Skrt—
With a sharp tug, Ereskia wrenched her darkness-forged spear free from the corpse at her feet. A spray of black blood arced through the air, thick and oily, splattering across her robes in uneven streaks.
She exhaled slowly, letting the tension ease from her shoulders as she stepped back from the body.
The creature was grotesque. It was so twisted hybrid of wyvern and scorpion, a monster born from nightmare. Its leathery wings were tattered but strong enough for short bursts of flight, while a thick, segnted tail curved up behind it, ending in a jagged stinger nearly the length of a longsword.
Its body was covered in obsidian-like scales, and its four clawed limbs were built for ambush and speed. A set of too-many eyes, lidless and glowing deep purple, were still twitching even in death.
It had taken all three of them to bring it down.
Lucian had severed the tail in a single, precise strike, cutting off the worst threat before it could do real damage. Larpard had used a clone to draw its attention at the critical mont, and Ereskia had finished it, driving her spear straight through its armored chest.
Though the fight had been rough, it wasn’t beyond their capabilities.
The trio had been navigating the dungeon for a while now, around a few hours at least. Thankfully, encounters with shadow beasts had been relatively sparse. And every ti danger reared its head, they t it with sharp teamwork and well-executed tactics.
Lucian shook the dark blood off his greatsword with a swift flick. "Alright. Let’s move on."
"Yeah," Larpard replied, brushing a sar of gri from his cheek.
The catboy looked a lot better now. His breathing had beca steady, his movents smoother. He’d adapted to the oppressive dungeon environnt faster than expected.
"Let’s go," Ereskia added.
She spun her wrist, and the shadow spear in her hand began to shift, compressing and folding into a large, dense sphere of black energy.
Then—
Snap!
Ereskia snapped her fingers, and the sphere fractured, dividing cleanly into ten smaller orbs of equal size.
Without a word, the orbs shot outward and began to orbit her as the group resud moving. Five whirled clockwise around her at high speed, forming a tight ten-ter circle. The other five drifted into a broader, slower orbit, rotating counterclockwise in a ring thirty ters wide.
From afar, it looked like Ereskia stood at the center of a miniature solar system made of spinning darkness. Lucian and Larpard walked within the bounds of the inner circle, protected by the formation.
And then, as soon as they walked around ten steps forward, to the direction Lucian was pointing to—
WOOSH!
One of the outer orbs vanished. It was snuffed out of existence in an instant, like it had been sucked into an invisible void.
"Oh, looks like we found another rift!" Larpard exclaid, peering toward the empty space where the orb had disappeared. "Good thing we’ve got my sister, right? Her ability is ridiculously useful in here."
"Yeah," Lucian chuckled. "You two are perfect for this dungeon. We are moving so smoothly all thank to you, Ereskia."
Apparently, they’d discovered a surprisingly effective thod for avoiding the invisible rifts: Ereskia would summon her orbs and send them ahead like scouts. If one vanished, they knew to steer clear of that spot.
It was extrely simple, but also extrely effective.
And then, as they walked for another while, suddenly, that thought sparked sothing in Larpard’s mind.
"Wait, Guildmaster," he said, glancing up curiously. "Before this, when my sister was not here, how did you scout for rifts? You must’ve had your own thod, right?"
"Oh, ?" Lucian grinned. "I just tied rocks or sticks to a long rope and swung them around while I walked! Haha!"
As he spoke, he even made a motion with his hand, mimicking the swing of an imaginary rope. "If sothing disappeared, I knew a rift was there!"
"Wow!" Larpard blinked, then burst out laughing. "That’s actually kind of genius!"
"Well, it worked! But you know what? It’s also such a pain in the ass!" Lucian admitted.
"Eh? How co?" Larpard asked.
"Oh boy," Lucian sighed. "I still rember it: Every ti I found a rift, I had to tie on a new rock. It took so much ti. Sotis I even ran out of rope entirely and had to go ho."
"Oh no, that sounds miserable."
"Haha! It was!" Lucian said, shaking his head with a nostalgic smile. "That’s why I’m glad to have you two with now."
But then, suddenly, Ereskia ca to a halt.
Larpard, a few steps ahead, quickly turned back and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sister? Are you alright?"
Ereskia’s had been quiet for a while, and now, for so reasons, her brows were furrowing in thought.
"Yeah... I’m fine. Just... sothing’s bothering ." she said.
"What is it?" Larpard asked, concern deepening in his voice.
She looked around the shadowed landscape, the orbiting darkness orbs casting eerie motion across her face.
"Think about it, Larpard," Ereskia began, still controlling the orbs. "This dungeon is dangerous, sure, filled with powerful monsters and those invisible rifts, sure. But... really think about it. As you’ve been experiencing it so far, do you believe Dad’s party would’ve had trouble with this?"
At Ereskia’s words, Larpard also paused, his expression tightening as he mulled it over.
"Hmm... what do you an?" he asked for clarification.
"Our father is ticulous, Larp," Ereskia went on. "He never does anything recklessly. As a seasoned adventurer, a Guildmaster, and a knight of the Kingdom who taught in the most prestigious academy, he knew about the dangers of dungeon more than anyone else. Therefore, he would always try to understand every dungeon he stepped into first, before letting himself and the team explore it for real. It’s literally what Dad always told and taught about dungeons: always be cautious and prepare yourself ahead for any potential dangerous situation."
"Yeah..." Larpard nodded slowly, listening intently.
"And don’t forget," she added, "Dad had the sa ability as ,. He could’ve created the scouting orbs just like I’m doing now. If the rifts were a threat, he would’ve spotted them, avoided them. "
"True..." Larpard murmured, now visibly uneasy.
"So I don’t think the rifts were the problem," Ereskia said, concluding. "Sothing else must have happened to them. But what exactly? What could have made a whole party of twenty A-rank and S-rank people go missing?" she murmured again. "A terrible monster we haven’t yet encountered? Or... sothing else?"
Larpard fell silent, his thoughts racing.
Lucian finally stepped closer, arms folded. "Yeah... I’ve felt the sa way."
The siblings looked up at him.
"After exploring this dungeon myself," Lucian continued, "I always had the feeling sothing didn’t add up, that everything just didn’t make sense. That’s why I’ve kept coming back, trying to find answers. But for the longest ti... nothing... until recently, my pendant suddenly reacted."
"Ah, I see..." Ereskia nodded thoughtfully.
"Haizz..." Lucian exhaled a long, weary sigh. "If only I’d gone with him that day... If only I hadn’t been so caught up dealing with that Crimson Order shit..."
"Hey," Ereskia said gently, placing a hand on his arm. "It’s in the past now, Guildmaster. Don’t be so hard on yourself."
Lucian didn’t respond right away. He just gave another sigh, quieter this ti, eyes dark with the weight of guilt.
Seeing that, Larpard spoke up, trying to lighten the mood. "Anyway... Guildmaster, how’s your head? Still hurting?"
"Nah," Lucian gave a small shake of his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "It’s better now. No need to worry."
For years, Lucian had suffered from unpredictable bouts of intense migraines. They ca and went without warning, often leaving him drained. It was one of the reasons he took to smoking those herbal cigarettes, as he needed its dicinal effects to dull the edge when the pain struck.
Just so while ago, the migraine had returned, as if stirred by the dungeon’s strange energy. But so far, it hadn’t impaired him too much. At least, not yet.
Just then—woosh!
One of Ereskia’s scouting orbs vanished into nothingness.
"Wait," Lucian said sharply, raising a hand.
The group froze.
Slowly, he reached beneath his shirt and pulled out the pendant hanging around his neck.
"Oh shit! It’s really glowing!" Larpard exclaid.
The wolf fang pendant was pulsing with light now, brighter than ever. It vibrated faintly, humming like a tuning fork resonating with sothing unseen... sothing close. Very close.
"It’s reacting," Lucian muttered, eyes narrowing. "The other pendant must be nearby."
He turned, voice sharp with quiet urgency. "Larpard. Get ready."
"Yes, Guildmaster," Larpard replied, taking a deep breath as he stepped forward.
He spread his feet apart, grounding himself. Darkness stirred around him. His shadow quivered unnaturally beneath his boots, stretching outward like liquid ink across the rocky terrain. He raised both hands in a swift motion, then brought them together in a sharp clap.
Clap!
"Shadow Art: Twin Echo!" he intoned.
His shadow thickened, then peeled away from the ground, rising up like smoke. A humanoid form began to take shape, mirroring him exactly. Within seconds, a perfect copy of Larpard stood beside him, clad in the sa light armor, eyes gleaming with the sa focused intensity.
The clone bowed its head slightly, awaiting its command.
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