JAY CADMIUM'S POV:
We entered a massive circular room resembling an underground dome, a massive rock standing in the center. I entered the room, scanning my surroundings before advancing deeper into the area.
I could feel a massive source of hatred resonating from the rock, immediately identifying the seemingly harmless piece of stone as a front. The rest of the party followed through, all of them feeling the same thing as me.
"Everyone, keep your eyes locked on that rock," announced Mike as he regained his position at the front of the team. We took our positions, Mike in the front, Rom in the middle, Hugo on the right, Katherine behind, and me on the left.
A massive shriek echoed all around us as the rock shattered, a creature emerging from the rubble.
To say it was ugly would be an understatement. The massive scorpion had two stingers, each tail being the size of a house. Two pincers snapped wildly as the queen sensed intruders within her domain, clawing out of the stone and snarling at us.
Mike immediately took command, bolstering his allies' confidence as he gave simple commands.
"Rom, speed buff," he ordered, the Fei immediately beginning the chant.
"Darck, Katherine, you'll take its flank," continued Mike as he readied his shield. Katherine and I shot ourselves through the air using wind, landing behind the queen.
"Hugo, you'll bomb it from here," finished Mike as he charged towards the queen, taunting her.
Hugo let go of his sword, grinning as he summoned a small ember on each hand. As long as he focused on the current objective, I didn't really care what he did. All that mattered was that nobody, especially Katherine, was put in harm's way.
A massive pincer struck Mike's shield, sending a shockwave throughout the entire cave. The tank used the earth around him to support his feet, holding his ground as two giant pillars of rock shot out from behind him, instantly trapping the claw. The queen shrieked, realizing her position and her sudden vulnerability.
I had underestimated Mike's power. His quick thinking and reflexes had created a massive opportunity for the rest of the attackers. I launched myself at one of the legs, enhancing my blade and cutting right through one of the legs, a sickening crack echoing in my ears. I glanced at Katherine, her movements mimicking mine as she sliced through another leg with a pair of knives.
The queen hit the ground, losing balance.
"Hugo!" roared Mike as everyone jumped back, preparing for the incoming attack.
"Meteor crash!" bellowed Hugo as a massive flaming rock appeared above the queen, crashing into her back as she squealed in agony.
The scorpion slowly got up, but I could tell her rage had triggered a frenzy of attacks. Her tails slashed wildly, narrowly missing me and Katherine.
"Mike, the healer!" I yelled, Mike immediately launching back and shielding Rom from the stinger, venom dripping on his shield.
A single cut would lead to certain death, the queen's poison being able to kill an individual within seconds.
Even if we had executed our initial attack perfectly, the disarray caused by the stingers was starting to show. The queen had changed target due to Mike's retreat, instantly approaching me as it identified the biggest threat.
I evaded the two pincers that came crashing down on my position, further enhancing my speed with neutral bind. I could feel my levels of bind were slightly diminished from my previous use of lightning, but my speed remained unaffected, for now.
A stinger came swinging down from above, my body changing direction and avoiding the attack. The tail slammed into the ground, my eyes immediately seeing an opportunity. Just like a flight of stairs, I sprinted up the limb, plunging my sword into the head of the queen.
My sword shook as the monster wailed, shaking violently and throwing me off.
Katherine intercepted my trajectory, catching me and helping me get to the ground before hitting the walls of the cave.
"Thanks, Kath," I muttered, realizing I didn't have a weapon anymore. Katherine saw my troubled look and smiled.
"Here," she offered, showing me one of her daggers. I gladly accepted the weapon, clutching it as the queen turned her attention back towards Mike. A warm wind encircled me, instantly healing my wounds. I nodded at Rom, who returned my gesture before shifting his attention towards Mike.
"She's weak. If you and I weaken it enough for Hugo to blast it, we win," I said, analyzing the situation.
Katherine nodded, understanding the plan.
"I'll follow you, Mr. Bigshot," she teased. I smiled at the joke before sprinting at the boss.
My eyes glowed with bind as I launched myself up, Katherine boosting me up even further with her wind magic.
I willed fire around me, envisioning a missile all around me as flames encircled me, mimicking my mental image. I shot myself right at the queen, a fiery blaze following my movements as I crashed down on the sword that was still implanted in the bug's head, sending it deeper into her cranium. A massive explosion followed as the flames made contact with the queen, disorienting her.
Katherine slid underneath the confused monster, her bow aimed right at the stomach of the beast.
"Wind blast," she muttered, a transparent arrow forming on her string before launching it right above her. The arrow struck the queen with immense force, flipping her over and leaving her stuck on her back.
Mike realized what we were doing, trapping her with chains of earth before looking back at Hugo.
The boy had already begun chanting a massive spell, his hands glowing with intensity as he aimed them at the monster.
"Flamewave," he whispered, the spell clearly straining his mind. A massive burst of flames erupted from his hands, forming a wave as they crashing down onto the immobilized queen.
The booming shrieks suddenly stopped, the massive body disintegrating before our very eyes as everyone sighed with relief.
"Good job guys," panted Mike as he slid his sword and shield back into place, walking back up the path we entered from.
If this was the power of a C-rank domain, what exactly resided within the top-ranked ones? I shivered ever so slightly at the thought of the legendary S-rank domain that had appeared a few centuries ago. What abominations did that party have to face in there?
"Remember to cash in the contract," reminded Mike as we exited the domain, the warm light of dusk spreading all across my body.
We all nodded as we went our separate ways. I waited alongside Katherine, something within me telling me to do so.
"What are you going to do next?" she asked me.
"Find more domains, probably," I responded truthfully.
"I want to fight with you," she said suddenly, the sentence clearly making her uncomfortable.
I hadn't planned on having a partner, but Katherine had more than proven herself to me in multiple ways. She had supported me and saved me from injury multiple times, and she was one of the few people I didn't mind being with.
"Sure," I answered.
Her body expression indicated that she was happy with the response, but I could tell Katherine was trying to hide her joy behind a strong face. I smiled at the attempt before looking at the royal carriage on the road.
My eyes met with Hugo's as he entered the carriage, anger flaming within his eyes. I understood now that he had only behaved for his own survival, knowing he'd be unable to take on the boss alone.
What would've happened if we were alone? Would he have tried to take me down?
I shook my head, clearing the unnecessary thoughts from my mind and heading back to Eloria, a new partner by my side.