Chapter 42 – Queen Brooder (4)

*ROARRRRRR!!!* A cry of rage answered from underground.

Aleen could not help but stop fighting when he felt the ground shake. Caira, Cir, and Wulf made astonished expressions and D’vina opened her eyes with a grave expression.

“Dammit!” Cir cursed while looking to the ground. “It wasn’t the only one!?”

*Screech!!!* The first queen brooder moaned painfully, calling to its companion. Seeing it, Wulf jumped towards the injured queen and raised his claws.

But before he could kill it, a fireball coming from Caira stopped him.

“What do you think you are doing, mutt!?”

“You…!!!” Growling in rage, the level five wolfkin circulated his mana furiously while glaring angrily to Caira. “Damn woman, what are you doing!?”

“Don’t think you can get the kill for yourself!”

“Dammit! Can you not hear the other one coming!?”

Cir frowned hearing them and aimed his gun to the monster before shooting a plasma bullet, but now it was Wulf the one who used his 'Steel Body' to stop the attack from hitting the queen.

“This one is mine, kinal! You can get the other if you want!”

“And who do you think you are to decide who will kill the queen?” Cir growled with his muffled voice.

At that moment, another roar came from underground. When she heard it, D’vina clicked her tongue and unsheathed her sword. She then stepped softly on the ground and without warning, accelerated towards the monster.

The other three made surprised expressions, but because they were wary and guarding against each other, they were unable to stop D'vina's attack.

With a swing of her sword, the already injured level five monster was killed.

“You…!!!” Wulf growled seeing it with an expression of rage.

“Are you idiots?” D’vina, however, ignored it and scolded them coldly. “This is not the moment to fight for the rights to kill the monster!”

“Damn woman! Do you think I don’t dare to burn you to ashes! I was already getting tired of you from before!”

D’vina frowned when she heard Caira and her expression turned to one of annoyance and coldness. Her hand tightened the grab on her greatsword and the mana inside her began to move.

At that moment, Cir shook his head and spoke with a sigh. “Enough, she is right. This is not the time to be fighting between us. However, miss swordwoman, you said that you were uninterested on the queen, didn’t you? It’s not good if you go back to your words like that.”

“I’m not interested, and the rewards for killing it are not more than an annoyance to me.” D’vina said without changing her expression. “But it’s better than hearing you three fighting like children.”

Cir frowned hearing it, and Wulf made a displeased growl. Caira, on the other hand, looked daggers towards D’vina.

“Bastard.” She said with a murderous expression. D’vina simply turned around while ignoring her.

Aleen was observing the situation from afar while paying attention to the remaining monsters. For some reason, they retreated when the first roar sounded, but Aleen still could see them away, waiting for an opportunity to attack again.

Elvila came close to him while he was observing the level five’s argument. “Don’t worry, that is something pretty common when strangers fight together in this game.”

“Is it so?”

“Yes. You see, my guide, Caira, once told me that the amount of points and coins you get when you kill a level five monster is tempting even for a level five. Because of it, it’s normal to fight for the opportunity to kill one.”

“… But D’vina didn’t seem eager to kill it though.”

“She probably has her circumstances, I think. But believe me when I told you that her attitude is not the normal one in this kind of situation.”

“Is it so? I understand.” Aleen nodded.

Elvila was about to continue speaking, but another roar sounded from below; this time clearly more anxious than before. Elvila frowned deeply and asked Aleen.

“How is your mana? The brooders will probably attack again when the other level five appears.”

Aleen checked his mana and put a grave expression.

“I only have around a third remaining.”

“I see.” With a nod, she extended her hand and touched Aleen’s shoulder. A white glow appeared then on her hand before entering to Aleen’s body swiftly.

Aleen immediately felt the mana around him rushing towards his body and recovering his reserves of mana quickly; at the same time, a sensation of strength filled him. With a surprised expression, he looked towards the elf.

“It’s one of my skills, ‘Mana Blessing’. I used a weaker version in you, but it’s enough to recover your spent mana and boost your strength slightly.”

“Don’t you need to save it for your guide?” Aleen asked with a curious expression. “I saw you using it on her before.”

“Don’t worry.” She smiled. “As I told you, I only used a weakened version of the skill in you. I can use it again easily. Now get ready, the monster is coming.”

Once she finished speaking, Aleen felt the earth shaking again, this time with more strength than before.

The small earthquake continued for five seconds before stopping abruptly.

At that moment, everybody felt it, the pressure coming from below them.

Aleen exclaimed astonished when he felt the pressure and Ana beside him shook slightly. Even though the monster was not here yet, Aleen had the sensation that this one was stronger than the dead queen.

D’vina put a grave expression when she felt the monster’s aura. She could tell that this one was at least twice as strong as the queen they just killed.

Them, on the other hand, were not in their top conditions after fighting the queen. D’vina’s current mana was at most about fifteen percent her normal amount.

Gritting her teeth, she put a determined expression and tightened the hand grabbing her sword. She then looked towards Aleen before nodding briefly with a look of encouragement.

She was not going to die here.

At that moment, something impacted the ground below them. It hit the ground once, twice, and thrice.

Then, the ground cracked once again.

And finally, the second monster jumped out of the nest.

It was another queen, bigger and stronger than the former. Its scales were darker and shining with an ominous glow, and its scythe-like claws had the appearance of the reaper’s weapon, created to take the soul of its unfortunate victims.

“Twin queens huh.” Cir mumbled with a grave expression. “The administrators sure know how to have fun.”

“Why did it only appear now?”

“It probably stayed below to protect their offspring while the other queen defended the nest, but it didn’t expect that we were able to kill its companion.”

While they were speaking, the monster walked towards the first queen. It walked slowly and growled softly trying to communicate with it, but the dead queen did not answer. Seeing it, the second queen used one of its claws to try to move its companion’s body, but it was impossible for the already ice-cold body to move.

*Screech!!!* The queen brooder cried sadly, mourning the death of its companion and then, it looked towards the group that invaded its nest with a look of hatred.

Aleen could swear that he saw an expression of rage appearing on the monster’s face, but he was unable to ponder further about it.

Because at the next instant, the second queen roared.

*ROARRRRRRRR!!!*

It was a cry filled with rage and killing intent that spread to the surroundings instantly, impacting every person around. Aleen felt his thoughts stopping briefly when he heard the roar; it was the same sensation he felt when the level four attacked him, but this time, many times stronger.

His body stopped answering his orders, and his vision blurred from the pressure. Aleen was able to see Elvila and Ana beside him in the same situation; and though he did not pay attention to the remaining level one around him, he knew that their situation was only worse than his.

At that moment, he heard D’vina and Caira’s warnings.

“Careful!”

From a corner of his sight, he saw the queen brooder hit the ground with one of its claws. Then, after a thunderous sound, the ground around them began to crack.

“Jump away!” He heard D’vina shouting, but he was unable to move his body. With an expression of terror, he could only to stare how the ground below him crumbled, taking him, Elvila, Ana, and the few level one remaining, down.

The last thing he saw before falling, was D’vina’s slightly worried expression.