"Is... this it?" Rocco says hesitantly.
"Seems so," I reply.
"Fuck..."
After the investigation yesterday, Tabitha and Adresin found signs of malnourished trees in their area. Adresin, being very familiar with magical forests, guessed that something is sucking the magic out of these trees. And now, we're standing in front of a cave; its mouth encrusted with glittering gemstones that give off intense magical energy.
"Tabitha, prepare a report for [Dungeon Discovery]," Rocco commands the silent girl with the notebook already in hand. "Also, give me the addresses of the families of the missing people. I'll have to give them the bad news."
Tabitha nods and scribbles down on the notebook.
"Woah, wait, not so fast Rocco my pal," I say to the stressed Sergeant.
"What, Richard?" he asked annoyedly. "I don't have time for your shenanigans today. Seeing that there's a dungeon here, the missing people probably entered it and died in there."
"Well, that's just it, it's not a normal dungeon," I smirk.
He raises an eyebrow and says, "What do you mean?"
"It's a [Cave of Trials]," I reply confidently. "Normal dungeons are made by [Artifacts] with the intent to lure people and kill them for nutrition. Meanwhile, [Trial Dungeons] are created by powerful guys like djinns and gods to test mortals. The longer you can stay in there, the bigger the rewards. But if you get knocked unconscious, you'll forfeit everything you've gained for a shittier consolation prize."
"Sigh... knocked unconscious? Do you seriously think I'll believe that?" Rocco says tiredly. "People's lives are at stake here. I can't just believe something so optimistic without evidence, Richard."
[Gods Cannot Enter The Cave Of Trials]
If only I can show this notification to him, it'll make his life so much easier. In Garden of Days, guilds waged war against each other if a [Dungeon of Trials] is discovered. After all, the rewards are awesome if you know what you're doing and dying just means you get a shittier reward. If the pattern of similarities remain consistent, this dungeon should be the same as the one in the game. I guess only one way to find out.
"That's ok, I get it," I relent. "If my words aren't enough, then how about the people who've been watching us since we got here?"
"What?!" Rocco exclaims in alarm.
*Crunch*
Everyone jumps at the sound of footsteps approaching us. They belong to the woman I warned the first night we were here. She's not alone this time, however. Beside him is a strapping young man who's wearing only an animal skin loincloth and moccasins. He has black hair, brown eyes, and his chin is chiseled like a sculpture's.
"Shallow man..." she glares daggers into me. "Why didn't you tell me you're with police officers?"
"What?" I scoff. "You were stalking us ever since we got here missy. Did you expect I'll just give you important information like that?"
She grits her teeth in anger. Noticing this, the man holds up his hand to stop her from doing anything rash. She calms down, albeit begrudgingly, and the man steps forward.
"So you're police officers?" he asks us in his deep, calming voice.
"Officer Rocco of the NYPD," he replies without letting go of his greatsword's handle. "State your name and your business."
"The name's Sinbad, and this lady's name is Luna," he replies while showing a calm demeanor. "We promise, we mean you no harm. We're actually waiting for a long time for the police to find us here."
Rocco relaxes for a bit and signals for everyone to lower their alertness a bit.
"Go on," he says.
"Phew.... Let's start with the obvious," he responds. "That dungeon behind you has been attracting [Explorers] who wander in this area. Of course, that includes me."
Rocco narrows his eyes and says, "You weren't in the missing persons database."
Sinbad smiles sadly and replies, "Well, that's because no one would report me missing if I suddenly disappear. Not everyone's blessed to have families or friends who care enough, officer."
Rocco signals for Tabitha and whispers something in her ear. Tabitha nods and hides herself behind the group. Then, he shifts his attention back to Sinbad again.
Seeing that he can continue, Sinbad says, "Your friend there's right. I don't know how he knew it but that dungeon spews out the people who went unconscious in there."
"When were you 'spewed out'?" Rocco questions with a directness befitting of an officer.
"I was one of the first ones so if I recall... about a month ago?" he replies.
Rocco looks at Lina who then nods at him in confirmation.
"Alright, let's say I believe you," he says as he crosses his arms. "Where's the rest of you? And why haven't you gotten back to New York? You seem fine to me."
"We formed groups so we can take care of each other," Luna decides to finally jump in the conversation. "As for the reason why we can't go back... it's because we're under a curse..."
"Once the sun sets, we become an abomination so horrifying that we can't look at a mirror without throwing up," Sinbad adds.
Rocco raises an eyebrow and says, "Like in a fairytale?"
"Exactly!" he replies excitedly but then turns sad once more. "But unlike in the stories, true love or a kiss can't break it."
Ah... I know exactly what made this dungeon and what they would look like during the night. Just thinking about it is making chuckle a little bit.
"Pfft, you got fucked by a Satyr's curse," I say as I stifle my laughter. "Let me guess, you guys get all hairy and you stink up the place?"
Both of their eyes go wide.
"How do you-" Sinbad starts but I interrupt him.
"A curse like this is easy enough to break," I continue. "If you got someone good enough, they could clear a lot of levels and get the [Curse Eater Staff] as a reward."
This time, it's Luna's turn to have a wistful expression.
"That's right... our Elder Sister, the leader of our group, went in there to do exactly that," she says. "It's been three days and she hasn't come back.... We're worried."
*Whoosh*
As we're talking, a sudden gust of cold wind pricks our skins. The [Cave of Trials] doesn't kill people for nutrients. Rather, every time the challengers exert energy, no matter what form it takes, it swallows it to make more monsters, items, and levels. So whoever's in there is exerting so much energy that the dungeon is leaking it out. And of course, I know who this energy belongs to.
"Brrr that's chilly," Rocco comments. "Alright, I think it's time for us to get to the next step."
He then motions with his hand and Tabitha hands him a couple of pieces of paper.
"You said that you made a group," he continues. "Let's go there and verify if the people you have are the same as our missing persons list."
"Two groups actually," Sinbad corrects. "Because of the curse, we don't want to be near the ladies when the transformation happens so we decided to live South of the dungeon while the ladies took the North."
Hearing this, Rocco sighs and mutters, "Great, more work."
"You'll be fine, officer," I comfort him with a pat on the back. "Just don't stay there when the sun sets and your eyes and nose won't be scarred."
He looks at me curiously and says, "You sound like you won't be coming with us."
"Because I'm not," I reply with a grin. "I actually know the person in there and knowing her, she'll probably want some good food when she gets out."
"Then I'll stay too," Luna interjects. "It's just proper for Elder Sister's right hand to be here when she gets out."
"Then who'll be leading them to the women's camp, smartass?" I point out. "Certainly not this bozo over here."
"Hey!" Sinbad reacts.
Knowing that my argument holds up, she bites her lips and stares me down.
"I'll come back here after I lead the police officers to our camp," she hisses. "If you try anything funny-"
"Yeah, yeah, miss cliché, I know 'you'll make sure I regret it'," I finish her sentence mockingly. "Should you be really wasting daylight here? Sergeant Rocco's a busy man you know and I certainly don't want him to experience whatever the Satyr's cooked up with you."
Luna angrily whips her hair which actually hits my face. She then stomps off and the police force follows them. Meanwhile, Adresin and Grace stays behind and looks at me expectantly.
"What do you want us to do, Sir?" Adresin asks.
I shrug and reply, "You can go with them if you want. I know you two have been secretly concerned about the missing people since you first heard about them."
They smile with excitement and hurriedly follow the group out of the forest.
*Whoosh*
The chill flows out of the cave again. My heart beats fast in anticipation. Three days, huh. If she's not slacking off in there, she should be about at the point where she gets the staff. After all, it's a curse dispel item with a [Rare] rating that anyone can obtain it easily in any [Trial Dungeon].
I find a nearby spot that's dry enough to allow firewood to burn and sit there.
[Inventory]
I have all that I need to prepare a meal: pots, firewood, some benches, and even some meat from Garden of Days. All that's left is to wait for her to come out. Nifa... after a long time, I finally get to see you again. I do hope I can hold it in and not cry like a bitch when I see you again because I know you'll beat my ass if I do.