Doran leaned over, keeping watch on the monster from the corner of his eyes. It acted innocent, and the others - especially Valera - had quickly beco complacent. Not him, though. However cute it might be, Doran knew that a monster was a monster.
Sure, tad monsters existed. Orken itself possessed a colony of Webweavers, used to produce the silk that they required for their clothing and more. And yet, those had been carefully tad by experts in the far-off city of Talia. There, people were stronger. Tougher. They had to be, with how much closer to the center of the World Dungeon they were. They knew how to deal with monsters.
In comparison, the people of Orken...didn't.
Doran had always known that, growing up. It was hard to ignore, when hearing stories from Erik's father about his adventures.
The world was a dangerous place, filled with unimaginable monsters. So were just weaker than others. For a ti.
As his hands grasped the glowing loop of skin, he felt his muscles tense. It wasn't fear, not of the snake. He knew that, as it was, it would be simple to defend himself.
No, it was Valera that he worried about. She had taken a liking to the thing - if Doran killed it, she would not be happy. Fortunately, the beast ignored him. He pocketed the glowing skin, hiding it away. It would be interesting to see if it had any use. The glow, at least, made him feel it was a bet worth taking.
Valera said sothing behind him, still speaking in that soft voice that she used when she spoke to the little monster. He almost scoffed at the sound, but he knew that would only make her annoyed again.
Instead, he chose to say sothing else.
When he turned, the words he had prepared died on his lips. He reached for his axe. Just as his hands closed on the haft, the vision disappeared.
"Tell that I'm not the only one who just saw that," Kala said.
She wasn't. Everyone else had seen it, given the way that their eyes looked as if they were ready to pop from their sockets.
Now that he had a mont to think, having broken away from his panic and surprise, he could rember the flaws. He could imagine the way that the monsters that had crawled across Eriks armor hadnt been quite right, the way that they had flickered and jerked about on unnatural limbs.
Still, they were a close enough approximation that he was sure what he saw.
Doran eyed the little monster, watching the way that it hissed and bobbed its head. It looked...happy. Proud, even.
"Fla Formicans." The words slipped past his lips, and Kala nodded grimly. She had recognized them, too.
Erik's expression hardened. They all knew what sothing like that ant - he more than most. Doran was sure that Erik's father had drilled the sa lessons into him that he had everyone else.
Never fight a Formican swarm in their own territory.
If you must fight, prepare the field.
If you cannot prepare, run.
But where was the field - and where could they run? They hadnt seen signs of any of the beasts in the area, and the way back had been blocked, covered in lava that felt as if it seared the skin just by being sowhat nearby.
No, even those were the wrong questions.
What does this an?
Erik voiced it before he could.
Unfortunately, the little beast wasnt around to answer. It had already slithered away, stopping as it ca closer to the lava furthest away from their group. The air around it dimd for a mont, and a curtain of light covered it a mont later. All the while, little gouts and licks of fla ripped themselves from its scales.
He pulled his gaze away slightly when Erik continued, though he made sure to keep watch on the thing from the corner of his eye.
A monster could never be trusted, after all.
...think that this is connected to his ti aspect, or just an advancent? We still dont know what ability it gained, the other man questioned, Doran catching the tail end of it.
Soon enough they all agreed that there was no way to be sure, even Doran - whichever it was, they had to carry on carefully. Still, that led to even more questions - so more daunting than others.
What could it do?
It didnt take long for them to recognize the source of the vision itself; they had all seen the way that the lava had been hidden by the floating flas. They had all seen the way that the monster had transford after swallowing them, subsuming their power. That wasnt the problem.
The question that harried all of their minds was this: had the vision of Eriks wounds and the Fla Formicans that clambered over him been a warning? Or had it been a simple promise?
They all had their own ideas on the matter. Valera was convinced that the monster was trying to help them, warning them about an enemy that lay ahead.
The little guy attacked the flas earlier-
Fla Wisps, Erik interrupted quietly.
Right, Fla Wisps. Anyway, if he hadnt known to go after them, we might not have noticed the lava that they were hiding, Valera continued.
Doran spoke up at that. Its a monster. Of course its going to attack other monsters that get close to him. Its what they do - doesnt an it actually knew about the lava. And it definitely doesnt an that it was trying to warn us.
She glared at Doran, causing him to feel a hint of regret in the face of her anger. Despite that, he didnt retract his statent. A monster was a monster, in the end. Valera needed to rember that.
He also warned about the Fla Salamander that attacked us while you guys were off getting yourselves stuck in the crawlspace earlier. Even flashed a light directly at it before it could jump at from behind.
And what were you doing at the ti that it managed to sneak up on you like that, Valera?
She bit her lip at that, refusing to answer. As annoyed as he was, Doran had to admit that it was kind of cute.
She might have a point, Kala interjected. We know that it ascended from a ti aspect Core, and we havent seen it use any abilities that are powerful enough for that.
What about the healing that it seems to do? Erik asked, though it felt more like he was ntioning it for the sake of being thorough than anything else.
It feels too weak for that, doesnt it? We may not have run into many Ascended beasts ourselves, but every story that Ive heard has made the ability that they gain from a Core sound far more powerful than it has shown. I think its more likely that the healing ca from eating so other creature, rather than the Core itself.
Erik nodded at that. I agree. Its strong, but not strong enough.
Exactly! Valera said. I think that the ability it gained from Ascending is the ability to see future danger. I an, theres the Fla Wisps and the lava, the Salamander that almost ambushed , and now possibly Fla Formicans. Plus, it fits as a ti-related ability.
Like so kind of Snake Seer? Kala asked, the corners of her lips quirking upwards.
Maybe?
As much as he wanted to argue, Doran had to admit that it was at least possible. At least, he couldnt think of why it couldnt be. Unfortunately, that ant that there might be a Formican swarm sowhere nearby.
It would be much easier if the snake was just trying to threaten them sohow.
Looking at the little beast now, Doran had a hard ti imagining that it was plotting their deaths. Not right now anyway, despite his personal distrust. It was acting far too docile towards them for that, focusing instead on the floating flas that drifted towards its curtain of light. One by one, they approached the place where the snake waited. One by one, they were consud.
The room dimd slightly with their absence, though the lava that surrounded them managed to keep it well-lit.
For now, well just have to move carefully while we wait and see what all this ans. Either way, were going to need to look for an exit. That hasnt changed. Might as well see where the snake goes while were at it, and hope that it takes us to the Core or we find a way out. Eriks face twisted in a grimace as he said the words, which was hardly surprising: it was his life that was most clearly on the line if the snake really did have so sort of future sight, after all. Most obviously, at least.
Then again, if there was a swarm like they suspected, things could go very poorly for all of them.
Despite that, they didnt move. Instead, they watched the little snake, waiting to see what it would do.
Doran felt a bead of sweat trickle down his brow, dripping down onto his open eye.
He didnt blink.
They didnt have to wait long. After slithering over towards a nearby lava flow and doing sothing that caused the light around it to dim, the snake looked at them and hissed. A mont later, it began to make its way out of the cavern.
Nervous about doing otherwise after what the creature had shown them, they simply followed.
The monster seed to know where it was going, despite the winding tunnel that they found themselves in - whether that was due to catching the scent of the Dungeon Core or sothing else, Doran wasnt sure. Whichever it was, they soon found themselves entering a new cavern.
Like the last, this one featured the sa floating balls of fla; Doran wasnt sure what the proper na for them was, though Erik probably would have been able to tell him if he had bothered to ask.
He didnt. He was too distracted by sothing else.
Just as they entered the cavern, the snake stopped and let out a quiet hiss before a brief flash of light pressed itself against the floor. It was strange in a way that was almost entirely expected, after what they had seen earlier.
The stone was covered in sections of overturned, lted stone. Here and there, bits of it looked as if it had been pulverized and reheated into a molten liquid, only to cool and settle back down again. He might have just chalked it up to an effect caused by the heat of the nearby Dungeon Cores field, if it werent for what they had seen earlier; when a Dungeon Core can cause lava to form within its range, what was a little bit of molten stone?
Instead, he felt his muscles go tense at the sight. Worse, he had begun to notice sothing just at the edge of his hearing. Sothing quiet. Sothing distant - and yet, it seed like it was slowly coming closer.
Click-clack.
Click-clack.
Shit, theyre really here, he heard Erik whisper, having heard them as well. Maybe Valera was right, after all. Shit.
He couldnt help but agree.
What do we do? Valera whispered back, rembering the sa lessons that they all did. Prepare or run?
Nothing to prepare. Not with the gear we have on hand and the ti thats left. Well just have to hope that your snake seer saw a way out. Erik flashed Valera a sardonic smile at that, likely replaying the image of his Formican-covered body in the depths of his mind. Doran winced.
The snake ignored it all, continuing to flash beams of light - against the walls this ti, rather than the floor.
Its light glead against the walls, the thin beam reflecting off the glossy surface of the stone around them.
It turned and hissed again, flashing an image at them for a brief instant before slithering onwards and disappearing into a tunnel that had been hidden in the shadows.
The flickering image in the general shape of a Dungeon Core, glowing with power.
Again, they simply followed, keeping quiet and hoping that the Fla Formicans wouldnt detect any signs of their passage.
At this point, what else could they do?
They would just have to hope that the little monster had found a way out. Worse, they had to hope that it would be willing to show it to them.
Beads of sweat trickled down his brow, burning his eyes. Still, he didnt blink.
The snake slithered onwards.
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