Intermission – Quella – Isolated Together – Part Three

Intermission – Quella – Isolated Together – Part Three

After returning to our room, Mary gently closed the door and broke the silence by suggesting we’d be starving in the morning, which led us to another issue.

We were totally alone. With no help from Meruria or Cridia, Team Quella just had Team Quella. We couldn’t speak the language of this world. How would we buy supplies or food? If we had an emergency, how would we get help? If we wanted to stay at an inn? How could we communicate that?

We talked about this for a little bit before we had a sudden realization...

None of us ever demanded the truth from Meruria.

I knew we all had it on our minds, but after talking it over, it was like it vanished from our memory and only reappeared when we weren’t near our summoner. More than ever, we knew she was involved. She had to have been. It was unnerving. Sure, we could’ve demanded answers by marching back to her, but would that work? Or would she threaten to throw one of us into the void like she did Shuuta?

Even if I’m a 5-Star, I can’t compare to Mia in terms of magical strength. I wouldn't win in any kind of fight. I need to get stronger...

Greggie and Keeth started to push their beds to the other side of the room. “We thought you wouldn’t feel comfortable--” Greggie started to say.

“NOPE!” Elly jumped over the bed and grabbed the chef by his thick hand. “In this new world, we gotta stick together. Purposely making a divide between us feels wrong. Besides, you two aren’t the type to feel up a girl when she’s asleep, are ya?”

“Sleep touching?” Ami asked. She had trouble with the syntax of Elly’s question and groped her breasts through her yellow shirt. “Greggie sleep touching?"

“Not in a million years!” Greggie hastily replied. Keeth echoed something similar, and Elly gave them each a big hug.

“Qutie? Mary?” Elly asked us our thoughts.

“We don’t have anything to worry about. Really, you’re the only two guys in our class we can trust,” I said, giving a small smile. “In this world, we only have us. It’s best to stick together when we can.” The boys’ stiff expressions softened, and they returned their beds to their original location. Mary said she had read the files on them. The ‘worst’ Greggie had done was break curfew because his truck's battery died. For Keeth, he had once fallen asleep inside a pottery store because he had just finished a 13-hour job. The security guard thought he was a thief.

"But I don't have any problems with it," Mary added.

Another series of yawns spread around, and it was time to go to bed. The lanterns soon turned off one by one, and we slipped underneath the coarse excuse for a blanket and laid on the stone-like pillow.

Elly groaned that she hated falling asleep with a shirt on and preferred to sleep in her panties, which her cousin echoed, but even she knew that it was dangerous to strip her clothes off when we could be summoned at any time. Greggie and Keeth remained quiet, but I also shared Elly’s sentiment. But that was because I never cared about people seeing my bare body. After all, it was just that.

A body.

We all had one. Perhaps my breasts were larger than normal, and my mother said I was blessed in the hips, but so what?

I suppose it didn’t matter. Only a fool would strip when in the heart of the enemy’s army.

The past two days had changed the course of my life, and it wouldn’t ever be the same. I was utterly exhausted, but I couldn’t find it in me to sleep after placing my glasses on the lantern above my bed. His face appeared in my mind. But when I eventually fell asleep?

I was forced to endure that awful nightmare, and I died.

Again, and again, and again...

Each time I met my end, I heard my mother’s voice disowning me for not living up to her standards.

It was a double nightmare, but this was my sin to bear.

Once I perish from this world, will I see him in the afterlife?

Before the sun was even a spec in the sky, Team Quella stood in the nave of Meruria’s church, which did not skimp out on the luxuries. From golden curtains to shining chandeliers, it was like most of her wealth was dedicated to lavishness. Earlier this morning, a dwarf in a suit came to fetch us, but we were already up. It was hard to sleep with growling stomachs, especially if you knew you were going out into the unknown for the next 25 days.

“The Aquatic Caverns of Melusine. That is where I will be sending you,” Meruria said as she appeared from a pillar of light, still wearing the same skimpy dress. She wasn’t alone, though. There was a white-eared beastfolk—probably a Wolffolk, if I had to guess, standing there.

The leopard chuffed as if laughing at our party’s weakness and approached menacingly. It continued when I raised my hand, but its tone changed when a flaming sphere was launched towards it. Ducking under my attack, the monster howled and charged in, but I had mana to spare. With a war cry to fuel me with a false sense of bravery, I defended my friends and let loose a dozen orbs of pure fire until I finally managed to score a hit to its foot.

Its HP dropped by 9%? That was a lucky strike.

“We have to fight!” I yelled, trying to get my breathing under control while my arms shook. The fight or flight reaction circulated through my sympathetic nervous system, and it leaned towards the latter. But running away? No, I couldn’t do that. How foolish was I to think throwing away my life would be any better than fighting in this unjust world?

The leopard tried to stand up, but it couldn’t. It glared its teeth and went down on all fours to run on its three good legs, but it was met with another [Fireball]. It splashed its face, draining another 12% while burning the beast, and that was when Keeth gathered enough strength to run forward with the spear raised.

“AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!” he screamed, bringing it down upon the beast’s back, which took an additional 22%. Elly broke into song with a mournful voice, but we were energized with [Physical Resolve]. Greggie rushed forward to grab the club the monster had dropped. His large body slowed him down, but his arms were surprisingly muscular from years of constant cooking under the most hectic conditions. He endured the coldness of his armament while breaking the leopard’s hind legs. It roared in pain and writhed; the awful snapping of its bones was another reminder that this was real.

Meanwhile, Ami put her hands up and used its head as a punching bag, taking care to dodge before the leopard’s paw had a chance to land a strike. She had a green bar under her name, which represented her aura. When it was full, Ami jumped backwards, put both hands together, and launched a green orb from her palms. “Move!!!” she ordered. Keeth and Greggie nodded and slipped while making distance, which was good because the energy ball exploded, leaving behind half a head. Raining chunks of flesh, due, skull, and brain fragments poured around this room, with most landing in the water around us. But the monster’s innards were hot enough to produce steam.

[New Title: Snowy Bipedal Leopard Slayer (I)]

[New Title: Novice Fire Mage]

[New Title: Team Leader]

You’ve reached Lv. 5. You’ve gained 64 SP

The empty HP bar under its name signified it was dead.

We’d killed it. Proof of that was in the titles and my new level staring at me from the activity log.

Much like that goblin...

Much like Shuuta...

It was a harsh truth to face, but reality was rarely ever gentle.

I tapped my frigid cheeks with my hands and shook the jitteriness from my heart. Fearful goosebumps covered my arms, but I couldn’t give up. I was going to lead my team back to Meruria, and I wouldn’t allow anyone to die. It was awkward to say, but I was the most experienced. Not just in terms of power but because this situation was like the adventure books I loved to read. It didn’t matter if I was the heroine. I was never going to get that role, and I was fine with it.

Even in this cold abyss, sweat still traveled down my cheeks. Even more so after staring potential death in its bloodstained mouth and ending its life before it could kill us. Vomit traveled up my throat, but I forced it down.

“We can’t keep acting like this,” I said to my team. “We must move on. We must fight to survive. We had our time to mourn him, but our survival is at stake. We’re in a dangerous place, and we’re on a time limit. If we're late, we might die. And... I don’t want that. I think the best thing we can do—”

“You don’t have to say it, Qutie,” Elly wiped her eyes dry. “I know what you mean, but I’m scared. I think we all are, but we still gotta move forward, right?”

“Killing that monster made me realize something. This isn’t a dream. I wanna wake up, but I know I won’t,” Ami added. She looked at her bloody hands and formed a pair of fists. “I was a luchadora because it made people happy... But now I want to fight so all of us will survive.”

“I...don’t want to be useless anymore. I’ve been a coward my whole life,” Mary whispered. She was the only one who remained still during the fight, and she was probably the most scared. “I couldn’t protect Shuuta, but I want to change that!”

“I guess this means he’s really gone. We won’t ever see him again. I’m sad, of course, but it’s the truth. He’s not hurting anymore. I hope he’s in heaven, though. I hope he’s having the time of his life, but I’m sorry, Shuuta. I’m going to have to accept your death even if it hurts me,” Greggie cleared his throat and ran his ice burnt hands through his hair before slightly yelping from the pain. I couldn't do anything to heal him. Healing magic has to exist in this world, and I need to acquire it.

“Shuuta’s never held a 1903 Springfield before, and I never had the chance to sculpt him one out of clay. Greggie, I hope you’re right. I hope he’s having fun up there.”

Same here. Meruria said Shuuta's fate was to be tortured endlessly in the void, but I choose not to believe that. Wherever he is, I know he's happy. He has to be...

“Then it’s agreed,” I said, raising my voice just slightly. “We’re going to get out of here and survive!” Once I had my team’s affirmation, I continued. “I’ll take the lead since I can attack the fastest. Finding shelter is our top priority. Keeth, keep an eye out for any material you can use to make a tent.” He nodded.

I looked down the closest passageway and saw almost total darkness. It felt like my shoes were crafted from lead, but this new determination forced my legs forward with my hands and mouth at the ready to strike first at whatever wanted to kill us.