"For now, how about we distribute some food? All of you look like you're starving, honestly." I sighed. "Emeraldine, can you make some-"
"Already doing it!" Emeraldine said, spreading vines of Yggdrasil plants around the floor, as the kids all saw in shock as countless fruits popped out of the vines.
Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, and small berries popped out of the vines magically. Naturally, the power to summon roots and branches of a legendary tree such as Yggdrasil also allowed her to just as easily summon food, in the shape of fruits and vegetables.
Her Divinity of Life and Nature wasn't going to not allow her to do that! It was surprising how all the kids stood still for a few seconds before instantly grow insane, taking away the fruits and beginning to eat them frantically.
"No need to fight, there's many more where that came from." Emeraldine smiled, happily giving them all more and more fruits, so many that fighting for them was completely pointless.
"Ahh, they're so sweet!"
"Are we dreaming? Is this a dream?!"
"I've never filled my belly so much!"
"Wow!" Silva said in surprise, taking out an apple and munching it. "S-So juicy!"
"Auntie Emeraldine is awesome!" Nyx said with a giggle, eating an orange, without even peeling it.
"Just enjoy yourselves, kids." I sighed. "Fabian, is there anybody older than you?"
"There were… Spectra was around 17, but she stayed behind while we ran away last time… Been over a month since then." Fabian sighed. "There was Silvan, Gretta, and Hans, they were all around her ago too… All gone."
"So you're really the last "older kid" here…" I sighed, as he led us to a large room that was where he rested. There was barely anything here other than a few pieces of furniture, nasty clothing sparingly thrown around, and a made-up bed out of a sand-filled pillow.
"Yeah, I've been trying my best to protect everyone. I am the highest level here at Level 40… But that barely amounts to anything against those monsters." Fabian sighed. "I can at most kill some guards, but their magic weapons can get me really badly if I am attacked by many at the same time. My only skills are… using this miasma thing to poison people, and sometimes, shape it , a spear. That's it…" He showcased us his strength.
"Well, we won't be employing your strength anyways." I said. "You should stay here for now, seems like the dungeon should be… decently safe, at the very least. If you've been living here for so long."
"Do they know about this place too?" Lucifer wondered.
"No, the dungeon is really big, spreading all below the city. There are many corridors and floors, rooms, and more. There's Wall Mimics that sometimes block passages, there's a huge one that is unknowingly protecting us from being detected from the rest of the passages that interconnect the whole dungeon."
"Wall Mimics, huh." Partner said. "I wonder if they're tasty? Do they have any meat?"
"Huh? I-I don't know…" Fabian muttered in confusion. "They're too strong for us to take down."
"Is that the only thing you can think about?!" Lucifer reprimanded her. "Anyways, Fabian. Does the lab connect to this dungeon?"
"…Yes." Fabian nodded. "Here, this is the map we've got… In here, this is a passage that leads to the lab… It is really far away, to the fourth floor from here. It usually takes three hours of walk. And it is filled with dangerous Monsters, thousands of Mummies are wandering around there. Not a place we can step on once we run away." He showed us a map and indicated everything.
"I can teleport all of you to my village through Shadow Teleportation, though I first need to set up a small magic circle back home. Though, are you willing to leave this place? It could bring you all to instant safety." I said.
"I-I don't know…" Fabian sighed. "I want to stay and fight, even if I am weak. If you're storming the lab, I'm coming! A-And you can't stop me! I need… to find Spectra, and everyone else… I'm worried! Maybe send everyone else, not everyone here can fight either… But I have to stay…" I could tell by his way of talking that he was mustering the courage to say those bold words. It was quite admirable.
"Huh…" I sighed. "Well, what can I do about that? It's your life and it's your choice. I'll protect you with my magic, and we'll find your girlfriend. Might as well help you level up too, later." I giggled.
"A-Are you sure about this?! He's a kid!" Lucifer said.
"And Nyx isn't a kid?" I raised an eyebrow.
"W-Well, she's a dragon kid." Lucifer crossed his arms, looking away.
"Well, if he's really bold enough to do that, then who we are to stop him." Partner laughed slightly teasingly, giving the kid a head pat. "Now! Let's do-"
Suddenly, the dungeon started to tremble. My senses became alert as I sensed several masses of large quantities of Mana approaching at high speed, traveling across the dungeon's passages as if they knew exactly where we were this whole time.
Could it be our own presences?! We do have a shit ton of Mana after all!
The sound of the Wall Mimic being destroyed and shattered into pieces echoed in the far end of the corridor, as Emeraldine came running here.
"Someone's coming!" She said.
"[Shadow Domain]!" I expanded my shadows, swiftly attempting to save all the children as I flew outside, seconds before seeing a group of Vampires emerge, their claws nearing the closest child that was too shocked to move.
"We've finally found you, lab rats!" Roared one of the Vampires, his claws about to grab the small child, no older than Silva, and about to rip him into pieces.
However, a huge wall made of roots grew faster than I could reach the child, protecting him from the vampire's vicious claws as he hit the wall head-first.