Vanessa stormed up the altar as soon as Faralynn and Matthew disappeared in a bright light. Eric pulled her back as soon as she got a foot on the platform and held her in place while she struggled against him.

"Vanessa!" Eric admonished her. "Wait. You can't go."

"Why not?" She barked at him.

"Because you might not go to the same place as them." Claudio explained examining the markings on the floor again.

"How did the teleportation activate?" Erin asked worried.

"Might've been a trap. Might be condition. Might be the residue of mana in the air from that wind spell earlier." Claudio listed while moving his glasses.

"What do we do now?" Erin asked.

"I'll go after them." A female voice said from behind them. "It's my duty."

It was Faynn dressed in her black combat clothes with her face hidden with a mask and head covered with a hood. She was hiding in the shadows protecting Faralynn as usual, but she saw no danger in a dust devil and did not react when the monster entered the room. She was filled with regret.

"You're Lady Laufgraan's shadow." Claudio smiled at her as he usually did. "Here. Take my radio. We can track it inside the dungeon if you get lost."

"How long do we have?" Faynn asking taking the radio.

"5 hours still." Erin said looking at her watch.

"I'll go with you." Vanessa offered.

"Me too." Eric said letting Vanessa go from his embrace.

"No. You will stay here and make sure this man keeps his word." Faynn denied both of them.

"I know you don't see as a good man." Claudio defended himself. "And I might not be. But I don't like leaving people to die as well. Specially someone so important to this research as Matthew."

"Then we should go back to the gate." Eric said looking at Faynn while she stepped up the altar.

"We'll contact you when we get another radio, Faynn." Erin said.

Faynn smiled at the girl and poured some mana into the teleportation circle making it activate. Soon she was gone in a flash of light just as Matthew and Faralynn before her.

Matthew and Faralynn saw themselves in a wide room with the same stones that made up the rest of the Labyrinth.

"The teleportation circle activated." Matthew stated the obvious.

"We have to go back." Faralynn said looking around for a way back.

No matter where they looked, there was not any teleportation circle around. They had no idea where they were and how deep in the dungeon they were teleported to. There was a single hallway leading out of the room they were in.

"What do we do?" Matthew asked.

"We go that way!" Ffyr said with a happy smile ignoring the danger they were in.

"Maybe we should wait to see if the others join us." Faralynn was cautious.

However, fate had other plans for both of them. From the hallway 5 minotaurs approached them, each holding a different weapon. The first had a bow, arrows on its back and a knife on its waist, the second had a halberd, the third had a shield and a khopesh, the fourth had a spear and the fifth had two swords just like Matthew.

It was said that minotaurs in that dungeon had levels between 15 and 25. Facing 5 of them only with Matthew and Faralynn would be very hard, if not impossible.

"Ffyr." Matthew called his familiar. "Tell me there is another way out from this room."

Ffyr just shook her head saying no. Her usual childish demeanor vanished instantly.

Matthew drew both his guns.

"I don't think we can win. And if no one has come here so far, they might not be coming at all." Matthew said to Faralynn who was putting an arrow on her bow. "Aim for the archer." Matthew said.

They both opened fire against the archer, but the one with the shield put himself in front of it stopping the bullets and the arrows with its shield. The other three rushed forward with incredible speed forcing Matthew to draw his swords and meet them halfway before they got close to Faralynn who was still level 9.

An arrow flew from the minotaur archer seeking Faralynn, but Ffyr stopped it with a gust of wind. At the same time, Matthew surrounded himself with demonic mana to meet the other assailants. He knew it was not enough to face three minotaurs at once and he quickly also brought out his unholy mana.

He defended himself from a piercing strike from the spear rolling to the side but being met by the overwhelming pressure of the halberd strike from over him. He brought both swords up to parry that attack, but the weight behind it made Matthew fall to one knee. He thought his life over when he saw a blade of a sword coming straight for his throat, but Faralynn was there with a magical bow and arrows.

Despite her low level, her equipment was all first grade. A single one of her arrows was enough to deal damage to one of those minotaurs. Her aim was true and, before the blade reached Matthew, her arrow pierced the minotaur' chest making it fall back some steps.

That was enough for Matthew to be able to roll backwards avoiding another spear attack and get up in a single move.

He coated his weapons in fire as a smile took his face. It had been too long since he felt the thrill of a fight like that. Too long suppressing the demonic mana inside of him. He charged the minotaur with the halberd keeping close to it so it couldn't use the benefit of his long weapon against Matthew.

Faralynn shot another arrow against the minotaur with the two swords while the minotaur archer kept trying to get her. However, as it was shielded by its partner, the elf was shielded by Ffyr's winds.

Matthew got busy fighting the minotaur with the halberd and the one with the spear. Ffyr was protecting Faralynn from the archer. The one with the shield kept defending the archer from any possible arrows that Faralynn could shoot. Therefore the minotaur with the swords had no adversary.

That one charged Faralynn with its head down trying to pierce her with its horns. Ffyr's winds were not enough to stop the heavy monster. The elf was forced to drop her bow and dodge the charge to the side while drawing her sword and the same time.

A loud sound of metal scraping metal sounded at that time. The sword minotaur was not stupid. It knew a charge like that was easy to doge, he was counting on it. As soon as Faralynn got out of the way, it extended its arm to the side hitting her on belly with his sword. Luckily, Faralynn's armor stopped the blade from plunging into her. All she felt was the strength of the blow like a punch to the gut.

Since both the adventurers were out of their ranged weapons, the minotaur with the shield charged into the fray.

Matthew was observing Faralynn and Ffyr face the minotaur with the swords with the side of his eye while trying to down the monsters in front of him. But it seemed he was evenly matched with two of them. He did not get harmed but could not also harm them.

Faralynn did her best against the minotaur with the swords, but her level was too low to face it in melee combat. It was just as fast as her and much stronger than she was. All that prevented her from taking a fatal injury was her skill with the sword.

That was, however, not enough. At some point in their skirmish, she fell for faint leaving her wide open to a strike on her throat. But, before the minotaur took the chance. Ffyr blew a powerful fireball on its face.

Now Ffyr was also covered in demonic mana. Her hands were covered in fire. Before the minotaur with the sword could get up again once it fell from the force of the fairy's first attack, she struck it again with another fireball.

Faralynn tried to take the opportunity to pierce the monster's heart, but an arrow hit her on her left arm taking a scream off the elf. Not soon after, the minotaur with the shield reached her using its horns against her and sending her flying against the wall.

"Lynn!" Matthew screamed losing focus on his fight as he saw her being overwhelmed by her enemies.

That's when the spear reached him piercing him on the belly through his armor and taking a wild groan out of him.

His eyes, however, were still looking at the elf who had trouble getting up. Then another arrow flew and hit Faralynn on the leg making her fall to the ground again.

"Lynn!" Matthew screamed again through the pain.

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