Trying to encourage her with a smile, Lefiya looked over to Lulune.
The dog girl gave a quick nod. The two of them quickly returned the orb to the small pouch and closed the drawstring. Returning it to the backpack, Lefiya swung the strap over her shoulder.
Collecting the staff that she had left propped up against a box, she turned to face Aiz and Lulune.
“Well then, shall we go—”
It happened just as the words came out of her mouth.
Off in the distance, they heard a chorus of roars like broken bells.
“?!”
The girls’ eyes widened in shock before they raced out of the storage lot.
They zipped between the crystals and rocks that littered the dark path. Their breathing grew heavier as they picked up speed and finally emerged from the passageway.
They had arrived on some high ground that overlooked the entire Dungeon floor.
The three saw pillars of smoke rising from the town on the other side of the handrail the moment they set foot on the lookout point. Then…
“Those are…!”
The heads of countless man-eating plants rose high above the town.
“What do you mean ‘monsters are breaking in’? What were the guards doing?!”
Bors’s angry yell cut through the air.
The plant monsters were pouring over the city walls and making a beeline for Crystal Square. Their long bodies slithered forward as each of them howled into the night. The swarm was getting closer every second.
A scream, probably from one of the guards who’d seen a piece of the wall collapse, echoed into the night as tents and small shops were crushed under the monsters. Snaps of wood and groans of metal joined the ominous rumble of the howling onslaught.
“AAHHH!!”
Crystal pillars shattered, their fragments falling through the air like raindrops. The first wave of monsters had arrived. They blazed the trail for the rest of their kin to follow, flowing in like a tidal wave.
The sound of terrified screams rippled out through the town as the first adventurers caught a glimpse of the monsters and their seemingly limitless amount of whiplike tendrils.
“Tiona, Tione, protect them!”
The Amazonian twins rushed forward, following Finn’s orders.
Bounding through the crowd with Urga and Kukri knives in their hand, the two girls launched themselves at the oncoming monsters with blades flashing in the night. Each slash sent heads and green appendages to the ground.
“The same things that were at the festival! Where are they all coming from?”
“Everyone, stay close! Don’t run away!”
Unlike at the Monsterphilia, the two girls now had their favorite weapons at their disposal. What’s more, they were strong enough to penetrate the monster’s hide.
While the Amazons were busy taking down the beasts one after another, the mass of adventurers was in utter chaos. Attacked from every angle, some were knocked airborne by their snakelike bodies, and then snatched out of the sky by their fearsome jaws. Some of the adventurers were able to form groups and fight back, but the monsters held a clear advantage.
Once they knew they didn’t stand a chance, Tiona’s warning meant nothing as they split up and ran for cover.
They left Crystal Square, seeking safety in an all-out panic.
Tiona and Tione kept up the counterattack, doing their best to follow the fleeing adventurers and their ferocious pursuers.
“Riveria, these monsters respond to magic energy. Conjure up as much as you can to draw all of them back here! Bors, get everyone to form teams of five! It might be possible for one group to overpower one monster with that many members!”
“Understood.”
“Y-you got it!”
Finn analyzed the battle, as much of it as he could see at once, and issued quick, precise orders.
A magic circle formed beneath Riveria’s feet as Bors raced into the chaos yelling at the top of his lungs. The high elf’s beautiful voice reached the monsters, and sure enough, they changed course back into the square. Spear in hand, Finn raced to the front lines and tore through every foe in his path.
His strategy was simple: kill them in one shot with a precise strike to the magic stone in the back of their throats. Other adventurers watched his bravery in awe, seeing the small prum jump into the air or run up the monsters’ bodies to kill the beasts in one strike. He called out to them, voice gruff and dry, with encouragement and a call to battle. At long last, the remaining adventurers took formation.
The chaos under control, their counterattack was under way.
“Everything is too perfect…!”
Finn finally had time to analyze a situation now that the tidal wave of enemies was being held at bay. He frowned.
Even from where he was, the prum could tell that over fifty of the creatures were assailing the town. What’s worse, more were arriving every second. Rivira was built on the side of the cliff in the middle of an island for protection. Even his ability to sense oncoming attacks didn’t give him any warning this time. The fact that so many of these creatures had shown up here without any sign felt odd and very suspicious.
It was too coordinated.
Finn took off at a sprint, jumping on top of broken crystals and rock formations to leave the square, and raced through the town. He reached the side of the cliff in no time and leaned out over the guardrail.
“…?!”
What his blue eyes saw made him shiver in fear.
From his vantage point two hundred meders above, he could see the surface of the water dancing in the darkness as an unfathomable amount of the creatures emerged from the lake and started making their way up the cliff.
Monsters coming out of the lake—a lake in the middle of the safe point, no less? The impossibility made the wheels in Finn’s mind spin into overdrive. Then the realization hit him like a magic-stone lamp switching on.
They had hidden their presence, lying in wait for the right time to attack.
That was something monsters could never do on their own. They required guidance.
It was unthinkable to lead so many of them at once, but that was the only explanation that made sense.
Finn’s face contorted as the answer his brain had given him escaped from his lips.
“Could it be—a Tamer…?!”
CHAPTER 5
THE BATTLE OF RIVIRA
Lefiya stared out at the carnage unfolding before her eyes.
The town, normally beautiful at night with its scattered magic-stone lamps and sparkling crystals, was being destroyed.
It was impossible to miss the incredible number of plant monsters, their long bodies whipping from side to side as they charged forward. The river of slithering forms cleared the town wall moments after reaching it and scaled the cliff faces like fish jumping up a waterfall. There were enough of them already in town that Rivira itself looked yellowish-green in the dim light.
The onslaught crushed tent after tent and shop after shop, scattering their remains into the air along with the sea of tendrils.
Vibrant petals of the beasts’ heads flashed as rocks, crystals, people, and anything else unfortunate enough to be in the town were trampled beneath the stampede.
Lefiya’s dark blue eyes shook as they took in the pandemonium below, a shrieking chorus of screams and roars reaching her ears.
“Wh-what’s going on, what’s happening…?!”
“Monsters. They’re attacking the town.”
Lulune visibly shook with fear. Even Aiz couldn’t hide her surprise.
The blond girl was known for being aloof, but now her gaze was sharp, her eyebrows low.
Upon further inspection, she could see that adventurers in Crystal Square were starting to fight back. The high vantage point here gave her a great view of a jade magic circle that had formed in the middle of the square. Monsters from all around were drawn to it like moths to a flame, and hundreds of adventurers broken into small bat
tle parties were there waiting for them. More than likely, Finn was fighting alongside them.
The monsters farther away from Crystal Square ignored Riveria’s magic energy and continued to rampage through the town. Some smashed their heads into the vending stalls and small shops, or thrust them into cave entrances, while others chased after the adventurers who were running away from the square. In the middle of the pandemonium, a flash of silver cut through one of the monsters’ bodies every few seconds. Aiz guessed it was probably Tiona using Urga.
“Let’s go back to the square and meet up with Finn.”
No one disagreed with Aiz’s decision.
A fierce battle might have been raging in the center of Rivira, but it was the safest place to be.
Lulune nodded up and down as though her life depended on it. Lefiya responded with a quick “Yes.”
Readjusting the shoulder strap of the pouch, Lefiya left the high ground right behind the other girls. Just then…
“OOOOOooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo!!”
“?!”
A howl like that of a broken bell echoed through the air as a plant creature crawled down in front of the girls.
It arrived with such vigor that it trailed a small landslide of rocks and debris in its wake as it slid down the cliff face and into their path. The girls came to a sudden halt, their eyes wide. Aiz reacted in a heartbeat and rushed forward with her sword drawn, leaving the still-awestruck Lefiya and Lulune behind.
The monster was cut down in an instant, but Lefiya’s relief was short-lived, as a distant rumble strong enough to make her body shake came down from above. She looked up to find its source.
“More from over there, too…?!”
“You gotta be kidding!”
The three girls were still technically in the town, in the northwest corner close to the wall.
A swarm of the monsters appeared as they poured over the top of it.
Lefiya didn’t wait for Lulune to finish screaming before running into another pathway, past the remains of the opponent Aiz just took down. The creature leading the charge came to a halt over its fallen kin’s corpse before swinging the head of its long body toward the path as it continued its pursuit.
“Lefiya, get to the square!”
“Miss Aiz?!”
The pathway was a dead end; the girls were trapped. Aiz jumped out from the group, charging headlong into the oncoming horde.
She unleashed a storm of slashes. Aiz was able to hold the onslaught at bay, cutting down monster after monster without hesitation.
Lefiya stood in awe for a moment, watching Aiz’s golden hair sway back and forth. Her first instinct was to try to help the girl who was facing numerous enemies alone. As much as it pained her, though, she contained the urge, grabbed Lulune’s hand, and took off at a sprint.
She would only hold Aiz back if she stayed here. The monsters reacted to magic energy. So if she were to start conjuring magic, it would force Aiz to defend her rather than go on the offensive. Lefiya and Lulune might have been at Level 3, but the monsters were at least that powerful, if not more. Their hides would have been too tough for them to crack. The two of them alone wouldn’t be able to defend themselves in battle, let alone counterattack.
But with saber in hand, this number of enemies wouldn’t be a problem for Aiz.
She had to do what Aiz could not: deliver the crystal orb to Finn and escort Lulune to safety as soon as possible. There was a murderess on the loose in Rivira in addition to the monsters.
The elf repeated these facts to herself over and over, gritting her teeth as she ran with Lulune in tow. Her thin legs carried her as fast as they could, feet kicking hard against the ground with every stride.
The path led directly to Crystal Square. However, it was crawling with monsters, so they decided to take a detour through a northern pass that was far less overrun. They were careful to avoid the man-eating plants and took shortcuts in an effort to shave seconds off their arrival time.
Angry howls filling the air around them, the two girls emerged from the path into an area of the town that might as well be called a crystal forest.
Cluster Street.
Like Crystal Square, it was one of Rivira’s famous locations.
It had earned its name from the clusters of large crystals that shot up from the ground like pillars. There were so many, in fact, that they created many intersecting paths that were about as wide as the backstreets aboveground. The crystals reflected anyone who walked through, making the whole area appear like a labyrinth of mirrors. This was also the only place in Rivira where the pathways had been paved with stone.
Two sets of feet echoed against the crystal walls. Lefiya’s and Lulune’s faces reflected off the many surfaces as they raced through.
“Whoa, damn! Was that an explosion?!”
“That was…Riveria’s magic!”
A thunderous roar filled the air as a pillar of flames erupted from the middle of town.
Lulune’s shoulders trembled as she watched the dim blue of “night” over Rivira give way to a flood of red-hot light. The crystals flashed around them. Even the ceiling itself looked crimson as sparks danced into the air.
“Whooaaaaaaa.” The impressed voices of the adventurers in the square reached their ears. Lefiya knew immediately that many of the monsters had been incinerated by the most powerful fire magic in Orario.
“…?!”
A figure appeared in the midst of the flashes and shadows from the flames.
Sparks rained down around the being in the girls’ path.
A male adventurer…?
Leg armor, gauntlets around the arms, and a breastplate.
The man was completely decked out in black armor.
A shabby rag was wrapped around his neck, and a helmet covered his head. The skin on the exposed half of his face was dark, the rest wrapped in a bandage. Lefiya could only see his right eye, and it was blankly staring at her.
The elf’s eyebrows curved upward as she began to feel something was off. Meanwhile, the man started to walk toward Lefiya, not saying a word.
“S-stop right there!!”
Lefiya yelled out of reflex.
The man’s ominous aura—not much different from that of a black beast from the bowels of the Dungeon—was overwhelming. Lefiya raised her staff.
However, the man took no heed. Step after step, the distance between them was steadily vanishing.
Lulune pulled her ears back, tail nervously swishing behind her while she growled at the approaching man. Her animal instincts were becoming more pronounced as the color drained from her face. Her eyes locked on the armor that covered the legs that were getting ever closer as he walked down the middle of the narrow five-meder path. Meanwhile, Lefiya’s sweaty hands tightened their grip on her staff, her lips a heartbeat away from conjuring a spell.
Then, the moment he came within ten steps of their position—the man disappeared.
He was too fast for Lefiya to react.
His approach was so quick that he was in the elf’s face before she had time to show surprise. In that same instant, he grabbed hold of her neck with one hand.
“Gah—!”
Her feet left the ground as the man picked her up, as if she was as light as a toothpick.
The gauntlet’s cold grip wrapped all the way around her neck. The unrelenting metal pressed up against her skin, and a chilling fear overtook Lefiya. She lost her grip on her staff. It landed with a clatter on the stone pavement at her feet.
She grabbed the man’s right arm with both hands in a panic, but his hold showed no signs of weakening, no matter how hard she pulled.
Each of the five fingers started to tighten, threatening to choke—no, crush—her throat. The man’s strength was immense.
“Ugh-ugahhhhh!”
Lulune’s body shook, her mind going blank as she charged forward. She dived headlong at the man, eyes flashing.
She whipped out her knife as she came to Lefiya’s aid, but the man didn’t even look at her, only swung his left arm in her direction. A moment later, she collided with the nearest crystal.
A large web of cracks appeared as her back slammed into it. The dog girl fell to the ground in a heap.
“Ah…! Ug, uh…?”
Lefiya gasped for breath as she began to lose her grasp on consciousness.
Her light golden hair meekly swayed back and forth as her kicking started to slow down. She could feel the strain on the bones in her neck through her entire body, each pop sending waves of pain down her spine.
Her mouth was wide open, gasping for air that couldn’t get through. Tears were building up in her eyes. The man’s grip had forced her to look upward, so she was unable to see the utter lack of emotion on his face.
Crick! Her thin neck started to contort.
The hands that had been desperately pulling against the gauntlet fell limp at her sides.
She heard the scythe of death itself coming down from above her.
—Miss Aiz.
The last of the crimson-shaded crystals on the ceiling blurring in her vision, one solitary tear rolled down Lefiya’s cheek as she tried to whisper Aiz’s name.
A moment later…
“OOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Large clusters of crystals blew apart in small explosions as pieces of a plant monster’s body plowed through them.
Shards of crystal scattered through the air, reflecting the creature’s final moments. Lefiya’s eyes opened as the dying cries reached her ears.
Eyes unblinking and full of resolve, the blond knight had arrived at the last possible second.
“!!”
As the man gazed at the girl who had appeared at his side, Aiz brought down her saber.
The armored man dropped Lefiya without a second thought and narrowly evaded a fatal blow. A long, sharp gash appeared in his breastplate.
Thump. Lefiya’s limp body hit the stone pavement. The Sword Princess immediately jumped between her friend and the mysterious adventurer, standing in front of the crystal carnage created by the monster’s dying body. The two warriors squared off against each other.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 2 Page 12