After sorting through all the loot, the party gradually calmed down. Cyclone glanced at Liam, somewhat dissatisfied:
"Expert, didn't you choose this dungeon for the rewards? The loot was alright… but was it really worth the effort?"
"Maybe it's you who's getting too greedy.", answered Liam with a smile.
"Me? Never!"
Cyclone raised her chin ignoring the strange looks of her friends. Liam chuckled and said:
"Ok, I did promise that it would be worth it. Come with me, guys."
"Wait, there is still more?", asked Balm. The healer was already satisfied with receiving her first set equipment. Fine white leather boots supported her feet at the moment. In her opinion the party already got richly rewarded.
Strangely the rest of the party didn't share her opinion. Especially those who didn't see a solid improvement in their equipment. They eagerly followed Liam.
The veteran entered the room which was protected by an illusion at the beginning. After the death of Paradynim's clones, all the kidnapped people had recovered their minds.
Unfortunately, their bodies were still weak. They sat on the floor, each processing the traumatic experience in their own way. Fellfell could be seen wandering around carrying a plate of fruits which he got from the food prepared for the basilisks.
Silent Acacia's heart immediately melted.
"Such a good boy. Let me help you!"
The hunter also grabbed some fruits and helped Fellfell distribute them among the people. Silver Blade couldn't help but deliver a little jab:
"I didn't expect Mr. who-cares-about-lore to get so attached to an NPC dog."
"Well… that's different."
While everyone chuckled at Silent Acacia's embarrassed expression, Radiant Shield also stepped forward and joined the hunter.
The rest of the party didn't comment more and walked towards the rear wall with Liam. They arrived in front of a chained basilisk struggling against the control of dark magic.
Liam directly took out his swords and slashed at the chains. The first attack only left a few marks behind. Seeing this, his friends quickly helped. Together they struck the chains for almost a minute until they finally broke.
The basilisk let out a thankful shout and dragged his body away. After a few steps it fell to the floor, completely exhausted. Luckily Silent Acacia swiftly arrived with some food.
Meanwhile Liam daringly stepped into the magic circle brimming with dark magic. He moved swiftly, taking away a peculiar black crystal from the floor.
Instanltly the magic circle disappeared and the atmosphere in the cave got noticeably lighter.
But Cyclone looked at Liam skeptically. No new loot had appeared.
Liam suppressed his laughter as he explained himself:
"This was just for the quest. The promised loot comes next. Let's go."
Hearing this, Cyclone waved her fist at him:
"You better deliver now, expert!"
"Haha, of course."
Liam picked up the pace afraid that Cyclone would really get angry with him. He left the room and approached the door where Lady Somme came out originally.
Pushing it open, spacious living quarters were revealed. Even this far below the ground the noble lady didn't lack anything.
But Liam wasn't here to steal some golden cups. Yet after an offhand comment about their value, Balm shamelessly pocketed them all, stating that the guild would need every coin.
The others thought it was reasonable and began to help her. Eventually the room was stripped of everything of value. Not even some gloves lying on a couch were spared.
Liam didn't expect his friends to pick the room clean. He waited until they were done, and Cyclone nodded at him with a satisfied grin.
"Are you done?"
"Sure. That devil is not that bad. Leaving so much compensation for us."
"Ok. Should we continue now?"
"Yes… wait!"
As she looked in Liam's direction Cyclone noticed a golden candle holder attached to the wall. It was finely crafted and should be worth quite some silver. Cyclone jogged past Liam and pulled on the candle holder.
With a click the candle holder suddenly folded towards the ground. A rumble ran through the room as a hidden door opened in the wall.
Cyclone was startled staring at the wall.
"Hey, I found a secret door!"
"Nice!"
"Good job. The diligent are rewarded."
Liam rolled his eyes as everyone appeared surprised.
"That's what I wanted to show you before you decided to pick this room clean."
"Sure, sure."
Cyclone nodded in a pacifying manner as she patted Liam's shoulder. The veteran's eye twitched. Noticing this, Cyclone quickly ran down the newly revealed stairs, her laughter echoing between the walls.
The entire party broke out into laughter. Liam let out a sigh which turned into a helpless smile as his friends walked past him and entered the hidden basement.
Silver Blade took up the rare. She patted Liam's back in amusement before entering, soon followed by Liam.
After walking down the short stairway the party found themselves in a dim room. Although it looked clean there was the unmistakable smell of blood in the air.
The friends scrunched their noses as they scanned the surroundings. They ignored the large alchemy table and fixed their eyes on ten glass containers lining the walls.
A warm light shone within the containers, creating a comfortable environment for the large, colorful eggs in them.
Cyclone's face stuck to one of the containers, her eyes shining with desire.
"Hm, Cyclone? What are those eggs? Don't tell me Acacia gets ten new pets…?", asked Silver Blade. But she didn't receive an answer.
Annoyed, the young woman approached the containers and swiftly used [Inspect].
[Egg of the Storm Basilisk
Category: Unique
Effect: A Storm Basilisk can be hatched from this egg, which will serve as a loyal mount.
Restrictions: Empty mount slot.
This basilisk has been bred to have a natural affinity with wind magic. It has a high speed and has the potential to become one of the most powerful mounts in all of Crunaboul.]
Immediately Silver Blade's body froze. Only a whisper escaped her mouth:
"Unique…"
Liam stood at the back of the group nodding his head. He was satisfied with the reaction of his friends. Now Cyclone definitely wouldn't question if it was worth it to go through the dungeon.
After a few seconds of no movement Liam walked forwards, his steps extremely conspicuous in the basement. He approached the leftmost container and put his hands against the glass.
With a strong tug the container opened. The sliding noise brought everyone back to reality. Cyclone looked towards Liam, asking carefully:
"Expert, what are you doing? Shouldn't we discuss how to efficiently distribute the eggs?"
"Don't worry. C is considerate enough to customize these basilisks to the needs of our group. There should be a perfect match for everyone. And this one is mine."
Even Liam couldn't help but smile as he caressed the egg in his hands and put it into his inventory.
His explanation caused everyone to burn with even more fervor. A scramble for the eggs began. Cyclone looked left and right, checking every container before suddenly lunging her body at one.
"No one is gonna take a mount called Lightning Basilisk from you, Cy…", said Balm as she was almost shoved away by her friend.
Cyclone smiled sheepishly, apologizing while she opened the container. With shaking hands, she took out the big, blueish egg. She stared at it, but her expression quickly became puzzled.
"How do I hatch the mount?"
"You can't. Yet.", answered Liam.
"What do you mean? How can they reward us with a unique mount but prevent us from hatching it?! Isn't this like dangling a carrot before a donkey's face?"
"Calm down. You unlock a mount slot at level 35. Then you can naturally ride your mount."
"You are telling me I need to go levelling now?! After all that hard work?"
"We will reach level 35 right after leaving the dungeon…"
"Oh…"
Cyclone looked somewhat embarrassed. She put away the egg and stood at the side. She didn't even urge her friends to hurry up with choosing their own mounts.
After a few minutes all ten eggs were distributed. Cyclone wasn't the only one eager to admire her unique mount. Thus, Silver Blade chose the option to leave the dungeon as soon as everyone was ready.
In a flash the party was back in Deep Bell City. Notifications rang in their ears. Everyone advanced by two levels, stopping close to level 36.
Cyclone was just about to immediately take out her mount when Liam cautioned her. A large crowd of people were gathered in front of the dungeon. It wasn't smart to present their mounts in front of everyone.
Cyclone wasn't happy, but she agreed.
The party looked at their clamoring fans and braced themselves. They ignored their fatigue for a few more minutes while interacting with the excited crowd. But eventually, exhaustion kicked in. The friends apologized and went offline.
Liam was glad to relax at home when an excited Serena stormed into the apartment. He smiled as the young girl reported the reactions of various other guilds.
However, the real question remained unanswered so far. Did they get the fastest first clear in the federation?