Garrick and Sera were taken aback by the sudden change. It hadn't been very long since the duo entered, and it wasn't uncommon for clearing an F- Dungeon to take upwards of a day, let alone an FF+ Dungeon. So they had already set up camp and a rudimentary defensive perimeter. Luckily, when the Dungeon was filled, its Aether consumption was much less obvious, so its attraction to beasts was likewise weaker.
Due to all of this, though the two were disappointed the roll didn't go their way, they were still looking forward to at least a day or two of leisure.
What they didn't expect was that three figures would suddenly appear, only one of which they actually recognized, while the other was a heavily injured black snake.
As for the one they recognized, that was, of course, the beaten and restrained Brant.
The two did what they always did in this situation and immediately scanned everyone. However, even as they did so, the situation only seemed to become more odd.
The only standing human passed out, while Brant, who was stuck looking at the skies, still hadn't gotten a full understanding of the situation and was slow to react.
Their attempt at scanning the man was rebuffed, but when their Skill landed on the Basilisk King, their eyes opened wide.
Those stats.. they were absolutely ridiculous!
They were already scrambling to their feet, the both of them grabbing their spears, pointing them toward the snake with wary expressions and caution painted within their gazes.
Sylas hit a ground with a thud, completely out of it, while the Basilisk King was still in a sulking mood. Rather than helping, the Contract of Subservience had only dampened its pride further. It didn't even seem to register the humans before it, its head lowered to the ground. Blood slowly leaked from its wounds, dripping to the ground and droplets of violet.
However, this sort of reaction from it only made them more wary.
They were used to dealing with wounded beasts, and they almost always got more aggressive. They didn't understand what was happening.
"Hey! Brant!" Garrick called out. "Are you in there!?"
"Garrick?" Brant mumbled, seemingly stuck in his own state of confusion and pain.
The Dungeon hadn't exactly deposited him softly. He felt like the shards that made up his hip now had formed a vortex in his flesh, blending him up as though he were a mound of vegetables rather than a human. He was entirely focused on not screaming out, not to mention sweating out beads that could drown an ocean, so other than realizing he had been transported elsewhere, he knew nothing else.
"You're awake? What the hell is going on here?!"
Brant wasn't sure how to respond. He was in so much pain that he felt like cursing his idiot teammate out. Did he look like someone who could understand what the hell was happening?
"Do I look like I know?! My damn hip is shattered to hell. I can't even move!"
"Who did this to you?!"
Brant froze, remembering Sylas only then. The pain had practically co-opted his mind. Why weren't his teammates dead already? Would Sylas be mad because he was answering at all?
By this point, Sylas' image in his mind had been imprinted like a brand. The man was a deity in his eyes, and almost certainly among the top ten.
Brant didn't dare to respond.
"We can't just stand here," Sera suddenly said.
She sprung forward, thrusting a spear at the Basilisk King's head. She had no intention of dealing with Sylas until this clear threat was out of the way.
Her spear bounced off the head of the snake, causing her retreat even faster than she sprung forward. Her heart rolled in waves, not understanding what had just happened.
She had the same Trembling Spear as Aria. Although she had yet to load it with Aether Units, the fact she couldn't even scratch it filled her with untold fear.
Even if it wasn't listed as an ability, all blade weapons had some variable Pierce attached to it depending on several factors, although it was much weaker than the real ability.
Her Strength was only around 40, but the fact she couldn't even dent the snake's scales with that strike was enough for her to retreat far away.
How could she know that the Basilisk King's Constitution was over 120? That kind of half-assed strike couldn't budge in the slightest even if it was beaten half to death.
Garrick's spear tip trembled, his jaw clenching.
Was the beast not even reacting to them because they weren't seen as a threat to it?
The Basilisk King looked up, seemingly only now noticing their presences. And suddenly, it felt angry.
Now, even these sorts of ants dared to insult it?
Had it truly fallen so far?
Its crimson irises flickered and its tail lashed out with unprecedented speed. Its wounds flared up, but this only seemed to enrage it further.
Compared to its Strength and Constitution, its Speed and Dexterity were mediocre. But its attack speed was another matter entirely. Fueled purely by its Strength, it was like a blurring whip in the air, cracking with a flicker and closing the distance to its targets in a blink.
Sera accelerated back and out of the way, but she was still too slow. She was forced to block with the body of her spear, pressing it up against her right side in hopes that it would block most of the weight.
The crack that echoed was sickening.
The arm bracing her spear was shattered like glass and the spear bent beneath the pressure, pushing against her chest and ribs.
She was dead before she hit the ground, her chest cavity lanced through by her own bones.
The Basilisk King retracted its tail, its tongue slithered in and out of its mouth as though tasting the blood in the air. It could feel a sense of something welling up inside it again, but then it remembered Sylas.