As if struck by a wave of madness, the bat began its frantic pounding against the floor. Yvlena and her party stood back, patiently observing the creature seemingly at war with itself and memories. Pieces of debris and ore jumped in tandem with the talons piercing the ground.

  As the bat started up again, the old floor began splintering, cracks formed in it’s surface and soon like the previous floor, the ground split in a circle reading to give way under the onsught.

  Yvlena watched the bat shriek in anguish until the ground gave out beneath its feet. Caught by surprise, the bat’s shrieking was abruptly cut off as it fell through to the floor below. The party peered over the rim of the new entrance, watching the bat crash into the ground again.

  Yvlena winced, knowing the fall did some additional damage to itself. There was only one memento left and one more floor as well.

  “Here we go again.” She said once again grabbing Kuti and throwing herself over the edge to follow the creature into the next floor.

  Yvlena’s feet hit the cluttered floor with a thud, pcing Kuti on the ground she began looking around for the bat until she found it ying prone a few feet away from her. Rabbit Knight stood closer to it, hand on his sword waiting for something to happen.

  Yvlena noted that they were once again on the first floor of the warehouse. She recognized the clutter and the sound of dripping water that had welcomed her when she had first stepped into the mini-dungeon.

  It had all come full circle, the beginning of their journey here would now be the end of it. Yvlena found that quite poetic. Now wasn’t the time to ponder those thoughts.

  Rabbit Knight looked to Yvlena as if calling her to investigate the pause in their battle. The bat had not risen to attack them but instead y motionless on the ground. Yvlena squinted in confusion. If the bat was dead, why hadn’t the game signaled that she had won the battle?

  And what of the st memento?

  She took the lead, moving closer to inspect the body. Using her boot, she turned the bat over so the creature y on its back, exposing the closed eye embedded in its midsection, which had once again shut.

  “Did the game bug out?” Yvlena muttered under her breath.

  She turned back to her summon, watching Rabbit Knight’s nose twitch as he came closer to investigate with her.

  “I don’t know what's wrong with-”

  Badum!

  Badum!

  Badum!

  Something beat against flesh, like a heart trying to escape a body. Yvlena’s eyes widened. She turned back to the body, watching the bat’s midsection twitch and squirm with life.

  The rest of the bat did not move, only the lid which hid the eye beneath the fold of skin. Yvlena and Rabbit Knight slowly retreated to the positions where the rest of the summons stood.

  “It’s not over.” Sprite whispered.

  Suddenly, the eye’s lid shot open, causing Yvlena to hold her sickle out in fear at what was about to happen.

  The eye wriggled as if it were a worm trying to break through an apple. Sprite surprisingly sprung into action, now having recovered her strength from resting.

  [Sprite Cast Stun (03MP)]

  Yvlena broke out of her disgusted stupor and began an attack of her own, sshing the sickle midair to release her skill.

  [Yvlena Cast Harvest Skill: Wide Sweep]

  The wave flew across the room, striking the bat, but it was no use, and could not stop what was already in motion. The Eye emerged from the bat’s midsection like a newborn, crawling out of the space and leaving a trail of putrid slime behind as it did.

  Thick cords of nerves dragged behind it as it moved. Yvlena yelped in fright at the sight of the eye’s true form.

  Eight spindily legs emerged from underneath the eye, one by one lifting the rge orb until it banced. After testing its range of motion, the spidery being seemed to look over the area, searching for something. Within moments, its alien gaze was now fixed on the party.

  The furious red eyeball, no longer bound to the blind bat, dove straight for Yvlena.

  [Eye of Wistful Memory Cast Gaze]

  The force of its gaze caused them to freeze, but after a moment, Yvlena, Sprite, and Kuti were able to break free of the Eye’s control.

  [Rabbit Knight is afflicted with paralysis]

  “Damn it!” Yvlena said, but now its gaze had fallen on her, each of the eye’s legs clicked as it moved to turn around and follow her movements. Yvlena ran, knowing it couldn’t keep up with its size.

  [Sprite Cast Stun (03MP)]

  The fairy began bsting once again, flitting around the battlefield to support Yvlena as she ran to avoid the eye’s gaze.

  [Kuti Cast Paralysis]

  [It has no effect on The Eye of Wistful Memory]

  “No effect!” Yvlena yelled from where she stood, holding her sickle. One of the eye’s legs shot forward, attempting to pierce her and pin her to the ground. She jumped, avoiding it but hurling herself into a collection of broken boxes.

  “Ow!” She whined, the sensation of pain faded as instantly as it came, but the eye did not let up following her towards where she fell and raising its needle-like limb to stab at her. She braced herself for it, knowing she had enough HP to sustain the hit.

  [Rabbit Knight is no longer Paralyzed]

  [Sprite Cast Bind MP]

  [Rabbit Knight Cast Rabbit Volley (05MP)]

  From behind, a series of vines and tendrils curled around the creature’s limbs, holding it in pce before it could do any major damage.

  Rabbit Knight’s rapier jabbed rapidly at the Eye’s legs, giving Yvlena enough time to grab her sickle and ssh upward.

  [Yvlena Cast Crescent Ssh (15MP)]

  The Eye stumbled, losing bance and colpsing to the floor, as its pupils darted about. Yvlena pulled out the final memento, the photograph. She shoved it into the Eye’s focus, making sure it saw.

  Yvlena didn’t know what she expected to happen, but the Eye began tearing up, losing the stark red color and fading back to amber. It crumpled, melting into a puddle of goo as the metallic legs kicked about.

  A beam of darkness shot into the sky, breaking through the already damaged ceiling and forcing Yvlena to dodge the falling wood and metal that made up the warehouse. With quick reflexes, she grabbed Kuti and yelled for Sprite and Rabbit Knight to follow her toward the exit.

  Yvlena and her summons burst out of the warehouse and into a crowd of people all gathered to watch the cloud of darkness hover in the sky before dispersing into nothing.

  The Eye of Wistful Memory had been defeated.

  Sunghost