Elara and Elysia had stopped the group of women for a brief moment and gave a meaningful speech. They stressed that they must never give up, no matter what challenges lay ahead. The two leaders were determined to encourage their fellow women to not give up, even if they encountered bandits or other dangers. They made it clear that survival was the top priority and that there should be no scruples when it came to defending themselves and the others. This part of their journey was more dangerous than anything they had experienced before, and they should be prepared for it as soon as they left the cities and roads behind.
After covering a few miles, the group reached a small town where they took a well-deserved break. But Elara still had a surprise up her sleeve. She told them about a newly discovered dungeon that she had already explored. This dungeon was free of traps, but it required cooperation and teamwork to master. Therefore, she suggested that the other five women explore the dungeon while she herself remained outside. She wished them a good time on this dungeon adventure.
Elysia took a step toward the dungeon and confidently declared, "Just follow me if you can. I'll master this thing on my own." But suddenly, Helga's loud laughter broke the silence as she declared that she wouldn't let that happen and that Elysia should stick to what they were told. The other women overtook Elysia and rushed toward the dungeon.
Elysia looked puzzled at Elara, who almost couldn't stop laughing, but still made a teasing gesture toward Elysia. Confused and slightly annoyed, Elysia followed, keeping her black sword ready so as not to lose her footing.
Inside the dungeon, the women looked dumbfounded as they suddenly found themselves in a vast swampland. Tall trees towered into the sky, and the ground was covered in mire. In the distance, they could already see the enormous crocodiles and lizards that were huge compared to them. This caused Edna to assume her dragon form. Although this made her much larger, she was still not much bigger than an ordinary lizard, but with her white golden scales, she clearly stood out.
Kathrin, the huntress, used her camouflage to move forward quietly and scout out the best fighting positions. Her unique ability to track animals gave her a distinct advantage, which she immediately exploited. She placed several magical ice traps to surprise her opponents during the fight. After Kathrin finished her preparations, she returned to Edna and told her the positions of the buried and submerged lizards so as not to be surprised by them.
Helga, the priestess, described the situation with her sacred magic for everyone. Edna made her presence known to attract the attention of the lizards and lure them to the traps laid by Kathrin. When the lizards stepped into the traps, they were immediately frozen as an icy mist spread. This was Marina's opportunity to use her icy spells to inflict even more damage. Ice lances and icicles pierced the enemies, and they froze in the cold.
Elysia, the magical swordswoman, moved deftly between the lizards. Her swords were infused with magic, and she wreaked havoc. She pranced between the enemies and attacked them from behind or the side to take them out.
The first enemies were quickly defeated, and the women were in high spirits. Everything went smoothly, and everyone played their roles perfectly. Kathrin set off to scout further so that they could escape from the dungeon as quickly as possible.
When the group reached a large, relatively dry area after a few smaller waves of enemies, their eyes fell on a cave entrance lined with stones and bones. But these were not only worn or broken, but mostly charred. As they entered this area, two eyes suddenly opened and fixed on the group. Then the creature moved out of the cave. It was a fire monitor whose scales were as black as night. Flames blazed from its claws. This was a boss opponent.
The women lined up in a fighting stance, ready to face this dangerous creature. Edna, still in her impressive dragon form, stepped forward to attract the fire monitor's attention. Helga, the priestess, began channeling her sacred energies to assist the group.
Elysia, the magical swordswoman, positioned herself skillfully, ready to launch attacks as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Kathrin, the huntress, aimed her bow at the fire monitor, while Marina, the frost mage, prepared her icy spells.
The fire monitor hissed and spat flames toward Edna, but she was too large and too well protected to be hurt. Now it was the group's turn to go after this dangerous boss opponent and give it their all to defeat it.
The fight against the fire monitor was intense. The boss opponent kept spitting fire and trying to burn the women, but they moved skillfully and used their abilities to dodge the flames. Edna, in her powerful dragon form, tried to distract the fire monitor and attract its attention.
Helga, the priestess, used her holy magic to heal and strengthen the group, while Elysia, the magical swordswoman, used lightning-fast attacks to hurt the fire monitor. Kathrin, the huntress, targeted and shot at sensitive areas of the boss with her bow, inflicting additional damage.
Marina, the Frost Mage, cast icy spells on the Fire Monitor to extinguish its flames and slow its movements. The fire monitor hissed in pain as the icy frost magic hit its hot flames.
The battle went on for a while, but the women worked well together and played their respective roles perfectly. Finally, as the fire monitor weakened and its fire burned weaker, Edna struck the final blow. With a mighty roar, she lunged at the boss enemy and crushed it with her powerful claws.
The fire monitor broke into pieces and scattered throughout the cave. The women had defeated the boss enemy and celebrated their victory. It had been a tough fight, but they had shown that as a team they were unbeatable.
After they defeated the boss, a golden chest appeared in front of the cave and lit up. This indicated that this dungeon was not over yet. It seemed that this boss had only been an intermediate boss. Elysia immediately set about opening the chest to see what was inside.
Inside the chest they found black leather armor covered in black scales. These armors seemed to be especially suitable for hunters and rogues. Kathrin was happy to see the chest piece and put it on right away. Then she laughed and said jokingly, "Look, now we have two dragons."
Elysia took out some more boots from the chest, which were also black and looked like the boss's claws. She gave these boots to Kathrin as well, and Marina jokingly remarked, "That's fitting, a dragon without claws would be unimaginable."
All the women laughed heartily and then prepared to explore the cave further.
They re-entered the cave, which now stretched into a branching system of corridors and chambers. The dungeon seemed to have no end, and they knew that more challenges awaited them. Suddenly, the floor beneath them broke away, and they fell into darkness. Fortunately, they landed in the stinking but saving water.
Their bodies plunged into the murky waters of a fetid, malodorous swamp. But they were relieved that they had not hit solid ground. They had barely caught their breath when snakes and lizards pounced on them from all directions, armed and hungry for a fight. The women immediately grabbed their weapons and prepared to face the new threat.
The fight proved especially challenging for Helga, the priestess, as she desperately tried to heal the damage in the group. At that moment, Elysia was heard to say, "Change." She put down her black blades and instead pulled out her swords, which glowed a brilliant white. Then she continued speaking, "I support you, sister."
Elysia swung her swords, and white waves of healing spread out. They amplified Helga's healing spells and gave the group time to recover. Together, they fought through the lizards and snakes until the last enemy was defeated.
After defeating the enemies, the women made their way back to the mainland. There they came across a small island in the mire where a sad female ghost was chained. The spirit looked off into the distance and seemed to ignore the women at first.
The women remained cautious, however, and lit a small campfire to dry themselves and their gear and to eat some food. The spirit seemed confused that the women did not go to the center of the island where she was held captive. But then she noticed that the women were watching her suspiciously.
The women were desperately trying to understand the female spirit that was approaching them with incomprehensible words and tears in her eyes. Marina, feeling a strange connection with the spirit, dared to step closer. The closer she got, the more clearly she realized that this spirit was anything but ordinary. It was like a living force of nature, comparable to the elements of water and ice she had chosen in the Hall of Elements, only much more powerful.
With a sad look, the female spirit tried to make herself understood, but the women could not understand his words. As Marina touched the spirit's shoulder, she suddenly heard a male voice. The voice asked if she wanted to bind the water elemental to her. Marina remembered a similar incident on her wedding day and hesitantly answered that she would.
However, the male voice warned her that the bond with the elemental would have irreversible consequences. Their souls would be bound together forever. Marina thought about it for a moment, but when she saw the suffering and agony in the face of the water spirit, she agreed.
An image of Mortis, dressed in white robes, appeared and whispered something in the water spirit's ear that made it freeze. Then the spirit nodded in agreement. The image took Marina's hand and that of the water spirit. A radiant light emanated from it and flooded the two women. What at first began as a beautiful play of light suddenly turned into a nightmare. The water spirit and Marina knelt down and screamed in endless pain and agony. This lasted for several minutes until finally the water spirit disappeared into Marina, and she collapsed unconscious.
The other women were shocked at the gruesome event and cared for Marina as she lost consciousness. The image, however, remained calm and smiled. It declared that the miracle had been performed and assured them that Marina would return stronger. Then the image also disappeared into Marina.
The women had carried Marina to the campfire and formed a tight group around her. They covered her with blankets and held her tightly. Marina's pale skin and exhausted appearance deeply worried the other women. They worriedly wondered what exactly had happened, but they were determined to find out the truth as soon as Marina was back to full health.
During this difficult time, it was important for the women to stick together and look out for Marina. They were determined to be there for their sister and stand by her until she made a full recovery. And so they waited patiently while Marina lingered in her deep sleep, ready for the next adventure that lay ahead of them.