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Hundreds of glowing white crystals were embedded in the ceiling of a cavern, illuminating the ground beneath. Despite the fact the place was underground, lush greenery grew all around. Trees with various fruits growing from their branches dotted the land. In a certain region within the cavern, there were thousands upon thousands of grape vines growing in neat rows and columns. Amongst the vines, there were over two dozen humans toiling on their knees, plucking the fruits and storing them in baskets.
“This sucks,” Danielle said as she picked a bushel of grapes off a vine. They were larger than ordinary grapes, each one roughly the size of her palm. There were also smaller grapes that were normal-sized, but she had been instructed not to pluck those. As for who had instructed her, it was the cursed dragon who had taken them away.
“Well, it sure beats being dead,” Keith said and wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his arm. Despite the light being artificial, it still felt like the hot noon sun was bearing down on him as he worked. He suspected there was some type of magic used to raise the temperature high enough for the grapes and other plants to thrive. He plucked a grape off the bushel in his hand and stuffed it into his mouth. It took him a few seconds to chew and swallow due to the fruit’s large size. “Honestly, this isn’t so bad. I always wanted to start my own farm after retirement.”
“I’m glad you’re living out your dream,” Danielle said and rolled her eyes. “However, some of us had greater aspirations than to be farmers. I didn’t risk my life and sacrifice my youth for all these years just to become some peasant worker.”
“We might not be stuck here forever,” Joseph said, chiming in from the side. “Our companions are still outside. If Mary continues her operation, she’ll find us eventually.”
“And what?” Danielle asked. She snorted. “They’re going to free us after slaying Grimmoldesser, his children, and his mother? It’s more likely that they’ll be joining us here until we all die of old age.”
“That might not necessarily be true,” Keith said. “It’s possible we’ll die of being eaten by a dragon instead. I saw that little holy dragon sniffing the mercenaries while they were buried.”
Danielle glared at Keith. “You’re not helping.”
“On the contrary, I think I’m very helpful,” Keith said and grinned. “It’s important to joke around at times like these.”
“Can your jokes get us out of here?” Danielle asked and rolled her eyes.
“Well, your complaining can’t help us escape either,” Keith said. “All you’re doing is making things worse.”
Danielle wrinkled her nose. “Things have to get worse before they can get better.”
“…I’m pretty sure that’s not the lesson you’re supposed to learn from that saying.”
Danielle opened her mouth, but a crashing sound in the distance drew her attention. She climbed to her feet, as did the rest of the mercenaries. It sounded like a tree had fallen. From where they were standing, they could see a small cloud of yellow pollen rising into the air. “What was that?”
“Whatever it was, I hope we don’t get blamed for it,” Keith said and frowned. “It would really suck if that tree fell over by itself, and we got eaten because of it.”
“Someone’s fighting,” Joseph said. “I can hear the clanging of metal from here.”
“Do you think it’s Mary?” Keith asked. There was another crashing sound as a second tree fell to the ground. “The fight is getting further and further away. It’s a shame we’re cursed, or I’d go over to check it out.”
“Shouldn’t the trees still be within the range we’re permitted to roam?” Danielle asked.
Keith shrugged. “If you want to take that chance, be my guest,” he said. “I’ll just be here, tending to the grape vines. When the dragons come to check out the commotion, they’ll see a well-behaved individual doing his duties, and they’ll eat the curious ones first instead of me.”
Danielle frowned before getting back on her knees. She plucked a bushel of grapes off a vine and placed it into the basket beside her. “You’re right,” she said and sighed. Even if someone was fighting their way here, without a way to remove their curse, they couldn’t be saved. As for what could remove the curse of a dragon, Danielle wasn’t quite sure. She never heard about anyone being cursed by dragons, most likely, because the people who were cursed by dragons didn’t live to tell the tale.
The crashing sounds continued, and plumes of yellow pollen rose into the air occasionally. A loud shriek echoed through the cavern before suddenly being cut off. Then, the forest fell silent. The mercenaries exchanged glances with each other, but they continued doing their jobs as grape pickers. If the quota for the day wasn’t met, they’d be punished as a group, and no one wanted to be the reason why everyone was dragged down. If the dragons ever started demanding human sacrifices, the slackers would be offered up first by their own companions.
A few minutes later, metallic clanking sounds echoed through the vineyard, and the mercenaries turned their heads. A figure wearing black armor came into view. Blood flowed freely down the armor, leaving little puddles of red behind with every step the armored woman took. In her right hand, there was a sword. In her left hand, there was the large, severed head of a black mantis. Mary looked around the silent vineyard and frowned. She raised the head up, showing it to the crowd. “Are there any more of these here?”
Keith and Danielle exchanged glances with each other. “Hi, Mary,” Keith said after a bit. “What exactly is that?”
“It was an invisible praying mantis,” Mary said. “It killed a scout, so I came in to deal with it.”
Keith stared at the blood pouring out of Mary’s armor. Was she sure she was the one that had dealt with it? Why did it seem like she was on the verge of death instead? “Well, uh, I don’t think there’s any more of those things,” Keith said, “but seeing as it’s invisible, it’s hard to tell.”
Mary nodded. Then, she fell to her knees and exhaled. A rune flashed on her forehead, and the aura of a turtlesnake arose around her as she curled up into a ball. The mercenaries exchanged glances with each other once again, but none of them did anything.
“If we beat her up now, do you think we can exchange her for our freedom?” Keith whispered to Danielle.
“Go ahead and try,” Danielle said, inching to the side to give Keith a clear shot.
A wry chuckled escaped from Keith’s mouth. The dragon had forced them to give up their weapons and armor. Even if Mary looked like she was on the verge of death, he wasn’t brave enough to confront her with his bare hands.