Finding the Dungeon [publishing]

Chapter 9

Boa was fast asleep on Ryuu's back, while Leo was rubbing his eyes and yawning as they stepped out of the house. Eria met them at the edge of the street with the nymph.

Leo looked up, and on seeing the girl, widened his eyes and picked up his pace. It was almost dawn, and the pixie was trying to get them to hurry up.

"Hey!" Leo called. The girl put a finger to her lips, and Leo quietened down. "What's your name?"

She looked away, then in a soft, silvery voice: "Nyxie."

Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, but he nodded. "Why are we leaving so early?"

Nyxie ignored the question, continuing on the road. Leo frowned, asking again. She turned and pressed her finger to her lips again. He noticed how pale and frail her face was, deciding not to ask again until the sky was brighter than now.

They stepped out of water realm just as the sun reached the height of the sky. There was a carriage outside the gates that hadn't been there before, and Nyxie started off towards it.

Eria followed after her, but Leo seemed confused. Ryuu nudged him on, and they were hastily rushed into the main compartment.

"What are we-" Leo was cut off by Nyxie covering his mouth, and grumbled. "Why should we trust you?"

"Leo!" Eria hissed, "You're the one who recruited her!"

Leo rolled his eyes, but he did start to come to his senses. The windows had been shut and hidden by curtains, due to Nyxie.

Getting up from Ryuu's lap, Boa yawned, and began walking around the carriage. "Where are we, onii-san?"

Much to Leo's surprise, he wasn't immediately silenced by Nyxie.

"Not sure," he admitted after a moment's pause. He glanced at the new recruit. "Anyways, Boa. This is our new member, Nyxie."

Boa looked at the girl on the opposite side of the carriage. She smiled weakly at him, and he ran over to her, scrambling up onto her lap. She seemed quite shocked, but relaxed after a moment.

"Mami..." he muttered.

"I am so sorry!" Eria instantly apologised.

Nyxie looked taken aback, but ran her fingers through his hair and wrapped her skeletal fingers around his. "It's okay," she breathed softly.

After a few minutes of silence, and the patter of horse hooves on the ground, Leo finally spoke up again.

"Where are we going?"

"Away from here."

"Why?"

She was silent, and stroked Boa's hair.

"My parents... they lead the prominent clan in the realm. I ran away... now they are planning to capture me and take me back," Leo noted that that had been the most she had spoken to them.

"Can't you leave on your own?"

"I wouldn't have anyone to hide me if they stop this carriage."

Leo nodded.

"I just realised that we haven't told you our names yet!" Eria clapped her hands together, trying to draw the attention away from the awkward silence. "I'm Xymeria, but you can just call me Eria."

A nod from Nyxie.

"I'm Leo, but I figured you already knew that."

Another nod.

"That's Boa on your lap, by the way," Leo continued.

"I'm Ryuu," a deep, rough-sounding voice said from beside Leo. Eria turned her head to him, just then remembering he was there in the carriage with them.

She nodded.

Seriously, thought Leo, was this all she could do?

He leaned backwards onto the cushioned seats. Too comfortable for him to not suspect anything with this new girl. He sighed, just glad he could have a moment of peace, even if it were to be interrupted in a few hours.

This whole journey had gone much quicker than he'd expected. It had been less than a month since he first met Eria and Boa. He chuckled to himself. Maybe this could be over and down with in under six months...

"Well," Eria said, standing up abruptly. Leo opened his eyes. "I think I should make this carriage bigger."

Nyxie cocked her head, her hand still resting on Boa's head.

Eria smiled. "Don't worry, it won't make the actual carriage bigger, it will only affect the inside."

She waved her arm upwards gracefully, then snapped her fingers. Ryuu and Leo grabbed the seat and the sofa flew backwards into the new space. Nyxie had picked up Boa and seemed to drift towards her sofa.

"Do you like it?" Eria was instantly behind Leo, whispering in his ear.

He took a moment to compose himself, then looked around the room. It was very open-plan, and the seats had been moved to the back right hand corner. It was almost four times the size, with a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The bathroom was partially sealed off, with a large, opaque shower curtain blocking it. There were four adult sized bed, each customized to each of their heritages, and Boa had a small child's bed at the foot of Nyxie's. The order of the beds were: Ryuu's on the left, Leo's, Eria's, then Nyxie's and Boa's on the right.

"Yeah, I like it."

Everything was themed in very neutral colours, such as brown, beige, black and white. Leo's small corner was themed a pale blue with a couple of faint rainbows, and fluffy clouds. Ryuu's design was mainly red and orange, with dragons, and a couple of flames. Eria had given herself a purple bedspread, with what most people would see as Hallowe'en decorations, including a candle on a shelf above the headboard. Nyxie's was simply decorated with oceans and seashells, which she didn't complain about, though the 'beach girl' vibes horribly clashed against her sickly complexion. Boa was extremely excited as he woke up in his forest themed bed. His bed was littered with plush woodland animals, which he took quite a liking to.

The carriage stopped, and Nyxie went to check outside for any strangeness to the exterior of her vehicle. She came back with a small smile, before she quietly announced it was time for Boa's bed.

"You should have a bath before you go to bed, shouldn't you Boa-san?" Nyxie whispered.

Boa nodded and ran to the bathroom. He quickly let out a squeal, clearly pleased that there were bath toys.

They laughed, then Leo turned to them.

"Who's bathing him?" he said seriously. Eria stepped back.

"I'm not built for dealing with kids."

Ryuu glanced at Nyxie pleadingly.

"It's okay. I have a brother at home who I used to bathe," she followed Boa into the bathroom, and bent over the bath to turn on the tap.

When she stood up, she noticed Boa standing silently behind her. She tilted her head curiously.

"Um," Boa muttered. "Can I call you Mama?"

 "You're an orphan, aren't you?" Nyxie touched his shoulder lightly. He nodded back, stiffly. She nodded as well, then hugged him. "Of course you can call me that. I've always wanted a child."

Boa's face suddenly turned into a cheeky grin. "If Leo is my onii-san, and you are my okaa-san, then is Leo your son as well?"

Nyxie looked taken aback, then laughed. "I guess so."