Friday, April 26th, 2069

It took long minutes for the smoke to clear even a fraction. The first thing I heard was Dave coughing. I knew the sound, since the kid frequently hit his bong when I was over gaming.

“Dave, put your mask up. It will help,” I said, through the cloud.

“Who said that the entrance collapsed? They made it sound impassible but how could they know?”

“I said it, you imbecile—and while I can simply float through the debris if Brodie gets close enough. You all won’t be able to,” Smegma retorted, his voice the equivalent of a sneer—that I felt. In response, my soul wanted to shrivel up, and I hunched my shoulders as if to mirror the desire with my physical body.

“Is that Smegma?” Willa asked, having only heard of the Demon to this point. “Do ya know if there’s another entrance?” she quickly asked a follow up to her rhetorical question.

“Let me just fly off and find one. Poof I’m right back beside you because I can’t go more than a hundred meters from the kid! Idiot,” Smegma answered.

“Okay, who pissed in your cheerees! Dickwad!” Willa responded.

“Why is it taking so long for the smoke to settle?” My dad asked. I could hear that he was trying to use a commanding voice, and it might have worked for people who didn’t know him well. But amongst this group, that only included Dave and Smegma.

I certainly could tell how worried he was.

“The airflow from the entrance is probably cut off,” Jarred responded stoically. “Goes toward Smegma’s point of how bad the collapse was…”

I wasn’t sure if he mispronounced the name due to the cloud, his mask, by accident or intentionally, but it did break me of my inaction. “Smegma can you try to lead me to the others?”

“Sure thing, oh faithful leader,” Smegma said mockingly, but did as instructed. I saw a darker shadow amongst the white and gray-green particles of dust, no more than inches from me. As it moved, I hesitantly moved to follow, sometimes taking half steps and returning to the start until I found the right direction. After the first step it became easier because Smegma stayed a course, and in short order I bumped into Dave, Willa, Jarred and then my father.

Now holding hands, I said, “Can you bring us—”

“This way,” Smegma said from inches away, and I repeated the process, knowing he had read my thoughts and was bringing us to the deeper caverns; where I hoped there was less smoke.

Gradually, the smoke did grow thinner and soon we were out into a hallway with no noticeable smoke, unless you looked closely down the length of said hallway. We kept moving until we came onto the cavern that we’d mined before deciding to try an escape. Once there, we stopped and realized we were missing some things.

“I dropped my lunch box,” Dave complained.

“Me too, man,” I retorted, looking back up the tunnel. I could really use some food right about now. Jarred and Willa had their coolers still but a quick look inside and a head-shake told us that they had already finished the portions intended for a mid-afternoon snack.

That would put us on a timer—wait does Demonic Vault have anything to eat?

“Umm, nothing mundane,” Smegma answered but the accompanying bone tap made me know he was thinking. Soon enough a red screen popped up in front of me. “Cheapest thing we have.”

Mana Apple

Low-C-Rank

This apple will increase Mana Capacity and Recharge rate by 1% for 240 hours. This effect can stack up to five times and resets with each apple eaten within the time limit. The apple is considered a perfectly balanced meal plan for an entire day, but should not be abused.

Cost: 20,000 mC

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

After I was finished reading Smegma continued, “We have others for Martial Power and Control but they would be less worthwhile to purchase. Same price.”

Twenty thousand mC a day per person, if we were stuck down here long enough to need them. That was one hundred thousand a day or more if Etien, Viccar and Jack returned. That was also more than five times what I currently had saved. I looked at the Crystals strewn on the floor and quickly walked around selling them.

The way we had come probably had at least another twenty-thousand, and the lunch boxes as well. Everyone’s eyes followed me, and I looked down the hallway that led deeper, thinking of the metallic yellow crystals. When I had thought through the options I said, “I think we’ll be okay. I can buy some food from the Demonic Vault’s Shop, and we can survive on one a day.

“Unfortunately, they cost quite a bit of Coins, so we’ll need to go back and sell the Crystals and shards above. I’ll try again to sell the Metallic Yellow ones but it didn’t seem to work before. Smegma thinks the Mana is tainted somehow but maybe when I don’t need to be so discreet?” Smegma shrugged at my words, seeming to say, ‘it’s worth a try.’ Still I was more concerned about getting out of here, so asked, “Do you all think Mirage will get us out of here quickly and I should leave the Crystals for them?”

Everyone just stared at me, and I quickly realized my Mental Fortitude was working overtime. Jarred did oscillate his eye-daggers between me and Smegma, and I could tell that the Demon’s appearance disturbed him, but I dismissed it by thinking of something else.

Willa for example was studying the Demon but seemed appreciative of his look. Well, maybe not appreciative, but not fearful or angry.

Maybe even my Recovery was working overtime too—Dave wasn’t the only one coughing lightly as their lungs fought to clear stone dust. After an awkwardly long silence, Smegma said, “Seeing as how there were explosives that went off and the result was collapsing the entrance, I’m not even sure the Guild is going to be helping us out at all. Regardless, it won’t help to hope. Let’s plan for the worst—those guys seemed like assholes anyway.”

Jarred shivered, and I winced. I knew that Smegma’s appearance was disturbing at first, but since Mrs. Stovall and everyone so far hadn’t reacted poorly—I’d kind of figured it wasn’t so bad…

I also couldn’t help the winces his less than thought out words brought on. I would much rather have hoped for the best and planned for the worst—but now I was sure everyone was thinking that Mirage would abandon them. I had come to terms with that already, but the paling faces of the group told me they hadn’t even gotten to that thought yet. My dad collapsed onto his ass. “I knew we shouldn’t have taken a contract with a Low-ranked Guild!”

My feet took a step toward him before I could think better of it, but Willa held up a hand and went to him first. “Don’t worry—we’ll get out of here when they clear the Boss and the Dungeon closes.”

She made a ‘shooing’ motion, directing me to return the way we had come and collect the Crystals and lunchboxes. Feeling my heart disagreeing with my brain, I did so. I knew then that if I went to my father, he would insist on holding me for long minutes, distracting me from further actions.

Smegma obviously joined me and after the next nearest chamber was forced to direct me again, making conversation impossible and the work slow going. Still, I had over a hundred thousand points by the time I had the lunch boxes and was turning to head back. The dust had also begun to settle enough that I was able to see Smegma up to five feet. By the time I got back I could tell the others had reached a few conclusions.

My dad leveled me with a steely gaze. “We should wait for the dust to settle and return to the entrance.”

I blinked at him, even as I lowered the lunchboxes to the ground. Dave immediately snatched his up and dug inside to have a granola bar. I saw the others looking at my father and then me from my peripherals. “Do you really think Mirage will come to rescue us?”

“Three of their Guild members are down here too, so yes.” My dad’s voice carried all the assuredness I would need to hear, usually—but this time I was far too skeptical to believe him.

“Where are those three Guild Members?” I asked, pointedly scanning the room. “Surely, they had some way to communicate or locate members?”

My dad frowned and looked at the walls. “Not down here they don’t.”

“So, you’re hoping they’ll dig out the entrance for Guild members that may or may not be alive? Plus, didn’t Willa say we’d get out when the Portal closed?”

“We concluded that they must have beaten the Boss already, and if it hasn’t closed yet—it likely is a permanent Portal or has another Boss that Mirage will go looking for.”

“Okay?” I answered, while looking at the others. They all shrugged, accepting my father’s decision. I felt my face contort into a scowl. “No,” I said softly but then repeated firmly when I felt the building storm that was coming. “No. You haven’t come to terms with the situation yet. We can’t go back. We can only continue forward for now. If they clear out the entrance, then they’ll still come deeper, right?”

“I don’t think you’ve thought it out, Brodie.” My dad countered. “Three Hunters delved deeper and haven’t returned. Going down there is too dangerous!” My father unleashed that gathering storm trying to use volume to convey his point.

“We have something they don’t,” I said, having already considered this.

“What?”

I pointed to the Imp-Felguard Demon, and he smirked before taking a bow. My father looked at the smug Smegma and then at me. “You’ve got to be husking kidding, right?”