Chapter 81: The Land of the Dead, Part Eight

Neve roamed the desert alone, for a time. 

She felt she was beginning to get too reliant on Erin. Having someone to help her was nice, but there could always come a situation where Neve could not rely on her. Whether it was having a Silence spell cast on her, or just running out of mana all of a sudden, if Neve didn't keep her own instincts sharp, she could end up dead because of it. 

The dunes around her loomed mockingly in the distance. Neve wondered how far she could go before hitting a golden barrier like she had on the first floor. 

[... Nothing,] she thought, as she looked around. [No treasure, no monsters.] 

She hadn't forgotten that, because each floor counted as a dungeon, there'd likely be secret rooms and random treasure scattered throughout. 

A few of those plants she mentioned in her guide were roaming the sands, sliding from one place to another with writhing tentacles that trembled and vibrated as they moved.