LRAB Chapter 106: Into Darkness
Chapter 106: Into Darkness
Chapter 106: Into Darkness
Well, Im out, Bel said, walking away from the rest of the group. Sorry, but its not worth it. Group trials are tough enough. It was fun, but from here on, youre on your own.
The girl disappeared moments later, leaving only Arthurows, Falkner, and Dallion behind.
The odds didnt seem good. While Dallion knew he could rely on Falknerwho had also proven to be the strongest in the grouphe had serious misgivings about Arthurows. To put it mildly, Arthurows was a slacker. Little wonder he had failed five times in a row. Personally, Dallion was amazed that he hadnt left already.
Falkner? Dallion asked.
The boy hesitated. For several seconds he stood there, motionless, then slowly shook his head.
Sorry, he whispered. Im not allowed to do this. Ill have to end here as well. Soon he was gone.
Might as well stop, Dallion thought. With two people, they had already entered impossible territory. Even if Arthurows somehow became reliable, there was no way they could fight off whatever was coming, while also protecting the echo, and do it all in darkness to boot.
Dallion clenched his fists. He very much wanted to get the dagger. Not so much because of its awakened formthere was a different reason entirely.
That settles it, Arthurows said with a smile to no ones surprise. Thanks for the ride, Dal. Good luck with whatever you decide. The blink of the eye later and Dallion was alone with the echo.
Three levels a group of five people equipped with better weapons than Dallion had thought possible, while in his village, and they had only managed to clear three levels. And those were the easy levels. The remaining two would be far more difficult and completely unknown.
Is the headache gone? Vend asked, ending Dallions chain of thought.
Err. Dallion snapped back to reality. Err, yes, much better, he lied. The pain was still there, wrapped like a band round his head. So, this is it? he asked. Theres no way I could guard you and fight on.
Are you sure you want to? You saw what it was like fighting a copyette. The next two guardians are stronger. Without anyone guarding you, do you think you have a chance? Even with your music skills?
Maybe. As long as the guardians dont counter me, why not?
You cant rely on something not happening. For all you know maybe every guardian from here on has the ability to counter music attacks. Youve already passed the trial, and on your first time. You should be proud.
The pride of mediocrity is nothing but a loss. Dallion managed to muster a smile. That was something his father used to say back on Earth. There were times in which Dallion hated the phrase, but he had to admit his old man was right. Quitting how would be regarded as half a victory at best. If I fail, can I reserve the dagger for next time?
Huh? Vend tilted his head.
If I continue and dont make it to the end of level four, Ill fail the trial, right?
Those are the rules.
After that, can you put the dagger away? I want to have another go at it next time.
There was a long moment of silence, after which the echo erupted in laughter. For half a minute he continued. Unable to stop. Meanwhile, Dallions mood shifted from surprise to annoyance, to outright embarrassment.
As the strings vibrated, four blue markers emerged, moving towards the tip of the harpsisword in unison. This was a very welcome surprise for Dallion, who got the timing right without issue. The experience hed received during this trial, not to mention the levels of music improvement, was already a huge bonus even if he ended up failing the selection trial.
The third time he played the chord, Dallion started noticing certain changes in the target. While the creature remained in its original place, one of its emotions had vanished, requiring only three strings to be played.
Nice, Dallion thought, slowly stepping forward. Maybe he had a chance at this after all.
Step by step, he moved closer, until his music skills allowed him to see the entire creature.
Species: Jackalope
Class: Earth
Statistics: 100% HP
Skills: Antler rush
Weak spots: none
This wasnt the first time Dallion had heard of the mythological creature. Back on Earth, he had even composed memes with it. Seeing it in person was outright terrifying. If the creature was supposed to be half rabbit, half antelope, this world definitely hadnt received the memo. The size of a bear, the creature indeed had a lot of rabbit featuresears and nose mostlyalthough it was also equipped with hooves and the largest set of antlers Dallion thought possible. The thing alone could slice him up, acting simultaneously as a shield and a collection of swords.
You must have some weakness, Dallion played another chord. His ears were ringing from the pressure. His head felt as if it had been a standing of a rugby championship. And yet, he persisted. One kill, that was all he needed. If he could keep the creature frozen for long enough for him to get into attack range, he could slash its head off with one strike or so he hoped.
Upon playing a fifth cord, the unexpected happened. Without warning, the giant jackalope collapsed to the ground. The silhouette remained visible, as did the blue hues within the creature itself. The vibrations, though, had stopped.
Got you! Dallion swung the harpsisword at the creature. He could feel it slice through bone before stopping in the tunnel floor. Moments later, the white rectangle disappeared.
It had worked! Despite the splitting headache, Dallion had managed to kill his first level four creature, and had done so on his own. All he needed now was a bit of rest and
FATAL WOUND
Your health was reduced by 75%
There was a sharp shot of pain. Dallion knew that he was done for. With all the health he had lost in the levels before, a seventy-five percent reduction was enough to deplete what was left, or at the very least leave him on a sliver.
How? Dallion turned to the side. There was only darkness there, yet in the darkness a white rectangle appeared. Then another, and another, and another. A whole wave of jackalope rectangles emerged. Dallion was certain he hadnt felt their presence a moment ago, so how
An antler sliced through him, causing everything to disappear.
Crap! Dallion jumped back, only to slam into the wall of the very small testing room.
The rest of the party looked in his direction. From everyones perspective, only a moment had passed since the start of the trial. In the real world, everything had ended the moment they had touched the dagger. Unlike the others, though, Dallion was the only one who had failed the selection trial.