《Dungeon Tower Babel》


 01 Prologue

    The beautiful and boastful city of Agade. The city between two great rivers of Tigr and Eufr is a place of a certain wonder known as Babel. The Babel, otherwise known as The Dungeon Tower Bebel is a place of unknown origin. Some say that it was deities who opened this treasure trove to the common people others claim it is the work of great hero Gilgamesh.


    The reason and why was it popped exactly there is a mystery and not that important. What is important is that Babel brought great wealth to the city of Agade and with wealth came the people. It was not just humans seeking fortune and adventure but many other races as well.


    The clans of sand elves were there, the bestial nomads, the pious lizardfolk and many others flocked to the city of Agade. All of them mixed in this boiling pot of culture and diversity. The ''pot'' was boiling because it was never peaceful and calm. Diversity sounds nice and exotic, that is if you are looking for an odd meal, but it brought nothing but chaos.


    Yet still, the residents in Agade managed to coexists. That was because in Babel they needed each other. Different races had different skills to offer. The ones who wanted to excel at adventuring and go deep into the inner levels of the tower dungeon needed a mix of versatile skills. Variety of knowledge and out of the box thinking was paramount to the survival.


    So we start here with a boy living in Agade. His little story goes something like this:


    A boy whose mother was a high priestess, his father he knew not. He was brought into this word in a small city on banks of Eufr. His mother seared him in secret. She put the boy in a basket and set him to a river to be picked up by Akki, the drawer of water. Akki took him as his son and reared him. He appointed the boy as a gardener to the temple of Inanna. The boy grew and prospered both in mind and body. He grew rebellious and ambitious rushing forwards to fend for himself as an adult.


    A naive boy. Left behind his nice job as a gardener to become a dungeon dweller. Akki was sure the boy was making a mistake but let the boy do as he pleased. Akki wondered what did all this youth saw in this Dungeon Tower. Surely a stable life was better than the one full of risk and unknown. However, the youth had to make mistakes by themselves so that they can learn and wizen up with time. Akki just hoped that his boy will remain alive, well and a tad bit wiser from this misadventure.


    A foolish boy. Left everything behind and moved to live closer to the Babel. He had very few possessions. He had his clothes; a rough woollen skirt hanging to his knees which was tied by a belt. Also his weapon, all dungeon dwellers needed one. it was a copper coa; a type of versatile hoe which had a sharp rounded 300¡ã edge which could be used for both digging and cutting. Having a job provided him with stable income for a while so he had a small pouch of copper coins saved up just for this. The coins were known also as Shekels. The mentioned pouch was getting lighter with each passing day, He was yet to explore the Babel dungeon.


    The money was getting scarce and... well, a young man is defined not by his possessions but by one''s accomplishments in life. The boy was named Sargon and being on a brink of adulthood he had no achievements to boast of, not yet. That''s precisely why he decided to challenge Babel. He wanted to prove others and mostly to himself that he can be something more than just a gardener.


    After all, he was just too plain. Like most humans here he had black hair and brown eyes, he was of average build and had no hidden talents or anything like that. And he hated that, he wanted to be special, he wanted to be different, even better than others. He could not change the way he looked so he changed the stuff he did for his living. He changed his profession and his future. He was an adventurer now and the Babel was his workplace.


    Babel was a harsh dungeon, but it was rewarding for those who managed to go deep enough. The deeper down the floors he went the more reward he could claim. There were all sorts of stuff to take: rare herbs, metal ores, crystals, exotic animal parts you name it. However, the main income was the monster cores which adventurers extracted from various creatures inhabiting the dungeon.


    The cores could be exchanged directly to Shekels in the guild houses or used in various recipes; provided that the person knew them and had a skill to do it properly. Sargon was going after these cores for money.


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    Currently, he was in the Level 5 killing local critters. It was ants he was slicing in two, those were not the normal ants. They were the size of a small cat and would come in flocks of twenty or fifty at most. It was not hard to kill them, quite easy actually because they were poorly organized. It just took a lot of energy to finish them all. The risk was low so was the reward. The monster cores within the ants were at the size of the single wheat grain. So, he needed to dispatch a whole pack of them to receive a single Shekel.


    Beggars could not be choosers. He had to work his way down through the dungeon levels, it was a slow process. He did not want to rush things and risk his life, he needed better equipment before he could afford to take risks. So, he swung his coe and sliced the ants. He made sure that all the insects were dead so that he won''t be bothered and he could start extracting the cores. He had to work quickly because the laws in the Babel were slightly different than those in the outside world. The dead animals would disintegrate into the air quite quickly; becoming one with the dungeon again. But if a person took an effort to harvest their parts and store them close, they would remain intact. This applied not just to the core but whole animal too. Sargon worked hard cleaning the dungeon, getting rid of pesky insects. His pouch got heavier with monster cores by each passing hour.


    He was not alone, yet he was not a part of a group either. There were a few other newbies doing the same stuff he did. They would pass each other, bow down their head for a greeting and go on their way. This type of activity did not require a whole party, quite the opposite. The newbies worked alone and far away from each other so that they could maximize the number of insects they can slay and don''t interfere with each other.


    A well-kitted party passed by Sargon. He observed the party with awe, it was his goal to look and be like them in the near future. A short and stout man walked past him, he sported a glorious braided beard and was heavily armoured, on his shoulder he carried a menacing pickaxe. It was probably a dwarf, a very rare sight here in Agade, after all, there were no mountains in these plains. Sargon nodded his head in a greeting, so did the dwarf. Even if they were of a higher status, dungeon dwellers believed in treating each other with respect no matter the class, sex or race.


    Another member was a lizard-man. He was lightly armoured, it was a mix of leather and metal. He had no apparent weapons beside his claws which were plated in shiny metal. Sargon repeated the ritual of greeting. The other two were humans, male and female.


    The human male had armour with an exotic design, probably a work of elves. The silver metal protected only the left side of his body while the rest was left exposed. His left arm had a long-sleeved metal gauntlet and a small shield welded to it. For a weapon he had a spear, it was also silver in colour and decorated with a pattern which resembled a vine.


    The female was dressed in a tunic and a leather west. She had a bow on her back and a quiver of arrows on her right side. On her left side, she had a dagger, one could not only rely on ranged combat. Even if some of the floors were huge open spaces melee was still unavoidable here. The dungeon floors had many narrow spaces and corridors too. Sargon nodded politely to the woman.


    She just looked at him confused as she went past him. Sargon should have waved or said hi instead, not all women understood this nodding thing. It was done mostly between men. Nodding the head down was a greeting to neighbours, acquaintances and people in the same profession, while nodding up was reserved for close friends and family.


    The boy gazed at the adventurer party with wonder until they disappeared on the corner. He tough about his future. What sort of path and fighting style he should pursue. What sort of party he would like to have. All of this was still a dream, a fantasy but it was not that far.


    ¡°What I am waiting for. Those who take risks reap the fruits of victory!¡± He was tired of slicing mere ants.


    He held his coa tighter and rushed towards a staircase leading down another floor.

 02 Meaningful Encounter

    Sargon was swinging his weapon relentlessly. Droplets of sweat dripped from his forehead. It took him only an hour to realise that he had made an awful mistake and regret his decision. He had mouthed more than he could chew.


    The ants here, in the lower floor, were bigger, stronger and more numerous than in the floors above. However, the insects weren''t his biggest worry. The worst of things was that he was lost, he couldn''t find his way back to the staircase.


    The boy sliced the last ant in half and brushed his sweat-drenched forehead. He didn¡¯t even attempt to loot the monster bodies for cores. He had to time for that, instead, he moved forward in an attempt to find his way back to an upper floor. He somehow managed to deal with monsters here, but that would not last for long. After all, he lacked both the necessary stamina and equipment.


    Sargon sat down on a random boulder to rest. He rubbed his sore feet and arms, his muscles were aching from the strain. He knew hard labour, he was a gardener, but still, the stress of constant fighting had worn out his body and soul down.


    ¡°This is hard work. The pay is not that good either, whatever extra I earn I will have to spend on gear and other survival items. Why am I doing this again?¡± He questioned his decisions for the first time since coming here.


    The short rest was rudely interrupted by another swarm of insect monsters. There weren¡¯t many of them only about twenty, but each ant was the size of a small cat with a quite stubborn exoskeleton and powerful jaw pincers. If at least one of them latched their jaws on him, he would be as good as dead.


    ¡°Oh yes, I remember now. I am here to prove¡­ to prove that I can do this!¡± Sargon grasped the shaft of the coa in preparation to dispatch another swarm of annoying insects.


    Through sheer determination and the power of will, he did just so. Once again he had slain the monsters and continued his search.


    He didn''t know what time it was since there was no sun in the dungeon but his gurgling stomach told him it¡¯s time for dinner. The luck finally smiled at him, he found a good place just for that.


    He squeezed through a small hole in a dungeon wall leading to a small cavern. Numerous stalagmites and pillars filled the room but at first inspection, it was quiet and devoid of any monsters.


    ¡°This is a good spot. By the looks of it, there is only one way for the dungeon monsters to come through. I better watch it.¡±


    Sargon tough how better it would have been if he had someone with him. Preferably a rogue type character so that the trap or at least an alarm of sorts could be set by the only entrance to this room. He would need to find someone soon if not his progress will be limited significantly.


    He sat down on a flat ground, took his sack off and rummaged inside it. ¡°Here it is.¡± He pulled his dinner out of the sack.


    Then Sargon unwrapped the cloth revealing the food. It was round cookies speckled with amber crystals of caramel. It was more of a luxury dessert than a food, but still high in energy never the less; exactly what he needed. Normally he would not be able to afford such things but this was a gift from his childhood friend Lilith.


    He put a delicious cookie in his mouth and munched on greedily.


    ¡°This is the best!¡± Sargon exclaimed after washing it down with a mouthful of water from one of his flasks.


    *Crack* a noise rang from behind him.


    Sargon turned his head impulsively to check what it was. He was startled at first, after all, there should be no one else in this room; he checked it.


    He saw a dark figure standing in a shadow, their leg was still pressed at the discarded shell which had shattered and was the culprit of the noise.


    The boy grabbed his coa mistaking the dark figure for a monster. As soon as his fingers touched the handle he relaxed. He was acting on an instinct, after all, this was not a monster but clearly just another adventurer.


    ¡°Oh boy, you sure did startle me, ha ha.¡± Sargon let out an awkward laugh.


    ¡°¡­¡± The figure remained stiff and half-hidden in the shadows.


    ¡°I did not expect to see another adventurer here. You must be a rogue type that¡¯s why I did not notice you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The figure remained stiff and unmoving as if they were contemplating something.


    ¡°Where is your party? Are you alone too?¡± He asked.


    No reply.


    ¡°I see¡­ You must be a newbie too, your equipment says so.¡± or the lack of it, Sargon noticed.


    He no longer had fantasies of venturing deeper without a companion, and this was a good chance to make one.


    ¡°No need to be shy, come sit closer. I will even share my food with you. I even have some treats from the temple!¡± He was referring to the delicious cookies.


    ¡°Treats?¡±  They finally spoke. From the sound of the voice, they were a female. However, this still had to be confirmed since they remained in shadows.


    ¡°Yes, it''s kind of a special cookie. Usually only the wealthy would be able to afford this, but I have a good friend who gave me these free of charge. Want some?¡± He was trying to bribe his future companion. What was the best way to win favour if not a small bribe, he was a gardener but he knew how the world worked.


    The figure nodded and stepped out of the shadow.


    This was a female as Sargon have expected but yet he still gasped in surprise. The reason for that was her appearance and not because of the clothes or the lack of them but because of her racial features. She was not of a race he had seen before, and he thought he saw them all. She was neither a dwarf, elf, beastman or human she was something else entirely.


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    What he mistook for boots were actually hooves, and those fuzzy red trousers were not trousers at all but actual skin and fur. By the looks of it only her legs were covered in red fur, the rest of her was smooth red skin. She had sharp nails at the end of her each finger, which was definitely a form of natural weapon. Another natural weapon was her blue tail; the end of it had a sharp tip in the shape of a blade. The rest of her was hidden by a tattered cloak, her face included, only a set of blue horns peeked from the holes in the hood.


    Step by step she got closer to him and stopped within two arms reach from where he was sitting. Sargon stretched his arm offering one of the cookies.


    She leaned to take the food giving Sargon a chance to peek at her face which was no longer hidden by the hood.


    She had round plump lips above them was a narrow feminine nose. Her eyes were big and green, the pupils were catlike. Long curly eyelashes decorated her eyes and above them were fuzzy red eyebrows. Threads of long blue hair peeked just below the hood.


    While he was appreciating the beauty in front of him. The cookie was snatched from his hand.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sargon hummed unconsciously. She definitely looked different maybe even odd, yet in his opinion she was stunning.


    ¡°So good!¡± She exclaimed whilst still munching on a cookie.


    ¡°I know, right!¡± He finished his bite and washed it with water.


    Without them noticing there was only one cookie left laying on a piece of cloth. She looked at him with puppy-like eyes begging for it.


    ¡°Go ahead, It is yours.¡± He offered and regretted the same instant he said so.


    *Cough Cough* a sputter of cookie crumbs were expelled in the air.


    ¡°Yeah, they are sweet but a tad bit dry¡­¡± It was a cookie after all. ¡°It''s better if you drink it with milk, or water in my case. Milk spoils too quickly.¡± He looked around but could not see any of her equipment. ¡°Where is your stuff?¡± He asked.


    *Cough*


    Sargon offered his water flask hesitantly. He knew that some women would refuse such things, something about an indirect kiss and that sort of stuff.


    The water was taken from him cutting his pink thoughts short. She raised the flask and downed the entire contents of it. Then she brushed her lips with her arm and threw the flask back at Sargon.


    ¡°I don''t have any.¡± She replied to his previous question.


    ¡°What? That is a bit irresponsible. Even I came here prepared. How did you make past the first floors with no equipment?¡±


    ¡°Pure skill.¡± She said flatly.


    Sargon concluded that she must be way more experience than him. How else she would be able to do that?


    ¡°How about food?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I eat what I catch..¡± She said it as if it was a matter of fact.


    ¡°Makes sense, but does it not taste disquieting?¡± He knew that the monsters on the first floors were not exactly appetising.


    ¡°*nod* In lover floors... Taste is better.¡±


    ¡°You  have even been lower than this flour?¡± Sargon was surprised, she did not look like it. If what she says is true she is way more experienced than him.


    She nodded in response and asked, ¡°More cookies?¡±


    ¡°Nope, all finished. Do you belong to a party?¡± He asked expectantly. If he could partner up with her it would be a huge win for him.


    ¡°No. Always alone and...¡±


    Her sentence was interrupted by overjoyed boy ¡°Then can we partner up? It will be a lot easier together don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± She seemed deep in thought and even slightly startled by the question ¡°Unsure.¡±


    ¡°I will bring more cookies?¡± He offered jokingly.


    ¡°Deal¡±


    ¡°Ehh?!¡± Sargon could not believe it worked. ¡°Okay, but first¡­ how to say this. I am a bit lost, do you know a way back to the top floor?¡±


    She nodded and motioned him to follow with a swing of her tail.


    As the went through the floor current killing the small critters, Sargon had a chance to witness her battle skills. She was indeed skilled, she was able to slice two ants with her tail while he sliced just one in that time. Her tail blade seemed leagues sharper than his coe. She used her weapon masterfully as if it was a part of her, well actually, it was.


    ¡°Wow, now I understand why you do not have any other weapons. You are way better than me too.¡± He said somewhat dejectedly lowering his chin.


    All she did in response was put on a smirk.


    They kept going through the floor, killing the ants almost effortlessly until they reached the staircase leading to the exit. Sargon headed towards the surface, after a few steps he had to stop.


    ¡°You are not coming?¡± He asked.


    She shook her head sideways.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Can''t. Must remain here.¡± She replied with a tint of sadness and loneliness in her voice.


    ¡°¡­?¡± Sargon wanted to ask why, but he decided not to pry into something that was clearly a personal matter, after all, they have met only a few hours ago. ¡°Well, then where can I find you tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Same place?¡±


    ¡°Amm¡­¡± Sargon thought for a good minute. It was hard for him to go all the way down here alone but he did not want to admit his weakness to someone he found beautiful. ¡°Ok then. Oh, and what is your name again?¡± He did forget to ask after all.


    ¡°Demi-Ura.¡±


    ¡°I am Sargon. Then see you tomorrow afternoon, bye¡± He said waving her goodbye.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± She nodded in reply before running back deeper into the cave.

 03 They meet again

    Certain things happened and not one but two days have passed. Sargon woke up earlier than usual just to make sure that he will make back to the room, the one where he was supposed to meet Demi-Ura, in time. He hoped that she will be there, even though he was a full day late.


    He pushed through the first three dungeon levels, killing the ants only when necessary. He was in a rush but still he had to stop after the fights to collect the cores, otherwise it felt like a waste and he needed the money. He spent all of his last reward to purchase some more cookies. The damn things were godly delicious yet hellishly expensive.


    It was almost the afternoon or so he assumed, there was no sun in the dungeon so he had to guess. He was almost there, there was only a small swarm standing between him and the entrance of his destination.


    ¡°Begone ants, [Swipe]!¡± He used a skill he had obtained a couple of days ago.


    It was highly effective. Not one, not two but whole three ants were sliced in one motion. Sargon smiled to himself keen to show his new skill to his future companion. He applied his skill a few more times dispatching the rest of the ants quickly.


    ¡°Cores can wait. First thing first.¡± He decided to check if Demi-Ura was still camping in the room, he hoped she did.


    ¡°Demi-Ura, are you here?¡± His voice reverberated in the seemingly empty room, yet still, he was hopeful.


    And sure enough, a female silhouette stepped out of the shadows.


    ¡°Late!¡± She complained.


    Sargon was all smiles once she revealed herself ¡°Wow rogues are amazing, I couldn¡¯t see you at all. Oh, and about yesterday. Sorry, I am a day late. I could not make it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Demi tilted her head as if she was confused. ¡°A day?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ It is hard to tell the daytime here.¡± Saying that Sargon just realised that she might have not left the dungeon at all. She mentioned that she couldn¡¯t go outside with him, if so, there was no way for her to know the time at all.


    ¡°I just realised you might have stayed here waiting for me the entire time, for whole two days.¡± Sargon said somewhat apologetically, for sure he felt guilty.


    She nodded in response and hit the floor with her hoof ¡°Cookies?¡±. He had better have them, she was waiting for a reason.


    ¡°Yes, I got some. Well, only a few; darn things are expensive you know.¡±


    She stretched her palm forward and demanded ¡°Cookies!¡±


    Sargon pulled out the cloth containing the baked treats and shook the contents straight into her palm. Whole single cookie and another half-eaten one dropped into her palm. Demi-Ura looked at him judgingly.


    ¡°Only one?¡± She didn''t sound pleased at all.


    ¡°No, one and a half. I had two but I got slightly hungry while here.¡±


    ¡°Mhm *munch* *munch*¡±


    She ate the cookies without even saying a thank you. Sargon did not mind he was the one who made her wait for him after all, and he was still very happy that she did so.


    ¡°Water.¡± She asked stretching her arm.


    ¡°Give me a second. I have plenty of water at least. Unlike biscuits, it costs nothing after all ¡±He passed her his water flask. ¡°So, do you really have no survival gear after all? Did you lose it somehow?¡±


    If she did that would have made sense. Sargon had a hunch that she lost her equipment somewhere deeper in the dungeon and that this was the reason she couldn¡¯t leave the dungeon. He knew that equipment was expensive, if he lost his coa he would need to work for weeks to buy a new one.


    ¡°No gear. Easy to sneak.¡± She said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He was still unsure about the actual existence of her gear. ¡°It kind of makes since, you are a rogue after all.¡±


    ¡°Not rogue.¡± She corrected him.


    ¡°What I am pretty sure you were a rogue type. If not, in what do you specialise?¡± She definitely looked like a rogue type.


    ¡°Casting.¡±


    ¡°A mage?! You do not look like one at all¡± Sargon was genuinely surprised.


    Demi-Ura glared at Sargon.


    ¡°Sorry, I did not mean it in a bad way. Just that your melee skills are too good. You were even better than me the last time and I am a warrior.¡± He was not actually a warrior yet; he still needed more battle experience.


    ¡°Were better?¡± She asked squinting her eyes.


    ¡°Oh amm¡­¡± Sargon picked up that he somewhat was making her angry, or she was still angry about yesterday. ¡°well maybe you still are better than me, but I learned a new skill. Now I can kill three ants at once!¡± He boasted with a smile.


    ¡°Ohh? Show me.¡±


    And so he demonstrated on a newly spawned swarm of oversized ants. What followed was not a praise of his proves and skill but a displeased grunt and a competition of sorts.


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    The duo was slicing ant after ant and going further and deeper into the dungeon. They were keeping track of how many monsters each of them has killed. So far, the number was equal; 40 to 40.


    ¡°How about we call it a tie?¡± Sargon offered still unable to believe that she is actually a caster. She didn''t even cast a single spell the entire time.


    Demi-Ura nodded in response and wiped sweat from the brow into her cloak.


    ¡°Do you want to go back home? It must be getting late after all.¡± Sargon asked while harvesting the cores into his pouch. ¡°Which part of the city do you live?¡± He asked curious. There was no way she will spend another day camping here willingly.


    ¡°I live here.¡±


    ¡°What?! Like here in the labyrinth dungeon?¡±


    She made a typical nod she always does.


    ¡°No way! So how often do you go out to surface?¡±


    ¡°Never.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± He was flabbergasted.


    He stood there shocked with his mouth agape. Sargon was thinking about how she gets her food and other necessities. But then he remembered that she had mentioned about hunting and eating local monsters. So maybe she did actually live here and got all the necessities naturally from the dungeon, after all, she did not look like she had much even if she was more skilled than him.


    ¡°So like. How long have you been here?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡± She turned her head away from him. She did not feel comfortable answering that. She assumed he was asking for her age albeit in a roundabout way.


    It was time for Sargon to show that he was not just brawl and no brains. ¡°You know how dungeon floor changes its layout every fortnight or so?¡± This was a rhetorical question but she nodded anyways ¡°You can track time this way? So like, roughly how many times did it do so since you came here?¡±


    She did know that number and her actual age in fact. ¡°Over six hundred.¡±


    ¡°So that makes¡­¡± Sargon counted using his fingers for a good minute. ¡°About twenty-two years!¡±


    ¡°No! It is twenty-one¡± Demi-Ura glared at him again for making her seem older.


    ¡°Oh okay.¡± He noticed her standing with her arms crossed in an offended way. ¡°If you do not get out how about I buy you something you want? Using your share of cores that is?¡± He offered to mend the sour mood.


    ¡°Cores can buy stuff?¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t know?¡± Sargon learned and forgot way too quickly that she had never left the labyrinth dungeon. ¡°Cores are the reason why we adventurers venture here?¡±


    ¡°Not for skills?¡±


    ¡°Well, that too... but why do you think I, and other adventurers for that matter, collected the monster cores?¡±


    ¡°Trophies?¡± She said it more like a fact than a question, but her body language and turned head indicated that she was not so sure about it being a fact.


    ¡°Amm, you are not wrong, but not right either. Cores and certain parts are taken mostly to be sold for quick coin, Shekels¡±


    ¡°Useless metal bits?¡± she was fairly aware of it, she had found some of it before, but it served no practical purpose so she did not collect any.


    ¡°Yes, and no again! Not useless at all. They can buy stuff like cookies.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡± She spat in displeasure. If only she knew that those useless scraps of metal, or cores too, could be used to get cookies she would have hoarded them like there is no tomorrow. Twenty-one years of not picking them up were wasted. If he had to buy something with her share he collected it better be something useful.


    ¡°Buy cookies.¡±


    ¡°I will but¡­ but before that, where is the exit again?¡± The competition they had just minutes ago made him lose his sense of surroundings and direction. He could not navigate the dungeon at all without getting lost, it almost was like a labyrinth.


    ¡°Follow.¡± She motioned with her tail for Sargon to follow.


    He followed her from behind, his gaze captivated by the sway of her hips and the tail.


    She turned around quickly causing Sargon to jump as his dazed state was broken. He blushed in the realisation that he has been staring too long where he should have not. But surely there was no way Demi-Ura knew where he had been looking seconds ago. Or was it?


    ¡°Exit.¡± She motioned towards a narrow passage.


    ¡°Ah yes, thank you for today. Tomorrow the same place, yes?¡± He was keen to meet again. He was keen to know more about her, and if she really never left the dungeon, but everything on its own time.


    Sargon saw a familiar nod and a faint smile on her face for the first time. He had a feeling that their friendship just only began, even if he had to bribe his way in with cookies.

 04 Unfortunate encounter

    Sargon was able to make a lot of progress in the 4th floor, all due to his new party member. She was good at navigating the floor and swift in killing the monsters. These were the same looking ants but bigger and tougher than the ones he had encountered before.


    All might seem nice and dandy at first glance, but Sargon knew this was not the case. He thought so because as the things currently were, there was no teamwork at all. And this was definitely an issue. Well, not an issue for now but it will be in the future.


    Just as Sargon was thinking on those lines a [Warrior Ant] emerged out of the wall, leaving a human-sized hole behind. It was red in colour and was almost half the size of a cow. Its antlers dangled from its head, twitching and tasting the air. It felt an enemy nearby and responded to it by clattering its oversized mandibles. Those looked like they would be able to snap a fully armoured man in half.


    ¡°If we want to defeat it we have to work together.¡± Sargon suggested to Demi-Ura nervously. He did not feel confident at taking down such enemy; his arms trembled while clutching his weapon.


    His companion just simply nodded. Counter to the boy she appeared calm and collected, almost like it had been a hundredth time she had to face this particular enemy.


    ¡°[Confuse]¡± she voiced a command for her spell so that her party member knows what she does. At least she hoped that Sargon knew it, after all, he did not look particularly bright or well versed in magic.


    A cloud of wispy magic hit the ant in the head dazing it. Ant fluttered to its the side then it began biting towards smaller ants surrounding it. It looked as if it no longer could tell an enemy and ally apart.


    Sargon was momentarily surprised by the light show but he quickly collected himself and spoke to his companion ¡°So you are a caster after all!¡±. He did not sound calm at all.


    ¡°Attack it!¡± Demi-Ura urged Sargon to act before the spell fizzled out. He had a weapon with longer reach so it was safer for him to do that. Also, he was the one who was supposed to be the warrior type.


    She did not need to repeat it again; the boy charged at the [Warrior Ant] wielding his coa. He jabbed it right between the ant¡¯s eyes, pushing through the exoskeleton and slicing egg-sized brain in half. The natural armour of this ant was a lot weaker than one might suspect.


    The boy killed the oversized insect but his reckless charge left him surrounded by a swarm of smaller worker ants. Before he could dislodge his weapon and swat them all, one pesky worker got close and was just about to snap at his leg. He looked down in dread imagining his foot separated from his leg, surely this was what will happen in a second or so. He became drenched in cold sweat and braced for the pain. However, before he was dismembered, a black ball of energy hit the ant disintegrating it into the ash, not even the core was left behind.


    ¡°[Dark Blast]¡± Demi-Ura chanted another of her spells. This one was an offensive type and it clearly was too powerful to be used on the small ants. She wasted her mana to blow another ant before it could seriously injure Sargon.


    Seizing the opportunity, Sargon dislodged his weapon and sliced at the ants with his now signature move, [Swieep]. He killed three in one swift motion and another three in a span of few seconds, and then three more and¡­ Eventually, the floor was littered by the various parts of monster corpses.


    ¡°Hey, why did you not use that blast before? You can toast the little monster easily with it.¡± Sargon was genuinely interested why was she holding on something so useful, her magic was amazing.


    ¡°Too wasteful.¡±


    ¡°How about the big one? If you blasted its head, I would not have needed to charge at it. All of this could have been avoided.¡± Just as he said it he realised that it sounded as if he was blaming her, it was not his intention. Sargon knew that it was due to his inexperience why he almost became a cripple.


    ¡°You kill, you get experience.¡± She shrugged and continued in a mocking tone "You can handle it. No?¡±


    This was probably the longest sentence Sargon heard her say today.


    ¡°Sorry, you are right, it is me who needs more practise. I got careless and you saved me, thank you.¡±


    His honest thanks were met with a faint smile which immediately reverted back into Demi-Ura¡¯s default neutral face as she dismantled [Warrior Ant] looking for its core.


    ¡°Here.¡± She handed a pebble-sized core to Sargon.


    ¡°This one is bigger than the one from the smaller ants, I wonder how much it will fetch.¡±


    ¡°Bigger core, more cookies?¡± She already was spending it on food.


    ¡°They don¡¯t trade it for cookies but for normal money. I don''t know yet how many Shekels I will get for this one.¡± Sargon let out a sight, he refused to believe that she did not know how this worked he felt like was being teased.


    She looked at him twisting her head, clearly still waiting only for yes or no answer.


    ¡°Well, essentially... yes.¡± Or at least he hoped so. He was told that bigger cores are worth more, but the size was not everything. There were other cores which might be small but have some special properties.


    ¡°Good.¡± She said as she squeezed in the hole, the one that big ant made minutes ago.


    Sargon looked dumbfounded. It was surely dangerous to go somewhere where formidable monster crawled from.


    ¡°You coming?¡± A voice rang out of the hole in the wall.


    ¡°Is it not dangerous to go there? What if there are more [Warrior Ants] there?¡± He wanted to go and fish her out from the dark hole but hesitated.


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    A head popped out of the shadows in the hole and mocked Sargon ¡°Scared?¡±


    Sargon flushed red at what he took for being called a coward. His pride as a man was hurt, he did not like that a woman was braver than him.


    ¡°No! I am coming.¡± He squeezed inside the hole chasing fleeting figure of his companion. He did not want to be left behind. He convinced himself that she knew what she was doing; and that it was safe to do so.


    Mere minute navigating in the hole felt like an hour. The passage was pitch dark and cramped. A faint glimmering light illuminated the silhouette of his companion, they have reached the end of the tunnel.


    Sargon popped his head into the well-lit room. The usual crystals illuminated a big hall-like room. The room had many various sized holes in its wall, tunnels for ants. The middle of it had a pit full of eggs, ant eggs to be precise. Foetuses of developing ant larva were clearly visible through a thin leathery membrane.


    ¡°Where are no ants guarding the eggs?¡± He was surprised at the lack of active monsters, it was clearly their nest.


    ¡°Big ant was the guardian?¡± Demi-Ura said with a shrug and went to inspect the eggs without a worry on her face.


    Sargon looked around suspiciously just to be sure and did the same.


    ¡°Shall we collect them? They might be worth something.¡±


    Demi-Ura shook her head. ¡°Too much effort.¡±


    Sargon cupped his chin. What she said might have been right, there was no way to safely secure all of the eggs, and there were hundreds of them. The best he could do was maybe take two or three, besides, then he would need to protect it all the way until he made it back to the surface.


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± He asked for ideas.


    ¡°We smash!¡± His companion nodded with odd glee in her face and continued with her index finger raised as if teaching him a lesson ¡°Get experience.¡±


    ¡°Leave one. I think one egg will not encumber me too much, I am sure they are worth...¡±


    His sentence was interrupted by a wet squelching sound and a burst of eerie laughter. Demi-Ura didn''t wait for him to finish talking and it seemed that she was not listening at all; she was busy stomping on the eggs with her hooves and splattering the contents all over.


    It looked fun. Sargon did not want to miss out so he joined in. At first, he tried slicing yet to be born larva using the blade of his coa. It didn''t last because the edge got covered in sticky goo making the blade less effective. He couldn''t use the edge of his weapon so he used the flat, the face side, to slam the eggs making them burst.


    He slapped and slapped destroying dozens of eggs. It was harder than using the edge but it was his only option as he did not want to do it with his feet like Demi-Ura. His feet were not the same, he did not want to injure himself, and what if one of the larvae came alive and bit his toe¡­ he did not want to risk.


    All of the hard work got rewarded, after all. He felt a surge in his muscles as he slapped the egg making it literally explode into the spray of goo and grey larvae chunks. He has gained a skill [Slap], a superior version of a mundane attack. Sargon smiled being happy at his progressing as a warrior; a blunt attack skill was sure to come useful.


    The boy swung his coa to get the goo off and once done looked around to check, fearing that all of the eggs might have gotten smashed. He got into it too much, it was messy but quite too entertaining.


    Demi-Ura stood by the only intact egg giving Sargon a knowing look.


    "Got skill?¡±


    ¡°Yes! This beats manual training by leagues.¡± Sargon was aware that skills can be gained by training in the training grounds on dummies and the like but it was much faster if he did it on living things; they gave actual experience.


    ¡°Did you?¡± He asked her hoping that she got lucky too.


    ¡°No, diminished experience.¡±


    Sargon wondered if she meant that she no longer received anything by killing petty monsters. Well if she indeed lived in the Babel Dungeon for twenty-one years it made sense but¡­


    ¡°Then why you still did it if you get nothing?¡± she could have left them all for him.


    ¡°It is fun?¡± She asked it rhetorically and handed the last egg to Sargon.


    He took the egg into his arms and looked around trying to see past the darkness within various small holes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out before the ants show.¡± Sargon has remembered how risky it was to be here.


    As he made his way back to the tunnel they had come from, he slipped on the goo. Trying not to slam his head too hard he let go of the egg instinctively letting it fly in the air.


    His head and clothes were saved but the egg landed on a sharp rock and got pierced, leaking its contents on the stone floor.


    ¡°Dang it, here goes the last egg.¡± He cursed while trying to stand up.


    Just as he finished his sentence the ground rumbled causing dust and gravel fall from the ceiling. A large ant dropped down. It was black in colour and many times bigger than the one they mistook as protector of the eggs. This one was the true protector as it was the [Guardian Ant].


    Sargon looked at his new foe his eyes wide.


    ¡°Did we¡­ Is this an [Event]?¡±


    He had never encountered one here before but he had heard of those. An [Event] can be triggered if special conditions were met, calling a special room miniboss. This looked like it.


    Sargon swallowed audibly quite unsure what to do. This was beyond everything he had planned or prepared for.

 05 Childhood friend

    The giant ant turned towards the adventurers whilst letting out a high-pitched screech.


    ¡°Run!¡± Demi-Ura shouted at Sargon who was standing there frozen.


    Her voice was just enough to wake him from his shock. He turned around and ran towards already fleeing Demi-Uma. He has quickly caught up to her and grabbed her by her hand, locking the fingers. Sargon didn''t know why he did so but at that time it seemed something natural one might do.


    Just as they were about to enter their that hole in a wall, a wet green ball of sludge hit the right side of the wall; barely missing the two. The green stuff splashed from the wall and some droplets hit Sargon¡¯s exposed skin burning it; that stuff was acid.


    ¡°Ouch, it has ranged attack. Weren¡¯t ants supposed to be blind?¡± He complained and wondered maybe it was the reason why it missed him. Yet he was mistaken most of the ants could see just not very well.


    He had no time to think about such things as he was dragged inside the hole by his hand then guided through it all the way back to the tunnel entrance. They stopped there to catch their breath, the [Ant Guardian] was clearly too big to fit through and even if that monster started digging it would take some time.


    After a couple more gasps of air Sargon no longer felt as if he was still fleeing from death. He looked down at his hand which was still tightly holding Demi-Ura¡¯s hand. She did not seem too bothered about it but he suddenly felt embarrassed about it so he let the hand go.


    ¡°This was fun!¡± Demi-Ura exclaimed with glee.


    Sargon wanted to protest, this recklessness was not his definition of fun. However, he did not want to spoil her fun and said ¡°Yes¡± way too quietly. Then he brushed his sore skin, he had red patches on his arms and legs which felt like they were on fire.


    ¡°Know any healing magic?¡± Sargon asked fully aware how unrealistic his question was. She wouldn''t have had been with no party then he met her if that was the case.


    ¡°No.¡± the answer was an obvious one.


    ¡°Then I will need to go to the temple to get all healed up but¡­¡± But there was a problem. If he left now it would be hard to find her again. This was because the dungeon layout will be changing and their usual meeting spot will most likely be gone or too hard to find again.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She asked seeing Sargon hesitating.


    ¡°How will I find you tomorrow? Are you sure you can¡¯t come with me, just this one time?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t.¡± She sounded certain.


    ¡°Then how will I¡­¡±


    He could not finish his sentence as she cut him off with ¡°I will find you.¡±


    This sounded too convenient to be true and he once again doubted if she was a caster and not a rogue; maybe she was both.


    ¡°Okay then see you tomorrow.¡± He said waving goodbye.


    Demi-Ura pointed at the pouch to his side, the one with all the cores they have gathered today.


    ¡°Get cookies.¡±


    Sargon knew that most of the money will go to the temple for the healing he needed so badly but he didn''t want to disappoint her just yet. In response, he just smiled to her and rushed out of sight past the curve in the wall.


    He could have asked her to escort him up for a few floors but he opted not to do so. He was fully able to handle the weak monster by himself and he kind of felt embarrassed to be asking that sort of thing.


    It did not take long for him to get out and head straight to the guild house. His wounds were no better, it burned and itched at the same time and if he tried to scratch it only made the things worse.


    He exchanged the cores for Shekels and ran straight to the temple to get some healing.


    It was the same temple where he used to work as a gardener, so he was well acquittanced with the people there. There was a one person there in particular who he was very well acquittanced with, they were actually childhood friends.


    The person in question was priestess who dedicated her service to the water god, so she knew one or two healing spells. However, having a priestess as a friend didn''t make the healing free as the money went not to the priestesses but to the temple itself.


    He went looking for her and it did not take long to find her in a small library going through the old musky scrolls containing ancient wisdom and knowledge. The only item of clothing covering her modesty was a piece of white cloth fashioned into a sort of dress. White fabric barely contained her ample bosom which looked like it might spill out from the sides at any time, only the tight fitted cloth prevented it. Her sides and hips were left completely uncovered, the inner part of thighs was hidden by the rest of the fabric which dangled lose like a sort of skirt.


    Asides from her clothes, she was actually a member of reptile races, a lizardfolk to be precise. This meant that she had green scally skin which was either smooth or rough depending on the area. Atop of her lower back was a long thick tail which helped to improve her balance since differently than humans she actually walked on her toes and not the soles. Her already slim waist looked even more narrow thanks to her massive rump and thick legs. The tips of her toes and fingers had sharp and sturdy claws, a natural weapon of sorts. Her head was similar to that of a lizard but her big blue eyes and blonde hair closely resembled that of a human.


    ¡°Hello, Lilith.¡± Sargon interrupted the priestess reading.


    ¡°Sargon! I have missed you.¡± She turned around and made him feel uncomfortable by him pressing her body tightly to his, she was getting too close. ¡°How have you been?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Ouch¡± Sargon yelped, his wounds sore.


    ¡°You are injured!¡± She let the boy out of her embrace and inspected his wounds. ¡°I told you that Babel is a dangerous place. I knew this will happen¡±. She said as if scolding him, but her tone carried no hostility.


    ¡°Yes, yes. I know what I have signed for. Can you heal me, I have already plaid at the reception?¡± He showed a carved wooden token as proof even though he did not need to do so since she trusted him.


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    ¡°Sure, but while I do it tell me how did you get blistered so badly.¡± She put her hands on his wounds gently activating her healing spell. The blisters were shrinking and turning to normal skin, but it was slow and will take a lot of time.


    The two were in close proximity of each other and touching. He was getting healed, a normal treatment, but the closeness of their faces made Sargon slightly uncomfortable. He momentarily gazed at the sky blue eyes and then briefly went through today''s adventure.


    ¡°You smashed the baby eggs? Isn¡¯t that a bit too cruel?¡± She asked while frowning.


    ¡°Amm¡­ Yes. It¡¯s a part of being an adventurer, I guess.¡± He could not really find a good justification for his actions and just brushed it off.


    ¡°You know, you could have sold them instead, right?¡± Lilith said while looking at Sargon intently.


    He had a hunch that he should have.


    ¡°But at that time destroying them was a better option.¡± He reasoned. Not that he could have taken them all out to surface to sell anyway.


    ¡°At that time, maybe, but you need to look more into the future. You could have marked the nest¡¯s location and then gotten more adventures to help transport the eggs sharing the profit.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡± Somehow, he couldn¡¯t think of this at that time, but now it sounded like an obvious thing to do. Of course, at that moment, he failed to remember that the dungeon layout will be changing so that was not an option either. His eyes and the globes he was seeing were clouding his judgment.


    ¡°You took small immediate gain instead of big future one. I thought you are better than that and can plan ahead.¡±


    Sargon felt as if he was being lectured. He brushed it off as Lilith doing her thing out of habit as a temple priestess; she often lectured small children. Priestesses also took a role as teachers here. Temples hoarded various knowledge and priestesses were between the very small minority of people who could read and write.


    Lilith noticed that she had irritated Sargon so she changed the topic instead ¡°So how is your new companion?¡±


    ¡°She is very cool, albeit a bit antisocial.¡± He said while feeling up his arm which was completely healed, his legs were next.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ it is a she after all. You have forgotten to mention that it was a girl.¡±


    ¡°it wasn¡¯t important.¡±


    ¡°Really? Tell me more about her.¡± Lilith sounded irked by a fact that it was a female.


    She lowered her head and moved her hands to heal his legs. She was kneeling down and the type of her attire meant that she was in a precarious position. Sargon could see more of her bosom than he should have. As a man he did so; averting his gaze was not an option.


    The boy brushed the thoughts about her ever-growing chest and considered what he should tell about his partner. He did not know that much about her, to begin with. Demi-Ura was not the one who talked much, unlike certain someone.


    He told the little he knew and Lilith ¡®hmm¡¯ed and ¡®ahh¡¯ed as she listened. She clearly was pretending not to care too much about his partner but the fact that she was concentrating more on listening than healing proved otherwise.


    ¡°Very suspicious.¡± She concluded then Sargon finished. ¡°And it seems you are with her just because of convenience, are you not?¡±


    Sargon hatted to admit it but having Demi-Ura was definitely very convenient as she was more experienced and so much better at navigating the maze-like dungeon floors. However, he did not want it to be the case, he did not want their relationship to be just something convenient one might have. He wanted to form a bond certain parties would have, where they could die for each other.


    ¡°No. We are a proper party. It is just that we have formed up recently¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± Lilith finished healing the last of the blisters ¡°All done, feeling better?¡± She asked raising her chin and catching Sargon staring inappropriately.


    She smiled at catching him doing something like that. She was not angry about something stupid like that. Yet still, Sargon might have had a different idea as his head jerked and his face became tinted red; probably out of embarrassment.


    ¡°Y-Yes, thank you.¡± He met her eyes properly this time and continued ¡°Your skills are amazing. It would be brilliant to have someone like you in my party.¡± Sargon did not know why he said that so suddenly, probably out of being still flustered. He knew what he just has said was only wishful thinking.


    If Lilith wanted to change careers, she could have done so years ago. And even now she would be more than welcome to join a good and experienced team, there was no need to party with a newbie like himself.


    Instead of laughter or some sort of deflection, Sargon heard Lilith responding in a serious tone ¡°I will consider it.¡±


    ¡°Eh?! Really!¡±


    ¡°I would not mind joining your adventures. Also, I would be able to keep an eye on you making sure you don¡¯t hurt yourself likes this. Ever since you left the temple I don''t see you that often anymore¡­ It is not the same here. I don''t feel the same.¡± This was her way of telling him that she missed him.


    Sargon did not know how to respond. He wanted her to join his party but also he knew how much being a priestess meant for the Lilith. If she left, she would not be able to come back.


    ¡°Can you really do that? Forfeit being the priestess?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. That¡¯s why I''ve said that I will consider it. I will tell you once I know it.¡±


    Sargon sighted knowing how fickle and undeceive women can be, it could take decades until she gave him a clear answer. So instead Sargon changed the topic again and they have chatted for a bit more before he went back to his place.


    Once back he could not relax or get any rest at all. He pondered and mused how the hell he will find his companion again. And even if he does, how will he have to weasel his way of not bringing any cookies. He spent almost all of the Shekels on healing.


    He will have to do something about that tomorrow.

 06 Murder - it happens

    Sargon was wandering through the 4th dungeon floor. The layout has changed and he was completely lost, this however, did not stop him from getting a good number of cores. Although the cores were not the reason he came here today; he had to find his companion.


    He heard a group of adventurers approaching him from behind the corner, this was clear from all the clanging and clattering their equipment were making. The four adventurers seemed familiar; he had seen them before. They were clearly an advanced party and probably were coming out of the raid of sorts. Their rucksacks were full of loot and their armour and weapons were speckled with dirt and blood.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Sargon waved at the adventurers ¡°Did you happen to see a horned rogue type? She wears a grey cloak and uses her tail as a weapon?¡± He asked hoping that they had seen his companion.


    Instead of a polite reply, he has got shoved by a man¡¯s armoured shoulder, that man had only one side of his body clad in robust armour. ¡°Move!¡± The man shouted.


    Sargon looked confused at the elf walking behind the man, expecting some explanation for the behaviour he did not deserve. She just scoffed at him, so he lowered his head and moved away from the adventurers to not to get shoved again.


    ¡°Lad, if your partner did not get out yesterday¡­ They are good as dead. Happens a lot to newbies so be careful, alright.¡± The gruff sounding voice startled the boy.


    Sargon looked up at the one talking, it was the culprit of all the clanger ¨C a heavy armoured dwarf.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Sargon shouted out as a soldier would for no good reason.


    The dwarf patted his shoulder and moved along the path to the surface. Sargon patted the sore spot, the pat felt more like a blow and let a sigh out. ¡°There is no way she would perish so easily.¡±


    Demi-Ura mentioned of being accustomed to living in the dungeon so he was sure he will find her. He continued to walk along a path and took one of five branching paths at random. There was no point in considering which one to take since he was lost and it did not matter.


    As he went along a path he had scattered remains of dungeon ants which were rapidly dissolving into thin air. He followed a trail of carnage hoping to find someone. Another adventurer perhaps, so he could ask about his missing party member.


    After a few metres or so he saw a figure squatting in the shadows. By the looks of it, it was consuming the ant¡¯s flesh. Sargon grimaced in response. The ants could be eaten but their meat was foul and bitter, it was a starvation food.


    It took him a few more steps to recognise who that shady figure was.


    ¡°Demi-Ura, I have found you at last.¡± He said it in all smiles but then frowned again ¡°Why are you eating that?¡±


    She spat half chewed chunk of ant to ask ¡°Got cookies?¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡± No wonder she liked those so much if all she ate was foul flesh ¡°No.¡±


    She glared daggers at him for a moment but then went back to her normal neutral look.


    ¡°Thought so.¡± She said before resuming to slurp the flesh out of the ant¡¯s legs.


    ¡°I had to get healed and it was expensive, but you don¡¯t need to eat ants. I brought some food for both of us.¡±


    He pulled out a sack containing a generous amount of hard bread. There was a lot of it since it was a lot cheaper compared to luxury biscuits.


    ¡°Here.¡± He offered a portion to her.


    Instead of grabbing the food as Sargon would have expected she dropped two small pouches on the floor. One was small and made of leather, the other one was a tailored sack like the one he used to store monster cores.


    Sargon was surprised, he thought she did not have any equipment. And there was no way she had found it even if she had lost it, the dungeon layout changed after all. However, he did not think about it too much.


    ¡°What is inside these?¡± he asked all curious.


    ¡°Buy cookies.¡±


    He opened the leather pouch, it had some Shekels in it. The amount was not too much but enough to feed a person for a whole week. The other pouch had a good amount of monster cores.


    ¡°Is this the stuff you lost and somehow found?¡± He asked while double counting the coins. The value of coins was enough to buy a nice serving of sweets for Demi-Ura.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°So did you find it somewhere.¡±


    There was a short pause followed by ¡°¡­No¡± she did not sound very confident about her answer.


    ¡°You know what, it does not matter. I will buy cookies and some other food with that money tomorrow, but for today lets us work on our cooperation and teamplay skills.¡±


    He attached the leather pouch to his belt but handed the other one back to Demi-Ura. It was hers and he wasn¡¯t a mule to carry her burden.


    ¡°One more thing.¡± Demi-Ura pulled out a dagger from who knows where and was handing it to Sargon. ¡°For you.¡±


    It was a well-made dagger molded from one of the ores found in Babel. It even had some decorative carvings on both the handle and the blade. It was an image of coiling serpent.


    Sargon hesitated for a moment before taking the dagger. He thought that she would have a better use for it, but he did not want to be rude at refusing something which was clearly a gift.


    ¡°I¡­ I did not expect this and I don¡¯t really have anything for you.¡±


    ¡°You can buy it later. Lots of cookies.¡± She said with a nod and motioned to follow.


    Sargon strapped the dagger under his belt and ran to catch up with his companion. She was not waiting for him; so much for the teamwork.


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    ¡­


    The two were killing a swarm of ants. It had two warriors and two dozens of little workers. Sargon slapped the [Warrior Ant] with the flat of his coa stunning it while demiura used [Confuse] on another one to keep it away from Sargon.


    ¡°[Slice]¡± Sargon put his other skill to use to get rid of the small monster who tried to swarm him and his companion.


    He was fine, but a bunch of monsters slipped trough towards Demi-Ura. Sargon felt lucky that he didn¡¯t have to worry too much about her. Unlike most casters she can handle herself in melee.


    Sargon jabbed his dagger to the stunned ant¡¯s skull killing it instantly. He did not bother to retrieve his dagger and went straight for another [Ant Warrior] while it was still confused. He approached from a side and jabbed his blade to its neck separating the head. Apparently, they had a weakness, if he positioned his weapon right, he could cut their head easily by targeting their narrow necks.


    He turned around to help Demi-Ura with the smaller ants, but there was no need to do so. She took care of them by slashing at them with her tail. Sargon was more than happy to have someone like her with him. Not only she was more experienced and still formed a party, but she also was not too critical about his lack of skill.


    It was his job as a warrior to make sure that none of the monsters slipped past to attack a caster, and he failed at it. Demi-Ura did not scold him for that or look scornfully and he felt thankful for the understanding. However, if his companion was weaker all of this might have been a different story and Sargon was painfully aware of that.


    They harvested the cores and moved forward into one of many chambers within the dungeon. It was a dead end but there was something laying in the far end of it, or to be more precise ¨C someone. That someone was dead, laying next to what looked to be an impromptu campsite. Sargon approached carefully to inspect the body.


    It was a young lad, not too much different from him. The body had multiple sharp stabs at the back, the clothes and ground were died brown in dried blood. From what he could tell It looked very much like an ambush. Sargon concluded that the poor thing probably got lost when the dungeon changed and made a camp for the night only to stabbed in the back by one of the monsters. But then he realised that it seemed a bit odd because the body had no signs of being eaten and there weren''t any stabbing monsters in this flor, as far as he was aware.


    ¡°So sad, he was a newbie adventurer just like me. And by the looks of it, he had no party either.¡± Sargon remembered how dangerous it was to explore alone.


    He paused for a while to pay respects.


    ¡°Shall we take what he no longer needs?¡± He asked gauging Demi-Ura¡¯s reaction knowing that it may not sit well with her.


    ¡°No.¡± The answer was clear and short; her reaction was as neutral as ever.


    Sargon signed feeling a smidgeon of guilt of asking something like that but Demi-Ura was not finished.


    ¡°He has nothing anymore anyway.¡±


    ¡°How would you know? Do you have a skill or something like that to be able to tell?¡± Sargon wondered. ¡°And are you implying that it would be okay to take his belongings after all?¡±


    ¡°No skill but I know.¡± She shrugged and continued ¡°You can check yourself.¡±


    Sargon wondered if she changed her mind about corpse looting and it was her way of saying he can do it.


    ¡°Well, he won¡¯t be taking the money or cores to the afterlife so I am sure the fellow here does not mind.¡± He tried to justify his actions.


    He went through the clothes and the body but there was nothing on, absolutely nothing of worth. Almost as if everything was taken beforehand. Sargon scratched his head out of habit making his hair dirty.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the monster killed him.¡± He concluded whilst turning back to Demi-Ura.


    ¡°Why would you even think it was a monster?¡± An oddly cold voice responded to him.


    Sargon would rarely hear her say so much, she was unusually talkative today. A shiver ran down through Sargon¡¯s back. He didn''t like the idea of adventurers killing other adventures. However, he was not ignorant, he had heard of stories of such crimes. The crimes like these often went unsolved. The Dungeon Tower Babel was a dangerous place and not just because of the maze-like tunnels and monsters.


    ¡°I guess I wanted for it to be monster and not a fellow person.¡± He reasoned.


    ¡°People kill people.¡± Demi-Ura shrugged once again stating it as if it was just a part of her reality.


    Sargon remembered her claims of not ever leaving the dungeon.


    ¡°Did you see many dead people here?¡± He was curious. For him, it was his third time. The first two were just unlucky accidents much like this one but not in the dungeon.


    ¡°Hundreds¡­ More.¡±


    ¡°That many!¡± he got surprised. But then it made sense, she had been here for years. The next question he wanted to ask was if she had to kill someone. However, he didn''t because he did not feel ready to know that, especially if the answer was yes.


    Demi-Ura gave him her signature nod.


    ¡°Oh, I guess it is better if we don''t dwell on subjects like these too much. Come let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡±


    They went to a particular chamber and headed down the stairs leading to a lower floor.


    Without giving it too much thought Sargon reached the floor 5.

 07 Yet another encounter

    Sargon was carefully exploring the 5th floor and Demi-Ura was helping. Compared to the upper floors, floor 5 was even more maze-like. It vaguely resembled an ant¡¯s nest with multiple tunnels interlocking with each other. Some tunnels were big wide corridors while others were too small for a human to fit. An occasional pale mushroom sprouted here and there. The mushrooms could be harvested for food, but they tasted bitter and it took a while to make them edible by boiling.


    One of the tunnels led to a large chamber which gave off a smell of compost and fermenting leaves. The area was full of oversized mushrooms, the same kind he noticed before but they were even bigger and there were hundreds of them.


    He stopped to inspect a particularly large mushroom, its cap was huge, if he wanted, he could completely hide under it. He crouched under and did it so just for fun. However, it was not the time to play around. A swarm of ants approached them. The ants were here to harvest the shrooms. Some workers already had pieces of overgrown caps and shafts in their mandibles.


    The [Ant Warrior] clacked its jaw and wiggled its antenna smelling the enemies nearby. The swarm stirred and more of the ant warriors showed up; five in total.


    Nothing the duo could not handle, although the little but fat ants behind the warriors, unsettled Sargon. He hasn''t seen them before, it was a new enemy. They were green in colour and their ant butts were unusually large,0 making them look fat.


    ¡°Take cover.¡± Demi-Ura instructed as she ducked under a patch of large mushrooms.


    Sargon did not know what to expect from the green ants so he listened to her. He pulled a particularly large mushroom cap off its shaft and used it as a shield to hide behind.


    *Splat* *Splat* thick liquid splashed on his improvised shield. The cap started to smoke and fizzle.


    He peaked his head out to see what it was. He saw the small-fat ant spitting green substance towards him. He hid under his shield again but as soon as it received another glob of acid it broke in two. The acid was slowly dissolving it.


    Sargon rolled and ducked under another mushroom not get acid in his face.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± He asked Demi-Ura looking at the spot where she was crouching.


    Their eyes met but there was no response. Probably because she did not know either. She could blow the small ants with her magic [Dark blast] but big warrior ants were protecting them with their bodies.


    Sargon had an idea but it was risky.


    ¡°Confuse the [Ant Warriors], as many as you can. I will charge at them.¡±


    Demi-Ura nodded and cast the [Confuse] spell. Sargon didn''t know how long the spell will hold or even if she was able to sustain it on multiple foes but he took the risk regardless.


    He grabbed a different mushroom cap to use as a shield and launched himself in a sprint. As he ran, a dark glob of magic flew past his side hitting one of the big ants who has been standing guard. The acid splashed on his shield slowly eating at it. It crumbled and fell apart but he was almost there. Another dark projectile whizzed past, confusing another warrior ant. Sargon dropped down avoiding the blow of acid and slid past the confused ants, only two of the warriors reacted but they were too far to stop Sargon now.


    The green ants were within his weapon¡¯s reach and he didn''t wait for them to spit at him.


    ¡°[Slice]!¡± he used his skill to cut through three of them at once.


    Then he used the remainder of his momentum and rolled to avoid being splashed by acid. He followed up with a [Slice] two more times getting rid of the rest of the [Spitter Ants]; they were not particularly fast or nimble.


    The two warriors were approaching him rapidly and he knew that the other three will not be confused for long. Also, there was a swarm of [Worker Ants] he will have to deal with too. He did what he had planned but he forgot to plan for what comes after, he was in a pinch and about to be surrounded. There was only one thing left for him to do.


    To shout for help.


    ¡°Demi, help!¡± He had even shortened her name.


    ...And then to fight for his life.


    The [Ant Warrior] was dangerously close to him so he used [Slam] and hit it¡¯s head with as much force as he could. It did not kill, it only stunned the ant. Then, just in time, he turned to jab at another ant. He was in a rush and could not aim properly so all he did was injure it on its side. This gave him a few so much needed seconds to dodge ant''s attack.


    He looked to his side checking on other warrior ants. The confuse effect wore off and one of the ants was charging towards Demi-Ura. The remaining two, even without the [Confuse], continued fighting each other.


    By the looks of it, he will not get any help soon; Demi-Ura had her own pest problem to solve. Or so he thought.


    ¡°[Dark Blast]¡± She chanted while stretching one of her palms towards the charging ant.


    A dark projectile formed in the middle of her palm and then shot straight to the ant hitting its head. The head exploded sending pieces of its exoskeleton in the air.


    ¡°Coming!¡± She exclaimed while running towards him.


    Sargon got awestruck for a second or two. He did not expect someone belonging to a caster class to put herself so willingly in a melee, but then again she was not a normal caster. He stabbed at the already injured ant properly this time and split its head in half. This wedged in his weapon, he was unable to pull it out. Once again it was not an end to his bad luck as the ant behind him tackled him to the ground.


    He found himself pinned under it. The [Warrior Ant] lowered itself to bite off his head. Sargon was not the one to give up so easily and simply resign to death. He grabbed his dagger and shoved it the ant''s torso as the ant lowered itself. He kneeled at the dagger wedging it even deeper. The blade hit something important and killed the ant, its body slumped on Sargon pinning him.


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    The boy was alive but not for long. A swarm of [Ant Workers] were making their way towards him. They would not pose much of a challenge as he had slain hundreds of them already; but now he could not move and was unarmed.


    ¡°Help!¡± He shouted once again and desperately.


    ¡°Safe.¡± His saviour took a position next to him.


    ¡°Blast them before they come!¡± He didn''t feel safe or saved yet.


    ¡°No mana.¡± Demi-Ura said while shaking her head.


    She lowered her shoulders and shifted the weight of her body getting ready for the ants. The ants swarmed her but she stabbed at them with her tail killing them before they could reach Sargon.


    One by one the entire swarm was rendered dead. The mushroom forest got quiet and peaceful once again.


    ¡°Safe?¡± Sargon asked to be sure, he did not want any bad surprises.


    Demi-Ura nodded affirming that it was over. The other two warriors were still wrestling each other, uninterested about the Sargon and Demi-Ura.


    Sargon squirmed once more trying to get the dead ant off him. The ant was heavier than he thought it was, he could not escape. Demi-Ura grabbed the ant''s side and tried to lift it up. Her arm muscles tensed up and her arms trembled slightly.


    ¡°Too weak.¡± She said somewhat disappointed in herself.


    Sargon was thinking desperately. They could cut the ant into pieces and free him, but this would take too much effort and time. Who knew when another swarm will show up?


    He looked at her beggingly for ideas, but none came. He looked again, this time concentrating more on her toned figure, he was inspecting her body.


    Her arms might not be particularly strong but her legs were a different story. She had wide hips and muscular thighs. Her lower body strength was definitely higher than even his.


    ¡°Try pushing it with legs?¡± He offered.


    His companion gave him her signature nod and sat beside his head. Sargon got flustered by her positional choice for a moment, but then it made sense. This was the best position to start lifting if he wanted to get out.


    Demi-Ura bent her knees pressed her hooves on the ant¡¯s carapace and pushed. At that time Sargon saw more than he should since her butt was just to the side of him. Apparently, she had no undergarments under that cloak.


    He did not have much time to think about such things because the dead body pinning him started to move. It moved only a few inches up but it was enough for Sargon to slide free.


    Once he got himself out, he patted on Demi-Ura¡¯s shoulder surprising her.


    ¡°Thanks, you saved my life. I owe you.¡± He really did.


    ¡°No problem.¡± Demi-Ura pointed at the dead monster and asked ¡°Dagger?¡±


    He forgot that he had left it embedded in ant''s belly. To get t it hey had to turn the ant over, but it was a lot easier with the two of them, also they used his coa as a leaver to help to topple the monster.


    Then they collected the cores from the dead ants. The winner of ant wrestling competition, the ant which fought another ant, was rewarded with swift death and its core was harvested too.


    Sargon tried to harvest the acid glands from the spitters, those could be sold for good coin. It proved to be more challenging than he thought. Some of the glands were already damaged and he accidentally pierced some while harvesting it, rendering it useless. He managed to secure only free acid glands. He put them in his bag to be sold or used later.


    The quiet mushroom forest became noisy again. It was not them or another swarm of the ants. It was the noise of shouting and clanging weapons; it was another party of adventurers.


    Sargon got curious and headed towards the sound to investigate. The sound of battle got stronger and stronger and finally, he was close enough to see the cause of it.


    An adventurer party of four were engaging the ant monsters, a swarm of [Warrior Ants] and [Spitter ants]. The adventurers were human, two males and two females, all still teenagers.


    There was a brown-skinned boy with long dark hair. He had a spear, wooden buckler and leather vest for protection.


    Another man wielded a fine cutlass for a weapon. He was well armoured, his body was covered in insect-like armour. His chest was protected by a piece of ant¡¯s carapace, his arms had mandibles formed into armbraces and pauldrons, his knees and shins had a similar style of armour.


    One woman had short black hair; a bandanna decorated her forehead. She wore a leather vest and a tunic underneath. She had well-made leather boots. On her shoulder was a quiver full of crude arrows, arrows she probably had made herself. In her hands she clutched old and weathered bow, it had scratches here and there but by the looks, it did its job well.


    The last party member was a foreigner woman. Her skin was pale and she had slanted eyes. Her black hair was tied in a bun and had a stick stuck in them. She wore an expensive looking dress which looked like it was made out of silk. For a weapon, she had a staff with a round bauble and multiple rings on top. She didn''t use it offensively at all because she was in a support class. Probably a healer of sorts.


    Sargon headed towards the group past the oversized shrooms. He wanted to give them a hand since it didn''t look like they will be able to keep it together for long; there were just too many ants.


    Just before he could make it out of the mushrooms a hand stopped him, it was Demi-Ura. Sargon looked at her confused.


    ¡°No... Watch.¡± She said pulling him back in shadows

 08 The party gets bigger

    Sargon was watching the battle in front of him unfold. The party of four was managing it, but just barely. The heavy armoured warrior was pulling all the damage towards himself letting his armour absorb it. Meanwhile, the spear-wielding boy was sidestepping busy [Warrior Ants] and stabbing at their sides with his spear.


    The ranger dispatched the spitters using her arrows while the support produced some sort of barrier which contained the acid projectiles, at least to some extent. It appeared that she could take care only of one projectile at a time, taking a few seconds to blow or force the acid globs to fall on the ground prematurely.


    One of the acid globs made past the sabre wielding warrior, barely missing the blocking swing of his armoured arm. Not only he was keeping the ants busy, but he also was countering acid projectiles too. The glob continued flying towards the support and the rogue. Support diffused the current acid glob she was working on and then directed her attention at the one which made past their warrior.


    However, it was half a second too late. The acid hit the side of the ranger¡¯s head; she was too busy shooting at the warrior ant, which attacked their spear warrior, to notice. Ranger tried to save her companion but looking away from green ants was a mistake for which she will suffer dearly.


    She screamed as her skin started to melt away leaking liquified flesh. The acid was extremely potent, eating at everything with ease. She continued to trash and scream for a few more seconds and then stopped abruptly. It found its way to her brain through her ear canal. Not even a minute passed and she was dead.


    Sargon gasped at grim sight wanting to rush and try to offer help for the injured girl, he did not realise that there was nothing he could do. He still was unable to go, the hand on his shoulder stopped him from doing that.


    He didn''t know why but Demi-Ura was putting a lot of force in her hand. Whatever it was, she had her reasons and Sargon didn''t try to force his way out.


    The things looked like it will turn from bad to worse at any minute. However, because of luck or the sheer power of will, the adventurers took out all of the ants without any more casualties.


    Instead of celebrating or mourning the fallen compaction the adventurers started to bicker between each other. The biggest part of it was not whose fault it was but how should they split the loot. What shocked Sargon the most was that they could not agree who takes what from their recently deceased party member. They were like vultures fighting over the dead body.


    ¡°I will take her boots you can have the cores she has.¡± A spear warrior said.


    ¡°That is not fair. Do they even fit you? I want the boots too!¡± A woman disagreed with him.


    ¡°How about we sell the boots later and split the profit. You can take her vest instead since he already has one.¡± A heavy armoured man offered.


    ¡°How about the bow? It is useless to me. As a support, you could learn to use it?¡±


    ¡°Not happening. And If I took the bow, I know you would decrease my share of monster cores.¡±


    Sargon gave a look at Demi-Ura who was nodding in agreement or shaking her head while the adventurers were talking.


    They continued to argue until more or less everything was agreed. The body was stripped almost naked and everything of value shared between the trio.


    The grip on Sargon¡¯s shoulder loosened and regardless of what he saw he decided to approach the adventures. He did so slowly and made sure he was loud enough so he didn''t spook them.


    ¡°


    An adventurer. Hi!¡± A spear warrior greeted Sargon with a smile.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Sargon said while getting a better look at the gruesome sight of what was left of the woman with a partially dissolved head.


    ¡°Oh her¡­ No need to worry. Just another casualty in the dungeon. She got careless and got hit by acid. There was nothing we could do.¡±


    ¡°I guess so. Do you know this floor well?¡± Sargon asked trying to steer away from the conversation from the grim topic.


    ¡°It changed recently, you should know, but you are in luck. We know what to expect from it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Like what?¡±


    ¡°Well, I would not tell you but¡­ But since we lost one of our party members why don¡¯t you join us and I will tell you all about it.¡±


    After everything Sargon had seen he was not so sure he wanted to join them. The spear warrior noticed his hesitation and continued.


    ¡°There usually is an ant nest nearby the mushroom forest and it is full of ant nectar. That stuff tastes good and sells well, I am sure you heard of it. We did a raid on it three times already. We know what we are doing and what to look out for.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this? Won¡¯t I just lessen the amount of loot you get?¡± Sargon was skeptical about it.


    ¡°What? No! There is more stuff than all of us could carry, believe me. It would take at least two dozens of us to empty it. We need you for numbers, the nests tend to be guarded by [Armoured Ant]. That one is a tough cookie to crack.¡±


    ¡°Cookie?¡± Demi-Ura appeared out of shadows slightly startling the trio.


    ¡°My companion.¡± Sargon smiled at their sudden reactions.


    The spear-warrior looked at Demi-Ura and turned back to Sargon. The warrior¡¯s face had a frown of dissatisfaction for some reason.


    ¡°A demi-human¡­ I guess he can join too.¡± He did not sound too pleased and misjudged her gender completely.


    Sargon had mixed feelings now. The warrior¡¯s reaction to Demi-Ura caused some concern. It shouldn''t be so if they needed numbers. He was just about to decline the offer but...


    ¡°We will join.¡± Demi-Ura accepted the offer before Sargon could decline.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He whispered towards her.


    She nodded, Sargon stared at her slightly confused so she nodded again to affirm him.


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    ¡°Amm, lead the way.¡± Sargon said with a shrug.


    ¡°Good, good. I am glad you joined¡± spear-warrior put a fake smile.


    ¡°You are newbies like we were a week ago. But you will learn quickly.¡± Armoured warrior said.


    Sargon smiled back at him, a week was not that much. The trio was almost as new as he was, all they had was better equipment and a bigger count of dead companions that¡¯s it.


    ¡°The insect armour fellow, Wasi, he is a warrior type who draws the attacks. I often support him in melee combat, name Nirah by the way. Lee here is our healer.¡± He finished pointing at exotic looking woman.


    ¡°I can cast a few defensive spells and barriers.¡± Lee said in a thick accent.


    Sargon knew their roles already from watching them while he was hidden, but they didn''t need to know that.


    ¡°As you can guess I am a melee type too. I can support Wasi and make sure enemies don''t attack our caster and support. Demi-Ura, by the way, is a caster.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I thought he is a rogue.¡± Nirah sounded surprised.


    ¡°Not a he, she. She is a female.¡± Sargon corrected him unwilling to let the misunderstanding slide as no one corrected Nirah. Didn''t the rest of Nirah''s party want to object him or were confused about her gender too?


    Demi-Ura didn''t have much in the chest department but her hips and legs were definitely feminine, not to mention her womanly voice which sounded light and smooth.


    ¡°Oh sorry. She did sound kind of feminine but you can never be sure with demihumans, especially if they are still children.¡±


    ¡°Not a child!¡± Demi-Ura interjected.


    ¡°Sorry, Sorry. I didn''t mean like that. Look I will come out straight. I have never interacted with demihumans much before so excuse my ignorance. I meant no offence, let¡¯s work together.¡±


    Demi-Ura gave him a nod.


    ¡°Let''s get moving.¡± Wasi urged the group.


    The newly formed party made their way out of the mushroom forest towards the tunnels. Nirah was leading their way from a tunnel to a tunnel. He appeared to know where he was taking them.


    Sargon kept an eye on everyone including Demi-Ura who decided to keep a good distance from everyone. If one looked from a side, for them it would appear that Demi-Ura did not belong in the party and was merely stalking it. Sargon didn''t mind it too much since he knew she is shy and slightly antisocial.


    ¡°Should be close.¡± Nirah informed the party members. ¡°Actually it''s here.¡± He corrected himself pointing at one of the tunnels.


    Sargon squinted to see better, the lighting was not the best. Midway in the tunnel, he could see a massive ant guarding it.


    ¡°[Guardian Ant]?¡± He asked fearing it might be something he had encountered before.


    ¡°No, I told you it is [Armoured Ant]? How does [Guardian Ant] even look like? Must be one of the noob monsters we skipped.¡± Nirah clarified.


    ¡°Can¡¯t fight it in the tunnel. I will lure it out then you two take it from the sides.¡± Wasi told Sargon their usual strategy.


    ¡°We had a ranger to blind the ant but¡­ You know. Maybe your mage can do something?¡± Nirah asked Sargon instead of asking Demi-Ura directly.


    ¡°She can cast confuse on it. But if it is an advanced monster it might not work.¡±


    ¡°It should have some effect regardless.¡± It was Lee this time. She usually stayed quiet and participated in conversation only then she had to say something.


    ¡°Okay, I am going. Ooooooo!¡± Wasi shouted as he charged inside the tunnel.


    There was some clattering and more shouting but shortly after Wasi came running out of the tunnel with [Armoured Ant] in tow.


    As soon as the ant popped its head Demi-Ura cast [Confuse] on the ant and did her best to sustain the spell. It did not render the ant harmless but made it a lot slower.


    The heavy armoured warrior turned around with a jump and slammed his sabre on one of the mandibles keeping the ant¡¯s attention on himself.


    Sargon like Wasi jabbed at the monster from the sides. Sargon¡¯s coa hit the exoskeleton and bounced off leaving only a minor scratch.


    ¡°It is called [Armoured Ant] for a reason. Look for a weak spot.¡±  Lee tried to help.


    ¡°Aim for the joints.¡±Nirah further clarified knowing that Sargon probably would be able to tell where the weak spots were.


    Sargon did just so, swinging his weapon at the joins of one of the legs. There was no armour there and he was able to dismember the and easily. The hard part was finding a good position and time to strike. If he missed only by an inch his weapon would just bounce off and get chipped.


    He slashed at another leg but was unable to slice through the joint completely as it moved. Meanwhile, Nirah was doing a good job and was able to take two legs off. The ant swayed to the front unable to keep the balance. Sargon used the opportunity to get closer behinds ant¡¯s neck and jabbed his coa in between the armour while taking a good aim.


    The blade connected and he pushed harder separating the head from its body.


    ¡°WOW! How did that happen?¡± Wasi asked surprised.


    ¡°One of the week spots, no?¡± Sargon looked at Nirah.


    ¡°Did not know about that one.¡±


    Sargon smiled. Nirah probably had at least a week¡¯s worth of experience ahead of him, but there still were things which Sargon knew and Nirah didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get the loot then.¡± Wasi motioned for the others to follow as he went deeper into the tunnel.


    Sargon could not believe this was it. It was almost too easy. But then again, there were five of them now.


    ¡°How about the core?¡± He asked as everyone passed the ant uninterested.


    ¡°You will break your weapon before you get it out.¡± Lee told him.


    ¡°We tried it. The effort is not worth it.¡±


    Sargon gave the dead ant a second glance and followed the rest of the party, Demi-Ura was just behind him. He was ready for whatever comes next, may it be the promised loot or another ant type monster. He didn''t trust this party at the beginning but it seemed that everything will be fine.

 09 Bad things do happen

    Sargon rushed past the tunnel into a large chamber. The chamber wall and floors were lined up with peculiar insects. Their heads were minuscule compared to their bloated bodies. Their torsos were full of ant nectar. These ants belonged to [NectarPot Ant] type monsters; their sole purpose was to store sweet nectar. Ants would produce it while digesting mushrooms and other matter. There were hundreds of them within the chamber.


    ¡°This is it.¡± Nirah gestured with his hand towards their loot.


    The [NectarPot Ants] were the size of a large pumpkin and at best each of them could carry only three.


    ¡°How do we do this?¡± Sargon asked.


    ¡°They are immobile and harmless. Kill them by cutting at their torso so they can¡¯t signal to other ants and then collect the nectar pot.¡±


    Sargon did as instructed. As soon as he cut ant¡¯s upper torso, separating it from the bulbous bit, a fountain of nectar squirted at his face.


    ¡°Tie it so it doesn''t leek¡± Lee advised.


    Sargon licked his face tasting the nectar, it was very sweet. Then he tied a piece of thin rope around the end of bulbous torso stopping the flow of nectar. He did the same to other two ants, stored one in his rucksack and the other two under his armpits.


    Others did the same, taking two or three [NectarPot Ants] with them before leaving the chamber. All they had to do now was find their way back and sell it.


    The party navigated through narrow tunnels and then past the mushroom forest.


    Demi-Ura carried her load and just like before remained a dozen metres behind the others; carefully observing her surroundings. She tried not to step on sticky droplets of nectar others have left. The nectar containers everyone carried would drip some of it even if it was tied with a rope. She kept her pair of nectar pots as far away from her body as possible. Her lower legs had fuzzy red fur and she did not want to get it sticky, others did not have such reservations.


    They were lucky not to get attacked by ants again and were close to the tunnel leading back to the fourth floor. A loud growling sound echoed through a narrow passage.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Sargon asked Nirah.


    The spear warrior just shrugged in return before hurrying his pace.


    ¡°Not good. Stop!¡± Demi-Ura voiced her concerns urging others to stop.


    Another growl reverberated through tunnel walls.


    Nirah and his party ran towards the exit while Demi-Ura practically froze in her spot. Sargon was lost for a second thinking what he wants to do, run after Nirah or check on his partner. He rushed back to Demi-Ura to check on her, even though he believed that running back to the fourth floor was a better option.


    ¡°The sound. In front of us!¡± Demi-Ura shouted dropping the ant bodies and pointing.


    Sargon turned just in time to see a monster jumping out from one of the branching tunnels and ambushing the rest of the party. The monster was different from the usual monster here on the fifth floor. It was an oversized badger, its size similar to the [Armoured Ant] they had killed. Its thick coat was striped in black and grey colours. Three white stripes ran along its head which had not two but four black beady eyes.  Its front legs were more muscular than the rear ones. The dagger long claws adorned its paws, the claws had a peculiar shine to them as if they were clad in some sort of metal.


    The badger monster jumped between Wasi and Nirah, separating the two. Nirah, Lee and the rest was behind the monster while Wasi was in front.


    The overgrown badger sniffed the air smelling the sweet nectar and jumped on Wasi leaving its back exposed. Badger bit at the arm carrying the corpse of [HoneyPot Ant]. Then it swallowed the nectar pot and half of the arm in one swift chomp.


    Wasi used his right to slice at the badger with his sabre while Nirah stabbed at the badger from behind. However, the monster''s hide was tougher than the two thought it was, their weapons failed to do any serious damage. All they did was infuriate it even more.


    ¡°I am coming!¡± Lee shouted dropping her nectar pots and ran towards the two. She was the healer and had to help Wasi before he bled out.


    The badger ignored Nirah and sliced at Wasi with its claws. The steel-like claw cut past the armour like a hot knife through butter, gutting the heavy armoured warrior.


    Nirah turned around to look at approaching Lee with horror in his eyes.


    ¡°NO! Run back.¡± He grabbed Lee by her arm and pulled her back.


    Sargon too was rushing to help the two.


    The badger ate all the nectar pots Wasi had and turned around to pursue the rest of it.


    At that moment a dark projectile whizzed past Sargon, and then past Nirah and Lee, hitting the badger straight on the forehead. All it did was to singe its fur slightly and that''s it; the badger continued chasing the party.


    Sargon caught up to Nirah and Lee, he was ready to engage the charging badger.


    ¡°Wasi? How is he?¡± Sargon asked them as the two passed him.


    ¡°Dead! Run!¡± Nirah shouted while running at full speed away from the badger.


    Two bloated and full of nectar ant corpses flew past the group and towards the badger.


    ¡°Run you fool!¡± Demi-Ura Shouted while grabbing Sargon from behind.


    The badger was about to tackle him but was distracted by the sweet smell of nectar pots; it chose to eat those first.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Sargon wanted to protest. He didn''t want to do nothing while another person has been dying in front of him; he believed Wasi could still be saved.


    However, there was nothing he could do, at least not alone. Demi-Ura pushed him by his shoulder and they ran as fast and as far away from the badger as they could, leaving the ants they have gathered behind.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    They caught up with the other two and continued to run until they were completely out of breath.


    ¡°It should be safe now.¡± Nirah said in-between his breaths.


    ¡°I think it was after the nectar.¡± Sargon finally was able to put one and two together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you say.¡± Demi-Ura bit back bitterly. She was still unhappy about the turn of events.


    ¡°We are completely lost.¡± Lee said the obvious as she was looking around.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you say.¡± Demi-Ura snapped at Lee this time.


    ¡°Let us rest and we will think of what to do next.¡± Nirah tried to calm everyone down. He was just as shaken as the others but he was the leather here and had to act like one.


    Everyone agreed as there was no better option. They sat down in one of many small rooms scattered across the dungeon. It was very cramped for the four but it was better than staying in even more narrow tunnels.


    They talked it out and mutually agreed that running back to the floor exit was not an option. The badger could still be there or nearby. They have also concluded that the badger monster was too strong for this floor. It should not have been there at all, it was an oddity. However, such things happened and sometimes strong monsters wandered from lower floors to upper ones, especially if something had attracted them.


    The party decided to stay in the Labyrinth for a day or two. By that time the badger would either go somewhere else or be slain by a stronger party.


    ¡­


    Everyone was sleeping except for Niraj, he was keeping watch, or at least he was supposed to. Instead of watching the only entrance leading to their campsite he was leaning over Lee, who was in a deep sleep. He crouched closer to her and looked at her sleeping face.


    ¡°Wasi is no longer here so this is my chance.¡± Nirah whispered to himself and crawled atop of Lee putting her in between his legs. He was careful not to wake her.


    Nirah¡¯s hand slid under Lee¡¯s dress caressing her smooth skin and moving towards her chests. He squeezed her delicate bosom coping up a good feel. Lee stirred in her sleep before waking up.


    She was about to jump in panic and shout for help but Nirah stopped her with his body, he pressed his other arm to her mouth preventing her from screaming.


    ¡°Calm down, it is me.¡± Nirah whispered to her ear.


    Lee continued to struggle, she did not like this one bit.


    ¡°Tsh¡­¡± Nirah clicked his tongue. ¡°Just relax. Wasi is not here to look after you anymore. Let me take care of you now, Ok?¡±


    He pressed his body closer and continued to assault Lee. His hand moved away from her breasts all the way down in between her thighs.


    Lee twisted her neck away from his pressing hand and bit on one of his fingers.


    ¡°Auch!¡± He pulled his hand freeing his finger from sharp teeth. ¡°Feisty, aren¡¯t you. I like it when you struggle.¡± He grabbed her neck and choked her before she could shout out anything. He trusted his other hand jabbing his fingers deep inside her.


    Lee stirred in pain, her eyes tiered up and she tried to scream but couldn¡¯t. However, she will not be had so easily. She had a dagger behind her back which she kept for emergencies. All she had to do was get it out of its sheath.


    Her vision started to blur but she managed to move her waist just enough to get her hidden weapon. Her fingers grasped thin blade handle and then she thrust it towards Nirah.


    The dagger pierced his side and he screamed in pain rolling away from Lee. Lee coughed grasping her sore throat.


    Sargon jumped out from his laying spot and turned towards the sound.


    ¡°What is going on? Are we under Attack? Nirah you are hurt!¡± He struggled to understand what was going on.


    ¡°He¡­ He tried to molest me.¡± Lee pointed at Nirah with her dagger.


    ¡°You wench, I was just playing around¡­ You did not need to stab me!¡± Nirah spat back clutching at his wound which was leaking blood excessively.


    ¡°Amm¡­¡± Sargon found himself lost for words. ¡°Can¡¯t you heal him?¡±


    ¡°What? After what he did to me? NO!¡± Lee was clearly outraged at Nirah.


    ¡°This might have been just a misunderstanding. He does not need to die? Can¡¯t we resolve this in a civilized way.¡± Sargon tried to reason.


    ¡°I am not healing him.¡± Lee put it in a stern tone.


    ¡°Look¡­¡± Nirah winced in pain and then continued ¡°I am sorry. Please heal me.¡± His face was getting awfully pale. She had hit something very important; his side burned in pain, it might have been one of his kidneys.


    Sargon looked at Lee beggingly.


    ¡°He did this to himself.¡± Lee stepped away from Niraj and Sargon while clutching the dagger in front of her. The terror of what had happened was still fresh in her eyes.


    Sargon looked at Demi-Ura who remained silent the whole time. She looked at him with her neutral expression and shrugged.


    ¡°I have to do something or he will die.¡±


    Nirah swayed to a side and was about to fall. Sargon caught him just in time and then lovered him to the ground. He tried to mend Nirah¡¯s bleeding side but he was not experienced in this sort of thing, and for sure he was not a healer.


    ¡°Please, save me.¡± Nirah begged while grasping Sagon¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I will. I won¡¯t let you die!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to¡­¡± Nirah¡¯s voice got gradually weaker and he didn''t get to finish his sentence.


    His eyes were still staring towards Sargon but there was no more life in them, Nirah was dead.


    ¡°Why? Why did you not heal him?!¡± Sargon shouted at Lee.


    ¡°How could I? He had almost strangled me!¡± Lee pointed at red marks on her neck. ¡°It was all his fault.¡±


    Sargon was angry at her, but he understood that Nirah was to blame. There was nothing he could do anymore.


    ¡°What now?¡± Demi-Ura asked Sargon.


    It was a good question, but he did not want to think about it at all.

 10 Conniving fox

    They had left Nirah laying there as he was, the dungeon now was his grave. The only thing they took was his pouch of monster cores and supplies. Sargon couldn¡¯t take the rest of Nirah¡¯s equipment as it did not feel right.


    The boy was still deeply upset about what had happened and was still somewhat displeased with Lee. However, he could not leave her to fend for herself in the dungeon. Lee was a support type and could never make out of the Babel Labyrinth Dungeon alone.


    The mood was foul and no one really talked. The silence was interrupted only when some monsters attacked and they had to coordinate their actions. The party had made it out of the fifth floor since the badger monster was not there anymore.


    They were making their way through the fourth dungeon. It seemed that bad luck was clinging on them, a particularly large swarm of [Warrior Ants] and [Worker Ants] had assaulted them. There were more than a dozen of [Warrior Ants], a number too large for Sargon to feel comfortable about.


    He was the only melee type left in this party and will have to take the brunt of the attack.


    ¡°There are too many of them. I am unsure I can keep all of them out.¡± Sargon admitted.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go back. You will have to do it.¡± Lee knew that they cannot run away, not this time. If they ran, not only they risked of getting lost but running into another swarm and getting trapped in between the two.


    ¡°Demi, I trust you to cover my ass. Here I go!¡± Sargon shouted as he charged into the ants before they could charge at him.


    ¡°[Dark Blast]!¡± Demi-Ura chanted her spell out load letting Sargon know that she was there for him.


    A swirl of dark energy whizzed past the boy hitting a [Warrior Ant] straight in the head, shattering it into a spray of goop and pieces of chitin. Another blast did just the same, taking out one more monster.


    Sargon lunged with his weapon towards the closest overgrown ant, instantly splitting its head in two and killing it. The momentum was there and things were going on well but there were still too many insect warriors to feel confident in victory.


    Insects were about to run past him towards Demi-Ura and Lee, but he could not allow that to happen.


    ¡°No you don¡¯t, [Swipe].¡±


    He used his melee skill to swipe at the ant¡¯s legs, swiftly separating them from the body. The ant lost its balance and toppled on the stone ground.


    ¡°[Swipe].¡±


    He swiped at another which was trying to pass him. It moved to the side dodging the blade but Sargon had the ants attention and it no longer targeted Demi-Ura who was just in front of Lee.


    Sargon kicked the dust and pebbles at the insects. He shouted and jabbed at them keeping their attention. It was working but only for the [Warrior Ants].


    ¡°I give you power and strength!¡± Lee shouted while slamming her staff on the floor.


    The staff pulsed emitting a wave of golden particles which washed over the party. This had a noticeable effect on Sargon, his strikes became more powerful and his heavy breathing less rugged. Not only he had more strength but felt less exerted.


    He had taken down one more of the ants and was keeping the swarm in check. However, a number of workers, the ones who managed to avoid his blade, slipped past him.


    ¡°They broke through. Come back!¡± She shouted to Sargon. Normally it would be Nirah who protected the rear but he was no longer here.


    Sargon couldn¡¯t do that, he was too busy with [Warrior Ants], even slight loss in concentration could lead to getting seriously injured.


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Demi-Ura stepped forward to meet the smaller ants.


    Lee was sceptical in Demi-Ura''s ability to protect them; Demi-Ura was a caster after all.


    Demi-Ura began to stab and slice at the upcoming swarm of the workers. She used her tail skilfully and didn¡¯t let a single ant to get past. Not only her tail was in action but her legs too, she stomped and kicked the ants, squishing them or sending them flying.


    ¡°How about some help here?¡± Even with the strength and stamina enchantments, he struggled to keep the oversized ants at bay.


    ¡°[Confuse]¡± Demi-Ura mumbled in between her kicks sending a dark cloud of magic towards two of the [Warrior Ants].


    A dark cloud clung on their heads; the ants stopped moving abruptly. Sargon used the opportunity given and killed confused ants without resistance.


    From there on the victory was guaranteed. With Demi-Ura¡¯s help, Sargon dispatched the rest of the warriors and then cleaned off the workers. He got minor cuts and bruises here and there but nothing Lee couldn''t heal.


    ¡°Thanks. Having a healer sure is handy.¡± He rubbed tingling spots on his arms and legs, the spots where the cuts been a minute ago.


    ¡°You were good too. I don''t know how you managed to keep a dozen of [Warrior Ants] from slipping past you.¡± She praised Sargon honestly. She was impressed because even Wasi would lose aggro from one or two ants then they got swarmed.


    ¡°It''s because I have gained a new skill, [Taunt]. It requires a lot of concentration but helps to divert attention to me.¡±


    ¡°I see, sound very useful.¡±


    ¡°One question?¡± Sargon asked before wiping his sweat from the brow. ¡°Why am I so tired, now? Like more than usual?¡±


    ¡°This is how my skills work. They enhance strength and stamina but there is a cost. To put it simply it borrows the strength and stamina from your future self. Also, you had some healing done. It will go away after some rest.¡±


    ¡°Speaking about the rest, we should get some. After all¡­¡± after all they did not get enough because of that incident, was what Sargon wanted to say but couldn¡¯t. That would put them in a bad mood again.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish harvesting the cores and find a good spot.¡± He continued.


    Both women nodded in agreement it was a good idea.


    They have found a small cave; fait blue crystals barely illuminated its surroundings. It was spacious and relatively safe place to lay down and even catch some sleep. Lee offered to keep the watch so that Demi-Ura and Sargon can catch some sleep.


    Sargon closed his eyes and quickly drifted to sleep.


    ¡­


    ¡°It is gone. Tch! That witch, she got it first.¡± Lee swore louder than she thought she will.


    ¡°Huh, what?¡± Sargon asked rubbing his eyes.


    Lee was going through his sack.


    ¡°Money and cores, she took it!¡± Lee threw Sargon¡¯s sack away angrily to her side.


    ¡°Demi-Ura? Can¡¯t be¡­¡± He did not want to believe. ¡°Why were you going through my belongings too?¡±


    Sargon found it suspicious. Even if they got robbed, why Lee checked his sack before waking him up?


    ¡°Ohh amm¡­ I had to be sure. My loot is missing too.¡± She did not sound convincing.


    Lee went to her belongings and opened her loot sack.


    ¡°As I thought¡± She whispered and continued louder ¡°Look my stuff is missing too and she is the only one missing. That thieving witch took it all.¡± She sounded angry.


    Sargon did not want to believe that Demi-Ura betrayed him, but then again she was the only one gone and their stuff was missing.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be on a watch?¡± Sargon asked quizzingly.


    ¡°Amm¡­ About that. I don¡¯t know how she slipped past me¡­ At first, I thought that she was gone for the toilet break, but now it is clear what happened.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡± Sargon just sat there thinking what to do.


    ¡°If I find her I will kill her! All those cores are worth a fortune.¡± Lee grumbled.


    They had quite a hoard of them. It was two parties worth of cores and they had been at it for a few days already. Sargon had to admit they had lost a large sum of potential earnings.


    ¡°Any idea where she might have gone? You knew her did you not?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see¡­¡± Sargon didn''t know much about Demi-Ura and he was ashamed to admit it.


    ¡°No way, I was sure you two were close and yet you know nothing about her. That dirty vixen had you!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s dirty?¡± Demi-Spoke out from shadows.


    The sudden cold voice and figure appearing seemingly out of nowhere abd startled both Lee and Sargon.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lee turned towards the voice.


    Demi-Ura stepped out of the shadows, in her hands was the supposedly stolen loot. Lee couldn''t believe her eyes, she didn''t understand why Demi-Ura was here.


    ¡°You found it? Did you retrieve that from the thieves?¡±  Lee asked.


    ¡°No... The thief is you.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t even make sense!¡± Lee was not the one with all the loot here.


    ¡°I am confused. Please explain.¡± Sargon asked, his eyes darted from loot to Demi-Ura and back to loot again.


    Apparently, Demi-Ura had suspicions something like this will happen so she took the loot for safekeeping and hid in the shadows to watch over both Sargon and Lee. Then she saw Lee going through their bags, clearly trying to steal the cores.


    ¡°You are accusing me of something I did not actually do. This is ridiculous. And you believe her, Sargon?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I do.¡± After all, Lee''s behaviour was suspicious.


    ¡°So be it! I''m not going to be in this party. Good luck finding another healer, I am off.¡± Lee stormed out of the room in anger. ¡°I hope you two die!¡± She added just before disappearing around a turn.


    ¡°This dungeon run¡­ It has been only bad luck so far.¡± Sargon was feeling upset at the turn of events.


    ¡°Really?¡± Demi-Ura pointed at all the loot they still had with them.


    There was a lot of stuff for two people.


    ¡°Well, we got a lot of cores, but was it worth it¡­¡±


    Demi-Ura gave him a shrug and added ¡°Go buy cookies.¡±


    ¡°I guess I will, but with your share, I will be able to buy a lot of them. Are you sure you don¡¯t want any equipment and other useful stuff? You could do with a good robe or something.¡±


    ¡°No! Cookies.¡±


    ¡°Okay, It is your money after all.¡± He for sure will be upgrading his equipment seeing how easy it was to get killed here with his own two eyes.


    The two gave it a couple more minutes so they don''t catch up with Lee and make things more awkward than they needed to be and continued towards the exit out of floor 3. Then they made it through the second floor. However, as the two were approaching the exit towards floor 1. Another party approached Sargon.


    It would be all good and well but the tree strangers coming towards Sargon and Demi-Ura looked hostile. They were clutching their weapons and had angry looks on their faces.


    ¡°It''s them! He killed Nirah and she stole all of our loot!¡± Lee pointed at the two.


    ¡°Bastards! Don''t worry Lee, we will teach him a lesson.¡± A spear fighter spoke. He looked very similar to Nirah, even his equipment was alike. Probably a brother or at least a cousin.


    ¡°They will pay in blood.¡± Another spear fighter spoke. He too had a basic spear and a leather vest for protection.


    The third man was more reserved and didn''t shout any treats. He had a longsword and an actual chest plate made out of copper.


    ¡°Oh no.¡± Sargon looked at Demi-Ura. ¡°I got a feeling they would not listen even if I tried.¡±


    She nodded in response before disappearing in shadows ¡°We have to fight.¡±


    Sargon was still unsure how she does that. He will have to ask later.

 11 Those in need of help

    The three men were charging at Sargon in unison. Meanwhile, Lee was standing behind and grinning.


    ¡°Where did that rogue go?¡± One of the spearmen asked the other.


    ¡°We will catch her later after we kill him.¡± Another one answered


    The trio was getting awfully close. Sargon knew there is no way he can defeat all three at once, not if he played it fair and he had no plan to play it fair; his life was on the line after all. He took his battle stance pointing his coa in his right hand towards the running trio, his other hand was rummaging trough rucksack attached to his back.


    Just as he was about to get hit by a longsword he jumped back and threw a small gland towards the attacker, it was one of the [Spitter Ant¡¯s] glands. The warrior slashed at the monster organ with his sword instinctively only to get splashed by the acid. Droplets of corrosive liquid spread all around covering him all over, including his face.


    The warriors face began to melt and he screamed in pain.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Another spearman shouted before jabbing his spear at Sargon.


    ¡°[Confuse!]¡± Demi-Ura fired her spell out of the dark corner.


    ¡°It is her, the murderer. She can cast powerful magic. Get her before she blows you up!¡± Lee shouted from the distance.


    One of the spearmen stumbled and completely missed Sargon. The other turned towards the space where the magic attack was launched and directed his charge there.


    ¡°I will take care of her. Go and heal Dee.¡± A man spoke to Lee.


    Sargon wanted to help Demi-Ura but another spearman did not let him. The confusion lasted only a second or so, the spearman was clearly a lot stronger and intelligent than a mere ant.


    The boy struggled to avoid the spear thurst completely, it has cut and grazed him here and there. The spearman, however, failed to land a decisive strike.


    ¡°You are good but you are not that good - [Flash Stab]¡± The spearman voiced out something that was clearly a melee skill.


    His spear moved at lightning speed and Sargon failed to dodge it, but he was lucky since it hit him in a thigh and not his torso. He grimaced in pain, he could not give up, not yet. His thigh muscles tensed up keeping the spear wedged in.


    The spearman pulled on his spear, of course. Sargon had never felt so much pain before but he had bought himself half a second, he so much needed.


    ¡°[Slap]!¡± He used his blunt damage type skill, the other one was not the option since he had no mobility to turn his body for a sweeping motion.


    The spearman panicked and instead of releasing his spear to dodge he pulled stronger. He got his spear back ripping a good chunk of the meet with it but it was too late; the flat side of the coa hit his head. There was a ringing sound as Sargon¡¯s blade vibrated from the impact and then another one; a thud of a falling body. The spearman was bleeding from his head but alive; he was knocked unconscious.


    Sargon turned towards the corner where Demi-Ura was. She was not fearing good against another spearman, she was a caster after all. Demi-Ura did well to parry most of the spearman¡¯s attacks with her tailblade, but her tail was too short to counterattack.


    She had cuts and grazes all over her body. Sargon wanted to run and help her before the man landed a lucky hit. He couldn¡¯t do that because of his injured thigh, but he had to do something. He pulled his dagger out of its sheath, straight from behind his back, and threw it at an unaware spearman.


    The dagger flew through the air and hit the man straight in the back. The spearman wailed in pain losing his concentration completely. Demi-Ura slashed at his face with her tail blade leaving a nasty gash, kicked at his knee sending him to the ground and pulled the dagger out of the man''s back as she ran towards Sargon.


    When she was close enough, he put his arm around her shoulders for support and urged ¡°Let''s get out while we can.¡±


    He didn''t want to kill the men, because it was not their fault that Lee deceived them. He was not a thief and did not want to become a murderer either.


    They grabbed their stuff and rushed past Lee who was still tending to the warrior. His face looked disfigured but he will live, the amount he got splashed by directly to the face was smaller compared to what had happened to that ranger girl who got full glob to the face.


    The duo made to the first floor successfully without being molested by small insects too much.


    Just before Sargon approached the exit Demi-Ura wriggled away from his grasp almost making him fall.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Sargon asked out of confusion.


    ¡°Can¡¯t go. Got reasons.¡±


    ¡°But you are injured. Both of us need healing as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I will be fine¡­ You go.¡±


    ¡°Stop joking around! What if they come back?¡±


    ¡°I do this ¨C [Shadow Cloak].¡± A thick layer of black smoke-like substance enveloped her body, she stepped into the shadow her figure blended in the environment almost completely.


    ¡°So that is how you do it? This is quite useful.¡±


    Demi-Ura nodded but Sargon could not see that gesture.


    ¡°You go, get help.¡± She said out of the shadows.


    ¡°I will come back with some health potions or something as soon as I can. Do not stray too far and stay safe.¡±


    Sargon limped hurriedly towards the exit leading to the surface. With all the bags full of loot he looked more like a mule and not a person. He has used his coa as a walking stick so he does not fall over. He was managing it somehow, albeit bleeding quite a lot.


    He limped through the narrow streets, droplets of blood marked the path all the way back to the Babel Dungeon. Onlookers saw his sorry state but no one offered any sort of help. Sargon pressed his teeth together fighting the pain. He was considering dropping the loot so he can get to the temple quicker, but he was very hesitant to do that. After all, it was not just his reward he would be leaving but Demi-Ura¡¯s too.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Hey!¡± A childlike voice was shouting in his general direction.


    He assumed that it was not him who was being called.


    ¡°Hey, comrade!¡± It was the same voice but closer.


    Sargon gazed over his shoulder to see who it was.


    A small demi-human child was smiling at him, to be precise she was from beatsmen races. Like most batsmen she had animal-like ears atop her head, a short bushy tail and a lot of fur all over her body. Her fur was white on her belly, hands, and feet; the rest of it was brown. She had two thick black stripes on her shoulders and three on her thighs. She had almost no clothing asides from a tattered shirt which was made out of rough fabric, the same used for sacks.


    ¡°Me?¡± Sargon asked the small demi-human girl.


    ¡°Who else, comrade. I can see you are carrying a large burden, not to mention that you¡¯re injured. I can help.¡±


    Sargon was sceptical about what a peep-squeak like her could do for him, but he was hopeful.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can heal my injury?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The girl gave him a puzzled look before continuing. ¡°No. I can carry it for you. Us people in [Burden] class need to stick together.¡±


    It finally came to Sargon who this girl was, well actually what sort of job she did. There was a special support class called [Burden]. People in this class were often referred as ¡®pack mules¡¯ or ¡®beasts of burden¡¯, this was quite demeaning but there was a reason for that; most people in this class were poor demi-humans who had no other way of making money.


    The class itself was highly useful and even essential in any advanced party. Pack people could carry huge amounts of stuff without getting tired or exhausted, a lot of them also were good at spotting and tracking.


    Sargon was in [Warrior] class and not in the one the girl was thinking about that he was, [Burner]. His current appearance was at fault for this confusion, but it was beneficial for him so Sargon didn''t correct the misunderstanding.


    ¡°Please do. The leg is killing me and I need to get to the temple quickly.¡± He just hoped that the girl won¡¯t run away with his stuff. If she did, he had no way of catching her.


    The girl took the load from his shoulders plus a few sacks in her hands. She was very small and there was the same amount of stuff as there was her. It looked funny, but she was managing it no problem.


    ¡°Tasha.¡± The girl said as they began to move again.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°My name is Tasha, what is yours?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is Sargon.¡±


    The girl smiled at him again and Sargon wondered if she found his name funny.


    ¡°So Sargon, how come you¡¯re alone? Did anything bad happened, to your party, I mean?¡± She was not referring to his injury.


    Sargon thought about her leading question for a while. He understood that she was asking if his party companions were wiped out. Why else would a pack-mule be left with all the loot? To Sargon, Tasha seemed a tad bit insensitive.


    Tasha misunderstood Sargon¡¯s silent thinking as something else.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell, if you don¡¯t want to.¡± She added, her smile was gone.


    ¡°It is fine. We got attacked, but we survived.¡±


    ¡°I see. What sort of monster it was?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Sargon paused for a moment then continued ¡°It was not monsters.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ It happens, Babel is a lawless place. People get greedy and start robing or even killing out of spite. Humans kill demi-humans just because they can, and the other way around¡±. Tasha said with a deep scowl on her otherwise cute face.


    ¡°I didn''t expect to hear that from a kid like you. It sounds like you had some bad experiences.¡±


    Tasha waved her tail a few times and put a smile which seemed inappropriate to the current topic.


    ¡°That I did. There were times when I was almost dead or left with no money. However, our comrades helped me out so I do the same in turn. Us in [Burden] class are not very fortunate so we need each other to survive. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°I do, helping others is a noble thing.¡±


    The two made a turn on a corner and were met by a beautiful visage of a water temple and its lush gardens. The same gardens Sargon was taking care not too long ago.


    ¡°Before this, I was a gardener.¡± Sargon did not know himself why he even mentioned this, but talking helped to distract him from his pain.


    Tasha¡¯s ears perked up ¡°Really? Why did you quit then?¡± she sounded surprised.


    ¡°I wanted to achieve something more¡­ sometimes I wonder if I made the right desition.¡±


    ¡°Were you hoping for treasure and glory?¡±


    It sounded stupid but this too was a part of why he became an adventurer.


    Tasha gave him a knowing look and continued talking.


    ¡°Ha, that is how most of us get lured to that evil place. For me¡­ Well, there is nothing else I can do to make money. My only family is my comrades.¡±


    She just told him that she has no parents but she didn''t seem sad about it at all.


    They have finally arrived and Tasha set the bags for Sargon in one of the corners in the reception. It was a safe place since people generally didn''t dare to steal from temples. Not only because it was immoral but they could get an actual curse. This would be done by the high priestess and only then she knew the culprit, but most didn''t know that and assumed the curse came from gods.


    ¡°Carrying all of this sure made me hungry.¡± Tasha mentioned suggestively while rubbing her stomach.


    Sargon already knew that her good deed was noble, to help a stranger, but not a charitable one. She expected something from him. He was happy that all she asked was just some food.

 12 Breaking the taboo

    ¡°This looks bad! What were you thinking? Tell me everything.¡± Lilith the water priestess scolded Sargon.


    While Lilith mended his flesh Sargon spoke about his misadventure.


    ¡°¡­ that is how we barely made it out.¡±


    ¡°And your companion? Doesn¡¯t she need healing too? Why didn¡¯t you bring her here?¡± Lilith slammed her tail to the ground while scolding him again.


    ¡°She has reasons and can¡¯t leave the dungeon and she said she was fine. Her injuries weren''t life threatening.¡± He explained himself once again.


    ¡°Mhmm¡­ even if she heals naturally it might leave a scar. That is no good, she is a woman after all.¡±


    Sargon didn¡¯t think about that before but Lilith made sense. This was bad. It was partially his fault too for not being able to defend his [Caster] properly.


    ¡°She cannot leave and I can¡¯t buy a healing potion since they are too expensive. This is bad.¡± Sargon realised the weight of the situation.


    ¡°Yes, Sargon. Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Lilith can you¡­ can you make an exception and come to heal her? You are the only healer I am friends with.¡± Sargon pleaded with her.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that. As a temple priestess, I can¡¯t.¡±


    These temple rules made no sense to Sargon but he knew that to Lilith they were important. However, he didn''t want to feel guilty for what happened to Demi-Ura, he had to take responsibility and sort this out.


    ¡°Please I beg you, I won¡¯t tell anyone. In return, I will do anything you ask for.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Anything?¡± She cupped her chin and looked at Sargon intently, her tail waged a few times before she suppressed her excitement.


    ¡°Anything.¡± Sargon grasped her other hand while pleading.


    ¡°That sounds appealing. Okay, I will go with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Thank you.¡± Sargon was overjoyed with the answer.


    ¡°Give me a few minutes to prepare and meet me outside the garden¡¯s old entrance. The one we used to sneak out as kids.¡±


    ¡°You are sneaking out now, won''t they miss you?¡±


    ¡°NO! I will come up with something to tell them so I can leave the temple.¡± She wasn¡¯t t allowed to enter the dungeon but leaving the temple was okay.


    ¡°I will be waiting for you there.¡±


    Sargon patted a spot where he was injured, the wound had closed up but his muscle still did not feel the same. He brushed it a few times and went to the reception.


    There he was met by a small girl who was waiting for him to come back. He completely forgot about her.


    ¡°Hey. did it heal alright?¡± Tasha asked him.


    ¡°Amm, yes¡­ about that food I promised.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± She looked at him with sad eyes as if knowing where this was going.


    At first, he wanted to give her some of the money for compensation, but it seemed cold. He promised her to get food and he was beginning to feel guilty about not being able to fulfill his promise.


    ¡°Is it okay if I get you something to eat later? Something urgent came up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and I thought you don¡¯t want to be comrades and will shoo me with some coin.¡±


    ¡°I would never. You helped me after all.¡±


    ¡°I''m very hungry but I can wait. I''ll come with you, it''s the best way.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ But I do not know how long it will take.¡± He didn''t really want Tasha following him.


    ¡°It''s fine, I''m not busy, let''s go.¡±


    Sargon didn''t have the heart to turn the girl away.


    ¡­


    Sargon and Tasha were waiting by what looked like a bush wall. If one inspected it more carefully, he would find an overgrown door frame and if he pushed the branches away the entrance would be revealed.


    Lilith emerged from the growth, she was hidden beneath a brown hooded cloak. Only her hands and feet were poking out.


    ¡°You look suspicious.¡± Sargon noticed.


    ¡°This will have to do. Remember I am not supposed to be doing this so I have to hide my identity. By the way who is she?¡±


    ¡°Tasha, pleased to meet you.¡± Tasha stretched her arm towards Lilith.


    Lilith gave questioning look to Sargon.


    ¡°She will tag along I guess. Not that she knows who you are.¡±


    ¡°Right. Tasha, I am a friend of Sargon.¡± Lilith shook the kid''s hand but didn''t reveal her name intentionally.


    ¡°Let us go then. I rather not make Demi waiting for too long.¡±


    ¡°Demi is in your party, no?¡± Tasha asked.


    ¡°Yes, Li¡­ my friend will tend to her injuries.¡±


    ¡°Is she a healer or an alchemist?¡±


    ¡°I rather keep my skills and identity hidden. Less talking more walking.¡± Lilith hissed at Tasha.


    Tasha got the hint and stopped prying about the hooded lizard-woman. Instead, she asked Sargon a bunch of random questions. Sargon and Lilith had serious air around them but Tasha was chirpy and talkative, her tail wagged the whole time.


    They have reached the Babel entrance and Lilith stopped a few steps short.


    ¡°I guess this is it.¡± The priestess gathered her resolve.


    ¡°Do not rush it. If you need time take it.¡± Sargon wanted to get to Demi-Ura as soon as possible but he also knew that for Lilith this step was also very important.


    ¡°No, I am fine, but you owe me big time.¡± Lilith said as she stepped through the large gate leading to the dungeon.


    Tasha looked puzzled and unsure of what the two were talking about for a moment. She shrugged it off and walked just behind Sargon.


    Sargon led them to where he had left Demi-Ura.


    ¡°Demi-Ura, are you here? Come out, come out wherever you are!¡± He shouted out of his lungs.


    A hooded woman stepped out of the shadows and spoke. ¡°Got cookies?¡±


    ¡°Wow, how did she do that?!¡± Tasha explained in excitement.


    Sargon ignored the overexcited girl and spoke with Demi-Ura ¡°No¡­ But I have something better?¡±


    ¡°What is better than cookies?¡± Demi-Ura asked sceptically.


    ¡°I brought a healer to tend to your injuries.¡± Sargon pointed to Lilith who was still hiding behind the cloak.


    ¡°I am fine. Go buy cookies.¡± She did not sound too pleased at Sargon.


    ¡°What if it scars?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡±


    Sargon almost gasped. He was genuinely worried about it and Demi-Ura simply did not care.


    ¡°Amm¡­ Well¡­ My friend put a lot of effort in coming here so it all would be a waste if you refused. Let her look at your wounds, please.¡±


    ¡°She healed you too?¡± Demi-Ura pointed at Lilith asking.


    ¡°Yep, She is very good. I trust her, there is no need to worry about her, that is if you do worry.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Ok. Heal.¡± Demi-Ura stepped to the light and took off her hood.


    ¡°Wow! I knew you were a demi-human, hooves and all, but what are you exactly?¡± Tasha asked excitedly.


    Lilith too took off her hood revealing a dissatisfied face with hits of visible disgust.


    ¡°A demon is what she is.¡± Lilith almost spat pronouncing the first half of the sentence.


    ¡°Eh? What sort of demi-human is that?¡± Sargon asked revealing his ignorance.


    Lilith knew that demons should not be lumped with demi-humans at all, they were completely separate existence. The text she had read described them as evil and heretical existence who wants to watch the world burn and other races suffer.


    ¡°Is she really your partner? The one you told me about?¡± Lilith asked with a huge scowl on her face.


    ¡°Yeah, what is the problem? Can you heal her?¡± Sargon noticed Lilith¡¯s odd behaviour and thought that she might be unable to tend to her wounds.


    ¡°I will tell you later¡±


    It was heresy for a priestess to heal the demon, but Lilith already knew that Demi-Ura was very dear to Sargon, and Sargon was very dear to her. Being in the dungeon Lilith was already breaking her vows, breaking another one was a little matter if it was for Sargon.


    She came closer to Demi-Ura stretching her arms.


    ¡°I assume this is your first time, I will be gentle. It will only tingle a bit.¡± Lilith explained to Demi-Ura.


    Demi-Ura nodded twice and observed Lilith doing her work. The priestess'' arms moved from a scrape to graze, slowly healing them all.


    ¡°Here it''s done.¡±


    Not even a thank you was said to Lilith from Demi-Ura, but Sargon had it covered.


    ¡°Thanks, Lilith, I really appreciate this. When you know what favour you want from me, tell me. I am all yours.¡±


    ¡°I already know, but I will collect the favour when the time comes.¡± Her frown was gone and the tail was wagging again.


    ¡°Demi, I can¡¯t stay today.¡± He still needed to sell their loot. ¡°I will get the cookies tomorrow.¡±


    She nodded to him in understanding.


    ¡°Eh, we''re going already?¡± Tasha asked but got ignored again as the two were already leaving the dungeon.


    Once they were out Lilith spoke in a hushed tone wary of Tasha.


    ¡°Sargon I know you trust Demi-Ura a lot, but you should be more wary of her.¡±


    Sargon looked at her unsure of what she was trying to say. Lilith was expecting he will do that.


    ¡°Ah¡­ there is no point explaining it to you. I am sure it wouldn''t change your mind anyway, you would still be her companion.¡±


    ¡°Are you against us being a party?¡± Sargon asked Lilith accusingly.


    ¡°Ha, she must be jealous of her.¡± Tasha butted in rudely.


    ¡°NO! That is not it!¡±


    ¡°She totally is. The healer lady has a complete crush on you Sargon.¡± Tasha teased.


    ¡°WHAT, No!¡± Lilith became flustered.


    ¡°What are you talking Tasha? We are only childhood friends.¡± Sargon tried to reason with Tasha so she stops teasing Lilith.


    ¡°And so? Does that stop from having a crush?¡±


    Tasha¡¯s words made Sargon realise that friendship, even as strong as his and Lilith¡¯s, can change and become something more with time unbeknown to one person or other. He wondered if this was this the case and thought about his feeling towards Lilith. He had to admit to himself that regardless of her being a lizardkind he did find her attractive. Ever more so after she grew and became more woman-like. However, he was unsure if there was more besides deep friendship and attraction.


    As always, his thoughts were interrupted.


    ¡°Eh¡­ Amm¡­ I need to wash the demon away from me. Talk with you later Sargon.¡± Lilith picked up the pace to running speed and disappeared in the general direction of the temple.


    Sargon could not exactly understand what she needed to wash off but he was fine with that. It was for the best if Lilith returned to the temple before the temple staff got curious where she actually was.


    ¡°Where now?¡± Tasha asked.


    ¡°I guess I will get my stuff.¡± Which was still at the temple and will make things awkward. ¡°Sell it and get something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Finally! I am starving.¡± Tasha waged her tail in anticipation.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Sargon had to admit it. It was a long stressful day and he barely had a chance to eat.


    He got his stuff from the temple. He didn¡¯t meet Lilith again even though he expected it; she probably was still bathing. Tasha helped him haul all the stuff to the guild to exchange monster cores to Shekels.


    The only thing left was to find a good place to relax and eat. Sargon wanted to invite Lilith too as thanks but he knew that she probably would not be allowed to leave today again, not this late at least.


    ¡°Know a good place to dine out?¡± He asked his self-proclaimed comrade.


    ¡°No. Never been taken out for dinner before.¡± She admitted putting a sad tone, but her tail was moving from side to side as it always did.


    ¡°Not even in an inn or a tavern?¡±


    ¡°Especially tavern. Us in this class don''t make much money, especially rookies. You might be an exception. I didn''t expect you to have only one party member and get so much loot. Your partner must be a veteran adventurer.¡±


    ¡°No, not really, we are more or less newbies. Well, she is quite experienced but definitely not a veteran. The furthest we been was only the fifth floor.¡±


    ¡°You did very well for the fifth floor. Deepest I was fifteen and It was so scary I thought I will die.¡±


    Sargon too wound think that if he was in [Burden] class and taken so deep. Quite often people in this class were treated just as they were referred, like a pack-mules. A complete newbie would find himself carrying the stuff from experienced adventurers since that was all they were good for. And adventurers didn''t really need experienced pack-mule so long so he could carry sufficient load without complaint.


    ¡°I feel for you. I heRard of a good tavern, the one for adventurers. People spoke highly of it and the stuff is quite good and cheap there. I have never been there myself but I want to check it out. What do you say?¡±


    Sargon asked without giving a thought that he would be taking a minor with him, not that it was forbidden.


    ¡°A real tavern, sure.¡± Tasha jumped in excitement.

 13 Food, drinks and new friends

    Sargon opened the doors leading to the tavern and his nose was instantly met with a pleasant smell of barley beer. Various types of adventures surrounded wooden tables and were partaking in drinking, eating and talking. The tavern was only half full at best but it felt very lively inside.


    He sat next to one of the tables which had a distinct smell of beer even though it was dry, the wood had absorbed it through many years of service and passively emitted the fragrance of fermented barley. While Tasha was inspecting the table with her nose Sargon raised his arm into the air to signal for a tavern maiden.


    The tavern maiden was actually not a maiden at all, she was a middle age woman who served the patrons. The lady in question wore a simple dress and an apron which had been splattered by various stains from either beer or food.


    ¡°A bowl of chiefs special and a jug of dark beer.¡± Sargon ordered casually. Chiefs special was a meat dish made of stewed lamb which fell right of the bone and some cooked earthy vegetables. The dark beer is just as the name suggests; also the same beer his father used to drink.


    The tavern maiden nodded at Sargon taking his order mentally and looked at the demi-human youth, the one sitting in front of Sargon.


    ¡°Tasha, what do you want? You can order anything you like.¡± He owed her for helping him after all.


    The beastkin fiddled with her fingers while staring at scratched and cut table surface. She had never been in the tavern and didn¡¯t know what she wants or even what is on the menu. She raised her head and smiled at Sargon.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you order me something? Whatever will be fine.¡± She asked whilst waging her tail.


    Sargon thought for a moment of what she might like to eat. Since she was from bestial races some meat would be a safe option, so he went for that.


    ¡°A meat feast for my fr¡­ comrade.¡± He ordered her a plate-full of mixed meats. The dish was made of small bites of seasoned pork, lamb, mutton and beef. He also was unsure if they were friends, so comrades seemed more appropriate.


    The woman nodded and went to tend to other patrons before bringing them the jug of beer and two cups. Sargon poured himself some of the dark beer and had a small sip; it felt cold and tasted rich.


    ¡°Want some?¡± He offered to Tasha who was looking at him drinking with curiosity in her eyes.


    ¡°YES!¡± She said it louder than she should have, the girl was giddy.


    He poured her some and watched her try it with a smile on his face. Tasha took the first sip with a huge smile on her face but it quickly turned into a frown.


    ¡°It''s so bitter!¡± She shook her head to disapprove the after taste.


    ¡°I knew you won¡¯t like it. Women rarely drink it, and the only ones I know are adventurers.¡±


    Tasha looked around inspecting the people. Actually, there were quite a few women drinking beer, but true to Sargon¡¯s words they all seemed like adventurers. She wondered if normal taverns were filled only by men, that thought seemed scary to her for one reason or other.


    Sargon tried to take her cup away, but Tasha pulled it out of his reach.


    ¡°I will finish it. I am an adventurer too.¡±


    He knew that it probably was a bad idea but he didn''t try to persuade her. She was old enough to make her choices and mistakes.


    It didn''t take long for the meals to arrive. Seeing the amount of food in front of her, Tasha¡¯s eyes turned into saucers and she quickly started digging right into it. She had never in her life eaten food so tasty like this. It was juicy and spiced just right; she was tearing the meat in her mouth with speed and gusto. There was too much speed making her choke slightly on a bigger piece she tried to swallow. Sargon poured more bear in her half-empty cup and offered it to her so she can wash the food down.


    While they ate Sargon overheard a conversation which picked his interest. The two adventurers were talking about some horned monster roaming the dungeon and killing adventurers in their sleep. They described the monster as having two blue horns, blue-bladed tail and hooves for legs. The description awfully sounded like that of Demi-Ura¡¯s. There was even a bounty for slaying this irregular ¡®monster¡¯ and bringing its core.


    This made Sargon feel uncomfortable in his seat. They can¡¯t be talking about Demi-Ura she is no monster, this must be misunderstanding, he thought to himself. Regardless it is true or not he will have to do something about this.


    His thoughts were interrupted by a Tasha who was attempting to talk to him. Attempting because none of what she said made any sense, her speech was slurred, she was drunk. Sargon himself was a bit tipsy but nothing like Tasha, it took only over a cup to put small bearskin like her in complete intoxication.


    ¡°Right, I probably shouldn¡¯t have let you drink this.¡± He reflected on his poor actions way too late.


    Some Shekels were left on a table for the service and the two left the tavern. Tasha wrapped her arm around his waist so that she does not fall; she no longer could walk straight.


    ¡°Tell me where you live, I will help you to get there.¡± He offered.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ Everythung is spuning¡­ dunno enymore.¡± She blurred out.


    Sargon sighted, it was his fault and he had to take responsibly.


    ¡°It is not much but you can crash in my place, it is safe.¡± He offered.


    ¡°You¡­ you so nice¡­ I like *hiccup*¡±


    The two reached a place Sargon was calling his. It was only a few pieces of wood with some cloth overhead. It was the best he could afford after leaving the temple. It was poor and shabby; not that it mattered to him since he was in the dungeon for most of the time.


    ¡°This is it. I know it looks awful but this will have to do for the night.¡±


    ¡°Had worse.¡± Tasha said while crawling on his bed which was made of simple woven matt and a fur on top.


    Sargon sat next to her ¡°Goodnight, I guess.¡±


    ¡°No..." She shook her head adding " Your bed where?¡±


    ¡°You sleep on it for today I will sleep here on the floor.¡±


    Tasha shook her head disapprovingly.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°No. You can¡¯t¡± She shuffled to a side and patted the space next to her. ¡°Come. We are comrades.¡±


    ¡°I guess we are.¡± Sargon said it with a shrug, it was definitely better than sleeping on a cold floor.


    He joined her, the two laid flat next to each other. The bed was small but so was Tasha hence there was just enough space for the two.


    ¡°Hey?¡± Tasha turned to ask him, her face was illuminated by the moonlight coming through the gap in the cloth, making her eyes glow in green.


    Her face was close enough for Sargon to feel her hot breath. Even if her breath smelled like beer He still thought that she looks kind of cute.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He finally responded after getting a good look at her glowing eyes.


    ¡°Tuday wus the best. Thanks!¡± Her speech was still slightly slurred but had a pleasant intonation to it.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Sargon had nothing else to say, nor Tasha to add, so they just looked at each other for a while. The proximity eventually made the young girl uncomfortable and she would be a beat red if she could. Not wanting to continue feeling needlessly embarrassed she turned away from Sargon and laid on her side.


    ¡°Gud night.¡± She said her voice filled with joy.


    ¡°Good night.¡± Said Sargon after pulling a blanket over their bodies.


    He would have fallen asleep promptly but alas he couldn¡¯t. Unbeknown to Tasha her tail was waging and hitting Sargon on a side. Her joy was shoving but he didn¡¯t want to say anything to Tasha; there was nothing she could do about her honest tail anyways.


    The tail waged for a minute or two before slowly coming to a standstill; Tasha fell asleep and then Sargon.


    ¡­


    It was not a song of morning birds or the rustle of the people what have awoken him. It was a sharp pain of his cheek being pinched.


    ¡°Ow ow ow. What was this for?!¡± Sargon complained about his rude awakening.


    ¡°Eeh!¡± Tasha yelped out in fear after seeing the person in front of them.


    The culprit was grinning at the two, mostly at Sargon. The grin was wide and sharp full with dagger-like teeth, the likes to tear the flesh away from prey. By the looks of her busty chest, it was a woman and unhappy one, the most dangerous of the kind. It took a moment for Tasha to realise that it was no one else but the healer lady from yesterday.


    ¡°I didn''t take you for that kind of a man. I thought I know you, we are childhood friend and all¡­ but to go after someone like her? Isn¡¯t she too young? Am I too old for you? That might be why¡­¡± Lilith hissed at Sargon.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I got her slightly too drunk and couldn''t leave her alone.¡± He tried to explain.


    ¡°Of course you did! And then?¡± The jealousy was showing in her face with a hint of rage in her narrowed eyes.


    ¡°And then nothing. We came here and went to sleep, I guess.¡±


    Tasha didn''t exactly know what the lizard woman wanted but she nodded to everything Sargon said furiously.


    Lilith stared daggers at young beastkin, her eyes were even more narrowed now. Then she pulled the blanket away as if looking for some evidence.


    ¡°Nothing happened?¡± She asked still judging the two.


    ¡°Nothing. We just slept close since I have one bed and it is warmer together.¡± The last part was especially true, he had no idea Tasha¡¯s body would feel so warm.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, you were drunk.¡± Lilith softened her face expression and let go of the blanket from her grasp, letting it fall back on the two comrades-friends.


    ¡°Yes. If I wasn¡¯t, I would have been able to find my way back. Sorry if I had caused some inconvenience.¡± Tasha apologised wholeheartedly.


    ¡°Tasha it is fine, you didn¡¯t.¡± Sargon reassured her it was no big deal.


    Tasha looked again at the still frowning woman, it didn''t look fine at all.


    ¡°So why are you here? It is odd for you to be here.¡± Sargon asked Lilith who appeared to be slightly calmed down.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I come and wake you up in the morning like I used to do?¡±


    ¡°You can, but it''s unusual, that¡¯s all. Don¡¯t you have to be at the temple?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, not anymore.¡± Lilith said during her head away from him.


    Sargon gave confused look so Lilith explained to him that she had quit being temple priestess. There were many reasons for this, like going to the dungeon and breaking multiple wows and feeling guilty about it, to name the one. But the main reason was that she wanted to keep Sargon safe while he was exploring the Babel Dungeon. She had been thinking about being a healer in his party for a long time and had finally decided to do so. Apparently, Demi-Ura was the main thing which made her mind.


    ¡°Speaking about Demi-Ura.¡± Lilith continued. ¡°I know you don''t see her like that, but she is evil by nature. I made some more research and she seems to be one of demonic-races. Only bad things are written about them in the books.¡±


    It was Lilith and her books again. She barely met Demi-Ura for a few minutes and was already judging her; Sargon didn¡¯t think it was fair or accurate but he knew that Lilith only wanted the best for him.


    ¡°So basically, you want to make sure nothing happens to me while I am with Demi-Ura.¡±


    ¡°That is not all, but yes, that too.¡±


    ¡°I see. Welcome to the party then!¡± Sargon stood up and hugged Lilith.


    She didn''t expect that and yipped in surprise before relaxing; her tail began to swing from side to side and her stern face softened up.


    Tasha grinned knowingly, she was right when she concluded yesterday that Lilith has a crush on Sargon, but it seemed that dense boy failed to realise it.


    ¡°I hope you can become good friends with Demi like I am, demon or not.¡±


    At the mention of Demi-Ura, Lilith¡¯s mood soured again and she pushed Sargon away.


    ¡°We will see about that. What I need now is some adventuring equipment and you are buying it as an apology for this morning. I know you have the money.¡±


    Sargon had to admit he was very lucky to have her in his party; Lilith was an amazing healer and he didn''t mind helping her out.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get some gear!¡± Sargon was feeling pumped up for their next adventure together.

 14 Party preparations

    Sargon was browsing the market district. It was a place where all manner of things were sold. If one needed something, anything at all, it could be found here; after all, this was the capital city Agade. Currently, he was in a spot crammed with smithies and workshops. There were huge stores full of intricate weapons and armour, some of it even came from distant lands and faraway kingdoms. The merchandise allured him but he knew that with his current money he won''t be able to afford anything like that. As a noble adventurer, he will have to stick with the very basic and second-hand items.


    A particular shop attracted his attention. It was a small workshop, the items looked brand new but the price tag was cheap. As a rule, maybe even a type of common sense, the workmen here nominated the price of their wares using clay statuettes. One clay cylinder meant it was a cheap item while three indicated that it is something quite expensive and probably worth the amount of a monthly income if not more. Most of the wares displayed here had one or two statuettes. Incidentally, there was only one man working in the workshop-smithy, he was rhythmically hammering the red-hot ingot, shaping something that looked like a blade.


    The man in question was a beastman, a wolf-man to be precise. Dark grey mane covered his whole body only his muscular arms were skin naked, the fur must have been singed by the intense heat of a furnace. Besides from the sturdy shoes, the man wore a thick leather apron to protect the rest of his fur from the searing heat. The smith was massive in size, much bigger than Sargon, but taking what Sargon knew about Demihumans, the smith was probably the same age as him.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± Sargon shouted for the smith, timing his sentence in between the sound of the hammer.


    The beast man put the half-shaped ingot back into the fire and turned towards Sargon.


    ¡°Your wares look amazing! But why is it so cheap?¡± Sargon sneaked in praise to appease the blacksmith.


    It appeared to have worked because his question was met with a broad toothy grin.


    ¡°¡¯Tis simple, just finished my apprenticeship, abruptly t¡¯at is.¡± He hadn¡¯t actually finished it but his customers didn''t need to know that. ¡°Dun possess t¡¯e smith seal from t¡¯e guilds, but I can smith alright.¡±


    So basically, he was very new at this; Sargon concluded. He took a dagger on display in his hand and tested it against his arm hair. The blade cut the hair flawlessly.


    ¡°It is definitely good. Why isn¡¯t everyone buying it if this is good and cheap?¡± Sargon was sceptical about the price, it looked like some sort of a trick.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be ¡®onest. When a smith works with t''e ingots, especially t''e ones from t¡¯e dungeon he has to heat it properly, hit it properly and even cool it properly. Sometimes even mix it with ot''er ingredients. If tis not done properly t¡¯e blade will wear quickly or even shatter at the bad moment. Somet''ing like t''at can cost a warriors life.¡±


    Sargon got a gist of it. So even if it looked good for now there was a risk involved in buying from inexperienced weaponsmith.


    The smith noticed Sargon¡¯s indecisive expression and continued.


    ¡°I can smith alright. PROPERLY! I am no fledging. Look, demonstration.¡±


    The wolfman took one of the swords from the display stand and hit right into his anvil. The metal clanged against metal and the sword vibrated in his hand letting out a dull hum.


    Sargon gasped in shock at the unexpected sight. For a moment he thought the sword will break in half but it didn''t happen.


    ¡°Observe, not even a dent or a chip. It still cuts properly.¡± He sliced at the wooden table ¡°not as good as before but still good as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Sargon was sold. Well, he would be if he had the money to afford an actual sword.


    ¡°So, what picked ya eye?¡± The smith asked putting the sword next to the grindstone; he will have to sharpen it later.


    ¡°Well actually I needed to get my weapons repaired, do you do that too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do, but did ya break it? That is no good, ya should take better care of your weapon so it doesn''t break.¡±


    ¡°Ah not exactly, I worded it wrong. I just need my coa and dagger sharpened. The blades got dull and there are chips on my coa.¡± Sargon put his weapons on the table for the smith to inspect.


    ¡°The dagger is easy to fix, the coa will take some time... The coa, what an unusual weapon to bring to a dungeon. Ya have been smashing bugs with it didn¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°I was, so you guessed I am an adventured?¡± Sargon was surprised the wolfman could tell from a glance at the weapons.


    ¡°Was easy, most of my customers are. Do ya need anything else, can I convince ya buying somet¡¯ing and spreading my name? I would even t¡¯row a discount.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, so tempting. What is your name by the way?¡±


    ¡°Belish Tikai.¡± The wolfman said proudly with his chest puffed up.


    ¡°Eh, it seems I have heard it somewhere!¡± Tasha exclaimed surprising Sargon.


    She was helping Lilith to pick up a dress for the dungeon. Sargon wasn''t interested in clothes that is why he was here. Tasha being here meant that they were done.


    ¡°Ya should have. What if I told that my grandfather worked as a smith directly to the king?¡± Belish asked while leaning closer to the small bearskin girl.


    ¡°I wouldn''t believe!¡± Tasha exclaimed again taking a step back from imposing wolfman.


    ¡°Ha ha... A typical response.¡± The man laughed it off.


    Sargon was unsure if it was a joke or if Belish was serious about his grandfather.


    ¡°I will buy two simple daggers then.¡± He could afford it since it was quite cheap.


    Belish was happy to sell his merchandise and he made a discount as promised. The daggers were single edge blades with wooden handles. It was simple in design but effective.


    ¡°Belish Tikai. Remember that if anyone asks, especially if my blades save your life one day. Ya did well to select such weapons for your small companion.¡± Belish said whilst looking knowingly at Tasha. After all, a small person would struggle with the weight of a full-sized weapon.


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    With those words, Tasha¡¯s enthusiastic tail stopped wagging and she lowered her head.


    ¡°You misunderstood. Those are for my party members. Tasha is not in my party.¡± Sargon explained.


    ¡°Sorry about that. Well then, come and pick your weapons later, they will be fixed by the evening.¡±


    Sargon nodded and followed Tasha back to where Lilith was. The small beastkin seemed to be upset about something for a while, but by the time they had reached tailor shop she had recovered.


    There Lilith had finally finished selecting her dress. She could not explore the dungeon with her usual temple priestess dress, it didn¡¯t feel right and she would have to return it soon after all.


    The dress in question was a type of battle dress. The outer layer was made out of the off-white fabric, the chest piece had some sturdy leather sewn into it. The dress covered mostly the torso, leaving the tights and arms completely exposed, only a small cloth hung loosely at the front to knee length. The back was modified slightly to accommodate that thick tail Lilith had, also the back didn''t have any leather padding at all. The dress was made to fit all, not just size-wise but race-wise too. It was held in place by two straps on a shoulder where back and front were connected, the sides were not connected and the bottom part was secured with a leather belt sew into the cloth. Since the sides were open and due to certain Lilith''s features the dress exposed more than it should. Lilith didn''t even have to give a turn to expose a good bit of a side boob, as always, her chest was barely contained in the dress.


    ¡°What do you think ~¡± Lilith asked after turning around full circle.


    ¡°It offers little protection, but is better than nothing.¡±


    Lilith¡¯s tail slammed to the ground and she glared at him, this was not the answer she was wanting to hear.


    ¡°Shall I pick something else.¡± She asked crossly.


    ¡°Nahh. I assume this is the best we can afford, for now.¡±


    ¡°I will get something else.¡±


    Tasha pinched Sargon on the side and whispered. ¡°You are supposed to say that she looks good in it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, also the dress looks good on you, no need to return it.¡± He added.


    ¡°Is that so. Then I will keep it. Out of interest, how exactly it makes me look good?¡±


    Sargon realised that Lilith was testing him; after all, she did not like lies, white lies included. By now he knew that saying that it has hard to pierce chest piece was not the answer she was looking. Then, the best part was the exposed thighs and the sides including the breasts, of course. He had wondered if he could say that without sounding lecherous. He could talk about the nice colour and smooth fabric but then he would come out superficial.


    ¡°I like how it protects the chest without hiding your natural beauty and women like proportions, your thighs and the like.¡± This seemed appropriate.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, I told it¡¯s a good choice.¡± Tasha agreed.


    Lilith seemed pleased with the answer.


    ¡°How about the weapon, did you decide what you want to use?¡± Sargon asked Lilith unable to look away from her legs. Then he tough about it, she indeed looked beautiful.


    ¡°I will decide once I see how it is in the dungeon. There is no point in buying something I won''t use. I''m a healer after all.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, it is dangerous there. Have this just in case. I have another one like this for Demi.¡± He passed one of the daggers he had just bought.


    Lilith thanked for the dagger and stashed it inside the dress.


    ¡°Speaking about her. Let¡¯s buy her a dress or a cloak at least. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice. The way she looks now is just indecent.¡± Lilith was referring about the tattered cloak Demi-Ura was wearing and the fact that where no underwear under it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. It should be black in colour so she can hide better, being red does not help. I don''t know how she is so good at blending in but she does it somehow. Sometimes I think she is more a rogue than a caster.¡±


    ¡°Oh she is a caster after all, I was sure she was a rogue.¡± Tasha butted in their conversation.


    ¡°Right! So did I. She is full of surprises. I wonder how she''s doing, we should visit her even without my weapons. I can¡¯t wait untill the evening. She will scold me for taking too long to get them cookies.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit too keen to meet with her? That demon stole you from me. We used to spend hours together, what happened?¡± Lilith complained with her arms crossed.


    ¡°We grew up and got busy with our jobs and then I became an adventurer?¡±


    ¡°I''m an adventurer too now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. We¡¯ll catch up for all the lost time now, ok?¡±


    ¡°That is the plan. I am not leaving you alone with her anymore. But before we go let¡¯s get something for you too. I don¡¯t want you to be the only one left out, it is your money after all.¡±


    With the leftover money, after buying cookies and a dark cloak for Demi-Ura, he bought himself sturdy leather shoes. He wanted some armour too but it was too expensive. He checked for the repaired weapons but only his dagger was ready.


    The preparations were made and they had decided to head to the dungeon. Tasha was tagging along too, something about not having anything better to do. Sargon didn¡¯t mind having the young beastkin around even if she was not a fighter. Their plan was to stick around first and second dungeon floors so that Lilith can get a feel of the Babel Labyrinth Dungeon and then decide on her weapon.


    They were ready for an easy adventure. Sargon even hoped he will be able to show off his skills to the two girls who will be accompanying him. After all, all they will be fighting are small [Worker Ants].

 15 New party additions

    Demi was waiting not too far from the exit out of the dungeon; hidden in the shadows as always. Newbies and even experienced adventurers would pass unaware of her existence. She was waiting patiently for Sargon to come back, every time a figure approached, she hoped that it will be her companion. Her stomach grumbled slightly, she was so hungry. Just how long will he make her wait? Cookies were promised a while ago and it shouldn''t have taken so long to deliver them.


    Finally, she recognised a familiar face of her companion. She got excited for a moment but that lasted only until she realised that he didn''t come alone. She became moody and didn''t feel like coming out of the shadows anymore. However, a faint smell of fresh cookies reached her nose and she changed her mind. He brought cookies and she had to get them before that lizard-woman or that child decided to take what was rightfully hers.


    ¡°Cookies now!¡± She demanded jumping out of the darkness.


    The sudden appearance and tone startled the group.


    ¡°Wow, you scared me!¡± Sargon exclaimed and loosened the grip on his dagger. ¡°Here.¡± He passed her the fresh batch of cookies which were still warm.


    Demi-Ura unwrapped the cloth and began gobbling it up greedily, almost choking on it.


    The bearskin child starred at her, or her cookies to be more precise, while swallowing her saliva. Demi-Ura knew what that child was after, there was no way she was sharing it, so instead, she shoveled them in her mouth even faster.


    ¡°She really likes them.¡± Lilith said in wonder trying to ignore Demi-Ura¡¯s barbaric way of eating.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ if only they were cheaper, or I knew how to bake.¡± Sargon liked giving his companion treats but this hobby proved to be costly.


    ¡°Demi-Ura, was it?¡± Lilith tried to get glutton''s attention away from the treats. Demi-Ura nodded so Lilith continued. ¡°I''ll be joining your party from now on. Despite our differences, I hope we can be friends. Here this is for you.¡± She passed a cloak to Demi-Ura.


    The cloak was simple in design, basically it was just a large piece of black cloth which could be wrapped around one¡¯s body, but it was leagues better to what currently demon girl was wearing.


    Demi-Ura wiped the crumbs for her face and looked hesitantly at the offering.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gift take it.¡± Sargon encouraged.


    She nodded once more and took the cloak in her hands feeling the fabric with her fingers. It felt nice to the touch and was softer than she expected. She sniffed it and it even smelled nice. Demi-Ura changed her mind about that lizard-woman, deciding that maybe she was not that bad after all.


    ¡°I can see you like it.¡± Sargon commented on the rare sight of Demi-Ura smiling. ¡°Put it on, what are you waiting for?¡±


    Just as he finished saying it Demi-Ura undid her cloak, the party was left in an unexpected bewildered state. She had nothing under it and apparently didn''t mind to be seen naked.


    ¡°Oww!¡± Sargon gasped, his face taking a tinge of red.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Lilith scrambled to shield Sargon¡¯s eyes but was too late.


    Tasha just simply laughed, she found the situation and especially Lilith¡¯s reaction amusing.


    Demi-Ura finished changing the cloaks, discarding the old one to a side like a piece of trash.


    ¡°She looks good in it, doesn¡¯t she Sargon?¡± Tasha stressed the boy''s name.


    ¡°Ah, Can I look now?¡± He pushed Lilith¡¯s hands away from his eyes. ¡°Yes, it suits her very well. This will definitely make her even more sneaky. Oh, and I have this one for you too. I know it does not compare to the dagger you gave to me but I hope you will accept it.¡± He passed the dagger he bought from Belish.


    ¡°No need, I have my tail.¡± She said with a smile but took it anyways.


    ¡°Ok then, why don¡¯t we show Lilith how dungeon works.¡± He offered


    ¡°I am looking forward to it.¡± Lilith said with a hint of anticipation in her voice.


    The party went deeper inside the dungeon. Lilith became accustomed to it in no time, she even began helping to take care of the monster ants. With the supervision of Sargon and Demi she killed the ants using her natural weapons - her clawed arms and feet.


    Lilith had long and muscular legs so she kicked and trampled the ants like the incests they were. Her feet had natural armour so it caused her no discomfort. She was at it for two hours or so and she oddly enjoyed dispatching the insects. Lilith even forgot that dungeons were a dangerous place.


    ¡°I am jealous of how easy it is for her. It is her first day and it looks like she is already ready for the third floor.¡± Sargon praised Lilith and complained at the same time.


    ¡°This is because she has you guys helping her out. It is a lot easier then you are in the reliable party... I feel safe too, with you guys.¡± Tasha added.


    ¡°I agree. This must be because I can rely on you and Demi-Ura. I can see that this would be very different if I was alone.¡± Lilith agreed to Tasha¡¯s reasoning.


    ¡°Third floor it is then.¡± Sargon saw no reason why they could not push it harder. Lilith was acing it.


    They went to the third floor and then even to the fourth floor, where bigger ants, [Warrior Ants] roamed the place. This was a good time to test Lilith¡¯s ability.


    Sargon and Demi-Ura killed all of the ants leaving one for Lilith.


    ¡°I will tear it down!¡± Lilith shouted all pumped up. She herself found it odd how much she liked killing despite being ex temple priestess.


    ¡°We will support you but be careful.¡± Sargon gave Lilith a pat to her back.


    At first, Sargon just wanted to see how Lilith handles the superior enemy, he didn''t expect her to kill it alone at all. Lilith was a healer. not a fighter, expecting her to kill [Warrior Ant] was unreasonable.


    ¡°[Taunt]¡± Sargon distracted the monster away from Lilith¡¯s attack.


    The lizard-woman slashed at the ant with her claws scratching its carapace. It was not much but she did manage to damage it. Then she kicked at one of the ant¡¯s legs, it was super effective and the leg snapped in two.


    ¡°Nice! Keep going.¡± Sargon was surprised that Lilith managed to break it only using her feet.


    Lilith kicked at the other leg straight to the joint, the leg snapped with a cracking noise. [Warrior Ant] lost its balance and toppled to the side.


    ¡°Kill it! [Confuse].¡± Demi-Ura cast a spell on ant to completely disable it.


    Sargon made a step back encouraging Lilith to kill the ant on her own. If she killed it she would get experience, or at least that¡¯s how the dungeon was supposed to work.


    ¡°How should I do it?¡± Lilith asked her party but there was no response. She was left to figure it out on her own.


    ¡°The head?¡± She questioned before slashing with her sharp claws at it.


    She made broad and wide slashes with her left and right, tearing at the ant¡¯s head armour. She was swinging her arms relentlessly. One of her slashes seemed more powerful than the others and her claws split the weakened head armour cracking the head open and tearing at the ant''s egg-sized brain.


    ¡°It is dead?!¡± Tasha exclaimed in surprise. She didn''t expect Lilith to kill such enemy on her first day.


    ¡°I did it! I even got a skill ¨C [Slash]!¡± Lilith was overjoyed.


    Sargon too was out of words. Demi-human abilities were superior to those of humans, he felt cheated by the nature goddess. He too wanted sharp claws like Lilith¡¯s which could be used as weapons.


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    ¡°Amazing! It looks like you won¡¯t need to get a weapon at all. You can fight with your hands and legs.¡±


    ¡°She could become a monk.¡± Tasha referred to a fighter class. Monks were both casters and fighters at the same time who used their limbs as weapons.


    ¡°That would make a lot of sense.¡± Sargon agreed.


    ¡°Thank you for the praise, but I don''t think I''m there yet. I''m just a healer for now.¡± Lilith was trying to be humble.


    ¡°She can fight. Good.¡± Demi-Ura praised Lilith in her own way.


    ¡°It is going well so let''s keep going. But from now own Lilith stay at the rear with Demi and only come to help me if it is safe to do so.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me, I know what I''m doing.¡± Lilith scooped the core out of the ant, just like Sargon had shown her before. She was keeping it as a trophy for her first proper kill.


    The party moved deeper, past the mushroom forest. There they were ambushed by a swarm of [Spitter ants]. Green projectiles of acid flew through the air aiming for the party.


    Sargon failed to dodge one and it splashed on his hand. His skin sizzled and the flesh began to melt, he screamed in pain.


    ¡°I will heal you!¡± Lilith rushed to his help, ignoring the projectiles flying at her direction.


    Unlike Sargon, she had higher dexterity and was able to avoid it. She reached the screaming boy and dragged him behind the cover of tall mushrooms. She started healing his arm just in time, negating the damage. However, they were not safe, not with the ants trying to flank them from the side.


    ¡°I have to kill them before it''s too late.¡± Sargon grasped his dagger with his good arm and tried to stand.


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t.¡± The healing wasn''t done and Lilith couldn¡¯t let him go, that is if he wanted to keep the arm.


    ¡°I do it, [Blast]!¡± Demi-Ura fired at the general direction of the ants blowing one of them into a goop of ant chunks and acid.


    She could not blow all off them, not without running out of mana.


    ¡°You, help!¡± Demi-Ura shouted at Tasha who was just the observer the whole time they were in the dungeon.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t, I am not a fighter. I''ve never killed a monster!¡± Tasha panicked, she didn''t even have a weapon. She was in a [Burden] class, she was never expected to fight before.


    However, Sargon¡¯s party was an unusual one, the party where everyone was expected to pitch in the melee, or it seemed so at least.


    ¡°Sargon, Dagger!¡± Demi-Ura asked for his dagger.


    The dagger flew over the mushroom cover, Demi-Ura caught it and pressed the weapon to the small beastkin.


    ¡°Eh?!¡± Tasha grasped the heavy weapon in both of her hands.


    ¡°We''ll flank ants. You go there and I go there.¡± Demi-Ura pointed at different directions. This way the ants would have three different targets and the acid barrage would be easier to avoid, but it was still risky never the less.


    Demi-Ura didn''t wait for Tasha to respond and dashed to the side, circling around to the [Spitter Ants].


    Tasha froze but only for a second. Her comrade was relying on her and she will have to do it even if her legs were trembling and being frightened like never before. She turned to the other direction and ran to the oposite flank of the ants. The acid spit flew past her a number of times but it missed her small frame and she reached the ants unharmed.


    She thrust a dagger forwards with both of her hands and aimed for the ant hoping to stab it before it spits. Her left leg stepped on a small mushroom and she slipped falling forward.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Tasha yelped out of fear and desperation landing on one of the ants.


    The dagger she pressed in her hands pierced the ant killing it and she rolled away so not to get splashed by leaking acid. The ant was dead but she lost the dagger and there were three more ants in the line of her sight. It was bad.


    Demi-Ura popped from behind of one of the tall mushrooms, she was dispatching the ants skilfully with her tail. She managed to approach them without being noticed and killed quite a few of the insects, her [Shadow Cloak] skill was detrimental to this.


    Even if Demi-Ura was here Tasha felt that she was too far to help her. All it would take was one projectile in her face to and her life. She teared up and prepared to impending doom as best as she could.


    ¡°[Confuse]¡± Demi-Ura cast her spell on the bunch of the ants next to Tasha, disabling them. ¡°Dagger! Fight!¡± She shouted at Tasha again.


    Tasha was a master of her own fate, if she wanted to live she had to get a grip and continue fighting. She did just so. Young beastkin stood on her legs with a roll and pulled the dagger out of the dead ant''s carcass. Then she ran towards the confused ants and stabbed at them. One, two and then three, all of the confused ants were killed by Tasha.


    It was a turning point of the battle. Even if there were a lot of them the [Spitter ants] had no workers or warriors in their swarm so they ran in retreat.


    ¡°You did it!¡± Demi-Ura congratulated.


    ¡°I did?¡± Tasha could not believe it was over. Her legs and arms were still shaking and her tail was pressed in between her legs.


    The two ran back to there the Sargon was to check on him.


    The healing was almost done and his arm looked like nothing has happened.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you, everyone!¡± Sargon reiterated the second sentence with more enthusiasm. ¡°If not for Lilith my arm would have been gone. And if not for you Tasha I would probably be dead. You too Demi.¡± Sargon sounded happy that everything was okay.


    Demi-Ura just nodded to him like it was no big deal.


    ¡°We are comrades, and comrades help each other. Here.¡± Tasha was back to her usual giddy self and gave him his dagger back.


    ¡°Sorry for getting you in this mess. I took you here as if it was a walk in a park and not a dangerous dungeon run. You aren¡¯t even in my party, you should not have risked like that for me.¡± Sargon reflected on his poor judgement.


    ¡°I''m not, but¡­ But I wish I was with you guys. Two packers would be too much, you would have no use of me. I can¡¯t even fight like you guys.¡± Tasha was referring to the misunderstanding where she thought that Sargon was in [Burden] class too.


    ¡°You saved my life and I am sure no one would object with you tagging along with us, if it is what you wish. I have never asked because I taught you prefer being in an experienced adventurers¡¯ parties. And not like we could afford paying you properly. If you don¡¯t mind you are more than welcome to join.¡±


    ¡°Realy?! Noone minds?¡± Tasha asked just to confirm.


    Demi-Ura did''t respond but didn''t look like she was against it. While Lilith had no objections, she two just joined Sargon recently so she did not feel like she had a say in it.


    ¡°Then I will!¡± Tasha said with an energetic tail wag. ¡°Even being as an observer I felt more accepted and more like a part of the party than with my current employer. I''m used to be treated more like an item rather than a party member. You guys are different. I was even trusted to save someone''s life!¡±


    Thinking about it Tasha felt amazing at overcoming her fear and actually helping to save someone. The fear she felt was debilitating but the joy and sense of pride at being able to do it made it worth. She never had a lot of sense of self-worth in her current life.


    The moment was ruined by distant screams and shouts. By a sound of it, someone else was in trouble.

 16 Though Spot

    ¡°Screams? We should help.¡± Lilith urged her party.


    ¡°NO!¡± Demi-Ura had strong objections about this.


    ¡°We have to. What if someone dies? Sargon, tell her.¡±


    Sargon had a conflicting opinion about this. The whole deal with spearman Nirah and his party demise wasn''t a pleasant experience. However, he still felt that Lilith was right and they should help fellow adventurers.


    ¡°It will be alright.¡± He made a flimsy attempt to persuade Demi-Ura. ¡°At least let¡¯s check it out.¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Lilith ran towards the distant screams without waiting for others.


    The rest of the party scrambled to follow. What they found was a party of three, no make it four, fighting three dozen strong swarm of ants made of warriors and spitters. One of the adventurers was downed and clutching his leg while wailing in pain. The other two were fighter types, one was armed with a spear while the other had a longsword. The last one was a caster, type of an air mage by the looks and quite powerful.


    The mage had a magic barrier formed around the party blocking the acid projectiles, while the two fighters were fending off the [Warrior Ants]. This strategy would usually work well but this time there were simply way too many ants.


    ¡°Why where are so many of them, where did this swarm come from? I won''t be able to keep this for much longer.¡± Air mage spoke through her laboured breaths; his white robe was drenched in sweat.


    ¡°It looks like two or maybe even three swarms joined together, for one reason or other.¡± The swordsman quested while trying to catch his air; he has just decapitated a huge ant monster.


    ¡°What does it matter? We''re doomed unless we run!¡± The spearman sounded as if he was losing his resolve to fight.


    ¡°And leave Mike to die here? Never! [Dismember]¡± Swordsman used the building up rage and channeled it to the monsters, cutting off all of the legs entirely from one unlucky ant.


    ¡°Help is here!¡± Lilith jumped in the circle, seemingly out of nowhere, startling unaware adventurers and moved quickly to the one who was still screaming in pain.


    She didn''t wait for others to fully acknowledge her intentions and started healing the poor man. She could see bare bone poking out of the hole in his leg, the hole made by corrosive ant spit.


    ¡°Another party? Then we are saved.¡± Air mage sighted in relief noticing other free figures running towards them.


    Sargon jumped to assist the warriors while Demi-Ura took the middle between them and the caster; Tasha did not feel competent enough to help so she kept in the rear not to become a hindrance.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to keep the barrier for much longer. The spitters are the problem. Is any of you a ranger?¡± The air mage asked hopefully even if it did not look like it; none of their saviours appeared to have a bow or any sort of ranged weapon.


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Demi-Ura noded to the caster before disappearing somewhere in between overgrown mushrooms.


    Sargon saw Demi-Ura appearing at the enemy¡¯s rear, just behind the group of spitters who were lined up in a neet line. She pierced the ants quickly killing four of them and then retreating back into the guise of darkness not to get shot.


    ¡°[Confuse]!¡± She cast her spell, further disturbing the barrage the ants laid on the air-mage''s shield. Then she disappeared in the darkness with shadow cloak only to repeat her attack like this for a couple more times.


    Meanwhile, Sargon struggled against his ant opponent. The dagger he had was a good weapon but he found his coa to be a better weapon against the [Warrior Ants]; the coa which was still being repaired. Also, his freshly healed leg was cramping up further hindering his performance. Sargon wasn''t at his best but regardless of that his help was appreciated by swordsman and spearman fighters.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. Take cover!¡± the mage shouted just before he fell on his knees and the barrier collapsed.


    The acid globs reached the party but everyone managed to find cover in time either under a rock or behind one of the giant shrooms.


    ¡°We can do this!¡± Sargon encouraged everyone ¡°Half of them are done.¡±


    ¡°Just a bit more¡± Swordsman braced for the charging ant warrior.


    The party scattered slightly because they had to seek cover against the [Spitter Ants], but they somehow managed to keep [Warrior Ants] from reaching their rear. The acid splashed all over, burning the mushrooms around. Occasionally a spray or a drop slashed away from vegetation hitting the fighters and burning their clothes and flesh alike. A small dropped was painful but nothing they couldn''t have handled.


    ¡°[Taunt]. Boys I have them, help me out!¡± Sargon desperately tried to keep the warrior ants concentrating on him so that they don¡¯t reach Lilith or Demi-Ura. He was risking his life doing that, lots of trust was put into two strangers to assist him.


    Eventually, Demi-Ura managed to kill most of the [Spitter Ants] and scatter the rest. all thanks to Sargon from keeping [Ant Warriors] distracted so they don¡¯t intercept her. The barrage of acid stopped and it was significantly easier to deal with the warriors. Demi-Ura assisted the fighters blasting the ants from behind with her magic, the outcome of the battle was clear.


    They killed all of the monsters with only minor injuries, but those were injuries never the less. Lilith was done healing the poor man and moved to heal others starting with Sargon.


    ¡°We were lucky to be saved by you. Saying just thanks isn''t enough.¡± The air-mage thanked trough his still irregular breath.


    ¡°You even healed our friend. How can we repay you?¡± Swordsman asked Lilith.


    ¡°It is fi¡­¡± Lilith was just about finish saying that it is fine and that thank you is enough.


    However, Demi-Ura cut her off midsentence. ¡°Cores. Give us cores.¡± Her hand was stretched out and her fingers were motioning for reward.


    ¡°You can harvest all the cores from monsters we just killed and we will give half of the cores we have.¡± Air-mage offered. He was very grateful for their help but he simply couldn''t part with all of their income, they had to eat and repair their equipment.


    Demi-Ura shook her head displeased, she wanted all of the cores. Sargon jumped between her the air-mage.


    ¡°We accept.¡± He knew that Lilith would have objected Demi-Ura''s behaviour if she kept pressing.


    They have collected the cores and parted their way with the other party. The poor man once again thanked Lilith still unable to believe at being able to walk. The leg did not look the same and there was a scar, but the hole was closed.


    ¡°That. That was scary. We could have died too.¡± Tasha had finally spoken.


    Demi-Ura nodded in agreement. She knew that such risk was not worth it, but somehow neither Sargon nor Lilith realised it. At that moment she became more fond of Tasha, at least beastkin understood it.


    ¡°Well we didn¡¯t and we got rewarded nicely too.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t think we should have taken away their cores. I healed them and my healing was free.¡± Lilith complained.


    ¡°I kill. That is not for free.¡± Demi-Ura added. ¡°He too.¡± She motioned to Sargon then to the bag full of cores and salvaged acid glands continuing. ¡±I want cookies. Cores get cookies. That is simple.¡°


    Lilith frowned at Demi-Ura, she didn''t seem like a charitable character, typical of demons. However, she had to admit that she only did the healing while Demi-Ura and Sargon fought risking their lives. If they wanted a reward for it it was their right to take it.


    ¡°But still...¡± Lilith still didn''t accept it.


    ¡°Shall we continue adventuring?¡± Sargon offered to stave off the friction between the women.


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    ¡°I have to rest. I have used most of my mana.¡± Lilith sat down on a broad mushroom cap using it as a chair.


    ¡°Me too. No mana.¡± Demi-Ura mimicked Lilith sitting on a cap just in front of Lilith.


    ¡°Okay but please no arguing.¡±


    ¡°Should we like, head back?¡± Tasha asked not feeling safe anymore like she did an hour ago.


    ¡°Is fine. We keep going. More cores.¡±


    ¡°All we need is a bit of rest.¡± Lilith agreed.


    These words were very unlike Lilith''s usual self. The reason for that was the sense of feeling alive like never before, this experience was vastly different from that of her previous sheltered life as a priestess. Lilith still felt adrenaline pumping in her blood she wanted to keep going.


    ¡°Why Demi-Ura cares so much about the cores and cookies?¡± Lilith asked unwilling to let go of her dissatisfaction about Demi-Ura.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like cores. I''ll take your share then.¡± Demi-Ura tactically avoided answering the pointless question.


    ¡°What, no!¡±


    ¡°Your healing is free. I''ll take only those from other party.¡±


    Lilith understood that Demi-Ura was after the cores they got as a reward from the other party, not the ones they have gathered so far. Even though she said her healing was free she did not want to give away her share to that woman.


    ¡°I give my share to Sargon.¡± Lilith poked a tongue towards Demi-Ura just to annoy her.


    Demi-Ura parroted that childish behaviour and then instructed Sargon ¡°Use it to but cookies.¡±


    ¡°No! He is not allowed to use that for cookies. He has to buy something for himself.¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Demi-Ura got bored of arguing.


    Tasha giggled finding the whole ordeal entertaining while Sargon just sighted.


    They sat on mushrooms, or under a particularly large one in Sargon¡¯s case, resting a bit more. Sargon used the chance to take out their rations. It was not much, only some black hard bread and water, the staple of newbie adventurers. Then he realised that Tasha had no such supplies so he offered her some.


    ¡°Eh, really? Sorry I didn''t think we will be going so deep into the dungeon. Thanks.¡± She thanked and showed black bread in her mouth. It was filling but quite dry.


    Sargon saw her struggling to swallow so offered his water pouch.


    Tasha hesitated to take it for a moment. She considered it to be an indirect kiss but then realised that Sargon didn''t have such reservations and chugged from it greedily. She did not mind having an indirect kiss like that after all. As a comrade, Sargon was quite attractive or so she thought.


    The impromptu picnic was interrupted by a faint sound of mushrooms being trampled and toppled over. Everyone perked their ears and looked around. There were too many mushrooms in this forest to see what was going on.


    ¡°Raise Tasha on one of the shrooms so she can see better that is going on.¡± Lilith offered.


    Sargon nodded and grabbed a small beastkin without even asking for permission, not that she minded. Sargon pushed Tasha on a mushroom cap, she pulled herself up and gazed into the distance. The cave was only lit faintly by glowing mushrooms and crystals so it was hard to see far ahead.


    ¡°Something definitely is going on. I can see multiple mushrooms moving and even being toppled down.¡±


    ¡°At least it isn''t bigger than a mushroom. So maybe just more ants?¡± Lilith guessed?


    ¡°How many?¡± Sargon had to know if they should run or wait it out.


    ¡°All of the tall mushrooms are moving like a wave. It is getting very close.¡±


    ¡°All of them!¡± Sargon explained. They were being swarmed by an army. ¡°Quick we have to run!¡±


    Demi-Ura nodded and rushed to help Lilith to gather their equipment. Tasha jumped straight into Sargon¡¯s arms who caught her and proceeded to run without even putting her down. It was nice to be carried but she felt it was unnecessary, she was able to run.


    They ran through the forest aiming for the exit. Sargon hoped they will reach the same one they have entered so not to get lost but it was highly unlikely. There was no time to properly navigate through the mushroom forest.


    As they darted past the shrooms they met a swarm of [Worker Ants], the smaller ones they would kill in upper floors often. The ants were busy carrying ant eggs.


    ¡°There are hundreds of them!¡± Sargon exclaimed both in wonder and shock.


    ¡°The other swarm we killed must have been scouts or something like that.¡± Lilith offered her explanation about the previous swarm which was triple the usual size.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep running. It should be alright.¡±


    They avoided the ants to the best of their ability and reached one of the many exits from the mushrooms forest.


    ¡°Is this the one?¡± He asked Demi-Ura who usually was in charge of navigating.


    ¡°No, but will have to do.¡± She urged her party inside the narrow tunnel.


    The tunnel widened up as they ran and there were no ants. The party slowed their pace down and Sargon put Tasha back to solid ground.


    ¡°Thanks for carrying me. But I can run quite fats you know, even while encumbered. I am in [Burden] class remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I did it since¡­ you know short legs and stuff.¡±


    Tasha glared at Sargon for a second but let it go, she knew he didn''t mean to offend.


    They continued through the tunnel at a much slower pace.


    ¡°Are we lost?¡± Lilith asked nervously.


    ¡°It is Babel, labyrinth-like dungeon, after all¡­¡± Sargon gave her the obvious answer and continued. ¡°But we are not that deep yet, usually Demi-Ura finds a path leading to upper floors it just takes time.¡±


    ¡°How she does that?¡± Lilith was surprised to find that Demi-Ura was a part scout in addition to being a caster with fighting ability.


    ¡°Patterns.¡± Demi-Ura said matter of factly.


    ¡°Do you see patterns too?¡± Lilith asked Sargon.


    ¡°No, not yet. But again I haven¡¯t spent two decades of my life here like Demi.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot about that.¡±


    The conversation slightly confused Tasha. She didn''t believe that she understood that correctly, there was no way Demi-Ura was that old. Then Tasha thought that maybe Demi-Ura started adventuring very young, just like her.


    ¡°Does Tasha see patterns. You have been adventuring longer than Sargon no?¡± Lilith asked a slightly confused looking girl.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Some in [Burnden] class become scouts and learn how to read the dungeon but I''m still too young.¡±


    ¡°I see so¡­¡± Lilith was cut abruptly by Demi-Ura.


    ¡°Enemy ahead.¡±


    ¡°Shall we go back, Sargon?¡± Lilith asked.


    Demi-Ura glared at Lilith for asking just him and ignoring her opinion. ¡°No.¡± she hissed at Lilith.


    ¡°Demi is right, we can¡¯t go back. Whatever it is, it can¡¯t be more dangerous than an army worth of ants. Get your weapons ready.¡±


    Sargon pulled his dagger out of its sheath, Demi-Ura tensed her tail muscles and Lilith prepared her claws; they were ready.


    Sargon stopped suddenly and whispered.


    ¡°Sorry Tasha, I forgot you have no weapon. I hate to ask this but can one of you give her the dagger. Maybe you Lilith since you are our healer so you will be staying in the rear.¡±


    ¡°Take.¡± It was Demi-Ura who offered her the dagger first. ¡°I want it back.¡± She added.


    Tasha nodded nervously. Her hands were trembling once again and she was feeling weak. Fighting was not something she was used doing but she was ready to pull her weight. She wanted to be useful besides just being able to carry packs of loot.


    Demi-Ura was the first one to see the monster as they made the turn in the tunnel.


    ¡°Tsk! Tough one.¡± She clicked her tongue in frustration after seeing what it was.

 17 Desperate times, desperate measures

    A huge ant blocked the path. It was not an ordinary warrior but an armoured one, [Armoured Ant]. The ant was as big as a horse and clad in sturdy armoured chitin, it was not as hard as iron but still challenging to crack because of its thickness.


    ¡°Oh no¡­ can we?¡± Sargon asked Demi-Ura who just shrugged.


    He probably could kill it if he had his main weapon, but he didn''t have it. There was little he could do with his dagger, it was sharp but it didn¡¯t have the reach he needed.


    The ant noticed party approaching and stirred in its guard post with. It let out a hiss and clattered its mandibles.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go back. We have to do it¡­¡± Sargon encouraged himself out loud ¡°Support me!¡± He shouted while running to intercept the ant.


    The ant slapped its mandibles shut trying to get at Sargon, he dodged to the side avoiding the attack and hit the monster on the head with his dagger. The weapon only chipped the armour.


    Lilith seeing Sargon struggling wanted to help him and despaired at the knowledge that she can¡¯t. If his dagger did little her weapons too would be useless, she also had little next to no combat experience and would probably die. This enemy wasn''t like the ones she had been killing in upper floors.


    ¡°Support him!¡± Lilith urged Demi-Ura to cast her magic.


    To which Demi-Ura responded crossly ¡°No mana.¡±


    They used all of their mana in that previous battle and their rest recovered only a tiny fraction of it. Lilith felt conflicted about her previous virtuous act, the one where she forced her party to help others. If she hasn¡¯t done so, maybe Demi-Ura would have been able to blast that [Armoured Ant] Away.


    Three women just stood there feeling helpless while Sargon struggled to keep the monster away from them. He was rolling and dodging away from the ant occasionally hitting it with his weapon. The damage was negligible and he would tire before he killed the ant, that was obvious.


    ¡°We have to do something!¡± Tasha complained out of frustration.


    ¡°Distract it?¡± Demi-Ura offered.


    ¡°We could, maybe then he will be able to hit it where it hurts.¡±


    The idea sounded dangerous but all three girls agreed to it, this was the best they could do. They approached the ant trying to distract it from Sargon.


    ¡°What are you doing so close?¡± Sargon questioned them in puzzlement.


    ¡°We are distracting it so you can kill it?¡± Lilith explained while sounding not too sure about her actions.


    ¡°Oh, then I will cancel my [Taunt]. Be careful.¡± He warned them.


    As soon as he dismissed his skill the ant turned to the approaching group of people and snapped at them instead. The trio scattered to different directions almost surrounding the ant leaving Sargon in its blind spot. The monster hissed in displeasure, It seemed confused and unsure which person was the best to attack, It would approach one but then the other would get louder and more annoying so the ant would approach that one instead. The strategy seemed to work, but it was still dangerous, one wrong move could mean death.


    Sargon jumped on the ant from behind planning to get close to the ant¡¯s neck so he can wedge his dagger there, it was the weak spot. He was on the monster''s back alright, but the ant reacted to it in extreme displeasure; it did not like to be ridden at all. The monster clattered its mandibles in frustration letting out a screech, then it spun in a circle trying to throw Sargon away. He pressed his body against the ants back and grasped for anything so that he doesn¡¯t get thrown off.


    The monstrous ant had enough of this and slammed its own body forcefully to the wall. Sargon slid away from the monster¡¯s smooth chitin and slammed into the wall. The ant pinned him with its leg so that he can not escape. By the look of it, the monster will finally get its revenge.


    Just before the mandibles could lock and separate the man in half there was a shout.


    ¡°Nooo!¡± Tasha screamed midjump while still in the air.


    She was gripping a small dagger in her hands which was pointed at the ant. Her body collided with the ant''s head and the dagger slid inside one of the eyes. She was able to do so only because the ant lowered its head to bite Sargon, otherwise it would have been too high.


    Oddly enough it seemed that this overgrown insect of a monster was able to feel pain, or something similar to that. It shifted its head responding to unpleasant feeling. The mandibles slammed regardless, but only grazed Sargon¡¯s belly leaving a shallow cut.


    ¡°[Blast]!¡± Demi-Ura shouted through her hard breathing before collapsing to her knees.


    A dark projectile swirled through the air pulsing and crackling. Then it collided with the ants head with a small explosion. Lilith was unfortunately still close to it, her small body was blown away from the force of the blast.


    Sargon was drenched in sweat and his eyes were bulging out, he was taking in the scene in front of him. He thought he will die just a second ago, the whole shebang ran through his head in slow-motion. But he was alive and kicking. Ignoring his torn shirt and bleeding belly he picked up nearby laying dagger and charged at the distracted ant. This was the best chance he will ever get; the ant was facing away and its head was still lowered.


    The monster failed to see Sargon¡¯s charge, since one of its compound eyes were blinded and its vision had distorted, the cause of damaged nerves. Sargon pressed his dagger in between armour free spot, where the head was connecting to the neck. The dagger slid deeply, severing something and the ant slumped on the ground. Its legs twitched for a few times and then the monster remained motionless; it was dead.


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    Lilith hurried towards Sargon.


    ¡°You are bleeding!¡± She shouted in horror seeing his blood-soaked shirt. ¡°Let me heal you.¡±


    The lizard-woman¡¯s face contorted in pain and in a matter of seconds her forehead became wet in sweat.


    ¡°You are out of mana.¡± Sargon realised that she must have used most of it healing him and other men before. ¡°Lilith, how about her?¡± He exclaimed in realisation that he was not the only who was injured.


    Just before Lilith could get the magic flowing, he stood up and ran towards unconscious beastkin.


    Tasha was lying motionless on the hard stone floor. Her dress was ripped and had holes in it revealing singed fur and burns from the magic blast. She was alive, only unconscious.


    ¡°Heal her.¡± Sargon demanded Lilith.


    ¡°But¡­ But you are¡­¡± She wanted to protest saying that she has almost no mana and that he is more important but seeing the resolve on Sargon¡¯s face she knew that arguing would be pointless.


    Lilith pressed her hand on the spots which looked the worst and pushed herself to complete the spell. It took a good moment but her hands finally started to glow and the wounds healed. Burned hair and skin fell off from Tasha¡¯s body leaving fresh naked skin behind. She healed Sargon¡¯s saviour to the best of her ability.


    ¡°That''s it. I won¡¯t be able to cast for a while.¡± She forced herself to speak trough pained breaths, she was exhausted. Then she added ¡°How about your wounds?¡±


    ¡°Is nothing but a scratch. Looks worse than it is.¡± It did hurt like hell though, but he didn''t want to admit it.


    The wound wasn''t bad and she would be able to heal it then she will recover her mana. Lilith bandaged Sargon¡¯s belly to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°Sorry. It was my fault.¡± She apologised. Her eyes looked as if they will tear up at any moment.


    Sargon looked at her confused. He didn''t see how him getting injured was her fault.


    Lilith noticed Sargon¡¯s confusion and had an idea what he would say, however, she was of a different opinion. If only she did not help that other party none of this would have happened. They would have gotten out of the mushroom forest before the ant invasion and even if they didn¡¯t, she and Demi wouldn¡¯t have had enough mana to support Sargon in his battle. She wanted to say all of that and admit her fault but couldn¡¯t. Demi-Ura interrupted her before she could start.


    ¡°We have to go.¡± Demi-Ura urged them.


    She too looked as if she was about to pass out, a clear sign of overexertion from overcasting.


    ¡°Get the daggers for me. We will need those.¡± Sargon urged her to retrieve their weapons, they will need those.


    Then he picked Tasha and popped her over his shoulder like a sack.


    ¡°Let me, you are injured.¡± Lilith offered.


    Sargon shook his head refusing and added ¡°We better hurry.¡±


    Despite their condition, the party proceeded to run through the tunnel hoping that there will be no such encounter anymore.


    They did encounter a few enemies from time to time, but the swarms were small and they were carefully avoided. However, the running could last only so long, after all, they had their equipment and loot to carry.


    Demi-Ura scouted ahead and located a good spot where they could rest. The party headed through a narrow crack in the wall leading to a small room. The space was barely illuminated by a few blue crystals embedded in the sealing. The room was clean and there were no signs of the ants.


    They set a camp of sorts. The spot was not ideal but it will have to do, they needed to sleep and recover.


    Sargon lowered Tasha to the ground, she was still unconscious, the blast knocked her out properly. Then they set the sleeping spots using the gear he had bough today. He didn''t expect to use it so soon but he was glad to be prepared. The sleeping gear was simple, containing a thin roll to soften the hard ground and a cover it. The problem was that they only had three sets because Tasha was only supposed to tag along for short while, none of this was planned to happen.


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave her like that, the stone is cold. Are you okay to share your bedroll with Tasha?¡± Sargon asked other women to witch both responded as no.


    Sargon shrugged, there was only one option left. ¡°Then I will sleep with her.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Both women responded at the same time.


    ¡°What do you want me to do then?¡± He was genuinely perplexed at the reaction. Not like he hadn¡¯t slept with Tasha before, there was nothing wrong with it.


    ¡°You can sleep with me.¡± Lilith offered changing her frown to a wide smile in matter of seconds.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand but okay.¡± It didn''t matter to him with who so long so it wasn''t on a hard stone.


    Demi-Ura glared at Lilith with clear animosity. Her crossed arms and frown told that she was not too happy about that either.


    ¡°You sleep with me.¡± she demanded.


    ¡°What?¡± Sargon tough he had resolved whatever this was but apparently not.


    ¡°Too late. He had already agreed to sleep with me.¡± Lilith poked her tongue towards Demi-Ura annoying her further.


    ¡°No!¡± Demi-Ura was holding her ground.


    However, Sargon was too tired to care anymore. He put a blanket on Tasha and then laid on another spare bedroll. Now It was up to the women to decide who will have to share it with him, he did not care about it after all. He made sure to leave enough space for his bed buddy, whoever it will be, and closed his eyes. The exhaustion overtook him and he promptly drifted to sleep.

 18 What comes next?

    ¡°Uaaaa!¡± Tasha screamed waking herself up, just to be slapped on the back of her head.


    ¡°Shhh!¡± Demi-Ura shushed the beastkin. She didn''t want Tasha to wake up those who were sleeping.


    Tasha rubbed the back of her head and whispered ¡°What is going on? Weren¡¯t we fighting the¡­ Sargon, how is he?¡± She raised her voice unintentionally again.


    Demi-Ura pointed at where Sargon was sleeping. ¡°Fine. Sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Why Lilith is there with him?¡± Tasha shuffled closer to inspect the couple. ¡°Is she heeling him? Was he injured badly?¡±


    ¡°No healing, just sleeping. Not enough beds for four.¡± Demi-Ura answered.


    ¡°Hmm, but there is one spare.¡± Tasha pointed at an unoccupied bedroll.


    The roll belonged to Demi-Ura but she didn''t use it since she was on a watch. Apparently, they did have enough of bedrolls since one person had to stay on guard, not that Sargon needed to know that. Incidentally, it was now Lilith¡¯s turn to stay on watch. Demi-Ura will be taking her turn sleeping with Sargon next; she had never done so and was quite looking forward to it.


    Demi-Ura ignored Tasha and pinched Lilith¡¯s tail forcefully trying to wake her.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Lilith moaned erotically. ¡°Sargon, you are being too rough.¡± She muttered while still asleep.


    Demi-Ura furrowed her brows in dissatisfaction and sunk her nails into the lizardman¡¯s tail.


    ¡°Shhh-Au au au.¡± Lilith hissed in pain from her rude awakening.


    ¡°My turn. You go watch.¡± Demi-Ura hissed in her own way.


    ¡°Fine, but no need to be so mean though.¡± Lilith whispered while carefully shuffling away from the bedroll so not to wake Sargon.


    ¡°I can keep watch now.¡± Tasha offered kindly, she didn''t feel like sleeping anymore, not after the nightmare she just had.


    Lilith appreciated the offer but as a healer, she could not allow that. ¡°No, you need to rest. You have been injured quite badly.¡±


    ¡°I were?¡± Tasha touched herself all over, she didn''t feel in pain or anything. ¡°I was¡­¡± she realised once her fingers brushed past the patches missing the fur. Once again the nightmare flashed before her eyes and she caught herself trembling.


    Tasha looked at Sargon again as if to dispel her fears. Seeing him sleeping peacefully calmed her down; neither of them seemed to be injured, well not anymore. However, she could not sleep, she still felt restless. Instead, she went to Lilith to keep her company and to find how did they defeat the [Armoured Ant] after she had passed out.


    The girls chatted up about everything to the point where Sargon stirred and woke up.


    ¡°Morning or is it evening?¡± He greeted everyone unsure. ¡°Morning Demi.¡± He shook the woman who was sleeping next to him under the blanket trying to wake her.


    It didn''t look like Demi-Ura wanted to get up at all.


    ¡°Come on, everyone is already out it is just you.¡± He encouraged her with another gentle shake.


    Demi-Ura groaned in dissatisfaction. She felt cheated out of her time sleeping next to Sargon, it seemed that Lilith had more time than her. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± She knew it wasn''t the place or the time to act spoiled; she will get at the lizard next time.


    Seeing that Tasha was all better Sargon let a relieved sigh and begun to pack their equipment.


    ¡°I will carry it for you guys.¡± Tasha offered kindly.


    ¡°Nah, it will be fine.¡±


    ¡°You carried me here so¡­¡± Tasha said somewhat embarrassed ¡°This is the least I can do. You saved my life after all.¡±


    ¡°You saved mine but it was Demi-Ura who saved yours.¡±


    ¡°You killed it. Without you, we would be dead.¡± Demi-Ura referred to Sargon¡¯s final blow.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. But if not for Lilith¡¯s healings we probably wouldn¡¯t have even made this far¡­¡±


    ¡°So, I guess we saved each other. Like a proper party would.¡± Lilith beamed up in a smile.


    Demi-Ura nodded in agreement, it was true. Everyone did their best to save their companions and will continue to do so.


    The small bearskin didn''t wait for their permission and packed all of the stuff on her tiny back, she wanted to be useful. Tasha looked like a small mountain with legs, there was more stuff then there were her.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too heavy? Let me take some.¡± Sargon offered to take some of the burden away.


    ¡°What are you talking, this isn''t heavy at all. This is my class, please let me do it.¡± She said honestly. Tasha was used to carrying even bigger loads.


    ¡°If you say so. Stay at the rear and don¡¯t engage the enemy. I don¡¯t think you will have time to take all of this if we get ambushed.¡±


    ¡°I will keep an eye on her.¡± Lilith offered.


    Tasha wanted to contribute as a party member since she was a poor fighter, but once again she felt inadequate. She didn''t want to burden them with her inabilities, but her lack of fighting skills made her think that she does.


    Lilith noticed the lack of the usual enthusiastic Tasha¡¯s tail wagging and spoke. She knew why Tasha was upset.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Maybe you can¡¯t fight good, yet, but you can learn if you want. And as a party we have to cower for each-others lacking¡¯s and faults.¡±


    ¡°I can get better at it?¡± Tasha questioned herself more than Lilith, she sounded unsure about it.


    ¡°Yes, you can! I believe Sargon or Demi-Ura can show you some tricks with a dagger. I would too if I knew how to fight. I am not a good fighter either, remember?¡±


    Tasha wanted to dispute the latter part, in her eyes Lilith was a natural fighter. However, Lilith''s words cheered her up and she didn''t want to continue to brood over her own inabilities.


    ¡°I will get better.¡± She made a promise.


    Lilith patted Tasha on her head like she would a small child for encouragement, her teacher instincts kicked in. This wasn''t the first child she had comforted.


    Sargon looked at the two knowingly. Lilith was treating Tasha as a kid even though she clearly was not, it looked somewhat condescending. However, Tasha seemed happy and he just smiled wryly.


    Eventually, the party found their way out, and without any real struggle. As per usual Demi-Ura didn¡¯t come to the surface. Sargon knew she had her reasons but Lilith was of different opinion.


    ¡°About Demi-Ura. I might know why she is reluctant to come out.¡± Lilith spoke carefully. She felt somewhat bad about doing it behind someone¡¯s back.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Like I said before.¡± Lilith leaned closer to Sargon¡¯s ear and spoke in a hush ¡°She is a demon kind, those are not exactly welcome in this city.¡±


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    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sargon asked Lilith to expand on her explanation.


    ¡°Not welcome like¡­ killed on sight. Well, not that normal people would be able to recognise that she is a demon, the knowledge of them is not that well spread around. But veteran adventurers, soldiers and those in temple definitely know about demons and despise them with passion.¡± Lilith wanted to add that she too still holds that opinion to some extent.


    Demons are evil and that is a fact. Demi-Ura was okay in Lilith¡¯s eyes because she was a rare exception, or so she convinced herself. She actually would call Demi-Ura as a friend now, but that doesn''t mean that her hatred for demons was gone and forgotten. All of this, of course, wasn''t put in words; Lilith knew that her opinion would upset Sargon.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ you might be right.¡± Sargon cupped his chin in thought.


    ¡°But she still can come out.¡± Tasha added her opinion, she overheard their conversation all thanks to her pointy beastkin ears.


    The two looked at her and so she continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know what a demon is but if her looks are no good¡­ We can just cover her in clothing. Rogues are all hidey all the time, and she kind of gives that vibe too. No one would suspect a thing.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ you might be right.¡± Lilith mimicked Sargon from a few seconds ago, cupping her chin.


    Tasha giggled at Lilith¡¯s behaviour, ex-priestess was mocking Sargon who was too dense to realise it.


    ¡°I will offer that to Demi the next time, now¡­ Now let¡¯s cash in our cores.¡±


    They still had a huge stack of them. The party went to the guild and exchanged them for money. The amount was a small fortune since they had plenty of big cores from [Warrior-Ants]. Well, it would be a small fortune for a single person, but now there were four of them and there were other various expenses too, like equipment repairs. Tasha¡¯s already tattered dress was even more tattered, it barely held on her shoulders without coming apart and Sargon''s shirt too had a huge hole by the belly and was blood-soaked, the stain which would no longer get off.


    Sargon handed Lilith and Tasha their share of coins.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Tasha reacted with shock to the number of Shekels she received. ¡°Why are you giving it to me?¡±


    ¡°You are part of this party now, and we share the money equally.¡±


    Tasha felt conflicted about it. She didn¡¯t even contribute that much. Normally those in [Burden] would be paid bare minimum, giving someone like her an equal share seemed odd.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel comfortable taking it.¡± It took a lot of effort but Tasha refused it, it was a proof of how kind she was.


    ¡°It is yours, just take it.¡± Lilith interjected.


    ¡°Still it does not feel right.¡±


    ¡°Look, you deserve it!¡± Sargon raised his voice with a hint of anger. ¡°You almost died saving me, your clothes are ruined. You need it.¡±


    ¡°You can get some equipment for yourself. A weapon or something like that. Something that suits your style and makes you a better fighter.¡± Lilith gave a bit of advice about how she should spend it. She thought it would be a waste if this young girl spent it all on tasty food only and other useless things.


    ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t know what suits me. I can¡¯t even fight.¡± Once again Tasha¡¯s low self-esteem showed.


    ¡°Nonsense. You killed those ants with Demi-Ura and blinded the [Armoured Ant], no? You are new at this, unskilled, yes, but you CAN fight. I wouldn¡¯t be alive otherwise.¡± Sargon reminder her.


    ¡°Even so. I don¡¯t know which weapon is the best for me.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask Belish, we are heading there and as a smith he could advise you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tasha agreed with an energetic tail wag. Sargon was right, she can fight. The only thing preventing her from it was her mental block.


    The trio went to see the smith.


    Belish greeted the group with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Just look at ye, one hell of a battle ya had. Go easy next time.¡± He handed Sargon his coa. It was fixed, the blade looked like it was brand new. ¡°I was waiting for ya yesterday, ya know, but now I know why ya didn¡¯t come.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ [Armoured Ant] was not easy to crack. Its armour is just so tough!¡± Sargon complained.


    ¡°Ya killed it?¡± The smith was impressed. ¡°Did ya sell its shell already?¡±


    ¡°How would we even take it off? It''s too hard to crack.¡± Sargon asked Belish in turn.


    ¡°Lad, there are ways. I¡¯m surprised ya don¡¯t know. Have a look at ¡®dis.¡± The smith pulled a tool from under the stall. ¡°Crowbar it is.¡± He showed the tool and explained how it worked. It was specially designed to rip parts of chitin away from ants without damaging it.


    Then the smith continued. ¡°I can make armour too you know. [Armoured Ant] is rare so it¡¯s ¡®ard to come by such materials, I need t¡¯e chitin for practice. Bring some and I will craft something for ya.¡±


    He handed the crowbar to Sargon. ¡°A loan, don¡¯t lose it.¡± The tool in question was actually quite expensive since it was made out of quite tough metal.


    ¡°Really?¡± Sargon took it reluctantly.


    ¡°Just get me some chitin, alright?¡±


    Sargon smiled happily accepting it.


    ¡°Oh, anot''er thing.¡± He pushed petite beastkin in front of himself. ¡°What sort of weapon would be good for her?¡±


    ¡°A warhammer!¡± Belish slammed a huge weapon on the stall. The wood creaked from the weight.


    Tasha glared at the weapon with her mouth agape, there was no way she could even lift it.


    ¡°Ha ha ha ha.¡± The smith laughed heartily. ¡°Your expression.¡± He wiped a tear from his eye.


    The trio looked confused, the joke went over their heads.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ ya no fun. She''s small so a dagger is good.¡±


    ¡°But there is so much a dagger can do against huge ants.¡± Lilith spoke from experience.


    ¡°True¡­ Belish looked over the small girl once more. ¡°look, tis ¡®arsh but she¡¯s too small.  A weapon shouldn''t be heavier t¡¯an she is. A ranged weapon maybe?¡± He offered, paused letting his words to sink in and then continued. ¡°Yes, if ya go for offensive power a ranged weapon is the best for her. Ya don¡¯t want something dis small anywhere close to combat. One chomp and she¡¯s gobbled up and gone.¡±


    ¡°I get it, alright.¡± Tasha got annoyed about her height being mentioned every time, she didn''t have a complex about it but this was too much.


    ¡°A bow. Do you sell any?¡± It didn''t look like it since Belish was a smith and not a bowmaker or even a carpenter, but he asked just in case.


    ¡°No, but I can direct ya to someone who does, he¡¯s an old friend of mine.¡±


    The trio listened for directions in attention; it was not too far.

 19 Hammer time

    A few days later the party was as deep as the fifth dungeon floor. Their current objective was an [Armoured Ant]. They were at it for hours already, the monster alluded them. It was always like that, when one needed a specific thing or monster to be found it would not show up.


    Incidentally, they have avoided going to the mushroom forest. The [Armoured Ant] was always found somewhere in the tunnels guarding an entrance.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Demi-Ura exclaimed as she stepped out of the shadows.


    ¡°You found it?¡±


    She nodded to Sargon and motioned to follow.


    They squeezed through a small crack in the wall which led to another tunnel. The tunnel was much rounder than the usual, it didn¡¯t look like a natural formation but more like it was dug out. The monstrous ant was guarding one of the entrances leading further down.


    ¡°Just what we need. Okay, let¡¯s do it like we practised!¡± Sargon was pumped up.


    ¡°Yeah¡° ¡°Yes¡° ¡°*Nod*¡±


    Everyone took their respective positions. Sargon was at the front holding his trusty coa, just behind him was Tasha aiming peculiar weapon she bought yesterday, Lilith and Demi-Ura were staying at the very back ready to support Sargon at any time. The tunnel was too narrow so the monster could not be surrounded like the last time; Sargon had to charge it on his own.


    So, he did just so. The blade of his weapon glistered in the bluish light of the cave crystals. His knuckles were white from the strength of his grip, he was determined to do some serious damage with the very first blow.


    ¡°[Confuse]¡± Demi-Ura cast one of the oldest spells she knew.


    It took hold affecting the orange sized ant brain, confusing it for a breathiest moment. Sargon was given chance to act boldly and he did just so, he charged under the towering ant sliding beneath it. Then he swung his newly sharpened blade at one of its leg joints with a yell. ¡°Ahhh!¡± As he finished exhaling, he was already out at the other end by ant¡¯s lower body.


    The joint was less protected from the inner side than the outer side and he had managed to decapitate one of the ant¡¯s legs. A broad smile was plastered on Sarongs face, not just because he injured the ant so quickly, but because he obtained a new skill [Charge].


    At the moment he was behind the ant, meaning that there was no-one to protect their ranged fighters. Confuse was wearing out and the monster will be able to attack the group at any time. This was not a problem, however, as this was within the plan they had.


    Tasha loaded her peculiar weapon with a bolt. What she held in her hand was a prototype of a crossbow. It wasn''t the first prototype and not the last, but still, it was made skilfully and was functional to some extent. It was still not a particularly popular contraption, people saw it inferior to a bow. The crossbow was heavier, slow to load, the range was shorter than that of a bow and it was useless against enemies behind cover or a wall. However, it was well suited for the dungeon. The tunnels were narrow and tended to bend so the range will never be a problem, and even if it took ages to load the crossbow was easy to aim and packed quite a punch. In Tasha¡¯s eyes, it was a perfect weapon for her.


    Just as the ant monster could snap out from confusion a bolt pierced its left eye expelling a large squirt of jelly-like substance into the air. This, of course, angered the ant and it hissed in dissatisfaction ready to charge at the one who injured it.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t! [Taunt]¡± Sargon invoked his skill with a slap to the ant¡¯s armoured butt.


    Even if his slap was powerful he didn¡¯t even chip the armour, however, he got the monster''s attention. The [Armoured Ant] turned towards him ignoring the three women completely. Sargon jumped away from sharp mandibles which closed way too close to his body for him to feel comfortable about it. He had to keep it distracted while others did their thing.


    This time it was Demi-Ura¡¯s turn to shine. While Sargon distracted the ant she was concentrating her magic within her body. She was preparing a superior version of [Dark Blast] so it took time, but it was worth it.


    ¡°Here it comes, [Blast]¡± She warned Sargon so he has time to distance himself in case she misfires.


    A ball of dark energy whizzed past the air while pulsating, it was three times the size of normal and three times as powerful. The blast was aimed at the monster legs, the ball hit the rear leg by a joint snapping it in half and then it continued its path. Demi-Ura gasped after seeing it, she didn''t expect her magic to continue after the first leg. Lucky to them it didn''t fly where Sargon was, the magic hit the ant at its side. The ball of energy exploded spewing out dark energy. As a result of the blast, the middle leg and the remnants of the other two were torn off the ant completely making the monster fall on its side.


    No one was expecting this and were looking at it with their mouths agape.


    ¡°Maybe we should have done this from the very beginning?¡± Sargon offered still amazed at the destruction.


    Well, the blast didn''t destroy or shatter the armour of the insect but the shock of the blast was powerful enough to rip the joints and separate the legs from its body.


    Demi-Ura nodded twice; she was happy with her performance.


    ¡°It can¡¯t move at all!¡± Tasha was still amazed. ¡°Can I get some practice?¡± She asked seeing an opportunity.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t get too close.¡± Lilith warned her with a genuine worry on her face.


    Tasha circled around the ant towards its head careful not to get too close. Then she loaded her crossbow with another bolt and aimed towards its other eye. She fired, the bolt pierced the eye, the ant shrieked in pain; it was still alive. The bearskin did not stop there, she loaded another bolt and shot it at the monster¡¯s mouth. Mandibles closed deflecting the bold, but she didn''t stop there, she continued practising at her living target. It was cruel to torture an animal like that, but this was the way of an adventurer, live targets gave her more experience than a practice dummy, the experience she so much needed.


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    Monster gurgled in pained shrieks spitting transparent insect blood; a few of the bolts were stuck in its fleshy mouth. Tasha had run out of bolts, she had only ten, and it was time to end the monster¡¯s misery.


    ¡°How do we do this now? Does Demi or Lilith want to practise?¡± Tasha asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Demi-Ura refused, knowing that it was best to conserve her mana.


    ¡°There is nothing I can do with it.¡± Lilith said somewhat dejected, she was only a healer but it displeased her that she still can''t injure the ant.


    ¡°Well, then I will do it.¡±


    Sargon approached blinded ant from the side and jammed his weapon towards its neck. He pushed and twisted a couple of times, he could do that since he didn''t need to worry about the ant retaliating. The head separated from the body and rolled on the floor, its neck leaked sticky ant blood.


    ¡°Eww¡­¡± Tasha was not pleased with the sight.


    ¡°Let''s get this armour off. This is what we came for after all.¡± Sargon braced himself taking out the crowbar.


    He wedged it at special places where the chitin plates connected and with Lilith¡¯s help he pried it away from the monster''s body.


    After the flesh was exposed, Demi-Ura ripped through it with her tail looking for the monster core. It took them a good hour of work to process the corpse but finally, they had quite a few large pieces of chitin and an unusually large monster core.


    ¡°Are we done or are we¡­ going to see what it was guarding?¡± Tasha was curious what was past the entrance [Armoured Ant] was protecting.


    ¡°It would be best to play it safe and go back. We got what we came here for.¡± Lilith responded to Tasha who was already ignoring her and pacing towards the entrance leading down.


    ¡°We check.¡± Demi-Ura too wanted to proceed.


    ¡°Three against one.¡±


    Lilith frowned at Sargon slightly annoyed that he didn''t take her side. Sargon noticed her stiff and displeased face so he responded ¡°Just a small peak and then we will head back.¡±


    They set the chitin plates aside for later and headed in the tunnel the ant was guarding. The passage got even more narrow and dark than the one they came from. That uncomfortable darkness didn''t last long as the tunnel was quite short. Soon enough the party reached a huge dome-shaped room carved into the rock. A few blue crystals illuminated hundred of ant eggs sitting on the ground and waiting to hatch. A few small workers, the ones like in first and second floors, were tending to the eggs.


    ¡°Nice!¡± Sargon rubbed his hands together.


    Demi-Ura nodded, she too was pleased about the find.


    ¡°Eggs? Like the ones you told me before?¡± Lilith didn¡¯t seem so happy about the find. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can carry any back, not when we have that armour to haul.¡± She added.


    ¡°Oh no, we won¡¯t be carrying them. It''s smash time!¡± Sargon said while slapping the leathery egg shell with the flat of his coa splattering the contents all around.


    ¡°Eww.¡± Tasha looked with both horror and displeasure, she didn''t appreciate the sight.


    ¡°You do it for the experience.¡± Demi-Ura tried to explain while positioning an egg next to Lilith ¡°Kick it.¡± She said taking a step back away from it.


    Lilith kicked an egg with no hesitation, her sharp claws pierced its shell and splattered the contents.


    ¡°This is quite fun.¡± She had to agree. Once again she learned that she likes that sort of destruction. Something she would have never known if she stayed as a temple priestess.


    ¡°You too Tasha. You can practise your shooting here, maybe even learn a new skill.¡±


    He didn''t need to say it twice, the beastkin loaded the weapon and aimed at one of the eggs at the distance firing the bolt. The projectile pierced its soft shell continuing its path to the next egg.


    The eggs were kicked, stomped and smashed left and right. Sargon and Demi-Ura stood there barely able to contain themselves, they too wanted to join in but their new party companions needed that experience more.


    Lilith had once pristine dress covered in various liquids and juices, she was breathing heavily out of exertion. Tasha too was tired from all the running she had to do to retrieve her bolts, not to mention the fact that the crossbow took some strength to arm. Out of a few hundred, there were only a handful of the eggs left.


    Sargon had a bugging feeling he was forgetting something.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to save any since we are not harvesting them¡­ so what it is?¡± He asked no one in particular, trying to jog his memory.


    He looked around once more, gauging his surroundings. The cave was safe, there was no sign of enemies, yet he still expected to see one.


    ¡°Enemy¡­¡± finally the gears in his brain began to spin but he was not there yet.


    Just before his mind gears could click Tasha destroyed the last egg. The sealing began to rumble and spew dust out of it. Sargon had finally made the connection. His last encounter with a terrifying enemy was not bad luck, he had summoned it then he had destroyed the last egg. He was not too sure about that then but now this was obvious.


    ¡°Run!¡± He warned the girls.


    They didn¡¯t need that warning and had been already running; the sound and dust coming from the top made it clear that something was up.


    A huge monster came down crashing with a cloud of debris. It was black in colour and many times bigger than the previous monsters he had faced before. If he remembered correctly not only it had menacing looking jaw but could spit corrosive liquid. They had triggered an [Event] and summoned [Ant Guardian].

 20 Run Flee Escape

    The dust settled and the ant monster was already aiming at the adventurers. Tasha was the first to reach the spot where Sargon and Demi-Ura were standing; Lilith was still further away and closer to the monster. The lizard-woman ran as fast as she could since there was no way she was able to put a fight. Lilith placed her foot on one of the smashed shells and it slipped because of all the goo. She slammed into the ground and proceeded to slide for a few meters. The [Ant Guardian] was dangerously close and it would take too long for her to stand up. It looked like she was doomed.


    ¡°Nooo.¡± Sargon shouted as he was about to run to help Lilith.


    However, he was grabbed on a shoulder and stopped by Demi-Ura. She didn¡¯t approve of him risking his life like that. There was no way he will even make his way to Lilith alive, and even if he did make it, he wouldn''t come back with her unscathed. Demi-Ura couldn''t let him die like that; she held Sargon in standstill by his shoulder


    Sargon wasn''t thinking rationally and acted upon his emotions; his friend was in trouble and he had to save her. He broke off from Demi-Ura¡¯s grip and proceeded to run towards Lilith. The monster spat acid towards Sargon and he just barely avoided it, it was more luck than skill.


    He reached Lilith who was already scrambling to stand up, this proved harder than she thought. Slick goo covered the ground and her body preventing her from rising. The brave, or stupid, boy was there to offer her a hand.


    Lilith looked at him with wide eyes; eyes which teared up quickly. She didn''t expect him to risk his life like that. They stood up and only then Sargon realised that he had messed up. They were standing still and there was no nearby cover. The ant [Ant Guardian] had them, a single projectile of acid spit could end their lives.


    Sargon knew all that, yet still, he refused to accept this fate. He turned his back to the monster and ran as fast as he could while tightly grasping Lilith¡¯s arm. Again, very stupid thing to do, if they had split up at least one of them had a surviving chance. Neither of the two wanted to let go of the hand they were holding, if they had to die they would die together.


    Their backs were unprotected and the two were a perfect target for the black ant. The monster tensed up its muscles in its throat ready for another attack. Just before it could spit its acid out a ball of dark energy hit it in the head, interrupting its attack. Demi-Ura had bought them some time but it wasn''t enough. The blast was powerful but it barely damaged the ant so it readied its attack again. The running pair made only half of their distance to safety.


    Tasha began firing her crossbow at the ant. The crossbow bolts found their target easily since it was very big but they simply deflected from monster''s chitin. The ant continued its attack finally spitting a large glob of acid. The bolts did no damage but they distracted the monster so its acid spit missed completely. Just before it could spit again another blast of magic pushed its head to the side. The monster got frustrated at annoying intruders and charged at them with its body; if ranged attacks did not work it could always attack them with its large body.


    Sargon and Lilith ran for their lives, the [Ant Guardian] was quickly gaining on them. The ground was slippy but they had supported each other so neither of them can slip up. The monster opened its large maw ready to snap at the two. Just before it could close its mandibles the running pair made inside the narrow tunnel. The monster slammed its head in it, it was too large to fit through. It hissed once again in frustration.


    ¡°We¡­ Barely¡­ Made it.¡± Sargon said it in between his breaths.


    ¡°Stupid.¡± Demi-Ura directed her anger at him.


    Sargon had never seen Demi-Ura this angry before, actually, he had never seen her angry maybe only mildly annoyed.


    ¡°I saw it and I froze. Only then I saw you running¡­ You are very brave.¡± Tasha praised Sargon.


    ¡°No. He''s stupid.¡± Demi-Ura cursed in dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Stupid or brave, I am alive because of him¡­ You too Demi-Ura and Tasha, thank you.¡± Lilith was just glad to be alive. She still could feel her heart racing in her chest.


    Demi-Ura nodded accepting the gratitude, she too was glad it turned out fine. But still, her face remained stern, she directed her gaze at the Sargon¡¯s hand which was still tightly locked with Lilith¡¯s.


    Sargon felt uncomfortable receiving such luck and he realised that he can finally let it go. He did so and then added ¡°Girls I owe you one. You saved us back there.¡±


    ¡°We are comrades, that is what comrades do. Yesterday it was me, today it was you and tomorrow it will be someone else again.¡± Tasha said such heavy words with a bright smile.


    Her words reminded to everyone just how the Labyrinth Dungeon was dangerous and how lucky they were to escape death on multiple occasions.


    ¡°Comrades...¡± Demi-Ura mimicked Tasha¡¯s words her stern look gone as if it never existed.


    ¡°We better go to the surface before anything else happened.¡± Lilith urged everyone, she didn''t want to stay here longer than it was necessary.


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Everyone agreed.


    They grabbed the armoured chitin they had left in a corner and dragged themselves out as quickly as they could. Just before they could reach the first floor, Demi-Ura stopped; it was as far as she was willing to go. She was still insistent about not being able to go outside the dungeon. They had parted albeit reluctantly, it was almost the time for the dungeon to change and Sargon worried about finding Demi-Ura. Like always she ensured that if it won''t be him it will be her who''ll find Sargon.


    The trio hauled their loot back to the market. It was quite late but they still hoped that they will find Belish working in his shop. And sure they did. The bulky man was toiling at his workshop, hammering hot metal. He was the only one who was still working this late, everyone else had closed their shops already.


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    Sargon stood behind the counter, he could not see the smith, only hear him working.


    ¡°Hey¡± He shouted but there was no response. Then he shouted again but louder.


    ¡°It¡¯s closed can¡¯t ya see?!¡± The beastman shouted back.


    ¡°But we brought the armour!¡± Lilith complained unhappily about the idea of having to drag it all back.


    ¡°It is okay, Lilith.¡± Sargon tried to pacify his clearly annoyed companion. Then he timed his next sentence in between the metal clanging against metal. ¡°We will come back tomorrow morning.¡±


    The hammering suddenly stopped. ¡°Oh, it''s Sargon. I didn¡¯t expect ya.¡± Belish stepped away from his work and looked at their loot, a broad smile appeared on his face. ¡°Ya really got it! It was quick.¡±


    ¡°Can you make it?¡± Sargon asked putting the loaned crowbar on the table.


    ¡°The armour? Ya bet I can, dis chitin is good stuff. Ya won¡¯t be disappointed, believe me.¡± Belish said full of confidence. ¡°Tough it will take time, a week or so¡­ No, if I work through the night, make it four days.¡±


    Belish enthusiasm surprised Sargon, the smith had that shine in his eyes and looked excited.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to work at night. I am in no rush.¡± Sargon didn¡¯t want to pressure the smith.


    ¡°No no, It is fine. Ya brought something this valuable to me.¡±


    Sargon didn¡¯t think that this chitin was so valuable. Actually, then they sold the [Armoured Ant] core at the guild he asked about the chitin too, it was not that expensive as a material. This type of ant was rare and its chitin hard to harvest but there weren¡¯t that many people who would buy it.


    However, Belish Tikay was not a mere smith. He could make extraordinary things out of the most ordinary stuff and something even better from rare materials. He just never had the chance to obtain what he needed.


    Sargon and his companions staked chitin at the back of the shop, before Sargon left he thanked the smith once again.


    ¡°No problem. Oh and don¡¯t forget dis, it¡¯s yours.¡± Belish handed back the crowbar.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, consider it a gift. Just keep bringing ME the good stuff.¡± The smith stressed the ''me'' part.


    ¡°Are you his personal smith now or something?¡± Tasha asked. She knew that veteran adventurers would get one eventually.


    ¡°Exactly. It would make me very sad if ya did business with another smith, just saying.¡± Belish added.


    This was his way of communicating that Sargon wouldn''t be able to trade with other smiths. Sargon got that and considered that it was fine since Belish seemed nice and actually very competent at his craft. The in the form of armour and the crowbar also contributed to this.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Sargon sealed the deal with these simple words.


    The party have left the market district and headed towards one of the adventurer taverns to let some steam off.


    ¡­


    They were sitting around a small table, in front of them were delicious food dishes and beer.


    Lilith¡¯s eyes were glued not to the steaming hot food like Tasha¡¯s but to a person in front of her: Sargon. Even though they were no longer in the dungeon her heart didn''t stop to race. The alcohol which she has never had before was partially to blame, or so she thought. One thing clear was that something had changed in her heart, she thought she already loved Sargon but these feelings she felt now were even stronger than before. She needed him, she desired him, it was a craving. Lilith was filled with carnal desires she hadn''t experienced before.


    Sargon noticed her hungry look and mistook it as a voracious appetite for food.


    ¡°No need to wait for my portion, you can start.¡± Sargon was still waiting for his food.


    The lizard-woman just kept eating him with her eyes, food was not what she desired.


    ¡°Lilith?¡± Sargon asked slightly confused and uncomfortable about her gaze.


    Him saying her name brought her back to normal. Her tail twitched and she lowered her head in embarrassment, if she could blush, she would be beat-red. She kicked her dirty thoughts aside for a moment and dug in her food.


    ¡°By the way, where are you staying guys?¡± Sargon asked to start a small talk.


    ¡°I''m still living in a temple, they were kind to let me stay there. But it''s only temporary, soon I''ll need to find a different place.¡± Lilith said all that refusing to look at Sargon, her heart was still racing.


    ¡°How about you Tasha?¡±


    The little beastkin almost choked on her food. She coughed it out and there was a small pause before she spoke. ¡°Well¡­ I live¡­ for me it is complicated. Why do you ask?¡± Tasha asked back unwilling to share her circumstances.


    ¡°I was just thinking.¡± Sargon took his plate from tavern maiden and continued. ¡°Since we are a party why don¡¯t we live together? It would be convenient no?¡±


    ¡°¡°Really?!¡±¡± Both girls responded at once. Their tails showed that they liked the idea.


    ¡°I was just thinking, no need to get so enthusiastic about this. We don¡¯t even know if we can afford anything decent.¡±


    ¡°It does not matter where it is or how it looks, everywhere will be fine if it''s with you.¡± Lilith said and as soon as she did so she realised how shameless it was.


    ¡°~mm ~mm¡± Tasha nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I guess you are right, it is the company what matters not the surroundings.¡± Sargon slightly misinterpreted Lilith¡¯s words.


    They finished their food and washed it with beer. Only that Tasha once again insisted on drinking the same amount as Sargon and ended up wasted.


    ¡°Uuuu¡­ It is spinning.¡± Beastkin complained.


    ¡°I guess she can sleep in my place again. See you tomorrow, Lilith.¡± Sargon picked up a petite woman by her waist to carry her back to his shack.


    ¡°I will accompany you.¡± Lilith offered.


    Sargon wasn''t against the company on his way back but he didn¡¯t suspect Lilith intended to stay the night too.

 21 It鈥檚 time to confront it

    Tasha was laying next to Sargon, her small chest was raising up and down, she was sleeping peacefully. The same couldn''t be said about the man next to her. Sargon could not find rest, not with Lilith next to him. No, she was more on top of him than just lying close. He felt his personal space being invaded. His shack was too small for free people but Lilith insisted with staying over the night.


    He felt one of Lilith¡¯s thick thighs resting on top of his legs, her bust rested on his chest and her arm crept up his body. He felt hot being sandwiched like that, and judging from Lilith¡¯s rugged breathing she was too. He could even feel her irregular heartbeat. The lizard on top of him was in heat, but once again Sargon was too dense to come to that conclusion.


    ¡°Lilith, are you awake?¡± He asked fully aware that she was, her hand wouldn¡¯t be caressing his bare chest otherwise.


    Her hand jerked slightly and stopped moving.


    ¡°I know you are. Why are you so restless? Is it about something I¡¯ve said in the tavern?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± She finally responded and then added after a brief pause. ¡°Maybe yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you have second thoughts about it?¡±


    ¡°No, I am happy about it.¡± Her hand begun to caress Sargon¡¯s chest once again.


    ¡°So then why are you clinging to me like this? I am not going anywhere, we will be together from now on.¡±


    ¡°Contrary, I feel like I might lose you.¡±


    ¡°We are a strong party and I won¡¯t die easily, not then we have you with us.¡± Sargon stirred trying to find some space, he was feeling too warm. He was becoming sweaty and it made him self-conscious.


    ¡°No¡­ I fear that someone will snatch you from me.¡± She said that with a hint of fear and jealousy in her voice.


    ¡°I see.¡± Sargon couldn''t exactly understand what she meant by saying that. It was unlikely an ant will just whisk him away.


    Lilith took a deep breath pressing her nose to his skin. ¡°You smell nice.¡±


    Her words made Sargon to almost jump up; he taught that there was no way his sweaty smell would smell nice. He hasn¡¯t even bathed today. He tried to push her away from himself, but it was futile; she pressed her body to him even stronger.


    ¡°You aren''t going anywhere.¡± She said it with a soft chuckle.


    Sargon felt that she was once again teasing him; something Lilith would do since they were children. The only problem was that her teasing grew more sexual as they grew. Or was it a plus?


    ¡°Lilith¡­ you are too close.¡± He had finally complained feeling her knee pressing on his crotch.


    ¡°And what are you going to do about it?¡± She whispered in his ear softly and added. ¡°Do not stir too much you''ll wake Tasha, she might misunderstand what is going on.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Sargon had finally given up and decided to ignore Lilith¡¯s teasing.


    It took him a while to get used to Lilith being so close to him, but her moving hand and warm body began to feel relaxing after a while. He drifted to sleep leaving Lilith to her restlessness. He ignored her approaches just like that and the lizard-woman didn''t press any further.


    The morning came and the sun was already up in the sky, it was almost noon.


    ¡°Uuuu¡­ Water. Sargon, water.¡± Tasha shook Sargon gently to wake him up.


    He opened his eyes. ¡°Morning. Over there, in one of our packs.¡± He pointed at the place where all of their belongings were stacked.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Tasha rummaged inside one of the bags finding a water flask. She gulped it down emptying it completely.


    Lilith was woken up too since Sargon had to roll her away from himself to stand up.


    ¡°Ehhh¡­¡± She got slightly startled since she was unused to be woken up by people. ¡°Oh, it is you.¡±


    She had even forgotten that she slept here, she thought she had dreamed the events of yesterday but then released that it was not the dream. Remembering what she did after Sargon fell asleep made her heart beat fast once again.


    ¡°I need a cold bath, see you later.¡± Lilith announced straightening her creased dress.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Did sleeping with him had made you hot and bothered down there?¡± Tasha teased Lilith like she often would.


    Unbeknown to beastkin this was actually the truth. Lilith got embarrassed like she had never been and just ran out of the shack without even retorting.


    Sargon looked at Tasha with a puzzled expression, she just shrugged back at him adding. ¡°Maybe, I have said too much.¡±


    ¡°She will come back, let¡¯s get ready for today.¡± It was his intention to train in the dungeon as soon as possible.


    He was getting good at it, and the money they were making was becoming something decent. He was finally making enough of it to afford gear and other stuff. All they needed now was to save enough for their own place.


    ¡­


    The party ventured into the Babel Labyrinth Dungeon many times from there on but they haven¡¯t yet made past floor five. However, a lot of things were achieved.


    Currently, all four of them were standing in a large room filled with ant eggs. The eggs weren¡¯t the reason they were here, their goal was to summon and kill [Ant Guardian]. It was a formidable enemy and they were ready for it.


    Sargon was wearing armour made of [Armoured Ant chitin]. A single large piece of chitin protected his chest, he also had greaves and vambraces made out of smaller pieces, atop his head was an ant head for a helmet. The armour was sturdy and light so it didn¡¯t hinder his movement at all.


    There was little change in Lilith¡¯s attire. She was wearing the same dress with a leather vest underneath the cloth. The only change was her claws, which now were clad in shiny metal improving resistance and sharpness. She didn¡¯t use them often but then she did, her hands and feet became deadly weapons.


    Demi-Ura too now had a leather west underneath her black cloak. Besides the magic, she still used her bladed tail as the main weapon. Also, she had a bunch of throwing daggers under her cloak as an extra weapon.


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    Tasha still had to obtain any armour of sorts, but it was okay since she was not expected to engage in melee. Her main weapon remained a crossbow, it underwent small improvements for range and power. It now had a small bayonet on its tip, but all in all, it remained pretty much the same weapon. On her shoulders, she carried a huge backpack where they stored most of their stuff. The shoulders straps were made so that it could be unclipped quickly dropping the backpack so she can get ready for ranged combat and stay mobile.


    They worked together to destroy all the eggs but one, setting the stage for the [Event]. Then Sargon used pieces of chitin from [Armoured Ant] they had freshly killed to set up barricades. He took a large leftover piece of chitin to use it as a shield and then nodded to Tasha. It was a signal to start.


    Tasha raised the last egg above her head and then smashed it on the hard ground. With the last egg destroyed the [Event] started and the ceiling began to rumble.


    Just like before, [Ant Guardian] descended from the top with a cloud of dust, but this time they were ready.


    ¡°Take cover!¡± Sargon reminded his companions to hide behind barricades.


    The dust settled and the mini-boss became visible. Tasha didn''t idle and attacked it first before it could start spitting its acid. ¡°[Bullseye]¡± She used one of her ranged skills she had obtained recently.


    The crossbow bolt flew straight towards the ants head hitting its eye. Since the crossbow was improved and she as a ranger had more experience, the bolt pierced the eye.


    [Ant Guardian] hissed in pain and spat acid towards where Tasha was. The small girl ducked behind a chitin cover just in time; the acid splashed on it. What they have found was that chitin was ideal for that, since it had immunity to it; acid would corrode both wood and metal but not ant chitin.


    Sargon raised his improvised shield and closed the distance as fast as he could. The monster could not let him close the distance so it spat at Sargon. Like Tasha, he used the chitin to block the acid.


    The ant continued to spit at Sargon as he closed the distance. Tasha was shooting bolts to distract it, but it proved ineffective, the monster was aware of her ranged attacks and no longer remained still. The bolts would hit the target to only bounce from the hard chitin.


    ¡°[Blast]!¡± Demi-Ura had finally fired the charged version of her [Dark Blast] magic skill.


    The magic hit the ant straight in the head and exploded. The ant suffered a good amount of damage but it was far from dead.


    Sargon had finally closed the distance and swung his coa at one of the monsters six legs. He invoked [Dismember] skill he had learned recently but by the looks of it the skill had failed. There was a huge gash at the leg joint, but the leg remained connected.


    The overgrown ant shifted its body in response and swung its other leg at the Sargon, sending him flying away. The blow was strong enough to knock the air out of him even through his armour. The mini-boss then approached him ready to eat him whole. Bolts peppered it from the side, but they were ineffective for the most part, only a few of them managed to pierce the chitin.


    Lilith couldn''t just stand and do nothing. She too was closing the distance between herself and the monster. Just before ant could snap its mandibles on Sargon, Lilith used one of her new skills [Crushing Kick]. She raised her leg and fly kicked the injured leg shaping it in half. This made the monster lose its balance and miss its attack, buying her and Sargon a few seconds.


    ¡°[Heal]¡± She cast her magic while helping Sargon to stand up.


    ¡°Duck! [Blast]¡± Demi-Ura warned the two just before she fired empowered magic once again.


    The two had to drop to the floor as soon as they stood up, a slight miscoordination but they couldn''t complain. The blast hit the ant on the side, cracking the chitin and almost toppling the ant over. The monster sprayed a gush of acid vomit towards the two who were once again trying to stand up. It didn''t fly far like acid spit projectiles, but there was a lot of it and it covered a huge area.


    The attack was something they hadn''t seen yet, it took them by surprise. Sargon jumped in front of Lilith in hopes to block it. He shielded his face with his arm and braced for impact. The acid splattered all over him, quite a bit of it had hit Lilith and she winced in pain. The acid ate at her left arm and leg, eating the flesh.


    However, she was quick to react and began healing herself at that instant. It was painful but her healing skill managed to cancel the corrosive effects.


    ¡°Over here! [Taunt]¡± Sargon ran to the monster¡¯s flank hoping to draw aggro away from Lilith.


    It worked but the monster once again swiped at the warrior sending him tumbling away.


    ¡°Lilith, retreat!¡± Demi-Ura coordinated their actions so it doesn''t become complete chaos.


    Lizard woman ran behind one of the barricades while the ant charged at Sargon who was trying to recover. He had to retreat too since he had lost his coa while in the tumble. He still had a dagger, but it was not the ideal weapon.


    ¡°Blast. Blast. Blast.¡± Demi-Ura fired a succession of dark projectiles slowing the monster down.


    Sargon used the opportunity to distance himself from the mini-boss.


    ¡°Tasha, can you shoot its other eye?¡± He asked.


    ¡°My skill is still under cooldown, I need more time.¡± She explained after poking her head out from the barricade.


    The ant spat acid towards Sargon. This was the drawback from being too far away from the monster. If he was too far it would begin its ranged attacks once again. The acid splashed on his chest plate, droplets of it found their way behind the armour and ate at his skin. He could manage a little bit of pain, since it only was droplets. However, if they wanted to win this fight, he had to do something, it was up to him to distract the ant and buy some time for others to finish it.

 22 We did it and I did IT

    ¡°I can do this!¡± Sargon encouraged himself while rolling to avoid another acid attack. Then he charged towards the monster clutching his dagger in one of his hands.


    He had managed to close the distance and the monster hissed at him in anger. The ant chomped with its mandibles but he managed to dodge it. He counter-attacked one of the mandibles with his dagger scratching it and then ran past the head. Sargon¡¯s target was another leg, he jumped and wedged his dagger in the joint. The dagger was stuck and he was left weaponless, but the ant was slowed down significantly. It had its front leg missing and its middle leg was now injured.


    Again, Sargon was in a tough spot, the monster shifted its body so it can bite at him. Sargon jumped back and began to backpedal away. The ant continued to bite and Sargon to dodge; this only worked because the monster was slowed down and blinded on one eye. However, this could not continue indefinitely, eventually, he would trip or run into the wall.


    ¡°I need some help over here!¡± He shouted desperately.


    Tasha was ready for another shot but unfortunately, the eye she needed to shoot was out of her sight.


    ¡°Hang¡­ on.¡± Demi-Ura said through her laboured breath.


    The demonkin was gathering the last of her mana to overcharge [Dark Blast.]


    Sargon kept jumping away from the biting ant. Meanwhile, Lilith was running towards the monster; her approach was unseen since she was in the blind spot and Sargon maintained [Taunt] just in case. He knew that ex-priestess will do something to get him out of this situation.


    Just as he jumped yet another time, his foot landed on a broken eggshell and it slipped. The ant almost got him but he had made it away from the mandibles as he dropped on his back. However, he no longer was in a position to avoid the next bite. Lilith was close and she kicked the monster in the jaw, he felt lucky to have her nearby. A blow of [Crushing Kick] broke off the mandible and a spray of ant blood splashed on Sargon.


    ¡°Dodge! [Blast]¡± Demi-Ura warned the two to watch out of her attack.


    Lilith crouched to dodge while still sliding on egg goo towards Sargon. A huge ball of crackling energy hit the ant on its side blowing pieces of chitin away from its body exposing monster¡¯s soft flesh.


    ¡°Now. Run!¡± Lilith helped Sargon to stand up and the two ran away from the ant at full speed.


    The ant had vomited another spray of acid but the running pair was already out of its range. While all this happened, Tasha was looking for a perfect moment so that the angle was right for the shot. That time had finally come. She pressed the trigger invoking [Bullseye], firing the bolt. Just like the last time, it pierced the eye flawlessly, directly in the middle.


    ¡°I did it!¡± Tasha cheered.


    ¡°We need to finish it somehow.¡± Sargon hopped for some suggestions, he was still missing his weapons.


    ¡°No mana.¡± Demi-Ura said it matter of factly.


    ¡°It''s blinded and slow¡­ Distract it while I get my coa.¡± Sargon asked Tasha.


    Bearskin fired the last of her bolts while Sargon ran to get his weapon. The ant was blinded so it no longer could spit acid, it just moved towards the direction of the ranger. The monster had gotten too close and Tasha had to abandon her spot. The other two women were surrounding the ant from the sides.


    ¡°We attack together, but carefully.¡± Sargon proposed. He had reclaimed his weapon and was holding it in his hand firmly.


    Demi-Ura nodded in agreement. She was out of mana but still had her bladed tail to use as the weapon. Lilith had cast a recovery spell on Demi-Ura so that she doesn''t feel the strain from overusing her mana.


    Sargon approached from behind and hacked at the monster¡¯s butt with his coa, further cracking the chitin. Demi-Ura approached from the left side and stabbed with her tail at the exposed flesh. The other two women were on the right side and did the same with metal claws and a crossbow bayonet respectively.


    They would get kicked and knocked to the side by the monster from time to time. The ant was slow and blinded so it failed to land a decisive hit. There was nothing serious Lilith could not heal. The party kept hacking and cutting the monster, sapping its health slowly. It took them some time but eventually, the monster bled out and slumped to the ground.


    ¡°Is it dead?¡± Tasha asked still unable to believe that it was over.


    ¡°It seems so.¡± Lilith jabbed her claws deep into the monster flesh; there was no reaction.


    ¡°Just for a good measure.¡± Sargon positioned his coa in one of the cracks on ant¡¯s head and pushed it in piercing the brain.


    It was over, they had killed it. And their reward was¡­ well, they weren¡¯t done yet, they still had to harvest the core from the ant.


    Everyone was tired, sweaty and covered in goo or ant blood, but still, they had to put significant effort at dismantling the ant and harvesting its organs. Since it was a unique monster some of its organs were valuable ingredients. After significant effort they had managed to extract [Ant Guardian] monster core, it was a size of a big melon and quite heavy.


    ¡°Wow, this is the biggest I have ever seen! And I have been on floor 10.¡± Tasha exclaimed sizing up the core.


    ¡°It will buy us our own place.¡± Sargon said all in smiles.


    ¡°And cookies. A lot of cookies.¡± Demi-Ura also had an expression on her face which was rare to her ¨C a smile.


    ¡°Well then, lets head back and sell it.¡± Lilith said placing the core into Tasha¡¯s backpack.


    The party did just so. Like always, they were attacked by normal monsters on their way back; it was nothing they couldn''t manage. It was time for them to leave Demi-Ura behind, who still refused to go outside the dungeon. Their intention was to sell their loot and buy a house, however, it didn''t feel right. Sargon thought it was unfair to leave their rogue-cum-caster here while everyone else celebrated.


    ¡°Demi, are you sure you can¡¯t come with us? Where will be plenty of cookies.¡± Sargon tried to tempt her.


    She just shook her head, no was the response.


    ¡°You know we will be living together from now on. It''s just you who will be missing. I wish you joined us.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t.¡± She refused once again with her usual neutral expression.


    This still didn¡¯t feel right. Sargon thought he might be able to persuade her.


    ¡°Guys you can go to sell the loot. I will stay here with Demi for a while longer. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±


    The question was directed to Demi, but both Lilith and Demi indicated that there is no problem with that.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Lilith patted Sargon¡¯s shoulder reluctant to leave him alone with demoness.


    ¡°It will be fine. I will see you¡­ Tomorrow?¡± He was still unsure how long he will stay here in the dungeon.


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    Lilith and Tasha waved goodbye as they walked towards the exit leading to the first floor.


    ¡°So¡­ Do you know a good place we can talk?¡± He asked Demi-Ura who nodded in response.


    Sargon followed her through narrow tunnels and bends. If it was just him he would have gotten lost a long time ago, but it looked like Demi-Ura knew these tunnels well. Even if the layout changed from time to time she lived here and learned her way quickly.


    They have squeezed past a very narrow crack in the wall which led to a sizable room. It was barely illuminated by a few glowing crystals and there was a sound of dripping water. There was a small freshwater pool by the wall. There were no signs of monsters, it was quiet and peaceful; It was a good place to talk.


    ¡°This is a nice place.¡± Sargon began with small talk.


    Demi-Ura did her thing, a nod. She was not the talkative type.


    ¡°Do you come here often?¡± He continued.


    ¡°I live here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wondered where you sleep. But there is your stuff?¡±


    She motioned to follow her behind a large boulder. Just behind it, there was a large store of various stuff. There was a pile of damaged armour and weapons she had found in the dungeon. There also was another pile, this one was full of monster bits like ant chitin. Further away from the mess was her food storage, cookie crumbs littered the ground around that spot.


    ¡°This is a lot of stuff.¡± He was surprised at the amount of junk there.


    She just nodded once again.


    ¡°How long has it been since we were alone like this?¡± Sargon asked no one in particular. ¡°We have been exploring together for so long but I barely know anything about you.¡± Sargon looked at nodding Demi-Ura and continued. ¡°I would like us to get closer, to know you better.¡± He hoped that knowing her circumstances will help to convince her.


    ¡°Me too.¡± She has finally spoken.


    ¡°I really want for us to be together. Why can¡¯t you leave the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t¡± She have responded walking closer to the water source.


    Sargon followed her. He wanted to ask why again, but that would lead nowhere.


    ¡°If you are afraid of the people outside, I will protect you.¡±


    Demi-Ura didn''t reply. She kneeled next to the pond and filled her palm with water, then she pressed her lips to it and tasted the cool liquid.


    ¡°Want some?¡± She asked.


    Sargon took out his water pouch, it was a good chance to fill it. He approached the spot where Demi-Ura was and kneeled next to her to fill his pouch. She offered her palm full of water bringing it close to Sargon¡¯s face.


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± It felt embarrassing to drink like that so he refused, he wasn''t thirsty to begin with.


    Demi-Ura looked intently into his eyes. Sargon didn¡¯t like the look he was getting, it was different from her blank expressionless eyes. And then she pushed him right into the pond. Water splashed as he dived headfirst into it. The pool wasn''t deep, water barely reached up to his chest, there was no risk of drowning. Still, he got scared for a moment, Demi-Ura¡¯s behaviour surprised him. He wondered if he had offended her.


    However, it was not the case. The demoness was laughing her lungs out, a rare sight and sound. Actually, this was the first time he heard her laughing.


    ¡°I did not take you for a prankster.¡± He said smiling then he splashed some water towards her. ¡°How about you join me?¡± He asked jokingly.


    Just as soon as he finished his sentence Demi-Ura¡¯s cloak dropped to the floor. He didn''t expect her to take his words seriously. There was only the leather vest keeping her modesty as she had no underclothes.


    ¡°I was just¡­¡± Joking he wanted to say but the word became stuck in his mouth as the leather vest too dropped to the floor.


    He was eying her figure with his mouth agape. She was slowly approaching him, there was no sign of her being embarrassed or even nervous. She was completely naked, he could see everything from top to bottom.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked still unable to believe what just has happened. His eyes darted up and down.


    Demi-Uras hooves hit the water. As she was going in deeper, the water was rising up towards her midsection. It rose past her ankles and knees, then up to towards her thick thighs and beyond that.


    ¡°Joining you.¡± She said it as it was the most obvious thing. The cool water didn''t bother her and she continued approaching him.


    ¡°You are naked, is this another prank? Should I look away?¡± Sargon was unsure where this was going and what he should do. This never had happened before.


    She was just a few steps away and almost completely submerged in water, her small bosom swayed in the water gently as she approached; the nipples erect from the cool water.


    ¡°No. We get to know each other better. You too, take it off.¡± This was the longest sentence she had said today.


    The young man¡¯s head spun, and the blood boiled at the sight; he was overthinking of what was going on and what he should do. The water was cool but he didn''t feel cold at all, quite the opposite. While he was standing there indecisively, demoness had closed the distance, her hands were already on his shoulders.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Was all he could manage.


    With demoness help, he unfastened the belts holding the armour and dropped it in the water. Demi-Ura grabbed his shirt by the hem and pulled it up undressing him. The shirt was gone and their eyes met once again. That mischievous look in her eyes was present once more. Demi-Ura dived under the water pulling his trousers down. Her motion was quick and fluid, the trousers were off and his warrior fully exposed for everyone to see, well it was just the two of them here. Her head was out of the water once again and she stared into his eyes. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her chest pressed against him. Sargon could feel her hard nipples touching him, this has only strengthened his arousal, his soldier was pressed against her thigs.


    They looked at each other intently for a good moment, neither of them made the next move. Sargon knew what the next step should be. It must be a kiss. Their lips were already close, he could feel her hot breath, it would take only a small movement with his head to reach her plump lips. His heart was racing and he could wait no longer, he moved his chin forwards and their lips locked in a passionate kiss. He closed his eyes to savour it and etch this feeling into his brain. Both of their hands moved feeling all over, Demi-Ura¡¯s thighs were restless touching and pressing at his manhood. She stuck her tongue into his mouth interlocking it with his. Sargon''s head was spinning and his heart beating fast, his mind drowned in pleasure.


    Sargon didn¡¯t expect this outcome, but he wasn¡¯t the one to complain. Nor did he know that Demi-Ura felt this way about him; he had no idea.

 23 All over, from here to there

    The two, Sargon and Demi-Ura, were still doused in the water and continuing their making out session. The things were progressing towards the point of no return. Sargon did find her attractive and he was liking what was happening now but¡­ There was a big but: he didn''t love her. It was merely an attraction and it felt wrong to get that intimate with her. He wanted to do it, his body was very honest about it, but his mind said no. Maybe it was immature, but he wanted his first time to be with someone he truly loved, someone he will marry.


    He gathered his strength and pushed Demi-Ura away. Even though it was a gentle push, it was full of resolve. The demoness had none of it and tried to get him back in her embrace.


    ¡°No.¡± His voice was commanding but the ¡®man¡¯ in him felt conflicted. Regardless he continued. ¡°This is as far as I am willing to go.¡±


    Demi-Ura looked at him with a hint of confusion and disappointment in her eyes. The mood changed and became awkward. Sargon believed that it was the best if he explained his feeling here and now.


    ¡°It is not because I don¡¯t like you. Quite the opposite, you are very attractive. It is just that¡­¡± He struggled to put his feeling into words.


    ¡°You''re shy?¡± She asked, confusion gone from her eyes. Her face was back to the expressionless one she would always have.


    Sargon looked down confirming his nakedness which was apparent in clear water, he was past that point.


    ¡°No. It is just that I want it to be with someone very special, someone I truly love.¡±  He said it with a voice full of emotion. His heart was racing even more than it did a minute again, but this time it was from the adrenaline and not arousal. It took strength to refuse a woman like this; he felt relieved he was able to do it.


    ¡°But you like me?¡± She asked while looking right at Sargon''s eyes. She was trying to judge the honesty of his words.


    ¡°Yes, I do. You are very beautiful and your proportions make me want to¡­¡± He was getting carried away again, he could not let it happen. ¡°Yes.¡± Sargon nodded stopping himself.


    There was a pause. He expected her to say something or ask ¡®Why is it a problem if he likes her.¡¯ However, there were no words or any anger. Demi-Ura was satisfied with that answer even if her expression didn¡¯t show it.


    She walked out of the pond back to the place where she had her belongings; Sargon fished out his armour and followed her. He wanted to talk with Demi-Ura some more but he didn''t know how to start a small talk, not after everything that had just happened.


    After putting their clothes on, or at least most of it, Demi-Ura shared her meal with Sargon. The two nibbled at hard cookies, they were silent the entire time but the mood was no longer awkward; Sargon began to relax.


    ¡°Do you mind if I stay with you for longer?¡± He asked. He still intended to convince her to come to the surface.


    ¡°Stay.¡± She said nodding her head.


    Sargon spent the night and the two chatted a bit before the sleep. However, he was unable to find the reason behind her unwillingness to leave the dungeon. He wasn''t good at convincing either. Honestly, he didn''t feel like pressing her too much. She seemed happy here and didn¡¯t even want to leave. It was his idea to bring her outside, he thought that maybe he was being selfish.


    The two huddled next to each other for warmth and finally fell asleep.


    ¡­


    Then the next day came, Sargon headed straight out of the dungeon to meet his companions. He hoped that they didn''t spend his share of the money on trivial things. The meeting spot was the spot under some rugged cloth, the place he currently called his home. Hopefully, it was the last day; he wanted to buy a proper house.


    He pushed the cloth away and entered inside, Lilith and Tasha were already waiting for him. The first one to greet him was the enthusiastic tail owned by Tasha, she smiled seeing him back. Lilith, however, had a different greeting in mind. Her face looked stern and her eyes were narrowed as if they were judging him.


    ¡°Where have you been the entire night?¡± Lilith asked sternly.


    This was a stupid question, she already knew where he had been. The dungeon where else, but, through painful experience, Sargon knew this wasn''t the answer she wanted.


    ¡°Like I said, I spent it with Demi in the dungeon. We ¡­¡± He swallowed remembering certain event before continuing. ¡°We talked, ate and slept together. Did you guys miss me?¡±


    ¡°You slept together?!¡± Tasha asked putting a fake surprised expression, she was clearly teasing him.


    It was not very helpful. Sargon decided that it was the best if he ignores Tasha''s attempts to embarrass him. Lilith was still looking at him like he was a criminal. Sargon thought ¡®Why do I deserve this?¡¯.


    ¡°Look I am back. Why don¡¯t we head out and buy ourselves a new home?¡± He said cheerfully hoping to distract Lilith from whatever she was thinking.


    ¡°Yey! Finally!¡± Tasha was enthusiastic as ever. ¡°Also, that mini-boss core was extremely valuable.¡±


    ¡°We might even have leftover money if we buy something humble.¡± Lilith added, her sour mood cleared.


    ¡°That is amazing news. Let''s go!¡±


    The trio headed out to look for something fitting their needs. They took their time at selecting the house, it had to please all three of them since the money was shared. By the evening they found something they liked.


    It was a simple clay building next to other buildings just like this one. It was neither fancy or shabby, it was the most average building. It had two rooms: a bedroom they will be sharing, a kitchen with dining area and a small room for storage. The bedroom was big enough to house four or even five people, so it was perfect for them.


    ¡°So, this is it?¡± Sargon asked setting his stuff on the ground by the corner.


    ¡°Yup, our new home. I am so happy. This will beat sleeping on the street.¡±


    Even though all the clues were there, Sargon had no idea Tasha slept rough.


    ¡°We even have some Shekels left over for furniture and other stuff. Speaking about that. What will Demi-Ura do with her share?¡±


    Lilith was aware of the fact that Demi-Ura will continue to live in the dungeon. She actually liked it that way.


    ¡°She will probably tell me to buy cookies. But there are only so many cookies she can eat.¡± Sargon said something painfully obvious.


    ¡°You need to talk some sense into her. Weren¡¯t you supposed to do that last night?¡± Lilith asked bitterly, her mood from the morning was suddenly back.


    ¡°He was too busy sleeping with her¡± Tasha teased again stressing the sleeping part.


    ¡°And now I will be sleeping with the two of you so what is the problem?¡± Sargon said in his defence, he was an innocent man.


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    Tasha laughed at his retort adding. ¡°Aren''t you a lucky man?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, I am, friends like you are all I could wish for. I am actually very lucky to have you two.¡± He said his honest feelings while looking at the two.


    His sweet words dispelled Lilith¡¯s bad mood in an instant.


    ¡°Me too¡­ I could never ask for a better friend. If not for you I would have never left the temple and experienced the dungeon for myself. I haven¡¯t ever thought I would say this, but I am happy that I had quit being the priestess and joined your party.¡±


    ¡°Me¡­ Me too¡­ I am so happy¡­¡± Tasha was getting overly emotional all of a sudden.


    Sargon tough there was enough of mood swings for this time and called it a day.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s get to sleep, tomorrow we are back exploring the dungeon!¡±


    ¡­


    The next morning the trio met up with Demi-Ura and continued their adventure. They made it all the way down, past the labyrinth-like tunnels and mushroom forest right to the sixth floor.


    ¡°This is it?¡±  Sargon asked his more experienced companion.


    Demi-Ura gave him a nod. They were standing right next to the rough staircase going down.


    ¡°The seventh floor. This will be very different.¡± Tasha informed Lilith and Sargon.


    ¡°Just how different?¡± Sargon asked. He was excited.


    ¡°You will see. Let¡¯s go.¡± Tasha replied while going down the flight of stairs. She was leading the party down.


    Sargon and the rest were quick to follow. It felt like the staircase was going forever and he has beaten a thousand steps but he was keen to see where they will lead him.  Just as he emerged from the doorway and reached floor seven his eyesight was assaulted by the bright light and vivid green colours. His eyes got adjusted to brightness quickly and he found himself standing in a big hollowed cave. The ceiling was high, at least fifty metres up, and full of light emitting crystals. It was so bright his eyes hurt from staring at them for too long.


    The bottom of the cave was filled with various flora. There were thick trees with huge branches and numerous green leaves atop. Multiple green vines hung on the branches and various creepers crept up the trunks. Below the trees where were bushes of various sizes and shapes, and below them were sparse grass, moss and saplings. The greenery was thick and it will be hard to traverse it.


    ¡°Wow, this is so different from ant¡¯s tunnels.¡± Sargon was overwhelmed by the sudden change in environment.


    ¡°Yes, it is quite beautiful, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Definitely, but will we be alright? What sort of enemies are here?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t strong. We¡¯ve beaten [Ant Guradian] so I don¡¯t think simple monsters here will be a hard challenge.¡± Tasha made an educated guess. She had been here before but she had never had to fight before.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be OK.¡± Demi-Ura also agreed on Tasha¡¯s judgement.


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Sargon felt encouraged by the two and approached the overgrowth. ¡°Follow me.¡± He invited others to follow while cutting the leaves and small bushes with his sharp coa blade.


    Demi-Ura assisted at clearing the path with her tail blade, but Sargon¡¯s weapon was more effective.


    ¡°This is quite tough. Plants are everywhere. We should get some machetes so we can help, no?¡± Lilith made a good observation.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Sargon had to agree. It would be quicker if all four of them could clear the path.


    Sargon chopped and hacked clearing the plants and making his way deeper into something that resembled the jungle.


    A loud shriek reverberated through the cave. It was like an echo so it was hard to tell where it came from exactly, cave walls caused the sound to bounce around.


    ¡°A monster!? But where will it come from?¡± Sargon asked nervously.


    ¡°It could be anywhere. It¡¯s not like we can see much over the trees and bushes.¡± Lilith too was slightly nervous about the unknown.


    ¡°No. I know almost exactly where the monsters are.¡± Tasha boasted.


    ¡°Really?¡± Sargon was surprised. He had forgotten that Tasha had been as deep as floor 15.


    ¡°Yup. In this floor, it¡¯s the trees. We need to keep looking above our heads, [Shriekers] like to drop from branches right on you.¡±


    ¡°That does not sound safe at all!¡± Sargon was worried about his party¡¯s safety. He was the only real fighter here.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s Okay. I can fight.¡± Demi-Ura was able to guess what Sargon was thinking. "So can Lilith and Tasha."


    ¡°[Shriekers] aren¡¯t that strong. If we get them before they drop it will be easy.¡± Tasha explained to everyone.


    Sargon wondered how he will do that if the monsters were high above on the branches. He was unsure if he could get one in midair while it dropped. He didn¡¯t think his reaction was that good.


    ¡°Like this. [Bullseye].¡± Tasha used one of her skills firing the crossbow bolt away.


    The bolt flew up past a few vines and small branches and hit the monster directly in between the eyes. It shrieked one last time and dropped down; its body got caught by a bush.


    ¡°Nice!¡± Demi-Ura praised the beastkin.


    ¡°That was unexpected and amazing.¡± Sargon was impressed.


    Just as he finished his sentence, he ran to check the monster Tasha had just killed.


    The [Shrieker] was grey in colour and looked almost like a monkey. Almost because it had a head resampling the one of the bat. It had big leathery ears, black round bulging eyes and a maw full of needle-like teeth. Both its front and rear limbs had sharp claws on them.


    ¡°Does it have a core?¡± Lilith asked.


    ¡°All monsters have cores.¡± Sargon stated the obvious while cutting at the [Shrieker] with his dagger.


    He butchered the creature looking for the core. It was hidden right behind the ribcage. Sargon sized it in his hand, it was the same size as for [Warrior Ant].


    He showed it to others. ¡°Not bad, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Easy kill.¡± Tasha smiled back to him. She was happy to be this useful.


    ¡°Well then, we will be relying on you more from here on.¡± Lilith patted their ranger¡¯s small back.


    Tasha responded with a ¡°Yes!¡± and energetic tail wagging.


    ¡°I wonder what other types of monster are here and what sort of materials we can obtain.¡± Sargon was already counting the Shekels he didn¡¯t have. It seemed that adventuring will become quite profitable from here on.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon.¡± Demi-Ura nodded at Sargon.


    This was the floor seven. A floor different from the floors above. It was a completely new adventure with new challenges and rewards. New monsters will be killed and new materials obtained. Maybe, even new friends and party members will be made from now on. Only time will show how this adventure will turn out. Whatever it will be the goal didn¡¯t change. That is to reach the bottom of Dungeon Tower Babel.

 24 Deep in the floor 7

    Sargon and the girl trio were pushing through the overgrown jungle. They had recently killed their first monster in floor 7; it was low danger level monster [Scrieker]. The one who actually killed it was Tasha, incidentally, she was the one currently leading the group. Sargon was still in front of the group, he had to cut the branches and other plats to make way, but Tasha was the one instructing him on the path they should take. The jungle was thick and treacherous place to be in.


    Tasha brushed away a huge leaf out of her way and spoke: ¡°If we continue going deeper, we should find some harvestables.¡± She explained.


    ¡°Harvestables?¡± Lilith asked quite unsure of what did Tasha mean exactly. ¡°Aren¡¯t we here just for cores and experience?¡±


    ¡°That would be the case for upper floors. Deeper floors have useful plants and ores. I know that because I was the one who carried all that stuff back to surface. It can get very heavy.¡± Tasha recalled her memories from previous journeys, from the time when she was adventuring with veterans.


    ¡°I know that. I just didn¡¯t expect we will be harvesting so soon.¡±


    ¡°It just shows how good we are.¡± Sargon added. He was happy with their progress. There was no way he would be here and now if he didn¡¯t have all three of them in his party.


    ¡°Yeah, that is good but I don¡¯t think I am ready for this. Do any of you know how to actually harvest plants or mine ores? Or even what to look for?¡±


    Lilith hit the nail with a hammer. None of them had real practice doing it, or so it seemed at first glance. There was a moment of silence and everyone, except for Demi-Ura, seemed to be in a state of deep thought.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t allowed to harvest but¡­¡± the momentarily steady tail began to wag energetically once more again ¡°but I know what to look for. I carried many plants and ores and can tell them apart properly.¡± Tasha boasted.


    She was no scout but she was confident that she will recognise the harvest spots once she sees them.


    ¡°And I was an actual gardener. This should mean something, no? How different can the dungeon plants be from the ones in temple gardens?¡± Sargon asked no one in particular.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I guess you have the experience needed to gather them.¡± Lilith shrugged. ¡°And if we need to dig something point me at it. My claws are sharper than you think.¡±


    Everyone nodded. They were not experts but they knew they can handle harvesting when it comes to that. So, the party continued to push deeper. A shriek or two would echo around them from time to time, it was hard to tell how far the source of the noise was but it didn¡¯t seem too close.


    The party stopped for a short break. Sargon was getting tired from all this chopping and his blade began to dull. It was a good time to sharpen it using a whetstone he had purchased not so long ago. A few snacks were consumed while they had rested.


    Shrieks become more and more intense, frequent too.


    ¡°Should we get worried?¡± Sargon asked Tasha. She was the one with the most experience here.


    ¡°I¡­ I am not sure. I think so.¡±


    ¡°Better be safe than sorry.¡± Sargon recalled a phrase he had heard Lilith say many times.


    To which both Lilith and Demi-Ura nodded in agreement.


    The party stood close to each other and pointed their heads up towards the branches. If they were about to get attacked this was the place to watch for it. Soon enough the leaves began to rustle and thinner branches to creak. The enemy was not yet in clear sight but their presence was clear. Multiple shrieks pierced the air around the party.


    ¡°This sounds bad.¡± Demi-Ura reflected on the tough situation they were in.


    They didn¡¯t know how many monsters were there or from what direction they will attack.


    ¡°Here!¡± Tasha shouted out pointing at the spot with her crossbow. She bent her finger pressing the trigger, mechanism released and the bolt flew out cutting green leaves.


    There was a dull shriek leading with some heavy rustling of branches and other vegetation, presumably, something had dropped down.


    ¡°I hit it!¡± Tasha cheered.


    ¡°Good jo¡­¡± Sargon was cut short.


    A [Shrieker] was jumping down from the tree directly towards him. Its claws were targeting his head. He raised his coa like a spear above his head; he had reacted just in time. The monster being mid-air couldn¡¯t avoid the counterattack and found itself skewered through its midsection.


    Guttural liquid and blood leaked down the coa shaft and onto Sargon¡¯s hands and face. The monster was dead.


    ¡°Good job!¡± Lilith praised a quick reaction of her companion.


    Sargon frowned at blood and gore, and then swung his weapon sideways to get rid of the monster.


    ¡°Careful, we are not done.¡± Demi-Ura warned.


    She was right. They were nowhere done, multiple [Shriekers] started to drop on them from above. Sargon tried to slice at them as quickly as he could to protect his party but this was not enough; there were just too many of the monsters.


    However, lucky to him, his party was not incompetent. Demi-Ura was quick to avoid being jumped at while Lilith quick to react with a good swipe using her sharp claws. It was only Tasha who was the most vulnerable.


    Even if her weapon had a bayonet, Tasha was not a good melee fighter. Also, it took time to reload her weapon, so she was making herself vulnerable. As if that was meant to happen eventually a [Shrieker] landed straight on her and began to claw at her flesh.


    ¡°U-aaaaa.¡± Tasha wailed in pain drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°[Confuse]!¡± Demi-Ura was quick to cast a spell confusing the enemy and stopping it from injuring Tasha any further.


    Sargon wanted to help, but he knew that would be a mistake. He had a weapon with the best reach and it was for the best if he pointed it upwards and prevented monsters from landing a hit on them. Instead of him, Lilith rushed to the rescue.


    ¡°Just hold on for a sec!¡± She grabbed the confused monster and quite literally ripped it apart in two with her claws. These monsters were flesh and blood, not like armoured ants, so this was possible. Once she discarded what was left of the monster, a sorry state of beastkin girl was revealed to her. Where were nasty gashes all across her body, fresh cuts left by [Shrieker] sharp claws.


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    ¡°[Healing Touch]. Cover us.¡± Lilith wasted no time to start to tend to Tasha¡¯s, wounds.


    ¡°Will do! [Taunt], come at me you suckers!¡± Sargon invoked his aggro skill. He was unsure if it will work but he had to try.


    Oh, and it worked great. He should have used it sooner... or maybe not. All of the monster¡¯s dropped down from trees all at once. There were like six of them. He managed to kill one while it was still mid-air, successfully decapitating it, and dismember an arm from another one. The rest, however, swarmed on top of him clawing at his armour relentlessly. He would be dead if not for Demi-Ura saving everyone''s ass again.


    ¡°[Confuse]!¡± She cast once again, but this time on a group of enemies. Currently, all she could do was affect only three of them at once, but this bought Sargon some time.


    He gritted his teeth and managed to pull his dagger and stab at the few who were still clawing at him. He was protecting his face with his hand so he was slashing at monsters blindly, but every thrust of his arm made them bleed and shriek in pain. His leather vest was holding, but this will not last.


    Demi-Ura didn¡¯t stand idly, after she had cast her spell she rushed to help Sargon. She carefully pinpointed the three who were not affected by her spell and attacked them with her tail blade. Demi-Ura¡¯s tail swung and spun like a snake carefully stabbing at the vitals of the monsters.


    ¡°One¡­ Two¡­ Three¡­¡± Three stabs and three monsters were dispatched just like that. Once they were on the ground and distracted, they were not that hard to take care of.


    This made Sargon¡¯s situation a lot better and he managed to take care of the rest who were still under [Confuse] spell.


    Just as the last monster died Lilith rushed to tend to Sargon¡¯s wounds. It wasn¡¯t too bad, his armour took the brunt of it, there were only minor scratches on his hands and legs.


    ¡°This will take only a moment. Stay still¡± Lilith pressed her hands on Sargon¡¯s wounds.


    Her hands glowed in a magical light and Sargon felt that itchy tingling sensation of his cuts closing down. To his surprise, he didn''t need to be too wary of more enemies since Tasha was standing just behind him. She looked slightly wobbly on her feet but her crossbow was pointed up and her eyes glued to the overgrowth above. Tasha was guarding him.


    ¡°Do you think more will come?¡± Lilith asked just before she moved to another wounded spot.


    ¡°It is now quiet.¡± Demi-Ura voiced her observation. There were no more shrieks echoing around the jungle.


    ¡°Better safe than sorry.¡± Tasha refused to let her guard down.


    Everyone remained on edge for a little while, but there were no monster attacks; they were safe for now. Once Sargon was healed, they have begun harvesting the monster cores, after all, there were quite a few monsters they had killed. It was bloody and it took time but once it was done, they continued to push deeper into the jungle.


    After a half an hour of doing so, Tasha pulled on the hem of Sargon¡¯s trousers.


    ¡°Over there!¡± She pointed towards a large tree stump. It was half rotten and overgrown with various plants. ¡°We can get valuable herbs over there.¡± She added.


    ¡°Show me them, I don¡¯t want to harvest useless weeds.¡± Sargon asked while rummaging trough bundle of oddly shaped plants.


    ¡°I will watch your back.¡± Lilith offered herself to the guard duty.


    ¡°Me too.¡± So did Demi-Ura.


    Tasha showed what to look for. It was a plant made of long fleshy leaves; the skin was hard and had small barbs on it making it hard to harvest. However, Sargon was experienced in this and harvested one plant after the other in no time. He had cut around 25 of them filling the air with the smell of sweet plant juice.


    ¡°I think this is the last one.¡± Tasha looked around the stump once more.


    ¡°Yup, I can¡¯t find any either. Let me cut this and we can go.¡±


    Sargon pushed his dagger blade against the plant¡¯s base cutting it. He successfully harvested it and stored in the pouch. Just as he was about to leave the stump it started to creak and rumble.


    ¡°There had to be something didn''t it.¡± Sargon reflected on how this was too easy while sighting and then asked ¡°Tasha?¡± hoping that she knows what was going on.


    ¡°Amm¡­ This is new to me.¡± She said while backing off away from the shaking stump.


    ¡°Well, then better get ready!¡± He rallied his party while taking the front.


    Tasha ran to the rear next to Demi-Ura while Lilith remained where she was, in the middle.


    The stump shook once more and then a side of it exploded spewing out old bark and wood chippings revealing a small hole and two branch-like hands pushing out of it. It took only a moment for the creature to pull itself out from inside the stump. It stood there glaring at the thieves who stole everything from it.


    It was a [Sapling], a plant type monster made out entirely of enchanted wood and bark. It was slightly smaller than Sargon. Its legs and arms were elongated making it look very lanky. Its entire body was covered in sturdy bark, its head had something akin to a mask which vaguely resembled a human face. It had only three fingers on each hand but they were long and sharp like speers.


    The monster moved its mishaped limbs in a motion which looked almost unnatural. Green lines across its body flared up in magical glow; the patterns resembled an enchantment. It began its charge.


    ¡°This is an unknown enemy. Let me handle this.¡± Sargon took his role as a tank; he knew he can take damage better than others.


    He planted his legs into the mossy ground and braced for the charge.