"So It's me an' the hotheads, aye?"
Gareth gave his two teammates a once over as the rest of the Loki familia continued through the passage. Feeling a familiar magic, Shay did an internal sigh of relief.
"Riveria's using her magic. The rescue team's on its way."
"That right? She was singin' yer praises before, kiddo. Ye'd better live up to 'em."
"I'll try."
"Aw, can it, old fart! Anything'll impress grandma if it helps her stay sittin' on her ass!"
The three elites found themselves in a partially destroyed room, roughly 100 meders wide and 50 tall. The bull spirit was still rampaging and gleefully repeating 'Raijin, Raijin!' as it progressively tore down more and more of the adamantite walls. As the demi-spirit finally came to rest in the middle of the room, Shay tried to calm himself.
Shay knew the demi spirits would be a massive challenge. He'd spent the past two months practicing tirelessly just to stand a chance against one. Even though he thought he'd stand a decent chance against even his own familia's Level Sixes(maybe except Allen), he was still intimidated by the absurd strength of this raging bull. Its ridiculous power honestly reminded him of Ottarl. Not allowing his fear to take root however, he looked to the most experienced member for advice as the demi spirit's gaze settled on them.
"So, what's the plan? Go for the magic stone?"
"Aye, that'll work...but let's consider the basics for a moment, hmm? What's the theory on givin' big lugs what for, lads?"
"Go for the legs?"
"Make 'em kiss the dirt!"
"Let's get on with it, then! One hit to blow that beastie to kingdom come! And don't let it hit ye, either!"
As the adventurers reared up for an attack, the bull charged. Its powerful legs creating tremors as it rocketed towards them with surprising speed, Shay turned his enchantment up to eleven, lighting up the dark room with his forking electricity in order to focus the Spirit on him. With his new Development Ability, Lightning Flash, his enchantment had almost doubled in power. Leaping with an Agility easily comparable to Level Seven, Shay broke the sound barrier before hitting the wall of the room as the bull charged past him, with Gareth and Bete narrowly dodging the beast after recovering from their surprise.
Haha, it's still hard to get used to…
Having only recently gained this strength Shay crashed into the wall with significant force, nearly getting his foot stuck in the adamantite. Seemingly agitated at his speed, the wolf snarled.
"Tch! Oi , gramps! Don't get left behind!"
"Don'tcha get cocky with me, boy!"
As the bull came to a crashing stop at the end of the room, Bete was already on its tail. The wolf sailing towards the demi-spirit's upper half, the bull rocked to the side, Bete's claws slicing through some of the spirit's hair before he landed on the wall behind it. Looking up just in time Bete jumped down off the wall, barely avoiding the swipe of the bull's scythe-like tail as it tore through the extremely rare metal.
Taking advantage of the spirit's divided focus, Gareth leaped towards the bull's front leg, roaring with a massive swing of his greataxe as Bete continued dodging the forked, whiplike tail.
—Tang!
Shay watched in surprise as the dwarf's greataxe bounced straight off the bull's knee, its leading edge now dented and useless.
"Bah, I told 'em ta' go Durandal!"
The bull began rampaging once more, its feminine top half laughing in mirth as Bete and Gareth regrouped.
"Hahaha…! Ah, you want to play…?"
"Gramps! What the hell was that!?"
"S' not me fault, lad! I lost me good ax earlier!"
Joining the two, Shay strategized as the bull readied another charge.
"Bete, your boots absorb magic, right? We'll use that!"
"Huh? I'm not a fan of takin' orders from simps!"
What? Oh, my familia…
With an out of place chuckle, Shay imparted some of his lightning magic into the wolf's boots as they rushed back towards the bull. With Shay using his downforce technique and improved enchantment, he easily outran a cussing Bete before facing down the bull himself. Shooting occasional bouts of electricity at the monster, Shay ducked under its tail and between its legs, trying to keep the monster's attention on him as Bete darted around, waiting for Gareth. Seizing the opportunity as the bull's tail once more whipped over him, Shay moved his spear to slice through its thinnest part, watching in dismay as the tail bent around his weapon and hit the bull's own hide, piercing it and drawing a minor amount of blood.
About to jump back, Shay noticed the dwarf out of the corner of his eye and decided to stand his ground. Slipping his spear out as Gareth grabbed hold of the beast's tail, Shay once again used his lightning to very briefly paralyze the bull. Sailing in from the side with impeccable timing, the lightning sheathed wolf roared as his razor sharp boot impacted the bull's tail, not having missed the change in plans. As the two scythe-like blades were liberated from their owner, Gareth threw one to Bete as he skidded across the room.
"There ye' are!"
These guys are good…!
Screaming in surprised pain, the spirit brought her hands to her face as the bull underneath started to rampage.
"Alright, round two!"
About to send more lightning Bete's way, Shay hesitated as the spirit's expression suddenly switched to fury. As the spirit began chanting faster than he'd ever heard, a large golden magic circle appeared underneath its massive frame.
"Pierce, spear of lightning. Your envoy beseeches you, Tonitrus."
The spirit's menacing gaze settling on the dwarf, Shay poured his entire enchantment into Agility before activating his newest skill, Sylph.
"Incarnate of thunder. Queen of lightning! Thunder Ray!"
As the bright yellow bolt of lightning forked through the air in slow motion, Shay accelerated at a ridiculous rate towards the wide-eyed dwarf. Due to his skill, which allowed him to spend a sizable amount of mind to slow down his perception of time, Shay no longer had to worry about losing control of his speed. Since he could enhance his perception separately, Shay was safe to inflate his Agility to the absolute maximum using his enchantment. With this strategy Shay was able to just barely react in time, holding out his spear in front of the dwarf as the thick bolt of lightning lit up the scene.
Holy shit…!
His spear acting as a lightning rod, the powerful yellow arcs threatened to overpower his own white-blue for a brief moment, melting the tip of his spear. Trusting in his abilities Shay forcefully melded the magic together, the enchantment now flashing a brilliant green many times brighter than before as he sailed through the air towards a shocked Bete.
"Ready!?"
With only that warning, Shay directed his spear at the wolf, several brilliant arcs of thick green lightning finding their target as Bete took off towards the demi-spirit, an incredulous smirk distorting his tattoo. Focusing on Defense and bouncing across the room before hitting the wall, Shay watched Gareth and Bete renew their lightning-charged assault on the demi-spirit.
Haha… I can't believe that worked!
With the demi-spirit's own magic now at his disposal, Bete dashed side to side around the bull while Gareth used one of the tail-knives to pierce its back leg, distracting the beast as it kicked wildly.
"Eat this, asshole!"
Racing in from the side as the bull stomped furiously at his teammate, Bete slammed his boot into one of the monster's front legs, the brilliant green lightning cleaving straight through the knee as the wolf sailed by. Not having depleted his charge yet, Bete landed on the far wall before continuing his vicious assault. Gulping down a mind potion as he recharged his enchantment, Shay internally thanked himself for the decision to finally buy a more durable potion holster.
With Gareth distracting the downed bull as streaks of green and blue lightning closed in from the right and left, the demi-spirit began to panic. Throwing his ruined spear at the bull Shay rushed forward, yelling to the charging wolf opposite him.
"Bete, the weapon!"
"I know, dumbass!"
With a shout, Bete threw his tail-knife at the demi-spirit, the weapon just grazing its feminine cheek as the creature desperately dodged. Jumping up to catch it, Shay inverted before using an Ignis Fatuus to propel himself back towards the ground, his enchantment surging back to life as he rocketed towards the reeling bull. Getting there just before Bete, Shay used the tail-knife to partially slash through a rear leg, the bull now completely immobilized with Gareth holding it down. As green lightning dominated the space, Bete flew towards the demi-spirit's feminine upper half with a vicious shout.
"Diiie!"
But then.
"Rage, fury of the skies. Caelum Veil."
Again!?
Bete's eyes widening, a dense sheath of yellow lightning enveloped the entire beast. Shay managed to get some distance, but Gareth was too close. As the lightning ran up Gareth's weapon and onto his arm, Bete's boot got within twenty celch of its target.
"Distel."
~
A large tremor shook their temporary camp, located in the sewers at the entrance to Knossos.
What…?
Riveria's eyes widened as she finished administering first aid to the prum captain. As Finn opened his eyes, the other healers assisting their battered familia members paused in surprise.
"There are… unaccounted for."
"Don't waste your strength Finn, I know. I'll organize a search party while you're taken to Dian Cecht."
Knossos is insanely dangerous right now… But, Leene's group is still missing…! Who can we possibly risk sending back inside?
The prum's voice weak as another tremor shook the camp, he met Riveria's eyes.
"Bete, Gareth… and Shay. A demi-spirit…"
Her expression darkening slightly as she stood up, Riveria made her decision.
"Finn, get some rest. I'll deal with this."
~
There was a blinding flash of light. Shay put everything he had into Defense as the adamantite room shook, feeling incredible heat before getting buried under thick, partially melted sheets of metal as the massive room was ruined beyond recognition. Panicked groans melded with the spirit's laughter as the walls of Knossos crumbled down around them, yellow arcs of lightning scorching and melting the piles of rubble that remained.
Pulling his bloody body out of the debris, Shay couldn't help but marvel at the scene before him. The demi-spirit was laughing joyfully in the center of a massive scorch mark, with sporadic black tendrils of charred metal branching out towards the walls. The floor was littered with adamantite debris, and the walls were now a dark brown cavern, with only sparse patches of the original metal remaining.
I can't believe nothing's broken…!
Marveling at his relative well being, Shay heard a grunt of effort accompanied by shifting metal. Turning to see Bete emerge from one of the piles, he winced.
"Shit!"
Bete cursed as he looked to his legs, each producing a sizzling sound as the metal boots cooled around them. The boots had lost their magic absorbing stone, but that wasn't what worried Shay. Upon closer inspection, the metal had somewhat lost its shape, the edges of the boots curling inward as they met the wolf's melted skin. It seems that with the extreme temperature of the magic clashing, Bete's damaged boots had fuzed to his legs. Hearing more debris shifting across the room, the two spotted the dwarf.
"Ah, that smarts…"
Burn marks covering nearly every inch of the grumbling adventurer, Gareth slowly rose to his feet atop the rubble. Seeing his teammates in such a state, Shay looked back to the cackling demi-spirit.
This is bad…!
Gareth was severely burned due to his proximity to the attack, and Bete had only managed to stave off similar damage due to the magic he'd been wielding. With Gareth's arms charred and Bete's absorption unavailable, Shay realized it was his turn to take charge.
Okay, what's the plan…? I've still got a lot left, but I can't share it anymore. I might have to go solo…!
Quelling his rising panic, Shay looked to his charred teammates.
"...Can you two still fight?"
Pausing before looking at Shay as if he were an idiot, the veteran adventurers responded with renewed vigor.
"The fuck kinda question is that! Who else is gonna protect all those losers!?"
"Aye he's right, lad! Don'tcha know who yer talkin' to!?"
…Hah… These guys really are pros…!
Sporting a subdued smile, Shay relayed the new battle plan.
"Alright! The spirit's gonna be slow now, so the main threat is magic! I'll handle that part, so you two back me up when you can!"
Glaring at Shay with a furious expression, Bete yelled across the room.
"When're you gonna stop treating me like I'm one of those useless goddamn worms! You buy me time, and when I'm done hit me with everything your weak ass has!"
What…!
"Your boots are broken…!"
Looking back at Shay with a derisive glare, the enraged wolf scoffed before beginning to build up magic energy. Gareth looked on in wide-eyed shock, his expression slowly turning to pride as the wolf's chant began.
"Chained Fros, king of the wolves."
The spirit's laughter subsiding as it sensed Bete's magic, it used its two remaining legs to clumsily bound towards the chanting wolf as he stood still, likely not having learned concurrent casting. Putting aside his surprise as the dwarf moved to protect Bete, Shay focused on buying time for the unknown magic.
Rushing forward with his white-blue lightning, Shay recited the chant for his Deucalion magic. With the bull's horns lowered at him, Shay managed to slide just underneath as a ring of glowing water formed around him, the wolf's chant echoing in the background.
"The first wound: Gelgja, the fetter."
Using his enchantment to unleash an Ignis Fatuus on the beast above him, Shay sent the bull off the ground before reapplying Raijin, locking onto the ground and changing directions.
"The second wound: Gjöll, the cry."
Jumping up after the beast as it flailed in the air, Shay sent one of his kunai above its forehead with incredible speed, the demi-spirit wailing as its arm was impaled at the elbow.
"The third wound: Þviti, the hammer."
Recovering as the pair continued through the air, the demi-spirit casted Thunder Ray in anger, the brilliant yellow lightning forking backwards through the air towards the sailing adventurer.
"The ravenous slaver your only hope, may it form a river, mixing in the tide of blood to wash away your tears."
Coalescing Deucalion into two thick disks to his front and back, Shay poured mind into the former before expanding both into ice. The shield bursting in front of him as it was struck by the spirit's magic, Shay leaped off the platform behind him with incredible speed and sailed through the cloud of snow and lightning towards the spirit.
"Never forget those irreparable wounds. This rage and hatred, thine infirmity and incandescence. Denounce the world, acknowledge fate, and dry thy tears."
Enhancing his Strength, Shay landed a flying kick on the demi-spirit's chest, sending it crashing into a rocky portion of the chamber's wall. As the insanely durable beast fell towards the ground, Shay landed on the cavern wall above it.
"May the pain become your fangs, the lament your roar—and your lost companions your strength. Free yourself of the chains that bind you, and release your mad howl."
Rushing down the wall after the falling bull, Shay unsheathed his backup weapon, surprised at the tragic implications of Bete's magic. Held in a reverse grip, the exceedingly simple meder-long crossguard-less blade closed in on the demi-spirit's neck before one of the bull's flailing limbs connected with the cavern wall. Sending itself spinning, the bull managed to use one of its massive legs to defend, kicking Shay's chokuto away with a sharp —Ting! as it was embedded in the far wall.
Landing behind the beast with a curse, Shay recast Deucalion once more, this time streaming and condensing the water along one axis. As the demi-spirit rushed towards the chanting wolf in desperation, Shay solidified his makeshift ice-spear, watching the injured dwarf shout before approaching the bull.
"Oh no ye don't!"
With its horns down, the bull rammed straight into the dwarf, the latter catching it and taking the force head on. With only two working legs, the bull was no match for Gareth as the legendary adventurer held it in place. As Shay leaped onto the bull's back, the demi-spirit's face was contorted in fear.
"O lineage of enmity, pray use this vessel and devour the moon, drinking greedily from its overflowing cup. Bare your fangs—and devour all. Hati!"
Bete finishing his chant as his arms and legs were wreathed in bright, flowing fire, Shay's spear came within a few meders of its mark. In desperation, the bull bucked Gareth's grip and used its massive strength to leap upwards, the unprepared adventurer on its back slamming into the beast and his spear shattering on impact.
I'll be crushed!
Rapidly nearing the ceiling, Shay strengthened his enchantment and leaped off the bull just in time, landing inverted on the roof as the bull slammed into the adamantite. As it began to fall back down amid the metal debris, Shay spotted Bete leaping up the walls, leaving a red-orange, comet-like trail in his wake.
"Now, idiot!"
Leaping off the ceiling and onto the debris falling around the beast, Shay downed his last mind potion before giving his enchantment a large boost, pointing his arm at the climbing werewolf. As massive arcs of white-blue lightning flashed across the space and fed the roaring scarlet flames, the demi-spirit fell through the air, powerless to defend itself.
"Just die already!"
The flaming wolf met the bull midair, tearing through its lower body as the scene was shrouded in vaporized blood.
It's the same as before!
The feminine half disconnecting from the ruined bull, it leaped upwards towards Shay. Using half of Deucalion to envelop the two in a thick cloud of snow as the Spirit began chanting one final time, Shay leaped between the falling debris to disorient it.
"Don'tcha forget about me, ye' hot blooded fools!"
Looking to the source of the shout, Shay watched as Gareth leaped up to his chokuto, grabbing it out of the wall and throwing it to him with a sharp —crack!. Forming the second half of his ice magic with a smile, Shay bounded around the falling spirit before catching his weapon.
~
Her first memory had been floating. Floating in the snow, she remembered a strong, brilliant light coming to save her. Returning to the scene before her eyes, she saw Raijin's flickering lightning rapidly approaching through the fog.
"Thunder Ray!"
Unleashing her magic at the flashing shadow, it shattered into thousands of icy fragments as its lightning dissipated. Now sensing Raijin's magic behind her, she turned in confusion to see the blonde adventurer's determined visage, his eyes the same color as his magic and his reverse-gripped blade caressing her delicate neck.
"Raijin…"
Her vision now tumbling through the air, she watched as the adventurer continued past the rest of her body. Finally unburdened, her lips turned up in a sad smile.
Thank you…