Arkys Great Labyrinth (5)
"Ugh."
"Senior! Pull yourself together!"
Alex collapsed to the floor after only a short walk, even with Aisha supporting him.
Aisha, who had placed her hands on his body to help him up, felt a warm, wet sensation on her palms. She gently laid him down and examined his condition.
"Ah..."
"Gasp!"
"Oh no..."
Only then did the three of them notice the penetrating wound in Alex's abdomen, seeing his armor soaked in bright red blood and his face drenched in sweat like pouring rain.
How had he managed to walk this far in such a state? Aisha realized he had lost far too much blood.
"Q-quick, we need to stop the bleeding..."
"First, let's move! If we stay in the middle of this labyrinth like this, we'll all end up dead meat!"
"But where's a safe spot in this labyrinth?!"
Merdin tried to calm the panicked Aisha while scanning their surroundings for any secure location. Beyond the torchlight's glow, there was nothing but pitch-black darkness.
In truth, they hadn't found a single safe resting spot in this labyrinth, nor could they pinpoint their exact position within it. Faced with this hopeless reality, Merdin gritted his teeth and prioritized Alex's emergency treatment.
"Princess. Could you possibly cast a barrier spell?"
"It won't be the strongest, but yes, I can."
"Please do."
With Yuria nodding and stepping back, Merdin limped forward using his greatsword as a crutch in place of his broken leg. He knelt beside Alex and assessed him.
His condition was dire. Blood still poured from the hole that pierced straight through to his back.
Merdin didn't know human anatomy well enough to gauge organ damage, but it was clear Alex was in mortal danger.
"This... can first aid even save him...?"
If it had just been a broken leg like his own, maybe. But a massive abdominal hole like this was beyond basic emergency procedures. It needed a doctor or priest.
Never had the absence of a priest in their party hit harder than today.
"Hah... hah..."
"Alex..."
Gazing at his struggling comrade, Merdin sank into helpless despair, unable to do anything.
"Senior Merdin! Are you kidding me? Right now?!"
But Aisha was different. With a resolute expression, she rummaged roughly through her backpack, pulled out a first-aid kit, and brought it to Alex while scolding Merdin.
"He's not dead yet! We have to try something!"
Merdin couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of this rookie, who'd joined less than a year ago, desperately trying to save the senior she admired most—a laugh that didn't fit the situation.
Normally, he'd have exploded at her insolence, but knowing her feelings, he couldn't bring himself to.
"You can't die, Senior. Absolutely not. Why do you think I joined the Royal Guard...?"
She poured antiseptic on the wound and covered it with gauze. She wrapped his waist as tightly as possible with bandages, but expecting real improvement from this was futile.
Alex could only rasp in and out roughly, unable to respond.
"Whew."
Aisha wiped sweat from her forehead, then hoisted Alex over her shoulder again, ready to move.
"Princess. I'll manage. I'll use my sword as a crutch. Please help support Alex."
"But..."
Yuria glanced at Alex's state and nodded reluctantly. His injuries were far worse than Merdin's.
Aisha shot a brief glare at the princess—the root of this mess—but restrained herself, as it bordered on blasphemy. She focused on walking through the labyrinth.
"I... I'm sorry... Princess..."
Aisha frowned at the loyal knight's dry, pained apology for his failure, but she lacked the courage to voice it.
"You have to live. Live... and accept my apology."
Yuria bit her lip, her face etched with guilt as she spoke to Alex. If only she'd prepared more, grown stronger, come fully ready.
Or better yet, never come here at all.
Then no one would die pointlessly for her sake. If he died here like this, it would be as good as her killing him.
That's why Yuria was desperate. She couldn't bear anyone dying because of her—it felt like shirking an unbearable responsibility, an urge to escape.
Rumble!
"Damn..."
Merdin, bringing up the rear, froze at the beastly growl behind him. It was the voice of the mana beast that had reduced them to this state—a sound he'd heard before.
He turned slowly, hoping against hope, but his wish was dashed spectacularly.
Grrr.
The Bullboa, which had impaled Alex's gut with terrifying charging power, seemed furious for some reason. Snorting roughly, its excitement palpable, it glared at Merdin and the three ahead.
"No way..."
Hearing the snort, Aisha and Yuria also stiffened in shock. They'd thought the tear gas vial would buy them time, but less than an hour later, it had tracked them down.
The Bullboa knew the white smoke culprit was Yuria's group and had followed their scent in vengeful rage. Aisha, thinking its tenacity terrifying, released Alex's arm from her shoulder.
She stepped forward to face the Bullboa, poised to charge at any moment.
"No."
"Senior Merdin?"
"Just run straight ahead. I'll hold it off."
Merdin had given up on all four surviving. If so, one had to stay and delay the beast.
If death was inevitable, the least promising should sacrifice. Between himself—barely mobile—and Alex on the brink, he was the only one who could fight even a little.
It didn't take long to conclude that.
"Does that even make sense?! Better if we three team up and..."
"Impossible. We can't handle it. Prioritize escape. Princess, don't blame yourself too much."
Aisha flinched, caught for her occasional resentful glances at Yuria. But the Bullboa gave no time for decisions.
ROOOAR!
Its roar shook the labyrinth as the massive beast lunged forward.
Thud! Thud!
Each step made the labyrinth quake. As it closed in, the overwhelming pressure from its huge body prickled their skin, every sense on edge.
Senior's facing this head-on...?
Realizing anew Alex's courage, Aisha nocked an arrow, infused it with mana, and fired. The blue-mana arrow streaked like light, hitting the Bullboa's forehead dead-on.
But it ignored the embedded arrow and charged relentlessly. Aisha gaped in horror.
My God! It hit clean!
Her mana arrow could pierce targets and shatter walls in the training grounds, but it lacked the power to penetrate the beast's tough hide, flesh, and skull fatally.
She readied another, but the Bullboa was already within a meter of Merdin and Aisha.
As Merdin raised his sword, balancing on one leg to strike—
Boom!
A massive crash sent the Bullboa's body flying sideways.
"Wh-what?!"
Gray dust from the shattered labyrinth wall filled the air.
The Bullboa, expected to collide, had been struck by an attack bursting through the adjacent wall, slamming into the opposite one.
Merdin panicked at the inexplicable event. He waved away the dust and froze at the sight.
Grr, grr!
A long spear pierced the Bullboa's massive body, embedding it in the wall. Its short legs couldn't reach the ground, flailing futilely in resistance.
Its desperate struggles were useless. The spear, pinning hundreds of kilos of beast, didn't budge or break.
The monster that had driven them to death's door now dangled comically, impaled mid-air. Merdin and Aisha stared dumbly.
"What am I even seeing?"
"Whose spear is that...?"
As Merdin voiced his bewilderment—
Another blue streak flashed past.
Bang!
The blue "something" struck the Bullboa directly. As dust cleared, Merdin saw it was another spear—right where its head had been, now obliterated.
A precise javelin throw from beyond the wall, targeting the beast flawlessly. How? How did they sense its position? What power? Friend or foe?
Overwhelmed by the disparity, Merdin turned toward the broken wall, searching for the thrower.
"My God..."
Aisha, thinking the same, murmured in stunned awe at the shattered walls.
Not just one—layers upon layers beyond. Someone had pinpointed the Bullboa through multiple walls and hurled with wall-shattering, body-piercing force.
"Is this even humanly possible?"
Doubt was natural. Aisha thought the same.
"Ah."
Aisha gasped softly. Through the dust, two silhouettes emerged: a tall man and a smaller woman with long hair.
As they neared, Merdin recognized the woman and couldn't hide his bewilderment. Radiant blonde hair, ornate greaves, staff gripped tightly—familiar from a past expedition.
But that made it all the stranger. Why? How?
"Elenoa? What are you doing here...?"
His eyes naturally shifted to her companion. No proper gear, just a travel backpack—like a porter. Mystical silver-white hair, glowing red eyes that even he found striking.
The man smiled, nodded casually, and passed Merdin and Aisha naturally.
Alex lay gasping precariously, but smiled warmly at the man's face.
"Delivery's here, customer. Hope the 'help' arrived on time as requested."
"Perfect timing... Might owe you my life forever."
"Then next time, don't treat us like some 'delivery service.' Even as allies, do this again and I'll really get mad."
Despite his warning tone, Alex kept chuckling through his pain.
"No promises. Seems I'll always need your help."
"We'll discuss that later. For now, let's do something about that near-corpse of yours."
"Hoo..."
Hearing that, Alex finally felt he'd survived.