Given the surprised look on her face, it was clear the girl didn’t really think the monster was going to kill her. Olfric would have called it naïveté, but given the confidence in her gait, it was easy to mistake her for the owner of some monster day care center tending ferocious beasts without breaking a sweat.

Luckily, despite being awfully less experienced in monster taming, he wasn’t nearly as naive as her.

Halfway through the swing, the appendage was intercepted by a rock-slab that sprung out of the ground like a coffin, obstructing the scaly monster. Capitalizing on the chance, Olfric picked up Elena like a sack of potatoes and scurried away.

“Wha— what?” Elena squeaked, too startled to make out an eloquent reply.

“Why the hell did you think that would work?!” Olfric snarled, suddenly twisting his body to the right, just in time for Zuken to launch a rock-spike at the monster on his heels. The spike smashed against the spider’s face and exploded into a mix of stone and purplish body fluid.

“I was trying to be heroic!”

“Focus!” the Banksi snarled, letting out a second spear. “I can’t do this all day!” He coughed, and Olfric didn’t miss the flecks of red suddenly dotting the ground.

That was bad.

“Sorry!” Olfric sarcastically retorted. “I didn’t expect to be running around with a prostitute on my shoulders in the middle of an anomaly.”

“DUCK!” Elena shrieked.

Digging his legs into the ground, Olfric fell forward, and Elena with him. He quickly twisted his neck around to reassess the situation. Banksi was still doing an admirable job in throwing timely obstructions against the spider-like creatures. But if the blood were any clue, he was going through mana-overload. Worse yet, he was already suffering because of it. A spiritist with a kami could do many wondrous things, but using too much mana at once could easily kill you.

It was practically the Number One rule in becoming a spiritist.

At least he was reliably certain he could call upon Meciel again, for all the good it would do in this clusterfuck.

Shaking his head, Olfric looked towards the changeling again, who looked borderline catatonic. He’d been through some very memorable events during this mission— being hounded by desert spirits, getting kidnapped by freaking yokai of all people. But carrying a girl on his shoulders while dodging monsters?

It was easily the most surreal. And the most irritating.

He was an Asukan noble. Nobles didn’t just do that.

Still, he went ahead and threw away his pride to save the changeling. Not for her sake, and certainly not for Zuken Banksi of all people. But for the mission. For their collective survival.

“Hey you, changeling girl!”

“My name is Elena!” she threw back, easily snapping out of her trance. Feisty one, this was.

“I don’t really care,” he scoffed, inwardly powering up for another attack. Given the nature of his foes, water-whips were his best bet. “Tell me, can you really control these monsters? Back then, I saw them pause for a split second, like they were fighting against your will.”

“I—” Elena began, before pausing. “It works for most monsters I’ve met. But these ones are hungry, so it’s not easy.”

“What the hell do you mean by hung—”

BOOM!

Apparently, Zuken had gone for the big guns. Olfric hadn’t ever fought against Earth magic before outside of a spar, but seeing the very earth underneath them ripple up into a wave that flew towards the enemies with incredible speed seemed far from friendly.

He hurriedly turned towards the changeling. “Whatever it is, can you actually do it right this time? I can probably take one of them with a timely hit, maybe both if I were willing to die. But I’m too handsome and too royal for that, so you get it, right?”

Elena owlishly blinked, before scowling at him. “I don’t like you.”

Funny. Did she really think he cared what she thought? “Nice to see you’re so spirited. It’s adorable. Now get going, and don’t get killed until the monsters are taken care of.”

“Can you keep them unmoving for a few seconds? I might be able to do something.”

Without the slightest warning or change of expression, Olfric attacked. The bands on his arms glowed a solid blue as Meciel’s power flooded through him.

The idea wasn’t to kill the creatures, which admittedly would have been the easier option— that meant water-whips were out of the equation. He needed something strong… something that could hold them in place. But these monsters looked like they could shatter through water-walls faster than he could forge them. A physical hit could work, but it would take a lot out of him, especially here in this subterranean plain where the mana cost of conjuring water was far higher than usual.

He glanced at Banksi enviously. Even in his condition, the Earth-type mage was effortlessly manipulating the terrain due to his mana typing. Speaking of the man and his abilities, a thin needle of rock pierced one of the monsters, before flinging it towards the far wall. Almost immediately, the wall expanded outwards, trapping the monster within before solidifying. And, he still hadn’t forgotten how Banksi took advantage of Tanya’s tough position and effortlessly took her services for himself.

Some people had all the luck.

Growling, Olfric readied his spell. Zuken was strong and stable, like the element he wielded. Tanya, on the other hand, was like the wind— free, confounding, stormy, uncontrollable. Water, on the other hand, could be both strong like Earth and fluid like Air. Nothing was softer than it, and there was nothing it couldn’t crush under its strength.

Disadvantaged by terrain or not, he was a water spiritist, and a damn good one at that. To use his element best, he’d have to become one with it.

Offering a quick prayer to Susanoo, the God of Sea and Storms, he cast his spell.

“Azure Dragon Palm!”

Water rushed out of his hands— not the usual torrent of liquid jetting towards the opponent, but a thin, twisting rope of water. It entwined around the other spider-monster, over and over in spirals before he pulled his fingers, incarcerating the monsters and rendering its limbs immobile.

“Changeling, NOW!”

He could hear the brunette muttering profanities under her breath, and chuckled. Seriously, something was wrong with him. Here he was, using a spell he’d have thought twice about before, just to ensure this half-elf got enough time to perform what was most likely a one-time fluke.

Clearly, his time spent among lowlives was getting to him.

“Shokan!” he heard the girl snarl, and something small and pulsating appeared in front of the girl. It was fairly anthropoidal, with a squid-like head and a face ending with a mass of feelers. The thing, with its bright eyes, emanated a sudden, strange, utterly alien malignancy that made Olfric shiver, his might so caught up in the phenomenon that his spell faltered and died, releasing the monster trapped in its hold.

It didn’t matter.

For Olfric was still gazing at the thing.

A blur of images, both strange and nauseating, sandblasted against his psyche. He felt his limbs go numb as he leaned back and floated across an endless ocean. He could sense other creatures like him, writhing in obscene embraces on the ocean floor, amid broken columns and ancient statues of things that somehow seemed to bend themselves into more than three dimensions. Sensations flared through his thoughts, so absolutely alien to anything bremetan that it may as well have been pure agony.

Olfric heard a shrill noise. His throat vibrated.

It took a minute to put two and two together.

He was screaming. He couldn’t stop.

And slowly, darkness overtook him.

HUngEr…..

Ever since its conception, the Dranzithl felt a single emotion.

HUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngEr…

Born of the Nameless Mist, the Dranzithl had been called into existence by the Provider. Yet, it had always laid low. Sleeping. Dreaming. Never guarding, never feasting, never feeling anything but tireless hunger and a wish to devour everything. Its semisolid sludge of poisoned aqāru and other metals were always consuming corpses of invaders and monsters. Slime. Metals fused with semi solid flesh. Deformed bodies. The twisted caricature that was in its core, an incomplete aggregation, kept moving.

The other monsters were always out there. Fighting invaders, feeding on them, killing and dying in a mad race to evolution. Over and over. Over and over. But not it. It sank into itself, sleeping in agony, waiting in darkness for a time when it would be released.

When it wouldn’t be so hungry.

The mound of Nameless Mist moved from the base of the Crypt. The journey upwards was long and depriving. Every single twitch caused it to bleed. It devoured everything in its path with extreme relish, its madness spiraling further and further. Every time its mass was shredded, it couldn’t heal itself, so rampant, mad growth occurred instead. Feeding on the Provider’s energy, A twisted, writhing entanglement of slick, misty tendrils, snapping mouths, and gleaming red orifices instantly filling any space that ripped free.

Every time, the agony increased.

And so too did the Hunger.

A vicious circle.

Hunger was the enemy. Hunger needed to be satiated. Hunger was bad, bad, bad. And it hurt so much. So much hunger. So much.

HunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngER—

The Crypt was demanding its presence. The Crypt was feeling more things. Things hurt. Hurt was Hunger. Hunger was moving. Pain was Moving. Devouring the Crypt would send back Hunger. Hunger was Moving. Hurt was Hunger. Moving was—

Fear.

Agony.

Fury.

Wrath.

HunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRDIedeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDiedieDIEDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsagOnYHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsdIeHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErkiLLDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRdEAthpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdiEdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngERHunGeRPaINdEaThHUnGeRdeVouRpaInHUngErDeVOuRaLLthInGsHUngER—

The mound moved. It would keep on moving.

Hunger was the Enemy.

Hunger was always the Enemy.

The two monsters— Seugathi —were under her control. How she suddenly knew what kind of monsters they were, Elena had no idea. It probably had something to do with Joey, though. The moment she released her cute little familiar, Olfric had looked at it and started screaming like a madman, trying to claw his own eyes out. Luckily, she’d quickly commanded Joey to focus on the monsters instead, and Olfric dropped to the ground like a stringless puppet.

First Zuken, and now Olfric. Why did people have such extreme reactions to seeing her familiar?

He was perfectly normal!

With a final wave of his hand, Zuken released the monster he’d been holding against the wall and dropped to his knees, coughing up blood by the handful. Elena quickly rushed towards him and gently propped him against the wall. Mana overload was a serious issue, especially if left untreated. Zuken, the pragmatist he was, had given her a box of shiitake— an herb helpful in overdoses —to hold onto in case something like this ever happened.

Holding Zuken’s head comfortably against her chest, she slowly pushed one of the stems in her hand into his mouth. His lips twisted in pain and his taste buds probably rebelled, but he chewed through it all.

“You’ll be alright,” she told him, smiling despite the single tear trailing down her left cheek.

Zuken didn’t say a single word.

Meanwhile, a scratching sound attracted her attention. One of the two seugathi dragged itself towards Olfric’s unconscious figure, a vicious liquid dripping from its maw.

“Bad monster!” Elena snarled with authority. “I said NO! You won’t attack him! Don’t attack any of us!”

The spideresque monster let out a piteous whine, before bowing its head submissively and moving away. It began clicking its appendages and scratching against the walls. The fight had caused several walls to collapse, effectively trapping them in a dead end.

Zuken and Olfric were both knocked out. So it was up to her to find a way out.

Well, her and her new friends.

“You two,” she pointed towards the monsters. “Open an entrance. And attack any other monster that comes towards us.”

More clicking. The monsters crawled over to one of the walls and started smashing against it in a drone-like fashion. After what seemed like the hundredth smash, Elena felt the soil heave sideways under her feet. She squeaked in dismay as half the ceiling collapsed over the creatures under her command, while she herself was face-down against a pile of rocks, with a pound of dust crawling up her nose.

After several long, horrible seconds, the cave-in finally stopped. Her two workmen rose up among the fallen debris, and automatically renewed their work without breaking stride.

Elena rubbed her jaw, before murmuring the only thing that seemed to fit the moment.

“…I bit my tongue.”