Takashi scoops up Rin, sticks her on his back, and starts running behind me and Jordan. I can hear shouting from the inn; the Knights have entered and are searching for us. "Come on!" Jordan whispers, and we keep going until we reach a large door. "I've been looking for the Boss room ever since I got here. A couple days ago, a buddy of mine found it, but the door shut on him before he could get out." He goes silent for a few seconds. "Anyway, I figure we have a better chance of beating it with four of us."

"Hold up," I say, interrupting him. "Beating it?! You want us to go in there to escape?"

"They'll never find us on another floor," says Jordan. "It's our best shot."

Takashi puts Rin down. "So let's go to the Town of Beginnings or someplace safe like that."

"Believe me, they have people down there. They have people everywhere. A new floor is our safest bet. Besides, there's four of us. There was only one of him. I think we can take it, whatever it is."

I look back at Takashi and Rin. Rin's eyes are a little wider than normal, and she's sweating. "What do you think, Rin?"

She shrinks back behind Takashi. "It looks a little scary in there... I think I can go in if you come with me, though."

"Takashi?"

He shrugs. "If you think this is the best way to escape the Knights, I'll go along with it."

I nod. There's a moment of intense silence. We could die. All of us know that. We must be total idiots.

"All right, then," says Jordan. "Let's do this."

We rush inside and the door shuts behind us. It's pitch black; none of us can see anything. "Nobody move!" I say quietly. Now I don't hear anything either for a few seconds. Then a low grumbling sounds from the back of the stone room. A glowing, orange, teardrop-shaped form appears near the middle of the room. I can hear Rin whimper quietly as she draws her sword. I look back at her, then back at the creature.

Luminous red marks appear, showing the shape of the monster's body. It looks like an enormous scorpion with burning red eyes. As a light source fills the room, it growls and hoists its huge white body into the air, stabbing the ground with its claws on the way down. A name tag appears above its head: the Grim Destroyer.

Here goes nothing.

A/N: Hello, readers! Thanks again for taking the time to vote and comment, even though I never update =3 I just wanted to put in this author's note to tell you all that I've started a YouTube channel! It's called Mochi Vs. LARP, and it documents my trip to Duché de Bicolline in the summer of 2017. Anyways, I hope you'll all take a look at it and subscribe if you think I'm doing a decent job. Again, thanks for being such awesome fans, and I'll see you in the next chapter... or on YouTube, whichever comes first.