The little guy woke up first and I could sense he was ravenous. I fed him smoked crab meat and let him drink as much water as he wanted. I had a lot of meat stowed away for them. For my monsters, it was fine dining. As for water... it was enough to last until we got out.

  After Sleepy was back to resting, I checked on Kara. She was still unconscious but her body was warm and her vitals were stable. I put her on her side atop my lap and let her head tilt down and to the side. It was an alternate position that would also work for the potions but it put more stress on her neck, so I didn't use that out of fear of aggravating her injuries. Her burn wounds were bad. She would need extensive treatment. I felt a pang of pain at seeing her like that. If it was only the lack of hair but... she got nasty burns on the side of her head and face. Using a spoon, I slowly fed her water, waiting for it to be absorbed before pouring more into her mouth, making sure none seeped down her throat. Her lips were cracking.

  The other option was to feed her water rectally. She was a tough girl and didn't need such extreme measures. Once she had absorbed all the water for this hydration session, I checked the exit. The trapdoor was still stuck in place. I had an idea on how to open it but I wanted Kara to wake up first. So I waited. Hours later, with her still unconscious, I gave her more water. This went on for hours. Kara was so dehydrated she wasn't producing saliva. It was only when almost an entire day had passed since I woke up that she stirred. Kara jolted as if her mind reconnected to her last waking moment, the Core explosion.

  I held her back to keep her safe. "Easy, easy," I crooned. "You are safe."

  "Bahhhhh!" William reassured.

  Sleepy hopped closer and jumped on Kara. He licked her cheek with a slavering tongue. That finished the process of recovering her consciousness with a startle. Her head raised from my lap but I pinned her down.

  Kara mumbled something unintelligible. Her eyes were unfocused and I feared she had suffered some brain injury.

  Then her pupils adjusted and she looked at me. "George?" Kara noticed the position and stiffened. "My clothes?"

  Or she stiffened because she noticed she had no underwear.

  "They burned in the explosion. I'm sorry but I had to remove them to treat your burns." I offered her a skin of water with my explanation.

  She spent long moments without moving and without breaking eye contact. Then she slowly drank the water. At a point, I withdrew the water skin. "More water," Kara demanded.

  "Go slow. Your stomach might get upset." It wouldn't be the case if she had a lot of Endurance, which I knew she did. We waited for a while, then I offered more water. Kara drank slowly from the water skin. She had basic Guard training and survival was one of the subjects.

  Her mood was shit. I could see the silent tears glistening under the magic lantern light.

  "Who else survived?" She asked with a pained voice. She knew the answer. The silence whispered it to her.

  "Only the four of us. You, me, Willam, and Sleepy."

  Kara curled as she became really sad. If I had kept my trap shut, she could deny reality. Tears dropped from her eyes. "Hector?"

  "Vaporized by the Core explosion. Then buried under tons of rocks."

  She puckered her lips, then wiped her tears with the back of her right hand. The one that wasn't burned.

  "How bad was it? The explosion? You are bald."

  "Yes, ma'am. I'm entirely bald." I tried not to grin. Failed. "You are bald too. The blast burned you badly. I had to cut your armor and peel it off of your skin. I'm sorry."

  She ran a hand over her head, then touched her face. Her fingers ran over the scar tissue. "Am I ugly?"

  My throat hitched. "No. Never. Don't even... Look, these... It all can be healed. Cosmetic healing is expensive but... No. You can't be ugly."

  "Can't?" Kara was puzzled.

  "Can't," I doubled down. My hand squeezed her right shoulder. The good one. "I don't find it hard to look at you."

  Bloody hells, what was wrong with me? Why was I unable to string two sentences together? We were in a shitty situation but I still felt all giddy and tingly because Kara was lying on my lap.

  And I probably stank. Gods, I was stinking, wasn't I? Why was Kara fine with lying on my lap if I stank?

  "So you saw me naked," she stated, then chuckled.

  I stammered a string of unintelligible grunts. I could die of embarrassment.

  Kara closed her eyes. She sighed. I was expecting the slap but it never came. Instead, she mumbled a muffled, "Thank you."

  "Think nothing of it. I was just helping a fellow–"

  She reached up to put a hand on my lips. "I don't mind. You seeing me naked. Thank you."

  Kara snuggled as she made her head comfortable against my thigh. The impression was that she would let me see... Stop. Down that train of thought lied a physiological reaction I couldn't have with her nestled on my legs. I had to think flaccid thoughts to fight it off. If she noticed something, Kara was kind enough to not mention it. But the long silence was killing me.

  "What happens now?" She asked.

  I spoke fast, like someone commenting on a gladiator fight.

  "We are in the ladder room underneath the Squirracula chamber. The trapdoor is still locked. We can try to force our way out or wait for rescue. I am leaning on the latter. We have enough supplies to last the two of us another week if we ration our water. I have a lot of smoked crab meat for William and Sleepy."

  "Bahhhhh!" William agreed.

  Kara chuckled. She took a deep breath. I took a deep breath. "We could stay longer if I can fix my water distillery."

  "I'd rather not drink boiled piss if I can help it."

  I moved my hand and it brushed against her neck. I tried to pull it away but Kara held my hand and pressed it against her cheek.

  "Why stay? If the monsters all left as you said…"

  "No. Not all monsters. We can't leave."

  "Why not?"

  "The grass boss. If the Dungeon respawned it while we were stumbling in the black chamber, the way out is blocked. I don't doubt that's the case. It is a sessile monster that spreads through seeds. It isn't going anywhere."

  I didn't mention that I feared the trapdoor was stuck because the black stone chamber above had caved in. It was a huge open space and rock was heavy. Without the Dungeon to reinforce the chamber, a collapse was more likely than not.

  She let her body slump. "Waiting for the rescue it is, then."

  "I guess so. Alice won't leave us down here for too long. She might be on her way already. Did you get anything good from the boss fight?"

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Yes, two levels and an achievement that granted me a lot of Attribute efficiency. I'm thirty-seven now."

  I was shocked and skipped a breath or two. Revealing one's level was something reserved for close family and trusted confidants only, those you were damnedest sure wouldn't ever betray you. I bit my lips as I stared at her caramel eyes. She grinned at my distress, letting me know that what she did was intentional.

  "Thirty-four here," I said with a heavy sigh, then relaxed. "And I gained a Class fusion promotion. My Beast Master Class merged with my Soul Scout Class. I'm now an Epic Soul-Binder Ranger."

  Kara tried to whistle but her mouth and lips were too dry for that. Her eyes went wide as saucers but a smile crept up across her lips, climbing up to crease the corners of her eyes. She let out a soft laugh that reminded me of small bells.

  I closed my eyes and leaned down to kiss her. Kara wrapped an arm around my neck and kissed back. She was still weak so it wasn't a passionate burning kiss. It was soft and ephemeral, long and careful. A meeting of the souls. And dry, cracked lips.

  My mind raced, my willpower cracked and my body reacted. I poked Kara, not with my hands. She pulled me tighter and ran her tongue over my lips.

  It was not the time to join the mile-deep club. Not in this condition. My mind raced to find something to distract me.

  I thought about our gains. They were huge. Then a thought passed through my mind. Could William tank the Shambler Requiem? He had twelve hundred Endurance. More HP than... 99% of people.

  I pulled away." Kara, we are leaving."

  Startled, she sat up. "What? But you said... the boss!"

  I missed the faint frustration in her voice. Kara would later tease me about the missed opportunity.

  "William here can tank the Shambler Requiem now. Can you, big boy?"

  "Bahhhhh!" William agreed.

  *

  *

  It took me a day to grind the door open. Yes, grind. I abused my odd Perk, Summon Sandpaper. Once I managed to make an opening big enough for my hand, I found a latch and flipped it off, releasing the lid. I heard not a single peep from the vampiric squirrels. Lighting up the ceiling showed it was empty of monsters. It took us a couple of hours but we found the entrance to the stairs. I was happy this room hadn't collapsed. From the side of the stairs, the boss room was always accessible. I used a mirror on the end of a pole to check and the grass boss was right there.

  "William, if you start taking damage, go incorporeal and get back here."

  "Bahhhhh!" William shrugged.

  The mad lad climbed the last few steps and triggered the boss fight. The vines swished and wrapped him. Then, he just stood there, bleating calmly.

  I climbed behind William and cut the vines. They withdrew. Then I ducked down. The next wave of vines, with half as many as the first, came and the same thing happened. That many vines weren't strong enough to move William. I cut them too. The third wave, with more than double the amount of vines on the first, started to slowly drag him toward the center of the room. I cut these and then ducked. The fourth wave of vines came and these did manage to bring William back with them.

  I poked my head up and looked at the ground where he was. Not a single strand of black wool to be seen. The leaves weren't sharp enough to cut his wool.

  "Bahhhhh!" William said he was fine. I mean, his bleat showed no distress signs.

  More vines shot across the room above. Then the sixth wave came and struck.

  "Bahhhhh!" William chuckled. I mean, his bleat sounded like laughter. Our bond told me he was feeling fine if not a bit constricted.

  The seventh and eighth wave fired and I climbed to look. The mound was in the middle, half out but all the grass vines were tangled into a ball around William.

  "Let's go, time to mow some grass!" I shouted.

  Kara and I rushed into the room and hacked the grass at the bottom. It was super easy, barely an inconvenience. The ball of vines holding William fell to the ground. We cut him free. William was unscathed. He was missing three-quarters of his HP, though.

  "Boss fight time. It will be easy this time. Sleepy, come here and dig its brains out again."

  The Shambler Requiem had extra arms for each kill the grass scored. This one had zero arms. All it could do was run after us and try to stomp us down. We ran down the stairs. Sleepy landed on the boss and delivered a massive ball lightning attack that made me see black spots. Moments later, the notification pinged.

  > For Cheesing level 36 Shambler Requiem (boss), you gained 224 Experience points.

  > Your training and experience improved your Beast Mastery Skill to rank IV. Benefit: Beasts you raise from infancy develop 10% more of their true potential per rank.

  The Experience award wasn't reduced because the message said "Cheesing" instead of "Killing." It could say "Bullying" too. I didn't care. The way out was clear and my pets rocked.

  *

  *

  Meanwhile, in the Hall of Justi…

  ...

  Alice saw the Lord approach once more. Ever since the raiding party descended, he came to see her every five days. This marked the fourth visit.

  She stayed in the same place, floating above the stairs, waiting. Nothing went inside the Dungeon, nothing came out. Baron Montmour hired some infiltrators to snatch the Core but Alice killed them. May the new Baron Montmour get busy enough rebuilding his manor to leave her alone.

  "Guild Master," the man greeted her with a respectful fifteen-degree bow.

  "City Lord," she acknowledged him with a nod.

  "How is the expedition?" He asked, eager for good news.

  She was aware of the stakes involved. While Alice would love nothing more than to get George a second Class, she had her hands tied for the sake of peace. She was a retired destroyer, a sleeping dragon. Snatching the Core would upheave the social order so much she would need to crown herself Queen to fix things. And George's life would also be scattered to the winds. She couldn't risk it. Her only hope was to let him realize the loophole in the contract that allowed him to legally steal the Dungeon Core from Hector.

  She knew that he wouldn't figure it out. And even if he did, would he betray the Lordling? She guessed he wouldn't. George was still a child. In both age and levels. Once he saw the real nature of this world and his place in it, he would start making the right decisions. He needed to be more selfish.

  "The same. They are still down there. I believe the important people are still alive but I have no way to tell. All we can do is wait. I am not bothered to stay here as long as I need."

  Alice, with her Endurance score over nine thousand, could go two years without sleep. A month without water. And almost a year without food. She didn't even need to worry about sustenance. Conjuring water from the river was trivial and the small forest on the island had enough nutrition to sustain her. She didn't even need to move from where she was. Where she remained all these days in eternal vigilance, worrying like a mother.

  Not that Alice felt she deserved to replace Karina. May the God in his Apple have mercy on her soul. But she worried about George in her own way. The way she believed she would worry for a son if she were a mother. Maybe that's why she never had a child. She would be a crappy mother.

  "I see," the Lord replied. "Well, I'll see you soon."

  He went away. She sensed when he boarded the carriage and left. Hours later, the earth shook. A localized tremor burst out, having that location as its epicenter. The Dungeon's presence also vanished. They did it. The Dungeon was no more.

  Alice prepared herself to stop the stampede. Minutes later, a horde of low-level mutated crustaceans the System insisted on calling spiders something came and were shredded by her stone needles spell. Hours later, a swarm of low-level trash bugs, some kind of poison giant mantis. They died all the same.

  The important part was that it marked two floors, with no boss for the first floor. The Dungeon shouldn't have more than four and she was confident the delve team could deal with that many monsters. What worried her was that no boss appeared for either floor. It could be a sessile boss but given the theme, she expected some bug boss. Insect, decapod, or arachnid. Something chitinous with a limb count between six and ten.

  Yet, as she waited, no second-floor boss nor monster for the third floor came. The magical energies inside had all dissipated. It was a dead hole in the ground. One that fortunately didn't collapse. Some Dungeons relied on the enchantment making their walls nigh indestructible to keep everything stable. Dungeons collapsed within a day or two of the Core's death. As another two days passed, she came to the conclusion that this one was the exception.

  Nobody came. Alice was certain that George was alive because of an indirect fact.

  Lilliane Fade was interested in him. That selfish bitch never did anything that wouldn't have deep repercussions and shape the future the way she wanted. If the Time Witch went out of her way to rescue a damned monster pup, then she had something in mind that required George. Ergo, he was alive. Lilliane would make sure of it. And she would make the de minimus effort to make it happen. Since she hadn't interfered so far, George was safe. Alice was an elf who drank her copium in one gulp.

  That didn't mean he had the means to come back to the surface on his own. What if the Dungeon had an underwater floor and he had injured companions that couldn't swim? The kind and naive Scout would try to find a way to bring them with him, even if it delayed his return and put him at risk of death. He was that… stupid wasn't the word she wanted to use. Naive it was. Too kind for his own good in a world where that feeling was considered a weakness.

  In a world where Alice spent a millennium and a half thinking the same thing. She was getting old and soft, wasn't she?

  That settled it. Alice cast an Earth manipulation spell, set it to automatically use her MP, and descended. The spell pushed earth and stone away from her in a sphere but also didn't let material move past the edge of the said sphere, forcing it to compress and harden. It was a very useful and expensive spell meant to stabilize tunnels as one delved. The pressure heated the rock to the point it got red and she floated down in a hurry, leaving a smooth and round tunnel behind her, slowly cooling.

  Thousands of her MP drained each second. Alice didn't care. She could keep the spell for hours.

  She reached the first-floor boss room. It was without a door. Traces of an illusion spell that had dissipated a few days ago lingered in the air. She strained her ears and heard steps approaching. She recognized the voices. George and Kara. And they sounded very, very friendly. Many couples formed in Dungeons and they wouldn't be the first ones to join the "mile-deep club".

  "Hey!" She shouted to get their attention. "I can come back later if you want some privacy."

  "Bahhhhh!" The Tityron bleated. She had no idea what it meant.