"Why did you tell us to meet here?" Bell asked, as they were near a wall that represented the end of the floor, and by extent pretty far from everything on the 18th floor.
"Does this have to do with the information you got?" Lily asked.
"Yes, it seems like the Ikelos Familia have some sort of hidden entrance that leads to the surface" Learner said inspecting the stone wall that extended for the entirety of the floor.
"A hidden entrance?" Fels said in a surprised tone.
"That would explain why we weren't able to pin down their location…, do you mind explaining more about it?" Fels asked.
"Let's see… it was some sort of hall? There were cages with monsters and Xenos inside" Learner explained.
"So they are the ones killing Xenos" Welf said.
"Awful" Mikoto expressed her discontent.
After a while of inspecting the wall, Learner found nothing out of the ordinary but she could feel that this was indeed the place.
'hmm… maybe if I…' She thought, directing magic into her eyes, making her see the world differently.
Even though injecting magic into one's eyes will probably make them explode, it was no issue for her.
Seeing the magic in the air she looked at the wall only to see some sort of magic lock that was made of different kinds of magic all intertwined with one another.
"Hmm" Learner grumbled as she would like to understand the entirety of the magic array, but that would take too much time.
"Nothing?" Bell asked.
"There is something, but it needs some sort of key" she said searching through the man's memories and seeing an Eye-like gem that seemed to be the key.
"Would this be what you are searching for?" A calm quiet voice said from the trees nearby, alerting the team and making them take out their weapons ready for action.
Suddenly, Ryuu jumped down from one of the nearby trees holding the 'key' that was glowing a dim white.
"Ryuu? What are you doing here?" Bell asked sheathing his knife.
"I saw you running with a worried face, so I thought of following you… but I never would have thought that your eccentric friend went missing" she said getting closer to the group.
'A master in stealth… and why does she have that? Does she have connections to these scum?' Learner thought looking at Ryuu.
"May I have that artifact?" Fels said from the side.
Ryuu looked at the eye in her hand for a second before giving it to Fels.
'If only I knew what that eye did at the moment…' Ryuu thought tightening the hold on her wooden sword.
Fels brought it closer to the wall, and Learner could see how the magic arranged itself and made the wall disappear, showing a gate behind it.
The gate opened and revealed a long dark corridor.
Bell took a step forward but was stopped by Ryuu who grabbed his shoulder.
"Huh?"
"Are you sure you want to go?" Ryuu asked.
"W- of course! Who knows what might be happening to him right now, what if-" he exclaimed but Ryuu cut him off.
"You know that those inside are not adventurers, right? they are mercenaries, murderers, they are ready to kill, but, are you?" Ryuu said, looking at Bell straight in the eyes.
"I…" he said tightening his fists and looking to the side, feeling useless for the situation.
"It's good that you recognize it, don't worry, I'll get your friend back" Ryuu said walking inside.
The rest of the team followed right after, passing by Bell in the process.
"Knowing your limits is a great ability, Bell" Mikoto said standing beside him.
"Killing is not a requirement, Bell, so don't feel bad" Welf added grabbing Bell's shoulder.
"But-" Bell tried to say but was cut off.
"Don't worry Bell-sama! we are going together!" Lili exclaimed holding Bell's hand.
"Bell-sama…" Haruhime murmured getting closer to the group.
Learner rolled her eyes at this but she let them have their moment.
She grabbed Wiene's hand and walked in.
When they were done everyone walked inside.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
After walking for a while, they reached a giant hall that contained multiple cages with Xenos inside them.
Seeing the Xenos inside, Wiene got closer to Learner and gripped her hand harder.
'Weird, these monsters seem strangely… human-like…' Ryuu thought looking at the caged Xenos that showed signs of prolonged torture.
Bell got closer to a cage that had a harpy Xenos inside and broke the lock with his black knife.
He then opened the door and extended his hand at the harpy, Ryuu was about to stop him but saw how the harpy retreated further into the cage trembling in fear.
Seeing this, Bell could only clench his hand in anger.
Wiene got closer and took her hood off, letting the harpy see the bright red gem that was on her forehead, making the light come back to her dead eyes.
"P-please… help…" the harpy begged in a raspy and tired voice.
"Don't worry we came to help you" Wiene said, as a wall of ice appeared in front of the team, blocking a barrage of arrows.
"See? I told you there was someone, call the others, we have intruders!" A voice said as several mercenaries came from the hallways next to the staircase in the middle of the room.
The harpy widened her eyes and tried to shout but couldn't.
"Get ready" Learner said, getting in front of Wiene.
Everyone got ready to fight as the ice wall disappeared, and members of the Ikelos Familia came running towards them.
Ryuu rapidly slashed at one with her wooden sword making him pass out.
Welf slashed with his great sword taking out multiple mercenaries, and blocked multiple attacks from others as an arrow whizzed past his head and hit an archer in the back lines.
Welf briefly looked back and saw Lili shooting arrows at the rangers while Mikoto protected her from those who came close to her.
Meanwhile, Learner shot different kinds of magic to make sure the Familia members don't get overwhelmed.
'She can control magic as well' Fels thought looking at Learner with his empty eyes.
"What do we have here? Just some rats to get rid of, and they were kind enough to bring the Vouivre with them" Dix said walking down the stairs, with a bloody Gram on his shoulder and blood on his clothes.
"Dix Perdix… are you the one responsible for this?" Fels said pointing at the trapped Xenos.
"Yes… but that doesn't matter, since you're going to die anyway" Dix said pointing the bloody sword at him.
Bell put himself in front of Fels and looked at Dix with a hateful glare.
"Where is Calvin?" Bell asked.
"Oh, that guy? I suppose you are here for him? He's dead" Dix said as a smile began forming on his face.
Bell widened his eyes at the information and was about to jump at Dix but an ice crystal shot towards Dix making him block it.
"Don't believe him, he just wants you to lose your composure" Learner said making Bell take a deep breath.
"Haruhime!" Bell shouted.
"Yes! Magic hammer!" Haruhime chanted as a yellow aura appeared around Bell's body.
"Oh? What's this? A buffer? But I'm a level 5! Even if you augment your strength we are still far from equal!" Dix said running at Bell and slashing with his sword.
Bell dodged and attacked with a slash which Dix parried without a problem.
Dix slashed once again making Bell jump backward as Dix leaped at him with another slash.
Bell swiftly moved out of the way and slashed at Dix, but he blocked it with Gram.
"you are fast… but weak" Dix said slashing at Bell multiple times in quick succession and making Bell block with his knife.
"You are no match!" Dix shouted, breaking Bell's defense and slashing his forearm distracting him, in which time Dix took the opportunity and kicked Bell in the gut launching him a few meters back.
"Like these monsters, you are so weak you can't even control your own fate, useless beings like that should just die" Dix said with a sign of anger and disgust in his voice.
"They are not monsters! They talk and think just like us!" Bell said getting up and making a white glow emanate from his hand.
"But you don't care about that, right? after having killed countess Xenos, and tortured many more, how can you call yourself a human?!" Bell exclaimed as the white glow on his hand merged with the yellow aura around him.
"And what about that?! They are just weak beings useless for everything, I was just making the world a favor by getting rid of the trash!" Dix shouted as the red "D" on his eye glowed and his face contorted into one of insanity.
"I see... you are nothing more than a Monsters yourself" Bell said and the white glow around him condensed into his fist, making it shine a dazzling white light.
"You…!!! What would you know about me!" Dix exclaimed trying to run at Bell but finding himself stuck in the ground.
'What?!' Looking down he saw how the stone formed around his feet.
"T-that mage!?" he exclaimed looking up again only to see a white glowing fist coming closer and closer.
"Aah!" Bell exclaimed punching Dix on the face with all his strength.
'I'm a level 3 but with Haruhime's magic I have the strength of a level 4 plus the power of the white light this punch should be at the same level of a level 5 or even more!' Bell thought, not noticing how the digits on his back changed rapidly.
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Sorry for the delay but this chapter REALLY had me struggling, i rewrote it like 5 times!
So, yeah i hope you liked it, It didn't end up as i would have liked it to but it works, for now
See you on the next one :D