Elena looked at the cup of coffee on her table. It was warm enough to drink, yet it looked revolting to her. She looked at the engraved table, as her eyes wavered between the window letting in crimson hues of light and the table with runic inscriptions, reflecting that light.
Her door opener and the person she wanted to see last right now walked in.
"Good morning, ma'am."
"Good morning, Alexis. Have the twins sent word?"
"The communications tower hasn't received anything yet, but I assume they would be back any minute now"
Hearing that, Elena's eyes grew dark, a shade darker than her usual black.
"Oh, I'm too concerned for that fledgling from the East that they took with them. That kid, Antares, barely knows how to throw his sword around. I just hope Scilia and Zekros aren't giving that kid a hard time."
"I wouldn't think of it. I'm not sure about Scilia, but Zekros is honourable."
"I believe that, Alexis. But I don't know why. I have this horrible feeling..."
Her voice trailed off as she thought about how her relationship with the Baron of the Eastern branch of the guild wasn't blooming as of now and how this joint mission was a feeble attempt by both parties to mend a long gone relationship.
"Well then, it's time I take my leave, madam." Alexis stamped his foot to the ground, turned around and left.
Elena was left looking at the placard on her desk,
{Elena Mayers, Interim Commander of the Eastern branch, Runesca Guild §}
Did she deserve her job? She was a beast tamer, yet never a successful explorer. The last dungeon she had gone into was over a year ago. She looked over at the dog sleeping on the small pillow laid out in the corner of the room. Well, her concerns sure weren't a match for her Explorers' concerns, possibly fighting some three-headed dragon just about now.
___
[C-Grade Boss, Wingless Griffin of the Demon World has noticed your party]
That ominous message floated above my head, as my sword's wrapped hilt was sticking to my hand. I felt as if the sword would merge with my hand any moment now.
[Your title evolution is blossoming;
I could feel a lot more power in my arms as I read this message. That's when all hell broke loose. A large bird-like creature was standing in front of me, its monstrous form casting a long shadow over the Colosseum. Its lion-like body was unnaturally broad, covered in patches of rough, matted fur that clung to its bloated frame. Where its wings once had been, jagged stubs of bone protruded, the remnants of once-mighty wings now broken and twisted. Flesh seeped out at various places across its humongous back, seemingly clawed at by some three-handed beast.
The creature's head was a grotesque mix of eagle and dragon, with hollow, fiery eyes that burned with a malignant force. Its beak was long and cracked, lined with sharp, uneven teeth that gleamed in the dim light. Twisted horns spiraled from its skull, its unnatural curves casting eerie shadows. The air around it was thick with the stench of sulfur, an almost suffocating miasma that made me want to puke the moment I smelled it.
It moved with an almost incomprehensible grace while not compromising utility. Its claws scraping on the ground, jumped at the twins, attempting to use it's sharp beak to tear at them. Unlucky for it, the twins were veterans. They both dashed to either side of the beast and started slashing at its sides. Zekros and the twins showcased excellent team work, as everytime the beast tried to attack one of the brothers, Zekros would sent shocks spiraling at it.
I gripped my sword with both hands and ran towards the Zenith. It looked at me like I was some foreign creature invading its home. Maybe I was? Nonetheless, its body showed me the same hostility its eyes did as I was flung across the arena again. I quickly got back up this time and looked at the battlefield. Zekros was chanting loudly, charging up his ultimate move that killed that demonic hog, as the twins continued their relentless barrage, without Zekros' cover fire, this time. This gave the Griffin a window, a window that was too wide, unfortunately. It turned right, as its huge beak deflected an attack from the twin's sickle, and the monster counterattacked, using its beak to penetrate his chest. There he was, the right twin. He was bleeding out on the ground, as the Griffin raised its head, as if to announce to the world it had won. Fuck no it hadn't.
The other twin flinched, only for a second, as he saw his brother. Then, he went back to his furious barrage. Its intensity is going up and up and up. Just as it'd seemed like it would crescendo, it would just get higher and higher. I was rushing in, and the incantation was almost complete.
"Twin, get out of the way!" screamed Zekros as the clouds that had gathered above the beast struck down with all their power. This was Zekros's signature move, Thunderbolt.
The shock seemed to send the Wingless creature flying as it ran away. Or tried to, at least. Dodging past the thunderbolts that littered the monster's surroundings, the twin rushed into the eye of the storm and dug his sickle into its back.
The Griffin gave out a shocking howl as it got on its hind legs and shook so hard, whipping its tail around, that the surviving twin was knocked out and sent flying, far from the Colloseum. It was just me and Zekros. I could see that the twin who got pierced by the beak wasn't breathing. And I was left with this piece of shit who tried to kill me just about an hour ago. What the hell could I do?
Thunderbolt's barrage of lightning had finally ended, and it seemed to do intense damage to the monster. Zekros screamed, "GO FOR ITS HEAD." I clutched my sword as hard as I could, and I leaped into the sky. I only had one chance at this, and if I failed, I'd probably get pierced. I felt a huge lightning bolt hit my sword. Wait, had he betrayed me again? No, that wasn't it. The bolt seemed to charge my sword with the power of lightning. Sparks seemed to flow out of my blade as it glowed a beautiful yellow hue, and the blade almost was at the neck of the creature. Even before it touched the creature, I got three system notifications pushed into my head.
[Your title has blossomed; your new moniker is
[When using a sword, your damage is amplified by 33%. And all weapons you touch automatically are sharpened.]
[F-grade item, "Old Warrior's Long Sword" has been sharpened. It has evolved into an E-grade item, "New Warrior's Long Sword"]
I don't know if it was one of these buffs, or the new title, my sharpened sword, or the lightning that was charging it. Maybe it was the green hue around my blade that turned a shade of bright blue since I'd gotten my new title. But my blade sliced through the monster's head like a hot knife cutting through Swiss cheese.
The Griffin's head fell, simultaneously with me. My body tumbled down, and the head landed right next to me. The carcass stood for about a minute before it fell victim to gravity. The blood of the Griffin was pooling around us. I ran to the Twin who was bleeding out.
"Hey, are you alright? Brother..." My words poured out of my mouth without asking me for permission.
I knew he was dead. I knew my words wouldn't bring him back. But I had to ask. Wait where did the other twin get flung to. It was the side the sun was shining I thought. I needed to find him. I closed all the scenario clear screens that appeared and ran towards the sun.
After minimal searching, I found him. His eyes were open, his body didn't seem like it could move. I could tell he was pushing his body to its absolute limits to even open it's mouth. Zekros stood beside me, as the twin spoke.
"His name...was Arafat"
There was a damning silence. I wanted to interject and ask him if he could get up. But it felt like there was still something to be said.
"From today, my name shall be Arafat. The twins are no more. I shall live- cough cough- to honour my brother." He was choking on his blood.
Zekros and I quickly made him sit upright and spit out the blood. He looked at both of us as his eyes shut. Wait no, it couldn't end like this, I thought as I put two fingers to his neck. I could still feel movement. He had just fallen asleep. A mix of dread, guilt and relief washed over me. I carried Arafat on my back as Zekros and I departed towards the dungeon's entrance. We went past the translucent wall, as the large indicator signifying its entrance disappeared alongside the wall.
The feline ran towards us as we came out. It would lead us out of the forest. We needed to get to the Northern guild base, it was the closest regional base with a proper medical facility. And so they walked.
____
Alexis rushed into Elena's room.
"Madam, I've gotten word from Zekros."
"Yes? Has good fortune struck that piece of shit again?" She giggled as she finished the sentence. Her hands looked like mouldings carved out of ice as they pushed her raven locks out of her eyesight.
"Alexis?" She grew concerned.
"Madam, Scilia and one of the twins are dead. It seems Scilia had betrayed the squadron; one thing led to another, and they both passed. It seems the other twin is still alive but heavily injured. They're en route, arriving in half an hour"
He finished his report with a somber looked in his eyes. Alexis was barely over 30. But he had seen more of the scenarios' tragedy than anyone else in the Runesca Guild's North Branch.
Elena didn't know what to say. She couldn't let a tear escape her eyes, no matter how much she'd wanted to cry for the death of one of her closest friends, she had to be a good leader. And leaders don't cry. Her grandfather's words echoed in her ears, as she thought of the most pragmatic way forward.
"Prepare three hospital beds. Tell Caroline to be on standby for two injured and one heavily injured patient. Wake the guards at the gate and inform them about the party's arrival. Chop-chop." She instructed him as pragmatically as she could. Her voice cracked a couple of times. But it was just Alexis in here. He had seen her in worse situations.
___
They'd been out of the forest and had said goodbye to the feline just about 10 minutes ago. It would take them 20 more minutes to reach the base. They couldn't dash, as they were both weak, and Antares was carrying Arafat. The scenario shop could only be accessed in townposts or inside dungeons before the boss was slain. Otherwise, they would've tried to treat Arafat themselves.
It was a subliminal space around them. They had to go west from the twisted forest, and they'd arrive at the guild base. They walked and walked. The forest's slight chill soon decided to heat up. And then cold descended again. They entered and passed through the desert of mirages and had finally gotten to the specteres' abode.
The Specteres' Abode was a stretch of around 10 miles of land, that was home to ruined ruined houses, and possibly specter type Zeniths. This abode was an extension of the main housing system in the town just south of the base.
The companions didn't speak a word to each other during this journey. It was a journey marked as much by solace and self discovery, as it was pain of the feet.
His feet, despite being covered by thick boots, still felt the painful gravel of sloppy roads poking into his legs. He didn't complain, though. He had more than enough things to worry about. He didn't want to think about the twin. Every time he did, his heart would tighten up. He didn't know why. He decided to pass the time by looking at his new notifications.
[Sub Scenario: Dungeon Crawl - C-Grade has been completed. A random draw for the skill has been conducted.]
[ You have acquired C-grade skill,
[You have received 5000 Geld]
[You dealt the final blow to the Boss. You have received 3000 Geld.]
[You were the primary contributor to the Boss Battle, your stamina has risen significantly]
The stamina boost and the 8k were pretty good. The ability, though, was something more suited for Zekros. Mana Absorb meant that I could gain mana forcefully from the surrounding nature. It wasn't very powerful. But it was more than enough for my basic wind skill. This would make it such that I would never run out of mana mid battle.
We had almost reached the walls and surprisingly hadn't encountered any Specters. That was rare, I thought to myself. We had to go around the wall to reach the main gate.
As we approached the main gate, we saw a man. He had ruffled black hair and wore a schoolboy's uniform. I've seen people from the empire wear something similar. He seemed to be bleeding from his neck. As he walked closer to the door, his body collapsed on itself. Zekros ran to the boy, and I walked behind him as fast as I could.
The boy's neck had a weird tattoo.
A man with a sickle cutting another man down.