Edited by: Priapus, Marethyu

– Sheekh –

Watching the Necrosidereus infection trying but failing to invade the lodge, he narrowed his eyes. As a lich who had lived for thousands and thousands of years, Sheekh had seen many things. He'd witnessed the rise and fall of powerful empires and emperors, wars and battles of unbelievable scale encompassing several dimensions and worlds, and the death of gods during a now-forgotten age…

In fact, this wasn't the first time he'd seen the Necrosidereus. He'd even met a few who hadn't fallen into the cursed powers of necromancy. The Siderea were quite brilliant yet somewhat naive individuals who searched the cosmos for their own reasons to live and purposes to fulfill. More often than not, they would find themselves in Teralos, saying that they've felt oddly drawn to it. According to them, across the entire galaxy, only their world had life.

When they arrived, some became intoxicated with greed and thirst for power; others learned empathy and decided to protect others they had come to love.

However, whether they were benevolent or malevolent did not matter. Their deaths would be an utter disaster, as they all shared a single trait: their immense will to live.

As a star dies, it doesn't simply disappear. Instead, it's reborn into an entity with consciousness and memories of its prior state deep into its subconscious—a being that lived for billions and billions of years, now suddenly gaining its own sentience and sapience. No wonder their will to live surpasses that of anything in the universe. They fear nothing more than to return to that lifeless state.

And with that immense fear, they would do whatever is necessary to survive, thus tapping into the dark arts of necromancy. But that's not all. Their unique cosmic energy transformed regular necromancy into something far more dangerous. Perhaps not as sinister, but certainly far more erratic and uncontrolled. Not even magic was safe.

Sheekh had tried to invoke it once upon a time, but with energy itself being sentient, he knew something like that would be near impossible to utilize. As if trying to tame a frenzied, starving beast.

Only very few things could counter the infection or outright overpower it: a disease or necromancy equal in scale and power, druidic purity, or divine energy. They were lucky that they seemingly possessed all three methods.

While not one to boast, Sheekh was a lich with thousands of experience under his belt. He knew the ins and outs of necromancy like the back of his hand. Despite the Necrosiderus being near uncontrollable, fighting it off was a lot easier. And this wasn't the first time he had encountered the infection.

Reid's golem armor had traces of divine properties infused into it, ultimately preventing the infection from invading the Leviathan's body and tearing him apart from the inside. Although a Leviathan wasn't easy to kill in such a method, considering their absurd durability in and out, it made him at least able to fight without being hindered.

And as Sheekh watched the battle from afar, it was getting more apparent that Reid was their heavy hitter. Fighting a dragon reanimated with Necrosidereus at his age was nothing short of impressive. Leviathans were always powerful, but their growth was always slow in the first few decades. It wasn't usually until their first century that they'd turn into a powerhouse.

Though he couldn't witness the battle firsthand, the reverberations of its chaos were evident, echoing throughout the area. Each clash and thunderous roar sent shockwaves rippling around them, even reaching the lodge, rattling its very foundations. The air thickened with immense pressure, a tangible manifestation of Reid's fury that permeated the entire infected region.

It was a force of raw power unlike anything Sheekh had ever encountered. It didn't resemble magic; it felt like the awakening of something primal and unfathomable, as if Reid was weaponizing his own anger and will to gain the upper hand. Just what had he gone through to gain this power?

Reid was what, seventeen? Was it because of his human blood that his power growth had been accelerated? If yes, was his human side also making him oddly empathetic for a Leviathan? Because every other Leviathan Sheekh had met before being sealed was anything but.

The Leviathans were the serpent royal family of Poseidra, the most powerful empire in the sea. While not exactly tyrannical to their own people, they were far from a benevolent group. They were a race of unrepentant conquerors and oppressors, always destroying everything that didn't submit to their will.

The lich had been taken aback when he had met Reid for the first time—A leviathan filled with empathy and a fierce resolve to protect the weak. He had never seen such a thing, let alone a half-leviathan. Typically, they maintained their lineage by breeding solely with sea serpents, making Reid's existence all the more perplexing to him.

Of course, he had been sealed for countless years and hadn't visited Poseidra since being released, so it was possible that something had changed them. Perhaps a benevolent emperor had risen to power and changed how things worked. That or Reid had been exiled from the empire due to his human blood and/or compassion.

Regardless, this wasn't the time to ponder such things. Although Sheekh didn't exactly agree with the Leviathan's reckless endeavor, seeing how emotional he was when he left the building, Reid was absolutely correct; they needed to stop the infection before it reached another village or a city.

In this instance, destroying the core would be ideal, as it would stop the infection in an instant. Their second option, destroying the dragon's corpse, would slow down its lifespan and infection rate significantly. But doing either of these tasks wasn't easy. Not even with Reid's strength.

Their best and most efficient bet was to purify the dragon corpse of Necrosidereus and everything surrounding it, and to do that…

Sheekh tore his gaze from the window and looked at the elf boy sitting on the dusty bed with the amulet next to him. Neither he nor the amulet were normal. Not only was the boy blessed by the goddess of nature herself, but the amulet he was holding was a legendary artifact powered by the concept of purity.

This could be their key.

"Silva, yes?" Sheekh started, smiling softly at the boy. "Forgive me if what I'm asking is personal, but it is the amulet you have. Is it the Pure Heart?"

The elf boy blinked in surprise but then slowly nodded. He knew it. This was no ordinary druidic village. They were followers of the goddess of nature.

"How long have you been in possession of it?"

Silva paused before using his magic to write his answer on the air.

"Three months," Sheekh muttered to himself. That sounded like a problem… "I assume you're a druid? Or at least one in training."

The boy nodded.

"I see." He hummed in thought.

Purifying the beast might not be out of the question after all. A lich like him couldn't try to use the amulet, as its purity would instantly destroy him. Reid couldn't possibly use it either, as he was not blessed by Naturae. Nor was he a druid; to be one, he would have to activate a ritual within the heart of a large forest with another druid to act as his tether to the goddess of nature.

So, the boy might be their best chance at defeating the Necrosidereus. But they couldn't possibly bring a child this young into battle, so what should they do? Making Astera a druid would've been an option had there been a forest. This was a wasteland.

At the same time, destroying the monster without magic isn't any easier. Sheekh thought. What can we do? Unless Reid can somehow pull off a miracle and defeat it—

That train of thought stopped as Silva suddenly began to cough. Sheekh blinked, and then his eyes narrowed seriously as the small boy's coughing fit became increasingly more violent, making him fall off the bed and onto the wooden floor. The lich quickly kneeled and checked up on the kid.

"Jericho." He glanced at his raised skeleton. "Water. Quickly now."

As his undead subordinate did what he was ordered, Sheekh checked to see if the boy was sick in any way, eyes widening in horror once Silva started to cough up his own blood, his breathing growing more and more strained. This was too sudden. The boy had been fine until now. What could've possibly—

That was when he noticed the purplish rough patch of skin on his chest slowly growing larger.

"By the gods…" Sheekh muttered after seeing it.

The lich acted quickly; he put a hand over the Pure Heart in an attempt to activate it and cure him. This would nullify the barrier he put over the lodge, but he could worry about that later. The boy's life was more of a priority.

Unfortunately, as expected, the moment he touched it, the Pure Heart rejected him, burning his hand with its purity and refusing to work with his necromantic nature.

"Silva. I know you're in pain, but I need you to listen." He told the boy. "You must activate the Pure Heart's power. You're infected."

The trembling elf boy nodded, staying remarkably strong despite his violent coughing, and did as he was told. But to their horror, the amulet rejected him, prompting him to drop it in pain as it burned his hand.

For a moment, fear and confusion took over the boy's eyes, but the shock was too great for him, and he immediately lost consciousness.

– Reid –

If there's one thing this fight is making me realize, it's that my magic carried me way more than I thought it did.

I dodge the monster's lunge by side-stepping out of the way, using my giant ice sword to try to cleave it in half, only barely cutting through its tough scales. With a grunt, I force my Haki through the sword, tearing more of its insides before it responds with its own attack, swatting me away with its claw.

I quickly recover by flipping and landing on my feet, blocking its pounce with the blade. Its bite force isn't anything to scoff at, though, as its teeth dig into the ice, prompting it to crack. I get it off me by stomping on the ground and forcing a pillar of stone to protrude from below, striking it in the chest and sending it flying back.

My sentient armor quickly repairs the colossal ice sword at the cost of its own MP, making me click my tongue in a mix of worry and annoyance. This isn't good— the longer this fight goes on, the more energy the armor consumes. And if it's out of MP, it can't protect me from the infection.

It's one of the few things I can rely on. Almost all of my other skills won't help because this fucker can infect nearly every spell I cast. Fire, water, and light are no good, and earth magic is only helpful in very few situations. And even then, it deals little to no damage.

My other weapons aren't very useful either. Goldbrand, Maliq, and Devil Breakers have enchantments on them that can be turned against me, which is why I'm relying on the ice sword my armor is making. Its divine properties make it impossible to infect.

All I can use are my potions, the armor, and Haki. Against a beast this powerful, I don't see myself winning this quickly.

And to make matters worse…

I growl as the wound from my earlier strike slowly closes up. It can fucking heal. Granted, it's not instant, and it sacrifices some of its own energy to do so, but in a battle of attrition like this, I'm at a huge disadvantage. I didn't bring a lot of magic crystals to recharge my armor for this long.

And my armor can't consume MP pots because it needs untainted mana to recharge.

Not being able to use my usual skillset fucking sucks. If it couldn't infect my fire magic, I would've had a much easier time and wiped it out by now. The longer this takes, the worse of a position I'm in.

After recovering, the infected dragon begins attacking again, prompting me to regrip my sword and charge at it headfirst. I'm thankfully faster than it with my buffs now active, and with Observation, I'm able to evade most of its attacks consistently.

Unfortunately, my own attacks don't do a lot of damage. The dragon's scales are much harder than they should be, so my sword swings don't dig into its flesh deep enough to cause lasting damage. The tiny wounds left by my sword heal without issue.

The dragon corpse swipes its claw at me, and I try to meet its swing with my own. However, unlike speed, the difference in strength is in its favor, so it manages to knock the sword out of my grip, clawing at my armor and damaging it considerably.

I growl in annoyance, and at its second attack, I dodge and kick it in the head before using my gauntlet's hook to catch the flying ice blade and lodging it deep in its neck. The beast roars in agony and rage as I leap toward it and punch it in the face, sending it crashing through a few of those rock-like trees.

Once the armor recreates another colossal sword, the one lodged in the beast's neck suddenly detonates, freezing it solid and giving me more than enough time to land a few direct hits, so I use the chance to wail on the monster, tearing it apart and dealing significant damage.

In the midst of my attack, I sense something behind me and evade an incoming shot. As I turn around, I see dozens of infected villagers and even animals shooting me with purple spheres of this tainted energy. The sight makes me hesitate, but I quickly recompose myself. They're dead. Showing mercy to them means nothing.

Once I decide to wipe them out before they become a problem, the dragon breaks free from its ice prison, hitting my back with its fist and forcing me to the ground. I grunt in slight discomfort, having felt the force behind that attack, then get up on my feet to see the dragon biting down on me.

I try to do what I did before, blocking its attack with my sword, but the blade breaks almost instantly, prompting me to stop it with my own two hands, forcing its jaw open. I grit my teeth, struggling as it slowly overpowers me while the other infected monsters shoot me from behind.

"Damn it…!" I curse under my breath, wincing as I start to feel the attacks. "Fuck!"

I eye the crystal Sheekh gave me in one of my pouches, contemplating if I should cut my losses here and regroup…

But then the anger and frustration I've been trying to contain begins to leak. Even though I should've been prepared to take this dungeon on, doing my absolute best to stock up on better tools and stronger potions, things still find a way to go wrong. Why does that keep happening?

All this time, I thought I knew what to expect. I thought, with the goddess' advice, I had everything covered. So why am I not good enough? How come I'm above the level recommended yet still struggle against fucking zombies so much?

Am I just weak? Am I worthless without my magic? Did Remnant's relatively low-level monsters and the fame I have there delude me into thinking I'm some fucking bigshot?

I grind my teeth together as that thought crosses my mind, feeling the full force of my rage consuming me. No. I refuse to let that be true. I refuse to let the only thing that got me here be magic. System or not, I got where I am today through blood, sweat, and tears.

I dedicated countless hours to refining my skills, putting my own life at risk time and again to become the man I am today. Dying in my first legendary dungeon would undermine all of that effort. I'm not some weakling.

I won't lose now. Or ever.

"I won't die like this…" I growl, feeling myself slowly overpowering it. "I'm better than that."

I'm the fucking Hero of Vale. I promised Remnant a world free of Grimm, and I'll be damned if I let this bastard take me out.

"And I'm better than you!" I yell, investing all the spare points I have into strength, helping force open the monster's jaw and dislocating it.

Perk gain—

Although it would heal from that, it still gives me more than enough time to back off and punch it as hard as I can, sending it tumbling backward. The armor responds to my desires and creates several knives between my fingers, which I throw at the other infected monsters behind me.

They hit some of them, exploding and creating a wall of ice to protect me. I refocus on the dragon, creating yet another sword. As the beast pounces at me again, I slide underneath and kick it as hard as I can. Black and red sparks of energy flare from the hit before it's sent to the skies above the grounds. With my superior speed, I fly to where I launched it, using the momentum I gathered to slice its wings apart.

But I know that's not enough to put it down. The bastard has proven itself to be the strongest thing I've fought thus far, so I carry that momentum with me and soar toward it again and again while we're still in the air, cutting it apart each time. And although not every slash goes all the way through, I manage to at least slice a few of its ribs and one of its arms off.

I finally finish it off by using all of my power in a punch in its head, black and red sparks crackling as my Haki flares in power. The shockwave blows everything away— stones, trees, and all the other infected below once the monster hits the ground, creating a gigantic crater.

For a moment, the dragon corpse doesn't move, prompting me to sigh in relief before I glide down. I tighten my grip on the colossal sword and 'sheath' it, preparing to land a finishing blow on the glowing core using one of my stronger perks.

But then, I get a vision of the future showing imminent danger, making me act fast and swing at its core with everything I have. The hit thankfully lands, and I manage to 'crack it' for the lack of a better word, but that's not enough to put it down for good as it suddenly explodes in power, casting a massive pillar of purple energy.

The sight makes me back off, eyes widening in shock at what I see around me. The infected area begins losing its sick, purple color, turning gray and white as all the Necrosidereus energy in this place gathers in one location: The dragon corpse.

"Oh…" I look at the scene in horror, realizing what's happening. "Oh, no…"

I watch helplessly as it twitches and squirms erratically; the power it's absorbing from the infection around us forces the dragon to regrow new wings and a lower half of pure energy. The head's empty eye sockets glow the same sickly purple hue as everything else in this godforsaken region.

The beast grabs its amputated arm, reattaching them before roaring in rage. It's still the same mindless beast it was, but it's much more powerful now. Bringing up its status page all the while this was happening, I saw its stats increasing dramatically as it absorbed vast amounts of energy.

So much that I barely block its fist as it suddenly appears in front of me, sending me tumbling down and deep underground. I clench my jaw in pain, blood going cold as I see how low my armor's MP and HP are.

Then I get another vision, prompting my eyes to widen as, instead of flying out of the incoming wave of infected flames coming my way, I use my earth magic to close up the hole and dig out from another side, avoiding the lethal attack entirely.

But the bastard is already hot on my tail, moving almost twice as fast as it stomps on me. I manage to catch its energy-like foot, struggling to push it off. My armor responds to my mental command and releases a powerful burst of frost magic that freezes the monster for just enough time for me to get away.

It doesn't even take half a second before it breaks free, spewing more purple flames from its mouth. Instead of trying to clash with my own magic, I take off to the skies, gasping in shock as it starts casting spells, launching dozens of homing energy bolts targeting me.

I growl and decide to take a risk, creating a large barrier of light magic to block off the attacks I can't easily avoid, then quickly dispel them before they're infected. Thankfully, that maneuver pays off, but I know that using any of my spells offensively wouldn't do me any good.

I get another warning, but I'm too slow to react as the beast appears behind me and catches me in its fist, roaring at me in fury. I grunt and try to get out as it starts to squeeze. So hard that I start to feel it, prompting me to scream in agony as I feel my bones making noises they shouldn't be making.

The monster opens its maw as power gathers in its chest and throat, wanting to burn me to ashes with its fire breath. With the armor's status page open to the side, I watch in horror as its HP and MP hit the four digits, knowing that I've effectively lost the fight. The realization makes me beyond furious— it makes me want not to give up and continue fighting until the bitter end, but my desperation to live wins this time around, so I use what little MP that the armor has to cast an explosion of ice that freezes off a few of its fingers, which I quickly break and make my escape from its grip.

Not wasting another second, I take the crystal Sheekh gave me, which was in surprisingly good condition, and crush it as the beast releases a sea of flames from its mouth for a finishing blow. Fortunately, the blinding flash of the crystal breaking acts first, sending me back to the lodge.

I immediately fall on the dead grass of regular necromancy as the armor starts to melt, making an odd noise that sounds like it is in pain. The armor returns to its blob form, staying very close as it tries to…cuddle with me, I think.

I hesitantly pet it, sighing deeply.

"Sorry for putting you through the wringer on your first adventure, buddy…"

The blob makes a purring noise, seemingly enjoying my presence.

I didn't expect a monster that fucking powerful in the dungeon. The infection was enough to deal with. Wasn't the level requirement for legendaries only 200? Because if it was, why the fuck am I struggling so much even though I'm over-leveled?

I sigh again, rubbing my temples. Then again, with what it just pulled off there, no wonder I started to struggle harder. Concentrating that much of its power into one place… No doubt its reach and the infection radius decreased by doing that, but this fight just got several times harder.

What's worse, it can always release the energy out of the body any time it wants. In fact, destroying this infection sounds impossible because any time it feels threatened, it would spread out its energy before I can destroy it in the dragon's corpse.

Fuck…

What the hell am I supposed to do?

As I contemplate my next move, Sheekh opens the front door of the lodge, looking at me in worry.

"Thank goodness you're alive." He says. "But seeing that you're here—"

"The bastard is still out there," I respond with a frustrated growl as I stand up. "I almost had it, too. Until it decided to power itself up."

"Yes, I felt it too." He nods. "I've never seen one do such a thing before, but this, too, is the first time I've seen an infection this powerful. Unlike others, it had considerable energy to spare. No wonder it would concentrate more power in one place to eliminate any threat."

"And it'll keep doing that each time it's threatened," I reply. "As if dealing with this infection by itself isn't enough of a fucking problem."

"On the bright side, if it's investing this much into eradicating us, the infection rate must've slowed down, giving us more time to plan a counterattack." He points out before an uneasy frown takes over his expression. "…Is what I'd like to say."

"What?" I look at him with a confused blink. "What do you mean?"

Sheekh gestures for me to follow him, and I do so, going up the stairs and to the room where I left him and Silva. As he opens the door, I find the elf boy lying on the bed, breathing heavily, a portion of his chest purple in color.

I rush to the kid's side, eyes wide in horror for his sake. Since when was he infected? He should've been safe here— Sheekh's necromancy barrier is doing more than enough to block off the Necrosidereus from invading the lodge.

Is it before? But how? The amulet should've kept him safe, right? It doesn't just block off the infection— it actively purifies it. I've seen it do that when I came over to the village to rescue him. Why is this happening?

Did something get to him when I carried him away, and I didn't notice? Was it when I told him to disable the amulet so we could get inside the lodge?

"The amulet is called the Pure Heart. It is a legendary artifact of nature and purity, so it rejects all sources of unnatural magic," Sheekh explains. "Necromancy being the top of the list. As the festering infection grew in the boy's body, it eventually became too noticeable."

"So?" I look at him in concern. "Can't you use the amulet to purify him?"

"I'm a lich, Reid. Even merely touching the amulet runs the risk of destroying me." He shakes his head. "And now that the boy is infected to this degree…"

"It's mistaking him for an undead," I mutter in acknowledgment. "Then hand it over. I'll fix him."

Sheekh stays silent before looking away.

"I'm afraid that's not possible." He says. "The Pure Heart can only be used by druids or those blessed by Naturae."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"I'm afraid our only option now is to destroy the core." He answers. "And hope that the Necrosidereus doesn't try to escape its dragon vessel while we do so."

Hope slowly drains from my face, my mind moving a million miles a second as I try to think of some solution. Killing that thing is nearly impossible now— even if I had my full inventory before me, it'll keep growing until it becomes so strong to the point where it can crush me in seconds.

The only way I can see myself winning this fight is if I find a way to prevent it from infecting my magic. If I can use my fire without having to worry about my spells turning against me, then this is doable. Hell, it would become easy.

Unfortunately, I find myself with nothing to work with. Even if I had something, my inventory is currently unavailable. No matter what, I can't do anything. I'm powerless.

Why does this keep happening? Every time I feel like I've made progress in covering my own weaknesses and shortcomings, something like this happens. As if no matter what I try to do, something will always go wrong. That despite everything I can do, I just have to fail at something.

Every. Single. Time.

Almost as if, one way or another, I'm always predetermined to fuck up. Something like this shouldn't be this fucking difficult to handle, but everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Can't something go my goddamn way for once?

All this praise of me being a hero, all the accomplishments in Remnant, yet I can't save the life of a single child? Is this a fucking joke?

Did I maybe mess up by not entering the dungeon the first chance I had? If I had been here even a day earlier, maybe I could've saved Silva better. No, maybe I would've been here before disaster struck and saved this entire village.

Was it my hesitation at that time that led to so many deaths here?

…Is this my fault? All because I took the goddess' advice that this village was—

Silva suddenly wakes up from his sleep and he starts to cough slightly, opening his eyes while still in a daze. Once he recollects himself, he spots me and stares with a mixture of surprise, relief, and joy, prompting me to put on a smile of fake confidence.

I can't show weakness. Not to a child.

"Hey there, kiddo. Told you I'd be fine." I say. "Might've not beaten that thing like I said I would, though, but that'll happen eventually. A warrior knows when to fall back and strategize, you know?"

Thankfully, the boy doesn't catch my bluff as he gives me a bright smile despite his illness.

"I promise I'll save you. No matter what happens, I'll get you out of here safe and sound." I vow to him. "I know it hurts right now, but I swear I won't let this take you. I just need you to be strong for me right now, okay?"

He nods slowly.

"Good. I'm counting on you to give it your all." I pat him on the head. "And hey, maybe when this is over, you can come with me to Remnant. There aren't any elves around, but I'm sure you'll like it there."

While Silva doesn't do or say anything, content with just staring at me, I can feel his belief in me, which is more than enough to strengthen my resolve.

I can't give up now. I made a promise that I intend to keep, even if it kills me. I can't let a kid this young pass away under my watch. What kind of hero would I be if I let this happen? I don't care who I have to fight. Celestials, dragons, or gods— I refuse to let innocent people suffer and die like this.

Nobody deserves a fate like this.

…But this doesn't answer my question of what the hell I'm supposed to do.

"Sheekh." I look at the elven lich and then at the door.

He nods in understanding and follows me outside, and as I close behind me, I ask.

"How long do we have?"

"While my necromantic barrier is slowing down the disease from killing the boy, I'm afraid we don't have much time." He shakes his head. "Perhaps only a few hours."

"Shit…" I curse under my breath. "A few hours won't do us any good."

"Do you not have anything in that storage of yours that could help us?" Sheekh wonders. "The 'Inventory' you called it."

I grimace.

"It's complicated…"

Despite my inability to access the inventory, I still search through it anyway, just to see what I should've brought with me that would've saved Silva and helped us get rid of the invasion. Cure disease potions? No, they wouldn't help here. Those only cure regular diseases and weak drugs. If Silva drinks it, it'll only strengthen the Necrosidereus because it consumes magic and life to grow.

And my potions are filled with the former.

So, none of my tools or pots would be of any help here; however, during my search, I spotted two things that might be useful. They wouldn't be helpful in the sense that they'd cure the Necrosidereus, but instead, they would be a huge help in destroying the prime vessel.

…If I actually prepared beforehand. I put off charging it for so long that I don't think it'd be useful right now.

Unless…

"...Hey, Sheekh. Remember that orb you told me to hide from others?" I ask. "The one that can bridge the gap between this world and the next."

"Ah, the Principle of Life and Death." He nods. "What about it?"

"Can it be used to bring back the dead even if it's empty?"

His gaze sharpens.

"Whatever you're thinking of is too dangerous, Astera." He warns me. "Creating that crack in reality is already unstable enough as is. To make one without souls as a means of protecting us is suicide."

"But it's possible?" I ask again, noticing how he never said it's undoable.

"…Yes." He nods. "I can use my necromantic energy as fuel. As a matter of fact, we can try to steal some of the Necrosidereus' power to do so."

More than good enough.

"But what do you plan on doing?" He questions with a raised brow. "Is there someone you wish to resurrect?"

I don't immediately answer the lich, bracing myself for the scolding of a lifetime.

…

…Hey, goddess? Can you do me a favor?

Really? You're beyond shameless. First ever time encountering a real challenge, and you fold like paper. It's pathetic.

Right after blaming me, too.

No, this isn't your fault. It never was. All you did was try to help me. It's mine for stalling for too long and trying to juggle too many responsibilities. If it weren't for your advice, I wouldn't have made the armor and died in minutes.

Look, I'm sorry for even thinking those things, but please. I need this.

No. Deal with it yourself. I've helped you far too many times already.

I know, but I need your help again. I know something like this isn't beyond you.

Nothing is beyond me, Boy. I can snap my fingers and eradicate this disease in an instant.

But this is your responsibility. Not mine. What's the point of these dungeons if I'm the one clearing them?

Just… let me have this. I'm begging you. You're the only one I can turn to right now. Please, the kid needs my help, and I need yours.

You'd turn to me so readily after facing something you can't overpower? Just how low can you get?

I…

Don't misunderstand. I don't care about you asking for help, Reid. I don't think there's any shame in that. I would've given you advice had you asked.

But you don't want help. You want a handout.

And I hate it when arrogant morons like you are all bark and no bite—conceited idiots who are so dependent on others to bail them out when things get too complicated.

I certainly don't believe this situation becoming this problematic is your fault. You couldn't have predicted such a thing, but to claim to be some accomplished warrior and a hero before turning around to beg me to bend the rules to your favor?

How else am I supposed to see this as anything but pathetic?

I feel my fists clenching as I hear her berating me like a petulant child. Because as much as I hate hearing it, she's right. This wouldn't have happened if I wasn't so…

I sigh deeply.

That doesn't change the fact that I need your help. Please, I'll do anything. I can't let a child die like this, goddess. Not when he didn't get the chance to live his life.

…You'll do anything, huh?

Yes.

You've gotta be a massive moron to be saying something like that to me, you know? But I do find your heroic spirit pretty admirable, I'll give you that. I'm just disappointed you'd ask me to bend the dungeon's rule before asking for advice.

Hmm…

…Fine. You may take those two items from your inventory. But only those two.

Really?! Thank you so much!

You shouldn't be thankful because this time, my assistance isn't free. I won't take anything from you right now, but I'll be collecting my due debt soon enough.

That's fine. Whatever it is, I know it'll be worth it. Thank you so much for giving me this chance.

I sure hope you keep that attitude when the time comes.

Good luck.

I won't waste your kindness. I promise.

"We'll take the risk," I tell Sheekh. "I want someone resurrected."

"Reid…"

"Please." I plead. "We have to do this. I have to."

The lich looks at me for a few moments before sighing.

"Very well." He nods. "I know not what you've been thinking or who it was you were communicating with, but I'll trust you."

"Thank you, Sheekh." I smile. "I'll make it up for you."

"Oh, don't mention it. As a lich, I've done far more dangerous rituals in my lifetime. But I'll be satisfied with a few drinks if you really insist." He chuckles. "So? Who is it you want resurrected."

I remove the Principle Orb and the corpse of an old and powerful foe from my inventory, which I gently put on the ground.

"Oh?" He raises a brow, looking surprised. "This is…"

"If one Leviathan isn't enough to take that bastard down—"

I glance down at the Emperor of Poseidra.

"Then two should do the trick."

– Qrow –

"Over here," Raven said, pointing slightly south. "The pull is strongest around this area."

Qrow grunted.

"You heard her." He told the pilot.

He nods and began landing the bullhead in the middle of nowhere. A frozen wasteland buried in snow, not close to any village or town. Qrow had no idea what this Cinder lady was thinking, hiding in a place like this where Grimm could just snatch her without anyone knowing, but he could at least respect a healthy dose of paranoia. Being hunted down by both Salem and Ozpin would make anyone turn to this.

Though if it were him, he'd stay close to a town because it was hard enough to get supplies in Solitas.

Honestly, he'd expected this mission to take him a lot longer than a couple of hours. Initially, a search mission like this could take him weeks, if not months, and with where Cinder was hiding, it would be damn near impossible to find her before she died either from Grimm or exhaustion.

Raven thankfully did her job without making a fuss, and it made things way easier. She'd been surprisingly reliable. Reid must've scared her shitless if she was being this cooperative with them. Seriously, the most annoying thing she did was make a few snarky responses. But when it was time to do what she was told to do, she was the definition of a team player.

It was almost creepy. He wasn't used to Raven acting that way unless they were in battle. Most of the time, she was too much of a bitch to act like the adult she was supposed to be, doing whatever the hell she wanted at the expense of her team. Rude, unreasonable, remorseless…

It was a miracle how both Summer and Tai treated her like a friend regardless.

But he digressed. They were on a mission. He could reminisce later.

As the bullhead landed, he, Kiryu, Raven, and Reid's golems got off. Qrow ordered the pilot and some of the golems to stand by before glancing at his sister. The former bandit queen frowned before closing her eyes to focus.

"North." She said.

Qrow nodded and took the lead, keeping an eye out for anything that might clue them on where Cinder was. Anything like smoke from a campfire or footprints. There hadn't been any snowstorms recently, so they might find something…

They spent the next few minutes of their search on foot, going wherever Raven felt that pull coming from. Things were dead quiet, as they had been on the bullhead. The tension between Qrow and his sister was as high as when they'd met in Beacon's underground clinic.

Naturally, he hated every second of working with her as much as she did, but neither of them had any choice at the moment. Recovering Cinder was a top priority because none of them wanted the Relic of Knowledge to fall into Salem's hands.

Strangely, though, Reid didn't seem that concerned about that particular relic, even going as far as calling it 'pretty useless', which Qrow simply couldn't comprehend. A relic of unfathomable power that could reveal all knowledge about the past and present was useless? How?

At the time, he felt like asking for Reid's reasoning would just bring a headache because the kid was a nerd, and Qrow did not understand any of that magic stuff. It was bad enough that he could turn into a bird and all that could imply. He didn't need incomprehensible knowledge to lose sleep over.

…Though, admittedly, he was a bit curious to know what Reid thought about the other relics. He felt that the kid would love the Relic of Destruction in particular. Or the Relic of Creation. Both had a lot of uses he could put into those magic machines of his.

As they continued their search, Qrow abruptly stopped once he spotted a few manticores and goliaths rushing at them.

"Combat positions! Enemy spotted!" He called out, gripping Harbinger and brandishing it. "I see seven! Five manticores, two goliaths!"

Grimm in this area were old, but after training his Haki for a bit, Qrow felt pretty confident. Besides, this should be pretty easy with Kiryu and the golems backing him up.

The manticores attacked first, spitting fireballs at them. Qrow had an easy time reacting as he punched one of the incoming fireballs with his haki-infused fist to test it out for real, amazed at how effective it was. He didn't even suffer any damage.

Reid's golems intercepted the rest of the projectiles as they shot back at them with bullets of light magic from their hands, piercing the fireballs and dispersing them with ease. With them taking care of the manticores and defending Raven, Kiryu and Qrow rushed to meet the Goliaths head-on.

The mammoth-like Grimm roared and tried to ram into the group with their tusks, but the hunter was more than quick enough to evade as Qrow slid underneath and sliced its belly with his sword, feeling little resistance.

Kiryu, on the other hand, smashed his fist into its head, sending it tumbling backward with sheer strength alone. Qrow was pretty impressed— he didn't know where the hell Reid had found this guy, but he was a damned monster. It was a wonder how he never heard of him before.

But this wasn't the time to be shocked or impressed, so Qrow transformed his sword into its scythe mode and tore the goliath's leg, causing it to shriek and lose its balance. With it helpless and flailing about, this battle was practically over as Ozpin's Agent sliced it into pieces, genuinely surprised at how strong he was.

Did Haki really make that much of a difference? He might have to take his training a lot more seriously if that was the case.

As Qrow destroyed his enemy, watching it dissipate and turn into mist, he turned to look at Kiryu, who crushed the Grimm's head with another punch. He couldn't help but grin at his partner's surprised and almost confused expression.

"What's up with you?" He asked. "You look like you've never seen Grimm before."

"I'm still not used to this," Kiryu answered vaguely.

"You're not used to it? But you fight so well." Qrow snorted. "Then again, you do look like someone whose fighting style is more suited against other people. Used to hunt bandits?"

"Something like that." He nodded. "You're pretty good at this yourself."

"I had about thirty years of experience in killing Grimm, give or take a few." Qrow gazed at Reid's golems, who had already killed all the manticores and sighed. "Kinda hurts seeing myself be surpassed so quickly. And by a couple of brats, no less."

But he was pretty proud regardless. Ruby and Yang had grown into excellent huntresses. Reid, too, as he had grown into someone whom Qrow could call a little brother.

…He just kind of hated seeing the kid push himself so hard. No one his age should bear the weight of the world like this.

"Qrow." Raven looked at him in a mixture of shock and concern. "These… guards can use magic."

"Heh, yeah. Those are golems for you." He snorted.

"Golems?"

"Eh, they're Reid's version of Grimm." He waved it off. "Come on, let's—"

Qrow paused as he caught something from the corner of his eye— a blur leaving his vision and entering a cave in the distance. He frowned and addressed his partner.

"I just saw something over there. I'll check it out first." He said. "If it's them, I don't want them getting away."

Kiryu nodded seriously, prompting Qrow to turn into his bird form and fly to that cave as fast as he could, arriving in a matter of a few seconds. As he transformed back into a human, he landed at the dark cave entrance, taking something out of his pocket.

It was a potion that Reid gave him. One that would make him immune to anything that would mess with his mind and/or perception.

As he gulped the potion down, he put the empty vial back in his pocket and ventured deeper, blade in hand. Although he could be facing nothing more than a fraction of a Maiden, he wasn't going to underestimate her.

That was assuming they fought. Qrow didn't want to fight because he wasn't supposed to be killing Cinder here; just bring her to Reid. The kid had said something about giving her an offer she couldn't possibly refuse.

Honestly, he'd rather have Cinder have the Spring Maiden's power than Raven. Though, a third option would always be nice.

Qrow heard something coming his way and tilted his head, grabbing the chains of a kusarigama and pulling the attacker close to him. It was the green-haired girl, looking at him in fear as she tried to shoot him with her other weapon.

But Qrow acted faster and grabbed her hand, preventing her from shooting him.

"I'm not here to hurt you." He told her. "Lower your weapons."

The girl, Emerald, he believed, paused, looking a little surprised at his claim, but then something deeper in the cave glowed a fiery orange, prompting Qrow to push the girl aside and block the incoming fireball with his sword.

The fireball exploded, making him grit his teeth and hiss in pain. That hurt way more than the Manticore's magic.

Qrow lowered his sword and stared at Cinder, whose amber eyes blazed menacingly, her arm extended in his direction as she let out a threatened and enraged growl.

Now, to somehow convince her to come with them…

This wasn't going to be easy, was it?

Since I know people are going to ask, here's the perk that Reid got during the fight.

[Overpowering] - 1000 STR

During a contest of strength, your STR temporarily increases by 50% for 10 seconds.

5 Second cooldown.

Also, not to spoil, but chapter 79 dropped on Pa tre on, and Reid gets to meet a certain mommy in it. *wink wink nudge nudge*