With both Jasmine and Elijah supporting my powerless body, we had managed to make our way back to the surface of the cavern where we fought the elderwood guardian. The once serene field of grass was in ruins as toppled trees and fallen stalactites lay scattered and splintered amongst fissured grounds.
"Do you think anyone else survived?" I asked, carefully scanning the mess around us.
"Well, Reginald and Brald were both frozen together with the mana beast from the last attack you used. I wasnât close enough to save Samantha either, after she got knocked off of you and landed near the elderwood guardian. I conjured a metal shelter to keep her safe from the debris but Iâm not sure if she was able to survive," Elijah reported.
Between the after effects from using the second phase and worrying about Jasmine, I was a bit ashamed to say that I hadnât really thought about the rest of the party. I guess when I didnât see anyone else in the shelter with us, I immediately assumed they didnât make it.
"I donât think weâll be able to help Samantha in time, even if she is alive by the time we find her under all of this mess," I sighed. "We still need to find the elderwood guardianâs beast core."
"I think Iâll be able to help with the first problem." Elijah knelt down, placing a palm on the ground. "Give me a few minutes."
"Scan," the bespectacled boy muttered as a thin wave of mana spread out of his hand.
[Earthâs Pulse]
The spell that Elijah had just invoked, as far as I knew, was usually made to scan the ground for signs of approaching enemies. Usually, the caster would be able to hear footsteps and, if he was that skilled, perhaps distinguish the number of footsteps. However, to encompass not only the surface of the floor, but the ground beneath it, I couldnât help but become more and more intrigued by this boy.
After a few, tense minutes, Elijahâs furrowed brows lifted into an expression of surprise. "I know where Samantha is and her heartâs still beating!"
A sleek, metallic tent rose from the ground at Elijahâs invocation and opened up in front of us to reveal Samantha.
By the state the conjurer was in, she was just barely hanging in there. Both her legs had been broken clean in multiple locations from where the elderwoodâs tendrils had grasped her. Splinters of white jutted out from the bloody mess that were her legs as a milky, yellow pus indicated that her wounds had already become infected.
The good news, if we could even call it that, was that only her legs had incurred serious damage. The rest of her body had cuts and bruises but was otherwise unharmed.
Elijahâs face contorted in horror at the sight as he immediately turned around and lurched forward to vomit.
Jasmine rushed towards her and knelt, not knowing what she had to do to help her.
Limping toward Samantha, I checked her neck for her pulse and placed a hand on her forehead. "Well, she doesnât have a fever yet and her pulse is steady enough where I donât think her life will be in danger anytime soon. The silver lining is that sheâs unconscious."
"Some silver lining," Elijah coughed as he convulsed into another dry heave.
As Jasmine carefully cradled the unconscious Samantha in her arms, I thought back to when the peppy conjurer had made attempts at striking up a conversation with her. With the two of them being the only girls, Samantha was relentless in her pursuit at befriending the brusque Jasmine. Eventually, Jasmine had started to respond, even smiling at times.
I thought about our next course of action. If we wanted to get Samantha to safety, I would need to give up on looking for the beast core for now. However, with Samantha in her state and my body being barely capable of standing on its own, the best thing to do was for Elijah and Jasmine to take Samantha to a medic before coming back down for me.
"Elijah," I called out to my friend, who was now gasping for air.
Just as I was about to give my instructions, a thundering roar rumbled throughout the cavern, shaking a few stalactites loose from the ceiling.
"What now?!" Elijah groaned, more in resignation than in fear.
âPapa! Iâm here!â Sylv cried out in my mind.
"Itâs okay, Elijah," I coaxed, as Jasmine lowered the dagger she had already unsheathed.
Despite the childlike voice that rang in my head, the dragon that stood before me was far from anything akin to a child.
I let out a whistle. "Wow, Sylv. You gained weight... and height, and width."
Sylvie, the small cat-like dragon that had always sat on top of my head was now almost the spitting image of the dragon I named her after.
Her body wasnât as large as Sylviaâs, but it was still over eight meters long. I could now say with full confidence that Sylvie was indeed a dragon. Her scales had an obsidian-black sheen, reflecting the light from the dungeon in an almost divine way. The two horns that sprouted out of her head were sharper and even more menacing than the titanâs horns I had seen years ago. With wings similar to Sylviaâsâexcept with pitch-black feathersâand blood-red spikes that protruded along the ridge of her spine, she exuded a menacing, if not baleful, aura around her. The once adorable face and muzzle of hers was now elegant and sharp, her black sclera and yellow irises reminding me of a particularly bright topaz shining in the dead of night.
Sylvâs powerful limbsâarmored with jagged spikes at the elbows and kneesâlifted as she approached me with a graceful poise, despite her large size. She lowered her head that was as large as my torso, bringing her snout close to mine.
Suddenly, her snake-like tongue shot out as she licked my face with the force to lift me from the ground.
"My God, your breath is foul, Sylv," I sputtered, barely able to keep myself upright.
âHehe!â Sylvâs childish giggle rang in my head.
"I-Is that a wyvern? But it has four limbs. I-It canât be, right? Is that a d-d-dâ"
"Iâm pretty sure sheâs a dragon," I finished for the dumbfounded Elijah.
He stared up at the sight of the fearsome beast, his face filled with more horror than when he had seen the elderwood guardian.
Jasmine, who had already known about my bond, was still trembling at the sight of my juvenile dragon as she clutched Samantha close to her chest.
"Elijah, this is my bond, Sylvie." I stretched my hand out to rub my dragonâs snout, causing her hind leg to thump the ground in pleasure.
I couldnât help but chortle at how little Sylvie had changed on the inside despite her dramatic transformation.
Turning to face Elijah, I put on a grim face. "Jasmine already knew about this, but I want you to promise to keep this a secret as well. Dragons have been thought to have been extinct for centuries now, so if anyone were to suddenly see Sylvie... well, you know what greed can do to someone."
Elijah nodded frantically in response, his glasses hanging loose on his crooked nose.
"We need to hurry, though. It worked out well that Sylvie came when she did. Letâs move Samantha on Sylvieâs back." I was barely able to stand up on my own now, but walking more than a few steps was out of the question.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
I watched as Elijah and Jasmine carefully loaded the unconscious conjurer onto Sylvâs back before they helped me up as well.
It was decided that only Samantha and I would ride Sylv to the first cavern of the dungeon while Jasmine and Elijah would follow close behind.
The journey back up only took a few hours compared to the full day we needed when we had travelled down.
âSylv, can you still transform?â I asked as we ascended up toward the entrance of the dungeon. My mind was spinning, trying to come up with a way to protect her from greedy nobles in case she couldnât, but thankfully, she said that she could still change into a miniature form.
âWhat did you do during this time, anyway? How did you grow so quickly?â I sent Sylv while lying down against her long neck.
âI hunted a lot of monsters and ate their mana cores! I missed you a lot. Iâm sorry I couldnât protect you while you were here.â Another gust of wind formed beneath us as she flapped her wings down, accelerating towards our destination.
It seemed like her body wasnât able to grow without consuming mana cores, which reminded me of the beast core the elderwood guardian had dropped. At this point, I could only hope that it would stay hidden from adventurers until I went back down.
When we arrived at the first cavernâwhere the batrunners had beenâI preparing myself to fight a couple of them in this crippled state. However, to my surprise, as soon as the batrunners saw Sylvie, they became so terrified, they simply buried their heads in the ground off in the opposite corner of the cave.
Jasmine and Elijah arrived a little less than an hour later, both heaving for breath. Sylvâs body illuminated as she shrank back down into the size of a kitten at my mention, but I noticed the change in her appearance even in this form. Her red spikes had disappeared and she was pitch blackâapart from her sharp yellow irises. All-in-all, she resembled a demonic, but harmless, black cat.
Sputtering out a series of pained coughs, Samantha stirred awake. As soon as she had become conscious enough to feel the pain in her legs, her eyes widened as she gasped from the agony. She had her arms wrapped around herself as she trembled.
"Y-You guys all made it," she croaked, her body trembling, and her face contorted from the pain. Her face was pale and I could tell she was beginning to burn up by the cold sweat that rolled down her forehead. Her lips were white and cracked as deep bags weighed down beneath her once bright eyes.
"Stop talking," I ordered. "You need to save your energy. Donât worry, weâll get you help soon."
Ignoring me, she carefully reached into her robe, pulling out my mask and something else. "Look what I f-found."
"Thatâsâ" Elijah careened close to Samanthaâs hand.
"The elderwoodâs beast core," I finished, gently taking it from Samantha. "Nice work. Iâll hold onto this until I get the chance to sell it. I think splitting it amongst us would be the best way."
"Are you kidding me?" Elijah shook his head. "I donât want it."
"Me neither. You deserve it, Arthur," Jasmine agreed.
"What? You guys donât wantâ"
"Iâm just happy to be alive. I think itâs fair that the one who killed it gets to reap the rewards," Samantha whispered, her consciousness wavering.
I studied the dull green stone, webbed with intricate lines of gray. "Thanks everyone."
Samanthaâs lips curled up into a faint smile before she fell asleep again in Jasmineâs arms.
I put the mask on my face and turned my gaze to my guardian. "Jasmine, can you and Elijah go first to the Guild Hall and get help back down here? Iâll stay here with Samantha."
With a nod from the two of them, they headed out back up to the surface. Since it would take them at least four hours to send the message and arrive back, I planned on absorbing the elderwoodâs beast core. With the aid from the powerful coreâand with my body that had been assimilated with Sylviaâs willâI predicted that I should be able to make a full recovery by the time they came back.
Before I began my meditation with the the beast core, I took out the parchment I had received from the Twin Horns and recorded a message, telling my parents that Iâll be coming home soon.
Forcing my unresponsive body into a cross-legged position. I took a deep breath with the elderwood guardianâs beast core in my hands, all the while thinking of what I should do with Lucas.
It wasnât enough for me to just settle for petty revenge. I wanted to do something more. He was from a very powerful family of notorious mages and his blood gave him a certain amount of protection from the elves. Of course, with my connections with the royal family, I didnât think it would matter much, but the Wykes family that he was a part of could make things more complicated than I wanted them to be.
I didnât have much time to dwell on my options as I was stirred out of my meditation by the sound of footsteps approaching.
Judging from the uniforms, it was easy to assume that the people that filed in were the medics Jasmine and Elijah had sent. Within the group of medics was Kaspian, the lanky head of a Guild Hall branch. He was snapping orders at the medics and the few guards that he had brought along to protect the medics, just in case.
Hiding the mana core I couldnât finish absorbing, I watched as the medics worked on Samantha. They used a mixture of herbs to anesthetize her and pushed back the bones into the right place. The field of medicine wasnât that advanced in this world so I wasnât sure that they would be able to fully heal Samanthaâs legs, but I realized my worries were unnecessary when I saw an emitter begin working on her.
Kaspian walked towards me as I stood up. "Good evening, Mr. Note. I didnât expect for us to be meeting like this. Ms. Flamesworth has told me the situation and I know how you must feel."
"Oh, do you now? Then would you kindly inform me the current location of Lucas so that I may properly respond to his actions against our party?" I replied through gritted teeth. Despite Kaspianâs mild tone, I knew that he had personally come here to stop me from going after Lucas.
"I must advise you, Mr. Note, to refrain from taking actions against Mr. Wykes... right now." He shook his head, confirming my assumption.
"And why not âright nowâ? My identity is a secret and I have the capability to easily erase that bugâs existence. Do you think you have the power to protect him from me?" My gaze was unrelenting as I took a step toward the thin man.
"Of course, I know I donât possess the power to fight against you when youâre at your full strength, but I assure you that I can pose a threat to you right now," he calmly replied, straightening his glasses. "But even if I could, I wouldnât need to. Mr. Note, I am warning you becauseâbelieve it or notâI carry the obligation to care for you since you are affiliated with Ms. Flamesworth, even if she is the estranged daughter of the house. The Wykes are the type of people that will carry out revenge in the most extreme and brutal manner. Assuming that you do kill their precious son, Lucas, I know right now, you do not possess the power to kill the whole Wykes House. Even if they donât know your identity, that wonât stop them from killing anyone that has had anything to do with you. This includes Ms. Flamesworth and the people sheâs affiliated with, the Twin Horns. Going further than that, I believe the Wykes will further their revenge against you by going against all of the people close to the Twin Horns party, which includes Reynolds Leywin and his family."
I could feel the blood running down my fists as my nails dug deeper into my palms.
He had me.
"Like I said, Mr. Note, I wish to be on your side. What I said about the Wykes Family is all from previous events in the past so I can assure you that they will stop at nothing from wiping out anyone that had to do with you, even if it they werenât directly related. Until the day you hold the power and authority to protect the people you care for from them, I must advise you from acting against them for now. With that, Iâll take my leave. The Adventurer, Samantha, must be taken back to a facility to be properly cared for." Giving me a curt bow, he walk away towards Samantha, leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
I could only laugh at the pitiful state I was in. He was right. Until I could wipe away the whole Wykes House, it would be dangerous for my family and friends if I acted against them. No matter how much of an asshole he was, it wasnât worth risking my loved ones.
Through clenched fists, I swore to myself that Lucas would regret this day.
Elijah and Jasmine appeared soon after with solemn expressions, obviously overhearing the conversation I had with the Guild Hall leader.
Each placing a consoling hand on my shoulders, Elijah and Jasmine followed me out of the Dire Tombs with Sylv trailing close behind.
We arrived at the Guild Hall located on the outskirts of the Beast Glades about two hours later. Samantha was resting in the recovery facility as Jasmine, Elijah and I were sprawled on the couches in a private room. Kaspian had temporarily moved from his office in Xyrus to this branch and was seated behind the desk in the room when the door suddenly flew open.
"You guys managed to make it out alive!" Behind a group of barrel-chested adventures posing as guards was Lucas.
Kaspian, seated a few feet away from us, leaned his head on his handâvexed at the boyâs impertinenceâas he locked gazes with me to remind me of our discussion.
Both Elijah and Jasmine sprang up from their seats, weapons ablaze as I remained in my seat. It took an amount of self control that I never knew I had to stop myself from lunging forward and skewering the brat to the door he dared come in through.
At this point, I couldnât tell whether he was that confident or just plain stupid for not just betraying us, but mocking us immediately after.
I guess he wasnât completely dumb, since he had the sense to at least bring some backup.
Lucas took a step forward, slapping the guard in front of him to move out of the way. "I wonder how you managed to escape from that terror of a beast. Did you have to sacrifice someone else to save yourselves? That whore, Samantha, is a cripple now, but sheâs alive so I donât think it was her. I donât see Brald, though... donât tell me you sacrificed hiâ"
Before he had the time to finish his sentence, my fingers had already let go of the shortsword I had hidden behind me.
The next moment, Lucas let out a shrill scream as he clutched his right ear, blood leaking through the spaces between his fingers.
My backup sword that I had picked out from the Helstea Auction House had impaled itself deep into the wall behind Lucas, barely missing the head of the guard that stood behind him.
At the sounds of the hollow thud and scream, the guards whipped around to make sure their boss was okay before turning back to me with weapons held ready.
I stood up from my seat and walked steadily towards the pale Lucas, the entire room deathly silent.
"W-What do you think Iâm paying you for?! Get him!" Lucas hissed, pointing at me with a trembling finger as his other hand still gripped his bleeding ear.
The guard closest to me lifted his axe in position to split me in two when I quickly used the scabbard of the shortsword I had just flung at Lucas to respond.
A sharp snap rang as the end of my scabbard met with the guardâs fingers. With a pained howl, he let go of his axe as he instinctively nursed his broken fingers.
Before the rest of the guards could react, I lunged myself towards the frightened Lucas. I could hear Kaspian gasp behind me in fear that I would cross the line, but my hand merely went to my sword impaled into the wall right behind the boy.
The blonde nobleâs eyes nearly bulged outside of their sockets as his face was just inches away from mine.
"My apologies. I merely dropped my sword and wanted it back," I whispered, my voice coming out deeper and more threatening, thanks to my mask.
I pried the blade out of the wall and sheathed it back into the cover I had used to break the guardâs fingers. Turning around, I sat back on the couch, nonchalantly motioning at Kaspian.
On cue, the guild leader hastily responded. "Now, now! Mr. Lucas, your ear is bleeding heavily. Let me escort you to the medical room to get that fixed up."
Gently herding the noble brat and his guards out of the room, he turned back to me with an exasperated expression.
"You did well," Jasmine broke the silence, taking a seat as well. "But Iâm afraid youâve made enemies with one of the strongest houses in the Kingdom of Sapin."
"Thatâs fine. He wonât take action from what happened today. Despite that conceited attitude, Lucas is cautious. He knows that right now, if he doesnât go against me, I wonât do anything more."
Leaning forward, I gripped tightly at the black sword I had refused to unsheathe until the end. I vowed silently that this wouldnât be the end.