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Chapter 185: Hail Before Storm (1)

Silently residing within the cold winds of an icy cavern, a small slime sat ever so lonely by the glacial ices that were protruding out from the wall. With the reflection of the slime reflecting upon the clear ice, the area seemed rather mystical.

"..."

Eyes still closed under the icy caverns, the quiet and almost peaceful landscape gave off a soothing feeling of calmness and peace to one's mind. However, even with the imagery of such a thing, the slime still felt unease.

"...ugh," the small slimeRustly, uttered out in a hushed voice. "What happened...?" Upon opening his eyes that were once closed, he was greeted by an unfamiliar surrounding. "Huh...? Where... Am I?"

Confused and seemingly scared, Rustly took a calm breath as he attempted to remember what had happened before he had arrived here. But, despite trying hard to recallall that he could remember was a blurred chapel with constant shouts and screams as if a battle had occurred there.

"...ugh," Rustly frowned. "Why... Is it so blurry?" shaking his head of the drowsiness that he still felt, his eyes soon turned to the surroundings, quickly scrutinizing them. "Hah... The only thing I remembered... Was failing the spell on the tome and then..."

Muttering out to himself, his eyes opened wide a sudden thought. "...and then, a sudden guy arrived at the area? No... Recall Rustly!" he closed his eyes. "He came... And suddenly spoke those words to me and then... Everything went blank after?"

"..." he sighed. "This is..." Feeling the helplessness of the situation, he couldn't do anything. The blurred face that he remembered, only being able to make out the golden eyes which the man had and the few words he stated were of no help. "Ugh... What happened really? How did I even end up here?"

Questioning with no ends of an answer, Rustly could only just stare at his countless reflections that were protruded out by the glacial ice. With his eyes now scrutinizing his body, he felt listless. At the sight of his small round-shaped body with seemingly no ability of combat prowess like Reru, or the ability to cast out spells of higher tiers as with Madam Ru, he frowned.

"Hah... Why am I like this?" He was entrapped within an icy cavern with no exit out. The space was enclosed and the only thing keeping him company was his reflections that he seemed to dread. "I just can't do anything right..." his tone turned into solemness. "Why? Why is it that I'm unable to help with anything?"

No matter what he tried to do, things seemingly never went his way. From the very start of time to now, from when he brought Shinto's group to the king to have them help him with his goals and the situation now. Everything went wrong.

"This is just..." he was wordless. "Sanke, Lier... What do you even want me to do?"

Even if he couldn't recall the recent events that had occurred, his past memories were as vivid as ever.

...

"Rustly!" A female's voice called out to him. "Why are you just standing there? Come on and help me with something!"

"Huh? What do you want me to help with?" Rustly answered. "I thought you had everything under control with Renryth's help..."

"Well technically speaking we got everything under control?" the woman chuckled. "But that's not the point! You see those statues I had Sanke made? I need you to help me with making them come to life!"

"What? Why?" Rustly blinked. "You've already got these whole magic spirits going on to help you with your daily tasks... But, why make statues come to life? I don't see any reason..."

"Aha, silly. This isn't for me," she stated. "It's for you and your people. After all, since you all took us in, this is the least I could do to pay back my debts!"

"What? No... There's no need to!" Rustly stated. "Going through all the trouble in creating new life from nothing... Doesn't it take a toll on you? His majesty already said that your help in making the Slera's and Farchu's life much more at ease now is enough to repay. You don't have to do anything more!"

"What? It isn't enough," she shook her head whilst smiling. "There's still a lot that I've got to repay for. After all, I'm extremely grateful," the woman patted Rustly's head. "Anyways, here, the guardian and the warrior will both protect your people in the case of the worst that comes."

"...huh? In the case of the worst that comes?" Rustly questioned with slight confusion at her words. "...Lier? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No, no!" Lier gently smiled. "Nothing's wrong. But... Just a hypothetical question. If the day me, Sanke and Renryth die of old age, what would you do?"

"Hmm? Die of old age...?" Rustly blinked at the statement. "...but you and the rest never age, though? Well... I know Renryth has, but you two haven't and won't, right? If Renryth were to pass away... I guess I'd be saddened."

"Hmm... Right, right! I guess we haven't aged as much over the years. huh?" Lier chuckled. "Nevermind. Ignore my question and let's get back to creating the guardians, alright?"

"R-Right..." Rustly uttered out.

...

"...Lier," continuing to recall on past memories, Rustly frowned. "Was that a sign you were going to die then?"

It had been years since the arrival of Lier and the group into the dens of the Sleras. During those years, the group had made much progress in aiding the lives of the slimes and rats in improving their prosperity.

"...the ice witch's curse," he muttered out. "Why didn't you tell me anything about it? And... I ended up inheriting it..."

The death of Lier was sudden. Rustly wished that it was all a dream, however, it was true. That very day, she had passed on into the afterlife.

"...first Lier who died by the ice witch's curse and now Sanke too..." his eyes trembled. "Why...? I could've prevented the worst from happening if I had known better... Yet, I'm still this pathetic slime. I just can't do anything right."

With constant regrets lingering within the air, nothing could've been done.

...

"Lier!" Rustly cried out as he rushed through the dark hallways of the catacombs. "Lier! Where are you?!" with constant echoes of his voice protruding out into the distance, the small slime continued on in the void.

Step by step, he searched far and wide for Lier. But, unbeknowst to him on what had happened after her sudden disappearance within the castle interior, Rustly could only think of the worst that may happen.

"Lier..." Rustly frowned. "Where did you go? You're sick and yet... You headed out of the castle..."

"Rustly...!" With a tired voice that called out to the slime in the distance, Rustly turned towards the direction as he noted that a young man that was at a similar age to Lier was hurrying over to him. "Did you find where Lier is?"

"No... She's not in the Guardian's nor Warrior's room," he shook his head helplessly. "Did she go out into the surface? But that can't be... She'd die!"

"Ugh... The last words she muttered out was the Pendant of Flaming Purity... But what the hell's that about?" The man, Sanke furrowed his brow. "It's a pendant lost within history, isn't it? To have it here of all places..."

"W-What...?" Rustly murmured out in shock upon hearing the words out of Sanke. "Pendant of Flaming Purity?"

"Do you know something about it?" Sanke questioned.

"I..." Rustly muttered out as he began leaping through the halls once again, leaving Sanke behind. "I need to hurry!"

"Rustly?! Hey!" Sanke cried out, however after spending almost the entire day with no rest, his fatigued began piling upon him. "U-Ugh... Wait!"

...

Rushing through the hallways of the catacombs that almost no longer felt familiar to him, Rustly mustered up all his strength to reach towards the seemingly long halls. Finally reaching towards the end, he stopped at his steps as he began shaking his body frantically.

"Hah... Hah..." Rustly breathed tiredly. "She must be in here... She must be..."

Upon the walls opening up and making way for a small passage, Rustly wasted no time as he entered into the unknown hallway. In turn upon stepping foot into the premise, he was greeted by the sight of a woman who seemingly was staring out into the distance of the passage.

"Lier! You were here all along?!" Rustly cried out. "Why...? You're sick and yet you..."

"Ah... Rustly?" Lier helplessly turned around whilst coughing. "...you found me huh?"

"Lier... Why are you here? This place..." Rustly uttered out. "This is where the Pendant of Flaming Purity is..."

"I know," she smiled as she slowly walked up towards Rustly, soon petting his head. "I know that the Pendant of Flaming Purity is here... But," continue to cough, the feeling of her hand pressed against Rustly's head slightly faded. "there's no longer any time for me. Till this day... I could never crack how the necklace worked. Even with his majesty's help..."

"Lier?!" Rustly's eyes opened wide as Lier helplessly stumbled down to the ground. "Please... Take it easy!"

"...cough. I'm sorry... Rustly," Lier sighed. "There were so many things I wanted to do... But, the curse is taking a toll on my body... And now... It's at its final stages."

"...L-Lier? What do you mean?" Rustly's voice shook. "What do you mean at its final stages? Didn't you say it was a common cold humans suffer from? How... How come your dying?!"

"Stay with me for my final moments, will you?" Lier's voice lost its will. "...I'm sorry, but... I'm grateful for all you've done."

"L-Lier...?" As the voice Lier felt like a dream to hear, bits of frozen ice began appearing around the woman's body. "No...! What? This..."

"The Ice witch's curse... One who would eternally be frozen into despair..." Lier solemnly stated out as the frost nearly covered her entire body. "Take care... Rustly. Sanke and Renryth might be saddened, but... I hope you'll be able to live on."

"...Lier...? No... Please..." Unable to make up proper sentences, a gentle smile on Lier's face could be seen before she was now an icy statue that could no longer move or feel. That day, Lier had died.