Chapter 339 Enter the Boss Floor
'Jack… Are you sure you don't have any more of that beef?' asked Mooldrat, licking his lips.
Jack shook his head and shrugged. "Sorry, Mooldrat. I'm all out. But I can tell you where I'll find more."
'Tell me!'
"First, let me tell you about where we are. This limited space is one of many spaces inside of a place we call a dungeon," stated Jack.
'Oh… So I was put in a dungeon…' As if a fragment of Mooldrat's memory recovered, he eagerly listened to Jack.
"Mooldrat, do you know what a dungeon is?"
'It's… a place where… heroes went… right?'
"Right! See, you're just as smart as legends say," complimented Jack, keeping himself on Mooldrat's good side and continuing the conversation. "The circle we're going to will take us to the last space of the dungeon, where the strongest creature lives. Most likely, that creature is what has been killing the other beholders when they went mad and used the circle."
'Oh… But you'll protect me… right, Jack?'
"Precisely! Argyle and Vixus are going to step back while me and Bowzer deal with the boss. You'll back away with them, okay?"
Mooldrat nodded. 'But where is there more beef?'
"Behind that strong strong creature is a giant vault. There, I'll find you more beef before we use the final circle to go to the outside world," stated Jack. "How does that sound?"
Already salivating, Mooldrat nodded again. 'Yes! I want more beef! Give me more beef and I'll go with you!'
"Great! See, we're already great friends, right?" Jack insisted.
'Yes… great friends feed me… We're great friends…'
"Do you eat friends, Mooldrat?" Jack asked.
Struggling to answer, Mooldrat took a moment to ponder. 'No… because friends give food and beef!'
"You're right again, Mooldrat!" Jack beamed. "Do you listen to friends and do what they say, since they give you food?"
'Yes… For food, I listen to friends." Mooldrat nodded, still leaving behind a trail of drool.
"How close are we, Mooldrat?"
'Oh… We're almost to the circle.' Speeding up, the beholder rushed into the darkness.
"Mooldrat! Come back!" As the beholder came back into sight, confused, Jack stated, "We can't see in the dark like you, so you'll have to stay near Bowzer where we can see you. We don't want to lose our new friend, right?"
'Right! I can't lose my friends!' Mooldrat returned to his previous position in their formation. 'The circle… is up ahead…'
"Mooldrat, do most beholders live to be over one thousand years old, like you?" Jack asked, curious.
'I'm… one thousand years old?' Only realizing that after Jack's statement, the beholder tilted his head in surprise. 'Maybe… But I'm the oldest here… There's the circle!'
Changing the subject, Mooldrat rushed into the dim light and watched the others near the circle he was hovering over. It was almost identical to the other circles, only showing a few small differences in the ancient writing that created it.
'Don't touch… If you touch… you leave.'
"Really?" Jack was baffled, knowing full well that the circle was never intended to act in such a way. "Okay… then let's all touch it together. That way I can protect you, Mooldrat."
'But…'
"Do you want more beef, or--"
'Yes!'
"Then we'll all touch it in three…"
The others gathered to the edge of the circle while Mooldrat slowly extended a tentacle toward the circle.
"Two…"
Everyone took a deep breath, reading themselves mentally for what was about to happen.
"One!"
All at once everyone touched a part of the circle and felt a rush of purple, spatial energy wash over them.
Reappearing elsewhere, the party opened their eyes to find themselves in another dark space, but it was very different. It wasn't a tunnel or cavern. They found themselves in a vast, open space with on corridors or passageways connecting to it and there was no ceiling in sight it was so tall. There was dim artificial lighting along faraway walls, as the teleportation circle they now stood on was in the center of the spacious room.
There was one thing, however, that contrasted the dimly lit walls and the dark, open space that was supposed to be a ceiling.
The only part of the vast room that wasn't circular were two gigantic, ancient doors, matching the ones from the dungeon's entrance. Kari crystals surrounded the trim of the doors, showing off the natural splendor and beauty of the roxite and the detailed carving etched into it.
"Everyone, back against the wall opposite the door. Bowzer, you're staying with me."
"But Jack--"
"Do it now! Or you may die!"
"Interesting… Humans have returned to the dungeon…"
An unnaturally deep, gravelly voice shook the room and the stone walls. Vixus swallowed his words as Argyle was already dragging him to the back wall. And Mooldrat was right behind them, visible trembling at the sound of that voice.
As Argyle and Vixus reached the back wall, they turned around just in time to see a figure emerge from the darkness above the magic circle.
Mooldrat's True Sight had already betrayed him, stealing him of any hope to stand before the creature that only he had seen through the darkness.
It wasn't so much a figure that emerged, it was more of a gargantuan silhouette. The creature's head was the first thing to enter their sight, but that alone almost filled a quarter of what was visible to the party.
The beast's massive, piercing eyes were the first parts of it to be recognized. And it was clear that they were draconic. Next, they noticed the beast's mouth opening and closing, showing off rows and rows of jagged teeth that would put razors to shame, each as large as a human leg yet they fit easily in the beast oversized jaw.
What was peculiar was the skin of the beast, if you could call it skin. It was very similar to the exoskeleton of insects, yet there were still spikes protruding through what they assumed was the beast's spine.
"Tell me, how did you enter this dungeon, and why have you come here?" That booming voice shook Jack as the creature got closer and closer.
"I'm with the Leisure Guild. Do you still remember what that means?" Jack then held up the emblem that Tralon had given him long ago.
"That emblem… I haven't seen one in over one thousand years…" The beast began to chuckle. "Tell me, how come the dungeon was sealed away and why no one has visited me in over one thousand years? If I don't like your answer, then I'll ignore that emblem in your hands."
Jack sighed, happy to see that the beast was still sane, unlike the beholders on the tenth floor.
"That's complicated, but I can explain if you don't mind a long story."
"I've waited more than a millennium, so amuse me," laughed the beast, lowering his head to rest on the ground, blocking Jack and Bowzer from the vault door.
"First off, you should know that the ancient heroes are no longer roaming Kartonia. That period is now known as Ancient Kartonia and we're currently in a period called Modern Kartonia," explained Jack.
"There are no more heroes?" questioned the beast. "Then what became of my master, the guild leader?"
Smiling, Jack replied, "Before a war of the gods broke out and the world would need him most, he vanished."
"He vanished? He was killed or slain by one of the many gods he had offended?"
"No, he simply vanished from the timeline. Soon after he disappeared, more and more heroes started to disappear too. Then the Godly War happened and now the gods are hiding from the world. Because of all that happened previously, the dungeon was sealed away and hasn't been reopened till now, Dragovich."