I sat outside the cave, looking at the plains before me.

“Thinking about how to get out of here?”

Sarah came outwards, sitting down next to me. Another few days have passed since she woke up, her empowered regeneration as a player helping her to get better already.

“The way out is clear. Just the same way as inside, only without alarming that guy again. It’s more important what we’re gonna do afterwards.”

“Shouldn’t we get outside the dungeon?” Worry resounded in her voice. No wonder, she nearly died after taking a step inside.

“By now the military should be keeping an eye out on Central Park. And even if they don’t lock us up somewhere down under, we wouldn’t be able to get back inside without a fight. We need to get stronger to survive. And the best place is in the eye of that storm.”

A moment of silence passed before we saw Alice coming back, dragging an ant behind her.

“Not ant meat again!” Sarah proclaimed loudly.

“There’s nothing else left outside there, they completely took over the island, hunting down nearly everything else.” Alice shook her head before continuing. “I also want to eat some vegetables. Today I even dreamt of a salat.” A sigh escaped her lips.

I chuckled quietly. They already miss their food now, and ant is one of the more delicious things in here. Well, edible, not delicious.

“No use thinking about it. Let’s roast this thing and get out of here.” I set the carapace aflame, slowly cooking the insides.

At my mention of leaving the island a shudder ran over Alice’s body. “As long as we don’t run into that thing.”

“We’re in no hurry now, if we run into a dead end we will just backtrack and search for another path. As long as we’re careful we will not meet it again.”

“What are you talking about?” Sarah chimed in, curious about the unknown foe.

“There’s something inside the bog,” Alice began to talk, her voice taking an ominous vibe,” waiting under the cover of fog to prey on anything that steps inside.” She started to step up to Sarah, wriggling her fingers in a creepy way. “And when it finds some it reaches out with its tentacles,” she continued her words as she grabbed Sarah, “and grabs them before pulling them into the water, before devouring them alive.” Then she ended her impromptu horror story as she began to tickle Sarah.

I smiled as I looked at the two of them, playing inside the dungeon without a care. They both quickly got closer as the days passed until they were like two sisters. And it showed me what I fought for. A place where people like them could live again, without fear for their lives.

We walked down towards the water. The sun began to set in the distance. It got darker and darker, as the storm continued to grow, by now reaching over the island and blocking the stars. But this only made the wisps even more prominent, as their light now shone brighter than ever.

“How beautiful.” Sarah stepped closer upon seeing the wisps, reaching out towards them. I grinned seeing the all so familiar reaction.

“Don’t be too distracted by them, we need to be careful. Watch out not to step in the water.”

“Okay.” Sarah nodded, clenching her hands into fist.

“You too.” I said towards Alice, only to get a small jab with the elbow in return.

“I know.”

We walked through the bog, the wisps lifting the veil of fog around us. Silence enveloped us, only disturbed by the wind blowing over the water. It took us a while, landing in two different dead ends in between, before we reached the other side again, trees and bushes greeting us while blocking our view on the surrounding.

Our slower pace led us to arrive in the night, the only light left were my flames, like a beacon in the night. The vegetation helped in blocking the light, but the damage was done as growls surrounded us. Slowly, one after another, scaled beast stepped into the light, surroundings us on all sides.

Alice and I stepped forward, covering Sarah in between us. I flicked Fireballs at those on my side, hearing the crunching of scales behind me. In between arrows shot out, piercing through the heads of the lizard, ending their lives when they came into the light.

We struggled against them, their lifeless bodies piling up around us, but opposed to my side Alice struggled against them, needing to get into range each time she cut one down while more and more came towards us.

“Sarah, help Alice! [Firewall].”

Alice lifted her sword, blocking a swipe from a tail, as another lizard sprang at her, jaw open to rip her apart with its teeth before an arrow burrowed itself into its mouth, piercing through it to burrow its way outwards again.

“Thanks! [Quick Slash].” Alice’s sword flickered, disappearing only to reappear shortly after as blood began to gush out a lizard, its body bisected.

“I’m nearly out of arrows!”

“Give me a moment.” I stopped bombarding them with fireballs as I created a circle under me. Given the moments of respite lizards rushed towards me, only to get hit by an arrow, or pierced by a sword. As I finished the circle fire shot outwards, gushing around Alice and Sarah before flying into the lizards.

More and more rushed forward, only to run into the fire before their leader came, aiming at my back as it perceived me as the biggest threat. I redirected some birds towards him, but they just scorched its scales, not stopping him from moving.

“I’ll block these little one, you take care of the big one.”

Alice shot forwards, lifting her sword, as the giant swiped its claw towards her. “[Power Slash]!” She cut downward, her sword clashing against the claw before it continued through it towards the ground.

But opposed to stopping because of its injury the lizard began to dash forwards, opening its mouth to bite Alice whose stance was messed up after her attack. Just in time an arrow flew past Alice, bending inwards to pierce into its eye and push its head past Alice’s defenseless body. It slid over the ground, quickly lifting itself up once more, looking towards Alice and Sarah, this time more wary of them.

“How is it not dead?” Sarah called out as she laid another arrow on the string, pulling the bow once more. She let go, her arrow flying forward shadowed by Alice’s movement. It flicked towards its eye once more, only to clank away when the lizard closed it, a scale shielding it.

It lifted its other claw, pushing it forward to stab into Alice stop her from hacking at him. She twisted her body, the claw passing by it, ripping a few pieces of cloth with it, covered in trails of blood. Alice hissed in pain as she pushed her foot into the ground, securing her stance before she turned towards the lizard, piercing it in one swift movement.

An angry growl resounded as Alice shouted out once more. “Power Slash!” She twisted her sword, cutting through the lizard and disemboweled it. As their leader died the other lizard stepped back, before disappearing into the dark.

When the adrenaline of the fight faded Alice fell on her knees, Sarah rushing over to her. “Are you okay?”

I stepped over, looking at her wound, only to see it fading away, healing through a level up.

“I’ll never get used to this.” Sarah cursed in pain.