Disclaimer: I don't own The Last Story or Moonlighter.

Warning – this fanfic takes place after the events of "Deeper Into The Dungeons We Go," so you might want to read that one first before reading this one. Also, there will be canon-typical violence and spoilers for both games! It also takes place post-game for both games as well.

Down In The Underground

Summary: Will gets asked to help wipe out the Reptids at Lazulis Island, and chaos naturally ensues.

"Lazulis Island?" Eris stared at Will, who nodded, holding up the letter to show her.

"Yeah. Sir Therius asked if I could come over, and I already said yes, so…there's just the matter of getting there. Do you, er, know any teleportation magic or the like?"

"Teleportation is slightly more complicated than potion-making, Will."

"I know, but you're the only spellcaster I could think of asking, and…" Will swallowed lightly, "I was also hoping that maybe you could help look after the pet monsters I have while I'm gone? Zenon already promised to pitch in, and same with my shop assistant, but…"

"Will."

"I'm sorry, I should've asked way sooner. I know." Will tried not to sigh, but he noticed Eris facepalm herself.

"I get why everyone in town keeps calling you reckless for running into Dungeons, now. I'll help whenever I can, but I can't guarantee I'll always be there."

"I'll repay you." Will pleaded, trying to give her the best puppy dog eyes he could muster. "I promise!"

"How long do you expect to be gone?"

"At least two weeks?"

Another sigh from Eris. "Give me at least 300,000 gold in advance. Especially if I'm going to deal with that Mimic of yours."

"Got it." Will easily slapped down a whole bag of coins on the counter, grinning at her. "Good thing I've been saving up for weeks. And, if it helps, I'm taking the Mimic with me."

A chuckle left Eris now, a smile crossing her face. "Well, that helps. I think you're the only person it obeys."

"I did raise it since it was an egg, so I'm not surprised." Will mused, and he recalled finding it while exploring the Desert Dungeon, a while back. It had been a feisty little thing after it hatched, still was, but Will enjoyed its company (and the convenience of it carrying so many things) quite a bit. "Anyway, so, uh, how does the teleportation spell work? Do I need to gather materials too, or…?"

"It's one of the few enchantments I can do without it, though it'll take up quite a bit of magical energy. And," She raised a brow, "I won't be able to teleport you back, so you need to figure out a way home yourself. Do you know how Lazulis' transport works?"

"I think they have a couple ships going in and out, so I can work with that." Will had a feeling that was something to ask about during his time at Lazulis Island for sure. "I'll try to send letters to update you and the others on things, I promise."

"You better." Eris managed, looking him in the eye sternly, a frown crossing her face. "I don't want to wake up two weeks later without a message and find out that you died."

"Yeah. Zenon would be really mad if I do." The old man was worried enough over Will exploring the Dungeons to begin with. What about a completely new area, far from town? "But, Eris…thanks. For all of this."

Her frown faded, and a light smile replaced it. "We've been working together for a while. I'm confident you'll come back. But please, work on your self-preservation a bit."

"I will, I promise." Will offered Eris the best reassuring grin he could.

"You better." Despite Eris' warning tone, she was smiling, and Will knew, in the back of his mind, that he was eager to see Therius again and go on a new adventure with him.

It was six months since Therius last saw Will.

The whie knight paced the corridors of Lazulis Castle. He'd sent the letter to Will less than a week ago – had it reached him by now? Would he come to help?

Though Lazulis Island and the Gurak Continent were at peace, both had issues with a certain species that kept popping up – The Reptids. The fact that they burrowed underground and often attacked in multitudes didn't help, either.

Lately, Lady Calista and Zael discovered a new entrance to what they suspected was another Reptid Hideout in Arganan Temple. They barred entry to the temple from any visitors, fearing that they might be attacked, and guards were monitoring the area in case anything new emerged, but Therius had a feeling it wasn't a good sign. Before the war between the Gurak and Lazulis began, Zael and his mercenary friends were exterminating Reptids – but didn't get to exactly finish the job, given the war that emerged.

Now, they probably had more Reptids than ever to exterminate – and Zael had a hunch that the new tunnel made in Arganan Temple indicated that there might be Reptids burrowing somewhere underneath Lazulis Castle itself.

Therius had been asked to look into this, since he was already familiar with Lazulis Island from his past time there, but he knew he couldn't achieve this mission by himself. However, he recalled Will and their time exploring the Dungeons just outside Rynoka together – maybe Will could use his experience to help. He knew it was risky, asking Will – Will wasn't a formally trained soldier, nor even a mercenary – just a merchant.

One they called the Hero-Merchant in Rynoka now, but still – Therius knew that Will wasn't that well-skilled. At least, he wasn't at the time. Perhaps Will had improved over time – that was likely. But Therius knew that the gap between his and Will's skills was a steep one even now.

He wouldn't be surprised if Will said no, decided not to take on the task. Will had a shop back at home, one that was doing well with business if word was true. Why would he bother risking his life out here and go deal with creatures and places he didn't know?

A sudden buzzing noise stopped his train of thought, coming from down the hall. Therius gripped the hilt of his sheathed sword, glancing to the right to see a bright, blue light flash several times – only for a familiar, white-haired figure to stumble out and hit the ground face first.

"Will!?" Therius rushed over to the other, getting down on a knee. A groan left the other as he slowly looked up, rubbing his own forehead with a hand.

"Th-Therius?" Will blearly gazed up at him. The poor man looked like he might hurl, but he seemed well otherwise and definitely in one piece. "Where…?"

"You're in Lazulis Castle. Are you feeling all right?" Therius helped Will sit up, and the Hero-Merchant blinked several times, likely getting readjusted to his surroundings, before looking toward the knight with a grin.

"Better now, thanks. I guess Eris' spell worked."

"Eris?" Therius recalled Will mentioning her. "The person who made you those enchantments and potions, correct? Did she bring you here with magic?"

"Yeah. But she said I'd have to find my way back on my own, later – she can't exactly teleport me back if I'm not in front of her."

"We can figure out arrangements later." Therius managed, taking a deep breath. At least Will had decided to come here to begin with, after all. "I should introduce you to Lady Calista, and Zael as well. It would be good for them to get to know you, as they've only heard of you through me and others that have mentioned you."

"Wait, others that mentioned me?" Therius helped Will stand as the other spoke, staring at him. "I know I have some local fame as the Hero-Merchant back in Rynoka now, but how much do people, er, talk about me?"

"Quite a lot, actually." Therius tried not to smile but failed as Will's eyes widened almost as large as saucers.

"R-really?" A sheepish chuckle left him. "I know I defeated some tough enemies, but…I'm not really sure if I should be that well-reputed…"

"The people like to talk." That was all Therius could really say about the matter. "I think it's best we continue our conversation after we speak with Lady Calista…"

"Uh, right. Lead the way, please?"

Calista and Zael weren't the only people that Will and Therius would be meeting with – Therius recognized Syrenne, Mirania, Yurick, and Lowell all joining in on the meeting as well.

"We're hoping that you could work with them and Therius to investigate the tunnels made below Arganan Temple." Calista managed, looking toward Will with clear blue eyes. "Map them out, and, of course, get rid of any Reptids you see along the way. I won't imagine that this will be a short job to get done in a day, either, so we already have a guest room prepared for you during your time here."

"Here in the castle?" Will's eyes widened. As far as he'd seen of Lazulis Castle so far, it was vast and luxurious – nothing like he'd ever seen in his life. Sure, he'd come across a few rooms filled with riches in the Dungeons back at Rynoka, but this was completely different. He was in a luxurious castle, not a Dungeon where he could potentially die any minute. He hastily bowed, once, twice. "Th-thank you so much! I really appreciate this, honestly!"

"It's no trouble at all." Zael chuckled lightly, and Will looked up at the other to see him smiling a little. "We appreciate you coming for help, and we've heard a lot about you…"

"If it's not too much to ask," Will swallowed lightly, "What have you heard about me?"

"That the people call you a Hero-Merchant, and you go running into the Dungeons on the outskirts of Rynoka often. Speaking of which," Zael frowned, "These Dungeons…they're randomized?"

"Yeah. They change rooms every time. It's like they're entities or something, but – the truth is, there's more than just that." Will shook his head lightly. "Based on the writings I've found from others that explored the Dungeons before, it seems like a whole civilization was living in those areas before. Most of them are wiped out."

Therius' eyes widened. "Did you say…most?"

"Yeah. There's likely a small amount of people left, but they exist. And it turns out a bunch of other criminals tried to hide behind the fifth door, hence why all the keys were scattered in the other dungeons before, but…" Will's head hung low as he recalled reading their final notes. "The criminals…turned on each other and basically killed each other, after they lost all their rations and so on over there. They were supposed to get out of there, but they never did."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Calista frowned lightly, shaking her head. "I'm sure it must've been dangerous to investigate those dungeons…"

"It's okay." Will offered Calista a reassuring grin, looking up at her. "You didn't know, Lady Calista, er, your Highness, uh…" He scratched the back of his head. "Apologies – I've never really, uh ,dealt with straight-up royalty before."

"No need to worry," Calista reassured him, offering him a gentle smile of her own. "I know it can be intimidating, but I know you mean well. How soon can you start with looking into the tunnels?"

"I know I came with a lot of equipment and such, so I'm prepared to check out these tunnels as soon as I can. But," Will hummed lightly, tilting his head to the side briefly, "I was wondering if there are any places in town for upgrades, that kind of thing."

"Horace can help you with that. He has a shop close to Ariela's tavern in the castle city." Zael managed, looking toward Will. "I've been to Horace's place tons of times and he's pretty good with this stuff."

"Any places for brewing potions? Enchanting armor to strengthen it?"

"We…don't quite have those places here – but I'm sure we can supply what you need on that side of things from the castle's hospital wing." Calista managed quickly. "Did you have something similar back where you come from?"

"I know someone named Eris who makes me tons of health potions from slimes." Will took out a vial from his bag to show Calisat and the others. He swirled the red, liquid contents of the vial a bit. "Like this one, for instance."

"You made those from slimes?" He heard Yurick groan, and Will couldn't help but chuckle.

"I thought it was pretty weird, but they don't have much of a taste to them if that's what you're worried about…" Will couldn't help but grin, but he frowned when he realized that none of the other mercenaries looked amused. "really, it's not that bad! I promise!"

Will took about a day to make any last preparations before he, along with Therius, Zael, and the rest of the mercenaries/former mercenaries went into the tunnels underneath Arganan Temple. Will couldn't help but frown at how the temple itself, before heading underground, was in such ruins. Zael explained to him that it was because the temple hadn't been maintained in a long time, and this, along with the delay in getting rid of Reptids during the war against the Gurak, led to the Reptids proliferating there quite a bit.

Even now, they still had to be dealt with, and it was only several months after the war with the Gurak ended too. Will just hoped that the damage underground wasn't as bad as the damage ontop.

If there was something Will didn't mind about exploring the Reptid tunnels, it was that the tunnels didn't randomly change every time he went in to explore. Unlike the Dungeons, which randomized where every room was during each new adventure, the Reptid tunnels were a constant. He could always figure out the exit (after some mapping out of the place, of course), and it also helped him figure out where new tunnels were made during repeat trips.

The first few days mainly consisted of mapping out the tunnels, making note of new ones (which weren't many closer to the surface so far, thank goodness), but then…

"Therius?"

Therius stilled in his tracks, looking toward Will. "Yes?"

"That tunnel to our left…that's new." Will pointed to the left, and Therius noticed Yurick hold up a ball of fire to act as a light with his magic, pointing it in the direction of the tunnel. Thankfully, Therius didn't hear any noises coming from the tunnel, but he noticed, at the very end of it ahead, that there was light.

"There might be Reptids down that way." Therius managed, looking between Will, the tunnel, and the others with them. "If we're heading down there, we better be ready for possible combat."

"What if I scout ahead?" Will offered. "I can creep back here and give you an estimate number of whatever's over there."

"Considering how far the distance is, I think at least two of us should go down there." Zael managed, before looking toward Therius. "Therius, can you and Will go?"

"We can." Therius affirmed, just before Syrenne spoke up.

"And don't die on us, either! Yell if you need help and we'll come running, alright?"

"We will." Will looked like he was about to laugh, but suppressed it with a quick shake of his head. "Let's go, Therius."

"Of course. Lead the way."

Therius and Will broke off from the group, heading down the tunnel as soundlessly as they could. Will held his breath, and Therius looked toward the other briefly and then up ahead. There was a bit of a ledge sticking out of the wall, close to the other end of the tunnel, that they could hide behind for a bit and spy on whatever was going on there, so the duo took the opportunity to stay well-hidden.

Five, ten, fifteen…Therius counted at least forty Reptids gathering in what appeared to be a large chamber. The worn appearance of some crumbling pillars reminded Therius of Arganan Temple up above. Did they steal material from the Temple to build this space down here? But why?

"Therius, there's an altar." It was Will's whisper that made Therius realize what was going on – he'd heard about this before, from Zael. An altar, Reptids dancing around after creating a fire, a giant Reptid appearing…

"They're summoning their Queen." Therius whispered back to Will, glancing toward him. "We need to get back to the others and warn them."

"I'd say we just barge in and disrupt them. How many are there?"

Therius shook his head quickly. "There are forty Reptids in there, Will. Even if none of them were armed, that's still too many for both of us to handle."

"Okay, okay, we'll go back to the others and – "

A screech rang throughout the clearing, and both men turned ot see several of the Reptids staring at them.

"Anddd we were seen." Therius heard Will groan, before sarcastically adding, "Lovely."

"Damn!" As much as Therius hated the idea of retreating, he knew there was no way the Reptids would reach them as easily if they had to chase them through the tunnel. "Will, run ahead of me!"

"Got it!" Will started rushing back, and Therius started head back as well, after letting the other run a few feet ahead. He could hear Will yelling for helping, but Therius knew that leading the Reptids through the tunnel would help defeat at least some of them – by forcing all those Reptids to go through such a narrow tunnel, Therius, Will, and the others could just chop them all down one by one as they went through. Making them stuck in such confined spaces before cutting them down would also lessen the amount of enemies that his own group would go through at a time.

As soon as Therius reached the end of the tunnel with Will, both men turned – and the group started cutting down each Reptid that went through. Mirania and Yurick had nature and fire spells ready to fire, Lowell had ice magic needed to slow down the Reptids, and Syrenne, Will, Zael, and Therius were all too eager to cut down each of the REptids that went through.

Therius did his best to keep count, though it was mildly hard to with all the Reptids rushing toward them so fast. One, two, three…

By the time the fighting slowed down, Therius estimated that there were about thirty Reptids that they cut down.

"Was that all of them?" Therius heard Zael breathe, and Therius shook his head, looking toward the other and noticing his glowing blue right hand – probably from using the mark of the Outsider's power.

"No," Therius answered quickly. "I saw about forty Reptids in that clearing up ahead just now. They're about to summon a Queen."

"Again!?" Syrenne audibly groaned, and she looked about ready to bury her head in one hand, if she wasn't holding two swords right now. "You said there were forty of them before we killed how many again?"

"Thirty."

"So there's ten left. I say we go in and smash 'em!"

"Yeah!" Will cheered, just before Therius shot a glare toward him.

"We need to be careful about this. They could've called for backup at this point…"

"Well, we should all head forward and at least stop the ritual." Zael managed, shaking his head. "If we don't, they'll summon that Queen and…"

"Zael has a point." Mirania agreed, nodding once as she used some healing magic on Yurick, then on Will. "The sooner we stop them from summoning the Queen, the better."

"Then it's settled." Yurick sighed. "Let's press forward."

As the entire group went up ahead, Will decided to go ahead of the group a little bit, just to scout out the clearing ahead in case there were reinforcements.

His heart sank to his stomach as he realized Therius was right – there were reinforcements, at least thirty more Reptids than there were earlier, but they were all more focused on summoning their Queen now than ever. A few of them were hopping and dancing around a fire they'd made, cackling and talking in what sounded like complete gibberish to the Hero-Merchant.

Before Will could look back and tell the others what was going on, a puff of smoke emerged from the fire, and then – a roar shook the cavern. Will flinched at how the earth trembled underneath his feet, before gazing up at the new arrival.

The Reptid was giant, several feet high and looming over Will and the rest of the party. She roared, raising her head high in the air, before looking around. A she opened her toothy mouth, Will noticed some of the other Reptids get sucked into her mouth – and he had to look away as he saw her jaw close, though it didn't save him from hearing crunching noises.

"The Queen's already summoned!?" He noticed Zael dash to his side, followed by Therius and the others. "We have to take her down quick!"

"You said you had experience taking it down before, correct?" It was Therius that spoke up, looking toward Zael. "How did you beat her last time?"

"We were pretty lucky – every time she tried sucking us into her mouth, we just threw bombs in there instead." Zael glanced around. "And…I don't see any here."

So much for that idea. Will frowned, before getting down on a knee. "I think I brought a bow and arrow with me! Maybe we can shoot her right in the jaw?"

"Wait! I have bomb arrows – we can use those to stop her in her tracks!" Zael moved to take out what Will realized was a crossbow. "Yurick, Mirania, Lowell, distract the Reptid Queen with magic! Therius, Syrenne, take out the other Reptid soldiers as fast as you can and don't get eaten. Will and I will focus on shooting down the Queen."

"Got it!" The entire group split into three smaller groups, doing exactly as Zael commanded. Will couldn't help but grin a bit, realizing how well the others worked like a well-oiled machine and how fast they were. He took the bomb arrows that Zael offered to him, and he started aiming toward the Queen, firing whenever she opened her mouth.

The bomb arrows worked like a charm. They didn't do as much damage as the bombs that Zael described using against the last one, but it was still enough to throw the Queen off guard. A shiver ran up Will's spine as he fired another arrow, heard the shouts and cries of others in battle. It was interesting, he had to admit – something thrilling about working with others to win a battle. It was thrilling enough to go down and face a whole beast or enemy alone, but doing it with a whole group was a new level of excitement.

It didn't take as long to take down the Queen and the Reptids as Will thought it would. If anyone asked Will about that battle later, he would say that it was all a blur, save for watching bomb arrows explode on or in the Queen whenever they hit her. But the sheer feeling of being in combat, focused on staying alive and taking down the enemies, was something he'd remember – not that he was great at describing it, but still.

"Is everyone okay?" Zael's cry elicited the others to yell out answers; that they were fine, that they had a flesh wound or two, but nobody yelled that they were on the verge of death or anything. Mirania came around and healed everyone as best as she could.

"Based on what I've mapped out of the tunnels, and based on how many Reptids we've killed…" Will checked the map he'd made during the past few days. "I think at this rate, we've gotten rid of majority of the Reptids. It might take a few days more to take out the rest. However, disrupting their Queen-summoning ritual should buy us enough time to rest for a bit back at the castle without worrying about them causing havoc too soon."

"We should head back, then." Therius breathed, looking between the others. "Zael, how many arrows did you use up?"

"Pretty much all of them at this point." Zael checked his crossobow, then looked toward Therius. "And I'm running out of other arrows, too. Restocking would be good."

"And no offense, but I need a drink already." Syrenne interrupted.

"Syrenne, we have to be professional." Lowell tried to gently remind her, only for Syrenne to scoff.

"Oh, come on! It's only the couple of us here!"

"I don't need drinks, but food would be nice." Mirania murmured, humming softly. "I can already smell it if I imagine hard enough…"

As the rest of the party started exchanging more banter about food and alcohol amongst themselves, he looked toward Therius with a grin. "Are they always like this?"

"Yes." Therius' flat answer elicited a laugh from the Hero-Merchant.

"Maybe we can join them for a drink later? Or do we have to go straight back to the castle, first?"

"You are welcome to join them after we report to Lady Calista, but I'll probably have a few other things to deal with." Therius managed, and Will frowned.

"Really? Well…if that's the case, maybe you can show me around Lazulis more. I know we've had a grand time exploring the tunnels down here, but it wouldn't hurt to see the rest of the island."

"I'll have to see if anything urgent comes up first, but…" Therius paused, his gaze meeting Will's own, "It would be nice to show you around."

Will grinned back at him, and Therius had to admit, inside, that despite the other's recklessness, he was certainly more optimistic between the two of them. "I look forward to it, then."