V2C17

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Episode 23

Adventure of the Ruins

We arrived at the Ruins, and… stuff happened.

Rand didn’t even shout when the troll arrived. He just started running. Impressive for him.

I also began running away, but then I heard the thumping noise and the squeal.

“Ahh..ah…he- help me!”

Himari stands frozen in place, eyes wide with fear.

The troll reaches for Himari.

“B- bastard! Stay away from me!”

I bolt for Himari and push her out of the troll’s path.

The troll swings his arm towards me.

It slashes my shoulder, leaving deep claw marks embedded.

“Son of a…”

I stumble backward as blood gushes out of the wound.

“Charles!”

Severe pain in my left shoulder. The bones are barely together. That arm is useless.

Blood spills. I have no time to worry. I scoop Himari up with my usable arm. Our only option is to flee.

The troll races towards us at a fearsome speed.

My legs are fast… I can run away by myself, but I can’t do it while holding Himari.

“Rand!”

Rand halts in the trolls path, acting like the moron, the kind of moron that’s rapidly getting worse with every opportunity to be stupid.

“Rand! Here, NOW!”

“I will die like a man! Don’t take this away from me, Charles!”

Rand’s eyes are shedding tears at a stunningly rapid rate.

Henri releases a scream so loud the troll stumbles just before reaching Rand.

” OUT OF THE WAY, DUMBASS!”

“No, I must-!

“Rand, if you want to be useful take your wand and use it to delay the troll!”

Magic is a natural force. Like fire or wind. It isn’t precise, nor is suture magic, the variety which Rand can do, healing magic.

Rand wildly sends suture magic at the troll’s legs and the skin between the legs knits.

His legs have been “healed” together.

“Charles! Look! Stairs!”

The staircase leads to darkness below. Better than the troll, I thought.

◆

I pant as I rest against a wall.

Himari sat down before me so I slide toward her.

“Himari, are you okay?”

“Yeah.. I’m fine.”

Himari’s face was dyed red.

Himari turned away, whether it was from embarrassment or what I didn’t know.

Alright. Being embarrassed means that you have regained some calm. Himari is the most capable human being in this place. I’m in trouble if Himari isn’t useful.

“A troll… How could there have been a troll?!?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care why that troll is here now. How do we get away from here?”

The ruins above shake and debris falls from the ceiling above as the troll stomps, searching for its prey. What a resilient creature. It must’ve forcibly ripped its legs apart.

“Ugh…”

I release a quiet moan of pain.

I raise my right knee to rest my arm upon it.

I’ve lost all feeling in the arm. This is bad.

“Wow, Charlie.. Your arm looks pretty bad.”

“It’s fine.. Also my name isn’t Charlie. Can you please suture it?”

“…Only if you let me call you Charlie.”

“Fine.”

Himari looks at us, a look of disbelief and rage upon her face.

“CAN YOU IDIOTS HURRY UP?!”

Rand hits his against the wall, startled, “SORRY! I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”

A burst of light emits from Rand’s wand and makes contact with my barely hanging on arm.

It eases the pain but not much else.

“Why are you so weak? Shape up, man!”

Himari shouts at Rand.

“I will, Himari-sensei, I will!”

Himari is outraged at Rand’s sheer lack of ability. I’m just a side character at this point.

“I suppose… It is somewhat my fault. Not your sheer lack of ability, mind you. That’s on you. But I guess it might have, possibly been best if we hadn’t entered the ruins.”

Oh yeah, it’s your fault.

100%.

But I also decided to follow and help.

We’re here because everyone agreed.

I ask Himari, “… Himari. Got any transparency magic? Escape with a bit o’ that, maybe?”

“I can’t get rid of the smell and sound with my skill.,… If you have a bloody smell, you probably can’t escape. Bloodlust and all that.”

What to do… I feel like I’ve worked a bit too hard to die here, I think.

“Alright, preserve your magic. Let’s try and move on without it.

I suggest.

“You want to go even further down?”

“Do we have a choice? Let’s get away from the troll if its bloodlust is that strong.”

“We’ll need light. [Flame].”

Himari took out her wand, created a magic mark which summoned a bit of light.

“M-maybe that isn’t the best idea. Demon beasts down there and all that…”

I can picture how fast their hearts are beating. I can appreciate Himari’s confidence but it’s all just a facade. Alright then, what to do…?

“Look!”

Himari screamed.

“Footprints! It’s a new footprint that isn’t covered with dust!”

Himari lowered the tip of the wand to illuminate the ground more strongly..

As Himari says, there are footprints. Quite large ones, at that. A grown man?

Rand asks, “Then, if we follow these, maybe we’ll meet some weirdo who just so happens to be hanging out in some ancient ruins…?”

We nodded.

I say, “There are worse options.”

“Let’s go.” Himari says.

Himari goes first with the light and guides us.

“Himari. May I borrow a knife?”

“Why?”

These people, I swear… Why do you think?

“I don’t have a wand. I want a weapon just in case.”

“Well, if you’re a magician you should…”

After a short sermon, Himari gave me a knife.

“Well, where’re the traps? They are kind of labyrinth staples, no?”

Rand asks the stupidest question in the history of stupid questions. He’s cursed us all!

“SHUT UP!”

Damage was seen throughout the hallway.

A destroyed magic mark, a bloody knife and a deceased guard demon of sorts.

“Oh boy”

Himari suggests, “Someone broke through the trap. Probably the owner of the footprint. Definitely a magician …”

“Maybe the troll is a- ?” I replied.

“I was thinking the same thing. The troll’s probably a familiar.” Himari responds.

Himari looks at and considers the amount of traps.

“Well, isn’t that pretty bad? My gods, manipulating that beast..!”

“Please don’t shout so loud.” Rand replies, interrupting.

“…Scarier than the troll.”

“A magician and a troll. Alrighty.”

“Let’s go back!”

“When you go back, it’s a troll.”

“Let’s move on!”

“If you go ahead, it’s a magician.”

“Ah… Well then.”

Rand puts his hands on the wall and begins muttering, “Dear gods…”

“I can’t do this! Why did I have to go here? Why this academy? Why this labyrinth? I should’ve home and played Fo-“

“Ah stop whining, coward. You’re giving me a headache and I can’t kick a troll or magician’s ass with a headache! Also-“

Himari was interrupted by a loud sneeze, green snot now on the arm of her shirt. She’d reflexively tried to block it and it cost her a good shirt. The dust down here was crazy.

“Damn it! Charles! Let’s go!”

I look back at Rand and make sure I roll my eyes to make sure he’s aware of this obvious ploy. Well, actually I wasn’t sure if this was a ploy. Himari really is heartless. Rand looks back with wide eyes, tearing up.

“Sure.”

Himari and I started walking.

After walking for a few seconds, Rand rushes to catch up to us.

“Fine… Himari, please protect me?”

“No, you’re bait.”

“Oh… okay…”

As we proceeded through the ruins, we walked forward and saw a spiral staircase.

“I do suspect there’s something down there.”

I tell Himari.

“Do you now? Time for some recon.”

“Gaaaaaa… Why must you torture me like this… Himari…?”

Rand’s whining continues.

“Defeat it with a surprise attack. Charles, can you defeat the opponent without making a noise?”

“I think I can do that. Leave it to me.”

“If Charles’ surprise attack fails, be ready to replicate that suture you did on the troll.”

“G-gotcha.”

“Let’s do this, shall we?”

Himari sighs and chants a transparency spell.

Himari turned off the lights and disappeared with the magic of transparency.

We slowly descend, careful not to make a sound. We arrive at a giant space with an equally large door.

In front of the door… There’s an average height man in a black robe. He’s concealed by the robe and he isn’t facing us.

There is no doubt that it is the owner of the footprint.

The man reaches for the door.

“–!?”

Click! An electric current ran through the door and charged through the man’s hand

The glove on the man’s hand turns to ash and his hand starts bleeding.

“Curses..”

The man spins suddenly.

The man’s face is covered with bandages. Only green eyes can be seen through the gaps in the bandages.

“Pathetic transparency. Show yourselves.”

The man points his wand.

“Damn, where’s that troll when you need him..”

Himari disperses the transparency.

We cannot cooperate with transparency and he already sees us, anyway.

Rand grasps his wand with a quivering while Himari points hers without a single twitch.

“Are you going to fight me?”

“Drop the wand!”

“Ehh… no? I don’t feel like losing to just three kids.”

“We are not the only ones here! If I signal, our friends will come to reinforce us!”

The man smiled so much that it radiated from within the bandage.

Himari’s face turns red from embarrassment.

“Oh?”

The man looks at me.

I see the man’s eyes.

I remember this man’s green eyes and that voice.

“It’s been a long time.”

| ToC |

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