Finally, Wickkuil lost his patience. "Cut off the legs!" he yelled. The other swordsmen obeyed and attacked the front limbs. They persisted in chopping down the hydra regardless of who got knocked back.
The boss monster began to panic and tried to use its heads to attack the fighters.
But Terrwyn and the others continued blocking and prevented its attacks from reaching their classmates.
Soon, the hydra lost its front legs and flopped onto its belly. Hot blood gushed out in a torrent and splattered the frenzied swordsmen.
Wickkuil and his gang became excited at the sea of red. They started cutting off each neck methodically.
Kayne sent her fire elemental to cauterize the fresh wounds as they appeared.
The fierce battle took a half-hour to complete and left the swordsmen dripping in blood.
Luka passed a magic potion to Kayne and Uhaen because they expended plenty of their power to control their minions. Then, he cast Cleanse on his classmates to remove the bloodstains from their bodies. The light mage took this opportunity to check for wounds and healed their injuries with Light Cure. While Luka engaged in these tasks, he asked Bel and Gripper to keep watch over the two remaining gates.
Chapter 63
Morninglory Dungeon (Part 4)
After a minute of rest, Headmaster Ladis sent out the third monster wave via the eastern gate. This time, the group consisted of a hundred giant hornets. Buzzing sounds saturated the air as they flew over the arena. Each insect had a yellow face, large black eyes, a furry brown thorax, a yellow-black striped abdomen, and a thin, rapier-like stinger. The long antennas continually flickered to detect the surroundings.
Kayne threw a Fireball at the gate, and the magic explosion caught several fliers. Their vulnerable wings burned into thin, charred sticks and couldn't support flight. Thus, a small group of hornets fell to the ground. The remaining companions became angry and made the fire mage their number one target.
"Protect the mages!" Terrwyn yelled out. The melee warriors formed a tight circle around the smaller group of magic casters.
Luka and Thoma applied enchantments to the party members while Viggo and Gertorn shot arrows at any hornet which flew near their group. Kherherac also chipped in with his slingshot.
The hornets hovered over the humans and tried to sting them.
The protectors focused on cutting off these venomous stingers, but the insects were too elusive. Thus, the class missed half of their swings. Fortunately, their armors proved too thick for the stingers to pierce through. Hence, the battle slowly turned into a stalemate between the two sides.
Kayne and Evanora couldn't use Firestorm or Acid Rain to clear out the insect horde without hitting their classmates. Thus, they resorted to less effective spells like Magic Missile.
Luka declined to attack them. Instead, he focused on casting Neutralize Poison to heal any poisonous stings that his teammates received.
The Elite Class soon became perplexed by his action. Why wouldn't Luka attack?
Eventually, he answered their unasked question when the light mage suddenly cast a Blade Barrier! Luka chose the entire area above the party's head and encompassed 90% of the hornets. Once his spell activated, the magic blades turned into buzzsaws cutting the insects into pieces -- which promptly landed on the humans!
The Elite Class became disgusted by the sudden downpour of yellow blood on their heads. And not to mention the dismembered parts of hornets, too, which pounded their bodies like hailstones. Consequently, a majority of the party suffered the nauseated condition and turned helpless.
When the remaining ten or so monsters tried to avenge their friends by attacking Luka, the mage Blinked to avoid their stingers while Viggo, Gertorn, and Kherherac shot them down.
Once the battle ended, Luka cast Cleanse on the Elite Class. This spell helped relieve their abnormal conditions. He realized that they had only a minute to rest before the last wave of monsters appeared in the arena. Luka approached Kherherac and asked a question. "Can you set up a bunch of traps around the western gate?"
Kherherac grinned at Luka's devilish idea. He nodded enthusiastically and ran over.
The rangers overheard Luka's suggestion and joined the thief in setting up traps.
"Wouldn't it be better if we made a wall to block the monsters from entering the field?" Evanora suggested.
Terrwyn shook her head. "We can't leave this floor until we defeat all the monsters," she pointed out.
"Exactly," Luka nodded. "I considered creating a Blade Barrier to block the entrance. But the monsters, assuming that they're intelligent, will refuse to come out until my spell expires. But the longer we linger on this level, the less time we'll have to reach the lower levels."
"We could try to lure the monsters to the traps which Kherherac's subparty is setting now. Let's stand closer to the gate," Wickkuil proposed.
The class rep nodded her agreement. "Let's go!" The Elite Class jogged over and stood behind the traps. They watched the trio spread sharp, metal tacks on the ground and also apply a sticky, gum-like substance.
Once Kherkerac's group finished placing their traps, the thief drew a white line on the ground with chalk. "You guys should take two steps back to avoid accidentally touching my traps," he advised.
"Melee fighters should position themselves around the traps. Make sure that no monster gets past your blockade," Terrwyn commanded. "When all the enemies come out of the gate, the mages will blast them apart." The party leader checked with everyone and attained their approval of her plan. Her eyes lingered on Luka for a bit longer, but he declined to modify her proposal.
Without knowing what kind of boss the class faced, Luka couldn't improve her plan. Moreover, he didn't wish to usurp her authority as party leader. Hence, Luka felt inclined to follow her instructions and not intervene in this last fight inside the arena. He peered through the portcullis but couldn't see anything in the darkness. His Night Vision spell also failed to pierce the black veil.
When the gate finally pulled up, the Elite Class heard a whistling sound.
"Duck!" Luka yelled immediately. However, few classmates reacted in time as a massive explosion blasted everyone! KABOOM!
Luka looked up from the ground and saw metal boots crushing the tacks like toys. His head tilted upward, and he saw short-humanoids dressed like soldiers. They wore tactical outfits with helmets and goggles fitted over big noses. Their obsidian skins were rough and covered with patches of ivy moss.
Luka recognized them as dark gnomes! They were a race of tinkers and gadgeteers. Those bayonets in their arms were likely their inventions. Fortunately, the weapons discharged single-use grenades rather than bullets, or else these gnomes would shoot all the humans like sitting ducks.
The gnomes confidently stepped into the arena and confirmed that none of the humans was still standing. But when they tried to move forward, their feet became stuck on the gum.
While a dozen soldiers became distracted, Luka used Spatial Blade to behead the gnomes one by one. While their bodies abruptly dropped to the floor and their heads rolled around, the remaining gnomes desperately searched for the ambusher.
Four survivors pointed their rifles at Luka and fired! As the small grenades whistled through the air toward Luka, the human used Touch the Horizon and instantly moved to the left wall. He ignored the ensuing explosion and slashed twice before the gnomes aimed at Luka again.
The mage teleported to the other wall and cut down the remaining two gnomes with Spatial Blade. Luka activated his Spatial Sense to survey the field and check for survivors. He confirmed that all the dark gnomes were dead. Also, none of his classmates died from the ambush. The melee fighters, who wore armor, shielded the vulnerable thief, mages, and rangers from the blast. But some pieces of equipment became damaged beyond repair.
Luka immediately started healing the worst injuries amongst his fellow students and worked backward to treat the lightest injuries last. He ignored the shimmering portal, which sudd
enly appeared at the center of the arena. The healer slowly peeled off the armor pieces and set them aside to treat the wounds.
Luka ordered Bel and Gripper to keep watch in case new monsters entered the arena. He felt this was unlikely but wished to ensure his party's safety.
Kherherac cautiously approached the dark gnomes and confiscated their equipment. He carefully took apart the rifle and began to study its inner workings. The hobbyist received inspiration and planned to modify the potent weapon for human hands.
A handful of the party members sustained mental injuries from the explosion and became restless and anxious. They experienced heightened fear and hid behind other students. Loud noises made them scream, and this behavior shocked the rest of the class.
Luka believed they suffered from post-traumatic stress and gave medicine to help the patients sleep.
"Can you heal them?" Terrwyn asked in a low voice.
Luka sighed aloud. "My magic has limitations in treating mental illness. The best treatment for them is time and rest. We should camp here for the night and see how they feel tomorrow morning," he recommended.
"Okay," the class rep nodded. Terrwyn worried that the four stricken students, including Evanora, wouldn't be able to continue exploring the dungeon with the rest of the Elite Class. She considered leaving them behind on this floor but held off on making a final decision.
* * *
The overseers inside the Control Room watched Luka perform his duties as a healer with mixed emotions. Finally, Cloten felt the need to speak up. "Headmaster, why did you purposely send out those gadgeteers to ambush the kids?" To the nobleman's credit, his demeanor remained calm despite the burning rage within his heart.
Ladis looked around the room to gauge the other supervisors' reaction to this accusation. He smiled politely at Lord Evans and said, "I think you misjudged the last wave's actions. The dark gnomes possess high intelligence. When they saw enemies surrounding the opening, the soldiers acted appropriately to defend themselves."
"You mean to say that the students were at fault for crowding the gate and deserved getting blown away?" Talaza asked provocatively.
"I think the students deserved what happened to them," Jordan spoke out in support of the headmaster. "The kids got ahead of themselves and relaxed their guard just because they successfully fought off three monster waves. I hate seeing our youngsters get injured, but they received a good lesson from this encounter with the gnomes."
Kilmar nodded his agreement. "Our children learn better from their failures. They sought to ambush the last group of monsters but received one instead. Their leaders made an error in judgment. They never considered using Luka's illusionary magic to hide their positions. Instead, the kids stood out in the open for anyone to take potshots. I would have done the same if I was with the gnomes. The students have no one to blame but themselves for their injuries," he declared.
Cloten shook his head. "The purpose of this freshmen field trip is to test our students' physical and magical abilities as well as decisionmaking. We cannot harm them grievously and force our kids to abandon their adventure. That's why I can't agree with having an arena on the third floor and making students defeat four waves of monsters," he explained.
"Your heart is in the right place, and I appreciate your passionate advocacy for the students' well-being," Pope Demetrius replied. "I'm also concerned with the difficulty of the dungeon so early in this field trip. We should strive to find a balance between challenging our kids and harming them outright."
"That said, I believe the dungeon's difficulty level is too high for the freshmen. I strongly urge that we make the next level a simpler one for the visitors to pass through," he proposed.
"That's fine," Headmaster Ladis agreed immediately. "I intended to let the students coast the fourth floor anyway."
Lord Evans breathed a sigh of relief because he had worried that the next level would increase in difficulty. Thankfully, the church leader supported his view and convinced the dungeon master to make the fourth floor easier for the students. He glanced at the pope, who smiled politely. The two inadvertently worked in tandem to reach the same goal.
* * *
After supper, Luka quietly sat beside Terrwyn. "I seek permission to scout ahead on the next floor," he said.
The class representative looked at Luka with a blank expression. "Explain," she demanded. A maelstrom of thoughts plagued Terrwyn's mind, and she became angry at him. However, she wished to understand his thoughts before rejecting his proposal.
"The dark gnomes' ambush hurt our class in several ways. First, the explosion damaged your equipment and rendered them unusable right now. You will need time to repair the armor pieces individually. The work won't finish in just one night, and I expect our classmates to spend at least two days. Moving ahead without access to proper equipment is tantamount to suicide. That's why I think the party should remain at the arena for at least another day while I scout ahead and survey the fourth floor."
"Second, a portion of our members sustained mental injuries; they cannot fight effectively or even follow your instructions properly. So the dilemma we face now is how to deal with our incapacitated people. We could leave them behind on this floor or drag them along but expect no further contribution."
"In terms of safety, injured members should remain here. But doing so may violate your code of knighthood. Even worse, opposing factions may denounce the Marshal and suggest that he didn't teach you properly."
"On the other hand, bringing the injured along may endanger the entire party. Your decisions and actions should consider their safety. If I scout ahead, I will discover the dangers we face on the next floor and figure out how to bypass them," Luka explained.
"But what if the enemies find you? You would face them alone. I'm not opposed to your idea, but I want to send someone with you," Terrwyn replied.
Luka shook his head. "I'll bring Bel and Gripper along. I know their skillsets, and we work extremely well as a team. With my pets coming along, they will ensure my safety."
The class rep thought for a moment. Terrwyn hated the notion of sending Luka ahead alone. But frankly, the only person Terrwyn would send with Luka was Kherherac. However, the thief was busy studying the gnomes' gadgets and modifying them for his use. If Kherherac succeeds in this task, then his war potential would increase exponentially. Thus, Terrwyn declined to make him leave with Luka.
"Fine. But promise me that you won't take unnecessary risks. Also, you won't move beyond the next level without us," the party leader demanded. Terrwyn worried that Luka would ditch the party and become a solo adventurer.
"I promise."
Chapter 64
Morninglory Dungeon (Part 5)
Luka suppressed his giddiness and turned his face away from Terrwyn. "I'm going ahead," he said and entered the portal.
Wickkuil had eavesdropped on the conversation but remained silent. Once the troublesome person departed, the beastman approached the class rep. "Is it wise to let Luka go by himself?" he expressed his doubt freely.
Terrwyn sighed. "Honestly, we're holding him down. Luka is a veteran adventurer with superb survival instincts. When he heard the whistling, Luka warned us to drop to the floor immediately. I barely reacted in time to avoid injury from the explosion."
"And he raised an important point: my background as a noble and a knight requires me to take our injured classmates along. If I abandon them, then their families will spread malicious rumors about my character and upbringing. For once, I wished that Luka was the class representative so that he would be stuck with the fallout instead of me," she laughed helplessly.
"Why didn't you ask me to go with him?" Wickkuil asked. He possessed superior hearing and instincts as a beastman. Therefore, he reflexively ducked in time and avoided the grenade blast. His armor and weapon were in good shape. Wickkuil could have joined Luka's mission to scout ahead if Terrwyn made the request.
The girl shook her head. "Your social standing is simila
r to mine. If you abandon Kelgra to go with Luka, then the Honorhide family would complain to other beastmen and question your honor. That could trigger a clan war between the Orcarmour and other noble houses. It's not worth the risk for your family to score a few more points in your student evaluations," Terrwyn noted.
Wickkuil saluted with a left fist over his heart. "Thank you for your consideration."
"I'm the class rep; I should look out for your interests," she replied.
Kherherac suddenly appeared from behind. "Could you guys stop flirting? Your classmates are trying to sleep," he admonished them with a wide grin.
Terrwyn blushed while Wickkuil turned away with a scowl.
* * *
Luka stood motionless as he stared at the horizon. The last thing he expected to encounter was an endless sea!
Bel and Gripper ran into the water and began to scrub their bodies and remove the accumulated filth caking their fur. The duo also splashed water on each other.
Luka ignored their silly frolicking and turned around. He stood on a remote island dotted with large palm trees inland and a sandy beach subject to erosion from the tides. The mage used Void Step to ascend the sky. He hovered over the island and began to explore. The scout was very surprised at the lack of inhabitants.
Luka used Spatial Sense to verify that the monsters were absent from this place. He concentrated and extended his detection to its limits. However, the explorer couldn't find anything other than water. Moreover, there were no fishes or different marine life underneath the surface.
The mage used Touch the Horizon to instantly move twenty miles north; this was his upper limit because the magic required the caster to see the target destination. Luka repeated this spell five times before he struck an invisible wall!
The mage winced at the pain from his flattened nose and briefly lost his concentration. He fell from his current height of a thousand feet above the water. After a few seconds, Luka stopped his freefall, and he cast Void Step anew. The mage slowly walked up invisible steps and regained his altitude. He reached out with his hand to press against the invisible barrier.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 52
