Chapter 17: Mileth Crypt [4]

Harrock, Gratt, and their followers finally arrived on the 2nd floor. No one has spoken a word since then, and the tension between them changed into an awkward atmosphere. Neither of the leaders would try to encourage or reinforce that what they did was the right thing. The people behind him didn’t say a word either, for all of them are walking out of here as one person: a coward.

They arrived on the first floor and soon made their way to the entrance of the crypt. It was dark outside, and their party that crowded the entrance stood in place. The exit was right there, but it wasn’t over until they’ve been dismissed.

“Is this really what we should be doing?” Harrock questioned himself.

“Trying to save what little reputation you can by asking yourself that?” Gratt asked.

“No.” Harrock denied. “Everyone here can say what they want to say; I won’t stop anyone. Nothing can be worse than the greatest shame I’ve just walked.”

Harrock stared at the streetlight that partially hit the entrance of the crypt. The voice that shouted the word “Pathetic” spun around his head, constantly reminding him what occurred today. Harrock thought that if he’d build his reputation from the ground-up, then everything would work out as long as he’s alive. After all, you can’t do anything if you’re dead. It was a simple path to walk, and all he had to do was take a step outside.

“What are you waiting for?” Gratt asked.

Harrock remained silent. All it took was a few steps, and he can start over from scratch. It all sounded so simple, so why couldn’t he urge himself to take another step?

Harrock turned around and looked at his men. They were all patiently waiting for their dismissal, but none of them were eager to step outside. Looking at their armors and weapons reminded him of why they were there in the first place. To gear up and not fight would be another day wasted.

“Go on, Gratt.” Harrock said and then faced his men with a resolute heart. “Take your followers out of here.”

“Everyone who wanted the Scorpion loot, leave.” Gratt ordered his followers. “There’s no scorpion, so there’s no loot. I’m sorry for wasting your day. You may all leave.”

One by one, five adventurers left the entrance of the crypt. The only ones left here was Gratt and Harrock’s group.

“Men!” Harrock grounded his shield. “Who are we?”

“Members of Aegis!” His men shouted in unison.

“Today, I’ve experienced the greatest shame I ever felt since I picked up this shield.” Harrock loudly said. “Just hearing that word drained me of all my spirit. I’ve heard nothing but great horrors about the monster called marauder.”

“So did we, captain!” His men agreed in unison.

“Today,” Harrock announced, “is not a day for fame or fortune. Honestly, I came here with the expectations to gain a bit of reward and spread our influence. But from now on the only thing that will compel you forward are your beliefs.”

“Yes, captain!” His men shouted.

“If I wasn’t a part of the guild, I would have definitely left you all behind and walked back to the 5th floor by myself, just like that young man.” Harrock said. “However! You are all members of the proud Aegis’ guild, and I am your captain. I encourage you all to walk out of here, for there is nothing but death awaiting you. But that is your choice, and I will say no more.”

His men lifted their weapons high into the air and shouted, “Hurrah!”

“I am instating a new mission today: save the 20 people who are trapped behind the marauder.” Harrock ordered. “Chance of death: High. Chance of injury: Extremely high. Chance of loot: None.”

“C-captain!” A wizard shouted. “I have a kid--“

“Dismissed.” Harrock smiled. “All of you, do not ask for my permission. Get out and go home to your families. I’m sure they want to see your ugly faces more than I do.”

“Thank you, sir.” The wizard promptly left and took one last glance at his guildmates with a smile on their face.

“Go on, get out of here, all of you!” Harrock shouted.

All of his followers looked at each other and then back at him. “No can do, sir!”

Harrock smiled back, secretly cherishing the amazing loyalty his men have shown. “Let’s go!”

“You’re all such fools.” Gratt said with an annoyed expression.

“Yeah.” Harrock nodded. “This is farewell.”

Gratt exited the crypt, ticked off at Harrock’s stupidity.

“Men!” Harrock shouted. “Onwards! Our destination: 5th floor of Mileth Crypt!”

***

An albino monster lurked the 5th floor of Mileth Crypt. Its upper body had an intense amount of meat and strength to it. In its hand was a great hammer that was incredibly detailed with an artwork of a skeleton. Its body was supported by four scaly legs that also extended to its stubby tail, like those belonging to a reptile. It adorned a golden helmet with a long beak that touched its chest. Glorious golden shoulder pads that mimics the raging waters of a sea sat on its shoulders.

Morr tried to lower his presence as much as possible by crouching down and taking very light steps. He was at the end of the stairway, and the monster came to his vision. It didn’t seem to notice him; it continued to patrol from one end of the room to the other. Looking past it, and to the stairway leading to the 6th floor, he saw a bunch of adventurers peeking from the it. The marauder didn’t seem to notice them either, or it just simply didn’t care.

The pack of adventurers stuck at the entrance of the 6th floor gestured him to stay silent.

Morr nodded and ran straight to the marauder.

“Stop!” The adventurers cried.

There were no holes in the golden helmet, but the marauder watched Morr’s every step as if he could see him.

Standing so close to it made Morr realize how fearsome it is. Eye-level was about his head to the monster’s bottom belly fat. It easily stood twice as tall as Morr, and the amount of muscle behind those fat showed how fast it can kill people.

Morr focused on the great hammer in its hand. The chakra in his body swam to his feet.

The marauder swung its great hammer horizontally, covering as much space as possible in front of it.

Morr dodged it by taking a few steps back, and when the great hammer reached the zenith of its arc, he stepped in and threw a kick. The force behind it seemed great at first, but upon seeing the impact the impression greatly diminished. The monster’s belly fat rippled as it absorbed the energy and dissipated it.

The great hammer came back, and Morr stepped out of its range.

“Unbelievable body fat…” Morr was astounded. The kick that easily obliterated a rat didn’t even cause the marauder to flinch.

“Everyone, quick!” Twenty adventurers flooded out from the descending stairway and walked as quietly as possible to the stairway that ascends to the 5th floor.

The marauder raised the great hammer towards the ceiling with both of its hands.

“What is it doing?” Morr judged that he was too far for the weapon to reach him.

One of the adventurers noticed the marauder and immediately shouted, “RUN!”

All of them stopped tip-toeing and just full-on book for the 5th floor.

The marauder slammed the great hammer to the ground. Morr expected a tremendous shockwave, but that was not the case. The ground rippled upon contact, and suddenly everyone in the room fell into a stupor. They all wobbled towards the marauder as if gravity was pulling them towards it.

Morr, the closest one, was the first one to be hit. The great hammer rammed his body from his left side. His body slowly bended as the hammer forcefully carried him into the air. Sounds of shattered bone faintly emitted behind the sounds of his grunt. He soared into the air before crashing into a stone wall, creating a small crater upon impact.

Easily twirling its great hammer, the marauder turned around and galloped towards the remaining adventurers still standing.

A rock hit its helmet, and it heard a faint laugh coming from behind. It deaccelerated to a stop and turned around. The boy was still standing, barely.

***

Harrock and his group arrived on the 4th floor. They continued their march. The deeper they went into the room, the more fearsome a menacing grunt can be heard. Harrock beckoned them to all be cautious. If there was a marauder on the 5th floor, then anything is a possibility.

Once they saw the source of the problem their heart didn’t ease at all. A wild-hair girl zoomed from room to room, skillfully murdering every monster she saw. It didn’t matter if it was a scorpion or bat, they all died with one swift motion. Only when she stopped and looted did Harrock recognize who she was.

“What are you doing here?” Harrock asked. “What happen to your friend?”

Priscilla ignored those questions like ants on the ground.

“Hey…” Harrock shook his head. “Nevermind. Men! Let’s go!”

Harrock and his group proceeded to the entrance of the 5th floor. Judging by her ability to kill monsters so quickly, he knew she wouldn’t be in any trouble staying here.

They all had at least a speck of hope when they descended to the 5th floor. But upon reaching it, their hopes flew out of the window. The twenty adventurers were all on the ground, but when Harrock saw a smidgen of a movement from their bodies, he quickly sprang into action.

“Rogues and priests, gather everyone on the ground and escort them to the 4th floor!” Harrock commanded. “Archers, ready your bow and hold your fire! Wizards, prepare your strongest earth spell to target its movement! Warriors, on me!”

His party split into four squadron, and all of his men moved as ordered. Looking at their movements, one could tell that they had more than a week’s worth of practice. The fear in their eyes never went away, but their beliefs grounded them so that they wouldn’t run away.

Harrock and his warriors ran towards the marauder. The boy he saw from before was in a disastrous state, but he kept on fighting without a care for his body.

“Back him up!” Harrock commanded. “Remember the plan!”

Morr’s left side was absolutely crushing himself. His broken arm was twisted and it flailed with the wind. His crushed ribs made him consciously focus his center-of-gravity to his right side to ease the pain. Rather than attacking and trying to kill the marauder, all he could do was grab its attention and stay alive.

Another swing from the great hammer flew by, and he barely dodged it. The sheer wind pressure from the swing was enough to cause his injury to sting. Even standing toe-to-toe with it became a monstrous task.

“Back off!” Harrock shouted.

Morr immediately back-pedaled his way to create even more distance.

“Wizards! Now!” Harrock commanded.

Magic circles upon magic circles appeared all around the marauder’s reptilian legs as it was about to gallop towards the boy. Most of the circles only had one ring, but some had two or three inner rings from the more advanced wizards. They all fired at once; pillars of rocks appeared and stabbed the ground and its legs. The marauder let out a hurtful groan as it swung its great hammer at the magic circles. The ground became uneven, making it harder for it to gallop, but there wasn’t any noticeable major damage on its surface.

“Prepare the same thing, wizards! Archers, unleashed your arrows!” Harrock commanded.

Following the barrage of spells was a fearsome amount of arrows. The arrows bounced off of the marauder’s reptilian legs and tails, but the arrow firmly struck its belly fat. It let out another groan as it wildly swung its great hammer. Harrock ordered his warriors to fall back, out of range of its weapon.

The marauder lifted its great hammer high into the air.

“What is it doing?” Harrock wondered. “It won’t reach us from here.”

Morr immediately noticed that posture and kicked off the ground with his right leg. He screamed and spun in the air, concentrating all of his chakra into his left foot, and unleashed all he had. The kick wobbled the golden helmet protecting its head, and the marauder stopped. It caught the boy by his left leg as he was freefalling and slammed him to the ground.

“You fool!” Harrock shouted. “Aren’t they done yet?!”

Harrock turned around and saw most of the adventurers had already been escorted towards the 4th floor.

“Everyone! Go! Mission complete!” Harrock shouted. “Get out of here!”

The wizards, warriors, and archers collectively ran towards the stairway that led to the 4th floor. Harrock hanged around the rear of his group, ensuring that all of his men will be the first to leave. His eyes refused to look at anything other than the marauder and the boy smashed into the ground.

Morr struggled and fought his body to stand tall. His body wobbled as if it was on a ship during a rough sea. An intense headache distorted his eyes from focusing on the monster in front of him. Blood spilled out of his mouth and ears, forcing him into a state of anemia. Every inch of muscles and bones in his body screamed for him to stop and lay down, but doing that will only mean death for him. All the splinter bones in his body would cause one to enter a state of frenzy, but the rush of adrenaline that nulled his pain sensors kept him sane.

The marauder twirled its great hammer victoriously. It stared down at the Aisling in a haughty manner, ready to finish the fight.

“You better hit me real good.” Morr muttered. “Because after I destroy the Church of Salvation, the one ruling this place -- your master -- will be next on my list.”

“Damn it!” Harrock cursed his own weakness. “Someone help him…”

“A little too early to be looking down, Harrock.” A familiar voice came from behind.

As Harrock turned around to see who it was, a shadowy figure flew by followed by a gust of wind that brushed his hair.

“[Fang of Kelberoth]” The shadow figure threw a punch. The face of a golden lion appeared and roared as the punch made contact with the belly of the marauder. A flash of light emitted from the marauder, and the face of a golden lion consumed it whole. It disintegrated and dropped its golden helmet, great hammer, and shoulder pads onto the floor.

“Gratt!” Harrock happily shouted as he looked at the young man behind him. “Who is that?”

“2nd-in-command of the Royal Barong's guild, the second to master the Kelberoth form, and my brother, Roen!” Gratt proudly announced. “Did you think I was going to let you permanently retire at your early 40s? Too early, too early.”

“Thanks… really.” Harrock respectfully bowed.

“Whoa! Stop it!” Gratt urged.

Roen spat out a mouth full of blood and inspected the great hammer with a descriptive portrayal of a skeleton. The golden helmet and shoulder pads didn’t have such markings, which he was thankful for. Next, he saw a young man who stood still. A faint energy emitted from the boy, which greatly surprised Roen.

“Is he dead?” Roen flicked Morr’s head.

It was light, gentle flick, and it was enough to topple him to the ground.

“Roen!” Gratt yelled and ran towards them.

“I’m just joking.” Roen laughed.

Gratt examined the loot on the ground, signs of cash filled his eyes. He reached out his hand for the great hammer.

“Stop!” Roen solemnly scolded his brother. “You’ll be scarred by Sgrios if you touch it.”

Gratt gulped and immediately retracted his hand.

“I’ll ask some worshippers of Glioca for desecration.” Roen said.

Harrock carefully picked up the boy tattered in wounds. “Let’s go.”

They met up with Harrock’s men and the trapped adventurers, who filled the 4th floor with tears, and continued upwards. A sweet reunion filled their faces with beaming smiles. None of them thought they would have returned alive, yet here they are, and not a single person missing.

Their path was immediately blocked by a girl who was stunned at the sight of her friend. She ran towards Harrock and ignored the eyes of the adventurers.

“Captain sure is a lucky fellow!” One of Harrock’s men gleefully said.

“And here I was, beginning to worry that he would never marry.” Another one of Harrock’s men commented.

“That’s right.” Harrock called for his priests. “Priests! Tend to his wounds!”

Harrock carefully placed Morr onto the floor.

The priests gathered around him and casted [Light – 1: Beag Ioc]. White circles of magic surrounded her friend. The cuts and bruises lessened, but they weren’t able to fully heal.

“Our magic isn’t good enough.” A priest dismally reported.

“We need to find a doctor, or someone with greater magic.” Gratt mentioned. "But it’s hard to find a capable doctor within a travel time of an hour.”

“Mileth is a city for beginners.” Roen said. “There aren’t any outstanding priests here.”

“Can’t you cast more healing magic on him?” Harrock questioned the nearby priests.

“That’s not how healing magic works… sir.” The priest replied.

“Damn it!” Harrock slammed the ground with a fist full of frustration.

Priscilla bended down and lifted Morr by using her shoulder as support. She slowly dragged him with her, trying to be as fast and careful as possible.

“Where are you going?” Harrock asked.

“To find help.” Priscilla said.

“Didn’t you hear? There’s no one around.” Gratt said.

Priscilla ignored him and continued onwards.

“Wait.” Roen grabbed her arm.

“Don’t touch me.” Priscilla coldy warned.

She didn’t have to turn around for everyone in the room to feel a hint of despair. Looking at her back was enough to deter most of them from even saying anything. No one wanted to stop her from helping her friend when none of them could do anything.

“Calm down, calm down.” Roen said. “When he’s better -- and I know he will, because you will make sure of it -- tell him to come find me. Tell him I can teach him how to use his chakra.”

Just then, everyone looked at Roen with a surprise on their face. Chakra, the energy said to be derived from nature. They all knew how mysterious it was and the difficulty in utlizing it. For Roen to offer his help meant that Roen himself knew a great deal about it, and that he saw potential in her unconscious friend.

Priscilla gave a slight nod and proceeded onwards.