Almost a week later, snow fell upon the Black Box.

“Achoo,” Rose sneezed as she slithered around with clothing as warm as Elizabeth could find. “Emily can you please warm up a little?” the lamia whined.

“I’m sorry Rose,” the dungeon’s voice echoed to the pink-pigtailed girl. “I’m trying my best.”

The cerulean foliage of the Bleumaw had either frozen solid or vanished from the branches of the trees. Several of the creatures there and in the nearby forests had retreated to their caves, nests, and dens for hibernation.

Rose tried to keep herself warm. The witch had come across a “brilliant” idea. With a mischievous smirk, she focused on a simple spell.

Meanwhile, Heathcliff, Esteban, and Julia were nearby, tending to a recent matter.

“Welcome aboard,” the knight said to some stranger. Ewerans as noted by their bulbous bells. “Now mademoiselles if I may ask for your names?”

One of them responded. “This is Molly Bob, Holly Ray, and I’m Debbie Bob.” The leader of the trio said. “Thank you so much for taking us in.”

After that, the three swam past the knights as a Cell led them to their new housing within the Black Box.

Elizabeth arrived. “So these are the [Ewerans] you told us about?” the fairy asked.

Esteban nodded. “Julia found them homeless in the underground. The Ebony Guards told them that with increased Dollkeeper activity in Noir, they could not be safe there.”

“It’s the third group this month,” Heathcliff said. “They must’ve been pretty active to force them out like this.”

“There has to be more to it than that!” Elizabeth said.

“Indeed,” Julia said. “With Monsoonfall over, the Syndicate should have less reason to target them specifically.”

The group heard a large yell from the room next door. Out of concern, Esteban went to check in on the resident and found one singed Lamia for his troubles. Azalea and Clover also heard Rose’s cry of pain and went to the room.

“Rosie,” Clover said disapprovingly. “You zapped yourself again?”

Rose was too embarrassed to respond. The scorched flesh was telling enough. Esteban was more surprised.

Azalea noticed the Rouge’s expression. “Shocking isn’t it?” she quipped. “Rose sometimes tries to use her magic to warm up this time of year.”

“I see,” he said with a knowing sigh.

Hydrangea and Raine walked in. “Look what we got!” the latter said in a sing-song tone. Rose looked at her friends and made an expression that said “Oh Administrators please no!”

The red-ponytailed and red-feathered girl had in her hands a coral pink blanket, with the limbs of a teddy bear attached at the corners and the head on the seam between the arms.

“Silly Rosie,” Raine said. “You left this in Noir.”

The lamia shivered from cold and emotion. “Where did you g-g-get that?”

The other Coloraturas, Strelitiza, Anemone, and Lily, walked in. Lily gasped at the sight of the blanket.

“Is that the ‘Mr. Snuggiekins’ blankie!” the blond centauride said.

Rose’s face grew red from embarrassment.

“Jacquelyn had it sent here,” Hydrangea said with a stoic smile. “She found it while she was cleaning up the diner.”

“Richard and I had gone to great trouble to fix the holes in there,” Raine said. Her smile as cheeky as it is nostalgic. “Try to take good care of it next time Rosie.”

Among the effects brought by the Coloraturas from Noir to the Black Box, Mr. Snuggiekins was not one of them. The blanket was one of the last remnants of Rose’s old home, yet as she aged, she felt she had outgrown it. At current the abject embarrassment was on display as she timidly slithered to the phoenixian girl and claimed it.

A while later, Rose donned the blanket, finding the embarrassment slightly more preferable to the biting cold. Emily had to stifle a giggle upon seeing the serpent-tailed girl cowled by a blanket befitting a girl younger than even Nina. The blanket was draped over her tail as she slithered to Esteban.

The rouge shot a silent stern look at Raine. “Raine…”

Raine stifled chuckles as she looked at the azure-clad rouge. “What?” she asked. “I wanted to return a lost item to her is all.”

Esteban sighed.

Hydrangea had turned to read another of her novels. A thriller about the murder of a captain on a cruise ship. She sat next to Azalea as she read her novel. The young girl made a melancholic expression as she turned the page of her book.

✦✦✦

Atsuko was in another part of the Black Box, checking on the Takarabune for maintenance. She observed the various instruments of the craft and checked for any defects.

As the nekomata tinkered with the ship, she heard an exuberant cry of “hello!” She looked at the source of the cry.

It was Cassie.

“Oh,” the teal-haired girl said. “What brings you here?” she said with trepidation.

“I just finished helping the dwarves out with their little project!” the dormarch said. “Today’s work is done, but the thing won’t be done until right before Spring.”

“Ah,” Atsuko said. “That doesn't answer my question.”

“I heard you are looking into enhancing items?” Cassie said with a great smile.

“Didn’t we tell you about microdungeons already?” Atsuko said with confusion.

“Well, I was wondering if you could take a look at a special item for me?” Cassie said pleadingly.

“A special item?” the cat-eared woman said with intrigue, “What kind of ‘special item?’”

“Flameshearth is in a few days!” Cassie said, punctuated with a small “arf”. “There is this tradition about—”

“…an idol of the forgemaster,” Atsuko finished. “Adventurers frequently use hammers and volcanic glass for this.”

“Mm’hmm,” Cassie nodded. “They are tribute to the Forgemaster for continuing to keep us warm in the winter.”

“I also heard that the idol is often used to ignite a fire for which people make Flamesheart dinners over,” Atsuko said. “Why bring all of this up.”

Cassie presented the idol. A sledgehammer that bore instructions depicting the Administrators and his forge within the star’s core. The handle was immaculately crafted from the wood of ash trees. The head was made of simple steel but shaped with precisions and attention to detail. “I made it myself! Though Sarah gave me some tips ehe. I want to ask if maybe this could be enhanced.” Her tail wagged with excitement as she spoke.

Atsuko examined the hammer. “Interesting,” she said. “I should remind you that newly crafted weapons lead to microdugneons that aren’t as influenced by the mana of their owners. If you were hoping to find any specific qualities there you may be disappointed.”

“It’s still worth a shot!” Cassie exclaimed. “Please?”

Atsuko mulled on the idol for a few minutes. “Alright,”

The dog-eared artificer inhaled a large breath…

“Tomorrow,” Atsuko said.

Cassie exhaled in slight disappointment.

“Sorry,” the nekomata said. “But the Takarabune needs to be in tip top shape for this.”

Cassie glanced at the vessel behind Atsuko, the gleaming ship used as part of the apparatus for traveling to the microdungeons. The sleek shape of the vessel had captivated the Dormarch.

“One last thing, we will need you to come with us,” Atsuko said. “So far our ventures need the owner of the item present with us for success.”

“Will do!” Cassie said. “Hank you,” her last words before she ran off in giddy excitement. Atsuko returned to tending to the Takarabune.

✦✦✦

The next day, Atsuko has gathered Emily and several others around for the voyage into the microdungeon of Cassie’s idol.

“Why is is so chilly today?” Rose complained. Her tail was draped in the embarrassing bear blanket.

“That is a good question,” Elizabeth said. “Is it a [Mana Infection]?

“But I don’t feel sick!” Emily’s voice said to those gathered here.

“We might need to check for any signs of cataclysms nearby,” Atsuko said. “The Pyrosphere alone might not be enough to ward off temperatures this cold. Anyhoo, do you know about the current expedition?”

“Something about an idol, right?” Rose said.

“One to the Forgemaster I would presume,” Hydrangea said.

Atsuko nodded she turned to Saizo to elaborate.

“Lady Atsuko had decided to explore of of our recent resident’s items at her request,” the shinobi said.

“That’s me!” Cassie interrupted. “I’m the resident ehe.” Her mouth was agape with whimsical anticipation.

“Correct,” Saizo said.

“This is somewhat different from usual,” Sarah said, with her own idol in hand. “These were not weapons or armor, not traditionally at least.”

“That is true,” Atsuko said. “Part of the purpose of this expedition is for me to gauge how and if it items of that nature could be enhanced through the microdugneons.” Her ringletted twin-tails twirled as she turned towards the Takurabune. “It’s also a convenient excuse for me to test the updates as well.”

“What updates,” Sarah asked.

“You’ll see when we get there,” the nekomata said with a crafty smirk. “Now we still have time before we go, so feel free to ask Saizo and me if you want to go.”

“Can’t we go now?” Rose said. “I’m sure it’ll be warmer than here.”

“Oh c’mon, Rosie,” Azalia said. “Can you really bear to be apart from Mr. Snuggiekins?”

The lamia showed an annoyed glance at her clionid friend. “I can manage, thank you.,” she said in a petulant tone.

The group dispersed to go about their activities until the quest is ready. Among whom, Sid and Cassie went to check on the other Dormarches, particularly Andy and Molly. The Coloraturas went with the other children to school. Tim returned to the Core room to check on a certain fixture.

✦✦✦

At the core room, Tim observed Emily’s Furnace. A faint glow is seen within the gleaming silver frame of the manifestation of Emily’s current stage. He knows that the two of them were still in Albedo and that the next stage is Citrinas.

“Something wrong, Timmy,” Emily’s voice echoed to her first Sentinel.

“No,” Tim answered. “Just meditating,” he lied.

Emily noticed he was looking at the furnace. “Do you think this could be used as…well.”

“I’m not sure,” Tim said. “This is a symbol of your cultivation. If it could be used to warm yourself, I am not sure.”

“Do you feel cold, Tim?” Emily said with a somewhat insecure tone.

“Not really,” Tim said. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s just…well I…I’m not sure if I’m providing enough care to everyone is all.”

“Ah,” Tim said. He knows she is doing the best she can. “Do you know that Rose is cold-blooded?”

“Cold-blooded?” Emily said. “But she is usually kind, if a little sassy.”

“You’re thinking of ‘cold-hearted’,” Tim said. “Lamias can generate a little body heat, but it is only in their torsos. Their longer serpentine tails are incapable of it, and with the heat being dispersed through the tail the torsos is but a stand of a cow’s hair among the heard.”

Emily is a little disturbed by that knowledge. Especially since she knew she and the other Coloraturas went to a certain cold Manor for the Cryosphere. “How do they survive?”

“Well,” Elizabeth fluttered in. “Among their own communities, [Lamias] usually hibernate in the winter, but those that live among other people, like Rose, no longer had the option. As such they tend to rely on other means. Enchanted blankets, thicker clothing, and clinging to furrier creatures are common ones. Of course, those with access to a [Pyropshere], [Aquasphere], or [Electropshere] would be the exception to their poikilothermia, as they can use magic to generate heat instead.”

Emily is a little relieved to hear that.

“..but,” Elizabeth said. “Rose’s powers had gone haywire whenever she tried to use her magic in that way. I’m not sure why that is, it is very abnormal given her higher-than-average experience.”

Emily is a little surprised to hear that.

✦✦✦

Meanwhile, Rose is getting ready for school. She took a look at Mr. Snuggiekins and sighed. The temperature is lower than comfortable for her, but she is reluctant to bring her reclaimed blanket with her to school.

“People would laugh at me if they saw this,” Rose thought. Her experience with her friends’ snickers was already proof of that. She heard a knock on the door.

“Come in!” the lamia said.

Raine entered the room where Rose’s clothes lied. “It’s almost time for school, Rose,” she said in a somewhat annoyed tone.

“I know,” the pink-haired girl said to the red-haired kinnari.

“You still feeling cold?” Raine said as she looked at the blanket.

“I think I can—” Rose sneezed. “Manage.”

Raine didn’t believe Rose’s lie. “Come here,” said as she picked up Mr. Snuggiekins.

“Hey!” Rose said as she saw her friend pick the bear-motifed blanket and wrapped it around her tail. She struggled to break free of her hands as she deftly wrapped the blanket around her tail and fastened it tightly. “There you go!”

Rose attempted to remove the blanket, now a cape, but the rims had runes engraved that sealed its placement on Rose’s scaly tail. “Runes? Raine, what did you do?”

“I had Richard sew them on the way, just in case,” Raine said sternly.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Rose said like a spoiled child. “I can’t be seen like this. I’d die of embarrassment!”

“Better than death of cold,” Raine said in her usual belligerent tone. “Even if we can be resurrected, I don’t want you getting ill and dying of it. Or trying to shock yourself every time you feel cold.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Easy for you to say, you can generate enough heat to warm a small town.” Her voice tinged with the cold tone of envy. After a few moments spent grumbling she followed Raine to school, shying away from the mocking eyes of her peers along the way.

✦✦✦

Raine and Rose arrived at their homeroom, and they took their decks. Her cheeks were adust with blush as she slithered past snickering classmates. She noticed Hydrangea sitting nearby.

“Hey Hydra,” the lamia said as she took to her desk. The homeroom teacher, Mr. Daniels, was late today.

The cyan-bobbed girl looked at Rose and noticed her bear-emblazoned blanket before turning at her face. “So, ‘fearless leader’,” she said. “You want to explore a microdugneon today?”

Rose nodded, hoping that the topic would take her mind off the mockery behind her back, and of the bitter cold. “Yep! You wanna come with?”

“I suppose it is worth exploring,” Hydrangea said as she put her book away. Her tone was more melancholic than usual. Rose and Raine both picked up on it.

“You feel down lately, Hydrangea,” Rose said. “Something on your mind?”

“Rose,” Raine said. “It’s almost Flameshearth, remember?”

“I know that Ra—oh,” Rose remembered something about her friend.

“I’m fine,” the bespectacled girl said. “I already made my peace since we left the Cocytus Manor,” she said.

“Hydra,” Raine said. “You know you can talk to us about…that.”

“There is nothing I haven’t told you about them,” Hydrangea said. They knew that her parents had vanished after the Cycle’s Turn and that their correspondence with her had ceased around Flameshearth years after. For this reason, they were considered bereaved.

The other five Coloraturas arrived and greeted the other students. Lily complimented the blanket wrapping Rose’s tail again, oblivious to how humiliated the lamia was by the presence.

A while later Mr. Daniels arrived along with three new students.

“Good day, students,” the Arachne teacher greeted. “Today I would like to introduce three new members of our class.”

Three dormarch children walked to the front of the classroom. One Kitsune and an Orthosian pair.

“Hello!” the young kitsune said. “My name’s Makoto!” she said in a slightly brazen tone. Her two friends were more quiet and comparisons.

“A-Antoine,” the male twin said. His ears drooped with trepidation as his tail wagged. “You can call me Andy.”

“My name’s Molly,” the female twin said. Her curly silver hair stood on end from shyness. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all!”

The three Dormarches were directed to their seats. Andy and Molly were directed to desks behind the Coloraturas’ while Makoto sat in the one behind them. The class began with little incident as Mr. Daniels told the students about Flameshearth and its origins as a cultural holiday.

✦✦✦

After the homeroom class ended. Hydrangea took her literature reports out of her bag on the way to her next class. Various notes on the stories she had read in articulate detail filled the notebook she took out of her bag. Today her teacher wanted to discuss the Astrapios, a book of books centered around the Admistrators.

Along the way, she bumped into Rose again. She saw the young lamia flustered by the reaction to the blanket draped around her tail.

“Have you finished your homework last night? “Hydrangea asked.

“Homework?” Rose said.

Hydrangea sighed. “The report on Chiaroscuro,” she said.

“Oh, yeah I did,” the pink hair girl said. “Wanna see.” She took out her notebook.

Hydrangea looked over the scrawls and scribbles on the pages. “Rose…” she said with a sigh over the atrocious handwriting. Unhelped by the edges being scorched from the occasional lightning strike. “Do you understand what the book is about?” she asked.

Rose thought about it. “A detective was investigating the murder of a visiting princess in the Etrurean city of Orestea. Having interrogated the local baker, his daughter, the butcher, and someone connected to the mob. He explored the dark underbelly of Orested trying to find the truth and found out that her butler was part of a conspiracy to incite war between her homeland and Etrurea itself and had assassinated her. Is that right Hydra?”

The cyan-bobbed girl could only blink in shock. “…and what are the themes?”

“Themes?” Rose said in confusion. “Well, there was plenty of cobblestone. Thatched roofs. Oh, and the detective brought a candle with him everywhere he went. Even to the castle!”

Hydrangea’s amazement gave way to disappointment. “Rosie…” The two made their way to their next class.

“By the way,” Rose said as she slithered alongside her friend. “Did you know that Julia will be teaching here next month?”

“Yes,” Hydrangea said. “Kinda hard to avoid it with the staff talking about it.”

The two children arrived at their class and they found another Arachne teacher. Miranda Inkswell. An Atracidae who was seen using her toxins as ink for strange messages.

“You’re early,” the woman said to the two girls. “Class doesn’t start for two minutes.”

Hydrangea and Roses handed their notebooks to the teacher. Ms Inkswell looked over the material, and had her usual reaction, both to Hydrangea’s excellent summary of Chiaroscuro…and to Rose’s illegible scrawl.

“I…see,” Ms Inkswell said. “You’re handwriting is still…trepidating.”

“Thank you,” the oblivious lamia said.

“We’re going to have a review on it in class,” Ms. Inkswell said/

“I’ll be sure to tre-pie-date you more Ms. Maxwell!” Rose said cheerfully.

“Of that, I am certain,” the Arachne teacher said.

The next two to arrive were Andy and Molly.

“And what do we have here?” Ms. Inkswell said. “Are you the two new students I’ve heard about?”

From shyness, Molly and Andy were slow to respond. “Y-yes?” Andy said after thirty seconds.

Hydrangea approached the twins. “I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself,” she said. She failed to do so last class and their original meeting was under circumstances that made it too difficult.

Molly looked at Rose and more specifically, Mr. Snuggiekins. “I like your blanket!” she said. “It’s so cute!”

Rose’s face turned red from humiliation again. She was expecting the two to laugh at her. “Go ahead,” Rose said in a sarcastic. “Laugh. Everyone else is doing it!”

“You’ll have to forgive Rose,” Hydrangea said. “She was rather sensitive about her retrieved blanket.”

“Am not!” Rose lied.

“Rose!” Ms. Inkswell said. “No shouting!”

“Sorry, “the lamia said to her teacher.

Lily and Anemone arrived next. Lily gasped an excitement as she saw Rose still wore the blanket and looked over the repairs done to it. The rest of the classmates followed suit as class was about to begin.

✦✦✦

Once class was over, the group met up with the other Coloraturas during their lunch break.

“Hello! I’m Clover!” the green-haired fawn said. Her wings framed her deer-like legs as she rattled off. “Sorry about what happened a week back. I haven’t quite mastered the fan yet. Gasp, you two are Orthusians?”

“Y-y-yes?” Molly said. Her brother’s face bore the same concerned expression as hers.

“Wow! I heard that Orthusians and Cerberusians can share each other’s thoughts and feelings?” Clover said. “Is it true that they share the same mind? Do you guys have psionic powers? Can you show me how—”

“Clover,” Rose said. “You’re scaring them.”

The twin Dromarches clung to each other in fear of the overly curious girl.

“…Sorry,” Clover said.

Strelitizia banged her head on the deck. “You really need to work on the rapid-fire questions.” The minotaruide said.

Rose looked around and saw the snickering sneers of students looking at her embarrassing blanket. Her mind lingered on their mocking tones. She then turned her attention to Anemone. “Hey, Mone, can you do me a favor?”

“Yes?” The purple-haired lycanthrope said.

“Can you help me get this blanket off?” Rose said.

Raine turned to Rose. “Rose, how will you warm yourself?” she asked. “You know you can’t generate enough heat.”

“Same way I always tried,” Rose said.

“Your heart will give out if you keep zapping yourself,” Anemone said.

“Yeah, Rosie,” Azalea said. “You’ll be fried snake after a few months!”

“Beats death by embarrassment,” the lamia muttered. “Hey wait, Azalea. You’re also Ecto…ecto…”

“Ectothermric,” Hydrangea said.

“Right, Ech-to-the-ric,” Rose said. “How come you’re not freezing?”

“Well,” Azalea said. “My little tail doesn't need to be warm,” the clionid said. “Also the water is easily warmed from the movement and surrounding air. It has to be frigid for it to freeze over.”

At that time, Pearl arrived. “There you are, Lily!”

“Hi, Elisa!” Lily said to the disguised porcine girl.

“She looks familiar,” Andy and Molly said in unison.

Pearl looked at Rose. “Why are you wearing a blanket made for toddlers?” she asked the lamia innocently.

Rose banged her head on the table.

The lunch break came and went and everyone was set to go home.

✦✦✦

Hydrangea was called by Emily. The dungeon said Esteban wanted to ask her a few questions. She found the rouge whittling away some wood.

“Hello,” Hydrangea said to the blue-clad man in a friendly tone.

The rouge turned to the ice-wielding Coloratura. “I heard you used to live in that frozen-over mansion. The Cocytus Manor right?”

The cyan-bobbed girl bobbed her head in affirmation. Memories of her last trip there and of the time spent before then filled her mind. “Why do you ask?” she said stoically.

“I heard that the original residents vanished several years back,” Esteban said. “Archaeologists that were last seen in Sigurdtein,” Esteban said calmly. He also knew that if his assumption was true that would make Hydrangea their daughter and thus that he would be dredging up her bad memories.

Hydrangea nodded. “That is correct. Before the manor was a dungeon, it was once my home. And they were my parents.”

“I’m sorry,” Esteban said. His hunch was correct. “I know it must be hard to be reminded of your lost ones.”

“I made my peace with that long ago,” Hydrangea said. “That said, I wonder why are you suddenly interested in them.”

“You remember the Project Stronghold rumors?” the man said.

“Of course,” the child said.

“I had it on good knowledge that similar reports were made in Sigurdtein and larger amounts. Therefore I believe that if those rumors are true, then they likely began at Sigurdtein. With how your folks had mysterious had vanished, well, you’re a smart girl. I’m sure you can piece it together.”

Hydrangea is shocked to hear Esteban’s implication. “You mean to say that my parents were kidnapped and …Oh Obsidian…”

“Right now it is only a theory, or rather a hunch,” Esteban reassured. “But the matter remains that if any clues would be found in that Dungeon. Amidst its frozen halls. Any information you can provide the rouges on where such knowledge would be found would be helpful to the Rouges.”

Hydrangea was stunned. Her mind is still fathoming the possibility of her parents somehow being merged with Dungeon cores. “I’m sorry, but this is…”

“Take your time,” Esteban said. “I must also apologize.”

“It’s okay,” Hydrangea said. “I understand. Is there anything else?”

“Actually,” the rogue said there is. He took out a book. Its coalbound appearance was broken by golden letters emblazoned on it. The cover read. “The Seed of the Zahhakglen”. “I was wondering if you can help me understand this book?”

The child smiled at the request. The book was a rare story. With only three thousand copies in circulation in Liberté. It’s said to be the origin of a group of Natural Dungeons that comprise a dense forest network. Those who read it believe it to be a fable. Others claimed it was a grimoire in disguise and had ordered it burned for hiding spells within its seemingly child-friendly pages. Even the reproductions were rare.

Esteban held a curiosity in the tome for a while, as some of his fellow rouges pondered if the reason for this controversy was because it had pro-revolutionary leanings, drawing inspiration from mentions of a man imprisoned in Charlemagne for his lurid and sadistic writings. Those who read the book attribute to it a fairy tale quality, the kind that would be read to children before bedtime. Though he was also curious about the book, he also knew that Hydrangea’s mood needed to be lightened.

The two spent time reading and analyzing the text. A few hours later, Hydrangea left Esteban to his devices.

✦✦✦

The next day, Emily and Atsuko had gathered those who were willing to explore the Microdungeon to the Takurabune and the room where the relevant instruments were located.

Among the gathered were the Coloraturas, as well as the Dormarches. Atsuko and her ninja count the volunteers.

Rose, with Raine and Anemone’s help, had removed Mr. Snuggiekins from the lamia the previous night to the phoenixian girl’s concern.

“Rose, are you sure you don’t want to bring Mr. Snuggiekins with you?” Raine asked. “It can’t be guaranteed that the idol would be warm.”

“Why not?” Rose said. “It’s made in the image of the Forgemaster, right? He who makes arms and armor in the hot core of the planet, right?”

“It’s more like Obsidian is the hot core of the planet,” Anemone said.

Meanwhile, Hydrangea noticed that Andy and Molly approached them, their staves in hand. “Yes?” the bobbed girl said.

“Um…hello,” Molly said. “Um, can we go with you?”

Hydrangea was surprised. “You want to accompany me?” the young girl said.

“…If you want,” Andy said timidly.

The twins had asked the other Dormarches about it, Cassie and Sid had already decided to go, but Fuuka and Makoto opted to stay in normal-sized space.

“Of course you can,” Hydrangea said with a tome warmer than her icy cyan and black aesthetic suggested. Andy’s face brightened up a little.

Saizo approved Atsuko after finishing up the tally. “Alright,” Saizo said. “The volunteers here include Rose, Raine, Clover, Streltiiza, Hydrangea, Anemone, Azalea, Lily, Antoine, Molly, and Nina.”

“Skewing a little young this time,” Atsuko said. “Cassie, Sid, and Emily will also accompany me,” Atsuko said. “That should be fifteen people, then?”

Saizo nodded.

“Actually,” Elizabeth said as she fluttered to the nekoamta and her retainer. “I want to go as well.”

“Sixteen then!” Atsuko said. “Wish us luck,”

Atsuko explained to the Dromarches about how the Takurabune, Kaguya Parallel Mirror, and the Femtonauts worked and directed them into the pods. Emily’s avatara boards the vessel as everyone else prepares to have their mind streamed into the proxy bodies.

Saizo and Noboru operate the instruments while Kasumi and Hoshikage ensure the party are prepared for the trip and activate the pods. Fuuka, Makoto, Kei, Aika, Minerva, and Tim wanted to assist with the instruments as well.

The Takarabune shrinks into hyperbolic space as it lands on the idol and in its microdungeon.

✦✦✦

Contrary to Rose’s assumption, the Microdugneon, dubbed the Hammerhead Tundra, was anything but warm. The microdungeon was blanketed in a sheet of white as gray clouds shrouded the kaleidoscopic sky.

“Why is it so cold!” Rose said as she shivered. If she can take any solace it is in that the femtonaut’s bodies were warmed by the mechanisms that enabled their function in subatomic sizes. Though even that was inefficient in keeping the lamia’s body warm enough for her liking.

Atsuko took a breath and saw a small mist from it. “Maybe I should’ve made thermo-regulating plating for the femtonauts,” she mused. “Oh well.”

Cassie drew from her stardeck. The Ascendant card of the day was Ursa Major. “You’re in luck!” the Dormarch said. “Today Pyrois will shine on us!”

“That is rather fortuitous,” Elizabeth said, “[Pyrois] is—”

“The Planetes of the red planet,” Rose said with stilled bones. “We know.” She wasn’t in the mood for being reminded of the divinity after hearing about the Planetes so many times.

“I’ll see if I can strum up some warming ditties as well,” Sid said.

The party looked around. There they discovered tree-like structures made of volcanic glass. The jagged black bark gleamed with a touch of violet as scant light shone on them.

“We’re supposed to find the exit?” Andy said shyly. “R-right?”

Hydrangea nodded. “We usually dive ten floors at a time.”

Nina looked around. “I still don’t get it, why are they called floors? Not all of them had basements.”

“That is…” Anemone said until she realized the arbitrariness of the nomenclature. “…a good point. I’ll go ask.”

Anemone brought Elizabeth to the Orthuseans and asked her about the terminology. “[Floors],” the pink-haired fairy answered. “Were common parlance for the layers of [Dugneons], originated from many of them having multiple levels, but had soon evolved to encapsulate separated areas of the Dungeons in general. The Bleumaw, for example, could be a ‘floor’ of Emily, sequestered from her original body by its walls.”

Rose scratched her head. “Okay?”

“You’d be surprised how quirky languages get,” Hydrangea said.

Azalea noticed her bubble was freezing up. “Um, Clover?” she asked the deerlet.

The peryton fawn saw the froze in Azalea’s water and nodded, casting an oxygenation spell on her.

“Alright!” the clionid said. “If anyone is snowed down by this place, please let me know!”

“Here we go…” Streltiiza said in annoyance.

“This place is glass, isn’t it?” Azalea said.

The group traveled away from the Takurabune, warmed by the passive mana of Cassie’s Pyrois deck and Sid’s Bardsong, they prepared to explore the Volcanic Tundra.

✦✦✦

The party explored the first floor of the Hammerhead Tundra. They encountered larger glass-coated chinchillas. They traversed the jagged trees and their ebony branches. Hydrangea and Azalea used their powers to create a gelatinous prison for humanoid pursuers, and Raine, Cassie, and Syd used their talents to keep the party warm throughout the trek.

The group soon discovered a large bonfire, surrounded by stones. The snowmelt around the flame was kept at bay by its violet hue.

“That’s…unusual,” Raine said.

Tim and Rose approached the bonfire. Rose basked in its warmth as she slithered around the toasty blaze.

“Be careful,” Tim said to the younger lamia. “There’s is something off about this flame.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the careless child said. Emily, Atsuko, and Raine followed them as they examined the fire.

“Is this the gate?” the avatara asked.

“It seems like it,” Atsuko said.

A cinder fell on Rose’s tail and the girl yelped in pain from being burned. Raine and Tim shook their eyes at the lamia’s misfortune.

“Tell me,” a curious Tim said to the phoenixian child. “How long had you two lived together?”

Raine crossed her arms. “I think it’s been a few years now?”

“How did you two meet?” Tim inquisited.

“Why ask?” Raine answered.

“I think it prudent to know my fellow students better,” Tim said. He had not forgotten that the Coloraturas were among those learning the art of Alkahestry.

Raine sighed. “I think I found her bawling her eyes out in an alley,” the kinarri said. “She was definitely crying, that I know.”

“Was not!” Rose interrupted. “I was the very picture of grace.”

“You were clinging to Mr. Snuggiekins the whole time,” Raine corrected.

Rose disliked the reminder of the embarrassing blanket. Tim caught a glint in her eyes that implied that it was for reasons beyond schoolyard mockery, but he decided not to press that line of inquiry.

Meanwhile, Andy noticed a different glint in the violent violet embers. A structure in the shake of a hammer. His sister instinctively turned to his direction and then towards the tool.

Hydrangea noticed the two Orthusians walk towards the fire. “Hey!” she tried to call to them out of concern.

Cassie and Sid also noticed the younger dormarches approaching. Dread washed over their faces as they tried to get them to stop their advance.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Molly and Andy moved into the fire their fluffy hair and coats singed by violet, but that was the extent of the damage, to the shock of all involved. Molly helped Andy climb the pillar where the hammer hung and the male twin carefully lifted it from its pedestal.

The blaze erupted into a pillar of purple flame, the twins were engulfed as the cinders expanded beyond the stone barrier and flicked into the blazing road. The two woke up from their trance with Andy looking at the hammer in confusion.

The violet path changed into a vermilion hue as it rise above the ground. The curious party traveled on the path, finding that the heat did not burn their lower bodies. They followed it towards a secluded area with ten pillars. A single orange flame stood atop one of them, melted was flowed from the obsidian pillar like lava.

Strelitzia noticed a pattern on the frosted ground. She examined it closely and saw volcanic imagery beneath the ashened ice.

“Check it out!” The minotauride beckoned to the others. Elizabeth noticed the unmistakable image of the man depicted in the glyphs.

“Is that—” the fairy said.

Cassie was elated to see Obsidian depicted in the ruins.

“Calm down Cass,” her jonguler friend said. “This is your idol remember?”

“That’s why I’m excited, Sydney!” Cassie said. “It is clearly a sign of piety!” she said.

Atsuko wondered about the image of Obsidian. “The hammer was recently crafted, even given its purpose it doesn't make sense for mana to affect it so soon.” She said. The nekomata then noticed a string aperture near the Administrator’s elbow. Strategy shaped it feels like it was carved to fit something.

Andy observed the strange hammer in his hands. The head was made of the same glass, and the wooden handle resembled ash lumber. It felt familiar to him and his sister for some reason.

Atsuko noticed the hammer in Andy’s hand. “Where did you get that?”

“I don’t know,” Andy said.

“It suddenly appeared in his hand,” Molly said.

Atsuko saw the twins grab something from the violet pyre. “Did you remember walking into the purple flame?”

“What flame?” Molly asked confusingly.

Hydrangea overheard Molly’s response and made a baffled expression. Atsuko mused on the possibility that the Orthusians were not aware of their actions then. The teal-haired and cat-eared woman turned to the hammer again. “May I see that hammer?” she asked politely.

The young lad landed the Yanese researcher the strange artifact. As Atsuko touched it she felt her arm burn and dropped the artifact. Molly dived in front and caught the hammer before it collided with the ground, she and her brother blanked out as she did so.

“Huh?” Molly asked. “What happened?”

“Good question,” Atsuko asked. “Seems they are the only ones that can hold it,” she thought to herself. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Yes?” the twins simultaneously asked.

“I found something over there,” she pointed to the hole. “It seems like that hammer is just the right shape and size to fit, I want to ask if you can place it there, please?”

Molly looked at the hole, it did seem like it was made for the hammer. Curious about what would happen she and Andy approached the arm on the image of Obsidian emblazoned beneath her feet and placed the hammer in the hole.

The tool fits perfectly. As the hammer was placed, the engraving of the Forgemaster glowed and the sigil and those around them shone blindly and brilliantly.

✦✦✦

The party arrived on the second floor of the microdungeon. At a similar circle then the one they arrived in. The four Dormarches were disoriented by the teleportation.

“That was…” Cassie said while dizzy.

Atsuko looked around and noticed an immediate change, on two of the ten pillars surrounding them were vermilion flames. “That is the entry gate,” the nekoamta said.

Cassie looked to her left and saw the Takarabune had appeared near them. She was as amazed as she was confused as to the vessel’s feat.

Rose slithered around and noticed the air had grown slightly humid. “Huh? It’s a little warmer here.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Hydrangea said.

“Well,” Atsuko said. “We’ll still have nine floors left.”

“What do you do in these microdungeons?” Sid asked. “It seems like you have put a lot of effort into these strange places.”

“I did!” Atsuko said with pride. “It was my life’s dream to research them ever since I learned of them.”

“‘If places have spirits, why not items?’” Elizabeth said. “I recall you saying something along those lines.”

“Wait,” Cassie said with a gasp. “Does that mean that—”

“No,” Atsuko said, gleaming from the context that is the item they’re exploring. “I find it highly unlikely we’ll meet an Administrator here.”

“Is everyone ready?” Emily asked, with some annoyance of being left out of the conversation.

The group moved to explore the second floor. They split into several groups to cover more ground. Atsuko explained that part of the tasks here involves taking back items from within the microdungeosn for analysis. To that end, the split group was tasked with taking some of the volcanic glass back with them.

Hydrangea went with Azalea, Andy, and Molly. The clionid mermaid took the opportunity to beguile them with her punny humor while Hydrangea observed the glassy trees and dark ice for ways to harvest them safely.

“And then I said ‘I’m happy to be o-live!’” Azalea finished.

Hydrangea had asked the other three to test a method she devised. “Could you conjure up water blades?”

“I’ll try,” Molly answered. She and her brother channeled mana into liquid blades that aimed to sever the frozen glassy tree in front of them. Their efforts had ensured a few branches were loosened, but the cold had frozen the spells midair and assimilated them into the frost.

“Not bad,” Azalea said. “Now let me show how how it’s done!” She swam all over the tree condensing the moisture around her into liquid and directed them int a flurry of slashes too fast to free over. The young girl’s agility as she swam through the air was enough to keep the water melted as her magic cut off several branches.

“Haha,” she said. “Snow way the cold would hinder me!” she said as she grew lightheaded. “I’m not …I’m not.” She fainted.

“Azalea!” Hydrangea yelled as she caught her unconscious friend mid-plummet. She began convulsing and gasping for air.

“Crap,” the cyan-headed girl said.

“What’s wrong?” Andy said with concern.

“Azalea’s oxygenation spell expired,” Hydrangea said to the young dromarch. She rushed off carrying Azalea’s body, the twins followed her.

✦✦✦

Clover and Stretlizia were nearby, having finished slaying a hoarfrost-covered pack of wolves. The fawn looked over the corpses of the wolves.

“Hoary wolves?” Clover said. “I didn’t think they be in a place like this.”

Strelitizia took her axe and chopped off the glassy fangs of the corpses. Clover helped her gather them up.

“Ow!” she yelped in pain,” the green-winged girl saw she had a cut on her finger.

“Clover…” the orange-haired minotaur said. She took some bandages from her pocket, taken from the Takarabune just in case, she helped the girl with green hoops with her wound. “You need to be more careful. Those are still glass.”

As Clover’s finger was bandaged she realized something. “Hey, Stre?”

“Yes?”

“How come this hurts?” Clover said.

Strelitzia was about to answer with the obvious but she then realized that those weren’t their actual bodies, but proxies their minds were begin streamed to from normal-sized space. She knew the Femtonauts were designed to emulate the biology of the streamed consciousnesses, but she didn’t think it would be to this extent. “That is a good question,” the horned girl said.

Before they could continue the topic, they noticed Hydrangea running towards them, carrying Azalea in her arms. Molly and Andy followed the cyan-bobbed girl.

“Hydra!” Clover said. “Is Azalea alright?”

“Her oxygenation spell wore off!” Hydrangea said with urgency.

“But I cast it an hour ago!” Clover said. She looked over the mermaid and saw that she is barely breathing before preparing a replacement spell.

“Is this place messing with time?” Streltizia said.

“I don’t know,” Hydrangea said.

“Um…” Molly interrupted. “Will she be alright?”

“Barley,” Clover said. “She usually relies on her bubbles to breathe but since they would freeze in this place…”

“Huh?” Andy said. “But she was able to use water magic so…”

“How fast did she swim?” the minotauride said. “Pretty sure speed was a factor there.”

Clover finished casting her spell. Azalea gasped for air as she woke up with a groan. “My head, I feel so dizzy. Clover? When did you get here?”

Hydrangea breathed a sigh of relief.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” the fan-wielding fawn said. “But if my spells wear out this quickly then we should try to stick together. Alright?”

“Got it!” Azalea said. “I’ll try not to snow you down.”

“You already used snow puns thrice!” Hydrangea said.

“Did I?” Azalea said. “Guess I need to work on my snowmanship, er I mean showmanship a bit.”

Hydrangea didn’t want to correct Azalea’s misplaced reference to showmanship. She was relieved to see her friend was safe.

The group eventually regrouped with the others as they discovered the gate leading to the third floor.

✦✦✦

The expedition of Hammerhead Tundra eventually reached the fifth floor. By that time it was evident that the floors progressively warmed as they traversed them. White blankets receded in favor of brown land and green grass. Yet the trees remained unchanged, still comprised of jagged dark glass.

Rose was happy to find that the temperature was more moderate here compared to the previous floors, but the rest of the party had their own concerns.

Emily approached Atsuko. “I have a question,” she said.

“Yes,” Atsuko said politely.

“Have you tinkered with the femtonauts lately?”

“A little,” the nekomata said. “Why?”

“Some of the others have mentioned they were feeling…more than usual.”

“More what?” Atsuko said.

“Don’t you find it odd that Rose was able to sense the temperature?” Emily asked.

Atsuko mused on the idea for a moment before realizing something. “That is strange. I could've sworn the sensation circuits weren’t that advanced yet. I’ll take a look at them after we’re out.”

The group found the gate to the sixth floor.

“We found the gate…but no key,” Raine said.

Andy noticed a plume of smoke on the horizon, coming from a mountain nearby. Elizabeth, Cassie, and Hydrangea say Andy and Molly walk towards the volcano.

“Molly, Andy,” Cassie called. “What are you doing?”

The two twins did not respond as they walked away from the party. Cassie and Hydrangea chased after them. Rose noticed Hydrangea running and slithered after her.

The five ended up separated from the rest of the group as Hydrangea, Rose, and Cassie caught up to the twins.

“Hey!” Cassie said. “You know you shouldn’t run off like that!”

The Orthusians broke from their trance, unaware of why Cassie was yelling at them. They bore confused looks on their faces.

“Something isn’t right,” Hydrangea said. “They’ve been acting strange since we entered the idol.”

Rose looked at the twins and noticed their eyes were hazy. Andy sneezed. She then looked at Cassie. “This is your item right?”

“Yeah,” Cassie said. “Why?”

“The hammer is supposed to be for Flameshearth,” Rose said. “I know that much, but I want to ask why did you want to improve it?”

“Oh,” the artificer was surprised to hear Rose ask her the question. “Well, I noticed that the hammer was…not working.”

Rose tilted her head.

“The idolic hammers, “Hydrangea explained. “They were used to light a pyre, a hearth if you will. The torch is a symbol of the warmth provided by the core, by the Forgemaster, and a tribute to him both. The hammer is used to light the spark.”

“I tried to use local materials for mine,” Cassie said. “But for some reason, this hammer isn’t working. The sparks aren’t flying. Every strike grew cold.”

Rose understood the reason now, but it didn’t explain anything about the twins. Before she could press further she suddenly shivered. “What the—”

Snow began to fall as the temperature dropped. The mountain nearby erupted with a white-blue lava. Ash and snow mixed as a freezing cold blew over them.

“Rose! Hydra!”

Raine, Tim, and Sid had arrived.

“Raine?” Hydrangea said. “What’s going on?”

“The others. They were frozen solid!”

The group reconvened with the others and saw that Emily, Atsuko and the others were entombed in blocks of ice. The eruption had rained snow-like ash over them before they noticed.

✦✦✦

Meanwhile, in normal-sized space. Fuuka approached Noboru.

“I heard that there was a Yanese party looking into strange worlds,” the kitsune said.

Noboru noticed a hostile aura from the young woman. “Indeed, Lady Atsuko had put many a stride in that chase.”

“I have to wonder why someone like her is even in Liberté, to begin with,” Fuuka said. “Or you for that matter. ‘The Enlightened’ they say?”

“I pay no heed to rumors,” Noboru said. “You’d be surprised how much misinformation can mutate knowledge. It helps to have a clear mind.” He offered a cup of tea to his guest.

The fox-eared woman took the hot cup from him. “I brought my own matcha, thanks,” she said.

“So,” Noboru said. “I heard you do not get along well with our Arachne friends?”

“That obvious huh,” she said curtly. “I’m not surprised you’d side with the jorogumo. You who have not known their depravity. I’m surprised many of their brood weren’t consumed by their parents.”

“As I said,” the tanuki dormarch said. “I do not heed rumors.”

“Then heed this,” Fuuka said. “Their barbarity knows no bounds. Mine and Makoto’s village were destroyed thanks to those monsters. We have stood on the south isle of Nanshuyo for centuries before they.”

“…despoiled the farmland and made off with their mates?” Noboru said. “I can assure you that none here were like that.”

Fuuka made an indignant expression.

“Perhaps you should try to get to know them better,” Noboru said. “By all accounts, your younger friend has taken to them quite well.”

Fuuka sighed as she sipped from her cup. “I don’t know what is up with her. Evil monsters raid our home and raze it to the ground and her response was fascination?”

“I offer my condolences for your loss,” Noboru said. “But this is not Yae Shoto and this state is not Nanshuyo. Whatever malice you saw in the raiders should not be projected onto our neighbors, or else…”

“Or else what?”

“Those that refuse to let go of malice would become consumed by the malice. Avert your gaze from the abyss, lest it peer into your soul.”

“So those rumors are true,” Fuuka said with a chuckle. “You have taken an interest in other forms of philosophy.”

While the elder talked with the young women. Minerva, Heathcliff, and Hoshikage observed the findings of the Kaguya Parallel Mirror.

“Everything seems stable,” the kunoichi said. Her smile beamed as bright as Stella’s rays as she said that.

“Glad to hear it,” Heathcliff said.

“I do have a question,” the Arachne said. “The Dormarches, most of them took to this place rather well for former nomads. I have to ask why.”

“I haven’t told you, cher?” Heathcliff said with bemusement. “Let’s see, Cassiopeia was pretty obvious, she was pretty taken with the place and all. Her friend seems pretty loyal to her. Her brother—”

As if on cue, Glenn arrived. “I’ll speak for myself thanks,” he said. His unkempt look did not hide his nature as a wild berserker. “I figured there is ample opportunity to fight here,” he smirked. “Makoto wanted to meet your spider friends here and the twins? Well, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Minerva said.

“Most of us are rather picky with where we stay,” the black knight said. “Others are more content to be with their friends, and Makoto, Antoine, and Molly have been close friends since they joined our caravan.”

“What brought you guys together,” the tanned ninja said.

“Cassie, my sis and I go way back,” Glenn said with a fanged smile. “Been nearly inseparable since birth. Bernardette then found the twins lost in the forests. The poor puppies were close to the Sea of Souls back then. It took us a year to nurse them back to health. I think it was around that time we meet the foxes. Immigrants from Yae Shoto, and yet viewed with the same scorn as the rest of us, typical.”

“I see,” Minerva said.

Heathcliff noticed something off in the mirror. “Guys…why is the screen frozen?”

“Huh?” Hoshigake said. The blond ninja moved to the mirror and its accompanying instruments and saw that the view through Emily’s eyes had stopped. The only motion came from the falling snow and the wind. She examined the screen and came to a dire conclusion.

“I think Emily’s been frozen!”

✦✦✦

Rose, Raine, Hydrangea, Cassie, Sid, Andy, Molly, and Tim gazed upon the other half of their party. Emily, Elizabeth, Atsuko, Lily, Anemone, Azalea, Clover, Streltizia, and Nina, all frozen solid.

“How in Titania did this happen?” Cassie asked.

Tim noticed something was lodged in one of the frozen hands. A strange-looking hammer. He turned to the Orthusian twins.

Andy and Molly found that Lilly had discovered the hammer they needed and worked to remove it from her frost-coated grasp. As they did so they found the frost coating the centaur’s hand only grew.

“Hang on!” Cassie said as she drew from her Stardeck. She drew the Draco card and handed it to Molly. “Try this.”

Molly took the power of the card and imbued herself and Andy with it. The two noticed their throats grow hot as smoke emerged from their mouth and nostrils. The smoke turned to flame as they blew on the frozen centauride.

The ice melted around Lily and the hammer by the dragon breath of the twin dormarches. The blond girl woke from her frozen daze with a desire to pinch her nose. “What happened? P.U.” The hammer fell from the hand of the girl and plummeted onto the ground. Andy picked it up.

“Good question,” Sid said. The Bhargest jonguler then turned to her friend with the two-tone hair.

“Lily?” Andy said. “Did you…” he showed her the hammer. Lily, still reeling from the dragonic breath widened her eyes at the sight of the hammer.

“I picked it up,” she said nasally while holding her nose. “We needed it to move for—why is everyone else frozen?”

“Another good question,” Sid said with a scolding face. The group tried to find ways to free their friends from the ice, but none worked. Raine, Rose, and Cassie tried the obvious method and used heat, but the ice didn’t melt. The former two then tried to combine their powers to energy them to free themselves but that had no effect. Tim attempted to use wind powers, but that only cause the frost to spread.

The group was left at a loss. Atsuko and Emily were needed to traverse the microdugneon, yet they could not move in their current state. The dormarches were less used to them than the others.

“What do we do?” Rose asked hopelessly.

Molly and Andy looked at the hammer and nodded. Molly address the unfrozen. A steeling look of determiniation on her face as she approached the image of Obsidian.

“Molly? What are you doing?” Cassie asked.

“We move forward!” she said, bereft of her usual timidly. Her hammer and staff glowed with an incandescence as she placed the former in its slot. Purple and orange flames danced around the group as the gate opened and sent them to the sixth floor.

✦✦✦

The party arrived on the sixth floor of the microdugneon. Their frozen members were teleported inside the Takarabune.

Hydrangea looked around the area. There was even less snow than the previous floors, and flowers grew on the dirt. Lily played with Andy and Molly as Rose bashed in the increased warmth.

Cassie meanwhile was in a panic. The dormarches’ lack of experience with microdungeons, combined with Atsuko’s incapacitation, left her concerned with how to progress, and how to escape.

At the same time, in normal-sized space, Hoshikage alerted Saizo about what happened in the microdungeon. The two shinobi discussed what to do in light of the current situation.

“I already enabled a recall on those that were frozen,” Saizo said. “They should be waking up shortly.”

“What about Emily?”

Atsuko had emerged from her pod concerned about the current state of affairs.

“I…have declined to recall the avatara,” Hoshikage said timidly.

Atsuko looked at her friend. “I see,” she looked toward the room and thought about the issue with the hammer. Aware that removing the avatara from the idol would pose a risk to the expedition. “I’ll need to talk with Elizabeth on how to proceed, but right now, Cassie and those still with her are on their own.” She said with a regretful lament.

“Is there anything that could be done, Lady Atsuko?” Saizo said.

“One of the adjustments I made to the Takurabune,” the nekomata said. “Also included remote recall functionality, but with Emily’s mind frozen, it is hard to gauge any adverse effects with that method.”

The three returned to the Mirror, where they will try to maintain the Takurabune from normal-sized space.

Within the idol, Tim met with Cassie and Sid. The latter was trying to comfort her friend.

“I understand that this journey was because your idol failed to spark, yes?” Tim said.

“Yeah,” Cassie said.

“In what way did you think this method would resolve that problem?” Tim asked.

Cassie was stunned. She couldn't think of an answer. “I just…I heard that there was a way to enhance the mana of objects here.”

“I see,” Tim said solemnly.

Tears began to well up on Cassie’s face. Sid glared at the martial artist with a scolding glare.

“I must apologize,” Tim said. “I am aware that—” Tim was interrupted by a loud roar. The mountain began erupting a pillar of blue lava.

✦✦✦

Rose, Raine, Lily, Hydrangea, Andy, and Molly were fighting a strange creature. It resembled a manticore, its mane and wings were made of bluish-white glass shares. Its tail had a dark glassy stinger and its fur and face were as white as the absent snow.

Rose slithered around the chimera using her staff to channel lightning through it, but her bolts had missed the beast. The glass manticore fired a spell from its stinger tail, but Molly and Andy combined water and light to refract its effect and caused it to miss its targets, freezing instead the leafless trees.

Raine clashed with the fangs of the beast with heated rings. The red-haired girl’s strikes cut some shards of frosted glass from the opposing threat. The manticore slashed at the phoenixian girl with its claws, but Raine dodged the attacks and counted with her fire.

The beast recoiled in pain as it leaped towards a nearby peak and channeled a large amount of mana into itself. Clod wings blew from around the fight as the manticore prepared a frigid spell, aimed at the the magical girl with the red wings.

“Raine!” Rose slithered to try to strike the beast, but the manticore dodged her lightning strikes while charging its spell. Raine also tried to close the gap, but as she attempted to strike, the beast fired the incomplete spell and azure light engulfed them both.

When the light reseeded, the manticore had fled to another peak, and Raine’s arm was covered in frost, grasping a certain blanket, now hardened by ice.

Molly and Andy noticed the beat had several hammers on their back. Molly turned to her brother who only nodded in response. They were about to leave until…

“Hold it!”

Lily and Hydrangea saw that the twins were going out on their own again and stopped.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Hydrangea said sternly.

“That monster,” Molly said. “It had this floor’s hammer.”

“Or hammers,” Andy said. “We have to get it from them.”

Cassie and the others arrived, relieved to find that no one was frozen again. Rose looked at Mr. Snuggiekins tearfully, despite her insistence to the contrary. Raine chuckled at the lingering attachment her lamia friend had to the blanket.

Rose turned to the direction the manticore ran. Filled with ire at it for harming her friends and for reducing the bear-decorated blanket to a hard frosted fabric. “You want to fight that beast? I’m in!”

Sid strummed her guitar and grabbed everyone’s attention. “Hold it, we’re going to need a plan first,” the bhargest said.

“She’s right,” Tim said. “Blindly charging in is foolish.”

“Does it have any weaknesses?” Lily said. “It didn’t seem like it was affected by the heat.”

The group decided to make camp next to the Takurabune. The night at least was warm even despite the chimera’s influence.

✦✦✦

Within the Black box, Atusko, Elizabeth, and Heathcliff discuss what to do.

“I knew that setbacks were inevitable, the nekomata said, “but I didn’t expect it to come like this.”

Heathcliff bore a grim expression on him. A departure from his usual jovial smile. “How is she?” he asked sternly.

“Well, Emily’s vitals remain consistent so far,” Elizabeth said. “But her thought activity has ceased, her mind is as frozen as her avatara.”

“Can we get them out?” Heathcliff said with concern for both Emily and Tim.

“It is possible,” Atsuko said. “But there are some risks attached. We don’t know how the dungeon core would react to the recalling process. And there is still the issue of destabilizing the microdungeon in the process. It will be a delicate process that would take some time.”

“I get it,” Heathcliff said.

“That [Manticore] had strange proprieties,” Elizabeth muttered.

“Pardon?” Heathcliff said.

Atsuko recalled a vague memory. The last thing she saw before becoming frozen. Her mind drifted towards the anomaly.

After a few minutes of discussion, the group decided to abort the mission and try to recall the others still within the idol. Atsuko turned to the Kaguya Parallel Mirror and discovered that the recall had failed. “What in the…”

✦✦✦

Hours later, after Cassie’s party made camp near the Takurabune, Lily noticed Molly and Andy near the campfire. Made from some of the obsidian they had gathered from previous floors. The violet flames made a thin plume of smoke that wafted into the sky above, reflecting a kaleidoscope vision of the Black Box.

Molly noticed the blond centaur’s presence. “Hello,” she said to Lily. Molly’s cloud-like hair was matted by both snow and humidity alike.

“Hello!” Lily said. The centaur sat down with the twins. Her hind legs and rear collided with the dirt beneath as she looked at her recent schoolmates. Her chipper smile seemed as bright as the fire itself. It almost put a smile on Molly’s own face.

“What brings you here?” Andy said, a little fearful of the filly.

“Well,” Lily said, “I want to get to know you a little better.”

“Okay?” Molly said. “Where do we start?”

Lily asked, “Where did you go…before here that is? Where did you come from?”

“Um, well,” Molly said timidly. Her tail stiffened as she thought about where they had been. She had all but forgotten about where she came from.

Andy however had not. “You heard of the Citrusian peninsula?” the Orthusain brother asked.

Lily nodded. “It’s part of the Liberté’s southland!”

“We were born there,” Andy said. “More or less.”

Her brother’s answer jogged Molly’s memory, a vague recollection came to her mind. “That’s right, we were…”

The twins began to speak in unison. Their voices simultaneously spoke the same words and uttered the same tones. “We were born in Citrus, in a small town named Boggartglade,” they said. “Things were peaceful for a time, until…” they stopped.

Lily was curious, she hardly noticed that Andy and Molly had used the same cadence, nor that their eyes stained blankly at her own. “Until what?”

“The glade was raided,” the spoke again. “Strange men came clad in black armor. They had…they said this place was no longer insured. We don’t know what they meant by that, but we did know that these men had abducted us.”

“That’s horrible,” the centaur filly said.

“We were moved elsewhere, somewhere deeper in Citrus,” the twins said in sync. Their memories and feelings are shared betwix each other. At times their eyes gave the impression that it was a singular entity speaking through two individuals.

“They had us harvesting… Andy said.

“…grass from the marshlands,” Molly continued. “They had us weaving…”

“…fabrics in the mills.” Andy finished. “Day in…

“…day out…”

“…it was like this until something happened.”

“What happened?” Lily said.

“We don’t know.” The twins said in unity again. Their faces blank as they recalled their harrowing tale. “The place was attacked by unknown invaders. The place was set on fire and we were separated from the others. We realized that it was our one and only chance to escape An opportunity we were thankful to the Administrators for, and one we took.”

Lily was a little stunned. She understood that those kids were separated from their family and friends, forced to labor in Astra-knows-where, and that, by luck or by divine intervention, they were granted a chance to escape. Her mind lingered on the emotion of the word “uninsured,” but she didn’t know why.

“I’m so sorry,” Lily said. “That must have been awful!”

The orthusians continued. “We evenly met Cassie and the others. Led by their elder, Bernadette,” they spoke with clarity. “We were left with nowhere else to go, so they took us in and so we traveled all over Liberté, looking for a home, to replace that which we lost. Eventually, that led us to the Black Box.” As Molly and Andy finished, they shook their head as if they were in a daze.

“What were we talking about?” Molly said before recalling the conversation she and her brother had as one.

As Lily asked the twins about themselves. Sid watched on with some sense of pride and relief.

“They really took a liking to them,” she said.

“There you are!” Cassie said to her friend. “What were you doing?”

“Keeping an eye on them,” she said to the two younger dormarches talking with Lily. Cassie noticed that they seemed to be more willing to talk about their past with the centaur, despite barely knowing her.

“I’m a little jealous,” Cassie said. “It took them weeks to open up to us about that.”

“Maybe they just wanted to get things off their chest now,” Sid said.

“Sydney,” Cassie said. Her ears drooped as she made a long gaze at her friend.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault we’re in this mess,” Cassie said.

“This again?” Sid said. “Cass, it’s not your fault. We didn’t know that this was going to happen.”

Cassie sighed. Sid approached her and gently took her hand. “We’ll get through this, This isn’t even the tenth on the list of dire things we’ve encountered on our travels. How come on.” She then called to the three kids and told them to come inside the ship. In a few hours they will hunt the manticore.

✦✦✦

Hours later, Cassie and her party began their hunt for the manticore. Sid kept an eye on the volcano in the distance, knowing how it heralded its presence. The four Coloraturas magicalized and prepared their weapons for the encounter.

Tim meanwhile looked on Emily’s frozen avatara, the only frosted femtonaut remaining the Takarabune. He grasped in Qiang with a determination to defeat the monster responsible.

Andy and Molly followed the four witches, and Lily and Hydrangea kept an eye on them at the behest of Cassie. The twins have taken a shine to Hydrangea in particular.

Rose and Raine heard a rustling in the bushes and followed it. They discovered that the source was not the manticore, but a hoary wolf. They were far away from the others.

“Ugh,” Rose said with an annoyed groan. “Of all the things that wasn’t that godsforsaken manticore,” the pink-pigtailed girl grumbled.

Raine noticed that Rose clutched onto something, the frozen blanket. The one that the lamia had shunned and the one that saved Raine from certain doom. A tear escaped Rose’s eyes as she looked on the frozen fabric.

“And here I thought you didn’t want that anymore,” Raine said.

“Shut up!” Rose said with an annoyed tone.

Raine chuckled as she looked around. “Rose, you still loved Mr. Snuggiekins, don’t you?”

Rose turned away with a childish humph. “I’m still too old for that thing anymore…but…”

“But what?” the red-headed girl said.

Rose grew frustrated. “Why did you have to bring this blanket back?” Beneath her anger, she couldn’t bear to part with it again. This thing she had thought she left behind. “Stupid blanket. What did you have to go and save her?” she grumbled.

Raine had known Rose for a long time, she could tell when she doesn't mean the words she said, and that now was one of those times, as evidenced by the tears that streamed from Rose’s face. With a wistful sigh, Raine gently placed her hand on Rose’s shoulders. “You know it’s okay to still like things you’ve outgrown.”

Rose sniffled. “Yeah…I know,” she said sullenly. She clutched her stiffened blanket. The bear arms and legs hardened by the frost, the careful stitching no longer warm to the touch.

Raine looked her slightly younger friend in the eye. Her gentle gaze soothed Rose’s ire and pain. “We’ll get this fixed again, once we get out of this.”

Rose nodded. “Okay,” her tone was soft and grateful. She looked at the bear head of Mr. Snuggiekins. “Thanks,” she whispered.

The two began to return to where they first heard the sound. Rose chuckled at the irony of their recent dynamic.

“What’s so funny?” Raine said.

“It’s nothing,” Rose lied.

They heard a loud rumble. The lamia looked forward and saw blue lava erupt from the volcano again. The manticore has attacked. They rushed back to their allies.

✦✦✦

Tim leaped towards the manticore, keeping the beast in melee range as he dodged its icy spells. He struck the beast with several wind aspected attacks from his weapon.

Hydrangea used her grimoire to try to bind the manticore in frozen chains, but her attempts failed as the beast somehow thawed the ice around them. She conjured an ice slide to dodge its attack as Tim closed the gap again and struck the beast.

“This thing is surprisingly tough!” the bespectacled girl said. She turned to another page of her spellbook and attempted another bind on it, but the manticore flew into the air and avoided that spell.

Lily galloped toward and up a nearby hill, aiming to strike the beast from above. She leaped with her enlightened spear. “Lumiere Avant!” Her attack stuck the manticore as she landed on its back. The flash of light blinded it and sent it towards the ground. Cassie and Sid used the Stardeck and Bardsong respectively to try to impair the frost-coated monster.

Rose and Raine arrived and saw that Andy and Molly were nearby, having been told to stay back by the others for their own safety. The dormarch twins cowered at the sight of the beast.

Raine took her staff out and used it to channel a ring of fire around it and Lily. Lily tried to keep her spear lodged within the chimera, as it attempted to shake off the once-frozen centauride. The manticore saw the flames engulf them and let out a mighty roar. Orange turned to violet as glass shards shoot out from the blaze. Rose slithered and tried to parry the shrapnel aimed at the twins, but one slipped by and cut her tail. A patch of black frost formed on the cut.

Lily’s hooves were becoming encased in ice as she tried to remain on the beast and pin it down. The manticore spread its wings and leaped from the purple blaze, shaking off the centaur and her spear. In its ascent, a different item fell in front of Molly, a familiar hammer.

Rose tried to strike it from the sky with strikes of lightning, but the hammer of skyfire left naught but a scratch on the glassy chimera.

Tim observed the beast and tried to concentrate on its attacks and patterns. As he gazed intently at the manticore, he recalled how it fought with ice, but also how it somehow thawed Hydrangea’s bindings.

Hydrangea saw that the manticore was aiming its attack at Rose, Molly, and Andy. Rose tried futility to shock the adversarial beast from the kaleidoscopic sky above and into the verdant dirt below, yet her attacks failed to leave a mark on it.

“Rose!” Raine called out.

Hydrangea and Lily also called for their friends as they tried to stop the beast.

Molly and Andy tried to flee, but the manticore had trapped them and Rose with more obsidian shrapnel. Molly saw the hammer nearby and heard a sound calling to both her and her brother. As she picked up the idol, the power suddenly welled up within her.

“Molly! Andy!” Cassie cried out.

The manticore launched its spell, a twister of black hail and frost surrounded the twins and the lamia. The funnel cloud obscured them from the sight of everyone else. The beast smirked at what seemed to be the first victims of its rampage, until.

Shards of frost pierced its wings, the snowstorm vanished and the three were left unharmed. Molly had used the hammer to conjure a barrier of ice and Andy used his light to augment the barrier. By the hammer’s providence, a reflective barrier was formed.

Rose took the opportunity and directed the lightning to strike the frosted patches of leather on the wings of the manticore. This stunned the beast enough for it to falter in its flight and the frostbitten manticore crashed into the ground.

Hydrangea and Raine launched a simultaneous assault. Frost and flame danced around the monster. The frost spread to cover the wings of the manticore, the heat then affected the frozen wings, shattering them as if they were made of the glass that comprised its mane. The chimera let out a pained roar.

“It’s weak to thermoshock?” Hydrangea said.

Rose slithered to Raine. The phoenixian girl understood her intent. The two combined their magic to energize themselves and the rest of their party. Tim focused on the witches’ trike and searched within for hidden power. A fireball formed within his palm for the first time. With a one-inch punch, the powers of the pyrosphere jetted out from his palm and towards the chimera. The beast dodged the fire and tried to turn it against them, but Hydrangea and Lily preemptively combined their magic to create a reflective barrier that redirected the shrapnel back at the manticore.

Sid took her guitar “Time for you to chill out!” she yelled as she strummed a tune on her guitar. Through her bardsong, the beast was surrounded by frigid cold that exacerbated the effects of its self-inflicted wounds.

Cassie drew from her Stardeck. The card she drew was Cepheus. “Now let’s heat things up!” she said as she used the card. She fired the card through her weapon and it took the form of a pillar of flame. The bear yelled a pained roar as the extreme clash of temperature enfeebled its legs.

The beast was crippled but it would not give up the fight. It rolled until its stomach faced the sky and began to charge a spell. Molly and Andy acted fast. They grasped the hammer and tried to charge a spell of their own. They struggled to keep their focus as snow fell from the sky and began to freeze them from the leg up.

Hydrangea, Cassie, and Sid saw the twins and tried to free them. Cassie drew the phoenix card and shot it at them, blasting wings embraced them as the icy bindings began to thaw. But the phoenixian power of the Pyrois card was not enough to prevent it from encasing them solid.

Molly focused on the manticore as it continued charging its spell. Her and Andy acted in unison as they began chanting. “Oh frozen gales that assail the forge of the star…”

The manticore turned its gaze at the twins, but Lily and Rose blinded the beast with flashes of light and lightning. Causing the attack to miss. Tim moved with a charging step and prepared to ignite the beast.

“..Become the vector of providence!” the twins finished their spell, and all the snow and frost around them began to circle the manticore. The manticore attempted to break free, but the chimera was unable to escape the dark frost that was turned against it. It became entombed in its own ice.

“Now!” Tim unleashed his blazing attack. Fire surged through the frozen beast. Shattering the glass creature. The battle was over.

Everyone was left exhausted from the fight. They were on the verge of fainting. As Molly’s consciousness faded she and Andy firmly grasped the hammer in their hands.

✦✦✦

Within the Black Box, Atsuko noticed the anomaly in the Kaguya Parallel Mirror had vanished, and that Emily’s mind was already recalled. “Huh?” she said in confusion. “It’s gone.”

“What…happened?” Emily’s voice echoed to everyone, her tone was groggy.

“Emily!” Heathcliff said. “Are you alright, don’t stress yourself.”

Those that weren’t frozen in the idol emerged from their pods. Cassie was confused. “That’s it? We’ve only seen six floors!”

“Unfortunate,” Atsuko said. “Unforeseen circumstances had forced us to terminate this expedition. I’m sorry.” She handed the idol back to the dormarch.

Cassie was crestfallen. “Aw,” she whimpered.

“That idol had more anomalies than I expected,” the nekomata said.

“Are you okay?” Anemone asked Rose.

“I should be asking you the same thing!” Rose replied. “That manticore…”

✦✦✦

Later, Emily manifested her avatara in front of Atsuko. “Akko?” she said.

The teal-ringleted girl was startled by Emily’s voice. “Oh, it’s you. Sorry about that. Things had been so quiet this hour.” She returned to the Takarabune. “This data…it doesn't make sense.”

“What do you mean?” Emily asked.

“Well first off, the femtonaut analysis had revealed that one of them had brought an item into the microdungeon and that another had brought it out with them.”

“I thought that was the point of these trips?” Emily said confusingly.

“They are, but that is done by placing them inside the Takarabune. That item, this ‘replica’ hadn’t even touched the vessel, it manifested in Molly’s hand when her mind returned. Speaking of which. There is the matter of the manticore.”

“What manitcore?” Emily asked.

“Right,” Atsuko said. “They didn’t tell you huh? Well, I learned that there was something in the microdugneon that was interference with the Kaguya Parallel Mirror. An anomalous factor whose effects I’m still trying to decipher. The monster that froze us, as a manifestation of this…well ‘virus’ is as good a term as any for describing this. When the remainder of the party defeated the manticore the virus was removed, and their minds and yours were immediately recalled.”

“I think I get it,” Emily said. “Do you think someone may have tampered with the idol?”

“That is improbable,” Atsuko said. “A scenario that assumes certain variables that shouldn’t be. But—”

“You guys!” Cassie called out to them, brandishing her hammer idol. The head of which had signs of wear and more tellingly scorch marks. “It works! The idol can ignite!” Her tail wagged excitedly.

“Glad to see that this wasn’t fruitless,” Atsuko said. “Now Hearthsflame is tomorrow night. I heard Heathcliff had just ordered the food for the dinner.”

Emily demanifested the avatara, and Cassie and Atsuko talked more before parting. Atsuko remained to work on the Takarabune. She looked at the craft with more questions than answers. “Could it be that Emily had more of an effect than I thought?” She asked.

✦✦✦

The next day, the day of Flameshearth, Rose was asked to come to the dwarves’ Atelier.

“Hey guys,” the lamia said. “What did—” she was stunned by what she saw. A sleeve, a stocking, a garment tailed for her tail. Made with warm spider silk and dreamcloth. The fuchsia garment shimmered with a nacreous hue, broken by three rings of feathers at each layer. The underbelly of the cloth pant bore familiar elements.

Richard looked at his latest work with a sense of pride. “Raine told me about what happened,” the blond craftsman said. “I’d hope that this iteration of Mr. Snuggiekins would be to your liking Miss Rose.”

Rose slithered towards the pink garment. The child could tell that it was carefully designed to keep her tail warm. Every stitch is made with care. Rose noticed that the feathers that bordered the first layer of feather trim were from the white-winged swans that now flock in the Bleumaw. But the other two trims were red with a fiery aura.

“Raine?” she said to her friend. “Did you…”

“Some of my feathers molted,” Raine said.

Rose chuckled as she looked back at her sudden gift. The new form of her beloved blanket. She let out a giddy smile as she took the garment off the mannequin and slithered into an empty room to change.

Raine turned to her teacher’s brother. “Thank you for the favor,” Raine whispered.

“It was no problem at all, Raine,” Richard said. “It wouldn't do to force the child to get her death of cold.”

Raine turned to a back of molted feathers. Excess down that went unused in the construction. “You’re saving these feathers?”

Richard smirked. “The Cycle’s Turn is in five weeks! It would be wasteful not to use them for certain attire. Oh don’t worry, your feathers were already sorted out.”

Rose emerged now clad in her new garment. The snug fit matched her tail and the dreamcloth underbelly ensured that friction would dare not blemish it as she slithered around. “This is so awesome! Thanks, you guys.”

“Rose! Raine!” Lilly called to her friends. “There you are!”

The other six Coloraturas had arrived, as well as Nina, Charlotte, Pearl, Molly, and Andy.

“Did you make gifts for them too?” Rose cheekily asked while showing off her more stylish attire.

“You know it’s too early for that,” Raine retorted.

“We’re here to pick you up,” Azalea said. “The feast is starting!”

“Ooh, do we still have any leftover webcakes?” Rose asked.

Nina turned her head grumpily. “I could’ve taken on that manticore…” she lamented.

“I’ll get Sarah,” the tanned dwarf said. “If nothing else, this feast would be a good test on her …upper limits.” He said.

The children left Richard and his workshop and began heading towards the feast hall. On the way. Anemone turned to Molly and Andy. Molly responded by looking at the violet-haired lycanthrope. “You’re Anemone right?” the once timid girl said. “Cassie had told us a lot about you!”

“Really?” Anemone said.

Andy’s tail wagged. “Can you tell us about ‘La Libertad’?” he asked. “I’ve been hearing a lot about it lately?”

“I’ve also heard about ‘Metropolica Esmeralda’,” Molly said. “They said they discovered scenes from the pre-Pearl-Templeton version! Have you heard about that?”

Pearl wined at the mention of her first film, and the associated adventure. Lily giggled at her porcine friend’s reaction. “No we haven’t,” the centaur interrupted with a white lie.

“But I can tell more about the Fairy Princess films!” Anemone said to the twins.

“That would be…” Andy began.

“…Amazing!” Molly finished. Their ears perked in unison.

✦✦✦

Later, everyone arrived at the feast hall. Colored a burning vermilion hue in honor of the Forgemaster. A large circular table with a lavish spread circled in the middle of the large room. At the center of which was a large pile of wood.

“Is the smörgåsbord ready, Heathcliff?” Elizabeth said to the knight.

“Almost!” the red-headed man said. “The other chefs were just wrapping up.” Several Arachne and Sprite cooks carted the remainder of the food in.

Cassie looked at her hammer with pride. And also at the large pile of kindling. She eagerly anticipated the main event. Heracles tugged at her skirt and beeped. She looked at her beetle drone understandingly. “I know, Hercules. It’s just I’m so existed!” She knew this would be the first Heathsflame since she went to Rosenkreuz, and the first since moving to the Black Box. It was a very special day for the dormarch artificer.

The others were also aware of it. Sid approached her with her guitar in hand. “Hey Cass, can’t hold it in?” she said.

Cassiopeia chuckled. “Of course! How long will it be? I can’t wait anymore.”

At the same time, Emily, using her avatara, spoke with Tim.

“You’d think something like this would be a bit less…formal?” Emily said, looking at a special black and purple gown Richard made for the occasion.

Tim blushed a little. “Y-y-yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know what Richard was thinking when he made the dress.”

Emily noticed Tim had averted his gaze. “Something on your mind Timmy?” she said playfully.

“Actually…” It was true that he had other matters besides the feast. From the recent intrusion of Xhao Li, to the jade slip he tried vainly to decipher, to his first use of fire magic just yesterday. “Do I have to use my techniques to ignite the bonfire?”

“Um…” Emily said. “Good question?” she guessed.

Tim sighed. “There is one other thing.” He took out the slip of jade he obtained from other survivors of the Golden Spear. “It’s been several months now and I still don’t know what it says.”

Emily took a look at the skip and held it in her palms. Yet the secrets inscribed on it were as inscrutable to her as it was to the martial artist.

In another area, Clara looked at the bonfire with hesitancy. The events of Hamlin lingered in her mind, the most vivid of which was her “demise”.

She saw Heathcliff approach her. “Bonjour,” the knight said.

“Ah, Heathcliff,” Carla said. “Finished with the preparations?”

“Oui,” the knight said to the alraune. Two patches of pink blazed on her chartreuse green cheeks. She then turned to the pile of kindling with some discomfort.

“Not that I doubt your judgment or anything, but are you sure a fire this big is…safe?” The tamer said hesitantly.

Heathcliff understood the underlying feelings of that statement. The microexpressions tell of one still scarred by events at the village that she once called home. “We can douse the fire before dinner starts if you want.”

“Huh, no,” Carla said. She was never one to let her desires impede on others, provided they were of noble intent of course. “It’s just that well…”

Heathcliff said. “Be honest, cher.” The knight said tenderly and gently.

Carla sighed. “Well, I will admit that I am a little fearful of the fire.”

Much was her mother, Charlotte was worried about the potential risk the large pile of kindling would have. Her indigo leaves and petals stood up on end in comparison. Anemone, Euryale, and Sthenno noticed that she looked at the pile of wood as if it was already flickering.

“Lotte?” Euryale said.

“Huh?” Charlotte snapped back to reality. The lycanthrope and the mouse-eared Cells noticed that her stunned expression lingered.

“Maybe we should pick a different place to sit?” Stheno said. “It does seem too close.”

Lily approached them. “What did you guys do with that mirror?” Nancy was beside her.

“What mirror?” Euryale lied.

“I hid it in Charlotte’s room,” Anemone said. She turned to Nancy. “We’re sorry for putting you through all that.”

“It’s okay,” Nancy said. “You guys didn’t know better right?”

“R-right,” Charlotte lied.

“Still,” Nancy said. “Don’t you guys think you should turn that weird mirror into the guild?”

“There are some things I want to check on it first,” Anemone answered.

Nancy shrugged. “Oh well, hey Charlotte, there’s an open spot next to me. You want to sit there?”

“Oh um,” Charlotte is unsure whether she should accept the offer. “Thank you kindly, but.”

“Oh come on, Lotte,” Euryale said as she grabbed the young alraune’s arm. Nancy grabbed the other one.

“W-w-wait!” Charlotte said as Nancy and Euryale dragged her to the open sear. Sthenno sighed in response to her sister’s antics. They followed her and ran into several of the sprites. Ulric, Flowena, and Salliandra greeted them as they flutter to their own smaller seats on the table.

✦✦✦

A few minutes later. Emily’s avatara walked to the front of the pile of wood for the pre-feast ceremony. “Um, hello there,” the dungeon core said awkwardly. She was used to many people living inside of her, but not all of them staring at her at once. Elizabeth coached her through her speech.

Emily gulped before continuing. “Ahem. We are gathered here tonight to give our thanks. To those who are with us. To those, we call our family, our friends, no matter how recent their bonds are forged. To the residents of the Black Box, to the people who dwelled within me. I thank you.”

“That was rather short, isn’t it,” Kasumi said. Hoshikage bumped her with her elbow.

Emily stuttered a bit. “I also w-w-w-want to thank several individuals, it is thanks to them that we are here to this day. To my sentinels, Tim, the Coloraturas, Minerva, and Carla. Thank you for protecting me. To Sir Heathcliff and Elizabeth, to who I owe a debt of gratitude for their assistance in managing our humble community.”

Heathcliff is a little flabbergasted. Esteban and Carla. “Wait a minute, ‘sir’?”

“You have yet to improve your sense of subtlety,” Julia said. “O Crimson Hound.”

“To Atsuko and her ninja, with whom the gates of new possibilities were opened. To Richard and Sarah, who helped refined my offerings to adventurers. To Carla and her daughter Charlotte, who kept the creatures beside us a boon instead of a bane. To Esteban and Julia, who guided me through my trips through Noir. Thank you.”

Cassie stood next to Sarah and Molly, each stood bearing their idols.

“To the sprites that took refuge in me. To the Arachne that came to me after their homes were gone and to our recent Dormarch and Eweran residents. Thank you. I can only hope you will remain with me for years to come. To the guild of Rosenkreuz, who continue to guide me and my party as adventurers, I thank you. To the Cells that help protect me, I thank you for your valiant service.” Emily said. “And to those that were imprisoned in me, I pray that your chains will one day be broken,” she thought to herself.

Nancy noticed something coming from the avatara, a tinge of sadness. “Is Emily sad?” she asked Charlotte.

“Huh?” Charlotte was confused.

Kaitlyn also sensed Emily’s sadness, it conjured an inspiration for a painting that she wants to suppress until the morrow.

“And finally to the Administrators to whom we would not be on this star without. Tonight I want to pay tribute to Obsidian, the Forgemaster. To whom I owe my existence, and to whom we thank for providing us with warmth in this bitter winter.”

Cassie tightened her grasp on her idol in excitement. “This is the best part,” she thought. Molly giggled upon seeing the other dormarch act so giddy. Her brother Andy sensed and shared his twin’s exuberance, despite them being separated by a table and several feet of distance.

“It is to he who provided us with warmth, the core of Titania himself that we light the kindling before us,” Emily said. “But it also also to our bonds that we light this flame.”

Sarah, Cassie, Molly, and others, on cue, took their idols and slammed them into the wood, sparks flew from the hammers and the underlying flint to become embers, and the embers became cinders. An incandescent flame spread through the pile of firewood and illuminated the orange hall with its vermilion grace.

Carla and Charlotte recoiled from the sight before looking back in the warm embrace. The sight of the bonfire was calming despite most of their prior associations.

Emily turned towards the bonfire and recalled her own tragic memory. Whereas her trail involved a flame that spiraled out of control, here the bonfire remains in her complete control.

Rosemary sat next to Rose and noticed the garment on her tail. “Hey, cool pants!” the spiderling said. Her joy was visible through the transparent webbing on her face.

“Thanks!” the lamia said to her similarly named acquaintance.

With the bonfire lit. The feat began. Joy and merriment were in equal measure as everyone partook of the large spread of food prepared by Heathcliff and various cooks and chefs from Rosenkreuz. The residents talked with each other over the dinner. For some, it was the first time they met those they spoke with. For others, it was a time to express their own thanks to each other. The capstone of the feast, lavishly cooked poultry was consumed with cheer and goodwill. The night was unlike any other, yet Stella will rise on a day more mundane in comparison.