Coerced Into Altruism In The Dungeon

The effect had been instantaneous.

Black blood splattered every which way, and Noin didn't even let out a cry nor a shout as half of her face was dyed in the same.

Her mind felt like it was in a daze, like there was far too much sensory data for her to process, and she was stuck in a state where she only understood half of it. She was surprised, not to mention confused, and the reason why lay in front of her, which for her life, she struggled to accept as real.

It was the sight of a very large quad-pedal creature screaming, kicking, writhing, and rolling on the ground, each step coming from those arachnid-type legs causing violent tremors to shoot into the loose mess of dirt and rocks all around it. The dirt kicked up into a cloud, making her surroundings past the rampaging creature harder to see, but she was far too shocked to even think of looking anywhere else other than the abyssal monster roaring in unimaginable pain.

And the cause, her brain tried to reason, was likely the gaping hole that now took the place of its right eye. The edges of it were crusted over with darkened blood. Long narrow limbs made desperate swipes at the injury, perhaps to do something to try to staunch the pain, or maybe even miraculously achieve sight once again, but those appendages did little more than scrape against its large head as it continued to struggle.

Noin would have thought she was watching a dog try to scratch its face with its forearm—if only the sight was so cute.

The monster, after realizing the fruitlessness of the endeavor, began to violently ram its head against the ground instead, which began to kick up even more dirt and dust.

Her brain finally restarted, and she took that as her cue to try to run away. Scrambling to her feet, scooping up her sword and shield in the same movement, she faced the direction she thought her team was in and began to run.

If only she decided to do that a little quicker.

Before she even managed to take a single step in retreat, a permeating growl drew her attention over, and it was just as she feared. Clearly not in the best shape, but still just as deadly, that monster was glaring at her from across the scant few meders that separated them. Wisps of dust seemed to obscure long legs and its massive body, but the same could not be said for the violent gleam of that singular crimson eye.

And it moved before Noin could even feel her heart drop to her stomach.

She didn't know if it was self-preservation or skill that had her hefting up the shield in time to protect her face, but either way, she was glad she managed. Her relief was short lived. Holding her shield with only one hand did nothing to repel the weight that knocked into it, and the stalwart tool crashed into her face, sending blood flying from her nose.

The next thing she knew, she was on her back, and she no longer felt the shield in her left hand. She forced power into her right instead, just in time to deflect a claw that stabbed downward from overhead. She just barely managed to catch the offending limb just before it pierced her brain, a shower of sparks being her reward as steel met the sleek onyx-colored claws. Next, the tail came from nowhere and batted at her arms, not only knocking her sword away, but nearly crushing the bones in her forearms. She cried out, or at least tried to, if the sight above her didn't turn it into a terrified whimper instead.

The monster's eye seemed to flash as its elongated maw loomed over her, opening wide, revealing rows upon rows of sharp teeth that looked all too happy to bite into her. A putrid smell assaulted her nose as well, but as much as she wanted to turn her face away, she couldn't. She was completely still, just laying there, feeling nothing but cold unrelenting waves of fear crash into her.

I-It's...It's going to eat me.

Her thoughts were a jumble.

The loud breathy gasps were too distracting. What was that noise? Oh, that was her. Her breathing... she realized she was hyperventilating. That realization only seemed to make her panic worse. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna—

CHINK.

A loud metallic sound rang from right next to her.

She froze, as did the monster about to sink its teeth into her head. And it was dreadfully strange, because that terrifying mouth actually decided to snap shut, too. Now, when its singular beady orb darted to the left, and when it even gave a low growl that could almost be mistaken for curiosity... Noin's own curiosity eventually won out as well.

Her head also craned to the side.

Just in time to see a pale green cylindrical tube roll along the dirt ground, stopping right as its cold surface hit her bare arm.

And then it exploded.

That was the last concrete thing she saw before white consumed her vision.

What happened next was a blur.

All she knew was that her senses felt like they were under attack as everything began to happen at once. Her lungs were invaded, and her breaths came out in wheezes. Idly, she thought she once again heard that thing's inhuman screeching, but couldn't make sense of why the sound was somehow getting farther away.

But her eyes, gods, her eyes stung so fiercely that she felt tears prick at them, even as she frantically tried to wipe them away. She hadn't noticed when she had closed them, but that was surely the right move. If it stung this bad with her eyes closed, she didn't want to test out how she might feel in opening them.

That's when something grabbed her, and when she even became weightless for a moment, raw panic gripped her. This impossibly doubled when she heard a voice, a muffled voice, resounding right next to her ear. "—why I hate escort missions. Hey, girlie, when I shot its fucking eye out, that was your cue to MOVE YOUR ASS."

"Who—?! Gack! Aggghh! Kahhh!"

Noin tried to speak, but the moment she did she descended into a violent coughing fit. That same foreign substance flooded inwards and instantly lingered awkwardly in her throat. She could even feel it settling in her chest. It was as if she just ingested something that didn't agree with her stomach.

What—What is this?! With what was assaulting her eyes and mouth, and even the foul stench that hung in the air, she had next to no idea what was going on. And as if on cue, her eyes began stinging again like crazy. They watered even more now. It wasn't unbearable, but it still burned something fierce, like getting pepper in her eye when she was cooking.

Her breathing naturally started to accelerate, even as winded as it was. However, the one sense she could still trust were her ears, and she desperately tried to once again catch that one voice she had heard. She... hadn't imagined it, right?

Her entire body jostled once more, the weightlessness growing even more pronounced, like she was flying through the air. But that felt wrong. She wasn't flying. The sound of footsteps thudding against the ground and the wind hitting her face were proof of that.

Someone was running, and they had her in their arms.

"Kay, I'm sure I don't have to tell you to keep your eyes closed. Oh good, you're already doing that. Wow, you look like shit. Ah, and don't start screaming. Not only is it really annoying, but that massive-ass monster is just going to come right back, so, like, can you not?"

Casual.

Casual and slightly chipper.

What the...?

The male sounding voice spoke in such a way, and close to her ear. It instantly made her want to shy away, but more than that... in this unbelievably harrow and tense situation, why in the gods did this person sound like that, like he was just talking about something dreadfully ordinary? Noin's mind stuttered and stalled as she failed to come up with an answer.

"Hey, you didn't die, right? Because that's kind of a no-go for me."

Punctuating his statement, he tightened his grip around her, holding her closer in his arms. Startled, she let out a noise before she could stop herself. "Hyah?!" Of course, the embarrassing sound she made had her immediately regretting it. Hands clamped over her own mouth as she felt her face burn.

Still, Noin pushed past this and struggled to say something, even if she immediately regretted it due to the god-awful taste still in the air.

"W-...What are you doing? Who are you?! A-And let me go! If you don't, I'll—!"

"You'll what? Writhe pathetically in my arms until you kill me from secondhand embarrassment?" He paused. "Wait. That actually sounds interesting. Let's see it."

Noin faltered, and her mouth clicked shut.

Was this person serious?

She might have voiced this question and whatever else she had for the person who was so suddenly touching her... but that thought was garbled and strangled as she violently started moving—no, as the man started running faster than before. "W-Where are you taking me?" Noin frantically asked instead.

"Would you believe me if I said safe and sound back to your team?"

Back to my te—?

Could she really believe that?

But it wasn't just that on her mind.

Even disregarding the question of just who this person was, how had he reached her so fast? If her team had been the ones to help her that first time, the condensed explosions that had knocked out an eye, too, then they would have been the first to reach her, not this person. That, and the gaseous attack that happened shortly after... had that been all him? She certainly thought she heard something along those lines, but...

"Was that... you? Were you the one who saved me?" Noin asked, her voice rising slightly.

"That's not the word I'd use, but I would certainly hope so. Otherwise, I just wasted a perfectly good canister of tear gas for no reason."

Tear... gas...?

The answer didn't do anything to ease the confounding swirl of emotions going through her. And that it was spoken to her flippantly, as if this person had no concerns whatsoever, also left her the wrong side of bewildered.

Just what kind of person had she gotten involved with?

Not only that, but Noin couldn't even open her eyes long enough to get a good look at him. No, even more importantly, just where was he taking her? Mild panic returned and her breathing quickened, which only seemed to worsen courtesy of that weird stuff in the air.

Actually, why was it only affecting her? How was this person completely fine? It was getting harder and harder to lessen her unease regarding the sudden turnaround of this situation. Should Noin try to escape? She had no idea who this person was. He might have saved her, but could she trust him implicitly just because of that? Right when such thoughts crossed her mind—

"You know... you're kinda heavy."

"W-What?!"

Noin was possibly getting closer and closer to her death or maybe a fate even worse, so it was hardly the time or the place, but that comment caught her so flat footed that she immediately sputtered out incoherently, completely tongue tied.

She wanted to believe she had misheard him, that no one would ever say such a thing in this situation, and to the face of someone they were carrying, but this person seemed to have a penchant for being crass even in the most serious of circumstances.

"Now hold on. I didn't call you fat. Wait. Ah, could it be that you're self-conscious about your weight?"

"Yes! Wait, no! I'm not! A-And stop trying to change the subject! Are you kidnapping me or not!?"

"No...?"

"Why do you sound so unsure?!"

"Well, I am taking you somewhere against your will, yeah, but it's not like I have any intention of harming you. From my perspective, I'm ignoring your protests because I feel it will better protect you. Also, why are you assuming I'd want to kidnap you to begin with? Isn't that kind of narcissistic? You shouldn't flatter yourself like that, lady. It's not healthy."

"..."

Silence. 

An oppressive silence hung over Noin, one she had no idea what to do with. Maybe it was because she was flabbergasted. Yes, that was a good word. Because she was so irrefutably flabbergasted, she could not even begin to construct a proper response to the words that had flitted into her ears.

Still, somehow, even in the midst of the wind continuing to sail past her face, as well as her chest and the burning of her eyes slowly starting to ease up, Noin actually managed to restart her brain enough to force the words she was honestly feeling without any censor.

"Are you... are you crazy?"

"I thought that much was obvious," he said without any delay, as if it was a totally normal thing to admit when he had already explicitly stated that he was trying to protect her. "I'm being forced to save a bunch of women from the clutches of some eldritch horror, all because some vague-ass message told me to, and that is all it took for me to start risking my life. And I'm taking it pretty fucking seriously I might add. So yeah. I am most certainly not within the realm of sanity or levelheaded thinking at the current moment. Got anything more to say?"

"I think... I think I want to go home."

He actually laughed at that, at least that's what she thought that sound was with her eyes closed.

"You and me both, lady. Oh, and would you look at that. We have arrived. You can open your eyes now."

Noin felt them come to a complete stop, and herself being lowered not long after. It wasn't an exaggeration to say she all but scrambled out of his grip the second she made contact with the ground, which was grass by the looks of it as she opened her eyes. She blinked several times, and she took immediate notice of a very large congregation of white, slowly wafting through the air a few meders away.

She stared at it dumbfounded for a second, because for all intents and purposes, it looked like a giant cloud. It certainly wasn't smoke, as it was much too bright, nor was it transparent or opaque enough to be steam or anything like it. Ah. What had he called it? Tear... gas? Now that she thought of it, it did make her eyes burn.

"Still with me?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah, sorr—"

Noin froze, the words completely dying in her throat.

The cold sweat that broke out on her skin was also far from comfortable, but that was nothing close to the sheer dread she felt when she caught eyes with the person with her—or rather, the lack of them.

There were two dark colorations of paint, ink, or something close to it, but either way, it was far from natural, just as was the red smile that widened over the entire bottom portion of the face she was currently looking at.

Before she knew it, Noin was already reaching for her hip, but she grasped at nothing, making her heart quite clearly skip a beat.

"Looking for this?"

Noin looked back and her breath caught.

Attached to the man's own hip, specifically attached to a very conspicuous golden belt, was a brown leather sheath, as well as the pommel of a very familiar weapon sticking out of it. He had her sword. This man, a masked man in an odd getup, had her weapon, and she had just been carried by him to an undisclosed location. The questions she had been wondering about; they all suddenly fell away, as they should have from the very moment she heard the sound of his voice—his male voice.

After all.

What men did Noin know were on the same floor as them? It had slipped her mind, but now it came crashing back. "Rudra," she whispered, all while knowing full well she was shaking like a leaf.

Her feet scampered backwards, but a tree blocked her from going any further.

"Rudra?" The masked face tilted, and now that she thought of it, it seemed all too fitting that a member of Evilus would wear such a thing. The dress clothes through her for a loop however, as those men were used to toughing it out in the dungeon, making them hardly practical. But she couldn't be certain about anything when it came to that maniacal band of familias.

So caught in her own fears, she almost missed it when the man spoke. 

"...Oh, right, forgot there was a twist like that. That's the group that trapped you all down here, right?" Not even phrased like a question, the strange man said it as if he was talking about something far away. He said it as if it had nothing to do with him. 

Noin fought the urge to recoil.

"Y-You, why are you--... they're you! You're one of them...!"

"And by them, you mean the group trying to kill you?"

"Yes!"

"Then here."

Something flew towards her, and she almost dodged out of the way, but it would have made her look like an idiot if she did. Saying it flew was hardly the right expression when it flopped unceremoniously on the ground in front of her. Her sword.

Noin looked back up at the man, disbelieving. "W-Why would—"

"Give your weapon back to you? Choose to bring you out of an environment that had you blinded and helpless? Wound that dinosaur-looking-thing preventing you from dying? Risk my life at all when I could have just watched from the sidelines and laughed? Yes, why would I do any of that? Oh, oh my god..." Gloved hands were suddenly brought to where his eerie mouth was located. "It's almost as if I'm not from Rudra to begin with...?!"

The sarcasm was so heavy within his voice that Noin would have felt insulted if her brain wasn't still whirring with possibilities of doubt... that this person was just trying to trick her, that she shouldn't let down her guard.

But, was that really the case?

Would an enemy really have done all that he had described?

Lips pressing into a thin line, Noin left his face, looking him over, properly this time.

Beyond the oddly formal clothes he was wearing, there was an odd dark and clearly metallic object behind him, held together by a single strap around his shoulder. She had never seen a weapon like that, certainly not one with such an odd shape and build, but something else caught her attention before she could think too deeply on it.

Noin stared, disbelievingly for a moment.

But since that allowed her thoughts to catch up with her, she naturally voiced what any sane person would say about what she was looking at.

"You... have a knife in your shoulder," she stated, trailing off weakly, for she did not know how else to sound, much less go about out saying it except for being completely blunt. "...And you're bleeding."

Sticking out of his right shoulder, was a handle with a very distinctive make, and she only recognized it because she had seen it countless times. The steel sticking out was wrapped in a white cloth, and at the butt of the blade, was a circular ring with a hole in the middle. It was definitely a kunai—disposable knives that a blonde member of her familia liked to use in tandem with her other weapon.

Regardless.

In the wake of her statement, all the masked man did, who also blond--she belatedly realized, was crane his head downward, and he just stared at his shoulder for a few seconds. Then, in the most absentminded way possible, "...So I am. Huh, I forgot about that. Must have been the adrenaline."

Noin couldn't say who was more surprised, him or her—actually she could. She had to be the one who was more surprised. This person had a sharp blade sticking out of him and all he had to say about it was that it had somehow escaped his notice for a time. Either way, the next question was on her lips before she could stop herself. "Um, who, uh...?"

He turned back to her, and she swore she could hear a smile in his voice. "What, who stuck me? Oh, just some blonde who thought I was trying to kill you or something stupid like that. I dunno."

So it had been Ryuu after all.

"And... you're really not trying to? Kill me, I mean?" Noin asked hesitantly, still choosing to err on the side of caution, giving him what she hoped was a dubious look. Although, honestly, even she had to admit her skepticism was starting to get lower and lower

"That's not a very nice thing to say, lady. I'm trying to—" While he was talking, as if he was commenting on the weather, he did anything but such a casual thing in tandem with it. Noin hurriedly opened her mouth in warning, but the man had already wedged the blade out of his shoulder with a sickening squelch. "Guh... h-help you. Damn, that burns."

Now, Noin didn't know what expression she had on her face, but what she did know was she just staring incredulously at the man who just ripped out a knife from his shoulder like it was no big deal. Then, he casually started rolling it as if he just simply working some kinks out. 

Either way, Noin swallowed.

"Y-You... just pulled it out. You're crazy. You're actually crazy..."

"Pretty sure we've already had this conversation. Do you have any bandages?"

"Y-You're bleeding everywhere now! You could die!"

"And you're a female who decided wearing a miniskirt to a place full of monsters was a good idea. There, now we both said something obvious. So, bandages?"

I... I can't believe this... Noin took a step back, before realizing there was still a tree behind her, and she felt the urge to slump into a sitting position. She didn't though, but she sighed into a hand instead, before looking at the man. "Are you really not from Rudra?" she asked one final time. 

"Are we still on that? What did those guys even do to cause this level of mistrust?"

"They've tried to kill my friends and I on practically every opportunity."

"Hey, hey." He snapped his fingers at her. "Don't get all sarcastic with me, lady. That's my job. But you're right. Trying to kill you several times would definitely warrant an unfavorable reaction..." The mask trailed off, before wilting. "Fuck it, fine. I don't have time for this. I swear, whoever did this sure has a warped sense of humor, forcing me to be a team player." He straightened up, looking right at her, or at least she thought he did, but then he did something she couldn't say she was prepared for.

And, Noin could only stare in surprise. 

Because the man—no, the young man—removed the mask from his face, fully revealing what was below blond-flaxen hair, as well as the two now very striking hazel eyes that met hers. This boy raised both hands, and a smile that looked the wrong side of casual appeared on his face.

"I want you to relay to your team everything I'm about to tell you. And if we're smart about this... and lucky," he muttered with a wanton sigh. "...We'll survive this with all of our body parts firmly intact." 

With his voice that was no longer muffled or obscured, he told her.

The boy told her all that he knew, and when he was finished, Noin realized she had definitely been right about one thing.

She wanted to go home.

…

…

…

Alise should have seen this coming.

It started out small, with a certain paper trail of one Rudra Familia that was too delectable to ignore, yet way too obvious not to be a trap. Then, there was the odd behavior of their goddess, who was for some reason strangely insistent they not go into the Dungeon after them. But the only words their Lady Astraea gave them was that she had a bad feeling and that was it.

Alise had tried to assure her, but their patron deity didn't look assuaged in the slightest. It left Alise parting with unease, and that unease continued to linger.

And then they fell into the cat man Jura's trap, and surprisingly, suffered not a single casualty. That should have been the cue that she needed. She should have realized things were flowing far too nicely. But she didn't. Whether it was because of adrenaline or simply just overconfidence, she had been too arrogant to think things could get any worse.

Alise was surely punished for that.

She was punished because she had forgotten one simple fact.

The dungeon was not just a collection of pathways, walls, floors and ceilings. It was living, it was calculating, and like any creature that possessed even the slightest amount of intelligence, it was prone to eradicate unwanted intruders.

It would not take the damage dealt to it lying down. It would send something to kill them, and it would try it's damn hardest to succeed.

And it did.

"Does anyone have eyes on her?!"

The lack of responses was answer enough, and it only seemed to cause the pit in the root of Alise's stomach to grow, a desperation that didn't seem to belong to only just her.

"Damn, I can't see anything past this—this—what is this stuff?!"

From a few meters away, Ryana, orange hair bouncing as she pivoted her head, tried and failed to see past the dense wall of white that had all but exploded into existence just several seconds prior, obscuring almost the entirety of the wide open clearing they had found themselves in.

"Argh! This is getting us nowhere!" After scratching her head impatiently for the umpteenth time, Neze, the were-wolf girl with white hair and striking features began taking purposeful steps towards the thick wall of—almost pale—smoke, if it could even be classified as such. "I'm going in!" she continued hurriedly. "Every second spent doing nothing is another second Noin could be in danger!"

"Are you insane, Neze? Even this close and my eyes are already burning! You can't tell me you expect to find anyone running around with your eyes closed?! You'd be asking that thing to kill you!" Ryana grabbed onto Neze's arm, stopping her in place, giving her a look that pleaded for her to reconsider.

Neze wrenched her hand away as if it had been burned, rounding on Ryana with a scalding look of fury—fury, but even more so distress.

"That's all the more reason then! Anything is better than sitting on our asses! What do you suggest we do, just wait here and hope for good news, leave it to that creep that ran in after her?! What if he's with Rudra?!"

Ryana flinched, a flicker of uncertainty appearing on her face. "I—"

"But is he really though?"

The tree above them rustled violently, and a small form dropped down, a pink haired prum with a short stature. She clapped grime off her hands, shooting a quick shake of her head towards Alise.

It made her grimace.

Damn.

It seemed trying to spot Noin from higher up hadn't bore any results.

Nevertheless, Lyra was now the center of attention with her comment, and Neze shot the girl a look that fully expressed how disgruntled she was. "What the hell are you talking about, Lyra?"

However, unlike the frantic Neze, Lyra's demeanor was calm.

"In case you all forgot what we just saw, that thing was moments away from turning Noin into swiss cheese. And say what you will about his appearance, but that guy still reacted when none of us did, and even put that thing on the backfoot," she drawled out, then waved a hand towards the wall of smoke, but not quite smoke. "Do you really think any of Rudra's lot would have done all that, even with ulterior motives?"

No one offered a rebuttal to that.

Alise tried to imagine it herself, but she couldn't.

It was just too unrealistic.

The idea that Jura, or any of his crazies would come to their aid in a time of danger, putting their lives at risk in the effort of saving theirs, was far too unbelievable. If such a thing did happen, they wouldn't be Evilus in the first place.

Lyra's point was starting to make sense, and she looked up in time to see Neze, Ryana, and many of the others considering her words just as carefully.

Not to mention...

The fact that he had acted in defense of Noin wasn't the only curious thing about that stranger. It was what he had done seconds prior, and Alise found herself looking a certain someone's way, who had said nary a word since things took a turn for the worse.

Ryuu, the blonde elf with long hair, stood there looking into the ever-shifting gas-like substance, a pensive frown on her face. But as if suddenly realizing she was being stared at, she turned Alise's way, of course, only to flinch and avert her gaze. Whether it was guilt or uncertainty, Alise didn't know, but she surely must have been thinking about what had happened the same as she was.

Ryuu was one of the reasons she held hope that their mystery masked figure was someone they could trust, after all. 

Alise wasn't sure if it was by chance or intent that Ryuu spotted him up in a tree seconds before that horrid creature arrived, but when she did, her attention naturally shifted to what she saw was a threat. The blonde girl saw a suspiciously dressed person aiming what had to be some kind of projectile-capable weapon, and with Noin in the crossfire.

If it were Alise, her reaction would have been the same.

Now, she only saw up until the moment the thrown kunai had already embedded itself into the figure's shoulder with no resistance at all, to which the metal object being held suddenly flashed with fire, a thunderous sound accompanying it. What she didn't see at the time was what it did, but she certainly saw the blood as it shot out from his arm, as well as heard the violent curse that just as suddenly escaped the mask's confines.

After that, Alise expected any number of things to happen next.

She expected him to turn their way in shock, realizing his cover was blown. She expected him to even flee. What she did not expect was for him to ignore the metal piercing his flesh and loss of blood, only to then buckle down and stare into the odd-looking weapon once more, as if nothing happened. And while she had been confused at the time, she now understood what he had done.

The sound that almost matched a crack of thunder resounded once again, the metal partition's end flashed with that same flame and light, and then a lightning fast projectile landed directly in the eye of one black-tinged monster, the monster that had been nearly about to impale Noin right through her entire chest and ribcage.

And cause and effect had done its job.

The monster screamed in agony and backed off, noticeably missing one of the gleaming red orbs that made up its skulled face. Alise wasn't looking at that point, so she certainly didn't notice the masked man jump from the tree, nor did she notice what he had thrown before she had lost sight of him, the monster, and Noin.

She had come up short.

Alise grimaced, again.

She had come up short in a lot of ways ever since entering the dungeon several hours earlier.

"If... If I had..."

A low mutter reached her ears.

It was Ryuu, and she was trembling as she stared at a shaking hand.

Alise did not need to be told what she was going through her head.

If Ryuu had hit him anywhere vital, if that man had spared a single second to combat her, if he had dodged, if he had chosen to run away, if anything at all had gone different... Noin would have been killed faster than any of them could blink.

That was how sudden that monster had descended.

It did make her wonder just how the man seemed to know what was going to happen, but she could worry about that later. She could worry about that after Noin was safe. Only then would she be the first one to get down on her hands and knees and show proper gratitude.

Ryuu's expression, however, was clearly different.

It wasn't gratefulness at having the mistake she made rectified by someone she didn't know. Instead, it looked close to horrified that it was her actions that had nearly cost her friend her life.

Alise had to tear her gaze from that scene.

She looked at the rest of her team, which was on the verge of crumbling apart.

She knew she had to give orders, give them directions, and she opened her mouth to do just that...

But nothing came out.

What could she say? What directions could she give in this situation where their options were limited, limited as the wall of white in front of them that would weaken them to the point of helplessness if they were to step into it? Against that thing, a monster that had boasted such impressive speed, that had been cunning enough to attack them when their guards were down, and that was only harmed when its own guard was dropped.

What could they do?

Only death would await them if they ran in blindly.

Alise's fists tightened, and her stomach clenched—or maybe that was just the feeling of it churning to the point where she felt sick. What the hell can I do...?

A startled gasp dragged her from the thoughts drowning her.

The gentle-looking Maryuu, with her fluffy blue hair, had her hands over her mouth with tears already threatening to spill out. Those eyes didn't despair, however. They shone, and it was enough for a flicker of hope to spark innocuously in Alice's chest. It was faint, and it seemed that the rising dread would overtake it, but it soon blazed like a wildfire as her eyes latched onto one disheveled figure pushing themselves off from a large tree several meders away from them.

Alise nearly collapsed on the spot.

"Ah..."

There had been a thought that she couldn't shake, an irremovable blight on her soul.

No matter how much she didn't want to acknowledge it, she was forced to entertain the notion that Noin, by herself with allies scarce, was already dead. It was entirely possible that her life extinguished the very second they had lost sight of her.

Left alone with that accursed monster, a being powerful enough to get the drop on a 2nd tier adventurer, it wouldn't have been strange if that would have been the end of things. It wouldn't have been strange if the girl had died just like that. She could have disappeared from this world, just as everyone has the chance of doing so upon entering the dungeon.

But that fear vanished without a trace as a familiar looking girl came into view.

"...He was actually right." Muttering something she didn't understand, Noin strode to meet them, nearly stumbling over roots in the process. Alise immediately looked her over. Dried blood was smeared on her face, but it wasn't hers or even human for that matter. It was black. It was monster blood. From there, she saw bright purple discolorations on her arms, as if she had been struck by something fast and hard.

But that was all.

Beyond that, the girl looked none the worse for wear. Out of it yes, but fine, and more than that, alive. It was as if the fact that she was almost killed by that dungeon-sent abomination was nothing more than a fleeting figment of her imagination, or rather, a nightmare. But no, if anything, Alise thought the girl looked like she had just simply gotten lost for a bit.

It was that kind of feeling, and it was far too overwhelming.

And it was so overwhelming, that Alise realized Noin had next to no chance of escaping what came next.

"H-Hey everyone. Glad to see you're all--uwhuah?!"

Neze and Ryana already took off, leaving Alise in the dust, but it was Asta, the petite dwarf shrouded in her heavy armor that nearly barreled into her as she ran past. They nearly tackled Noin to the ground as three girls crashed into her, arms outstretched. Actually, with Noin crying out and losing her balance almost immediately, that was exactly what happened.

"Wahhh! Asta, your armor, t-too heavy!" Ryana cried out.

Neze was also not unscathed. "Dammit Asta! You're crushing my ears!"

"E-Everything hurts..." And then there was Noin, who had the combined weight of three people on top of her.

"Ughhhhhhh! I'm so glad you're okay Noiiiinnnn!"

But each of them were woefully ignored by the dwarven girl as she continued to bawl, further condemning the poor girls to being stuck at the bottom of various plates of solid metal, making for what looked to be a very uncomfortable and unorthodox dog-pile.

But they were all smiling.

Alise watched it all, and while she initially wanted to join the embrace as well, found herself just as content with watching from the side, a clear smile tugging at her lips. She wasn't the only one to abstain. Kaguya, their regal exotic beauty with Asian features, remained rooted in the same spot, although those that knew her would have noticed that the crinkle of her brow rose slightly in relief.

Everyone else was less subtle, clearly expressing their joy upon seeing Noin safe and sound; Maryuu was beaming, Ryuu's face had all but crumbled, her lower lips trembling, and it was surprising that she managed to hold back the tears. Lyra wore her usual mischievous smirk, the green-haired Celty, their only other elf, had her hands clasped together in excitement, and finally, the exotic amazon Iska had her arms crossed with a visible cheery demeanor of her own.

She's alive. She's really alive... Alise thought as she stared at the Noin trying to meet everyone's gaze.

Alise's eyes even burned, but she was quick to swipe at them. She couldn't break down right here. What she did allow was a shaky breath to escape her, and she desperately tried to control her emotions before taking her own hesitant steps towards the hugging girls.

It was clearly her, so there was no reason for the doubt in her heart, but she wanted to be certain. She needed to be certain that this wasn't all a trick, that it wouldn't be cruelly taken from her the second she looked away.

It was why her heart thundered when the girl met her gaze past the mass of bodies that surrounded her. With short black hair over dark eyes now beholden by the warm atmosphere, the girl pushed herself off the ground, looking at her with a gentle smile.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Captain."

Alise nodded mutely.

She didn't trust herself to do much else.

But as it turned out, she didn't have to.

A loud and hideous screech deafened their surroundings, making Alise and everyone else immediately fall back on their weapons. She looked around warily, only to see nothing, yet it did not abate the panic she felt rising in her chest. But the sudden sound was not the precursor for an attack, but rather a signal that had her looking far off.

Past the flat earthy landscape which was now becoming more visible as the odd white phenomena slowly began to die out, she just barely was able to make out the forest edge that lay in complete opposite to where they all stood. There was no horrifying creature there, but Alise didn't need to see it, not when she noticed the sight of several trees far into that green shroud of nature suddenly falling, tremendously shaking the ground with their impacts, each subsequent fall coming in tandem with very familiar piercing screams.

Her brow furrowed. What in the gods...?

"Ha. That crazy bastard..." 

Alise had to tear her gaze away from the forest as that bewildered mutter came from Noin, and as if suddenly realizing what she had just said, started to panic a bit, eyes going everywhere. "Oh, um, right, gosh, how do I explain this...?" She scratched at a red-hued cheek. "That," Noin pointed at the forest yonder. "...would likely be the person who saved me."

Their surroundings grew silent for however long, before it was interrupted by another tree crashing to the ground way off in the distance, and a frustrated howl piggy backing from it not even a second later.

Alise looked around at everyone, and it was not for lack of topics that no one raised their voice to speak, but rather the opposite. Just by looking at Ryana's pensive frown, Neze's narrowed eyes, and even Ryuu's guilt-ridden and unsure stance, they all clearly had their own things to say, however they just lacked the proper words to express them.

Alise was more or less the same, but she pushed past the indecision and wet her tongue, asking the one question that she saw as mattering the most.

"Noin, that man... is he an enemy, or an ally?"

Alise expected a clear cut answer, or even thought she would at least be able to see something in the girl's expression that would enlighten her, but that wasn't what Noin gave her as she closed her eyes in thought, speaking only a moment later. "I... don't know..."

Noin's eyes opened and looked back towards the forest.

"A lot of what he said was hard to understand. He acted like an ass, but he risked his life for mine. He was quick to make fun of me for some reason, but never once put me in danger. He obviously wanted me to trust him, and he showed me his face, but he didn't force me to make a single commitment of any kind..."

Shaking her head, she started again.

"It's just... weird. He could have saved me, been all smiles, and I likely would have trusted him instantly. Yet, wearing such a creepy mask, and the crass way he spoke, it's like..." She trailed off, her words left in the air. "...It's like he was some walking contradiction."

Brows raised, Lyra whistled, crossing her arms behind her head. "Well damn, you certainly know how to pick-em, Noin."

Noin laughed weakly. "Ahaha... Actually, he kind of reminds me of you and Kaguya..."

"Did he now? I'm not sure whether I should feel insulted or not." The latter woman in question raised a single eyebrow before smiling. "But then again, this gentleman sounds a lot more interesting than any of you lot, so I shall take it in stride."

Kaguya preened a little, and Alise couldn't refrain from smiling quietly.

"I'm... not sure I want to meet someone else like Kaguya..." Celty offered hesitantly, tilting her head.

Neze made a noise with her mouth, and Alise thought it sounded a bit amused. "That's because anyone like Kaguya falls into the two neat little categories of psychopath or sociopath, and they both mean crazy. Means more headaches too."

"Hoh?"

Kaguya gave Neze a look, her eyes flashing.

"H-Hey, um, how 'bout we get back on topic, yeah?" Iska quickly darted between the two of them before anything could start, raising her hands placatingly. She shot a pleading look towards Noin. "So, uh, what did that person end up saying to you, Noin? Anything useful from our maybe ally?"

A look of slow dawning appeared on Noin's face, and she nodded hurriedly, her words coming out in a fluster. "A-Ah, that's right...! With so much of what he said being so over the top and detailed, but then for him to lead me right back to you in such an accurate manner, the important bits were put on the back burner, and I—"

"Wait, wait, wait." Alise held out a hand to stop her. "What do you mean he led you right back to us?"

"He seemed to know exactly where you guys were. He said you hadn't moved. He sent me running in a specific direction and there you were."

Alise tilted her head a bit.

That... isn't totally unexpected. He surely must have seen where we all were if he barely reacted to what Ryuu did to him. But... how could he have known we hadn't moved in that time?

"What else?" Kaguya pressed.

Noin fell silent, her expression deep in thought.

"Noin...?" Alise tentatively asked, before reaching out to touch her arm.

Noin shook her head with a smile, meeting her gaze. She continued. 

"He told me all he knew on that monster we saw, the one that almost... he seemed to know a lot about it. And given what he did for me, I'm inclined to believe him. Even more so now..." Noin looked out towards the forest, where even now Alise could still hear a violent ruckus going about.

The roars of that monster were concerning, but it meant that whatever was causing such behavior continued kicking.

"He said... he would buy us time while we set a trap for it."

"A trap?" Lyra sounded interested.

"He..." Noin's face twisted, and it looked unsure. "He said he didn't want us to battle that thing face to face if we could help it. And it was confusing because he was oddly insistent about that. It's stuff like that. One moment he's saying I was heavy while carrying me—I-I know okay, so stop smiling like that!" Only Ryuu was the only one who didn't look amused in some way; rather, she looked scandalized. Nonetheless, Noin quickly shouted against the plethora of grins that broke out, and especially at Lyra as she waggled her eyebrows. "But—!"

She continued before they could say anything.

"He seemed to genuinely not want us to risk our lives needlessly. I assume that's why he's distracting it right now, however he's doing it. He wants to give us time to come up with a plan so that we do things smartly. And... for some reason, he's placing a lot of trust in the fact that we would be able to do so, even when he should have no reason to..." The girl's words got incredibly soft as they trailed off.

It was certainly a lot to take in.

A walking contradiction indeed... Alise agreed, stunned in the same way the rest of them were, if their frozen expressions were of any indication. And that feeling only further intensified when Noin continued to go over what she knew, or rather, what she had been told.

That is, exactly what the monster they were facing was capable of, it's strengths and weaknesses, and even a very surprising skill of its own, such an ability that would have been catastrophic had they fought that thing completely unaware of it. And of course, there was its name.

The Juggernaut.

And for a reason she didn't immediately understand, a cold shiver shot down Alise's spine when she heard it.

It was fitting though, she realized, for what she saw of the creature before it disappeared. After all, that was a word used in tales of old, where men and women fought to the death for nothing more than fleeting glory and the pleasure of those twisted enough to enjoy it.

The Juggernaut was someone who also partook in those battles, but it was hardly the same. If anything, they were completely different. Covered in all black, that person was nothing more than an obstacle meant to be avoided, an unstoppable killing machine with unbelievable combat prowess. They weren't meant to be seen as human, and they didn't have a personality or talk.

Did the blade of a sword speak kind words to you as it lopped off your head? That's what the Juggernaut's role was. It certainly didn't sound like a creature that would be easily killed, not when it was sent directly by the Dungeon herself to do that very thing to them.

It all sounded so crazy and terrifying, and it made Alise wonder all the more how someone seemed to have this knowledge that they were only first hearing about—them, Astraea Familia, pioneers of the dungeon.

That masked man, who was he?

Alise kept coming back to that question, because she had a feeling that finding an answer would allow her to regain at least a tiny fraction of the situation she had long since lost control over.

She had guesses but they weren't anything more than that, mere estimations of what might be true. He wore a mask, and there was a certainly a Familia that tended to have their members do the same, but Alise couldn't ever see that deity coming to their aid even in the most desperate of circumstances.

Alise thought that as fortunate, since Astraea had made it very clear to all of them that they would know if any of them had Freya's attention.

From there, there were two options, even if both were as unlikely as they were realistic. Hermes... or... Ouranos maybe? Both were the type to keep their members incredibly close to their chests and out of the limelight, yet they always seemed to know something she and anyone else in her Familia didn't.

In Ouranos' case, it was his presence that kept a watchful eye on the dungeon. If anyone could see what they were dealing with right now, it would be him. Perhaps he even sensed the Dungeon's unrest before that lithe black demon had spawned.

However, as far as Alise knew, the god in question only had one vassal, even if they didn't know what he looked like underneath that dark hood.

So many questions, and not enough answers.

But they did have enough to get them started.

A barrier for magic, but not physical attacks...

Noin's explanation had gotten her thinking.

"Lyra," Alise suddenly called out, grabbing everyone's attention. The Prum tilted her head to one side in question, but that changed the very second she heard the words come out of her mouth. "How much explosives did you bring with you?"

Lyra's grin turned feral.

…

…

…

So.

How does a mere flesh and blood human fight the theoretical equivalent of a dinosaur that happens to be much stronger than a dinosaur, one that can, for reference, kill what definitely equates to superhumans in an instant, move faster than even the most high-end cars and motorcycles, and to make matters even more impossible, possess skin thick enough to casually shrug off high impact bullets fired at extremely high velocity?

What do you do against something like that?

The answer's easy.

It is so easy in fact, that a child, monkey, goldfish, or even all three could arrive at the correct answer in a matter of seconds. Even beyond that, there didn't even have to be much thinking done. The answer could be arrived at through sheer instinct and instinct alone. After all, everyone, no matter who or what they were, knew how to do it.

Run away.

When your life was in danger, that neat little thing called self-preservation would kick in even if the rest of you was terrified, sort of like a built-in defense system, created for the sole purpose of being a coward.

Yes.

All Alex had to do was run away, and if he was really efficient, he could hide too, maybe even throw a few human sacrifices behind him as well.

He sighed quietly.

Now, if only things were that simple...

As he moved from tree to tree, deathly silent, an eerie clicking sound rumbled from below him. He didn't dare use his wire. Too loud. That thing would be on him faster than he could say, "oh shit". No, instead, he slowly trapezed his way about the branches and vines with all the stealth he had accumulated during his time playing hardcore hide and seek.

Ah, hardcore hide and seek with criminals who had their hands and fingers on sharp weapons and guns.

Take his word for it that it made the game slightly more interesting.

So, theoretically, this was much of the same, but instead of being shot or stabbed if he got caught, he would be flattened or dismembered.

Yeah, he was having a good time.

Alex stopped abruptly when a black figure several feet away came to a stop of its own, violently twitching its head in every direction. The single red eye flashed amidst the darkened gloom of the forest, definitely looking for its prey. It was creepy as hell, but if nothing else, it made for a very good night light.

Or at least a beacon that said: "I'm here, so stay away if you don't want to be eaten".

It was actually quite considerate of it.

Anyway, that monster, or the Juggernaut as someone decided to not so affectionately call it, started to move again, and Alex waited a few solid seconds before he began too as well.

It had been three or so minutes since he left that girl and threw a customized flare through the slowly dwindling tear gas, more specifically, into the stretch of forest farthest away from where his VIP's were, aka his damsels in distress. But also kinda not really damsels in distress, since they were theoretically all super-humans or something, being way stronger than him?

Hm.

Alex wondered if sexism was even a thing in this world. Oh, and how cool would it be if men married into the family instead of women?

Ah.

He was getting off topic.

Flare into forest. He would have had to try something different if that hadn't worked, but luckily the Juggernaut had instantly honed onto that source of light like it was a slab of meat. Hell, maybe it even thought a slab of meat would come with it. He didn't know. Regardless, Alex then used the tear gas as a delightful little maze of camouflage, made sure to stash away the very heavy sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, right before climbing up a tree and starting his little impromptu game.

Ah, but he wasn't just playing hide and seek.

Last one.

Alex carefully placed a final small object within the hollow center of a particular tree. The item was small, about as small as a die, with the same shape as one too, but foam making up every side except the bottom.

It had taken a while to set up, but the preparations, or in other words, the painstaking process of doing it while being as silent as possible, had been worth it. It would not only give him more time to survive, but it would give them more time to come up with a plan. And if they were still there twiddling their thumbs not knowing what to do, then...

Then I guess I'm fucked then.

Alex wasn't too worried about that though.

Or more like, there wasn't a point in worrying about it.

Those girls had magic and shit, right? If they couldn't kill that thing, then no one could. He was practically forced to believe in them, just like he was being forced in playing an active role in increasing their survivability.

But enough about that.

It was time to see if his effort bore fruit.

His hand reached up and caught a branch, instantly flipping himself upwards on top of it. He wanted to be able to get a higher vantage point. It would be easier to see just how much he was about to shit in that monster's corn flakes that way. Un-pocketing his phone, he began to rifle through a few screens, satisfied with what he was seeing.

"Hm..." Alex looked back at the Juggernaut, who was still stalking through the forest with no sign of the free food it had been all but certain awaited it. Its movements grew more erratic, and dare he say, impatient. Any longer and that predator might just decide to give up in search of easier prey. That would have been good news for him if he wasn't on contract—in the vaguest sense of the word—to protect that other prey.

So, it leaving...?

Can't have that~, Alex grinned behind his mask.

His thumb landed on the phone's display, and not a second later, a girl's fright-filled voice echoed through the quiet forest.

The Juggernaut completely stopped in place, going so still that one would have thought that Alex had actually pressed paused on it, even though what actually happened was nothing so grandiose.

This state only lasted for a second however as, all of a sudden and with insane speed, it turned on its heel and lunged in a particular direction, where it had clearly heard the feminine sounds of a human. And the noise that suddenly came from its throat was neither the mechanical purr Alex had heard as it searched through the forest for him, nor was it an elongated guttural scratching sound that denoted its impatience of having to wait so long.

It was a high-pitched cry of satisfaction and dare he say jubilation as it tore through all the trees in its wake, throwing caution to the wayside. Trunks were uprooted, and the earth was stomped on in a violent frenzy. Stealth no longer mattered as its prey was surely within striking distance.

That was what it had to be thinking.

Alex may have said before he didn't get off in causing pain to others. But right now, he might have to rethink that claim. The amount of satisfaction he got from the way its hulking form stopped upon meeting an empty clearing, and the off-pitch uncomprehending cry that left its animalistic throat? It was nearly enough to send him laughing into a frenzy.

But if he did, the fun would end, and that wouldn't do at all. He would be milking this dry for as long as he could.

Hey, Jugger-bitch, let's have some fun.

His thumb landed on his phone again, on a different button.

It came from behind the creature a distance this time.

[ "W-What are you doing? Who are you?! Let me go or I'll—" ] That same voice shouted in such a way, sounding frantic and nervous.

The black-haired girl he had saved had been useful, definitely.

The Juggernaut roared with obvious fury, tearing into the trees in its way as it collapsed on the sound it just heard. It sounded mad. Good, for him that is. Not so much for that monster. Because once again, there was nothing there to attack. All it managed to do upon reaching the sound was circle the offending location with ferocity, like a mutt who had forgotten where it had buried its bone.

Now, concerning the facial expressions of monsters, Alex wasn't sure they were supposed to even come close to being able to approach the emotion called confusion, but what he was looking at was surely the genuine article. Its form trembled, even more growls came from its throat, and its remaining crimson beady eye quivered frantically, darting every which way for an enemy that just wasn't there.

And Alex watched it all, untouched.

Monster or not, an animal was still an animal. Even if it could kill him in the blink of an eye, it still had the base instincts of a predator, and it would always drop what it was doing when a prey was in the vicinity. And like all creatures, its senses could be fooled.

And if for some reason sound hadn't worked? He had a backup for that too.

His right arm throbbed dully, the same one where that blonde girl with a dislike for pants had penetrated him, without his consent no less. The blood from the wound matted his clothing thoroughly enough, so it certainly served its job as he smeared it throughout the forest while placing his miniature speakers.

Not that it turned out to be necessary in the end, but it was no skin off his—okay, that metaphor didn't really fit. Anyway, it wasn't even clear if that thing even had a nose, but either way, it certainly didn't seem to be very proficient at using it.

["What the—?! Gack! Aggghh! Kahhh!"]

The voice of the girl he didn't know the name of once again resounded through the darkened forest, a fresh roar coming along with it almost instantly. And in tandem, roots, shrubbery, and branches were fiercely trampled underfoot.

Alex clicked a few more buttons.

A girl yelled from behind, and the Juggernaut chased after it.

After hearing it from the side, it did the same, roaring.

Right in front of it. Chase.

From its left. It tore through the ground.

Far to the right from of where it came. A tree was knocked aside.

From his thin branch, and leaning against the hulking mass of a tree, Alex tilted his masked face with crossed arms. 

Huh. This is actually kind of boring. Is this what being a god would be like, but for all eternity? I'd wanna kill myself... He had such thoughts, continuing to watch the results his looped audio had wrought, now with only a fleeting amusement of what he had felt. But that's life, I guess. Even pissing off dinosaurs would lose its thrill after a while...

He turned his head away from the sight, looking out towards where the forest ended, where he had come in from. At the same time, he mentally thought of something and a second later, a familiar holographic map appeared right in front of him.

He scoffed through the mask.

Yeah, he would never get used to that.

It was the same exact topography as before, er, actually, some of the trees in the forest seemed to be noticeably missing. Whoops. Anyway, the several red dots didn't change much though, number wise and location wise. However, they were no longer bunched up like before.

He guessed that meant the time for talking was over. Alex could only hope that was a good thing, considering they were now spread out in the wide circle of land that his tear gas had all but covered before. It should be nearly gone by now, so that made the sight of those dots standing completely still in even lines—no, in a clear formation, all the more telling.

It looked like they were waiting for something.

I suppose that can't mean anything else, can it? He shuffled and the map disappeared from view.

There was no benefit in him drawing this out longer than he had to. If they were ready, then Alex would be more than glad to kick things off. Besides, he didn't exactly have the leisure to sit around himself. His trick wouldn't work indefinitely. As much as he insulted that thing's intelligence, it would eventually wise up and take new approaches.

It was that thought that triggered it.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Alex felt something like a chill run down his spine. Something clearly wasn't right, and it took him a second to realize what that was.

He didn't hear anything.

No, that wasn't right.

In a forest where he was alone with a monster that made tremendous sound as it moved, as well as an electronic playback continuously egging it on, he only heard one of those things continuing on without distortion. And unfortunately for him, it wasn't the larger-than-life monster blessing his ears with its prolonged tantrum.

He quickly realized why.

The object of his worry was several meters away, completely still. But that wasn't all. Its head was craned in a very specific direction. That one red eye flashed amidst the fog of the forest, boring right into him.

Neither of them moved for a while.

He would have joked that it was a silent battle of dick-measuring and posturing if it wasn't an instinct driven monstrosity opposing him. Still though, he opened his mouth, saying the only thing that made sense in this situation.

"Well, shit."

Alex jumped.

The tree exploded not five seconds later.