Chapter 39:
Ryuu ran by a small knot of survivors slowly being worn down. It wasn't that the monsters were terribly strong, it was that they were attacking in unison. Thankfully, Ryuu's raw strength and skill turned them into monster dust in a matter of minutes. Her wooden blade broke bones and shattered skulls as she danced through the crowd of hobgoblins mobbing over the level two and three adventurers of Rivira. When there were none left, she turned her head towards the survivors. She pointed a slender finger to the Dungeon's entrance.
"Go! The floor is lost! Find who you can and get out of here!" she declared.
There were minor voices of protest, but Ryuu's glare got them all to shut up quickly enough. The remaining adventurers bunched up before taking off towards the way out. Ryuu looked around for more survivors trying to get out. The elf had found herself deep on the far side of town. She took this position as one of the strongest members of the Familia. If there were any of the major threats of the Sun Seekers, she'd be able to handle it. She heard the screams of monsters and looked to left. Thankfully, she found a familiar bisento jutting out from a lizardman's eye.
Otohime flew in, kicking the reptile monster in the face. When it crashed to the ground, she didn't bother trying to get her polearm out of the ground. Instead, she drew her katana and crouched down. One hand on the sheathe, one hand on the hilt, Otohime did something she rarely did. The Dragon Princess stood still and took a deep calming breath. Ryuu watched the moment of calm and saw a monster creep up on her Familia member. Just as it dived for Oto, the sound of steel rang through the clearing.
The leaping hellhound had been cut clean through the waist. As the two halves fell to either side of the girl, her eyes darted around looking for more threats. Ryuu was reminded of a caged animal on the prowl. A lizard man followed, but soon lost its head. Otohime used quick movements, one step at a time taking her around the burning village. She would slice the closest monster before moving onto the next. After ten of their corpses lay scattered at her feet, she wiped the blood away on her battle dress. Then, she slid the katana back into its sheath. After that, Otohime finally withdrew her bisento from the first dead monster.
"Otohime! Stay close to me!" shouted Ryuu. The far eastern girl blinked and looked around. She spotted Ryuu and dashed over. "Switch to the bisento for the reach." The elf narrowed her eyes. "But do not lose it!" She looked left and right. "Where's Urashima?"
It was true. For whatever reason, the bodyguard was nowhere near the most important thing in his world. Ryuu refused to believe it, and for a second, she assumed the worst. Thankfully, Otohime saw the dark look in her eyes and quickly raised a placating hand.
"He's fine!" Oto looked to the floor entrance. "We split so he could escort some villagers back to Lili." She frowned. "They were pretty badly hurt, though."
"And you ran in alone?" asked Ryuu.
Otohime rolled her eyes and waved off the concern.
"Oh please, I knew I'd be fine," she said with a radiant smile. "I have you to look after me, right?" Ryuu blushed but tried to sound angry to reprimand her Familia.
"I can't be everywhere at once, you know!" said Ryuu, failing at sounding stern. "Besides, it is a lapse in judgement."
Otohime looked back over the burning town, a far-off look creeping into her eyes. Slowly, the grip on her bisento tightened. Her pale skin turned red from the effort of squeezing so tightly.
"I do apologize for that," replied the Princess, her steely gaze sweeping over the clearing. "Such imagery has ignited memories better left buried." Then, as if someone entirely different appeared, her facial muscles relaxed and Otohime scratched the back of her head. "Guess I got a little too carried away, huh?"
Ryuu, who saw the sudden shift in Otohime's behaviour, had no option but to continue forward and do her best to save as many citizens as possible. Whatever trauma was being worked through at the moment would have to wait. The two powerful adventurers made slow circuits through the burning remnants. They did not bother with salvaging supplies, only trying to find any living people. Otohime looked around the clearing, and Ryuu would duck inside buildings. Anything to find people. Unfortunately, they only found blood and signs of a struggle.
Finally, when they reached the gate leading back into the Dungeon, the two women shared a nod. They had found everyone inside the city; now, it was time to start moving outwards. They walked out into the Dungeon floor proper to find even more monsters. The only difference was that these ones weren't under the control of the magic collars. They were regular monsters that had been lured here by the sounds of carnage and destruction. So, they were run through like a hot knife through butter. Otohime and Ryuu worked in terrible tandem, the two of them like angels of death.
As they worked methodically through the monsters before them, Ryuu kept an eye out for Bell. He would most likely be looking for Wiene, but she was worried about his mental state. She remembered how he acted with her and the revelations of her secret. Bell looked like he was different, but Ryuu chose to leave nothing to chance. So, she kept one eye open for where Bell was fighting.
Strangely enough, though, they found no one else. Not even the other members of their Familia. Ryuu reasoned that they must have seen the rest of the survivors and waited at the floor entrance. The elf turned to leave, but Otohime was frowning, her eyes studying the surroundings.
"Something on your mind?" asked Ryuu.
Otohime jabbed her spear into the ground and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"It's just...this attack doesn't make sense to me. This is a big play to make, attacking Rivira and a safe floor. All for what? Capturing Wiene? I mean, they probably have the other Xenos, but why bother with them?" Otohime looked over to Ryuu, but the elf just shook her head. Grand strategy ideas were not her forte after all. "They know that we can't not retaliate...so, they either think they're strong enough to take on all of Orario...or they have some other kind of plan."
Ryuu narrowed her eyes. "Don't you think that you're giving these monsters a little too much credit?"
Otohime snorted. "That's how we ended up in the position we did on the thirty-fourth floor." Otohime took a couple steps forward to study a pile of monster dust. She picked up the magic stone sitting at the center. "We have to remember, with every battle, if we aren't careful and leave magic stones left behind, they win in the long run." The Princess put the stone away in her pocket. "No matter how long we want to stay here, we have to retreat eventually. The smart play would just be to hang down in the depths and bide their time. They can get stronger than us at a much faster rate. So, why the sudden attack?"
"We can always get stronger, too, though," responded Ryuu. "With every fight, we return with a better status." The elf looked to the heavens. "Besides, they could also be under orders from Freya. Attack now, or lose their benefits."
Otohime nodded, conceding the point. "So, they were forced into this position and now have to make the best of a bad situation? And every fight, unless they kill us and we kill their higher-ups, we come away stronger than before…."
Ryuu nodded along. "When I was the Gale Wind, I knew that I wouldn't be getting any more status updates. So, I had to strike quickly and remove as many Evilus members as I could in a short period. It was total blitz warfare. Otherwise, my enemies would just get stronger."
Otohime rubbed her chin, her eyes scrunched up tightly. Ryuu surveyed the clearing but didn't force the retreat yet. She knew that when Otohime got like this, there was no convincing the girl to do anything she didn't want. Endearing for sure, but also very headache-inducing.
"So...if they leave us alone, we'll get strong enough to go to the bottom eventually. Familia's just keep getting stronger after all. Add onto that, Freya wants them to start their war NOW. Whatever she's trying to do or plan, they are still going to fight to win. So, they have to stop us from growing. And then they have to get strong enough to blitz us." Otohime surveyed the land around her. "But that would require cutting us off from the Dungeon."
Ryuu blinked in shock. She had never considered the possibility, but it did make a lot of sense. But how would they cut them off from the Dungeon? Just blowing up or destroying an entrance wouldn't work; the Dungeon repaired itself and healed. And they couldn't try to just hold a floor. That wouldn't last for long, and adventurers could just farm the monsters that were there. The Sun Seekers needed a reason and a way to keep adventurers out of the Dungeon for an indefinite time.
Ryuu sighed. "Listen, right now, our focus is saving others. Unless you've suddenly figured out what their plan is." Otohime shook her head. "Then we have a duty to keep working to keep everyone else safe. Understood?"
Otohime pouted. "Fine, let's go save people…."
Ryuu rolled her eyes, but the two of them left. They would try to find someone from their Familia and find Lili. They could only stay down here for so long. Besides, a pit of worry had settled in Ryuu's stomach. Where were the strong Xenos? Where was Scipio or their top lieutenants? Where they were would be the most dangerous place on the Dungeon floor. She wanted to make sure that no one she cared about was near those spots.
With the Half-Elf:
Elwin stepped forward, a hand out behind him to signal the others. The half-elf had ventured out with Welf to find who they could in the wreckage. What they discovered were a couple of adventurers trying to lay low. One was terribly injured and in no shape to be moving forward. He was currently being carried by Welf piggy-back style. The other had no weapons but stood as the rearguard to protect his friend. Elwin was only half paying attention to that, though. The other part was making sure that his special trick was keeping them safe.
"Well, Filvis, you found anything out yet?" asked Elwin to the ghost that floated back to him.
She shook her translucent black hair.
"No monsters moving forward." A ghostly finger pointed out to the trees. "But signs of a struggle out that way so I'd be careful." Her eyes swept the area. "Something doesn't seem right about this...I knew Scipio and Horra. If this was their plan, then they've gotten smarter."
Elwin frowned. "I know you don't like remembering this, but are you sure you don't know what their grand plans are? Or the plan of Typhon?"
Filvis shook her head again. "I was never focused on the plans to be honest." The ghost blushed. "I had someone else I was busy thinking about." Her eyes almost became solid with resolve. "That and getting stronger to find her."
"Fair enough."
Before Elwin could ask another question, he heard a grunt from behind. He turned to find Welf staring with a raised eyebrow.
"Listen, I appreciate that Filvis is there and doing what she can to help us, but can we just keep moving or what?"
Elwin nodded. He turned back to Filivs.
"Are you good to keep helping us, or do you need to get back to the ghost world...or wherever it is you go...where do you go?"
Filvis looked insulted. "How should I know? Do I look like someone who understands how the supernatural works?"
"I don't know!"
Elwin waved the rest of the party forward, ignoring the stares he got.
"Ok, but can't you use your...position to try and find or listen in to what the Sun Seekers plans are?"
Filvis rolled her ghostly eyes.
"Of course not. I have a set range to this. I can only go so far from you before I get stuck." Filvis started to float away. "I'll keep a perimeter and get back to you if I find anything."
"Thank you," said Elwin, smiling.
He had quiet moments and was honestly concerned about what was going to happen to him. Even with Lefiya and Riveria and his Familia watching his back, the fact that he was never alone anymore was undoubtedly a great comfort.
The group of four, which was kind of five, walked back towards the entrance to the seventeenth floor. Along the way, they met up with a tired bodyguard.
"Oh shit," said Elwin. "You're not with the Princess? Is she ok?"
If looks could kill, Elwin would be dead again.
"I do not know. We chose to split up to protect some innocents." Ura glared back at the people he was protecting. He turned back to Elwin. "I leave them in your care."
"Now hold just a second!" said the half-elf.
Unfortunately, the bodyguard had already run off again. He was searching for his other half, and he wouldn't be stopped any time soon. So, Elwin sighed and let him run. He turned to Welf.
"Ok, so what are we doing next?"
Welf sighed and handed off the injured man to another adventurer from the town. They all got together and started making their way back to the surface. Elwin and Welf watched them go.
"Did Lili set a rendezvous time or tell us to meet somewhere?" asked Elwin.
Welf nodded.
"Everyone should be back here by the end of the hour. If not, we'll go looking for them," said the smith. He took his large magic sword from his back. "In the meantime, we have to make sure no Sun Seekers or controlled monsters sneak their way back up to the surface."
Elwin nodded bring his staff up into the ready position. "Just to let you know, I've got the crab, lion, and maiden spells active. So…."
Welf's shoulders drooped. Elwin was fully in supporter mode. Which meant that it was the smith's job to kill their enemies. It was going to be a long day.
With the Lovers:
Haruhime had tried to keep up, but the renard had learned very quickly that Mikoto sometimes got a little crazy when in combat. Haruhime referred to this Mikoto as the 'Gladiator.' It was her least favourite one. Personally, Haruhime's favourite was the 'Lover' part of her girlfriend. Then it was the 'Guardian.' Or maybe the 'Cook' was better. All that to say that Mikoto was in her own little world of mass destruction. The Black Crow was a one-woman army as dismembered goblins and eviscerated hellhounds.
"Does she need help?" asked one of the adventurers they were bringing back.
Haruhime offered a comforting smile.
"No, she'll be ok." She looked back to Mikoto in combat. "Besides, if you interrupted her, I don't know if you'd survive."
The last creature fell, and Mikoto looked to her companions.
"We can now proceed." Mikoto wiped her bloody katana on her waist sash before returning it to it's sheath. "Please stay close."
Haruhime walked forward while frowning. "Don't wipe your blade on my scarf. It's going to get all bloody and nasty now."
Mikoto blinked. She looked around the clearing. She looked towards Haruhime and tilted her head.
"Where am I supposed to wipe the blood?" She showed her leather sleeves embedded with metal plates. "My armour makes it hard to do it anywhere else."
Haruhime put her hands on her hips. "Wipe it on a tree or some leaves."
Now it was Mikoto's turn to look offended. "That would dishonour the blade! It must be treated properly!"
The renard's ears twitched, and an eyebrow quirked. "So, the blade matters more than my scarf? Mikoto that is the token of my favour. It is a physical representation of our love and relationship. These things are important."
The two continued their little discussion as they walked. The people that they had saved watched on in total confusion. Thankfully, that was Haruhime's intent. She knew that she could start an argument with Mikoto by calling her samurai honor into question. Her girlfriend was stubborn like that. Honestly, Haruhime did not care about the state of her sash. The very fact that Mikoto chose to love someone as pitiful as she made the renard's heart flutter every time she thought of it. But, these people were in shock. They had just seen their home get absolutely trampled. Anything Haruhime could do to distract them from the tragedy occurring around them would be something she counted as a win.
The two led their party to the entrance of the eighteenth floor and found a couple of their Familia members hard at work. More specifically, Welf was hard at work burning and killing monsters with his magic sword. Elwin stood a little bit behind.
"Sign of the crab: Canti Pinc!"
The half-elf finished his magic and a golden crab took shape. It used its large meaty magic claws to hold a couple larger monsters in place.
"Take them out, Welf!" he cried.
The smith responded with a running jump and stab. The two bugbears Elwin had been holding were reduced to ash and dust. Unfortunately, the spells left the half-elf vulnerable. A lygerfang standing on its hind legs had been creeping up on the mage, a dagger in its grip.
"ELWIN!" screamed Filvis.
He turned too late, and came face to face with the beast just about plunging a dagger at his heart. Then, a shadow flashed by, and the walking tiger monster jumped back. The grip on the dagger got reversed, and it drew an adventurer's scimitar from a belt on its waist. The beast flashed its fangs with a roar.
"Pitiful human!" it screamed. "Come face your maker! I am Sherkan! Now, know the name of your destroyer!"
Mikoto tossed her hair back from her face. She gripped her beloved katana in both hands and crouched in a ready position, blade facing forward.
"My name is Yamato Mikoto, the Black Crow of Hestia Familia. You honour me with this chance to fight."
The lygerfang's blood boiled. This human was insulting him! Trying to treat him like an equal. He knew that it was insulting him. All humans were the same after all; it was just like how Typhon had said. Now, Sherkan might not be an executive member, but he was still what the humans would call a level four in potential. He would should this arrogant being his true power. With a might roar, he launched himself at girl in front of him.
Mikoto met him calmly, ducking below his jump and slashing at his thighs. In return, Sherkan was able to use his clawed feet to land a gash along her arms.
Mikoto grimaced from the pain while Sherkan landed in a perfect crouch. His body shifted till he was facing her, and then he took off with a mighty leap. Along with his fangs and claws were two blades.
Surprisingly, Haruhime was totally calm as she watched the two continue their duel. She had absolute faith that Mikoto would make it out here ok. Her girlfriend was a hero, after all. When the adventurers from Rivira got ready to intervene, the renard raised her tail to block them.
"Either help Sir Welf and Sir Elwin or start heading to the surface. Mikoto would be very cross if anyone tried to intervene," said Haruhime in her calmest voice.
The adventurers saw the battle before them, watching Mikoto's blade dig into the Lyger's abdomen. Instead of trying to wretch it out, she pulled back into a boxing position. The pain had made Sherkan drop his own weapons, but his claws were still out.
The remaining fighters saw this and then turned to look at Welf and Elwin fighting off progressive waves of monsters. The smith let loose a massive wave of flames, and Elwin twirled his staff like a baton. The people of Rivira chose to leave then, tired from all the fighting.
Haruhime wished them well but then returned the entirety of her focus to her girlfriend in combat. She watched Mikoto, and Sherkan's fist and claws lash out, trading blows. Watching them, even Haruhime's untrained eye understood that the Black Crow was winning.
Sherkan was fighting well, but his arms and blows were sloppy. He was going for slashes, used to fighting giant monsters. Mikoto kept a cool head and ducked and weaved around every arm. In return, her gauntlets repeatedly slammed into the tough hide of the beast. With her level four strength, Mikoto was a relentless machine. Eventually, after ducking after a sloppy paw, her metal fist nailed Sherkan in the knee, sending him to the ground. With a brief moment of peace and w fluid movement, Mikoto drew katana from Sherkan's flesh. She let it rest lightly against his neck.
"You have lost." Haruhime watched Sherkan close his eyes, excepting his death with a warrior's grace. "But you will not die today." Mikoto stepped back but kept her blade at the ready.
Slowly, Sherkan opened his eyes and snarled. His great paws curled into fists.
"Don't insult me, human! You won't kill me like a true warrior!"
'Oh boy, here we go,' thought Haruhime.
Mikoto's eyes blazed.
"Do not come and speak to me about true warriors. I have seen them in battle, and I saw them die crying for lives," The empty fist at her side curled up. "The 'true warrior' does not exist. All there exists are killers, survivors, and the merciful." Haruhime saw Sherkan start pushing backwards, his movements jerky and full of fear. "I am not a killer; now leave."
The lygerfang variant took off running. Mikoto watched him run, and then she sighed. She walked over to Haruhime and slumped over into the renard's shoulder. Haruhime stroked Mikoto's hair.
"I'm so tired of fighting," mumbled Mikoto.
"I know," replied Haruhime. "Unfortunately, I don't know if we have a choice anymore."
Mikoto nodded. Then she stood back up and rolled her shoulders. Haruhime watched her walk over to help Welf and Elwin. Exhaustion could wait.
With the Hero:
Bell ran through the forest shouting as he went.
"Wiene! Wiene!"
The boy's movements were frantic. His pace was rushed and ragged. He couldn't remember how long he had been searching. Bell knew that shouting out his location might be a bad idea, but he didn't really care. Right now, the priority was to make sure Wiene was safe. Everything else could wait.
"Bell!" came the shout from far away.
Suddenly, Bell saw a blur of blue come flying his way. That was when the little voiuvre came into vision. For whatever reason, she was crying. Wiene came at Bell, crashing into him for a hug. Bell could feel her moist tears on his chest.
"The big man...Horra killed the big man!"
Bell was confused. The only thing he understood was that someone had died. The fact that Bell had failed to keep someone safe, again, struck deep into his heart. So, the March Hare took a deep breath.
"Where did you come from? What did this person look like?"
Bell was going to try and find out what he could to save this person's life, but he also had to make sure Wiene would get home safe.
"Bell! Over here!"
The boy turned, still holding Wiene close, to find Ryuu and Otohime running towards him. And then, from another side, he saw Urashima making his way forward.
The three converged on his spot. Bell's heart thumped erratically till he saw that everyone was ok and unharmed. The four adventurers and one Xenos took stock of each other.
"What in the world is happening here?" asked Ryuu.
Bell frowned. "Wiene said that someone died to some Xenos named Horra. I want to go and check to make sure. And I want to ask that Xenos some questions." He looked to Oto and Ura. "I want you two to take Wiene to the entrance and to find the others."
"And me?" asked Ryuu.
Bell looked the elf in the eye.
"I want you to come with me and watch my back. Who knows how strong these Sun Seekers are," said Bell.
Ryuu smiled as she nodded.
"Where are you going, Bell?" asked Wiene.
"To find the killer," said Bell. "And find some answers." He nodded to Oto and Ura. "You can go with them. I promise that they'll keep you safe."
Wiene didn't like it, but she allowed herself to be led away. First, she pointed Bell and Ryuu in the right direction to get to where the dead body would be. After that, Ryuu and Bell took together side by side.
Of all the people Bell didn't trust, Ryuu was very light on the list. She joined Hestia Familia later and probably wasn't part of the decision-making. Not to mention that this was Ryuu. Bell had gone through too much in the deep floors to be suspicious of her now. So, he continued to trust Ryuu, at least more than the others. The same could be said for Oto, Ura, and Elwin. They had joined even later than everyone else. They were probably only told how things were meant to be.
The two heroes made their way slowly in the direction that Wiene had pointed to. What they eventually came across made Bell stop. He then turned to the side and puked out his breakfast. The body was Bors; he could recognize that much. But everything above the shoulders was a pulpy mess. There was no monster waiting for them. Ryuu stood by Bell and rubbed circles into his back. Seeing a dead body was never simple the first time around. More so for somebody as kind-hearted as Bell. Ryuu was unfortunately used to this and these disturbing images. She had caused her own share of mayhem after all.
Eventually, though, Bell recovered and looked at the area around the remains of Bors. He could not focus on it in its entirety. He saw bloody tracks lead off into the woods. Ryuu was already studying them.
"Just what was he trying to accomplish? Killing someone as well known as Bors was a one-way ticket to major repercussions. What are the Sun Seekers playing at?" said Ryuu. She looked over at Bell and the storm of emotions playing over his face. "Master yourself, Bell. Whatever comes next, remain calm or else you'll be no better than a dead man."
Bell tried to listen but failed miserably. Finally, he looked Ryuu in the eye.
"Then you're in charge. I'll listen to you and do what you say," said Bell. He looked away as his cheeks turned a light pink. "I trust you."
Ryuu's heart skipped a beat. She tried to hold her smile down and just nodded. She led the way for the two of them. As they walked, the sound of rustling leaves came by.
"Put Lili down!"
Bell and Ryuu whirled, expecting the worst, but only found Ais carrying Lili like a sack of potatoes. The straight-faced Sword Princess but put the little prum girl down in front of the executives of Hestia Familia. A flash of relief came over her face.
"You're ok," she said, her smile wider than usual.
Bell turned a peculiar shade of red, and Ryuu smirked. She nudged him forward towards her before crouching down to talk to the Dauntless.
"Are you ok?" asked Ais. She moved her head to look at the dead body. "Oh." Then, with a sudden movement, she pulled Bell in close for a hug. "You shouldn't have had to see that. I'm here if you need someone to talk to."
Ais didn't know if what she was saying was worthwhile, but she knew she had to say it. Inwardly, she knew that she was the worst person to comfort someone. Her words were terribly awkward.
After that little interaction, the four adventurers tracked the bloody footprints. Eventually, they came across a massive silverback sitting on a rock. His leg was crossed over his knee, and he was leaning forward. It was as if he knew his fate was sealed. So, he sat there bored out of his mind waiting for the end. The silverback looked up at the approaching noise and nodded along.
"Good, I was wondering when you would show up." He used his foot paw to rub at his chin while one of his hands pointed at each adventurer in turn. "The Sword Princess, the Faerie Princess, and the Dauntless." Finally, his gaze settled on Bell. "The March Hare, the Rabbit Foot." the monkey sneered. "The Little Rookie. The last hero who will save the world. But decided that it didn't mean the Xenos."
His words cut deep, and the girls saw it on Bell's face. Ryuu and Ais stepped forward, blades at the ready. Lili prepared a magic bolt on her arm-mounted crossbow. But Bell stepped forward first.
"You're right; I did fail. But it wasn't on purpose." He was quiet for a second. "I never wanted them to die. I hated that I couldn't save them. But I won't let you kill anyone else I care about." Bell drew his knife. "I don't want to kill you, so please surrender quietly."
The giant monkey nodded.
"A fair assumption based on the circumstances, except that it won't work," replied the silverback. "My name is Horra, and once upon a time, I was used by a Goddess of Beauty to chase down a little human with black pigtails. And then, you killed me." Horra shrugged while the others watched on in confusion. "Now, I understand why it had to happen. You were protecting what you care about, just like me." The silverback stood. "I'm also not so heartless to think that you don't really care." He nodded. "In fact, it's all part of the plan."
"I don't like this, Master Bell," said Lili.
"And well, you shouldn't," replied Horra. "If I die, or don't return to my compatriots, then those horrible human-loving Xenos you care about will die. Like the one-eyed man in the clearing." Horra took a step forward. "You will leave the Dungeon and never come back. For every adventurer, we see someone return to the Dungeon, one of the Xenos that you love dies." Horra shrugged. "Now, if you don't care about the other Xenos, kill me. Barrell through the Dungeon and rampage to your heart's content." Horra pointed at Bell. "But their deaths will be on your head."
"Bell, whatever you want, we'll do it," said Ryuu. "We can afford to retreat."
"Miss Ryuu is right. Tactical withdrawal is ok. We can regroup," said Lili. "Protect everyone for now."
Ais stood there quietly, studying the monster in front of her. Whatever Bell did, she would do it too.
"Ok," said Bell. "No one in the Dungeon, but no one else dies."
Horra smiled. "Well, we don't have to wait around too much."
Ryuu's eyes narrowed. "We'll be watching the Dungeon entrance."
Horra shrugged again before turning and walking back towards the way out.
"If you say so. We'll still be watching and waiting." The silverback looked back. "And then, we'll be stronger than you, and you'll all die." He raised a paw to the sky. "And we will see the sun for once."
The adventurers watched the large Xenos walk off, feeling powerless to do anything.
With the Rival:
In the depths of the Dungeon, a sizeable black minotaur was on his back, panting. He had been doing everything he could to train and become stronger. When he was tired from training, that mad skeleton beast had tracked him down.
Asterius had heard all reasons and arguments before. None of that mattered to him. All that really mattered was getting stronger to face his rival. So, he had refused to join in on the crusade. Apparently, the so-called King of the Xenos didn't like that. At the time, Asterius was stronger, now that wasn't entirely true. Typhon had found Asterius at his weakest and most tired and laid into him. As hard as the minotaur had fought, he was in no position to continue.
The black minotaur didn't like it, but he had been bested.
"I will not kill you, brother," said Typhon. "But you will only receive mercy once. Do not come looking for us."
The giant skeleton gave the minotaur a final stomp to the head.
So, my laptop's keyboard broke so I was stuck writing this on my desktop. Which sucked big time. In other news, the Wednesday update schedule is off. School and work combined is a lot this semester to Imma give myself extra time so as not to feel rushed. A new chapter every week, but no set day on when. Sorry about this folks. Anyway, the war will be becoming more clear as we go and more backstory and personality for each Sun Seeker, enjoy!
Review Responses:
King Damage: Happy to hear it ripped you in half! Twas the goal!
Guest: Thanks! Happ you enjoy!
Tranadar: Half of that is right!
King Diamond: All of that is wrong
BChuggs: Maybe
