Coastline of Namer Island
Port Nagmash
Nuir Farmland
The air had turned chilly, more chill than it had been for the past couple of nights since the summer began. Most of the farmers who had been tending to the field owned by the Nuir family were gone, so the field was supposed to be empty. Rickard, a former employee of the farm, stood outside the fence that served as the entrance to the farm. Holding a bottle of Mattiel whiskey, Rickard eyed his former place of employment. Not too long ago, he had been laid off, not only him but most of the farmers had been let go. The rumor was that the Nuir family which owned the land was in debt and owed money, so the Head of the family had sold the land to a new owner who had decided to lay off the entire workforce that maintained the farm. With the advancement of technology and tools that could accomplish what a couple of farmers could easily, Forty years of his life spent giving it to the rotten bastards of the Aristocrats, and look where it had gotten him. He had no savings, no money, and worst of all he had no family to fall back on. The old man took a swig of the bottle, then he moved to kick the fence out of anger. The gated fence drew apart when his foot made contact. Uh! Weird. The gate was supposed to be locked against intruders, so why was it open? That was the question Rickard was asking himself. But the man was too drunk to care nor pay attention to how chill the air had gotten on a summer night. Instead the old man entered the farm, unable to maintain his balance as he approached the hut that was all the way in the back of the farm. It was a curious thing, the light that was within the hut, drawing Rickard's attention. No one should be in there. The gate should be locked. So did someone break into the farm? Were they trying to steal the farming equipment that was stored inside the hut. Hmph. Not that he cared if there were thieves. They could steal the whole damn farm if they want to. Rickard could care less for the damn Nuir family. So why was he putting his nose into what was going on? The hut was huge, square shaped, with a steel painted roof, and gray colored wall. The door to the hut was slightly opened, so if Rickard wanted to, he could peep his head inside and take a look-
"Hello," Rickard jumped, frightened by the low whimsical voice that came from behind him. He turned around to see a girl…was it a girl or a young woman. She had a youthful appearance like she was a teen or within her early adult years. Rickard couldn't tell. But what was more puzzling was the horn that was protruding from within her blue-colored hair. She wore a black robe with red linings, her pale skin was gorgeous under the moonlight. There was something about her that made Rickard put off. There was no way a beautiful girl like her would rob a farm like this. So why was she here?
"No one is supposed to be here," She said with a musical tone to her voice. "Hmm, the others won't be happy to see you here…"
"Too late," Another voice came. Someone landed on the ground so gently, out of nowhere, like a leaf dropping from a branch. Rickard couldn't help but hold the scream that was trying to come out of his mouth. The new figure removed the cloak from his face, a brown skin, horned man glared at Rickard.
"Wyn, you forgot to set the barrier, didn't you," He said.
"Sorry,"Wyn, the blue haired girl giggled, closing her mouth when the brown skinned man glared at her. But she couldn't help it. Her body was delighted to see the human male that had entered the farm. Rickard, realizing too late who these beings were, the stories he had heard as a child fighting through the fog of his drunk abled brain. Beware the horned folks, beware the demons of the North, beware the children of the dark god, Menes! Rickard tried to move, his brain told his body to get out of there, but the signal from his brain to his legs seemed unable to make the connection. The air had gotten colder, the presence of the two figures made the bones within Rickard to shake with the unmistakable feeling of fear.
"If you keep forgetting to set the barrier when we leave, what's the point in having you here," Another voice said. Rickard looked up to see another one of the Demons sitting on top of the roof. Unlike the others, he was barefooted, didn't wear the black robes, but a middle eastern robe. Unlike the others, he had two elongated horns from his brown hair, his golden eyes glistened down upon Rickard. He sat cross legged on the roof majestically, like a king looking down on his subject.
"Wow! You're here too Blaze," Wyn said. She pointed at Rickard, a false sense of innocence was set in her eyes as she looked up at the Demon called Blaze. "Can I keep him,'
"Why don't we just kill him and be done with it," the brown skinned one said. Rickard felt his murderous intent along with the intense inhuman magic that swelled within him. I have to get out of here! Rickard tried to make a move but then the blue haired Demon slapped his back.
"Uh-oh! Don't try to run from me," Wyn said. Rickard tried moving but he couldn't move. He couldn't feel his legs. Was his fear really disconnecting his brain to his body? Just in case Rickard tried looking down on his legs but he couldn't move his head. What Rickard noticed was that the figures around him looked taller than they were before, and so was the hut which looked like it had gotten bigger.
"Fuck! Still can't get over your curse technique," Gyan, the brown skinned horned one said. The human that had entered the farm was done for thanks to Wyn's power. As soon as she had made contact with the insect, he had been transformed to the blurb of goob that he was now. Where Rickard, the former employee of the Nuri farm stood, was a blob of fleshy squeezed human body, like it had been grinded, squeezed and put together by an unknown means.
"Isn't he so beautiful," Wyn said. She picked the blob from the ground, hoping to play with her new toy when she got the chance.
"What's going on here," A cold, drawling voice came from the darkness. Another two horned man stepped out of the shadows, more beautiful than the other inhumans, his brown skin glowed, while the wind played with his white long hair. He wore the same black red lined robes, and just his aura was enough to catch the others attention.
"I found a new toy," Wyn said, showing him the blob on her hand.
"Wyn here forgot to put up the barrier to keep the insects out," Gyan said.
"I don't get why I have to be the one to set the barrier," Wyn said. She was done with them, rolling the blob around the ground, her attention solely on the enjoyment of what she was doing.
"Giving the job to someone who failed at being a Scarab doesn't sound like a good idea," Blaze said.
"She's the best at Barrier magic," Gyan said. "Are you ever going to get down from there," Blaze gracefully fell off the roof, landing by the entrance to the hut.
"Tonight was a shit show," Blaze said. "I still don't get what tonight was all about," Blaze turned to their leader, the one who had brought them together.
"It was fun, leaving all that mess for the humans to take care of," Gyan said. They had just returned from their mission in the Dungeon that was at the center of this Island. It had been a simple mission. Mess with the system within the dungeon, and throw a little bit of chaos on the Raiders that were exploring the Dungeon. While they had been at it, their leader, Kars Ma'ha-Ra would go after his true target.
"Did you at least get it," Blaze said.
"It was tough…He put up a good fight…but yes, I got it," Kars flexed his fingers, and then six strands of line appeared on the blob that Wyn had been playing with, tearing it into pieces. Bones, gore and organs spilled out followed by the blood of the dead farmer, Rickard. Wyn gasped in horror at what kars did.
"You didn't…" She said,
"Maybe focus on doing your job rather than worry about what toy you would like to play with," Kars said. "I didn't take you out of the trash you were in so you could have a good time,"
"I still don't understand why we're so focused on the orphan boy," Blaze said. "I felt the presence of the Hero candidate back in the dungeon. We could go after him. Why that brat"
"We wasted Roach on him," Wyn whined.
"You named a Maleficant," Gyan said. "You're weird." Wyn glared at Gyan, the pleasant expression on her face was temporarily gone.
"You do as I say," Kars said. "The boy is all that matters. We failed in capturing him, and it seems we've drawn the attention of the Hunters towards him." Kars turned to Gyan, raising a white haired eyebrow at him.
"Princess Rey was all over him," Gyan said. "Did you expect me to take him while she was there,"
"No! I don't expect anything from anyone," Kars said. He opened the door, and stepped inside, the light within the room disclosed what was inside. There were piles of tables filled with vials of potions, the farming equipment that were once inside had been remodified into special equipment for the work that Kars Ma'ha-Ra was performing. But what was interesting was the pod that was in the middle of the room. Hovering within the pod, submerged in the greenish liquid, was Alastor Kinsway. His body was unconscious and floating within the pod. After the roach Maleficant that Wyn had sent to capture Eren Walker, Kars had observed the fight from a vast distance. He was surprised at the speed in which the Hunter Association had responded, swiftly sending one of their best to track him down. Right there, in his hiding spot within the bell tower in the cathedral building of the Lumerian church, Kars had been forced to change his strategies. The Maleficant was gone, Eren had awakened his Irregular power, a power that shouldn't have awakened so soon. What the hell did Alastor kinsway do? Was the question Kars asked himself after the battle in the district park. Shit! All the effort he took in acquiring the materials to summon a powerful Maleficant, and it was all for nothing. That was when Kars had gone back on the board available to him. He couldn't get to Eren from a distance as he would have preferred, so he would have to get close to him. And in order to do that, Kars needed a new face.
"Seems our guest is still asleep," Gyan said.
"Doesn't matter. We're moving him soon," Kars said.
"What for," Wyn said. "I captured him. He's mine-" But a string of red light tied around her neck, choking her off.
"Enough of your shit," Kars said. He swiped the string away, and turned to Gyan. "Get the mobile ready. We're shipping him out,"
~
Middle floor
Resting area
Dungeon
Namer Island
It was an unusual sight, witnessing the crushing stampede of the monsters as they ran out of their nest. Annabelle Satou had seen a stampede before, she had even been forced to get to a hiding spot to avoid getting crushed by one, but never had she seen a stampede occur within the Resting area. A place that was meant to be a sanctuary for the Adventurers that explored the Middle floor. The chaos that was below her harkened back to the notion that nothing could be trusted within the Dungeon. Belle hovered above the howls of the minotaurs that were wrecking buildings, smashing through them with their steel like skin. She held onto the handle of the broom she was flying on, checking through her transcell tablet that was strapped on her left arm. Belle was running a diagnostic scan throughout the entire floor, trying to ping the source of the disaster. Her Grimoire, Makina, the tablet on her wrist, displayed holographic images of the floor, an exact scan of every single thing was available to her and Belle was examining it all. But it was for naught. She couldn't determine where the Minotaurs had come from, or what led them here to a station that shouldn't be accessible to them.
Preliminary scan cannot detect any abnormalities within the floor. Makina transmitted to Belle.
"So it seems," Belle said. She opened her satchel bag, pulling out the two prototype Manna pistols that she was still working on.
Do you intend to join the battle? Makina asked. Belle could hear the screams of the other raiders who had gotten stamped on by the monsters, and those who were engaged in battles. She lowered her broom as she took aim and began releasing shots of manna at the Minotaurs. Screams tore through the battle ground, raw agonizing scream, the smell of blood tinged the air. So many people were dead, and more were being killed as this mindless mob of monsters wreaked havoc. But Belle didn't care nor show rage against it. Instead all she cared about was the performance output of her Magitech. She flew through the fields of damaged buildings, shooting and blasting away the monsters. One of the minotaurs charged through the roof of a building, soaring through the air with its bull horn right at Belle. Belle swerved around the air, dodging its attack while pointing the barrel of the pistol at its head.
"Bam!" Belle smirked as the attack bounced off the steel armored head. The Minotaur weaved his fist around, slamming its fist at Belle. Belle didn't make a move to block it, as Makina had already manifested a pentagram of white shield.
Insufficient output of Mana. Makina said.
"I thought you calculated the output efficiency," Belle said.
I did. But it seems the material for the gun is still insufficient in conducting Mana. Makina replied.
"Materials that cost more money," Belle said.
We could simply use the corpse of the Minotaur. Makina said.
"I see," Belle said. She had abandoned the Mana Pistols and remodified her tablet into a cannon. "Its sturdiness comes from channeling World energy to reinforce its skin."
Can make for a good material to conduct Mana.
"Sounds wonderful to me," Belle said. "Its core also seems to contain lots of Mana. We can use it to cultivate." Belle loaded the Ray cannon ready to blast it to- The atmosphere of the floor changed, an intense pressure interfered with the flow of World energy, messing with Belle's Mana control.
Looks like he's here. Her Ray cannon was already charged and ready so Belle released it, blasting the Minotaur that was slamming its fist on the shield. She caught the core that was left from its remains, storing it away in her satchel. She flew over to take a look at the source of the atmospheric pressure. Standing in the middle of a bunch of Minotaurs, was a young man fitted in fighting armor, a curved shortsword and an aura of intense Magic power around him. His Mana output was insanely crazy for someone so young to the point that its release was affecting the environment. And he was only at the Advance rank.
"Didn't know he was here," Belle said.
The Hero Candidate.
~
Reo Rykiel held his blade as he stared down the monsters that stood in his way. He eyed the destruction that had fallen upon the Resting area of the Middle floor. He bit his lips in frustration, cursing himself for what his uselessness had brought upon the once vibrant community that was once here. Those damn demons of the North! If Reo could hunt them down, he would. If only he had succeeded in foiling their evil plot, lives wouldn't have been wasted. This was his first time in the Dungeon on Namer Island, something he had been looking forward to. Reo pulled his sword from its sheath, taking a deep breath. These poor creatures were not to blame for what had happened. He recognized the curse that had fallen upon them, a curse that bewitched them to leave their nest and attack the Resting area. Reo had sensed their presence on the lower floor. A presence that did not belong within the Dungeon. When he and his master had given chase to them, those foul creatures cursed the monsters to go on a rampage to serve as a distraction. He had left the chase to his master and ran straight to the Resting floor to try and mitigate the risk. So far, most of the residents that lived in the community had been evacuated and those that could fight were dealing with the Minotaurs. He held his breath for like five seconds and then he exhaled. Within that release of breath, the Minotaurs sensed the presence of a threat and three of them launched at Reo. Reo vanished from their sight, appearing behind them as their bodies tore apart, releasing a shower of blood and gore. He moved on to the rest of the hordes, slashing and dancing his way through them like a catapult. Reo didn't bother to use his magic, instead he relied on his physical abilities and his skills as a swordsman. He was quick and merciful enough to make sure none of the Minotaurs suffered as he killed them. If only he could negotiate with them to go back to their nest. Reo thought as he slaughtered them. He had no issues when it came to fighting Mana beasts within the dungeons. The Monsters of the Dungeons were dangerous because they attacked humans and anything that stepped foot within the dungeons. It was part of the process of being an Adventuer, monster hunting and slaying. But Reo knew that some of these monsters were sentient beings that were as intelligent as humans and didn't deserve what he was doing to the minotaurs. He didn't know if these hordes of Minotaurs belonged to the evolved monsters, or if they were just beasts that would have attacked the community even without the curse on them, but he couldn't take that chance. Even if he was to dispel the curse, there was still that chance that they would continue their rampage, so for the good of the community, Reo had resulted to violence. The other Adventurers that were fighting had stopped as most of the Minotaurs had left and went towards Reo. They were relieved and shocked at the same time, but there was nothing they could do. Most of them were low level Adventurers that were still exploring the lower and Middle floor. But there were still Adventurers among them that had no problem fighting the Minotaurs. Those were the experienced and hardened ones. Reo left them alone to deal with their own share, while he cut through the Minotaurs that the others couldn't handle. It didn't take long to finish them off and after a while, Reo sheathed his sword as the last of the Minotaurs fell, its head cleanly cut off from its body.
"Another display of heroism at its finest," A familiar voice drawled. Reo turned to see the Plundering Princess, Annabelle Satou at work, looting through the dead bodies. He wasn't surprised to see her as he had seen her using her Magic tools to fight the Minotaurs. Though he was sure that she had only been here to experiment with them not to actually help. Belle was pulling the bodies of a couple of Minotaurs toward one pile and he couldn't help raising his eyebrow in question to it.
"I need their carcass," Belle said.
"What for," Reo said. "The Dungeon association-"
"Yes, Yes, I know. The Dungeon association has the right to all kills by you." Belle said. "These ones were killed by me. I wasn't going to let you have all the fun, you know." It was true. He didn't see any sign of bladework on the corpses, but a burning hole that showed she had used her Ray cannon.
"What do you need the corpses for," Reo said. "Isn't Satou industry filled with materials for your experiments,"
"You know, you keep asking the same questions all the time," Belle said.
"That's because I don't understand why someone of your status would-" Reo stopped talking. "Sorry, forgive me for that. I know very well that you're more than capable of handling yourself." Reo's relationship with the Plundering Princess was complicated. When he first met her, he had assumed she was a spoiled girl like most of the upper class that he had met, but Annabelle Satou was nothing like that. For a member of the Major family, she was very eccentric. Belle was done with dragging her corpse to the side, smiling at the work she had done.
"Twenty kills so far. Should be enough to make materials," Belle said. She pulled out a cube from the satchel she had on. It was a dimensional storage cube, a magitech used to store objects. With the magic tool, she was able to store the bodies away, taking them out of Reo's sight. "I wonder what made them leave their nest. I ran a diagnostics scan throughout the floor but nothing stood out. I mean… it's quite out of the norm for a Mana beast to attack the Resting floor, much less a horde of them." Reo knew the truth behind the attack but he wasn't sure about bringing it up to her. The situation was something for the Dungeon association and the Hunter Association to deal with. I just hope that Master would let me in on it.
"So I heard you entered into the academy for this Fall," Reo said.
"I did. And so did you." Belle said. "I wonder what someone like you needs to go to school for. You already have what it takes to be a Hunter," Reo smiled. She was right. Since the age of thirteen, Reo had been Dungeon raiding and monster hunting, so he had the experience necessary to become a Hunter. But Reo felt he needed something more in order for him to become the greatest, and according to his Master, Namer University could be what he needed if he wanted to grow stronger.
"It would be nice to see what the fuss is all about when it comes to Namer university," Reo said.
"If you say so," Belle said. She took out her broom and with it, levitated up in the air. "I guess I'll see you later in the Fall," And she flew off. Reo's smile wore off as he turned to regard the mess that was left behind, and the RAdventurers surveying the chaos.