The dust hadn't properly settled yet when Caelus lowered his hand with his eyes still fixed ahead as the last bits of debris fell from the ceiling. Cypher stood a few steps in front of him, while she was relaxed, she was still on guard.
"Looks like he's in pretty bad shape," Caelus muttered, glancing down at the unconscious boy slumped against the wall.
Cypher exhaled through her mouth with her arms folded. "Honestly, I'm surprised he's still breathing."
Caelus crouched, tapping the boy's cheek once, then twice but didn't get any reason from him. "…Yikes. Out cold." He adjusted his grip and pulled one of the boy's arms over his shoulder in an attempt to lift him up. "We should quickly get him back to the guild to have him treated."
Cypher tilted her head as she watched him struggle for half a second. "Thought you were a mage."
"Okay… and?" Caelus shot her a look from the corner of his eye.
She gestured vaguely at the boy. "Then can't you just..." she paused, searching for the word, then waved her hand again, "...you know… fix him...Healing magic and all?"
"Unfortunately I don't possess healing magic"
That completely caught her off guard, causing her to burst into laughter as she wondered what kind of mage didn't possess healing magic but before Caelus could lash out on her, the ground suddenly began to tremble causing both of them to stop and stare at the area the Minotaur was slammed into
Shortly after, the wall burst apart and the Minotaur slowly stepped out. Its jaw was completely destroyed from the punch it received from Cypher a while ago while its body was completely burnt from the flames, but even still, it was still standing.
It's eyes locked onto the both of them then it roared really loud.
Caelus slowly lowered the boy back down. "Seems we'll have to move him after."
Cypher picked him up easily and carried him back a few steps and laid him against the wall in order to avoid him getting caught up in the whole battle
After some seconds the roar seized and it immediately charged towards them.
Caelus moved first, placing his palm on the ground and freezing the ground beneath its feet mid-step, slowing it down which not only threw it off balance but allowed Cypher to quickly close the gap before driving her fist into its side with an insane amount of force, forcing its body to twist slightly.
But, it didn't take long for it to recover and try to swing back instantly which shocked Cypher but Caelus quickly disrupted its attack again by wrapping its arms in vines allowing Cypher to once more slip under the attack and drive another punch into its ribs.
"For some reason, it seems to not be taking enough damage," Caelus muttered.
"I agree…..I've fought one before, they're nothing like this" Cypher stepped back slightly, eyes narrowed. "This is something else entirely"
The Minotaur roared and charged again. Caelus slapped his palms together which caused massive layer by layer barriers to be formed but even then, the Minotaur pushed through, smashing through every one of them and slowly closing distance.
"Hate to say this but, we could fall back for now," Caelus said as he reconstructed each shattered barrier.
"No, If this thing runs into someone else, they're dead." Cypher replied immediately. "We have no choice but to deal with it now"
"So what do you propose"
"Don't worry, Big Sister Cypher will handle it…..so you can put down your barrier" She smiled without staring at him but looking ahead
He frowned slightly, but didn't interrupt. Slowly he lowered his hand and the barriers faded.
Cypher stepped forward alone, after slowly walking for a bit she paused, stared back and waved at Caelus who waved at her back before she faced the target in front of her.
The Minotaur kept charging with no sign of stopping as the ground trembled under its weight. Her hand moved behind her back, gripping the blade wrapped in cloth behind her back. She undid the fabric and and the Katana was revealed
"It's been a while old friend" she murmured as she stared at the sheathed blade
Caelus watched from afar, completely filled with different emotions; shock, curiosity and a bit of excitement as this was the first time seeing her use it. If anything it felt like a scene out of an anime or a manga.
She exhaled slowly, fingers tightening around the cloth before stripping it loose, revealing the Katana and catching it.
The Minotaur didn't slow, but kept charging straight for her, each step shaking the ground while the distance between them grew thinner.
She stepped forward while slowly unsheathing the blade before coming to a stop then slowly raising her hand, before swinging in a downward motion She didn't linger, already lowering the sword, already sliding it back into its sheath in the same breath.
The Minotaur kept running when suddenly, it split cleanly right down the middle.
Both halves passed her on either side, momentum carrying them forward for a few more steps before collapsing heavily behind her.
Even then, the slash didn't stop there. It kept traveling in a straight line while splitting the ground open before crashing into the wall, leaving behind a deep, slash mark embedded into the wall.
She turned back after wrapping her blade back in the cloth and gave Caelus a thumbs up
"…What the hell…" Caelus gave an awkward smile "Just when I thought she couldn't be more impressive"
"Alright let's get him back to the guild" She stated lifting the unconscious adventurer on her shoulder
____
The adventurer's eyes snapped open, his body slightly in pain. For a moment, he couldn't move, just laying there staring up at the ceiling while trying to gather his thoughts. The last thing he remembered… the Minotaur charging towards him, then the impact, before darkness followed
"…I'm… alive?" His voice came out a bit low. He looked down and saw bandages, wrapped across his torso and arms.
Shortly after, the door creaked open.
"Oh, it looks like he's awake."
He turned his head slowly as two people he didn't recognize walked into the room and both stood by his side.
"…You two…" He grabbed his head in pain as the memories came flooding back. "…You saved me."
"Something like that." Caelus shrugged slightly before introducing himself with Cypher doing the same right after.
Caelus waved his hand. "It was nothing."
Suddenly another thought hit him, then looked up. "…There was a girl I sent to get help, is she ok"
"She's fine," Cypher replied. "She's the reason we showed up."
Jin exhaled almost like a weight had been dropped off his shoulder. "…I see."
"Welp we just wanted to check in" Caelus continued, dropping a fruit basket "Get well soon" he waved as he and Cypher left the room
____
Hours later, the room was quiet again.
Jin sat upright this time, back resting lightly against the wall, as he stared outside the window when unexpectedly a gentle knock came from the door and the door opened slightly.
"…You're awake."
He looked up to see Lyra standing there, behind her was another girl
"…You're okay," Lyra said quietly, stepping in.
"…Barely," he replied.
They moved closer, the door closing behind them as the room settled back into silence. For a moment, no one spoke. Just the faint sound of the wind, the weight of everything that had happened in the dungeon.
Lyra exhaled slowly then finally spoke "…I'm done."
He didn't speak but listened instead.
"I can't keep doing this," she continued, her voice low, steadier than before but still a bit shaky. "I thought I could… but I can't...not to mention what happened recently took a toll on my mental health."
He didn't interrupt or try to convince her otherwise as he understood where he was coming from
She paused for a bit then wiped her eyes quickly as she noticed tears rolling down then she looked at him. "…What about you?"
He met her gaze briefly, then looked ahead again "I plan to continue adventuring."
"I see…." Lyra nodded. "Then may the Mother Goddess Nymera keep you safe on your journey" she added before leaving the room
The other girl stepped forward "I'm Mira…..was out sick during the incident...." She paused for a little bit then continued "…Thank you…..for saving my sister."
Jin was shocked but still spoke up with a smile on his face "…Don't mention it."
Then she bowed and left the room living him all alone once more