Chapter Sixteen: Turning point, The Sublime.

Around and around.

Hallways.

Districts.

Puzzles and pieces.

Interconnected and yet not interlocked.

Around and around they went the spiralling staircase led to more stairs and more twitching, more switching from the attitude of making friends to surviving.

Vaud, Pill and even Kres wouldn’t stop telling of how dangerous this place was.

Originally crafted by Gods each dungeon had apparently been discovered by the original kings, from there a bond was created that kept them in peace.

Apparently there were many dungeons but unlike the original founding dungeons most had been captured and turned into castles, war fronts, laboratories…

Some were still hidden or forgotten, treasure lost soon to be gotten by seekers or the fortunate.

This dungeon however was mapped out. It was as well-known as the founding blades.

“-sides it’s been years since we’ve wanted to become adventurers’.” Pill’s exuberant voice pierced the otherwise wordless halls, footsteps and clashes could be heard in the distance.

“Um another left, then we should be here, floor 23 division E.” Kres pinged out, her directions so far saving a common frustration of new adventures. Cursive bricks mapped the walls and numerous entrances, some contained words or runes while others had decayed and become holes in the wall or entrances.

“-oldest and most reliable entrances! Only unranked or slaves are sent to collect these materials, it’s beneath us to even be here but…” Pill looked over at Kresley and Vaud breathing in and continuing in a half sigh “-everyone does need a starting point. This will be ours, until we push to [Hollowed] Rank 1.”

Pill swept through the hol- entrance and into the fleeing darkness, his torch keeping the elusive, persistent prospect of the dark in the back of their minds.

Waynev was close behind followed by Kresley and Vaud.

“Anyone uh, notice the bounty hunters?” Kresley suddenly exclaimed, her voice cracking mocking her attempts at a calm demeanour.

Waiting for her to continue, she had to wait for an uncomfortable silence before finally asking Kres to go on.

“And…?” Inciting her interest Waynev’s brown eyes didn’t lock into Kresley’s.

Instead looking in her general direction, to not intimidate the shy woman.

“I think I saw a few of them huddled together, they normally wear uhm-” She motioned her hands in circles.

“Dark leathers, some Warlocks others just are.” Pill whispered, motioning the party to begin to slow at the upcoming corner.

“No monsters outside of the gaps. Outside of the passages. Only in the holes, the tumours do monsters and herbs persist-”

As Waynev continued walking the stone turned to solid rock, the paved roofing turning to stalagmites or pitch dark, around her in the distance she could see faint glows. With movement.

“Vaud I saw something move near the illumini rocks.” Kres whispered, her eyes shifting nearly in speed with her legs.

“In positions-” Pill ordered, moving to the back waiting for a hint of brown while his hands held bolts and a crossbow was revealed from his pack.

“Hm. His plan depends on us not getting overwhelmed-” Shadow spoke quickly, quietly.

“-our position leads the monsters through a single passage. Try to separate them.”

The ground under Waynev felt uneven, dodging could lead to falling or not moving far enough.

“-remember we’re weaker than [Hollowed] but not by much, Wayne you and Vaud need to distract the monsters while Kres and I shoot them from the back.” Howls could be heard coming fast yet they felt off and for some reason she could see their outlines-

OoOoo0

“Oh-no-” Kresley’s knives in hand with Pill next to her, their chokepoint was set but would it be enough?

000OOOOooO

Vauds heavy breathing could be heard between the howls, crackle of the torch and Waynev’s thoughts.

‘His mace and my fists.’ Waynev peered down at her hands, barely visible cloth and her boned knuckle.

Barely seconds after the first figure came flashing through-

-a green outline clothed in ripples-

“Bargheast!” Vaud rushed forward engaging the spectral beast, it's outline shifting as it leapt and circled around Vaud and the blades being thrown at it.

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Another two leapt through pairing and eyeing Waynev she sped towards the two.

“Deal-damage-and leave a wide-birth-for-Pill.” Shadow got out before Waynev’s swift steps brought her to battle.

GRAARRRR

Bolts were snapped out in response to the growls.

Snap Snap

Swifter jaws however bit them down in response, Waynev took this and started with a kick and a missed punch.

“Low to the ground dodge them.”

Vaud’s screamed in the background and small explosion was heard, Waynev dodged and spared a look back-

-Vaud was running towards her, dust was falling where she last saw the Barghest.

“Move and punch the bigger one-”

Waynev’s dodging with the odd kick rarely finding it’s mark she swung and continued her dance with the two beasts.

Pish

Daggers falling from a pile to her left, another slain and with the barghest looking at Kres Waynev tackled the distracted beast.

Sprawling down hard onto it’s back the beast had tried turning and fleeing this only led to it being trapped under her left shoulder, swinging and missing she missed just barely the a wild mace flinging into the barghests head.

Spiish

But the bolts didn’t stop firing, nor did the daggers-

Looking up she saw Vaud punch one of the three barghests that surrounded him toward her.

Kicks and dodges took the breathe out of her but they were nearly finished, yet another explosion could be heard in front of her but then the ground under her stopped in a bulge rather than flat-

POMPH

GRHHGRHH

Wide jaws that brought a grotesque beast was ontop of her, attacking and ripping into Way-

“GET IT OF-”

“STOP BACKSEAT FIGHTING-” Waynev bit down while punching the beasts above her, her left arm holding it close and chin down protecting her neck, her right arm smashed into it's head again and a-

ARHGHH

It’s whining and moving swerve Waynev from under it to on top, using the sudden ground it lunged out and instead of meeting a neck it met a hand, sharp teeth met gentle flesh and fresh screams came out before Waynev grabbed the bottom jaw and pushed her hand against it's head.

PSRIICK PISHH

Pulling it’s head apart the knuckles kept the worst of the teeth meeting bon- her hand.

Looking up suddenly she saw a bolt finally hit it’s target.

It was over.

Footsteps ran towards her-

“Waynev! Ohmygods-I’m-so-sorry-I didn’t-keep-them-off-you-it’s-just-Vaud-was- surrounded and you-kept-tossing-and-turning-with-the-death-doggies.” Kres started blurting out, bandages already in hand she began wrapping and while peering at Vaud.

Pill had already walked to Vaud but instead of treating him like Kres had to Waynev he began checking the piles of dust.

“It’s fine-I got distracted too.” Waynev nudged Shadow, still unhappy with her trying to control her every move by shouting commands.

“Vau-” Waynev was interrupted by Kresley throwing the bandage down and nearly lunged at Vaud.

“Vaud are you okay too?” Kresley had already begun bandaging his left leg, despite his protests.

Leaving them alone Waynev finished bandaging her hand and fixing her displaced leather vest.

“Pill what was that?” Her eyes saw dust but glitters of white surrounded the green particles.

“Barghest, obviously. Worth the dust and teeth but it’s uses…” His eyes soaked up the dust and decrepit teeth-

“Are beyond us.” Pulling out a pouch the items disappeared and he walked towards the other piles.

“...But still worth money. Jesus he’s drama-” Shadow’s voice crept in uninvited as it usually did but was thankfully interrupted.

“That fight wasn’t too bad, nice moves Wayne.” A scaled voice came to her side.

Vaud’s gnash on his arm had been patched and Kres was putting her supplies away behind him, sneaking peeks with red coloured cheeks.

Thanking Kresley he moved and helped Pill collect the rest of the fast-earned gains.

“You know-” Waynev began.

“-already dungeon diving feels like a hit or miss care-job. Sometimes you win big or other times you’re unlucky and get literally hounded by ghost dogs.” Waynev looked at Kresley who had just finished packing her medical supplies away and with a timid nod of understanding from Kresley she was about to continue.

“Mmm. Reminds me of our first ‘dungeon’.” A reptilian smile spread yet instead of fear Waynev felt included, nodding along he and the group began walking towards the luminous rocks.

“Pill and Kres had just finished their chores and we heard rumours from Pill’s day that their was new dungeon in the forest-”

“Ah yes! You mean he told me and I gave up the information unwillingl-” Pill interrupted clearly acting by the way he held his hand to his chest.

“Pill please be quiet.” Even Kresley’s timidity gave way when it came to Piller’s babbling, Waynev snickered as Vaud led the party ahead.

“So anyway I grabbed my da-father’s hoe-” This time the snickering came from inside her head, trying to tune it out she caught back up to the story.

“-with our gear assembled we went to the forest. But it was no dungeon…” Vaud’s voice rose with put on grandeur, this time Kresley could be seen silently giggling.

Her smirk clear and her lips glistened against the nearby rocks.

“-from the sky! Thousands of the little slimes came from the tree’s surrounding us, merging together- Pill snapped shots off from his practice bow but-” Vaud’s acting skills needed work but from his wacky gestures and jogging of his tail the dragonkin was enjoying himself.

“-they went right through it.” Pill interrupted with a slightly irritated look, dozens of small eyes glazing the sides of the dark cavern.

“It’s because the arrows were too sharp-” Pill stopped looking around beginning to animate an arrow into existence through gestures and explanations-

“-not because they were slimes and were made of liquid? Pfft.” The benefits of being a childhood friend, knowing when your friend’s full of shit.

Laughing along to the quips and teasing, the group finally came to the blue-zone.

Looking around the passage, the cavern had turned into a virtue of blue and cyan. Trees decorated the way, leading from ground to heights unseen. Numerous plants had formed and were tinted blue, was it because of the light the rocks emitted?

"That isn’t light..." Shadow deciphered the question from Waynev's wide-eyed looks at the rocks and around them.

"That's mana." Her vision changed, eyes closed she could sense mana being emitted from the rocks...it felt familiar.

“From the colour…” Shadow’s words stopped.

“Something’s coming-Waynev!”

Tishhh

A noise rang in the distance… or was it closer?

Tich Tooosh

“What the hell is that?” Pill’s hair… eyes were animated, some looking to the sides or behind but the majority were looking toward the sound.

Movement.

Vaud and Kresley had already swapped from pairing to their familiar positions at the front and back.

Pooooooovve Tishhh

“Where’s the sound coming from?” Kresley turned her head again, a full 180 from where the sound was first heard.

The forest around them felt thicker than before… had they been moving?

The once serene cyan blue that made them feel happier, more excited was quickly changing for the worse.

Where before there was excitement and mateship in the air now only stood tension, tension that was slowly racking up with each loud pitch of an explosion.

POOVE TISHOHSHH

Pill’s head instantly locking to the sound his hair animated the group rotated to meet it’s owner.

Why did everything feel so…

Looking around Waynev saw Kresley shaking, Vaud’s eyes were calm yet you could see his feet shaking and Pill…

Pill was angry.

Huffing his head swung from direction to direction each time the sound was heard.

Vooom

Behind him.

TIshh

Next to the broken illumini rock.

Pooove

Another passage.

TISHSHH

It was-

Taunting him.

Haunting him.

Daunting to him.

“Wayne.” The voice of reason.

Fading in and out.

“-sten it’s my aff-”

The shouts were turning to screams as Kresley jumped at every new sound.

They were coming faster and faste-

“-ffecting us. Snap ou-” Gone with a blast.

Disorientated, Vaud who was next to her was now at Kresley’s side. Pill was nowhere to be seen but Waynev thought she saw movement behin-

Thwudff THwudFf THUWDFF

With a mighty bang she was sent off her feet centimetres away from her face lay small beady eyes marked with a low-set head, it’s skin stone-like and covered in a film of blood and dirt.

Eyes wide, she couldn’t look away.