"Well, looks like we're heading back home after all." Kokoro said.
"According to most of the records, the dungeon is somewhere on the Greek Continent." Theo said. "Makes sense. It is the largest of the lands."
"Wait… Did you just say Greek Continent?" Ross asked.
"Yeah. It's where a lot of monsters from Greek myth reside. Minotaurs, centaurs, harpies...you know...very diverse." Theo said.
"Yep. Just as we thought… We're heading back home, Ross." Petra said.
"We're going to land somewhere in the outskirts so...whoa…" Jet said as they saw a purple fog covering some of the continent. "What a weird fog."
"Fog?" Theo said, looking out. "Good god. That's poison!"
"What in the world is going on here?" Petra asked. "We need to find out what's going on. Is there anywhere safe where we can land this?"
"There's a strip of land over there." Zero said as they landed on it.
"Poison fog...this has never happened as far as I know." Theo said.
"Us too. But we wouldn't know. We haven't been here since...Yamigedo attacked." Ross said.
"Oh… You all must've still been kids when Yamigedo attacked us…" Rhatla said.
"Hmm...I may have an idea what is happening. Seems the monster has gotten loose." Hera said.
"What monster?" Kokoro asked.
"I'll explain as we follow the poison fog." Hera said.
"Good thing our gas masks still work." Cheetah said.
They headed outside as the fog was dense.
"Long ago, there was an oracle. One who told incredible fortunes and prophecies...all of which came true. However, the oracle was asked to predict a fortune for a goddess from Olympus. The goddess did not enjoy what the oracle had to say, accusing them of spewing poison. So instead of payment, they turned the oracle into a monster that spewed a deadly poison. The people, knowing how dangerous this monster would be, sealed them inside of a temple close to Lamia and Arachne villages since our kind has a high tolerance to poisons and toxins." Hera said. "They even brought down the doors for good measure. This poison must mean the doors have been rebuilt...more than likely the cause of this dungeon thing." Hera explained.
"That sounds horrifying… I had no idea…" Rosalie said.
"The Oracle was only fulfilling her role, yet the goddess decided to turn her into a monster?" Ace asked.
"Which is ironic considering Achlys is the Goddess of Poison, yet she accuses the Oracle of spewing poison themselves." Cheetah said. "If she's still alive, Diana has a lot to answer for."
"Tell me about it. I mean, the Oracle was only telling her what they foresaw. I'm not a big fan of prophecies and all that crap, but there is the saying: 'Don't shoot the messenger.'" David said.
"Typical of deities like her." Ace said.
"Uh...I would keep comments like that to yourselves. I know some of you aren't big into gods but the locals worship them, including me." Hera said. "So...please keep the bashing to a minimum and we can avoid problems."
"Sorry. Just giving our opinions. Didn't mean any offense." David said.
"I know you don't but some people...they take their beliefs to heart." Hera said.
"We understand, we'll keep quiet while we're here." Ace said.
"Hopefully we won't need to interact that much." Hera said. "We're close to the Lamia and Arachne villages...meaning...our destination is right there." she said pointing up to an old temple.
"I never believed that it would be so close to our kinds' homeland." Rosalie said.
"I know… It's very creepy to think about." Petra said.
"The doors are repaired and wide open. No question...the source is the monster that was imprisoned there years ago." Hera said.
"We'll just have to do what we can to help them. They didn't deserve this." Ross said.
"Just remember to keep your gas masks fastened. If they come off, you'll risk getting poisoned yourselves." Sectonia said.
"Which unfortunately means breathing techniques, or anything that requires our mouths are not a good move, unless we want to be poisoned ourselves." Kokoro said. "We're so sorry this had to happen, Petra, Ross. We know you wanted to see your families again after so long."
"If we don't do something about this mist, we won't be able to see any of our family here." Ross said.
"All the more reason to stop it from seeping out any further. Let's go." Petra said.
The group advanced deeper into the poison fog.
"I'm glad we have these gas masks so we don't need to be hindered by the poison." Hope said.
"Heh. Some of us don't really need one though." Gobta said.
"That is true for us as well." Keebo said as Fulgore and the other robotic members nodded as well.
"Luckily it is only a single...story?" Gemini said as they walked in to see a descending stairway.
"Yeah...they had to make it very deep in order to avoid poison flowing up." Hera said.
"Now you tell us?!" Kazuma asked.
"Kazuma, calm down. It was a procedure they had to go through to minimize casualties." Rosalie said.
"Yeah… But hard to believe that the creature is deep within… What's essentially this temple's basement." Agursu said.
"Well, into the Cells of the Poisoned Oracle we go." Al said.
"Hold it...did you just make that up just now?" Ethox asked.
"Uh...yeah?" Al asked.
"I like it. Very cool." Ethox said.
"Oh, thanks." Al smiled.
The group descended down into the dungeon, through the poison fog pouring from the chamber.
"Geez...it's like the fog has fused with this place." Kokoro said.
"The monster has been down here for centuries. This place has basically become an extension of itself." Hera said.
"After a few centuries, the poison could've become stronger overtime." Kayra said.
"Right...meaning we'll have to be quick and cautious." Yaoyorozu said.
As they proceeded further, a toxic sludge began to form into a hand as it blocked off the path.
"Okay, gross." Jesse said.
"It seems we've been noticed." Sir Saiyan said. "I suppose the Poisoned Oracle does not want visitors."
"Yeah. It makes sense there'd be guards." Hope said.
"It wouldn't be a dungeon without enemies." Naofumi said.
The hand of the sludge rose up, forming into a humanoid shape. It was now a Toxic Sludge Golem.
"It's safe to say that all the enemies in this dungeon are poisonous like this guy. So let's make sure we don't give him or anyone a chance to touch us." Gemini said.
"Right, everyone, use long range attacks, magic, or weapons so you don't end up getting poisoned if you can." Dhar said.
"You don't need to worry." Gray said as the sludge froze before it shattered. "We're used to fighting like this."