Page 170 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
Due to the unknown adventurers already here, there was a driving sense of urgency that made Julian want to push forward … but he wasn’t in this alone. “Okay. I’ll stand guard while everyone rests.”
He might as well, since he wasn’t going to get much sleep as it was. There was a shuffle as sleeping bags came out. They hesitated between sleepingonthe platform, which was warmer, or the frozen cavern floor. But there was a chance, however slim, that another group might portal in and landright on topof them while they were sleeping.
They chose the cavern floor.
Julian sat down on the edge of the platform while everyone else slept. Waiting.
And thinking.
At the three-hour mark, he pulled out parchment to write a letter to his sister. Sometimes, writing to her helped everything make sense—and it was a habit he’d developed long ago.
He ate some of his rations after that. His storage ring couldn’t keep things in stasis like Gerda’s, so he went with cheese and smoked boar, and sourdough with butter and bimbleberry jam. He was used to trail rations while out on expedition, and he had to shake his head at the sheer wonder of eating hot meals in a dungeon. His eyes drifted away from the tunnels and down to the bridge troll, still asleep.
He pulled out more parchment and set to writing a new letter.
Julian felt a presence approaching through a tunnel at hour seven. It was coming from the left passage.
Instead of waking anyone, he set up a [Barrier] and walked over to meet whatever was coming down the tunnel. It was a star vole, an underground-dwelling rodent monster known for the star-shaped white fur around its eyes. Sitting hunched over a bit, the star vole was as tall as Julian’s shoulder. It was known for burrowing, biting, and paw bashing.
Julian activated [Charge], barreling toward the beast. The star vole, noticing his approach, tried to lash out with its long front claws, each the size of a pocket dagger. The sword sliced into one of the claws as the star vole hissed, but dungeon madness pushed it forward through the pain. Julian ducked and struck again. Even if itcould’velanded a hit past his Valarian Royal Shield, it wasn’t too much of a threat on its own.
[You have defeated aStar Vole (Level 26). +13 EXP]
If monsters were suddenly appearing now … that meant the previous party had cleared them out roughly eight hours ago and it was respawn time. Unfortunately, everyone had been pushing through on potions to get here, and Julian didn’t want to disturb them early.
He could hold off a few monsters for an hour.
CHAPTER 93
Just One More Star Vole
Gerda
I woke up well rested and with a fresh day of foretellings.
Before addressing my notification tabs, I gave a yawn, sat up, and stretched. Everyone else was stirring as well.
There was nothing as rewarding as a good night’s sleep in Valaria. If only my previous life had had regenerating health bars and a rest system. Granted, the notifications tab was equal to if not worse than a phone addiction. I could throw my phone out a window, but I couldn’t turn off my system interface.
Ignoring it momentarily would have to do, because I realized a problem at roughly the same instant as everyone else.
Julian wasn’t here.
[Julian?]
I sent the message over the chat logs. There was a familiar [Barrier] guarding us, but the half elf himself was nowhere to be seen.
[One second.]
He sent a message back, and we all shared a look.
Except Tully, who had jumped to his feet. “Where’s—Ah.”
“Let’s pack up and be ready to move out,” Visha ordered, already rolling up her bedroll and slipping it into her storage. Tully just waved at his, and it vanished. He smiled. “Ready.”
I folded mine before storing it in my storage ring. I preferred summoning a blanket that didn’t immediately flop all over the floor. Jeffry was the slowest, looking like he’d been hit by a train.
“Here,” I offered, handing him a hot cup of extra strong, steeped red tea.
