The nest creaked, although dark the silk caught the light of the lights hanging on the walls. Shadows crawled. Gregory took the forefront, while Valerie took the back, Baan was in charge of the stragglers, and the elf provided air support.
I… nobody told me what to do.
The sharkman NPC went back after giving us a concerned glance so we didn't have an extra hand.
I'll just take care of the stragglers with Baan I guess.
Gregory slashed at a bundle of eggs held together with webs. A green viscous goop spit from the bisected eggs making a foul scent fill the room. An explosion of hisses starts from the spiders, who then charge in.
Before they walked out of the shadows I expected a spider maybe the size of my foot, but just one spider reached near my knees.
I had no hesitation.
Like a madman I slammed my stick on the spiders, perhaps there was a gleeful smile on my face. I looked like more of a monster than Gregory or the princess who were back to their refined swordsmanship, after getting fired up in the arena I had forgotten how pretty their combat looked.
And their weapons, they're pretty as well…
I looked down at my stick, mid-swing crushing a spider's skull.
It was an uneventful dungeon, mostly since I was asleep for most of it. I guess it's just the fourth floor after all?
After the room looked like a green cube, we got the chance to fully catch our breaths.
A phantom appeared in the middle of the room, an NPC. I was caught up on the details of this floor before we went in. The soul of a sacrificed little girl who sought refuge in a nearby village, after being nurtured and becoming an adult she was suddenly dragged here without explanation.
A child born with the mana curse, she wouldn't have lived long anyway.
Still, she had a smile on her face, "Thank… you…"
The party all looked somber.
After going through this floor they learned all sorts of things about her and her life story.
The next floor opened up underneath us.
As we fell, a red sky filled our view. A kingdom surrounded by a large wall. And a wave of monsters clashing on the opposite side. Landing on the ground a figure covered in blood runs up to us. "Ple- Please… there's too many!"
Gregory grabbed their shoulders, relieving their shaking. "Slow down, what's happening?"
"Our party… they're being swarmed. These monsters, they're stronger than usual!"
This floor was a conquest style floor. Three waves of monsters increasing in difficulty. The only saving grace for the weak is the hope a stronger party will come.
The elf held her hand in a circle over her eyes. "Boss, it's a horde of hoglins. But they're huge…"
Hoglins? How nostalgic.
"Yes, we noticed that as well… One of our members has a skill that lets her see the holiness of anything. She sensed demonic energy on them."
She swallowed her spit.
"We don't have time to talk. We need to hurry!"
"I have a plan." Raising my hand, they all look at me.
"This is gonna sound weird but… I have a summoning skill despite being a thief. Let's just say I got an item in another dungeon that let me learn a weak skill of another class, it was complete dumb luck."
[People are doubtful of you.]
[Eloquence] is activating.
Baan spoke first. "I've heard of such items, I didn't think they were real."
The elf shuddered. "An item that lets you learn other classes' skills. How horrifying."
"Anyway… I can summon hoglins. We can ride them there. Hoglins are naturally hoarding monsters, a small fright and a stampede will start. So I'll summon a lot."
The party nodded and I summoned about fifty hoglins. Sweat covered my face, using this much mana at once, I couldn't do it before. Despite not having stats my mana was growing.
We got on the hoglins in the back, and the elf shot an arrow at the lead one's butt.
"HIEEK!" Squeals erupted and we sped off. The struggling party became clearer, a party of women. A large woman slammed a sword the size of herself down. Another aimed ice magic from behind the knight NPC's with the mage NPC's.
Then, a gaze pierced me. It was as if I was actually shot.
A lady with a pure aura, one that could only be matched by the saintess I saw when I was inside Marcus's body.
…
When I possessed Marcus.
She swung her mace while zoning in on me.
What's up with her?
[Someone is peering into your existence.]
[Your holiness is stronger than your demonicness currently]
[Exhibiting a divine aura]
She made a shocked face. Quickly looking away.
What does it mean currently?
Have some faith in me.
Now that my summoned horde was close to the horde of monsters a few joined after being hit. Causing a chain reaction, it wasn't instant. We got off our mounts and cleaved the ones who didn't follow. The exhausted party felt a surge of energy now that backup arrived.
It was quick after that.
The fields were covered in corpses, human and hoglin. I didn't look away. I needed to get used to it.
The NPCs surveyed the fields, cleaning them up.
"Thanks for the assist… wait… are you Gregory?" The beefy woman approached us, with her party behind her. The bloody figure who found us first held her arm.
Gregory rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, it's still a bit embarrassing meeting a fan in such a place. Would you like an auto-"
"Ah, I'm not a fan."
Gregory's world seemed to crumble.
"Ah, wait, wait. I mean I do respect you but, being a fan would mean I'm conceding the title of strongest adventurer, thus, I'm a fan of nobody." She pointed at herself with a smug grin.
The ice mage spoke up, pushing the woman away. "I don't think they're following your logic, you Bison. I'm Kiran, the musclebound person is Esmerelda."
"Thank you guys… for helping us." The woman squeaked out, judging by the knife holstered on her legs she was a real thief.
Baan responded. "The world of adventurers is inherently cruel. But people must not be. We just did what had to be done."
When did Baan get so cool?
"Wuv you." She muttered.
"Hm?" He asked.
"Nothing." Her face was completely cool.
I feel like this is going off the rails.
Finally the priestess. She was silently glaring at me the whole time. But sensing it was her time to introduce herself she finally stopped. "Pythia, a follower of the god of swords."
A shiver crawled up my spine.
So cringe…
The church of swords is an influential power in the south, a haven for battle maniacs and masochists. I am neither. I heard they had to say that they followed it when greeting others but it's so cringe. I used to say stuff like that when I was twelve.
"She's shy." Kiran said.
Hiding behind Esmerelda, she resumed her glaring.
"Mercs, get your ass inside! The wave is over!" A buff man wearing armor approached us. To them we appeared to be mercenaries.
Esmerelda turned around, furrowing her brow because she was genuinely caught off guard but it looked like more of a glare.
The man shook. "Wuv you."
"Hm?"
The man cleared his throat. "Hurry inside, we need you at your best."
The kingdom was covered in soot. And the inhabitants clung to their loved ones, we were led to our chambers. It was nothing compared to me and Valerie's personal house in the elf village. Speaking of, she suddenly left the inn after telling me she was gonna 'do something.'
Well knowing her she was training like a madman.
I would too, it's just… My class doesn't support training.
Esmerelda, Kiran, and Gregory's party all left as well.
I want to leave…
It was just me and the priestess. We were on opposite sides of the room, not much of a room but 8 beds lined up in a row.
She was next to the door.
Do I jump out of the window?
"Hey!" Her voice shook me to my core.
"Hehe, what? Thirsty? I'll go get you something?"
"You… What is wrong with you?"
A hard question right off the bat.
"What do you mean? I'm a normal person." Eloquence…!
It wouldn't activate.
"You have too much energy, martial arts, healer, summoner… demon."
Curse you bald guy!
My throat felt dry, images of her nonchalantly swinging her mace surfaced.
Then I took a deep breath.
Opening my eyes wide, she does as well in response.
"You see, I was actually a subject for a horrible scientific experiment after being captured by demons where I had the essence of one put inside of me." I forced tears, choking on each word. "They were fed to me in pills, each one had the person who was ground into them's class. It was truly… painful."
[Eloquence] has activated, increasing resonance.
My lies hit her like a wave.
[Eloquence] has failed.
Then she went back to glaring.
What? That was my best work. Why is she still mad?
"Then why do you have the energy of a hero?"
She's met Marcus?
"Since I have the aura of a hero I can't be a demon can I?"
"That is the case however, something still isn't right about you… for now, I'll spare you from my mace."
So she was considering it.
"Thanks."
She laid on her side. So I could only see her back.
The rest came back when night fell drenched in sweat. Valerie and Gregory seemed to have grown closer after numerous spars. They walked in together, and even chatted before going to their beds. For some reason it made my chest feel tight.
Must be nervous for the next wave.
We fell asleep.
-Poke… poke…
I felt a finger poking my cheek. Opening my eyes the princess's face was right next to mine, this wasn't the first time she had done this so I wasn't too surprised. "You up?"
I got out of bed, my hair was rustled so I curled it down.
"I'm... up." My head bobbled.
"Good, wanna go somewhere?"
"Where?"
She grabbed my hand, leaving the inn. We entered the hallway. At the end of the hall she opened a window, jumping out and grabbing the roof. After yawning, I followed her.
Walking to the middle of the roof she takes a seat. Patting the space beside her. I stood at the edge of the roof for a while. Somehow, the moonlight reflecting on her hair made her seem as if the moon was shining on only her. I was having poetic thoughts.
After one loud slap I scampered forward.
"What did you and the saintess talk about?" Her voice was uncharacteristically chipper.
I stared at the stars, "She just threatened to kill me. She could sense the multiple classes and demonic energy in me."
"Her name is Pythia. It's a hard name to forget… especially after that introduction."
She frowned as soon as I brought up her name so I decided to shift the conversation.
"You and Gregory had a few bouts today?"
She was smiling again, that same stomach twisting feeling… must be hungry.
"We did, he even used that aura he used back at the guild."
I leaned forward, maintaining eye contact.
"He's strong. Scarily so. I imagine if he used that power at the arena he could've easily killed that Gryphon. He seems reluctant, even during our fight he only used it for fifteen seconds."
"You guys seem close. I almost think you've forgotten about your brothers and just want to hang out with him." It was a joke.
The princess stared blankly at me, got up, and left.
"Um…"
Before I could say anything else she jumped back inside.
I sat on the roof for a while. My head in my lap.
Morning came, and the sunlight filled my eyes. I had fallen asleep on the roof.
"You keep sleeping at the weirdest times." Gregory shouted from under.
"We need to go, the last wave is coming."
The princess donned her hood again, she was looking away from me. Sighing, I jumped off the roof.