Hell Mine - Warden’s room - ?

My anticipation is reaching its peak. Me, Ovan, and the boys are standing in front of the Warden's door. Everyone is taking out weapons from the cases they were lugging around; a bunch of short swords inside them. Their designs are your run-of-the-mill swords at the beginning of a fantasy game. Hey, at least it has an edge, so I ain’t bitching.

Ovan did some hand gestures and two of his men moved into the room, armed with their swords. “We’ll go in when they have the--”

A horrific scream cuts off Ovan. It came from inside the room. Their screams send a chill up my spine. Suddenly, the screams stop like a record player abruptly cutting off. The rest of us barely move an inch; it’s like jumping into a shark tank if we did.

"Why don't y'all come on in? Ya might as well." That’s the Warden inviting us in. With nothing else to do and our plan ruined, we march right into the room. The Warden bellows with laughter, and he’s just as ugly as I imagined. Behind him is Richard, tied to a chair.

"Richard, are you okay!?" I hurry towards him, but the Warden and his big ass body get in the way. "Out of my way, you big son of a bitch!"

"Or what, ya runt?"

“...Or I'll bust out all the teeth in that ugly mouth of yours.”

If he touched as much as a hair on him, I'll kill him! All I gotta do is bust open his head and get over to Richard, simple.

"So, there were buncha rats in my mists. Eh, who cares? It's all over now. Ripper: kill them all."

That bag freak called Ripper appears from above. Its left arm swiped at our heads. The attack was faster than before. It doesn't leave much room to evade it. I duck and roll under it, making it to Richard’s side. Ovan was right behind me. What the hell did it try to hit us with...? What the? Did it leave a claw mark on the door border behind us? Don't tell me; it was because of that freaks nails?

Ovan took on a defensive stance. "This is bad! I didn't know he had this thing guarding him."

Gotta prioritize Richard! If a fight breaks out, then I'm gonna have to bolt with Richard.

"Yo, Ovan, what do we do?"

"We have to escape!"

"How? They got the exit blocked off."

"Not all of them..."

Ovan picks up Richard's chair and me. He then jumps from the Warden's window view. Richard screams the whole way down, and I’m practically about to shit myself. The wind rushes past us. My heart feels as if it’s going into my lungs. Every part of my body dreads the landing if we land right. Ovan hits the ground with a thump, rocking my whole damn body like an earthquake. All my organs feel as if they’ve been moved around in my body. I think I’m gonna puke...

I break free from Ovan’s grasp. My legs are shaking like autumn leaves being blown away by a vacuum blower. Crap, I guess the trip down here messed me up a bit. The others that entered the Warden’s room with us jumped down, landing hard on the ground as well.

"What are you doing, go after them, Ripper!"

The psycho leaps out of the window after it got its instructions. It failed the landing, making a cracking sound when it hit the ground. Yet it contorts its body in a crude and disgusting way.

"It's coming after us!” Ovan warns us.

"Who cares! We need to retreat for now!"

Ovan picks me back up as he runs like a bat out of hell. His speed is incredible, despite holding two people and a chair. Although, as if the threat of death wasn't enough, the gates are closing, and it's clear we won't make it through.

I take his radio to contact gate control. "Oi, gate control, what are you doing? Open the gates!" No response, just static. "Hello! Damn it!" Looks like we're trapped in here with this thing.

The Warden howls with laughter. "I knew something was weird about ya, baldy. When ya became an employee of mine, there were several of ya one day after you went under my employ. Knew ya were up to no good." Ovan holds his tongue, not showing any distress. "...Yer plan, while kinda good, is damn well flawed. 'Cause of one simple thing." Suddenly, microphone feedback sounds off from the speaker embedded in the walls. "Attention, all worker: the child ya lookin' for is here, at the Warden's domain. If ya want a position in my personal slot, ya better move yer asses!"

Now, we're in deep shit. I get out of Ovan's grip once again, drawing the sword I have hanging from my belt. "What now!? Is there any other way out of this place?"

"No, there is not. We're surrounded."

"In that case, we'll just have to duke it out here."

There's eight of us and only one of that thing; those are some pretty good odds.

Just looking at that gangly thing told me everything I needed to know; it's much stronger than a couple of street punks. No, treating this like a street fight would be a mistake. This thing is out for blood, a single mistake on my part is going to get me killed.

With a venomous hiss, the monster charges at us. But it subverts my expectations by jumping into the air, almost soaring across the air. It's gonna land on the dudes behind us.

"Watch out, it's coming for you guys!"

I warn them as I break for it. I jump at them with my back pushing against them. We're going to hit the ground, but it can still hit us. I kick it away from us while we're still falling. We safely touch the ground, for the most part. I hop to my feet with my weapon in hand. Quick on my feet, I rush toward the monster. My arms just swing the sword with little to no thought behind it. I cut the monster's chest, leaving a giant ass wound on its torso.

"Hand me the other weapon!" One of the sworn brothers' hands Ovan a crude version of what I can only imagine is a flintlock. The barrel is larger than normal, and it's like the thing would barely hold together after one use.

He trains for the monster's head. "Proxy, go distract it so I can get a proper beat on it."

"Are you serious!? That thing could rip me into two..." Why am I hesitating? I'll have to fight it eventually, so why the hell am I complaining? "...Screw it, all or nothing! I'll buy you some time. Just get the shot off before I get diced up."

"Okay. Be careful!"

"No promises!"

With a sword in my hand, I go after the monster. It immediately goes on the offensive. Whipping its arms every which way. I go on the defensive, waiting to open with a counterstrike. He's faster than I can block. Some of its attacks leave minor cuts. They sting like hell, but my jacket is soaking up most of the damage.

"Damn, this thing is tougher than last time."

It, whatever intelligence is in that thing, notices the gap in our strength, using all its strength to knock my sword out of my hand. Stunned by the moment, I'm unable to move. As it's about to stab me, my mind goes blank. It's as if the world has shown down for a ‌moment. But like a thunder strike in a silent night, a gunshot goes off. A bullet tears through the monster's slender arm.

Turning around, Ovan's gun has smoke coming from the barrel. That was one hell of a shot!

The monster lets out a shriek of pain, whaling over the pain in its arm. It sends a painful vibration throughout the room. When it lets up, it makes a mad dash for Ovan and Richard.

"Get back here, you bitch!"

I chase after it. The thing is faster than me! Ovan hastily reloads his gun. It goes for a lunge, trying to close what little remained of the gap without wasting another second.

"Get out of the way," I bellow, doing whatever I could to help them.

As the gangly freak is about to hit him, a bullet goes off. Ovan shot the monster square in the chest, pushing it back with the force of the shell.

It squirms on the floor while letting out a horrid scream. It sends a cold shiver throughout my body. It was enough to chill me down to the bone. Eventually, it stops squirming and screaming. It goes limb, not even twitching. It must be dead.

Ovan let out a deep sigh of relief. "We actually killed it."

I pump my fist. "How about that, Warden? Whatcha gonna do now,"

Man, I wish I can see the look on his face, cause I know he's pissed.

"Shit! Enforcer! Open the doors and get out here!"

As commanded, the doors around us open. The wall above us abruptly bursts open. Debris flies all over the place. A gigantic figure crashes onto the ground, causing a tremor with the pressure of a groundbreaking impact.

"Oh crap, not that thing again," Richard cursed.

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"Friend of yours," I remark.

"Definitely not a friend of mine. He punched me in the face! We need to get out of here!" Richard urges as he wiggles around in his chair. "Can someone please help me!"

"On it, buddy."

I break the back of the chair with the heel of my foot, breaking the loop the rope had around the chair.

"That feels so much better. Thanks."

"No problem, but we're not out of the woods yet. We have to--."

What I see behind the giant stopped me from saying retreat. There are workers, armed to the teeth, coming into this room in droves. Even more of them are coming into the domain.

"Well, shit."

The workers are surrounding us from all sides, giving us little space to work with. The doors are still open, so we still have a shot at getting out of here.

"Screw that! I'm done running around in this place!"

I take out my sword, ready for the fight that's itching to go off.

"Richard, get behind me!"

"Don't tell me you're planning on fighting it?"

"Kind of, it's fight or die. We got no choice..."

…

The Warden gazes down on the ensuing fight between Ovan and Proxy's group, the workers, and Enforcer. He goes over to the girl in the case. When he found Richard near her, his hand was on her arm. He knew he was in a daze; as if he were somewhere else entirely.

So, the Warden wants to see why that was. He put his hand on her wrist to see what would happen. The Warden gasps at the sudden transition of scenery. It's just as it was when Richard entered, green grass as far as the eye can see, a clear blue sky, and someone far off in the distance...

"You are not able to use me." A cold voice tells him. It's done so in a way that tells him his existence meant nothing to her.

"What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout!?"

"You do not deserve to use my power, that is all."

The Warden wants to yell at this person and tell them they're full of crap, but he's immediately kicked out before he could utter a word.

Back in reality, the girl is still asleep, peacefully slumbering in her metal shell. For some reason, her face, the peace in it that didn't even bother him before, now pisses him off.

"Ya lil' bitch!"

He stomps toward a safe he has in the corner of the room, next to his bed, quickly entering a four-digit number. The small door opens up to reveal two gauntlets that are designed in gold and black. He slips them on by buckling them to his arm. An influx of power surges through his arms.

These gauntlets raise the power of the wearer by 2x its normal parameters. Since his arms are big in size and bulk, they give him a huge effect. He went back over to the girl who he now detests‌. He grabs the case by the sides, then throws it out the window. The case closes itself to prevent damage to the girl. It lands smack dab in the middle of the domain, lying down on its back. It opens itself back up.

"Enforcer: destroy that girl!" Richard's hairs stand from hearing that command. Why would he want to kill the girl out of the blue is what he's thinking? The giant effortlessly pushes through the crowd, smacking anyone in his way.

"Proxy, we have to stop it before it reaches that case!"

"Why?"

"Because there is someone inside it."

"Oh, that's bad! Ovan, can you handle these guys on your own!?"

"Yes, we got this!"

"All right then, let's go. Follow me, Richard!"

Proxy fights through the crowd while Richard sticks close to him. The fight to the case is grueling, Proxy is being attacked at every side and being pulled at, and Richard is struggling to even keep up. Yet, Proxy clears a small area around himself and Richard.

"Buddy, I'm gonna throw you over there!"

Proxy buckles down his knees and overlaps his hand with the other. Richard runs to build momentum, he then jumped onto Proxy's hands.

"And...lift off!" Proxy hurls him with all of his might, sending him over the crowd. Richard lands near the chrome case. The monster is a few feet away from it, so Richard has to act fast. He breaks for the case. Enforcer legs it as well.

Richard is pushing up against the ground, trying to outdo the giant's speed, but he knows that won't do. So, out of ideas, he tries to stop it with his body.

"Enforcer: kill the kid."

The monster, built in a way that sacrifices speed for strength, swiftly strikes Richard in the chest. This one blow breaks the bones in his chest, leaving him in a state of shock. He's sent flying toward the chrome case, hitting it hard. Weak and broken, he lies on it, suffering from the injury. Breathing is difficult. His chest is on fire with a sharp pain sparking up around it. Richard is barely hanging by a thread, helpless to do anything.

"S-sh-sh."

He couldn't form the words he wanted. He is on the verge of tears from the pain. It's too much for him to even bear, to even understand. He would rather just die here than take another second of this pain. Why suffer for this crap? Why wasn't he home, spending his time reading books, playing at the card shop, or even playing video games? He wishes with all his heart that this isn't real, that the pain is just a part of a brutal dream. However, he already knows that it isn't.

"He...he...h… Mo...m… Bro…. Brot...her… Pro...xy! Ple… Hel… Me!"

Flower field - morning(?)

The pain in my chest disappears, and it doesn’t feel like I’m burning anymore. Actually, where am I? Is this a field of flowers? The purple flowers are in full bloom, gently soaring through the air with grace, dancing along the wind. I'm lying flat on the ground, looking face up at the blue sky.

"Hello, again."

A familiar voice reaches my ears. This time, I couldn't see a figure.

"You have returned."

"Yeah, I have."

"You seem to be badly injured. Your mind must've slipped back into here as a safety measure. But how did you accumulate such injuries?"

"I tried to save you, but in the end, I accomplished nothing. To be honest, I knew that standing in its way would kill me..."

"...Then why would you try to save me knowing you would be at risk? If you knew this action would result in your death? Why follow through with it?"

Her thought pattern is sound. In fact, the question she asked is something I'm asking. Why did I do that...?

"...I guess... I didn't want to see you get hurt."

"Why? You do not even know who I am."

"You're right, I don't know who you are, and maybe me trying to save someone I don't know is stupid. But there was this thing inside my head, my heart even, telling me to not let you die; to save you. I don't know, I think it was the adrenalin, but I agreed with it. I thought that saving you was the right thing to do."

"So you've put yourself in such a condition just to save me, based on a vague thought," she inquires, even more bewildered than before.

I could only laugh at how dumb she made me out to be. "Yeah, I did. Like I said: I thought it was a good idea, but I guess it is stupid, huh? Now we're both gonna die. Hell, I bet we're dead already."

That thing must've crushed us to paste by now.

"No, we are still very much alive. We wouldn't be here talking if we were."

Hell Mine - the Warden's domain - ?

"You bastard, I'll fucking kill you!"

Proxy is on the back of the giant with a sword wrapped around its neck, desperately steering it away from Richard and the girl in the case.

Enforcer tries with all its might to get him off. It's going to ram its own back against a wall. The boy responds by kicking himself off its back, doing a handstand on its shoulders, then athletically pushing himself off it. But before Proxy could get away from it, Enforcer kicks Proxy in the back.

The attack sends him skipping across the room. The pain circling his back is extremely painful; it felt like a bullet train ramming into a cement wall. While his back was still in one piece, he was gravely hurt.

"Shit," Proxy whimpers.

He's struggling to get up, desperately clawing upward to get at that monster. It's getting closer to Richard.

"Shit! Come on, get up, Proxy! Get up!"

He lifts himself onto his feet but he is still not able to move properly, let alone move his feet. Even if he wants to, it's too late, the giant is already behind Richard.

"No!"

Proxy lets out a desperate scream. A second wind hits him, gaining the strength to save his friend, despite the pain.

"Get away from him, you son of a bitch!"

Enforcer prepares to punch Richard. His physique is quite unimpressive compared to Proxy's, so the punch would surely be powerful enough to kill him. In the worst-case scenario, he breaks everything in Richards's upper torso without killing him.

Proxy gets in between them, blocking the blow with his sword. The blade snaps into two, however, this doesn't stop Proxy. Filled with adrenaline, he cuts the giant with the broken sword. The wound is minuscule, but that doesn't deter the boy.

"Over my dead body, you bastard!"

Flower field - morning(?)

"Do you wish to live?" The girl poses an important question.

"What does it matter? My chest is destroyed and I wouldn't be able to do anything," I reply, feeling defeated.

I grit my teeth and clench my fist. I want to live, of course, I do! But not with this damn pain in my chest? I just can’t go on like that.

Something blocks the sun from view. It's the girl from inside the case. Everything about her is the same as the one outside, except I can see her eyes. They’re a dark shade of purple, devoid of any expression, let alone life, if that makes any sense.

"That is not what I asked. I asked if you wish to live. Please answer honestly."

Meeting her eyes, there is no judgment in them. When I think of the emotionlessness in her eyes, I begin to think of my own emotions. Right now, a strong emotion inside me is going wild like fire. It grows in intensity as I clutch my chest. This feeling is my desire to live!

I grit my teeth and clench my fist as tight as I can.

"I do. Even if I am broken, I don't want to die down here; I want to live!" I voice travels throughout this endless blue and purple landscape.

"Then let us seal your declaration with a contract."

"A contract?"

"Yes, this contract will allow you to use me, and it will save your life at the same time."

"What do you mean 'use you'?"

"I will have to explain later since we are under attack."

She puts out her hand. I get up from the ground, staring her in the eye. She was a bit shorter than I was; she's likely 5'4, and I'm 5'8.

"Give me your hand."

"Okay." I place my hand on hers.

"I will now begin the sealing. Please hold still..."

She closed her eyes.

"With this solemn pact, I will enact as your tool and your sword. I will do battle on your behalf and die on your behalf. On this oath, I swear to serve you, and only you. Now, my master, call my name, so I may fight for you."

A bond is forming between us, something binding us; some sort of energy connecting us. On cue, her name pops into my head, burning itself into my brain.

"Nunnalé," I annunciate, calling out for her power.

My vision goes blank the moment I utter her name.

In an instant, it comes back. I'm facing the ceiling of the mine. I am beside the case. Proxy is in front of me, shielding me from the enemy.

"Proxy...?"

He doesn't respond to me. I crawl to the side to see what’s happening.

This scene is wildly bizarre. Nunnalé is confronting the giant, who seems to have thrown a punch meant for Proxy. Nunnalé stopped it with her bare hands.

"This is an enemy, correct?" she, calm yet monotone in speech, asks me, evaluating the situation.

"Y-yes!"

"I see, then..." With a sudden burst of power, the air roars around her as she pushes back the monster with no effort at all. The hem of her dress sways along with her hair. "...I shall engage this monster in combat. I shall not show any mercy to those who harm my master..."