"Didn't you say a Retainer was here?" I nodded my head. "Aren't they the strength of a Lance, or even stronger?"
"I am surprised you know that, but yeah, they are a little stronger than the Lances I suspect, but I'll be fine." I faced ahead. "I promise, I do not plan on dying today."
"That's what everyone says, this seems a little too dangerous, I say we get Darvus and let everyone else rescue Caria." My body stiffened for a second, and I started to walk ahead.
"Samantha, we need to hurry." I told her as the cavern came into view. "I'll take care of the Alacryans, Darvus is injured hiding under a rock he crawled too."
"Alright." She nodded, accepting that I had to kill the Alacryans ahead of us. I didn't feel like pretending to be a helpless kid again, so I was planning on walking in there and killing them.
It wasn't them who made me worried, it was the dark energy approaching us, not at a fast speed, but they were definitely coming towards us or me, same thing. We reached the cavern, and we hid inside the tunnel as the Alacryans were spread throughout searching for Darvus.
I nodded my head, thinking to myself, that's when I felt it. "It looks like what I predicted may occur."
"What?" Samantha asked me, confused, I was just talking to myself, but she should probably know.
"A Lance is here." I opened a tube on my waist, and the blood started to flow around my hands like water, not forming into anything.
"That's good!" She exclaimed softly.
I shook my head. "It's not, this shouldn't be happening so early, I don't understand."
"I don't get it, shouldn't a Lance showing up be good?" She asked as I got ready to attack.
"Not this Lance." I sent her a smile. "Everything is going to be fine, get Darvus and leave, that's all you have to do."
"Which Lance is it?" I started to conjure wind, and while I did that, I might as well prepare for the worse, I activated "Blood Acceleration" as well.
"Lance Olfred." I felt my blood start to enhance my speed and strength. "Samantha, don't trust him, he is working for Aalcrya, don't say anything to anyone yet, but don't let him trick you." I cracked my neck. "Okay, wait until I am done to come in, then grab Darvus and leave."
"Wait, a Lance is working for Alacrya?" As she finished, I launched myself into the cavern and went straight for an Alacryan, his eyes went wide as the blood swirling around my wrist, shot out at him, and ripped into his chest, killing him, then the blood came back to me, and the Alacryans all faced me.
"Shields!" The one shouted, and two shield appeared. "Casters, get him!" A spear of fire and a blade of wind were shot at me, and I used the blood swirling around my arms as a shield. The spells hit the wall of blood I grew and disappeared. "Is that blood?" I shot my hand at the soldier who said that, and blood needles pierced his armor and killed him, then came back to me.
"You should be happy." I smiled at the Alacryans looking at me in horror as I walked up to them. "All of you are going to die, by the hands of me, I will save you from the tyranny Agrona has over all of you." I stopped in front of them as a spear of fire was launched at me again, I didn't bunch, I just caught the spear in my hands, and held it at my side. "Death, is your salvation, now rejoice."
"Don't speak about our High Sovereign like that!" The shield user spoke.
"Then make me, get out from behind your shield." I disrupted his core, and the shield disappeared, I started to walk again. I threw the fire spear in my hands at the shield user unable to use magic, and it went straight into his chest, sending him flying backwards. "Let's see, who's next?"
"Get him!" Purple claws formed on the man who shouted, a spear of fire grew in a man's hand, spells formed for all of them, but it didn't matter.
I took a step and waved my hand, and all the Alacryans on my right, blew up into little chunks. The last three looked at me with wide eyes, and I could see them trembling.
"Keep your shield up." The three of them stood behind the shield user I didn't attack. "We need to report this, let's get out of here."
"Darvus is over there." I pointed to a rock, and turned to where Samantha was, then shot myself at the Alacryans. I formed a blood sword, and jumped over the shield, bringing my sword into the throat of the soldier in the back. "Hehe." I giggled as his body fell off my sword.
"Ahhh." The one soldier screamed as he thrusted the fire spear at me. I sidestepped and grabbed his throat, then drove him to the ground with my left hand. "You should run while you still can!" The soldier smiled up at me, and I smiled right back at him.
"Why run?" I placed my blood sword on his throat as the shield user backed away from me, his shield no longer active.
"Because this was all planned, brat!" He tried to move, but I pressed my sword harder against his throat.
"Wow, I didn't know that." I said sarcastically. "For a striker, you didn't really strike me."
"I'm technically a caster, you scum." The man was snarling at me now. "You speak as if you know Alacryan ways."
I sensed Samantha pulling Darvus out from under the rocks, they were now both looking at me, but they couldn't hear me.
"That's because I know your ways, at least somewhat, I believe there are Casters, Strikers, Shields, Sentry, and Instillers." I shook my head. "Hold up." The shield user was trying to escape, but I shot my left hand at him, and blood needles poked holes throughout his body, one entered his heart and killed him.
"Just kill me already." The caster told me. "Because you need to get out of here, or I'll be seeing you in the afterlife."
I nodded my head, thinking about his words. "So, who is it?" I knelt down, keeping my sword against his throat. "Retainer Uto, Scythe Cadell, Scythe Nico, oh, maybe it's Scythe Seris, or Retainer Jagrette." The caster didn't give me any signs of who it was, he didn't react to any of the names.
"You know a lot about Alacrya." Why was I keeping this guy alive, he was useless to me now. "Then you should be scared, because you know what will happen if any of them are coming for you."
"I don't actually, please inform me." I pushed my blade harder, causing blood to drip down his neck.
"Veer!" Samantha shouted, and I slid my sword into the man's throat.
The caster died instantly, and I turned to Samantha, who was holding Darvus up, he was barely conscious. I could see that he was hit by spells, his armor was broken, there was a spear shaped cut on his side, and blood covered him.
"Put him down, I didn't know it was this bad." I told Samantha and she did as I said. I quickly ran over to him and started to use my blood magic on him.
"Save him!" Samantha cried out, Darvus wasn't supposed to die in here, and if I wasn't here, he most defiantly would have. This is all wrong, something has changed, and not in a good way. I started to heal him slowly, but his wounds are really bad.
"Oh, it's you, you little Devil." Darvus looked up at me. "How bad is it?"
"You are going to be fine." Samantha was crying as she spoke.
I closed my eyes and sensed for the two approaching figures. "Shit!" I needed to hurry and get them out of here. I opened my eyes and went to work, trying to close all of Darvus's wounds.
"What's wrong?" Samantha placed a hand on my shoulder. "Is he close?"
She knew one of the people I was tracking. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Who?" Darvus coughed, as I healed him to the best of my abilities.
"Samantha, get out of here." I placed my arm under Darvus's and helped him to his feet. "Darvus still needs medical attention, I wasn't able to heal him all the way since he was hurt pretty badly." I felt my heartbeat quicken, was I nervous or excited, I couldn't tell.
Samantha helped Darvus stay on his feet, wrapping his other arm around her. "Come with us."
"If I do that, they will just follow us, and kill all of us." I was going to deal with the problem here and now. "I'll be fine, Samantha." I deformed my sword and let the blood swirl around my hands. "Haha." I laughed; I think we might need Arthur sooner than later. "Tell Callias to go to the council and speak with Aldir, inform them that I am about to fight either a Retainer or Scythe."
"We won't make it back in time if you need us." Samantha told me as she held Darvus up.
I thought Uto came over on a ship, I guess there was a change in plans, was I that much of a threat? No, it has to be my powers, there is no way Agrona knows I am a reincarnate, right? He wants to study my magic, but why change the plans he had.
I guess things haven't really change, they aren't attacking civilians, or attacking cities or towns yet. He could have had whoever was in here grab Tess, but for some reason they didn't. The ships haven't been spotted, and we know Uto knows his way around the dungeons, he killed Lance Alea in here.
Could I take Uto and Olfred on in a fight at once? There was zero chance, but Uto wouldn't let Olfred help him, he thinks I am a Lesser.
"Why not hide?" Darvus asked me.
"Haha." I laughed and the two of them stared at me. "Are you afraid of death?"
"Yes!" Samantha exclaimed. "And I don't want you to die."
"Well, then It's good I won't be dying today, now, get the hell out of here." I insisted, it was almost going to be too late. "Hurry, it's going to be here soon."
"What will be here?" Darvus spoke over his shoulder as they turned to leave, heading straight for Lance Olfred.
I shook my head. "Go!" They started to quicken their pace as they headed to the tunnel.
I turned to the tunnel on the other end, and just stared into the darkness. "Shit." I started to get anxious, this was going to be my first real fight against a strong opponent. I'm not counting Lucas, I knew that if I lost to him, I still wouldn't have died. This was about to be life or death, win or die.
"Screw it." I pulled out the two tubes of blood on my waist and opened them, more blood started to surround my arms.
"Virion!" I heard Darvus scream, and I quickly turned to him, standing alone, over Samantha's body. My eyes widened as her pulse faded away and she died, there was a black spike sticking through her chest. "She's dead."
"Get out of here Darvus!" I ordered, not wanting someone else to die. He started to limp into the tunnel, they were so close. I stared at Samantha's lifeless corpse, and as I did, I saw another black rod growing out of the ground, right at Darvus from behind. "No!" I shouted, trying to push wind mana to Darvus before it hit him, but I watched as the black spike knocked him to the ground, and he entered the tunnel, out of view.
"The so called Blood Deviant." I turned to the scratchy voice coming from the darkness in the other tunnel. "All I see is another Lesser, what a waste of time."
A simple "Fuck" slipped out of my mouth, as I watched as a man in black armor and robes, stepped out into the cavern. He had a hood on his head, but I could see two horns growing out of his forehead. The Retainer towered over me, he was at least six foot four, and his red eyes stared into my soul.