Chapter 188 - Through The Air, They Hunger

Getting lost in his own mind for a minute, it took a few seconds for him to process the flying objects that became visible to him. The familiar way they flapped their wings through the abyssal air, letting out screeches that reached his ears like nails on a chalkboard--he recognized them. 

It's those same things from when I first arrived on this floor. Annoying, Ren thought. 

Jumping up to his feet, he closed one eye while pointing his index finger towards the sky as if aiming with a weapon. 

"Three...Four baddies--approaching fast."

Warning the others in a less than concerned voice, he could almost feel the tangible excitement emit from Macheo--who had been waiting for a bit of action. 

"I call dibs on the one on the left! It looks mean."

Hearing Macheo claim rights over the leftmost airborne creature, Ren smiled slightly before pointing his finger towards the one hanging further behind the others, looking a bit bulkier than its companions. 

"Dunkel: Piercer."

Saying it as quietly as he could, almost in a faint whisper, the result was a much thinner, shorter lance manifesting above his outstretched arm. 

The less I think about it, the vaguer it becomes in my mind--the weaker the resulting spell is. While most of the time it can be a bad thing; there are usages. Less mana is used and a more lowkey spell is generated, Ren thought. 

Squinting a bit more as he carefully aimed this manifested spear, he finally released it from the faraway distance--watching as it tunneled through the air before crashing through the winged beast's skull. 

"Bullseye!"

Clenching his fist in victory, Ren smiled as he watched the creature instantly fall victim to the spell, falling limp as it plummeted down into the abyss. 

"Let them get closer! They're going to be our dinner!"

Macheo yelled out, blushing slightly as his stomach roared out along with him-. 

Watching this, Iris couldn't help but smile, knowing that what she just saw from Ren was the result of his studious personality during their journey. 

Even while walking, he mostly keeps his head buried in that grimoire that Heldjrim gave him. He's learning, fast--I can't fall behind, Iris thought. 

With this resolve in mind, she placed a confident smile across her lips--taking a note directly from Ren as she took in a deep breath, summoning forth her reservoir of magical energy. Compared to the others, Iris' mana released into a much thicker, vibrant aura that wrapped around her like a golden wind, fluttering her illustrious locks. 

Allowing the malicious creatures that inhabited the winds to draw near, Iris waited until the one she set her sights on was above their temporary campsite. 

"Do it now, Iris!"

The yell that came directly towards her from Ren wasn't meant to be an impatient rush like Macheo usually expressed, but desperation for her own safety. 

Not yet, closer—it needs to be closer, Iris thought. 

It could clearly recognize the threat of the accumulating mana that Iris built up, releasing a screech towards her before diving down with its lance of a beak. 

Holding her hands together as if weaving a spell, Iris kept her eyes away from the creature as it finally got within arm's reach of her. At that moment, the lithe girl completely changed her stance—sliding the soles of her boots against the ground as she shot her fist back.

The dense accumulation of light, golden mana dancing around her body coalesced into her reared back fist. 

I learned in that fight against him—I rely too much on long-ranged spells. I won't waste what you taught me, Brahmi, Iris thought. 

With her radiant, blue gems set solely on the target in front of her, she couldn't see her companions, but she could feel it—the utter confusion seeing this movement from her. 

Propelling her fist forward as it was soaked in her magical energy, it carved through the air, crashing through the sound barrier—her magically-enhanced fist came into contact with the head of the attacking creature.

She could feel it at that moment before the true impact, its skull was as tough as steel, which is why it likely didn't care to avoid the hit—holding confidence in its evolved skull.

However, it didn't matter; the full force of the dazzling blow liquified its dome before disintegrating it upon complete impact. The condensed power traveled through its body, popping it like a balloon as even its blood evaporated upon meeting her magical energy. 

Smiling as her attack works better than she thought, Iris looked up at Ren, who held a blank expression having witnessed all of this before transferring into a beaming smile. 

"That was awesome!"

"...Thanks!"

Handling his desired target, Macheo burst into the air, springing off of the magical stepping stone manifested beneath his feet. The swiftness of this jump caught the airborne assailant by surprise as it let out another skree in response, halting its path as it flapped its wings towards the golden-haired human. A wide grin was present on Macheo's face as he showcased his power, sending a spinning kick to the side of the creature's head--sending it plummeting down against the ground with a rough impact. 

He's playing with it, Iris sighed. 

That's a teenager for you, Ren shook his head in agreement with Iris. 

As the creature shook off the attack, clearly groggy, it used the pointy fingers at the edge of its wings to stand itself up--only to be sent flying back against the rocky wall with another kick from Macheo. 

While Macheo played with his opponent, Aiko was swarmed by hers--this particular one of the creatures exhibiting aggression beyond its fallen kin. 

It thrust its spear-like beak towards her multiple times, failing to hit her as the girl was swift on her feet, spinning and twisting as its attempts to pierce flesh only met with the air. 

"Just call out if you need some help!"

Cupping one hand around his mouth, Ren yelled out to Aiko, who was too focused on her own opponent to look at him, instead yelling back without turning towards him. 

"I can take care of myself!"

The response she gave was sharp, making Ren instantly regret his words as he looked to Iris for some sort of explanation, only getting a shrug and a smile. 

Girls, he thought. 

Noticing the girl of similar age to him begin her brawl with the winged creature, Macheo seemed to take things more seriously--charging towards his selected opponent as he manifested magically-formed water above his palm. 

It seemed this same feeling came to Aiko, spurring on an unspoken competition between the two, spectated by Ren and Iris--both of whom rooted for Aiko in their hearts. Throughout their time together so far, nobody had seen Aiko use magic--opting to only use her martial arts prowess to engage in battle with, which was effective nonetheless. 

Her blows were quick; leaving a dozen impacts across the scaly form of the beast within a moment--caving in its body with the bludgeoning blows of her gauntlets. 

"Wasser: Pressure Blade!"

Macheo, using the ball of water he held in his palm, shaped it into the loose resemblance of a shortsword--formed completely out of the azure liquid. Launching himself off of another pad, he guided himself towards the stunned brood with his blade of water in hand. 

While opting for his flash finish, Aiko, on the other hand, doubled down on her eloquent fighting style--wrapping her body around the beast's as she locked its limbs in place, gaining a tight hold around its neck as she seized its movements completely. Though likely weighing as much as a feather with her lean, short build, it made Aiko's strength that much more surprising, easily handling the creature as the sounds of its bones being crushed became painstakingly audible. 

It was a close game--left to anyone at that moment. 

The moment the liquid sword met the stiff, scale-covered neck of the creature, cutting through its flesh, a snap resounded from Aiko's opponent as well. By the time both instances were recognized, both creatures fell over--dead. 

"Who got it first?...You were watching, right?"

Without even paying attention to his deceased target as its head was lopped off from its shoulders, Macheo immediately turned his focus to who was faster.

"Urr...It looked to be a draw."

Looking at Iris for further support of this, the girl nodded while meeting Ren's gaze, "...Yeah. It was neck and neck between you two."

"...Tsk."

Hearing this, Macheo clicked his tongue, shooting his sharp glare over to Aiko--who stood up from underneath the limp body of the fallen, gray beast, brushing dust from her robes. 

"Another night of bird meat, huh?"

Lifting the headless body of the limp creature up, Ren held a disgusted, disappointed look as he sighed, dragging it over to the center of their temporary resting place. 

"At this rate, I might end up using my wish on some grub…"

Macheo muttered, taking a seat on a smooth rock while Aiko gathered bits of firewood, getting it ready as Iris kneeled down in front of it. 

"Feuer."

The simple word invoked flames upon the chunks of wood, manifesting a healthy campfire that took the coldness away from the damp air of the cavern. It was a shoddy setup, but it worked--setting the carcass of the gray, scaly creature upon the sturdy stick above the flames, letting it cook slowly as they gathered around the fire. 

"How much water do we have left?"

Ren asked, looking at Macheo, who was busy chomping down on the cooked leg of the creature, working his jaw to chew the stretchy meat. 

"...Not much. Give me a second."

Finishing his serving of monster meat, Macheo popped the cap to the nearly empty canteen--muttering an incantation before filling the liquid storage up with mystically conjured water. 

"...Pretty handy."

Ren commented to himself quietly, taking a small bite out of the thigh he held in his hands. It was a terrain difficult to adjust to; the cavern was made up mostly of individual mountains, each holding a flat summit with varying bridges connecting most of them. 

As he found out the hard way during his welcoming to the cavern, what awaited below was an unforgiving abyss that inhabited a plethora of unfriendly creatures. 

As they finished their less than savory serving of rough, dry bird meat, Macheo wrapped up the leftovers into a bundle of leaves, fitting it into the tattered pack on his back. The mood was quiet and dreary; bags hung under all of their eyes. 

Proper sleep is a no-go, a proper diet is a laughable dream down here--we're all constantly on our guard. We need to make some real progress soon or this group might just crack, Ren thought.