Author's note:
Nice.
Chapter 69: Run for your life
Silica:
"Watch out!" Screaming in warning, Silica pulled hard on the two leading their group, Bell and Leafa. From above them slits in the roof opened up dropping glass vials. As the dozens of vials crashed against the floor, their electric blue contents spilled out, fumes rising quickly.
"That's a high-grade toxin. We need to—Ack! Gah!"
"Lili!" Bell yelled, writhing from Silica's clutches to pounce on her.
Still holding onto Leafa, Silica felt the vapors begin to irritate her eyes and nose. Stopping her breathing, she closed her eyes and pulled, eventually getting help from Leafa as she recovered her senses.
"Hehe, got you!"
That's Johnny Black! Risking her eyes, Silica's eyelids flicked open, taking in the hallway. Even with her advanced senses, Johnny had managed to hide himself, popping out with a deranged smile from a hidden passageway.
"Gun!" Silica screamed. Straining her watering eyes, she tried to see the angle of the barrel through the noxious blue fumes and tears.
It wasn't being aimed at her. "Bell, the gun—Ack!"
Bish!
With a soft exhale, the gun went off, totally different from the loud bangs of the gunpowder one PoH had been using.
"Ahh!" Haruhime's soft voice cried out.
"Haruhime!" Bell's voice was filled with fear. "Grr, take this. Firebolt!"
WHOOOSH!
A curtain of flames doused the party. Silica felt as the fur on her cat ears began to curl from the heat. Keeping her mouth closed, she dove away from the blast with Leafa. When the heat had passed, she continued to lay on the ground panting, her immunity skill removing the toxic gases in her system.
"W-What happened?"
Leafa's question went unanswered as Bell screamed over her. "L-Lili!? Haruhime!? I-I'm so sorry I didn't mean to!"
Forcing herself up, Silica gasped at their two supporters. Lili's arm was covered with black scorch marks from the fire, her teeth clenched as she hovered on the edge of unconsciousness. Haruhime meanwhile looked mostly unhurt from the fire, only a few singed tail hairs. Instead, her mouth was spluttering as she clutched one hand in the other.
"Is that…?" Grabbing at her hands, Silica found the 'bullet' that Johnny had shot at them. A long black dart the length of her pointer finger was buried deep into Haruhime's hand, the end poking out the other side.
Silica's face paled as she saw a black drop of viscous liquid drop off of it to the ground. "Poison!" Grabbing the end, she yanked it from Haruhime's hand eliciting a scream. The barbed edges she hadn't seen took small bits of rotting skin on it.
As Silica stared mortified at her mistake, Leafa came to the rescue. "Here, Haruhime!" Pouring an antidote upon the injury, Silica got a first-hand experience of the purifying effect. Black lines that had been creeping up Haruhime's hand began to recede. Just as Silica was about to breathe a breath of relief, the recession stopped.
"It… still burns," Haruhime moaned.
"All because you took the shot for me…" Bell bemoaned. "This whole thing… The fire, the shot!"
"Stop it!" Leafa commanded. "Haruhime and Lili need hospitalization immediately. We need to think of a way out!"
The urgency was made even more apparent by how Leafa panted. She was doing her best to disguise it, but she was on the verge of blacking out from a mind down.
"I have an idea," Bell said slowly.
"What?"
"Knossos is built along the dungeon and exits into it, yes?"
"That's what we are led to believe," Silica agreed.
"Then find me a place where Knossos touches the dungeon and I'll get us out."
Silica still could not figure out what Bell had in mind, but figured now was not the time to ask.
"Easier said than done," Liz chimed in. "We lost our mapper and we have no idea where we are. Plus, they clearly have more traps prepared."
"Liz!" Silica snapped. Throwing the needle on the ground, she cradled her head. "We need to keep moving!"
"A-Ahh… Sorry."
With Bell staring at the two supporters with complete terror in his eyes, Leafa on the verge of passing out, and Lisbeth having clearly accepted the fact that they were going to die, Silica drew her knife.
"Bell, take Lili; Leafa, Haruhime. Liz, watch our back and I'll guide us to the wall. Come on."
Having no insight into where to go, Silica took a left at the next intersection, confidently striding ahead. Pina on her head let out a soft coo, reminding Silica of her presence. As the feathery dragon nuzzled her cheek, she felt energy and hope return to her.
"Thank you, Pina. Help us get through this, okay?"
"Cooo!"
With the aid of another party member, Silica's eyes focused on the forthcoming abyss. In her heart despair encroached, threatening to choke everything. Only the light of her love for her family kept the darkness at bay.
Philia:
"Mikoto!"
Philia wanted to rush over but others had beaten her to it. Looking past the approaching Sachi, she gasped at the carnage. The attack from the rear had done way more damage than the few creatures from the front.
"Damn it!" Tsubaki swore. "My bad, I was just cutting what was in front of me…"
Stop making yourself out to be a bad leader! At this point though, Philia was confident that every single person here was now aware that Tsubaki was unfit to lead a raid. She was the strongest one by far, but even so, she had zero experience leading a party, and with that, no awareness of the raid's condition.
"Are we retreating?" Philia purposefully asked.
"…Yeah, we are. We will escort all injured members out of Knossos. After that, we will return with a small, mobile group for a rescue mission."
It was logical. With only one key to open and close doors, they could not split up at all. That needs to be fixed.
Philia sent a brief glare at Heathcliff. The Freya member had not helped in the fight. Staring straight ahead, he watched with that steely gaze of his, face unreadable.
"Then let's go."
"Go?" A cocky voice laughed. "It's far too late for that. Did you honestly think that you would enter and just… map Knossos? How stupid are you?"
"That voice…" Tsubaki murmured as she faced the new arrival. He had come from the front supposedly but… how? "Are you… Dix Predix?"
"Whoa, so even the great Cyclops knows me. Impressive. Oh, great one-eyed smith, if you want to work for us, you can live."
"Is that right? Who do you think you are to be making claims like that?"
"Did I not mention? While you've been walking through our halls, we've had hours to prepare surprises for you."
"Tsubaki…" Philia growled under her breath.
"I know." Tsubaki whispered back. Glaring at the evilus member wearing a tacky pair of goggles and hefting a spear, Tsubaki reached over her shoulder for the blade that she hadn't used in the fight. "Thanks for the warning Dix, we'll take our leave now."
Whoosh!
With blinding speed, the wrapped blade was swung from her shoulder down to a vertical position. The wrappings burned away into ash as a massive tsunami wave of fire erupted from the tip consuming the entire corridor.
The dazzling heat and light blinded Philia from being able to see the evilus member. Putting an arm over her face, she stumbled backwards.
"Let's go!" Tsubaki cried suddenly. "I think he survived."
"How!?" Philia yelled as she continued her trek away from the oppressive heat. "There was nowhere to go!"
"He's fast and has one of the keys." Tsubaki complained.
Philia tsked, taking a look back at where the wall of fire had been. There were now only a few lonely tongues of fire, but the entire corridor now glowed with light as the metal that it was forged from bent and warped, threatening to melt into nothingness.
"Hah, they'll struggle to repair that!"
Repair…? Philia wanted to hit herself. No, every single person involved in this should be hitting themselves. Yes, the doors were unbreakable. Yes, there were sections lined with the ultra-hard adamantium. But that was not the entirety of Knossos. Furthermore, Knossos was not the dungeon.
Buoyed by her realization, Philia fell in line as she ran along with the raid group. They had been beaten back here. They had left people trapped in here, but they could adapt and overcome this place.
Welf:
"Ah, they still haven't been defeated!? The hell?"
"Ugh, this is killing my nerves. At least we will have new magic swords to protect ourselves with."
"Thank Thanatos for that."
Welf stood ready, a series of knives arranged along his belt. Sweat poured from his brow from the effort. Having worked like a madman, he focused on quantity over quality.
The door to his forge and prison cracked open as the two thugs entered with weapons drawn. They were taking precautions, but it was far from enough.
"Come, Kohiya!" Stabbing forward with a blue dagger, waves of ice consumed the two thieves who didn't even have time to scream before being turned into statues of ice.
Smirking, Welf burst out into the hallway. Don't worry Bell, we're breaking out of here!
Welf knew exactly where to go. He had been dragged outside of Bell's door to listen to his screams as his finger was slowly sawed off.
From then on, Welf had created every blade that had been asked, trying to sneak in small daggers that he could put away. The diagrams of a new weapon that they wanted Welf to make were stuffed in his waistbelt.
An eerie quiet ruled over the corridors of Knossos. Welf squinted into the darkness, wishing desperately for a source of light. The Thugs' lantern was buried in ice, and he needed to move.
Forcing himself forward, Welf stalked along the metal hallways, his bare feet slapping against the cold floor. He knew that time was limited, and he should be running but could not bring himself to do so. His breathing was the only sound he could hear, each one coming fast and ragged.
The deep shadows around him twisted and obscured, making the hallway feel far longer than it had been even when he was dragged by the neck.
To his squinting eyes, Welf suddenly thought that he saw something flicker in the distance. Drawing his ice knife again, he slunk along the passageway, trying to hide himself from any enemies.
Drawing closer, the flicker resolved into a light. When he finally determined the culprit to be a lantern on the wall, Welf slapped a hand to his head. "Damn it! I can't be losing my nerves already!"
The lantern was positioned right outside of the cell door that Welf had been dragged to previously. Grabbing the lantern off its rung, Welf tried the door. Surprisingly, the lock mechanism disengaged as he opened it from the outside.
"Heh, that's convenient." Shouldering it aside, he stepped inside, lifting the lantern to illuminate the inside. "Hey, Bell. Sorry about this. Let's get… Huh?"
The figure that stared up at him was definitely not Bell and was not even a boy.
"W-Who are you?"
The frail girl flinched before him, clutching her hands to her body. "P-Please not again! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"H-Hold on, I'm the captured smith. I'm breaking out of here. Do you want to come with me?"
Sniffling, the girl's fear lessened somewhat as a suspicious hope entered her eyes. "Is this… a trick?"
"You're already a prisoner," Welf snapped. "The hell would be the point of letting you out as a trick?"
"…Okay. I am in your care in that case."
Welf reached out a hand to help her up, but she ignored it, instead pushing herself up. What it did do was reveal the missing pinky finger on her left hand.
Gasping, Welf's eyes widened as realization set in. "They don't have Bell… It was you!"
"W-What?"
"…My friend," Welf huffed. "They tricked me into thinking you were him and…"
"You mean my torture was because… It was…"
The girl couldn't get out the words so Welf had to do it for you, driving the knife into his own heart. "They tortured you to make me comply with their demands."
"In that case, it is your duty to get me out of here."
"Heh, I'll do my best. "Do you have a name, little girl?"
"Clara."
"Then let's head out, Lil Clara."
"Why did you…? Whatever." The attitude and glare she sent him a far cry from the meek subservience of moments prior.
Welf led the way, lantern held before him. The light was a weak flickering entity that barely out a path before them. Even worse, as Welf had found when it led him to the door, it would make them stand out if any evilus members saw them.
"How do we get out?" Clara whispered.
"I don't know," Welf grumped out. "Got to just find a way."
"Find a way?" The once reserved girl now lashing out with a scathing tongue. The delivery of the words reminded Welf of Tsubaki when she analyzed weapons. "I was awake when they brought me here. From the entrance it took almost an hour. There is no way."
"Then go hide in your cell," Welf shot back. "Or tag along and pray that we make it."
"Fine."
Left in charge with no further complaints, Welf was left to look for something. It was as Clara had said, though. Intersections were unmarked, the paths winding and seemingly having no rhyme or reason. It was complex for complexities sake.
"Seriously?" Welf complained. "How does anyone find anything in here?"
"…You're right," Clara murmured deep in thought. "When I was brought in… the dungeon itself guided them."
"…Excuse me?" Welf asked, turning around to stare at the strange girl. "The dungeon did…?"
Clara nodded. "They would stop at an intersection and a door would open to show them the way. When there were no doors, something else must have happened."
Not helpful… Welf knew the girl was trying, but the story meant nothing to him. A smarter adventurer could probably figure out something from it, but Welf didn't care.
"Well, it won't guide us." Welf said. Marching forward, he encountered nothing for another five stressful minutes until he heard a faint voice.
Turning the lantern down to the minimum, Welf hooded the light and gave Clara a gesture to maintain her silence.
The door was not one of the thick Orichalcum ones that needed something special to open. Instead, it was one of the small room doors, identical to the reinforced wood that had been the entrance to Clara's cell.
Another prisoner? Taking a gamble, Welf drew his ice knife and pushed open the partially open door. It swung easily on its hinges.
There was only a single person inside the office. Bent over a wooden desk was a man's shape, pen scribbling on paper. Lunging, Welf held the dagger to the man's neck, stifling cries with his left hand.
"You're going to answer my questions. Try to scream and I'll slit your throat."
The man's shoulders shook, seemingly with laughter. Taking a better look at the man, Welf was confused by his state. Ragged shirt, unkempt, dirty hair.
Lowering his hand from the man's mouth, Welf kept the knife in position. "Why are you laughing?"
"Because I could scream for hours, and no one would come."
"Oh. W-Who are you?"
"My name? I do not have one. I am simply The Recorder. I was born in Knossos and have worked for nearly fifty years for the cursed line of Daedalus."
"Fifty years?" Welf's gripped slipped in confusion. "W-What are you talking about!? Explain!"
"Do you not understand?" The Recorder sighed. "The Beginnings of Knossos were constructed while Orario was still being built. It is almost older than the Age of the Gods. From almost the beginning, there has been a Recorder. A slave fated to record and manage the minutia of the construction. Megaprojects need a seemingly endless amount of supplies. Procuring them is hard and expensive, doing so without letting the upperworld know is nearly impossible."
The weight of the history surrounding Welf felt like it would crush him. Nerves fraying, Welf took a couple of breaths and redoubled his grip on his knife. "In that case, you can tell us how to get out of here."
"Impossible." The Recorder replied flatly. There was no malice in his voice, he was simply stating a fact. "All doors to the entrances are closed. Even meeting up with the invaders will do nothing. They are being divided and hunted down."
The conversation Welf had heard outside his cell came flowing back to him. Eyes widening, he gasped. "A rescue operation!?"
"I believe so." The Recorder intoned, no shred of emotion still.
"Where are they?"
"I do not have the seeing orb, I do not know."
"Seeing orb?" Welf was growing frustrated at how obtuse everything was. Nothing about the place made any sense.
Sighing, the Recorder shook his head. "You should both return to your cells and wait for food. Any other path is death."
"The seeing orb." Welf growled, pressing the knife in again.
"Merely advice. The Seeing orb is a magical item that can be wielded by Daedalus' blood to open and close every door within Knossos. It can also see some of the hallways."
"H-Huh!?"
"Do you understand now? In Knossos, Daedalus is the god that rules."
Swallowing, Welf took a glance back at Clara. The girl's eyes had receded, no spark of energy in them. She had given up.
"The user is still human though!" Welf protested. "If we proceed, we should find someone who will either have a key or know where they are, right?"
"Hmm, that is correct," The Recorder mused. "I Imagine most of Barca's attention is in guiding the monsters and people into position for traps and ambushes. What I do know is that this is the tenth floor. Your friends will be higher up, that much is clear."
"Hmm… Do you know where the stairs up are at least?"
"That I do. I have the routes through most of the lower floors memorized of course."
"Can you draw me a map."
"As you wish."
Welf narrowed his eyes in suspicion, taking the knife away. "I am threatening you but…"
"Why do I help so easily? Because I am a slave. I cannot be saved, but my replacement can be. Already my mind and body slow as I enter my sixth decade. I know that children are already being evaluated to replace me."
"…I see." Welf stood silently as The Recorder took out fresh parchment and began to write out instructions for them. Scratches created lines of text that would lead them to safety. Growing uncomfortable as the list and descriptions grew, Welf spoke nervously. "Where will this leave us?"
"On the fifth floor. I am not sure where the stairs further up are. If you wander around those areas you may find the invaders."
"How do you know about these invaders?" Welf asked curiously.
"I got a memo yesterday that the assault would be occurring today… Actually, can I ask a question?"
"Go for it," Welf replied surprised.
"What are these days. The others refer to them but whenever I ask, they merely laugh."
"I-Is that right? It is when the sky gets bright again."
"The sky… I see."
"T-That's good." Taking the piece of paper, Welf's eyes started to blur over the numerous lines of text. He knew how to read obviously, but did little outside of reading and writing measurements and some armour descriptions.
"Well, where to?" Clara asked, speaking up.
"Uhh, that way." Welf pointed right of the room. "Should be a T-intersection in one hundred mel, we take the right and should run into a staircase."
"Got it."
Pausing on the way out, Welf looked back at the sad man that had started on his work again. "Thank you. We will free you soon."
"Don't make promises that you can't keep son. Although… I suppose you may as well since its your last day alive."
"If that's true, then why write us the instructions?"
"Heh, maybe I just hope that you can die with those brave enough to try and rescue you."
With no more to say, Welf shot the man's back a respectful nod before hurrying along the corridor. Welf made one more silent promise, to let the man see the sky and a new day. The instructions led him true and in minutes they were heading up to higher floors.
"That was lucky."
"Yeah, it was," Welf murmured.
"Placing his office so close to the cells… There must be a reason."
The logistics of interior planning were beyond him. If it wasn't about weapons or armour, Welf was largely uninterested.
Clara did not need a conversation partner, instead talking to herself. "Ease of use? Could that be the reason? If you need to deliver food, then having the locations clustered makes sense."
"If you say so."
Welf was leading and could not see the glare she gave him, but he keenly felt it. The twin beams of fire burning into his back. At least she's doing better…
Moving in silence after Welf's lack of participation gave him time to ponder. The girl's sulking reminded him of Liz's moods. She would often get mad when the only advice he gave her was 'practice' in response to her questions. Or maybe sulking was just something that all girls were skilled at.
Thinking of happier times was one of the only things for Welf to do. After arriving at one staircase, he would pause to read the next line and then continue on. Up and up they climbed, never finding anything of use. Before Welf could consider a plan, the lines ran out. Only a final memo scrawled at the bottom.
I've never ascended that staircase. Good luck.
"Is this it?" Clara asked quietly.
"Yeah…" Setting his shoulders, Welf kept one hand on his magic knives and the other holding the lantern before him. Climbing up the equivalent of a dungeon floor, Welf found himself already halted by an insurmountable object.
Blocking the doorway was a massive Orichalcum door, engraved with incredible skill. "So, these are the doors that require the keys…"
Running a hand over its surface, Welf felt a power from the block of metal. Orichalcum was so rare that this obelisk was an accumulation of energy that could be felt.
"Hahaha, we came so far only to be stopped instantly," Clara seethed, "What a joke. We should have trusted him. Hey, Welf, I know it's cowardly but… will you kill me?"
"Huh?"
"I don't want to be tortured anymore. I can't help you escape. Please. As painlessly as possible."
Welf didn't care if the request made sense. He felt no pity for the girl. Grabbing unto her dirty smock, Welf stuck his face in hers. "The hell you talking about!? You want to die now!? Without getting revenge or another chance at life!? Fuck. That."
"Y-You…" Falling silent, the girl stared at him for another five seconds before deflating in defeat. "Fine. Reject me. But at least tell me how you plan on letting me do either of those things. We are standing here in front of this door, stuck and—"
Whoosh!
With the sound of wind blowing as the air equalized a temperature differential, the door opened, warm air blowing in their faces.
Standing on the other side was a surprised looking boy, holding a cube that had ornate red lettering on one side.
Key!
"Hey! You're that blacksmith! How did you get…"
The boy trailed off as he stared at Clara. Welf hadn't recognized his features, but the voice was a thorn. He had been part of the group that had kidnapped him and tormented him. He usually had the mask on. The leader had called him… "Johnny Black!"
Welf's ice dagger struck forward as fast as he could swing it. Confusion turned to fear for the evilus member. Letting out a pathetic squeak, he darted around a corner, ice crackling along his clothes.
Crucially, oh so crucially, the key was dropped.
Mind blanking, Welf dove for the cube. Lantern forgotten; his fingers closed around the metal cube with glass sides. It was hard and smooth to the touch.
Whack!
An incredible force caught him on the side of the head. Sent sprawling, Welf lost vision of the room as stars filled his vision.
"Ow ow ow! That ice is sooooo cold!"
"WELF!"
Moaning, Welf started to get up, but his body could not orient itself with his head spinning. The kick had incredible power to it. Oddly, there was no follow-up, however.
Having a chance to get his bearings, Welf used the nearby wall to haul himself to his feet. The dimly lit area created an ominous atmosphere. Clara was hidden almost completely as the fallen lantern pointed away from her. Johnny's face was also obscured, creating the illusion of a headless person. Upon closer inspection, Welf could see that Johnny was picking at ice that was encasing his body.
This is payback!
Not underestimating the high-level adventurer, Welf withdrew a knife with an effect that even a first-tier adventurer would struggle to avoid.
Bolts of lightning consumed the hallway, both lighting the hallway and creating more shadows as Welf's eyes flinched away from the bright light that was created.
"Come on Clara!" Grabbing the girl's hand, Welf ran with her away from the half-frozen, electrocuted adventurer that was screaming in pain.
Bell:
"Stay with us, Lili!" Shaking the girl in his arms, Bell could feel the tears of frustration leaving tracks through the dirt on his cheeks.
Another round of coughs racked her body. She felt so small and frail in his arms, as if she would break at any moment. The effects of the poison gas had infiltrated her body, only slightly alleviated by the antidotes they had remaining. Untreated burns on her arms blistering before his eyes.
Potentially more concerning was Haruhime who was lying in Leafa's arms. Her tail hung limp to the ground, arm now consumed with black lines, tracking up from the wound in her palm like veins.
The corruption was the only blemish on her otherwise perfect skin. An infection growing before their very eyes.
As the girls writhed, beginning to pass on, so did Bell's desire and motivation. He could tell already that if he lost these two, he would be unable to continue as an adventurer. Lili had been the girl that had started his journey as an adventurer, giving him a crucial push out of the door. Haruhime was the one who helped Bell solidify his desires and awaken his power. The two of them were the biggest lodestones in his life right now. Even over his goddess Hestia, or Lyu or Ais or Lefiya.
In the looming darkness of Knossos, Bell felt that black despair of hopelessness corrupting the light inside him. His ideals bucking and cracking beneath the onslaught of unrelenting misery.
"Let's stop for a moment."
Bell was so surprised by Silica's command that it took a moment for the anger to come. "W-What are you saying!? We can't stop to rest!"
Silica only sent him a brief glare as she approached Haruhime, lifting the dying arm. "Come on, Pina."
"Kyuu!" With a dutiful chirp the feathery dragon hopped down and blew some bubbles on the wound. The effect was immediate and substantial. Dark black became faint and the growing lines of stain dissolved completely.
"Next."
Another round of bubbles and Lili was coughing awake, her eyes flickering open. There was no strength in her gaze, but it was consciousness.
"Kyuuu…" With a defeated sigh, Pina rested upon Silica's head, starting to sleep as she settled down.
"W-Why didn't you do that earlier?" Bell demanded, flabbergasted.
"Pina wasn't ready," Silica shot back, running a protective hand across her back. "Why are you delaying? Aren't we in a hurry?"
"You two…" Liz muttered from behind Bell.
Ducking his head, Bell continued walking, heft Lili a little so that he could stare into her face. Her eyes had closed again but it looked more like a peaceful sleep than before.
"…Bell…"
The faint word fell from the Prum's lips. Hanging desperately upon it, Bell felt the light inside him be rekindled. Determination buoyed his hope against anguish.
"Well, here is the wall. What's your plan, Bell?"
"Huh?" Just as he had finished psyching himself up, Bell found himself the center of attention.
"You said to bring you to a wall that borders the dungeon, right? Look at how this corridor curves and that closed door there. The dungeon should be straight through there."
"W-We really did it?" Laughing, Bell looked around, confirming the things that Silica had pointed out. She was absolutely correct. The slight curve matched the edge of the upper floors of the dungeon. "H-Hold on, does Knossos wrap around the dungeon?"
"How should we know?" Liz sighed. "Come on Bell, speak up. Haruhime is still in rough shape!"
"…Right. Silica, take Lili from me. Liz, do you have a fire magic sword still?"
"No, the one I used to cancel out Welf's is my last one."
"…I see." Sighing, Bell stuck his hand straight out. "Get back everyone."
Ring… Ring…
The motes of light that heralded the manifestation of his argonaut skill began to appear.
"U-Umm, Bell? There's a wall there, Bud."
"He can't possibly… We need to leave! The shrapnel!"
"A-Ahh, yeah…"
As the girls ran away, searching for a corner to hide around, Bell focused on the wall. Shrapnel huh?
It hadn't occurred to him but there was nothing he could do about it now. On the otherside of the adamantium wall should be dirt and rock until the dungeon wall. Bell could feel his remaining magical energy gather in his right hand, preparing to enhance one final blast for their escape from this damned labyrinth.
Ring, ring…
The edges of Bell's vision began to darken as his power concentrated in his arm. Even the wall itself was shrouded as Bell's sight was consumed by the white light that he held before himself. The combination created a strange effect where it looked like there was a bright light guiding him through a tunnel of darkness.
Don't the real worlders have a saying like this? The light at the end of the tunnel.
Bell wasn't sure, and he couldn't focus anymore. As Argonaut reached its maximum power, Bell whispered the word that would decide their fate. "Fire…bolt."
The world was ripped apart with a screech of metal splitting from an unstoppable power. It felt like the entirety of Knossos was shaking as the outer wall was blasted apart.
Squinting, Bell desperately searched in the destruction for his success. For evidence that he had blasted them a path to the dungeon and out.
A small point of light tempted him, but the earth rumbled, and it was snuffed out. Collapsing to the ground, Bell's consciousness faded leaving only one truth. I failed…