Chapter 41: I'll Take You Home...

On the bright side, another system notification appeared indicating some good news. It mentioned the dust particle technique that Gray Dungeon had used, finally subsided.

It had been long enough and had now run out. This was good for her and her allies, especially since they can now take full advantage of the regenerative effects left over by their potions.

The wolf and the bat both decided to attack the weeping dungeon man. He let out cries of pain as each blow struck, and lowered his HP. He didn't even try to put up his arms to guard or anything. “I just want to go home! I just want to go home!”

Harmony unleashed her weapon and struck him down with the spinning blades of fire. He winced as he was smothered by smoke and flames. Arret cursed under her breath. “Fight back already! I stayed with you through this entire ordeal! I gave you everything you asked for, and this is how you are paying me back?! Fight back, you worthless failure!”

He pointed his hand at Harmony and stretched out his fists to punch her. She took on a large amount of damage, and dropped down to just a few points of HP. She started wheezing as she crawled back to her starting spot.

Even though they had a plan for how to take him down, they were definitely running out of steam. Especially Harmony after taking the brunt of that attack. Vault used his turn to approach her, and bestow his best armor. She looked up stunned by the gesture, and tried to argue despite the pain making it difficult to talk. “No…! You need this…! He might go after you too!”

Vault shook his head. “Let's be honest here, you have always been at the forefront of his attacks. It seems like he'll never give up trying to go after you. Arret really drilled the idea of you being the bad guy in his head. You’re still a good person to us, and like I said before…I’ll protect you.”

He smiled at her then returned to a starting spot. The wolf used his turn to throw a doggy bowl full of potion liquid on Harmony's body. Her breathing improved gradually as she felt the healing effects and the pain subside.

A wave of dread washed over her when she realized she was now out of potions. She quickly checked with her allies and they all silently confirmed that they were also out of healing items. They were on their own now, without a safety net.

The armor he gave her had the best defensive stats out of everything they had in their arsenal. Even if she could increase her defense just for a little while then that might be more than enough to make it to the end. The bat used her turn to attack Gray Dungeon then the system indicated Harmony was next.

Harmony put the armor Vault gave her in her inventory along with her own. She was now just standing there wearing rags, and wielding a really cool looking weapon. She activated her skill. “I break down the Burning Haunted Knight’s armor and the armor crafted specifically for me by my friend.”

She closed her eyes as the two armors floated around her and repetitively spiraled around in a circle. Red particles covered her own armor set, and yellow particles covered the one Vault had given her. They swirled around her, creating a tornado of red and yellow particles around her body as they broke down.

Her eyes suddenly fluttered open “Manifest Merge!”

The particles dispersed and revealed Harmony now wearing a new set of armor. Her old attire had been given a makeover in a Burning Haunted Knight themed style. She still had the same basic structure of her old outfit with a few changes.

Her hair was white, her golden eye had turned silver, and her red one had now become a sapphire blue. She also had the knight visor around her eyes. She had little blue flames constantly being radiated from her body along with the chain on parts of her clothing.

She didn't exactly look like a knight, but she also didn't really look much like a mage either. It was a weird combination of the two, but the important part was, she definitely felt more powerful. According to the system notifications her weapon still had two more turns left on it and this armor set had four.

They needed to wrap things up quickly. The good news was that having two of these fusions stacked on each other actually granted her a bit more of a damage bonus. She wielded her weapon once more, and struck Gray Dungeon with more force than before.

He let out a wail as his HP dropped down to less than a quarter. His turn began, but he took no action. He just broke down weeping, screaming, and flailing around. “I JUST WANT TO GO HOOOOOME!!!!!”

He lashed out just attacking his surrounding area, not aiming for anyone in particular. He just couldn't handle everything anymore. A shower of sadness dripped down his face and onto the floor.

A tear went down Harmony's face as she gazed up at him. “You can't stop anymore on your own, can you? I won't let you suffer anymore than you already have. You have my word that I'll find a way to get you home.”

The system notification went off indicating the start of Vault’s turn. She called out to him, and he noticed the look of desperation on her face. “Vault, please…End this…He needs help…”

He nodded to her. She didn’t need to ask. Enough damage had been dealt to reduce the crafting amount to one last time. He charged up to him, and placed his hand on his forehead. He activated his crafting skill.

Tears streamed down Gray Dungeon’s face as he watched Harmony and the rest of the world get further and further away from it. The last thing he saw was the people who he thought were his enemies, shedding tears for him.

His body glowed orange and slowly crumbled away. Something about the process made him feel a bit more relaxed. Like he was being put somewhere nice and quiet. His body condensed into an orange gem shard. Vault landed back on the ground and Harmony dashed over to catch the jewel.

A system notification went off letting her know that she had conquered the dungeon and that the battle was now over. Her friends slowly walked over to join her, fatigue and their wounds slowing them down.

She held her hands to heart and turned to face them. They all were teary eyed and had looks of sympathy. They all took a moment of silence, before she opened her hands in front of them. The orange gem shard floated a few inches above her palms.

“Gary…You have my word…I will find a way to get you home…People who are sent to this world should not be forced to suffer as you have…For now stay safe in a place where no one will bother you. I will come back for you when it is time to go home.”

A system notification flashed, letting them know he was sent to her inventory.