Upon slipping through the portal and letting it close behind me, I was happy I didn't emerge into the sounds of a horrific battle. Having already done that when I left the dungeon earlier today, once was enough for me. I made my map appear and I could see where exactly on the spot the dragon had stopped. The groups of Bandits were scouting around, and about a hundred meters from our location was the mouth of an ominous-looking cave.
"In there?" I asked the Bandit King, holding out my hand.
She handed me the device which I used to update the point on my map. The map didn't really have a 3D function. Everything I saw was on a roughly 2d plane. Had I tried to Portal to the dragon as it was flying in the air, I would have portaled to the ground under where the dragon was. Likewise, if I tried to portal to the dragon now, likely, I'd only portal to the surface of the ground above wherever he was underground. That was simply one limitation of the map skill. It still was pretty useful in a variety of situations.
I handed back her tracking device and then settled for making sure all of my girls were ready. As soon as we entered the cave, we could be encountering the clockwork dragon at any moment. Furthermore, we had fifteen Bandits around us whose loyalties and willingness to work as a team was very questionable. Simply put, we have to remain vigilant. I ordered all of the girls to keep their eyes out. That meant most likely Lydia and Miki. Celeste was a bit of an airhead, and while Terra was smart, she wasn't really used to the group and might stay quiet when she really needed to say something.
The four groups began to march forward, almost like a single army, although each of us seemed to move at our own paces. The cave was easily thirty feet high, and it felt like walking into the mouth of some hulking beast. I kept telling myself that as long as I had Return, I could escape with all of my girls. That was the only thing that gave me peace of mind.
The darkness enveloped us and I cast the Light spell. Either the Light spell was common or the Bandits had their own means of illumination because they didn't bother to light torches or anything. The Light spell was a one-way spell, which allowed me to see out, but didn't allow enemies to see me. This differed from orbs and torches which could give away your position with ease. Unfortunately, it was only just good enough in a dungeon. In a cave as wide as this one, that wasn't lit up felt humungous and awe-inspiring, especially since there was a dragon supposedly hiding in it.
Everyone was doing their best to remain quiet. Ideally, they were injured in the fight, only just managing to make it into hiding here. If we were to suddenly attack while the dragon and Carmine were resting, we had the greatest chance to succeed. A well-timed surprise attack could be the difference between success and failure.
There was just one problem. I was literally standing on the dot, yet I encountered no dragon. This was the spot. Did the cave go on so deeply that it turned around and the dragon was under us? I didn't believe the space beyond would have the room to hold a dragon that large. My map could only handle things on a 2d surface, so it was either below or ab-
"Shit…" A bandit cursed as he stubbed his toe and caused a rock to go tumbled down the stone path.
Each click resounded in the dark, echoey cave. I looked up slowly. Above me, a massive shadowy form that had attached itself to a stalactite began to unfurl.
"Above!" I shouted.
"Holy Resonance!"
A wave of white struck from the side, sending me and my party falling down as Carmine, still on the ground floor, cast a spell. At that moment, the dragon descended, a powerful roar causing the cave to shake. That's when things started to get hectic.