Edmund didn't like cursing. It was uncouth and disrespectful for a man of his station to engage in. Not to mention, it would lower his esteem in his colleagues' eyes. In this moment, however, he felt it was entirely justified. "Just where in the Third Stratum did these blasted things come from?" he roared, blasting out another superheated fire bolt. The white-hot ball of fire shot into the swarm of leech monsters like a rocket, incinerating everything it touched as it embedded itself deep into the horde. A second later, a concussive explosion shuddered through the cavern, scattering and obliterating a large chunk of the monsters before the rest rushed in to fill the void.
“I don't know, m’lord! There must be a nest nearby, but I've never seen Mana Leeches in this number before. We're just lucky the biggin’ ‘asn’t shown up yet.” The archer to his left called, his etherbolt humming with power as it fired shot after shot into the horde.
It was true. With the racket they were making, the constant explosions, and the sheer amount of mana saturating the cavern air, it was a miracle they hadn't drawn the attention of the Monarch that ruled this massive swarm. Edmund considered the possibilities: either the beast was too preoccupied with something else, or... it was already on its way, drawn by the beacon of their desperate fight.
"Lachlan, ya moron, don't jinx it!" A new voice, sharp and angry, cut through the din. It was Layla, his sister. The twins usually got along so well, their banter light and teamwork seamless, but it seemed their current desperate situation was stretching that bond to its absolute limits. Suddenly, a sharp hiss sounded from Edmund's right as her etherbolt sputtered, its glowing core dimming, and the weapon smoked ominously in her hands, clearly overheated. "Damn it all to—reloading!" she bit out, frantically fumbling for a replacement core.
A sudden, desperate tug on his robes pulled Edmund's attention away from the relentless, screaming battle. Looking down, his heart ached at the sight of Faust, his grandson, a small, terrified form staring up at him with wide, pleading eyes. The boy's lip was quivering uncontrollably, and his once-neat tunic and trousers were now completely covered in the slick, vibrant green blood from when the bastards first ambushed them. "Grandpa, are we going to be okay?" Faust squeaked out, his voice thin and trembling with undeniable fear.
The question was a physical blow, nearly breaking Edmund's composure, but he dared not show that weakness to the boy; it would do no good. Instead, he forced a warm, reassuring smile to his lips and gently ruffled Faust's sweat-dampened hair. "We'll be just fine, lad. You see us, we're all fine. Even Captain Cygnus is fine, just a bit miffed at these rude creatures,” he assured, watching as the knight captain neatly bisected a large leech with a slash of sword-light. He turned back to his grandson with a forced smile. ”We just need to get rid of these monsters, and then we can go home, alright?"
"A-Alright," Faust stammered, his eyes, though still wide, remained locked on the gory carnage unfolding before them, a testament to his resilience.
"Good lad, Faust," Edmund praised, his voice firm despite the chaos. "Keep your chin up, it'll be over soon."
Edmund turned his attention back to the battle at hand and let out a silent curse as another wave of shield-light blasted from the frontline, forcing back the horde for a fraction of a second before they came rushing back in. Those higher-evolved leeches had become a serious problem since they started showing up. Able to latch on and drain a person dry in moments, they were a dangerous enemy for the frontline fighters. Captain Cygnus and his soldiers were doing a fine job keeping them at bay for now, but Edmund could see cracks in their formation starting to form: a foot out of line here, a slow strike there. Unless he was able to work his magic, it was only a matter of time before the formation fell and they were all overwhelmed.
Just then, a terrified scream erupted from the frontline—a raw, desperate sound that cut through the cacophony of battle, and caused Edmund’s eyes to snap to focus. One of the larger leeches, a truly monstrous beast of five feet long and bulked to all hell with glistening, dark rings, had slipped past a soldier's guard. It latched onto her midriff with horrifying speed, using its unique physiology to force its head between the gaps in her armor. Seeking flesh, its needle-like teeth tore into her leather under-padding with a sickening rip, its heavy, chitinous rings preventing the warrior from striking at it properly, deflecting her desperate blows.
“G-Get it off me! GET IT OFF—!” Her pleas are cut short as, in her desperation, she drops her shield a fraction of an inch too much, exposing her head. Sensing weakness, three more of the horrid, smaller parasites flung themselves at her helmet, their combined weight and frantic thrashing tearing at the straps and knocking it from her head with a dull clang. Edmund and the other soldiers didn’t even have time to react, their own struggles too consuming, before another evolved leech clamped onto her exposed head, its slimy, writhing body obscuring her face entirely. Muffled cries were the only thing that signified she was still alive.
"Damnit," Edmund ground out, with a low, furious growl. "This was just supposed to be a leveling expedition. Instead, it's turned into this fiasco!" Raising his voice over the cacophony of sword strikes and leech screams, he yelled for his knight commander, “Cygnus! Bunker!”
"BRACE!" Captain Cygnus bellowed, his voice momentarily cutting through the din of battle like a thunderclap as he activated his Warcry skill. Dropping into a low, braced stance, he held his shield firm. Under the influence of his skill, his remaining soldiers instinctively hunkered down with him, their shields connecting together magically, already charging with a brilliant, defensive light. Even the incapacitated soldier, still frantically trying to dislodge the leech from her head, dropped down a peg into position with them, moving on pure instinct before she collapsed.
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At the same time, Edmund worked his magic. With fierce concentration, he ripped mana from the air around him, stuffing it through a fire mana construct until he had what he needed: raw fire mana. Mentally grabbing hold of the transformed energy, he began to weave it into the spell that would hopefully save their lives. The spell took the shape of a ball in his mind, made of multilayered mana threads that crisscrossed and stacked on top of each other until they formed a completed sphere.
Thanks to his high-level skills, the magic itself was relatively easy to pull off, but he was a scholar, not a battlemage. The stress of combat weighed heavily on his mind, making every second feel like an eternity. Precious moments bled away as he worked, yet with steady concentration, the spell's shaping was complete. Free to feed mana into the hungry construct, he felt it hum in his mind. With one final click, the spell was finished, and he unleashed it into the world.
The fire domain roared to life like a vengeful god, its dome of flames expanding outward to engulf the clearing in seconds. The spell's concussive force, combined with a blast of shield-light from the soldiers, drove the monsters back beyond the blaze. Safely encased within a fiery, whirling dome, everyone gave a sigh of relief. Licking tongues of flame lashed out from the spell, aggressively striking the leeches and forcing them back further to avoid destruction, giving everyone in the clearing a crucial moment to breathe.
Edmund breathed heavily. Between maintaining concentration on his spell and his earlier exertions with the condensed fire bolts, he was running low on mana, and the stress of the situation was wearing him down mentally. He needed to convene with Cygnus and figure a way out of this.
“Cygnus!" Edmund forced out, his voice strained and thin. “I need a status report! Did we lose her?” There was fear in his voice as he asked that question. Obviously, he didn't want to get someone killed just to get his grandson a few levels, but on top of that, if she were dead, that meant one less person on the frontline. He wasn't sure if they could hold out in that case.
Confident his lord's spell would hold, Captain Cygnus sheathed his sword and shield, then moved to the collapsed soldier. Kneeling, he surveyed the grisly scene. The leeches clung, dead and fried by the fire domain, but Cygnus worried the magical flames had done more harm than good. He gently pulled the leech's remains from her head, bracing himself for a charred, bloody face. Instead, a profound sigh of relief escaped him: the soldier, pale and stunned, bore only a ring of shallow puncture marks around her neck. The soldier blinked slowly, her eyes unfocused. “C-Captain?” She squeaked out with a cough.
"Safia is still with us, my lord," he announced, his voice thick with relief as he gently supported her head with his massive hand. At his wave, the other soldiers immediately converged, rummaging through their packs for water skins, healing potions, and rations. They took over Safia's care, diligently working to revive their comrade, allowing their Captain to confer with Edmund.
Cygnus found Edmund a short distance away, his face tight with worry and concentration as he stared at the horde of monsters just outside the domain spell. "I can't keep this spell up for more than thirty minutes, Cygnus," Edmund cut to the quick, placing a steadying hand on Faust's shoulder; the boy was clearly frightened by his words. "I was a fool to drag you all into this. Everything was going so well before these monsters appeared, but I should have known it was too good to be true. Nothing is ever easy in the Dungeon." He sighed with regret, his head dropping. If only he'd brought his Pets, battling these leeches might have been easier. No time for that now, though. Turning back to his knight commander, he met Cygnus’ eyes, steeling his resolve. "You're more experienced in this than I am. How do we get out of this alive?"
A thoughtful expression crossed Cygnus's face. His old friend, a High Lord, rarely spoke with such regret; he'd save that particular ribbing for later. "A full fighting retreat back to the city is our only option," he stated calmly, cutting to the core of the matter. "We simply don't have the numbers for a sustained engagement against hundreds of monsters, not with a civilian and a casualty to shield. Once we link up with the garrison's patrols, we'll have the necessary firepower to eliminate these creatures entirely. Afterward, we'll organize a proper strike force to wipe out their nest. Fortunately, Cotel lies only an hour's march away. If we push hard, we'll reach it.”
Edmund rubbed his chin, mulling over the words. Even he, inexperienced as he was, knew a full retreat would be difficult. Yet, if Cygnus, the Mountain of Cotel, and their most seasoned soldier said it, he'd take it at face value. "Right you are, Cygnus," Edmund agreed. "We can move under cover of the domain spell until my mana runs out. How long until we're ready to move?"
"Five minutes, my lord," Cygnus stated firmly. "I'll carry Safia if I have to. She's lost a lot of blood from those damn parasites and may not be able to run properly for some time."
As Cygnus had promised, it took only five minutes for the soldiers to assemble and begin their retreat. Much to her mortification, Safia found herself effortlessly scooped up by Cygnus, who, without a word, took point and began jogging down the tunnel. The rest of the convoy followed, running hard to keep pace.
As they moved, the horde pressed in, their bodies searing against the fire domain. The tunnel filled with the reek of burnt flesh and an unending chorus of screeches, the horrifying symphony announcing their presence throughout the wider Dungeon.
Far behind them, unbeknownst to the group of humans and the leeches, a small, black creature emerged from behind a large tree. It cautiously investigated the charred clearing and the many bodies left in the wake of the battle, sampling a few here and there, but its attention was drawn to the humans' retreating forms. With a deep breath, the creature gave in to its curiosity and slipped into the tunnel, following silently along.
