Monica's breath caught as she took in the structure before them.

The Bridge of Thraldrirlum wasn't built or assembled - it was a single, unbroken expanse of blue crystal that seemed to have grown from the side of the mountain itself. It hung suspended in the thin mountain air without any visible support, its surface smooth aside for a few very basic carvings. Thraldrirlum had clearly wanted to maintain the surface as simple as possible and there were very basic decorations on the sapphire-like crystal that made up the bridge.

"Shit," Heidi swore, her new eyebrows rising toward her buzzed hairline.

Ted stumbled forward as if in a daze, falling to his knees and running his hands over the warm crystal surface. His fingers trembled as they caressed it. The young Bard's shoulders began to shake, and his voice was thick with emotion when he spoke.

"This is it," he choked. "Mom died trying to become a Bard and find this place." He pressed his forehead against the cool crystal surface. "She always said the Bridge was one of the greatest marvels in the world, and she’d see it before dying. But she never got to. She’ll never know how right she was."

Monica placed a hand on his shoulder, understanding all too well the weight of lost family and inherited dreams.

"Your mother would be proud, Ted. You were the one who figured out how to open it."

Monica looked from side to side of the giant bridge, shaking her head. "Thraldrirlum must have been a genius if he did this with a pickaxe. He made a bridge that can connect to any anchor point in the world, all because of whatever this material is. There are no joints, no seams, nothing. It’s just one big piece of magical crystal. It is a Wonder, no doubt."

Footsteps behind them made Monica turn. The redhead turned curiously toward the giant portal that stood on the end of the bridge, right where they had just come from. She wondered if Sir Tristan had come through the portal. Without him, Monica wasn’t sure they’d make it.

However, when a figure appeared from the portal, it wasn’t Sir Tristan.

"Dotty," Monica growled, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Only then did Sir Tristan walk through the portal.

Before the girl could answer, the portal flickered and vanished with a soft pop, leaving nothing but empty air where it had been.

"Well," Dotty said happily, "I guess we can't argue about it now."

Monica's hands clenched into fists as black and golden flames sparked between her fingers.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done? Machina will use you against me at the first chance she gets!"

Dotty's smile faltered slightly, but her chin remained high. "I won't be a burden. I’m here to fight."

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"Fighting Crystal Wolves is one thing," Monica snapped. "Machina almost killed you once already. We’re in her damn lair!"

"Then we better make sure I get stronger before she gets the chance," Dotty replied, her hand tightening on Twilight's Edge's hilt.

Monica opened her mouth to argue further but stopped when she felt Sir Tristan's heavy hand on her shoulder.

"The girl has spirit," the knight said. "And she's right - we can't send her back now. Better to protect her than waste time arguing."

Monica turned to face him, genuinely surprised to see him. "So you decided to come after all?"

The knight's face remained stoic, but there was a hint of something like amusement in his eyes.

"Someone needs to watch over the girl. Besides," he added more seriously, "if what you say about Machina is true, this is where a knight's duty truly lies."

"How touching," Heidi sighed. “Can we go already?”

It was clear to Monica that the blonde didn’t like the Knight.

Monica suspected it was because of how Sir Tristan had treated Ted. In fact, she was almost certain of it. Perhaps the blonde had taken an interest in the young man.

"I don’t need to protect the village," Dotty told Monica. "Tertius, Lucca, and Rochus are more than capable of that. I don't want to end up like my mother, stuck in Rock's Heel forever. I want to be more like you, Monica."

Monica's eyes flashed dangerously, and both Ted and Heidi took an instinctive step back.

"Your mother," Monica said in a low, controlled voice, "would do anything to keep you and Ronnie alive. She endured Ivor's threats, clearly worked herself to exhaustion, and never once I heard her complain about what happened. Don't you dare speak of her like that."

Dotty's face flushed with shame. "I didn't mean-"

"I know what you meant," Monica cut her off. "But strength isn't just about fighting monsters, Dotty. It's about doing what needs to be done, even when it's hard. Even when it means staying behind." She sighed heavily. "But we're here now, so we'll make the best of it. However," her voice hardened again, "if you don't follow orders and stay safe, I will personally tie you up and leave you in a room until we've cleared this place. Understood?"

Dotty nodded quickly, properly chastised.

Sir Tristan moved to the front of the group as they began walking along the crystal bridge.

"I should take point," he said. "I'm built to absorb damage - it's what Knights do best. I still can't believe we're walking into an Old Goddess's lair, a Great Dungeon no less, with such low levels." He shook his head. "This is suicide."

"That's exactly why we need you," Monica replied, going up to him and patting one of his giant shoulders. "Your Skills will be the difference between life and death for them." She glanced at the others. "And if anyone starts feeling sick from the Corruption, tell me immediately."

They walked in tense silence until they reached the end of the bridge. Before them stood two massive gates, their metal surface etched with intricate patterns of golden flowers. The gates opened slightly, moving slowly on their hinges, leaving just enough space for them to pass through in a single file.

One by one, they slipped through the gap between the gates, entering Viscera, the Lost Dwarven Capital.

"Well," Ted whispered, his hand tight around his mandolin, "I guess Machina's expecting us."

Monica summoned both flames to her hands, the black and gold light casting strange shadows across the flowered gates. "Then let's not keep her waiting."

Sir Tristan's shield led the way, followed by Monica, then Ted and Heidi close together, and finally Dotty, her hand never leaving Twilight's Edge's hilt.

The gates creaked closed ominously behind them as they ventured deeper into the fallen Dwarven capital.