-Liliruca Arde-
When Lili woke up this morning, she really wished she hadn’t. Because right outside her hideout was the figure of the fat, ugly bastard that was Canoe, already waiting for her.
‘’Hope you didn’t forget our little agreement, Lili~’’ He wheezed like a dying fish.
‘I just want to punch him. So, so hard.’
Yet, she bit her tongue and nodded along. She walked the streets, avoiding shady individuals—Not like any would focus on her, anyway.
Lili wasn’t blind to her own physical ‘assets’, which was why she preferred long robes in the first place. But additionally, those robes were dirty, her backpack was patched over more than a few times, and it’s not like Lili flaunted the little money she possessed.
‘The money I had.’ She reminded herself bitterly. Looking back, the dastardly raccoon-beastman kept watching over her like a hawk. ‘Seriously, aren’t Adventurers supposed to look like such, at least? Ugh…’
Though fat and unathletic as he looked, Canoe could easily break a blessing-less person over his knee. Even a starting Adventurer would meet the same fate.
Even Lili, no matter how many years she had dedicated to the profession since she was born, would be light work for the fatso. Just wrap his greasy fingers around her neck and snuff out her pathetic little life in a minute. Maybe more, depending on whether she could get a few swings in.
‘Talentless Lili is, after all, Talentless Lili.’
The bitter thought plagued her mind all the way until she reached the plaza. This early in the morning, many an Adventurer was meeting up, talking to each other as members of the same Familia, or organizing their subsequent dungeon dive, with dreams of getting rich.
Lili, long ago, was one such person too.
‘Some of these people will die today.’ She thought, empty chestnut eyes looking at the crowd of people, none of whom spared a glance at her. ‘…Good.’
There was no regret in her thoughts. Adventurers were, after all, scum of the earth. Even those that tried to do good were either murdered, extorted, or just became as bad as the rest once they learned what sort of dog-eat-dog world Orario really was.
Not everyone could be a Sword Princess, a King… or a Braver. Lili knew this well.
From time to time, Lili looked back. Annoyingly enough, she had noticed more Soma-Familia bastards joining the raccoon man. They were watching her from a distance, just far enough to not be considered suspicious, but close enough so she couldn’t escape. Not like that would help her any, as they knew where she lived now, and had practically robbed her blind.
‘Where is he?’ She frowned, already annoyed. ‘Unless he smartened up and replaced his armor, he should be here somewhere—’
Clap.
The Pallum blinked. She was no longer out of the way, near the plaza’s fountain. Instead, she found herself near the Dungeon’s steps. A guard with a wolf mask, probably a member of the Ganesha Familia, stared at her cautiously.
Lili froze, afraid that she might have been caught. However, at the last moment, her mind reeled back and made her remember where she had seen such a move before.
‘’So, this the chick?’’ A high-pitched voice asked. ‘’…Damn, she’s short.’’
Lili turned around, and her eyes settled on a familiar figure. Standing with his arms crossed was Roy Raynolds, her supposed contractor. He was still wearing that ridiculous, flashy blue armor and smiling like an idiot.
‘’Bitch, you’re the same height as her, and I’d say that’s thanks to the mask.’’ He bit back.
What made Lili freeze wasn’t the banter or the sudden use of magic on her person. It was the other two figures around him.
The one to his right was a white-haired bunny-hume with red eyes. Were Lili a less desensitized person, she would even call the girl adorable, but seeing her in equally white armor, with sheathed daggers around her full hips, immediately made her alert.
This was another Adventurer, and Lili knew pretty faces could be deceiving. That was, after all, her way of scamming people into letting her join their parties.
‘’Roy, be polite in front of your Supporter!’’ Yet, she held a severe expression on her face, which could only be described as cute while scolding the reckless man. The bunny turned to her with an apologetic smile. ‘’Sorry about that. These two don’t know how to behave...’’
‘’It’s okay… Lili has come to know a bit about Master Roy.’’ Lili reassured with a meek nod, appalled at the sudden kindness.
‘’Ah… My condolences.’’ She apologized.
‘’Hey, I’m not that bad.’’ The man defended himself with a pout, drawing a deadpan from the bunny.
‘It’s a trap. Honeyed words always are.’ Her mind reminded her.
Lili’s eyes had, however, flickered to the last Adventurer of the bunch, and if previously she had frozen, now she was utterly confused.
A short girl, probably no taller than her, covered in a brown cloak that did little to hide how exotic she looked. With white and black colored skin and a tall, stone mask with what looked to be runes scribbled on it. The piece of equipment seemed to have a fake eye where the girl’s actual one should be, and it went long past her mane of wild, orange hair.
But most important of all…
She was a Pallum. There was no mistaking it. Same thin body, same low stature, and yet… she didn’t carry a Supporter bag.
As that lone red eye settled on her, the girl smiled, showing sharp, angular teeth in an expression that couldn’t be anything other than cocky.
‘’Whatcha lookin’ at, shorty?’’ She asked, and Lili could already tell this person’s voice would grate on her nerves. ‘’You may be cute as a button, but I don’t take just anyone for a ride, ya know?’’
If Lili had any less practice in her mask, she would have sputtered. Instead, she bowed.
‘’Apologies, it was not Lili’s intention to offend you.’’ She repeated the words, faking the apologetic tone to perfection. Something she had managed over hours upon hours of practice.
It was sweet, made her look weak and vulnerable, submissive. It had never failed to make Adventurers lower their guard before.
‘’…Who traumatized shrimp over here?’’ Yet, the other Pallum merely sniffed, turning to the cobalt-wearing man. ‘’Shit just reeked of unresolved issues.’’
‘She saw through it?!’ Lili’s fists tightened. ‘No, calm down, Lili… she’s just another cocky bitch. Even if she’s a Pallum, she’s not your friend.’
‘’I mean… Now I just look bad if you say it like that.’’ Roy huffed.
‘’Midna, Roy!’’ The bunny-girl chastised, and got two sheepish grins in return. ‘’Remember what Hestia said, no being rude!’’
‘’Don’t think she said anything about that…’’ The strange Pallum huffed under her breath.
‘’What was that?’’ The scary bunny took a step forward, eyes narrowing.
‘’Nothing, Captain Bell! We’ll be on our best behavior, Captain Bell!’’ She saluted. ‘’Right, hoomie?’’
‘’Hm?’’ Roy blinked, having dozed off mid-conversation. ‘’Eh… sure, fuck it.’’
Bell looked between the two with arms crossed below her bust. Her ears twitched slightly, and considering the scrutiny and ‘Midna’s’ words, Lili could tell why this woman was the Familia Captain.
‘’Good.’’ Bell nodded and turned around. ‘’Now, if we are going to be exploring the tenth floor today, we have to be careful. There’s…’’
Lili tuned out whatever explanations the bunny-hume was giving the other two. She practically knew the tenth floor like the back of her palm. Instead, her eyes settled on Roy, who was also not paying that much attention.
He gave her a friendly wave before following after his Captain. The other Pallum, too, gazed at her with a toothy, cocky smirk before practically attaching herself to the human’s side.
Awfully close, too… Was she feeling up his stomach from under the shirt?
‘…I’m starting to realize why this idiot chose Lili.’ Lili’s eyes narrowed, a hint of disgust pooling in her stomach. She had clients before who chose to appeal to her ‘’womanly’’ side with extra riches. Of course, their tune changed when Lili refused to lower herself to that level of desperation. ‘Fetishizing bastard. Not like it’s Lili’s business. They will be gone soon.’
Lili turned around for a moment, seeing Canoe and plenty of his lackeys grin and chat between themselves. The fat raccoon-man gave her a yellowed grin that made her shudder, before she turned around and descended the steps to the first floor.
Today, she would recover her freedom, even if she had to be a runaway the rest of her life. One didn’t just kill a group of fairly experienced Adventurers and go completely unnoticed, after all.
But Lili would manage. She always managed. It was more difficult to kill a cunning roach than a brave Orc, after all.
-X-x-X-
Lili stared, flabbergasted, at the three adventurers.
Roy, much like she had expected, carried himself with ease, waving through monster crowds by either charging straight at them, forcing them to take their attention off the more deadly bunny-hume, causing bleeding, debilitating wounds with his throwing knives, or, when all of that failed, being a general nuisance with those odd spells of his.
‘’YO MAMA SO FAT, SHE NEEDS TWO SEATS AT THE THEATER!’’ He shouted, and Lili quickly turned away.
The wave of red encompassed the end of the hallway, falling just short of reaching her at the very back. An entire pack of Killer Ants had suddenly decided that he was the best appetizer to start with and swarmed the man from every side.
Roy grinned, throwing a knife in the air.
Clap.
And now, he was gone, replaced by that same knife. The Killer Ants clicked their mandibles in pure, unbridled anger, trying to reach him… as he clung to the roof with the help of a shadowy claw that had replaced his right hand.
Then came the sound of a high-pitched whistle.
If Lili had done chientrophe ears when she first met Roy, she would have been in loads of pain, as the grating sound of that whistle echoed through the Dungeon floor.
A blue lightning bolt ran through the hallway filled with Killer Ants. In less than a blink, they were lying on the ground, twitching carcasses for Lili to cut apart and extract both magic stones and monster parts from.
…And that was only because, after the first time this happened, Lili had to ask Bell Cranel not to turn the monsters into red mist, because she’d have nothing to extract then.
‘So strong… Are these really Level One Adventurers?’
Lili stared for a few seconds as Bell spoke to Roy, who had just fallen from the ceiling. Some light conversation, if she were to guess.
‘’Yo, hoomie, your taunts are getting worse by the second.’’ A mocking voice called out from beside her. ‘’Like, seriously, yo mama jokes?’’
The brown-haired man frowned. Lili expected a shouting match, sharp, insulting words, maybe even a physical altercation.
‘’Oh, yeah?’’ He huffed. ‘’You come up with Ant slurs, then!’’
‘’Pff, easy. Odor-Dependers, Simp Crusaders, Pissants—‘’
Ignoring the many obscenities and weird words exiting Midna’s mouth, Roy stared wide-eyed as the list went on and on. By the time the Pallum was done, he was looking at the ground in shame.
Not a single bite back. No threats. No slurs. No damn beatings.
Lili stared at Midna, really stared at her. At that very moment, a crack echoed through the cave, and immediately, the Pallum looked up with a click of her tongue.
That orange hair turned into a massive fist. Either a Skill or a magic that Lili had never seen before. From above, a Frog Shooter had tried to crush them flat. Instead, the monster was now trapped in a giant grip that squeezed it hard enough for it to croak painfully.
Expecting to be covered in a shower of gore, Lili recoiled back, only for Midna to chuckle.
She was staring at her, a cocky grin on her face. ‘’Made you flinch~’’
Then, she slammed the frog onto the ground instead of squeezing it to death, and now its red blood painted both the floor and the walls.
‘’…May have crushed the stone, shit.’’ She sighed.
As if she hadn’t done something ridiculously amazing. On top of the rest of the bullshit she had seen before, like controlling shadows or literal flight.
‘Now I get it… why she’s not the Supporter.’ Lili rationalized, nails digging into her palm as anger filled her gut. ‘So much talent… three damn Skills, all in a Level One Adventurer… It’s not fair.’
‘’You guys alright over there?’’ The bunny-hume interrupted her thoughts. ‘’Once Lili is done with the carcasses, we’ll be moving to the tenth floor. Remember, Rose said only the tenth!’’
‘Right… the tenth floor.’ Lili took a calming breath.
Lili merely bit back the bitterness, offering a tight smile as she pulled out a knife and started working on the first Killer Ant carcass. ‘’Yes, Master Midna. Sorry for taking so long.’’
‘’…If you say so.’’ She felt the Pallum’s stare as she started cutting away.
Internally, however, Lili was waiting for the moment to finally strike. She had to. After all, they were already close to the target floor. In just a few minutes, whatever that fatso had planned would happen… and at the same time, Lili’s own plan would be set into motion.
Lili would be, after today, partially responsible for killing not only a crazy human, but a magic-wielding bunny-hume, and a Pallum blessed with talent.
A dark, little part of her mind told her that she was probably killing off possible High-Level Adventurers. After all, it was not hard to reach the very top with the teamwork and talent all three of them displayed.
It was that same voice that Lili stomped to death. What did she care if they died or not? If their lives were snuffed before reaching their ‘potential’?
Boo-fucking-hoo. Lili needed one thing right now. To get rid of her pursuers, and to recover her money. That was all that mattered. That was all frail, talentless, useless Lili could do.
And this time… This time she refused to take it on the chin. She would rip the arms trying to choke the life off her if it’s the last thing she did.
-X-x-X-
-Roy Raynolds-
As we stepped through the ground-colored stairs and finally broke into the tenth floor proper… I noticed the place was misty as shit.
‘’How are we supposed to see crap around here?’’ I complained, fingers tapping my belt while trying to remain high alert. ‘’Do you guys hear anything?’’
‘’Nope.’’ I felt a weight being placed on my back, and a certain goblin shook her head against it. Stone mask rubbing against the back of my neck. ‘’But it ain’t that misty, hoomie.’’
I scoffed. ‘’I was never twenty-twenty to begin with.’’
‘’Skill Issue.’’
‘’Fuck you—‘’
‘’Guys.’’ Bell raised a hand, silencing us both. She made sure to remain close to the group, looking back to see that Lili was still with us. ‘’Do not get too far. Most of the monsters on this floor are pretty loud, but there are exceptions.’’
‘’Aye.’’ I nodded before a tiny smile appeared on my face. ‘’Taking to leadership like a fish to water, are ya, bun-bun?’’
A hint of rosiness crept up the girl’s pale complexion. Before she could answer, her body froze, and those long ears of hers twitched.
Tap, tap, tap.
I too frowned, just as Midna clung to my cloak hard. ‘What’s that sound…?’
It was soft, certainly something light, but the sound was way too familiar. Almost like…
‘Stomps?’
And sure enough, a second later, a piece of fluff cut through the mist. The creature was small, probably no bigger than my head, and it had intense, red eyes that looked between us with caution. Its long ears twitched, and it sniffed the air, scrunching up its adorable, pink, button-like nose.
It was a rabbit. A rabbit with a pointy horn on its head.
I pursed my lips, body relaxing for a moment. ‘’…Didn’t know Bell spawned in the Dungeon.’’
The silence broke as our Lady Captain snapped her head to me, the earlier rosiness on her face becoming a full-on blush.
‘’W-what?’’
‘’Yeah, bun-bun!’’ Midna cackled, releasing my body and floating in the air before gesturing to the bunny. ‘’What is this, your brother? Hello, Mr. Bun-bun, looking at your sister is always a pleasure~’’
‘’Guys, that’s a monster. Take this seriously!’’ Bell protested, stomping the ground.
Comically enough, the horned rabbit proceeded to do the exact same thing, cutely stomping the floor before releasing a little screech.
‘’Holy shit, they are family!’’ I wheezed, unable to hold back the laughter. ‘’Now, now, I’m sorry, little bun—Ah, son of a whore!’’
The bastard bunny had just propelled in my direction like a rocket. It was only at the last moment, when that pointy horn threatened to pierce through my throat, that I managed to pull into the shadows around the cavernous room.
Shadows manifested around my collar. The bunny’s horn deflected to the side under the hard consistency of the dark material. The piece of armor I created shattered into nothingness, demonstrating my poor control, but it was enough.
‘’Screee!’’ I took no time to immediately raise my leg and plant my heel on the monster’s neck. With a loud crunch, the rabbit was no more.
‘’Monsters incoming, everyone watch out!’’ I heard Bell shout through the mist as the sound of steel cutting flesh followed right after.
Loud footsteps echoed. Three sets of red eyes watched from the distance. Gaping, tooth-filled maws released disgusting, squelching sounds akin to laughter.
The creatures were tall, three meters at the least, with forest-green hides and rugged loincloths along their nether regions. It made them look like oversized, fat goblins, but there was something to say about their muscular arms that were easily as thick as my thigh.
Not to mention, one was carrying a fucking tree trunk.
‘’You know, I already knew your kind discovered tools when I looney-toon’d one of you some days ago.’’ I pursed my lips, looking the three Orcs up and down. ‘’Wonder how many generations of ugly-as-fuck incest babies that took.’’
A smile spread across my face as a red wave of energy swept the monsters. The one to the left roared and charged straight at me. Its big footsteps almost made the floor tremble. Yet, as powerful as it looked, it was slow.
One green arm lashed out at me like a whip, and cracked against the air just like one as I ducked under the blow. Two knives came out of my belt, and without hesitation, I dashed right in between the monster’s legs, making sure to lash out at the two dangling spheres below the cloth.
‘’HIEEEEEEEEEEE!’’ The big Orc howled, falling to its knees as its sack dropped to the floor with a thud.
A second later, shadows manifested right below the monster and quickly formed into a long spike that pierced right through its brain, making it fall to the ground, side to side with its severed testicles.
I scrunched up my nose in disgust, turning to the two other Orcs while mentally thanking Midna for the assist.
‘’…That smelled atrocious.’’ I said, mentally reminding myself to never duck under one of these bastards’ loincloths. I pulled a round object from my belt. ‘’And I ain’t touching no one’s nasty nutsacks for some kills.’’
The Orc in the middle, who was holding the tree-trunk, growled before stomping towards me at the quickest pace a fat piece of oversized goblin could. Its improvised weapon rose high into the air, aiming to squash me flat.
Without hesitation, I threw the orb at the ground and a thick cloud of grey smoke exploded from the point of impact, mixing with the mist. When the monster’s strike hit the ground with a loud crunch, I was nowhere to be seen.
Or, at least, nowhere the bastard could see. The knife I had thrown into the sky beforehand was replaced with my body.
‘’RAAAAAAAAAAA!’’ The fat bastard thrashed as my arms wrapped around its bald head. Yet, no matter how much it shook around, it was not able to throw me off. ‘’Hyooo!’’
‘’Did nobody tell you to use shampoo?’’ I scoffed, shuddering at the sliminess of this one’s head. ‘’Ah, fuck it. You better not stain my shit!’’
I used the knife remaining in my right hand to pierce through its throat. The monster’s hide was thick, but not abysmally so. While it took some effort, and a lot of thrashing that almost made me slip, I sliced the Orc’s neck, causing it to drop its weapon to the floor with a thud, hands going to the bleeding gash as it failed to breathe, lungs clogging with nasty-smelling blood.
A few seconds later, the monster breathed its last. I sighed, still alert, turning to the remaining Orc… only to notice its carcass lying on the ground, with multiple stab wounds like someone had taken chunks out of it, and a faint trace of shadows surrounding it.
‘Midna’s getting good.’ I whistled and turned to the group. ‘’How are we doing, girls?’’
The mist-covered floor had turned into a battle zone pretty fast. The sound of a train whistle, along with sparks of lightning flowing from the clouds of mist, reassured me that Bell was kicking ass somewhere near.
A sonic screech, more annoying than actually painful, made me look upwards, where the floating form of Mida was covered head-to-toe in shadows—Did she learn that from Label?—and without issue, she commanded wire-like strands of her hair to envelop a furry bat with sharp teeth. The moment the monster opened its mouth to release another screech, it was stuffed with hair that started tearing it from the inside out.
‘Where’s Lili?’ I frowned, looking all around me. The mist had gotten thicker as we were pushed off the floor’s staircase, and I had lost track of the midget along the way. ‘Shit!’
I pulled myself to the side in time to see a stream of fire just pass me by. My eyes narrowed, looking barely past the mist at… a little grey, horned creature just laughing at my face.
The sound was followed by garbled, unintelligible speech as three more grey devils joined the first one, with streams of fire appearing from their little clawed hands.
‘’Talking a lot of shit for something barely taller than a toddler. Or maybe you’re a bunch of mutated, furless rats? You certainly look the part.’’ I grinned, letting a wave of red pulse out of me.
Their amused cackles were replaced by angry growls. At once, the Imps joined their fire streams into one big fireball. A drop of sweat fell down my forehead as the floor heated up, but unfortunately for the raging cunts, someone had already taken notice of their distractions.
A black dagger cut through the mist, glowing with strange hieroglyphs and embedding itself in the ground near the monsters.
Then, she struck, moving faster than I could blink. A blue arc of lightning pierced through the three Imps' chests, revealing the frowning form of Bell as she ‘manifested’ back into shape.
As the fire dissipated into nothing, Bell turned to me, looking me up and down before sighing in relief.
‘’You’re getting good with those,’’ I mentioned as she picked up the black dagger.
‘’Thanks!’’ The little smile didn’t last long as the sound of chittering mandibles echoed around us. ‘’That…!’’
‘’Yeah.’’ I huffed, pulling out two more knives in case we needed to move quickly. ‘’Hestia above, I fucking hate ants.’’
The chittering came from none other than Killer Ants. The bastards always came in groups, but the amount currently cutting through the mist… it was dozens upon dozens of the fuckers, all piling on top of each other.
‘’How are there so many—‘’ Something splattered right in front of us, making me blanch. ‘’…You’re fucking kidding me.’’
It was nothing more than a half-dead Killer Ant, with its lower half missing. The monster’s mandibles clicked together, and it released a pungent, sweet aroma that made me sick.
‘’Can’t have a normal day in this place!’’ I shouted with a tight smile on my face. Knives flew out of my pockets, aiming to reduce the ants’ numbers however I could. ‘’Bell, I still don’t know where Lili went, and shit’s not looking sweet!’’
But considering not one of us was stupid enough to leave a half-dead Killer Ant…
Bell frowned, hesitating for a second before nodding with resolution. ‘’Midna, we need cover! See if you can find Lili while you’re in the air!’’
Without so much as a word, the army of ants was blocked as their own shadows started acting up, enveloping their limbs and obstructing their stride. However, that would only slow them down a little. Considering that I hadn’t heard another awful screech from those bat-like monsters, it was safe to say the goblin had her plate full.
More and more figures were cutting through the mist. Cackling Imps and towering Orcs, either unharmed or with giant chunks of wood or stone acting as bats.
‘’Where do they keep coming from?!’’ I complained, throwing sticky bombs that exploded on contact with the horde, slowing their movements further, or the occasional knife aimed for the head to instantly kill one of the creatures. ‘’I’m running low on knives already!’’
With this many surrounding us, escaping to the staircase was looking more and more like an impossible task. It certainly didn’t help that half my knives were hidden among the sea of monsters, making any ‘’swap’’ I could make a direct death sentence.
Bell swiftly cut through an Imp’s torso, shoulder to hip, before it could fire a stream of flames. Uncaring of the blood and gore that had started caking her form, she moved onto the next, beheading two Killer Ants with deadly precision, and stomping on a third’s head that threatened to snip at her ankles.
‘’RAAAHHH!’’ Only to need to dodge out of the way of an Orc’s stone club, or risk getting flattened into a pancake.
A second later, my back met hers. We covered for each other while taking deep, greedy lungfuls of air.
‘’That smell… I felt it when I approached…’’ Bell panted, a scowl taking over her features. ‘’It’s Monster Bait!’’
My expression matched hers, bitter words spewing off my mouth like venom. ‘’Some rat bastard is trying to slime us?! Fucking pussy-ass bitches!’’
Notice how I didn’t even do a ‘Mastur-bate’ joke? Oh, now I was genuinely fucking pissed. Fair was fucking fair, and considering the bitches doing this lacked the balls to get their hands dirty, I’m sure they won’t mind me relieving them of theirs.
And if the situation couldn’t get any worse, a screech echoed from above, and a small, shadow-covered figure fell through the mist. Orange hair, previously wired, deadly strings, now back to normal as the goblin fell to the ground.
‘’Midna!’’ I held a knife between my right bicep and clapped, ignoring the small feeling of dizziness as the girl appeared right in my arms.
The disoriented goblin looked around, trying to shake the ringing out of her ears. The shadow ‘armor’ around her body slowly dissolved into motes of darkness. Her lone red eye found mine, and she released a dry chuckle. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
‘’Sorry, hoomie… one of em got me.’’ Her grip on my left arm was tight, giving me some relief. Slowly, she floated again, but kept herself close. ‘’Oh, shit. Let me…’’
A second later, the shadows merged into a dome-like barrier. The monsters were kept out, but not a second later, the sound of fire streams and blunt objects hitting the construct echoed in my ears.
It will not last long, that’s for sure.
‘’Sooo… many ugly mugs, I see. An ass-kicking, we give?’’ Midna asked.
I snorted. ‘’And then we kill the fucks that tried killing us.’’
Bell didn’t answer, but her eyes were narrowed. Posture tense and ready to jump, it was honestly scarier than if she was chiding us about morals or some other stuff.
Crack!
The shadows Midna had manipulated to root most of the monsters in place started breaking apart, releasing streams of Killer Ants that also started hitting the dome, shortening our already small time window.
‘’Midna, if you can open a hole in the ceiling… I can make a path.’’ Bell said, lightning escaping past her fingertips as they twitched.
Hesitation clung to the edges of my mind, which was quickly dissuaded with a shake of my head.
‘’We follow your lead, bun-bun.’’ I nodded, with Midna mimicking the motion a second later.
Bell took a deep breath and stuck one of her daggers in the ground. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she then threw the second one high into the air. A hole opened in the barrier, allowing the dagger to stick to the barely-visible roof just as the sound of beating wings reached my ears.
‘’Azure… Beast!’’
And then, the bunny-hume became lightning itself. Her ‘’body’’ struck the dagger on the ground, and then rose to the one on the ceiling. The motion was repeated twice, becoming faster each time before I understood Bell’s plan.
‘’What’s she doing?’’ Midna asked, busying herself with turning her hair into deadly wires to strike the weaker monsters through tiny gaps in the dome.
‘’She’s going to railgun herself to the exit!’’ I shouted, following her example by literally emptying my pockets of knives to try and make time.
Crack!
‘’What the heck is a railgun?’’
‘’The coolest shit ever!’’ I cackled.
After ten seconds, I didn’t know where Bell was going anymore. The loop of electricity connecting the two weapons was just too strong and fast for me to perceive more than a living bolt of lightning.
But right before we could sing victory, something shot through the air… and stuck to Bell’s ceiling dagger. It was a grappling hook.
My eyes widened, and I raised a hand into the air, as if trying to warn the bunny-turned lightning. ‘’No—‘’
BZZZZZ! Crack!
The dagger was dislodged. Bell struck the ceiling with all the force of lightning itself, breaking it partially and causing boulder-sized rocks to fall around us.
‘’Shit, shit, shit…’’ I went to clap my hands, aiming to replace the bunny girl with one of my discarded knives—
Thud. ‘’FUCK!’’
Only for an arrow to shoot through the dome’s tiny holes, embedding itself in my left palm, cancelling out the Skill. I watched, helplessly, as our Captain manifested into the air once more, disoriented, and exposed enough for one of the grounded Imps to envelop her body in a storm of fire.
‘’BELL!’’
The ceiling of the dark dome parted momentarily as a mane of orange hair caught the girl’s slightly-charred body, protecting her from further damage and the falling debris. Midna abandoned her mission of killing monsters and pulled the bunny close to us once more before closing the gap back up, letting one of those ugly, furry bats smash its head against it.
I felt my heart stop and start back again as I confirmed that, at least, Bell still had a pulse. Her body, too, didn’t look to be in a bad state other than slightly singed, probably thanks to her ridiculous stats.
But she was unconscious, blood dripping through her nose.
‘’You idiot, and you call me reckless?’’ I spat bitterly, hand tightening around her limp hand.
My mind was going miles per second, to the point that I felt the world slowing down around me.
The ceiling was falling directly into us, little by little. One good strike, and we would become pancakes. There were monsters surrounding us from all sides. What were once just dozens of Killer Ants had become a horde of Needle Rabbits, cackling Imps, and at least half a dozen Orcs, all striking Midna’s barrier, urging it to break so they could turn us into supper.
And as if that wasn’t enough… the sound of hollering and laughter reached my ears.
‘’Where’s that pipsqueak?!’’
‘’She took the knife! I knew we should have just offed her right then and there!’’
‘’No matter, look at those idiots! We are getting a small fortune off their shit!’’
My nails dug into my palms. There were little times in life when I was genuinely, honest-to-god angry. I didn’t like being angry.
And yet, I was pissed.
So I did the best I could with what I had.
‘’Take Bell and run.’’ I said.
‘’What?’’ Midna stared up at me, incredulous, while holding the unconscious body of the bunny-hume in her long hair. ‘’Hoomie, stop fucking around, I’m not—‘’
‘’Midna.’’ I whispered. There must have been something in my tone or face, because the Goblin girl froze. ‘’Trust me. I say go, and you go.’’
Midna pursed her lips, looking nervously between the cracking barrier and our Captain in her arms. ‘’…Hoomie, I swear if you fucking die, I’ll kill you myself.’’
I snorted. ‘’Not how that works, dipshit.’’
All the concentrated, boiling fury in my stomach made me want to puke. ‘I don’t like being angry.’ I repeated in my mind.
So instead, I pulled all that anger into the words coming out of my mouth.
‘’As the hand is dealt, so are the dice cast…’’
The moment I started chanting, it was like the room had frozen over.
‘’The stakes are high, and blood’s on the line…’’
Midna clutched Bell tight, her body covered by shadows and ready to bolt. Much to my amusement, she pressed a hand on my side, covering whatever my Cobalt armor didn’t with more of those protective, dark constructs.
‘’May this be my winning card, or may my luck herald demise…’’
Then, the monsters redoubled their efforts. Finally, one Orc managed to create a hole through the shadow barrier, smashing its side to bits, and leaving free entry for the smaller creatures.
But it was too late. The ‘halo’ of magic was already behind my back, spinning so fast it almost felt like a fan. Inside my head, a kaleidoscope of colors shone bright, only stopping as gold consumed it all.
Before I uttered the words, I watched as the monsters rushed me specifically, practically ignoring Midna and the unconscious Bell as the former pulled them far away with the use of Warp.
I breathed the words out. ‘’Luck N’ Load.’’
And the world came to a standstill.
A piercing headache tore through my brain like an explosion going off. The last thing I saw was my hands hitting the ground, caving the earth under my touch. It shattered and reformed, spearing everything around me.
The last thing I heard was the dying squelch of Monsters, and the panicked shouts of bastards in disarray. Yet, the sounds were distant, like I was far away from the chaos.
I felt myself hit the ground, and something cold pressed against my lips. Did I… pass out?
And if the feeling of something hot and sticky running down my nose was any indicator, I was experiencing, or had experienced, a Mind Zero.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the roof completely torn apart. The Dungeon was trying to reconstruct it, but the floor I was in looked completely unharmed, if only having a great deal more mist.
Was this the Eleventh floor? Had I punched through an entire floor with my gambling magic?
‘’M… R…’’
Someone was talking to me, but I could barely hear them through the ringing in my head. I turned to the side and saw… Lili?
‘’…Ro…’’ Her expression was absolutely terrified, but also absolutely angry. ‘’Ple…’’
The chestnut-haired midget shook me in panic, speaking words I didn’t understand, all while holding a distinct black dagger and trying to place it on one of my hands.
Disoriented, I looked at what was being pressed against my lips. It was a potion. I gulped it down greedily, feeling the fogginess exit my head and the static disappear.
However, it was replaced by panicked screams of several people, along with a loud CRACK, coming from the wall at the end of the chamber.
‘’ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!’’
And then, a howl that sent shivers down my spine made the cave shake. Fear seeped into my very bones and flesh, which in turn made me smile. A tight, fake reassurance.
Because that howl… it sounded like that of a Dragon.
-X-x-X-.
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Author's Note:
Bit of a serious air, this chapter. Mostly because it was from Lili's POV for the most part.
Silver linings are, Roy does meet the minimum stat requirement to level up. Kek.
If you're curious as to what type of magic Roy used, it was some degree of Earth Manipulation. Big rock spikes spearing everything in sight. Problem is, the output was high enough to drain him of Mind, and the following loss of focus caused an Ignis Fatus that made the ground cave in, landing him in the Eleventh Floor.
Let's just say the Dungeon was not very pleased with that.
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