"We've been going in circles, are you sure we are on the right track?" Katherine asked as she followed Rio, watching him chug one potion after another before speeding off again.
He moved with an almost reckless urgency, cutting through the trees and monsters in their path without so much as a pause. She could see the exhaustion etched into his fra—the slight tremble in his hands, and the way sweat trickled his forehead—yet he refused to stop, not even to catch his breath.
It was like he was in a hurry to reach sowhere, but like a couple of tis before, he still didn't explain or answer her when she asked sothing.
'Is the quest from Nyx really that important?' She couldn't help but doubt and look over her shoulder, in a direction where she always felt soone was watching their every move.
'It must be one of those followers of night. But is it really alright to stay in the shadows so far…' Katherine was in her thoughts when Rio suddenly halted his movents and leaped over a large tree. Refusing to go further.
It took her a second to co back to her senses and a quick glance around to notice why…
The land in front of them had been disfigured.
To one side lay a dense forest stretched endlessly, filled with towering trees and broken branches. To the other, lay a jagged mountain with it's looming peaks, and their bases dotted with gaping, empty caves.
The contrast between these two scenery was jarring, as if two entirely different worlds had collided.
'Did a shift cause this?' she wondered, before her gaze landed on a weathered sign board leaning precariously on a side. It read: *Crystal Ore Mine T-3* _ which made her furrow her brows in confusion.
(Wasn't this the place they were looking for? The mine where people had been trapped?) Katherine thought, her heart quickening upon realisation. She was just about to leap down and search for survivors when Rio's hand shot out, gripping her wrist and yanking her back.
"What…?" she started, but the question died on her lips as the stench of blood hit her nostrils. Followed by the sounds of battle from clashing steels to the guttural roars and the high pitched monster screeches coming from the mining zones.
She looked back and saw a man no older than herself, fighting against a group of frenzied hobgoblins thrice his size. Their bodies were oozing with a sickly greenish aura which seed full of an unnatural vitality.
Behind these giant-like atrocities were a group of nimble mages in short stature. Their hunched figures, covered in tattered robes and hoods, which did little to hide their horrid features.
Katherine had seen goblins before, slain them a dozen of tis too, yet never had she seen sothing so bizarre.
The monsters at the bottom of Arcadian hierarchy which most of the ti were practice dummies for newbie awakeners along with the slis, were now showing hunting efficiency and wisdom which could rival a grade 3 or even grade 4 elite monster.
She had heard reports of weird things happening at the core of Eisjer, where monsters evolved or started acting against their nature but never did she imagine it could lead to sothing like this.
How could simple goblin mages who only ever knew enhancent magic or basic fire or earth spells, channel elents as complicated as shadow and darkness.
How could idiot goblins who either ran behind shiny things or beca horny and chased hormones of females like blind fools - suddenly beca so coordinated and cunning.
She watched Leon struggle against the barbaric hobgoblins with heightened healing factors, while those shorties worked from shallow corners as crafty assassins.
***Ok(It's not the fear of strong which shook her, but the challenge of facing a weak animal who suddenly changed it's nature.
After all, if one were to fight a grown man, they'd be ready_ ntally. But if they were faced with a newborn baby, they'd unknowingly let down their guard on instinct.
Even if soone told them the baby is from the boys universe and shoots lasers out of his ass.)
Katherine was still lost in thoughts admiring Leon's persistence as despite the odd challenging battle, he still protected a kid behind his back, _ when she felt a jerk on the branch beneath her feet.
She looked to the side only to see nothing. She turned her head back towards the battle, thinking that's where Rio was headed, and jumped down instinctively too.
Only to co to an abrupt halt on her landing and hear footsteps behind her, going further and further away. Leaving behind a sentence which ca along the air.
"You can go and help him. Save your people. I'll be back." Rio said as he disappeared in the forest.
Katherine stood there, frozen as a statue wondering what to do _ until she heard soone calling her na in the opposite direction.
"Katherine…Is that you?" Leon shouted as he noticed her figure and heard their movents. "Did you co with the rescue party?"
"..." Katherine looked his way, watching him smile brightly in relief, and then towards the direction Rio had run off too.
She was thinking if she should help Leon or try and find Rio, who headed deeper into the dungeon alone despite being on the verge of mana depletion. _ when Leon's voice broke her thoughts once more.
"You are just in ti, I will hold these monsters back, you go and get the miners out." Leon shouted atop his lungs, seeing her still standing there, thinking she was afraid to join the fight because of the unusual monsters.
And thus being the hero, he took it upon himself, and gave her a way out.
"Phillis said that everyone was trapped a little ahead, so if you just follow this path further in, you'll see the crumbled pathways."
"Take everyone out from the other direction."
Katherine looked at Leon, and saw him get scratched by a dagger as he was distracted, yet the foolish hero still kept on giving her instructions to safely escape _ with this, she couldn't help but shake her head feeling a little guilty for no reason.
Why was she hesitating when this was why she ca into this dungeon in the first place?
'I shouldn't be thinking this much before saving soone.' She chided herself, wondering when she beca so selfish.
She gave a final glance over her shoulder and then took a deep breath, before jumping right into the fray.
Spreading a floor of ice upon her landing, which caused the rushing goblins to slip or freeze in their steps. Giving Leon a much needed break.
"I wasn't scared of the fight." She said, noticing Leon's surprised gaze, seeing her co to help him.
Leon took a mont to understand that he misunderstood her before, and couldn't help but smile nervously to hide his embarrassnt.
"Let's save those people together." Leon then said with a relieved expression, as he matched her pace and charged into battle once more.
Due to his low rank, he relied more on his sword arts to handle his enemies. While Katherine solely used her ice and transformation magic, she learned from Rio, to hold her own in battle.
Fire and ice flooded the mines, leaving nothing but blood and mist wherever the duo passed.
Despite having opposing elents and fighting styles, the duo worked perfectly in sync, making one doubt if it really was the first ti they fought together, or had they practiced this dance of dangers a dozen tis before.
The hobgoblins with their large stature were simply like wheet before a scythe. Katherine focused on halting and reducing their speed, making them falter and stumble in their attacks._while Leon nimbly jumped over their limbs, skillfully sniping at their health.
Sa was the case with mages and the other minions.
The fight which at first seed to be a struggle, if not one for survival_ was now nothing but a breeze for Leon.
As he even doubted if the goblins had been weakened or sothing, before shaking that thought as nonsense.
...
anwhile, deep within the forest, Rio paused, his sharp ears catching the distant cries of dying monsters. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he shook his head. Such was fate.
[I still think you should've waited for awhile, and jump into battle right when Leon's desperate, to steal his thunder and save those people. _ It would've gone so well with your angel persona.] System spoke, once they were alone.
[Not to ntion, we could see his joke once more.]
But Rio didn't smile at those remarks and shook his head in rebuttal. His eyes still on the prize, instead of the change scattered across the pathway.
"That legacy is much more important than the few ager points I'll receive by making him look weak." He replied, "As for Leon saving those people and getting extra fa in his na, well let's just say the higher he flies, the heavier he falls."
Rio said with a smile thinking it would feel much better to crush Leon's pride when he's all confident and heroic during the exams in front of the academy and the whole world, then now in a closed dungeon, when he's still in shock and doubt over his loss from the last ti at the auction.
[Hmmm] System nodded in understanding after reading his thoughts, before shifting the conversation to a serious tone.
[We're here.] It spoke, scanning the sudden fog in front of them which blocked their path.
"The Mashhad al-Aelthar." Rio muttered the real na of this place, feeling the subtle changes in air as he did so, and stepped forward to the fog that opened its arms to take him in.
####
A/N - At first I planned to use the character of The Hidden Imam from Shia islamic religion for this role. (Even writing it in demos as Mashhad al-Imam many places) But thinking about how this guy's gonna go off , I'm changing it.
The lore behind Imam felt too big and impactful to be forgotten for a short-lived god. Hence the changes.
It's actually funny how many gods I've co to know and learn about just for this story's sake, and how much their stories and background made curious about them even more.
Imam is one such guy. He was an unexpected surprise as I had no plans for him and didn't even know about him before.
Stuff about him just popped up one day on Google during a random research lol. But now I'm surely planning to give him a proper role sowhere along the line.
At least one which will last a little longer than a few chapters. (And who won't get slaughtered by Rio as this fictional god will be in coming days)
….
Aelthar is a fictional God I made myself. His na literally ans the spirit that guides the path. As for his beliefs, religion, powers, and how he died in the war of gods_ turn up tomorrow to learn. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire
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