“You want to extend your will, pushing it past your physical self after you coat your weapon with it” Ra explained as they walked, they had been at this for awhile as they walked with Si in the lead disarming traps and keeping a look out, while La was keeping an eye on Mia and Ra with a somewhat smug expression on her face.

“Don’t get it.” Mia said, swinging her axe a few times while trying what Ra had explained. The problem was she didn’t understand what he meant by her will, not understanding what that exactly was nor how she was supposed to apply it to her weapon.

“And you won’t just by swinging it, the first step is always to coat your weapon with your will. Just focus on it and imagine a thin film coating it, or picture how you use it in combat.” Ra raised his weapon, it emitting a soft blue glow “How you swing it combat and plan to do so, that will, but physically coating it that onto the weapon.”

Mia did so, focusing on the weapon but quickly gave up, swinging it a few more times “Nothing.”

“Like I said! You won’t get it by swinging it randomly! You must focus on the movements you make, be one with the weapon!”

“Hnnn…” she squinted, placing the blunt end of the axe against her forehead. She focused, thinking about swinging it down and then doing so, nothing happened, and her axe hit the floor “Nothing.”

“You are not even trying!” Ra shouted.

“Ra, bad teacher.” La smugly said.

“She already had your skill! These things take time, and it doesn’t help when she is hardly trying!”

“Am trying, not teaching right.” Mia said.

“You-!?”

“Hey now, everyone calm down.” Si interjected “Maybe seeing us use it a few times will help?” She then motioned with her tail, pointing ahead where a spider had just turned around the corner.

Mia nodded “would be nice.”

“Fine” Ra huffed “Will help cool my head, be sure to watch Mia.” He left her side, readying his sword and shield “It’s just one, should be fine one on one.” He said to Si as he passed her.

She nodded “It’s fine, we are near enough to the exit, more shouldn’t show up.”

Ra nodded, facing the spider as it noticed them, letting out a scream as it charged “Watch closely Mia.” He faced the enemy spider, positioning his sword “Coat your will to the sword, focusing on where you want it to move.” The sword started glowing as he spoke, the spider getting close “Then expand your will.” The glow expanded, growing to twice its size “Then attack!”

They all watched as he swung his sword, the transparent phantom blade mirroring his swords movements before it vanished half way through the swing.

“W-what?!” Si shouted in surprise, watching as Ra, now hitting empty air, stumbled into the spider’s open jaw.

“N-NYAAAARAGH!!!” Ra cried out, his shoulder’s armor getting bit into “Get off me!” He yelled, hitting the spider with his shield.

“La! Shoot it!” Si dashed forward, her paw glowing as a phantom paw formed for a split second before fading “What is going on?!” she yelled in confusion, looking at her paws as she tried to form the phantom paw again but it flickered out. She groaned in frustration, running up and hitting the spider in desperation as it gnawed away at Ra’s shoulder.

Mia was stunned, what was going on? why had their skills failed to work?

“C-cant cast…”

Mia turned her attention downward, looking at La who was pointing her staff towards the spider, but nothing was coming out, not even cold air.

*crack*

The sound of metal cracking snapped her attention to Ra, his armor cracking under the jaw’s pressure.

“It’s getting through!” Ra yelled, slamming his shield into the spider’s face while Si punched it “Get off! Get off!”

“Ra please hang on! La! Magic hurry!” Si yelled out as she desperately punched at the spider’s face, it unfazed by the little damage.

“N-nothings working!” La yelled back, tears rolling down her face as she shook her staff, trying to force anything out of it.

Time seemingly slowed for Mia as the scene unfolded in front of her eyes, Ra and Si’s desperate attempts to get the spider off him as it was slowly breaking through his armor, to La’s futile attempts to cast magic. She was frozen, confused as to why this was happening.

A group of adventurers that previously fought off five of these creatures was now in a desperate situation against one of them, their skills and magic not working anymore. “What is… What is going on…” She whispered to herself and seemingly to answer her question a bright light fell into her view.

Her eyes went wide, watching the mote of light fall into the floor below. She looked up, not being able to see the sky through the dungeons clear ceiling but was able to see several bright motes of light falling through the ceiling and landing around her. “No…”

*Crack*

“NYAAAAAAH!!!!”

“RA!!!”

She snapped towards the two, the spider having progressed enough that red blood was seeping through the armor’s cracks. Mia narrowed her eyes, now was no time to be stuck in a daze. She pulled out her axe and rushed forward “Si! Move!”

Si paused, turning to see Mia running towards them with her axe raised high in the air “M-Mia! You should ru-“

“Out of the way!” Mia yelled, Si quickly leaping back ’50 strength show me what you can do!’ Mia grit her teeth, leaping into the air and swinging the axe down onto the spiders head, the blade sinking into the spider’s skull a few centimeters.

“Kashawaaaa!” The spider released its jaw from Ra’s shoulder and retreating away from her down the hall, Mia keeping her hands firmly wrapped around the axe’s handle to prevent it from getting dragged along with the spider, freeing the blade from its head.

“Urgh, thanks…” Ra stood up looking, putting it nicely, awful. His right shoulder was busted, the armor shattered clean through and his arm dangling limp.

“R-Ra!” Si rushed to his side, inspecting the damage “A-are you ok?”

“No, I am not ok. The fuck is going on?! why aren’t our skills working?! And this fucking poison is killing me!” Ra spat.

Mia frowned; she considered trying to make this situation slightly better. She focused on her skill, getting greeted by a red panel that read.

[Due to the effects of [#@%$%], [Load] is not available, please try again later.]

Great.

That wasn’t an option. “Explain later, spider still alive.” Mia spoke, getting their attention while keeping her axe pointed to the spider that was writhing in pain.

“Explain? How could you possibly know what the fuck is going on?!”

La ran up to Ra, handing him a bottle with red liquid in it “Ra… potion, I am so sorry…” La said, presenting the potion to him.

Ra looked at the potion, then sighed “not your fault, what ever is going on is effecting all of us.” He then grabbed the bottle, uncorking it and downing it. He tried to move his arm, looking at it before sighing in disappointment “Stay back La, watch out for any other troublemakers.” He then faced towards the spider, raising his shield “What’s the plan.”

“Don’t got one.” Mia said, with how fast the spider moved away from her, she could tell the only reason why she managed to hit it was because it was latched onto Ra “Can’t hit it while moving.”

“And I can’t damage it without my skills” Si said.

“Well, gotta figure out something, I only got one working arm.”

Mia glanced at him with the corner of her eye “Shield arm working.”

The spider had finished freaking out, it let out a screech and then started charging at them, crawling up onto the wall.

“Yeah, thankfully it’s the shield one, huh? Think you can finish it in one more blow?” he asked, stepping in front of Mia.

“Maybe.” She then heard a slight clink of metal from behind her, then saw Si step forward with Ra’s sword in hand.

“Hopefully in two.” She narrowed her eyes, readying the sword.

The spider leaped, Ra intercepting it with his shield and locking it in place “Now or never!”

Mia reacted first, swinging the axe down and slamming it into the spider’s forehead, cutting deeper into it this time but it wasn’t enough “Too shallow-!”

“My turn!” Right when the spider was about to unlatch from Ra’s shield, Si came from under it, driving the sword into the spider’s neck. The spider screeched, it’s green blood spraying everywhere, falling limp shortly after.

*Ding*

All four of them breathed a sigh of relief, for Mia the level up would have to wait, as Ra yelled out.

“Ok, explain! What the hell is going on and how do you know about it.” He then staggered, the poison getting to him, landing in Si’s arms “…Thanks.”

“It’s ok.” Si lowered him to the ground, allowing him to lay on the ground while she started to remove his armor “Mia, now’s not the time for jokes, something strange is going on with these lights, we have to find someplace safe.”

“No, I am not lying.” Mia firmly said. “I’ve been through this many times.” She reached up, moving her hand in attempt to catch one of the falling motes, only for it to pass harmlessly through her.

“Can’t cast magic… useless… I’m sorry…” La mumbled, softly crying to herself over her own helplessness.

“I am sure Mia, La it’s ok, he will live thanks to Mia stepping in when she did, hand me some more potions for him.”

“I am serious!” Mia protested “This light is caused by the church of Gaia! They use this to stop skills and magic! Using it to invade! They already got my village!”

“hrg, church of Gaia? Why would they be invading?” Ra grunted, trying to sit up but was stopped by Si.

“You need to rest.”

“I will but hold.” He shifted his head, facing Mia “The church of Gaia wouldn’t invade, they believe in world peace. Besides, they are too far north, and they would have to enter through Eldaha’s territory.”

“Gaia loves all…” La reached into her robe, pulling out a small charm of a five-pointed star with a clear orb at its center “Gaia wouldn’t invade.”

Mia shook her head “No, they would and are. I don’t know the reason, but they are, please, as long as these lights fall, we have to hide.” Mia insisted.

Si sighed “Well, putting aside the holy nation, I do agree we have to hide.”

“Agreed, just uh, let me rest a bit.” Ra said, squinting in pain.

Mia sighed; she’d hope they would believe her but sadly it didn’t seem very likely but at least she would get them to hide. She looked towards La, who was idly rubbing the small charm in her paws while whispering something. The charm itself was something Mia had not seen before, despite dealing with the church before, it was obvious it had some ties to it. It was a nice little charm, it kind of reminded her of the falling motes of light.

“…”

While looking over them, Si treating Ra’s wounds and La looking at her pendant, Mia felt like she was forgetting something very important about these lights. She glanced around, her ears twitching back and forth, what was she forgetting? The uneasiness set in, she stared at La, something was screaming inside of her to remember, but she couldn’t…until she saw what eluded her.

A floating mote of light, right behind La.

“L-MPHM?!” Mia tried to yell out, but found her mouth covered and unable to speak as the space behind La shimmered.

“Hrm?” La looked up from her pendant, crooking her head at the Mia’s expression before her own expression froze, dread creeping in before falling limp, her severed head rolling away.

“MMPHMH!!!! MPHMHM!!!” Mia struggled, screaming into an invisible palm as the others fell limp, their heads also rolling away. Two men in white robes appeared, one behind Mia holding her firmly in place while the other in front of her.

“Those are rare, I hope you know what you are doing.” The man holding Mia spoke.

“Eh, seeing the little beast hold that so dearly made me sick.” The robed man in front of Mia spoke, shaking the fresh blood off his adorned sword “The other is damaged and well, we got something better.”

“Mmmmph, MMm Mmm MMMm!” Mia tried to cry out, tears streaming from her face as she looked at the lifeless corpses of the Cat’s Paw adventurers party, she struggled in the man’s arms, trying to break free but couldn’t manage.

“True, Glad we decided to be thorough after such a lackluster first day.”

“Heh, speaking of…” The man put his sword up against Mia’s neck “Hey beast, where are the rest of you? The fu- THE FUCK?!”

Mia, when the man moved his hand away from her face, thrust herself forward, piercing her neck on the sword.

“What the hell?!” The man holding her dropped her, causing her to fall limp on the ground as she bled out “What did you fucking do that for?!”

“She pierced it herself! The crazy bitch is fucking crazy!”

As she bled out, Mia heard them argue amongst themselves, her world slowly turning black.

[You have died, would you like to load? [Yes/no]]

Floating in the void as a bodyless soul, Mia slammed herself into the yes, going back to just minutes prior with all four of them alive and Si looking at her in slight confusion and worry.

“We have to run.”