Karsten supported Henry as the group walked back up the unending, monotone dirt tunnel.

Allis had deserted the party. Karsten figured it was either because of the sight of the gruesome fight against the Boss, the Thunderwave, or the thought of potentially having killed one or more of them when she forgot to light the Boss area.

He thought it was likely a mix of all three.

Regardless of the reason, though, she would not be joining them raiding again anytime soon. It was not in any of their nature to blindly accept someone back into the party after desertion.

No one - except Henry - faulted her for deserting the group, however.

Still, they would have had an exponentially worse reaction if Allis had had a more pivotal role in the delve, but as it stood, she was more a hanger on added by her granddad - and, arguably, by Karsten as a joke on Henry - than a cornerstone member.

And they all understood how frightening a dungeon could be. Even when it was the most boring dungeon in the world - a neverending, plain dirt tunnel with a never-ending wave of the most boring monsters known to anyone, the ant - it was a bloody experience filled past anyone's capacity with grime, gore and ant fluids. They all knew it wasn’t for everyone. If anything, Karsten thought he was the weird one for not being particularly phased by it.

He wondered why this was the case; How he could react so normally, or, actually abnormally, to these fantastically horrible environments?

Karsten didn’t know. If he were back on Earth daydreaming about how he would handle dungeons and monsters if he were to ever encounter them, he would have imagined something like how he is now.

Still, daydreams were a lot different from reality. He acknowledged even back then that his dream scenario wasn’t realistic.

So, what made him so unfazed? Was he actually unfazed? He had also felt this chilling, coiling anxiety since his arrival, with only some moments of peace. Why was that?

For hours, he pondered as they walked.

In the end, Malek had to carry Henry bridal-style as he couldn’t walk anymore, even assisted. It was clear as day that he had lost alarming amounts of blood.

Karsten wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t worried. Not only was he worried for Henry’s survival, he was worried about Medolys reaction if she were to see her brother like this.

Karsten didn’t know if he could handle the look she would give him if her brother died on his watch.

Medoly had trusted Henry to keep him from death door, but Karsten knew that the Ranger was entrusting her brother to him just as much, if not more. Ever since their first interaction, her core love and concern for him was obvious, even through her rough handling of the man.

Every time his Magica replenished enough, he cast Healing Word his party member’s sleeping body.

After a few hours, Henry was close to if not at full health. Still, he remained passed out in Malek’s arms.

Karsten didn’t find this strange at all, though.

The first time at death’s door would be traumatizing for anyone after all, regardless of how ‘brutish’ they were. Karsten knew this very well; The image of the steel pole closing in on him had been a recurring image. Healing magic couldn’t offset mental or emotional anguish, unfortunately.

Still, his Song of Rest at least helped him feel some peace. It was a shame he could only use it once a day.

~~~

After what felt like days, they finally emerged from the Ant Hill, stepping into the dimming light of dusk.

A different guard met them at the entrance this time, who didn’t seem to have quite as many particularities as the previous one. Karsten showed her the document from the Office to affirm they had entered the dungeon legally, then turned to his temporary party members.

It was recruitment time.

If there was one thing they had shown during this raid, it was that the Goliath’s in front of him were legendary-tier Sleeping Dragons.

Haressy had more battle intelligence than anyone in the group. During the descent, as well as the moment they were lost in the dark, she made this clear. She was amazing at managing her Magica output and balancing how aggressively versus how defensively she fought. The fact that she had learned all of this at the rate that she had was frankly frightening, especially to a person like Karsten that predominantly had been using spells up until now, and understood how difficult it was.

To fight in such a balanced way without fainting from Magica exhaustion in such a drawn-out fight - without having access to her Status scroll - she would have had to memorize not only all the costs of the Spells and Cantrips she knew. She had to know her Magica replenishment rate completely accurately, essentially always tussling with mental equations at the same time as she works in unison with the rest of group. That was a god-given gift.

She had ended up fainting in the end, but that was not her mismanaging her Spells. That was her sacrificing herself for the teams survival, casting an infused entanglement spell as a last-ditch effort to save her brother and Henry.

She had proved beyond doubt that she was a talented team player, and an objectively terrific Adventurer. From his post at the back of the party, Karsten had noticed this the most.

It was the same with Malek. He had been acting as the Tank in the party on and off for the entire raid, fighting off a horde of ants, as well as contributing to the Boss fight with an impressive display of both raw strength and tenacity. When darkness had fallen, he hadn’t stopped fighting for a second, keeping the Ant Queen occupied when Henry, Karsten and Allis were gone, trying to keep it away from his sister’s unconscious body as well as the rest of the party.

He hadn’t complained about the rest of the parties idiocy at all on the home-trip either, and that made Karsten change his view of the man.

During their first meeting, Karsten and Henry both had thought Malek to be a menacing man, as strong and silent as he was. After talking with him on and off during their return trip, however, Karsten had come to realize that Malek was an exceedingly mellow man.

If he had to describe him yesterday using only two words, he would have said ‘Terrifying bodyguard’.

Now, however he changed that assessment, feeling that ‘Gentle giant’ was far more fitting.

With no doubt in his mind, he decided to give it his all to recruit them. He had no money to tempt them, nor any fame to draw them in, but he was a Bard, and convincing people was what Bards did.

“What are you planning on doing after this?” He asked the siblings casually.

The two Goliaths had been talking to each other on the way out of the dungeon, so Karsten knew their plans full well, but polite conversation was necessary to produce a good image.

Haressy was the one to answer.

“We’re not entirely certain, to be honest. We were thinking of asking the Guild Official on duty in the local Office where the closest level 5 dungeon is, and raiding that. We’re planning on going with the wind a little.”

Karsten nodded, his expression contemplative.

“A level 5 dungeon… I agree, that does seem like the obvious next step, as you’re both level 5 now. I do feel the need to warn you, however,” He said, his tone growing regretful, “Don’t you think it would be best to do a third level, then a fourth level dungeon first?”

Haressy’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why is that?”

Karsten shook his head. “Well, I’m just saying that although you two are both level five now - which is incredibly impressive, by the way - I think that a slow and steady progression in the difficulty of the dungeons is quintessential to become a well-rounded Adventurer.”

He explained further, saying, “Let’s say you, hypothetically, reached level 10 during this raid - I know, I know, that is a completely unrealistic number, but still, this is just a hypothetical. You two then delve into a level 10 dungeon without experience from level 3-9 dungeons, and fall short at a critical moment. Imagine it! You join an experienced Adventuring team, just to die to a Boss with an unorthodox power-set. I know that is a very dark thought, but it is one that is worthwhile to have thunk.”

He sighed, shaking his head with a pained look on his face.

“As of right now, you have only even fought one Boss monster, But not only that, the Ant Queen was as orthodox as they come. She didn’t even have a single Cantrip. This was likely due to the ridiculous difficulty level of getting to her in the first place that she was so boring in her power-set, but still, imagine if it had been a level 10 ghost ant, or something. To be brutally honest, I don’t think you two would have been able to handle it, even if you were level 10.”

The siblings looked at each other, slightly worried, then looked back to Karsten.

“So you suggest we clear one dungeon of each level?" Malek inquired.

“Yes. I do,” Karsten nodded resolutely. “It just so happens that Henry and I are headed to a level 3 dungeon ourselves. It’s only a days walk from here, just outside the city of Cerdansk.” He gestured at Henry, still lying bridal in Malek’s arms. “Henry and I would love to have you if you would like to join us.”

“Oh, the big city?” Haressy asked energetically. “We’ve never been before, actually, we’ve always just stayed at the farm.”

“Then this is a wonderful opportunity! ” Karsten stated, his smile the picture of innocence. “You get more experience, and we get to show you around the city. What do you think? Should we travel together?”

Haressy looked at the ground, thinking, then looked at her brother, who nodded, clearly understanding her thought process.

Nodding resolutely, she gathered her courage and turned back to Karsten.

“Do you think we could… join your party?" She hurried to explain, "It would make raiding a lot easier, and, you know, we had good group synergy here, so…”

Karsten grinned.

“Why, of course! It’s our pleasure, really.”

~~~

After a decent night’s rest, Henry woke late and joined the now-larger party down in the breakfast hall.

“Good morning!” Haressy and Karsten greeted, Malek nodding with a smile at the drowsy man.

“‘Morning.” Henry answered flatly.

“Oh, come on, Henry. You have to greet our new fellow party members with more enthusiasm!”

Henry looked at Karsten, confused. “New party members?”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Karsten beamed, “Indeed! They decided it would be best to join us permanently, as our plans are quite similar.”

“You know I’m not a permanent party member, right? I only agreed to do a few dungeons with you so my sister wouldn’t kill me.”

“Oh, pish,” Karsten waved his hand. “You say that, but aren’t you, in truth, eternally grateful to be fighting alongside a talented, charismatic, and rakishly handsome Bard such as I?”

Henry looked at Karsten incredulously, as if he’d just seen someone proclaim to be Ballux’ descendant in front of the Ballux Crusade.

“What? I thought we were besties, Henny…”

“Henry. And we’re not friends.”

“I’m a Bard, so I can tell when you lie~”

Rolling his eyes, Henry got up with his tray of bread and meat and left the breakfast hall.

“... I know it’s probably not my place to say this, as I haven’t known the two of you for very long,” Haressy said, “But don’t you think you teased him a little too unnecessarily?”

“Yeah, probably…” Karsten admitted. “I just thought I should try to cheer him up. He seemed pretty shaken by the whole seeing the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ thing.”

“That was you trying to cheer him up?”

“Yeah.”

“...Okay. I think, maybe, giving a flower would have been better. Or a goose.”

“A goose? You have those here?”

The siblings both nodded heavily. “Yeah! Of course. They’re a great sign of friendship and forgiveness.”

"Friendship and forgiveness, huh. What a wonderful idea. I don’t think a pet would a good companion in the dungeon, but I’ll remember it for later.”

Malek nodded seriously. “Everyone needs a goose sometimes.”

“...Yeah.”

~~~

They had talked the day before about what to do with the Magica stone, or Soul Gem, as Karsten had dubbed it due to its resemblance to the Gems from Skyrim, and decided to find a vendor for it in Cerdansk.

They were more likely to get a better price with a better vendor, Henry had said, and the Nine knew Karsten would get his money's worth for that rock. If it didn’t pay for a full armor set for him, he’d have to rob someone, after all. It was his vow.

Before they left Kellas for good, however, they wanted to return the Ant Hill slip, as well as register themselves as an official party.

“What should we name ourselves?” Haressy mused. She’d heard stories from her grandfather about his Adventuring party more times than she could count, so she’d always dreamed of being a part of a group with a cool name; A name that would go down in history. An Adventuring party’s name was its banner, after all. It was the moniker given to all the members, and it was what they would be remembered by.

Of course, Haressy knew they were only a small band of rookie Adventurers at the moment, but deep in her heart, she held a dream of seeing her party shine, standing at the top of the world, standing alongside her comrades as a member of something people will write stories about- would write stories about…

“Do we need one?” Henry asked gruffly.

“Oh, we absolutely do,” Karsten admonished. “Isn’t that right, Malek?”

“It is. Sharing a banner with the comrades you will fight alongside is only right.” Marek stated.

Malek wasn’t the most outwardly enthusiastic person in the world, so much so that most who laid eyes on him subconsciously thought he was intimidatingly similar to an imposing statue, but in reality, he was very similar to his sister when it came to his hopes for the future.

In the past, he would have been perfectly content with living a simple life on their grandfather's farm. Now, however, he had experienced the thrill of fighting alongside competent fighters that shared his newfound desire to grow in strength.

He envisioned a future where all party members had each other’s backs, stood tall and fought and ate together under the same banner. The thought made him happy.

“See?” Karsten said. “It’s only right.”

Henry sighed. “What should it be, then?"

Karsten and the Goliaths all grew contemplative, racking their brains for a worthy name.

After a time, Karsten spoke.

“How about ‘The Adventurers’?”

“That is an awful name, Karsten.”

“No, no, think about it. If we become famous at some point, people will have to refer to us as The Adventurers. As we work our way into public memory, eventually, when people think of ‘Adventurers’, they will automatically think of us.”

As he spoke, Haressy’s eyes glimmered, and Malek nodded along with his explanation.

“And people will believe us to be the most pompous party in the realms. Imagine a bunch of rookies who don’t have any accomplishments going around calling themselves ‘The Adventurers’. That’s called being a laughing stock, not a ‘legendary party’.”

“Yeah, well, we’d prove that we deserve the name over time.”

Henry sighed, “Either way, why would we want to be famous in the first place? Sounds like such a hassle.”

“Oh, Henny-boy, you don’t understand. You are still young.”

“We’re basically the same age aren’t we?”

“I think it’s a good name!” Haressy interjected. “Personally, though, I was thinking something like ‘The Conquerors’, or ‘Demon Slayer Corps’, you know? Something that really captures the hearts of the people!”

“‘Demon Slayer’? Careful not to get us Copyrighted, Haressy.”

“Copyrighted?”

“Nothing, anyhow, I think those sound pretty decent.”

Malek nodded, “I think so as well. I personally think ‘The Crusade’ is a worthy name.”

“Aren’t crusades essentially large scale armies, though?" Henry asked.

“They are,”Malek agreed, then explained, “A small group achieving the effect of a whole crusade would definitely go down in history, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s a really cool idea…” Haressy gave her brother a high five.

As it so happened, she had overheard Karsten when he was teaching Allis, and quickly adopted the gesture for her personal use. It was a nice, motivating gesture, she felt, that she could do whenever someone did something cool.

She didn’t know why Allis had seemed so apprehensive towards it, but decided it was probably nothing and moved on.

“What about you, Henry? Do you have a name?”

Henry shook his head. “If we have to have a name, going a more normal route would be best, I think something that goes along with what we’re planning to do is best. We haven’t really talked about it much, at least I haven’t, but we’ll basically just be going from dungeon to dungeon, right?”

Karsten interjected, “So, you’re agreeing to join the party long-term, then?”

Henry sighed, deeply this time, “...Sure. I guess. It’s the most convenient route to getting stronger that I see at the moment, so I can tag along.”

Karsten slapped the man on the shoulder. “You won’t regret it!”

“I will. I will absolutely regret it.”

“Huuu… Anyway, I personally think that ‘The Crusaders' is fine, but I think a shorter name would be better. More catchy. Like ‘Executioners’, for example.”

"Executioners? I don’t know…” Karsten grumbled. “I honestly think it might be a bit overkill? I mean, we-”

“Overkill!” Haressy exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “Overkill! That’s the name! Isn’t it? It sounds super cool! What does it mean?”

“I means ‘excessive’. Like if you kill an ant with a meteor, that kind of thing.”

“That’s perfect!” She exclaimed. “We’ll be going into dungeon after dungeon, right? Isn’t that ‘overkill’?”

‘Descending from above like a meteor to demolish our enemies! Big or small, we always fight with the same intensity…!’ She squealed.

“What do you think, brother?”

Malek nodded thoughtfully. “Excessive strength. I like it.”

Karsten agreed.

It was a simple yet descriptive name, perfect for a straight-forward group.

“What’s your take, Henry?”

The spearman shrugged. “It’s decent.”

“Good! It’s decided then. Now, we’ll just have to start living up to the name…”

~~~

After registering their official party name, they were told by the Official present that they could assign an image or pattern as a party icon, essentially creating a banner for themselves. As they hadn’t prepared anything, they decided to hold off on that til later.

They also registered their new levels and Subclasses.

After everyone had registered themselves, they stood around chatting in the lobby.

“By the way, what Subclass did you choose?” Karsten asked Henry.

“For Fighters, the Subclass is referred to as a ‘Fighting Style’. I chose Dueling.”

“Sounds pretty straight-forward. What’s it do?”

“It’s like you said previously. ‘Hit hard’, ‘hit fast’, ‘hit good’. Its based around accuracy Let’s say I fail at stabbing a monster, Dueling’s main feature would change the outcome so it’d hit.”

“What? It would change future? Just automatically?”

“Yeah. It’s based on Divination.”

“So you have psychic abilities now?”

Henry shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. I don’t personally have access to the magic it uses, I just see it’s effects. I’ll only be able to vaguely tell whenever an attack would have missed.”

“Okay. How often can it change the outcome.”

“50% of all misses become hits. There’s no upper limit. The percentage will increase by 5 every level-up, too, ‘til it reaches 99%.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah. What’d you choose, then?”

“For Bards they’re called Colleges. I chose the College of Swords. Bards of that College are called Sabers, apparently. I can also choose Fighting Style, actually, but I’m honestly not sure which one I should pick.”

“What’re the options?”

“Dueling and Dual-Wielding. Essentially, one sword or two swords.”

“I see… So it either gives you more damage with one sword, or a little less of a boost across two?”

“Yeah.”

“Seems to me like it basically wants you to choose, well, your fighting style. Do you want to do more damage with one sword, the more straight-forward, raw power option, or do you want to focus mostly on fine technique with two swords?”

“What do you think I should do?”

“To me, the best option sounds like the second one.”

“Oh? Why is that? I’d figured it’d be the first option.”

Henry shrugged, “If you up your speed, you’ll get more pay-off if you use two swords. Obviously. It’s always better to focus on technique rather than raw power in the beginning, anyway.”

“I guess that makes sense. I’ll go through with it later.”

“Sure. So, what can you do? What’s the power-set like?”

Karsten grinned.

“I’m a Spellsword that can control minds.”

Henry chuckled, “Sounds overkill.”

Karsten smiled, dreamingly, “It does, doesn't it?”

He turned to the two Goliath siblings, who had been talking about potential party icons next to them.

“What are the Subclasses for Druids called?” Karsten asked his new party member.

“Hm? Oh, they’re called Circles. I’ve always thought mushrooms were interesting, so I chose the Circle of Spores!”

“Spores? So, what, you make mushrooms?” Henry asked.

Karsten had a bad feeling…

Haressy laughed, “Not really, actually. It’s based around Undeath and Blights! Haha.” She smiled innocently.

-And Karsten’s feeling was right.

‘Gods… My Last of Us trauma is gonna worsen… No, this is worse, actually. Cordyceps didn’t have a mind of it’s own, Haressy is gonna go about it systematically… Jesus…’

Feeling extremely glad Haressy was not an enemy, Karsten replied with a stiff ‘Cool!’ and turned to Malek.

“The Monk classes are referred to as Monastic Traditions. I pursue the tradition of the Soul Sun. It is centred around radiance.”

“Oh. So you can create miniature suns, is what I’m hearing?”

Malek shook his head, “No, not yet.”

“Not yet? So you’ll be able to?”

He nodded.

‘Who are these monsters…?’

“What did you choose?” Malek asked, referring to Henry and Karsten.

“I’m a Dualist Fighter, and Karsten is a ‘Spellsword with mind-control abilities’, as he put it.”

“Haha, I am glad you are not our enemies.”

‘Or otherwise you’d snap us like twigs?’ Karsten thought, but didn’t dare say out loud.

Deciding to not dally any longer, they turned to leave the Guild Office.

“Oh! By the way,” The Guild Official called out as reached the door.

“Old Herminger told me to tell you that he’s sorry for his granddaughter’s actions, and is ashamed on her behalf. He said to tell you that she isn’t normally like that. That’s all.”

The group nodded, and then left the city of Kellas behind.