They pass through the final gate, panting heavily; breaths visible puffs in the air. Group two triumphed the first two gates, though group one snuck a victory at the third. This applied exceeding amounts of pressure for the fourth, and final gate; which just so happened to be about a couple of kilometers longer than the previous. If they didn't want to end the race in a tie, group two had to claim that final win. It wouldn't be as grand as a four-to-zero, but Eijun would settle for three-to-one.
Anything not to farm Oblivion Tunnels. Even though it was originally his idea, he dreaded the thought just as much as everyone else.
Fortunately, group two snagged the final win, by quite a wide margin, too. Eijun supposed they had Miyuki to thank, as even with the extra mobs in the fourth segment, he continued to pull them all to the gate, where he actively participated more in taking the enemies down as opposed to defending. This allowed them to dispose of the pack of wolves swiftly, as well as the two snow golems that had been stationed in front of the last gate.
Eijun did try to cast a few heals from Rejuvenation since Miyuki ended up taking quite a few hits. Even if it didn't do much, he hoped it helped a little to negate some of the damage he received.
Miyuki was still required to pull out a potion as they continued on. Though to be fair, he had to have been swarmed by at least fifty or so creatures, it made sense he would need to replenish his health after all of that.
The path was supposed to lead them to a fork that would reunite them with group one. From there, they could progress through the rest of the raid together.
As soon as the other group came into view from behind some large, jagged rocks, Kuramochi openly laughed, "Happy farming!" Which earned him a few glares, choice words, and/or middle fingers.
Yuuki was wholly unbothered, and poor Yui appeared rather frazzled, but otherwise unharmed. Eijun wouldn't be surprised if Azuma and Isashiki attempted to rush them through, which Yuuki wouldn't have allowed even at the cost of losing. Especially not when they had a novice tank; someone they were supposed to be showing the ropes to, just in case the worst were to happen, and Miyuki was unable to participate in future raids. Ever since Chris' major injury, they haven't had a backup tank available. Or, so Eijun had been told. Apparently, the vetting process Seido executed for new tank recruits was drastically more stringent compared to the other classes.
The second string had Ono as the main tank, while Kariba was their fallback for the off chance Ono had an injury. If Eijun recalled correctly, Kariba would frequently traverse through dungeons with a party of six; as Eijun used to before he joined Seido. After Yui had been recruited, he often participated with the second string to gain field experience and obtain better equipment, with the notion that he would become the first string's backup tank.
Today marked Yui's first excursion with Seido's main unit.
Still, Eijun could only imagine Azuma's and Isashiki's frustration, as they were heavily competitive as well. He was just relieved he didn't have to run Oblivion Tunnels, yet he hoped this incident wouldn't lead to some form of revenge pact later down the line.
With Yui's presence, Eijun couldn't help but wonder how the first and second string differs in performance. Other than the basics in terms that the first string took on higher-tier raids while the second aimed for the lower to mid-tier. Eijun was curious about how the members functioned together, as he only had experience in Seido's main raiding unit. Kominato Haruichi was relegated to the second string, and during their downtime, they exchanged stories on whichever raid they recently completed. It had always intrigued Eijun to hear about other raids, that he likely won't have the chance to participate in himself. Before Eijun had even joined, Seido's first string had already cleared the lower-tier raids; thus, they had no reason to return to them unless for a specific —rare— loot drop.
The gap between the two trails quickly diminished as they approached the fork, however, Isashiki crossed the distance early; boots crunching through the ankle-deep snow as he jogged over to throw himself at Kuramochi.
Isashiki got him in a headlock and Kuramochi swiftly squawked out a protest at the treatment, "It's not my fault you lost!" He squirmed his way out of Isashiki's hold, "Besides, it wasn't even my idea this time!"
At that, they both paused. In tandem, they turned to glance back at Eijun, the root of the problem. Isashiki's mouth twisted into a suspicious smirk, almost as if he were plotting something devious; something Eijun wouldn't appreciate. Eijun cast a rushed glance around before he darted to hide behind Miyuki, the only thing that would stand a chance between him and whatever Isashiki had planned.
"I don't know why you're using me as a shield," Miyuki laughed, "I'm not going to stop him."
Eijun ignored the bastard.
"Come on, Isashiki-senpai, let's let bygones be bygones, yeah?" Eijun forced out a shaky laugh as he peeked around Miyuki's shoulder, Ume squeezed between his anxious hands.
"Now, now, Sawamura," Isashiki tutted, and finally pulled away from Kuramochi, "While I did say you would regret this, I never specified whether that only applied to our victory."
By now, both groups had reunited, and Eijun turned in search of a new savior, "Yuuki-senpai, help!"
Yuuki silently regarded them, expression blank, "Focus on the raid," was all he said before marching forth, leading them all to the old, desolate castle that loomed ahead, casting them in its massive shadow.
Eijun released a temporary sigh of relief. While he won't have to watch his back for an impending revenge ploy, he won't be afforded that luxury once they've completed Shogun's Keep and returned to Seido. In which case, he'll be at Isashiki's mercy.
Kawakami shot Eijun a small, sympathetic smile, which only increased his worries further.
Despite the castle's obvious state of ruin, Eijun could still tell that it would have been incredible to witness it in its prime. The stone walls were now battered and worn, likely from a combination of age and weather, but also the broken weaponry that poke through the snow; ranging from swords, spears, and bows. As well as larger equipment like catapults and battering rams.
Eijun pulled a spear out from the snow. The blade was dull, chipped, and rusted; while its long, wooden handle had been snapped, leaving the break splintered and jagged. He wondered if these were left behind by other raiders, despite knowing the fact that once a raid was completed and reset within the allotted seven days, anything that had been altered or left behind by previous groups would disappear or revert. Though Eijun never quite understood the how, and simply chose to accept it as fact and move on without further question.
This, unfortunately, meant if bodies weren't retrieved in time, they would be lost in some sort of other dimensions for eternity. Or, so Eijun had heard. No one yet knows what would happen to a living person during the raid reset process. During this, no one could enter until it was finished, leaving only speculations as to what would occur.
Logically, Eijun was aware that everything they see aligned with the legend and lore that revolved around each raid. Personally, Eijun wasn't very interested in discovering why some raids or dungeons were the way they were. There were researchers that would pay guilds for a slot in their raid group to safely navigate and study the history behind the raid. To decipher and concoct a story to explain —lore-wise— how bosses fit into their own little worlds.
Eijun's main interest lay in defeating the bosses to claim their rewards as opposed to figuring out why they were even the boss to begin with. That sentiment was shared amongst a lot of guilds who were only in it for fame and fortune.
The part of the castle they approached wasn't the front, but some random side wall that had conveniently been bashed in as chunks of stone were scattered around the vicinity like a risky explosion was ignited in order to force entry. It left black scorch marks along the stone bricks that remained attached.
Eijun carefully eased his way over the rubble, only for his foot to slide out from underneath him when he stepped onto the loose snow that had been blown in, coating the interior floor. He let out a strange, half yell in panic and pinwheeled his arms in an attempt to right his balance. No such luck as his other foot caught on a larger piece of debris. With that foot halted, the opposite continued to slide forward, forcing Eijun into what would be a very uncoordinated split –in which he was grateful he stretched. But, fortunately, before he could fall all the way, a hand grabbed his arm, stopping his momentum completely. Eijun peered up to spy Azuma smirking down at him, "Thanks," he muttered. With the one hand, Azuma pulled Eijun to his feet.
"We've barely even started and you're already trying to take yourself out," Azuma said with a laugh that bounced around the enclosed space.
"Not intentionally," Eijun rebutted. He dusted himself off and rotated his ankle to test for damage. It smarted a bit, but overall he was fine, and shouldn't require a potion.
"Hurry up, Sawamura!" Isashiki called out.
That was how Eijun realized he was the last one, as everyone else must have squeezed passed during his struggle to stay on his feet. This also meant at least most of them bypassed Eijun without assisting.
Rude.
Now, everyone was crowded at the other end of the room that had been blocked off by rubble. Not wanting to be left out, Eijun jogged over, careful of where he stepped. Upon closer inspection, they all appear to be staring down into another hole that had been blasted through the floor. Eijun had to stand on the tip of his toes to peer over Kawakami and Kuramochi's shoulders, but couldn't physically see down it from his angle.
"Guess we go down," Miyuki said with a shrug. With zero hesitation, Miyuki gripped the hilt of his greatsword and leaped off the edge. Silence immediately followed, all while they waited to see if Miyuki died or not. Seconds ticked by before they heard, "Clear!" as Miyuki's voice resonated up from the floor below.
One by one, they all followed suit. Eijun attempted to eyeball the distance, but the lighting made that exceedingly difficult to judge accurately. If the walls below were nearly as tall as the upper room, then it would be a decent drop. While the top room had natural light to illuminate it —at least what made it through the hole—, the room below appeared to have wall-mounted candelabras to guide them. The shadows danced and flickered ominously in the candlelight, which had him slightly surprised there weren't any mobs down there.
With a deep breath in, and after a quick check to make sure everyone had cleared out from the space below, Eijun jumped; knees braced for impact. He landed hard, but didn't topple over, which he would take as a win. Eijun liked to believe he was steadily growing accustomed to all these falls he had been required to take, simply to get to where he needed to be. Though his knees didn't agree.
Eijun awaited the day they could use stairs in a raid as opposed to climbing or dropping to whatever floor they were required to traverse.
Yui hopped down last, keeping the rear guarded at all times, while Miyuki now took the lead. The room below turned out to be a long hallway and snow had made its way down, collecting along the edge of the walls nearest the hole they entered from. Ice climbed up all the stonework walls and reflected distorted shapes across the uneven surfaces. Each end of the hallway extended further, though the candles in one direction were not lit; therefore a direct path was created.
Very convenient, indeed.
Miyuki strode forth as his hand remained on the hilt of his sword, ever ready for anything that may try to jump out at them. And like ducklings, they all follow at a moderate distance, while also prepared to draw their weapons at the drop of a hat. Personally, Eijun believed he had it the easiest, as he left Ume to flutter clumsily by his head, which in turn, meant Eijun was —in a sense— already armed. Though he supposed those who had smaller weapons, in general, were able to have them out and ready, the bigger the weapon —especially if it required two hands— the more cumbersome it would be to simply traverse an area.
Besides, who knew when they would need their hands for something? Eijun couldn't even count how many times they have to spontaneously scale trees, vines, or cliff faces to progress further into a raid. Not to mention the number of levers that they've had to pull or puzzles they've had to solve in order to unlock required doors.
From what Eijun had gathered, larger weapons were awkward outside of battle. This only further convinced him that people chose classes with sizable weapons for aesthetic purposes. That, or they were over-compensating.
Eijun peered over his shoulder to spy Yui holding up the rear, lance, and shield already drawn. Well, at least he was prepared, though even to Eijun, he could tell Yui was nervous. He hadn't outright mentioned anything, but his mannerism was enough of a tell, what with his fidgeting, and need to clarify things multiple times.
Which was fair given this being his first run with Seido's main group; in a high-tier raid to boot. But maybe, this was also to be used as a trial run, to see if he would be cut out as a backup tank. That could explain the extra pressure. And now that he thought about it, he did recall Chris mentioning something about a trial run, but any of the details either went over Eijun's head, or he hadn't retained them.
Oh well.
They walked quite a ways, the halls branched off into multiple paths; most of which lead to dead ends. The only way they knew they were on the right track, was when korizo dropped down from the ceiling like giant, deadly icicles.
Korizo were humanoid creatures made entirely out of ice. Personally, Eijun had never seen one in person, had only heard about them in passing, specifically on how annoying they were to fight. So when Eijun first laid eyes upon them, he could only assume those that complained were weak. Each of the korizo's appendages were rail thin, which, Eijun assumed, should make cutting them down a piece of cake.
It, in fact, was not a piece of cake, and indeed was an exasperating endeavor.
"Woah!" Eijun ducked a solid, ice javelin that was only centimeters away from taking his head off his shoulders. He spun on his heel to right his stance, shot his hand out toward the stray korizo, and unleashed a harsh blast of wind that knocked the thing back; just out of range of another javelin that impaled the ground in front of him.
That was the thing about korizo. They didn't drop down in a cluster, but instead, were dispersed around the hallway; effectively surrounding them. This made grouping them together difficult to downright impossible. They were able to instantly create whatever ice weapon they desired and any attempt to gather them all together for Miyuki to pull aggro, lead to zero results. If the korizo were too far away, they would just switch to ranged attacks, then if someone got close, they would seamlessly swap to melee attacks. And of course, these things excelled in offensive and defensive stances, on top of having ranged capabilities. They were swift when they blocked as they skillfully used whatever weapon they armed themselves with to deflect most melee attacks.
So their current strategy was simply to attack independently and hope for the best.
Eijun had been in the midst of assisting Isashiki with one when this current korizo snuck up on him. With how spread out they were, Eijun wasn't surprised one had slipped unnoticed through all the action.
The korizo in front of him had already formed another javelin, arm arched back in preparation to throw. Eijun waited until it swung its arm forward before extending both of his out on either side of him, activating Veil. The javelin impacted the dome of wind that protected Eijun, and was deflected harmlessly away. Eijun readied his own attack to return the favor. An orb of condensed wind built in the palm of his hand, and once at max capacity, he flung it through his barrier to the korizo, where it sailed straight into the javelin when it was raised to block the attack. Not that it mattered, as the sphere instantly exploded on impact, encasing the korizo in a torrent of sharp blades of wind, slicing chunks off its frozen body.
Despite still not having acquired a legendary spirit orb, Eijun could tell that his damage output had gone up significantly, strictly with the assistance of the accessories he wore. So he couldn't even imagine how much he'd do once he got a hold of a better weapon. But for now, he would have to make do with slowly whittling enemies down.
Eijun kept a steady barrage of blasts aimed at the korizo. He quickly discovered that if they were being attacked, they would focus solely on defense. Since Eijun's skills weren't strictly frontal, the korizo's block was ineffective to his wind, which typically hit from any and all angles. With a constant onslaught, the korizo wouldn't be able to attack.
His plan was foolproof.
At least, that was until a body collided solidly against Eijun's back and knocked him flat onto his stomach. All the air whooshed out of his lungs, his chin smacked the stone floor, and he very nearly bit his tongue off. The next attack he had prepared shot astray and harmlessly into the wall just behind the korizo he had been attempting to take down.
"Oops," Kuramochi grunted and rolled off Eijun, who was left to wheeze and replace the oxygen that had been forcefully expelled.
Still winded, Eijun scrambled to his feet with some assistance from his assailant, "You okay, bud?" Kuramochi graciously asked and slapped Eijun hard on the back. Which, surprisingly, helped him choke in a lungful of air. But before he could respond or reprimand Kuramochi, two more javelins flew in their direction; one from the korizo Eijun was fighting, and the other from Kuramochi's opponent, the one that flung Kuramochi into Eijun in the first place.
Since his Veil had died down, he was once again receptive to ranged attacks.
Both javelins barely missed Eijun, but one must have nicked Kuramochi as he staggered back a few steps, hand clutched tight on his bicep and blood seeped through his fingers, "Son of a bitch," he ground out, "These things are such a pain." With that said, he instantly darted back to his korizo, and disappeared completely, other than the puffs of poison or bolts of electricity that signified Kuramochi's attack pattern. Though Eijun considered casting a Rejuvenation on him but was painfully reminded of the enemy at his back.
A sharp explosion of pain pierced Eijun's shoulder, and nearly knocked him off his feet, once again. Fortunately, it hit his right side, which meant his dominant arm was still functional. Instinctively, Eijun spun back around and shot off a strong blast that would knock the korizo back, and further out of range. This should buy him some time to down a potion. As intended, the korizo flew backward and smacked solidly against the wall, all while Eijun dug out a potion from his bottomless bag. He felt the javelin melt and drench his gear, but he ignored it as he popped the cork of the bottle and chugged the contents. It took a few seconds before the effects kicked in and numbed the pain and stopped the bleeding, and just in time for the korizo to step within range once more and ready another of its favorite weapons.
Now annoyed, Eijun relentlessly bombarded the korizo to prevent any further retaliation while keeping it preoccupied, until Eijun could either whittle it completely down or for someone else to be available for the assist. In the end, Isashiki finished his and darted to help Eijun in a flurry of blades. Together, they finally brought the damned thing down, but of course, they couldn't simply die.
No, they had to go out in a minor explosion that froze anything and anyone within the blast zone. Isashiki hadn't managed to evade in time, and Eijun had maneuvered just close enough to be affected. As Isashiki had been right on it, his entire body froze mid-back-step, while only Eijun's feet were affected, therefore he was rooted in place. Unlike when Furuya used his Ice Sheath to freeze and protect them all, the ice coating the korizo applied upon death, couldn't be broken out of and apparently took longer to naturally thaw.
Since only Eijun's feet were frozen, he essentially became a sitting duck, unable to avoid attacks. He craned his head around in an attempt to take stock of all that was going on. It appeared most of the korizo had been taken down, and what remained shouldn't take long from here on out. As Eijun was unable to fight currently, he glanced down at his feet. He could wiggle his toes in his boots, but couldn't physically move his feet, and upon attempting to force it —with the meager hope that he'd break free—, his focus had been utterly fixated downward.
So the sudden movement behind him, made him jump in fright, yet he remained rooted. There was a dull clang just as he whipped his head around, anticipating the worst. What he hadn't expected was for Miyuki to have materialized behind him; greatsword held up in a block. Over Miyuki's shoulder, Eijun spied the last korizo instantly get swarmed, and with at least nine people attacking it, the korizo swiftly fell, and thankfully everyone evaded out of range of its dying frost blast.
With all threats perished, Miyuki lowered his weapon and turned to face Eijun, his signature smirk in place, "Looks like you're in a predicament."
Eijun glanced back down at his feet and gave another meek attempt to free himself. Eijun sighed, "Unfortunately. Though I think Isashiki-senpai has it worse." They both turned their attention to the statue of Isashiki, "Hey, how long do you think this will take to thaw?"
Miyuki only offered him a shrug.
But no sooner than Eijun had asked, the ice that encased his feet and Isashiki's entire body, instantaneously shattered in a glorious display of fine ice crystals. The first thing Isashiki did was let out a yell of frustration as he jammed his twin scimitars into their respective sheaths at his hips, "These things are so annoying!" He then popped a potion, chucked the bottle at the wall, and stomped his way to the end of the hall.
Eijun wholeheartedly agreed.
