Sierra Aldus had never experienced a dungeon break before during her two years of being active as an esper. And it took a toll on her.
Panting hard, she stepped back as her fingers started to tremble and her knees buckled, prompting her to slump to the ground. She could feel it, the miasma accumulating inside her system, burdening her body, and preventing her to gather her magic. But even if she could, and successfully formed an arcane bullet, her hand was trembling so much she didn't think she could shoot straight. Worst case scenario, she would end up shooting her ally instead.
Sierra cursed her bravado earlier. She should've heeded the advice to go to the base and receive guiding fifteen minutes ago. Maybe then she wouldn't be this worn out. Now, he couldn't even muster enough energy to run.
With progressively blurry sight, she watched the Steel Blood fending off the beast in front of her. 'The dungeon must be an upper medium-class at least...' she thought while observing the beast that seemed like the boss.
It was huge, not very fast but sturdy. Shaped like a beetle, but riddled with dozens of eyes. Sierra had managed to shoot around half of them before losing energy. But there were still a lot of that eyes, and she could tell the Steel Blood was having a hard time.
Sierra looked at the sky desperately. She had sent out an emergency signal earlier, but she also knew the espers were spread thin around the contaminated red-zone. Hoping for help was honestly...
*shudder*
Sierra flinched as a hand grasp her neck from behind, without any warning. She snapped her head in haste and was met with a mesmerizing view of bright blue eyes, glowing with an iridescent hue like a pair of aquamarine. The eyes, that came to her level as the owner crouched down, were so striking since it was the only thing she could see from the person, aside from the ivory skin of the hand grabbing her.
Right, she was just being grasped by the neck. It wasn't the time to get mesmerized!
"Excuse me,"
Before Sierra could open her mouth, she was being plunged into a cool pond as the low voice muttered from behind a black mask. Immediately, she felt like her heart was being cocooned by a refreshing torrent of water, and being cradled inside a bubble. It was like a hose being opened inside her vein and water gushing out to flush any impurities.
It felt so nice that she shuddered—both in pleasure and surprise.
She was still in panic and frenzy a moment ago, and was still in the middle of the battlefield even now, but her mind felt strangely calm.
'Is this...guiding?' Sierra could only stay still with parted lips.
Sierra could be said to be quite talented and hardworking. But she was still a rookie, hadn't even tried to climb any tower, and only had an average capacity of magic power, so she had only ever enjoyed basic guiding provided by a Guide Center. In the first place, a high-level Guide was reserved for high-star Esper.
But this...she wondered if this was what a high-quality guiding was.
By theory, guiding was a simple absorption process. But in practice, that absorption process was quite tricky. Based on the guide's proficiency, it could feel uncomfortable if done sloppily, or even nauseating. Just like the difference between sloppy residents to expert doctors while drawing blood.
And Sierra had never experienced such comfortable and calming guiding before. Even now, between the suffocating murky air of the red-zone, between the scent of blood and smoke, she could smell something nice and refreshing, like petrichor.
She knew that some guides had unique traits. She had heard about the A-class guide from Celestia guild that exuded a sweet scent during guiding, or the rumor of a Saintess that could make the guiding extremely pleasurable.
But to think she could experience that kind of guiding in the middle of a chaotic red-zone...
"Are you alright now?" the low voice sounded again, and Sierra snapped from her daze.
"Y-yes, thank you!" she scrambled to her feet as the guide stepped back, and immediately informed the Steel Blood as her magic loaded up into the barrel of her gun. "Sir Bellum, I'm going to shoot the rest of the eyes!"
At that, the Steel Blood Askan Bellum, who had been battling the beast's boss monster, jumped back and turned at Sierra. "Are you okay? What about your corrosion level?"
"I'm alright, this person is a guide!" She answered while aiming his gun at the giant beetle.
"What—" Askan suddenly caught sight of the guide, and widened his eyes. "You...you're the one from the barricade—what are you doing here?"
But there was no time for inquiry, as the beast screeched and swung its antenna like a whip, and Askan had to dodge. "Alright, I'll restraint it!" he swung his hand and the swords he used was scattering into red particles, before surging into the beast and turning into stakes midair. Immediately, the stakes plunged and pierced the beast's limbs, stopping its movement.
Behind them, Zen watched Sierra shooting her arcane bullets into the remaining eyes of the beast. Once the beast was completely blind, it trashed around while letting out high-pitch screeching sounds. The stakes were scattering once again, and gathering on top of the beast's torso. Askan jumped at the same time the particle formed a metallic red spear, grabbed it, and drove it straight between the beast's carapace.
The beast didn't die from that, but with its sight gone, the two espers had an easier time sneaking attack towards the softer flesh between the hard and sturdy skin. Not long after, another screeching sound with a harsh wisp of miasma blasted out to announce the beast's end.
Zen stepped backward, covering his face from the whipping wind carrying the toxic miasma. He held his breath even though he already wore a mask, planting his foot firmly so he wouldn't stumble.
When he lowered his arm from his face, Askan Bellum was already in front of him, looming with a furrowed brow. Zen knew what the man might think—an outbreak's field was not a place for a guide to roaming around. Someone who seemed like an upholder of justice like the Steel Blood would think Zen put himself in unnecessary danger.
But rather than telling him to go back, Askan stared wordlessly at Zen, as if pondering. "Are you here to look for your brother?"
Oh, he remembered. Zen blinked for a few seconds, before nodding.
"Alright," the Esper slotted his weapon, which had turned into a sword again and spoke firmly, "I'll escort you there."
Surprised, Zen widened his eyes and looked at the towering esper in silence. He didn't expect it, but Zen wasn't about to turn down something that might help rescue his brother sooner, so he just nodded and took out his hand.
"I'll guide you on the way," he said curtly, grabbing into Askan's wrist and pulling the man along as he ran. He had guided the esper earlier, but with the fight leading into this field, the corrosion had already built up inside Askan again.
"What? Can you still do it?" Askan widened his eyes in surprise. "Didn't you just guide this girl?"
"Yes," was the only thing Zen said as he pulled the big esper along, pulling the corrosion towards his system. It swirled inside of him, towards a point on his nape that was covered by the high collar of his jacket.
"Um...is it alright if I tag along?" Sierra asked, even though she already moving alongside them. Zen didn't answer, putting his concentration into his hand for the guiding while running towards the western district.
So it was Askan that replied. "Of course. Please take care of the low-level beast that still roaming on the road ahead."
With Sierra nodding for affirmation, the three of them ran along the path to the western district. Perhaps because the supposed boss monster had already been slain, the remaining beast was scattering mindlessly, and was easier to kill. As it happened, there was only a low-level one within their path, so Sierra's arcane bullet was enough to take care of them. There was one mid-level wolf-like monster that launch a sneak attack, but Askan could disable the beast with his one free hand.
Zen was thankful that the journey seemed to be easier because of that. If he didn't help these espers, and decided to continue his search earlier, then he might need to struggle a bit with all these beasts still roaming around. He was confident that he could storm through it, but it might take considerably longer to reach the western district.
But when he arrived at his brothers' building, Zen couldn't feel thankful or had confidence anymore. He let go of the esper's wrist, and stared at the building with trembling eyes.
It had collapsed.
A large chunk of it was blasted off, with debris and concrete blocks strewn around. Smoke billowing from one of the units, and he could see the body of the uncle from the first floor lying on the ground. Bloody. Unmoving. A corpse already.
What lay in front of him was an utter ruin.
"Mister guide..." Askan and Sierra seemed to understand that the building in front of them was the one the guide headed to, and they looked at each other with bitter expressions.
But Zen walked ahead, ignoring the diminishing hope plaguing his mind. His steps creaked on the pebbles and debris as he scoured the collapsed building.
As long as he hadn't found their bodies...
'They might have run. They are smart, they might survive—"
His thought was stopped when he heard a sound coming from the building. He looked in the direction of the sound, and hastily jumped over concrete blocks and collapsed walls. There was a groaning sound, and it seemed to come from above.
A portion of the second floor had collapsed and slanted downward, tiles and steel ribs hanging. With a deftness that wasn't usually presented on a guide, he climbed the slanted floor and slipped inside the gaping second floor.
From the corner of the broken room, he saw a pile of furniture around a fireplace, and a muffled groaning sound could be heard from there. Instantly, Zen rushed there and started dragging the furniture away. Sierra, who had climbed up following him, immediately gave him a hand.
Soon, the furniture was cleared and they could see a crouching figure, groaning and shivering with a swollen ankle.
"Auntie?" it was the daughter of the grandma who used to take care of them. She lifted up her head and widened at the sight of Zen.
"Zein? Is...is that you?" she blinked for a few times, before scrambling out of the fireplace and grasping Zen's sleeves. "Help...help me...Zein..."
She clawed at him, frantic and full of fear. But even though he knew how much she was in distress, she wasn't his priority. "My brothers...have you seen my brothers?"
"The twins?" she shook her head, confusion palpable inside her eyes. "No, I don't know. I hid myself when the beast was—uhh…" she groaned again and Zen pressed his lips.
He turned towards Sierra then. "Can you bring her out?"
Sierra looked at Zen. The man clearly still wanted to search for his brothers, so she took the aunty's arms to support her. "Okay, leave her to me. Be careful."
"You find someone?" Askan, who wasn't as nimble as the two, finally managed to arrive on the second floor without compromising the building's integrity further.
"I'll take her to the base, Sir Bellum. The guide is going further," Sierra put the aunty on her back, and gestured towards the hall where Zen slipped away to.
When Askan nodded and passed by them to follow Zen, the aunty weakly grabbed on his clothes. "Ple-please help him...they're all good...pitiful kids...please..." she requested brokenly while panting, and Askan could only nod in reassurance.
Down in the hall, he caught up to Zen just as the guide was about to enter a unit. As they entered the room, they were greeted by the view of collapsing roof and wall. It amounted to half of the entire room, and Askan could see the guide's shaken eyes.
The guide looked around frantically, but it was clear that the safe part of the room was empty. And the thought of his brothers trapped beneath the collapsing roof was probably as bad as the thought of them still missing.
Still, the guide trodded towards the collapsing debris with a determined look, his footsteps resounding heavily on the slightly cracked floor.
And then a voice.
"...is...is someone there?"
A scared and weak voice. If it wasn't for the silence, they might not hear it. Truthfully, Askan only managed to hear it because of his advanced hearing as an esper. But turned out the guide heard it too, because he suddenly stiffened, and madly dash into the collapsed roof.
'Was it a brother's instinct?' Askan muttered inwardly as he moved to the source of the sound earlier. The guide had started digging around the debris.
"Guide, let me do it. They're too heavy," was what Askan said as he helped move the debris. But as if deaf to any words, the guide kept working on the debris, and Askan found out in surprise that the man didn't seem to be struggling.
With the two of them working, soon the movable blocks were cleared, and they came upon a slanted section that wasn't completely collapsed.
And beneath them were two people.
No, two kids, laying beneath the rubble side by side. There was mated blood and dirt on their face and upper body, while their lower parts were unseen, crushed beneath the collapsing ceiling. One of them was already unconscious, and the other one was looking up with barely conscious eyes.
"Aiden!" the guide reached out to the gap, trying to reach his brother.
The kid, no older than fifteen, blinked. His grey eyes flickered as recognition entered his mind. "...brother?" he called weakly.
"Damn it!" the usually calm voice was now agitated. He tried to reach down, but the collapsed ceiling was preventing him to move further. The twins were trapped rather far, and there was no way to take them out without lifting the collapsed part first.
"Brother...Hayden is..."
"He's alright," Zen tried to make his voice as calm as possible. "You're alright. I'll get you out of here, okay?"
Eyes blinked weakly, the kid muttered in a rather relieved voice. "Yeah, okay..."
But Askan knew they were not alright. And the guide knew that too. But with clenched jaws, Zen put his hand on the collapsed ceiling and tried to lift it. Askan wanted to tell him that he wouldn't be able to, but he didn't. He put his hand beneath the collapsed part and pushed it up, using his advanced muscle strength to move the thing.
Even for an esper like him, lifting part of a building like this was not easy, especially since he was a weapon-type esper. If it was one of the strengthening-type who liked to use hand-in-hand combat, then...
But the collapsed roof was lifted, more easily than he thought it would be, and he could hear the still conscious kid coughing weakly as the crushing burden was lifted up from his body.
But then, just as he was breathing in relief, Askan felt a dreadful sensation in his spine. It was his honed intuition, telling him something dangerous is coming. He turned his head to warn the Guide, but had to grit his teeth when the burden in his hand suddenly doubled and the lifted ceiling was crashed down again with a sound of a groan.
With dread, and hardened eyes, he looked forward.
There, perched on top of the collapsed roof,
was another high-rank beast.