"Chiras," Leroy gasped, his voice barely a whisper as the horrifying realization set in.
Upon closer inspection, it beca clear that these creatures were once humans, now grotesquely transford through sinister experints.
Various monster parts were grotesquely fused onto their bodies, and a malevolent demonic energy emanated from them. The sight filled the group with a mix of horror and pity.
Nerissa, however, remained resolute. She took a step forward, her expression hardening. "Let's go. There's nothing we can do for them now.
We have to shut down this operation to end their suffering," she commanded, her voice steady.
Rena's face contorted with sadness, her eyes fixed on the ground, unable to look at the tragic figures. "Right," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"This is unforgivable!" Devin roared, slamming his fist into the wall with enough force to crack the stone.
"We need to end this imdiately and find out who's responsible," Lay urged, placing a calming hand on Devin's shoulder.
Leroy stood frozen, speechless, as he watched Nerissa disappear into the deeper shadows of the lab. "Let's go. We'll definitely get to the bottom of this," he finally managed to say.
As they ventured further, the environnt grew increasingly nightmarish. The boundaries between human and monster blurred beyond recognition, yet they pressed on, driven by determination.
"How big is this place? We've been walking for over thirty minutes now," Leroy complained, frustration edging his voice.
"You guys, over here!" Nerissa's urgent call cut through the darkness, prompting them to rush to her side.
Nerissa stood at the entrance of another cavern, her hand resting against the cold stone. Before them lay a vast sinkhole, filled with even more tubes containing the nightmarish chiras.
"Down there. We need to go deeper," Nerissa ordered, her face a mask of determination.
"Huh? Down that sinkhole? Over my already freaked-out body," Leroy protested, taking a few hesitant steps back.
"She's not wrong, though. There's definitely sothing down there. A person, maybe. But whatever it is, it's moving," Lay observed, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the eerie depths below.
Without hesitation, Nerissa jumped down. Just before she hit the ground, she manipulated her Aura, creating a cushion that softened her descent before she bounced lightly off it.
The others watched her land gracefully, then turned their eyes to Leroy.
"No," Leroy said firmly, folding his arms. 'Show off'
Lay went next, plumting toward the ground at top speed. As she neared the bottom, she activated her skill.
[Short Teleportation]
In an instant, she vanished and reappeared safely on the ground, unhard by the fall.
{Wind Veil}
Rena surrounded herself with a gentle whirlwind, her magic effortlessly carrying her down.
"Hurry up, you guys, or we'll go without you!" Rena's voice echoed up to them.
"You go, I'll stay here and keep a lookout just in case," Leroy sighed, gesturing for Devin to leave him behind.
"As much as I'd love to take your offer…," Devin said, grabbing Leroy tightly.
"Hold on, what the hell are you doing?" Leroy started panicking, realizing what was about to happen.
"This is still a team effort, so you're coming with ."
Devin leaped into the sinkhole, clutching Leroy to his chest.
"You bastarrrrrrrrd!!!" Leroy scread in panic, "Let go of , you muscle-headed moron, or I'll put an arrow through your heart!"
As they fell, Leroy's screams echoed through the cavern, but Devin grinned all the way down. They landed with a resounding BOOM, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
"I knew you were trying to kill , but this…? How dare you!" Leroy yelled, breaking free from Devin's grip.
Several dark entrances lood before them, each leading deeper into the unknown. They hesitated, unsure which path to take.
"Shhh… Quiet," Nerissa signaled, her finger to her lips, urging the others to stop talking.
They could hear faint footsteps echoing through the cavern, causing everyone to tense up and ready their weapons.
From opposite caves, a tattered and miserable woman and a little boy erged, their eyes filled with desperation.
"Please help … He… lp… Help… Please. So… bo… dy," the boy struggled to speak, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Please… save ," the woman pleaded as she staggered closer.
"Are you guys okay?" Rena called out, rushing towards the little boy, her heart moved by their pitiful appearance. "They must be survivors, we have to save them."
But before she could reach him, an arrow whizzed past her, piercing the boy.
"Get away from him, Rena! That's not a little kid anymore. He may look like a child, but he isn't," Leroy shouted as the arrow embedded in the boy exploded.
"What is wrong with you? How could you do such a thing?" Rena scread, tears in her eyes, watching the boy burn.
"Tch… That wasn't enough?" Leroy hissed as a scorpion tail erged from the flas, aid directly at Rena.
Lay quickly teleported behind Rena, blocking the attack and pushing her out of harm's way.
anwhile, the woman had already transford into a hideous amalgamation of monstrous parts. She charged at Nerissa, but Devin intercepted, slamming her into the wall.
"You alright, boss?" Devin asked with a smirk.
"Show off…" Nerissa said, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Devin, you're with . Leroy, Lay, stay with Rena," Nerissa instructed.
"Right!" They all replied in unison.
Nerissa's eyes glead as she darted forward, aiming for the creature's legs. Devin pinned it against the wall with his shield, creating an opening. Using Devin's shield as a springboard, Nerissa launched herself at the chira, but its iron tail whipped out, flinging her away.
"Nerissa!" Devin roared, bashing the chira with his shield, dealing significant damage before rushing to check on her.
"Are you okay?" Devin asked, concern evident in his voice as he extended his hand to her.
"Yep, definitely not a B-rank mission," Nerissa groaned, taking his hand and pulling herself up. "I think I can take it on my own, though. Go help the others."
"I'm not leaving you. Let's just wrap this up as quickly as possible," Devin insisted.
*****
Rena still hadn't processed what was happening as the scorpion tails lashed out at her again.
[Multi Shot]
[Razor Snipe]
Leroy shot three arrows with incredible speed, slicing the tail into three sections.
"Rena! Get your head in the ga! That BOY you're crying for is a chira," Leroy shouted, glancing back at her while she was still sobbing.
"He's right, Renny. Snap out of it," Lay urged as she deflected sharp feathers that flew out of the flas.
"But why?" Rena cried, tears streaming down her face. "He's just a kid. His parents might be looking for him right now. Who would do such a thing? I can't… I can't forgive this. Whoever did this made an innocent child suffer in a horrible way."
The boy erged from the flas, slowly morphing into the monstrous form they had turned him into.
He had razor-sharp hands like those of a mantis, the legs of a Kobold, feathers on his chest, insect wings, a chopped-off scorpion tail, and various other grotesque attachnts. As he opened his mouth to speak, they could only hear a bird-like cry. His human voice had vanished, yet tears still filled his eyes. He had fully transford into a chira.
"We'll get to the bottom of this. Let's just focus on ending their misery for now," Lay said, standing by Rena to comfort her while Leroy kept the chira busy.
"I could really use so help here!" Leroy called out as he used his bow to block the chira's pincer attack.
"Right, let's do this," Rena said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
[Vitality Field]
{Aerial Prison}
She activated a skill to boost her team's HP and MP, then used wind magic to create a spherical prison around the chira, restricting its movents. Attacks could go in, but it couldn't escape.
"Nice," Leroy said, nocking another arrow.
[Shadow Poison]
Lay teleported into the prison, her dagger flashing as she rapidly made cuts wherever she could. 'I don't need to worry too much about MP with Rena fully active,' she thought.
"My turn," Leroy said with a smirk, three arrows already nocked. 'Coat the arrows with Aura and…'
[Multi Shot]
[Rapid Explosion]
[Infernal Shot]
The three arrows split into nine, six of them landing precisely where Lay had already cut open the chira. They exploded upon impact, while the remaining arrows ignited an intense fla, the wind from the prison amplifying its effect.
"And that's how you do it!" Leroy celebrated as the combined attack finally brought the chira down.
"How about you guys? Need a hand…?" Leroy turned to Nerissa and Devin to boast but saw them inspecting the chira corpse, so he just shut his mouth and kept quiet.
*****
"That was a bit dangerous," Devin said as they opened up the chira for a closer inspection.
"I find it hard to believe that a human was able to create such a thing. It's awful to accept," Nerissa said, stabbing deeper into the corpse out of frustration.
"Whoever did this must be punished," Rena added, sitting far away from the two chiras, unwilling to soil her hands in the investigation.
Within the chiras, they found two purple stones that reeked of demonic energy. Lay's keen observation identified them as Demonic Stones.
"Demonic Stones are created by condensing highly concentrated demonic essence: be it Mana, Aura, or even blood: into a solid object," Lay explained.
"How do you know all this?" Devin asked, curiosity evident in his tone.
"I have my ways," Lay replied mysteriously.
"Whatever. Let's hurry up and leave. This place still gives the creeps," Leroy said, kicking one of the corpses.
"Scared?" Devin teased.
"Who? ? I could take on a hundred of them and still co out on top," Leroy boasted.
Just then, they heard more footsteps: louder and heavier than before. More chiras erged from each entrance except one.
"Hey Leroy, looks like you'll actually get your wish," Devin said with a nervous smile.
"You just had to open your big mouth, huh, Leroy," Lay said as they all stepped back.
"What are you guys waiting for? Let's move!" Nerissa yelled, pointing to the only entrance that no chiras ca out of.
*
*
*
Hehe
The universe might actually be against Leroy
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