Deep within the crevices of the Dunya mountain range, a group of humans made their way down into its bowels. The occasional gust of warm air washed over them, filling them with unease as they worried about the safety of their companions.
"The heat is getting more intense! It seems that the Dunya mountain range was built upon a series of volcanoes that formed over millions of years!" Alfred followed behind both Aria and Alfina who were leading the descent.
"Paradise... the ancient people really have a funny way of naming things..." Alfina gazed at the bottom where the light emanating from the lava glowed with a pale yellow hue.
"I doubt they knew about the underground volcanic area when they arrived." Aria jumped on to the platform that Alfred and Alfina were standing on and fixed the rope against a solid protrusion. Both Alfina and Alfred propelled down with the tied rope until they reached another platform. They repeated the process, utilising Aria's wind magic to help them descend into the sweltering cauldron.
Alfina jumped off the rope, landing on a bed of sand and gravel. "I think we have reached the bottom..."
"Scarlet! Scarlet!" Alfred landed after Alfina and began frantically looking around. "Where could-!"
A roar echoed from another chamber.
"Up there!" Aria gathered the rope and headed up a slope towards the source of the roar, away from the boiling depths.
Both Alfred and Alfina followed suit, and the sound of clashes intensified. As they reached the upper recesses, the area opened up into a vast chamber, with large crystals protruding from the ground in every direction.
"... Glass rock..." Alfina muttered as she remembered the few words she could decipher from the old book shown by the chief of Qadam village.
"Scarlet!" Upon Alfred's exclamation, both Aria and Alfina turned their attention towards the far corner of the field where Scarlet and Cedo were dancing around the Goss Harag.
Without missing a beat, Aria and Alfina rushed in to join the fight while Alfred readied several vials of health potion, ready to jump in whenever the hunters were in need of healing.
"You're late! We've taken the liberty of pummelling this demon before sending it to death's door!" Scarlet unleashed a flurry of attacks, scorching the monster's fur. "Right, Sir Cedo!?"
"... Ah! That's right!" Cedo slid and hid behind a large crystal, avoiding Goss Harag's breath attack. "Bear witness to our gallant figures!"
"Scarlet! Do you need more potions?"
"No thanks, Al! But I appreciate it!"
The saliva that Goss Harag spat lost its potency due to the warmer temperature of the arena. Using that knowledge, Aria intensified her assault, causing the monster to run around, avoiding the hunters.
"It is heading your way, Sir Cedo!"
"On it, Miss Alfina!" Cedo, who was hiding behind one of the crystal pillars, struck the beast from its blind spot, landing a solid hit on its back. He kept up the pressure by hammering his halberd against the monster's face, eventually cracking it.
Having its armoured face broken, Goss Harag let out a bellow that stunned the hunters for a moment before limping away. It climbed onto a rocky protrusion and was about to jump up onto higher ground when the ground beneath it rumbled, causing it to lose its balance.
"The rock is moving?!" Alfred stared at the bizarre phenomenon in confusion.
A being erupted from the ground, flinging sand and gravel into the air, as well as throwing Goss Harag off from its rocky back. Its winged forelimbs dragged its massive frame out to the surface while its hindlimbs clawed out of the ground.
Goss Harag fell off the supposed rocky platform and became enraged, despite being on its last legs. It started to smash the crystals all around the area while grabbing some of the larger chunks and throwing them at everything it saw. The hunters avoided the projectiles that burst with intense heat upon impact.
The ground continued shaking and the new monster fully emerged from its burrow. Several projectiles struck the beast, scraping against its hard, rocky shell and sending sparks flying from the points of impact.
"A monster made out of rock!?" Scarlet hid behind a crystal pillar to take cover from the bullets hurled by Goss Harag.
The newly emerged beast roared as its internal temperature shot up, radiating heat through its rocky shell with a reddish glow. Its yellow eyes peered through its armoured face, angry that its restful silence had been disrupted.
"Basarios! The Bellowing Boulder!" Aria bounced off a crystal pillar before a chunk of crystal hurled by Goss Harag impacted, causing a small explosion.
"I'll take on that Basa... That new monster!" Cedo took several chunks of the broken crystals and flung them towards Basarios. The crystals, traveling at high velocity, exploded upon impact, chipping away at the monster's armour.
"That wyvern is weak to water and dragon elements!" Aria used her glaive to sling her kinsect towards Basarios, drilling into its softer stomach and extracting its essence. "It is also susceptible to poison and sleep-inducing ailments!"
"Then, it is time for my new weapon to debut!" Alfina retreated to where she left her luggage and switched her weapon, but Scarlet stopped her.
"That Goss Harag has had enough of throwing things around and is on the run! Both of you sisters should chase after it and finish the job! I'll stay behind with Sir Cedo to take on that Basarios!"
"... What are you planning?"
"... To give him a chance to rise up to the challenge." Scarlet wore a devilish smile. "Don't worry, for I will be here to ensure he's safe. Alfred will act as a support as well."
"... Suit yourself." Alfina re-equipped back her original weapon. "Here, I am lending this."
"... Thanks." Scarlet switched her weapon to Alfina's insect glaive: Frilled Jab. "I'll make sure this weapon, which has been sleeping until now, showcases its power!"
Alfina and Aria proceeded to chase after the fleeing Goss Harag while Scarlet, wielding the sleep-inducing insect glaive, rushed in to parry Basarios's lunge, saving Cedo from getting hit.
"I'll assist, but I want to see your conviction."
"... Right! I'll rise up to the challenge!" Cedo tightened his grip and slid underneath the monster, bashing its rocky shells from behind. The beast, however, swung its short yet bulky tail at Cedo, flinging him away.
"Sir Cedo, take this potion and heal yourself first!" Alfred tossed a vial of health potion which Cedo caught and emptied while Scarlet kept the wyvern occupied.
"Thanks, I'm fine now!" Cedo immediately rushed back in and pummeled the beast, repeating his earlier tactics, albeit more cautiously. He avoided the tail swing and tackle by taking a couple of steps back before closing in again for a counterattack. Slowly but surely, he began to feel the rhythm of the wyvern's attacks and was dancing to it.
Scarlet took a step back, landing beside Alfred after jumping away from the arena with the glaive. "He's learning."
"... Why are you letting him have the stage? With your water magic, you could have ended the fight much faster. That is a three-star monster after all." Alfred gave Scarlet a mana potion.
"... Perhaps, I'm seeing my previous self in him. Just covering that darkness with a different facade."
Basarios, fed up with Cedo's relentless assault, roared in anger again and began forcing heat through its body, especially towards its belly and back. The beast reared up and trembled before expelling plumes of flammable gas that ignited upon contact with the air.
The explosion sent Cedo flying backwards. The volatile substances released by the beast had stuck on his armour, constantly burning him every second and sending pain coursing through his nerves. Nevertheless, Cedo stood back up and charged again, enduring the searing pain.
Basarios matched Cedo's charge and launched itself forward before turning its body sideways, rolling along the ground in an attempt to crush the incoming hunter.
Cedo was surprised and stopped his dash with his halberd, trying to turn around and run in the opposite direction. However, the rolling beast was faster. He was inches away from being flattened before a torrent of water swept him away from the monster, extinguishing the flames clinging to his armour.
"Guh!" Cedo's momentum was halted when he hit against a crystal pillar.
"Just because the monster has unleashed an attack, doesn't always mean an opening to attack. Learn to be patient and be more reactive. Do not commit to big attacks recklessly." Scarlet fired off water balls towards the Basarios, cooling its bodily engines. "Being fast or hasty is not always the answer, that includes rescuing somebody."
"... Understood!" Cedo got back on his feet and raised his halberd with trembling hands.
Basarios heated up its body again, evaporating its water-soaked rocky shells and concentrating a large amount of energy in its head. It took a deep breath before blasting off a stream of lava towards both Cedo and Scarlet.
Cedo and Scarlet avoided the deadly attack, with Cedo running towards the back of Basarios in an attempt to enter its blind spot.
As the monster finished spewing out its beam, it paused in place to regain its bearings, and seeing the opportunity, Cedo charged in, trying to bash the beast's abdomen from behind with an upward swing. However, he was a tad slow and Basarios turned around. Cedo's halberd hammered against the monster's head instead.
While Cedo was prepared for the recoil of striking a hard surface, he was surprised that the beast reeled back from pain instead. "What... the last time I struck its head my hand went numb..."
Basarios stared at Cedo, fuming as its body glowed brighter from the heat. It took off, charging at the still surprised Cedo, but Cedo easily dodged it, as the monster's heavily armoured body slowed its charge. The monster crashed against a crystal pillar, creating an explosion triggered by the impact.
Cedo lunged in while the beast was stunned and bashed its face. The glowing red face of the beast began showing signs of breaking as larger cracks spread across its rocky head armour.
"I see... when it's red, it's soft!" Cedo smiled, proud of himself for figuring out the monster's weak point. He jammed his halberd into one of the cracks and twisted it, expanding the fissure even more and causing Basarios to flinch from the pain.
Basarios shook its head, trying to pry off the halberd, but Cedo held on, ensuring that the blade remained lodged in despite feeling the heat. In desperation, Basarios changed tactics and cooled its body, hardening its armour. Cedo's halberd was stuck.
"What...!? Nghh! Come out!" Cedo exerted his strength in order to dislodge his weapon, but to no avail.
As Cedo was struggling to free his precious halberd, the beast unleashed its other defensive measure: sleeping gas. The soporific gas billowing from Basarios's abdomen filled Cedo's lungs. His eyelids grew heavy as the substance took effect, and his limbs rapidly lost their strength. He tried to fight by punching himself, but the gas had weakened his body to the extent that he could no longer exert any force and fell on the ground.
The beast flapped its winged arms to disperse the gas, for it was vulnerable to its own weapon as well. It loomed over the hapless human whose consciousness was rapidly fading into slumber. It reared up its body and rolled forward with maximum momentum.
Before the beast could crush Cedo, Scarlet pulled him out of the path of the rolling monster while slamming him against the ground to jolt him awake. The sudden jolt of pain cut through his drowsiness as he regained his alertness and strength to stand back up.
"My halberd!"
"Holding on to something for too long will only exhaust you." Scarlet sent out her kinsect to pierce Basarios's abdomen and distracted it. "It will blind you from your surroundings and trap you within a cage of your own mind. Learning to let go will free you from that mental prison and help you see what still awaits you in the future. Just like what I did almost a year ago..."
"But, that's something my master gave to me!"
"And I'm telling you to let it go if it's only going to hurt you! The moment that wyvern is about to release its sleeping gas, you should have enough time to retreat!"
"... Urgh! But..."
"... Worry not, for we'll get it back." Scarlet recalled her kinsect and zoomed in, slashing repeatedly at the monster's underbelly. Each strike released a wisp of sleeping gas, the same substance that Somnacanth used as its arsenal. The gas gradually built up inside Basarios and it began to feel disoriented before tumbling down in deep slumber.
"Nice!" Cedo rushed in to get to his halberd. He slowly nudged the weapon and successfully pried it out before smiling in relief. Gripping his beloved weapon, Cedo was prepared to deliver a blow on the sleeping beast.
Scarlet calmly stepped in to stop Cedo from waking the wyvern. She pointed towards the chunks of crystals that were broken by Goss Harag and wickedly grinned. "Aria once told me about waking a monster up in an explosive way."
***
"This fanged beast can really climb, huh." Alfina used her fire magic to propel herself up the rocky cliff.
"Yeah, this one is rather agile despite its build." Aria followed closely behind Alfina, utilising her wind magic to scale up from platform to platform. "At least this is better than..."
"I see it!"
The injured Goss Harag was confronting a herd of creatures that were running around in panic from the appearance of the demonic beast. The fanged beast pounced on one of the bird-like creatures and was tearing it apart, voraciously tearing into its flesh to regain its strength. The rest of the herd members scattered in fear, cowering against the wall as they watched Goss Harag finish its meal, still hungry for blood.
"No, you are not!" Alfina swooped down and thrust her glaive into Goss Harag's back.
"It is on its last leg! Let us keep up the offense!" Aria launched her kinsect while still airborne and slashed at the monster's back after Alfina's thrust. "I am going to keep you company for a while!"
As Alfina landed, she began her chant, channeling mana into her kinsect. "Fire! Bless my heart and grant me your eternal strength! Enfer Perpétuel!"
Aria retreated into the air, leaving the furious Goss Harag growling as it watched her fly away with her wind magic, not noticing that Alfina's spell swept towards it like a torrent of hellish fire. The cascading inferno charred the monster's fur, completely ripping apart its skin and tearing into its blubber and muscles. Goss Harag wailed in agony until the flame subsided, leaving it weak and tired as it collapsed on the ground.
"You are a tough one!" As Goss Harag was still alive, Aria dived in from the air and impaled the monster's head, finally reaping its life.
"It took two of my strongest spells, one from Scarlet, and a beating from four hunters to finally bring it down. And this is only a four-star monster... What a leap in power."
"Yeah, ridiculous..." Aria took out her glaive from Goss Harag's head and cleaned off the blood and dirt. "I think we should quickly head back and assist them against that Basarios."
"Hold your horses." Alfina sheathed her weapon and walked towards Aria. "Let them have that hunt. Especially Sir Cedo."
"... Is it to test him? Is this even the right moment?"
"I trust Scarlet's decision. After all, Sir Cedo shares something similar to both me and Scarlet... Something he needs to overcome himself."
"That will come eventually. There is no need to rush."
"He needs to. So that he will be worthy to wield that weapon you made for him."
"... I am rather weak to persuasion, huh... Hmm?" Aria saw the herd of creatures coming closer towards her. "These are..."
"Seikret... They are mountable bird wyverns if I remember correctly."
The bird wyverns were still wary of the two hunters, but as they slowly made their way closer, they sensed no danger and their guard dropped.
Alfina approached one of the monsters and slowly let her hand draw closer to its head. The Seikret closest to her slowly bowed its head, allowing Alfina to touch its feathers. "Are they supposed to be this tame?"
"My inferred hypothesis is that the Seikret killed by Goss Harag was probably the leader of the flock, and since we took out the one that was about to devour them, they see us as the next leader."
"Well, that is the most convenient thing after the discovery of the Dracophage bugs that I have ever seen... But, this is great. Our journey through these wretched mountains will be easier." Alfina continued to pet the Seikret, clearly enjoying the fluffy texture of its feathers. "But, it will be hard to ride without a saddle."
"That is true... Hmm?" Aria smiled a little. "Hey, Alfina. You told me to leave the Basarios hunt to both Scarlet and Cedo, right? In that case, why not craft some makeshift saddles now."
"Huh, with what? We left most of our items with Alfred, and we do not have any leather."
"Well, we can get something better than leather." Aria pointed to a platform up above where a colony of Cortos was nesting.
"Oh, you have got to be joking..."
***
"Ready? Remember to strike the pile of crystals, not the monster."
"I know, Miss Scarlet! Here I go!" Cedo spun and swung his halberd down as hard as he could, generating enough force to trigger a chain reaction that caused the crystals to explode.
The sleeping Basarios was rudely awakened by the blast, shattering the armour around its head. It rose to its feet, furious at the hunters, and spat molten rocks in every direction.
"This thing has so many surprises!" Cedo immediately retreated.
"Get used to it! There'll be more monsters with even nastier surprises for us to face in the future!"
Basarios charged and rolled, attempting to crush Cedo beneath its bulk. However, its movements were slow enough for him to dodge the attack by a hair's breadth. After a brief pause, Basarios concentrated its heat into its head and fired a beam of molten rock.
Seeing an opening, Cedo lunged forward and struck the beast's softened head with his halberd. The blow shattered more of its armour and made it recoil in pain. Cedo kept up the pressure, hacking at the monster's underbelly and chipping away at its rocky plating.
Scarlet watched closely, stepping in to help whenever the situation called for it.
After several exchanges, Basarios burrowed into the ground, attempting to escape into the lower recesses, where the environment was even more hostile. Its retreat left a trail of destruction in its wake, shaking the ground and bringing several crystal pillars crashing down.
"Wait! Get back here, you coward!" Cedo pursued the beast, descending into the lava-filled area where he and Scarlet had fallen earlier.
"Stop being so hasty! Sharpen your weapon and recover before chasing it!" Scarlet grabbed Cedo by the collar and pulled him back. "Didn't I tell you to pay attention to your condition? Don't focus so narrowly on the enemy in front of you!"
"Ah! You're right. My halberd needs some maintenance!"
"Sir Cedo, take these and sharpen your weapon." Alfred tossed Cedo a whetstone and a vial of health potion before offering another vial to Scarlet. She declined, having sustained barely any damage.
As the hunters descended in pursuit of Basarios, the temperature rose sharply, and the air grew suffocating. Fortunately, all three had drunk a bottle of cold drink to improve their heat resistance, allowing them to remain near the lava pools without suffering from the heat.
"There! It's eating... rocks?!" Cedo stared in disbelief as Basarios crunched on the surrounding ore.
"Makes sense, considering it has a rock armour!" Scarlet launched her kinsect with a swing of her glaive, interrupting Basarios's meal as the insect pierced its already damaged face.
The wyvern roared and fired a beam of molten rock at Cedo, who slid aside to avoid it. Basarios then rolled towards him, but Cedo countered with an upward swing of his halberd, striking its head. The blow halted the monster's momentum and sent it crashing onto its side.
"Haha! An opening!" Cedo immediately rushed in and unleashed several chops with the bladed edge of his halberd, but most of his strikes glanced off Basarios's wings. "Guh! Stop flailing!"
Basarios managed to roll back onto its feet, slightly exhausted but otherwise alert. It lunged at Cedo and spun its body, knocking him off balance with a sweep of its tail.
Cedo, however, refused to let the wyvern recover and pressed the attack even harder. Scarlet tried to assist whenever she could, but Cedo was so focused on finishing off the monster that he failed to notice Basarios preparing another attack.
"Hey, get away from there!" Scarlet shouted, trying to warn Cedo, but she was a moment too late.
A cloud of poisonous gas billowed from Basarios's abdomen, engulfing Cedo and poisoning him. The poison coursed through his body, inflicting agonising pain as it began to affect his internal organs.
"GAAAHHH!" Cedo struggled even to breathe as the poison ravaged his body.
Scarlet rushed in to drag Cedo away from the frontline, but as she pulled him to safety, his grip loosened, and he dropped his precious halberd.
"Wa...! My... halberd! Master!" Cedo tried to reach for his weapon as Scarlet handed him over to Alfred, who popped open the lid of an antidote vial and forced him to drink its contents.
Scarlet returned to the battlefield, trying to buy time for Cedo to recover. She spotted the fallen halberd and was about to retrieve it when Basarios tackled her in midair, sending her crashing into the cavern wall.
The wyvern heated its entire body once more and fired its lava beam towards Cedo and Alfred. Fortunately, Alfred managed to drag Cedo out of the way while still helping him drink the antidote, allowing them to narrowly avoid the blast.
"Ah...! My halberd!" With the poison neutralised, Cedo struggled back to his feet and hurried towards his weapon. However, as if mocking him, the beast spat a lump of molten rock onto the halberd, melting and deforming it before crushing it beneath its weight.
The sight of his precious weapon being destroyed broke something within Cedo. The pain was worse than the agony he had suffered from the poison. Perhaps he really had been poisoned by guilt. He was about to rush towards the ruined weapon when Alfred pulled him back.
"Master! Master!" Cedo wailed at the sight of Basarios desecrating his weapon, tears streaming down his face as though a dam had burst.
"Sir Cedo, you are still injured! You need to drink this potion!" Alfred struggled to restrain Cedo, who was physically stronger than him. "We can repair that halberd, but not your life! So calm down!"
"Urgh! That was a gift from her!"
The beast continued its assault, but Scarlet intercepted it with a thrust of her glaive as she swooped down from above. "I'll leave him to you, Al!"
"Alright! Be careful yourself!" Alfred shoved a vial of health potion into Cedo's mouth, helping him recover from the injuries caused by the poison. "I know it hurts! Losing something given to you by someone you love can feel like losing a piece of yourself. But you have to keep moving forward! For her sake!"
"Easy for you to say! You still have your beloved alive and well! You'll never know how it feels!"
"... Indeed, I do not, and I sincerely hope I never have to." Alfred knelt beside Cedo and placed a hand on his back. "But even so, do you think your beloved would want to see you suffer like this? If it were me, I would want my loved ones to grow stronger and find happiness, even after I am gone. I'm sure your master wished the same for you."
"..."
"I'll stay here until you have decided what to do next. If you need someone to listen, I will be here."
Cedo reminisced about his master's gallant figure. She was much older than him, his first unrequited love, and someone who had believed in him despite his frail constitution when he was young. Her words had always inspired him to push beyond his limits, overcome his weaknesses, and forge the strong body he would be proud of.
"Cedo." Her gentle voice echoed in his memories. "One day, when you have grown strong enough, find something worth protecting. Even when I am no longer around, I am sure you will find your own way..."
"...Master..." Cedo wiped away his tears and slowly rose to his feet. Grief still clouded his expression, but beneath it, a flame of determination began to burn. "I... I'll throw those explosive crystals! Sir Alfred, please help me gather them!"
Alfred smiled and stood up. "I have been itching to get some action myself!"
As Cedo prepared to run off and retrieve the crystals, Alfred stopped him, much to his confusion.
"I will do the throwing. After all, providing support is my speciality." Alfred rummaged through the pile of supplies and unwrapped a weapon concealed beneath several layers of cloth. "Miss Aria told me to give this to you when you were ready. And I have decided that you are ready now."
Cedo stared at the unfamiliar weapon, yet something instinctive urged him to take it. He glanced back at his ruined halberd and gritted his teeth. As he wrapped his fingers around the handle, he felt its considerable weight.
"You've been carrying this all along? No wonder you struggled during the climb."
"I told you. Providing support is my speciality."
"... Thanks..." A tear rolled down Cedo's cheek, but he quickly wiped it away and smiled as he hefted his new weapon. "With this, I can pummel its head until it gets dizzy!"
The Mark of Angelos shone across Cedo's hands as he charged forward, wielding his new hammer, crafted from Pukei-Pukei materials: the Blooming Hammer.