The transition through the blue portal was quick, but it felt like my whole body had been squeezed through a very small straw. When I finally stepped out onto solid ground, the first thing I noticed was the air. It was heavy, cool, and smelled a bit like old stone and metal. The blue light from the portal behind us flickered and then died out completely, leaving us in a place that was very different from the town above. The underground city looks like a very dark place but like a lamp in a blacked out place. It was not totally pitch black, because there were glowing signs and small magical lamps attached to the sides of tall, jagged buildings, but the darkness was still very thick. It felt like the shadows were trying to push against the light. We are on a random places, standing in what looked like a wide street made of dark, packed dirt and cracked stone. I looked around, and I could see buildings rising up high into the gloom, their tops disappearing into the dark ceiling far above us. There were people moving in the shadows, their faces hidden by hoods or the lack of light. It was quiet, but it was a heavy kind of quiet that made you feel like someone was always watching.
I stayed close to Elphyete, who was holding onto my arm again. Her grip was tight, and I could feel her looking around nervously. I was feeling pretty nervous too. This place did not feel welcoming at all. I looked at Hanashighi, who was checking her bag and adjusting her glasses. She seemed perfectly at home in this dark, scary city. I realized that I had no idea how we were supposed to leave this place once our job was done. The portal we came through was gone, and I didn't see any other doors or stairs leading back up to the surface. I asked Hanashighi on how will we get back. I wanted to make sure we weren't just trapped down here forever with no way out.
Hanashighi looked up from her bag and gave me a small, confident smile. She pointed toward the center of the city, where the lights seemed to be a bit brighter and more colorful. She said that we can get back by going to the portal located in the Building of Entertainment, which is full of fighting tournaments and, well... a bunch of illegal stuff. She sounded very casual about it, like it was perfectly normal to have a portal hidden in a place full of criminals and fighters. "But for now, we have to find a hotel to stay in while we try to find the king," she added. She started walking down the street, her boots making a soft thumping sound on the dirt. We all followed her, keeping our heads down and trying not to attract any unwanted attention.
While we're all walking, Hanashighi explained that this is actually a single dungeon floor and the only floor of a dungeon that is made into a big city. I had never heard of anything like that before. Usually, dungeons were just places full of monsters and traps that people explored for treasure. But this place was massive. It had streets, shops, houses, and thousands of people living in it. It was hard to imagine how much work it must have taken to turn a scary dungeon floor into a place where a whole city could fit. It made the air feel even heavier, knowing that we were technically inside a giant monster-filled hole in the ground, even if it looked like a city now.
We kept walking for a long time. The city was much bigger than it looked at first. Every street looked the same—dark buildings, glowing lamps, and people whispering in the shadows. We passed by markets where people were selling things that looked very strange and probably very expensive. There were signs for weapons, potions, and things I didn't even recognize. The deeper we went, the more we saw the "illegal stuff" Hanashighi had mentioned. There were groups of tough-looking people standing on corners, watching us as we passed. We saw cages with strange creatures inside and people betting money on games I didn't understand. It was a very busy place, but not the good kind of busy. It felt like any mistake could lead to a big fight.
After walking and looking around and finding nothing for 8 hours, we were all very tired. My legs were sore, and my feet felt like they were made of lead. The group was getting quiet, and even Hanashighi was starting to look a bit less energetic. We had checked several places that looked like they might be hotels, but they were either too full, too scary, or wouldn't take us in. The 8 hours felt like an eternity in the dark. The constant gloom made it hard to tell how much time was actually passing. Just when I thought we were going to have to sleep on the dirt street, we saw a hotel. It was a tall building with a flickering yellow sign that said "The Deep Rest." It didn't look like a fancy place, but it looked clean and safe enough for us to finally stop moving.
We all crowded into the small lobby. The person behind the desk was a tall man with a very tired face who didn't even look up when we walked in. He just asked how many rooms we needed and told us the price. It was a lot of money, more than I had on me. I started to reach for my bag to see how much I could put together, and the others were doing the same. But Elphyete paid for all of us before anyone tried to pay. She pulled out a heavy pouch of coins and handed it to the man before I could even say a word. She didn't even blink at the high price. She just took the keys and started handing them out to everyone. The man behind the desk finally looked up, looking a bit surprised that a girl was paying for such a large group, but he didn't say anything as he took the money.
After eating a quick meal of dry bread and some salty meat in the hotel's small dining area, we were all ready to collapse. We said our goodnights to Ishighi, Hanashighi, and the others. We all went to our room, and I was just looking forward to a soft bed. When Elphyete and I went to our room, I noticed that it's huge. I was expecting a small, cramped space like the ones at the inns we usually stayed at, but this was different. It had a giant bed with soft-looking blankets, a large wooden table, and even a small area with chairs and a rug. There were lamps on the walls that gave off a warm, cozy light that made the room feel very far away from the dark city outside.
I stood in the middle of the room, looking around at how big it was. "Wow, this place is really big," I said. Elphyete walked over to the window and closed the heavy curtains. She said that she paid for the largest room for us. She looked very proud of herself, and I could see her ears starting to move. They were twitching just a little bit at the tips, and they were already starting to turn a light shade of pink. She didn't look tired at all anymore. In fact, she looked very excited. I walked over to the bed, thinking I would just sit down for a second to take off my boots.
But before I could even sit down, Elphyete moved very fast. Suddenly she jumped into my back and asked me to carry her to bed. She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, laughing softly in my ear. I was surprised, but I held onto her legs so she wouldn't fall. She was surprisingly light, and she smelled like the sweet flowers she liked to pick back on the surface. Her ears were moving quite a lot now, and they were becoming a much deeper pink. I could feel her breath on my neck as I walked the short distance to the bed.
"Okay, okay, I'm carrying you," I said, trying to stay steady. I slowly put her down on the edge of the mattress. I thought she was going to let go so I could finally rest, but she had other plans. As soon as I leaned forward to set her down, she didn't let go of my neck. Instead, she pushed me into the bed. I fell back onto the soft pillows, and she landed right on top of me. She was looking down at me with a very big smile, her silver hair falling around her face like a curtain. Her ears were a very bright pink now, and they were twitching frantically.
She didn't give me a chance to say anything. She leaned down and kissed me. It was very different from the quick kisses she usually gave me. It was long and very warm. It lasted an hour. For that whole hour, the dark city, the king, the fighting tournaments, and the scary dungeon floor were all forgotten. There was only the warmth of the room and the feeling of her close to me. I could feel my own heart beating fast, and every time I tried to move, she just held me tighter. Her ears stayed a bright, deep pink the entire time, moving back and forth against her hair.
By the time she finally stopped, we were both completely exhausted. The stress of the 8-hour walk and the long day finally hit us both at once. We didn't even have the energy to get under the blankets properly. We just lay there on top of the bed, holding onto each other. The room was quiet and warm, and the flickering light of the lamps was very peaceful. We fell asleep almost immediately. The last thing I remember was the feeling of Elphyete's head on my shoulder and the soft movement of her ears against my skin. We were safe for the night, hidden away in the largest room of the hotel, resting before we had to face the secrets of the underground city again. In the dark world outside, the city continued to hum and whisper, but in our huge room, it was finally quiet. We slept deeply, not knowing what the next day would bring, but knowing that at least for now, we were together.