Inside was different than normal, the place was all smooth white stone, but it was a long hallway to start with. Gobby was already melting into his pool of blood, and I heard a low whistle from behind me. Gobby filled the floor from wall to wall and then started up the hall, but he triggered no traps, and I was about to walk forward, but Tim stopped me.
"Hey! Hold on there, does your friend listen to anyone? Can I ask him to do something?"
"Hm? Yeah, go ahead. Gobby, listen to what Tim tells you to do, okay?"
"Sure, K!"
"Alright, buddy, can you make yourself taller, and then walk back here?" Tim called down to Gobby.
In response, Gobby stretched himself like a quill and then started to walk back towards us. The entire trip back Gooby walked through arrows coming from up, down, left, and right! I couldn't even believe my eyes, that would have been me. When Gobby got back and went changed back to bloody eyeball form, scratching his head.
"I feel violated, I've been penetrated like that before!" Gobby complained.
"Yeah, this one will be a bit of a doozy, I think this is a top Tier Ruby dungeon. This is clear for traps, but we will have to keep an eye out," Tim said falling back.
This was going to be dangerous, but we all had ribbons, so being careful is all we could do. I moved forward at an even pace, keeping my collapsed shield up, and reached the next room. Coming up to the door I could see many small armored bodies in the next room; from a distance, they looked small and cute but up close they were many small rat-men.
"Oh! Looks like it's my time to shine!" Corbit tried to walk past me, but both Tim and I both stopped him.
"Don't be stupid! Have you never been in a dungeon before?" I asked, still gripping his arm.
"No? I can't just walk in and just shock them all? Corbit asked, confused.
"If you don't kill them all then you are trapped in there until you do and we can't help you. There is only a five-second window in higher levels to get into the room," Tim explained.
I didn't know about the timer, I just didn't want him to go in first. That was good to know, this was hard going from a basic adventurer and then jumping three ranks overnights. There was a lot I still had to learn.
"I am going to cast a spell before we go in, I don't know what it will do but here goes nothing," I said, as I raised my hands, not really sure what to do with them.
"Bless{Sselb}!"
Each person pulsed and golden light and they all looked around. I had not pulsed, or maybe I did and just didn't notice. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but It was a spell, and I had cast it using Mana!
"Very good boss! You just made us a lot harder to hit! Healia's prayers are on our side today!" Tim cheered.
I smiled, and then looked at Lesha and Mei, who both nodded to me, they were ready.
"I'll draw them with Lesha, and then Mana users do your thing! Tim, and Gobby, protect them. Let's go!"
I burst into the room, drawing the sweet strawberry lemonade from the girls, and popping open my shield as I felt my power sore. The rats rushed me, but Lesha was there with me, cutting into them, as I bashed them back. Something inside of me surged, not like the blood, but something drove me to raise my foot up and slam it down.
Rats flew into the air around me, and I heard the otherworldly chant of Corbit's voice.
"Chain Lightning{Gninthgil Niahc}!"
An arc of pure power ripped through the room, catching every rat, but missing us completely. I was like with my stomp, Lesha hadn't been affected at all, but what that stomp? Everything was dead, but I wasn't done, I reached forward and began to suck the bodies dry.
"Well, that's something you don't see every day! So that's what you got from a Core? Draining monsters for their blood and your followers for more power all around?" Tim asked.
"Yes, Mei, come here, are you okay?"
Mei came over, but her eyes had already dimmed, but she had a grin on her face. I looked at her, but then she stuck her fingers under my nose as she walked by. The little pervert! In the middle of a fight?! Just when I thought she was getting better, but that was a way to burn off the frenzy I guessed, but that put my mind right in the gutter for later.
"K? Are you ready to check the next hall? You got a bit of a dreamy look in your eyes, you okay?" Tim asked, giving me a knowing grin and a look with his one eye that said he knew what was going on in my head.
"Yes! Let's go! Gobby!"
"Umm, K, you forgot your blood ball…" Lesha said looking away from me as she did with a big grin.
I turned and glared at Corbit, and he found a different part of the room to be. Damn that Mei for getting me crossed up thinking about...blood, I need to absorb the blood and continue forward. I told Gobby to listen to Tim while I absorbed the blood, Lesha, and Mei had picked up at the claws that were leftover.
After I was done and the hall was swept we made our way to the next room but stopped outside of it. There was a single mirror in the center of the room. I had heard of this thing, and only one could go in.
"That's a Black Mimic Mirror, and whoever goes in there will have to face the darker side of themselves."