Krion sprinted across the Boss room, the dust shaken free from the ceiling during the climax of the fight still swirling in the air around him, his heart pounding as his eyes locked on Hatsune. She was slumped against the stone pilr, and even as far away as he was, he could tell her breathing was shallow. Blood staihe ground at her side, darkened from mixing with the dirt. The Boss’s final death throes had sent shockwaves rippling through the cavernous room, but now silence reigned.

  “Hatsune!” Krion’s voice cracked as he dropped to his knees beside her. His hands briefly hovered over her form, unsure where to touch at first befoing to the bandage around her leg to find it wet with her blood. Her ears twitched slightly at the sound of his voice, the only sign that she was still semi-scious.

  Her eyes fluttered open, vibrant green now dim with exhaustion. “Krion…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. A faint smile tugged at her lips, but it quickly faltered as a shudder wracked her body. “You… you beat it.”

  Krion’s chest tighte her words. The relief in her voice, fragile yet siruething deep within him. Seeing her like this — bloodied, weak, and barely holding on — was almost unbearable.

  “Yes, we bear it,” he said softly, emphasizing her role in the fight. “But I think your wound opened up. You pushed yourself too hard.” His hands worked quickly, cheg the bandage and tightening it agaie how hard he pulled, Hatsune didn’t react except for a wince, and the blood tinued sluggishly seeping through the fabric.

  Her lips quirked in the fai of smirks, though her eyes fluttered as if the effort to keep them open was too much. “Had to… couldn’t let you… do all the work.”

  A strained ugh escaped him, though it was tinged with worry. “You’re impossible, you know that?” He tore another piece of fabri her sleeve, ing it around the previous bandage on her leg. Hopefully, that would help slow the bleeding.

  She closed her eyes, but her ears flicked again, and her smile widened slightly. “You sound… like my brothers.” She took a strained breath. “You… remind me… of them.”

  His hands froze for a moment, caught off guard by her words. “Don’t go gettiimental on me now. Save that energy for climbing out of this Dungeon with me.”

  “Stop fussing,” she murmured, her voice faint but edged with a stubborn resolve. One eye cracked open, pierg despite her exhaustion. “I’ll… be fine.”

  “You don’t look fine,” Krion shot back, though his tone softened as he gnced down at her battered form. “As soo out of here, you need rest, Hatsune. Real rest.”

  Her lips curved back upwards in the renewed ghost of a smirk. “I’ve had worse.”

  “That’s not reassuring,” he muttered, still tightening his chest.

  Hatsune shifted slightly beside him, her ears shifting to fix oform behind him. “Krion… you o check the Boss chest.”

  His brows furrowed. “What chest?”

  She sighed, the sound more exasperated than weak. “The Boss chest. The reward… for killing it.”

  Krion blinked, gng back toward the massive ptform where the Dungeon Boss had fallen. The monster’s corpse was in the process of dissolving into mist, and in its pce, golden sparks swirled and coalesced into a solid form. As the particles faded, a rge, ornate chest stood in the ter of the ptform. It was dark wood bound in gleaming gold metal, intricate Dungeon runes glowing faintly along its edges.

  Krion looked from the chest back to Hatsune. “And you wao leave you here to go open it?”

  Her eyes flickered with impatience. “I’m not going anywhere. Besides… there are no threats… left here. Could be something useful… something we’ll need.”

  He hesitated, torween his instinct to protect her and the awarehat she was likely right that there were no threats left in the room, otherwise they would have already been attacked.

  “Go,” she said, her tone firm despite her weakness.

  Krion nodded, his grip tightening briefly before he carefully left her to lean against the pilr. He returo the ptform, each step toward the chest bringing greater details of its surfato view. The Boss’s enormous corpse had vanished entirely, leaving only a faint remnant of swirling golden light. The intricate patterns of runes on the chest’s surface seemed almost alive, shifting and glowing faintly, as though they had been imbued with the essence of the sin Dungeon Boss. He paused before the chest, running his hand over its smooth surface. The craftsmanship was extraordinary, but given that it roduct of the Dungeon itself, perhaps that was to be expected.

  Krion drew a deep breath, steadying his nerves. His gaze darted back toward Hatsuill slumped against the pilr where he had left her. With a determined exhale, Krion pced both hands on the orch. The metal was smooth, and it felt warm to the touch. When he pressed down on it, the tch clicked, and the lid began to creak open. A wave of light spilled out, golden and soft, illuminating the ptform. Ihe chest’s tents were ly arranged, as if curated with purpose.

  The first item that caught his eye air of leather bracers, their surface embossed with a stylized image of what he assumed to be a Leporihe design was simple yet elegant. He lifted them carefully, noting the fine craftsmanship and he immediately wondered if they were ented in some way. o it was a small velvet pouch. Pulling it open revealed a ring. The band was silver, and an emerald the size of his thumbnail was set into it. The gem glimmered faintly in the now fading light of the chest. Though he had no training in appraising items, his gut told him the ring held some form of power.

  Beside the pouch that held the ring was a small vial filled with a familiar red liquid. Krion’s breath hitched in relief — it was a healing potion. The vivid crimson hue and faint shimmer in the liquid were identical to the ones Rolfun had given him in the past. This small vial alone would make the chest’s tents worthwhile, especially sidering Hatsune’s injury.

  The final thing, resting at the bottom of the chest, ouch that jingled faintly when he picked it up. He ope carefully, revealing silver and gold s, the former disappearing as soon as he touched them. For a moment, he thought he had made a mistake, but a blinking notification indicated that he had just gaihirty s of Servid, surprisingly, a single Mark of Bonds.

  Krion’s thoughts raced as he gathered everything into his arms. The Mark of Bonds was, as far as he could tell, a rare and valuable item, the implication of its presen this chest being both promising and puzzling. He didn’t have time to dwell on it now, though. Hatsune needed his attention.

  With a final g the y chest, which was already starting to disappear, Kriohe ptform to hurry back over to Hatsune. As he came closer, she pushed herself further upright. Her face ale but set in a determined grimace, even as paiched lines around her eyes.

  “Lucky for us, there was a healing potion in the chest,” Krion said, kneeling beside her. He uncorked the vial and carefully held it to her lips. “Drink this.”

  Hatsune’s eyes rose to meet his, her expression grateful. She opened her mouth to drink the potion, her hands trembling as she grasped it and his hand. The liquid quickly vanished past her lips, and almost immediately, caurning to her cheeks. Her breathing steadied, and she leaned back against the pilr with a relieved sigh.

  “Better?” Krion asked, setting the empty vial aside.

  “Much,” she murmured, her voice steadier. Her fingers brushed against her thigh where the deepest cut had been, which was now healing rapidly. She g the items Krion had brought with him, her brows lifting slightly in curiosity.

  “What else was in the chest?” she asked, her voice gaining a bit more strength.

  Krion id the items out in front of her: the leather braces, the ring, and the pouch of gold s. “These. The bracers and ring look like they might be ented, but I don’t know what they do. There’s a det number of gold s too, and I received some s of Servid another Mark of Bonds.”

  Hatsune’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “A Mark of Bonds? That’s rare.” Her gaze returo the items on the ground. “Whe out of here, we’ll o get the bracers and the ring identified. her of us has the skills to do that right now.”

  “Do you think they will be useful?”

  “They wouldn’t be in a Boss’s chest if they weren’t,” Hatsune replied, though a flicker of doubt crossed her face. “But we won’t know their true value until we are out of here.” She stood up with a wince as she put her weight on her partially healed leg. “Let’s get moving.”

  “You sure you’re ok?”

  The Leporine smiled weakly up at him, her ears drooping as she did some quick stretg to get a sense of how much her leg would be able to support her. “I’m fine, much better than I was. Just still a bit sore and… tired,” she said, the st word stretg out into a yawn.

  Krion’s expression softened. His for her deepened, and without thinking, he got down on one knee, back partly fag her. “I carry you for a while if you’re tired.”

  Hatsu out a surprised squeak, her cheeks immediately flushing a shade of pink after making the sound. “Lord, I walk on my own—”

  “I insist,” Krion said, his voice firm but warm. “You’ve earned a rest. And I always set you down to fight if we e across any more monsters on the way out.”

  The Leporine looked like she was ready to protect again, but another yawn, longer and wider than the first, stole her voice for several long moments. When finally doh it, Hatsune no longer looked like she waue. “Fine. But not one word of this ter.”

  As Krion lifted her onto his back, he could feel her body rex against his. Her small hands gripped his shoulders lightly, and the warmth of her touch sent an ued thrill through him, which he immediately pushed down. Even wearing armor, he was surprised to find he could easily carry her. He worked to disguise his tension by bending over to pick up their ons and their loot, which he slid into the rger bag. Despite that effort, his thoughts ed. To this point, he had sidered her a bodyguard and, hopefully, a friend. But as he slowly walked his way back over to the entrance of the Boss’s chamber, he could feel something else stir inside him. Something deeper.

  Hatsune’s breath was steady against his neck, the sound of it oddly f as he made his way to the exit. The open area beyond was exactly as they had left it, so after a quick look to be sure, he made his way over to the stoairs. The floor up had corridors spirally off the steps at several points, which stretched into the darkness. Eaew floor followed a simir structure, and though the promise of more opportunities for exploration and loot called to a part of him, he remained oh up out of the Dungeon. Krion’s muscles started to burn, a, he kept moving, carrying Hatsuh ease.

  The Leporine was silent for a while, but eventually she spoke. “Krion,” she began softly, speaking into the back of his neck. “I… I’m gd you came for me.”

  Krion’s pace slowed for a moment. He gnced over his shoulder at her, but her eyes were cast downward, her silver-grey long ears bent in exhaustion. “You are?” he asked, his voice softer than he had intended.

  She he fingers on one haly shifting against the fabric of his school uniform. “Yes. I haven’t known you long, but how you have treated me has made me feel safe. Even though you are a human s and I’m just a Leporine.”

  Krion shook his head, then turned his attention back towards the path upwards, though he tio move slowly, listening for potential monsters nearby. “You’re more than that, Hatsune. More than your race, despite eople like Chadwick see. I hope you know by now that, while I chose you to be my bodyguard, I see you more as a friend.”

  Her ears perked up, brushing against the back of his head, and he could practically see the smile on her face as she spoke. “Lo—Krion, you really think of me as a friend?”

  “Of course,” he said, but his heart skipped a beat, different words catg in his throat. The sileretched on into minutes as he tinued walking, her knowing what to say in respoo what he had said. Krion had never been one for expressing his feelings openly ba Earth, but he was beginning to find it hard to deny his i in the Leporine, no, the young woman, he was carrying.

  He almost said something more, when he felt her weight shift against him. A sudden, soft exhale escaped her lips, followed by an uling stillness. Krion gnced over his shoulder quickly, his heart dropping into his stomach as Hatsune’s body rexed further against him, her breathing slow and steady but unmistakeably deeper than before.

  “Hatsune?” Krion’s voice broke through the uneasy quiet of the Dungeon, but there was no response. Her eyes had closed, her ears twitched faintly, and her head had fallen to rest heavily against his shoulder. He stared for a moment, his worry spiking that her leg had been injured far worse than the healing potion had been able to handle, before it suddenly dawned on him.

  She had fallen asleep.

  Relief warred with frustration in his chest. Of all the times and pces to nod off, the middle of a Dungeon was far from ideal, but given how exhausted she was, he couldn’t really bme her. The fighting, the blood loss, the stant tension—it was enough to push everyone over their limits. The healing potion had likely stabilized her injuries, but he well knew from having used them himself in the past that it wouldn’t be enough to undo all at ohe toll of what she had suffered.

  He adjusted his grip on her, pulling her closer to keep her steady. “You couldn’t wait until we were out of here, could you?” he muttered under his breath, though his tone held no malice at the unscious Leporine.

  The burn in Krion’s muscles deepened as the stoeps disappeared ier numbers behind him. Hatsune’s limp body felt like a dead weight on his back, some of the blood of her injuries drying to his bad side. The sound of his steps scraping against the stone echoed through the winding stairwell as it began to narrow. He pushed himself harder, faster. His measured breaths were beginning to e faster as the tiredness set in. But Krion pushed himself to ighe fatigue, the ache in his limbs.

  The air of the Dungeon was just as thid oppressive as it had been on the lowest level, but now it seemed like the walls themselves were beginning to close around him. The light of the iridest moss on the walls was nht enough to cast grotesque shadows, but Krion ighem o was clear no monsters hid within them. He smiled as light from the building above came into sight over the stoeps just ahead of him.

  The smile died on his face when he passed a corridor, only to hear the faint rustle of movement just out of sight.

  Immediately he crouched, lightly setting Hatsune down on the ground. He gently shook her awake. “Hatsune,” he said softly, careful not to startle her. “I need you to wake up. I think we have one more fight. Just ohough, and we’re out of here.”

  She shifted and her eyes fluttered open, the exhaustion still evident in her face. “Krion?” she murmured, still waking up.

  “I think it’s more of those lizard monsters,” he expined, gng over his shoulder at the growing sounds of hissing growls ing from the nearby darkness. “They’re ing. I need your help.”

  For a moment, it looked like she wao drift back to sleep, but then she forced herself to sit up and reached out to take her longsword with trembling hands. “Alright,” she said, her voice steadier now. “I’ll steer them for you…get you your openings. Let’s finish this.”

  Krion nodded, helpio her feet as the first of the lizardmen emerged from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with predatory hunger. Dressed in rags, cked a on but did not care as it rushed to attack.

  Hatsune’s movements were slower than usual, but her determination shohrough. Stepping in front of Krion, she moved into a swift lunge, f the first lizardman to panic as it threw its arm up to parry the strike. It barely blocked the blow in time, hissing as the tip of the bde pierced its scaly arm. Pulling back her sword and stepping to the left, she forced the lizardman to follow her away from Krion. She darted fain, her longsword fshing. Each strike was calcuted, simultaneously holding the creature bad keeping its attention on the Leporine.

  An opening.

  The lizardman, bck blood oozing from half a dozen wounds, stepped after Hatsuh a warbling hiss, eyes focused solely on Krion’s bodyguard. Seizing the opportunity before the lizardman could step out from the corridor, Krion raised his greatsword only t it down in a single devastating swing. The massive bde cleaved through the monster’s side, sending it crumpling to the ground.

  “!” Hatsune called, her voice strained. She pressed forward, past Krion, intercepting another lizardman and pressing it bader a darting assault. The moumbled slightly, and she took the opportunity to drive her longsword through its eye into its brain. As it seized ih, Hatsune pulled her oo step back to Krion’s side. She barely got a breath before the monster emerged.

  The fight quickly shifted to one of precision and power. The lizardman that stepped from the nearby corridor was rger thahers, pushing the smaller ones aside. Hatsune immediately baited and redirected it away from her s. Each blow and dodge was a struggle, but she forced herself to keep moving.

  Worried that Hatsune was starting to slow down, Krion searched for opportuo sm home a sudden, debilitating strike on her oppo. So focused was he on finding an opening that he pletely missed how one of the smaller lizardmen had snuck around behind him. Lunging from his blind side, the lizardman raked its serrated cws along Krion’s arm. Pain shot through him, but he gritted his teeth and spun, driving his bde through the creature’s chest. Blood dripped down his hand, but he ig, immediately fog ba the rge lizardman bearing down on Hatsune.

  The lizardman’s hulking frame towered over her as it sshed its cws downward with terrifying force. Hatsune barely sidestepped in time, the cw smming to the ground where she had been standing, sending shards of stone flying. She retaliated with a swift upward ssh, her longsword skimming along the monster’s scaled arm. The blow wasn’t deep enough to incapacitate, but it forced the lizardman back a step, a guttural snarl esg its throat.

  When Hatsune did not immediately pursue, it pressed its attack again. She parried blow after blow, her sword arm trembling uhe strain. Just when she felt she couldn’t take arike, she ducked low, her bde fshing upward in a sweeping arc. The longsword tore the surprised lizardman’s throat open, dark blood spraying back across the two remaining lizardmen struggling to get past their dying broodmate.

  Hatsune faltered momentarily, her strength waning. One of the remaining lizardmen rushed forward, its cws sshing toward her face. Krion shifted his focus from the target the Leporine was engaging, surging forward into her blindspot, intercepting the attack with his greatsword. He hissed in pain as the impact jarred his injured arm, but he didn’t falter, driving the monster back with a vicious strike. He stepped up alongside Hatsune, while both the remaining lizardmen bared their fangs and hissed.

  “You alright?” he asked, keeping his focus on the lizardman before him.

  She nodded weakly, pushing herself to keep her sword up. “I’m fine,” she insisted, though her steps remained unsteady. “Just two more.”

  The lizardmen moved in unison, cirg Krion and Hatsune. He adjusted his stance, tinuing to shield Hatsune’s weaker side as she steadied herself, determination hardeniired expression. When the lizardman on the left suddenly lunged, Krios charge head-on, his greatsword cleaving downward with enough force to shear through its arm and bury the end of the bde deep into its chest. The creature gurgled and colpsed, lifeless, but the effort sent a fresh wave of pain through Krion’s injured arm.

  The final lizardman took its ce, darting toward Hatsuh a savage hiss. She sidestepped just in time, her sword fshing out to catch it across the ribs. The moaggered, but before it could recover, Krion spun and drove his bde through its back, ending the fight in one final, decisive strike.

  As soon as its body hit the ground, Hatsune swayed on her feet, the longsword slipping from her grasp. She slumped to the ground. Krion reached for her, his heart pounding with worry, but her breathing was steady. This time he didn’t think he would be able to wake her. She was simply too exhausted. Taking a minute, he collected the rags that the lizardmen wore, nose wrinkling at the rancid smell they gave off. W quickly, he fashioned a crude sling to carry their ons and the loot. He would have to be careful how he did it, but he knew he had enough strength to carry it all, and Hatsune, if he moved quickly.

  Loot and ons secured, Krion’s muscles burned, and his breaths came in ragged gasps as he hoisted Hatsune up onto his back. Blood was seeping from the wound in her leg, it apparently having opened again in the fight. It stained his clothes a a crimson line down his side. Wasting no more time, he staggered up the narrowing spiral staircase that led up out of the Dungeon.

  Everything was quiet now except for the sound of his bored breaths and the jingle of Hatsune’s armor as he made his the stairs. So focused was he on putting one foot in front of the other that he almost didn’t hear the hum at first. It was subtle — a low, resonant vibration that Krion thought was just the pounding of his ow at first.

  But then, the whispers started.

  “You fight well, s. But is it enough?”

  The voice was her male nor female, its tone a dissonant blend of curiosity and alice. Krion staggered to a halt, his foot h over the step, and he whipped his head around. The shadows danced along the walls, but no monster emerged.

  “Leave her. Save yourself. She is only a burden.”

  The whisper slithered into his mind like a snake. Krion grit his teeth, but his grip on Hatsune only tightened as if to shield her from the words. “Shut up,” he growled, f himself to keep moving.

  That’s when he heard the ugh — a hollow, eg sound that seemed to reverberate through the stone corridors.

  “Defiance… amusing. But how long you endure? Your strength wanes, your body already falters.”

  At the words, the weight on his back grew heavier. His knees buckled slightly, aumbled forward, catg himself against the wall with a grunt. He adjusted Hatsune’s position, ign the throbbing pain in his shoulders.

  “Fuck you… whoever you are. You won’t break me,” Krion grunted.

  “Break you? No, child. I will shape you. Mold you. The Pit cims all who enter, one way or another. Even those who leave carry its mark.” The whispers grew louder, more insistent, iwining with his thoughts. “You belong to me, s.”

  “That’s a lie,” he growled, shaking his head to dispel the insidious voice. “You’re trying to mess with me. I don’t belong to anyone.”

  The voice, the Dungeon, chuckled again, the sound grating against his nerves.

  “Don’t you? Look at the girl you carry. Look at the blood you spilled. Survival i is not just about strength but sacrifice. What will you sacrifiake it out of here alive?”

  Krion’s grip tightened on Hatsune. He gnced down at her pale face, her closed eyes, and the faint lines of paiched into her features. She had fought valiantly, and she had been thrown into this nightmare because of him. There was no way he would leave her behind.

  “I’ll sacrifice everything if I have to,” Krion said, his voice firm despite his exhaustion. “But not her.”

  “Noble words for a boy struggling to stand,” the voieered. “You are not the first who has attempted to defy me. Many start like you—determined, stubborn, righteous. Ahey all fell. They all sacrificed something. You will, too.”

  “I’ll take my ces,” Krion snapped, f his legs to move.

  Oep at a time, he climbed higher, ign the weight of Hatsune, ign the ache in his body, and ign the oppressive whispers of the Dungeon. Gradually, the whispers faded into a low hum, but the Dungeon’s presence lingered, heavy and grasping for him. Krion didn’t stop, didn’t dare look back. He focused oeps before him, and on the faint glimmer of light ahead.

  Finally, he reached the top, stepping up out of the stairs that spiraled downwards into the darkness. Several is appeared in the er of his eye, but he forced them away. His eyes swept the open room, but the rest area was empty. He breathed a sigh of relief at the fact all of his enemies had apparently left him and Hatsune for dead.

  Staggering forward, struggling to breath arembling, he gently id Hatsune on one of the empty benches so that he had a few mio catch his breath. Krion checked her, but she remained deep in sleep. He colpsed beside her, his chest heaving as he stared up at the ceiling. The silence was deafening after the relentless whispers of the Dungeon.

  After ten minutes or so, he picked her and their loot up agai time to stagger out of the building that marked the entrao the Dungeon. The break hadn’t been long enough, and his vision swam, flickering in and out of focus.

  It was night outside, but he could not see any stars through all the clouds. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, still struggling to get his breath.

  Without warning or sound, a Sentinel was suddenly standing in front of him. Tall and imposing in its armor, the mask it wore shifted first from Hatsuo his own tired face. The Sentinel did not say a word, only stared.

  Panic bubbled up through his exhaustion. He hadn’t expected to be fronted so soon and without any warning. He swayed, nearly losing his bance. He opened his mouth, intending to ask for help. He needed… he needed…

  Before he could utter a single word, darkness cimed him, and he colpsed, Hatsune sliding from his grip to nd softly beside him on the ground.

  A bit of a longer chapter at ~4700 words, I hope you e!

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