Mines of the Armory: Near the end of the Floor 0

Erin had been wandering alone in the dark for a while. After running without stopping for almost 10 minutes, the giantess had slowed down when she noticed that the ceiling lamps were more dispersed. The darkness grew, and with it the creatures that crawl through it.

"I dont have time for nonsense! If there is a NullumEst, go out!" Erin shouted to no one in particular, too upset to realize the stupidity of her act. Although it made sense that she wasnt able to see it, because her head was in Vontalba continuously.

What to tell to her parents ... what excuse to say to her brothers ... and her grandmother ...

And the biggest problem, grandfather Gaspar.

Hello Grandpa! Do you still prefer to take the side of a man who called me a betraying begotten of my country? Or how is life treating you?

"Of course not! How could I say something so rude? ..." Erin sighed while still cursing Grimm. They werent enough curses for him ... and even so, the giantess doubted if it had been right to leave.

Because, even with everything, Erin wanted to believe in her teacher. What if he was being honest with the magistrate? Maybe Grimm really didnt know anything about the meeting being held in Iiion.

And ... to tell the truth ... the giantess didnt remember it either. And she was part of the royal family of one of the members of the meeting, which made forgetting about the meeting even more serious. Even so, nothing gave him the right to tell her origins to another person

...

"Hector would have ended up recognizing me ... I havent even changed my hair color... It isnt fair that I feel like this is also my responsibility. I am not the one who has not even waited 24 hours to tell me who I am! I have to trust Grimm's word, why he has to check mine? That-"

Clank! Clank!

The giantess stopped in her tracks, her blood frozen completely. Turning her head slowly, Erin prepared for the fight ... although there was nothing. "Hi? ... is there anyone?" The giantess asked, seeing only the wagons and the old tools she had passed by a few seconds ago. "If there is someone there ... you can leave, I'm not angry and I'm not going to hit you... please ..."

Of course, nothing and no one responded to the request, which Erin took as a sign that she should keep walking-

Clank!

"DAMMIT! COME OUT ONCE!" Erin was so nervous that she had unconsciously pulled out one of her swords, pointing towards the darkness as if it were a gigantic dragon. Slowly the giantess's eyes adjusted to the darkness, seeing how the tools she had so casually overlooked before were sliding on the floor. Still trembling, Erin went to investigate, kneeling on the ground to see a kind of small bright green mass dragging the two pickaxes.

"It's you? Are you the NullumEst? You are smaller than I expected ..." Sighing for the embarrassment of being so scared, Erin knelt closer to the creature, trying to remove the pickaxe ... only to find that she could not pull it off.

"Hey ... you're stronger than you look, but this is not going to help you from n ... .n ... to ... na ... da ...." The green mass began to spread out from the ground, becoming an amorphous beast as tall as a Huma, covered with mouths and tongues. What Erin assumed was the creature, it was only one of their tongues.

"A ... ayyyy ... my mother ..." Erin said releasing her beak and getting up slowly, taking distance from the "thing".

"I have read too many comics to not know how a young girl ends up with a thing covered in tongues ... although they are usually tentacles ..."

As if offended by the comment, the thing hit the ground and walls with its beak, shaking it in all directions as if it were a truncheon. Erin managed to deflect some of the blows with her sword, retreating as much as she could. "To not even reach my waist, you're a quarrel, eh Blob?" The thing remained motionless, with its tongues hanging. "Oh, come on! You are ... a ball of ectoplasm with many mouths! Blob comes to you that neither painted! You know what? Fuck you! Charme des ténèbres: Flèche amoureuse"

The dark arrows pierced Blob, who did not take more than a second to close all his wounds.

"Oh ... you're ... like a jelly? I thought you would be more solid ... Do not worry! That you deal with those of your type! Mystère de Grimm No. 41: le glacier stellaire" Unleashing the icy stream, Erin directed it towards Blob, covering it in a matter of seconds. "Eat this!"

Turning Blob into a ball of ice, Erin did not waste a second. With a quick step forward, the giantess dug her sword with a single thrust. "Never get involved-" Gathering all her strength, Erin used the sword as a handle to lift Blob over her head, throwing him against the wall. "With an angry giantess!"

The frozen ball exploded into a thousand pieces-

"And dont think about getting together! Charme de la flamme sacrée de Vegner: Fête du soleil! "Conjuring a huge sphere of fire on the remains of Blob, Erin crashed her fists and exploded, reducing the remains to mere dust.

"Mysteries of Grimm and the sacred charms of the Vegner family ..." Raising her arms in sheer emotion, Erin shouted with a thumbs-up. "These are the two wings that take care of me, and while I have then on my side you can never defeat me! Is it clear to you, Grimm?!"

Clapping excited, Grimm appearing through the opposite wall. "You say that's because you're not mad at me anymore, dear apprentice?"

"I'm still very angry! But a lot!" Erin said fast as lightning, the answer far from what Grimm expected. "But gods! How good this feels! Have you seen that, teacher? I've destroyed it but good! I had not felt so good since I managed to snatch the sword from my grandfather for the first time!"

"If they gave me a RedOrb for every time a rookie tells me that ... it would be rich now. Although I have to recognize you, apprentice ... it has been an excellent execution, a 9 out of 10" Ignoring the giantess' protest face, Grimm approached her, gesturing for her to sit down. "Do you want me to apologize now?"

"No, now I want to defeat another NullumEst and get the jewel to Myddrin so that Emmile can talk to him ... and then, you will ask for forgiveness and we will begin to think about what I will say to my grandfather" The face of the giantess was impassive, which meant that Grimm had no room for negotiation.

"I accept under your terms ... but dont get used to it, you are my apprentice and I will make sure you learn that crying doesnt help to always get away with it"

"I have cried because of the anger of knowing that you have not taken a day to tell my secret! You would not have cried in my place?" The giantess replied, which allowed Grimm to know that the subsequent conversation with Hector was still private.

"I cried, apprentice ... I have cried for knowing that I have failed you. And I swear not to fail you too many times more"

"Huh?" Erin went to answer, but the sound of thunder falling to the bottom of the mine served as a point and separate in the conversation. "What was that?! another ulgy monster?"

Grimm smiled softly, looking intently into the depths. "Dark circus technique: Wild thunder ... I would recognize that sound anywhere"

"How can you distinguish that thunder and say what spell it is, master? Not all the thunder sounds the same?"A second thunder made the whole cave rumble, and judging from his master's position, the situation was getting worse.

"Darling, I make that spell!" A furious, brutal roar filled the air, forcing Erin to stand guard. "But we dont need to talk about it anymore. Whatever Grand is attacking, it intends to flee ... and we are on his way. Are you ready to fight, Erin?!" Making a black sword appear, Grimm stood with his sword straight and his feet together, in a posture similar to the kendo style but much calmer.

"A pregnant woman is waiting for us! I will fight until my body is dry and my blood spilled on our enemies!" The intensity of the giantess was well received, for Grimm knew from the cry that what was approaching was the only type of monster that could ignore the limitations of the floors ... which augured a great first battle

The beast, similar to a gigantic centipede, twisted and writhed all over the mine causing landslides. Erin managed to deflect them with her sword but Grimm wasnt so lucky, entertained in defending himself from the furious bites of the beast.

"Rule number 1!" Grimm shouted as he raised his right hand towards the ceiling, snapping his fingers to freeze it completely. "The deep ones use and train this type of-... Insects!" Erin jumped towards her master, dragging him to avoid the onslaught of the beast. "Thank you ..." The centipede began to nibble on the ground, creating a hole where it fled.

"As I said, the deep ones train these damn insects as siege weapons ... this is, concretely, a Tombstep ... dont confuse it with a centipedes of the surface"

"He's as big as you, teacher ... I can hardly confuse him," Erin replied, wiping away the sweat.

"I dont mean that, idiot! For starters, as you have already seen, the shell of a Tombstep is fucking hard ... and unlike a normal centipede-" The ground began to tremble, the duo jumping backwards to see how the beast was coming out of the ground at full speed, their jaws bloodied by the hardness of the rocks. "Unlike the animals and insects on the surface, deep ones have no concept of survival"

"Fight to death or kill, dont you?" Erin raised her sword, cleaning it and charging forward again. "If your shell is too hard for magic, I will pierce your mouth!"

"Moron! If it were so easy-" But the warning came too late. Erin leapt forward, throwing her thrust directly at the Tombstep's tongue, only to be caught by the creature's jaws.

"H... how?!" Shredding the sword as if it were a piece of bread, the Tombstep roared before diving back into the duo, forcing Erin to flee with the WorldDiver. Grimm gritted his teeth before conjuring his black roots, tying the creature long enough for both of them to be safe. "If the mouth is not the answer, where should we aim?!"

"The chitin of deep insects is resistant to magic and normal blows ... but that resistance does not completely cover their body. This Territory was created in a time when the deep ones still didnt cover their insects with armor ... so our best option is to force the Tombstep to attack us until we see where its shell becomes softer ..." The Tombstep began to shake with more violence, managing to break some of the roots. Grimm spat on the ground, the giantess tried to keep calm and pretend that the blood mixed with the saliva was not there.

"Dont worry so much, my black roots are part of the shadow of the devil that keeps me alive. Breaking them is the only thing that beast can do to harm me"

"Reason enough to not use them!" Erin protested as they separated again to avoid the onslaught of the Tombstep. "The mine is not so big or high enough to make it spin as much ... What's the plan?"

"That dear apprentice ... is what I would like to know!" Before the Tombstep disappeared again through a tunnel, Grimm jumped on him throwing his sword at the back of the beast, managing to nail it. "Mystère de Grimm N ° 70: Rouge pur, vie pure!"

The little finger of grimm red glitter, filling with cuts instantly. As if it were a firearm, the master's blood flew at full speed until it hit the handle of the sword, tying it in a sort of knot. "Erin! I need you here!" Grimm shouted as the Tombstep slunk back down the tunnel, unaware of Grimm's sword on his back.

Quickly traversing the distance between them, Erin grabbed her master by the waist. With all her strength, the giantess ground the ground nailing her feet, pulling the beast in the opposite direction. "Show that fucking insect the power of a giantess, apprentice!" Grimm encouraged her, pulling at his own blood with both hands.

"I dont... need ... you-..." The Tombstep writhed with all his might, trying to get away from the sword to flee underground. More the giantess had no plans to let him run away.

"To tell me- Grrrr" Gritting her teeth, Erin started pulling her teacher back, digging her heels with each step. "to show my-" The beast was frantic, losing ground second by second. "My giantess strength! I'm not just a giantess!" With a shout, Erin threw herself backwards, managing to get enough out of the Tombsterp for her tail to start poking through the hole again. "I AM A HUMA/GIANTESS! MY PRIDE IS FOR ALL WHO BRING ME HERE!"

Reaching back, the giantess shot all her body and the beast at the same time, taking the Tombstep and throwing it up into the mine. "That's it!" Grimm celebrated as the beast lay motionless on the ground, purple blood gushing from the wound that the master's sword had caused him. Helping the giantess to get up again, Grimm smiled to see which side lay the Tombstep. "Hector! All yours!"

Going down at full speed through the mine, Hector smiled as he began to concentrate. "NullumEst, there are 2 things I want to say: The first..." The magistrate stopped 5 meters from the Tombstep, waiting for Ehrwald to reach him. "I just dont like insects that hurt my family ..." With one hand on his back, Hector closed his eyes, letting the alchemist do his magic.

Ehrwald knew exactly what time it was, taking two blue cans out of his bag. Shaking them, the alchemist bent down to pick up the pieces of rock the Tombstep had released when it fell. "First principle of alchemy-" He began to recite in a low voice, forming a straight line with the pieces before proceeding to cover them with liquid. Ehrwald's arms were covered with blue glyphs, while the liquid began to harden. "Form the future: Magic glue!"

Wrapped in a flash, the liquid solidified completely, forming a dull sword that Hector picked up. "And the other thing... it's not for you, but for Erin" Tightening all the muscles of his body, Hector's tunic burst, falling down only held by his belt.

"Be sure to learn this lesson the first time, Erin... because for a yojimbo ..." Héctor's muscles began to glow red, a seal appearing on top of his right pectoral. Raising his sword high, the magistrate turned his entire body back, only with one foot forward at the same level as his sword.

The magistrate vanished before the watchful eye of Erin, who searched in all directions. All that the giantess found was the guilty smile of her master, who crossed his arms behind his head. "Even a dull sword ..." Erin quickly turned around, watching Hector reappear as he wiped the purple blood of the Tombstep from his glue sheet. The giantess blinked confused, until the touch of her teacher made her turn again towards the Tombstep.

"It's more than enough to cut down those who should never have existed"

In less than what the giantess took in blinking, huge jets of blood began to sprout from the body of the Tombstep, while it was divided into three fragments.

"Uchinaru-ryoku no michi: Danpen-ka sa reta jinsei" Like the corpse of Tombstep, Hector's sword broke into pieces. "And in case you hadnt understood... Path of inner strength: fragmented life"

One could say that the magistrate was enjoying the situation, enjoying the face of admiration of the giantess ... and that one would have all the reason in the world.

"Dude, you have muscles too worked and marked for your age ... you make me feel bad with my own body and that didnt happen for more than 300 years- Wait, the last time happened 40 years ago, which was the last time I saw you half naked" Grimm joked as he pushed away the remnants of the Tombstep, helping Ehrwald pass without getting stained with blood.

"Mr. Hector! What a body so defined for his age!" Ehrwald emphasized slightly offended the magistrate, who understood that the comment didnt hide any malice, only admiration.

"I will be almost 90 years old, but daily exercise and meditation is very helpful in keeping you fit. Changing the subject, have you stayed with the lesson, Erin? This type of magic is very common in the oriental kingdoms, where I come from. They are known as Heiwa no kokonotsu no michi, or the nine ways of peace"

The giantess nodded, slightly absorbed by the inherent strength of the naked torso of the magistrate. Although the front was full of cuts and scars, only a scar adorned his back ... a show of power. "Basically, you reinforce your body by magic, right?"

"Right. Each of the 9 paths is focused on a certain part of the body, the example is the path of inner strength, which focuses on the strengthening of the of the muscles, something that any type of oriental martial fighter knows how to use at will. In contrast, Western martial fighters often use more magic to improve their armor or weapons"

The two elders could see how the mind of the giantess began to to devise something ... her smiling half grimace was a clear sign of that.

"If you have finished speaking-" Grimm caught the attention of the giantess as she began to continue descending. "The portal to floor -1 is in front of us ... and maybe Grand too ... although honestly, I doubt it very much. That Tombstep has come straight out of the ground diagonally, so it must have come from the lower floors"

The group nodded, beginning to follow Grimm, descending into the darkening depths. On their way, the corpses of several Tombstep were joined with the marks of claws on walls, roof and floor and the holes that the insects had used to attack or escape; and judging by the state of decomposition, Grimm insinuated that they had been there since the morning. The remains of a brutal combat, without a doubt.

What impressed the giantess most was that the stomachs of the beasts were fulminated with electric magic, a sign that Grand was as powerful as his master ... because if something Erin wanted to believe, it was that Grimm had restrained himself his to let her take care of the Tombstep.

At the end of the tunnel, in this case literally, a portal similar to the one they had used to enter floated in front of a ruined tunnel, the entrance full of signs of forbidden passage.

"What a pity, Grimm" Hector laughed as he approached the portal, turning to see the face of his friend. "Your boyfriend has not expected us"

"Damn bastard! Grand isnt my boyfriend! Brothers! We're brothers!" Grimm defended the second, his face much redder than Erin had ever seen him. "Erin! Ignore him! Grand and I are brothers sworn by blood, nothing more!" The giantess nodded without wanting to say anything, intrigued by the nervousness of her teacher.

"So you want to go in first? Maybe Grand is inside and you can K I S S before your apprentice comes in and misunderstands a show of love between brothers for ... you know-" Pushing aside the magistrate, Grimm went through the portal screaming.

"YOU ARE A ASSHOLE, HÉCTOR! YOU HAD ANYTHING SAID-" And the voice stopped ringing.

"Dont worry, the portals dont transmit the sound once you get to the other side. Grimm is as good as he can be" Hector tried to reassure the giantess while Ehrwald joined Grimm on the other side. Even so, the fact that the giantess kept looking at the portal without saying anything worried him. "Something wrong, Erin?"

"Your joke was just a joke? Or was he serious? Grand is Grimm's boyfriend... why they are not... together?" The giantess kept sounding much more worried than Hector expected, the joke without context had really affected her.

"Ohhh ... you're too innocent and good for your size, little one. Listen to this Erin," The giantess knelt quickly, as if afraid that someone might hear them. "Grand and Grimm ... I have no idea of r03;r03;their feelings for the other. They are from our family the ones who knew each other before Merlinus summoned us in Phromecia ... and they have always been very close to each other, without ever showing public acts of love.

They are friends? They are a couple? It has always been a topic with which to joke in our family ... unfortunately, now both live in different worlds"

The magistrate concludes turning towards the portal, being stopped by the hand of the giantess."How do they live in different worlds? But isnt Grand supposed to be here?" The question of the giantess had touched a delicate subject, Erin could tell by how the magistrate's face darkened quickly. "That will have to be Grimm tell you ... he made us swear it would be he who would bear the burden of telling"

Without saying anything else, Hector crossed the portal, leaving the giantess meditating in silence.

"Grimm is really a very mysterious man ... all the people who have gathered around him ... I guess it's the result of such a long life ..." The idea of living in different worlds from the person one loves resons inside Erin's head, who could not help but worry about her teacher. She herself had a promise of love to fulfill ... and no matter how silly it sounded, the giantess really wanted the people around her to be as happy as they could be.

Without wanting for her companions to wait her, the giantess went inside the portal. 

Mines of the Armory. Floor -1: Dependencies/Residence of the miners.

"Alchemical fire! Your turn, Uncle Grimm!"

The giantess did not have a second to get used to the pressure, a combat receiving it as soon as it appeared. Human-like beings without heads attacked the group, armed with rusty picks and enrobed blades.

Ehrwald jumped back, throwing a small ball that exploded with great force, covering with a yellowish liquid the strange Unborn.

"You have 20 seconds to group them, Hector!" Grimm yelled as he opened his arms, making Erin appear at his side. The new pressure and the nauseating smell were causing the giantess to be dizzy, so Grimm was forced to jump to slap her in the hope of making her react. "Erin! There is no time! Open your book and go to mystery number 5!" Grimm ordered, the combined shout and slap was more than enough for Erin to come to her senses, opening her book and navigating through the pages.

"20 seconds? I have 10 left over! "The magistrate shouted even louder, the emotion permeating him completely. "Harikēnfōsurōdo: Gyaku shikuron!" Hitting the ground with the palms of his hands, Hector invoked a powerful hurricane that took the NullumEst away with him, directing everything on him. "Keep your spirit up, Erin! Let your heart go up in flames and let yourself be carried away by the heat!"

With a blow with his hand open, the magistrate threw all the NullumEsts towards Grimm and Erin.

"Showtime, Apprentice!" Grimm said smiling, standing back to back (Rather back to backside of Erin's legs) with his apprentice, both pointing their hands forward, forming the V of victory. "Mystère de Grimm N ° 5: Flamme collante" The two shouted in unison, releasing a green flame that enveloped the monsters, sticking them between them without being able to let go.

Grimm thought it was enough, but the giantess was too excited to stop. Without warning, Erin lunged forward, leaving her teacher behind. "Mystère de Grimm No. 161: Great Bright Flare!" Unsheathed her second sword and covering it with golden flames, Erin gave a great slash, piercing the entire ball of stuck monsters.

The golden flames absorbed the greens, taking advantage of both them and the alchemical fire of Ehrwald to burn the triple of fast to completely consume the NullumEst. "Master ... those... god, It's so hard to say NullumEst without stopping to think...-

"Amun also calls them Unborn, if that is easier for you to remember" Ehrwald's words were received as May water by the giantess, who opened her eyes wide as she saw that there was a term a thousand times less complicated than saying NullumEst

"Well... those Unborn were born of the miners consumed by the deep ones, right?"

The giantess was much more perceptive than Grimm expected. "Yes, dear apprentice"

"Then ..." Erin went back up straight, sheathing her sword. "I dont care how many cycles they have lived and how many will live. In this I will grant them a quick and painless death"

"That's why you used golden fire, right?" Ehrwald asked, joining Grimm and Hector.

"The golden fire that doesnt burn or torture, only consumes ... a poetic ending for this little slaughter" Hector nodded with half-closed eyes, watching Grimm out of the corner of one.

"Your technique has been interesting at least, Erin" Grimm walked towards the giantess, gesturing for him to sit down. "A painless death for those condemned to repeat a cycle ... good job, apprentice. Two spells in a day" Erin blushed embarrassed, but even when Grimm raised his hand to pat the head of the giantess. "Tomorrow I want you to write both this and the technique inherited from Myddrin in the book"

Erin nodded accepting the duties without complaint, taking advantage of the moment of calm to see the area. The dependency complex was a great tunnel vertically down, with roads dug to the sides full of dilapidated rotten wooden shacks. At the bottom of the hole you could hear the noise of Branese conveyor belts, accompanied by the periodic whistling of steam escaping.

"Electro-Iron excavation complex is down, right?" The giantess asked as she watched Hector approach the railing in disrepair, wondering how deep the floor would be.

"Right, Erin." The magistrate peeked carefully over the edge, not seeing the bottom. On the other hand, what he did see was what was expected. "We have to be careful, friends. Some previous adventurers have activated the mineral waste system ..."

By the expression of disgust of Grimm and the one of disappointment of Ehrwald, the giantess could imagine that it was not a good news. "Cursed adventurous newbies!" Grimm began to rant, also leaning over the edge to check the situation. "They dont read the information of the territory and then what happens happens, they activate traps that complicate the situation more to others! That is to be insensitive and uncivil!"

With a pat on the back, Hector and Grimm shared a few seconds of complacency, turning the group around with the bad news. "Erin, midget... we are in a hurry and the stupid ones who came before have activated the traps, so we need to have our eyes wide open"

Although Erin did not understand her teacher's preoccupation with these traps, there was someone in the group prepared for the occasion. "It's not all bad news, Uncle Grimm and Mr. Hector! As Emmile always says-" Ehrwald tried to cheer up the two old men, digging in his bag for a boat full of silver dust. "There is only one way to face the deep ones"

The eyes of the two old men shone when they saw the silver dust, exclaiming in unison. "Field of dreams!" Climbing to the railing, Ehrwald opened the dust and threw it into the void, creating a magic circle in the air.

"Ours is the will of Amun, ours the body of Bío and ours the heart of the King! Primal Law of the Alchemist: Path of Pure Dreams!" Slowly, all the silver dust thrown began to float upward, stopping above the magic circle.With gentle hand movements, Ehrwald moved the dust forming a path to the center of the circle. "Ready! Now-"

"Not ready, dwarf" Grimm interrupted really annoying without Erin could understand why. "You have not activated the circle! Start walking, do not tell me you're afraid of heights!"

"Uncle Grimm, I cant activate it anymore ..." The alchemist's cheeks began to flush, looking away from his uncle.

"Eh? Dont make excuses, dwarf! I dont intend to waste time in the traps, and I suggest that you dont either! There is a compelling reason to hurry-"

"UNCLE GRIMM! I'm not a virgin anymore! I cant walk the dream path!" Ehrwald's face (and indirectly Erin's) went completely red, watching as Grimm arched an eyebrow.

"How are you not going to be-"

"How the hell do you think I've got my wife pregnant?!" The conversation was really uncomfortable for everyone present, Erin and Hector especially seeing how much it was costing Grimm to get the message.

As if a branese bulb had lit over his head, Grimm struck one of his fists against his other palm, directing his gaze to Hector. "I cant have children ... Grimm, but I swear that that if you dare to suggest what you're thinking, I'll send you to the bottom of the pit with a kick"

"Well, I cant either! My record is proof enough that-" Instantly, half Grimm smashed 180 degrees to finish over his apprentice. "Erin, are you a virg-"

Without thinking twice and without giving a second of reaction, Erin put forward one foot, turning her whole body to give Grimm the biggest slap she had ever given anyone in her life. The force of the impact, added to the advantage of weight of the giantess and the inertia of the movement were enough to send Grimm flying and turning as if it were a bullet, landing 10 meters above the wall of a half-destroyed house.

The movement had been so instinctive that the giantess took a second to recover consciousness, remaining frozen to understand what had happened.

"Thanks." Ehrwald and Hector said in perfect harmony, although Erin didnt listen them because of the tension inside her head.

As fresh as a rose, Grimm rose from the ground, rubbing the marked shape on his face from the giantess's hand. (Mark that occupied more than 60% of his head)

"You dont have to say anything, apprentice. Even I realize how discourteous it has been to ask you about your virginity and no longer as a young girl ... if not as a princess" A much less violent response than Erin expected. "Even so, I must insist that we are in a hurry. If you are so kind and you meet the requirements to walk the dream path, I would really appreciate it-"

"Wait for me to clarify this-" The giantess tried to push the subject away for a few seconds, while letting her heart return to itself. "Does this spell require the user to be a virgin to function?"

"Basically," Ehrwald replied to the stupefied giantess. "Virgin blood is an important ingredient for the primordial laws of alchemy, so the great alchemists tend to have young and pure apprentices, naming them masters when they no longer have that purity of blood"

"I ... I ..." The giantess sighed, trying to raise the collar of her raincoat to cover her face. "I will ..." Erin agreed almost whispering, so much so that the group struggled to understand the statement. "Just tell me what to do and that's it, I want to finish this as soon as possible to lock myself in a cave and never leave again"

"Easy, it's very simple" Ehrwald tried to draw a small alchemical circle around the earth, surrounding it with stars. "You place yourself in the center, I will create the ritual and when I give you the signal you should spill a drop of blood right in the center. If everything goes well, we generate a slide of silver dust to the bottom"

"And you will not fall when you step on the slide? None of the three of you are virg- god, this is the worst thing that has happened to me in years, even worse than Gurian shouting at me..." The question of the giantess was exactly the same as Ehrwald himself asked his teacher in this same place, so the answer came naturally and quickly.

"For that your blood! It will solidify the way so that we with blood fallen in alchemical sin can step on it! I know that all this virginity and sin sounds a lot like sect ... but the laws of alchemy are very old and efficient, we have never found a way to achieve the same effects with blood post sexual relations-"

"I dont need to hear it!" Erin interrupted shaking her head and turning towards the road, walking with her head down all the way to hide her shame red tone having it completely. The first steps on the vacuum were more or less easy, although the giantess was afraid of suffering a sudden attack of vertigo.

The problem came when the giantess arrived halfway, because the dust trembled slightly, the sensation similar to when her grandfather made her cross suspension bridges during her workouts. "Forgive the question, Eral ... but this is completly safe, no?"

"Of course! The dream path only asks..." The alchemist's eyes snapped open, his fingers moving unconsciously up and down as if he were counting.

The alchemist's silence caused the rest of the group to come under tension at once, Grimm and Hector ran quickly towards Ehrwald. "You've taken into account Erin's weight ... no?" Grimm asked without getting an answer. "DWARF, TELL ME THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE WEIGHT OF MY FUCKING APPRENTICE!"

"W ... what ... what did ... I do ...?" Erin asked shaking and crying, trying to keep her whole body as still as possible.

"Erin, listen to me ..." Grimm leaned over the railing, seriously considering jumping to try to grab Erin. Unfortunately, the teacher knew his own limits well ... and that would only make them both fall. "Try not to move ... I'm going to-"

As if it were a window, the path of silver dust broke into a thousand pieces.

Time slowed down for everyone, each second charging a meaning completely for all. For Erin, the sensation of falling was enough to leave her semi-conscious, only being able to notice how her body fell uncontrollably.

For Grimm, the adrenaline and the feeling of wanting to protect his apprentice was the necessary fuel to propel him, throwing himself behind Erin.

For Hector and Ehrwald, seeing Grimm and Erin falling was the trigger to jump behind them, trusting that Grimm could have grabbed the giantess so catching him would save them both. Unfortunately, master and apprentice were very far apart ... which led the two to fall down to try to rescue them.

4 souls descending in the darkness at full speed, rushing to a sure moral death.