The sound of boots echoed through the stone corridors, blending with the heavy breathing of two adventurers.
The elf's armor clinked with every step, betraying the weight of exhaustion that had haunted him since the upper floors. Ahead, the hooded girl walked in silence, just as tired.
— Here... this should do... — she muttered, breathless.
When they finally stopped, the metallic sounds ceased. The air smelled of dust and dampness from the mist. Luki leaned against the brick wall, his body nearly giving in under the weight of his armor.
— Whew, finally... my legs are killing me. — he said, relieved.
The girl merely nodded.
They stayed quiet for a while, leaning against the wall, catching their breath.
Though they had met only moments ago, after saving each other's lives, a faint bond seemed to have formed and neither of them kept their guard up against each other.
...
After a few minutes, Luki was breathing normally again, his muscles no longer aching. He felt fully restored, ready to continue the adventure.
But before that...
— Hey... thanks for saving me. I'd be in trouble if it weren't for you. — he said sincerely, a faint smile behind the helmet.
Perhaps caught off guard, the girl didn't reply right away. She just stared from under her hood, almost incredulous.
— N-no problem... actually, I should be the one thanking you. I would've died too if not for you. — her voice was low, almost a whisper in the last part.
'It's the first time someone's ever thanked me for doing something…' she thought, startled by the feeling.
The memory of the last time she'd helped someone surfaced and, how her only reward had been a slap so hard it still stung to remember.
It was a strange feeling, being thanked.
— Then we're even. — Luki said, letting out a brief but genuine chuckle.
The girl just looked away, her fists tightening beneath the hood.
— ...Do you... always thank people that quickly? — she asked, hesitant.
— It depends. When someone saves me from being killed by skeletons? I think the least I can do is say thank you. — he replied lightly.
She huffed.
— Hmph. It's not common for adventurers to care about strangers. — the words came out without thinking.
But inside, she scolded herself for sounding so harsh.
— Uh... — Luki, in turn, didn't know how to react and stayed silent.
An awkward, heavy silence fell between them again, filling the stone corridors with a tension almost tangible.
— Well... — Luki finally broke the silence, his voice low. — Once again, thanks for saving me and all, but I... I have to go now. — he said, standing up and starting to walk away.
— Huh? W-where are you going? — she asked, worry suddenly creeping into her tone.
— I'm going to get my sword back.
— What?! You want to go back there?! Are you insane?! — she shouted, suddenly springing to her feet as if all her fatigue had vanished.
— Uh... yeah? — Luki replied uncertainly, confused by her outburst. — Sorry. I know you worked hard to get me out of there, but it's really important to me.
— Important?! — she huffed, taking a few tense steps toward him. — What could possibly be more important than your life?! Screw the sword! We need to get out of here now!
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed his hand and started pulling him in the opposite direction, trying to drag him out of the Dungeon.
But they didn't move an inch.
— Come on, dammit... move... we have to get out while we still can, if more monsters show up, we won't stand a chance... — she muttered between gritted teeth, straining to move him.
She pulled, pushed, but nothing worked. Luki just stood still, watching everything unfold before him.
Not because he was resisting, she simply didn't have the strength to move him. It was, honestly, a rather comical sight.
Perhaps tired of the nonsense, he freed himself from her grip and spoke firmly:
— I can't leave without my sword. — he said calmly, as if stating a fact.
The girl narrowed her eyes; her hands clenched into fists. Her voice trembled slightly, a mix of anger and fear she couldn't hide.
— You're out of your mind! — she exploded. — After everything I did? After everything you went through? You almost died back there! What do you expect me to do?!
— I get that you're worried, but-
— You don't get anything!
She stepped forward and in a sudden movement grabbed the collar of his chestplate, yanking him down with surprising strength. Metal creaked as the elf was forced to bend, his helmet almost touching the edge of her hood.
Thud
Startled, Luki yielded, dropping to one knee. The armor groaned harshly against the cold stone.
Maybe she'd wanted to face him eye-to-eye, to make him understand. But even kneeling, Luki still towered over her.
He lowered his gaze, meeting hers — tense, fiery, her fists still clutching his armor.
— Do you have any idea how risky it was to save you?! How terrifying it was to be that close to monsters that could've killed me any second?! How awful it felt to watch the person who saved me pay for my cowardice?! Do you know how much willpower it took to take that first step, to not run away and finally do something right in my fucking life?!! Huh?!!! —Her voice wavered between rage and despair, every word spat out like it burned her throat.
Luki just stood there, speechless.
Her words hit him like a blow, and for the first time since their conversation began, he had no answer.
Behind the aggression and the anger, he could see something else, fear in her eyes, vulnerability hidden beneath fury. It wasn't just about him. There must be something deeper, something more fragile, in all of this that means a lot to her.
— If you go back there alone, you'll die. And I... I can't just stand by and watch this happen after everything I've done... — her voice finally broke, nearly crying.
For a moment, it seemed that every syllable hurt more than any wound she could've suffered.
And now, so close, Luki finally noticed the face hidden beneath the hood.
The torn fabric revealed a young yet worn face, delicate features clashing with the rough tone of her voice.
Her thin face, cheeks slightly hollowed, was smeared with dust and soot, with streaks of dried tears marking her skin.
Her eyes, large and amber-brown, glistened with tears. Messy, dirt-covered brown hair framed her face in uneven strands. A small cut marked her left eyebrow, and her cracked lips trembled as she struggled to hold back emotion.
That figure, who until now had been just another nameless suppoter, finally had a face, one he recognized.
Luki's eyes widened.
'She's...'
...
After several minutes of burning, the blue flames finally went out, much to the luck of those still standing.
The silence that followed was almost sepulchral. No crackling, no sound of bones shifting.
Curiously, the environment remained untouched. No scorched bricks, no signs of fire on the walls or floor. It was as if the blaze had never happened. But the monsters... well, they weren't so lucky.
The skeletons, once symbols of the Dungeon's fear and power, were now in ruins.
Of the thirteen, maybe fourteen if you counted the one crawling out of the ground at the end, only four remained, and their state was pitiful.
Their bones, once hard as stone, were now cracked and splintered, breaking apart as fine white dust spread across the floor like ashes.
The eerie green flames that burned in their eye sockets now flickered weakly, barely lighting the emptiness. The fierce glow that once screamed hatred and hunger was now just a dying ember, ready to fade away.
— So... hit me again, what was that thing you threw at them? — asked Luki, his helmet's visor peeking cautiously into the room.
Another head appeared below his, covered by a white hood, with strands of brown hair slipping out the sides.
— A vial of Holy Water — she replied with a shrug. — Basically just normal water blessed by the gods. That stuff works wonders on undeads... and costs a fortune.
— Huh? But aren't the gods forbidden from using divine power down here? How do they bless water, then?
— Beats me — she snorted. — All I know is that it works.
Behind the helmet, Luki frowned but decided to let it slide. Then he scanned the room carefully, searching for his goal.
Soon, his eyes caught something silver on the ground. It was hard to tell among the rubble, but he found it, his sword.
It lay buried beneath a mound of bone dust from the fallen skeletons.
'Still there... good. I was afraid the Dungeon would absorb it like everything else, but I guess not. Strange.'
'Maybe it's because of its semi-divine nature... or Hephaestus did something to prevent that. Whatever.'
Either way, coincidence or not, it was lying right at the center of the ruined chamber.
— Found it. But it's right in the middle, no way to sneak in unseen. Any ideas? — he asked without turning around.
— What? Me?! — she choked, eyes widening for a second before looking away.
— What? You came here to help, didn't you? — he teased. — So help. Because if it's up to me, I'll just walk in and grab it.
— Huh?! — she clenched her fists, raising her chin defiantly. — Listen here, I'm not doing this for you, got it?! My bag's in there too, that's all! — She pointed firmly toward the room, her hood bobbing with the motion.
Luki followed her finger and saw the large, rough fabric bag lying in the middle of the room.
'Yeah... looking at it now, it was kind of obvious who she was. The shorty frame, the bag, the hood...' He thought.
The silence that followed grew heavy. Lili crossed her arms, cheeks burning, and turned away awkwardly.
— A-and it's not like I care if you get hurt or anything! — She blurted out quickly. — It'd just be a pain if you died now, got it?! — She finished with a huff.
Luki blinked, confused.
— Right... a pain.
— Exactly! — she insisted, far too loudly. — You weigh a ton, it was hard enough dragging you once, imagine doing it again! — she stomped lightly, trying to sound harsh but not quite pulling it off.
Behind the helmet, Luki sighed briefly.
'What a terrible excuse... I don't need to be a god to know you're lying. Seriously, what's wrong with people in this world and lying, huh? And why are you acting like a tsundere all of a sudden?'
— Anyway... since you asked, I might as well tell you. I still have a few more bottles of Holy Water in my bag. If I can reach it, we can take them all out at once.
— Great, you go stealth while I draw their attention. — he said, already standing up.
Before he could step in, Lili grabbed his arm and yanked him back with surprising strength.
— Are you insane? They'll tear you apart...! — She shouted in a whisper, careful not to attract attention.
— And how do you suggest we do this? I don't know if you noticed, but those things don't see with their eyes. — he replied.
Lili froze for a moment, surprised. She peeked again and then realized something not so obvious.
Skeletons don't have eyes.
So how do they see? It was clear they had a special way of perceiving the world.
Maybe the Dungeon itself feeds them that awareness. Or maybe they can sense souls or life energy.
Either way, sneaking past them probably wouldn't work.
— Yeah... maybe you're right. But be careful, alright? I don't want to have to carry your body out of here. — she muttered, glancing at him from under her hood.
— Don't worry, they can't hurt me while I'm wearing this armor. — he replied proudly.
— Worried? Me?! — she burst out, trying to sound distant, but failing miserably.
— Listen, that's not what you think, got it?! I'm just using you to get what I want, okay?! I'd never... I'd never care about some random adventurer like you! — her words came out fast, the last part almost a whisper she tried to bury under a huff.
'Is she seriously blushing because of that? What kind of anime logic is this?'