What to do…
I was really struggling to decide.
Even if things had gone wrong, I trusted they would've bought me time to escape, and they would have fled using the stones. But unfortunately, that didn't happen.
Erik was already surrounded. From time to time, a beastly scream was cut off by a sharp blow. He fought with the ferocity of someone who wanted to survive. Still, I was sure he couldn't hold on much longer.
I licked my dry lips, then looked up at the barrel resting by my side, one of those containing holy water we had brought for the exploration. Its purpose was to damage and slow down the cadaver golem, in case we ran into it.
But maybe I could come up with something.
I hesitated for a moment, then sighed. Erik could die for all I cared, but his influence was important.
Besides, I suspected that if I returned without him, Alfred would become a problem.
In short, I hadn't had many options from the beginning.
"And they asked why I always move alone… now they know why…" I muttered as I grabbed the barrel and lifted it.
It weighed as much as a person, but with my current strength, it wasn't a problem.
Erik was still fighting, body soaked in blood, arms trembling. The corpses of the mutants were piling up around him, but for every monster he cut down, two more took its place.
I had to admit, that guy had guts.
I tore off the seal on the barrel and, with a kick, sent it flying into the air, spraying holy water everywhere.
What a waste…
Even though it was a pity, the result was immediate.
The monsters let out inhuman screams as their flesh was purified. Some turned to dust, others were seriously damaged and fled quickly, leaving an opening.
"ERIK! MOVE!"
He looked up, surprised, then I saw him grit his teeth and dash toward the gap, stumbling. His steps were heavy, but fast.
Meanwhile, I wasn't doing too great. Several monsters were already coming at me.
I dodged one's blow, feeling the pressure of the strike rustle my clothes. Another tried to leap at me, but thanks to Quick Step, I managed to fall back.
A mutant charged at me as I ducked close to the ground and stabbed the monster's knee with the tip of my halberd.
I could feel heavy resistance, but I was ready.
Where I struck, it began to sizzle. That's because I had made sure to coat my weapon in holy water. It wasn't enough to kill them, but enough to slow them down.
Now that Erik was close enough, I ran toward him, covering his back with the halberd. A couple of monsters still got near, screaming, with twisted limbs and open jaws.
I drove the blade into the first one's throat, then used its body as a shield to shove into the other, slowing it down.
Erik staggered and leaned on my arm to keep standing.
"I didn't think… you'd come back."
"Is this really the time to play damsel in distress?! RUN!" I shouted, grabbing him and pulling hard.
The holy water scattered around slowed the monsters down, but the effect wouldn't last long.
"How long does it last?" Erik asked.
"A minute. Maybe less."
The passage I had planned to use for escape had become useless because of the monsters that arrived, so our only choice was to move into a new tunnel.
Roars exploded again in the darkness behind us.
"Keep running!"
"I am running!" came his exhausted, irritated response.
There was no more time to think.
We dashed through the tunnels, guided by instinct alone. Guttural noises echoed from all directions. I knew the hordes were trying to surround us, cutting off our escape.
A monster leapt from above, but Erik intercepted it with his sword, cutting off its head in one blow. Then he staggered.
"You holding up?"
"Kind o– gulp!"
"Drink while running, we can't stop."
I shoved a potion into his mouth, but instead of being grateful, he shot me a resentful look. Even so, he said nothing and finished drinking it.
Another group blocked our way. Four mutants, one of them with four arms and two swords embedded in its bones.
"I'll slow down the big one," I told Erik, who nodded and went left. I charged straight ahead.
The monster stabbed its own gut and pulled out something it threw at me. It was an organ that exploded, spraying acid. I dove forward, feeling the burn on my skin, but thanks to Scale Armor, the damage was greatly reduced.
I rolled under its attack and stabbed the halberd into its thigh. The monster howled and tried to grab me, but I quickly retreated.
Behind me, Erik had just pierced the heart of the second one. The third tried to escape but was impaled by a spear Erik threw.
I stared at him for a moment. Blood ran from his shoulder, his breathing broken.
If I were some fangirl, I'd be screaming in excitement right now, but I wasn't.
"You mind giving me a hand?!"
My shout snapped him out of it.
I drove the halberd into the monster's already injured gut, pinning it briefly and giving Erik the chance to finish it with a strike to the head.
Looking around, it seemed there were no more monsters, and we both sighed in relief.
"Looks like… I… saved your ass first this time…"
Hearing that, my face froze. I turned slowly, and can you imagine? That little bastard was grinning smugly.
"Let's put it this way. Next time I'm trapped in a group of Grade 3 monsters, we'll see what you do and if you can slow even one of them."
At my words, his smile turned into irritation.
Serves him right for being cocky with me.
After a moment of silence, Erik suddenly said, "Thanks… for earlier."
"You know I didn't do it for free."
Erik didn't seem to mind and nodded like it was obvious.
"I'll repay you once we're back."
"Good."
"Good… nothing. I can't take it. Why did you come back?" he asked bluntly.
I gave a small smile. "Ever heard of civic duty?"
"Yeah, and it's total bullshit—especially coming from you."
"Hah! That was a good one." I laughed for real.
"Seriously. You might be skilled, but even you couldn't be sure you'd get out of that unharmed. And I saw you'd already escaped the danger, so why come back?"
"We're colleagues now, remember? If you had died, all my work to earn your trust would've gone to waste."
"Really?"
"Depends. Do you trust me more now?"
"…Not yet."
Too bad for him, that moment of hesitation was already confirmation.
"Alright, I'll be honest. If I'd returned without you, Alfred would've been a pain in the ass."
My words made him laugh. "I can totally picture that."
"See? So try not to die when I'm around—or better yet, don't die at all. I've already wasted too much time on you. I'd hate for it to go to waste."
He smiled, shrugging. "I'll try to make sure it doesn't."
And just like I predicted, his opinion of me was already starting to change, but there was still room for improvement.
****
We continued in silence, expecting danger at every corner.
Honestly, I felt safer now that the rune had deactivated, but in a dungeon, you could never let your guard down.
After a few minutes, we reached a wide, low chamber, full of runes. In the center, a return stone.
But it was guarded.
Around the stone were at least six mutants. Two had axes fused into their flesh, one looked like a woman with a long veil made of skin, the others… abominations.
Erik turned to me.
"How many can you handle?"
"Two at most," I answered after a quick evaluation.
"Then I'll take care of the other four and come help you after."
We locked eyes for a moment. Then we attacked.
I moved quickly using Quick Step. The first abomination tried to hit me with its axe, but I ducked and drove my blade under its chin. Controlling the monster's body, I used it as a shield against the next one.
Erik cut one down with a clean strike to the side, then moved and slashed the veiled creature in the throat. She didn't die right away but started screaming in an inhuman voice, alerting the others.
We couldn't waste time.
Erik used his ability, unleashing a wave of energy that cut three in half, but it clearly drained him, judging by how pale he looked.
Even so, he pushed on and stabbed his sword into the head of the fourth mutant.
The monster collapsed.
Erik arrived moments later, limping, while I was struggling to deal with the two, forced to dodge repeatedly.
If only I had more attack power…
Honestly, I did have something, but I couldn't use it yet—not with a body still at Grade 1.
Finally, with Erik's help, the last two died. But because of the earlier scream, more monsters were on their way.
"You… still in one piece?" he panted.
"More or less."
We looked at the stone—or rather, the only stone.
"Well, this is awkward."
He looked at me suspiciously.
"Now that you're in that state, I don't even need to fight you for the stone."
"YOU!... You piece of—"
"Hahahahah! Just kidding! Gods, you should've seen your face."
I watched his expression twist with anger.
Maybe I had gone too far… Nah.
"Give me your stone."
Still confused, he handed it over. I took the other and started working on them.
Around us, the mutant sounds were growing louder, and Erik was getting more agitated.
"Whatever you're doing, hurry up!"
"Just a second… done."
I had slightly modified the runes to allow the intact stone to share part of its power with the damaged one.
"Hold my shoulder."
He obeyed, and I activated both return stones.
There was a moment of suction, and the next moment, we were slammed hard to the ground.
"I think–cough there was a mistake–cough. But at least it worked."
Sore all over, I laughed, seeing we had returned to the dungeon's entrance.