Dim.
That would be the simplest word he would use to describe his current view. Despite the dozens of torches being waved in the distance, the room is still dark. That's when his ears finally pick up the noises from the front of his group.
Swords clashing. Swords dropped. Swords breaking. The wails from the individuals in the front. That's when the person next to him shakes him. The reason he's staring into the distance finally comes back to him as he turns his head towards the woman.
"Commander Diantel! What are your orders!"
He turns his focus back to the view in front of him. He watches as torches fall, revealing small pools of blood surrounding corpses and bones. The scarlet eyes from the skulls of the undead are the only thing he can truly see without issue in the darkened hall.
"How many soldiers have we lost?"
"Twenty-three."
"The enemy's numbers?"
"At least two hundred."
He clicks his tongue.
Of course, there'd be over two hundred. We're here to purge their numbers before the dungeon reaches its limit. The only question is...
"Have any of the soldiers near the front seen anything else besides skeletons?"
"No. However, there have been reports that the skeletons are off. The mages from the back have been sensing that they're oozing something."
The woman watches Diantel's face as he begins to think. After a minute, his eyes widen as he realizes something.
"Commander, what is it?"
He glances over at her with a slightly nervous look, then back to the distance.
"Dungeon infestation."
The moment she hears that, her eyes widen.
"Y-you're kidding, right? Please tell me you're joking, Commander."
Instead of responding to her, he takes a few steps forward and focuses on the front.
What is the best course of action? Considering it's an infestation, the skeletons will be way stronger, there'll be more variants, or we haven't even seen a quarter of what's waiting ahead. Even if I were to order them to change formations, there really isn't anything we can do. A single hallway. No light aside from the torches we brought. Dungeon walls aren't capable of being manipulated.
He quickly rushes back to the woman.
"Marian, go check if the porters still have any of the alcohol we had a week ago."
"What? Wh-"
"Hurry."
She wants to question him, but she steels herself and nods before running to the back. Diantel turns and makes his way to the front of the group. A few soldiers in the back of the group immediately surround him.
"Commander, you shouldn't be up here."
"We're too overwhelmed, I'm not sure we'd be able to protect you."
"Please go back, Commander. We need you to-"
He stomped his foot once, and that was enough to shut up the soldiers.
"I have a plan I want to try out. How many of you are still able to keep fighting?"
"At least fifty of us. There are at least a dozen of us who are slightly injured, but those who received critical injuries, we sent towards the mages immediately."
"That'll work. I'll be needing ten of you. Will you be-"
"Don't worry about us, Commander. We'll be fine as long as we believe in you."
Diantel stares at them for a second, then gives them a small smile.
"Send the ones that are slightly injured."
The soldiers nod. With that, the three soldiers salute Diantel and run back to the front. Slowly, ten soldiers emerge from the group and stand in front of Diantel. Each one stands strong with renewed confidence when they see him.
"Follow me to the back."
They all quickly nod and follow him. As they get closer to the mages and the porters, Marian quickly approaches them and walks beside Diantel.
"Porters surprisingly have thirteen bottles left."
"Good. Make sure each one of these soldiers gets one."
She gives him a confused look.
"Commander? Surely you're not going to tell these men to drink right now?"
"Of course not."
After each soldier receives a bottle, Diantel gestures each soldier back to the front. He listens as more swords are being shattered and dropped. Bones piling and the grunts and groans from the men in the front. A few battle cries and a few painful screams. Every second they waste, more of his men become injured or possibly die. He turns to Marian with a stern expression.
"Send two mages that can use flame magic to the front. Quickly."
She quickly nods and rushes back. Diantel makes his way back to the front and has the soldiers group around him.
"Your orders are simple. Throw the bottles you were given into the distance, preferably decently far from the frontlines."
The soldiers look at him confusedly, but follow his orders nonetheless. Each one moves closer to the group and begins to wind up their arms.
"Try to cover as much area as possible."
The bottles are thrown. Four of them break upon hitting the floor, while the other six break above groups of skeletons.
"Mages! Cast fire spells!"
The two mages begin chanting. Small magic circles begin to manifest in front of their arms. One chants slowly, the other chants quickly, but they both finish at the same time. They aim above the line of soldiers in front of them. Waves of flames flow out of one of the magic circles, while a ball of flames flies out of the other.
Pools of fire began to emerge from the distance. Skeletons erupt in flames, their skeletal jaw opening violently, letting out silent wails. The soldiers at the front are confused; half attempt to continue pushing them back, while the other half stand there.
"Men! Fall back!"
Diantel watches as his words slowly register with his men. A few in the frontline look confused, but the ones nearby quickly assure each other and begin to back off.
"Fall into formation behind me!"
The soldiers fall in eight lines of eight behind Diantel. Every single one watches the view in front of them. The sight of a lake of flames and skeletons slowly walking through them.
That's when each of the soldiers began to look shocked. The skeletons walking through the flames slowly begin to fall apart. Some take longer than others, but eventually, the only thing left in sight is a pile of bones lying in the flames.
Marian slowly makes her way next to Diantel.
"What... how did you-"
"This... is the first dungeon the heroes trained in."
"How does that explain the skeletons dropping like that? Flames aren't effective on skeletons."
"I was confused at first when I heard about it as well, but it all makes sense now. You understand that there are several types of dungeons, right?"
Marian peers into the distance. The skeletons have stopped their approach, waiting behind the lake of flames. She turns her focus back to Diantel.
"Of course."
"This dungeon acts as a hybrid."
"A hybrid?"
"Yes. There's probably a reason why the Heroes were brought to this dungeon in particular. It's as if the monsters here die after taking a certain amount of hits or damage."
"S-so that means..."
He finally turns to face her.
"A wave of flames like the one is enough to take care of the weaker enemies."
A sense of despair washes over the soldiers. Marian's face falls into terror. Diantel shifts his focus back to the lake of flames. An enormous figure begins to approach from the furthest visible side of the hallway. The hallway begins to shake from each of its movements.
A loud roar fills the hallway. A few more tremors from the figures' movements occur, and the soldiers despair even further. A few begin to back away, and a few just stand there. Diantel just stares, his face unmoved. Marian clutches him desperately.
"W-what is that thing?"
A large skeleton frame finally emerges from the shadows of the hallway. Its bones are clearly roughened, but also contain odd carvings. Rotten flesh clings to the sides and back of its ribcage. Its core is barely visible among the flesh.
"Marian. Get behind the soldiers."
She looks at him, confused.
"That skeletal ogre is fresh. Look beside it."
Marian looks back into the distance and looks beside it. Her eyes widen fearfully.
"T-that's not real, right? We're just seeing an illusion, right?"
A skeletal figure walks beside the skeletal ogre. A normal-sized skeleton follows at the larger skeleton's heel. A skeleton consisting of pitch-black bones. Unlike the other skeletons, including the skeletal ogre, it holds a piercing silver gaze. It holds two shortswords, one on each of its pitch skeletal hands.
"There's a Lich, or worse, a Skeletal King. Unfortunately, the infestation is only going to make them stronger."
The lake of flames begins to die out, and the skeletons have started their march once more. The pitch-black skeleton has stopped, staying in the back line. The skeletal ogre's movements continue to cause tremors, crushing its allies with each step.
"Marian, fetch me my halberd and javelin."
Without missing a beat, she quickly rushes to the back of the troops. Each of the soldiers' faces is disheartened, but a few of them begin to steel themselves as they notice their commander's own look. Diantel turns to his men.
"I will charge alone! Until that skeletal ogre is dead, none of you are allowed to move!"
Diantel begins to manifest a magic circle around his chest as Marian returns with his weapons. He takes his halberd in his left hand and the javelin in his right. A white aura begins to wrap his body.
"Do you understand!"
A few soldiers hesitate, but eventually every single one salutes him. He turns back to the skeletal army. He raises his right arm and prepares to throw his javelin. The white aura slowly focuses around his right side.
"Men! Who am I!"
Each soldier's fist quickly rose to the sky.
"Commander Diantel! The pride of the west side of the Great Lake!"
The white aura and magic circle finish manifesting as he throws the javelin straight into the skeletal ogre's ribcage. It lands just an inch away from its core. He rushes into the skeletal army, and everything begins to fade.
Diantel's eyes slowly open as he shifts himself upward. He looks around for a bit and remembers where he is.
That memory again, huh. It's like my mind has been going through the past recently.
Diantel sits there for a moment, contemplating getting up or going back to sleep for a bit longer. As he shifts to get up, he hears a noise in the back. He moves towards the window and looks out.
He watches as Renkai jogs around their makeshift training ground. She's drenched in sweat, and it seems like she's out of breath. She stops for a few moments before moving towards the weapon rack and picking up the longsword. She begins doing practice swings.
Honestly, I should convince her to just live a normal life...
He watches a bit longer, watching as her empty eyes flicker with something.
But she's almost there.
He finally gets up and fixes himself up before leaving his room.
She swings once. She swings twice.
Renkai.
She swings upward. She swings downwards.
Renkai. Oh, why do I bother when you're like this?
She swings horizontally. She swings harshly. She swings dramatically. She doesn't know how long she's been swinging, but she keeps going despite her arms getting exhausted.
She feels a hand placing itself on her shoulder. She jumps back and turns around, aiming her sword. She settles down when she realizes it's Diantel.
"You okay?"
She's slightly confused.
"When did you get up?"
"A few minutes ago. I saw you training and deciding to get up instead of sleeping in. I was watching you for half an hour before I came up to you, by the way."
Iden? Why didn't you try to-
Oh, I tried alright. You were too focused on swinging that wooden stick to listen to me.
Now she's genuinely confused. She doesn't ever remember a time when she was too focused on something.
Really?
Would you like the notes I compiled of your training?
Later.
"Renkai. Do you want to take a break, or should we get started on your training?"
She straightens herself.
"Training."
He gives her a small nod and moves towards the weapon rack. He picks up the same spear from yesterday, but then he picks up the second spear as well.
"Renkai, do you know what I do?"
Once again, she's confused.
"You're the captain of the guards, aren't you?"
The two of them move to opposite sides of the training grounds, facing each other. Renkai gets into her stance; her left in front, with her right in the back to the side with her, holding her sword horizontally. Diantel can tell that her stance is awkward, but he knows she's trying to figure out what works best for her.
"Yes, but I had a previous position."
He raises his right spear and begins to pull back his arm. Renkai takes a deep breath and exhales.
"And what would that be?"
He launches the spear, and Renkai doesn't even see it fly by her. The only thing she heard was wood shattering. She turns her head and notices the wooden spear has shattered into at least a dozen pieces.
"I used to be one of a few Platinum-ranked adventurers on this side of the Great Lake."
Iden.
Am I assuming you want a review of the Guild Ranks again?
If you would.
Guild ranks. Each tier represents a level of strength and skill. Tin, Copper, Bronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mithril, and Adamantine. While there is a separate rank called Obsidian, it's meant for individuals whose abilities can't be properly measured or only work under specific situations.
How fast did he throw that spear?
Remember how fast you were falling from the sky during your fight with Artelia? At least triple that. Not that he'd be able to win against a Crimson Dragon in the first place.
As Renkai turns her head back to face Diantel, she's face-to-face with the tip of his spear. She tries to duck, but it lands a strike on her forehead. She quickly backs off, but Diantel is already mid-swing. She quickly parries his swing, but her sword flies from her hands. Diantel puts the tip of his spear next to her neck.
"And that's the match."
He sets his arm back to his side and walks towards the weapon rack, setting his spear down. Renkai just stares at him, confused.
"How long did it take you to reach that level of strength?"
He doesn't respond instantly, simply moving towards the remains of the other spear he had thrown.
"...far too long."
He picks up the larger bits and sets them next to the back door. He remains silent, letting the quiet wind speak volumes.
"Are you sure you have to do this?"
For the first time, she's heard it, his voice wavers. She drops her head.
"It's okay, you know. Not getting revenge for your mother. I bet you already know this isn't what she'd want you to be doing."
He stares into her eyes, and Renkai notices a glint of protectiveness. She picks up her head, and Diantel watches as her eyes flicker once more.
"I have to."
He drops his head as well. Then, he lifts his gaze, and Renkai watches a large grin appear on his face.
"Then I have a lot to teach you before you leave after tomorrow. I'll go grab two of the guards for you to spar with."
Renkai. Ask him to spar with four of them.
Four of them? Really?
It's part of my plan.
The plan that still isn't enough for me to reach him?
Yes, that one.
Before Diantel enters their home, Renkai quickly speaks up.
"Diantel. I have a request."
He stops in his tracks, turning his head to face her.
"What's up?"
"I would like to spar with four of them."
That sentence startles him.
"Four of them? While that does let you train for longer, I don't think it'll make that much of a-"
"Four of them at the same time."
Those words trigger something in him. He stares into her empty eyes. His next words come out sternly.
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes."
He hesitates for a moment, but then he gives her a small nod.
"Let's go then. We'll take your training to the Guard's training grounds instead."
She puts her sword away on the weapon rack and quickly follows Diantel. As they walk out their front door, they bump into a few children messing around. As soon as the children notice them, they surround Diantel and Renkai.
"Gramps! Are you going out on a patrol again?"
"Gramps, come play with us again!"
Renkai quickly dodges the children while Diantel's legs are being grabbed at.
"Sorry, but not today. I'm busy, unfortunately."
The kids boo in response, but eventually leave. Diantel and Renkai walk through the streets, watching as vendors and children play about, with the occasional hammer filling the air. Eventually, the two of them reach the Guard's outpost. Before Diantel can attempt to open the door, it bursts wide open as three guards come out in an argument. The blonde-haired one is arguing with the brown-haired one while the gray-haired one is watching.
"...and I'm telling you that's what really happened, Albert!"
"We know you're lying! There's no way that woman of all people would fall for you!"
One of the guards is about to speak up, but they glance in Diantel's and Renkai's way. His face fills with terror upon noticing Diantel. He shakes the other two, who are still bickering.
"Jason, Albert, you two should stop."
"Not till he tells us the truth!"
"But I am telling the-"
Renkai's face falls in disappointment. Diantel notices this, and his face quickly fills with anger.
"You two..."
The two bickering soldiers turn their heads towards Diantel's voice, and they stare at him for a moment before realizing who's in front of them, faces slowly shifting to frightened looks.
"B-boss, w-when did you get back?"
He grabs the two of them and stares at the third one.
"Renkai, I found three of the four that you'll spar. Teach them a lesson, will you?"
He gestures for the one he didn't grab to follow them. He drags the two through a few halls and doors while Renkai and the other guard follow.
"It's always you three getting into some sort of issue."
Diantel continues to mumble to himself until he kicks open a large door. When Renkai walks through, she gazes upon a proper training ground. A large clearing in the middle of the outpost holds a marked perimeter with proper flat and firm stone, unlike the one Renkai and Diantel made. There's a proper weapon rack, holding at least two of each kind of weapons from daggers, maces, hammers, rapiers, and more.
Diantel moves closer to the middle of the training grounds and throws the two bickering guards in front of him. He turns and gestures to the one behind him to stand next to them.
"You three will be helping me out."
They stare at him blankly for a moment before tilting their heads.
"How so?"
"In exchange for my forgetting of the ruckus you three were causing earlier, you're going to help my daughter with her training."
The guards watch as Renkai walks over to the weapon rack and hovers over the training weapons. They're made of a finer wood than the one they own.
"That's all?"
The two that were thrown finally stand up, and all three of them nod.
"That sounds... easy enough."
"Diantel, I asked to spar with four."
They all turn to Renkai, who is inspecting two of the longswords before she decides on one. She gives it a few swings and nods. Each of the guards notices her eyes, and a slight shiver is sent down their spines.
"Captain, is she..."
Diantel turns to them and shakes his head. He turns and walks closer to Renkai.
"I already have a person in mind for the fourth, for now, just spar with these three."
She gives him a disappointed look before sighing and then nodding. She walks towards the center of the training grounds and stares at the three guards. Diantel walks away, back into the Her empty silver eyes pierce the guards. The gray-haired one heads to the weapons rack to pick up their weapons. The blonde-haired one moves closer to Renkai.
"As you probably heard, I'm Albert, the brown-haired one is Jason, and the gray-haired one is Seth. We'll be helping you spar, I guess."
Seth comes back holding a wooden rapier, shortsword, and greatsword. He hands the greatsword to Albert and the rapier to Jason, keeping the shortsword for himself. Renkai moves to one side of the training grounds.
"Oh, you want to start already? Then we'll give you a small handicap just to make it a bit fairer. If you land a clean hit on one of us, that person is out. Three clean hits on all of us is your victory. We win if you surrender, or can't continue."
The three of them position themselves on the opposite side of her. None of them says anything, but the moment Renkai takes one step, all of them lunge towards each other.
Jason enters with a thrust, to which Renkai dodges to the side and swings horizontally at him. Albert shoves him out of the way and blocks her attack. Seth immediately follows up with a swing of his own, to which Renkai barely parries and makes some distance.
Renkai, you should start by getting the grey-haired out of the match.
I was already planning on it. Getting rid of the blonde would take too long with the support he'd be receiving.
Renkai rushes towards Seth and clashes with him. Seth is starting to overpower her, but she throws a quick kick and builds a small distance right as Jason comes in with a thrust. Renkai immediately dodges and rolls behind him, with Albert already shoving Jason out of the way under the assumption that she was going to go for him. She runs towards Seth, who's also running towards her.
As the two close the distance, Seth aims his thrust at her torso, but Renkai ducks and throws a vertical slash aimed at his sword. He tries to shift his arm to block her attack, but she stops herself short and throws herself into his chest. The two of them tumble for a moment, but Renkai recovers first and immediately chases after him. Before Seth can get on one knee, Renkai is already thrusting into his side. He winces a bit, but lets out a sigh as he lies there.
"You got me."
To your right!
Before Renkai could properly react, Albert landed a blow to her side, slightly launching her. She manages to stand her ground, but Jason immediately chases her with a few quick thrusts. She blocks a few of them, but three slip by and land on her stomach. She does a quick horizontal swing, forcing Jason to make distance.
Iden, are you sure I need to fight four of them?
If you want even the slightest chance at standing your ground against that Demon, yes.
Renkai chases after Jason, but is quickly blocked by Albert. She throws several quick slashes, but Albert blocks every one perfectly. He shoves his greatsword at her, but she quickly dodges to the side, only for Jason to be in mid-thrust towards her. She narrowly avoids the thrust and does a vertical slash, but once again stops it short and instead lands a kick to his calf, throwing him off balance. As he begins to fall to the ground, Renkai tries to follow up with a vertical slash, but Albert already has his greatsword aimed at her neck.
His face is one of surprise, but also curiosity. The same face sits on Jason's and Seth's faces as well.
"You really surprised us. I wasn't expecting you to go for Seth first out of all of us."
He stands up and extends a hand to Jason. He pulls him up, and Seth comes walking from behind.
"You definitely haven't learned proper sword style, huh? Your instincts and reactions are good, but your ability to keep moving after taking a blow is exceptional. You'd be quite the swordswoman once you find a style that fits you."
"I was expecting a less interesting match since you were just a kid, but I should have expected no less from the only person Captain genuinely complains about."
"We'll probably have time for a few more matches before Captain comes back with the fourth one. Do you want to keep going?"
Renkai hesitates slightly at their easy going attituded, but nods nonetheless.
"I would appreciate that."
The four of them go to the same sides as before.
"Same rules, but we'll give you feedback and tips after each match."
Iden.
Yes?
I realized the reason why you wanted me to fight four of them at the same time.
And what's that reason?
Because a Demon is immensely stronger than a Human. In every single category. By fighting several people who work together and can follow up after their friends' attacks, I can train my reaction speed, my defensive capabilities, and battle intelligence.
That's about right.
Renkai readies herself once more, and the other three do the same. Just as before, as Renkai takes the first step, all of them begin rushing towards each other once more.