章 1: 1. The Meeting
Raphael slowly drifted to consciousness. His mind discombobulated from the sudden change in setting. The stench of rot filled his nostrils. Instinctively, he covered his nose with the collar of his shirt.
He coughs and gags, trying to control his disgust from the strong smell. Slowly yet surely, his coughs and gags died down to a manageable level. Glancing around his surroundings, he is met with walls in all directions.
"Hello?" He yelled out.
His greetings are reciprocated by the silence of this surrounding.
"Is anyone here!" He tried again.
Silence…
He slowly stood up, still covering his nose. He quickly snapped his finger, producing a small fire on the top of his thumb. It helped, but only slightly. Trying to gain his bearing, he approaches the wall, planning to just follow it until it leads somewhere, anywhere, but here.
As he approached closer to the wall, to his horror, attached to the wall was a shriveled up remains of what was once a human. The combination of the stench and the body made him throw up what little fluid he had remaining in his stomach. The acidity of his stomach acid didn't help with his already uncomfortable situation.
Gaining self control once more, he ignored the dead body, and walked along the wall. He held his spark of flame in front of him, using his other arm to prop himself up against the wall. His head aches from the smell, his vision blurry. The walls were rough and sometimes sharp, leaving small nicks on his palm.
Eventually, Raphael saw a light. However dim it was, at least it was something different from the dark cave. Heading closer, he hears a faint cough. With his hopes high in the sky for a survivor, he hurriedly stumbles his way to the light, breaking into a light jog.
"Hello!" He called out.
The coughing got a little louder.
"Hold on, I'm coming!"
The light gets closer. As he moved. Eventually, he turns the corner.the green light's glow blinded his eyes, which had grown accustomed to the dim, weak light of his fire. He blinks repeatedly, searching the room for the source of the cough.
His eyes widen in terror. Before him was a man, his lower half looked to be squished by something, as if something large stepped on him. His intestine sprawled on the ground, connecting his two halves. The man laid on the ground, bloodied and battered. He is on the verge of death. He seem to have tried crawling away, not knowing he would disconnect himself from his lower half. It's either that, or he knew, but whatever stepped on him was horrendous enough for him to do it regardless.
The man looked up at Raphael, blood gurgling in his throat and mouth as he weakly spoke.
"Kill.. me.." he murmured.
Raphael stood there motionless. Maybe it was his fears. Maybe it was his disgust. Perhaps a mix of both. He himself doesn't know.
The man slowly crawls toward Raphael, pulling his intestine further apart. "Please.. before it…. Comes back…"
Raphael could not hear a thing. His mind was too occupied trying to cover up the sight in front of him. The man, now at Raphael's feet, proceeds to grab his ankle, breaking Raphael free of his mind's chains. Raphael slowly looks down at the man, his face a mix of horror and disgust.
The man's voice, now quiet with desperation, spoke. "Please…." He said, collapsing to the ground.
It would appear his wound and blood loss finally caught up to him. Raphael pulled away from the fresh corpse. 'What happen to him' he thought to himself. 'It? What is it?' After a bit, his worries only increased. 'The man just died, he is fresh, he didn't sustain the injury long ago. It must still be around here.' Raphael now broke into a panic, frantically running away from the corpse. It wasn't long when Raphael felt rumbling on the ground beneath him. He kept stumbling along the wall, now putting away his spark, his only source of light.
The rumbling gets louder and more violent. A low rumbling growl can be heard echoing through the cave. He turned around to look at the corpses he left behind. A huge behemoth, illuminated by the green slow bent down and picked up the man. It then slowly proceeded to bite down on the body, devouring his half, then the bottom. It had the head of a bull. Its teeth are sharp and white in the dark background. Its eyes are a fierce red. It stood on its hind legs, standing roughly 10 meters.
It turned its sight toward Raphael, the sound of his stumbling footsteps catching its attention. Raphael turned forward, stumbling quicker while frantically breaking. 'I'm going to die' he thought to himself. 'I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to die I'M GOING TO DIE I'M GOING TO DIE!' The voice in his mind only grew as the sound of the ground breaking gets closer and closer.
The beasts saw Raphael clear as day, its vision adapted to it's dark and lightless surroundings. Seconds after seconds, it caught up with Raphael. Striking its large palm down at Raphael, he barely missed. Raphael falling forward from the impact. His adrenalin high and his visions blurt, he regained his ground and kept stumbling away, hoping for some Divine intervention to save him if he would just last king enough.
The beast recovered and swatted at Raphael, flinging Raphael flying toward the wall on the other side. He can feel his ribs getting strained with the impact. For a moment, his legs gave out under its own weight. He took a breath and looked back at the beast as it walked toward him. Swallowing up his pain, Raphael forced his legs to work, no matter how painful it was. And it was painful indeed. His body was burning with pain. His chest feels like daggers stabbing him every breath he takes. His legs felt like they had been smashed to pieces from the impact.
'Why?' He asked no one. 'Why is this happening to me! Why why why why WHY WHY WHY WHY!!' His anger grew by the moment. His unfair situation makes him curse the gods above. The beast, however, cared not for his anger, and proceeded to swat at him once more, tossing Raphael's body flinging toward the other side yet again. He can feel his eyes close and his body grows weak. He lay there, his hatred growing and growing. His adrenaline is still pumping strong, or at least, as are my as they can be. Still, it would appear his body simply can't take any more punishment.
The beast stepped close to his limp body. It picked him up, with Raphael falling in and out of consciousness. The beast opened its mouth, teeth ready to crunch on Raphael's already broken bones.
Slowly, it held Raphael's arm into its mouth. The warm saliva dripping from it's teeth and onto his arm. He prepared himself for the pain. The crunch sound echoed through the cave and through his mind. Then came the scream. The pain was immeasurable. The Adrenalin wore off, or maybe, it wore off a long time ago.
'Fuck fuck fuck, it hurts fuck fuck FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK.' His cries if pain slowly turns itself into cries of anger 'FUCK FUCK' before he screamed out, "FUCK YOU YOU YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!"
Raphael took the chance and shoved his remaining arm into the beast's eye. It was warm, but spongy. The beast screams. Before it could pull away, Raphael mustered his hatred and released a strong fire blast into the beast's eye. The explosion threw him away in front of the beast, tearing his arm away in the process. His body fell limo to the ground as he took a glance at the beast. Its body fell to its knees, and before it could hit the ground, Raphael fell out of consciousness.
Raphael fell into a dream, trying to recall how he got here.
It was just an average day. He was out adventuring with his party.
"Is everyone filled in on the plan?" Fritz asked.
The party nodded.
"Good. Let this be the final dragon we need to kill, alright guys?" Fritz continued.
Fritz walked toward Raphael. He put his hand on Raphael's shoulder before speaking.
"Just relax ok? Just because you are new doesn't mean you can't help. So just breathe and relax. Kay?"
Raphael nodded, smiling from the welcoming atmosphere. Raphael couldn't help but notice a girl giggling at him from across the gathered circle. He looked side to side, pointing at himself. The girl giggled harder. Raphael being Raphael, he was confused. A liner like him never was popular with the ladies. But to him, this is a welcomed surprise. However, he also noticed some guys in the party snickering at his presence.
A quick moment later, the party headed out toward the dragon's location. A large guy approach Raphael and put his arm around his shoulder.
"So you're Raphael huh?" He asked.
Raphael nodded his head slowly, not being used to physically being touched.
"You can't speak?" He continued.
Raphael hesitantly spoke. "I can. I'm just… not used to large parties."
He laughed before speaking again. "Well that's quite alright. As long as you can work together, that will do."
Lily quickly walked up and spoke up for Raphael. "Leave him be you guys. Stop teasing him."
Raphael quickly tried to calm Lily down. "It's alright Lily. They're just trying to be friendly. They mean no harm."
"Still, you sure you're not uncomfortable?" She asked.
"It's alright. I wanted to join you guys."
Fritz slowed down to meet Lily's pace. "It's alright Lily, I'm sure he can handle himself." He said, laying a hand on her shoulder.
Lily looked at him. "Well, excuse me for worrying about him. This is his first ever big party mission" she said.
Fritz had this weird look on his face. "It will be alright," he said.
Raphael noticed Fritz's voice was a bit stern. Nevertheless, they proceed to the hideout as planned. The battle was hard fought, yet the plan was working, just as Fritz had said it would. As time went by however, the dragon's fire power only got more and more fierce.
Fritz then orders for Raphael to get behind him so he can protect Raphael. Not skipping a beat, Raphael followed his order blindly. Unknown to Raphael, Fritz used a taunt skill, making the dragon spew fireballs at Fritz, and in turn, Raphael as well. Raphael closed his eyes, and the next thing he knew, he was transported to the catacomb.
Slowly, Raphael regained his consciousness. His body aching with pain. Somehow, he was still alive. The smell of rotting flesh through the cave no longer bothers him as much. What concerned him more was the searing pain on his left arm. Turning to clutch it, he realized what happened before as not a dream. To his horror, he is missing an arm. The searing pain was a segment of his imagination, the imagination of something that is long gone.he frantically screamed in pain as reality washed in.
As quickly as he screamed, he quieted down, scared to attract another one of those things to his location. Raphael could do nothing but grit his teeth and got back up on his feet as he leaned on the wall. Painstakingly, he kept moving through the blinding cave. No longer having an arm for light, he instead shoots a fireball in the direction he is going as a source of light. Some light is better than none.
It felt as though he was wandering for ages before arriving at an opening in the cave's side. He cautiously shot a fireball into the opening. It was a small room. In it were more bodies and what looked to be a camp fire of sorts. 'Shelter' he though. He then proceeded into the small room, using his remaining arm to hold a constant light.
He sat down near the pile of strange rocks. 'It looks like a campfire.' He threw a spark at the pile of rocks just in case it does light ablaze. Surely enough, the warmth of the fire eased his suffering for the moment being. He took a breather. He knows he needs to keep moving, yet he wanted to stay for a few more moments. 'Should I just give up' he thought. 'I don't even know if there is even an exit'.
He looked around the room. The dead bodies around the fire seemingly reminding him of his impending doom. He stood up and approached one of the many bodies, seeing if there was anything useful.
"Sorry. May you rest in peace" he said each time he looted a body.
In the end, he managed to obtain some healing potions and a book of sorts. Instantly, he used the healing potions, pouring it on his wounds. The potions work, but not well. After all, it is rather old, its quality has lessened through the ages. Potions after potions, Raphael poured it onto himself. The wounds closely close, yet just a tad bit at a time. After using the majority of his potions, his arm wound finally closed for good. Still, the pain is still there, as if the arm is still being bitten down upon and ripping apart.
Nevertheless, no open wounds is surely better than walking around with one. Raphael turned his head toward the book he found. Sitting down in a comfortable position, he finally proceeded to read the contents.
The content of the book speaks about a group of survivors. The party was formed after each one had arrived here. This place seems to have been a punishment of the court, a place where people ultimately die. Monsters trick around the cave like wardens. The people in the party named them Cave Wardens. Those things roam the floor like clockwork. It seems like they are being controlled by something, or perhaps someone.
It spoke about how they would witness the monsters eat others, killing them and leaving their corpse laying around if they weren't hungry. That explains the smell of the place.
As Raphael kept reading for a bit. Mostly it was just about day to day life, sort of like a diary. The part seems to have moved quite a distance inside the cave. Days after days, they survived and made it here.
After reading mindlessly for a bit, some entries caught Raphael's eyes. It speaks of a door, not too far away from here. The party reached it and attempted to push it open to no avail. It appears to need some sort of key. A circular slot of which something can be inserted into.
Raphael scrolled through the pages in search of more information. Yet again, something caught his eyes. The entry read; "I GOT IT! THOSE FREAKS ARE THE KEY!" Entries later, yet again, the entry said; "it was just like I had predicted. Those things have a sort of core within them. Kenny just came back from the door, and he confirmed it. Those cores inside the monsters fits perfectly."
After a few more pages, "we have killed 3 so far… just one more… Kenny is weak. He is injured badly… one of those freaks got him good. He will likely bleed out today… May god be with us." The page was smeared in blood.
The next page read, "I gathered some more healing potions, but it was too late. Ken died from his wounds. Bally is hit hard by Kenny's death… as am I… I'm… somewhat jealous of kenny… maybe I'll join him soon." Blood spots and wet spots were littered through the page forward.
The final entry read, "Bally joined Kenny. I'm happy her death was quick. I don't think I can do this anymore. To whoever is reading this, I left some healing potions. If you can, kill that last mother fucker, and see what is behind that door. It might be your only exit. I'm going to get some sleep… goodbye. May god be on your side this day." The words were hard to read. Her hands were trembling. It was either that, or she had lost all hope. Either one is possible.
The entries ended. Blank pages filled what was left. Raphael took a moment of silence for those heroes, honoring their information and what they have done.
From the entry, it explained why Raphael didn't encounter any more of those things. The one he killed must have been that last key. Raphael decided to head toward the creature once more.
After retracting his way for a bit, he arrived at the body of the dead warden. Its body was spewing steam, decomposing quickly as magic molecules evaporated from the body itself. Raphael approached the body and waited for it to completely evaporate. Surely enough, the large gem-like sphere rolled toward Raphael. He bent down to grab it, feeling a surge of energy through his body. His body healed itself of its inner wounds. Sadly, his arm is as good as gone.
'So this was how you managed to survive 3 wardens.' He thought. It appears the stone heals the injuries of the person holding it. Feeling energized yet again, Raphael proceeded to the cave. Instead of walking in, he decided to keep going, occasionally putting the gem down and shooting a fireball to see where he was going.
Not long after, he arrived at the door that the 3 were talking about. Only one slot remains unfinished. The gem glowed in his hands, knowing it's home is near. He slowly walks toward the door and gently lay the gem into the slot. An angelic glow filled the cave as the walls lit up a bright green. The ground shook and the cave rumbled. Crystals protrude from the walls like ribs from some's chest. The once dark cave now shines with the brightness that Raphael has never seen.
The door shook violently. The once grey door cracked and fell, revealing the gold and silver of the original door, free of dirt and scratches. Raphael lightly touched the door. With a low rumble, the door slowly forces itself open, revealing a large room with a large gem in the center.
Cautiously, Raphael approaches the glowing gem, spotting a silhouette of a person at its center. Raphael reached out slowly to the gem, gently laying his hand on the smooth surface. A voice pierced his head.
"Help me" it said. "Please, help me, brave hero." The voice was soft and soothing. It sounded beautiful.
"Who's there!" Raphael shouted while looking around him.
The voice spoke again. "I'm trapped inside this crystal. Please, help me."
Raphael presses on the crystal surface. Sure enough, it is hard through and through, not something easily broken through.
"I don't know how!" Raphael yelled.
"Please, help me. I'm begging you!" The voice now broke into a desperate plea.
"I don't know how!!" Raphael said, looking around the room for any sort of answer.
"The door." The voice said, causing Raphael to look back at it. "Those gems. Take them out of the socket and bring them here."
Raphael thought for a moment. "What if the door closes and I get stuck in here?"
"Yes, it will close. But there is nothing left out there anyways. If you can free me, I'll help you get out." The voice said.
Raphael thought for a moment yet again. "How can I even trust you though?"
"Please, I'm begging you. We both desire freedom, I know it."
Raphael is once again deep in thought.
The voice pleaded again. "I can take us out, together. Besides, without me leading you, you won't know where to even go!"
Raphael couldn't argue with that logic. "Fine, fine. But don't kill me when you are free, ok?"
"Yes, ok. Thank you! Thank you so much!" The voice sounded happy and relieved.
Raphael did as she said and gathered the gems.
"Good. Now put it all under the crystal." She said. Raphael did what she asked. "Now can you make it explode somehow?"
"Does fire spell work?" Raphael asked.
"Sure, but you'll need a rather powerful spell." She said worriedly.
"Well, fuck it."
"Language young man!" Her voice is flabbergasted, maybe even offended.
Raphael covered his ear, though it didn't help. "Ok ok, relax. Sorry."
"I recommend you backup as far as possible. This might mess you up if you're too close." She advised.
"Rigger that." He said as he ran toward one of the furthest corners. He then changed his mind and hid behind a pillar near the pillar instead.
"Alright, give it your best shot." Her voice is giddy.
Raphael charges up a powerful base for his fireball. Adding more magic to make it hotter and hotter. The fireball was now twice the size of his own body. He then concentrated on condensing his magic to a smaller point. In the end, le was lifted with a screeching fireball the size of his fist.
"….. anytime now…." Her voice now has a hint of unnecessary judgement.
"This takes time ya knowww!!" He yelled back. "Now hush, I need to aim"
He concentrated, marked the target, then let it go. The fireball slowly made its way to the target.
"Where's the speed…" she asked.
Raphael, now annoyed, talked back. "Shut up! I used most of my magic to make it big ok? Jeez you're judgey."
"Whatever. Now get ready for impact. I recommend you lay down with your feet toward me."
Raphael did just that. The fireball, though slow, exploded with a great magnitude. The spheres activated, sucking in as much magic from it's surrounding as possible, glowing with insane brightness. The heat radiating off from them was noticeable even from over 50 meters away. As quick as it shined, it was quickly replaced with a larger explosion, sending a shockwave knocking the pillars of the temple down like they were pillars of hay.
The power sent Raphael flinging toward the wall, knocking him out. The crystal cracked into millions of pieces. Like a cracked egg, with one final push, the girl broke the crystal into millions of shards. She levitated in mid air, stretching her arms and back, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Slowly, she opened them. She made her way toward Raphael.
After a while, Raphael finally came to consciousness. His head felt something soft test upon it. He slowly opened his eyes. His head laid on the girl's lap. Her breast resting on his forehead. Her bright blue eyes look at him softly as she caresses his hair.
"Welcome back to the world, my hero." Her voice was soft and comforting. Her smile was warm and inviting.
Raphael's face turned red as he sat up instantly, bumping into her forehead on the way up. They both held their forehead in pain.
"What a way to ruin the moment." She said.
"What moment!!" Raphael said in embarrassment.
She kept rubbing her forehead. "Here you are, a girl's boob in your face and the first thing you do is ruin your own chances."
Raphael was speechless. Partly from not knowing what to say and partly from embarrassment. He shook his embarrassment off and handed her his cloak to cover herself with.
"So what the hell is your story?" He asked.
She took a moment to cover herself. "I'm just an innocent girl who was put here falsely"
Raphael looked at her concerningly. "Like I would believe that."
"It was worth a shot I suppose" she said, getting up slowly and dusting herself off. "I was worshipped until I wasn't."
"Worshipped?" Bani asked.
She sighed "Yeah. Like a God I supposed. With a small G."
Raphael looked at her doubtfully. "So you're a god? What's your name?"
"Well, ok, not really a god. I'm just an Arch-Demon." She shrugged. "You can call me Lucifer. But for you, I suppose I can let you call me Lucy."
Raphael also stood up before speaking. "Well, nice to meet you Lucy. I'm Raphael." He said as he dusted himself off also.
She excitedly moved toward Raphael with her hands behind her back. "So, my story's over. What's yours?" She asked.
"Easy there." He sighs. "I was fighting a dragon and then I all of a sudden woke up here."
She leaned back up straight. "Sounds like transportation magic. Though I don't know why anyone would know the coordinates of this place."
Raphael grabbed her shoulder hurriedly. "This place? So you know where we are, right?" His voice is concerned and angry in some way.
She stares at Raphael before speaking. "Relax Raphael, imma call you Ralph. Relax Ralph, take a breather." She sighs for a moment. "Welcome to my prison, the Labyrinth of Hell. Well, it used to be called the Labyrinth of Lucifer, but I guess they found it not pretty enough for them. Stingy people I tell you."
"Labyrinth of Hell" he repeated to himself. "That's where people with death sentences are sent." He turned and sat down, deep in thought. "Why the hell am I here?!"
Lucy sat down beside him. "How should I know? It's been a while since I've seen the world up there, so I don't really know how people get down here nowadays."
Raphael looked across at her. "How old are you?" He asked.
She stares back at him. "Rude," she finally said. "Well, old enough" she looked away from him in slight annoyance.
"Woah woah, relax. Whatever age you are, I wouldn't worry about it. I was just curious." Raphael tried his best to take back his question.
She looked snuggly at him. "Saying I'm hot?"
Raphael looked away blushing. "Well, I'm not saying you aren't." He blurted out.
She slowly crawled to him on all four, her skin glistening in the slight green glow. "Wanna give it a touch then, my hero?" Her voice, suggestive.
Raphael stood back up quickly. "Well, anyways, I'd say it's about time you get us out of here, yes?"
She looked slightly disappointed. "Oh, you're no fun, Raphael"
"So where to" he continued.
She thought for a moment. "Well first, I need to head to my room to grab some things. So come here."
Raphael stood close to her.
"Closer. You think I have infinite range?"
Raphael rolled his eyes and got a bit closer.
"Closer!"
He scoot closer, his shoulder touching her's.
She grunted. "Oh my god, I said closer! Like, hug me sort of close."
"What? Why? This is close enough!" Raphael retorted.
"Hug me or I am leaving you here!" She pouted and raise her arms for a hug.
He sighs. "Ok, but you don't have to be so prepared.l
He hugs her and she smiles, satisfied with the distance. She stood there and hugged him for a bit more. Her skin is soft and delicate. She pulls him closer, pressing her breasts into his chest.
"How long will the spell take to make anyways?" He asked, getting more flustered as time goes by.
"A few more moments. This takes time, right?" Her voice, smug.
After a few more seconds pass by, she then lets go of him.
"Sorry, I need both hands to cast it." She said as she stepped away from him, casting a magic circle around them both. In an instant, they're in another room.
He stares at her for a moment. "You lied."
She was taken aback. "Nonsense. I needed a hug from my hero for some energy."
"That's-" and before he can finish his sentence, he fainted from exertion.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット