"Hiyaaaah!" Rika brought her sword down upon the neck of a giant rat and made a deep gash.

The monstrous creature gave out a deafening screech as it twisted and tumbled for several seconds before falling flat on its stomach and succumbing to its wounds.

She panted heavily.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Ruth said, "you won't last if you keep exerting yourself like that." He walked past her as though he were on a relaxing trek.

"Ah, hahaha..." Despite her clearly trembling hands, she still managed to eke out a smile. "You're right... but I just can't calm my nerves."

"On the other hand," He looked over his shoulder. "Miss Sylphie doesn't look concerned at all."

"A- huh?" Sylphia cocked her head. "Ahh, haha, no, I was keeping myself busy with mapping out our progress."

"Ueh?" Ceressa walked past and said, "Just in your head?"

"Y-yes, somewhat."

"That's pretty impressive. Are you sure it's your first dungeon dive?"

"Ahaha, yes, of course."

In this world, that is.

In her mind, she drew a rough caricature of the cave while they were walking. She took in any subtle changes of direction they made, as even though they had not encountered a fork in their road just yet, she noticed that the cave curved downwards and to the left the farther they went down.

I've played enough games like this - games where you go spelunking into dungeons without a map. They don't make them like they used to, but I enjoyed them a lot. My tastes changed over time, though, and instead of RPGs that, I gravitated more towards strategy games... At least my skills haven't completely rusted away. Just like riding a bike, eh?

Sylphia's gaze sharpened.

Something's been bugging me for a while though...

While lost in thought, Ceressa leapt back and yelled, "Giant rats! Two counts!"

"Alright, get behind me!" Ruth clanged his sword onto his shield, making a loud noise. "It's my turn!"

In an instant, the two giant rats, each the size of a large dog, collided with the steel plated shield with a loud bang.

"Miss Rika, you handle this one!" He kicked one of them to the side.

"E-eeeeh!?" The startled redhead screamed. "I thought it's your turn!?"

The monster attacked without relent, throwing itself rabidly upon his shield. He was happy to oblige, pushing the steel wall straight into its face, making a blunt, metallic ding. Stunned, the monster writhed its head in all direction, screeching in pain. That was not the end of its suffering, however, as he then thrust his Demonbane right into its back. Lightning jumped from the bright, glowing crystal in its pommel, curving around his arm as though it recognized him as its master and avoided hurting him. With a sharp snap, electricity surged into the rat's body, crackling and fizzing for several moments of extreme spasms. Finally, as he slid his sword out of its flesh, it fell on the floor, stiff as a statue, and slowly bled out while paralyzed.

Meanwhile, on Rika's account, the moment she saw the giant rat flying towards her, she lifted her leg on reflex. At just the right time, she brought her metal-plated boot down and stomped its head so hard, the sickly crackle of its skull collapsing from the force overpowered all the noise in the cave for but a single instant.

"Ouch. That was pretty brutal, Miss Rika..." he said.

"Eh? N-no! That was an accident!" She furled her brows and puffed her cheeks. "Don't just kick things my way!"

"Oh, ahaha!" He scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry about that! I thought you had it covered."

"Geez..."

Once the excitement abated, Sylphia was free to continue her thought in peace. How far have we gone? We must have walked the same distance from the village to the mouth of the cave. She turned her head left, right, up and down; curious that anywhere she looked, it was still bright enough to see.

How is this even possible? We aren't even using a light yet... what's going on here?

Behind them, the entrance was no longer visible. It hadn't been for a long time. And yet, contrary to her common sense, the more they walked forward, the brighter the cave seemed to become.

That's strange...

She reached out and touched dark, rocky walls. In doing so, flecks of dirt stuck to her finger. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the dirt glittered rather dimly. "What is this?" She held her eye as close to the wall as possible and covered a small portion with her hands, such that light from outside cannot seep in. To her surprise, she was nonetheless able to see the dirt within.

That's definitely strange!

"Hm? Sylphie?" Rika doubled back and went by her side.

Far in front, Ruth yelled at them, "Heeeey, What's the hold-up?"

Ignoring them, Sylphia then scratched a shallow cavity into the wall with her nail. She collected the dirt on her hand and spread the specks of dust apart. Among them, a few bits sparkled more brightly than the others. She turned her head in a hurry, centering her gaze on the person who she thought might have an idea as to what's going on.

"H-huh?" Letty flinched. "What's the matter?"

"Do you know what this is?" she said, shoving her handful of dirt right in front the girl's face.

"E-eh? L-Let me see..." Letty leaned closer and separated the clumps of dust on Sylphia's hand. Each tiny speck flickered as she prodded it with her fingers, reflecting their light off her eyes. The clump of dirt soon resembled the night sky as glittering specks surfaced one after the other.

Wait, they're glowing!? Is this fucking radioactive or something!? The thought of holding hazardous materials with her bare hands froze her stiff.

"Wha-" The scribe jolted. "could this be...!?"

"W-what!?" Her eyes popped wide open. Oh God, please don't be Uranium!

"W-wait, I... I need to check something..." Books, salves and other bits and bobs flew out of Letty's mantle as she rummaged inside at a frenzied pace.

"Heeeey," Ruth said with a dull tone, "What's going on back there?"

Rika replied, "Looks like Sylphie found something on the walls..."

"What is it?"

"I don't know..."

"I-It can't be slime," Ceressa stammered, "c-could it?" She clutched her arms together.

S-slime...!? Sylphia grimaced.

"Slime?" Rika cocked her head.

"The most despicable type of creature that lurks in dungeons..." Ceressa's brows furled. "They ooze out of the walls and stick to you and... and...!" She shuddered.

"Uwa, what's with that?" she whimpered, "That sounds so creepy!"

Ceressa nodded. "It is."

Tell me about that before I start digging at the damn walls!

Finally, Letty pulled out a thick tome and shouted, "Here it is!" Her dark mantle fluttered outwards that very moment, exposing ever so slightly her clothing from within. And, as if guided by natural instinct, Sylphia snuck a peek at just the right time to witness it.

E-eeeeeh?

Several satchels, bags and belts, each filled to the brim with all manner of things, ranging from books to vials, wrapped all around her body. It was such that they made it difficult to make out the short dress she wore underneath - only that it reached just to her upper thigh, where, coincidentally, the layer of baggage also ended.

Her jaw dropped. D-does that mean she carries all of that junk with her everywhere? What the hell is all that shit anyway?

Nevertheless, Letty flipped through the book in a hurry. She pulled Sylphia's hands closer and said, "Let me see!"

"Wa-ah! Okay, okay!" Sylphia nearly stumbled from in surprise.

She stared at the fragments for a few moments before flipping right back to the book. And then back again. After a short while, her arm fell limp, dropping her tome onto the floor as she muttered, "No way..."

"W-what is it...?"

She ran towards the wall, all whilst muttering something incomprehensible beneath her breath.

"H-hey! Geez, what has gotten into you?" The little girl scratched her head in bafflement. Letting out a sigh, she dropped the clump her glowing dirt and patted her hands on her dress. Uck. I'll need to change clothes after this.

Next, she pulled a small metal rod from her mantle and with it, struck hard at the wall.

"H-hey!" Ruth shouted, "Miss Letty, what are you doing!?" He then turned to his partner. "Is that safe!? What if this cave collapses on us!?"

"E-eh!?" Ceressa scowled at him. "How should I know!?"

Despite their protests, Letty continued. she stomped repeatedly on the clump of glowing dirt, crushing it underfoot. Then, just as abruptly, she pulled Sylphia away with her, saying, "Stand back."

E-eeeeh...? What the heck is happening?

Afterwards, the single-minded scribe rummaged inside her mantle for a few seconds before emerging with a confused look. "Huh? Where...?" she muttered.

"Letty?" Sylphia said, "What are you looking for?"

"U-uh... it's... um..." She then looked behind her and startled Sylphia when she yelled, "Ah, there!" She then scrambled for one of her books lying on the floor and brought it before the clumps of dirt.

"Geez, you're gonna give me a heart attack..." Sylphia grumbled.

She took a deep breath.

With a swipe of her hand, Letty opened the book cleanly in the middle. As she did so, a puff of blue smoke rose from the book and then fell on the clump of dirt. Then, she ran back, pulling both Sylphia and Rika even farther away from the cloud of magic. Once they were safely away, she snapped her fingers and yelled, "Ignite!"

In an instant, the blue smoke erupted into a ball of flame, creating a flash of bright light.

Ruth hooted, "Woah! So this is Miss Letty's magic! Impressive, as expected!"

I thought she didn't know any offensive spells, though...?

Sylphia raised an eyebrow.

Huh... she probably doesn't think of it as an offensive spell...? It looks like she uses it for utility more than anything.

By the time that the fireball created by Letty's spell completely dissipated, all that remained of the clump of dirt was a yawning ember. It produced a prismatic glow that was far more vivid than the shy glitter it produced earlier.

Ruth whistled. "That's a pretty rock." He leaned in for a closer look. "What is it?"

Letty did not answer. She could not answer. She simply stared, fully enraptured, into the glowing ember.

Worried, Sylphia tried to place her hand on her shoulder.

But the very second she laid a finger on her, the entranced scribe collapsed.

"E-eh? Letty!?" Sylphia screamed.

Nghf! The full weight of the girl, almost twice as tall as her, fell on her soft, slender arms. You're too fucking heavy!

Nevertheless, she struggled. Her knees had almost given up when Rika finally came in and relieved her of most of the burden.

Slowly, the girl returned to her senses. "...ril..." she muttered, her voice so weak that it was difficult to hear at face-to-face distance.

Still catching her breath, Sylphia knelt in front of her and said, "What? What's happening!? Letty!"

Slowly, she tilted her head upwards and met eyes with Sylphia.

They were not crazed eyes as she had feared. Those globes of stark crimson gleamed with a brilliant streak of awe.

Thus, Letty's voice slowly grew. "Myth...ril..."

Her shoulders jolted. "What... did you say?"

"Mythril!"

She swallowed her breath.

"Th-this is Mythril!"

Hearing this, their two companions hurried over and took a closer look at the Mythril dust.

"What did she say!?" Ruth asked.

"Mythril!? This dirt is mythril!?" Ceressa screamed.

"Mm!" Letty turned to them and nodded, wiping a tear at the corner of her eye as she said, "It's... it's Mythril...!"

Mythril... It varies from game to game, but no matter what, it's always distinguished as a super-high quality material. There's no doubt about it - their reaction, this dungeon - this is an incredible find!

"Ha. Ha ha..." Sylphia stood up. "Did you guys hear that? This cave contains Mythril ore!"

"Man... this is no joke..." Ruth rubbed the sweat off his forehead. "That fetches a really hefty price!"

"If we secure this dungeon, then we secure a supply of Mythril! Think of the possibilities!"

Ceressa, meanwhile, had already departed into fantasy land. "Ah... Aaaaah! I could buy a new home... No! An estate!"

Ruth soon followed. "Ahh! I can see it now! A full plate of Mythril! Oh my Gods, I'll be known as the Invincible Warrior!" He pumped his fists up in the air. "Aaaah! I will never look down on Apprentice-level dungeons ever again!"

The three of them rubbed their hands together and shared a victorious laugh.

Afterwards, Rika tapped Sylphia's shoulder. "Sylphie. Sylphie."

"Hm?"

"Let's get some matching accessories to commemorate our first adventure!" she said, "That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"E-eh?" Flustered, Sylphia averted her gaze. "Just accessories...? With this much, we can pretty much get you anything, you know?"

"Hmm..." She pondered for a moment and then concluded, "yeah, just accessories. I don't really need anything else!"

"Umm... what about your family?"

"They'll be fine. My dad always taught me that money you make overnight isn't as valuable as money you make after a good day's work."

"Huh..."

"Besides, I'm already living with Sylphie in a huuuuge castle! What else could I possibly want?" She then said, adding a sweet grin. "Ehehe!"

"Ueeeh? Is that so...?" She cooly tried to play it off, but could not quite disguise her cheeks turning bright red. "Well, then... okay."

"Mm!"

"Mm." She shyly scratched her cheek. "Accessories. That would be nice..."

None of them noticed it, not even Sylphia, that Rika's stray comment came within a hair's breadth of exposing their little secret. But, luckily, everyone was too entranced by the promise of wealth to notice.

After a while, Letty finally got back to her feet.

"U-um..." she said as she patted her clothes down, "we should be careful... I... I have a bad feeling about this."

Ruth cleared his throat. "Miss Letty's right. It's no coincidence that this Mythril is here. Nine out of ten chance says this is no mere Apprentice-level dungeon..."

Letty nodded. "It may not be official, but please, consider this dungeon at least Journeyman level from now on."

"Journeyman, huh?" Ruth glanced at Ceressa, who met him with a smirk.

"Just the right level for us!" Ceressa drove her fists together. "Miss Rika, Miss Sylphie, Miss Letty - you can count on us!"

The group progressed deeper into the cave. Sylphia eventually lost track of how far they'd come but figured that it didn't matter, since the cave did not branch out at all.

Ruth clicked his tongue. "It's just been giant rats so far, though..." he yawned, "Hey, maybe we struck the motherlode on this one - a poorly defended source of Mythril, eh?"

"Hah," Ceressa smirked. "Just don't start actually believing in your fantasies. The world's not that kind."

"Tsk." Ruth jerked his mouth to one side. "What a killjoy... And you used to be so cute too... I still remember-"

"Shh." Ceressa suddenly stopped and crouched down. "Hold it," she said, holding her hand up in front of the others.

"What is it?" Sylphia asked.

"A light."

Have we reached the end? Sylphia felt her skin crawl in anticipation.

They advanced in formation with Ceressa in front, followed closely by Ruth and Rika, and at the back, Sylphia and Letty kept an eye on what's behind them.

"This might get exciting," Ruth said as he drew his sword, "keep your cool."

Rika nodded, her sword and shield at the ready.

The cave tapered acutely from that point forward. Whereas behind them, the cave was large enough to fit wagon, in front of them, the cave had shrunk so much that everyone except Sylphia had to bend down slightly.

They continued further down, pursuing further and further the intensifying light. And then-

They hit a dead end.

In an instant, the party's spirits dampened.

"What the hell?" Ruth said, scratching his head.

What lay before them was a dirt wall with a couple of holes dug on either side.

"Well, at least we know where the giant rats are coming from..." Ceressa said, heaving a sigh.

"Aww..." Rika whimpered, "I guess this is the end?"

"Eeeh..." Sylphia groaned.

"W-well," Letty clapped her hands together. "a-at least we're all safe! In the end, it's good that it turned out to be an easy dungeon, right...? It's your first dive after all."

"Ueeeh... we prepared all of those supplies for this...?" Sylphia scratched her head. "And there isn't even any treasure..."

"Well," Ruth said, "there might not have been any relics or items in this cave, but we do have this!" He tapped the dirt wall in front of them. "Miss Letty, this is Mythril too, right?"

"M-mm..." The scribe nodded.

"Heheh!" He grinned. "You can bet the guild is gonna give us a handsome reward for discovering this Mythril vein!"

"Well, if you put it that way..." Sylphia sighed. "At least we don't go back empty handed... Hmm..." She rubbed her chin.

"Hm?" Rika glanced at her. "Sylphie...?"

"Say, do you..."

"Hm? What?" Ceressa asked, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

"Umm... well, I mean, since we're here, and we haven't really done much so far..." Sylphia then pointed towards the dirt wall. "You think we can bring some Mythril with us?"

The air stood still.

It was such that the sound of someone swallowing their breath was audible.

The first to break the silence was Ruth. "Heh," With a big smirk drawn on his face, he declared, "of course it is!"

Letty explained. "Mm. Adventurers are allowed, by law to do whatever they want in dungeons. It belongs to no one and thus, its treasures will belong to anyone who can lay their hands on them."

Ceressa chuckled. "As expected of a scribe."

Sylphia's eyes sparkled. "So, then-"

Rika then pumped her fist in the air. "I want to dig enough to make a pair of rings or something!"

"Oooh! You mean we're making the accessories out of Mythril!?"

"Mm! Isn't the rock beautiful? I thought it would make for great accessories!"

"Ahaha! I like how you think!" She patted Rika on the back.

"Ehehe!"

"Well, it's settled, then!" Ruth said, "We've brought a few bags with us, right!?"

"Yeah!" Ceressa's voice trembled with excitement. "I could fill my quiver too if I have too!"

"Alright! Let's get started!"

"Ho!" They cheered in chorus.

Sylphia sighed. I can't believe my first dungeon dive turned out to be a mining expedition... there's really something wrong with this fantasy world...

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"We ought to bring shovels next time, but for now-" Ruth grabbed his sword on the blade side and swung its crossguard at the dirt wall. "Oaaaaaah!"

Thud.

The moment his sword struck the dirt wall, however, Sylphia felt as if the ground beneath her feet trembled.

Huh...? What was-

"Here's another!" he yelled.

Wait! This might not be a good idea! She tried to reach out to him, but before she could even say a word, his cross guard struck the wall with an even heavier thud.

The ground beneath them shook and then, a blinding light erupted from the wall.

"Oh shit, oh shit!" Ruth yelled first.

And then Rika. "Kyaa!"

"Aaaack!" Sylphia and Ceressa followed, screaming in tandem.

"Mgggnghhh---!" Meanwhile, Letty held a vice-grip on Sylphia's arm, almost twisting it as the two fell to their knees.

Each fell over the other as they ran, crawled or stumbled away, blinded and screaming.

Sylphia's eyes watered as a painful burning sensation overtook her. She curled up, covered her eyes with her palms and yelled, "Aaagh! What's happening!?"

Then, after a few moments, silence.

The shaking subsided and their eyes soon adjusted to the bright light, which, in reality, was not that much brighter than high noon on the surface - their eyes had just gotten used to the darkness of the cave.

When Sylphia opened her eyes, they had all huddled together on the ground, and in front of them, the dirt wall had collapsed into a slit opening, from which the bright light shined through into the cave.

What... the hell? Did we tunnel through? No, wait... that can't be right! We were going down all the way! There's no way we're already at the surface!

"Hold on," Ceressa whispered. She then got up and crept closer to the opening. With her back against the wall, she watched her every step, cautious as to not make any unnecessary noise.

Then, just shy of the opening itself, she stopped. "Um..." She looked back, turning her head in a series of robotic jerks, "so, who's going to take a look inside?"

She looked squarely at Ruth.

"W-what?" He shook his head and waved his hands in front of him, "No, no, no, you're the scout, aren't you?"

Ceressa scowled. "B-but you're the one in full armor!"

Sylphia sighed. "Just go on and take a look already, Ceressa." She then gave her a small push on the back.

"Hyaa!!" She squealed. She then jumped back, crashing into both Ruth and Sylphia. "W-w-what was that for!?" The trill in her voice accentuated her fury. "W-why don't you go ahead!?"

"Ahaha, you must be joking," Sylphia said with a nervous grin. "I can't run very fast, you know."

"Wha- so you're telling me to be bait!?"

"Oh, geez!" Rika pouted. "You're all such scaredy-cats! I'll take a look!"

"W-wait, Rika!" Sylphia shouted as she reached out her hand.

However, Rika did not listen and went on to peek out of the opening.

And then... she just stood there.

For several moments.

Without so much as a peep.

"R...Rika?" Sylphia crept forward. "What do you see?"

Rika said with a voiceless breath, "Sylphie... you have to come see this."

Sylphia swallowed her breath. Slapping her cheeks, she then ran forward and joined Rika, closely followed by the others.

She stepped to the precipice, a mound of dirt that established the boundary between the dark cave and the bright unknown. Thus, Sylphia stared out into the light.

Oh... my... holy... fucking God.

On the other side of the crevice laid a massive cavern. Scattered across its surface, countless massive pillars stood astride, lifting its ceiling far out of reach. Its walls, its pillars and even its ceiling glittered vividly in a myriad of colors. Jutting out of these surfaces, crystalline formations each glowed in its own warm hue and mingled with that of the other crystals, creating an ambient white light that illuminated the otherwise impenetrable cavern.

Sylphia took her first cautious steps inside and noticed the crystals formed right onto the walls beside them. "Hey, look at that..." she pointed to the crystals, "That can't possibly be..."

"I..." Letty's voice trembled. "I think so... Outcrops of Mythril infused crystals..."

An expansive flat ground stretched in between the pillars and continued far within the cavern. The ground was matted with a grass-like plant whose blades took on a blue hue, painting the landscape with an alien vibrance. Towering above this undergrowth mushrooms the size of trees protruded from the ground, swaying timidly from side to side. Furthermore, algae and smaller mushrooms of myriad colors covered the sides of the walls, filling the space between the crystal outcrops with diverse vegetation.

"This is... amazing..." Ruth said, with bated breath. "I've never seen anything like this..."

Ceressa nodded. "This isn't any ordinary dungeon..."

Good God... I'd wish I had a camera right now, but I don't think I'll be able to forget this even if I wanted to...

Sylphia engorged herself upon the view, when, out the corner of her eyes, a dark silhouette leapt from behind a tall mushroom cap.

"What's that!?" she screamed.

Before they even knew what was happening, dozens of cat-like creatures spilled out from a grove of mushrooms.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Ruth screamed as he readied his weapons, "What the hell are those!?"

"I don't know, but I'm not waiting around to find out!" Ceressa pulled her bowstring and took aim.

"Rika, Ruth, don't let them through!" Sylphia said, creating a mist of black magic around both of them.

"Of course!" Ruth said, anchoring his feet into the ground.

"Aagh, damnit!" Ceressa yelled, "They move too fast, I can't zero in!"

"Then try harder!" Sylphia also formed her black mist around Ceressa. She then turned to Letty, behind her. "Hey, can't you do something!?"

"I-I-I..." Letty stammered, "I... don't know!"

"Damnit, then just stay close to me!"

Meanwhile, Ceressa finally released her first shot. "Haha!" she said, "I got you!"

Her arrow flew straight into the abdomen of one of the monsters. However, apart from staggering the monster for but a second, the arrow appeared to have done no damage whatsoever. The monster simply twisted the arrow shaft, breaking it in two, and continued on its way, apparently ignoring the arrowhead still lodged in its body.

"W-what the hell!?" Ceressa's eyes popped wide open. "Those arrows can penetrate steel plate, you know!?"

"They're here!" Ruth shouted, "Get behind me, Ceressa!"

"Aaaah, shit!" She ran back and leapt behind Ruth.

Shit, shit! They're able to shrug off a direct hit from an arrow!? Can our swords even help!? Sylphia tracked one of the cat monsters and noticed that their bodies shone similar to the cave walls. What!? No way...

Sensing that the odds were overwhelmingly against them, Sylphia shouted, "Pull back! We need to retreat!"

"It's too late for that!" Ruth raised his shield.

"They're running around the sides!" Ceressa said while shooting off arrow after arrow, without bothering to aim.

They're flanking us!?

The cat monsters dashed around them, easily evading Ceressa's arrows, but did not lunge in to attack.

No, wait... they're surrounding us!

"Fuck! Fuck!" Sylphia screamed hysterically, "We have to run or they'll cut off our retreat!"

At that moment, Ruth took an attack with his shield. "Shit!" He staggered back, before reassuming his defensive stance. "I'm busy! You all go ahead! I'll buy you some time!"

"Don't be an idiot!" Ceressa screamed as she shot an arrow at the monster Ruth was facing. "Like hell I'm leaving you behind!"

Ceressa's arrow was on course to hit the monster's bulbous head, but it managed to leap back in time to avoid it completely.

"What the hell are these things!?" Ceressa screamed. "They're ridiculously tough and agile!?"

"What are you two doing!?" Sylphia said, "We're running out of time!"

"Kyaa!" Rika fell to the ground as she took a charge to her shield.

"Rika!" Sylphia clenched her teeth. I need to... what!? What can I do!? Rika's in trouble! She might get killed! A cold chill ran down Sylphia's spine. She might get killed... And I can't do anything!?

The monster fell over Rika as both of them fell to the ground. With its weapon lodged into Rika's bronze plated shield, it pulled and it kicked, in an attempt to pry it back out, but failed. In the meantime, Rika screamed as she desperately tried to fight the monster off of her.

"Aaaaaaah haaaaa!" Letty screamed at the top of her lungs. With her book in hand, she flipped the pages open, creating a cloud of blue smoke that flowed out and surrounded the monster attacking Rika. "Ignite!" With her command, the blue smoke erupted into a ball of flame, engulfing the cat monster. However, it managed to leap away with only its coat of fur singed off.

"Rika!" Sylphia ran to her side. "Are you okay!?"

"Hng!" Rika twitched as she held onto her shield arm.

"Letty!" Sylphia shouted, "Rika's hurt!"

"C-coming!" Letty ran as quickly as she could while she jammed her book back inside her mantle.

Rika's shield bulged sharply inwards where her forearm rested, bruising it on the spot. On the other side, a sharp, sword-like weapon that glittered a pale green embedded itself into the shield.

No way, even their weapons!?

Sylphia grabbed the weapon at its hilt and cranked it up and down, slowly pulling it out of Rika's shield. As soon as she yanked it free, she showed it to Letty up close. "Hey, is this...!?"

Letty winced. "I... I think so... it's Mythril."

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Ruth screamed, "Are you fucking kidding me right now!? You're telling me these pussies are better kitted out than I am!? What the hell kind of monsters are these, anyway!?"

"I..." Letty said as she crouched down beside Rika, "I think they're kobolds!"

"Tsk... I've heard Kobolds are about as intelligent as humans..." Ceressa said while she let out another arrow, "...and that they're classified as Master-level monsters!"

Shit, so they're way out of our league!? Goddamnit! The fucking Mythril should have tipped us off! There's no way this dungeon could only be inhabited by giant fucking rats!

"Hey..." Ceressa said, with a foreboding tone.

"What!?" Sylphia yelled.

Ceressa grumbled, "There's nowhere left to run...!"

Sylphia's heart dropped.

She turned around, only to see several kobolds inching closer from behind, each one fully clad in glimmering Mythril.

Oh...

She panted as a cold bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.

Shit.

Her entire body trembled so violently that she fell to her knees, clutching her arms in a desperate attempt to suppress the tremors.

It was then that Rika took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She tilted her head towards Sylphia and with an anguished smile, she whispered, "Sylphie, stay beside me no matter what..."

No... wait... Sylphia shuddered. What are you saying...!? She wanted to say those words, but deep inside, she knew precisely what Rika meant. No... no! I don't want to die! She gnashed her teeth. But more than that... I... I don't want Rika to die! She lifted both her hands and clasped them around Rika's hand. If this is just a dream... if I still have a body outside... and if it turns out I can escape this world by dying... Even so - If Rika dies...!

Her vision misted over.

In the meantime, Ruth and Ceressa covered the three of them from both sides.

"Ceressa..." Ruth muttered, "if it comes to it, I'm charging their line behind us. I need you to grab Miss Letty and the others, then make a break for the exit."

Ceressa clicked her tongue. "An asshole to the end, huh? In that much of a hurry to meet up with Mitchie?"

Ruth grinned. "Nah, but I know that if we go meet her together, she'll definitely give me an earful."

"You bastard." Ceressa hung her head. "And you said you'd be there for when I make Master rank..."

"Yeah," His voice faltered. "I did promise that, didn't I? Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize, you dumbass!" Ceressa averted her gaze and said, with a trembling voice, "you'll make it hard for me to leave you behind...!"

"Miss Sylphie," he said, "please take care of Miss Rika."

When Sylphia gazed up at him, it seemed that his shoulders were wider, sturdier, than she'd ever seen before. "Mm." she nodded.

Ruth... do you have any idea how cool you look right now? I'll make sure your sacrifice won't be in vain.

The air stood still.

The kobolds had stopped advancing and formed a perimeter around them, waiting, watching.

What are they doing? Why aren't they attacking?

They just stood there, staring at them. If they were measuring them at that point, then surely, they'd have long concluded that Sylphia and the gang fell terribly short, and that, whenever they wanted to, they could slaughter them with ease. But they didn't.

Upon closer inspection, the kobolds appeared to stand on two legs, like a human. Each stood nearly as tall as Sylphia and had heads that keenly resembled that of a cat, except its proportion was outrageously overblown compared to the rest of its body.

What the fuck are these, cartoon characters!?

The two groups stared at each other, with neither side making any move.

What's going on...?

Then, out from the line of kobolds in front, one emerged - one with larger, more intricately designed armor. From its helmet which mimicked a lion's head, to its torso plate, which shined more brilliantly than the rest. It looked at them, at Sylphia, in particular, and then opened its mouth.

"The leader...?" Sylphia blurted out.

The cat would then do something that would send shivers down her spine.

"What are you, meow?" It spoke with a high-pitched, almost human voice.

Sylphia's jaw dropped.

I-it can talk!?

Suddenly, it grunted, turning its head to one side. It screamed, "Nyaaaaa! Doglings, meow!"

So many questions filled Sylphia's head. But she was given no time to ask them, nor even contemplate for herself - In that very same instant, the kobolds before them charged forwards.

"No! No! No!" Sylphia screamed as she reflexively closed her eyes. She gripped tightly at Rika's hand as absolute chaos erupted around her.

Rika...! I'm sorry! A teardrop finally rolled down her cheek.

Several moments passed. The screaming, clanging, meowing, and even howling swirled together like a hurricane in her ears. All through this, there was only one thing she knew - nothing was happening to her.

W-w-what's going on!?

She loosened her grip.

However, the moment she opened her eyes, Rika's hand was pried from her fingers.

"Wha-!" She stumbled, falling face-first into the ground. Pushing her head out of the grass, the first scene she saw was that of Rika being carried away, on the head of a kobold, her arms outstretched and reaching out to her.

Her heart wrenched in pain.

"R-Rika..." Her voice failed her. Stretching her own arms out, she clambered up to her feet and attempted a pursuit. "Rikaaaaaa!"

However, the moment she got off her knees, she was tugged back by her arm and fell back to the ground.

"Sylphie!" Letty screamed as she pulled Sylphia away from a kobold about to ram into her.

"L-Letty...! You're alive!" she said, with a strained voice, "what's going on!?"

"Cu Siths!" Letty screamed, "They're attacking the kobolds!"

"Cu-what!?" Sylphia shook her head. "Never mind about that! If the kobolds are distracted, then help me get Rika back!" she struggled back on her feet and pulled Letty along with her. "Quick!"

"W-wait, Sylphie!"

At that moment, a monster, vaguely resembling a dog with a human gait and absurdly large head, leapt in front of them and blocked their path. "Woof!" it barked, "You two!"

Shit! Neither of us can fight him off!

"Sylphie!" Letty quickly swung Sylphia around and wrapped her arms around her. She then bent down, her mantle draping itself over Sylphia. "D-d-don't worry..." She squeezed her in her arms, pressing Sylphia's head into her chest. "I-I-I'll...!"

Letty... Sylphia trembled in her arms. What... what are you doing!?

She slowly stepped away from the monster, with Sylphia in tow.

Her head pressed into Letty's chest, Sylphia felt her heart pulsing faster and faster.

And yet Letty would not let go. She even pulled Sylphia behind her, placing her body between her and the Sith's blade.

Letty, wait!

"Woof, do not be afraid." The Sith sheathed its sword and raised its tiny arms forward. "Woof, we are here to rescue you."

"Res... cue...?" Letty looked to Sylphia with a worried face.

Dammit, who knows what these monsters are planning, but at this point, I'll take a bunch of monsters who claim they'll rescue us than ones who'll attack us! Sylphia then nodded to her, prompting her to loosen her grip.

Another Sith soon appeared beside them. "Bark! Headhunter! The cursed catlings have sent reinforcements!"

"Woof! Curses!" The sith before them stomped its foot on the ground. "Woof! There's no choice! Woof! Gather everyone, we are returning to the village!"

"Wait!" Sylphia screamed. "What about the others!? Th-they- They've taken some of our friends! Please rescue them too!"

As she said this, Rika's voice echoed in the cavern.

In the distance, Sylphia saw her, Ruth and Ceressa being carried away by the Kobolds.

"Rika!" She ran. Desperately, she reached her arm out, even while she knew there was no way she could reach her.

At that moment, even more kobolds leapt out the mushroom forest entered combat with the already embattled siths.

"Woof! There is no time!" The sith leapt in front of Sylphia and grabbed her by the arm. "Woof! I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do for them!"

"No!" Sylphia flailed her arms around. "Nooooo! Let go! I need Rika with me!"

"Woof! Please, forgive me." With a swift move, it leaned over and lifted Sylphia over its head, removing her leverage. It then dashed away as quickly as it could.

"No! No! Rika! Rika! Rikaaaa!" Sylphia kicked and screamed until her voice finally broke.

Even as her friend disappeared behind the massive mushrooms that stood in the distance, Sylphia's tears kept streaming down her face.

"Rika..." Her struggle soon gave way to hollow panting. Her body fell limp as she was carried, like luggage, over a sith's head. Finally, her eyes glazed over as she stared blankly at the glimmering cave ceiling far above, far out of her reach.

Indeed, just like Rika was.