Leaving the lit cavern and following the path that the Shadow Tria took to get to us, we watch similar magical torches light up. Their effects are not as strong as the initial shock from the first time we saw them. The pathway stays consistantly large as we walk through.

Ramona and I continue to lead our standard formation. I can see actual carvings in the wall facing me as the walls smooth out from the natural cragginess to a flat, but decorated surface. They look like a kind of hieroglyphics involving pointy eared beings.

I assume they are elves, but I'm not sure which particular sub-race since most of the distinctions are made by color of skin or language. There are beetle symbols here and there and a stalker or two. Then, I start to see the carvings of eight legged creatures and a cold sweat washes over me.

"Anyone else seeing this wall?" I ask, almost afraid to tear my eyes away from it.

"Sorry, Ardacen. I'm too busy looking at this…" her last hissing trails for several moments and I just had to look.

On the other side nearest her, the wall gradually disappears behind a curtain of webbing the further along we go. A cold sweat forms on my forehead when my eyes make a mental connection with the size of the thread in the webbing to their creator. Our collective breath is taken away when we step out of the "hallway" and into a vast expanse. There are piles of stones jutting up like teeth in the airplane hangar sized cavern we find ourselves in.

"Everyone keep quiet," Victoria whispers in our heads, using her War Party Leader ability. It feels like she whispered directly into my ear and my body shudders without warning.

"I saw that," she whispers again, hopefully only to me and I look back at her grinning face. Because she is just as fast a learner as the others regarding ASL, I taught Victoria how to sign as best as I could in between battles. Dawn tried, but being a regular human, meant she would have to learn it at a normal pace. The only downside, is it's not a secret code between the two of us, and at least three other people would be included if we were to be flirty with our hands. Not that they mind or even said anything about it, I'm just apprehensive about a possible NPC/Player relationship. Still, I pantomime a certain act for her to perform and a sexy smile curls her lips, "Gladly."

"It looks like the ruins of a town," observes Ramona as she kneels and analyzes the rocks. "These were buildings at one point. All of them were." She's standing now, gesturing all around us.

Victoria is holding her spear at the ready, "If this is where that bug came from, I'm thinking he destroyed this place a long time ago." There are some obvious signs, now that she mentions it, like things cut in two and holes punched through everywhere.

The one thing we don't see are-- WAIT. Don't you dare, self.

We all turn and face Dawn, practically covering her mouth with our looks. She puts her shield up, hides behind it, and peers over it at us.

I relax my face, turning forward and come to a screeching halt before I trample on an outstretched skeleton lying on the floor.

Is it moving? Will it move?

I give it a light tap on its hand, my claws ready to explode with fear induced combinations of swipes.

Nothing happens.

I kick it again. I kick its arm off. Nothing. If it was an undead trap I'm sure I would have gotten a notification that I just damaged it. I guess it isn't but I force thoughts and words back down my throat.

We carefully move past it and through the ruined town. Must've been a town, it's larger than Linqs, but smaller than Kes Rentas. All underground, no less. I notice some of the hieroglyphics on the stone left standing is similar to the ones in the hallway. If only we had time to study archeology.

There are weapons and armor on the soldier skeletons strewn about the place but the metal is so badly rusted and aged that we couldn't find a single piece left that would pass the test of combat readiness. I pass a pile of bones, but stop when I recognize it for what it actually is.

Two adults were shielding a child and all three perished long ago on this spot. The idea that, once again, this is more than just a game, crossed my mind.

This pile of bones had a lineage that came to an abrupt end and it shared its fate with everyone around it. The only solace I take is that we killed the beast that rampaged here and I stole a piece of it in the form of a spell. If there is something more nefarious waiting for us, I'm going to give it a taste of the pain and suffering it caused and then some.

It took about twenty minutes, but we slowly made our way through the ruins. The place was ransacked so we didn't have any desire to search for any forgotten loot. Imagine my suprise when the rubble I step on crackles with an energy that shot right up my leg.

[Blood Quartz shocks you for 5 damage]

[You are paralyzed 5 sec]

What the hell was that?! I shout in my head, since all the muscles in my face are too locked up to form audible words.

Elsbeth and Ramona catch me before I fall over.

"Really? Again?" Ramona seems to hiss even without any S's.

"I-I-I'm g-good tha-thanks," I reassure them as I gradually gain back control of my limbs and face.

Kona picks up the stone and holds it up, "You know, these are supposed to be relatively safe AND hard to find. How is it you made both of those things not true in your case?"

"J-Just lucky I guess?" She tosses it at me and I flinch while catching it.

"It's safe now. I think it absorbed too much mana in the air after so long. You know what it does?"

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

I'm fumbling with it like a Rubik's cube. It's an opaque red crystal that looks like it trapped a dark cloud of smoke inside it. Streaks of red static occasionaly run through it.

"This one's a Blood Quartz,” she continues, “It holds spells for later use, but it has a limit in the form of how much mana is needed in each spell."

I try to access it to see if it's holding anything.

[Restricted: Arcane Level too low.

[Requirement: 35+ Arcane Total]

"Well, that's a first. It's got a restriction. Anyone have thirty five or more Arcane?" I hold it up, offering it to anyone, but they all shake their heads.

We all look at Kona, our main spellslinger, but she throws her hands up in protests, "I'm only level 4 with 25 Arcane!"

"Calm down, kitty," Victoria places a hand on her shoulder. Kona pouts, but otherwise relaxes as Vic continues, "We don't know what kind of magic is in there, but looking around right now, maybe we don't want to know yet?"

Kona lets out a small sigh, "Like I said before, its safe. We can access the contents like our rings or loot bags, but not until one of us gets to thirty five. And that's… probably gonna be me."

Ramona and I halt everyone's progress, something in the air is different. The cavern we approach is practically overflowing with negative energy. It's still several yards away, but the magical torches stop where we stop and we are unable to catch a glimpse of what lies ahead. I slide my mask over my hair and it stays there. I almost use a claw to wipe my face but stop myself in time, revert it to normal, and rub around my chin.

"We probably should've done this before," I'm looking through my inventory, "Is there anything we can do to prepare for what's next?" Victoria is questioning me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. I get the feeling that maybe I overstepped her leadership position, but she gestures me to carry on. "Sorry, um…"

"I was trying to make you party leader before we started, silly," she punches me in the arm. It's light enough not to deal damage, but forceful enough to push me.

"Thanks. Okay, my Swarm Tactics is passive skill that's been giving everyone plus one to melee damage and armor so--"

Kona interrupts me, squeezing my face, "Are you a kidding me?! That's a monster ability! Are you a trying to be a Blue Mage??"

"Yesh? Whash wong wid dat?" I shake her loose and she throws her hands in the air.

"Ugh! Dimitria, of course you are! Why wouldn't an immortal try to be one? It's not like you can die anyway, right?" Victoria, Kona, and Ramona each toss a silver coin at Elsbeth who is grinning smuggly.

I shoot a questioning look at Vic. She shrugs her shoulders, "We had a bet going. I wagered you were part Lycan. Still kind of hoping you are..."

Ramona and Elsbeth both roll their eyes before Ramona asks, "Can we move along? Yes? Well, unfortunately, I don't have buffs for the party."

Elsbeth shakes her head no, staring at her coins and spelling out with one hand (New spell. Static Arrow). Awesome, but it's not what I'm looking for.

"I have a ranged heal spell now but no buffs," Dawn adds, looking through her inventory, but to no avail.

I clear my throat, "Okay. We're going in and assessing the threat. We'll fight as long as we can, but as long as we are able to retreat, that will be our Plan B. Sorry Dawn, but you and I have the option of dying, you four do not."

Gratitude flashes in their eyes, and understanding appears in Dawn's.

"The threat of the Tria must be nothing compared to what lies ahead, so Dawn and I will be the vanguard. Ranged healing can be done from the front lines, as long as I cover her. Ramona will support Dawn. Victoria, please do the same, but both of you, your main goal will be to dispatch additional targets if they pop up. El and Kona? Your main targets will be the support units as well. Target any healers or spellcasters first. The big baddy will be your secondary target. El, how good are you on arrows?"

She checks her ring, which she's been using as a magical quiver and signs (Nineteen). It's not bad, but I really don't want her getting up close and using the improvised rapiers. "If you run out, please don't rush the boss?" She nods her head and smiles. I look around at everyone, "Should I try to stealth in first?"

My gaze stops on Victoria and she shakes her head, "Normally it wouldn't hurt to try. But from what I've heard from veteran soldiers coming back from boss raiding parties, sometimes the room gets sealed by the boss. Nothing comes in, nothing comes out. I'd hate to see you die in there and accidentally send whatever's in there at us without you."

"I'm almost touched."

She slaps my butt causing me to jump a little, "I'd hate to lose the view from my position, you know."

Computer generated or not, I've had my fair share of compliments about my derriere. Still, I frown at the one point of damage. I think she does that on purpose.

"Save it for the battlefield," I protest, but four more hands make swift contact with my butt, just not as hard to deal damage. "Hey! What the hell?"

Everyone's giggling, including Elsbeth, and Dawn composes herself enough to add, "Guess we have our good luck charm!"

"Oh hell, no…"

I turn back around to lead them into the cavern and slide my mask back over my face.

Dawn joins me up front, "I had a much different idea of you before we met on that elevator, you know?"

I tilt my face toward her, waiting for her to continue.

"The rumors made you seem like an arrogant jerk who maliciously sabotaged a game for selfish reasons."

Ouch.

"But there's no way the guy in front of me could've caused what happened on purpose. You're a sweet guy."

"Thanks. But we gotta be kinda selfish in this beta run, right? That's a whole lot of money. Why didn't you join one of the big guilds?"

A few yards in front of us, the ground changes from flattened earth to what looks like large tiles. We stop short of crossing the threshold.

"Sometimes just winning a lot of money won't solve all of your problems. You know?"

Don't I know it. I steel my resolve. Our strides are filled with determination, and our hands are filled with weapons.

Spoiler: Ardacen's Character Sheet

[Basic Info: Ardacen Winters__ Race | Subrace: Human | Custom

[Height/Weight: 5'9/165lbs

[Class | Subclass: Novice

[Level: 8

[Experience: 1193| 1200

[Multiclass | Subclass:

[Artisan Job Classes: Cook 3 | Alchemist 1 |

[Copper/Silver/Gold/Platinum: 75/3/0/0

[HP/MP/Stamina Regen Delay: 8sec/8/sec/8sec

[HP/Max/RegenPerSec: 74/74/4

[MP/Max/RPS: 60/60/3

[Stamina/Max/RPS: 48/48/3

[Combat Modifiers

[Strength: 1+1

[Dexterity: 30

[Arcane: 22

[Faith: 1

[Defense Modifiers

[Agility: 27+6

[Armor: 9+1

[Willpower: 10]

[Main Hand: AWP Claw

[Durability: n/a

[Type/Range/Ammo: Dexterity/Melee/0

[Base/Modified Damage: 5/35

[Off Hand: AWP Claw

[Durability: n/a

[Type/Range/Ammo: Dex/Melee/0

[Base/Modified Damage: 5/35]

[Head: empty

[Durability:

[Armor:0

[Shoulders: Grey Wolf Pelt

[Durability: 60/60

[Armor: 1

[BodyOver: empty

[Durability:

[Armor: 0

[BodyUnder: Simple Cloth Tunic

[Durability: 80/80

[Armor: 1

[Arms: Improvised Green Cobra Bracers

[Durability: 75/75

[Armor: 2

[Hands: empty

[Durability:

[Armor: 0

[LegsOver: Improvised Green Cobra Greaves

[Durability: 75/75

[Armor: 3

[LegsUnder: Simple Cloth Pants

[Durability: 80/80

[Armor: 1

[Feet: Simple Leather Boots

[Durability: 80/80

[Armor: 1]

[Face: Mask of the Grey Wanderer 1/3

[Bonus: +3Agi, +1Str, +1Armor

[Neck: empty

[Ear Right: empty

[Ear Left: empty

[Wrist Right: empty

[Wrist Left: Simple Bracelet of Storage

[Ring Right: Minor Ring of Storage

[Ring Left: empty

[Waist: empty

[Spells: Arcane Bolt I, Assassinate, +Shadow Toxin]

[Skills: Minor Survival Craft II, Critical Stab I, +Wolf Senses, Stealth I, Echo Strike]

[Feats: Adaptibility, Varient Hunter I, War Party Leader I, +Alpha Wolf's Pride, +Swarm Tactics]

[Major Quests: Free the Prisoner

[Minor Quests: Recycle]