56 Triggering traps

The hall was quiet saved for the occasional dripping of the water somewhere and the sounds of footsteps. Briar and Atropa had tried to resume navigating through the dungeon.

They could not make sense of the time due to being inside the maze like structure. It could have been an hour or more.

But their goal to investigate and soon get out of the dungeon remained unchanged.

They noted that the undead little ones that they had encountered earlier were the only enemies that they had to get rid of. And for that they were somehow grateful.

But the two of them had to stay vigilant. There might be other creatures dwelling in the dungeon which may be much worse than the undead children earlier.

Atropa had been insisting that even though they had already purified the revenants, she could still hear a child's laughter.

Briar noticed that Atropa looked left and right in apprehension. She was frowning as she was listlessly searching for something.

"What's wrong?" he asked after he could no longer take her listlessness.

"I can hear that child's laughter again." She muttered while rubbing her arms. Goosebumps had formed on her skin.

"It...it is not that I am scared. I...I am just worried that it might be a malevolent spirit." she explained.

"If it is… is it an issue?" Briar asked.

"I am not fully trained and equipped to fight evil spirits. They are an entirely different level than a walking dead." She confessed.

"You don't have to worry. I am sure we can find a way to confront the spirit." He reassured her.

Though he was also doubtful of his own words. Fighting spirits is a challenging task especially to a non-caster.

If not fully equipped with the right spells or weapons, this endeavor will prove to be futile.

Challenging an evil spirit without proper equipment is equivalent to committing suicide.

Atropa was right that spirits are a bit more powerful than just witless undead. He might not be able to fight it, but he hoped that they could negotiate.

After all, Atropa said that it was just a child. Maybe, it just wanted to play.

As they continued their exploration, eerie silence dominated the air. All of the sudden, it was broken when a sound close to a stone grinding against another stone was heard.

Briar froze and nervously lifted his right foot. He observed the bricked floor and sighed.

He thought that he might have stepped on a trap and triggered it. But he was relieved upon discovering that he did not.

However, his blood ran cold when he realized that it was Atropa who had accidentally stepped on a loose brick on the floor.

The flaxen haired had his eyes almost bulge out of their socket when he saw that a trap was triggered.

The prince was grateful that he had a quick reaction and was agile. He was able to swiftly move and push the lady-in-waiting out of harm's way.

"Watch out!" he shouted as he embraced her and jumped to the side. It was a good thing that he managed to save her in time.

A huge blade swung down like a pendulum towards the girl. Atropa would have been sliced into half if Briar did not save her.

"That was close." He commented.

He could feel his heart thumping like crazy. He wouldn't be able to bear it if she lost her life like that.

"I… I… am fine now, your highness." The girl managed to blurt out after a few minutes. "You do not need to embrace me this tight. I can't breathe."

Due to her words, Briar had noticed their position. They were both on the cold floor while he was hugging the girl as if his life depends on it.

"Sorry." He apologized as he let her go.

Getting up, he offered his hand to assist her. "Did you get hurt?"

Atropa took his offer and stood up. She then brushed her sleeves and skirt which were covered with dust.

After trying to feel her body, she answered. "No, I am not injured, your highness."

"How about you?" she asked while giving him a once over.

"I am fine." He said while wincing inwardly.

It seemed he got a few cuts and scrapes when he tried to use his body as shield when they both landed on the floor.

Since it did not really hurt that much, he did not bother telling the maid.

It would hurt his pride more if he admitted that he felt pain from those little cuts and scrapes. That would be embarrassing.

He would rather treat these cuts and scrapes as his medals of honor for rescuing the lady.

After resting for a bit, the pair resumed their exploration. It had been uneventful for a few minutes when another trap was trigger.

"Atropa run!" the prince ordered as he grabbed her hand.

The pair was running for dear life as they were being chased by a gigantic boulder.

Unfortunately while sprinting, Atropa tripped on a loose stone.

Briar stopped and all of a sudden lifted her up in a princess carry. As soon as she was secured in his arms, he ran at full speed.

"Your highness! I am heavy! Let go of me... You can leave me…" Atropa was flustered.

"Keep your mouth shut. I won't leave you behind." He panted as he sprinted ahead of the boulder.

Atropa turned towards the boulder. Her eyes widened when she noted that it was gaining speed.

She looked ahead to find a way to escape and pointed her finger a little bit to their right. "Your highness, let's try that."

The boulder had sped up as the dungeon floor had changed into a slope. But the pair managed to survive as they squeezed themselves in the crevice while hugging each other.

After the boulder had rolled past their hiding place, the pair was able to breathe in relief.

Briar's face heated up and his heart thumped like crazy when he realized how close they were with one another. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and she was clinging to him in return.

The prince thanked his lucky star that the dungeon was a little dark. Their source of light, which were their amulets were only giving a dim glow.

He knew that she could not see him blushing.

"Ah… shall we get out of here?" Atropa brought him out of his reverie.

"Yes, we should." Was the prince's reply.

"Your highness, you can let me go now." Atropa said while slightly pushing his chest.

That was when Briar realized that he was still embracing her. Immediately he let her go.

When they finally got out of their hiding place, an awkward silence filled the air. Briar could not talk due to embarrassment while the girl refused to say anything.

Just then, Atropa seemed to listlessly looking around. She seemed greatly disturb.

"What is it?" the prince asked.

"You hear that?' Atropa asked.

Briar listened but could only hear the thumping of his heart and a few odd dripping sound. "Sorry, what can you hear? Is it the same laughter?"

"Yes, but this time… it sounds a bit near." She said. "I think it was the one behind the boulder trap. I was pretty sure that we did not trigger anything earlier."

"Then that meant that we have to get ready for whatever entity that we are about to encounter." Briar said while drawing his sword. "Do you know where it is coming from?" he asked.

Atropa pointed to the right. "It seemed the laughter came from this direction."

The pair gingerly made their way towards the direction she was pointing at.