Chapter 14: Assault

As the night reached its end, Yuu was not having the best time sleeping, as dark thoughts plagued his dreams.

Memories of his past surfaced. His father using him to put out cigarette butts. Pulling off his clothes, spanking him crazy, and then making him stand outside naked in the rain, just because he looked him in the eyes without permission. And probably because his father was currently drunk.

Some days, he was even made to wear a dog collar, chained up to some old dog house, and had to sleep outside like that. Somehow he didn't die from exposure, but usually it was because they mainly did that in the summer. Usually.

Other times he was cut with a blade, or locked in a closet. Sometimes he went without food.

It was a nightmare filled with horrors, something he had not had in qutie awhile.

"Remember...this is what people will do to you" a voice echoed in his head, as a second him walked up in front of him as the place became a dark, black void. it was chilly and cold.

"You cannot trust them".

"They will only use you".

"Everyone is your enemy".

A dark shadow was creeping up Yuu's leg, ensnaring him.

"Do not reject your true self".

"You must never forget what people have done to you".

Yuu's body was suddenly covered in scars, from both of his lives. Pain echoed across his entire body, driving him to a point of near madness.

The other him gripped his neck, and made Yuu look at him.

"They will come for you. For your attempt to live and be strong after all that happened, they will further see you and treat you as a monster".

Suddenly, Yuu awoke gasping for air. The morning sun rained down upon him, filling him with a warm fuzzy feeling. Well, in truth, he was aware that looking at the morning sun actually caused a chemical reaction in the brain to make one feel good, but it didn't change the fact he felt good as a result.

However, he could also feel the scars again, and his hatred came boiling over. And yet that was suppressed once more, when lyo came over to him, asking the usual question.

"Are you okay?"

"...not really".

Lyo seemed to be able to tell something was going on.

"What happened?"

"Just a nightmare".

"...nightmares dont usually affect you this much".

Its true, it shouldn't...why would a little bad dream that was better then reality affect me like this? Am I going soft? Bah, this is why I hate people.

While thinking that, he got up and prepared for the hunt.

"Something seems strange here" Yuu said as he looked around.

"Indeed, we should have encountered more drakes by now".

The rocky area they were now in still had a few stubborn trees, but there was something amiss for sure. It was clear enough to see quite a distance awa, despite all the jagged rocks around, but they could not see a single Drake for a good distance.

"Keep your guards up. This could be trouble".

Yuu used his magic to scan the nearby area for various enemies, or even just lifeforms in general. And yet....there was no reaction.

"Lyo, Ak-ta-ro".

Lyo immediately took out his bow, and fired an arrow into the sky. The arrow flew up, before shining in a brilliant magical light. This was a special magic Lyo seemed to be able to use with his archery, a light which could reveal all hidden secrets, all shadows, everything. As the light shined down, a large section of cliff seemed to change, revealing the front gate to a camp, and several guards who seemed stunned.

Rather, it seemed they were quite puzzled at the disappearance of their concealment magic, which had successfully fooled Yuu's sensory magic at full power.

Furthermore, the moment these people saw the group, looking at Yuu and Lyo specifically, they looked surprised and pulled out weapons.

"Combat!"

Zak immediately took out his sword, and seemed to glow in a blue aura as he rushed over to the first enemy. He slashed at the bandit, taking him down in an instant, while Lyo shot several arrows at a few others. James rushed forward and crushed the gates with his giant sword, while Yuu and Cassor unleashed magical lightning on the remaining two bandits they could see.

However, the sudden attack was coutneracted when a huge flood of water came pouring out through those gates, attempting to push them all away. One of the Whiteblade party created a barrier in front of them, but it was not going to hold up on its own so Cassor and Yuu reinforced it.

Still, the barrier that parted the water around them was developing cracks from the sheer pressure. James then decided to counteract this himself, and unleashed a massive and powerful sword strike. He swung with so much force, and imbued mana into the swing, to create a powerful counterforce and cut the water flow in two.

"Suction Slash!"

Zak utilized one of his sword's abilities and drained water from the torrent to also help allievate it, while Avo used magic to form trenches in the ground and disrupt the water's flow. And yet, in this time the bandits had gotten together and started firing arrows at them.

Lyo quickly drew back his own and began to shoot down the arrows with his own as they approached. Another member of the White Blade party did the same, as did Verona from the Daysparrow party. The other adventures also started to pitch in, using shields and swords to get whatever made it through.

Thankfully though, the situation would not last forever as the water began to die down. With the force going down, the amount of power used to maintain the barrier also decreased, which meant they would not drain themselves as quickly.

"The hell was that?!" Argen complained, rightfully.

"It looks like they must have damned up a stream or whatever, have an emergency defense to clear out invaders".

"Who are these people?"

"Probably bandits" James mentioned, stepping forward. "I'm not sure why yhe Drakes are not here, but maybe the bandits unleashed that trap on them after luring them in. Either way, they were clearly hostile to us on sight, so we should subjugate them so they dont cause trouble for others".

No one seemed to particularly object, although some believed the explanation was a bit unsatisfying.

Either way, they now had a whole different issue to content with. The entrance seemed to have three paths that split off in different directions.

You cant trust any of them...

That memory of his nightmare flashed through Yuu's mind. However, before he went forward, Zak stopped him. Yuu almost reflexively attacked him.

"Woah, woah! I was just wondering if you were okay? You seem a bit jumpy".

"...I am fine" Yuu lied, which he could see Lyo narrowing his eyes at.

Ah...I am going to get scolded again later...whatever, so long as Lyo is okay, it should be fine.

"I think we should probably split up at this point. Into four groups".

"Four? Ah, wait, I see".

Indeed, Argen realized that James wanted a group to stay in this spot, to keep watch for any reinforcements or to back up a party that retreated and needed help. James then looked at Yuu, who seemed to be just as on edge as he had been two years ago, for some reason.

"Daysparrow will hold this location. Whiteblade can take the right path, me, Yuu, and his group will take the center path, and everyone else can take the left path".

The reason James had decided to do that was because with Yuu acting the way he was right now, he might not accept help unless it was from a familiar face. Daysparrow party were familiar to him, so it should be good. Still, the way he was right now...

Is this a reaction to him working in a large group for the first time? I kind of also tried to push it like this so he would get used to working with more people, but is his trauma that severe?

James was not a moron, well not a complete moron anyways. He had reached A-Rank as an Adventurer, and knew how to make observations. So he knew while Yuu was strong, he was still a traumatized little boy who had ultimately suffered. The fact that Lyo was even able to connect with him at all was a miracle...although...

With Lyo's personality, was that even possible? I wonder if he has the Heroes Spark? It would explain why he has those abilities at such a young age.

The Heroic Spark was something that was believed, and sometimes even observed, to exist within Heroes. Normally, these Heroes were summoned from another world apparently, and already possessed the Spark, which was why they were chosen. However, there are instances of those born in this world occasionally developing the Heroic Spark.

Supposedly, the Heroic Spark had a way of bending fate to your favor, or something like that. It could accelerate ones growth, and they always seemed to be prodigies, even as children. James had considered if Yuu also possessed such a Spark, but supposedly the Heroic Spark allowed one to have greater mental fortitude, or at least be able to cope with things better then they normally might.

Given Yuu's trauma, it seemed like his abilities were more likely to have come from going through hell. He learned how poisons would affect the body from experiencing those very poisons himself. He learned what areas were more vulnerable from others because he was hurt in those areas. And while he did have some strange ideas that seemed to come from nowhere, other ideas he had learned through trial and error, sometimes through brutal methods like with his healing potions.

But if Lyo has a Heroic Spark, that would explain a lot, like how he was able to keep his body alive for minutes after his heart got stabbed through. Though, he still seems to be suffering from a bit of trauma himself.

"That is fine with us" The Whiteblade party agreed.

"Alright, we will stay here, maybe fortify ourselves in a little in case anyone comes back that was out doing bandit stuff".

"And we will search the other path".

With that, everyone agreed. And so, sperating with the others, Yuu, James, Lyo, Zak, and Avo went down the center path.

Once they were some good distance away though...

"That was an interesting division of power" Zak mentioned, looking at the others. "Incidentally, what do you think is so dangerous down here that you wanted a small, elite group?"

"Something dangerous for sure" James mentioned. "ALthough some of those parties had good people, we also couldn't risk the bandits from other areas coming to attack us".

"Eh? Wait, what?"

Lyo seemed confused, and even Yuu, who was not fully focused, had missed something.

"Yuu, you should use your sensory magic" James suggested. Yuu was a bit skeptical, but he extended the range and...

When he felt that, he almost collapsed completely, falling to his knees as his legs spread out a little.

"...the hell was that" Yuu said, regaining his composure as he stood up.

Zak muttered some sort of comment about a tsundere, but Yuu decided to ignore it...for now.

"It seems the enemies up ahead are way stronger then the other guys. Well, in the first place, that concealment magic was over the roof".

"Ah, yeah. Can we quit the BS about this being a bandit camp?" Avo asked, reflexively raising Yuu's eyebrows and making Lyo even more confused.

"Eh? Its not?"

"A bandit camp this well hidden, this out of the way, would indicate a strong bandit pressence. However, there have not been such major bandit activities here. Besides, bandits rarely build places that are not easily abandoned or fled from. And they dont have the intelligence to build traps that complicated. So, what is it? Assassins? Mercenaries? A Shadow Guild?"

"A Shadow Guild?" Lyo questioned, his eyes spinning as he tried to use his brain to understand all the complicated things going on.

"It means an organization that does things like assassinations, kidnapping, assaults, thefts. Like the Adventurers Guild, but evil" Zak explained.

"Yeah. Its pretty obvious. And, its also weird that we just happened to come across it for a major quest after a drake sighting....if there were drakes to begin with. In the first place, it seems weird that the Orcs were that strong, and yet a subjugation request was not put on them first before the drakes, which would have fought with the Orcs".

"Im sure its pure coincidence".

"Bullshit. This is a Dark Guild, and from what I know and observed, it seemed they were not just surprised to see us at the main gate, but especially surprised to see those two".

Avo then pointed at Yuu and Lyo.

"So dont bullshit around. This is a Dark Guild camp, and you are crushing it because for some reason, they were planning to go after Yuu and Lyo. And what I want to know is, did you just drag us along for something stupidly powerful and dangerous as extras, or worse, cannon fodder, and will we be in extra amounts of danger because their targets are right here with us?"

Yuu sighed a bit internally. Of course, his logic is right. If push comes to shove, they will absolutely abandon us for their own gain, for survival. With the fact he figured out that much, he might even try to sell us out to increase their own chances of survival should it look bad.

Yuu began to ready himself for a fight, but Lyo went inbetween them.

"Hold it! Can we please not cause conflict between each other? We are already here, so cant we just work together nicely?"

Lyo, who rarely said logical and complete sentences, spoke up with such a voice and told them both that.

Indeed, Yuu knew if they fought right now, it would weaken them for the enemies later. Although a part of Yuu's mind wanted to kill him now, prevent the risk of him betraying them...of either of those two betraying them, their odds were better if they worked together.

Yuu could kill them after the fight. Preferably while they were weakened and tired.

"Yuu...place nice" Lyo told him, as if he knew what Yuu was thinking about.

Zak also approached Yuu, and then outright slapped him.

It came as such a surprise, no one was able to react properly.

"I dont know what shit you went through, but get off your high horse. You are not the only one who went through shit. You think that either of us got to where we were, with our...appearances....by having nice childhoods either?"

"You dont fucking know what I went through!" Yuu shouted back, his words raging.

"And whose fault is that! When you dont talk to us about yourself?! Ever?!"

"And why the hell should I trust you? In the end, everyone is just in it for themselves".

"You dont seem to think that way with your friend there".

"Lyo...is just an abnormality".

Although Yuu was probably right, his words for some reason did not seem as convincing.

"Dont lump me together with whoever did all that shit to you. Its insulting...and it makes you just like them".

Hearing those words, the normally cool Yuu had the blood rush to his head, and punched Zak right in the face. It was so fast, this time it was Zak who did not respond, while Avo just opened his eyes, James looked amazed, and Lyo was crying a little as he tried to tell them to cool down.

Zak seemed to recover from the shock though, and tackled Yuu to the ground, pounding him against the rock.

"You hypocritical, idiotic jackass!"

"You are the moron, you nosy albino!"

"At least I am not a shota BL protagonist!"

"The fuck did you just call me?!"

Yuu kicked Zak in the stomach while he was on him, pushing him off. The two of them quickly got back on their feet, growling at each other. However, it was in that moment that Lyo grabbed both of their heads, and forced them together. Specifically, their lips.

"Kiss and make up already!" Lyo complained, as neither of them seemed to be able to beat Yuu's strength for a good bit. His hold was so good they could not even turn their heads, so they stood there in a forced kiss for quite some time until finally, Lyo let go.

"You two calmed down now?" James asked.

"Calmed down?"

"Yeah. Because there are actual enemies up there who actually will try to kill us. And, that seemed really childish for you two...I know I keep saying you should act your ages, but...time and place?"

Both of them got a bit embarrassed, when they realized each one of them threw a tantrum. And now that they had calmed down, they did realize they didn't really hate each other. For some reason, that topic just got them hot and bothered, and it ended up escalating.

The two looked at each other.

"Sorry...about pushing you like that".

"Yeah...sorry I lost my cool as well".

Zak's behavior was one thing, but the last time that Yuu had thrown a tantrum was when Lyo got stabbed through the heart. He wasn't normally the type to get emotional like that. But, this was not the place to have this conversation anyways.

Although Yuu had to bandage his hand a little, since it seemed like he had cut it on something when he punched Zak in the face. Probably a tooth, maybe.

Either way, with the conflict at least temporarily resolved, they pushed forward. There was quite a bit of heat built up inside these canyon walls, but most of them were wearing light gear. Zak also kept his hood up, keeping to the shade.

When they reached the next area, there was a large stone table in the center, with a skeleton chained to it from each of his limbs. There were a lot of shady looking people, but past the table was a large stone throne where a dark cloaked man sat, oozing danger compared to the others. They all seemed dangerous, but that guy in the center was definently trouble. Furthermore, there were two people on his sides who also seemed strong.

And the moment he saw then, he snapped his fingers, and dark clouds filled the sky.

"To think the defensive magic I cast didn't even slow you down. As expected of the A-Rank Adventurers, James the Unyielding, and Avo of the Wind".

As he said that, his guards all seemed to be combat ready. However, Yuu could not help but notice something. According to his magical senses, the man who was the leader had a weird lifesign. As if...he was not quite mortal.

In this wide open area with what appeared to be a sacrificial alter, and was now covered and surrounded in a thick darkness, the being stood up and lowered his hood. His ears were pointed and he was tall, meaning he was likely a high elf. But more importantly...blood was coming from his mouth, where notable fangs portruded from.

"He is a vampire" Zak warned them, reading his weapon. "You can only kill him by completely destroying the body, cutting him apart with a powerful enough magic weapon, or though holy magic".

"I can use holy magic" Avo mentioned. It seemed a bit weird since most people outside the Church didn't really know it too much, but it seemed he did.

"Will a magic arrow through the heart kill him?" Lyo asked.

"If its strong enough, or if we weaken him enough, yes".

"What if I cut him in two with my strongest attack?" James said, causing the others to twitch a little.

"...if its you, I would not be surprised if he got wiped out completely".

"Erm....why is a vampire here? Weren't we hunting a Dark Guild?" Lyo then asked, his brain now getting confused again.

"Its not surprising, a vampire running a Dark Guild".

"Hmmf. You are mistaken if you lot believe you actually have a chance....Realis Break!"

The Vampire launched a powerful spell against them, but James seemed to resist it through will alone, while Avo protected himself. Zak also shrugged it off, but Yuu and Lyo...their arms, legs, and heads popped off of their bodies. No blood came out, and they didn't die, but it was a weird thing for sure. And very painful.

Unfortunately, those two lacked experience against enemies like this, so no matter how strong they were, they did not have any tricks or techniques to resist such an obscure and abstract attack. They laid there in pieces, like taken apart action figures.

"Hmm...more of you resisted it then expected. But, let us see....if you can protect them and yourselves at the same time!" he shouted, as everything, even the floor, the rock walls, and furniture, all became nothing but darkness.

The fight had begun.