Chief Boogaloo laughed again in Lucy's voice. "Wah yuh waiting fi, granddaughta impostor!Yuh outta dance moves already?"

Tashina raised her lips into a snarling grin with an idea. "Actually mi duh ave one more move tuh prove mi worth, grandfatha. Prepare fi be amazed!”

Boogaloo rolled his green eyes. "Tap calling mi yuh grandfather!"

Tashina ignored him and stepped back into the center of the chamber. She picked up Lucy's sword. On her toes, she sashayed around the center, twirling and swinging the cutlass over her head. As the drums beat faster, Tashina increased the speed of her rhythm, turning and tapping her heels. While juggling the sword, blue, green, and black colors swirling around her. The drums echoed and her whole world turned into ecstasy. No dizziness or a stomach arch stopped Tashina. She has done this move so many times, motion sickness could push her off her feet.

When the drums stopped, Tashina fell to the ground, landing on all-fours as the sword hit next to her.

Boogaloo laughed. "Dat a yuh best? Mi did a amazing stunt wid one finga. Anyone cud dance like dat wretch. Yuh lose!"

Tashina sat up on her knees and grinned. "Wrong! Dat neva mi originally dance fool!"

Boogaloo widened his eyes before they returned to Lucy's normal eyes. Green mist flowed out from her mouth as if something was sucking it out.

"What? No!" The mist cried in Boogaloo’s male voice, flowing toward the second pillar over the ghosts. "Ow dis possible!?"

Tashina rose and laughed. "Mi perform an exorcism pan yuh, summoning yuh inna yuh imprisonment!"

“But dat dance neva betta dan mi move!”

“But it still a dance though.”

Boogaloo’s spirit roared in anger as his mist form entered a skull on the center pillar. The skull’s eye sockets flashed green after the mist vanished inside it. “Noooooooooooooooooooooo! Mi move did perfect! Judge! Declare di winna now!”

The fat hyena ghost scratched behind his skull mask, gazing at Tashina and the talking hyena skull. “Dis a waah likkle confusing. But mi declare Tashina di winner!”

“What?” The skull rattled in the pillar. “Ow cya dat be? Everyone kno mi move did better! Right?”

All the ghosts nodded their heads while others scratched their skulls. It seemed they were trying not to agree with him.

“Yuh see?” Boogaloo shouted. “Mi a di winner! Me! Me! Me!”

“No!” The fat hyena judge stomped his foot. “Yuh forget wah yuh did fi us?” He pointed his finger at the skull. “Yuh murda wi all tuh protect yuh loot! Wi tire of living here fi eternity! Mi declared Tashina di winna suh wi cya all rest inna peace!

“Yea mon!” The other ghosts shouted in agreement.

Boogaloo’s voice growled. “Yuh cyaa rest inna peace now! fi wi treasure ago bi taken!”

The fat hyena shrugged. “So! di treasure stayed here lang enuff.” He glanced at Tashina and smiled. “An it bout time sum'ady takes it.”

Tashina smiled back. She was glad the ghosts finally rose against their chief, who betrayed them and trapped them in a dark, claustrophobic chamber for endless time. Guarding a treasure for a pointless reason has driven them into insanity. But now they found a chance to escape from their greedy tyrant, all thanks to Tashina. Of course, a player could have set them free after raiding the dungeon successfully, but without Tashina, nobody would find the Howling Caverns beneath the surface of Blackmare.

“But mi ago bi lonely!” Boogaloo mumbled.

The fat hyena shook his mask. “Too bad, yuh broadcast dis pan yourself! Cum pan mi fellow tribe! Wi finally free!”

After the ghosts cheered, they hugged each other and floated away through the ceiling. The judge waved to Tashina and vanished with the others. They finally left to the spirit realm, reuniting with friends, and loved ones.

Tashina waved as tears dripped down her cheeks. If her mother was here, she would be proud of her daughter for liberating her tribe.

“You did it, Tashina!” Ivy shouted with joy.

Charles rushed toward Lucy’s body and shook her. “Come on, Lucy! You can wake up now! Wake up!”

*****

Lucy blinked her eyes as a notification appeared in her vision.

Boss fight completed! Your crewmate defeated Chief Boogaloo in a unique battle.

You received 20,000 EXP!

You leveled up!

One proficiency point received!

“What?” Lucy rose her upper body as she realized she was lying on Charles’s lap.

The wolf smiled at her. “Thank goodness. You’re not going to punch me, are you?”

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Why would I bloody do that?"

Charles laughed as Ivy and Tashina approached him, glancing down at Lucy.

"You remember nothing?" Ivy asked.

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Lucy got off Charles's lap and rose while rubbing her forehead. The coldness inside her head faded into warmness. “No, I don’t….. Can you explain what happened?”

“Chief Boogaloo possessed your body,” Ivy explained. “Tashina performed an exorcism on Boogaloo to save you.”

“ It did a dance-off,” Tashina corrected. “An mi did it tuh save all fi wi skins.”

Ivy giggled. “You should have seen yourself. Boogaloo was making you dance like crazy! And it was kind of hot too.”

Tashina glared at the catgirl. “Yuh did voting gainst me?”

Ivy held up her palms, shaking. “No! No! Your dances are hot too! Boogaloo had no chance against you!”

Tashina gave Ivy a wicked grin. “Gud or else mi wudda turn yuh inna a toad.”

Ivy gulped as her face turned pale, so pale, her freckles on her cheeks faded away. Nobody could cross the line against a witch.

Lucy grinned at Tashina. “Thank you so much. I couldn’t believe I still leveled up doing nothing.”

“What I heard, everyone receives a reward after they defeat the dungeon boss,” Charles explained. “It doesn’t really matter what kind of battle it was.”

Lucy wished she had seen herself dancing while being under Boogaloo’s control. She never was a superb dancer, no matter how many times she tried to learn. Maybe her feet were too big, or she couldn’t keep her balance stable. But more importantly, everyone survived the fight.

“Yuh ungrateful wretch!” a loud voice shouted. “Mi did suppose fi be di winner! Nuh you!”

Lucy spotted a skull on the second pillar with glowing green eyes, smoking like a hookah pipe. She pointed her finger at it. “Who….. What’s that?”

Tashina stared at the hyena skull and grinned. “Dat Boogaloo, mi grandfatha.”

Lucy shot her eyes wide open and glanced at Tashina. “Your grandfather?”

“Sorry mi lied. Mi neva wa yuh tuh tink crazy ideas bout mi.” Tashina frowned at the ground.

Ivy placed her hands on her hips. “We would never do that. We only needed to know where the Howling Caverns is at.” She stared at the ceiling with a big grin. “Now the curse is gone, my captain and crew can rest in peace.”

Boogaloo snarled. “Yuh fools leave mi alone! nuh all mi cya duh watch mi precious treasure get taken away!”

Tashina snarled a grin at the skull. “Oooooooooooh-don't worry grandfatha. Mi wi tek care of yuh.”

Boogaloo’s voice shuddered. “Wah?”

While giggling, Tashina strolled toward the pillar and pulled out her dagger. “Yuh ago bi coming wid mi as mi new skull decoration.”

“No! Yuh cyaa treat like a object, wretch! Mi Chief Boogaloo! One of di greatest chiefs pan Blackmare!”

“Heeheehee! Nuh anymore.” Tashina dug her dagger into the pillar above the skull’s forehead, twisting it. “Yuh belong tuh mi now. Eff yuh stay gud mi wi gi yaah treat.”

Boogaloo hissed while his skull. "Grrrrrrrrr! Mi nuh deserve this! mi nuh deserve this!"

Tashina pulled the skull out and glared into the skull’s eyes. "Yuh wa fi stay here foreva alone? Hmmmmmmmm?"

Boogaloo moaned while pausing his edgy voice for a second. "Eeeeeeeeeh-no!"

Tashina shook his skull. "Den hush yuh mout an be grateful mi taking you!"

The skull’s glowing green eyes blinked. "Rrrrrrrrrrrh! mi wi regret dis But tank yuh."

Lucy approached Tashina. "Why are you taking him? He is evil!"

Tashina placed the skull into her porch, chuckling. "Mi grandfatha ave many voodoo knowledge. Him cud teach mi new spells an reveal dark secrets fi wi."

Her porch shook.

"Mi wi teach yuh ow tuh tun yuhself inna a toad wretch!" Boogaloo's voice shouted.

Tashina giggled with her hand on her lips. "Mi tink wi wi mek a happy fambly."

Charles shrugged. "Whatever." He peeked around. "Where is the entrance to the treasure?"

"Yuh nuh dare touch mi treasure!" Boogaloo exclaimed.

Tashina smacked her porch. "Wi taking it wid us! Or yuh wa sum'ady else tuh steal it. Hmmmm?"

Boogaloo growled. "Pull di second torch inna di right kaanah. Di chamba behind di wall."

Ivy strolled toward the torch. "This one?"

She pulled down, and the wall viberated while tiny rocks fell from it. She stepped back and watched the wall opened, rising off the ground.

Bright yellow lights glazed from the opening, and sparkled glittered witin the light.

Lucy's mouth immediately fell open. The opening revealed a chamber full of piles of gold coins. There were open chests of jewels, golden statues, and diamond necklaces.

Ivy's catty eyes glimmered at the beautiful loot. "Wow! You can buy a castle with all them blooms!"

"Or an entire island," Charles suggested.

Lucy dashed into the chamber and sat among the gold. She grabbed two hand fulls of coins and gems, gazing at them in wonder. "Dear god of the waters! I could build a new tavern with all of this!"

Charles, Tashina, and Ivy joined her, checking all the chests and swimming through the pool of gold. They all cheered and danced around the loot like merry children. Defeating Chief Boogaloo has given them the best reward ever.

"Well, I will be damn!" shouted a voice outside the chamber.

Lucy gazed at the entrance and dropped her mouth again.

From the shadows, Captain Roof and his two NPC crewmates, Martin and Dax, stepped into the treasury, smiling at all the gold.

"What an awesome fine!" The bulldog pirate shouted. "And we didn't have to fight the dungeon boss."

Lucy drew out her sword. "How did you find this place?"

"Ha! Luck, I guess," Captain Roof answered. "After we respawned, we tracked you through the swamp and fell down the river into this dungeon. We waited, hoping you would clear the dungeon. Now we can take everything for ourselves!"

Martin and Dax laughed with him.

Charles pointed his finger at one of the player's NPCs. "How are they alive?"

Roof held up a stone with a green symbol on it. "With this. It allows me to bring back a couple crewmates from the Undersea with me. A rare item I got from a dungeon."

"An who you?" Tashina asked with her arms crossed.

Ivy pointed her finger at the three pirates. "Those scoundrels tried to hurt me, Lucy and Charles saved me from them."

Roof growled and pulled out his sword. "You stole from me, pussycat! I'm taking everything here, including your lives!"

"Wait!" Charles rushed toward the player, waving his arms up. "Parley!"

Roof blinked his eyes. "What?"

"Parley! You can't attack us if we declare parley, remember?"

Roof growled until a notification appeared in front of everyone.

Charles declared parley! No combat is allowed after negotiations are met. The penalty against this stalemate will log the violator out of the game for one hour. You may begin your discussion now.

Roof dropped his sword and threw his hat against the wall. "This is stupid! I hate that mechanic!"

Charles sighed and quickly smiled. "Good! Now we are squared, let's determine a deal."

Roof picked up his hat. "I'll give you a deal! Give me the treasure, and I won't kill you!"

Charles held up two fingers. "No, you can't do that. Parley does not allow violence. You must settle a non-violent term."

Roof rubbed his closed eyelids. "What do you want?"

Charles glanced at the gold and back to Roof. "Let us take half the treasure without attacking us, and you can have the rest."

Roof glared. "And what if I say no?"

Charles smiled. "Then we can keep this discussion until you grow bore. Take it, or leave it."

Roof shook his muzzle as if he was shaking drool off his mouth. "Screw this! I accept your deal."

Charles held out a hand toward the bulldog. "You got it."

Roof shook the wolf's hand while grimacing. His regrets on his face were showing, but he had no choice.

Lucy should remember the word, parley. It could keep her out of danger with players.

"Sooooo, how are we going to carry this stuff?" Ivy asked.