Phisola and Eric kept on visiting the adventurers’ camp daily. And every time, she would inspect the dwarf’s work thoroughly. The dwarf stuck to his behavior, acting as if she was completely invisible to him. But it did produce the result Phisola desired, as the dwarf was done with his work in just a few days. He constructed a simple cauldron on a cart with a mechanism that enabled it to tilt to the side and empty its contents. It was simple, rudimentary, and plain, but it was everything Phisola needed. Even though she made an enemy for several lifetimes, her actions made the dwarf construct a simple but rugged solution in just a few days. And that was clearly a win in her book.

“Ok, so you got yourself what you wanted?” Ghilanna asked Phisola when she was done inspecting the cart.

“Indeed. Your dwarf has done his work admirably.”

Ghilanna looked at Rutmuik, who still refused to acknowledge Phisola’s presence.

“Don’t worry about him,” Phisola said, “He will start noticing me once the fighting starts.”

“Right … so, when will you be ready to go?”

“Me and my companion are ready to go right away. We don’t have much baggage, nor do we have much equipment.”

“What about your energy reserves?”

“I will bring some with me, sure, but my energy reserves are fully prepared. I just need to go back to my lair and fetch them. What about your guys?”

“We will need another day or two to pack up the camp. Rutmuik surprised us with his speed, so we’re still not fully ready yet.”

“I’m telling you, motivated dwarves can do wonders.”

Phisola glared mischievously at Rutmuik, but he didn’t take the bait and just kept ignoring her.

“Damn! This dwarf of yours is a very disciplined one,” Phisola commented, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a dwarf as disciplined as this.”

“There is no place in the dungeons for undisciplined people,” Ghilanna responded.

“Yes, and clearly there’s no place for interesting people either.”

“If we were interesting, we wouldn’t have to risk our lives down here, wouldn’t we?”

“Ok, I get it. I was just trying to make a joke and be friendly.”

“Do you know what would make you appear friendly?” Ghilanna gave her a serious look, “Don’t make any more enemies among my companions, and I’ll consider you the friendliest person in the world. How does that sound?”

“It’s not like I’ll have any more time for that anyway. We’ll be on our way to kill the guardian soon, won’t we?”

“Yeah. Let’s make it two days. Return in two days, and we’ll be ready to go. How far is the guardian’s lair?”

“It’s not that far, actually. We will reach it in two to three days.”

“Of non-stop walking?”

“Of erecting the camp every day to sleep in it.”

“Ah. That’s great! I didn’t expect it to be so close.”

“I didn’t feel like walking a long way once I’ve abandoned my position as the guardian. And being relatively close to its lair made it easier to deal with the adventurers.”

“That’s very unfair, wouldn’t you agree? Having two guardian-level creatures right next to each other.”

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“You should know by now that lower levels are unforgiving. And we’re very deep.”

“Still, what’s the point of a dungeon if it’s not fair? Watching one-sided slaughter isn’t fun.”

That made Phisola let out a short chuckle, “Clearly, you don’t know much about gods and their tastes.”

Ghilanna placed her fingers on the temple as her face got very unamused, “Oh boy … I’m certainly not in the mood for discussing gods with a devil.”

“I figured as much. But it’s your view of the world that doesn’t add up, not mine.”

“Let’s just … let’s just drop it. Come back here in two days, and we will be ready to move.”

“Are you kicking me out?” Phisola said with a playful smile on her face.

“Not really, but yes. I’m aware I can’t kick you out since you’re a very powerful creature, and if you’d start causing ruckus you’d probably be the end of us all. I’m just politely suggesting you shouldn’t interact with the people in this camp anymore because, so far, it has always ended in disaster. And the last thing we need is you getting into an argument with yet another one of my companions.”

“Aha. That’s funny. You’ve been acting like a real bitch these last few days, and now all of a sudden you feel like being polite?”

“Look, I’m walking a very thin line here. Acting like a bitch towards you is the most polite way of letting you know that I don’t like you. In fact, I despise you with fiery passion.”

“Is it because of that elven girl I’ve killed?”

They stared each other in the eye for a few moments.

“Among other things, yes,” Ghilanna said.

“Ok, I understand. It wasn’t my choice, though. I wanted to sneak away with my companion when she discovered us. She and her companions didn’t leave us any choice. It was either them or my frail companion.”

“I’m not going to argue about it. I’m not even going to ask what you did with her dead body. Something tells me it’s better that I don’t know. Still, I understand this cooperation is the best way for all of us to get what we want and to get out of this dungeon alive. Which is why I am doing my best to be as diplomatic with you as possible.”

“And considering your real feelings, acting like a bitch is the best you can do.”

“I can do better, but I don’t want you to get any funny ideas about how we may be friends. I want to let you know there is an insurmountable wall between us, and what better way to do it than to act like a bitch towards you. That puts the distance between us while not being overtly offensive.”

“Ah, yes. The elves and their logical minds. You needed an entire speech to say something that can be put in a single sentence.”

“Regardless, I am sure you now understand that even when I’m acting like a bitch towards you, I’m actually being extremely polite.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What I understand is that you want me gone.”

“I’d rather not have you here at all, but logic comes before emotions for an elf. I’m not going to let my loss blind me and cause even more losses.”

“Ok, I get it. We won’t be friends. It’s not like anyone came to this dungeon to make friends in the first place.”

“Exactly. You can only lose friends down here. And I’d rather not lose anymore.”

“Ok, fair enough. I get it. We won’t be together for long anyway. If everything goes according to the plan, I’ll leave this dungeon in a few days. But if you expect me to keep quiet on the trail, you have another thing coming.”

“Just don’t provoke any of my companions, and we’ll be fine. Especially the dwarf.”

“I’ll be up ahead anyway, showing you the road.”

“Yeah, but we’ll erect a camp to sleep in, right? That’s when we’ll all be together.”

“Look,” Phisola got closer to Ghilanna, “I’ve been more than reasonable with all your companions but the dwarf. And you can’t blame me for getting on his nerves because literally everything goes on dwarven nerves! They’re grumpy creatures by their very nature, and you, as an elf, should know that better than anyone else! Hell, I’ve had a good, respectful relationship with your inquisitor, who is dead set on killing me! So cut me some slack!”

“Hmm …” Ghilanna considered those words for a moment, “I have to admit that you are right. Still, my point stands. Don’t provoke any of my companions, and everything will be fine.”

“You’re starting to be insufferable now.”

“I think that’s just how we elves are.”

“Listen, missy,” Phisola got in Ghilanna’s face, putting her hands on hips and tilting her head to the side, “Let me be perfectly clear about this. I am sorry for your loss, but I’m not sorry for stressing out that dwarf because he deserved it. Anyone who gets in my way or starts acting disrespectfully towards me will get what’s coming to them. So, if you don’t want me getting into conflicts with your companions, tell them to stay out of my way. That’s the best way to keep them safe from me.”

“I will. But you shouldn’t provoke them either.”

“I’m not going to mess with the people I need. I need your guys at their best, so why would I undermine the cohesion of your party? But ok, I get it. I’m a devil, and devils have a certain reputation. I don’t blame you for being suspicious of me, especially since I’ve killed some of your companions. But don’t you dare to nag or moralize me! Or even worse, make demands and think you can give me orders. I will not allow that, and you’ve been warned.”

The devil turned around and started walking away, “Now, excuse me, but I’d much rather fuck my companion than argue with an elf!”