Quest 8

Cirrus quickly got his bag and threw it away and hid behind one of the trees as he heard a voice.

"Tell me adventurer, are you Finn? Or any of those aligned with those so called 'good' gods?"

'Shit, is he with Evilus!? He has to be if they caused the Monster Parade!'

"I know you are there! You couldn't have gone far!!"

He smashed a tree in anger.

'Fuck! Fuck!'

Cirrus was panicking, his hands were shaking, he focused on the voice and if there was anyone else.

'Hmmm…. I can only hear his footsteps. He's heavy… fuck what level is he??'

Cirrus slowly draws his sword and, much like how he built his resolve when first exploring the 1st floor, he did so once again. This time, it was to kill another human.

"It's fine… it's fine… he's a criminal… I'm sure he's killed many more… he killed people with that Monster Parade… he isn't a good person…"

Cirrus quietly muttered to himself, his hands gripping the handle of the sword tightly. He takes another deep breath and mutters.

"(Exousía, Adorn: Ceryneian)."

As he rushed out, the magic adorned him, covering his face as he rushed at the person with his sword drawn.

"!!"

Cling!!!

Cling!!!

The sound of metal clashing resonated around the area; the man stopped the attack with a massive great sword.

"Well! Well! Look what we have here! A quick little bastard!!"

"!!"

With great strength, he flung Cirrus high into the air.

Whoosh!!

Whoosh!!!

Cirrus looks at his sword to find it slightly chipped. Below him, he could see the man's great sword. The sheer size of it makes it easy to tell as it shifts the movement of the mist so much.

Cirrus stops going up and falls back to the ground. He takes out his spear and as he's falling; he spots a tree branch and uses it to change his fall as he could see the man swing his massive sword, clearing the area away of mist.

"Clever little deer, aren't you?" he said.

Now that the mist had cleared away, Cirrus could see him. A robust man with muscles that can be easily seen even under his clothes with a bald head, he is wearing plated armor in bits and pieces to not be heavy.

"Nice gear you have." He then readied his great sword again. "I'll be sure to give it to Lady Alecto!!" he then rushed towards Cirrus with an overhead swing.

Cirrus stepped to the side as the great sword cleaved into the ground.

Klunk!!!

Cirrus quickly stabbed his leg, and he immediately grabbed the sword.

"!!"

"Quick little shit!!"

Cirrus punched the sword with the palm of his hand, pushing it further, cutting the man's hand before getting some distance.

"Ahh!!! That fucking hurts!!"

He removed the sword and snapped it.

Kirik!!!

'Fuck….'

"Hahaha!! Now, what are you gonna do, you fucking Pallum!!"

He raises his great sword again and charges at Cirrus, this time with a fast horizontal swing.

Cirrus sees this from the corner of his eye and jumps all the while spinning his body to take out his spear, while in its 3-sections state he quickly spins the section with the point and cuts him twice on his right arm before getting back some space.

"Gah!! Fuck!! What kind of weapon is that!!" he shouted.

"… It's none of your fucking concern, you bald Evilus fuck!"

Cirrus came at him this time, moving around him in a circle, confusing him.

"Quit running around you annoying level 2!!!"

He swings his blade once more, but to no avail. Seeing this opening, Cirrus cut him several more times and even a few more at the back of his legs before regaining more distance and returning to circle him.

"You annoying bastard!!!"

He swung again in anger and once again he was punished with more cuts.

"Do you know who the fuck I am!!! I am Briareus!! Hundred Strength!!! I will not be humiliated!!!"

"Well, sucks for you," Cirrus said above him.

"!!"

"Because you're a fucking clown."

He swings again with the momentum of his swing to cut deeply into his left eye.

"GRAAAA!!!!!!! YOU FUCKER!!!! (I bounded by reason, break my shackl-)."

Realizing that he's using magic, Cirrus went in again trying to cause an Ignis Fatuus.

Seeing Cirrus coming at him, Briareus impaled his great sword into the ground and tucked his most vulnerable organ inside, leaving only the mass of dense muscle to protect him.

'So fucking annoying!!'

He quickly ran as fast as he could and aimed for his Achille's tendon. The cut was enough for him to fall to his knees, screaming in pain.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOOOM!!!"

Which resulted in an Ignis Fatuus.

Cirrus quickly made his spear into a single form and swung it until he held it like a cue stick in Billiards aimed directly at his eye.

Rushing in at full speed, Cirrus impales the spear into his eye.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

His scream filled the area again before Cirrus held the stick and pushed it to the side like a heavy leaver that the gears are stuck.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!!"

Thud!!

"!?"

His punch devastated Cirrus.

"Gaah!!"

He felt his neck nearly break as he rolled onto the ground from the punch. Had Briareus been in a better position, he would have knocked Cirrus's head off.

"Huff!! Huff!!" Cirrus was gasping for air as the attack shook him to his core.

"Come here, you little fuck!!"

"Shiiiit!!" He grabbed him by his leg and slammed him to the ground. "Gaah!!" Breaking some of his mask off.

"Hahaha!! Not so tough huh you fucking rat!" He walked over and turned him over and sat on him with his fists clenched.

Cirrus looks up to see his spear lodged in his eye, broken with only the blade still in.

"Get off me!!" Cirrus struggled.

"Fuck no!! I'm going to enjoy smashing your face in!!"

Cirrus saw his right arm retracted. He knew where they were gonna swing from, how his arm was positioned. Cirrus readied himself as he came in.

Swish!

His fist came in as it did. Cirrus turned his head to take the blow, but he grazed Cirrus, chipping his mask.

"!?" Both were surprised by this.

Cirrus took full advantage and punched his right elbow, making him get close enough for him to grab the spear's blade.

"DIE!!!" Cirrus shouted as he ripped out the blade and stabbed him in the side of his neck, nicking an artery.

"Kuk!!" Briareus's eyes widen as Cirrus slices down to his thyroid.

Spurt!! Spurt!!

Blood bathed Cirrus into his mask and his face. He watched as life quickly left this brute of a man and he goes limp pinning Cirrus.

".... Huff!! Huff!! Grunt!" Cirrus slowly pushed him off him and lay on the ground, steady as a surgeon's hand.

His mind, however, was racing, his senses on high alert for anything.

'I need to move.'

He got up and walked slowly to his wrists, feeling his pulse.

"…. Nothing."

Cirrus quickly went to grab his stuff and bail when he heard some footsteps approaching.

"!!"

He quickly took his spear and picked up the handle of his broken short sword. He ran a full sprint to his bag. He turned to see a woman with orange hair before mist covered both his and her appearance.

'I need to run!! I can't fight another member of Evilus!!'

With all of his speed, he quickly rushed to the 11th floor and then to the next as fast as he could until his Magic almost reached a Mind Down. With all of his speed, he was only able to reach the 9th floor, taking the shortest path and dodging all the monsters he encountered as best as he could.

"Huff!! Huff! Huff!! keep…. moving…"

He slowly walked, carefully avoiding any sounds. He reached into his bag and pulled another magic potion out and chugged it.

Three hours later, back on the surface.

After arriving back on the surface, Cirrus used his bag to cover the blood. He went into an alley where no one was looking as quickly as possible and went further deeper into a dead end. He pressed some stones and a secret passage opened up.

He entered and quickly closed it behind him. He dropped his bag and lay down.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!" He was breathing heavily, and exhaustion was setting in as his adrenaline wore off.

The pain in his body was beginning to sting more and more. He raised his hands to find them shaking uncontrollably. He then saw a splash of blood on his palms and realized what he had done. He had taken a human life for the first time.

Details of the event rushed to him, and a nauseating feeling rose in him.

BARF!!!!

He vomited heavily, so much so that he turned and got on all fours as the vomit violently came out of him like Coke and Mentos. He remembered the look in his eye as he jammed his spear in. The sound and feel of it all are seared into his mind. He struggled to try and live and right in the middle, it just ended. It didn't feel real, none of it felt real.

His heart was beating faster than he had ever felt it beat before.

Ba bum!! Ba bum!! Ba bum!! Ba bum!! Ba bum!! Ba bum!! Ba bum!! Ba bum!!

The pain went away again, and his body wished to vomit again, but he had nothing else left to vomit.

"Fuck… fuck... fuck."

He slowly leaned against the wall and sat down. He shakily takes out his broken spear and looks at it. The stains of dried blood remain on it.

"…. fuck…. fuck…" he said quietly as his eyes began to water, remembering the face of the man he killed as he desperately tried to wipe the blood off.

He had never killed a man. He never thought this was how he would react. He felt a sense of conflicting guilt in his heart. He knew he was going to kill him if he didn't fight back, but... it didn't make taking life any easier.

Despite Cirrus being reincarnated and possessing a adult mind his body and brain are still that of a child.

In that dark, dimly lit passage, Cirrus cried like a child for the first time since he could remember the face of the mother that abandoned him.

Cirrus wished for a life that would not feel meaningless, but one of the amazing feats of... Tragically, in order to accomplish amazing feats, one must first experience loss - the future he predicts is approaching, and the darkest era of Orario is on the horizon, and losing innocence is the least of the horrors that await.