Chapter 4: Overcoming the trials. New advances.
Hajime, Cloud and Yue were forced to take another ampoule of ambrosia to heal their wounds. Cloud was able to remove some of them, albeit painfully. Yue helped removing the stone spears from Hajime's back. She also tended their wounds.
"Damn it. We let our guard down!" Hajime spoke in disdain.
"Time to find out who threw those stones at us." Cloud spoke.
The boys soon turned to see a giant monster appearing to made of rock that looked like a giant stone scorpion. Its eyes glowed otherworldly red, but this didn't deter the boys to run off. They were intending to fight it off.
"I'll have to assume this monster is used as a failsafe if you managed to break free from your prison." Hajime said.
Yue nodded her head in response, confirming Hajime's suspicion. This however got the boys to be aware of Yue not having any clothes to wear. Cloud kept his focus on the monster, ready to fight it.
"Well then, put this on." Hajime said, providing the bear fur to Yue.
This got Yue confused for a moment. Noticing this, Hajime replied offhandedly.
"You gotta wear something." He said.
Yue got self conscious of her current appearance, covering herself in response.
"Pervert." She responded cutely.
Hajime provided a small treat for her to bite on. It silenced her for a moment before Yue noticed him kneeling.
"Get on my back and don't let go. This will be a tough fight." Hajime spoke.
"What about your friend?" Yue asked.
"He's ready to help out. I'll support him with my abilities." Hajime reassured.
Cloud soon dashed forward, using his sword to deflect one of the pincers from the monster away.
"Get out of our way or be food!" Cloud spoke.
"You got that right, Cloud! Either you get out of our way you bastard or we'll eat you alive!" Hajime agreed.
The boys were now using their guns to fight off the monster. However, its shell was too thick for the bullets to punch through.
"Damn it! that shell is took thick for Donner and Cloud's gun." Hajime noted.
Cloud swung down his sword with all his might in an attempt to pierce the shell of the monster. Although it caused a thunderous shockwave, the blow didn't go through the shell. The monster briefly staggered before regaining its footing.
"What? Damn it!" Cloud exclaimed.
Cloud was forced to leap back in a backflip, regrouping with Hajime. The Synergist noticed Cloud gave his all to try and bust through the shell, leaving him briefly exhausted.
'Not even Cloud's sword could pierce its shell… That monster's shell even handled the Lightning Field skill with no problem…' Hajime noted.
The boys were forced in the defense as the monster began to attack. It began hurling stones, which caused Cloud to slice them down with help from his derived skill of Gale Claw.
"Gale Blade!" He shouted.
A blade of compressed wind managed to slice an incoming boulder in two. This allowed the boys to have a breather before using Quick Step to get more space from the monster.
"We have to find a way to crack that shell open. It's too tough for us to break it." Cloud said.
"I can help." Yue offered.
"How?" Cloud asked.
Yue soon moved to Hajime in a seemingly embracing hug. Soon, the Synergist felt her bite his right shoulder, drawing blood. Realizing Yue was intending to help, Hajime caused the ground to form a defensive shield to deter the monster. However, it soon surprised the group by manipulating the ground, forcing the ground down.
"That monster can manipulate the very ground itself… Too bad I learned this trick a while back." Hajime noted.
Hajime countered the monster's control of the ground with his Synergist skills. It had a tough time trying to even the battlefield, causing it to screech loudly. Several menhirs began to force it off balance, knocking it back.
"That gave us time to prepare." Hajime commented.
"Thanks for the meal." Yue spoke, licking her lips from the blood.
Yue soon stood up, ready to fight. Cloud kept his eyes at the monster, ready to counter.
"Azure Blaze!" Yue commanded.
Cloud and Hajime noticed a large blue sphere of compressed fire being formed before it slammed on to the monster's body. It screeched in pain from the impact, which caught the attention of the boys. Yue however felt lightheaded and almost collapsed to the ground before Hajime caught her.
"Hey you don't look so well after casting that skill." Hajime spoke to her.
"These high level spells can exhaust me easily." Yue confessed.
"Still, I think that spell you used managed to do some damage. Now we may have a chance to take it down." Cloud noted.
"I believe we can. Look, Yue. I know this is asking a lot, but can you cast that spell one more time?" Hajime asked to Yue.
"I can, but it won't be as strong as the previous time." Yue answered.
"That's alright. Cloud and I can finish it off. Remember where we were trying to damage it in its body? When I give the signal, aim for that exact spot." Hajime said.
Yue nodded in confirmation. This allowed the boys to be ready for the fight.
"Okay then. Let's do this!" Hajime said.
Cloud followed Hajime's strategy, distracting the beast by whistling at it. Once the monster followed its sight to the boys, it was left open.
"Yue, now!" Hajime shouted.
"Azure Blaze!" Yue commanded.
A compressed ball of blue fire landed on the top of the monster's head, creating evident cracks on its shell. The ball was smaller than the previous time it was casted. However, it proved to pierce the shell, causing the monster to bellow an ear piercing screech.
"Now's our chance!" Hajime said.
Hajime and Cloud jumped up to the beast's head. The Synergist fired a few shots to weaken the shell's strength before leaping in a backflip to avoid Cloud's plunging attack. He raised his sword up before punching through the shell and into the monster's brain. Blood spewed in a thick fountain before the monster collapsed dead. Cloud performed an acrobatic side flip, landing near Hajime before placing his sword on his back thanks to a small hook. Yue was amazed on how the boys handled themselves, but a question soon came to her.
"Why?" Yue asked.
The boys turned to her in confusion of her sudden question.
"Why didn't you two abandon me and run?" Yue clarified.
"It's not how we do things. You were betrayed by the people whom you put your trust to. I intend to keep my promise of keeping you safe. Cloud can also vouch in his way of protecting you as well." Hajime answered.
"Can't leave a friend behind, so I rather stay around than leaving them." Cloud spoke.
"You heard him. We won't leave unless you're with us." Hajime concluded.
Yue was surprised of their answer. She accepted it, having a grasp of the boys' remaining kindness.
Having killed the monster, Hajime and Cloud began carving its flesh to feast on. Yue watched as the boys began carving the meat before roasting it in a fire.
"If I recall what I read in the library, the vampires did exist over three hundred years ago. However, an event, like a war, caused them to be eradicated, but the details were not given about it." Hajime remembered.
"Has it been that long?" Yue questioned to herself.
"The war must have started sometime after you were sealed. That reminds me, how long have you been alive?" Hajime questioned.
Yue had a comically angered face in response. This caused Hajime to pause while Cloud remained silent.
"That's rather rude." Yue commented.
Hajime chuckled in response of his mistake. Soon Cloud joined in the conversation.
"Is it possible the vampires have such a long lifespan to the point of outliving almost any being?" He asked.
"No. I'm the exception. I don't age thanks to my regeneration." Yue answered.
"So your magical powers allowed you to be immortal. I don't think you know where we are right now or know a way to reach the surface." Hajime noted.
"No I don't. However, legends claim that this labyrinth was built by one of the Mavericks." Yue answered.
"Mavericks?" Hajime and Cloud asked.
"They were once messengers of the gods. However, they rebelled and turned against them." Yue explained.
"Wait, these people tried to fight the gods?" Hajime questioned in surprise.
"Sounds like it has a deeper meaning as to why." Cloud noted.
"Once they fought back, they also intended to destroy the whole world. However, the Mavericks' plans have crumbled. Having failed to fight off the gods, they went to the safety of the labyrinths they made." Yue continued.
"So we are to believe that this is one of the labyrinths of the Mavericks." Hajime commented.
"It's said the Mavericks continue to lurk in the darkness, hiding deep within the depths of their current homes." Yue said.
"It could be possible that might be what awaits us at the end." Cloud noted.
"It's possible so we have to be ready to fight off whatever obstacle comes to us." Hajime said.
"If we go to the end of the labyrinth, we might find a way to reach the surface." Yue followed.
"It's possible. Since these guys can wield ancient magic from the distant past, it's possible they may have made ways to reach the surface without problems." Hajime said.
"Now, back to our monster's shell…" Cloud said, holding a large chunk of ore.
Hajime touched the ore and soon had an understanding of what it is.
"This is Shtar Ore. A stone with unique magical abilities. Apparently, it gets stronger when absorbing mana. No wonder it was so tough to take down. Sounds like a decent upgrade compared to the Taur Stones." Hajime noted with surprise.
Having an idea on what to do with the stones, Hajime began working. He soon requested Cloud to hand his sword to him, working on the idea on what to make. Using his Synergist skills, he remodeled Cloud's sword into a new weapon. The blade retained its trapezoid blade, but the surprise came from a hidden gun barrel within the blade. It caused the blade to appear split in two sharp edges while having the gun barrel extend out. There was a small port to insert a bullet for the blade to fire off. From the front flat side of the blade, there were two support rods that allowed it to be used as a sniper rifle. There was a second handle that allowed Cloud to hold it accurately. A small pistol grip with a trigger was shown extending out of the front rain guard.
"Whoa, that's a new weapon there." Cloud noted with surprise.
"I have to admit, this is one of my finest works. A gunblade made with Shtar Ore and Taur Stone. I call this new metal Shtar alloy. Your new weapon has a gun feature that can be activated by pressing this button." Hajime spoke to Cloud, showing a small red button at the pommel of the blade.
Hajime pressed the button, causing the gun parts of the blade to retract into the front flat side of the blade. Around the pommel, a small ring was shown to allow Cloud to hold his sword on his back with the metal hook.
"I suppose a new name has to be given to this new blade. It's now called Yaeko." Hajime said, announcing Cloud's new sword.
Soon, the Synergist began working on a new weapon of his own. He began forming the weapon pieces before attaching them together to form a sniper rifle. However, the barrel features a muzzle break that had several holes, indicating it was an anti-tank rifle. The gun had no magazine, indicating it was a single shot rifle. However, there was a magazine port at the left side of the gun. Hajime was able to form this new weapon made from the abundance of Shtar Ore. He also had plenty of bullets to make. However, the process on making Cloud's new sword and his new gun had some difficulty till he got a better understanding. Yue watched as the Synergist made his new rifle. She was amazed in Cloud's new sword to use.
"What is it that you're making?" She asked to Hajime.
"It's a weapon from where we come from. It's an anti-material rifle that has the power backed up as a railgun." Hajime answered.
"A railgun?" Yue asked in wonder.
"Basically, I'm giving this gun an extra punch with my Lightning Field. You recall my revolver, Donner? This gun can be operated the same way. The revolver is powerful on its own, just like Cloud's. The bullets made for the guns are special. I used the Shtar Ore to make Cloud's sword better with a new upgrade and making my new weapon." Hajime explained.
Soon, Hajime began to load the bullets in the magazine before inserting the full magazine in the port. Yue watched as he examined his newly made weapon.
"This new weapon will be called Schlagen. It will help fight the toughest monsters if we need its help." Hajime noted.
"How did you two come down here?" Yue asked to Hajime.
Hajime now realized he left a crucial memory for Cloud to recall. He sighed, knowing he would have to explain it to his friend.
"It's a story of its own." Hajime said.
"How is it that you can use mana without a magic circle? How is it that you two can eat monster meat without any problems? Are you both human? What about your left arm? What happened to it?" Yue asked in repetition.
"Whoa there. A question at a time. I'll explain everything." Hajime said.
Yue relented and she soon paid attention to Hajime. Cloud was also curious as to how he ended up with Hajime in the labyrinth.
(Play Final Fantasy VII OST - Anxious Heart)
"How should I start? For starters, we were summoned to this world with our classmates by this god named Ehit. The people informed us that we would be the ones to save the humanity of Tortus from the demons. I was assigned as a Synergist, which is a common job. My friend had a strong title, but chose to hide it and remain humble. Everyone mentioned I was useless in a fight with such a title. Cloud kept me safe from those whom have attempted harm on me during our time up in the surface. We soon teamed up with the royal guard to clear this labyrinth. However, things went awry. One of our classmates soon tried to acquire a crystal that became a trap. It led us to the lower levels of this place. We tried to fight off a behemoth, till our classmates betrayed me, hurling me into the abyss. Cloud wasn't fairing any better as he was soon affected with immense pain. It's possible a drop of the behemoth's blood may have entered him through his mouth which caused the pain while fighting the behemoth. Cloud tried to save me from the fall, but got his head hit, losing his memories. He was unconscious for a while, but his body was still afflicted with the pain caused by the monster blood in his stomach. A huge beast soon ate my arm, forcing us into a small corner. We were at the brink of death due to hunger, but soon found a resolve. We were intending to survive, no matter what obstacle got in our way. This allowed me to use my Synergist abilities to kill a monster and feast on the meat. However, we didn't expect the outcome to be in constant pain. We were in a hellish state and tried to stop the pain by consuming ambrosia from a Divine Stone. I could compare the feeling of being ripped apart from the inside." Hajime explained.
Cloud soon recalled saving Hajime from falling into the abyss. His memory was clear from that moment. The swordsman recalled the pain his body was undergoing at the time, prior to them feasting on the Two Tailed Lightning Wolves.
"I can assume that the people whom left us to die here were the ones whom antagonized you." Cloud spoke.
"I had a feeling that is the case." Hajime noted.
Yue was soon crying in response to hearing the story. She now understood what they went through.
"Why are you crying?" Hajime asked.
"It's so sad from what you told. You're just like me, being left like that with your only friend." Yue spoke in tears.
"Don't be." Cloud spoke.
"Why?" Yue asked.
"We no longer care about our classmates. Hell, I don't think about revenge of what happened to us. All we care about is getting strong as possible and finding our way home. While I'm at it, I also have to help with Cloud's memory loss." Hajime spoke.
"Your friend's memory loss will be tough to overcome. But your home, what is it like?" Yue asked.
"It's not exactly like this world. There's no magic or anything like that. Most of humanity has been relying on science and machines to get around. Still, it's a place I know that we came from." Hajime answered.
"Still, we won't know what we can handle once we do get to our homes. We're not human that's for sure." Cloud said.
"Yeah… We've changed a lot. However, going back to the place we lived in is our ultimate mission." Hajime answered.
"Home… I wish I could say the same, but I don't have any place to live in this world." Yue said.
Hajime realized as to why Yue requested him to give her a name. Feeling depressed, he understood why.
"Aw man…" He spoke in a depressive tone.
Cloud soon felt bad for Yue. His amnesiac state didn't rob him of his sympathy, but it felt odd to him.
"Why not follow us in our journey?" The swordsman offered.
Yue looked at Cloud with surprise. Hajime was equally surprised as well, till he noticed his friend's sympathy.
"It's not a bad idea, Cloud. You should come with us to our home. We can figure something out once we do make it there. What do you think, Yue?" Hajime asked.
"It's not like we're forcing you. It is up to you to decide." Cloud said.
"Are you two sure?" Yue asked.
The boys nodded in response. This made Yue smile happily, knowing she had caring people with her.
(Anxious Heart OST ends here)
Up at the surface in the Heiligh Kingdom, the classmates of Hajime and Cloud were training. However, they noticed Kaori and Tifa looking despondent after hearing about what happened to the two boys.
'Hajime-kun… I don't want to believe you died down there. You saved us from that behemoth and yet I couldn't do anything to help you…' Kaori thought.
'Cloud… I couldn't fault you for anything that made you feel guilty for me. I wanted to be by your side, but you're now gone. How could I live knowing you died for my sake?' Tifa thought.
Tifa began throwing hard punches to the training dummy. Her emotions were amplifying her strength to the point the dummy broke. Tifa was breathing heavily before she collapsed to her knees in brief exhaustion. She clenched her fists before pounding the ground with her hands to cause a small crater to form. The classmates warily moved back from Tifa's silent emotional outburst. They wisely chose not to speak to her in fearing of her lashing out.
'Poor Tifa… There's nothing we can do to help her.' Shizuku thought in sympathy.
She turned to her friend Kaori, whom was suffering as well. Her friend held a strong conviction to uphold, but underneath the fierce determination, her soul was crying in pain. Soon, Meld came by to announce the results of everyone's training.
"Everyone, I'm happy to see that you have improved. Though I'm saddened to see that the group has been splintered due to the recent events in the labyrinth, we mustn't be dragged down by our losses. Rest for today so we can catch up on training again tomorrow. That is all." Meld spoke.
Meld recalled in a flashback of Aiko going with some of her students out of the Heiligh Kingdom to settle in Tortus. He couldn't fault them for leaving Kouki's group after what happened in the Orcus Labyrinth.
'I wonder if that fireball spell was an accident or an intentional assassination. I shouldn't speak openly against the church of this, but these questioned have me riddled into demanding answers.' Meld thought.
Shizuku soon spoke in a comment that felt cold.
"Failure's an option we cannot afford. Hope you realize this, Amanogawa." Shizuku spoke.
Kouki remained silent, knowing of what she was referring to.
"Then we must train hard to boost our levels so we can overcome the trials of the labyrinth." Kouki spoke out loud.
The classmates agreed, though Kaori and Tifa remained silent, not sharing the enthusiasm. Shizuku recalled Daisuke acting strangely a few nights ago.
'I recall seeing Hiyama-san acting strange a few nights ago. He was mumbling crazily, like he did something unforgiving.' Shizuku thought, looking at Daisuke.
Cloud, Hajime and Yue were exploring deeper in the labyrinth. Some of the floors were notably quiet, but it didn't help them lower their guard. They remained cautious due to the lack of monsters in the area.
'It's too quiet… I don't like this…' Hajime and Cloud thought.
Soon, they stumbled upon dinosaur like monsters with what appeared to be a single flower on their heads. The boys remained quiet to avoid being spotted. However, a nudge from a pebble echoed in the labyrinth floor. This caused the monsters to look at the trio before roaring loudly. This forced the boys to run away, having no time to fight them all off.
"Damn it all!" Hajime shouted.
"This is insane!" Cloud followed.
"Run quickly you two." Yue spoke, being held by Hajime's backpack.
The boys tried to get a far distance from the monsters, but they kept up. If they stopped for a moment, the monsters would kill them with ease. They were able to take a couple of them down, only for more to join the fray.
"You know, you're being too relaxed up there while we carry our legs to run from them!" Cloud reprimanded.
"What the hell is up with these guys!? No matter the number we kill, more kept coming!" Hajime spoke.
"There might be more then." Yue hypothesized.
"Is that even possible!? On the other hand, these guys have flowers growing out of their heads!" Hajime noted.
"They look pretty cute though." Yue commented.
"This is no time for small talk! Just run!" Cloud shouted.
"I noticed one of them had no flower on its head. It was trampling the flowers as though they were a threat!" Hajime recalled.
"Perhaps the flowers are the clue as to why!" Cloud confirmed.
"You're right, Cloud! Those flowers might be parasites!" Hajime realized.
"It could be." Yue agreed.
"That means…!" Cloud followed in realization.
"Something is controlling them in here!" Hajime spoke.
"Then our option right now is to find the one controlling them and take it down! Otherwise we will have to fight every monster being controlled by it!" Cloud said.
The trio soon found a crevice to squeeze through. The dinosaur monsters kept moving, unaware they lost their targets. This made the boys cautious to watch out for any monsters. Yue soon took a bite on Hajime's left collar, feeding on his blood.
'We have to find the one controlling the monsters and kill it. Otherwise, we will waste our resources away.' Hajime thought.
Yue soon latched on to Cloud's back and began feasting on his blood, biting his right collar.
"I don't sense anything here yet. It's bound to be here in this floor so keep an eye out." Cloud said.
Yue soon moved to Hajime, biting his right collar, feeding on more blood. The Synergist felt his blood being taken, but was more focused on finding the controlling monster.
"What could be controlling these flowers? A monster?" Hajime thought in questioned.
Soon, she made her way back to Cloud before hitting his left collar. This briefly annoyed the swordsman in question.
"Okay, vampire princess. How about you hold off the feeding while we focus?" Cloud asked.
"I can't help it…" Yue said.
"Are you that tired? Surely you have plenty of energy." Hajime nitpicked.
Soon, the boys found a dome shaped wall with a crevice. They knew it could be the monster's lair.
"Think it's in there?" Cloud asked.
"Well it does look suspicious. Plus, a stone wall like that shouldn't be made naturally." Hajime answered.
"Then let's go in and kill this damn thing." Cloud said.
Soon, the trio heard the dinosaur monsters from behind. They ran into the crevice, escaping the chasing monsters. Hajime sealed off the crevice with his Synergist skills to prevent them from getting closer.
"Made it. No way they'll be able to get through that." Hajime spoke with relief.
"Don't drop your guard yet, Hajime. We're still not done here." Cloud reminded.
"You're right about that, Cloud. Those monsters were trying to prevent us from finding this place." Hajime noted.
"Good job, you two." Yue complimented.
"If you want to repay us, you can stand on the ground without us carrying you." Hajime spoke.
"Fair enough." Yue spoke, leaping off of Hajime's backpack.
The trio cautiously moved inside the stone dome. They kept an eye out on each other's blind spots to avoid an ambush.
"Weird. I don't sense anything here." Cloud said.
"Same here. My Sense Presence skill isn't picking anything up either." Hajime followed.
Yue soon noticed something in the air and alerted the boys to where she was looking at. In the air, strange green orbs were seen floating.
"What are these things? They're heading to us." Cloud noted.
"Damn it! They look like spores. Don't let them touch you! The source might be nearby!" Hajime spoke.
He soon formed a protective dome to prevent the spores from touching the group.
"This might be an attack from the monster we're looking for. It could be anywhere." Cloud spoke.
"Where could it be, Yue?" Hajime asked to Yue.
However, no reply came from her. The boys turned to her, noticing she had a weird expression before she began aiming a magic bolt to them.
"Hajime, Cloud. Run away!" She spoke.
(Play Final Fantasy VII Remake OST - JENOVA phase 3)
The boys leaped away with Quick Step to avoid the magic bolt.
"How the!?" Cloud exclaimed.
"One of those spores must have touched her! Look!" Hajime noticed.
Surely enough, a flower sprouted on Yue's head. This made the boys realized their earlier statement about them being correct.
"Shit, we were right about them!" Hajime said.
However, the boys didn't anticipate one of the spores to suddenly explode into a green smoke near them. They coughed violently to prevent the powder from getting in their lungs. While the boys tried to keep their airways clear, Yue soon noticed a monster's presence. It was a plant-like monster with a female anatomical appearance. Hajime and Cloud soon noticed the monster holding Yue like a puppet.
"Not bad for something like yourself." Hajime spoke.
"Damn plant!" Cloud followed in anger.
The boys soon took aim with their revolvers. However, they couldn't get a clear shot, due to Yue being used as a shield.
"I'm sorry, you two! I can't control my body right now!" Yue apologized.
She launched a magic bolt, which forced Cloud to swing his sword at the bolt. The sword absorbed the mana upon touching it, dispersing it. However, the boys soon felt their bodies no longer acting on their own.
'Damn it… No…!' Cloud thought.
'Those damn spores…!' Hajime realized.
Soon enough, a flower sprouted in their heads. The plant monster smiled wickedly before it heard the boys laughing menacingly. They laughed with maddened glee as they looked to the plant monster.
"You thought you had us there, didn't you?" Cloud questioned.
"Too bad for you, we have eaten some monsters that had your parasitic flowers, which allowed us to again an immunity to your control! Tough luck for you!" Hajime finished.
Soon, the flowers in the boys' heads wilted away. However, the monster controlled Yue to firing another magic bolt, causing Cloud to slice it down with his Yaeko sword.
"Damn it… That monster will exhaust Yue's mana unless we take it down. Damn thing is using her to block our attacks." Cloud noted.
"Cloud, Hajime. Don't worry about me. Just kill it with me." Yue commanded.
'No…' Cloud thought.
"Yue." Hajime said.
The monster smiled, thinking the boys would do the deed.
"Just take the shot! Shoot!" Yue shouted.
Hajime soon realized, with a moment of confusion from a brain fart before gaining the advantage.
"Seriously? That makes it easier to do!" Hajime spoke in maddened glee, firing Donner.
The bullet managed to cut the parasitic flower off of Yue and sever the flower monster's left arm, causing it to screech in pain and surprise. The monster had to move back, realizing too late the boys were now a bigger threat. Upon turning to look back, it was surprised to see them holding their guns at its face.
"Don't bother giving us that face." Hajime spoke darkly.
The boys fired their respective revolvers, killing the monster.
(JENOVA phase 3 OST ends here)
"I think that look suits you better, bitch." Cloud spoke with disdain.
"Nice one, Cloud." Hajime complimented.
"We should look to Yue to see if she is alright." Cloud said.
Yue was seen with surprised shock as she processed what happened.
"Are you alright? If you're still feeling off, let us know." Hajime said.
"You shot at me…" Yue said.
"Yes, and you gave me permission to do so." Hajime said.
"You didn't even hesitate at that moment." Yue followed, cradling her head.
"We had to catch the monster by surprise. Plus, we managed to cut that flower off of you." Cloud said.
"Plus, if you didn't gave us the permission, you would have been mad at us." Hajime spoke in excuse.
"I think you have singed my skull." Yue complained.
"Hang on…" Cloud said.
He soon poured little ambrosia on Yue's head. Though there was no visible injury, the cooling touch of the ambrosia made it relieving to Yue.
The trio were soon at a campfire, roasting the meat from the dinosaur monsters and the flower monster. They were about to feast before noticing Yue looking at them.
"Here. Do you want some?" Hajime asked.
"I don't need it." Yue responded.
"That's right. You've been feasting our blood prior. Still, being sealed away for over three hundred years is not something to get used to." Cloud realized.
"Still, did you feel hungry when you were sealed in your prison?" Hajime asked.
"I was, but now I'm fine. It's because I fed on both of your blood." Yue admitted.
"So if you have blood, you not only stop the hunger, but also quickly recover. Does that mean you don't need to eat anything else?" Hajime questioned.
"I do get nutrients from eating normal food, but blood is the more effective way for me when feeding." Yue answered.
"I see. Learn something new I suppose. Hajime said.
"It appears so." Cloud followed.
Soon, Yue crawled up to Hajime, licking her lips. This got the boys in surprise, noticing her right away. Cloud attempted to move away, only to be held by Yue's grasp.
"Hey…!" Cloud exclaimed.
"And why are you licking your lips?" Hajime questioned.
"You two taste really good. Between you two, I prefer your blood, Hajime. You have a rich taste, while Cloud's has a sweet taste." Yue spoke.
Soon, the clothing that Yue had on fell to the floor, leaving her nude. This got Hajime in surprise, noticing she was acting boldly.
"Hold on a second, Yue. Slow down there!" Hajime spoke in surprise.
"You won't run away. It's time for me to have a meal." Yue spoke seductively.
'Am I just a snack to this vampire girl…? More importantly, I don't have much leads as to where I would find my lost memories. The classmates Hajime mentioned earlier may hold some memories left of me. Still, if they did betrayed us, then there's no reason for me to trust them either. I should continue being with Hajime as he is the only friend I know.' Cloud thought.
The trio continued their descent through the labyrinth. Along the way, they've faced several monsters and devouring them, gaining boosts in their stats and resistance against ailments such as poison, disease, and paralysis. Each floor they descended, the boys were becoming more cautious.
"You two have been acting cautious since the previous floors." Yue noticed.
"We have to. We must be getting closer to the 100th floor. Each time we go down a level, the monsters seem to be growing stronger than the previous ones." Hajime noticed.
"Which means we might face the toughest one soon." Cloud realized.
"Yeah, a boss monster." Hajime confirmed.
"A boss monster?" Yue asked curiously.
"We're trying to be safe." Hajime spoke.
After much traveling, the trio soon found themselves at the very bottom of the labyrinth. They noticed large doors that signaled them they're now in the last floor. The doors held motifs of snakes forming a heptagon. This led the trio to think of what would await them.
"The bottom of the abyss. These doors are definitely holding something inside. We don't know what we'll face once we head in." Hajime said.
"We should be ready, since we have eaten plenty of monsters on our way down here. Still, let's be sure we are ready to fight off anything that comes against us." Cloud said.
"Hope you're not afraid, Yue." Hajime spoke to the vampire girl.
"No, not as long as I'm with you two." Yue said.
"Liked hearing that Yue. You ready, Cloud?" Hajime asked to his friend.
Cloud nodded in response, holding his sword ready to fight the final obstacle. Sharing the sentiment, the trio opened the doors, awaiting whatever obstacle. A bright flash illuminated their sight, coming across a hallway with crystal pillars. It was too quiet for the trio, which prevented them from lowering their guard.
"Those are some fancy pillars. Seems like someone was awaiting who would be victorious of the labyrinth. That means it's another step closer to leaving this place." Hajime noted.
"Let's be careful here. Even though my Sense Presence skill is active, I don't sense anything yet." Cloud warned.
Yue soon held Hajime's right arm, holding him close. While the trio walked forward in the hallway, a red magic circle soon illuminated the floor. This got the trio to realize the monster was awaiting them.
"Oh crap…" Hajime commented disdainfully.
Soon, the magic circle began forming a mirror-like luster. The luster soon faded in a pink red fog. It was summoning a large creature, something that made Hajime smile and Cloud gaining a serious expression.
"Here it comes…" Cloud said.
"That's one large magic circle. This means the boss monster is here." Hajime spoke in dark glee.
The boys soon felt Yue holding on to their respective arm. She had Hajime's right arm and Cloud's left arm.
"Don't worry… You're strong, Cloud and Hajime. I know you two can fight it." Yue said.
"Not alone. We all are going to take this monster down. Let's see what awaits us." Hajime said.
"Let's get ready." Cloud said, placing a rifle round in the gun section of Yaeko.
Soon, a flash of light briefly blinded the trio. Once it faded, a new type of monster was shown. It was a multi headed snake with the heads having different colors like a rainbow.
"So, a hydra… Quite an intricate message that the maker of this labyrinth showed." Hajime noted.