"You go first." States Chifya, who has reverted to her half-human form as she prepares an elevator made of vines. Additionally, both of their eyes return to normal.
Natalak adheres without complaint, yet Chifya notice something within him: his face, his eyes and the energy he gives off.
The half-elf rolls her eyes. "Ugh, men and your masculinity." And as Natalak slowly descends into a sitting position—
"Fuck me." He sighs heavily, his hand resting on his cheeks. "Sucks to be without magic… Should have asked Papa Jesus for some miracle before coming here. Bah, this situation is rather embarrassing. But oh well, last night was a jackpot." Natalak then began smiling.
Upon reaching the ground, in less than a minute- not even five seconds- Chifya leaps down like a cat. And the way she lands was as soft as a gently dropped pillow.
"What is this woman even made of?" Natalak eyes Chifya with awe.
"Here, take this. It will help you run faster." Chifya offers Natalak a velvet potion, and on the cap is a strange syringe made of an insect's stinger. "We'll need to reach the dungeon as fast as we can."
Natalak asks, noticing the syringe dropping, "Is there any side effect I should be concern about?"
"Nothing," Chifya said as she ties her hair back, but when she saw Natalak trying to use it as an eyedrop, she exclaims, "Stop!" and quickly stops his hand. "You're supposed to inject it."
"Oh, okay." Natalak gave a stupefy look. "But where should—"
"Anywhere but your head."
"Ah, I'll think the professional should be the one to do it." Natalak smiled, an awful smile as he offers back the vial.
"Your hand." Chifya grabs the bottle. And the moment Natalak extends his arms, Chifya quickly injects the potion into his wrist, but stops when the potion was half drain.
It took just ten seconds for Natalak to begin feeling its effects. Soon, his muscles throb, his body temperature rises, and when the potion reaches full potency, Natalak senses he could run for miles without tiring. Even then, Chifya was still in the lead, and no matter how hard he tried to run, not even the potion could help him catch up. Occasionally, the two would stop to check the map and the distance before resuming.
Two hours pass… and after crossing miles and avoiding monsters, the two finally stood at the dungeon's entrance.
"There's no sign of Sheila and the others. Should we wait first?"
"Good." Chifya pulls out two vials. "You'll need this one." She hands him her homemade purification water.
The smaller vial, which Natalak quickly recognises, contains the potion crafted from the insect queen's sack. Scrutinising the flask, Natalak saw Chifya use the smaller potion as an eyedrop, taking three drops before offering it to Natalak.
"Take three drops," Chifya advises.
Natalak hesitates, his eyes back and forth between Chifya and the flask. "Is there some side effect that—"
"Yes, it will sting. And if you want to walk into the darkness full of traps, you can give it back."
Without giving a reply, Natalak quickly took three drops, and this time, he didn't scream but clench his teeth, tolerating the pain.
"Bitter." His eyes clasp tightly, but when he opens them, Natalak sees through the darkness as clearly as day. More so, he now detects faint magic leaking out from Chifya.
Retrieving the bottle. "Let's hurry up before the others arrive," Chifya said, and right away the two vanished into the dungeon's maw.
With their steps, Natalak could, for the first time, see through the darkness without any help from the light. And Chifya occasionally had to pull him back from his constant awe, back to walking.
"This man-child." Chifya tightly grabs Natalak's hand, dragging him all the way to the second level.
"I'll walk, I'll walk, so let go of your hand." He attempts to pull his hand away, but her grip was significantly stronger than his usual strength. "What kind of food do these brute women eat?"
Chifya, however, didn't give a word, even after they'd reached where they last teleported. This time, the two could clearly see the barrier trap, its warping velvet energy that looked seemingly harmless.
"Step back," Chifya advises, tossing a rock through the barrier, which quickly teleports the rock. "Ahh… So, it's not a trap but rather a barrier. If that's the case—" She frowns, unsheathing her blade, and slowly glides through the barrier while standing three feet away.
For the man who has nothing to do but stand with a bemused expression, Natalak can't help but watch in silent, astounded awe as Chifya's blade absorbs the barrier until no energy is left.
"Now we can safely go across." Chifya sheaths her blade.
Deeper in, mapping out the second level, they came across a few mechanical traps.
"An alarm? No, these are gas traps." Chifya said, measuring the tubular rusted iron frames etched through the stone walls. "Since there's no energy to be seen. Natalak, may I borrow your bow?" She adds.
Without hesitation, he quickly gave Chifya the bow, the one Riya lent. And with a quick fire through the tunnel, one of the iron tubes burst open, releasing not gas but putrid liquid.
"Guess some aren't as lucky with blight," Chifya said, handing back the bow as they waited for the tube to finish discharging.
Following that encounter, the two search the entire place, mapping until Natalak comes across a corpse, half buried from the collapsed tunnel. While Chifya searches other rooms, Natalak quickly, without hesitation, plunders the corpse, removing the rubble to pull the half-buried body out from the debris. Yet when he began fumbling with the body, Chifya was silently watching just behind his back.
"Really? You could have just called me." Chifya spoke, arms crossed.
"Well, ah, I'm searching for any clues and evidence." Natalak smile.
Ignoring his awful smile, Chifya notice a small book strapped around the corpse's waist.
"A diary?" Chifya said, and after countless page-turning—
Day 5
We had to start from square one because of that stupid recruit. If only he hadn't touched my things; now I'm the one to blame with my superiors. This is so frustrating, watching my colleagues laugh at me; I'll show them. I'll show them that my research is far superior to theirs.
Day 8
Good riddance. I finally disposed of that blasted useless man. Now I have to find a suitable replacement, since I used him as a test subject. No matter, there are plenty out there. And my guinea pigs are dwindling, but I've heard that those adventurers are caught in our traps. Good for them; I intend to use them.
Day 10
Those bastards, just because they are superior to us, think of us as no more than servants, but they will see once I'm done… I'll beat that insolent man. If only we weren't chained by this abyssal curse, I would have written their names in my diary. Also, that damn Laneth. I told him not to dabble in Agum's power… but he said, "No… you're all weak, pathetic cowards. He thinks he can outsmart a god."
Day 13
Something's not right; the air feels strange. Not to mention Laneth's involvement with his room. Even my magic behaves oddly — it must be Laneth, I'm certain of it.
After reading the last page, Chifya focuses her gaze on the collapsed tunnel. Ignoring the man desecrating the dead body, she pulls a glowing seed and plants it in the debris. Pulling another vial, glowing in aquamarine, and adding a few drops of the liquid, the seed sprout in seconds, drilling through the collapsed tunnel as its roots thicken. Natalak, who's still pulling every item from the corpse, hides behind Chifya, fearing the ceiling might collapse, so much so that Chifya can feel his anxiety.
"S-Should we back away first?" Natalak suggests, his legs poised to dash out of the area as the roots shake through the dungeon, pushing rubble aside to reveal the other side. "Maybe we should wait for Sheila and others to—" Before his legs could retreat back to the dungeon's entrance—
"Let's go." Chifya immediately grab Natalak's hand, dragging him deeper into the lower level. And then they arrive at a certain room.
"What in the hell is this place?" Natalak mutters, scanning the open area.
Filled with strange devices, machines and other equipment that Natalak isn't familiar with. And all of that equipment radiates magical essence, as the blight buries some of it. And in the centre lies a large floating purple crystal enclosed by thick golden metal. Strangely—
"Why is there a smell of gasoline?" Natalak looks around, through the walls and when he looks through the ceiling—
"What the hell?!" Natalak exclaims as three orange slimes slowly move towards where he stands. Before they can drop, he dashes out of that spot. Safe and with a clear view, he sees flesh and bones slowly dissolving inside the slime.
"Weapons won't work on them," Chifya advises, watching Natalak unsheathe his weapon. "Let me borrow your bow." She adds, fishing out an orange vial, which Natalak lends to her.
"Just how much potion does this lady have?" Natalak watches Chifya pour the liquid, and it ignites within three seconds.
"I suggest you move behind me." She said before firing the arrows.
Natalak thinks the slime will only burn, but when the arrows set ablaze, the heat surges through the room.
"Fuuckk!" Natalak raised his hand, blocking the intense heat, while Chifya simply tilted her head slightly away.
Once the heat diminishes, the two waits for any creatures lurking in hiding, weapons ready as they scan the area. Perceiving only silence, they search through the rooms separately. And within that small time of being withdrawn from Chifya, Natalak found a room filled with strange items and apparatus—you could say he stumbled upon a laboratory.
"What are these things?" Natalak whispered, grabbing one ornamental glass cube, no more than the size of a puzzle cube, that contained a small slime. He looks back, and once Chifya wasn't there. Natalak took his time, ransacking everything he could see.
"Really?" Chifya said, standing and blocking the door. "I just left you a minute ago, and this is what you do?" She adds, in a thwarted tone.
"Hmm…" Natalak groans; his gaze looks away from her, yet his hands keep stuffing every item non-stop. And just when Chifya was about to leave the man, someone called out- a faint, almost dying voice, yet the two could tell it was a human's voice. But the two— they were cautious, for in their thoughts, those voices could very well be a demon. A mimicking monster? Still, the two went to investigate, and after crossing a few rooms, they found seven adventurers huddled together and a single priest of Aziru creating a water barrier. And all five of their companions were unconscious.
"Are you?" The priest spoke.
"We're from the adventurers' guild," Chifya replies, showing them her guild's crest. "Are there any others trapped in this place?"
The priest shakes his head. "I'm unsure if anyone else arrived here before us. We were teleported here after crossing the corrupted part of the forest near Endregar's border. When we arrived, the area was already in ruins, and by Aziru's grace, we managed to survive the traps and demons lurking below."
"Demons?" Chifya said.
The priest nods. "That crystal over there—" he points towards the purple crystal "It will teleport you to the lower level."
"I see, but we must first get you all to safety—" Yet before she could finish her words, something erupted from the blighted roots, and these creatures were different from the surface blight monsters.
Their entrance was like a monster wriggling itself out from the black tar. They walk on all fours, like werewolves in form. Yet their eyes hold not animals but glowing green blight oozing from their eyes. Their bodies are covered in putrid slime, acid, or something similar.
"I didn't do anything." Natalak protests when Chifya glances at him.
"Coat your weapon with the purification that I gave you. These demons are immune to physical attacks."
"Y-yes, boss." Natalak nervously pulls out her concocted vial and follows her advice. And much like Ashalain, Chifya wasn't afraid to face such monsters, unlike Natalak, who's still trying to overcome his anxiety.
Elsewhere…
"We're here," Sheila exclaimed upon arriving at the dungeon's entrance.
"I don't see any traps," Ugvar said, his eyes turning glowing golden as he scanned the area. "More importantly, your friend had already gone before us." He adds, seeing an image, an essence of Chifya dragging Natalak into the dungeon.
"Then we must hurry," Riya suggests, and they quickly enter the tunnel.
Upon arriving where they had been teleported, Ugvar saw Chifya's essence slicing through the barrier.
"This is where we were teleported," Riya said.
"I believe your friend had already broken the barrier that teleported you." Ugvar reply. "And would you mind taking a step back, five steps away, if you could, young miss?" The orc suggested to Riya.
Without hesitation, Riya quickly stepped back. The moment Ugvar struck the ground where Riya had been, dark shadows burst from beneath, but they were promptly destroyed when Ugvar's hammer crushed them. Seconds later, the light orb cast by Sheila begins to fade as darkness slowly overwhelmed it. Ugvar, however, wasn't impressed as he smashed his glowing hammer on the ground, driving back the darkness. His action, however, didn't resolve the crisis as shadow creatures emerges through the walls.
"Stay close to me," the orc advises, causing Sheila and her companions' weapons to glow with a golden light. Instantly, the adventurers attack, and with a single strike, their glowing weapons disintegrate the monsters' forms. And once finished, the party moves deeper into the dungeon.
Moving where Chifya and Natalak were—
"Boss, any ideas?! They just keep on coming!" Natalak exclaimed as more and more blight demons emerged from those tainted black roots. Additionally, the purifying liquid that stained his weapon is slowly losing its essence, to the point where the demons now regenerate rather than disintegrate.
Chifya, on the other hand, was charging towards those putrid roots, the concocted purification vial in her hand. Successful as she may be, Natalak wasn't so fortunate. A massive werewolf-like demon sprinted towards his back and, before he could react, rammed him through the teleportation crystal, shattering it. It didn't end there. As the crystal activated, it swallowed Natalak and teleported him to who knows where. Additionally, upon his teleportation, it sent a powerful ripple of energy that knocked everything back, including Chifya. And just as Chifya starts to recover, she heard a voice.
"Over there!"
It was Sheila and the others.