(And now Fredrica)

Trapped in the belly of the beast, it was a war of inches for Fredrica as the grotesque growths puppeted Bargas’s every whim. Lashing and gnashing, they assaulted her from all sides, rebuffing her access to their master. And to top it all off, the putrid aroma of decay lingered through the air.

Tears and snot flowed due to the rancid smell. Irritating if nothing else, but she knew Bargas wasn’t the type to toy with his prey. ‘He’s trying to mask the smell of something.’ Fredrica deduced.

“I have to finish this fast.” Steamrolling the bramble caltrops underfoot, they did little to stop her advance. Even coiling around her ankles made little difference in stopping this juggernaut.

Contrary to the nightmarish hellscape contorting around her, a sense of liberation filled Fredrica. A barely contained glee as she ripped and tore her way through the veritable garden’s worth of plants. ‘Isn’t this how it should be?’ She thought to herself. One knight fending off hoards of monstrosities to protect the many.

These feelings she held close were dragged out all at once in this feverish situation. No more man-wolves that could blow her away in one breath, no more titans pitying or threatening to one-shot her. In this fight, she could be the armored knight she always dreamed of being.

*Step*

Ramming her shield betwixt the plant’s jaw, she drove her blade straight through its maw, splitting both mouth and stem.

*Step*

Grabbing those annoying ivy out of the air, she yanked them out of whatever hole they were growing out of.

*Step*

Shaking off its dirt cover, a large leaf springs to life. Unveiling a ravenous pit, it envelops Fredrica, dumping her into its open stomach. “So, you’re one of those types.” She remarked to herself, touching its slick, slippery innards, “Ambush, then take your time digesting them...” *Sniff* *Sniff*

“So, this is what he was trying to cover up.” The smell here was different from the rot above, it was spicier. Almost explosively so.

Pulling a lantern out of her chest, removing the small glowing amber crystal contained within. Powdering it in her grip, she grasps her blade and in one clean motion, metal screeching against metal. A spark was born.

*Boom* An explosion reverberated through the woods, silent to the outside world due to the growth encapsulating it.

Climbing out of the charred remains of the monster-fied pitcher plant, chugging a potion, she stared Bargas down.

“Lovely aren’t they? That will to survive at any cost.” On cue, the pitcher plant’s charred leaf slowly extends out to capture Fredrica once again. Crumbling to ashes before it can reach her.

“Even if they must resort to unscrupulous means...” Bargas’s voice drifted away on an air melancholy. “... Fredrica,” He abruptly started up again, gathering his thoughts. “what do you think of the current state of the Duchy?”

To Fredrica, it was a weird question. Not because it was out of place, but because it was so simple any child living in the Duchy could answer. “Horrendous. Dismal. A limping corpse.”

It was an unavoidable truth she knew but didn’t want to acknowledge. Their economy was limping along on what little they had left, with even the brave soldiers who fought on the front lines coming home to nothing.

Many rotting on the streets, homeless. People ranking as high as generals cast out of house and home, scraping just to get by. Yet, she pursued her dreams, even against her father’s wishes.

“Exactly.” Bargas didn’t even need to employ his people’s skills, it was written on Fredrica’s face. “Think about it with a dungeon under our control, we breath new life into our country!”

“But isn’t the A.A already doing that?!” She quickly retorted.

Setting aside a portion of the items turned in from collection requests. The A.A would process and distribute those items in equal measure as a relief effort to both the Duchy and Kingdom.

“There is more to that than just free aid... Both sides are regaining strength. Than what? They go to war again. That is what the future holds!” Passionately giving a speech like he was preaching to millions, Bargas focused all that energy on Fredrica alone.

“But! If we take control of a dungeon and use its resources to revitalize the people before the state, we can avert that fate!”

“Wait. That won’t solve the problem! It’ll just cause more unnecessary friction with the A.A and Kingdom.”

“For this war to truly end, there needs to be a clear winner and loser. Misgivings can be resolved later.”

Stuck at an impasse, as both sides stubbornly refused to budge on their stance. With words flying in one ear and out the other, perhaps violence was truly the answer.

Acting first, Fredrica stormed straight towards Bargas. Brambles rained down but were deflected with her stalwart shield. The thumping was frequent, almost soothing. That is until she felt a strong tug.

Lurching forward, Fredrica slammed a heel into the dirt, anchoring herself. A living whip, it coiled tighter around her shield the more she struggled. Sporting numerous hair-like growths, each ended in a clear droplet.

They could have been mistaken for drops of dew. Maybe if they weren’t stubbornly glued to her shield. Which, now speaking from experience, no amount wrenching could set free.

Watching Bargas pull out another similar weapon, Fredrica made a split decision. Shoving her shield further into the whip’s clutch, she entangled the both of them until nobody could tell where one ended and the other began.

Together they threw aside their useless armaments. Fredrica continued her approach while Bargas lashed out his other whip.

Two hands placed on her blade, she sheered off the hair-like growths but was met with a similar predicament as the cut vestiges stuck to her blade. 'As long as the edge can cut,' she told herself.

But one flick of Bargas's wrist had the plant whip wrapping itself around her sword, rendering both mute.

Discarding any pretense of clashing weapons. Two thuds rang out as Fredrica slammed her fist into Bargas’s gut while his found perch against her head, a thorn laden impact blowing off her helmet.

Then another thud, then another, and another, and another.

Each punch was punctuated by ringing metal or the tenderization of flesh.

Until black and blue, until one side fell, their minds ran a single task on auto.

Until a final blow was struck! Jammed into Bargas’s side, reopening his newest stab wound.

“The foolishness of yout-...” Beaten and bleeding, his body finally giving out on him, Bargas collapsed to his knees. The jungle that sprouted from his ability rapidly decayed and withered, leaving only a few vestiges lingering behind.

Barely keeping herself standing as the world blurred together, “Stupid bastard kept hitting me in the head.”

“Fr.... Fre..... Fredrica!”

“Zhenya...” Fredrica's last thoughts trickled out before she lost consciousness.

(Curator POV)

How...?

Is an ordinary guy going toe to toe with three Dokkaebi!

Shreds, the whole area was absolutely ripped to pieces, not even tree trunks could remain rooted in the face of this carnage. I would call them monsters, but they at least showed some civility. Keeping their fighting just barely out of range of the spectators stand.

Yes. Spectators, not just me and Red anymore. Fae, boggart, their intense clashes pretty much attracted everyone. No one dared make a peep, not even the mischievous faeries, even they had a sense of self-preservation.

Silently, like a leaf floating on the breeze, The Stranger flowed around the torrent of blows. Always on his toes with an impeccable sense of balance. Unnaturally shifting his weight with that great sword to move at impossible angles and speeds.

Each strike, a stepping stone for the next. Hand in hand, dance partners who supported each other in perfect synchronicity. In a never-ending sequence.

Never thought I would see the day where the dokkaebi bros would be the underdogs in a fight, but here we are. Their teamwork was a bit shoddy at first, but they quickly pulled together. Even then, with the herculean strength of three, magic clubs, and unending stamina, they could not land a single solid blow!

Chip after chip, as the arrows rained down. As the cutlery chased. As the ground heaved. For each minor blow that stuck, they exchanged for deep gashes that now lined their bodies. Even the paper that floated in to repair them couldn’t keep up with this kind of damage.

Weathering the downpour of blows. It was a deflected cheese-grater that announced the briefest of respites. A still before the storm, everyone here felt it. The climax was upon us.

The three brothers shifted into formation, one forged throughout this fearsome melee.

Mono-eye’s tentacles coiled back, twisting in on itself. At the same time, Dokkaebi and Enmah circled around their foe.

Pulling back countless tree-sized bolts, Enmah riddled the ground surrounding his foe, fencing them in. Any attempts The Stranger made to waltz up the wall was denied with a calculated arrow blast. Air superiority.

A ring for a match, a circle scrawled into the ground, a wooden box, all as good as any.

Dokkaebi charged at The Stranger, parrying his initial strike. Blade and club, still screeching against one another, it happened all too quickly.

Giving way to The Stranger’s sword, letting him step forward to follow through with the blow. In that moment, Dokkaebi grabbed his arm, redirecting the force behind it to flow at an awkward angle. He finally succeeded in breaking The Stranger’s balance. Reversal.

Slowed down by Dokkaebi's herculean grapple, The Stranger’s body creaked, struggling to free itself. Finally, now that everything's in place, Mono-eye, who had been storing up power in his countless coiled tentacles, let loose.

There was a deafening high-pitched screech as the mass of cutlery shotgunned out. The whole dungeon practically buckled due to the force behind it. I thought it would be a foregone conclusion, but unfortunately.

{An essence of divinity has been detected. Will you absorb it?}

The DP particles surrounding The Stranger started acting differently. Usually calm, it now thrummed rhythmically like a beating heart.

Everyone in the immediate area felt it, reverberating through their very being.

Dokkaebi let loose a rare huff of confusion. Seemingly losing all motor functions, his limbs moved in unnatural, jerky motions. It was like he knew how he wanted to move, but his body lagged behind.

Using this opportunity, The Stranger escaped Dokkaebi's grasp. His movements were fluid but unmistakably confined to the same restrictions as Dokkaebi’s. To put it bluntly, this guy somehow changed the rules. Of what, I’m not completely sure, the world?

But one thing I’m sure of, is what changed. Movement itself, anybody in his domain could only move in accordance to the thrumming metronome of the DP surrounding them.

An air shaking implosion rang out as the tentacles pierced through Dokkaebi. Not even fazed by the sight of a perforated titan, The Stranger descended upon the other two. Cutting down Mono-eye and carving a large chunk out of Enmah.

All this, in the time it took for me to give the notification a go-ahead.

Well, this is bad... I need to go alert Big Bad ASAP and fill him in on this strange ability, should probably throw in Guardian while I’m at it. Ugh, and that brat if I can ever track him down. That whimsical idiot grew an over-inflated ego since he won the Grand-Prix. Gallivanting around the dungeon searching for the one. It’ll be a miracle if I can find him.

Striding up to Enmah about to finish the job, something unexpected happened.

A shift in the air!... A rumble. It was the brambles, the nightmare plants, they were receding little by little, dragging the ground itself with them. Clinging to life, clawing at it. Kicking and screaming into the night.

Staring intensely at the receding mass, The Stranger immediately turned tail and ran.

(Zhenya POV)

“Fredrica! Fredrica! Wake up!” Shaking her provided no response. Tch, dammit! Placing a hand above her mouth, I can feel the faintest tickle of life. “Haaah, still alive. Don’t scare me like that, yah idiot.” *Ding* I give her armor a light flick.

Well, the question now, is how do I get outta of here? I already have my hands full with this guy, and I think Fredrica’s armor might just break my back on weight alone.

I could drag her... Yep. Can’t ever let her find out though, or it’ll be the end of me.

Before I could tie them together for ease of dragging, a sudden rustling caught my attention. *Bwap!*

Whipping around, it was too late! A fist slammed right into my stomach. Who?

Doubling over in pain, I caught sight of my attacker, a rugged man tanned with age, topped with dark brown hair. Before he could do anything else, an arrow flew in between us.

“Ayase! Virgil! Everyone!” It was the vanguard. “Took you guys long enough!”

Virgil was the first one to reach me. Keeping the mystery man back with a knife.

With a mob encroaching upon him, the mystery man tried escaping with his companions in tow. But Virgil intercepted, striking at him before he could lay a hand on that Bargas fellow.

As more arrows rained down, he was forced to retreat.

Carrying off Sabastian, the air around him started going crazy, causing anybody chasing after him to suddenly start tripping over themselves.

“Well, mission accomplished, I guess.” Virgil let out a sigh checking Bargas’s unconscious body.

“Wait, I thought Sabastian was the leader?” He was the guy in the back going all ‘So, you’ve finally reached me!’.

“Zhenya let’s put this skit on hold. We should get you, and Fredrica looked at first.” Propping me up on his shoulder, Antonia marched out from the crowd and did the same for her old friend.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Resting my eyes, I let Virgil lead the way.