Opal sat at the entrance to the burrow, rubbing her face in defeat. Her first adventure out with Ari, and they’d lost—apparently the first time Ari had ever lost. Cece, at least, had assured Opal about Ari’s safety. That hadn’t been something Cece had been able to do at the start, only later. That meant something had changed? Between her defeat and being escorted out? Though what, Opal obviously wasn’t privy to.

But her mistress was safe. That was what mattered most. Unfortunately, the exact definition of ‘safe’ was up in the air.

More selfishly—certainly less important than Ari, but still on her mind—what did it mean for Opal? Her status in the Menagerie? Having been the one who’d failed Ari, regardless of their impossible circumstances?

From her initial impression, there weren’t any great politics at play in the tight-knit group, but she could guess that having been Ari’s teammate when she’d finally ‘lost for the first time’ wasn’t going to look great. Though, again, the most important thing was that Ari was safe. Her selfish concerns took second place, though they were there, in the back of her mind.

Opal stayed seated on a rock near the entrance to the burrow, not wanting to walk down and be confronted by Silvana. What would she say? Better to wait. The adventuring squad—Lori, Claire, and Renna—would be easier to face. Or, not easier, but she’d rather get it out of the way, first.

Almost an hour later, they arrived.

For all that Lori seemed to be least socially-adept of the group, she was the one who identified Opal’s distraught expression and determined what it meant. Her eyes narrowed. “Where’s Ari? You lost, didn’t you?”

Opal shoulders slumped in embarrassment. “It was the dungeon core. She sent the fourth floor boss, a level thirty six, to fight her, then bring her to … I’m not sure where. There wasn’t anything either of us could do.”

At the confirmation to Lori’s question, alarm spread across the three women’s faces—including the leopard-girl herself. Probably because of the exact details. The dungeon core’s involvement.

Opal rushed to assure them. Though, only in the small way she could. “She’s safe. I don’t know what that means, but Cece said she’s fine.” She shrugged helplessly.

Claire was the first to recover. Though visibly concerned, she stepped forward and took Opal’s hand. “Well, if Cece said so, then I believe her. Ari’s fine. I’m sure of it.”

Lori didn’t step forward to assure Opal like Claire had, but she didn’t seem especially worried for Ari, either. Not in the ‘she might be in serious danger’ way, at least. Definitely concerned in a general sense.

“I agree,” Lori said. “I don’t think Cece would lie about that.”

Lori was one of the original Menagerie members, so she had probably been there, during that first fight against Cece, where the hungry vines seed had been procured. So, she had an appraisal of Cece, the same as Claire.

Lori continued, “But that’s assuming the core didn’t influence her to say that, to make us less suspicious. I can’t imagine why, but it’s possible in a strict sense.” She shook her head to clear it. “You’ve talked to Silvana? She would know. She was under the core’s influence, before her transformation, so she would have the best idea of what to expect.” She looked at Opal, clearly figuring that she’d come to the same conclusion, and so had already talked it through with the ant-girl.

Opal flushed. In hindsight, it was obvious. Who better to talk to about this event than Silvana?

Claire squeezed her hands, reading Opal’s distress. “It’s fine. You’re worried, so you didn’t think about it. That’s reasonable, considering the situation. And none of this is your fault.” Claire glared at Lori, who actually blushed at the confrontational expression from such an otherwise friendly girl. Claire turned back to Opal, face softening. Another gentle squeeze. “Let’s go find out together. Ari’s fine, obviously, but let’s see if Silvana knows anything, or if there’s anything we can do.”

On the way down the tunnel, Renna patted Opal’s shoulder, encouraging her in her own way. Opal hadn’t had a bad impression of the Menagerie, but they were more supportive than she’d expected. Opal found herself emotional at the assurances, more so than she’d thought she would be. Even Lori nodded her way, apologizing at her confrontational behavior—not that it was needed; it had all been justified, in Opal’s opinion.

Down in the quickly-expanding stone room and hallways of the burrow, they found Silvana, diligently chipping away at tough walls. She paused, hearing them approach, and turned.

Maybe in other circumstances, seeing the attractive, antennae-wielding girl naked would have done something to Opal, but here and now, it didn’t.

“Welcome back,” Silvana said slowly, reading the room. Her eyes flicked across the four gathered women. “Where’s Ari?”

From there, they discussed the matter at hand: Ari’s capture. Silvana, unfortunately, couldn’t offer much. Her understanding of the dungeon core, despite once being its subject, didn’t extend far. She didn’t think the core would force Cece to lie about Ari’s safety, though, which assured them in some small way.

Unfortunately, it seemed like it would come down to waiting and finding out. Far from an ideal situation.

Because really. How was Ari doing? What did a ‘loss’ mean for her? Why had the core explicitly sought her out?

Was she being hurt? Opal’s stomach turned at the idea.

What was she being subjected to, down in that dungeon?