Chapter 153
Foreboding Trap
“How is our loss, Barney?” Connie asked from atop the corpse of the Floor Boss.
“Considering the enemies? Not being wiped out’s already a mercy,” Barney said as he put his butt on top of a rock. “Frankly, if it wasn’t for yer party, we’ll just be the Demons’ dinner.”
“You’re awfully chipper after losing more than half your men,” Martell said.
“Dat’s the thing about being a Hunter, yeah? We know the risks when we signed up for the quest. Least your Mistress there’s paying for everything. Most times, when you die, you just die. No money fer the family or whatnot.”
“Can I take this head, Connie?” Akula asked as she proudly showed the decapitated head of the Demon named Jala. She took only one as the other had been crushed. “Martell has already stored the corpse in his Item Ring.”
“Yes, you earned it,” Connie answered. She was gazing at the fist sized Essence Crystal taken from the Giant Toad.
A door suddenly appeared near Barney, causing him to jerk awkwardly in surprise. The door opened, and within, one could see steps made of stone descending into darkness.
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Caelin knelt before the weapon of his comrade, not caring that his clothes were drenched in mud; his face haggard from worry.
“Caelin…” Nick, who saw this came over and tried to console him.
“Don’t worry. I’m fine,” he said with a tired smile. “The two of them are not that weak. They should still be alive.”
Nick did not comment on the Elf’s words. He knew that it was something Calein said to try and reassure himself. To give himself hope.
“Can you help me ask Miss Akula to take the mace with us? The thing has enchantments on it that made it unable to be stored inside an Item Ring.”
“Why her? Can’t we just…” Nick tried to lift the weapon and found that despite his strength, he was unable to lift it more than a second before dropping it to the ground. “Ah, got it. The Centaur it is.”
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While this was ongoing, Connie could not help but be curious about the door. Especially after seeing the apprehension shared between the local Hunters. So, she took out a torch, lit it and held it aloft as she took a few steps down the stairs.
Beyond the dim light of the torch, she could see nothing but murky green fog. Fog so thick one would mistake it for a swamp.
“The Fourth Floor’s filled wid Poisonous Fog. Many Hunters’d tried walking in with Antidotes, but ain’t no one returned.”
“Oho, is that so?”
Connie handed the torch to Martell and confidently walked into the fog. Barney did not manage to react fast enough before the top of her head disappeared into the swathe of green. The sound of her steps soon also disappeared, prompting worried looks from her party members.
“Is…is she okay?” Illumca asked. Though she knew that Connie was impervious to poison, she could not help but worry.
Just as she was about to step into the Fourth Floor, Connie returned. Her face was pale and sickly. She signaled them to step back before exhaling a tuft of thick green mist.
“Ah, yeah. I can see why no one returns,” she said as her color slowly returned. “Once the fog got into your lung, it inflames the throat and destroys your lung. You’ll die from the blood filling your lung.”
“It’ll be death in fifteen breaths if you’re lucky,” Connie gestured at her throat. “No matter how many Antidotes you bring, you won’t be able to use it if you’re drowning in your own blood.”
Everyone shuddered at the thought.
“So, do we just go back?” Barney asked.
“Nonsense,” Connie waved her arm confidently as she took out ingredients from within her Item Ring. “Give me five minutes and I’ll have the Pills ready.”
Just as she said, within five minutes a small pile of reddish Pills was created and promptly distributed to everyone.
“These are called the Second Breath Pill,” Connie spoke. “It will give you an immunity to the Poison Fog down below.
“One Pill will only work for one hour. So, I’m giving you all a few of them. Swallow them now.”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
After seeing the effect of the Pills firsthand back on the surface, the Hunters did not ask twice before popping them in.
“It will take about half an hour to fully take effect. Meanwhile, you might feel a bit of a prickle in your throat. Let’s use this time to take rest.”
After that, Connie found reasonably sized spot before starting to absorb the Floor Boss’s Essence Crystal. Ignoring the scene of her group trying to scratch their itchy throat.
When she finished absorbing the Essence Crystal, she led the group down the murky green fog. Not knowing what might be waiting for them within.
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On the Fifth Floor were a long hallway lined with rooms. The rooms had iron bars to prevent its inhabitants from escaping. However, the occupants of those rooms had not the capability of doing so. For they did not even have the will to even think.
A Demon with half a face walked along the hallway, occasionally glancing at the Daydreamers within. The stench of excretions and unwashed filth made the Demon’s already sour mood became even sourer.
“It’s near time to change shift,” The Demon said once he reached a certain door made of iron. “How is it?”
The Demon guarding the door answered. “Not a peep. That bastard has the resilience of a rock!”
The other Demon scoffed and looked through the small gap near the middle of the door.
There was something there, something resembling a man. But he could not be a man, for he was much too deformed. Far too outrageous in proportion. His right arm was large and exaggerated; as thick as a tree trunk, while his left was the size of a normal human. The right side of his back had a large hump that forced him to hunch; rendering him unable to raise his head above his shoulders. His long, black hair was matted and stuck to his skin due to the mix of sweat and blood.
“If you just say that you renounce your goddess, then you would not suffer any longer!!”
There was no reply from the figure. The Demon spat and kicked the door, causing an unpleasant sound that rang across the hallway.
“There’s still a short while before I had to go to Ur-Kulak Hanad. Wanna have a quick snack?”
The half-faced Demon laughed. “Abandoning our duty, are we?”
“They won’t be able to escape anyway. I’m feeling something fatty today.”
“I saw a good one on the first room.”
When the two Demons left the vicinity. The man within the jail raised his head slowly and spoke. “Dhani. Are you still alive…?”
He spoke with a voice filled with such tenderness one could not believe it came from such an ugly thing.
From the jail cell next to him, a woman’s voice answered, raspy and tired. “Your Dark Mother had not taken me yet.”
“Thank goodness.”
“I thought you would wish me a good death. What was it you often say? G-grief – something?”
“Those words are reserved only for service.”
“You’re no fun,” the woman said with a small humor. Though every movement she made now bring pain.
“…when the time comes, I will send you to the Dark Mother with joy in my heart. But for now…I still wish that you would suffer life a bit longer with me.”
“Haha, never pegged you for a sappy one.”
“…” there was a rattle from the chain that held the Nankhudi’s unusually large limb as he shifted his position to ease the numbness of his wrist. “…You should not have followed me.”
“We are friends. And a friend would not leave another alone when he’s embarking on a stupid quest because of some stupid oracle telling him to.”
“I am a Nankhudi…and it is my duty…and my honor…to be the hands of Anukara…”
“And what is the oracle saying to you?”
“That I should wait.”
“…sometimes you really make me want to cast Lightning Spire on you.”
“…I know…”
After a small groan, no more sound could be heard from Dhani’s side. Perhaps she was too tired to speak. They had not fed us for a few days now.
Rhoddes looked into the shadows within his cell and prayed. “Anukara…in’u yhitsa imbite. Tok geber maulokau.”
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The Fourth Floor was not that different to the First and Second Floor. Other than the threat of painful death from breathing in the poison filling the air. However, as there was no map for where they were at the moment, the pace of their progress had slowed considerably as Nick had to map the path on his own.
This included the traps that they managed to trigger. Some of which had the former bodies of unfortunate trespassers still upon them.
“Honestly, this is rather disappointing,” Connie said as she cut a Bearded Lizard into two even pieces with her claw weapon and side stepped an trap that launched an arrow at her neck. “After a fight like that I’d have expected something more on this floor.”
Jala is the strongest Demon under Bet-Zebek. In regards to power, the only thing we have to worry about is him.
Connie glanced at Arryn’s writings and commented. “And have you thought about what you’re going to convince your people when we meet them?”
The Dark Elf looked uncertainly at her. She and Leyn had chosen their path. But what about the others?
Out of the blue, Martell shouted. “STOP!”
All eyes turned to the Beastfolk boy, whose face was now tense and unwell. “Mistress. I feel…something is wrong here.”
“…” Connie narrowed her eyes and began to spread her senses. “You are right. Something unclean is nearby.”
Then, the dungeon trembled. They all looked down as the ground suddenly fell under them. Those who had movement Skills tried to use them; but whatever caused the ground to vanish, it sucked them down before they could properly utilize them.
As a result, all they could do was fall into the darkness below.
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Inside a room illuminated by sickly yellow light, Hanad was gazing at the result of his newest masterpiece. His scaly arms still stained with fat and blood from his earlier work.
“How is the condition of the subject?”
A Demon with a beautiful woman’s head but a repulsive insect body below the torso, looked for any sign of decomposition on their newest subject and spoke. “There is still no sign of rejection, Ur-Kulak Hanad. This one is a success.”
“Good. Our Master will be pleased.”
“Ur-Kulak.” Another of his assistant spoke. “Someone tripped the trap Ur-Nagud Bet-Zebek laid on the Fourth Floor!”
“They got past Ur-Kulak Jala?” the insect Demon could not hide his surprise. “How is that possible?!”
“Indeed, Jala is strong, but he does not have the brains of a Demon of Bereaved Dead Banner. Ur-Nagud Bet Zebek took him in because he needed someone with strength to balance things out. Incidentally, I was the one who grafted his brother’s head – Kalu – onto his body.”
Hanad sighed. “Whatever the case, seeing as they are able to trigger the trap means that they have someone who could nullify the effect of the Fourth Floor’s Poisonous Fog. You, order the Tongue-Cuts to make themselves useful and kill the invaders.”
“But they managed to kill Ur-Kulak Jala! What can the Tongue-Cuts do?”
“They can stall for time,” Hanad grinned. “Even if they die, they can just be materials for that trap anyway."
He laughed with an unpleasant snark. "That is, if those humans could manage to survive what we have in store for them.”
The scaly Demon put his hand over a large, chitinous bulb in the middle of the room meaningfully. “And even if they did, we always have a backup plan.”