Rage.
Toy felt a bubbling rage take root in her body.
The warriors may have been rely tools of Lust — their numbered nas reflecting their lowly worth.
But the weak goblin had felt a sort of kinship with them due to circumstance. A bond only strengthened by the ti they’d spent outside the dungeon together in the forest around Liora.
Toy had co to see the warriors as her friends.
While they seed quite stoic and unpersonable at first, each had their own quirks and personality. Through them, Toy actually had normal relationships with beings close to her level.
She’d learned what a normal friend was.
Instead of so awkward relationship with a kitten who saw her as little more than an annoyance and a master far above her in ability...
’Alpha is a hard-headed softie who cares deeply about her comrades.’
But sothing within the Archer made her care more about her missions.
’Forty-four is... was soone who slacked off in training, but was there when it counted in a real fight.’
So why was her body gone? Swallowed by the dungeon that had birthed her?
’Why?’
Why were they almost all gone?
Why did they die so easily?
Toy sniffled and dashed to the side, circling the wounded beast.
The only constant the warriors all shared was their duty...
Their duty was to protect the dungeon no matter the cost.
A duty they didn’t have the will to forsake. A duty they did with utmost diligence.
Toy’s tie to the dungeon was much looser and more restrained, so she didn’t entirely understand why they were so accepting of death, but she could at least understand the desire to do right for their master.
Yes, that, Toy understood all too well.
She didn’t bla the warriors for walking to their deaths, nor did she bla Vale, who’d put them in such a position.
Toy clutched tightly on the dagger and slid on her knees over a mass of blood yet to sink into the ground, cutting the wolf’s heels as she skimd by.
Sothing else Toy had learned was to also desire things for herself — to desire life for her own reasons.
Sothing those warriors couldn’t seem to understand. She’d tried on multiple occasions to prod, but their roots of fealty ran deep. Deeper than any desire of their own.
’Ah...’
Twenty-nine’s knees buckled as the Ashen Vilkas pushed down on her bow, clamping its jaw, snapping at her face. Inching closer.
’This must be what Salo feels watching fight.’
Thankfully, Diana finally unleashed the bow shot she’d been charging the entire ti, and an arrow pierced the wolf’s skull, shattering it.
The dead body fell atop Twenty-nine, who shoved it off the rafters and to the floor, before standing and beginning to shoot again.
Toy herself stood back up with blood soaking her knees.
Toy took a deep breath and launched herself in the air as the Ashen Vilkas she fought buckled under its own weight, landing on its hands and knees.
’I hate this.’
A glimr of sothing wet ford in the corner of Toy’s eye as she landed upon the beast’s back and began driving her dagger into its nape.
"Argh!"
Toy scread as her dagger bit into its flesh.
The wolf howled in pain.
’I hate being weak!’
It tried once again to shake her off, but its maneuverability had been crippled, and Toy refused to yield.
Over and over, the blade sank. It sank into the furry coat, painting it red.
She continued attacking with no regard for her weapon’s durability. Only caring for the result.
’I hate being stronger!’
Upon her next strike, the blade splintered in half, with half still connected to the tang and the other flying through the air.
Toy reached out and grabbed the separated shard.
Clutching it in her palm, she let the sharp sides bite into her flesh. Then, she forced the shard down and into the back of the wolf’s head.
At last, its snarls ceased upon one final pained whimper.
’And I hate anyone who’d dare to take sothing from !’
Toy rode the Ashen Vilkas’s body as it sank into the stone floor.
When it disappeared, it left only the tal shard, clanking and bobbing.
Toy with tears in her eyes, looked over at the others, only to find—
***
Awilix staggered around, clutching her broken arm.
’Why does this always happen?!’
The cat couldn’t help but complain about how she seed to always get so limb twisted or brutalized in a terrible way.
’Why never soone else?!’
Awilix silently grimaced as she continued hopping around in the Eclipse, dodging the eight foes that chased her.
There were nine at the beginning, but a snake had sprayed its venom on a Vilkas who’d gotten angry and tore it to shreds in response.
Awilix didn’t know how long she’d been running around, but she was growing tired.
These bastards seed permanently locked onto her despite being in the dark and had equal if not greater speed than her.
Not to ntion...
’Stop that!’
The damned beasts had figured out that the four [Dawn’s Eye] around the place played a part in her ability and had been going around trying to snuff them.
While none had been destroyed, two of the four she had set up had been tossed down a side hallway, away from the fight.
Awilix growled as she ducked under another spray of venom, then imdiately had to vault over a Vilkas’s shoulder.
She’d contemplated using her Aspect, but not only did it hurt her to do so, emotionally, but it seed her ti as a distraction was steadily marching toward an end.
Awilix wasn’t intently watching Salo during her fight, only glimpsing the mob from ti to ti, each revolution the succubus completed, but she’d seen a drastic fall in the number of Salo’s opponents.
A minute later, Awilix saw Salo approaching her and finally let the Eclipse collapse.
***
Vale sat on his stone throne, a smidge of worry coursing through his veins.
He spoke to the small specter at his side.
"You really saw nothing?"
Mias, the wisp of him, responded:
"No."
What Vale was referring to was the mont after the Level had started, he’d gotten the ssage of an invader.
A ssage saying an enemy had entered the dungeon.
Yet, he’d heard no ntion of its death. Only having heard the death announcents of those the trial had summoned.
aning, the extra challenger had fled or was hiding within the dungeon.
’A being which could evade Mias’ detection...’
Unless whatever it was had only stepped inside for a mont before turning tail and retreating. That was definitely a possibility: when Ophelia left the dungeon before, there was no ssage of her departure — he only got a ssage when one entered, not when one left.
"Warn the others. Keep them stationed where they are even after the Level is over."
Mini Mias paused for a mont, his better half distracted, then he replied:
"Will do..."
Vale sighed as he listened to the stream of announcents from the system.
The announcents detailing the continual death of his warriors alongside his enemies...
According to Mias, who’d been relaying everything going on, the warriors had done their duty to the utmost perfection.
Sothing went wrong, and five Ergent Monsters had descended upon them, yet they’d manage to distract long enough for Toy, Diana, and Mias to each kill one.
Two others were still alive, but would die soon...
And doing their job diligently didn’t necessarily an they survived.
Of the 28 warriors positioned in the maze with Toy, only six remained alive — and would hopefully keep doing so.
Five were Archers: Twenty-Nine, Diana, Alpha, Twenty-Seven, and Thirty-Four.
And Edith was the lone Warrior survivor, the rest of her squad having been decimated.
Of those alive, two were seriously maid and missing a limb. And Alpha was missing an eye.
Yet, Vale wasn’t disparaged that his forces had died in such great numbers. In fact, he was proud they’d managed to hold off such tough opponents and claim victory in the first place.
Vale sighed as he prepared himself...
Salo had a tough battle on her end, but after that group of five monsters had separated, she managed to pick off the remaining ones following her much more easily.
Now, she was going over to help Awilix and would subsequently lead one of the Nagas to Vale.
Whichever Naga caught her fancy. Well, which one does she deem worthy of Vale’s fancy?
Vale grumbled quietly, not quite in the best of moods, though neither one of the worst.
He wasn’t exactly happy at this outco, and he was still worried about the unknown challenger.
He also still didn’t entirely like the idea of Charm.
He also didn’t even know if Charming an Ergent was possible.
But, he’d most definitely beaten Level 8 and would obtain 160 Aether by the ti the battle concluded.
Add that to the Aether from his own subjects, and he’d have enough to saturate his core...
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