We’d spent the night at our inn in Bahal. Now it was the next morning, and I was getting ready for the day when Tarte came up to me. “Meowster, can I braid your hair today?”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“Purray!”
Tarte carefully gathered my hair and combed it before braiding the sides and putting the rest into a ponytail. Wearing our hair up would mitigate a little of the oppressive heat we were about to face in Ifrit’s Oasis.
“Actually, I have a present for you, Meowster.”
“What?” I blinked, staring at her. I’d never expected such a wonderful surprise.
“I hope you like it.” Tarte held out a hair clip made with desert stones. She must have picked it out with L’lyeh from a street vendor after remembering how we’d all been pinning our hair up in the dungeons lately. The clip featured a rose created from red stones native to the desert, held in place by a gold setting.
It shone so beautifully in the light that I let out a breath in admiration. “It’s gorgeous.” Is this what Tarte and L’lyeh were shopping for yesterday? I’d thought the two girls shopping together was adorable in its own right, but knowing they’d been picking out a gift for me made something swell inside my chest. “Thank you, Tarte! I’ll take good care of it.”
“I’m so happy you like it...because I bought a matching one.” Shyly, Tarte showed off her own hairpin of the same design as mine, but with stones of a slightly different hue. “One for me, one for Lulu, and one for Cocoa.”
“You got me one too?” Cocoa asked.
“Thank you for everything,” L’lyeh said as she handed Cocoa her hairpin. It was a brighter red that would match Cocoa’s hair wonderfully.
“Thank you, Lulu, Tarte,” Cocoa said.
“You’re welcome,” L’lyeh answered.
A little timidly, Cocoa held up the pin to her hair. “What do you think?”
She was so adorable that I struggled to nod fast enough to show how much it suited her.
“It looks ameowzing! Kent won’t be able to keep his eyes off of you.”
Tarte’s words set Cocoa’s cheeks aflame. Cupping her face in her hands, Cocoa quietly asked, “Do you think so?”
I don’t think it’ll take long for Kent and Cocoa to become official. I would have grilled Cocoa about it if we weren’t pressed for time and on our way to a dungeon. Reluctantly, I tore my attention away and turned to Tarte. “Now it’s your turn.”
“Yes, purrlease.”
While I fixed Tarte’s hair, Cocoa did L’lyeh’s.
“You always look cute with your hair down, and I really like it up too,” I told my apprentice.
“Thank you, Meowster.”
“Your hair is so shiny, Lulu,” Cocoa commented.
“Thanks.”
The perks of having a girl-heavy party. “Nothing like matching hairpins to put us in the team spirit.”
“Purray!” Tarte beamed at me, reminding me how lucky I was to have such a precious apprentice.
✦ ✦ ✦
A smile crossed my face as I studied the hairstyle Tarte had put together for me. Without a doubt, this hairpin was my favorite piece of jewelry I’d ever worn.
We had breakfast in the dining room of the inn, stopped by Fule by using the Gates, and then entered Ifrit’s Oasis.
Once we were in the dungeon, Kent immediately asked for clarification. “We’re usually here to gather materials, but we’re going to focus on beating it today, right? Should we pick up Fire Shrooms if we see them?”
I understood exactly where he was coming from. Who hasn’t picked up materials along the way, even when rushing to clear a dungeon? “Let’s see. If we have the chance while we’re walking or while other members are in combat, we can pick them up.”
“Got it!” Kent said.
Having agreed to pick up materials only when we could comfortably do so, we ventured into our first real attempt at conquering Ifrit’s Oasis. There were three levels to the dungeon. The first level—where the monsters weren’t very powerful—was where we’d been gathering Fire Shrooms for the past few days. The second level would be far more dangerous...and far hotter. We’d packed plenty of water and ice because we’d have to take frequent breaks just to make it through without suffering from heat stroke. The third level held the dungeon’s namesakes—an oasis and the boss, Ifrit.
“Let’s get going,” Kent called.
“Yeah!” we cheered.
There’d be no challenge that matched our determination for a while, though. For now, we would be strolling through the first level, which we’d gotten very familiar with through all our material gathering.
“Oh,” Cocoa said as she stopped in her tracks. At the same time, I spotted a Flame Stone farther up. “Monster ahead! And there are Fire Shrooms over there,” Cocoa added.
“Got it. Lulu and I will take care of the monster while you guys gather the Fire Shrooms,” Kent commanded.
“Got it,” we answered. It wouldn’t take the whole party to defeat that monster, so while Kent and L’lyeh took it on, Tarte and Cocoa harvested materials and I kept watch, ready to provide support as needed.
Kent drew the monster’s attention with Taunt, and L’lyeh took it out all too easily with Dark Arrow. They’d taken down the monster before we could gather all the available materials. Because our goal was to reach Ifrit, though, we halted our harvesting as soon as combat was finished, and moved on. It felt like a bit of a waste to walk away from the unharvested Fire Shrooms, but I told myself we could always come back.
“There’s a Fire Imp. You’re up, Lulu! Taunt!”
What appeared was a monster made of flickering flame, with bat-like wings made of shadow, and a devil’s tail. At the center of its body, it had a single giant staring eye. The Fire Imp was popular among some players for its “fugly-cuteness.”
“Got it,” Lulu answered. “Dark Arrow.”
Seeing the Fire Imp burst into light, Kent flashed a smile. “Nice!”
We continued like that without a hitch until we arrived at the second level. Once we entered, the air began to feel hot and heavy. Streams of lava snaked across the floors, giving off particularly scorching heat waves. If I were to fall into that lava, I’d be melted bones and all in the blink of an eye. This part of the dungeon had been a formidable sight when it was just a game—now, it seemed flat-out treacherous.
“Ugh, what is this place?! It’s, like, a hundred times worse than I imagined.” Kent, already sweating, turned a concerned look on the rest of us.
“Yeah. The second level isn’t just hotter—it spits out stronger monsters. We have to be more than careful,” I warned. To be honest, I was starting to get nervous that we’d succumb to the oppressive heat before making it to the third level. On this level, in addition to the mostly unproblematic Flame Stones, we might encounter Flame Birds, Flame Bears, Heirs of Flames, and Scorching Lava, a monster which could suddenly spew out of the ground. The air was hot, the ground was hot, and we’d have no reprieve for a long while.
“But we have to make it through. If we don’t quell the volcano, it could ruin this country. We can’t let that happen. Let’s go,” Cocoa encouraged us, though clearly feeling the heat herself.
“Yes! We will bring back Ifrit and save this land from the eruption!” Tarte said.
Their intensity pushed me to nod in agreement. “Right. Let’s make this quick. As soon as we get to the next level, we can kiss this heat goodbye.”
“Wait, level three is cooler than this?! Full steam ahead!” Kent was motivated too. “Let’s keep up the pace!” Still being careful, he took one step forward—and lava erupted from under his feet. The monster that jumped out—Scorching Lava—wasn’t as hot as the natural lava forming streams around us, but it was bad enough to send Kent screaming and leaping into the air, both hands covering his butt. He must have jumped a good two meters into the air... Kent’s physical strength had skyrocketed along with his level.
I didn’t miss a beat before casting Heal with Light. “Cocoa!” I shouted.
“Got it.” Cocoa picked up what I was putting down and held up her staff and Tome. “Water Arrow!” Her spell took out the Scorching Lava in one shot.
Although Scorching Lava only had 1 HP, it was dangerous because it shot out of the ground without warning. It was so dangerous that it was also known as Sudden Death—it could kill you out of nowhere if your HP was low enough.
“It dropped something!” Tarte pointed out. This Scorching Lava had dropped an item called Lava Ore. There wasn’t really a use for it beyond cashing it out at the Guild like I used to do in the game.
“That was scary...” Kent wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “It came out of nowhere.”
“Right? I’d tell you to be careful, but it’s really hard to dodge it when there’s no warning,” I said. The only way to deal with a Scorching Lava attack was to heal as soon as it hit. As simple as that principle was, I’d seen some inept players fail to heal their ally before they died. This was one of the hunting grounds that could be pretty intense.
“Then let’s let Sharon handle the lava and keep moving,” Kent said without a hint of fear.
Knowing that I was trusted so wholeheartedly gave me a warm feeling. “I got you.” I was going to meet his trust with flawless support! At the same time, I felt grateful for Kent and his courage to keep moving forward. He made it so easy for me to return the trust he was giving me. Despite the heat, clearing the second level of Ifrit’s Oasis might go more smoothly than I’d expected. As we set out again, I made sure to reapply buffs to the whole party.
The next monster we encountered was a Flame Bird that sent down blasts of hot air that not only sliced at us but also threatened to afflict us with a Burn status condition. On top of that, the hot and humid air made it tough to move around.
“Taunt! Come get me, bird!” Kent drew the monster’s attention with ease.
While I healed him, I noticed Cocoa setting her sights on the Flame Bird. “Smiling colder than frost, the ice queen unveils her frozen domain!” Cocoa sang an AoE ice attack. In the blink of an eye, the entire area froze, icicles shooting out of the ground and piercing the Flame Bird.
“Good job, Cocoa!” I shouted.
Because the only monsters in Ifrit’s Oasis were of the Fire element, Cocoa had drunk the foul potion I was all too familiar with to reallocate her Skill Points toward Water and Ice Skills. “It’s the least I can do to prepare for Ifrit! Otherwise, I’d be too nervous,” she’d said. Sometimes, Cocoa was downright heroic.