Part Forty-Four

“Where’d they all go? There’s no sign of them.”

“There’s barely anything here too. Aside from the room we started in, everywhere else is completely empty.”

Room after room with no sign of inhabitants. That’s all they found after recovering. Only some materials, presumably for crafting, were left behind. Most of it was wood intended to be used for siege equipment, but there was some metal and a few leftover weapons as well.

A half-hour long search led to no results and even more questions. Where had the Mivians gone? Why did they leave? Nothing they discovered could explain it.

“So now what? We’ve technically cleared the facility, even if we didn’t actually kill all the monsters, so do we just burn or steal everything we can?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Splitting up the loot could be a problem though.”

“Heh, maybe this stuff could be worth a fortune. We’d be set for life if you include the reward for clearing the Dungeon.”

Are they being for real right now? Aren’t they at all curious as to why the Mivians left? They were fighting us so aggressively, so why did they suddenly leave? I’m assuming the ones we killed first were packing up the room we found them in, but what about the rest? And all the stuff that’s left just seems like what they didn’t bother to take with them. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

Alicia and the two mercenaries with her were in what appeared to be a living quarters. Small sacks filled with various vegetation served as makeshift beds, with coarse blankets for warmth. It was a lot more civilized than most monster nests, where the monsters usually slept in piles.

There hasn’t been any signs of magic that I’ve seen. Nothing out of the ordina-. What’s that smell? It’s, it’s blood, isn’t it? Crap! CRAP!

There was another tunnel on the other side of the living quarters and inside she found a disturbing scene. Someone had been horribly dismembered and mutilated. Whatever had done it had cut off all of their limbs and broken down their torso into eight pieces. It was impossible to even tell what gender they had been.

“What the fuck!?”

“Who could’ve done this?”

“We need to warn everyone. We’re not alone in here.”

***

“….Disgusting. Is this a latrine of some sort? Phew, and I thought human shit smelled bad.”

“Damn, why’d we have to find this? That other guy found an armory, so why couldn’t we find some loot? I mean, did you see the size of that axe he found? It’s ridiculous that he can even carry it, let alone wield it.”

“Wait, what? Who the heck are you talking about?”

“The big guy that’s usually with the hot archer chick and that really intense guy.”

“Oh, him. So what happened?”

“Before we all split up, he and a couple other guys found some sort of armory and there was this axe that only he could lift. They just let him have it because no one could use it.”

“Damn, lucky bastard. Not only does he get to hang out with a hot girl, he could also get rich from this place.”

“Heh. Wish we were so lucky.”

After they’d determined that there really were no more monsters in the tunnels, everyone had split up to search for anything else of value. The tunnels were larger than they’d originally expected and if they wanted as much as they could get, they had to comb through it all very carefully.

“So, where to next? Should we meet-up with the others, or try to search on our own some more?”

“Let’s check the last branch from that last intersection. Who knows what’s down there.”

The two men continued away from the latrines in search of wealth, though they’d yet to realize the inherent danger found in treasure hunting. These types of occupations usually relied heavily on luck and sometimes, you encountered something completely unreasonable.

“Herghergherghhhh………”

A very creepy laugh echoed off of the walls around them. It was faint enough that they couldn’t tell exactly what direction it was coming from.

“What, what the hell was that? Is someone playing a prank on us?”

“It’s in really bad taste if they are. This situation is tense enough, we don’t need some jackass making it worse.”

“Yeah. Whoever the fuck you are, you better prepare yourself! If you’re trying to mess with us, we’ll fuck you up ‘til you’re black-and-blue!”

“Hergherghergherghergherghergherghhh…….”

It seemed as if the mystery voice found that hilarious, as this laugh was much longer than the previous one. It was also a lot closer than before, allowing the two to know which direction it had come from. It had come from just around the bend ahead of them.

“Hey fuckface! Get your ass out here! We know where you are!”

The two closed in on the source of the laughter, only to recoil in fear and confusion. What greeted them wasn’t a person, but a shrouded figure carrying a large halberd. Whatever it was stood far taller than a human would and the shroud had multiple chains wrapped around it. But the most alarming thing of all was the severed head dangling from one of them.

“Herghergherghergherghergherghergh!!”

“Fuck!”

The two men turned to run from the nightmarish apparition and at first, it seemed like it would let them go. Except that it was merely a part of its sick nature.

*Tchchchchch, rattle! Clang!*

It ripped off one of the numerous chains decorating its body and threw it at the man on the left. The chain flew at him like it had a computer directing its flight path and wrapped around his arms and legs, leaving him immobilized.

“Ah fuck! Help me!”

He yelled to his friend, but the other man kept running. He’d realized that this wasn’t a fight they could win. Though sometimes, there is no right answer.

“Herghergherghhhh!”

The monster wasn’t going to let its toys escape. It drew a small spear from a crease in its shroud and threw it at the fleeing man. It punched straight through both his armor and his chest.

“Kaaaagh! Gurggggllllle.”

“No, no! Get away from me!”

“Hergherghergh.”

As it approached him, it drew something else from its shroud. A rather large cleaver.

“Ohhh, God.”

***

“Tch, we’re missing three people. No one else is to separate from the rest of us. Whatever’s out there is hunting us down one at a time. I’m not going to sit around and wait for it to find us.”

After they’d discovered that corpse, Alicia had hurriedly set about getting everyone together. Since everyone had been scattered about, it had taken some time to do so. By then, three people were missing, though there was a considerable amount of loot that had been found.

This is really bad. We have no idea just how deep into these tunnels we actually are and there's a maniacal killer loose in here with us. I miss Michael. He usually stays really calm even in the most absurd situations.

“Buck up, we’ve got a good idea about how to get out of here. Just wait ‘til then lass.”

“Oh Cameron. Thanks. I’m just worried. Whatever killed that poor person took its time. I just, I don’t know. I’m a little nervous and maybe scared.”

“I’ve got ya. Let’s just focus on getting back. Then we can see what kind of nonsense the lad got up to.”

“Oh jeez! I completely forgot that he was on his own. I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow managed to set the forest on fire while we were down here. Hehe, he’s probably already back at the fort complaining about how slow we are.”

“I could see him doing that. So let’s get back so we can hear him out.”

That conversation worked wonders to soothe her nerves. Imaging what their danger prone friend had gotten up to both amused and intrigued them. He was always doing ridiculous or reckless things when on his own.

One time, he’d gone into a grocery store to look for a particular type of soda that he wanted to drink, only to be challenged by an extremely angry Minotaur. The fight had actually destroyed all of the remaining soda, actually causing Michael to cry afterwards. He’d apparently really wanted to drink it.

Alright then. I certainly can’t fall apart yet. I don’t know if he’d actually care if I died, but I would like to think he’d be devastated. So I can’t just lay down and die here.

[Sampson’s POV]

Fucking hell. Two of my men are missing and the others are as nervous as hens with a fox on the loose. How the hell am I to get them out of this hellhole?

There was still no sign of any of the missing mercenaries or the monster stalking them. Because of the unknowns about the situation, Sampson had declared that they were to leave as soon as possible. There had been a few complaints about leaving loot on the table, but a reminder about how the first victim was killed put down any resistance.

There was also the question of where it even came from to or what happened to the Mivians, but that was a secondary concern at the moment. Escaping alive was paramount.

“Get moving! And make sure you point out anything suspicious!”

Sampson clutched his beloved greathammer as they proceeded. He was confident that if the mysterious monster did show up, he’d be able to kill it with ease. Very few monsters had ever survived a blow from his hammer, especially when it was boosted by the power of his Skill: Shatter.

The only sounds filling the desolate tunnel they were traversing, were the echoes of the mercenaries’ footsteps and the faint nervous whispers they exchanged. They hadn’t been this nervous when caught in the endless Labyrinth by the Mivians. It showed just how much the unknown can unnerve you.

“Heeeeerrrrrrghergherghhhh……”

“What was that? Did it, just laugh at us?”

“Hergherghergh..”

“It’s getting closer! Prepare for combat!”

The oddly sinister laughter kept bouncing around the tunnel. Everyone prepared themselves for the inevitable appearance of whatever monstrosity was approaching. And once it had entered the range of the group’s lights, Sampson charged at it to deliver a preemptive attack.

“Raaaaaaaaaaa!”

As he approached, the figure swung its halberd at him, only for Sampson to knock it out of its hands. He then brought his hammer down on its head with the most sickening crunch imaginable. Whatever it was staggered backwards, as it gasped in pain.

“Herggggggh……….”

As if a switch was flipped, it fell to the ground and burst into dust, which soon faded away. Even its weapon had disappeared, erasing every trace of the creature.

“Hmph. And here I thought it would be more troublesome than that. Disappointing.”

“Whoa! Did you see that? I knew that the Boss was the best!”

“Hey, was it just me or did it have some severed heads attached to its belt?”

Even as the other mercenaries broke into an uproar over that one-hit kill, Sampson made to turn back and dispense discipline. They were letting their guard down far too quick. There might be more than one of whatever that thing was.

“Hey, calm your shit. We shouldn’t drop ou-.”

*Shiver*

He barely had time to whirl around before the monster reformed from literally nothing and swung its halberd down in an attempt to bisect him. If he hadn’t already had his hammer ready, then it probably would’ve killed him. As it was, the impact was enough to nearly force it out of his hands.

“Hergherghergherghergherghergherghhh!!!”

It brought its halberd back around for a second attack, which Sampson barely ducked under. He then countered with another devastating blow to its head, but the creature only moaned and took a step back. That was a blow capable of pulverizing a Minotaur's head and whatever this thing was shrugged it off like it was nothing.

Wait what!? I could see it enduring that blow the first time, but the second? What the fuck is this thing!?

He needed to get away from it, or it would undoubtedly kill him. A single blow from the halberd would be enough to cut clean through him. This was what a life-or-death fight felt like.

“Herggggggghhhh!!!!!”

“Raaaaaaaa!”

Both combatants swung their weapons at each other, clashing again and again. Strangely, it seemed that both of them were evenly matched in terms of pure strength, but Sampson was at a severe disadvantage when it came to overall stamina. This creature was only slightly different from the undead. It wouldn’t tire no matter how long they fought. And eventually, an impact successfully disarmed him, leaving him vulnerable.

“Herggghhhhergh!”

Just as he was about to resign himself to death, an arrow punched into the monster’s chest and was quickly followed by a second and a third. While it was only pushed back by the collisions, they were still enough to give Sampson time to get away from it and Analyze the creature.

Executioner

Rank: ???

Description: A Spirit known for its ability to endlessly resurrect itself. Possesses immense physical strength and endurance, which only get stronger with each pseudo-death. Cannot be killed by physical means.

“RUN! RUN NOW!”

It was then that he made the very prudent decision to run. An un-killable, unstoppable monstrosity wasn’t something anyone was equipped to deal with.

[Cameron’s POV]

“Where, where are we!? All these damn tunnels look the fucking same!”

Did she just swear twice in the same sentence? She really must be panicking right now. She usually doesn’t swear unless there’s undead nearby. Though the thing chasing us could be classified as an undead. It’s tenacious enough.

“Herggghhhherghergherghergherghergh!”

“Why’s it still chasing us!? Shouldn’t it want to go do something else? Or is it holding a grudge since I shot it?”

The two of them had been pursued deeper into the tunnels by the Executioner, who was highly intent on adding them to its collection of heads. Four already hung from its belt, which was odd as there were only three missing mercenaries.

I’d fight it alone to let the lass escape, but I probably wouldn’t last long enough. Sampson wasn’t even able to wound it as it is now and I’m certain he’s stronger than me. Even Alicia’s arrow weren’t enough to stop it and I’ve seen her pierce clean through a Goblin’s head with a single shot. Even Michael would struggle to escape this thing on his own.

“Hey Cameron, do you think we could collapse the tunnel to trap it? It’s not gaining on us, but we won’t be able to get away from it. And at the rate we’re running, we’ll tire before long.”

“What if this is a dead-end? We’d be trapped with no way out.”

“The walls are dirt. Chances are we could dig our way out if we needed to. And I’ve got a good feeling about this tunnel anyway.”

It wasn’t the best thing to choose between, but they really didn’t have many options. The creature was strong enough to easily kill the two of them and continuing on to hunt the others. And even if they escaped, whose to say it wouldn’t leave the tunnels eventually anyway. No, it was better to bury it in dirt and keep it here for the foreseeable future.

“Alright. Our fates are in your hands.”

“Jeez, way to apply the pressure.”

It wouldn’t be easy to do that. The Executioner was about five yards back (it was a good thing its speed didn’t improve with each death) and an explosion would need to be close enough to it to bury the monster, but far enough back that they weren’t caught up in it. Alicia was undoubtedly the best choice for the task, as she had the best odds of finding the optimum moment for the explosion.

*Boom*

In the end, it was almost anticlimactic. Her lobbed Combustion Bomb hit its target perfectly, bringing a shit-ton of dirt and rocks down on the Executioner. They may have been meant for burning things, but they were still bombs. The explosion was just enough to trigger a small cave-in.

They didn’t stick around after they confirmed that it was buried though. There was a chance it had been crushed to death, which would’ve caused it to get even stronger. They had to get out before it could dig its way out of the cave-in.

***

“You know, that ending was really anticlimactic. It had all this build-up, but it seemed like you got out of that situation a little too easily.”

“Well, it didn’t really go that smoothly. We just paraphrased it to make it end tidily.”

“Uh-huh. So you just cut out the best parts?”

“Why you! You already know how it ended! We’re right in front of you, so how could it have ended any other way!?”

“I mean, you could be ghosts?”

“Nnnnnnnnn!”

It appeared that talking about each others adventure had gotten them back in the mood to banter. It was a heartwarming sight to see, so long as they weren’t actually trying to kill each other.

I see, so that’s how I feel. If that’s the case, then…..