Dungeon Crawling!

A Turn for the Worst

     It took a few hours, but the group was able to clear the next few rooms. Now, they entered a room that was nearly quadruple the size of the other rooms they cleared. The room was dark and had multiple pathways and levels. Leo scratched his head in thought at what the next challenge was supposed to be.

     "What are you looking around for, Leo? Get a move on!" Mereoleona growled at her little brother as she kicked him. 

     "Wait, Leo!" Mimosa called out just before the redhead could run off into the darkness. Mimosa felt some strange mana coming from the room. Who knew what would be in there?

     "Wait, why aren't we going in?" Asta scratched his head. Noelle shook her head. She muttered something along the lines "Stupidsta..."

     "Oh, that's right! You can't sense mana, Asta!" Mimosa nodded. "I can sense mana from this room. It may have traps just like the other dungeon we went to."

     "Well, we'll never uncover the traps if we stay here," Asta declared. "Let's get a move on!"

     The group of young mages moved forward with the adults behind them. Mereoleona told them that she wouldn't step in for any reason. They would have to fight their way out of trouble on their own. Knowing that, the four young mages huddled close as they entered the dark room looking before them. As they shuffled into the room, Noelle felt something run across her foot. She let out a high-pitched scream and latched onto Asta. With Noelle's sudden added weight, Asta stumbled and fell to the ground.

     "H-hey, what was that for, Noelle?" Asta asked as he tried to pry Noelle off of him.

     "You fell and now I hurt myself! Thanks Dumbsta." Noelle's voice trembled, indicating that her confidence was a facade. Rubbing her nose, Noelle felt a trickle of blood running out of it.

     "Oh my gosh, you're both hurt! Both of you stay still and let me heal you," Mimosa separated the pair and sat them in front of her. "Plant Recovery Magic: Princess-Healing Flower Robe."

     Leopold ran over to check on his friends when Mimosa gave him a confused look. He made a face at her expression. "What?"

     Mimosa pointed behind him. Kirsch was gone. There was no way we would've left Mereoleona's grasp, yet he was gone. Mereoleona looked around for a moment, confused at the situation, then shook her head.

     "Nevermind. We'll fare better without him."

     Mimosa looked off to the side and muttered. "It is very tempting to leave him..."

     "Just fix my nose, Mimosa. Your stupid brother will be fine. He's like a roach. They never die." Noelle grumbled.

     After fixing Noelle's nose and a cut Asta had on his arm, the group set off further into the room. The room got darker the further in they went, so when Leo spotted a stick on the floor, he picked it up and set the tip on fire. Even though the room narrowed into a small passageway, there was still no sign of Kirsch, which was concerning. The group then walked into a large, empty room. Kirsch was no where to be found, but at least they didn't find a dead Kirsch anywhere. Leo knew his morbid thoughts weren't helping his nerves.

     Asta walked forward into the empty room with his swords out. Noelle was practically on top of Asta the entire time. Mimosa and Leo eventually made their way into the room behind Asta and Noelle. Leo felt something slimy drop on his hand. Shooting a burst of flame upward, Leo spotted a bone-chilling sight: An unconscious Kirsch tied up in what looked like webs or strings. 

     A few threads held his body close to the ceiling. His hair was a mess, and bruises covered his face. There were a few trickles of blood here and there, but there were no life-threatening injuries as far as the group could see. Mimosa let out a high-pitched scream at the sight. Kirsch was only visible for a few moments before something pulled his body away into the darkness. Mimosa let out another scream and clung to Asta.