DIMITRY BREATHED OUT. Black liquid was scattered all over the bridge and sullied everyone’s clothes; the dwarf and Viktor were covered by the creatures’ blood the most.
“You! The Alchemist’s Apprentice! What do you think you’re doing?!” The captain stomped towards Viktor in a seemingly furious manner. “You’re supposed to just stand back and wait till we clear the way!”
Viktor handed the spear back to the lieutenant as he responded to the captain, “Would you have made it in time? Those soldiers, if I followed your orders, will they be alive?”
The soldier gritted his teeth. He was aware that Viktor did save his men and it appeared to have annoyed him. “I appreciate your actions, Sir Unfrid. However, you should be more sensible of your position as the assistant of our Royal Alchemist.”
Dimitry gazed at Viktor curiously. The man did not give off the impression of someone who studied the arts of alchemy. He appeared more of a warrior than a scholar, judging by the way he fought beside him earlier. He jumped into the scene without a moment’s hesitation while already wielding a weapon. Why is someone like him working for the Alchemist?
“Wait, the alchemist’s—” The dwarf muttered silently as he thought about the twins he saved a few days ago. “Have you, by chance, seen two Beastkin children at Ceres’ Temple?”
“Beastkin?” Viktor sounded puzzled as if the word was new to his vocabulary. “The people with animal ears?”
He nodded, quite uncertain of what the man’s confusion was about. The common Beastkins may have originated from another continent, though a lot of their people have migrated to Desmos several decades ago. It would be odd not to be familiar with the race’s name instantly. But that was the least of his concerns. “Have you?”
“I’m sorry, no. I was tasked to retrieve a cocoon-like Thirios, so I haven’t seen any of the patients yet.”
“I see. I understand.” Dimitry did not know anything about alchemy. He merely assumed that Viktor’s presence there meant to assist his mentor’s work. In other words, this man was entrusted to return with the material necessary for the antidote’s creation. No wonder the captain was mad.
The two of them followed the soldiers to their encampment, a large tent made of enchanted synthetic fiber. It was similar to the size of a circus tent, allowing space for the military troops without a problem. The hazardous gas outside cannot reach its interiors. Who knew enchantments could be useful in that way too? Once upon a time, they were majorly used in weapons and armor alone.
On one side of the tent, the physicians started unpacking their medical supplies, immediately tending to the wounded soldiers. The two went to sit with the reinforcements from Kramor. Some gazed at Viktor with great admiration while the rest had disdainful looks on their faces as if the man was guilty of a crime.
“Filthy.” He heard Viktor grumble beside him, having trouble removing the black blood from his hands.
“Need this?” A woman spoke before them, holding a pair of towels. “Make sure you completely wipe that off your skin. We don’t want to get more people sick now, no?” She dropped it on their table before pointing to the crates of armor using her thumb. “You should wear those if you plan to fight from the start.”
Dimitry nodded. “Thank you.”
“We should be the ones thanking you. You’re not even soldiers and you immediately dove into the battlefield to save one of ours. That’s something commendable, you know?” She said with a full grin. Her long low ponytail swayed behind her as she went back to her squadron.
“Who is that?” Viktor asked after he had tidied himself, setting the now filthy towel on his lap.
“Oh? Smitten by the second lieutenant? She is quite admirable if you ask me.”
He squinted, watching the woman who was now offering assistance to the physicians. “She just appeared to be more of a warrior than the rest here.”
The dwarf wasn’t sure what Viktor was saying. He watched the woman once again, but all he could see was a kind young lady who was just ready to help anyone. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t mind it.” He stood up and walked to the crates, brushing the topic off.
He’s an odd one. Dimitry thought to himself while he observed Viktor rummaging through the armors. The way he skillfully threw the first lieutenant’s spear earlier showed he was a well-versed spear wielder. Mercurian spears weren’t made to be thrown, yet Viktor knew how much force must he use to do it. He could tell the man was of Nadian descent by his prominent cheekbones and strong jawline. Strangely enough, he also had the notion that Viktor was quite familiar. Dimitry knew he had seen those intense brown eyes before; he was just not sure where.
His nose picked up the scent of salmon soup, a famous Fengarian delicacy. It’s been a while since he had last tasted its sour broth. When was it again? Ah, that’s right. Ludmila used to make it decades ago.
Ludmila with her long auburn hair and deep ocean eyes. She was Dimitry’s deceased wife, the only woman he ever loved before fleeing Smihja. Poor Ludmila whose kind soul departed this Thirios-infested world too early. Would he be here if she somehow survived the war?
Maybe if I decided to flee the military after our marriage then...
But it was already too late for regrets. Losing her made him realize that he was fighting a pointless war. He was here because of that same reason. Lumidla was but a memory now. He should let her rest in peace already, for he could only move forward.
“Hungry yet?” The dwarf looked up to see Viktor who had previously returned to their table. He was carrying a tray with two bowls of stew and two servings of rice. “The elf over there handed this to me. It smells nice.”
“You haven’t tasted salmon stew before?”
He shook his head.
“Well then, you’re missing out.”
Dimitry took his meal from the tray, muttering a short silent prayer of gratitude. He sipped a spoonful of its tamarind-based broth and let out a satisfied sigh. It’s not as tasty as he remembered it to be; his wife’s cooking had more flavor in it. “Ah, this would taste better with that paste for fishes.”
“That’s weird.” Viktor tried tasting the soup again. The dwarf laughed when his forehead wrinkled. “It’s sour.”
“Pour the broth onto the rice then eat it with the fish.” The dwarf instructed him while carefully transferring some of the broth to his plate before mushing it. Then, he took a small portion of salmon and the now-damp rice onto his spoon.
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Viktor copied him, tasting it for the third time. His eyebrows perked up as soon as he brought the spoon into his mouth. He appeared to be an ill-tempered young man at first glance. In front of a proper meal, he had the look of an eager child.
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The wind howled, passing through the silence of Montargo town. Dimitry gripped his hammer tightly while marching with the Mercurian soldiers. He averted his gaze from the corpses scattered in the streets. He could only be thankful for the mask which protected his nose from the rotten smell. It had been a week since Thirios infested several districts in Bronnan. Only natural for corpses to start smelling, especially in a town close to the Thirios’ place of origin.
As to how these monsters surfaced to this town, Dimitry could only think of one possibility. A gate was opened somewhere in the mines. And whenever a gate was open, those who worship the darkness were usually present as well. Darned cultists.
Most of the time, a natural gate to Erebus would be too small and wouldn’t normally stay open for too long. The followers of Erebus forced these gates open by expanding the unstable boundary between the two realms. Dimitry never found out the clear purpose or goal behind their actions. They always managed to kill themselves before interrogations.
“These monsters? Where did they come from?” He heard Viktor ask as they arrived at the town square.
“Aren’t Thirios supposed to be your specialty?” Dimitry still could not understand why Viktor was clueless regarding things that were supposed to be common knowledge. To make it more confusing, he was also the apprentice of the Royal Alchemist, a scholar who worked for the royal family.
He heaved out a sigh, knowing Viktor would still need an answer anyway. “I suppose it started before Nadia and Zenith were separate countries. The Fall of Regis. One of the last warlocks took over the Styrkean capital, eliminated the Invictus family, and divided the land into two. From then on, Thirios started appearing everywhere in Desmos. Perhaps the warlock did not just split the land open, but also tore the boundary open.”
“The Invictus family? Eliminated?” Viktor seemed surprised by that particular part of the story. “She killed them?”
“She?” Dimitry could not remember whether the warlock’s gender was ever revealed. “The warlock killed the entire family. They had it coming after killing countless innocent lives but... that warlock did not even spare the children. I understand they wanted revenge, something like that is just too—”
Viktor had stopped walking. He held his throat as if he had a hard time breathing. His face might be concealed by the gas mask yet the dwarf could see the horror and anger in his chestnut eyes. He mumbled a few inaudible words before he advanced towards the mines once again among the soldiers.
Is he alright? Dimitry was quite certain Viktor reacted as if he personally knew the last royal family of Styrkeis. He knew, for a fact, that this was impossible. However, the dwarf definitely heard him mention the names, Sibylle and Johan.
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The Montargo mines weren’t heavily guarded by Thirios. There were fewer monsters compared to the ones from the bridge. Viktor and the reinforcements from Cicero were a great addition to their manpower; they managed to slay the Thirios faster than usual.
“Those cocoon-like Thirios, I haven’t seen one anywhere,” Viktor said as he stomped on a smaller monster that tried to escape.
“You’ll find a lot of them inside the mines. Better wear your goggles. The gas would be pretty thick in there, quite stingy to the eyes.” Dimitry advised him as he put on his own goggles while lining up with the soldiers.
Captain Rassier ordered them to stand by as the Second Lieutenant and her squadron checked for traps at the mine entrance. Eventually, they returned and reported back. Dimitry simply assumed they have already disarmed the traps or found nothing at all after the captain allowed them to proceed.
“Sir Unfrid, Sir Dimitry, I would like the both of you to stick together along with Second Lieutenant Hanafin and her men.” Besides the captain, the woman who handed them towels earlier saluted. “You are to search for a live Sporos on the second floor. I want you to return as soon as you were able to gather whatever the alchemist needs. That means no unnecessary fighting...” He turned and glared at Viktor. “And definitely no diving towards a wave of Thirios.”
The second lieutenant giggled beside him. “Give them a break, captain. You can admit they were a big help back then.”
“Don’t feed their egos, Ayame. Take the elevator and assist them with their task. We shouldn’t expose a civilian and the alchemist’s apprentice to danger any further.” He finally left after giving his orders and headed towards another squadron.
“Well, you heard the man.” She turned to them before wearing her goggles. “Let’s get going.”
There were a total of nine people, including Dimitry and Viktor, in the second lieutenant’s squad. They did not seem as stern as the other soldiers from the other squads. It was likely because of Second Lieutenant Hanafin’s presence; she seemed to lighten up everyone’s mood and morale whenever she was around.
Three at a time, they rode the elevator to the floor below. Their firearms are at the ready in case of surprise attacks. Scattered corpses of miners could be occasionally found in some tunnels. The bloody walls and frequent blinking of the lanterns created an eerie atmosphere. However, they remained unfazed and continued their mission.
Dimitry could not help but be curious about Victor’s lack of reaction. He expected a scholar stepping into the battlefield to be more frightened. This one remained calm and collected almost as if he was used to it.
Was he a Nadian soldier? The man surely had the physique of a warrior. He also had the skills enough to fight in wars. It would make sense if he was a soldier in the past. He appeared experienced with blood and death. So why isn’t he with the military?
“Found one!” His thoughts were immediately halted when one of the soldiers called them. They were led to a dead-ended tunnel with a bunch of Sporos clinging onto its walls.
“Better get to work now.” Second lieutenant Hanafin patted Viktor’s back before grabbing her rifle in case a Thirios comes out from the cocoons.
Viktor drew out a large glass cylinder from the leather rucksack on his back. He pulled out a small hunting knife from his pocket while walking towards the hive of Sporos.
Dimitry watched him as he guarded from behind, ready to swing his warhammer whenever. He squinted his eyes, studying how Viktor tried to cut one of the Sporos from the wall unskillfully. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”
“I sure hope so.” Once he was done, Viktor slipped the undeveloped monster inside the container. He almost dropped it during the process, making Dimitry’s heart skip a beat from surprise.
“How did the alchemist accept someone like you as an apprentice, honestly?” The dwarf said as he breathed in relief.
“Out of convenience, I guess.” He hung the rucksack back to his shoulder.
He’s kidding, isn’t he? Dimitry thought to himself. Which sane alchemist would ever mentor someone simply out of convenience?
“Chop, chop, you two! Chitchat can wait once both of you are back to the surface!” Hanafin said as she walked ahead of them.
They were about to step into the elevator once more before the ground beneath them vibrated. It was soon followed by the deafening noise of explosions. Pebbles and dust dropped from the ceiling. The elevator fell probably after the pulley was severed during the sudden outburst.
“What the hell was—”
“Oi, Renard, get back!” The second lieutenant ran towards her subordinate as he looked above the elevator shaft.
But she was too late.
Renard’s head dropped to the floor while his body fell into the void which was the elevator shaft.
Dimitry could feel the heavy presence surrounding them. A dark hooded figure stood beside the soldier’s head, holding a curved sword. The dwarf could not be mistaken. It was a weapon forged by Ahlean blacksmiths for mercenaries. Ahlean Erebus cultists?
He could easily peak below the person’s hood. For once, he could be grateful for his short stature. In contrast to his suspicion, the man did not have tan skin nor the facial features of an Ahlean citizen. Doesn’t look Ahlean at all.
The six remaining soldiers stand on guard as more cultists started to emerge behind the thick cloud of dust and gas waste. Hanafin aimed at the cultist who killed one of her soldiers earlier. “How were they able to hide those explosives without being detected?”
“It appears I have overestimated the Mercurians too much.” A small girl with black hair tied into long twin tails popped out behind one of the hooded men. She wielded the same curved swords — although shorter — in each of her hands.
The girl pointed her sword toward them. With a manic laugh and her crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness, she announced in a child-like voice. “I’ll be harvesting your heads, soldiers!”