Instinct took over as he saw himself lifting his hand with a burst of adrenaline and determination.
His arm moved before he could think, his palm was open wide and from it, a red surge of energy suddenly burst out and struck the creature, intercepting it with a wild, explosive blast.
The energy hit the Lizard's throat with ferocity, catching it off guard and causing it to reel back, black blood oozing from the wound.
The Lizard hissed, its faceless head tilting toward him as it struggled to stay upright. Realizing what had just happened, Alzera took advantage of the creature's hesitation. She turned around and lunged forward with her sword to deliver a final, devastating blow that sliced the creature's head clean off its neck.
Aeric got up on his feet and stared at his palm. 'What was that?'
For a moment, they both stood there, breathing heavily, surrounded by the remnants of the fallen Lizards. Alzera's turned around and her gaze met Aeric's, her expression unreadable.
He lowered his hand and straightened his face.
"What was that you did?" she asked him.
Aeric pretended not to know what she meant. "What was what?" Explore more stories at empire
Alzera furrowed her brows. She didn't like that. "You struck the beast with something when it lunged for me. What was it?"
"Oh." Aeric walked up to the beast, but quickly moved his blade from his left to his right hand, hiding it inside his sleeve before pretending to pull it out of the dead Lizard's neck.
"It was just my dagger."
Alzera was silent for a while before lifting a brow. "I didn't see that when I beheaded it."
Aeric shrugged. "It has a black hilt."
Deciding not to think of it any longer, Alzera let out a sigh. "You saved me from the attack. Thank you, Dagwood," she said, a faint but forced edge of respect in her tone. "And well done."
The compliment — though terse — felt like a victory. Just like any compliment from her would feel. Aeric nodded, swallowing down the adrenaline-fueled tremor in his chest. She had saved him first, but he had been able to return the favor.
It felt good to know that he was useful, and that he wasn't just a burden.
Its head fell off in one swipe and rolled away, causing another suspicion from Alzera that Aeric also didn't notice.
However, the rewards came.
[You have killed a Faceless Lizard]
[XP allocations for a Master Level Beast is 100]
[100xp allocated]
[You have been granted an item: Deadwatch]
[Your Divine Body grows stronger]
Aeric stared at the interface with intrigue. 'Deadwatch? What is that?'
He decided to study it later when he had more time in his hands, as for now, he still had a Dungeon to clear and a goal to achieve. With Alzera building some respect for him now, he felt like his chances were slowly but surely increasing.
[Second Lobby Cleared. Objective Complete. Progressing to Next Lobby.]
"Thank you," he said to Alzera, who only nodded.
They all took a moment to gather themselves, harvesting the Beast cores from the fallen Lizards. Aeric's arms grew heavier as more and more cores were added to his bags, their eerie glow casting strange shadows as they shimmered with residual energy.
"Protect those cores well, Dagwood," Alzera said, her tone softened but her gaze firm. "They're of higher value than the last ones. Losing them would mean a wasted effort."
He nodded, adjusting the straps on his shoulders, feeling the weight of both the cores and his responsibilities. They prepared to move forward, stretching their limbs, healing their wounds, eating quick snacks and drinking water.
After that, they pressed onward.
~ ~ ~
Meanwhile, outside the Dungeon in the real world, the Starlight sisters were still in search of their brother.