The past two months had been quite chaotic for the demi-spirit investigation. Shay had mostly worked on mastering his new magic and in the meanwhile Loki familia, and apparently the rest of Orario, had been very busy. Firstly, there was a new Record Holder, some rabbit looking kid with the unfortunate title 'Little Rookie'. He'd absolutely shredded Shay's record, reaching Level Three in only a couple months. Mikoto had actually joined the boy's party after getting Level Two, and Shay had seen her perform quite well in their recent wargame against Apollo familia. This 'Little Rookie' also apparently saw most of Loki familia's women naked and survived, so needless to say he was quite the impressive fellow.
Speaking of the Loki familia, they had recently endured their own share of chaos. They had fought 'creatures' related to the corrupted spirits before fighting an actual demi-spirit on their expedition to the 59th floor of the Dungeon. The Sword Princess as well as the two Amazons and Bete, a werewolf Shay had only recently met, had all achieved Level Six, putting them all once again above him in Status. After hearing about their battle with the demi-spirit, Shay negotiated for Finn to allow him to join their next adventure. This was that adventure.
"Realistically speaking, we have no choice but to move forward. Considering our enemy's goal is to summon the demi-spirits aboveground, we have to move quickly. If even one of those things was to appear on the surface, Orario would quickly become a sea of fire."
The group stood silent before the now opened orichalcum door, Riveria's words hanging in the air. In the days prior and during his first meeting with Bete, Shay had helped Loki familia's men search the sewers for another entrance to the Dungeon. Before them was the result.
"Finn. Let's leave the dead weight behind, yeah? Something stinks. We're not gonna want anything holdin' us back..."
As the disagreeable werewolf gave his assessment, Shay couldn't help but internally agree. Everyone could feel it. There was something horrible waiting for them inside. The door had even opened for them, as if daring them to take the bait. Shay knew his perspective was different since Freya familia was all about individual strength, but he couldn't help feeling that taking supporters into an obvious trap was a bad move. Knowing that Loki familia had successfully faced danger many times under Finn's command, Shay kept his thoughts to himself as the Amazon sisters argued with the werewolf. After some time, the group was ready to move in, supporters and all.
"We'll form up with a front line and a back line, as well as a healing unit. Gareth and I will lead the attack. Riveria will remain here in case of an emergency. Loki and the others will also wait until we know more about the path ahead."
""Understood.""
With Finn setting the plan into motion, the group ventured into the unknown. What they found was a man-made labyrinth, with walls of adamantite and an increasingly complicated layout. Discussing what to do if they had to escape, the group came to a fork in the road. After scouts confirmed that both paths were viable, Gareth, a dwarf and one of Loki familia's leaders, spoke up.
"Plans, Finn?"
"...We'll split into two groups. No matter the direction we choose, fighting is going to be difficult with such a large party if we come under attack. Bete, Shay, you'll be with me. Tiona, Tione, Gareth, Aiz, you take the right path with the bulk of our supporters."
Dividing the groups in two, Finn assigned his adventurers to their posts. Shay could tell that Finn was keeping an eye on him, and he had to assume Bete was with them for a reason as well. The justification was that Gareth's party would have the greater number of First Tiers in order to balance their number of lower-Level supporters, but Shay knew Finn actually saw him as a wildcard. Thus, the final two parties, healers included, were somewhat even in terms of combat power.
"I'm counting on you, Gareth."
"Aye...Finn?"
"...?"
"Don't let 'em get the jump on ya, eh?"
"...Duly noted. I'll be on my guard,"
With a smile of his own, Finn signaled the two groups to head onward. Still taking their fair share of Second Tiers, Shay's group wandered through the labyrinth for some time before coming to a fifty meder wide square room. The group stopped for a moment, the unsettling quiet stopping them in their tracks. Bete's ears twitched and almost on cue, casual footsteps could be heard from the passage ahead. A second later the person had breached the shadows, the group recoiling at the woman's wild appearance.
"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnn!"
What could only be described as a shriek pierced the hallway, the source's wild pink hair and torn clothing matching her widened, crazed eyes.
"Huh. Valletta. I had a hunch you were still alive..."
With a decidedly casual response, Finn named the assailant before Bete gave his two cents.
"...Yo, Finn. You got some kinda crazy-broad-attractin' disease or somethin'?"
After scolding the werewolf on Tione's behalf Finn continued the exchange, with Valletta hurling insults and Finn casually batting them away. Apparently the 27th Floor Nightmare, where most of the Evilus were said to have finally perished, had been used to throw the Guild and Loki familia off their trail. Continuing her tirade, the woman eventually reached a fever pitch.
"You know what you are, Finn? Scum. Miserable, disgusting scum, the worst of the worst! Because you didn't go! That day, you didn't try and help on the twenty-seventh floor! Instead, you got intel from somewhere, took Freya's and Ganesha's people, and attacked our Gods!"
…Oh.
The 27th Floor Nightmare had been a massive pass parade by the Evilus against their pursuers. The bodies had piled up, both Evilus and adventurer. Finn was clearly cunning, and while Shay didn't know the full extent before, the idea that he would skirt the carnage and target the Evilus Gods seemed about right. However, it was difficult to hear that even the hero 'Braver' would leave adventurers to die if necessary. Undaunted by the powerful group in front of her, Valletta continued to become more and more unhinged, shouting as if she were a performer.
"After I rip off those scrawny little arms and legs, I'm gonna ride you until I've had enough and then turn that self-righteous face into mincemeat! And then...once I've had my fill...I'm gonna laugh until I can't even breathe!"
"My, my. Inviting me to a one-night stand? I dare say, I'm flattered. However, I do apologize. Because of the hopes of my race, I'm only allowed to whisper sweet nothings into the ear of my own kind."
Wiping the disgusted look off his face, Shay turned to see some of the female supporters turn bright red.
…huh?
"I also might add, though I'm loath to say it to a member of the fairer sex...you'll need to improve your character a bit before asking me out again. At least aim for something along the lines of Riveria's sophistication, hmm?"
And with that the supporters squealed, cementing in Shay's mind just how popular Braver had become. While the female supporters continued to gossip about the high elf queen's relation to their captain, Shay chuckled in mild jealousy. As Valletta finally finished her tirade, she pulled out a small orb which then flashed red, the orichalcum door behind them shutting on its own, trapping the party in the room.
"This will be your grave! Let yourself be swallowed in the majesty of Knossos...and die!"
The bombastically insane woman running away as swarms of violas began to pour from a nearby passage, Bete howled.
"Let's get stuck in, you bastards!"
As the tidal wave of green flower monsters crashed upon the group, Shay moved to protect the supporters in the back of the formation. Because of his abnormal ability scores, Shay's base Status was already somewhere in the realm of high Level Five, meaning these Second Tier monsters were no challenge at all. Slicing through monster after monster with ease, Shay wondered what the woman's play was.
It should be obvious that we can handle this much…
Due to the continuous stream of monsters, Finn guided the group forward, with Bete and Shay covering the front and back of the formation respectively.
"Finn! New species!"
The werewolf howled from the front of the group as spider-like monsters emerged from the passage ahead. The monsters came up to waist height, with six legs and red crystals dotting their bodies. Without hesitation, Bete rushed forward, plowing through the new monsters without a second thought as the party followed behind him.
"Whuaah! Pitfalls!"
From the center of the party, Raul, a Level Four second string member, shouted in surprise as holes began to form in the ground around them. Peering into one as he bounced between monsters, Shay couldn't see all the way to the bottom. As the supporters began to panic at the increasing irregularities, he met Finn's eyes for a brief moment. There was fear, completely uncharacteristic of Loki familia's Braver.
Is that…!
Before Shay could finish the thought, a woman with short, blood red hair was already in front of the prum captain. Deafening clangs rang out as Finn tried to block the woman's attacks, but soon enough the prum's strength started to give out. Shay sensed Finn beginning to build up magic energy, but the prum's expression faltered as he evidently decided against it.
"Die."
Time stood still for everyone in the group as blood sprayed through the air. The prum's spear hit the ground unceremoniously, having been split in two by the force of the woman's slash. The supporters looked on in horror as the prum's body sailed above the ground. Braver had fallen. Before even hitting the ground, Finn shouted with the last of his strength.
"Raul!"
The usually cowardly supporter rushed to the prum's aid faster than anyone else. As he watched the supporter close the distance to the captain, Shay saw the woman wind up for another swing of her massive blade. Leaping above the crowd, he threw a set of kunai with a series of sharp cracks, the projectile rain forcing the woman to block just long enough for Raul to retrieve the captain. Leaping into the nearest pitfall, the supporter led the party's center away from this scene of catastrophe as the red haired woman disappeared down a passage.
Recovering from his shock, Bete roared and rushed towards the now taunting Valletta. Tearing through the monsters in his path, he was about to swipe at her when her orb once again flashed and a thick door came down between them. Banging his fist on the wall, the werewolf cursed before hearing Shay's voice from the back line.
"Bete! More enemies!"
"Shit!"
As the werewolf took over the role of leader, the group fled from the horde of spiders and violas, wandering aimlessly through the maze as the animal people tried to find a way back to Finn.
~
Wait… is that…?
Dix Perdix couldn't believe his eyes. He had been asked by his brother to help kill the Loki familia but upon confronting them, he saw a face he wasn't expecting.
That's the one who killed my wyvern a while back, isn't it…? He's with Loki familia now? …Heh, damn shame really, that kid had potential.
As 'Hazer' readied his curse, he said goodbye to the adventurer that had once impressed him.
"Get lost in an endless nightmare! Phobetor Daedalus!"
~
As the red light rushed towards the group, Shay leaped into a side passage while Bete grabbed one of the hume bunny supporters by the collar and threw her to him. Sailing through the air with a yelp, she was caught by a surprised Shay as the wolf narrowly escaped into a different passage.
A curse…!?
Shay was reminded of his fight for Level Three as the red light enveloped the rest of his party. As the three escapees looked on in horror, the eyes of both their teammates and the monster horde bearing down on them began to glow a faint red. With a shout breaking the brief silence, tendrils, spiders, and adventurers began to collide with animalistic ferocity.
"I'm impressed… Most people wouldn't be able to dodge that attack after seeing it. Guess I should've expected more from Loki Familia!"
Watching in horror as his party members attempted to tear each other apart, Shay knew he had to think fast. With a curse of his own, the wolf left the passageway he'd hid inside.
"Shit!"
"You just gonna let this happen, wolf? If ya don't do somethin' soon, all yer little friends are gonna rip one another to shreds!"
"...Tch!"
With Bete getting a dangerous look in his eyes, he charged into the middle of the chaotic melee. As an animal girl swung her sword at him, Bete's expression betrayed unbelievably aggressive intent.
"Aw, hell! Sleep it off, you worthless pieces of shit!"
The shout still leaving his lips, the werewolf's claws met the animal girl's face, grabbing it and slamming her into the ground as Shay and the one unaffected supporter stood rooted to the spot. The ground beneath the animal girl cracked as debris flew up around them.
…So this is Vanargand… Ah! Wait, no!
Realizing he should probably do something before the situation deteriorated further, Shay shouted to the rampaging werewolf as he left his hiding place.
"Wait, stop! I'll handle them! Rakuta, wait there!"
Not waiting for confirmation, Shay began chanting as Bete shifted his wild glare to the deep blue magic circle forming at his teammate's feet.
"Cast behind the bones of the mother, Deucalion!"
The werewolf, still in the process of incapacitating two of his teammates, watched in surprise as a ring of beautifully glowing water formed around Shay. This was the magic he'd received from Calivia, the first corrupted Spirit he'd fought and freed. Rushing into the fray, Shay unleashed large bullets of water at each of the frenzied combatants. As the projectiles splashed on contact, Shay forcefully expanded the water into ice, encapsulating Loki familia's supporters and stopping their movements as they fell to the ground, still roaring in fury.
As he jumped and ducked through the battlefield, Shay continued to supply mind to his magic and replenish the flowing ring of water around him. Dodging the slash of a longsword, Shay froze its owner's body before sliding under the swipe of a greataxe, spinning around and sending three bullets, each incapacitating its own Second Tier adventurer.
"Y'all got lucky, eh? Oi! Who the hell are you, anyway!? You're not fooling anyone with that lame ass getup, dickhead!"
Realizing he was now free to go after the curse's caster, Bete rushed through the chaos towards Dix. Panicking at the unexpected turn of events, Dix undid his curse. As Bete rapidly closed the distance, Shay could see in real time the moment his enemy realized the situation. The plan had likely been for him to recast his curse on the Level Six Vanargand, but that was only viable if he was far enough away. Since they had turned the tides so quickly, Dix had not been able to put enough distance between him and his pursuer. If he used his curse now, it would certainly hit its mark, but the first person to feel the enraged wolf's wrath would be Dix himself.
Panicking as he escaped backwards, Dix was beaten across the passageway. As he was pummeled by Bete, he used the strikes to briefly push himself away from the pulverization, his eye glowing red and a door slamming down between the two. Or at least, it should've been between them. Right before the door had come down, Bete reached out, his hand getting crushed as the door was stopped from fully falling.
Releasing his magic as the party's supporting members found themselves decidedly less angry and in pools of water, Shay finished dealing with the last few monsters and headed to Bete as the wolf lifted the door. Hearing a scared shout as the enemy evidently retreated, Shay picked up two of the injured supporters and met up with the wolf. As he looked out over his soaked but otherwise uninjured familia, Bete gave new orders.
"Oi, fish bait! We're goin' this way!"
Passing under the door as Bete continued to hold it up, the supporters rushed to make way for each other. Bringing up the rear, Shay ducked under the door as Bete acknowledged him.
"You finally made yourself useful, huh?"
With a smile, Shay took his turn holding the door as their impromptu leader made his way through, the group continuing on their way to the captain.
~
With a healed Vanargand at the vanguard, the party had been making their way through Knossos for what felt like forever, with Rakuta, the Level Three hume-bunny that Bete had first saved from Dix's curse, making a detailed map of where they'd been. Being a largely solo adventurer, Shay had learned the basics of mapping himself, but checking over the girl's shoulder he could see her skills were on a level far above his own. The quill in her hand briefly pausing, she turned bashfully to Shay, who was currently guarding the party's rear.
"—um… Thank you for saving us! I'm sure the others really do appreciate it, even though you're Freya familia—Ah, t-that's not what I meant, um…!"
"Haha, don't worry about it. And you're welcome, but I'm sure Bete had it under control. Almost everybody's woken up by now, see?"
Glancing at the members who Bete had knocked out before Shay had started helping, he was met with uneasy chuckles. Making sure that he kept an eye out for trouble, he suddenly felt a strange, joyful sensation.
Is that a breeze…?
Without warning, powerful winds raced through the tunnel, nearly taking the adventurers off their feet. As the wind went by, Shay felt a serene, gentle aura caress his soul. Visions of Amber wheat, drifting clouds, and a golden haired maiden racing down a windy hilltop materialized in his mind's eye.
Is this…? Is this Aiz?
"All a' you, try to keep up! I'm going, now!"
With the words still on his lips, Bete took off in the wind's direction. Not wanting to shirk his duty, Shay stayed at the back of the formation, urging the supporters onwards as he gauged the werewolf's speed. That level of speed was to be somewhat expected of a Level Six, but there was something different about his movement compared to most adventurers.
He probably has a skill…
Shay also couldn't help but notice the glowing of Bete's metal boots. Realizing that they were absorbing Aiz's magic as the wolf disappeared from sight, Shay started to understand why Finn had put them together. Running through the passage as he wondered about the prum captain's safety, Shay heard an insane sound, resembling the repeated cracking of a thousand whips.
That's…! The sound barrier!
Each of those whip cracks must've been either Bete's arms or legs, moving furiously as he accelerated towards the source of the wind. Shay recognized this sound from his own training, but hearing it from the outside inspired an unmistakable sense of awe. After running for some time, the party came to an open room with metal pipes running along the walls.
"Raul! Is-is that the Captain!?"
Hearing Tione's panicked voice Shay entered the room, seeing that most of Loki familia had already regrouped at Aiz's location. Getting rapid fire updates from the supporters as he looked over the battered Sword Princess, Gareth took the reins and reshuffled the members, assigning healers to those in need and getting a spare greataxe from one of the supporters. There was smoke and debris still settling in one side of the room, with Loki familia's core members seemingly on guard against it.
"...What are those incompetent fools in Thanatos Familia doing? …No bother, though. I'll take out these vermin myself...here and now."
The cold voice of the red haired woman responsible for Finn's condition washed over the chamber as Tione's eyes became bloodshot.
"...You and what army?"
Tione's voice carried renewed malice after seeing her captain in dire straits. With her companions she faced down the red haired woman, who was exuding a terrifyingly nonchalant aura. Faced down by six First Tier adventurers at once, she smirked.
"It would be a simple task to eliminate you as you are now… But… I'll call in that army if you wish."
As the woman pressed her severed arm back onto her body, Shay joined the semi-circle of First Tiers and wordlessly activated his enchantment, bright flashes illuminating the still settling debris. This is one of the tricks he'd learned over the past two months, under the tutelage of his newly awakened Spirit. As it turned out, the heights of magic attainable when bonded with a Spirit were unbelievable. Shay's earlier water magic was never even meant to become ice magic, but with his ingenuity and the Spirit's guidance, they had managed to completely change its function. The red haired woman looked at him in surprise before smiling and laughing sardonically.
"This really is fortunate… You must be—!"
—CRASH!
Before she could finish her sentence, the walls of the chamber began crashing down as the group looked around in awe. A painful squealing came from the adamantite walls as they were torn apart by a large beast, now entering the room. Gareth was the first to shout as the red haired woman cursed and escaped amid the chaos.
"RUUUUUUUUUUUUN!"
With the dwarf's shout, Loki familia began a desperate sprint away from the rampaging beast. Getting a clear look at it while bringing up the rear, Shay felt a familiarly disquieting sensation in his stomach. The beast was clearly a demi-spirit, with a large feminine body and a face that was far more developed than that of the Scylla monster. The feminine upper half was sitting atop the forehead of a massive bull-like lower half, which was obviously the part responsible for tearing through the adamantite walls as if they were paper. The bull's tail was long and ended in two scythe-like edges, batting away some of the debris as the feminine figure shouted in glee.
"Aria, Aria! Ah! Raijin? Ahaha…!?"
The six meder tall bull began rampaging in excitement, its massive legs pounding the ground as Loki familia's footing was shaken. As the bull rushed straight through another adamantite wall, it was clear that someone had to make a decision. Looking towards the injured prum captain, Shay saw a pained expression.
"Finn… Spit it out. Would'a been commonplace but a short while ago. Who's always been the one ta' cover yer arses, aye?"
The dwarf looked to the captain with a resigned smile, moving towards the party's rear and spinning his greataxe. The inklings of a smile appearing on Finn's face, the prum gave his orders.
"I leave the back line… in your capable hands, Gareth... Everyone, retreat!"
As he watched Shay join the dwarf in the back line, Bete's tail wagged in anticipation.
"Like hell I'm gonna let that geezer outdo me!"
The Amazon twins about to join in as well, Finn's weakened voice came from the center of the party.
"Aiz, Tiona, Tione… I need you to protect everyone else."
Aiz's response was tinged with sadness.
"Will they be okay…?"
"Those three? I… have full confidence."