Realm Wars

Chapter 185: A Short Respite

"W-we. .. we made it." Cathy exhaled in an exaggerated breath as she eyed the portal that was now closing before her. 

"At the expense of others." Ryu got up to his feet and looked at the room they were in. 

"Oh shut up, halfbreed," Rosa barked and snapped her fingers. A gust of wind enveloped her and dried her wet clothes within seconds. "It's not our fault that they didn't make it."

Ryu looked her dead in the eyes. He didn't blame her. It was either them or the others. Sacrifices were meant to be exchanged for the exit. It just that. .. there might have been a better way to go about it if they weren't suddenly pressed of time.

Ryu sighed.

"Where are we?" Fifi roamed her sight and found the place like the previous dungeon. It was spacy about two thousand meters in area. But instead of puzzles to solve, they were faced with two doors.

There were also others present who were taking their time in resting their weary bones. Their faces were grim and haggard, and the regret in their eyes was palpable.

They would undoubtedly rather leave the dungeon than continue into the deeper floors.

"Let's take a rest first and resume after an hour." Rosa threw a look at Cathy. "If you want to come with us squirt, then you better be prepared to follow my orders without questions."

Cathy pouted. "Who are you calling a squirt? And who wants to go with you? I'll travel on my own. Hmp!" She then made her way to one of the empty spots at the corner.

Rosa followed her with a sneer before she went on the opposite side. 

Ryu heaved a sigh as he shook his head before he and Fifi looked at each other.

"How are you, Ryu?" Fifi started. "I'm glad we got to reunite again after all that happened!"

"I'm fine. Kai is fine too. But we've got separated."

"That's great. Is this your third Islet now?" Fifi asked, twirling in the air beside Ryu. 

Ryu nodded.

Amazement coated her face, and she bellowed, "That's amazing! How did you survive this far?" 

Her face then shied away. "Sorry. I don't mean that you're weak. . ."

It was exactly what she meant. Ryu didn't mind it, though. "I got lucky, and I have companions with me along the way. Though we got separated."

"My," Fifi clasped her hands, and her face registered genuine glee. "Good for you Ryu." then her expression crumbled into sadness. "I wish I too could meet new friends. Either they're dead or were used as cannon fodders, thanks to my master."

Ryu felt sorry for Fifi. In a way, he had a level of respect for her for tolerating Rosa this far.

"What happened after we got swallowed by that ocean anyway?" Ryu asked, hoping to get information about Cecily's whereabouts.

Fifi shook her head. "I don't know. Since my master was unconscious, I was forcefully dragged inside the bottle. And when I came too, master and I are separated from the rest, and there's this weird-looking pink creature who said that we should make it through the four Islet and into the throne room to get out here."

Fifi sighed. Sparks of electricity coated her breath. "It was tough. Good thing Master is strong and has brains."

Shrewd, you mean, Ryu wanted to add but was contented to seal his lips shut.

Fifi pressed his fingers together. "I know that master isn't the best and friendly. .. but she experiences a lot and I hope that. .. you can be patient with her."

She then beamed. "She isn't so bad once you get to know her."

".. ." Ryu thought otherwise, but since Fifi defended Rosa even though Rosa was mean to her, he thought he should give a benefit of the doubt. And Fifi stayed longer with Rosa. Her words at least contained some truth.

I hope. .. Ryu mused to himself. It would be a problem if Rosa didn't contain even a speck of kindness in her. That would be a problem if he wanted to retrieve Ferris.

Ryu wanted to take a snack while they were resting, but then he remembered that he had given all his food to Marcus and Halfjack while he was separated from Seraphina.

He wasn't hungry. He just wanted to munch at something to pass the time.

Ryu looked at Rosa's way when he smelled the fresh scent of roasted meat after what seemed like a long time.

His saliva dripped from the side of his mouth, and he eyed the T-bone in Rosa's fingers.

"You want?" Rosa offered.

Ryu's eyes shone, and he nodded.

Rosa's lower lips puckered and faked an innocent tone. "Alright. But first, give me your paws, wag your tail, and barked three times."

Ryu's face crumpled in disgust. He was a fool to expect anything from the woman. Fifi was delusional and was being brainwashed by her.

Rosa laughed, two dimples hallowing her cheeks. She looked cute and adorable, nothing like the arrogant face and haughty attitude she always portrayed, and this caught Ryu's attention.

It would be nice if she could always laugh like that.

"Just messing with you, halfbreed." Rosa threw a lump of meat in Ryu's way, and he caught it with two hands.

"It would be bothersome if you pass out due to hunger. But don't expect me to give you more. Got that?"

She then resumed eating while Ryu was dumbfounded that she actually gave him a piece.

"Told you." Fifi winked at Ryu before she went to Rosa and jabbed a finger at herself. "Master, what about me?"

Rosa cut Fifi a glare. "You don't eat meat."

Fifi put a finger on her lips. "But I wanted to have a taste."

"Don't waste my food, servant." 

"Eh. . ." Fifi's eyes watered, then she looked at Ryu.

Ryu ignored her and chomped the piece of meat inside his mouth in one bite.

"Heartless," Fifi muttered and cried at the corner.

At the side, Cathy was throwing her anger at the jerkies in her hands. "Grr. .. follow my order she said. Huuuh?! There is only one boss in here, you old hag. And it's me!"

*chomp

Cathy then looked at the beef Jerkies as she chewed, and her expression fell. It was Nash's favorite food, and her chin crumpled. "Nash. . ." 

This was actually the first time that they've got separated. Throughout their islet exploration, they managed to stay together but now. . .

Because of the lure of the God-tier treasures, she convinced him to take a detour since they were already here. But she didn't expect that they'd be separated in the end. If something happened to him, she could only blame herself.

"I hope you're okay. .. ," Cathy mumbled in a daze and chomped another jerky in her mouth while shedding tears. Soo good! Yet she felt soo sad!

As the minutes ticked by, more and more experts gathered at the place, and Ryu became alert. Maybe Seraphina would show up! Surely, she could easily solve the puzzles with her brains, and with her spells, she wouldn't die with just some traps.

". . ." 

There were about fifty adventurers in the hall, and almost half of them exited the dungeon. At least the doors didn't contain puzzles and traps. Ryu was sick and tired of multiple doors and knobs.

However, Ryu's concern multiplied when the appearance of adventurers dwindled until it ceased, and still, no sign of Seraphina's shadow.

She got to be alright. Ryu repeated this mantra over and over in his head. 

"Master. . ." Fifi called, voice bored, "How many levels is this dungeon anyway? Are we going to explore it until we find a God-tier item, or are we going to finish this dungeon up to the end?"

Rosa ignored Fifi. Partly because she was being annoying again but mostly because she herself didn't know the answer. 

Frankly, it was up to her greed. How far would she go for the God-tier items versus the dungeon's difficulty? She wasn't suicidal and knew when the situation called for her to stop and prioritize her life.

But as long as that time wouldn't come, she would push on with the dungeon no matter how far it went.

Rosa was up to her feet after barely an hour.

"Let's go." She was concerned that the more they dawdle, the more the others would first take hold of the God-tier items. 

Unconcerned with Ryu's feelings and Fifi's grumbling, Rosa pushed her way towards the next dungeon. But before Ryu went onwards, he shot one final glance at Cathy, who seemed lonely at the corner.

He hoped that she would be reunited with Nash soon. He knew the feeling of worrying and longing for someone he cared about, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Cathy looked over, and before Ryu was swallowed by the portal, they locked gazes, and everything went black.

----

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