"Nicole, since you are our resident expert can you give us a rundown of what we might encounter?" Root asked.

"Sure, Displacer Beast is always popular, Roppers which you already met, Hook Horrors, Beholders, All sorts of Aboleth abominations, oh yeah all sorts of deprived experiments that got loose over the eons, Umber Hulks, Starved half forgotten demigods. The list goes on." I said.

"Did anyone else understand anything of what she just said?" Orlo asked.

"Yes, two of the names…" Iser said, trying to be reassuring. I gave him a wide smile in return.

"Alright everyone be on your guard this is still a dungeon and has it's limits." Root said.

"Oh right I think dragons can be down here as well." I said, that had everyone turn to me in shock.

"How would it fly in a cave?" Lluvia asked.

"Umm bigger open caverns and fucking up tons of rock? I don't know." I said.

I spent the next 15 minutes acting as navigator for our party before we came across a problem.

"That's a hell of a drop." I said, as I looked down a cliff that seemed like it would continue into infinity.

I could also 'feel' a path was just out of sight from where we currently stood.

"Climb down, walk across, and climb up?" I asked.

"It might actually be infinite… the dungeon does not have to obey natural laws." Iser said.

"Right… Orlo you're related to birds can we throw you across?" I asked unhelpfully.

"No, it’s way too far…" they said squawked.

"There is a solution somewhere." Turnip said.

"Wait… let me try something very basic." I said and pulled out a few pieces of slag I had been using as part of the clay mores. I then tossed it out in front of our spot and waited for it to hit an invisible walkway. It didn't…

"Well nevermind about the leap of faith…" I said to myself.

I rested my back against the stone wall and thought.

"Is polymorph a thing?" I asked.

"What is pol-e-morf." Iser asked.

"I’m sort of rambling out different solutions… if anyone else has any ideas." I said.

"Could your mapping skill be wrong?" Orlo asked

"I have no idea maybe? Or manipulated in other ways…" I said.

"Alright… I'm out of ideas. Let's walk back and find a different path to try." Root said.

The corridor we originally walked through seemed to go on for a much longer distance before we were forced to stop.

"Is this the spot we were just investigating a few minutes ago?" Orlo asked.

"Looks like it, it even had the little map I carved into the stone." I said.

"Oh fuck that." Root said in a mild panic.

"Umm you doing ok over there Root?" I asked.

"Fuck no, these sorts of puzzles terrify me. I have nightmares about being trapped in things like this." He said in a panic.

"Let's think about this for a second… if the place is reconfiguring itself as we move through, is there anything we can do?" I asked.

"Your mapping could have some ability of influence over the floor." Iser said.

"Yeah I have an idea but I don't want to say anything yet." I said then I went over to my little diagram I made earlier and made some changes then dumped all but 10 points of mana into my path ability.

I felt the immediate drain in my body but as I had up until recently never had mana I was able to somewhat hide it.

"Alright let's head by the way we just came." I said and started walking.

It worked as we arrived at the chasm, a bridge made of thick stone maybe 6 feet thick and 8 feet across existed.

"Very good you figured out the tiny little puzzle." said a deep disembodied voice.

We all froze our line only a few feet from the natural stone corridor we just came from.

"Umm Nicole any ideas what that could be?" Orlo said just in front of me.

"Well if we are unlucky it's a Beholder." I said.

That got a chuckle from the voice.

"And if we are very unlucky?" Orlo asked.

"Lich" I said with worry in my tone.

"You would not rate such a creature." The voice said.

"Umm okay… Beholder, many eyes, the central one disables magic." I said.

I reached into my little pouch that had my dwindling supply of slag and grabbed a tiny handful. I worked it back and forth in my hand trying to break up the bigger pieces. I then dumped every last bit of mana I had which was less than 15 points right now into the material.

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"Ah I have an admirer in your little band." The voice said, by this point I think I had its location… roughly.

"Pocket sand!" I shouted and threw a spray of fragments in the general direction.

It wasn't even enough damage to break invisibility but it did allow us to see drops of green blood drop from mid air.

Which was enough for Lluvia fire two bow shots into it. Iser managed to fire off a small streak of fire as well.

From those two strikes the entire world shifted a bit.

"What the fuck was that?" Root asked.

"Umm checking… might be a second." I yelled. I had been focused on the Beholder's position and only got a glimpse of fuzziness from my peripheral.

What might it be able to do, for that matter did it fully match up with what I expected. Which so far yes it had.

I was pulled to the side by talons as a green beam of energy passed through the space I had just been.

"Think and dodge." Orlo ordered.

"Right thanks" I said a bit shakily.

"Your group has some talent for scurrying, I'll give you that." The disembodied voice said.

A stream of fire and cut towards Root who dodged it. The light show might have allowed us to hit it but it was moving as soon as it fired. It also blinded what night vision any of us had and made the dripping green blood even harder to see.

I looked around again but I only saw the stone bridge we were standing on. I couldn't see the corridors forward or behind just endless bridge.

"Umm what happened to the path we just came from?" I shouted out.

"What?... fuck where is it?" Root shouted after looking back.

We hear yet another chuckle.

"Can they project illusions?" Turnip asked.

"No I don't think so." I shouted back.

Another chuckle of amusement.

"Fuck umm maybe this one can?" I said.

"Then have we even hit it." Lluvia asked.

"You have not, it took you longer than most to figure it out…" the voice said.

"Fuck…" I muttered.

I wondered to myself… What if we are dealing with another creature entirely? Something that could project illusions.

I pulled out some more slag and from behind my back I tossed some off the side of the bridge. I heard it clatter off of the stone below.

"Fucker… it is just an illusion." I said.

"The hoomon female who smells like the lizard's plaything is correct. But I will add not everything is an illusion." The voice said, I both blushed and scowled at the comment.

"Oh the bridge for sure is not an illusion. But the pit is." I said then jumped off the bridge.

It was still a 6 foot drop to the ground but I was starting to get used to the physical demand.

"So slow to realize." It said in a mocking tone.

Then the illusion dropped and we were in a dark massive cavern with a carved wall 6 feet high from my perspective.

I could see my friends up above and 2 of them were now looking down at me with panic that quickly switched to relief at seeing me.

The cavern from what I could tell from the like coming back was maybe 100 feet in radius and we were right in the middle.

"Alright my mistake… I should have considered not every ability matched up. I've never heard of one that could do illusions." I said.

"Worry about that later help us find and kill it." Lluvia said.

"Everyone down and find some cover." Root said.

"Now the Rabbits go to ground." The voice said.

"What's with this thing?" Turnip asked.

"I have no idea." I said, I then checked my mana.

Mana 3/125

"I have an idea." I said then reached up with one hand levered my feet against the stone wall and pulled myself up.

I slowly lifted my head to peer over the former bridge now wall. I didn't see anything initially, then a glowing green eye opened on the other side of the wall.

"O fuck…" I muttered to myself.

"Stay, let's have a chat." It said, I got a clear indication that I was indeed talking to the creature directly and not some illusion.

"Umm, so what do you want to chat about?" I said while my friends spread out to the sides.

"I would not recommend that." As more eyes appeared following all their positions.

"Umm guys it is tracking all of us." I said with worry in my voice.

"I will let the rest pass but one will have to be snackrificed." It said.

"Did… you just make a pun?" I asked in astonishment.

"It amuses me from time to time." It said.

"Okay…." I said drawing out the last syllable.

With my other hand I pulled out my big clay more and made sure to show my friends.

I got a nod from Root, the problem was I think he was expecting me to do things a little differently.

"Then I choose to snackrifice myself." I said out loud and climbed back up onto the former bridge.

"The weakest? A pity but understandable… your group may be slow but they are not complete fools." It said and while speaking it rose into the air it's large maw becoming visible.

"I have one last thing to say before you eat." I said.

"What is it for I am hungry..." I heard the words come from the open maw.

"Clay more." I said deadpan, then with all my will attempted to shape the blast to only focus towards the Open maw.

This was the biggest one I had made to date, It held over 60 points of mana. It was also a Rank B explosive.

I also noticed out of the corner of my eye Turnip trying to pull me out of the way.

I detonated the bomb which was hovering just in front of me.

The blast sent me sailing backwards but I must have blacked out. Just because I could shape the blast didn't mean all the energy went that direction.

The next thing I knew was I was on my back with everyone around me.

"Owww…" I groaned out.

"You are a fucking idiot…" Turnip said with tears in her eyes. She then got up and walked away.

"Did I kill it?" I asked or well groaned out.

"Yes…" Root said and he seemed very pissed off.

"You fucking blew yourself up you ass!" Lluvia shouted at me.

"We are done, you are way too fucking reckless. And none of us want to watch a friend die." Root said in a hard voice.

"I… fuck me…. You're right…" I said looking away.

"Well at least you aren't stupid enough from learning from your mistake." He said and gently pulled me to my feet.

"So I take it we won't be completing this dungeon?" I asked.

"You won't be." He said.

"Ah… fair." I said.

"Wait for us in the entry room, we will escort you back to town… After that you can do what you want." He said emotionlessly.

That hurt far worse.

"Fuck…" I muttered to myself and started stiffly walking back.