-Celio-

He was naming her Gloria. His adorable pet bird, Gloria the Flightless.

She cooed at him happily as he stroked her feathers.

The Boss Room had been uneventful so far, to the point where he was wondering if it was a boss room at all. They’d jumped from boulder to boulder with little difficulty and taken care to stay out of the water. It would have been a difficult task for anyone low leveled, but he and Ira were in their twenties and leveled at above forty.

“So far,” He mumbled, “This dungeon seems like it’s aimed at gloomily-minded children. Children with grotesque tastes. We don’t know anyone like that.”

He scratched Gloria under the chin. “I guess it’s not that bad, though.”

Jumping to the next rock, Ira snorted. “Pretty sure Nova loves this place.”

“Nova’s been here?” Celio said, alarmed.

“Not since she discovered it. Oh hey, there’s a loot box.” Ira pointed at the other side of the room, far from the entrance to the next one.

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The water around them made for nice background noise. Not too far away, Celio could hear something like crickets chirping.

Ira took the detour offered by the loot box. “Do you think it ran out of monsters?”

“What?” Celio followed her. Gloria dug her claws into him and he winced.

One jump from the loot box, Ira paused and turned to him. “The dungeon. We haven’t seen any mon—”

Something leapt from the water.

It was the same gleaming red skin as the snake-things, only eerily humanoid. About the size of a child, its movements were somehow wrong—even one leap showed that—wrong in a way that set Celio’s instincts on edge. That screamed predator.

Most importantly, it had taken Ira by surprise. She flailed, trying to regain her balance. Celio had fallen slightly behind. He called a long-range spell—lightning starting to warm his palms. The creature swiped at Ira’s calf, put all its slender weight into tipping Ira off the slick stone.

“Gah!” Her cry was more startled than pained.

Celio aimed at the monster.

Then Ira slipped.

Was pulled down with a splash.

“Ira!” He let his spell die. Electricity would kill anyone in the water.

She grasped at the stone desperately. Celio jumped to the next stone. If only he had stayed closer to her!

A sudden jerk of force pulled her off the rock. Even the water was sucking at her, the current strong.

He reached the rock. Ira’s ginger hair was still above the surface. He reached for it.

But in mere seconds, Ira had been dragged under.

Dragged into deep water.