Alanna's body trembled the moment she heard the roar, and for a split second, she thought about running away, just like how she did it the last time, but the sight of Damian eased her heart.
It would be useless to return just to run away like last time, and despite the roar scaring her, Alanna stood her ground, trying not to make a fool of herself before the man who saved her.
"Calm down. Something is going on here, but I can assure you it is not a powerful beast like the roar may sound," Damian said.
She believed in him, or rather, she had to. The thought of a massive creature lurking behind the fog made her uneasy, but if Alanna wanted to find her friends, she had to keep going no matter what, and having Damian's company gave her enough courage to move forward.
They kept walking and walking, and the more they did, the roaring sound did not change.
"Damian, the sound is still here. Could you be wrong about it being fake?" Alanna said as she grabbed Damian's right arm.
"Don't you think the roar is strange? It did not get louder as we moved forward, nor did it sound farther too."
When Damian touched that subject, Alanna realized it made sense! With them moving forward, the roar had to grow louder or not, yet it stayed the same, like the first time they heard it!
That made Alanna relax even more, letting go of Damian's arm with her cheeks red, scared that he would think of something else regarding her act.
The once scary fog turned out to be not that scary. However, both Damian and Alanna walked cautiously, looking at their surrounding area to see if anything approached them without them noticing and looking at their feet to not misstep.
That roar continued, but after a few minutes, they suddenly left the fog, and it was now possible to see what was ahead: the continuation of the cave, and a small creature with a big nose and two wings, having the height of a dwarf, and a white fur.
The moment it saw both Damian and Alanna, it could not believe it, trying to fly away before they caught it, yet all Damian had to use his Telekineses, and the beast was locked in place.
"What's this?" Alanna asked.
She had explored the first floor before and other areas but had never seen a creature like that one.
Damian walked toward the beast, who trembled, "I think this little one is behind the roar, and he probably uses it to scare outsiders."
The guess was spot on, and Damian was sure of it after using his mental abilities to establish contact with the little creature.
'Why did you try to scare us?'
'D- Don't kill me, please. I was just trying to ensure humans are away from my territory, that's all!'
'But didn't other humans pass through the fog before us?'
'Yeah, they did, but that was because I let them! Don't test me, or I can end your life!'
'Surely... Anyway, are there others like you here? What are you trying to protect?'
Despite be beast saying something about ensuring humans did not step inside its territory, Damian believed there was more to it. It was a hidden place with a creature that couldn't be found on the first floor, so it was not simple!
'I- I will not tell you anything even if you kill me, and don't try to read my mind because it will not work!'
Damian obviously tried to read its mind, but it did not work. That was strange. It was not like that little one was a powerful beast, so why was it not working?
No matter what Damian tried to do, it would be impossible to get answers from that creature, and killing it made no sense. That little one was doing a favor by scaring other humans away, as that meant Damian would have a better time exploring the place without disturbing others, and that was fantastic!
So he let the little one go, leaving Alanna with many questions, as she could not understand what the two were doing by staring at each other like that.
"What happened?" she said, staring at the creature who quickly disappeared from sight.
"We mentally exchanged sentences, and yes, your friends are alive and well, but that's the only thing I got from that creature. But I do believe there's something important inside this place!" Damian said.
Alanna was surprised to hear that. She saw Damian as a mysterious person who could fly, carry others using his mind, and even talk mentally? That was not even counting the fact about that slime thing he summoned.
'He is not simple.' Alanna thought.
What was important was not how she felt about Damianm but that her friends were alive and well, and all they had to do to find them was keep moving forward, exploring that place.
"Stay close to me again, and watch our surroundings for strange movements. Let me know if you see anything," Damian said.
He cut the slime rope that linked them, seeing it as something unnecessary after they left the fog, and continued forward.
The place looked exactly how it was when they first entered, an ordinary cave with a few holes here and there but nothing that caught their attention. That fog was the only thing strange about the place, but Damian knew that would soon change, or at least he hoped so.
Damian and Alanna moved through the damp and narrow cave until reaching an open area, and that was when everything changed! Damian could see others inside, who did not look like they came from Earth but from inside the dungeon itself!
All of them were humans, wearing different clothes, looking like ancient people, or rather, people with less technology than those from Earth.
"Are you seeing the same thing I am seeing?" Alanna asked.
"Yeah, I am."