GERM

Dante has spent his life in the secluded Village of Riverant, curious about the world beyond its walls but kept there and trained over the years by his caretaker, Rita, for his own safety. His questions about his true origins seem destined to remain unanswered—until two students, Terra and Xavien, arrive, drawn by rumors of a boy who is part man, part beast arrive to the village one day.

Offering Dante the chance to leave and discover not only what's outside of the walls, but his true heritage, they invite him to the Kingdom of Auradelle. A successful and prospering kingdom in the Eastern Region. But as a Dragonborn, Dante must face the challenges of blending into a society that not only fears, but will rid of his kind if found out. Will the two students be his key to freedom and what he's always wanted to know, or will the outside world prove more dangerous than he ever imagined and it all be for naught.

Only one way to find out...

SYPHER

"You will all be given two hours within the dungeon to complete this trail, come out with not only the items, but your partymates as well, and you'll all receive the marks you need to pass! So don't stick around too much, or you'll be left with a failing grade!~" Kina said as the students began to discuss possible strategies to net the points the fastest.

"You'll be watched over by some of our mages placed around the dungeon to make sure there's no foul play. We wouldn't want interference to cause one group to fail, yet things like rivalries and bad blood could get in the way of the trail itself. So do your best to not cause a ruckus, or one of the mages…or myself will have to interfere and disqualify you ourselves." Professor Manor said as he glared at the crowd, causing the group to shudder at the thought of disqualification. He nodded graciously as he let Kina finish off the selection of groups.

"Alrighty everyone! This is the moment you've all been so patiently waiting for! Party selection time! Our lovely orb here will split you all into groups, so look for your name amongst the many here! The three star student assigned to each group will be the designated 'Party Leader' of your team, so make sure you listen to them closely if you wanna pass!"

Suddenly the orb began to scribe the names of students present, slotting them all quickly into their groups. Dante began to hope to be matched up with Terra or Xavien, since it'd give them the best chance of success in his mind. With Terra being a three-star student and Xavien a two-star, their chances of being put together were at the highest. He closed his eyes until Iris spoke out, letting him know that their names appeared finally. He opened his eyes slightly, until fully peering at the sphere.

Dante's head dropped suddenly as he didn't get the pair he hoped for, this saddened him as he muttered to himself.

"What are you sad about, I can't say I know the others, outside of our 'leader'."

He then looked up at the names once more, looking over the members and reading the names once more. He repeated the name a few times to himself to think of who this person was.

"Azuri…Azuri…nope, doesn't ring a bell."

"You seriously need to pay attention to people in class, Dante."

"Oh come on, you don't know the other two either."

"Knowing one is better than none."

Soon after the two's bickering, many of the students began to find their groups as instructed and Dante ended up being found by Terra in the crowd. She approached the two quickly with a somewhat disappointed look on her face.

"Seems the cards weren't in our favor this time, I hope you'll be alright with your group, Dante."

"Yeah, it's unfortunate, but I've gotta give it my all! Don't worry too much about me now."

"Yeah, you're right." she said before looking over to see Iris, who looked dumbfounded that someone else was talking to Dante, as she hadn't seen someone speak to him during class. She was under the presumption that she was the only one who spoke to him. Even if she'd barely begun to really talk to him this week.

"I didn't know Dante knew some others…?"

"Yeah, Terra is the reason I'm even here!"

"That's true, we met some weeks back and really hit it off, if you guys need anything, don't be afraid to ask!"

Let's Go Dungeon Diving! - Chapter 11