“I can hold them still while you behead them—or not still still, but mostly still, somewhat more cheaply.”

"That'll be good if a bunch of them converge on me but you can probably save the backlash if it's just a couple and I see them coming. Good to have you watching my back, though." Scuba gear that would have been in the way on the ladder up to the portal goes on. "Traceless, do you need to be on her all the time or can you meet me at the surface and fly people back?"

"I can do that till she or I needs to bail, bring more platforms with you though."

“—I can also identify where the victims are. Probably I should have said that first.”

"That's in the briefing, but the scuba team said they could see a few with the lights up high enough so I'll start with those."

“Oh good.”

"Anything else?"

“The monsters make a noise when they spot rescuers and the noise attracts more monsters, if there are any in earshot.”

"Good to know."

"It's pretty loud, you've got earplugs?"

"Yup."

And into the water she goes.

“Part of me wishes I’d accumulated more backlash so I’d’ve been less nervous for that, but it’s a dumb impulse and I don’t endorse it.”

"Surely you'd have retroactive alarm about it if you said anything you wouldn't have otherwise said."

“That’s not the biggest reason it’s a dumb impulse but it’s on there.”

"Oh, also, Rhombus's power is very good but her range is not amazing, she will be deliberately letting monsters get within just a few meters of her before she takes their heads off. I guess since these are crocodiles she might wind up taking off their snouts first."

“Gotcha. I’m not looking right now but if at any point I do I should not be alarmed by her being in close proximity to one.”

Rhombus is perhaps Toronto's most effective combat esper. The fact that she's also scuba-certified is certainly convenient. Crocs make noises and come at her and crocs die. She grabs a victim and Traceless fetches them, over and over; Traceless gets guiding breaks but Rhombus is doing without.

“Should I do anything specifically because you’re accumulating backlash.”

"If you want to do some experimentation when we've cleared the dungeon, it'll be a good time for it, but I'm staying under my safe levels and mine is downright tolerable if I'm not trying to do anything it precludes and I'm getting hugs especially guiding hugs."

“Okay good.” Guiding hugs. Normal ones, with all appropriate garments on, and limbs in normal places.

Eventually Turtle shows up; Turtle's a nearly perfect power match for the dungeon and doesn't need the rest of them as long as his partner's there. Rhombus joins her partner in a guiding tent. Haru assesses himself as good to drive if Lucy's up for chatting on the way back to his house.

She’s good to chat! She hasn’t done a lot of magic since Rhombus showed up. If he doesn’t have a topic in mind she can share fun facts about fossils.

Fossils are good! She can also fill out the after-action reports for both of them on the dungeon if she'll narrate enough. Espers don't get carsick.

She can totally do that! She has so much color commentary. It’s her first dungeon!