She was initially put off by the monsters speak but putting that aside she had already decided she did not want to touch these clothes after seeing all those people in them acting strange.

“No.” She shook her head, but wondering if she could still gain entry, she approached the creature.

The creature raised a slimy writhing mass of green vines that functioned as its hand, “No dress code. No entry.” It shuffled from its spot, the stone ground being uprooted “No, exceptions.”

“No, cursed.” Refusing she readied herself, a quick save end her chilling aura spread, freezing more of the water below her.

The creature grumbled, a low growly behind its voice “clothes just clothes. Master wants everyone, to look nice.”

“Master?” This thing had a master? Were they the ones making the clothes?

“You meet, first, dress.” The creature swung its hands out, pointing past Mia to the chests off in the distance.

“Luck first.”

“Huh? What mean?”

Mia shot out a wave of frozen air, freezing everything in front of her. When the area became clear she smirked, seeing a nice frozen statue in front of her “Trying out my luck first.” She huffed, annoyed now that the thing was dead, she could speak how she wanted.

She shrugged, glad her power was showing its results and walked up to the creature, giving the statue a few taps “Monsters can speak, huh?” was still shocking, and irritating how it could speak slightly better than she could, unless?

Now that she had the chance, she took a closer look at the thing. Besides the obvious suit, the monster was just a hulk made up of vines she could not see pass. “Not a beastman…or beastkin, I think.” If it was, it would easily explain the talking.

Satisfied, she hopped past it, approaching the closed metal gate that was obviously not made to keep people her size out of, as she easily slipped between the bars and continued her merry way inside.

Inside she was greeted by a grand hall, decorated in the same manner as some of the human noble’smanners she had been in, but a stepdown in terms of quality, on account of the mold covering most of their surfaces. Of course, this would have been caused by the simple fact that everything was still partially submerged in water.

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Wooden furniture had their legs soaked and overtaken by mold and moss, the decorative drapes floating at the bottom with their own variety plant life, a large green rug completely submerged underwater… wait no, it was originally red.

“It smells…” The swamp didn’t smell much better, but here it was just festering.

With her nose firmly covered, she moved deeper inwards “Exit…exit…” there were several pathways splitting from the entrance, but no obvious path that screamed *exit*.

“eeeh, that one.” Choosing a random path she darted off, leaving a trail of ice behind her.

“oh~?” A bit down the hall, she noticed the some more people, all neatly dressed standing motionless in front of a closed door. She froze them in place, not wasting any time with them, she stopped infront of the door, placing her ear up against it.

Not hearing anything, she slowly opened it and peered inside.

“Geh-?!”

She closed it immediately, the smell assaulting her nose ten times worse than the mold “W-what is that?!” she gagged, taking a few steps back in a desperate attempt to get any relief from it “Bleh…bleh…” she shook it off, her curiosity at what was the source of the smell was far outweighed by never wanting to smell that again.

Before Mia could continue forward, a small series of low rumbles shook the place, followed quickly vines bursting from the walls and floor.

“eh?!” she leaped out of the way as the vines grasped empty air, more vines burst out from behind her, one managing to grip her arm, its surface starting to freeze as it gripped her “N-no, w-hat is…” She quickly made a knife, then by activating her skill she slowed down time, slashing the vine with some resistance.

She spun around, freezing the entire hallway and landing on the ice “What is going on?!” She was sure the only thing she had seen since she had got in here were those two humans she froze, did that alert anyone?

Another rumble, and more vines burst furth, Mia freezing them but more kept coming, she took off, running out of room in the slowly shrinking space that was being overrun by vines. She dashed through the halls, turning the whole place into a frozen lake as she dashed through, but the vines never relented, keeping pace even as more sprouted in front of her, blocking her path.

She twisted her body, firmly planting her foot in the ground as she raised a hand behind her, a large icicle forming above it “out of the way!” she dug her feet in, throwing the icicle towards it were it spun and hit its mark, piercing through the mass. She then leaped towards it, using her magic she dived into the icicle, the ice making way for her to pass through and land harmlessly on the other side.

Once in the clear she froze the vines in place, then continued on.

Panting and exhausted by this point, she came to a brief stop, only now realizing the vines had relented, giving her a moment’s rest. She plopped down on her ice, placing a hand gently on her head “hmmm…” She sighed, pulling herself up “what even was that?” she asked herself, “It wasn’t like anything she had seen before.

[Friendly reminder you did not gain any levels from freezing that swamp vine thing earlier.]

“…. Oh yeah.” at least she didn’t have to worry about what it was anymore.

Well while she wasn’t caught or dead she decided to move on, eventually coming to another pair of people guarding a large set of double doors. One quick freeze later and she was now alone with the doors. She placed her ear up against it… hearing some murmuring and some kind of metallic clanking she firmly plugged her nose and peered inside.