Retreat

"Fuck! What do I do!? What do I do!? What do I do!?"

The situation was getting pretty hot in the fortress, the fire had started spreading through the fallen logs of the broken walls and there was little space for Daisy to fight anymore.

Apollo could see the sweat dripping from her face as she swung her blade again and again parrying the enemy attack. Her arms were starting to lose strength and maybe the only thing now saving her was that her armor reflected all the attacks that breached her defense.

"GAAAAAHHH!!!! TO HELL WITH ALL OF THIS!!!! DAISY!!! THROW THIS BASTARD OUT RIGHT NOW!!!!"

Maybe it was the pressure, maybe it was the heat, but Apollo's logic completely vanished from his head as he screamed out loud.

A light lit up inside Daisy's eyes as she gave up any defensive attempt, letting the opponent sword strikes follow their way, and, at the same time, she swept the opponent's leg in a huge swing of her sword with all her strength.

The Oni saw her sudden change and stopped his attack. Maybe if he continued, he could finally pierce her armor, but he would be doing so at the cost of both his legs. Feeling it was not worthy it, he had no choice but to disengage, but just as he jumped back to dodge her attack, Daisy let go of the sword and took advantage of her rotation to apply him a roundhouse kick, sending him flying backward.

"THOSE GUYS LIKE FIRE!? EVERYBODY THROW THESE BURNING WOODS AT THEM!!!!"

Those broken logs were no joke, even broken in half they weighted more than 5 tons, but compared to the giant boars that every player had hunted in the tutorial they were still quite light, to the point each servant could, with little difficulty, lift and throw them away.

The girls moved quickly and grabbed the burning log even at the cost of burning their own hands. Desperate times require desperate measures, and maybe due to the strength of Apollo's command, they didn't feel any pain.

In a matter of seconds the battlefield had changed quite a bit once again, whatever has burning was thrown out but this made the hole in the wall even bigger, allowing more enemies to enter at once. As soon as the opponents get rid of the burning logs blocking them they would invade again at full force so Apollo had to make a decision right away.

Apollo took a quick look at the mini-map to find the best escape route and his face turned pale noticing the enemy had divided and was going to flank them from behind. Knowing he had not time to lose, he started giving new orders.

"We are retreating! This battle is over! Maid team and Rangers, rescue the fallen ones. Soldiers, at my sign destroy the walls over there and lead the way. Paula, carry Daisy, she is at her limit. Bea, you carry me, I can't run as fast as you girls so me running will just slow you down!"

"Master! Something is odd! Negi's servants are not waking up!"

"Carry them anyway! We can investigate once we are out!!"

BOOM!

The wall behind them fell and the enemy troops started to invade.

Due to the sound Apollo flinched for a moment, but quickly recovered himself.

"Time's up! Do it! We are leaving now! GO! GO! GO!"

Seeing the enemy closing in, May and Mika intercepted them to buy time for everybody else to escape.

BOOM!

Iris and Ivy swung their axes to open an escape path but the cut only went half way.

Beatrice grabbed Apollo like a princess and ran top speed toward the damaged logs.

"What are y-"

BOOM! BAAAN! BAAAN!

Giving a heavy kick on the logs, she fell them at once and continued to run over them.

"Master, please, don't move around, we are going to fall!"

Apollo tried to sneak a peak at the fortress but he was scolded by Beatrice, who never stopped running until they were far, far away from that place.

--//--

Minutes later, inside the fortress...

"What do you mean they escaped!?"

"We are extremely sorry. Those odd armors were too tough! We were unable to stop them! It also seems like they noticed our plan beforehand and prepared their escape..."

"Damn! Master won't like this news.... Prepare to be punished once we head back..."

"Ugh! Can't we go after them?"

"No way! Who knows how many traps they have waiting for us! We still didn't rescue all the guys caught in that vine trap! If we are caught in a similar trap again, that will be it for all of us!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Well... Our orders were just to destroy the fortress and everybody inside it, right? Then I think we have accomplished our mission."

"What do you mean!? They escaped!"

"But the fortress has been destroyed, right? And there are no more enemies alive inside it, right?"

"Oh!!!! That's true!"

"Then, let's report like that! As long as he doesn't ask, unless you want to be punished, don't say anything!"

"Thanks big bro!"

"Hmm! Don't mind it!"

The flame Oni patted the shoulder of the other Oni and stared at the breached wall...

--//--

As the Moon started raising in the sky, a creepy music could be heard from the depths of a hole inside the forest.

"Tentacles... Tentacles... Tentacles... eh??? Ugh!!!!"

Feeling a strong pain in her arms, Alyssa woke up in her dreamland...well, not quite, but it was surely a close enough. There were vines everywhere she could see, above, around, below, everywhere! Because of the moonlight limiting her view, it appeared like they had no end, spreading everywhere.

"Did I die and woke up in heaven!??"

Let's ignore her comments and move on... Anyway-

"So many tentacles! Look! That one is so thick! I...I...I have to touch it!!!"

STOP! STOP! STOP RIGHT NOW! I WON'T LET YOU TURN THIS INTO A PERVERTED SCENE!!!!

Due to pure coincidence, or the mysterious powers of the storyteller, as Alyssa ignored her excruciating pain using only the hardcore love she felt for her hobby and tried to extend her broken arm to feel the thick vine a few meters away from her... she slipped off her vine bed, falling deeper into the hole.

"Kyyyyaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!"

SPLASH!!!!!!!

"I dont know how to swim! I will drown! Help! Someone! Help! I dont... oh, I can just stand...."

Yeah, she can stand....

Falling inside shallow pool of accumulated water formed by the accumulated rain, Alyssa found herself inside a mysterious circular cave with the ceiling completely covered in vines and a single huge door leading god knows where.

"Ugh...the tentacles abandoned me..."

...I refuse to write another single word, so, for now, this is the end!