Hours later the party had reached a slope giving them a hint of some kind of structure in the distance. Deciding to take a break they all collapsed onto the ground, and hoped that no more of the hell ants would show up for a few hours of rest. The last hour had been hard after all the first with the same kind of huge, black ants that could slice a cart in half. The problem they were all facing was that the ants, even though none got away, were getting better and better at dealing with their tactics and skills. To the point that the last group had severed body parts from their group, and almost wiped the whole party if they hadn't played "Protect the Healer" well enough to finish them off. The enemy was learning and they were just getting more and more exhausted.

"I both hope, and fear, that whatever that is over there is the end of this floor." The rogue muttered, unable to get her voice higher from fatigue. She had it the worst since her stealth skills were locked down, and it was the main part of her kit that allowed her to deal the most damage. Though, she had to admit to herself, that it was giving her some insights into how badly she needed to practice for situations where she couldn't use it, or wanted to conserve mana and energy.

"I second this," The healer said through heavy breaths, "I need about an hour to recover, and Rengar here needs two in order to get back into shape with my magic." He said pointing at the heavily armored man. Who now was missing his shoulder plate and armor on his right arm, revealing a strong human arm and hand. Confirming his race to the others and raising his honor in their eyes. Few humans joined the freedom fighters to create peace, and the few that did were usually weak humans from towns or villages that had good relations with them. Rengar had revealed much to his team as they dragged him here, thinking he was dying. He wanted them to remember his story, even if it was muddled in the beginning due to blood loss and shock. He had been a Knight in the service of the Lady of Arcues many years ago when she had been an adventurer roaming the land. It had been her attitude towards the Beastkin that got him to question the human approach towards them, since she had great success treating them like normal peasants. In fact, her lands were one of the most successful because of her efforts to merge the populations and create stability and consistency. But, it was the actions of others he had seen by being one of her inner knights that made him switch sides, and while he did still hold a lot of respect for his ladyship. He felt that more drastic steps needed to be taken to create peace, and separating the races would create enough room to change things.

Now the man lay slumped against the wall gently breathing in sleep as they had hit him with a few sleeping drafts so he wouldn't try to get back into the fight right away. The Healer and the Mage had been working with Rengar for years, but even they were proud of the way he had thrown himself into the fight to protect them even after he had lost his sword and shield. Which were still laying back at the last fight, being far too heavy for them to carry while dragging the big man. The rogue had different thoughts about it all, and she was keeping them to herself for now since it was clear that they wouldn't be able to get much further without some massive increases in power. Which was the second issue they had all been running into, the System wasn't responding how it should and experience wasn't coming in at all here now. It was one of the reasons that last fight had gone so poorly, when almost all the Healer's buffs had just flickered out for a full minute. Both the loss of the stat and their return threw them off hard.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Once again the rogue played with the talisman in her sleeve pocket. She was almost certain that this trinket wouldn't work, and they were basically stuck here without an escape unless they healed up and tried to retreat now.

"Maybe," She began, before coughing, "Maybe we should escape, try to talismans and if they don't work just heal up and charge out. At the very least we need to let the others know what's going on here." Sensibility was something she expected they would understand, but to her mild surprise the other two shook their heads.

"It's not something we can decide on our own right now," The Healer said, with a flop of his tired arms, "I imagine Rengar will want to finish the mission at the very least, but I also don't see how it's going to get easier, Amlyn." The rogue growled at the use of her name, but the Healer ignored. It was common on these missions to keep names off the table and just use the class or general description of the role to prevent relationships or other attachments from happening. The Healer knew that but didn't care at this point, Rengar had told his story and would likely not be allowed to go out with anyone from this group at the very least. More likely, they all would go to different divisions across the Realm. Even if the assignment was completed and everyone made it back to base. The use of her name was just a way to show the reality of the situation.

"Fine, Harold," Amlyn said, a hint of warning in her tone, "Why are you against turning around and leaving here then. You understand it's becoming a fool's errand with the power of this place. It would make sense for a Dungeon maybe a hundred times the age of this one. It's too strong for a group under 60 I would bet." Harold shook a few times before it became clear, through a wet cough, that he was laughing.

"You are right, of course," He agreed, a green light covering his body with [Renew], "But, the thing is I am pretty sure our escape treasures won't work in here, and I think you came to the same conclusion." His insight didn't really surprise her, but she did wonder where he was going with this. So she nodded and waved at him to continue.

"I am also pretty sure the Dungeon is directing this event somehow as well, and that the Elite on this floor is a Queen able to see, if not control, her soldiers. Which is why it's getting far harder to fight, and I think the Dungeon is the reason our powers failed right when they did." These words did surprise her, the Elite being in charge wasn't impossible, but the Dungeon being able to block the System? It was the god of this world that stood above all others, growing the land, sky, and seas. As well as governing the people to be in balance with it, which is why humans, the outsiders, were causing so many problems by ignoring it constantly.

"I felt the same when I came up with the idea, but the timing of that disruption was too perfect. We were winning and confident but also tired from the fighting." His words made a certain amount of sense when looked at that way, but the idea that anyone or thing could affect the System? That seemed like something that should definitely be reported. When she opened her mouth to say something, the Mage interrupted her.

"I was given a device to contact a local group that was supposed to be backup if needed. I tried it over two hours ago and haven't gotten any response." He said in a stern voice, a strange rectangle in his hand with glowing symbols on the surface, "We are alone and likely unable to escape from the dungeon. It wants us dead."

----

I nodded in confirmation at the man's words.