It's been a few days since that terrible night. No one knew exactly what had happened in the lab. It was said that something inside had exploded more than once, more than twice.
The fire broke out instantly, swallowing the building whole, as if it were made not of stone and iron, but of the dry pages of an old book.
When the villagers arrived the next morning, all that remained of the laboratory were blackened beams and molten flasks, in which smoke was still billowing.
But that wasn't the scariest part.
Witnesses claimed that they had seen a huge shadow in the flames, resembling an animal, a pig, or a wild boar covered in poisonous moss and swamp bark.
He walked right through the fire, carrying something on his back that looked like a little girl's body. Then the flames went out, and all that remained was a swampy trail that led straight underground, where the mountain of Adalaza's anthill was now located.
The cutscene ended with a soft light, and silence filled the air. Miraina stood in front of the players, staring into the void. Her lips were trembling, and she held a small collar wrapped in moss in her hands.
She stroked it with her fingertips, as if she was afraid that it would disappear if she let go.
—He was my friend...
She said in a barely audible voice.
—A little, silly piglet. Papa said he just... grew up. But that's not true.
The girl's voice trembled.
—It was taken by that wretched medicine. It called him... underground. And now he lives here, under this mountain.
A small palm reached out to me, holding a collar that was faded but still smelled of something... familiar. Like apples, grass, and something childhood, long forgotten.
—If... you see him, – said Miraina, — give him this. Let him remember me.
At that moment, the interface flashed with a soft green light:
[You receive an item]
[Nemorrino's Collar]
Covered in moss and swamp slime. It still smells like apples.
Use to open "Secret Dungeon: Nemorino's Lair".
Zikei stood beside me, his shadow falling across the mossy ground as if an invisible light were shining down from above. He watched the Nemorrino's Collar glint in my hands, as if it were not just an object, but a key that could unlock something ancient and forgotten.
—Do you see?
He said quietly, nodding forward.
Beyond the garden of stumps and moss, where the air seemed to shimmer with the humidity of the swamp, there was a door. It seemed to have grown out of the ground, covered in roots and cracks, with faded runes that looked like fingerprints.
—We can't just walk through. This door will only open with the help of the collar.
Zikei looked at me and let me know that everything starts there. He said it calmly, but there was a weight in his voice.
Elk adjusted the straps on his armor, exhaling softly through his teeth. Aka-32 checked his ammunition, his hands moving automatically. The silence was oppressive, and no one tried to talk.
And then a soft click of a communication signal in my ear.
—Are you all right?
Katzu's familiar voice rang out. He wasn't loud, but he seemed to be speaking from inside his chest.
I nodded slightly, even though I knew he wouldn't see the gesture anyway. But Katzu continued, calm, steady, reassuring.
—All you need to do is fight the way you know how. Don't chase, don't try to be stronger than you are. I'll be watching your pace and breathing.
I took a deep breath. His fingers tightened around the hilt of the blade. The awakened Morna responded with a pulse in his palm, like a heart. The sleep-inducing Crimson was cold and calm, like moonlight before a storm.
I leaned down carefully and stroked Maraina's head. The girl's hair was soft as fluffy moss and smelled of rain.
For a moment, everything around me fell silent, even the droplets of moisture hanging on the leaves seemed to pause in the air.
—We'll do our best. We'll do everything we can.
I said it quietly, without unnecessary words or grandeur.
Maraina looked up, and her eyes the color of a clear morning sky, seemed to absorb my words.
—I knew I could trust you!
She sat back down on her mossy stump, legs crossed as if it were nature's way.
She wrapped her arms around herself and said quietly,
—I'll be waiting for you, with good news!
The connection clicked softly, and Katsu's voice rang in my ear again.
He sounded like he was smiling:
—You're doing great, learning to see the good and becoming like the main character.
It seemed that he wasn't just talking, he was watching, feeling, being nearby, even though he was invisible.
I slowed my pace a little, and my eyes involuntarily slid to the side, as if I wanted to look at him, even though I knew there was only air there.
She snorted softly and rolled her eyes, pulling her lips into a slight grin.
— Yeah, yeah…
I muttered, more to myself than to him.
Without answering out loud, I opened the status menu. The interface panels flashed before my eyes:
Name: Disava
Achievements: "One Against the Thorns", "Citizen Apprentice of the Fairy Queen"
Race: Toad Girl
Class: Pioneer
5000 Vales
Level: 23
Experience: 79/1.046
[Attributes]
HP [Physics]: 80
ST [Stamina]: 60 / 60
MP [ Magic ]: 20/20
STR [ Strength ]: 61
AGI [ Agility ]: 60
Intelligence: 51
Constitution: 46
Willpower: 59
Luck: 48
[Combat Parameters]
Defense: 40
[Resistances] (none yet)
[Equipment]
Right Hand: [Sleeping Scarlet] (damage 23-34)
Left Hand: [Awakened Morna] (damage 26-43)
[Striking Rosehips] (damage 26-38)
Armor: Clean Shirt (+7 defense)
[Cloak of the Pink Predator] ( +12 defense )
Shoes: [Light Boots of the Fog] (+7 movement speed)
Additional:
Resistance to poisons: +40
[ Skill ]
Thorny Strike – Lvl. 6
Petal Fragrance – Lvl.3
Roll – Lvl. 3
Running – Lvl. 3
Aura Separation – Step ( 1 )
Thorny Barrier – Lvl. 4
Level Pressure ( passive ) – lvl. 1
[ Weapon Skills ]
Mist Strike ( passive )
[Bloodthorn] (active) – lvl.2
[Thorn Wings] (active)
[Pain Bloom] (passive)
[Budburst Resonance] (passive).
"View your status before battle, completed!"
Zikei suddenly smiled, as if he had caught something in the silence. He stepped forward, towards the huge gate made of moss, wood fibers, and sticky swamp slime hanging in heavy threads.
He tilted his head back, as if trying to see something beyond the ceiling, beyond the layers of rock.
—Have you noticed? The game is silent, with no pop-up notifications or echoes of battles. It seems that the Coyote Guild... and their guildmaster, Valentin, have already lost.
Zikei's voice was dry, but it was not a warning of joy.
—If we don't hurry, the game might reset their path and they'll come here again.
But before they moved on, they had already discussed their plan in advance.
Aka-32 clapped her hands together, as if to dispel the tension:
—I'll take care of the distraction. I'm the fastest runner, and I can maneuver between attacks and bait the boss into taking me on. My goal is to prevent Nemorrino's from focusing on the casters and damage dealers.
She spoke confidently, but her fingers trembled involuntarily. Nemorrino was famous for its jerks, fury, and poisonous waves.
Then Zikei spoke:
— I'll take over the tanking. I can't take more than the first five minutes. If he goes into a rage earlier, the Moose insures.
Los nodded, briefly and silently, adjusting his shoulder pad.
His presence has always been... like a wall. But even he swallowed. Fighting a creature that was once a friend of a little girl is not an ordinary raid.
—Disava…
Zikai turned to me.
—Your job is to deal damage, but retreat at the right moments. Nemorino reacts to the high level of the opponent…
I stopped listening to Zikei as soon as Katzu started talking in my ear again.
—And if he "recognizes" you by the Barnadat mark…he might lose it, it's like a mark for other "Unique"
I bit my lip. Yes, the mark was still there, a faint but constant glow on my arm, and I was afraid that it might activate during a fight.