A few weeks later, Cassie and Sid had returned to the Rosenkreuz guildhall. The two Dormarches had spent the time since Allowstide adventuring around the local area, and learning more about the dungeons around the town. The Jonguler and Artificer pair had even met with Emily and her friends a few times.

But for them, today is different, much to Cassie’s delight. She took out her Stardeck and drew her Ascendant Card for the day. The card was of the Eosphoros deck, marked by the yellow frame. It was the Taurus card.

“Sweet,” the two-toned-haired girl said, her tail wagged in circular delight. She placed the deck away and took out a screwdriver. Sid meanwhile practiced some more with her guitar.

“Rather excited to meet with Bernadette again, huh?” Sid said with a smirk.

“Of course I am!” Cassie said as she tightened some screws onto a beetle-shaped drone. “I can’t wait to show her and the others this place, and to finally explore a certain dungeon.”

Sid made a faint smile. For years the pair wandered, traveling with their Dormarch community, hopping from town to town, Dungeon to Dungeon. Yet the punk-clad woman sensed something in her friend that was different. As if she finally found a home.

And why wouldn't she feel that way? The community of Rosenkreuz was kind and warm, welcoming to all that entered its gates, provided they didn’t cause the town too much trouble of course. Perhaps this was what they were searching for, maybe this is where their journey ends and a new one begins.

Cassie finished tinkering with her drone. “Come on out little buddy,” she said.

The beetle-shaped machine activates. Its eyes glowed with yellow light as it climbed up to the shorter Dormarch’s shoulder. It brushed past her cerulean braid and noticed that its blond opposite had a small leaf entangled in it. The drone carefully removed the blemishing article from Cassie’s hair.

Sid meanwhile looked at a mirror. She had changed her hairstyle a bit. The left side of her head was shaved and cleaned, with the only hair remaining was that side of the mohawk and some black hair on her canine ear. The right was combed over with black hair with a stripe of verdant dye. Her other ear pointed out of the tresses.

“Monsoonfall is coming in a week, right?” Sid asked.

“Yep!” Cassie said. However, she saw the guildhall only had a few merfolk within. “Though I’m not sure if that is big ‘round these parts.”

“Though they hailed not from the sea, they would still pay tribute to Halcyon regardless.”

A voice came from the guildhalls’ entrance there the pair saw three other Dormarches. Their leader was an elderly woman with puffy hair.

“After all,” the elder said. “It was the Flood that brings the rain to the crops.” She chuckled. Her attire was refined. A robe with a fluffy fur prim that matched her equally wool-like hair. At her side was a taller man with a rather manic grin and a woman with mid-length wavy hair.

“Elder Bernardette!” Cassie said. Her tailed wagged with excitement and she ran forward to hug the elder.

“I’m glad to see you remained unharmed, dear,” the Dormarch said in a gentle, grandmotherly tone.

Sid looked at her brother. His matted black hair framed his expression well, as well as it could be if the goal was to show an aura of unpredictable energy. He panted wildly as he looked around the guild hall. “Where’s the food?” he said with an exuberant yet menacing tone. “I’m starved.”

The bard rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry if the dingus here gave you any trouble elder,” Sid said.

The brunette Dormarch was equally exasperated with her partner’s antics. “He’s still in touch with his wild side, Sid.” She rubbed her tail, tipped in a lighter shade than the hazel-colored fur. Her triangular ears moved in reaction to the sound of a glass shattering at the right edge of the guildhall.

“Glenn and Fuuka were no trouble at all, dears,” Bernadette said. “We have finished setting up camp at the town’s outskirts.”

“That’s awesome!” Cassie said. “When are we checking out that Dungeon?”

“Hold your horses, dearie,” Bernadette said. “I want to talk with the guild master first.”

Cassie bore a deflated expression as she realized there were still preparations to make. “Okay,” she said.

The elder Dormarch headed to the receptionist’s table where a new employee, Marialicia, was working. “Welcome to Rosenkreuz,” the intern said. “How can I help you?”

“I want to speak with your guildmaster,” Bernadette said.

The elvish intern looked around for Pauline and found that she was not in the lobby. “I’ll go look her her. Give me a minute.”

“Take your time,” Bernadette said. Marialicia left the desk to head towards the back.

✦✦✦

Meanwhile, at the Black Box. Azalea was in an exceptionally jovial mood today. She happily summed up as she swam through the corridors. Rose and Rained followed the clionid as they met up with Clover.

“Good morning Clover!” Azalea said to the peryton fawn.

“Oh, Azalea,” Clvoer said. “What’s up?”. While she seemed as relaxed as usual, the green-winged girl approached her cautiously, not wanting to fall victim to yet another of Azelia’s pranks.

“Monsoonfall’s coming up,” Rose whispered to Clover. The antlered girl’s eyes widened.

“Are you excited?” Azalea said with a sparkle in her eye. Her translucent tail shimmered with her unusual exuberance.

While the children talked about the upcoming holiday, Emily talked with Tim and Elizabeth about it as well.

“What is Monsoonfall?” Emily’s voice echoed to the fairy.

“[Monsoonfall] is a holiday that usually happens around the end of autumn,” Elizabeth said. “As [Allowstide] pays tribute to [the Giver] so too does [Monsoonfall] honor [the Flood].”

“There are two other holidays after that,” Tim said. “As I think you may recall. Those are in turn dedicated to Obsidian and Stella.”

Heathcliff arrived at the room where Elizabeth and Tim were. “Morning, chers,” he said with a tired tone.

“Last night was rough huh,” Elizabeth asked.

“Oui,” Heathcliff yawned. “Had to do some writing late at night.”

“Oh yes,” Timothy said. “I had heard you decided to chronicle your adventures.”

“Haha,” Heathcliff said. “It helps to get things down for posterity. You never know what the future might hold. So you guys talking about Monsoonfall?”

“Yes,” Emily answered. “Do you know anything about it, Heathcliff?”

“Lots of ocean-themed parades at least,” Heathcliff said. “The one at San Engelos was pretty decent.”

Azalea meanwhile gushed about the festivities to her own friends, Streltizia, Lily, Nina, Hydrangea and Lily entered the conversation. “…and they have these large fountains alongside the parades.”

“Sounds…wet,” Nina said. “How do you know all about this?

“Oh Noir is big on the holiday,” Strelitzia said. “They even have certain ceremonies involving fancy knives.” She recalled the time Azalea tried to keep a certain dagger to herself.

Hydrangea had a forlorn look. Where Azalea is excited for Monsoonfall, she has only memories of missing her parents, absent from her life for many years. She kept those emotions hidden beneath a calm yet frosty demeanor as the clionid excitedly expressed her love for the holiday.

✦✦✦

Later, Azalea and Raine followed a disguised Emily to the guildhall. “Good morning everyone!” the clionid said to deafening silence.

“Um,” Azalea said with a surprised expression.

“I don’t think they know us that well,” Raine whispered in the blue-haired mermaid’s ear.

Emily, in her “Amelia” disguise, approached the guildhall. “Hello,” she greeted the new intern.

“Welcome, Amelia,” Marialicia said. “Here to look up the quests?”

“That’s right,” Emily said while cleaning her glasses.

Marialicia took out some folders. “By the way,” the intern said. “The Black Box is expecting some new guests soon?”

“Really?” Azelia said.

“A group of Dormarches, especially.” She gestured to a certain table. There “Amelia” saw Cassie and Sydney with two others.

“How soon?” Emily whispered.

“Their leader is talking to Pauline right now,” Marialicia said. “They will likely be arriving in a few days.”

“How does she know about Emily,” Azelia whispered to Raine.

“Pauline likely filled her in,” Raine said. The phoenixian girl flipped her ponytail and preened her red wings. “Sarah told me the guildhall had some new hires.”

“Ah there we go,” Marialicia said. “We have a monster infestation in the St. Radia ruins. An official in Darkhold wants bodyguards for an escort and a party looking for some extra hands for gathering Starwater from Lake Asperastra.” She handed the flyers to the purple-haired avatara. “Do any of these interest you?”

Emily took the flyers. “Thank you, Miss…,” she said.

“Marialicia,” the elvish lass said.” A pleasure to meet you.

“Amelia” turned to her younger friends. She told Azalea and Raine that they were going to stay here for a few hours while she looked over the three quests. Azalea eagerly swam away and tried to mingle with the other adventurers, to Raine’s chargirn.

“Be careful,” Emily said with a chuckle. “And try to have fun please.” Emily, still in her disguise, went to an empty table while Raine followed Azalea.

✦✦✦

Sarah, Richard, and Minerva were meanwhile tinkering with the Tarantula construct. The platinum-blond dwarf welded several plates to the shell of the legs. Her face was protected by an appropriate mask that protected her from the sparks emerging from her torch. Once that was done, she leaped up to the chassis of the pod where Minerva operated the machine and looked over its hardware.

“Hey Em,” Sarah yelled. “You remembered those blueprints I made a week ago?”

“Give me a minute,” Emily’s voice echoed to the dwarfette. A nearby wall began to morph into a strange shape. A mount shaped like an Arachne’s abdomen, with a hole for their torso to peek through. The silvery sheen of the mount matched that of the construct itself.

“How soon do you think these modifications will be finished,” Minerva asked.

“Should take one more hour,” Sarah said as she took out a wrench. “We’ll have it ready before our guests arrive, don’t you worry!”

“She’s always been hasty,” Richard said as he combed his hair.

From the ceiling, Nina dangled from her dragline, observing Sarah’s work on the construct. Part of her was still fearful of the design, as it remains evocative of its basis, the “god” that Arachne ritualists had attempted to sacrifice her and Sarah to long ago. Yet a greater part of her was instead in awe of its upgraded design, sleek and slender, with jet-black visors. She began to grow jealous of her mother for being the pilot of the machine.

The dragline grew tenser as Nina tried to lower yourself, the silken thread was close to snapping. Minerva noticed something in the corner of her eye and saw her daughter hanging from the ceiling. Her eyes widened in shock. “Nina! What are you doing?”

As her mother said those words, Nina’s thread snapped in two, the spiderling plummeted into the ground she extruded a stickier thread towards a nearby wall and used it to swing towards the ground.

“Ta-da!” she yelled unaware of her mother’s worry.

“I see she’s as …wild as ever, Mistress Minerva.”

Keith arrived with Raine, Streltizia, and Clover. The latter having visited the hairdresser to turn her verdant hairstyle into twin hoops.

Minerva sighed at her friend’s servile tone. She then skitted towards Nina to chastise her for pulling a dangerous stunt like that again.

“Sorry, mommy,” Nina said timidly.

Clover looked at the construct, Sarah had finished installing the new mount onto it. The mount then opened from the middle. Minerva, after scolding her daughter approached Sarah.

“Ready to give it a try,” the dwarf said to the Arachne. Minerva, after making sure Richard and Keith kept watch on Nina, climbed into the pod.

“So how does this work?” Nina said with obvious curiosity.

“The mount Emily and I designed should allow the pilot, that is to say, Minerva, to control this thing with a greater degree of accuracy. The goal is to have the Construct be an extension of herself. Mind and body.

“Maybe you can make something similar for me and my friends?” Clover said. “These constructs feel cool.” She then gasped. “Maybe Lily would want to—”

Raine stopped Clover from trailing off. “There needs to be a template first.”

“That’s right,” Emily’s voice echoed to the group. She remembered what Elizabeth told her about construct formed. “They are created from my memories,” she said. “I need to encounter something similar first.”

“And it needs to leave a strong impression at that,” Richard said.

Minerva boarded the machine, moving her legs into specialized holes and lowering her thorax and abdomen down with a crouch. The mount’s exterior closed with a tight fit, sealing her spider-like lower body within. The pod then closed in front of her. Through the mount, her mind is now connected to the machinery of the Construct. She focused on the usual operation exercises, beginning with raising one of her legs. The respective leg of the machine moved in tandem. She then moved the leg of the opposite side. Her balance remained intact.

“So far so good,” Minerva said. Then they turned toward an empty wall and focused on the ray attacks. A shower of light emerged from the maw at the front of the control pod and an iridescent beam emerged. The auroral ray burned the wall.

“Feel anything,” Minerva said to the dungeon.

“I’m fine,” Emily’s voice echoed to Minerva.

Nina looked at Sarah with pleading eyes. The dwarf sighed. “We’re still working on it.”

“Working on what?” Clover asked. Rained sighed. “Take a wild guess.” As she pointed to the larger machine.

“Wait, you’re making one for Nina?” Clover asked with a hint of envy.

“It is on a probationary basis, unlike with your or friends, we do have a template to use,” Sarah said. “But I want to make it clear that this is not to be used except in dire emergencies. Emily and your mother will make me a baked potato if she found out that I let go around gallivanting with a Construct like it a souped-up toy.”

“Okay,” Nina said with a smile. “I’ll be super duper careful with it.”

“That’s not…” Sarah gave up.

Keith chuckled. “She can sure be convincing, Master Richard.”

Clover glared at her phoenixian friend and then turned to the dwarves. “Why can’t you make one for us?”

“You know where we can find a five-story tall fawn?” Raine said in a deadpan tone.

Clover ruminated on the question and realized it was an impossibility. She then noticed something else.

“What is that thing called?” the winged deerlet said.

“Pardon?” The look of confusion was as plain on Sarah’s copper face as the rays of Stella shining on the glossy exterior of the Black Box.

“The spider-like construct,” Clover clarified.

A look of realization washed over Sarah. “Come to think of it, we haven’t assigned any name to it. Emily?”

“Wait, why me?” Emily asked.

“It is a part of you after all,” Richard said. “You should be the one to name it.”

The dungeon gazed at the Sentinel. She looked at Minerva and had an idea.

“What about ‘Athené’?” Emily asked.

“‘Athené’?” Richard mused on it. It had a certain elegance to it. “Can you tell me what you thought about the name?”

“Um, well,” Emily doesn't know. “It just came to me I guess, the.”

“The name is perfect!” Sarah said.

“It is very Macedonian, though,” her golden-haired brother said.

“What do you think, Minerva?” Emily said to the Arachne.

“Athené?” Minerva said. “It is rather interesting.” She deactivated the construct, the pod and mount opened and she crawled out from the machine. “The Synchronization is better, Sarah.”

The blacksmith gave a satisfied smirk. “We’re on he right track.”

Clover, Raine, and Nina were escorted out by Keith and Minerva, Richard and Sarah continued their work on the upgrades for the newly christened Athené for the next forty minutes.

✦✦✦

Tim was meditating in the Bleumaw again. He focused on the slip of jade he revived from Fen-hai Mei. And on the challenge that comes with it.

“I would not cede my weapon or my aid to any unworthy of it. If you can prove to me your worth, and your purity of heart, then we’ll see.”

Those words lingered in his mind. He focused more on the memories of the conversation.

“Hello there,” Emily’s voice echoed to Tim.

“Hey,” Tim said, trying to focus. “Something on your mind?”

Her avatara manifested in front of Tim. “Are you still trying to read that jade slip?” She held a spear in her arm.

Tim looked at the weapon. The curious polearm resembled Tim’s own. Yet many of the details are different. “You made a copy of the Qiang?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Uh-huh,” Emily beamed. “Figured we could get some sparring in.”

Tim smirked as he stood up. With closed eyes. “Are you sure?” he said as she took his weapon. “You are more adept with the swords.”

“Didn’t stop Lizzie from practicing,” Emily said.

“True,” Tim said. He had been meditating for a while. He moved his shoulders. “Alright then, are you ready?” he assumed a horse stance. Emily followed suit. Poised to learn if she can match his movements.

The two practiced for two hours, with forty short matches between them. Emily’s avatara body showed greater signs of fatigue.

“I nearly had you,” Emily said as she yawned over her weapon.

“Seventeen to twenty-three,” Tim said. “You’re catching up.” He couldn’t help but feel a small bit of pride.

Emily’s avatara receded into the nanomachines comprising her dungeon body. “Do you have any idea what what that slip is for?”

“If I had to guess,” Tim said. “It is either the location where we are to meet with the other sect, or the trials itself. Its mana is particularly dense.”

“Hmm,” Emily had an idea. “Do you think Atsuko could—”

“I’m not sure,” Tim interrupted. “The jade is used as a medium for mana, for giving messages. It is possible that any microdungeons it has would not be relevant to the contents encoded onto it. Still…” He ruminated on the idea for a while. “I’ll go ask her, on the way, I’m going to check on Charlotte's lessons on gravity control.” He left the Bleumaw. Emily focused on another part of herself.

The sun began to recede into the horizon. Dusk had fallen like the autumnal leaves that herald the coming winter.

✦✦✦

The next day, Sid and Cassie arrived a the Black Box. Along with some other dormarches.

“Finally!” Cassie said, “We’re here!”

“So why did you want us to check out this place?” Fuuka said. In contrast to her attire upon arriving in Rosenkreuz, she donned a simple robe with a staff. Her vulpine ears poked through pockets in the hood of her robe.

Cassie drew from her Stardeck. “I heard this place has some rare technology I want to get my hands on!” she said as she drew her Ascendant Card. She revealed the Taurus card, proof that her abilities will draw from the deck of Eosphoros again. “Besides there are some great people I want you to meet later!”

Glenn approached Sid with his usual crazed expression. He carried a large axe with a shield mounted on his arms. “Can’t wait to meet your friends,” he said in a cheery tone.

“Just…please don’t embarrass us,” Sid said.

“His presence is already embarrassment enough,” a young cleric said. Like Fuuka, the child had vulpine ears on her curly orange-red hair. Green ribbons tied her locks in low pigtails.

“Makoto!” Fuuka said. “Be nice!”

Makoto took a green scarf and wrapped it around her neck. “Maybe if Glenn here didn’t get in trouble with the guilds so much.”

“Hey!” Glenn said with a defensive expression. “It was only one time?”

Makoto rolled her eyes. Behind her was two other children.

“Um, she does have a point,” one of them said. Her hair was white and spiraled into corkscrew curls around her nape. The ears resting on top of her scalp her ears had fur that resembled puffy clouds. Her artless eyes were wide with trepidation and fear as she licked her face.

“See, Molly agrees,” Makoto said.

Sid placed her palm on her face. The female Bhargest was certain her brother would start something stupid again. Glenn looked at Sid and sighed. “Fine, I’ll be on my best behavior. Now.”

“Thank you,” Sid said. She turned to excitable Cassie. “So we have Makoto and Molly with us, where’s the other pup?”

“I’m coming!”

A white-haired boy ran toward the group, his ears were as similarly fluffy as Molly’s and his freckled face and large eyes also matched the girl’s. He had a staff attached on his side.

“What took you so long, Andy?” Makoto said.

“I um…I got lost,” the white-haired lad said with a yawn. He stared intently at the Dungeon in front of the party. His tail was between his cheeks, hugged by the cloth of his breeches.

“Again?” Makoto said.

Fuuka scolded Makoto for her rude manners around her similarity aged friends. She then approached Andy. “You’re not hurt anywhere are you, Antoine?”

“Nope,” the boy said. His hair, while shorter, had the same curly and cloud-like texture as Molly’s. His eyes softened as he was comforted by the fox-eared woman.

“If he was,” Glenn said. “Molly would’ve felt it.”

Fuuka and Sid glared at the male Bhargest.

“What?” Glenn said.

Cassie ignored her group’s arguing as she took out a few beetle-like drones. “Alright, boys you’re, we’re drawing on the Photosphere today!” she said to the mechanical beetles. The three buzzed around excitedly. Cassie chuckled. “Is everyone ready?” she yelled.

“I’m good,” Sid said. “The lunkhead too.”

Glenn rolled his eyes.

“We’re ready!” Makoto said with energy.

“Year w-we’re ready,” Molly said. Andy remained silent.

“Guess we’re all set,” Fuuka said.

“Great!” Cassie said. With that, the seven dormarches entered the Black Box.

✦✦✦

While Cassie and her entourage begin their adventure into the Black Box, the elder of their Dormarch caravan remains in the Rosenkreuz guildhall. Paule is sitting opposite from the pale pink-haired elder.

“I’ve heard a lot of great things about this town from Cassiopeia,” Bernadette said. Her normally droopy ears were a little more erect as she said that sentence. “She clearly loves this place a lot.”

Pauline nodded. “I understand that Dormarches are usually more nomadic than that,” the blue-haired elf said. “To be honest, I’m not sure what would compel any of you to consider setting up roots in our humble town.”

“Humility is not something to be ashamed of, dear,” Bernadette said. “A lot of these cities are conceited, stuck in their pride. From the Agneist population to Gardenia, to the open criminals running Noir, there are always people who think they themselves above ‘commoners’ and dare to act upon it.”

Pauline held a forlorn look. “For how long had you traveled, with a home to call your own?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Bernadette said with a wry laugh. “It’s been so many years since we were displaced by the ruling forces of Liberté, our homeland occupied and transformed into something unrecognizable. Our communities, until very recently ignored and forced to live on the margins. For those so used to that, finding the right place for us is a daunting task.”

Pauline understood these words. She had seen all there is to see about the injustices that occur in Liberté. “I can assure you that you won’t find any of those miscreants here during your time in Rosenkreuz. I can stake my title as guildmaster so that the citizens and adventurers here are treated with equal respect. It is the least we could do, after all that happened.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Bernadette said. “Though this might not be the right place for everyone, I can hope that some of us will find a home in this little piece of Liberté.”

“Now, can you tell me why Cassie wanted to check out the Black Box specifically?” Pauline said. “Like I understand that it is rumored to have rare technology, but so are many other Dungeons, Divine or otherwise.”

“Most of them didn’t have those rumors proved by Fallow,” Bernadette said. “Cassiopeia is very interested in the mechanical and scientific arts, much to the chagrin of many of our group.”

“I understand you lot have trouble reaching this town,” Pauline said. “Can you tell us a bit more about that?”

“It needn’t concern you, Guildmaster,” Bernadette said.

“Please,” the blue-haired elf said. “‘Pauline’ will suffice.”

The two women held a friendly and cordial conversation. Bernardette is convinced that those among her fellows who would choose to remain in the area would be treated well.

✦✦✦

The Dormarch party had set foot within the black box, in all its cadaverous glossy black and glowing glaucous glory. The blond-and-blue-haired girl marveled at the mechanical machinery on display here.

“That figures,” Makoto said with a sigh. “Had to be the gadgets.”

“Makoto,” Sid said to the young fox-eared girl. “Be nice.”

“You know Cassie here loves her technology. If it wasn’t here it’d be in some Fallow outpost,” Glenn said.

Cassie puffed her cheeks. “And what is that supposed to mean?” she said in a higher pitch. Her angered glare cowed Glenn into silence.

While the party explored the nanomachine-laden Dungeon, Noburu spied on the visitors from the shadows.

“Dormarches?” the tanuki man said with curiosity, he directed his eyes on Fukka and Molly, the foxed-eared pair among them. “And Kitsune? Fascinating.”

Fuuka noticed she was being watched, but as she looked towards the direction, she could find nothing there. Noboru had already retreated into the shadows.

“Is something wrong?” Molly asked the older woman.

Fuuka hesitated. “It’s nothing,” she said. She took out her staff cautiously. “Be careful guys, I can only appeal to the Administrators one so many times.” She looked at Glenn’s head.

“What?” the Bhargest said. His ebon armor gleamed in the blue light from the dungeon wall as he brandished his equably black sword. Half as long as he was tall, the sword was bathed in a menacing aura. “You think I can’t handle tank duty?”

“Well,” her sister opined as she took out her guitar. “The last time you tried, you faltered and let a swarm of rats overwhelm Fuuka.”

“That was last year!” Glenn said. “I’ve improved since then.”

“Not enough. You let a plant monster nearly eat Andy,” Makoto said. “Poor Molly still had nightmares from it.”

The white-haired twins timidly recoiled in fear.

“It was so long ago,” Glenn lied.

“It was last month!” Makoto said.

Glenn rolled his eyes. “Trust me, I can handle this,” he said with his usual crazed expression.

Andy approached Cassie. “Do you um-have barrier magic on you?” he said softly and with hesitancy.

“Hey!” Glenn said.

Cassiopeia checked her Stardeck. As per usual, all but twelve cards were transparent and near ethereal. Those that weren’t were her Astral Card and the deck of Eosphoros. Her beetle-shaped droned orbited her as she checked her cards. “No, I don’t think Taurus would help. Libra’s a no-go…” She checked the Columba and Pavo cards, then Monoceros, then Pictor, Chamaeleon, and Octans. Her assessment of the last few cards was similarly fruitless. “Nope!” she said cheerfully.

“The best cards defensively would be Columba and Chameleon,” Fuuka said. “One allows us to move around in stealth, the other can calm the aggression of enemies. Still both both rather unreliable here.”

Cassie placed her cards in the holster. The deck was instantly shuffled by its inherent magic, transposing the locations of the cards randomly.

“You never know,” Cassie said. “I’ve heard the cards could have different effects when applied to weapons or objects. Besides I brought some other things with me!” she took out a few gadgets of unknown purpose with her. Sid dreaded the use of the devices.

“Okay! I hate to say this, but it is better if he takes the tank job.” Sid said with trepidation.

“See!” Glenn said triumphantly. “She believes in me. The fox-eared girls were unamused.

Makoto rolled her eyes.

The group used Cassie’s beetle drones to scout out the area and distract some of he patrolling cells. With the opportunities granted by the artificer’s beetles, they had skipped past the initial wave of Cells.

✦✦✦

The party of Dormarches soon arrived at a chamber of illusions. Weaved by the sprites that resided in the Black Box. The walls were laden with images in warped perspectives that bleed into the walls.

“Illusion magic, huh?” Sid said. She touched a floating object that instantly became imprinted onto the walls in front of her. “Need to be careful with this room.”

“Yeah, yeah,” her brother said.

While the party searched the room for clues to solving its puzzle, Molly and Andy’s eyes caught a painting on one of the walls. The image depicted a flat representation of half a vortex.

“What’s this?” Andy said. The white-eared boy approached the image. Molly followed suit. Makoto meanwhile observed a floating object, a plastic sculpture that resembled the other half of the vortex. The fox-eared child pocketed the piece. “This will come in handy alter,” she said.

Cassie drew the Andromeda card. “Well this might come in handy,” she thought, she stored the card away for later.

Glenn and Fuuka kept an eye out for potential trouble. They heard the giggles of playful creatures around them.

“There should be a door somewhere around these parts,” Fuuka said. The fox-eared girl saw various painted blocks surrounding them, some jutted off the walls and ceilings, each depicting pieces of items that could materialize if viewed from the right angle.

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Sid saw several floating objects that seemed like they would fit with some of the images. Half of a mug, a quarter of a gear, the leg of a plush doll.

Makoto met up with Andy and Molly. “Find anything?” the fox-eared girl said.

“Nope,” Molly said with a sigh. Any looked back toward the image of the vortex but stayed silent.

The three children walked away. A block suddenly rose and tripped Makoto, as she fell, her piece flew out of the pocket and onto the ground. The object caught Andy’s eye and he picked it up.

“Oh, that?” Makoto said. “I thought it was— where are you going with that?”

“Andy?” Molly said to her brother. Andy had ran to the end of the room, where he saw the painted vortex. He took out Makoto’s object and tried to align it with the painting while the girls ran towards him. He eventually aligned the two halves, and the vortex whirled to live.

Makoto and Molly were trapped by a strong wind pushing them towards where the painting was. They cried out for help.

“What in the—” Sid said as she saw Molly and Makoto begin swept away, she tried to reach out from them but got caught in the winds as well. Cassie, Glenn, and Fuuka heard the noise but were too far away to stop them from being trapped in the painting.

Andy was also too far away to help, he could only watch as the three were sucked into the wall.

✦✦✦

Sid, Makoto, and Molly woke up in another room, laced with different illusions.

“Ugh,” Makoto said as she rubbed her neck. “That was a fall.”

“What did you do?” Sid said with an annoyed look.

Molly was too timid to speak, the Bhargest turned her gaze to the Kitsune. “Um, well. I don’t know. Andy took something and just ran off.”

Speaking of which Molly felt that her brother was simultaneously near and far. She looked around and saw a portrait of him embedded on one of the walls.

Meanwhile, Andy banged at the walls where his sister was painted.

“Andy!” Fuuka scolded. “You should know better than to mess with the illusions.”

“I’m sorry,” Andy said, tears streaming from his face.

Cassie noticed that beside the broken images of Sid was a painting of an arch, equally fractured.

“Glenn, can you—” Cassie is surprised to see that Glenn is already in battle with a spherical Cell. His black sword had cleaved the machine in two with a manic grin. He picked up something from the fallen droid. A piece of the archway Cassie was looking at. “Looking for this, princess?” the black-armored Bhargest said with a grin.

Cassie took the piece from Glenn and tried to find the other pieces. Though she found the right angle to view them, she noticed that several painted cubes were blocking the wall and that there were gaps in the painting. She beckoned one of her three drones. Distinguished with is large stag horn decorated by a floating ring and asked it to hold the piece in place.

“You can do it, Saturnus,” she said to the drone. The artificer’s companion took the piece and hovered in place.

At the same time, Sid tried to find a way out of the room she, Makoto, and Molly were in, but couldn't find anything, except more painted illusions. She first thought she had found a door, but it was just a very small tunnel that looked like it. Molly grew tired as she followed Makoto and Sid around.

“We must be getting further from the others?” Sid said.

“How so?” Makoto said. “I forgot.”

Said place her palm on her face. “You know that Molly and Antoine were Orthusians right?”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “As twins, they have a deep psychic connection that would cause them physical—” A realization dawned on the fox-eared girl. “Oh,”

Molly was on the verge of collapse. Sid carried the tired girl back to the other edge of the room. Makoto stumbled and tripped on a small cube, dislodging it and revealing a piece of an archway underneath. With Cassie’s group, the change was reflected there as well, the fragmented arch grew a little more complete.

Glenn observed the change and went to Fuuka, trying to console a worried and increasingly weary Andy. “Think they found one of the missing pieces.” He said with a smug grin as he pointed towards the revealed piece.

Fuuka had an idea. “Andy, give me your hand.” The white hair boy barely kept from further sobbing of tiredness. Extended his arm. The sleeve is filled with wool as fluffy as his hair the fox-eared woman placed her staff on it. “Oh Pathfinder,” Fuuka prayed, “Let us speak with those we had lost.” The prayer was a spell that used Andy and Molly’s connection to each other to communicate.

“Andy?” Molly’s voice echoed in her brother’s head.

“Are you okay?” Andy said, his voice, in turn, reached her in the other room.

“I’m fine,” the sister said.

“Antoine,” Fuuka said. “Repeat these words…” She then gave him instructions to relay to Sid’s group.

✦✦✦

Molly’s temporary telepathic communication with Andy allowed her to learn these instructions before the spell faded. She turned to the Dormarch bard. “We need to find pieces of an arch,” the fluffy-haired girl said.

“An arch?” Makoto said.

Sid looked around and saw among the scatted and warped images and broken objects was a large arched doorway. The pieces included that which Makoto’s clumsy stumbling revealed.

“You stay there, Molly,” Sid said. “It’s too dangerous right now.”

Makoto and Sid searched the room for the arch pieces, manifesting several objects and removing obstacles. Cassie and Glenn did likewise while Fuuka watched over Andy.

Makoto uncovered another piece of the arch, hidden behind another block. Sid found a piece floating on a cub suspended in the air. Glenn had defeated an encroaching Cell and recovered another arch piece. Cassie then asked her stag beetle drone, Heracles, and had it hold the piece in place. Soon the arch was complete and in the center of both rooms, a door materialized.

Both groups followed the new doorway and arrived at a third room. The twins' tails wagged in relief.

“Molly!” Andy cried as he hugged his sister.

Cassie looked over her three drones. Heracles, Saturnus, and Neptune, after a little tune-up, the blond-and-blue-hared Dormarch lead the group down the corridor.

✦✦✦

While the party of Dormarches were traveling the Black Box, Minerva helped Lydia tend to the children in their brood. One of the young spiderlings had approached her.

“Miss Minerva,” a young girl said. Her body was soaking wet from swimming in one of the Bleumaw’s lakes. Her head was concealed with a spherical web, the weave almost as transparent as azalea’s bubbles, and shimmered as morning dew. Dark indigo tresses were visible through the strands, as well as a freckled face with bright chartreuse eyes.

“What is it, Rosemary?” Minerva said to the child.

Rosemary used one of her legs to cut opening the tangle of silken fibers encasing her head. “Look at this web I made!” she said. “It let me breathe ten minutes longer than the last one.”

Minerva examined the discarded web. She knew that Rosemary was an Argyronetidae. A silver bell. The young girl beamed with pride as she saw Minerva look at the net.

Lydia approached Minerva and noticed the shimmering net in her hands. “Is that Rosemary’s?” she asked the other Arachne.

The young spider girl grinned. “It sure is,” she said. Her hair was cut in a bob with two stubby pink-streaked pigtails.

Lydia looked at the net and was surprised at the lack of holes in it, save the one she tore to free her head. “This net is…” the broodmother said in shock.

“I know, right?” Rosemary’s pride was as apparent as the freckles on her face.

Minerva stretched out the web and checked it for any blemishes, but could find only one other. “Did you have any trouble breathing Rosemary?” Minerva asked.

The spiderling shook her head. “Not at all.” She then recalled a specific movement during her little dive.

“Are you sure?” Lydia said.

“Well,” Rosemary said. “It did feel a little harder to breathe for a few minutes.”

Minerva handed the bell-like web back to Rosemary. “Some of the strands near the neck were clumped together, there is a risk of choking if the web is too tight.”

Rosemary was surprised to hear that. “Really?”

Minerva nodded. “But that is the only thing I could see. This web is an improvement over your previous one. Do not lose heart child.”

A now excited Rosemary thanks Minerva and is ushered away by Lydia. Elizabeth fluttered in.

“Hello Minerva,” the pink-haired fairy said.

“I take it the guests had arrived?” she asked.

Elizabeth nodded. “They are approaching the first arena now.”

“Guess, that’s my cue then,” Minerva followed the fairy.

On the way to the Tarantula construct, Elizabeth asked Minerva a question.

“Rosemary told me she wanted to go to Noir for the Monsoonfall diving competitions,” the fairy said.

“She did?” Minerva asked. “I wonder why she asked you.” Usually, it is Lydia who gets requests to accompany Emily or her friends out from the younger Arachne, Nina excluded.

“Well,” the fairy said. “Azalea led her to me, she found out that Emily and I were planning to go to Noir for the festival.”

“That makes sense,” Minerva said. “Why bring it up with me? I may lead the Archne that moved here following the Tarantulapolis incident, but I am certainly not a queen.”

“I figured I should bring it up,” Elizabeth said. “I understand that compared to other strains of [Arachne], The [Argyronetidae] were more aligned with [the Flood] and the sea than [the Giver] and the land.”

“Ah,” Minerva said. “You think she warrants special accommodations?” For the data downloaded and uploaded to Elizabeth’s mind, the young fairy knew now how most things work in practice. She knew that Rosemary and her subspecies of Arachne evolved certain abilities that the others did not.

“I think so,” Elizabeth said. “At least I think she might not be so accustomed to Noir. As far away from the tranquility of Rosenkreuz.”

The two arrived at the construct. Minerva faced Elizabeth. “Well, I think you should ask Rosemary herself for her opinion.” She recalled the netlike web the child handed her. “I think she might be able to handle the city Noir at least. But I would advise talking with Lidya about other dangers.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said with a bow. “And good luck,” she fluttered away. Minerva climbed into the cockpit of the upgraded and christened Athené. The head of the spider opened up and with it the mount. Minerva entered the machine and let the mount wrap over her lower body. The pod closed around her.

“Well, Athené,” Minerva thought. “Let’s show them what we can do.”

✦✦✦

The party of dormarches have arrived at the first arena.

“Alight!” Cassie yelled “And we have an hour and forty minutes to spare!”

“Okay, so what do you think about the place?” Fuuka said, her staff already in her hands.

“I love it,” Cassie excitably said.

“As expected,” Glenn said with the black sword in hand.

Makoto took out some knuckle dusters. “We better be ready,” the vulpine child said as she hopped in place. “Can’t let her falls-for-mimics-alot here hog all the fighting.”

“Hey!” the Bhargest said. “It was one time!”

“It was ten times in the last year alone,” Sid said as she strummed her guitar.

Andy giggled. Glenn’s eyelids lowered in amusement.

Molly reached into her bag and took out a small one-handed staff. “Is-is this the right weapon, Ms. Fuuka?”

The older Kitsune nodded. Andy took his own wand out in response.

“Draw!” Cassie said. She took a card from her Stardeck, the card was her Astral Card and her namesake.

“The mirror and the chain,” Cassie said. She whistled for her beetle drones. “Alright guys, are you ready to make Mama proud today?” she said with a forceful exuberance. The three drones beeped in affirmation of their creator.

The stag-horned beetle sensed something coming their way and turned.

“You sense something Saturnus,” Cassie said.

The ground rumbled beneath them. The ordered shakes of a large entity coming their way. The single-horned beetle Heracles changed into a larger form in anticipation of the emerging foe. The purple spotted beetle, Neptune, cowered behind Saturnus and Cassie.

The party saw a gigantic mechanical spider rush into the arena. The eight legs of the machine send shockwaves with each heavy step.

“That’s the first Sentinel?” Makoto said in shock.

“On your guard!” Sid said as she began playing her enfeebling music. Glenn already leaped forward with a pounce. Towards the machine.

Within the machine, Minerva piloted the Athené, saw the Bhargest knight rush toward her, and aimed its head to fire a ray. The attack propelled Glenn into the air with a small buster of wind. Glenn landed on his back and quickly stood back up.

Makoto tried to punch one of the Athené’s legs, but the pillar was unmoved by her strikes. Even with Sid’s music weakening the construct. The leg retaliated with a fire-aspected barrier. Each punch from the fox-eared girl was not met with intense heat. “Drat,” Makoto said.

Heracles and Glenn managed to get Minerva’s attention. Cassie rode atop the large stag beetle drone, trying to analyze the weaknesses of the boss. Neptune sneaked around with Molly and Andy riding it. The twins used their wands to cast a barrage of light and water spells at one of the legs when the pillar reflexively used ice magic to try to freeze them, They combined their elements to create a refractive barrier, dispersing much of the frigid magic and avoiding the most of it.

“Molly!” Andy said the pillar’s magic froze his legs to Neptune. Molly tried to use her water spells to melt the ice as Neptune carried them off.

Fuuka prayed to Anesidora to create an earthen ward against the Athené’s attacks. And then followed up by launching her barrage of spiked rocks conjured by her attunement to the Geosphere.

Glenn, knocked by the elemental attacks of the Athené’s pillar legs, grew more determined, and more bloodthirsty. He launched a flurry of slashes against friend and foe alike, to the fear and annoyance of Sid. She dodged one of her brother’s slashes. “Hey, watch it!” she said as the ebon sword slashed to an inch of her.

While Minerva was distracted by the party, Saturnus scaled the glowing leg. Yellow radiance assaulted it as it climbed the pillar, but Cassie had already used her Andromeda card to reflect the light and avoid the magic damage, albeit at the risk of alerting Minerva. The drone nearly made it to the top of the leg, and to a giant sphere at the joint. The yellow orb was analyzed by the beetle drone’s built-in instruments.

Heracles ended up fighting Glenn as well as the Athené. Cassie drew from her Stardeck and obtained the Telescopium card.

“Lovely,” the dormarch with the two-toned hairstyle said. The telescopic vision provided by the card was of little use to her as her mechanical mount locked its horn with Glenn’s sword and shied.

Minerva remained synchronized with the Athené, the Arachne pilot activated all of her legs and assaulted them with elemental attacks from all sides. The twins and Neptune were the first to fall, petrified by the Geopshere’s powers, Makoto was frozen by the Cryosphere. Cassie, Heracles, and Glenn were blinded by the Photosphere, and Sid was the Umbrapshere. Fuuka used her staff to conjure a spell to ward off the heat wave from the Pyrosphere but was left vulnerable to the winds of the Aerosphere. The Aquasphere then summoned a tidal wave that flooded the arena and sent the party careening to another part of the Dungeon.

Minerva was pretty satisfied with her work.

“Um, Minerva,” Emily Blake’s voice echoed to the Arachne.

“Yes, Emily?”

“The tsunami took them to the Coloraturas’s chambers,” the dungeon said.

“…I see,” Minerva said. Though the Athené had won, the dormarches are now close to the second boss, and Emily now has to reconfigure the path so that it can lead back to her.

✦✦✦

The dormarches washed up in another part of the Black Box. The dungeon made sure they weren’t killed as they ere flushed into another room. Andy and Molly’s stone bodies returned to flesh and the Orthusian twins were left with a splitting headache.

“Shouldn’t known he’d muck things up for us,” Makoto said.

“Excuse me?” Glenn said while shacking off his arms and voluminous black hair. “Who was it that decided to burn her fists?”

“Knock it off you two!” Fuuka said.

Cassie was a little disheartened that they lost. Sid went to her. “These things happen, no sweat,” the jonguler said.

“I know,” Cassie said. “I just didn’t expect it to be that…tough.” She then helped Fuuka stop Glenn and Makoto from more deliberate fighting.

The group looked around and saw that they were far away from the original arena, and yet were not repulsed back to the illusionary rooms. They lost not only the fight but their bearings.

Cassie noticed Saturnus. “What is it?” she said calmly.

The stag-horned beetle drone projected a holographic screen that depicted its findings the artificer was surprised at seeing the Athené’s weakness be something so simple. She turned to the group. “We still got time, ready to try again?”

“Not one to give up aren’t you,” Fuuka said.

“As expected from the adamant artificer,” Makoto said. “But sure, I’m in.” There was something about the Black Box and the Athené that appeared to the fox-eared girl.

“Think you can keep them from a good fight? “Glenn smirked.

“As long as it’s not with us,” Sid snarked to her brother. She then turned to her friend and leader “We’re with you Cass.”

“We-we’ll try our best!” Andy and Molly said simultaneously.

The pack of dormarches may have been defeated once here, but they were determined to see this through. Now that they were well and dried off, they continued to explore the Black Box.

✦✦✦

The Dormarch party traversed through the collection of corridors that careened over cloth webs. The sweet scent of toxins lingered in the air.

The party of dog-eared people looked around and saw shadows moving in the webs.

“A den of Jorogumo huh?” Fuuka said.

Sid’s brow furrowed upon hearing that. “The proper term is ‘Arachne’,” She said.

Fuuka ignored the Bhargest. “We’ll need to be very careful, this place is dangerous, I can sense it.”

Makoto sighed.

The party traveled through these webbed halls. They had encountered and defeated several Arachne warriors sent by the Dungeon. As they fought the arachnid demi-humans Glenn noticed the woman with the vulpine ears fight with a tinge of malice. Were it not for Guild regulations she would've murdered them without a second thought.

After the fight, the Dormarch knight approached Fuuka with a cheeky grin. “Still not telling them, huh?”

“Tell them what?” Fuuka said. “They can believe whatever they like.”

Glenn smirked. “You know no one people is a monolith, right?”

“Easy for you say,” Fuuka said. “You’re village wasn’t the one destroyed by these eight-legged monsters.”

“No, but people have accused us of worse,” Glenn said.

“Even if they are wrong, they are entitled to their opinions,” Fuuka said. The older Kitsune looked at Makoto as she expressed her fascination with the spiders and sighed. “I can only hope she learns the danger inherent in those vile beasts.”

Meanwhile, Makoto showed the twins one of the webs on the walls. “Wow, look at these webs. Those have got to be the work of Araneidae!”

Molly looked at the web Makoto pointed at. “Um, how can you tell?”

“Can’t you see the symmetry?” the fox-eared girl said. “The spacing between the threads?”

“I think so?” Andy said in a whisper.

“Sorry Makoto,” Molly said in a soft voice. “They kinda look like any other web to me?”

“Bah,” Makoto said. “You gusya re no fun?”

Fuuka’s annoyance at her younger friend’s fascination with Arachne and their webs are visible on her face. “Her father gave her the wrong impression,” she thought.

Glenn, behind his slightly crazed expression, held concern for Makoto. He feared that her hatred would blind her and lure her down a dark path.

Cassie looked around and saw a gap in the webbing. She had Neptune examine the bare wall. The purple beetle drone examined it and uncovered a hidden passage that led to a hidden chest.

“Score!” Cassie said excitedly. She had Heracles pick the lock with its horn and open the chest. Within was black clothing with iridescent lining and presents. Three robes, a coat, breeches, and four pairs of gloves. Glenn followed Cassie and was disappointed that there was no armor.

The group continued until they arrived a a dimly lit room.

✦✦✦

The party of dormarches wandered through the the Black Box.

“An hour and five minutes left before we get kicked out,” Glenn said.

Makoto looked around the corridor and saw the shadows move. She assumed a combating stance. “Everyone, stay alert,” the vulpine-eared girl said.

A group of shinobi emerged from the shadows, clad in a dark blue that camouflaged them against the wall of the dungeon. Fuuka prayed to Anesidora to create a restorative barrier around the party as they fight the ninjas.

Glenn locked blades with one of the shinobi, who notably had clockwork arms. His katana parried the Bhargest’s black sword with ease. Cassie directed Heracles to help Glenn with the ninja.

The battle was soon enveloped by mist, granting the ninjas an extra advantage. Under the cover of the fog, they stuck Sid, Molly, and Andy, and took them out of the fight. Fuuka had to heal their wounds and couldn’t fight off the ninja. Makoto, Cassie, her drones, and Glenn were the only ones still able to fight the ninja. Neptune assisted Makoto and Cassie rose on Saturnus through the mist.

“Get everyone to safety, Fuuka,” Cassie said as she took off on Saturnus. The beetle’s drone’s wings blew some of the mist away and Cassie was able to locate some of the shinoby. She remembered she stored the Andromeda card earlier and used it to bind a kunoichi in glowing chains.

“Hey!” the young ninja called. Her outfit was among only two that were decorated with strange objects. Now inaccessible due to her bindings. Another kunoichi tried to record her, but Cassie had ensnared her as well. She was the only other one with objects attached to her dark indigo get-up.

Saturnus was hut from a strike from below and it and Cassie landed on the ground. The cyan and blond-haired Dormarch looked at the origin of the attack, a ninja armed with naught but a wooden sword. The elder man looked at Fuuka and Makoto with interest before turning his eyes back at Cassie. “So you have Kitsune in your ranks?” he said with an intrigued expression.

Fuuka noticed the tone of the elder ninja’s voice. “It can’t be,” she wondered if that too was a Dormarch. The ninja turned his head to the woman with the fox ears and furrowed his brow. Fuuka was certain he had smirked. The elder took his wooden sword and attacked Fuuka. Her staff collided with the wooden blade.

“Obsidian,” she said. “Grant me the power to defeat this foe!” Her staff channeled intensive heat and the kitsune used it to repel the ninja. The staff had burned off part of his outfit, revealing the ears of a tanuki.

The battle continued until the shinobi retreated, ten minutes after the fight had started. The dormarches were surprised to have encountered shadow warriors like them.

“Ninjas?” Glenn said with incredulity. “I thought they were only found in Yae shoto!”

Fuuka’s mind turned to the Tanuki among them. “He seemed very experienced,” she said with intrigue. “What would’ve caused him to travel so far away from the isles.” She wondered if there was something or someone of great importance within the Black Box. As the dormarch party continued, her mind dwelled on the mystery of the ninja.

✦✦✦

Cassie and her party arrived in another dim room. Flat, circular, and large. The only light shining on it was from a few lamps on the walls and the corridor the dormarches emerged from.

“Guess it’s time for another boss,” Sis asked as she tuned her guitar.

A spotlight shone in the center of the room, a certain Lamia slithered into the light.

“Hark, travelers! You have done well to make it this far,” Rose said. The darkness obscured these wanderers from her eyes.

“Your journey ends here!” Raine said as she descended from above. The light expanded as she made her descend.

Cassie and Sid noticed the lamia looked and sounded familiar. A minotaur and centaur girl were the next to arrive, followed by a green-winged fawn and a girl with glasses and a cyan bob.

“It is time you faced the Coloraturas!” Hydrangea said as she looked over the dormarches.

Azalea swam into the arena. “Let’s have a wonderful time, wanderers,” the mermaid said.

Anemone was the last to arrive. By the time she entered the room was illuminated and she noticed Cassie and Sid were among the party. She was startled to see the two dormarches there.

“Um, Anemone?” Rose said. “What are you—” she turned and recognized two from the dormarches from their recent trip to Silvervale Crags.”

“We meet again, Anemone,” Cassie said with a somewhat playful smirk.

“You know these brats?” Fuuka asked.

“Some of them,” Sid said.

“We ran into their party in Silvervale Crags,” Cassie said.

Glenn unsheathed his blade and flashed a manic grin. “And you kids are Sentinels right?”

“Of course!” Clover said. “We help protect the dungeon from the—”

Strelitzia pushed Clover away as a black-colored blade carved into the floor. The two dodged the attack and looked at the black-armored Bhargest. Glenn flashed a menacingly manic grin.

Fuuka and Sid sighed. “Sorry about that,” Sid said as she took out her instrument. “My brother is very …eager. Still, since you are in the way…” She strummed a chord that began to enfeeble the Coloraturas.

Lily charged forward to intercept the black knight. Her spear against his sword. Hydrangea tried to freeze Glenn in his tracks, but the bespectacled girl was rammed by one of Cassie’s beetle drones.

Andy and Molly ran to a part of the arena where they were unseen by their eight opponents. There they tried to support the party, but as they took out their saves. Azalea emerged from in front of them.

“Hi!” the clionid said. “I’m Azalea. Nice to meet you.” She streched out ehr arm.

A hesitant Andy took the mermaid’s arm and gasped as it detached from her body and melted into water. Azalea manipulated the water trailing behind her and trapped the two Orthusians into a one-foot-deep puddle of molasses-like gel.

“Stick around why don’t you? “Azalea said as she rushed to join her friends. Molly used her staff to channel water magic and loosing her and her brother’s bindings.

Makoto rushed to attack Rose with her fists. Rose slithered away from the fox-eared pugilist’s blows and countered with sword slashes.

Cassie drew from her Stardeck and got the Monoceros card. She turned to Her Heracles beetle drone. “Let’s plow on through!” she yelled as she enchanted the drone with the card. The stag horn of the drone was enveloped in a glowing yellow light and with its new power, the drone rushed through the arena, bowling Clover and Hydrangea over as it charged at Lily.

Lily used her spear to deflect the horn of the beetle drone. The centauride and drone clashed while Glenn tried to launch a sneak attack. Anemone used her arrows to pin his shadow in place and tried to assist Lily against the Heracles drone.

Molly used her magic to free herself and her water and direct the water toward Azelia who was currently hindering Sid and distracting her from her music. The two twins channeled light magic into blinding the clionid.

The battle raged for several minutes, but the Dormarches were able to edge out a victory. Fuuka had healed everyone as they tired out the Coloraturas, Clover was the first to fall, as Neptune avoided her winds and countered with water pulse. Heracles prevailed in his duel with Lily and also took Streltizia out of the fight. Molly and Andy worked to banish Azalea to the edge of the arena, her eyes clouded by brilliant light. Along with Sid they then helped Makoto fend off Rose.

Hydrangea and Anemone were the only ones of the Coloraturas still standing. Hydrangea tried to freeze the dormarches, but the twins used their powers to refract the spell and cause the ice to form away from them. Cassie drew a card and empowered Saturnus and Heracles with it, allowing them to cut through the ice. Anemone attempted to stop the drones, but her arrows always missed their shows and the light from their horns prevented her from landing on them. The two girls were soon felled by the artificer’s beetles.

The Coloraturas were defeated, and their bodies began to fade into dust. Cassie approached anemone’s body with a kind smile. “No hard feelings, right?”

It was normal for them to be defeated often. As Sentinels, the Colroturas were tasked with helping the dungeon funnel items into the hands of adventurers, and for testing their worth for them. The witches’ bodies soon turned into gold dust, to be routed to another part of the Black Box for restoration of their bodies. A chest soon materialized in the center of the arena.

Molly and Andy opened the chest with some hesitancy. They discovered spools of dreamcloth and ingots of silver. Alongside chakrams and a shield.

“Alright!” Glenn said as he took the shield. “Been wanting one of these!”

“You were way too rough with those kids!” Fuuka said.

“They’ll be back, right?” Glenn said.

The party moved deeper into the Black Box, unaware that the Dungeon had decided to reroute them toward a rematch.

✦✦✦

The dormarch party continued their adventure for a half hour. Leaving them with twenty minutes left before they are ejected by the Dungeon herself.

Speaking of which, Emily and Elizabeth observe the progress of the party of dog and fox-eared warriors.

“They fared well against the Coloraturas,” Emily’s voice echoed to the fairy.

Elizabeth noticed something about their guests. “You recall that [Dromarches] tend to be wanderers right?” the fairy said.

“Yes,” Emily said in a confused tone. “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” Elizabeth said. “I heard mentions that, if they have reason to, like say something to protect, they would be more likely to stay in one place and settle down. Some claim that their wanderings are in search of such a purpose after they were bereaved of their homes.”

“Bereaved of their homes?” Emily asked.

Elizabeth nodded. “Those that had settled the land was not kind to the [Dormarches] that lived here. Nor were they kind to those that lived in [Erebus] either. It is said that they walk in search of a new home. It is also said that they walk out of fear that those that took it from them would do so again, or worse.”

Emily stayed silent for a few minutes, ruminating on what had befallen the ancestors of their guests. “Why bring this up, Lizzie?”

“I think that some of them might have discovered a new home. That something, whether it be in nearby Rosenkreuz or inside you yourself, is calling them here. That would explain why those two lingered in the town since Allowstide.”

Emily is surprised to hear that. She recalled how she took in the sprites that escaped demise at the hands of the Baron Roberts.

“Anyway,” Elizabeth said. “Why did you reroute them back to Minerva and the [Athené]?”

“Oh!” Emily said. “I-I figured that Minerva might need to be more used to the upgrades. Sarah had changed a lot about the construct.”

“That she did.”

Tim approached Elizabeth, his expression had a surprising lack of annoyance for one who learned that he wouldn’t be fighting anyone this time.

“Here to watch?” Emily playfully said to the martial artist.

“It couldn't hurt,” Tim said. “Heathcliff is heading to the guild to talk with the leader of that little caravan right now.”

“Ever the opportunist,” Elizabeth said.

“Did you tell him?” Emily said to the fairy.

Elizabeth shook her head. “I wanted to wait until after the run is over,” she said. She then mused on the Crimson Hound’s title.

Emily, Tim, and Elizabeth observed the Dormarches as they approached the first, and the last, Sentinel of their run.

✦✦✦

Cassie and her party arrived at a familiar arena.

“Did we just went in circles?” Fuuka asked with an annoyed tone.

“That is strange,” Cassie said.

“That whole thing is strange,” Sid said. “We were supposed to be sent back to the beginning after we washed out.”

The group surveyed the arena and found subtle remnants of their battle with the Athené. Cassie remembered the data her drones were able to procure from the last encounter. That experience would give them an advantage in the event of a rematch, but she also knew that, with forty minutes left, they wouldn't have time to finish the run if they were forced into a rematch.

“Let’s head back,” Cassie said. “We might have missed another—”

Everyone looked at the entrance and found it had vanished. The walls had shifted and sealed them within the arena. The dormarches’ tails wagged in a twitching motion as they heard the giant footsteps of a certain Sentinel.

Minerva, piloting the Athené, leaped into the arena. The eight pillar-like legs caused shockwaves that rippled through the floor. Andy was sent flying by the shockwaves.

“Andy!” Molly cried for her brother as he landed near the pillar emitting lightning magic. As Andy was shocked by the arcing electricity, Molly felt the same pain as he did. The boy stood out and and tried to channel water magic to protect himself, but the lightning coursed through it and shocked him, and his sister by proxy, harder.

Cassie drew from her Stardeck again and revealed the Taurus card. “Looks like someone wants us to have a rematch,” Cassie said with feigned cheer. She summoned Neptune and loaded the card onto her. The purple ladybug drone sprouted horns from its head, ethereal and glowing with Eosphoros’ light. Cassie mounted the drone and charged toward one of the spider’s legs, testing an idea she had.

Glenn, Makoto, and Heracles charged in their own directions, seeking to distract the Athené and its pilot from attacking the others, while Fuuka rushed to heal the twins.

“You need to stay away from those pillars,” the kitsune woman’s aid. “They’re dangerous.

“We’re sorry,” Andy said. Though it was not his fault the child felt the need to apologize to her.

Fuuka looked at the tearful twins and comforted them as she tended to their wounds. She prayed to Obsidian to make a wall of volcanic glass to prevent the lightning from striking them.

Cassie and Neptune scaled the leg emitting earth enemies. Dodging the stones launched by the pillar. They scaled it and found its joint, bright and orange with the power of the Geopshere.

“Okay, girl,” Cassie said. “You can do it.” With those words of encouragement and the power of the Taurus card, Neptune rammed into the sphere and smacked it into pieces. The pillar was severed from the rest of the Athené and began to collapse. Neptune flew Cassie away from the crumbling leg.

Glenn howled with excitement as he slashed at drones sent by the Athené, cutting through the additional enemies with his pitch-black sword and a wild smile on his face. He was barely fazed by the collapse of the leg around him.

Sid played a little ditty that channeled the wind to blow the drones away from her as Cassie landed near her. “There is a weak spot at the joints!” her excitable companion said with gleeful panting breaths.

“Think those borgs can give us a lift?” Sid said as she strummed her chord against the opposing drones.

“They’re drones, Sydney,” Cassie retorted. She drew from her Stardeck and obtained the Pavo card. She summoned Saturnus and Heracles to her side. Sid mounted Saturnus and Cassie sent Heracles to Fuuka, and the twins.

“Hey, dumbass!” Sid called to Glenn during a solo as Saturnous fluttered towards the bhargest. “Get on!”

Glenn repelled another three drones as he mounted Saturnus.

Heracles arrived neat to Fuuka, Andy, and Molly, the three mounted the beetle drone. Fuuka had soothed Andy’s wounds. The lightning leg had begun to move and chase Heracles. Satrunus picked up Makoto before making its ascent

✦✦✦

With the drones mounted, Cassie used her card. The sigil of Pavo formed behind her and transformed into a glowing array of eyes reminisce of the tail of a peafowl. Blinding light followed the opening of each eye. The light prevented Minerva from seeing the beetle drones calling the legs of water, fire, and lightning.

Saturnus, with Sid, Glenn, and Makoto, arrived atop the pillar of water.

“So we just attack that blue thing?” Makoto asked.

“That’s what Cassie said,” Sid said before strumming her guitar.

“Works for me!” Glenn said.

The three attacked the joint with a combination of punches, sword slashes, and Bardsong, until it shattered and cut the pillar of water off from it.

Heracles, with Fuuka, Molly, and Andy, arrived atop the pillar of lighting.

“Follow my lead,” Fuuka said as she mentioned her staff for a special healing spell, channeling water. Molly followed her mentor’s movements, and Andy followed suit. With the motion of the staff, water enveloped the magenta joint twice over.

“Oh lady Astra,” Fuuka said. “Strike down with the fury of the stars!”

“Oh lady Astra,” Andy and Molly said in unison, “grant us the boon of your radiance.” The prayer created a thin film of light as they lifted their spears in synchronized casting. The twin cast light hovered above.

“Halcyon,” Fuuka said. “Mother of the waves. May your frozen waters guide us to victory.” Ice began to form in midair around the electrified leg. The arcs of lightning broke through the frost, but some hovered in midair.

“Now!” Fuuka said.

The timid twins raised their light above the leg and caused it to explore the remaining floating ice transformed into mirrors that caused the lightning to curve upwards. Fuuka then instructed the twins to make a refractive barrier to protect them as the thunderous bolts were routed to strike the pink sphere. The orb was unable to take the voltage from its own pillar and was destroyed. Heracles flew them to safety.

Neptune alone flew to the joint binding the leg of fire to the rest of the Athené. Minerva had attempted to shoot it with lasers, but the light from the eyes of Pavo threw off her accuracy. Neptune dodged each errant beam, trying to lure the Athené into severing the leg of fire.

It dodged every laser with a mind hopped up on fear and the equivalent of adrenaline for drones. Minerva focused on trying to hit the purple beetle drone. Eventually, Neptune succeeded in getting the Sentinel to land a hit on the crimson flame joint, and cut itself off from the power of fire.

The Athené is reduced to four legs, and Minerva realized her folly as Cassie’s Pavo card fades. With thirty minutes left, Minerva attempted to use her remaining pillars against the party. Cassie coordinated her drones and teammates to cleave apart the legs of Light, Wind, and Ice. With only one leg left, Minerva struggled to balance herself and the Athené collapsed under its weight. The mech and pilot varnished into gold dust.

“We did it!” Cassie cheered in triumph.

“You know we have to fight three unique Sentinels, right?” Sid said.

“Not like we can make it to the third in less than twenty,” Fuuka said with a sigh.

Neptune descended into the ground. “You did great sweetie,” Cassie said to the frightened drone. The three beetles shrunk down to the size of scarabs.

The party approached the chest that emerged at the center of the room. They obtained several Bismuth swords and the usual pile of coins.

“What do you think?” Cassie said regarding their trip.

“Um, well,” Molly said.

“Maybe this can wait until tomorrow?” Andy said.

“Antoine’s right, Cass,” Sid said. “We can mull it over back at camp.”

“Ah, alright,” Cassie said with a faint smile.

The group left the Black Box, and though they had failed to defeat three unique Sentinels, they felt content with their accomplishments there. Conquest was never the goal for this group, but rather the answer to the question that drove their cross-country journey. And for most, they have found their answers.

✦✦✦

A few days later, Emily and Heathcliff had arrived at the Rosenkreuz guildhall again.

“So you think the Dormarches will be staying here, cher,” the knight asked.

“I don’t know,” Emily said. “Elizabeth mentioned it as a possibility.”

The day before, Pauline had asked Emily about her decision to have them fight the same Sentinel twice in a row. The elven guild master was concerned that the Athené might have been too rough with their canine guests.

Marialicia greeted the avatara and the Dungeon Master. “Good morning!” she said vivaciously.

“Morning, Marialicia,” Emily said.

“Pauline will be with you shortly,” the recent receptionist said. “She said there is something she wants you to meet.”

“Oh?” the purple-haired girl said.

“Interesting,” Heathcliff smirked coyly. Emily turned her head to the black-and-red-armored knight.

A while later Pauline arrived. “There you are!” the blue-haired elf said. Her expression was a little stern. A rare sight for Emily. “Come with me, dears.”

Beads of sweat suddenly trickled down Emily’s face. The two walked towards a table next to a window in the lobby.

“Do you think she’s mad?” Emily asked.

Heathcliff noticed Emily’s nervous expression. “Pauline?” the knight said calmly.

Emily nodded.

“Give it some time, Emily,” Heathcliff said calmly. “She isn’t one to hold grudges.”

Pauline arrived with a furrowed brow. “There they are,” she said. Emily noticed that Cassie and Sid were with the elf.

“Hello there,” Cassie said. Her drones and the gizmo she used at Silvervale Crags were on full display. “Remember me?”

“O-of course!” Emily said.

“These two have something important to say to you,” Pauline said.

Sid looked at Heathcliff and noticed the canine imagery on his red pauldrons and shield.

Cassie, like Pauline, had an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face. “Pauline told me you were a Dungeon Core, the Black Box’s right?”

Emily turned her head to the elf, who remained stone-faced. The avatara raised an eyebrow.

“I figured they had to know,” Pauline said. Her tone cut through the air. Emily was certain she was in trouble.

“Um, I am?” she said nervously.

I see,” Cassiopeia said. “In that case I…”

Emily held her breath. She wasn’t sure what would happen next.”

“…would like to ask you to take me and my friend’s son!” Cassie’s hereunto serious expression morphed into her usual exuberance smile.

Emily was taken aback. “Say what?”

Pauline tried to stifle a chuckle. “Seems like we scared her too much dearie,” the elf said.

Emily had a baffled expression. She turned to Heathcliff.

“Hey, I tried to warn them,” Heathcliff said. “But the leader of that caravan insisted.”

“…You know I’m not in trouble?” Emily said.

“Emily,” Pauline said. “The adventurers here know what they were getting into before they arrived. If they were unprepared, that was on them. This band of Dormarches is no different.”

Emily’s face blushed with embarrassment.

“So you want to join our humble crew?” Heathcliff asked.

“Was I not clear?” Cassie asked.

“Well, no,” Emily said, still not over the prank. “But why?” She said with awareness of the possibility of the Dormarches abandoning their nomadic lifestyle to live here.

“Why not?” Cassie said. “I’ve been here for a couple of weeks now and it’s clear your town would be a great place to live. Makoto wouldn't stop talking about the webs of your Arachne friends. Andy and Molly wanted to meet the Coloraturas…”

“And Glenn is just eager to fight a spearman he had heard about,” Sid said with annoyance. “As for me, someone has to make sure they don’t get into trouble.”

“Oh yeah, Fuuka’s mind was on your ninja pals as well,” Cassie said.

Emily didn’t know how to respond to the request. Heathcliff and Pauline assured her that it was her choice whether to take them on board or not.

“Well, we could always use more people around,” Emily said with a little awkwardness.

“So you’ll do it?” Cassie’s tail wagged with excitement.

“Hold on, lassie,” Heathcliff said to Cassie. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“You haven’t explained why you want to join us,” Heathcliff observed.

“Oh,” Cassie said. “I told you I’m an artificer right?”

“Yeah,” Emily said.

“I just have a feeling that my skill might be more useful here than on the road,” Cassie said. “Can’t achieve much when people think of you as a techno-hobo or worse a techno-barbarian. And I have a good feeling about you and your Cells, you know?”

“Isn’t that just a normal barbarian?” Pauline asked. Emily was confused by her question.

“That’s not the point!” Cassie said. She turned to Emily, her eyes quivered pleadingly.

“I guess it’s no problem?” Emily said.

“Yippee!” Cassie said.

“On one condition though,” Emily said. “Please, no more fake-outs.”

“Okay!” Cassie said. “Sorry about that,” she punctuated with a giggle.

“Is there anyone else that we should know about?” Heathcliff said.

“Some of the Dormarches had decided to stay in the town proper,” Pauline said. “We’re helping them construct housing at their campsite right now. The rest of the caravan is still considering it, but they will leave around the end of Undecember.”

“So it’s just you and your party of seven?” Emily said.

“That’s about right,” Sid said.

“Hey, don’t forget about them!” Cassie said as her three beetle drones orbited her.

“Oh, right, the borgs,” Sid said playfully.

Cassie puffed her cheeks. “Sydney. I do not know why you insist on calling them ‘borgs’!” she said.

Emily couldn't help but laugh at Cassie’s arguing with Sid about what to call the artificer’s robots. “I’ll tell Sarah about your arrival,” she said. “I’m sure she and Richard will appreciate the extra help.”

The conversation continued for an hour before Emily and Heathcliff left. By the end of the day the seven Dormarches were introduced to the other residents of the Black Box, and Emily now has that many more people that called herself home.