[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/uUb6fmS.png[/img][/center][b][color=goldenrod]"It sure is very charming of you to come all the way to this den of depravity just to seek me,"[/color][/b] Emilia said as Chen came "out of nowhere" like the bug he's. [b][color=goldenrod]"However, as you can see, I already have an appointment for the immediate future,"[/color][/b] she said while turning her eyes Kanbaru.

As it turns out, she wouldn't be able to follow up with any other remarks after being rendered speechless in the most literal way. Nevertheless, she still threw a knowing gaze towards Chen as he repeated himself.

Almost as if, despite everything that happened, she was still the one in control. Or, at the very least, the only one who could keep her wits in check.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/5pY1T2E.png[/img][/center]Sherry kicked the slimy hand of the fishman who grabbed her with all the strength she could while being underwater. Thankfully, it was enough to free herself from the creature's grip just and get back to the surface.

[b][color=darkorchid]"For a moment, I thought I was a goner,"[/color][/b] she said after taking a long breath. Now, she had to find a way to try to help the others and get out of this water before they were overwhelmed by the twisted abominations, or... something even worse and possibly tentacle-y came after them. [b][color=darkorchid]"Ok, here goes nothing!"[/color][/b] she said as she unleashed a magic missile—which was thankfully uninhibited by the water's resistance—hitting the three fishmen.

Sherry hoped that would be enough to help the other's escape. However, before she could shoot a second volley, two more fishmen came to attack her. This time, they were armed with rudimentary-looking spears trying to stab her as she dodged left and right. And then, out of nowhere one of them spit a fireball at her, right after Sherry hit it with another magic blast.

[b][color=darkorchid]"What the hell!? Ever since when do fishes spit fire?"[/color][/b] she complained as she continued to fend off the slimy critters.

[center]—X X X—[/center]
On the other side of the underground lake...

[b][color=violet]"Mhmm, mhmm~"[/color][/b] those would be the first sounds—other than those of the struggle of the White Masks nearby—a certain young boy would be able to hear as he arrived at the lake's shore, besides what looked to be some kind of pier with a couple of torches illuminating it.

There was no boat, or oarsman, to be seen. The only other things worth of attention in the vicinity being a few ruins of what looked like some kind of storehouses, and crumbling, wooden watchtower, as well as some flickering lights in a tunnel up ahead which Takara would probably be able to recognize as the butterflies he sent out earlier—if he remembered doing that at all, of course.

The reason for the magic butterflies to be disappearing was none other than the fact that they were being snipped out of the air, or rather, being eaten by a [url=https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/3425203]mysterious woman dressed in a purple armored dress[/url], almost as if they were candy drops thrown in the air.

[b][color=violet]"Ahh, mhmm~"[/color][/b] she gobbled one more of the flighty beings before finally turning around and noticing the golden-haired boy sitting on a pillow by the lakeside.

[b][color=violet]"Ohh, oh, I didn't see that there was anyone else here,"[/color][/b] she said as she approached Takara. [b][color=violet]"Hey, who are you? Are you lost or something like this? Do you need a big sister, or a mommy, to take care of you?"[/color][/b] the woman who probably liked purple a little too much for her own good asked as she squat down to look the young boy in the eyes.