Stella, wake up!

Stella twitched. She frowned, her brows furrowing in her sleep.

Stella!

“Wha,” she mumbled, shifting. She scrubbed her face and sat up, sleep-mussed hair flying wildly around her head, her dress crumpled on one side. Rubbing her hair, she peered around with half-opened eyes.

An empty boss room greeted her, nothing but her and the crystals to fill the big, empty space.

Deep melancholy fell over her. She pressed her lips together and grabbed onto her skirt. “Momma…”

Stella, focus. They’re coming!

Stella blinked and rubbed her eyes. She looked around. “Who’s talking?”

A second later, she shivered, rubbing her arms. A crawling sensation crept over her skin. Humans! There’s humans in the dungeon!

Stella’s heart raced. It’s not Aster. It’s other humans. But Aster said, he said—

She shook her head and slapped her cheeks. Don’t panic! I have to repel them. Get them out! Drawing out her core, she looked at it and frowned. Only a pinprick of light remained in its center.

I can’t just shake the dungeon again like I did the first time. I don’t have enough mana for that.

Stella ran to the entrance to the boss room and put her hands on the floor. A wall of stone grew from the ground and closed off the entrance. She looked around, clenching her skirt nervously. What else?

She bit her lip and ran into the center of the room. The room needs a boss! Holding her hands out, she closed her eyes. Mana rushed around her in wild blue streams. The mana coalesced into golden sparks, which rained down and solidified into a blob of blue goo. The blue goo rotated, bulbous head bobbling to the top. The slime bounced in place, then squelched down tight to the floor and burst into flames. Wiggling back up to its full, modest height, it danced at Stella’s feet, waiting for her commands.

Stella looked at it. Is that enough? One fire slime…

She peeped at her core. The light dimmed, growing even smaller.

I can’t spawn many more. I need more mana. One will have to do!

Stella looked at the slime. “You’re the boss, okay?”

The slime bobbed in confusion. It tipped its head, then bounced. Midair, its floppy body grew spikes, and bits of hardened slime coalesced on its surface, almost armor-like. It looked at her and bounced in place, as if asking for approval.

“Mhm, you’re a good boss! You have to protect me, okay?” Stella asked.

The slime nodded again. It wobbled toward the rock wall and stood there, gently undulating. Flickering shadows from the slime’s flaming top made all the crystals in the boss room jolt and jitter.

Stella bit her lip. Is this enough? Is this really enough? Where’s Aster? Wasn’t he going to protect me? Why are there humans in my dungeon? I don’t want them!

Turning one last time, she sprinted for the rear wall of the dungeon and slipped into the hole she’d opened in the wall back when her mother died. She closed up the stone around her except for a small slit to watch the room and hunkered down, waiting.

In the darkness, she closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she looked down on a group of three humans from above. Floating high over them, she couldn’t see their faces or a lot of detail in their bodies. Stella frowned, confused. She looked around her. I’m in the labyrinth. What’s happening?

She shook her head, focusing on the three adventurers below. I’ll worry about that later. For now, I need to stop those humans before they get close. I don’t want them to kill the new boss.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

There’s something familiar about them… but what?

The humans ran over the top of the labyrinth, jumping from one wall to the next. She narrowed her eyes. Where are the bats?

Overhead, the bats hung quietly from the ceiling, soundly asleep. Even the slimes danced in silent synchronicity, all wobbling in place together.

Wake up! Hey! Why’s everyone sleeping? Stella shouted.

In answer, a gentle tune caught her ear. Her eyes started to droop, and she let out a big yawn.

Abruptly, Stella slapped her cheeks again. Stay awake!

Narrowing her eyes, she glared down at the adventurers. There! That human, he’s the one playing the music. Is anyone awake?

A maddened scream sounded out in response. Stella shivered and flinched away. She shook her head. Not him. I don’t know what he’d do.

From down below and slightly ahead of the adventurers, a vine wiggled out of the floor.

You’re still awake? Get them! Stella cried. She pointed. That one, the blond one with the wood thing in his hands. Break that! It’ll stop the song, and everyone will wake up!

The vine wiggled in response. Beneath the stone, the plant monster tensed. The cobblestone wobbled, lifting slightly off the ground.

On top of the walls, the human with the wooden instrument pointed down at the cobblestone. Another human raised a staff high. Pale blue light gathered at the top of the staff.

“Get down!” Stella shouted, afraid.

Eh, wait, I can talk? Wow!

The plant monster retreated into the earth a second before a bolt of flame splashed against the stone. The plant monster quavered. I’m not going back out!

“No, it’s okay. Stay down. Stay safe,” Stella said, nodding. All monsters are precious. I can’t lose one on a bad matchup! Plants burn. She’d die immediately if she tried to attack.

“Hey, bats. Wake up!” Stella shouted.

A few of the bats twitched, and one stretched and smacked its lips, but most remained still and silent.

Down below, the human in robes looked up. “Did you two hear something?”

“Huh? No,” the dark-clothed human with dark hair replied.

The one strumming the instrument frowned. “Milo, are you hearing things again?”

“I just… I thought I heard a voice,” Milo said.

The musical human sighed deeply. “Milo, we’re the only ones in this dungeon. There can’t be anyone else talking.”

Milo shook his head. “Sorry. Let’s keep moving.”

“Damn straight. I can’t keep this song up forever.”

“Ahead, the exit,” the dark-haired human announced.

“Right. Let’s go.”

Stella frowned. Those voices… I know those voices! They’ve come in here before?

No. They’re the ones who killed Momma!

Stella’s heart raced. Her hands gripped her skirt so hard the fabric began to tear. She trembled, her eyes locked on them. They’re the ones. They’re the ones…!

“Why? Why did you kill Momma?” she shouted, frustrated.

Milo looked around, frowning. “I really think I heard something. Something about a mom?”

“Milo, you’re insane,” the one playing the instrument replied.

“No, seriously. I hear something. A young child,” Milo said.

“What do we do with that? A child. Are we going to rescue them? We just came for the hide,” the dark-haired human replied, rolling her eyes.

Stella ground her teeth. “Shut up! Apologize. Apologize to Momma right now!”

Milo frowned, searching the sky.

Tears leaked down Stella’s face. She hiccupped, trying to swallow them back, but they wouldn’t stop. “Why? Why did you kill her? Why? Why?”

“Who are you? Are you talking to me? I can’t hear you,” Milo whispered, frowning at the sky.

Stella wiped her face furiously and shook her head. She sniffled. They won’t stop. They killed momma, and now they’re back. But I won’t let them kill anyone else! Biting her lip, she forced herself to focus. Move on. Keep moving. I can do this.

She closed her eyes and opened them in the snake chamber. The snakes coiled languidly, half-awake. Stella scowled at them. Being so lazy, when Momma’s killers are right there! “Wake up. There’s people coming, bad people. Kill them!”

The snakes perked up slightly, then laid back down. One or two slunk out of the way and retreated into the walls.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Stella demanded. Why aren’t they coming out? Don’t they want to get revenge on the ones who killed Momma?

One of the snakes reared and looked at her. It shook its head. A voice only she could hear emanated from it. “We don’t follow you.”

“Why not?” Stella asked.

It wobbled back and forth. “You aren’t strong.”

“I’ll get strong,” Stella declared.

“But you aren’t,” it replied. “I’m not risking my life for a weakling. No one wants to risk their life for someone who can’t give them anything in return.”

Stella frowned. Even Daiyo only respected me after I hit him with the fire slime. Is that the rule? If you can beat someone, they’ll respect you. If you can’t, then you get nothing from them.

Is that why the adventurers took Momma’s body? Because they beat her, so they didn’t respect her anymore?

Then… if I beat them… Stella licked her lips.

In the distance, a familiar set of footsteps charged through the dungeon. Stella closed her eyes and opened them again to look down at a broad-shouldered adventurer. “Aster! There’s people! Hurry up!”

Aster looked up. “Stella?”

“You lied, there’s people! Hurry!” Stella shouted back at him.

Aster bowed his head. “I know. I’m coming.”

Stella closed her eyes again, then opened them again. She sat in the boss room wall, gazing out at the boss room. Tension roiled in her stomach. She clenched her skirt, determined. I can do this. I won’t die to these humans. No matter what it takes, I won’t let them kill me!