“How long are those youngsters going to keep an old man like me waiting time is golden in my profession if you didn’t know?” said an old man in a worn-out robe and a rucksack on his back. The slightly younger man he was asking this question was also getting impatient not because he was invested in the same goal as the old man but because he quite frankly wasn’t enjoying his company. “I’m sure they’ll be here any moment Mr.……. What was your name again?” He said with slightly embarrassed grin on his face. “Magno is the name as I’ve stated before and trading is my game. You know for the head of this village you seem to have a poor memory but luckily, I have a cure for that a memory enhancing potion if you’re willing to part with ten copper pieces” His wrinkled face winked cunningly as he said this. “Right I think I just need some sleep that’s all” said Ramer. He was the head of the village at 70 years he had arrived in Hayworth nearly twenty years ago after he left the town of Silvara in the south of the village. He had been the head of the town guard but after he had a falling out with the mayor’s son he was demoted and lost his post to his second in command. While on patrol he ran into a nurse who was being chased by an ogre and after saving her gradually fell in love with her and agreed to move with her to her village if he wanted to marry her. Upon arriving in village, he helped around and proceeded to be the unquestioned leader mainly because he was good at organizing and making sure work was done more efficiently which as result caused life to generally improve. “Mayor” was more a nickname which he frankly didn’t care much for but because it was given out of respect he let it stick. “Is that them over there?” said the old man as he pointed his boney finger at six young individuals who came out of a corner of one of the houses. The Mayor was relieved he had been keeping the old merchant company while Ayro gathered the others. He was just excited as them having been the one who trained them in combat and basic survival for adventurers. Ramer had tried his best to discourage them for taking this path in life after their parents disappeared but their will and resilience bested him and eventually he became their mentor. “Its not nice to keep your first ever client waiting I thought I taught you better than that young ones.” He said as they arrived to where the two were standing. “Sorry Mayor it was my fault” Callen said sheepishly Magno stroked his dusty beard as he sized up the young adventures whom he was about to place his safety in. “Hmm you don’t seem like capable adventures if I am being completely honest young ones” He said with visual disappointment “Says the experienced merchant who ran out of evasion charms” Frey replied mockingly. The comment clearly had its intended objective achieved as the old man panicked for a moment and decided not to say any more about the matter. Evasion charms were an essential if one was to survive as a merchant. Since merchants travelled far and wide often alone they had to have a collection of various charms, talismans and trinkets in order to avoid monsters or escape out of dungeons unscathed. The cheaper ones didn’t last long and judging by Magno’s dressing he couldn’t afford the longer lasting and more potent ones. “I am quite certain mocking them is also unacceptable Frey” said the Mayor although he was laughing inwardly. Ayro stepped up to the old man and bowed his head “My apologies Magno our preparations took longer than expected but as you can see we are ready and at your word we may leave”. The Old man having regained his composure simply replied “Hmph that’s more like it young man we may leave at once” Ramer who was variously inspecting the others making sure they had put on their equipment on right and their weapons wouldn’t let them down in a fight. “Well you look ready enough but what about provisions you do realize Silvara is at least a week and half away right?” Magno answered “I have that covered its part of why their fee for the service their doing me is so low and from what I’ve seen the spikey haired one is a decent hunter I’m sure he can catch a few rabbits or two” Callen who at this point was getting impatient suddenly spoke up “Alright already let’s get going while the sun is still high” He then started to walk towards the south entrance of the village followed by Frey, Garl and Dak. “Ayro and Nale your two are the sounder of thee group please be careful and make sure Callen doesn’t get ahead of himself” said the Mayor. “We will” they said in unison Magno having noticed how beautiful Nale was instantly inserted himself next to her side “You fine lass shall be my personal bodyguard” he said sheepishly. The two then started to walk off with the old man between them following the others. The Mayor knew the way to town all too much it was safe as long one didn’t travel alone and the only danger would be a wondering band of goblins although encountering one was rare it was still possible but he was confident in their abilities as adventurers despite being unable to level up. Ramer also knew their greatest strength wasn’t their number or experience but the bond they shared and willingness to fight for one another and this gave him great comfort. The village was in the center of a huge grassland surrounded by a very vast forest, in order to make it to town they had to cut through the forest where monsters reside. There were mainly weak ones but with enough numbers they could give them an extremely hard time. These were the thoughts going on in Ayro’s head whist Magno was chatting Nale who was too polite to not listen to his ramblings. Dak, Frey and Garl were paying attention to whatever Callen was passionately describing as he swung his sword in the air. The odds of them getting ambushed were extremely low as the Ward tree in the center of the village was still visible and that was enough to discourage most E rank monsters from approaching the grassland. Higher level monsters were extremely rare and the ones that have been recorded in the region were solitary ones and none had a D ranking or higher and with a well thought strategy they could be defeated. Still they had to be extremely vigilant and not get to ahead of themselves. Ayro signaled Nale to stay with Magno and went on ahead to talk to the others. “Alright guys we are almost at the forest entrance we need to be alert this is our first quest it will make or break us as adventurers we need to be alert more than usual” He said interrupting Callen. They all nodded in agreement and formed a protective circle around Magno and Nale as he was their objective and Nale was the only one who could use healing Magic. Ayro was at the front usually it would have been Garl as was the strongest and more durable of the group but because Ayro who would occasionally hunt in these woods alone had a knack for spotting danger and signs of nearby monsters was the best choice. He was also the most versatile although his weapon of choice was the bow and arrow he had a back up of two combat knives strapped to his back should he need to engage in close combat. They had just set foot in the forest and he was scanning the path in front of them with his eyes he could see no signs of any imminent danger and yet he felt uneasy for an unknown reason. He was about to ask Callen for advice when suddenly he felt an invisible force that held him and the others where they stood. Ayro looked down as he noticed the force was emanating from below them that’s when he saw they were at the center of a big magic circle. Instinctively he knew it was a magic trap spell but before he could ask Dak what spell it could be the scenery had changed around them. There were suddenly in a dark room when suddenly torches mounted on the wall began to light up all around them and they could see more clearly. The entire room was made of stone and spacious it had an unpleasant smell and blood stains on the floor. The only thing on the wall was a big stone skull with chains on either side of it. “Where are we?” Callen asked as he looked around. “And more importantly how did we get here?” “It was a magic trap that triggered a teleportation spell” responded Dak nervously. “It was a very advanced one because I couldn’t see it with my glasses they can pick up low level magic taps if had more advanced ones I could have seen it”. Garl walked over to the nearest wall and took a swing at it with all his might but the wall didn’t even react. “No good its ridiculously strong” he declared. “This isn’t good it looks like some sort of dungeon arena” said Frey as she examined the state of the floor. Ayro was cursing himself in his thoughts as he blamed himself for this turn of events. Despite his best efforts to hide this Callen noticed this and walked up to him. “Don’t blame yourself there’s no way you could have predicted this we’ll figure a way out of this” he said with a warm smile even the dim lighting could not hide. Ayro was about to respond when suddenly the eyes of the skull lit up with a sinister glowing purple light piercing through their very souls. Nale was the first to notice and pointed this out. The skull’s jaw opened and a terrible loud voice spoke. “HUMANS FATE HAS DELT YOU A BAD HAND THE OLD ONE AMONG YOU HAS COMMITED AN ACT OF FOLISHNESS AGAINST THE DARK FORCES IN THESE WALLS OFFER HIM AS SACRIFICE OR ALL OF YOU WILL PAY THE PRICE OF DIFIANCE WITH YOUR LIVES”. They were all in shock and didn’t know what to do and were looking at each other for advice. Ayro was about to ask the old man what he did when Callen, without the slightest hesitation stepped up from the group and without even the smallest ounce of fear in his voice. “We don’t know what he did and as far as we know there is no innocent blood on his hands but we will not be sacrificing him or anyone but if freedom cannot be given to all of us unless a life is offered then take mine and let my friends go” Ayro was in awe. Callen was usually a relaxed person with little to no worries the only time he was ever serious was in battle and yet he didn’t even panic or hesitate to offer his own life. He instantly felt ashamed as he wanted to estimate what the old man did and if he deserved to be a sacrifice truly Callen was more a hero than he ever hoped to be. As he was going through these emotions Nale walked up to Callen and slapped him behind the head. “If you die then the heart and soul of this party dies with you I should be the one to pay” she said as she smiled at him. “And who made you a better sacrifice than me princess?” said Frey as she stepped up too. “What kind of man would I be if I let my sister become a sacrifice?” said Garl who had traded in his usual timid look for a stone cold determined one. As Ayro was standing there in awe Dak walked up to him and spoke “I can tell you’re afraid too but seeing these guys fearless I don’t feel that way anymore and if we let them die I doubt the two of us would make much of a party” he said as he pushed his glasses up his nose. “So, what do you say?” He knew he was right instead of feeling sorry for himself he should be standing next to his only friends in the world even if it meant dying with them at least he wouldn’t have to live a life of shame if he lived after their sacrifice. He grabbed Dak by the shoulder and the two steeped up together. “Us too” they declared in unison. Magno was perplexed at this display of selfless bravery from those decades younger than them. He knew he couldn’t let them pay the price for his crime. “Stop young ones you don’t even know what I did to upset these dark forces you can’t throw away your lives for an old man who’s lived long enough” he pleaded with them. “Offer me as sacrifice and earn your freedom!” They didn’t even look back at him as he stood behind them all except for Nale who with a reassuring smile said “After getting to know you when you were telling me stories I could tell you had secrets that’s ok but I could also tell you had no ounce of evil in you” The old man was stunned speechless. “Besides.” interrupted Callen “If we let our first client die whatever success we gain after will be void having failed our very first quest we agreed to protect you and we’ll do just that no matter the case” He almost shed a tear hearing this. “VERY WELL IF THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE DECIDED THEN MAY YOUR DEATHS BE WITHOUT REGRET” As soon as it spoke these words the skull split in half and revealed it was actually a door. They could not see what was on the other side but they felt a sinister pressure emanating from it. Callen instinctively drew his sword and the others followed suite. Dak gripped his staff tightly and it began to glow a faint blue aura ready to cast any support spells and Nale made two small green circles appear on her hands ready to cast healing. They stared at the door and nothing happened for a while then two menacing red eyes appeared and something stepped out of the door. It was huge taller than Garl and covered with black fur imitating the night itself and where it would have claws made from bone they were clearly made from hard crystal and as red as fresh blood on a battlefield. It was clearly wolf in its origins but demented forces had bent what once was into this monstrosity. As it looked at them it began to snarl and revealed s row of razor-sharp yellow teeth. Ayro instinctively knew what it was from the bestiary. A Crimson claw werewolf an A level monster. To them it was certain death. He was about to communicate this to his companions but then stopped himself as he realized this would demoralize them and if they were even to stand a sand grain of a chance they had to believe they could win. He made up his mind to only relay its strengths and weakness not its rank. Callen had tensed every muscle in his body and was about to lunge at the beast when suddenly it let out a deafening howl that made even the ground tremble. It clearly had a side effect as they were paralyzed upon hearing it a skill predatory monsters used to disable their prey. As soon as it finished it lunged at Callen with incredible speed with its left hand reaching out and claws extended like daggers. Callen was still unable to move from the paralysis and thought this was the end. Garl through sheer willpower managed to break the paralysis and pushed Callen out the way. He managed to parry the beast’s claws with his hammer but it instantly broke with no other weapon he instinctively launches a fist with his right arm as a follow up but before he could even land it he was instantly impaled by the right claws of the beast. The others watched in horror as his blood spilled to the floor with a loud splat. It removed its arm from his body and he immediately fell to the floor coughing blood. Frey seeing her brother die such a gruesome death flew into an animal like rage that made even the beast warry and instinctively backed away from the body just in time as it missed a swing from one of her axes. She recovered closed the distance between her and it and took another double swing at it. The werewolf dodged effortlessly raised one of its arms and spread its claws wide open and did a downward slash. Frey could not recover from her miss remotely fast enough and the claws ran down her body like it was made of wool and her blood bathed the werewolf as it squirted out. Nale who had dropped to her knees near Garl’s body trying to franticly heal him froze seeing this sight. The werewolf began to approach her when all of a sudden, a slightly transparent barrier appeared between it and her halting its advance. Its red eyes searched the room and found the source to be Dak pointing his staff at it with trembling hands he managed to gather enough courage to cast the only spell he knew. It turned its attention from Nale and began to approach him but was again halted this time by Callen who stood between it and Dak. The werewolf took swing at him with one of its arms Callen having anticipated this moved his sword to try to block but he wasn’t as sturdy as Garl and was launched into the wall behind him. The force was so great that he coughed blood on impact and dropped his sword he struggled to not lose consciousness as he wanted to stay in the fight and protect his remaining friends. The wolf was about to bite the head off Dak who was paralyzed by fear staring into its eyes when it felt an arrow bounce off the side of its head. It glanced at the direction from whence the attack came from and its eyes fell on Ayro. He was crying for his fallen comrades but still had the will to fight. The beast was clearly irritated and began to snarl in anger. That’s when Ayro knew what was really going on this whole time it had been toying with them they had yet to see the true extent of its abilities. Since they refused to die without a fight it had no choice but to go all out. In the blink of an eye it vanished and instantly appeared behind Nale and impaled her as it had done Garl. Ayro let out a shriek of anguish, dropped his bow and quiver and drew his knives and ran towards the beast it launched Nale’s body at him and he instinctively let go his knives to catch it. Upon doing so he drooped to the ground at the weight of it and realized it was lifeless, worse still he had lost sight of the beast. He had read that its greatest strength was the blinding speed but he never would have guessed it was this ridiculous. While looking for it he noticed Dak was laying face down in a pool of his own blood. His eyes widened with sheer horror. In the small window it took for him to catch Nale it had already gotten to Dak and disposed of him He realized that sand grain of chance he thought they had was clearly a joke how could they a group of the lowest level of adventurers and once more never having grown beyond Lv.1 contend with such a monster? Ayro felt the hairs on his neck stand on end and knew it was right behind him. This was the end his last action was to clutch tightly the body of his fallen comrade before five razor sharp claws came bearing down on him. At this point Callen had mustered what strength he could as he noticed the wall had broken one of his legs and his left arm. He could barely see but he knew he was the last living member of their party. He was crying for his fallen comrades but he still had the will to pick up his sword with his right hand and wobble towards Magno who had not moved or uttered a word since the slaughter started. He guessed out of fear as he positioned himself to protect the old man. “Stay behind me and as soon at comes for me run for the door it came out of and find a way out” he said weakly. The beast stepped over the lifeless bodies of Ayro and Nale and proceeded to advance towards Callen. It stopped just in front of him. Callen looked up at it with vengeful determined eyes and thrust his sword into its gut with his remaining strength. It did not even pierce it but broke on contact. It was a bottom of the barrel low level rank item it wasn’t like the impressive ones the high-ranking adventures used that would never break and had various magical powers and incredible stat boosts he read about in his guide. He hung his head in defeat waiting for the beast to send him to rejoin his friends. He almost wanted to cry out loud in desperate anguish. He closed his eyes trying to see more clearly where he had been wrong. He began to blame himself they had been unable to level up for years even though they had slain many different E level monsters so why did he believe they could be renowned adventurers like the Diamond ranked ones. And what he now believed was his greatest sin was letting his friends the only family he had left share in his delusion. If they hadn’t maybe they’d still be alive. Truly hope was a dangerous thing. “No don’t think that” said Magno as he put a comforting hand over Callen’s shoulder. “You weren’t wrong your heart beats with the blood of a true hero and that has spread into your comrades this is not the end your journey it is only beginning” Callen was shocked how did the old man know what he was thinking? And more importantly how was he able to keep his composure despite the slaughter he witnessed? Callen was about to raise his head and ask these questions when he suddenly felt daggers thrust into the place where his once beating heart used to be just moments before. The werewolf then proceeded to throw his body across the room and he landed next to Nale and Ayro. As his vision was fading to black he noticed the werewolf didn’t attack Magno as a follow up but also the old man raised his hands and the room lit up as magical symbols began to fly across the room. These were the last things he saw as his eyelids had grown to heavy for him to keep open.