Chpt. 27) Tier six dungeon, level four

Ford and Lilly walked through the portal and were greeted with a dense green forest, the foliage blocking any light that may be above. A moss grew below their feet that immitted a bioluminescent light casting the area in green-blue light. The rest of the team sat around the portal, waiting. Ford walked over to Max, still wearing the red fedora. She tied her hair into a messy ponytail again and retrieved her hat.

Max looked up at her, tears in her eyes. Ford bent over, proffered her a hand, and said, “Sorry about being forceful. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Max slapped Ford’s hand away, stood, and began walking down the path angrily. Ford sighed and said, “Alright, I guess we follow her, so she doesn’t accidental the challenge.”

Everyone groaned, except for Lilly, and followed Ford down the pathway. They found Max standing in the central circle with three other paths leading to it, and a pedestal stood in its center with an egg. Ford walked up next to Max, and Max walked away from her. Then a quest notification appeared. Quest: chicken or the egg?: escort the egg to its nest; ensure it receives little to no damage; reward: two-hundred EXP.

Ford looked at the egg and asked, “How are we supposed to escort something somewhere we don’t know?” then the egg sprouted two little white legs and stepped off the pedestal. Ford lunged and caught the egg just before it hit the ground, the little white legs still moving even though there’s nothing underfoot.

“Well,” Kii said.

“That answers that,” Mizu said.

Ford sighed and said, “Farah, you lead with Ace, helmet on. Gimble, you’re in the center with the egg, Kii and Mizu-”

“Mizu and Kii,” Mizu corrected.

“Kii and Mizu,” Kii countered.

“No, it’s-”

“ANYWAYS, the Twins and Benet will be with Gimble in the middle. Morgan in the back with Max and I. Lilly upfront with Farah and Ace,” Ford finished.

“Wouldn’t you rather have Lilly in the back with you?!” Max snapped bitterly.

Ford looked at her sidelong and said, “No, I need as many defenders as close to the egg as possible.”

Max rolled her eyes and said, “I will be in front with Farah and Ace.”

Ford pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, “Fine. You’ll be upfront behind Farah and Ace. Lilly in the back with me.”

Kii and Mizu climbed up Gimble’s back and readied their rifles as they rested their backs against Gimble’s head. Farah’s silver helmet turned golden to match her armor, and the same with the rest of the armor pieces as the helmet covered her face. Max’s helmet did the same and looked like a red version of Farah’s helmet with eye holes. Ford made sure everyone had finished their preparations and placed the egg on the ground.

The egg began walking east, and Farah took the lead down the path leading in that direction with Ace beside her. Max followed soon after, and Gimble crawled along on all fours so he wouldn’t step on the egg by accident; the Twins fell from his shoulders and had to climb back on while he crawled. Then Lilly, Morgan, and Ford followed after them, with Morgan walking between the two.

While they strolled behind everyone, Ford pulled out one of her Karambits and nervously flicked it back and forth with her right index finger. Lilly cleaned her glasses, removing the dried tears she made from the lenses and the smudges Ford had made when they kissed. Morgan looked between them suspiciously and mumbled, “What happened between you two back there?”

In unison, Ford and Lilly said, “Nothing.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow and said, “I was talking about you and Max. Now, I got to know. What happened between you and Lilly?”

Ford and Lilly looked at each other sidelong and again said, “Nothing.”

Then Ford took a few steps forward and spoke over comms, “Farah, Ace, you two see or smell anything?”

“No,” Farah said.

“You smell funny, master. So does Lilly,” Ace said.

Lilly and Ford’s faces turned red, then Ford shook her head and asked, “Do you smell anything other than us?”

“Yeah, there’s a pack of animals surrounding us.”

Ford summoned her swords and got into a ready stance to fight. “Where?!” Ford asked hastily.

“Up above us,” Ace said as calm as ever.

Then Kii and Mizu looked up and saw the monsters moving amongst the tree branches high above. They couldn’t lift their rifles high enough to aim, so they switched to their bows but couldn’t get any clear shot. Ford swung her blades at the foliage above, and Lilly sent a gust of wind at the falling branches and leaves, sending them flying away.

A dozen hisses emanated from the branches above, and Ford took a good look at the creatures prowling above them. They had lithe, glistening, black bodies, and their four legs had hands instead of paws. They opened their mouths to hiss, revealing sharp viper-like fangs and four flaps of skin sticking up behind their heads like ears. As far as Ford could tell, they had no eyes.

“What are those?” Ford asked, readying her swords.

“Those are nigh’ stalkers. Don’ let them bite ye. It’ll kill ye in less than a second,” Lilly whispered.

“Why aren’t they attacking?”

“They’re ambush monsters. They don’ attack when seen.”

The night stalkers hissed one last time and then ran down the trail above the still existing foliage, leaving behind a faint trail of black smoke, which quickly dissipated. “Now, where are they going?” Ford asked.

“They’re going on ahead,” Kii said.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Mizu asked.

“Shut up,” Ford said, following Gimble as he moved the egg over a small rock. They continued moving forward for a while longer before the egg led them to another circle with four cardinal directions. The egg stopped in the center of the circle, and a cacophony of screeching hisses filled the area around them as dozens of night stalkers passed through the dense foliage as though it wasn’t even there. “Protect the egg,” Ford said as she sent several ice spears at the coming monsters.

The spears passed through the monsters as if they had been made of mist. Then Lilly sent several rays of Light spears at the monsters destroying them instantly, and said, “The only way of killin’ them is with ligh’!”

Ford recalled her swords and retrieved her elemental blade making three quick slashes of light and recharging it, saying, “That would’ve been nice to know sooner.”

“Sorry, it’s common knowledge, and I keep forge’in’ ye’re not from this world.”

Ford chuckled as she dispatched another group of night stalkers, “Is there anything else you forgot to mention about these things?” she asked, then five sharp spines impacted her torso. She stumbled backward and coughed up blood, then quickly pulled the spines from her body.

“Jus’ one more thing,” Lilly said shyly.

The Twins shot their arrows at the far-off night stalkers, killing the last of them, “I think that’s karma,” Mizu said.

“For yelling at Lilly after the last fight,” Kii said.

“And other reasons,” Max grumbled under her breath.

Ford gave her a sideways glance and said, “I didn’t go that hard on Lilly.”

“She didn’ go tha’ hard. I’ve go’en worse lectures from my parents,” Lilly agreed, a small smile on her face.

“It’s moving!” Gimble exclaimed as the egg shook and grew bigger. It went from four centimeters tall to fifteen centimeters within a few seconds. Then it stood and turned left, going down the next path. Farah, Max, and Ace quickly moved to the front of the group, careful not to smash the larger egg.

“How big is that egg going to get?” Ford asked offhandedly.

“As big as your mom!” Kii and Mizu yelled in unison, giving each other high fives.

Ford summoned her war hammer and said through a fake smile, “Sorry, what was that? I seem to be having hearing problems right now.”

“Your mother was a wonderful person.”

“The most wonderful.”

“No one more wonderful,” The Twins hastily said.

“That’s what I thought I heard,” Ford said, de-summoning her hammer.

“It could get substantially larger as the challenge progresses,” Lilly said, “bes’ to jus’ go with it.”

Morgan’s stomach rumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. Ford turned to him, concerned. Morgan looked away, “I think your food’s getting to me, Ford,” Morgan said, “I need to use the little Dwarf’s room.”

“Arn’ Dwarves already li’le?” Lilly mocked.

“Why, you bothersome Elf! If I wasn’t currently preoccupied, I’d-” Morgan’s words were cut short as a night terror pulled him from the trail as it passed.

“Morgan!!” Ford exclaimed as she searched for him in the foliage above.

A few seconds later, loud bangs echoed through the forest, one after another. Then Morgan smashed his way onto the trail in front of everyone, breathing heavily. “You alright, Morgan?” Benet asked.

Morgan sighed, “I don’t have to use the little Dwarves room anymore.” Lilly sprayed him with water without warning.

***