As the air succumbed back to dread and the voices of Armis and Arian dissipated, an eerie silence veiled the atmosphere around them. They stood, eyes piercing the slab of stone ahead.
Suddenly, a red hue began to glow on the rugged surface of the gate, cracking through the inscription. The mighty, unyielding giant gate of stone before them began to crumble into debris and dirt.
Overflowing with greed, Armis and Arian's patience fell short before the mystical spectacle. Both of them yelled out, standing only a wall of carved stone apart, but their greedy words rang out in the air.
Arian extended his hand at the crumbling, glowing gate, and Armis, taking a step back, lunged at the gate with a powerful punch.
Together with Armis's devastating strike, a powerful gust of air from the other side shattered the debris of the crumbling doors into pieces, sending a deafening echo of destruction and adding more chaos to the already dreadful air of the chamber.
Armis jumped inside, spinning to take control of the momentum. With skidding feet ahead, he opened his eyes and took in the grandeur of the golden glow.
Each inch of the fifteen-foot-wide chamber was covered in mountains of gold, adorned with gems and ornaments the size of their heads.
The immense and almost infinite wealth left no wall empty; every brick, every stone was bathed in the golden glow and shine of gems. Even the ceiling hung mystical types of ornaments. The mountain of gold consisted of everything from coins to weapons, all covered in the mystifying plating of gold. But what made Armis's greed even stronger was the absence of any beast, monster, or nightmarish creature guarding the riches. Nothing stood in his way to take what he wanted and as much as he wanted. Reeling in the smug joy of greed, Armis called to Alan,
"Alan!!! See this!! It's… it's heaven!!! So much gold and treasure but no monster in sight!! Ha!! I told you it g—"
"Arian, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Alan yelled, retorting at Arian's actions with a puzzled look. But Arian, undeterred, made his intentions clear once again as he growled loudly, this time shooting a bigger gust of air at Armis.
"I SAID GIVE IT TO ME!"
Seeing no effect from his retort, Alan took action. Poising his sword ahead, he jumped to intercept the upcoming strike. Before he could reach it, a sudden clang of metal pierced through the air. In a blinding speed, Leotrus lunged at Alan, his body covered in green blood. His knives gripped with strength, fully intending to gouge into Alan's body if he hadn't blocked the strike with his sword.
Pushing Alan back with gritted teeth, Leotrus growled,
"STAY BACK!"
"What? What the hell is wrong with you? With both of you?!" Alan exclaimed, planting his feet firmly on the gold-covered floor. He halted Leotrus's push with his own strength, looking into Leotrus's blood-stained blindfold. His shock deepened when he saw multiple gashes, bruises, and torn clothes on Leotrus's body. Similar devastation covered Arian's form, exuding their numbing greed. Alan felt his own bruised form and the tattered robe, now shortened to his waist.
Leotrus began to push Alan back further, deepening his shock. While exerting his full strength to oppose Alan, Leotrus mumbled in lunacy,
"No one. No one! I won't let anyone else come between me and Orioros again!"
His madness filled Alan with more dread and concern. But it all shifted when Alan suddenly realized the air strike was still heading for Armis.
——clang!!!——swoosh—-
A sudden sound pierced the air, drawing Alan and Leotrus's attention to their side. They saw Armis standing behind Arian, clutching his long blonde locks with a grim determination in his eyes. Without hesitation, Armis spoke with a threatening tone, "I said, Fuck OFF PISSHEAD!!!!"
Before they could react, Armis stomped on Arian's right calf with such force that the sound of crushing bone and twisting flesh echoed in the chamber, momentarily drowning out Arian's agonizing scream.
Writhing in pain, Arian collapsed to the floor as Armis released his grip on his hair, his pants turning crimson from the gushing blood. Witnessing Arian's suffering, Leotrus panicked and looked away, providing Alan an opening.
Acting swiftly, Alan twisted his sword and yanked it upwards, disarming Leotrus of his knives before sliding through his legs. With a sudden leap, he kicked Leotrus back, creating distance between them. As Alan prepared to strike again, his attention was abruptly diverted.
"ALAN!!!"
Longiseus's urgent cry echoed in Alan's ears, drawing his attention to the crumbled gate from which Arian and Leotrus had emerged. In the distance, he spotted Longiseus and Lady Roartad bound together with a chain, struggling to move forward.
"ALAN!! Help us!" Longiseus's desperate plea reached Alan's ears, spurring him into immediate action. Without hesitation, Alan rushed towards Longiseus and Lady Roartad, dropping to his knees beside them. He observed Lady Roartad's closed eyes with growing concern, his voice reflecting his worry as he asked, "What happened to her?!"
Longiseus rose unsteadily, his arms trembling as he sat up and cradled Lady Roartad's head in his lap. Concern and dread etched his features as he gritted his teeth, his fury rising.
"She just fainted from shock. What was that sound?!" Longiseus's voice quivered with urgency as his attention shifted to the pressing matter at hand.
Alan swiftly gathered Lady Roartad's chain and mace in his hand, his tone matching Longiseus's urgency as he replied, "It was Armis and Arian. They're fighting over some jewel, losing their minds. We have to hurry."
"Move away from the commander, Alan!" Leotrus's voice thundered through the labyrinth, standing atop the chamber's crumbled gate, his hands extended threateningly toward them.
"Leotrus, don't be stup—" Longiseus began, but his words were cut short by a knife hurtling toward him, slicing through a lock of his hair. Longiseus and Alan stood stunned, while Leotrus, his voice tinged with delusional desperation, continued with grim determination.
"I won't say it again, Commander. Please! Please stay out of our way. I am begging you, don't make me do something regrettable. You don't understand, every moment, every breath is like needles in my veins without Orioros. I am not going to let you interfere anymore, Commander. Either stand down, or it'll be you who'll get carried in a kna—phulloppphhhh!!!!——"
Suddenly, a tense atmosphere was shattered by a nerve-shivering hiss. Everyone heard it, felt it, as it traveled down their spines, gripping their hearts and numbing their brains. Alan and Longiseus, already on edge, were overcome by a new wave of horror and dread. But for Leotrus, it was much worse.
The grimness he exuded was replaced by shock, then dread, then horror. Agonizing sensations flooded his body, intensifying the pain until it felt like two giant burning nails were piercing through his abdomen. He let out a scream so horrific and agonizing that it seemed to freeze the very air around them.
Those who watched were held in stunned terror as Leotrus's lower half seemed to vanish into thin air. Streams of blood flowed from his disembodied form as his scream pierced the chamber.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! HELP, HELP ME COMMANDER!!!! IT BURNS!!! IT'S BURNING THROUGH MY BO—THAAAAAPPPHHGG!!!!——"
Leotrus's pained screams abruptly halted as his lower body briefly became visible inside an invisible maw of horror. In a horrifying snap, the invisible clutch closed again, swallowing Leotrus's lower half and spraying blood into the air.
"LEOTRUS!!!!!!" Arian's cry pierced the air, his own agony momentarily forgotten as he struggled with his limped leg, grim determination etched on his face. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Arian unleashed powerful gusts of sharp wind at the invisible maws ensnaring his friend's body. Beside him, Armis remained unfazed by Leotrus's cries, his grin widening with eerie excitement as he remarked, "So I guess there was an insect waiting for us."
With a speed that surpassed even Arian's attack, Armis lunged forward, bursting through the gusts of wind. With a deafening battle cry, he delivered a devastating punch just above Leotrus's writhing half-body.
To his surprise and amusement, his strike collided with something solid and sturdy, emitting a sharp clang that shook the chamber to its core. In a sudden motion, whatever had been clutching Leotrus's half form was hurled forcefully into a mountain of gold. Leotrus's torn and mangled body fell outside the crumbled gate of the chamber, leaving a long stain of blood on the ground as it skidded to a halt, just near Alan and Longseus's knees, before their stunned and terrorized gaze.
For a few moments, an eerie silence enveloped the chamber, broken only by the faint echoes of their own ragged breaths. Then, abruptly,
Leotrus's maimed half writhed in a grotesque, unnatural manner. A blood-soaked cough tore through his already ravaged mouth, followed by a piercing groan of agony that shattered the horror-stricken silence.
Alan dashed forward, his heart pounding with dread, and gently cradled Leotrus's head in his lap. Meanwhile, Longiseus carefully guided Lady Roartad to safety against a nearby wall before approaching Leotrus's bloody form. With trembling hands, Alan removed Leotrus's blood-soaked blindfold, revealing eyes now completely obscured by crimson. Through his pain, Leotrus struggled to form coherent words, his voice broken and strained as he attempted to speak.
"C…c…commander… Comma—"
"Yes, Leotrus, I'm here. Don't strain yourself. Just lie still."
Longiseus snapped out of his horrified daze, his attention fully focused on Leotrus's agonizing form sprawled before him.
With a trembling voice laced with concern, he reassured Leotrus. His gaze swept over the horrific scene—the lower half of Leotrus's body severed clean, leaving his once-white garments saturated in scarlet. Leotrus's exposed innards spilled out, mingling with the pooling blood, while the jagged stump of his spine filled Longiseus with a visceral mix of terror and anguish.
Yet, amidst the horror, his immediate concern was for Leotrus's well-being.
Longiseus gently lowered Leotrus onto Alan's lap, his teeth clenched in a desperate attempt to hide the horror and revulsion that consumed him.
Alan, sensing Longiseus's struggle, clenched his fists in frustration, his gaze locked with Longiseus's. With a silent nod of solidarity, Alan conveyed his unwavering support, offering whatever strength he could in the face of such harrowing circumstances.
Longiseus gazed into Leotrus's blood-filled eyes, his own filled with a mix of pain and determination. Despite the agony of witnessing his friend's suffering, Longiseus attempted to impart a sense of hope to Leotrus, whose panic was beginning to subside. With each word quivering on his lips, Longiseus spoke softly yet firmly, his voice laced with reassurance:
"Don't... don't be afraid, Leotrus. I'm here with you. Stay strong, my friend. Everything will be alright. Just... just keep holding on Leo—-"
Amid Longiseus's attempts to offer solace, Leotrus's pained yet strangely serene voice cut through the air. Despite the cacophony of clashing sounds growing louder around them, which began to fade as a faint smile graced Leotrus's blood-streaked face. With humility in his expression, he spoke, his words punctuated by groans of agony:
"Commander, please... Spare me the false hope. I can... feel it. I know what's happened to me. I don't always... feel pain where I should be feeling... my legs."
"No, Leotrus, everything will be fine, we'll sa—"
"No, Commander, please... don't give me false hope. Not right now, not after I chased behind one, in lunacy, despite your retort, warning, your threats. I leaped inside the... maws of death and I got what I deserved," Leotrus interjected, cutting through Longiseus's strained attempts. Longiseus couldn't help but continue trying to urge his friend to hold on, his voice filled with desperation.
"No! Please don't say that. It was not your fault. It was that thing, that... that monster. It clutched onto your greed and drowned you in it. None of it was your fault. Don't blame yourself, Leotrus, please, I beg you."
"But the greed was mine, right, Commander?" Leotrus, even on the brink of death, didn't betray his traits. The stubbornness, the will to be right remained even in his last breaths, widening Longiseus's eyes in helplessness. Almost eliciting tears from his eyes, Leotrus continued, "However evil it may be, blaming your foolishness on your enemy would result in your death." Hearing familiar words from Leotrus's lips, Longiseus's welling up tears began falling to the ground, mixing into the pool of blood created by the gaping and gory absence of Leotrus's lower half.
Longiseus's helplessness only deepened into immeasurable dread and pain as the smile on Leotrus's face became painfully bold. Holding through a pained groan, he continued, "I guess you were right, Commander… you always were. We were just too foolish, too naive to understand… I guess there was a reason we saw you as our father figure."
Despite holding no emotion and being wide open, Leotrus's bloody eyes turned to Longiseus, conveying an emotion that he never knew existed between him and his team.
Leotrus's words revealed a dynamic, a humble and sweet aspect of their relationship that Longiseus never knew existed. He could only react with a painful gasp of his mouth and attempted to cease his tears from his squinting eyes.
Words choked Longiseus's throat, squirms of unbearable pain all he could manage to squeeze through his shut lips, withholding a cry so immense that even Alan could feel its pain.
Leotrus's eyes turned towards the ceiling. He remained painfully silent for a moment as Longiseus's grip on his hand began to tighten. Leotrus spoke, a sense of wonderment yet exuding a painful feeling that he neared his death, "Love… Orioros, you've returned my love. Come… come hold me, I am coming.. coming my love."
"NO!!! LEOTRUS, NO!!!!! Don't g—" Longiseus cried out, his voice echoing with desperation and anguish, pleading for Leotrus to stop, to halt his approach towards what seemed to him as Orioros. But deep down, Longiseus was painfully aware that it was death, finally coming to seize the soul of his friend.
Frantic cries and attempts to pull back Leotrus's reaching arm proved futile. Longiseus felt the limpness of Leotrus's arm when it hit his own chest, a dreadful sensation that silenced any words of retort.
The air was thick with pain and despair as Leotrus's soul departed his body. Longiseus's eyes drooped in pain as he watched Leotrus's body, the pool of blood beneath him, the stains on Alan's robe, the film of blood on his own palms, even his blood-soaked blindfold.
Everything seemed to transform into specks of crimson glow, flying into the chamber. The once bright glow now faded in the face of the pain and horror Longiseus and Alan felt. As fury of vengeance simmered in their eyes, pain and despair begun guiding their steps toward the new calamity that emerged, halting their dreadful journey.
The mountain of gold exploded as the invisible creature that had consumed Leotrus's half-body collided violently. Armis stood tall, while Arian hovered beside him in despair and agony.
Both watched as the coins from the mountain began to shake and shiver, an eerie and menacing hiss filling the air. The glow of the chamber turned from despair to dread and horror. Suddenly, the shifting of the treasure halted, as the movement stopped with a dreadful hiss.
Absorbing the glow from the gold, treasure and crimson of Leotrus's fading form, a long, rope-like structure began to materialize from the golden air of the chamber.
The sight filled Arian's eyes with horror, while Armis grinned with eerie amusement. The golden form took shape, resembling the titan body of a snake, its long form coiled around the mountains of gold and treasure, barely contained within the chamber. As the golden light fully revealed its form, the snake's towering hood, fangs, and slithering tongue became visible.
The veil of gold burst out, sending torrents of golden air throughout the chamber. Emerging from this spectacle was the next calamity, a vessel of dread and greed: a giant snake with its hood covering half of the chamber's ceiling. Its murky green body, covered in scales of gold, diamonds, and rubies, shimmered ominously.
Its eyes glowed green, leering at Armis and Arian. As the remains of Leotrus traveled down its elongated body, the sheer pressure of dread and horror weighed down on them. The golden reptile snapped its maw, whipped its tongue, and extended its venom-filled glands and nearly six-foot-long fangs, hissing sharply towards them.
"Ohhh…a worm!" Armis exclaimed, a twisted grin spreading across his face as he moved towards the hissing snake. With a smug glance at Arian and his eyes fixed on the giant violet gem atop the reptile's hood, he added, "Stay back, Pisshead. I want that gem for myself."
Armis charged at the serpent, but Arian, fueled by terror, fury, and anger over Leotrus's suffering, let out a battle cry. He extended his hands, conjuring a powerful torrent of air, and before hurling it at the creature, he screamed, "I WILL KILL YOUUUUU!!!!!!"
This time, Arian's attack surged past Armis and struck the creature's maw directly. The serpent snapped its fangs in a futile attempt to defend itself, but Arian's air strike, loaded with golden artifacts and weapons, pierced its maw. The creature recoiled in agony, the collective pain overwhelming it.
Without waiting for the serpent's agony to subside, Armis leaped at the beast. His gauntlet glowed as he formed a powerful fist and delivered a devastating strike to its snout. The impact sent half of the serpent's body crashing into the wall, crushing the bricks and landing heavily onto the floor of gold.
Arian and Armis wasted no time and lunged at the creature. Suddenly, its body began to glow red, and in a blindingly swift movement, it used its tail to slam the charging warriors into a nearby wall. The impact created a resounding clash and a destructive crater where they hit.
The serpent, now coiled in the center of the chamber amidst the infinite treasure, let the crimson glow dissipate, revealing the radiant gold and gems covering its body. More ferocious than before, its eyes burned with fury, and it snapped its fangs menacingly, tormenting and taunting Alan and Longiseus, who had just stepped inside the chamber.
The sheer horror and crushing pressure of the creature's terrifying form momentarily subsided the fury in Alan and Longiseus. Yet, their resolve remained unbroken. Planting their feet firmly, they faced the menacing beast. A green hue began to emanate from Longiseus's nape as he unsheathed his sword with determination. Alan, alongside him, also poised his weapon towards the hissing monster. Their fury, undiminished by fear, was ready to be unleashed.
"Commander!!!" Arian, along with Armis, staggered to their feet. Arian limped toward Longiseus, desperation in his voice and dread etched on his face. "Commander, where's Leotrus? Is he alright?"
The question hung in the tense air. Longiseus, hiding his tremendous pain behind an enraged glare, let a tear escape, revealing the truth to Arian.
Understanding dawned on Arian, filling him with despair and dread. He released his grip on Longiseus's shoulder and collapsed to his knees, his gaze filled with pain and emptiness as he looked outside, where Leotrus's body had been laid. The absence of his friend left Arian stunned, his eyes filling with tears and his mouth agape.
"Alan, give those potions!" Longiseus demanded, his voice tight with fury as he kept his eyes fixed on the menacing beast.
"I don't have any," Alan replied, his eyes ahead and his sword extended.
"But you have those leaves, right?" Longiseus asked, turning his bloodshot glare to Alan.
Alan looked back in disbelief, stuttering in shock and surprise. "B-but... you can't handle th—"
"I DON'T CARE!!!" Longiseus yelled, his eyes squinting with effort to hold back his rage. His veins bulged as his boiling blood pumped furiously. "I don't care, Alan. Give it to me. I WANT THAT THING DOWN!!!"
Longiseus yelled out his enraged intentions once again, while Armis watched from the side, his eyes expectant, waiting for the situation to escalate. Alan took a deep sigh, closing his eyes, and reached into a pocket on his waist. Suddenly, the serpent filled the chamber with its piercing hiss and charged at them.
Reacting to the sudden attack, Longiseus, Armis, and Alan dodged aside. But then, overshadowing the creature's hiss, Arian's bellowing battle cry reverberated through the chamber. Everyone was stunned as Arian, moving at blinding speed, lunged at the serpent, crying out, "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! YOU WILL DIE!!!!!!!!!!"
In the last instant before collision, Arian conjured a torrent of air between him and the beast. The attack was meant to harm the serpent, but instead, it left the creature unscathed. The force of his own attack hurled Arian away as the serpent's eyes widened, leering at him with a mystic gaze. Arian slammed into the wall near the entrance with immense force, creating a crater and hurling debris and dust upon impact.
"ARIAN!!!!!" Longiseus cried out, then turned to Alan with urgency, repeating his command, "ALAN, NOW!"
Alan quickly jumped, retrieving two leaves from his waist pocket and handing them to Longiseus. Without wasting a moment, Longiseus put the leaves in his mouth and began chewing. Alan then vaulted beside Armis and, with a sense of urgency, asked, "What are you waiting for, Armis? Punch through that thing or something."
Armis reacted with furrowed brows, his surprise turning into amusement as he replied, "Why don't you give it a try?"
Not understanding Armis's cryptic remark, Alan shook his head in disappointment. He then straightened up, and as the monster shrieked and hissed with fury and recoiled, time seemed to still for Alan. His breath slowed down, deep and long, matching his heartbeat. Alan opened his blue eyes, his lips moving as he whispered barely above a breath, "Reserare Scaena II… Ruptor Sonus."
Suddenly, Alan vanished into thin air. As the enraged serpent lunged at the transforming Longiseus, the air around the serpent's hood exploded. Its upper body bore the echoing strikes from Alan's sword in rapid succession.
———thwashh—-thhanshhh——-thwiishhhh—-thhanshhh——
After the reverberating slash from his sword, Alan reappeared in the air, suspended just above the hood of the serpent. His misty eyes widened in shock when he saw that his strike, though making the golden reptile recoil in pain, hadn't left a single scratch on its body. What should have reduced a normal monster to pieces barely seemed to affect it. Suddenly, Alan's shock turned to apprehension as the serpent lunged at him.
Reflexively, Alan began to raise his sword, but just as the reptilian fangs were about to engulf him, Armis leaped from above, landing on the hood of the reptile. Along with Alan, Armis stomped down hard, crashing the beast into the golden ground and creating a large crater. Treasure and gold coins sprayed into the air.
Alan jumped down as well, landing beside Armis, who vaulted off the serpent's head. Holding Alan under a smug side-eye, Armis remarked, "See, I tried, but I can't pierce through it. Whatever type of gold it is, it's hella sturdy and going to make perfect boots for my feet."
Armis turned his back to the staggering beast, smirking with greed while gazing at its golden, gem-encrusted skin.
As the serpent raised its hood once again, Armis and Alan jumped into their stances. Alan asked, concerned, "What should we do then?" Before Armis could reply, the reptile's deafening hiss was drowned out by Longiseus's battle cry.
Charging through the field of gold coins and treasure, Longiseus lunged at the beast, his sword glowing cerulean. He closed the distance in an instant, spinning his sword hard and delivering a devastating slash at the lower body of the beast.
For a moment, the chamber was filled with a consuming light from Longiseus's sword as he fought to pierce the serpent. The beast writhed in agony, but Longiseus's blade couldn't cut through. Completing his swing, Longiseus hurled the reptile into the wall.
"Not that," Armis replied to Alan's earlier question, his voice mocking. Longiseus landed beside Alan and Armis, frustration evident as smoke seeped from his eyes and mouth. "What's going on? Why didn't my sword cut through it?"
"Yeah, like we know, genius," Armis replied with a teasing tone.
Confused by Armis's remark, Longiseus looked to Alan, who answered with dread in his eyes and voice, "We're not sure either, but it seems to be related to its gold-covered skin."
"What if I perform Burst of Holy Light on it as well?" Longiseus asked, glaring at the beast, which was rising again.
"I don't think that would work," Alan replied as the three of them held their guard against the serpent, which leered at them with fury and menace. "I'm sure it would survive that, and even if it works, I'm too weak to pull you out of danger alive this time, or even escape myself in time."
Alan's reply made Longiseus even more frustrated as the shrieking serpent lunged at them. Preparing for the attack, Alan offered advice, "For now, just stay away from its fangs and try to find its weak points."
"YAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Suddenly their attention snapped to Arian, who once again lunged at the serpent in a rage, unaware of their newly discovered weakness.
"ARIAN NO!!!" Longiseus yelled, futilely trying to stop him. But it was too late; Arian was already nearing the beast, hands extended to conjure another attack. Shock filled every eye as the serpent abruptly halted, its fangs closing, and its menacing pupils began rotating with hypnotic swirls. A blinding bright light shot from its eyes, enveloping Arian completely.
The others watched in dreadful amazement as the serpent blinked, and the light around Arian exploded, leaving behind pristine white smoke.
With eerie movements, the serpent turned its menacing glare at the stunned Longiseus, Armis, and Alan, almost mockingly grinning with its contorting fangs. Suddenly, a giant gust of sharp air hurled toward them, causing Alan and Longiseus to sidestep at the last moment. Armis stood tall, bearing the full impact of the strike from Arian, who, as the smoke dissipated, glared down at them with eyes devoid of pupils, now drowned in a yellow hue, hovering beside the serpent.
A contorting grin appeared on Armis's face at the sight that filled Longiseus and Alan with dread and horror. "Oooh, that is new," Armis remarked. Alan and Longiseus walked beside him, their swords extended towards the unwanted enemy. Alan gulped and added, keeping his eyes on the possessed Arian and the grinning serpent, "Well, I guess don't look directly into its eyes either."
"Armis!" Alan turned to Armis, who looked back confused as Alan continued, "Me and Longiseus will distract the snake. You try to subdue Arian before joining us." Without waiting for Armis's reply, Alan and Longiseus charged towards the reptile, leaving a complaining and retorting Armis behind.
"Huh?!! What the hell?!! I want to kill the wor—-"
———thwahhhh——-
Suddenly, Armis's retort halted as Arian, looming above him, shot a gust of wind directly at him. Armis withstood the assault, covering his face from the hurling coins and artifacts. As the air stilled, he looked up, glaring at Arian, and growled, "I guess you are going down, PISSHEAD!"