The teleportation light faded, and silence took over.
Luki and Liliruca found themselves surrounded by a thick and cold fog that felt alive, whispering through the air as if the Dungeon itself were speaking.
The chamber wasn't special in any way.
Just another of the Dungeon's countless rooms... or at least, that's what it seemed.
But something was wrong. The air was too heavy, almost suffocating, and even Luki's elven eyes couldn't pierce through that murky darkness as before.
For the first time, he truly felt the same blindness every other adventurer experienced when stepping into this abyss.
— Wh-what was that...? Where are we, Luki-sama...? — Liliruca murmured, her voice trembling.
— I don't know. But stay behind me. — he replied, equally uneasy.
They kept watching their surroundings, tense, staring into the mist with fear and anxiety, dreading whatever might be hiding behind it.
But nothing happened...
ZUP!
An arrow cut through the fog and pierced Liliruca's leg.
— AAHH!
She screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
— LILI!!! — Luki dove toward her, pulling her close and covering her body with his own.
And then... hell began.
ZUP! ZUP! ZUP! ZUP! ZUP!
Arrows flew from every direction, slicing through the air at insane speed.
CLANG! CLANG! TINK! CRACK!
The impacts rang out against his freshly forged armor.
Luki kept his body hunched over Lili, curling further to shield her as much as he could. The girl trembled, crying, hot blood running between her fingers as she pressed the wound.
The storm didn't stop.
It lasted for eight whole minutes, eight long minutes that felt like an eternity.
When it finally ended, silence returned, heavy and cruel.
The ground around them was littered with broken arrow shafts, splintered wood, and fragments of shattered stone.
Luki breathed heavily, his body tense.
— Lili... are you alright?
— Y-yeah... but it hurts... so much... — she whimpered, voice shaky, hands trembling as they pressed the bleeding leg.
— You'll be fine. — he nodded, trying to sound calm, though his eyes were sharp, alert to every sound.
Then they heard it.
— Grrrhh… skkrrr…
A low, guttural growl echoed through the mist.
— GHRR-AAAK!
Another followed, closer this time. Then another. And another.
Within seconds, the whispers became a chorus of snarls spreading from every corner of the chamber. It was impossible to count how many there were — only that they were many... and angry.
Luki felt his body shiver beneath the armor.
— Lili... I need you to stay behind me. Put your bag down and hide between us.
She looked at him, hesitant, fear written all over her face.— B-but, Luki-sama...
— Now. — he said firmly.
Liliruca swallowed hard and nodded, dragging herself backward with effort, pulling her wounded leg until she found cover behind him. With every movement, the distant growls grew louder.
— Grrrhh... skkrrrhh... ghrhhraaaa...!
Luki stood up, resolute.
He drew his sword and raised it, the metal catching the faint strands of light that pierced through the fog.
The air grew heavier. The silence that followed was deafening.
Then... shadows began to move within the mist.
First one.Then two.Then dozens.Then several dozen.
The tension in the air reached its breaking point.Luki planted his feet firmly on the ground, positioning himself between Lili and the threat. His heart raced, but his eyes stayed steady.
— Whatever happens... I won't let them touch you. Got it?
— Uhm... — she nodded, still trembling.
The mist stirred.
Low sounds, dragging steps and the scraping of something rough against stone, filled the silence.
The shadows took shape.
They were Lizardmen.
A species of monster Luki had never seen before, in fact, he didn't even know they existed. He had only ever studied the monsters from the first floors. Never, not even in nightmares, had he imagined being teleported to the ass-end of the world.
The Lizardmen had slender bodies, their smooth scales flexing with every movement, giving them silhouettes disturbingly human for monsters.
Their dominant skin tone was a deep, mossy olive green, mottled with darker forest-green patterns around the shoulders and hips.
Unlike primitive reptiles, their scales were thin and flexible, they'd probably shimmer under light, if there were any.
Their heads were elongated, with a faint bony crest on top, housing vertical pupils and bright yellow irises that seemed to glow through the fog, clear evidence they could see perfectly in the dark. And since this was their natural habitat, the fog probably didn't affect them.
Their jaws were narrow, filled with small serrated teeth made for tearing, not crushing. A long, flexible neck allowed quick, unpredictable movements for sniffing or biting.
From the base of their spine stretched a long, powerful tail that acted as a perfect counterbalance, ensuring agility in leaps and sharp turns through narrow passages.
Their legs were slightly bent (digitigrade), giving them a stance ready to spring, ending in four-toed feet with rough pads for silent movement and traction on wet or uneven ground, with claws instead of fingernails.
Finally, their hands had five fingers, almost human in shape, but tipped with black, razor-sharp claws, keratin extensions of their very bones.
Their breathing was heavy and rhythmic, each exhale followed by a hiss like a bellows.
There were dozens, maybe more.With each step, the sound of claws scraping against stone echoed all around.Some carried short crossbows; others held spears and swords, their points aimed straight at them.
Luki's body tensed at the sight of so many, but he didn't retreat.
— Damn Dungeon... — he spat.
The Lizardmen tightened the circle. The sound of countless claws against stone and their harsh reptilian breaths was the only warning.
Their cold, hungry eyes locked onto him as they advanced slowly, trapping Luki in a ring of spears.
The circle shrank by the second. Luki knew he couldn't fight; he could only die. But if you're going to die, let it be fighting.
He bent slightly forward, ready for one last desperate move to protect Lili.
The tension became unbearable. The Lizardmen were just meters away, their reptilian faces twisted with the thrill of the hunt.
The smell of fish and scales mixed with Lili's blood filled the air. Luki could see the polished tip of the first spear about to pierce his armor.
Then... they froze.
It wasn't hesitation, it was total paralysis.
The spears stopped mid-thrust, the claws motionless on the stone.
Their hissing breaths ceased, leaving only Luki's panting and Lili's muffled sobs in the chamber.
'What...? They stopped?' Luki thought, not daring to move a muscle.
But the paralysis wasn't just physical. Their scaly hides paled slightly, and their bodies began to tremble.
Then, within their minds, a voice resounded, deep and ancient, yet unmistakably feminine and refined, like that of a noble lady:
Let them live.
Terror and reverence mixed in their yellow eyes. The entire horde began to emit rhythmic, interwoven hisses, a dry, guttural sound like sand brushing over stone. To Luki, it was noise. To them, it was speech.
— The Mother shh-spoke! The Mother of the Depthshh hash shh-called us!
— Do not anger the Goddessh'sh voicessh!
The hissing grew louder and more frantic. Then, a harsher, more commanding hiss broke through.
— Sssilence!
A Lizardman from the back stepped forward. He was smaller and older, his dull, wrinkled scales resembling old, dry leather, and he carried a tall polished staff that looked almost ceremonial.
He was the Ancient Variant. Bowing low, he pressed his head to the floor and began to commune directly with the voice, his hisses drawn out in reverent tones, like a prayer in their native tongue:
— Venerable Motherrr, we hear you... But the adventurer trespassshhed the sssacred domain. The Law of the Children demandsss punishment... — his mental tone, carried through hisses, was that of a supplicant.
The deep, ageless voice of the Mother of the Depths thundered only within the minds of her reptilian children, its authority absolute.
The Law is mine, creature. I am the Architect of this Domain, and my Will is Law. He shall not be touched by your claws.
The Elder trembled, lifting his wrinkled head slightly, confusion flickering amid reverence.
— B-but, Venerable Mother... the humanss have slain countless of your offspring... and plundered your treasuress for agesss... How can we allow such filth to walk free...? — his voice quivered with fear, the hiss trembling like a plea for understanding.
A heavy silence fell. The air itself seemed to tighten, pressing against every scaled back bowed to the ground.
The horde did not move, yet something shifted among them. Though no one dared to speak, a murmur of unrest echoed within their minds, a silent roar that the voice could hear as clearly as if they had shouted it aloud.
They did not understand. For them, killing intruders was not cruelty, it was law, survival, faith. The command to spare was unthinkable. The weight of their doubt bled into the mist like venom, dark and poisonous.
And then... then the whole Dungeon shook.
You DARE question ME?
The voice thundered through their minds like a quake, splitting thought and soul alike. The mist rippled, glowing faintly with a sickly red hue, and several Lizardmen collapsed to their knees, clutching their heads as if their skulls were being crushed from within.
You forget what you are. My breath gave you life. My silence can unmake you.
The Elder froze, scales paling. He pressed his snout to the cold stone and hissed, the sound trembling with terror.
— F-forgive usss, Venerable Mother! The brood hassh overstepped! We beg your grace!
The pressure receded — not fully, but enough for them to breathe again.
Forgiven... once.
Do not test me again. The next breath of rebellion shall be your last.
The horde lowered themselves in perfect unison, foreheads against the ground, their hissing forming a single note of worship and dread.
The Elder dared to lift his gaze only when the air grew still once more.
— As the Mother commandsss… — he whispered, voice hoarse and reverent.