章 48: Chapter Forty Eight
"Twelve casualties? That many?" Shade's deep voice echoed through the silent cave, carrying the weight of the loss. His brow furrowed as he gazed at the lifeless cyclops sprawled before him, its single eye still open in a grotesque stare. With a swift, practiced motion, Shade swung his broadsword, the blade cutting through the air with a soft hiss. The dark, sticky blood of the cyclops clung to the steel, but a quick flick of his wrist sent blackened droplets spattering the dusty ground, a grim reminder of the battle just fought.
Shade's eyes narrowed, his thoughts turning to the fallen. Twelve good men and women, gone in the fight against a monster that should have already been dead. The reality of their losses hung heavy in the air, like a cloud that refused to dissipate.
With a final, deliberate motion, Shade sheathed his sword, the metal sliding into the leather scabbard with a soft thud. He turned to face the other leaders, his expression a mix of frustration and concern. "Any ideas on what's happening?" he asked, his tone flat but probing.
Jean sighed as he slid his katana back into its sheath. "I've got just as many guesses as you."
"What do we do about the prisoners? Do we release them again?" Bekhan's gaze shifted to the pit, his voice tinged with a sorrow that matched the heavy atmosphere.
Shade paused, considering. "No. If we do, we'll just end up back where we started. There's probably a time limit, so we need to check the cave before it runs out."
"Alright, that makes sense. Any word from the scouts?" Kitti's voice cut through the air as she approached, having just finished healing a teammate's crushed leg.
Shade shook his head. "No, none at all. Jean, how about the scouts you sent?"
Jean frowned, his frustration evident. "Nothing yet. They're still alive, according to this necklace, but they're not giving the usual signals."
"Into the cave we go then," Shade declared, his tone carrying a sense of resolve. The other leaders nodded in agreement, dispersing to gather their adventurers for what lay ahead.
___
The cave's interior was vast and dimly lit, the walls and ceiling lost in shadow. The air inside was thick, heavy with the smell of smoke, sweat, and metal. Flickering torches cast erratic shadows on the walls, barely illuminating the rough, uneven terrain.
The ground was littered with scattered metal scraps, half-eaten carcasses, and the shattered remains of weapons, each a testament to the battles that had taken place within. At the far end of the cave, a massive gap in the wall glowed with an unsettling, dark purple light. The sound of hammering echoed faintly through the cavern, a constant, rhythmic noise occasionally interrupted by distant roars.
"Well, that doesn't look menacing at all," Chrome remarked dryly, leading the way into the crack. Beside him, two adventurers with large shields moved cautiously, their eyes scanning the shadows.
The crack in the wall led them into a long, narrow passage, where the air shimmered with an unnatural heat. They walked for several minutes, the tension growing with each step, until they reached the end of the passage.
There, the purple light intensified, now tinged with a heated crimson. "This is starting to feel familiar," Jean murmured, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana as he walked beside Daisy.
The small group of forty-two adventurers finally emerged from the passage, only to be struck by an intense wave of heat. It slammed into them, forcing sweat to bead on their skin almost instantly, and leaving them feeling parched.
"What the hell? Is this a dungeon?" Kitti exclaimed, staring in shock at the scene before them.
Chrome looked up at the sky, now a deep, unsettling red. After entering the cave and passing through the crack, the passage had led them back outside—but this was no ordinary sky. The air was stifling, making it difficult to breathe, and in the distance, six massive volcanoes loomed, three of them already erupting.
"We need to leave. Now," Shade commanded, and everyone agreed without hesitation, turning back to the crack they had come through—only to find it gone. Where the opening had been, there was now only solid rock.
"Oh no. Great Suho, give me strength," Bekhan whispered, clutching his prayer beads. His eyes tracked vague shadows in the sky, far in the distance. Given their size, he could only guess at the enormity of the creatures casting them.
A sense of dread began to creep through the group as the reality of their situation settled in. They were trapped in a dungeon, with no apparent way out.
Fearful murmurs began to spread among the adventurers. "What do we do?" "This doesn't look like a low-ranking dungeon." "We didn't sign up for this." "And this is just the first floor? It's huge, like another world." "Just stick together; we'll protect each other." "Is this where we die?"
"Enough!" Shade's voice cut through the rising panic, silencing the group. "It appears we're in a dungeon," he stated, his gaze moving over the adventurers, assessing their reactions.
Shade's mind worked quickly, formulating a plan. "We need to assess the situation and come up with a strategy."
Jean frowned, his grip tightening on his katana. "Oi, what's that look for? you can't be serious. Raiding this dungeon with just us? We need to find a way out."
Kitti, her voice laced with concern, added, "And how do we do that? The crack is gone. How are we supposed to leave?"
Shade turned to Visha, a short girl in a brown hood, a member of his party. "Visha, what do you make of this?" he asked.
Visha, still staring up at the unnatural sky, responded in a croaked voice, "This... this shouldn't be possible. The mana levels here are off the charts, the air itself is saturated with it. But how did the kingdom miss this? A dungeon with this much mana... If a dungeon break were to happen... by the Gods."
Shade's expression hardened as he turned back to the group. "Then we need to clear the dungeon before that happens. That might stabilize the mana levels."
"That's easier said than done," Kitti countered, walking up to Shade. "If this is a dungeon, then the cyclops we fought at the entrance was just fodder. That was an A-rank monster. My instincts are screaming that this place is far more dangerous."
"Exactly my point," Jean interjected, his frustration clear. "Trying to clear this dungeon is suicide. We need to focus on finding an exit. The crack has to be here somewhere, maybe along the walls."
"As much as I'd like to see what treasures this dungeon holds, we're likely looking at our deaths if we stay," Bekhan said, stepping forward slowly. His robe fluttered slightly in the hot breeze. "We should search for an exit before it's too late."
"Bad news," Chrome interrupted, clicking his tongue as he scanned the horizon. His eyes locked onto a cluster of red rocks in the distance, where hazy figures were emerging and heading straight for them.
The ground began to shake, the tremors growing stronger as the figures drew nearer. "Cyclops. Nine of them," Chrome muttered, realizing that the massive boulder fields ahead were actually the hulking forms of the monsters. The twins were already by his side, hammers in hand, as Chrome raised his shield, preparing for the imminent fight.
"Ruuun!!" Shade's command rang out, breaking through the shock as his party took off, racing away from the charging monsters.
Chrome and the twins snapped out of their fighting stances, watching the Vaturn party's lead as the other adventurers joined in the desperate retreat.
Daisy ran up to them, urgency in her voice. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" She pulled Mai with her, leaving Chrome and the others no choice but to follow.
"Shit, shit, shit. We're all going to die," a tall, bearded adventurer cursed as they fled, their feet pounding against the dry earth in a frantic attempt to outrun the oncoming cyclops.
The cyclops, like living monoliths, thundered after them, their roars echoing through the air. Shade led the way, his eyes constantly scanning for any possible escape route, but the barren landscape offered little hope. The adventurers' breath came in ragged gasps, their legs burning, as the relentless pursuit wore them down.
Chrome glanced at the twins, noting they were keeping pace without issue. He considered taking a stand—the cyclops were formidable, but with Mai and Yui at his side, it wouldn't be much of a contest. Yet, he kept running, driven by the collective fear of the group.
As they ran, the air grew hotter, the sky darkening ominously. The cyclops closed the gap, their massive strides eating up the distance between them and their prey. The adventurers' initial burst of speed began to falter, exhaustion creeping in as the relentless pursuit wore them down.
Finally, after an eternity of running, the adventurers crested a rise, only to find their desperate flight terminated by a sheer cliff, its edge plummeting into a seething, boiling river of magma. The fiery abyss stretched out before them, a lake of molten rock that seemed to writhe and twist like a living entity. The air was heavy with the stench of brimstone and burning stone, and the heat emanating from the churning lava below was so intense it seemed to sear the skin from their bones. They skidded to a stop, their eyes wide with terror. The shrieks of disbelief were drowned out by the deafening cacophony of the magma's fury, as if the very earth itself was conspiring against them. The adventurers teetered on the brink, their feet mere inches from the fiery precipice. In the distance, the cyclops closed in for the kill, their massive bodies casting long, ominous shadows across the ground.
Chrome finally had enough. His voice was like steel. "This has gone too far." He turned, his eyes narrowing with resolve. "Sorry, Sally, but we won't be able to hide our hands here—not all of it." He whispered as the twins caught up to him. "Mai, Yui!!"
The twins nodded as one, their faces hardening into determined masks as they slid to a stop right in front of the great shielder, raising both their hammers. Daisy came up right behind them, her face set in grim determination.
|| Farshot ||
The hammers slammed into the ground with a thunderous impact. The earth split like a broken bone as four shockwaves rippled outward, slamming into the charging cyclops with the force of a freight train. Flesh and bone crunched and tore, the monsters reduced to mangled wreckage.
Silence followed, the kind that stretches time into unbearable tension. The adventurers froze, their minds struggling to process the sheer destructive power displayed by two teeny tiny little girls. The air hung thick with the acrid scent of charred meat.
Chrome couldn't help but smile, the raw strength of the twins always managing to surprise him. The remaining cyclops—now only five—stumbled to a halt, their single eyes wide with confusion and fear as they locked onto the twins.
Shade's gaze narrowed, a flicker of caution in his eyes. "Well, that's certainly...unexpected," he muttered, his voice low.
Jean's voice was a whisper, eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear. "What the hell are you two?"
Daisy, on the other hand, had stars in her eyes, her voice squeaking with excitement. "Holy shit!! That was awesome!! Maple Tree is so cool!"
CRACK.
Mai and Yui exchanged a glance, their faces unreadable. "We're just...strong," Mai replied, her voice as soft as a whisper, yet carrying the weight of a hundred battles.
CRACK.
The cyclops, shaken but not deterred, began to advance once more. Chrome's hand shot up, his eyes locked onto the advancing beasts. "I think it's time we ended this," he said, his voice a low growl.
CRACK.
Chrome suddenly noticed the fractures spreading around them. Realization hit him—they were standing on the edge of a cliff, and Mai and Yui's attack had just pushed it past its breaking point.
CRACK.
Chunks of earth began to break away, tumbling into the seething river of magma below. The ground suddenly tilted with a deadly fervor, and two adventurers—a male swordsman and a female archer—lost their footing and plunged over the edge.
Their screams pierced the air as they fell into the inferno. The archer dissolved on impact, her body disintegrating in an instant, but the swordsman tried to claw his way out, only to succumb to the molten death, his final scream echoing long after his hand melted away.
The cliff continued to give way, sliding inexorably toward the fiery abyss. Chrome's mind raced as time slowed to a crawl. He could escape—he knew that. But behind him, the other adventurers were too shaken, too disoriented to act.
His decision was made in a heartbeat. "Mai, Yui, hit me as hard as you can without skills!" His voice was sharp, leaving no room for hesitation. The twins looked at him with concern, but they knew Chrome. They trusted him.
Without a word, they moved. Chrome leveled his shield, planting his feet firmly into the unstable ground as it slid.
|| Heavy Body ||
The skill activated, locking him in place with a sudden, overwhelming weight. But the ground was crumbling, and as the twins' hammers came crashing down on him, the force transferred into the fractured earth beneath him.
BANG.
The impact was like a cannon shot, propelling the entire section of the cliff—and everyone on it—over the magma river. The adventurers screamed as they were launched into the air, their voices fading as they were flung to safety, far away from the deadly drop.
As their echoes died away, Mai and Yui watched the fading figures, a rare sadness in their eyes. "I hope Chrome makes it out okay," Mai sighed, lowering her hammer.
"Yeah, me too," Yui added, her voice tinged with worry.
Behind them, Daisy stood like a statue, her mouth hanging open in stunned disbelief. "Wha..."
The ground trembled once more as the remaining five cyclops closed in, their massive clubs raised high. One of them loomed over Daisy, its shadow swallowing her whole.
But Daisy didn't flinch. Pink-colored mana erupted from her body, and she drew her short sword, preparing to meet the monster head-on.
KABOOM.
The cyclops froze mid-swing, its eye rolling back as a small line of blood trickled from a new, gaping hole in its forehead. The beast toppled backward, dead before it hit the ground.
KABOOM.
Another cyclops fell, jerking violently as its skull caved in from an unseen force.
Daisy spun around, her eyes wide as she saw the twins standing there, holding silver marbles bigger than her fists. With synchronized precision, they hurled the orbs.
KABOOM. KABOOM.
Two more cyclops collapsed, lifeless, leaving only one standing. The remaining twin cocked her arm back, preparing another throw.
Daisy's smile was as bright as the sun, her eyes sparkling with awe. "So cool~"
KABOOM.
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