An Unusual Gala

The cave crevice’s tight walls glimmered as everyone shimmied their way through. Daichi had been scratched and cut from glowing minerals that'd dug into him. He was behind Lone Star's other members, and could only see Sanae's shoulder by craning his neck to his right. Her Cleric robe would often get caught on bumps, but she was still faring far better than most thanks to her slender, feminine figure.

Down her back, a hand started enjoying itself.

“H-Hey! Makoto! Just where do you think you’re reaching!” she blurted.

“Whoops, sorry darlin’. Hand must've slipped,” Makoto said, grinning. He was shimmying through the narrow passage right to her right.

Earlier, Lone Star had just emerged victorious from another encounter, this time involving a pack of high-level Rockies—wolves coated with crystals for superior defense and camouflage—that almost managed to defeat everyone, but Hiro saved the day with a powerful technique.

The final result was Daichi shooting up to level 14 and unlocking new passive skills—“Over-Invoked” that allowed him up to five summons at once, and “LobSter” that let Daichi invoke over longer distances. True to Dominion’s words, his stats also shot up at level 10 along with unlocking a useful new summon:

[Name: Sentinel

Grade: D

Lore: A heavy stone warrior that wields a massive shield. However, its movements are slow and it lacks offensive power.]

Sentinel could pair nicely with the Goblin unlocked prior. But the poor green creature was ripped apart by Rockies when it gave its life to save Sanae and Daichi. Though summons were all replaceable, seeing them perish was always harsh. 

Now every person's HP was back at full. Their journey through the cramped, glowing crevice continued.

“Are you doing okay, Daichi?” Sanae looked to her left.

He squeezed through a bumpy portion. “I’m not as durable as the other guys, but I think I’ll be fine.”

"Here, I'll help." Sanae's left hand hoisted itself up and rested on Daichi's head. A warm, soft glow enveloped him as all his scratches vanished.

“Thanks a bunch," he smiled, feeling tingly from both her spell and her touch.

“Hey, I have boo-boos too, darlin'!" Makoto joked beside her. "Mind giving me some touchy-touchy?”

“If you don’t be quiet, I’ll give you even more boo-boos,” she chided.

Makoto made a zipping motion over his lips and squeezed further away along the crevice.

“Geez, it’s like I’m this guild’s babysitter or something,” Sanae said as a look of realization struck her. “Oh, I don't mean you, Daichi! If you ever need something just let me know."

He felt like he needed a lot of things. “Well, the quicker we get out of here the better. I’ve always been a bit claustrophobic.”

Sanae’s robe caught on another rock. She craned sideways to loosen it. “Mmm. Sorry I can’t help you much there. Clerics are only good at healing injuries or curses, so psychological stuff is beyond me.”

“It's fine. I’m way better off than my sister at least, haha."

"Oh? She's claustrophobic too?"

"Yeah. She can barely handle a train's tiny restroom, let alone expecting her to survive this crack in the wall.”

“Sheesh. Only bright side is that if she’s ever been through here, the Dungeon wouldn't stay static forever." Sanae lowered herself under a protruding crystal. “Raids shift around a bit after they’re cleared so they’re never exactly the same.”

Daichi chuckled. “If this was here, Kyouko would be a goner. Don’t see anything else stopping her if she’s set her mind on something.”

“She sounds like a strong woman. I’m sure she’s fine wherever she is.”

“Y-Yeah . . .” Would she be fine though? It’s been over two years since she got here. Kyouko could be dead and I wouldn’t even know it. But that’s why I need to get stronger, why I need to push forward in this Raid. To make sure I can finally catch up to her.

Daichi heard some chatter from far ahead. Heads turned to spread some news until it reached all the way to the back.

“We’re in our home stretch, partners!” Makoto cheered. “They see the exit ahead!”

“Oh thank goodness.” Sanae started fanning herself. “Breathing was getting hard in here.”

The group shimmied onwards with hustle. A minute later, one by one, Lone Star's members plopped out of the cramped crevice in the wall. Everyone dusted themselves off and re-equipped their gear.

Daichi scanned the fanciful area they all found themselves in. The setting was no longer a cave but an extravagant, modern hallway. Soft jazz played through the deserted halls with no apparent source, just like La Lluvia in the in-between world. Contemporary lamps lined the walls, illuminating a posh atmosphere one would see in fancy Hollywood movies.

Halogen lighting? Is there electricity here? And why does everything look so . . . stylish? Possible theories buzzed around in his head.

“Right, stay on your toes everyone,” Makoto ordered. “Sanae—give Daichi an explanation before he craps himself.”

Lone Star’s fighters strolled ahead around a corner and disappeared from sight. The wholesome duo hung back, both admiring various decorations in the doorless, windowless hall.

“Sooooo, what is all this? Why did the theme change suddenly?” Daichi asked.

Sanae leaned back beside a hanged painting. “Well the quickest explanation is: every Raid Dungeon has a unique theme, so they all have unique ways of being approached. On the outside this Raid is themed after a cave, but once you reach the deeper parts it turns, well, into this.”

“Some sorta gala or mansion theme?” He peeked into an expensive looking vase.

“Who knows. Other Raids are a bit more obvious: Dominance's Raid is themed after a kid’s story book; Dominique’s theme is a high school—”

“Wait, there’s a Raid themed after our high schools?”

“Mhmm. Most Raids have really out of place themes in Paradise. You can tell there’s stuff in here that shouldn’t be in a fantasy game.”

Daichi looked around again. Besides the electric lights, several pompous decorations also stood out: a prop record player in the corner, a saxophone in a glass case, paintings of real-world landmarks like the Eiffel Tower—why would any of this be built into an isekai? 

“Can’t say I’m not weirded out," he said, "but if you say it’s normal, no point in questioning it.”

“You get used to it." She made a cringe face. “Come on, let’s regroup with everyone.”

They walked down their long, fanciful hallway. Twists and turns led them to a break area where the rest of Lone Star waited. Makoto was sitting on a red vinyl chair with a table nearby stacked with classical records.

“Oh, you two done flirting? 'Cuzz there’s been a change of plan," he said in a serious tone.

“Huh? Change of plan?” Sanae said.

The devious cowboy grinned back. “You could say I am altering the deal. But I won’t be altering it further so no need to pray.”

“Is everything alright?” Daichi asked, worried. The faces of Lone Star's members standing around were hard to read.

Makoto untied his makeshift cowboy hat and fiddled with it on his lap. “Ya' see kid, now that you’re past level 10, ain’t much point in rushing to beef you up. Anything past 10 is fightin’ level but you’re still a big handicap. So I decided that until we reach the boss, you’re gonna sit out every fight and wait here.”

“Eh? But wouldn’t my summons be more useful—”

"If it wasn’t obvious enough," Makoto interrupted, "the Rockies specifically targeted you because you’re the weakest! Our formation broke cuzz' we had to cover you! Bad optics that almost killed us all!"

"Umm—urghhh . . ." I got nothing!

A bitter silence crept through the halls as everyone processed Makoto's words. Daichi had no real rebuttal. All he could do was try uttering half-sentences that amounted to nothing but whimpers. But then Sanae beside him stepped forward to face their cowboy leader.

“So you’re saying you want him to stay behind for his own safety?” she said. "No other reason?"

“Sure. I’ll personally stay behind to protect him too. The rest of you will move up by yourselves and clear any remaining enemies before the boss.”

Sanae looked exasperated. It was obvious she wasn't comfortable with the resolution, so Daichi felt like arguing. 

“No offense," he said, "but does taking me out of the fight really make up for only having five members? We haven’t seen any random monsters, so I think it’s safe to just stay here by mysel—”

“You gone deaf and dumb, kid? Fuck!" Makoto slammed his red armrests. "Rockies singled you out because you’re a free kill! What makes you think others wouldn’t do the same? Just because enemies don’t come from behind doesn’t mean these halls are clear!"

"Is it really the only option though?" Daichi said. He looked down towards the floor while a feeling of powerlessness overtook him. "Aren't there any other alternatives?"

"Put it this way: I can’t have Sanae stay with you because she’s our only healer, Hiro is our main tank, and the others aren’t strong enough by themselves. So you gotta settle for chilling here with my dumbass."

"But—"

"No. More. Debate." A piercing glare from the cowboy's hazel eyes dug straight into Daichi. Everyone around seemed to know that the argument was settled.

But something didn’t feel right, like there was an extra layer beneath Makoto’s words. Nevertheless, how could anyone really retort when they were this deep in the Raid already? Turning back wasn't an option anymore. People accepting their fates was all that could be done now.

“I think he has a point, Daichi.” Sanae looked over towards him. “There shouldn’t be more than one pocket of enemies left, so we can probably handle it. Plus, my focus won’t be as divided anymore, which is better for Hiro and the others.”

“Yeah, yeah! Based darlin' gets it! Yeah!" Makoto rocked back and forth in his seat like a hyper child.

She made an uncomfortable giggle. “Makoto's eccentric but he’s the second strongest person here. He can protect you loads better than me. So just sit tight and wait for us to come back, 'k?”

Is that really what’s going on though? But all he could do was nod in agreement.

Makoto gestured towards another red chair next to him. “Come, kid! Let’s get comfy! Rest of you—get a move on!"

Kazemaru—the wind mage—tossed an extra Wombat in Makoto’s direction. A quick cowboy hand shot out to grab it.

“Parting gift! Don't lose your cool, boss!” Kazemaru grinned. He wore several layers of ragged clothes, presumably to aid with his wind magic.

"Yeah, yeah. Now git." Makoto waved everyone away. 

They'd received their orders. Hiro and the others advanced down the hall, while Sanae lingered behind. Her concerned eyes tried to scream something towards Daichi, but then she left without another word.

And Daichi was left sitting alone with an eager Makoto—the same man who'd already almost killed him thrice in one day.

Come back safe, everyone. Especially you , Sanae . . . Even in his most vulnerable moment, she was the only thing on his mind. But he'd need to set her aside to face the tribulations to come.