(Morcster Chef) Escape! - Ch. 95 (Patreon)

More of the stress left Belmont’s face. The stressed lines in his forehead faded slightly as the man let out a weary sigh.

“That’s definitely Ming,” he agreed. “We still need to report this to the guild immidiately. River Crypt needs to be investigated immidiately.”

Arek drew in a deep breath. As the stress and fear from the dungeon waned, it was hard not to appreciate the fresh meadow air. The dust filled dungeon had made him forget that smells other than mildew, algae, and rotting fish existed.

“Should we take a look at what we found? I don’t think any of us are at immediate risk, and a few seconds aren’t going to change anything with Ming’s eyes,” Malissa said.

“I’m unsure if that’s wise,” Belmont said. “What if that’s what affected us with mind magic? We should wait until we meet with Magus.”

“That’s a good point,” Arek agreed. “As tempted as I am, that dungeon unsettled me. Whatever mind controlled us didn’t necessarily seem malicious as we’re all still alive, but it’s still quite concerning.”

“That’s probably the smartest move. In that case, we should head back to Riverfall as soon as possible. Does anyone see the dungeon? I’ve got no idea where we are,” Malissa said.

Arek realized he was just as lost. There were no signs of Riverfall, the dungeon, or even the huge river that led to the city. He spun, searching for any identifying pieces of landscape, but the field stretched on for as far as he could see.

“I could try calling Magus,” Ming offered. “He traced that one staff when I only used it once or twice, so he should be able to easily detect a large amount of pure magic.”

“That’s a great idea!” Belmont exclaimed. “Do that. If we can get Magus to come to us, we can get you looked at right away!”

Arek and Malissa voiced their agreement as well. Ming nodded and raised her staff into the sky. She closed her eyes in concentration. Her breathing slowed into a steady rhythm and blue light started to gather at the tip of the wood.

The light grew in intensity, slowly turning into a miniature moon that forced the other members of the Happy Sunflowers to avert their eyes. The magic started to hum and a breeze kicked up. It brushed past Arek and sped towards Ming.

“I think that might be enough!” Belmont yelled over the din.

Ming didn’t respond, but the light stopped growing brighter. It floated in the sky above them while the party waited with bated breath. Then the wind stopped. Ming’s magic blinked out of existance, casting the meadow back into dusk.

“What in the four planes of existance are you doing?” Magus’s raspy voice asked. “I had to teleport away from a very important meeting for this, you better have a very good reason for using this much pure magic. I thought you were an artifact about to explode!”

The pale man stood beside Ming. He held her staff in one boney hand. He was also completely naked, aside from a pair of very clean white briefs that left far too little to the imagination. Belmont looked like he wanted to hug the mage, but he settled for a relieved sigh.

“Our apologies,” Malissa said, tactfully keeping eye contact with him. “We ran into some very serious issues within the River Crypt, and we felt like we had to report them immidiately…”

It took them nearly ten minutes to fully explain the events that had taken place over the course of the last week. Magus’s eyebrows crept higher and higher on his face until they threatened to disappear into his hairline. By the time they’d finished, he looked jealous that he hadn’t been in the dungeon himself.

“Before we go any farther, let me have a look at you,” Magus ordered, grabbing Ming by the sides of her head and peering into her eyes.

Magus’s hands lit up with pure magic. Belmont rocked back and forth in place. Arek could practically see the worry making new creases in his forehead. He and Ming stared at eachother, unmoving, for nearly a minute before the pale mage released her and shook his head.

“Relax, Belmont,” Magus finally said. He let out a weary sigh and shivered. “Ming is no longer under the affects of any mind magic. Whatever was done to her has passed, and I can’t detect anything actively malicious about it.”

Belmont leaned on his staff as the last of the adrenaline seemed to depart his body at once. Arek and Malissa both let out relieved sighs as well.

“Your reports are exceedingly concerning,” Magus said. “Whatever this alien presence was, it should not have been in the River Crypt. Mind magic of that caliber is very dangerous, and whoever cast it was no pushover. Rest assured the guild will look into this. Could you procure the items you found in the dungeon?”

They all pulled out their loot. Arek grabbed the small wooden box as well as the metal bar. He put them on the ground beside Magus, then pulled out a spare shirt and tossed it to the mage.

“I procured an extra item for you,” Arek said, sending a pointed glance at Magus’s briefs.

The mage cleared his throat and pulled the shirt over his head. It was several sizes too large for him. It looked like a stained, flapping cloak on him, but that was probably more of Magus’s style anyway.

Belmont and Malissa had both managed to grab wooden chests similar to the one Arek had found. In addition, Belmont had picked up a crystal orb while Malissa had a ring.

Magus brushed his hand over each item, muttering under his breath and sending tendrils of pure magic into each item. After a few minutes, he shrugged and shook his head. The mage retracted his magic and gestured for them to take their belongings back.

“As far as I can tell, this is nothing extraordinary. Several magic items, a good amount of gold and gems within the boxes, but nothing concerning. It’s a good bit better than what I would normally expect from the River Crypt, but nothing malicious.”

Arek placed the box and the metal bar back into his bag with a frown.

“Do you know what they do?” He asked.

“I’m afraid not. I have no skill in appraising items, but anyone at Riverfall’s auction house can do it for you,” Magus said. He drummed his fingers on his chin and pursed his lips. “But that begs the question – why were you mind controlled? Nobody makes such a powerful spell just to mess with you.”

“Maybe its purpose is already completed, and this is just the remnants of it?” Belmont suggested.

“Perhaps,” Magus said, but it was clear he wasn’t convinced. “More mysteries. And before you ask, we’ve made some progress on identifying your aggressor, Belmont. Please remain silent for a few more days. We are tracking down the organization she belonged to, but their roots are deeper in the guild than we thought.”

“Very well,” Belmont said, frowning and resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Drawing attention would just bring more enemies to our door, and we’ve got enough problems as it is.”

“Far more than your share,” Magus muttered under his breath. “How did I find the only F rank team that gets into two major events that require the guild’s attention within the span of a week?”

“What was that?” Malissa asked. “I didn’t hear you.”

“Never mind,” Magus sighed. “Let’s get you lot back to Riverfall. I suspect you all need a good night of rest, and I’d like to keep you somewhere where you can’t get into even more trouble.”