Chapter 30: White

Chapter 30: White

MIKO

After eating some of my new friend Mr. Crab, I drank some of that shiny blue water and continued my journey through this dungeon.

Just after taking a last look at that cave-like floor, I realized how misleading that temple, aka tower, looked from the outside.

I had a theory that I wasn't going through a single dungeon, but several that were all connected and located in this dark elf building. At least, that's how Kajsa described the architecture. But she didn't say a word about the labyrinth-loving tendencies of these elves, in case we suspect they have created this dungeon.

However, for now, my biggest concern was that the next floor was similarly scary to this cave. I could really use a break from all the action.

In retrospect, I hated myself for having expressed this wish in my thoughts

Other than the last door, this one that looked more like an actual gate wasn’t hidden at all. It firmly screamed walk through me, so I did, just to find myself in a white space.

Everything was white. In front of me, below me, above me, behind me, next to me.

Everything is white

I turned around to look for the gate taking me back, but there was nothing. I was trapped in that white space.

“ ” I shouted, but there was no sound. But not just my voice was gone. I couldn’t hear my steps, I couldn’t hear my breathing, I couldn’t even hear my own heartbeat.

I hastily checked my body for a pulse. Besides that, it was beating a bit too fast, but it felt alright. With some deep breaths, I somewhat relaxed, enough to at least form one or two rational thoughts.

This floor was just another instance of this dungeon. I wasn’t dead, I guess. And there had to be another door to get out of this place.

Of course, I couldn't detect any kind of mana. You can't imagine how glad I was that my clothes weren't white. If I looked down just to see myself merging with the ground, I would lose my mind even faster than I was already.

What should I do now? I could wait or simply walk in a straight line, hoping that I bump into a wall or maybe even the door that takes me outside of this place.

Did I do something wrong to deserve all of this? Was I too happy? It would suck if I die here. There are so many things I still want to do with Kayla. I kind of regret that I always acted so shy and actively blocked her attempts to get our relationship to the next stage.

She was always so loving and caring; she never made a secret of the fact that she desired me in every way, but she never pushed me to do anything I wasn't comfortable with. She showed patience and understanding.

Fuck this Dungeon Raid, we take a vacation. It’s still September, so the weather is great. Maybe we drive to the ocean, listening to the waves.

How exactly did waves sound again?

◆◆◆

I don’t know how long I am walking already. What I know is that I forgot the sound of everything that came to my mind.

My legs were sore, and I was thirsty. A nasty headache was beginning to get on my nerves as well.

Huh

There was a dot in the distance. Even though it seemed so far away, it was easy to spot, thanks to all the white around me.

Since I had all the time in the world, I slowly walked towards the spot, which somehow grew larger by the moment, until I realized that it was something running towards me at a speed that made it look like it was flying.

I tried to brace myself for the impact. Dodging was impossible at that moment. Hopefully, I'll manage to strengthen my body with magic before I get hit by this thing.

What?

Why do I prepare to get hit? Since when was I someone who gets hit? I’ve pulled out the magical ore and formed it into a sword.

Luckily, I just forgot how things sounded, not how they looked.

Unfortunately, the creature, which I could now describe as merely human-like, also reacted and pulled a weapon from its back, which looked like a sword with an enormous blade that was close to my height.

As I saw that weapon, I regretted not using some sort of ranged magic, like a fireball. If my opponent is a swordsman, I wanted to do everything but go into close combat.

It's too late to change my first move.

The moment our blades clashed, I was sent flying.

It was unfair since that thing had tons of speed, but I kept balance so I could dodge its following attack.

Now, it was my turn. I shot wide-spread ice magic in its direction and immediately followed that with a swing of my sword, which an armguard blocked. This thing was really confident, not using the sword to parry my attack.

I jumped back to get some distance… apparently, the monster was a little surprised that I could fight back.

What kind of creature was that? It had long limbs, was about 2.50 meters tall, and wore some type of armor, its face hidden behind a mask. It had carefully braided long white hair, elf-like ears, and grayish-colored skin. It looked anything but fierce, more like an elite fighter of some sort, but the most crucial detail was the glowing orb in its chest... probably the dungeon core.

While I took a breather and thought about my enemy momentarily, my opponent launched the next attack. It was exhausting just concentrating on the movement. I never actively considered how important it is to hear the sounds in a fight.

Due to the fact that I was at a disadvantage in terms of range, I didn't land a single hit with my sword. He, on the other hand, caught me from time to time but only gave me a few surface cuts, which still hurt and bled like hell.

On the other hand, I could occasionally hit him with a fireball or a projectile made of ice, which seemed to affect him relatively little.

The most painful were the kicks he delivered after the sword blows, one of which hit my ribs, taking away my air to breathe.

If the fight continued like this, I would lose. I have to do something. I considered changing the size of my sword to match his, but my body wasn't made for such a big weapon. All my balance would be gone.

Trying to dodge his attacks and closing the distance instead of increasing it, I could get the most effect with my sword. Still, I would be so close that it could be challenging to avoid the counterattack.

I really should have taken more lessons in swordplay. Fortunately, my opponent looked more like he had been handed the weapon without knowing how to wield it. But even without any technique, he was vastly superior to me solely due to his strength, speed, and range advantages.

We were both just about to take a little breather when I suddenly noticed something behind the monster… a person crouching on the ground just five meters behind him.

Kayla?

Was I starting to hallucinate?

No, it really had to be her. Apparently, my enemy hadn't noticed her either, so I quickly averted my eyes.

Now, I just had to trust that she would draw the right conclusions to turn this fight around.

KAYLA

Wait, didn't they notice me? Unfortunately, it's hard to hide in an all-white space, but it might be enough if I distract the creepy thing for a moment so Miko can take it down, even if I have slight doubts that she can kill it with one attack.

What should I do? It's not like I have a huge catalog of attacks prepared. Did someone say wind magic? What a coincidence. That's my specialty!

While I was still thinking about how to attack, Miko and the monster exchanged blows harder and faster than my eyes could follow… what an unsettling feeling.

If I get involved in the fight, it has to end with this attack. If this thing decides to focus on me, I'd be done for. Miko taught me how to focus mana into my eyes, which seemed to slow down the movements around me. However, I knew it wouldn't give me a better chance of surviving a direct hit from this creature.

Think, think, think

I tried to go through all the possibilities, and only then did I get the idea that my magic might not have any effect at all. And what would be better than an attack?

I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined all kinds of colors, something like a firework. I opened them again and saw a sphere of rainbow-like mana hovering over my hand.

That alone was enough to make the monster glance at me. My heart stopped, but so far, everything was going according to plan. I closed my eyes again and just hoped to be able to open them again.

I had no time to throw it, so I made the orb explode in my hand, creating a colorful flashbang. Since that was basically a fire spell, I burned my hand badly, but the pain was secondary right now.

The moment I saw Miko's blood on the floor earlier, I realized how distracting every ounce of color in that painfully bright, white room was.

Damn, I started panicking, expecting to be dead at any moment. But nothing happened, or I didn’t feel anything… so I opened my eyes slowly.

To my surprise, this creature wasn't even near me. It was lying on the ground close to where it was before. Only its head rolled slightly in my direction.

Sometimes, I'm really convinced that I'm not that stupid.

Miko definitely disagreed. I saw her mouth move, and even without hearing a single word, I knew she was angry at my little self-destructive diversion and threw several insults at me.

As she approached me, her face changed. The moment tears welled up in her eyes, I started to cry. Just seeing her again, alive and well, made all the tension of the last few days suddenly disappear.

We hugged each other tightly, and I saw how the white space behind her began to fade away. Now, for the first and hopefully not the last time, I would experience what happens to you when you are still standing in a dungeon while it begins to dissolve.

“Are you alright?”

It took me a moment to realize I was hearing a voice again. Even though I hadn't been in that soundless space for more than a minute, I had lost hope of hearing anything again. That was what triggered this sensation of absolute silence in my brain.

"We are," Miko said. I opened my eyes and noticed that we were standing where the gate used to be, right next to the school grounds. So, we were teleported out of the dungeon instead of disappearing with it.

“I am terribly sorry.” Wace apologized and bowed down deeply in front of us. Miko approached him to smack him lightly on the head.

“Like you had any fault.”

He straightened up again, and Miko gave him a small hug. “Thank you.”

Luna jumped at me while I was trying to figure out exactly why Miko was hugging him.

"You'll get a dungeon ban. I don't look at you for a second, and you disappear. You are just a perfect match. I thought it was my fault, but it's you guys!" Although she was ranting, I could feel her relief. So, I gladly endured more of her complaints about everything and everyone.

◆◆◆

"That sounded like a dark elf at first, but they don't usually get that tall, and they're not supposed to carry a dungeon core inside them," Kajsa commented after Miko had told her about her encounter on the last floor.

"Maybe it wasn't there by choice," I interjected, but Kajsa was pondering and ignored me.

Shortly after, we arrived at the hotel. The base of the dungeon raid, and I again remembered how insignificant and unimportant we were. Everything was as usual, probably hardly anyone even knew about Miko's disappearance, so no one cared that she was back. But the ministry was certainly glad that this A-rank dungeon had been destroyed.

Miko and I went to the healer's office. I needed healing for my hand, and Miko told me she would be happy to give support points to these young colleagues of mine who had been trying to help me over the last few days.

Maisy and Rafa were really adorable when they tried to cheer me up. I honestly have to return the favor somehow, aside from showing up on their shift with two injured people.

Since I was working here, I simply walked into one of the treatment rooms. Maisy, who was sitting at the reception, immediately jumped up and followed us.

"I'm happy you're doing well." She smiled. It was rare to meet such a kind-hearted girl. And such an incredibly pretty one. She's only two years younger than Miko... Ah, nonsense, as if I had anything to worry about.

“Would you show me your hands, Kayla, while you're g..girl? Uh, while you, please take off your shirt.” She turned directly to Miko before calling her my girlfriend.

Cute

Maisy is a highly talented and hard-working witch, so my hand only took a minute to look reasonably good again. Apart from me, no one but Dr. Rayan could completely heal wounds immediately. But thanks to the self-healing powers of my body, I was confident that I would be fine after a good night's sleep.

Meanwhile, Miko was sitting on the daybed in her bra and was ready to be treated. She had countless cuts on her arms and an endless number of bruises all over her body, but apart from that, she was mostly unharmed.

Her smile was unexpectedly calm and happy for someone who hated pain like she did.

Maisy looked at me insecurely. "Shouldn't you do that instead? I don't want to leave any scars."

"It's okay, you're my healer now. And if it leaves scars, hopefully, I'll be more careful not to get hit in the next fight." Miko gave her a gentle smile, and I gave Maisy a light push in her direction. Hopefully, she wasn't as insecure with other patients, although that would suit her shy nature too well.

"I'm sorry if it hurts, but I must touch the wounds to heal them." She explained hastily, forgetting to wait for Miko's approval, but I knew she was okay with it.

After about ten minutes, Maisy finished with Miko's healing, and thanks to the thorough and careful treatment, she looked almost like new.

"Thank you," Miko said as she patted Maisy on the head. My young colleague blushed and looked at me as if she was looking for... approval? Or forgiveness? She didn't need to be afraid of me, Miko was the one who needed a talk about her behavior towards those around her.

Then, we left the office and headed to our room. I noticed how Miko kept glancing at me, only to quickly avert her gaze when I returned her look.

Once in our room, I decided to keep quiet and wait to see what this was all about. She had had a rough time, and I didn't want to bother her with my random observations about her behavior.

"Aaah, I really need a shower." She suddenly said in a bizarre way. I just smiled at her and waited for her to continue. "But my whole body hurts. I'm not sure I can wash myself properly all alone."

It was weird and adorable at the same time… she was the kind of person who simply couldn't speak her mind freely. Not that I was in a position to judge her, but I was certainly more direct when communicating my wishes.

I began to think I understood what this was about, which turned my stomach a little. Maybe this near-death experience had pushed all her boundaries, and now she wanted to throw herself at me.

Not that I wasn't interested in showering with her and everything that might come after, but somehow, I got a little nervous. And it certainly didn't help that Miko was blushing like a tomato and her legs trembling like jelly.

"All right, I'll help you," I said, taking her hand and leading her into the bathroom. From then on, we stopped talking and just acted. I helped her undress, and she watched me get rid of my clothes.

Our eyes kept wandering. We looked at each other, sometimes staring at the floor for a break. Showering isn't usually exciting, but we both knew and silently agreed on what this would lead to.

The atmosphere was awkward at first, but as we stood under the hot water that rained down on us, it turned into a warm and cozy feeling. Our hands slowly and carefully caressed our bodies. Miko was a little cautious when it came to touching me, but she seemed to enjoy my hands on her.

I lost track of time. At some point, she turned around and pressed her body against mine. I hugged her from behind and ran my hands all over her. Sometimes, I accidentally tickled her with my nails, causing her to twitch slightly and let out a moan. When I heard her make such noises, a switch flipped inside me, and I began to go down on her in a way I won't explain here.

◆◆◆

Fortunately, I had taken a few days off work as I didn't expect to get Miko back on the first day. So I was able to get a good night's sleep.

Lying in my arms, Miko woke up shortly after me and smiled happily.

"Good morning... It's nice not to be alone when I wake up."

Ouch… I'm sorry, but it's not as if I didn't have to go to bed alone regularly because someone had to run around in dungeons.

“How are you feeling?”

We were definitely active for a little longer last night. But, when we relaxed a little, we fell asleep immediately without exchanging another word.

“Everything is fine, but I must admit that I have never woken up with such a strained jaw.” She stuck out her tongue and began to giggle.

My cheeks grew hot, and I pulled the blanket over my face...

"Idiot."