"Form up! Don't let the monsters through, and someone please silence those sirens!" Alise shouted at the Ninkarrak familia as she took point in our column.
We'd finally reached the 27th floor the last section of the Water city, and our spirits were high. Water City hadn't been particularly troublesome mainly tedious as we had to snake across the cliffs and caves as a long column.
Of course that didn't mean it was easy. The groups of Ninkarrak familia filled the narrow paths entirely, so sudden ambushes from newly born monsters emerging from the walls and floor or snake and fishlike monsters leaping out of the water were quite troublesome.
Our current situation highlighted that quite well. Stuck against the walls, and under bombardment from sirens hovering over the river the lower-level familia with us was struggling. Even their healers were no longer able to keep their frontline in top shape.
Astrea Familia and I darted around alleviating pressure where we could. But even then, with more and more monsters spawning those sirens needed to be silenced.
Kaguya and our eyes caught each other. I understood her intention easily. The sonic blasts sirens launched weren't exactly block able, but they were avoidable. If both of us dashed over those waters at the same time one of us could draw their fire whilst the other cleared them out. Of course manoeuvring over the Waters in the air was an entire issue all itself…
I nodded and dashed in first. I was tougher then her and could move faster if I managed to reach the ceiling. I'd draw the fire.
Even before my thoughts caught up to me my feet had left the blue stone pathway. I sailed through the air right into the midst of the sirens. They scattered around me and dived low letting me sail over them.
But their attention had turned to me, letting up the pressure. Hopefully those on the ground could beat the other monsters back while we dealt with these.
I focused back on my task. The dozens of sirens swimming around me launching volley after volley of physics defying sound blasts at me were concerning enough. Right as my feet were about to touch the ceiling another blast landed right were my feet were flinging me away.
I muttered a silent curse as I felt the impact reverberate through my grieves.
Right then. I reoriented myself as I flew and looked around for anything I could push off of.
As my eyes were roaming the environment I saw the red blur of Kaguya's form dash across the water and moments later a sword pierced straight through the twisted humanoid head of a siren. Without losing a second she withdrew her newly made sword curtesy of a Goibniu familia smith and kicked at the water.
A blast appeared on the surface as Kaguya skipped across the waterline towards another bunch of the flying monsters.
With her now in proper position all I had to do was keep the sirens' attention on me and wait for her to pick them off.
And now I also had a way to properly move around.
As I was flying past an over eager siren coming at me with its claws, I latched onto it and spun using its mass to let me fall down onto the water.
I let go of the monster only breaking its wing as I left. But well, I shouldn't have bothered. A wave of blasts hit right where I was a second later and obliterated the unfortunate siren.
I spun away from the shower of monster blood and guts. I wasn't exactly fond of getting showered in gore.
My eyes darted to the Sirens still getting ready to launch another volley at me. But they were too late. Just as I was right over the water My right foot slammed into the surface at a ridiculous speed.
The subsequent blast sent me careening forward. It wasn't the elegant skips of Kaguya, but I didn't exactly need precision. My dashes carried me forth as volley after volley of sound blasts missed me.
Though with each subsequent volley there were fewer blasts heading my way.
Kaguya's sword flashed in the edge of my vision cutting through another siren and she skipped across once more. She was almost done.
I'll just help her finish this earlier then. My blood was boiling.
Let loose a little
I blasted towards one of the remaining sirens even though I saw it getting ready to shoot another blast. It was a bit too difficult to control my dashes, unfortunately, I'd have to take it head on.
What could it even do?
The siren screeched as it fired the blast, and I only raised my baton held in my left hand to block. Even if it wasn't effective, I'd trust my hand to take the blow first.
A few milliseconds later my hand collided with the blast. I grit my teeth as the waves of sound exploded against my vambraces and shook both my flesh and bones. I could feel my flesh being crushed and my bones stretching under the pressure. I grit my teeth and pushed through.
My right hand flashed forward and my sword pierced through the eye of the siren that had launched the blast making a shower of golden feathers fly away. It wasn't dead yet, so I brought my rapidly regenerating arm around in a smooth uppercut with the end of my baton.
Revel
The impact sent the monsters twisted head flying off as my sword was ripped out through the jaw. I latched onto the magic stone now exposed inside the corpses neck and pocketed it uncaring of the blood flowing on my hands and pristine white silk of my cape.
Enjoy yourself this world is cruel after all
I kicked back off the water careening backwards as I heard another blast coming my way. Just as I turned to destroy the one responsible, I saw Kaguya cutting it apart as well. That sobered me up real fast.
Shit that was reckless. The chiding laughter of the voice in the back of my head clearly told me what was responsible. Ugh…
I hadn't even noticed.
I shook my head and glanced over at Kaguya who was heading back towards the column. Looks like our group had also mostly beaten back the monsters and was now just clearing up the last few.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Or at least I was in the middle of it until I saw the shadows under the river's surface.
More monsters.
"Monsters coming from the Water!" I shouted out a warning towards the column but even as a few heard me they couldn't react in time as the snake-like monsters leapt out of the water.
I watched in shock as one of them latched their razor-sharp teeth onto the arm of one of the spearmen. I saw as his eyes opened wide in fear and his dog ears stood up.
I didn't think. I kicked the water and covered the distance between us in less than half a second. My sword bit into the lower jaw of the snake and pierced through to the stone floor. Now that it was pinned, I slammed my baton to the side of its head and cracked its teeth with a punch from my now swordless right hand.
My left foot broke into its mouth through the gap and my baton pried into its jaw. With little difficulty I forced open its jaw and reached my hand inside to grab the severed hand. If people could reattach arms with little more than ice and a few stitches, I'm sure they could do it with potions and magic. I tossed the arm at the spearman crying in shock at the floor, who didn't manage to catch it as it fell on the floor.
Of course he couldn't he's in shock! Am I an idiot?
Not prepared for the Labyrinth
You shut up.
I punched again at the snake caving in its skull and ripping out the magic stone. A glance showed that the other monsters were already being taken care of. I had time.
I kneeled down at the man in shock.
"Get us a healer here!" I shouted as I began laying him down properly. I needed to stop the bleeding.
I didn't have a tourniquet! How the hell do I stop a severed arm from bleeding. I pulled out a roll of gauze and began making a makeshift tourniquet. Thankfully I heard a healer rushing here.
A wolfwoman slid across the ground and into my vision with a staff in hand and began chanting. Another person came from somewhere and began helping me stop the bleeding and started attaching the arm.
Thankfully the cut was smooth.
I slid away letting the professionals take care of him as the situation began looking stable.
I sat next to the spearmans head. And sent his fearful eyes a reassuring look. I wasn't sure exactly, but he'd be fine.
I laid my left hand on his shoulder comfortingly. I didn't show him my right hand, didn't know how he'd react to that best not to tempt it.
"Merman horde!" Someone screamed out.
I didn't show the laying dogman my grimace and instead stood up to retrieve my sword. I saw Alise nodding at me from the side. Looks like we'll be taking care of this wave ourselves.
I nodded at her and began weaving through the supporters, healers and spearmen of the Ninkarrak familia.
We were almost at the safe point just a little push further and we could rest and recuperate.
They are marching to their deaths
We'd managed to reach the 28th floor, with a lot more injured people than we'd planned on. But we had still reached it.
Tents were set up and camp was established around a central tent with all the healers and wounded inside. We'd be resting here for a day or so to let the wounded get back on their feet and to organize for the descent deeper in.
I'd set up my tent next to the Astrea familia's and then left to check up on Alise and Sargon who were most likely around somewhere near the central tent probably in Sargon's tent discussing how to move forward.
I moved through the camp waving back to the Ninkarrak familia members who either shouted in thanks or a greeting as I passed by. Thankfully they were all too busy raising tents and preparing food to talk to me, so I was able to get past easily.
Once I saw the painted cloth of Sargon's tent and heard the two voices talking inside, I quickened my steps.
I kept going until I was just before the tents flaps, I called inside.
"May I come in?"
"Oh, Taylor? Sure step right in." Alise called out from inside.
"Huh? No wait!" Sargon shouted in confusion as well from further inside, but I'd already parted the tent flap.
Alise was looking on in pitying humour at Sargon whereas he was busy trying to hide himself in a bundle of cloth, which I assumed was his sleeping bag. I could only see his naked upper torso and head; he was concealing everything else.
His face was sweaty, and he himself was kind of pale. He frankly didn't look well and that was without the slightly pained expression on his face.
"Sargon are you all right? You don't look so well." I asked him. He must've been wounded as well if he looked like this. Or something else was wrong. Either way he looked like he needed help.
His face blanched a little.
"Ah… well I'm just a little tired from our march here…" He lied poorly.
I raised an eyebrow, and he groaned lightly.
Alise leaned down to his level and slapped him lightly on the head.
"Idiot, if you're going to try to look tough at least do it properly! I taught you better than this." She chided him in the way an older sister might, even though I was fairly sure she was younger than him.
Sargon looked slightly panicked at her words and tried to bury himself deeper into the sleeping bag.
I clicked my tongue. I see.
I walked right up into the tent and up to Sargon's lying form.
"Excuse me." I intoned and grabbed at his hands uncurling his fingers from the cloth and ripping it down. Much to his apparent displeasure as his ears flopped all the way down.
Just as I'd suspected there was a wrapping of bloodied gauze covering his wound towards the lower abdomen.
I looked at him in a displeased manner and he squirmed around under my gaze.
"Taylor… that's a bit too forward." Alise snarked from the side. I turned to see her slightly blushing with her gaze averted. Though the smirk I could see clearly told me she found this funny more than anything else.
As a grown ass woman I got what she was talking about easily and shut it down instantaneously.
"I'm not going to fuck a wounded guy, Alise." I sent back with a bit of unintentional heat in my tone.
Alise's smirk disappeared.
"Ugh… that was a bit tone deaf, I guess." She uttered.
I barely held back from saying "You think?"
I shook my head instead and turned back to my query.
"Sargon, why the hell aren't you in the infirmary. This looks serious." I chided him.
He averted his eyes from mine and laid back down.
"I…can't let my familia see this. I already brought them so deep down, if they think I'm faltering their morale will break." He admitted.
I frowned but clearly saw his point.
"Did you get it properly treated at least? Some potions or magic?" I asked him.
He nodded his head whilst still averting his eyes. I got closer and leaned over him inspecting his wound closely.
"Use your words." I spoke.
He flinched but began speaking.
"I… I used my own magic, it's slow acting but it'll heal this in a few hours." He finally admitted.
I nodded satisfied.
I leaned back getting out of his face and covering him with the blanket before standing up.
I rubbed my face slightly.
"Alise, if your discussion is finished, can you come with me? Let's leave him to rest."
I semi-ordered to her.
She glanced between me and Sargon for a second before nodding.
"Sure, he'll be back on his feet soon enough. We'll cover the rest later, alright?" She addressed the last part to Sargon, who had something to say to that.
I sent him a soft glare and he closed his mouth.
I nodded with a satisfied look at him and turned to leave. Alise followed right after me with a soft wave at him.
Once we exited through the cloth flap and got a bit away from the centre of the camp, I finally asked Alise.
"What happened?"
She grimaced lightly.
"A merman leader, it speared him through at that last wave. He asked me to help hide it. So I did. He's been using his magic all the time since we arrived here as well, he's on the verge of mind down. I just got him to rest and even then, he's been trying to talk to me about organisation." She whispered.
Mind down, a condition that happens when an adventurer overuses their spells and runs out of "mind". Symptoms include sweating, lower body temperature, tiredness, weakness in the limbs and in extreme cases also unconsciousness. I'd read up about it from the guild when I was researching adventurers.
"Why is he pushing himself so hard, his familia has a lot of healers, surely they could handle things on their own?" I muttered lightly back at Alise.
She looked at me oddly before explaining. "You know how his familia is a Medicinal familia first, dungeon explorers second? Their monetary situation is probably even worse than ours are, ever since the Miach familia fell Dian Cecht has been pushing his familia to overtake smaller familia as well. They are stepping into markets and running familia like Ninkarrak familia out of them." She began telling softly.
So I suppose they were also here to make a profit and potentially level up some of their familia. Or maybe get some new spells to be able to compete.
"If they don't take risks now, their familia will dissolve. He's trying to not dishearten his familia since this expedition is already such a big risk." I guessed.
Alise nodded.
"Exactly, they need this expedition but since our numbers are so few this delve is a whole lot more troublesome since last time. But they need the drop items we are gathering and the potential new skills and spells this will grant them. Or else they can't keep up with Dian Checht."
I grimaced at her words. Either don't take the risk and have your entire familia dissolve and be absorbed by the larger one or potentially get everyone killed but continue as a familia.
"He took the gamble and doesn't want the rest of his familia to think they lost already."
"Pretty much… Their familia isn't like ours, most of the people in there only want to get ahead in life. Only Sargon's tribe, who followed after him to Orario, are loyal to their goddess. If the rest think the expedition failed already, they'll lose heart and begin infighting. Camaraderie can only take them so far and that relies on Sargon." Alise's words were soft, disappointed in the people she was talking about but not angry.
She knew it was just how things were.
Joining a familia just to get access to a Falna and some skills?
…I couldn't imagine it. Giving a god that much power over you for something as paltry as strength or money was out of the question for me. Maybe if I hadn't had so much trouble with authority in general, I could have considered it. But right now it just sounded like needless strings.
I was too tied down already.
A familia like Astrea familia just plain made more sense to me. At least you'd know your goals when you joined and got some loyal friends. Hell it was closer to family with those girls.
"Don't tell someone from his familia to take care of him. I'll visit him in a bit to get him some food and help him out." I said to Alise.
She just chuckled lightly before making a heart with her hands and winking at me.
Jerk.
Ryuu Lyon Warrior of Justice
"Sorry we lagged behind in packing like that…"
Kaguya glanced at me from our position at the vanguard of our column.
"You said it six times already, it's not like I'm not used to you being clumsy, so it's fine." She rolled her eyes but replied kindly.
"Still to think that Alise would pack so much ink…" I uttered in horror at my remaining memories of the scene.
Kaguya nodded her head. "It was like an avalanche pouring onto you. At least she did get to use some of it with Miss Taylor before it ended up like this." She replied as we kept our eyes roaming the forest around us.
I shuddered at the reminder. I'd really thought I would drown right there.
Right as I was about to comment on it, I saw a figure move at the edge of my vision. A closer look confirmed what I'd thought.
"Power Bulls, a lot of them." I told Kaguya and the Ninkarrak familia members behind us, who turned their spears towards them immediately and shouted out a warning to the groups behind us.
Kaguya drew her sword, and I began getting ready to cast my spell but just as soon as I opened my mouth two flying forms passed over us.
The flames flowing around one made it clear that it was Alise and the flowing white clothing of the other wasn't tough to figure out either.
I stopped casting the moment I saw them. Those two are really going at it. Alise was lagging behind Miss Hebert especially with that absurd knife of hers, but they were both cutting apart the bulls at record speed.
"They are intercepting them… they must think it's dangerous for Ninkarrak familia to fight large category monsters like those." Kaguya whispered to me at a voice too low for those around us to hear.
I didn't say anything back. It was likely. Our allies had been taking more and more of a supporter role as we descended further. Nothing to be done, level 2s weren't exactly supposed to come here after all.
Right now their function as a medicinal familia was much more important.
"Another bunch! From the opposite side!" Another alert was shouted, and I turned to see Lyra heading that way with Sargon and the other executives of Ninkarrak familia in tow.
I checked in with Kaguya only to see her nod my way.
We needed to support them. Alise and Miss Hebert were too busy with those bulls, and I didn't trust the lower-level members to be able to hold on against the giant lizard monsters of the Dense Forest Ravine.
Especially the Bloodsaurus with their though scales. Seem Lyra was one step ahead of us though. She shouted something at the adventurers behind her and the lower-level members began throwing something I recognized.
We'd gotten a wide variety of magic items from Miss Hebert's supplier, some of them things we'd not even thought possible. Such as the bombs being thrown right now. Acid, specifically acid specialising in weakening monsters' natural armours that also wouldn't effect human skin.
Even Asfi, who had been visiting our home to deliver Lyra's new goggles to help her vision, was shocked into silence by the miraculous things we'd received.
When the bombs came down, I was really able to appreciate that. Splattering the yellow substance the moment they touched a surface the canisters cowered the charging horde in the substance.
Less than a second later smoke rose from the cowered lizards. Their tough hide and armoured scales melting off right before our eyes. The bombs couldn't finish them in a timely manner, but they did leave them open to a volley of javelins launched by the lower-level members.
The first volley thinned the masses and the subsequent charge by Lyra and the people around her was almost enough to shatter it wholesale.
Guess we had to be the last touch. Kaguya and I dashed in our swords flashing by cutting smooth lines through exposed flesh.
The new mithril sword called… "Head splitter" and the remade "Justice bearing sword" were performing really well as expected from such dedicated smiths. Though…
I needed to have a talk with these blacksmiths their names were terrible. Hmm…Since the mithril one has that quote from Wishe it should be "The Blessing of Comedy".
Hmm… Too long. "Blessing" will do.
And for the reforged sword… Well the only option is "Revolving Justice". After all Justice goes around and comes around.
Yep. Those fit.
"You're lagging behind Leon!" Kaguya shouted over as she cut through the sloughing flesh of another Bloodsaurus.
"I had to decide on something important." I replied as I brought the lightly humming Blessing around and through the neck of a monster and slammed the edge of Revolving Justice into another's eye.
"Knowing you it's something stupid like the names of your swords." She commented as we cut our way through to Lyra's group.
I felt the tips of my ears go red hot from embarrassment. She knew!
I kept my silence.
She began snickering.
Ughh! Damnit!
I dashed forward skipping along the remains of monsters and towards the remaining few.
"You shouldn't run off because you're embarrassed Leon, it's unsightly." Kaguya chided in that knowing tone she used whenever she knew she had me.
"If you two don't stop bickering and start killing more I'm going to show you what's unsightly real fast!" Lyra shouted from her side of the battle.
I even got shouted at…
With frustration in my heart I let the almost singing whistle of Blessing pierce through the revealed flesh of a blood saurus and into its heart.
I sighed out in frustration as we finally managed to wipe out the last remaining monster on this side. Right as I was watching the supporters rush in to carefully extract the drop items and magic stones from the acid, I heard a terrifying roar.
Undoubtedly it was that of a monster, and a strong one at that. It was also uniquely haunting almost agonized. It made me freeze in terror for a second. I began turning towards it only to hear another roar answering the first one. The recognizable one of a Bloodsaurus.
The answering roar was noticeably less powerful, even though I was sure it was from an enhanced species. So what the was the source of the first roar?
I turned on my heel with Blessing and Revolving Justice brought to bear.
But I saw no second monster. Just a massive Bloodsaurus and Miss Hebert charging at each other.
Another haunting roar came, and I finally understood its origin.
It was Miss Hebert. She made that monster like roar. And with her charging forward at the Bloodsaurus I couldn't exactly say she looked like an adventurer. More like some sort of apex monster that was set on punishing an interloper. She dashed forward with that knife in her prosthetic hand and nothing in her left one.
They crashed into each other and the savage battle began. No… calling it a battle was misleading; it was a slaughter. The enhanced species thrashed around trying to hit Miss Hebert in the throes of her berserk rage, but its claws and teeth simply could not keep up. The knife smoothly severed pieces without even spilling blood whereas the savage teeth and arm tore chunks out like a hungry wolf savaging a person.
I watched in horror as the enhanced species Bloodsaurus was torn to pieces with nothing but animalistic wrath and a weapon that surpassed the highest grade. It was… impressive but shocking.
The usual efficient and elegant fighting style I knew was nowhere to be seen.
Miss Hebert stood still once she was done ripping out the enlarged magic stone. She stood there simply breathing heavily. But none of us watching saw her as a triumphant adventurer overcoming a great challenge.
This was simply the laws of the Dungeon being enforced. The greater monster devours the lesser. The blood that covered her face and mouth only seemed to reinforce that point.
I walked closer towards Alise who was stuck watching the fight just like the rest of us. But there wasn't fear in her eyes. Only… worry.
"That's not very fitting for her, is it? Hmmhmm… She shouldn't be like that, she needs help." She uttered to me clearly when I neared her. Even as she held up her chin and began turning on her heels her eyes lacked the humour she outwardly displayed.
In her eyes I saw none of the shock that clung onto the rest of us only concern for Miss Hebert's sake. It broke me out of my own shaken state.
Miss Hebert… that wasn't normal, any of it. It was almost like she was possessed.
Whatever the problem was it needed to be handled. This sort of affliction… it would surely drive Miss Hebert to an early grave if we let it. That sort of rage might be fine here, where she simply overpowered everything around her. But deep down, a single misstep could get her killed.
"I-I think we should…. No, we need to intervene here." I said firmly to her in reply.
Alise nodded slowly.
"We'll bring in the others to this too. This sort of thing… It doesn't sit right with me letting it sit. Even more so than usual." She stated clearly while still observing with deep worry in her eyes.
We would help Miss Hebert with this… affliction.
But we'd need to figure out what was wrong with her first. This secret of hers isn't something we can casually look into in our time now.
We would finish this. We'd kill Udaeus and return to the surface safe and sound. And then we would help Miss Hebert.
We will do this.
They'd seen it clearly.
That dinosaur… I'd just been too deep in, and they'd seen it. All of them had.
I saw it in their eyes, the slight onset of fear. The slight bit of distance they kept from me. Not much, just enough to be noticeable.
But concerningly enough they also had admiration. As if that monster I'd lost myself in was something to be admired. A red rage that consumed all and sought naught but to devour everything.
Some of the werewolves, the ones dressed like Sargon, said something as they passed me. "Beloved of Nergal", a god of war. At least Sargon had told me so. He'd not explained the context behind it, but I could guess that they were praising it.
Beastification was something beast people like them used. To them my loss of control must've looked like an intentional thing. A technique to push beyond my limits. They admired and feared my strength in equal measure. Even Sargon had that glint in his eyes, it was lesser but still there.
It was… disturbing. A loss of control wasn't something to be praised, it was something to be treated, avoided.
You only returned to what you always were
I have always been Taylor Anne Hebert, a human. Not a monster…
No that is wrong. I have been a monster many a times, but it was always because of my choices. I chose to be that monster because I had believed it for the best. I solely was responsible for my actions.
…
Now that I finally wanted to be nothing more than Taylor, I was being forced into it.
Amidst these rolling waves going through me there were few things to cling onto.
Alise, Leon, Kaguya and Lyra.
They didn't shy away from me. Even though they had seen it and realised just how out of control I had been they didn't step a foot away from me. Their eyes didn't hold fear or admiration or disgust. Only worry.
It made me glad.
They didn't say anything, didn't mention a thing. But the silent support they kept up was more than enough.
And you will pay them back by dragging them to their deaths
My mouth set into a thin line as I saw another bunch of monsters up the road. A warning came and our party was formed back into a defensive formation. Our tactics had changed only the highest-level members stepped forth and established a battle line. With the rest serving as supporters.
We were exposed to a flank but with the magic items they had the weaker level twos should be able to live until one of us could turn and relieve them.
I unsheathed the nanothorn knife and took point with my baton in my left hand. I'd go after the peluda they were the most dangerous monsters here.
"Let's go, ladies and gents." Alise called out from beside me and we rushed forth. Trying to beat back a tide with a paltry ten people. I was distracted. I knew I was. I was being careful to keep the voice at bay.
Why don't you drag your friends to me? They could join us as well
My sword still in its sheath on my belt rattled on its own. Almost like a warning. And in that second a bone projectile shot by a skull sheep slammed into the level two member of Ninkarrak familia a meagre five meders next to me.
The spike pierced through his eye and went out the back of his head crumpling the skull in its wake.
I could have blocked that…
I should have blocked that.
Laughter, the voice laughed at my powerlessness.
This is what you get
Others around us cried out the fallen's name
I heard nothing.
Another one of the level two's fell to a peluda's poisonous spine stabbing through her breastplate. Dead in seconds. The poison had already spread through her body. The supporters rushed forth in vain to try to treat her.
I leapt forward with a roar trying to break out of my throat. I held it in as I pierced through the responsible monster's skull.
I ripped out the stone even as something tried to stab through my clothes and failed against the fabric. My knife swung around even as I was sent flying by the tail whip of a peluda cutting across the line of monsters.
They began descending on me.
Slaughter them and devour it all!
I heard nothing but white noise and swung. In that second right as I was about to descend even deeper, I felt warmth.
Heat, from a fire.
"Agaris Alvesynth." Alise's voice broke me out of my blind rampage, and I ducked low to avoid the spear of a spartoi coming towards my chest.
The spartoi was blasted into smithereens by the explosive flames of Alise. She must've dashed in the moment she saw me losing control.
I saw a grim look in her eyes, but she was just as exposed as I was. A fan like boomerang came out of nowhere and smashed into the body of a nearby wolf like monster. Cutting straight through and spinning back around.
"We'll support you two idiots, so break through them!" Lyra's voice rung out through the corridor and I saw clearly that Kaguya and Leon were running this way.
Blindly charging in after me. To make sure I didn't stumble and fall.
Ahaha! You're leading them right to my grasp
It was only the sort of thing their familia would do. To trust in someone like me so deeply that they would rush in right after me. It was something only they were daring and foolish enough to do.
I suppose you should expect that from a familia devoted to justice.
I silently cut through the body of a nearby peluda and smashed the head of another into the ground uncaring of the spines I stepped out of the way from.
"Arvana!" Alise triggered her spell again sending flames flowing off her sword and blasting through a mass of spartoi. Her strength was far beyond what was usual for her, the same strength I'd only seen against the Juggernaut.
Strength that almost matched mine despite her level four status. With her battle cries resounding off the stone walls I felt my blood rushing through my body.
I dashed forward with Astrea familia right on my heels, we'd bulldoze these monsters before any more of our allies fell.
Will you?
I smothered the voice with nothing but fury.
The doors to the Throne Room were not too far ahead…
We just had to push a little further!
The girls and I were sitting against the walls of the throne room, resting before going inside and waiting for our allies.
The Ninkarrak familia were busy preparing their defenses.
"Plant those spikes and break the walls! We need to hold out until Astrea familia beats Udaeus." Sargon was shouting constantly directing his familia into entrenching with their backs against the walls.
A healer girl, at most of fourteen years old stepped towards us and bowed her head nervously.
I listened half-heartedly as she told Alise she'd cast her healing spell on us to replenish our stamina and heal our injuries. Apparently, she was some sort of prodigy.
She was dragged in right after you
I shook my head to dispel those thoughts and continued going over my gear as the girl chanted. The stamina and healing potions, smoke bombs for emergencies, more of Fels's acid bombs, my weapons all three of them they were all ready and easy to access.
My armour and clothes were on properly with no noticeable damage.
I myself?
About to die
A flex of my will silenced the voice. I hoped it would hold but…
I wasn't so optimistic; I'd need to watch out for it.
But I was ready.
A turquoise blue light descended over me and the girls as the healer's chant was finished. I could already feel my stamina returning to me and Lyra especially let out a relieved breath. I saw her take off her new goggles and rub her scarred face.
When she saw my glance, she shot me a confident smirk. I felt ashamed I saw so easily through it. I smiled anyways. Lyra was the weakest among our numbers with her level three status. She could hold her own against the monsters here with her bombs and agility, but Udaeus was an entirely different beast.
There was a reason she and Leon were on spawn clearing duty, those two weren't suited to directly fighting Udaeus instead they'd work to keep the Spartoi the monster would spawn off us. Or at least that was the plan.
Alise and I were the only ones who could properly damage Udaeus. Even Kaguya was primarily there to attract Udaeus's attention and make an opening.
I had the Nanothorn knife and Alise had her absurd strength that transcended her level along with her fire It was the only real way of killing it we had.
Even then thee plan relied on me carving open the ribcage so that Alise could reach the magic stone inside.
If that didn't work a magic bombardment from Leon might be effective. But it was Alise's call at that point. I wasn't their leader, she was and she for sure knew how to fight this thing better than me, she'd apparently done it once before.
Alise sighed out. "Alright ladies! It's time we get started!" She shouted out and stood up calmly.
Leon stood up right after her and Kaguya wasn't far behind. "I'm looking forward to ending this expedition, it's been fairly annoying." Kaguya complained as she rose and dusted herself off.
I rolled my eyes at her.
A hand came into my vision, Lyra's. She was looking at me with a confident smirk. The imagery was a bit ruined since she was 4' at most. I grasped her hand and let her pull me up. It looked a bit odd since I was a solid half a meder taller than her.
"Do all of you remember the plan?" I asked as I rose.
"Of course." Leon answered.
Kaguya simply raised an eyebrow.
Lyra slapped me on the back a few times.
Alise simply grinned.
Alright that's enough of an answer for me. I drew my baton and the nanothorn knife. I didn't thumb the switch yet. Even if lady Hephaestus's repairs had made it look brand new, she'd told me to not stress it.
The girls followed suit and moments later Alise called out.
"Sargon! We're heading in, don't try to get too bored!" Her cheerful voice caught him unawares.
He turned around rapidly and waved. "Good luck!" He shouted back.
I made a thumbs up with my left hand and raised it. Even then the girls had already begun walking in, I hurried after them.
We stepped through the threshold, and I swear I heard my sword clatter in its sheath.
We all heard a rumbling noise causing us to stop our steps and look around. Moments later a ground rumbling noise came from behind us.
We all turned around only to see the doorway being closed by rock emerging from the ground.
…
How…ominous in the most cliché way I've ever seen.
Trapped
I felt my heartbeat rise regardless.
"Is that normal?" I found myself asking.
Alise's cheerful demeanour held on barely. She shook her head vigorously.
"Nope!" She admitted with a smile.
The others looked worried as well but as Alise turned back around and kept walking towards the centre of the room we followed her.
As we neared the middle of the wide-open expanse of the throne room another rumbling began. This one expected.
Seconds later as we were shifting about into formation a massive skeleton broke out from underneath the floor. Its bones were a dusty coal black, and a crown made of two horns was placed over its head. It had no legs instead being connected directly to the Dungeon's floor. And as it roared an army began emerging from that very crowd. Spartoi, dozens upon dozens of them.
The malicious red glow in its empty eye sockets locked onto us immediately and it roared uncaring of its lack of flesh.
Lyra didn't stay idle her chant began immediately as she prepared her minefield spell. Leon followed suit beginning her own chant as she dashed forth.
I breathed out and watched as Alise chanted her own spell.
"Agaris Alvesynth." The chant finished and explosive flames bloomed from her body.
Kaguya and I said nothing as we dashed forward, I took the lead slightly. Alise began running right after us.
Our thunderous steps tore at the ground and pushed us forward at a pace that would easily overtake even the fastest cars. Comparable more to airplanes really.
But even then Udaeus wasn't considered level six for nothing. A hand reached across with immense speed forcing us to split in two. Despite her evasion it almost immediately slammed into Kaguya. She was barely able to block it, but even then, it was a swipe from a two story building sized skeleton.
I didn't falter as she was sent flying back. She would land on her feet, I'd seen how agile she was.
I kept moving towards the main body not even trying to damage the quickly withdrawn arm. I activated my knife as I ran. The moment I did I felt Udaeus's gaze focus on me.
Did its animalistic intelligence somehow know my knife was especially dangerous?
I didn't know. But as I saw a wall of bone spikes begin emerging from the ground rushing towards me, I thought it might have. I dashed around trying to outrun the rushing spikes.
I should've guessed it wouldn't be that easy. It was the signature attack of Udaeus after all.
A bit of the bones split off rushing at me from another direction. I swore as I was quickly pincered. I risked jumping above. I pushed off the ground and sailed through the air at the last moment. But the spikes didn't let up so easily a few of them thrust forth from the ground like spears.
The moment they connected with my midsection they pierced right through my clothing, which had not even been scuffed by anything up until this point. Sharp. Extremely sharp. Was my main thought as I was speared through my kidneys.
Don't let this stop you… devour it whole!
I rolled to the side slashing through the spikes with my knife to free myself as I did so. The moment my feet touched the ground I dashed uncaring of the blood pouring onto the stone floor. I saw the spikes change direction going after Alise, who was busy bouncing between the slams of Udaeus.
Like hell! I grabbed a handful of acid bombs and threw them at the massive skeleton. They exploded on contact covering the blackened bones of the skeletal monster.
But the smoke that rose off of it was pathetic in comparison to what the acid had done against everything else. The spikes were still rushing towards Alise. I hadn't managed to divert its attention.
"Alise! Spikes!" I called out to her as I hurried forth. Another slam was heading her way, so I bashed my baton onto the offending arm forcing it into the ground. My knife came down to score a wide cut against the three trunk like limb.
It was too shallow. I cut again and again but the limb rose back up regardless. I jumped away before it could come down on me.
Weak
I risked a glance at Alise and Kaguya. They were alright, Kaguya looked a bit haggard as she tried to avoid of deflect the blows from Udaeus, but she was still alive.
You will get them killed holding yourself back
Alise had managed to avoid the spikes. But they had changed target splitting off into two to go towards Leon and Kaguya.
"Leon! Kaguya! Watch the spikes." Alise warned them and they both dashed away. Leon's side looked clear of the spartoi and the series of explosions coming from behind me probably meant that Lyra was alright as well.
I dashed forth and avoided a mass of spikes being sent towards me. My knife cut through a spartoi that dashed forth into my way. This wasn't working. The spikes were way more troublesome than expected.
And the acid we'd been relying on to make him easier to damage wasn't doing much. I saw the nicks Kaguya's sword barely made against the weakened portions. This wasn't enough. Even Alise wasn't damaging the arms enough for us to get through.
Hell, my nanothorn knife wasn't much better, this monster was too large to easily harm with it. If I could get a large enough opening, I'd eventually saw through. But that meant jack shit whit constant pressure like this.
Just as I was thinking that. Kaguya began chanting. My gaze snapped to her as she desperately dodged and avoided whatever came her way. She couldn't fight properly while casting though, she wasn't Leon who could apparently use a high-level technique to fight like she did.
Kaguya could do one or the other, fight or move. She'd chosen to move instead. Smart, Udaeus overpowered her easily.
I dashed in to bat away a swing from Udaeus that would've hit her. I'd protect her as she chanted. Alise caught my gaze.
"I'll keep the other hand off her, just let her complete that chant! It should tear into him properly!"
She ordered. I nodded my head.
I dashed to the side to avoid the roaming spikes once more and leapt towards the monster. A spinning kick to the elbow forced the hand away once more and I brought my knife against the joint sawing through the hardened bone like it was nothing.
I couldn't sever the arms, but I could hinder motion.
Udaeus roared once more as it tried to bring around its now almost limp arm towards me. I stepped onto it and began running forth along it.
Its eyes flashed for a moment, and I dodged purely on instinct as a volley of bone javelins flew across the room. The spartoi had ignored Lyra and were attacking me even as they destroyed them.
I clicked my tongue. I saw the spears reaching for me and dashed back flipping through the air as I did so.
In that moment Kaguya finished her chant. "Gokou." The spell was unleashed, and she dashed forth with her sword swinging down against the semi limp arm. Five blades of light appeared around the arm all the way to the shoulder and cut down at the same time she did.
The blades finally bit into the hardened bone splitting it apart into shards all the way until the middle of the humerus.
I glimpsed Kaguya's satisfied smirk only for it to morph into a shocked expression. It was only when I heard the blow that I understood why.
Alise was sent flying off before slamming into Kaguya and launching them both across the room.
"Alise, Kaguya!" I saw Leon shout after them and in that moment one of the rows of spikes almost speared through her.
If she hadn't managed to jerk away, she would've been done for. Instead the spears only pierced through her right shoulder. She pulled away desperately with her right shoulder hanging somewhat limp.
That didn't look good. But she was safe, she was retreating. Unlike me.
I was exposed.
The other arm came like a particularly angry freight train. I braced myself as I was caught midair. No leverage to deflect and no way to dodge. I'd have to take it.
…Let's hope I don't turn to mist.
The blow came uncaring of my baton and left arm being used as a shield crushing my bones with a shockwave. I was launched further upwards as I struggled to breath between my crushed ribs.
You can just let go
I saw a second blow coming and tried to force myself to move.
It didn't work, my limbs just didn't move.
As the intact arm came my way with its fingers pointed like spears to pierce my heart and shatter the crystal inside me, I gulped down one last breath. I raised my prosthetic arm directing my knife towards it in vain.
Right as the talons were less than a meder away from my chest. A bomb hit it square on the wrist.
Lyra! I saw her shooting me a worried look. I forced my hand to make a thumbs up.
I let my momentum take me away with regenerative steam gushing out of my body. Before I even hit the ground my chest was healed, and my arm was bubbling and shifting like a fluid back into place.
I landed with a rough roll next to Alise and Kaguya. They were downing a pair of potions to heal their bruises as I stood back up.
We glared at Udaeus trying to see what it was going to do. It… smiled at us. And opened its maw.
A boisterous roar came, almost certainly laughter. The great monster slammed its intact hand into the floor shattering it sending a shockwave that knocked all the spartoi off their feet.
It reached deeper in and grasped something before beginning to pull. I saw the hilt of an onyx blade the same shade of my sword. The same sword that rattled in its sheath. Almost resonating with it.
The blade drawn for a legendary challenge…
As you are you aren't a match for it
With a triumphant roar it pulled out the rest of the sword causing the spartoi to call out with it. A series of deafening roars sounded throughout the room.
"What the hell is that!" I heard Lyra shout from afar.
"A sword? The Guild had nothing like this recorded!" Alise shouted out in surprise as well. I saw a slight onset of despair in her eyes.
The unknown. The greatest killer of Adventurers. And their greatest enemy. We were up against it.
Leon and Lyra backed off with hurry as Udaeus swung annihilating everything in that half of the room with that terrible sword.
They were sweating hard and panting harder. Leon had a wild look in her eyes as she forced a healing potion into her mouth. I almost warned her not to do it, her bones could heal wrong, but I doubted she would listen.
She swung her once wounded arm around wincing a bit as she did so. But she could move.
"Girls, I'm almost out of bombs and running low on mind." Lyra warned us as she drew her last few bombs.
This was bad. We were being ground down and other than the now ruined left arm Udaeus was not harmed. I grimaced as I saw the blank look on Kaguya's face.
Her eyes were darting around at us, taking in our haggard states.
"Damn it all." She uttered before sheathing her sword. I almost asked what she was doing before she started running towards the centre of the room. Udaeus's eyes were locked onto hers.
"Screw the spartoi! Follow right after me, I'll beat down that sword no matter what!" She exclaimed as she ran. Her voice was confident even though it was filled with frustration and fear. She was putting everything on the line to push past this.
We'd be putting all our eggs in one basket. But we needed to take risks to win this. It was our only chance.
We ran right after her.
"Taylor and I will draw the spikes! Leon start chanting and fire when we give you a clear path to the Magic Stone. Lyra! Use your bombs to weaken the ribs! Taylor and I will cut through them!" She ordered trusting in Kaguya to do what she'd promised.
"In the sky of a now distant forest." Leon began chanting immediately as she ran, not even slowing down the slightest bit.
Right as Kaguya entered its range Udaeus swung down. A tremendous swing with the weight of a damn truck and strength enough to shatter mountains backing it up. Kaguya didn't draw her sword.
I didn't call out I trusted her to handle it.
"Don't go doing whatever you want, you bastard!" Kaguya shouted out with fury. In that moment I felt Lady Astrea's aura over her. Faint, so faint almost unnoticeable even from this close. Like the mere echoes of her clinging onto Kaguya through her Falna.
"Limit off…" Alise uttered in shock right as we were just about to split.
Udaeus's tremendous swing came down, but Kaguya matched it.
Her sword was drawn so fast even I struggled to see it and parried the blow diverting the unstoppable attack to the side. Udaeus roared in frustration and drew back to swing again. I saw a couple of bone spikes traveling towards Kaguya and cut them at their roots.
She wouldn't be interrupted as long as I was here.
The skeleton monarch swung down again and was met once more with a draw of the sword from Kaguya.
The white silver of her sword flashed again and again as she deflected, diverted and sometimes even batted away Udaeus's swings. I focused my attention back on myself, she had this.
As the furious sword battle was going on Lyra dashed forth with opening, we'd made her. A bundle of bombs flew forth slamming into Udaeus's sternum. Six explosions resounded down its length. The lightning mixed with fire from her bombs threw the large monster backwards.
I saw the cracks and gauges in the bone. We could sever it… we were making headway.
But it wasn't without cost. A spear. A bone spear launched from nowhere caught Lyra square in the stomach.
She fell to one knee and then to her back with it still sticking out of her.
There goes the first one
I barely stopped myself from shouting out. The spartoi came rushing forth. This was the risk of our gamble.
And we were seeing the losing scenario appear right before our eyes.
How many more will you drag down?
Ryuu Lyon Fairy Songstress
"Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you." I chanted in desperation even as I watched Lyra stumble down to the ground.
I wanted to cry out, but my familia and Miss Hebert were relying on me. I couldn't let them down.
I continued to sing. Trying to chant faster and to muster up more magic. My steps were fast, dashing this was and the other trying to avoid the few attacks that went by Alise and Miss Hebert.
But this wasn't enough. It just wasn't enough. Even though Kaguya was pushing herself so hard! Even though she'd even gone into Limit Off! We couldn't finish it!
I saw spartoi focus their attention on Kaguya. My heart clenched. I dashed forth swinging my two swords cutting through the horde. But there were too many, even Miss Hebert and Alise would be bogged down by them.
They wouldn't be able to expose the magic stone at this rate.
I can't do this! I can't! Why can't I? Do I lack something? Am I just that pathetic?
Please! Someone! Give me the strength to overcome this. Please give me the strength to protect the people I still have!
In that moment, as my desperate pleas echoed out inside my head, as I swung my swords around, I caught another glimpse of the script written on my new sword. Written in Hieroglyphs it was a passage in ancient koine.
I knew it well; it was a beloved script of many gods. Even though I couldn't read it I knew what was written on there. "Spreading it far, the blessing of your Comedy." The second half of the verse.
"Beloved Clown, Hero of the Dawn. We yet live, bearing your Curse. Spreading it far, the blessing of your Comedy." The ending of Wishe's last ballad about Argonaut.
Argonaut was the Hero that started the age of Heroes. This very line was about people rising to match the clown that was Argonaut.
…
There was no one to help me protect my friends here.
…There was no one but me that could rise to the challenge.
I needed to be the Hero this time.
"Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveller." I continued chanting, but louder and with more fight in it as if to encourage myself.
My steps lightened. It seemed as if my vision was clearer, as if a veil had been lifted. The ache in my healed arm as my bones scraped against each other was dampened.
I could've sworn I heard the strings of a harp being played.
A voice that sounded like mine laughed lightly.
A whisper. No, an echo.
I dashed forth cutting into the mass of the spartoi. Their spears and swords came at speeds more than capable of catching a level four like me. But they missed, their nicks and cuts caught on my clothes, their thrusts and hammer blows were avoided with deft dodges.
Even through their cloud of blades I cut them apart sending their corpses flying everywhere. The pressure on the others let up. But Miss Taylor and Alise still hadn't broken through the spikes.
That was until I passed by Alise's vision.
Her eyes, clouded by despair. Her legs barely carrying her on. Her flames running low on mind. Even her absurd Skills Lubrude Bequia and Batleate Asyrath could only keep her fighting on Miss Hebert level for so long.
Her body was falling apart. But I continued singing. "Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else!" My words reached Alise, she heard them loud and clear.
The smile that had been missing on her face came back. Shaky and pained. But it was bright. It was hopeful.
Strings being tugged. A melody in my ear. The hieroglyphs on my sword shone as my spell was boosted by my two weapons.
"Taylor! Let's blow open a path, nothing held back!" Alise called out to Miss Hebert, whose murderous visage, turned with curious eyes.
Before she muttered something I couldn't hear but knew in my heart.
"Screw it." With those words Miss Hebert dashed forth as I cleaved through yet another mass of spartoi. Off to open a path.
Kaguya was still fighting. Giving us this opportunity. But every time I passed by her, I saw the bruises hidden by her dress. They grew larger with every single tremendous swing she met with her own.
With her arms giving out, her Limit Off was coming to an end. Her body just couldn't keep up.
This was our only chance. So I didn't cry out when Miss Hebert ran into spikes at full speed. Her baton and knife flashed as they began tearing through the forest of sharp bone.
She was speared over and over again. But didn't slow down. She screamed in agony, but her limbs kept moving no matter the holes being poked into them. Her beautiful white dress stopped the few blows it could even as it was washed in crimson.
Alise followed right beside her.
"Arga!" She chanted her spell key. Causing an explosion of fire underneath her feet.
"Arvana!" She chanted again when she made contact with the wall.
"ARVELIA!" She screamed out as she poured more mind into her fire. She was giving it her all.
Pouring every last bit of mind into this attack. If it failed, we did.
But they broke through. The forest of stakes was blown apart in agonising determination and burning passion.
They rushed through with stakes of bone hot on their heels. Alise chanting her spell key over and over again to keep up with Miss Hebert.
I followed in their wake. Udaeus's gaze was still focused on Kaguya as if he was angry, he had not won their duel yet. We had a chance.
I let my feet carry me as I continued chanting.
"Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy. Luminous Wind!" I finished my spell and dozens stardust orbs imbued by spirit winds appeared behind me. I didn't fire them yet; it wasn't the correct time.
As I followed in their wake Miss Hebert and Alise reached Udaeus. They jumped with their blades rushing towards the weakened sections where the ribs attached to the sternum.
"ARGA!" Shouted Alise with a wide smile on her face and a spark in her eyes.
The explosion propelled her sword through the first rib, and she kicked off towards the next.
And the next and the next. She chanted faster and faster. I could see her going pale as she almost hit mind down. Just as she finished the last rib and was about to cut at the top part of the sternum Udaeus brought the pommel of his sword onto her side.
I almost choaked as she was sent flying. Her eyes had already closed. Mind down. She flew to the side of the room away from danger.
"…!" My mouth opened and closed but no noise came as I watched her form being flung aside like a toy.
I grit my teeth and focused back on the battle.
At the same time the supreme quality weapon of Miss Hebert began flying through one left rib after the other. She dashed across the ribs cutting them all with no resistance until she reached the upmost one.
But at the last second as she just barely cut through the last one the shattered remains of Udaeus's left arm slammed into her in a sudden bash.
She got launched back with blood and steam coming off her body and mouth. The blow had broken her body entirely. She couldn't finish cutting, the last bit holding the sternum and hiding the magic stone was still there!
I couldn't fire my spell yet. But as I wondered what to do I caught Miss Hebert's determined eyes.
"CATCH!" She shouted.
I didn't hesitate.
I ran towards her and dropped Revolving Justice onto the floor. I leapt upwards as she tossed her still whirring knife and cupped her hands together. Without an ounce fear I caught the still active knife, that could've turned my hand into nothing, but a bloody mess had I mistimed my catch.
I landed my feet onto Miss Hebert's hands and pushed off with her full support. Blood splattered everywhere from her wounds as she put all her strength into pushing me forth.
I gave it my all as well, even though my muscles were begging for relief. Even as I knew my bones were bending under the stress.
I launched myself off with all of our combined strength.
The wind itself felt like it was being crushed as I went faster than I ever had.
Udaeus's tried bringing its sword around but with the last of her strength Kaguya pushed it away from my path with her sword. Collapsing onto her knees as her strength gave out.
I grit my teeth. It was all up to me. No one else could fight anymore.
The knife in my hands flashed forth cutting that last bit of bone without any resistance. I placed my feet onto it and pushed again. The plate of hardened bone was sent downwards pulled by the earth.
As I was flying through the air once more the colossal magic stone was finally exposed.
"LUVIA!" I shouted out my spell key and sent forth the barrage of stardust.
One after the other the orbs flew faster than the winds and crashed into the magic crystal. One orb wasn't enough but dozens smashed into the crystal and shattered it. The moment I saw the magic stone turn to shards and Udaeus disappear in an explosion of magical dust I scattered the orbs annihilating the remaining spartoi.
In that moment I saw the barrier that had blocked us into this place against that Nightmare crumble. Sargon familia rushed in healers and all. I was about to fall… Could I even survive?
No matter. They could take care of the rest.
Just before I fell unconscious, I felt myself crash into a soft fabric stained by blood. The smell was overwhelming, but I knew it to be safety that caught me.
…
…
An indistinct voice whispered something.
We can't…
…
The voice, eerily like mine, came again.
I'll do more than write a story… I-I'll be the hope people need.
The voice that sounded like mine laughed lightly.
...
Ais Wallenstein War Princess
I walked beside Riveria with a few of the other level fours as her bodyguards while she and some other mages followed after Finn and Gareth on the stairs to the 37th floor.
I didn't know why we were coming up here with a group like this, Finn had already told me that Udaeus would probably be dead again when we were coming back.
So what was the point of leaving the level three's behind if I wasn't going to get to fight?
It was annoying. The expedition hadn't been all that eventful this time either. Riveria had practically hovered over me and made sure to keep me near Tione and Tiona who I couldn't leave behind to kill more monsters.
…Normally I would've run off anyways but it felt like I'd been flicked on the forehead so many times for it that I instinctually decided against it.
That along with the Dungeon going weirdly easy on us as we went to the 48th floor for mapping had left me very unsatisfied.
I couldn't get stronger like this! I was already level four this I was prime stat growth time, I could've gotten so much stronger… So much closer.
But no I had to hang around and stay in formation.
My grip around my Desperate tightened again. I'd finally gotten it back from Goibniu familia but hadn't even gotten to properly stress it.
"Ais stop gritting your teeth, you'll bend them." Riveria scolded me from beside me.
"Nhn…"
I smoothed my expression. I want to see Khepera… Her training had been shooting up my stats and making me improve my actual skills. I'd even been working together with Tiona and Tione as well now, much to Riveria's satisfaction.
I needed to make headway. I needed to get stronger…
Whatever it was Khepera was hiding from me, I was sure that if I was just strong enough, she'd tell me. Then we could fix it.
I was just too weak; she didn't trust me enough. I needed to impress her. I needed to be stronger. Stronger than even dad had been.
A soft hit to my head came.
"Don't get lost in daydreams, Ais. This place is dangerous, just because you're level four now doesn't change that." Riveria scolded me once more.
But just as she was about to lecture me even more, I was saved. Her gaze snapped to Finn, who had suddenly stopped.
"Finn?" Gareth called out from a few steps behind him.
"Hmmm… looks like someone has slain Udaeus before we came here, the Guild's information was right. I can see a camp set up on the other side of the room from here. I think the tents have a medicinal familia's symbol on them." He looked over from his position before Gareth stepped up beside him.
"That's Ninkarrak familia, no way they could beat Udaeus or even come down here by their lonesome though." Gareth commented whilst stroking his beard.
"Supporters then? Can you see the tents of the other familia? Maybe Ganesha familia?" Riveria asked from beside me as she continued her walk up the stairs.
"No, no tents beside theirs… odd, most familia who could beat Udaeus would have enough members that we could spot them. Only Freya familia could really do it with few enough people, and they don't use outsider supporters." Finn commented as he too continued his climb.
I followed after them along with the other level fours. Finn whispered something to a human I had never learned the name of, though he did hang around Raul a lot, so he was probably some sort of trainer.
He nodded and ran off back towards the direction we came from.
Riveria shot Finn a questioning look.
"Just a little reassurance." He assured her and continued walking.
The moment we stepped up and I got a proper view of the camp I saw something.
Khepera.
She was there with torn clothes and a tired face talking with some wolf person.
I didn't really care about that though.
I dashed forward with all the strength my limbs could grant me but just as I was about to go past Finn, he reached out his hand and caught me by the scruff of my neck.
"Ow…"
"Ais, what did I tell you about running off?"
He still had a bright smile on his face as he asked me that.
I decided to avoid looking at his eyes and remained silent except for one thing.
"But… Taylor…" I muttered.
He tilted his head to the side before taking another look at the camp.
He huffed before letting me down but laying a hand on my shoulder to make sure I didn't run off.
"How did you even see her before me? Seriously Ais…" He muttered good naturedly.
He turned around to address the rest of the party along with a disappointed looking Riveria.
Uh oh.
"Alright, we're here already so might as well go and greet them, see if they need anything." Finn ordered and we began walking again.
I practically vibrated under his hands as I tried to hurry him along. But he kept his steady pace as he walked.
I groaned as Riveria also laid a second hand on my shoulder. I was being escorted like a prisoner!
Thankfully someone from the camp spotted us. A woman with red hair with lines upon lines of bandages sticking out from underneath her clothes ran out of the camp. She had a wide smile on her face and her laughter echoed out from her as a group of healers chased behind her.
She was far faster than them though. The scene was so odd that I almost didn't notice what the woman was lugging around. A massive onyx coloured sword at least three meders long. She was carrying it like a flag almost waving it around.
"Is that…?" Riveria muttered.
"Oi, lass! Alise! What's a young idiot like you doing with that!?" Gareth shouted over.
The red-haired woman simply laughed; I finally recognized her then. Alise Lovell, level four captain of the Astrea familia. Lauded among Orario as the strongest level four.
"Uncle Gareth! This young, beautiful, gorgeous and talented, not to mention strong, idiot and her familia just beat Udaeus! And took his sword!" She exclaimed.
"Miss Alise! Please, you have to rest it's barely been a day. You can't run around like this!" One of the healers chasing after her shouted.
"It's fine, it's fine! I feel a fire in my belly! It's like I didn't just break almost every bone in my body yesterday!" The lunatic claimed while still waving around the sword that supposedly belonged to Udaeus.
Wasn't the sword too small for that? It was large but nowhere near large enough. Maybe because it was a drop item? Minotaur horns tended to also drop smaller than the actual horns.
"You haven't changed at all! That thing Udaeus's sword?" Gareth said with a smaller voice as Alise neared us.
She skidded to a stop and raised the massive sword with one hand.
"It is! He drew it when Kaguya sliced his left arm to chunks! Though it probably drew it since we were only fighting him with five people! Hahaha!" Alise boasted.
I felt my eyebrows raise. Five people? Weren't Astrea familia level four at the highest? Besides they only had four people remaining, I'd heard of it when Finn and Riveria were discussing it.
"Five…" Riveria uttered.
Alise turned towards her to answer but I tuned her out as I saw my chance to escape. And my query was also just now exiting the camp.
I dashed before Riveria and Finn could notice they'd let go off me shattering the rock floors underneath me.
I bounded towards the figure of Khepera I saw just turning a tent to walk out. She saw me immediately and her head locked onto me as it usually did. With a sigh she opened her arms and caught me spinning both of us around to bleed momentum.
"Taylor!" I called out.
"Ais, you're here earlier than expected. Did everything go well?" She asked a bit tiredly. I noticed her eyes were slightly reddened as if she had been without sleep for a while.
I nodded even as I saw an angry Riveria heading our way.
"I even fought with Tiona and Tione as you said… We couldn't get Bete though; he was assigned elsewhere." I retold.
Taylor set me down and patted my head as she did so.
"Well done." She praised simply.
I felt a smile grow on my face under her indulgent praise.
I wanted to talk to her more but just as I opened my mouth Riveria's hand descended onto my shoulder once more.
"Ais." Her voice came. I recognized the tone. I was done for.
I sent Taylor a pleading look, but she only knelt down and shook her head.
"I'm sorry I can't intervene on this one." She admitted with a smile on her face.
As she rose up Riveria spoke again.
"Really, I'm glad she's so excitable near you but I wish she'd run off a little less." She complained as her hand tightened around my shoulder.
Taylor chuckled.
"It's normal for kids that age." She commented.
Riveria nodded as if taking it to heart.
In that moment someone else stepped out from behind the mass of tents. An elf. I remembered her from two years ago. The Gale Wind.
"Lady Riveria!?" She uttered slightly with her mouth agape.
I tuned it out as Riveria began greeting her. But right as I was about to descend into my thoughts, I noticed something. Taylor's clothes weren't light red.
They had been white the last time I saw her.
The pinkish colour concentrated mostly over the rips and tears in her clothes… It was stained blood. Washed and cleaned but still stained so much that it made the elegant white dress look red.
I opened my mouth in horror. How much… how much had she bleed? Had she fought Udaeus with the others? How had they managed to win?
How strong had they become? Had the gap between us opened wider? If she had been so drenched in blood… had Khepera almost died?
No!No!No!No!No!
She'd almost slipped away too!
She'd-
As those thoughts were running through my head a hand placed itself on my forehead.
"Ais? You don't look well, are you alright?" Khepera's voice brought me out.
There were no tears in my eyes no matter how much they begged to be let out.
I shook my head. "…Can you tell me about the battle with Udaeus?" I asked her. I couldn't be lost in my emotions right now.
I needed to know, what had happened. How close she had been to leaving me as well. How strong they were…
I needed to know everything.
Khepera looked on in slight worry.
"Of course, so long as you have time." She directed the last part at Riveria, who nodded with a soft smile.
Taylor offered her hand to me, and I took it.
"We'll need to bring up our familia here and we can head back as a larger group if that's alright with you?" Riveria mentioned.
Taylor paused for a second.
"It should be alright, we're mostly ready to go ourselves. Just need to pack up. Though I should speak with Ninkarrak familia and Alise before confirming that." She admitted.
"Oh, and I'll need to talk to Ais about her behaviour. But it can wait, no matter how much it frustrates me." Riveria continued on sending shivers down my spine with her tone.
"I'll make sure to impress on her where she went wrong." Taylor assured her half-jokingly.
Taylor was much less harsh with her lectures than Riveria. So it should be fine… probably.
Just as the two adults were descending into the details a pallum with pink hair stumbled out of the camp with an Easterner hot on her trail.
Cunning Rat and Yamato Dragon Valor. I recognized them too. Apparently the pallum and Finn had an "interesting" relationship as Riveria called it.
"Hhheeyyy, handsome you run up after me?" The pallum slurred out to Finn, who had a noticeably adverse reaction to her and stepped behind Gareth as if he was a shield.
The eastern woman closed her hand over the pallums mouth immediately.
"Please ignore her, her kidney's damaged. We had to use some special pain killers to keep her resting."
For some reason Gale Wind watched the scene with a weird look in her face.
"Even after everything, Astrea familia never changes." Riveria muttered.
Taylor's smile brightened at her words.
"I'm glad it doesn't. I've come to enjoy this quite a lot."
She commented with humour and a little bit of shame.
Hmm… Well if she's happy with it. I tugged at her hand.
She looked down with an indulgent smile.
"Alright, alright. Let's go find a place to sit and I'll tell you about our… expedition."
She said expedition with a bit of hesitation as if she'd meant to say something else and changed it at the last second.
I didn't care though. I just let her lead us away into the camp site with Riveria following after us. I guess even she wanted to hear what had happened.
As I looked at the battered and tired form of Taylor that insidious thought came again.
I needed to be stronger, or Monsters would take everything from me once again.
An: Back with another chapter this time entirely filled with fight scenes! Also Taylor's condition is intensifying over time surely nothing will go badly because of this….
Generally I don't have much to say about this chapter. It's there mostly to underline just how desperate any familia can be for success. I mean Ninkarrak familia threw themselves at floors that deep just to not be forced to disband.
Well also to highlight Taylor slipping up more and more as time goes on and Astrea familia seeing this and because they've already pack bonded to her like she's a street cat just going fuck man that needs work.
Anyways it's all background for the real meat of the chapter. Udaeus. I hope I did him justice, he is THE level 6 monster after all. Him absolutely savaging the ladies and even drawing his sword only to be met by Kaguya in a sword off has been stuck in my mind ever since the first chapter.
Also Ryuu has a lot of moments in canon where she goes absolutely mental in panic. I like that a lot about her. She has three moods: Goofy clumsy, stoic ally of justice and absolutely hysterical because shit is going bad.
And in this moment, she gets a chance to be a Hero. She takes it to the absolute joy of an echo.
As you can probably tell, I like Ryuu. I like Astrea familia. They are incredibly fun to write and despite sometimes being extremely pragmatic they are mostly goofy and have a lot of antics with each other.
Exactly the type of people Taylor needs to orient herself with. It also helps that they are all absurdly strong for their levels.
Especially Alice is so strong even level sixes like Gareth say she's strong. If Bell didn't exist she'd probably be the MC. Her skills synergise with each other so well that she can fight on the level of a level five if her opponent is strong enough.