Chapter 85: Trials – Alissa

Chapter 85: Trials – Alissa

I wake up with a gasp, but then I cry from the pain as my entire body protests against the sudden movement. My vision is blurry, my body is cold, I'm completely soaked, my head hurts, and I'm starting to get dizzy.

A horrible feeling wells up in my stomach, then it rises through my esophagus, and I puke.

I groan again as I fall on my side, trying to avoid the stinking puddle I just created.

I open my [Item Box], then I weakly move my finger towards the [Regeneration] magic tool and pull it out.

I press the small green gem against my forehead and feed it some mana. A mildly pleasant feeling starts to spread over my face, then it smoothly enters my skull and eases my headache.

I move my other hand and pull out one of Roxanne's Fast-Acting HP potions. Slight toxicity is worth stopping all this pain, and if even with [Pain Resistance], I can't endure this, then things must be pretty bad.

I uncork the flask and throw half of the glowing red liquid on my face while I eagerly drink the rest.

Ah, elderflower, tasty.

I sigh and focus inside my soul space.

"Wolfy, help-..." I stop my plea with a start as my whole body shivers in fear.

I can't reach Wolfy. I can't see the other wives through him. [Bind] is just not working.

The little "tunnel" I could use to enter the warm and cozy lake that's Wolfy's mind is gone.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...

A deep seething hatred starts to well up inside me. It grows and grows and grows until it reaches a level that I've never felt before. I feel Wolfy's and Hana's draconic rage within me, filling my mind with red fury and driving a burst of strength into my muscles.

I growl, then I grab a handful of sand and violently throw it away. "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaah..." I shriek until my throat hurts, then I collapse on my back and start sobbing.

I'll murder you, Arreira. I'll desecrate your rotten body, you... you... pretentious FUCK!

I curl up and cry while the potion and [Regeneration] raise my HP back to 100.

I slowly open my eyes again and see a trail of faint crystal lights illuminating a path forward in the green sand. I finally notice that the whispering in my ears is actually the sound of waves running over the sand.

I sit up and turn around, and I see a dark river with a visibly strong current pushing broken planks down its length.

I recognize the color of the planks: they're from our ship.

Oh no... Wolfy's going to be so sad...

Blurry memories surface in my mind, and I sift through them. I understand that after the crash, we fell into the underground rapids and got separated, then I hit my head hard, and it gave me a concussion.

I cast [Spirit Light] to illuminate the area and look around. I'm in a dark green cave with nothing other than green sand and the river behind me. My blurry memories lead me to believe that I came through a tight tunnel with a strong current, so it's impossible for me to go back the way I came.

I have two options: follow the river down or the path of crystal lights. Considering that I won't escape this cave by going down, I decide to bet on the path left for me by the goblin dick Dungeon Master.

"Gify, you there?" I ask, but my question just echoes through the cave without a response.

She may be with Wolfy, then. At least, I hope so...

My [Sense Presence] gives me absolutely no hits, so there isn't a single living being nearby, not even a bug.

I groan as I get up, the padding of my armor loudly squishes and squirts from all the water it absorbed.

We fell in the water while fully armored... Lina and Ciel could've...

NO! THEY DIDN'T!

I take off my helmet and slap my cheeks to keep those dark thoughts away.

I need to find Wolfy as fast as I can.

He can't be dead. If he were, the feedback from [Bind] breaking would've made me go insane with grief.

I look into my "Status" and notice that the "Companions" entry still has everyones' names, though I can't find their positions through the fellowship bond either.

This means that nobody is dead, nobody is dead, nobody is dead, nobody is dead...

I pray to all of the Gods and beg for them to keep everyone safe. We can't lose anyone, not like this, and not after going through so much together.

But I need to survive, too...

I get up and activate [Breeze] to dry my armor. There are a few cracks in it, but the fibers are keeping the pieces together. It should last for at least a few more melee battles, even if I'm careless.

I spot my bow near me, by the river, but my quiver is gone, so I can only use [Mana Arrow]s now. I pick it up and inspect it. It's impressive that it survived the rapids.

I dry it until it's usable again, then I pull out the lithograph and emergency rings from my [Item Box]. I try to send all kinds of signals through them, but, predictably, I don't get a response. If something is blocking [Bind] and the fellowship bond, then a lithograph would most likely get blocked, too.

I'd only heard rumors that a dungeon could block the fellowship bond, but now I have actual evidence that it's possible. The dungeoneer that worked on this place must've been a genius, or perhaps it was just Arreira himself.

With a lonely sigh, I take my sword out of its scabbard, clean it, and reapply its oil. After that, I take off my armor and dry it properly.

I apply some anti-scent powder to myself and check my equipment one more time to make sure that everything's fine, then I follow the illuminated path while trying to keep my sanity from collapsing.

I start shivering, but not from the cold or the breeze. I feel lonely and vulnerable. Wolfy's presence was always there in my mind, a constant reassurance that we'd never be alone, that he'd be there to save us when danger appeared, that we were inseparable. But now, there's nothing but darkness in my soul space.

I hug myself, then I fall to my knees and cry. I've never felt so empty before.

After crying enough, anger flares up inside me again. I'm acting so pitifully, but Wolfy won't even be able to sleep without me. I need to find him before his curse fills his mind with darkness.

I get up and dry my cheeks, then I continue on with renewed determination.

Before long, a faint mist appears, and it only thickens as I continue walking forward. The ceiling of the cave creeps higher, and I gradually enter a nearly pure white realm reminiscent of the Misty Forest.

"I'm sure this isn't a coincidence," I bitterly talk to myself.

The sounds of the river fade away, replaced with the nothingness. I exert my [Quiet Steps] and [Quiet Action] to the max so that only the faintest of sounds are produced when I take a step. The elven armor is so well-padded that the scales don't jingle at all and the rubbing of the wooden plates is nearly imperceptible.

I breathe in deeply, trying to discern any odd smells, but I don't find any except my own and that of the green sand.

I sense something disturbing the mist. There's a "void" in it, slowly making its way towards me.

I get my bow ready and prepare a [Mana Arrow], then I abandon the illuminated path and wait in the darkness to ambush it.

I slow my breathing and clear my mind. I completely freeze every single muscle, becoming perfectly still, like a trap ready to be sprung. My body is still tired from the battle and the rapids, but this small amount of effort is nothing.

The presence comes closer and closer, but I still have no idea what it is. Only Yunia knows [Hide Presence], but I'm sure she isn't as skilled with it as the being coming this way. It must be a monster.

It eventually reaches the illuminated path, but the mist makes it impossible for me to see its outline.

Suddenly, it stops, then I hear a faint noise twice.

It takes me a second, but then I recognize what it was: sniffing.

I draw my bow and release the arrow. It whistles through the air, then I hear a high-pitched grunt followed by something falling on the sand.

I create another arrow and dash forward.

I quickly find the being, and discover that it's a humanoid-looking monster. It has an arrow sticking out of its chest, and it's wheezing as it gasps for air.

I sigh in relief, happy that I didn't hurt a humanoid, then I draw my bow and shoot an arrow through the monster's eye.

It twitches and dies, then I walk closer to inspect it.

What is this Godsdamned creature?

He smells weird.

He nods weakly and grabs something, then [Battlefield Presence] activates, and I look down at his hand.

A long and thin dagger stabs me in the belly, right where a crack in the plate had opened up into a slit. The blade sinks through the padding, breaks through the dark dragon scale underneath, passes through even more padding, and pierces into my gut, then he twists the blade.

"Hghr..." I groan as I feel lightheaded from the pain.

Then he takes the blade out and tries to stab me in the shoulder.

[Pain Resistance] prevents me from passing out, then I use [Muscle Explosion] to grab his wrist.

He sits up and easily overpowers me, then he uses his leverage to push the blade down into my shoulder.

"Wolfy...?" I whisper and cast [Blinding Lights] on him.

Suddenly, he pulls the blade away and stands up, then he takes a step back.

"Alissa...?!" He gasps as if he just noticed that I'm wounded.

"Why..." I groan weakly and apply pressure to my belly while I use the [Regeneration] tool on myself.

[Battlefield Perception] activates again as he lunges forward at me. I cast [Mesmerizing Butterflies], and he stabs it with his dagger, breaking the spell.

I jump backward and grab my bow, then I draw a [Mana Arrow] and release. It hits him square in the chest, and he falls on his back, then grunts in pain.

"Alissa... I love you..." He coughs.

"No, no, no, no. Why... is this happening...?!" I shriek, then groan in pain.

He still hasn't stopped using [Hide Presence].

"Wolfy... stop using [Hide Presence]!" I angrily yell at him.

He looks around as if he's confused. "What...? I don't understand...?"

"Let me see your soul!"

He looks at me as his head trembles. "Soul...? My vision is blurry..."

I fall on my knees in pain, and I notice that my glove is now completely red with my own blood.

[Battlefield Perception] triggers again, and I instant cast [Earth Bullet] in front of me.

The spell hits Wolfy's beautiful face, making his head snap back violently. He collapses on the floor, and I can finally sense his presence.

This isn't Wolfy, this is a monster.

I draw another arrow and shoot it through its head, then it dies after a few more seconds. Wolfy's armor dissolves, revealing another Faceless Man.

FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK-...

I groan in pain, and my legs shake. I immediately drink another HP potion and continue using the [Regeneration] tool, but I'm bleeding so much that my head is starting to feel really light.

I walk onward with unsteady steps, trying to get as far as I can from the bleeding monster corpse.

I desperately [Clean] my hands and apply all the anti-scent I can on my armor and my wound. I won't let them catch me now after getting so far.

Before long, I discover that the illuminated path leads to a circular gray platform.

Is this... the end...?

Hope spurs me into one last burst of speed, but just as I step onto it, my knees fail me, and I collapse.

As my vision darkens, the platform starts to glow with a white light, then I pass out.

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