The party stood frozen solid as the strange woman that fought so fiercely with Vincent suddenly vanished, her powerful aura causing Zera and Odette to tremble in fear, like something within their blood despised and hated hers.
Felia was just fine, her strange race of the same family, but she was created to coexist with other Abyssals to mate with Vincent more easily.
'Somehow it feels a powerful rival is about to be born...' Felia thought, her eyes watching the direction the smoke vanished into.
Zera and Odette began to search the area, hoping to find something useful for their party; however, no loot, chest or anything appeared even after they killed those nuns; it honestly felt like a rip-off as they all.
"This isn't fair at all! We worked hard and found nothing!"
Odette complained as her companion nodded along with her.
They both noticed that Felia was gazing off into space, thinking, but neither dared talk because they didn't want to interrupt her train of thought.
After a few seconds, Felia snapped back to reality, looking around with confusion written across her face.
"Huh?"
She asked without really knowing the answer. It was clear what she meant, but the question itself was strange.
The two girls stared blankly at her until Felia finally understood what she was asking herself.
"...Yes, I believe we have everything."
The party looked around them, finding nothing more than an altar and a small box. The altar was covered in runes and symbols that made them appear as if someone had carved it from stone, although they weren't real. They reminded Felia of a language they had never seen before but, somehow, seemed familiar.
Despite that, none of them knew how to work these runes or understood their meaning.
"So, uhm... what do we need to do then?" Vincent questioned, scratching his chin with his fingers absentmindedly. "I don't know about you guys, but I am starting to get hungry."
It almost felt like everyone was missing something as they exchanged glances at one another. Finally, Vincent decided to follow through and press a button on the top of the altar he had spotted earlier.
Suddenly, a light emitted from the box and a door started to slide away from it as the doors opened wide, revealing a spiral staircase that spiralled downwards into darkness; an eerie sound echoed throughout their heads, and it was too late for anyone else in the group to speak up anyway. With his spear in hand, Vincent began to walk forwards.
His companions followed closely behind, with Felia walking right alongside him.
Their footsteps echoed through the hallways until they came across a room with stairs leading upwards, but unfortunately, no ladder led downwards, forcing them to take a detour after climbing these new staircases.
Suddenly they found themselves standing in front of a large wooden door that bore strange sigils that covered its entire surface; some were glowing, while others had faded or burned away completely.
Meanwhile, in a distant church hidden from plain sight.
A young woman wore full black plate armour decorated with designs ranging from ancient symbols and shapes on the shoulders down to the waistline as well as on her knees and wrists, making her seem almost regal and majestic in appearance.
She looked older, perhaps closer to thirty years old than twenty, like her older sister, Astaroth.
Despite her appearance, she carried herself with such poise and grace that the party could only stare at her with awe and wonderment as if she was a queen walking through a foreign land.
Black fur covered most parts of her body save for her pale skin and black fox ears sticking out from under her fluffy blond ponytail.
In addition, she defensively held her mace, which spoke of great strength, adding to her strange, solemn atmosphere as she walked down a dark carpet with black pews on either side.
'I see my sister lost, just like mother said... Brother was created to be the enemy of women; will Astaroth become my brother's mistress, or will he reject her.' Mammon thought to herself, wondering what those scum princes were up to in the capital.
She chose to avoid the capital because one of the most annoying princes came to be Vincent's first real "test", as mother said. He had already tried to gain access to the Elven royal family with a useless Earl, but Vincent killed his son.
'I heard he has failed, sending mere trash to assassinate our wonderful brother; what foolish folly. They are merely afraid of my wonderful, amazing brother! I cannot wait to meet him. Will he accept my gifts? Should I prepare the heart of a virgin? Maybe a married woman...'
"Oh my, the choices..."
Inside the small church, with strange glass windows and the horrific scenes painted within, she stood alone, walking towards the centre stage and sizeable black altar.
A church, but seemingly not for those of light, a true demonic church as a young female was strapped to a strong altar, struggling as she bled from several places already, four wolf-like beastmen holding her down, wearing leather armour.
This church was in the middle of the Scarlet Federation, close to the capital, as the girl began to slowly approach, her loud shoe tapping against the ground before coming to 5 yards from the altar, her icy, emotionless face watching the girl struggle and replacing this girl with her brother's figure, as described and shown by "mother."
Her facial features were akin to an Asian princess; pouting purple eyes with narrow slits, tanned brown cheeks that, combined with her golden iris, gave the impression of a vibrant huntress, and a beautiful smile painted across her perfectly manicured lips.
Although lacking muscle compared to her brother Vincent, her figure still boasted a certain athleticism sheathed within her body with chiselled curves and lines on her tall body, bringing out just enough sex appeal to turn heads and cause males to drool in lust.
As she continued observing, her gaze met with the eyes of the girl being tortured, now lying flat on the table. This caused the foxes' grin to widen further.
<Now.>
With one fluid motion, she gripped the end of her mace firmly, slamming it into the floorboards as loudly as thunder, sending many people around her to cover their ears. With that single blow, the girl exploded into a blood mist that suddenly began to enter the vixen's body as she moaned with delight.
A moment later, the four male wolves began collapsing to the floor, their organs mush and bones like powder.
"Stupid males, the only man that can see me like this is my dear brother~ fufu!"
Mammon smiled softly, waving her finger playfully in the air as she enjoyed herself and revelled in pain inflicted by her precious sibling.
After waiting several seconds, she finally lifted her hand out from the centre of the collapsed mess, allowing a trickle of blood to drip from it onto her mace.
It began to vibrate as the spikes became sharper and more gruesome. Her body swayed as eight of her tails swayed gently before vanishing into a black mist.
-
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon, Vincent and Odette spent hours trying to open this strange door, pondering what the sigils could mean.
Their bodies were filled with sweat as both began to give up and moved towards the small altar and the strange box. The box was locked, so they couldn't look within it, though they tried pushing buttons on the altar.
The tube glowed once every time they made a button, indicating a good connection. But just before they gave up for the day, something caught Odette's eye. On the wall was another set of runes similar to those on the altar.
She concentrated, muttering something on her tongue as she rubbed her thumb against her index finger.
While she focused intently, she tried touching each rune with her hand.
'What is this strange... Ah!? I did the thing!'
One by one, they began shining with magic light and revealed themselves, acting almost like a spellbook, letting them read what the book was attempting to tell them as she kept chanting.
And then… a secret passage revealed itself underneath the altar! They all breathed a sigh of relief as they scrambled over each other to escape the dungeon!
[Congratulations on completing the 10th floor!]
Gained 10,000 experience points!
Vincent - Summoner | Daemon Prince: Stage 2 | Lv27 -> Lv28
Odette - Frostfire Maiden | Frostfire Phoenix (Spirit) Stage 2 | Lv 22 -> Lv23
Felia - Abyssal Archer | Abyssal Moonlight Elf | Lv 24 -> Lv25
Zarina - Blood Knight | ???? Stage 2 | Lv 25 -> Lv26
Zera - Beast Assassin | Spirit Beast Stage 2 | Lv26 -> Lv27
Not only that, but the sigil needed to prove completion of the 10th floor dropped from the altar into Vincent's hand, now relaxed that he had finished the school's task; he would enter that particular training room once they returned to digest all he learned from today.
'I mustn't get complacent 'cause I managed to beat her once!'
"Guys! There is a door. Let's go!" Odette shouted, grasping the arm of Zera sitting on the table with a squat; her poor little eyes looked distraught as her sister dragged her outside through the secret passage.
"Ah, don't push, you idiots; let's go quietly!" Vincent said he was tired and sweaty and wanted to go home; they finally managed to finish the dungeon.
Though only for a brief second before leaving, the last member was Felia, whose body was captured by the altar's power and became cold as ice.
Without any warning, she grew numb as she felt herself losing strength.
Then, after only moments had passed, she slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Her senses returned to normal as she realised she was alive again. It wasn't long before the others exited the dungeon, leaving her alone.
"Those bastards left without me, even darling!?"
Felia leaned against the table, the small box that never reacted before; upon being touched by her hand as she accidentally brushed past it began to open with a quiet click, the gears inside turning a slight bronze glow before flashing. A small item was left at the bottom.
'Hehe! I get all the cool loot, stupid Odette; darling will be punished later when I sit on his face!'
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