Sarutahiko Familia Premise Chapter 12 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! With Hermes Familia about to reach the Pantry, Ais fighting Revis, and Bete, Lefiya, and Filvis rushing to catch up, the climax of the Secret Quest is upon us! Will the changes brought about by Bell’s talent and his Skill open the path to a different outcome than Canon? What horrors will the Hermes Familia and the others discover in the overtaken Pantry?

If you’d like to become a patron and get access to these chapters earlier, just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Kairomaru after the com.

Make sure to thank the patrons that make these stories possible by checking out the Patron Plaque on my profile!

So, without further delay, please enjoy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 12 – The Plant and the Creature

Rushing through one of the many tunnels of the Twenty-Fourth Floor, Bete, Lefiya, and Filvis once more found themselves being swarmed by Monsters. The entire Floor was out of balance and it showed in how the Dungeon was reacting by spawning more Monsters than usual.

A swarm of Deadly Hornets were buzzing angrily as they flew towards the three-man Party.

“Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are the master archer. Loose your arrows, fairy archers. Pierce, arrow of accuracy. Arcs Ray!” Lefiya chanted as quickly as she was able while Filvis and Bete killed the Monsters closest to them. The powerful spell not only vaporized the Deadly Hornets, but every single Monster currently in the tunnel in the direction that the three-man Party was heading.

Bete took the lead, leaving both Lefiya and Filvis to follow.

“So, you hail from the Wishe Forest.” Filvis gave Lefiya the smallest of smiles, the younger Elf’s sincere determination to get to know her having slowly weakened the walls that Filvis normally kept between herself and others. “A homeland known for possessing high magic power, even among our kin. It’s no wonder you have such strong magic ability.”

Lefiya shook her head once, her cheeks tinged pink. “N-No… This is the only job that I’m suited for…” Lefiya had to turn her head to hide the smile on her face from Filvis. ‘No good. We’re in the middle of battle, but I feel so giddy.’ It was little surprise though, after having finally gotten just a little closer to Filvis. ‘Like making a new friend or ally. That’s what makes me so happy.’ Lefiya’s steps were light and quick, almost as if she were walking on air. ‘It’s definitely that and not because of how she complimented me.’ Even though her heart was warm and her mind practically sang at being complimented so genuinely.

“Enough blabbing! We’ve got company!” Bete shouted at the two Elves as he leapt into the air to splatter a Gun Libellula with a kick before flipping forward to build up momentum and drive an axe kick straight through a Troll’s thick wooden landform club and still have enough force to crush the large Monster’s head with the same kick.

From the floor in front of Lefiya and Filvis, three Lizardmen spawned, each armed with a metallic flower and leaf as a sword and shield. The red-scaled Monsters locked onto the two approaching Elves with hissing and roars.

“Hiiisss!!!”

“Rooaarr!!!”

“Viridis, fall back!” Filvis said as she blitzed forward with her sword at the ready. She engaged the three Lizardmen alone, blocking their metallic leaf swords and forcing them to defend with their metallic flower shields. “Sweep, holy grail of crushing evil.” A white Magic Circle appeared beneath Filvis’s feet as she chanted.

‘Concurrent casting?!’ Lefiya stared in surprise, not having known that Filvis was capable of the high level technique to cast while in the middle of combat.

“Dio Thyrsos!” Filvis leapt backwards from the melee with the three Lizardmen and pulled her white wand from her hip, aiming it at the Lizardmen as a blast of golden lightning lanced from the tip and obliterated the red-scaled reptilian Monsters.

‘A-Amazing…’ Lefiya thought as she watched Filvis, the lovely Elf woman letting out a gentle breath after eliminating the three Lizardmen. ‘Her battle style… It’s what I’ve always wanted to become. A Magic Swordsman.’

Magic Swordsman didn’t refer to those that wielded Magic Swords or other such Magic Weapons that created spell-like effects. A Magic Swordsman was an Adventurer that wielded Magic boosted by the Mage Developmental Ability, giving them magic power normally on par with a non-Mage an entire Level above their own. Unlike pure Mages like Lefiya, best suited to supporting from the rear of a Party with powerful spells, a Magic Swordsman fought in the vanguard, using concurrent casting, incredible speed, and high magic power to take out any threat to the Party. They were often considered a member that every Party of Adventurers wanted, someone that could fight at all ranges and assist in any battle.

‘And she’s stunningly beautiful…’ Lefiya thought as Filvis looked at her with that small smile again. ‘Compared to her, I’m just…’

“Now, if only you could pull that off.” Bete said as he had stopped beside Lefiya to watch Filvis’s fight.

Lefiya flinched just slightly at the reminder of her lack of such skill.

Filvis approached the two with her red eyes focused on Bete. “Demanding that of a Mage suited for overwhelming firepower is cruel.” She stepped between Lefiya and Bete. “It is Viridis’s power that we’ll need at the moment of truth. Our duty is to protect her.”

“Every Adventurer has to be able to take care of themselves in the Dungeon.” Bete then looked at the two Elves with an almost mocking smirk. “Gotten really buddy-buddy, haven’t you, Elves?”

Filvis and Lefiya glanced at each other before turning to look in opposite directions, their cheeks bright pink at being called out.

“You okay with that? Being a sitting duck when no one’s there to protect you?” Bete asked Lefiya point blank, making Lefiya’s eyes widen in surprise that Bete seemingly knew about her insecurities. “Those damn Amazons have spoiled you.” Bete turned away and continued down the tunnel. “As long as Magic is the only use you’ve got, you’ll always be baggage.” Lefiya’s hands clenched around her staff at Bete’s sharp words. “You’re soft.” Bete said as he took off, his final words only heard because of the sharp ears of the two Elves. “At least aim to become a mobile firepower like the old hag.”

‘There’s nothing I can say… It’s painful… It’s painful, but…’ Lefiya looked down at her hands tightly gripping her staff. ‘Bete is completely right. I can’t cast spells as powerful as Lady Riveria’s… I can’t fight on the front line… I can’t use concurrent casting… That is the present me.’

Filvis looked at Lefiya, seeing the kind younger Elf woman clearly in emotional turmoil. She wanted to say something, but didn’t know what or how.

‘I should do what I can. The one that I admire told me so.’ Lefiya recalled what Ais had told her before. ‘However, the way that I am now is not enough. I must find out. Find out what I can do…What I must do. To not be left behind. To reach them someday.’ She pictured chasing after Riveria, Ais, Tione, and Tiona on a seemingly endless staircase. It was then what Bete had muttered only a moment ago replayed in her mind. ‘Mobile firepower…like Lady Riveria…’ Before she could think on such a thing something else caught her attention. “Hm?” Lefiya perked up just slightly and turned to look behind the three-man Party. ‘Magic energy?’ Not seeing anything in the tunnel behind them confused Lefiya. ‘Huh? Was I imagining it?’

“Hurry up! The Pantry isn’t too far away now!” Bete shouted back at the two Elves.

Filvis and Lefiya picked up the pace to keep up with Bete’s speed.

Hidden in the tunnel behind where the Party had just been, a figure in a dark purple cloak and wearing a pink and purple mask with an eerie design peeked out from a small outcropping of rocks. The figure said nothing and it was impossible to tell who they were focusing on, but no one would call the figure anything but suspicious if they saw them face to face.

-Twenty-Fourth Floor ~ Northern Pantry-

“Asfi…!” Lulune called out as the Hermes Familia was running through the tunnel covered in the fleshy plant material. The were all panting from having just finished off the last of the pursuing Flower Monsters.

Asfi raised her right hand into the air to signal everyone. “All units, halt!”

The entire group stopped and tried to catch their breaths.

“Now is the best time to re-form ranks.” Asfi instructed, knowing that everyone needed to recuperate as much as possible. “Nelly, Dodon, distribute potions to everyone. Drink one now to recover. Make sure that everyone has a stock of three potions at the ready.”

As everyone took their potions and let the medicine work to help them recover, Tabitha noticed the odd red light coming from further down the corridor. The Cat Girl pointed at the glow to bring it to everyone’s attention. “Not only have those Flower Monsters stopped swarming us…but what’s up with the red light?”

“The quartz pillar, maybe?” Elilly guessed, knowing that the large quartz pillars in the center of the various Pantries all emitted a soft glow of light, though she’d never seen red light from a Pantry before herself.

“Hmm…” Jose scratched his chin and the short, scruffy hair from not shaving for the last few days. “Looks like we’re finally here.”

Lulune nodded as she checked the old map. “We should be. Right up ahead is the…”

“…the Pantry.” Asfi finished for Lulune as the entire Familia readied themselves for whatever they might find. “Let’s go.”

The Hermes Familia marched forward, weapons at the ready, just in case, but none of them were prepared for what they found.

Wrapped around the tall spire of quartz that provided the normal ‘food’ for the Monsters of the Twenty-Fourth Floor were three strange creatures that none of them had ever seen or heard of before. They looked like flowers at the top, though with four large pink petals on one side and only a single large pink petal on the other, and they all had five stamen hanging from the center of their flower-like tops as well. Their long, almost flat, green bodies were wrapped tightly around the huge quartz crystal and appeared to have scales on them along with yellowish fur on either thin side, the ends of their ‘tails’ disappeared into the pool of liquid food that was normally consumed by the Monsters of the Great Tree Labyrinth.

“Ugh…is that smell from them?” Lulune scrunched up her nose, being able to smell the stench coming from the three strange Monsters. “It smells like something died…”

“Parasites…?” Falgar guessed at what they were seeing, the Weretiger man didn’t know the Dungeon produced any such type of Monster. “Are those Monsters?” It was a legitimate question at this point. Why would the Dungeon produce something that would threaten itself?

Elilly looked just as confused. “Are they…absorbing nutrients directly from the pillar?”

Keaks looked disgusted at the strange flower Monsters. “I think we found out what’s thrown the Dungeon out of whack.”

Asfi looked around to gauge the entire situation of the Pantry and noticed a few things right off the bat. ‘Those Flower Monsters from before are being born from the flesh covering the walls. Does that mean this is their breeding ground? They don’t seem to be an imminent threat.’ She noticed that these ones were all smaller than the waves and waves of Monsters that had attacked them on their way here, almost as if they weren’t fully grown yet. ‘Cages?’ Asfi’s sharp eyes narrowed at seeing what looked like a dormant Flower Monster curled up in a locked cage.

“L-Look there!” Lulune suddenly cried out as she pointed to the fleshy mass near the base of the quartz pillar. “From Rivira… It’s that orb!”

Asfi, along with the rest of Hermes Familia all followed her pointing finger to see a strange orb half-buried in the strange fleshy substance. Inside the orb was an odd creature with green skin, four arms, no legs, a curled tail, huge eyes that were currently closed, and thin, almost spindly, green hair atop its misshapen head.

Across the Pantry and a bit off to one side of the quartz crystal stood the shirtless man wearing the sheep skull mask. He had his arms crossed as he saw the Hermes Familia at the entrance to the Plant.

“It appears the Violas weren’t enough.” The masked man said uncaringly.

“Tch.” The white-robed man not too far from him scoffed at how the man was acting. He was covered from head to toe in white cloth, only his eyes visible at all.

The masked man looked at the white-robed man through the eye holes of the sheep skull. “Fulfill your purpose, remnants of Evilus. Become her shield.”

“We would, even without your bidding.” The man turned his back on the sheep skull wearing man and focused on all of the gathered people below where he stood on an elevated ridge. Every single one of the people wore the same white robes, if not more ragged than the ones that their apparent leader wore. “Brethren!” The man pulled out a wide shortsword from the sheathe on his hip. “Draw your blades to make our vision into reality! Bring death unto the foolish intruders!”

“Death!”

“Death!”

“Death!”

“Death!”

The group all chanted as they drew their own shortswords and some even drew bows as well.

Lulune was able to hear the group’s words clearly and looked perturbed by their chanting. “Hey! Those guys aren’t fooling around!”

Asfi looked at the numbers before glancing at the inert Flower Monsters hanging from the walls and the one in a cage with a good number of empty cages around it. “We’ll face them head-on. I doubt we’ll be able to learn about their activities here without some forceful persuasion…” Asfi turned to face her Familia and quickly gave out orders. “Front line, be wary of the Flower Monsters as you advance. Once a foothold has been established, drop behind the middle guard. The middle guard will engage the enemy directly once combat has been initiated. Capture one of the enemies if possible. Rearguard, do not use Magic or Magic Weapons until signaled. Keep recovery items on standby.”

“Asfi, would you leave the middle guard to me?” Thane requested as he stepped forward, one hand atop the feathered hat on his head. “As the Captain of the Familia, you’re our rock. I couldn’t face Lord Hermes if something were to happen to you. This enemy is also mysterious. Shouldn’t the commander see the battlefield in its entirety?”

Asfi thought about Thane’s request for a moment. “Very well, you make a fair point. Please take care of the middle guard.” She then looked at the Elf man flatly. “Also, would you mind not copying his voice and mannerisms? Just listening to it is giving me a headache.” Under her breath she muttered about how it was like Hermes was with them.

Thane chuckled a bit as he moved forward to take command. “I cannot hear it at all.”

“Advance!” Asfi gave the order to engage the approaching enemies.

“Kill them all!” The leader of the white-robed group pointed his shortsword at Hermes Familia as the rest charged towards them, a few shooting arrows at the advancing Adventurers.

Elilly, Falgar, and Golmeth raised their shields to block the arrows as they charged forward. While the enemy was focused on them, Tabitha, Keaks, and Thane used their shoulders as launch points to leap high into the air. Keaks threw two rocks, nailing two of the charging people straight in the face and knocking them to the ground. Tabitha’s whip lashed across the face and side of the head of another enemy, sending them spinning once straight into the rocky floor. All three Adventurers landed in a triangle formation around the only still standing white-robed person that had been at the very front of other group.

“Eh?!” The man, judging by his voice, looked confused at suddenly being surrounded.

“Sorry about this, but you’re not getting away.” Thane smiled at the robed man in a threatening manner. Tabitha and Keaks moved forward to keep the rest of the charging white robes back while Thane dealt with their soon-to-be prisoner.

“Die!” The man lunged at Thane with his wide shortsword.

Thane easily weaved around the sloppy thrust, almost seeming amused by the attack. “My Lord once enraged a War God, you see?” Than reached forward and grabbed the other man’s outstretched arm with one hand and the collar of his robe with the other. “He taught me this little trick…” Thane shoulder tossed the man onto the hard ground with force. “Here!”

“Gah!” The robed man hacked out; the wind driven from his lungs.

“A mere imitation but still quite effective, no?” Thane caught his hat that had flown off his head from the sudden move. “Lulune, the Status Thief.”

The injured man’s eyes widened in shock at the name of the item being brought over.

“Wow! This Elf’s got some moves.” Lulune grinned at Thane as she pulled out a small bottle of the illegal item that would forcibly reveal the strangely robed man’s Falna. Lulune stopped by the downed man as Thane flipped him over onto his stomach. “Now, let’s ask that body of yours what Familia you’re in!”

“My Lord, I shall obey the pact…” The white-robed man said.

“What?” Thane looked confused by the words until he saw the man’s hands moving beneath the white robe. Without a second of hesitation, Thane pushed Lulune away with all of his strength. “Get back, Lulune!”

Lulune went flying back multiple meters in surprise.

“MY LIFE FOR IRIS!!!” The man screamed out before pulling a small handle free from something tied to his chest.

BOOM

The fiery explosion completely obliterated the man’s body in an instant.

Thane barely managed to get his arms up to protect his face from the blast before it engulfed him and launched him backwards.

“H-He…blew himself up?!” Lulune’s eyes were wide in shock and horror at what had just happened. “Thane…?” She looked through the fading smoke to see Thane laid out on the ground, wisps of smoke rising off him. “THANE!!!” Lulune rushed over to him as fast as she could, already pulling out a potion to try and heal her Familia member.

“An explosion?!” Tabitha looked back to see what had happened in shock.

Keaks gritted his teeth. “What the hell?! Are these guys insane?! What are they carrying around?!”

The approaching white robed-people pulled aside their outer robes to reveal what was tied to their chests. The large crimson stones were easily identifiable to the experienced Hermes Familia.

“Kaenseki?!” Jose called out in shock at the dangerous Drop Items. Those weren’t the small ones either (like Zanis Lustra had used against Bell Cranel in the War Game between Sarutahiko Familia and Soma Familia) but the larger ones found on Flame Rocks at the deepest Floors of their normal range in the Dungeon.

“Th-These guys are zealots!” Keaks yelled out a warning to everyone, seeing the wide eyes and the panicked tears flowing out of the eyes of several of the enemies.

One of the white-robed men rushed towards the Hermes Familia. “May this unworthy vessel find salvation!” He bellowed before yanking the small handle off the tied together Kaenseki.

Keaks, Tabitha, Jose, and Suicia all leapt away as fast as they could.

BOOM

“Ya gotta be kidding me…!” Keaks looked back at the smoke, seeing nothing left of the zealot that had just blown himself up.

Three more of the robed zealots rushed straight through the smoke towards the staggered Adventurers.

“Forgive me, Sophia!”

“Reina, I shall atone!”

“Alas, Julius!”

The three screamed out before pulling the little handles off their Kaenseki bombs.

“They’re deranged!” Tabitha cried out as she backpedaled as fast as she could.

“You guys nuts?!” Keaks shouted at the zealots, never having seen people so quick to throw their lives away.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

Atop the ridge, the leader of the zealots had his arms spread wide. “Do not fear death, my brethren! Our vision lies beyond death! Prove your devotion to our Lord!”

Asfi wasn’t going to stand around and let her Familia be wiped out. “Nelly! Take all High Potions and see to it that they reach Thane!”

“Yes!” Nelly took off straight towards where Lulune and Thane were.

“Dodon! Take Meryl and heal all units that don’t have potions left!” Asfi ordered the masked man and the Prum Mage. The pair were quick to run towards their Familia members that were injured.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

Four more explosions went off from the suicide bombing of the white-robed zealots.

‘Are those Deities they’re calling out for…? No, people…?!’ Asfi analyzed the situation with wide eyes, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. ‘Could this be their Deity’s will? Prove their loyalty with death…?! They’re beyond our comprehension…what in the world are we fighting against down here?!’ She grit her teeth as the situation quickly deteriorated.

“Such broken souls.” The goat skull masked man said of the Evilus remnants. He hadn’t moved a single inch since the fighting had begun. “Fools bound to a Deity…disgraceful.” With a dark smirk on his face, only just visible near the bottom of the skull mask, the man spoke. “Violas.”

From the tunnel entrance behind Asfi, dozens of the Flower Monsters emerged all at once, shrieking and howling.

Asfi turned quickly, sweat on her face at the sudden appearance, knowing that in their current state, the Hermes Familia was in no way capable of fighting a battle like this.

The Violas rushed forward all at once, like a wave of gnashing teeth and screams. Asfi put all of her Level 4 stats to use as she dodged them, her sharp eyes noticing the movements of the shirtless man’s arm, as if he was sending a signal.

“Falgar!” Asfi shouted out a warning.

The Weretiger man turned in time, his eyes widening, and blocked the Viola’s jaws that nearly snapped him up from behind with his shield, deflecting it off to the side. “That was too close.” Falgar exhaled heavily.

“Th-This isn’t good!” Golmeth stumbled over his words, standing right beside Falgar. “Now there’re Flower Monsters too?!” They were already in a bad situation with these zealots.

The Viola that Falgar had deflected kept going and snapped up one of the white-robed men in its jaws.

“Hack!” The man’s white mask turned red as he spat up blood.

“Do they not care who they hit?!” Pott cried out in shock, seeing the brutality of the enemies they were fighting.

The Viola turned and then lunged at the Hermes Familia, still with the dying zealot hanging from its closed jaws.

“N-No way!” Lulune realized what was about to happen and jumped away as far as she could. “Watch out!”

Pock, Elilly, and Tabitha rushed away as they saw the dying zealot pull the pin from his cluster of Kaenseki.

BOOM

The charge of the Viola had brought the explosion almost point blank into the Hermes Familia. Elilly had managed to block some of it with her two large shields, but had been knocked backwards from the blast. Tabitha had a few minor marks from flying debris, but they were only mild injuries at worst. Pock grunted as he moved back and fished out a potion from his belt.

“Damn…that hurt.” Jose grunted, having been just far enough away to only be hit but the edge of the shockwave and knocked to the ground. He pushed himself up with a grimace and readied his twin swords again.

“They’ll accept casualties as long as we get hurt?!” Tabitha was already back on her feet and trying to hold steady as she lashed her whip at one of the zealots, knocking the person back into the group and staggering them.

Pott yelled out a warning from the side. “Watch out!”

Everyone dove to the side just in time for a Viola to crashed through where they’d been standing a split-second ago.

Another zealot rushed forward, trying to take advantage of the battered and scattered Hermes Familia.

“This is crazy!” Lulune yelled out, her knife flashing out to stab the charging man before he could detonate himself. She kicked the dying man away into the crowd of approaching zealots.

Asfi rushed forward as she took the entire situation into account. ‘We won’t last… In addition to the mysterious band of suicide bombers, the Flower Monsters’ indiscriminate attacks have our formation in shambles! In this chaos, even retreat is as good as suicide. We’ll be wiped out the moment we turn our backs.’ She locked her eyes on the man in the skull mask. ‘That repulsive man… As soon as he moved his arm in that strange motion, all of the Flower Monsters started attacking. He’s probably a Tamer… Even though taming such large Monsters on this scale defies logic. However, the abnormalities in the Pantry can all be explained if the Tamer is behind it.’ Asfi quickly picked out her targets. ‘The man on top of the ridge controls the zealots. The skull masked man, a probable Tamer.’

A handful of glass orbs filled with red liquid were tossed ahead of Asfi and into the crowd of zealots. The white-robed group only had a second for their eyes to widen in confusion before the Burst Oil bombs shattered on them.

KABOOM

The explosion was the biggest one so far as the Burst Oil blasts set off the Kaenseki bombs that the zealots were wearing. A chain of explosions decimated a good number of the zealots all at once.

“Falgar! Take command! Keep close ranks and hold strong!” Asfi ordered as she blurred past her Familia. ‘I’ll cut off the ‘head’ and end this once and for all!’ She rushed ahead through the thick smoke from the chain of explosions.

Keaks rushed after her as fast as he could. “Asfi! I’ve got your back! Please, let me assist!”

Asfi glanced back at Keaks. “Cover me, Keaks!” She called out and faced forward again.

“You got it!” Keaks smiled wide as he kept up his pace while hunching forward enough for his hands to drag over the ground and collect a few good-sized rocks for throwing. Once he had enough he stood up straight and bolted forward at top speed.

The zealots standing in front of the ridge saw Asfi charging at them from the smoke and brandished their weapons, ready to meet her charge with their own.

“Gah!”

“Ack!”

“Ow!”

Rocks zipped through the air, smashing into the faces, hands, and foreheads of the zealots, making a few drop their weapons, while the others reeled in pain and staggered backwards.

“Stand your ground!” The zealot leader shouted at the others. “The attacker only has so many projectiles!”

“Aukh!”

“My eye!”

Two more zealots went down screaming from the rocks bashing into them at high speed.

“You know this is the Dungeon, right?” Keaks asked, his form was revealed in the air from a strong jump as the smoke finally cleared. “You really think I’m gonna run out of rocks to throw? Idiots!” He threw three more stones, each one nailing his targets and clearing the way for Asfi as he fell back to the ground.

Asfi’s dagger flashed out and nearly decapitated the zealot leader, blood flying through the air as the man fell dead. Asfi never slowed down, rushing straight towards the shirtless Tamer.

“If only you had allowed the Violas to consume you.” The skull masked man uttered out as Asfi closed the distance. “Do it.”

The ground nearly erupted as dozens of the long, vine-like tentacles of the Violas burst from below and lashed at Asfi.

“Nngh!” Asfi grunted as she pivoted on one foot and rushed away from the tentacles that cracked the ground wherever they struck.

“You move well, Adventurer…” The masked man said. “Or should I say, Perseus?” The Tamer revealed that he knew Asfi’s Title. “Now, die.”

“KREEEE!!!” A Viola lunged forward, jaws wide, to devour Asfi. The tentacles behind her forced her to move forward, and the Viola’s jaws were now straight ahead.

“Talaria.” Asfi touched the sides of her gladiator sandals and two brightly glowing wings appeared from each one. In the blink of an eye, Asfi was high in the air, the Viola below snapping on nothing.

“What?!” The masked man cried out in shock.

The remaining zealots all looked up at Asfi in complete shock.

“Is…she f-flying…?” One of them muttered in disbelief.

Asfi reached into her many pouches around her waist and pulled out all of her remaining Burst Oil bombs. “You’ve forced my hand. This ends now.” She threw them all straight down upon the horde of Violas and the last of the zealots.

“Oh shit!” Keaks yelled out as he jumped behind a large rock outcropping and put his hands over his head.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

The explosions rang out over and over again, The huge fiery blast was only made more intense as the remaining Kaenseki bombs went off as well, spreading the explosions further and torching the Violas that were outside of Asfi’s initial range.

The Tamer has made several Viola form a circular wall around him with their bodies. Said bodies now having been torched black by the blazing explosion that covered the area. The shirtless man held up his right arm to cover his face as the shockwaves from the successive blasts washed over him.

Asfi swooped in from the air, her dagger out and ready to pierce straight through the masked man. The man noticed her a second before she was close enough to stab him. “Too slow!”

Or so she thought.

The masked man grabbed the dagger with his bare hand, blood welling up from the cut on his palm and fingers, but he stopped the blade, and Asfi, cold.

“What?” Asfi nearly coughed as her entire body, but mostly her arms, were harshly jarred from the sudden stop. Her Talaria weren’t able to move her forward even an inch as the masked Tamer held onto her dagger’s blade tightly.

“Haah!” The skull masked man crabbed the front of Asfi’ white cloak and slammed her into the ground, back first.

Asfi hacked out a breath btu quickly shot to her feet and made distance. She was Level 4 and such a move wouldn’t be able to put her down. ‘His strength is dangerous! If I don’t keep proper distance…’ She realized that the Tamer wasn’t where he’d been a second ago. “He’s gone?!”

“You dropped this.” The man’s voice came from behind Asfi just before she felt a sharp and intense pain in her gut.

Asfi tasted blood in her mouth as she shakily looked down and saw her own dagger stabbed through her.

“ASFI!!!” Falgar roared as he charged through the fading smoke towards his Captain and friend.

“Damn you!” Lulune was right beside him, her own dagger out and ready.

Jose deflected a Viola and cut off its head. “Damn it, damn it!” Another one was already coming right at him.

“Asfi!” Pott yelled out as she bashed a Viola over the head.

“Fuck!” Pock swore as he smashed the head of the same Viola as his sister, the flesh finally giving way and the Magic Stone within shattered, turning the large Monster into black ashes a second later.

Elilly and Suicia were fighting off three more Violas as more and more started to wake up from the wall and attack.

Thane was back on his feet, if only just enough to fight, as he buried his axe into the head of another Viola. “Asfi will die if we don’t get her out of there!”

Golmeth hacked off the pinned Viola’s head with his large sword. “We can’t get there!” More Violas were already slithering towards them both.

The Tamer ignored them all, knowing they were too far away to reach him. “The Adventurers’ stubborn will to live is strong in you. Surely, you will not succumb to such a minor wound?” He torturously sawed the dagger against the wound, slowly cutting Asfi more and more as her own weight dragged her down onto the blade.

“AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!” Asfi screamed in agony, the wound getting wider and wider as more and more of her blood spilled onto the ground.

“There won’t be any recovering from that.” The Tamer mocked Asfi as her agony flooded her mind, making her body twitch even as blood flowed freely from her mouth and gaping wound. “But no dying just yet.”

“ASFI!!!” Keaks leapt above the fading smoke cloud, clearly having jumped from the top of the rocky outcropping he’d taken shelter behind earlier during the explosions. “GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HER!!!” He threw two rocks as hard as he possibly could, not even feeling the twinges of sharp pain the throw had caused to his shoulder.

One stone shattered against the Tamer’s hand, forcing him to drop Asfi. The other cracked the goat skull mask and turned into a brief powdery dust that obscured the shirtless man’s vision. “Gah! Useless diversion…!”

Keaks cocked back his right arm again, heedless of the pain. “Asfi! Here!” He had a High Potion in his hand.

‘He didn’t use…his High Potion…this whole time…?’ Asfi knew that Keaks should have, given all that they’d been through so far.

“Please use it!” He was about to throw when the Tamer glared hatefully at him.

“Vio-” The Tamer was interrupted.

BAM

The wall on one side of the large Plant (formerly Pantry) was blasted inward and all eyes turned to see what had just happened.

“Tch. Small fry.” Bete stomped on the crushed and shredded head of a Viola. The area where he’d kicked through the wall was filled with the destroyed remains of dozens of the Monsters. “Doesn’t matter how many of these things show up.”

“That’s…” Lulune blinked at seeing the famous (or infamous depending on who you asked) Vanargand, Bete Loga.

“Who the hell are you?” Bete asked, his twin shortswords in his hands as he looked down at the battle going on.

Lefiya and Filvis were just behind the Werewolf, looking at the destruction all over what had once been a normal Pantry in the Dungeon.

Bete scoffed at not seeing Ais anywhere. “Hey.” He didn’t look at Lefiya, but the Elf knew he was speaking to her. “I’m gonna buy you some time. Take out every last one of these things.” With that, Bete was a blur rushing straight at the horde of incoming Violas.

“Are they allies…?” Falgar asked.

Lulune could only blink before speaking. “They’re probably here for the Kenki.”

“Talaria.” Asfi’s winged sandals launched her away from the masked Tamer suddenly.

“What?!” The man roared as his attention had been diverted long enough for Asfi to catch the High Potion that Keaks had thrown and take it. With her injury mostly healed, she’d bolted out of danger. “Violas!”

“KREEEE!!!” The entire horde of Violas shrieked as they rushed towards the Adventurers.

Bete was nothing more than a blur as he sliced through six Violas with his swords, kicked the head off of the seventh, crushed the head of the eighth with a brutal axe kick, and springboarded off of it to decapitate two more. He kicked off the falling corpses to cut down another two Violas, and quickly turned his attention to the weirdo in the sheep skull mask.

“Proud warriors, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows. Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies. Falling like rain, burn away the savages.” Lefiya chanted as Filvis stood in front of her to guard against the horde of Violas that were now going crazy as Lefiya’s magical power skyrocketed to ridiculous levels.

Down below, Meryl’s entire body shuddered in terror. “That much magical power!” She turned to face her Familia with a panicked cry. “EVERYONE GET DOWN!!!” It was the loudest that any of them had ever heard Meryl yell before.

Lulune’s fur was standing on end. She wasn’t even a Mage and had almost no ability to sense magic power, but every single one of her beastman instinct was screaming at her to take cover if she didn’t want to die. She threw herself behind a boulder with her hands over her ears in a blind panic.

‘She’s a monster!’ Meryl screamed in her mind, practically seeing the silhouette of a dragon in her mind’s eye from the outpouring of Lefiya’s magic power.

“Fusillade Fallarica!” Lefiya cast while holding her staff high above her head, magic power nearly exploding around her. The air was blisteringly hot as the Fire Magic was unleashed, beam after devastating beam of condensed flame blasted the landscape, scorching everything it touched. The Violas were wiped out and reduced to ashes in the turbulent wind as the spell continued to decimate every Monster that Lefiya had targeted and all of the surrounding ones just from the resulting explosions.

When the bombardment finally stopped, everyone cautiously looked around as they got back to their feet.

“Hey!” Lulune called out, waving to the one responsible for the spell. “You’re Lefiya…right?”

Lefiya, still breathing a little heavily from how much of her Mind she’d poured into her spell, looked at the other woman for a second before her memory clicked. “Miss Lulune? What’re you doing here?”

Bete stepped between the two women before they could get close enough to talk normally. He took hold of Lulune’s red scarf and pulled her upward until only her tiptoes were on the ground. “Oi! Is Ais here or not?! Spill it!”

“Sh-She was with us up until a while back, but we got separated.” Lulune said quickly, not wanting to get on the Level 5’s bad side.

“Separated?” Bete nearly growled at the news.

Lulune took her chance and grasped Bete’s hand that was still holding her scarf. “Before that. Please, help us! That man…” She pointed at the shirtless Tamer. “This screwed up Pantry, all these freaky Monsters, he knows what’s going on! He’s behind it all, I’m sure of it!” Bete let her scarf go, but Lulune kept talking. “I’ll answer whatever you want later! But we need help now!”

The skull masked man looked down at Bete and the two Elves with him.

“Bete…” Lefiya wanted to implore him to help, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

“Tch.” Bete scoffed as he turned to face the Tamer. “What a pain.” He started walking towards the masked man. “Putting Ais aside… I just can’t stand that look in his eyes.”

The Tamer gave a condescending smirk at Bete’s words as the Werewolf got closer and closer. He held out his hand and five Violas, all smaller than normal, seemingly woke up and pulled themselves free of the wall before slithering at Bete with their jaws wide open to devour him.

“Outta my way!” Bete sliced the Violas into bloody chunks and barely slowed down at all. “Your tricks are meaningless!”

“Don’t know when to stop, stupid Adventurer.” The Tamer said as he dodged Bete’s shortswords and got into his blind spot, ready to deliver a power blow to the Werewolf.

Bete’s foot coming straight at his head in a blur forced the shirtless man to guard instead.

“Gh!” The Tamer grunted, his forearm now sporting a dark bruise from the impact. ‘This one is fast!’

“Tch!” Bete scoffed at the successful block. ‘Sure can take a hit.’

The Tamer smirked at Bete as the two were eyeing each other for any openings. “Ah, Vanargand, yes… That means Loki Familia! You’ve come looking for your Sword Princess!”

Bete growled at the masked man. “The hell did you do with Ais?!”

“My associate is dealing with her.” The Tamer answered mockingly. “I’m sure that she’s lost a limb or two by now. But I assure you, she’s in good hands.” Three slashes hit the Tamer’s hastily raised guard, cutting into his flesh. ‘He just got faster!’

“You die now.” Bete snarled, his shortswords held in front of him and an almost visible aura of danger rolling off of his body as his wolf ears were pinned back.

The two men became a blur to the eyes of everyone that was watching. Loud booms and displaced air were seen and felt every time they clashed.

Lefiya and Filvis quickly lost track of the fight, only seeing blurs ad brief clashes.

“Viridis! Ready support!” Filvis said after a second to pull her eyes away from the fight.

“I can’t even keep up…” Lefiya shook her head, knowing that even is she fired off her fast Arcs Ray spell, it wouldn’t hit the Tamer. ‘Loki Familia is Orario’s strongest… And even then, Bete’s speed is still superior. I understand and accept that I’ll never catch up in that regard, but…’ Bete and the Tamer locked against each other, Bete’s shortswords being held back but both of the masked man’s hands, while his knee strike was blocked by the man’s own leg. It was the first clear look at the two of them that Lefiya had gotten since the fight started. ‘How is that man a match for Bete?’ Her mind was taken back to the redheaded Tamer woman that had outfought Ais and even deflected Lefiya’s spell bare-handed. ‘It can’t be a coincidence that both of them are ridiculously strong Tamers that no one knows about.’

“Violas!” The Tamer roared, forcefully awakening more of the immature Violas hanging from the walls. The Monsters shrieked and lunged at Bete, lashing out with their vine-like limbs and forcing him to look away from the Tamer. “Hah!” The man slammed a palm strike into Bete and knocked him backwards, only for the Violas to rain blows down on him with their tentacles.

“You bastard!” Bete endured the rain of blows with a growl.

“Miss Filvis, please cover me!” Lefiya knew from experience that the Flower Monsters were attracted to magic energy and if she could distract them, then Bete could focus on the Tamer. “Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are the master archer. Loose your arrows, fairy archers. Pierce, arrow of accuracy.” She quickly chanted and built up her magic power.

“Kree!” The Violas stopped attacking Bete and slithered towards Lefiya rapidly.

Filvis stood between them and Lefiya, her sword and wand at the ready.

“Violas! Ignore that one! The Werewolf is your prey!” The Tamer bellowed and the Violas immediately changed course and went after Bete again.

“RAAHHH!!!” Bete took the brief opening he had and slashed and kicked the Tamer over and over again, forcing him further and further away from the returning Violas. A powerful kick slammed into the side of the masked man’s head and sent him staggering. “What the hell are you waiting for?!” Bete yelled at Lefiya.

“Arcs Ray!” Lefiya aimed her staff and fired the beam of Magic at the Tamer.

The Tamer held out his hand with a bellow. “Know your place!” The spell barreled towards the Tamer, taking all of his attention, until it suddenly veered off, heading straight upwards. “What?!”

The Arcs Ray slammed into Bete’s Frosvirt and the greaves did exactly what they were made to do, absorb all of the magic energy to boost Bete’s physical power.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Bete had a wild grin on his face as his greaves glowed almost blindingly bright with power. The Tamer’s eyes were wide behind his mask, visible through the eye sockets of the skull. “Die.”

The kick connected like a meteor falling to earth, all of Bete’s physical might combined with Lefiya’s insane magical power shattered the ground beneath the Tamer. The man was crushed into the ground, his cries of pain unheard over the blast, before the ac of Bete’s kick was completed and the Tamer was blasted straight through the ground, tearing a long trench through solid rock and then shattering the far wall when he hit it, obliterating the odd flesh there along with all of the immature Violas that had been on that section of the wall.

The dust in the air obscured everyone’s view, but that didn’t particularly matter to the Hermes Familia, who were busy tending to Asfi and her massive injury.

“Use the emergency Elixir!” Keaks demanded of Nelly.

“I’ll give her my High Potion too!” Lulune already had the potion in hand.

The gaping wound had been partially healed by the High Potion that Keaks had thrown to Asfi, but it was a wound that would’ve been instantly fatal to anyone weaker than Asfi was. Even High Potions weren’t guaranteed to heal such grievous injuries.

Nelly quickly poured the Elixir onto Asfi’s bleeding wound as the Captain grimaced in pain. The most powerful potion on the market quickly had the wound sealed shut and healed.

“Drink, Asfi.” Lulune wouldn’t let Asfi argue as she gently pushed the High Potion to Asfi’s lips.

Asfi drank the liquid and felt the pain deep within ease and slowly disappear as the horrible injury finally healed fully and some of her strength started to return. “Hah…hah… What’s our current status?” She immediately took on her role of commander again.

“We’re all still alive.” Falgar reported quickly and simply. “Injured, wore out, but everyone is still alive.”

“Good…” Asfi grimaced as she looked over to where the fight was going on. “We need to end this.”

Over where Bete was watching the fading dust cloud with sharp eyes, Lefiya and Filvis approached.

“Did you kill him?” Filvis asked as she watched for any sign of movement.

“I aimed to kill when I attacked.” Bete answered, not going to claim a kill until he saw a body.

Lefiya looked at the trench that had been torn through the stone by the Tamer’s body. ‘All of Bete’s strength plus my magical power in one blow… No matter how strong his defense, nothing could survive that.’

A silhouette in the last of the dust cloud proved Lefiya wrong.

“That was a nice try.” The Tamer spoke as he was back on his feet already. “But bodies endowed with ‘Her’ love don’t break so easily.” The dust fell back to the ground and revealed the man’s face, but also his body horribly beaten and torn up with multiple chunks of his flesh missing.

“What kind of Monster…?” Asfi breathed out, her eyes watching as the man’s body rapidly regenerated. It was only when she saw his face whole again that Asfi’s eyes widened in shock. “Vendetta… Olivas Act?!”

Lefiya’s eyes went wide as she remembered what Bors had told her back in Rivira. About the one that orchestrated the Nightmare on the Twenty-Seventh Floor years ago. The same incident that had scarred Filvis’s heart and mind as only she survived while everyone else died horrific deaths. But Bors had made it clear that the mastermind had died to his own scheme, they’d only found his severed legs after the ‘Nightmare’ had been ended. “Why…? What is a dead man doing here?!”

Asfi narrowed her eyes at Olivas. “You survived?”

“No, I died.” Olivas said as if it was not an issue. “I was, however, brought back from the brink.” His full body was revealed and Lefiya noticed his legs.

‘His legs aren’t human!’ Lefiya nearly screamed into her mind, her eyes wide and sweat starting to run down her face. Indeed, Olivas’s legs were humanoid in shape, but they were clearly covered in what looked like scales.

“I HAVE BEEN GRANTED A SECOND LIFE THANKS TO ‘HER’!!!” Olivas raised his hands high into the air, looking straight up to the ceiling high above as if praising some unseen Deity.

Lefiya felt like throwing up as she saw the stone in the center of Olivas’s chest. “A brightly-colored Magic Stone… What in the world are you?!”

Olivas smiled widely, unsettling them all. “Man…” He held a hand out to them. “And Monster.” He held a hand out to the broken remains of a Violas. “A combination that now exists beyond both!”

‘A combination of human…and Monster? A hybrid?’ Lefiya held her hand over her mouth, the very idea sounding like some horrid and disgusting perversion of nature. ‘I don’t believe it… I don’t want to believe it… Is that redhaired Tamer the same?’

“This is crazy!” Lulune yelled at Olivas. “Enough messing around! First you’re a leftover Evilus disciple, and now you’re some half human-half Monster Tamer?!”

“Do not confuse me with those scum who dance at the will of their God. Worse, to dismiss my ability as mere child’s play like Taming.” Olivas picked up the remains of one of the Violas and held it above his head. “The Violas! Me! We are all one entity under ‘Her’! We are one and the same! As ‘Her’ representative, the Monsters obey my will! This is the Plant! Like a parasite, the Viscum infests a Pantry, forcing it to bear Violas, providing a vessel to birth higher-level Monsters closer to the surface!”

‘Monsters giving birth to Monsters?! This is nothing like those Monsters with weakened Magic Stones that reproduced after reaching the surface. These enemies of humanity have full-fledged Magic Stones of their own?! The Dungeon is the true Mother of Monsters… This man is subverting the natural order even accepted by the Gods… This creature means to destroy it all!’ Asfi’s mind was running faster than it ever had before. “Why? Why would you do such a thing?!”

Olivas grinned disturbingly. “To destroy Orario.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the statement and how simply the creature in front of them had said it.

“D-Do you even know what you’re saying?! What it would mean?!” Asfi yelled, not caring how drained she felt right now after surviving the horrible wound that this…thing…had inflicted on her. “Orario is the lid! It’s the one barrier that prevents Monsters from reaching the surface! Without it…”

It was obvious what would happen, even if Asfi didn’t say it. The thousand years of ‘relative’ peace would end and all other life in the world would be under threat from the Monsters again.

“Of course I understand.” Olivas said with a smile. “I’d destroy Orario of my own volition! All to make ‘Her’ dream a reality!” He held his hands up to his ears with a grin. “Can you not hear ‘Her’ voice? ‘She’ wishes to see the sky! ‘She’ yearns for it! That is ‘Her’ wish and I will do everything in my power to grant it!”

“Shut up already.” Bete’s voice shattered the confused and terrified mood that Olivas had created with his twisted words. “Just hurry up and die. You keep blabbin’ on and on like all you need is more time to patch yourself up.” Bete glared at Olivas like he was garbage. “Admit it. You can’t fight worth shit right now, can you?”

Olivas smirked at Bete. “My strategy, seen through by humans, how troubling. This body is nothing but a shell that ‘She’ saw fit to give life and protection. It is as you say, I cannot fight as I am now.” His smirk became a twisted smile. “I cannot…”

Bete and Asfi both realized what was about to happen before it did.

“Kill them! Viscum!”  Olivas raised his hand into the air and one of the three towering Plant Monsters unwound itself from the quartz spire and made an odd sound before rearing up and almost touching the ceiling.

“You’ve gotta be kidding!” Lulune cried out as the Viscum fell towards them.

“SCATTER!” Bete roared out and everyone sprinted as fast as they could, regardless of their current condition, to get out of the way in time.

BAM

The entire Pantry…Plant…whatever, shook like an earthquake was happening, such was the sheer weight and size of the Viscum.

One person had charged forward instead of away, however.

“Olivas Act!” Filvis roared at the man turned creature. “Because of you… Because of your plot… My comrades all died!” She pointed her sword at him with rage twisting her normally beautiful face.

“Ah, a survivor of the Twenty-Seventh Floor Nightmare?” Olivas looked amused at that fact.

“HOW DARE YOU!” Filvis yelled at him, her hands shaking in her rage.

Olivas looked amused by the Elf woman in front of him. “Although that plan was my own, I am also among its casualties. But death has finally awoken me to the nightmare created by the Gods. We can share this pain.”

Filvis nearly snapped right then and there. “GO TO HELL!!! YOU…I WILL NEVER!!!”

“You may face me in battle, but can you leave your kin to her fate, Elven Maiden?” Olivas motioned towards Lefiya as she ran from the destruction caused by the Viscum’s moving body and the countless small Violas being forcefully awakened before they were fully formed.

Filvis ground her teeth, her rage warring with her desire to protect the first person…especially the first of her own kin…to not reject her since that horrid day years ago. The day that the man before her had caused! As Lefiya fought off a Viola, Filvis made her choice and rushed at Olivas…only to sprint past him and run to Lefiya’s side.

Olivas grinned at avoiding a fight in his current condition. All he needed to do was wait until the Viscum had killed everyone and then he’d have all the time he needed to recover.

BAM

The wall exploded, though this time on the opposite side from where Bete, Lefiya, and Filvis had broken in.

Revis flew through the hole among the debris with the handle of a shattered sword in one hand and her arm holding an injury across her stomach. The rocks crashed to the ground and Revis managed to land on her feet, only to drop into a crouch with a grimace of pain.

Ais stood on the ridge overlooking the cavern, this tunnel having been a pathway to the pantry before it had been taken over.

“Miss Ais!” Lefiya called out, smiling up at her friend and idol with joy at seeing her again.

Bete let out a breath before a small smirk crossed his face.

Lulune perked up, a bright smile on her face and her fluffy tail wagging behind her.

Asfi looked relieved to see her alive and mostly well, aside from some clear bruises and scuff marks on her armor and clothing.

“All talk, Revis?” Olivas looked down on the woman. “Disgraceful.”

Revis shot him a venomous look.

“This is the girl you claim to be ‘Aria’? Hardly believable…but if it is ‘Her’ will, then no matter!” Olivas declared as he raised his hand into the air.

“Stop!” Revis roared at him.

“Viscum!” Olivas pointed at Ais. The titanic Monster let out a strange roar that no bestial Monster could hope to make. “Alive or dead, she’s ours!”

“Miss Ais!” Lefiya cried out, seeing the massive Monster rushing straight towards her friend.

Ais raised Desperate, holding it parallel to her body. She hadn’t used Ariel once since she’d reached Level 6, instead focusing on her swordsmanship and refining her technique. “…here we go.” Ais’s golden eyes opened as the Immense Monster rushed at her. “Awaken, Tempest.”

Wind exploded into a massive tornado around Ais’s body for an instant. In the very next instant, all of her wind was wrapped tightly around her blade to the point that Desperate vibrated from the force. Ais swung the blade in a perfect arc, one that even the sternest of swordsmanship instructors wouldn’t find fault with.

The Viscum was cut in half, the top half of its massive flower-like head and a portion of its long body separating cleanly beyond what any metal blade could hope to achieve.

Olivas’s face was a rictus of shock, sweat pouring down it like rain.

Revis only glared at the power that Ais hadn’t even seen fit to use against her.

Even Bete and Asfi, two incredibly experienced Adventurers with years of dungeon crawling under their belts, could only stare in stunned shock at what they’d just witnessed. Everyone else was no better, just staring up at the power that had instantly killed the giant Monster that they could barely damage because of its immense size.

Lulune’s jaw was hanging open as she beheld the power of her new friend, not knowing that this was the first tine that ANYONE had seen this power from Ais.

“H-Ho-HOOOWWW?!” Olivas fell on his ass in terror as the severed part of the Viscum crashed into the ground with a loud thump.

Lefiya was trembling as she looked at Ais, her mind running through everything she knew about Magic…which was a lot considering that Riveria was her teacher. ‘As an Enchantment with a short incantation, Miss Ais’s Ariel should be equally simple. She is no naturally gifted Elven Magic user. For a human like Miss Ais…that level of power…should be impossible.’ This was the first time that Lefiya came to a startling realization about Ais Wallenstein, her friend and her idol. ‘Miss Ais… Your Ariel is unnatural.’

In a blur of her Wind-enhanced speed, Ais was on the ground, most unable to follow her at all.

“V-Viscum!” Olivas panicked and called for the second of the three Viscum. “Attack! Kill them all!”

The titanic Flower Monster unwound itself from the giant quartz crystal and focused on the group of Adventurers.

Woooooooo~

Ais swung her sword once more, all of her wind wrapped around the blade.

The Viscum’s head split from its body cleanly, though this time the positioning was different and the massive Monster exploded into thick black ashes as its Magic Stone was destroyed.

“Im-Impossible…” Olivas collapsed to his knees in shock. “Inconceivable. Defeat…failure… I…I was chosen.”

Asfi and Hermes Familia approached Olivas, weapons at the ready.

“It seems that your Flower Monsters have fallen.” Asfi said with her eyes locked onto the sweating Olivas. “This is over.”

Revis stepped between Olivas and everyone else.

Olivas stopped shaking and grinned. “Revis… Yes…Yes, we have been chosen!” He shot back to his feet with a laugh. “We are ‘Her’ chosen! Beyond any beast, man, or Monster! Buy me some time to heal, Revis and it will only take us a moment to destroy her!”

“Don’t be a fool.” Revis said coldly.

“What?” Olivas blinked only to have Revis’s hand plunged into his chest in the time it took to blink.

All of the watching Adventurers flinched in shock at the sudden betrayal, and it was this brief moment of shock and confusion that prevented them from acting.

“R-Revis…you…” Olivas hacked out.

Revis just looked at him uncaringly. “I need more power. That’s all.” She looked at his hands that grabbed on to her wrist to try and stop her from removing her hand. “No amount of Violas could ever satisfy my hunger.”

Olivas’s body began to grow pale and cracks formed throughout his skin. “You can’t be serious! I am the same as you, chosen by ‘Her’!”

“Chosen? You think that thing is like a Goddess?” Revis looked at him like he was a fool. “There’s no reason to put it on a pedestal. We’re all just pawns.”

“If I’m g-gone…who will protect ‘Her’?” Olivas choaked out as his body began to crumble in places.

Revis yanked her hand out of Olivas’s chest, taking his oddly-colored Magic stone with it. “Don’t get the wrong idea.” She placed the Magic Stone in her mouth and crushed it between her teeth before swallowing it. “I’ve been protecting it this whole time. That won’t change.” She let Olivas’s body collapse into ashes before she was gone in a blink, her fist slamming into Ais’s hastily raised sword.

Ais’s eyes widened as she went flying through the air from the force of Revis’s punch. ‘She wasn’t this strong before! Was that a Magic Stone?!’ That was the only thing that made sense, and yet it didn’t make any sense to Ais at the same time.

“What the fuck?!” Bete was the only one that had even seen the blur of Revis moving when she suddenly attacked.

“Miss Ais!” Lefiya cried out as her fiend was chased after by the redheaded Tamer woman that was probably a ‘creature’ as well.

Bete rushed off to give Ais backup. “Damn it!”

“Asfi we should…!” Lulune was about to say ‘back her up’, but she was cut off.

“STAY RIGHT THERE!” Asfi yelled, despite her own condition. “We would be no help in our current state.” She turned her eyes to the strange orb and the creature inside that had seemingly awoken when Ais had arrived. “Our efforts would be best suited to securing that orb! It is, without a doubt, at the center of this incident! We must secure it at once!”

A figure in a dark purple cloak rushed past Asfi and Lulune, knocking the weakened Asfi to the ground.

“Asfi!” Lulune was at her Captain’s side immediately, nearly growling at the unknown figure. “There’s another one?!”

Revis kept Ais locked in place as they clashed, but managed to yell out instructions. “It’s not mature, but it’s grown enough! Take it to Enyo!”

“Understood, the figure spoke, the odd mask making it sound like multiple men and women were speaking all at once. The cloaked figure grabbed the orb and ran towards an exit that had just opened up.

Asfi quickly tried to counter the enemy’s plan. “Lulune! After them! Don’t let them get away!”

Lulune ran after the cloaked person with a growl. “Damn it! Get back here!”

“Viscum!” Revis yelled so loudly that it was nearly deafening. “Keep producing Monsters! Don’t stop until your strength is spent!”

The final Viscum made an odd noise and tightened its long body around the quartz crystal even further, making the entire Plant shake and rumble.

A single immature, short Viola fell from the ceiling with a splat. The Monster opened its mouth and growled as it locked onto the Hermes Familia.

‘An immature Flower Monster? Could its strength be stunted as well?’ Asfi tried to analyze the strange Monster as a potential threat.

Then another Viola fell from the ceiling. And another. And another. Another. Another. Another. Another. Another. Another.

“N-No…is it releasing every Flower Monster in the Pantry?!” Asfi realized what was happening amid the sudden rain of immature Violas.

“Shit!” Bete swore as he kicked one of the immature Violas into pieces while trying to get to where Ais and the redheaded woman were fighting. “There’s so fucking many!” He kept killing more and more but there was always another to replace the ones he killed.

“Th-This is too much!” Falgar said as sweat ran down his face. “Stay close or you’ll be overrun!”

Lulune had already sprinted back to her Familia, leaving the strange cloaked person to escape. “No way! No way, no way, no way…” She was breathing heavily, fear welling up inside her as hundreds of the immature Violas slithered towards them.

“Are you a…Monster?” Ais asked Revis point blank, surprising the redheaded woman. In the next instant, Revis’s eyes widened as her new landform sword, her right arm, and the entirety of her right torso were shredded to nothing but blood mist by Ais’s wind as it swirled around her fiercely. Only her foresight in moving her Magic Stone, the core of her being, to her head had save her life in this instant.

Revis felt herself healing, it was even much faster now that she’d consumed Olivas’s Magic Stone and gained a portion of his power to increase her own, but it was still far too slow to deal with the power of ‘Aria’s’ wind. She leapt backwards over and over again to make distance and a swarm of immature Violas separated her and Ais. “Fight me now and let your friends die, Aira.” Revis said from somewhere within the horde, her voice getting fainter.

Ais slashed her sword and her wind obliterated every Violas between her and the wall, but there was no sign of Revis. With confusion in her eyes, her mind still not able to piece together what she’d seen of Revis and if the woman was human, Monster, or something else entirely, Ais focused on protecting everyone that she could.

“Damn it!” Pock smashed the head of another stunted Violas, only to have to jerk backwards as another almost took his head off with a snap from its jaws.

“Stay together!” Asfi ordered, even as she barely had enough strength left to swing her dagger and kill one of the half-formed Monsters.

The lashing tentacles from the horde were slamming into the shields of Elilly, Golmeth, and Falgar as they tried to protect their Familia, but there were simply too many coming from too many angles.

“Fuck!” Jose cursed as one of the stunted Violas bit his arm. He stabbed it through the head, killing it, but as he wrenched his arm free of its jaws, he knew that his left arm was out of commission now. “Damn you!” He swung his remaining sword at more of the snapping Violas.

Wooooo~

Swirling wind surrounded every member of the Hermes Familia protectively. The half-formed Violas were bounced off of the wind or were even killed by it due to their weakness.

“Huh?” Pott blinked as a lashing tentacle was shredded before it could hit her.

“What is this?” Thane asked, his injuries still sore, but he’d still been swinging his axe to fight with his Familia.

Lulune felt the breeze surrounding her as it brushed through her hair and her fur and a smile spread on her face to replace the panic and fear that had covered it only a moment ago. “It’s the Sword Princess!”

Sky Theatre was in effect, protecting all those that Ais deemed ‘allies’ with an extension of her wind.

“That’ll work!” Bete grinned as his Frosvirt consumed the Magic and amped up his speed and power. He became a blur decimating every single stunted Viola around him.

“Miss Ais…” Lefiya was grateful for the reprieve from attacks, but her heart ached at having to be protected still. ‘No matter how hurtful it is… No matter how much I don’t want to agree… Bete is right… As long as Magic is the only thing I have to offer…I’ll only be baggage.’ She shook her head fiercely, almost startling Filvis who was right beside her. ‘No! I won’t just be someone that always has to be protected! Lady Riveria isn’t here! It’s just me! Thousand Elf… Lefiya Viridis! I will be the one that saves others!’

With Ais’s wind protecting her from the massive horde of immature Violas, Lefiya began to chant while pouring in as much Mind as she could into her spell, her magic power rising in turn and drawing all of the Violas towards her in a frenzy.

“Proud warriors, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows. Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies. Falling like rain, burn away the savages.” Lefiya’s Magic Circle shone brighter than it ever had before as she pointed her staff forward. “Fusillade Fallarica!”

“HOLY SHIT!!!” Lulune cried out as the area wiping Fire Spell was unleashed in an even greater display than before.

-Dungeon ~ Twelfth Floor ~ Late Afternoon-

Welf let out a breath as the Party was turning back and preparing to head for the surface. “We made a lot of progress today. The stairs to the Thirteenth Floor are in sight.”

“We might want to get a bit stronger ourselves before we try and head deeper.” Lili said as she placed the last scroll back into her medium backpack, having finished sealing away the last of the days loot. “We don’t want to be a burden on Bell.”

Bell smiled at Lili for her thoughtfulness, but gave both her and Welf a confident smile. “We can always work harder and train harder to make sure that we’re all ready.”

“No rush from me.” Welf waved it off with a chuckle. “The good materials in the Middle Floors will still be there whenever we get to them.”

Lili looked around the thin mist of the Twelfth Floor. “Are we clear of Monsters, Bell?” She asked her boyfriend before she chose the route to get them back to the surface.

Bell closed his eyes and let his Kanchi Skill spread out to its fullest range. “No Monsters…but theirs a large group of people coming up from the Thirteenth Floor.” He deactivated his Skill and the three-man Party turned to look at the stairs to the Middle Floors.

The first person they saw was unknown to them. A Weretiger man holding a battered sword and shield. More and more people came up to the Twelfth Floor and Bell perked up when he spotted two familiar people.

“Isn’t that…” Lili was about to ask but Bell was already moving. She giggled to herself before following after him.

“Uh…do you two know these people?” Welf asked as he started following after Lili.

“There’re three people approaching.” Falgar said to get the everyone’s attention. After everything they’d gone through down on the Twenty-Fourth Floor, they’d all agreed to only make a brief stop in Rivira (they had to finish off the last half of the special bottle of alcohol together after all since everyone had made it back alive) they’d booked it through the Middle Levels as fast as they could. They all definitely needed to report what they’d seen to their respective patron Deity.

Lulune looked at who was approaching and felt a smile cross her face without thinking about it. “It’s Bell!” She waved but blinked as Ais had already moved forward to close the distance.

Bell stopped on the grassy ground, facing Ais.

Ais stopped on the grassy ground, facing Bell.

Both smiled at each other, their eyes soft and filled with love and affection.

“Ais.” Bell greeted her, his arms going gently moving around her waist.

“Bell.” Ais said with a beautiful smile as she wrapped her arms over Bell’s shoulders.

Their lips met a second later, a soft and gentle kiss filled with all of their love and affection for each other after not having seen one another in what felt like far too long. Ais felt the black flame within her heart vanish, even from its fiercely burning state after everything that had happened on the Twenty-Fourth Floor. She pressed her body against Bell’s, reveling in his soothing warmth and gentle embrace.

“I missed you.” Ais said once their lips separated a long moment later.

“I missed you too, Ais.” Bell gently rested his forehead against Ais’s.

Welf was gaping in shock that Bell was clearly dating Ais Wallenstein, the Kenki of Loki Familia. Mostly because he was absolutely sure that Bell and Lili were dating!

Bete only scoffed and looked away from the lovey-dovey display. It brought up memories that he’d rather not think about when he was sober.

“Room for one more?” Lulune asked with a joking grin.

“You’ll have to have a meeting first.” Lili took hold of the Chienthrope woman’s hand and grinned up at her.

Lulune blinked at Lili’s words. “A meeting?”

Lili smirked at Lulune and nodded. “A meeting. It’s the only way for all of us to decide if a woman is a good fit for our little family.”

Lulune’s tail wagged a little. “After what we just went through…that doesn’t sound bad at all.”

“Is anyone else confused?” Thane asked the group at large.

Almost everyone raised a hand in agreement.

Except Lefiya, who was clearly pouting.

Filvis was less confused about the relationship of the Kenki and Bell Cranel (because what Adventurer in Orario didn’t know Bell Cranel after his single-handed decimation of the Soma Familia), and far more confused by Lefiya’s reaction.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Well damn…

The Secret Quest to the Twenty-Fourth Floor certainly went differently from Canon!

Everyone in the Hermes Familia survived, for one.

But we also see just what happens from the little changes that Bell’s presence has made on Ais and her growth. In Canon she was able to defeat Revis without Ariel…but she refused to use it against Revis even after seeing her eat a Magic Stone and get stronger. Here, her confusion still remains about just what Revis is, but the thought that she MIGHT be a Monster causes Ais to use Ariel on Revis once, which forces Revis to retreat due to her suddenly missing almost a third of her body!

With Ais not being held up, plus her new Skill ‘Sky Theatre’ that protects those that she sees as allies, the horde of immature Violas doesn’t overwhelm the Hermes Familia and kill several of them.

While being protected by Ais’s wind, Lefiya can focus and pour all of the Mind that she can spare into one more absolutely ridiculously powerful spell and incinerate the horde entirely! But she’s had her eyes opened wide during this incident, a perhaps a new goal for her own development has opened up before her?

Ais and Bell reunite and it’s so warm and fluffy and adorable! Inject the warm and fluffy straight into your veins!

Lulune showing some interest in Bell? Lili certainly thinks so! Kek!

It wouldn’t be THAT surprising though, given what the Hermes Familia was just put through. Love and affection when you come back from a stressful situation is a medicine unlike any other. Perhaps Lulune wants to try it out for herself?

Love and cuddle the adorable Chienthrope, Bell! Heh!

Now that the Secret Quest is over and more future events have been set in motion…what’s next for Bell, his Familia, his girlfriends, and his Party?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!