The group walked in single file, following the directions given by the lizard.
— Are you sure this is the way, Lizard? — Froggy asked.
— I know this place like the back of my claws, mortal. — the lizard replied while standing tall, trying to look at the horizon.
— Didn't we see that same mountain an hour ago?
— It's a different one. — the lizard answered.
— But…
— I SAID IT'S A DIFFERENT ONE!
They walked in a straight line without trying to stray from the path. Because, according to the lizard, that was the correct thing to do. At the end of the road, they ended up in front of a gigantic wall.
— What is this?
— The dungeon walls.
— Uh-huh… and how exactly are we supposed to cross them?
— How else? We climb them.
Froggy looked up. The wall was at least a hundred meters tall.
The dwarves exchanged confused glances.
— This is…?
— WE CLIMB, MORTALS! — the lizard shouted.
The wall looked nothing like the fortified gate leading to the surface, but they had already walked too far to turn back now.
Doubt spread across the dwarves' faces.
— Didn't you say you knew the way? — Twar asked.
— I DO! To leave, we have to climb this. — the lizard exclaimed.
Froggy looked at the dwarves, then at the lizard.
— AND HOW EXACTLY DO YOU EXPECT US TO CLIMB THAT?! — he shouted.
— Like this. — The lizard leapt onto the wall and dug his claws into the stone as he began climbing.
— Follow me!
The dwarves used their axes as footholds, driving them into the rock for support. They were heavy. Many of them fell before even climbing the first meter.
— This is impossible.
The lizard looked at them.
— These are the reasons I can't stand these beings… — he sighed.
Froggy, meanwhile, began climbing awkwardly, using his knife as an anchor.
— Almost there, Lizard! — he shouted.
He had only climbed about three meters. Looking down at the dwarves, he yelled:
— I'll go up and get help!
They didn't understand him.
He kept climbing. The rock wasn't too hard, allowing him to stab his knife in and keep ascending, taking breaks every minute because of his poor stamina.
— MOVE IT, MORTAL! — the lizard shouted while climbing.
Little by little, the summit came into view.
Froggy pulled up one leg, then one arm. Just as he tried to steady himself, the lizard bit him and attempted to drag him onto the surface.
— AHHHH! — Froggy screamed.
— DON'T MOVE!
Both of them were dragged down by gravity.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
"You have died."
[Revive]
— …
Froggy pressed Revive.
He reappeared in front of the dwarves, who had spent hours waiting for him to return with help.
— Yeah, well… that didn't go too well. — he mumbled.
— IDIOT, NOW WE HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN! — the lizard shouted while dusting himself off. Since his body was so small, he hadn't been hurt. He justified it by saying that, as a superior being, falls were merely falls.
— This is going to take a while… — Twar muttered.
The dwarves began setting up an improvised camp while waiting for those two to return.
It was almost ironic.
They had ended up depending on two beings who didn't even know where they were standing.
But everyone understood that their hopes rested on them—the possibility of seeing their companions again, of reuniting with everyone else.
Those hopes sank even lower when they saw them fall for the second time.
— Tram-trum Ham! — shouted the man who had proclaimed himself Lord Idiot.
With a face that didn't seem willing to give up.
The dwarves prepared themselves for an even longer stay.
At last, Froggy managed to climb to the top, collapsing onto the surface to rest.
— Lizard…
Froggy jumped forward and hugged him.
— We did it!
The lizard felt like he was suffocating in the embrace and struggled uselessly to escape until Froggy let him go.
— You got me dirty! — he shouted while licking himself clean.
— Are you a cat now?
The lizard growled.
Froggy began exploring the surroundings. A gigantic door stood before them.
— What's this?
— The control room! From here, I once shaped the dungeon itself. — the lizard declared grandly.
— Uh-huh… — Froggy muttered.
The lizard shook himself, trying to ignore the anger rising within him.
He walked straight toward the entrance and spoke.
— Open!
The door did not open.
— Open doors!
The doors remained shut.
— …
— Don't you remember the password?
— It's been a very long time since I last came here…
The lizard shook his head, trying to remember. Finally, he stood before the door on his hind legs, cleared his throat, and screeched. A high-pitched shriek forced Froggy to cover his ears. The sound echoed throughout the dungeon.
[Your ally Absolute Lava Lizard has used Little Roar]
The lizard collapsed in exhaustion, barely opening his eyes.
— Lizard?
— Mortal… I've used up all my energy…
Froggy approached and picked him up, placing him on his shoulder.
At last, the door began to open, shaking the entire ground. Froggy walked inside. Everything was astonishing, filled with gigantic statues of the lizard. The place was enormous.
Even looking upward, he couldn't fully see the end of it.
— What do we do now?
— I'm sleepy… mortal… — the lizard murmured.
— Wait! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO HERE ALONE?!
The lizard closed his eyes.
Froggy tried shaking him awake several times, but it was useless.
He needed to find something to help the dwarves in the middle of all this.
Froggy walked cautiously, looking at the statues and paintings that, for some strange reason, showed the lizard throughout every stage of his life. Starting from a small lizard that looked very similar to his current form.
Except the one in the painting looked even grumpier.
Then he saw another. The lizard was larger there—perhaps the size of a small house—with fiery eyes as he sat atop a building.
Farther ahead was another, even larger, battling a similar beast.
— So you collect paintings of yourself…
He wished he had a camera to—… a camera? What for…?
He couldn't fully remember and shook his head.
He kept walking until he reached an area with a gigantic circle on the floor, dozens of times larger than himself. He stepped into the center.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[You have accessed the dungeon core]
Do you wish to continue?
[Yes] [No]
— I guess so?
Froggy pressed Yes.
A gigantic screen appeared before him.
[Password: ________]
— Password? — he muttered.
He began entering the numbers one through six into the system screen.
[ERROR]
[Incorrect password]
— What else…? — He placed a hand on his head, trying to think.
— I got it!
He entered the numbers six through one.
[Correct password]
The screen turned green.
[STARTING FACIAL RECOGNITION]
A light scanned him from top to bottom.
[Error]
The place began to shake as loud alarm-like noises blared throughout the chamber.
— Wait, wait, wait! The owner's right here! I came with him! — Froggy lifted the lizard up in front of the screen.
The lizard's head hung downward; he was completely asleep.
[Error]
[New intruder detected]
[Activating defense system]
The statues began to move.