With the flash of blue light, Dent walked into the data room rubbing his head. “Putting Jackie and Norah with the nerds was a terrible idea, but at least keeping them together is keeping them safer.”

“You think?” Chuck turned to the swordsman with a scowl across his face, before he deflated. “Sorry, shouldn’t take my frustrations out on you.”

Dent sat down and shrugged. “What about if I do this?” Turning in his chair, he put his boots up on the edge of the smooth desk.

“Asshole.” Chuck rolled his eyes, but smiled. “You told everyone what’s really going on now then? Also, please put your feet down.”

Boots slid off back to the floor. “I did, yeah - they seemed nervous, and worried about the ones who have been taken. Better that they’re in the know, I think.”

“I’m in agreement. As much as I hoped we could get through this quietly, it’s a bigger weight than for my shoulders alone.”

The swordsman tilted his head. “It’s never been only your burden.”

“I know… it’s just…” Chuck sighed and leaned away from the glowing blue screens. “I wanted this role to feel like I had some kind of control in this world. And I adore it, don’t get me wrong, but now having this threat just outside my range is maddening.”

“True, I’ve never seen you so angry before. Even back in the cold-hearted warlord phase.”

“Eh. I see Edward, Fran… every Unique as no different from the likes of Sally or you. They may have been created by the System, but it makes them no less real or valid. That this kidnapper is targeting my close friends just adds fuel to the fire.”

Dent nodded and turned his eyes to the screens, data continually moving around. “A chance of seeing ‘fire and brimstone’ Chuck in the future?”

“I’m just an administrator, not a god.” The Architect returned a tired smile. “As long as my people are safe, I am content.”

The swordsman shot him a glance, the look on Chuck’s face not exactly pairing well with the calm phrasing of the statement.

----------------------------------------

Crack.

Sally rolled her arm around, the dislocated shoulder now having found the socket once more. “Much better.” She caught the look on Claude’s face and shrugged. “Is a lot worse if it stays out of the socket, I assure you.”

[Poppy: How’s your stitched arm holding up?]

The zombie flexed it about a bit. “Honestly, no different from before - other than having some cool stitches that you gave me.”

[Poppy: ^^]

Worked with her aesthetic, at least. She glanced around the remains of the level ten Guardian. Not a terrible fight, with the knight taking most of the focus away from her. Only almost lost her head once, and an awkward strike dislocated her arm, but otherwise fine.

She turned her head to the healer, who looked the most tired of them all. Not that she could see herself, or Poppy. “One time I dislocated both legs at the hip. Now that is inconvenient.”

“I can imagine you didn’t so casually pop them back into place.”

“No.” Sally rubbed her chin. “Pretty sure I got a spear through the back of the head after that. Hard to remember exactly.”

She looked away from the grimacing man to see that Cross had started hobbling off on his own. “Where you off to, poppet? Phew, he’s got some legs on him now.” She started off to follow him. “Dungeon entrance is this way, you goof.”

It didn’t take much to catch him up, and she picked him up like an errant toddler. “You know, I realize now you were probably an adult goblin, and it’s rude to treat you like a child.” He squirmed in her grip as she held him in the air. “That said, you can’t just scurry off… but is there something important?”

She took the constant writhing to signal that he had somewhere to be, so she placed him down. As soon as his feet touched the grass, he was off again, around the side of the Dungeon.

Archie followed alongside her as they chased down the eager goblin, while the other two started preparing to descend into the Dungeon. Claude had said it would be dwarves inside, which explained why the entrance looked like a mine. Last time she had been in a mine… was probably way back in the Forest when she was trying to level.

Cross stopped at the back of the rough rock jutting from the earth.

“There seems to be some symbols here,” Archie said, sitting down and tilting his head.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“So there is.” Sally frowned and crossed her arms. Three symbols that looked like there were indentations in each where a hand could be pressed. Each was as ornate and random as the other. “I wonder what they are for?”

The goblin started to hop up and down against the wall, his small hand reaching up to the symbol on the right.

“You want momma to do that one first?” She stepped closer with her hand out.

Archie exhaled. “I’m not sure following the whims of a zombie is the best practice.”

“Nonsense,” she replied. “No more so than following a talking cat around.” She pressed her palm into the indentation, and green light bloomed around the design. “See, you’re not telling me which buttons to press.”

“Button pressing is usually a bad idea.”

“If you dislike fun, maybe.” She watched the goblin then move to the far left symbol and try to clamber up the wall. “Left and then center, it seems.”

The left bloomed into green light just the same as the right, and then so too did the center as she moved across. With all three now glowing brightly, she grinned and stepped back. “Well, pretty lights, but what does it-”

Before she could finish her sentence, a thunderous vibration shook her boots, the ground clearly unhappy with her flippant attitude to accepting the unknown. Just as soon as it started, the shaking faded away.

Poppy slid around the corner, the healer slightly behind.

[Poppy: What happened?!]

[Poppy: Everyone okay?]

Claude opened his mouth to chastise the pair of zombies, but the Dungeon once again cut off any discourse.

With a deep groan, parts of the rocky exterior cracked and started to collapse inwards. As Sally grabbed the goblin by the scruff of the neck and the group moved away to safety, more and more of the mine fell in on itself.

Claude rubbed at his temples as the constant cracking of crumbling stone abated, to be left with the occasional patter of loose pebbles and smaller chunks of rock.

"I'm not sure I even want to ask," he murmured. "I seem to be developing quite the headache."

Sally pulled a face, the Dungeon that was about to be besieged now laying in ruin. In fairness, it was a fun button to press. The fact that they would now miss out on...

She raised her eyebrows as a treasure chest appeared in the grass, just outside the ruins. A wash of experience had her bar rushing up - almost to the next level already. With a smug grin on her face, she turned to the healer. "That help soothe what ails you?"

He shrugged. "It means less mana spent so that we can adventure for longer, but I feel the damage to my brain is already done."

She shot him a wink. "Well, let me know if you need an expert opinion on that."

[Poppy: Cross sure is pulling his weight!]

[Poppy: Defeated a whole dungeon!]

Two, in fact, if you counted the puzzle one - which Sally certainly did. In fact, that just made things all the more suspicious. She narrowed her eyes at the undead goblin as he ran near full pelt into the chest before collapsing to the grass.

Sighing, she stepped over and hoisted him back up into the air. "Something’s not right with you, lil green. Player soul or not, you clearly have some knowledge in you." Her face scoured his blank gaze. "Chuck was almost the same, and reset to being human after his zombie form died a few times. Knowing what we do now, I'm not sure I want to risk that in case we lose you."

Archie wagged his tail in annoyance as he came to sit nearby. "Does he even understand you?"

"Does anyone?" She shrugged and placed the zombie back on the ground, to which he immediately just flopped against her leg. "Cross, dear. If you understand me, go and give Uncle Archie a hug."

"Uncle?" The cat scowled at her, before both their eyes went down to the goblin.

Aimless at first, he stumbled away from Sally's leg and turned his empty glare in the direction of the cat. With short steps that increased with speed as he continued, he stumbled through the intangible helper and collapsed onto the ground - earning a mouthful of grass while Archie flinched.

"Basic things then," Sally surmised. "But nothing higher level, like understanding that you aren't real."

[Poppy: Which is a shame!!]

Sally turned to see the other two move over, waiting for her to take the lead. "Either of you know that some of the Dungeons just have a hidden kill-switch?"

Claude shook his head. "No, otherwise we'd be looking to do that for all of them."

[Poppy: Ditto! That's way easier than sweating out in my armor.]

Picking up the now calm goblin into the air, Sally brandished the small figure at her Party. "I don't want to jump to conclusions—even though my feet are itching—but that puts some pointed questions towards our little Cross here, doesn't it?" She shook him gently.

Archie nodded. "Clearly he has a lot of experience with Dungeons or their construction. It might not do us any good to speculate on why, but this is certainly a blessing for our progression."

[Poppy: I agree! ^^]

"Alright, then." Sally placed the goblin back on the ground. "Cross, go find us an easy Dungeon that you know how to destroy." She looked back to see that Claude was looting the chest - which was nice because she would have completely forgotten.

He looked up at her once the lid had been popped. "I have some padded leggings here that may give you more protection than... A skirt.”

"I'll give them a try." She pulled a face as he passed them over. "While my diner outfit is rather old hat, it's reasonably comfortable to fight in." She'd given jeans a go at one point, but a skirt or cloak always seemed to suit her better.

Kneeling down, she unclasped the sides of her plate boots. "Sure is a pain having to manually dress myself," she grumbled. Back on her feet, she rolled out the brown legging and squished at the padding in them. Would be some help, she reluctantly had to agree. As she undid the belt at the side of her skirt, Claude averted his gaze. "I always wear black cycling shorts under a skirt or dress," she said idly. "Aside from the odd breeze, in my line of work it's just as likely my clothing gets torn or I end up upside down."

[Poppy: That would be awkward!]

[Poppy: One benefit of full armor, I suppose]

"Somehow, I avoid the worst of it. You should see Theo though, guy can't seem to keep a shirt on his back once fighting begins."

[Poppy: You think he is topless now?? <<]

“I could ask him… but no! This is our time in the limelight, and what is more important is that we…” She narrowed her eyes out at the surroundings as she pulled the padded leggings on. “Darn, where has that goblin gone? We need to get a leash for him.”

Archie sat and watched the group catching up to Cross. Despite all that was going wrong at Sanctuary, and the figurative and literal mountain Sally had to climb to succeed here… he smiled.

For he could see the ball rolling. Some classic Sally adventuring that was only bound to snowball and invite bigger conflict their way.

It was almost enough of a comfort to distract him from a fourth person having now been kidnapped back home.