Eight hours after finding the shard, they had a nicely cooked breakfast of warm stew, courtesy of sleepless Bassena. Thanks to the abundant water, they could even afford to have a hot shower each, as well as fill their drinking flask. Fresh and satiated, the group surfaced after Zein coaxed the shy shard to come inside his sealed storage space, and immediately headed toward the previous dungeon gate.
Fortunately, the purification device was still safely installed; meaning that no beasts attempted to come close.
Immediately, they were greeted by a sulking Spirit Queen who stayed inside the dungeon. It couldn't be helped; without making a contract with anyone, the Queen might get corrupted by the miasma--just like before they liberated the dungeon.
But being left alone inside an empty dungeon must have been annoying, because she screamed at them right away. She was tiny and talking in spirit speech though, so it only sounded like a mosquito's buzz.
