A/N: if you're an old reader, this isn't an update. I've been rewriting so this is a new plot. Read from ch 1 I promise you'lol enjoy it.
They stayed like that for too long. Horus' mouth was planted against hers, his arms wrapped around her like a chain.
He let go of her nose once she calmed down and slowly disengaged. Drifting apart, Horus glanced upward, the fire had faded.
He pointed upward and June nodded, clumsily trying to swim up. He stopped her with an arm around her waist, then he swam both of them up.
His head broke the surface of the water and the noise of battle filled his ears. The Oasis was filled with Greenjaws and Firespitters, duking it out in a chaotic melee. The smell of blood and metal filled the air.
Quickly lifting June out of the water, Horus backed into a corner with her trembling behind him.
"What the hell's going on?" June stammered, teeth clattering.
"The Oasis is like a mini dungeon, it's defending itself against the Firespitters," he explained.
He noticed it when they first came. The way the Firespitters avoided this place, the deep tunnel under the water, the glowing green moss.
And most importantly the number of Greenjaws when Horus and Wally came here. The place summoned enough enemies to match invaders.
The Greenjaws were too strong, but like the Firespitters they were both Common-tier creatures, and their green scales had a strange resistance to the flames of their enemies.
Soon the Firespitters were even retreating. Most of the Greenjaws were still alive, but once the enemy left they disappeared into mist.
Only one Greenjaw was left. Its grotesque fish face and teeth too large for its mouth illuminated by the lantern hanging over its head.
Its growl made June's eyes widen with fright, but Horus raised an eyebrow. One Greenjaw, not two.
Maybe the first trial to pass here was to kill a Greenjaw. Then other trials waited below the Oasis. But for now all they had to do was kill this one.
"June, stun it," he ordered with caution on his mind.
Horus already killed his Greenjaw, if he killed this one for June then it might respawn later. She had to contribute to its death, he guessed.
Fumbling over the strings, June played a hasty tune that wasn't as good as the one she used before.
Horus rushed forward, swinging his sword to stall and then dodging a deadly kick from the monster. Then June's song ended with a sudden note.
The Greenjaw was slightly stunned but it still raised a hand to block Horus's descending slash. What it couldn't expect was his sword phasing through its hand before slicing a long gash in its chest.
The beast stumbled back in confusion, but Horus' sword whipped forward once again, nearly decapitating the monster as it dug into the beast's throat, spraying black blood everywhere.
As the monster fell to its back, June staggered, shivering painfully. Horus sheathed his sword and caught her.
"You're gonna need to take off your clothes."
●——●
After ten long minutes of silence and squeezing, Horus was done drying their clothes. He glanced at all the dead Greenjaws on the floor with regret. If Wally and Horus had extracted all this blood they would have left the dungeon immediately.
He hesitantly turned to June. She was facing the wall, wrapped in his cloak, which had quickly dried itself and removed all the black stains of blood.
Horus made a mental note to thank the Enchanter. The self-cleaning on the cloak was certainly high quality, and it made June a little bit more comfortable.
After quickly putting on all his clothes and armor, Horus walked over to her and dropped the clothes beside her then he walked back to the oasis and focused on it.
It was far more interesting than the sound of ruffling clothes behind him. All the black blood of the Greenjaws pooled into the Oasis, staining its clear waters.
But strangely the blood quickly dispersed, perfectly mixing with the water.
Once she was done, Horus turned back with a tired expression.
"Well that was…"
"Horrible, catastrophic, terrifying," June offered some words. "I don't think I've been this scared since I was a kid."
She gingerly walked to him, avoiding the Greenjaw corpses like she was scared they'd jump back to life. But she had no problem stepping over dead Firespitters.
"Thanks for the save back there," Horus said after a long moment of silence.
She stopped in front of him, looking up and acknowledging his appreciation with a nod.
He hadn't noticed all these details on her face till now. The round face with smile lines under her silver eyes, the freckles over her strong cheekbones.
Her usually red, smiling lips were paled and turned down in a frown.
"Thanks for… down there." She pointed at the oasis.
He also nodded, but he felt strange. Slightly embarrassed now, even though what he did was necessary to survive.
"Sorry about… what I said before. It's not like I didn't want you there—I didn't—but I was also just a bit pissed."
"Sorry for saying you look scary," June mimicked his deeper voice. "I'm sorry this is just so weird."
He nodded, smoothly changing the subject. "Your stunning tune was stronger against the Firespitters than the Greenjaws."
"That's what you call these ugly things," she replied with a grimace. "Apparently Firespitters are more sensitive to sounds."
"Yeah, essentially every hole on their body is an ear," Horus explained. "Shiv noted that strong sounds could rattle them."
"Oh now that we're at your friends," June said, urgency in her voice. "They're here in this dungeon."
It was hard to believe at first, but once she described the armor and weapons, Horus was sure of it. They had lied. Now all of Horus' friends were here, except for John.
He was slightly worried about the drunken boy, but more about why Ulrich and the others. Why were they here?
"They're after Wally," June answered as though reading his mind. "Where is he? Why isn't he with you? The Firespitters from before don't tell me—"
"They didn't get him," Horus reassured, but his heart grew heavier. "But I'm not sure…"
He explained what happened in the storage room in a low voice. There was hope that Wally could have survived the fall, but he wasn't sure.
June nodded while tears fell. She covered her mouth and walked some distance away from him. Horus let her have her time to compose herself while he worried about Ulrich, Randall and Shiv.
"They can't be here for Wally."
June turned. "What?"
"Why would they be after Wally?" He posed. "I think I'm the target here. Ares… my older brother, he was smiling at both of us during the awakening ceremony. What if he was the one that changed my fate, made sure I didn't get Twilight Swordsman. Now he's brought my friend down here to stage my death. To get rid of me."
June looked unconvinced. "Ares is the brother from the duel right?"
Horus nodded. The legendary duel in the Everlasting Kingdom. He had seen the video countless times, it had millions of views. It was also when he first used [Fading]. Something people thought impossible for an unawakened child.
"I know your brother hates you but do your friends hate you enough to join him?" June pointed out. "They might have also heard you have Twilight Swordsman. So many people saw you kill that Firespitter in the safe zone, word should have spread."
"But why would they be after Wally?"
June shifted, turning away from the question. "Well there are… reasons. For one, he's an asshole."
With a frown, Horus walked to her and asked, "What are you hiding?"