Stuck in place

Looking around, the vice guild master taps his MST, calling the others over. Cara lets out an exasperated sigh, her patience already wearing thin. "Tsk, Rotû, stop messing around and do the thing!" She kicks him off the ground with a frustrated scowl, her great sword swinging in a tight arc, leveling the uneven ground around them.

Blinking slowly, Rotû stares up at the dripping water from above, his eyes half-closed as exhaustion seeps into his bones. "Ughhh..." He groans, rolling his head toward the damp cave. 'This place is irritating,' he thinks, calculating the odds. 'Chances of survival—maybe 60%. We're up against old witch magic here, high-ranking. No telling how long we'll be out once we fall asleep.' Lifting his arm with a grunt, he forces himself to stand, fighting off the creeping lethargy.

In his hand, a set of cards appear, each depicting strange images: two jokers slicing each other's throats, a knight kneeling behind a large shield, and the vague image of a woman with red hair, barely visible beyond the edges of the card. Rotû exhales, unbothered by the foreboding symbolism. 'If we're lucky, we won't die here,' he muses, tossing the cards to the ground. They glow briefly before a slow-burning fire spreads between them, forming a protective circle.

"This is bad," Bein mutters, running a hand through his hair as he dodges and distracts the corrupted creatures skittering around them. "I really should've invested in some of those new weapons…" He curses under his breath. "Yula, are you ready?"

Jumping back with an almost wild grin, Baya's laughter rings out through the cave. "Hahahaha! I finally broke free from Yula's chains! I deserve a reward!" She stands tall, her confidence surging. "Yula can't stop—"

"You're testing my patience, Baya," Yula's voice cuts through the cave like an icy whisper, and instantly, the temperature plummets. The damp ground beneath them freezes over, thin layers of frost creeping across the surface. Yula steps forward, pinching Baya's ear, her touch as cold as ice, slowly freezing it.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Baya winces, her defiance crumbling. She follows Yula's lead, whining like a child. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just give me another chance, I swear I won't do it again!"

Yula's icy gaze holds for a moment longer, then she lets go, her expression unreadable as she turns back to the group.

Meanwhile, Itto moves in quick flashes, his movements barely visible as he surveys the surroundings. 'Something's off,' he thinks, his sharp instincts screaming that they're being watched. His thoughts flicker to Kael. 'V should be fine. He's smart enough to handle himself. But…' His gaze shifts to Oda, who's walking toward Cora, his face set in grim determination.

'Oda must be worried out of his mind,' Itto muses. 'Ryua is strong—scary strong—but right now, she's not at full power. With most of her high-ranked techniques restricted by the dungeon, she's operating at a fraction of her usual strength. Normally, Oda wouldn't worry, but given Ryua's behavior lately… she's too focused on results to care for her own well-being. It's only natural that he's on edge.'

"Let's begin," Oda mumbles, his husky voice cutting through the tense silence as he surveys the group gathered around the fire circle Rotû created. 'Cora, Bein, Yula, Itto, Rotû, Baya… good, everyone's here.' He nods to Yula, who sits calmly at the center of the group, her icy aura filling the space.

Yula exhales slowly, her breath visibly cold. Her light blue eyes shimmer like frozen crystals, and as she breathes, snowflakes drift from her frosty white hair. The ground beneath her turns an icy white, frost spreading outward in a delicate but deadly pattern. Rotû's fire, oddly enough, remains steady, flickering defiantly against the growing cold. "I can feel myself getting tired," Yula murmurs, raising her hand with great effort. A thick prism of ice begins to form around them, sealing them inside a dome that grows whiter and whiter as the ice hardens. Frost spreads like creeping vines, encasing the small group in a protective shell. Beads of sweat form on Yula's brow, and her breaths grow heavier. "I used all my remaining energy to make the best dome possible," she says with an exhausted exhale, lowering her arm and rubbing her tired eyes. "I'll leave the rest to you, Rotû." With that, she falls asleep, her body slumping into a peaceful rest.

Rotû grimaces, already feeling the weight of his own exhaustion. "Yeah, yeah… Oda, your turn. These ugly bastards are already trying to get through the ice." He turns, rubbing his temples as if the mere thought of the oncoming horde is enough to give him a headache. 'Damn ugly things,' he thinks with disdain.

Oda surveys the small space within the dome, his expression as calm as ever. "They're weak, but more keep coming. If there's no limit, we'll probably die," he states with his usual steady tone. The earth around the dome responds to his will, spreading in thick layers and reinforcing their icy barrier. "Rotû, do your thing," he commands before suddenly falling backward, stiff as a board, immediately slipping into sleep like a cat finding a cozy spot.

Itto grabs Rotû by the shoulder before he can move. "Hold up," Itto says through gritted teeth, his head pounding as he taps into his power. 'Damn, this is strong,' he thinks, his arm lifting toward the dome's exterior. Outside, his lightning surges through the frozen air, crackling wildly as it blasts the advancing monsters back. "Fuck, I hate dungeons," he mutters before collapsing with a soft snore, his body giving in to the dungeon's overwhelming fatigue.

"Ugh, how can they fall asleep before me?" Rotû rolls his eyes, pulling a card from his deck. The card shows a knight defending against the strike of a massive troll. He tosses it into the fire, and instantly, the flames react, spreading through the ice and earth like a red virus, glowing faintly as it strengthens the dome's defense. "Damn the goddesses… this dungeon makes using my attribute painful," he grumbles, his fist clenching and unclenching as exhaustion overtakes him.

He glances at Bein, who sits quietly with Cora draped over his lap, already fast asleep. "She was the first to fall," Bein murmurs, his voice low. "Our restrictions are bad, but hers… hers are ten times worse." He shakes his head as Cora snores softly, drooling onto her sword, her mouth wide open in complete abandon.

"Hmm…" Rotû rubs his eyes, barely able to keep them open. "Ugh… too tired to tease you. Goodnight." With that, he slumps onto the ground beside Oda and Itto, sleep overtaking him almost instantly.

-

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Water echoes through the cavern as it hits the cold, damp ground. The wind whispers through the darkness, and with every shift of air, Ryua's figure blurs through the cave like a streak of lightning. Her Crimson Tide revolvers are ready in her hands, and she moves so quickly that the creatures she passes barely register her presence before she's gone, nothing left but the gust of wind in her wake.

'I've been running for hours... just how deep does this floor go?' she wonders, her frustration bubbling under the surface as she scans the seemingly endless, winding tunnels. The creatures here are barely a nuisance, unable to keep up with her speed as she dashes past them, ignoring their grotesque forms and eerie sounds.

She comes to an abrupt halt, her instincts flaring as she senses a change in the air. Turning sharply to her right, Ryua narrows her eyes. 'The temperature just dropped... it's colder that way.' Her mind sharpens, and with a single step, she's gone again, disappearing into the darkness with a blur of speed. The creatures lurking behind her attempt to follow, but they're too slow, their movements sluggish compared to her lightning-fast agility.

Suddenly, Ryua halts, her eyes widening at the sight ahead of her. "What... what is this?" she mumbles under her breath, her voice barely more than a whisper. Before her, a group of twisted, deformed creatures have gathered together, their ugly forms piling on a chunk of jagged earth as if drawn to something. Their bodies shift and writhe unnervingly, and for the first time, Ryua feels a twinge of unease. 'They may be stupid, but they're not mindless… what are they doing?' she thinks, carefully lowering her stance, hiding her presence as she edges closer.

Her blood runs cold when she sees it.

Laying beneath the pile of creatures, barely visible in the dim light, through a small piece of ice, Cora is visible. Ryua's eyes darken, her expression shifting from confusion to fury.

'This... Fuck' She clenches her teeth, anger boiling to the surface as she grips her revolver tighter. Without a second thought, she raises her Crimson Tide and fires a shot straight into the head of one of the creatures, its skull exploding in a burst of blood and bone. "You disgusting things... how dare you," she hisses coldly, her voice low and dangerous.

The creatures snap to attention, turning toward her with soulless eyes, as if they've just realized she's there.

"That's right. Look at me." Ryua's eyes narrow as she reaches into her pocket, her fingers brushing against a second clip of holy bullets. "If you want to kill someone, then come after me."