Stitch witch's Domain- IV

Saad hesitated for a moment before he spoke, "I would like to go with them for exploring."

A subtle smile played on Penelope's lips, indicating her approval.

"If mistress is going, then Verena is following as well." Verena, who seemed devoted to Penelope, naturally followed suit.

Dante, the de facto leader, nodded at their decision. "Alright, we'll explore the other direction and try to gather the map pieces. Be cautious and let's meet back here in thirty minutes," he suggested, attempting to maintain a cooperative atmosphere.

Sybil, ever eager for company, piped up, "I'll join the ladies' team! The more, the merrier, right?" Penelope, however, calmly responded, "Three of us will be sufficient. You can wait here." Sybil, sulking slightly, crossed his arms and mumbled about waiting.

It was obvious to Saad and perhaps everyone that both of the girls weren't that fond of Sybil's behavior and attitude.

Sylvan, not one to waste time, chimed in, "Let's get going. We've got a mission, team." Tarquin, showing his usual distant demeanor, nodded in agreement.

And so, the three scout teams parted ways, each with their specific mission.

Crimson sovereign has gone back to sleep and disappeared. 

Saad and the two girls were moving fast. They weren't walking but rather running at full speed. Saad was obviously having a hard keeping up with them. It made him wonder just what their levels were but he didn't feel interested enough to check for it. It did seem that after just a short while Penelope has slowed down a little, as if observing that Saad was struggling.

Saad should have felt that happy but that little care made him feel positively about her.

Verena's cheerful voice broke the swift silence as she turned to Saad, her animated eyes reflecting genuine curiosity. "Your dual whips look amazing! Are they a set? You know, you can't use weapons that don't come as a set. I haven't seen many people using whips and you are the first using dual whips."

Saad, slightly taken aback by the sudden attention, managed a small smile. "Yeah, they're a set," he replied, the pride evident in his tone. But he didn't reveal the name of set and that obviously was something that Verena was very interested in knowing.

"What's the set name?" She was a rather nosy girl, Sad realized in that moment, feeling uncomfortable.

"Whips of offering." He tried to keep up with her.

Verena's eyes widened in fascination. "Whips of Offering? That sounds really cool! How did you get them?" she inquired, her curiosity seemingly boundless.

Penelope, who had slowed down to let Saad catch up, listened to the conversation with a mysterious gaze, observing the exchange between her companions.

"From a dungeon." He didn't know how else to dodge the question and if it was even worth dodging. So he just truthfully answered and that's when Penelope finally spoke.

"Our weapons are also from dungeons. We were very lucky to find them." Penelope's words made Saad felt at least slightly less bothered about how pushy Verena had been.

"I haven't seen anyone with a scythe. It's really cool."

Saad's words made Verena playfully pout, "And my spear isn't? It's from the same dungeon! But Mistress is so cool, so I am okay with you praising her more than Verena."

Honestly Saad was a little uncomfortable with her loud Verena's personality was. Perhaps he just needed to get used to her? Would he even need to however? Since they might now get teamed up next time.

Saad was thinking when they stopped and Saad looked around to see the not so hidden glowing piece of map which Penelope went ahead and grabbed and a message window appeared to perhaps all of them.

[You have discovered a part of map. There are 3 more pieces to collect.]

The number of pieces of map made Saad remember what Lyrane had said about the number four. Saad was happy that they only had to find four pieces. It also made him wonder if the number of map pieces would increase as they climbed to other floors of the labyrinth.

Soon enough however they got another message window. 

[You have discovered a part of map. There are 2 more pieces to collect.]

"It seems that the other group got another piece as well. Let's check through the map, maybe we can find the other piece of map and complete it quickly." Penelope's words made a lot of sense and both Saad and Verena nodded.

Saad opened the map and soon saw how half of the map had been revealed. It made him realize that the floor was pretty simple. He could see the initial cave of carrion flowers and surprisingly when he pressed there, a sign of teleporting there appeared. But when he tried to press on other points in map where they hadn't been yet, the teleport option didn't appear.

"We can teleport back to Carrion flower field but not other points on the map."

Upon Saad's words Penelope raised her head and as if checked what Saad had said.

"Ah- that's true. So if we cover the whole map, we will be able to teleport at any point? Maybe we should just do that today."

Verena's idea wasn't bad and honestly that's what Saad had also thought and so both he and Verena looked at Penelope, who seemed to have become their leader without them having to decide.

"Let's meet up with the group when the time is up and we can discuss it with them. Let's try to cover as much area. We might end up finding more pieces of map."

They all seem to agree and so their next move was clear. They moved towards the next cave like room. The first floor of labyrinth was like cotton like rooms. There were all kind of colors but the room were mostly like different texture of clothes and that was interesting but Saad's favorite.

If it was him, he would want the cave to be more normal looking but this was fine as well. The cave on its one was looking more and more like rooms, every room and then the space connected to it becoming more and more defined.

The room they entered was compact, its dimensions confined, yet it had held the crucial fragment of the map they sought. Moving through the small space, the walls adorned with peculiar sights—small brown worms with delicate flowers perched atop their heads. Despite the eerie aesthetics, a strange beauty enveloped the creatures.

As the group advanced, a collective decision rippled through them to halt and confront these peculiar inhabitants. Thirteen precious minutes remained on their clock, ticking away as they faced the blooming adversaries. Saad, ever attentive, quickly accessed the information about these enigmatic brown worms.

[Brown Blossom Bugs]

Level: 5

Type: Darkness, Earth

Description: Blossom bugs produced brown blossom bugs thread, which are used as clothing materials.

Attributes:

HP: 50/50

ATK: 35

VIT: 33

AGI: 3

INT: 3

Abilities:

[Poison pollen]

[Arcane Resistance]

Weaknesses: Physical damage

In the face of the Brown Blossom Bugs, Penelope, Verena, and Saad moved with a synchronized fluidity, their weapons poised for battle. The bugs, despite their seemingly delicate appearance, emitted an air of menace with the potential for poison-laden attacks. Not to mention, the walls with crawling with the bugs. Verena and Penelope, both didn't seemed bothered and Saad had to hide his true emotions.

He hated bugs and these were a little too disgusting looking, not to mention all around them. But he needed the thread from them for his quest. There was no escaping it.

And thankfully, Crimson sovereign was out and at least that gave Saad some comfort.

[Did you miss me? I am hungry~]

The brash ego shield spoke into his ear as the murky liquid was swirling around Saad and Penelope gazed at the liquid, gaze lingering before she focused on the fight. To make the thirteen minutes' worth their time.

Penelope, the Reaper, initiated the engagement with a swift and precise strike, her scythe cleaving through the air. The razor-sharp blade made contact with the bugs, efficiently reducing their numbers. She moved with calculated grace, a harbinger of death amidst the fluttering insects.

Verena, the spear-wielding maid, exhibited a surprising level of combat prowess. Her spear danced through the air, each thrust and twirl executed with grace and precision. The bugs fell before her in a coordinated display of deadly elegance.

Saad, wielding his dual whips, seamlessly integrated into the rhythm of the battle. The twisting motion of his whips created a protective barrier around the group, deflecting attacks and ensuring their safety. His movements were a dance of agility and finesse, his attacks landing with measured accuracy. Now that they were in close proximity, the practice he had done during class change was now coming out to show. He realized just much his movements had changed and he felt like those long fights weren't for nothing.

[You have received one brown blossom bug thread.]

The notifications appeared as they continued their fight.

Together, the trio moved as one, dispatching the Brown Blossom Bugs with ease. Their teamwork demonstrated a level of coordination that belied their short time together, and the bugs, despite their resistance, succumbed to the skillful onslaught. The small room, once teeming with insects, now was slowly getting cleared up.