With Fina trailing behind, I bulldozed through the labyrinth. Wall after wall, and sometimes through groups of Siyrs too, I made my own path. That is, until I busted down a wall with a peculiar group behind it.
"Wha-?! Enemy attack!" [???]
Dust clouds covered my vision, and probably the other person's too. I tried fanning it away, allowing me to see several armed knights on guard against me. They had black plating accompanied with red fabric to fill in the gaps. Among the knights were two outliers. The first had knight armor like the rest, but was helmetless. The other had no armor. They were clothed in some sort of purple and black robe, and they equipped themselves with an iron staff. Above all, they were demons.
("Four- no, five knights including the guy without the helmet. Then there's that eerie guy.") [Solace]
Now that I had the time to get a closer look, I realized he was wearing some kind of black mask to cover his nose and mouth. I'm not gonna lie, it did look kinda cool.
"Name yourself!" [Knight]
The knight closest to the front spoke. I'll call him head knight.
"Alt." [Solace]
"State your business here!" [ HeadKnight]
"Exploring." [Solace]
The knight dropped a subtle glance at the guy with a mask. Well, I say subtle, but turning your entire head is just letting me know at that point.
"Warning: You have been targeted by the skill |Lie Detection|." [Spirit Guide]
"He lies." [Masked Demon]
Oh okay. Just cheat like that.
"My lord, your command?" [Head Knight]
This time, he also did a not-so-subtle glance at the helmless knight.
"That boy must be after the relic as well. Kill him." [Helmless Knight]
"Your word is our command." [Head Knight]
"Oh damn." [Solace]
Four knights launched themselves at me. I don't think it was a very bright idea considering we were inside a somewhat narrow hallway, so only two of them could properly attack me at the same time.
"Alt!" [Fina]
A blast of fire struck one of the knights, causing him to topple into his allies. Turning my head, I could see Fina from behind one of the walls I busted down.
"There's another one!" [Surprised Knight]
"No, Fina! Stay back!" [Solace]
It was better for me to face them alone. Fina just used a mana crystal, while also taking a bit of aggro. The one thing I don't want this to become was for it to turn into a protection mission.
"You two go for the mage!" [Head Knight]
"Yes sir!" [Subordinate Knight]
Two rushed at me while another two tried to get past me. A good plan. However, I wouldn't let that happen.
"I'm over here you bastards!" [Solace]
I casted |Earthen Shield| on the wall, blocking Fina out of the fight.
"Alt! No!" [Fina]
Was what I heard before the gap was sealed shut.
"He isolated himself?!" [Subordinate Knight]
"Forget the girl! Kill him!" [Head Knight]
That put me in a precarious situation. Due to the fact that I sealed the wall, I accidentally gave them time to surround me and put me in some sort of square formation.
("Oh great…") [Solace]
I now had to make a decision. Offense or defense?
"Ah, screw it." [Solace]
I never tested this before, but I think now is the best time to use it.
"|Doppelganger|." [Solace]
I summoned another copy of me. An exact replica in fact. Same face, same body, even same clothing. It was super weird when my eyes met my doppelganger. I couldn't tell if it had intelligence, or if it was mimicking me.
"Th-there's two of him!" [Subordinate Knight]
"What's the problem?! We have him outnumbered four to two! Use your head, you dolt!" [Head Knight]
"Yes sir!" [Subordinate Knight]
I'm not lying or exaggerating when I say this, but he literally did attack with his head. This knight decided that a simple headbutt was not enough. They straight dolphin dived at me with a form as straight as a plank. As a matter of fact, I was so caught off guard the attack managed to hit my gut.
"Ugh!" [Solace]
That shit hurt. I forgot to mention that since all of them were demons, they had horns. Thankfully, this guy's horns weren't strong enough to pierce my skin. It still hurt though.
"I-I did it, sir!" [Subordinate Knight]
Yep, he definitely did do it. I was hunched over clutching my stomach.
"Great! Now return to formation!" [Head Knight]
"Yes sir!" [Subordinate Knight]
As he picked himself up from turning into a living bullet, my doppelganger grabbed the knight's horns.
"Eh?" [Subordinate Knight]
Leaning back, my summon returned the knight the meanest headbutt it could give. It dented his helmet with a loud creak and left him out of commission.
"Eddie! Noooo!" [Sorrowful Knight]
"...Wow." [Solace]
I wasn't expecting that. I believe that my doppelganger may have its own will. However, I can't say it has a lot of intelligence.
"Avenge Eddie!" [Head Knight]
They do realize Eddie is still alive, right?
"Doppel, I'll leave my back to you." [Solace]
Yes, I just gave him a nickname. Also, Doppel did give me a nod so suck on that.
"|Vortex Arts|." [Solace]
I shredded the surface of the stone walls and threw a handful at the Head Knight while Doppel dealt with the others.
"A smokescreen?" [Head Knight]
"Close." [Solace]
From behind the dust, I casted |Explosion Arts|. Fire, ash, rocks, and dust pelleted the knight.
"Argh!" [Head Knight]
Most of it bounced off his armor, but that wasn't what I was aiming for.
"|Piercing Blow|." [Solace]
I had a thought that if he blocked the attack with his arms, the armor would tank the hit. So I needed an opportunity to hit his chest plate instead. Either way, my plan worked out.
"Urgh!" [Head Knight]
The knight was pushed back a little before falling to one knee.
"Need to catch your breath?" [Solace]
"I don't need your pity!" [Head Knight]
Sheesh. I was just asking.
"I never gave you any." [Solace]
Even if it was a bit scummy, I attacked the knight while he was recovering. With a swift kick from below, I struck his jaw and sent his helmet flying.
"Agh!" [Head Knight]
He toppled over. I could see the knight's struggling expression and wincing movements of trying to pick himself up. A disgraceful scene. One that I made continue as I kicked him down some more.
"Give up. You know you can't beat me." [Solace]
A smile crept upon my face. Was I… enjoying it? I repeated my actions, until the knight curled up in a ball to defend himself. There was also the part where Doppel tapped my shoulder to tell me he finished up his side.
"Oh, you're done? Great." [Solace]
Just to check, I peered over to see that indeed the rest of the knights were knocked out. It appeared to be a violent brawl considering the severe damage on their armor and snapped weapons.
"So you've won." [Masked Demon]
Surprisingly, this guy didn't move an inch when his allies were getting a beat down. Actually, same for the helmless knight.
"So I have." [Solace]
"And so you will have to do it again." [Masked Demon]
"Again?" [Solace]
The masked demon raised a hand. Strange bright runes collected themselves within his palm, and shot out into all the knights bodies. Their bodies then began to convulse, causing them to awaken from their unconscious state.
"What?!" [Solace]
Then there were screams. The knights wailed in agony as their skin peeled off and their flesh decayed. Within mere moments, they turned to skeletons. Moving skeletons that is.
"...A necromancer." [Solace]
The masked demon seemed surprised to hear that.
"You know of my class?" [Masked Demon]
"Yeah. I've dealt with your kind before." [Solace]
In a video game by the way.
"There will not be another." [Masked Demon]