Chapter 62: The Guild Master and the Dragon’s Scales

Arnold was the first to wake up in their camp. He looked over his charges, noted that no one had deserted, then he went about his morning routine.

A bath, breakfast, and a fast check of his weapons later, and he made his way to the Dragon's Claws. The only A-ranked party he could trust not to desert, with Dimitri at their side.

The five-men party woke up as one when Arnold cleared his throat.

"We move out," he said.

He could see that Dimitri was already waiting by the entrance. Nikola by his side.

The guild master narrowed his eyes.

The druid was stubborn.

But Arnold was no stranger to destroying dreams to keep people alive.

"Nikola, please go back to your party," Arnold told him instead of a greeting.

"I know I can help!" Nikola protested.

Arnold narrowed his eyes.

"You suffered a blood loss so severe, that we thought you died! You will go back to your party or so help me!"

But Nikola was still not ready to give up.

"Sir! I will accept any punishment you think fits for this insubordination, but I am coming with! I refuse to leave Dimitri's side! We are to be married! That means forever! In sickness and in health!"

Arnold sighed.

"If you persist, I won't take Dimitri for the mission as well!" Arnold told him in a leveled tone.

Dimitri wavered.

"I think Niki should stay in here as well," he murmured, only to get a gaze of pure fury from his fiancé.

"Why? Because I am weak?" Nikola snapped. "Jean and I killed a giant!"

"Yes, Jean and you did that," Arnold said, his eyes narrowed. "But not without nearly dying! You will stay here, you will train, and your fiancé is staying with you! When we get back, you are to muck Oak's Rest's stables! For an entire week!"

Dimitri opened his mouth, only to receive a glare.

"And since the two of you are joined at the hip," Arnold continued, as he made a couple of steps towards the cave's opening. "Dimitri will muck the stables with you! Not a word more! Or you will be dismissed from the guild!"

Nikola looked down at his feet. Dimitri nodded in thanks.

It wasn't worth getting revenge at the dungeon, if Nikola was going to risk his life in the process.

The Guild Master and the Dragon's Scales entered the dungeon.

A stone slab fell right behind them, blocking the exit.

****

It was dark, but Arnold already had a light wisp to light the way.

"What do we know about this dungeon?" Matt, the Dragon's Scales' tank, asked. They had not had enough time to be briefed.

Arnold nodded in the dark.

"This is a Bogart's nest. Someone must have insulted them by trying to loot the dungeon. How much do you know about Bogart's?"

"They are either household spirits, or hobgoblins," Nick, the party's songweaver, said. His lute was in his hand.

Ready to buff the party at the drop of a hat.

"Correct," Arnold said, as he took some thyme and began to press it into the wisp.

"These creatures are undead," Arnold continued, as the smell of the herb spread in the dungeon. "So far, they had managed to make a floor that resembles a fire dungeon. They also summoned a giant," Arnold stopped to think about what he had said.

If, and that was a big if, the Bogarts were improving their defenses with each party to breach their cave, then he knew what was coming next.

"Dragon's Claws, this is the plan," the guild master said, beginning to make signs with his hands.

If he had luck, then the Bogart's would not understand.

The Dragon's Claws saluted as one, and then each took some thyme out and some holy water.

Ready to purge the cave from the evil spirits.

They all heard a chuckle.

Arnold was trying to find the dungeon core in the dark. There was a mana source deeper into the dungeon.

But these creatures were Bogarts. He knew that it might be a trap.

He took his sword out, marching towards the mana source.

The heat was slowly becoming unbearable. He took off his coat, activating the runes on his shirt.

Another stone slab fell behind him.

The chuckles continued.

"If you have even a single drop of bravery in you," Arnold began, as he moved the light wisp this way and that to see what was around him. "You will come out and fight me like a man!"

The chuckles stopped.

He heard hissing next.

"What is the matter?" The old guild master asked, a smirk on his lips. "Too afraid of an old man, huh?"

The first hobgoblin to rush at him had fangs like a shark's.

But he did not have reach.

Arnold used mana to send a blade made from compressed air at the creature.

Managing to sever the head clearly.

The hobgoblins began to hiss at him, but none dared to run at him.

He smiled.

"Do we really need to play this hide and seek game?" He asked, as he slashed with his sword in the direction of a steady mana pulse.

One that reminded him of a heartbeat.

"So, you think that you can attack my children, but you don't have the stones to attack me in force?"

The hissing grew louder.

"Come at me! Come at me and face the Grim Reaper!" Arnold roared.

The Bogarts did.

The light wisp illuminated hobgoblin after hobgoblin.

Arnold knew that most of them were an illusion.

"You need to try better than this!" He yelled, as he used the creature's heartbeats to slash at them.

He felt teeth digging in his boots.

The hobgoblin who was trying to bite him looked uglier than all the rest.

An old creature with white hair.

Arnold smiled.

"Pride is the worst of sins," he said, as he slashed at the main Bogart.

It didn't matter if they had wronged it this time. Nor would it ever.

As Arnold dug out a dungeon core from the Bogart's stomach, he took a hammer and crushed it.

The illusion was lifted.

The cave began to look like a normal cave.

Arnold began to search for the Dragon's Scales. Knowing that the mission was over with.