Josephine, Maria, and the others were already quite deep inside a cave, where the ones she was trying to find was hidden deep inside, the nest of Vasp.
[Being a paladin is one thing, but to be able to possess something like that….] [Though I’m still not sure whether it would work or not….]
[Don’t worry, Senior Hilda~!] [Vram also agreed with my plans, and even improved them much more than what I could’ve thought by myself.] [Besides, if we succeed, we could’ve gone home earlier than usual, right?]
[Well… that’s right….]
It’s happening right in the morning, when Hilda, Chris, and Rosa just have woken up while suddenly Josephine hurried to their presence and told everything about what they’ve been talking about the whole night, about Vram’s ability, their choice to attack the Vasp, and their strategy against them, of course not without Hilda having a fiery anger run through both of their skins. But after hours of convincing and discussion, Hilda finally agreed on their plan.
[Still… Lady Hilda, do you really think it’s okay?] as Chris were there confirming Hilda’s intention
[… It’s not like that I’m totally fine with it….] [But still, we need to confirm that Naked Idiot Familiar’s strength.] [For now, I’ll just have to make sure that we have another option.]
[For running away?]
[Though I hate the way you called it, yes.] [But, somehow I feel like I can rely on them.]
[On Vram?] [No matter how much of an irregular he is, that doesn’t mean you should’ve take any chances!]
[I believe in her.] [On that Naked Idiot’s instinct.]
[… Eh?]
[All of us have always been doing things faithful to the books, that somehow our way of doing things was always stagnant.] [But she’s different.] [She always tried to think the best way out of this kind of situation.] [Though sadly she’s a reject when it comes down to human relationships.] [That’s why… I believe in them.] [Both from Vram’s experiences, and from her instincts.]
[… I see….]
Though Hilda didn’t realize, there was a change shown from Chris’ expression, together with Rosa whom have been feeling uneasy this whole times.
***
*NGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING
The shrieking sound of something flapping at sonic speed goes ringing through the whole room. Though the inner side of the room should’ve been as dark as the deepest part of the sea, the whole room lit so brightly you can see everything so clearly. The light source comes from the things attached to the wall, also called the Vasp’s Cocoon.
There can be seen many Vasps, circling and flying around here and there, sometimes bringing in a pieces of Mana towards every cocoon existed there, feeding them. Some cocoon can also be seen giving birth to another larva here and there. For many witches, this place was quite a gold mine for them, because of their ability to reproduce easily as well as the quality the cocoon holds. Yet though that may have been the case, the Vasp’s defense mechanism were quite a hurdle for them to overcome.
Though at the first sight the Vasps was just a regular giant bug, there’s more to them than just a simple bug. The things that they feed on was a Mana, or to be exact, a flow of Mana that comes from either the livings, or from the plant around it. As such, they can easily detect from where a good quality of Mana can be found. This made them quite deadly for Witches whom far heavily relies on magic. Also as to make them much more deadly, they always comes in a pack, coordinating with each other, making them quite a pain to deal with.
*SCHIIII~!
*CRAKKK!!!
[*KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
Suddenly, a flash strike one Vasp that were flying, down beyond with an arrow piercing its head, killing it in one strike. All the Vasps looked confused as to scan where that arrow did come from. Though they may have been an expert in scanning a long-range projectile, but since it wasn’t a magic ability, the Vasps cannot predict where the attack came from since it wasn’t even a magical attack.
*CRAKK! *CKRAKK!!! *CHKRAKK!!
One by one the Vasps was shot right in the head, falling toward the ground by no small amount, as the corpses keep piling up; eventually one of the Vasp realized the source of the projectile itself. As one Vasp pointing toward the source of those arrows, all of them started running toward the place where the arrow originated, where the one, whom have been shooting all this time, Vram, was located.
[Finally….] [It took about thirty to forty arrowhead of mine just to pull them all here.]
As Vram retreating himself to the distance, he quickly discard his bow onto the “storage” and quickly pulled a shield so big it literally covered all of him, with its size around 2 meters. As the Vasps keeps getting closers, Vram quickly jumped toward the small hole in front of him and covered the hole with his giant shield.
*DHUK!! *THACK!! *THACK!! *THRACKK!!! *THRACK!!!!
All of the Vasps started to gather around there and headbutting, poking, and even shooting its poisonous needle toward Vram’s shield. But as it turns out, Vram’s shield were quite sturdy as one would’ve imagined with a shield that big. Though none of the Vasps attempt to pierce Vram’s shield succeed, all of the Vasps still gathered around there.
[NOW, EVERYONE!!!!!]
As a scream can be heard from afar, but not too far from where the Vasps gathering around, Josephine, Hilda, Chris, and Rosa quickly rushed out from each of their hiding places, and quickly enchant the magic.
[SHOOT THEM!!!]
*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!
*BLAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!
A surge of fireball, firewall, fire pillar, and meteor clashed together toward one area where the Vasps were gathering, completely covering the whole area as the Vasps gathering inside were being incinerated. A total annihilation, one could even say. And as if that wasn’t enough, Hilda’s Flame Golem, Hougo, completely decimated the Vasps that were somehow survived from the annihilation, totally left the Vasps with nothing but Mana Stone needed for their quota.
***
[YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!] [It’s a huge success!!!] Josephine jumped here and there celebrating their victory
[No it’s not!!!] [You’re forgetting about your own familiar!!!!] As Hilda correcting Josephine’s lack of awareness.
[But I think he’s going to be fine, right Vram~❤?]
Silence ensues; no answer comes from the hole where Vram was supposed to be hiding.
[Vram…?] [You’re not dead yet, right?] [Vram?!?!?!]
As Josephine’s somehow becomes worried about Vram’s condition, he keeps getting closer toward the Vasps’ pile of corpses. Then suddenly, something moved below the corpses.
*BRUAKKK!!
[GHUHAH!!!]
Vram was finally able to crawl outside from the ash of the Vasp’s Corpses.
[Vram!!!] [Thank god you’re okay~….!] [If you’re still alive, couldn’t you just respond back to me!?!?]
[Ah?] [You were calling, Master?] [Sorry about that, the ash coming from the Vasps’ body were just too much I’m having a hard time moving and hearing things.]
[Wow….] [It’s just as what that Naked Idiot saying was.] [You really do have a high resilience against magic.]
[… I think I am.] [That spell just now totally ruined my shield.] [How else could I survive if not thanks to those abilities I suppose?]
[Wait….] [Mister Vram, your shield was destroyed?] As Chris trying to reconfirm the situation once more.]
[More like it was completely melted.] [Thanks to that, the effect of Hougo’s attack completely affects me.] [Thus, I wasn’t completely unharmed.]
[Still~!] [That was totally daring of you both to plan something like this~❤] [If Yohana heard about this, she’ll be mincing us day and night without rest~.]
[Well, I did agreeing on their plan, so it’s not like she’s in any position to get angry, wouldn’t she.]
[Right.]
Josephine and Vram’s strategy comes both from Vram’s storage ability and his resilience against magic. At first, Vram was supposed to pull all of the Vasps around them by killing at least one of them. But since it turns out that the Vasps couldn’t quickly detect Vram’s location, he had to shoot a few more Vasps to finally be noticed.
Then, as the Vasps started to chase after Vram, he tried to quickly find a spot where he could completely hide against Vasps charges. Then, once the Vasps have completely gathered and focused on attacking Vram whom have been hiding, the whole group launches a surprise obliteration magic that completely incinerated the whole bugs.
[Sure is quite a haul here, and we haven’t even looted the cocoon there yet~❤!]
[Right.] [And since we have quite a convenient “bag” here, we could take as many as we want without having to worry about many monsters outside noticing us carrying these.]
[Though I must say it is quite convenient, I kinda feel bad hearing how you mentioned them.]
[Ihihihihi~❤!]
As the girls and 2 familiar were having fun each others, they started to collect the Mana stones that have been scattered.
[… Hey, Naked Idiot.]
[Eh?] [What’s wrong, Senior Hilda?]
[... Do you know why, despite the danger, I still agreeing to your plan?]
[Uh… not really?]
[Lady Hilda…. Are you…?]
[Can I tell her, Chris? Rosa?]
Chris and Rosa went silent for a while after then they smile for a bit while nodding toward Hilda.
[Actually…] [Chris and Rosa’s familiars were in quite a bad shape right now….]
[Eh?]
[Though we somehow were able to make it back to the facility, both of their familiar were unable to be regenerated right away.]
[Why?]
[… I see, because we lack the Mana needed to recover them all.] Vram was easily able to deduce the cause of Hilda’s cause, which still surprises the girls.
[You’re right.] [And at that time, we were failed to fulfill the quota needed to revive them.]
[That’s why, the Elders somehow told us to bring you together, to compensate for the lack of manpower needed.]
Josephine went silent after hearing their explanation.
[Truth is, the Elder told us not to tell you about our condition.] [But I kinda feel bad about using you for our own sake.] [I’m sorry, Josephine.]
Hilda, Chris, and Rosa lowered their head toward Josephine, whom stared at them weirdly.
[But….] [If that’s the case, I was supposed to take this more seriously than usual!!!]
[Huh?]
[I only thought that the reasons for me being here was only to fill the quota needed, not for helping your familiar!] [If that was the case, I would’ve thought harder of how to obtain more!!!!]
[You’re… not angry?]
[I’m angrier of the fact that your familiar was in more dire state than what I’ve thought!!] [You think I’m fond of the fact that another familiar was dying again right in front of me!?!?!?]
[Josephine….]
[I don’t care if I’m being used or what…] [Just… please… don’t let any more familiar dying without me being unable to do anything at all.]
Hilda, Chris, and Rosa can only went silent hearing Josephine’s word. As Hilda finally relieved and smiled.
[I’m thankful for that, Josephine.]
As she saying that, Hilda went toward where the cocoon was. But as soon as she started stepping forward, Hougo, was somehow running frantically towards Hilda, looking so panicked.
[Hougo?]
[LADY HILDA!] [BEHIND YOU!!!!]
[Eh?]
***
As she turned her back, a Vasp was already flying right in front of her. No, it looked so much like a normal Vasp, but it was bigger than the usual Vasp. If the normal Vasp had around 1 meter size, this thing was about 3 meters tall compared to the normal ones. Its poisonous fang on its stomach looked more deadly than usual, seeing that the liquid flowing through the fang melted the ground it touches. And though it was flying, there’s no sound appearing at all. Or rather, there’s something covering the sound of its wing, completely left us fooled. And it was quite sharper than the normal Vasps when it comes down to detecting Mana Flow.
*SCHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING
As the monster released its silencer wings, the sound it produced ringing so hard in everyone’s ear, left them stunned for a while, especially Hilda, whom have been standing nearest by herself.
[Kuuu!!]
Vram, whom were trying to move, cannot seem to gets closer to them at all. Josephine, Chris, and Rosa were already having their ears hurting from the noise created by the monsters.
The only thing that were managed to move toward Hilda was her familiar, Hougo. Though it started slow, he finally managed to get near Hilda, and pushed her sideways toward Vram.
[No…!]
At the same time, the monster uses its fang, quickly pierced the now standing Hougo in front of it.
*JHRAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!
[Ho-…!]
A total defeat.
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Though it was only one strike, the blow caused all of the body pieces Hougo had falling apart. The poisonous substance its fang had completely melted their pieces. All that was left was a body with its crystal shining brightly in the middle of the day.
[HOUGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
[UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!]
As Vram finally succeed in grabbing the screaming Hilda, he held her on her left arm while pulling a spear from his “storage” with his right arm, and quickly throws it as fast as possible toward the monsters’ head.
*SVWOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
*JRAKKKK!!!
[*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!!]
The monster screamed so hard it almost hurting the ears. But Hilda completely disregarding it as she moved quickly toward the pieces Hougo once had.
[No…!] [Please… please don’t die on me, please….!!! [Hougo….!!!!!]
As Hilda keep hugging and wishing for Hougo’s life, Vram already pulled his shield, longer than his usual small shield, and a trident, equipped on both hands. He furiously charges toward what was seemed to be a Vasp, only larger.
[WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!]
[*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!]
The two monsters clashed against each other. Though the monster used its poisonous fang to attack Vram, he didn’t take the attack head on as he only uses it to brush the fang to the sides as he was trying to either slash the Vasp, or to stab it as fast as possible, though its hard carcass made it hard to defeat.
[Hougo…?] [Please… respond me…!] [Hougo…!!!]
[It’s okay, Senior!!!] [He’s still alive!!!]
Josephine, Chris, and Rosa, whom finally have been freed from the pain, quickly rushed toward Hougo and Hilda, whom have been crying besides him.
[Really?]
[I’ve once had a Golem Familiar like him.] [They usually died when their Mana storage were being emptied or crushed.] [Look at this crystal; it’s still shining so brightly, though his body was in tater.] [As long as we could take him back to the facility, we could recover him.]
[U… *hic…. Uugh…!!]
[But still, what is that monster….?]
[I…] Rosa was hestitated, but finally decided to talk. [I think it was… a Vasp Queen.]
[Queen?]
[Yes.] [I’ve heard it from a senior that a Vasp Queen only appears when the cocoon she gave birth herself was in an actual danger.] [Though at times she may be out hunting some Mana, if there are signs, she’ll come back to protect the cocoon from being harmed.]
[Signs…?]
[It’s the same way as how Vasp gather together against an enemy.]
[I see.] [You’re saying that, the Vasp whom were killed but not burned called the Queen the same they called their own companion.]
[There are about thirty or more corpses of the Vasps lying there, I guess it was easy for her to receive the signs.]
[Do you know a way to defeat it, Senior Rosa?!?!]
[I… I’m sorry….] [Up to this day, no one who tried to challenge the Vasp Queens returns alive.] [Even my senior also….]
[No… no way.]
*BLAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
[Huh?!]
***
[RRARGH!!!!]
An overwhelming existence lies in front of the black paladin. As Vram keeps standing no matter how much damage he received from being slammed by the Vasp Queen. All of the shield he has letting out, even the ones he currently wield, were already melted. No matter how much shield he has in store, if all of them were to be melted, all is for naught. There’s also the weapon he used, sword, two-handed sword, spear, and each of his sharpest weapon. None of them could even scratch the queen’s body, nor do it even able to chop the queen’s wing. Combined with its inhuman speed, no mere monsters would be able to fight against it one-on-one.
[UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!]
Regardless of the situation, Vram just keep charging toward the Vasp Queen as the monster itself evading Vram’s attack by just flying higher, spewing some poisonous droplet on him, and slamming him onto the ground.
*BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!!!
Though while the monster blasted him, Vram was already readied his weapon’s pointy blade onto the monsters, though it does naught on it. The carcass was as hard as sea shell it broke the weapon one by one. Nevertheless, Vram keeps standing up over and over again.
[WOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!]
A black, thick aura covering Vram’s as he lets out a menacing war cry covering the whole cave. The visor on his helmet started to turns red and a red line appears on its body, connecting to each of his armor.
*BVASH!!!
He jumped, Vram jumped as high and as fast as he possibly could, and without delay, attacking the Queen Vasp with his bare hands. The Queen Vasp also replied by charging toward Vram.
*BLAAAARRRRR!!!!
The two clashed mid-air, as both of them repelled each other with their attacks, the Queen Vasp looked staggered as Vram was free-falling toward the ground.
*BLAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!
[Khu…!]
[VRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!]
Josephine was screaming on the other side of the cave. Reacting to the voice, the Queen Vasp suddenly turns its prey onto the Witch, Josephine.
[*SCREEEEEEECH!!!]
[Eh?]
[MASTER!!!]
Panicked, Vram quickly pulled a spike flail with its long chains, and quickly flail it toward the Queen Vasp’s wing and bind it.
[*SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!]
The monster was struggling to escape, but Vram doesn’t even letting it do so.
[WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE!?] [THIS GUY COULD EASILY DETECT YOUR MANA FLOW, SO JUST HURRY UP AND HIDE SOMEWHERE!!!!]
Josephine were surprised to see her own familiar shouted back at her so intensely, yet she stand firm on her own two feet.
[I! JUST! HAVE! TO! TELL! YOU! THIS!!!] [Hougo is fine! He’s alive!!!]
[… Eh…?]
[I’m going to help Hilda and Hougo for now!!] [That’s why!! You also have to return safely, okay!?!?!?] [I’ll be hiding right now with the others!!! SO! PLEASE!! RETURN BACK TO ME!!!!] [THAT’S! AN! ORDER!!] [Okay…!?]
[Master….]
Though he’s still struggling to hold the monsters back, he’s still mesmerized by his own master’s word.
[Vram!!!] [YOUR ANSWER!!?!?!?]
[YES, MA’AM!!!!]
As he answering Josephine’s call, Vram put out a lot more power toward his hand and pulled the Vasp Queen away from Josephine.
[NUWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!]
[*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!]
As he keeps pulling the monster, the Queen finally lost its balance as it was thrown away by Vram far from Josephine.
*BLAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!
{A sword doesn’t work, a spear doesn’t work, an axe doesn’t work…} {Then, the only choice available for me is…}
As the monster’s still staggering, trying so hard to stand since its wing was hindered by the chain.
[DRAGONTOOTH!!!!]
As he mentioned the name, he pulled the hilt of something big from inside the space of the storage. Though he usually pulled it faster, this time he pulled it slower than usual, indicating it was stronger and heavier than any other weapon he had.
[NUWAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!]
As he keeps pulling the hilts, he’s running toward the monster as the weapon finally shows itself. It was a hammer, but no ordinary hammer it is. It has about 3 meters in length size overall, the shape of the tip wasn’t even sharp, as it shaped just like the base of a beast’s canine. With such size, it wasn’t even an overestimation to call it a DragonTooth, as it size and shape completely looked like that of a Dragon’s Canine.
His steps become heavier, his breathing becomes rougher. But even so, he keeps charging furiously and relentlessly against the fallen Bug.
*BLARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!
[*KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!]
The impact caused by the hammer created a crack on the monster’s head. As the monster squirming, trying to bear the pain, it screamed so hard it could literally broke everyone’s ear.
*BAM!
At the same time, Vram, whom have been wielding the hammer, having hard time breathing, thus dropped the hammer on the ground.
[Are you for real?] [My strongest and sturdiest weapon, only leave a crack on its head, which was the least strong part of its body?] [Even when I’ve been transformed into a monster, the monsters around this place were in a class of their own, eh….]
While Vram was still tired after swinging such heavy weapons, the Vasp Queens finally regained its balance and started flying, higher than ever before.
[Oh?] [Is she going to run?]
Just when Vram was about to feel relieved after seeing it flying higher, something nasty happened to its stomach that had its fang on the tip. It looked like it was pumping something.
[… Don’t tell me….]
*PSTHEEWWW!!!!
Just in time, Vram was able to jump to the sideline. What he’s evading was something he surprised also. A fang. The monster’s fang that had been attached on its stomach was somehow flown toward where Vram was standing. Though the trace of its fangs were nowhere to be found, a hole so deep no one can see the end of it were somehow filling in there.
[It… completely melted the whole floor with its fang.] [Shield would be useless in this case.]
After he observed the floor, he decided to check what the Vasp Queens had been planning again. But it looks like she was doing the same thing again, since it looked like another fang was appeared at its stomach.
[She can’t shot it repeatedly, eh?] [Then the only option I have… is this.]
As Vram organizing his final attack plan, he pulled out a lance, though the base hilt was quite bigger while the pole wasn’t that long. He started running, trying to find a higher level to reach, though somehow the higher platform he could reach was somewhere much farther than where the Vasp Queen is.
*BLAAAM!! BLAAAAAAR!!! DHUAARR!!!
But as it is, the Vasp Queen weren’t also going to stop there, as when Vram was trying to reach the higher level platform, it shoots out its poisonous fang when she finished recharging them.
As Vram finally able to reach the highest platform, as well as the Vasp Queen were trying to recharge its poisonous fang again, Vram pulled out what was looked like a bow, only bigger than your usual bow. With its length around 2 meters, and the string was completely change to a rope, a thick and elastic ones. It was the Great Bow he used to provoke Craud and Endrossa before.
Using the lance he had brought before, he put it in between the space of where the hilt of the GreatBow is. And put the back-hilt of the lance on the ropes, thus pulling it backward, just like how one uses a bow, only bigger.
{The range… damn it, it’s too far.} {I need more strength to compensate for the lack of range and height, or I’ll be dead before I could even pierce that thick skull of it.}
Then Vram was trying to remember, the power he had when he throws the spear back when Hougo was being obliterated, when the Vasp Queen relentlessly charging back and forth at him, and when it noticed Josephine’s presence.
{Is that how it feels to become a monster…?} {To feel nothing except rage and hatred toward the ones right in front of you…?} {That’s… the worst things one would’ve experienced.}
Though the ropes looked like it’s already reaching it limits, Vram keep pulling it in order to gain more force on its strength.
{But even so…!} {I’ve already dead…!} {And yet, I was given another chance…!} {To protect something that I’ve failed to do so before!} {In order to do that…} {I…!}
Another black aura covered Vram’s whole body once again, as the red lines also showing up covering his whole body, and the visor on his helmet, was once again turned red. With somehow inhuman strength, he keeps pulling the rope on the Bow until it really reached its limit, and the Vasp Queens had ready to shoot another poisonous fang.
{… will gladly become a monster!!!!}
*PSTHEEWWW!!!!
*BYAAAAAAAZZZZZZHHHHHH!!!!!
The two projectile had been launched each others, as both of them can only stand in silent after unleashing their attack on one another.
*BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!!!!!!!!
A sound of impact can be heard on both sides, as the places Vram was standing was destroyed, it can be seen that Vram was already free-falling toward the lower ground because not only he lost the platform he was standing on, he already tired from unleashing such force from the bow. The same can be said for the Vasp Queen, whom somehow, Vram’s lance were able to pierce the cracked head, all the way into the insides of its head, as it was free-falling toward the ground together with Vram.
*BLAAAMMMMMMMM!
A silent ensues as both of them hit the ground altogether. As the ground around the Queen Vasp was flowing with green blood they melted the whole floor, Vram just keeps lying over there, unmoving.