Baby Steps

"Would you look at this guy?" Tessa scoffed as Leon arrived.

"Now you don't look like a noob anymore" Gretas said.

"You seemed to have changed too" Leon said to Gretas as he noticed his new set of fancy clothes.

"Well, after leaving Kont'el when the soldiers came to arrest Barrister, I kind of stumbled on a quest that paid me big" Gretas said with a smile and wink.

"Nice"

[You have been invited to a party by Arthur]

[Do you want to accept party invite]

"Yes"

[Party invite accepted]

[Party members]

> Arthur, level 88(party leader)

> Tessa, level 80

> Gretas, level 63

> Blind Sage, level 29

All of them looked at Leon.

"What? you already know I'm a noob"

"You are past level 20, officially you are not a noob anymore, but you still go around wearing noob clothes. That means you were deliberately deceiving people"

"Bro, I didn't have the time to get equipment" "Can we go into the dungeon now?"

Arthur turned towards the large door of the dungeon which was marked by a short worn statue covered by vines.

Arthur looked around and easily figured.

Every hidden dungeon as a lock which is always around the entrance, figuring out where the lock is and how to unlock it was how hidden dungeons were opened and Arthur knew that much.

He walked closed to the statue and pulled away the vines.

"What is he doing?" Leon murmured.

"Opening the door" Gretas replied him.

After Arthur was done, he saw a blue orb in the forehead of the statue and touched it, afterwards applied a little force to push it inside. The door of the dungeon began to rise up.

They all rushed inside and it closed afterwards.

Inside the dungeon was dark, very dark they could not see each other.

"Did everyone make it in safely"

"Illuminate"

~Whoosh~

A ball of blue fire appeared in Tessa's hand.

"Are you a magician?" Leon asked.

"You don't have to be a magician to get basic magic skills, so far you have mana" she replied and went over to one of the wooden torch. She lighted the torch with the fire in her hand and grabbed it away from the wall, walked to the other torch which was hung on the wall barely five meters ahead. But as she was about to take it, Leon stepped on a tile in attempt to move forward. All the torch lit up to reveal a narrow brick layered hall.

He smiled, "You should thank me" Claiming a victory he didn't deserve.

~Krack~

All of them were suddenly alerted by the sound.

Arthur looked around, squinting his eyes in suspicions. He belatedly noticed a rectangular hole in between the bricks and shouted.

"Get down!!!"

~patk patk patk patk patk patk patk patk...~

Short arrows were fired out of the holes from both sides of the wall, luckily that had fell on their chest upon hearing Arnette's voice.

[You have lost 12 health points]

One of the arrows had grazed Leon as he was late to get on all fours.

Tessa looked at him from where she had laid.

"Thank you, very much"

"You are welcome" Leon replied.

They were about to get but the arrow fired again.

"What? does it fire anytime we are about to stand?" Gretas commented.

"It probably has a cooldown time" Arthur replied.

They waited and after some minutes it fired again.

"Looks like you were right" Leon said.

"Of course" Arthur replied to him. Leon gave him an irritated look.

After another few minutes it fired again.

"It's two minutes, 35 seconds." Arthur said.

Leon was amazed, "Are you sure?" but was still doubtful.

"Yes I am, the next time it shoots, one person will run forward starting with the lady. Don't stop running until you reach the end of this hallway or a turn." Arthur said and they waited for the next set of arrow shots.

~patk patk patk patk patk...~

Immediately it seized, Tessa jumped up and ran forward without stopping even though the arrow resumed and the sound of its shooting began to closer from behind, she swiftly turned towards the opening she sighted. And the shooting seized, not wasting time Gretas also did the same thing.

Arthur looked at Leon with the 'don't fuck this up' eyes.

Leon inhaled and as the arrows stopped with Gretas entering into the same corner...

~Whoosh~.

Leon jumped up and dashed at an amazing speed, he swept past the hall before the arrows could activating and almost missed the turning but made a sudden turn that made him fall into the turning corner.

'Wow, he reached there before the arrows activated. What did he do to get amazing speed like that' Arthur thought as he waited for the arrows to stop shooting.

He ran as fast as he could and also made a turn.

"Let's move forward" Leon said immediately Arthur arrived.

~creak~

All of their ears heightened.

"Whoever that was don't dare move!" Tessa said.

Leon wished he could hide his facial expression because they gave him away.

"I think it's too late..." They looked down at his foot which had risen away from the tile he stepped on.

"Runnnnnnnn!!!" Tessa shouted with her and her voice ahead first. As they all ran a large blade began to fall on the floor in pursuit of them. As they were hitting towards the end of the corner they were at, Tessa could see the door before she reached Leon had passed her and forced the door open, dashing into the room she and the rest also entered.

She turned to Leon, "Why the hell did you force it!!"

"...? Are you accusing me for saving your life"

"Motherf**ker it said do not push on the door!!"

~Thud~

The door closed.

Arthur covered his face with his palm, 'I really wish I didn't come with him'

Leon looked around, "Well I don't see anything happening" he said.

"...uhmm, my leg is wet..." Gretas said.

Arthur immediately looked at the floor, the waters were rising at a tremendous rate in the small room they had entered and they couldn't even tell where it was coming from.

"Now we are just going to drown to death?" Tessa said throwing her angry face at Leon.

"Calm down everyone, let's all inspect the building, there will be a way to stop the water" Arthur said.

All of them began to inspect all the walls and floors but saw nothing, after some few minutes the water had reached their waist and was still rising.