Hiral blinked at the statement. “The Custodian of… the Progenitor?”

“Oh, the help is educated?” Bell asked, an eyebrow up as she looked at Hiral. “Did somebody go and teach you how to read?”

“Same people who taught me how to sew somebody’s mouth shut when they don’t learn to close it themselves,” Gran said, acid practically dripping from her words. And she wasn’t all talk, either, floating forward with her needles out. Entropic energy glowed on the weapons, threads looped around her fingers and ready for use.

To Hiral’s senses, the solar energy coming off the woman had completely changed. While it was normally controlled and contained – though flavored with the same sort of undead energy Nivian had – it now reeked of blood. Not just blood, but bloodlust. Gran did not like what Bell had said.

Then again, thinking back to her reaction as they’d first entered the dungeon – was it what Bellina said that had upset Gran, or was it Bellina herself?

Gran had to be old to be one of the first vampires. Just how old…?

“Oh, big words from the little…” Bell started, only for Gran’s form to blur forward. Not in a figurative way, either, she moved so quickly it had to be a movement skill, leaving a red afterimage-trail like oil running on water. Or… blood running on water. One second she was beside Hiral, and the next she was behind Bell, the needle pressed to the woman’s throat.

Inside Gran’s dark hood, her eyes glowed fiercely, blue flames circling red irises, with the telltale, undead streaks of phosphorescent blue running down her cheeks. Another energy joined the Entropic on her needle – thick and crimson – and solar energy pulsed as if the woman was readying an ability.

“Finish that sentence,” Gran hissed. “Finish spitting the same poison you always did. Think yourself so smart, don’t you? Too bad you won’t be able to think or insult your way out of this. I should’ve done this the second I saw you…”

Another pulse of solar energy, and Gran thrust her needle viciously up to tear out Bell’s throat – except all she stabbed was air. Eyes widening in confusion, the vampire looked at the party beside her, then at her empty hands. Another second, and she spotted Bellina across the room from her, with Hiral now standing behind the woman.

“Boy, it’s not your place to…” Gran started.

“No,” Seena interrupted. “It’s not your place to put your personal feelings above the party’s.”

“She’s not even real,” Gran hissed. “Why are either of you defending her?”

Seena moved to stand between Gran and Bellina, then looked the vampire in the eye. “You’re right, she’s not real, which means killing her here won’t change anything other than end our dungeon run. Then we’ll just have to come right back in. And what? Kill her again?”

“She deserves it,” Gran spat. “They all do.”

“No,” Seena shook her head. “The real Fallen do. These are just figments of a dungeon’s imagination.”

“Girlie, you don’t know…” Gran started, only for Seena to cut her off again with a raised hand.

“You’re right, I probably don’t,” Seena admitted. “But that’s not our concern right now. This is a dungeon, and it is very much capable of killing us. When we finish this, we will talk about everything that happened here. Until then, I need you to focus on the monsters.”

“Oh, I am, girlie,” Gran said, clearly glaring over Seena’s shoulders.

“Gran,” Seena said more quietly. “Gran. We haven’t pushed you on who you were, out of respect. And, even after this, I still won’t. Your secrets are yours to keep. However, we need you here with us, not trying to murder the people we’re supposed to escort through this dungeon.”

“They’re not people…”

Seena’s raised hand stopped the vampire again. “Okay, Gran, look at it this way – Why are we here? In this dungeon, with these people?”

“I have no idea,” Gran huffed.

“Neither do I,” Seena said. “But – I am going to regret saying this while Hiral is listening over the party chat – maybe we should consider why. Sure, this isn’t a lost dungeon, but for the Fallen to be in here? There has to be a reason. The PIMP is going to show us something, and we should probably see it.”

“And,” Hiral added, having left Bellina and the other Fallen to join Seena and Gran. “This is a facility built by The Custodian of Tomorrow. The same Progenitor possibly responsible for the raid zone we’re going to enter soon. Too many coincidences. We need to clear this dungeon.”

Gran’s eyes went back and forth from Hiral to Seena, then once over to Bell, before back to the two party members. “Ganging up on me with your logic and reasons isn’t fair,” Gran huffed again, but her needles had vanished back up her sleeves. “You’re right, though, the both of you. We’ll finish this dungeon, then I’ll come back in and murder them enough to feel better.”

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“That sounds like a healthy coping technique,” Yanily said to Seeyela, who just shook her head.

“Now that the help is done talking…” Bellina started, but Vorinal cut her off with a simple shake of his head.

“Enough, Bell,” Vorinal said. “We need them.”

“Not as much as they need us,” Bellina said. “And the sooner they realize that, the better it’ll be for everybody.”

“Why, exactly, would we need you?” Yanily asked.

The party all turned to look at the researchers for the answers, more than happy to take the minute to continue regaining solar energy after the fight.

“Bell,” Vorinal held up his hand to forestall her reply. Then he addressed the party. “We’re not at liberty to discuss why we’re here… yet. Depending on what we find, that may change. Needless to say, it’s important.”

“Important to you, I bet,” Gran said.

“Important to all of us,” Vorinal said, and a shadow passed across his face like he had a very dark thought. “It is imperative we reach the heart of this facility.”

“It might not even be the right one…” an unnamed researcher said.

“It is,” another barked. “I checked, double-checked, and then checked again. Unlike some people, I don’t waste our time. This is near where the first specimen was found.”

“If it was so easy to figure that out, why hasn’t…?” the other continued before Vorinal turned completely around to face the others.

At the motion, all conversation stopped.

“Stop fighting amongst yourselves,” Vorinal said evenly. “Stop fighting with the people here helping us. You all know the stakes, even if nobody else believes us. We must be united.”

The two researchers who’d just been arguing lowered their heads in shame, then turned to each other, apologizing in quiet voices. Bellina even looked over in Gran’s direction.

Then she smirked, and Hiral and Seena both stepped in front of the vampire to make sure somebody didn’t get their throat ripped out. Almost surprisingly, the vampire hadn’t moved.

“After we clear this dungeon, I’m going to paint it in her blood,” Gran hissed over the party chat.

“See?” Yanily asked Seeyela. “Coping.”

“When can you tell us what you’re looking for?” Hiral asked Vorinal as the man turned from the quietly talking researchers. “Makes it easier to protect you – and get you where you’re going – if we know.”

Vorinal shook his head. “Like I said, just get us to the heart of the ruins. The answers we’re all seeking are there. For your sake, I can’t say more, on the very small chance we’re wrong.”

Hiral ran his hand over his head at the response. This… wasn’t how he expected Vorinal to behave.

“Fine,” Seena said. “We’ll get you there, but you’ll listen when I tell you to hang back and let us deal with things.”

“I’m sure the rest of Tomorrow’s guardians are in just as much disrepair as these,” the researcher with the braided mustache said. “We could just…”

“No,” Seena said. “You want us to take you. We want to all not die. This is how that happens.”

“Within reason,” Vorinal said. “Others are… likely looking for us by now. We need to reach our goal before they catch up, or it’s all for nothing. We will keep moving forward, but we will also do so with caution when it’s advised.”

Seena blew out a breath. “I guess that’s the best I can ask for. Everybody ready to go?” The question was aimed at her party, and everybody nodded. “Good. I’ve got some ideas for the next pair of those we run into.”

“I’ve got one too,” Yanily offered, then went on to explain what it was as the party jogged ahead of the researchers. They only had to go another two-hundred feet down the singular tunnel before they found another large room, complete with its own pair of Tomorrow’s Sentinels.

As soon as the two constructs came to life, they instituted Yanily’s plan.

Lightning flowed up and down the length of the man’s spear, solar energy rolling off it, before he slammed the butt of it into the metal floor. As soon as it touched, a bolt of crackling energy raced along the grating, then rose like a pylon fifteen feet behind the Sentinel on the right. Not even a second later, ropes of lightning lashed out and wrapped the construct’s wrists, ankles, and waist.

Beyond the visible effect, nothing seemed to happen. No noticeable damage. No dropping of the thing’s yellow health bar. Not even the sizzle of lightning on metal. It was like the ability didn’t have any effect.

At least, not until the construct moved to engage the party as they all raced for the far-left side of the room. The Sentinel took one step, then tried to take a second. At that point, the ropes of electricity became more like chains, completely preventing the construct from moving more than twenty feet from the pylon.

“That’ll hold it?” Seena asked as Wallop Charged into the other construct, and Romin hit it with an Infuriate-infused blunderbuss blast.

“The more power it puts into trying to get away, the stronger the leashes get,” Yanily explained.

“Seems OP,” Hiral chuckled while he rushed in with Left and Right at his sides.

“It is, until we damage whatever the leashes are holding,” Yanily said. “Any damage will break the effect.”

“So ignore that one and deal with this one,” Seena said, already hurling fire.

With Yanily’s Lightning Tether controlling the movement of one of the two constructs, it allowed the entire party to focus on the other. The armor was still just as stupidly strong and resistant to most of the elements the party used, but at least this time they had a plan.

Hiral focused on deteriorating the components inside the joints with his resonating force attacks. More Breaking and less Separation seemed better for their opponents, and he juggled the balance – perfecting it – with every blow. In his shadow, Right would follow, bending and breaking everything he could get his fists on.

Above it all, Left protected the party with his Herald of Peace, while Seena, Yanily, and Seeyela focused on finding – or creating – other weak points. Between the three of them, even with the natural resistance, they began putting holes in the thick armor. It took a lot of concentrated effort, but with Wallop keeping the thing’s attention, and Gran healing them from any mistakes they made, they used the construct as little more than a target dummy.

Yanily had to re-apply his Lightning Tether twice more – and the group had to reposition the fight once – before they finished the first off. Through it all, they’d found another four vulnerabilities they could take advantage of, and all nine of them turned to the second Sentinel with predatory looks in their eyes.

At the look, if a twelve-foot-tall construct of brass and steam, with nothing more than a domed-head and single eye, could gulp in nervousness – it did.