"Where have we landed?" Dod asked.
"I really have no idea, dude. Princess, perhaps you can enlighten us?"
Evangeline stared pensively into space. She rose to her feet, her legs trembling, and Dod and Danaël had to help her stand by putting one of her arms each around their shoulders.
"We're in another dimension", she began in a jerky voice. "The city of Goliath has appeared on our radar as an area at risk."
"At risk of what exactly?" Asked Danaël.
Evangeline paused briefly, then continued:
"A zone at risk of fantastic rifts. They appear when there's an imbalance in the surrounding fantasia. A fantastic rift absorbs absolutely everything in its path until it is closed."
"Wait", interjected Dod."You said this was the reason you'd come, I mean, the royal delegation. I'd have thought it was a job for a guild, not royalty."
"Yes, you're right, the Fafnir guild was put on the file, but I... I wanted to prove to my father, the king, that I was capable, worthy of joining a guild of The Order. So, I insisted on going with them and convinced the guild master directly, on condition that my guards would be along for the ride. I intended to make myself useful and try to discover the most likely place in the city where the rift might appear, and that's when I came across you."
"Princess, we're really sorry to have ruined your plan, said Danaël, but now we're here, we've got to find a way out."
"We need to get our hands on the fantastic artifact that powers the entire dimension."
"What's a fantastic artifact?" Asked a credulous Danaël.
Evangeline raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Am I dreaming? Didn't you ever go to school or something?"
"Not really", no, replied Dod in a monotone.
The princess sighed again.
"A fantastic artifact is an object with fantasia properties. They're powerful, devastating weapons, and are in great demand on every continent. They are extremely rare to find in nature. That's why fantastic rifts are so highly prized. Ten years ago, the appearance of a fantastic rift on the border between the human and elven kingdoms sparked an unprecedented war. Today, it's known as the Durendal War. It's the name of the legendary sword that was contained in the dimension in question, and unfortunately for us, it's now in the possession of the elves."
"So, all we have to do is get our hands on this artifact to return home!" Exclaimed a cheerful Danaël.
Dod shook his head in his friend's direction before saying:
"Wait for the "but" Dan, there's always a "but". Right, Princess?"
"Yes, there is", agreed Evangeline. "The artifact is protected, it's always protected, and not just by anything: fantastic monsters. We're currently on the first floor, but in a few moments, the ground will drop away and take us down to the second floor. There are monsters waiting for us on every floor."
"Exactly how many floors are there?" Dod asked fearfully.
"Hum...as far as I know, it should have a minimum of fifty floors."
Dod let out one of his nervous laughs, only neither Danaël nor Evangeline was able to discern whether the young boy was laughing or crying.
"In other words, we're screwed", he said between sobs.