The next day was exactly the same. The party packed up the camp and started the journey right away. They’d walk all day long while frequently stopping to recover their stamina. The devil clearly didn’t like it, and the frustration was more than obvious on her face. But she didn’t argue against it either, slowing down whenever Ghilanna asked her to.

And just like the day before, the party had encountered no monsters at all. They didn’t even see any. At the end of the day, they set up a new camp, spent the night there, and got moving in the morning.

“I think we will reach the guardian today,” the devil told Ghilanna while everyone else was packing up.

“Good. Do let me know when we’re relatively close. We will need to set up the camp once again just before the encounter, to get ourselves as ready as possible, so tell me when we reach the last clearing before the guardian. Ok?”

“Yeah, sure.”

And that was exactly how it was. It took them a good portion of the day, but once they finally reached the last clearing before the guardian, they started setting up a new camp. However, this one wasn’t as intricate as the others. It mostly lacked defensive positions like the palisade and the inner walls, and only one tent was erected. Most of the equipment was left in the open, and the adventurers quickly started using it. The warriors sharpened their blades, archers inspected and adjusted their bows and arrows, while mages infused their potions and bodies with magic.

The devil gave them time to prepare, opting to have her companion tend to her needs in the meantime to calm her nerves.

Once everyone was ready, they all gathered in a large circle.

“Ok, let’s see what we know about our enemy,” Ghilanna started. Devil, do you know what kind of guardian awaits us?”

“No, I don’t. It came as a substitute for me once I was already gone, so I have never seen it. But it is certainly a kind of opponent that is immune to most of my magic.”

“And why is that?”

“It’s because Dungeon Master isn’t a fool. He knows I want to get out of here as soon as possible, and what better way to do it than to kill the guardian and use its blood? Which is why I’m certain he found something that can deal with me easily.”

“Then … pardon me for asking, but of what use are you to us if the guardian can kill you easily?”

“It can kill me in a one-on-one fight for sure. But if you guys can keep it distracted for a while, I can certainly land a few powerful punches, even if it’s resistant to my magic. I may not look like it, but I carry a powerful physical punch too.”

“That is true,” Svinjko said, “She didn’t use her magic at all when she fought us before. So she is clearly strong enough to take down an armored opponent without her magic.”

“And your companion?” Ghilanna asked.

“He is too weak. He will stay out of it because he would only get in our way.”

“And he is too valuable for you.”

“That too. He is not a fighter. That much is obvious.”

“Still … the poor lad did manage the impossible,” Svinjko said, “He did get us to work together … so far.”

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“He does have some skills and a good degree of knowledge, but he is useless in a dungeon. He is useless when it comes to fighting in general. He didn’t come here of his own will,” the devil said.

“You mean, he was sent as prey?” Ghilanna asked.

“I am guessing he was sent here to make things easier for me. Maybe Dungeon Master has realized it had wronged me, so it is trying to make up for it.”

“Wouldn’t the best way to make up for it be to get you out of here? If you hate it so much.”

“That’s not how some gods work,” Svinjko answered, “Dungeon Master is not a good, compassionate god.”

“But he is just,” Ghilanna responded, “If he has realized that he had wronged you, then surely he would make up for it.”

“What is Dungeon Master’s main motto?” The devil asked.

Ghilanna’s brows furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“Earn it,” Svinjko answered instead.

“That’s right,” the devil nodded, “It doesn’t matter if it has realized that it was wrong, I will still have to earn my way out of here. Its duty was to provide me with the means to do so, but it’s up to me to make it happen.”

“And you think your companion is the key?” Ghilanna asked.

“My companion has no other reason to be here. It’s either that or to serve as food for the beasts.”

“Well …” the hesitation in Svinjko’s voice was more than obvious, yet his face showed he had to say it, “since your companion doesn’t have a soul, it wouldn’t be outlandish for a god to mistake him for an animal.”

“Animals have souls too, you dumbass,” the devil retorted with a hint of irritation in her voice, “But I don’t expect an inquisitor to know about it.”

“He didn’t mean it as an offense,” Ghilanna jumped in quickly, “He was just trying to offer an alternative. However, it’s not like why your companion is here matters to us. We will both go our separate ways once this is over. But still, if you are right about what you’re saying, how your companion was teleported here to help you get out, wouldn’t that mean that Dungeon Master is working against the new guardian?”

“No, because there were so many other routes we could take. For example, maybe Dungeon Master didn’t necessarily bring him here to get me out of here. Maybe he only brought him here to give me some comfort … which he did. But it certainly wouldn’t mind if I’d use him to earn my way out of this dungeon.”

“Or, there is another possibility,” Svinjko said, “What if the guardian isn’t sentient? What if the guardian was lured here with the promise of a lavish meal every day? What if there was no elaborate agreement between the new guardian and Dungeon Master because the guardian is too animalistic for a proper contract?”

“Hmm …” the devil stroked her chin, “that would make more sense than you think. If the guardian truly lacks sentience, it will be immune to a good chunk of my magic.”

“Oh, great!” Ghilanna threw her hands up in the air, “We got ourselves a mind bender! A mind-bending devil, no less!”

“Oh, come on,” the devil smiled playfully at her, “It’s not that bad. Besides, your inquisitor would notice if I’d try anything.”

“Svinjko,” Ghilanna looked him dead in the eye, “You won’t be taking part in the fight. I don’t want you getting hurt by ‘accident’.”

The devil just kept on smiling, “Fine. See if I care. I had plenty of opportunity to take him out anyway.”

“Listen, devil,” Ghilanna extended her hand towards her, “let’s not get into yet another useless argument. You’ve never told us you can influence people’s minds.”

“But … shouldn’t that be a good thing when dealing with the guardian?” One of the adventurers asked, “Shouldn’t a beast be easier to trick than a person?”

“That’s not how it works,” Svinjko clarified, “You can’t influence something if it’s not there. For example, you can’t cast an illusion on someone if their mind isn’t capable of imagination. Meaning that the dumber someone is, the more resistant to mind-bending they are.”

“It’s magic specifically used to fight smart people,” the devil clarified, “And luckily for you, none of you are smart enough.”

“Oh, wow!” Ghilanna feigned amazement in an overly obvious manner, “You really got us good this time! Wow, you are so smart!”

“Chill, Miss Bossy,” the devil responded, “It was just a light-hearted joke. Ah, but yes, I almost forgot that you’re an elf, and you must take everything literally.”

“Ladies, ladies,” Svinjko got to business quickly, “Please, let’s not go there again. Not now when we’re so close to our goal. I understand both of you want to assert dominance, but can we just focus on what really matters?”

“You’re overthinking it, piggy,” the devil said, “We’re just having some harmless fun.”

“Now is not the time for fun, now is the time to focus,” Svinjko stated.

That made the devil give Ghilanna a deadpan look, “Do you hear this guy? Can you believe what he is saying?”

“I’d say he is taking way too much liberty with his superiors,” Ghilanna agreed.

“I say we should teach him a lesson before he starts getting more stupid ideas.”

“For once, we agree on something.”