Content warning:
Brief discussion of animal killing. PTSD flashback. Animal killed in flashback. Accidental almost matricide.
The family spent a few more days setting up signal boosters on different Floors. One had been a deciduous forest, another was full of steep, imposing cliffs, and the most recent one had been seemingly endless sand and wind, and little else.
Plenty of other Explorers busied themselves with the same task, working hard to establish a reliable signal throughout most of the Dungeon—for as long as technology still worked. Lauren had yet to experience all her devices suddenly dying.
But right now, Lauren and her family had gathered in the forest near town, all geared up for battle. The trees looked desiccated, and a thick layer of snow covered everything.
Laurens eyes passed over everyone as they faced each other with their weapons at the ready—all the sharp edges were safely wrapped up.
I guess it’s a good thing none of them use guns as their main weapon. Wait…
“Why don’t more people use guns?” Lauren asked. “The only one I’ve seen so far was on that Mack guy. Seems like they would be even more common than before.”
“Because of mana,” Emma said. “Most animals are now too durable for regular guns to do much against them. You have to infuse mana into your weapons when facing them to be sure you do damage. That’s not feasible with bullets unless you’re using really expensive materials, so guns are now a rich person’s weapon.
Savannah added, “It’s better with a bow, because arrows generally have a lot more mass to work with than bullets do, so the infused mana takes a little longer to dissipate.” She held up an arrow for emphasis. “Even the military, with their vast resources, doesn’t use guns much anymore.”
Lauren nodded. “Alright, I’m ready. Is everyone else?”
With everyone ready, Lucia threw a rock into the air. It landed in the snow with a muted thud, and Savannah immediately loosed an arrow at Lauren, who created a gust of wind to change its trajectory.
Emma shouted “Greater fire blast!” just after Savannah’s arrow was loosed, so Lauren changed her spell from wind to water, adding a slight delay to her cast time.
While the others were rushing forward and waiting for the best timing to unleash their own spells, Lauren launched large chunks of earth at her sisters, blocking their line of sight and forcing them to dodge out of the way. She also added a little something extra.
Good, doesn’t seem like they noticed.
“Sound block!” Maeve yelled, and complete silence fell.
Lauren tensed for a moment, but strode forward while someone cast a darkness spell, and it was immediately with wind spell, rendering even her sense of smell useless. Her heart started racing and her instincts kicked in.
There were enemies nearby. She could sense their mana and subtle vibrations from their movements. Four of them. Keeping their distance. They’re smart.
In the dark of night, abnormally large trees towered around her. The downpour of rain pounded in a deafening roar, drenching the remaining scraps of her clothes, her body now as slick with water as it was sweat.
She’d been running for so long now, utterly exhausted and gasping for air. Her eyes darted wildly for a crevice she could escape into, anywhere at all. She was all alone, and had strayed too far from the last hiding place she had called home.
She heard it. A splash, barely audible over the rain. The sound of something large leaping off the soaked jungle floor. On pure, adrenaline-fueled instinct, she leaped sideways, but the jaguar’s claws still sliced into her back, her purse blocking only some of the strike.
She screamed in a hoarse voice and whipped her stone spear outward, turning around as she fell. She managed to land a strike in return. On her back in the mud, she could only watch in terror as the creature, nearly as tall as herself, stumbled forward, then collapsed on top of her. Through sheer luck, she had sliced its jugular.
Blood. There should be blood, right? Why isn’t it bleeding…?
“Lauren, it’s okay,” Maeve said hoarsely.
Huh?
“It’s okay, Lauren. I’m here. It’s okay. You’re safe,” Maeve got out.
“…What?” she whispered.
She hurriedly glanced around. This wasn’t the jungle. This wasn’t survival.
Maeve was lying on the ground, her sword nowhere in sight. Lauren’s hands trembled as she realized she had the tip of her spear against her mom’s throat.
“F-Fuck…” Lauren uttered, then stumbled backward and fell.
Her sisters were still getting out of the hole Lauren had secretly made earlier, and her aunt was nearby, having only just caught up.
“Greater heal,” her mom wheezed. It was too garbled for the voice activation to work, so she said it again, but more forcefully. It worked that time.
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Lauren kept pushing herself backward until she hit a tree. Her vision blurred as she took deep, gasping breaths. She tried to let go of her spear, but decades of honed instinct didn’t allow it. She laid it across her lap instead, and buried her head in her knees.
Lucia slowly sat beside her, followed by her sisters in front of her, and her mom on her other side, rubbing her throat.
Lauren winced and returned her gaze to her legs.
Maeve spoke first. “Take as long as you need, Lauren. If you want to talk about it, we’ll listen. If you need to be alone, we’ll give you space. Whatever you need, we’ll help you.”
The five of them sat together in silence long enough for the sun to begin setting. The wind and the rustling of trees were the only sounds. The family was briefly interrupted by a deer wandering close to them. After Emma scared it off, Lauren found the courage to say something.
“…I’m sorry,” Lauren weakly gave.
Maeve gave a comforting smile, “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“But I-!”
“You didn’t intend to do that, right? I’m not going to blame you for an accident. And I can tell you held back, even in that state.”
Lauren opened her mouth to speak again, but nothing came out. She gave a slight nod instead.
Emma leaned forward. “If it’s not too difficult, can you tell us what happened?”
“In an unfamiliar forest…” Lauren started. “It’s so dark, it’s hard to see. It’s so loud, I can’t hear anything. Can’t even smell anything.” She bit her lip. “A-And I know I’m being hunted by something intelligent and powerful. …I learned to stop thinking and just act.”
“Can I hug you?” Lucia asked.
“Please,” Lauren rasped.
“So what do we do now?” Lauren asked after everyone returned home. The whole family was sitting in the living room, each holding fresh mugs of tea.
Lucia replied, “Normally, we’d look into therapy, but that’s rather difficult these days.”
Lauren took a sip of her tea. “Because of the Advent?”
She nodded. “That’s right. A lot of society’s infrastructure came to a grinding halt back then. The healthcare system is now even worse than it used to be—partially because healing magic exists now, so some Explorers are made to give medical care they aren’t qualified to do. The therapists who are still able to work are booked years in advance. It’s not a problem money can solve.”
Maeve supplied, “I think the answer for you, Lauren, is the Dungeon. Unless we can figure something else out, then gradually readjusting to people while in there might be your best option.”
Savannah added, “Since you came back, you haven’t stopped moving at all. You immediately went to that meeting, did the lab tests the next day, spent several days in the Dungeon, and did the spar today.
“Granted, you’ve always been really energetic, but you’re tense and restless whenever you aren’t in the Dungeon.”
Lauren gulped. Her sister was right.
“How much of a threat is the jungle to you, Lauren?” Emma asked.
“I haven’t had any major problems in years…” Lauren said. “Tyche could kill me, but I live far away from her.”
Emma smiled faintly. “And you miss being there.”
“Yeah… I was thinking I could live here and just visit the jungle regularly, but I don’t know what to do now…”
“We’ll figure it out,” Savannah said. “One step at a time. You don’t need an answer right now.”
“You’ll be there with me…?” Lauren asked. “But what about your lives here?”
“We want to help you, and just be with you again,” Maeve said. “We’re Freelance Explorers, so we choose where and when we work.”
“But you must have something going on, right? Emma, what about Mist?”
Emma replied, “They’re a high-level Explorer, too, so I’ll still likely see them often, whether or not I’m in the Dungeon. And they understand that I want to spend a lot of time with you.”
“Lauren,” Lucia stated, “Nothing is going to keep us from staying by your side. We are exactly where we want to be.”
Lauren hesitantly asked, “What if I have another… moment?”
“We’ll be fighting with you, not against you,” Lucia said. “You’ll never be in that kind of situation again. You won’t be alone.”
Lauren couldn’t help but cry again. When she eventually went to bed, she managed to sleep a little better than before.
Cute Bee
How’d yesterday’s spar go?
You
Terrible
Cute Bee
Did something happen? I can’t imagine you losing
You
I won… But I remembered some really bad times I’ve had. Fucking horrible day. My family are even more amazing than I remembered, though
Cute Bee
Shit. I’m glad they’re there for you. They’re really nice
You
Yeah. What about your family? How are they?
Cute Bee
I haven’t been home in a while, so playing piano with my mom again is nice, despite the argument we had when I arrived. And my nieces keep trying to pull my antennae. They always pull on my dad’s ears, but he’s not here right now, so I guess I’m filling in for him
You
Hahaha
Cute Bee
Yeah, they’re cute though, so I don’t mind
You
Yeah, they are cute antennae
Cute Bee
Thanks… They asked about you today actually
You
Oh?
Cute Bee
Mhmm. Pictures of our hug are online
You
Damn. Sorry about that. Being famous is weird
Cute Bee
It’s fine, I’m a pretty well known Explorer too
You
What did you tell your nieces?
Cute Bee
That you smell like a wet dog
You
??
Cute Bee
They didn’t believe me
You
Do I???
Cute Bee
No, I was just joking around with them
You
Jeez, don’t scare me like that
Cute Bee
And now I can brag to everyone that I scared Lauren Park!
You
Dork
Cute Bee
No you. I’ll be back soon, by the way. Just a couple more days
You
!!! Can’t wait to see my favorite bee again
Cute Bee
…Yes. It should be fun!
