CHAPTER 91: THE LAST STAND

"Fyraball!"

Julian opens his eyes and sees the haelion that was about to trample him... being shot by fire?

Its hooves slam down beside him instead of on his chest. Julian rolls to the opposite side, scrambling to get out of the way. He pushes himself up and reaches for his rifle at the same time. The moment his hands grip the weapon, he feels a tiny bit safer. A tiny bit.

What he sees next nearly gives him a heart attack.

Balls of fire, no bigger than his fist, are being hurled at the haelions by... Maeve?!

What the heck is going on?

What is she throwing at them?

Are those... balls of fire?

Julian doesn’t understand anything. For someone so damn genius, his brain has officially stopped functioning.

Maeve, on the other hand, is running purely on adrenaline. She can’t believe she’s actually producing and firing fireballs.

Everything my teacher said is true! Magic is real! I’m living proof! And it can save lives! I didn’t believe it! I still can’t believe it!

She keeps casting, launching fireball after fireball. But soon, Julian notices each blast getting smaller and smaller.

Something in his brain finally clicks.

"Maeve! Don’t just shoot without aim or plan! Follow me! We’re getting out of this cave. We’ll blast our way out!"

Maeve looks at him, and he isn’t staring at her like she’s some kind of freak. For some reason, that small thing gives her tremendous relief.

"Okay!" she says, and runs toward him.

Together, they shoot and blast their way toward the cave exit.

The haelions are close on their heels. Maeve’s fireballs were nothing more than a distraction. Too small, too weak. They startled the monsters for a second, but once Julian and Maeve sprint toward the cave exit while shooting, the haelions refocus instantly.

"Once we’re outside, stay quiet!" Julian shouts. "The glow out there is faint. I’m not lighting anything. Just hide on the left!"

"Okay!" Maeve replies between breaths.

The moment Julian bursts out of the cave, the outside greets him with a weak greenish glow from the dungeon plants. It’s barely enough to see the ground. He makes a sharp left and drags Maeve into the deepest shadow he can find.

The haelions thunder out after them... then stop. They freeze just beyond the entrance, confused. The faint plant-glow lights the open area but not enough to reveal two humans who dropped low and stayed still.

Julian and Maeve crouch only a few steps away from the cave mouth, sunken into shadow, breathing slowly, silently, praying the haelions don’t look too closely.

Only their eyes move, watching the haelions like two thieves hiding from patrolling officers.

While Julian and Maeve are crouching and hiding, the three musketeers—Aldriana, Arthur, and Liam—have just stepped into the dark dungeon.

Liam and Arthur immediately turn on their lights. Both of them have explored and cleared many dungeons without Aldriana; they are not clueless newbies. They know what to do in the dark. But this is the first time they’ve ever entered a dungeon this dark.

"Another anomaly," Arthur mutters under his breath, instinctively lowering his voice.

"Dark dungeons are not common?" Aldriana asks from his right.

"No. Dungeons are usually either bright like daylight or dark like night. But never this dark. Even with the glowing plants, not all of them are glowing, and the light isn’t enough to illuminate anything. This is a first for me. You?" Arthur asks Liam.

"Yeah. This is my first time too," Liam answers from Aldriana’s right, holding a flashlight in his left hand and his Aetherion in his right.

Aldriana looks at his weapon. Then she glances left, where Arthur is doing the same thing: flashlight in his left hand, sword in his right.

Both men notice her staring at the same time.

"You... don’t have any weapon?" Arthur asks.

Liam grins, because he knows the answer.

Aldriana also grins under her mask. "Everything in this dungeon is a weapon for me. I’ll be fine."

"Now shh. I need to find Julian." Aldriana quiets them and closes her eyes.

She doesn’t actually need to close them to scan. The dungeon is too dark to see anyway. She closes her eyes mainly because she wants to feel the mana in this place. It’s like a drug. She’s been deprived of mana for so long, and last time she only tasted a little before getting yanked out.

Now, she’s back inside after much difficulty, and she’s not letting go of her chance to enjoy the abundance of mana.

She feels mana filling her body to the brim. Her sore limbs stop aching. Her breathing evens out. She no longer feels tired or sleepy. And most importantly, she can see far better here than outside.

Even without these dim lights, she can see perfectly. Because she isn’t seeing with her eyes, but with her sense.

Arthur and Liam both feel the change in her. They don’t know what changed, but they feel it.

"What... what’s happening to you?" Liam asks.

Aldriana opens her eyes. "Mana, Liam. Mana happens to me. There is so much mana here. I feel like a fish returning to water."

Liam blinks several times, unsure how to respond.

"You’re absorbing mana? Mana from the dungeon?" Arthur asks, not sure if he understood her correctly.

Aldriana opens her eyes and shakes her head. "No. I don’t actually absorb mana. It’s... more complicated than that. Too long to explain properly right now. But if ’absorbing’ helps you understand what’s happening, then yes, you can say I’m kind of absorbing it."

Arthur and Liam glance at each other, puzzled by her answer that somehow sounds both clear and confusing.

"So... you’re going to teach me how to absorb mana too? Like you?" Liam asks.

Aldriana turns to him. "Since we’re inside a dungeon where mana is much more abundant than outside, close your eyes. Tell me what you feel."

Liam stares at her. "Now? You’re giving me a lesson now?"

He turns to Arthur. "Aren’t we urgently needed somewhere else?"

Aldriana raises an eyebrow. "You’re reluctant to learn magic? I thought this is what you wanted."

"Yes, I want it. Badly. Just... maybe not right this second."

"Okay. Your call." Aldriana faces forward again.

Liam instantly feels dismissed. A small, anxious knot forms in his stomach. He’s terrified she won’t teach him later... but it is what it is.

But Liam closes his eyes anyway, curious why she wants him to feel it now.

It only takes him less than ten seconds before he abruptly opens them again. He looks up and sees two sets of eyes staring at him.

"I can actually feel it!" he says, practically bouncing. "I get what you meant. The mana here... it’s so much more abundant than outside." His grin is huge.

Aldriana nods in approval. "Impressive. I honestly thought it would take you a lot longer."

"Now what?" He keeps grinning from ear to ear, ready for his next lesson.

"Now we rescue Julian. I think I know where he is."

"Really? Why? What did you detect?" Arthur asks. Not because he doubts her, but because he wants to know whether she sensed danger.

"There are a lot of haelions in that area. And the way their energy moves... it feels like they’re searching for something. My guess? They’re looking for Julian."

Arthur frowns. "Haelions don’t usually search for anything. If they feel threatened, they defend. Some hunt humans, sure, but they don’t search in groups." He shakes his head. "Another anomaly."

He’s starting to hate this dungeon. Every part of it is wrong.

"Shall we?" Aldriana asks.

"How far is it from here?" Arthur asks.

"If we run, maybe twenty minutes," Aldriana explains.

Arthur’s heart sinks. "That’s too long."

"Oh, we’re not running. We’re flying."

"Huh?"

Five minutes later, Arthur understands. Aldriana meant it literally. Both he and Liam are sitting inside a clear bubble while she flies in between them.

Arthur honestly doesn’t know what to believe anymore. Ever since he met Aldriana, she has broken most of the logic he believes in.

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Julian’s forehead and back are drenched in sweat. His situation is bad. He thought the haelions would leave once they couldn’t find him. But that’s not happening.

Some haelions stand guard at the cave entrance. Others continue searching the area. The rest position themselves strategically like soldiers.

Julian and Maeve are completely trapped. They can’t stay silent forever. They’re exhausted, shaky, and bound to make noise eventually. With the haelions this close, one mistake would expose them instantly.

Beside him, Maeve isn’t doing any better. She’s been holding in a sneeze for far too long. And this isn’t one of those sneezes that go away. This one refuses to be denied.

She feels awful. She can’t warn Julian. She can’t whisper. She can’t do anything.

She can’t hold it anymore.

She sneezes.

To her credit, it isn’t loud. But haelions have sharper hearing than any creature they’ve encountered. All of them instantly turn toward the sound.

Julian freezes. He doesn’t blame Maeve. If she didn’t give their location away, he would have eventually. They are both too tired to keep hiding.

He stands and fires his rifle. Maeve does the same.

The closest haelion drops dead, but the rest don’t stop. They rush forward without hesitation, as if programmed to kill no matter what.

I was right. They must be ordered by something. Who—or what—gave the order? That’s a terrifying thought.

"Julian, we can’t keep doing this." Maeve’s voice shakes. She’s been running on adrenaline, but now she’s crashing. Fast.

Julian doesn’t reply, but he knows she’s right.

They’re both at their limit.

"Let’s give them hell, Maeve." Julian forces a smile.

Maeve looks at him, then at the haelions surrounding them in a tight circle.

No escape.

This is it.

She nods. "I’ll give them hell."

Once again, she chants with everything she has:

"Fyra, Goddess of Fire, heed my call.

Come forth and ignite.

Fyraball!"

As if the Goddess of Fire hears her desperation, her fireballs burst out larger and stronger than the ones in the cave.

But it’s still not enough.

They only wound two haelions.

Maeve’s eyes sting. She tries not to cry. Julian is still shooting like a madman, but there are too many enemies. They are hopelessly outnumbered.

Maeve takes a deep breath and continues firing. She’s determined to fight until the very end.

Suddenly, she hears a whisper:

"That is not the correct incantation. Say this instead. Follow my words."

"Fyra, veniar. Kelsu arcten. Ignar."