Into the Depths

"Aye Aye Captain. I just love going into dark and possibly smelly caves~"

Nyx complained with a bright smile on her face but followed Leo regardless. Horo let out a sigh before turning to Sonata and Nyx.

"You girls stick to the center, I'll bring up the rear."

Lily's lips curled into a smirk as she leaned in and poked Horo in the chest. 

"Why~? Are you afraid of the dark~?"

Horo gave her an unimpressed look before flicking her forehead.

"Ow!" Lily squeaked, retreating as she rubbed the sore spot with a scowl.

"I'll become an idiot if you keep hitting my head like this!"

Horo shot a look toward Luna, who quickly averted her gaze, before turning back to Lily.

"That ship set sail a looooong time ago. I'm bringing up the rear in case of any ambushes."

Still rubbing her forehead, Lily sulked. 

"Aren't you a rogue? Shouldn't you be at the front?"

"You'd think so, but look at our lineup. Leo is closer to a tank with his shields, Luna is a berserker, and Nyx is... well, she's Nyx. Do you really want her behind you, yapping away?"

Lily didn't even have to think before nodding seriously. "I see your point, good sir. Thank you!"

The exchange made Sonata giggle softly. Seeing her relax, Horo reached out and tousled her hair briefly.

"Don't worry, Sonny. I'll make sure you stay safe."

His gentle smile made Sonata blush slightly as she murmured, "Yeah… Thanks."

Lily narrowed her eyes, glancing between them. As Horo walked off, she covered her mouth with her hands and leaned toward Sonata.

"Ooooh~! Scandalous~! You and Horo, huh~?"

Understanding the implication, Sonata instantly waved her hands in exaggerated denial.

"I-It's really not like that! I'm just grateful to Horo. He was the one who got me in and... and uhh..." She hesitated, not wanting to spill her family drama. At least not yet.

Lily nodded knowingly before placing a hand on Sonata's shoulder, giving her a thumbs-up.

"It's okay. I totally understand. Don't worry~! I won't interfere. I'm rooting for you!"

Sonata wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Lily was quite a free spirit... and kind of dumb.

As they followed Leo and Nyx—who continued yammering in his ear—Luna sidled up to Sonata and Lily. Noticing Sonata's pink cheeks, Luna tilted her head.

"Something wrong, Sonata?"

Before she could reply, Lily interjected.

"Nothing much, honestly. Just maiden troubles. Our little Snake is a charmer, apparently~! He's even given her a nickname. Sonny~"

"Lily!" 

Sonata squeaked, her voice loud enough that Leo and Nyx glanced back. 

"I-I said it's not like that!"

Luna blinked, glancing at Horo, who was casually walking backward as they entered the cave. Then she turned back to Sonata, lips pressing together before she spoke.

"Girl... you can do soooo much better."

She didn't know why but a spark of anger kindled in the corner of her heart and Luna's words. 

"He's a nice guy though…"

Luna and Lily exchanged glances behind the embarrassed girl who was defending Horo almost instinctively.

"Sure thing~! Whatever you say…Sonny~"

For the first time in her life, Sonata had wanted to slap someone. 

However before she could say anything back, Horo's feet entered the cave and a screen appeared before their eyes. 

-Dungeon Quest has been Generated. 

Quest: Kobold Militia

Quest Details: A mutated Kobold has taken control of the nest and is training it's kin to form a Militia. Report to the Village Elder or Deal with the threat yourself. Rewards will be be given out based on contribution and Actions

Difficulty: D-S

Rewards: TBD

This quest cannot be declined. 

"Oh fuck.."

A curse slipped through Leo's lips as he went over the details of the quest. Luna, Lily and Horo also tensed up seeing the details themselves. 

"Do..Do you think we should head back?"

LIly asked with apprehension tinging her voice. 

"Why would we do that? We should definitely try and do it ourselves."

Nyx immediately questioned Lily's idea of backing off but it was Luna who responded. 

"Cause our last quest was facing off against a settlement of Goblins, Leo's neck broke, Horo was skewered to a tree and Lily and I were almost raped!" 

Nyx was stunned into silence by the confession of Luna about what happened to them. 

The group stood in the dimly lit cave, the oppressive silence of the moment almost suffocating. Nyx shifted from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the gravity of what Luna had just said. 

"Man... sounds like you guys have been through some crazy stuff," 

she muttered, trying to brush off the lingering tension with her usual teasing tone. 

"But hey, you're still here, right?"

Lily hesitated for a moment, her mind replaying the brutal fight they had survived. She hadn't forgotten how close they had come to losing it all. 

"Yeah… but let's not kid ourselves. That last fight could've been way worse if... well, if Leo hadn't done what he did."

Luna glanced at her with a knowing look. 

"You mean if Leo hadn't turned into a muscular brute that beat that boss into a bloody paste?"

"Excuse me…What was that?" 

Nyx asked as she believed she didn't hear that correctly. 

"Yeah Leo turned into this muscular macho form. Almost made me want to call him Daddy after seeing it~" 

Lily's attempt at a joke was met with a murderous glare from Luna while Leo averted his gaze in embarrassment. 

"Focus, Lily "

Luna growled before she turned back to Nyx.

"What we meant was that Leo was able to hold his ground and take on way more than any of us could've handled. We wouldn't have made it out if it wasn't for him."

Lily chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

 "Yeah, yeah... but come on, can you blame me for appreciating the view? But seriously, without Leo, we'd all be in pieces by now."

Nyx, who had been quietly listening, suddenly perked up, her mischievous grin widening. 

"Wait... Leo turned into a muscular…daddy? That sounds... so hot, not gonna lie~"

Luna shot Nyx a warning glance, but Nyx wasn't having any of it.

 "Oh yeah, I could totally get behind that form~" 

she purred, her tone dripping with amusement as she turned her head towards Leo.

 "You know, if you're ever feeling generous, you could give me a private demonstration of that form..."

Leo's face flushed crimson as he shot an incredulous glare at Nyx. 

"Can we please not talk about this right now?"

Luna pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"God, you're impossible."

Nyx just shrugged, giving Leo an innocent look. 

"Hey, I'm just saying—if you're gonna turn into a beast on us, might as well enjoy the show, right?"

Leo let out a groan, his embarrassment palpable as he covered his face with his hands.

 "I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

Sonata, still blushing at the conversation, spoke up softly. 

"I-I don't really... understand what's so great about this form, but... if it helped us get out of that fight, then I'm glad."

Luna sighed, giving Sonata a look of sympathy.

 "Don't worry, dear. You're probably better off not knowing."

"Ladies. Now is NOT the time for this. I'm pretty sure we got enemies inbound."

Horo's voice tinged with annoyance cut through the chatter. Like a machine, everyone grew quiet and focused, preparing themselves for a fight as howls echoed from the depths of the cave