Aria, her silver hair shimmering like moonlight, stood at the forefront of a chaotic battleground.
The deafening screeches and growls of the encroaching swarm of monsters reverberated through the air, their grotesque forms casting ominous shadows upon the grim landscape.
Behind her, two companions who lacked the means to defend themselves trembled with what could only be called fear, their eyes wide with terror.
Undeterred by the overwhelming odds, Aria gripped her gleaming sword with unwavering determination.
She knew that their lives depended on her skill and resolve.
Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath, channeling her magic into the blade, causing it to glow with a radiant light.
~WHOOOOSHHH!!~
As the first wave of monsters lunged toward them, Aria met their onslaught with a deft flurry of slashes and parries.
~SWISH!~
Her sword sliced through the air, a blur of silver, as she maneuvered with uncanny agility, her movements a seamless fusion of grace and lethal precision.
~VWUUUM!~
Sparks of Lightning Magic erupted from her blade, each strike a testament to her mastery of both magic and swordsmanship.
~FWISH!~
With each swing, she dispatched the grotesque creatures one by one, their lifeless forms crashing to the ground.
~BOOOOMM!!!~
But the relentless swarm seemed endless, their numbers closing in from all sides.
Aria's heart pounded in her chest as she fought with unyielding resolve, desperate to shield her vulnerable companions from the horrors that threatened to engulf them.
The monsters lunged and clawed at her, their fangs gnashing and claws slashing.
Aria's focus remained unbroken, her senses honed to the razor's edge as she anticipated their every move.
Her body danced with agility, narrowly evading their strikes while launching counterattacks with lethal precision.
Yet, the tide of battle began to shift.
Fatigue clawed at Aria's muscles, her movements losing a fraction of their former speed.
The monsters seemed to sense her weariness and capitalized on it, redoubling their efforts to overwhelm her.
"HAAAAAA!!!" She fought back, her sword an extension of her will, but the sheer numbers became overwhelming, threatening to swallow her whole.
With a thunderous crash, Aria stumbled backward, her blade slipping from her grasp and clattering onto the blood-stained ground.
~BOOOOOOM!!!~
"Aria!" Her companions cried out in despair, their voices filled with helplessness and anguish.
She locked eyes with them, her own filled with a mixture of regret and determination.
As the swarm of monsters closed in, their feral eyes gleaming with hunger, Aria and her companions watched as their lives flashed before their eyes.
Moments of joy, sorrow, and triumph danced through their memories, a bittersweet symphony of a life well-lived.
... But one of regret nonetheless.
'I-if only... I could have at least...' In their final moments, Aria reached out to her companions, particular the older fellow.
Unfortunately, just like always, it never seemed to reach.
They stood together, defiant in the face of impending doom, their unspoken farewell filling the air with a quiet, unyielding strength.
And as the monsters descended upon them, their triumphant roars drowning out the echoes of their valiant fight, Aria, her companions, and their shared memories were forever consumed by the merciless jaws of fate.
... Or so one would think.
~BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!~
A massive eruption roared from.begind the horrifying creatures, causing all of them to halt in their pace and turn back to see what the commotion was all about.
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!~
Another round of explosion, this time greater than the first, roared through the cave, causing massive cracks to sear through the ceiling and walls.
"W-what's going on?!" Aria weakly shouted, suddenly experiencing the explosions that rendered the entire labyrinth structure unstable.
"I'm not sure. But if this continues, everything around us will collapse."
Unfortunately, none of them could fly. They could activate the defensive barrier they had as a last ditch effort, but even that wouldn't be strong enough to survive the collapse of an entire portion of the cave, and all of that descending to the depths of the Labyrinth's abyss.
It was the reason why Aria avoided using any flashy Spells, and the rest didn't bring any explosive to their expedition.
They even tried to avoid fights, but when the monsters lunged from below and above, they had suddenly found themselves surrounded.
And now, they were doomed to be buried by the rocks of the Labyrinth...
"Hey, you guys, grab on!" The voice of a man suddenly echoed across the vast cave.
Aria and her comrades saw no one, and they could not understand what words were just spoken, but they realized the ground beneath them was trembling, and the constant explosions were only making things worse.
"Grab the rope!" The voice echoed again, but they still could not comprehend the meaning behind it.
However, the moment they saw a dangling rope mysteriously appear in front of them, their instincts told them to grab hold of it.
"Hurry, you idiots! You want to fall?" The stranger's voice roared imposingly, causing them to tremble at the sound of his words.
They swiftly held onto the rope, each of them desperate to live.
~BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!~
The final eruption sent the already fragile earthy platform to break apart, sending everything falling downwards.
The monsters were forced to descend with the shattered earth, roaring as they plunged into the abyss.
"ROOOAAARRRRrrrrrrrrhhhhh..."
Before long, they were no longer visible, and the only survivors of the skirmish were the ones who held onto the rope that kept them from falling.
"W-what just happened?" Aria murmured to herself, her grip strong on the rope that extended so far up that she didn't know it's origin.
"I have no idea. But it seems we've been saved." Dr. Drake murmured, his breath heavy with relief.
In response to this, the Great Sage couldn't help but nod emphatically.
"Indeed. Whoever our benefactor is... we owe him our lives."
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