章 2: Chapter 2-A Savior Too Late!
Chapter 2
ALIZE LOVELL-Captain of Astarea Familia
The Astrea familia stood for justice, equality, and peace. They were the harbingers of hope for the populace, and yet what was that justice remained a debate even in their own familia, with each member of their family harbouring their own definition.
Alize had her own definition. It was to smile when few could and give hope when everything seemed lost. That was her definition of justice, and that was what she aspired to do as the captain of Astrea familia.
And so, it was her duty to bring the infamous Evilus, which had taken away hope from so many. Rudra familia, a faction in the great web that was Evilus, had terrorized Orario for years now, and now, finally they had them dead to rights.
"Your time has come, Rudra familia," she began as she took out her sword, proud at how all of her familia members had come out of their petty traps unharmed.
"All those blazstones, they did nothing!" members of the Rudra familia gasped.
In order to trap them, they had laid down traps with blazstones, traps strong enough that they would have taken down any inexperienced group. But Astrea familia was not any inexperienced group. They were amongst the elites of Orario, boasting many Level 4 and Level 3 adventures amongst their ranks.
"Impossible," she heard the leader of Rudra familia gasp.
Jura Halmer, the captain of the familia gasped as he saw all his familia get surrounded by Astrea familia as she announced triumphantly.
"It's over. Today, your reign of terror comes to an end, Rudra familia," she announced, and as she was about to order their capture, she felt it.
Death.
After feeling it, she heard it. A crack in the dungeon's roof right over their heads which widened infront of their eyes. The silence on the dungeon floor told her that she was not the only one who felt it as the cracks widened and a massive explosion rocked the dungeon's roof.
BOOOM!
"Ahhh," she covered her face as dust clouds covered the whole area, yet she saw the beast that had appeared out of that hole. A beast unlike any they had ever seen, its skin formed out of sharp scales which blurred as it rampaged across the clearing, killing adventurers left and right.
"AHHHH!" adventurers screamed left and right as the monster blurred past them and she could barely react when its eyes turned towards one of their own, and she watched as its claws pierced through one of her comrades.
"NEUN!" she screamed, as did many others, but none could even make a move as the monster cleaved their friend's body into many pieces.
BOOOM!
And then it turned away leaving them all behind. As one of the older familia, they were not new to loss, but facing such a monster, such disparity in strength.
"You damn monster!" she was broken out of her trance, as her dear friend Leon rushed forward blurring past her even as she screamed otherwise.
"WAIT, LEON!" she screamed, but she was too far gone by then, her sword drawn as she jumped at the monster.
And yet Leon's level 4 speed was no match for the monster's agility which swung its tail at Leon as it parried her attack like it was nothing.
"LEONNN!" she screamed, and yet that one second was all it took, as the monster's attention turned towards them.
And as her familia prepared, they were too late, and all she could do was watch as it ripped through her familia, one after another.
"Everyone form a circle," she ordered as she rushed forward.
"Magicians prepare an attack," she ordered knowing that they had no chance of escaping it now, that they were in its sight. That they must fight.
"Fire," Kaguya ordered, and yet as the magic attack hit the monster she saw that it did not pierce its skin. That it was as if the monster absorbed it, and then she saw the glint as dread pooled in her heart.
"Everyone get back...." but she was too late as a mighty beam of fire, one much more powerful than the attack they had let loose, was aimed straight at them.
"CELTYYYY! RYANNNA!" she heard a scream as she saw two of her familia members turn to a husk, and yet the monster was not even done yet as it blurred away and killed one after another member of her familia before heading straight for a stilled Leon.
"You Damned bastard!" and both herself and Kaguya reacted just in time, swinging their blades at the monster's attack as they threw it back.
"AGHHH!" yet she suddenly felt pain ripple though her as she heard a gasp from behind.
"ALISEEE!" and she finally saw the scarlet blood seeping out of the gaping wound in her abdomen.
"KAGUYAA!" and Kaguya beside her fell to her knees as her arm lay there on the ground.
And as she struggled to get up she saw the monster devour one member after another of her familia, as she lay there helpless even after hearing their screams.
And then, as it turned its eyes towards her, only four of them remained. Each worse than the next one, she knew that it was over, that the only way for Astrea's family to survive was to let one of them live.
And Leon's name immediately came to her mind.
"Lyra, Kaguya," she called out the names of the other two girls as she struggled back to her feet, gathering her resolve for what she was about to ask of them.
"Are you two fine?" she asked, and Kaguya scoffed.
"Do we look fine to you, Captain?" she said as she wrapped a cloth on her wound, as her face paled. Lyra herself had blood running down her face, her face had slash marks on it that had destroyed the upper part of her face.
"Kugh! Kugh! It got me too! I cannot see a thing," Lyra, the pink haired pallum added as she looked towards the pale face of Lyon.
"I think this is it captain," Kaguya began mockingly as the monster rampaged infront of them, killing adventurers like they were nothing.
"Yeah, I think so too," she said as she fell down to her knees.
"But we cannot let ourselves go out like this. Kaguya, Lyra and I shall make one final stand," she told them. She saw them all turn towards them as she looked Lyon in the eye.
"In that time, you shall use your magic against that thing and get away, Leon," she ordered and saw the elf's eyes widen.
Afterall, the elf was the purest amongst them, holding true to her ideals in this jaded world.
"Sure," I am in Lyra added as she pushed herself up.
"I don't think I am in any position to run," she agreed as she looked towards Kaguya.
"If I am to die here today, then so be it," the raven haired girl said as she picked up her blade.
"If that is your decision..."
"WHYYYY! WHY MEEE! YOU ARE THE CAPTAIN!" Leon screamed at her, and she smiled forlornly as she gripped her own sword.
"She is right, as long as you and Astrea-sama live the familia shall continue to exist," Kaguya added and she scoffed as she shook her head.
"I am afraid not. I am not the paragon of justice. The truth is my own definition of it is rather pathetic," she managed to eke out as she gathered her strength and walked towards Leon.
"But you have always done the right thing," she said lovingly as she caressed Lyon's face.
"And I hope that you shall continue to do so," and with that, she rose forth, standing tall as Lyra and Kaguya joined her at her side.
"Leon, we are going to need your magic to do this!" at that, she looked back and saw the stricken face of an elf looking back at her she smiled as a tear fell down her eye.
"Goodbye, Leon," and at that, she stepped forward as she heard the elf begin her chant as the monster's gaze turned towards them.
With all her strength, she roared forth using all her magic.
"ARGA ARVANNA" and fire enveloped her fists and legs as she stepped forward alongside ehr teammates as the monster roared, its red eyes trained on them.
"It's coming...." and yet, despite all their preparations, the monster blurred and in an instant appeared right infront of them, and she watched as its claws came upon them, and as she prepared herself for the incoming pain, she roared much like Lyra and Kaguya.
"AHHHHHH!" and yet the pain never came as she saw a purple flower bloom infront of her as she saw someone blur past them.
"Rho Aius!" she heard them whisper as the purple-flowered bloomed in full, covering them all as the monster's attack crashed into it.
BOOOOM!
The whole area exploded, but the attack failed to penetrate through that shield. As she looked through the smoke, she saw a glimpse of the person who had just saved their lives.
His hair was a dark silver, more like a dull grey, and he was barely taller than her. The armor he wore was all black and seemed rather familiar to her, and as the monster raged at the massive shield, the boy turned to face them, his eyes now a scarlet red, reminding her of another mage she had once fought with a very similar presence.
"You are Alise," he asked, and she was broken out of her reverie by that question. She nodded, and then she saw him loom around as he clicked his tongue.
"I was too late," she heard his whisper as those eyes landed on her once again. And for some reason, she was sure that she had seen that face before, or much rather a face much similar to that.
And then the boy threw a bag at her as he maintained the shield with the other hand.
"That bag has the best healing potions. Save who you can and get out of here," he commanded as she saw the shield beginning to crack.
"NOW!" he screamed as the shield cracked.
"ROAR!" the monster roared as it cut through the shield and swung its tail at the boy.
"Watc..."
"Ataraxis," she heard the whisper as the boy was flung into the ground infront of their faces.
And then it again turned towards them. But by then, Alise had used a potion on herself and Kaguya, and yet even then, as the monster turned towards them, she saw some blur infront of her as she heard an all too familiar whisper.
"Gospel!"
BOOOOOM!
And the monster was pushed back, and it was the first time she had seen it getting pushed back, and it finally seemed to register the danger it was in as its eyes glew an ominous red as it glared at the boy that had intervened.
"What are you still doing here," he roared at her.
"I cannot just leave you here. That monster it slaughtered all of our familia," she screamed as she saw Kaguya checking out the status of her foes.
"Astarea-sama is waiting for you outside the dungeon. I promised her that I shall save you all, and I have already let half of you die. So, get out here while I occupy that thing, Alise Flovell," the boy commanded, and she stilled as she realsied just who had sent him here.
"Astraea-sama sent you here," she asked, and he nodded as he turned towards the monster.
"Yes," and before she could ask any more, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back and saw Kaguya holding a bloody form of Cisty on her shoulders as Lyra carried another one of her comrades.
"We need to go," Kaguya said, biting her lip as she nodded and walked towards Leon.
"We are going to leave him here with that thing?" Leon questioned as she picked up her friend in her arms.
"He is a child!" Leon screamed, and indeed he was. From her own estimation, he was a little over twelve or thirteen.
"Alisee! Aliseee!" Leon screamed, but she did not bother. She looked Kaguya in the eye and ran forward towards the exit, leaving their savior alone with that monster.
Though only time would tell who the real monster amongst them was.
0000
INUMAKI-The Silent
Inumaki watched as the members of the Astrea familia rushed out of the cave. Of all the members who had come, only four were alive, and though two of them cling to life as of yet, it was his own assessment that they would not make it out of the dungeon alive.
Three of them were Level 4 warriors and would have little to no trouble with monsters that would come in their way, and so he set his eyes forward on the monster infront of him.
Juggernaut, his mind supplied him. When he had first woken up in this world he had been surprised, he had expected an easy life, one filled with adventure and hoy and yet that dream had been squashed rather quickly as the true reality of this world dawned on him.
This was a cruel world, where every day of all the hundred people that walked into the dungeon, twenty did not return alive. And yet he was born blessed, born with the blood of the Silent Witch flowing through his veins.
And yet that blessing would soon enough turn into a curse as she joined Erbeus in his grand quest of giving Orario a new hero, giving no care about what her actions may do for her son.
Ever since that day, he had been shunned, made an outcast in this city as all the families shut their doors on him. His progress was halted, and though he was a Level 3 adventurer by then, he watched his peers race past him as he found himself all alone.
"You created so much trouble for me, mother," he whispered as he loosened the armor around him. Most of it did not fit him, for it was designed for girls, but he had no choice but to use it.
"Juggernaut, huh," he whispered as he looked the monster in the eye.
"You are going to be a challenge," he said as he pushed forth his mana gathering it in his body as he called out the magic he had inherited from his mother.
"I guess it's time to use that," and with that a silvery hue enveloped his body as the monster roared, shaking the whole floor as it blurred towards him.
"O Mother grant me strength..."
"Limit Off!" and with that, the monster swung its claws at him, and Inumaki jumped and appeared right on its head.
"You can deflect magic. Let's see you deflect this," and then he opened his mouth and used his attack.
"Gospel!"
BOOOM!
A shockwave shook the entire room as the monster was thrust into the ground, and he felt his skin tear apart from the effects of Limit off.
"ROAR!" the Juggernaut roared again in defiance as he took out the spear tied to his back and began pouring magic into it. The spear cracked as a monster's amount of magic was pushed into it, yet he knew that if he was to defeat the Juggernaut, he needed to end it quickly, and so he needed to do it in this one attack.
"Pierce thy heart," he chanted as the spear gained a red hue.
"GAE BOLGGGGGG!"
BOOOOM!
.
.
.
.
.
Jura Halmer watched from behind a pillar as that grey-haired bastard sat on the top of that damned monster's dead body. And even now, his body shook in fear from the sheer dread that had encapsulated the dungeon.
Even now, he did not know from where this beast had come, and yet it had slaughtered everyone in sight like they were nothing. Adventurers, no matter their ranks, had fallen to its attacks like nothing, and the only reason he had survived until now was because he was smart enough to hide when it had been busy slaughtering what accursed Astraea familia.
And just as it was about to finish the job, he had arrived. He was wearing a set of misfitted armor, and his grey hair reminded him of another adventurer from years ago as he engaged the monster, allowing those wenches to escape.
And then he had fought the beast, beating it singlehandedly. The beast that had slaughtered numerous Level 4s by itself.
He had to get out of here. While the bastard recovered from his fight with that monster, he needed to get out here and report all this to Rudra-sama.
And as he made to move, his whole body stilled as he heard a whisper.
"And where do you think you are going?" and he stilled at that tone, and suddenly something blurred past him, and he felt his whole body begin to tremble as he looked down with a shaky gaze and found that grey-haired bastard standing there infront of him.
"Y-Yo...u...." he gasped out his words, slurring as fear gripped his very soul as he looked into those dead red eyes.
"AGHHHH!" Yet he got himself together and swung his blade at the boy. He was covered in blood and would probably be tired from his fight against that monster. He could win this and get away.
"Gospel," he heard a whisper as a force collided with his body, sending him rocking into the pillar right behind.
BOOOM!
"ARGH!" he screamed as his back hit the pillar, and he coughed up blood as he fell down to the floor, and as he tried to get up, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him as he heard a whisper.
"Answer my questions," he heard as he saw the young bastard draw a blade while looking down at him.
"And I shall make this as painless as possible."
0000
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