Lightning cracked. Fire roared. Space was bent.

With a final explosion coming from Lapia's Thermagnetic Vacuum, the last Mind Flayer was defeated. The Elf's spells dissolved shortly after, leaving the group in silence.

It took 6 hours.

Yolin looked around, scanning the surroundings with suspicion.

The party had reached the end of the room, facing a wall with no gate to further explore.

The more experienced Chasers didn't let their guard down, and the others glanced around when the first didn't relax.

“Boooring!” Natasha complained, kicking the closest dead Mind Flayer and sending it flying. “Around five thousand of these? What is this? A dungeon for babies?”

Pokora walked to Yolin and asked, “What do you think?”

The Oni glanced at Bonte and then at Hanna. “Hidden door?”

The Tigea shrugged. “Dungeons are not my area of expertise,” he replied with an apologetic expression.

“We could check,” the Ork offered, arching an eyebrow at her fellow Scout.

The Archer thought for a second, then nodded. “Please do, and take every precaution possible to avoid encountering anything we might've missed.”

The Scouts nodded and vanished.

The Halve approached the group, stored her helmet, and stared at the group in a slight daze.

Still under the influence, Yolin concluded, inspecting the completely golden eyes of the woman. The whites and pupils were nowhere to be found, and the glow left a short-lived brand in the Oni's retinas when blinking.

Pokora snapped her fingers in front of the Protector's face. “You with us?” she inquired.

Natasha nodded back. “At full attention,” she replied in Orkish.

The Elmari Elf waited for a second, then turned to the Oni.

Yolin gave her an affirmative nod.

Turning her attention back to Natasha, Pokora continued, “Do you have a way or method to know if there's a floor below us? And if there is, would you be able to find it?”

The golden woman stared at the party leader for a good five seconds. Her expression turned slightly confused, but an understanding smile soon replaced it. “Ah,” she uttered in realization. “Right. You can't see it.” She turned around, pointing to the far right. The Halve's glow illuminated the direction she was looking at like it was noon during summer. “E'er flows that way. There's an illusion... or I guess it's an illusion. It smells like one, at least. A bit cheeky, slightly nasty, maybe mischievous. Definitely up to no good.”

Pokora sighed in exasperation and covered her eyes with a hand.

Natasha had replied in Orkish again.

Yolin let out an amused laugh, then translated, “She said E'er flows that way, and she smells an illusion. Possibly dangerous.”

“How cool is that!” Thelea chuckled, giving the Halve big nods with eyes full of wonder. “Sensing E'er must be a massive advantage.”

“Should we call our mounts now?” Lapia inquired, wiping a thin layer of sweat off her brow. “I'm a little tired.”

Pokora hummed. “Alyssa's Bey'tu could prove useful with the illusion,” she proposed, turning to the Cleric in question. “If Bonte and Hanna come back with no news?”

The Luzo nodded. “Sounds good.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Yolin smirked. “We need to confirm if what Natasha senses is real or not,” she chuckled, giving the Halve a playful wink.

The Halve looked to the side and frowned, then focused back on Yolin and nodded. “I'm hearing voices so I could be compromised in that regard,” she pointed out. “I keep hearing 'hey!', 'hello', and 'over here!'... which has gotten incredibly annoying.”

The Oni bit her lower lip. “It'll go away eventually,” she comforted the anger-prone Warrior. “This dungeon seems to be on the small side, anyway.”

Pokora's eyes jumped from Yolin to Natasha. “What will?” she inquired with curiosity.

“Auditory hallucinations,” the tank shortly explained.

The Elmary Elf winced. “Oof! The zaza hit with reckless abandon, it seems,” she commented with a half smile.

Natasha nodded in agreement, then sighed and shook her head. “Reality seems to melt if I look at the same spot for more than a few seconds.”

Yolin translated for the rest.

The group grimaced in response.

“As long as there are no Blood Fiends,” Bromisnar commented with a bit of hope.

A short silence followed his words.

“Let's hope,” Alyssa whispered, deep in thought.

Thelea cleared her throat. “Anyway. How's progress for everyone looking?” she changed the subject.

Blood Fiends were not a fun topic, and the presence of Mind Flayers implied things that made everyone's toes curl in displeasure.

Except Natasha. Lacking years of Chaser culture and monster knowledge, Blood Fiends seemed like a fun challenge. She didn't voice her thoughts, though. Regardless of how high she was, situational awareness still held onto her.

“Pretty good,” Lapia picked up on the change of topic with a smirk. “I'm this close to level one thousand,” she revealed, pinching the air in front of her face.

The words got surprised responses, mostly in slightly wide eyes and nods of approval.

“That's fantastic,” Bromisnar complimented with a polite smile. “Absolutely deserved.”

“Oh, how the young surpass the old,” Alyssa jokingly lamented, then giggled and gave the Domi Elf a congratulatory hug along with a kiss on the cheek.

“I just crossed into the eight hundred total,” Thelea grumbled, then sighed. “I can't complain, though.”

Yolin laughed and nudged the Goliath. “Pretty hard to be involved with a Halve around,” she joked.

“True,” the tank Warrior agreed with a shrug.

Pokora smiled at the party's good spirits despite the circumstances at hand. “What's your total now, Bromisnar?” she inquired.

“Eight hundred and ninety,” the man replied, using a hand to move his hair as if a breeze past by. “Lapia's method was beyond expectations. I am endlessly grateful.”

The Wizard gave him a skeptic look. “That Alacrity buff of yours is mad, you sly man. Don't downplay yourself.”

The Satyr flashed a smile. “I never did,” he pointed out with a chuckle.

Yolin raised an eyebrow at the Performer. “How are you handling combat in dungeons so far?”

Bromisnar wobbled his head side to side. “The excitement can't be compared to being part of a touring band, but it's close,” he admitted with a light chuckle.

The group laughed.

“Where is the comparison?” Thelea demanded, gesturing at the surroundings. “One touch could mean death! What's more exciting than that?”

The Satyr smiled. “Bringing life to banned literature,” he shortly replied with serious eyes.

“Well aren't you braver than most,” Alyssa complimented the man. “The Bandolasi?” she inquired.

“Sheathed, Thus Dull, actually,” he revealed with a grave tone.

A few gasps escaped the group.

Yolin gave big nods, finding new respect for the Satyr.

To perform a play that denounced the Ban of War by Filestra was no small task. Prosecution by the state was expected, even. If Yolin understood things right, Bromisnar probably met Bonte after escaping some country that had a bounty on him for such a daring performance, hiring the Tigea as escort for hidden protection.

“The horns fit you, don't they?” Pokora complimented the man.

The man bowed and did a flowery gesture as thanks.

Elena, who had been silent the whole time, couldn't hold it in when hearing about such an affront to the Higher Beings. In a reproaching tone, she began, “Quite insol-”

“Shut the fuck up,” Natasha interrupted her. “Nobody asked you a fucking thing, so shut the anus you have the extreme audacity to call a mouth up,” she told her.

Yolin bit her lips and tightened her stomach to avoid the laughter from escaping. Damn! Was all she could think.

Pokora, a little confused about the exchange due to not knowing the language Natasha was roasting Elena in, looked beyond the reach of the Halve's glow. “Bonte and Hanna are returning,” she announced.