After crossing the portal to the Howling Chasm and being greeted by the welcome message, Ascalon and his friends quickly noticed that they had arrived at a different place than the last time—except for Lyra, who wasn’t with them at the time.


    They were now in a dark, damp cave, with a single exit letting the light in. While Lilithra and Selorien eyed the surroundings curiously, Lyra fiddled with her network interface, and Ascalon pondered thoughtfully.


    He recalled what Lilithra had once taught him: about portals connecting to seemingly ‘random’ places inside the dungeons. It seemed that this time they would’ve to navigate another path, and he couldn’t help but think it was a bit exciting! Just as a daring smile appeared on his face, Lilithra’s voice garnered everyone’s attention.


    “Alright, let’s take it easy!” She chirped with excitement, her small fangs shining in the dark cave. Ascalon nodded in agreement, while Lyra raised a fist in a gesture of enthusiasm. Selorien, on the other hand, seemed the most content about Lilithra’s idea, yawning with his usual carefreeness.


    “Let’s head out when everyone’s ready!” Lilithra added, eyeing the exit with curiosity. Ascalon took a step forward and glanced at her with a confident grin, letting her know he was prepared. Selorien joined in shortly after, and Lyra skipped to them as she spoke.


    “I’m ready!” She exclaimed as she clenched her fists below her chin, anticipation clear on her expression. Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Lilithra puffed out her chest and started walking to the exit, leading the way. She looked really proud of herself, perhaps basking in the fact she was playing her role as a leader.


    As soon as they crossed the cave opening, they were greeted by a powerful gust of wind and an incandescent light shining down from above. After their eyes grew accustomed to the sudden change in brightness, they observed their surroundings with keen interest and wariness.


    They were now in the middle of a rocky pathway, with one side leading up the mountains, while the other headed down into the smaller peaks below. The wind howled as it passed through small openings in the towering, natural walls, and the sun bathed the area with ease from above.


    Ascalon pondered as he glanced toward the rising path, thinking they were probably halfway to the snowy part, going by the altitude they seemed to be at. It was hard to tell, since stones and old, withered trees were the only thing around them, with no other recognizable landmark to help him navigate. As he wondered about his assumptions, Lilithra raised her voice.


    “Hmm I see! Looks like we have to climb a bit more.” She said as she glanced below, knowing there was no chance they were above the snowy cliffs. Selorien looked around inquisitively, while Lyra nodded as she listened.


    “Let’s go!” She declared with energy, smiling brightly and leading the way. Everyone followed the enthusiastic girl with small grins on their faces, but paying attention to their surroundings just in case.


    The climbing proved to be way more challenging than when they had visited the dungeon the last time, with the path starting to get more vertical and smaller. This prompted everyone to focus on their balance as they walked in a single line, keeping a bit of distance from each other. Lilithra led the way, followed by Selorien, then Lyra, and with Ascalon at the rear.


    Ascalon looked down the edge as he walked, admiring the dark chasm below, and wondering how long it would take him to reach the bottom if he jumped down. While he vanished the intrusive thoughts, Lyra whimpered as a small chunk of the path’s border gave out and fell into the abyss.


    “Whew… that was scary…” She admitted shyly, walking slowly and trying to keep herself to the center of the trail. Ascalon and Selorien shared a chuckle, while Lilithra glanced at her over her shoulder and gave her a reassuring thumbs up. Still, the knight wondered what would happen if the pathway crumbled? Would it ‘reset’ like the boss monsters and other creatures?


    It was an interesting question for the scientists they had met before—perhaps they would have an answer to that, even if they were specializing in the monsters rather than the dungeons itselves. But it was better not to think too much about scary things like that happening, or he would probably jinx them. Just as he thought about that, Lyra’s voice caught his attention.


    “Uh?” A small, confused whisper escaped her lips, followed by the loud sound of the pathway crumbling, her petite figure quickly vanishing as gravity pulled on her. Lilithra jolted in place, panicking at the sudden event, while Selorien pushed her with hurried steps, trying to get away from the falling ground.


    Ascalon took a moment to think, and raised his voice before plunging into the abyss. “Go!” He commanded, his frame plummeting down the chasm. Hearing his words, Lilithra felt reassured. Frowning with determination, she grabbed onto Selorien’s hand and began running through the path ahead, escaping the crumbling path as fast as they could.


    Meanwhile, Lyra fell as her mind raced with a chaotic mix of fear and confusion. “Ahhhhhhh!” She screamed in terror, unable to think of a way to stop her descent amidst her scattered thoughts—understandable, given the abruptness of the situation.


    “Lyra!” Ascalon’s voice boomed through the chasm, cutting through her panic and causing her to snap back from her thoughts. She looked up, seeing a yellow streak following in her wake, fast and like a bolt of lightning—a beacon of hope amidst her desperation.


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    “I am going to catch you. Get ready!” The knight reassured, smiling as the wind blew past him. Lyra tried to nod but it was actually quite difficult to do so while free-falling, so she simply clenched her fists and braced herself.


    Noticing her readiness, Ascalon angled himself toward one of the walls of the chasm, extending his right leg until he managed to make contact. His boot scraped against the jagged surface momentarily, before he used it as a foothold to propel himself down. With the added momentum, he crossed the distance between them in a blink, quickly scooping her up in his arms as he deftly twisted midair.


    The surroundings blurred as they both fell, wind screeching around them fiercely. Ascalon’s eye darted as he adjusted his stance, their momentum guiding them toward another wall. As soon as they reached it, he planted his feet into it, and with a strong thrust—and a surge of resolve—he started to bounce upward on the vertical surfaces, steadily climbing with powerful but meticulous jumps.


    Lyra grabbed onto him tightly, closing her eyes in relief—trusting him wholeheartedly—as the wind roared around her and chunks of stone splintered and fell past—all caused by the shockwaves emitted by Ascalon’s ascent.


    Each of Ascalon’s leaps caused the stone walls to rattle, as he had to maintain a rhythmic momentum to be able to climb with ease. It was fortunate that the rocky surfaces were uneven, with protruding stones that helped him immensely.


    In a feat of heroic conviction, he managed to close the gap between them and safety in under a minute, their figures rising from the chasm with one last, overpowering jump. He glanced around as the air parted around him, focusing onto his friends’ presences to guide his momentum toward them.


    Both Lilithra and Selorien had reached a clearing, the path behind them having finally ceased its collapse. As they wiped some sweat off their foreheads, Ascalon landed with a resounding boom, a small distance away from them.


    “Whoa!” Lilithra jumped in place, startled by the sudden, thunderous arrival, while Selorien twitched slightly before letting out a deep, weary sigh.


    Ascalon slowly recomposed himself from the impact, dust and debris cascading around them, and examined the trembling girl in his arms before carefully setting her down on the floor. Even so, she didn’t let go of him, clinging onto him tightly as she trembled slightly.


    “We are back to safety, Lyra.” Ascalon reassured her, a gentle smile on his face. Lilithra and Selorien approached and patted Ascalon on the back, their relieved expressions making Ascalon feel proud of his actions.


    “T—thank you… I… I was so scared…!” Lyra let out a muffled voice, her face firmly pressed against Ascalon’s chest. He could feel the dampness of her tears soaking through his shirt, so, without hesitation, he hugged her caringly. She twitched in surprise under his warm gesture, being the first time he had actually embraced her, and relished on the sensation.


    “Ah! Me too!” Lilithra suddenly whined, breaking the quiet, gentle moment. She darted forward, playfully wrapping her arms around Lyra from behind and hugging her firmly. Lyra was briefly startled, while Ascalon chuckled at Lilithra’s fond gesture.


    Not one to miss a chance for mischievousness, Selorien joined in, throwing his arms around the group to hug them all. Despite the awkwardness, they enjoyed a brief respite, basking on the tender atmosphere. After a few moments, Selorien parted from them, satisfied, while Lyra slowly pried her face away from Ascalon’s chest.


    “Ah… t—thanks, everyone. I’m fine now.” She revealed with a shy grin, her cat ears twitching cutely as her arms loosened around Ascalon. He felt the lingering warmth as he nodded at her, relieved. Lilithra let go of her embrace and took a step back, letting Lyra some breathing room. With her smile widening, the Felinae sighed as she brushed her clothes, now all dusty and crumpled.


    “Ow… o—one second…” She said as she fiddled with her interface, her dress suddenly disappearing and being replaced with a white shirt and a pair of blue shorts. Soon, a small, blue jacket appeared over her shirt, unbuttoned as it wasn’t big enough to cover her chest. After a brief silence, she giggled awkwardly, prompting Lilithra to pat her head.


    “Whew, that was quite something…” Lilithra admitted, her cheeks reddening slightly in embarrassment. “We need to be more careful from now on!” She exclaimed with eagerness, her eyes burning with conviction. She glanced at Ascalon, and then clenched her fists.


    She didn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if Ascalon wasn’t there with them. While it wasn’t a bad thing, they relied too much on his presence—it wasn’t fair to him, nor to their growth as a Guild. They needed to get stronger! A sentiment that she had been repeating often. She sighed at her own thoughts, feeling slightly dejected, but soon composed herself.


    “Alright! Let’s move on once you’re ready, okay?” Lilithra addressed Lyra, who had produced a bottle of water from her inventory. Lyra nodded as she took a few sips, refreshing herself.


    “I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful!” Lyra stated enthusiastically, vanishing the bottle into her inventory. Even though she knew no one was blaming her, she felt the need to apologize somehow.


    But before anyone could say anything, a sharp screeching sound cut through the air. Ascalon was the first one to notice, glancing upward to see a familiar sight—wings flapping in the air, half-human aberrations circling the sky above.


    Harpies had arrived, most likely due to the loud crumbling of the pathway and Ascalon’s thunderous leaps. The rest tensed up as memories flashed in their minds, with Lilithra frowning as she recalled how helpless she had felt during their first encounter with such beasts.


    Selorien smirked as he produced his daggers from thin air, with his ragged reaper’s cloak adorning his chest and wavering under the strong winds. At the sight, Lyra timidly fiddled with her own interface, causing the grim, huge scythe to appear into her arms. She whimpered slightly under the weight and clutched the handle to her chest, but looked resolute and ready.


    The last one to prepare was Lilithra, her massive chimera halberd materializing in front of her. She grabbed it tight, wincing slightly as she raised it high, the banner’s cloth unfurling fiercely in the wind as her Guildmates frames glowed momentarily.


    “Be brave!” She commanded with a firm voice, before thrusting the blunt side of the weapon against the ground. The impact echoed with a resounding thud, reverberating through the cliffs and startling the screeching monsters above.


    With a proud, confident smile, Ascalon summoned his armament, patiently awaiting the leader’s command! The harpies'' shadows stretched and warped across the jagged peaks, the impending danger of their arrival fueling their resolve—it was time to fight some old enemies.