The party received some damage but without suffering casualties. They stood some distance from the impact area, staring in shock.
A huge hole had appeared where the fountain once was. Some of the surrounding rocks looked as if they had melted. One could directly see the lower floor.
"Rarf! Rarf! Rarf!"
Suddenly extremely excited barks could be heard. Fellfell appeared out of nowhere, jumping out of the soil at the edge of the garden.
The dog-like beast dashed towards the hole, looking at the players, encouraging them to follow.
"Let's go!"
Liam didn't waste any time. He urged his friends and rushed towards the middle of the garden. A faint steam still filled the air as he arrived. Water sprayed out of a damaged pipe, raining on the lower floor.
Below one could see a pile of rubble. Half of Tumbly's body stuck out, seemingly stuck for the time being. Endal sat next to his partner, holding his head, slowly dragging his body up.
Liam knew that every second was precious. He instantly jumped through the hole.
Gravity cruelly pulled on his body. The young man landed on the lower floor, dispersing some of the force through a skilled roll. Nevertheless, he didn't come out unscathed.
[-231!]
Ignoring the little damage Liam looked upwards, urging his friends:
"Hurry now! Don't let our efforts go to waste."
His words immediately dispelled everyone's doubts. Cyclone and Balm were the first to jump fearlessly.
"Geronimooo."
The two young women fell quickly. They didn't have the agility of Liam. When they landed their legs gave way. They groaned in pain and only Liam's timely help prevented a worse situation.
[-439!]
Fellfell landed simultaneously, proofing surprisingly nimble.
Subsequently the rest of the party followed one by one, struggling to various degrees. Even Radiant Shield, still in the battle mindset, didn't overthink and jumped bravely. Only once he was in the air did a hint of doubt creep into his mind. But it was already too late. After barely a second of flight, he heavily collided with the floor.
"Damn, I prefer jumping from Little Blue's back."
"My legs…"
Liam ignored his grumbling friends. He urged them to follow him before Endal could recovered fully. Fellfell took the lead while barking excitedly.
The party gritted their teeth and sprinted after the dog-like beast. They sprinted along the street forming the edge of this floor. Not far away was one of the extremely few intact stairs, which Fellfell dashed down.
When Endal stood up he looked at the player's backs with some confusion.
"Running away…? Come, old friend."
The prince glanced at Tumbly's head which stuck out of the pile of rubbles. Suddenly the basilisk strongly shook his body. Stones and dust were thrown in all directions as the mythical beast freed itself.
Usually, one had to pay a lot of stance to escape a fight. But this time the scene was clearly supported by the game, almost like a cutscene.
Thus, the players reached the lower floor without any trouble. Fellfell dashed ahead constantly sniffing the air. A few seconds later he turned to the left, disappearing in an opening on the wall.
The party followed and found another, smaller elevator. They jumped onto the platform. When all ten players arrived the elevator automatically began to move. Under the conspicuous rattling of chains, the elevator slowly descended.
The friends huffed heavily as they finally had a few moments to relax.
"Wow, did we unlock some secret plot?", asked Cyclone.
"Looks like it."
"All thanks to Fellfell.", added Silent Acacia.
"Can the hidden boss only be reached with Fellfell's help?", inquired Silver Blade.
Liam shook his head.
"There are other ways, but this one was the most convenient for us."
"I am glad we don't need to deal with that dive attack again.", sighed Radiant Shield.
The party conversed some more as the pressure was lifted off their shoulders. The elevator ride took quite a while. Lights lit up the shaft, but they turned off as the elevator passed.
However, as the party travelled deeper and deeper the temperature gradually sank. The lights inlaid on the walls seemed to have suffered damage. Some flickered while others didn't work at all. The atmosphere slowly turned unsettling.
The chains began to squeak. Cyclone looked worriedly to the side, asking in a meek voice:
"Those won't break, right?"
"Surely not…", answered Balm uncertainly.
The rest of the party stayed silent. If they felt unwell, they would glance at Liam. Seeing him unperturbed, the friends were reassured that there was no need to worry.
Finally, a gap appeared on one side of the wall. The elevator had almost reached the bottom. The gap slowly enlarged revealing an opening which led into a hallway. A strong smell assaulted everyone's noses.
While some of the friends scrunched their noses, Silent Acacia and Quickstep took a deep breath.
"Why does it smell so much like a stable?", asked Silent Acacia, obviously not disgusted by the smell.
"Now that you say it…", murmured Bloody Edge.
"Whatever it is, it's nauseating!"
Fortune waved her hands before her face, trying to get rid of the odor. She almost felt dizzy from the putrid air.
"Haha, let me guess. You never left the city in your life, did you?", joked Quickstep.
"Of course I did. But I prefer a nice beach over a place filled with animal feces."
"Oh come on. It's not that bad."
While the party was talking the elevator finally stopped. Fellfell instantly left the platform with loud barks, rushing through the short hallway.
The party made sure to be fully prepared before following behind him. After only a few steps the hallway led into another spacious cave.
Fellfell could be seen running around barking anxiously. He approached a group of young men who were putting all kinds of fruits into a huge wooden trough.
The men wore simple grey clothes and brown leather shoes. Their bodies were thin as if they hadn't eaten for days, their faces pale and emaciated. Yet their expressions were blissful and their eyes shone brightly.
Noticing the contradiction sent a chill down the party's spines. From Fellfell's reaction it was obvious that these were the missing farmhands. Their quest updated asking the party to save those poor people.
However, the party didn't do so immediately. They first took in their surroundings. Other than this one group, there were more people working, their bodies in similar or even worse states.
They took care of a few juvenile basilisks sleeping on woolen beds, grooming their feathers, bringing food, or cleaning up behind them.
"It seems like these people are being forced to work here."
"But what is this place?"
Liam and his friends took a few steps into the room. A strange cold sent shivers down their spines. A worked brushed close past their faces, showing no signs of acknowledging their existence.
Looking around the friends quickly stopped their eyes on the other side of the room. Short black stairs led to another simple stone door. They were lined with black pillars, reminding one of a temple entrance.
When the party hesitated to go forward, the door suddenly opened. At first it was only a gap. A strange sound suddenly spread as if something tried to escape but was beaten back. Then the door slowly opened further.
But it stopped just in time to prevent the party from peeking inside. A person slowly stepped out. First came a noble brown leather boot. It looked both comfortable and pleasant to the eye. One couldn't see its end as it was covered by a white robe beginning at the person's shins.
The robe was spotless, adorned with red patterns which gave off a mythical feeling. It looked like a mage robe but with a tighter fit. It revealed just enough curves to make one's imagination spin.
With another step the person completely stepped out of the door. She turned out to be a peerlessly beautiful woman. Her long brown hair was braided, hanging over her shoulder, revealing a slim neck.
Her skin was slightly pale giving her a vulnerable touch. Yet her emerald-green eyes shone with unbelievable strength and wisdom. Every one of her movements seemed to tuck on the heartstrings of those who looked at her.
When the woman appeared no one, neither men nor women, could avoid staring at her. Silence fell on the cave. Even the farmhands stopped working, staring at the woman with undisguised admiration.
A second later Liam was the first who managed to turn his eyes away. He had seen enough in the game not to be enraptured by beauty.
The veteran let out a loud cough, startling his friends. Finally, they came back to their senses one by one, but their hearts were still confused.
"Don't worry, Fortune. She got nothing on you! I'm sure it's all just artificial. You are still the most gorgeous!"
Fortune glanced towards the side at Cyclone. Her eyelids twitched as she answered:
"You would appear a lot more sincere if your eyes weren't transfixed on her…"