Chapter 6: The First Adventure

The ink on Ghaz'Rok's adventurer contract was barely dry before he got his first assignment.

Normally, newcomers started as Bronze-ranked and were given menial quests—guarding merchants, gathering herbs, hunting low-tier beasts.

But because he had flattened a Silver-ranked adventurer during his entrance test, the guild ranked him at Silver immediately and gave him a real mission.

A dungeon cleanup.

The Party

The guild paired him with five other adventurers—three humans and two beastkin.

As he approached the meeting point at the guild's mission board, the group turned to inspect him.

A tall, lean human leaned against a wooden post, his sword resting casually against his shoulder. He had a cocky smirk that bordered on arrogance.

"Let me guess," he said, looking Ghaz'Rok up and down. "You're the muscle."

Ghaz'Rok grunted. "Something like that."

The human smirked. "Lorin. Swordsman. I'll be leading the group, since I have the most experience."

Next to him, a heavily armored older man with a shield gave Lorin a tired glance. "No, I'll be leading the group." He turned to Ghaz'Rok, offering a firm handshake. "Erik. Shield-bearer. Don't mind Lorin, he thinks swinging a sword makes him important."

Lorin scoffed.

A sharp-eyed woman beside them adjusted the quiver on her back. "Marla. Archer. Don't get in my way, and I won't put an arrow through your foot by accident."

Her tone was flat, but the slight quirk of her lips told him she was joking. Mostly.

The last two were beastkin.

One was Jezka, a panther-like rogue, her black fur shimmering under the torchlight. Her ears twitched as she studied Ghaz'Rok.

"No right tusk," she mused, tail flicking. "Exile?"

Ghaz'Rok scowled. "Something like that."

She grinned. "Good. Exiles fight harder."

The final member, Torr, was a lion-like beastkin mage. He towered over everyone except Ghaz'Rok, his fur a deep golden brown. His voice was a low, rumbling bass.

"Torr. I burn things."

That was all he said.

Ghaz'Rok nodded.

"I like you already."

Erik clapped his hands together. "Alright, now that introductions are out of the way, let's get moving."

The party set off toward the dungeon.

The Dungeon Entrance

The entrance to the dungeon was nestled at the base of a crumbling ruin, hidden beneath twisted tree roots and ancient stone.

A damp chill hung in the air, and the scent of moss, old stone, and something faintly rotting wafted from the darkness below.

"Lovely," Jezka muttered. "Why is it always ruins?"

Lorin grinned. "Because rich dead people like to leave treasure behind."

Erik rolled his eyes. "Stay focused. The main threats were cleared last week, but new monsters have been creeping back in. Our job is to sweep the place, make sure nothing dangerous is left."

Marla sighed. "So we're glorified janitors."

Torr rumbled. "Janitors with swords."

Jezka grinned. "The best kind."

With that, the group descended into the dark.

Into the Depths

The inside of the dungeon was narrow and winding, the air thick with dust and mildew.

Their torches flickered against the damp stone walls, casting dancing shadows that made the ruins feel almost alive.

Every so often, they heard movement in the dark.

A chittering noise. The distant scrape of claws on stone. The scurry of unseen creatures vanishing into cracks.

Jezka's ears twitched. "Something's watching us."

Marla nodded, arrow already nocked. "Multiple somethings."

Before they could react—

A pack of giant rats lunged from the shadows.

First Fight

The rats were the size of hounds, their matted fur thick with filth.

They swarmed forward, teeth bared.

Lorin drew his sword and slashed one in half.

Erik raised his shield, blocking a leaping rat before crushing it under his boot.

Torr muttered a chant, and a burst of flame engulfed the creatures, filling the room with the stench of burnt hair.

Jezka danced between the creatures, her daggers flashing in the dim light.

Ghaz'Rok let out a breath and stepped forward.

One rat lunged. He caught it mid-air, his massive green fist crushing its ribs before he slammed it against the wall.

Another leapt for his leg—he drove his axe down, splitting its skull like overripe fruit.

The last rat turned to flee.

Marla's arrow pierced its skull before it took two steps.

Silence followed.

Jezka whistled. "Alright, tuskless. You can fight."

Ghaz'Rok shrugged. "I try."

Erik wiped blood off his shield. "Keep moving. That was the easy part."

An Unexpected Injury

The group pressed deeper.

After dealing with a few stray goblins and dodging some rusted traps, they entered a large chamber.

A single goblin stood in the center, gripping a crude spear.

It looked terrified.

Lorin smirked. "Easy kill."

He stepped forward—

And the floor gave out beneath him.

A hidden pit trap.

Lorin's yelp turned into a scream as spikes tore through his leg.

Erik rushed forward. "Hold still!"

Ghaz'Rok moved next to him, eyes narrowing at the wound.

The spike had gone straight through Lorin's thigh. Blood poured from the wound, pooling beneath him.

"Damn it," Marla muttered. "We need to get him out."

Ghaz'Rok's expression was unreadable. "No. Not yet."

Lorin groaned. "The hell do you mean, 'not yet'?"

Ghaz'Rok pulled out a knife.

"If we pull you off now, you'll bleed out in minutes." He pointed at the spike. "I need to treat it first."

The others stared.

Jezka's tail flicked. "Wait. Are you saying you know medicine?"

Ghaz'Rok ignored her and pulled a small flask from his belt. He poured its contents over the wound.

Lorin hissed in pain. "What the hell is that?!"

"Moonshine," Ghaz'Rok said. "Strongest thing I have."

Marla looked skeptical. "And you know this because…?"

Ghaz'Rok sighed.

"I was a surgeon."

The party fell silent.

Erik blinked. "A what?"

Jezka grinned. "Oh, this just got interesting."

Ignoring them, Ghaz'Rok looked at Torr ane passed a blade to him

"Heat it"

Torr looked at hik and noded

""Oh ignis que arde omni θερμότητα this gladius"

He muttered as held the blade by its hilt as the metal glowed red and handed it over Ghaz'Rok

Beastkin were one of the races that was attuned to magic a awakened beastkin is rare but twice as strong as thier human counterpart

Ghaz'Rok holding the blade looked at Lorin.

"This is going to hurt."

Lorin paled. "Wait—"

Ghaz'Rok pressed the red-hot blade to the wound.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air. Lorin screamed.

But when it was over, the bleeding had stopped.

Ghaz'Rok looked at Erik. "Now pull him up."

The shield-bearer nodded slowly.

As they lifted Lorin free, Marla shook her head.

"I've seen a lot of orcs. Never met one who knew how to stop a man from dying."

Ghaz'Rok grunted.

"You've been meeting the wrong orcs."