There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends who become family.
***
POV Rose
I couldn't believe it. The two new young men hadn't just held their own—they had overwhelmed men who were bigger and more experienced than them. The most impressive part was that their eyes hadn't wavered for a single moment. Even if those men were more braggarts than competent fighters, judging by all the raids we had done together, they weren't opponents that inexperienced newcomers could take on.
But it had happened, and at the same time, it meant that these two newcomers were frighteningly talented. They had even entered the dungeon without bothering about the others, as if the two of them were enough. Even though the rift was low-level, they were probably overestimating their strength, so I decided to follow them.
"Rose, where are you going?" Atal called out to me, his face red with anger.
"I'm going to help them. Come on."
"Let those snot-nosed bastards fend for themselves!" he barked like a rabid dog.
"They might need help. They could even lose their lives."
"Good, they'll get what they deserve!"
"I see."
Wounded in their pride and refusing to admit they were wrong, they wanted revenge by leaving them to fend for themselves. Or else they were sure the two newcomers would die in there, which was not the behavior of mature adults. What a bunch of bastards! I resolutely decided to enter the portal, while Atal started shouting after me in rage. But honestly, he could go to hell, him and his sexist, disparaging remarks.
I passed through the portal, with that same strange sense of movement and the feeling of passing through a heavy wall of water. On the other side, I saw that we were in a swamp where the water came up to our knees. The water was a dirty color, green and yellow, and because of that, you couldn't see anything. On top of that, a light fog hung in the air. Who knew what danger might be lurking here? On my guard, I began making my way through the swamp, looking around for Kevin and Arthur. But I didn't see them, which probably meant they had moved ahead while I was having that brief conversation with Atal.
Still, they couldn't be far, and as if to prove me right, I heard the cries of beasts in the distance.
"Shit!"
I rushed in that direction, the splashing of the water accompanying my steps, which were partly hindered by the swamp. Something suddenly touched my leg. Panicking, I tried to strike back. However, there was no need. To my surprise, I saw that the thing that had bumped into me was the lifeless body of a lizardman.
It was floating on the surface, its body covered in thick scales the same color as the swamp water, and blood was seeping out of it, tinting the water red. As I moved toward the noise through the fog and the marsh, the lifeless bodies of lizardmen multiplied. Little by little, the blood began to overtake the natural color of that dirty water.
The bodies had been pierced, clean strikes to vital spots, while some were missing a head, an arm or a leg. Sometimes even several at once; others had been cut clean in two, spilling all the monsters' entrails, which now floated on the surface. It was truly a spectacle as impressive as it was macabre.
"Don't tell me it was them!"
I soon had my answer. As I drew closer to the sounds, I got close enough that the fog no longer blocked my view. My heart raced when I saw the scene unfolding before me. Both of them were locked in combat with more than thirty lizardmen armed with crude spears, who had them surrounded. However, every time one of the two boys brought down his blade, one of the monsters lost its life. The monsters' blood streamed down their swords before tinting the water a crimson color.
Arthur was using a white steel blade, while Kevin wielded a magnificent, sinister black sword. The two of them stood side by side, covering each other's weaknesses, establishing a solid defense. They moved in an incredibly coordinated way, their blades flowing with great fluidity. It was like a gracefully executed waltz.
However, it wasn't just graceful; it was also deadly. With every step, with every twirl of their swords, a monster lost its life. A severed arm, a cleanly detached head, a body cut through with a single blow—everything flew through the air before crashing back down into the water.
"You're not going to tell me these are newcomers who are just starting out!"
I couldn't believe it, but just when I thought I'd seen it all, about twenty more lizardmen headed toward them. I was about to run over to join them, but I stopped when a black light appeared before my eyes.
I was captivated. That light was coming from Kevin's sword, a sinister light that turned into flames dancing along the blade. Then there was a slight blast, accompanied by a whistling sound. A black streak split the air, heading straight for the lizardmen. When the attack reached them, half of them were cut in two.
"In… Incredible!"
Then I saw Arthur charge at the rest of the monsters; his sword burst into bright red flames. Several halos of fire shot out from his blade. The lizardmen they hit immediately caught fire. Cries of pain rose from the creatures burning alive. They immediately tried to put themselves out by diving into the water, but they were all paralyzed. Blue lightning spread everywhere, exploding like fireworks.
"A double master!" I shouted, shocked.
The term "master" refers to an awakened who has mastered an element. There are different elements: water, fire, earth, lightning, wind, healing, transformation, and finally the rarest, light and darkness. Before I could even recover from the shock, Arthur killed every remaining monster with a precise blow, taking their lives while they were paralyzed. It was a massacre; there was no other word for it. More than a hundred lizardmen had just been wiped out.
POV Kevin
Arthur came back to me, a radiant smile lighting up his face, to which I replied with a knowing smile. Around us, corpses floated in the red water.
"Pretty easy, right?" he said.
"Stop showing off," I replied.
"You sure showed off when you taught those three morons a lesson in class," he retorted.
"Admit it was cool, though!"
"Hell yeah, it was cool."
"Cooler than you?"
"Don't push it or I'll electrocute you," he said, lightning floating in the air.
"OK, OK!" I laughed.
While the two of us were laughing, someone approached: it was Rose, who had followed us.
"You two—who are you?" Rose asked, looking at us like circus freaks.
Arthur and I looked at each other before answering her:
"Two high school students."
"Stop messing with me, you monsters!"
"So, why did you follow us?"
"Well, I wanted to give you a hand, but apparently you don't really need it."
"True, but tell me, where are the others? Let me guess: they stayed outside, hoping we'd die?" Arthur guessed with a smirk.
"Good deduction."
"Either way, are you with us?"
"Of course. I'd much rather be with you than with them. It's not a hard choice."
"Good. In that case, let's finish this dungeon, the three of us."
Without further ado, we continued on our way, running into a whole string of lizardmen. Roots with sharp thorns rose up by the dozens, with a few beautiful red roses.
"Wood mastery," Arthur observed.
"Let me show you what I'm capable of too! Macabre Bramble!" she declared, determined.
The brambles lunged at the monsters, which tried to cut them, but they kept growing back like weeds. There were now more than 40 of them rising menacingly into the air. Mercilessly, they trapped several lizards in their sharp thorns, wounding some fatally, while others ended up pierced from every side. Still others were dismembered in midair in a macabre fashion, accompanied by cries of agony, while their blood fell like a downpour.
Completely overwhelmed, the lizardmen began to flee toward the back of the dungeon. However, Rose, continuing her show of strength, had no intention of letting them escape.
"Giant Thorn Rain!"
The thorns on the brambles began to grow before our eyes, now reaching the size of a sword. The gigantic thorns then broke off and were sent flying at the fleeing lizards. They all ended up relentlessly skewered, like kebabs.
"What an impressive power, and well used," I had to admit.
"Isn't it?" she boasted.
"Tell me, haven't you been carrying those other idiots a little too much?"
"Probably, but in a small town like ours, it's a bit hard to find good adventurers. So I have to admit I was forced to team up with them, since they're the least bad," she admitted.
"I see. Anyway, let's finish this dungeon," I said as we approached the boss.
I could sense it in the distance, a mana more powerful than that of the lizardmen we had faced before. So we kept advancing through the dungeon, where we finally came face-to-face with our last opponents. A hundred lizardmen were staring at us, their reptilian eyes shining with a cold glow.
In the middle of them stood a creature that immediately caught our attention. It stood three heads taller than the others, an imposing and terrifying figure that dominated the room. Its scales were more protruding, harder, almost like natural armor. Around its neck it wore ornaments made of skulls, and it was armed with a trident.
Arthur and I tightened our grips on our swords, ready to dive into the imminent clash, while behind us a sea of thorns and brambles had materialized, ready to embrace its enemies without the slightest ounce of mercy.
"You've got our backs, Rose?"
"With pleasure!" she replied with a smile.
Arthur and I threw ourselves into the melee fiercely, just as the first wall of lizardmen advanced toward us. Our two swords began to move like snakes seeking the slightest gap in the lizardmen's guard. Every strike was deadly precise, targeting exposed spots. Rushing into their weaknesses, our swords tore through our opponents' flesh without the slightest mercy. Blood gushed from the wounds like a fountain. The monsters cried out in pain before collapsing lifeless like puppets with their strings cut.
Despite being outnumbered, Arthur and I covered each other, parrying the attacks coming from our blind spots whenever one of us was in danger. We watched over each other like blood brothers, like twins. We moved as if we were connected by a mysterious force, as if we were one. Our fluid, deadly movements decimated our enemies as if they were miserable insects that could be crushed at any moment.
Our new comrade also played her role wonderfully. By supporting us effectively with her brambles, she only allowed a small number of lizards to reach us. In fact, she used her skills to manage the flow of opponents coming at us. That way, Arthur and I only had to fight about ten to fifteen lizardmen at a time. However, Rose wasn't content with that: she also killed many lizardmen with her brambles and thorns. The poor lizards caught in them tried to struggle, but unfortunately for them, it was already too late.
In the end, only the boss was left, having watched its soldiers die without moving.
Finally, we found ourselves in front of that imposing lizardman, our clothes and faces stained with blood. It tightened its grip on its trident. With a swift burst, we closed the distance.
With a powerful motion, it swung its trident. Its reach was quite long, but I was able to dodge it, unlike Arthur, who was forced to parry the attack, which sent him flying several meters. I rushed into what should have been an opening, but the monster's massive tail was already targeting me.
However, I was simply going to cut it off. Seth lit up with a black light, and in an instant, I severed its tail. It fell to the ground while the monster screamed in pain. Immediately afterward, explosions of fire went off, engulfing its body.
It was Arthur, who had seized the opportunity. With the monster stunned, I didn't waste a second either. At lightning speed, I aimed for its Achilles tendons. It didn't have time to understand that its imposing body was already collapsing to its knees, while I was back beside Arthur. The monster looked at us, on its knees, its last support being its trident.
It was the end: my sword and Arthur's lit up as we concentrated our mana. And all at once, a red blade and a black blade shot out of our swords. The lizardman tried to protect itself with its trident, but it was futile. The red blade went straight through its trident before passing through its abdomen, while the black blade passed through its neck.
The lizardman gave us one last look before its abdomen and head came apart and fell into the water, creating a pool of blood. Arthur and I looked at each other with big smiles before fist-bumping.
***
True friendships are forged through adversity, creating a solid bond.