บท 17: 17: The Vine Lord
Soon enough, they arrived in another dim hallway that was much more spacious than the last one.
"Where are we now?" Kalliste groaned as her own body's aching weight almost flooded her muscles.
'This won't do. I am already exhausted from running a short distance.' Touching her chest, Kalliste felt her heart beating loudly and uncomfortably under her ribs.
"My Lady? Are you alright?" Porteur enquired, noticing the girl's heavy breathing.
"Yes, child. I could still manage." Though Kalliste's throat felt like a desert, she let out a smile to assure the man.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself up before looking around the place. After they got in, everything looked the same for her. It seemed that they had not moved from the entrance to this location.
"Where are we right now?"
"We are now in the third stage of the dungeon. We must be very careful, lady. The real danger when inside a dungeon always began at the third stage," Porteur said in a monotone voice. He observed the surroundings, and his stance was ready for any surprise attack.
When he thought that the area was clear of any danger, he finally loosened a bit.
"I think we need to rest for a bit. I needed to replenish my mana to continue."
After another careful observation, Kalliste nodded. She sat down next to him.
"Here, miss. You needed a drink."
"Are you really asking a child to drink liquor? Are you out of your mind?" When Kalliste saw the small liquor container being offered to her, her head grew comically larger as she yelled at Porteur.
"Of course not! I still had my brain. This is actually water. Let's just say that this was just for show."
Kalliste raised her brows, obviously not believing what he said. However, her parched throat was a traitor.
"Alright. I'll believe you just this once." She nodded before receiving the container and gulped it straight down.
"Ah! Refreshing! Thanks, man."
Porteur was left astounded. He could not take his eyes off the girl in front of him, or the small bottle that was now in her hands.
"What happened to you? You looked like you've seen a ghost."
"Did you really drink this?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"But I was just kidding. This was actually water mixed with vodka."
At the mention of liquor, Kalliste's face instantly wrinkled.
"No, it isn't!"
"I am telling the truth! Really!" Porteur's eyes widened as he almost shrieked like a girl.
"Whatever! Let's just go." Kalliste rolled her eyes as she got up.
'Was that really vodka? It has been so long! At least they have my favourite drink in this wold.' She licked her lips. Despite having an irritable appearance, she was actually jumping from joy on the inside.
Porteur, on the other hand, could not take his eyes off the girl as she marched towards the dark hallway. If he did not witness it with his own eyes, then he would never believe that a little girl who was barely seven years old drank a strong liquor with one gulp. 'She really was an unusual kid.'
"What are you doing? Are you going to just stay there like an idiot?"
Her voice suddenly echoed throughout the cave, snapping Porteur out of his trance.
"Yes, yes. I am coming." He sighed before walking forward. Even now, she still treated him like a child.
----------------
"Are we there yet?" Kalliste once again inquired. She could already feel her legs trembling. Her young body could not handle long distances of walking.
Before Porteur could answer, the scenery suddenly shifted as soon as they set foot in the dark hallway.
"What in the world! Where the hell are we now?" Kalliste chirped.
They were now standing on a beautiful meadow that stretched far beyond their views. As they peered agape at the brightly lit field of grass that glittered like polished emeralds, Kalliste actually forgot that they were underground for a second.
"The third stage of the dungeon." Before stepping into the field, Porteur sharpened his senses.
Kalliste quietly followed behind, her eyes studying the vast place. The huge, sharp rows of stalactites high up on the ceiling, along with the pervasive smell of calcium, almost gave her the impression that they had entered another dimension.
She narrowed her eyes. Her guts screamed that this place was perilous. The absence of pillars, or even something sturdy that could support such extensive space, made it suspicious.
"My Lady. Please stay here for awhile. I would check the place first before we continued."
"Be careful." Kalliste nodded at the man.
When he was already out of her vision, she continued to observe the area.
The sight of the tall trees, thickets, and shrubs that adorned the field caused her hair to stand on end.
"Something's really off about this place." Kalliste remained vigilant as she gripped the dagger that Porteur gave her.
Kalliste continued examining the surroundings to see what made her so tense. The light that radiated from the stalactites glowed so much brighter than what they saw in the previous caves. From where she stood, she saw the slow formations of a thick veil of haze that blanketed the meadow.
'Am I missing something?'
When the mist grew denser, Kalliste could not even see the shadows of the things around her.
Suddenly, a loud thud broke through the silence that hovered around the mist.
"What the!" Kalliste gasped in surprise. She quickly stepped back, and her eyes widened like saucer plates. She could not take her eyes off of what was in front of her.
"Everyone! How are you all still alive?" Kalliste stretched her arms. Her eyes immediately moistened as beads of tears began to flow down her face. Without any hesitation, she stepped forward when, all of a sudden, someone grabbed ahold of her arms and jerked her back.
"Be careful, My Lady!"
This brought her back to reality. She saw Porteur behind her, glaring daggers in front.
"My Lady. This whole place was only an illusion."
Kalliste heard Porteur's voice. Even when he did not go into details, she already got his point.
'He's right. Those things in front of me could not be my brothers and sisters from the orphanage. I saw how they died with my own eyes a very long time ago.' She took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions that had almost gone wild.
Seconds later, and her face hardened. The veteran warrior within her resurfaced once more.
"Worry not, child. Such petty tricks would not have any effect on me, but thank you for reminding me," she stated in a monotone voice. "Leave this thing to me. How dare they blasphemed my beloved family's memory! I shall end it once and for all."
"Tempest!" With a loud voice, Kalliste stretched her arms. Just then, a dark hue began swirling around her.
Rumble.
Before Porteur could say anything, a terrifying rumble suddenly reverberated in the area. Porteur had to shield his ears from the overflowing sound.
"Argh!" Writhing in pain, he quickly fell to the ground with a loud bang.
'What is this? Stop it!' He wanted to scream, however, his head felt like it would split into two just by hearing the sound of such caliber. Unfortunately for him, the rumbling sound continued to grow even stronger. Just then, Porteur felt a hot, viscous liquid dripped from his nose. His eyes widened as soon as he saw the crimson liquid that now painted his clothes. However, he had no time to contemplate such matters, as the intense pain in his head intensified further. He had no doubts that his head would explode if this continued.
Even with great difficulty, he took a peek at what's happening around them.
"How?" His blood ran cold at the horrifying sight. He had never witnessed or heard of mana control like this in all his years of existence. This was utterly impossible!
In front of him was the little girl, who was playing with a small, dark swirl of wind. However, it was not this activity that captured his attention.
What got his attention was the terrifyingly gigantic and powerful, thick swirl of tornadoes that now covered the whole area.
The impossible scene made Porteur's body numb.
When the giant tornado finally subsided, the place ultimately revealed its true form.
Porteur's face turned pale when his eyes landed upon the giant tentacles of thick vines and branches, as well as the pungent stench that mixed in the air.
"What is that?" Kalliste abruptly raised her voice, attracting Porteur's attention.
As soon as his eyes landed on where she was pointing, his soul almost left his body. He was nailed to where he stood.
"What the hell would a demon prince be doing in a place like this?"
Standing more than twenty-five meters tall, the colossal demonic creature towered over them like a massive building. It had a humanoid form that was covered with dark, green barks and twining tendrils, as well as thorn-covered vines that were constantly writhing into motion, revealing an assemblage of bleached human skulls all over its body. Its long limbs exuded a palpable aura of horror, while empty sockets of all the skulls radiated a hellish gleam of light.
Porteur instantly stepped back as he continued to observe the creature.
"What is that thing?"
"A Vine Lord! Who would have thought that the demon who claimed this place was the Vine Lord? Of all creatures!"
"Vine lord? Demon Prince? What is that?" Kalliste tilted her head, her face etched with confusion.
"I… I have only heard whispers and legends about that thing. But it was impossible! The Seven Demon Prince was sent back to the underworld during the first great war!" Porteur stuttered in horror. He almost fell on his butt. Good thing that he managed to hold himself up.
"We're doomed!" Porteur swallowed hard as he stared mindlessly at the giant creature. At that moment, he felt like his sanity would fly out of the window at any given moment.
Porteur slowly backed away; his mind tried to come up with an excuse for the things that his eyes saw.
"We have to run before that thing opens his eyes!" Porteur grabbed the girl and gestured for them to run back to their starting point.
"What? But what about the kid? We just can't abandon him!"
"I know! But as we are now, we have no chance against a demon of that caliber! We first needed a plan before making our…" Porteur suddenly stopped midway. His eyes widened in terror when he saw two emerald eyes peering down upon them. Its gaze filled with unbridled enmity.
"I-Isn't that the prince?" Porteur exclaimed as he pointed a shaking finger at the motionless torso, as well as the hands that stuck out of the titan creature's body.
"My darling?" Kalliste snapped her head in the direction Porteur was pointing. Her eyes immediately widened at what she saw.
"No! My darling!" Unable to control her emotions, Kalliste screamed as loud as she could.
However, the Vine Lord responded with a heaven-defying shriek. The whole place trembled just from its voice.
Suddenly, and without any warning, the Vine Lord thrust its gigantic and spiky barks, creating a gale of wind in the process.
"Living Armour!
At the last minute, Porteur conjured a wall of huge roots from the ground. However, the Vine Lord's strike was too powerful. With a thunderous explosion, the thick shield shattered like fragile glass.
"Move!"
Before Kalliste could say anything, Porteur pushed her away from him.
"Urg!"
Kalliste's eyes widened when she heard the pained groan behind her. Looking back, she saw how the thick and sharp edge of the bark went straight through Porteur's stomach.
"Porteur! Are you…"
"Stay away! Let me do my job!" He cut her off. There was a hole in his stomac; however, he would not go down without a fight. Though every fibre of his being screamed of excruciating pain, he held himself.
"My Lady. I would create an opportunity for you to run. Do not worry about me. If this would be my last fight, then I would do everything in my measly powers to get you and the prince out of here," Porteur stated with a smile. His eyes were burning with determination.
Taking a deep breath, Porteur readied himself. "Show your might, Lazarus!"
Once his blade was in his hands, he closed his eyes and carefully held it in front of him. With a circular movement, it created an afterimage that glowed brilliant green.
A flash of bright emerald radiated in the area as soon as he opened his eyes.
"A demon like you has no place in our world! It was time you went back to hell, where you belonged! Sword Art Style, level 10. Nature Dragon!"
As soon as the words escaped his lips, Kalliste almost fell to where she stood. She watched as Porteur gathered a massive amount of mana from the surroundings. That's when she realized what he wanted to do.
'Suicide!'
"Porteur, you idiot! No! Don't do it!" She screamed in frustration. However, it was already too late.
The whole cavern shook, followed by a deafening howl that emerged from beneath the ground. Kalliste could only follow with her eyes when a giant, green dragon appeared in front of her. It was almost the same height as the Vine Lord.
"Destroy the enemy before you! Nature Dragon!"
Shrieeek!
At Porteur's command, it suddenly flew in the air as it prepared for its ultimate attack. The giant dragon opened its mouth. From there, Kalliste saw the formation of thick, green flames.
As it grew bigger, she was left with no choice but to take a step back.
Moments later, the dragon finally unleashed its attack, straight at the Vine Lord.
Kalliste covered her eyes. The sensation was akin to the release of a torrent of cannonballs. The sheer force of the dragon's attack immediately reduced the Vine Lord's body to shreds. However, it was still not enough to take it down completely.
The Vine Lord gave out its loudest shriek, as though it were angered by Porteur's attack.
"What! No way!" Porteur could only stare in horror when the Vine Lord's tendrils instantly swirled around its broken body, moulding back to its original shape like nothing happened.
"You idiot! Get out of there, now!"
Porteur heard the girl scream. However, he was already too worn out to move. He exerted his utmost effort in that final assault, yet it proved to be futile.
"One of the seven princes of hell. Vine Lord! Truly amazingly powerful!" With a loud cough, he lets out a small smile at the incoming attack. He knew that this would be his end. However, he had no regrets.
'Wait for me, Lily. I would tell you the story of how I fought a real Demon Prince.' He closed his eyes, awaiting impact.
Meanwhile, Kalliste began sprinting towards Porteur, determined to save him. However, she was too late. All she could do was watch as the sharp tendrils slammed back into Porteur's chest. She fell on her knees as she watched how the large tendrils flung Porteur's motionless body like a rag doll.
"Damn it all!"
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