In the Dungeon of Stone

by a-shifty-sword

Another Waifu Catalog Skyblock fic, using the more modern WC ruleset and reflavored to be more of a Stoneblock. Femboy villainous MC, dungeon focus.

18. Challengers

Bang!

A small explosion echoed over the courtyard, spilling over into other areas of the large castle-like structure. The handful of servants and students still in the area flinched, but immediately ignored it. They knew where it was coming from, and no one dared say anything to the frustrated pink-haired girl.

She was in one of the courtyards, a determined look on her face and wand pointed at a singed dummy made of cloth and straw. "Fireball!" she called out again.

No fireball sprung from her wand, but a sudden explosion did throw up dirt at the feet of the dummy. The ground was pockmarked with divots from such a thing occurring over and over again.

The girl, Louise de la Vallière, wasn't dissuaded though and fired off another one. Behind her, her Familiar Saito, a young man with a sword at his side, yawned.

"Those still aren't fireballs," he groused.

"They're close enough!" Louise snapped. "They're hot and they do damage and that's all I need! Fireball!" Another explosion sounded, this one exploding directly on the dummy, tearing a hole in its cloth body and singing the straw beneath it. "See! There!"

"It just doesn't seem very strong to me," Saito said with a shrug.

"I'm keeping them weak on purpose! I'm practicing my aim!"

"Sure, sure." Saito sighed, and Louise returned to casting her 'fireballs'.

"She's got a point, Partner," Derflinger said, sliding slightly out of his sheath so he could be heard. "Those might not be fireballs, but they're definitely a good weapon."

"Yeah, I guess," Saito allowed. He certainly wouldn't want to get hit by one. Her accidental ones were bad enough, but a direct one would be worse. If they hit, anyway.

"Zero!" a feminine voice rang out over the courtyard. Saito and Louise both looked to see Kirche striding into the courtyard. Tabitha, her nose in a book, and Flame, Kirche's salamander familiar, followed closely behind her. "Why are you making such a racket this early in the morning?"

"Early in the morning?" Louise asked, scorn clear in her voice. "It's almost noon!"

"And for someone like me with an active nightlife, that's quite early," Kirche said as she came to a stop next to her. "Though, I guess someone as unpopular as you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Louise scoffed. "You're right, I'm not a massive slut, so I wouldn't know anything about that."

But Kirche just smirked and ran a hand through her hair, flipping it. "You call me a slut like it's a dirty word, but passion is something to be shared with others! You should try it sometime. I'm sure you could use the stress relief."

"I'll pass," Louise said with a roll of her eyes. She turned her attention back to the dummy. "I've got more important things to handle. Fireball!"

Another bang echoed out as the dummy rocked, one of its arms now singed and smoking slightly.

"What, like terrorizing the entire school?" Kirche asked. "Everyone's already on edge as it is, and you're making it much worse with all the explosions."

Louise grimaced. "Well, if they're on edge, maybe they should practice as well!" she snapped. "I'm not going to sit here and do nothing."

"Practice for what exactly?" Kirche asked.

"You know damn well what for," Louise growled. "For when she comes back. Or are you so used to getting tied up and violated that it slipped your mind?"

Kirche raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that was almost a sex joke. You really are wound up, huh?"

"It's because her mother is coming tomorrow," Saito commented from where he was sitting nearby. "She's been like this ever since she got the letter."

"Shut up you stupid mutt!"

But Kirche was frowning. "The Heavy Wind is coming? Did they find something then?"

Louise grit her teeth, not having wanted to talk about it, but she sighed. "No. I wish they had though. She's… she's coming to take me home."

Louise's lack of progress in being able to cast any actual magic had already put her on thin ice in terms of her ability to stay at the school. It was only the power of her family's name, and the fact that her theoretical knowledge was near perfect, that she had been able to advance to the second year. But her mother had made it clear that she expected results, or else she'd have very different plans for Louise's future.

Successfully summoning a Familiar, even a weird one like Saito, had bought her some time. But failing to catch Fouquet, even with the aid of a Chevalier, and getting attacked by a mysterious person backed by elves of all things, seemed to be the final straw for her mother. It had been decided that learning magic was not the best use of Louise's time, and her mother was coming to collect her.

Kirche knew enough about Louise's situation to pick up the implications from just her words. "Oh, Louise…" Kirche said. "Is there nothing you can do?"

"Spare me your sympathy, Zerbst," Louise spat. "What do you think I'm doing? If I can master these explosions, then maybe I can convince her to let me stay."

Kirche looked at the dummy made of straw. It was certainly banged up, but that was after nearly an hour of practice, and Kirche didn't see the remains of any other dummies. Compared to a fireball it was an abysmal amount of damage. "I don't think that's going to work."

Louise's grip on her wand tightened enough to threaten to break it. She could feel the wood of it digging into her skin. "Shut up! This is the only thing I can do, so I have to try!"

"We just have to do something to impress her, right?" Saito suddenly said, getting to his feet. "Something to show her that you are a decent mage?"

"You say that like it's so easy," Louise said with a sneer.

"No, it probably won't be," he admitted. "But… why don't we try finding her? Morgan, I mean. Your mom would have to admit you're a good mage if you manage to track her down."

"Oh, sure, just track down the crazy mage who somehow has elves as subordinates who the country's best investigators couldn't find, easy as that!" Louise snapped.

Saito shrugged. "Like I said, it probably won't be easy. But it beats sitting here and moping. And besides, unlike those official guys or whatever, we've actually met her. We know what to look for."

Louise glared at Saito, but surprisingly she found herself considering his words. It was definitely a long shot, and dangerous, but simply leaving and chasing after Morgan would buy her time, at least. And even if all they did was find a lead, that would be enough to get officially recognized by the crown for the accomplishments, which might be enough to mollify her mother.

Louise's eyes narrowed. "Who are you and what have you done with my familiar? My Familiar doesn't come up with good ideas like that."

"Oi! Don't treat me like I'm some idiot!" Saito shot back. "I have good ideas all the time!"

Her words carried a grain of truth to them though. It wasn't that Saito was dumb, he just never stopped to really think things through, acting more on instinct or reflex than anything else. It worked well enough most of the time.

But he had been more introspective for the past couple of weeks, ever since the incident. It wasn't that he lost, though that burned a bit. No, he just couldn't get Morgan's words out of his head.

"I know how to get back to your home world, and I can break the bond between you and the girl. You can go back to your normal life. If you ever track me down, if you chase me and catch up to me? I'll not only tell you how, but I'll help you do it."

Saito still wasn't sure if that was what he wanted. Part of him definitely did, wanted to go home where he wasn't abused and blown up. But another part of him didn't want to abandon Louise, or the other people he had grown closer to.

But even if he hadn't decided yet, the thought of chasing Morgan had been prominent in his mind. So, rather than his suggestion being well thought out, he was more just spitting out the first excuse that came to mind to justify chasing after Morgan.

Derflinger stayed quiet. He had heard Morgan's words as well, and he knew that Saito was tempted. It didn't matter either way to the sword. Derf would just support Saito, his partner, no matter what.

"That's perfect!" Kirche jumped in before Saito and Louise could keep bickering. "We get our revenge, and Valliere gets to stay!"

Louise frowned. "And who invited you?"

Kirche pouted. "What, you're gonna leave me out? I want revenge too, you know? Besides, without me you'll be lacking a lot of firepower." She reached over and put an arm around Tabitha's much smaller shoulders. "And Tabitha too! Plus she has Sylphid, so we can travel quickly!"

Tabitha glanced up from her book and nodded, a surprisingly direct statement of her interest in being involved.

Louise bit her lip, thinking, but couldn't come up with a good argument. More people reduced the amount of recognition she would get, but if it came to an actual fight, even she had to admit that their assistance would be required. Not to mention how indispensable the transportation that Tabitha's Familiar would provide.

"Fine, I suppose I can allow you two to come with us," Louise said as she pushed her nose into the air. "But I'm the one in charge, got it?"

"Sure, sure, whatever you say Louise," Kirch replied with her hands raised in surrender. "Should we head out now?"

"Supplies," Tabitha spoke up.

"Ah, right, it might take us a few days to chase her down, even with Sylphid," Kirche agreed. "Okay. Everyone go pack stuff for a trip and then meet back here."

"Hey, stop taking charge, Zerbst!" Louise protested. "Three days! Get supplies for three days! Saito, you go grab some food from the kitchen. And don't flirt with any of the maids!"

"Hai, hai," Saito said with an aggrieved sigh.

But internally, his heart was pumping. They'd be chasing after Morgan, who had filled his thoughts for weeks. And, one way or another, Saito would have to make his choice.

---

Thirty minutes later, they were taking off from the same courtyard on Sylphid's back. Tabitha was in front with Louise directly behind her. Saito was behind Louise, his chest pressed against her back. Kirche was behind him, a place she insisted on so she could molest Saito by hugging him from behind.

Flame had sadly been left behind, too large to fit onto Sylphid's back alongside everyone. Kirche had promised him a treat if he didn't cause any trouble while they were gone. She wasn't too concerned about him damaging anything, he was generally well behaved for a salamander, but it helped lift his spirits a bit.

As they flew through the air to their destination, Kirche spoke up.

"So, oh dearest leader, what is the plan?" she asked, shouting over the wind. Tabitha was keeping the worst of it off of them with her magic, but it was still loud. "I'm all for going after her again, but we didn't do so well last time."

"Last time she ambushed us and separated us!" Louise yelled from ahead of her. "This time we stick together, and stay vigilant!"

"And hope that those elves aren't around!" Saito added.

"Hope for the best, but plan for the worst," Louise countered. "Ideally we don't fight them. Just finding where they're hiding should be enough."

"Boo, that's no fun!" Kirche replied. But she silently agreed. The elf woman, Asuna, had terrified her and given Kirche more than one nightmare.

The conversation died down after that. There wasn't really any more planning to do. They'd have to adapt to the situation as it developed.

But Kirche wasn't one to allow boring silences. "Did you girls hear that Montmorency and Guiche broke up?"

"W-why should I care about either of them?" Louise snapped. "This is hardly the time to be gossiping!"

"Judging from your blush, I'm guessing you got a surprise visit from Montmorency?" Kirche continued. "She declared that she had found her one true love, but he had disappeared. Since then she's been going around to all the female students and 'inspecting' them. Well. Not all of them. Just the… more petite ones." Kirche smirked, pressing her breasts against Saito's back.

Saito blushed, but relished the feeling of her soft mounds against him. "Oh, so that's why she flipped Louise's skirt."

Louise's face was super red. "Shut up! She thought I was a man in disguise! I almost blew her up then and there!"

Kirche laughed. "Don't worry Louise, it's not just you. She got Tabitha too, and every girl who isn't quite as endowed."

Tabitha nodded. "Odd."

"Whatever, I don't care about whatever idiocy she's getting up to!" Louise snapped, still blushing. "Be quiet so I can focus on coming up with a better plan!"

Kirche chuckled and pressed herself closer to Saito. "I'll just spend some time snuggling with Darling here then," she said in a sensual tone.

"Don't you dare, Zerbst!" Louise yelled back.

Their bickering continued with Saito caught in the middle for the rest of the trip, which thankfully was only a few minutes long. Sylphid traveled fast, and their destination wasn't all that far from the school.

Sylphid landed with a thud in front of the abandoned cottage where they had tracked Fouquet down to those weeks ago, where they had fought the Golem and Morgan.

There hadn't been any discussion about where they were headed. There hadn't been any need for one. All of them subconsciously just knew that to find Morgan, they needed to come here, where they last saw her. It was so obvious to them that none of them felt the need to mention it, despite how little sense it actually made.

The area was littered with signs of their battles, but also of a large amount of foot traffic. After they had broken free of their restraints, which took no longer than Sylphid waking up and transforming back to her dragon form after crawling back outside to break the ropes, they had gone straight back to the school to report to the headmaster and the royal troops still there.

What had followed was a frantic few days of questioning and investigation. Fouquet slipping away, the Staff of Destruction disappearing, and elves of all things appearing this deep in Tristain with unclear goals had kicked a hornet's nest of panic off.

Panic that was made worse when they revealed that Morgan had, apparently, stolen their magic. It was hard to tell with Louise, but the others definitely reported feeling weaker, though they had completely recovered as of a few days ago.

A mage that no one knew of who could steal magic and was working with elves was beyond even a national level threat, and warnings had been sent to all nearby countries, even those they weren't friendly with. It was that important.

The place of the battle had of course been investigated as well, but from what Louise had heard, nothing came of it. It used to be owned by an old hermit with no family. When he died, the land was returned to the Crown, and then put back up for sale, but no one ever bought it. It was out of the way and the land near it was poor for farming. It had eventually gotten lost in the shuffle of paperwork and no one thought about it for decades.

There was evidence that it had been lived in recently, though whether it was by Fouquet or Morgan wasn't clear. The investigation into Fouquet had fallen by the wayside as well, as they were considered much less of a priority.

Still, when it became clear that there was no more information to be found here, the royal investigators had left. Meaning that no one was there to stop them.

"Spread out and look for clues!" Louise ordered as she hopped off of Sylphid's back. "There's got to be something here that will lead us to her!"

Despite Louise's words, all of them but Sylphid headed straight for the cabin, where they opened the door and headed inside. And it only took a few seconds for them to spot something.

"There," Tabitha said, pointing across the room to a door.

Louise frowned. "A door? I thought this was a single room cabin?"

"It is," Kirche said, also frowning. "And I don't remember there being a back door last time we came."

Louise didn't either, but that didn't make any sense. Had it been hidden? Everything else looked the same to her. The few bits of broken furniture had been removed, but that was it. There hadn't been anything big enough to block an entire door anyway.

"Saito, go open it," Louise said.

"What, me?!"

"Yes, you! You're my Familiar, do what I say!"

Saito muttered protests under his breath, but he slowly approached the strange door. The girls watched from just inside of the entrance, unmoving. He reached a hand out and placed it on the knob. He gulped and turned back to look at the others. Louise nodded, encouraging him to keep going.

Saito steeled himself before flinging the door open and then jumping back. And all of them froze as they saw what was on the other side.

Void.

An inky blackness from which no light escaped was the only thing that filled the doorway. It was an absence of everything that was so deep that it felt like a hole had appeared in the fabric of reality. Just looking at it made Louise feel like she was going to fall in.

"What the hell is that?" Saito asked, unnerved. He put a hand on Derflinger's hilt, ready to draw him.

"I… I don't know," Louise admitted.

"I've never seen anything like it," Kirche added. Tabitha shook her head as well, clearly also mystified.

"There's no way the investigators missed this… right?" Saito asked.

"I don't see how they could have," Kirche agreed.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Louise pointed out. "Unless you're saying that this… whatever it is, was only added recently!"

"Maybe it was?" Kirche said with a shrug. "Either way, I bet it's where we'll find Morgan."

Louise frowned. "What makes you say that?"

Kirche just shrugged. "Just a feeling. I mean, the mysterious door has to be tied to the mysterious girl, right?"

Louise wasn't sure she agreed with the logic… but her gut was also telling her that what they wanted was on the other side of the door.

Still, she wasn't foolish enough to just rush in. "Saito, investigate it!" she ordered.

"Are you serious?" he protested. "I'm just a normal dude! It's you magic people who should be investigating the strange magic darkness."

"Don't talk back to me! Just… stick your head through or something!"

"No way!" But he turned back to the door and slowly approached it. As he got close, he tightened his grip on Derf's hilt. "Sorry, Partner."

"Eh?" Derf said, but then Saito drew him and suddenly stuck the blade through the inky blackness.

Saito encountered no resistance, the blade pierced the darkness up to the halfway mark, only not going deeper because Saito wasn't closer.

"Woah! A little more warning would have been appreciated!" Derf yelled, annoyed. "What if it had been dangerous?"

"You're the toughest one, I thought you would be fine," Saito said. "So? See anything?"

"I don't see from my blade, that would be silly," the talking magical sword said. "Flip me around and poke my hilt through."

Saito withdrew the blade, which seemed no worse for wear for being stuck through the doorway, and carefully grabbed it by the blade, avoiding touching the front sharp edge. He then stuck Derf's hilt into the black void, stepping slightly closer in the process.

"What the-?" Derf's voice rang out. His eyes might have been on the hilt, but he apparently talked through his blade.

"Do you see something?" Saito asked.

"I don't know if you guys can hear me, but it's not just blackness through here," Derf said. "It's like a barrier or something, and on the other side is a tunnel. Rock walls and some kind of glowing crystal. The tunnel bends a bit further down so I can't see very far."

"Anything else?" Saito prodded the sword. However, Derf didn't reply. "Partner?"

"Uhh. Hello?" Derf said. "You're still holding on to me, right?"

"I don't think he can hear us," Kirche said. "Pull him back through."

Saito did as she said and withdrew Derf. "Oh, there you guys are. Could you hear me?"

"Yeah, we heard you, but you couldn't hear us," Saito said. "So it's underground past the barrier?"

"Or something, yeah," Derf replied. "Doesn't make any sense. Must be a portal or something."

Saito stiffened. "Like the kind that brought me here?"

"I don't know anything about that… but probably."

"That settles it. Morgan's definitely through here," Saito said. She had claimed to be a mage from another world after all. This was proof enough of that fact for him.

None of the others disagreed. They were certain of it as well.

"So… is that it then?" Kirche said. "We know where she's at. We should tell the royal knights now, right?"

No one said anything. There was a tension in the air, an unspoken desire that they all shared. To go through the portal and confront Morgan themselves.

"We have to be sure," Louise said eventually. "We don't have enough evidence to say that she's definitely on the other side of it. And what if it disappears before we can get them and we miss our chance?"

It was an excuse. They all knew it. But they all wanted that excuse.

"Can I come?" Sylphid asked, sticking her head through the open door.

Louise and Saito jumped in surprise. They knew about Sylphid's secret now, one that they had kept from the investigators at Tabitha's insistence, but they hadn't spent much time around the Rhyme Dragon and weren't quite used to her talking yet.

Tabitha considered her request for a moment. "Yes," she said with a nod.

"Hold on, shouldn't she stay here in case something happens?" Kirche asked.

But Tabitha just shook her head. "Strong," she said.

"Yay!" Sylphid cried out before transforming with a flash of light. The dragon in the doorway was replaced with a naked busty blue haired girl.

Tabitha quickly pushed her out of the doorway and back outside. A moment later they stepped back in and Sylphid, or Illococoo as she was called in her human form, was wearing a plain blue dress that hung loosely over her. "I'm ready!" she announced innocently.

Louise wasn't sure how to react to Tabitha's strange Familiar, so she elected to act as if nothing weird had happened. "Then gather up everyone. We're going inside."

After doing one last check of their gear, they lined up in front of the door. Saito was in the lead, with Louise right behind him. Then Kirche, followed by Illococoo, and finally Tabitha bringing up the rear.

All six of them, sword included, turned their attention to the strange door. It pulled at them, tempting them inward.

And like moths to a flame, they entered the Dungeon.

It was just as Derf had described it. The other side of the darkness was an underground cavern of some kind. They entered in some small room, or perhaps a wide tunnel, just large enough to hold all of them. Crystals adorned the ceiling and walls that glowed with a light, providing enough illumination to be able to see without strain.

Directly in front of them the hallway narrowed down to something where only two of them could walk side by side comfortably. Said tunnel curved a few meters away, bending at almost a right angle and preventing them from seeing what was deeper.

But as they stood there, a growl echoed through the tunnels, causing them all to tense.

"Something's in here," Saito said, keeping his voice low.

"You don't say!" Louise hissed, also quietly. Relatively so, at least.

"We can take on a monster or two," Kirche said more confidently. "We're not going to turn around now, right?"

Louise shook her head. "Definitely not. Keep going. Just be careful. And quiet!"

"You're the loudest one here," Saito grumbled. His heart was beating with nervousness, but he was also a little excited. He gripped Derf more securely and started forward, down the tunnel.

Remaining completely quiet was impossible. None of them were the stealthy kind, and five pairs of footsteps echoed down the hall. Saito just hoped that they didn't echo too far.

The tunnel continued in an unnaturally straight line around the corner, to another turn in the distance. They didn't hear any more growls, but they were all on edge as they slowly made their way through.

Saito stopped right before the bend, holding up a hand to signal the others. He turned and put a finger to his lips, indicating that they should be quiet. Louise didn't look happy to be taking orders from Saito, but she stayed quiet and listened.

The faint sound of breathing not their own echoed from around the corner ahead of them. They all tensed even further when they picked it up, and even Illococoo didn't say anything, sensing the mood.

Saito exchanged looks with the others before slowly peeking his head around the corner.

The tunnel immediately opened up into a room, one about the same size as the cabin. It was the same stone floor, walls, and ceiling, though it was too smooth and uniform to look natural. But Saito barely noticed that, because his attention was on the two things in the center of the room.

It was hard to make out exactly what they looked like, because both were curled up on the ground. But they were at least man sized, covered in fur, and hard sharp claws and teeth. Saito's first thought was that they looked like some kind of wolf or bear or something, but something about the way they were laying didn't quite match up.

He pulled his head back and motioned for the others to back up and reverse. They slowly made their way back to the entrance, where they could talk in whispers.

"What was it?" Louise asked.

"I don't know. Some kind of wolves I think. Two of them, just in a room."

"Alert?" Tabitha asked, voice barely audible.

It took Saito a second to understand what she meant. "No. They were asleep. Or they had their eyes closed at least, and they were laying down. I don't think we could sneak past them though." Saito was honestly surprised that they hadn't heard them approaching.

"If they're just dogs, then it shouldn't be a problem, right?" Louise pointed out. "If they attack us, we take them out. They're probably Morgan's pets or whatever."

"I don't think we should underestimate them," Saito said. "This place… it feels like a Dungeon."

Louise frowned at him. "How is it like a dungeon at all? There's no jail cells or anything."

But Saito shook his head. "No, no, not that kind. Like the kind filled with monsters and treasure. Old ruins and underground mazes, you know?"

"Oh, I've heard of such places," Kirche said. "There are treasure hunters who explore them."

Saito nodded. "We had a lot of games back in my world about them. This feels like that. Tunnels with rooms filled with enemies. It will probably branch at some point, and get harder the further in we get. And…" he trailed off.

"And?" Kirche prompted him.

"And there will probably be a Boss at the end," he said. "Maybe some more before then too, if it's big enough."

"Morgan," Tabitha said.

"Most likely," Saito agreed.

"Then we'll just have to fight our way through," Louise declared.

The others looked at Saito for confirmation, and he nodded. "Yeah. If this is a dungeon, there's no other way to go but through it, fighting what we come across along the way."

The others agreed, and they spent a couple more minutes hashing out a plan of action in sharp whispers. No more growling echoed through the tunnels.

When they made their way down the hall again, it was in the same formation. And once again they came to a stop right before the turn into the room. Saito looked back at the others, Derf drawn, and held up one hand with three fingers pointed up. He lowered one, counting down.

When all of his fingers were done, he dashed around the corner and into the room.

The monsters reacted instantly, clearly not having been asleep at all. They rose to their feet, revealing that they were bipedal, and snarled at Saito as he rushed them. They were a bit shorter than him and mostly man-shaped, save for the fur that covered their bodies, their digitigrade legs, and dog-like head.

Saito flinched slightly at their sudden snarling, still not entirely used to combat, but he stuck to the plan and aimed for the one on the right, ignoring the other one entirely. As he closed the distance, he swung Derf downward.

The dog-monster tried to dodge to the side, but Saito's hand glowed with the power of the Gandalfr runes there, and he was far too fast for it. Derf's edge cut into the shoulder of the beast and then kept going, cleaving it in two from shoulder to hip.

He heard a rush of air behind him and turned his head to see the other monster burst into flames as Kirche's fire spell slammed into it. It let out a pained yelp before collapsing.

Saito turned back to the first one just in time to see it turn into a pile of ash, its body parts crumbling.

"So much for being quiet," Louise said as she stepped into the room. She frowned at the dissolving corpses. "I've never seen monsters like that. And I've never heard of beasts that turn into ash when they die."

"Maybe they're conjured by Morgan?" Saito suggested. "Like Guiche and Fouquet can do."

"They seemed too detailed and alive for that though," Kirche said. "Tabitha? What do you think?"

Tabitha examined the pile of ash that was fading away, brow furrowed. She shook her head and shrugged, apparently unsure.

"Either way, they died easily enough," Louise said. "We've lost the element of surprise, but so long as we're only facing a few at a time, we should be able to manage. No doubt they're coming for us now, so Saito, head into the next tunnel. We can hold them off there."

"They're probably not actually coming," Saito said, not moving. "This is definitely a Dungeon, and monsters don't roam or leave their rooms. You clear it room by room." He paused. "Unless this is specifically one of those dungeons where the enemies are roaming. But even then they shouldn't all rush us at once."

"This is real life, not a game, you stupid mutt!" Louise snapped. "Now get in the hallway before they overrun us! We'll advance slowly and carefully."

However, Saito was quickly proven right. The next hallway was short, consisting of only a single bend, and the room beyond it was about the same size as the previous one. When they peeked inside, they saw two more of the dog-monsters. Both were already standing up, alert, but not moving anywhere.

They followed the same plan as before. Saito rushed in to target one, while one of the mages, Tabitha this time, aimed to take out the other one.

But this time it didn't go nearly as smoothly for them.

"Saito!" Louise called out from behind him as his blade cut into the monster. Before he could turn around he felt an impact against his back, and he was sent sprawling. He lost his grip on Derf as it remained stuck in the monster.

He quickly scrambled to his feet, missing the surge of power of the Gandalfr runes now that he didn't have a weapon on him, and looked at what hit him.

Two wooden man-sized puppets with vaguely feminine features stood where he just was. Saito immediately realized that they must have been positioned near the walls on either side of the entrance, where they couldn't be seen. It was a classic nasty dungeon ambush.

One of them raised its arm, which thankfully lacked a weapon or anything with an edge, to hit him again.

""Fireball!"" two voices rang out.

One of the puppets erupted into flames, immediately collapsing without a sound. The other one's arm exploded as Louise's spell hit it, the limb turning into splinters from the force of it. But it wasn't a kill shot, and the now one-armed puppet turned to face Louise and the others.

"No you don't!" Saito exclaimed as he tackled it from behind. It bucked and struggled underneath him, but it wasn't strong enough to shove him off.

"Partner!" Derf called out. Saito's dive had brought them close to where he had killed the other monster, and Derf was now sitting in a pile of ash just outside of arm's reach.

Saito didn't stop to think. He dove once more, jumping off of the struggling puppet and lunging for Derf. He rolled as he grabbed the sword, and power once more flowed through his veins.

As he got to his feet he turned, spinning on the balls of his feet as he brought Derf to his side. Then he lunged once more and swung his sword in a horizontal arc.

Derf's blade cut cleanly through the wooden puppet, and it collapsed. Just like with the other monsters, it soon turned to ash and faded away.

Saito looked around the room for any more surprises, but it was clear. He sighed and let himself relax. "Man… whoever made this dungeon is a jackass," he groused.

"Darling!" Kirche cried as she slammed into him, wrapping her arms around his head and shoving it into her cleavage. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Let go of him, you harlot!" Louise protested, jumping into the fray and pulling Saito from Kirche's clutches. "He's fine, but he won't be if you suffocate him in those useless bags of flesh of yours!" She glanced at Saito, anger fading for a moment. "...You are fine, right?"

Saito took a moment to stretch and assess himself. "I'll probably have a bruise in a few hours, but I think I'm good, yeah."

Louise visibly relaxed at that and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

"Oh? What's this, were you actually worried about him?" Kirche teased.

"Of course I was!" Louise snapped back. "He's my Familiar after all. As his Master, I'm responsible for his well being."

"And that's the only reason you were worried?" Kirche continued, a grin on her face.

"Of- of course!" Louise declared with a slight stammer. "What other reason would I have?"

"Maybe because you-" Kirche started, but she was cut off as a blue haired shape dove into the conversation.

"Wow, Onii-san was cool!" Illococoo exclaimed as she shoved her way directly in front of Saito. She looked up at him with eyes filled with innocence and wonder. "You were like woosh! Wham! Zing!" She mimed Saito's actions with his sword as she spoke, showing more than saying what he did.

"Nah, that was nothing," Saito said, grinning as he was praised by the cute dragon girl. "I'm just getting warmed up. You'll get to see me do much cooler things soon."

"Woah…" Illococoo breathed, eyes sparkling. "I can't wait! Can I help? I'm strong!"

"Oi, what do you think you're doing, stupid Familiar!" Louise interjected. "Stop flirting with Tabitha's Familiar!" She pushed her way between them, forcing Illococoo back. "In case you forgot, we're in enemy territory right now. This isn't any time for playing around!"

Louise corralled the group back into formation, and they moved on to the next room. The next two rooms were similar, though they grew slightly larger to account for the increase in enemies, as each room had one or two more enemies than the last one. Quickly their plan required all of the mages to fire at enemies while Saito rushed in. But they were careful to check the corners and make sure they weren't jumped again, and even as the fights got tougher, their skill and teamwork increased to match it, so they were able to avoid any more hits.

But as they approached the fifth room of the Dungeon, Saito came to a stop. He peered into the room and saw not another group of monsters, but a single girl. She was tall and wore a simple white kimono with a pink and purple wrap around her waist. Her hair was long and dark, and she held a sheathed katana in front of her, her hands on the pommel and the tip of it against the ground.

Before Saito could whisper back to the others, she spoke up. "I hear you approaching. Show yourself!" Her voice was strong and full of conviction.

"What? Who is that? What did she say?" Louise asked from behind Saito.

"You didn't understand her?" Saito asked, confused.

"Of course not, she's speaking the same language that Morgan did!"

"Japanese?" Saito said, tensing. That confirmed that Morgan was from, or at least could reach, Japan. The girl definitely wasn't her, not unless she could shapeshift, but it was as good as confirmation that she was here.

"I'm going in," Saito said, moving forward.

"Saito, wait!" Louise hissed, but he paid her no mind and stepped into the room.

The girl's eyes locked onto him before he even left the hallway, but she made no move beyond watching him. She stood still in the center of the room, waiting.

"So, you are to be my first challenger?" the girl asked.

"What do you mean?" Saito asked. "Who are you? What is this place?"

She nodded. "All very good questions. Very well, I shall tell you what I can. My name is Busujima Saeko. I am one of the blades in service of…" she paused, hesitating for just a moment before collecting herself again. "In service of the Dark Queen Morgan!"

"Morgan?!" Louise said from behind Saito. The others had spread out in the room, wary of ambushes even as Saeko demanded their attention. "She's here?"

Saeko frowned at her. "Morgan warned me of this, that I wouldn't be able to communicate with all of you. You, my fellow countryman, convey my words to them, if you will."

Saito frowned. He wasn't sure what was going on here, but Saeko was answering his questions, and Louise would bug him if he didn't share what she was saying.

"Her name is Busujima Saeko," he explained to the others. "She works for Morgan."

"I knew it!" Louise said. "What is she doing here? What is this place?"

"Where are we?" Saito asked, passing along the message and repeating his earlier question.

"This is Morgan's domain, a place that is utterly in her control," Saeko answered, and Saito repeated her words to the others. "This is her Dungeon, and you are her first challengers. If you seek Morgan, you will find her at the heart of this place, but there are many obstacles between here and there. I am one such obstacle." She lifted her still-sheathed sword and pointed it at Saito. "I challenge you to a one on one duel! If you defeat me, you may pass! If you fail, then I will challenge the next person."

"That's absurd," Louise said after Saito conveyed her words. "Why on earth would we agree to that?" She lifted her wand and pointed it at Saeko.

But Saito moved to put himself between the two girls, still facing Saeko. "No, I'll duel her."

"What? Are you stupid?"

"I wouldn't be a man if I ganged up on a samurai who challenged me to a duel!" Saito declared. "It's a matter of honor!"

Louise put her face in her hand and shook her head, grumbling something that Saito couldn't catch.

Saeko smiled. "Well said, young man. Before we begin, tell me, what is your name?"

"Hiraga Saito," he said, shifting his grip on Derf.

"A word of advice, Hiraga-san." She slowly pulled her katana free from its sheath. "Come at me with everything you have. Don't hold back. Even should you strike me down, I will not perish." She fully unsheathed the blade and pointed it at him. "But I cannot say the same for you."

Saito gulped. He didn't like the idea of attacking a woman, especially a Japanese woman, with the intent to kill. It was a large step up from the monsters that faded into ash. But as he looked into her eyes, he saw her steely determination, and he knew she was telling the truth. If he held back, if he didn't come at her with an intent to kill, he would lose this fight.

"Alright," he said. "I'll trust your words."

Her smile widened. "I am glad that you are my first opponent. Now… come at me!"

Saito hesitated for a moment, sizing her stance up and looking for an opening, and then he rushed at her, letting the Gandalfr instincts guide his movements.

He opened with a powerful horizontal cleave, Derf cutting through the air. Saeko stepped backward, staying just outside of its range, and then followed it up with a thrust while Saito was off balance.

But he stopped the swing of his sword and yanked it the other way. A clang echoed through the small room as Derflinger slammed into Saeko's katana and forced it off course, up and over his shoulder.

Time crawled for a moment as they locked eyes, both fighters reassessing the skill and strength of the other. Just that one clash had told them both much about the other. Saito realized that Saeko wasn't just a normal girl. Her skill, speed, and strength were a step above what he would have thought was possible without magic. Her skill especially stood out to him, as her movements were clean and efficient.

Saeko, on the other hand, was forced to confront an ugly truth. Saito may have lacked her experience, but the power of Gandalfr made up for that. He was at least as strong as she was, and he was definitely more skilled. For the first time, she was facing an opponent she didn't at least match, if not utterly outclass. For the first time, she was the weaker one.

Determination flared in her eyes. She kept her blade pressed against his as she stepped inward, vacating the spot that Saito had been about to bring his own sword down on before he could even start moving. He paused, tracking her as she moved, and that moment of indecision cost him.

The edge of her blade scraped along the flat of his as she swung, bringing it down toward the boy. He leaned out of the way, but the tip of it still scraped against his cheek, cutting a hot red line along his face.

He flinched and brought Derf down in a heavy blow that forced Saeko to leap backward to avoid it. The tip of the sword slammed down into the stony ground and pierced it. Before Saeko could try to take advantage of the opening, Saito charged at her, Derf held low behind him.

Their battle moved all along the room as they exchanged blows, only avoiding the area where their audience watched from. Steel clashed against steel time and time again as blows were blocked and defended. At first glance, or to the inexperienced eye, it appeared that the two of them were evenly matched.

However, that was not the case. While nearly a minute passed without any more hits being landed, the winner of the match was clear to anyone who knew what they were seeing. Saeko held the advantage in experience, but only in experience.

Saito's sword was longer, affording him more reach. It was heavier, and he could swing it at the same speed as Saeko swung her blade, so his blows were more powerful. Derflinger was sturdier as well, being not only a thicker blade, but a magical one as well. Where Saeko's thinner blade chipped when they clashed, Derf remained unblemished.

But Saeko did have one other advantage. For all his words earlier, Saito was still holding back. She could see it in his eyes and feel it in his blows. He wasn't coming at her with an intent to kill, and in doing so he allowed Saeko to just barely match him.

"Do you call yourself a man?!" she snapped even as she attacked him. "Think of me not as a woman, but as a monster! An obstacle in the path of your revenge! You would hold back against that?"

Saito flinched, and not from her katana slamming into Derf's edge as he blocked her attack. It was her words that cut into him. He had talked about being a man, and he had recognized her familiar sense of honor, but actually trying to kill her had proven more do than he thought it would be.

"What about you?" he shouted back. "Why is a girl like you working for a villain like Morgan?"

It was Saeko's turn to grimace, though she didn't allow his words to slow her down as she spun around and aimed a terrifying swift swipe at Saito's gut, one he was forced to backstep to avoid.

"Because I swore myself to them," she said, voice quiet. "In exchange for what was most important to me, and in exchange for the secrets I kept chained in my heart, I swore to become Morgan's." Both combatants stopped and eyed each other. "Villain she might be, but it doesn't matter. This is where I belong."

"You don't have to though!" Saito said. "Join us! Surely you don't like working for a villain!"

She smiled at him, but it was a sad smile. "That's where you're wrong, Hiraga-san. I'm not a good person. I will fight you honorably, but do you know why I agreed to stand here, as the first real defender?" Her smile changed, showing teeth as it became more sinister. "Because I want to fight. I want to cut you up and make you bleed. I want to fill this room with the blood of the people I've cut down."

She shifted, once more taking up a stance. "So throw away your hesitation. I am not a woman to be saved. I am a monster protecting her master. The only way through is to cut me down, so if you call yourself a man, come at me with everything you have!"

She rushed him, and his body moved on reflex, runes on the back of his hand glowing as he deflected her ferocious cut. His mind whirred as he tried to reconcile her words with his impression of her. He wanted to call them a lie, words chosen specifically to make him attack her.

But he could sense the truth of them in her sword. Her movements had changed. It was subtle, but she was more aggressive now, and she no longer aimed at spots that would be immediately lethal. Any attack he failed to deflect would not kill him, but he would bleed, and many of them would make it more difficult for him to fight back.

He grit his teeth. "Fine!" He accepted the situation, and he steeled his heart. The runes on his hand blazed brighter, and Saito attacked her in earnest.

His first swing was deflected by her thin blade, sparks flying as steel clashed against steel. Saeko's expression flickered at the unexpected weight of it, and she barely moved her sword in time to block his follow up attack. Her arms were forced to the side by the force of his blow, leaving her open.

Once again, time seemed to freeze as the two fighters met each other's gazes, and an understanding passed between them. Saeko could see Saito's sword, perfectly in position to punish her opening, with nothing she could do to stop it. Her eyes widened in surprise, but was quickly replaced with acceptance. She had come as far as she could, but she could hold out for no longer, not now that Saito was giving it everything he had.

Saito saw this, and he almost hesitated again. But he didn't dare to. Whatever her motivations were, whatever her alliances were, he had recognized her as a swordswoman. He could not ignore her resolve.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" he yelled, and he brought his blade forward.

Red blossomed on the white fabric of Saeko's kimono as Derflinger cut into her, carving a diagonal line across her chest.

Saeko stumbled, limbs shaking as shock started to set in. She fell to one knee, barely keeping herself upright by sticking the point of her sword into the ground. She looked down at her chest, where the red stain grew by the second.

"So… this is what it's like to be cut down," she said. She then coughed, blood dripping from her lips. "Ah, it hurts, but…" she trailed off.

"...Busujima-san?" Saito said, unsure how to react.

"Hiraga-san," she replied, eyes focusing on him. "It was a fine blow. Feel proud." She coughed, spewing more blood. "I… will not last much longer, it seems. Go. You will face more challenges ahead. Face them with the same resolve you showed me."

Saito swallowed. "I… I will."

Saeko smiled, nodding in a satisfied manner. And then the air around her rippled, and she disappeared. Her sword remained behind, and it fell to the ground.

"...did you do it?" Kirche asked, breaking the silence.

"I did, yeah," Saito replied, still staring at her katana, sitting in a spattering of blood. "She said she wouldn't die."

"Was she a monster too?" Illococoo asked.

"No ash," Tabitha pointed out.

"She was teleported or something," Saito agreed. "She was human though. Someone from my home."

"She was a fine warrior," Kirche acknowledged. "She didn't stand a chance against you, of course, but it only makes sense that it would be a kinsman of yours that would give you a challenge."

Saito shook his head. Kirche's praise didn't feel as nice as it usually did, but he wasn't sure how to put his feelings into words. "Come on," he said instead. "Let's keep going." He made for the tunnel that Saeko had been guarding.

The others, unsettled by what they had just witnessed and Saito's strangely stoic mood, followed him silently, stepping around the blood and fallen blade that marked his victory.

The tunnel turned and then turned again without opening into another room. But shortly after that second turn, it split. One direction continued forward, into another large room. Saito could see movement within it, but it was too far for him to make out any details. But the second branch went to the right, was much shorter, and the room beyond it was small.

Saito opened his mouth to ask which way the others thought they should go when he heard a faint noise echoing from the room to the side. The sound of sniffling, or crying. He turned his head. "Hey… did you guys hear that?"

Louise and Kirche shook their heads, but Tabitha and Illococoo nodded. "Crying," Tabitha said.

"It sounded like a little girl!" Illococoo whispered, though she was loud enough that no doubt her voice carried.

The sniffling suddenly stopped. Saito frowned and started silently walking down the side tunnel, toward where the noise had been coming from.

The room was small, barely any bigger than the one where they had entered this place. A large crystal growing from the floor filled it with light, like a frozen blue flame. The walls were lined with benches made of stone that looked like that had been grown from the walls and floor.

And curled up in the corner on top of one of those benches was a little girl wearing commoner's clothes. She shrank back when she spotted them. "Waah! Please don't eat me! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"It is a girl!" Louise exclaimed in surprise. "How did she get here?"

Kirche was the first to step forward. "There, there, don't worry, we're not monsters," Kirche said in a soothing voice. "We're not going to hurt you."

The little girl paused, looking at them. "You're… you're not?"

"Nope, we're heroes!" Kirche said warmly. "We're here to beat the bad lady that runs this place."

The little girl's lip twitched. And then she burst out crying, flinging herself at Kirche and wrapping her arms around her.

The others all exchanged perturbed looks as they wondered just how a little girl had managed to get here.

Deeper in the dungeon, sitting on his throne, Morgan watched them and smiled.

---

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AN: A reminder that I'm using the anime timeline for events, which means that immediately following the Fouquet stuff is the stint of undercover work at an Inn and Montmorency's Love Potion stuff during the start of their summer break. The more serious plot doesn't come until later. And Morgan's actions neatly prevented those two things from occurring, so the past few weeks for them haven't had any major plot beats.

Also a reminder that I don't know FoZ very well. This is the most writing I've done for a fandom I know so little about. So apologies if they're a little out of character, but these are the interpretations I'm going with. Honestly, writing this has made me dislike FoZ more, so it's not likely that I'll ever get too into it.

Saeko versus Saito was an interesting fight. Not in terms of their power. Saeko is powerful for her setting, but the Gandalfr runes literally make Saito an army killer. A Falna and a few days of training just isn't enough to bridge that gap. So it feels kind of bad to throw her into a losing fight, but that's just how it goes. Honestly? She'll lose a lot. She needs to, if any one else is going to have any fun. Morgan will constantly be putting his minions into fights they're meant to lose, so heroes can experience more of the dungeon, and the weakest will get put out front. Still, it was a good chance to properly explore her character, something I didn't manage to do to my satisfaction during her recruitment, and start laying the foundations for how she'll develop.

The first dungeon invasion continues in the next chapter!