Chapter 394: Friends, family, foe, or a fool?
Rio looked at the people around him, friends whom he had known for years, people with whom he studied for months, acting out of their characteristics. Blind to the world around them which kept shifting and shrinking, - the empty space always making sure he stayed in the middle of it all.
The upgrades godmother got after sucking every last soul had heightened her powers to a level, where even his true sight couldn't track her down.
"Fuck, this is worse than when Ria forced me to watch those soap operas all day long." Rio complained as he flapped his wings and kicked Hermann who seemed to hate him all of a sudden.
"That was definitely Firsjen or Lincoln." He said. Turning around only to be stumped by the sight of Amelia and Rebecca engaged in a catfight. "I so wanna record it and poke fun later, but not now girls." he said, using his threads to pull them apart.
"You're a dragon for god sake." Rio said, interrupting Heath who was getting burned by Leon's light flames.
"Kevin, just cause the rumors say you're a rapist, you don't have to prove it to the audience, buddy." Rio said, not accepting his part even now, just for any off chance any of them were still seeing or hearing it in their head.
"Normally you can't utter a single sentence without stuttering twice in front of her. And now you're chanting spells nonstop." He said, blocking Valtor's mouth and interrupting his drain domain, "Believe me, if this gal was really Amaya and she saw it, you're gonna have a heartbreak, literally."
"Oh you're definitely Lucille and Celia, the craziness is astounding." He said, looking at the two boys with the most maniacal laughter ever. He didn't even wanna guess what these psychos were dreaming about.
'Lucille's probably burning the world, and Celia is spanking every archmage atop magic tower.' ... "And yeah I thought about it nonetheless."
"Alaric, I know you're a half breed buddy, but come on, wolves don't piss with their legs high. That's what dogs do." He said covering the half naked hybrid with clothes and hanging him in the air, "Your mom would whoop your ass, seeing you disrespecting her ancestry."
"And why the fuck is a werewolf throwing meat aside and licking blood, and please stop eating those bones....Man, does anyone not teach you guys, wolves and dogs are two different breeds."
"God what have you done?"
[It's godmother, not god.]
"System," Rio said excitedly and hurriedly asked, before everyone's restraints disappeared and they were switched into different roles yet again. "Please tell me you can track her. So I can kill her."
[You know the answer host. It's your trial.] System refused again, [But I will tell you that you need to crack this thing fast, as godmother, she may just slip through your fingers and escape with that crystal safely]
"I knew she did this to waste my time. How much do I have?"
[Well, originally this dungeon raid would have lasted for 10 days or so, but with all that you and everyone else has done here, destroying everything, I'd say you have about half an hour. 28 minutes and 17 seconds to be exact.]
"Fuck. ... phew... fine I can do it. Easie peasie..."
[No host, blasting what remains of this world won't force Godmother to appear again. It'll only shorten your countdown.] System said, watching its host pull a missile launcher from his ring.
"Tsk..." Rio clicked his tongue and turned around, only to bump into Takashi who was back on his knees with a ring, "And why is he even doing that again and again, even I didn't do it."
[Really? You were together for almost five years and you never went on your knees,...To propose I mean.]System said feeling surprised, before adding something with a flushed face.
"Not the right time to talk romance, system. And besides, we both weren't exactly the type to snowball love scenes, I was shy, and she was.. silent."
[Wow, no wonder she never said it back.] System said in flow what came to its mind, before realizing it's mistake, [No, host, I _ I didn't mean it, like that. Like she didn't need to right, we know it_ it was just...]
"Go to sleep system." Rio said and blocked the system out of his mind for a while. His face cold as ice, and breathing short as memories flashed by of every 'I love you' he ever said to her. And received either a smile, a hug, kiss or sex in return.
His heart felt a burn like someone just scraped an old wound and blew cold air on it.
(Fuck.) System cursed its loose mouth and actually felt a little bad over it.
"....." When Rio opened his eyes again, and saw Takashi chasing after Saisha, something clicked in his mind, as he just teleported between them and grabbed him by the throat.
-cough urghh ulccch
The bald monk tried to struggle, flailing his arms and legs, slapping his face with that thorny rose in hopes to free himself, but Rio's grip only tightened around his throat.
[Host, there's a chance that killing their bodies now, might kill them for real. You can't just bet their lives on godmother's mercy rule of healing.] System typed in a worried tone, but Rio didn't even see it.
"Night, roomie." He said, nearly choking the life out of the poor fellow, until...
_Swishhh
An attack came from behind, throwing him back a couple steps.
"What are you doing, he's not himself." Saisha said as she stood between them, ignoring the dying monk, who healed instantly and was pestering her again. "You could've killed him. Or whoever that is." She said again.
Rio looked at her angry face wondering if it was another act of godmother or was she really herself.
"Nah, fuck it, get away before I kill you too." Rio said and disappeared from his place, appearing with a sword in hand, over Kevin and Vanessa, ready to end both of them with one swing.
Only to be stopped with Saisha again, who covered the duo with a cocoon of roots.
"I told you to stop." She said, swinging a root, and pushing him away from the students.
"And I told you to get out of my sight." Rio said, burning the branches. "Remember what I said last time, you hurt me again, and..."
"And elves would have to find a new queen. I know." Saisha finished his words, her hand on his chest, stopping him from leaving, "But I can't just watch as you kill our classmates. Which not to mention also include your sister and your girlfriend." She stopped for a breath at that mention, before ending her speech with a question. "Are you gonna kill them too?"
"I'm not killing them." Rio said, backing away from her, as he realized she really was Saisha.
Saisha looked at his reaction, and pulled her hand back, "Then what's the point? As long as any one of them is alive, that woman will just keep on hiding."
"Well, at least I'm doing something. Unlike you, who just kept walking around with a lover boy chasing you this whole time." Rio said, staring at the monk trying to butt in between them.
"I'm not enjoying this too, okay." Saisha said, taking the flower and throwing it back on his head. Watching as it grew in size and swallowed him whole. "I just needed time to think."
"So you figured out something." Rio said excitedly as he walked forward and grabbed her hands, "Tell me. What's the right way?"
Saisha looked at him and shook her head, "Well, _ I don't know. I'm still thinking... but if you just give me some time, or if we work together, I'm sure we can figure it out."
"We don't have the luxury of time." Rio said, flicking his hands back, "This dungeon is about to collapse, and I for one, don't want to have that experience a second time."
"Me neither. But..."
"No buts, princess. You try the peaceful methods of holding them back and waking them with kindness and care, while I beat them up until their survival instincts kick in, and they can wake up.." Rio said, kicking Takashi on the chest, and before he flew far, grabbed his leg and smashed him on a tree.
"Wait, so you weren't actually going to kill them?" Saisha asked confusedly.
"What, are you insane?" Rio said, looking at her with a shocked face, "I'm an angel, not a demon." He said while breaking the hands and fists of another guy.
"An angel. Devil's more like it." Saisha muttered to herself, watching as Rio moved from one student to another, showing her different kinds of torture scenes in order.
"This isn't going to work." She shouted, though her words were probably drowned in the screams echoing in that direction.
After giving a beatdown session to every student a couple times, (obviously except his sister, girlfriend, and pupil) he looked back in Saisha's direction, who was still trying out different spells and blessings which can break some illusion or charms or similar effects.
"That's not gonna work either." He replied back with a little smile.
(And _ he's calm now.) System said to itself, thanking the heavens that she was there, or its inventory might have to house a dozen more corpses. (One's enough already.) It said, staring at the expensive coffin lying in the center of the storage, housing the body of his once dear friend, Delilah.
(Should I ask him to unmute me? ... nah that'll probably trigger him again. Let's just watch from the backstage.)
(They do make a nice pair though.) System thought in its mind, watching as Rio and Saisha finally gave up their attitudes, and came together to talk about a better plan. Two minds being better than one and all, - only to feel a shiver run down its spine.
Darkness crept into the mindscape, as the blue orb of energy started wobbling around in despair, feeling an aura behind it, something that gave it PTSD years ago.
"Better watch your mouth bluey, words have consequences." A cold whisper came into the system's ears out of nowhere, yet it dared not turn back and see the mysterious entity or voice into those eyes.
..
..
..
System spent the longest 2 minutes in silence, calming the racing heart and fear rising in its head, (Fuck, I should just help my host, and get out of here.)
..
[Umm host, how about I help you buddy.] System said, trying to sound as normal as possible, [Don't worry, it's free. Call it compensation.]
"Should've done it sooner." Rio said and turned around, disappearing directly from his place, leaving Saisha just staring at his back in confusion.
"Why's he keep running away?" Saisha sighed and gave up calling him back.
"I love you. Will you marry me?"(Takashi)
"...And, you're back again." Saisha said and threw the rose back at him again, this time, turning it into a vine whose thorns pierced his skin, "Get a hint you idiot, if a girl doesn't say it back, it usually means, no."
"Fuck, thinking about it is just making me even more angry." She cursed and just buried the fellow a hundred meter underground. "Crawling out should keep you occupied for a while."
'Wonder where'd he go though, I hope he's okay?' She thought, before she felt tremors in the ground. She looked down in wonder thinking Takashi was coming back again, only to stop and raise her head as sounds of explosions rang in a far distance, followed by an angry roar of a women and floating shadow of a tree in the sky, "Guess you found her.".
She looked at the students who all stopped their actions and started running towards that direction, only to be stopped by Leon and Amaya, who seemed to have woken up from Godmother's control.
"Hmm, team up." She said, looking at the duo working to block everyone as Rio started his fight with godmother.