Ramiel leaned against the monster's carcass. The fight proved more grueling than he anticipated. His mana reserves were drained to the bone. The vortexes inside the body went crazy trying to replenish them.
When the man hoped for moments of peace, he heard the panicked voice of a fairy from afar.
" Ramiellll!!!!!! " Avi threw herself around the man's neck, checking for injuries in the process.
" That was irresponsible! What if you died there? Did you think about it? You can't do such reckless things. Who will provide for me if you die? "
Ramiel laughed dryly.
" How nice that you are only worried about your stomach. "
The former hunter expected nothing more from the voracious fairy.
" It's not like that! " - Avi vehemently denied. The fairy couldn't allow Ramiel to know her true intentions. In that case, their cooperation would be jeopardized.
Ramiel shook his head, then looked at Caera in the distance. Their gazes met, and a stone dropped from the woman's heart. One look into the former hunter's calm eyes was enough to calm the elfess' shattered nerves.
" Is everything okay with Asme? " - Ramiel was disturbed by the sight of the unconscious woman.
" It's nothing terrible. She's suffering from a simple mana drain. She overdid it a bit and lost consciousness. She should be awake in a few hours. She did a good job, by the way. She kept the spell active most of the time." - Avi stated dryly, allaying the former hunter's fears.
Ramiel tilted his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. The man's only desire now was to rest, but he couldn't afford it yet. He had to check out the cave and return to the dungeon as soon as possible before the consequences of his wild antics attacked him.
" Tell Caera to slit the throats of the Night Rippers and take Asme to Felix. He should help her recover. After that, let her come back here. I have a strange feeling that I won't be able to move. "
Avi's face took on a worried expression. The fairy didn't like Ramiel's words.
For God's sake, what does that mean? I won't be able to move? What did he do again!!!?
" What do you mean you won't be able to move? "
Ramiel, anticipating the coming headache, rolled his eyes.
" Side effects of fighting without proper training. I got carried away during the fight and used some moves I shouldn't have. The backlash should only happen in an hour... but you never know. "
Avi kicked Ramiel in the knee.
" Stupid battle maniac! Hmpf, next time you'll think twice about what you're doing. " - The fairy scolded the man and flew off toward the women. Before Avi reached them, Ramiel forced himself to stand up.
" Shit... not an hour... " - The man cursed under his breath. A tremendous pain radiated from his right shoulder, spreading to the rest of his body. " At this rate, I won't even last forty minutes..."
Wasting no more time, Ramiel plunged his hand into the scorpion's carcass, searching for the core. His hand was enveloped by cool insides, a peculiar sensation that was hard to get used to. It brought a modest smile to the former hunter's face. He recalled his first time.
At the time, Ramiel threw up his precious lunch. To this day, he remembers the green goblin's slimy guts. It's a good thing no one was around.
Finally, after a few minutes, his hand came to rest on a round stone. He pulled it out. In his hand lay a bright blue monster core the size of a small finger.
I wonder how much it's worth...
At the same time, Caera began the mass murder of the Night Rippers. The monsters wouldn't be able to move even without a sleeping drug. Leach did a great job, stealing almost all the stats.
Ramiel didn't feel the negative effects of losing a large number of stat points. Aside from a slight discomfort, nothing bothered him. Wanting to make the most of his remaining time, he moved deeper into the cave. The further he went, the more he appreciated its charm. Inside, it was dimly lit by the ubiquitous blue crystals.
They were literally everywhere: on the walls, the floor, the ceiling. They sprouted like mushrooms after the rain. The deeper Ramiel ventured, the better the quality of the crystals.
The man was curious to see how big they would be at the end of the cave.
" I have to get Sam here... " - The former hunter bit his tongue in time. Sometimes, when he was relaxed, he caught himself thinking such thoughts. It happened instinctively. It wasn't easy for him to forget the old days, and some habits still remained. Don't think that Ramiel forgave her. That was definitely not the case. He hated her with all his heart. It's just that... it will take him a while to forget about her and eradicate some habits...
The former hunter explored the cave until, at one point, his attention was caught by two twin swords trapped between Infirnyt crystals. Ramiel picked them up, looking at them carefully. The blades of the weapons were protected by a dark purple sheath with runes scrawled on it. He had seen them before when he had bonded with the Hanyard.
Intrigued by the new weapons, Ramiel pulled them out. Two shiny black blades appeared before his eyes. They were at least 90 centimeters long and 15 centimeters wide. The concave and broad armor was engraved with red glowing runes. Looking down, the sword's hilt was made of a material that resembled obsidian in color and bone in texture.
In the center was a dark blue gemstone that Ramiel had never seen. Although it wasn't worked in any way, it was strangely eye-catching. Its angular edges gave it a peculiar charm.
The shaft of the twin swords seemed to be nothing special. It was made of wood unknown to Ramiel, wrapped in something resembling leather? The ex-hunter couldn't describe what this something was. It fit well in the hand and prevented unwanted movement. The most interesting part of the handle turned out to be the head or, rather, its specific design. Thin wires woven together formed something like a burning flame. Of course, like the rest, it was black, blending in perfectly with the other elements. s.
Ramiel made a few test cuts and immediately fell in love with the weapon. Not only did it hit his taste, but it also fit perfectly in his hand. Above all, and most importantly, it was heavy. This might have seemed like a hindrance to the former hunter's preferred fighting style, but nothing could be further from the truth. Ramiel needed a weapon of above-average weight to be able to break through tough armor.
As he mindlessly swung his weapons, Ramiel felt something sharp dig into his hands. Fresh blood flowed down the handles of the swords, heading for the blue jewel. Ramiel tried to release the weapon but couldn't open his hands. At the same time, a trickle of blood defied the laws of physics and filled the red runes.
A strange feeling appeared in Ramiel's mind. He didn't know why, but the weapon had just connected with him. His mind was a real mess. This was the first such case. At least he had never heard of others. The twin swords fell freely from his hands when the ritual was over.
Ramiel felt nothing out of the ordinary, as with Sarron or Avi.
" Maybe Avi knows something about this..."
Ramiel picked up his weapon from the ground and started to walk back. He would have loved to explore deeper segments of the mine, but the pain was becoming unbearable. He didn't want to remain defenseless in unexplored territory. He felt that the presence of other monsters with such a strong guard would be a slight bias, but it was better to blow the whistle.
~~~~~~
Caera was sitting on the back of a pack of wolves, heading for the crystal mine at full speed. The elf was worried about Ramiel. Avi wouldn't give her details about the man's condition, but the woman's intuition told her he wasn't well.
Crossing the tunnel, Caera headed deeper into the cave. After some two hundred meters around the first bend, Ramiel's figure appeared. He was sitting leaning against the wall and sweating profusely. His mouth was rapidly expelling air, and his hands clenched in pain.
Caera, seeing the lamentable state of the former hunter, immediately got next to him.
" Mas... Ramiel, are you all right? " The elfess' eyes ran over Ramiel's body, looking for any injuries, but her keen eyesight found nothing alarming.
Perhaps he had been poisoned? - Anxiety rose in Caera's heart. This was the worst of all scenarios. The elfess panicked a little and wanted to infuse Ramiel with the concoction, but he stopped her with his hand.
" It's nothing terrible... I just overreacted... "
The former hunter said nothing more because even that hurt. The man felt his muscles burning. If it wasn't for his strong will, he would have moaned in pain long ago.
Caera asked no more questions. She could see that even a simple activity like talking was giving Ramiel a hard time. Trying to be as gentle as possible, she helped him onto the back of the Paw and then joined him.
At Caera's cue, the wolf slowly stepped toward the house. Ramiel, unable to sit up straight, leaned against the woman's body.
" If I lose consciousness... don't try to cure me. " The ex-hunter didn't like the vision of losing consciousness, but he was balancing on the limit of what his mind could bear.
" Alright... "
The elfess embraced the man's body at the waist, preventing him from falling. A slight blush appeared on Caera's face. She couldn't help it. Such close contact embarrassed her. Despite Ramiel's suffering, she wanted the moment to last as long as possible. After all, it's not every day that she has the opportunity to carry a proud dungeon master like a princess.
The little snake took the opportunity to slip under the woman's jacket, settling comfortably on her shoulder.
" La - Lady Ramiel, is - is the journey comfortable... " Caera tried to joke but instead stuttered like a fierce record. She couldn't help it! Such things were extremely embarrassing.
Despite the pain, Ramiel smiled slightly.
" Sir Ceara... I can't complain... after all... a brave knight... serves as my pillow... "
A smile appeared on the woman's face. The rest of the trip passed in silence, during which Caera enjoyed their intimate moment.
When they arrived at their destination, Ramiel collapsed on The Dead Gnu's skin like a log. He wanted to moan in pain, but he didn't even have the strength to do so. Lying on his back, he felt his head rise, then plunge into something extremely pleasant. The former hunter recognized Caera's thighs almost immediately. The woman tried to help him as best she could.
A few minutes later, Felix and Avi were beside them. The strange symbols carved into the skeleton's bones lit up, and a green light emanated from the healer's hand. Ramiel's tense muscles relaxed, and the pain he felt eased.
This was where the former hunter's iron will broke. Feeling safe, his mind forced the former hunter to fall asleep. Ramiel didn't even notice as he drifted off. It happened suddenly.
Meanwhile, Caera combed her fingers through Ramiel's lush hair while playing with it. It was... relaxing and extremely pleasant at the same time. A modest smile crept onto the elfess' lips. Jealous, Avi wanted to protest, but she had no arguments.
" Don't just exaggerate. " - The nauseated fairy left. After all, in Ramiel's absence, she was responsible for the smooth operation of the dungeon.
Taking advantage of her privileged position, she summoned new units that had fallen in battle. They were to serve as escorts for the first mining expedition!
Avi summoned all the soldiers and slav... that is, well-paid skeletons under the entrance to the abyss. Like a commander sending soldiers into battle, the fairy gave a motivational speech.
" Brave residents of the condemned dungeon! Our glorious leader is sending us on an extremely important mission! As an elite among the elite, he has entrusted us with the task of mining rare materials called Infirnyt crystals. No mistakes will be tolerated! If any of the precious resources are damaged, all the skeletons will end up as food for the wolves! But don't be afraid. I have faith in your infallible skills and eagerness to work! "
As Avi finished her motivational speech, the skeletons raised their hands and clapped enthusiastically. With a simple trick, the fairy doubled their output.
More intelligent creatures like Rascal understood the ruse but didn't comment on it. For their sake, it was better not to lead the fairy astray.
" Company left turn! Forward march! " - Avi initiated their first expedition like a military officer. The fairy liked the role played extremely well. She could feed her unbridled ambition. All that was missing from her happiness was a military uniform.
The goblins looked at each other and understood without words. Sitting on the backs of their newly summoned companions, they set out into the unknown.
While Avi fiddled with the military, Ramiel dreamed of his past. Once again, he was haunted by the ghosts of the dark past. For the man, reliving the same scenes over and over was beginning to become boring and monotonous. They simply lost their value.
After all, even the most delicious dish, eaten over and over again, eventually loses its flavor and becomes bland.