The Dungeon's Cursed Treasures
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of The Fallen! We've got a real doozy of a chapter today so I hope you got a few extra minutes. To that end, I'll forego my usual Pat reon advertisement so that we can get to the story faster. So with no guest review questions this week, on to the story!
In The Era of Demons: Megicula's School
The school cafeteria was, as had become routine, crowded. And as had become routine over the last few days Megicula entered the cafeteria and looked around, a lunchbox containing the meal her mother had prepared for her that day. This was always the hardest part, finding a place to sit. She'd been able to find a place the last couple of times, but this time the tables had filled up quickly as several groups got together and were already unpacking their lunches.
Megicula assumed they all must've been friends in preschool or something along those lines, given their apparent familiarity with each other. This did not, however, mean Megicula was the only student standing around looking uncertain. Two people she'd become familiar with were also standing around, searching for a place to sit. It was the twins, Lilith and Nahamah.
The winged girl had admittedly been weirded out by the duo on the first day but after sharing a classroom with them for close to a week she'd found the pair to be a lot less odd than their first impression gave off. And it's not like the other students were waving her over. 'I could do worse,' she shook herself a little and walked over to the pair. "Hello," she greeted the twins, "having trouble finding a place to sit?"
"Oh, hi," Lilith returned the greeting while standing slightly behind her sister, "I'm Lilith."
"And I'm Nahamah, in case you forgot," she re-introduced herself.
"I haven't but thanks anyway," she smiled, "I'll re-introduce myself too, I'm Megicula!"
"Nice to meet you," the twins bowed before Lilith continued, "You wouldn't happen to know a place we can sit down to eat, would you?"
"The tables all have big groups at them right now," the demon girl noted, "but I think I see a place we can eat." She led the duo to a spot under a tree where they sat down and began eating. They also exchanged small talk for a bit in which Megicula learned a few interesting details about the twins, like their preferences and the like. It was a surprisingly peaceful moment, all things considered. One that would, unfortunately, not last.
"Hey, shark teeth," sounded the familiar voice of one particular demon Megicula did not want to talk to; Zagred. The boy had been nothing but annoying over the last few days so when he approached the winged girl felt a vein bulge in her head and reacted immediately, ignoring anything else he had to say. She jumped at her classmate and in no time a childish fight broke out. It was only thanks to the eventual intervention of a teacher that it was broken up.
Naturally they were made to apologize to each other but not before getting one last parting shot with Zagred sticking out his tongue and Megicula pulling up her eyelid. The teacher sighed at their antics; already certain the pair would be a problem in the future.
October 1st: Megicula's Home
Everyone was in the spacious living room of her home as a little party had been organized. Both of Megicula's parents, her brother Shemihaza, and even Lilith and Nahamah were there along with a few other friends she'd made over the last few weeks. 'Happy Birthday,' the demon girl thought happily to herself as she blew out the candles on her birthday cake. Everyone began clapping then, including Asta who was watching the memory in astral form.
The winged girl's mother approached then, carefully pulling out the candles from the cake before cutting it into slices with a knife. They'd been warned ahead of time that a lot of guests were coming so the parents had gotten a cake big enough for everyone to share. The gathered party folk talked and laughed for a few minutes until the cake was all gone and then moved on to other things. The adults began to discuss more complicated matters, the kinds of things that wouldn't interest elementary school children.
What did interest the children was Megicula's pet spider, Makura, who willingly allowed herself to be petted and pampered. She also played along with whatever game the children happened to come up with throughout the party. All in all it was a simple birthday, but still an enjoyable one.
Present Day: The Black Bull's Base
The sound of fists clashing and feet scuffling filled the air as the sun rose. Asta dodged around a few punches thrown at him before coming in with a few counter swings of his own. Bren parried them easily enough but when he went to flip Asta the anti-magic boy twisted his body around and flipped him instead. The experienced fighter was able to tuck and roll easily enough before coming back up and stopping the boy's roundhouse kicked aimed at his head.
He tried to grab his student's leg, but the ashen-haired boy pulled it back too quickly for him to capitalize on the moment and instead forced him to parry a few more punches before grabbing Asta's shirt and pants and lifting him over his head. But his student was prepared for the move and went to knee him in the head with his other leg. Bren had to let go to block the blow and Asta used the opportunity to grab the arm holding his shirt and spin around on it. He dropped behind the man and attempted to put the Sandpit Fighter in a tangled arm lock from behind while also hooking his legs around the front of Bren's legs in a grappling maneuver.
The master attempted to get the boy off of him by falling back onto the ground. Asta let out a grunt as he impacted against the dirt, his grip loosening enough that Bren was able to free his arms. But the ashen-haired boy's tenacity showed as he quickly reached back up and put the man in a chokehold. He also increased the hold of his legs on Bren's, doing his best to make sure he couldn't get up or rollover.
For the next minute the two struggled on the ground until finally, Bren tapped Asta's arm, signaling for the boy to let go. "Hot damn," he remarked while gasping a bit for air, "I can't remember the last time someone put me in a hold that tight. Once again, I'm impressed."
"Just using what you taught me," Asta responded between breaths as they got to their feet, "I never would've thought to use a move like that before you began training me."
"I don't know about that," Bren straightened his outfit and dusted himself off, "you're one of the more talented fighters I've ever had the pleasure of training. I can count with the fingers on one hand the number of people who've mastered the majority of what I've had to teach in only a month."
"That's right, you have to head on back today," Asta recalled, "any chance we can bring you back?"
"What you've learned from me should be more than enough for the time being," the Sandpit Fighter assured with a laugh, "just remember what I've taught you and add on to it, make the style your own. As for me, I might drop by for a visit if things remain quiet in the town."
"I'd like to think everything's alright there, but I understand if you're a little worried about it," the anti-magic user nodded in understanding, "so have a safe journey and thank you for taking all this time to train me."
"The pleasure was all mine," Bren smiled as he and Asta firmly shook hands, "I'm glad I got the chance to meet a kid with talent in hand-to-hand combat. I wish you all the best in your career as a magic knight."
"And I wish you a safe journey," he smiled as the two parted and Bren went on his way. It really had been an intense month of training. Asta learned numerous ways to employ his strength while also studying tactics that utilized speed, leverage, precision, and other techniques for when he did encounter someone physically stronger than him. Though it wasn't just his perspective on combat that had changed over the last month.
As the now boy martial artist went inside the base and proceeded to enter his quarters, he took note of some of the new additions that had been made. The space was now slightly larger with a whole additional room added to it. Asta had met Henry, the one who controlled the Black Bull's headquarters and repaired the damage done to it, some time during his training. He visited the slow-speaking man from time to time now, but he wasn't favored any more than the other Black Bull members.
He was just willing to grant the occasional request if a member of the squad needed something. In this case, Asta had requested an extra room in order to set up an alchemy lab. He opened the door to that room now and was greeted by the pungent smell of herbs assaulting his senses. Fortunately it was a pleasant smell, one he'd grown fond of. He also liked the fact that Henry had made the room large enough for his needs.
On the opposite side of the room was a shelf with basic materials and chemicals. He had each shelf organized for holding specific types of materials. One section was meant for holding herbs and medicinal plants like willow bark, garlic and chamomile, while another section held metals such as copper and iron. There was a section for minerals and salts that included sulfur, alum, and, naturally, regular salt.
Asta was hoping to add a little more to the section for alchemical substances as he only possessed salt pepper, vinegar, honey, wine and beer. And for the fun of it, he also kept a few dyes and pigments like indigo, wood, and madder. Near this setup was a large wooden table with two mortars and pestles used for grinding up various products. The first mortar was a shallow and wide vessel made of stone that Asta usually used for grinding spices, hard products, and certain plant parts.
The other mortar was deep and quite narrow, being made of bronze along with the pestle that came with it. The pestle was also longer with a more reliable handle and possessed a flattened working part that kept substances from moving when he was grinding them. This one he usually used for grinding extra hard products like sugar, nutmeg, or strong woody seeds. Completing the room was a bookshelf on the far left which was stocked with several books on alchemy, botany, medicine, etc.
Asta had learned how to create a number of potions and remedies in this room, though their effectiveness varied due to his inexperience. Despite that, no one could deny the eventual importance of what he did in the little alchemical lab. Right now, however, he'd merely come to check and make sure everything was in order before he got to his chores. It didn't take him long to perform the majority of them these days now that he had something of a process he followed and because his upkeep meant there wasn't as much cleaning to be done now as there had been the first time.
Once all that was done, he exited the base and went to visit his dragon, Aithusa. A lot had changed for her over the past month as well. The dragon's growth had been rapid and now she was the size of a large horse. This made it unfeasible to keep her inside and the cages containing Yami's magic beasts were already crowded. To solve this issue, they'd built a special enclosure that was large enough for the dragon to hunt in.
Asta let her out to stretch her wings for a bit upon reaching the enclosure. Her winged arms had grown long and wide, allowing the mystic beast to actually maintain a sustained flight for several minutes now and she could also breathe fire for an extended amount of time. It would be while he was patting his pet dragon's snout that Luck would suddenly come leaping in from out of nowhere. "Asta," he called happily, "forget the rest of the chores, we've got a mission!"
A Short Time Later: Forested Area Near the Border of the Diamond Kingdom
"So a dungeon really appeared all the way out here," Asta observed as he, Luck, and Noelle approached the entrance to what looked like a massive destroyed castle. "Wonder what sort of person used to inhabit the castle here?"
"Hopefully someone who put all kinds of traps and other cool gizmos," Luck bounced around excitedly at the thought of it.
"Or maybe they were nice and didn't want to kill everyone," Noelle sighed, "I'm really starting to wonder if just three people was a good idea for this mission." Her concerns weren't unfounded. Dungeons were basically magically enchanted tombs set up by people who lived a long time ago as a way to store riches, magic items, and even magical knowledge. Some findings in past dungeons were said to be so impactful as to affect all of civilization, which naturally meant it was a race to acquire the treasures in one whenever they appeared.
Of course, the ones who created the dungeons often wanted to protect said treasures to ensure no one misused them. To this end numerous traps had been placed inside the dungeons to deter intruders ranging from rudimentary pitfalls to powerful trap magic that conjured the elements against the unwelcome. As if that didn't complicate things enough, this particular dungeon had appeared near the Clover Kingdom's border with the typically hostile Diamond Kingdom. This meant the possibility of running into enemy mages in addition to traps was a possibility.
It either spoke to Captain Yami's confidence, stupidity, or just plain apathy towards his squad that he only sent Luck, Asta, and Noelle on this particular mission. 'Thankfully Finral was able to use his spatial magic to get us here this time,' the ashen-haired boy mused, 'perhaps we'll be lucky enough to have gotten here first.' Though as they proceeded into the dark passageway, he found he had another concern. "Noelle, you don't have to cling to me so tightly," Asta glanced back at the silver-haired girl, "it's making it difficult for me to walk."
"Excuse me, I do not cling," the royal denied before suddenly tripping over her own feet. Asta was able to take a kneeling stance and catch her on his shoulder.
"It seems you can still trip and lose your balance," he remarked as they both stood back up, "be careful, this is the only lantern we've got."
"Royals don't trip," Noelle insisted, "it was probably a trap on the floor."
"Keep telling yourself that," Asta rolled his eyes.
"And keep your hands to yourself," Megicula hissed like a cat, "my darling Asta is taken!"
"I can only imagine what it's gonna be like if you two ever get to talk in person," the ashen-haired boy couldn't help but think in amusement.
"Depends on whether or not her behavior improves by then," the winged woman crossed her arms. Any further conversation was interrupted by Luck suddenly pushing a stone into the wall. A large section suddenly opened up in response to the switch being pressed, allowing light to come spilling out. The sight that greeted them was both awe inspiring and strange.
The inside of the dungeon was illuminated by small floating balls of mana that revealed just how enormous the location actually was. It was a giant stone space with canals running through it characterized by numerous stone staircases. And the canals and staircases weren't just on the ground but on the walls and ceiling as well. "This is what the inside of a dungeon looks like," Asta couldn't help the feeling of awe as he looked around.
"What's going on with this place," Noelle asked, looking around in amazement.
"It looks like the space has been warped because of all the mana radiating here," Luck responded while looking around happily, "the air is crazy thick with it, there's even more than I sensed outside!"
"If you think this is impressive, you should see what some other dungeons look like," Megicula spoke up, "when no one's directing the flow of mana it can create all kinds of random effects. You could've just as easily walked into a jungle or a snowscape."
"Guess we should count ourselves lucky it was something like this," the anti-magic user thought back, "we didn't come prepared for an extra extreme environment."
"This environment has plenty of extremes," the demoness warned.
"Yeah, I sensed them as soon as we got close," he glanced at a spot on the floor, "trap magic."
"Hey Asta, come look at this," Luck suddenly called. The ashen-haired boy immediately had a bad feeling about whatever had been found but went over anyway. "See that on the ground." He pointed to a black symbol on the stone floor.
"Yeah, that's a symbol for trap-whoa," the energetic magic knight suddenly pushed him forward where he stepped on a spot that suddenly lit up with a yellow magic circle. With a quick application of anti-magic through his foot, Asta deactivated the trap before it could summon anything.
"Wow, you really can activate your anti-magic fast," Luck laughed, "oh look, another one!" He leapt up into the air and landed on it before jumping off again as it activated.
"Seriously," Noelle backed away while Asta quickly drew his sword and cut through the tower of flame right as it activated.
"And another one!" Luck came down again to activate yet more traps. Asta quickly hit the magic circle with his sword then fired an anti-magic bullet at the next closest one. Thanks to the special sensing ability he'd learned, he could spot the trap magic when it was nearby and continued to shoot anti-magic bullets until all the traps around them were disabled. The two magic knights were left breathing heavily at the antics of the one who was supposed to be keeping an eye on them.
"Wow, you're really good, Asta," Luck complimented as he looked at his sword, "that anti-magic is something else. Maybe that's why the wizard king asked for you specifically. I can't wait to take you on in a couple years!"
"Thank you for your patience, I guess," he shrugged. Though that again brought up a nagging thought Asta had been having ever since the mission began. Yami had told them the wizard king had asked for him specifically to be part of this assignment, despite the fact that the nearness of the dungeon to the Diamond Kingdom would normally call for more experienced magic knights. But it was something Asta would have to ponder later as their guide continued speaking.
"Between that and my mana sense we should make it through this dungeon no pro-," the magic knight stopped talking as he felt something. 'Huh, it looks like we're not alone here. And one of them is pretty strong.' He turned around, hiding his smile from his fellow knights.
"Uh, Luck," Noelle asked, wondering at his sudden change in mood. Lightning formed around his feet then before the blond boy suddenly leapt up.
"Sorry guys there's something I need to take care of," he announced while heading towards one of the passages on the wall, "you two go on ahead without me. I'll see you again soon!" Luck zipped through the air a couple times and disappeared down the passage then, leaving his two compatriots alone with no one else but Nero, who was sitting on Asta's head again.
"REALLY?!" Noelle practically shrieked, "what is that lunatic thinking?!"
"I'd like to think he has a good reason for running off," the anti-magic boy rested his sword on his shoulder, "if the other traps are like what we found here, the two of us can handle them."
"Maybe, but that won't help much if we don't know where we're going," the royal girl sighed.
"We'll figure it out," Asta shrugged, "the best place to start with dungeons is the center, or at least that's what I've read."
"So we just pick the nearest passage and hope for the best, wonderful," she let her head droop, "I guess I should be glad I wasn't stuck with." 'Wait a second, it's just me and Asta now,' Noelle realized, 'all alone, at least if you don't count Nero.' This brought a mild blush to the silver-haired girl's face. Something that did not go unnoticed by the demon woman who was also present.
After several minutes of exploring the dungeon, and dealing with traps, the duo eventually came across a red chest. "Huh, what's this," Asta mused as he examined it with his senses. It took him only a couple seconds to determine the malevolent intent behind the chest, meaning it was most likely a mimic.
"It doesn't look dangerous," Noelle shrugged, "it's even giving off magic power. Maybe there's an item in here."
"Noelle," the ashen-haired boy was about to stop her before being interrupted himself.
"No, let her find out for herself," Megicula suggested with barely restrained giggling.
"You just want to watch the show, don't you," Asta deadpanned.
"There's nothing to worry about," the winged woman assured, "Mimics are a danger to small animals and little magical creatures but to people they're mostly just a massive annoyance." Case in point, Noelle's whole upper body was suddenly chomped down on by the treasure chest after it suddenly grew teeth.
"AAAAHH! Help! It's dark and scary and stinky in here!" The royal kicked and swung her legs about dramatically while yelling all of this. And as expected Megicula was doubled over laughing at her plight.
"Guess you're right," the anti-magic user shook his head, "that thing's teeth aren't sharp enough to kill a person unless it spends a long time chewing on them." Still, they were racing against the clock and only had so much time for distractions like these. With that in mind, and recalling what he knew about mimics, Asta actually pushed Noelle further into the creature's mouth, causing it to gag before spitting her out. He then quickly dealt with the creature using a single swing of his sword.
"You alright there, Noelle," he asked as the royal girl knelt on the floor.
"I've been defiled!" She declared dramatically with comical tears falling down her face while indicating all the saliva on her. This only served to make Megicula laugh even more and nearly fall back on the floor.
"The good news is there are no harmful effects from mimic saliva, at least not that I've heard of," Asta assured, "you should be fine once it dries."
"As if!" Noelle shot up, "I don't care if we are on a mission, I'm royalty and royals do not walk around covered in monster spit!"
"Do you think you can wash yourself off with your magic real quick then?" Ordinarily he might've told her to tough it out, but they could waste more time arguing about it than it might take for her to get cleaned up.
"Not while you're in the room, I can't," his fellow Black Bull pulled at her clothes a little, "some of that gross mimic spit got inside my clothes and on my skin. I'll need to take them off and I am not an exhibitionist like Vanessa, so-."
"Right, I'll wait in the room next to this one," Asta waved dismissively while moving towards the exit, "just don't take too long and let me know when you're done. We still got a bit of ground to cover." He heard her 'I know' retort but by then he'd made it into the other room. This one was pretty much bare except for one defining feature: a mirror.
It was silver and three times as tall as the anti-magic user and had edges studded with jewels. "Now what do we have," Megicula stopped mid-question as she looked into the mirror.
"Megicula, something wrong," the ashen-haired boy asked. He received no answer as the astral woman approached the mirror. What he couldn't see that she saw was her deepest, most desperate desire: her parents, the ones she'd lost long ago. For several moments the demoness just stared at the mirror until finally, with a degree of effort, she tore her eyes away from it.
"Damn mirror," she cursed.
"Megicula," Asta put a hand on her shoulder, "that mirror, do you know what it does?"
"It's another trap," the winged woman answered in a matter-of-fact voice that contained a little disdain, "the mirror doesn't show knowledge or truth, just dreams. Its original purpose is to drive the victim looking into it mad."
"But I didn't see anything," the ashen-haired boy observed.
"You're one of the few people who wouldn't," Megicula revealed, "This mirror reads the mana of those who look into it and reflects back their deepest, most desperate desires. Those with low mana, or no mana in your case, wouldn't be able to activate it. But if someone like Noelle came in here, she might be captivated and eventually lose her mind. That being a possibility we can't just leave this alone, destroy it Asta."
He nodded in understanding before holding his hand up to the cursed magic item and running his anti-magic through it. The mirror shattered and the frame crumbled to dust in response, leaving no trace of it to be found. "Thank you," the winged woman turned to leave then, but she suddenly felt him embrace her with his left arm.
"You don't have to tell me what you saw," the ashen-haired boy assured, "but I know whatever it was is making you hurt inside. It's okay if you want to let it out, we still have time." Tears began to freely flow from Megicula's eyes then as she embraced Asta back.
"My parents," she sobbed, "I miss them so much! They shouldn't have had to die the way they did!" The anti-magic user lightly rubbed her back while whispering words of comfort. It would take another few minutes, but eventually Megicula would calm down enough that Asta would release her. "Sorry you had to see that."
"You don't have anything to apologize for," Asta assured her, "I know some of this stuff has been with you for a long time. Just remember that you're not alone now."
"It's not so much that I've been alone all this time," the winged woman corrected, "I just have very few people to confide in. I'm happy that you're one of them."
"I'm flattered," the anti-magic user gave a small smile. It was at this point Noelle called, telling them she was finally clean again. The duo set out once more then and continued to explore the dungeon. It would be once they exited into another large section of the dungeon that a second surprise awaited them.
Asta drew his sword as Noelle sensed a strong mana presence, the source of which became clear when a miniature windstorm obscured their vision for a moment. "So, you got sent to this dungeon too," a voice he hadn't heard in some time spoke. Three figures were revealed then, all wearing capes of the Golden Dawn magic knight squad.
"Yuno," the sword wielder greeted with a smile, "your squad was sent here too?"
"Yeah," he responded simply, his habit of saying few words coming up again.
"Wait, you know a member of the Golden Dawn," Noelle turned to her teammate.
"Yuno here is my childhood friend," Asta explained, "I guess you haven't heard me mention him before. We both come from the same village and his abilities got him into the Golden Dawn." 'I can see why,' the royal girl sensed his magic power, 'the Golden Dawn wouldn't normally accept a commoner into their ranks, they only take those who show a lot of promise.'
"Yuno," a man with messy light blue hair that hung to one side spoke up while adjusting his glasses, "why are you going out of your way to speak with this rabble? Need I remind you our mission is to reach the treasure hall with all possible haste?"
"Seems you're having a tough time," Asta noted, "your first missions going well?"
"I ran into a bit of trouble, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle," he shrugged.
"Don't ignore me!" The glasses wearing man demanded. 'What's his problem,' Noelle couldn't help but wonder until a girl with long curly vermillion hair got her attention.
"Fancy running into you here, Noelle," the other member of the Golden Dawn squad greeted, "It's been a while since we've seen each other, hasn't it? Not since last year's royal banquet."
"Yes, it has been a minute, hasn't it? How have you been Mimosa," the royal girl greeted while trying to hide the slight twitching of her eyebrow. 'It just had to be her, didn't it.'
"Everyone's been incredibly kind," the now named Mimosa greeted, "Klaus there can be a little stiff but he's really a good guy."
"I'll admit I'm surprised the Golden Dawn would take you, given you're a little dim," Noelle snarked.
"They've actually been very supportive so I can wield my magic with no qualms," the girl put her hand to her mouth as if realizing she said something wrong, "Oh, how thoughtless of me to bring it up when you've had trouble controlling your own magic! Has that gotten any better?"
"Yes, it's coming along fine, thank you," the silver-haired girl answered with forced politeness, noting her relative still didn't possess a filter.
"You know each other, Noelle," Asta noted.
"Mimosa here is my cousin," she revealed, "the Silva and Vermillion families are related."
"Oh, so you're a member of the Vermillion family," the Black Bull member's eyes lit up in realization, "that's right, the whole family used to be the Silvamillion family before splitting a few generations ago."
"That's correct," Mimosa confirmed with a smile, "I'm surprised you know that."
"I read up on as much history of the Clover Kingdom as I could in preparation for being a magic knight," Asta informed, "it's proven helpful from time to time."
"Speaking of helpful, I was told there were supposed to be three of you," the now named Klaus observed, "where's your third member?"
"Luck sensed something in another part of the dungeon," the anti-magic user explained, "I'd like to think it's nothing serious, just a magic item with a large amount of magical power. Either way its best we keep our guard up."
"Hah, a Black Bull who ran away and likely got caught up in some trap, typical," Klaus adjusted his glasses while mocking them.
"The traps here are no issue," Asta shrugged, "if something got Luck, we should all be worried. It might mean there are enemies here."
"You bulls might need to be worried but we're the Golden Dawn," the team leader dismissed, "let me show you how a real magic knight squad gets things done, Mimosa!"
"Sure," she somehow managed to keep smiling despite the sigh in her voice, "Plant Creation Magic: Magic Flower Guidepost!" Her red grimoire glowed with green energy as a large flower grew in the center of all of them. But what happened next was truly impressive as a golden three-dimensional image of the dungeon was projected above it. "It's hard to pinpoint exactly because of the warping effect happening in this dungeon but I should at least be able to plot a path to the treasure hall."
"Good," Klaus adjusted his glasses, "Yuno, take us there." The tall boy nodded wordlessly before opening his grimoire and summoning four miniature tornados beneath them and the flower guidepost. "Do your best, Black Bulls, poor as it is." The squad flew down the passage then, leaving Asta and Noelle behind.
"They make it look so effortless," the royal girl couldn't help but stare in slight awe.
"Heh," the anti-magic boy smiled despite the situation, "you're on, Yuno." He suddenly and unceremoniously scooped up his squad mate on his back.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Noelle yelped.
"We might not have Luck to guide us now, but the Golden Dawn was generous enough to show us the way," Asta pointed out, "so you'd better hang on."
"Wait, you're not seriously-AAAAAAAH!" She didn't have time to finish her sentence as her fellow Black Bull took off at a run, leaping up into the passage the other squad had taken and broke into a highspeed dash. The Golden Dawn squad had, fortunately, not gotten far and Asta's regular running speed was enough to get caught up to them in only a minute.
"Made it up here already," Yuno glanced back with the slightest of smirks.
"You can't outrun me that easily," Asta couldn't help but return a cocky grin his way.
"Good, that means I don't have to take it slow for you!" The wind construct suddenly accelerated and Asta channeled anti-magic into his legs to keep pace. Naturally this was not appreciated by their passengers who had to hold on tight. "Mimosa, call out directions when the turns are coming up."
"Okay but try not to throw me off!" She yelled back before signaling an upcoming turn. Amazingly, the duo was both able to make the turn despite the sharpness and continued down towards the treasure hall. The occasional trap was activated here and there but it did little to slow them down. In a matter of minutes both squads arrived in a massive chamber with a long stone walkway.
It led to a gigantic pair of iron doors with a gold circle on the upper portion which resembled the sun. The entrance also possessed a tree on either side. "Damn, I think we tied," Asta noted before grunting in pain as Noelle started hitting his head.
"What sort of douchebag move was that?!" She asked angrily while continuing to hit him, "I'd ask if you were insane but I'm sure that little stunt already answers my question!"
"It was the fastest way we had to travel," he caught her hands and set her down, "just consider it an incentive to learn some creation magic. Then you can ferry us around in whatever you want."
"Then I'll make a boat and use you as the ramming figurehead," Noelle responded haughtily.
"Can't wait," Asta called back sarcastically as he approached the door with the others, "so what have we got?"
"A door made of some pretty dense mana," Yuno answered as they looked up at the large entrance.
"Feel free to give it a punch or two," Klaus adjusted his glasses, "I'm not sure what you used to keep up with us but try piggybacking off the Golden Dawn's abilities in this situation."
"You never said I couldn't follow you," the ashen-haired boy pointed out before approaching the door and putting his hand on it. Using his anti-magic and other senses he was able to determine that the gate was indeed made entirely of mana. He also found that it had a locking mechanism that either reacted to a specific manipulation of mana or a certain type of mana. "Megicula, I'm going to need some help on this one."
"What are you concerned about," she asked in his thoughts.
"This gate is pure mana, so I can cut through it easily enough," Asta began, "but I don't know whether or not that'll cause some kind of chain reaction."
"More than likely messing with the locking mechanism would cause a chain reaction," the winged woman surmised, "fortunately, the ones who made this dungeon would've had no cause to prepare a defense against anti-magic so destroying part of the gate shouldn't cause any issue. Also, if you're worried about the structural integrity of the dungeon, don't be. This entire structure was built like a house and not as a single whole. You can destroy one section without the rest collapsing."
"Good to know," Asta nodded before producing his sword and slashing the lower part of the right-hand door. It crashed to the ground before disintegrating, the mana holding it together disrupted due to anti-magic. The result was an almost rectangular opening that was more than tall enough for them all to walk through.
"What," Klaus, for once, had no degrading remarks about what he'd just seen, "but how could you cut through something made of such dense mana? I didn't sense a single bit of magic just now."
"I imagine the wizard king specifically asked for your squad to go on this mission," the ashen-haired boy glanced back while returning his sword to his grimoire, "well, he asked for me specifically as well. Hope that little demonstration can tell you why." He proceeded into the entrance with the others following shortly after. Klaus had to take another moment to shake off his shock before moving into the treasure hall with them.
And there was no doubt it was a treasure hall. Gold coins, jewels, chests, and other valuable items were arranged in a haphazard manner all over the room. Noelle and Mimosa were the first to touch some of the treasures with the former poking an odd floating bubble while the latter acquired a shining red cape. "It's so beautiful," she noted while admiring the find.
"Cease your fiddling," Klaus ordered, "there could be valuable magical artifacts hidden among this pile of treasure!"
"It's not like a little poking around is gonna hurt any of them," Noelle countered.
"Actually, there is one thing we should be concerned about," Asta spoke up, "some dungeons were made to house and protect one main treasure, there are even some connected to that main treasure. This means if we pick it up or move it on accident the entire dungeon could collapse. So even if there are no super valuable magical artifacts, I do agree with Klaus when he says we should be careful."
"That's…. exactly right," the bespectacled man confirmed, finding it odd he was now agreeing with a Black Bull, "So if even a ruffian is aware of these dangers that means us nobles should be as well!" Both girls pouted but responded that they understood. 'Still, that's only a danger if this dungeon was designed this way,' Asta mused.
"Megicula," he thought, "do you think you can determine if this dungeon was designed with such a trap? Megicula?" The anti-magic boy looked around when he received no answer, noting that the demoness's astral form had disappeared. 'Did she have to go back to deal with Vanica Zogratis again,' he wondered. Out of habit he focused on seeing if he could feel her presence.
Even when her astral form wasn't around, Asta had always been able to feel at least that. Which is why he grew concerned when he noticed that he could not, in fact, feel her presence. Moving to exit the treasure hall, he sharpened his senses, reaching out as far as he could to try and locate the winged woman. After a moment, the ashen-haired boy picked up on something and began running towards it, ignoring the concerned calls of his friends.
He exited the massive room and took a couple of turns. By this point the feeling of Megicula had faded, but her location had already become clear. It only took another few seconds for Asta to arrive in a barren room where he again enhanced his senses with anti-magic. That was when he noticed a magic circle on the floor.
Asta knelt to examine the magic circle and quickly discovered he didn't recognize any of the runes drawn on it. 'What is this doing here, is it part of the dungeon,' he wondered for several moments. But his decision as to what to do next was made clear when he suddenly felt Megicula's presence coming from the magic circle. Worry overwrote his reason and any other part of him that would say it was a bad idea as he stepped into the circle.
There was no feeling of being transported or yanked out of his current space. All Asta did was blink, and his surroundings had changed completely. He now found himself in a space that was colored light yellow, blue, and green. The trio of colors worked together in a sort of harmony to give the new location an interesting feeling.
Asta looked down and noted that the ground under his feet was solid, making him briefly glad that he hadn't wound up in some kind of void space or materialized high in the air. That being said, there didn't seem to be much in this space except for a series of floating islands in the distance. Even if he'd been worried about investigating them, he felt Megicula's presence coming from them and started off towards the small land masses. He was able to jump up to the first one easily enough and the islands were close enough together that he could leap between them.
It would be when the magic knight finally made it to the island where he felt Megicula's presence that he'd notice a difference. The floating land mass was devoid of the three colors that inhabited the rest of the space, feeling more lifeless and foreboding. There was a good reason for this as when Asta approached the center of the island he finally found Megicula, in a horrid position. Her astral body was crucified on a cross-like structure that lacked the fourth top section, held up by nails through her forearms and hands.
She also had a nail through her overlapping feet. Asta also noticed blood flowing from wounds on her face. He realized in horror why upon seeing that all three of her eyes were gone, leaving nothing but bleeding eye sockets. The slightest bit of movement broke the boy out of his horrified stupor as he turned to see another person was present.
It was a slim man with snow-white skin and short silver hair, sporting a face devoid of wrinkles or imperfections. He was garbed in a plain white shirt made of weave fabric with special cuts on the back for his feathered wings. The man also wore long pants that allowed for freedom of movement. But it was his eyes that troubled Asta the most.
The man could clearly see him, but his eyes looked like those of a blind man. They had no shine in them, like some kind of membrane was covering them which didn't reflect light. 'This must be the person responsible for this,' the anti-magic boy quickly surmised, 'he must wield a type of soul magic.' Megicula once mentioned to him that unlike other forms of magic, soul magic is a type of esoteric magic that can be learned by just about anyone if they have the potential for it and enough training.
It would explain how the demoness's astral self, a literal piece of her soul, had been captured. This also meant the place they were in was a place where astral beings could be interfered with, or at least that was the theory. "Disappointing," the man spoke suddenly, "I had hoped for a bit more entertainment from this one. It's been so long since I've inflicted pain on the soul of a demon, but no matter what torture I've used so far, she remains silent."
The white-eyed man turned towards Asta then, seeming to completely forget about Megicula's existence. Their eyes met for a moment, and this seemed to annoy the man more. "It seems one of the vermin has found their way in here," he noted, "Such cattle have no right to look me in the eye." The stranger moved his right arm horizontally then.
It was only thanks to his enhanced sense that Asta saw the attack coming and ducked at a sharp angle to avoid it. A streak of magical energy went by his head then, a construct that he realized in a split second was a whip. A whip which possessed plenty of power and speed as the missed attack split another one of the floating islands in half! Asta knew he had to move before the whip returned but it came back so fast, he only made it a few inches before his entire left ear was severed.
'Shit,' the anti-magic boy stumbled, realizing that the blow had also affected his inner ear, disrupting his sense of balance. Asta fell involuntarily, a feeling of disorientation washing over him as his opponent's silhouette was distorted. Thankfully, his regenerative abilities were performing at their highest at the moment, fixing his ear as he managed to sit back up. No sooner did he do this than Asta saw the tip of the whip coming right for his eye.
With no time to even summon up an anti-magic skin he twisted his head left and leaned back violently. Given the whip had been only millimeters from his face, he still received an injury from the weapon as it tore into his face, going all the way down to the bone in one area. But the Black Bull wasn't dead and as the whip retracted he cut it with his sword. "I don't know who you are," Asta got to his feet, the wound on his face healing, "but you're going to let Megicula go."
About the Same Time: The Treasure Hall
'How did things go so bad so quickly,' Yuno thought while getting to his feet, pain wracking his body with each movement, 'where did this guy even come from?' Their current opponent had shown up shortly after Asta had left. The group had debated for a few minutes if someone should go after the Black Bull member in case it had been some kind of trap which had led him away. Eventually Noelle lost her patience and stormed off out of the treasure hall, intending to find her squad mate.
Mimosa had gone to try and stop her before suddenly shoving the royal girl aside. The group's confusion at her unexpected move quickly turned into horror when a sudden mass of crystals grew out of the floor and slammed into the Vermillion girl. It was likely thanks to her cloak of magical protection that she hadn't been injured far worse, but it still put her out of the fight. The one responsible for the attack she sensed appeared then, a young man with spiky white hair and small diamonds embedded in his forehead.
He wore a white outfit with short sleeves that left his chest exposed, but his affiliation was revealed by the black fur cape draped over his shoulders that had the symbol of the Diamond Kingdom on it. There was no mystery as to why he was there: the treasure hall. Naturally they engaged this man whose name was apparently Mars, but he was strong. Yuno's wind magic and Klaus's steel magic destroyed one crystal construct after another but there were always more to contend with.
Soon enough they were overwhelmed by his assault. Since Mimosa had to heal herself and Noelle was standing by with Sea Dragon's Nest protecting her, there was little they could do to help. Soon enough, Klaus was incapacitated, and Yuno was flung back into the treasure hall. He was wounded now and finding it difficult to stand.
'I can't…. give up,' the Hage Village Boy kept repeating to himself, 'I have to hold out, have to protect the others. At least long enough for Asta to get back.' He truthfully had no idea what had befallen his friend, but Yuno doubted Asta had encountered Mars. His friend would definitely have given him a fight that would've at least left a mark on him.
'Just need to hold on a little… longer,' Yuno breathed heavily as his opponent casually strolled into the treasure hall. Time seemed to slow down then as a sound like a quiet whisper entered his ears. The magic knight couldn't understand what was being said but he felt a pull in the direction behind him. Turning his head, the Golden Dawn member spotted a scroll he was certain hadn't been there before. He knew because he'd thoroughly checked the area once already.
Yuno stumbled towards the scroll, desperation urging him on until he finally touched it. He didn't know how he knew but it connected him with a spirit in that moment, the spirit of the wind element. 'I don't know why you're here,' the magic knight thought to his new companion, 'but I get the feeling that with your help, we've got a chance now.' A small girl with pixie wings materialized then, yawning as if she'd just woken up from a long sleep.
"Good morning," she greeted, "what shall we do first, my new contractor?" A surge of wind magic erupted from the boy's body as he answered.
"We're going to fight," Yuno gave a determined look as Mars materialized a crystal armor in preparation for combat, "and we're going to win."
Pocket Dimension
A whip of pure magic flashed again and again. Asta had managed to cut it a few times but the man's control over his mana was unlike anything he'd ever seen. The weapon regrew in the blink of an eye, sometimes managing to cut his body immediately after he'd made a swing. But that wasn't the biggest issue.
Asta was on a time limit now. Megicula had been the one to stabilize the damaged anti-magic core in his body. Without the fragment of her soul within him the strain on it was too great. The more the boy used his abilities the more pain it put his body in until eventually, it became too much. Just as Asta managed to fend off another assault he coughed up blood profusely and collapsed to one knee.
'Damn, I knew this was gonna be tough,' the anti-magic user tried to keep upright, 'I've barely managed to get closer to him because of how fast and strangely that whip moves. It can come at me from all directions, I've had to watch my back whenever I try to approach. Now I can barely move and I'm running out of options.' If only he could stabilize the core, then he'd still have at least a sliver of a chance.
That's when something strange happened. He blinked and was suddenly in his mindscape. Unlike the usual times he visited here, everything was covered in darkness. There was no seeming gravity or laws of physics like usual, either, he was just floating.
As he turned to look around, he saw a figure hidden by a mass of shapeless black energy, growing and growing until it was gigantic. It was a sight that would've terrified or at least worried some people, but in Asta's case it only served to irritate him. "You really think I have time for lame jokes or excessive drama right now?" He angrily snapped his fingers, exercising his own control over the mental space as the darkness suddenly cleared, revealing the stranger to be none other than Liebe, and at his normal diminutive size.
"That's a shame," Liebe smiled evilly, "I was hoping to have a little fun after all this time."
"I don't have time for your idea of fun," Asta narrowed his eyes, "Just tell me what you want."
"Straight to the point, alright then," the demon's smile didn't waver, "what I want is to help you win this fight. Given your current physical state, I can't power you up too much and while I'd like to, I can't alter your body at the moment, either. But I can give you what you most desperately need right now: I can use my own anti-magic to repair your anti-magic core and allow you to fight at full strength again."
"Are you offering this to me now so that we both survive," the sword wielder couldn't help but question.
"Not quite," Liebe held up a finger, "there's a price, something precious I'm going to need from you."
"What's that," Asta's gaze lost none of its intensity.
"Simply put," the demon boy's smile somehow became wider, "I want you to kill Megicula!" His host's movement was fast and immediate. Asta reached out and grabbed Liebe by the throat, pulling him close so that they were staring eye to eye.
"Care to repeat that," the ashen-haired boy requested in a voice full of rage and barely suppressed fury.
"What's the problem," Liebe coughed, "you're facing certain doom right now, I can get you out of it. Weren't you planning on running away anyway the moment things looked hopeless? What's one life so long as you're able to preserve yours?"
"You don't care about preserving anyone's life but your own," Asta growled, "if you'd answered before when I'd contacted you any of the other times we might not be in this predicament right now. But you waited until now, until the situation would force me to make a choice about my survival! You thought I would just abandon or kill Megicula, but that is the one option I won't ever consider!" He roughly released the demon boy before turning away then, "now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to saving someone."
He disappeared from the mental landscape then as Liebe rubbed his neck. "Fool," he remarked, "Megicula is already dead. Even if you rejected my offer, the demon is going to die either way, even if it means we all die with her." The demon boy retreated into the shadows then as Asta awoke in the real world.
Thankfully, only a few seconds had passed in real time and the winged man seemed content to stand and wait for Asta to bleed out. "You're wrong…. Liebe," he coughed up a little more blood, "you weren't my last resort. This is: *." The language he spoke was incredibly ancient and long forgotten, but the name still invoked powerful magic. Case in point, the world around him turned grey.
Reality itself seemed to crack like a mirror and fall to pieces in testament to the power of the being whose name he uttered. Now Asta found himself in an unknown forest, but he wasn't lost. The ashen-haired boy proceeded forward, walking for what felt like a long time until he came upon a stately residence. Oddly, he couldn't quite make out the features of the building as he entered, but that soon became a secondary concern as he was greeted by the sight within.
Death and blood hung heavy in the air of the main hall as the bodies of men, women, and even children were stuck to the walls, connected by external muscles, blood vessels, and organs. All the victims were partially melted into the pulsating wall of flesh, faces frozen in pain and terror. In the center of the main hall was a totem pole-like construct made of grotesque, interconnected faces. It was the stuff of nightmares, the kind that would give most people pause and it was only because the life of someone precious was on the line that Asta was able to ignore it all and continue further into the residence.
He didn't know how, but he was being subconsciously guided to the west wing of the building until he found himself in front of a closed door. Not wanting to waste time, he reached for the handle as fast as he could before any reason to hesitate entered his mind and twisted. The sound of a heavy bolt unlocking with a metallic click was his reward as the door swung open to reveal a room with a long rectangular table that had two chairs placed at the shorter end. Said chairs were the closest thing to decoration in the room, given that they were made of flesh and bone.
No other forms of art, carpeting or even seating was present within the room. Asta, again guided by his subconscious, took a seat in one of the chairs, involuntarily shuddering at the feel of bones and dead flesh against his skin. In that same instance, another occupant took the chair opposite him. The creature, because it was most certainly not human, was shaped like an egg and lacked a nose and mouth, possessing only round eyes to indicate its face.
Its body was grey, almost black, and its long slender arms ended in claws. But other features would soon be added as the being gazed at him with its orange glowing eyes before a mouth suddenly tore open, revealing a row of sharp teeth. "Greetings," the being's voice was gentlemanly with a strange, echoing undertone, "I would introduce myself but I'm aware you already know who I am along with why you are here. I'm also aware you're in a hurry so I'll cut to the chase."
The creature held up one of its clawed hands and an orb of anti-magic formed. "I can give you the power you seek, but there's an issue. Your reserves of anti-magic aren't enough and the damage to your anti-magic core will also hinder the power. But fear not, I can temporarily increase your reserves of anti-magic which will allow you to wield this new ability. There is, of course, going to be a cost for it."
"Name it," Asta answered simply.
"I will require a few years of your life," the being informed.
"How many years," the ashen-haired youth asked without a flicker of fear.
"That's for me to know," the creature grinned wider, "do you still agree to these terms?"
"From what I learned of you, you always fulfill an agreement," Asta set his features with a look of determination, "take what you want, and give me what you promised." The being snapped its fingers and an object the magic knight didn't recognize appeared in front of him. The creature gestured to him and Asta reached out and touched it. Information flooded his mind then, telling him the object was something called a 'firearm', and its operation was surprisingly simple. Using this information, Asta loaded what he now knew were bullets into the gun and put it to his temple.
There was no hesitation as he pulled the trigger, breaking the silence with a thunderous roar reminiscent of a firework going off. The bullet made contact with the temporal bone, shattering the natural shield of the brain. Kinetic energy was released the moment the bullet met the tissue. As a result, the organ's tissues which served as the center of the nervous system were condensed by the rapid phase change from liquid to gas under the influence of the shift in pressure.
Thanks to this, the bullet's trajectory was not slowed or diverted. The material object with specific properties and shape continued to tear the tissue it encountered. The bullet created a secondary cavity several times larger than the entry wound. Destroyed brain tissue was thrown from the exit wound onto the table, floor, and walls along with a spray of blood.
Asta's vision blurred until everything turned black. His affected consciousness began to erode, and his thoughts swirled until his life finally came to an end. His muscles relaxed and his head dropped onto the table, blood freely flowing from the wound. The price had been paid.
The anti-magic user awoke back in the pocket dimension from before, estimating that only twenty seconds had passed. But he had little time to wonder if anything else had happened before being engulfed by a powerful beam of light that had been called down by the winged man. Asta screamed as his body was wracked with unspeakable pain and agony. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it did more than enough damage in that time as the spell ended.
When the light faded, Asta was revealed to have lost his upper clothing and suffered third degree burns on most of his body. His epidermis and dermis were destroyed, the burn sites charred from the attack. And yet, miraculously, though he was motionless on the ground, the magic knight managed to summon up the strength to chant the words he'd been given by the creature. The white-haired man stood close by, sensing that he was only barely alive.
He'd planned on watching the vermin die but something caught his attention; the boy was saying something?! The man approached his downed opponent and brutally grabbed him by the hair, lifting him up to eye level so that he could hear what was being said. It was at that moment, however, that Asta fell silent. That is until he smiled. "Thanks," the anti-magic user smirked weakly, "you gave me just enough time to finish the incantation."
Suddenly, a small pulsating ball of anti-magic was floating in the empty space right in front of the stranger's chest. The winged man's eyes widened as Asta said the final word: 'Annihilation'. The small orb of anti-magic exploded then, completely disintegrating the white-haired being who barely even had time to scream. Asta landed on his feet then, hardly able to stand as his regenerative powers worked overtime to heal the mass amount of damage done to his body.
But despite the pain, he still walked towards the crucified Megicula. When he got close enough, he raised his left hand with some difficulty and gently touched her cheek. "Honey," he practically whispered, "let's go home." The demoness didn't say anything, but her astral form suddenly turned into a shadowy mist that moved back into Asta's body.
It was all the answer he needed as the boy felt her presence within his soul once again. He fell back onto the ground then, the pain and exhaustion finally catching up to him as his consciousness faded. Without even realizing, his body was teleported out of the pocket dimension.
The Treasure Hall
Yuno stood over his defeated opponent, breathing heavily from the exertion. 'We did it,' he thought while collapsing to one knee, 'but that was way too close. I need to get… much stronger than I am now.' He glanced over towards Mimosa who'd managed to heal herself and was now healing the others, sending his silent thanks. Even in her previously injured condition she'd been able to discern that their opponent possessed not only crystal magic but healing magic as well.
This observation saved them from a nasty surprise when Mars rose back up to fight them again. Thanks to their combined efforts, the sudden appearance of the smiling berserker, Luck, and the new power granted to him by the wind spirit, whose name he now knew was Sylph, they'd prevailed. "So I have to ask," Klaus stood up and adjusted his glasses, his wounds now healed enough for him to move, "where have you been this whole time, Luck?"
"Who, me," the smiling Black Bull pointed to himself, "I sensed some of those Diamond Kingdom mages and went after them. I got the jump on them and took out the underlings pretty easily, but their leader, Lotus of the Abyss or something like that, was tough."
"You fought Lotus of the Abyss, one of the Diamond Kingdom generals!" Klaus exclaimed in shock, "that man is known to be incredibly crafty, how did you overcome him?"
"He did almost get me," Luck admitted while rubbing the back of his head, "so I started destroying the entire section of the dungeon we were in. He retreated pretty quickly after that saying something about being too old to deal with suicidal kids."
"Unbelievable," the royal rubbed his head, "did you at least happen to see-ASTA!" Noelle's voice drew everyone's attention to the entrance of the treasure hall. Her shock quickly became understandable as they all gathered around the missing Black Bull member who'd suddenly appeared on the floor out of seemingly nowhere.
"What happened to him," the silver-haired girl gasped upon seeing his condition, "he's missing an arm!"
"That's not the worst of it," Mimosa began examining his injuries, "he's wounded all over, we need to get him out of here." Before anyone could say anything else on the matter, a sudden shaking began. Looking around, the magic knights saw sections of the dungeon's roofs and walls starting to fall.
"No, the dungeon is collapsing!" Klaus yelled.
"Everyone get close," Yuno ordered as he summoned up another construct of wind large enough to carry them all, "we're getting out of here!" The last any of the two squads saw of the dungeon that day was the entrance and the structures around it collapsing as they burst out into the open air once more. When their comrade awoke after that, he'd find a couple things about him had changed.
Whew, that was a long one. Still, I hope you all enjoyed the dungeon arc and as always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! And as usual check out my Pat reon if you've got a minute. Last thing, stop in next time as our heroes make a triumphant return to the Clover Kingdom! 'Til then.