"Of course, but the responsibility is the price we pay for stability. Jezabel used to say that to me when I first joined the guild. I didn't think much about her words at the time, but it can certainly be costly, at least in your free time."
"Is it worth it?"
"I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't." Travis spreads his arms and smiles at me. I can't help but grin a little at his behavior. "I can tell you're tired. Why don't you take a nap for a few hours? We'll set up camp and rest."
"Okay." I close my eyes and fall asleep almost immediately. My dreams head in a terribly familiar direction. I'm suddenly back in the dungeon facing the spider. I can see my friends struggling against it to no avail. The dark exoskeleton is nigh impenetrable. Their bodies are battered and broken by its relentless onslaught. Death approaches. The overwhelming aura of the monster paralyzes me. I want to scream, but no sound comes out. As if the situation couldn't get any worse, human skeletons begin digging themselves out from the ground. At first, there are only a few, but soon, hundreds of skeletons fill the narrow tunnel. What's even more surprising is their target. The undead army surrounds the giant spider in a sea of bones. Each swipe of the spider's massive legs destroys tens of skeletons, but many more arrive to take their place.
At first, all they can do is pound on the spider with their exposed metacarpals. Wave after wave of walking bones collides with the monster. Their attacks are mostly ineffective, but slowly, they begin to gain ground. A scratch appears on one of the spider's legs, then another. As its health drops below seventy-five percent, it starts to accrue damage. The skeletons bite, scratch, and gouge in a relentless orgy of violence. Mouthfuls of flesh fall to the ground as the gumless teeth gnaw away at their opponent. The floor is slick with blood. The spider lashes out in its death throws. I can see it stumble around amongst the unyielding army. One leg rises into the air as if to reach for something. The dying spider looks up with its few remaining eyes at something unseen. I can feel a hint of yearning. The leg shakes and then falls to the ground. The beast is dead. What once seemed like an unstoppable force is now lying in a pool of its own blood.
Light fills my vision. My eyes shoot open to see trees swaying gently above my head.
[It was just a dream.]
I place my hand over my face and notice the stiff pain coming from my arm; I'm terribly sore. My whole body aches from the beating I took in the dungeon. I slowly stand up and stretch my protestant muscles. A cool spring breeze ruffles my clothing. The burns on my skin have healed nicely. I was worried it would take longer, but it looks like those healing potions did the trick.
After completing my self-assessment, I look around for my party. A small campfire sits in the middle of four tents. I can see Sakura and Shinobu laughing with Ironhead over a meal. The smell of something cooking over the fire makes my stomach rumble. I hadn't realized it until just now, but I'm actually starving.
"What's for lunch?" I ask as I approach everybody.
"Nick! You're alright!" Shinobu jumps up and hugs me. I don't know what to do with my hands, so I awkwardly pat her back until she's finished.
"Yeah, now I'm just hungry."
"I'm sure you are." Travis beams. "So what does the hero want to eat."
"Please stop. You're going to make me blush," I say as my face grows hot. I can't deal with him calling me by such a cringy name.
"I mean it. We wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for you."
"First of all," I begin. "It was Shinobu who landed the attack that incapacitated it, and secondly, I wouldn't have made it out of there if it wasn't for all of you, so let's just drop it."
"Is our little hero getting embarrassed?" Yuki teases.
"Please, for the love of god, I'm begging you, don't call me that."
"Well, now I kind of want to." She replies with a mischievous look in her eye. Panic rises up my chest. I quickly switch gears to deflect my embarrassment.
"How can you say that when you so bravely charged into the middle of those Goblins? If anything, I think the true heroine of our quest is–"
"Okay, I get it. Shut the fuck up." Yuki interrupts my praise.
"Yeah, it's not so funny now, is it?" She replies with a swift punch to the gut. The strike catches me off guard enough to knock the wind out of me.
"Not as funny as that."
"You got me. That was actually pretty funny." I wheeze. The air is filled with joy as we all eat, drink, and laugh. The high of surviving such a hellish experience is enough to wipe away all our concerns. No matter what else happens today, at least we're alive.
"Alright, everyone, gather 'round." Travis claps his hands to get our attention. We shuffle over to him while still munching on our food. "I think it's a bit too late to be traveling through the forest. Let's set up camp for the night and head back to town tomorrow. What do you think?"
Travis spreads his hands to gather opinions, but we're all too busy eating to respond. Eventually, enough people nod that it's decided to stay here for the night. I'm so sore that I'm not sure I could survive the trek, so I quickly agree to his proposal.
The setting suns cast long shadows across our campsite. We spend the rest of the day relaxing and eating to recover our energy. After all, there's nothing better than a good nap before bedtime. The warm blanket of sleep covers my eyes, and I drift off to sleep under my tent. No nightmares this time, only peace.