[hr][h3][b]Floor 2[/b][/h3][hr]
The party had decided on a mostly safe route. Thankfully, the map was true to the actual layout. While things were occasionally closer or further than they appeared, they ran into little trouble on their way to the third floor. The party was unable to decide on a single way, so they ended up taking a mix of both routes. Luckily, they were practically the same routes; Varanense simply suggested a longer way around Kori's route. It didn't quite matter, however. Both rooms ended up intersecting at multiple points, so it was a lot simpler to take Kori's way. Still, the party went out of their way once or twice only to spot nothing of note.

They safely reached the entrance to the third floor; another hole in the ground with a rope heading downwards. One by one, they went down.

[hr][h3][b]Floor 3[/b][/h3][hr]

The third floor was similar to the first two. After all, there was little variance between the first four floors. The most notable changes were that the earth was no longer pure dirt. The occasional sharp rock and random hole gave way to break the bland silhouettes of each room. The bright blue lights that had listlessly floated in each room and hall were slightly darker—something that only the catlike eyes of Kori could easily notice. Really, it was just more of the same. Let Penn fumble around her maps for a second as she found the right one, then just find a good route to the next floor.

Except it wasn't going to be that easy.

As the party gained foothold in the trapezoidal room, a large, mud-covered tail had erupted from the ground. About the size two men long, the tail hooked around the unsuspecting Kori and pulled her into a hole. Thanks to a mixture of half-plate and the cat-warrior's innate vitality, she was relatively unharmed from the pull. Save for the fact that she being pulled into a hole, Kori was no worse for wear.

That's when Kori saw it. A large lizard four men long was waiting for her inside. Its maw reached across its head, seemingly large enough easily fit a man in its gullet. This was no ordinary lizard, nor was this a floor boss. No, this lizard didn't belong on the third floor. In fact, the lizard came from somewhere further than any of the adventurers had previously reached.

If there was one thing for certain, it would be that this was no time to slack off.