After orienting themselves and searching the room for danger they all sat down on the rug in the middle of the room. Victor went first. “Let’s take stock of what we have first. Do we have food or water?” Victor pulled out his water skin and all the others did the same. They had about enough water for a day. They unpacked their bags for food to see what they had and they had about 1 day worth of rations each. “That’s not looking good for us. We either find it today or start getting thirsty really fast.”

“Jenora I’m sorry.” Emilie preemptively apologized.

“We should have gone to Kival.” She slumped her shoulders.

“You are entirely right.” Brice agreed. “I’m sorry I didn’t agree with you on that.”

Serena shook her head. “Here or somewhere else we’re going to make mistakes. The danger here and the effort require is generally really low. We just got unlucky.”

Victor realized that probably wasn’t true, and with that realization he realized he’d have a failsafe. They could survive with his skill but he had no idea what side effects would happen and he didn’t know how he could hide proclaiming what he wanted from them. Victor sighed as Brice spoke. “We’re going to die down here, aren’t we?” He frowned shaking his head and looking down to the patterned carpet.

Victor looked him straight in the eye. “No. I have a skill which might make it possible to escape but can only be activated at dawn.”

Emilie sighed. “A day here is going to dehydrate us. It’s so hot.”

Jenora panted taking off her helm. “If you’re sure you can get us out we should conserve our energy.”

“I am most assuredly not.” Victor doubted.

Cawthorn proclaimed. “YOU MUST HAVE FAITH MY MAGE! HAVE FAITH IN YOUR SKILL AND MINE!”

“Why would I have faith in a bird that fell down a hole? YOU HAVE WINGS!” Victor asked irritated.

“I HELD ON TO YOU MY MAGE! I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU! I WAS UNABLE TO LIFT YOU!” Cawthorn explained.

Victor sighed as Serena asked him. “Can you do it?”

“If it’s possible, probably. If it’s not we’re going to die down here. I think we should try to search today and hope that by tomorrow we have found a way out.” Victor noted.

“There are bookshelves everywhere. Where do we start?” Serena asked.

Emilie smirked. “Let’s start with those ugly as sin paintings.” The group stood up and gathered the 8 paintings from the walls revealing no hidden vaults or secret passages letting them out. “I was hoping that would just save us.”

Victor waffled his head back and forth. “Yeah it’s not going to be that easy. Even if I read as fast as possible we’ll probably not all even finish a book in the time we have. I might get through 2 or 20 if I skim them. There are some alchemy supplies too. Other than that it’s just this ugly rug. Cawthorn any other notes?”

“THERE ARE 15 HOLES ABOVE US!” Cawthorn waved his wings. “WE COULD SMASH ONE OPEN!”

Serena stood up. “Jenora grab your hammer.” Jenora stripped off her armor revealing her rarely seen frame muscled and hearty. “Victor help me here.”

Victor rushed over and knelt down so Jenora could easily stand on top of them. Cawthorn Directed them “TO THE CORNER!”

They walked over with her on their shoulders and Jenora started cracking into the corner ceiling wall. Emilie panted overheating and taking a drink. “ Strength boost .” The group silently waited on the crack after crack of the hammer before Jenora fell off their shoulders. “Jenora! are you okay!? Regenerate !”

“I’ll live but I don’t think that will work. Even if we get it open there’s no way I’ll be able to climb up. I’ll die of exhaustion long before reaching the top.” She laid back on the ground. “This might be it dear. I love you.”

Emilie hugged her trying not to tear up. “Don’t say that. Victor will get us out of this.”

Jenora smiled hopeful at him. “Is that true Victor? Do you think that skill will make you lucky enough to actually get us out of here?”

Victor gulped wanting to inspire her but feeling as though he was definitely about to lie. “I am not going to lie to you. The situation is really bad. If the first option doesn’t work I have 2 others. Both require that all of you swear never to speak of what you see in this room.”

Serena turned to him and tilted her head down a little. “You have 2 other options? I thought I knew one other option. Wait. Don’t you dare tell me…” She grabbed him by the collar still on the ground and pinned him to the rug. “Tell me you didn’t!”

“Well not exactly.” Victor paused. “No deals, more like threats.”

She threw her head back laughing madly before pressing her forehead against his. “When we get out of this I’m going to smack the shit out of you.”

Victor gulped. “Well I guess it’s not all bad if even you think we’ll get out of it.”

Brice raised his hand. “Am I the only one left out of this? I don’t know what is going on.”

Jenora turned to him. “Nah only those 2 know what they are talking about.”

“Could you share with the class?” Brice asked.

Serena looked up at them angrily. “If he tells you what he’s talking about I’m going to slap him. I refuse to let him start interparty conflict in a closed room deep underground.”

“Okay!” Brice turned away. “I just wanted to know if we’re actually confident he can get us out.”

“I’m not, I want to be clear all my options might make things immensely worse. We need to find a better solution because my options may be unimaginable and if I told you what they are you’d probably panic.” Victor looked at Emilie.

“Oh she positively will. I am starting to panic and I only suspect to know an option.” Serena got off him.

Victor sat up. “Sorry.” Victor put his hands on the rug and began to sit up. “Wait a minute….” Victor peeled at the edge of the rug flipping it up in the corner. “Can we roll this rug up?”

Serena blinked for a moment before helping him roll up the corner of the rug. Jenora joined in rolling it partway before getting caught by the bookcases. “We should move those.” Serena and Jenora picked one up and put it down off the rug then did it again as Victor, Emilie and Brice kept rolling the rug. It became apparent quickly there was something beneath it as they revealed gold inscribed onto the floor. They finished rolling up the rug and looked at each other.

Victor laughed. “Would anyone like to go for a trip?”

Brice stood up straight. “You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s functional.” He stood in awe of the circle painted in gold around. “Its incomplete but it’s functional. This is a global treasure.”

“We have to destroy this.” Emilie insisted. “If we don’t Peria might be subject to a massive undead invasion.”

Jenora insisted. “After we use it right? We’re not going to die down here.”

“Well obviously! We need to setup some trap to destroy it there’s plenty of alchemical stuff in this room. I’m sure Swordie can help with that.” Emilie insisted.

Victor turned to the bookcases and walked over scanning for any with titles. None of them have them. He started pulling them one by one reading a page of each one and dumping them on the floor after. Brice started to do the same thing.

Jenora turned to Serena and Emilie. “What should we do?”

Serena smiled. “We wait.”

Victor spoke aloud. “Swordie I’m going to ask straight up can you help us complete the spell?”

“Unfortunately I cannot. It is not a spell I am able to cast and while I have immense knowledge of magic this spell was extremely rare even amongst high level spellcasters.” Swordie qualified. “I am however glad you consulted me before wasting hours.”

He went back immediately to reading a page at a time with Brice. Emilie pulled out her shirt and began flapping it to cool off. “This place is just too hot. What in the world is making it so hot?”

Jenora speculated. “It could be near underground magma. Assuming there isn’t an alchemical or undead related reason.”

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Serena shook her head. “That doesn’t worry me much. If we could do something about it or the information helped sure but what would we do about it?”

Emilie exhaled deeply and inhaled just as deep before answering. “You’re not wrong it’s just miserable. “We should consider just taking off our clothes until we are ready to use the circle.”

Jenora instantly agreed. “Yeah that would be fine by me.”

At that Brice stopped for a moment turning red. “I um. Uh.”

Victor shook his head. “It’s fine. If it will help. I’m not exactly interested in this sweltering heat.”

Serena leaned back. “What about me?”

“If we weren’t in a life or death situation where we would literally cook to death my attitude would be significantly different.” Victor kept going from book to book.

Behind them the girls took their shirts off as both Brice and Victor faced away. Emilie smiled at Jenora. “She’s big in all the right places.”

“You’re the perfect size dear.” Jenora nodded back.

Serena looked at her scars. Emilie insisted. “Don’t be self conscious about them. They give your body character.”

“Victor says they make me look badass, he might be the only guy alive who thinks that.” She leaned back putting her hands on the warm stone.

Cawthorn flew over to her. “MY MAGE LOVES HIS FUTURE WIFE AND HER SCARS!”

At that even Victor smiled passing another book. Serena stroked Cawthorn gently. “I know he does.”

Emilie proposed something. “When I reach Tier 6 Pure Heal someday I’ll be able to remove those. If you decide you don’t like the look.”

Serena nodded. “You know I might take you up on that.”

“I really like them.” Victor noted. “I understand if you hate them though.”

“Well level 51 is a long, long way off. We can talk about it more later.” Serena laid flat on the floor.

Brice whispered to Victor. “How can you be so calm with them naked?”

“Well I’m not looking, I’m busy, and I am not interested in seeing them except for Serena who would rip off both our clothes and carry me to the bedroom if I asked. Isn’t that right dear?” Victor asked.

“I might not respect the doors existence on the way there.” She smiled.

“It definitely helps to regularly engage your better half.” Victor noted to Brice. “Finding one is something you should try to do.”

“Easy for you to say! You’re mortal. I can’t just go dating mortal girls they’ll always leave me one way or another.” He grimly protested.

Emilie agreed with him. “Yeah he’d need a devil or another elf.”

“Gee thanks. I’m sure I’ll just pop over to an elven enclave I’m banned from or go find a ravenous evil devil and try to redeem her then whisk her away from the eastern continent of Lotvale to Peria and rehabilitate her. Clearly THAT is how you find a passable immortal companion.” Brice angrily looked away from the topless girls.

Victor proclaimed “FINALLY! I think I’ve found the book explaining the circles. In an hour or two I’ll be finished with it. That said the girls have the right idea.” Victor took off his shirt and wandered over to the girls sitting down.

Brice insisted. “I’m going to keep looking.”

Victor shrugged taking a drink. “Fine but at least take your shirt off. We’re cooking in here.”

Brice put down his book and complied revealing his pale skin and standing up tall. “Wow he looks incredible without his shirt on.” Jenora nudged Emilie.

“He’ll have an easy time finding someone when he literally finds anyone immortal.” Emilie agreed.

Victor furiously turned the pages. “Swordie can I write notes in you with my finger? Will you let me take notes?”

Swordie agreed. “I can keep an infinite amount of notes as my pages pull from a limitless source.”

“Thank you.” Victor began scribbling notes.

Jenora chuckled. “He really is a man of focus.”

Serena agreed. “Yeah. We’re pretty lucky he thought to move the rug. I want to be clear with all of you death might be preferable to the possible repercussions of engaging in his… Backup plans.”

“Are they related to his curse?” Emilie asked.

“At least 1 of them is. The other I assume is even worse than that.” Serena glared at a focused Victor who didn’t even notice.

“How bad could they possibly be? I know he doesn’t want to talk about it but what could possibly be that bad?” Emilie pondered.

Jenora perked up. “Oh! I know he made a pact with an archdevil for something to save others! I bet Swordie saw his noble sacrifice and helped him.”

Brice shrugged. “Maybe but I think it’s more like who he is. He might be a reformed devil.”

Emilie scowled. “Oh Goddess I hope not. Devils are the worst. It would mean everything he’s doing was fake because devils always fake everything.”

Jenora somewhat shocked asked. “What makes you say that?”

“Devils are shapeshifters and often infiltrate and kill people. They also use their power to live amongst people! They steal, cheat, and kill. The entire species is irredeemable.” Emilie flopped her head down on Jenora. “It’s not a big deal around here anyway. Most devils come from the eastern continent since that’s where the permanent portal to hell is.”

“Alright suit up ladies I’ve got some options. We need to complete the circle by adding a symbol for the destination and a ball of gold.” Victor pulled up Swordie who pulled up 3 symbols as they put their shirts back on and Jenora put her armor back on. “They didn’t document where these went or what they mean.”

In front of them a box with a line through the middle, a single wavy line, and an arrow upward stared back at them from Swordie. “I will be upfront sir I don’t know what these symbols mean.”

Cawthorn stared at them and looked back to Victor before whispering. “Do you see it sir?” Victor clearly didn’t and eyed Cawthorn. “The box has an additional invisible line on it.”

“Cawthorn has informed me there is an invisible line on the box making it more like a target than a box with a line through it.” Victor noted.

“MY MAGE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE CREDIT FOR IT!” Cawthorn protested.

“I could never take credit from you. You’re the greatest bird in Verdan.” Victor tapped him on the head too exhausted to pet him.

Cawthorn proudly and stoically went silent his pride welling up like a volcano about to burst. Emilie immediately cut in. “We should just take the one with the hidden line then right? They didn’t get to where they were trying to go. So it has to be the secret one.”

Brice corrected her. “They were trying to get to the abyssal labyrinth. This might be the actual rune to reach it. I don’t know what the other two are.”

“Or none of them could reach it. We need to have some idea of where we are going.” Victor insisted. “If we don’t we could just be using the portal to go to an inhospitable hellscape filled with fire. Like literal hell.”

Jenora shook her head. “I don’t know what they symbolize necessarily represents hell. One is probably the realm of the endless sea.” She tapped on the wave line. “I don’t know about the others but that realm is horrible for people like us. It has almost no land, we’re likely to portal below the waves and suffocate immediately if I’m right.”

Brice noted. “I’m aware of many realms. These two symbols, an arrow and a box with lines through it are not ones I’m familiar with.”

“Well does anyone else have any ideas here?” Victor asked.

Serena asked. “Is the box a window?”

Brice leaned forward looking carefully. “Huh. You might be right.”

“The arrow might be a tree?” Victor noted feeling like he was stretching.

“We are essentially flipping a coin right?” Emilie asked.

“No. The arrow isn’t linked together. It’s a line with another disconnected line above it. It might be a mountain and a line below it delving deep. That might be the earthen realm infested with tunneling horrors.” Brice started to pay attention much closer.

“I vote for the invisible line window.” Serena nodded. “We’re essentially shooting in the dark, so I vote for the window.”

“Is that how we want to do it?” Victor asked.

Jenora shrugged. “We may as well. I vote for the arrow.”

Emilie nodded along. “I vote for the arrow too.”

“I vote for the Window.” Brice turned to Victor.

“Really you just have to tie it up so I’m the deciding vote?” Victor asked. He looked at Serena and shrugged his shoulders. “The window it is.”

Cawthorn crowed. “I VOTE THE WINDOW TOO!”

The group chuckled with Emilie asking. “Does Cawthorn get a vote?”

Cawthorn yelled at her. “I AM A VALUED MEMBER OF THE STARS OF VERDAN!”

Victor patted his head. “You are Cawthorn.”

“The best and the worst member of our group.” Emilie added wistfully. “Well we have 2 balls of gold right? Let’s get setup. Swordie I need you to tell me what chemicals here can make powerful acid to destroy this circle.”

“The green liquid on the table will dissolve the purple tablets. If you place the purple tablets on the circle and pour it on them it will eat through the stone below the circle destroying it.” Swordie explained.

Jenora stood up and gathered the materials. “Give me a minute and I’ll set it up.”

Brice began inscribing the rune on the ground carefully following the image. Emilie setup the vial to fall over as soon as she left with her equipment. Victor kissed Serena and Emilie kissed Jenora. “Well ladies and gentlemen into the wild portal yonder.”