I hate caves

Axel and Matias stood at the entrance of the cave. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth, and the sound of distant growls echoed from deep within.

"Alright," Axel muttered, looking at the dark maw of the cave. "This is it. We go in, clear out some boars, get paid, and get out. Simple."

Mat "_" "you call that a plan ? How about you leave it to me, first I will scout the cave then we go in together ".

Matias, with a gleam in his eye, looked up at the cave . He tugged at his cloak dramatically, letting it billow behind him as if a gust of wind had blown it. "Behold, Axel. The entrance to the greatest battle of my life. Matias, the Shadow Reaper, ventures forth with unmatched courage! Time to scout and come back with glad tidings"

Axel blinked, deadpan. "You just had to add 'Shadow Reaper,' didn't you?"

"Of course I did! I can't let you have all the fun," Matias replied, his voice filled with exaggerated grandeur.

The undead ape, standing next to Axel, let out a low growl, like it was getting annoyed by Matias' theatrics. Axel shot the ape a knowing look, his lips twitching with amusement. "I swear, the only thing more dramatic than you is that ape."

Matias grinned and turned towards the cave. "I'm here to slay, Axel. The legends will be told of this day!"

Axel rolled his eyes, stepping forward with a sigh. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

Without warning, Matias dashed toward the cave, but not even five seconds later, he came sprinting back out, wild boars charging behind him, snorting and snapping.

"RUN! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" Matias screamed, hands flailing wildly as he dashed past Axel. "I thought you said they were supposed to be easy!"

Axel raised an eyebrow, utterly unphased. "Hahahaha, you did bring back glad tidings or should I said boar tidings."

The undead ape was the only one who laughed at the joke for a moment then slammed its fists into the ground, ready for battle.

Axel casually walked forward, gripping his scythe. "Guess I'll clean up your mess, then." smirking, twirled his scythe, stepping confidently toward the charging boars. The undead ape followed suit, with the giant hammer ready to smash anything in its path.

Matias, still running, called out, "Seriously, Axel! This is way more than I bargained for!"

Axel looked over his shoulder. "I told you—don't act like this is a walk in the park. Boars are fast. You've got a lot to learn."

Matias, moving like a blur, slid into the shadows, his dagger flashing as he took down a smaller boar. "Hey, at least I'm doing something!"

"Yeah, running around like a chicken," Axel retorted, his scythe cleaving through a wild boar charging at him. The greenish-blue fire around his skulls intensified, making the boar's soul shriek in agony as it crumpled to the ground.

Matias shot out of the shadows again, daggers flashing as he took down another boar with lightning speed. "You're just jealous that I'm a master at stealth."

Axel grinned, swinging his scythe to decapitate a boar. "I'm not jealous. I just don't have time for your little ninja tricks. I'm too busy saving your ass."

Matias quickly shot a look at Axel, his grin cocky. "Well, maybe next time, I'll leave you to deal with the boars alone."

"You wouldn't last five minutes." Axel smirked, cutting down another boar, as the ape smashed another boar into the cave walls.

Matias narrowed his eyes. "You don't know that."

Before Axel could respond, a massive roar echoed from deeper within the cave.

"What was that?" Matias asked, eyes wide.

Axel raised an eyebrow, clearly interested. "Sounds like our fun's just begun."

The ground rumbled as a massive figure emerged from the darkness. It was a mutated Alpha Boar, bigger and fiercer than anything Axel had ever seen. Its tusks gleamed like sharp daggers, and its eyes glowed with an unnatural fury.

Axel raised his scythe and grinned. "Well, this just got interesting."

Matias frowned, eyeing the massive boar. "Okay, that's not a regular boar. That's... that's some next-level boar. Think we can handle it?"

Axel's grin widened. "Of course we can. We're not exactly beginners here."

The boar snorted, charging at them like a freight train. Axel swung his scythe, but the boar's thick hide barely flinched. Matias darted to the side, attempting to strike, but the boar twisted, narrowly missing his dagger.

"Guess it's tougher than I thought," Matias muttered, narrowly avoiding a tusk aimed at his gut.

Axel didn't hesitate. "Time to bring out the heavy hitters. Ape, go! Smash it!"

The undead ape lunged forward, crashing into the Alpha with a thunderous roar, sending the boar tumbling backward. The boar grunted but didn't fall, charging right back at the ape.

Matias dashed in, using his speed to cut at the boar's flank with venom-coated daggers. The boar howled, swinging its tusks around like battering rams.

"You think that's gonna stop it?" Axel shouted. "It's gonna take more than that!"

Matias grinned. "I was just warming up!"

Axel used his Ghost Fire, sending three skulls of greenish-blue flames straight into the boar's face. The boar roared in agony, but it wasn't enough to bring it down.

"You're going to have to do more than that," Matias called out, taunting the boar as he darted away from its furious charge.

"Hold it still," Axel said, his eyes gleaming. "I've got this."

Matias quickly dodged behind a rock and prepared his next move. The undead ape, still holding the boar off, roared again, giving Matias the opening he needed. With precision, he pounced from the shadows and struck at the boar's legs, sending a sharp venom-laced dagger deep into the beast's flesh.

"Got it!" Matias shouted.

Axel swung his scythe again, this time with deadly precision, slicing through the boar's neck. The Alpha Boar stumbled back, shrieking in pain, before finally collapsing to the ground with a massive thud.

---

Axel stood over the fallen Alpha Boar, a grin creeping onto his face. "Well, that was fun."

Matias, still catching his breath, wiped his brow. "You said it would be easy. We nearly got killed by a boar."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "You're still alive, aren't you?"

Matias crossed his arms. "Barely."

"Well, consider it a lesson in teamwork. You did good," Axel said, his voice surprisingly approving.

"Yeah, yeah. But next time, I'm calling dibs on the boar's tusks," Matias quipped, nudging the boar's body with his foot. "They'd make a nice decoration for my room."

Axel chuckled, tapping his Soul Guide. "Time to finish this."

Axel drew symbols on the boar's corpse with his blood, his dark magic activating. The symbols glowed brightly, and with a quick chant, the boar's body disappeared into the void, ready to be summoned whenever he needed it.

"That's one mighty boar," Matias remarked. "You gonna summon it for tea next time we're in a pinch?"

Axel grinned. "You never know."

The ground trembled slightly, and dust began to fall from the cave ceiling. "We should probably leave," Axel said. "The cave's gonna collapse."

Matias nodded frantically, looking over his shoulder. "I'm not dying in a cave full of pigs. Let's go!"

The two ran toward the exit, with the undead ape following closely behind. They barely made it out of the cave just as it collapsed, sealing itself behind them.

----

Back in Clearwater Field Village, the villagers greeted them with cheers and loud applause. The leader clapped them both on the back.

"You've saved us, young warriors!" he said. "We owe you so much. How can we ever repay you?"

Axel shrugged, his expression unreadable. "A meal and some supplies would do."

Matias grinned. "And some ale. Lots of it."

The village leader chuckled. "It's the least we can do. You've earned it."

As they were handed their reward, the leader's wife spoke up. "Forty years ago, this village didn't exist. We built it from nothing. You two are part of that story now."

"Yeah, well, we did what needed to be done," Axel said, looking at Matias. "You know, heroic stuff."

Matias smirked. "We're practically legends now."

Inside the Treasure Hunter Guild, the usual chaos greeted them. Adventurers shouted across the room, laughing, trading stories of their latest escapades.

Elsa, standing behind the guild counter, looked up as Axel and Matias approached.

"Back so soon? What was it this time? A bunch of wild boars?" she teased, smirking.

Matias put his hands on his hips, faking indignation. "Hey, these boars were no joke, alright?"

Axel grinned. "

Yeah, they weren't just wild boars. We had to deal with an Alpha Boar—big, mutated, and definitely not the kind of thing you just pick a fight with," Axel added, tossing the mission report onto the counter.

Elsa raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "An Alpha? That's no small feat. You two didn't get yourselves killed, did you?"

Matias grinned, shrugging nonchalantly. "Of course not. We're too good for that. You should have seen Axel—he was amazing."

Axel shot him a glare, but Matias just smirked, leaning in to whisper. "I mean, I was amazing too, but you know... humble."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Humble, sure. Anyway, let's get you settled. I assume there's some nice loot for us?"

"Boar tusks, pelts, and the like," Axel replied, his tone flat. "Nothing flashy."

"Nothing flashy? You defeated an Alpha Boar, and that's 'nothing flashy'?" Elsa raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Matias waved it off.

"Don't worry about it. Just send us the reward so we can get out of here," Matias said, clearly eager to move on.

Elsa snorted, clearly entertained by their antics. "Fine, fine. I'll make sure to add the usual bonus for handling an Alpha. You two should be proud, even if you're trying to act all modest."

Axel leaned in, making a mock-serious face. "We've got this whole humble warrior thing down, haven't we?"

Matias raised his hands in the air dramatically. "Clearly. The legends will be written. Matias the Shadow Reaper and Axel the Scythe Wielder—a duo of unparalleled skill!"

Elsa stared at him, unimpressed. "Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that."

Axel grabbed a mission paper from the board and scanned it.

"Goblin nest, huh?" Axel muttered.

"Check this out," Axel said, pointing at a mission with a warning at the top: Goblin Nest - High Risk.

Matias read the board, his expression casual. "It says it's usually done by a party of four, but we've taken on worse."

Axel raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. "This is goblins, Mat. They're not exactly harmless."

Matias grinned. "We've got enough firepower. Besides, it'll be fun. And you're not one to shy away from a challenge."

From behind the counter, Elsa smirked, watching them. "You two are crazy if you think you can handle it alone. Goblins can be nasty, especially in a group. They'll rip you apart if you're not careful."

Axel turned to Matias, the corners of his lips lifting in a grin. "You up for it?"

Matias cracked his knuckles. "Hell yeah. It'll be a walk in the park."

Elsa sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, if you're going in, don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, Axel and Matias took the mission, not giving Elsa's words a second thought.

--------

Back at their home, the sound of children's laughter filled the air. Axel and Matias entered through the front door, greeted by the sight of Eliza watching the kids play. They grinned, exchanging a silent look before Axel broke the silence.

"We're back. And we didn't die," Axel said, tossing her a pouch of silver.

Eliza caught it and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon. Thought I'd see you off fighting some wild beast."

Matias laughed. "Next time, maybe. But for now, we just cleared out some boars. Easy work."

Eliza eyed the pouch of silver. "I hope you didn't go easy on yourselves. The kids need new shoes."

Axel shrugged. "Maybe next time, we'll tackle something a little more interesting."

A chuckle escaped Matias as he ruffled the hair of the nearest child. "Yeah, something with a little more bite."

-------

That night, over a warm dinner, the conversation turned to Damian's absence. Axel noticed his mentor wasn't around, which seemed strange.

"Eliza, where's Damian?" Axel asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Eliza looked up, her expression thoughtful. "He's in Valloria. Some important meeting with an ally. He'll be back in a couple of days."

Matias leaned back in his chair, glancing at Axel. "Another day of freedom, huh?"

Axel nodded. "He's the one who's been keeping us in check. Not sure how I feel about it."

Eliza gave them both a wry smile. "Don't worry, you'll be fine without him. Just don't pick any unnecessary fights while he's gone."

Axel exchanged a glance with Matias. Both of them had their concerns. After all, Damian had made enemies, especially after taking down one of the Church's envoys. They knew things were tense.

Matias broke the silence. "I'm more worried about what the Church might try now. Damian pissed them off."

Axel clenched his jaw. "That's why we have to stay sharp. The last thing we need is them coming after him."

Eliza looked at both of them, her voice serious. "Just be cautious. Damian will handle his business. You don't need to get tangled in it."

Axel nodded, though a flicker of doubt lingered in his chest. They weren't going to stay idle. There was always more to do.