(RoS) The Fruits of Fortune - Ch. 71 (Patreon)

Humbol and Cyll finished off their opponents at the same time. The smoke disappeared with a hissing pop. Maya immidiately doubled over and started coughing to get the foul remnants out of her lungs.

After nearly a minute, she groaned and looked back up at her crew.

“Why aren’t any of you coughing? That shit was awful!” She said, gagging.

“I just kept winding time back on my lungs,” Cyll replied, shrugging.

“I don’t breathe,” Humbol said.

“Nor do I,” Patty added.

Maya spat onto the ground and wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. She grimaced and made her way to each of the bodies, collecting the Essence and letting them fade away.

She snapped the locket shut once she’d finished and straightened up, her lips still curled in distaste.

“Just how many floors do we have to get past before we can get to the bottom of this dungeon?” Maya asked.

“Five,” Cyll said. He paused for a moment. “I think. There are only 4 official levels, with the secret area at the fifth.”

The immortal pirate knelt and grabbed one of the swords the smokey creatures had been wielding. The weapons hadn’t vanished with their owners. The sword was large, even in his hands. Cyll grimaced and shrugged before grabbing a second one.

“They’re shit, but I figure some extra attacking power wouldn’t hurt,” Cyll said, nodding towards the door that had appeared at the far end of the room.

Unlike the previous entrances the group had passed through, a vibrant green outline hummed from behind the cracks along the door.

“A rest room?” Humbol asked, recalling what the guard had told them.

“Exactly. And I believe there’s a boss after the rest room,” Cyll said.

Patty strode over to the door and pushed it open. She kept her axe raised, prepared for something to dive out at her from the next area. Delicate green light spilled in, illuminating the sickly brown rocks surrounding them.

The rest room was the smallest area they’d seen yet. It was just barely large enough for all of them to sit down. At the far end of the room was a door with dull red light pulsing along its sides. The floor was covered in short grass, and the walls were made of bushes covered with strange fruits. A soft breeze with hints of fruit and honey drifted into their nostrils.

That was all the invitation they needed. Patty, lacking a nose, was nearly trampled as the others pushed inside and the door slammed shut behind them.

Maya drew in a deep breath, sighing in relief as the foul smell was washed out of her system. She savored the moment for as long as she could before opening her eyes again. They drifted to some of the succulent fruits hanging from the walls beside them.

“Are these safe to eat, Cyll?” Maya asked.

The immortal pirate shrugged. He plucked a massive red orb from a vine and bit into it. Red juice sprayed across his face and onto his clothes, but the man didn’t seem to mind. He chewed and swallowed, smacking his lips before stuffing the rest of it into his mouth.

“Nope. Deadly, I’d stay far away from them,” Cyll said as he grabbed several more fruits from the walls.

Maya slapped his hand away as it strayed too close to her side of the wall. She grabbed the small purple berry he was reaching for. She examined it for a moment. It didn’t have much of a smell, and the flesh was bumpier than she had expected.

After watching Cyll shovel yet another of the fruits into his mouth, Maya threw caution to the wind and popped it into her mouth. A wave of sweet honey fizzed against her mouth as it burst, releasing a tsunami of flavor.

Her eyes widened and she grabbed several more from the wall before Cyll could claim them all.

Patty took one for herself as well, but Humbol didn’t bother reaching for any.

“Judging by your expressions, I’d kill for a tongue right now,” Humbol muttered.

“It’s okay, Humbol,” Patty said. “The fruits feel nice, but they don’t taste all that much better than normal food.”

“I haven’t tasted normal food recently either,” the undead man said, pointedly inspecting the leaves of a bush while the others ate.

The bounty of food was gone far too soon. Maya polished off her last fruit – a refreshing blue fruit the size of a fist – and let out a contented sigh. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel like she’d eaten too much.

“That was the best meal I’ve ever had,” Maya decided.

“I agree. This room wasn’t here the last time I passed through, though,” Cyll said, a slight crease appearing in his forehead as he frowned. “I would have absolutely remembered it.”

“So it’s safe to assume that the dungeon will hold further surprises for us,” Humbol said dryly.

Cyll gave a grim nod as the group’s mood quickly turned somber. As delightful as their meal was, none of them were foolish enough to go into danger mentally unprepared.

“Do we need to rest longer, or are we ready to go?” Cyll asked.

“I’m good to go now,” Maya said.

The others voiced their agreement. Cyll turned back to the door, raising his new bulky weapons and cracking his neck.

“Let’s do this, then,” he said.

He kicked the door open with a violent bang and rushed forwards. Patty followed after him, with Humbol and Maya piling in shortly behind them. They all drew sharp breaths, and Maya let out a small curse.

The ground below them was still grass, but the dim red light emanating from dark crystals all over the ceiling gave it an ominous feel. A huge carnivorous pitcher plant rested in the center of the room. Massive thorny roots the size of tree trunks rested along the floor, pulsating slightly.

The door to the safe room slammed shut behind them of its own volition. The ground shuddered as the roots ripped free of the earth and twisted into the air above them. The plant monster opened its mouth and let out an ear rending shriek.