Chapter 115: Chapter 115: The Hold of Jhar

In the third chamber from the entrance, they found a dying gnome. The poor man was delirious with fever, and there was a pool of vomit next to him.

Both Leander and Valerie stepped in to help him. They found that he had bacterial gastroenteritis, which had caused the gnome to be dehydrated.

The two healers took turns to give him small sips of water, and, after a while, the gnome opened his eyes.

"Healers?" He crocked and the two nodded. "Will I live?"

"This is just bacterial gastroenteritis. You need a bit more water and some magnesium and salt," Valerie assured him, and the man nodded.

"The tarot deck. It is in here, I know it," the gnome pointed at a dark corridor and then pulled out a key from his bag. It was not a bottomless one, and the picture became clear for everyone. 

This was just someone who was after treasure, but was not a part of a guild. For, no guild would send someone in these abandoned lands by themselves, or, without a bottomless bag.

The gnome handed Valerie the key, and closed his eyes.

"I'll stay with him," Valerie said, voice stern. "Leander, quit shaking your head. You are competent enough to heal an entire platoon by yourself."

Leander was not as certain. He looked pleadingly at Valerie, but she shook her finger at him.

"What? Do you want me to abandon this man? He needs to be monitored," Leander looked at the now sleeping gnome, and sighed.

"We will be back as soon as possible," Leander told her, and he looked to Dorian.

"Come on, then. Let us move out," Dorian stood and made the sign for formation. They were in the classical formation, seeing as none of them had come up with a better one.

They saw something run across the tunnel. Something white.

"The spiders?" Lilia asked. She clutched at her staff. The memories of the spiders around the temple still fresh.

"Could be. But, this is an ambush," Dorian knew that, if the spiders had so wished, they could have run around without the adventurers seeing them. For a single one to show itself, and to lead them somewhere, then, this must be an ambush.

"So, what do we do?" Morris asked, already having his axe in his hands.

"We burn them out," Dorian said, and he nodded at Jean. "Your fireball barrage is the best. Leander, set up a barrier."

The two began to work silently. It turned out that had been the right choice because the spiders, small and white and with the tendency to explode, began to fall from the ceiling.

The fire heated them, and explosions rattled the tunnels. Leander looked up, only to see cracks in the ceiling.

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"We have to get out of here," He spoke, and he pointed at the cracks. "Before we end up getting taken out."

With one last look at the dying spiders, they ran out of the tunnels. On the way to the surface, Nestor and Percival took the gnome, Valerie having placed him on a stretcher, and they all went to the outside.

Not a moment too late, it seems. Because the hold collapsed. With only the barrier, now battered, pocking out of the rubble.

"Well, the core is done for," Jean pointed at the disappearing dungeon ground lines.

"Or, it could be trying to trick us," Armaros said. He had known that he could do the same, a long time ago. But had been too proud to. He sent out mana to check if there was still a healthy dungeon core in the vicinity and felt a small pulse. "Leander, have some golems to dig around thirty meters away from the barrier."

They all turned to stare at him.

"The dungeon core was that close?" Leander stammered. That explained why the mobs bothered with an ambush and did not try to take them out by simply walking around the tunnels.

"Yes. And it is gathering its mana for another swarm," Leander did not need to be told twice. He made a couple of golems and send them where Armaros had told him to. Then, watched as the golems shifted the rubble away.

A big mana crystal was taken out, and Leander's breath hitch. Now, that he knew what to look for, he could feel the mana coming out of it in thick waves. It was trying to create a boss mob.

"Crush it," Leander yelled, and the golem placed the crystal down and began stomping on it. Finally, there was a loud crack, and the mana faded away.

Leander was going to make full use of the opportunity. For, this dungeon core could be made into a fake dungeon core. He already planned to hand it over to Jean, who would be the most willing to take it.

The healer could not stop thinking about the fact that his lovers, bar Armaros, would age and die, and he and Armaros would remain young forever. Or, until something happened to their cores. He did not want that. Leander would trick Jean and the rest into taking a fake dungeon core for themselves, if he had to. But he was not losing them.

"I know what you are thinking," Morris spoke as he watched the golem pick up the cracked dungeon core and bring it over. "And the answer is no, Leander."

"Do you not want to spend an eternity with me?" Leander asked, voice chocked.

"You became a dungeon core so Armaros won't be alone. You have always liked him best," Dorian spoke, no bitterness in his voice. Just acceptance. "But, Morris, Jean, and I do not want to spend eternity constantly fighting. We want more from life, Leander. And, we want to be at peace. Right?"

Dorian looked first at Morris, who nodded. Then at Jean, who shrugged.

"Speak for yourself. I am not leaving lemon cake alone. Or our dear hamster here. Just imagine the things we could do, if we live forever," Armaros went to hug Jean, then, papering his face with kisses.

 Leander was just as happy, if a bit more reserved about it. If Jean wanted to stay with Armaros and he forever, then Morris and Dorian could also change their minds. Leander just needed to put the work into it.

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