Chapter 3
“I’m almost there… I should have taken some lunch with me after all…”
After leaving the previous town and heading towards these so called gates of the abyss or whatever, I was finally nearing my goal. The only problem was that my hunger was catching up yet again.
I hope I arrive soon. My last meal was two days ago, since then not a single piece of meat entered my stomach. First order of business when I arrive will be to fill up my stomach.
During these last two days, I was unable to catch even a single animal, or find anything else edible for the matter. If it continues on like this, I don’t know how much longer I can hold out for.
My mood instantly brightened, as the silhouettes of houses could be seen on the cusp of the horizon. Their distance was still relatively far, however it felt like I was finally nearing my goal.
Motivation spiked up as the small houses entered my sights. Legs regained their lost energy, and like a gust of wind, I picked up my tempo. Within a couple of minutes, I had finally arrived at the houses I had seen in the distance. And the view that greeted me as I arrived was fulfilling as well.
The sight of a bustling city flashed me as I arrived. People were walking everywhere, carts were being pulled and guided through the streets. Even someone like me could see that this was a big city. But most importantly for me, the sights of many restaurants of various kinds pleased my empty stomach to no end.
“I’m finally here…” I mumbled to myself, as my saliva started leaking from my mouth.
“Quickly! I need to choose one. Which one should I enter?!” My mind was overwhelmed by the seemingly endless possibilities which lie in front of me. From Grilled to Cooked, every kind of restaurant imaginable was there, and yet my mind still tried figuring out which was the best option.
After standing around, worrying about it, and getting nowhere, the pain simply got too strong, and I entered the nearest one I could find. As I walked in, I realized, I had entered a bar. Wasn’t my first choice, but this way, I at least knew, I would be able to quench my thirst as well. Optimistically, I decided to stay in the bar.
“One beer and a portion from your entire menu!” I said after walking up to the counter.
“Wait! Did I hear that right? You want one portion from everything?!” the owner asked in shock.
“Yes!!! Hurry up, I’m going to starve to death!” I took a fork and spoon that was beside me and started hitting the table, spurring the owner on.
“Hahaha, I like brats like you! Coming right up!” the man smiled as he turned and walked into the kitchen.
I hope the food comes quickly…I don’t know how much longer I can take. But, I don’t want the food to be bad, so I guess I can wait a little longer. Ahh, I don’t know any more, I just want to eat already.
I was slowly losing my mind, worrying and discussing useless stuff with myself.
As the owner was in another room, cooking, the appearance of the bar I had entered was finally able to register in my head. It was mostly empty, with a couple of people sitting here and there, sipping some alcohol. The place didn’t look run down, but it didn’t look necessarily well-kept either. It was somewhere in the middle. However, the stench of adventure lingered in the bar, as the others in there all had scars and were carrying weapons with them.
“They must also be adventurers. Hahahah.”
To some, a bar like this, with this kind of atmosphere would be frightening. But to me, this was like a dream come true.
“This, this is a real bar in the Dungeon. This is where the adventurers of this floor gather to talk and plan. The atmosphere, it’s even better than I imagined.” I giggled to myself in happiness as the owner brought out the first pieces of food he had cooked.
He put it down on the table and laughed, urging me on to eat.
Without even waiting for the aroma to enter my nose, I began eating. The flavor of the food was superb. The feeling it caused was like if it had awakened something in me that was slumbering for some time now. My only complaint was that the food disappeared too quickly, but soon after I finished, the owner brought out another plate, filled with food on it.
“So, you a newcomer?” The chef asked as he smiled.
“Mhm. What gave it away?”
This is the second time that someone was able to identify me as an adventurer. They must be really good at that kind of stuff around here.
“Come on now. An old man like me has been around for a long time now. I see more adventurers in a single week than I can even count. After a while, you start pick up on these stuff.”
“I see.” I was concentrating on eating the delicious food he provided, rather than the small talk he was making.
“And? You here to head down to the lower floors?” he asked as he smiled.
“Of course! I want to go on many adventures. You know anything about the Dungeon old man?”
The man’s smile bloomed even further as I asked this question. It seems like he really enjoys talking about this topic.
“Heh, if you run a bar for adventurers for as long as I have, you tend to hear a couple of stories here and there. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I do know more than the average person.”
“Wow! So cool! I’m actually planning to go down to the next floor today. Ahh, I can’t wait to have an adventure.”
“Youthful passion…I like it. I remember I was like that when I was younger. Don’t give up, you’ll definitely reach your goal if you continue on.” The man gave me a thumbs up as he said this.
He looked around the bar before he asked me his next question.
“But, speaking of which, where is your Wayfinder? Which one is it from the people here?” the man asked, expecting me to answer him.
“Hmm? A Weight finder? What’s that?”
“Wait, you…do you not know what a Wayfinder is?” shocked, the man asked.
“No idea, never heard of it before!”
The man came closer to me, as his face petrified due to the shock he had just received. It looked like he had just heard something incredible.
“What!!! Didn’t you say you were an adventurer?!”
“I am an adventurer.”
“How can you not know about Wayfinders then? That’s like one of the essentials to exploring a Dungeon. I’m pretty sure every adventurer knows at least a little bit about them. Don’t you at least know something?”
I don’t know what he is on about, but if I didn’t hear about them from my father, there is no way it’s that important. I didn’t notice it that much back in the village, but people sure do overreact here don’t they.
“It must not be that important if I didn’t hear about them. Anyways, tell me stories about the Dungeon.”
“Wait, I can’t just let you change the topic like that. At least not until you realize how important Wayfinders are. If you want to explore and travel in the Dungeon, you will need a Wayfinder to go with you. Without them it is basically impossible to go through the Dungeon. It’s like if you were walking whilst being blindfolded.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I travelled to this city fine by myself. I don’t see why I would need someone like that.”
“Listen, traversing the first floor of the Dungeon is easy in comparison to the other floors. The forests are small, the monsters are weak, even by oneself, it is not that dangerous. However, the lower floors are a completely different story. From giant forests, to lairs of monsters, these things are common the lower one goes, and if you don’t have a Wayfinder with you, that can guide you along the right way, you will surely die.”
It sounds like he knows what he’s talking about, but I don’t think he realizes how strong I am. I don’t think I would have a problem with fighting a horde of enemies. And getting lost in a forest, well I would eventually get out of it, wouldn’t I?
I continued eating my meal as I answered him.
“I see, so they’re like people that show you the way in the Dungeon.”
“Yes, and so much more than that. I don’t know the specifics myself, but I heard they have a special set of powers within the Dungeon.”
“Hmm…Sounds interesting.”
“You should have already known about them before you entered the Dungeon. The amount of information one has can be the deciding factor between life or death here.”
“So what your telling me is to find one of these so called Waysfinders?”
“Wayfinders! They’re called Wayfinders! And yes, I would recommend finding one that would happily join you on your journey.”
“So that’s what it is… A Wayfinder huh.”
“As you seem to be quite unknowledgeable, let me give you one more tip. Don’t accept the Wayfinder with blonde hair and pointy ears into your party. There’s bad rumors going around about her. It would be better if you just ignored or declined her if she asks to join your party. She’s more trouble than she’s worth.”
I was too concentrated on thinking about Wayfinders to listen to what he said in that last statement. It all entered my ears but went out the other at the same time.
“So keep that in mind as you chose a Wayfinder.” He added.
“Yeah, I should eventually find one that will want to join my party. Shit, look at how late it is, the sun is already going down. I need to hurry or else I won’t reach the next floor until the morning.”
“Eventually?! I warned you so that you would find one now!”
“You don’t have to worry old man, I will be fine.” I said as I quickly got up and left the bar. The sun was still up, so there was still time, but it was slowly turning into night, and since I didn’t want to navigate something during the night, my instincts told me to hurry.
I ran out the bar and headed into the direction I thought this gate would be.
“Haaaahhhh- I remember when I was young. I didn’t have a single care in the world, just like him. I hope he’ll be fine.” The man exhaled as he looked at the door to his bar close. “Wait…Did he even pay?” His eyes blinked twice until he finally saw it.
Realizing there wasn’t any money on the counter, the man ran out of the restaurant, looking for me. But by the time he was outside, I was already long gone, on my way towards the gate to the abyss.
XXX
There I stood. In front of a giant black hole, that dug itself deep underground. It’s appearance resembled that of a giant wormhole, it’s color that of the abyss. Looking into it, one truly got the feeling of peering into the abyss.
That’s when I realized from where it had gotten the name.
I was blown away, the sheer size of the hole already exceeded my imagination. And the aura it was giving off, it was the aura of endless possibilities, unimaginable wonder and adventure. It was getting too much for me.
My mouth opened wide, as a bright smile appeared on my face. The people going beside me giggled, probably noticing that this was my first time seeing it. But I didn’t care, at that moment, the gate stole away all my focus.
“Which way should I go? Does it even matter? Which one looks the most fun?” I couldn’t stop my mind from asking these questions as I walked up to the ledge of the hole.
There were various paths, that could be found near the ledge of the hole, these paths were the ones that would lead me down to the next floor right? At least, that’s what the man that gave me directions said.
Looking at the paths, I didn’t know which one was the right one to take. They all looked dangerous and full of adventure.
“Ahh, I don’t know which way I should go. They all look so fun.”
As I racked my brain, I noticed that the sun was slowly setting. It took some time to get here. After going the wrong way multiple times and getting lost, I had wasted a significant amount of time before getting here.
I needed to choose quickly, or else the night would dawn on me.
“I need to hurry it up. If I don’t choose now, I will get lost more easily.”
I narrowed down the search, and eventually ended up choosing one path which to me, looked like the most dangerous and adventure filled one.
“I hope this one will be fun. Yahoo!” I screamed as I ran down the rocky path on the edge of the hole happily.
XXX
-Firana’s Side
After a long and arduous day, Firana and her party members were still in the depths of the Gate of the Abyss. They had entered early in the morning, and yet, their progress had been limited.
They were around the halfway mark between the first and second floors of the Dungeon, still another half to go until they reached the second floor. This was taking a toll on the members, that was easy to see for everyone.
Dead eyes and heavy breathes dominated the people there, as they simply wanted it to be over.
“How much more do we have?”
The leader of the group, a strong young man with blond hair asked. His name was James, and he was the leader of this group even before Firana had joined up with them.
“We’re at about the halfway point. We passed it slightly earlier.”
“Waaaaaaht!” Another member of the team shouted as he found out where they were. He also was at the end of his ropes, and thinking about having to continue on for longer was excruciatingly painful. “But we’ve been going for almost an entire day now. How come we aren’t there yet? I heard it would at most take about half a day. I wasn’t ready for such a long slog.” He added.
“There isn’t anything I can do. I am guiding you through the shortest route as you wished. And I did warn you that there would be more enemies on this rode as well.”
“Well, if this is the shortest rode, how come it’s taken us this long? People told me it would only take about half a day.” he asked.
“That’s because you spent most of the day fighting against monsters and wasting time looking around.”
“Don’t blame us. You said this was going to be the shortest route. We all thought we were going to arrive pretty early, right guys?” he looked back and saw that most people were agreeing with him. They were nodding and agreeing with what he was saying.
Firana was overwhelmed by the overwhelming feeling of everyone putting the blame on her. That’s when the leader decided to step in and put a stop to it.
“Stop it you guys! Nothing good will come from blaming someone. We should all work tog-“
Before he was able to finish his sentence, the cracking of rocks could be heard around them. It was the sound of something that was close by breaking apart bit by bit.
“What is that soun-“
Suddenly, the rock ceiling above them came crashing down, as a monster fell through. The shocked faces of everyone were reflected in its eyes, as for a moment everyone stood there in shock. Their hearts dropped, as their already tired bodies had to fight for survival once more.
“KRGGGGGGHHHHHH” It’s roar resounded in the area, as it began rushing towards the party of adventurers. With its four legs, one giant eye and purple, almost void like color, it was the monster that called the Abyss, the area between two floors, it’s home, the in between Crawler.
“Quickly, fight it off. Don’t let anyone die!” The leader shouted as he rushed forward to meet the beast. He drew his sword and engaged the monster in battle, behind him followed the others, also ready to put their lives on the line.
“This isn’t over!” the one that had been arguing with Firana said, as he as well rushed forward, drawing his dagger.
As the battle raged on, and the adventurers slowly fought and drove the monster back, Firana could do nothing but hide behind rocks. She was weak and she knew it. She had no fighting capabilities whatsoever. Even the fighting prowess of a child might be higher than hers.
But she didn’t mind it. This had been the case for a while now, and she grew accustomed to the feeling of weakness in the face of danger. That’s why she learned that she had to rely on the power of others to keep her alive during these situations.
She had tried many times to get stronger and overpower this weakness of hers, however, never did it bear fruit. And as such, she has already given up on this endeavor of hers.
“AHHHH!”
“Help! Pleas-“
The screams from those that were unfortunate resounded in the cave, as Firana could do nothing more than to listen and take in the withering pain the adventurers were experiencing whilst fighting.
Putting her head down even lower, she tried to block out the sounds of pain as the battle continued. She stayed like this for a while, until she finally got tapped on the shoulder by the one everyone regarded as their leader.
“It’s finished. We killed the monster.” The leader said, with a bittersweet smile on his face. Cuts and Bruises were visible on his face, but Firana decided not to ask. She already knew what caused them.
As she walked out from her cover, she saw, just how much damage and pain the monster had caused. Almost everyone was bleeding, and some were even at deaths door as they lied on the ground.
“What happened?! Wasn’t this just a normal in between Crawler?!” she asked as the unbelievable scenes appeared in front of her.
“…”
“Wasn’t there only one of them?! Why does it look like an entire swarm attacked?!”
“…There was only one enemy…” The leader, finally dropping his mask, and showing a defeated face said as they walked beside the people that had fought.
The aroma of depression was in the air, as everyone seemed to be on edge and ready to burst any second. The smallest trigger here could cause a ginormous explosion.
“…Come with me…” the leader said as he walked over to a stone that lied next to the defeated beast. Next to the stone, there was also the man Firana had had an argument with previously. Only this time, he had a much scarier expression than before.
The two of them walked over and they all started conversing with each other.
“Why did you want to talk to me?” Firana asked nervously.
There was no telling what they were thinking in a situation like this. They must be under a lot of pressure and not in a clear state of mind due to what happened.
“I won’t sugarcoat it. We want you out of the party, and that now!” the man said.
“What?! You want to kick me out of the party?! But why?”
“You are useless. Not only did you show us the wrong way, you are also a hindrance to us during a fight. Because of how weak you are, we always have to watch out and lure the enemy away from you.”
“But I did tell you I wasn’t good at fighting before I joined. Why is that a problem now?!”
The tension rose, as the man she was conversing with, got more and more angry with every word he spewed. His voice getting louder and louder in the process.
“You said you weren’t good at it, not that you were completely unable to do it. And, as I said, you also showed us the wrong way. Who knows when we will be able to reach the next floor now.”
“I only showed you the way you wanted to go down on. You can’t blame something like this on m-“ an open fist came flying towards Firana before she was able to finish her sentence. Luckily, it was caught by the Leader of the party.
“Stay under control Eni.” However, even in his voice, the emotionless feeling could be heard. Firana knew, that even he was barely holding himself back from following his heart.
“…I understand. When we reach the lower floor, you can kick me out of your party…”
“Lower floor? You seem to have misunderstood. We want you gone now! Not when we reach the next floor.”
“What, you can’t do that? How would I survive in here, I can’t even fight.”
“That’s not our problem. Figure it out yourself. You do know the right way to get out of here without fighting don’t you?”
Both of the men started walking away, their eyes full of hatred and anger. As I turned around to look at them, I saw, with what eyes the others observed me with as well.
All of them had the same fire in their eyes. The fire of anger and distrust.
“Please, don’t leave me here! I won’t be able to survive alone.” Firana pleaded with them. After all, she needed them to be able to leave this place alive. There existed no peaceful wait out of here. “Please, we had an agreement. I can’t get out of here alone.” She added, but the people just ignore it and kept going their own way.
Firana ran up to them to try and plead one last time for them to change their minds. However this didn’t work out either…
“You’re going the wrong way. If you go there, you will only run into a dead end and find yourselves lost. Listen it’s still not too late. If you change your minds, I can still lead you out of here in relative safety.”
That was when she received a hit on the face. Firana instantly knew she had gotten slapped by someone. She knew it even before her mind could register what had gone down.
“Relative Safety?! Say that to the people that died! They died because you led us down the wrong way!”
Firana couldn’t do anything but stand there in silence, holding her cheek as it reddened. She knew she was right, that was what hurt her the most. There was no way she led them down the false path. She only did what was asked of her.
It was like they were getting blinded by their anger. However Firana couldn’t say anything anymore. As she looked at the people around her, she noticed, that if she were to speak even a single word more, she would be done for.
That was also the moment, the sights of the bodies of the perished entered her eyes. She saw the people that had fought against the monster and had not made it out alive.
She was speechless. A combination of shock and fear prevented her from talking. Funnily enough, this fear was the thing that allowed her to survive this situation as well. If she were brave enough, and would try talking to them further, Firana was positive they would kill her. And knowing this, she kept her mouth closed.
As the party ventured off into the wrong direction, Firana stood there, contemplating what had just gone down. So much happened in such a short while, that she was honestly kind of tired.
She had had hope that this would be the time when she finally reached the second floor with a party. But in the end, it only ended up in failure again.
But after snapping back to reality and remembering where she was, she gathered up the courage to press on. She was in the middle of the two floors. There was neither a safe way upwards nor downwards. If she were to die either way, then she would rather die whilst marching towards her dream.
Not wanting to go back to the first floor again, she decided it was for the best to go along the right path that would lead her to the second floor. And gathering up her courage, Firana took the first step in the right direction.
Chapter 3 End