Immediately down in the labyrinth and they already handled three different hostile groups. Neyvahn didn't want to think just what else they might run into down in the chasms. Seriously... no more than ten minutes in and they had already encountered a pack of mole-badgers, other armed explorers, and wall tentacles. I was so ridiculous that it was almost stupid. And of course Neyvahn was the one to deal with the tentacles... out of all things.
The trio had been making their way around for about thirty minutes at this point. The lacrima had really helped keep them from places they knew were dead ends, but they still came across some nonetheless. The process was tedious and testing. Neyvahn considered going back to the place they entered from, but it was a bit late for that now. With the progress they made so far, he was actually getting quite invested in the task. His interest in the outcome was just too over-possessive compared to his desire to give up. Besides, what kind of impression would that leave on Magna and Kiru? Neyvahn already knew that he was weaker compared to others similar to him, so it'd only worsen if he proved to everyone that as an addition to his physical and magical weakness, he was also quick to give up. Neyvahn wasn't. He continued on with the job. Not worth it to give up now.
By now, the trio had to be relatively close to where they were going. They had been walking for a decent amount of time, and it felt like they had gotten in a good mile or two towards the destination in those thirty minutes. Unfortunately, Neyvahn's perception of the labyrinth's size may have been off. Neyvahn continued on, following wherever Kiru or Magna decided best.
They had begun traveling down a long straight section of the network of chasms when the group heard another multitude of footsteps and voices. More adventurers, or at least Neyvahn would guess. He reached back behind his right shoulder and grasped the hard leather hilt of his sword. With a satisfyingly smooth shing, the sword released from its scabbard. After a silent and peaceful thirty minutes, it was time to jump into the fray again. A few moments later, the group of adventurers turned a corner, bringing them into the line of sight of the trio and vice versa. By the looks of it, this group of adventures was much larger than the one Kiru attacked, probably twice the amount of armed assailants. Each group was about 50 meters from each other, leaving more than enough room for a heroic charge. However, Neyvahn wouldn't get the immediate chance to do so.
From the wall, another problem emerged, one Neyvahn was reluctantly familiar with. Before the pale tentacles even had a chance to grab at him, he sprinted away. "You guys have fun with those!" he said, motioning to the tentacles flailing around the gap in the chasm. Needless to say, Neyvahn would rather fight a small army of tools than deal with those stupid things again.
Kei interrupted Neyvahn before he could go back to his charge towards the group of adventurers. They were not charging him, so it made Neyvahn look like a total idiot. "Slow down and put away your sword, you barbarian," Kei said. "You're too eager to get yourself killed."
Albeit reluctantly, Neyvahn grumbled and sheathed his sword, slowing to a walking speed. "How likely do you think they are to just let us pass? They probably know that we're more competition anyways..."
"Just try."
Neyvahn rolled his eyes and kept walking. "You're the one who's gonna get me killed." Neyvahn was within 20 meters at this point, and he could distinguish some of the closest adventurer's expressions. Confused and amused. Great, more arrogant pricks. Regardless of how well Neyvahn could convince them, they'd probably still end up swinging their swords. Even Kei wouldn't be able to sweet talk them enough. Now Neyvahn was within 5 meters of the group, and the stench of sweat was beginning to itch his nose. Great, arrogant smelly pricks.
The closest goon raised his eyebrow and folded his burly arms. "Hey buddy, a bit far from the furry convention, aren't ya?" As if on cue, the majority of goons roared with laughter.
Neyvahn wasn't nearly as amused. He grumbled under his breath a few unkind words before speaking up, his white tail flicking slowly behind him. "Very funny, now I'm gonna make this clear."
"I don't think you're going-"
"You're after the contractor aren't you?"
A few goons' brows lowered and the laughing became slightly quieter. "Wouldn't a pipsqueak like you want to know?"
Blockheads, weren't they? The lack of any ability to deduct was all Neyvahn needed to know that these guys had no intent to ask questions... or answer them. No point in starting up a conversation. "It's obvious you are, and if only you had any trace of intelligence, then you'd realize that we were too. Now, I have no intent on sharing the reward with some senseless goons, so you're going to have to leave, unless you want to get knocked silly."
"... Uhh... you're kidding right?" All thirty goons broke out into uproarious laughter, their voices echoing off the rocky sides of the chasm. "You, a little kitty wannabe, taking down thirty of the strongest soldiers of dragon fang!? You're even more out of your mind than I thought you were! Hahaha, out of all the things I'd see in this place, I didn't think a mentally challenged boy would be one of them!"
Okay, enough chit chat.
Neyvahn lunged forward and planted a fist dead center in the man's sternum. The helpless bastard flew back a few feet and landed on his ass. "The hard way it is, then." The front row of armed men ran and surrounded Neyvahn. Behind them, the next row of fighters surrounded, creating a sea of enemies with Neyvahn at the center. The first couple attackers closest to Neyvahn had axes and swords. Neyvahn pulled out his own sword and blocked an incoming attack from the swordsman, then strafed to the side to avoid an overhead axe swing. Unfortunately, another sword user got a good swing in on his side. The leather armor Neyvahn wore softened the blow, but the word 'discomfort' was just a bit weak to explain the pain.
By now, more than half of the goons were within 5 meters of Neyvahn, trying their best to take all the credit. With a growl, Neyvahn uttered a single word. "Naisutorai." The air rapidly expanded from Neyvahn and blasted right into the goons, sending them flying back into the canyon walls with a thud. A few of them flew quite a distance and landed heavily on their backs. With some breathing room, Neyvahn deemed it appropriate to go on the attack now. He ran forward and attacked the first man on his feet, bashing him in the head with the bottom of the hilt of his sword. The man reeled back with a yelp before we was knocked out cold with a swift heel kick to the cheekbone. Three other attackers got back on their feet and charged for Neyvahn. Two with long swords, one with two hatchets. Neyvahn switched tactics, running perpendicular away from them towards another man getting up. As expected, they gave chase and ran after him. Once the other man got onto his feet, Neyvahn grabbed him by the collar and chucked him at the three attackers. The cover gave him just enough to flank around and land a solid swing right into the curve of an axe-wielder's back. The man let out a voiceless yelp before falling to the ground. The hatchet man turned and started swinging quick and feverish attempts to hit Neyvahn. Soon enough, an opening presented itself and allowed Neyvahn to take a step forward and hold both of the man's wrist, headbutting him hard and throwing in a complimentary punch to the nose.
Neyvahn almost forgot the other two that were up as a heavy axe swung right where his neck was. Fortunately, the strike only nicked the collar of his armor and left his neck untouched. Neyvahn turned around with his sword and lodged the blade in the man's leg. He screamed for a second before Neyvahn bashed him in the head with the hilt of his sword. One after another, Neyvahn whittled down the group's conscious numbers to ten, and even those guys were questioning themselves now. Twenty men were on the chasm floor, either unconscious or groaning with Neyvahn standing right in the center of the whole mess. One of the ten men was the first fool that made fun of Neyvahn. He was panting hard, barely able to stand up. Neyvahn just grinned a little and shrugged his shoulders. "I tried to warn you."
With a final stretch to prove his point, Neyvahn leaped forwards and quickly handled each and every last one of the standing men with simple blunt force from either his legs, arms, or sword. One fell from a swift hilt to the temple, another was knocked down with the breath taken from his lungs, and another was crawling on the floor crying with a red line down his left leg. One of the last men ran forward with two daggers, but Neyvahn quickly 'disarmed' him and left him on the ground. "Keep pressure on the stub," he advised, walking towards the last man standing. It was the first fool that made fun of him. However, no more amusement was left on the mans face. His mouth hung wide open, his eyes larger than saucers.
Neyvahn sheathed his sword and glared at the man. "Left cheek or right cheek?"
"... U-Uhh... I-I didn't... PLEASE DON'T-" Neyvahn cut him off with a swift jab to the nose, knocking him out cold.
"Jeez, no bite for this dog." Neyvahn dusted his hands off and walked back over to Magna and Kiru. During that fight, he had suffered a couple hits, but it wasn't anything too serious. He had no doubt that they had easily dealt with the tentacles. After all, he only saw two when they first popped up. With a quick break to catch his breath, Neyvahn readjusted his chest plating and met back up with the two mages.
The last group the trio had encountered held a lacrima with a map in progress of the labyrinth. Perhaps they could find something similar in this group. It was much larger, so they had to have something worth value along with them that would help Kiru, Magna, and Neyvahn on their way to the contractor. It was a more than likely possibility considering the nature of the labyrinth. Even for a group of thirty fighters, it would be an idiot's decision to come unprepared and unequipped. The silver-haired bakeneko pointed a thumb back at the groaning masses of unconscious travelers while keeping his attention on Kiru and Magna. "Should we search these guys too? They probably have something useful along with them."
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