Chapter 84: Separated V

The Swordsman at the front stopped before the next bend.

Leon couldn’t hear the characteristic scratching noise he’d hear before a monter came out, and there was no movement like the Splitjaw had made. He thought he heard someone shifting against the wall, but the sound was too faint for him to be certain.

"Check."

The front Swordsman disappeared around the corner to carryout the order.

Leon waited with the other undead beside him while that one did what he asked.

As always, through the weak connection between them, he felt a change in what was holding the Swordsman’s attention. The impression was too unclear for Leon to properly describe, but it didn’t feel like the beginning of another fight.

The Swordsman returned a short while later and stopped in front of him without raising its weapon.

"Someone is there?" He asked, looking at its hollow eyes light up with a green hue.

While its skeletal expression remained ridig, that was enough, since he didn’t rely on that for interpretation.

Leon returned the Mage and the second Great Swordsman to his summoner’s space immediately. He sent the remaining Swordsman ahead, while the two Skirmishers moved apart enough to leave him space between them.

"Hello?" Leon called as he followed.

"Who’s there?" The voice asked.

Leon recognized the voice before reaching the corner, it was Lex.

He was sitting against the wall beneath a section of ceiling that still appeared intact. His lamp lay beside one thigh, with its light directed towards the passage.

One leg of his trousers had been cut open, revealing a bandage above his knee. Another dressing was visible beneath the torn edge of one sleeve.

He was conscious and watching the Great Swordsman as it entered the wider area ahead of Leon.

"Leon." he said as soon as he saw the Swordsman. "Are you alone?" Lex asked.

"Yes."

"Come over to this side. Stay away from that wall."

Leon followed his gaze.

A long crack ran through the opposite side of the passage, with several fresh pieces of stone scattered beneath it.

Leon moved over to Lex and crouched beside him, leaving the Swordsman facing the opening farther ahead.

"Can you walk?"

"With help. Are you injured?"

"Only a few scrapes."

Lex looked him over for a moment before accepting the answer.

"Where were you separated?"

"Near the rear. I entered a side passage when the roof started falling, then the gallery collapsed before I could get back."

"Caleb and Nolan?"

"I saw them during the shaking. Nothing after that."

Lex pressed his lips together and looked down the passage.

Leon opened his side bag.

"I have water, but no bandages."

"Don’t worry, the others handled that. Thanks."

Lex accepted the bottle, drank a little and handed it back.

"There were students with you?" Leon asked as he returned the bottle to his bag.

"Two. I managed to get them through to the rear guard before the rocks shifted again."

"Why didn’t they stay?"

"I could see the other instructor, so I sent them across together while the route was still open. I didn’t trust either of them to manage these passages alone."

Lex adjusted his injured leg, but stopped when the movement pulled against the bandage.

"I was using my summon to keep the approaches clear while they crossed. I’ve withdrawn it for now. I need some time to recover my Spirit Energy."

Leon looked at the bandage around his leg.

"And the leg?"

"It can support me. It won’t support much running."

Lex picked up his radio and tried making another call.

The display lit, but nobody answered.

"Mine is the same." Leon said. "I found a broken relay near the gallery."

"Then several of the connections must be down."

Lex clipped the handset back onto his belt before holding out his uninjured arm.

"Help me up."

Leon returned the bottle to his bag before bracing himself.

Lex did most of the work, pushing himself away from the wall before placing some of his weight across Leon’s shoulders. Leon shifted his feet until he found a position that felt stable.

’Good thing he isn’t expecting me to carry him.’ He thought to himself.

"You all right?" Lex asked.

"Yes. Give me a second."

Leon placed one arm around Lex’s back, making sure not to press against the torn sleeve.

The Great Swordsman waited near the opening ahead. One Skirmisher watched the route Leon had entered through, while the other stood a short distance in front of them.

"Which way?" Leon asked.

"There should be a connection to the lower corridor beyond that slope," Lex replied as he pointed along the passage. "We’ll check it before going any farther. The direct route back is buried."

"Alright."

Well Lex hadn’t explained everything in detail. After the collapse, he and the students with him found themselves surrounded by more than ten monsters, and he had to take care of it all alone because the students were too shaken to be helpful, and there was no time to wait.

That was the reason behind his current state, as he sustained his second injury during that confrontation.

...

They started moving.

Leon shortened his steps to match Lex’s pace, while the Swordsman went ahead and stopped whenever the ground began to shake, though it didn’t lead to another collapse, luckily. One Skirmisher remained close in front of them, with the other following behind to make sure nothing approached from that direction.

"Stop here," Lex said when they reached the first section covered by fallen stone. "There are loose pieces on top. Use the left edge."

Leon looked towards the side of the passage. Several larger rocks formed an uneven but more solid path beside the wall.

"That one?"

"Yes. Let your summon cross first."

The Great Swordsman stepped onto the rocks and tested each one before moving across, only after it reached the other side safely did Leon and Lex follow. The path wasn’t particularly difficult, but with Lex placing some of his weight on him, Leon had to be careful about every step he took. One mistake could send both of them to the ground.

Lex’s breathing became heavier as they climbed over the final stone, so Leon stopped without needing to be told, for him to rest a bit.

"Just a moment," Lex said.

Even while resting, he continued watching the passage.

"Did you hear anyone after the collapse?"

"I heard several voices, but I couldn’t tell where they were coming from."

"I see... Well, we’ll keep listening, maybe the others may have reached one of the side connections."

Leon nodded.

The Mage was back inside his summoner’s space, which meant he could no longer use Detection to guide them. For now, they could only depend on what they heard, Lex’s memory of the dungeon layout, and whatever his undead found ahead.

They continued until they reached another white survey plate.

They stopped for a moment, wiped the dust from its surface, before looking down the slope.

"This is the lower connection. It should take us beneath the gallery."

"Towards the entrance?"

"It joins another route that leads there. Whether that route is still usable is another question."

They had only moved a short distance farther when a hard impact came from somewhere ahead, causing they to halt for a moment.

Another impact followed, then a voice, though he couldn’t understand what was being said.

"Someone is fighting," Lex said as he raised his head.

"Go and check," Leon instructed, sending the Skirmisher ahead.

The Skirmisher passed the Great Swordsman and disappeared around the descending bend.

"You, come closer." He said to the Swordsman, and it returned to them.

Leon kept it between them and the unseen section of the passage, while the other Skirmisher continued watching the route behind them. Even if there were students ahead, there was no guarantee that the thing they were fighting wouldn’t get past them.

For several seconds, only the distant impacts reached them.

Leon then felt something faint through his connection with the scouting Skirmisher.

His attention was drawn towards the bend, but there was no clear image waiting for him when he concentrated. The harder he tried to understand what the Skirmisher was sensing, the less useful the feeling became.

"Well?" Lex asked.

"I think there are people fighting something."

"How many?"

"I can’t tell."

The Skirmisher returned to the bend and turned towards the sounds again. Leon could understand that much without relying on the weaker parts of their connection.

"Get me close enough to see," Lex said as he adjusted his arm across Leon’s shoulders. "Keep your summon near us." He said.

They continued down the slope, the impacts becoming clearer as they moved.

The passage narrowed as it curved, pale mineral light shinning across the entrance to a chamber beyond the bend.. Leon sent the Skirmisher ahead again before helping Lex across a broken section of the floor.

Leon could see a stone pillar and part of a broad slab lying across the centre. A small figure jumped onto the edge of the slab, struck something below, and disappeared from sight again.

’The Fire Monkey?’

They moved closer, and once they came into proper view, they could identify a student standing beside the narrow gap near the pillar, keeping most of his weight away from one leg. Blood had soaked through the torn fabric along his thigh, but he was managing with that.

"Seth," Lex said.