Chapter 14: A harsh reminder
"I'm sorry about the outfit..." The forest dweller said, apologizing to the Queen of the Grand Noah Kingdom for getting his blood all over it.
The two are currently inside the room they were back when he put his disguise on. With the Queen congratulating him on winning the Queen's Cup and expressing her gratefulness for how far he's willing to go for her request.
"Nonsense. It was an honor to have a great warrior like you wore my old adventuring gear." She firmly responds back to him. And it was true, watching him do something she never could while using herArk brought a strange, yet very cathartic feeling inside her.
"She was great... very reliable like you said, your Majesty." Luka handed her the rapier, Ark may be an old weapon, but it never disappoints Its user.
With a nostalgic smile on her face, the Queen took her old partner into her hand and placed it back in Its wooden box. Who knows? In the future, one of her descendants may be an adventurer like her. Then Ark can protect them too...
After a bit more discussion about their next course of action, they agreed to announce to everyone that 'Lilly' had to spend a couple of days recovering inside the infirmary before she could make an course, by that time Luka would have already left the kingdom, and the excuse would be that the swordswoman had an urgent task to get to.
Speaking of recovery, the purplette's whole body is covered in claw marks and cuts making it very hard for him to move around without wincing in pain. Both Sylph and Undine are doing their best to heal him and make sure he doesn't collapse, yet due to his severe amount of injury, it barely managed to stop the bleeding.
Henceforth that is why he's currently laying on a bed that's been placed inside the room. He could try and use his own magic to heal himself quicker, but just the thought of that is exhausting, let alone actually doing it.
The Queen patches him up by cleaning his wounds with clean water and putting healing salves on his injuries before expertly wrapping him in bandages. Luka was surprised that she has medical knowledge but considering she's a veteran in adventuring, it made sense.
"I've already asked for some of our best healer to come and look after you." Seeing his worried expression, she was quick to elaborate. "Now, I know you don't feel comfortable with people you don't know, so I made sure to pick the most docile and understanding of them to treat you."
Knock! Knock!
The sounds of knocking on the door caught their attention and she calmly smiled to him, "That must be her. Don't worry Luka, she's the best one for this."
Even though she said that he still couldn't help but be worried about it. What if this person ended up being as bad as Chrome, or Alm- okay, no one can be as bad as her, but still!
The possibilities!
'Is he always like these...?'
'Only when he got spooked. It's been better recently, but you should have seen him back then! He was so cute when couldn't find me and started crying to himself~'
When the Queen re-enters the room, she is followed by an Alraune. If the purplette's memory serves him right, it was the same one he bought the plant seeds from yesterday. She glides over to his side.
"Hello there~" She introduces herself in a cheerful voice. "You must be Luka, the one I'm helping today..." As she said that, the Queen went to his other side.
"Luka, this is Flora. She's my most trusted healer in this kingdom and the one who has been funding our infirmary with high-quality medicinal herbs. She grows them in her shop, you must've seen them in the main street outside."
"I have..."
"Oh! So that was you? No wonder you feel familiar~" Flora continues, remembering the forest dweller. She then tries to break the ice. "Usually, when someone outside the kingdom would enter my shop, they would stare at me because they aren't used to seeing an alraune."
Being stared at by random people...
"That sounds awful..."
"Kind of...But that's just how it is~ You don't seem surprised by me at all! Tell me Luka, did you live in a place where you got used to seeing an alraune like me~?" Flora asked curiously.
The memories of not arriving fast enough to save the two Alraune from the rampaging Dryad back in the Forest of Spirits came back to him. The terrified look on their dry-up corpse's face. The guilt he felt for not being there to prevent it.
...
"Hmm..." The forest dweller only nodded quietly.
Not at all bothered by this, the plant monster pulls a pouch from the bag she's carrying and shows it to him. "The Queen has already explained to me how you got injured while running an errant for her, and for that you'll get a special treatment from me~"
Inside the small pouch was the high-quality medical herbs she had brought for him. He was still a bit apprehensive, but in the end his curiosity won him over and he accepted the herbs. He was asked if he preferred to put it in tea or just eat it as is since it needed to be consumed to take effect.
He chose the former option, and as soon as he drank it, he could feel the pain all over his body subsiding. Not only that, but he could also feel himself getting calmer too, his anxiety going away as he relaxed on the bed.
"Hahhh..." He sighed in content.
The Queen let out a small laugh at that. "Well, now that your condition is stable. We should leave you to rest. Take it easy Luka, you may be an exceptional person, but everyone has their limit."
They both exit the room after saying farewell, and the forest dweller eventually falls asleep. From the disguise, to the fights, and being the center of attention in the middle of the arena. He's too tired to stay awake after everything.
"ZzZzZzzz..."
...
...
...
===0===
...
...
...
"Hmm...?" A strange yet familiar sensation surrounds him.
Slowly opening his eyes, he was met with an endless green sky. The forest dweller raises his hand to grab the white clouds above him, but they pass through his fingers.
He's here again...
Getting up, he looks to see if anything's changed since he last arrived here. The world is still boundless, and the ground is made of clouds like before, even the safe and playful feeling the world gave off is the same.
That is until he ended up tripping on something, turning back to see a mysterious bump that had appeared in the middle of the dream world.
What's that? Moving closer, he could see it came from the clouds below, like a plant of questions started filling his head as he continued to observe the strange bud.
Where did it come from?
Why did it show up now?
Is it going to grow into a tree?
If so, then what kind of tree grows on clouds?
Does he need to water it?
So absorbed in his thoughts, that he didn't notice the pair of legs standing behind him, and the long golden hair dancing in the wind.
"It's you..."
"!?" Surprise by the voice of another, Luka turn to see a girl who is watching him from a distance.
Her appearance resembles his fake identity; Lilly of the Valley. The difference being she did not have any weapon, and her long hair is let free instead of braided like his was back then. Other than that, he's looking at a perfect copy of his made up persona.
"You... how are you here?"
The bizarre situation brought a feeling of apprehension in him. Seeing himself standing in front of him is a unique out-of-body experience. Did she appear because he was thinking about her before he went to sleep?
"-ways been here...ever since y-...-me."
As she speaks, her voice sounds distorted and broken, just like last time.
"What do I call you...?"
The question seems to sadden her, the purplette doesn't know how he knew that considering she's wearing a mask, but it feels like he can just tell she is...
"I have-...by...-years ago...but the name I like most-"
Frowning in frustration, Lilly grabs her mask and removes it. Her green eyes stared into his soul as she spoke.
"Your friends is looking for you, don't make them worry..."
"What about you?" He asked back in concern.
"I'll be here, as always." In the corner of his eyes, Luka can see-...-ting darker .The-...-is -ing.
And as he once more falls into the dark, he hears her say something to herself.
"Maybe next time...partner."
...
...
...
===0===
Once he's done writing the note, he left it on the bed and lake his way out of the room. The guards must've been on break as they were nowhere to be seen.
As he looks for his friends, he finds the people of the kingdom talking about what happened in the Queen's Cup, and how none of them expect a human to win it. It was a little awkward to hear people gossiping about him to their friends and kids excitedly proclaiming how they want to be like 'Miss Lilly' when they grow up.
The sun was still up, but considering he fell asleep when it was high noon, the day should be nearing dusk now. Before that happens, he should find the pages and make a camp outside.
Eventually, he did find them. Searching for him around the main street, the group of monsters rushed to him in worry as he approached.
"Where were you! It's been hours!"
"Thank goodness! I was worried someone might have kidnapped you..."
"Welcome back. Next time please tell us when you intent to leave for this long."
He apologies for making them wait, and tried his best to reassure them that everything was fine. In the end, he got scolded for making them worry, which he thinks he deserves.
"By the way, Luka?" Cogita asked him as they left the kingdom.
"Hmm?" He turns away from her junior to face her, making Page 257 pout.
"When did you start braiding your hair?"
"And that fragrant, did you buy a perfume?"
"Ah."
Luka honestly forgot about that. The spell the Queen put on him to dye his hair has died off, yet the style doesn't change. Other than that, she did dump an entire bottle of expensive perfume on him to keep the other monster from smelling his 'male scent' as she said.
Let's see...
The forest dweller awkwardly smiles at them.
"What...do you guys think?"
...
Page 17 turns away while blushing, "I think it suits you..."
Her fellow page monster proceeds to recite a poem about how much she loves his new looks.
Cogita simply shook her head in exasperation.
===0===
The feeling he got when the wind led him to the haunted manor was like a pit in his stomach. But now, as the wind guided him to a place called 'Plansect Village' he could feel the pit returning tenfold. What atrocities were being committed there that could make him feelthissick?
When he discusses the issue with the spirits, they both suggest he should observe the place first before deciding on what to do.
It's times like this is where he really misses his cloak...
Now, on top of a large tree, the forest dweller made sure to keep himself from being seen by anyone living here. Idly being reminded of the Forest of Spirits, he started feeling a bit of nostalgia.
That light-hearted feeling soon dies an ugly death as he then witnesses a brutal sight. Down below, there is a group of plant and insect monsters engaging in a battle to the death. From what he can see, it has been going on for a while as there's corpses on the ground and none of them seems bothered by this.
Luka felt like locking himself in his house and curling into himself.
Why...? What's the point?
Does the conflict that caused this worth the number of lives that was lost?
'Luka...'
'Sylph, can you find where the leaders are?'
'That would be easy, all you have to do is search for the biggest presence in the whole forest.'
He did just that, tapping into his connections and scanning his surroundings faster than he ever had before.
Six powerful presences are in the forest. All of them in different locations.
'I sense them, thank you Undine.' His eyes staring blankly at the violence happening all around him before using the wind to fly off towards one of the leaders.
BOOM!
The loud noise of the sound barrier being broken causes a momentary pause in the war as every monster on the battlefield looked to the sky in confusion. As that was happening, a figure hiding in the shadow curiously stares in the direction of the purplette.
"...?"
A couple minutes of flying later, Luka found a giant beehive in the clearing ahead. The problem was there's also a group of insect monsters guarding the area around it. Some of them have wings and they will definitely see him coming as a threat if he continues like this.
With that in mind he slows his flight and landed in front of one of the guards. She's a Hornet girl diligently guarding the front entrance. As soon as she saw him, the monster immediately shouted out.
"HUMAN! INTRUDER!" She has a humanoid body with fourarms and red eyes, all of her limbs are covered in black exoskeleton armor, and she has a giant stinger on her back. The way she speaks is odd, like a toddler not being able to form a proper sentence.
Wincing from the volume, he raises his hands and tries to explain himself. "I am human, but not an enemy."
The Hornet girl observes his peaceful nature and concludes he's not a threat. Though, that still doesn't stop her from walking over and grabbing his arm.
"HUMAN, GATHER, FOR THE QUEEN!"
"..." Keeping quiet, the forest dweller let himself be dragged into the giant beehive. He figures it would be the fastest and least destructive way to get to the Queen of theirs.
Inside their strange base of operation, he could see several floors and a big clearing leading up to where the Queen is in the middle. The forest dweller is a bit confused by their fascination with the hexagon shape, but decided it wasn't important now and follows his 'capturer' into one of the empty rooms.
A lot of hungry looks were given to him by the insect monsters working inside the giant beehive, but he steel himself and patiently waited until the Hornet girl brought him into a corner.
"HUMAN, STAY..."
"Hmm." He simply nodded to her.
The monster curiously tilts her head at this, probably used to the humans they capture trying to rebel and fighting back, whereas he's perfectly composed and acquiescent.
"NOT, SCARED...?"
"I am..." He answers honestly, "of the pointless bloodshed outside... of not being able to stop it... I am scared." Despite her seemingly simple mindset, the Hornet girl contemplates his words.
"STOP BLOODSHED...STOP WAR...?"
Again, he nodded to her. "Do you want the fighting to stop?"
"WAR, MAKE THE QUEEN SAD."
Her words may be simple, but he understands her, nonetheless. "Took me to her and I'll help as best I can... I promise." Hearing this, she grabs his arm again and leads him to the highest floor.
"FOR THE QUEEN..."
Seeing him being sent there made several of the insect monsters annoyed, but they just sighed and continued with their work. Hornet girl held him as she flew and while he could also do that, he decided to keep itto himself for now.
Once they made it there, Luka saw that the floorwas filled with accessories resembling royalty and a throne where the Queen surrounded by her guards is sitting in, she appears busy with something as they approach and only noticed them when Hornet girl bows low to greet her.
"Oh? What is it my daughter?"
"QUEEN BEE! WE BROUGHT HUMAN."
As she announced this, Luka also gave the royal monstera bow. His action drew the confusion of the monsters inside the room.
"Your Majesty..." He never would have thought he would get used to talking with royalty, but here he is. Queen bee is similar to her children, the only difference is her powerful aura, a regal cape and the crown she wears on her head.
"It seems so. How curious, why would a human wander into a forest so obviously in the middle of a war? Not to mention, a human who would bow to a monster..." Her eyes narrowed at her last words, apprising him with a calculating look.
"HUMAN, HELP, THE WAR..."
At this, all the monsters inside the rooms gave her a befuddled look. A human, helping them with their conflict? Why on earth would they ever do that?
Before the Queen could admonish her child, however, the forest dweller decided to speak up. Hoping to make his intention clear to everyone.
"If I may, your Majesty." Gaining her attention, Luka stood straight and started speaking. "I understand that not one of you have any reason to take me seriously, nor will I excuse the acts a fellow human might have done to your people before me that would support that."
Her eyes went from mild curiosity to interest. The fact he's self-aware enough to acknowledge that made him automatically better than most other humans.
"With that being said," He continues, his brain working overtime to remember the book: 'The Noble's Language' that he read in the Underground library as he speaks in real time, "As a way to show my good faith; I will sharewith you, a secret that I kept close and very dear to me."
Luka held out his right hand forward and called for his fairy friend. The verdant gust of wind that appears elicits a gasp of shock from one of her guards while the Queen's eyes widened.
"I have a contract with the Spirit of Wind, Sylph, one of the four original spirits."
Hornet girl hisses at him, her wings making a buzzing noise.
"ATTACK?!"
"No." In an instant, all the winds dissipate as he loosens the connection. "I would never use my friend's power to harm someone without reason."
...
The room was quiet as they proses the situation, and how to proceed. Eventually, Queen bee addressed him.
"Tell me, Champion of wind, what is your reason for coming here?" While the question itself is innocuous, he could tell she is subtly warning him about harming her people. Now that he has given the people here more than an implication of what he's capable of, he's being taken seriously.
It felt a little weird being call that, but he continues by telling her about his intent on stopping the war and unneeded bloodsheds. He told her how ever since he came here, all he could feel was hatred and pain from the forest. How the look of her people's face, and the opposing army's look the exact same when they're both lifeless on the ground.
Then he asked her to tell him how it all started, and what caused the war to happen. After all the things he has said, and his showing of power, the Queen agrees and recites the history of their village.
Back then, the relationship between the plant and insect monster was going well. There was no major conflict or misunderstanding that could warrant a war. That is until the disappearance of Queen Alraune that things started going south. First with Alra Priestess being nominated to lead her race in place of the Queen, and then with the Canaan Sisters convincing her that it would be best if they took over the whole forest by starting a war against the insect monsters.
In the end, all Queen bee could do to defend her people was by fighting back and winning the war wage against them. She admitted to him how she wanted nothing more than to have her people live in a safe world without conflict but due to circumstances, that dream was no longer possible.
Hearing all of this, Luka waited for the wind to sense any lies coming from her.
There wasn't. And considering how tired she looked under her mask of an unyielding ruler, he could tell even without the wind that she meant every word she said to him.
"Your Majesty, thank you for telling me the truth." He said gratefully.
"There would be no point in lying. And besides, to gain my attention you go out of your way and tell everyone here a dear secret of yours. I feel the need to make it even between us." She simply retorts.
The shy forest dweller and the diligent ruler share a look of understanding. Luka was glad to have chosen the right person to talk to first. With this, he could proceed with his next course of action.
"Your Majesty, I have a way to temporarily prevents anymore death on the battlefield. However... I need you to give me your word that you would not take advantage of the situation."
Everyone was shocked to hear him say that.
"Truly? You can stop an entire ongoing war by yourself?" It was clear by her expression that she doesn't understand how he could ever dosuch a thing.
Luka has already said enough. Now all he needed was her confirmation.
...
The Queen contemplates on his words for a bit, before she makes her decision.
"It would be foolish of me to not accept. However, I must ask, what do you intent to do once the fighting is brought to a halt?" And as always, she's keeping the safety of her people in mind.
"I'll make my way to the priestess and see if she can be reasoned with..." He grimaced. "If she doesn't... then I'll find another way."
===0===
"HUMAN, WE CONFUSED."
"What is it, Bii?" Luka called out to the Hornet girl flying next to him above the battlefield. Her name is very simple, he thinks it fits her.
The loyal monster pointed at his glowing partner, Iris.
"WEAPON, GLOW, WHY...?"
Chanting something under his breath, he calmly replies.
"I'm casting a spell..." When a spell reaches a certain level of strength, it takes longer to activate them in return. After reading about this in the library, Luka guess It's the world's way of balancing the magic system.
"DANGEROUS...?" She started buzzing.
"You don't have to worry about your friends..." At this point, the air surrounding them both had become thick in wind magic. Verdant gusts of wind dancing and spiraling everywhere as Iris glows brighter.
If all goes well, to them It'll be like waking up from a nightmare.
Pointing her above him, he called out the name of the spell. A giant green circle appears overshadowing a majority of the forest, from it came a soft melody that can be heard by everyone below, causing the fighting to once again pauses.
[SYLPH'S LULLABY!]
Gradually, the monsters started getting slower and more sluggish. Some of them, the stronger ones started covering their ears, but it wasn't enough. As long as they are in range of his spell, it will still work on them.
When the song ended, the sounds of fighting were no more. The only thing remaining was the soft snoring of hundreds of monsters sleeping on the ground. The severe injuries on them improving and those who are in critical condition became stabilized.
They landed right in the middle and Bii witnessed her sisters and enemies peacefully lying next to each other. When she turned to Luka, she saw him blankly staring at a dead Alraune warrior. It was too late for her, as she was already gone before his spell could save her.
"YOUR FRIEND...?"
The forest dweller shook his head. "We've never met..."
"NOT ALLY...WHY SAD?"
He looks distraught by her saying that. Looking into her eyes as he tries his best to make her understand.
"Bii... I don't need to personally know them to feel sad when they're gone." His voice wavered as he continues, "Life is precious... when a person's life ends it mean they will never be able to say hello to their loved onesagain... never play with them again... never have an argument with them again... never made up with them again...and that's a tragedy."
The air started picking up, responding to his sorrows.
"When I saw them... I don't see strangers dying. I see someone I could have been friends with..."
The loyal monster pointed at herself.
"BII DIES, HUMAN...MOURN?"
His shyness is forgotten as he instinctively reaches for her hand.
"Of course I will..."
From the corner of his eyes, he saw a shadow slithering away.
===0===
All the way on the other side of the war, Alra priestess is not having a great time.
Not only did her troops suddenly start falling asleep in the middle of the battlefield. She still has no idea how it could have happened other than a mysterious green circle appearing in the sky. But the Canaan Sisters were blaming her for it as well, saying she should have known the insect monsters could have done this...
That doesn't even make any sense!
First off, if they could do this all this time, why the hell would they wait until now to use it rather than when the war started. They could have easily won on the first day!
Second off, why would they also make their own people fall asleep as well? It's counterproductive on levels she knew Queen bee could never be.
And finally, why aren't they rushing to kill her with a giant hole in her defense right now? So far, not one insect monster has shown up. To be honest, the whole thing has been putting her nerve on edge.
"What the hell is happening..." Said the priestess as she rubs her forehead to ease the headache.
Suddenly, just as she questions it, an insect monster did shows up... with a human accompanying them...
Screw it, she's not even going to bother...
Putting on the mask of a confident and wise ruler, she gave them a slow clap."Well, well, after that horribly effective spell of yours, you intent to take me down next." Said the plant monster in a condescending way.
Hey, if this is where her story ends, she might as well annoy her enemy while she's at it. She refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her beg.
What surprised her even more was the hornet girl not attacking her immediately. Instead, she patiently waited for the human to walk in front of her throne.
"Are you Alra priestess...?" The wind harshly swirls around them as he continues, "The one whostrife this village with war...?"
A chill ran down her spine when she stared into his eyes. The faded blue void pulling her in.
The priestess realize she has been quiet the whole time and covered her unnerved expression with her usual bravado. "H-Hah! What does it look like? Of course, you're standing in the present of the great Queen of the Foerst!" Despite putting on a confident air, she couldn't help but slightly flinched when he grimaced.
"...That last part was a lie, you're not a Queen. You used Alraune Queen's disappearance to take over and commands your people into a pointless war..."
Her mask slipped.
"And what's wrong with that?"
"..."
"BZZ!"
"In this world, only the strong survive... we plant monsters are simply better than those insects, we deserve to have this forest to ourselves! If a war is needed to enforce that, then It's just how it is..."
Yes... that's right. What she's doing is completely justified in the end. After all, it works for them. It should work for her too...
"...The Canaan Sisters. Do they shared the same ideology as you?"
She scoffed, "Share? How funny... It's more correct to say they embody it since the day they were born."
"I see..." The human pulls a pathetic looking wooden sword from his side and pointed it at her.
Knowing a fight was about to start, she brought forth hundreds of vines to cover her blind spots. Keeping her eyes peel to the human as he's the most dangerous, she sent out strong miasma of toxin into the air, hoping to slow their movement as much as possible.
When her defense is secure, she begins by getting rid of the hornet girl first, it would be easier dealing with only one person at a time. She turns to the winged monster and-
Pain.
Her whole body was in agony as she's launch off her throne at speed she had never traveled before. Before she passed out, she felt the impact of hitting and breaking through a tree.
A faint whistle could be heard and then everything went dark.
===0===
"ENEMY ELIMINATED. MISSION SUCCESS."
Bii blankly celebrated as Luka ended the fight. They could see the priestess' leg hanging out from the ruble she's in. She's evidently passes out as they are not moving, and the forest dweller could still hear her weak breathing.
Swiping the toxin into the air, Luka uses Sylph's power to clean it all. Now that the miasma was gone, he went to deal with the other problems.
"Not yet..." Warning his simple companion, the purplette let out an attack towards a bush behind them.
[Sharp gust]
The blade of wind was caught in a jaw-like plant that emerged from their hiding spot. The Canaan Sisters: Dorothy, Raffia and Deana appear with wicked grins on their faces.
They were all bigger than the average monsters, with Dorothy even reaching 11 foot tall and her sisters near her size. All of them resemble a version of the plant 'Venus flytrap' and from what he could tell, it is only going to get even uglier.
Amids their laughter and mocking, the forest dweller tells Bii to take the priestess to the Queen and let him handle the rest. She asked about whether he could win against three powerful monsters by himself after using a great tier spell. To this, he simply replies.
"Don't worry... I have a trump card." They still didn't know of his connection with Undine, after all.
Nodding to him, she flies to Alra priestess and haul the unconscious monster away from the area. The Carnivores monsters see this but decide to ignore it and resume circling him. Now that she's away, he can give everything he has in the fight.
"Tell me, little human~" Said one of them, their limbs opening like a mouth. "Which way would you like to be consumed...?"
At this, the forest dweller simply closes his eyes and focuses on his magic. He visualizes it, although it may be small after he put everyone in the battlefield to sleep, It's still there, and he imagined it swirling. Faster and faster, the shape of his soul gradually turns into that of a hurricane.
But that's not all. Calling forth the power of Undine, he enters the flow state, now clearer than ever, and the fight commences.
"Hah! What's this~!" Deana cackle as she saw him standing still, "Sisters, did we scare him stiff?"
"How pathetic!" Said Raffia, a hungry look in her eyes. "Well! Time to feast~"
"May you fly... and may it be swift..."
"Hmm~?" The youngest sister heard him say something under his breath before he swung a wooden sword skyward. And as hundreds of wind blades materialize around them, Dorothy realizes a little too late that it was a chant.
[CYCLONE BLADE!]
"GAHH!" Dorothy screams in pain as she's the closest to the human. Her body becoming littered with cuts as her sisters desperately covers themself with their plants, leaving one of their own to look after themselves.
If that wasn't bad enough for them, Luka leaps into the air and with a faint whistle, disappears from their sight.
For a moment, they hopefully thought he had run away.
[Serene demon blade]
The hope was crushed when Luka reappeared in front of Raffia and lunched her into the air with a slash. His partner leaves a huge permanent scar on her body as she crashes to the ground. Shakily tryingto get up, the sadistic monster sent out her Venus trap to immobilize him. Her sisters seeing this also those the same, barraging the purplette with attacks from every direction.
Luka observed the world crawl to a halt, dealing with the attacks with tranquil efficiency. He redirects the first jaw to chomp down on the ones behind him, twisting himself over the other two and thrusting his partner into the last one.
[Gale thrust]
Dorothy's eyes widened in shock as her own Venus trap came flying at her and Luka uses the distraction to bum-rush her with another attacks. All around the big body of the youngest sister, he could see spirals indicating her most vulnerable points.
"He's coming after me again! Sisters, help-AHH!"
Her head violently snaps to the side as he swipes Iris across her temple, knocking out one of the sisters as she stumbles to the dirt below.
"I'LL DEVOUR YOU!"
Raffia screamed as her temper exploded. Rushing after Luka and wildly attacking, the forest suffers from this as he dodges her predictable swings and a tree behind him broke in half. The purplette realizes he must stop her from damaging the place further and Undine suggests an idea in his mind.
'She's blinded by rage. Use this to your advantages.'
Following her advice, Luka baited her into attacking him again and time his dodges the exact moment Deana were also coming after him. With the two now accidentally knocking the other down, he channels the flow to their maximum capacity.
[SERENE DEMON BLADE!]
Getting up, Raffia watches as another of her sisters falls to the ground, drools coming from her mouth as her mind would rather be unconscious than deal with the pain all over her bruised body.
"..."
"..."
As the last one standing against him, the vile monster shrunk back in fear. Her eyes panickily switched between him and her sisters.
"Tch!" Scowling at the forest dweller, she grabbed the fallen trees around her and threw them towards him. He sidesteps the barbaric attack and was about to finish the fight when his eyes widened in shock.
It wasn't an attack. It was a distraction.
She's running away. With her back turn away from him, her vines carry her injured body and her sisters unconscious around him. Instead of fighting to the end, she chooses the cowards way out...
'Is she really willing to abandon her own family like this...?'
Luka snaps himself out of his thoughts and chases after her. She may be fast, but even without Sylph and his own reserves of magic almost running out, he has no doubt he can still catch up to her.
Leaping into the trees, the forest dweller paced his breathing as he hunted the fleeting monster into a clearing in the distance. A beautiful field of flowers came into view as he kept his attention to Raffia. The monster leaving a trail as her vines trampled the flowers below her, right until she stops right in the middle of the field.
Seeing this, Luka immediately ceased his chase and scanned the area for any traps.
Did she lure him here on purpose?
No. If she did, the winds would have warned him of the dangers. Then... why did she stop?
"..."
"..."
Wait... the air is different. Somethings not right...
Raffia didn't choose to stop running. Someone is paralyzing her with a spell!
Luka was about to search for who's doing this, before they decided to show themself first.
"Tell me, Hero..."
The voice came from behind him as he saw another monster appear from the greeneries.
She could not be a normal Lamia, he thought to himself. The way he can tell how powerful she is by just her voice. If he had to guess the worst-case scenario...
This new presence is even stronger than Alma Elma.
"Why had you come here?"
END OF CHAPTER
Author's note: Yes, I know that in the original game Queen bee's base is inside of a cave. But this is my story, and I decided to have her be inside of a giant beehive. Because why not?
I love writing Bii's dialogue, she's a cute character.
Don't know when the next chapter is coming out cause I'm getting busier these days. But to be honest? I'll probably be out next week.
