Part Seventy

With the guards dead, the supplies were ours for the pillaging. Like before, most of the crates were full of unspecified chunks of meat, but a few contained vials of various solutions, like Recovery Tonics. They were most likely intended as first-aid for monsters, but would work just as nicely for us.

“Huh, so this stuff's pretty useful?”

“Yep. My comrades got some from the Mivians. It isn’t perfect, but it’ll keep you fighting in a pinch.”

Aside from that, we also found a mana shard like the one Serena found before. We quickly came to a consensus that Ed-whatever should have it, as he didn’t have a good weapon yet. Hopefully he could exchange it for a decent one later on.

And so, there was nothing left for us to do but burn the supplies, a task the mage happily did for us.

That went pretty well. I thought this might be a lot harder, but it really was a simple mission. I mean, Serena’s odd moment aside, I wouldn’t mind working with any these guys on a long-term basis.

“Well, let’s head back. I’ve got a pillow to make!”

………Just leave it Michael. It’s not worth it.

***

The walk back to the fort was as uneventful as you’d expect, but filled with good cheer all around. All of us were in a good mood, which only got better once we met up with a few other groups coming back as well. Out of four squads, there was not a single casualty, a sign that things were improving. As dangerous as this Dungeon was, it was proving to be a good source of growth for many, including myself. As the average level went up, so too did everyone’s chances of surviving.

Back at the beginning, I thought we’d be lucky if even half of us survived, but we may actually surpass that by a wide margin. There will still be casualties regardless, but it won’t be as dire as I’d thought. I’m starting to feel optimistic about our chances.

Of course, all good feelings were doomed to fade. As we returned to the fort, we happened upon a squad arguing with the NPC we were to report to.

“What do you mean we’re not done!? We risked our lives killing all those monsters, but you have the audacity to tell us to go back out there!?”

“No one said that you had a single mission. And if I remember right, it was all of you who interrupted the Archmage before he could finish that part of the explanation. And since no one asked him to reiterate, it is your fault for not knowing what was happening.”

Fuck, he’s right. Well, it’s technically sophistry, but it’s still effective anyway. We did interrupt his explanation earlier, and no one bothered to have him finish explaining that part. And it’s not like they said we’d get a single assignment either. Fuck.

“Who the hell do you think you are!? You’re just a fucking drone!”

“Who am I? I’m the goddamn quartermaster, and if you don’t want to be sleeping outside tonight, then you’ll damn well do what I say!”

“Ah, uh, fine!”

The jackass took the details of his group’s next assignment, before stalking off in a huff. I was annoyed at this sudden unloading of more work, but bitching about it wouldn’t get it done. And the others in my group agreed, so we quickly got back to work.

Still, I am allowed to complain a little, right?

***

Three missions, that’s how many we did after that. The first two were simple diversions, where we were expected to attract and kill as many monsters as we could from among the forest’s edge. It wasn’t actually as bad as it sounded though, since most of the monsters were only F and E-Ranks. We killed monsters for an hour, went back to the fort and then did it again elsewhere. It was actually fun to just kill monsters for once, without worrying about other tasks and whatnot.

The other mission was far harder. We’d been given a single target to kill, a particularly annoying monster called a Actogal Crooner. And yes, its fighting style was just as weird as its name suggested.

To simplify the battle, the Crooner, a large ostrich-like monster, had sat amid a large gathering of Demi-Humans, singing an eerie, otherworldly song. Based on their behavior, my guess was that Crooners were like snake charmers, in that it had somehow hypnotized the other monsters. They’d moved in unpredictable patterns and had often blocked attacks from their blind spots.

Still, it hadn’t changed how weak the monsters were, and as soon as the majority were dead, Hunk had managed to blow its head off.

Phew, that wasn’t as fun as the other two. But since it’s dead, we can go back. I just hope this is the last one.

The back-to-back battles had worn away at us, and the way back wasn’t as celebratory as the first time. All six of us were tired and worn out, and even Serena, who was highly energetic and talkative, was sedate now.

“Hey, do you guys think they’ll just keep working us until we eventually die?”

“I doubt that they’d do that Edwin. If the NPCs wanted to kill us, they could’ve done it back when we first entered the Dungeon.”

“Tiff's right. So long as we keep fighting, there’s still a chance we can get out of here alive.”

“Oh, thanks you two. That really makes me feel better.”

Like I said, we were all worn out. While we weren’t injured, there was a general sense of fatigue among the group, compounded by physical and mana exhaustion. I myself had less than a quarter of my mana left. It was enough to keep fighting, but I wasn’t in optimal condition. And I think you know what that means.

*Shiver*

“Down, now!”

My warning came a moment too late. A large creature burst out of the nearby shadows, and ripped the mage in half with a single swipe of its claws. A jet-black wolf stood before us, its entire being emanating malice. But even though it’s appearance was so abrupt, I wasn’t the only one to react.

Hunk unloaded a full clip into the wolf's face and chest, Serena unfurled her whip and struck it several times, and Tiffany threw several knives at it. As each attack landed, more and more blood splattered into the air, and the wolf was driven back a step. But just as I started to think this was going to end quickly, something strange happened.

A deep, sinister rumble began to resound from its throat. Glyphs quickly formed in the air and sunk into the flesh that had been injured, turning the wounds themselves black. And then, with a last, deep, emphatic growl, every single wound completely disappeared. What!? But how?

Void Wolf

Rank: C

Description: An evolved Shadow Wolf. After having Awakened Dark-attribute mana, this wolf underwent a rapid Evolution that enabled it to use Void Magic. It is also highly intelligent, to the point where it is smarter than most Demi-Humans. Finally, it possesses a violent and sadistic nature, that compels it to hunt down any other living creatures nearby. Currently serving as the leader of the Beast division of the Monster Army that’s besieging Fort Aries.

That wasn’t good. While I hadn’t looked in depth at it, my Grimoire had an entry on Void Magic. What I’d seen had basically meant that a Void Mage could undo the effects of other mages, or even remove wounds they’d suffered. I’m, I’m gonna need to re-read that entry, aren’t I?

Before anyone could process that, the Wolf leapt for Edwin, bringing one of its claws down at his head in a show of brute force. He barely got his spear up in time to block the blow, but both the shift and his arm were snapped by the attack. The only thing he’d achieved was to buy a few seconds, but that was enough to save his life.

*BANG!!!*

A single, loud, violent explosion echoed out from beside me. Hunk had drawn a second, much larger gun from a bag, one which looked more like a shotgun than anything. The buckshot peppered the wolf's hide with holes, and sprayed blood all over us. The wolf whimpered in pain and staggered away from us, showing just how effective the blast had been. I really wanted to know where he got these weapons from.

But the recoil had sent Hunk backwards onto his rear, which was probably why he hadn’t used it up to now. Though where he’d gotten such a powerful weapon was still a minor concern.

Serena’s whip lashed out several times in quick succession, slashing its face repeatedly and damaging an eye. And my carefully aimed [Rot] struck it in the muzzle, causing the fur and flesh there to begin rotting. It wouldn’t kill it, but I hoped the spell might impede its senses, even if only for a moment.

“Grab Edwin! We’re getting out of here!”

Even as I yelled at the two women, the Wolf was recovering from its injuries. The effects of [Rot] had already been forcibly stopped, though the damage was still there, and the other wounds had already disappeared. This thing may be far more troublesome than the Orc General.

Hunk scooped Edwin up, and began to run in the direction of the fort, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Serena and Tiffany followed. I spun around and fired one last [Rot] at the wolf as I followed them, managing to hit it in the leg. The spell caused the fur there to fall apart, but the effects slowed and stopped in mere seconds. Whatever magic it was using kept [Rot] from ending this fight.

Quickly activating both of my Skills, I hurried to follow after them before the wolf recovered enough to chase us. I would’ve chosen to try and fight if we were in better condition, but even I wasn’t dumb enough to stay and fight such a powerful monster when we were already worn out.

God damn it! I really am cursed! Why else would I have just suddenly run into the third Mid-boss like this? We’ve just gotta get away from the damn thing.

***

“Is it, is it chasing us?”

“I think we’re in the clear. Hopefully, it’ll take it a while for it to dispel the effects of my magic. I think that’s why it stayed back. How’s Edwin?”

My question was directed at Hunk, who was still carrying him like a sack of flour.

“His arm's broken, and he passed out. He should’ve dodged that attack, not blocked it. Any evolved wolf monster will be quite strong, more than a normal person can handle on their own.”

“It can be hard to make those decisions in the heat of battle. I made enough errors back when this all started, and I make them here and there even now.”

There was more than a few times I’d nearly been killed inside of the Labyrinth because I hesitated to act in battle. Most monsters were physically stronger than me, so I’d come to rely on dodging attacks early on so as to avoid debilitating injuries, but not everyone had had those experiences. Pain sure is a strong motivator.

“Um, do you guys think they’ll get mad at us for letting the NPC die? We didn’t really have a chance to save him.”

“I think we’ll be fine Serena. I mean, surely they won’t fault us for not detecting an attack that our scout missed. None of us even saw it com-. Wait, that’s wrong. You saw it coming, didn’t you? You tried to warn us before it attacked.”

Damn, I’m surprised she even remembered that. Everything happened so quickly that I thought no one caught it.

“Wait, he did? Ah, you’re right Tiff, he did! He told us to get down! So you did know that the wolf was coming?”

“Uh, sorta? I just knew that a monster was nearby, not that it was that thing. And I was only warned at the last moment.”

It really was last minute. My warning had even failed to save the NPC, which was bad for us, as we now had no guide. Thankfully we weren’t all that deep into the forest, so it shouldn’t take long for us to get back. Whether or not it would go so easy was still up to debate.