I can see the crevasse a bit further ahead, so I must be getting towards the end of the dungeon. I recall what Aurellius told us about the ruins near the crevasse, so I am careful not to get too close. I continue exploring, killing Slimes here and there, when suddenly I hear screams. My curiosity gets the best of me and I decide to go see what's going on to find out for myself.
I approach the crevasse where there are some ruins and I see Mike, Zephyr, Pepper, Nicole, and her contracted monsters. One of them, a Maccaterro, a four-armed bipedal monster that covers its slimy skin with mud and dirt to create some kind of armor, stands in front of Mike as if to warn him. It's about three meters tall and very strong. The second monster, which I believe is a Mantralys, a two-meter tall praying mantis that can cut through iron with its arms. Fast, silent, and agile, this monster is an excellent assassin and is positioned behind the Maccaterro. The third monster is by Nicole's side. It's a Bronze Soldier, a product of the dungeon: The Castle, monopolized by the Van'Ambros family. Sold at exorbitant prices, these monsters are very resistant and, like all monsters in this dungeon, have the peculiarity of being born from an egg and contracted by the person who hatches it.
Curious to know what's going on, I approach silently so they don't notice my presence. I hide in some bushes and prepare my musket. I listen to them talk and aim at Nicole just in case.
"Nicole! What do you plan to do with Pepper's bag?" Zephyr asks, clearly in a bad mood.
"What do you think I'm going to do? The commoner has wronged me, so she must compensate me. Her poor bag will do, after all, I am not a resentful person," Nicole replies in a proudly haughty tone.
"She barely touched you, and she should compensate you? Compensate you for what? It's not like she cut off your arm or something," Zephyr impatiently retorts.
"I really don't–," Pepper starts.
"Silence," interrupts Nicole. "How dare you speak to me like that? Have you forgotten that I am of noble blood, therefore your superior? It is unseemly for you to speak to me, so shut up!"
Looking at her with disgust, he raises his hand and strikes her in the face. BAM! A gunshot is heard, and Nicole screams in pain, holding her hand against her chest. The Bronze Soldier and his two other monsters gather around him to protect him. He takes a vial from his spatial ring and drinks it. The hole in his hand slowly closes before his eyes, and he stops screaming. Meanwhile, I reload and prepare for the fight as I approach my friends.
I demand in a loud and serious voice,
"Do you really think you can do whatever you want just because you come from a noble family? Every action has consequences, Nicole! If you don't want the same situation as last time to happen again with your new monsters, you'd better leave!"
He looks at me with a hateful expression and replies with a grating voice,
"If I can't have it, no one can," he says, throwing Pepper's bag to the other side of the crevasse where ancient ruins lie.
"But what--" I begin before being interrupted by a cacophony of sounds.
Looking at the source of all these deafening noises, I realize that the pieces of stones in the ruins are collapsing and the ground is shaking.
"What's happening? I'm not sure I understand the situation, but everything becomes clear when I see a giant Slime emerge from the ruins. Upon closer inspection, I can see a small crown on the top of its body and understand that it is the Slime King. Of all possible situations, Nicole had to delay and awaken the Slime King.
The ground continues to shake, and several Slimes start to appear here and there around us. They all head towards their king with astonishing speed. In the distance, several light signals appear in the sky.
"What do we do?" Zephyr asks me.
"We should leave, I think. It's a shame about your Pepper's bag, but I don't think it's worth the risk to retrieve it," I say sympathetically, looking at her.
"You're right, let's get out of here," Pepper says with a sad but resolute voice.
We prepare to leave, but suddenly, the ground shakes extremely hard, and a wave of Slimes, coming from the small grove where I arrived, pours over us. Caught in the current created by the movement of the creatures heading towards their king, I see them fall into the crevasse. The tide-like movement makes it difficult to escape, so I shout to the others to activate their distress stone while breaking mine. The stone loses its color and explodes in the sky, leaving a trail of red-orange. A few moments later, four other small explosions of color occur. I try not to lose my footing in the Slime current, but I hear a small scream. I turn around and see Pepper, who has fallen and is being dragged towards the crevasse. Without wasting any time, I use Dash and Shadow Step to position myself next to her and help her. She stabilizes and thanks me. I go to tell her it's nothing, but something hits me and makes me fall backward. I try to struggle, but the thing holds on to my hips. I quickly realize that it's the Maccaterro, so I put away my musket and quickly equip my dagger. I hurry to stab the creature, and after a few blows, it lets go of me. Unfortunately, it's too late, carried away by the Slime current, I fall into the crevasse with the Maccaterro's body.