Waking up to the ground shaking and the sound of falling rocks, I quickly get out of the pillar just as it falls apart. I feel a small sense of relief until remembering I have a companion with me. Using trance to search around for them I find that they're still attached to my shadow.

"Thank gosh you're okay score."

"Scran not score and you forget I'm attached to you."

"Ah sorry. Do you know what's going on?"

I wobble back and forth trying to keep my footing.

"It happened before but besides that I don't know."

A rock comes flying down and I move out of the way. I've heard of earthquakes but I've never seen them this bad. Rocks just kept falling. At this rate the whole place might fall down.

The feeling of the floor shaking stopped and I tried to regain my balance but being used to the shaking I fell. The ground felt searing even hotter than before. Retorting in pain two legs got generated without me even thinking about it. Taking a look around the terrain changed and has become a lot more rocky. I hope that doesn't happen again soon.

"Do you have an idea of how often they are?"

"Nope, my best guess is yours."

That isn't very helpful but I need to get going before that happens again.

Traveling is a bit more taxing but at least more monsters showed up to eat and I don't have to worry about poison. Taking a step on a rock my leg slides off into a hole. Pain, pain, pain what the heck. Pulling it out of the hole I find my use to be leg melting with a few spiders on it. One takes a bite and it feels like it's melting off. Wanting to get them off I do the tried and true method of making a new one from scratch. I stab one of them in anger and I want to try it but when I do the tip of my leg melts off. Looking at the spider wound an orange liquid comes out.

Is that lava?! I really need to get out of here if it is.

I moved in a hurry not wanting to see what the next earthquake would bring. The rocky terrain was horrible. I would find some rocks that I couldn't cling to or a patch of spiders blocked my way. The spiders were the biggest nusins ever taking my food or melting my legs, sometimes both. I couldn't even eat them since they had lava in them. Scran seems to notice how many limbs I've gone through.

"Aren't you going too fast? You keep getting injured and full limbs are melting off. It's kinda creepy even for me."

"Ah don't worry about it, I won't lose hp for it."

As I finish saying this a brittle rock crumbles sending my leg down into a spider and I send juberias anger over the string.

"Uh huh sure."

I regenerate the leg and wave it around.

"See I'm fine. I just lose mana although I do feel."

They seem to let it go so I focus back on my path but find that the now hole has spiders coming out of it. I try to back off but I'm not quick enough and have spiders climbing on me. But it's not burning, my legs are still intact. Stabbing one of them a more dark orange liquid comes out. I stab the ones on me and put them into a pile.

So it wasn't lava. I make a kabob with the spiders using my leg. There's a bit of spice to them and the texture has a crunch all together, not bad. The first food I would deem edible.

[Orange shadow: it lurks in darker spots to build up heat, the reason for this is for their only hunting and defensive option. Supposedly the temperature of the liquid can get as hot as lava.]

So this liquid can be as hot as lava. That spider is really annoying but they do have a nice taste. Maybe I can hunt more when I become stronger. For now I need to continue and maybe I'll find better meals later.

Pov change: Grale

"Finally I can have a few moments of rest."

Looking at the paperwork I finished I let out a deep sigh. I lay my head on the desk and feel my eyes shut.

*Knock knock knock*

In a moment all the ideas of sleep were gone. Usually when I get a knock that means a lot more paperwork. Not bothering to hide my tone I call them in. The person I worked with about the new dungeon came in. He seems to have had better days but my main eye was on the paperwork he was holding.

"The second floor was discovered for the dungeon."

"That's what you brought me?! It should just be a different level of monsters and a layout change!"

This is what I'm being used for really. If I had to do that for every dungeon then I'd never make any progress.

"W-well it's a bit different and nothing we've really seen before. I think it would be better to take a look."

He puts the papers down and I skim them over.

"What how!"

The dungeon completely changed from a forest-like setting to a desert/rocky desert and most of the monsters are different except for the slimes. The map for it is unfinished with a lot of dead areas. Not only that but the heat sets it close to unexplorable.

"This is going to be a lot of work needed to even start."

I quickly write a formal request to meet with a merchant guild.

"Take this to the copper pigeons."

My best chance is them since they provide more food based products for travel. I begin to calculate the amount of funds I have for the dungeon. Maybe I can get a good rest after this.