Chapter 13: Birds of A Feather: Part 2

Frida Mertens floated forward steadily on her Amethyst Crystal Magic: Glissando platform, carrying Kirsch Vermillion—who was very much unwilling—high above her head. His gold hair shimmered under the dim light of the dungeon, and his arms were crossed tightly over his chest, his face a perfect blend of indignation and haughty irritation.

"This is beyond disgraceful, Frida! You cannot expect someone of my calibre to be hauled through this wretched place like some sort of… cargo," Kirsch fumed, glancing down at her from his elevated position.

Frida, her face calm but her patience clearly wearing thin, didn't even look up. "You didn't want to walk, and you definitely didn't want to dirty your precious boots, remember?"

"That doesn't mean I wanted to be carried like this," Kirsch shot back. "A Vermillion should never be subjected to such indignity. It's a crime against beauty itself!"

Frida's eyebrow twitched. He's lucky I don't just drop him right now, she thought. Her voice remained cool, though the sharp edge in it was unmistakable. "You're free to walk anytime, Kirsch. Otherwise, stop whining and let me concentrate."

"I am not whining," Kirsch insisted, "I am simply voicing valid complaints. This is an insult to—"

Before he could finish his latest tirade, the air around them grew heavy, and a low, menacing hiss echoed through the dungeon walls. Frida's eyes narrowed as she brought the crystal platform to a halt. A massive serpent slithered out from the shadows, its obsidian scales gleaming like polished stone. Its slit-pupil eyes locked onto them with hunger as its body coiled in preparation to strike.

"Well," Kirsch muttered from above, "if nothing else, this creature has the decency to be aesthetically pleasing in its own… grotesque way."

Frida glanced up at him, her calm mask slipping as a sharp edge of annoyance crept into her voice. "Focus, Kirsch. I'm not carrying you through this fight."

As if on cue, Kirsch leapt down gracefully from the platform, landing beside Frida with a theatrical flourish. "Oh please, Frida. You think I would let you have all the glory? Though I must say, fighting in a place like this is hardly a suitable backdrop for someone of my brilliance."

Frida rolled her eyes, her normally composed demeanour cracking under the weight of his vanity. "I don't care about your brilliance, Kirsch, I care about surviving this." She pointed at the serpent, which was now rearing up, preparing to strike. "You deal with the head. I'll immobilise it."

Without waiting for his response, Frida stepped forward, her eyes focused on the giant serpent. "Amethyst Crystal Magic: Shattering Violet Barrage!"

Sharp, jagged crystals erupted from the ground, hurtling toward the serpent's body. The shards pierced its scales, but the creature barely flinched, its massive head lunging toward them with a terrifying speed.

Kirsch, to his credit, responded quickly. "Cherry Blossom Magic: Crimson Requiem!" he declared, twirling his hand as a swirl of pink blossoms erupted from the air around him. The petals whipped forward, surrounding the serpent's head in a dizzying cloud of beauty and destruction.

The serpent roared, momentarily confused by the stunning attack, but its resolve didn't break. Its tail lashed out, narrowly missing Frida as she leapt backward.

Frida clenched her jaw, her usual calm demeanour slipping further. "Kirsch, stop admiring your own magic and do something."

Kirsch flicked his hair back, his golden locks shimmering in the dim light. "I am doing something, dear Frida. I'm giving it a taste of refinement. Clearly, it's never been exposed to true art."

Frida glared at him. "I swear, you're unbelievable," she muttered, raising her hand. "Amethyst Crystal Magic: Shattering Spear!"

A massive spear of amethyst crystal formed above her, gleaming as it reflected the sparse light of the dungeon. With a sharp motion, Frida hurled the spear toward the serpent, aiming directly for its underbelly. The spear struck true, burying itself deep within the creature's body. The serpent hissed in agony, its body convulsing as it tried to dislodge the weapon.

Kirsch finally stopped admiring himself long enough to take action. He stepped forward, his expression shifting from arrogance to something more focused. "Cherry Blossom Magic: Blossoming Illusion Garden."

The serpent suddenly found itself surrounded by an overwhelming field of pink blossoms, their soft glow distorting its vision and confusing its movements. It thrashed wildly, disoriented by the flurry of delicate petals.

"Finally," Frida muttered under her breath. "Now, let's finish this."

With the serpent stunned and weakened, she raised her hand once more. "Amethyst Crystal Magic: Regicide!"

The ground around the serpent exploded with sharp amethyst crystals, piercing the serpent from all sides, and the creature let out a final, pitiful hiss before collapsing to the floor in a heap, defeated.

"Regicide?" Kirsch asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Listen, dickhead, I was young and edgy when I made that spell, don't knock it! I've just about had it up to here with you!" Frida yelled, her face turning an inhuman shade of purple.

For not the first time that day, Kirsch felt true fear.

Frida exhaled slowly, her calm composure and rosy complexion returning. She turned to Kirsch, who was busy brushing off nonexistent dirt from his cloak. "For someone who claims to be so brilliant, you took your time helping out."

Kirsch flashed her a dazzling smile, clearly unfazed by the near-death encounter, but very much still scared by Frida's outburst. "Well, dear Frida, brilliance requires patience. Besides, I had to let you have some of the glory."

Frida crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "You were more concerned about your looks than the fight."

Kirsch's smile widened. "My dear, looking good is half the battle."

Frida sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Amethyst Crystal Magic: Hand of Caesar!" She raised her hand in a swift motion, creating a crystal hand that Kirsch sat on. Frida activated Glissando and the hand scuttled after her.

"You're impossible, Kirsch," she growled.

"And yet, you're still here, carrying me through this dungeon," Kirsch said with a smirk.

Frida didn't miss a beat. "Don't push your luck. Next time, I will drop you."

…

Russell Vance and Soren Vulcan found themselves deep in the twisting halls of the dungeon, surrounded by stone walls and the flickering light of ancient torches. They had been walking for what felt like hours, thanks to Russell's abysmal sense of direction and Soren's clumsy missteps that had sent them tumbling down a wrong corridor.

"So… uh… this is definitely not the exit," Russell muttered, kicking up a small cloud of dust as he fiddled with his grimoire. His silver eyes darted around the unfamiliar passage. "But hey, this could be the right wrong way, you know?"

Soren shot him a sharp look, clearly unimpressed. "Russell, we've been lost for over an hour. You swore this was a shortcut."

Russell shrugged nonchalantly, brushing off the comment with a grin. "Well, shortcuts are just long cuts with better stories, right?"

Before Soren could retort, a deep rumble echoed through the corridor. The air grew heavier, and the sound of metal clanking against stone filled the space. Russell stopped, his grin faltering. "Uh… did you hear that?"

Soren narrowed his eyes, flipping his grimoire open. "I heard it, and I don't like it."

From the shadows ahead, an army of reanimated armour sets emerged. Their hollow frames gleamed in the dim torchlight, weapons raised as they clanked forward with unnatural purpose. Rusted but menacing, they moved with eerie precision, ready to strike.

"Well, at least now we have some entertainment!" Russell quipped, flipping through his grimoire. "Dust Magic: Dust Cloud Barricade!"

With a flick of his wrist, a swirling mass of dust and debris exploded into the air, forming a thick barrier between them and the incoming armors. The dust cloud swirled around the armors, obscuring their vision and movements, slowing them down.

Soren wasn't amused. "Maybe don't get us killed while you're at it," he said dryly, flipping open his own grimoire. "Lava Magic: Molten Wave!"

With a surge of mana, Soren raised his hands, and a wave of molten lava erupted from the ground, crashing into the first row of reanimated armour. The intense heat melted their frames, reducing them to piles of molten slag. But more armors surged forward through the dust cloud, relentless in their advance.

Russell spun around, sending a sharp gust of dust magic at an incoming set of armour. "Hey, I'm doing just fine, lava boy! You just keep melting these guys, and I'll keep 'em off your back."

Soren grimaced as he barely dodged a clumsy strike from one of the armors. "You mean the armors that you led us right into?"

"Details, details," Russell smirked, launching another burst of dust at a nearby set of armour, causing it to stumble. "Dust Magic: Suffocating Haze!"

Thick, choking dust filled the air around several sets of armour, clogging their joints and slowing their movements to a crawl. As they struggled to move, Soren took the opportunity to strike again.

"Lava Magic: Erupting Magma Pillar!"

The ground beneath the armors trembled before a massive column of molten lava shot upward, engulfing several of them in liquid fire. The armors clattered helplessly as they were consumed by the intense heat, melting into molten pools of metal.

But even as they defeated wave after wave, more armors kept coming, seemingly endless. Russell's carefree attitude finally began to falter as he glanced around at the overwhelming numbers.

"Okay, so maybe we are a bit outnumbered," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

"No kidding," Soren shot back, narrowly avoiding another swing as he prepared another spell. "We need to clear them out faster. Got any bright ideas, or are we going to end up buried under this armour?"

Russell grinned, despite the chaos. "Oh, I've always got bright ideas!" He raised his grimoire, his eyes gleaming. "Dust Magic: Dust Storm Fury!"

A massive whirlwind of dust erupted around them, spinning violently as it swept through the horde of reanimated armour. The whirlwind tore through the metal frames, disorienting them and ripping apart their joints with razor-sharp particles of dust. Armour pieces flew in every direction, clattering to the ground.

Soren wasn't one to be outdone. "Fine. Let's finish this."

"Lava Magic: Magma Surge!"

A surge of molten lava burst from the ground, flowing beneath the remaining armors. The intense heat melted them from the ground up, their legs crumbling to ash before the rest of their bodies followed suit.

As the final set of armour collapsed into a molten heap, the dungeon grew eerily silent. The only sound was the faint crackle of cooling lava and the rustle of settling dust.

Russell wiped his forehead, grinning. "See? We're not dead. I'd call that a win."

Soren shot him an exasperated look. "Not dead yet. And we're still lost."

"Eh, details. But don't worry," Russell said with a wink. "Next time I lead, I'll get us even more lost."

Soren groaned, shaking his head. "You're impossible."

"Impossible? Nah. Just creative."

…

Lars Mertens and Kian Voss were, to say the least, cruising through the dungeon. The stone corridors blurred past them as they effortlessly navigated obstacles, Lars' sharp instincts guiding their every move, while Kian's forceful precision handled the more problematic foes that appeared. Neither of them seemed too phased by the challenges the dungeon had thrown their way so far.

"Useless who?" Lars laughed. "We're amazing as a tag team!"

Kian smiled, clearly appreciating Lars's comments. He popped a piece of gum into his mouth, chewing casually as they walked. "You know," he said between chews, "I didn't expect this dungeon to be such a walk in the park. What, did we come too early or something?"

He bumped into something. It was, surprisingly, a minotaur, which neither Lars nor Kian expected to see here. It had a weird sort of fire on its head, which seemed to be the source of most of its power. It was well built, as expected for a half human half bull hybrid. A gold ring penetrated its nose, and it roared in anger.

"Motherfucker, you just had to jinx it, didn't you?" Lars yelled.

"My bad," Kian smiled sheepishly.

The minotaur, taking Kian's unwilling "assault" on it personally, swung a fist at Kian. He blocked with his own fist, easily launching a flurry of punches on him. He continued to go toe to toe with the minotaur, not winning through brute strength, but rather through controlled bursts of his Force Magic.

Lars, who was clearly enjoying this little display, rushed in. He raised his naginata, coating it with Mana Skin, and then disconnecting his naginata, revealing the shorter blade and the staff. He used both to attack the minotaur.

"Brilliant, Lars!" Kian said, his grin on his face completely covering his nonchalant demeanour. He was like a changed man now, and it reflected in the way they both fought.

However, the minotaur was showing no signs of slowing down. It swept its arms across, knocking both Lars and Kian back.

"Mind Magic: Tiefe Analyse!" Lars said. A pink visor appeared in front of his eyes, displaying battle information such as the magic power, physical strength, and weak points of the minotaur. Then he smiled. He had found a weak point

"Hold it down, Kian!" Lars ordered his companion, who nodded.

"Force Magic: Added Weight!" Kian said, pinning the minotaur down under double its own weight. It's feet sank into the ground, but Kian had meticulously manipulated the forces so that it would stay upright. And now, Lars could hit it where it hurt

Lars sheathed his blade and raised his left hand, those familiar runes appearing around it.

"Mind Magic: Kraftvoller Gedankenstoß!" Lars yelled, forming the mind blast and launching it at the minotaur. A huge cloud of smoke erupted, but Lars could still make out the faint silhouette of the minotaur.

"Now Kian!" Lars yelled.

Kian's fingertips came to rest at the Minotaur's ribcage. He unleashed one of his (and my) favourite attacks.

"Force Magic: Forceful One-Inch Punch!"

The impact of the punch reverberated around the room, with Kian having placed the punch almost perfectly, then applying his Force Magic: Normal Contact Force to defeat the minotaur. It let out one last weak groan, and fell to the floor in a heap of dust.

"Hey, no fair!" Lars said. "I thought you would only knock it away!"

"To the victors…" Kian started, then stopped as he heard something.

It was a weird sound, to say the least.

"Hey, Kian," Lars said, slightly spooked by the strange sound. "I get a bad feeling about this dungeon. There's something the higher ups don't want us to know."

…

Dorothy Unsworth and Nozel Silva stood in front of the Wizard King, his office bathed in the golden light of a setting sun. Both captains listened carefully as Julius spoke.

"As you're aware," the Wizard King began, "a new dungeon has appeared on the border between the Clover Kingdom and the Diamond Kingdom. While we've had success in retrieving valuable artefacts from past dungeons, this one is different." He leaned forward, a rare seriousness etched into his usually calm expression. "Inside this dungeon lies something called the Primordial Core."

Dorothy tilted her head, her usual whimsical demeanour momentarily replaced with curiosity. "Primordial Core? What's that?"

"The Primordial Core is a legendary magical relic, said to hold the raw essence of magic itself," Julius explained. "Whoever claims it can access an almost unlimited reservoir of magic and potentially wield any magical attribute. It's rumoured to grant its bearer powers far beyond normal limits." He paused, letting the gravity of his words settle. "The Diamond Kingdom is aware of this as well. They've already dispatched some of their top warriors to claim the Core for themselves."

Nozel's eyes narrowed. "So we're looking at an arms race for this power? If they get their hands on it, it could tip the balance of power."

Julius nodded. "Exactly. The Core isn't just a treasure—it's a potential weapon. If the Diamond Kingdom gets it, they could reshape the magical landscape entirely, and not in our favour. The good thing is, however, the Core has a cycle, and according to that, it won't be active until 11 months from now."

Dorothy blinked a few times, then let out a soft giggle. "Sounds like a lot of work, huh? But… I'm not really the 'rush into danger' type."

Nozel shot her a sharp look, clearly unamused. "This isn't a joke, Dorothy. The Diamond Kingdom getting their hands on that core could lead to war."

Julius smiled slightly, holding up a hand. "You won't be going yourselves. I'm well aware of the dangers, so I'm sending your subordinates."

Both captains looked at him, surprised.

"Dorothy, Nozel, your squads are some of the most capable in the Clover Kingdom. I'm entrusting this mission to the Coral Peacocks and Silver Eagles. I want your most talented mages to retrieve the Primordial Core before the Diamond Kingdom can seize it."

Nozel straightened, though a flicker of concern crossed his usually stoic face. "Are they truly prepared for this, Wizard King?"

Julius nodded. "They'll face dangers, no doubt. The dungeon will have its own defences, and the Diamond Kingdom's forces won't make things easy. But I have faith in your subordinates."

A/N: What magic types would YOU like to see added into the story? I want your feedback.

Enjoy your evening/afternoon/morning/whenever