Fall, Isolation (3)
The one leading the charge at the very front was a mantis. Its enormous scythe-like forelegs came slashing toward Maxim with Theodora strapped to his back. Maxim ducked swiftly and severed the mantis’s leg in one clean stroke. The creature toppled forward without a sound.
The swarm of monsters ahead split in two. Some veered toward the fallen mantis to devour it, while others continued their frenzied rush at Maxim.
“Die.”
Maxim leaped high, his eyes locking onto the remaining few monsters. One nameless, unidentifiable beast had its neck sliced clean through and tumbled across the ground. Right behind it, a hexaped offered up its life. Maxim carved through the entire group with ruthless efficiency, then broke into a dead sprint forward.
Behind him, a bloody feast erupted over the legless mantis and the corpses Maxim had left in his wake. Even as its torso was torn apart and its head ripped away, the mantis swung its massive scythes, dragging more monsters down with it.
Kirik. Kirik. Kirik. Kirik.
Maxim ran. He had to reach the end of this damned passage if he wanted any chance of escape. The sounds of monsters tearing and stabbing one another were drowned out by the louder, wet scraping of the Deathworm slithering closer.
The faint crack of light was growing nearer. Maxim gathered the last of his strength and hurled himself forward in a final leap. Shattered stone exploded outward beneath his feet.
Just a little farther.
Kkigigik.
Something enormous was crawling up from behind. The sounds of fighting had ceased. It felt as though they had all been reduced to prey within a single bite of the colossal thing.
The exit lay ahead. The slope of the rubble hill dropped sharply. Maxim threw himself onto the incline. Using his sword like a brake, he slid down the steep descent. Sparks flew from the sides of his boots, and clouds of dust billowed up.
Even as he wobbled, Maxim kept his balance. Don’t look back. The thought that falling now would mean death for them both burned in his eyes with desperate intensity as he hurtled down the slope.
Pagagak.
The end came into view ahead of Maxim. He staggered to a landing on the desolate wasteland beyond the collapsed cliff. His field of vision suddenly expanded, and light flooded his eyes all at once.
At the very least, they had emerged into an open area. A storm of conflicting emotions churned inside Maxim’s chest. Should we keep running? Get away from the cliff? Or turn back and fight?
Now that they were in open ground, maybe they stood a chance in battle. But what about Theodora? There was no way he could win while carrying her on his back.
Maxim expanded his senses, searching for threats, but the massive presence remained lingering at the site of the collapsed cliff. He tightened his grip on his sword and spun around.
“...”
Deep within the crumbled cliff face, it lurked. A grotesque, colossal monster the color of dried blood, a hideous fusion of worm and larva—the Deathworm. Inside its spiraling, vortex-like maw, thousands of serrated teeth churned like saw blades. Fragments of monster carcasses were caught between them.
For some reason, the Deathworm made no attempt to emerge from the rubble of the collapsed cliff. Maxim couldn’t understand how a creature without eyes or a nose could detect him.
Dduduk.
The Deathworm twisted its body. With every shift of its bloated mass, the cliff face crumbled a little more. Maxim began to move slowly, step by step, never taking his eyes off the beast. Each footfall on the wasteland produced the dry crunch of sand.
Then, the Deathworm began to writhe and retreat, as if being sucked back into the deep darkness of the abyss. It vanished from sight.
“...Haa.”
The Deathworm was gone. Maxim let out a sigh of relief and looked up at the cliff. Even from below, it towered dizzyingly high. Naturally, nothing could be seen at the top.
To request rescue from the survey team above, they would need to stay near the collapsed section, but he couldn’t risk any reckless action until Theodora regained consciousness. Maxim glanced back and forth along both sides of the cliff and decided to move left from their landing point.
Strangely enough, the endless procession of monsters that had been crawling up the cliff face seemed to have been interrupted by the collapse. Yet—
Krrrk. Kiik.
No matter how many monsters had been reduced, this was still No Man’s Land. It was no place where humans were permitted to tread. Wherever Maxim turned his head, monsters lurked. Some fought among themselves, others feasted on the corpses of the fallen, and still more watched him with hungry eyes.
With Theodora on his back and a sword in only one hand, Maxim’s awkward posture made him look like easy prey. Of course, even without that disadvantage, simply standing still in this place would result in being torn apart by a swarm within seconds.
“We can survive.”
Maxim spoke the words to bolster his own courage. They didn’t help much. At least Theodora’s armor didn’t feel as heavy as he had feared.
“We’re going to make it out of here.”
But the weight of carrying Theodora’s life on his shoulders pressed down on him with crushing certainty. Maxim twisted his sword in his grip. Before I become prey and get swept away by the horde, I’ll kill them first.
His sunken eyes, identical to those of the monsters around him, began searching for the weakest, the easiest target. His gaze settled on an arachne mindlessly devouring a fallen hexaped. Maxim adjusted his aim.
His body accelerated. Killing his presence as much as possible, Maxim became a steel arrow and bisected the arachne from head to abdomen in one strike. Its head flew into the air.
Maxim sprinted forward, praying the next wave of monsters would be distracted by the fresh carcass. He wasn’t sure if such a place existed, but he needed somewhere to hide, at least until Theodora woke up.
Giant boulders lay scattered everywhere, but none were large enough to serve as proper shelter. He would have to reach the rocky hill in the distance, which would take several minutes of running. And of course, he would have to cut down the dozen—or perhaps several dozen—monsters lying in wait along the way.
There has to be another way…!
At that moment, something caught Maxim’s eye. Between the countless piled corpses of monsters, there was a section of the cliff that had been eroded into a hollow. Maxim didn’t hesitate. Once a decision was made on the battlefield, it had to be acted upon immediately. He couldn’t simply stand there and wait helplessly for a rescue that might never come.
Kyaaaak—!
The monsters charged. There was no time to identify what they were. Some resembled dogs, others snakes, and still others were grotesque fusions of birds and insects. Maxim swung his sword wildly.
He shoved all thoughts of technique to the back of his mind and simply let his body and instincts take over, swinging the blade wherever his arms led. He dodged snapping jaws, entrusted his armor to deflect claws, and stayed constantly vigilant to ensure no monster struck Theodora on his back.
What kept Maxim going, even as he teetered on the edge of total exhaustion, was a desperation bordering on madness. Conscious only of Theodora behind him, he cut. And cut again.
Thud. Thud.
Wherever his feet landed, monster corpses fell like autumn leaves. Other monsters descended into chaos, fighting over the fresh kills. Maxim left the carnage behind and raced toward the weakened section of the cliff.
Two swings of his sword brought down the wall of corpses blocking the way. A nauseating stench of decay washed over him. Maxim hurled his sword ahead first, then lifted Theodora from his back into his arms and dove into the small cave.
Christine Watson has launched a flare to summon all members of Survey Team 1. This signal is reserved exclusively for critical discoveries or life-threatening situations.
Upon reaching the collapsed section of the cliff, Christine fired a signal flare into the sky, calling back every member of Survey Team 1 who was still investigating. The flare was only to be used in situations of decisive investigative breakthroughs or when lives hung in the balance, but this was now an emergency. It was time to take roll.
And then, the worst fear came true.
“...Senior…”
The Commander of the Raven Knight Order, Theodora Benning, and her senior, Maxim Apparte, were missing.
“Vice Commander.”
“Don’t try to stop me.”
Christine walked toward the edge of the collapsed cliff. Knights and soldiers behind her tried to hold her back. Far below the pitch-black cliff face lay an abyss. The Commander and her senior had fallen down there.
“...It’s dangerous. Approaching the edge of the cliff—”
Ignoring their warnings, Christine gazed down into the collapsed ravine. She could see nothing.
Just in case, she formed a sphere of light in her hand and dropped it downward. The orb descended very slowly, illuminating the interior of the cliff like a falling feather before sinking toward the bottom.
“Please…”
Christine’s voice was desperate. The light was nearing the floor. She stared down with trembling eyes.
“...!”
The soldiers standing beside her, also peering down, suddenly pointed at the same spot.
“Vice Commander! Over there!”
Christine looked where they indicated. On the surface of the rubble illuminated by the light, there were what appeared to be bloodstains. Behind them lay the severed hide of a Fenrir, shattered pieces of armor, and fragments of a scabbard that looked as if they had been deliberately cut.
“Vice Commander, the Commander is…”
“...She’s alive.”
Christine spoke with absolute certainty. “Someone forcibly broke the armor only at the joints. The scabbard was cut cleanly.”
Christine lifted her head. “We must report this to the Margrave immediately. Hurry back to the assembly point…!”
She sprang to her feet. Christine began sprinting like a bolt of lightning, and the knights and soldiers hurried after her in a panic. She poured every ounce of mana she possessed into physical enhancement, reaching the rendezvous point of Team 2 at a speed the knights could barely match even at full sprint.
At the Team 2 assembly point, the knight Christine had sent ahead was speaking with the Margrave, his expression grave.
“...Margrave…!”
Christine called out, gasping for breath. The Margrave frowned and turned, but upon seeing Christine’s face, her expression shifted to one of puzzlement.
“...Vice Commander. What’s going on?”
“Two personnel… appear to have been caught in the cliff collapse and fallen, becoming isolated.”
At Christine’s words, the Margrave’s puzzled expression hardened. She had realized the situation was far more serious than expected.
“Those two being…?”
“The Commander of the Raven Knight Order, Theodora Benning, and a member, Maxim Apparte.”
The Margrave clicked her tongue. She immediately summoned the soldiers. The troops of Team 2 gathered.
“Prepare to camp for the night.”
“Yes, understood.”
At a single word from the Margrave, they ran off without complaint to prepare the encampment. The Margrave turned her gaze back to Christine.
“Can you give me a full situation report?”
“How much have you already heard?”
“Only that there was a loud roar and part of the cliff collapsed.”
Christine gradually organized her chaotic thoughts and began explaining.
“After the collapse, I used a signal flare to gather Team 1 in order to check for missing or injured personnel.”
The Margrave nodded to show she was listening.
“Upon confirming the headcount, we discovered that the Commander and Knight Maxim were missing. I had suspected something when the Commander failed to fire a flare, but…”
“And then?”
“Then… we approached the collapsed cliff and looked down. Using magic to cast light, we saw faint traces of blood. Looking more closely, we found fragments of shattered armor and a cleanly severed scabbard.”
The Margrave furrowed her brow. “...Which means there’s a chance they’re still alive.”
“They are definitely alive. I’m certain of it.” Christine spoke firmly.
“...Of all times, this had to happen three days before we were supposed to return to the Royal Capital.” The Margrave ground her teeth. “Vice Commander, there’s something I need you to understand first.”
“What is it?”
“We cannot send soldiers or knights down there recklessly. Even if we do dispatch a team, only a very small number of elites will be assigned to the search party.”
Christine nodded, her face pale.
“The search itself cannot be prolonged. We must withdraw no later than one hour before sunset. And…” The Margrave looked at Christine. “You will most likely be included in the search party as well.”
“That is what I hoped for.”
The Margrave let out a long sigh. “Goddammit.”
Her gaze stretched out toward the vast wasteland of No Man’s Land.
It was dark. Theodora suddenly realized she had her eyes closed. A nauseating stench, like rotting blood and flesh, hung thick in the air. Had she died and fallen into hell?
The pain radiating through every inch of her body was excruciating. Theodora exhaled a heavy breath and forced her eyes open with great effort. Her eyelids trembled violently.
Even after opening them, all she saw was darkness. Her pupils dilated, gathering what little light there was. Slowly, the scene before her came into focus: a low ceiling. It looked rough, as if carved from stone. No—it truly was a stone ceiling.
Next, she felt a sharp pain in her right leg. She tried to move it, but the limb felt as if it were bound in place. From the occasional brush of cold air against her skin, it seemed her leg armor had been removed.
And then—
Theodora saw Maxim looking down at her with eyes full of worry. Only then did the memories flood back. The cliff. The collapse. The fall.
Maxim looked down at her, his voice filled with concern yet still taut with tension.
“You’re awake?”
“Maxim… where are we right now…”
Theodora’s face turned deathly pale as she realized the situation they were in.