We were making good progress through the crowd as it was getting denser and denser, the ambient nonsensical chatter growing louder and louder. Already, the exit was almost in view, two thirds of the room behind us. Common sense dictates something would have to go wrong.
To absolutely no one’s surprise, that was the moment a flashy arrow of yellow paint formed in the air. Nathan’s signal. The pictomancer creatively used a skill of his to conjure paint of a bright color to alert everyone that he is in danger. With his signal, we agreed that the color would be an indicator of the level of danger. I did not expect to see a red signal given this dungeon's nature, but a yellow is still worrying. He must be injured.
Hurriedly, I nod towards Kallion and make my way to where he was separated from our lead, shoving through a group of tall men and mannequins in suits before bursting onto a small deserted space where I see a curious spectacle.
The half-orc is in the middle of the open space, holding his brush extended outwards while clutching his ticket in a bleeding hand. Surrounding him on all sides are three smaller, feline creatures that almost look like house cats, except for the fact that they have avian heads resembling falcons. One of them is pawing at its beak, where a big red x is painted on, and it seems to struggle to open it.
Huh. That must be the result of his unique branch of magic.
Seeing us burst into the open space, the little creatures immediately disengage and disperse, darting through the crowd and out of sight in the blink of an eye. Nathan is confused initially, but when his gaze finds us he has a relieved smile on his face. He attempts to explain the situation, but it is impossible to understand what he is trying to say so I motion for him to stop, which he does. I then hand him a weak healing potion from my belt, used for treating scratches and bruises mostly, but it should be sufficient for a small amount of damage localized entirely to his hand. He takes it quizzically, but when I indicate his hand, he understands and gulps it down.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
It will take a bit to go into effect. We wait for the others to join us here for a short while, and they soon make their way into the clearing, Allea being the first, quickly followed by the other Bards, Ellie and Harry, and finally by Astrid. Thankful for the moment to regroup just beyond the halfway point, I motion for everyone to get ready. The bards once more regroup in the middle as Allea and Astrid form the rearguard.
Confirming everyone is ready, I take the lead once more, and enter the fray. The same group of suit-wearing folks are in the way and it takes some effort to move beyond, and the density of the crowd only increases further as we approach the end of the room. Kallion makes sure to stay close to me, and everything proceeds without further incident until we make our way past a final group of mannequins in ball dresses, after which all seven of us stumble out of the crowd and begin to regain our bearings as the noise of the crowd begins to fade to a more… conversational level.
Before us stands a gate, attended by a mannequin in a servant’s uniform. Seeing all of us, he extends a small box. Shrugging, I step forward and extend the token, at which the mannequin nods.
I drop the token into the box and he motions towards the gate. I step forward to allow the rest of the group to hand over their own tickets. Nathan gratefully drops his into the box and steps forward as well, followed by Kallion, Allea and Astrid. Ellie seems to fidget for a moment, and then shyly drops hers into the box as well, finally followed by her colleague Harry.
Huh. I wonder what that was about, she doesn’t seem to be the type for shyness. Maybe she almost lost the token and was reminded of the matter?
Whatever.
With the final token handed over, the mannequin nods satisfied and the gate swings open, revealing a pathway, and sitting in the middle of it, a grand chest.
A reward for our success? Or one of the mimic’s I know to dwell in this dungeon? Only one way to find out, so I reach out and push open the lid.