We follow Tink through the deep wood of the Misty Grove. Slimes continue to throw themselves at us as we walk, falling on Harpy claws or blood-crystal daggers by the score, but the scenery is too distracting for us to grow annoyed while popping the bouncy bothers one by one. It's a dark, heavy beauty here, all mushrooms, dripping water, and wan light filtered through the dense canopy and pervasive mist.

A fine dust falls from Tink’s dragonfly wings as she leads the way. Where it touches, whether tree trunks, rocks, or ground, abnormally large fungi sprout forth. That solves one mystery! And starts another.

""Tink, what is that?"" Brenda and I ask together in our shared voice, pointing at her sparkling trail through the air.

"Huh, what?" She spins about to face us while flying backward.

""The glowing glitter coming off you.""

She glances at her trail of golden dust, smiles, and says, "Fairies spread good cheer wherever we go! It makes some things grow fast and has special effects on my bonded companion~" She leaves us with that tease, turning back to lead the way. As she hovers ahead of us, the Fairy absently scratches her scalp, releasing a small flurry of dust in her wake.

Ah, so it's just Fairy dandruff. I respond to Brenda's thoughts with my own silent resolve to ignore the issue. Tink might be sensitive about it.

Gale and her entourage proceed with calm and poise. The cloud-clothed Rainbird constantly concentrates on holding back the sea of mist while floating on air, but the strain doesn't seem to weigh on her. She gives the impression she could go like this all day, an effortless expense. Monal and Rosie have a bit more trouble half-hopping, half-fluttering along beneath the low branches.

"How much further?" the pheasant Harpy asks as she bristles her feathers after batting aside yet another impertinent Slime with her ruby-coated talons. "I'm going to need a break soon."

"Not far," Tink reassures absently. Her attention is focused on navigating the dim grove.

"Come on, we've got to keep pace with Mistress Gale," Rosie the ebony-skinned flamingo Harpy says as she throws a wing around Monal to help the other girl along. "Or else what are we good for?"

"Hmm?" Gale registers their struggles and turns to see them supporting each other. She cocks her head askew. "Oh, I can help!" The Rainbird proceeds to exhale a cloud that surges under her retainers' wings. They don't receive the full buoyancy that Gale enjoys, but helps support some of their weight and makes the remainder of the trip that much easier.

Meanwhile, Chris nervously hides in the center of our formation with a crystal-blood dagger clutched in her hand as jellyfish tentacles extend from her tutu to bat aside any Slimes that get close. “It’s not so bad here… as long as it doesn’t get any worse.” She mumbles that last bit. Not quietly enough to avoid being overheard, though.

Tink looks back over her shoulder at the bunny girl. “Well, the Dungeon is far more dangerous, of course.”

“Everyone, what we're doing here is important,” I remind them so they don’t focus on the threat we’re heading toward, but what we stand to gain. “For Field Town, for the war, for Alex.”

That’s good, concise oration, Jonathan. They won’t follow you into hell after that speech, but this Dungeon should be a cinch by comparison.

“See, here we are.” Tink slows to a halt hovering above a fissure in the ground that constantly belches forth mist. It tapers to a narrow walkway on one side with a natural staircase descending along rock shelves. Overall, it has the appearance of a giant monster’s maw whose throat extends far into the earth.

"This is where all the mist is coming from?" Chris says.

"There are other entrances, but yes. The Dungeon produces this zone’s perpetual fog; it's an aerosolized mixture of water and mana that keeps the Slimes' membranes moist and provides constant fuel for their growth."

Flou pipes up, "You sure know a lot about the Dungeon, Tink."

And 'aerosolized' is an awfully big word for such a little person. Right, Brenda didn't receive my education growing up, but the concept is easy enough for me to visualize and communicate through our bond. Tink must have had some source of knowledge in her early years. Could it be...

"I should hope so since I was born to a Dungeon Fairy.”

I wish Gabby or Alex were here to tell us about them. Yes, a Book of Monsters entry on Dungeons or Fairies might be helpful before entering ‘the belly of the beast.' But we don’t have time to get anyone else’s help. That’s right, we’ll lose too much daylight trying to secure backup. We either plunge forward or retreat for the day. AndI know which you’ll pick, Jonathan~

Brenda and I mount the first step of the Dungeon staircase and speak in our double-voice, ““We need to get stronger.””

“Let’s freaking grab some Second Tier Slime Cores!” Olindia cheers from Chris's pink Slime tutu.

“We’re already on the cusp of the Third Tier. This will push us over the edge,” Flou agrees.

“Gale will be a good girl and make Alex and Megan proud of her!”

Monal and Rosie exchange a nod before following their avian Mistress.

“I’d better get a sweet evolution after this bullshit,” Chris says, psyching herself up to join us on this dangerous road.

Together, the nine of us enter the Dungeon.

“Home, sweet home,” Tink says with a big grin.

----------------------------------------

It takes a few minutes for our eyes to adjust as we descend into the Dungeon. After that, though, we’re able to see our feet by Tink’s dim blue glow and the bioluminescent green of fungi colonies growing on the walls, if barely. She flies before us like a torch as we go. Or a will-o'-the-wisp. Meanwhile, the mist rising from the depths clings to the ceiling, so Gale’s efforts keeping them at bay are thankfully rendered unnecessary.

But how are we supposed to see the monsters sneaking up on us in this dark? You know, Slimes don’t need eyes, my love. Brenda is right—with my sight restricted by the low light, other senses come to the fore. Through my symbiosis with her, I’m getting a feel for our companions. Gradually, I recognize the faint presence of their auras in my mind. Each is flavored how one would expect: Tink is minty fresh, Gale bright and airy, Olindia sweet and sour, Flou warm and soft as marshmallow fluff, and Chris is like warm cider with a kick, while Monal and Rosie have a crisp sharpness with a lighter or darker aftertaste, respectively.

““Can everyone else see where they’re going?”” we ask.

“I’m used to the underground,” Chris reminds us. That’s right, Rodent-kin monsters navigate by smell and hearing as much as sight in the dark.

“My blood-crystals will help guide you,” Flou explains to Monal and Rosie, who might otherwise struggle.

At the same time, the Rainbird among us exhales a stream of thick fog that dissipates into a faint cloud rolling across the dungeon floor around us, then nods with confidence, “Gale can use the tiny rain to see.” Just like in the Misty Grove above, she can sense what the microscopic airborne droplets touch. It’s like an advanced mental mapping technique. Wow, I'd love to merge with her for an hour just to find out what that's like!

With the visibility issue settled, we proceed deeper into the Dungeon through corridors of natural stone. Slimes still strike at us from time to time; they seem to be spreading out at random from somewhere far inside and just run into us randomly as they search for the surface.

Tink gets excited when, minutes later, we spy a bright blue light fluttering around the ceiling, "It's Mom!"

The Fairy woman swoops toward her daughter and pulls up short in alarm when she sees the rest of us. "Intruders!"

She looks much like Tink, but three inches taller and only a decade older. I guess Fairies don’t age the same as humans. The family resemblance is impeccable, though.

"No, Mom, they're my friends! They saved me from getting eaten, and this one is the Hero of Legend!" Tink points at my and Brenda’s merged form. “See, Jonny has the ‘Mantle of Green’ and everything!” Her mother looks me up and down with a skeptical expression. “Allow me to introduce you. Everyone, this is Jing L. Bell, of the Bell-clan Fairies. Mom, meet everyone: there’s a big-booby bunny, the birdbrain duo, a few Slimes, and a feathery titty-monster.” Tink reluctantly includes the Harpies that tried to eat her, glosses over our Slime allies, and makes Gale impossibly delighted to be called the ‘titty-monster’ because of an earlier glomping episode.

Jing looks less than thrilled by our presence, especially mine. “Tink, darling, don’t tell me… You didn’t Bond with this, this creature

, did you???”

“Yep! I’m a Fairy Companion, now! I’ll be a Hero’s Fairy one day and we’ll defeat the Demon Queen together!”

“That Prophecy again...?" *Sigh* Jing’s exhausted exhale would be the envy of a person ten times her size. Looks like there’s some family drama here. “I wish you wouldn’t speak of the Demon Queen in such a cavalier tone, Tink. And you say you got eaten? Were you playing in the Grove where we can’t protect you, girl?”

“Umm…” Tink blushes dark blue with embarrassment.

“Now, this so-called ‘Hero,’ we see some green on him. But he’s got no sword! And we doubt these strange monsters have even heard of the dark matron until today. Tink, darling, what have you gotten yourself into this time?” The mature Fairy facepalms, then turns to the rest of us. “Alright you lot, what are you doing here? We need to know if you’re going to be a bad influence on our Tink.”

I set aside my pronoun confusion to promptly speak up and explain our purpose in coming to the dungeon. When I’m finished, Jing nods.

“Well, human, er, whatever you are, you’re no Hero, but you did Bond with my little girl, which makes us your Fairy Godparents.”

“Hurray!” Tink squees.

Well, isn’t that good news! A weight falls from my shoulders as my mother-in-law accepts our Bond (if reluctantly). This could've gone badly if Jing, the presumed Dungeon Fairy, disliked us.

“Ahem," Jing continues with a grin that slips the leash. "As such, there’s no harm in doting on you a wee bit. There’s not much we can do to aid you in a fight due to our Bond with the Dungeon, sad to say. However, we can lead you to the Slimes you seek, herd away the Oozes from your path, and distract the guards.” That sure isn’t nothing!

““Guards?”” we ask, this being the first we’ve heard of them. Chris gives us a wan expression as if to say, 'Of course it couldn't be easy.'

“Hmph. Young Hero, did you think a natural treasure like this Dungeon would be left unguarded? Feh! Your head must be empty. Good thing your balls aren’t… Mmm~”

“Mother!!!”

Jing gives us a flagrant up-and-down. “That club dangling between your legs looks much more satisfying than the Elf dicks we’re used to. And your smell—ahhhh, genuine human~”

“Moooom! No swarming my Companion on the same day we Bonded!”

““P-perhaps you’d like to come home with us after we fulfill our mission? Alex and I would love to show our appreciation,”” we offer, unsure what being 'swarmed' would look it.

She sighs again. “We’re bound to this place as a Dungeon Fairy Swarm. So, bring all your friends around anytime, we’ve got a big appetite for cock, not to mention a taste for pussy, but don’t get caught! I’d hate to have to explain you to the Mistress…”

This keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.

“Ma’am, who is the Demon Queen?” Flou says from Chris’s crystal-blood dagger, “What guards do we have to worry about, and who is your Mistress?”

“Huh, you did mention having talking Slime companions. Don't see those around too often. But these questions, seriously... Tch. No surprise my scatterbrained daughter hasn’t told you anything yet. Well, too bad! You’ll keep the chatter to a minimum starting now if you want me as your guide. I’ll get you in and out of the Dungeon before anyone notices, and Tink can explain everything later. Let’s move.”