Chapter 86: On the Clear

It cut through the legs of the Splitjaw keeping the Fire Monkey occupied. The creature dropped against the slab, and the Swordsman drove its blade beneath its head before it could recover.

Swiftly, the Monkey jumped clear and landed beside Seth.

"Bring him back!" Lex shouted.

Seth caught the Monkey by one shoulder and took another step towards the narrow strip, this time with the Swordsman covering for him.

At that moment also, the Mage completed its spell and a translucent barrier appeared across the far end of the broad slab. The Splitjaw above Seth continued forward without stopping but it only ended up striking the surface with its front legs, its jaws scrapping uselessly against the barrier.

The narrow strip behind the pillar remained open.

Lex looked from the Great Swordsman beside Seth to the one guarding the low opening.

Both were still there.

His attention shifted towards the robed skeleton standing inside the recess with its staff raised. Past the pillar, one Skirmisher waited beside the dogleg, while the other briefly came into view near it.

’Five.’ He thought to himself, he certainly wasn’t seeing things before. Leon was controlling five summons at the same time.

Lex stared for a moment as the thought settled in his head.

The academy was still struggling to explain how Leon could summon three undead, yet there were now two more standing in front of him. One was another Great Swordsman, while the other was clearly some kind of spellcaster.

More importantly, Leon was controlling all five without showing any visible strain.

Just then, Seth stumbled, forcing Lex’s attention back to reality.

"Keep your shoulder against the wall!" He shouted.

Whatever questions he had had to wait until they were no longer surrounded by monsters.

...

Leon watched Seth drag his injured leg past the pillar.

The second Great Swordsman remained on the chamber side of him, turning its blade towards anything that moved too close. The Fire Monkey backed along the narrow strip beside Seth, remaining close enough for him to lean against it whenever his leg failed him.

A Splitjaw dropped from the slab on the near side of the barrier, but the Swordsman reached it before it could get to Seth. Its blade caught beneath the creature’s jaws—if it could be called a jaw, since its mouth opened sideways, but it was still technically its jaw, cutting from its head, into its body, causing the Splitjaw to fall across the edge of the strip with blood pouring out on the floor.

The Swordsman kicked its body aside.

"Don’t stop there," Lex called. "A few more steps."

Seth nodded without looking towards them.

Another Splitjaw appeared beside the barrier at the far end of the slab and began searching for a way around its edge.

Then the Mage had already finished preparing its next spell.

Leon checked the area behind the creature, noting that there was nothing but bare stone, while Seth and the Swordsman were already well to its left.

"That one."

The Fire Arrow crossed the chamber and struck beneath the Splitjaw’s skull.

The creature dropped with the narrow shaft of flame buried deep inside its throat. Fire spread across its head and along the rest of its body as it rolled against the stone.

Leon could feel the heat from the junction.

"Keep the fire short." He instructed, so the fire would be put out once the creature was really dead.

Another Splitjaw scrambled along the upper edge of the slab, above the burning body. It had found a higher path around the barrier.

The Mage turned its staff towards the creature, but it still needed time to prepare another Fire Arrow.

The second Swordsman moved away from Seth long enough to cut at the hooked feet reaching over the rock.

The Splitjaw managed to pull back, its claws leaving deep scratches across the edge as it struggled to remain in place, allowing Seth to gain another step.

"Nearly there," Lex said.

The Skirmisher beside the dogleg moved forward and caught Seth by his free arm. Seth leaned against it, allowing the Fire Monkey to leave his side and turn towards the slab.

The Swordsman continued holding the approach while fire gathered around the tip of the Mage’s staff.

When the Splitjaw raised its head above the edge again, the second Fire Arrow pierced it.

Its legs curled inwards as it slid down the slab while flames spread across its body.

"Enough. Put out the fire," Leon ordered.

The Mage ended the magical flames. A few smaller patches continued burning across the two bodies, but neither creature had fallen across the route Seth needed to use.

With the assistance of the Skirmisher, Seth reached the turn. The Skirmisher helped him around the dogleg while the Fire Monkey followed close behind. He disappeared beyond the rock without ever seeing the original Swordsman guarding the low opening.

After that, Leon called the second Swordsman back towards the recess.

At the junction, the original Swordsman pulled its blade from the last Splitjaw within reach before stepping away from the entrance.

"Can you manage the next section?" Leon asked Lex.

"Yes. Move."

They moved along the wall, keeping the stone pillar between themselves and the collapsed side of the chamber. The original Swordsman followed closely behind them, making sure nothing reached Leon or Lex from the rear.

Leon left the Mage inside the recess until they reached the rising floor. Its barrier continued blocking the approach beyond the slab, while the second Swordsman watched the chamber beside it. A few more monsters appeared, but were easily dealt with and disposed of.

Once they were clear, Leon returned both summons to his summoner’s space before helping Lex around the dogleg.

Tessa had seated Evan against the wall farther along the passage. His Bristle Boar stood beside him, while the Wind Hound watched the route ahead.

Nearby, the other girl was helping one of the Skirmishers lower Seth beside Evan.

Seth’s face had become pale, and his Fire Monkey crouched close to his knees.

"How many students were with you?" Lex asked.

"Three," Seth replied.

"Evan, Tessa and her?"

Seth nodded.

"Did you see anyone else after you reached the lower connection?"

"N-no."

Lex looked over the four students before turning towards Leon.

There were six of them altogether, and everyone was still conscious. Considering what had happened to the gallery, that was at least something.

"There’s a wider pocket ahead," Tessa said. "There aren’t any other openings."

"Good. We’ll stop there."

The two Skirmishers checked the space again before returning to help the injured students.

The pocket was only a short distance beyond the turn. Its walls appeared solid, and there was enough room for everyone to sit without blocking the passage.

The Swordsman took position at the entrance while Leon helped Lex sit against one of the walls.

Across from them, Tessa opened her first-aid supplies as the other girl knelt beside Seth. Blood had already soaked through the trouser leg around his wound.

"Press that against it," Lex instructed. "Keep the pressure firm. Seth, don’t move."

"Wasn’t planning to," Seth replied as he rested his head against the wall.

His voice had become faint.

When Tessa moved the torn fabric aside, Seth flinched and caught her wrist. He released it almost immediately.

"Sorry."

"It’s all right."

Leon handed over one of his bottles when the other girl asked for water. He then moved a lamp closer so they could see the injury properly before staying out of their way. He didn’t know enough about treating wounds to help without becoming another problem.

"That was..." Seth said as he looked towards Leon.

He stopped and swallowed.

"Thanks."

Leon nodded.

"Keep your leg still."

Seth closed his eyes for a moment, and the Fire Monkey disappeared.

It took some time for them to control the bleeding. Even after the new dressing held, Seth remained pale and light-headed, so Lex had them wait before trying to move him again.

Evan watched from beside Seth with his bandaged right ankle carefully stretched out in front of him.

Tessa checked the dressing once more, while the other girl kept the remaining supplies close in case the blood started coming through again.

"Leon," Lex called quietly.

Leon walked over and crouched beside him.

"Another Swordsman and a Mage?"

"Yeah."

"What Grades are they?"

"Grade Three."

Lex looked towards the entrance.

The Great Swordsman stood there with its blade lowered, while the two Skirmishers watched the resting area from different sides.

"And you can maintain all five at once?"

"Yeah."

Lex wiped some dust from his uninjured hand.

"How long have you had the other two?"

"You know you ask a lot of questions, Sir."

Lex was taken aback by the answer for a while, and neither of them spoke for a moment, though Leon waited for the next question.

Instead, Lex looked towards Seth. Tessa was helping him drink a little water, while the other girl checked the outside of the bandage for fresh blood.

"Does anyone else know?" Lex asked.

"No."

"I suppose you’d want to keep it that way." Lex said.

"Of course."

Lex looked back at him.

He had seen how Leon used the summons, and whatever else Leon might be hiding, he had used it properly when they needed it. ’Plus he’s a Carter, he can’t harbour any bad intentions, can he?’ He thought to himself.

"I’ll keep this between us," Lex said.

"Thanks," Leon replied, feeling some of the tension leave his shoulders.

"If you need to use them again, tell me where you need space."

"Well, I everyone else remains competent, I don’t think I’ll have to. But of course, I will. We can only hope our luck doesn’t get any worse like it did."

"True."

They remained inside the pocket until Seth could sit upright without becoming dizzy again.

Getting him onto his feet took longer.

The other girl helped him stand, while one Skirmisher waited on his opposite side. Seth could move, but he couldn’t place much weight on his injured leg, more so because it was completely numb, not pain. Luckily for him, the Skirmisher didn’t have any characteristic olfactory flavours of a corpse, so outside its hollow eyes and looks, there was nothing more.

Leon for one was quite surprised that the undead had that level of intelligence.

Lex watched Seth take several careful steps before deciding that they could continue.

Tessa packed the unused medical supplies into her bag and moved beside Evan. The Bristle Boar and Wind Hound were dismissed for now, leaving Leon’s undead to protect the group.

The Swordsman moved ahead, one Skirmisher remained beside Seth and the other girl, while the second watched the passage behind them.

Leon helped Lex back onto his feet.

"We’ll follow the same direction, and hopefully, it leads to the next marked junction," Lex replied as he nodded towards the passage. "Then we check for the others."