Odysseus's body fell back without his knowledge.
Not because Lauren landed a hit, but because Julius snatched his collar and pulled him back, inches away from being hit with Lauren's attack.
"I'll friggin murder you!"
Before Lauren could lunge at Odysseus, Alex grabbed her waist and pulled her back. "Calm down, babe. I'll take care of him later..." he whispered ominously.
"As I was saying, we're about to walk towards the dungeon boss's lair. For this jungle type dungeon, we have 3 possible bosses to battle," Alex began.
He turned his attention to Belle, their captain, and stepped back as she stood forward.
"The first possible boss is an insect type boss. These ones are known for having multiple poisons and venom shots. Our best bet is to close the gap and slaughter them from upfront.
"Then we have the animal bosses. They're your typical birds or lions. They're not as bad as the insect bosses, but magic is our strategy to beat them.
"Lastly are the fauna bosses..."
When Belle dropped that line, a deafening silence befell them.
And rightfully so.
"Fauna bosses are plant based boss monsters. And they're the most dangerous.
"They can mimic anything they've seen or devoured. Their magic is off the charts, and their healing is on another level.
"They can possess animals, create plant based mobs, and duplicate themselves freely.
"The only way to kill a fauna boss is to chop off its roots, then burn them within 10 seconds before they regenerate again."
Yusuke crossed his arms, his usual care free self now filled with dread. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the ground.
Everyone knew his story. Apart from Odysseus.
His last party was killed by a fauna boss, leaving him as the sole survivor. But due to the fact that he couldn't kill the boss, an outbreak happened.
This killed thousands of people in his hometown back in Japan.
Hence why he moved to the States.
To put the past behind him and march forward towards a new tomorrow.
"What's the plan?" Yusuke inquired.
"Alex and I will lead the charge, acting as both the tank and attack, while Yusuke and Julius trail behind us to find any opening in the boss's attacks," Belle began.
"Lauren, you will hang back with Odysseus."
"What?!" Lauren's eyes widened as she furrowed her brows. "Why?!"
"Your abilities are too unstable for this form of combat. We don't know what we're going to be fighting out there.
"Plus, I need you to look after our porter."
"Belle, don't lump me in with this guy... I can be useful!"
Belle placed a reassuring hand on Lauren's shoulder as she smiled softly.
"You're plenty useful. Which is why you need to protect those who can't protect themselves."
"I know Tae Kwon Do," Odysseus casually raised his hand.
Everyone, besides Lauren, glared daggers at Odysseus, who sighed and shook his head.
"Can I count on you?" Belle asked softly, her gaze kind and assuring.
Lauren sighed as her shoulders slumped. "Fine... I guess if I'm the only one..."
Belle smiled and nodded. "Alright, let's head towards the lair, team."
***
Moments turned into hours as the crew ventured into the deep trees of the jungle.
Each path seemed to intertwine and twist like a labyrinth.
Vines branched out endlessly and wildly, stretching towards a single direction in the East.
That is where the dungeon crawlers walked.
Eventually, a giant wooden door greeted them, the oak lumber slowly withering as splinters formed, flowing towards the sky.
Vines wrapped around the door and the entrance, pulsing with life as they flashed green.
Odysseus narrowed his eyes and felt a tingle on the back of his neck, immediately making the hairs on his arms stand.
'Something ain't right here...'
Odysseus has entered a few dungeon lairs ever since he became a porter. But he had never encountered one as menacing as this one.
The way the vines pulsed with life like veins sending messages to the body, even how the door was splintered but still looked grand and new.
'The autonomy of this lair is oddly... human...' he concluded as he tilted his head.
"Hey," he nudged Julius. "Something dangerous is behind those doors."
Julius lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah, no shit. It's the boss's lair."
"Dude, that's not what I meant. This place is-"
"What are you two mumbling about?" Belle raised an eyebrow as Alex pried the door open.
Odysseus then noticed that the dungeon crawlers had ripped off the vines and placed them on the ground.
Even after being detached from the door, they continued to pulse with life, some ends trying by all means to return to the door.
Unfortunately for them, Yusuke unintentionally stomped on them and looked back at Odysseus and Julius.
"We don't have time to mess around. It's been hours, and I'm just trying to get back home," Belle sighed.
"Sorry. We're right behind you."
Julius walked beside Yusuke, who smirked and tugged his arm around his shoulder and stepped into the lair.
Lauren was about to ask why Odysseus was just standing, but when she met his gaze, she froze.
His eyes wouldn't look away from the vines.
Lauren's eyes eventually landed on them, but she never saw anything that was significant about them.
Nothing glowed in her vision. Nothing even moved besides the bugs on the ground.
While Lauren could smell nothing but the thick smell of grass, Odysseus could smell... death.
Close and pending.
"You, what are you doing drifting off like this?" Lauren inquired.
"... They'll die if they don't get help..."
Lauren shivered. "I was a little ashamed to say this earlier, but you scare me."
Odysseus smiled softly. "I don't scare you. If anything, you're scared of yourself."
Lauren scoffed. "And why do you think that, genius? Because my powers are unstable?"
"Because you've killed someone before."
Silence enveloped the duo. Lauren narrowed her eyes and stormed into the boss's lair.
Odysseus sighed and begrudgingly followed behind her.
Through the door was a long tunnel filled with crystal lights that brightened the area.
The walls were made of old breaking stone and moss while the floor had chiseled stone pads with coarse patches scattered all over.
Odysseus and Lauren eventually caught up with the rest of the group.
Yusuke smiled anxiously and asked, "Hey, Belle. What are the odds of this being a fauna boss's lair?"
"Very slim. All jungle based dungeons have the same jungle temple interior.
"Narrow hallways, moss covered walls, crystal lit path—we can't determine that this is a fauna boss's lair."
"But we can't say that it isn't," Odysseus interjected with a soft smile, making everyone turn to face him.
"Ody, you're starting to actually sound crazy," Julius cautioned.
"Is this what they meant when they said he leaves a path of death? He just pretends to predict that something bad's gonna happen?" Alex crossed his arms.
"All boss lairs are dangerous. But you don't have to worry, Odysseus," Belle assured. "This is a tier-4 dungeon. Every awakened here is a tier-3 crawler."
Before Odysseus could say anything, the group emerged from the tunnel, only to be greeted by a single bright light source.
The area was dome shaped with a single tree standing tall.
The curves of the tree's bark formed an odd eye, its roots jutting out of the ground.
The branches were thin and had no leaves, but as soon as the group stepped inside, they immediately started spawning on command.
Yusuke gritted his teeth, Alex cracked his knuckles, Belle drew her sword, and Julius joined the group.
Lauren hung back to protect Odysseus.
But that seemed like a stretch at this point.
The giant tree began shaking the earth beneath them, its roots starting to tear through the ground and charge for the crawlers.
"Back away!" Belle instructed as she ran back, prompting the others to do the same.
Only Odysseus stood still, forcing Lauren to stop and run back towards him, her eyes widening by the second as she realised just how far away she was from him.
"Odysseus!" she exclaimed as she extended her arm towards him.
On the other hand, Odysseus wasn't shaken anymore.
Where there was once fear and anxiety now stood defiance and insanity.
A mad grin was plastered on his face as the roots got closer and closer to him.
He sharply turned his body and grabbed Lauren by her waist, pulled her closer, and embraced her.
The roots now seconds away from touching them simply grazed past, not even scraping past them.
Lauren's eyes widened as she looked up at Odysseus, a nervous grin plastered on his face.
'What... is he thinking...?' she wondered as she watched the roots swarm them but leave them be.
Eventually, the roots stopped moving in all directions. The rage of the forest had calmed down.
It was also at that point that Lauren realised that Odysseus's hand was still on her waist.
She slapped his hand away and faced her palm towards the roots.
"Try not to get hurt," she cautioned.