It took everyone all they had to prepare themselves to raise their levels and get their gear up to date for the road ahead. And now was the day to leave for the dungeon raid.
Zeke and Mikella said their goodbyes to Clara, promising that they will come back. Mikella hugged Clara tight and she mimicked the gesture. Once Mikella was done, Clara ran to Zeke and hugged him as well
“Come back safe, Bobo,” Clara said, then her next words pierced his heart. “I love you.”
Zeke almost wanted to stay rather than go somewhere so dangerous all of a sudden. How could he leave such a small innocent girl behind?
He stilled his thoughts, and with his best effort, he answered her.
“I love you too, Clara. Now take care of yourself, and follow Vivian’s words to the letter.”
Clara nodded. Then Zeke added in something else.
“But, uhh… don’t always be a stickler to the rules, okay? There’s only so much time you have as a kid. Play with Ana and the others, and you won’t regret it.”
Zeke let go of the hug, noticing her confused look. She looked almost nervous at the idea, but then she smiled.
“Thank you for listening to me,” Zeke said. “It makes me happy that you and Ana are such good friends.”
“She is…” Clara said slowly. “...Fun. She’s very fun.”
Zeke chuckled. “I bet. She’s a good girl too. But make sure to look out for her. She has a habit of getting into trouble.”
Clara nodded profusely. The past few months proved to him that while the lords were calm and collected, their daughter was… not. Still, nobody bothered lecturing the child, or even chided her. She was acting her age–and in this world, being able to act like a child is considered a blessing.
Not many children can have the opportunity to act in such a way in this world.
That’s why he wanted Clara to do the same, even if she was mostly shy. Small baby steps, that was his main motivation. Once Clara agreed, the two said their goodbyes one final time before leaving with the rest of the soldiers who were also saying their goodbye to their families and loved ones.
There weren’t that many to begin with. The expedition to the dungeon only allowed the few who broke through their level 30 milestones. Unlike with Myra, who had a rather explosive transition, the rest had simpler ones. The lords weren’t able to provide every one of them their potions, but none of them really expected it. Only Myra, the normally talented fighter, got to have it, and they were glad to have a powerful soldier around.
They all had simple boosted attunements, but later on, they can acquire a potion to take it in. Compared to their breakthrough, it would take some time, dedicated training and meditation to create an attunement outside of the breakthrough. It was just a hassle, but also something that was the norm for the people of this world.
Only Zeke and Mikella, the only two who hadn’t broken through level 30 yet, could join in, and for obvious reasons. Mikella had proven time and time again that her prowess as a fighter was unmatched, and the army would definitely not forget to bring a support mage to a dungeon run.
“You’re getting pretty good at taking care of Clara,” Mikella nodded in approval. “Though you could get over that awkwardness. You can say ‘I love you’ to her as many times as you want.”
“I-I rather… well, not that I wouldn’t, but…” Zeke shook his head sheepishly. “I’m just… not really the kind of guy to say that so easily.”
“Still…” Mikella pleaded, but Zeke had nothing more to say.
In the end, Zeke still feels like an outsider in the family, no matter how much time passes. Sure, on the surface it was fine, but the little details, the… ‘I love yous’ that very close family members say to each other were too much for him.
He never even said those words to his family in his old life. Not once.
“Is this a man thing?” Mikella lowered her right brow at him. “Are you saying you’re too cool for emotions?”
“Trust me, nobody is too cool for emotions,” Zeke rolled his eyes. “Stop acting cute and let’s focus on the task at hand.”
She teased with a smirk. “Aw, you think I’m cute?”
More than you know, Zeke thought before answering. “Keep acting like that and I might reconsider.”
Mikella scoffed at that as the two followed the rest of the soldiers out of the entrance. While the two were casually talking, in truth, they were hiding their anxiety well. The last time they went to a dungeon, they almost died multiple times.
So another dungeon wasn’t exactly great to go through. Even if the promise of great wealth and power was there, the two didn’t even know if they wanted it. However, they had a duty to protect the town after they took care of them and Clara all this time, and if left unchecked, it would only make things worse for them.
The massive horde that almost killed everyone in town is proof of that.
“Everyone, line up!”
The captain Valorie shouted to the crew, getting each one to round themselves up. Sounds of constant clattering and armor shuffling filling their hearing as each one settled automatically to their captain’s call.
Nothing changed for their appearances except having some minor changes to some parts of their armor, adding metal plating over their wrists and upper chest for one thing. Some did improve their weapons as Zeke could tell the amount of Mana being enchanted to them thanks to his newly revamped Recovery skill with the former Internal Senses effect installed in.
So far, outside of Cloud, Val, Mikella, and himself, there were nine others he recognized.
Myra, obviously, along with her twin friends Jackie and Maxie. Then there were the three warriors Mikella would call decent–the axeman Zeke helped heal, the spear user and the dual blader. There was also the scout, the one that acted as a ranged-fighter and information-gatherer. Finally there were two mages, one Zeke remembered being Philip and Lisa.
It surprised him that they were here since as far as he knew, they haven’t reached level 30 yet. He’d been talking with them throughout the expeditions, using the chance to learn from other mages besides Cloud. But then he realized that while the soldiers were physical fighters, the mages have an advantage of attacking from a distance, using elemental magic to their advantage. Archers are one thing, but having elemental affinity would benefit them depending on the circumstances. Besides, who doesn’t want mages to make a literal firestorm to take out a whole group of monsters at once?
Now that he thought about it, the mana cost for that alone would be substantial, almost making him wince. Funny how after being a mage, doing such a cool looking spell would be more tiring than awesome. He was getting used to it, unfortunately.
As for the archers, the scout, the spear user, and the dual blader both have bows they can use to launch arrows from, acting as both. Interestingly, each of them were Dexterity-based, just like Mikella. Due to that, Mikella also had a bow–but she never once used it since she can easily keep up with the melee fighters.
Zeke actually asked her about that, and surprisingly Mikella wanted to use the bow. However, she would always complain that having to buy arrows would make her too conscious of wasting any, causing her to not really do any bow training.
Man, I’m really nervous right now, Zeke thought. Even now, he could feel his heart beating in trepidation.
“Everyone here knows our goal for this raid,” Val spoke, getting their attention. As she spoke, Zeke also noticed two more people he hadn't seen yet.
He could tell immediately that one of them was the general. An older man with a large frame, tanned skin with a well-trimmed black beard and mustache. He wore a heavy set of steel armor with leather in-between the joints. The steel armor was bulky, but even that seemed small compared to his size. He was big, and his stone-cold expression only made him more intimidating.
The other was another man, clearly around the same age as the soldiers, but his facial structure seemed hardened and sharp like a veteran. He wore the same leather armor as the soldiers, but had plates around his shoulders and chest, equal to the general. He had dreadlocks, nearly bright gold and a serious stare that could pierce a monster to death.
The lords themselves were just as ready. Cloud was even dressed for combat, wearing a robe that was less clothed and more leather, making it more for moving around a battlefield. It was purple and red in color, but there was no apparent attachment to any theme. He did carry quite a lot of baubles on his multiple belts slung around his waist, over his chest, and even around each of his limbs.
A true mage prepared to use anything in his vicinity. Sure, he had his own storage pack like Zeke and Mikella, but apparently it was also stocked full since he still had a pack around his waist for potion usage.
“We have found evidence that there is a dungeon near the town, responsible for the recent activity of the monster hordes. After some careful scouting, we found out its general whereabouts, where the monsters are more rampant. This is why we opted to bring only the select few of you to join us through the raid. As far as we know, our scouts relayed to us that the general level of the dungeon is level 50 and above. While that may be a daunting number for you, only reaching level 30, that does not mean that we are at a disadvantage. With careful positioning and following our orders to the letter, we will succeed!”
The soldiers clamored in agreement, raising their fists high into the air. While it did sound dangerous to Zeke’s ears, what other choice did they have? Zeke wondered whether they could leave the dungeon alone and take advantage of the horde to increase experience, but he feared that it would only make things worse for everyone.
Not only would this increase the monster population somewhat and make them hostile, it also messed up everything that had a mana-make up of sorts. Myra’s botched attunement is proof of that, and any future magic power could be botched the same way, costing lives. This cannot go on forever.
Yet still, the soldiers believed that they would succeed no matter the odds. Zeke only had to believe in that.
That’s when the general stepped forward. Zeke remembered hearing his name–Zacharia, a well-established military man charged by the main force of the kingdom who granted the lords their town in this region.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The Kingdom of Sham-la, the land that they were currently living in. Zacharia was sent here to be part of the military force of Eve Glade per the kingdom’s request, if he remembered correctly. Just like Valorie, Zacharia also had his own military force, commanding his own retinue. The soldier with the golden dreadlocks was also part of that, obviously, seeing him standing by his side with his arms rigidly behind his back.
So far, Zeke learned that two types of military forces reside in Eve Glade, the one sent by the kingdom led by Zacharia, and the one led locally by Valorie. The axeman, the duelist, and the scout are actually from Zacharia’s grouping, usually joining the local military force for their expeditions as there wasn’t much else to do.
So the two leaders work together, but Valorie is beneath Zacharia in rank when it comes to the kingdom’s military structure. However, Valorie was above him in level, with her reaching the upper tiers of Journeyman and Zacharia being just slightly below her and Cloud.
So they work in unison, making sure not to get in the way of the other.
“I am sure that you are all ready for the raid at hand,” Zacharia spoke with a gruff voice, almost like two stones scraping against each other. He stood stoically to the crowd, his back straightened and rigid. “But let me be clear–this is not your usual expedition. A dungeon is made solely to test those who enter it, as it is a way to strengthen oneself with the treasures within. But know this; We are only intending to clear the dungeon to repair the instability it caused to the surrounding areas. I suggest that you do not forget this for the following future.”
His glare managed to send some shivers down the soldier’s spines by the look of their blanched faces, and Zeke can’t help but join them. Meanwhile, Mikella only looked ticked off at the stare, even responding back with her own.
“That is all,” The general responded. “I will also join in this expedition, but most of the orders will be given by Captain Valorie. Cloud is also here, making him Valorie’s assistant. Do not fret–you are in capable hands.”
The general, surprisingly, left it as is, returning back to his place from earlier. He left it all for Valorie to continue speaking for the leaders. Zeke figured that the general was the sort to be… well, meaner.
He just seems serious. He didn’t even speak about his own abilities, but his large two-handed sword holstered to his back proved that it alone should suffice.
“I seriously don’t like that guy,” Mikella whispered to him. “He just looks so damn arrogant.”
“Yeah, his look just screams ‘party pooper’,” Zeke agreed. “But… I don’t think he’s bad to have around. He looks capable, at least.”
“Sure, I’ll give you that…” Mikella gruffed out. “But I still don’t like him.”
Zeke decided to leave it at that.
…..
Eventually they got to where they crowded around several horses, meant for the long travel ahead. Though they aren’t actual horses, from the shape alone, they don’t look any different from any normal horse back in their world. But Zeke could tell that these are just as magical as the monsters.
After all, they’re freaking red. The tufts and hair on their skin was bright red, almost crimson, with some of the sensitive areas like their bellies lighter in color, and their snouts slightly darker. They had small horns the size of pinkies on the top of their heads with two eyes on each side, giving them four eyes in total.
Even the way they neigh were ridiculously monstrous, but it wasn’t enough to, say, scare off the monsters around them. Apparently, these are called Carmine Riders, and their levels were approaching 40. These are the only monsters Zeke saw so far that could be tamed by the populace, proving to be a popular way of transportation. Still, he’ll still call them horses in his mind.
“The color scheme is ridiculous,” Zeke muttered, knowing that Mikella could hear him. “First the fruits, now the animals?”
“It’s better than that swan,” Mikella commented. Zeke still couldn’t believe that there was a Dire Swan of all things, but then again, a red horse isn’t so bad.
Every pair of soldiers had a horse, so with the fifteen they have, eight of these horses were there. The one who got to ride a horse on his own was general Zacharia, and it was expected as just one of him is enough for two people thanks to the heavy bulk of his armor.
As such, Zeke and Mikella had one horse for them. When Zeke thought he could ride at the front, however, he was proven wrong. When he tried to ride on top of the horse, the bulky size of it threw him off balance, and he instantly fell over to the other side.
Hard.
“Agh!”
Zeke groaned, but he didn’t plan on quitting, so he tried again.
And again. And again… And again.
“Uhh, Zeke?” Mikella figured she would stop the humiliation as she knelt down to Zeke still on the ground, groaning. “You wanna, uhh… let me go on first?”
“...Yes, please.”
A few moments later, Mikella gracefully landed on top of the horse without ever falling off. Then with her added help, Zeke managed to ride behind her, not falling off at all.
All he had to do was give up his manhood for the sake of the mission.
Who cares whether Mikella is the driver and I’m at her backside? I’m not that petty…
He thought to himself as he tried to bury his embarrassment from being looked at by the other soldiers from his field of vision.
Mikella, however, chuckled at the whole thing as she shamelessly enjoyed the spectacle.
They headed off on the road where they suspected the dungeon to be. While the scouts weren’t able to actually go too far, they were able to dictate the general location. It was due to the surrounding monsters that they had to fall back.
So they trodded across the beaten path, making sure to go over some of the routes they traveled for months now to ensure the quickest path to the dungeon. The quicker they get there, the better the chances of them keeping their supplies.
They had plenty of them for the next few weeks, from rations to potions including different variants including salves and tocis. Tonics, in this case, were the lesser variant of potions–reduced potency for healing their injuries but easier to make than regular potions.
He even helped make some of the salves and tonics using his runes throughout the preparation phase. They needed to ensure to use each ingredient sparingly to survive the long haul, but he was able to speed up the process with a well-added aging array, making them age like fine wine and increasing their potency somewhat.
He put that aside for now, noticing the other soldiers by his side instead. They have a large array of expressions on their faces. Most of them seem eager, ready to fight. The others looked daunted, nervous at the incoming danger. Zeke had to say he was part of the latter, despite how prepared he was for going into the dungeon.
He can’t help but shake the feeling off of the tower they entered before. If what they learned is true, the tower was a definite dungeon, and they almost died before they could escape. Sure, they got away with some extremely valuable items, but without the knowledge of what was going on, it was a definite death trap. He could still recall the heavy injuries they suffered inside, especially before getting the Recovery skill and having to rely on Meditation and the attribute fruits.
“Zeke?” Mikella’s voice caught his ears. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Zeke nodded. He had to answer rather than just nod since Mikella was facing forward while he was behind her. He almost forgot how embarrassing it looked for a man to sit behind her. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?” She asked again. “You were shivering.”
“Oh…” Zeke grumbled, turning red-faced. He forgot how close he was to her.
He had to make sure not to… ‘touch’ anything inappropriate behind her, so he tried his hardest to only hold Mikella’s waist. She said she didn’t mind him holding tighter, worried that he might fall off again. For Zeke’s own mental sake, however, he left it off like that. He was still rather close enough that his upper body and arms hugged her.
“Sorry, I was just remembering the tower,” Zeke answered honestly. If he could be honest with anyone, why not with the one who also experienced the same thing as him?
“Yeah,” Mikella answered. “I get what you mean. But we’re not alone. We got so many capable fighters with us. And we know a lot more than before too, so I have some good hopes for this.”
Her voice was soft, yet she spoke with such energy and conviction that Zeke couldn’t help but get energized. She wasn’t just trying to cheer him up–each one she made was a good point.
“You’re right,” Zeke said.
“If this is what it takes to frighten you, then I’m a bit cautious about what’s ahead with you as our support mage.”
Zeke turned to the new voice, realizing that it was the same soldier that stood beside Zacharia before. A tall man with golden dreadlocks tied behind his head as he looked down upon Zeke.
Not only was he taller than he was, but he was even riding at the front with the scout sitting behind him. In some way, that hurt his male pride a bit.
“What?” Zeke asked, though deep inside he knew. He tried not to show the turmoil inside. “What do you mean?”
“A support mage has the duty to look over the entire party without a single bit of hesitation. We haven’t even reached the dungeon yet and here you are, quivering in your boots,” The man’s frown deepened. “How this town managed to survive thanks to you is just too strange for me to imagine.”
“Hey, buddy?” Mikella answered, her soft voice turned into one of a hardened veteran. “How about you back off? You don’t know us, so keep your mouth shut.”
Zeke looked back at Mikella with shock in his eyes. He knew that she was tough as nails, but that was a lot rougher than usual. She was even looking at him as though she was ready to kill, her sharp eyes showing up like how she fought against monsters.
“As a soldier, and as a fighter for Eve Glade, I have every reason to speak, every right to be cautious,” The man answered back. “Why shouldn’t I make sure that our support mage here doesn’t try to run when things turn bleak? Do you have any insurance that won’t happen, Miss…?”
“You weren’t there when we had that monster horde,” Mikella answered promptly. “I don’t remember you joining. So if anything, I wanna know if you got the guts to fight?”
“If I were there,”The man answered kindly, not even turning annoyed at her answer. “The horde wouldn’t have gotten to the point of disturbing the gates. Then again, I’m not surprised that the fighters weren’t all that great either, with you in there…”
“Hey!” Zeke shouted. It was one thing if he was calling him out for being afraid, but it was an entirely different thing to go after Mikella’s own skill.
But before things could explode any further, Myra trodden over with her horse, with Maxie behind her. She ran across to the middle between Mikella and the soldier, facing the man with a glare.
“Hey, Piker, how about you shut up, yeah?” Myra said. Her tone sounded furious, but her facial expression was stoic. “I have with good authority that these two can do just fine. So how about you stop bullying the new soldiers? That’s just beneath you.”
“You think this is bullying?” The man known as Piker answered with a raised brow. “I was just trying to see if they were capable of fighting for the sake of the town. There would be no point otherwise.”
Piker instantly maximized his glare at Myra, and then in extension to both Mikella and Zeke.
“We’re just a little town in a world where everything could stomp us underfoot. So excuse me for being… on edge.”
With that, Piker left to trod ahead, the scout behind him looking almost guilty as he stayed silent. When their horse left, Myra turned to the two with Maxie in tow.
“Sorry about that,” Myra said, her glare disappearing. “You guys good?”
“We’re fine,” Mikella answered. “Just pissed off. What right does he have to talk to us like that?”
“He does that to everybody, so it’s not targeted,” Maxie answered with a shrug. “We just call him Pike because we think a pike is stuck up his ass the whole time.”
Zeke let out a scoff that almost burned his throat. That was too much of a coincidence for him to shrug it off, something that Maxie noticed and smiled devilishly.
“Either way,” Myra said with a smirk. Apparently it got to her too. “Don’t let him get to you. Just do what you guys do best, and that’s good enough.”
“Pssh,” Mikella scoffed. “I don’t plan on impressing anybody. If he gets any complaints, he can take it up to the same pike in his ass.”
Why are we talking like this? Zeke thought, trying his hardest not to get weirded out by this topic.
“That’s how you should roll!” Myra exploded with excitement. “Still, we got a few hours away before we have to rest. Daylight’s still burning, so get ready for any fights that could come our way. Zeke, you good?”
“I’m good,” Zeke nodded. “Anything happens, I’ll put up a barrier. But just to be safe, it won’t be as strong. I need to conserve a lot of mana.”
“That means we’re gonna be fighting a lot more,” Myra nodded. “Good to know. I’ll report it back to Val. You wanna come to see what plans she wants to make?”
“I’m alright with that,” Zeke answered. “Mikella, you good?”
“Yeah,” Mikella nodded. “I’d rather not meet up with the douchebag any sooner, so let’s head to Val and Cloud. I’m sure they want to get away from that general guy too.”
“...Douchebag?” Maxie finally asked. “What’s that?”
“Uuh…” Zeke answered dumbly. “A famous insult where we came from.”
“It just means ‘Pike in the ass’,” Myra answered, getting Maxie to laugh out loud at that. Zeke was astounded that Myra followed up on that.
Maybe she was trying to put aside the language Zeke and Mikella used from their old world to make it so that even she knew about it, even if it was wrong. Either way, the four decided to head back to the lords, Mikella apologizing on the way for using a word not meant for this world.
“Well, we found a new meaning for it now,” Zeke answered. Mikella just laughed as they went.