Vol. 2 Chapter 78: Reunion
As Welze Juble and the others make their way along the treacherous path, the blue-haired woman feels her anxiety growing more and more. Jarica, supported by Gallo, continuously coughs, her skin having turned a deathly pale color.
Xiaikai had pointed them in this direction, where they would find a healer, a cleric who could take care of the poisoned woman. The journey has been long and arduous, but fortunately, they have not encountered any enemies. The summoner came from this direction and likely cleared all the monsters in her path. The sound of their footsteps echoes in the silent cave, and the eerie quiet seems to amplify the beating of their hearts.
Welze leads the way, holding her magically lit staff in front of her. She feels the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. The life of her classmate, Jarica Fleubert, depends on her. Franz Dadref, her childhood friend whom she has secretly loved, has always considered her a burden. But in this misadventure, the man has increasingly relied on the wizard's abilities. Welze's fire magic and her magical lighting have enabled the group to survive thus far.
Franz places his hand on the shoulder of the blue-haired girl. "Thank you, Welze," he whispers with a smile, offering her comfort. These words warm Welze's heart. She has always dreamed of being acknowledged by Franz, but she can't help but think she would like to be thanked in this way by someone else, someone who has been increasingly on her mind lately.
Her heart in turmoil, she hasn't seen him for too long and didn't think she would miss him this much. This makes her question her feelings for Franz. Welze, with effort, pushes these thoughts aside. Right now, she needs to focus on reaching the healer.
Finally, after hours of walking, they see the entrance to a gigantic cavern. It resembles a yawning mouth, illuminated from the inside by an unknown light source. It's not just the strange luminescent plants of the Underealm that are lighting it up; it appears to be the warm light of a campfire. Welze, relieved, thinks it might be an ally's camp, as monsters typically don't light fires.
As they get closer, they can hear a disturbing buzzing noise that seems to come from the depths of the cavern. Gradually, this buzzing becomes more and more like voices echoing throughout the cavern.
"There are people!" Franz alerts, spotting some figures. "Hang in there, Fleubert," Gallo tries to encourage the brown-haired woman. She gives a faint reaction.
As they cross the threshold that marks the entrance of the cavern, the group is left speechless. Dozens of dark elves and giant spiders surround a group of six people. Some of these elves are mounted on the spiders as if they were steeds.
"Dark elves!" Franz Dadref exclaims, unable to hide his surprise. But the blue-haired woman's attention is captured by the sight of the man she has continually thought about all this time - Strauss Wagner. Next to Strauss are five women, weapons drawn. In front of him stands a monstrous creature, half dark elf, half spider. Welze knows what it is; she has read the description of such a creature in one of her books. It is an Elfrider!
The woman can't hold back a scream upon seeing her friend, apparently in trouble. "Strauss!" she cries out, running toward the group of six people.
"Welze?" The man turns towards her, completely taken aback. As soon as his dark eyes meet hers, she feels her heart skip a beat. She struggles to hold back tears of joy, happy to see him but worried about the dangerous situation they find themselves in.
The mage recognizes Rero Sansanti and Luysia Camclair. The two women are tense, greeting her with a quick nod of their heads before refocusing on the enemy in front of them. Welze is surprised to see Bicrista Schrecken there but is glad to know she is safe and sound. She sees a mature woman with long, dark hair and glasses, someone she knows by sight as a professor from the Academy. However, she has no idea who the woman with green hair and a bow aimed at the Elfrider might be.
"Bicrista!" Gallo yells happily upon seeing his sister. "Gallo, are you alive?" Bicrista can hardly believe her eyes.
If it weren't for the dozens of dark elves surrounding them, this reunion would be an emotional moment.
"Wagner, so you've survived in this dungeon," comments Franz, almost annoyed by the sight of the cleric. Strauss ignores him, but Luysia gives him an icy glare. The woman still harbors grievances against the blonde.
"I was worried about you, but I didn't know how to locate you. I'm glad you're safe," Strauss says to Welze once she reaches him. At these words, Welze feels the weight of hostile stares from the women surrounding Strauss, particularly from the woman with long dark hair and glasses. Despite this, she is happy to hear that he was thinking about her.
"We were saved by a summoner, and she told me I would find you here," Welze tries to explain succinctly what happened to her and how she found him. "A summoner? Who was it?" Strauss's surprised expression makes Welze realize that he hasn't met Xiaikai. "Xiaikai Frolich. You don't know the best student of the Academy, Wagner?" Franz almost taunts him. The man with eyes as dark as night shakes his head. "Dadref, this is not the time for provocations. We are in a delicate situation," Strauss admonishes, calling everyone back to the reality they are in.
Welze, still tumultuous in her heart from Strauss's unexpected presence, stops a short distance from him, trying to understand the situation. Her eyes quickly scan the environment, noting the defensive posture of Strauss's group and the tension between him and the half-elf, half-spider creature. Gallo, still supporting Jarica, focuses on keeping his companion upright, but his eyes are fixed on the Elfrider and the giant spiders. "We need to be careful," he whispers, his concern for Jarica evident.
Welze steps forward, approaching Strauss. "What's going on here?" she asks firmly, but internally agitated by the man's presence. "And who is this creature?" Strauss turns to Welze, surprised but visibly relieved to see her. "Welze, you've arrived at a... complicated moment," he replies, trying to maintain a calm demeanor. "This is Sylthrenn the Elfrider, a messenger of the dark elf queen. We're trying to understand what they want from us."
The elf-spider creature inclines its grotesque face towards the new group of people, observing them curiously as its multicolored eyes shift in hue.
Franz moves beside Welze, ready to support her. He and Gallo watch the Elfrider attentively, prepared to react to any threat.
"More humans? The queen also guarantees your lives, as long as Strauss Wagner agrees to meet her. Yes, the queen is very generous," the monster says with a cutting voice that seems to reverberate with spider-like hisses.
A queen of the dark elves? Welze can hardly believe her ears. And this queen wants to meet Strauss? For what purpose?
"The message has been delivered, my queen. She will await you in her palace, Strauss Wagner," declares Sylthrenn, chuckling. Strauss nods, maintaining his composure despite the situation.
The Elfrider turns, spinning its spider body towards one of the dark elves, a knight riding one of the giant spiders.
"Dos ph'luin nindol! Dosstan faerol uluinthi dosst Ilhar'ess velkyn! Udosin natha tlu maelthra," it speaks in a language incomprehensible to the blue-haired woman, but it evidently sounds like an order.
"Ilhar'ess Azharie vel'uss natha ulu'neitar, xor l'elg'cahl naut l'ael ghil," replies the knight with a determined expression.
The Elfrider turns back to the group of humans. "He will be the guide to escort you, our guests, to the queen's palace," informs the Elfrider.
[L'ELEND'ORBB] The creature casts a mysterious spell.
A magical portal, about two meters in size, appears near the Elfrider. It is a dimensional gate that connects to a specific point in another place, having a front and a back on each plane where it appears. Anyone who passes through it is immediately transported to the other plane and appears in the nearest free space to the portal. It's not much different from a rift that connects to a dungeon, although this one is controlled by its creator and connects to the point chosen by the summoner.
Welze is astounded. This is space-time magic, and it's the first time she's seen such a spell with her own eyes. This kind of spell isn't within the reach of just anyone, demonstrating that Sylthrenn possesses great magical power.
The monster steps through it, one of its eight legs at a time, but before completely disappearing, it addresses Strauss one last time.
"Do not delay, Strauss Wagner. My queen is not patient," it warns him with a menacing tone.
"I won't," he replies. The spider-elf lets out a maniacal laugh and twists its head into a terrifying grin.
Then, it disappears through the portal, which closes behind it.
Immediately afterward, the dark elves and spiders retreat, marching back from where they came, as if they were a battalion of soldiers.
Left in the cavern are only the group of humans and the elf knight who has been ordered to escort them, along with about half a dozen of his subordinates.