Chapter 20

"It's nothing," Mona said calmly, "I just realized something. Did Aleef carry a crossbow by any chance?"

The group of competitors took a glance at Mona. The mention of a crossbow seemed to bring up some memories. Aleef did have a crossbow, didn't he?

"That's..."

The man who was speaking earlier was going to continue talking, but he once again saw Mona's eyes. A dark purple.

"Wait, are you Purple Eyes?"

The man seemed to recognize Mona from his eyes.

Mona didn't speak a word. He took the Axe off of his shoulder, walking closer to the group.

The orcs were the first to react. They stopped the simple skirmishes they were having with the group and looked at Mona, their eyes wary. For a human to hold a Great Axe, with a physique that small, meant that the wielder was a considerable threat. If this small man joined the group earlier, the fight they were having would get more difficult. But something seemed different.

"I take it the Aleef you are talking about did have a crossbow. It all makes sense now."

The madman's ramblings were echoing in his head again, and the memory of that freak event became fresh once more.

"Where's Aleef? Did you see him and the others?"

The oblivious man kept talking, using the conversation as a way to avoid the odd change in Mona's demeanor.

Mona looked straight at the man. He'd give them one last chance.

"Were you looking for me too?"

Mona kept his gaze sharp on the figures, peering at each of the five.

What a shame. The five, hearing his words, gave a distinct shudder. It told him everything he needed to know.

"I understand."

Mona nodded to himself, then continued walking forwards. He wasn't hurried in the slightest, the Axe as light as a stick in his aura infused hand.

The group reoriented itself against Mona. A few of them even cursed. Of all the times to meet their target, it had to be now! That bastard Aleef ran off to meet him early, and seeing as how Purple Eyes was still kicking, that could only mean Aleef was no more. Worse, under the stress of the orcs here, they gave away their hidden employer too.

Mona from time to time had thought about his encounter with Aleef. He remembered the dark gaze of that countess, and figured that something would happen. But would the countess only send one person his way? No, these were Faulkner nobles. They'd send the whole army, in a sense. There were likely others, working in concert. And here he found them, cornered by the Orcs.

The orcs simply stood there, a bit bewildered. They saw the small human walk forwards, speak in that odd human language of theirs, then lift the axe without a trace of difficulty. Even more bizarre, the frail figure charged at the five, showing his progress.

Mona didn't hold back. He didn't use his Flame Art, but just handling the axe was good enough. With the foundation methods of Faulkner as a base, he found a way to apply them with his axe. Unconventional? Yes. But effective enough in this situation.

The first man lasted three seconds. The second two. The rest ran in different directions, and so Mona threw his weapon at one and chased a second. His bare hands ripped the man's arms off, one at a time. He turned around to see his bloody axe stuck in the corpse of the fourth. That fifth man seemed to have a steelier mindset; he ignored the corpse of his dead friend and yanked out the axe. This last figure was struggling, but after seeing the bloody carnage about him, the dismembered bodies and sliced up corpses, he kept his eyes focused on Mona.

But this final man couldn't hide his fear.

"Stay back! I'm warning you! You're unarmed!"

The man struggled to hold Mona's axe. He was inwardly shocked. How could that young merchant hold a weapon like this. It had to weigh dozens of pounds. And somehow he threw it and killed Eusin... He grit his teeth, and looked at Mona with a fearful wildness.

Mona simply walked forwards. He'd seen death, time and time again. Monsters, humans, enemies, family. The last few months had changed him. The naivety had long left, and now a bitter harshness existed in his place. Killing, he had to kill this one too. He didn't know if the countess would try anything in the outside world, but here, in the maze, he would have to take care of this threat. Mona couldn't be merciful, not here.

Partially because the pain of dying earlier was still on his psyche, partially because so far, killing was seeming like the only option regarding these Faulkner dogs.

And even though this participant wasn't originally a dog, Mona had a hunch that aura technique made them into these loyal hounds. Without an item like his family's ceremonial chest piece, they were completely brainwashed. He didn't know if he could undo the brainwashing, and didn't have the luxury of time.

"I have to give my thanks to Aleef. He... he woke me up. And since you're working with him. I have to take care of you too."

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"Next time, think twice about accepting requests."

Mona said curtly, then dashed at the man. This lone man swung the axe down at a diagonal, hoping to hit either Mona's head or body. Instead he heard a clang, as metal clashed again metal, and then he felt a punch in his solar plexus. He was sent flying, the axe falling out of his grip as the air was choked out of him twice. His body slumped to the ground, his head falling over, as blood and spittle poured out in a waterfall. He was alive, but barely.

"P-p-please...I only have...one..."

And the man's head was severed by the great axe at an angle, slowly sliding off to the side. The blood dribbled like a fountain, before coming to a stop.

Mona took a deep breath. He inhaled, and exhaled several times, then surveyed his mess. He shook his head.

"If there are any more past this, will I even be able to handle them?"

The thought irked him, so he turned to look at the orcs standing there.

They hadn't moved a muscle, or even let out a grunt. Their eyes were wider than dinner plates, weapons slack in their hands. Why were the humans fighting? How did he dispose of five so easily? How are his moves so... The group was broken out of their trance hearing Mona's footsteps, seeing their end approaching.

These three orcs were a tad difficult to handle. Mona didn't have the benefit of an ambush, but his earlier assault had rattled their spirits just enough to give him an edge. A limb here, a torso there, and one orc fell. But unlike before, the remaining orcs weren't raging at his death. Their expressions were accepting; they knew their end was here.

Just who made this lifelike maze, Mona thought, that even the creatures have such awareness? He marveled at this creation of the Faulkners. Those eagle heads made it, but it sure was good stuff.

The second orc fell, and the third didn't even bother to raise his weapon. Mona rewarded them with a quick death, allowing them to leave the realm of existence without much struggle. The five from earlier had a more gory end, and in comparison these monsters were relatively intact.

Looting the corpses, Mona added more bread to his sack. The humans were still wearing the inferior armor of the Kobolds, save for a few pieces. They had to share whatever they got from taking down Orcs, unlike Mona who could keep everything to himself. He exchanged his Great Axe for the two fairly fresh ones lying down.

"Now these enemies can feel how I felt."

Using Aura, he was able to lift two Great Axes. Of course, traveling with them hurt his speed, but not by much. He felt a bit giddy inside, imagining just how quickly he'll move forward now. Mona moved to a side of this area, placed the two weapons down, and began to munch at his stale bread. He had another tin of syrup, then tied the sack back. At this point it should be either the end of day 3 or past the midway of day 4. He wasn't sure of the time, so he did his best to cultivate quickly.

The Aura he expended so far had no problem returning. Wisp after wisp of Aura collected in the air, entered through his breath, and performed cycles in his body before they settled in his Aura Heart. Once he felt his max capacity, Mona opened his eyes, threw on his sack, and walked down another path, both weapons in tow.

*****

"Change of plans."

Mona threw one of the Great Axes to the side, breaking it into pieces after. Running with both of the Axes were great. He had no problem going through a few sets of Orcs. That was until he met a set of 5. The extra Axe became a hindrance, and the new scar he was still healing on his lower back could have been worse if he wasn't fast enough. It bled a great deal, and was all it took for him to drop that fantasy.

"I can't get cocky. That was fun, but was too close."

Mona reminded himself, feeling the ache not far from his vertebrae. He lifted the better Great Axe and rested it on his makeshift shirt.

After several fights, what remained of his clothes in this maze plane had long been ripped to shreds. He used the sacks he had collected to create a makeshift shirt to help hide his family's armor. No one was wise to why blades seemed to bounce off his back, not even the Orc that thought it finally would kill him, until the blade slipped down.

After one final look over, Mona went down another path. These pathways were getting longer, and with it, the enemies were getting more numerous. If anything, Mona was grateful. The competitors didn't necessarily have competition with each other, but did leave behind fresh bread, tins, and sacks he could use. Naturally he couldn't let these items gather dust in the maze, filling his stomach and backpack with whatever he needed.

And then he saw it. After picking clean a gathering of six orcs, each armed with sturdy swords and hammers, he noticed there was only one path. Furthermore, it was a shift in terrain. The sandy stone of the orc region was being replaced by a dark grim cobblestone. Fixed on the sides of this path were torches of Aura, sigils keeping the torches aflame. A heavy atmosphere was exuded by the tunnel, along with a dampness he couldn't describe. It wasn't water, but Aura. How could that be? Aura can't liquify in the material world, could it?

Looking back and forth, Mona saw that this was the only path available. He stared at the Orc corpses, feeling a sense of anticipation.

"The Kobolds gave me trouble, then the Orcs. The region shifted twice. Based on the ramblings of that madman Aleef, I should be more than halfway there."

He turned towards the gloomy path, veering in.

"There's not much left here, is it? It's just this final territory, and I should be done with this maze. Let's go."

Mona took his first step into the path, feeling his form enveloped in a shapeless mass. Each of his steps didn't echo as before. It was like he was walking in silence, a silence that led downwards into the earth of this maze.

The time passed steadily, but Mona couldn't determine it by anything but his steps.

500 steps.

1000 steps.

2000 steps.

5000 steps.

This pathway, just where was it leading him. His Aura levels were fine, but the length of this single passageway was filling him with trepidation. Something seemed to claw at the back of his neck, but whenever he felt there, he couldn't sense anything amiss. Was his nerves getting to him.

Then there was a bright light. Bright as the sun.

Mona shielded his eyes.

Just what is that???

After being in a dark enclosure for so long, the light source was stinging his pupils. He used his free hand to cover his face, and walked out of the passageway.

"Finally! There's someone here!"

Mona swiveled his head quickly to the side, seeing a familiar rugged figure. A figure known for fighting in the mess hall, and winning rather often. He was decked in the Orc armor without worry, and was carrying two Hammers. They glowed in the light of the artificial sun, and his smile did as well.

Not far behind this man was three others. A thin figure largely covered in repurposed sack cloth. Another carrying several crossbows. And a skittish fellow who seemed like he was trying to dig a hole with his orc sword.

Mona didn't say anything, turning back to look at this new terrain. The darkness was gone. High in the sky, an artificial sun and several fake clouds drifted by. Mona knew they were fake because they had a unreal glitter to them. Beneath his feet, lush grass seemed to dance in the wind. The scent of summer and new beginnings filled his nose. And just before him, guarding a familiar gate, was a behemoth of a figure. Twice the size of a regular orc, armed in plated steel, four arms and two heads. A different weapon in each arm. Sword, club, axe, and hammer.

A high troll. An armored high troll was right here.