Rebellious Maidens - Episode 02
[ ~ Chapter • Start ~ ]
Rance and Sill have visited several different buildings in the Underground Town of Custom, remembering the locations of the bar, info shop, item shop, church, and Mouth to Hell.
Although, they were curious about an abandoned, mostly destroyed house that had nobody living on it, there was a sign on the ground that read "Ragisis", meaning this was his house. They entered it and wandered into a crumbling room.
"It's dusty and abandoned, just like a haunted house." Rance spoke, and upon that realization, Sill immediately held onto Rance's arm while showing an expression of fear that.
"Master, I don't like this place.... it's scaring me..." Sill spoke, hastily looking around.
"Huh? What do you mean? You afraid of ghosts?" Rance said jokingly, with one hand almost grabbing the hilt of the [Ghost Buster Sword].
"Eek! Y-yes, but...." Sill replied, yet she couldn't speak out what she wanted to say.
'Hmmm, if there is a presence around this abandoned house, then Ragisis's spirit must be around. That old man probably has a deep regret about having his students rebel against him.' Rance concluded, putting his hand away from the hilt of the sword.
"Hey, Ragisis! If you are around, please show yourself!" He spoke, as Sill's hold on his arm became a little tighter.
After a little while, a semi-transparent figure showed himself to them. He looked like he had lost something very important, or maybe horribly failed to finish something important.
".... I am here." The spirit of Ragisis said, staring towards the both of them. "I assume you are Rance and Sill Plain, the ones called to this town to free it. I am Ragisis Cryhausen, the late guardian of this town. Due to my recent death, I no longer have the power to protect this town. Please, save this town in my stead...."
After an introduction, Rance became more and more curious.
"Right, so what happened before you died?" He asked, as Ragisis began to explain.
He protected the town for a long while, when he had a sudden epiphany: he would eventually be killed by time, so he gathered successors. Those successors four girls with a talent for magic, trained to follow his footsteps.
His students' power and knowledge grew steadily over time under him-
".... Hmm, this late old man's reminiscing might just waste your time. So I'll just cut to the chase." Ragisis interrupted himself, before he continued "One day, they stole my Phil Rings I treasured the most. And challenged me. Normally I would have won even if they outnumber me, but due to those rings, here I am. Please, you have to defeat them!" Ragisis pleaded, as Rance nodded.
"Hmph, very well. We'll leave at this moment, thanks for the information, old man." Before they left, Ragisis sighed.
"..... Do I look like I'm done?"
Ragisis then began to tell Rance about the four witches, about their professions, and about their leader, the Phil Rings, the rings that bestow incredible amount of power, and everything they needed to know, before letting them leave.
Rance and Sill walked towards the "Mouth to Hell", the entrance to the town's dungeon.
"They call this Mouth to Hell, hm? Doesn't look like it's the literal mouth to hell. It doesn't even amuse me." Rance spoke, before he noticed an inconspicuous well near the entrance to the dungeon.
He then ignored it, as it wasn't something interesting to him.
"Let's head in." Rance said, unsheathing the [Ghost Buster Sword].
Sill nodded, following him.
However, what met them was a very dark cave, so dark that their vision is blocked.
"It's dark.... I should cast a support spell for us!" Sill spoke, taking out her wand and casting a spell towards both herself and Rance so that they could see in the dark, only to jump back in fright as Rance suddenly showed a really goofy face in front of her.
"Eek! Master! Please don't do that again!" She spoke, before breathing out in relief.
"....Maybe." Rance then shook his head, and turned to the path they needed to take. And with a short glance, the interior of the dungeon seems to be an old mining passageway.
Knowing what else to do, they began to traverse it.
"Hmm.... Blood?" Rance spoke, noticing several fresh spots of blood on the ground, before crouching down to the ground. "It seems to lead a trail, though..."
He looked at his side, to see an open door.
"Master, is there something wrong?" Sill asked, before Rance shrugged.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that somebody needs our help." He replied, walking towards the door and entering a room where they found a girl sitting at the middle of it.
It seems like she's been wounded.
Sill, knowing what to do, proceeded to approach her with her wand pointed at her.
The girl weakly glanced at Sill, whose wand started to glow. As if to accept her fate due to a small misunderstanding, she closed her eyes.
However... "Uhm... [Healing 2]!" Sill chanted, as the girl's wounds began to close and her stamina begins to be restored.
The girl, now feeling well due to being healed, shook her head.
"... Huh?" She stood up, and looked at the duo. "Who are you people? You don't seem to be hostile, nor are you from Custom...." The girl asked, before Rance and Sill introduced themselves.
The girl then introduced herself as Nay Oolong, one of the four adventurers who have ventured down at this dungeon. She wasn't able to catch up with her allies, and was badly wounded from fighting two living statues, also, she was the only one left from their group, whom have disappeared suddenly.
Nay thanked them by giving them a key that might help them soon enough and 250 G as extra payment before returning to Custom.
Rance kept the key inside his coat's pocket, before they proceeded further into the pathway.
On their way to find one of the four witches, they slipped into a pool of water (luckily, the key they have didn't fall into the water), activated an electricity trap (which Rance and Sill shrugged off due to a barrier surrounding both of them at moment's notice), and began to stride further.
After that, they curiously strode into a room.
"..... Something is off...." Rance spoke, just before the sound of rumbling is heard.
"Master, the walls!" Sill cautioned, as the walls began groaning while they slowly closed unto the both of them with the intent to crush them to death.
"Yeah, I know. Just hold close to me and don't panic, I'll try to stop these walls. Though destroying them with magic might be an idea, it's worse that doing something logical." Rance spoke, extending his hands towards the approaching walls and creating barriers that abruptly stopped the walls from trying to crush them.
After a short while the walls returned to their original positions, making Sill sigh in relief.
"Now that's done, let's proceed." Rance spoke, before both of them strode towards the room in front of them as of nothing had happened.
When they entered a room, a blue haired girl in a lab coatawaited them.
"I'm sorry, are you both okay? That trap is only meant for monsters that try to get in. Luckily, at the last moment, I noticed you both."
[ ~ Chapter • End ~ ]