Elara took a deep breath.
The air was thick with smoke and dust from the monster’s crash, but she could still see it.
The beetle boss lay on its back, scrambling helplessly. Its legs flailed in the air, sharp claws scraping at nothing as it struggled to turn over.
If it had been a normal bug, it might have almost looked funny like some helpless insect twitching on a kitchen floor.
But this was no normal bug.
This was a beast almost the size of a small building, a monster that had tried to kill them all inside the dungeon.
Every twitch of its massive legs sent gusts of wind across the chamber, rattling stone and threatening to topple anyone who got too close.
Still, its underbelly was exposed.
Elara remembered Vanessa’s words about monsters.
Their underbellies were usually the weakest. If you ever saw one on its back, don’t waste the chance.
Her eyes narrowed. "Now’s the time."
Marco cut off the streams of flames he had been pouring into the tunnels. The constant fire had done its job — they had roasted the beetles and done even more, most of the openings had melted shut, sealing away the tunnels.
The tunnels that weren’t sealed were charred black, with beetle corpses still burning in the ashes.
He wiped the sweat off his brow, though flames still danced along his arms and shoulders.
His grin widened, the heat shimmering around him.
"Time to get in the game!" Marco shouted.
With a fiery burst, he shot forward. His entire body ignited, a blazing et streaking toward the monster’s exposed belly.
He raised both hands, gathering fire, and then hurled ball after ball of flames down onto the creature.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each blast slammed into the soft underside of the beetle. The Boss shrieked, a horrible, high-pitched scream that echoed across the chamber and shook the ground beneath them.
"You’re free to d—!" the Captain started to yell, giving the order.
But Elara didn’t wait.
She didn’t need permission.
Her plasma surged to life the moment she pushed off the ground. The energy gathered beneath her feet, propelling her upward with a sharp hiss.
In seconds, she was soaring into the air, rising to meet Marco’s height.
The chamber stretched beneath her. From this height, everything looked small... her teammates, the shattered floor, well except the giant bug.
Elara clenched her fist. Her plasma glowed, brighter and brighter until her hand looked like a star.
She felt the energy in her bones, this power that came so naturally to her yet still felt dangerous every time she touched it.
With a sharp breath, she released it.
A blazing wave of plasma shot downward, crashing against the monster’s underbelly.
The heat was overwhelming.
The air rippled as the radiation spread, searing into the beetle’s soft flesh.
The Boss shrieked again, louder than before, its scream echoing like thunder through the dungeon.
The blast tore through its body, bursting it apart in a spray of blood and fragments.
For one wild moment, it almost looked like confetti raining across the room except it was green and wet, coating the ground and walls with gore. Some even splashed on Marco though it burned shortly after.
The monster convulsed once more, then went still, its gigantic form reduced to a shattered husk.
The fight was over.
"You did it!" Marco shouted.
He rushed toward her, flames dying down as he reached out, ready to catch her if she fell.
But Elara didn’t need saving.
She steadied herself with a burst of plasma at her feet, landing gracefully on the broken ground.
The others cheered.
The crew swarmed around her, their exhaustion forgotten for the moment.
Finally.
Finally, the nightmare of this raid was over.
...
Elara and the others stepped through the gate with smiles on their faces.
They had survived their first raid together.
The sunlight outside was blinding after the darkness inside. The air felt fresher, sweeter, even with the stench of blood still on their armor.
But then they noticed something strange.
A car was parked near the gate, sleek and unfamiliar.
None of them recognized it. And standing beside it was someone even more unusual... a dwarf dressed in a maid uniform.
The crew exchanged puzzled looks.
Elara froze the moment her eyes fell on the dwarf. How could she not recognize her?
"Villy..." she whispered.
Her heart skipped, and then she broke away from the group, sprinting across the grass.
Without hesitation, she scooped the small woman into her arms, spinning her despite Villy’s loud plaints.
"Put me down this instant, Elara!" Villy squeaked, struggling in her grip.
Elara only hugged her tighter.
"If you’re here, Villy, then where’s Master?" she asked, her eyes shining. Vanessa had assigned Villy to Lucius after all, and this was clearly his car.
Villy’s eyes widened at the question. She squirmed free and pointed upward with a small hand.
"Ah Master... Master is up there."
Elara blinked, then followed her finger.
Floating upside down above them, as casual as if he were lying on a bed, was Lucius.
His arms were crossed and his eyes were locked on her, watching carefully.
"Master..."
Elara let Villy down gently and turned her full attention to Lucius.
The hard edge she had worn in the dungeon vanished in an instant.
She clasped her hands behind her back, twirled one leg shyly, and tilted her head up at him with a playful smile.
"Master, I just finished my first raid," she said sweetly. "Don’t I deserve at least a reward?"
Lucius floated lower, smoothing his hair as he descended. His eyes softened.
"I guess you do," he said. "But you didn’t even tell me about it. Villy and I just got here."
He sounded hurt.
Elara’s smile almost fell.
She stepped closer and her voice was soft. "I didn’t want you to worry about me. I know for sure that if you had known, you would’ve followed me into the dungeon and tried to protect me."
Lucius sighed inwardly.
’She’s not wrong about that.’
Still, he crossed his arms again and looked away. "Well, I’m still angry."
Elara giggled and reached for his shirt.
With a sudden tug, she pulled him down to her height and pressed her lips against his.
The crew gasped quietly, but none dared to interfere.
Off to the side, Marco watched with wide eyes. His hands clenched at his sides, fire flashing faintly across his fingers.
And then, for a moment, Marco swore he saw Lucius glance at him with a look of victory.
His jaw tightened.
’This is one of the times I’ll allow myself to act like a child,’ Lucius thought with satisfaction.
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