The final dungeon was a cave. It was a dungeon inside a dungeon. That wasn’t quite right. If you saw this dungeon as a series of acts, then the first act was appearing and being saved outside the city, the second act was joining his team in the city, the third act was the grand journey that was severely shortened, and then we’d be on the final act, the one where we finally saved Miki. Some dungeons existed as a progression of levels, but the progression of this dungeon was also a progression of a story, the story of Miki’s rescue.
As soon as we entered the dungeon, Alysia let out a noise of surprise. I had to agree with her, as this place was immediately recognizable. This place was the dungeon where Lady Death was made. This was a replica of the laboratory dungeon we had ventured down before. That shouldn’t be so surprising. This place was the source of Miki’s trauma, so why wouldn’t it be the place she’d find her soul trapped. It was where she had become a cursed monster that walked across the land.
Furthermore, one of her first acts had been to consume the lore of the laboratory dungeon, so she had all of the laboratory’s assets and story and would be able to replicate it perfectly. However, unlike the one we had entered which was a dead husk, this one was very much alive. As soon as we walked in, a catkin guard stepped forward.
“You can’t be here! Turn away!” He demanded.
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Hero pulled his sword arrogantly. “We are here for the girl! Release her immediately!”
“Die!”
The catkin raced forward, and nearly a dozen more seemed to emerge from the ceilings and walls to join him in his fight. The girls began to battle the catkin. Alysia and I fought as well. Without Alysia as my blade, my damage output was reduced, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still capable of fighting. The six of us took care of the twelve enemies and then moved down to the next floor.
On the next floor, we didn’t just encounter crazed scientists and guards but also experimented on Foxkin which acted more like monsters than humans. We fought our way down another stairway where we started encountering mutated beasts and ghosts. The party was able to make good speed, but it still took nearly an hour for the first three floors. That’s when we passed an area I was vaguely familiar with.
“Wait… this is where I encountered the head scientist.”
“Hmm? Oh yeah…” Alysia nodded.
“We’re running out of time. This evolution could start in an hour, or maybe even sooner.” I spoke feeling the wall. “Maybe it’s still here…”
Click. I found the button the man had used, and a secret passage opened up. I let out a breath of relief. This laboratory wasn’t the deepest dungeon, but I didn’t want to risk taking too long.
“Hey, guys!” When none of them looked back, I glanced at Alysia.
“There is a shortcut here!” Alysia announced.
“Wonderful!” Hero declared, walking back and glancing around. “Where is it?”
He asked, but the entrance leading down was directly in front of him. It was something he could not miss. Like how mobs couldn’t see saferooms, was he unable to see the shortcut?