What is a dungeon scenario? Some people say it's a fantasy, the imagination of some creature running wild and creating an imaginary cube, where some things are allowed to exist, and the rest of the scenery is pure illusion. But, do you believe those old men theorizing about it would come to the dungeon and put their valuables lives at risk? There is no way.
Hence.
Raven got dragged. The water current dragged her away beneath the cavern system, which would mean she was very dead, after all, she couldn't breathe underwater. She only avoided the monsters because they all launched to eat the hydra, it was more meat, free meat. No like she cared since she was just being moved by the currents as a drag doll.
...
...
...
Then she woke up. She was weak, and spitted water as she coughed. Everything was pitch black, for some moments she believed she was dead, but then again, she was very cold, and her clothes were dripping wet, slowly but surely her senses were coming back to her. A song, she could hear a song in the darkness.
'Bloody hell' She thought as she sat 'What's going on? How I didn't kick the bucket yet?'
The water was flowing near her, she could hear it, but it wasn't so far away someone... something dragged her out of the water. That was more terrifying than just facing head-on a beast, she tried to find her weapon, but there was no use, it wasn't with her... probably it got stuck into the body of the hydra.
"Seems like the outsider has awaken" Said a calm voice in the darkness, as soon as she spoke the singing voice disappeared.
"Who are you!? What do you want with me!?" Raven took a fighting instance, she may not have a weapon but that wouldn't impede her from kicking, punching, or clawing her way out of this trouble.
"Hmph" Said the voice, even in the darkness she could feel the smile in the face of her opponent.
The voice snapped her fingers and the instance was illuminated by a light blue light that seemed magic for the bandit cat, in front of her, a few meters away, was standing a child-like figure of a girl, with blue hair and pale skin, an ethereal glow emanated from her body. She wasn't naked, but her outfit was strange, she was wearing seashells and her skirt was made of kelp.
"I'm gonna beat you to a pulp little piece of shit!" Raven said slamming her fist against the palm of her hand.
A smile crossed the child's face.
"Will you?"
[Undine lvl 10 - Greate Spirit of Water - Ultra Rare]
As long as she saw her status window, Raven's heart sank. It was too much... way too much! The strongest person she had personally met was level 3... according to some gossip she heard at taverns, in the dungeon city, the top dogs were around level 6... but now... she was in front of a being marked with level 10.
"Doesn't matter I'm gonna punch your face at least once!" She said, but she was just barking nonsense in front of the impossible odds.
The Undine's eyes sparkled with an otherworldly light as she studied Raven, her expression a mix of curiosity and amusement. "You are a strange one" she said, her voice calm but laced with a melodic, almost hypnotic quality "Most would have perished from such recklessness, but you... you cling stubbornly to life" Then she mocked her "Disgusting, like a cockroach, you are akin to a lowly bug"
Raven clenched her fists, her gaze never leaving the water spirit. Even without her dagger, even in her weakened state, she was ready to fight. She wasn't going to let some overpowered water nymph look down on her, not after everything she had been through, not before she had her second round with the hero, not before she found out about her stupid father "Yeah? I'm not just gonna lie down and die. If you're gonna kill me, you better get ready for a fight!"
The Undine tilted her head, her blue hair drifting around her as if it were suspended in water "Kill you? No, that's not why I brought you here. You amuse me, surface dweller. Most who wander into this place do so with grand delusions of conquest or riches. But you... you came with nothing but anger and desperation, didn't you?"
Raven's eyes flashed with defiance. "Shut up! You don't know anything about me!"
"I know more than you think" the Undine said, her voice softening. "I've watched countless mortals like you throw themselves into the abyss for reasons they can barely understand. Some seek glory, others run from shame, and some, like you, fight simply because they don't know what else to do, rabid beasts trashing against anything they come across..." She seemed nostalgic for some reason, she walked towards a giant seashell and touched it with her hands, a blue glow surrounded the shell, and it slowly opened.
Raven was trying desperately to find somewhere to run, to hide, or whatever, it was just purely her survival instincts kicking in.
"I've been bound to these waters for centuries" the Undine commented, her voice tinged with a wistful sadness "And only another stupid monkey has crossed paths with me, but you are different than him" She said looking back to Raven "Your soul is tainted, dirty, almost disgusting, but you have a spark similar to him"
Raven flinched at the Undine's words, her heart pounding faster as she tried to process the spirit's cryptic comments. A spark? Similar to some other fool who had crossed this ancient spirit's path? Raven didn't want to be compared to anyone... but as the spirit spoke, there was something in her tone, a mix of disdain and reluctant admiration, that made Raven uneasy.
"What the hell are you talking about? I don't have anything in common with you or whoever else you've dragged down here" Raven spat, her voice trembling with a mix of defiance and fear. She hated feeling powerless, hated how small she felt in front of this creature that could end her with a flick of its wrist.
The Undine gave a soft, haunting laugh, the sound echoing off the damp cavern walls like the distant crash of waves "Just a little, something in you remember me of him" She said still laughing "Of course you are nothing compared to him, he gave me battle for three days non-stop, meanwhile you are just a tiny thing"
'Whaaa!?' Raven mind spun, not even in her own mind she could finish the sentence, someone gave this monstrous being battle!? And during days!?
The creature sat on the shell that had opened moments ago and she brought her hands nearly together, strong energy began to surge, it was magic, magic more powerful than anything the cat had ever seen... items from the surrounding got dragged inside the light and it began to take shape, a small shape, even three silver coins from Raven pocket got sent to the spell.
"That's why, in honor of his memories I'm offering you a choice" Said the spirit looking at her.
"What choice?" Said Raven cowering from the light.
"The choice to reclaim what's yours, carry a small piece of my power that will be bound to you soul" Said the spirit throwing something at her feet, it was a small ring with a coral stone on it, it was made with the silver from the coins... strange blue runes were embedded to the ring...
"What's the catch?" She asked afraid of taking the ring.
"The catch is that you will be bound to this waters, to me" A smile crept on the face of the greater spirit, then her smile vanished, her face devoid of emotions but her eyes were so cold, cold and deep, it send shivers down the cat spine, a fear she had never felt in her whole life "Or you could reject this gift and you will see how you leave this pinch you are alone and disarmed, lost forever in the darkness"
Her instincts screamed at her to refuse, never trust a goddamn mage, and even less a spirit which would be leagues above any mage, it was akin to making a pact with the devil. She wanted to ask many things, but no question escaped her lips, she was paralyzed by fear.
"Weren't you so feisty!?" The spirit taunted her and laughed once again seeing her predicament, finally, Raven got on her knees and grabbed the rings, the runes began to glow furiously, it was the spirit's easy victory, she began to chant an incantation, the voice of the spirit sounded like filled with echo, and very fast, Raven wasn't aware that someone or something could chant so fast.
『Drown the earth, by the Ocean might, flow like an endless river, overflowing with the most pure water, extinguish the brightest flame. My name is Undine, agent of the depths. By my command be completed』
Soon the power of the ring extended to Raven who glowed as it was forming a bond with her soul.
<
The spirit was smiling, Raven didn't notice any power flowing in her body or any special thing, she wasn't more powerful or anything at the moment. But before she could react the Undine moved her hand a wave of water washed over her, all her fatigue and all of her wounds were healed in a flash.
"Huuuh?" Raven was too tired to even question it anymore.
"Maybe one day you will master the power that I have granted you" The spirit said, she was having fun at the expense of Raven "Use it well or use it wrongly, your struggle is fun to watch, and someday we will talk again, but first you gotta learn some manners, stray fool!"
Before Raven could replay undine pointed a finger towards her and smiled.
"Don't worry, it won't hurt... too much, and off you go"
"『Tidal Wave』" Cast the spirit.
Raven's eyes got wider, for a moment in front of her was this Undine, then there was this pillar of water... the water impacted her but it was an endless struggle, as she took damage the spell also healed her... and she was dragged with the strength only and impossible being like the spirit could muster.
"Oh... and take this with you!" Raven felt something hit her head, she grabbed it by instinct.
[Hydra's Fang Dagger aquired]
"Mother Fu..!!"
...
...
...
Raven left the dungeon, the water dragged her across the portal somehow. But.
"Hey!"
"Watch out!!"
"What's going on!"
"Run for your lives!"
A tidal wave erupted outside the walls of the dungeon. Everyone in its path was dragged by the brute force of the wave, all the adventurers, merchants, mercenaries, and common folk around got dragged indiscriminately, windows from the buildings exploded, and even some buildings collapsed under the pressure... luckily for Raven, amid the chaos none knew it was her who was dragged initially, something like this had never happened in the hundred or so years of dungeon exploration. Chaos erupted. And Raven who was almost knocked out got dragged by a familiar cocky kid back to a familiar clinic.
<
The voice of the dungeon erupted in her mind, but she was too dizzy to even understand what was going on.