(Morcster Chef) Trapped - Ch. 91 (Patreon)

Arek approached the remains of the lake, prepared to throw himself out of the way at the barest hint of movement. He reached the boulder uncontested and peered down into the murky water surrounding it.

Something glinted between the edge of the water and the boulder. Arek reached down with the tip of his cleaver, nudging the shiny bit around until he managed to find purchase and drag it to the surface. It was a surprisingly clean sword with a jagged edge and a golden handguard.

“Did any of the fishmen not use a trident?” Arek asked.

“That’s the boss’s sword,” Malissa said. “I don’t think it would have let go of it willingly.”

“It’s in good shape for getting crushed under a boulder. It must be magical,” Arek said.

“Think of how much food we could buy if we sell it,” Ming breathed, practically drooling.

“We’ll be splitting any rewards we get, Ming. Stay focused,” Belmont said, prodding the mage in the shoulder. “I feel uneasy here. I would have preferred a normal boss fight. Unpredictability unsettles me.”

“That explains why you hate surprise parties,” Ming muttered under her breath, dodging out of the way before Belmont could smack her. “Hey, what happened to focus?”

“How are we supposed to get out of the dungeon?” Malissa asked suddenly. “The boss is dead, but I don’t see a portal.”

They fell silent for several moments, each scanning for any signs of the dark portal. Unfortunately, a large portion of the room had been buried under large rocks. The area beyond the large boulder in the lake was essentially inaccessible.

“Shit,” Arek said.

“Double shit,” Belmont agreed. “This is bad. If the exit was buried in rubble, we’ll never get to it. Right – nobody panic. Forget looting this dungeon, we just need to get out. There has to be a way to get to the portal.”

Belmont paced around the room, his gaze darting around like a grasshopper overdosed on coffee. He sped around the others, the mutters under his breath growing faster and faster.

“I’m pretty sure he’s the one panicking,” Ming whispered.

“Don’t tell him that,” Malissa replied. “He’s right, though. There has to be another way out. If not…”

“We’ll have to eat fishmen,” Ming finished, horrified.

“What? No – well, yes, I suppose. That isn’t what I’d be the most worried about, but you’re not wrong.”

Arek tied the sword to his pack with a length of leather that hung from the side. Then he nodded up at the large brightly lit hole in the ceiling.

“Maybe we should figure out what happened over there,” Arek suggested. “Maybe it’s another way out.”

“Who puts an exit in the ceiling?” Malissa asked doubtfully.

“The monster pathways!” Belmont exclaimed, sliding to a stop and thrusting a finger into the air. “We entered the dungeon through the normal entrance, but monsters can escape without it. There are other passages leading in and out of the dungeon that aren’t used unless the dungeon isn’t cleared for too long.”

“You think that’s one of the exits?”

“It could be,” Arek said, squinting up at it. “Either way, we should check it out. If there are enemies up there, we don’t want them to get the drop on us.”

They all looked at Ming. She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow.

“Why are you looking at me? I’m not supposed to fly anymore.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” Arek said.

“I’m experiencing temporarily blindness,” Malissa deadpanned.

“What? How? Did you trigger a trap?” Belmont asked, rushing over to stand by her and raising his staff.

Ming chuckled and let out a low whistle. She floated into the air and approached the hole in the ceiling cautiously. She rose up to the ceiling several feet away from it first, then slowly inched into the gap and poked her head through it.

“Uh…you guys might want to take a look at this,” Ming called down. “No enemies though.”

“A little hard to do that,” Arek said. “We can’t fly. Is it an exit?”

“I’m not sure. There’s a door, though. It’s got a bunch of weird glowing green runes on it. There’s nothing else. Not even a hallway or any other entrance to the room.”

“Well, that isn’t ominous at all,” the orc said, sighing. “Lovely. I’m sure the strange glowy door is just there to mark a cool exit, and wasn’t sealed off from the rest of the dungeon for some other reason.”

“So…we’re investigating it, then?” Malissa asked.

“Oh, absolutely.”

“Hold on!” Belmont protested. “A door covered in runes and sealed in the ceiling is in no way, shape, or form safe. That screams cursed.”

“Do you see any other ways out? And I don’t think I’m particularly keen on finding another secret passage with a trident,” Arek said.

“I don’t think I am either,” Belmont said, letting out a heavy sigh. “The door might be very dangerous. We need to be cautious.”

“I’ve got rope,” Arek said. “Ming, is there anything sturdy to tie some rope to up there?”

The small mage floated up several more feet, disappearing over the lip of the hole. Belmont looked like he was about to give birth to a goblin. He let out a sigh of relief when Ming reappeared a few moments later.

“There’s a rock that looks pretty firmly set,” Ming said. “I think it should hold.”

Arek reached into his travel pack and removed the bundle of rope. He reared back and tossed one end up to Ming. The small mage grabbed it out of the air and vanished once again. She disappeared for another minute before reappearing at the edge of the hole.

“All tied up,” Ming said.

“I’ll go first,” Malissa volunteered. “I’m the lightest, so I’ve probably got the best chance of making it up if the rock is loose. Then I can help hold it while you two climb.”

Belmont’s eyebrows threatened to touch eachother as his brow creased even further. His lips were pressed so tightly together that the blood had left them and they’d turned white, but the man had no good argument against it. He just sighed and nodded.