Famine...(Arifureta x Code Vein)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Pale Moon

"Gaaaaarrrrgh..."

A girl. There was a girl inside of the cube. But why?

Almost her entire body was encased in stone, the only thing poking out from the cube being her head. Golden blonde hair, shining as bright as the moon, covered her face, with the glimpses of skin being as pale as snow. Peeking behind her golden hair were crimson eyes as red as blood. They shimmered in the light, unlike Asche's eyes, which glowed by themselves depending on its excitement.

Although her body was frailed from malnutrition and hidden behind her hair and stone, it was clear for all that she was quite a beautiful girl.

Which begs the question: What is a beautiful girl, let alone another person, doing inside the deeper levels of the Great Orcus Labyrinth?

Hajime was surprised, for he hadn't had any encounter with another person since his betrayal. Asche didn't count, since it's a monster. The girl seemed just as surprised as the Synergist, dumbfounded into silence.

The silence continued, the two staring at each other. Well, silence isn't the right word. Asche was growling, baring its fangs while scratching at the ground with its clawed protrusions, the armaments igniting in a crimson glow. Something had Asche bothered, something that made him lust for blood. But what was it? Was it the girl? Or something Hajime hadn't noticed?

Hajime didn't seem to hear Asche's growls, continuing to stare at the girl. He cleared his throat, preparing to say something.

Now, if it was an average man (who probably would have died in the labyrinth at this point) or an idealist like Kouki Amanogawa, they would have said something along the lines of this:

"Oh, dear lady! Whatever hath befallen thou? What vile creature dare lock away a poor, innocent damsel such as thou?"

Or:

"Oh my god! What happened to you? Don't worry, I'll be sure to get you out! I wouldn't be a hero of justice otherwise!" This was likely what Kouki would have said in this situation.

Such cliche statements. This is Hajime, after all. What the Synergist said was:

"Oops, sorry. I'll get out of your hair."

He wasn't here to fuck around. This place served no benefit to him. The least he could have gotten was a new ore or something. The marble here wouldn't help him at all.

Hajime moved to his makeshift door-holders, intent on closing the doors up again. However, the blonde girl called out to him hoarsely, trying to stop him.

"W-Wait...! Please...! Help me...!" Her voice was weak, years of disuse taking a toll on it. Despite the hoarse and crisp sound of her voice, the desperation was clear.

"Nah, I'm good." Hajime's curt reply. Hajime was heartless: A necessity from the trials he endured. Call him an asshole, it doesn't matter to him. Such burdens would slow him down. That's probably a part of the reason he's okay with Asche following him around: Aside from the occasional sass, it doesn't have any human mannerisms, leading it to act in a way that didn't slow Hajime down.

"Gaarrrrrrgh..." Asche's growls began to raise in volume, its glow growing brighter. Hajime finally noticed it, clicking his tongue in annoyance. Hajime interpreted Asche's actions as a sense of distrust towards the girl, something he could agree on.

The girl seemed to shrink back at the inhuman noises, but pressed on, raising her face ever so slightly. She could barely move her neck, so this was all she could do.