Dean and Crescent arrived at a fork in their path, the tunnel branched into three paths.

The one on the left shrunk down to a confining hole, just enough to fit the two.

The one in the middle just the same as the tunnel they have been walking through. It continued down a winding path.

The one on the right was blocked by a huge, steel door. The door big and thick, the edges engraved in a mystical language.

"Please don't make us go into the hole." Dean's begged. His eyes were wide, his breath wild and sporadic.

Dean's never been a fan of closed-in spaces, not after being locked in a cupboard for an hour by the neighbour's daughters during a play date when he was five.

It would be pushing it to crawl through the hole.

"Don't worry, don't worry. Deep breaths. We're going through here."

Crescent leaned her back against the large steel door. She banged onto it with the back of her hand, a loud metallic drum echoed back.

"How are we going to open that?" Dean questioned, his face a little relieved that he doesn't have to squeeze into the tight hole.

"Not we, you. Do you see how small I am? I could barely lift that axe that you've been carrying like nothing."

Crescent gestured at the axe in his hand.

"Oh yeah, sorry."

Dean placed the axe on the floor, leaving it leaned against the crystal wall.

He pulled up his sleeves, he approached the door. Dean stretched like an amateur.

"God. Wait! Let me get out of the way, you bloody stink!"

Crescent pinched her nose tight enough to make her eyes water, she quickly moved away from Dean and the putrid smell.

He rolled his eyes. For someone who's actually older than him, she sure did act like a child sometimes.

Dean placed his body parallel to the door, his legs were firmly planted on the ground. He put his hands against the large steel door and pushed with all the force he could muster. His face turned red from holding his breath, as if it would help increase his strength.

The large steel door clicked, slowly giving in to his force. It opened just enough to let them both in.

"Atta boy!" Crescent's face lit up, but she kept her distance.

Dean caught his breath; Dean gave her a thumbs up. Sweat dripped down his forehead.

He grabbed the axe that was left leaning against the floor. "Haaa haaaa...  should we continue?"

Crescent nodded and gestured for Dean to go first. Not wasting any time, he stepped through the door. Crescent soon followed suit.

An opaque window popped up for the both of them.

 

[Safezone: Crystal Bathhouse entered]

 

"Wow, it's a bathhouse!"

Dean shouted, marvelling at the baths built into the crystal walls. The black stone floor also built up to form more baths.

A big horse head built out of the crystal walls; hot water seeped out from it's mouth. Steam rose from the hot water as it collected into the bath below.

"Oh good, it's a safe room. We would have been dead if it was a monster house."

"What do you mean it could have been a monster house?" His eyes went wide as his jaw dropped.

"It's like playing Russian roulette with the locked rooms. You can either get a monster house or a safe room."

"Why did we come in then?" Dean's eyes were still wide but for a different reason, his complexion went pale.

"We needed to take the chance, otherwise we could tell our lives bye bye."

Crescent unstrapped one of her metal boots and dipped her foot into the bath. A light shined from the water as soon as she put her foot in. Her complexion and appearance cleaned itself as if she had an expensive spar day.

She flexed her fingers, a purple mist emerged from her fingertips.

"Good, this will do."

She pulled her foot out of the water and dried it before slid her metal boot back on.

Dean's face turned from shock into enchantment as he stared at the glowing steam bath.
"Get in."

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

Dean stepped into the bath, submerging himself in the warm, glowing water. He placed his head under the running water as it fell from the crystal horse's mouth.

The dried blood and sick that coloured his clothes had faded away. The signs of the fight against the rat only present by the damage they held.

"Finally, that vile smell's gone. Come here." Crescent called Dean to come to the end of the bath, she pulled a shirt out from her magic pouch.

"Why didn't you give this to me before?" Dean asked, annoyed that he had to walk around cold and exposed.

"Why would I give you a shirt when you're covered in sick? The shirt wouldn't have helped the smell."

He slid his hand over his face, Dean loudly exhaled.

"Yeah... yeah. Thank you."

Dean pulled his torn hoody and vest over his head. His chest skinny and clear. He tossed the wet clothes onto the stone floor.

He stepped out of the bath, his appearance was now smooth and healthy as if he had taken a good rest. He slid the shirt on after he took it from Crescent.

The shirt was white, with its front covered in bright, colourful Care Bears.

"Really? Care Bears?"

"It was the cheapest one at Primark. Do you think I go around buying clothes at Hollister? Be real now."

Crescent huffed, her cheeks inflated into a pout.

"You should be thankful that I gave you clothes anyway! I could've just let you freeze in those torn up rags!"

Dean scratched his head while he looked down at the bath.

"I'm sorry, thank you. I mean it." He said, Dean felt like an idiot.

Her cheeks were still inflated, she opened her book and flicked through the pages.

"It's alright. I'll wait until we get out, but you owe me three pounds."

"Three pounds? For this monstrosity."

Dean laughed aloud.

"They should have given it to you for free!"

"Shut up idiot."

She made her way to the crystal horse head. Holding her book up to it, she looked back and forth between the two.

"Ahh, this is it. Mister! Come over here with the axe please." She beckoned him over.

"You know my name is-"

Crescent cut him off before he was able to finish.

"Ah ah ah. No names. I don't want to be getting too attached. The chances of you getting out of here alive are rather slim, and a name makes it harder on me when it does happen."

Dean sulked, "I know your name though."

"You know my Alias, my hunter's name, and I don't have to worry as I know I'll be getting out of here alive."

She beckoned for him to hurry on over.

Dean had a brief thought of what her name could really be, but he thought the subject would be a waste. He’ll tell her his name when they both got out, and he would ask for hers in return.

"Break it."

Dean rolled his eyes. How can someone as small as her survive in a gate? He swung the axe with vigour, the hit shattered the crystal horse into pieces. Water still poured out from its fractured frame.

The recoil of the impact sent a painful shock through Dean's hands. Dean dropped the axe as a reflex, he shook his hands to withstand the brief pain.

"Oh don't be such a baby. You weren't in pain when you caved in that rat's skull."

"Don't remind me." Dean lightly heaved at the thought of the rat.

"Not everyone can be a tough Hunter like you, Crescent." He said sarcastically. Dean blew onto his sore, red hands.

She ignored Dean and slotted the book into a holster on her back. She inserted her arm into the broken horse frame.

She fumbled through the hole for a little bit as she gripped onto something.

"There you are." She pulled out an orb small enough to fit snuggly into her palm.

The glass orb contained a slight, glowing blue light.

Dean looked at her, he was still blowing onto his hands.

"What's that?"

Crescent threw it against the floor, with just enough force to make it shatter into pieces. The blue light dissipated as it touched the air.

Ding!

An opaque window popped up for them both.

 

[Hidden Gate core has been destroyed by: Crescent, Dean]

[F Gate mission clear requirements updated] Destroy the Gate's cores: Incomplete (1/5)

[Special Rewards being calculated...]

 

Another slightly black opaque window popped up soon after the first.

 

[Special Rewards consumed for System Bootup]

[...38% until system booted]

 

"Why aren't there any rewards again? We should have got something for destroying the core! First the Rat, now this. Gahhh what's wrong with this gate?" Crescent stomped repeatedly; her metal boots clanked against the stone floor.

Dean pointed at the black window that's floated in front of him.

"I think this might be the reason."

"What are you pointing at?"

Crescent looked at Dean as if he had gone mad.

"You can't see the window?" Dean asked her.

"I don't see a window, do you mean that one." Crescent pointed at the other window, the one that appeared first.

"You really can't see a black window?"

Crescent looked at Dean with her head tilted slightly to the right, she was trying to decide if he might have gone mad.

"I've never heard of any black windows that others can't see... what does it say?" Crescent amused him.

Dean took a closer look at the window and read the message out loud. "Special rewards consumed for system bootup."

"It was you! That's why there's no rewards. You keep stealing them!" She charged him with her book raised into the air.

"Wait! Wait! I'm not doing this on purpose!"

Dean begged, covering the back of his head in a pathetic position. The memories of him being hit by the book still freshly haunted him.

Crescent calmed down after seeing Dean cowering. She knew that he did not mean to take the loot. He’s just an average student not even into the second year of the Hunter's course.

"Alright, I won't hit you. Get up!"

She pulled Dean up and pressed a finger against her head as if it were to help her thoughts.

"System boot up? I wonder what happens when it finishes. Maybe it's your awakening. Congrats, let's hope you don't get any powers to do with throwing your guts up. You seem to enjoy that."

Dean let out an awkward laugh.

"Me too."