The air was cold and damp, mixed with the stinging scent of mana. Rubble and dirt covered the floor, the cavern walls picked and scraped. In the middle milled about a small group, what should have been a quick break turned out to be much longer than the five minutes initially said.
Marco sat on top of a crate, smoking. Eyes focused down the passageway leading further into the dungeon. Standing lamps dotted the large cavern, illuminating the walls with pale blue glow. Clicking his tongue, Marco flicked the spent cigarette on the floor.
“You might want to ease up on the littering boss. I heard from some hunters that dungeons don't take lightly to litterbugs.” Jun said, standing on the side. Marco thought about them mining the walls would have offended the dungeon much more than littering but opted to let it go. Instead, his thoughts wandered to the crate containing their bounty.
Mana stones. Stones magical properties that defy physics and common logic. Despite initially being found as a rather useless and relatively toxic substance in its discovery, it has grown to be a critical resource to the world at large. Its use ranges from simple power generation, weapon manufacturing, up to pharmaceuticals. One being an indispensable component for the budding but well funded and pioneering magical treatments and medicines. The treatments range from the cure for once untreatable STDs to cancer. Some treatments even claim to be able to regenerate lost limbs of course for the comparable price of an arm and a leg.
Still the mana stones in the box were of the low grade. Low in mana density and brittle, its use limited for fuel and claiming the least profit. They also have to dig and mine deeper just for the chance of finding it, being inside a low levelled dungeon. Compared to the higher graded dungeons, where higher mana stones practically grow out of the walls, the haul sucked. Still, it was an accepted compromise. The air doesn’t try to stop them from moving at all, burn their lungs, or kill them instantly. As is common when the Mana density is far too high for weaker hunters.
Marco looked at the small pile of cigarettes littered about. They should have been waiting for an hour, probably more. “I’d take a shit in here if I hadn’t already done it at the guild.” He replied, fishing another before lighting it up.
Still. Dungeons. Marco thought to himself with a sneer. A hideous sore in the face of the earth. A hole in reality where demons, and creatures of nightmare spawn out, unless delved by a unique class of men and women and face the monsters within. There, they would risk their limbs and life to reach the end and kill the final monster waiting in the end. In return, they would eliminate the aberration and reap rewards left behind bearing otherworldly characteristics.
Save for some unique circumstances, these people, coming from a fraction of a percent of the population, are the only ones that could enter the dungeons. Recruited by the guilds and governments, they are given a designation corresponding to their given powers. S ranks almost equal to mortal gods walking among men, to F, who are nothing more than normal human beings but with the ability of being able to enter the dungeons.
Marco despite his irritation, despite his effort, was an F.
They were expected to fight for self-defense, but their jobs were mostly as support personnel, porters, and miners. Their careers had an average expectancy of six months, ending with death or retirement after recognizing the pay was not worth the danger. Despite the danger, Marco had kept working officially for four years. A feat that was recognized by people, with their reasoning for Marco staying that long ranging from bravery to insanity. While others thought that it was just the money.
They were all correct, to a point. They were right that Marco needed the money, seeing little other career opportunities, brave and crazy for how long he kept coming back to the dungeons and their inherent dangers despite being barely above human. But it was never the full picture.
“How long are we going to wait?” Sarah, the youngest in their mining crew of five, whined as she sat, leaning on the pickaxe in boredom.
“We wait as long as the Screening team takes to make sure the area is free of threats.” Marco replied, taking a drag off and blowing it high into the air. He coughed up a thick glob of mucus before spitting it on the floor.
“This is going to cut into our output. You know that right?” Hong, the rest of his name, Marco couldn’t bother to remember, replied. Piping up from the edge of the group.
“Relax, all you're doing is worrying about someone else’s business. The fallout is going to drop in the upper management’s heads. The Lions guild fucked up big time for not leaving this dungeon squeaky clean and is within our contracts. So we are expected not to do anything. That on the discovery of the mining site found to be unsecured, we are to stop work and wait until it is then deemed safe.” Marco replied. “Until then. We sit tight.”
“I know. I read the contract, but it didn’t account for the expected output. We’re going to be having unpaid overtime at this rate.” Jun replied.
“Would you rather come home in a box? Adjustments will be made, clauses in the contract cover exactly the situation where we’re at. We just have to make sure the proper paperwork is submitted.”
“You don’t know that.” Jun replied, standing up. Waving at the meager haul of mana crystals packed in crates. Low quality, almost powder. “It might have been back a couple of years ago, but with the new management and the way they are running things. Nothing is.” He continued, earning a few nods from the rest of the team.
“What the fuck do you want me to do? It's not like I can just pull a magic wand off my ass and wave it to get it all solved.” Marco replied, arms wide. Pausing, he looked ahead to the branching cave passage leading deeper into the dungeon. There he saw two figures walking towards the group.
“Fuck.” Marco said, flicking the cigarette in front of him. “Time to work.”
“I-Is that?” Sarah stuttered, staring at the passageway with wide eyes, taking a step back.
Walking into the light, the creatures looked human, but wrong. Their legs were shorter, torso longer, and arms coming up to just above their knees. Standing at about five and a half feet, it wore rags covering its groin with lengths of leather stung diagonally on itself. Filled with dangling trinkets or bone, teeth, and ears. Most of the ears were pointed, and some not so. It was armed with a bone club, its edge honed to a relatively sharp edge.
It was a pair of hobgoblins, an evolution of the usual trash goblin who stood about 3 and a half feet. A goblin would have the strength of a child, the savagery of one and the aggression of an attack dog. A hobgoblin was just like that, only that it's bigger, meaner, and stronger.
And it was not supposed to be here. The Screening team should have handled that sweep and eliminated it. He looked behind him to see the rest of the team arming themselves up with tools. ‘Where the fuck are they?’
“Everyone stay calm.” Marco said despite his heart running a mile a minute. Living in caves, they have bad eyesight but are compensated by heightened smell and hearing. Somehow, the two hadn’t noticed the group standing still in the middle, but it would only be a matter of time. “Anyone have a way to contact the guards out front?”
“The Screening team didn’t leave communication devices. Uh. No. No. It was supposed to be just a routine mission. There aren't supposed to be monsters in this part of the dungeon.” Sarah, the accountant turned miner said, mumbling in a panic.
‘But that’s not the case here isn’t it?’ He sighed. He then reached to his belt and drew one of his two issued daggers. They should be enough to deal with it. Still, it wouldn’t be ideal. He would have preferred to be fully armored and with a sword to handle the creature.
“Sarah. Go run back to the entrance and get help. Lead the guards at the entrance back here.” Marco said, knowing now that Sarah would just be a liability from now on. She was afraid, terrified and deathly so. Flight would have to be the only option for her. “Go. Go now.”
A couple of seconds later, Marco heard the sounds of feet running, fading. Good, it was better for her to leave else she would just be another easy target or worse, get in the way.
“Okay, I can handle one. You guys take care of the other. Try and kill it, but if you can't, just do your best to keep it occupied.” He looked to the side to see Hong, white as a sheet and looking to be one jump scare from pissing himself. “What? You fucking scared? I thought you got the haul first thing in your mind. That’s standing between you and a good meal for your wife and son. So what are you going to do?”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
He had the hobgoblin's attention now, 30 feet away, and able to be crossed in just a couple of seconds, attracted by the commotion.
His palms were getting sweaty. The fight hadn't started yet and he was already vibrating in energy. His skill, his ‘second voice’ kept on yelling at him that it was a bad idea, but not enough to tell him to just run away. His ability, called survival sense by one of the people at the association, allowed him a supernatural sense of somehow being able to measure the level of danger he is in and allow him to act accordingly. Listening to it had always been the right choice, having saved him and many others multiple times.
“I’m guessing that you’re here to hunt. Well, come on then.” Marco said, standing on the balls of his feet and spreading his arms as an invitation. “Bitch.”
The hobgoblins, seeing as they were outnumbered 2 to 1 and found the odds in their favor, grinned at each other. They separated and one broke off to try and cover the exit to the cavern. The rest of the team, three guys, bunched together facing the other but gladly not breaking ranks.
Marco’s gaze focused on his enemy, it was looking at him with rage filled eyes and salivating grin. Marco pointed at the hobgoblin, then to him. A universal language between species and extended his hand, palm up and waved for him to come.
The hobgoblin charged, weapon raised for an initial strike. Marco stood his ground, flicking his dagger around for an underhand grip. He took a deep breath, straining his muscles, then met the hobgoblin with a fake charge and he paused right before making it into range of the hobgoblin.
The creature swung, and missed him by an inch. Catching the over swing, Marco came inside his guard and sliced at the inside his forearm before grabbing the hobgoblin’s wrist with an iron grip, dragging the sharp knife up from the inside of its forearm to its bicep, leaving a much shallower laceration than it should have been. Their skin was tough, like trying to slice a tire.
As much as it was deadly if applied to a normal human being, it wouldn’t be enough for the creature, far from it. He then continued the scarlet line up the creature’s arm before pulling his arm back to stab it on the neck.
It was blocked by the hobgoblin’s other hand, the blade bit into its palm, but failed to punch through.
Marco wasn’t done. Stepping forward into the Hobgoblin’s space, he twisted his body and levered his hip pressed against the creature’s own into a textbook hip throw.
The hobgoblin landed on its head, momentarily stunning it.
Taking the moment of vulnerability, Marco sliced at its throat, its thick skin causing nothing more than a superficial cut. Changing tactics, he then stabbed it at the neck, the ribs, its gut, only for the dagger to snap after stabbing it on its hip.
‘Danger! Step back!’
His second voice flaring up, he stepped back barely out of reach as the hobgoblin wrapped around to try and pin him. Many had died from their bite after being grabbed. Marco cursed at himself, almost falling to a rookie killer move.
Taking a step back, Marco stood and watched as the hobgoblin tried to stem the bleeding from its wounds. It tried to pull out the broken knife blade stuck on its hip but finding no purchase to grab. It tried to get up, only to stumble and fail as its hip failed to bear its weight. Growling, it looked at Marco with eyes filled with fading hate.
“Die slow. Piece of shit.” Marco muttered, panting. The short fight had left him close to winded. Taking a few deep breaths, he put the ruined dagger’s grip into his pants, knowing that it wouldn't be as smooth if there had been two of them.
No. He would have died if the two went for him at the same time.
The hobgoblin let out a pained wail before laying on the ground. Marco gave it a few more seconds, watching as more blood pooled from its wounds. Pulling his last knife out of his belt, he took the long way around behind hobgoblin’s laying form and stood behind it, away from its reach. He swung down with his knife, with as much strength as he could and sent the blade plunging down to the creature’s temple. It bit deep and with a final twitch, the creature stopped moving.
Pulling the knife out, Marco turned to the rest. The three were only able to fend away their hobgoblin with their tools, but still managed to keep it busy.
Marco spit to the side, walking towards the ongoing fight and already thinking about how he would be able to slip between the fending attacks and get close.
The remaining hobgoblin looked at Marco approaching. The momentary distraction allowed a blow to slip between its guard and hit it on the side of the head. It then realized that its comrade was dead and decided that the smarter move was to run.
With Marco blocking the passage further into the dungeon, the Hobgoblin then turned around and sprinted towards the cavern entrance Sarah ran to. It slammed into one of the standing mana lamps used to illuminate that part of the tunnel as it passed and turned it pitch black. Disappearing.
Marco cursed, his legs pumping to chase the hobgoblin. His ‘second voice’ screamed at him that it would be suicide to pursue the creature stronger than him into the dark. But he had little choice.
A scream followed. Long and pained, later cut off suddenly.
Marco stopped, took a ready stance and readied his last dagger.
Someone tutted up ahead, followed by a man clad in an ornate leather armor coming into view. He was armed with a bloodied longsword and a wooden shield and walked into the open, eyes slowly scanning around without any sense of urgency. He looked at Marco with an amused look, as if it was a toddler squaring up to an adult.
Here was a hunter. A proper one. A person with the ability to easily take out something that Marco had much trouble fighting and the rest only able to fend off.
As much as Marco didn’t want to admit it, he couldn’t do anything to the man even if he tried.
“Seems like you took care of it.” Marco said as he looked behind the man to see Sarah standing and another hunter taking up the rear.
“There’s a change of plans. There is a dungeon break outside and the association is calling up all available hunters. That means us. We're pulling out. Everyone. Even the screening force. We are abandoning this dungeon for the moment.”
“What about the contract? We only got one of the sites cleared and have 2 more.” Marco replied. With the security they can make some quick work for the rest of the sites. Hong was right about the haul, they barely had enough. Even with the contract stipulations, it only meant that they get the bare minimum pay.
“None of my concern. You can put it up to someone upstairs who cares about it.” The hunter replied, unconcerned.
“How long do we have?”
“Leave. Right now.”
“Uhh. Can you at least give us some time?” Sarah said, sidling up close and eyes pleading at the hunter.
The hunter said nothing as his eyes roamed up and down Sarah, then grinned. “Fine. We can give you 5 minutes.”
Marco looked at Sarah which she returned. “That’s not even enough for us to clear everything out. Can you help us out at least? I can make it worth your while. Give you a cut.”
“Not my problem. And I don’t want your pennies.” He replied, sheathing his sword. “Unless you want to stay here a bit more?” The gleam in his eyes were telling, almost daring, Marco that they wouldn’t last long without their protection. Worse, it would void the insurance clause in their contract.
Marco bit back a retort as he turned to the rest and signaled everyone to pack up. The time left just enough time for them to take the crate of low grade mana stones and leave some of the tools behind. Never mind treating injuries that might have been sustained in the scuffle. They complained all the while, but they knew that another fight wouldn’t turn out like the last time with just them.
They carted the crates back to the exit, leaving the mana lamps where they hung on their stands, relatively affordable, but costs still added up. They can still call the loss and claim insurance and compensation on the part of extenuating circumstances but litigation takes time.
They would also burn their only chance in the dungeon. Hunters are only able to enter instance dungeons once. With all of it added up, was turning this contract into a loss rather than just a waste of time.
Marco was still cursing his luck as they headed towards the dungeon exit when he noticed a man standing on the side.
He wore a crisp matching blazer and slacks along with mirror shined shoes and a pair of shades worn indoors. He had a government issued haircut, trimmed sides and long on the top. In his hands, he held a leather briefcase along with wearing an expensive silver watch.
No one bothered the man, even the hunters not giving him a glance as they stood by the side of the portal, waiting for the mining team to leave first.
Marco didn’t want to deal with the man either. But he could feel the man’s gaze zeroed on him even with the pairs of shades covering the man’s eyes. Marco met his stare, and the man gave a thin smile.
“You guys go ahead. I think I need to get this one.” Marco said, waving to the rest of the group and approached the man. He could feel the eyes of the rest boring through his back “I hope you’re not here for me, Mr. Kim.”
“I have a contract for you.” Mr. Kim said. Marco knew that it would be unlikely that it was his real name. It would be like someone introducing himself as John Smith while wearing a suit.
Mr Kim, seeing no reaction, continued. “If you accept, you are to lead a group of Association trainees and bring this dungeon to heel. You will be paid in the portion of the dungeon profits after its subjugation. Added to a flat consultation fee.” He said, pulling out a thick file from his briefcase and handed it to Marco.
Marco read the file, the hunter dossiers and could say that the raid would be a cakewalk for the assembled team. A team of Cs and Ds going to clear a low levelled dungeon was the closest to a babysitting job.
Still the problem was that first dungeon raids should be after a month of lessons and training. Even then, they wouldn’t be expected to fight, not mentioning clearing the rest of the dungeon. Worse, they have only been inducted for a couple of weeks. Which means, greener than green.
Fast tracked? Should be. The problem is that the last time the same had happened was around four and a half years ago. Back when it all started. Marco thought.
His ‘second voice’ wasn’t talking to him now, it being only limited to actual dangers at the moment. Still, Marco knew from experience that it was a bad idea, but the money was not something to sneeze about. It was good. The fee was equivalent to about a month’s wage of exceptionally good hauls mining dungeons, and added to the portion of the boss loot.
Nevertheless, it was peanuts to a larger guild.
He read the rest of the contract, with Marco earning at least the flat fee as long as none of the hunters died on the raid. Even with a failure to subjugate the dungeon, he would still be paid. And assuming that there would be nothing but hobgoblins or goblins in the dungeon, along with other evolved forms for the monsters along the same line, it should only be the boss room to worry about.
Still there had to be a catch.
“Running out of trainers?” Marco probed, leaving out the fact that the trainees were less than green.
“A new initiative. To make sure that equal, if preferential treatment should be extended to people belonging to…” He gave Marco a sharp look. “Disadvantaged people, but possessing the needed experience.”
“Rank F. Not even mentioning the fact that I never led a raid team before.”
“But you still have the relevant experience. Much more than hunters with higher ranks, currently indisposed. This dungeon being abandoned by the Lions guild causes the property rights to be passed on to the association, and for us to do what we please.” Mr. Kim replied, adjusting his shades. “This raid will continue on with or without your participation. I advise you to take it.”
“That’s it? No other reason?”
“Consider this a favor if you want.”
Marco snorted, “I don’t like favors.” then Signed the dotted line. He handed the contract back to Mr. Kim who nodded back.
“The team should arrive within ten minutes.” He said and walked back outside and left Marco with the rest of the team dossier to peruse through.
Alone, Marco sat on a crate. His back to the exit and watching the tunnel heading further in. It should be a short wait.
Still, he couldn’t help but think that there had to be another catch in all of this.