Raven's hulking body finally managed to stand up, enduring the pain as he shuffled over to the limp Lilith; although she was sore, her cute eyes fluttered at him.
"Are you alright?" His hoarse voice sounded, gentle and loving eyes watching her weak body slowly wrapping her soft arms around his neck.
"Mn."
Her answer was weak as she leaned against him without power, her soft silvery white hair tickling his chest as she closed her eyes, resting upon him.
[Please Accept New Talent!]
'Ah, shut up, let me focus, no matter how cool, what kind of talent is more important than my cute Lilith!?'
"R-Raven...?" The beautiful woman moaned into his chest, the man blushing lightly. "I'm sorry for being so selfish..."
"Don't be silly," He comforted her with a light kiss on her forehead, her blush deepening as he pulled away.
"You are my precious little angel."
Her cheeks flushed red at that, swallowing hard before she spoke again.
"I am a manticore... how is that an angel... I eat people's life and soul..."
But his words were soothing for her, as she relaxed in his grasp, his powerful arm able to hold her up with just one of them, his huge hand almost larger than her ass as she tried to steady herself as to cause as little trouble as possible, her tail wrapped around his arm to help support it, relieving the burden in any way.
She remembered seeing his mouth vomiting blood, his pain was far greater than her's, but now he still took care of her instead of himself; Lilith always hated being with Raven because his simple actions never seemed to be calculated, making her heart race and body hot naturally as he just existed!
With some effort, Raven had to support Lilith's weight by bracing himself with one hand while he held onto her waist with another.
"Strange... Where is the exit?"
"Mmm... I don't know, but even the lift is broken... Do we have to take the stairs to the bottom?" Lilith moaned, her face looking sad, while Raven felt a sense of fatigue building up in his body.
However, his vitality and stamina recovered endlessly; his body had some maximum limit, so he couldn't recover fully after exerting himself.
There was no trail, despite him being at the 8th gate, thanks to that damn crystal and Lilith's plump body...
A door ahead of them must've also been connected to the inside since he saw the light shining behind it, as a feeling of déjà vu rose in Raven's head. But he wouldn't find an answer if he stopped thinking about this, considering all those traps leading up here!
'We should get going, at least, to let her be safe.'
Neither could read the door's message, which was stated in a long-forgotten Eastern language.
"This door shall allow only one to pass through safely; those after shall face great tribulation but may find great benefit."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Should they survive."
Lilith did not speak out loudly, as Raven would make fun of her for missing everything! The guy has such a twisted mind...
The doors had fallen silent as soon as he started to examine their meaning. He grabbed the knob of the brass handle with two fingers and pulled it up gently; there wasn't much to expect from that dark stone hallway leading out as both of them began stumbling forward towards the flickering lights, accompanied by the clattering of old iron pipes overhead.
"Lilith, you enter this strange lift first."
"Eh!?"
He had some hunch; thus, instead of climbing inside together, he wanted her to enter first, his instincts sure of her safety as he let her down from his arms, the thick muscles twitching, finally released from their overwork.
"Ah... I was so comfy..." She whispered, as their tails brushed against each other as if to show affection before her eyes looked at him, those violet orbs always making him happy.
"Go on, be good and go; I'll make your favourite dessert if you do."
"Ah!? Really! You're not lying, right!"
There isn't enough time for a proper meal or bath when everyone needs healing! And the monster could try something mean when a tired girl sleeps!
Her reaction was quick; it made Raven realize she had spent nearly five hours in her state, giving away how hungry and thirsty she'd become as she skipped into the lift, her steps light and happy.
The lift rose steadily under Lilith's legs; he rested his elbows on the circular railing next to him, smiling softly to hear the happy jingling of her wings as the wind passed across the corridor. It made her sound like a bell—not that he'd complain.
Lilith suddenly looked back at the relaxed Raven, who was sucking on a dragon stick, watching her slowly leaving the dungeon on the lift as she began to panic, thinking she hit a button but made a mistake as Raven grew distant, his body shrinking as she vanished into the distance.
"Raven!!!"
"Come back.... turn back to him! Stupid lift!" she shouted, pressing the buttons and pulling the levers until some snapped off completely. Raven also understood how weird this machine worked by then; half a door was closed to contain a cylinder full of thin, glowing ethereal gas!
This metal pole even blocked two doors which only slid upward together due to his weight pushing it past... if this happened here, he would feel safe watching over Lilith from his lofty perch.
Now nothing could follow her; even if he couldn't follow, neither could anyone else who might be lurking around.
"Don't worry; I will join you soon. If it takes too long, get a taxi home, and book an over! I sent you more pocket money, so be good, okay? But the ingredients for the dessert you want and the meat and veggies too!"
His words shocked her, and she began to laugh uncontrollably.
"Hahaha, Raven... Raven.... who would think about the shopping and my dinner now... idiot! Fool! I will make sure to add lots of mushrooms and peppers! I know you hate them!"
Raven could barely make out what she was saying, his lips forming a broad smile as darkness began to seep into the room from the broken window; it was like something had searched for him, creeping closer when an unseen threat awakened somewhere upstairs, around that very moment he finally became conscious.
A strange feeling swelled in his abdomen; the production of the purple energy slowed down as he felt a sudden heavy weight on his shoulders.
'Silly girl... just knowing you are so happy to eat my food, how much that means to me, none of you women could know.'
His body slowly turned around, the darkness now enveloping him completely as he felt a sense of nausea, before he quickly made sure to spend all his bonus points from levelling, accepting the Talent too.
o-- Alistair "Raven" Granbell
o-- "Chimera of Black Storm." "Monster of Endless Hunger."
o-- Chimera (Manticore / High Orc)
o-- Age 28 (Visually 21)
o-- Blood Type O-Z1
o-- Level: 21
o-- Class: Dread Knight
o-- Experience: 77/130
o-- Cultivation: The Twelve Gates Of Bliss (Manticore Only)
o-- Cultivation Realm: Gate 2 [Gateway of the Heart]
o-- Cultivation Stage: Stage 8
o-- Credits: 750 (1180 Lilith's Pocket Money)
Strength: 7.2
Agility: 4.5
Stamina: 7.9
Vitality: 8.4
Intellect: 4.2
Wisdom: 4.1
Manticore's Heart (Passive) [Level 3] - Increases Vitality and Stamina regeneration at all times, creating the perfect mate for a female Manticore.
Shadow Strike [Level 6]
Dash towards an enemy and brutalise them with a dark cleaving double strike, causing heavy shadow damage, ignoring defence.
It can be used three times per cast!
3-second cooldown
Dread Aura [Level 4]
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmCause fear to all enemies around you, slowing their actions for 4 seconds.
The caster takes reduced damage for 10 seconds after the fear ends; once this effect ends, all damage taken is doubled for 5 seconds.
10-second cooldown
No cost
-
He wanted to try the class upgrade, but it was greyed out and said his experience was insufficient.
'Fuck, maybe a level requirement? Or there is some hidden factor... Let's ask Emily later.'
Just in case this damn trial was deadly, remembering the Manticore trial when he was a non-adventurer.
"Oh, Dread Knight. Thee who seeks to become Sovereign pity you who shall fall beneath our blades." A chant of countless voices began to sing in the darkness as Raven's feet suddenly lost all balance.
The floor vanished!
He was falling. Slowly... But falling nonetheless.
Once more came the screech of iron piping being torn out at his heels, followed by hot, moist earth kissing his cheeks with a cool stinging sensation, passing under a thin layer of white glowing gel that lowered itself over his mouth and nose as his senses started returning one-by-one; he sputtered onto his elbows on the cold, soft grass below!
In the distance, a church-like choir was constantly singing; it was eerie and epic at the same time, sometimes baritone, and then marred with a charming and alluring soprano chorus.
Raven grasped his axe, the sores from his fall quickly healing as torches began to light around him.
"Oh, Dread Knight. Thy maiden has safely departed."
"Fight!"
"Fight with everything you have!"
Hundreds, if not thousands, of steel suits with greatswords and other weapons stood in the darkness, slowly illuminated by the torchlight.
'Fuck...'
They were all Level 27 Living Weapons!
"Hohoho~ it's time to test out my new axe truly."
"Right, Partner!" Raven shouted, his body tightening as the black bodysuit shimmered in the torchlight, his huge axe resting on his shoulder, as the black mist began to cover his body, with hints of purple mixing inside.
"It's time for you bastards to experience the power of an orc!"
He shot forward the huge axe causing the very air to howl, as it seemed to tear through space itself, cleaving one of the silver armours in half with a loud creak, sparks flying everywhere as Raven's distorted face shouted out, with an Orchish battle cry.
"Welcome to the Big Fucking Axe division!"