'We're screwed.'

That was the first thought that went through Shell Chrome's head at that time. Utterly screwed they were-no food. Honestly, who comes into the highest rated strength based dungeon out of the five with such an outcome? Her expression was one of speechlessness as she looked at the gathered prospects before her. They were silent just the same as herself, many myriad thoughts ran through their head.

Finally, after a moment of tenseness, someone spoke out.

"When I heard the word 'dungeon', I imagined a cobblestoned interior of darkness and eeriness, not this..." Maria commented, pointing towards the landscape before her.

The sky actually appearing was ahead of her expectations, much less the full dense greenery and monumental towers placed as if they were chess pieces.

It would seem, a dungeon was not as literal as she had imagined.

"I've never entered one before." Ais agreed with her words in a nod.

Ashe responded, "food had never been a problem for me within a dungeon on whether I had it or not. I didn't think about it."

While Arthur simply shrugged, "I was a bit late on escaping."

At that moment, Shell could hardly believe her ears. In fact, she was truly stunned for a moment. Once, before, she had believed charging 5 gold coins might be a bit much to trek someone through the first floor of Albion's Dungeon. Yet, now, she wanted nothing more than to go back in time and kick herself in the arse for such a thought. 5 gold coins? No, she should have charged way higher for this group of prospects before her!

She gritted her teeth for a moment, "We will have to hunt and eat demonic beasts then."

"Are those safe to eat?" Arthur asked with a raised brow.

"Not quite...huu...what's your name again?" She stopped for a moment as the sudden thought of this newcomer struck her.

"Arthur Springfield."

Hmm, that didn't sound quite right to her ears.

"I'm sorry? What did you call yourself again?" She stepped a bit closer to maybe pinpoint just why this name rang so disastrously in her ears.

This time, pointing at himself, the prince answered once more, "Arrrthhhhuuuur Sprriiinnnggggfffiiiieeeldd."

Ah, it was true after all. Yup.

The entire royal family of this kingdom she lived within was truly strange. Most of her life, she had truly believed it was only nothing more than a myth. Now, she was sure. When people told her that the king had a massive daughter complex, the queen was a scary person when she smiled brightly, the prince had too much of an ego, and that even the princess herself didn't follow common sense. She had seen it as nothing more than legends. Even when they said the source of the information came from gossips from the maids and butlers of the castle during their vacation, she wouldn't take it to heart. Afterall, how much would a maid and butler even know?

Yet, here she was, presented with clear as day evidence. To be honest, even before her job began, she was already fed up.

"Goddammit!" She couldn't help but scream, her voice echoing atop the mountain like mound of earth they were upon.

"Why the heck are two royal family members entering a dungeon!?" She finally screamed out, her finger moving between Arthur and Maria as she stomped her feet.

"And how could you all forget to bring food!!?"

"That's like basic step one of being a dungeon crawler!!"

All the meanwhile, Arthur thought to himself, 'They actually have a specific name for people who delve into dungeons?'

"You, you're a royal guard right!?" She pointed at Ais, to which she received a nod.

"Why the heck are you nodding!!!? Why the heck did you not stop them!!??"

Ais simply replied, "A personal guard is only meant to follow and protect, not question."

"Did you expect me to just go 'Ah, I see'!!??'

"No?" Ais replied with a straight face, not quite understanding.

Ah, Shell thought, it would seem this guard of the duo of idiotic royal members wasn't fine-tuned for sarcasm.

She facepalmed as she breathed a sigh. Her fingers held her eyebrows in place from dropping before finally asking, with a heavy voice, "Why a question? Why did the 'no' have to be a question of all things?"

She looked up and glanced at every member of the group, 'looking' for their opinion on the matter, "Shouldn't it be clear it would be a plain 'no'?"

"Seems right to me," Arthur nodded, his hands folded with head bobbing back and forth.

"Yeah...anyone else but him have anything to say?" Shell directly disregarded him, obviously, her earlier question wasn't meant to be answered. Hadn't she heard that the prince was a genius mage? Was he an idiot in everything other than waving fire around?

"Don't mind him," Maria replied, "he's an idiotic genius."

Arthur's expression crumbled slightly, walking a bit closer, and turned towards his sister.

"Huh, you do know I am your older brother right?" He asked doubtfully.

"So?" Maria replied quite plainly with a raised brow before turning to Ashe.

"What do you think of him?" She requested her opinion.

Ashe didn't"t think for longer than a second,

"Annoying." Her voice was bitterly harsh and Arthur could swore he felt a deathly glare at his back.

Rightfully, the prince turned towards his single savior.

"What about you Ais?"

However, Ais simple turned forwards and replied, "I am a guard, answering that question is not within my job."

"That's a full lie and you know it!! Wait, isn't that the same excuse you gave to that lady over there!?" He pointed towards their dungeon guide.

Blackened lines appeared on the girl's head and she almost lunged forwards to deliver a kick.

"Hey hey! This lady over here has a name and it's Shell Chrome. Also! I have you know! I'm only seventeen!"

Arthur simply shrugged, and used his conversation changing ability, "When are we starting this dungeon thing anyw-?"

However, at that opportune time, a thundering screech broke the air and ripped the sky apart. The wind howled in response and directly crashed into the figures of the party.

Just as they were wondering what the heck was going on, a figure flapped its wings as it ascended the lengthy side of the hill they stood upon.

Shell turned around to gleam at what the heck made everyone go quiet.

"..." She was completely speechless, her pose crumbling as her shoulders dropped.

For a moment, her lips hung open.

The first step within the dungeon and they had to meet the 'Demonic Crow' of all things?

It directly blocked out the sun and casted a shadow atop them.

Its wingspan eclipsed the sky, shadowy and blackened in all its glory, each of its singular wing looking five feet long on their own. Its full length just as tall and fearful, the entirety of its body covered in full feathers of blacknot a single part being of any smoothness of any kind, and looking as if they might just detach and float away with every rustling against the wind they made. Its eyes glowed with a crimson glare as the wings it carried flapped once and a shrillful call escaped its beak.

The wind blew in a frenzy as a torrented storm of air crashed against the small mountain. The loud sound of its battle cry echoed into their air drums.

Arthur was immediately almost blown away, his feet finding it hard to remain atop the small mountain and his arm held out to shield himself from the harsh wind. His body skidded a bit backward as dust formed at his feet.

"We're fu*ked." Shell immediately prayed to whatever god currently held the throne.

It seemed they had been teleported within its territory and it had literally smelled their presence.

The Demonic Crow wasn't the strongest demonic beast within the first floor, in fact, it wasn't even one of the strongest. However, it had something most beasts didn't; air superiority. After all, unless someone held a godly skill or had reached an absurdly high level in magic as to where they could use the high-grade spell that allowed one to form wings from their elements, only people of the Rising rank and above could flywhich was also one of the reasons that rank was named as such.

"Okay!" She managed a yell, "First rule of Albion's dungeon: Everything is designed to kill you! If you don't die now, you will probably die later!"

"I see," Maria said, dawning her armor in a simple flash of light, her weapon already appearing at hand with a cove of gold.

She pointed her blade at the beast within the air, "Arthur, do what you always do."

"Watch and learn." Arthur cracked a smile as he held his hands forwards.

Fiery spears instantly formed at his frontal outreach and shot straightly with impending speed, blazing the air in a trail of five solidified flames that lit within the shadowed area as if they were shooting stars.

However...

Accompanied by its shrill call, the demonic crow flapped its wings once before closing them and opening them back up.

It's body naturally flipped once within the air, boosting speed amidst its turn and ending straightly.

Instantly, it dived forwards with a single flap.

The spear of flames where directly crushed into mere shards after a single confrontation with its head.

"Has those flame spears of yours ever worked on anything?" Maria couldn't help but ask, raising her brow in disbelieve.

"Huh...no." Arthur replied, straightforwardly.

"Stop bantering and evade you idiots!!!" Shell yelled, she had already long ago delved into action to move the heck out of the way.

Its eyes shined a crimson luster, its wings unfolding to their full length.

It was too close by now, Maria only managed to grab onto Arthur as she simply jumped up without any thought to a plan.

Her weapon having been unsummoned and carrying him in a rough princess carry, her feet found footing onto the back of the beast while she shakingly stood. The air blasting against the back of her body in full force thanks to the pressure of flight.

She was still in motion, the 'ground' shaking beneath her feet as the air almost forced her off.

Her head quickly swerved to glance at the situation.

Ashe had simply jumped upwards with a single leap and was currently in the air, falling right back down.

Shell was currently at the outstretch of the small mountain, narrowly having avoided the wingspan.

While herself, Ais, and her brother in her arms were currently all on the back of the beast.

However, would the beast simply allow them to stay and accept a ride?

The answer was no...

Its body instantly dived upwards in a single flap, bringing with it a pressure that already began to make them slip off. Any moment and they would fall off.

Ais and Maria managed to grab onto those blackened feathers of its body, her gauntlet scrunching around a group and producing a faint scraping sound, while Arthur...really she couldn't tell what this brother of hers was doing.

"Why are you grabbing my leg?" She looked down through the rush of wind and managed to ask.

"Now now," Arthur held on even tighter with both arms tied around a singular leg, "Don't tell me you want your brother to fall and die now!?"

Maria frowned, "you will make both of us slip."

"What about my life then!?"

However, before they could even get a chance to wish, the demonic crow naturally flipped over as if ready to dive back down. It's back now facing the mountaintop.

Maria found herself in freefall. Not just her, but also Ais and the brother of hers currently latching on to her legs.

Any moment now and they could become splat against the floor.

[Use your golden blades.] Mar's voice called out calmly.

And Maria listened, she understood with that simple sentence told to her. She had been thinking of this certain aspect of her ability ever since she had seen Alice using wind to stay within the sky.

Instantly, with but a thought on her part, ten golden blades formed from nothing and went into action.

She melded two sets of three and instantly grabbed onto one of em as soon as it glimmered into existence.

Her gauntlet grasped the very tip of the blade as it forcefully stopped. While Ais used her unsheathed blade and her open hand to latch onto a horizontal blade at her top, directly stopping her motion with blood trickling from her left palm.

Yet, it wasn't over.

The loud screech of the bird resounded.

Maria looked leftward to see it's blazingly blackened figure flapping right back towards their direction.

Without a moment's hesitation.

She managed a yell.

"Let go!"

And quite so, Maria released her hand just the same as Ais released her sword from clinging on to the blade above her.

The crow flew overhead in a flash of hash wind.

However...

"You can let go now..." Maria said, looking at the brother of her's that grasped her waist.

"Huh?" Arthur finally regained his composure as he looked down to see where they were standing.

"Hmm? Wait a sec..." He finally released his hands.

It took a moment, but he realized what the golden platform below his feet was after a single moment of thought.

"Is that one of your mana blades?" He asked the obvious, looking up to see his sister already standing on one just above.

"Mana Blades?" Maria tilted her head a bit in thought before a thin smile found its way to her lips, "Hmm, that's not a bad name."

"But, to answer your question, no, it's the melding of two of the mana blades." She replied, arching her head a bit to point to her right in which Ais currently stood on one just the same.

She noticed quite naturally the bleeding left hand of her personal guard, yet, that guard of hers currently clutched the blade in her right hand with a gripping force as she looked towards the enemy.

Atop this mana blade of hers, she looked forward to see the blacked crow in the midst of swooping down.

She had carved this three platforms from two melded blades each to be wide enough to step on.

The remainder were the current four that slowly spun within the air right at her frontal outlook.

However, with a thought on her part, they began to spin in intense speed before drilling forwards at a breathtaking speed.

Shooting towards the currently turning demonic crow that was hellbent on facing them.

However, as if having an eye at the back of its head, it flapped its wings with one thundering blow. Instantly blowing the mana blades scurrying about and flipping into the air.

Maria folded her arms and looked over the situation a bit, "Those wings of it are a problem."

The mana blades were currently being called back to her location in haste before wallowing behind her figure.

"Yeah, I have eyes," Arthur replied sarcastically.

Maria looked down at him and smiled lightly, "I have a plan."

Yet, Arthur frowned "What is it?"

She took a moment and turned towards Ais who was at her left, quietly standing atop a golden blade just the same.

"Plan A: I'll kill it." She plainly stated.

Arthur clapped, "What ingenious tactics."

"Plan B..." She disregarded him.

"I'll lead it here, Arthur wraps it up with his blazing rope, and you cut its wings. Simple?"

Ais merely nodded a bit, "If you can."

Saying that, she immediately began her actions.

Shifting her stance across the gleaming blade under her foot. Her left leg paced forwards and her right backwards; just the same as her slightly turned arms.

[You seem to be enjoying this.]

She smiled, "A bit."

The shining mana blade she stood upon instantly crossed the air to face against the demonic beast currently headed their way.

However, the demonic crow suddenly forcefully came to a single halt as its wings produced a single flap.

The wind kicked.

Maria held a small smile across her face as her weapon appeared at her left hand. She jumped and melded the golden blade under her feet into it within a moment.

A single moment later, landing sideways, her hand grasping the hilt of the gleaming blade and her feet plastered on it's blade as it pushed against the wind.

She was sideways, but the blade she held with a singular hand pushed forwards.

"!"

A cove of light instantly surrounded her in a full dome, eclipsing even the mana blade under her feet.

The harsh wind crashed into the barrier.

Mild cracks appeared on its surface as if it would break, but she persisted forwards.

She was closing on to its figure.

The mana blades that had been blown away before came back to her side.

She smiled seeing those crimson eyes of it up close.

However, that smile of her's crumbled when it screeched and the blackened feathers it held shot forwards en masse.

Drowning the world in a sea of black.

Maria brought forth her hand forwards and instantly propelled the mana blades at her front as they spun in the air as if a shield.

Clanks resounded with every hit brought forth by those feathers that struck and resounded as if they were made from iron.

With every hazard clanking of tens of feathers came the shimmer of gold sparks.

Seeing the small cracks began to appear on the makeshift shield...Maria thought audibly.

"Plan B it is."

Not waiting any further, she kicked off the blade and into the air.

A moment later, it reappeared within her right grasp and she ducked slightly to place it beneath her feet in haste.

And just like that, she stood back up within a surfing stance as the combination of the mana blade and the radiant blade propelled her back the way she had come.

The other remaining mana blades chased after her back and formed back into the makeshift shield just in time for the clanking of iron to follow as the demonic crow followed her every movement.

Maria took a moment to consider the overall situation. She saw Arthur and Ais, standing upon their own golden blade, and looking interestingly at what she was doing. Ashe at the top of the mountain like structure with slight disinterest, and Shell Chrome standing right next to her with mouth a bit agape.

She bent downwards to grab the hilt of the blade below her with her left hand.

"He said he had a flying carpet?"

"Well, let me test the limit of this blade-ride of mine then." She smiled.

[...] There was a small sigh.

Her figure immediately bolted upwards, in a slightly tilted vertical motion. Her legs still placed atop its blade.

The crow followed her movement with a single flap, it's blackened feathers hitting the makeshift shield.

Quite true, it chased after this girl before it.

Maria blazed towards the sky, yet, the clouds and radiating sun were still quite far away no matter how high she went.

[Don't question it, within the dungeon, you will never reach the tip of the sky.]

She looked down and, aside from the enemy, she saw the landscape beneath in a wider span.

Truly, the forest looked as if it were endless and the towers were still placed sporadically. Yet, she could glean large areas of the forest going off in explosions, being cut down, or simply shaking visibly.

The sword in her left grasp turned into a more natural state with her command.

She stopped for a singular moment before heading leftwards while now standing straightly.

For a moment, the sound of clanks disappeared before shifting back with ease. She knew, it must still be chasing after her.

Reaching where she wanted, she came to a stop and turned her body around for a moment.

Looking at the crow that currently traced towards her figure, she smiled with folded arms.

The blade beneath her feet disappeared.

The four golden blades in the air disappeared.

She began her descent immediately with no support.

She was in freefall, and the demonic crow dived straight down after her.

"."

"."

"."

The clashing of the blackened feathers came once more as she predicted. Hitting the thin film-like barrier, melded from three separate ones, just above her skin

A moment where the two looked at the other, she stared at those crimson eyes many meters atop her.

[You find this enjoyable?]

Maria cheeky smile crossed her lips.

"Pierce."

And that was when it happened.

There was a screech, the crow forcefully flapped its wings in an effort to stop its momentum.

It effortlessly pierced into the blade that had appeared before it. Neither gigantic nor small, melded with four mana blades, it pierced the underbelly of the beast.

A deep screech of pain echoed as it scurried about within the air.

"Now!" Maria yelled towards her brother.

Her hand forcefully grasped the radiant sword that she had summoned as she watched the figure of her brother lightly place his right hand forwards.

"!"

The demonic crow wasn't going anywhere.

The hazy outstretch of red light that had surrounded it immediately blazed in fiery depth.

A screech of pain followed as the flames of the rope smeared against its feathered body.

Instantly, the crow found it's movement restricted within the air, and although it still managed to stay afloat, it wasn't going anywhere.

Ais took a single jump from her location, brandishing her sword and directly landing atop the demonic beast.

Her actions where swift, she plunged her weapon into its head.

Another screech of pain.

Ais found herself losing grip, she was blown off with its wail. However, she managed to latch onto the mana blade that had appeared overhead with her own sword.

Maria came to a forceful stop just above the ground level, her posture in a kneeling nature as her left hand the gripped blade before her.

Breathing roughly, she turned towards two particular prospects...

"Your turns."

The impaled sword within the crow broke off and transformed into a stairway of gleaming golden blades.

"Right!" A light flashed from Shell's hands as she regained her mindset.

She immediately equipped the weapon in her hand. Two rings with a lengthening thin iron-like rope tied between.

Yes, this was her weapon of choice.

She kicked off the ground and jumped onto the nearest golden blade at her view.

Her momentum kicked in, she reached the last in moments before...

'Not enough.'

Maria had only used four golden blades to make this stairway, it didn't lead high enough.

Shell jumped off.

Yet...

'One more.'

Within the air, her skill instantly kicked in as she flipped without any need for a groundwork. Whoever said she couldn't control the direction of her momentum?

And with that, the iron-like string found its way and attached to the clawed foot of the crow before she swung upwards once more.

A singular flip and she found herself atop the beasts flaring body.

Her figure immediately moved as her hands flashed.

The iron-like rope seemed to lengthen visibly and move as if it held a mind of its own.

It coiled within the air and wrapped together the right wing of the crow.

"There!" Shell smiled as she tugged onto the rope.

There was a screech of pain.

The mana blades were lined up as if in the shape of a stairway, and Ashe took that chance with a swift jump to the nearest one.

Yet, she faced the same problem as Shell held.

However even as she fell after jumping off the last of the golden blades, one word left her lips.

"."

Two gray ghost-like figures in her shape appeared at her back.

Both connected a single kick.

Shooting through the air, she called upon the beast within her as her appearance began to undergo a soft change.

Her clenched fist phased into the form of a beastly claw.

Amidst the air, Ashe still managed to deliver the full force of her punch.

For a mere moment, their crimson eyes crossed.

The harsh pound of the force resounded as her fist met with the beak of the birdly prey before her.

There were no words that needed to be spoken, it immediately had the wind knocked out of its brain.

For a mere moment, all its motion came to a halt as it began in a descent just the same as she did.

However, at that moment, she felt a force grab her waist as she began to rise back up.

"What are you doing?" She asked with slightly knitted brows.

"Finishing the job," Maria replied.

"And the reason for taking me along?"

"Would you rather fall and plummet to the ground?"

Ashe took a moment to consider their situation.

Maria currently held her in a princess carry, her feet placed onto the blade beneath, and floating just above the quickly falling demonic crow.

Yet, she could see the beast's body wake up in moments as it began to wail with more power than before.

The feathers of its wings shot off in every which way.

Everyone in the area immediately moved to evade.

A cornered beast was more dangerous than any other, she knew this term well. Afterall, she had been cornered beyond anything before.

"Drop me." She asked.

The princess immediately did as she was told and released her hands.

'What?' Maria asked, not expecting an answer.

For a moment, as she fell, Ashe contemplated one thought.

'She had no hesitation.''

[You two are quite similar.] Ain replied.

'Flames, lend them.'

She unchained her bloodlust for a moment.

Her heart beat in quickening drums.

She could taste the heat resounding from the core within her heart.

Her lips parted, and the azure flames showed itself to the world.

That single pillar of dark blue flames eclipsed the sky and hunted down the demonic crow in rage.

It immediately asundered the blackened feathers that came her way.

It burned down in bloodlust.

No words were left to be spoken when it made contact.

Followed by the overblown screeching of a dying animal, the flames began to die down in the same luster as they had come.

Roasted crisply, it began to truly fall once and for all.

Yet, she was also doing the same.

However, before she knew, a figure had grasped her hand as her entire momentum and fall came to a full stop.

She looked up, "How did you catch me in time?"

"I followed you down." Maria smiled.

***

"Can we eat this?" Maria asked, her leg lightly kicking the head of the beast.

"Hmm," Shell thought.

"I hope so." She smiled awkwardly.

"...", The princess was not amused, "what do you mean?"

"Well, as I was saying before to that princely brother of yours, it's possible to eat the meat of demonic beasts if you can stand the horrendous taste. However, that is still not the worst part. The worst part is that demonic beast meat are very lively in activity..."

"...to put it bluntly, if not careful, one could die from eating their meat. And very few things in this world could negate and truly kill the cells within a dead demonic beast. One being time, and the other would be the inherent nature of other demonic beasts."

"Except for extremely rare demonic beasts, even if you were to bath their meat in fire, they would not be edible."

"What about this one then?" Arthur raised a brow.

"I need to check first," She shrugged and walked over to the beast that currently had its body rising in smoke.

She blended downwards for a moment and ran her hand across its broken feathers.

She unsheathed the dagger strapped to her right foot and pierced through the feathersparting them away before reaching the skin underneath.

A single slice was made.

She took the small meat to her face value and scrutinized it for a moment. It didn't twitch like the ones she was familiar with, and certainly looked the part of edibility.

'Oh god! let me be right this once in my life,' She prayed for a moment before taking a bite.

She chewed. Nothing happened, there was no burning sensation as described to begin immediately. It wasn't as stale as rock as described to be. And, she didn't immediately want to puke.

'Stranger this isn't one of the rare once either.' She thought.

"Hmm," Shell turned her head and glanced at the group behind her for a moment.

Although a bit unsure, she made her verdict.

"There seems to not be any more activity in the beast's meat, I don't know how, but it would seem this one should be safe to eat."

Maria placed a hand on her chin for a moment before turning to Ashe.

"It would seem you have solved out food situation for us with those flames of yours."

Ashe arched a brow for a moment before realization dawned.

'Ain, you never told me your flames could kill the activity within a demonic beast's dead body."

[I thought you knew? After all, is that not the reason you could consume demonic beasts with no problem thanks to the flames in your stomach?]

'No,' Ashe replied.

She looked towards Maria, "I did not know."