Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, I always loved horror movies--but they are so much scarier when they occur in real life.”

The red dot which appears in the direction of the owl from just before--I felt that it was weird. Appearing from the shadow which stretches unnaturally from behind the owl, a person wearing black robes rises. I can’t see their face because it is wearing a hood, and the cloak has long sleeves.

 

“I’ve come to pick you up, Mia.”

 

Mia, who’s behind me, is trembling.

 

“--No.”

 

The man is obviously the Mage, the owl from earlier is nesting on the man’s shoulder--is it a pet, or a familiar?

I gently place a hand on Mia’s shoulder, guiding her behind me, and check the Mage’s Status.

 

Name: Zen

Level: 71

Skills: Unknown

 

Well, this is irritating--is he the same as Arisa and the heroes, who can hide their Skills among other things?

Mia is trembling behind me.

This guy is far too dangerous for anyone but me to handle, let’s be careful with him for now--it seems impossible, but I’d like to settle this with a discussion if possible.

It’s not that I would lose to him, but I don’t want to endanger the girls; or Mia, since I have decided that she’s under my protection until I get her home.

 

“Nice to meet you, Mage. I’m Tek, a traveler.”

 

“I don’t have business with someone like a traveler.” The Mage doesn’t seem like he’d even bother to introduce himself--I wonder if it’s because he looks down on travelers, or if he is too proud.

“Even if you don’t, I have decided to protect this girl--I won’t allow you to take her.”

“Heh, you seem to be protected by generous and skillful mercenaries, but if they stand before me, it will become a bloodbath--do you understand?” The Mage points his staff at us.

“It’s no good! Master, this guy is too strong,” Arisa warned from behind me.

I look back and roll my eyes at her, “for you maybe, remember what I told you at the inn--it will be okay, I won’t let anyone die.”

“I am the great King of Night--it’s good that you know your place, but trash don’t have any place calling me ‘this guy’.”

This is bad, the Mage’s attention is directed towards Arisa.

“***** *--” The Mage begins to chant Magic toward Arisa.

I don’t want to get too far from Arisa, but I can’t afford not to now--I rush towards the Mage and strike him in the stomach with my fist. But the strike is unable to stop the Mage’s chant--my fist penetrated the Mage’s robe, but there’s no response at all.

Is this one of the Mage’s Unique Skills?

“--Shadow Whip.” When the Mage finishes his chant, a shadow stretches out from his foot, forming something like a spear that plunges towards Arisa.

Moving quickly enough to leave afterimages, I step away from the Mage and cut between the Shadow Whip and Arisa.

I block it with my crossed arms.

The Shadow Whip moves like a snake, coiling around my body--at that time I feel some small pricks all over my body, like someone was poking me with a blunted needle on every inch of my skin.

 

>>Skill: Shadow Magic Acquired.

>>Skill: Shadow Resistance Acquired.

 

Cool, I got the Resistance Skill.

I feel that the Resistance Skill might be important in this situation, so, let’s just activate it and assign all ten points to it.

***

“Hmm, that’s an unbelievable body. Are you really a traveler?”

“A friend of mine calls me nimble traveler.”

 

From behind us, I hear Arisa make a surprised sound.

 

“To put yourself in front of a woman to protect them from my attack, you have my praise,”

“If you admire me, then won’t you back down?”

“That’s a different story--Mia is needed to achieve my goal.”

 

I’m finally able to free myself from the Shadow Whip. This spell only gives me insignificant prickly damage, but it had no substance and no reaction when I try to touch it, so I couldn’t tear it off. Yet it could still restrain me--what a fascinating fantasy substance.

 

“What is your goal?”

“There is no meaning to tell you that. If you want to save Mia, then bring a hero along.”

“Do you have a grudge against heroes?”

 

The Mage doesn’t answer, instead he laughs loudly while looking up at the sky.

Accompanying his laughter, countless Shadow Whips appear from his feet.

They are moving to wrap around and abduct Mia, who is standing listlessly, frozen in fear. If physical attacks don’t work, then how about a Magic attack?

I take Magic Guns from my pocket and hold one in each hand, setting the power scale to the maximum setting.

For someone of this guy’s level, this much probably won’t kill him.

“Way off the mark.” The Mage says in an amused tone as the Magic whips expand towards Mia and I.

I intercept the Shadow Whips with the Magic Guns, using a mixture of the Shooting and Fighting skills--my movements look similar to ‘gunfu’ or ‘gun kata’, neither of which work on Earth, but this is a fantasy world.

Strangely though, it’s working.

I succeeded in destroying every Magic Whip that went towards Mia, while I had to choose to let one through, since I couldn’t destroy them all--so I let the one that came toward me coil itself on me.

 

“Those are quite good weapons.”

 

“Is that so? If you leave Mia alone, then I will give you one, how about it?” While offering to trade with the Mage, I shoot the Shadow Whip coiling around me with one of the Magic Guns.

I heard Mia’s scream from behind me.

When I turn just my head, I see that Mia is being restricted by her shadow--before more whips appear from the Mage and restrict me.

The Mage begins to chant a new Magic.

I can’t let him cast any more Magic, so I begin to shoot at him, instead of the restricting Whips--his health decreases, but immediately recovers before the next shot can be fired; is this guy’s Unique Skill related to rapid recovery or invincibility?

Changing my aim, I fire at his staff instead.

 

“Help me!”

“Help?”

 

Pochi and Tama seemed to be trying to do something to the Shadow Whips, but they just slipped through them. Even just slipping through the Shadow Whip seems to give them damage--the two jump back while screaming.

Liza and Arisa are looking here from behind the rock they are using for cover, waiting for their chance to attack while eluding the Magic whips.

All of the Magic shots I fire are blocked by the Shadow Whips that keep appearing from the Mage’s feet.

Then, finally, the Mage’s Magic is activated, “--Shadow Portal!”

Mia’s body begins sinking into the shadow that was restraining her.

I give up on shooting the Mage and change my position using pure brute force, gently wrapping my arms around Mia’s slim waist, I hold her up--she clings to me frantically.

“I’ll have you return this girl. Since it’d trouble me if you’re careless, I’ll say this--if you try to forcibly pull her out, she will die.” The Mage says this as he sinks into his own shadow, “You’re no match for a transcendent being like me, resign from your unreasonable struggle. If you wish for death, then you’re free to visit my Maze, I expect a show of courage and wisdom when you break through it.”

Laughing loudly, the Mage disappears into his shadow, I still didn’t manage to see his face.

The pull on Mia increases and my body is almost dragged in with her, but maybe because of my resistance, I manage to stop the two of us--the power of the shadow pulling on Mia is strong, and my strength is even stronger, but Mia’s health starts to gradually decrease.

If I put in any more power than this--I will end up ripping her in half.

I have decided.

“Arisa! Remember what I said to the inn, and when morning comes, go to Seryuu City, ask for assistance from the Worker’s Guild manager.”

After finishing my words to her, and seeing her firm nod, I stop resisting and allow myself to sink into the shadow with Mia.

Arisa and the girls should be able to deal with the Shadow Stalkers, with the help of Arisa’s Mind Magic--and hopefully without injuries.

***

After I sunk down, deep into the shadow, I can only see a jet-black space surrounding me. There is no sound or light, it feels almost as though I’m in the source of darkness--of course, there is also no air.

It is a little painful, my health decreases even faster than when the whip was coiled around me.

Still, probably thanks to Rapid Regeneration, it comes back at a fixed interval.

Perhaps, I’ve managed to become unable to die from suffocation.

Even if there was air, a person might go mad if they spend too long in this place.

Thanks to the uncomfortable feeling caused by a lack of oxygen, I can’t concentrate as well as usual.

Yes, what about Mia?

Since I can’t even look at my own body, it goes without saying that I can’t see her either--but strangely, I can’t feel her in my embrace either.

I take a Light Drop from Storage, pouring in Magic Power.

The light is instantly snuffed out, no matter how much Magic Power I pour into it--but I feel it shatter in my hand, obviously overloaded by the amount of Magic Power it was receiving.

I use All Map Exploration, but nothing changes, the radar only shows me.

Opening the map, I see it--the map is completely black, except for the red words which read: ‘Warning! No Map Available for Area!”.

“What’s this, a game?” I accidentally retorted.

Then, my voice comes out, roaring and echoing--bouncing infinitely, each time getting louder; just as it feels like I’m going to go deaf, the shadow space breaks. It’s like glass, shattering into shards spinning out into a deep grey fog, vanishing into fragments--before a white light flashes.

***

I’m standing in a place that looks like a noble’s audience chamber--it’s a large room, about half the size of a school gymnasium. The floors are made from stone, fat circular stone pillars line the walls, and candlesticks are attached to the walls--strangely, they emit LED-like Magical lights, not flame.

Against the furthest wall is a throne, floating in front of which is a sphere with a diameter of around two meters; it’s blinking rainbow lights, floating at knee-height.

Mia is sitting on the throne, lent back with her emerald eyes shut--seeming to have been made to sleep with a spell. Beside her is an incredibly beautiful woman, who is gently wiping sweat of Mia’s brow with a towel. Her hair is a deep golden blonde, her eyes blue and her face like exactly like Mia--except older--and completely blank; her chest is a little larger, D-Cup--maybe DD.

The Mage, who is running his gloved fingers over something that looks like a glowing piano, with strings that stretch to the glowing sphere, notices me before I can start attacking him again.

“Absurd!”, Even while surprised, the guy isn’t stopping playing his fingers over the Ethereal keys of whatever he is using, “How did you escape from my Prison of Shadow? It’s something that shouldn’t be able to be broken by a group of low level people like you bastards!”

Are you surprised, boasting, or looking down on us--please be clear about it.

My feet are a little unstable, which might be an effect from either the shadowy space, or however I broke it.

“I have a Light amulet with me--Shadow Magic isn’t going to work.” It seems that my deception skill allows me to come up with details that are incredibly appropriate to the situation--even if I don’t know what I am speaking about--I don’t know what a Light amulet it.

“I see, I cannot permit unfairness--this room is only allowed for people who have captured the maze, those who earn it can come here, that’s the rule,” The Mage stops, nodding at his own words, “And then, the hero who is able to get here--is the one who is qualified to annihilate me, the King of Immortals.”

What is this guy saying?

Capture the Maze to kill him?

Does he want to die?

Furthermore, didn’t he say that he’s a ‘King of Night’ initially?

He can’t seem to decide what to call himself.

But rather than that, I feel irritated that he got the girls, and Mia, in trouble just because he wanted to die.

“If you want to die, then go do it yourself--”

“Fuhahaha, I’ve received blessings from the god, I am Immortal.”

It’s a bit of a silly conversation, but if I continue wasting time, my feet will recover and I can move again.

But, the Mage doesn’t seem like he intends to continue.

“Well then, I’ll have you leave here.”

The door located beside the throne is opening.