Though, he had to admit to himself that Seraphina was part of the rescue party was a surprise. It gave him hope that she was not part of the whole…traitorous event.

"We were so worried!" Usalia said as he was quickly reunited with his trusted companions. "Are you ok, plip?"

Samuel nodded. Compared to what could have happened, he got away relatively unscathed. "Sorry for worrying you all again. I'm all right."

Christo took a moment to inspect the campsite in chaos before he turned back to Killia, arching a questioning eyebrow toward him. "Killia, what would you like us to do?"

"Concentrate on the Seedlings for now. We'll deal with the Lost Soldiers later."

Samuel briefly wondered if Terril had listened to him and done as he was told, or had chosen to flee the camp, leaving his fellow Lost Soldiers behind. He had already lost his sister to a Seedling, resulting in him losing any resemblance of faith he had in the army. It would not be a stretch if he up and left it all behind.

"Samuel, refrain from using your Overload Skill," Killia continued to issue his orders, granting Samuel a particular poignant stare. "You're in no condition."

Even if he was not injured, Samuel did not feel comfortable doing so in front of so many Lost Soldiers. Although, they were going to hand him over to Void regardless…

"Alright," Samuel conceded without argument. "I'll concentrate on using my elemental skills. But come to me the second you encounter a Seedling, alright?"

Killia nodded, satisfied with his response before he turned to their tactician. "Christo, stay with Samuel."

"Very well."

"Let's go, everyone. You know what to do!"

Killia and the others were more than capable of battle, yet Samuel still had to remind himself to push his concern aside as they rushed themselves to the frontline. He also needed to ignore his own instincts to push forward and join them. Despite his own long-range skills, the backline never suited him.

"How are your injuries?" Christo asked him as the two prepared themselves for battle.

Samuel subconsciously pressed his hand against his side just that little bit firmly. "They're all right. Been agitated, but could have been worse."

Christo pulled back an arrow on his bow. "I'll inspect them when we return to the Pocket Netherworld."

Oh, Samuel had no doubt that he would.

But all that could be dealt with later. First, he needed to destroy these Seedlings before they took more lives. Even if they were Lost Soldiers.

Samuel was able to sense and detect the Seedlings more efficiently than the others, so he opted to attack and destroy the ones that were hidden or less noticeable. The ones that were out in the open, Killia and the others could easily deal with themselves.

Yet, picking them off one by one was going to take a while.

Amongst the chaos, he caught sight of a figure with red hair and dark clothing attempting to fight off a Seedling. Terril? He had stayed?

Maybe…

"Christo, I have an idea," Samuel said as he turned to the man next to him. "I'll be right back."

Before Christo had the chance to respond, no doubt with something similar to that of a refusal, Samuel darted forward, toward the Martial Artist. He knew better than to approach the Lost Soldier face to face, however. He did not want or need to speak with him in private; he needed everyone to hear.

"Terril!" he called out, gaining the startled Martial Artist's attention. "Get your soldiers to lure the Seedlings into the centre of camp so we can destroy them with our fire attacks! We won't hurt your soldiers, I promise! Trust me!"

Martial stared at him, his expression unreadable. Samuel could only speculate what was running through his head. They were enemies, after all. Yet he had been betrayed by his own army, losing his sister in the process, and could very well lose his own life as well as his own soldiers.

What did he have left to lose by working with him?

Terril's face creased into an angry, frustrated look before he abruptly turned away from him. "You heard him! Try to herd these things into the middle of camp! Throw them there if you have to!"

Samuel breathed a sigh of relief. Good. Now, for the second half of his plan.

"Killia!"

Killia slipped from the frontline to make his way over to him. "What are you planning?"

"I want you, me, and Zeroken to use our fire attacks after everyone else herds the Seedlings into the centre of camp," Samuel explained. "It would take too long for us to pick them off one by one."

Killia nodded and placed his hand upon Samuel's shoulder. "That should work. Alright, stay back, I'll take care of things from here."

"Right."

Samuel turned on his heel and made his way back to Christo's side. He probably needed that time to gather the mental energy needed for such a widespread fire attack.

The one thing they had going for them was that the Seedlings were not intelligent. They followed anything with a pulse that moved. Luring them into one place, even just hurling them there, should be easy.

As long as none of the Parasitical Seedlings latched onto anyone and turned them into victims.

With the Lost Soldiers' help, Samuel sensed that the vast majority of the Seedlings had congregated into the centre of the campsite. "Killia!"

"Got it! Let's go, Zeroken!"

"You got it, Bro!"

Samuel pulled his hand free from his injured, to hold both his hands out in front of him. Two magic circles appeared before his palms, red in colour. He focused his intent upon the centre of the writhing mass of Parasitical Seedlings, knowing that each and every one of them could brutally take a life. And they would do so without remorse.

But he was not going to let them.

Killia's and Zeroken's Hellfire Shot attacks combined with Samuel's Mega Fire attack magnificently, resulting in a powerful fire assault in the middle of the campsite. So powerful that Samuel resorted to using a series of Mega Ice spells to encircle the flames to ensure that the flames did not spread too rapidly.

Thankfully, he managed to keep the flames isolated and prevented any Seedlings from jumping out and fleeing. And as the smoke cleared, it revealed the Seedlings to be smouldering husks before they vaporised into the ether.

There, that was the vast majority of them. That just left the stragglers. Samuel should be able to handle them easily enough.

Although feeling somewhat breathless, Samuel ignored that feeling and pressed his hand against his side once more as he set about using his fire attack to dispose of any hidden nasties. Which were not that many, thankfully.

Parasitical Seedlings, while dangerous, were also stupid.

"Whew, is that all of them?" Zeroken asked.

Samuel silently inspected the campsite for a moment before he nodded his head. "I can't sense anymore."

With the danger over, Samuel re-joined his companions, leaving the Lost Soldiers to walk around their campsite in a bit of a daze.

"Where did they all come from, plip?" Usalia questioned as she inspected their surroundings.

"Naraka," Samuel answered with a shake of his head. "He was willing to sacrifice this band of Lost Soldiers for whatever end goal he has in mind."

Christo frowned as he fidgeted with his glasses. "This Naraka is far more ruthless than the previous two Wardens." His fidgeting abruptly stopped as he arched an eyebrow, idly folding an arm across his torso. "Now, what should we do with these Lost Soldiers."

Surprisingly, Terril walked straight up to them. Killia and the others around Samuel abruptly tensed, but Samuel reached out to place a hand on Killia's arm, silently indicating to him to at least hear out what he had to say.

"At this point, I don't care what you do to me," Terril practically spat. "I've already lost my sister to one of those Seedlings. It's clear that those in charge of the Lost Army do not care what happen to us 'underlings'."

Samuel could not help but look at Terril with pity. He knew exactly what it was like, watching a beloved sibling die to a Seedling. His sister may have been the reason he joined the Lost Army in the first place.

And he still did not know her name.

Killia turned to him and tilted his head subtly to the side quizzically.

"His sister wanted to try out an 'Enhancer', unaware of what it truly was," Samuel explained. "She was the first victim. Even if she hadn't, the Seedlings were all on the verge of becoming Parasitical. Naraka truly didn't care what happened to them."

"I see…" There was pity in Killia's eyes, too.

"Very well, we'll accept that as your surrender," Christo stated without prompting, believing that Terril was of no threat to them. "Now, since we are here, this is the perfect opportunity to inspect a Lost encampment for any clues or information."

Hm, good idea. Maybe they could figure out who else had betrayed them from the Rebel Army. But, more importantly, maybe he could learn what it was that Void wanted from him. Then again, it was unlikely that a band of soldiers that were destined to be sacrifice would know.

However, they may know something of importance, which may be a reason for their sacrificial lamb status.

Ugh, then again it could just because of the Lost Army doing what they do best…

"You do that if you wish," Seraphina stated, her tone sharp and terse. "I, on the other hand, will return. I have a few maids that I would like to speak with. Speaking of which, what happened to the two that had escorted you here to this Netherworld, Samuel?"

Samuel turned his pitying gaze toward his gun-toting so-called rival. "I'm afraid they were both killed by a Lost Soldier. Sorry. There was nothing I could have done."

Seraphina's expression remained passive, but she drew in a sharp intake of air through her nose. "I see…" was all she uttered before she pulled out her teleporter.

"I'll go back, too," Red Magnus unexpectedly announced. "I want to check in on Panchos. That ok, Killia?"

He also wanted to keep an eye on Seraphina, too. Despite the way she treated him like her personal shooting range, he seemed to care for her. And, rather surprising to Samuel, Seraphina did not object to him tagging along.

Killia nodded. "That's perfectly fine. We won't be here for long."

The two nodded before the teleporter was activated and the two stepped through, re-entering the Pocket Netherworld. The portal soon dissipated, with no added extras coming in or out, thankfully.

With that, Christo, along with Usalia and Zeroken, decided to inspect the camp. And surprising Samuel once more, Terril led them over to the tent that he had been held prisoner in, leaving Killia and Samuel in the centre of camp, with Lost Soldiers wandering around like their namesake; lost.

He wondered how much Terril had managed to tell them about the Seedlings, or if they were still stunned by the sight of watching one of them own die a brutal death after ingesting a so-called 'harmless enhancer'.

A sharp, crippling pain in his side caused Samuel to release a hiss and instinctively curl his body toward his left side, his hands flying up to clutch at the bandages and wading. "Hng…"

"What is it?" Killia immediately asked as he wrapped an arm around his back. "Your injuries?"

"Y-yeah," Samuel gritted out. "I guess adrenaline has worn off."

"Let me see."

Samuel pressed his lips together as he straightened his posture and peeled back the corner of his vest to reveal his bandages. He knew Killia could not and would not take his bandages off in the middle of the field, but if blood was seen through the padding, that meant only one thing.

"How bad?" he asked as Killia carefully inspected his stomach and back.

"Looks like they've reopened."

Damn it. Blood was seeping through the padding.

Samuel sighed as he released his hold on his vest to instead press his right hand against the wadding, adding a bit of pressure to hopefully stem the bleeding. "I'm not surprised."

Killia immediately pressed himself against Samuel's right side, his arm wrapped around the small of his back and his hand resting atop of Samuel's hand that was pressed against his side. Samuel uttered another sigh as he leaned against Killia, grateful for his support.

He knew that he should not lower his guard as he was still out in the middle of an unknown Netherworld, surrounded by Lost Soldiers. But being in Killia's arms always made him forget about any possible danger or consequences.

"We should get you back to the Pocket Netherworld, too," Killia said, making no attempt to hide his concern.

"Not yet. I want to see if Christo finds anything."

"Killia, Samuel."

Speaking of which.

Turning his head away from Killia, Samuel watched as Christo walked over to them with a tight frown on his lips and a hastily furled scroll in his hand. As he reached them, he unfurled the scroll and when Samuel found himself staring at a surprisingly well-done sketch of himself, accompanied with an adequate description, he winced.

And Killia unconsciously pulled him closer protectively.

"I found this in one of the tents," Christo revealed. "It seems that Samuel truly has a bounty on his head."

…Three-hundred-million HL?! A tad overpriced in his opinion.

Was that what the maids wanted?

"Yeah, that is the one thing that can't be denied; Void is after me," Samuel relented, "and Naraka appears to be helping him."

Christo's eyes abruptly narrowed as he hastily refurled the scroll. "I don't suppose you know what he wants with you?"

Samuel shook his head. "No, I have no idea. But he wants me alive."

"That is one thing going in our favour," Killia muttered.

But if Arch-Overlord was involved, he could only fear what the two want with him…

Samuel sighed aloud, with sheer exasperation as he clutched his forehead with his hand. "I cannot believe this is because of a couple of maids…"

"Samuel-"

"I know," Samuel cut Killia off. "Seraphina isn't behind this."

Christo regarded him curiously. "Hm? Under these circumstances, I wouldn't blame you if you did place the culpability on her. After all, Seraphina has spoken quite candidly about being rid of you for quite a while."

Oh, he was well aware.

"Don't get me wrong, I still don't trust her as far as I could kick her," he admitted. "But there is one thing we can agree on; we wouldn't do anything to hurt Killia. And this? Yeah, this would definitely hurt Killia."

The most damaging thing that anyone could do to Killia would be to hand him, or any of their companions, over to Void. For any reason.

"And if Void got a hold of your Overload Skill, it would hurt the entire Rebel Army," Killia added.

A thought flickered through Samuel's mind, a brief musing that said that even if Void managed to get a hold of him, his Overload skill was safe as only Halflings could use it. Only he could use it.

Could that be right?

"Ah, right," Samuel muttered in response to Killia's comment. "Those maids likely acted on their own, probably prompted by her ranting about me. Acting on their own misguided loyalty and were manipulated by the Lost themselves. Of course, that's just a theory. They could very well be Lost spies who got close to Seraphina in order to cast suspicion upon her."

"Let's return to the Pocket Netherworld and find out," Killia commanded. He then pulled Samuel closer and looked at him sternly. "And this time, I'll make sure you'll get some rest."

Samuel couldn't help but smile. "Right, right."