It should have been easy. Blanche has wandered the Dungeon for a decade now, she knows its dangers and quirks inside and out. Or so she thought. Clearly her current situation, dangling from entangled vines just above a series of jagged stalagmites, proves her otherwise.

A spike trap. A classic, really. She should have expected it, especially after she estimated the ancient building’s age to be dating back to the Great War. An age marked by constant conflict and valuable secrets means lots of traps everywhere. It’s as simple as that.

Yet, knowing that now doesn’t help her. And Ellie floating around her frantically doesn’t either.

“I’m alright, girl” Blanche attempts to reassure the spirit. “Look” she wriggles her body within the tightly wrapped vines, not budging. “See? The vines stopped the fall, not a scratch on me!” Blanche smiles at her pet wisp, but it does little to calm it down.

After another failed attempt at moving between the vines, it dawns on her. Yes, the vines did save her from an untimely demise, but they are now holding her prisoner. They hold her too tightly to wriggle her way out, and attempting to break them by force could cause her to plummet down into the spikes below. Too risky.

A curse escapes her lips. No matter how many different angles she envisions, there simply isn’t an obvious answer to her situation. Luckily, she’s not alone.

“Ellie” the wisp steels itself at the sudden use of its name. “I need you to go back to the Hall, get help” Blanche explains as calmly as she can muster.

Ellie pulses once, blue flames sizzling to indicate its disagreement.

“I know you don’t want to leave me alone, but I don’t see an alternative” Blanche counters before her eyes soften, pleading. “Please.”

The spirit’s fire dwindles for a moment, defeated. One sympathetic look from its partner bolsters its resolve once more, and after one last swirl of support, Ellie shoots up in the air and out of sight.

Now alone in the darkness of the dungeon, Blanche knows the only thing she has left is hope.

“Come back quickly…”