To the Wind Labyrinth, Part 4

The dull red-furred Bear Monster lifted the charred beehive with its right paw.

But the hive was already crumbling apart. It disintegrated in its grasp.

The Bear Monster, which had apparently been feeding on the bees, let out a great, mournful wail.

The thunderous cry reverberated through the wide chamber.

"Hey, don't make it sound like I'm the bad guy here."

"Well, from the bear's perspective, its food just got torched right in front of it."

"Shut up. Survival of the fittest."

Alexia grumbled as she began another incantation.

Elza cast a blessing on Azu.

"Azu-chan, blessing's on. Go get 'em."

"Right. Here I go."

Azu stepped forward to the vanguard.

The Bear Monster spotted the culprit and dropped to all fours, barreling toward them with frightening speed.

Azu dodged to the side and slashed at its belly.

The Bear Monster's thick fur acted like armor. Her sword bounced off.

The bear turned and reared up on its hind legs.

It stood twice Azu's height.

Broad, too. One look was enough to tell it had monstrous strength.

With a roar, the Bear Monster brought its paw crashing down.

Fast, but Azu tracked it with her eyes and dodged.

After evading, a gust of wind lashed across her face.

A cut opened on Azu's cheek.

It seemed that even dodging the blow wasn't enough; the wind it generated cut on its own.

The Bear Monster pressed the attack relentlessly.

Azu had to widen her movements to dodge both the strikes and the wind. When she couldn't fully evade, she blocked with her sword.

The impact sent her flying. The shock lingered in both hands.

She couldn't match it in raw power and was knocked backward.

Azu killed her momentum and landed on her feet, but the Bear Monster was already charging.

She leapt to dodge, then brought her sword down from above the bear's head.

Putting more force in than before, she aimed for the neck.

She channeled magic into the Sealed Sword Grungaus and cut.

The blade tore through fur and sliced into the surface of its neck.

A small wound, but the damage had landed.

Azu touched down and leveled the Ash King's stance at the Bear Monster.

The bear faced her, breathing hard.

On closer inspection, its eyes were bloodshot.

Likely the lingering damage from Alexia's earlier magic.

The Bear Monster didn't look badly hurt on the outside, but the spell had done more internal damage than it seemed.

The bear dropped into its charging stance again.

But this time, wind began swirling around it.

The Bear Monster charged, riding the gale.

For something that massive, it was impossibly fast.

The wind was accelerating it.

Sidestepping would leave her vulnerable. Azu opted for a wide evasive leap instead.

She threw herself far to the right, clearing the Bear Monster's path. The bear stopped short, but the wind kept going and slammed into the wall.

The wall cratered on impact.

If she'd taken that head-on, she would have been shredded to pieces.

Cold sweat ran down her face.

"Get back!"

At Alexia's shout, Azu threw herself backward.

A fireball larger than the Bear Monster itself slammed into the creature.

The bear caught it in both paws, but the fireball wouldn't stop.

It was driven into the wall, fur igniting as the flames engulfed it.

The Bear Monster poured every ounce of its strength into resisting, even as its flesh sizzled and the sound and stench of burning meat filled the chamber.

With one last tremendous roar, the Bear Monster crushed the fireball in its hands.

It burst apart, fire wrapping around the bear completely.

The scorched, blistered Bear Monster stood on trembling legs, barely alive.

Azu seized the opening and drove her blade into its heart.

Even with its fur burned away and its body ravaged, Azu's strength alone wasn't enough to pierce through.

Only by borrowing the Sealed Sword Grungaus's power did the blade finally reach its heart.

Her eyes met the Bear Monster's.

"I'm sorry."

Azu whispered the words, then pulled the sword free.

The Bear Monster collapsed, its body crumbling away.

What remained was the largest and most beautiful wind magic stone they'd found yet.

Even wounded, the Bear Monster had been stronger than Azu. Fighting it alone, she wouldn't have stood a chance.

It took Azu a while to quiet her racing heart.

With Alexia's magic depleted, they decided to rest in the chamber for a bit.

They also needed to collect the wind magic stones and elementals scattered everywhere.

The items dropped by the Giant Bees were small, but the quality was apparently fine.

By the time they'd gathered everything, all three of their packs were nearly full.

"Should we head back after a short rest?"

Azu asked while simmering dried meat and thinly sliced potatoes in broth.

Once the potatoes softened, it was done. She ladled it into bowls.

On the side, hard bread with a drizzle of the honey they'd just acquired from the hive.

"Probably. We hit a monster house, so everything filled up fast."

"Even with weight-reduced backpacks, three women can only carry so much. Next time we should hire a porter."

"A porter?"

Azu blew on her soup to cool it, the unfamiliar term catching her attention.

"Yeah. You bring them into the party temporarily. They don't fight, but they carry loads of stuff for you instead. You end up making way more than on a normal run."

"Isn't being a porter dangerous?"

"They're supposed to be able to defend themselves at least, but if the party doesn't protect them properly, then yes, it's dangerous. And some will run off with your haul if you pick the wrong person."

"Ugh…"

"Relax. If anyone runs, I'll burn them."

"How is that supposed to be reassuring?"

"This honey is so good～ So sweet～"

They finished eating while chatting, cleaned up, and departed the Wind Labyrinth, their first foray complete.