>>5699139“Hey, good news.” Chilli says, coming back around the corner. “The stairs down to the next floor are right here.”
“That's great!” Yunyun exclaims. “That means we've now cleared thirteen entire floors!”
“We are making great progress.” you reply, turning to Chilli. “I was right to pay for your services, we'd have taken weeks to get this far in.”
“It has been... Unexpectedly difficult.” the younger man replies, taking a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow with his left sleeve. “This dungeon could be a great place to train. Especially since these monsters seem to repopulate themselves.”
“WHAT?!” Aqua shouts, turning from the now wholly-healed Darkness in her battered, cracked armor to Chilli. “What do you mean, they're repopulating?”
“There are still just as many unique ki signatures in this place as there were before, when we first entered this floor.” Chilli says, which you don't doubt in the slightest. “There aren't any more dragons, at least not yet. But are you all good to head down to the next one, or should we take a rest here?”
“Let's keep going!” Darkness says immediately, and if you didn't know her she'd appear to be the perfect example of knightly valor. But you know that she's ENJOYING getting beaten up by the powerful monsters down here, the crazy masochist. You know that her body is at the very least as hard as her Adamantite breastplate, but the fact she's still standing despite it being shattered and barely hanging together tells you which truly is more durable. “Come on, I want to see what's next!”
“Can't we take a break? My feet are really starting to hurt.” Aqua complains, as she does. But you turn to Yunyun, who nods to you that she's ready to keep going.
“We'll keep pushing onward.” you say, Aqua groaning at the news. But she keeps pace with everyone, not wanting to be left behind as you all start walking around the corner. And just as he said there are indeed stairs down to the next level, you letting Chilli and Darkness lead the way. But as you all approach the stairs, you get an ominous feeling. “Carefully. I've got a bad feeling about this next one.”
Without another word you all start descending down the stairs, you feeling the atmosphere start changing the instant you step on it. With each step the air becomes a bit thicker with Arcane, the tainted mana flowing throughout this place darkening. But about halfway down Chilli freezes, stopping in his tracks and letting out a gasp.
“Th-This energy! I-It CAN'T be!” he exclaims, before suddenly blasting down the stairwell in a flash of golden light. One moment he's there, the next he's just gone, the shock wave of his explosion of movement knocking you all down. And, fortunately for you, you don't land on the hard stairs but something rather soft instead.
