Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)
Chapter 215 - 215: Planning

"In the end… all I could do was mark the rift's location," Lucian said quietly. "And let you two know as soon as I could."

His gaze dropped to the floor, voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry…"

Ereskia stepped forward, shaking her head.

"No, don't apologize. You did the right thing. If you'd jumped in without thinking, you could've been lost too. After all, we don't even know what's on the other side of that rift."

"Yeah," Larpard added, agreeing with his bigger sister. "And the fact that there's even a chance now… there's a hope that our father might still be alive…" He looked down, smiling. "That's already more than we ever thought possible."

And so, he bowed his head.

Ereskia did the same.

"Thank you, Guildmaster. Truly." They said in unison, both body shaking with emotion.

"Hey, now! What are you two doing?" Lucian frowned and took a step forward.

His big arms reached out gently, guiding them upright. "I'm just doing what I have to do. Your father… he wasn't just a comrade. He was my brother. Blood or not. We built this guild together, bled for it together. There's no need for thanks between family."

"Still…" Ereskia's voice broke. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Thank you."

"Thank you." Larpard followed.

"Alright," Lucian gave a small nod, then let out a breath, his tone shifting. "What matters now is how we move forward, right? We need a way to investigate that rift. A safe way, no charging in blind."

"Right."

Ereskia straightened a little, eyes focused.

Then, she asked. "Guildmaster… I don't know that dungeon like you do. Do you have anything in mind already? Any ideas that might actually work?"

Lucian crossed his arms, brows drawn together as he began to pace slowly across the room.

"I've been thinking it through," he said after a moment. "There are a few possibilities."

He stopped, holding up one finger.

"First, teleportation stones."

"Right, teleportation!" Larpard exclaimed. "If we can get one through and link it to an anchor point on this side, it could give us a stable way to travel in and out."

"I see." Ereskia murmured. "But it probably won't be that simple, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so." Lucian said, nodding grimly.

"After all, teleportation spells on work if the space on the other side allows it." he continued. "We don't know what's beyond the rift. There could be mana interference, warped spatial flow, or something worse, something we can't even predict. It's not something we can rely on."

"Plus, we all know space magic doesn't always play nice in unstable environments," Larpard added, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, and if teleportation worked there, we wouldn't have so many lost people," Ereskia said. "So, I think teleportation's out of the question."

"Then, Guildmaster, what's the second option?" Larpard asked.

"The second option is simpler," Lucian said, raising a second finger. "One person goes in, tethered to a magical rope. It's more stable and can work even in dungeons where teleportation or space magic is blocked. If things go bad, we pull them back. If not, they can continue scouting the other side, or signal for us to come in too if needed.

"However…" he ran a hand through his hair, letting out a quiet sigh. "Even that's a gamble."

"Yup. And also, who will be the one willing to go in first?" Ereskia added. "It's still too dangerous.

"Right…" Larpard nodded.

"And that leaves the third option…" Lucian said and raised this third finger, then turned toward Larpard.

"Your unique skill," he said slowly, "might be exactly what we need."

"My… unique skills?" Larpard asked, his feline ears giving a small twitch.

Lucian nodded.

"Yes. Your ability to create clones from darkness."

Ereskia's eyes widened slightly.

"Of course…"

Unlike her, whose magic shaped shadows into weapons and armor, Larpard's gift had taken a different form.

He couldn't forge a blade.

He couldn't raise a shield.

Instead… he could shape himself.

Clones.

Born from shadow, these doppelgängers don't just look like him. They are totally controlled by him.

And most importantly, their senses are all shared with the main body.

Whatever the clone see, or hear, or feel, Larpard would know instantly.

Which means…

He wouldn't have to step through the rift himself.

He could send a shadow in his place, scouting in his place.

That way, he could investigate the other side safely.

But even then…

"Absolutely not."

Ereskia's hands curled into fists, as she objected this idea.

"Now that I think about it, this is the most dangerous S-rank dungeon in the entire kingdom, isn't it?" she said firmly. "Larpard… you're just barely A-rank. It's too soon. It's too dangerous for you to even step foot in!"

"That's okay, sis!" Larpard said quickly, shrugging. He then reached for her hand and gripped it tight. His voice was firm, but his eyes glimmered with resolve. "As Guildmaster Lucian said, my skill is the best choice. I'm the only one who can do this!"

"And don't worry!" Larpard added. "Although if something happened to the clone, I would be paralyzed for a moment. But you two can protect me!"

"Yup, you won't be alone." Lucian stepped forward. "I'll go with you. I've seen that place before, I know what to expect. I'll do everything I can to protect you both."

"See?" Larpard gave a crooked grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"With Guildmaster Lucian at our side, what's there to be afraid of? Those monsters won't even get close, won't even touch a single hair on us!"

He gave a small laugh, then nudged her gently.

"And besides… you've got Sheol! With that Divine Weapon, you're already stronger than most S-ranks, aren't you?"

Ereskia didn't answer right away. She looked off to the side, her mouth drawn into a tight line.

"Yes, but still…"

Her voice was quiet. Uncertain.

Larpard's expression softened.

"Please, sister," he said, more gently now. "It's our father. You've waited your whole life for a moment like this, for this ray of hope. So why hesitate now?"

At her brother's words, Ereskia's gaze dropped to the floor. She bit her lower lip, wrestling with a feeling she couldn't quite name.

"I… I don't know," she murmured. "I don't know why, but I just… I've got a really bad feeling about this."

Larpard's smile vanished. His brows furrowed in confusion.

"Why?" he asked. "A bad feeling? You? Since when do you believe in that superstitious nonsense? Come on, Big sister! That doesn't make any sense!"

"Please," he said again, his voice softer but urgent. "Please! It's our father! We have to save him!"

As he pleaded, he grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to meet his cat-like eyes, brimming with determination and sparkling with hope.

Ereskia didn't move.

She bit her lip harder, torn between the spark of hope and a dread she couldn't explain.

…

In the end, even though Ereskia's heart still twisted with unease, she found herself nodding, agreeing to the plan.

She turned away from Larpard's hopeful face, closed her eyes, and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"…Alright," she said quietly. "Let's do it."

Larpard's eyes lit up in an instant.

"Yes!" he grinned, practically bouncing on his toes, before immediately turning to Lucian. "Guildmaster, when do we leave?" he asked.

Lucian crossed his arms, voice calm and steady.

"We'll give ourselves a week. Just go home and prepare yourself the best you can. Food, supplies, equipment, magic scrolls, medicine… everything we might need. And after that, we set out next Tuesday."

"Got it!"

Larpard gave a sharp nod, already running through a mental checklist of everything he wanted to bring.

Meanwhile, Ereskia said nothing more, but her jaw tightened as she glanced at her brother. He looked so hopeful, so sure. She didn't have the heart to push back again anymore.

And so, the week began.

At home, the siblings trained, ate, rested, slept, and repeated. Basically, trying to get into the best shape that they could.

Every night, Ereskia found herself staring out the window, wondering why the pit in her stomach wouldn't go away. Larpard, on the other hand, could hardly stay still.

He was already planning what items to bring, reading more about that dungeon, and praying, mentally preparing.

He polished his boots and daggers, twice, just to make sure that everything were in absolute peak condition.

And even took sleeping potions just to make sure he got high quality sleeps.

And then, as time flew by, the day arrived.

It was early morning.

The world was still asleep.

The trio stood quietly outside ShadowFang Headquarters, cloaked against the cold. Their gear was packed, weapons secured, breath rising in soft white clouds.

Above them, the sky stretched in a deep, inky blue.

"Let's go, I'm ready!" Larpard exclaimed, already excited.

However, Ereskia was in an entirely different mood.

She just tilted her head back, eyes lingering on the sky, unsure of what's happening inside her.

There were a millions of different shapes of emotions swirling in her now, a total mess.

And so, she didn't say anything.

Just… looked.

"Alright, let's head out." Lucian said, patting the siblings head. "We must get there before noon.

With a quiet sigh, Ereskia adjusted her gloves, pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, and followed as the others began to move.

Their boots crunched against the frost-laced ground.

Overhead, the black moon had swallowed the silver moon… completely.