The first thing Prism noticed when she woke up was that it had been hard for her to breathe as she could feel an intense sting along her cheek, neck and arm as she couldn't even move. She could hear Adrien faintly groaning as the storm clouds around her had gotten worse and worse by the minute as her vision started to get worse and worse as she could see something move.
She couldn't tell what it was though all she knew was that it was moving, and there looked to be something else, like there was a second being in the skies with whatever had been in the clouds.
Everytime she blinked she could almost swear something different had happened as she could've sworn she saw thunder, and yet she couldn't see bolts of any kind as she could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness.
It hadn't been a moment later, before she could hear a voice. Though she couldn't make out what they were saying. All she could make out… Was only one word.
"--Time--"
Suddenly she let out a scream as she could feel something pierce right through her chest as her vision was clouded once more. The last thing she could feel was her whole body was burning.
***
Her eyes shot open as she let out a gasp as she found herself laying on her back though she could still feel the migraine in her head. She found Asta, and Brenin had been hoovering her as they looked to be waiting for her to wake up.
"Thank Mana!" Brenin said with relief.
"Are you okay?" Asta asked as he helped her to sit up, "How are you feeling?"
"My head really hurts…" Prism groaned, before she felt what had been a familiar headband around her forehead; it was then she noticed Asta's band was missing, "... Why is this--?"
"You kind of hit your head again, so I loaned you my headband since we didn't really have anything to use as a bandage." Asta said as he rubbed the back of his head, "The cut wasn't too deep thankfully, but it was still a pretty hard hit you took when we fell."
"From when we--" Prism started to say as she looked up towards the ceiling; she could see they were in a warped space, though she couldn't see Yukiko, Pluck, Noelle or Feodora anywhere.
"Where's the others?!" Prism exclaimed with worry.
"Most likely where we left them." Brenin explained, "You stepped in a trap and it ended up transporting us to a different part of the dungeon. From the smell, we must be further in."
"What about Karasu?!" She exclaimed with worry, as she recalled he was with them, "Where is he?!"
"We're not sure exactly." Asta replied, "I remember he caught us and--"
"I'm here."
The three of them had been startled as they could hear Karasu's voice; from what they could tell it had been nearby. They managed to stand up off the ground as they soon caught a glimpse of a familiar young man with grey streaks nearby; he looked to be holding onto his left leg, particularly his ankle as he had been catching his breath.
"Karasu!" The three of them exclaimed, as they ran over to him.
Their eyes had widened in horror as they could see that his left ankle appeared to have been a bit bruised. "Your ankle!" Prism exclaimed.
"Oh no, you're hurt--!" Asta shouted.
"I'll be fine." He told them, before he hissed through his teeth.
"You're obviously not!" Brenin said before he went to his side to examine it, "It looks like you broke it when we fell into that trap earlier. I don't think you'll be able to walk on that foot for awhile."
Prism's eyes had a look of horror as she couldn't help but start to panic, "Karasu! I--I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! It's because I ran without thinking!"
"No Prism, don't say that!" Asta said, "This isn't on you!"
"But it is! I ended up running ahead and I was being stupid again!" She said as she couldn't help but start to cry while the spirits around her started to lose color, "I was so preoccupied on finding Saorise and Liam, that I didn't take your wellbeing into consideration! I AM a dummy just like Plu-Plu said. I am such a--"
"DON'T finish that sentence Tater-Tot." Karasu soon said as they could hear a sudden sternness in his voice; he soon rolled down his pants leg to hide it, "It's just a sprained ankle--I'll be alright." He soon motioned Asta as he tried to stand, "Hey--Would you mind lending me your shoulder?"
"O-Oh sure." Asta said hesitantly before he went over to him. Once Asta kneeled, Karasu placed his hand on his shoulder before he pushed himself up; groaning a little as he did. "I'll be okay as long as I keep my own pace." Karasu told them reassuringly, "Right now we should focus on our mission--Or did you forget that already?"
"But--" Prism started to say as she couldn't help but sniffle.
"--Like I said, this isn't anything new for me." He told them, "I've dealt with a broken bone before when I was a thief. I've got my own strategy for handling this."
The three of them couldn't help but look to one another as they each had their own look of worry. It was then Prism soon had a look of realization, "My new trick--!" She soon said as she had taken out her grimoire and started to flip the pages; she soon coughed a little.
"Trick?" Brenin said, "What trick?"
"Back in Saussy, I healed Asta and the others when I used this incantation--" Prism said as she had gotten to the page, "--Maybe I can do it again!"
This time, Asta couldn't help but express worry, as he couldn't help but recall the events that had occurred the last time she used it. "Wait, wait, wait--!" Asta said, "--Are you sure that's a good idea?! You're still new to that trick after all and it knocked you out for eight days!"
"You were unconscious for eight days?!" Brenin exclaimed.
"I know, I know--" Prism said as she coughed again, "--But I have to at least try to make up for what I did!"
She soon took a deep breath before she allowed the grimoire to float in her hands before she read the word aloud; just as her eye shifted to white.
"Darkness to light
Torn to mend
Clock reverse
To what once was lost"
Prism expected to see white flames appear from her hands like it did before, but much to her own shock… Not even a spark came. "Uh--" Asta said, "--Why aren't those flames appearing?"
"Flames?" Brenin asked.
"Last time she used this, there were white flames." Asta said.
"Yeah so--Why aren't they appearing?" Karasu asked as he looked at Prism.
"I--" Prism started to say as she coughed again, "--I don't know."
She soon took a deep breath before she read aloud the words again.
"Darkness to light
Torn to mend
Clock reverse
To what once was lost"
She looked to her hands, as she was expecting it again--But once again she couldn't see anything happening; her hands soon started to shake.
"Why…?" She said fearfully, "... Why isn't this working?"
"No way--Could it--" Karasu started to say before Asta seemed to have thought of something.
"Oh!" He soon said, "Maybe it won't work unless you get your scythe!"
"My scythe?" Prism asked, "Why would I need that?"
"It might work the same way as a wand or a staff should, you know?" Asta soon said, "Maybe the incantation won't work unless the scythe is out."
"... I guess it's worth the shot." Prism said as she looked to the page next to it as she let out another cough. She started to read the words.
"Shadows reveal thy form
Let your power aid
Lead the hungry astray
Bring me victory today"
The pages soon glowed vigorously before the scythe started to emerge as it had done many times before as it floated towards her. However--Just as she reached out, and touched the scythe by its handle it made them jump when it vanished in that of a white flash.
"EH!?" Asta exclaimed.
"It vanished?!" Prism said shocked.
"Something tells me it wasn't supposed to do that." Brenin said.
"No--It's not." Karasu said.
"Ana latta as me this is bad." Prism said, "This is REALLY bad." As her grimoire dropped to the floor she couldn't help but panic, "If I can't use my scythe, then I won't be able to fight and if I can't fight I won't back anyone up--I'll--I'll… I'll…"
Prism soon started to become woozy and she began to stumble; Asta was quick to catch her when he noticed she was about to faint. "Hey!" Asta said, "Are you ok--" Asta had soon been taken back when he felt her body had been strangely warm. It was then he noticed Prism this time had a look of horror, as she had realized she had been found out.
"Prism…" He soon said, "... You're--Sick."
***
Pluck, Yukiko and Noelle had been searching for hours and hours on end as they explored the dungeon, though so far, they couldn't find anyone or any trace of the two young Familiars Saorise and Liam. Without Brenin there to guide them and with Luck and Feodora going awol, it had taken them a bit longer then it was expected.
"Prism! Asta!" Yukiko called out, "Brenin! Karasu! One of you guys, do you hear me?!"
Pluck had soon called out, "Come on, guys! Where are you? I'll really hate for you guys to die because of stupid Luck."
"Really?" Noelle said. "How can you call your teammate stupid?"
"This is coming from Miss 'I'm Royalty.." Pluck said with a leer
Noelle couldn't help but growl, "I know you don't like my family name but I thought you'd have more respect!"
Pluck soon said, "Respect? Ha! That's funny coming from a Silva. You guys are the opposite. No better than your siblings even"
"What did you say?" Noelle growled. "At least I wasn't born from a pe--"
"IF YOU TWO DON'T STOP YOUR BICKERING RIGHT NOW, SO HELP ME I WILL LEAVE YOUR ASSES TIED UP OUTSIDE OF THIS DUNGEON AND LEAVE YOU FOR THE WILDS!!" Yukiko shouted, making the two of them freeze up.
Pluck soon said as his voice shook, "Ye-yes ma'am."
Noelle shook as she added, "S-Sorry."
Yukiko soon turned to her son, "You know Pluck--You're not making this situation any better. You two are supposed to be teammates, so either you get that through your skull and grow up or I WILL have Yami suspend you from any sort of mission for a year. And I mean any sort."
Pluck couldn't help but say "EH?! WHY?! I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING WRONG!"
"Yes you did--You're labeling." Yukiko pointed out, "Granted your father and I, did that when we first woke up, until we got to know her brother Nozel, and we put our pettiness behind us."
"To be fair she actually makes a good point." Noelle said as her look changed at the mention of Nozel.
Pluck soon yelled at his mother, Ma! How do you know he's not tricking you?! That's just what they do!"
Noelle couldn't help but look offended, "That is--ABSURD! YOU DON'T KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT ME!"
"Probably because he never talked about it with you." Yukiko soon stated, "Son--Like it or not we're not in our times anymore, and like it or not, she's now living under the same roof as us. I'm not saying you should let go of what happened but I'm telling you to move on like the rest of us did, and stop blaming Noelle for every little thing!"
Pluck couldn't help but shout again, "Labeling?! I wasn't labeling her! It's her damn fault for being a Silva!"
"Yeah--" Yukiko soon said, "--Just like it's Feodora's fault because she's from a family of assassins?"
At that point, Pluck froze at this as did Noelle as she looked shocked, as at that point… He was speechless.
"Prism talked to her about it--" Yukiko told him, "And that lead to her coming to talk to Yami and I. She may have been born into the family of assassins, but she hated that life. She never wanted to learn those lessons on how to kill, but her grandfather--her OWN grandfather tricked her on several occasions into doing lessons convincing that poor girl it was for the right thing to do! You have no idea how troubled and traumatized she is from doing those lessons alone! She was practically begging us to help her move on. Why do you think her parents snuck here to the Clover Kingdom and abandoned everything, including their wealth for her sake? "
"Wait---" Noelle said horrified, "--Her own family… Tricked her?"
"T-That's different!" Pluck stammered, "Yeah Feodora's family were assassins, but that's no better than the Silvas!"
"No it's not--" Yukiko soon told him before she gestured to Noelle, "--How do you know her life is as perfect as you say it to be? Maybe her life is just as bad as Feodora's was! She's just not willing to say it because it's hard for her to actually put it into words! Take Feodora--It was hard for her to say all that to us and ask for help, but the only difference then--Prism, encouraged her to come forward."
Pluck had struggled to retort, "W-well, i-i-i---"
"Look--" Noelle soon said, "--I may not know what it was my ancestors did to you that made you hate me so much--But I'm telling you right now, I'm at least trying to make things different! I could've said no to come on this mission but I didn't, did I? I'm learning to adapt--Just like she is."
Yukiko soon told her son, "Pluck, I'm not saying to like her right away but all I'm trying to say is to give her a chance at least. We all gave Nozel a chance, and we've already accepted him. Are you willing to do the same for the sake of everything we're trying to work for?"
Pluck was trying to find the answer but so far he couldn't find the words, until Addeline tugged on his pants, as he looked down.
"Addi?" Pluck asked.
"Quack!" Addeline said.
"You're agreeing with mom, huh?" Pluck asked as Addeline nodded her head. Pluck couldn't help but let out a huff before he said, "Fine, Like I have a choice."
Noelle soon said with a huff of her own, "At least we can agree on one thing."
"You do realize that we're not done with this conversation right?" Yukiko told Pluck, making him flinch, "Your father has got a few of his own words he's been meaning to say to you, ya know?"
Pluck couldn't help but say with a groan, "man.."
Yukiko soon told him as they soon continued forward, "To be fair you were asking for it. And don't even get me started on Yami."
Pluck's jaw dropped as he exclaimed, "Seriously?!"
Noelle said, "Serves you right."
"Don 't think that means you're off the hook too, Young lady." Yukiko told her, "Yami's been meaning to have a word with you, too.
"EH?!" Noelle exclaimed.
Pluck sighed before he couldn't help but have a thought, "At least I'm gonna get punished alone. Still I hope Pri is having better luck than me." He soon couldn't help but panic mentally. "Or I could be wrong and that dummy already got herself hurt!" Yukiko and Noelle soon jumped when they heard Pluck let out a shriek before shouting, "DAMN IT YOU DUMMY GIRL! WHERE DID YOU GO?!"
Noelle said just dumbstruck, "Where did that come from?!"
Yukiko sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "That's my son for you.."
***
Asta and the others soon went forward, as soon as they found the nearest hall as they entered the next section of the dungeon; it almost looked just like the last one they were in, as they were trying their best to navigate with their sick and injured. Despite Prism's protests she had found herself once again riding on Asta's back while Brenin had been supporting Karasu as he was helping him to walk.
Brenin soon looked around as it had been their fifth corridor they entered, "Strange--I could've sworn we've been in here before."
"Don't tell me we're going in circles…" Karasu said as he rolled his eyes.
"Let's not jump the arrow." Brenin said, "I'm a bit rusty on the directions here."
"Well we gotta get our bearings!" Asta said, "Everyone back at base is counting on us!"
"Yeah sure, it's not like there's any pressure or anything." Karasu said.
Prism had been silent the whole time as she couldn't help but worry about what had been going on. Asta could feel Prism had been shaking, "Hey--We're going to find them--" He told her reassuringly, "--Don't worry."
Prism soon buried her face in the back of his neck before she finally spoke, "... Asta… Are you mad?"
"Mad?" Asta said confused as he noticed a couple of the spirits turned blue, "Why would I be?"
"... I kept the fact that I was sick from you, and the others…" Prism said, "... Feo even told me what happened when you found out she had a cold… Aren't you in the least bit upset…?"
Asta soon sighed as she could feel him shrug, "I'm just a little, but mad, nothing like that. I can understand why you would keep it quiet about it. You didn't want everyone to worry about you."
Prism soon placed her chin on his shoulder as he could see her expression, "You were thinking about your friends--Or well us, and more importantly you thought about everyone's safety since the others had their own missions to deal with." He soon said with his chin held high, "Though definitely as soon as you get back--You're gonna sleep until you feel better! That way you'll be able to help us out on other missions in the future!"
Prism had looked shocked at this sort of thing or well the sort of response; and yet she couldn't help but smile. "And--I'll help you talk to Yami--" Asta soon said, "--Okay?"
Asta couldn't help but turn a little red as he could feel Prism hug his shoulders. "... Thank you."
"Ye-Yeah--!" Asta said as he was trying his best to sound normal, "--Su-Sure, no problem!" Asta turned forward as he could feel his thoughts had gotten mixed up as he could feel his heart beating so fast as he couldn't help but feel flustered.
"Okay--It's happening again!" Asta exclaimed in his head, "But why?! I've--Never felt like this before, even when I was back in Hage with the others and Sister Lily--" He couldn't help but scream internally in his head, "--Gah! What even is this?! What am I supposed to do with it?!"
Brenin soon stopped in his tracks as he noticed a certain smell in the air. He found himself focused on a scent in particular; he soon allowed Karasu to stand on his own as he went close to the ground as he started to sniff the floor. "Brenin?" Asta said, "What is it?"
"You got something?" Karasu asked.
"I think so--" Brenin said as he stood, "--Sunflower--Berries and hazelnut."
"That's--Everything Saorise loves!" Prism said before she coughed, though her expression was all but gleeful "--She must be close by!"
"Hey! Hey! That's great!" Asta said with a smile, "Do you think you can--"
They soon noticed the spirits around them looked terrified as they soon placed themselves in the comfort of Prism's hood and even Asta's. It looked as though Nero became alert too as Brenin looked frozen with fear; even Prism looked as though she had paled.
"Hey--What's the matter with--" Karasu started to say before--
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING, FRIEND?"
Asta and Karasu froze in place at the sound of a distorted voice; they slowly turned and saw it had been a creature large in size; it had a body of a centipede yet they saw ape like arms in the place of its legs; its eyes were of red, though in both sockets looked to have five eyes instead of just one as a couple of the eyes were cracked like mirrors. It cocked its head, as it moved and cracked like a doll.
Asta and Karasu paled as they were just frozen with fear as it circled around them, getting close to Asta as it's bone-like face nearly touched his own.
"WHERE COME FRIEND?" It asked as it cracked it's neck, "WHERE TO FRIEND?"
"A--" Asta started to say before he was startled when Prism covered his mouth suddenly. It was then he noticed she had been on the verge of hyperventilating. "Wha-What's going on? Where did it come from?" Asta as he looked to the strange creature beside them, "Is--Is this a spirit?! But wait--I thought no one else other then Prism could understand them?! And--" He soon looked to Prism, and then looked towards Brenin, "--Why do they look so scared!? Why doesn't she want me to answer?!"
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING FRIEND?" He heard it say as it soon circled to Brenin, "WHERE COME FRIEND? WHERE TOO FRIEND?"
Karasu had been about to answer it, though Brenin soon motioned him to stay quiet as it continued to ask them the questions over and over again. Brenin soon made a motion to move to which they did as they kept their mouths shut but--
"WHY DOES THE RAVEN--LOOK LIKE A WRITING DESK FRIEND?"
They froze again as they looked over and another large bug-like creature, this time in the form of a beetle, though they saw it possessed a human face with sets of legs belonging to that of a goat as its eyes were bleeding what looked to be black liquid.
"WHY DOES A RAVEN LOOK LIKE A WRITING DESK?" It asked, "WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE ONE FRIEND?"
"This is bad!" Asta thought as he could feel his own body shaking, "This is REALLY bad! I don't really understand what's happening, but--It seems like they're REALLY bad news! We have to do something--But--Neither of us can't move our body! I can't even reach my grimoire!"
"Asta…" He soon heard Prism whisper, "... We have to run."
Asta could only make a confused groan, though Nero soon started to peck at his head like she was telling him the same thing. "Just run, and don't look back!" Prism whispered, "Go! Now!"
Asta didn't need to be told twice, as he started to run with Prism still on his back; Karasu and Brenin didn't hesitate as they made a break for it as the strange bug-like creatures as they each seemed to move and crack in a strange way.
"WHERE COME? WHERE TO?" They heard one of them say as when Asta looked back and saw its body was struggling to change its shape, or at least trying to, "WHERE COME WHERE TO FRIEND?"
"WHY IS A RAVEN LIKE A WRITING DESK!? WHY IS A RAVEN LIKE A WRITING DESK? WHYISARAVENLIKEAWRITINGDESK?!"
"WHERECOMEWHERETO?! WHERECOMEWHERETO?!"
The four of them were taken back when they started to charge at them as the words started to sound more aggressive. "They're moving so fast!" Asta exclaimed in his head, "At this rate they're gonna--!"
Karasu suddenly felt his leg act up as he fell over face first as they immediately stopped. "KARASU!" Asta and Brenin exclaimed.
The centipede's hand extended and grabbed ahold of Prism's head as it pulled her off of Asta's back while the other grabbed Karasu. "NO! HEY!" Asta shouted as he tried to grab her hand as she shrieked.
"WHERE COME?! WHERE TO!?" The creatures exclaimed as it opened its jaw to Prism as she struggled to get free.
"WHY IS A RAVEN, LIKE A WRITING DESK FRIEND?!" The other yelled
Asta soon shrieked when it soon grabbed ahold of him and Brenin as they soon struggled. The creatures soon opened their jaws revealing that they had two sets of teeth as they tried to get out of their grip but couldn't. It had just been ready to drop them in their jaws when--
BOOM!
The creatures let out a shriek, as Asta, Prism, Karasu and Brenin were dropped to the floor. They were taken back when they saw a set of flashes as they were blinded a bit but they could feel something hit them. "OWOWOWOWOW!" Asta exclaimed, "IT'S NOT BURNING BUT IT STILL HURTS! WHAT IS THIS STUFF?!"
Karasu brought his hand close as he soon placed a finger in his mouth, while he could feel his bandaged arm throb slightly, "... Salt?"
The creatures tried to make a grab for them again but this time they hit a set of arrows, hit their bodies and soon their faces. The creatures let out one final shriek as their own faces started to crack before they seemingly vanished into thin air in what looked to be black vapor.
"Oh thank Mana…" Prism said with relief as she laid on her back; the little spirits looked relieved as well.
"I really thought we were dead." Brenin said.
"But--" Karasu said, as he examined the arrows "--Who did all of this? And--" He soon sniffed the tip, "--Why does this smell like rosemary?"
"And who in their right mind uses salt in bombs?!" Asta exclaimed.
"I have a pretty good idea." Brenin said.
Prism soon noticed that her wrist and his own started to glow a familiar golden holly branch; though this time around it had glowed more like that of the sun. "This is--" Prism said in realization.
They soon jumped at the sight of another arrow though this time there looked to be a rope tied to it. As they each recovered they followed the rope towards whoever had fired it. They saw it looked to be a young girl who looked to be fifteen as she wore what looked to be a makeshift cloak, made from a dirty and tattered flag. She had on a dark gray vest-like coat with short sleeves as it looked to have a fur-like collar Prim's outfit; she looked to have a hakama jacket underneath it as well as a dark blue turtleneck.
She had on a set of dark brown pants with a set of brown ankle boots as she had on a set of blue arm sleeves and a brown band around her waist in wave designs like Prism.
They couldn't see the color of her eyes as she looked to have on what looked like a skull-like mask looking similar to that of a falcon.
She looked to have a crossbow that was attached to her right arm as it seemed to have disarmed. She soon took out a pair of warrior kamas similar to that of Prim's own weapon as she soon latched onto the rope before sliding down.
"W-Wow!" Asta said in awe as his eyes sparkled, "That is so cool!"
"Is that--" Karasu said in disbelief.
"Yuuup." Brenin said.
Just as the girl made it halfway down the rope suddenly snapped as it sent her falling. "OH TRUFFLES!" They heard the girl exclaim before she landed in the water with a splash making Asta, Brenin and Karasu cringe. "That was--" Karasu soon said awkwardly, "--Unexpected."
"Is she okay?" Asta asked awkwardly as he could see her face down in the shallow water.
"She's--" Brenin said as his tail swayed, "--She's fine."
"Bime i elena…" Prism said as she stood, staggering slightly as she did.
The girl soon sat on her knees as she let out a couple of coughs. "That was NOT one of my best entrances." The girl said as she stood; she looked to have taken a journal of some kind as she started to write with a stick as the tip had been burned, "Maybe if I use a different material, it might reinforce the rope! And maybe it won't--"
The girl had soon been taken back when she noticed along her right wrist, she soon noticed a holly branch that had glowed in the color of silver and red. Asta and Karasu could've sworn they could see her hood had twitched slightly.
"Saorise…" Prism said as she was driven to tears.
The girl flinched as they could her hood strangely twitch again; Finally she removed her hood, revealing that she had a set of ram horns and white ears from that of a sheep, in replacement of a set of human ones; they could see that she had hair that shined like gold as it had been tied back into a long ponytail that looked to be matted a bit messy as they could see despite its shine, it looked to be covered in dirt. She turned as she removed her mask, revealing that her eyes were of magenta.
"... Prism?" The girl--Saorise said shocked as her ears flapped a little.
"SAORISE!" Prism shouted as she ran to her.
"Prism!" Saorise exclaimed, relieved.
Prism couldn't help herself as she leaped towards Saorise as she enveloped her in a hug; though the force knocked her off her feet as she hit the water again along with the young girl. "Prism!" Saorise said as she got out of the embrace, though it's so she could get a good look at her face, "Is it really you?"
"Saorise!" Prism said as she couldn't help but laugh, "I can't believe it! You're alive!"
"You?! Me?! Here?!"
"I know! I know! It's crazy! But--"
Prism couldn't help squeal as she hugged her again, "I missed you SO much!"
"Aww--" Saorise said as she returned it in full, "--I missed you too!"
Saorise soon noticed Brenin as he had approached them. "Hey." Brenin said with a wave, "I can tell your surprised."
"GET OVER HERE PUPPER!" Saorise exclaimed as she pulled him in for a hug which took him back as he couldn't help but let out a yipe, "You had us worried sick after you fell in the trap!"
"Ye-Yeah, sorry about that." Brenin said as he gagged, "I can't breathe…"
"Pupper?" Asta said, a little confused.
"Well, he technically is a dog." Karasu reasoned.
Prism, Saorise and Brenin finally removed themselves from the water as Prism couldn't help but look over at the young ram girl. "Bime i elena, look at you!" Prism said as she noticed her outfit had a few stains of dirt and looked a bit battered, "You're looking like a real warrior!"
"I know!" Saorise said, "Aside from the one or two death traps in here that we may or may not have stepped in, I've been holding out--AND THIS IS REAL!"
Prism soon found herself face to face with the crossbow attached to her arm; though she had paled as she could see it was armed. "Mmmhmm, yeah very real!" Prism said after she coughed as she pushed it away with an awkward smile, "Got it!"
"Where's Liam?" Brenin asked, "Is he with you?"
"He's just a couple of corridors away looking for food like I am!" Saorise said, "But, by the Mana, wait till he sees you and especially you Prism! He's gonna be so happy!" She soon started to pace, "Not to mention, you won't believe how easy it is to survive in a dungeon! Those hunting lessons your mother and Master Yuki lead when we were kids REALLY paid off! Especially for me! It was really a step up for me in this place! I'm not like that clumsy girl back when we were kids!!"
Prism soon let out a shriek, "SAORISE, YOUR CLOAK IS ON FIRE!"
The group, and even Saorise let out a scream of some sort as they could see indeed, the makeshift cloak she had on really was on fire.
"GAH! FIRE!" Saorise shouted as she started to run in circles as she flailed her arms, "FIRE! FIRE BAD! FIRE BAD! BAD FIRE!"
"STOP RUNNING THAT'S GONNA MAKE IT WORSE!!" Brenin yelled.
Asta had shouted, "IS THERE ANY WATER TO PUT IT OUT?!"
"Uh--" Karasu said dumbfounded, "--It's all around us?"
Asta said, "Quick, Saorise! Jump in!"
Saorise practically cannonballed into the water despite it being shallow. They could see steam coming from it the moment she hopped in; she removed herself as she gave a sigh of relief. "Whew, that was close." Saorise said, relieved, before she wrote in her journal, "Note to self--Find a way to make cloak resistant towards flames!"
"How did it even catch fire to begin with?!" Karasu asked.
"I--" Saorise started to say, "--Don't know--Wait who are you?"
"YOU'RE JUST ASKING THAT NOW!?" Asta and Karasu exclaimed out of confusion.
"Guys—!" Prism said with enthusiasm despite her flushed red face, "--Met my second Familiar!"
Saorise's eyes practically lit up as they could see her ears had flapped, "Oh my gosh!!" She soon ran up to them as she took them by surprise, "Are these Humans your new friends Prism!? Wait--Don't tell me--They're your surrogate family! Did they take you in and look after you?! Aw, that is so sweet! It reminds me of that book Papa Rhy used to read to me! The Tale of the Two Strings! Okay yeah, maybe the premise was a little different but it's still such a good book!"
"Wo-Wow, she really is energetic." Asta said in awe.
"Yeah, she's kind of like you in a way." Karasu said, making Asta give him a look.
"Well you got part of that right." Brenin said to Saorise.
"Saorise--These are two of my new friends--" Prism said, "--Asta and Karasu."
"Oooo~ One of them is a foreigner?" Saorise said as her eyes sparkled again, "I don't think I've ever met a foreigner before! This is SUPER intriguing!" She soon calmed herself as she took a deep breath before she fixed up her outfit a little; she soon had a smile on her face, "Sorry, where are my manners? My name is Saorise! I'm also known as the Golden Ram! If you couldn't tell from my horns and my hair, though it's understandable if you couldn't, since I haven't washed this in who knows how long."
"It's nice to meet you!" Asta said with a smile, "Prism talks about you a lot."
"All good I hope!" Saorise said as she couldn't help chuckle; snorting a little as she did. She soon looked over at them, "Huh, funny, you don't look like treasure hunters, and you don't smell like them either."
"We're Magic Knights actually." Karasu said, "We've been looking for you and the other guy--Liam was his name right?"
Saorise tilted her head a little, "A Magic what?"
"Long story." Brenin replied.
"The short version--" Prism said before she coughed, "--We came here to rescue you and Liam!"
Saorise looked shocked by this sort of thing as by the look on her face, they could see she was processing. "Really?" Saorise asked, "We're--We're finally going to leave this place?"
"Yeah--" Brenin said, "--No more scavenging here in this dungeon anymore. And we can get you all cleaned up and get rid of--" He soon gave the air a little sniff, "--That stench."
"You mean--" Saorise started to ask, "--Is it finally safe? Can we really go back to Airedale?"
Prism and Brenin's expressions softened which Saorise had been quick to notice; she had a look of worry when she noticed how quiet they had been. Though, it seemed like she read them as if they were pages from a book, as she soon had a look of realization when she took another moment to process.
"... It's not there anymore… Is it?" She asked.
"It's--More than that." Brenin said.
"Saorise…" Prism said as she took her hands, "... You've--You, Liam and Brenin… You were in the dungeon for five hundred years. The world as we once knew it--Became a different place while we were gone."
At this her own gaze softened as she looked saddened, "... It's been THAT long?"
"I'm afraid so." Brenin said, "We're--All that's left of Airedale now."
"I'm really sorry." Prism said as she looked to be saddened at the thought, "I only wished there was a better way to tell you."
Saorise let out a sigh as her ears dropped a little; Nero, who had been sitting on Asta's head soon flew onto Saorises shoulder. Her expression seemed to have changed as she had chirped softly in her ear. Though Prism felt like she imagined it, she saw Saorise's face change to a look of shock.
Saorise soon gave a smile as she took a deep breath, "At the very least--We still have each other. That's all that matters."
"Yeah." Prism said with a smile, "At least there's that."
Saorise couldn't help but give a laugh as her ears twitched slightly; she soon had a thought, "What are we standing here for?! We gotta get Liam and tell him the good news!"
She soon took hold of Prism's wrist before she started to drag her down the corridor, "Come on, he's this--OH CRUMBS!"
Most of the group jumped when Saorise stepped on her cloak and suddenly fell down the stairs with a roll as she shrieked; Prism ended up rolling down the stairs with her as she let out a scream.
"PRISM, SAORISE!" Brenin exclaimed in a panic.
"OH MY GOD!!" Asta shouted.
"Ow.." Saorise said. "Pain.."
"We're okay…" Prism said with a groan and a cough.
"Huh--That happened." Karasu said.
They each had gotten to the bottom of the stairs as they helped Saorise and Prism up, though Prism staggered as she stood; the little spirits had made themselves comfortable on her shoulders. "Ow--" Saorise said, "--Sorry, I REALLY should've made this cloak shorter."
"For someone who's a part of a warrior's guild, you're pretty clumsy." Asta pointed out.
"Yeah--I've been kind of like that back at home too." Saorise said awkwardly, "Sorry about dragging ya Prism."
"No, that's okay." Prism said with a cough, "In a strange way I kind of missed that."
"So then Saorise--" Karasu said, "--How have you and Liam been surviving here anyway? I mean no offense with all the traps that's in here. I figured someone would've starved to death in here."
"You'd think so but after being stuck here for five centuries apparently it's actually pretty easy." Saorise said.
"Oh yeah--" Brenin said, "--Some of the traps in here are used to summon creatures. We'd often activate them on purpose so that we could kill them to harvest their meat."
"You guys really did that on your own?" Prism asked in awe.
"Of course!" Saorise said, "All those hunting techniques your mom showed us really came in handy! If it wasn't for her lessons we DEFINITELY would have starved to death long ago!"
"That's so amazing!" Asta exclaimed
"Turns out, as long as you know your way around the other traps that could kill you, you can practically live here." Saorise said, "Though for real, don't actually do that, they're plenty of downsides to staying in a dungeon."
"Like what?" Asta asked.
"Oh you know--" Saorise said before making a list, "--You have to take turns watching, we can't stay in one spot, you're always on guard, there's no place where you can wash, and not to mention we can't really go to the--"
"Okay! TMI, I got it!" Karasu immediately said as he made a face.
"I gotta tell you it's a miracle that we survived here, now that I think about it." Saorise said.
"I'll say--" Asta said, "--I mean if you gotta deal with things like those weird bug things on a daily basis. Though then again, with those weapons you have on you, it must come easy."
Saorie couldn't help but look surprised at this, "Oh no, those aren't creatures that stay in the dungeon."
"Wait really?" Asta asked, confused.
"Those things aren't creatures that live here?" Karasu asked, "Then what in the hell was that?"
"That--" Prism said as she coughed, though they could see she was nervous as well as Brenin, "--Was something I hoped we wouldn't encounter on any sort of mission…"
"What do you mean?" Asta asked.
"Those things from earlier were Spirits--" Brenin said, "--Or at least… They used to be."
At this Karasu and Asta had a look of horror, before they looked at the little ones that were either on Prism's shoulders or sitting at her feet. "But--" Asta soon said, "--They looked nothing like them. And for that matter, we could hear them."
Brenin soon started to explain, "I'm sure Prism has told you, the Spirits are said to have only been made by the purest energy. Though some of them don't always stay that way as you saw before."
"Sometimes--" Prism soon added as she muffled her cough, "--The Spirits that are bound with a mage are affected when they possess ill intentions, and when the mage dies, sometimes they're left with the bad stuff. The stronger the darkness, the worse it affects the Spirits. They--" She soon allowed a couple of them to sit in her hand, "—They become... Tainted."
"Then--" Karasu said, "-- How come it spoke to us? Asked us those weird questions?"
"Because those Tainted ones want to whisk you away." Prism replied, "One thing you should never do around them is answer their questions. Even if it's a little answer, they'll--Claim you."
"We've seen it happen, once when we went hunting" Brenin said, "One of those Tainted appeared, and asked a bandit chief strange questions. All it took to claim him was one word and--He was gone."
"Did it kill him?" Asta asked.
"It all depends." Saorise replied, "Though the scariest thing was… We didn't even hear him scream. He was just gone the moment we blinked."
"... That's why you wouldn't let me answer it earlier." Asta said as he recalled Prism's reaction to it earlier. Prism could only nod as she looked to be shaken. He didn't know exactly what it was she saw, but he could tell--It really affected her. "Why would they come now?" Karasu asked, "Are they attracted to Prism too?"
"Unfortunately they are." Saorise replied.
"Though based on our previous encounters they only liked to come to her when she's in a weakened state." Brenin added, "Sometimes it happens when she's completely defenseless, like when she's unconscious. Not even the Spirits could protect her since they respond to Prism even when she's asleep. They show up then so that they can claim her. They always did like to pray for the weak."
Prism's eyes soon widened in realization as she couldn't help but think back to a certain Captain. She recalled the few times she had been in that state. Any one of the Tainted could've taken her then and there; there were even a few times when she woke up, she found them staring right at her as she had to keep silent and not even scream till her father took care of them..
She was surprised she didn't see anything like that unless--
"Is that why…" Prism soon thought as she recalled the day she was introduced to Julius, the day her father's will was presented to her, and back after Saussy, and even Hage, "... Yami was there, everytime I woke up? All those times--Was he looking out for me while I was passed out?" Her look soon softened when she recalled what her father had did, "Dad used to do that too when he stayed in the village with me and mom. He really does remind me of him in a strange way."
"Then--" Asta soon said, as Prism was bought back in reality, "--Those weapons you used earlier--"
"Oh that!" Saorise said, "Magic can't actually be used to destroy a Spirit, even the Tainted ones. You attack one with magic, they'll get stronger. Fortunately life has its own strange way of balancing itself out! Hence why I took the liberty of making bombs filled with salt and dousing arrowheads with some rosemary oil. It's not as effective as blessed water but you work with what you got!"
"That explains it." Karasu said.
"It's pretty much the only thing that wards those guys off." Saorise said, "You're lucky I had been carrying this with me when we were trapped in here! It's kind of hard to get the materials I need to make some more, even with that treasure room."
At this, Asta, Karasu and even Prism looked shocked to hear; even almost out of shock Asta nearly tripped on himself. "Did--Did you just say the treasure room?" Asta asked.
"Yep--" Saorise said, before she showed off her cloak, "--It's where we got these. You'd be surprised how cold it gets in here. Fire ain't just gonna cut that."
"You mean to tell me you've actually been there?" Karasu asked.
"Plenty of times. Brenin, Liam and I usually go in there to grab what we could to stay warm" Saorise said, "Why do you ask?"
Asta, Karasu and Prism looked over to Brenin as they each gave a questioning look to one another as they each wondered the same thing. Brenin sighed, "I was gonna tell you when we found both of them. I didn't want to risk saying it in case we ran into Treasure Hunters."
"Oooh, okay." Prism said as she coughed a little.
"Oh? You want the treasure too?" Saorise asked, surprised.
"That was also in regards to our mission, yes." Karasu replied, "It didn't by any chance have Magic Items inside that room did it?"
"I never actually gave it a good look, but I think so." Saorise replied, "Do you need them?"
"Not exactly." He answered, "The dungeon emerged close to the border of the Diamond Kingdom. We need to get to that room before they do."
"The border?" Saorise asked, "Wait--Your competing with the Diamond Kingdom? But I thought--"
"I know…" Prism said as her look softened, "... I thought so too."
"If you've been to the treasure room, do you think you can lead us to it?" Asta asked her.
"Of course." She replied, "We've been marking these halls so we know the best route."
"But first we should get to Liam." Brenin soon suggested, "You said he was close by, right?"
Saorise only nodded as the look on the group's faces changed. "The others are most likely heading to the treasure room." Karasu said, "Our best option is to get there and meet up with them."
"Right!" Asta said before he had a sudden thought, "But are you two gonna be okay? Shouldn't we try to contact them about this?"
"Like I said, I have my own strategy of a sprained ankle." Karasu said, "Besides, even if we could, I dropped that item when we fell into that trap. We're on our own until we find them, or they find us."
"I'll be just fine." Prism said, with a cough, "I can hold out for a little while longer."
"Are you sure?" He asked.
Prism gave a tired smile as she nodded though Asta couldn't help but possess a look of worry. "Come on!" Saorise said as she started to go down the hall, "He's this way!"
They soon started to make their way again as this time Saorise had been leading the way. Though Prism started to lag behind the group. She tried her best to keep up but her vision started to worsen as she began to stagger again. She could feel her migraine coming back with a vengeance as she could strangely feel her heart accelerate like it was going to pop out of chest at any given moment as her body strangely got warmer.
"It hurts--" Prism thought, as her body started to shake"--Everything hurts… It feels like it's falling apart…"
She felt something rush all the way up to her throat. Brenin and Saorise stopped in their tracks as they could feel something off. "What's wrong n--" Karasu started to ask before they were taken back by the sound of gagging.
They turned and noticed that Prism had been on her knees, throwing up bile. "Prism!" Asta exclaimed.
The moment Prism placed her hand on the stone tile, they saw a green circle had appeared as another trap had activated. "Oh no!" Saorise exclaimed in realization, "Not that one!"
"Why!?" Karasu exclaimed, "What's wrong with that one?!"
"Prism mo--" Brenin started to shout.
Just as they saw Prism pass out a set of vines suddenly wrapped her arms, legs and waist as it lifted her up off the ground.
"Prism!" Asta exclaimed as he immediately drew his sword from his grimoire.
Asta and Karasu soon froze up when they saw what looked to be a large venus flytrap emerge from the waters. "Okay I see the problem!" Karasu exclaimed.
"Ana latta as me, I really hate that thing." Brenin said.
"You've fought that thing before?!" Asta exclaimed.
"You would too if you were hungry!" Saorise argued.
Much to their own horror the plant started to bring Prism towards it; they could see a purple liquid filled to the brim with bones that had yet to be digested. "PRISM!" Asta shouted before he ran towards it. He slashed up the vines freeing Prism; he was quick to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Prism!" Asta said as he shook her gently, "Prism, come on wake up!"
"ASTA LOOK OUT!" Karasu shouted.
Asta suddenly found his arm entrapped with its vines as it started to pull him towards it, "CRAP!"
"Oh no you don't--!" Karasu said as his blade started to glow, "--Jinx Magic: Crackback--" Just before he could complete the spell he soon found himself trapped as he was forced to drop his blade, "--DAMN IT!"
"GUYS!" Brenin exclaimed.
"OKAY THIS IS REALLY BAD!" Saorise shouted.
"BRENIN!" Asta soon shouted, "YOU'RE GRIMOIRE HURRY!"
Brenin struggled to get his grimoire out of his pouch as Saorise looked shocked. "You have a grimoire now?!" She said as her eyes sparkled.
"Tell you later!" Brenin said as he struggled to flip through the pages, though, "WHY IS THERE NOTHING IN HERE?!"
"And we're back to the bad times…" She soon said before they were picked up by the vines.
Each of them let out a scream as they struggled to get free; Despite Asta being trapped in vines he still kept a firm grip on Prism as it started to wrap her in a cocoon made out of its roots in an effort to choke them both out. "Crap! Crap! Crap!" Asta exclaimed fearfully.
Suddenly they each felt a gust of wind blow them by as in the next second several blades pierced the plant like creature as it let out a shriek. Immediately afterwards it dropped them as they each managed to stick the landing as they watched the venus fly trap land in the waters with a splash soaking them.
"What now?!" Brenin exclaimed.
"Would someone tell me what just happened?!" Saorise said.
Karasu seemed to know what it was as he could sense the mana from the weapons alone, and though Asta didn't have magic at all, he knew all too well who it had been. "This mana--" Karasu said, before he had a smile, "--Now this is a surprise!"
They looked over and saw a familiar set of robes that had been the symbol of the Golden Dawn as a familiar set of faces stood before them in the corridor just above them.
"I've repaid my debt--Asta."
"Yuno!" Asta said as he couldn't help but sound relieved.