An Assassin's Adventure: The Great Conjunction

Chapter 8: Stampede

The Loki familia was having quite a bad day.

Unexpectedly, they had encountered a new form of monster at the entrance to the 50th floor. Kaleidoscopic caterpillars ambushed them and melted the flesh of a few unfortunate members, using their purple acidic secretions to scatter them. The brutes of the company had been demoted to mere diversions, as even the viscera of the slithering maggots caused immense damage to living flesh. They could not risk crippling themselves, nor the destruction of their supplies.

An elven mage held a white mithril staff upwards; inhuman beauty reflected from the nine magic stones embedded within it.

«Rea Laevateinn!»

Branching red lines sprouted from a complex magic circle below her and encircled the insidious monsters before the company. Biblical fire-filled tornadoes ensued and shredded everything in their path.

Jade green hair whipped about in the gale force winds, generated by the annihilation magic. This was Riveria Ljos Alf, the most powerful mage in the world. Thanks to her magic, there were no casualties today. It had been a harrowing experience, nonetheless.

Their trials were not over; however, as their immense strength and numbers backfired later on. Grey stone walls towered around the loki familia members as they made their ascent through the barren landscape of the 17th floor.

*Crack* *Crack* *Crack* ...

A multitude of minotaurs erupted from their fiery birthplace and surrounded the shocked adventurers.

*Graaaaaaggh!*

"It's a monster party!" Less experienced members, like the level 4 adventurer Raul Nord, were at their wit's end. His short black hair ruffled as he looked at the creatures surrounding them.

"They're all minotaurs..." The level 5 'sword princess', Ais Wallenstein, remarked impassively as if they were a harmless herd of cattle. She wore a light set of silver coloured armour over a white dress; long blue boots came up to her thighs.

"What should we do, captain? There's kinda a lot of them". Tione Hiryute was also unimpressed by the entourage. Her long black hair and sky-blue earrings glistened in the light. Her red outfit was quite revealing, showcasing a voluptuous figure that was typical for an amazoness. It was a wonder how she wasn't cold.

"Right, just get rid of them quickly." Finn Deimne recognised the potential danger of a monster party to others. Despite their individual weakness, it would be difficult to dispose of all of them. He was far more well dressed than the dark-skinned girl beside him, wearing a purple shirt and bronze-coloured light armour. A long black and golden staff went beyond his short blond hair and surpassed even his own height. He stood at only 119 cm, a pallum, but was not to be underestimated, as he was one of the strongest level 6 in existence.

"Now you're talking!" The other Hiryte sister, Tiona Hiryute, cried out in glee and skipped to the closest beast to her. Her short messy black hair, and orange skirt, swayed as she went. She was a little shorter than her sister and... not at all well-endowed.

The Minotaur looked down, red eyes gleaming. It huffed in confusion at the bug that approached it. Tiona held her hands behind her back as she leaned forwards and spoke in a sing song voice.

"~Are you ready?~"

Quicker than the eye could see, she launched a roundhouse kick into the monster's jaw, dislocating it. The bull disappeared into black smoke before her foot even returned to the ground.

*Crack*

A crack sounded out as the other twin grasped at the horns of another Minotaur and broke its neck, killing it instantly. The cattle stepped back, mortified. Such a quick disposal sent the rest of the large herd stampeding to the upper floors above, causing shockwaves to reverberate across the floor.