The final dungeon was a cave. It was a dungeon inside a dungeon. That wasn’t quite right. If you saw this dungeon as a series of acts, then the first act was appearing and being saved outside the city, the second act was joining his team in the city, the third act was the grand journey that was severely shortened, and then we’d be on the final act, the one where we finally saved Miki. Some dungeons existed as a progression of levels, but the progression of this dungeon was also a progression of a story, the story of Miki’s rescue.
As soon as we entered the dungeon, Alysia let out a noise of surprise. I had to agree with her, as this place was immediately recognizable. This place was the dungeon where Lady Death was made. This was a replica of the laboratory dungeon we had ventured down before. That shouldn’t be so surprising. This place was the source of Miki’s trauma, so why wouldn’t it be the place she’d find her soul trapped. It was where she had become a cursed monster that walked across the land.
Furthermore, one of her first acts had been to consume the lore of the laboratory dungeon, so she had all of the laboratory’s assets and story and would be able to replicate it perfectly. However, unlike the one we had entered which was a dead husk, this one was very much alive. As soon as we walked in, a catkin guard stepped forward.
“You can’t be here! Turn away!” He demanded.
Hero pulled his sword arrogantly. “We are here for the girl! Release her immediately!”
Click. I found the button the man had used, and a secret passage opened up. I let out a breath of relief. This laboratory wasn’t the deepest dungeon, but I didn’t want to risk taking too long.
“Hey, guys!” When none of them looked back, I glanced at Alysia.
“There is a shortcut here!” Alysia announced.
“Wonderful!” Hero declared, walking back and glancing around. “Where is it?”
He asked, but the entrance leading down was directly in front of him. It was something he could not miss. Like how mobs couldn’t see saferooms, was he unable to see the shortcut?