50***Tunnel O' Lore

"HIYA!!!" *thud* "HA!!! *thud* "HUMPH!!!" *thud* "HIING!!!" *thud* "HIYA!!!" *thud*

*pant* *pant**pant**pant**pant*

'Damn it what the hell!!!!' I screamed out in my head as I collapsed on the ground after my exertion. I've spent the past 5 minutes at least trying to break back through the floor to get to my party, but the once flimsy roots that couldn't even withstand me grazing them, are now so hard, I used up all of my Essence and Stamina and I couldn't even put a dent in it!

I've hit every single spot on this floor within a 30-foot radius of where I landed with at least 3 Shield Thrust, and the rest of the floor was at least tried on with an Explosion, yet nothing!!!

"F*******************!!!!!!!!!!" I belted out in anguish - remembering to mentally curse Angus for my slip up – as the fatigue I built up came at me with a vengeance!

Rooted in place by semi-paralysis, I tried to get a grip on my bearings and figure out where I was.

What I realised upon entry was that I was in some sort of root covered – or root created – green-illuminated tunnel, which I assume leads to somewhere important. What I didn't notice however, were the writings on the walls, etched in with some curse if the slight dark blue-purple essence radiating from them is anything to go off of.

To a normal person, this would look like a mix of some poorly copied chicken-scratch Japanese and antient Aztec hieroglyphs, but to people who follow any of the Lore Hunters, you'd know that this is Grelfen – the written language of the Goblins and Gremlins! And if you're a person like me who follows the Lore Hunters practically like a religion, then you'd know by know how to read Grelfen as good as an otaku can speak Japanese (which is pretty good for those who didn't get it).

So, me being momentarily crippled - and having no way out of this place regardless - started reading.

"⫤⫈⨋⨑⨡⨥ ⇀⇴⇸⇱▬⇶ ŒɸεήὬϞ"

"It's starting. Got to move."

₻₪↴↠ ζξÆ» ¬‡⁛°• θΨάάἑ ↯⇀⇐⇔⇔⇫⇟

"He's taking me. I must find Sher."

↚↞↛∔∡ ∢θΛλςºΦ

"Damned Witch."

'Yikes, what's all this?' I thought to myself as I finished reading what I could see. Secret rooms in BMO are literally Lore troves, filled to the brim with personalized trinkets, notes, and even secret techniques and monsters of past Battle Masters… provided of course that you get to them first. None of the juicy lore stuff respawns after it's taken from the room, so they are heavily treasured by all Lore Hunters.

Yet here is one, in what I assume is a new addition in the update that happened right over my head, that is in what appears to be one of the lost lairs of the Goblin King!!! This is way too good to pass up!!!

A few more minutes waiting later, and I was able to get back up and start walking. Having zero idea of which way to turn, I looked for the most lit part of the tunnel, turned the other direction, then after immediately meeting a dead end and not finding anything, I continued on into the cave.

Angus

*BOOM!!!* *FLARE!!!!* *SCREEEEEE!!!!*

'Ah!!!!' I shouted in my mind surprise as an explosion went of beside me and a very speedy brat went flying into the roof of the room in a burst of smoke, leaving a flaming tail to come crashing down on the floor!

"Nylon you dumb f*** what the s*** are you doing?!!!" I shouted at him for nearly killing us, only to turn around and duck at a claw heading for my head!

*UPPERSLASH!!!* a quick slash flew from me with one breath, slicing the scorpion's arm clean off!!! I stifled a shudder as I realised that I was getting use to that weird breathing technique the nerd gave me!

*SCREEEEEE!!!!*

The oversized scorpion backed off as his arm flew, screeching in anger and pain.

'I didn't even slash him that hard.' I thought to myself. My thoughts flashed back to when Nylon was talking to us.

'*Pff* Someone's controlling our thoughts. Get real. This is just a game.' I laughed a bit at the notion. The nerd was taking it seriously when he was telling us, but now that I think about it, it sounds like conspiracy theories.

'Maybe that nerd is just being a nerd as usual… but still…' My thoughts wonder of to when he asked us for our ShroWd usernames. I felt my face heat up at that for some reason.

'... *sigh* If that was some lame **s attempt at a pickup line, I'll hang him by one of his shields!'

"Duck." A voice went off beside me!

It was so soft, I got started and jumped out of the way, just in time for a giant black claw to come blasting up out from my shadow at me!!!

*SHADOW STRIDE, HIDDEN CLAW!!!*

*CRASHING RAPIDS, REVERSE TURBULENTS!!!*

In seconds, the blue-hair chick – Elmo, I think? – flew in with a water essence packed round house and blew the claw straight off the dude!!!

"Wow! That was…"

"I didn't feel much resistance." She interjected. The claw that was launched into the air came crashing down, and with a retreating, screeching scorpion in the background, it made for a pretty bad**s moment. "Looks like he was right."

'I'm assuming by "he" she means Nylon.' I thought to myself as I took out 4 daggers and got ready to run in.

'Hey, without the arms, he sort of looks like a shrimp! Shrimps are kind of cute, I guess. They remind me of sleeping dragons! But they really can't beat Rhino Beetles that's for sure! But when you think about it, dragonflies are the coolest! Ladybugs are nice but kind overrated, except for the ones in Bumble (a minigame.), now those are cute! Speaking of, bees are really cu… wait, what am I thinking?!!' I mental curse the f****** of a nerd I have for a teammate.

And that's when I realised it…

'Wait… where did the little f*** go?!!' I thought to myself, scanning the whole area in a frantic craze!

"Hey Elsa! Do you…"

"It's Eleora." She said flately, cutting me off.

"What?"

"I said my name is Eleora. Remember it. And it took you long enough." She stated with mild disinterest as she bounced around the Boss.

"What do you mean." I said more than asked. Getting peeved at her b***** attitude!

"You're looking for your friend, right?" She asked in the same, unrushed tone she's been using the whole time we've been with her! It's starting to get on my nerves!!!

"He never came bake down." She finished before rushing in on the now armless scorpion, her hands covered in balls of water like boxing gloves!

I felt the slightest drip of dread worm its way in as I feared the inevitable.

'Oi, you little s***, where are you?!!' I tried whispering to him, only to receive a notification.

Party Member Nylon Is Not In Range.

'That. Little. S***!!!!!' I fumed with hostile intent as I realised what happened!

'You seriously went of and freaking died again punk!!! And NOW OF ALL TIMES!!!"

"Calm down. Check your party list." Elerosa said to me in dead pan. My face went red as I realized I shouted out part of that!

I checked my list I found the nerd still on full health! A breath I didn't know I was holding was released in that instant.

"Calm down and let's kill this thing." Elea continued (I still can't get her name). "I don't know about any more about him that you would, but I have a feeling he won't die.

I paused and gave her a look as if she said the earth was flat, then laughed.

"Hehe, I guess you don't know him then. That s***** little b**** is a death s*** through and through."

Elda made no comment to this, and instead pumped her feet full of water essence! Just how much does she have!

"*tsk* well whatever." I said, starting up my breathing and pulling out 3 more daggers. Before us, the Boss' tail tip, the only appendage left intact, started glowing red as fire flowed around the end.

'I wonder what he's doing anyway?' was the only thought I aloud myself to think before I dove in to finish this b**** off!