Chapter 8

Ryzer could see the entrance to the dungeon ahead of himself. The sky had proceeded to turn a hazy orange when he finally made his way there. Many adventurers had begun to leave, heading home for the night. A trio had approached Ryzer before he realized.

"Hey friend! We just finished for today, but wanted to see if you wanted anyone to run inside with you?"

Ryzer looked up to see a pair of pretty girls, definitely twins, and a relatively decent looking guy. They were young, but had some experience under their belts.

"Uh... sure. I've yet to go in even once, so any support is welcome. I mostly want to test myself."

The male held out his identification card and spoke again.

"As this is your first time, I'll teach you something. These cards are not just for identification. We can use them to form a group. Matching symbols appear on the back when a group is formed. My name is Wil, or Wilhelm. The symbol comes up as a knight's helmet."

He showed the back of his card, prompting the girls to do the same.

"I'm Ryzer. How do I join you?"

Wil came a little closer, motioning for Ryzer to pull out his card.

"You hold yours flat, I place mine on top."

As soon as they finished, Ryzer could see a strange outline form around the three of them.

"So what does this do?"

Wil seemed to consider his answer for a bit before speaking.

"Well, I guess we can kinda tell where each other is? It's something of a mental feeling. Like we got linked. Besides that, it let's us share rewards. The dungeon doesn't like thieves."

Ryzer nodded, following the three towards the entrance.

[Name: Wilhelm Biken

Race: Human

Age: 17

C. Lvl: 15

Class: Swordsman, Lvl 10

Str: 14

End: 24

Agi: 30

Mag: 0

Dex: 14

Luk: 5

Name: Katelynn Moris

Race: Human

Age: 16

C. Lvl: 15

Class: Archer, Lvl 10

Str: 14

End: 14

Agi: 20

Mag: 0

Dex: 34

Luk: 5

Name: Savannah Moris

Race: Human

Age: 16

C. Lvl: 15

Class: Wind Mage, Lvl 10

Str: 14

End: 14

Agi: 20

Mag: 20

Dex: 14

Luk: 5]

Ryzer stared blankly at the information before him. Attempting to calm himself, he began working things out in his head.

'They are all Human, none are slaves. I can see... damn. So people I group up with, I can see that..."

Ryzer felt a heavy pit form in his stomach. His total stats were nothing compared to those of his new allies. His eyes followed their backs as they showed their cards to the guard stationed near the black gate. As he finally drew in close enough, the guard held up his hand.

"New?"

With a simple nod, the guard gave a soft smile.

"Show me your card, I'll confirm if you are allowed to enter."

Ryzer was able to show his card in an instant, getting another smile and a nod.

"Go on in. Do be careful."

Ryzer followed the other three.

'Nice guard.'

As Ryzer approached the entrance, he realized how similar it was to the first entrance. As he slipped inside, the light of the setting sun faded. The interior was dimly lit, yet no light source was seen. It was similar to a deep cave.

"Hey, weapons out! Never know when they'll run in on us."

Ryzer nodded towards Wilhelm, removing his sword from the ring. He was preparing to follow the group when Wilhelm stopped.

"Ryzer, do you know the basics of the Dungeon Crawl?"

Ryzer blinked slowly.

"Erm... maybe?"

Wilhelm lowered his stance before speaking again.

"I'll give you a quick run down since this area is a safe zone. There are a few things. This is Fang, so we have a beast type dungeon. When they die, they leave behind beast type resources. Mostly fangs, claws and pelts. We get the occasional... weird drops."

Ryzer nodded, his eyes staring into the corridor.

"Good that you understand. This is the first floor, so we won't get much of a fight. Just be careful of Variants, they are a massive issue."

Wilhelm readied his stance once more, preparing to head deeper. Leading the way, he eventually dropped his stance altogether.

"So uh... hate to say this."

He stared back, scratching his head with his free hand. Ryzer lowered his sword, while the two girls seemed confused. Wilhelm looked around, his eyes shifting uncomfortably.

"We have been walking for like... ten minutes. I don't mean to scare anyone, but err... there aren't any beasts. At least, we haven't seen any yet, right?"

Ryzer looked around as well, sighing softly as he realized Wilhelm was right.

"I was beginning to wonder if this was normal."

He twisted the sword in his hand, the weight beginning to feel strange as a cold feeling began to overwhelm him.

"Alright, let's keep going. We might just be behind another group. Should be fine."

Wilhelm attempted to laugh it off, but even he didn't seem calm. Sweat had begun to form between his brows.

"W-Wil... can we l-leave? This is weird!"

The girl that spoke up was Savannah. She was practically hugging the small staff she was holding. Her sister, Katelynn, had an arrow knocked while her eyes were incredibly narrow.

"Eh. We-"

"FUCK FUCK FUCK!! LEAVE HER AND RUN YOU BASTARDS!!!"

A familiar voice came closer from within the cavernous dungeon. This was followed by three sets of footsteps hurrying their way. Ryzer reacted quickly, darting around and pushing the twins against the wall.

"Stay here!"

The force in his voice got a pair of nods as he whipped around and approached Wilhelm. The Swordsman turned back in time to see Ryzer shove him backwards. As he slid his back down the rocky wall, two large men barreled passed. As the third approached, Ryzer recognized him. He narrowed his eyes as he launched his foot under the man's ankles.

"Gah! H-help me! Something has my legs!"

Wilhelm stared in confusion as Ryzer knocked the man upside his head. He leaned close to his ear, keeping the man pinned under his weight. The fear seizing his heart left him weak and unable to push the small man off his back.

"Hey Nico. Long time no see."

His voice coming off as demented, he left Nico in fear as he continued.

"Wanna explain what you're running from?"

He shook under Ryzer as a strange scent began to bombard their nostrils.

"Damn. You could at least have tried not pissing all over yourself."

Ryzer covered his nose as he slammed his small fist into the man's shoulder.

"Explain!"

Making use of his newfound authority, Ryzer left his group in silence as Nico finally spoke.

"V-V-Variant! I-it's a Shadow Leo!"

Ryzer looked over at Wilhelm.

"It's just a large Leo. The mane is a shadowy black, giving it the name. They are... incredibly strong, even able to breath out small gouts of fire."

Ryzer moved himself off of Nico, keeping his hood up to cover his face.

"Who did you leave?"

Nico was trembling as he sat up, crawling away from Ryzer. His motion alerted Ryzer, causing him to motion for Wilhelm to defend the twins.

"Th-that girl! The stupid slave!"

Ryzer sighed as he stomped down on Nico's leg before walking into the shadows.

'I guess this is someone important to me. Let's find out.'

---

Thank you,

Anna Haig!