"Yuri! Where do you think they might be keeping the Princess?" asked one of the Elves in a low tone.
"I can't really say. It might be a safe room," Yuri replied as they advanced through the dark hallway. Night had fallen, and the light that was supposed to be in the fireplace was absent. This caught Yuri's attention, and he stopped his partner almost immediately.
"The night has gone pretty far, and they haven't put on the light, Giyu."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Yuri added, and they both drew their swords from the scabbards when shadows dropped from the sky.
"They know we are here."
In no time, they were surrounded by a group of Reapers whose shiny blades reflected in the night.
"Giyu, you take the right while I take the left."
"But the right has fewer Reapers compared to the left," Giyu protested.
"Now," Yuri cried out, and they both charged in opposite directions, heading towards the Reapers, moving at the speed of sound.
Giyu raised his sword for a fierce attack, but it was blocked by a Reaper. Unfortunately for the Reaper, the force Giyu used was too much, sending the Reaper reeling backward.
Yuri, on the other hand, leapt high against the Reapers when one followed suit, and they clashed blades in the air. His blue eyes stared into the Reaper's dark eyes.
He pushed himself backward and propelled himself once again towards the Reaper, who was too late to see him coming. His sword slashed through the Reaper's chest, and he dropped dead on the ground with dark blood oozing out.
Yuri landed on top of the dead Reaper, finding himself in the middle of eleven more.
"What are you waiting for?" he questioned, and they all charged at him instantly as if possessed.
"That's the spirit," he chuckled, blocking two swords with his own when he caught the hand of a Reaper.
He pushed them away with force and did a stunning flip in the air, decapitating two Reapers.
He landed on one knee while the heads bounced on the floor, creating a banging sound.
"Time to end this," he said and charged at the group of Reapers using the speed of sound.
Meanwhile, Giyu was taking it edge to edge with the Reapers. He was on the defensive while the Reapers attacked.
He dodged countless attacks from different directions with ease when he suddenly saw an opening.
"That's exactly what I'm waiting for," he said and, in a snap, launched his sword into a Reaper's chest. The Reaper froze, his grip loosening on his own sword. Giyu punched the sword out of his hand and threw it at another Reaper charging from above.
He drew out his sword before marching over the already dead Reaper, facing just two more.
"Care to join them?" he said, weighing his sword, but before he could attack, their heads rolled off their bodies.
Their bodies dropped, revealing Yuri, and a frown appeared on Giyu's face.
"They were mine!" he screamed.
"A lot more will be heading here. We have to get the Princess quickly," Yuri replied, and they both started heading towards the end of the hallway.
They turned a corner and headed towards the chamber at the end, the safe room where their Princess was kept.
"Are you sure this is the room?"
"Of course, Giyu. I've been in many palaces. This is the only place she can be kept," Yuri replied, trying to push the door, but a force pushed them backward.
Dark aura filled the air, taking the form of smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing a Reaper with a long, curvy blade. His eyes were deep and looked undead.
"Finally, I meet a smart Elf. But unfortunately, to get to the Princess, you have to pass through me, which is almost impossible," the Reaper's voice echoed.
Giyu scoffed and pointed his sword at him. "You'll end up like the rest," he said and charged at the Reaper with a war cry.
—
👿 A hideout 👿
"Why are they taking so long?" one of the Elves asked his fellow two as they patiently waited for Yuri and Giyu.
"Taomako, go find out what's taking them so long."
The moment he stepped forward, a force pushed him backward. They all drew their swords, ready for any attack.
A being appeared right in front of them, dark magical essence leaking from his body. His face was hidden by a hood, but his cloak carried a symbol of royalty that caused the Elites to tremble.
"Lord Arctic," one of the Elves called out, trying to balance himself.
"Let's play," Arctic said and clasped his hands, causing two blades to appear in his hands.
The three Elves exchanged glances, then charged at Lord Arctic together. Swords clashed, the sound echoing through the dark hall.
"You think you can stand against me?" Arctic taunted, parrying their attacks with ease.
"We won't be intimidated by you!" Taomako shouted, swinging his sword fiercely.
Arctic laughed, his movements almost lazy as he deflected their strikes. "Is this all you've got?"
The Elves pressed on, their attacks becoming more coordinated. That's why they're the Elites. They fight as one, as a team. One would distract while the others aimed for openings.
"Impressive teamwork," Arctic remarked, blocking a strike aimed at his head. "But not good enough."
With a swift movement, he knocked Taomako's sword aside and slashed him across the chest. Taomako fell, gasping in pain.
"Taomako!" the other two Elves yelled, their resolve hardening.
They attacked with renewed vigor, their swords moving in a blur. But Arctic was faster. He parried one blade, then the other, his movements almost a dance.
"You are strong," Arctic admitted. "But now, let's see how you handle this."
He stepped back and raised his hands, chanting in an ancient language. The air around them crackled with energy as he unleashed a blast of dark magic, sending the Elves sprawling.
"Magic?" one of the Elves gasped, struggling to his feet. "You use Elf magic?"
"Indeed," Arctic replied, a dark smile playing on his lips.
"Elf Magic: Venum Shadowae." He chanted while raising his hands, and tendrils of shadow shot out, wrapping around the Elves and lifting them into the air.
"Fight it!" Taomako urged, trying to summon his own magic to counter the attack. But Arctic's power was too strong. The tendrils tightened, squeezing the life out of them.
"Any last words?" Arctic asked, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
The Elves struggled, their faces contorted with pain. "You shall pay.. King Jade shall destroy you," one of them managed to say.
"Admirable," Arctic said. "But futile. The Elvarin Kingdom is going down."
"Tick! Tock! The clock is ticking." With a flick of his wrist, the tendrils snapped their necks. The Elves' bodies dropped to the ground, lifeless.
"Now," Arctic said, turning towards the direction Yuri and Giyu had gone. "Let's see how your friends fare against one of my deadly servants." His lower lip curved into a smirk before he disappeared into thin air.
---
💋 Loctrum Cave 💋
The cave was dark and silent, only the sounds of crickets could be heard when Eleven groaned loudly.
"Damn!" he cursed, nursing his foot. He had stormed his foot on a rock and it tore immediately, causing him great pain.
The pain seemed to connect with every other pain in his body as he collapsed on the rocky ground, tears streaming from his eyes.
'Are you stupid? It's a dead end,' his subconscious mind told him, and he started having second thoughts.
"But I have to save him," he said to himself. "He's the reason I'm still alive."
'And you're the reason he's still breathing?' his subconscious mind pressed on as he crawled forward, using his hands as a guide.
'What assurance do you have that he isn't dead yet?'
"Enough!" he screamed, banging his fist on the hill. His voice echoed through the cave. He squeezed his face, trying to withstand the pain before advancing forward.
Suddenly, the cave started shaking, particles of rock began falling down. He had alerted something dangerous with his screams, and he knew it.
"Fuck," he cursed, crawling faster than before. A smile spread across his face when his gaze fell on an opening, but before he could crawl forward, a heavy hand grabbed one of his legs.
"I'm so hungry," he heard the croaky but familiar voice.
"Trolloc," he called, holding onto the ground so he wouldn't get pulled by the grotesque monster.
The monster was trying hard to reach him, but the hills weren't letting him. He was too big to fit in.
Eleven noticed this and quickly thought of the next course of action before the Trolloc resorted to what he was thinking: breaking down the hills.
"Come to me gently, so I'll make your death easy, food."
"You can't eat me. My blood is bitter," Eleven cried out.
"I'll manage."
"Aargh!"
The force with which the Trolloc pulled Eleven's leg was the same force Eleven used to grip the stone. Unfortunately, the stone broke when the Trolloc pulled him back at once, but he braced himself and smashed the stone he had in his hand into one of the Trolloc's eyes.
The Trolloc dropped him, but luckily he landed on his feet on the stony ground. He didn't even wait a second before dashing off, trying to get out of the cave.
The Trolloc's growl filled the cave as he started banging on the walls.
Cracks followed Eleven as he advanced towards the light, running with all his might. A stone fell directly on top of him, but he was quick to sway right, though it shattered on his right foot, causing him to slump to the ground.
He looked back to see the shadow of the grotesque creature. Ignoring his pain, he started hopping forward until he was closer to the exit.
He looked up to see the cave cracking, the hole closing up. He focused all his strength in his hands and, with all his might, he dived out of the cave before it closed up.
He rolled and rolled, stopping at the pinnacle of the cave. It was much brighter here. His breathing was ten times faster than normal, and his eyes were winding up. He managed to pull himself up, and that was when he realized he was at the end of the cave.
There was a large pit ahead with no bridge. At the other end was a rough-looking wall cave, which seemed impossible to reach.
"Oh gosh! I can't believe I suffered for nothing," Eleven muttered, his eyes closing up when he caught sight of an item flashing in the dark walls of the cave beyond.
His face lit up. "I found it... I found it," he screamed in joy, pushing his hands in the air.
"I found him." His joy died down immediately when he heard the grumpy voice of the Trolloc.
He turned, and almost immediately, the cave burst when a stone flew straight at him. He was quick to dodge, only to be kicked by the left foot of the Trolloc, who was unaware that it was a dead end. The duo flew freely in the air alongside stones of different sizes.
—
🏚️Outside the Safe Room 🏚️
Giyu coughed out blood as he slumped to the ground. He had never faced such a tough opponent. This was nothing like the other Reapers. He countered all their attacks effortlessly; only Yuri was lucky to hit him once.
He watched as the duo moved in circular motions, the sounds of their blades filling the atmosphere. The Reaper suddenly saw an opening and aimed for Yuri's chest. Yuri quickly reacted, blocking the sword with his own and pushing the Reaper back with all his might.
The force pushed the Reaper backward while Giyu and Yuri regrouped.
"Two can dance this dance," the Reaper said, releasing dark magical essence that caused the duo to step back in fear.
"Lord Arctic is so generous. He bestowed some of his powers to his most faithful servants. Now feel my wrath... the wrath of the soldier of the Loctrum clan."
"Reaper's magic: Runes from the pit of hell," the Reaper chanted, striking his blade on the floor. The ground beneath the duo opened up.
Yuri was quick to jump into the sky, but Giyu was wrapped by the runes, which took the form of shapes. Yuri charged at the Reaper, who punched the air, and a powerful force threw Yuri backward.
He rolled on the floor of the hallway, crashing his back against a pillar when the ground closed up with Giyu in it.
"Giyu..." Yuri screamed, trying to get on his feet but ending up falling on all fours.
"It's time to join him," the Reaper's voice filled his ears, followed by the creaking sound of the door as a hand dragged the Reaper inside.
Yuri spat out blood as he struggled to get on his feet when he started hearing the sounds of footsteps.
"I've to escape... I can't fight in this state."
---
👾 Back to the Loctrum Cave 👾
"Aargh!"
"Yes."
"I've to keep going. I can't give up now. I've come this far," Eleven encouraged himself as he climbed up the walls of the cave.
He wondered if he had ever climbed a wall before in his past life. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember. The further he went, the more his pain increased.
He heard the growling sound of the grotesque creatures and exhaled heavily.
"You don't die," he cursed, rolling his eyes.
"I bet I'm destined to eat you."
"Wait, did you just chuckle? That's amusing," he complimented while the Trolloc kept leaping forward.
He waited for the Trolloc to get closer before forcefully striking his leg against a stone, causing its particles to fall on the Trolloc, who had just leapt into the air.
Fortunately, the stone dropped into its eyes, causing it to fall off the cave. "Phew... that was close."
It took him more than thirty minutes to finally reach the flower. It was a purple flower, just as they had described it. He made to pluck it, but the cave suddenly cracked, causing him to lose balance. He almost fell off but held onto a part of the cave.
It was the Trolloc. He was responsible for the cracking of the cave wall. He kept on punching it with all his might, causing it to crack in different regions.
"I won't last long here... I have to reach the flower," Eleven muttered as he took a leap. His hands reached for the stone that the flower was on, but immediately he pulled it, the stone broke off, falling freely into the pit.
He checked his hand, and a smile curled on his lips when he saw the flower stuck between his fingers.
Bang!
Another punch came, and many more stones fell off the cave wall, revealing a bright white light almost blinding his eyes.
"I know you," Eleven said, staring at the entity beyond the cave wall. It was an entity beyond description, with a bright light covering its whole body.
"Everyone knows me. Everyone wants me, but only a few have found me, and you're lucky to be one of them, Earthling."
"You know where I come from?" Eleven questioned.
"I know who you are, Human."
"What's my name?" Eleven questioned, a bit surprised, when the stone he was holding broke off, but he was quick to grab the hand of the entity. His legs dangled in the air, but he managed to balance on a stone.
"Your hands are cold... What are you doing here?"
"I'm hiding from the evils of this world. I can't risk getting into the wrong hands."
"Wait... don't tell me you're the hidden treasure, the one Lord Arctic has been searching for?" Eleven arched a brow, and at that very moment, the Trolloc roared loudly.
"Yes, I am... The Key to all knowledge and the..." The entity couldn't complete his statement when a force crashed into the cave wall, causing every part of it to break.
The force also pushed Eleven off the cave as he fell freely into the pit, unknowingly pulling the entity with him.
He crashed onto the stony ground, with a stone hitting his head, causing blood to spill out.
He lay there unconscious, his hand on his chest and blood oozing from every part of his body. Six Trollocs emerged from the shadows, surrounding his lifeless body.
"Bloody dinner," said the one that had ripped the cave wall apart with brute force.