I gingerly lowered the top hat onto my head.

“Looking sharp there, Gabe,” Alixandra chimed. The hat clashed poorly with my otherwise ragged clothes, but I wasn’t concerned with my fashion. Alexandra opened her box with a pop and feathers exploded forth, raining down around her. The shocked look etched into her face was priceless.

[Griffon Feathers: The feathers of a griffon. Griffons can be found in most mountainous regions. This can be used as a crafting material.

Rarity: Uncommon

Durability: 5/5

Creator: N/A

Date of creation: N/A]

A final pop sounded from Cassidy’s direction, and a glass bottle popped into existence and fell into her hands.

[Liquid Courage: When consumed, gain the buff Courage III for thirty minutes. Contains five doses.

Rarity: Rare

Durability: 45/45

Creator: N/A

Date of Creation: N/A]

[‘Analyze’ has risen to level 4!]

Cassidy looked at the bottle for a while, then put it away into her inventory. We all turned and went onwards through the tunnels.

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I kept flickering sixth sense, watching as my mana waxed and waned. We had found a rest area similar to the last one, but smellier and darker. The tunnels had grown more chaotic as we walked, and we had decided to stay the path. We found a new fork, but this one had wooden signs hanging over each side of the paths. One had a puzzle piece etched on it, the other depicted crossed swords. Axel started walking down the path with the crossed swords without even hesitating. I grabbed the edge of his collar and pulled him back.

“What do you want,” He grumbled, turning to face me. It was hard to take him seriously with his eyes twinkling like a little star.

“Don’t go making decisions all on your own, man. This is a team,” Alixandra interjected. Cassidy nodded along.

“We need to make a plan, not just fly in by the seat of our pants,” I added. Axel crossed his arms, “ Okay, what do you propose,”

“There will be good rewards both ways. So let’s split up,” I reasoned.

“Fine, see you guys,” Axel deadpanned, turning back around and walking. I turned back to the others. “I’ll keep an eye on him. You guys take the puzzle path,” They nodded and I ran after Axel.

We emerged in a new cavern, and as we stepped inside a small avalanche was heard behind us. The entrance had collapsed, a pile of rubble blocking escape. Axel cast his torch back and forth, a skittering sound running away from the light. I turned on sixth sense and found the creature. Eight legs, a huge stinger, a tough exoskeleton, and two claws. A scorpion, bigger than myself. I analyzed it without thinking.

[Giant Red Scorpion (lv.17)

HP: 300/300

Description: An ancient ancestor of the ‘Giant Black Scorpion”

Weaknesses: Cold Damage, Piercing Damage, Acid Damage, Magic Damage

Resistances: Poison Damage, Electrical Damage, Blunt Damage]

The scorpion charged, legs scuttling furiously towards us. I jumped to the left with ease, my high agility stat propelling me forth. Axel jumped over the creature, blasting the top of its shell with his blunderbuss. The resulting sound was reminiscent of the clatter of empty cans. The Scorpion turned towards me with surprising speed. Axel pulled his revolver out as he landed, firing once. I retrieved my staff from my inventory and tried jabbing it towards the creature. It snapped at the end of it with its claw, and my staff was significantly shortened. As Axel fired more and more I started losing track of how many shots he had fired. I seemed to have the agro of the beast for whatever reason, so I activated bullet-time processing then sixth sense, and I entered the dance of death once more.