87 VOLCANIC
"Gugh, I couldn't imagine walking around out there…" The group found themselves hovering above a sea of desolate sand. From the aircraft they were safe, however, they could imagine the suffering those traversing the sand traditionally would have to take.
The Grand Gruen Volcano is one of the two dungeons that had a well-documented location (aside from the Great Orcus Labyrinth) but was ignored by people because of its difficulty. Sure, now and then there would be an expedition to clear it but each attempt was met by failure. And as time went on, the attempts became fewer and fewer.
If this Freid of the Demon Army was truly going after the dungeons, then it'd be likely he attempted the well-known one. He had sent someone to check the Orcus Labyrinth and now it was up to him to check the Gruen Labyrinth. At least this was the order Ivan believed he would take if he was unable to obtain the location of other labyrinths.
It didn't seem improbable to Ivan that Freid had created some beasts to keep him protected from the sweltering heat. Perhaps something with a thick carapace, or maybe as a demon his constitution made the heat no problem to him. This Ivan was unsure of as he never tested the physique of a demon to see how it differed from a human.
Such a test would mean testing the limits a demon could withstand. There was always Cattleya, however, Ivan would like to restrain from torturing those he didn't have anything against unless necessary. Like Freid for example, the asshole has been creating trouble for Ivan since the raid on Ur if everything about him matched up with the information Cattleya gave. Ivan decided he'd have to have a chat with him before deciding if he'd be a good test subject.
"There it is, there it is!" Along the horizon was a wall of sand. Swirling tornados of gravel and grit, according to documents and the testimonies of those in the nearby area this phenomena surrounded the Gruen Labyrinth. Behind the storm would reveal itself to be the challenge challengers sought.
"Hold on tight!" Ivan lowered the aircraft closer to the ground without decreasing its speed, with the press of a button, tires shot out of its bottom and started skidding against the sand. The wings retracted as the aircraft turned APC hurled itself into the wall of sand.
BANG BANG BANG!
The group was met with only slight tribulation, the sound of stone and gravel hitting the metal sheets that made up their walls echoed throughout the vehicle. Each member carried neither fear nor nervousness as they put all their faith into this object Ivan had created. Flying through a tornado was a horrible idea so he thought that it was about time he made modifications to his favorite mode of transportation.
Ivan stood up from the pil– well, driver's seat, after pressing a single button on the console. The steering wheel leveled itself out before locking in place. He crossed his arms as he faced the group that was firmly strapped in their chairs.
"Remember the mission folks, our goal is to take down the being intending to clear the dungeon before us to further the war between demons and humanity. Now, I don't give a damn about that but there's a good chance the demons would win, at least that's what I inferred after seeing only a few monsters demolish humanity's last hope (the hero party). With humanity either eradicated or enslaved, all that would be left is us. I doubt that'd take kindly to their plans. That and… we'd be losing a lot of customers."
"...."
"D-Don't look at me like that! Think about it, this war was equal before because the demons have a severely low population when compared to humanity, sure they have monsters now but monsters aren't going to buy stuff from us. If we want to keep our peace (and money) we need things to stay the way they are."
"Mhm." Yue nodded as the rest of the group still kept their expression of speechlessness, all apart from Felis and Canis who didn't care about the war anyway.
"Oh, we're here." Ivan's voice was followed by a loud bang. The vehicle shook a bit before it came to a complete stop. It was likely it decided to stop acceleration after running into something it deemed impossible to go through. In Ivan's mind, the only thing it could be was the volcano at the center of the storm.
PIIIISSHHHH!
The large hydraulic door at the back of the APC opened up as Ivan and the others slid on the masks they had been holding. It was the same blank masks as always but it was their feature that made it vital in this operation.
"WHOOA~!" Immediately they were met by a magnificent sight, the volcano was as awe-inspiring as the ones found in movies. Its vastness seemingly pierced the sky with magma-like veins coursing through its body. In the air were trails of magma and lava that emulated rivers that crossed the sky.
This was the Grand Gruen Volcano, which has only been ascended to the seventh floor at the maximum. Or at least that's what was documented.
Normally the heat would immediately deter anyone that stood at the base of the volcano, but this is where the heat-insulating mantles and masks that Ivan made came into play. The heat the dungeon was known for was barely noticeable by the group of unexpected visitors.
"Mhm…? This is not as bad as I thought it was going to be…?" Canis voiced out uninterested as her eyes dotted around the area.
"Of course, it ain't! You fool! Father especially made this gear for us so we wouldn't get hit by the heat!" Felis sent a slap to the back of Canis' head before yelling out excitedly, unlike Canis she was excited to explore this sight she's never seen before. The heat being taken away would only mean she would have an easier time taking in all the sights.
Even with her eyes covered up by the mask, the annoyance radiating from Canis could be felt by all nearby. Her tail slammed into the unsuspecting Felis, who had left herself unguarded.
"Guh!" She exaggeratedly dropped to her knees before holding her hands to her stomach, curled up in a ball as she groaned out loudly.
"Focus you two! That bastard could be here for all we know. Watching us from afar… looking for the best opportunity to strike." The one to reprimand the two was Claire, who had been tense this entire trip. As a resident of this world who was studious in its history, the significance ancient magic had to her was grand. Now that she was going against someone that held that magic, she couldn't help but feel some sort of trepidation.
"Bweh!" However, the seriousness on her face was replaced by tears in her eyes as a palm smacked the back of her head. She turned her head while rubbing the place of impact with care, ready to reprimand whoever it was that struck her.
"Calm down, Claire. I wouldn't have brought you here if I wasn't confident in your skill. I know I'm the one that kind of hyped this guy up but in the end, we gain nothing by fearing him. Vigilance is important, but being so vigilant that you're unable to properly communicate with your team is a detriment. So smile, if that bastard is truly watching us from afar let us show him that we have nothing to fear, show him that Claire Von Dilort is the one who should be feared."
Feeling the warmth of the palm on her head, Claire closed her eyes. The beating of her heart quieted down as she released breaths from her mouth. Her eyes snapped open with renewed courage, the blades Ivan made for her were withdrawn from their respective sheathes and held out into the air.
"Umu, you're right. I'll show him that as your maid my confidence to fight for you shall never waver. You hear that you bastard!? If you want to kill my master you're gonna have to deal with me first!"
Ivan smiled wryly, retracting his palm before taking his place in front of the group again, this time with a maid at his side who took each step forward with pride.
"Mhm… how energetic." Yue's despondent voice brought back Ivan's attention, however, her energy returned as he began treating her with the affection he's been holding back.
"Ehe~!"
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Rather than floors, it'd be more suitable to say the dungeon was made up of tunnels. Ones that either ascended or descended through the volcano. The group's trip wasn't entirely peaceful, as here and there the structure was covered in volcanic traps to either scald or melt anyone that got stuck in them.
Pitfalls, rolling boulders of magma, pressure plates to activate flamethrowers, there was an elaborate assortment of defenses made to protect the lair. Ivan could only pity the designer of this place, whose inventions had gone unseen as a result of no one having ever made it halfway through the dungeon.
He sang praises of its artificer, all while cursing them within the same breath. Ivan could only hope that the ancient magic at the end of this dungeon was valuable enough to make it for all the trouble.
"Mooooo!"
"What the hell is that!?"
A cow— no, it'd be more aptly to call it a bull. A bull made of magma charged the group down a narrow corridor, its flaming horns threatening to crash and burn them left a trail in its wake.
"Glacial Sheet." Under Yue's utterance, a wave of ice needles flew through the air before attacking the rushing beast, however, they were only able to keep the form for a few meters before melting and subsequently turning into steam.
It seemed that if she was going to be casting ice magic then it'd need to be of a considerable proportion or else it'd melt almost instantaneously.
Claire calmly took front and center, her blades in the air as she stood firmly in place. The flaming bull only got closer and closer, not minding the 'stupidity' of its target as the only thing on its mind was to kill these intruders.
And then— Claire swung. The bull was still well away from her reach and yet she struck the air in front of her.
If the bull possessed the capability to laugh, it would surely be doing it right now.
RIIIPPPPP!
The bull's head was only two meters away, the seemingly normal air went through extreme changes just within that small gap. A powerful vacuum-like force tore the air apart like paper, and in its place took the head of the bull along with it. Its flesh turned to slices, then bone, and finally blood before it evaporated in the heat.
Claire and the rest of the group leaped up as they dodged its skidding corpse.
The moment they landed back on the ground Claire stood there proudly, flicking the blades that had not a single drop of blood on them.
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