Chapter 492: Horizon

The combat trial ended without much bother. The students returned to normal their normal lives when put in perspective, the test was nothing short of common. Other peers and upper-class men listen to their tale with mindless attention – just as a babe recounting a story in inaudible groans and mumbles, it soon dwindled to naught.

The 6th came as Lady Beth and Misna readied to carry the students towards Coria. A train ride to the capital followed by them moving in trucks towards the hills. 

'Here they go,' thought he at the precipice where night and day merged to be one. The sun raise was shadowy somber black while the sunset was amber and varied. What did it mean, who knew, the thing that mattered was seeing the few companions off. Anna, Lampard, Frost, Rena, and Jen. Their weapons and gear shone poorly, the smiles did all the talking, the idle stare before someone of authority (Lady Beth) was stomach-turning. Unlike the prior day, she stood in the company of other fighters with preceding reputations. 

"Good luck," mumbled an awkwardly silent Leonard, "-it's so hard to let her go, I feel like if I don't stop, she's going to go away and never turn back."

Thinking of his sentence to be the fear of being alone, "-she'll be fine," added Igna to qualm the insecurity, "-Anna and Frost, not to mention Pegasus will be there watching. I can't see how this can go wrong." Oh, wrong was it, a truth he'd learn later on, the 6th, a fateful day that forever changed Igna's growth. 

Time spent in the kitchen gave room for improvement. The apprenticeship of the students ended after the 9th, most were changed to the ways of food making. The passion of giving one's best lived in the hearts, as well as the insults, humiliation, and borderline assault. 

"Pathways and opening leading to naught, slivered around the gentle hills of Coria. It took around 3 hours from Juei, due to the lackluster roads, and another 5 on foot, to climb the first hill. Many adventurers took the climb as a test, if one can't endure the first night in the relatively 'sound' hills, tis back home. The peaceful, not all the time, the atmosphere was a welcomed addition for seasoned fighters teaching the ways to novices. Along the paths craved out of literal blood and sweat, crashing against mother nature's natural barrier, the expedition team would arrive at an outpost. A small camping area warded by barriers strong enough to push Tier 9 and below monsters. 

The 'relatively peaceful' atmosphere as mentioned before wasn't to add flavor to this text, no, far from it, dear readers. Stronger monsters ranging from wolves to Wein; bat-like creatures counting among the few able to use magic, pestered the area with sonic attacks. A single shout could knock a fighter out cold. These pests, the screamers of Coria, were placed in a more reserved spot. A swing or a gunshot sufficed to kill the creature. Though, when cornered, it could evolve into Wein-EV, the naming is incomprehensible; so is the charm of the adventuring world. Back to Wein-EV, the ghastly things received an increase in speed, strength, and particular spell; Sonic Ravage. The latter is rumored to have taken out a squad of Tier-9 Obsidian adventurers. The lasting damage ranged from the loss of hearing to deteriorating eyesight. 'The Newbie Killer,' not entirely literal, the truth of those words was palpable."

'What is this?' wondered Igna throwing a magazine to the table, '-I came here for answers and this is what I get? An article from an unmentioned author…'

"Looking for something?" inquired the gentle-looking assistant.

"No, no, it's fine," he returned politely.

"As you wish. Seek me out at the front if you need anything," nodded the man. The academy library, not big, it barely held six tables and the shelves were mostly novels. Any material related to magic, science, anything educational, would have to be found manually or check over the Arcanum. Éclair offered to do so, but Igna kindly refused. 

"I have the data here," wrote across the interface, "-come on, Igna, don't be stubborn." The date flashed Monday the 18 of January. 'A week's gone by since their expedition,' thought Igna. It was common for an exploration mission to last this long, as a trainee chef, that world didn't matter to him, or so was what he thought. 'I had a dream last night. One severe and appalling, I saw the faces of my friends being butchered by an unknown figure – a demon, or something along those lines. It's probably a nightmare… why thought, why do I have this feeling. Leonard's word of not seeing her again feels ever truer.' 

Floor 10, unexplored and riddled with traps and monsters. A party of 10+ people didn't suffice, the cause of death for so many adventures laid in rest in a high-ceiling room. "How are we underground?" wondered an injured Rena holding her arms.

"Don't know," sighed Lampard using the spear as a walking stick, "-lady Beth, how are the others?"

"Don't look back kid," said she, "-this room is safe."

"It's a nightmare," exclaimed Jen, "-I don't want to fall here…"

"Don't worry," said Beth breathing deeply, "-I still have my strength as a Tier-2 Gold fighter."

"We were ambushed," said Anna, "-there's nothing more to it."

"I've sent my party to the top," said Misna, "they'll return with backup. Rest up, things might get rough."

"That's an understatement," voiced Anna healing those injured. Setting the students aside, the party now was Lady Beth, Lady Misna, a half-elf named Aiea, and Pegasus's exploration team. 

"Chill," said one from Pegasus, "-the expedition led to some conclusive evidence. The dungeon evolved and so did the monsters. The death count was a given. It's been happening to Aria too," he nonchalantly echoed to the center, "-this is a safe zone," a green tag swayed.

'This presence,' the locks of green hair slapped across her pale cheeks, "-a demon!"

"WATCH OUT!" cried Beth to no avail… the lasting words of it being a safe zone fell by five impaling lances. Red mixed with black, the demon hovered legs crossed – her robe floated the same. Lances levitated to the right accompanied by a spiking shoulder guard wielding the face of a demon-god. The left side laid bare, three black orbs twirled menacingly. 

"Is this why we're in such a mess?" wondered Beth reaching to her weapon.

"A demon of this caliber in this shit a place?" gulped Misna, "-I'll estimate she's a Mid-tier Demon."

"Yeah," breathed Beth, "-if we fight her, we'll be lost. Demons can't be measured by the tier system since they are sentient in a way."

"Even if we fight…" voiced Anna.

"We're dead," replied Frost, "-we need blessed items to do her harm."

"An exorcist or a member of the church," cried Rena, "-we're doomed."

"An exorcist…" Jen watched listlessly, '-the church,' she clasped her temple, 'not those memories,' she cringed silently, none notice. 

"Are you ok?" turned Lampard.

"I'm fine," one knee to the floor, '-this is bad. Her aura, it's reacting against mine. Why did you have to be a demon,' the hue of her pupils changed.

"Jen?" smiled Beth, "-I know you were once part of the Exorcist sect of the church. We don't have much information about their teaching ways."

"Did you bring me here on purpose?" 

They could but avoid her demanding glance, "-the demon, we need to defeat it."

'Fine,' she stood, "-for the sake of seeing Leonard again." *Grace me lord under whom I serve, grace I, a lonesome devotee for I need strength. To purge evil, and to purge the darkness, I call upon the blessing of Quento, the God of War. Heed me, Glenda, Bow of Axle, I, Jen Qune, thy contractor, summons thee.* A flash of light engulfed her outfit into melting rays of white, it wrapped around her chest and formed a skirt, a light-blueish bow rested on her back. 

"Ok, Misna and the rest of the Pegasus, follow my lead." Firmed on the beast ahead, "-CHARGE." A golden arrow fired to split into countless arrowheads and rained onto the demon. Black portals conjured to block the projectiles – most hit to ground the demon. Pegasus followed suit in aiming for the exposed weaknesses. Demons were not targetable by humans unless granted the blessing of a god. The latter came after stride and effort – the likes of which sliver could endure. 

Blow after blow, the battle reached its climax. The demon laid on all fours shadowed by a fierce blading aimed at her neck. "HAHA," a bubble of black expanded to push away the fighters. In a swoop, the damages sustained healed, the lances around the arms fired forth. The orbs rolled to trap any fleeting stragglers. Beth didn't take her attempts lightly, her swords readied for the strongest move she knew – as did Misna. The climax exploded into shades of fire, blood, blue, unknown to the eyes, the display was blurred. Beth's stance came to a slow, Misna froze with an opened mouth, the colors crumbled into grey. Grey walls, grey floor, grey bodies, grey blood, grey screams, grey tears, all grey and sluggish. 

"NOT ON MY WATCH," cried Beth breaking through the expanding vacuum, "-Final Form, Greatsword Technique, End." On impact, the greyness imploded into the demon's stomach.

"MOVE!" rushed Beth grabbing Jen and Rena.

"LET'S GO," screamed Misna holding Anna, they ran and left behind the blood of comrades. Away clopped their feet to then end in silence.

"Was that it?" the hovering figure landed as a figure came out the walls.

"No, I didn't see him today," said a lady with short grey and blond hair parting down the middle, "-the inheritor of my lord has reawakened. He'll show up, don't worry about it, the one who will lead us will be here soon. The presence I felt a year ago is strong, and gets stronger, he'll come, trust me."

"As you say, lady M."

"Igna," called Chef Leko, "-you seem out of it today, something happened?"

"I guess," he paused short of readying dough.

"Want to talk about it?" he rinsed his hands and walked over, "-try me, I'm experienced in matters of the heart."

"The chef is also a master at warming one's heart?" 

"Enough jest," he placed a heavy arm onto the shoulder, "-I'd like to think I'm more than a chef to you. I see you as a little brother, not even a friend, you're practically family in speaking. So, what's up."

"I had a dream about my friends getting slaughtered. It's weird, I know, it's just like I feel something is waiting for me, I don't know where or how there's something out there that's calling for me. My head is blank, the pressure of Cle too, I'm lost."

"You've reached the wall," he said in a slow and knowledgeable voice, "-the answers you need won't come unless action is taken. I've seen you deteriorate in fierceness, Igna, take a break from cooking. I know practice makes perfect… it doesn't apply to people like us. We're masters of the basics, the basics do not need to be practiced, it's part of us. Take a break from the kitchen, take a break for the academy – I'll put a good word to Lady Haru. What do you say?" 

"I've been here for less than a month, want me to go away that badly?"

"Not that way, you punk," he gently messed up his hair, "-go out and experience another world of cooking. Taste is the culmination of culture, mannerisms, traditions, and is what represent one from another."

"Taste?" he paused; "-I understand now. Thank you, chef, I'll be going." The stomps of the metal staircase felt appeasing. 

'He's off to find answers. Go on, you have two weeks before the competition, bring me something only you can make, Igna.' 

The jolly walk of discovery halted by a sudden message, "-Igna, sorry to inform, I have intercepted a damning message. The expedition team hasn't responded to their outpost; the dungeon is silent; they're mauling the possibilities of them being dead."

"Dead…"