The chase led Daisuke and Zephyr along the back alleys of Wonderelle’s eastern district. The farther southeast they went, the more dilapidated and depressing the buildings became, similar to the slums of Dusthaven.
Finally, they halted in the doorframe of an old building that had mostly collapsed in on itself. Within its ominous confides is where the shadow had promptly disappeared.
Zephyr whimpered, the dark entrance seeming more like the gaping jaws of an unfathomable monster rather than a doorway.
“I know,” Daisuke murmured. “But I still need to go inside.”
The pup followed close behind, refusing to let his friend enter the belly of the beast alone. The telltale of a former home and the presence of a family could be seen—a small wooden table accompanied by four chairs in the dining room, dirty dishes in the kitchen, a doll made of straw left abandoned on the bathroom floor.
The master bedroom had a large hole in the wall that was evidently man-made. The building was artistically constructed into the side of a small hill. The hole in the wall was tunneled into that hill, the path slowly curving downwards and supported by thick wooden beams.
As Daisuke approached the treacherous path, the soft blue glow from industrial-grade mana lambs highlighted his face. “This… it looks like a mining shaft.”
“Rawrwu~”
Roughly forty feet down, the slanted tunnel that was roughly two meters in width led into an expansive chamber with level ground. Large holes and mounds of dirt and rocks littered the space—these were accompanied by equipment such as hoes, shovels, and wheelbarrows.
The scene was similar to that of the mining shaft in Elmridge Village, but instead of traces of gold, silver, and other precious materials, there were the skeletal remains of different species of humans.
“…This place,” Daisuke murmured.
It was the catacombs of an ancient civilization, which meant this was possibly an archeological dig site. But there was no precision, delicacy, or respect in the state of the uncovered remains. It was almost like the expedition team were frantically searching for something and the humanoid fossils were just a means to an end.
Brushing the unsettling thought aside, Daisuke briefly admired the fascinating monuments of wood and rock that decorated the ancient tomb. Then he scanned the dimly lit chamber with the Eye of Verity, but wasn’t able to find a trace of the vile bastard who had lured them here.
Before he could begin to despair—
“Woof!”
The hushed bark of his canine companion echoed from across the chamber. Where his visual prowess had failed, Zephyr managed to rediscover the trail with his keen sense of smell. It led into another narrow corridor that eventually fell off into a pool of water radiating a mesmerizing blue glow.
“They must have placed mana crystals inside so that no one would accidentally fall in,” Daisuke deduced in a whisper.
Zephyr made some grumbling sound, likely dreading the idea of falling in when water wasn’t exactly his most favorite element.
At the same time, Daisuke assessed the area, noting the narrow ledge at either side of the pool that would allow them to shuffle past it without the need to get wet. There was also a crudely fashioned railing along the side of the wall that could be used for support.
Without hesitation, the duo made their way toward the ledge, well aware that stalling would simply add more distance between them and Adrian, making it even less likely that he would be found.
Before Daisuke could reach for the unimpressive railing, a silver tentacle suddenly shot out from the shimmering pool and firmly latched itself around his wrist.
SQUISH!
“What tha—”
Before he could materialize the Lipanthyer’s Fang in his free hand, another tentacle coiled around his other wrist, holding them firmly in place. Daisuke clenched his teeth, but instead of panic or outrage, the Composure stat had him focusing the Eye of Verity into the glowing pool.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
There, he spied the upper half of a fiend that resembled a giant squid. Its lower half, which was still submerged beneath the water, was entirely translucent, rendering it practically invisible to the naked eye.
But the Eye of Verity wasn’t your typical eye; it didn’t just perceive the world in colored images—it was able to distinguish the various energies that made up the world, the most predominant being mana that existed within all living things.
Then how was this bastard able to—
Daisuke’s eyes widened with revelation when he deduced that the water, at this point, must be completely suffused with mana from the prolonged exposure to the crystals.
Hence, in addition to the fiend being able to make itself translucent, it was also being disguised by all the mana present in the pool.
Following this discovery, Zephyr bared fangs wrought of mana and lunged at the appendages that had his partner incapacitated. But before his fangs could find their mark, another thick tentacle shot out from the water like a speeding bullet and coiled around the charging canine.
“Grrr!”
Zephyr didn’t bother to squirm as he was hoisted into the air like a weightless kite. His maw dilated as a ball of hell fire stirred within. Again, the fiend was faster—its beak-like jaws fell agape, firing off a series of electrified needles that struck both the pup and Daisuke.
Zephyr let out a pained holler as he was electrocuted, then his body fell limp under the weight of the paralysis debuff that followed. Daisuke swallowed his own scream when he noted Zephyr’s motionless form.
DING!
[You were subjected to a debilitating attack. Αφινίτη’s Blessing has countered the threat and preserved the integrity of your motor skills.]
“Sh-Shit!” Daisuke cursed beneath his breath, steam rising from his twitching body.
When the Intimidation skill promptly failed to work on the monster, several icicle-shaped projectiles began forming in midair, aimed to strike the creature’s bulbous eyeball. But the moment the Magic Missiles began forming, they quickly dissipated.
“…Huh?” Daisuke was barely able to raise his head. His eyelids had suddenly become heavy, his limbs growing weary.
Just before the glow from the Eye of Verity vanished from his pupils, he peered down at his wrists and noted that his mana was gradually being absorbed by the monster. Zephyr was being drained, too.
“M-Mana Drain?” Daisuke murmured breathlessly, his eyes slowly drifting close. “You gotta be… shitting me.”
***
“…s!”
“…ks!”
“…Haxks!”
Daisuke gradually drifted back into consciousness to the sound of muffled voices and persistent sniffling. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open, and the blurred outlines of two familiar figures came into focus—both far too close for comfort.
“G-Guys! He’s awake!”
“Haxks!”
Ribbit and Garrett burst into hysterical wails before flinging themselves onto their former leader. Daisuke grunted from the impact, and then cringed as the two began smearing their snot-covered faces all over his clothes, adding to the mess already left behind by his encounter with Jean.
“I’m so happy you’re alive!” Ribbit cried, his flushed cheeks not as plump as Daisuke remembered.
“Y-You had us worried sick!” Garrett exclaimed, then his expression became dejected. “…We’re so sorry for going behind your back. We just… didn’t want to resort back to eating scraps again.”
“Hm! Hm!” Ribbit nodded in agreement, snot bungee jumping from his large nose. Without a shred of hesitation or shame, he got down on all fours and bowed his head low in apology.
For a moment, there was silence. Garrett had his head lowered too. In the corner of the dark enclosure, Daisuke spied four kids huddled together, their expressions morose. But they too hung their heads in repentance.
Brek stood at the front of what was beginning to seem like a metallic cage suspended above a pool of water. He had his back turned, his face shrouded in shadow. “Figured you’d still be alive,” he murmured with a hint of petulance. “You never did know when to call it quits.”
The accusing words were followed by an awkward silence, then the Beastkin’s disposition evidently changed, his shoulders now hunched. As he mustered the courage to fish for the answer to a question that was weighing heavily on his mind, his fingers balled into nervous fists.
“April… is she… okay? Did she… survive?”
“…She’s fine,” Daisuke responded empathetically, not a hint of blame or hostility in his tone of voice.
Brek’s shoulders visibility tightened at the light-hearted response, his body jerking as he sobbed soundlessly. He had painfully lost his little sister to starvation when they were younger.
Frustratingly, there was nothing he could have done at the time, but when he joined the Slum Sprites, he was determined to prevent the same tragic fate from befalling the other kids who had become something of a family to him.
But his reckless ideals had almost cost April and Daisuke their lives. Was their livelihood worth several loaves of bread and fresh produce? Would he be able to eat again knowing that his actions had gotten them killed?
“…Thank you,” he uttered between his tears, “for staying alive… and for protecting April. I was a fool, and I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault,” Daisuke returned wearily, stumbling when he attempted to stand. Ribbit and Garrett quickly assisted. “When I roped you all into this, I vowed to myself that I would take responsibility. I’m sorry for being selfish when mom died; I should’ve been more attentive and considerate of you guys.”
Bittersweet smiles spread across everyone’s lips at the compassionate words. Daisuke’s refusal to reprimand them was just one of the many prime examples why he was their leader, and being reminded of that just now made their recent betrayal sting even that much more.