บท 72: On the Wave of Disaster
The group tensed and quickly fell into a loose formation with Brenden and Mike in the vanguard, but this just seemed to amuse the figure.
"Hmm, not bad, although I'm a little surprised to see a non-combatant here. The more the merrier, I suppose."
"Who are you and what do you want?" Mike asked. He was starting to grow concerned about the effectiveness of his Detect Hostile Intent skill. It seemed like it never activated when he really needed it.
The silky voice answered, "Why, I only want one thing from you."
The figure suddenly dropped to the ground, landing with a strangely loud thud, as if the figure was a great deal heavier than her size would indicate.
"And that thing is, to check up on my precious junior adventurers." She said while stepping into the light.
Mike recognized the pushy redhead from the guild training area, he'd thought she was powerful then, but right now the aura of bloodthirst that surrounded her was almost overpowering.
Two curving black horns sprouted from her head, and portions of her skin seemed to be turning red. A large, spiked club rested on one shoulder. Judging from the amount of blood and gore that now speckled her outfit, the woman had evidently been through several battles up to this point, but not a single injury could be seen on her.
"Guildmaster!" Brenden exclaimed once the woman had stepped forward into the light. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing. What are a bunch of low ranking adventurers doing this deep into enemy territory?" She asked with a slight smirk.
Mike thought quickly, trying to come up with a believable excuse, but Sera beat him to it.
"I'd heard rumors of demon cult activity down at the docks. A few acquaintances and I were investigating when the invasion occurred. Before we were driven back, we were able to determine that this was the source of the demonic incursion. Somewhere in that building is a fully functional portal to the outer realms."
[Wow, she's really good at this.]
"Oh?" The terrifying Rank 9 adventurer said as she rested the full force of her gaze on the Oracle. Sera shriveled slightly in the intensity of that look, but continued on nonetheless.
"I was separated from my allies in the confusion of the invasion. These adventurers," She motioned to the other, "saved me from certain death, and they graciously agreed to come here and help me put an end to the demonic incursion."
This time the gaze rested on Mike, and he felt like he had suddenly shrunk to the size of an ant. It seemed as if the world echoed with the force of her very voice as she spoke. "I assume you reported something of such an important nature, right?"
"Yes," He manged to squeeze out, "James was our leader. We briefed him, and he was supposed to get a message to the Guild."
She relaxed, and suddenly it was no longer difficult to breath. "I know James. He's got a good head on his shoulders. If he approved this mission, he must have had a good reason."
She strode forward to look at the demon infested warehouse. "I don't like that he sent a bunch of newbies to do the work of professionals, but I suppose we'll just have to work with what we got."
Andromeda, known far and wide as the Crimson Disaster, turned back to look at them, a cruel smile in place. "I'm going killing. You coming?"
She didn't wait for a response, but instead merely walked out into the open. It didn't take long for the demons to spot her, and they started howling an alarm and charging at her in a large mass.
As soon as her enemies had congregated, she leapt into the air, forming an arc that brought her to the center of the demon mob. At the last second, she swung her club hard against the ground, with a crack that split the night.
The demons closest to the impact site liquefied from the sheer concussive force, bodies unable to withstand the shock waves. Those farther away were crushed by flying debris, or blown meters in every direction.
The warehouse was reduced to kindling in an instant.
While the flying chunks of demons and broken cobblestones were still raining on the surroundings, the group could only stare in awe at the only person to remain standing in the sudden wave of devastation.
"Whoops." She once again turned that crazed smile towards them. "Forgot to leave some for you."
[She certainly lives up to her nickname. Kind of anticlimactic, though.]
The ground under Andromeda began to tremble. She looked down, unconcernedly, "Hm?"
A mouth 10m in diameter erupted from the earth beneath her feet, as a titanic, worm shaped monstrosity exploded into the air. After hovering in the air for a few moments, it slammed back into the ground, disappearing once more. Even though the whole process had only taken a few seconds, it was clear that the creature was hundreds of meters in length.
[Evidently, I need to stop thinking. Maybe then, I'll stop raising flags.]
"What, in all that is holy, was that?!" Mike asked while staring at the gaping hole its passage had left. He'd seen a wealth of unusual things since coming to this world, but even that was beyond his expectations.
"Some kind of demonic, giant worm. Does it matter? We need to stop that ritual. Now!" Sera answered.
As the group started moving towards the shattered remnants of the warehouse, Mike felt bewildered. "Wait, what about the Guildmaster? Shouldn't we do something?"
"As if something like that could make a dent in the Crimson Disaster." Brenden replied, while cutting down a lesser demon that had somehow escaped the onslaught.
Almost as if to illustrate his point, there was an explosion a few kilometers to the north, and several chunks of the worm creature could be seen flying through the air.
[Going to have to remember to stay on her good side in the future.]
"Quickly, down there!" Sera called to them, pointing at a trap door in the ruins of the warehouse. It was visible under a pile of debris, one that took little time to clear. With a yank, Mike pulled it open, revealing a set of stone steps descending into darkness.
A powerful, rancid smell washed over them, leaving them gagging.
"Ugh, what is that?" Mike asked.
"That is the smell of death, rotting meat, and filth." Brenden replied with a distant voice, face emotionless.
Mike grimaced, "Sounds like we found the right place then." He looked over at Sera, "So, we need to go down there?"
The Oracle nodded, face pale.
Bracing himself, Mike took the first step down into the darkness.
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A titanic impact from a nearby section of the docks knocked Julia off her feat, and only her quick reflexes prevented her from falling into the canal ditch she had been running next to.
As she rolled to a stop, she looked around and had to dive into another roll in order to avoid a falling mass. It landed with a 'splat' next to her, splashing here with a few drops of some fluid.
She examined the object, but quickly turned away when it became clear what it was. The severed torso of some kind of humanoid demon lay there, although it was almost unrecognizable with how much damage had been done to it.
With quick panicky motions, she tried to wipe the demon's gore off of her. "Gods! Can this night get any worse?"
Suddenly a massive worm shaped creature exploded into the air, curving into an arc over Julia, before it plunged back into the ground.
"I really need to keep my mouth shut." She muttered to herself, now fully beyond the point of caring. The situation was just too ridiculous.
"..need to stop the ritual. Now!" A youthful feminine voice sounded from nearby. Julia quickly hid in the shadows, and observed the situation.
She watched as a group of four people moved into the wreckage of a nearby warehouse, shifted some of the debris aside and revealed a trap door.
With a start she realized she recognized one of them.
[Its that newbie adventurer bastard! What's he doing here?]
The group stood around talking briefly before descending one by one into the basement. Once they had gone, Julia waited a few minutes before cautiously approaching the trap door.
She caught a whiff of the smell leaking up out of the pit, and had to suppress a gag.
[Ugh, I can't believe that they willingly went into that kind of place.]
She had begun to question the sanity of some of the people that lived in this city.
The sound of footsteps came nearby, and she quickly hid herself again. A short while later, a tall armored warrior strode into view. He was carrying a leather sack in one hand.
Julia felt an incredible sense of foreboding about the warrior, and had to resist the urge to flee, as he got closer. The man stopped only when he was near the entrance of the trap door, a few meters away.
He glanced around once, before descending into the basement. Once again, Julia waited a few moments to make sure he wasn't coming back, before she stepped forward to investigate once more, curiosity getting the best of her.
"I wonder what's down there that so many people are interested in." She muttered to herself while cautiously peering into the gloom.
Finally her common sense kicked in, and she decided that it would be best to get out of here.
[I'm not sure what's going on, but I think this will all make more sense once I find myself a safe place to hole up for awhile. Preferably one with drinks.]
Lost in thought, she didn't notice the presence behind her until she had turned around, intending to leave the way she had come.
A demon resembling a hulking pile of melting wax was standing there, staring at her curiously. A stare she returned briefly. For a moment the pair engaged in a silent staring contest.
The demon made the first move. A horrible gash of rotting teeth opened in the region that served as the monster's head. It emitted a roar, and lurched towards her.
Julia did the only sane thing she could manage in the circumstances. She stepped back....right into the yawning pit of the trap door.
With a yelp, she fell backwards into the darkness.
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