'Huh…'
Vale stared in horror as Ximena's body was staked to the ground.
A moment later, Ximena's ripped sash retreated from her and wrapped itself around Vale's, and started dragging him back.
Then a message was relayed to him.
[A challenger has entered the dungeon]
Followed by four others.
[A challenger has entered the dungeon]
[A challenger has entered the dungeon]
[A challenger has entered the dungeon]
[A challenger has entered the dungeon]
Vale, while being dragged, looked down the hallway to see the struggling Ximena force herself to her feet, still impaled through her side, and cast her hand toward the unseen invaders. A moment later, a red crystal rose exploded into existence and consumed Ximena.
The same crystallized form she'd appeared from in the Dungeon Core the first day they'd met.
From Vale's position, he could see the nearly lifeless crystal owl in a stasis of her own making — trapped half-dead in her Crystal Prison. Then, he saw humans…
