“When you are ready, go in. The Dungeon will be conquered by those who are worthy.”

“What a load of bollocks,” Neron said to himself at the man’s parting words which he still found cringe.

The atmosphere of the place was charged though as the Adventurers were impatient to get on with it.

Inadvertently, the Noble had given them the finders keepers mindset so they were anxious to go further into the Dungeon.

They shifted from each other as everyone wanted to go about it on their own so they wouldn’t have to worry about dividing the spoils.

Just as the batch in front pressed forward, a high-pitched, melodic voice rang through the walls, halting them in their tracks.

“Hold, trespassers!”

The voice echoed from above, though nobody saw where it came from.

Confusion swept through the crowd and some of the Adventurers stretched their necks to see better while others automatically tightened their grips on their weapons.

Neron’s attention was caught too but his eyes were sharper than the rest of the Adventurers.

He spotted the faint shimmer of wings descending from the ceiling before anyone else did.

The figure finally revealed itself—a small creature no larger than a man’s head hovering above the heads of the Adventurers.

He had a child-like face which made him seem delicate and cute.

His clothes was a custom made black suit and his delicate wings, fluttered rapidly, leaving a faint trail of glittering dust in the air.

His skin shimmered like polished emerald, and its eyes were unnaturally large, glowing a pale blue.

It was a Fairy.

The Fairy floated forward, crossing its arms with an air of authority while glaring at the gathered Adventurers.

“This Dungeon is no longer free for your plundering,” He announced in a sharp voice. “It is now under my supervision so you will turn back now, or face the consequences.”

The Adventurers looked at each other then jointly burst out into fits of laughter.

They found it odd that a tiny creature was threatening all of them so it was hard for them to take him seriously.

Neron tried to make the people around him stop laughing but he wasn’t heard over the din.

He knew that it was the wrong thing to do as fairies were sensitive creatures but there was little he could do.

He was just one person among the rest of them that were laughing.

He saw the fairy cheeks grow red as a beet and he knew that they had succeeded in annoying him.

An average fairy any day was sensitive. This fairy was obviously someone of importance so he expected his temper to have the inconsistency of a child’s mood.

“You dare laugh in my face. It seems I will have to teach you all some manners.”

The fairy who addressed them was now so mad that his chest heaved from the feelings he was holding back.

“Get out of the way or we will have to get past you. We are in a hurry,” A burly man said amongst them edging his way to to the front of the crowd.

Neron’s face tightened, his eyes still fixed on the fairy, whose expression had shifted from irritation to something far more dangerous.

The burly man who had spoken earlier cracked his knuckles, stepping forward as though the fairy was nothing more than a housefly in his path.

Neron was now curious to see how everything was going to play out.

“I’ll give you one last chance,” the fairy’s voice rang out, sharp as glass, cutting through the noise.

He just wanted to follow protocol by giving them enough warnings so he would be justified in the next action he was going to take.

The fairy’s glowing eyes narrowed as he raised a hand, delicate fingers poised like he was ready to snap them. “Turn back now, or face the consequences.”

The Adventurers were too confident in their numbers and abilities to heed the warning.

Their laughter continued, even as some of them shifted impatiently, eager to press forward and explore the Dungeon’s depths.

The burly man sneered. “I said, get out of the way, you little pest!”

The fairy’s mouth curled into a smile as he snapped his fingers, and in that instant, reality seemed to twist.

The air rippled as if it had been struck by an invisible force, and the space around them opened up.

Neron’s instincts flared in the brief moment before chaos finally unfolded.

A blinding flash of light erupted from the fairy’s fingertips, engulfing the entire room.

Neron winced, throwing an arm over his eyes, but it did nothing to shield him from the overwhelming brilliance.

When he felt that it was safe to open his eyes, he found out that the Dungeon’s familiar walls were gone.

He blinked several times then wiped his eyes with his hands just to be sure of what he was seeing.

He was in a completely different place and he wasn’t alone.

A lone familiar figure stood a few feet away from him.

He could swear that his senses had become sharper because it was the faint rustle of her fabric that had drawn his attention.

His heart skipped a bit as he saw who it was.

It was the redhead girl in the hood, the one he had seen briefly outside the gate before all the chaos had begun.

He didn’t know that she had also joined them too as he hadn’t noticed her at the ground floor.

It was now obvious to him that she had been there though he wondered why the others weren’t also around.

The whole thing was too much of a stretch to be coincidental.

She hadn’t noticed him yet, or if she had, she gave no sign.

She stood still, her face obscured by the deep shadow of her hood, staring at something in the distance.

Neron took a cautious step forward, his mind racing. How had they ended up here? Was this part of the Dungeon, or some other place entirely?

Before he could ask the girl any questions, she spoke up in a soft voice.

“You saw him before anyone else did, didn’t you? The fairy.”