KAPPA 63 (Patreon)

After six days of careful exploration, Cairn, Zarah, Kaia, and Tarou found themselves at the entrance of the Subterranean Spire's thirtieth and final floor. Unlike those that preceded it, which largely resembled the interior of a cave, the thirtieth floor took on the form of a ruined temple shrouded in a strange, obfuscating darkness. 

"This wasn't mentioned in the briefing..." remarked Cairn, extending his hand into the murky darkness, barely able to see the tips of his fingers when his arm was fully extended.

"Wow, and here I was starting to believe you possessed decent intuition," said Zarah, standing with her hammerstaff on her shoulder and observing Cairn's actions as if he were a complete moron.

Before Cairn could ask what he had done wrong, Zarah closed her eyes, bowed slightly, and brought her right hand's index and middle fingers before her nose like a monk. As she did so, an aquamarine magic circle began to form beneath her feet, gradually becoming more complex until it resembled a crest unique to Zarah. The core, in particular, looked like her face from the side, albeit as a kind of tribal lineart.

Extending her fingers forward, Zarah shouted, "Go forward and illuminate my path! Will-o-Wisp...!" 

In response to Zarah's chant, several motes of ghostly green flame shot from the tips of her fingers, entering the eerie black miasma and forming a series of waypoints approximately 10m apart. 

"How troublesome..." remarked Zarah, adopting a frown as only two of the wisps could be seen despite the spell being designed to scatter fog along the set path.

Hearing Zarah's remark, Cairn couldn't help nodding in agreement as he retracted his hand and said, "Whatever this fog is, it's not natural. If I had to guess, it's the result of an innate ability or some kind of magic..."

"It appears to be someone's innate ability..." muttered Cairn, his Insight telling him not only what the fog was but the identity of the person who unleashed it. However, while Zarah suspected he possessed it, Cairn had yet to inform her about his Insight. Thus, while it was probably pointless, he had to be careful with his words.

Narrowing her eyes, Zarah cast Cairn a sidelong glance before activating her Analyze a seventh time. Unfortunately, no matter how many times she used it, she wasn't able to identify what the substance was.

Injecting herself into the discussion, Kaia, who had been quietly eyeing the strange phenomenon, abruptly remarked, "It's strange. I can hear faint echoes and whispers, but I can't ascertain their direction or what's being said..."

Hearing Kaia speak, Zarah's eyes flashed as she looked to the rabbit-eared Karakut and suggested, "You should try using Purification. If my hypothesis is correct, this fog is anathema to Light Magic. It's the only thing that explains why I'm unable to analyze it as Darkness Magic, by nature, is enigmatic and obscure."

Following Zarah's suggestion, Kaia stabbed her spear into the ground before bringing her hands together and bowing her head in prayer. She figured Zarah wanted her to perform a 'proper' Purification, so she took the time to recite each of the Tenets, causing the fur across her body to gradually illuminate, gaining an increasingly golden luster.

Whistling in appreciation, Zarah remarked, "Wow. It's rare for someone so young to possess such potent Divine Energy. And they say Restia doesn't play favorites..."

Ignoring Zarah's remark, Kaia opened her usually carmine eyes to reveal golden irises as she extended her hands, unleashing a wave of purifying energy into the obscuring haze. As it spread, the miasma retreated like a shadow but slightly slower, causing a distinct hissing sound to fill the air, accompanied by the smell of burning.

"As I suspected," said Zarah, narrowing her eyes as she added, "And if we consider that this place is presently supposed to be off-limits to everyone but us, it's fair to assume that the source of this miasma is directly related to the recent anomalies within the Dungeons."

"That would make sense..." agreed Cairn. However, while he suspected that Vira had at least some knowledge about what was transpiring in the Dungeons, it bothered him that the very first Dungeon they explored held traces potentially pointing to its origin.

"What's wrong...?" asked Zarah, noticing Cairn's perturbation. "And don't even think of claiming it's nothing. I dislike many things, but I 'hate' when people attempt to keep vital information from me. If you know something, spill it."

Shaking his head, Cairn explained, "I was just thinking that this is much too convenient. The investigation into the Dungeons has been going on for months. Yet, as far as I know, there hasn't been a single breakthrough regarding the source and cause of the outbreaks..."

"Mmm...you make a fair point..." said Zarah, returning her gaze to the front to watch the miasma gradually reform, deliberating for nearly a full minute before asking, "What, exactly, is your relationship with FreeCo's President, Maa Viraja...?"

Having prepared for such a question, Cairn casually replied, "She's my mentor." He couldn't see it, but his response caused Zarah's left eye to briefly twitch, the usually lazy but confident smile melting into a neutral deadpan as she parroted, "She's your mentor..."

Sensing the shift in Zarah's 'aura,' Cairn looked at her from the side, his expression morphing into a smirk as he asked, "Are you jealous...?

Scoffing in response, a hint of frustration tinged Zarah's voice as she responded, "Maa Viraja is one of, if not 'the' most brilliant minds to bless this word. And yet, someone like you is her mentee? Just what makes you so special?"

Cairn shrugged, the movement barely perceptible in the dim light as he said, "Mentors come in many forms. Vira is fiercely intelligent, but if you knew what she was like, you wouldn't envy me..."

Rolling her eyes, Zarah removed her hammerstaff from her shoulder and rested its head on the ground. Then, in a matter-of-factly tone, she said, "It doesn't matter if she has some personality flaw or quirk. Her brilliance has shaped this world into what it is. Most would give their fortune just to have a chat with her. You should feel incredibly fortunate..."

"Oh, trust me, I do..." replied Cairn, adopting a wry smile as he added, "The thing is, it's possible to feel positive and negative emotions at the same time. I'm grateful for Vira's counsel and guidance, but..."

Shaking his head, Cairn, knowing Vira was likely present, said, "Just forget it. For now, we should focus on uncovering the source of this haze and either eliminate it or force the person responsible to retract it..."

Since he knew the fog was ultimately harmless, Cairn took the initiative to step into it, feeling its chill spread across his body as the ambient sounds of the Dungeon became obscured. Kaia, with Tarou on her head, followed soon after, but Zarah, feeling it was better to wait until the miasma began to recede on its own, stood her ground with a defiant look.

Half-turning to look back, Cairn raised his brows and asked, "Are you not coming with us?" in a notably eerie voice, permeating through the miasma with a watery timbre.

"You're not thinking clearly," contended Zarah, crossing her arms and adding, "You, yourself, just pointed out how coincidental all of this was. Are you seriously suggesting we move forward when the likelihood of us wandering into a trap is virtually 100%? The wiser course of action would be to return to the surface and report the existence of this fog to FreeCo. Unless the person responsible has the means to teleport, they can send a far more capable team to search, capture, and destroy."

"I get what you're saying, but there's a reason we gave you a Statuette of the Goddess and included a death clause in your contract," said Cairn. "It would definitely suck to die, but if you do, the compensation—"

"Fuck your compensation!" exclaimed Zarah. However, instead of insisting they turn back, she adopted a sly smile and appended, "If you want me to continue beyond this point, you have to swear to the Goddess that you'll introduce me to Maa Viraja once we return to the surface. If it's true that she's your mentor, that should be fairly simple to arrange."

Catching Zarah off guard, Cairn shrugged and responded, "Sure, why not? Just keep in mind that there's a reason people say it's best never to meet your heroes."

"I've never heard that saying," said Kaia, causing the smile on Cairn's face to cramp. Fortunately, Zarah didn't notice it due to the haze obscuring his features.

"I want it in writing," said Zarah, pulling a rolled-up piece of parchment from her enchanted satchel and unfurling it to reveal a contract she had prepared in advance. Securing Vira as a sponsor, even temporarily, would fast-track her career. If nothing else, it would cause those who opposed her appointment as an Associate Professor to think twice about meddling with her research and 'repurposing' the Palace of Wisdom's budget...

Though he briefly adopted a look of incredulity, Cairn honestly couldn't blame Zarah for being cautious. He had been fucked over more than once by false promises, so instead of combating her on the matter, he emerged from the fog, reviewed the contract to ensure it didn't have any magically concealed clauses, and signed it...

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While Cairn, Kaia, Zarah, and Tarou were gradually making their way through the increasingly potent darkness, a young man with prominent brown skin, white hair, and piercing blue eyes was staring listlessly at a glowing blue orb roughly thirty centimeters across. He had apprehensions about what he had been tasked to do, but as the collar around his neck tightened the more he hesitated, he had no choice but to extend his hand, implanting an object that looked like an embryo into the sphere's or, more accurately, the Dungeon Core's interior...

"May the Goddess forgive me..." muttered the youth, gritting his teeth as the embryo rapidly developed to resemble a fetus. It wasn't any ordinary fetus, however, but the larval form of a dragon, possessing four limbs, a chubby body covered in black scales, two tiny horns, bat-like wings, and a thick, stubby tail.

As the increasingly prominent sound of a heartbeat began to fill the air, the youth placed his hand, covered in various wounds, against the surface of the Dungeon Core. Tendrils of darkness emerged from his palm, taking the shape of black tentacles covered in grey suction cups that enveloped the fetal dragon before tightening around it, causing the barely cognizant creature to wince and struggle as bubbles rose from its body.

Emanating from tiny spines located at the center of each suction cup, an intricate pattern resembling flames spread across the fetal dragon's body, their base black in appearance but presently glowing with a sickly purple light. The fetal dragon opened its tiny mas as if to cry out in pain, but all it did was produce even more bubbles, permeating the Dungeon Core until it resembled the interior of a boiling pot.

Waiting until the fetal dragon's struggles began to wane, the dark-skinned youth exhaled a tired sigh and retracted his hand. The bubbles obscuring the Dungeon Core's interior waned as he did so. A few moments later, the inside became clear, revealing the fetal dragon's fate. 

Contrasting its former, somewhat cute appearance, the fetal dragon now resembled a twisted, tumorous purple mass. It was still alive, evident by the sound of a beating heart, but not even its eyes were in their original position, one located near where its head used to be and the other near its abdomen. The rest of its features were nigh-indistinguishable, and due to the presence of tentacles protruding from its body, it was impossible to make out it was originally a dragon...

Staring at his handiwork, the youth's narrowed, seemingly lifeless eyes became hazy as he caressed the Dungeon's Core, muttering, "To live is to suffer..." before adopting a sad smile, retracting his hand, and attempting to retreat into a veil of darkness. Instead, as he stepped through the inky veil, he emerged on the opposite side, his pupils contracting to the size of pinholes at the realization the space around him had been sealed...

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