Realm Wars

"Do you mind?" 

Ryu took a look behind him and found a human girl looking over at him with an arrogant face and haughty pout.

Ryu was surprised. How did he miss her from the crowds? 

"The girl with golden pigtails."

Cathy was surprised, too, upon seeing Ryu. "Ah. The ignorant halfbreed."

Ryu ignored what she just called him and roamed his gaze, "Where's your companion?"

"You mean Nash? We got separated in this dungeon," she said with a nonchalant voice. "What about you? Where's your master?"

Ryu couldn't speak.

Cathy gave an elegant half-shrug. "Separated too, huh? Welp, don't worry, if you both survive here, you'll reunite in the real world sooner or later."

Ryu knew she was just saying it without really meaning what she said. But it did alleviate some of Ryu's worries.

Cathy didn't mind Ryu anymore and inspected the multiple knobs with puckering lips. "Where do you suppose the correct one is? If they're giving out puzzles to solve, at least provide some clue, damn it."

Ryu scratched his head and looked over at Rosa, who was raising a brow at him. He knew that it wasn't his place to worry about the little girl, but she did save him once on the boat.

"Are you in a group?" Ryu asked.

Cathy pouted. "Mind your own business halfbreed. I'm strong, so I don't need to be in a group."

"Aren't you a mage?"

Cathy finally faced Ryu and placed her fist over her waist. She looked over him, straining her neck. "And what do you mean by that? Are you implying that mages are weak?"

"No. it's just. .. you should at least have someone to defend you while you're casting your spell."

"Don't worry about that. Once I'm reunited with Nash, I can defeat all of you here with my eyes closed." She then went back to inspecting the knobs. "Besides, this dungeon doesn't require brute strength nor spells. It requires brains and patience."

She then cut Ryu a glance. "And the name's Cathy, not 'you.'"

Ryu tilted his head. He was just asking if he was going to be alright by herself. Were girls her age always this difficult? 

Ryu thought that Cathy was only sixteen or seventeen. He was also the same age, but he looked older since he was tall.

Ryu took one last look at Cathy before returning to Rosa's side.

"What are you doing? This is no time to be flirting with every girl you meet."

Ryu caught his tongue. Did it seem like he was hitting on a girl? "It was the girl with us in Mother Skull Ship."

Rosa batted her eyelids. "I know. But we don't know her so quit being friendly. Or do you want her to join our group and make your own harem?"

Ryu immediately shook his head. Rosa would just make Cathy one of her cannon fodders. She was better off alone than be with them. And what did he mean, harem? He didn't even know the word.

Rosa smirked. "Pay attention halfbreed. This is one tricky dungeon because it's before the fifth one. However, they are thirty of us here. That number would soon go down."

That was not what Ryu was worried about. "How do you suppose we find the correct knob from the hundreds of them? There are no clues, and I couldn't differentiate the smell of the knobs, unlike with the doors."

Rosa remained silent. She was pinching her chin and seemed to be in deep thoughts.

"Do you have an item that could help us here?" Ryu asked. From the two treasure chests that Rosa picked up, maybe an item there could help them in their current predicament.

"Shut up. I'm thinking."

Ryu grumbled and pressed his lips tight. Maybe it was better if he took a look around? Or take a nap?

"You go and check those knobs!"

Ryu and Rosa's attention was stolen when a commotion broke out.

A halfbreed girl, together with a human lady, was being targeted for bullying. Ryu was beginning to get worried that he preceded such a scene as common now.

The halfbreed girl had pointy ears and a distinctive cloth around her head, hiding her hair. She was small, and her eyes were dilated crystals of green. She seemed to be a sprite and an elf.

"Raise your hands if you wanted these weaklings to go first and check the knobs!" another said.

Everyone raised their hands except the halfbreeds and some weak-looking humans.

Ryu gave a side-eye at Rosa when she raised her hand as well.

"What?" Rosa asked. "It's much faster that way. And besides, they won't last. They were taken here to be cannon fodders in the first place."

Ryu heaved a heavy sigh. He was born again. Was he going to stick his nose and protect them or be like the others and pretend that he didn't see anything for the sake of not being implicated?

"Well," a demon said and folded his arms, face sneering, "are you going, or do you want us to use force?"

The halfbreed and the woman lowered their heads. 

Ryu didn't have to butt his nose since the halfbreed girl wasn't even part beast. But he didn't like the idea that a halfbreed like them were always the ones who suffered the most.

Rosa opened one eye and warned, "Don't be a hero, halfbreed. You can't save them all."

Ryu ignored her and went towards the commotion when Cathy grabbed his arm.

A snarl rumbled in Ryu's throat, and his beast side peeked through his eyes.

Cathy was a little surprised since she felt that Ryu was different from the last time they met. His beast side could even instill fear without her knowing it. Did the halfbreed grow stronger?

"Are you going to stop me again?" Ryu asked, slit eyes narrowing and canines barring.

Cathy felt a chill, raising her fine hairs. When did his beast side become so intimidating?

"Not that, you idiot. Calm down and assess the situation first." Cathy jabbed a finger towards the group and said, "That halfbreed and woman are not your typical weaklings."

Ryu blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. "What do you mean?"

But before Ryu could ask, screams of terror erupted in the center of the commotion.

Ryu was about to look, but Cathy's voice stopped him for a moment.

"DON'T LOOK!"

Even though she said that Ryu was a curious soul, and he took a peek only to find that the demon and several others had turned into a statue. While the halfbreed girl covered her hair. 

But not until Ryu took a slip of what was hidden inside her clothing.

There were like worms twirling around and around, hissing with their slick tongue on top of the halfbreed's head.

"What is that?"

"Basilisks," Cathy answered. "Once it captured your eyes, you're done for."

"Is that thing. .. growing in her head?" Ryu couldn't believe what he saw.

Cathy nodded. "That girl is half sprite and half-elf. Her sprite lineage must have been those tricksters who turned others to stone in the Spirit Realm.

"But anyway. Don't mess with them if you don't want to become a statue. That demon was unlucky that he picked her out of all the halfbreeds here."

Cathy shrugged. "Or maybe it was part of their plan all along."

Ryu was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I've been with them before this dungeon. They used the same trick to lure experts and turn them into stones. They lower their guard by pretending to be weak, and then bam! The next thing you know, you've become a statue. Then they used you as testers for the puzzles. That's how we got here. It's thanks to those two."

"Tsk. What a waste of resources." 

Ryu and Cathy shifted their attention at Rosa, who was now behind them. 

"Now that they turned five into statues, that's five less cannon fodders. What are they going to do about those stones? Make their stiff hands turn the knob?"

Ryu's eyes went dead. Was all she could think of was cannon fodders?

Rosa clicked her tongue once more. "Bunch of idiots. At least pick a dungeon that your statues would be useful."

Because of the event, the others left the halfbreed girl and the woman alone, and there was a temporary stalemate in the large hall.

"We might as well get some shut eyes if this continued." Cathy stretched her hands and yawned. "At this rate, we'll be stuck here until some idiot loses his patience and trigger some traps."

"I think that idiot is going at it now." Ryu pointed at a skinny human who was closing in on the knobs.

"Well, at least we have a first volunteer." Rosa smirk.

Cathy folded her arms. "I hope he wouldn't just randomly twist a knob and trigger some–"

Cathy didn't finish her sentence when the skinny guy did just that. He twisted the knob that looked like a stirring wheel of a ship.

Cling. . .

Clang. . .

There was a resounding mechanism, and some of the panels on the ceiling opened, and gushing water began to fill the place.

"Trap." Cathy was stunned before she shouted, "That idiot!"

----

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