Liam and Ellie express gratitude to Rio and Lia for their support after a party celebrating their revival. Rio gifts Ellie a powerful artifact containing his sword intent for protection. Liam begins to focus on regaining his strength to summon his powerful beasts. As Rio and Lia depart, Liam and Ellie embrace, ready to start a new chapter of their lives together.
A slow, rhythmic dripping sound materialized in the oppressive darkness of a subterranean cavern.
"Huh?... Did I leave a faucet running?..." Fade Crest, a young man whose face and body were etched with scars, gradually roused from a haze of exhaustion, his gaze sweeping his surroundings with bewilderment.
"W-where... am I?" His frame thgrebed with pain, each injury a recent testament to a battle barely survived, the bleeding now a sluggish ooze.
His tattered garments suggested an explosive force had ripped them asunder; coated in grime and his mental fortitude shattered, his eyes burned, resisting his efforts to open them fully.
This youth, ensnared in such dire straits, was none other than Fade Crest, once hailed as a prodigy!
"Is this... some makeshift underground prison?... Did those half-orc brutes I encountered earlier... haul me here?" The thought brought a wave of despair.
Not only was he critically weakened, devoid of his equipment, but he was also now confined within the rudimentary holding cell of a random Half-Orc tribe.
"Am I within the Orc Nation? How did I even arrive here..."
Orcs, a race known for its belligerence, seldom ventured beyond their own territories except for purposes of conquest. This isolation was largely enforced by stringent border policies implemented by other nations, effectively barring any Orcs from entry.
While such rigid regulations bordered on xenophobia, the sheer volatility associated with the Orc race rendered them unwelcome guests globally. Had it not been for their formidable prowess in combat and their crucial aid against the demonic legions during the protracted thousand-year war, concerted efforts might have been made to eradicate the Orcs from existence, thus resolving the persistent threat they posed.
Orcs harbored a penchant for violence and predation, feasting on individuals from nearly every other race, with humans being a particular delicacy! Their culinary traditions even boasted elaborate techniques for preparing human flesh, enhancing it with exotic spices and herbs.
Capture by half-orcs was a descent into a living nightmare, and Fade harbored a grim certainty that he was being 'preserved' as future sustenance, destined to be consumed by these creatures sooner rather than later!
"N-no... I-I cannot perish here... I-I must not meet such an end... n-no..."
The chilling realization of his potential fate, that of being slaughtered like livestock, began to dawn on Fade, prompting a surge of panic and a frantic search for any means of escape.
Regrettably, his confinement was within a small recess of the underground cave, its sole egress barred by a colossal gate fashioned from magically fortified iron.
The very walls were interwoven with potent defensive enchantments, rendering any attempt to breach them utterly futile.
Fade found himself trapped, a cornered rodent in a cunningly designed snare, with no recourse but to await the inexorable arrival of his doom.
The cell's walls bore the grim testament of prior occupants: deep scratch marks marred the stone, evidence of frantic attempts by those driven mad by terror to claw at any perceived weakness, to excavate a path to freedom, only to fail.
Such was the unyielding nature of the walls that these desperate efforts yielded nothing.
Humanoid skulls and bone fragments, suspended from the ceiling like macabre decorations, served as a chilling premonition, a grim display intended to foreshadow the inevitable fate awaiting the cell's latest inhabitant.
"Nooo... n-no... I-I refuse to die... I refuse to die..."
Tears welled in Fade's eyes as sheer terror overwhelmed his senses.
In a desperate gambit, he approached the metallic bars, peering into the void beyond for anything, anything at all, that might offer a sliver of hope for survival. His heart sank; the vista was utterly barren.
No sentries patrolled, no other cells were visible, only an empty, tenebrous, and humid cavern, adorned with crumbling ancient ruins and defaced carvings that whispered of forgotten epochs.
The relentless drip of water from the cavern's ceiling amplified the pervasive sense of dread.
Just as Fade’s despair deepened into an abyss, the distinct echo of approaching footsteps resonated through the subterranean expanse.
With a jolt of shock and raw fear, Fade recognized the sound growing louder, drawing nearer with each pounding step!
Consumed by apprehension, Fade scrambled to the farthest corner of his cell, a futile attempt to conceal himself from the imminent presence, understanding the utter pointlessness of his action.
A hulking half-orc, standing five meters tall and exuding an aura of formidable power, strode forward, halting directly before Fade's confinement.
Fade recoiled, his entire being gripped by horror. The sheer potency radiating from the half-orc confirmed its immense strength.
"A-a p-peak S-ranker... n-no... no... it is impossible... it cannot be..."
Fade's already fragile heart was engulfed by despair as he recognized the half-orc's immense power, vastly superior to his own. He understood then that under normal conditions, escape from such a formidable entity was an impossibility!
Like a pig destined for slaughter, his fate appeared sealed, leaving him utterly helpless.
Before Fade could even process what was happening, an overwhelming telekinetic force seized his small frame, yanking him from the cell with incredible might!
His face was forcefully pressed against the ground, compelling him into a kneeling position.
Just then, distinct footsteps echoed through the cave. A diminutive, ancient-looking orc approached and stopped before Fade.
"kero reo kereo rekoro..."
Though Fade couldn't comprehend the orc's guttural sounds, he sensed the elder speaking to the S-rank orc. To Fade's astonishment, the colossal orc inclined his head, responding to the frail-looking elder with the deference of an obedient subordinate.
