Chapter 26:

Lili was alone in Altena. The second that Mikoto walked into Nike's colosseum and the gate came down behind her, the prum had no one she could turn to. Armed with only a letter for Goddess Athena, Lili was forced to muscle her way through the city. She came to the House of the Owl, where the city's government resided and was barred at the door.

"Lili said that she is here to see Lady Athena!" She waved her letter back and forth. "She has the necessary introductions; now let me through!"

"No can do, street urchin," replied a guard. He wore a white cape, clasped with the sigil of the olive branch.

Lili looked down at her clothes and cursed her ineptitude. Her shirt was ragged and filled with patches. Her shorts, which never fit in the first place, had only gotten rattier over the past couple of months. She frowned, looked at the guard, and then returned to the city.

She had some coin on her, but not enough for a proper set of clothes. She considered her options. There was pickpocketing and general thievery, but she was better than that now. She wandered the streets, searching for opportunity. Then she came to the marketplace. Merchants shouted for wares, and she watched people barter and trade weapons and armour. The prum looked down at the one magic sword she had brought with her for defence and smirked.

A dozen swaps later, and Lili had the magic sword and half it's worth in valis. She had also acquired a new set of clothes. The blouse was perfectly tailored, and her new pants felt good and clean. She spent the night at an upscale Inn where the prum got a hot bath and a warm meal. Lili was proud of what she had accomplished. She also understood that she had enough money to run away. Do this for the rest of her life and retire happily. But that was never really an option.

The next day, Lili walked up to the gates, feeling much more confident. The guards did not feel the same way. Again, they rebuffed her attempts. But Lili just grinned.

"What is the issue?" Lili pulled out a coin pouch, "Will this let me in?"

Now the guards were frowning.

"Do you think we'll be swayed by petty bribery?"

"Lili knows you will. You were bribed last week by the leader of the merchant guild."

Being tiny, and having access to transformation magic, had its advantages. Lili had found out many secrets with a couple pointed questions.

"Now, take the valis Lili is providing, or have your secrets revealed to your precious Lady Athena."

The guards sighed and moved away. They let Lili in, and the prum kept lying and threatening as she walked. Sometimes she didn't know if the threats were real, but all people were the same. They had their secrets and told their lies. Eventually, Lili came face to face with the head guard. This was when she presented her letter. It only took a minute before she was let into the throne room. Then, she started to learn.

In the present:

With the party, Lili had stopped to sit on her own. They had made their way to floor thirty-four and rejoined with the other Xenos, but now they were resting. The others had given her some space, but she knew that they were all worried. Lili didn't care about that, though; she was too busy kicking herself for her ineptitude. Again, she had failed, and now Bell and Ryuu had been swept away.

"Alright, that's enough time for a pity party, don't you think."

Lili grunted in response as Welf came to sit next to her. The smith had watched from afar and then elected himself to go and talk to her.

"It's not a pity party; Lili is making sure not to attack anyone else. She does not want to lash out and hurt the other members of the party," replied the prum.

Welf nodded. "That's fair. Why don't you try letting us help, though?"

Lili could feel her toes curl. "Lili shouldn't need it. What was all the training for if Lili can't outthink a damn monster?"

"You know that's not the case," said Welf, "This thing's been planning this attack for a lot longer than we've known. All it had is the element of surprise. Not to mention, we need you a little bit. We're down some key players right now, which means that it's all hands on deck from here on out."

Lili sat there quietly, absorbing Welf's words. Then as if struck by lightning, she bolted to her feet.

"Everyone! Gather around!"

The party jumped at her shouting. When they didn't move, Lili shouted some more. Finally, the rest of the group came together and started to listen.

"This monster has been making us play his game, but this also means he's shown his plan," began Lili. The others raised an eyebrow. Seeing their incomprehension, Lili smirked, "Even if this Xenos is smarter than average, he's still thinking like a monster."

There was a beat of silence, then Wiene raised a hand. Lili nodded.

"What does that mean?" asked the vouivre.

"Lili is happy that you asked Lady Wiene. This Scipio has been working to remove our strongest members. He has also been trying to separate us. It has wrecked our supplies." Lili paused. "But it did not target the supporters or mages. It has been thinking in terms of raw strength and power, not utility and versatility. This tells us two things." The prum held up two fingers for emphasis. Silence answered her.

Welf rolled his eyes. "Ok, professor, what's so important about that then?"

"One, it does not know the full extent of our abilities. If it did, it would have most likely targeted Lady Haruhime first. Two, our top fighters are stronger than theirs, specifically Master Bell, Miss Ryuu, and the Sword Princess. This monster general has been working hard to remove our top fighters because it's afraid it will lose that fight. Now, we don't have our powerhouse mage and Master Bell or Miss Ryuu, but we still have the Sword Princess and Hippolyta."

Aisha grinned, "I like your train of thought. Not to mention, if we can free the little elf girl and hold out till the March Hare and Faerie Princess return…."

"Our strength will be exponentially greater than theirs," finished Lili. The prum shrugged. "That is Lili's thoughts anyway. The monster is scared because it knows that its greatest strength is the number of monsters. Ours is the quality of our adventurers."

Lili paused to let everyone soak in the information.

"Which leads Lili to the current plan! Part one, rescue the Thousand Elf!"

Lili turned to Otohime, "We're going to need a big distraction." For the first time, the Dauntless lost some of her enthusiasm. "Lili is sorry to ask."

Otohime shook her head, grinning like an apex predator, "It would be my pleasure!"

Lili turned back to the rest of the party. "Good, now here's what the rest of you will do…."

With the partners:

Back in the desert, Ryuu awoke to find a body curled around hers. Since this was Bell, the feeling would usually be pleasant, but the Desert heat made it practically unbearable. She shoved him away.

"Waah!"

Bell screamed as the elf's level five strength sent him flying. He shook the sand from his head and looked around.

"Where are we?" asked Bell.

Ryuu shrugged from her spot on the ground, "I don't know. Somewhere on the thirty-third floor." She stood to better take in her surroundings while shaking sand from her ears. "I cannot see the river or anything else. What supplies do you have?"

Bell scratched the back of his head, "Lili only trusted me with a dual potion. She was afraid that I would get separated from the party and lose the last of our gear."

Ryuu smirked, "A well-founded fear then." The vice-captain checked her pockets. "I myself only have a couple dual potions and a half-filled canteen. Along with my weapons."

Bell nodded along, bringing out the Hestia Knife and Hakugen. Thankfully, the sand had only made their armour dirty with minor scratches. There was no real damage. Welf Crozzo's hard work had paid off.

Ryuu offered her hand to help Bell stand up, and the two partners began to walk. Ryuu explained that the best plan was to walk towards the Dungeon's wall and then follow it to an exit. Unfortunately, they did not know if they would be heading towards floor thirty-two or thirty-four. Even so, it was the best plan they had. They fought what monsters they had to, but then they saw something form in the distance. An extensive set of rocks began taking shape, turning into a building.

When they got closer, Ryuu stuck her hand out. She ran her fingers along the outside, tracing the patterns of bricks.

"You know, many adventurers take these ruins as the Dungeon indicating its shift," began the elf.

"It's shift?"

"Towards the man-made structures of the deep floors," explained Ryuu, "As if the Dungeon evolves and transitions on its own like a thinking creature."

Then she started to walk towards the ruins. Bell scrambled to follow.

"Wait! Didn't you say that it was dangerous to go ruin hunting?"

The elf shrugged as she walked inside. "The danger is in looking for them. Once you've arrived, the danger begins to drop off. At least, that's what the stories say."

"…I thought no one ever made it back," replied Bell.

Ryuu nodded. "That is almost entirely true, but there is at least one story. Otherwise, how would we know they existed at all? However, this happened many, many years ago. Even before Loki Familia came to Orario."

Bell peered inside while Ryuu walked through, unafraid. The elf continued her story.

"Two sisters from a forgotten Familia travelled through the Dungeon. One, who was talented and arrogant, wanted to prove that she could do something that no one else could. The other, who was kind and loyal, followed her to keep her safe. They went down in the Dungeon without telling anyone and almost died from a lack of supplies," explained Ryuu.

Bell frowned, "Not monsters?"

Ryuu's hair swished as she shook her head. "The more powerful sister was truly great. The only thing that put her in danger was her hubris. She never considered that she would need so much food and water in the desert. In their hunt for greatness, they got lost."

"So, what happened?"

Ryuu smiled, "The story says that another powerful Familia was on its way back from an expedition. One of its supporters got terrified from a fight and ran off into the Dungeon Desert. He ran so far that he ended up at the same ruins as the sisters by accident. With his supplies, the three of them made their way home."

"That's so sweet…."

Ryuu nodded, "Some believe that it was the beginning of a romance between the kind sister and the supporter."

Bell stood still for a moment. Then, he nodded. "I think I like that story…a lot."

"So do I."

Within the ruins, they found little that could be helpful. Some edible roots were growing in the cracks, which they took, but they didn't bother with any treasure. It was all useless anyway. They did find a dagger, though. It was simple but most undoubtedly well-made. Bell looked it over and noticed that there was a message on the blade. He squinted, trying to read it in the dark light. Thankfully, his level five eyes were able to make it out.

'To my Meti.'

A strange feeling washed over the boy named Bell Cranel, and he decided to tuck the dagger away in his pant loop. Ryuu found him later, but she did not ask any questions. The elf just nodded, and they left the ruins behind.

They marched on and on towards the wall of the Dungeon. It was some long hours later when they got there. Bell ran his hand along with it before looking both ways.

"Which way, Captain?" asked Ryuu.

Bell, caught unawares, looked left and right. If they went in the wrong direction, then they risked being too late to help. Which way, though? Bell could not see any difference. All there was, was sand. He sighed and dropped his hands. They fell onto the dagger he had picked up. He drew it out. Maybe this blade could guide him? Bell looked to Ryuu before blindly tossing the dagger into the air. When it fell, the pointy end was most facing to the right. Bell looked at Ryuu again, who nodded. She was hoping that Bell's legendary luck was lending them a hand. The two set off down the wall and prayed that they were heading in the right direction. Ryuu trusted in Bell's developmental ability, and Bell trusted in the dagger.

With the Confused Elf:

Lefiya woke up to find that it was night in the Dungeon. The sun had shifted, and there was little noise. There was still movement, but that was from the other end of the floor. More monsters came up from the deep floors, filling out Scipio's army. The strategy seemed to just be to overwhelm them with numbers. A standard practice from monsters in the Dungeon. Thankfully, Lefiya had been able to avoid another conversation with Nysa. But that meant she had slept the day away. Now that night had fallen, she was wide awake with too much energy.

Her senses were on high alert, which meant that she heard the rustling in the foliage. She looked across the clearing and noticed that there were no guards. What happened to them? Just as the thought crossed her mind, something roared off in the distance. It came like a challenge and was one that Lefiya had heard before. While she searched for the source of the noise, the trees rustled again. Shadows dropped, and Lefiya whirled around to defend herself. However, it was not monsters like she had been expecting.

"Lady Lefiya, are you alright?"

Lefiya blinked a couple times as her eyes adjusted to the light. In front of her stood a couple of ninjas, weapons at the ready.

"Miss Mikoto," Lefiya turned to the other one, "And Mister Urashima?"

"It is us. Now, shall we get going?" replied Urashima. He moved forward to cut her bonds.

Lefiya hesitated, afraid of what Nysa would do. But then she remembered that the creature wanted to operate on her. She raised her bonds and let the Living Weapon get to work.

"Is that Lady Otohime off in the distance?" asked Lefiya.

Urashima's grip on her bonds tightened.

Mikoto answered, "Yes, she and some of the others are serving as a distraction."

The Thousand's elf's bonds fell away. She rubbed her chafed wrists and began to stand up. The other two gestured for her to follow them back into the woods. Lefiya tried to mimic their movement and stealth but failed horribly. Twigs cracked, and pebbles shifted. Every second, she thought they would be discovered by one of the many patrolling monsters. However, as they walked, she found piles of dust scattered about. It was Mikoto that answered the unspoken question.

"Lady Lili discovered that Scipio is using the special control collars to 'see' through the eyes of certain monsters," explained the Black Crow, "By examining past encounters, we determined where he was looking and how much he can see. Lady Otohime's distraction seems to be taking most of his focus."

"So then, what's the next step?" asked Lefiya.

"Not here," replied Urashima, "We must get back to the others. The good Xenos have helped us establish a base camp."

"They don't want to take part in the fighting," continued Mikoto, "But they will assist us in taking care of the others."

"Take part in the fighting?" Lefiya tilted her head.

"Lyd wants to avoid Xenos fighting other Xenos. And Lili agreed. She says that it's what Bell would've wanted," replied Urashima.

"Is Bell not around?"

The two of them stopped. They moved in silence, and Lefiya felt her worry grow. Even if she didn't like him, Bell had earned his place in her life.

"Sir Bell and Lady Ryuu were swept away by a sandstorm. Lady Wallenstein suggested that we continue on and wait for them to reach us," answered Mikoto.

Lefiya absorbed that knowledge in silence. They were down two of their strongest fighters, and she had been captured. Things were bleak indeed. However, she was still surprised that nothing had come hunting for her. Again, she checked over her shoulder. Was she hoping to get caught by the not-Filvis?

Urashima took her hesitancy to mean fear, though and did his best to assuage her doubt.

"Lady Lili believes that Scipio hasn't considered a rescue operation. A monster would never believe in keeping others safe like this. She says, and Lyd agrees, that they think of survival of the strongest. The belief is that Scipio thinks we are on a quest for vengeance. That we think that you are already dead."

Lefiya didn't have time to consider that response, so she kept running. Just as the sounds of fighting started to fade, members of the party came into sight. Haruhime watched on, and Lefiya saw the renard's face light up at the sight of Mikoto (and the others to a lesser degree). Daphne and Cassandra also stood by for protection and healing, respectively.

They were in the homestretch, and success was just insight. Then there was an explosion.

When the dust cleared, everyone watched in horror as the Banshee stood at the center of a crater.

"Give me back my Lefiya!"

A Little While Earlier:

Nysa had seen the giant dragon coming. It was not trying to hide as it started to tear into Scipio's punitive army. When she saw it, though, she had been confused. Why was there was a dragon monster that they didn't know about? When the first attack happened, she ran to the source. What she found was a bipedal dragon laying waste to their forces. It raged like a natural disaster, not focusing on one monster or group in particular. Which meant there was no strategy for Scipio to counter. How did someone fight a tornado?

Then Nysa arrived, and Scipio found his answer. With a bigger disaster.

The Marsh Warden simply gestured at the rampaging beast, and Nysa nodded. She hurled herself at the black dragon, and the beast fell off balance instantly. It began trying to grapple with the Banshee. Fangs mashed, and the sounds of claws reverberating off each rang through the floor. Even from the initial confrontation, the lead tactician of the Sun Seekers knew that Nysa would win. Her potential was high. However, she would be much drained, which would not do. So, Scipio sent an order for his monsters to assist, but they disappeared just as they began their assault.

Entire waves of monsters from the deep floors, gone in a flash. Scipio focused even more on the battle and began to call in even more monsters. Unfortunately, they were being dismembered as soon as they arrived. Finally, he saw the cause of his distress. There were two women with swords drawn and on the move.

Hippolyta and the Sword Princess went to work, and Scipio was left reeling. Even they could not survive all of these monsters. So, what was their play? Were they so ready for revenge that they would throw their lives away? Scipio considered the thought, his contempt for adventurers clouding his judgement, but then he realized something important. There were only two adventurers and whatever that monster was. Speaking of which, was it a Xenos?

Scipio did not spend time with the other faction of Xenos. Even still, he felt like he would know. So, was it an adventure? However, in his distraction, he failed to check in on the prisoner. Finally, it was Nysa that had the foresight (or obsession) to think of Lefiya. She had all but finished off the dragon and had sent it careening. With a final shockwave roar, the black beast had been sent flying through trees. It collapsed in an unconscious heap. When she had moved to finish it off with her great luminous claws, the Sword Princess intervened.

While Nysa had been able to best her fellow monster, and the fight had drained her. Ais Wallenstein was undoubtedly a formidable opponent, and Nysa didn't have the stamina to keep going. At best, they'd kill each other. And Nysa couldn't die; there were still so many questions left to ask her dear Lefiya. Would she be ok, though? Would Lefiya get hurt in all this commotion? Nysa asked this to Scipio, and the marsh Warden grunted in surprise. He unfocused for a second and looked through the eyes of his monsters.

When he came back, his moss rumbled in displeasure.

"She's gone."

Nysa took off running.

She flew through trees and tore a path along the ground. Rubble went flying as she searched for the Thousand Elf. Over the past couple of days, Nysa had memorized Lefiya's smell just in case someone tried to separate them. She refused to lose her little elf again. With uncanny speed, she barrelled down towards the clearing where they had kept Lefiya. Then, she followed the smell and torn-up foliage. These humans had a head start, but they were not as fast and had to dodge around the environment. The Banshee had no such issues.

It took a bit of time, but she caught up. She found that puny group of humans, and her Lefiya was with them. She crashed between them and sent them all flying in different directions. Nysa was careful not to hit Lefiya, but she didn't care about the others. She saw how the one with the shiny arms flew into a tree and how the girl with black hair threw her body over the one with blonde hair and a tail.

"Lefiya! Why are you leaving me?" pleaded Nysa.

Lefiya flinched away.

"Nysa… it's…more complicated than that," replied the little elf.

Nysa frowned, "No, it's not! You need to stay! I need you!"

There was a beat of silence before the Banshee continued.

"I think I love you…."

Lefiya was torn. She looked into those eyes and saw Miss Filvis. Then her heart keened. She hesitated, about to move forward. The only thing holding her back was the obsessive quality in Nysa's voice. The part that wasn't Miss Filvis, a full-grown elf, but a young creature who hadn't been alive for a year. The Banshee got ready to step forward and steal her love away again. Lefiya opened her mouth, unsure of what would come out. Before either could speak, though, a new voice interrupted them.

"Excuse me," said Haruhime. "If you love Miss Lefiya, have you asked her what she wants?"

The renard had pushed her way up from under Mikoto and decided to take part in whatever unfolded.

Nysa glared at her. "You don't know anything!"

Haruhime gave a gentle smile, "I know more than you think. And I have to ask, do you love Lefiya, or do you need her?"

The question threw the Banshee off guard. Her animosity vanished and was replaced with curiosity. Still so much to learn after all.

"What's the difference?" asked Nysa.

Haruhime looked over at Mikoto, and then she looked away with pink dusting her cheeks. Once upon a time, she needed a young hero to come and save her. She needed him to tell her that she deserved to live. It had taken her a long time and a lot of distance to realize that it didn't necessarily equate to love.

"If you love someone, you want what's best for them, even if it hurts you. You want to be around them because they make you a better person," explained the Enchantenko. Everyone was listening, "If you need someone, it's because you need them to fix something for you. And that isn't love." Again, a look to the Black Crow. "You love someone when you can stand with them. When you don't need to be around them, you just want to."

Nysa and Lefiya both contemplated those words. So long that eventually, even Elwin ran to join them. He had been waiting at camp, like he had been told, but couldn't stand to wait any longer. While the others were distracted, he had snuck away. What he found, though, was this stand-off.

"What's going on?" asked the half-elf.

"This Xenos wants Lady Lefiya to leave with her," replied Haruhime. "Lady Lefiya is debating whether or not to go over." The renard turned to the Banshee, "I'm sorry, I did not catch your name earlier…."

It was Lefiya who responded.

"Her name is Nysa, and she used to be Miss Filvis."

Elwin looked between the two young women. He saw pain and anguish in the eyes of both. The Star Gazer walked over to the Thousand Elf. He took Lefiya's hands, which seemed to shock her out of her reverie. A distant part of Nysa's mind recognized this boy as the one that stood in her way. She bared her fangs, ready to pounce when the half-elf smiled.

"You should go with her," said Elwin. Then he looked at Nysa, "But you shouldn't go back, Scipio."

He dragged Lefiya over to Nysa.

"You two need to talk, for real," Elwin looked over his glasses at Lefiya. The little elf had the decency to look away. "I'm guessing that there's still a lot you're both hiding, and that won't work. Be honest with each other and hold nothing back. It's what you both probably deserve. Then, if you want to, come back to us. Is that ok?" Elwin looked back to Nysa. The Banshee was the wild card in this situation, but Elwin had faith. They were in love with the same woman after all, and neither wanted to see her hurt.

"Try to have something to tell us for tomorrow. I don't know how much longer we can wait."

The Banshee considered the words. Finally, she said, "There's a cave not too far from here. Scipio won't find us, not quickly. Is that ok?" She turned to Elwin. "We'll be back here when the darkness comes again. And we'll have an answer."

Lefiya nodded. She smiled at Elwin before giving him a peck on the cheek in a fit of bravery. Her face was a scarlet red, but she still brought a hand up. She brought their foreheads together.

"Thank you for the help."

Elwin cupped her face. "Stay safe, promise me, ok?"

Lefiya pulled away and nodded once. Then, she walked off with her erstwhile partner. The others watched them go. Finally, it was Urashima who spoke first.

"Did we just make a horrible mistake?"

Elwin shrugged, "Maybe, but it wasn't really our choice." He turned to look over at the others. "Who would we be if we tried to tell the others how to behave? If we tried to explain who to love? Dictating what those two should think? How would that make us any better or worse than Freya?"

An exaggeration, to be sure, but such was the half-elf's reasoning. The others didn't say anything, and they didn't try to stop the two who had left.

"We should probably go and help the others," said Elwin. He looked back, a devious grin on his face. "Your Princess is in danger, right?"

That tossed all thoughts of other people out the window. Without a word, the ninja took off through the trees. Elwin began to make his way towards camp, Daphne and Cassandra (who had been there waiting in silence) walking with him. Haruhime made to follow but felt a hand on her wrist.

Mikoto very pointedly did not look at her.

"You were incredible," said the young samurai.

Haruhime, in a fit of boldness she did not understand, lifted Mikoto's face to look her in the eye.

"I meant every word I said."

The rest of the world faded away. Their faces drew closer. Just as they came close enough to touch, an explosive reverb resounded through the Dungeon. The two startled away, and Haruhime's adrenaline-fuelled confidence disappeared. They looked at each other, turned as red as radishes, and began to sprint back to their friends.

With the Heroes:

Bell and Ryuu did not know how long they had been travelling. It could have been hours. It could have been a new day. Possibly two. All they did, though, was follow the Dungeon wall. They fought whatever monsters appeared, but they still kept walking. They grew tired and ate roots as they marched. They had no water and soon got so parched that they could no longer spit. The heat was unbearable, but then the night came, and they almost froze to death.

They were forced to keep moving and burned through even more energy. They were cold, thirsty, and only had barely full stomachs. But Ryuu's spirit was soaring higher than ever. For the first time in a while, she was happy and unafraid of what the future held. She had already been rejected and sentenced to a lifetime of loneliness (at least to her). Sure, there was Freya after them, but Ryuu wasn't actually too worried about that. So, even while she was freezing and starving, she was happy.

For his part, Bell was playing with the dagger he had found. He was trying to understand what it meant. The fact that the dagger was just lying on the ground meant that it had been dropped and forgotten. Or, it had been left behind on purpose. The message indicated that it was romantic.

"Ryuu, do you know anyone named Meti?" asked Bell.

Ryuu shook her head.

"Bell, I wouldn't worry about a dagger. We should focus on figuring out what to do if we make it to the escape and if we're going up and not down."

Bell nodded, still looking at the dagger. "You're right."

He tucked the dagger away, but the blade remained on his mind. All the way to the stairs that led down. When they saw that, the two adventurers rejoiced. They barely had the strength to make it all the way, but they began making the trek to the thirty-fourth floor. When they reached the bottom, they found Welf waiting for them. The smith jumped up and wrapped the two of them in a hug. His joy was infectious as he lifted them off the ground.

"Oh, thank the Gods and Goddesses that you're here," said the smith.

"Thank you, Welf! Now please put us down!" shouted Ryuu.

"Oh, right! Sorry about that."

The two felt their feet touch the dirt. Ryuu caught her breath while Bell looked around.

"Where's everyone else?"

Welf frowned, "Rescue operation to save Lefiya. Otohime, Ais, and Aisha are causing a ruckus. Meanwhile, Mikoto and Urashima are going to find and free her. They're probably on their way back to the campsite. They're meeting Haruhime, Daphne, and Cassandra on the way."

"And the others?" asked Ryuu.

Welf smirked, "Trying to keep Elwin in his seat."

Ryuu returned the grin while Bell sighed.

"That sounds about right."

The three made their way to the campsite and found that most people were already there. Ais and Aisha had come back, and Urashima was tending to an unconscious Otohime, who had transformed back and suffered total mind down. Even the rescue team had returned. For the moment, no one had noticed their return. The only person missing from their original expedition party was their little elf mage.

"Where's Lefiya?" asked Bell.

The party popped up. Everyone went to intercept him, but the first one there was Ais. She wrapped her arms around him, but then she startled away. She looked down at her arms.

"Why did I do that?"

The others took the opportunity to get their own hugs. Lili held on the longest and squeezed the tightest. Wiene made sure to get her own long hug in. Mikoto was the first to see Ryuu. But still, the two of them looked confused.

"Where's Lefiya?" asked Ryuu again.

That brought the mood down. Ais turned to glare at Elwin, and then she marched off to sit on our own.

"Things have gotten rather complicated, Bell Cranel," said Aisha. "But we can't worry about the little elf right now, though. There's monsters about."

With the Monster:

Scipio looked out over his legions. Hordes of monsters that had been herded up from below. He controlled maybe a fraction of them, but they were glorious. No matter how strong these top adventurers were, they could be overwhelmed. The only issue was that the boy and the elf could reunite with the party. Hopefully, their exhaustion would wear them down. And even if he failed to kill the big important ones, Scipio could hopefully take out the weak ones who hid at the back. The only issue was…where was Nysa?

The marsh warden knew that she wasn't dead; he would have heard the fight in action. And she wouldn't have allowed herself to be captured either. The Banshee was missing, and so was the elven mage. Scipio looked back to where the opening to the deep floors beckoned. A shuddering gasp made its way through the tunnel. No matter what happened, he still had his trump card on its way. It was only a matter of time.

Another ones bites the dust! We are nearing the climax of this arc, and things are about to get super crazy. This is the calm before the storm folks, so strap in and hold onto your butts. I mean to really dig into these characters now. Thanks again to all the favourites, follows, and reviews! Speaking of which:

King Damage: Happy to hear it. Definitely a complicated one to write and describe. I want to do it right after all!
Pownbattle: Hopefully this clears it up a bit. Thanks for the comment!
pix25:Thanks!
zendrickjuan:died