Deserted and Buried

Nebula's book continues to flow with water and floats in a massive sphere of water. She then uses her ice staff to summon a massive shard of true ice into the center of the sphere. She lands it perfectly in the huge tank.

Nebula: "Since the desert is hot, normal ice would melt in an instant. Wait, I have a better idea! You have a huge open area?"

— Well, this is a desert, so... anywhere nearby is good for us!

Nebula: "Right! Is there a deep depression around here?"

— You mean like a hole with mountains covering the sides? Yeah!

Nebula: "Can you take us there? I want to create something monumental, but it would draw too much attention if it were on this level."

She tilts her head, curious and a little scared. We follow her as she walks over to a mound of sand and points to a huge depression.

— There! It's a huge sandbox, so whatever you're planning to do, you've got more than enough space.

Nebula: "Thanks so much!"

Nebula points her ice staff at the vacant space and begins to materialize a huge cube of true ice and fill it with water and ice shards. The process takes a while, and she seems to be getting tired.

Sun: "You're overworking your body. You're not used to water and true ice magic yet."

Nebula: "No, it's okay... I'm training my magic..."

Sun: "Sis, you should take a rest."

Nebula: "No, this... is necessary for the village..."

Sun: "So, how about this: after you're done, you rest here. We'll go to the pyramid. Sound good?"

Nebula: "Are you sure...? What if you need my help...?"

Sun: "Trust me, we've got this covered. If anything happens, we'll call for your help, okay?"

— Yeah, you're already doing so much for us! The least we can do is help in any way we can.

Nebula: "Then... I'll stay with the village for a while... thank you, my brother..."

I pat her on the shoulder and turn around.

Sun: "Shall we go?"

We walk toward the pyramid and stop at the top of a mound of sand. Slinger lies down and gestures for us to do the same.

Slinger: "There are goblins at the entrance."

Her white gun, made of floating rocks, transforms into a sniper rifle. I frown in disgust.

That's the weapon she used to kill Shizuru...

Slinger: "Something wrong, Sun?"

Sun: "No, I just find it... rather suspicious the entrance is so easy to find."

Slinger: "That's why they are guarding it. Look, let me kill them. My gun is silent."

Sun: "I know that... go ahead, we need to be stealthy."

Slinger: "You don't seem so sure about that."

Sun: "Come on, do it! The goblins don't look that strong, but who am I to judge?"

She narrows her eyes in confusion. Then she takes aim at the goblins. Two of them are heavily armored, two are archers, and two are mages.

Miguel: "Wait a minute, you can't kill them all at once. Let me help."

He claps his hands and summons his crow and rabbit.

Miguel: "Each one takes two. What do you think?"

Slinger: "Sounds reasonable."

She raises her hand in the air, counts her fingers, and signals for Miguel to follow her attack. She kills the two armored goblins. The rabbit pierces an archer and a mage, both in a straight line. The crow does the same with the other line.

Slinger: "It seems no one was alerted."

D: "I'm sorry I can't be of much help. I'm not good at being stealthy."

Sun: "You're a great bodyguard, D. Let's go."

We walk towards the entrance.

Slinger: "Wait a minute, I wanna test something."

She takes an item from her Stocker. It's a blue and chrome bow.

Sun: "Since when do you have that?"

Slinger: "A while ago. I bought it from a travelling trader in a village."

Sun: "Then why didn't you use it in the ice castle?"

Slinger: "That place was too open."

She pulls back the bowstring, summoning a magical blue arrow. She aims it at the ground and releases it, firing a lightning-fast projectile that ricochets off the ground and soars into the sky.

Sun: "So you're a mage now?"

Slinger: "That pistol I use is also magic. This is nothing new to me."

Sun: "I thought mage, marksman, and archer were all different classes."

Slinger: "They can intertwine. My focus is accuracy. Bows and guns are not that different in that regard."

She may be right, but something feels off... she wasn't fighting with everything she had... why is she showing off her bow only now?

Slinger: "Every time a projectile ricochets, it becomes more difficult to predict its trajectory. Since the underground is a confined space, this weapon is perfect for this occasion."

Sun: "Yeah, sure, whatever. I hope this bow is stealthy too. It's too flashy to go unnoticed."

Slinger: "Not if we kill all the targets at the same time."

We enter the pyramid and walk down the stairs. There are torches, probably with eternal fire, to light up the path. There doesn't seem to be any goblins nearby.

Miguel: "What's the point of a pyramid if all the treasures are buried underneath it?"

Sun: "Well, from where I come, they're more like landmarks than anything else."

D: "What do you mean, Sun? There are no pyramids near our island."

Sun: "It's just an expression."

I step on a pressure plate. A trap activates and fires an arrow at me. D shields me with his wing.

Sun: "D! I'm sorry, I wasn't looking around."

He bends down, a little hurt.

D: "It's poisonous, but my body will adapt in a few minutes. Don't worry about it."

Miguel: "Damn... I guess that's why this place is so empty."

Slinger: "The goblins are probably already inside the rooms, let's hurry!"

Sun: "D, can you walk?"

D: "Of course. These traps are too weak to kill any of us. The goblins, however..."

Sun: "Alright. Miguel, send your minions to search the rooms. They're fast and small, so they're better infiltrators than any of us. But don't let them kill yet."

Miguel: "Sure thing, boss."

The rabbit and the crow disappear into the corners, making as little noise as possible. We follow them, looking at the walls, ceiling, and floor for any traps. D stops in his tracks.

D: "Look at the ground. It looks more fragile there. We can't all get through at once. We either fly, or we form a line."

Slinger runs and jumps over it.

Slinger: "There's no point wasting time on this! You said it yourself, these traps can't kill us!"

D: "But they can slow us down. And if we're not careful, there might be an ambush waiting for us."

Sun: "Let's do it this way: since you're so impatient, Slinger, go ahead."

Slinger: "As you wish."

She turns and walks ahead.

Sun: "Let's not waste stamina, okay? Let's walk in a line, slowly enough not to break anything. Flying will make a lot of noise."

Miguel: "She already did that part for us."

Sun: "Yeah, but..."

I sigh, defeated.

Sun: "You know what? Let's just get this over with. Have your minions seen anything?"

Miguel: "Yeah. Right around the corner, there are a few armored guys walking down the hall."

We go there. Slinger is waiting around the corner. I give her a wry smile, so as not to alert the goblins.

All that hurry for what, huh?

She rolls her eyes and points down the hallway, signaling that there are enemies there. I run around the corner and punch the first goblin, releasing an explosion that knocks the others down and, of course, makes a lot of noise.

Slinger: "What the hell are you doing?! I thought you were trying to be stealthy!"

Sun: "No use thinking about that now. Let's get this over with."

I kick the second goblin, pushing him back. D flies toward him, piercing his body. Slinger fires her bow at the other's head. The arrow ricochets several times before stopping.

Miguel: "There are two rooms ahead, full of enemies."

Slinger: "You know what? Screw you and your plans!"

She runs to the front of the first room and fires her bow, the arrow ricocheting off all the targets and killing them.

Slinger: "Hey, come here. There is a lot of gold."

Sun: "I doubt that's all Biggus Dingus wants. It's just a small room."

Slinger: "I am going to store all the monies in me pocket, if you don't mind."

Sun: "Go ahead. We're here for the relics."

D stops in front of me and blocks an arrow with his wings. Then, a powerful purple energy pushes him back. The attacks suddenly cease. He lowers his wings. The rabbit and the crow stand atop the dead goblins, their expressions innocent.