章 115: What... Are you even Human?
Phew...
Here you go.
I'll be going to the gym now, just like I need to exercise my mind, I need to exercise my body.
So I'll be here for your questions, later as usual.
As for next week, I said it already, but I'll have my exams, so there'll be only one chapter.
See you all then.
(This chapter was quite hard to write, especially the later half of it... I might've made some mistakes and not quite properly relaid my intentions, it's really hard to write about some of these characters... SHEESH)
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/Rustle rustle.../
'On the walls of the Dungeon high above the ground, the plants that grew there started to move, and suddenly, a rodent-like creature stuck out its head from within the leaves...'
'It observed its surroundings and the destruction beneath it, it's eyes sharpened before it squeaked:'
/Kikii!/
'Behind it was a hole, leading into unexplored ground, hidden in a place no normal adventurer would ever think of exploring.'
"We've arrived Lyd." Said the Siren towards a large Lizardman as she heard the sound of the rodent
"We're about 100 meters from the source of this mayhem." She said as she looked at the 'sky'
'Smoke filled the sky, and fire covered the ground, it was truly a hell-like place.'
'The Lizardman nodded and looked around.'
"Everyone, stay alert, once we confirm what's the cause of this we'll either leave or engage, so be prepared to move at any time." Lyd said with focus
'But he immediately felt that something was wrong...'
It's too silent…
But I can smell many things…
Blood, metal, burning… The smell of many monsters mixed… It's unnatural for them to gather like this.
Not for the sort of at least...
/Sniff sniff/
'The lizardman smelled further, focusing his senses...'
This Sulfuric smell… The breath of a Green Dragon, it's the only creature that can cause such a smell here.
But I don't smell any Humans…
"... Too hard to discern." He mumbled to himself
Lastly… Something that makes my blood boil…
'Lid could faintly feel his skin itch, and his eyes water, his muscles involuntarily tightened and his desire to jump down there and swing his claws was increasing...'
'He knew what was happening...'
This darned powder! The ones that can make us go berserk and ignore our rationale!
"Could it truly…"
"Lyd…"
'The Siren touched his shoulder with her white-blue wing, making the lizardman re-focus.'
"Yeah, I know… I shouldn't be losing my focus over this."
'While they walked forward, a small goblin with a red cloth around its head came running from the hole, it was their scout, but before Lyd could ask him for information, the little thing stumbled down, saying euphorically:'
"It's terrible! The entire forest is burning!"
"?!"
'Everyone was shocked, setting this forest ablaze wasn't easy...'
'But for Lyd, he didn't care if the forest was burning... What he cared about was the degree of damage and how much damage it would cause...'
'He looked at the Siren and she nodded, opening her wings wide as she ran out of the hole.'
/Fwoosh!/
'The Siren flew into the skies and checked, and then she came back, saying:'
"It's not as bad as it seems, the source of the fire has already been extinguished, the fire will still spread a bit more but it probably won't cause enough damage to impact the floor too much." She said with a conflicted emotion
/Buzz!/
'Suddenly, a small cloth sack that was hanging in the waist of Lyd shone, attracting everyone's attention.'
'He grabbed it and unraveled the cloth, revealing it to be a hand-sized purple. translucent marble.'
'The image of a figure clad in black was reflected on the marble…'
"How's the situation?" Asked the cloaked figure
'In a turn of events, the marble lit up with light… It was clear what this was now, it was a magic item.'
'The Siren opened her mouth and said:'
"It's rather bad, it seems that at least 10% of the forest on the floor was burned or destroyed through several means, and at the very least 20% may end up destroyed."
"Even so, the fire will likely die down soon."
As long as the damage doesn't extend into the Dungeon itself it should be fine...
"And the cause?" Asked the figure
"Unknown. We just arrived and we were going there to investigate." Said Lyd
"I can smell many monsters, but I hear nothing, however, something stands out to me and that is probably the reason behind this fire, I can smell the breath of a Green Dragon."
"..."
'Upon hearing this, the figure remained silent, weighing down the options before it said:'
"Try to confirm what is behind it if possible, but if the situation calls for it, run away…"
"The burning of the forest is a big event, but it seems that the situation has settled somewhat, however, remember to always be careful." The figure said
"To confirm whether or not this was man-made or a by-product of an irregular going berserk, remember that in the end, this is a scout mission."
"The chaos is bound to attract more adventurers, so keep an eye out."
'Lyd and the others nodded, and made a hand sign for his people.'
/Sniff sniff sniff…/
'A Hellhound with a tooth pendant started sniffing the ground, raising its paw and pointing in a direction.'
'One of the monsters, a creature clad in heavy armor nodded, and it vanished like a shadow…'
'Everyone silently followed it, eventually arriving at an opening in the woods.'
'Opening would be an understatement, this entire portion of the forest had been blown away.'
'The ground still seemed to release smoke into the air, some rocks were still hot, and several craters and ashes could be seen loitering the ground.'
'And at the center of it all, a Human being could be seen pressing down on a massive Green Dragon, holding what seemed to be a lance that was now lodged deep into the creature's neck.'
'The Human being was breathing very very slowly, he was alive, although he seemed to be in a very bad state...'
'Despite all of that, and the blood seeping down his face, the Human had a twisted smile on his face, a mixture of happiness and pain.'
"It's like…" Said the Siren, amazed by this sight
'It wasn't every day that you saw an adventurer at his best, accomplishing a great deed…'
'However, his condition was not good at all, his right arm was missing, and by looking at the blood seeping out of the dragon's mouth…'
"..."
'But there was something that made Lyd's eyes open wide in shock, and that was the accomplished smile the Human had despite his current condition.'
'Triumphantly, he stayed there above the Dragon.'
"... He's not moving…" Exclaimed the Goblin in a low tone
'That's true, Silver was not moving… But Lyd knew he was very much awake.'
'His sharp eyes could see the faint movements his chest made as he breathed... Most would think that he's unconscious, but...'
"Be careful, don't approach him."
'His sharp sense told him that. This Human wasn't unconscious, he was faking it.'
'Just like they were observing it, he was observing them. Waiting for their next movement.'
"..."
What should we do now?...
It seems this has nothing to do with us, it was just an adventurer fighting against… The Irregular monster?...
'Lyd's expression suddenly changed into one of enlightenment.'
It's explained now. The cause of all of this was an Irregular...
But a Green Dragon of all things...
Phew… It was much simpler than what I expected.
In this case, the situation has been neutralized. There's no need to remain here.
'He felt much more relaxed, but this didn't mean that he left his guard down, Lyd was still very much aware of his surroundings.'
"Urg…" Silver mumbled as he fell onto one knee, unable to stay on his feet due to his current condition
I'm too hurt...
"!"
Now!
'Lyd dashed forward with incredible momentum, pinning silver into the ground to make sure he wouldn't move.'
"D-Dammit…"
But this was the best option...
"..."
Who is this man?
'Lyd looked at the boy, confused.'
'Although he was with his back turned, from beginning to end, Lyd knew this boy had no fear of them, nor did he have an aversion to them.'
'It was as if… He knew what they were, or at least, he had a card to save his life.'
'Companions? Reinforcements? Or was it something else entirely?'
'His suspicion increased, but now that he had him pinned, he could observe him very closely and through his eyes, and he saw it… Amusement.'
"You…" Lyd said suddenly
"!"
'But then he noticed his mistake, he spoke!'
'This was a scout mission, and hence, taking precaution as to not be revealed was part of it all, if they were revealed, then they should try and detain the people who saw them first.'
'But from the beginning, was that even possible?'
'Lyd had first dashed exactly due to that, their presence had been somewhat compromised, but due to the many thoughts going through his head, he forgot to consider that he could've just left right then and there.'
"Thi… This isn't… Ah, shit my back… A good time to talk… And I'm bleeding…" Silver said tiredly
"!"
'Lyd was once again left surprised. Instead of feeling fear, the boy simply asked him to… Get off from his back?'
'Lyd was very sensitive, as a powerful monster himself it wouldn't be hard for him to feel any sudden changes or fluctuations in the emotions of people.'
'So he could easily pinpoint that this boy meant no harm…'
'So Lyd did something that surprised everyone around him…'
'He let go of Silver!'
""?!""
'Everyone was left agape, ready to move in the case the boy moved abruptly.'
'Especially the Siren, who was now looking at Lyd with a complex emotion.'
Lyd…
Is your desire so strong that you would even…
'She shook her head, it wasn't the time to be melancholic, and instead, it was time to settle this situation.'
'As one of the leaders of the Xenos, she approached Lyd and Silver to hear their talk…'
…
"..."
"..."
'Lyd and Silver stared at each other for a few moments before Silver moved.'
'He slowly turned his head to the side and said:'
"You look uglier than I thought…" He said with a small smile
"You… Don't look so good either, Human." Lyd said with a smile of his own
"Heh... I guess so..."
'Silver didn't say much more, pointing to the Dragon's maw.'
"Make me a small favor… Grab my right arm… Before I bleed to death."
"Your... Your Arm, you say?... Alright, I can do that."
"But in return, I want to hear more about what happened..."
'Lyd didn't say much, so he turned his head to the side and went to the dragon, making sure that it was really dead…'
'But he stopped one more time to say:'
"Don't try anything funny..."
'And Silver just let out a helpless smile.'
'After opening the Dragon's mouth, Lyd saw it, a dismembered arm deep within the throat of the beast.'
'It was a bit unsightly, but he crawled inside and grabbed it, although he didn't know what the boy would use it for.'
'He knew of ways to reattach severed limbs, but none of them were applicable here… And to be honest, was this boy even worth it?'
'Lyd was a positive person, that was why he talked with Silver in the first place.'
'He's someone with a dream of living on the surface with his brothers and sisters, and to be recognized by the people who live above…'
'That was why he always… Always tried to remain somewhat hopeful, even though his efforts never really paid off, he always tried to look at the future, even when his kind started to get hunted down by those on the surface.'
'But this boy was a shock in itself… In many ways.'
"..."
'As Silver waited he observed the other creatures with a complex expression.'
Looks like this event ended well, but another problem has surfaced now.
The Xenos are here…
I forgot that they were more active on these floors, I made a blunder...
Well, I can't really say it was a blunder... I can't account for everything.
The past few times I came here to train... Nothing of the sort happened, but today something special ended up happening.
And I ended up attracting their attention, nevertheless, I don't think this is a bad result.
The ones in front of me seem to be part of the more friendly Xenos...
'Silver slowly recovered his stamina, and he used what little he had to move his body on the ground and sit down, resting his back on the Dragon's leg.'
'He looked at the Siren as she approached him and couldn't help but think:'
She is rather pretty…
'The Siren also looked at Silver with curiosity, she saw no bad desires coming from him.'
'Instead, he just smiled awkwardly due to the pain he was feeling.'
"Hello..." He said with his smile
"...Hi..."
"Ha... Really now." Silver said as he closed his eyes
"This day keeps getting more and more interesting, first I was attacked by a berserk Green Dragon and then a talking lizardman pinned me down on the ground…"
"Followed by a pretty Siren? This is definitely a first…" Silver said with a smile
"..."
Pretty…
'The Siren on the other hand was shocked, she never had a conversation with a Human, since every time she saw one, they would immediately attack her no matter how much she tried to converse with them.'
'It wasn't her fault, Sirens are known to be able to imitate sounds and speak very well, so most adventurers would 100% think she was trying to deceive them, as they were taught to do so.'
'Because who would bet their life on the Siren actually being friendly?'
'But this Human was… Talking and… He even called her pretty?'
'She could barely process things…'
"Hey boy… Here." The Lizardman said as he handed the boy his arm
'But he had a sad expression, upon looking at Silver's bad state, he realized that there was nothing he could do to save him…'
'He felt that this request was one of those fabled last wish moments…'
'With heavy eyes, he stayed next to Silver...'
"Thanks." Silver replied as he slowly got up from the ground, his legs trembling slightly
'Lyd went to help him, and Silver was left surprised, so he said:'
"You're kinder than most Humans I know."
'After that, he moved his arm next to his wound… And in a bizarre sequence of events, his muscles moved and his arm reattached itself…'
"Arg!... It stings…" Silver said as he took out a small metallic vial from his waist
'It was a potion!'
'After adventuring many times, he understood that he always needed a plan B, and this was one of his solutions.'
'A very expensive Elixir… He obviously got it from Ishtar's vault.'
'After a bit of modification, he made this metallic vial so he could always carry it with him without the risk of a glass case breaking.'
'Since right now, he couldn't open his inventory.'
"Yo-You!" Lyd said surprised
He actually?!...
'Silver finished gulping down the potion, and sprinkling some of its contents on his arm, so he said:'
"I feel much better now…"
"You weren't dying?!" Lyd asked in surprise, staring at Silver's eyes
"What made you think that I was?"
"But your… Your arm and… You aren't an ordinary Human are you?" He asked with his mouth agape
'Silver smiled and said:'
"And you aren't your ordinary Lizardman are you?" He joked
"..."
'Lyd and the others were left confused while Silver smiled.'
'An encounter dictated by fate? What would be the fate of these creatures and what the future had in offer for them?'
…
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Notes
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