Xia charges in, thrusting her lance as Miller swings his sword. The two clash as Xia forces Miller back with sheer force. Miller swings his sword and a burst of flames shoots from the blade, hitting Xia who blocks the attack with her wings. She stares at Miller, who holds out his sword as it drinks up his blood to grow sharper and larger.

“Why are we fighting?” Mila asks Glyn.

“Because something stirred the little optimist so much, he’s crazed. He won’t listen until I beat the lesson into his head.”

“Does Miller have a chance?” Sam asks.

“No clue.”

“What!?”

“She’s a Dragonkin, meaning she’s from a long line of skilled warriors, as it is. And Miller is no slouch, he this is a Queen we’re dealing with.”

“So, you tossed him out there with no idea if he can win?”

“No. I believe he can win. I just don’t know if he actually can.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Glyn smirks. “Doesn’t have to.”

“Fine. But if Miller gets hurt, I get to smack you in the face. Understood!?”

“Deal.”

“I’m going to make sure it stings.” Sam clenches their fist.

“Oh. But that means you think he’ll lose. Such a shame.”

Sam growls, turning away. “Damn you.”

Miller and Xia clash. Xia pushes Miller back with raw strength as Miller spins around and swings his sword at her head. She dodges and gathers flames in her mouth. She launches a fireball with Miller, slashing through it and then slamming his sword into the ground. Metal spikes erupt from the ground and surround Xia who leaps into the air. As she flies, Miller leaps up and swings his sword, slicing into her wing as they both plummet to the ground.

“You’re strong.” Xia picks herself up and holds out her spear. “What’s your name, warrior?”

Miller smirks. “Miller Gill of Jubert Island.”

“A native?”

“You could say that.”

“You seem to be smart, so why serve that Half-Elf? He’s not one to lead from the front a coward who bit the hand that fed him.” She points her spear at Glyn. “Since you’re not from the mainland, you don’t know the surrounding stories. But none of them are good.”

“I can’t speak about how he is at home or his reputation. But I’ve grown to know some things about Glyn. He’s a fool, a smart one, but a fool either way. He’s a coward trying his hardest to not get hurt while taking all the burdens and blame he can on himself!”

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Glyn blushes. “Who told you to say crap like that?”

Mila laughs. “But it’s true, though.”

“Enough. This is almost over.”

Xia and Miller charge at each other and swing. Miller slashes into Xia’s arm as she runs through his stomach. But the pair collapse from their injuries and exhaustion. Isaac rushes to Xia’s side as he picks her up and she holds up her hand to signal him back.

Miller struggles up as Glyn moves towards him. “You lost.”

“I did,” Miller smirks.

He sighs and reaches into his bag, pulling out a potion. “Drink this and that’ll heal the wound. But now we’re in a dangerous position….”

Sam rushes in and punches Glyn in the face. He goes sliding across the ground as Mila rushes over to him.

“You said a smack!”

“That was.”

“Glyn, are you okay?” Mila asks.

He sighs. “Fine. But it stings.”

“I told you.”

Isaac watches the group and tears well up in his eyes. “I…”

Xia wraps her arms around Isaac. “It’s okay, you can let it out.”

Isaac cries as Glyn and the others watch, not saying a word as he lets out his tears.

After a moment, the group sits around eating their reserves as they pick themselves up from the battle and the struggle. Isaac explains his situation fully to Glyn, who listens earnestly as everyone turns to him.

“That’s a lot.”

“It is.”

He shakes his head. “So, Morgan Walsh. I heard some interesting things about that family, but I didn’t think they had an old military airship lying around.”

“It’s a troublesome thing. It destroyed my island, and we had no choice by the flee.”

“And you lost all your allies along the way.”

“Yes.”

“That explains it. You probably approached her diplomatically, only to be stabbed in the back the moment you let your guard down.”

Isaac nods. “That’s right.”

“So, what was your plan, anyway?”

“Honestly, it was to wait you out. I wanted to keep you away from this clearing because it would confirm this place is a Dungeon.”

“And you were going to starve yourself to do it?”

He smirks. “It was a gamble. But I wanted to hold all the cards.”

Mila leans into Glyn. “Um. How is this place a Dungeon? The Dungeon on the island looks nothing like this.”

“It was probably just accidentally formed. A Malformed Dungeon. It has a Dungeon’s barrier and odd space. But the monsters can’t form properly and they can’t replicate their surroundings perfectly. It’s like something cut off the Mana supply before it could finish and I think it’s that miasma.”

“That poison can affect Dungeons?”

“Miasma is almost the opposite of Mana. So I can imagine something odd happening if the pair were to mix.” Isaac says. “But that would mean….”

“A Demon was felled here,” Xai says.

“A Demon.” Mila pauses.

“Remember the Demonoid that formed on Jubert Island? Well, if it could grow, it would’ve turned into a full Demon and its existence would become a poison to the world even after death.” Glyn says.

Miller nods. “So how do we get out of this Malformed Dungeon?”

“You have to have an idea now?” Sam asks.

“I do. But it’s tricky.”

“Because of the miasma,” Isaac says. “We clear that so the Dungeon can finish gestating. But that’ll mean all the monsters become tangible and this little hiding spot won’t last.”

Xia nods. “It’s risky, but if we can remove the spike, then….”

“Oh no, I can handle the miasma easily.”

“What?”

Glyn smirks and holds out his book. “Being cursed has some benefits. Like carrying around a cursed artifact that can absorb miasma.”

“Then what’s the hard part?” Xia asks.

“We have to dispel this place. But that’ll require a powerful blow to the Dungeon Core inside and an attack on the barrier on the outside. If we mess up, we could end up who knows where.”

“But that requires communicating with the outside,” Isaac says.

“That’s the hard part. I wish Pepper was here. Then I could convey a message easily.”

Mila shoots up. “Pepper!”

“Yes, Mila. She could slip through the barrier and go get help or send a message to the others or….”

“Those are lovely ideas. But I think coming to you is the easiest thing right now,” Pepper says, her voice echoing through Glyn’s mind.

Glyn shoots up. “Pepper!”

“I’m happy to see you so excited to see me, Glyn. Now let’s come up with a plan to help you escape this predicament.”