The Horned Lady

Asher still stood in his spot, watching the battle and the chaos increase by the second.

The Outcasts moved like shadows, which was expected, given their uniqueness, while the rest of the guild members adapted perfectly to the new battleground.

As he made up his mind to do something, something black flew past his face and landed in the ground behind him, digging deep into the earth.

He snapped his head toward the direction it came from and caught sight of two shadows watching him.

One was tall, and the other shorter, but both had horns on their heads, which he did not expect.

They also had weapons. The one who shot the arrow had a bow but carried a scythe on her back, while the other held twin swords.

Before Asher could move, they vanished into the forest, earning an annoyed groan from him.

He glanced back at the arrow, only to watch it vanish before his eyes. His fist clenched.

He knew they weren't part of the beasts or any of the guilds. He wanted to assume it was the girl who was on a mission, but then, he knew she wouldn't have had horns.

"Follow them," he ordered, and one of his shadow soldiers stepped out from behind him.

It wasn't visible due to the dark cloud, and no one could pay attention to it either.

Then, he turned toward the left side of the battlefield. More beasts were charging.

Not just any beasts, like the wolf-like creatures that had started the attack.

Since the first wave had ended, these were different. They were ugly, humanoid but twisted. Some had extra legs, others too many arms.

A few had wolf heads but human bodies, while others were like giant spiders with skeletal faces. And it irritated the food out of him.

Asher let out a sigh. "This is a mess."

He raised a hand, and Orin and Darius stepped out from behind him. They walked to his front and bowed slightly.

"How may we be of help, Master?"

"Kill any ugly thing that moves," he said simply.

Orin and Darius didn't hesitate. They dashed forward, slicing through the first wave of beasts.

Asher followed. He drew his daggers, and as he did, they changed.

Black energy moved over the blades, stretching them longer, making them look like whips.

His blades cut through their flesh like paper, causing the beasts to howl in agony and crumple to the ground, lifeless.

The battlefield became more violent the moment Asher and his soldiers stepped in, and he hadn't even released all of them.

Orin crushed a spider-like creature with four arms. Darius cut down a wolf-headed monster before it could lunge at him.

They pushed forward, clearing the battlefield—at least the first wave—until Asher reached the mouth of the forest and stood on a branch.

Then, everything stopped.

The other guild members behind him slowed down as well, then stood on the branches of trees, waiting for what was next.

The field was silent, very silent, save for the sound of low boots, panting from the others, and the vines that moved.

However, that silence did not last long. The ground suddenly shook, like there was a stampede approaching, and before anyone could react to the sound—

Massive vines shot up from the ground.

By the trees, they took the initiative to leap onto them, each person standing on one vine like boards.

However, when the students moved in random directions to attack, the beasts charged straight for Asher, who was still standing on a branch, unfazed.

His eyes narrowed, but then he exhaled. "This is really a big issue," he said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I wonder what they want."

The beasts stormed toward him, dodging and swatting away the others that attacked.

This time, their movements were different, some skittered on their multiple legs, others sprinted with their torn limbs that stretched, and their eyes glowed faintly, unlike the lifeless look before.

Yet, Asher didn't move.

Instead, he whispered,

"Alright, guys, you can come out now."

The other soldiers stepped out and spread across the battlefield. They gripped their weapons tightly, their skeletal masks, similar to Elena's, to hide their faces.

However, Asher didn't dwell on that detail.

Instead, he adjusted his coat, knowing full well that to the others, he appeared to be standing alone. But he was far from it.

He extended a hand, pointing toward the beasts below that were still locked in battle with Elena and the other two.

"Attack. I don't want to see anything move!"

"Yes, Master!" they chorused, leaping from the trees onto the vines.

They moved like the wind, closed in on the beasts in an instant.

The students barely had time to react before ichor splattered across the battlefield, limbs were flung into the air, and agonized shrieks echoed through the chaos.

The creatures fought wildly, but their claws struck only empty space.

The soldiers weaved through the shadows of the beasts, remaining unseen while striking lethal blows.

Invisible hands crushed throats, and the monsters died before they even realized they were under attack.

Asher leaped onto another vine, gripping his blades tightly as the battlefield shifted.

Orin and Darius moved beside him, balancing on the vines as well, while the rest of his soldiers continued their slaughter.

The beasts, which had once seemed relentless, fell like puppets with their strings cut.

Wave after wave collapsed.

Then, the ground shook again.

A third wave came, larger and more beasts than before. But before Asher could react, a massive figure shot out from the trees.

It was fast. Faster than anything he had encountered so far.

And it came from the wrong direction.

Before he could dodge, it slammed into him, hard.

The impact sent Asher flying backward, straight toward the mouth of the dungeon.

Seeing the ground rushing toward him, he curled into a ball and waved his hand, recalling half of his soldiers, including Elena.

They moved instantly and vanished, as soon as his body disappeared into the spiraling blue gate.

Asher crashed into a boulder and tumbled onto the cold stone floor with a loud thud.

Dust rose around him, dirtying his new new uniform, which worked him

He groaned and po used himself up, only to realize he was in a massive hall.

Where torches lined the walls, casting flickering light across the space, while glowing rocks above provided an eerie luminescence.

A soft sound echoed from deep within the hall.

Footsteps.

Or rather, the sound of clicking of heels.

Asher froze immediately, he gripped his sword tight, ready for anything.

Then, a figure stepped into the light with a small smile played across her lips.

The horned figure from before.

Up close, she was even more interesting looking.

Her icy blackish-blue horns curled from her head, her long hair cascading down her back, though he couldn't quite make out its exact color.

And her eyes, deep blue, gleaming when light touched them

Then suddenly, he felt the energy she gave off, It wasn't just powerful....it was hot. So hot that his body stiffened from the intensity.

But the aura surrounding her wasn't red like fire. It was black.

A dragon.

The realization struck him instantly, there was another one, Like Ria.

She exhaled, then, with a voice both gentle and terrifying, she spoke.

"What is a taboo like you doing in my dungeons?".

"Have you no regard? What happened to the Realm Dungeons your filthy kind so eagerly explores?"

Asher opened his mouth to respond, them paused.

A slow smirk curled his lips.

"It's funny how you think I'm frightened."

"I do not care," she retorted. "All I ask is that you leave at once."

"Relax, I'm not here to fight." He raised his hands slightly in mock surrender, tilting his head. "I am Asher Morgan. Necromancer."

For a brief moment, she froze.

Her eyes widened, her fists clenching at her sides like she was restraining something.

Then she scoffed.

"You are a threat, Asher Morgan. A threat to the dead, the living, and the dragons. I shall send your head to the Emperor before you wipe out the last five..."

Asher frowned.

"What do you mean there are only five?" He took a careful step forward. "Don't you have others? Ones that managed to escape?"

"Apparently not." Her voice was cold. "They were all slaughtered by your filthy kind... Do you wish to kill me too?"

Asher shook his head.

"I'm not here to kill you. I just need answers."

She lifted her weapon in a swift motion, the blade stoped just inches away from his throat.

"I will be forced to take your head if you go any further into our world, human."

Asher smirked, and without thinking he uttered, "Bound me and take me to the others," he paused to bow. "I might have a way to bring back the ones you lost."

Translation; he wanted to buy time, to see if he was capable of raising other beings, not just humans alone.

Not for their benefits, but for his, having Dragons as his soldiers was another level of interesting.

And the his subclass, that had a certain attachment to them.

Just thinking about it, made him more excited, however, his main focus was on his locked Subclasses and why he wasn't leveling up at the moment.

Even with the number of beasts he slayed, the system didn't show any sign of leveling, but then, he remembered the system also hadn't given him task to complete, which was very disturbing.

That aside, he had to focus on the dragon lady and whatever she would show him.