Headed by a Snake

Lone entered the room... and almost immediately his form blurred... It was as if he had stepped into a murky cloud.

No... it was more like a... thickened clear soup.

Unperturbed, Lone slowly moved forward... his movement slowed, as if he were walking through a heavy syrup. Finally, he placed his hands in front of him, fingers pointed forward... then brought his arms to the side, propelling him a fulm or so.

"Oh, no!" Athena exclaimed in worry, her hands retracted against her white-armored chest, "What\'s wrong with him, Sir Tycon?"

Tycon pursed his lips, "It appears he\'s stepped into a... transparent slime... perhaps a dungeon creature known as a Gelatinous Cube."

⟬ Gelatinous Cube, Bronze-Rank Ooze. ⟭

Lone floated helplessly inside of the cube, the creature\'s paralytic poison taking full effect.

"[LEADER, SHALL I RESCUE HIM?]" Korr offered.

Tycon glanced over to the worried Athena before addressing Korr, "Yes, please do."

...

Korr made short work of the ooze, the creature not particularly resistant to her fire-sheathed sword.

Once Lone was resuscitated with the help of Tycon\'s ⌈Inspirational Surge⌋ skill, Athena chose a different room. For Lone\'s peace of mind, it was a smaller room that could in no way fit another room-sized Gelatinous Cube.

...Though a smaller ooze-type creature was quite possible.

Lone entered warily... far more observant of his surroundings than previously.

"Ehehe..." Athena giggled to herself quietly.

"What\'cha thinkin\' bouuuut?" Sorina asked.

"Ohhh, nothinnnnnng," The frosty-haired noble replied playfully... "I was just thinking that maybe Mister Lone\'s just as clumsy as I am."

Tanamar averted his gaze. Tycon quietly placed his white helmet back on his head, fully hiding his expression. In a way, the young lady\'s clumsiness could be blamed for choosing such a hazardous room for Lone to enter.

"Room\'s clear!" Lone called out, emerging with a broad smile on his face.

Tycon peeked into the door behind him... He hadn\'t paid attention earlier, but the room wasn\'t even 10 square fulms wide. Also, there was a hole in the floor...

It was a toilet.

"Mister Lone, what took you so long?"

Lone turned, grinning, "Had to make sure it was safe, Boss! I even put my head in the hole in the floor to look down below. No enemies, whatsoever!"

Tycon glanced behind Lone... at the concerned expressions of Frostblade Athena

and the curious look worn by Calculator Sorina. The other members of Guild Letalis were also staring intently at Lone\'s back.

Pursing his lips, Tycon grasped onto Lone\'s shoulders to restrict his movement.

"...Boss?" Lone frowned. His eyes grew moist and he looked as if he were about to cry, "There\'s something behind me, isn\'t there?"

���Very likely," Tycon nodded. "Ah... Miss Athena, would you inform the two of us what you see?"

"Well... they\'re kinda like... pink birds?" Athena grimaced, "Six? Wings? And they\'re really creepy looking!"

"Oh, gods. Oh, gods... get them off me," Lone begged, tears forming in his eyes.

Tycon inquired further, "And what are they doing?"

"Their beaks are... stuck in Lone\'s armor?"

Tycon nodded, mentally reviewing the information with his System. He also noted that Lone\'s face was beginning to pale.

"Bloodsucking parasites... not poisonous--"

"Ehehe..." Athena giggled nervously, "That\'s a relief."

"--but they could be diseased," Tycon finished.

Lone began to weep openly, "Not again..."

Tycon pursed his lips... then he asked a question that would not have an answer he liked... "How many of them?"

"Twenty-six!" Calculator Sorina exclaimed, almost proudly.

"Mister Lone..." Tycon frowned.

"Y-y-yes... Boss...?"

"How are you not dead?"

...

The fist-sized, bird-parasites beat their wings as fast as hummingbirds. Thankfully, in Lone selflessly allowing his flesh to be pierced through his leather armor, the creatures remained immobile as they fed on his life essence. Athena, with her precise frost mana control, carefully picked them off, one by one.

Twenty-six dead creatures later... Lone was restored to health by a combination of a healing potion and Centurion Zenon\'s high-mana cost ⌈Soothing Wind⌋.

Athena apologized profusely for directing Lone into two near-death situations.

Lone apologized for *wasting* so much of Guild Letalis\' mana.

Sorina expressed amusement-- which Tycon had to scold her for. He was greatly annoyed at the taxing of their resources.

As consolation for his difficulties, the clever Athena offered Lone the task of decided Guild Letalis\' next destination.

The young Ranger grew elated, oblivious to the fact that such a decision had little bearing on what their group would encounter next. It could be another Bronze-Rank Gelatinous Cube. It could be a dozen Gold-Rank Undead.

And so... Lone went down an unexplored hallway, taking his time in choosing amongst the doors and paths.

Lone pressed his ear to the dry wood of one door... heedless to the danger. Door traps tended to be pressure or movement-activated... via a depressed plate in front of it or from sensing a vibration against the frame or handle.

He knew this. Tycon berated the young man for it.

Still optimistic, Lone apologized sheepishly, then opened the door and entered the room.

What the Ranger saw within... made his jaw drop.

It was a storage room... full of lockboxes... wardrobe chests... and large clay containers.

Tycon briefly glanced back to Frostblade Athena, who was looking on in wonder, and to Calculator Sorina, her eyes full of greed.

Most adventurers would rejoice at the discovery of such a room. There was an endless amount of possible loot-- most would be useless, but the excitement of possible world-altering magical treasures within was reasonable cause for excitement.

But Lone... no, he would not have seen it the same way.

Raising his spiked wooden hammer above his head, the Ranger loosed a shrill battlecry and charged into the room.

"AHHHHHHHH!!! ⌈WHIRL STRIIIIIIIKE!!!⌋" Lone mercilessly smashed a heavy barrel with his hammer, leaping with a spin and kicking a lonely clay jar on a high shelf. Destroyed, both items leaked some vinegary liquid that had long-dissolved whatever it held.

Lone grabbed his Dark Iron wolf-hammer off of his waist and hurled it at a large chest, "TRES LECHES!! I CHOOSE YOU!!"

The chest burst open upon impact, spilling out clothing that was still in reasonable condition... until Lone\'s summoned companion emerged from the pile in a gout of flame.

The Dark-Iron wolf... \'Tres Leches\' was all too happy to join Lone in his... excitement. It immediately began to tear apart the remaining unburnt clothing scattered on the ground.

"[PUPPY...]" Korr took the opportunity to grab a thick coat, trying to pull it away from the playfully growling wolf.