Into Midyr's Lair
To cut to the chase on this encounter: it was actually impossible to save Morka. By this point, she was already dead.
The culprit behind this incident was Midyr, the final boss from Chapter 1—an Erosion Species. Its special ability allowed it to slip through shadows. Midyr often sneaked quietly into cities and devoured humans. Morka had vanished the same way—swallowed whole.
But for some reason, it couldn't digest a Valkyrie's uniform. Midyr had plucked out the juicy bits and spat the uniform back up. That was why the vanished signal suddenly reappeared.
'In other words, by the time the signal popped up, Morka no longer existed in this world. She'd become part of Midyr's flesh and blood.'
But honestly, that didn't matter. My goal wasn't to save Morka in the first place. It was just a pretext for the plans ahead.
Let's keep it simple. The last moments of my life were dying in front of the commander. If the reason for that death was just "duty"... wouldn't it hit harder emotionally if it was "for someone else"?
Like sprinkling salt and pepper on meat. Using Morka's disappearance as an excuse was a necessary step for me.
"We can't go any further by vehicle from here, sawayo."
"Yes. This is where... the real thing begins."
It was 1 a.m. The small truck racing down the off-road path came to a halt. From here on, no vehicles could pass. Annoying as it was, we'd have to climb the mountain on foot.
We hopped out and grabbed our weapons. Mine was a futuristic folding nailgun. Ubina's was a parasol etched with pink floral patterns. Dalia had a bolt-action rifle, Promina a ritual dagger. Anje wielded a gunblade—part gun, part sword.
...There was something weird in the middle there, but no real issues.
Valkyrie armaments prioritized personality over raw specs. They unlocked their true potential through unique abilities.
'My nailgun works on coilgun principles via my unique ability too. Anyone else using it wouldn't get the same performance.'
Anyway, we were set to fight right now if needed. Once prepared, we gathered near the commander. He was activating illumination drones to light up the darkness.
"Commander, if you please."
"Understood."
Did he grasp the meaning without explanation? He raised his hand—the back engraved with an artificial stigma—to eye level.
"Link."
With just Valkyries, you could fight Erosion Species. So why bring a human commander to the field?
One reason was this: the link. Simple effect—connect the commander's mind to the Valkyrie's via their stigmas. Only a faint brush against the surface consciousness, but it meant a lot.
"This is the link with the commander! My body feels so light, sawayo!"
"I-it feels incredibly stable..."
"I can sense your trust in us. Oh my, how embarrassing."
"Feels good."
The Rabbit Hole Squad shared their impressions post-link. I'd never linked with anyone but the commander, but sensations varied by target. Their excitement meant...
They really liked linking with him. As expected of the protagonist.
But something nagged at me. In the game, links boosted stats. Same with the previous contract—no noticeable change.
'Am I missing something?'
I pondered briefly but decided not to sweat it. No conclusion came to mind, and it wasn't that important anyway.
"Then let's head out. We can't afford delays."
"Got it, sawayo, Leira! Rabbit Hole Squad, ready, sawayo!"
Every minute and second wasted here was precious. Fully prepped, we set off with the illumination drones leading.
"Commander, leave yourself to Promina."
"Yes, Commander. Let me hold you in my arms."
"...Understood."
Of course, we had a human commander here. Someone had to carry him. I assigned it to Promina.
He hesitated at being carried but seemed to grasp the urgency and submitted quietly.
"Ubina and Anje up front. Dalia and Promina behind them... I'll guard the rear."
"A familiar formation, sawayo!"
"You've always been a squad, so no need to adjust to me. I'll match you."
Truth be told, there was a skill gap. I was B-rank; the rest C-rank. If serious, I could take all four at once.
So they weren't following me—I was adapting to them. The right call.
"Rear's yours, Leira."
"Yes. Take good care of the commander."
Formation set, we ascended. The drones ensured clear visibility. At this pace, an hour to the goal.
But a grotesque monster slithered from the trees. A common Dreadnought Erosion Species.
"Dreadnought ahead!"
"Raaah! Get outta the way, sawayo!"
Boom!
Ubina, leading, swung her parasol wide. It smashed the Dreadnought's jaw, staggering it. But as a low-damage tanker, it was just imbalance—no real harm.
"Interrupt."
As the beast focused on Ubina, Anje slid in close. Her gunblade—trigger-equipped—jammed into its knee.
The blade's tip exploded. A massive blast shredded the knee.
"Kieeeek!"
"Watch the crossfire!"
Leg gone, it collapsed. Ubina and Anje split to the flanks. Dalia's bullets tore through in between.
Perfect synergy, like linked thoughts. This was the power of the commander's link with Valkyries.
"Raaargh!"
"Eek!"
"Ubina!"
But Dreadnoughts weren't pushovers—tenacious life force and brute strength. Even guts spilling, it backhanded Ubina hard.
Tank or not, direct hits hurt. Then Promina sliced her palm with the dagger.
"Wings of friendship butterflies!"
Colorful butterflies burst from the wound, swarming pained Ubina. Promina, a supporter with aid abilities, quickly mended the scrape.
'They're better than expected.'
A stretch against a Dreadnought, yet they held. No wonder they'd reach A-rank later. Impressive teamwork filling gaps.
But firepower was lacking. All mere C-ranks against a tough Erosion Species—they struggled.
'Still, decent meat shields. Good call bringing them.'
Thud-thud! Nails from my gun pierced head and chest. The stubborn beast finally dropped, still.
"O-one shot... sawayo..."
"So this is a B-rank Valkyrie's power."
"Amazing!"
The squad marveled at my output. No complaints about the late assist—smart. Save strength for the goal.
With that mindset, we climbed cautiously. Fight ambushes, rest briefly, press on, fight more...
How much time passed? Exhausted Ubina finally plopped down amid endless battles.
"Hweee... S-something's off, sawayo! This mountain never had this many Erosion Species!"
"It's like someone herded them here on purpose..."
They sensed the abnormality—unnaturally frequent encounters. A vague crisis loomed.
But retreat was impossible. If something happened, we needed the cause. Valkyries offered their lives to humanity—that was duty.
Thus, blood- and dirt-caked, we reached Malishion's summit.
"The peak..."
"Where's Morka's signal?"
"Over there, sawayo!"
Fierce winds atop the barren, rocky summit. No trees. Hard to imagine Morka here.
But following the signal led to a cave—huge entrance, truck-sized. The signal pulsed from inside.
"Commander, this is..."
"Once we enter, we might not come out, sawayo..."
"Smells dangerous."
Hard to stay optimistic. Unknown threats in the depths. Common sense screamed for more prep.
"..."
Unlike the hesitant squad, I stared into the dark maw—ignoring the commander. I had to go. My expression screamed it.
"Leira."
"...Yes, Commander."
"Do you... intend to go?"
"I..."
Grip. I clutched my chest like in pain, whipped around to face him.
"I want to save Morka."
If you won't go, I'll go alone. My eyes conveyed it, unspoken.
He steeled himself, addressed the squad.
"Understood. Rabbit Hole Squad, can you wait here? If we don't return in time, head back to Ruina and report..."
"No no no, what are you saying, sawayo!"
"S-sending just you two is..."
"We're a squad, Commander."
"Yeah."
As expected. Deep bonds—they'd follow us no matter what. Thanks. But you chose to enter. No complaints as meat shields, right?
"Let's go in."
The commander's voice, tense. We entered the cave in formation.
No human traces inside. Jagged floor unfit for lying down, oppressively damp. Notably high ceiling—plenty of swing room for weapons.
"This is..."
"There's a lake in the cave."
Deeper in, a lake appeared—emerald gleam. A stone path stretched to the center.
Morka's signal at the end.
"Th-there...!"
We single-filed along the path. But what we found stunned us.
No Morka—just her uniform on the ground.
"This clothing, don't tell me..."
"Morka's uniform...?!"
Shockingly pristine, like neatly shed. Where was Morka, leaving clothes behind?
As confusion distracted everyone—a faint wind whistled overhead.
I yanked nearby Promina to me.
"Danger!"
"Kyaa?!"
Shhink! Something sharp sliced air. A ceiling lurker's talons.
Pulling Promina saved her, but a second strike loomed.
I fired my nailgun at it.
"Ambush!"
"Ugh...?!"
"Ceiling strike...!"
The black monster recoiled from my shots, retreating. The others raised arms, battle-ready.
We finally saw our attacker.
"N-never seen an Erosion Species like this, sawayo..."
"Commander, fall back."
"Black Erosion Species..."
About 3 meters tall, gaunt build. Razor claws and fangs marked it a hunter.
'So this is what it looks like up close... Creepy bastard.'
Its identity: Midyr. The villain for this stage.