Chapter 71
A while before the impending battle with the killer ants commenced, Draco had expertly constructed a reasonably substantial mound of earth, molded through the application of earth magic, at the center of the room.
When they had first entered the dungeon, he was sceptical about the use of his elemental magic, more precisely earth magic in the dungeon.
He initially thought that, the utilization of earth-based magic within the confines of the dungeon would prove to be an arduous endeavour.
Nearly every grain of soil therein was intrinsically linked to the very fabric of the dungeon itself.
Consequently, wielding earth magic would be akin to wrestling for dominion over a segment of the dungeon's own corporeal form, an endeavor that should be almost impossible or would drain considerable amount of mind to perform.
Fortunately, he quickly discovered that the dungeon's awareness did not permeate every individual particle of sand and stone that comprised its structure.
Using his knowledge of the series and a few experiments in the past week.
He came to the conclusion that, as long as the manipulation of the earth did not encroach upon areas of critical importance or inflict significant damage to the dungeon floor, the dungeon would not react with undue severity.
Should the dungeon perceive his actions as a threat, a juggernaut would likely be summoned to address the disturbance.
Additionally he had also learned something new about his magic during the past week in the dungeon.
His mind control method normally involved him, stretching and moulding his internal energy to create elemental effects that he desired.
But there was always some form of resistance that expended a part of the energy intended to fuel a spell.
This in turn reduced the spell potency by a significant amount.
After receiving falna and exploring the dungeon, he had come to realize that his energy wasn’t being resisted but was acclimating with natural elemental energy.
Because he viewed it as a form of resistance, he basically lost energy to nature without using it.
He hadn’t yet learned how to utilize this in his favour, but it was something that he intended to experiment with in the future.
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The mound Draco had constructed was to serve a strategic purpose, providing Dimitra and Vasiliki, the team's primary ranged combatants, with a elevated vantage point from which to effectively leverage their respective skills.
The ground-based fighters, meanwhile, were organized into pairs: Vasileios and Clair, Eleni and Nikolaos, and Draco accompanied by Michalis.
Vasileios, with his ability to tank a lot of damage, would work in tandem with Clair, who could deliver the finishing blows with her spear.
Eleni, with her swift sword strikes and speed-enhancing abilities, could incapacitate the killer ants, while Nikolaos' spiked maul could provide the decisive finishing touches.
Draco, with his all rounded options, chose to keep a watchful eye on the temperamental Michalis, whose fighting style relied on stealthy, yet deadly, attacks.
Vasiliki's ability could slow and freeze targets would complement Dimitra's precise archery skills, allowing them to work in tandem to eliminate the threat posed by the killer ants.
With this strategic deployment and the tactical advantage afforded by the earth-based mound, the team appeared poised to confront the impending onslaught of the killer ants.
As the killer ants swarmed into the room, the party quickly took their positions around the mound of earth that Draco had erected.
Vasileios and Clair took their stance, Vasileios readying his shield to absorb the ants' blows while Clair gripped her spear, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
Eleni, with her swift movements, stood alongside Nikolaos, her long sword at the ready, while Nikolaos hefted his spiked maul, prepared to pulverize any ant that dared to approach.
Draco glanced over at Michalis,
"Don’t do more than necessary, Michalis," Draco warned, his voice tinged with concern.
Michalis nodded, his eyes narrowed on his first target.
"Don't worry, Draco nii," he replied, a wry smile playing on his lips.
"I've learned my lesson." he added.
On the mound, Dimitra nocked an arrow, her keen eyes scanning the battlefield. Vasiliki stood beside her, her hands glowing with the icy power of her frost magic.
"Get ready, Dimitra," Vasiliki called out, her voice ringing with a sense of urgency. "I'll slow them down, and you take the shots." she said.
Dimitra nodded, her fingers tightening around the bowstring.
"I'm ready when you are." she said.
The killer ants surged forward, their chitinous exoskeletons gleaming in the dim light of the dungeon.
The air was filled with the deafening sound of their screeching and the rhythmic pounding of their many legs.
"Now, Vasiliki!" Dimitra shouted, as the ants drew closer.
Vasiliki conjured a ring of thin slippery ice sheets over the area, slowing the ants' advance.
Dimitra's arrows sang through the air, each one finding its mark and felling the insects one by one.
Anyone she couldn’t finish off, Vasiliki impaled with ice spikes.
On the ground, the melee fighters sprang into action.
Vasileios braced himself, his shield raised high as some ants crashed against it.
Clair darted in, her spear flashing as she struck with precision, aiming for the vulnerable joints of the ants' carapaces.
Draco had warned Vasileios against using his taunt skill, the range was quite large and could potentially pull the aggro of more than what he could currently handle.
Eleni's sword was a blur of motion, her speed-boosted strikes cutting deep into the ants' bodies.
Nikolaos followed closely, his spiked maul smashing through the ants' defenses, crushing their exoskeletons with devastating force.
While Draco and Michalis moved in tandem, Draco adjusting his style to complement Michalis.
Draco's earth magic summoned jagged spikes from the ground, impaling the ants or severing some limbs, while Michalis danced between them, his daggers slicing through their soft underbellies.
The battle raged on, the air thick with the acrid scent of the ants' acidic blood and the sound of clashing steel and shattering chitin.
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It didn't take long before the first wave of killer ants was over.
As planned, Draco had left one survivor, and the familia rested briefly while the lone killer ant squealed in distress, releasing pheromones to summon its companions.
True to their expectations, the next wave of killer ants soon arrived, and the familia repeated the process.
By the fourth wave, Draco noticed a significant decline in the number of killer ants attacking them.
This meant they were eliminating the monsters faster than the dungeon could spawn them around their area, rendering their strategy less effective.
They could have continued the onslaught for a while longer, but Draco was concerned that lingering in one place for too long might attract unwanted attention from other adventurers.
Closing his eyes, he sent out an energy pulse, sensing for any updated locations of nearby monsters and adventurers.
'Doesn't seem like anyone will get here within a few minutes. We should probably move away from here. With this many magic stones on the ground, who knows what might happen,' he thought.
With his mind made up, Draco then walked up to the last killer ant and swiftly eliminated it.
"Why?" Clair asked in confusion.
"We are moving to the next floor," Draco replied.
"Dimitra, Nikolaos, you two help me gather the magic stones," he requested.
"Hmm," they both responded, springing into action.
Dimitra also used the opportunity to retrieve her arrows from the ground.
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"Ugh, my back is killing me," Michalis complained while seated on the floor, juggling his throwing knives.
"You're always doing or saying something annoying. Why?" Vasiliki asked, exasperated.
"Well, someone's got to keep us entertained," Michalis countered.
"You should probably stop that. If you get seriously injured, we'll have to waste an entire healing potion on you," Vasiliki said.
"Tsk, like I would screw up with my throwing knives," Michalis replied, confident in his skills.
"Well, I'm a bit entertained," Clair said, chuckling at the exchange.
"See? Someone actually appreciates my art," Michalis said, a bit happier that he had gained Clair's attention.
"You never know," Vasileios interjected, cautioning Michalis.
"Why are you both trying to jinx me? Aren't you entertai—" Michalis didn't get to finish his sentence, as he got distracted and caught one of his throwing knives on the wrong side, earning him a small cut on his palm.
"See, I told you…….s" Vasiliki said, but was cut off by Michalis.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I can't hear you!" Michalis yelled, covering his ears. She was the last person he wanted to hear those words from.
"Pfff," Clair just chuckled at their antics, while Eleni watched in amusement, secretly munching on some street snacks that she had snuck into her bag.
"Can I get some?" Vasileios whispered to Eleni, his eyes drawn to the delicious-looking treats.
Eleni looked around to make sure no one else was watching, then handed Vasileios a small handful.
"Sure, but only a little," she replied, mindful of not drawing too much attention to their snacking.
"Sniff, sniff. Hey, Eleni, what's that delightful smell, and what did you just give Vasileios?" Clair whispered, a sly smile on her face.
She had been secretly watching Eleni but was hesitant to ask for any of the snacks herself.
"Tsk, just take it," Eleni muttered in annoyance, handing Clair a handful of the meager snacks that remained.
She was clearly dejected at having to share the scarce provisions.
Satisfied with the small morsel, Clair then turned her attention back to Michalis and Vasiliki, who seemed to be engaged in a sibling squabble.
"Are you done acting like a big baby?" Vasiliki asked, her tone dripping with playful sarcasm as Michalis had finally stopped his loud yelling.
"Get off my case. The wound is small, a simple lick should heal it," Michalis replied dismissively, proceeding to languidly lick the minor cut on his palm.
"Didn't Draco nii warn us about licking wounds? Something about bac….bacteria getting in and making you sick," Vasiliki countered, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she took evident pleasure in needling her elder brother.
Michalis scoffed, flexing his muscular arms in a display of bravado.
"Well, as you can see, I'm still strong and healthy," he declared proudly.
"Well, I didn't say it would happen instantly," Vasiliki retorted, flicking her wrist to conjure a shard of ice behind Michalis' back, then sliding it across the nape of his neck.
"Kyaaa, what was that?" Michalis squealed, immediately leaping to his feet and frantically rubbing the back of his neck.
Turning around, he quickly noticed the ice shard on the ground, melting into a puddle.
The sound of muffled laughter erupted from Clair, Eleni, Vasiliki, and even the usually reserved Vasileios, who couldn't help but chuckle at Michalis' comical reaction.
"You..." Michalis growled, his tone now laced with genuine anger as he glared at Vasiliki.
"Huh, wanna fight?" Vasiliki taunted, conjuring a swarm of icicles that circled menacingly around her palm.
Michalis glanced nervously at Draco, who stared back at him from the distance with narrowed eyes, silently warning him not to escalate the situation further.
Clicking his tongue in frustration, Michalis muttered, "Tsk, watch your back," already plotting his revenge.
He then stalked off to a secluded corner, seething with resentment.
"Why does it seem like you always mess with Michalis?" Clair asked Vasiliki, both amusement and curiosity in her tone.
"Well, for one, I enjoy it," Vasiliki replied, a cold, twisted smile spreading across her face.
"Pfff, you bad girl," Clair chuckled, shaking her head in a mixture of amusement and disbelief.
"As the youngest, I feel the need to mess with my older siblings," Vasiliki explained, her tone nonchalant.
"But as you know, Draco nii is off-limits. His retaliation is quite scary. The next best option is Michalis." Vasiliki paused, turning her gaze to the side.
"Nikolaos is a bit too serious and would probably just laugh it off, while my cute little Vasileios..." She trailed off, casting a sidelong glance at him.
Vasileios, who had been secretly listening in, felt a shiver run down his spine and quickly averted his gaze, his heart racing.
'That girl is evil,' he thought, 'I have to warn the other boys.' he decided.
Turning back to look for Vasiliki, Vasileios found that she had vanished from her previous spot.
'Where did she go?' he wondered, his anxiety growing.
Suddenly, he felt a icy cold hand on the back of his neck, and Vasiliki's chilling breath tickled his ear.
"Ah, my dear new-favourite brother Vasileios," she purred.
"You wouldn't happen to have loose lips, would you?" she asked.
"No," Vasileios replied hastily, shaking his head in response.
"Too bad," Vasiliki sighed, her grip on his neck tightening ever so slightly.
"Then you would have become the next Michalis." With that, she released her hold and Vasileios practically leapt to his feet, hurrying to join Draco, Dimitra, and Nikolaos, who were gathering the magic stones.
Clair and Eleni, who had witnessed the entire exchange, burst out laughing.
"Pffff hahahaha, what the hell was that?" Clair exclaimed, her amusement evident.
Eleni, too, couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer absurdity of the situation, her previous melancholy forgotten in the face of Vasiliki's mischievous antics.
"See, it's quite entertaining toying with them," Vasiliki replied, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.
Clair let out a resigned sigh. "I wish I possessed your bold and daring spirit. I'm afraid I'm not as open as you." she said.
Vasiliki's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Are you, perchance, referring to your little crush on Draco-nii?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
Clair's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"How did you know?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"It's quite obvious, dear Clair," Vasiliki chuckled.
"The way you gaze at him, it's as plain as day. I daresay, everyone is aware of your affection for our elder brother." She paused, her expression turning pensive.
"Though, I must admit, Draco-nii is a rather difficult target." she added.
Clair's brow furrowed with uncertainty. "What would you suggest I do, then?" she inquired, her voice tinged with a hint of desperation.
Vasiliki tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, you could start by teasing him a bit, to gain his attention. But I would recommend setting your sights on an easier mark first." A mischievous grin played on her lips.
"For instance, Michalis might be a more suitable starting point. Even I don't dare to meddle with Draco-nii too much." she advised.
Clair nodded, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." she replied.
'This should help Michalis out a bit. You owe me one, my dear big brother,' Vasiliki thought, a satisfied expression on her face.
"Oh, and Bahamut-sama is not your only rival, you know, we are too!!" Vasiliki added, her voice laced with amusement, before turning and sauntering away.
'This is going to be so much fun,' Vasiliki mused, her lips curling into a gleeful smile.
Eleni, who had been silently observing the entire exchange while enjoying her snacks, shook her head in disbelief.
'Oh, my, what a truly frightening little sister I have,' she thought, a mixture of amusement and trepidation in her expression.