The team went further in. Progress was slow, but the lights were just enough for them to tell if an enemy was nearby, along with the loud growls, shrieks, or other noises echoing through the dark.

"We should go a little slower, just to get used to the feeling. I'm sure my creatures can handle the first few monsters here, so relax. We should be fine."

Fay tried to calm the team. From the faint light overhead, he could see just how inexperienced they were.

Selûne and Maria looked a little shaken, but the real problem was Joan. The boy had never actually been in battle, and his otter was going to be in a world of hurt if he didn't learn how to manage his creature properly.

Fay kept glancing back at him, debating whether to stop the team now and teach him directly, or let him learn from experience by watching the others use their summons.

As for the rest of the team, Horin didn't use her buzzard this time. Instead, she summoned her kitten, which was slowly growing stronger.

It seemed Nuel didn't need much aether to shift into her new form. Her fog-like, ethereal spirit body was becoming a little more real each time Fay saw her.

Selûne, on the other hand, had three small butterflies fluttering around her, casting a green hue over their surroundings. At first glance, they looked like three separate creatures, but hidden behind her back was a small spider that controlled the butterflies like a puppet master.

Marie couldn't summon her creature, Chrono, yet, so she was tasked with checking the sides for any danger. She came prepared, like the other three girls, each one wearing simple leather armor and carrying basic weapons.

Marie carried a short but sturdy mace, simple in design but capable of delivering devastating blows, along with a small buckler for defense.

Horin, who didn't need heavy weapons to unleash her arrows, kept only her bow in hand, ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

Selûne, on the other hand, didn't need weapons. Her spider was more than enough to handle any creature on this floor, provided she could get past the fear gnawing at her.

The damp, cold, dark passage stretched out in all directions, and at times narrow walls funneled them toward deeper sections.

But the group didn't rush forward. They made sure to keep the exit within reach, mapping the place slowly.

The dungeon had countless floors, many already explored, and there was always the possibility of someone still lurking below.

That was the most dangerous part.

Perhaps there may even be adventurers who didn't yet know what had happened to the kingdom they once called home.

"Have the Eluwyn ever explored these caves?" Fay asked, wondering if Selûne knew the answer.

The long-lived race should have discovered this place long ago.

"My grandfather used to come here when he was younger, before the kingdom made a name for itself and drove us into hiding," she replied, pausing briefly as if she had heard something before continuing.

"So, I know a little of what he experienced, and I also know it is easy to get lost. My creatures, however, are great in places like this. That is possibly why he had me join. You see, my spider makes a marker we can follow back with its thread."

The little spider was indeed behind her, leaving a thin silver line they could follow like a rope.

"That is good. Now let's start. Grin hears something from that passage over there, and I can feel his urge to attack. This time, we will let him fight it out. He needs to feed to sustain himself.

"As for Jolt… he will help you out, Joan, so relax. Trust your creature more. It isn't just cute; it has its uses."

Joan glanced at the strange, spiked lizard wobbling beside him and felt a little better. Its metallic, spiked back made even Fay's blade seem like a toy, and the electric arcs dancing across its spiked side gills were enough to make his own creature want to cower against the boy's leg. Strangely, that only brought Joan a sense of comfort.

"Sorry. I will focus now…" The boy clenched his fist, as if trying to change himself bit by bit.

"Good. Now watch and learn how monsters fight. Once they are powerful enough, they can hold their own, but as their master, you must always watch their back. They are still creatures, and you would not want them ending up on the losing side."

Fay stayed behind the line, watching as Grin rushed at two Kolbot-like creatures.

They looked like dogs with human-like forms. They were nothing like demi-humans; their bestial glare, wolfish faces, and menacing fangs gave them a deformed appearance that no normal creature should have.

"They are… very ugly," Marie said, covering her face with her hands. She didn't like watching the gory scene of a large hyena nearly biting a creature in half.

"Yeah, well, that happens to the creatures here. The poison I told you about starts to deform them…" Fay was now even more worried about touching the grass earlier.

"As long as we exit this place and don't eat anything from it, we'll be fine," Selûne, the light green-haired girl, added in an attempt to calm him.

"Alright… are you sure it won't affect Grin, though?" Fay asked. His creature had already finished feasting, and no one mentioned how clean he had left the area.

"They only eat the essence of a creature. I can't say the same about your dragon, but Grin and Jolt, who still depend on returning to the spirit realm, should have no problem."

Everyone turned to see Grin holding his head high, as if sniffing for his next meal.

"Gluttonous creature. Save some for the others next time," Fay muttered.

He had his predator lead them a little deeper. Now that they knew Selûne had a way back and everyone was growing more accustomed to the strange call of the dungeon, they began to explore in earnest.

"There are three more creatures… they look equally as ugly," Horin said, her bowstring already drawn. She released two quick shots, one striking a creature's leg, the other its arm, her goal only to weaken them enough for her kitten to attack.

Unlike other creatures, her kitten did not sustain damage when struck. It existed as a fog-like form, but when it clung to something, it began to slowly drain the victim's life force. Fay had only dared to touch it once, and that was the last time he ever did.

He felt his finger withering just from coming in contact.

"Alright, go kill them, Nuel!" Horin called out to her beast.

The small kitten pounced on the big-headed, deformed goblins. Each one lunged forward to meet the cat with shrieks. They carried no weapons, wearing only scraps of animal skin, or perhaps overgrown hair, covering their privates.

The goblins were unable to land a killing blow. The more they tried to strike, the more Nuel's fog-like form spread across them, bringing them closer to their deaths. One suddenly clutched his throat and began to convulse until he collapsed on the spot. The other two soon followed, all of them dealt with easily.

"As expected of the chief's daughter…" Fay remarked. He already knew Horin was skilled at killing—possibly even better than him. Without taking his magic into account, she was certainly stronger.

"I can feel it. Just two more… and Nuel will change," Horin said a little awkwardly. Her distant demeanor made it difficult for her to accept direct compliments well, but she was slowly changing.

"Yeah, we'll help you. Now let's continue. There are plenty more to fight… Are the other floors this easy, though?" Fay asked Selûne, his curiosity piqued even though they had been told not to venture too far.

"They are the same but more numerous. It will be hard to advance if we don't balance ourselves out more. I'll use my creature in the next fight to help Joan kill something. Forgive me if I steal one of your prey, Horin."

The playful elf girl smirked at the cat-kin, knowing exactly what she was doing.

"Yeah, well, get to them before Nuel kills them and you might be able to keep them."

"Is that a challenge, then? Fine… watch what Marru can do."

The butterflies her spider controlled began to drift away from the team, each one pulsing faintly while releasing a small amount of aether, just enough to attract nearby creatures. Soon, even moles began to surface from below, and kobolds came rushing toward the group.

"A little too eager, don't you think, Selûne?"

The girl blushed at being called out by a boy a year younger than her.

"Yeah, sorry… but now Jolt can enter the fight, right?" Selûne asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Yeah, him, and me too. I was getting bored."

Truthfully, it was starting to get fun again: killing creatures, getting stronger, and not having to clean up afterward. The dungeon was a place where the word balance didn't matter. It was simply claw against blade, kill or be killed.

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