Finding the Dungeon [publishing]

Chapter 10

The next few mornings came and went faster than Leo had expected. They had been travelling for miles on end, as it seemed the carriage would never stop.

"Are we going anywhere in particular?" Eria spoke up, finally breaking the long silence. She, Nyxie and Ryuu were sitting on the far sofa, watching Leo and Boa play a game that none of them had seen before.

Nyxie nodded slowly.

"Where to?"

A pause, then: "Where air creatures were last rumoured to be seen."

Every time that Nyxie spoke, she liked to keep it brief, not wanting to talk for too long. Eria shuffled on her seat.

"And where was that?"

"Near the dark regions. You of all people should know that, Eria-san," Ryuu stepped in. He had raised his voice. Nyxie coughed, shattering the stillness that had suddenly appeared yet again.

Boa yawned loudly and stretched out onto his back. "Onii-san?"

"Mm?"

"I'm sleepy..."

"C'mon then. I'll get you to bed," Leo heaved himself off the carpet, taking hold of Boa's hand and leading him to his bed.

Eria sighed. The weeks had gone by so fast, with almost no time for a moment of peace. She slumped back onto the sofa, which was much more comfortable than she remembered it being earlier. Her eyelids fluttered closed. 

There were no windows, purposely thought through by Eria, but she could tell almost no daylight was left. She felt herself sink into the cushions, and almost jumped when Ryuu spoke.

"So, are we going to be in this thing permanently?" he spoke softly, but his voice was still deep.

Nyxie glanced over at Eria. She noticed that the nymph had been perched on the end of the seat the entire time, her hands folded delicately in her lap.

"I'm assuming we're only using it in the Midlands," Eria rested her face on her hand, and looked in Nyxie's direction. "That right?"

She nodded. "That's a Shimizu carriage. Most realms would recognise the symbol of the Leading Clan."

Eria's mouth dropped open. "You stole a Shimizu carriage?"

Nyxie shook her head. "It's mine."

"B-But..." she started. Ryuu had a confused expression on his face.

"All the Shimizu princesses died from a plague years ago!" Ryuu protested.

"My five older sisters and my younger sister were the only victims."

"You're a princess?" exclaimed Eria incredulously. "Really?"

"Mm."

"Anyone else part of royalty?" she laughed, sitting up as Leo walked over. "Have you heard this, Leo-kun?"

He nodded, sitting down in between Eria and Nyxie. Nyxie shuffled closer to Ryuu, filling the space out. "Maybe we should learn a little bit more about each other? Since we are all relatively new. Maybe Eria-chan can start?"

"Of course, Leo-kun!" she smiled, turning to the other two. "Well, my name is Xymeria Anna Molly, but you can just call me Eria, since I hate my long name," she laughed, "And a fun fact about me? I just love the colour purple."

She held her hand out, indicating for Leo to continue.

"Well, I am Leo, as you hopefully know already. I will be your leader for as long as this mission continues," he paused, "My fun fact is that I really like zinnias and marigolds. They are really pretty," he turned to Eria and blushed.

"I'll go next," Ryuu started, wary of Nyxie's uneasy look. "I'm Ryuu, and my fact is that I used to be a professional combatant for the official Fire Realm army. Chili and I joined it together."

Nyxie swallowed. "I-I'm Nyxie. I would say I have seven siblings and I was a Shimizu princess, but you know that already..." she racked her brain for anything she could say. "I can play the flute quite well?" she offered.

Leo smiled and clapped his hands together. "Great! Do any of you want to join me in a game of checkers?"

"What's that?" Eria inquired, genuinely curious.

Leo stared at her. "You don't know what checkers is?!"

Ryuu sheepishly shook his head, but Nyxie told them that she used to play it with her sisters when she was younger.

"Well, at least someone knows what it is!" he exclaimed, "Come on, I'll have to teach you the rules."

"I'm going to take a bath," Eria announced after she miserably lost the first few games. "Do you want to join me, Nyxie?"

The girl looked up and awkwardly nodded. "Okay."

She took Eria's outstretched hand and the two headed towards the bath area. Leo turned to Ryuu.

"Well. After they're done, do you want to take one together?"

"No."

"Ouch... That was harsh," Leo grimaced, placing his tile on the checkerboard after killing the remainder of Ryuu's pieces.

***

The tap was pouring boiling water into the bath, and Nyxie watches as it each drop rippled the surface. It was nearing the brim, and she twisted the tap closed. Eria pulled off her top, and Nyxie shrunk into the chair by the bath.

Eria clapped a hand to her mouth. "I am so sorry. It didn't occur to me that I might make you uncomfortable!"

Nyxie gave an awkward grimace.

"I'll turn around, and you can get in first."

"'Kay."

Silently, she slipped off her dress and underwear before stepping gracefully into the bath. She felt herself sink into the soothing, hot water.

"You can turn around now," she said quietly. Eria spun around to see Nyxie almost up to her chin with water.

"You all good?"

"Mm."

Eria gave a suspicious look, but yanked off her clothes and joined her in the bath. She began to rub the water over her shoulders and chest. Nyxie looked up at the woman, and began to scrub her chest as well.

The woman was very beautiful, Nyxie noticed. Her features were beautiful even without her makeup, and her glossy hair hung on her shoulders. Eria pushed the water through her hair, and Nyxie glanced at the faint outlines of cuts and scrapes.

She had a very voluptuous figure, and her large chest was visible. Nyxie held her arms around her knees, and sighed, closing her eyes. Eria stared at the girl. Her bangs covered her face until her mouth, yet she could still understand her emotions.

"You tired?" Eria smiled, looking down at the lady. No reply. "Nyxie?"

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Author's Note:

It is my birthday tomorrow 🥳 so I might post a special one-shot chapter or just an extra long chapter for next week. Lemme know who your favourite character is so far, and I'll see if I can kill them off for you lol /jk

But seriously, let me know in the comments who it is and give a name recommendation which I will probably use. (You can still reply ages after this chapter is published because I'm planning on making this a series)