Sidequest

Luce’s arrow pierced through the cloud of Darkness around Blaze and suddenly she could breathe again. She rolled over onto her side, coughing and sputtering. Black droplets, saliva mixed with Darkness, spilled from the corners of her mouth.

Before she could fully recover, the full force of Alyss’s bony chest slammed into Blaze’s head. She wrapped her arms fully around Blaze’s head. “I thought I was going to lose you...” Alyss whispered, her voice catching a little bit. Unable to move to hug her back, Blaze just let herself be held with her ear against Alyss’s chest, hearing her heartbeat race.

“Is this thing broken?” Alphonse asked, right before there was a clatter of metal. “Nevermind, it’s getting back up...”

Hearing that Blaze finally fully relaxed.

“Found the treasure!” Luce’S voice announced, echoing off the cavern walls. Alyss slowly let go, helping Blaze to her feet as well. Alyss brushed the tears off her cheeks and pushed back the flyaway strands of red hair by her face, “what happened to your healer friend?”

Alphonse’s lip curled up in a slight sneer, “Hiro,” he said with emphasis then continued with a softer expression, “Hiro over-extended himself and passed out. I used his Adventurer’s Medallion to send him back.”

“Helloooo? Is no one else interested in the treasure?”

*

Kelsi stood stock still, staring at the spot Alphonse would appear. She wrung out the same tress of slightly curly brown hair over and over as she waited. Is he unconscious? What if he isn’t able to use his medallion? What if he is in worse shape than Hiro? Will he be mad it’s me waiting for him and not Suzie?

Kelsi’s runaway cart full of thoughts suddenly crashed when a group of figures appeared in the teleportation circle. There was a tall, fully armored person holding up a small, tan girl with short cropped orange hair and clear signs of Darkness poisoning. Another girl, a little taller with broader shoulders, stronger looking arms, paler skin, and long red hair, was hovering around her, wiping away the inky blackness spilling from her eyes and other orifices.

Alphonse was standing off to the side away from the group, looking sweaty, tired, and a little roughed up but, for the most part, okay. But bells of alarm rang in Kelsi’s head when she saw the fifth figure shaking Alphonse’s hand.

It was the person Suzie and her had met outside the dungeon. How come they were with Alphonse? Was that trio their teammates? They don’t look close to them at all. Kelsi started making her way towards Alphonse.

The person with brown skin and long white hair looked out over the crowd and cleared their throat. The people gathered around, those checking commissions on notice boards, those reading correspondence to see if their teammates who got separated would show up, and those hoping beyond hope that the next people in the teleportation circle would be their injured but living comrades.

With a cocky smile, they announced, “Dungeon 724 has been cleared by members of The Golden Coin Guild’s Beta team and The Three-Winged Guild’s Phi team!”