Chapter 73: A Collision of Species
Sachi:
"I-It's fixed!" Holding her spear aloft, Sachi felt tears begin to wet her cheeks. Even running her hand over where the break had been, Sachi struggled to identify it. The only sign was a slight bulge from the hardened resin that had leaked out.
"Hah, glad I could be helpful for something," Liz winced, putting away her tools. "You need to understand that the shaft needs to be replaced still. It will snap again even easier."
"Of course," Sachi nodded with understanding. "And you were great getting us out trouble earlier, Liz. You should be proud of yourself."
"I agree," Silica chirped in. "That monster was dying before I chopped off its head."
"Thanks guys," Liz chuckled, rubbing their heads. The action made her wince a little, recoiling to grab at her arm again.
"Take it easy," Leafa advised with a yawn. She had been up early guarding the hideout that they had managed to get some rest in. "Should we stay here a little longer?"
"…I don't want to," Silica whispered. "I know I'm being selfish, but I haven't done anything worthy of levelling up."
"Me too!" Sachi said nervously. Fiddling with her spear, Sachi felt far more comfortable than she had been. The lower floors suddenly felt far less creepy with her weapon back in one piece.
"I guess we are moving out then," Leafa sighed. "But… we are running out of magic swords, right, Liz?"
"Ahh, I have the small fire dagger that I used to make the adhesive for the spear. Besides that, there is a slightly used fire longsword. I'm not sure how effective it is against these monsters though. After that… there is a blade I'm not very confident in. I was thinking of Kirito when I forged it but…"
"Isn't that a good thing?" Leafa asked curiously, staring at the wrapped blade leaning against the wall that Liz had been clearly referring to.
"No." Liz shook her head. "It wasn't made for one of us to use. I… I only grabbed it because it felt like his strength was with me…"
"Hehe, you're too cute," Leafa teased their blacksmith, rubbing her head. "We will keep your secrets. But remember, Kirito would prefer you alive and healthy to getting the sword."
"I know that!" Liz pouted again. "But be careful of that blade. Using it may harm you."
Giggling, Sachi rose to her feet, spinning her spear. "We won't touch Kirito's blade, Liz. Ready?"
"Yeah, yeah,"
Beginning their second day in the water capital, Sachi felt far better now. Sleeping in the dungeon was far from restful, but any time with her eyes closed was far better than the condition she had been in.
With a restored skip, Sachi joined her party as they continued their massacre of the lower floors. Even without a level four, they had more than enough skill and stats to kill the monsters on this floor. Especially when they isolated the monsters in small groups.
An hour and a half into the day, Sachi withdrew her spear from the corpse of a merman and wiped her brow. The blood from the monsters had tainted the once beautiful river, the water starting to run a faint red.
"This… is not helpful," Leafa muttered. "We need to take a bigger risk."
"How?" Silica asked the dooming follow-up.
"There are two options as far as I see it," Leafa summarized. "First, we split up."
"Rejected," Liz said harshly. "Please don't say such stupid things."
"Second, we descend beyond the water capital."
"The forgotten floors…" Sachi whispered as she listened to the conversation. Oddly, she thought that she understood the naming convention after only one trip through them. True, she had almost died there with that strange egg, but beyond that incredibly unlucky event, it was the easiest part of the dungeon to bypass.
"However," Liz added, "that's where the true level four monsters appear. We have to be careful, even a single stray could spell our doom."
Silica nodded especially hard at that. "It was almost pure luck that I managed to train Kin. If a horde of similar monsters appears…"
"We die." Leafa sighed. "But honestly, at this point—"
"Kyu!"
"P-Pina!?" Silica yelled. The feathery dragon was latched onto Silica's face and pulling at one of her pigtails with her mouth. "Hold on! Somefing is—Urgh!"
"Did Pina sense strong monsters?" Sachi said baffled.
"Let's check it out!" Leafa said while leaping ahead.
Following on her heels, they quickly left behind a baffled Silica and Liz trying desperately to remove the now feral monster.
It took only a single turn of the winding tunnel before Sachi could also hear what their more sensitive members had picked up on. "Monsters!"
"Ahh," Leafa agreed, settling into an attack position.
From ahead, a party of monsters arrived. Not a horde or a pack, it was truly a party. Leading it was a truly beautiful siren with a goblin, an al-miraj, a hellhound, and others following behind. Most of them were wearing an assortment of clothes and carrying weapons.
Freezing in place, Sachi gaped as the enemies did the same thing. The first one to recover was the siren, unleashing a quick sonic blast.
So powerful!
It was as powerful as a swing from a level three adventurer. Getting pushed back, Sachi took the distance to start into her chant.
Leafa meanwhile charged forward, attacking the siren. Her fast and powerful swings were repelled by the wing feathers that let out a metallic noise upon being struck.
The monsters are responding slowly, we can do this!
Finishing her chant, Sachi lunged forward. "Distorted Thrust!"
"Dodge the magic!"
Huh? That voice was neither hers nor one of her party members. There was a source that made sense to her ears, but not her mind: the siren.
Staggered from her confusion, Sachi's form slipped. Her spear tip that should have rammed into the hellhound's skull slid off its back, drawing only a small line of blood.
"Guh!" Leafa grunted as she was struck in the stomach from a kick. Her body flew back hard and Sachi struggled to catch her.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah. That Siren is strong though. We need to—"
Eyes widening with fear, Sachi gazed up at the aforementioned monster. It had swooped in with the speed of a first-class adventurer. Wings spread out; it hovered above them like an angel of death.
"KYUUU!" With a sharp scream, Pina rocketed into the siren's side, knocking the far larger monster away.
"Guh! Huh? P-Pina!? I thought you were—Oh."
"I-It's talking…" Sachi stuttered. "The monster is talking."
"W-What happened here?" Liz growled, beginning to pull at her and Leafa. "Come on, back away. We need to run!"
"H-Hold on!" Silica yelled. The confusion in the room was getting to them. Monsters in the party were howling and making threatening approaches as the siren and Pina stared at each other.
Sachi had no idea what to do and allowed herself to get led away. In moments, they were separated from the monsters, or well, everyone except Silica.
The pig-tailed catgirl was standing half in the chamber, waiting for Pina.
"Silica!" Sachi cried out. "Pina will be fine."
"She's right!" Leafa agreed. "Get out of there so we can nuke these strange monsters!"
"My sword is not a bomb," Liz muttered, but did prepare her final magic sword regardless.
As if they understood, the monsters began scampering away. Sachi was left feeling incredibly disoriented. Nothing about this encounter made sense. No, starting from the moment Pina had attempted to distract Silica.
Adding onto things not making sense, Pina darted from the tunnel, biting hard onto Liz's sword hand. With a yell, she dropped the magic sword roughly to the ground. Small tongues of flame licked the rock, before puttering out.
"Come on!" That beautiful feminine voice sounded out again as the monsters charged through the cavern to a different exit.
They're fleeing. The monsters are…
Suddenly growing very upset, Sachi rushed forward. The other three were all trying to get Pina to calm down, leaving Sachi alone in the cavern with the fleeing monsters.
"W-Wait!" Sachi cried. "Siren! Who are you!? Why can you talk!? What is happening!?"
The siren that she was yelling at jerked to a halt, clearly comprehending spoken language. As they looked each other in the eyes, Sachi saw none of the monster's rage. Instead, there was sadness, frustration, and perhaps the most human emotion of all, hope.
"…Aren't you going to try and kill us?"
"Should I?" Sachi responded warily.
"It is what humans do. They kill all monsters without distinction."
"I-I disagree," Sachi protested. "We hunt down dangerous irregulars most. Besides, monsters attack us!"
"Hmm… and if a monster extended their hand in friendship, could you take it?"
Could I? Sachi was still pondering that answer by the time that the monsters had disappeared down the corridor. Wherever they were heading, Sachi was confident that it would not affect her.
Shaking her head, Sachi sighed and returned to address the fall-out from Pina's actions. Silica and the monster were glaring at each other, cheeks puffed out and tails standing erect.
"Why you little…" Silica growled. "What was all of that, Pina?"
"She stopped me from killing monsters," Liz said disbelievingly.
"But she also saved us from them first," Leafa added on, scratching her head.
"Hmm…" Leaning on her spear, Sachi did not think that her opinion was really needed here. It looked more like a spat between close friends than any kind of trial for a traitor.
"Kyuuu…" Pina cooed softly.
"Huh? Well if you had just properly explained yourself instead of panicking…" Silica muttered.
"KYUU!" Pina rejected Silica's claim.
"That's not… Whatever. I still can't believe you never told me that you understood my words."
"Kyu!"
"Fine, fine." Standing up, Silica dusted herself off. "Pina is asking that we keep this encounter a secret."
"Not that I care," Liz shrugged. Her hand was fine with no lasting damage.
"I have no problem with that!" Leafa agreed.
Sachi shuffled in place as attention shifted to her. "Does it… even matter? I-I mean, rumors are sure to spread anyway."
"True…" Silica frowned, shooting Pina another glare. "It would be a lot easier if we could just tell people that there were a group of helpful monsters in the dungeon. At least then they wouldn't get hunted down."
"Hmm, they can't be said to be helpful…" Leafa said hesitantly.
"Exactly, so let's just pretend we didn't encounter them," Liz shrugged. "But… even after all that…"
"We didn't accomplish our objective," Sachi sighed. "A level up is still far away."
Bell:
"Where…" Throat raspy, Bell moaned with pain as he blinked awake. His whole body was weak from exhaustion. An icy chill ran through him, fought off by two points of warmth.
Looking to his right, Bell found one where Lili had his right hand gripped in both of hers. That left… Looking up, Bell found Haruhime looking down at him with worried eyes.
"Is this… a lap pillow?"
"I-I suppose so?" Haruhime replied, looking away.
"Are you ready to keep moving?" Mikoto asked. "It should be okay if you aren't though. It seems like monsters don't spawn here."
"A safe area?" Blinking awake, Bell looked at the treasure tree, or what was left of it.
It had been stripped of its leaves and bark. Both of which were extremely expensive items. Now that its guardian was dead, the tree would wither away. There was always a green dragon and a treasure tree. It's unknown if the dungeon spawns them together or if one creates the other.
"Seems that way," Lili addressed his question. "Bell… you were amazing. We can sell this for millions!"
"All about money again, Lili," Bell sighed. With a tremendous effort, Bell managed to pull himself off Haruhime's lap and rise to a sitting position. That was the limit of his energy though, and without the heat from the two girls, his teeth began chattering.
"B-Bell?" A concerned Haruhime latched onto his left arm.
As tired as he was, Bell sighed and leaned into it, eyes beginning to flutter shut.
"No fair!"
Before Bell could pass out again, he felt Lili throw herself into his lap.
You two… thank you.
Some hours later, Bell awoke again and was able to properly move around. Stretching, he examined the empty cavern and found that no trace of his fight remained. The magic stone had been destroyed, and with it, the green dragon's body had turned to ash. By now, the tree was almost completely gone, and the room had repaired itself.
All that was left to proclaim Bell's victory here were the drop items and the excelia that would be inscribed on his back.
Even without one of the Deusdia, Bell knew. When he returned to the surface, he would be level four. This trip had been a success for him.
Turning, Bell bowed to the three girls accompanying him. "Thank you all so much for helping me!"
"We were actually forbidden from helping, remember?" Mikoto sighed, exasperated.
"Hehe, but Bell won in the end, right?" Haruhime placated her.
"Lili would like to stipulate that from now on, Bell is no longer allowed to fight alone."
"That's… fine for now." Bell sighed. "But if I need to level up again—"
"REJECTED!" Three voices declared at the same time.
Having been put in his place, Bell accepted it with a sigh. After the trouble he had caused, this was not a fight he wanted to pick right now.
Moving on, they walked slowly through the halls as their first problem made itself plain once more. "We still… have no idea where we are."
"And whose fault is that?" Lili asked sweetly
"Urgh," Bell winced. With the highest stats, it was on him to determine which path would lead them out of this hidden area.
That very attention let him hear a sound unbefitting of the dungeon. The cry of a young girl. Stopping, Bell twisted around, searching for the direction it had come from.
When he heard it again, the scream was overlapped with the cry of a monster. Direction identified; Bell took off. His speed was beyond even what Mikoto could match. With her skills though, Bell hoped that she could track him down.
Reaching the end of the cave system, Bell found massive roots from the bottom of the colossal tree and climbed. Up and up, it took only a dozen seconds before he broke out into the main area once again.
Head on a swivel, Bell ignored the hundreds of brightly colored flowers, large plants, and branching paths. His gaze locked in on a depression by one of the roots where a smaller network created a sort of curtain.
With a swing of the Hestia knife, Bell burst through the network into a hidden cavern. Standing over the girl that Bell had heard the screams of was an elite lizardman.
Larger than the others of its kind, it unleashed a powerful howl and brought its nature weapon down upon her. Darting in, Bell cut the hand off at the wrist. Sliding past the lizardman, Bell grabbed the girl and pulled her away.
"It's alright miss! I'm here to…" Bell's mouth dried as he beheld what should have been a human girl. It cried like one, it had screamed like one, but its naked body did not belong to any of the races. "This is… a Voivre?"
The dragon monsters that lived in this area were exceptionally rare. It had the scales of one and the distinctive stone between its eyes. But the rest of the form was definitely that of a young woman. More than anything, it was the eyes that sent Bell reeling. Large, red irises that stared pleadingly up at him through a veil of tears.
Unable to process the aberrant monster, Bell discarded it completely and instead charged the injured lizardman. It was a powerful monster, but compared to the green dragon, it was weak. With a few more swings of his knife, Bell had finished the process of killing it.
Can such a weak monster really threaten a Voivre? Filled with doubt, Bell looked back at the naked woman, huddled on the floor. She was bleeding from half a dozen places and was still crying. Her soft hiccups were undistinguishable from those of a human.
"Are you… really a monster?" Bell asked.
"M-Monster?" It asked, looking up at him.
"I guess… you aren't?" Bell scratched his cheek. "After all, untamed monsters kill everyone they see."
Yeah, that makes sense! Bell tried to convince himself. Monsters don't cry. Monsters don't hunt each other.
"You little…" Hearing a voice, Bell whipped around, senses on high alert. He hadn't even sensed this presence approaching.
Standing on the far-lip on the depression was another lizardman. This one was wielding not nature weapons, but two curved scimitars.
"You… also talk?" Bell asked. Impossible. That is definitely a monster!
"Ahh, and I'll kill you for hurting one of my own!"
"That elite lizardman?" Bell gaped, for a moment forgetting he was talking to a monster. "That thing was about to kill a girl!"
What am I… saying? Bell shook himself and readied his knife. He heard the other three approaching swiftly. All he had to do was kill this monster and go home. There was no need to further complicate things.
His opponent felt the same way, closing the multiple meters between them with a powerful jump. Bell darted to the side, moving closer to the entrance where his teammates would be emerging from any moment.
"RAWR!" The raging lizardman followed Bell.
I was right, it is just a stupid monster… Ducking under the attack from tis right blade, Bell fired a firebolt into the monster's face as it swiped with its left blade.
I need argonaut for this… Bell had to dodge away from the creature's overwhelming strength. In a straight-up wrestling match, the green dragon was probably stronger, but this lizardman was an irregular of incredible strength.
"Grow, this vessel and this power…"
Smiling, Bell heard the battle shift in his favour with the start of Haruhime's chant. Firing another firebolt as a distraction, Bell took another step towards the entrance where Haruhime's voice was flowing from.
"We're here, Bell!" Mikoto yelled out. Pulling out a bow, she fired an arrow that was easily cut from the air.
"RAAAAWR!" Lifting its head back, the lizardman's roar shook the entirety of the small cavern.
"N-No!" The small cry was the Voivre. With tears in its eyes, it fled from the monster and ran towards Bell.
"W-What?" Bell was slow to react as it got behind him. It was clutching his back with desperate hands. Is this… an attack?
"Bell!?"
"Don't worry, I'll shoot it!"
"No! focus on the lizardman!" Bell yelled back. "This thing is harmless."
After unleashing its howl of rage, the lizardman seemed to have deflated completely. It's lower jaw hung agape as it stared through Bell at the strange girl hiding behind him.
"N-No way!? She's choosing you?"
"Why the hell would anyone want to be with a monster like you?" Bell asked. "All monsters do is hurt and kill."
"B-But… Hey boy, what's your name?"
"Name?" Bell's limits were quickly being reached. This didn't make sense. None of this was logical. "Monsters don't care about names! Monsters don't speak! What the hell are you!?"
"…Guess not. My name is Lyd. Maybe one day we will meet again."
Bell couldn't avoid the hand that grabbed him and threw him towards his party. Landing hard against the ground, he was slow to watch as Voivre girl was grabbed and pulled away screaming.
"What… just happened?" There were no answers for the frazzled Bell. Failing to pursue the monsters, he began a slow journey back to the surface.
Asuna:
"M-Me too!?" Caught off guard, Asuna looked around the tent at the elite group of warriors. She was the only one that stood out as not belonging.
The leader, Finn Deimne, sat beside the high elf Riveria. They were the only level sixes in the familia. There had apparently been a third that was lost in the fight against the black dragon. Additionally, the remaining amazon sister, Tiona was restlessly tapping her foot as she glared at Ais. That was the end of the first-tier adventurers. Bolstering their ranks were half a dozen level fours like Asuna.
Of them, only Raul, Anikitty, Lefiya, and herself had been chosen to go the fifty-first. Asuna shuffled uncomfortably as much more capable members like Astrid were left behind.
"Don't you think," Tiona grumbled, "that the camp is going to be very poorly protected? Is there a single person being left behind that can take down a black rhino?"
"Well," Finn hesitated, "we need to risk it. After all, Cadmus is not an easy opponent."
"Why not leave Ais here?" Tiona asked.
"Tiona is right," Riveria sighed. "Our camp is far too vulnerable."
"But—"
Riveria cut off Ais' complaints with a small gesture. "I will stay behind. Lefiya can cast any spell I can. With Asuna backing her up, she will be fine."
"Urgh."
Finn ignored the complaints and stood up to bring the meeting to an end. "We depart in an hour. Meet at the North end of camp. You are dismissed."
Getting pulled out by Lefiya, Asuna felt like she was in a daze. It was a phenomenal opportunity but… Asuna wasn't even comfortable in the deep floors. Her progression through the dungeon was happening dizzyingly fast.
"How are you feeling?"
"Nervous," Asuna replied truthfully to Lefiya. "You?"
"Same," she sighed. "This is also my first time on the fifty-first."
Asuna wasn't surprised to hear that. It made sense that Lefiya as a level three would never have gone below this safety point on the fiftieth.
"Have you heard much about Cadmus?" Asuna asked as she went over her gear one final time.
"Not really except that it's a dragon. It should be considered level six with strength around level seven."
Asuna nodded at the familiar information. That was all she knew as well. Finishing her packing, she waited for Lefiya. The fellow mage did not have a pack as she was participating as an adventurer, not a supporter like Asuna.
Half an hour early for the raid, they went to the meeting spot. Only Ais was there. The blond swordswoman was staring unwavering at the entrance to the fifty-first. Crouched with only her blade and a small waist pouch of potions, she could have been a statue for all she moved.
"Ais!" Lefiya greeted the girl. "How are you feeling?"
"I am fine. Are you well, Lefiya? We will be relying heavily on you."
"She's right." Asuna added. "You will have to fulfill Riveria's role." Only after she finished talking did Asuna realize that was probably the wrong thing to say.
Lefiya chuckled with a predictably white face. "I will cast the correct spells this time, Ms. Ais. Please do not worry about me!"
Smiling, Asuna tapped her on the shoulder. "I'll be there to help this time, so feel free to go wild. I'll be right back; I want to ask Finn something."
Creating an excuse to get away, Asuna smiled once at the two girls. It would be good for those two to spend a bit more time together without others interfering.
"I guess now I need to ask Finn something…" Asuna murmured, trying to come up with something that she could ask. Footsteps slowing, Asuna still hadn't come up with anything when she arrived at the leader's tent.
Riveria's voice floated out to her. "You should be nicer to Ais, Finn. The rest of the familia takes their cues from you."
"I know I should. But Tiona isn't the only one that struggles to look at Ais." Finn replied quietly.
"Finn…"
"Why didn't I pay more attention to her, Riveria? I still look for her. I wait for her shenanigans and then feel hollow when they never happen… Oh, Tione."
Riveria stayed silent this time.
Asuna was standing frozen, hand raised to pull the bell cord. It was a sign of how distracted the leaders were that they didn't notice her presence.
"Sorry Riveria, I know you will always love Ais but… I can't forgive her."
"…You understand what this will mean, yes?"
"I do."
"Very well then."
Asuna was still trying to understand the exchange when the curtain was flung aside and Riveria's piercing gaze was focused on her.
"You heard?"
Asuna nodded.
Touching her forehead, Riveria shook her head. "It's not like we said anything surprising. Are you looking for me or Finn?"
"Finn…" Asuna said quietly.
"Very well." Waving Asuna in, the high elf departed.
Left alone with her familia leader, Asuna tucked her shoulders in. She knew the tips of her long ears would be signals of her embarrassment, glowing a bright red.
"You have a question for me?"
"…I do now," Asuna murmured. Questing for her courage, Asuna forced herself to look at the diminutive familia leader. "Are you not blaming Ais for your own failings?"
"What?"
"You all are adventurers!" Asuna continued, her voice growing incessant. "They could have died at any time in the dungeon! The fight against the dragon was not special. I consummated my relationship with my boyfriend because we both know that we could die any day and we don't want to regret anything. It isn't fair to take out your failings on Ais!"
"…Is that so?" Finn responded, eyes lowering as he failed to meet her gaze. "Maybe you are right, Asuna, it does not matter. I have tried to quash my feelings on this matter and have failed. If that is everything, you are dismissed."
Anger turned her vision red, but Asuna still nodded respectfully. As she turned and strode from the tent, Riveria's words to him flooded back through her mind. You understand what this will mean, yes?
It had an eerie ring that Asuna thought she now understood.
With a melancholic mood, Asuna rejoined the girls at the designated meting location. Ais and Lefiya were having a good time, conversation flowing rapidly. Unable to match that, Asuna fiddled pointlessly with her supporter bag, trying to appear busy.
In time, the rest appeared, and they set off.
It was a predictably quiet group that departed. Asuna had been expecting this, but the stark difference from the trip with Astraea familia made it all the more shocking. The smaller group should have made it more personable but had the opposite effect.
Ais and Tiona were their vanguard, but the amazon warrior spent the trip glaring at her partner. That left the second rank of Anikitty and Raul in an awkward position.
Asuna had the absolute rear of the group, behind both Lefiya and Finn as the first rear guard for the mage. My life before hers, huh? It was somewhat depressing, but of the two of them, Asuna was far more likely to live after getting hit by something.
Resolved to her fate of getting ambushed by level four and five monsters, Asuna plodded along in position to witness the power of Loki familia elites.
Within their first few steps on the fifty-first floor, half a dozen monsters rose to challenge them. Somewhat familiar with what to expect, Asuna put descriptions to visuals. First were the three black rhinos. As the name implied, they were actually somewhat smaller than normal rhinos but stood vertically. The dungeon gave them greataxe-like nature weapons that protruded from the walls near their spawn locations.
The other monsters were a mix of two even more terrifying varieties. Two of them were Deformis Spiders. The terrifying spider monsters were an uneven purplish-red tone with multiple ominous glowing red eyes. It created an unsettling effect as the mandibles clicked at an uneven pace. The final monster was one that Asuna had heard little about. It looked like a cricket about a meter long. They were called Wall Jumpers and were rarer than the other two on this floor.
Ais and Tiona led the assault without a word of acknowledgement. The two level five adventurers fought in clear competition with each other. Ais went for one of the black rhinos, dodging its attack and slowly taking it down with well-placed strikes of her rapier.
Tiona on the other hand was all brute power. Whirling the double-ended blade she called Urga, Tiona knocked the other two rhinos' attacks away before finishing them with powerful, dissecting blows.
Finn called out instructions. "Raul, Anikitty, use magic swords on the spiders. Asuna, step in front of Lefiya."
Sure? Knowing better than to question, Asuna hid her fellow elf behind her. Of the many things she had done since arriving in this world, this one felt like the most pointless.
However, everyone listened with fervor, small gouts of fire scorching the spider monsters that hissed with demonic shrieks. They tried to shuffle away from the heat only to be caught by Ais and Tiona.
That leaves… The air blurred. When things resolved again, Asuna found herself staring at the face of the Wall Jumper a little more than a foot from her. Its small mandible were clicking uselessly as life faded from it due to the spear stuck through its abdomen.
"T-Thank you, Finn." Asuna breathed out.
"Don't mention it. Observe the antenna. They give away their target."
"G-Got it!" Learning from the experience, Asuna quickly set about collecting magic stones. As the newest member, it fell on her to carry all of the expendable stuff they collected. This far down, each monster had full magic stones in their chests. The fist sized gems shone with a deep luster that betrayed their power.
This is what 40, 50 thousand col? Internally, Asuna's well-taught mind immediately recognized the fall-out of this expedition. What they were bringing back was simply worth too much money. The economy would not support this influx without buckling and mutating.
"Is something wrong?" Lefiya asked, standing nervously in the middle of the corridor.
"N-No," Asuna assured her. Looking around, she got her first real look at the fifty-first. It was apparently a sprawling labyrinth far larger than the city of Orario above. The striking fact for Asuna was how artificial everything looked. Unlike the other sections, there were hard ninety-degree corners here. Like the labyrinth of Crete, this area had a true feeling of intelligent design. Flat floors, flat walls, and a flat roof. The colour pallete transitioning from a dark brown floor and getting lighter to almost a white above.
"You are all doing well," Finn praised them. "Let's keep pressing. Lefiya, prepare to cast."
"Y-Yes!" The girl accepted.
As they moved on past their first quarry, Asuna looked in confusion at the floor of the dungeon. The first-tier adventurers were exceptionally strong, sure, but the rock had cracked very easily.
"Is something wrong with the floor?" Asuna asked.
"Good observation," Finn smiled at her. "I'm seeing why Loki was so proud of you now. Starting on the next floor, hell begins."
Hell begins? Asuna tumbled the words over in her mind, not able to generate a meaning. The common belief was that hell resided under the world. Maybe it was an entire floor of pit traps? A region designed to suck adventurers down deeper into areas that they could not escape from.
Her musings were interrupted by a horde of black rhinos. The monsters numbered well over twenty and charged straight for them.
"Lefiya!" Finn commanded, rushing forward to join the vanguard.
As Lefiya started her cast, Asuna was left to her own devices. Unsure about what to do, she placed an uncertain hand on her weapon and turned in a circle. If monsters approached from the back, they were her duty.
Please don't, please don't…
Almost as if the dungeon was spiting her, arachnid red eyes flashed around the nearby corner. The deformis spider clicked with anticipation seeing its chance to ambush the vulnerable target.
"Anikitty!" Asuna called. With more instinct than conscious thought, Asuna's blade whipped out, slicing straight through the white thread that was shot at her.
Right behind the thread was the massive spider monster. Its mandibles searching for her face, Asuna got her blade in between but that was the extent of it. Her strength was a paltry thing that crumbled beneath the spider's power. Falling back to the ground, Asuna could feel the tips of its sharp legs piercing into her torso.
"Hiyah!" A swift strike from Anikitty left half a foot of steel buried through one of the eyes.
The spider screamed in pain, trying to recoil and retreat. Not letting it, Asuna' blade struck out, stabbing through its abdomen. She felt the crack as she caught the magic stone by accident.
Panting, Asuna staggered to her feet. "T-Thank you."
"No, you did most of it. Well done, Asuna. Finn was right to give this position to you."
Confused, Asuna gave the girl a side-eye. She was a glorified meat shield for Lefiya. Asuna did not resent the mage for it, but acting like this position was difficult was a bit odd.
"Fusillade Fallarica!"
Lefiya's magic signaled the end of the fight. The three front liners had retreated after dealing considerable damage. Lefiya's powerful fire magic finished off the rest that burned to death as the arrows pierced their iron-hard skin.
"These monsters aren't actually that bad," Asuna commented. They were not really any stronger than the formoire above.
Finn smiled at that. "In some ways, no. But in many ways the fifty-first seems intentionally designed to breed arrogance. I haven't been the only adventurer tempted to the fifty-second and being woefully unprepared for the change."
Odd. Asuna combined it with Finn's comments about hell earlier. An artificial looking labyrinth where the first floor of the section is far easier than the rest. Yes, that did have the makings of an evil trap.
It was smooth sailing from there to Cadmus' chamber. The sudden change made Asuna blink in surprise. The uniform walls fell away to reveal a bright room filled with glistening green trees. Each one was about two to three meters tall and seemed to go on for about fifty meters.
"This is it," Finn whispered, bringing them together. "Ais, I need you to cooperate."
"I… Yes, Finn."
"Well then, Lefiya, Veil Breath please."
"G-Got it!" Taking a deep breath, Lefiya held her staff horizontally and dove into the chant for Elf Ring—the prerequisite magic she needed to cast a different elf's spell.
Uncomfortable at the order, Asuna leaned in to whisper in Anikitty's ear. "Why aren't we worried about Cadmus sensing this and charging?"
The cat girl giggled. "Oh, Cadmus probably started sensing us ten minutes ago. It doesn't matter. He won't leave the pool."
Asuna gave her an odd look. "So, can't we just barrage it from afar?"
She nodded. "Yeah. It won't work though."
"What do you mean?"
"Cadmus is a dragon. Not only are its scales as hard as adamantium, it has extremely high magic resistance. Not even Riveria with an elven bow would do much to it."
"T-That's… really bad, right?" Asuna muttered. "How do we kill it?"
"We beat it into the ground," Tiona interrupted roughly. "Even Cadmus' scales can be cracked if you hit it enough."
"R-Right… And how long will that take?"
"Should be done in under an hour," Finn rolled his neck as he answered.
Asuna suddenly understood the importance of Veil breath. These first-tier adventurers were going to have the very unfortunate task of whacking a mobile fortress to death.
Lefiya transitioned into the final part of the cast: "Assemble, breath of the land - my name is Alf!"
Sweeping her staff down with a resounding crack, Lefiya's eyes sprang open. "Veil Breath!"
The magic coated all of them in a warm second skin. Asuna thought she could feel a bit of Lefiya in the protective magic.
"Nicely done," Finn complimented her. "Let's go."
Breaking away from the corridor entrance, Asuna trailed behind with Lefiya and the supporters as the three main warriors rushed on. Past the trees was a small pool set against the wall with a large monster standing before it.
True to Anikitty's warning, Cadmus was completely upright and alert. The dragon monster had bright white scales that shimmered with prismatic radiance under the light of the crystals. Despite its name as a dragon, Cadmus did not have any wings. It had a more serpentine body similar to a Chinese dragon than the western interpretations. Upon closer inspection, Asuna realized that the narrow, lithe portion was its neck which undulated for countless meters. It had a thick, nearly immobile body which sat stationery upon the ground.
"OOOOH!" With a battle cry, Tiona led the charge. Her Urga met Cadmus' mouth as the dragon lunged with blinding speed. Both were blown back. Cadmus' neck recoiled; a speck of blood drawn on its upperlip. Tiona landed and skidded far more roughly, but completely shielded by Veil Breath.
This… is going to take a long time.
Asuna watched the ensuing fight almost in a daze. Ais and Finn used Tiona's reckless charges as distractions to swoop in and do damage. Cadmus' swift neck followed them with mixed success. Finn and Ais were far faster than Tiona. Even with that extra speed, Cadmus was less than a step behind, its teeth snapping at heels.
"Can I help?" Asuna asked Lefiya who had recast Elf Ring and waited with it up.
"No, I don't think so. Just be prepared to run away if it breaths in this direction."
A breath weapon… Asuna wondered what kind it would be. Most dragons had fire, but something about the surroundings did not seem conducive to it.
Through the first ten minutes of the fight, Asuna found herself staring past the fight to the water. Almost in a trance, Asuna found herself approaching the melee. A force like unseen fishhooks gently guiding her not to the fight, but beyond it. Skirting around Tiona attacking the dragon's head, Asuna felt it.
Gasping, she stared at the water. It resonated with a deep, powerful aura. Unable to resist it, Asuna continued her trek, desperate to get closer to the pond.
"Get away!" Finn yelled at her. "You can't help!"
"I'm fine," Asuna responded calmly. And she was. Her senses were better than they'd ever been. The closer she got to the pool, the more in touch she was with her surroundings. She could feel clearly feel each of the interlopers that were not in harmony with the pool.
Filled with the water's energy, Asuna suddenly knew the secret behind Cadmus' strength. The dragon did not protect the water, the water protected Cadmus.
Continuing to close the distance to the water, Asuna dove into her chant. Magic energy filled her in seemingly endless droves. Her magic circle expanding with each step that she took. Asuna became the most dangerous entity in the room.
"RAAAAA!" Roaring, Cadmus turned away from the other three, eyes filled with malice as it focused on her.
Asuna's mouth continued to work, words flying from her as the cast felt easy. The magic was almost composing itself.
"Wash away the rabble and purify the streets.
"Put out the fires and drown the nonbelievers"
"Asuna!" Ais called out. Using her wind magic, she vaulted above Cadmus, striking down at it. Her rapier strikes landing with the force of a lance.
That distraction was all Asuna needed to finish her cast. "Blessed of the Undine.
"My name is Necksa!"
Cadmus roared desperately, its breath coming out to strike her down. Chunks of ice forming and being shot at Asuna. In front of the powerful attack, she waved a nonchalant hand.
"Vannforlengelse!"
A pillar of water formed in front of her, knocking the ice breath away and to the side. That was far from all though. With seemingless infinite energy, she called upon the pool to rise and attack Cadmus. The pool's water magically multiplied and struck the beast. Wrapping around its body, the water lifted the great monster and threw it like a toy.
The party of first tier adventurers watched mouths agape as the monster cried out its rage and fear. It landed among the trees with a massive crack. Its body injured and sore.
"It should be easier to kill now," Asuna advised.
"R-Right," Finn responded sounding a little dumbfounded. Shrugging, the Prum cocked the spear back and threw it.
The blistering force of the weapon caught Cadmus' neck halfway to the head. Where Finn's attacks were once only scratching the scales, the spear lodged itself halfway into the neck.
Blood spurting out around the shaft as Cadmus cried out in fear, rising to its feet. With sloppy motions, it tried to approach the pool once more.
"Hiyah!"
"Yaaa!"
Yelling out together, Tiona and Ais stopped that. Urga took out one of the forelegs whereas Ais sliced a large chunk from its flank.
Collapsing to the ground, Cadmus struggled pitifully in its last moments. The three first-tier adventurers showed no mercy. In less than a minute, there was only a corpse left behind.
"T-That was incredible!" Lefiya declared. She rushed over to talk to Asuna. "W-What was that magic power? How long have you been able to do that hand thing? And two instances of the magic?"
"Ahaha," Asuna laughed, "it isn't me, it's the water. I see why it is prized so highly now."
Turning away from Lefiya, Asuna crouched down beside the water. Without touching the surface, she held her hand out over it. Here, fifty-one floors deep, hundreds of meters below the surface, Asuna finally thought that she had found something holy.
"Umm, A-Asuna, can you please move so I can start collecting the water?"
Asuna shot Raul a harsh glare. "This is—" Stopping herself, Asuna sighed and stuck out a hand.
"Huh?"
"The waterskin," she said harshly. Taking it, Asuna bowed her head in apology to the pond. With reverent motions, she filled the skin. Unlike her magic that had simply been multiplied by the pool, taking it away started to dilute the effect.
Filling two more bags, the power was gone. Asuna sighed with disappointed as she rose. What was left behind in the bags was a fraction of the original. The water still had power, but it was diluted.
Unable to resist, Asuna commented on it. "This is such a waste. It would be much more efficient to use the water in the pool for the desired task."
"You realize where we are, right?" Anikitty laughed. "Still, you're saying the spring water is more potent before being transported?"
"She's right," Ais interjected. "I was never exactly sure, but I've felt it as well."
"Fascinating," Finn murmured, stroking his chin. Raising an eyebrow, he addressed a question at Asuna. "What would you recommend doing with the pure pool of water?"
Asuna did not have to think. "I could cure anything with this water. Also, I think I can bless weapons."
"Bless… weapons?" Ais murmured, tilting her head.
Asuna herself wasn't quite sure where the phrase came from. It just felt like the correct descriptor. "Umm, I think the weapons would be protected. And… not sure."
"Not sure?" Finn repeated. "How do you know these things?"
Asuna shook her head as the sensations began to fade. "Sorry, it's gone. I was chosen by the spirit of the water. Now that we've disrupted it, the knowledge is gone."
"Fascinating… The Cadmus spring is an interesting phenomenon. We will have to bring you to another one."
With it being time to leave, Asuna stood back up. Everyone had clustered around her with one exception. Tiona remained off to the side, staring at the ashen remains of Cadmus.
"Tiona, let's get moving," Finn commanded.
The amazon did not move.
"Tiona," Ais said, lifting a hand to touch the girl's shoulder. Right before it landed, Tiona burst into action.
"Don't touch me!" Roaring, she knocked Ais' hand away. "How dare you try to act like you're still a friend after betraying us!?"
"I…" As always, Ais did not defend herself. Bowing her head, she retreated with a quiet apology.
With the sense of loss filling her body, Asuna had had enough. Pointing an accusatory finger at Tiona, Asuna growled at her. "You apologize to her."
"Huh?" Tiona looked genuinely confused. "For what?"
"F-For what? You're being extremely rude! Can't you see how badly she regrets it? Look at Anikitty and Lefiya! They forgave her!"
To her credit, Tiona did not laugh at her. Staring into Ais' eyes, Tiona spent a long moment that way. With a shake of her head, she spoke her venomous words quietly. "Nope. Can't do it. I'd trade her to have my sister and Gareth back in an instant."
Ais flinched. The words clearly bit deeply for the young woman.
Closing her eyes, Asuna breathed out. So, this is it.
Rain:
"Ugh!" Crossing her swords in front of her, Rain absorbed the impact from the gargoyle. "Philia? Strea? Anything?"
Without her knowledge from the old world, Rain wouldn't even have known what this thing was. It was likely from the floors below the thirty-seventh.
"So, why the hell are you here!?" Rain yelled as she jumped back with the attack. Her arms had gone numb from the impact. This thing was stronger than Kirito.
"We should just run," Philia advised. "It doesn't seem overly aggressive."
"Huh?" Rain shot the girl a glare. "We have an abnormal more than a dozen floors above its spawning location. Didn't we want a challenge?"
"I can't really help," Strea reminded her.
The gargoyle's eyes followed the flow of the conversation. There was a level of eerie intelligence there that scared Rain.
"RAAAA!" The gargoyle howled, swinging its arms threateningly.
Is it… trying to intimidate us? Rain observed her opponent warily. Unwilling to retreat further, Rain held her ground. The gargoyle's stone wings were held to its side. It was hard to believe a creature like this could fly, but Rain wasn't counting it out.
"Hiyah!" With a sudden lunge, Rain aimed a blade straight at its chest. The wary monster recoiled, knocking her sword aside.
The monster lashed out with its right wing in response. Caught off guard, Rain couldn't defend and took the hit on the shoulder. The hard stone hurt.
Stumbling away, Rain went down to one knee to stabilize herself. So powerful…
"YAAA!" With a surprise attack, Philia fell from above. It wasn't a tall corridor, but the roots on the wall made the sneak attack a possibility.
The gargoyle rotated its left wing up, protecting its body. Philia's knife skirted off, creating sparks. She tried to stab again but was flung off.
Rain was already deep in her chant. "Dance. Blades of fire, Blades of Ice. Obey your mistress and dance."
Now flanked, the gargoyle was looking back and forth between them. Rain had been counting on this. Intelligence wasn't always a boon. Intelligence deprioritized instinct, slowing reaction speeds.
"Sing. Swords of Air Swords of Earth. Obey your mistress and sing."
"RAAA!" Roar filled with frustration; the gargoyle leapt at Rain. It was a predictable move. Jumping along with it, Rain kept the chant going.
Coming in to help out was an injured Strea. Coming off the back of her challenging victory against the Bloody Hive, the short-haired warrior's attack was stilted. The gargoyle brushed it off with barely a delay, but it was a delay.
Philia used it to catch up, her knife catching the monster's rear leg. It cut shallowly, but it was enough to halt the gargoyle further. Whirling, it attacked with its wings, sending Philia and Strea sprawling away.
"Come and multiply, blades of light. Appear and fall!"
The gargoyle did not attempt to stop the magic again, instead leaping off the ground. Rotating ninety degrees, it grabbed onto the wall with its clawed feet and covered itself with its stone wings.
"Thousand Sword Rain!" Bringing forth her magic, Rain concentrated her magic on the hunkering target. At the moment the first wave shot out, the gargoyle leapt again.
It dodged the first seven blades but being in midair left it open to the second barrage. Following its path, Rain made sure all seven of the next wave connected. Or tried to at least. Midair, the gargoyle flapped its wings. In the cramped space, the motion sent it spiralling up into the roof and above Rain's attack.
"AHH!" Letting out a strained cry, Rain recklessly tossed the final wave of blades at the gargoyle.
It fell with its wings closed around its body. Six of the magical blades clashed weakly against the stone, leaving only small injuries.
I got you this time! With the rest of her magic energy poured into the twenty-first blade, Rain turned it into a streak of light. The blade slid through the gap in the wing barrier as it landed. Unprepared for the final attack, the gargoyle was blasted backwards. Rolling end over end, it ended up passing a hiding Philia.
"Philia?" Rain asked.
"It's still alive! We need another round."
Another round… Easier said than done. Panting heavily, Rain was feeling the exhaustion in her body. She hadn't fought any incredibly strong enemies until now, but the nonstop flow was draining. Like running a marathon, it is impossible to tell until it was too late what step would be the last.
The last bit of mind that Rain had poured into the spell had proven to be that last step. Arms giving out, Rain slumped against the wall.
"No… I have to…" Taking a step, she fell to one knee.
Up the hallway, the gargoyle rose with a menacing growl. Fixing Philia in its gaze, the gargoyle advanced.
"Philia!" Rain's scream did nothing to stop the onslaught. The first wing slash forced Philia to the wall and the slash of its claws made her block. Rotating, the gargoyle put power into its left wing which caught Philia's midsection and sent her flying back up the hallway past Rain.
Unable to help her friend, she glared at the monster. They were out of potions against an enhanced species. Is this… really it?
"Stupid humans don't know when to give up."
Hold on… did the monster speak?
Rain had no time to contemplate that. A wing to the head later and her vision was fading to black.