Chapter 3: Secrets of the bounded. Hidden dangers.
The boys soon found themselves in a tar-filled area. Hajime soon noticed a strange black rock and began inspecting it.
"Hmmm… Black Stone. Secrets an oily tar substance that can reach boiling point, rivaling even the most intense of flames. The tar that is ignited will cause searing temperatures over 4000 Celsius… Going through this floor will be a challenge since we can't use our guns here. It won't be a problem for you, Cloud, but I don't have the experience on using blades since I only have one arm now." Hajime informed.
"That also means we can't go swimming in this." Cloud said, pointing to the vast lake of tar.
"Why bother swimming when we can use Aerodynamics?" Hajime said.
"Flying across the air is better. Still, keep your guard up. No telling what hides underneath this lake." Cloud warned.
Hajime nodded as the boys began dashing across the lake. Using Aerodynamics, it was a quick flight across the murky tar lake. However, danger proved to be unpredictable as a sudden splash alerted the boys.
"What the?" Hajime said, looking around.
The tar lake proved to be difficult to discern due to the poor lightning conditions. This got the boys on high alert. Soon, a sudden sound of liquid falling got their attention. They saw a giant mouth ready to devour them, which caused the boys to dash separately away from each other. Hajime and Cloud noticed the monster diving in the lake. It was a shark-like monster that had its body covered with tar. It had several eyes on its head.
"A monster that swims in tar!?" Hajime shouted in shock.
"This is bad! We'll be its meal if we don't plan on taking it out of its home!" Cloud warned.
The boys soon dashed in the air, reaching close to the ceiling, but enough for them to have space to dash in any direction. The tar shark leaped up to the air from its murky domain to catch one of the boys in its jaws. However, they anticipated it, thanks to Cloud noticing it leap off the tar lake.
"Taking the bait like a hungry predator… How stupid!" Cloud berated to the monster.
With a mighty swing, he managed to inflict a deep cut near the monster's head. It was soon sent flying to a rocky shore at the edge of the tar lake, leaving it helpless. Despite the wound he inflicted to the tar shark, it was still daring to go again. To the surprise of the boys, it was able to drag itself across the rocky floor.
"Don't think so…" Cloid spoke coldly.
He managed to grab the tar shark's tail and slammed it back to the rocky shore, briefly stunning it. Hajime soon joined in to brutally kill the monster, using his Gale Claw skill on his revolver as a focusing point. The wind formed sharp sickles that managed to cleave the tar shark's head down to its spine. The boys soon performed a powerful thrust kick to the shark's head, decapitating it.
"I don't think this monster was able to hide itself in the tar without help. It was using a skill to hide itself." Hajime noted.
"Let's see what it is…" Cloud inquired.
The boys ate the shark's flesh. Much to their disgust, it was less tasting compared to the rabbit, wolves and bear they killed and devoured. Soon, their status plates came with a new update.
"Hide Presence… That explains why this monster evaded our sight and other senses. It can mask the user's presence, making it seem as though the user in question vanished from other's perspective. Pretty handy skill to hold." Hajime noted.
"Since it kept using the tar lake to hide and attack us, it knew we would have trouble." Cloud realized.
"Yeah… It tried to separate us, but we had the upper hand." Hajime commented.
Having acquired the new skill, they began to actively use it. In the following floors, they managed to understand the Hide Presence skill, using it for preemptive strikes to take down any monsters that were unaware of their presences. Thanks to the constant training, they soon acquired the Danger Sense skill from a chameleon monster.
Cloud and Hajime were in a different level of the labyrinth. The bear they killed was now a pelt of fur that provided warmth from the cold humidity of the cave. The area was pitch black with little to no light provided. This resorted them to rely on a lantern made from a Green Glowstone.
"Dark in here… Beats sneaking in the dark, but we don't have a choice." Hajime commented, showing the lantern.
"Good thing we can use it to stun anything that sees the blast." Cloud said.
"Yeah… Let's be mindful of this place. No telling what monsters lurk in here." Hajime noted.
Cloud nodded as he was provided with a spare lantern. The boys were on high alert. They were actively using their newly acquired skill called Danger Sense, which allowed them to sense any presence within a certain radius. However, their senses were unable to pick up anything inside the cavern.
'That's weird… I don't sense anything with my Danger Sense, but my gut is telling me something's here.' Hajime thought.
'There's something here… I don't know why, but I can somehow feel something watching us.' Cloud thought.
The boys noticed a rock with a lizard like monster on it. Its eyes soon brightened, causing Hajime to lose his lantern as it suddenly petrified.
'Petrification?' The Synergist thought.
He noticed his legs were being petrified. Knowing of the danger, the boys went to a nearby rock outcrop to take cover. Hajime noticed his legs felt stiff. He poured ambrosia to abate the effects. Cloud had some affliction on his left arm before applying the water to his arm. The petrification stopped, returning it to normal.
"It got us… But we know how to deal with you." Hajime commented.
Cloud understood and stopped channeling mana to the lantern, causing the light to dull down. The lizard monster soon crawled above them. Hajime handed Cloud a flashbang grenade, giving the opportunity to stun the monster. Upon sensing it, Cloud pulled the pin and tossed it up in a timely manner. The grenade exploded with a bright flash of light, blinding the beast. This allowed Hajime to shoot it dead.
"So it can turn anything to stone with its sight. Eating it should help provide resistance to the effect." Cloud said.
"My thoughts exactly. Let's eat." Hajime agreed.
The boys devoured the monster, allowing them to gain Petrification Resistance.
The boys soon ventured through the deeper depths. They did not how deep it kept going, but they soon encountered a stone gate.
"A gate? Down here?" Hajime questioned with suspicion.
"Surely there must be something that is meant to be kept in there… But I don't sense anything here yet." Cloud inquired.
"Don't drop your guard here, Cloud. There's bound to be a guardian or two near that gate." Hajime warned.
Cloud nodded as he kept his guard up. Holding his sword ready to fight, he looked carefully with his surroundings. The swordsman was keeping watch as Hajime soon moved to the door, only to attempt to open it. His mana was soon drained by a fraction, causing him to move back.
"This gate is sealed with a mana lock. It'll take a load of mana for us to open it and we don't have the amount." Hajime said.
Soon, the boys felt the ground shake. They soon noticed two statues near the gate coming to life. A skin of stone soon shattered, causing the monsters to be revealed as giant cyclops. This got the boys in surprise, seeing their single eye glowing red.
"Oh….shit…" Hajime spoke.
The boys had to dodge from being stomped by one of the cyclops. Hajime didn't hesitate to fire his revolver. The bullets only managed to ricochet off the skin, dealing little damage.
"That skin is tough to pierce, but I already know its weakness." Hajime noted.
He soon fired a single shot into the creature's eye. A fountain of blood erupted as the first cyclops was killed. This caused the second one to assume a boxer defense stance, generating a magic barrier from its fists.
"A defense skill? That is going to be trouble." Hajime commented.
The Synergist fired his gun, but the barrier withstood the impact. It did distract the monster long enough for Cloud to follow his attack with his revolver as well. He fired three shots to keep the monster in place.
'Damn, that skill is proving to be trouble. There has to be a way to pierce it.' Cloud thought.
The swordsman regrouped with Hajime, whom was loading bullets to Donner, his revolver. Cloud followed and reloaded the three bullets he used.
"That monster's skill to create a nigh-impenetrable shield is impressive. However, we have to focus on tiring it out so we can deal the finishing blow. Aim for its eye so we can take it down." Hajime explained.
"So you want it to use its skill to tire itself so we can strike the finishing blow. I like this idea." Cloud agreed.
"Keep using your revolver, Cloud. That monster will end up being opening itself to attack us." Hajime informed.
The boys soon went for a pincer attack. Hajime took the left side while Cloud took the right. Both fired at the monster's forearms and hit their marks. The cyclops roared in pain as it felt its arms being useless, leaving its eye exposed.
"It's open. Let's finish it." Cloud said.
Cloud soon performed a heavy downward slash that managed to push the monster back, disorienting it. Hajime finished it with a single shot to the eye, killing it.
"These guys appeared to be guarding this gate. Though I might regret opening it, let's see what they're hiding then we can devour them later on." Hajime noted.
The Synergist soon noticed a red orb inside of the monster's eye. It was large, spherical crystal with mana stored in it, giving a red glow. Cloud found another crystal in the other cyclops, which had a blue crystal sphere.
"These spheres might be the key to open this gate." Hajime said.
"Let's see what's inside…" Cloud commented.
The boys inserted the spheres to the dome indents of the gate. Soon, the stored mana reacted to the gate, causing it to open. They soon noticed a cube shaped object floating in a dimly lit room. The cube was forming a 3D rhombus shape, spinning in a constant speed. The prism soon began to stop, revealing a human, petite figure. It was a girl, with a child-like body, gold blonde hair and ruby red eyes. The prism held her in with magical tendrils, preventing her from escaping. The only visible sections of her body were above her waist, leaving everything else obscured by the rhombus.
"A girl?" Hajime asked in surprise.
The girl took notice of the two boys. She was surprised to see them. Her shock soon turned hopeful as she found someone whom she could receive help from. However, a sigh escaped from Hajime's mouth before he turned his back.
"See ya." Hajime spoke nonchalantly.
Cloud was about to follow before the girl spoke, causing him to freeze in response.
"Wait. Please don't go." The girl spoke.
"We're not hearing this. Let's go, Cloud." Hajime ordered.
Cloud remained motionless for a moment. His mind was now running due to having a faint image of a memory slowly forming. However, the image was too obscure, causing him to develop a headache. Hajime heard him grunt, realizing he was starting to uncover a lost memory.
"Cloud, are you alright?" Hajime questioned.
"Just a headache… I'll be fine though." Cloud reassured.
Soon, the girl got the boys to look at her due to begging.
"Please. Help me. I'll do anything." The girl spoke.
Hajime soon got Cloud to stand and led him away from the room. He soon paused with disdain before talking to the girl.
"It's pretty obvious someone wanted you sealed in here. We'd be a fool to release you." Hajime spoke.
The boys were about to leave the room, causing the girl to see the tendril binding her to engulf her body, forcing her within the rhombus.
"No! Please listen! I was betrayed!" The girl screamed.
The statement struck a nerve for both Hajime and Cloud. They paused in response, contemplating whether to free the girl or not. Subconsciously, a memory to Cloud began to form. It seemed clear to him as he saw a magic bolt being hurled to him. Though obscured, he saw Hajime falling in a first person view of the memory. This gave him a mild headache, but he now knew how they were in the deeper sections of the labyrinth.
'This memory… I remember a little from it. Those were a volley of magic bolts that were being hurled above us. One of them was directly aimed at us, which made us fall into this hell…' Cloud thought.
Hajime noticed Cloud being motionless for a moment. He soon sighed, knowing Cloud found another memory. He soon turned his attention to the girl.
'Damn it…' He thought disdainfully.
Having his attention to the girl, he soon began speaking.
"Alright then. So you were betrayed. Whomever did the betrayal felt the need to seal in this labyrinth. Any idea as to why you were brought here in the first place? This place is nothing to scoff at, considering the monsters here are dangerous." Hajime spoke.
The girl was surprised from Hajime's deduction. She soon looked to Cloud whom remained silent. He was still processing the memories he recently saw. The only thing he kept seeing was the rogue magic bolt that sent Hajime down to the abyss with him leaping to save him.
"Hey. Are you going to answer? If not, we might as well leave." Hajime called out.
"The truth is, I'm from a long line of vampires and was gifted with a great power. Because of this, I was given a great responsibility to protect my people. But then, the minister… My uncle lead me here telling me they needed more of their kind to support us. From what I heard from the leader, I was no longer needed." The girl explained.
Cloud heard the story while he soon recovered from his flashback induced trance.
"So… You're essentially a royal figure." Cloud spoke.
Hajime was surprised to see him talking, let along listening to the girl's story.
"How did…?" Hajime paused in question.
"I heard the story while I was processing the memories. Every last word she spoke, I heard." Cloud answered.
The girl was surprised, but replied to Cloud's statement.
"Yes, I was during the tenure. I was told I posed a greater threat, which was why I sealed down here. They can't even kill me." The girl answered.
"Care to explain what do you mean that they can't kill you?" Hajime inquired.
"I heal very quickly from any injuries inflicted on me. They simply repair themselves with no scar." The girl answered.
"I have to think that this is part of your power you spoke of." Cloud noticed.
"Yes, it's a part of my true ability. I can manipulate mana like the monsters down here. I can cast magic without needing a magic circle." The girl revealed.
"That's some incredible abilities to possess. No wonder you're a difficult person to take down." Hajime admitted.
"Please help me, I'm begging you." The girl pleaded.
Hajime hesitated for a moment before Cloud stepped up to the rhombus.
"The girl here is honest with her words though. She doesn't have any point in lying to us." Cloud spoke.
This convinced Hajime to release the girl from her prison. The Synergist managed to analyze the stone prison.
'Sealstone… It absorbs mana to negate any magic. This will be a tough one to open.' He thought.
Scratching his head, Hajime sighed in response before speaking.
"I'll be honest, this prison seems to have kept you on hold due to relying on the mana that's been sapped from you. I might have a chance to overload it on my own." Hajime said.
"Let me help with the mana transfer. Can't waste too much of your strength." Cloud offered.
"Alright then. Dig in and channel your mana through the prison!" Hajime commanded.
The boys soon began to channel their mana to the prison. It lasted a few minutes due to the prison trying to regulate the influx of mana. With effort, the boys finally broke the prison, freeing the girl. Despite her petite figure, she landed on the ground with grace from a feather. Hajime and Cloud collapsed in exhaustion, forcing them to open an ampoule of ambrosia to drink.
"That took a lot out of us…" Cloud noted.
"Yeah… Good thing we have the ambrosia or it would be exhausting to move with mana exhaustion." Hajime said.
The girl soon held Hajime's right hand in wonder. She looked to him and Cloud as both recuperated from the exhaustion.
"Do you need some?" Hajime questioned.
The girl shook her head in response. She held Hajime's hand close.
"You're so warm…" The girl spoke.
"We are alive. It also comes with the territory." Hajime commented.
"Can I ask your names?" The girl asked.
The boys were reluctant to open u, but relented.
"I'm Hajime. Nagumo Hajime." Hajime introduced.
"I'm Cloud." Cloud followed.
"Hajime… Cloud…" The girl repeated.
She began uttering their names in repetition, intending to memorize them.
"What is your name?" Hajime asked.
This paused the girl for a moment, letting her train of thought stop.
"Surely you have a name." Cloud spoke.
The girl remained silent before requesting.
"Give me a new one." She said.
"Wait, did you forget your name or something?" Hajime questioned.
"No, but I don't want to use my old name. I rather you choose one for me." The girl spoke.
"So you want me to think of a random name for you?" Hajime asked.
Hajime took a moment to think before he looked at the girl's blonde hair. She soon looked curiously back at him before the Synergist soon found a name fitting for her.
"How about Yue?" He said.
"Yue?" The girl asked.
"From where Cloud and I came from, it means moon. When we first got here, this room felt like an ocean of stars. Your hair reminds me of the moon in the night sky. Is it fitting for you?" Hajime explained.
"It's perfect." The girl named Yue spoke with a smile.
However, danger soon arrived at the group. A hail of sharp stones soon began to rain at them, forcing them to dodge but not unscathed. Hajime and Cloud shielded the girl, getting impaled from the spikes. This caused them to grunt in pain.
"Hajime! Cloud!" Yue screamed.