This world's sun descended between distant mountains, casting a reddish veil over the sky. A cool wind flowed down over the rugged walls, refreshing their senses. Despite having a heavily injured member, the assassin moved with competence, following Heiran's orders. X considered his best course of action and decided to scurry away while everyone else’s attention was focused on getting out of there.
Ferraine spotted Seijen a few steps away from the central bonfire with their carriage nearby. "Seijen, bring the carriage to the entrance!" instructed Ferraine.
Yeres laid Orjas on the dry ground while they waited for the carriage.
Ferraine strode towards their carriage driver, yelling him several times to bring the carriage to the gate. X trailed behind her, anticipating slipping away as soon as the assassins loaded Orjas into the carriage. The female horned assassin approached Seijen, and the elf stood ready to slither away, but she suddenly froze. "Ambush!" yelled Ferraine. She found Seijen bound and gagged with a tight rope and cloth in his mouth. The first volley of arrows whistled through the air, followed by magic.
"Squeal!" Yeres stood in front of Orjas, deflecting the arrows, while Heiran found himself fighting against a group of knights near the horses. The number of attackers made him fall back toward the dungeon gate. Ferraine was too late to stop the magic that killed Seijen.
"Fuck!" She blocked arrows and prepared to defend against magic. Without thinking it twice, X threw himself into the carriage.
"Knights lead the charge, witches center, spotters get in place. Watch the crossfire!" Instructions came from every direction. “Go, go! Get them!”
An arrow struck one of the ripper's leg, causing it to panic and drag the carriage with it. Both rippers circled the clearing outside the dungeon gate, with X inside, as human forces encircled them. The assassins defended themselves while arrows and magic fell on them without mercy. Melee troops closed in on them.
“Those squeaalers!” shouted Yeres.
“We wooon’t last!” yelled Orjas.
With their options dwindling, only one choice remained. Ferraine noticed the carriage passing nearby and timed her jump perfectly, boarding it. She grabbed hold of the rippers' reins and steered them towards Heiran, who then got in next to Ferraine.
“Heiran, what the fuck is happening? What we do!?” she cried out.
“We’re completely surrounded. There’s only one way for us now.” The orc pointed to the assassins close to the gate. “Take us near Orjas and Yeres.”
Heiran stood up and positioned himself over the carriage at the back, deflecting arrows and magic with his daggers and combat arts.
"Stop them!" shouted a human captain. "Hit that carriage!"
"Attack! Attack!" a chorus replied.
The humans pressed on with the attack.
Yeres had Orjas with an arm around her shoulders, ready to board as the carriage passed by. However, an opposing human army was closing in on them rapidly.
“Kill them!” more soldiers dashed towards them. “Get those putrajados!”
Ferraine grabbed Yeres' hand and while pulling both into the carriage Yeres was struck by two arrows in her left ribcage.
After climbing onto the roof of the carriage, Yeres lowered her arms and broke the arrows. “Squeal!”
"Damn it!" shouted the horned female.
“Ferraine, gets us to the gates. Into the dungeon!” ordered Heiran.
“It won’t fit!” she exclaimed.
“Just do it!” replied the orc.
“Oooink!”
An unending stream of arrows rained down on them. Heiran and an injured Yeres did their best to deflect them, while Ferraine urged the rippers on towards the gate at full speed.
“Don’t let them enter the dungeon!” commanded a human captain.
"Attack!" the enemy army yelled as knights rushed towards them.
"Hold tight! We're going in!" Ferraine warned everyone.
The rippers collided and jostled each other, barely fitting and nearly trampling one another. However, the carriage didn’t fit and cracked loudly upon impact, sending everyone flying inside the dungeon.
"Ahhh!"
"Mmhmppp!"
"Whoa!" X had been covering himself inside the carriage and witnessed the wood, steel, and beasts suspended midair, being fiercely spat inside. He and Orjas were thrown out like ragdolls, while Yeres managed to land on all fours. Ferraine and Heiran landed without problems.
"Squeal this shit! Oink oink!" squealed Yeres.
"Get up, don't lose time!" shouted Heiran. "Someone get the rippers!"
Ferraine watched as the rippers continued to thrash about, their eyes wide with fear. The dim light and oppressive nature of the dungeon did nothing to calm them down. She approached them, her movements slow and measured, her voice soft and soothing. But both rippers were still agitated and being underground exacerbated their distress. Ferraine attempted to calm them while Yeres struggled to stand straight and assisted Orjas, who was in even worse shape. The baakin lay on the ground, moaning and clutching his arm. Heiran kept watch at the gate, ready for battle at a moment's notice.
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“Calm down those beasts, Ferraine,” ordered Heiran.
“I’m trying!” she shouted back.
“Yeres, how’s Orjas?” the orc asked the yoinkolin.
“Snort good!” replied Yeres.
“Hey you, horned creature, put a piece of cloth over their eyes!” X shouted towards Ferraine.
“What!?”
“Cover their eyes!”
With abilities that always amazed the elf, Ferraine put two pieces of her own clothing around the beasts' heads, which began to calm down. Her efforts paid off, and she was able to bring the rippers under control, taking their reins once again.
Heiran salvaged what he could from the broken chests: glowing dusts, portents, and a couple of torches that he lit. He gave one to Ferraine. “Start walking. Let’s go!” he ordered his assassin team.
“Fall back!” Ferraine backed up Heiran.
“Oink?! The fucking Herald squeeals inside!” objected Yeres.
“Just do what you are told Yeres!” exclaimed Ferraine.
“Oink!”
“Get Orjas on one of the rippers, you get the other,” commanded Heiran.
"Oink on, Orjas, snoort can do it," muttered Yeres, gritting her teeth. Finally, with a great effort, she hoisted Orjas onto one of the rippers and climbed onto the other one herself.
The five sentient beings ventured deeper into this accursed dungeon once more.
“Oink!” Yeres mind raged with confusion. “Why squeals the whole company snorrting for us?! Squeeals happening, Heiran!?” Yeres treaded on a fine edge, with two broken arrows still lodged on her ribcage causing her pain.
"It all began to unravel with the Herald. We were supposed to encounter a tier A water elemental, not an SS unique one, the Swarm. And of course, we didn't bring any specialized equipment to fight it. Not that we could fight it... but still,” Ferraine’s frustration seeped out. “Damn it!"
“Oink! And those fueacks out there!” added Yeres.
"Think, you creatures," interjected the redheaded elf. "Nothing is going according to plan. You were ambushed, and your information was wrong. It's pretty obvious... to any intelligent being."
"Squeal!? You shi—"
"It is obvious," spoke Heiran, interrupting Yeres. "We were betrayed and set up."
"No... it can’t be..." Ferraine couldn't believe the orc's words.
"They fed us the wrong information. It was the boss who told me about supposed dwarven riches and a Belluga class monster guarding it. And both turned out to be false," stated Herian.
“Fueeack!” snorted Yeres.
“The motherfucker betrayed us...” Ferraine looked devastated.
“Our contractor had a sudden change of heart about this squad.” Heiran told them what they didn't want to hear.
“We’re so not, oink, prepared for this squeal!” shouted Yeres.
“Fuck!” shouted an exasperated Ferraine.
“Heeey!” baaed Orjas, coming back from near unconsciousness.
“Squeals?” snorted Yeres.
“Dooon’t.... you.... hear thaaaat?”
Everyone fell silent. The sound of growing footsteps and growls reached their ears.
"Hounds!" yelled Ferraine.
The human army had unleashed their ferocious battle hounds, which were nightmarish visions of pure rage, violence, and muscle. These hounds were sturdy, bred for battle and aggression, with rows of sharp teeth, hard skin, an unbreakable bite, and boasting innate magic resistance.
“Squeealtreat!” panicked Yeres.
"We can't outrun them!" shouted Ferraine.
"Calm down and prepare for battle," ordered Heiran. "Ferraine and I will take the vanguard."
“I can’t see, squeal! I can’t oink shit! Snorr, snorr!” Yeres nearly hyperventilated.
"They're here!" X spotted them approaching through the eternal penumbra.
Another fight erupted before his eyes. Ferraine and Heiran charged forward to battle the savage beasts of war. Yeres got down and approached the elf.
“You squeelf cast something! Oink! Squeeal something!” she screamed to his face.
“I can’t!” X shouted back.
Yeres's breathing was ragged as she glared at the elf, her eyes filled with rage and her nerves cracking. “You little sheeait, this is no oink to be snortless!” She grabbed him by the neck, her trotters digging into his flesh and drawing blood. “Fuck! Squeeal something!” Anything!"
X struggled to speak, his breaths coming in short gasps. “I can’t... do magic... if I could, I would have... long ago...,” he managed to wheeze out.
"Yeeeres!"
Yeres fixed her gaze on the lanky elf, her heart racing.
"Yeeeres!" Orjas called out to the yoinkolin, interrupting her spinning thoughts.
“Squeeal?!”
“Giiive me a stim! We need to help Heeeiren and Ferraine,” baaed Orjas.
“Snorrt?! Your body squeln’t be able to, oink, take it, and with the Herald’s snroison and blood loss—”
“I’m dyyying anyway, Yeres. Just give it to meee, I don’t want to die hooolding on to this ripper!”
“Oink!”
Yeres released X to tend to Orjas. She produced a glittering vial which the baakin quickly gulped down. However, there was no more time to waste; several hounds ran towards them. Yeres began battling those fiery beasts, and soon after, Orjas joined the fight.
X didn't wait another moment and walked deeper into the dungeon. Ever since they re-entered it, he had been searching for a raalt'ven, his only way to survive longer. The sounds of battle, growls, and shouts gradually faded away, buried deep in the darkness.
"I need to hurry! Where the hell are you?!" The redheaded elf repeated this mantra while walking as fast as he could.
Quietly, a pair of eyes with four legs attached to a bulky body locked onto him. Shadows moved in the darkness.
“Where’s one! This is taking too much time!”
Approaching with its tongue out, the beast anticipated the taste of gore, flesh, and bone, crushing its prey with forces strong enough to twist metal.
“Yes!” X found it.
Standing in front of the elven inscription, he began the mental process to open it. Suddenly, a growl from beside him made him turn around, finding one of the hounds standing there. The beast's visage was nightmarish under the shadows. It appeared to be a mix of creatures, resembling a mutated dog or perhaps a wolf, with features both familiar and unknown. The beast took a predator stance, poised to attack at any moment.
“Grrr grrllrrr!” the creature growled, drooling at the mouth.
“Holy—!”
And it lunged, but X managed to cross at the last moment, leaving the creature on the other side of the door he closed right behind him.