~~~Maria~~~
Two days had passed and both Irvine and Angelica had refused to take on quests going inside of the tunnels, they acted like small children in a tantrum whenever we tried to get them into the guild... If this keeps up then we should probably just move to another village or city.
Angelica has finally given Irvine a magic crystal with the earth enchant, which is evident from its brown shade. She told him that since his sword cane breaks from time to time, it would be useful for him if he wants to engage in close combat and she even told him that both her and Blake will train him.
Also, In those two days, Angelica seems to be acting weirdly whenever she's around Blake. Did something happen when they were in the tunnel? When I inquired Irvine about her bizarre behavior, he also doesn't seem to know anything.
There was one incident where we saw her banging her head on the wall when Blake, tried to start a conversation with her as we are eating in the room.
(Bam! Bam!)
"Angelica?!" [Maria]
"I'm ok~ay..." [Angelica]
She glanced at me with a smile as her forehead started to bleed profusely...
"No! You are not okay! Your forehead is bleeding!!" [Maria]
When she was banging her head I can hear her mumbling the words. Pink... background... butterflies... everywhere...
"First Aid!!" [Maria]
She was acting really-really-REALLY weird...
Angelica, if you're sick please get well soon... Despite acting like an old pervy man at times I very much preferred to see you that way than what's happening to you right now...
~~~Angelica~~~
I was sitting at the balcony of the inn thinking on what answer I should give to Blake. Up until now, I've only seen his as a brother/friend, I was totally caught by surprise with his sudden confession. I should be careful with my answer as not to hurt him, but the thought remains on how he would react...
(Creak...)
The door creaked open behind me and there was Blake.
"Angelica." [Blake]
"Blake." [Angelica]
He sat on the opposite side of the table.
... ... ... ... ... ...
This silence is making me feel so uneasy... that I don't even know what conversation we ought to should start with.
"Angelica." [Blake]
I glanced at him and our eyes locked.
"These past few days I know that you are still bothered by my confession, but I am not expecting you to give me an answer right away. So you can take your time." [Blake]
"But have you thought about what you really feel about me? You know, it might just have been some infatuation. I think that you are much better off with another girl than with me who is always reckless..." [Angelica]
"I'll say this no matter how many times. YOU ARE the only person that I like, I love you, Angelica." [Blake]
My heart suddenly started racing after hearing those words. I'm not turning gay am I?! But since I have a girl's body does it even count?
No-no-no-no... since his confession every now and then I have been getting these kinds of thoughts which isn't good for my mental health...
"Blake... I don't know if you'll believe me but..." [Angelica]
Should I tell him? The secret about me being reincarnated?
"I am not from this world." [Angelica]
"I... do not understand..." [Blake]
"Blake... I am... reinca-" [Angelica]
The floor beneath us suddenly shook. An earthquake?!
"Careful!" [Blake]
Blake held me as the stuff around us began to fall, when we thought that it had finally stopped another one came with much more intensity than the last.
"Angelica!" [Maria]
"Maria?! Where is everyone?" [Angelica]
"We're here sis!" [Mooly]
"Let's get out of here quickly!" [Irvine]
Despite the shaking and confusion, we all managed to come together and exit the inn. Outside were a few who were trapped in rubble screaming for help and children shouting and crying. Around them are people trying to help and some who are also panicking.
Each time that the earth shook, dust and debris fell from the ceiling of the village, some of which has gotten into my eye. I find that the shaking was very irregular because it had already happened a dozen times and at the same intervals.
We moved everyone that we had rescued into the village plaza as it had the most space away from the huge buildings.
"Something is coming." [Mooly]
"What is Mooly?" [Maria]
"I don't know... but I have a very bad feeling..." [Mooly]
~~~???~~~
Earlier...
Four dwarfs are digging along a tunnel network.
"Come on lads keep yer pickaxes kissin gud ol mother earth."
"Shut up Stryker."
"Ey, no need to be mad. I'm just keepin everyone entertained Abraham." [Stryker]
"That's cause you haven't stopped blabbering since we entered the tunnel." [Abraham]
"My friends, no need to fight amongst yourselves."
"Heh, would yo look at Bradley just chillin." [Stryker]
"You should talk some sense into him, Bradley." [Abraham]
"It's his way of things." [Bradley]
"Guys, is it really alright for us to mine without an escort?"
The youngest of the group spoke as he digs with his pickaxe.
"What are ye scared Sherman?" [Stryker]
"We are deep in the unexplored side of the tunnels, who wouldn't be?" [Sherman]
"Have you already forgotten that all of us are retired adventurers?" [Bradley]
"No, but you heard from the guild that there had been a lot of encounters with monsters lately." [Sherman]
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"Give the kid a break, he's just worried about us old folks." [Stryker]
Part of the wall of rock collapses revealing a path.
"Oh, did we find a new tunnel?" [Bradley]
As they pry it open, they were assaulted by a horrendous smell which has escaped from the gap.
"Damn man, I told you to lay off on those potatoes and beans." [Abraham]
"Hey! It's not me!" [Stryker]
"Then who is?!" [Abraham]
"It's that big ol dead thing right there!" [Stryker]
He pointed his finger at the humungous rotting carcass beneath them from the cliff.
Climbing down they inspected the lifeless object that was before them.
"Well, would ye look at that? So the stories are true." [Bradley]
"Isn't that a dragon?!" [Sherman]
"No... It is most likely a wyvern." [Stryker]
"Wyvern?! How could you be so sure Stryker?" [Abraham]
"Because my big ol brother raises them and I know how big dragons could get. Just take a good look at it, have you seen any dragon this big?" [Stryker]
"What de fuck is it doing inside of the mountain then?" [Abraham]
"Ask Bradley, he told me somethin about it, but I had already forgotten the details." [Stryker]
"I once heard from my pops that there was an elf who was an acquaintance of his, who told him about a story of a great battle that happened here in the Pilapil mountains.
Long long ago when we dwarf, elves and humans are at odds and are actively waging war with one another, there came a time when we all settled our differences and came together to fight off a grave threat.
During the war, a wyvern had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and has caused havoc and destruction across the continent laying waste to our cities. That wyvern came to be known as Verschlinger... or the Devourer. Each of the races tried to subdue it on their own, but all three had failed. Due to the casualties inflicted by the war on all sides, we were unable to stop its rampage...
The cities and our loved ones who are in them whom we all tried to desperately protect from the opposing side are slowly getting destroyed and taken by Verschlinger. Knowing that continuing the war would only bring us to our demise, the three races settled their differences and had made a coalition to fight the wyvern.." [Bradley]
"I thought that the Verschlinger campaign was just a myth and we just stopped the war because of too many casualties and the famine?" [Abraham]
"Would an elf lie about something like that?" [Sherman]
"Nah, considering how long they can live, I highly doubt that they would do so. You do know that the elves are always serious when talking about the past and stuff right?" [Bradley]
"Dun forget that they also act like smartasses just bcus they live so darn long." [Stryker]
"Let me finish my friends...
Among the three races, there came talented individuals who had incredible abilities. An elf who had spells powerful enough to rival that of the humans, twelve old magicians. A dwarf that was able to overpower the strongest dragon with just his strength and a human whom is able to lead and organize the whole coalition against the wyvern.
They said that the battle was hard and arduous but only after knocking it out of the sky and mortally wounding the wyvern, they had managed to trap it into a mountain using magic which prevented it from escaping and also to weaken it by starvation. You can still see the said wound on its skull and at its chest." [Bradley]
The three other dwarfs looked at the lifeless wyvern. Across its snout is a deep gash and on the chest lies a hole, where the bones around it seem to have been charred by an intense heat.
"What kinda of spell did they use?" [Stryker]
"Dunno, the elf told him that he hadn't even participated in the fight and had only heard the news when a celebration took place because of it." [Bradley]
"Mmn I find that kind of sketchy. That spell would've been really strong if it had sealed the wyvern." [Abraham]
"Still... what are the odds that we got to find something this incredible. Out of all of the mountains here in Pilapil it had to be ours." [Bradley]
"Let's carve the remaining hide and bones, they will surely fetch a huge price in the market considering that this is the infamous wyvern." [Abraham]
"Shouldn't we first report this to the village leader and the guild?" [Sherman]
"So that they can get a hold on these ol babies?" [Stryker]
Stryker started stuffing his sack with the hide that was scattered all over the floor.
"Hey, don't touch that!" [Sherman]
"Whats a dead wyvern gonna do to me?" [Abraham]
Abraham hits the skull with his pickaxe.
"Damn this bone harder than rock." [Abraham]
"Lemme help ya with that." [Stryker]
With the pickaxe's sharp point resting on the bone. Stryker readies his hammer to strike the pickaxe on the head.
"Ready? Hmf!!" [Stryker]
(Pang!)
As the hammer struck the pickaxe, its pointed tip flew away missing Sherman by a thread.
"Not even a scratch..." [Abraham]
"Let's go. We'll carve it once we got the stronger pickaxes." [Bradley]
"I hope nobody finds out about our discovery." [Stryker]
"Nah they can't. There was this boulder next to the entrance that we can use to cover it." [Abraham]
"I'll be going first. I cannot take this smell much longer." [Sherman]
"Sure-sure run along boi!" [Stryker]
"Don't call me b-o-i alrig..." [Sherman]
When Sherman glanced over his shoulder to rebut Stryker. He saw something move in the darkness at that instant he started sweating buckets.
"What catgirl got yer tongue?" [Stryker]
"Bebebebe." [Sherman].
"Hey, Sherman whats wrong?" [Bradley]
He slowly lifts his shaking hand and points behind the group.
"No use trying to scare us kid." [Abrahams]
Sherman shakes his head wildly side to side as he started crying, only then did the three other dwarfs stopped their movement...
(Pop! pop-pop-pop-pop!)
The three were in sync slowly turning their heads behind them...
There they saw the wyverns skull rise up from the floor, which made a popping sound as every bone from its body started moving again after its long slumber.
"This cannot be..." [Bradley]
"I thought that the dead would only rise if there were an undead contagion?!" [Stryker]
"There aren't even any traces of the undead here!!" [Abrahams]
As if it had finished stretching its body in a long time. The wyvern had set its attention towards them, opening the base of its jaw.
"R-r-run!!!!" [Stryker]
The ground started to shake violently as the wyvern ran towards them and destroys mounds upon mounds of rocks in its path.
"Bradley! Bradley!" [Sherman]
Sherman shakes Bradley violently but he wasn't responding.
"Boi Move!!" [Stryker]
Stryker carried off Sherman over his shoulder as they left Bradley to run up the cliff.
"Why... it should've been dead..." [Bradley]
(Splat!!)
Bradley... was crushed like a pancake as the wyvern stepped over his body with its large foot.
"It's gaining on us! It's gaining on us!!" [Sherman]
"Shut yer trap boi!" [Stryker]
Finally, they were able to climb to the top but...
"Abrahams! Abrahams, you fucka open up!!" [Stryker]
"Abrahams! Please, Abrahams!" [Sherman]
They pounded on the boulder that was blocking their path. Abrahams, has sealed off the escape route and ran away.
"Tch! Dig boi! Dig with your life!!" [Stryker]
Stryker and Sherman went and desperately hit the boulder repeatedly with their pickaxes.
(Swoosh!)
Something had knocked over Sherman which made him drop the magic crystal that provided him with light.
"Stry... ker?" [Sherman]
When he went to pick it up, warm liquid flowed down his face. Wiping it off with his hand he saw that it was covered with blood, on reflex he threw the magic crystal away and it landed next to where Stryker had been...
His whole body was cut in four equal rows, next to it is a huge, four bloodied sharp claws...
"Pppplease..." [Sherman]
Sherman wet his pants as he begged the wyvern.
... ... ...
Abraham was running in the tunnels as fast as he could.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" [Sherman]
Abraham covered his ears as the scream of Sherman echoed into the tunnel.
"I am sorry!! I don't want to die!" [Abraham]
Knowing that the huge size of the wyvern cannot fit through the tunnel, he stopped to take a breather.
"Bradley... Stryker... Sherman..." [Abraham]
He wiped the Snot and tears that flowed down his face.
"I will never forget your sacrifices..." [Abraham]
Abraham stood up and started to walk away, at the same time a sound rung from behind him that was quickly closing in.
"How... did? ..." [Abraham]
(Slush!)
Staring down at his chest he saw a long huge bone that was impaling him...
From the other end of that bone... is the wyvern that had struck its sharp tail into the tunnel...
It drew the tail out with Abraham still on it...
Abraham who was now losing his sight came face to face with the wyvern as it had laid him of the floor. It's hollow eye sockets filled with what seems like small flames.
As he loses consciousness the last thing that he saw was the wyvern opening up its wide jaw at him...