~I shall keep that in mind,~ she replied with a slight mental nod.

  ~If the need arises, though, don’t hesitate to use them. Your and our safety takes priority. It’s good to have an additional card up our sleeve but it will be pointless to keep it hidden until we are out of the game,~ I added.

  ~Very well. I will do my best not to reveal too much. This party looks strong enough for me to remain in a more supportive position. If one of you is able to protect me, I should have no problem still using most of my magic without bringing out the cards,~ Levia replied.

  ~I won’t let anything get anywhere near you so don’t worry and just do your thing.~ I smiled at her softly as we locked gazes for a brief moment.

  “Alright. We are here,” Ashmel whispered as an empty arch entered our sight. “Take a look inside. Maybe you’ll have any idea about this thing.”

  I nodded and gestured for Levia to follow me since she was the most knowledgeable person out of the three of us when it came to magic. Ashmel and Lulu made some space for us to pass them without making too much noise and I leaned past the edge of the archway.

  What greeted me was a spacious, hexagonal chamber with a high ceiling in the shape of a dome. A depiction of some kind of event was carved into each wall, taking up the entire available space. Judging by the crumbling benches and remains of a wooden stage in the very middle, it had been another ceremonial meeting place or something similar. The usual dark braziers and wall-mounted torches illuminated the sides of the chamber with azure light.

  But, there was one more source of a blue glow.

  Right in the very middle, where the stage had clearly been located in the past, stood now a weird magical construct. A long, rough crystal was lodged in between four metal elements holding it vertically in place. It pulsed at a regular pace, getting brighter for a brief moment after the wave of spiritual energy passed through the surroundings. It was about thrice as big as a normal person, poking its sharp tip into the territory of the masterfully crafted dome in the ceiling.

  Obviously, it wasn’t alone.

  A lot of Skeletons loitered around the prayer room pretty much in every corner of it. Besides the common, weak grunts, quite a few stronger enemies were mixed in the crowd. I spotted two Death Knights, at least one spellcaster, and a few purplish, ethereal, see-through, floating faces the size of a family table. If I wasn’t mistaken, those were Screamers. Not so dangerous on their own, but certainly irritating when paired with other monsters.

  Seeing enough, I returned behind cover and gave Levia the chance to take a peek at the chamber. We didn't want to squeeze together and risk pushing each other into the open so she’d waited a while for her turn. The collected Witch scanned the insides of the room with great attention and turned to me.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  “I have no doubt that this pillar is upholding some kind of magic in the area. It is impossible to identify exactly what with just this much. Judging by the ominous aura, it definitely is not anything beneficial and pleasant. At least for us,” she replied.

  Aisha glanced at her. “Do you have an idea how to deactivate it?”

  “The simplest solution is to destroy the crystal which serves as the catalyst for the spell. Of course, it is also the riskiest approach since we know nothing about the spell and how the device will react to damage. It might simply shut down, but it might also explode,” Levia explained.

  “Scary.” Lulu shivered.

  “But, if I can get closer, I might be able to find a way to cause enough interference for it to cease operating. Possibly disable it fully. I recognize some patterns on these metal claws holding it in place,” our Witch friend continued.

  “I think that’s our best bet.” I nodded at her and glanced at everyone. “We require information so letting Levia study it rather than destroying it right away sounds like the better choice. Can we handle whatever is in that chamber?”

  “Their numbers aren’t low but we should be fine if they split their attention between all of us. We have two brawlers, three if we count you, but you will be more stationary than the other two. I can move on the sidelines and your friend can focus mostly on her thing while taking action when necessary,” Ashmel replied.

  “It will be fine! I’ve cleared worse rooms on my own!” Lulu grinned at us while puffing out her chest. “As long as the Berserker doesn’t go crazy and starts trying to kill us.”

  “I’ll definitely pick a tasty little snack like you for the first meal so you better be prepared to run.” Aisha snickered and showed a wolfish grin at the imp girl. “But in all seriousness, I’m proficient in my rage and he is more than proficient in holding my leash. Now that I think of it, why haven’t we tried that before?”

  Judging by the look she gave me, I knew exactly what kind of leash she was thinking about, including the situation she would love to use it, and I was certain it came with a collar. The kind that you wouldn’t really show in public.

  Shaking my head at her, I turned to Lulu. “I’ll keep an eye on her. We go with that plan, then, but if things take an unexpected turn or it so happens that this crystal strengthens these monsters somehow, we get rid of it immediately.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement and I glanced over my shoulder.

  “Rose, keep an eye on the hallways around this place. Let us know if anything dangerous starts heading our way. Can you do that for me?” I asked the cute Pixie floating above my shoulder.

  She buzzed around my head with great joy and energy before pecking my cheek with her ticklish, immaterial body and darting away. Lulu cooed at the adorable scene, escorting the fleeting orb of pink with her gaze. Then, we refocused on our objective and prepared to enter the chamber.

  “Wait.” Levia stopped us and crouched down. “We need to take this.”

  She brought a few small vials of seemingly clear liquid out of one of the pouches at her belt. Everyone took one off her hands and I examined it from up close, recognizing one of the concoctions we had made together in the big cauldron.

  “What’s that for?” Aisha asked.

  “Do you see that whitish, radiant mold in the far corner of the room? With so much of it there left unbothered, we should assume that the entire chamber is filled with its toxins. This is one of the disease hazards that the assignment mentioned,” she explained.

  “Great catch.” I showed her a thumbs-up. “What does it do?”

  “Causes a raging erection for at least three days, more if your body is not strong enough to fight it.”

  I choked on my vial, barely avoiding doing a powerful spit-take, certain that I heard at least one more person trying to control their coughing. Their identity wasn’t that hard to figure out.

  “Tsk. It would have been so much better if you didn’t notice it…” Aisha clicked her tongue and muttered under her nose.

  “That mold is one of the ingredients in a popular medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction when properly dried and ground into a powder,” the knowledgeable Witch continued. “As for females, it causes serious swelling of the clitoris and makes the inner vaginal areas overly sensitive. In both cases, it’s to the point that even walking becomes hard, not to mention wearing any clothes or underwear.”

  “We should gather some of it after the room is safe,” the playful drakan suggested with a devilish grin.

  “Why? It is not exactly expensive or tough to come by.” Levia turned to her with a barely noticeable frown.

  “Well… Uhhhh… It might not be, but… Who knows if Lucas won’t come up with something as amazing as the Woodmen’s Bane and we break the bank again? Right?” Aisha raised a brow at the shorter woman and spread her arms to the sides.

  “We’ll discuss this matter after the battle.” I interrupted them, pointing a finger at my tease of a girlfriend. “And you, bottoms up, right in front of me.”

  She smirked and followed the order. I knew her long enough to anticipate her tricks. Though, I was also fairly sure that she wouldn’t get that far. But, better safe than sorry. Especially with that horndog.

  Surprisingly, Lulu downed hers in a flash and even asked if she could have seconds. I’d partially expected her to be as eager to get a little tingly down there as my drakan mate but it looked like she couldn’t be judged by her race.

  After all of us drank Levia’s mixture, we exchanged glances and turned to the empty archway.

  Chapter 15

  The Sound of Silence

  “Since the probability of us killing all the Screamers fast enough to avoid their ability is extremely low, I shall cast a curse on us that removes our hearing for the duration,” Levia offered. “Please, be extremely careful as it can be disorienting, but it is still much less inconveniencing than the sinister screech that assaults your ears.”

  “We need to target them first. Lulu’s shadows should be able to hurt them without an issue since they are both magic.” I glanced at the pink imp.

  “I’ll do my best! They won’t even know what hit them!” She beamed at me.

  “Great. We will do what we can to keep the aggro on us while you work.” I nodded.

  “Aggro?” Lulu tilted her head.

  “Attention.” I chuckled. “Ready?”

  Everyone made the last check of their equipment and Levia quickly prepared the necessary ingredients to cast her curse. I’d never thought we would be using the negative effects of her magic on us to deal with another negative effect like that. But, she was a smart one and I was increasingly more glad we’d recruited her. Someone to cover for my mistakes and shortcomings was very much welcome.

  Finishing her preparations, she crushed a Kobold’s nucleus and blew the dust and bits into the air between us. A moment later, I heard an effect similar to putting a tightly sealed full helmet on and my hearing was gone. I panicked a little at first, frantically looking around. From what I could see, I wasn’t the only one, and even Levia looked a tad confused by the sudden change.

  This kind of silence didn’t feel easy to bear for a longer period of time so we better took those fuckers down fast before any of us lost our minds. Lulu looked the worst out of everyone and she jumped a few inches into the air when I placed a hand on her shoulder. As our eyes met, I kept taking deep, slow breaths, and she soon mirrored my actions, relaxing a little bit.

  After everyone regained their composure, we shared a joint nod and rushed in. It felt incredibly trippy hearing nothing while you felt your feet step on the stone floor hard and your entire body move.

  Aisha and Lulu led the charge, with me and Levia following after them, and finally, Ashmel closed the formation from behind. The moment we stepped into the chamber, a weird pressure tickled my body. It was slightly uncomfortable and felt like someone pressed a vibrator to the entire surface of my skin.

  It didn’t take long for me to realize that those came from the screech released by the Screamers. The few ephemeral monsters dashed through the entire room with their ugly mugs twisted in the motion of their constant wail. If the noise was as powerful as to make my insides flutter, I didn’t want to experience their songs with my ears unblocked.

  Nevertheless, I shoved that sensation to the back of my mind and focused on the task at hand. My lovely mate had already reached one of the Death Knights and invited it for a dance. They swung their massive weapons at each other, trying to overpower their partner and come victorious in that contest. She led her enemy splendidly, though, and almost every attack that missed her, sent at least one Skeleton Warrior flying in pieces.

  Just as the second Death Knight tried to join the fray, slashing at her from behind, our Assassin friend appeared between them and parried the monster’s sword to the side. Knowing that he had no way of penetrating its armor from that angle, he immediately started running and the big, dark-boned Skeleton turned after him. He succeeded in luring the monster away from Aisha and that was plenty already.

  Smacking a few weak Skeleton Warriors with my mace, I managed to escort Levia close to the weird pylon. The moment we stopped, I felt some kind of static make the air around us all prickly and I hastily waved my left hand as my head snapped toward the source of the rising energy.

  The Skeleton Mage launched a Lightning Bolt straight at us, but my trusty, bonded handaxe acted accordingly to my wishes and cut into its path just in time. The discharged energy ricocheted off the levitating weapon, hitting some poor Skeletons on its way before crashing into a wall. My handaxe was blown away god knew where but it had managed to save me from a serious injury.

  I had to immediately focus on repelling the attacks of other enemies but Levia stepped forward to fill in for me. As I tripped the monster between us and the caster, she ran forward while muttering some magical words under her breath. My handaxe returned from its trip abroad and I divided some of my focus to having it orbit her in case an unexpected blow came her way.

  She reached her target before it finished casting another spell and smacked the Skeleton with her palm, hitting its solar plexus. That didn’t send it flying but she made it take at least a few steps back. I noticed a red web of cracks originating from the point of impact as she began withdrawing.

  ~Mana Disruption. It is not as flashy as Mana Eruption but it is harder to get rid of,~ she explained while running back to me. ~Its current cast is broken and the future ones will take three times as long. If its spellcasting proficiency is low, it might not be able to use the most basic spells, so it will be limited only to the longer and stronger ones. I need you to finish it, though.~

  ~Perfect. You can focus on your thing. I’ll take care of it,~ I replied while obliterating the skull of another Skeleton.

  When Levia appeared behind my back, I sent my handaxe to annoy the Mage even more while waiting for a good opportunity to deal with it without endangering her. Suddenly, the uncomfortable vibrations lessened just a tad and I glanced up, catching Lulu skewering one of the Screamers with sharp, shadowy spikes, and then plunging into a hole of dense, dark mist in mid-air, disappearing completely.

  A moment later, she popped out of another hole and took a swing at another Screamer, unfortunately missing the nimble ghost. She roamed the battlefield through those shadowy portals, mostly focusing on chasing after the Screamers, but taking a Skeleton or two on her way whenever she could. Thanks to our efforts, she could do her job without much distraction. The sooner we got rid of those debuffing phantoms, the sooner we could fight to the best ability.

  ~Watch your footing!~ Aisha shouted through our connection.

  A second later, powerful tremors shook the chamber and startled our companions. Thanks to the warning, Levia and I were able to keep ourselves stable through the use of Aisha’s Ground Pound, which came with like five times the power thanks to her using a huge hammer. She clearly wasn’t holding back either.

  Taking a peek her way, I understood why she’d decided to use it. The Death Knights had prepared a trap for Lulu in coordination with the Screamer she’d been chasing. My incredible Berserker had noticed the ploy and foiled their plans before they became reality. Ashmel had been thrown off a bit but Lulu avoided the shaking since she’d been in the air.

  Thanks to Aisha’s skill, most of the Skeletons near my position had fallen too and I immediately rushed towards the Mage. Before any of them recollected themselves, I reached my target and smashed my mace into its ribcage, crushing it into pieces. My bonded handaxe flew from behind me and dove into the created opening, slicing into the exposed nucleus, which luckily was hidden right there.

  Sparing it just one more glance to make sure that it was truly dead, I hastily ran back to Levia, who was consumed by her research of the unknown structure. She examined the carved circuits in the metal fangs holding the crystal, clearly working as fast as she could. We had to know at least something about the weird device.

  The pressure lessened again so it was obvious that Lulu had hunted another Screamer. I spotted three of them left, zooming close to the ceiling and sometimes inside the dome like startled chickens. They had to move down often, though, since it looked like their sonic assault weakened with distance, which was quite logical.

  Defending my new Witch companion’s back, I kept an eye on the battlefield. Both Death Knights had judged my fierce lover a big threat and were putting some effort into taking her down. Of course, Aisha wasn’t a pushover, plus she was boosted by a few useful skills of hers and mine that increased her stats and such, so she somehow held her ground.

  But, with both Elites coming after her and the trash mobs still pestering her from everywhere around, she wasn’t able to escape all the attacks unscathed. I had to help her get rid of at least one big guy. Ashmel had a hard time finding a slit in their heavy armor to poke through with all the chaos around. If he stopped to locate the nucleus, the normal Skeletons would gang up on him immediately.

  ~Give one a pat on the back,~ I instructed Aisha.

  ~One second, boss,~ she grunted in reply.

  She’d read my plan perfectly well without me having to elaborate. The benefits of a deepened bond I shared with someone Bonded were quite useful. I loved being able to understand her clearly with just thoughts and intentions and I was sure she found that as fascinating as I did.

  Reaching into one of my pouches, I brought out a fragile flask with a dark green liquid inside, holding it in preparation. While waiting for the right moment, I repelled the Skeleton Warriors with just one hand and the help of my flying handaxe. Its presence was such a cheat on its own. Though, I could use another mace or hammer more right now.

  In the corner of my eye, I watched Aisha duck under Death Knight’s swing and spin around. She hit the bottom part of its massive tower shield, knocking it to the side. Retaining the momentum, she slipped between its legs and arrived behind the monster. Trying to continue on the same path, she swung her hammer at its armor as the flat surface of her weapon gained a silvery coating.