41.2ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ/sᴛʀᴀᴛᴏᴛʜʀᴀx

"What a strange Skill."

"Suits her, she's strange and weird," grumbled Opal, her face buried in Rain's fur.

Red politely coughed into his fist. "I can't hear you three, how am I supposed to know what to do?" He looked around warily. "That is if you're still here and haven't hopefully abandoned me."

"Silly Kobold. He thinks I'm going to abandon my walking jewellery box."

"How do we leave the dungeon Opal? Tell us where to go."

"Oh? Oh yes, it's that way."

The Goblin pointed and Rain began walking. After a moment the chain went taught around the Kobold's neck, tugging him forward with a lurch. Red spluttered and scrambled to keep up with the invisible trio, having to jog across the grass to keep up with Rain's long stride.

With Rain keeping pace it didn't take them long to reach the edge of the vast cavern and step into a dark crack in the wall. The cave was tall enough that he didn't need to duck with Lyra on his shoulders. He felt Lyra tense up as darkness engulfed them.

"You don't like the dark? I thought Elves had good night vision?"

"I'm not an Elf, I'm a Half-elf!"

"So you can't see in the dark?"

"I… I can, mostly, but…"

"You find it intimidating don't you."

"..."

"Do you find the dark scarier or me?"

"You! Wait, that's just my legs!"

"Well I'm on your side so you don't need to be afraid of the dark anymore."

"I- I-..."

Rain felt her fingers tense up on his ears for a moment.

"I'm not afraid, really!"

Her legs fluttered against his chest as she spoke belying her words.

"Sheepy is lying, she's scared of monsters and the dark and big bad wolves," murmured Opal, her eyes closed and her head resting against Rain's chest.

Lyra's breath hitched and she tried her best to still her trembling legs and compose herself. She took in a few deep steadying breaths.

"I'm not afraid of anything."

Rain didn't reply to her although he felt Opal silently laughing in his arms.

After a time he felt Lyra relax a little bit, getting used to the dark perhaps.

"I've been thinking," said Rain as he walked. "It seems likely that there will be levelers watching the stairs between floors if they are looking for me and you."

"That might be true by now, yes, if they have any sense at least, but they weren't when last I checked."

"That's not a problem," said Opal. "Levelers like to camp the stairs because they think they are being clever so monsters know plenty of ways to go between floors without using them." She pulled on Rain's fur to get his attention then pointed down a side tunnel. "This way will take us up a floor without using the main stairs."

She led them into a network of caves, the tunnels quickly became more cramped and starting to lead upward.

"I can't fit while carrying you both…"

"Yes, please put me down!"

"Carry me more please Rain!"

They climbed upwards, ascending onto the next floor of the dungeon through the secret ways of monsters. They eventually came out on a different floor where Rain picked the girls up and Lyra made them invisible once more.

They traversed the tunnels carefully until they emerged out into a larger cavern. The grass on the ground was frosted over and Rain's breath steamed in the air in great billows of white. A cold biome. He watched Red wander out into the cold cavern, the Kobold looked around nervously, his breath coming in short little fearful puffs. He shivered in the cold, his arms crossing and his tail wrapping around his hips.

"A-anyone th-there? U-uhm?"

Rain walked straight past him completely unseen and the Kobold had to hurry to catch up with the snaking chain that coiled through the icy grass seemingly of its own volition.

Red watched as the chain passed between the sporadic trees and he carefully picked the same path, wary of getting caught going the wrong direction and getting himself wrapped around a trunk. He was so focused on looking down and following the chain that he was caught completely by surprise when a large mossy green furred boar with frost coated bone nubs on its back tried to gore him. A yellowed tusk glanced off his shoulder as it charged past sending Red spinning like a top to land on his butt.

He blinked, the attack was so sudden he hadn't quite processed it. He turned his head to see the boar had turned around and was pawing the ground, its breath huffing white.

The Kobold scrambled backwards on his rump, his clawed feet pushing at the ground until his back bumped up against a tree.

"H-Help! S-save meee!"

The boar's beady murderous black eyes locked onto Red. It lowered its head, readying to charge. It leaned forward, front leg lifting, stepping-

Rain suddenly materialised behind the boar and fell upon it, Opal leaping to the side, hacking at its leg even as Lyra rolled off Rain's shoulders and ungracefully landed on the icy grass with a yelp.

Rain linked his arms around the boar's neck and used his raw muscular strength to crush the boar's windpipe. The monster struggled desperately, bucking up against Rain's weight, trying to kick him, but it was hopeless, its hooves bounced off of Rain doing nothing. He forced the boar to the ground as it began to slowly weaken, the lack of oxygen making it sluggish.

"Lyra, do it now!"

The sheep girl scrambled to her hooves and held out her hand. A black knife appeared. She grasped the hilt in both hands and charged toward the boar Rain was holding down. She plunged the blade into the boar's neck with a cry, then again, and again, panic and fear and memories of using the knife to kill, washing over her, overwhelming her, sending adrenaline roaring through her mind.

At last the boar lay dead and still and Lyra slumped backwards onto the grass, her arms outstretched, her blue eyes staring at the cavern ceiling far overhead. She let the knife fall from her fingers.

"It worked, I leveled up."