Each one of us were holding our own against the snarlers.
Owen was slicing through them as if he was cutting butter while Curtis burned them to ashes.
Claire's mini fire tornado served to inflict massive burns and blow them away.
Every once in a while Brandons Wind spells serve as cover if a snarler slips through our defenses.
I, on the other hand, made use of the abundant ice and earth mana in the dungeon.
My blade freezes any snarler it comes it contact with, and multiple earthen spikes hover above me, impaling through the snarlers if they dodge my blade.
We had the upper hand, but for how long?
The others were getting tired, and the wave of snarlers almost seemed endless.
I was debating whether to release my seal when Professor Glory spoke up, "Teams! Follow your leaders, we're going back up!"
"You heard the lady!" Claire shouted as we start falling back.
While retreating I notice one of Arthurs teammates on the floor as snarlers pile up on him.
Arthur was crouched down in front of him, his hand on the grip of a sheathed Dawns Ballad.
"Grab on to something!" He bellows, before swinging his sword in an arc expelling a massive amount of wind that blew them all away, killing them in the process.
I would whistle in appreciation had I not seen him dropping his sword from his dangling arm.
Sigh.
He dislocated it didn't he?
"BOOM!"
The entire roof exploded as two figures came down, hovering with their wings.
"Are you kidding me? What are the queen snarlers doing on this floor!" Professor glory popped a vein in pure rage as she brought out another sword from her dimension ring.
She's a dual wielder?
"Class! Handle the minion snarlers, I'll take care of the queens. I don't know what's going on here, but I'm getting you out of here it it's the last thing I do!" She rips a pendant from her neck and throws it away. Said pendant loses its color, turning grey, and the mana fluctuation around her changes.
Looks like we weren't the only ones using a seal Arthur.
Shall I-
No! Stay inside! We can still manage.
Ok fine, but I'm coming out the moment I see you in danger.
Alright.
"Back her up team! Do not let a single snarler slip past us!" Claire orders.
"You don't need to tell me twice." I spoke before entering my Ice armor state.
Beside me Brandon uses his gauntlets to bash in the skulls of any snarler near him. With the occasional wind spell.
Curtis uses his sword and shield to slice through the mana beasts, as Claire uses both long and close range spells with her rapier.
Owen uses his Scythe to kill multiple snarlers at once, the highly pressurized water doing its job perfectly.
Looking at the horde in front of me I will mana into my arm.
Holding said arm up I mutter, "Rend."
And rend it does, with dozens of Ice blades shooting forward, they cut through their fur and flesh effortlessly.
Glancing back I witness Professor Glory using what looked like glass projectiles against the queens.
And she was winning.
During this I didn't notice a snarler sneak up on me.
And as it jumped high to sink its fangs in me, it was sliced in half.
The two halves fall down to reveal Owen standing there, "You owe me one." He said playfully,
"Yeah yeah I'll treat you some ice cream or something when we get back." I spoke before flinching from the deafening scream of the queen snarler.
Seeing no more snarlers around me I turn back to see Professor Glory kill the smaller queen, she didn't come out unscathed though. Her armor was dented in multiple places and blood dribbled from a cut on her cheek.
"All right!"
"Nice!'
"Go Professor!"
The students celebrate.
This cheered them up as they fought the minions with renewed vigor.
We might just come out of this alive.
Just then an explosion rocks the cave as Professor Glory flew past us, right into a group of snarlers.
Looking back I'm met with the gruesome image of the second queen snarler chomping on the corpse of the first.
"That's...disturbing." I spoke up.
"I know right?" Owen replied.
"Aren't they supposed to be in like the 10th floor?" Brandon asked, fending off another snarler.
Bringing my sword down in a diagonal slash, splitting a snarler in two, I reply, "They're also supposed to be weaker. And lets not forget how weird it is that those two hadn't killed each other already."
"Something is wrong with this dungeon." Curtis commented.
"Gee you figured that out now?" I shot back sarcastically.
He doesn't respond, rather focusing on disposing of the snarler attacking him.
"GRAAAAAAHH!" The queen shouted as she finished eating the other one.
Then she transformed.
It's grey fur turned obsidian black, and the horn on its forehead, which I had failed to notice, grew exponentially in size and curved upwards. Its then beady eyes turn sharp, and foam started leaking through its mouth.
"Cough...We cant...cough...keep this up Professor." Tessia yells.
"Everyone! No more fire spells! The entrance is blocked and our oxygen is limited.
The icicles are gone as well, meaning lesser water attribute mana.
I'll have to depend on Earth.
But what if I can blow open the entrance?
Zeke-!
Yeah, I got it!
Good, do it!
An instant later Zeke comes out of my shadow.
But he was much bigger this time, with some of his red fur vaguely resembling the runes that appear on my body when I enter Canine Divinity.
But I can't worry about that.
Confusing him for one of the enemies Brandon goes to attack him.
"No stop! He's my bond!"
Brandon nods in acceptance before turning back to the horde.
"Zeke, try and make a hole in the entrance." I command.
He nods before leaping away.
From the corner of my eye I see Tessia clutch her abdomen and fall to her knees.
Shit! Her core is acting up!
I'm almost there Father!
Give it your all Zeke!
Zeke stopped in front of the now sealed door.
Then he opened his jaw wide, and a reddish black ball of coalesced nacht forms in it.
Seeing this the Queen snarler turns towards Zeke.
And some of the minions change their target to Zeke.
I could just enter second phase and escape with Arthur and Tessia but...
The faces of Claire and Curtis, hell even Brandon and Owens faces, whom I haven't even known for that long, come to my mind.
I- I can't just leave them here to die.
I swore I would be a better person in this life.
And I plan to keep my promise.
"Can you guys hold the line?" I ask my team.
"We can, but why?" Claire responds.
"I need to help Zeke open the door."
She nods, "Go ahead!"
I do just that.
Raising the earth behind Zeke to act as an impromptu wall I stand guard.
"Come on then!" I shout at the snarlers.
They don't disappoint, coming straight for me.
"Fayden!" Arthur yells, worry laced in his voice.
"I'll be fine, help them escape!" I shout back.
Focusing all my will on my mana so that it doesn't leak out, I release the seal.
Just as an explosion causes a mini earthquake.
"The door's open, get out!" Professor orders.
"No can do professor, I'm not going until my friends are out." I mutter.
I've opened the entrance! I'm coming back!
No! Help them out Zeke, void step them to the surface! I'll be fine!
What seemed like hundreds of snarlers come at me.
If I'm gonna go down, I'll go down fighting this time.
Encasing my fist in blue fire I hit the ground.
That combined with the little bit of earth magic I used formed a fissure from which blue gouts of scalding hot flames arise, and deep fry the snarlers.
On the other side of the battlefield Arthur's sword pierces the spine of the other Queen snarler.
I let out a sigh of relief as I 'sheathed' solaris, "We won..."
But I spoke too soon.
"GRAAAAAH!" It got up, Dawn's Ballad still embedded in it.
"H-HOW?!" Professor Glory yells, with Arthur handing from her shoulder.
The queen snarler leaps at them in a desperate gamble.
"Hurry!" Arthur said.
Then, we ran like our life depended on it, which it did.
But just before we reached the staircase, I hear an explosion, just before losing consciousness.
I'm sorry everyone, seems like I won't be coming back home.
.
.
.
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Authors Note :
Yeah, I know early update.
You guys can expect double updates till friday, saturday and sunday however, I make no promises (Although I'm certain I'll deliver it anyways.)
I'm fairly (read : extremely) excited for this part.
And I've written like 7 chapters in 2 days.
I'll be seeing you tomorrow then.
Ciao