'Sigh...'
Lancelot let out a sound of disappointment as he watched Lorn fall. He was honest with himself and knew that the Stag would not fare too well against such a large and well-prepared group. Add that to the lack of combat experience against human tactics, defeat was pretty much inevitable.
'I gotta work harder on the number-limiters. Still, that was quite the fight that he put up.'
Nevertheless, Lorn did not succumb to encirclement tactics, cleverly using the environment to his advantage. Lancelot didn't even know where he learned the interactions of electricity and water, but a battlefield conducted atop a watery field was hella advantageous to the Stag.
Another part of Lancelot was disappointed in the behavior of humans at the end. When they presumed Lorn to be incapable of resistance they got reckless. And the woman that got torn in half paid the price.
'Seriously, that was a pointless death... Oh well.'
As Lancelot left that line of musings behind, he turned his attention to an object, a Heart Core left behind by Lorn. The first Lightning Crystal that appeared in his Dungeon. It was an understatement to say that Lancelot was eager to attune to the new element. No, he was downright drooling at the thought. Because of this he did not waste any time, all of his senses beginning to probe the vessel holding concentrated mana while the humans were still recovering from the battle's end.
And yet, he did not expect what he felt the next moment. He expected many things, from not understanding the feeling of mana to the crystal blowing up because of one reason or another. But neither of those things happened.
Once Lancelot's mental tendrils covered the Heart Core, he felt the mana within. But he was not happy, as he felt sheer unadulterated violence. The lightning mana, as if sensing his attempts at control, lashed out. Lancelot felt the mana grow agitated mere moments before he felt pain.
He did the mental equivalent of jerking back one's hand after touching something hot. As he checked on the mental tendrils that retreated along with his will, to his shock he found them damaged. The previously stable structure of mental mana was thrown into disarray, it was as if a solid got torn into gas.
Once Lancelot tried gathering the scattered mental mana, he found some difficulty in doing so, finding the particles of mental mana partially numb and unresponsive. Electrified.
However, the sheer quantity of Mental Mana at his disposal outgunned the entirety of Lightning Mana inside of the Heart Core, not to mention mere remnants after a shock. With just a bit more effort the foreign mana was purged, order replacing chaos once more. By then Lancelot's attention was back on the Purple Crystal that lay under a thin layer of water.
'...What the hell? Lightning Mana can influence Mental Mana?'
Still a little shocked, the Dungeon's Core got serious soon after. By activating the full processing capacity of every available Thought Channel, Lancelot's vision slowed down, and his perception of time was distorted. He resisted the urge to groan, as this state was not particularly pleasurable, putting a strain on Lancelot's mind, and overloading it with information. It was not existentially threatening for him to use it, but he didn't use it often.
'Seriously, I might go mad or get lost in thought if I keep it up for too long.' 'Seriously, it's like I have multiple people talking in my head.' 'Seriously, this Lightning Mana smells like trouble later on.'
And this was one of the side effects of this 'mode'. A single thought spiraled into a multitude of derivative thoughts. It took some effort not to stray off the topic.
'Right! Lightning Mana.' 'Right! Another thing that I need to research.'
Having put a bit of a rein on his consciousness, Lancelot probed the Lightning Crystal a couple more times in a short period. In human perception, this happened in less than a second. But for Lancelot, this second stretched out into several minutes, the entirety of which he spent seeking answers to his questions. And soon, having exited the super-processing state after two more real-time seconds, came up with a worrying conclusion.
'Soul is a Mental Mana construct... Doesn't this mean that Lightning Mana can obliterate a soul?'
Lancelot shuddered inwardly at the implication. Mental Mana was his greatest strength, yes, but it could also prove to be his greatest weakness if someone came up with a way to counter it. Still, it would take a far larger amount of Lightning Mana to destroy him than what was contained within Lorn's Heart Core.
'Nevermind... It would be nice if I could attune to this new kind of Mana, but it may take time with how... vicious it is.'
He then watched Lorn's soul, which was already orbiting the Dungeon's Core. Quite an obvious idea appeared within his mind.
'Maybe I can ask for his help later... Why didn't I do this earlier? I keep forgetting that the Guardians are pretty much on a level of a human with their intellect.'
*
While Lancelot spent his time amidst various deliberations, he also kept an eye on the human group, who had finally acknowledged the fact that they'd won.
Rob was amongst the first to relax his grip on his weapon. He then spoke quietly.
"We've won?.." But that didn't last long.
"We've won! We got him, guys!"
As he shouted out loudly, Rob could only hear the echo of his words spread throughout the boss chamber, followed by someone clearing his throat behind him. When he turned around he saw Anna rubbing her eyepatch in embarrassment.
"Read the mood please..." The female Ranger mumbled while pointing to a somber-looking crowd around them. It was then that Rob also smelt the stench of charred flesh, wafting from the scorched bodies that lay in the shallow waters. It was more of a tragedy, not a grand victory to be celebrated.
Just then Marilyn's loud shout could be heard.
"What the fuck are you doing just standing there?! They are fucking drowning!"
With these curse-filled words, she sprinted from the back of the crowd despite her somewhat rugged state, being flung around and such, immediately tending to one of those who was paralyzed by the Stag's discharge and left face-down in the water. She cursed once more when she saw that the man she flipped over was no longer breathing.
After belatedly hearing her, the rest of the Explorers went around tending to the wounded, or trying to rescue the few that could yet be saved. Johann was among them, performing resuscitation on one of those who had been knocked down last.
"One, two, three! One, two, three!"
In the next moment the woman, half of whose face was charred, coughed out multiple times and breathed in deeply. Johann then helped her up, not minding the fact that his boots were soaked in water. He and Marilyn went around checking up on the rest of the group, tallying up the casualties.
"Three drowned in the end... One got torn in half and one died from the electric shock. And a couple more people are either too scared or too injured to go on. Fuck."
The armored woman breathed out in frustration, holding a hand to her forehead. Despite all their preparations, they were not ready. It was a pyrrhic victory at best.
"...And the fucking deer will just come back to life next time like nobody's business. Just to fight us while knowing our tricks. Great, just bloody great!"
Her shoulders were trembling slightly, the normally composed woman was far too emotional compared to her usual state. Several people gave her worried glances, but none approached except for one.
Marilyn felt something touch her shoulder, startling her. She nearly turned around while unsheathing her sword, but she caught sight of the one who was behind her.
"Oh, it's you, Johann..."
His heavy palm landed on her shoulder. Marilyn saw him shake his head while he spoke.
"It's not your fault, Marilyn."
"But I'm the leader-" The woman tried to say something but she heard him interrupt her.
"Don't blame yourself, we were not ready. None of us were."
As he came to her side, he let go of her shoulder and instead pointed to the untouched purple crystal that was right in front of them. He picked it up, frowning when the electric arcs numbed his hand a little, before turning around to face her.
"You may think that we gained nothing from this battle, but we learned as well."
He stared at her confused face before finally pointing out the fact that she overlooked.
"We knew nothing about the boss while going into this battle, but now we know something."
"Now that we have fought, we know the possible weaknesses of our foe, we can prepare and create tactics and strategies. It may have learned, but so did we."
The man then focused on Marilyn's expression, awaiting her response. She was the leader in the end. But he didn't expect the answer that he received.
"...Heh."
Marilyn chuckled briefly, contrary to Johann's expectations.
"That's unlike you, Johann."
"...?" The Warrior tilted his head slightly.
"I'm not used to seeing you talk this much. I took you for the stoic, silent type." Marilyn then gave a small smile.
"And yet here you are, trying to cheer me up."
The man, slightly flustered, was caught off guard. Johann awkwardly scratched his cheek, not knowing how to respond to such a statement. Thankfully the culprit of the predicament didn't linger, walking past him while patting him on the shoulder just like he did a moment ago.
The leader of the Expedition regained her spirit, and her voice that commanded respect could once again be heard as she faced the scattered and dispirited Explorers.
"Listen up you thrill-seekers and treasure-finders!"
Her call was not met with as much enthusiasm as before, but the gazes of the Explorers nevertheless found their way to her.
"We have just won a difficult battle." She paused, making sure everyone listened before continuing.
"Because of it we lost multiple brave souls, may they rest in peace."
'"But we will continue our journey, for only in the depths may we find the answers to our plights and strength against our foes!"
The last words of this sentence caused a spark to light in the previously blank eyes of some, but most didn't have the will to go on. Some among them voiced their opinions.
"Go on? You crazy woman, do you want to get us all killed?!" A man shouted in a rather hysterical tone.
"In just a single battle we have lost this many! Just look at Grisha!" He pointed at a charred body.
"He had a pregnant wife back home, and yet here he is, a pile of coal! Do you want to make more of our children orphans, and our wives widows?! All for your own ambitions?!"
The man's accusations continued without a stop, some others also joining in along the way, creating a commotion of discontent.
"I want to live, Daisy is waiting for me..."
"Fuck you! I will not follow a tyrant who can't even see the state of the people!"
"Are you going to use us as cannon fodder?!"
Marilyn was shocked quite a bit seeing her supposedly motivational speech turn into... this. She knew that they were grieving and injured, and she was about to send them back to the surface just when she was interrupted. Still, she did not expect things to escalate this much. The harsh accusations stung harshly, especially so considering that she did her best to save the people under her care, only to get called a tyrant.
"I... But I didn't-"
Her weak voice was not heard at this point though, the insults and criticisms growing ever louder, those who were previously silent occasionally joining in, and some other Explorers looking rather hesitant. Only a single group remained unwavering amidst the 'storm'. Leopold and his team stood silent, with Anna staying by their side, looking at those who were shouting with anger in her eye.
"You ignorant bast-"
"QUIET."
But the Ranger's outcry and the rebelling group's shouts were both overshadowed by a word, no, a command spoken in a low yet loud voice.
Surprisingly, everyone heard and obeyed, turning to the voice's source. And there, coming in front of Marilyn was Johann's sturdy figure. His brows were slightly furrowed, showing his displeasure. And those who knew him for not showing emotions on his face knew that he meant business by this.
Still, there would always be a fool amongst the crowd. The voice of the man who had started this whole charade could be heard once again.
"Johann? Why are you standing up for that bitch? Could it be that she-"
"Leave."
"What? Did I-"
"LEAVE."
He didn't let a word of opposition be voiced. He then continued after a short pause, all while glaring at the man who was now cowering amidst the crowd.
"If you don't want to go on, leave."
Johann then glanced across the other like-minded 'rebels'. A neutral expression returned to Johann's face.
"You would only be a burden anyway."
Those that were called out shifted uncomfortably, whispering amidst themselves, all while remaining under the Warrior's scrutiny. The instigator then spoke out while hiding behind the others.
"F-fine! I will do just that then! I will make sure that the entire camp hears that the reason you don't return is because of our 'leader's' foolishness!"
While spouting various threats, he retreated slowly to the tunnel that led to the Second Floor. Suddenly he stopped, realizing that there might be some Beasts remaining to pose a threat, so he called out to the hesitant ones.
"Come! Don't listen to the bullshit they are spouting! Your lives will be in danger if you remain here!"
Having somewhat regained his courage, one after another the other Explorers retreated as well.
"Y-yeah! Let's go!"
"I won't leave my life in the hands of an idiot!"
The instigator, reassured by the numbers that joined him, disappeared in the tunnel, the demoralized Explorers joining him one after another. In just a few minutes, only a handful was left from the original Expeditionary Group.
Marilyn still looked in shock at the dark tunnel. She muttered.
"You guys..."
Seeing such a scene, memories appeared in her mind. A battle against a giant wolf, the desperation at the realization of being left behind to die. All of it came crashing back.
"...traitors, all of them. I... trusted them, and yet..."
Marilyn's hand shook yet again, the knuckles that held the hilt of her sword turning white. The woman felt her emotions go out of control, a feeling of anger and betrayal threatening to consume her. Just then, several human figures moved within her eyesight, causing her eyes to gain focus yet again.
"You... Stayed?"
She saw Leopold, Rob, Beatrice, Anna, Johann, and several other Explorers facing her. Marilyn noticed that most of the Explorers who were wounded stayed behind, those who were resuscitated being at the forefront.
"Of course we did. After all, we know you do care. And we are not foolish enough to be swayed by some words." A woman who was rescued by Johann spoke.
"D-don't you worry, we won't leave you behind, Mary!" A timid voice that came from Beatrice followed soon after. However, the healer became embarrassed after she realized she had spoken to Marilyn informally.
Nevertheless, that was enough to lighten the mood. A smile once again found its way on Marilyn's face as anger gave way to a heartwarming feeling.
"The Expedition must go on."
"Those fuckers are going to regret missing out on what loot we're gonna find!"
"...Let's get a move-on."
Johann, Anna, and Leopold then spoke one after another, lighting the fires of Marilyn's will once more.
"...Alright then." Marilyn cleared her throat and called out to the much smaller crowd, which nevertheless looked towards her with fire in their eyes.
"Listen up, you undeterred stubborn assholes! I am not going to do the whole speech yet again, so just listen to me this once."
"You better get healed up before we for down, because I am not going to haul your asses back up if you can't walk once we're done!"
This time the response was much different.
"Yeah!"
"Let's kick some Beast ass!"
"Tis but a scratch!"
Even the healers seemed to regain their spirit, their healing becoming more vigorous along with their mood.
Lancelot, who was observing this, gave a mental thumbs up, as a good mood led to a change in Mental Mana, which positively influenced the group's state. Because of this, in under half an hour everyone was ready to go, with the exception of slightly worn-out healers, and even they were ready to go regardless.
As Marilyn stood in front of the patched-up group, she turned to the mist under the tree's roots, which led to yet another unknown territory. The woman waved her hand.
"Down into the abyss we go!"
Her cry was then repeated among the group.
"DOWN INTO THE ABYSS WE GO!!!"
Marilyn smiled as she heard the group's high morale, then stepped into the mist in front of her. After a couple of seconds, she walked into a tunnel that she recognized as a buffer between floors. Other Explorers advanced behind her, their march steady and unwavering, not a hint of fear or hesitation being present.
After a couple of minutes that consisted entirely of trudging through a dark tunnel, Marilyn felt the air heat up around her, a warm wind occasionally blowing around her face. She soon saw the light come into view, and the view beyond the tunnel appeared not long after.
The woman saw a lush jungle full of ferns appear in front of her as she emerged in a rather small clearing, smaller than the one on the Second Floor. As she looked up, she saw a bright light that hurt to look at. Feeling the searing heat that was spread across her skin as she stood under its light, she could only think of one thing.
"Is that a sun..?"
As the rest of the group emerged from behind her, they too stopped to admire the view for a moment.
From among them, the one-eyed Ranger Anna came forward to answer that Marilyn asked to no one in particular.
"Nah, don't think so. It seems more like a lamp. I swear I can barely see some kind of 'cage' around it."
While everyone was admiring the view, however, the only Rogue of the group came forward and examined the various traces on the ground. As he was doing that, he seemed to hear something, immediately unsheathing the shortsword on his hip.
"...We are not alone."
His rather quiet words could be heard by everyone, causing the previously relaxed atmosphere to turn into an anticipation of battle. The hidden adversary did not stay hidden for long, the swaying ferns soon revealing their forms. The multiple foes revealed themselves, and the group of humans found themselves facing off against a group of four deer.
Three of them had green patterns on their fur, and the last had blue ones. They stared at the humans and the humans stared at them. The silence lasted for a moment, but in the next second swords were pulled out, arrows were notched and mana began to gather.
Marilyn shouted out in a surprisingly joyful tone.
"You bastards came just in time! I was craving for some venison!"