Deep in the unknown mountains of the north a battle that would decide many lives happened. The cavern was dark, air was sipping through the smaller cracks and it was the only thing that was good at the place.
A boy stood still, he breathed the cold air, forcing the blood to his muscles, and a smile cracked on his lips. It was supposed to be like this or it won’t be a thrill. He knew that the lives of his companions were in his hands but seeing a challenge coming just made him smile, it was how he was raised and made into what he was today.
As his companions moved to fulfill their duties, he was calm keeping a good eye on the next actions of the monster in front of him.
“Swish!!!”, “Swish!!!”, “Swish!!!”
It was a rhythmical sound of whipping tails.
Everyone heard it. It was coming.
Simon immediately dashed, continuously reading the movement of the tails as they whipped through the air going into different targets and locations. Simon threw a wind blade from his knife and it deflected one of the tails from afar. The range of his new sword was just four meters from where his body was.
His footwork would play the most part. ‘Think from the beginning of your movement and go through with it’ a saying that echoed in his mind. He vividly pictured his next actions… he just let his body do the work.
To the ones who saw how he did it and to the mutated walker himself. Simon’s mastery of the sword was on par with a god-like ability. His skill didn’t miss a single tailblade.
Through that single exchange alone Simon immediately understood the range of the tail and it encompasses the whole cavern. “Dangerous,” Simon muttered... but he was not giving up. He stared at Carla.
Carla noticed this and by instinct, she cast a shield wall encasing the whole party except for Simon, she shook at how well a single stare communicated her next actions. “Will he be okay?” Carla asked the hero, but the hero remained silent as he continued the charge of his Level 2 magic edge, it was a flaring spear and heat could be felt inside the encasing.
“Para-mi, that is too much!” Raphael said as he noticed the hero’s spear glowing and heating up more and more… past the usual.
“He is buying us some time… I’ll take it all and make this strike a true quality… I would be ashamed if the kid’s effort failed… I will answer with the same risks!!!”
Simon outside the wall could feel it. The battle was going to end in one strike. Simon kept on parrying and dodging the tail blade. He had no way to cut the tails, but the earthen pyres and the battlefield that the princess drastically changed gave him an idea. He parried one tail, guiding it in a direction.
“Got you,” he then hit it successfully, knotting the tail on one of the spires.
“Carla, more spires but leave space!!!!” Simon screamed, he was sure that they could hear him.
Carla hesitated, but the hero’s face and Andy, who tapped her shoulder, told her to trust the boy. She cast another earthen spire randomly growing it.
Simon’s instinct, his sensitivity increased in each passing moment, it was to the point of seeing the future. His body lifted up as he dodged the spires while parrying the tail blades.
The tails that kept him dancing on dodge and parry were lessened… the intensity of magic inside the protective wall flickered… Simon smiled… then dashed to the front of the mutated spike, throwing a bottle of perfume directly to its face… it screamed in pain “GRAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!”.
“Paramour!!!” Simon screamed… the earth shield went down and Paramour launched like a cannonball…
The mutated walker was helpless, it was blinded, and its senses dulled but it still thought that it could jump to dodge but changed its mind since it was more confident with its defense… and it was the end of it.
The attack was critical… there was no explosion or such, the hero just pierced through it with one thrust of his spear, and it melted into 2, already indistinguishable…
“SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!” was its dying sound… on its last strength, it swung its tail blade.
“Simon watch out!!” Andy screamed but the attack didn’t hit anything.
Now they just have to collapse the part where the Spikes came from and the endless stream of them would end but… it's not going to happen.
“Para-mi, a red one and a white one!!!” Raphael screamed as he read the white message “It said they are coming back!!!!” the party looked at each other.
The party instantly looked back from where they came from. It had already collapsed. “Oh… that last attack…” Andy said.
“Send back 'We are trapped in a cavern near ruins.' Please hurry,” Paramour instantly said, and Raphael started writing it on the white paper, and he immediately tore it.
“So we can’t go back from there?” Simon said the obvious.
The other entrance to the cavern loomed and warm air blew from it, echoes of the movement trembled, and the party’s silence doubled its sensations, but the Black Hood was not out of his mind yet “Double seal it! Just in case!!!” the black hood screamed pointing the other entrance to the cavern where they were.
The ground started shaking… the princess quickly doubled the seals on the path that led to the ruins with earth magic .
“Well, I don’t wanna pass there anyway,” she said like a comfort for herself.
“We should have collapsed the tunnel where they were coming from first…” Simon said… the hero glared in frustration… it can be felt for the others too. Well it was too late.
The hero and Simon instantly looked at the large door the spikes were opening earlier. Another white one shined. Raphael read it… “It's saying ‘Find a door or a gate!” he screamed out of panic. The other way that leads into the deeper ruins Carla sealed started shaking… it was collapsing, they all knew what was destroying it…
The princess had an idea. She quickly ran into the large gate and started looking for something.
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“Princess what are you looking for?” the hero asked.
“I don’t know but there are doors in the empire that only royal blood can open!! It's some kind of a doorknob or something… I don’t really know!!! But it should be what Gallo is thinking,” She kept on touching the door going up and down. “
Paramii, she might be right! It's breaking!!! Should I cast one?” Raphael asked; the hero just nodded.
“It will buy time… make it larger, I’ll spread the whole room!” the hero declared.
“It's opening!!!” Carla screamed it seemed that she touched a carving on the wall and a door started opening… but it was slow. “
Stay sharp… tell us if it's possible to enter,” Simon said as he got ready for the battle too… he then points on a direction “Bibs,” he said. He was not staring at anyone but he knew who the message for was.
10 seconds… 20… 30… probably the longest time of their life. The princess again cast a reinforcement for the earthen seals she made; she had to hold it for a while. As the tick of the opening gate echoed to the cavern so was the echoing movement from the other tunnel.
“Bibs…” Andy saw the corpse of Bibs, he had extra clothes in his bag, and he decided that he would bring him home.
Finally as the gap was enough to be accessed the Black Hood declared “Let's go inside!!!!” it was a scream of panic and relief… the party instantly went into escape mode. As they walked inside, the princess looked back.
“I don’t know how to close it!!! Damn it!!!” she said frustratingly…
“There must be a way… we don’t even know where this would lead but if this road leads back behind the wall then we will be in trouble…” the Black Hood said so.
They would have a choice to collapse the tunnel but… there is a chance that they will be buried under, rather it would be a hundred percent.
“Let's go… we will find a solution along the way,” Simon said as he pulled the princess “Kyaaa!”. They started running… they were really far from the walls; it was a long descending road, they were lucky they still had the snowboards, they rode on it.
“Can we use magic to reinforce the boards? we are not sliding on snow,” Andy said as he advised, and the black hood agreed and cast reinforcement magic that is normally used for defense.
“Miss… activate your earth magic… detect the structure if possible,” Simon said as the party was riding.
“I can’t I will need to land my feet on the ground first?” the princess was literally complaining; her skill earthen sense is not that convenient.
“I know what you are thinking Simon but if worse comes to worst I will seal this tunnel even if it means being buried alive!!” the hero declared… the princess nervously gulped.
“I would go down with a bunch of them for Bibs,” Andy said his determination, the men were willing to die, and Carla knew the dangers when she came with them… that’s why the hero said that it would be a great favor.
The boy who was riding in the front was younger than her and was silent. But unlike the others, Carla could tell that he was still calm.
A crashing sound bellowed from behind them; they had probably broken through the seal the princess created. “I will put more seals along the way, it would be weak but it would buy us some time!!” Carla feeling a little bit guilty said.
“It’s okay princess, even just putting obstacles would be enough” Paramour added.
<--->
A few minutes back. In the northern walls.
The gates loomed on the Knights, Warriors, and adventurers that was on a ready for a charge. A large northerner woman was on the front staring at the carvings of the wolf in the large gate, it was Vish, a large northerner woman, she was leading the charge; being a vanguard in a battle had always been an honor for a knight.
The complaining sounds of the gates and the resistance of the its weight echoed… as soon as it was opened full, Vish raised er axe in the air.
“Charge!!!” she screamed her lungs out as she started cutting down the head of the spike. They have told her about their weakness but as long as you could cut something’s head it would die.
All the knights have been educated to a bare minimum of fighting strength. The knight’s weapons that had magic edge on them would fix any enemy problems and their leader; Vish was one of the prominent knights on the eastern frontier. They were full of confidence as they charged. A knight was comparable to a class B adventurer and Vish could be ranked at A.
She immediately created a row of invalids with just one swing of her axe. Percival and the Mayor’s cheering could be heard even from the top of the wall.
“They are pouring!! Miss they are pouring!!!” it was the lucky rabbit screaming, after a few moments when their charge started the spikes started really pouring in.
“Shift formation!!!! Do it forcefully!!!” she screamed again. The warriors and adventurers started making an arrow formation; they would try to sweep as much as spike as possible there was already a small platoon of adventurers and warriors already standing by at the gate.
The small noble’s strategy was quite elaborate.
They are now to do a defensive retreating formation buying as much time for Paramour and Simon’s plan.
“Damn it!! I haven’t had a wink!!!” Peron screamed, he was on the left wing of the arrow.
<--->
It seems that one of the twins has died. Pity their mother really loved them, their ability to read and know each other’s mind was amazing, totally capable of leading the horde on 2 fronts.
It could feel the anger and the anguish of its other brother when it died. It was time to make a move. It could give what his brother wants. It slowly approached its brother who was fuming in anger.
Forming a part of its body into tails he made a make-shift needle and inserted it. Injecting substance that would make its brother stronger.
Its brother relished the feeling.
As its magic resounded, its control of the spikes increased. It can tell that now it could remove their limiters in exchange for their body. The best part of it is that it didn’t need to be close to them… its mind can project its magic enhancement to its kin.
<--->
Almost an hour passed and the descending tunnel never stopped.
The spikes were getting closer… they were flooding in. It must be some kind of mechanics when the mutated walker died it summoned the spikes… but to the speed of their boards, the spikes shouldn’t be able to catch up to them.
A familiar smell started lingering. Simon could see that the spikes were literally running above their capacity… they were dying as they ran… they were frenzied more than before.
Carla rode the board close to the tunnel walls with her hands sliding on the wall, it was so that she could continuously activate her Earthen Sense.
“It's here!!! I can collapse this space without…” Carla stuttered… spikes were behind their trail.
“Collapse it!!!” the hero screamed at the hesitating Carla and she collapsed it. The ground started falling… they quickly passed through the collapsing area then Carla kept on watch using her detect magic.
But there was a problem.
“They are using their bodies to make a tunnel out of their corpse!!!” Carla noticed it… Simon quickly moved into the falling debris diving into the dust and started cutting.
They knew he was going to be buried together with the spikes. The hero instantly realized this but Raphael stopped him.
“No! I will do it!!” he said as he dived into the falling debris.
<--->
Simon was effective on his targets, he kept his movements to a minimum strictly slashing the joints of the spikes. He released a deathly bloodlust but it seemed that the spikes didn’t even feel scared of him a bit.
Their frenzy state allowed them to focus on their goal until the life left their body. He felt Raphael who followed him into the falling debris.
“Simon!!! You rascal get out of here!! Wind Barrier!” Raphael with a small barrier of wind pushed off the dust, then the dust and debris were getting torn apart with his wind barrier but allowed Simon to enter inside.
“I can handle it… you shouldn’t have…” Simon was speaking and he instantly noticed the demeanor of the spikes. They were glaring at Raphael.
“Something is wrong!!!” Raphael noticed it too. The attack stopped… Simon continued the attack but became as wary as possible and that’s when it happened.
Something penetrates the wind barrier and hits Raphael on his left and right shoulder.
“NOO!!!!” Simon screamed, he didn’t had the chance to react to it… that moment when he stopped slashing, the spikes capitalized forming a pillar out of their own bodies.
Raphael almost knelt down.
“Get out of here!!!” Raphael said, his magic grew stronger and with all his might stood forward, and then with a burst of Raphael’s will Simon was expelled out of the barrier.
<--->
In a few minutes, Simon flew out… he was hit by a wind magic “Carla Shoot your most powerful flame!!” Raphael’s voice was bright and clear, Carla didn’t hesitate, Simon who immediately got to his bearings tried to stop her but “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!!”, it was a scream from Raphael.
Carla finished her incantations and fired a spell, an explosion was created making the cave fall collapse faster giving the spikes no time to react. Simon instantly tried to jump back in but a furious Paramour stopped him “NO!!!”