Sana checked the compass in her hand, watching the needle spin around the circumference before slowly settling just above the east. She looked up, staring into the dark tunnel in front of her. She pointed in the direction. “That’s west,” she said, her voice a little higher than she was used to. “Most of the dungeon bats have a cyclical migration around this floor of the dungeon. If we continue down this tunnel we’ll reach the next floor within the hour.”
“Shit!” Sana suddenly felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. She looked to her left to see a young man with expensive armor covering him head to toe. He had sandy short-cropped hair and a handsome-looking face. “I didn’t think some monster girl would any help, but here we are!”
The cleric behind him, a woman about the same age as him with warm red hair, light brown eyes, and wearing white and red robes, giggled. “Come now, Jean,” she said in a light voice. “You’re embarrassing the poor girl.”
Sana pouted. “I’m fine, Vere,” she mumbled, pulling away from Jean’s arm. “I’m not embarrassed at all.”
Vere smiled at her. “Of course not,” she said in a sing-song voice. “You’re perfect, Sana.”
“Sure…” Sana frowned, unable to keep the edge of her tail from flicking around in embarrassment. It was then she noticed something. “Where’s Ryoga?”
“Right here.” Another young man stepped out of the tunnel to Sana’s right. He was a little over a foot taller than her, with spiky black hair with the back of it tied into a short ponytail. His face was akin to that of a snake with a shifty sort of smile. He was wearing a sort of samurai outfit with a maroon and black coloring. A katana was strapped to his belt, held within a dark red sheath.
“That’s-!” Sana’s mouth dropped. “I thought I said that we shouldn’t go that way, Ryoga!”
Ryoga laughed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Sorry, sorry!” he apologized with a wave of his hand. “I just couldn’t hold back my curiosity! You mentioned that they were bats but…” He jabbed a thumb behind him. “Those aren’t anything like bats!”
“Those are what everyone calls them,” muttered Sana, playing with her hair by twirling it around her finger.
Much to her annoyance, Ryoga didn’t immediately respond to her. Instead, he looked into the tunnel that Sana had pointed out and whistled. “That way?”
“That way,” Sana repeated with a nod.
“You sure there shouldn’t be anything down this path?”
“Pretty sure.”
Ryoga nodded, her expression turning serious all of sudden. “Let’s get started, then!”
“Yes, sir!” Vere and Jean sounded off.
“Yeah, sure…” mumbled Sana.
They traveled down the dark tunnel with only the torches that Jean and Ryoga held lighting their way. The area of the dungeon was a lot less traveled than the upper floors so the path was rather uneven. For humans, it wasn’t all that big of a deal. But for Sana, having every small rock and crack scrape her underbelly as she moved wasn’t exactly pleasant.
“Why did I come?” she muttered to herself. All she wished for was to back home, sunbathing or soaking in the oasis.
“You know why,” Ryoga said with a snort. She gave him a strange look, but he didn’t bother to elaborate.
After a little under an hour of walking, they reached the end of the floor. However, instead of stairs, all they found was a large stone slab, with symbols carved onto it, blocking their path.
Jean frowned and turned to Sana. “I thought you said that this was a straight path,” he said.
“It is.” Sana slithered forward, taking the torch from Jean and holding it up closer to the stone. Her hand traced one of the symbols, a bird-like one with its wings outstretched. “It’s a puzzle.”
Vere blinked. “Like the one at the entrance?’ she asked.
“It’s a little different,” Sana explained, noting each symbol carved into the wall within her mind. “The verses that reference this part are a little different from the ones at the entrance. Those verses simply illuded to the whereabouts of the dungeon. This one is a little more… well, puzzling.”
“Can you solve it?” Ryoga asked.
“I mean…” Sana stretched. “Do I have to-?”
“Yes.”
Sana groaned. “I just want a nap,” she mumbled, investigating the symbols.
“Do you need the writings?” Vere asked, opening her small knapsack.
“Nah, I’m fine.” Sana shook her head. “I’ve got a pretty good memory.”
“A photographic memory,” corrected Ryoga with a smirk.
Sana shot him a confused look. “Huh?”
Ryoga opened his mouth to explain, but apparently thought better of it. “I’ll tell you later,” he said. “Once we’re finished here.”
Sana merely shrugged and returned to her work. After about fifteen minutes, she nodded and tapped five symbols in a specific order each one glowing slightly after being touched. The bird-like one first, then the symbol that looked like a snake, after which came the silver in the sky, then the dragon, and finally the heart. After she was done, the stone slab began to rumble and slowly began to move.
Jean hopped up. “You did it!”
Vere looked amazed. “What were the verses even about?”
Sana blinked owlishly. “It was about a pair of lamia sisters courting a human man,” she explained casually. “In the specific verse, they managed to get him into bed and –“
“Um, actually,” Vere interrupted, holding up a hand. “I don’t need to hear your summary anymore.”
Sana just shrugged. It was just a child’s story.
Ryoga grinned, but his expression turned, suddenly, to confusion then quickly into horror. “Sana!” he yelled, jumping forward in an attempt to push her out of the way.
Sana managed to glance behind her, just in time to see a large face hidden by the shadows of the way forward. The only thing she could see of it was its glowing yellow eyes and very sharp teeth. A clawed hand reached out from the darkness trying to grab her. She shut her eyes tightly in fear and-!
Sana’s eyes flew open and, instead of the cave ceiling, she found herself staring at the darkened ceiling of a spaceship. She was breathing heavily and sweating from her brow slightly. After a minute of confusion, her memories of the past day came rushing back.
“Just a dream?” she muttered to herself. No, it had been a memory. She hadn’t thought about that dungeon trip in a while…
She sat up from the bed. After vomiting her dinner last night, Coraline had directed them to where they would be staying. Each of them had their own room, which Sana was a little thankful for. She had always hated sharing her bed and with the size of Tomoe and Charlotte…
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The shower had already been frustrating enough. It wasn’t big enough to fit her entire body, so she had to awkwardly wash herself in two different stages. It took a lot longer than simply taking a dip in a body of water. Especially with the confusing way the shower even worked…
After that Coraline told her that she could use whatever clothes she found in the closet. Of course, she wasn’t going to find anything that fit her exactly, especially given her body. But when she opened the closet, she was still disappointed to find that all of the clothes inside were for men. The only thing that even covered her human half was a large white cotton shirt. Coraline had apologized, but with her top from home ruined, Sana had little choice in the matter.
Still, it was pretty uncomfortable.
Sana pushed herself off the bed and headed for the door. It slid open automatically once she got close, a boon to someone as lazy as her. If she ever made it back home, she’d have to bring it back with her.
She left her room, stopping in front of where Charlotte was sleeping. Even though the thick metal doors, she could hear her snoring loudly. She suppressed a giggle. Not so knightly now, huh?
The door to Tomoe’s room was wide open and, after peering in, it looked like she had already left. She shrugged, assuming that she was already in the cafeteria.
However, on the way to the cafeteria she noticed a door she hadn’t gone through was now wide open. Looking inside, she found Tomoe there, staring at a closet of different colored jumpsuits. She was wearing a similar white cotton shirt to Sana’s. Apparently, that was the only thing that any of them could wear around here.
“What are you doing?” Sana asked, making her presence known.
An ounce of surprise appeared on Tomoe, but it quickly faded to a more neutral expression. She picked a jumpsuit off its hanger and held it in front of her body. “How does it look?” she asked, a hand on her waist.
“Uh…” Sana raised an eyebrow. “It’d probably look a lot better if you have only two legs.”
“Mhm.” Tomoe gave her an amused smile and returned the jumpsuit to where it belonged.
“What are those?”
“Spacesuits,” Tomoe replied. “Coraline explained them to me. Apparently, if someone were to leave the ship without them they’d instantly die.” She waved her hand a little carelessly. “Something about there being no air outside and it being unbelievably cold.”
Sana hugged herself and shivered. Suddenly the idea of leaving the ship. “But at least we have these suits, right?”
A smile played on Tomoe’s lips. “Yeah, if you can get them to fit you.”
“Oh, right…”
“Oh, there you two are.” Sana glanced behind her to see Charlotte standing in the doorway. It looked like she had just woken up.
“I’m surprised to see you here, Charlotte,” Tomoe said. “I thought you would’ve headed straight to the cafeteria.”
“I well…” Charlotte started to play with her hair. “I just was curious about where you two were.”
“Oh?” A sly smile stretched across Tomoe’s face. “I didn’t think that you’d care. Or… perhaps you got lost?”
Charlotte’s face turned a bright red. “Just-Just tell me where to go already!” she snapped, as Sana and Tomoe laughed.
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Eggs were considered a delicacy to lamia. But whatever Coraline had given them to eat – freeze-dried eggs she had called them – was not something Sana had the stomach for. It tasted awful!
With a sigh, she pushed away from the plate after only eating half of it. Tomoe didn’t seem to have any problem with the food and Charlotte had been given mashed potatoes.
Coraline, as if sensing the disappointing atmosphere, said, “How would you like it if I showed off some of the other areas of the Eldridge XII? If memory serves, you haven’t explored the entirety of the ship.”
Sana perked up almost immediately. “I would love too!”
Charlotte scowled. “Is there any point?” she asked, as she poked her food. “What are we going to do with a bunch of human toys? It’s useless”
“Well, perhaps I can prove you wrong,” Coraline said. “Our first stop shall be—”
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“—the gym.”
With Coraline directing them, the small group found themselves in a new room they had never been inside before. It was about the size of the cockpit, with strange machines and bars scattered about. Tomoe and Sana didn’t really understand what they even were, but, by comparison, Charlotte looked positively enthralled.
“What’s this?!” she asked, bounding over to a platform on the ground with a dashboard above it only connected and held up through a pair of columns.
“A treadmill,” answered Coraline, her voice coming from a nearby speaker. “It utilizes a conveyor belt to provide a moving platform making the user walk or run at a certain speed. Perfect for burning calories.”
Charlotte immediately began to fiddle with the treadmill, somehow managing to turn it on and walk on it. “This is incredible!” she exclaimed. “Imagine how easy it’d be to train with one of these!”
Sana, on the other hand, was already starting to get tired from staring at all the equipment. “Um, is there anything else here that… that doesn’t require work?”
“Exercise is a vital part of maintaining a healthy body.”
“You’re only making me more tired.”
“Hm.” Coraline took a second to think. “In that case, would you like to watch the old captain’s exercise videos? He was quite fond of them. He regularly informed me it was his fetish.”
Tomoe frowned. “Uh… no thanks.”
Sana blinked. “Wait doesn’t that mean-?”
Suddenly, the two of them heard a crash. They swiveled their heads to where Charlotte was, only to find her standing over the remains of the treadmill, smiling sheepishly. She coughed into her hand and said, “Um... Coraline… it just… broke.”
“Oh.” Coraline didn’t sound all that surprised. “I suppose you were too heavy for it after all.”
“Hey!”
“Moving on. The next room I wish to show you is—”
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“—the hanger.”
It was empty. Just a large space at the back end of the ship with nothing of note. For what it was made for, Sana had little idea. At best all she could guess is that it was some living space for giants.
“This is less impressive than the gym,” muttered Charlotte.
Sana rolled her eyes. “What’s the purpose of this place, Coraline?”
“A hanger for Igos,” Coraline answered shortly. If Sana expected her to elaborate, she was sorely disappointed.
Tomoe sighed. “Well what’s next?” she asked.
“Next is—”
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“—the medical bay!”
A small area of the ship with a clean white bed next to a cabinet filled with medicine that Sana didn’t recognize. However, next to the rightmost wall were several tanks that she didn’t understand the purpose of. “Um…” she said awkwardly, scanning the bottles within the cabinet. “What do these all do.”
“Well…” Coraline launched into a long tirade, explaining every one of the medicines and what they did.
Sana blinked. “Um… you don’t…” She was unable to get a word in.
Tomoe chuckled and turned to see what Charlotte was doing, only to find her staring listlessly at the bed. She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the centaur’s attitude. It looked to her like Charlotte was lost in thought.
However before she could raise the issue, Coraline finally ended her lecture. “And that’s everything important enough to be mentioned.”
“Hydro… Hydro…” whimpered Sana, her mind practically overflowing with all the new words and phrases.
“Moving on… the next place we will visit is—”
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“—the engine room. Here nuclear power provides the fuel needed to keep the engines running and the ship moving through space.”
Sana stared. “Is that dangerous?”
“No.”
Sana breathed a sigh of relief.
“Not unless something goes wrong with the reactor or unless someone were to touch something they were not supposed to.”
Sana quickly scooted away from the nuclear reactor. At the same time, she noticed Charlotte hanging back away from the group. However, she chose to keep her mouth shut, especially after seeing Tomoe not give it any thought.
“Next up is—”
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“—the meeting room.”
“Holding meetings?” Sana grumbled, looking into the rather bland and tight room that only contained a single long table surrounded by chairs.
Tomoe frowned. “I… don’t think I can fit in there without getting on the table,” she pointed out, still in the doorway.”
Charlotte didn’t say anything.
“We’re going to the—”
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“—weapons room.”
“We’ve already been here before,” Sana explained. “It’s where I managed to knock out Charlotte, yesterday.”
“My apologies. In that case, we’ll head to the—”
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It continued like that for the rest of the day. Sana and Tomoe explored the entirety of the ship, only stopping for some lunch and dinner. However at some point during the tour, Charlotte had vanished. Sana would later find her back in her room, her eyes fixated on her armor placed in a corner. However, Sana chose to let her be by herself. This was a strange situation and Sana could understand wanting to be left alone. Plus, she didn’t exactly want to be attacked again if she got on Charlotte’s bad side.
Before Sana knew it, though, the day had passed her by so quickly that she barely had time to think of home before she collapsed on a bed. Or at least what Coraline had told them the time to be. Sana was a little surprised to see that the clocks followed what she was used to. 24 hours within one day, each hour split into sixty minutes and each minute into sixty seconds.
Still, Sana was a little too tired to really ponder what it meant. It didn’t take long for her to drift into a dreamless sleep.
But, at the same time as when Sana fell asleep, an alarm began to sound off within the cockpit of the ship. Before it could get out of hand though, Coraline quickly turned off the alarm and studied the problem herself, deciding that if it wasn’t urgent she could at least let the three sleep for the night.
As she studied the problem or error, Coraline only grew more concerned. The error wasn’t dire, thankfully, but it was impeding their journey to Nemesis. Apparently, the Eldridge XIII’s navigation systems, centered on the bow of the ship, were having difficulty following the path towards Nemesis. She had no idea what could’ve caused the navigation to fail. Her best guess was that something had occurred while she was offline. It was almost like someone had purposely messed with them.
Luckily, the solution was simple. The replacement parts were on the ship. If the action had been deliberate then whoever had done it had just written off the possibility. All someone would have to do is walk out onto the bow of the ship and replace the parts.
Yes.
Quite lucky indeed.