Part 5
The thin, misty haze of the morning sunlight barely illuminated a dull, dark tunnel, filled with vines of all shapes and sizes. The tunnel itself looked to be natural, but the occasional motes of water mana that floated lazily through the air showed the dreary passageway to be unnatural, at least in its construction.
The man who was making his way through it was dressed rather averagely. Much like others who had made it this far, his style in clothing had changed considerably, mainly as a way of defending at least a little against attacks that were considerably more dangerous due to mana. Although it was done out of a need for protection, he still was a little uneasy about what he would have viewed as an overblown monk’s robe in the old world.
“Ahh… What am I really complaining about, anyway? It’s only thanks to Neru that I got this far.” The man remarked rather happily to himself as he continued to make his way through the tunnel.
Unlike many others who had died shortly after the deadline, he had chosen to remain human and managed to actually keep his life, although that was only thanks in part to Neru, the water Nymph that he met. Although the contact he had with the outside world was minimal even now, that was a choice he made for himself.
His days were little more than a gradual process of accustoming himself to the new world, eating and sleeping as the day passed before returning to a peculiar state that he had grown accustomed to. Even he wasn’t sure of the reason why, but not even a week after the deadline was up, he had a sudden… urge to meditate, for lack of a better phrase. At first, nothing happened, not that he expected it to, but as he kept at it, he felt a deep, powerful sense of calm overcome him, as if encouraging him to continue. As he did, lo and behold, he noticed that he began to change, if only ever so slightly. In a way, it was only thanks to that state that he began to change in a more substantial way than ever before, although he still had his own doubts on how it was possible.
Pushing away a large bundle of vines blocking his path, Matthew emerged out of the tunnel, before entering an utterly beautiful area, with a deep, freshwater spring centered neatly in the middle. He could only smile to himself as he took in the wondrous view. While it was gradual, resulting in most others not noticing, nature had begun to change after being subjected to mana, either through its inhabitants or the mana itself. Everything, from the deep, clear waters of the spring, to the air, and plants that covered the walls of the spring’s cliff face were so much more vibrant than before.
“Neru. I’m back!”
Matthew happily called out to the center of the spring, only to be met with utter silence in return. Not that he had expected any different. The Nymph tended to give him the cold shoulder, and it had happened more than once. The man only laughed silently to himself, before casually walking over to the water’s edge. As he did, he bent down, and gently touched the water lapping at his feet.
He drew his finger out of the water with an expectant smile as a small droplet fell off and returned to the water seamlessly. As it did, an otherwise infinitely small ripple grew from the droplet of water, growing far past what would be natural until it finally reached the center before disappearing altogether in a rush of water.
As Matthew looked on expectantly, a distinctly female voice suddenly sounded out from the center of the spring, although from the tone alone, she seemed not too excited to see him once again.
“You’ve returned again, I see.” The voice echoed out.
He laughed in a depreciating manner, as he scratched his head embarrassedly. “I know, I know. But… I wanted to return the favor.” Matthew cocked his head to the side in a silly manner before crouching at the water’s edge and waiting, a lovestruck smile emblazoned on his face.
“It was a coincidence, that was all.” The voice said with a low sigh. “What is this favor? Interruptions make it somewhat difficult on me.”
“That’s just it. Look.” Matthew held out his hand as a gentle, golden glow suddenly extended from him. The golden light twisted ever so slightly in the air, illuminating both himself and the area around him.
Healing magic. Somehow or another, he had managed to learn healing magic. He didn’t have a real technique, or even the spells he had heard others had gained access to, but he didn’t need it. He had always wanted a method to help the beautiful Nymph after she saved his life, and now he had it.
“That’s…” The hidden voice held a large amount of surprise, as the center of the spring suddenly began to rush and stir with waves of water converging on the middle. As it did, a hand emerged and placed itself on the top of the water. As if lifting themselves onto a ledge, an utterly exquisite woman with deep blue hair climbed up from the depths of the spring, covered in an opaque light-blue cloth. It was as if a picture of perfection had risen from the depths, with only one exception. Her right arm was marred by a horrific bite, and even now, it showed no real signs of healing.
Matthew’s face sunk almost immediately as he saw how Neru cradled her arm, and hid it behind a layer of cloth. It was clear that he would do almost anything for the beautiful Nymph, if asked. Met with a woman that could command even the most hardened of men’s hearts, and it was no surprise that Matthew was utterly lovestruck by her.
“With this I can… you know, heal you.” Matthew said, before closing his hand. The faint light faded almost instantly, but the same lovestruck look stayed there all the same. “I’m still new at it, but I can at least help.”
“Regardless, you shouldn’t have returned…” The Nymph gave a pointed glance at the more obvious entrance to the spring, her beautiful face painted in a look of deep caution. From the guarded look alone, it was obvious that she had hidden herself from sight in the first place as a result of sensing their presence.
“Huh?” Matthew turned around, only to meet eyes with a large, intimidating creature that had stopped near the entrance of the spring, it’s face scrunched up in an ironic, mocking look. A little over six feet tall, the creature immediately struck him as a powerful monster. The powerful-looking muscles, the feral physique of the creature, how it towered over himself and Neru, and above all, how the horns and claws left no doubt of the purpose of such a creature.
[So, this was a Nymph’s spring all along. How troublesome.] Therion spoke out in a somewhat soothing language, in harsh contrast with his usual tone. It was clear that he was addressing the Nymph alone, as the Nymph quickly adopted a more neutral expression.
With a short huff, he turned around to scold the young Lamia. “You shouldn’t have been so excitable. It was you that she sensed.” Therion returned to his gruff tone momentarily, before shuffling her out of sight as he stepped forward.
“You said that she was so pretty though…” Ella pouted, upset that she was being blamed, even if Therion was entirely correct.
Neru returned with a statement of her own. [That language. You used to be one of us before you were corrupted… Just what were you subjected to for your form to be twisted in such a way.] Her voice was tainted with a hint of sadness as she shook her head. While Matthew looked on with a sense of fear, those who were corrupted by demonic mana was viewed more by those of their previous race with pity.
[Spare me the false sympathy. Just keep out of my way, and I won’t harm you or your human toy.] Therion replied gruffly, waving his hand as if to clear away any sense of conversation between them. Clearly, he was a bit upset at being addressed in such a way.
[Keep out of your way? If you believe that I’ll allow you to corrupt this place out of some misplaced sense of malice towards me, you’re mistaken.] The Nymph clearly didn’t view Therion with any sense of fear, instead, viewing him more as a corrupted thing that needs to be exterminated for the good of others. It was well known that interacting with demonic races typically didn’t turn out well for anyone.
Therion’s face twitched for just a second, as he forced a fake smile. [And you think-]
Just as Therion began to return the threat, a black object suddenly whipped out from behind him, nailing him firmly in the back of the head, which only left him slightly miffed as he turned around with a reluctant expression.
He quickly returned to his more guttural language as he looked at the culprit. “Was that really necessary? Despite her appearance, she is dangerous you know.”
“But you’re being too mean! If we just asked her, I’m sure she’d let us use her water-place. It’s plenty big enough for us both to have some room.” Ella responded with another audible crack as her tail hit the ground in a small tantrum.
“This is the problem with you and Aleria, you get angry too easily. That’s why you two are always arguing!” Ella’s face grew even more puffed up as she pouted and brought herself up higher with her tail, in an attempt to look Therion in the eyes. As for Therion, the Satyr could barely hold in the urge to sigh as he shook his head.
“Is that… a Lamia? A child at that.” Matthew looked on with shock. The idea that a demonic species would even consider talking with a foreign species boggled his mind, let alone that he seemed to be the one taking care of the small snake-girl, judging by his body language alone.
“Haa…” Therion laughed sadly to himself as he turned back around, bringing the young Lamia with him. He had been ordered to take care of her, but at moments like these, it was all he could do to not pull his hair out from sheer frustration. Returning his gaze to the beautiful Nymph, he explained himself in a casual manner.
[I’ll only say this once, so listen. I’m going to teach the Lamia here to fish. Just leave us alone, and I won’t harm this place in the least.] He explained in the more melodic language of the Nymph, before waving his hand in a careless manner.
He gestured Ella over to himself, before taking her hand and leading her over to the pool of water. [You can watch us the entire time for all I care, but I can guarantee this. If you dare harm me or the girl, you’ll come off a lot worse than that little wound you have on your arm.] Therion spoke to the Nymph as best he could, even as his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Regardless of the circumstances, he didn’t view his old life with any sense of romanticism. He barely remembered how it felt at all before he was transformed by his master’s formidable mana. The inborn pride he felt at such a boon certainly carried over into his speech, resulting in him lightly threatening the Nymph at the same time as he was asking for permission.
The two monsters stared at each other in total silence as Neru gauged the meaning behind the thinly-veiled threat of Therion, her eyes slowly making their way between the Satyr and the young Lamia at his side. Neru wasn’t sure what was happening in front of her.
Most certainly, if it had simply been Therion by himself, she wouldn’t have taken him at his word. Demons weren’t to be trusted, that was a simple truth. Even now, she felt an innate distaste towards him, but the strange relationship between the two who had made their way into her domain perplexed her.
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‘He was simply here to teach her how to fish?’ ‘He actually threatened her if she were to harm the young Lamia?’ Those thoughts utterly conflicted with the image she had of the Satyr in her mind. The idea that one would even tolerate being attached to someone weaker than themselves simply made no sense.
Neru gazed in-between the two, her thoughts spiraling as her eyes shone with interest. A Lamia and a Satyr. It was a novel relationship to say the least, not even mentioning his surprising leeway the Satyr showed with even herself.
[Hm. Do what you wish. A few fish should be of no real value.] Neru responded with a short twitch on her beautiful face. It hurt her to do so, but her interest in the duo far surpassed the feeling that she needed to exterminate such an abomination. A normal demon wouldn’t even begin to bargain, let alone protect a weaker companion without some significant gain to themselves. Her own curiosity felt that she simply had to see it for herself.
“Neru, are you really allowing them to stay?” Matthew looked on with fear in his eyes as the Satyr began to walk to the water’s edge, with the Lamia in hand.
Therion had chosen to position himself and Ella opposite the others, giving them a wide berth in comparison to Matthew and Neru. Matthew was only able to watch them for a moment before Therion plucked a fish out of the water, before gently placing it back in without a single injury. Clearly, he was encouraging Ella to be able to do the same.
“It seems that he’ll be of no threat, at long as we don’t threaten him.” She took a cursory glance at the duo, before slowly walking over to Matthew. A strange look had established itself in her eyes. One of unbridled curiosity and interest.
“He isn’t the typical demon. Whether that is good or bad is still to be seen, but I’m willing to give them a chance.” Neru exhaled a bit, before taking a step off the water’s surface and laying down next to Matthew.
“I would be in your debt if you are able.” Neru gently unveiled her arm, revealing a horribly marred sight. It was clear that she was a bit uneasy about revealing it to others.
“A-ah, right!” Matthew responded, as a faint layer of golden energy began to envelop the beautiful Nymph moments later. He had come here to heal her, but the sudden intruder had left him stunned for the most part.
It’s unnerving though… Matthew stole another glance at Therion, who had a light smile on his face as he watched Ella blunder at catching the fish, often scaring them off rather than getting close to catching one. That mark on his chest. It shows that he’s associated with a Demon Lord… but what Lord would have the symbol of a dragon?
*****
“I really underestimated all this.”
That was the conclusion Drake reached as he and the others made their way further into the borders of the city. While he had been correct in assuming that there would be a multitude of monsters, just how many, and how ferocious they were directly after spawning certainly wasn’t in his plans. This was mainly due to his understandably hazy memories, and just how little interaction he had with the world directly after the weekly timeline had ended.
For practically the entire first week, he was connecting with Therion and Yami, as well as dealing with the Draconian inside himself. That he didn’t know or understand much of what had happened was perfectly understandable, to say the least.
Unfortunately, now they were left with either all out avoiding monsters that they would have no hope of defeating, or hiding out while different groups of creatures fought each other for dominance. Despite that, it wasn’t all bad, by any means. They had picked up a few particularly promising monster cores that had been left behind from some kills, and given their situation, all they would have to do is transform them once they found a reliably safe place, and they would have even better gear than before.
That is, if they could just avoid all the monsters in the meantime.
Giving Lance a careful glance, Drake nodded as they began to sprint further in towards the city, carefully avoiding and hiding from the large beasts that lumbered around the exterior.
“Things really are getting worse. Never in my life would I have imagined I’d see a living pillar of fire fighting some kind of… puffy bat-dinosaur hybrid.” Lance muttered faintly, as they sprinted past the fight.
“It was a standard Fire elemental against some weird thing called a Paolumu. Believe it or not, apparently it was some kind of wyvern, although I couldn’t get any information past that.” Drake identified both the creatures in a flash, giving a brief explanation as his face began to grow increasingly worried.
It wouldn’t have been too difficult to fight either one of them one on one, although it would definitely have taken a bit of time. The problem was, there were just too many different types, with more and more popping up as they drew closer to the center of the city. One wrong step, and they would be stuck in a fight. Once that happened, it really would be that would be almost impossible to win. More and more creatures would be drawn to the scene of the battle, resulting in only one creature coming out on top. This had already happened a few times, with them avoiding the battle each time. The number of creatures nearby was still just too much.
“Still, it’s not all bad.” There was a distinct chuckle from Grant, as he waved a brilliant blue core to Drake and Lance. Grant moved as if he was somewhat haggard, much as if he had been exerting himself too much, but it didn’t show itself on his face.
“That hulking ice beast we came across earlier, the one that was promptly chomped on right as we came upon it? Well… since we were stuck there for a bit, I snagged it with a bit of magic.” He said in self-congratulatory manner. “Now I just need to get lucky with the weapon, and I’ll be set.”
“Impressive.” Both Drake and Lance looked on with surprise. It was true that Grant had an advantage with earth magic when it came to range, and doing things discreetly, but to even snag it while they were preoccupied was worthy of praise.
As they looked on, Lance’s head suddenly swiveled to the side, his ears twitching ever so slightly, before his face took on a melancholy expression. “Well, shit. Another monster is coming this way. Just one, but it seems to be on the large side.”
Drake turned to him, a tired expression momentarily crossing his face, before being replaced with a predatory one. “When are they not? Still, just one, huh? Interested in checking it out before we leave?”
“Eh, I’m in.” Lance said haphazardly, as he shook his shoulders.
“Not that I have a choice, huh?” Grant sighed in a joking manner. Focusing his hands together, a sudden rush of mana left Grant as he quickly pulled a layer of stone over the three of them. To the average onlooker, it would look like nothing but a random boulder, complete with several small, discreet holes to serve as a light source and to provide air.
There was a sudden gasp of air from Grant as he released the spell, his condition worsening slightly again. This had happened consecutively while they had been making their way deeper into the surroundings of the city. A simple disguise simply wouldn’t be good enough for most creatures, which only left them with the option of completely concealing themselves in stone. However, it was obvious to both Drake and Lance that Grant wasn’t doing well with such consecutive use of magic. While there wasn’t any solid proof, given that Drake’s usage of his element relied on himself, but drawing mana from the environment seemed to tax Grant. His steps had been getting slower, and he had been taking longer to fully complete their hideaway each time.
“You doing alright?” Drake asked with a slightly concerned look.
“Yeah, let’s just rest a bit here before we head out again. I’ll be fine then.”
“Sounds good to me. Rest as much as you need to.” Drake agreed.
“That’s not…” Lance suddenly cut in, his expression filled with confusion, as he brought the attention of Drake and Grant to himself.
“There’s two, not one. They’re just about here.” Lance motioned over to the long stretch of plains that neared the forest’s tree line. Something about it seemed terribly nostalgic to Drake.
“About to break out now.” He said.
There was a pause from the group, as they all looked towards the source of the disturbance. In a sudden crashing of wood and limbs, an old man suddenly burst out of the wood line, with a hulking beast following ferociously behind him. At first glance, the beast instantly reminded Drake and the others of a dog, but the body structure of the creature instantly gave it a more intimidating, and considerably more deadly look.
The creature itself was almost as large as a bear. Long canine teeth hooked out of its mouth, along with a dark black coat of hair covering its back, and a series of deadly-looking claws completing the picture.
“What in the…” Drake’s eyes widened at the intimidating creature. In terms of sheer speed and size, it was most definitely the most dangerous he had seen yet.
Identify. Drake didn’t waste a moment. As he attempted to get information on the creature, an intense, almost overwhelming feeling of pain began to overcome him. He collapsed to the ground on one knee, his head pounding as three words made themselves known in his mind.
Fenris Wolf Brood.
Just how powerful is this thing that I don’t get any information past that… His eyes went wide at such a realization. While he had only fought a dozen or so creatures, he had actually identified quite a few more. The campsite they had trained and relaxed out for the week often had creatures running past it, and while it was dangerous to get too close to several, he had the opportunity to raise his ability concerning the skill quite high in his own opinion. He knew for sure he could at least see the ranking of Rank B creatures, which could only mean that it was even more dangerous.
As Drake marveled at the creature, his companions were quick to notice the severe reaction, as both of them scowled at the dramatic reaction from Drake. It was obvious what caused it. The identification of the creature; and judging how Drake suddenly collapsed to the ground, such a drastic reaction obviously wasn’t good.
“Drake…” Lance muttered, his voice full of worry.
Opening one eye, Drake looked momentarily at the creature before calming himself, and focusing on the old man again. Judging by its name alone, I can bet that it’s related to Fenrir itself. That old man, I can’t tell what he is from here. He was lucky to choose such a fast race, but when he’s caught by a creature like that? He won’t last a second once it catches him. Drake struggled with himself over what to do.
Obviously, he should stay put. Actually killing such a creature would be out of the question. Hell, the most they could do would be to lead it away, but where they would even lead it would be questionable. All of that it obvious, but…
I need to at least do something. Drake bit his lip as his decision. He couldn’t just watch him die.
“Indeed.” The world shook in Drake’s eyes, as a sickly-sweet voice of a child made itself known in his ear.
What?! Drake jumped in place, as he looked around for the source. Unlike what he expected, there wasn’t a trace left behind, which left Drake with an uncomfortable feeling swelling up in the pit of his stomach.
“The Myconid… Again.” He whispered to himself, before shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of the headache that was still plaguing him. Technically, it had been a full week since they had last contacted him, and their appearance clearly signaled that this was a pivotal point concerning this whole trial.
“Drake, what are we going to do?” Lance made himself known, his spear in hand.
Drake pondered to himself, as he looked Grant with some worry. The constant game of cat and mouse they had been playing with all the monsters surrounding them had drained him considerably. He wouldn’t be of much more use before being drained completely. Worst case scenario, he would even be killed if he wasn’t careful. His strengths lied in his versatility with his earth magic, but he relied heavily upon it. Once it was gone, he would be the worst one of them by a large margin. It would be up to him and Lance to do the majority of the work.
Drake’s eyes closed, as a discreet smile appeared on his face. Just as always, it was obvious what he needed to do. Although, he had the strangest feeling that someone would be upset given his decision.
“Grant. You’re going to stay here. Lance, you’ll follow me. Just get the old man somewhere safe, and I’ll draw it away. Simple and to the point.” Drake looked to the others with a faint smile. In the end, it just wasn’t in his nature to watch someone die right in front of him without working to prevent it, even if this world was fake.
“You’re kidding… right? You can’t fight that thing.” Lance’s eyes widened, as he shook his head vigorously. Even without identifying the creature, it was obvious to all three of them that it was incredibly dangerous. Facing it alone basically amounted to suicide if you weren’t extremely careful.
“I’m not going to fight it. You can count on that.” Drake said forcefully. “Besides you, I’m the fastest one of us three. Given that I can use magic as well, I’m the obvious choice.”
“Drake…” Grant’s eyes were filled with a sad, reluctant expression. “You-”
“Hey, what’s with all the sour looks. I’ll be fine.” Drake interrupted Grant with a toothy smile. “Just make sure that the old man lives. Otherwise, there’s no point to all this.” Drake snickered to the others, before gesturing Grant to open the entrance of the boulder.
“Come on, let me out of this thing. Any longer, and we might be too late.” Drake said.
There was a pause, as Grant only looked to Drake with a faint scowl, and a twitch of his eyes. Then, looking away, Grant waved his hand to open the boulder, a sense of finality covering his demeanor.
“Don’t die.” He said.
“Hey, when have I ever been reckless?” Drake quickly leapt out of the make-shift boulder, giving one last wave to the gnome before watching Lance follow him as the boulder quickly sealed up behind them both.
“You heard the shorty. If you don’t come back, you’ll have some serious things to answer for.” Lance kept a smug smile on his face, as he looked to Drake.
“I know it.” Drake said with a short laugh. “Come on, let’s go.” He sped off, with Lance following close behind him.