A few minutes prior, to Mizuki entering the Sanctuary.
"Go, Go, Go!!" Hayden screamed
"Hyaaa!"
"Aaahhhhh!"
Hayden and the party were currently being chased by a massive insectoid-like monster. A similar beast to an antlion exept with spider legs and snake fangs. Gross..
Emilia was already severely injured, as the beast had used webbing to pull her from the backlines and bite her. She currently had her left side harshly sliced and a hole right in her stomach.
Hayden was currently carrying her as Etherea and the new guy were trying to hold back the beast with flames and swordwork.
Sadly, the poision could not be healed with magic as it continued to drain all mana in the body. Maya was on the brink of fainting due to mana loss as she kept healing on and on.
Hayden gently placed Emilia on the ground, took his sword and charged towards the battle.
"Etherea! Distract the beast for a second!"
As Hayden yelled, Etherea used all her mental power and a lot of mana to cover the beast in huge chains of red and white fire.
The new guy in the party was racking his brain to devise a plan. Coming up with the idea for Hayden to cut off a leg which will open it up for attacks, he could buff Hayden and let him cut off the beasts head. This was one of the only viable options they had left.
Turning around, he started yelling..
"Oi! Hayd-"
But was cut off.
By the sword in his stomach.
Hayden, removing his sword and kicking the new party member over, he turned to Etherea, grabbed her hand and started running.
"Hayden! What the f*ck!?"
"It's the only way we could have escaped! Get over it!"
"Let me f*cking go!"
Etherea ripped his arm off of hers, looked back, but it was too late. The beast btoke out and was now atracted to the scent of blood.
'F*CK!' Etherea thought.
Hayden grabbed her hand again, pulled her in and looked in her eyes.
"This is our last chance. Escape or die trying to kill the beast."
Etherea now looked at Hayden in disgust.
"..." but didn't say anything.
She again ripped his arm off of hers, looked back and thought..
'I'm sorry..'
Before turning around and running.
Hayden looked at the beast that had now bitten down on the corpse.
'Good riddance.'
He then ran back towards Maya and Emilia.
Grabbing Emilia into a carry, Etherea gave Maya a potion and they started running.
"Maya, keep healing we're heading to the next floor. We'll need Emilia to get us through there."
Etherea was schocked.
"Are you serious? We just lost our main support buffer and our archer is out of commision! This is the 3 f*cking floor!" she yelled.
"Hayden I think we should head down stairs instead... we can get more support by spreading the information we have and get better prepared for the higher floors... We still have about 8 days to clear it, there is no rush." Maya spoke as she took a few potion sips and breaths in between running and talking.
"Even Maya is against it see!"
'Tch.'
"..Fine. We need to get Emilia better treatment anyway. And where is Tentia?" Hayden asked after getting disappointed with not getting what he wants.
"Sorry. I'm back." Tentia jumped out of a tear in space as she said.
"Where have you been?!" Etherea yelled.
"No need to take your anger out on me Redhair. I was the one who kept all the lower tier monsters away from you when you guys were dealing with the big fella." Tentia calmly said.
"Thanks.." Hayden barely got his words out before a pack of goblins entered their sight.
"Damn. Try to ignore them." Hayden said.
The goblins were about 145 cm and wearing leather armor.
The group stopped and prepared for battle but before they could engage, Etherea felt a sudden gust of wind followed by warmth on her cheek.
A poison dagger was thrown at her, but before it could stab her eye out, Maya had used wind to change its trajectory.
"Shit. They're agility types." Etherea muttered, burning her wound shut, and getting rid of the poison.
"Agility type goblins? This Sanctuary sucks." Tentia commented.
"Let's make it quick, we don't want that beast to catch up. Maya, look after Emilia." Hayden ordered as he took out his bloody sword yet again and prepared himself.
...
'How the hell did we end up here?'
'Why do I feel like I was just kicked?'
'..ow.'
'There we go teleporting again.'
'So this is a Sanctuary.'
Mizuki's crew was currently inside the Sanctuaries first floor.
Mizuki appeared behind her bewildered crew.
'Hmm.'
Looking around, she could see that everyone was on their feet and scattered with a good distance.
'It seems like this Sanctuary has a time difference between inside and outside. I'm sure that at least 2 of them would have fallen face first amd I entered only a second after them.'
"Oi. This isn't a vacation. Get yourselves together and prepare." Mizuki spoke.
To her words, everyone snapped out of it and came closer to her.
"Salon and Eric will take West, Natyr and Tomi will take South, Shigoto will take East and I will take North. Leave nothing alive. If you see other explorers ignore them." She said as the groups were quickly formed.
"Remember. Your mission is to completely clear the floor of monsters as fast as possible. Don't dissapoint." Mizuki took off her jacket and threw it to Eric.
"We'll meet up back here. Remember your way."
Mizuki then turned around, her aura flared strongly and she disappeared.