*Aria's POV*
I couldn't believe it. The mimic tried to eat me. Me! The great and awesome Aria, dungeon delver extraordinaire! How dare it. Narcissistic I know (*^▽^*)
As Titan casually wiped mimic goo off his gauntlet like it was just another Tuesday, I leaned against the wall, catching my breath.
"You okay?" Leah asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Peachy," I said, waving her off. "Just a bit traumatized, that's all. No big deal."
She smirked, but I wasn't in the mood for her smugness. Not after nearly becoming mimic chow.
---
We continued deeper into the dungeon, with Titan leading the way like the silent, tank he was. Leah followed close behind him, her dagger at the ready. Meanwhile, I brought up the rear, grumbling to myself about unfair dungeon mechanics.
"Seriously," I muttered, kicking a loose rock. "Who even puts a mimic behind three doors? What's the point?!"
Leah glanced back at me. "You're still mad about that?"
"Mad?" I repeated, throwing my hands up. "I'm furious! This place is out to get me!"
"You're just unlucky," she said with a shrug.
I shot her a glare. "Unlucky? Leah, I've triggered every trap we've come across today. Every. Single. One."
"That's true," she said, not even trying to deny it. "Maybe you should stop touching things."
I opened my mouth to argue but quickly shut it. She had a point.
---
The next room we entered was massive, with high ceilings and glowing crystals embedded in the walls. In the center of the room stood a pedestal, and on that pedestal was a shiny golden orb.
Oh no. Not again.
"What do you think it is?" Leah asked, eyeing the orb suspiciously.
"A trap," I said immediately.
Leah turned to me with a smirk. "Wow, learning from experience?"
"Ha ha," I said, rolling my eyes. "But seriously, don't touch it. It's obviously bait."
Titan, of course, was already scanning the room for traps. He didn't seem interested in the orb at all, which only made me more suspicious.
"Should we just leave it?" Leah asked.
"Yes," I said firmly. "Let's leave it and—"
But before I could finish, Leah started walking toward the pedestal.
"What are you doing?!" I hissed, grabbing her arm.
"Relax," she said, shaking me off. "I'm just looking. I won't touch it."
Famous last words. She's gonna get herself killed I just know it.
---
Leah reached the pedestal without incident, which honestly surprised me. Maybe the orb wasn't a trap after all?
"See?" she said, turning back to me with a grin. "Nothing happened."
I narrowed my eyes. "It's never that easy."
And, of course, I was right.
The moment Leah turned back to the pedestal, a deep rumbling sound filled the room. The crystals on the walls flickered, and the ground beneath us began to shake.
"Leah!" I shouted.
"I didn't even touch it!" she yelled back.
The pedestal began to sink into the ground, and the golden orb floated into the air, glowing brighter and brighter.
"What now?!" Leah cried.
Titan stepped forward, his glowing eyes fixed on the orb. He reached for it, but before he could grab it, the orb shot upward, embedding itself in the ceiling.
For a moment, everything was still.
Then the ceiling opened, and a swarm of angry-looking bats poured into the room.
---
"BATS?!" I screamed, ducking as one of them swooped past my head.
Leah cursed, swinging her dagger wildly. "I hate bats!"
"Then maybe listen when someone says not to do something?!" I yelled at her.
Titan, meanwhile, didn't seem fazed at all. He calmly activated his flamethrower attachment, I say flamethrower cuz it acts like one, sending a wave of fire toward the swarm.
WHERE DID HE GET THAT?!
The bats scattered, screeching in terror as they fled back into the hole in the ceiling. Within seconds, the room was quiet again.
I peeked out from behind a crystal, my heart still racing. "Is it over?"
Leah wiped bat goo off her face, glaring at me. "Dang it."
"I told you not to do that, but no~ You didn't listen and we almost became bat food!!" I scolded the woman infront of me, seriously! Doesn't she learn not to touch and get herself in danger?!
"Fine! I'll listen next time, okay?" she said, clearly annoyed but atleast she listened.
I looked at her again, this time I'm the one smirking. "I'm gonna tell Fen about this, mark my words!"
Before Leah could respond, Titan let out a low hum, drawing our attention. He was pointing at the far end of the room, where a new door had just appeared.
---
The door led us into a smaller chamber, where yet another pedestal awaited us. This one had a glowing blue crystal hovering above it, pulsing softly.
"Oh, come on," I groaned. "Another pedestal? Really?"
"Maybe this one's safe?" Leah suggested.
I shot her a look. "You're joking, right? You just said you were gonna listen!"
Titan, as usual, didn't wait for us to argue. He stepped forward, scanned the crystal, and then carefully reached out to touch it.
Nothing happened.
"See?" Leah said, smirking at me.
"Don't get cocky," I muttered.
Titan grabbed the crystal and turned to us, holding it up like it was some kind of trophy. The crystal glowed brighter, and a soft chime echoed through the chamber.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
You have acquired the Dungeon Core!
---
"Dungeon Core?" I repeated, frowning. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Titan didn't answer. He just started walking toward the exit, clearly done with this entire dungeon.
"Wait!" I called after him. "What does it do? Is it valuable? Can we sell it?"
Leah rolled her eyes. "You really have your priorities straight, don't you?"
I ignored her, hurrying to catch up with Titan. "Come on, big guy, at least tell me it's worth something!"
Titan paused for a moment, then turned his glowing eyes toward me. He raised a single finger, as if to say, "One more word, and I'll leave you here."
I quickly shut my mouth.
---
As we made our way back to the surface, I couldn't help but reflect on our latest adventure.
Sure, we nearly got crushed, eaten, and swarmed by bats, but at least we got the Dungeon Core, whatever that was.
Maybe my luck wasn't so bad after all.
Then again, knowing my track record, the next dungeon would probably try to kill me in some even more ridiculous way.
But that was a problem for future Aria.
For now, I was just happy to be alive.