After Ray and Lucy came back from scouting, the team decided to head out. They still kept the cave they had found in mind in case they needed to return there, but with the discovery of the huge body of ancient looking construction it was very unlikely, since they would want to make progress towards going there.
So far, they were yet to encounter any monsters or enemies, which gave them the feeling that this was probably a labyrinth kind of dungeon, since labyrinths had the least number of enemies normally.
Following the ribbons Lucy used to mark their path prior, and the marks she carved into the trees, the team was able to make it through the forest with little problems, but that all changed after they got past the last place Lucy marked before she and Ray returned.
They kept tying the ribbons just in case, but there was no real need to leave any other markings. After about thirty minutes of travel, they some how ended up at the last place Lucy marked before returning with Ray to the group. Right from the first time it happened, they realized that they had fallen into some kind of illusion trap that kept them going in circles, but they had no idea how to escape it. After going around two more times, that was not the only problem they had to face, as monsters started emerging from the waters, and naturally, no one was pleased.
"I think we've been here before already, Ray," Isaac said, wearing a serious and frustrated expression.
"Yeah, and I don't think that's all we have to worry about." Ray looked the same as he spoke, so did everyone else.
The green looking monsters that resembled creatures that embodied the spirits of the swamp, made of thick green vines and mud kept spawning from the waters.
"Everybody, into formation!" Ray shouted.
They planned to remain on the trees and avoid the monsters, but that proved to be the wrong choice, since they soon found the monsters to be better tree climbers than they themselves.
At this point, there was no way to escape because they were already surrounded, so their best option was to fight their way through while also trying to find a way to break the illusion they were under.
Using the formations and fighting strategies taught to them during classes and training sessions, their team of seven was able to strike a perfect balance between offense and defense, and it helped a lot that nobody was eager to become a solo star out of the group. Well, that could only last for so long.
"Do these things even die?" Ash was getting worn out as time passed, and same could be said for everybody else. No matter how much they slashed or stabbed, there was no kill notification, and no EXP was gained, it felt like wasting energy on a training dummy, only that this one could hit back, and hard.
"They just keep regenerating, it's frustrating, honestly, we can't keep this up." Lucy complained, speaking the mind of everyone involved.
As a force, they spearheaded their way out of the place, opting to escape on land where they could easily stay closer to one another than climbing the trees. It wasn't the best of choice, but in the heat of the moment, that was what they opted for.
Despite performing the role of a scout and range support, Lucy seemed to have the least stamina, so the plan of running away to escape after walking for about two hours wasn't the best in the end. Not just her, everyone was tired, and a couple of them couldn't keep up with the pace.
Their formation began breaking apart from behind as both Lucy and Ashley were already past their limits.
"We keep going forward, we can't stop." Ray shouted as he noticed the two dropping behind even faster. The rest had also noticed at this point. Linda didn't think twice before dropping behind to help Ashley while Ray assisted Lucy.
The others slowed down to wait for their teammates, but they just weren't so lucky.
"These things are faster than they look!" Ash shouted as he jumped forward, trying to fend off an attack that was meant to hit Ray and Lucy. While he tried to defend the two, Damien and Isaac also did their best to protect their teammates.
They were doing good enough, but that didn't last long before a new crisis hit them.
From below, Ray, Lucy, Linda, and Ashley, could feel something grabbing unto them, making it harder for them to move, and it even felt like they were being dragged into the water. Well, being dragged into the water would be better, but being dragged into mud was something completely different and overwhelmingly more dangerous.
"Hey! Help us! These things are trying to drown us here!" Ray screamed. In fact, all who were trapped shouted for help, all except Linda who was busy trying to free herself from the grasp on her legs, but it felt impossible since she was already shin deep in the mud, bringing the water level close to her waist. The four of them were in the same predicament at this point.
Isaac who was still trying to fend off the approaching monsters from the rear found himself feeling very useless and inadequate as he watched the others being pulled under while he himself was unable to do anything to help. Not only were his fire based skills not powerful enough, this was a water environment, the direct counter for his class, and the monsters themselves were closer to a mixture of wood, water and earth elementals themselves, his skills would be even more ineffective against them. Even then, he still made an effort to save his teammates by offering a hand so he can pull them out.
He stretched his hand to Linda, trying to drag her out, but instead, Linda offered Ashley's hands. At that moment, Isaac's face seemed to twist a bit, but it was nothing visible. He tried his best to draw out Ashley, but it felt like pulling on a wet rope tied to a concrete poll, his hands kept slipping and he couldn't do much to pull her out.
In a mere 30 seconds, the four were dragged into the water and their bodies disappeared. With the rapid unfold of events, the three left were more than shocked, Ash expressing his frustrations more openly than the others.
"no-no way…"
"FUCK!!!"