Chapter 16: Zagan's Dungeon
Inside the dungeon
The group looks around after they got through the entrance.
"Where are we?" Alibaba questions.
In the middle of the room, there is a large twisted tree with large flowers growing out of it and many doors on the wall.
The group spreads out as Aladdin and Alibaba approach a big leaf, Morgiana, Vulpi, and Ryuko looks around, and Hakuryuu approaches to another leaf.
"What's going on here?" Morgiana asks.
"This is a real leaf!" Alibaba says as Aladdin touches the leaf.
"I-is this the dungeon?" Hakuryuu asks.
"It probably is." Vulpi replies. "But we don't know the layout of this dungeon." Then she had an idea.
"What's wrong, Vulpi-san?" Morgiana asks.
"I just thought of something. Corrine!" Vulpi calls and out of nowhere, a puff of smoke appears and a small fox that has red paws and its three tails are blue and they curl in. Also, its eyes are narrow and it wears a bell collar.
"Did you call, Vulpi?" The fox asks.
"We're going to conquer this dungeon, but we don't know where treasure room will be."
"Okay. I'll look around to find a route for you."
"Thanks, Corrine."
The fox, Corrine runs off as it scouts the area and Morgiana walks behind Vulpi.
"Vulpi-san, who was that?" She asks.
"That was one of my Spirit, Corrine. Corrine was the first Spirit that I summoned." Vulpi informs her.
"Is that so."
Afterwards, Aladdin and Alibaba jump from one trunk after another as Hakuryuu, Morgiana, and Vulpi follow the two and Ryuko follows Vulpi.
"One of these doors should connect to the treasure room. Let's try opening all of them!" Alibaba suggests and he opens one of the doors as they walk into the room. Suddenly, a small turtle drops from the ceiling and lands in front of Aladdin and Alibaba.
"There are turtles in dungeons!" Aladdin says.
"You guys look delicious!" The turtle speaks and more turtles drop from the ceiling as they say 'delicious' repeatedly. Then one of the turtles bites on Hakuryuu's finger.
"W-what is this thing?" Hakuryuu asks panicking as Ryuko lies on Vulpi's head, away from the talking turtles.
"Calm down, Hakuryuu. It might be able to talk, but it's just an ordinary turtle." Alibaba assures him and shows the turtle that is biting Alibaba's finger. "Look, it doesn't hurt.
"You're delicious." The turtle says.
"I guess it's normal for there to be talking turtles in a dungeon." Aladdin says.
"That's right. The creatures in Amon's dungeon also spoke." Morgiana remembers and Vulpi nods her head in agreement.
"All right! No matter what we see down here, let's remain calm!" Alibaba says.
"Yeah!" Aladdin shouts.
As they open the doors, the creatures swarm all over them.
"What's going on here?" Alibaba questions.
As a plant creature is about to attack Hakuryuu, he dodges it and about to attack it.
"Wait, Hakuryuu-oniisan!" Aladdin shouts and they look closer at the plant creature who is protecting the smaller ones. "It's trying to protect its children."
"Wait, do you think that these doors all lead to their homes?" Alibaba summarizes.
"Yeah, and they probably got angry at us for barging in on them out of nowhere."
"Is this place really a dungeon?" Hakuryuu questions.
"Don't worry, Hakuryuu! We'll be fine as long as we can figure out the rules of this dungeon." Alibaba says.
"You guys!" Corrine shouts and they see Corrine standing in front of an opened door that leads a path. "This leads deeper into the dungeon."
"Good work, Corrine!" Vulpi praises the Spirit before the group go through the path and found themselves in a large room.
"Where is this going?" Alibaba questions and suddenly, the door that lead to the room suddenly shuts and they turn to look at it.
"Could you spare some honey?" A voice asks and they turn to the voice which is a large bear.
"A bear?!" The five exclaim and they hear a voice singing.
"A song?" Morgiana says.
"Could you spare some honey? Could you spare some honey? Could you spare some honey? Hon–" The bear asks.
"S-sorry, we don't have any." Aladdin apologizes.
Suddenly, the bear attacks the group. "Give me honey!"
"He's–" Alibaba cuts off as the bear is about to attack again. They move away, but Hakuryuu stands there frozen. "Get away, Hakuryuu!"
When the bear about to attack Hakuryuu, Morgiana blocks the attack following up, Vulpi rushes up to the bear's shin.
"Chirisazame!" She shouts as she rapidly thrusts with her dagger on the bear's shin until the it falls.
"Alibaba-san!" Vulpi shouts.
"Amon's sword!" Alibaba shouts as he draws out his sword and activates his Djinn Equip before he jumps up, quickly slashes its chest.
"Honey!" The bear shouts and above it, Aladdin is standing on his carpet as he has his staff up.
"I said we didn't have any!" Aladdin tells the bear before he points his staff at it. "Halharl Infigar!" He shouts as Aladdin unleashes his scorching magic on the bear.
After that, the bear runs away as fire is one some parts of his body.
"That's hot!"
"What was that?" Alibaba asks.
"I… I apologize." Hakuryuu says.
"Don't drop your guard, okay?" Alibaba suggests.
"Next time, I will be ready."
"It's fine, let's just keep going." Alibaba says as he walks away and the rest follows him to the next room.
In the next room, they see trees surrounding a huge on in the middle as human figures are on the trees.
"What is this?" Alibaba questions and Hakuryuu notices something on the trees.
"Humans!" He points out as the creatures paint on the humans.
"That's terrible…" Morgiana trails off.
"Welcome to my living dungeon." A voice says and they see something sprouting from the ground into a djinn. "I am the 61st djinn, master of the power of the earth, Zagan."
"You're Zagan?" Alibaba questions.
"Do you like my orchard? Everyone here is a villager from Toran. They serve saplings for my orchard." Zagan says.
"What did you say?"
"I can use my magic to make the creature of my dungeon feed off humans. The tree sucks magic from the humans and thus my dungeon creatures are born. What do you think? Cute, aren't they?"
"How terrible!" Hakuryuu says and covers his mouth.
"That's girl's mother and father are…" Aladdin trails off as he guesses what might happen to them.
Hakuryuu then tries to pull a woman from the tree, but tentacles from the trees attach to the woman.
"No good, no good! Only magic can return them to the way they were." Zagan says.
"This was done with a very complicated set of commands. I don't know how to fix it!" Aladdin says. "only one person wh cast it can undo it!"
"Dammit." Hakuryuu curses.
"Why would a djinn need to do something like this?" Alibaba question.
"Why? Because I hate humans. I'd rather die than choosing a kind and go outside and live among them! I'm going to live her forever, just me and the innocent creatures of the living dungeon! We'll keep tormenting those terrible humans together." Zagan says and laughs.
"How dare you!" Hakuryuu shouts and slashes Zagan, but he disappears.
"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Zagan asks and large trunks grows out before Zagan reappears before them. "Looky what I have here." He shows the same little girl back at Toran village.
"That girl!" Alibaba shouts.
"I caught her wandering around the entrance." Zagan says and pulls her leg.
"No!" The girl shouts.
"Stop! Let her go!" Hakuryuu demands and Zagan licks the girl's face.
"Sure. If you can make it to the treasure room, that is. I'll even make a path for you." Zagan says as he disappears into the ground and a door appears before the group.
"Wait!" Hakuryuu shouts and chases after him before Alibaba grabs his shoulder.
"Hold on, Hakuryuu!" He shouts.
"I promise to find her parent! And yet…"
"You weren't the only one she asked for help. Don't play into his hands." Alibaba tells him and Hakuryuu grits his teethes. "Let's head to the treasure room. We'll make him undo the magic on the Toran villagers and on me and Sinbad!"
The group then follows Zagan to the next room as they found themselves confronting an array of floating cubes with monsters on them.
"It would be bad if we fell." Morgana says.
"But we have to cross." Alibaba says and they start jumping on the cubes before they hear Zagan's voice singing. "Isn't that Zagan's voice?"
"It's a repeat of what happened in the bear's room!" Morgiana says and they notice the monsters are acting.
"We'll flatten you into pancakes!" The monster exclaims at it and the other monsters becomes ferocious.
"It is! Zagan's singing make the dungeon creatures hostile!" Vulpi exclaims as the cubes that has the monsters flies around.
"We can't move forward like this!" Alibaba exclaims.
"Then I will stop all of them!" Hakuryuu shouts and attacks one of the monsters, but it activates a borg.
"That won't work! Those little guys are magicians. Their specialties are flotation magic and defensive borgs!" Zagan's voice says and Hakuryuu flings off the hardness of the borg before Morgiana catches him and lands one of the monsters.
"Leave this to me!" Alibaba shouts and stabs into one of the monsters' borg and activates his Djinn Equip before killing the monster. After that, the other monsters attack Alibaba as he slices one of another. "There's no end of them!"
"That attack won't work on my cute little bunnies!"
"In that case, then let me try!" Aladdin says as he makes many fire balls surrounding him.
"Fireballs?"
"Halharl Rasas!" Aladdin shouts and the fireballs shoot towards the monster as they chase after them before the fireballs hit their targets. "It worked!"
" Hmph. Standard fore for a Magi." Zagan says.
Aladdin creates more fireballs and shoots towards the cluster of the monsters in one spot, but that made the monsters into a large one.
"I'll crush you!" The monster shouts.
"Alibaba-kun!" Aladdin calls out as he sends fireballs towards Alibaba before his sword absorbs the fireball and he cuts down the monster.
Once that's done, the group lands on the other side of the room and Aladdin and Alibaba slap their hands together in victory.
"You two really did it!" Vulpi complements.
"Thanks, Vulpi/nee." Alibaba and Aladdin say and Alibaba notices a frustrated look on Hakuryuu's face as he feels his shoulder in pain.
~Later~
In the corridor
"Aw Aladdin! You're such a great magician now!" Alibaba says as he puts Aladdin into a head lock.
"Hakuryuu-san?" Morgiana calls as she notices how Hakuryuu is acting. "Are you injured?"
"Oh, no, I am not." Hakuryuu replies and stops walking. "Everyone… I have a request." He says and everyone turns towards him. "Next time, no matter what happens, please do not help me."
"What do you mean?" Alibaba asks.
"I, as unbelievable as it may seem, am still a prince. I cannot be contended with relying on the strength of others."
"You're a serious guy, huh. Don't think so much about it."
"Hi hi!" Zagan's voice says. "The black-haired boy gets it. It's problematic for me if you keep saving each other. Mega boring! So for the next task, why don't you divide into groups of two and fight?"
"Groups of two?" Alibaba repeats.
"Yup."
Suddenly, the group is enveloped into two spheres. Aladdin and Alibaba in one and Morgiana, Hakuryuu, Vulpi, Corrine, and Ryuko in another. Then the spheres force them to split up.
With Morgiana's group
"Alibaba-san! Aladdin!" Morgiana shouts out, but with no response. "They really aren't here."
"What should we do?" Vulpi asks.
"There's nothing we can do. Let's continue forward." Hakuryuu says and walks down the corridor with Morgiana and Vulpi follow behind him as Vulpi carries Corrine and Ryuko in her arms. "Morgiana-dono. Vulpi-dono."
"Yes?" Morgiana and Vulpi respond.
"Please don't worry about me and focus on your own safeties. This is a good opportunity for me to proceed without unwanted help from the others."
"Why is he so stiff? But he reminds of someone." Morgiana thought.
"What are you saying?" Corrine asks. "The reason we tried to help you is because we're friends. Right, Vulpi?"
"Yep. That's right." Vulpi replies and then a giant golem knight steps down the pedestal as it stands in front of them, making them to get ready to fight the golem. Then Morgiana rushes towards the golem and kicks it, but that only hurts her more it hurts the golem.
"My golems are super hard! Nothing but magic will work on them. But you can't use magic, can you?" Zagan says and Hakuryuu gathers his focus as his spear begins to glow before he slices one of the golems which surprises Morgiana and Vulpi. "What was that attack?"
"I transferred the power from the inside my body to my weapon. It is a technique called ki." Hakuryuu explains.
"A type of magoi manipulation! I guess you're not all talk. But how long can you keep it up?" Zagan questions as more golems approach them.
Where Aladdin and Alibaba are
Alibaba slices the golem with his Djinn Equip as fire is lit on the golem. After that, Alibaba looks at his sword.
"Alibaba-kun?" Aladdin calls.
"Oh, erm… I just remembered that my teacher said that there's way to make my power fit me more." Alibaba says.
"Don't worry! I'm sure you'll figure it out soon." Aladdin assures him as he puts his staff away and Alibaba deactivates his Djinn Equip. "Hey, Alibaba-kun. Are you over-thinking something right now?"
Alibaba looks at Aladdin for the moment before looking down. "Aladdin… what do you think of Hakuryuu?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't really get him. I don't know what I think of him."
"Do you hate Hakuryuu-oniisan?" Aladdin asks as he walks towards him.
"No, I… I don't hate him. I just don't get him. He seems like he wants to take responsibility for everything himself. It's kind of frustrating…" Alibaba ten hears Aladdin smile before he looks at the small Magi.
"Let's go Alibaba-kun. Vulpi-nee, Mor-san, and Hakuryuu-oniisan are waiting for us!"
With Morgiana's group
Hakuryuu about to slice the golem in front of him, but the golem stops him from the attack. Hakuryuu skids to a stop before he breathes out from exhaustion and blood comes out from his arm as veins appear on his arm and face.
"Magoi manipulation chips away at one's own life-force! How much longer will your life last?" Zagan asks and Hakuryuu gets ready to attack, but the golem about to slice him as Morgiana stops the attack.
"Now, Hakuryuu-san!" Morgiana tells him and Hakuryuu slices the golem. At another part of the same corridor, Vulpi charges at another golem and brings her dagger down.
"Majinken!" She shouts as the attack slices the golem in half as more golems appear behind the fallen golem. "Geez, there's no ending to them. Morgiana! Hakuryuu-san! Let's retreat for now!"
"Of course! Hakuryuu-san, let's go. Otherwise you will–!"
"No matter! I'd rather shorten my life-force than be saved by others!" Hakuryuu exclaims.
"What are you saying?!"
"Capturing this dungeon is essential to fulfilling my mission! It has nothing to do with you!"
"Ha-h! What are you saying!" Vulpi shouts.
"It does too!" Morgiana shouts.
"Be quiet! This is my country's problem!" Hakuryuu says as the she remembers the same line that a certain someone said back in Balbadd.
"Be quiet! This has nothing to do with you! This is my problem!" Alibaba tells her.
"That's right.…He reminded me of how Alibaba-san acted when he was in Balbadd." Morgiana thought and crushes the floor with her foot.
"It does involve me." She says as Morgiana approaches the golems and Hakuryuu watches her.
"Uh oh…" Vulpi says.
"You surely also have people who love you and are waiting for your return. So in their place, I will help you." Morgiana finishes and rushes towards the golems as one of them punches her, but she blocks it with her bare hands.
"It's no use! The golems are stronger than your legs!" Zagan reminds her, but Morgiana ignores him and about to move the golem's arm. "What?" Zagan and Hakuryuu are surprised at what they see that Morgiana lifts the golem in the air.
"My legs may not be able to break them, but what if they were to smash into something equally as hard?" Morgiana questions before she throws the golem into the other golems causing them to collide each other breaking into pieces.
"They'll be… crushed."
"Let's go, Hakuryuu-san."
"One again, I was…" Hakuryuu thought before he collapses.
"Hakuryuu-san!" Morgiana calls out as Vulpi rushes towards them.
"What's wrong?" Vulpi asks.
"Hakuryuu-san suddenly collapsed!"
"Then we should hurry and find Aladdin and Alibaba-san."
"Yes!"
Morgiana carries Hakuryuu on her back as Vulpi carries his spear and they begin to running down the hall as Corrine and Ryuko follow them.
~Later~
The group reunites each other and Aladdin notices an unconscious Hakuryuu on Morgiana's back and she puts Hakuryuu on the floor
"Hakuryuu! Hakuryuu!" Alibaba calls and Hakuryuu abruptly wakes up. "Are you okay?"
"Where am I?" Hakuryuu asks.
"Outside the end of the spit paths. Mor-san carried you out and Vulpi-nee carried your spear." Aladdin says.
Hakuryuu closes his eyes and grits his teeth in frustration. He then stands up and walks away while carrying his spear.
"Hakuryuu-san…" Morgiana calls.
"Hey there." Zagan's voice says. "I'm impressed that you were able to clear the split paths. But there's one of you who's holding the rest back. Who oh who could it be? It's you, the guy with the scared face!" Hakuryuu shorten his breath as he widens his eyes. "You've done nothing but play damsel in distress. All you do is burden them. Do you really deserve to call yourself part of their group? You can't do a single thing!"
"I know that!" Hakuryuu cries as tears run down his face and he begins to cry shocking to the rest of the group. "I'm trying my best!"
"Huh? What? I made you cry?"
"Shut up, you stupid masked weirdo!"
"C-calm down!" Alibaba tells him.
"Don't talk to me, you happy-go-lucky idiot! How did someone like you even become strong?! You abandon your own country, and now you're lazing around Sindria–"
"Hakuryuu-san, that's enough!" Morgiana says.
"Right back at you, freakishly strong girl!"
"Chotto, Hakuryuu." Vulpi calls.
"Be quiet, you fox girl!"
"Please calm down, onii-san!" Aladdin says.
"You can put a lid on it too, midget! This is stupid, I'm stupid, and you're all stupid too!" Hakuryuu says before he cries again.
Alibaba then the Aladdin words while they were in the slit paths.
"I get it. I don't hate him." Alibaba thought before he smiles. "I mean, he's…"
Once Hakuryuu calms down, he sits away from the others as he looks down.
"Please go on ahead. I cannot remain with you any longer." He says.
"Stop being a crybaby. You're carrying something really heavy on your shoulders, aren't you? Doesn't that mean you have to get out of here, even if you have to depend on us?"
"…Shut up." Hakuryuu says and puts the blade by Alibaba's neck. "Pretty words don't fix anything. Don't pretend you don't hate me!"
"I don't hate you."
"I'm not like you! I haven't thrown away my hatred and turned soft! I can't! I haven't done anything yet! Even if I have to do it alone, I will fulfill my mission!"
"I was like that too." Alibaba says and he steps forward. "In Balbadd, I thought that I had to do something… That I had to prove myself. But if I had only borrowed everyone's strength earlier, I would've been able to save so many more people. Like Cassim… Cassim… I killed him." He confesses and tears go down his face.
"Alibaba-kun…" Aladdin mutters and Hakuryuu stands up.
"That's why I'm sick of it. I never want to lose anyone ever again! You're not alone!"
"What kind of person is Alibaba?" Hakuryuu thought. "He's not the happy-go-lucky person I thought he was…"
"Anyway, what I meant to say was, you probably have your own problems, but we're here together anyway, so, uh…"
"Alibaba-dono." Hakuryuu calls. "I am one who must survive alone. I've been saved one too many times by my older sister and the other members of my family. I know I cannot be weak forever. But for now," Hakuryuu gets on his knees before he places his hand on his fist. "Please allow me to fight alongside you."
"Hakuryuu… Yeah. Let's me fight with you too! Let's conquer this dungeon together!" Alibaba asks as he lends a hand to Hakuryuu.
"Let's!" Hakuryuu replies and grabs Alibaba's hand before Alibaba helps him stand up.