Companions
Janus wiped the crumbs off of his robe and started heading down the tunnel. He was happy to discover that he could spread waves of mana almost twice as far as he could before he had cleared the [Deepstone Ravine]. It allowed him to sense things further into the darkness without his [Torchstone].
He let only a little of the light seep between his fingers as he enjoyed the stillness and silence of the tunnel. He closed his eyes as he walked, recounting his encounters with the goblin shamans. Unfortunately, the [Crystal Golem] had employed no spells against him, otherwise he would have had even more to add to his repertoire.
As he was about to test his new [Spell Augmentation] skill, he turned a corner in the tunnel and noticed a light shining ahead. His body tensed. Hopefully it meant that the tunnel ahead was lit by [Torchstone]s. He wasn’t eager to meet with other people after his recent experiences.
Now what?
There was a decision to make. Should he bring out his own light and reveal himself or rely on mana sense to get the jump on whoever or whatever was ahead?
No, he decided. He would try to get the jump on them. While they were unaware, he could judge if they were friendly or not.
He could hear the group of people before he could see them. Their voices rang down the tunnel.
“Rowan, stop messing with Hashilli. If we have something to fight, I want him to be focused,” rang a woman’s voice. Her accent was strange to Janus’ ears.
"Ah, but wandering through these tunnels is dreadfully dull. And Mr. Serious here gets awfully agitated," remarked a second unfamiliar voice with an Irish tilt.
“Stop. Something is ahead.” rumbled a third voice, deep and soothing.
Janus immediately erected his mana shell. It was risky, as the array for the spell circled his body and let off a dim blue light. It would be painfully obvious in the darkness of the tunnel.
Now, He could make out the group ahead. There were three figures, but there wasn’t much time to examine them before a jewelled dagger slammed into his mana shell. The dagger fell to the ground and then, strangely enough, lifted into the air and flew back to where it had come from.
“Is that a person? Bah, it doesn’t matter. Go ring their head, Tara.” Janus recognized the voice as the one the woman had called Rowan, his Irish accent unmistakable.
Janus was about to speak when suddenly a woman clad in strange interlocking plate armor appeared in front of him, slamming a short sword into his mana shell.
How did she move so quickly?
Janus backpedaled and identified his assailant.
[Paladin - Level 36]
“Woah, stop!” shouted Janus as he cartwheeled his arms to stay upright.
To his surprise, the [Paladin] actually stopped. After all the monsters Janus had dealt with, he’d almost forgotten that it was possible to talk things.
“He’s an [Enhancer], level 29,” said the woman.
This one’s name is Tara, I think…
“State your name and business, citizen!” Tara shouted, a grin on her face.
The others were just now catching up, jogging from further up the tunnel.
“Tara, be careful. We don’t know this man,” said the soothing voice from earlier.
“Learn to have a little fun, Hashilli! You’re so stiff about everything,” responded Tara.
Janus stood there and watched the exchange. He slowly raised his hands, attempting to look nonthreatening.
He found it strange that the woman, Tara, wore such intricate looking plate armor, only to leave her head completely unprotected. Her complexion resembled rich chocolate, and her straight black hair was meticulously braided into a single, tidy plait.
Not wanting to make the mistake of underestimating the other two, Janus identified them as they approached.
[Trickster - Level 34]
The [Trickster], likely Rowan, stood almost a foot shorter than Janus, with sharp features and cropped red hair. As Janus eyed him, Rowan shot him a peculiar glance, as though sensing he had just been identified.
[Enhancer - Level 31]
The third man wore a robe similar to Janus', albeit in a dark gray hue. His outfit was distinguished by a tall turtleneck that obscured much of his face, complemented by a wide-brimmed hat.
Janus assumed that the [Enhancer] must be Hashilli. It was strange to see someone else with the same class as his own.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Uh, hello,” said Janus.
In response, Rowan whipped out a map and began scrutinizing it.
“This tunnel leads directly to the dungeon on our writ, Tara,” said Rowan.
Janus suddenly understood what was going on. This was a delver party looking to clear out the dungeon he had just cleared out himself.
“Yes, if I may? The dungeon is already gone,” replied Janus.
He could see the surprise in both Rowan and Tara’s eyes. Hashilli’s face was too shadowed to spot any expression.
Tara let out a frustrated groan. “You’re telling me there’s nothing to bash up ahead? It took days to get here!”
“He might be lying, Tara. Unless another team got here before us, the dungeon has to be there,” said Rowan, placing a hand on Tara’s shoulder.
Hashilli remained silent. The man had stood eerily still throughout the conversation. It was unsettling.
“I can assure you, the dungeon is gone,” said Janus.
“If that’s the case, did you clear it? Where is the rest of your group?” Hashilli finally spoke.
Janus hesitated, unsure of the best course of action. He doubted the delvers would believe him if he told them he had cleared the dungeon single-handedly.
I could tell them that the other members of my group died fighting the dungeon boss…
“Ahh, the poor lad is probably in shock. Look at his getup. If he cleared the dungeon, where do you think his companions are, Hashilli?” Rowan said with a shrug.
The other [Enhancer] shuffled uncomfortably. “My apologies. I didn’t realize—”
“Well, I want to see if the dungeon is cleared with my very own eyes,” said Tara. “We’re only an hour or two out at this point.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” replied Rowan. The [Trickster] lightly bumped his fist against Janus’ chest. “What’s your name?”
“Uh, Janus. I’m Janus.”
“Why not come along with us to check the dungeon, aye?”
“No, yeah. I mean… sure.”
Tara was already walking ahead. Hashilli and Rowan began walking after her, leaving Janus in the back.
Aren’t they worried I’ll attack them from behind?
Janus was uncertain about the group, but he trailed along. Being around others again felt strange after his solitary journey.
He watched as Rowan jumped up and grabbed at Hashilli’s hat. The [Trickster] pumped his fist in triumph as he pulled away from the taller man, hat in his fist. He did a little twirl and placed the hat on his own head. Hashilli was staring daggers at the diminutive redhead.
“This thing barely fits me, yah know? Why is your head so fat, Hashilli?”
“Return my belonging.”
“Of course! Once I’ve gotten my fair use out of it!” Rowan said, and winked at Hashilli. He pulled the hat off with a flourish and bowed before plopping it back on his head. It sunk past his eyes, catching on his nose. “The height of fashion, my boy!”
After everything Janus had been through, it was absurd to see the interaction. He stifled a laugh as the [Trickster] presented Hashilli’s hat back to the man. Hashilli angrily grabbed at the headgear and slammed it back down on his head.
Rowan turned back to Janus and flashed a grin.
He’s trying to cheer me up after the supposed death of my friends…
The realization left Janus with a warm feeling. He had lied to these people, but they appeared to be good sorts. He let some of the tension drain from his body and watched Rowan pester Hashilli until they reached the ravine.
-
“You’re telling me I’m gonna have to climb down that? In this armor?” said Tara.
“I thought you were always up for a challenge!” answered Rowan.
“Climbing is no challenge.” Tara turned back to the others. Janus could see a manic grin on her face. “I’ll show you a challenge!”
Janus gasped as the [Paladin] leapt from the tunnel and into the ravine.
“The woman is insane, Hashilli! Batshit crazy!” shouted Rowan.
“We should begin climbing,” the [Enhancer] replied.
The descent had taken nearly 15 minutes and Janus was nervous the entire time down. It had taken a lot from him to willingly return to the ravine. He knew there were no monsters below. He was more worried about finding Tara’s mangled corpse dashed against the walls.
To his surprise, he heard a voice ring out from below. “Took you guys long enough. I’ve been waiting forever.”
Tara appeared to be completely untouched from the fall.
“Stars! I wish you at least got a concussion. It simply isn’t fair,” said Rowan.
Janus was the last one to touch down on the ravine floor.
“There was no notification,” Hashilli stated. “If the dungeon was here, it has been cleared.”
“Looks like our new friend wasn’t lying, aye?” Rowan was already a meter back up the ravine wall. “Tara can’t fly, so she’s going to have to climb this time. Let’s skedaddle.”
“No, wait! Don’t leave me behind! I need someone to talk to on the way back up. I’ll die from boredom!” Tara begged.
“Not my problem!” Rowan’s voice rang from above.
-
They had been climbing for only a minute before Tara bombarded Janus with questions.
“Sooo… Where you from?” she asked.
Janus could barely speak through the exertion. They were even going a slower pace to accommodate Tara’s heavy armor, but the climb still strained him. At that moment, Janus decided that he hated climbing.
“I am,” Janus panted, “from Crow Station.”
“Oh. Oh, no. You do know what happened, right?”
“I was there when Crow Station was destroyed.” Revisiting the subject was bringing unwanted memories.
“I’m, uh, I’m sorry. About what happened, I mean. So, uh, what enhancing spells do you know?” Tara asked, attempting to change the subject.
Janus was very glad for the change of topic. “I know [Power Enhancement], with a couple of other tricks.”
“Ooh, Hashilli has that spell, too. I bet you two would get along.” Tara paused with a curious expression on her face. “Or maybe not. Hashilli doesn’t make a lot of friends.”
“I heard that,” Hashilli called from up above.
Tara stuck her tongue out and nearly risked falling from the ravine wall to make a rude gesture. She hastily grabbed onto a rocky outcropping.
“Let’s see… Uh, what was the dungeon like?” she asked.
“There were snakes and goblins. The dungeon boss was a [Crystal Golem].”
“Oh, that’s a nasty one. Haven’t gotten the chance to take one on myself, but I’ve heard stories.”
“Yeah,” Janus replied somberly.
They spent the rest of the climb in silence, with the occasional grunt from Janus. As the trio finally returned to the tunnel, Janus heard Rowan call out.
“Took you guys long enough. I’ve been waiting forever,” he said in a mocking voice.
“Oh, shove it, Rowan.” Replied Tara.
Once Janus had pulled himself up, he reclined against the tunnel wall and tried to catch his breath.
“Do any of you have some water?” Janus asked.
Hashilli's actions puzzled Janus as he opened a small satchel and withdrew an empty cup. However, his confusion swiftly turned to amazement as he witnessed mana flowing from the [Enhancer]'s hands, coalescing into an intricate array that made his head ache just to look at. After a few moments of concentration, a small stream of water materialized, filling the cup.
Hashilli handed the cup to Janus, and he bolted the liquid down.
“Can you, uh, can you do that again?” Janus asked, trying to hide his excitement.
Hashilli didn’t respond, simply grabbing the cup and filling it again. Janus found himself inching closer and closer. The mana array produced water!
Janus considered how much more secure he would have felt if he had known such a spell. He began subconsciously mimicking the array.
Abruptly, his attempt to replicate the array went awry. A miscalculation in its construction caused it to implode, resulting in a blast of fine mist that coated everyone in the group.
“What the fuck!?” exclaimed Rowan.