After the little girl, who introduced herself as Leia between sobs, calmed down and stopped crying, she told the others how she got there.
"I… I went out into the woods, to find food," she started. "We don't have enough at home to feed me and my younger brother. But- but I got lost." She sniffled. "And then it got dark and scary. I just kept running, and I found a house, but no one was there. I went inside anyway, and I was going to sleep there. But…" she trailed off, eyes shifting to the side.
"But?" Kirche gently prompted her.
"There was… a door. A magic door. I thought I heard a noise behind the house, so I opened it to check but…" she shook her head. "I know I shouldn't have gone in, but I really wanted to! I don't know why I wanted to but it felt really really important."
The others exchanged looks as they listened to Leia's story. She was surely describing the same abandoned cottage where they had found the portal and had wandered inside. As for why she had…
"Compulsion," Tabitha said. Louise grimaced and nodded.
"Wait, are you saying we were forced to go through the doorway?" Saito asked. "Like… mind control?"
"It likely wasn't a full control," Kirche said as mulled it over in her head. "But… it's probable that there was some kind of effect on it. Something like 'anyone that sees it wants to go in' maybe. We really shouldn't have gone in either, but we came up with excuses to do so, right?"
"And now that we're inside, the compulsion has faded and we can realize what idiots we've been," Louise finished, glowering. Her grip on her wand tightened and her shoulders shook. "Damn her! We've been playing into her hands all along!"
Leia shrank back as Louise yelled, drawing Kirche's attention back to her. "Hey now, it's okay, it's okay," Kirche soothed her as she looked like she was about to start crying again. Kirche shot a glare at Louise over her shoulder, to which Louise responded by turning away. Kirche then looked back at Leia with a smile. "Can you tell me what happened after that?"
"I- I tried to leave, but I couldn't," she continued, stammering. "It was like there was an invisible wall in the way. So… I went deeper."
"How did you get here though, past all the monsters?" Saito asked. His tone wasn't suspicious at all, he sounded genuinely curious. But Tabitha watched with a piercing gaze, as she had been wondering that herself.
"They were sleeping," Leia sniffled. "I ran away at first, when I saw them. I tried to leave again. But after a long time passed and I still couldn't get back, I thought maybe I could find an exit somewhere else. So I carefully sneaked by them."
"That worked?" Saito burst out, shocked. "Were they actually asleep? They only pretended to be asleep for us."
Leia nodded. "A couple of them were snoring, like my Papa does- did…" Leia seemed to draw in on herself as she corrected her words, and the others all grimaced as they understood the implication of her words.
"But… it didn't work," she continued. "I got past the dogs, but there were these puppet things, and they spotted me." She shivered. "They were so creepy. They didn't yell, but all the dogs woke up anyway. I just started running and running until I got here. I thought they would get me. But…" she trailed off.
"But?" Kirche asked gently.
"They didn't come in here," she said. "I don't know why. They stopped at the doorway and watched me, and growled at me, but none of them came in."
Tabitha's brow furrowed, her suspicions rising. But they were cut short by Saito.
"Oh! It's a Safe Room!" he said.
"What are you talking about?" Louise asked, tone acerbic.
"Remember how I said there were games I played that had Dungeons like this? Well, one of the things they had was Safe Rooms, places where you could rest and heal your party that none of the monsters could get into."
"That's stupid, why would a dangerous place have something like that?"
Saito shrugged. "I mean, it was a game. It was so it wasn't too hard."
"And this isn't a game you stupid mutt!" Louise yelled. "This is real! It doesn't make any sense for her to add a safe place!"
"Maybe she had to?" Kirche offered. "If it's really following the same pattern as the games that Darling-kun knows, maybe she was forced to include it? Or maybe she didn't make this place, but she found it instead, and she couldn't change it?"
Louise pressed her lips together. Both of those ideas had merit. "We just don't know enough," she grumbled, the closest she'd get to agreeing with Zerbst.
Tabitha continued looking at Leia, mulling over her words, but she finally relaxed. She had been suspicious of a little girl surviving in a place like this, but her story seemed to check out, so long as Saito was correct about safe rooms being a thing. And his claims had been accurate so far, so she had no reason to distrust him.
"Are you going to help me?" Leia asked, looking up at all of them with tears gathering in her eyes. "I just wanna go home…"
Saito kneeled in front of her and gave her a big smile. "Of course we will! We're heroes! Now you just sit here, and we'll-"
"No!" she lunged forward and grabbed hold of Saito's shirt. "Don't… don't leave me here alone again!"
"Wait, hold on," Saito panicked, clearly having no idea how to handle a clingy child. "It'll be dangerous! You're safe so long as you stay here!"
But Leia just shook her head and tightened her grip on his shirt. Short of physically pulling her off of him, he didn't think he could get her to let go. He turned to the others, silently asking for help.
"She'd be deadweight," Louise instantly said.
"You're right, but I don't think we have a choice," Kirche pointed out. "No doubt she'll follow us even if we leave her here. Unless you want to tie up the defenseless and scared little girl?"
Louise glared at Kirche. "Just what kind of person do you think I am?!"
"I'm just pointing out that we don't have a lot of options," Kirche said, raising her hands in surrender. "But you're the leader, so it's your call."
Louise narrowed her eyes at Kirche, who put on a fake innocent smile, before scanning the room. Her eyes eventually fell onto Illococoo. "You! You're not doing anything, so you can protect her."
"Me?" Illococoo said, pointing at herself. She turned to Tabitha. "Should I?"
Tabitha didn't react at first. Her eyes bounced from Leia to Louise and back to Illococoo. But finally, she nodded.
Illococoo grinned and stepped up to the little girl. "I'll protect you then, so stick close to me, okay?"
Leia looked up at the blue haired girl. "Are you… strong?"
Illococoo's smile widened. "The strongest!" She flexed her arms, apparently to show off how strong she was, but they were covered in the loose sleeves of her dress so no musculature could be seen at all.
Apparently it was enough for Leia though, who nodded and let go of Saito. She took Illococoo's hand and stepped next to her.
Saito stood up. "So, should we try the entrance?" he asked. "We didn't try when we got here, but we probably would have been trapped just like Leia here. But now that we've reached the safe room, it might be open. Depends on how hard this Dungeon is meant to be."
"We have to check either way," Louise said. "It would be remiss of us to not at least try to get the commoner child to safety as fast as we could. And the path back is open now."
"How unexpectedly noble of you," Kirche commented.
"Unexpectedly?" Louise bristled. "Maybe it's different in the barbaric lands of Germania, but here nobles are expected to use our power to protect the commoners. It is why we rule."
"If you say so, Valliere," Kirche said. "So are we checking the entrance again, or what?"
Louise glared at Kirche, but she let it go without further arguing. "Let's go! Same order as before!"
It was a quiet and uneventful trip back to the room where they had entered. Saeko's sword was still in the room where Saito had fought her, alongside her blood, which caused Leia to pale a bit. Saito wondered how Leia got past Busujima-san and started to open his mouth to ask, but then he recalled her words about how she had found the place in the middle of the night. Busujima-san had probably been sleeping elsewhere when she arrived.
So he closed his mouth and didn't ask as they hurried past that and made their way back. There was no reason to scare the girl further by telling her that she might have run into a villain if she had been less lucky.
The rest of the rooms were empty, even the ash of the defeated enemies having faded away, and they passed through them without issue or comment. The entrance to the dungeon looked much like the other side of it did, minus the door. It was a black void in the shape of a doorway in the wall, unnaturally empty. The feeling of vertigo, like you were about to fall into it, was still there. But the gravity of it wasn't, confirming to the group that they had been compelled to enter.
But it was just like Leia said. When they tried to pass through it, it wasn't a doorway but a solid wall. It was like they were trying to pass through the stone itself, and the door was just an optical illusion. Saito tried hitting it with Derflinger to make sure it wasn't magic, and the others used their spells on it, but they could not get through no matter what.
"We have no choice but to go forward then," Louise concluded after Tabitha's ice spells failed to penetrate the doorway.
"If we beat Morgan, a way back should open," Saito agreed.
"That's what we'll do then," Kirche said with determination.
"Yay!" Illococoo cheered.
They started making their way back through the empty rooms that they had already cleared and quickly reached where the tunnel branched once again. Beyond them was unexplored territory. They steeled their nerves, made sure everyone was ready, and then stormed ahead.
The next several rooms were much like the first few rooms, filled with the dog-like monsters and animate mannequins in ever increasing numbers. Saito was forced to fight purely defensively, keeping any of the enemies from reaching the squishier mages, who took them out from range. Illococoo stayed in the back, holding onto Leia's hand.
They managed to get through each room without any injuries, but they were all starting to feel a little winded, even Tabitha, as she was using more of her spells than the others and getting more kills. They weren't tired, not yet, but the early signs of fatigue were making themselves known.
But before it could reach a concerning level, they arrived at a door. Not a doorway, but a proper door built into the wall. It was a double door made of the same stone that the walls were and inlaid with the glowing crystals. Two lion heads with rings hanging from their very detailed mouths served as the handles.
"This has to be it, right?" Kirche said as they came to a stop in front of the doors. "Morgan should be past here?"
"Most likely," Saito agreed. "These look like boss room doors to me."
"We haven't run into either of the elves though," Louise said with a frown.
"Maybe they'll be with her in there then," Saito guessed with a shrug. "Or they were only with him temporarily and they've left."
Louise's frown stayed on her face. "Maybe. I don't like it though. Keep your guard up. Everyone ready?"
The others nodded back, wands and weapons hefted in preparation, and Louise had Saito push open the doors.
The room they entered was larger than the others. And unlike the square and rectangular rooms they had passed through, it was a perfect circle. The floor and wall were both polished, lacking the natural look of the previous tunnels and rooms, even if they were clearly the same material. Even the crystals that adorned the ceiling and wall were shaped like torches, and they were larger and brighter, illuminating the room more sharply.
Enough so that it was immediately obvious that it was not Morgan standing in the middle of the room waiting for them, but instead the blue haired elf, Asuna.
"Y-You!" Kirche shouted, an uncharacteristic stammer in her voice.
Asuna watched them with a stony expression. "Hello, Kirche," she said with a nod. "Tabitha and Sylphid as well. But I don't think I was introduced to the rest of you."
Tabitha tilted her head. "Understand now?" she said.
Louise perked up. "She's right! You can speak our language now?!"
Asuna nodded. "I listened to your conversations on the way here. Combined with what I heard the last time we met, that was enough for me to hold a conversation at least."
"Is that an elf thing?" Saito asked, slightly turning his head to peek over his shoulder even as he remained on guard against Asuna.
"I have no idea," Louise snapped back. "Hey, you! Where's Morgan? We're here to arrest her!"
Asuna just stared at Louise, expression still blank. "That will not happen," she said. It was not an expression of her desire to stop them, not a declaration of resistance, but was instead stated as if it were an immutable fact.
"Well excuse us if we don't take your word for it! Now, where is she?"
Asuna sighed. "She's through the doors behind me."
Everyone looked beyond her and saw an even larger and more ornate set of stone doors. Eastern style dragons rimmed the edges of each door, their long and sinuous forms decorating their borders, and their faces serving as the handles. They were accented in gold, and had gemstone eyes that glittered in the light of the crystals.
"But I cannot allow you to pass freely through them," Asuna continued as she drew her sword. Everyone tensed. "I have been tasked with being the final guard before Morgan's doors. To get to Morgan, you must pass through me."
"I don't know if you've realized it, but you're outnumbered!" Kirche said. Her expression was hard, and unusually aggressive. "This won't turn out like last time!"
But Asuna just sighed and shook her head. "Not by enough," she said. "Please, take my advice. Surrender now."
"And run away with our tails between our legs, like dogs?" Louise sneered. "I don't think so!"
"No, not run away," Asuna replied. "Unfortunately, it's too late for any of you to leave, your fates have been sealed." To her credit, she did seem genuinely saddened by that. "But if you surrender now, rather than fight, you'll suffer much less. I can promise you that."
Louise's grip on her wand tightened. "I am a proud daughter of the Valliere household!" she declared. "I will not surrender to villains! Everyone, attack!"
Saito rushed in, Derflinger raised, and the battle began.
An icicle and a snake made of fire tore through the center of the room, but Asuna was no longer there, having started moving as soon as Saito did. Steam burst into life as the two spells intersected, and then was immediately blown away by an explosion that rang out from the ground, echoing in the cramped room. All three mages had fired their spells at the same time, but none had hit.
Instead, Asuna's rapier slammed into Saito's hastily raised sword, and his momentum was reversed as he was knocked back.
"Careful partner!" Derflinger called out. "Her sword is thin, but it hits hard!"
"I noticed!" Saito replied, but then he had to shift his attention as Asuna seemingly teleported to his side, rapier already thrusting at him.
It was all he could do to get out of the way. He heard his clothes rip as her blade sliced clear through them, and for a moment he was convinced he felt the steel of her blade slide along his skin as well. But when she was forced to dodge back thanks to the flurry of ice spikes that Tabitha launched at her, he was able to put a hand to his side.
He felt no wound, just a gash in his coat and shirt. He gulped, realizing how close he had come to an actual injury, but he pushed the fear aside. The runes on his hand glowed, and he once again threw himself at Asuna.
Her face was expressionless as she deflected his swings, her rapier gracefully guiding the heavier blade he wielded just enough out of the way so that they missed her entirely. She was, however, forced to only defend, and seemingly had no time to attack. Saito gave everything he had to keep it that way, attacking recklessly over and over again.
His companions, however, found this difficult to work with. Asuna was careful to keep Saito between herself and the mages, limiting their ability to attack. She also stuck close to Saito, choosing not to dodge out of his range, to prevent them from using any spells that covered a large area.
Tabitha was the only one to recognize what she was doing, and dashed off to the side, circling the room so she could get another angle on the swordswoman. With only Saito engaging in melee, Asuna could only use Saito as a shield in a single direction at once.
However, between her aversion to speaking and her focus on Asuna, she did not communicate this to Louise and Kirche, who remained standing near the entrance, looking for chances to fire their spells. This was a habit born of their previous fights in the Dungeon, where staying near the entrance where they could retreat if need be was a smart idea. In such target rich environments, Saito getting in the way of one or two enemies hadn't been an issue.
This was the first time they were working together against a singular intelligent enemy, and it showed. Kirche and Louise noticed as Tabitha broke apart, but since she said nothing and since they were also focused on looking for an opportunity, following her example did not cross their minds. Instead they remained where they were and fired off a spell in their general vicinity whenever they thought they could potentially hit Asuna, either hemming her in or by trying to predict where she'd move.
Despite the pressure of four people actively targeting her, Asuna remained calm. She noted Tabitha moving away, but she was not surprised. Tabitha had already shown herself to be more experienced and capable. Unfortunately, Asuna was forced to prioritize using Saito as a shield against Louise specifically. Her explosive spell had no travel time and almost no cues, making it significantly harder to dodge compared to the other two mage's spells.
So Asuna had to step up her defensive game, maneuvering out of the way of shards of ice and slices of wind while sticking close enough to Saito to prevent any of them from pulling out their bigger spells.
The fight continued like that for several minutes, seemingly locked in a stalemate. Steel crashed and scraped against steel, explosions echoed, icicles shattered, and fire roared as they danced. Illococoo and Leia stood by the door, watching fearfully but not interfering.
But it was no stalemate, because while Asuna's movements were unchanged, the others were starting to flag. It was a battle of endurance, and the winner of that was clear. But even as Saito's blows slowed down, and the spells became less frequent, Asuna did not take advantage. She just continued to defend.
And then, suddenly, she stopped. Her blank expression had shifted to one of resignation, and she sighed once again before sheathing her weapon. "That's enough. You may pass," she declared.
"...what?" Saito asked, putting a voice to the question going through all of their heads.
"Morgan wishes to fight you as well," Asuna explained. "So it has been deemed that you have done well enough against me. You can continue on to face Morgan."
The implication was clear. If they continued fighting Asuna, they would lose, and Morgan wouldn't have a chance to face them. Morgan didn't want that, so Asuna was forced to 'give up' the fight.
It was a move born of selfish confidence, one that demeaned everyone else, Asuna included. A childish demand that changed the rules so that they wouldn't be left out.
Louis gritted her teeth. "Fine," she spat out. "If she wants to play it like that, then fine! We'll just make her regret her arrogance!"
Anger overriding any kind of fear or hesitation she might have had, she marched straight through the center of the room toward the other door, ignoring Asuna. The others tensed as she approached, but Asuna made no move to attack, or even acknowledge, her.
Saito cautiously followed, keeping an eye on Asuna, and so did the others. The atmosphere was tense as everyone aside from Asuna and Louise were filled with suspicion and disbelief. "Is this for real?" Saito muttered to Louise as he walked next to her.
"You remember how arrogant Morgan was when she attacked us, don't you?" Louise said.
"Yeah, but-"
"But nothing. This isn't surprising in the least." Her grip on her wand tightened and she continued in a quieter voice that Asuna couldn't hear. "She's looking down on us."
Saito grimaced, but just nodded and didn't say anything. Louise wasn't wrong.
Kirche, Illococoo, and Leia made their way along the wall, traveling in a semi-circle and maintaining their distance from Asuna in the center of the room, eyeing her warily. But Asuna ignored them entirely until they were all gathered by the door.
"Once again, I ask you to surrender," she said, her back to them. "There's no winning against Morgan. Save yourself the pain, and give in."
"Never," Louise declared simply. "Saito! Open the door!"
Saito glanced between Asuna and Louise one more time, still thrown off balance by this strange turn of events, but after a moment, and a glare from Louise, he sheathed Derflinger and pushed open the massive stone doors. Tabitha kept an eye on Asuna as he did so, staff held at the ready.
The doors opened slowly, Saito straining to move their massive weight. Beyond them was a massive hallway. Not a tunnel, but an actual hallway, one of gray bricks. No crystals grew from the walls, but instead torches burned, illuminating the hallway with their flickering light.
And at the end of the hallway was an identical set of doors, save that they were even bigger, made of the same stone as the hallway, and had even more gold and jewels adorning it.
"Seriously?" Saito grumbled as he saw them. He pushed the door open as far wide as his arms would reach and then let go. Thankfully they did not swing shut, allowing the others to trickle in behind him. Louise was first, of course, her expression filled with annoyance and determination. And Tabitha was last, watching Asuna as she walked backward through the doors.
Asuna did nothing. She didn't move, and she didn't speak. And once all of them were through, the doors started closing by themselves, grinding shut.
"Well… I guess we're committed then," Kirche said.
"This is an advantage for us," Louise insisted, immediately striding forward toward the other door. "Saito almost beat Morgan by himself. If it wasn't for that white haired elf sneaking up on me, he probably would have won. All of us can definitely take him."
"Even though she tired us out?" Kirche pointed out. "I don't know about you girls, but I'm starting to run a little low on Willpower."
"Well then, try landing your spells this time!" Louise snapped.
"You hardly did any better, Valliere," Kirche replied.
"You-" Louise started, but she cut herself off as she came to a stop in front of the door. She grimaced, clearly wanting to say more, but she forced it down and instead looked at the others. "Everyone ready?"
"Ready!" Illococoo called, completely oblivious to the tension in the air. The others nodded, and Saito stepped up to the doors and once more pushed them open.
The sound of grinding stone reverberated through the hallway as the others watched. Darkness appeared beyond the door, the light from the hallway only illuminating a small part of the room within. Everyone waited with bated breath, peering into the inky blackness.
Saito opened the door as far as his arms could stretch, and the grinding stopped. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. No one moved or said anything, and the silence weighed heavily on them.
And then there was a click, and light appeared within the room. Torches cast a circle of light that revealed that they were affixed onto pillars that stood on either side of the door. The pillars stood over two dozen meters tall, and were at least a meter in diameter, and had more eastern style dragons coiling around them.
Two more torches lit up, revealing another set of pillars deeper into the room. Then two more, and two more, and so on until finally a great number of torches were lit, revealing not more pillars, but a dais topped by a throne.
And atop that throne was none other than Morgan, dressed in the same exact outfit as she was before, her elbow propped on the arm of her chair and her fist under her chin, holding her head up.
There was a white haired elf at her feet, near identical to the one that had taken Louise hostage, but younger and smaller looking. The elf leaned against Morgan's leg, a glorified pet, with a smile on her face.
"Welcome, friends, to my Dungeon!" Morgan's voice boomed out loud enough for them to hear her from across what was obviously a throne room.
"We're not your friends!" Louise yelled back, her voice small in comparison. She stormed ahead of Saito, forcing him to scramble to keep up with her, as she approached the throne. Her steps echoed off the walls, the throne room significantly more cavernous than the rooms up until this point. Saito couldn't even see how tall the ceiling was, as it faded to darkness beyond the reach of the torchlight.
"Oh, but you will be," Morgan replied, and even from a distance they could see her confident smirk.
Louise came to a stop about ten meters away from the base of the stairs of the dais. Saito was close behind her, and Tabitha, Kirche, Illococoo, and Leia were only a few meters back. They came to a stop a little behind her, Tabitha in the very back and keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Louise ignored Morgan's cryptic statement and instead pointed a finger at her. "Enemy of the state and of mankind! I am here to place you under arrest! Come quietly and do not resist!"
Morgan's smile just widened. "Is that so? Why, that's very flattering. I've never been pursued so aggressively before. I have to commend you on making it this far."
"What even is this place? Is this really a Dungeon like in a game?" Saito cut in. Louse glared at him, but he only had eyes for Morgan. He had questions burning in his heart.
"Indeed it is, my fellow world traveler," Morgan replied. "I patterned this place after some of the games I've enjoyed so much, but I wanted to be the defender, not the attacker. I've always felt more drawn to the villains than the spunky band of heroes. Tell me, Saito, what is the difference between a hero and a villain?"
"Don't ignore me!" Louise snapped. "I'm here to arrest you, not engage in philosophical debate!"
"Is there a reason you can't do both?"
Louise narrowed her eyes and then looked around. "You're buying time," she declared.
"Bzzt, wrong. Points for trying to use that brain of yours, but you underestimate how much I like hearing myself talk. Everyone who might be a threat to you is plainly in sight. There's no one hiding in the shadows or rushing their way here. I just want to engage in a bit of discussion with the first group to challenge my Dungeon. Is that so strange?"
"There are countless strange things about this!" Louise fired back. "And you're the strangest of them all!"
"Well, I can't deny that," Morgan said, more amused than anything else. Even the white haired elf, who hadn't spoken a word, smirked in amusement. "But consider this your chance to ask those burning questions that you have. Or you can wait until after I've defeated you. We'll have plenty of time to talk then."
Louise clenched her fists, struggling to contain her frustration. "You're right about one thing," she said. "We'll have time for questions later. But it's you that will be defeated." She pointed her wand at Morgan. "This won't go like last time! We outnumber you two to one!"
Morgan's eyes twinkled. "Oh? Are you sure about that? You might want to count again."
Louise's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wha-"
"Aaa aaaahh!"
Louise's question was cut off as a voice cried out behind her. She spun on her feet, as did the others, and turned to the back of their group just in time to see Tabitha's face contorted in shock and pain, her body stiffened as she screamed. Then she collapsed to the ground bonelessly, knocked out or worse.
Leaving just Leia standing next to her, a device in her hand that only Saito recognized. A taser.
Illococoo blinked at the two small girls, confusion on her face. "L-Leia? Onee-chan? What… what did you…?"
"She's a spy!" Louise shouted, putting the pieces together instantly. She turned, moving her wand to point at Leia, but the small girl was already moving, her strength far greater than anything a girl her age should be capable of, and her expression a mix of determination and satisfaction that was out of place on her innocent young face.
Leia darted through the group and leaped up the stairs, coming to a stop next to Morgan's throne. Morgan didn't react at all as Leia turned to face the others with a smile.
" Stroke of midnight's bell," Leia chanted, and then her form shifted. Like ash peeling away, the form of a young human girl disappeared and was replaced by a girl of similar height, but clearly more mature proportions. She looked to be of age with Louise and Tabitha, but shorter. Her clothes also changed, shifting from normal commoner garb to a red and white outfit.
Morgan reached over to her and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "Good job, Lili. You pulled it off perfectly." Leia, or Lili as she was apparently actually called, preened and leaned into her touch.
"Onee-chan?!" Illococoo said, panic entering her voice as she fell to her knees and cradled Tabitha's unconscious form. "Wake up!"
"It's okay, she'll be fine, she's just knocked out," Saito reassured the dragon girl. He turned to face Morgan again. "Unless that's not a normal taser?"
"Oh, no, it's a normal one," Morgan admitted. "Mostly, anyway. If I wanted to do more than knock her out, a knife would have been easier, no? But… what was that about you saying I was outnumbered?"
Louise, Saito, and Kirche all glared at Morgan and the two girls next to him. Not counting Illococoo, it was three versus three.
But Illococoo was not going to let herself be discounted like that. Because she was experiencing an emotion she had yet to feel in her life before.
Rage.
"Aaaahhhh!" she screamed, getting up and turning to Morgan. "I'll make you pay for hurting Onee-chan!" She barreled past her companions and headed for Morgan.
But Morgan didn't move. "Maria."
The white haired elf blurred as she went from a sitting position to a standing one just as Illococoo reached the throne. Her fist buried into the blue haired girl's gut, who was sent flying away to the back of the room.
"I suppose the time for talk is over," Morgan said as the others cried out and tensed. "Maria, entertain the dragon girl. Lili, focus on Kirche. I want a rematch against the other two."
"Yes, Master!" "Got it!"
The two girls moved. Maria's body changed, shifting into the older and bustier form that they recognized before she launched herself over the group to chase where Illococoo had been sent flying. Lili flexed her arms and revealed a collapsible crossbow that was tucked under her sleeve. The head of it spread out and there was a clicking sound as a bolt was loaded, which she wasted no time in immediately firing at Kirche, who was forced to dodge away. Lili chased after her, leaping off the dais and slipping past Saito who tried to stop her, chasing Kirche further away.
Saito made to chase after her, but was forced to turn back towards Morgan and raise Derflinger to block the orb of magic energy that Morgan shot at him.
"You're not going anywhere," Morgan said. She was suddenly holding a white and gold staff that was pointed at Saito and Louise, and she stood up from her throne and started walking down the steps of the dais. "Leave the others to their fights. You?" Morgan grinned. "I want you to show me just how much you've improved since last we met."
Saito grimaced. He hadn't improved, not really. If Morgan was stronger than the last time they fought, he might be in trouble.
"Don't worry, Familiar," Louise said from behind him. Her voice was shaking a little, but she sounded determined. "I'll back you up this time! She doesn't stand a chance against both of us!"
Saito shifted his grip on Derflinger, fingers tightening around his hilt. "Right!"
Morgan smiled and waved his staff. Six swords made of magical energy appeared in the air around him. "Very well then. Show me what you're both capable of!"
Illococoo's body tumbled as it hit the ground behind the group, nearly halfway back to the entrance to the room. She rolled and slid to a stop before slowly pushing herself to her feet. Her stomach pulsed in pain and her head was spinning, dampening her anger.
But that anger rose again as she heard a heavy thud in front of her and looked up to see Maria, the white haired elf that was part of Morgan's group. She looked a little different from just a moment ago, but she smelt the same.
"Looks like I'm the one that gets to play with you," she said with a grin. "Now, be a good girl and play nice, okay?"
Fire burned in Illococoo's chest, obscuring her thoughts. This was one of the allies of the girl who pretended to be a victim, the one that hurt her Onee-chan.
She let out another wordless roar and launched herself at the elf. She did not throw a punch or a kick, or even attempt to tackle the other girl. Illococoo was not a fighter. She wasn't a human. She was a dragon, and she fought with tooth and claw and launching herself at her foe was all she needed.
Or so her instincts told her. But she was a young dragon, barely out of adolescence, and not having been educated in much of anything. She had no experience with fighting, or with the rage in her heart.
And Maria was no ordinary girl.
As Illococoo lunged at Maria, the white haired girl reached up and caught Illococoo's hands, clasping their fingers together as she heaved and held the dragon at bay. The ground shook with their impact, but Maria didn't budge.
Even in her bipedal form, she was still a dragon. Her strength did not diminish when she was transformed. Even with her lack of experience, she knew that even an elf should not have been able to match her in pure strength. But the girl in front of her did, with no hint of magic to aid her.
Illococoo growled. Recognizing Maria as a threat, she instinctively shifted back to her natural dragon form, her body growing to eclipse the other girl. Maria's grip on her hands was forced loose as they turned into large scaly feet tipped with sharp claws.
"Woah there!" Maria said in a playful tone as she skipped back. "What's the matter? Didn't like holding hands with me? Are you shy?"
Illococoo did not engage in banter though. She simply swiped her claw at Maria, who danced around the blow, the wind of the attack buffeting her and ruffling her hair from how narrowly she dodged it.
" Stay still!" Illococoo roared in anger.
"So you do talk!" Maria laughed. Illococoo's next claw swipe was met not with air, but a closed fist that slammed into her foot. The air shook with the power of the impact, a shockwave emanating from where their blows canceled each other out.
" Onee-chaaaaaaaan!" Was Illococoo's only reply, her mind consumed by rage.
"Well, that's no fun," Maria pouted. "I wanted to banter like Master does!" She dashed in, ducking under another claw swipe and positioning herself between Illococoo's arms. Before the dragon could react, she drew her arm back and delivered a brutal blow to Illococoo's chest.
The dragon girl was knocked backward by the force of the blow, stumbling as the air shook from the force of it. She roared in pain again, but not much actual damage had been done and Illococoo quickly recovered.
She lunged forward, snapping at Maria, who was forced to weave out of the way. She landed another punch this time, not as powerful as the other one due to her leaping away, but it landed squarely on the dragon's jaw, rocking her head.
Illococoo stumbled a bit, disoriented from the blow, and Maria saw her opportunity.
"Let's try this," she muttered to herself before raising her hand and voice. "Succubus Baptism!"
Maria's magic collected in her gut and was launched at the immobile dragon, filled with the very essence of a succubus that would turn any mortal into a panting mess unable to think about anything but sex.
Illococoo, however, was a dragon, and the magic simply splashed off of her without an effect. A more solid form of magic, such as an elemental attack, would have more luck, but an abstract magic attack meant to change her or apply a status effect would struggle to get past her magical scales.
Maria cursed. "Of course I get the one immune to lewd stuff!" Illococoo, having recovered, once more lunged at Maria, forcing her to dodge while bemoaning her bad luck. I bet Lili is having fun with the big boobed one, she thought to herself as her fight with the dragon continued.
Lili was having the time of her life fighting the red haired fire mage.
That wasn't to say that she was having an easy time of it. In fact, she was in quite a bit of danger. She wasn't one for direct conflict like this, reserving it for emergency situations and the rare monster she had to fend off herself.
But, quite frankly, that didn't matter to her right now.
Even as another gout of flame burst against the pillar she had dodged behind, her smile never faded. Today was everything she had ever wanted. She had started doling out her revenge against adventurers and their ilk, and she hadn't done it by stealing. That had never been that satisfying, as there was always the undercurrent of her doing it out of necessity rather than revenge.
But the moment where she had taken out the blue haired mage, easily the most dangerous one of the group, with the magic item that Ed had given her? It was pure. It was done entirely to weaken a group of adventurers to ensure they lost.
They wouldn't die, unfortunately. Morgan wanted them for himself. But that was fine too. That one singular moment of despair when they had realized she had been an assassin hidden in their midst all along was enough to keep her happy for days, if not weeks, to come. Morgan's praise was just the cherry on top that warmed her loins.
As the sound of rushing flame died off, Lily dashed out from behind the pillar and scanned the area where she last saw Kirche. She was nowhere to be found, but Lili had half expected that. Their fight had been a game of cat and mouse from the start. Neither were skilled in close quarters combat and chose to pepper each other from range, using the pillars on one side of the throne room as cover from the other's attack.
This had led to something of an immediate stalemate as neither side was able to land a blow on the other. But it was clear that one blow was all that would be needed to turn the tide.
Lili darted forward to the pillar where she had last seen Kirche, crossbow raised. Ed had modified her Little Ballista, giving it more punch while decreasing the reload time while supplying her with bolts that were so sharp they were scary. Several of them were sunk into the surrounding pillars and floor, painting a picture of their battle so far.
But as Lili made her way around the pillar, Kirche was nowhere to be found.
Lili's instincts were all that saved her as she immediately threw herself to the side. A wave of fire washed over the spot she had just been occupying. Even having missed her, the heat of just being near it was enough to cause Lili to break out into a sweat.
But her smile never wavered.
She sent off a blind shot in the direction that the fire had come from even as she scrambled behind another pillar. She put her back to the cool stone and quickly slotted another bolt in, reloading. She vaguely recalled Ed saying something about an automatic reload system. She'd have to press her on that later, as needing to stop and reload was the main reason she couldn't press the attack.
She'd also have to ask for a second taser, or at least one that recharged. Apparently the one that Lili was given had been modified to be one use in order to deliver a stronger hit. She wasn't confident enough with a knife to take Kirche out without risking killing her, which would upset Morgan, so she was forced to rely on her crossbow alone.
No, not alone, she thought to herself. She still had her brains and magic as well.
" Your scars are mine. My scars are mine," she chanted, activating her shapeshifting magic, Cinder Ella.
The change she made was minor, as the only thing that changed was two brown fuzzy ears sprouted from atop her head and a similarly furry tail pushed its way out between her skirt and shirt from her tailbone.
This was the werewolf form she had often used to disguise herself as a member of another race, but disguising herself wasn't her intention. She was instead aiming for the enhanced senses that werewolves had. She couldn't make herself any stronger using her magic, her Status was her maximum limit, but little abilities like better senses were fair game.
She stood still as she got used to the transformation, closing her eyes and focusing on what she heard. There was a lot of noise, most of it coming from the other fights, that echoed in the cavernous throne room. But after several tense moments she adjusted to the cacophony and filtered it out.
Finally, she heard it. The sound of leather scraping against stone, of cloth rubbing against cloth, and the panicked breathing of a young woman.
She lunged, crossbow already aimed at where Kirche was. In this game of cat and mouse, the winner was whoever could better keep track of the other.
And Lili had every intention of winning.
Clang!
I caught Derflinger's edge on the tip of my staff, metal striking against metal as his blade was stopped by the corner of the cross shape at the tip of it. Last time we had fought I had been hesitant to allow him to strike my staff directly, not because of Derf's magic eating abilities, but because I viewed the staff as a fragile thing.
But it was a device meant for combat, designed to launch attacks that could bombard areas beyond the horizon and clash with Ancient Belkan's toughest warriors. Additional time with my simulated battles had assured me that it was a perfectly serviceable melee weapon as well as a Device.
Especially now that I was strong enough to use it as well.
Saito's eyes widened in surprise as my arm didn't budge as I blocked his full strength blow. He pushed harder, bearing down more of his weight on me, but it wasn't enough to do more than make me waver slightly.
"My, my, have you not been training?" I teased him. "Don't tell me you've spent these past few weeks doing nothing."
"I have been!" Louise said from my side, and I was forced to jump back, disengaging from Saito as the spot where I was just standing exploded.
Saito took advantage of my retreat to chase after me as soon as Louise's rudimentary Explosion was clear, once more swinging Derflinger at me. My eyes narrowed slightly as I deflected it, flicking to Louise to track her movements as well. If it was just Saito, this would have been an easy fight so long as I didn't fuck up. But with them working together… well, I would actually have to try.
Plans flickered through my mind, the rough shape of them forming instantly, and for each one I determined not only how effective it would likely be, but how desirable it was, and I sorted them in my head.
I could probably fly into the air, bombard them with spells from the air while dodging Louise's spells. My Linker Core was strong enough to handle that strain for long enough at this point. Or I could move the fight to clash with one of the others, and have one of them take Louise out while I distract the others. Or I could use Wire Lock to bind Louise. Saito would probably break out of it or dodge it, but I doubted Louise was capable of either.
But those were boring plans. They would win me the fight, but leave me unsatisfied. I didn't want to just win, I wanted to beat them. Last time we fought, I relied on Maria to take Louise hostage in order to win. I didn't want to do that again. I wanted to show them just how much better I had become, how superior I was.
I wanted a plan that showed off how much better of a mage I was than Louise while also handily defeating Saito, the Gandalfr, in a melee fight. No tricks, no cheats, just a pure difference in skill and power.
I wasn't above tricking and cheating my way into victory, those were valuable skills as well after all. But I wanted to prove a point.
"Blitz Action," I called out, dodging Louise's next explosion by flash-stepping away. " Shoot Bullet!" A sphere of compressed magic instantly fired back at her.
Louise yelped and made to scramble away, but Saito intercepted it before it could reach her, slicing the spell in half with Derflinger.
"Oi! Leave her alone!" Saito shouted.
"No~" I winked at him. " Shoot Bullet!"
I fired off a barrage at him, aiming to overwhelm him with volume. Each one was low energy, little more than a strong punch in terms of power, but quantity was as good as quality in the right scenario.
Annoyingly though, the power of the Gandalfr proved a match for my rain of blows, and his rune shone brightly as Derflinger twirled, intercepting the blows in a flurry that would even impress a certain other generic black haired anime boy.
I kept it up for a bit longer, because the spells were cheap and I wanted to see if he would slip. But Louise seemed to finally actually have a tactical thought for the first time in her life and she peeked around Saito's back and jabbed her wand at me.
I stopped my shots as I jumped to the side. The wall behind me exploded, the stone chipping slightly. I knew just how durable the compressed stone was, and the fact that it chipped or cracked at all was concerning. I had no interest in testing my Barrier Jacket's defenses against that.
Well, if shooting from a range wasn't going to work, not unless I went past the limits I had set, then my next best option was to get in close.
"Flash Impact," I said quietly.
But not quietly enough, apparently. "Brace yourself, Partner!" Derf called out.
Saito barely Derflinger up between us in time as my magic hurled me closer to him. The tip of my staff glowed with accumulated power, and using the full force of my dash I slammed it into his guard.
The clang of my Device hitting Derflinger's blade was instantly drowned out by the bang of the explosion of energy as I released the built up magic. From this close range, we were both sent stumbling back.
"Flash Impact!" I said again as soon as I was stable again, announcing my intentions with a wicked grin.
Saito's eyes widened as I once again closed the distance, staff glowing. His hand glowed, giving him the power he needed to once again just barely block my blow.
For the second time we were forced apart by the force of my own attack, the energy blast encompassing both of us before we were thrown back.
"Saito!" Louise cried out in concern. She had every right to be concerned as well. My Barrier Jacket was literally designed to fend off attacks of that nature, prioritizing magical energy defense over physical defense.
Saito, on the other hand, was not. The Gandalfr runes seemed to make him more durable than an untrained boy his age should be, and I suspected that Derflinger was literally eating some of the blow, but even that wasn't enough. He was still standing after two point blank explosions, but his clothes and skin both were burnt. At a glance, you could see just how much worse he was coming out in our clashes.
I let out a chuckle. "One more should do it, yeah?" I taunted. " Flash Impact."
"No you don't!" Louise said, even as Saito readied his sword. "Fireball!"
But I was already moving, and her spell harmlessly hit the ground behind me as my form blurred closer to Saito.
I had barely an instant to observe him as my high speed dash dropped me right in front of him. But in that instant, I saw that his sword wasn't held up in defense, but was instead swinging for me in an attack.
I felt my grin widen on my face, approving of his decision. But it wouldn't be enough. I let go of my staff with one hand, moving it to place the metal vambrace around my forearm between myself and Derflinger.
My arm jarred with the force of the blow as Derflinger's edge bit into my vambrace. It didn't reach the skin, but I could feel the magic of my Barrier Jacket degrading as the magical talking sword absorbed it.
But it was too little, too late.
Saito's eyes widened in surprise as I blocked his attack, and then the area around us went white as I unleashed another explosion of magical energy, obscuring him from sight.
I was flung back, but I landed on my feet, ready to unleash another Flash Impact if needed. But as the light of the magical explosion cleared, I saw my win condition. Saito, on the ground. He wasn't knocked out yet, but he was battered, on his back, and straining to move.
Leaving Louise defenseless.
"Shoot Bullet!" I intoned immediately, ignoring the vague soreness of my muscles as I aimed my staff at Louise.
To her credit, she didn't just stand there and take it, and she managed to dodge the first one by scrambling out of the way. But she was no fighter, no warrior with a honed body. Her scrambling wasn't a proper dodge, and all it did was leave her open to my follow up shot, which slammed into her and sent her careening along the ground.
"Louise!" Saito screamed as he struggled to his feet. But I wasn't going to allow that.
"Blitz Action," I said, flash-stepping to right next to Saito. He flinched as I arrived, but there was no magical explosion coming this time. "Stahlmesser."
I slammed my staff and the spear tip that I conjured down into his leg, where the magical blade dug into his leg.
"Aaarrrgh!" he screamed in pain, back arching. He used the hand that had been pushing himself up to cover the wound as I withdrew my staff, reflexively trying to stem the bleeding.
He was too distracted by his wound to stop me from delivering another blow to his other arm, the one still holding onto Derf. He screamed again as his arm spasmed, and Derflinger clattered to the ground.
"Partner!" Derflinger called out in panic, but I kicked him away, sending him sliding along the smooth stone floor of my throne room and putting him well out of reach of Saito.
Louise was starting to get to her feet by this point, limbs shaking and clothes singed. I planted a foot on Saito's chest and I pointed my staff at Louise as I sent another shot at her.
"Ah!" she cried out briefly before collapsing to the ground, knocked unconscious.
"L-Louise!" Saito yelled before glaring up at me. "You- you bastard!" He punched at my legs, but without a weapon in hand, he was just a normal teenage boy and I barely felt his punches beneath my Barrier Jacket.
"Don't worry, she's alive," I reassured him. "I'm not in the habit of killing cute girls like her. Boys like you though…" I looked down at him. "Well.. you're more expendable."
His eyes widened in fear, and I swung my staff once more, slamming it into the side of his head. Despite my words though, I controlled my strength, and he slumped over in unconsciousness as well, rather than death. I had no sexual interest in him, but he had value that I had yet to extract from him.
I looked up to see that Lili and Maria were finishing their fights as well. Lili had a struggling Kirche pinned to the ground, a crossbow bolt sticking from the mage's leg. Maria had Illococoo in a head lock, and the dragon's struggles were slowly weakening as the succubus choked her out. It was honestly very impressive, and more than a little arousing.
I silently cast Wire Lock on both Saito and Louise as I waited for my minions to finish, and I couldn't keep the smile off of my face.
The first official Dungeon invasion had come to an end, and it had been a complete success.
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AN: Once again, I don't know much about canon Familiar of Zero, and I've only read a handful of fics. Some fanon or just straight up headcanon might have been mixed in there about what the characters are capable of, but I kept everyone their appropriate Tier and that's really all I care about.
This was a pretty exciting chapter. Morgan finally got to be the villain he's always wanted to be and defeated the heroes in an epic clash. It took a while to finally get here, but his career as the final boss of a Dungeon has finally properly started.