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Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Water echoes as it falls, splattering onto the moss-covered ground, the dampness seeping into the earth and spreading a chill through the air. The darkness is oppressive, swallowing all but the faintest glimmers of blue light emitted by clusters of bioluminescent mushrooms that cling to the jagged walls. Ryua sits hunched on a damp rock, her fingers lightly grazing the black cloth that shrouds the sword Kael gave her. The fabric is soaked, heavy with moisture, clinging to the hidden blade like a shroud of secrets. She stares at it, her mind swirling with questions and unease.

'Why did he give me this?' she wonders, the constant drip of water plinking against her hair, running down her neck, and disappearing into the collar of her clothes. She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes, her mind wandering to memories she wishes she could bury.

"Captain, pfff, stop crying—you never cry," Nio's voice echoes in her mind, light and teasing as he pushes her down playfully. "Pick your sword up, Captain. If not for you, then for my brother. Take good care of him for me. He likes to act tough, but big bro can be a crybaby." His smile lingers in her thoughts, a bittersweet reminder of a time long past. She remembers extending her hand, trying to call him back, but her body had refused to move, leaving her to watch helplessly as she fell into the abyss.

"Why?" she murmurs, her voice cracking with the weight of emotions she can no longer suppress. 'That man... what is he trying to tell me?' Her gaze falls back to the sword, indecision tearing at her. Half of her screams to look at the blade, to confront whatever truth lies beneath the cloth. The other half urges her to toss it away, to let it sink into the darkness that surrounds her. 

"Is that why you refuse to hold a sword? Do you think that's going to change the past? To change the fact that you sliced thousands without a second thought?" Kael's words reverberate in her mind, a harsh truth she can't escape.

With a heavy exhale, she shoves the sword into her pouch, her hands trembling. 'I'll give it to the vice guild master,' she resolves, nodding to herself as if to solidify the decision. 'He said he would leave when he gets what he came for. I need to find him before he leaves—I need to ask him one more question.' The determination steadies her, though it does little to quell the storm of doubt within her.

She rises from the rock, the dampness clinging to her clothes, and takes a step into the darkness. The faint light from the mushrooms barely illuminates her path before her figure vanishes into the black void, swallowed by the shadows that seem to stretch endlessly ahead.

-

"Ah! This is so damn annoying!" Baya grunts, her voice echoing through the cavernous expanse.

BOOM!

"I don't mind fighting huge golems, giants, or beasts powerful enough to blow a mountain away," she mutters, her frustration evident in every word. Her velvet pants, faintly glowing with a soft, ethereal light, ripple as she plummets deeper into the cave. Her ivory hair dances wildly in the wind, and her green eyes blaze with irritation. "But why..." As soon as her feet touch the ground, an explosive shockwave of wind erupts from the impact, sending a pulse of raw mana rippling outward, "Why... why does this dungeon have such ugly critters!?"

In a flash, Baya propels herself toward one of the grotesque, rotten-winged creatures. With a swift, powerful punch, she drives her fist into its decaying flesh. For a split second, it seems like a normal hit—until her skin makes contact. The moment her knuckles graze the monster's hide, an explosive burst of fire detonates from her fist, sending the creature hurtling through the air and slamming into the cave wall with bone-shattering force. The rocks around it crack and crumble from the sheer power of the blow, debris raining down in all directions.

"Baya, can you be less destructive?" Oda mutters in his husky voice, his arm lifting to manipulate the earth above them.

"What? Less destructive?" She retorts in disbelief, her eyes narrowing as she glares at the unsettling creatures crawling out of the freshly made hole. "No, I can't! No matter how hard I hit them, they get back up!" She points furiously at the wall where the disturbing monsters are already clawing their way out of the rubble, ready to continue their relentless assault. "Those! Those damn things don't die!" 'I just want to get out of this dungeon already,' she thinks, her annoyance reaching its peak. 'I want something yummy! I've been eating nothing but bland potatoes. Why don't you things just die already!?'

"Baya, you're going to kill us if you keep slamming them into the walls," Oda warns, his voice calm but firm as he focuses on stabilizing the crumbling cave. The cracks slowly begin to seal themselves, the earth responding to his will. 'This is troublesome,' he thinks, his mind racing as he assesses their situation. 'We've been in this dungeon for nearly two months. At this rate, we'll be stuck here for another month. Baya is already at her limit—she's a destructive fighter, and she's been holding back since we entered this place. The deeper we go, the more restricted we become. Normally, that would be an advantage, but these monsters are resistant to nearly all our attacks. Their only weakness is holy magic, which we don't have.'

"Die!"

BOOM!

"Die!"

BOOM!

"Die!"

BOOM!

Baya grins with savage satisfaction as she stomps on another monster, her foot crashing down with a force that would rival a landslide. Each time her foot connects with the creature, an explosive wave of fire erupts, blasting downwards and creating a new crater with every strike. The heat and power of her attacks reverberate through the cave, but the monsters, stubborn and unyielding, continue to rise from the destruction, their grotesque forms seemingly immune to her fury.