The next morning, Max and Boorg were hurried to the guild hall. The guild hall was always filled to the brim, making everything extremely loud, but in the guildmaster X's office, everything was quiet.

Guildmaster X was covered in papers when Max and Boorg entered, only then did he lift his head and welcome them.

“Hi! Please, sit down.”

Max thanked him and sat down. “What’s the matter, X?”

“Oh, you know. We still can’t find Merlin, no one saw him and no one knows where he went. Until we find him, I want to take you under my wing, Max.”

The chance to learn from Merlin’s companion was an honor he hadn’t expected. “Thank you, X. What do you need me to do?”

X handed Max a scroll, a new quest. “I have a quest for you. There is a small dungeon on the outskirts of Kingsport that needs to be cleared. They’ve been popping out very often lately, which is weird. You don’t need to worry about finding someone to go with, as I heard there are two people already who accepted it, a tank and a healer. You’ll meet them in the hall, good luck you two.”

Max unrolled the scroll, reading the details of the quest. “I wonder who will be joining us.”

A tall person wearing heavy armor stood tall in the hall. “Thorne,” he approached Max, “I heard you two accepted the quest.”

“Well, that was quick,” Max said. “The name is Max, behind me is Boorg.”

“Boorg!” he shook hands with Thorne.

“I’ll be your shield guys! No worries, I’m a veteran!” Throne said.

A thin woman who carried a staff with a glowing crystal joined them. “Lyra, I’m a healer.”

With Thorne and Lyra by his side, Max didn’t feel nervous. And X said the dungeon was easy, he wouldn’t give him something difficult. So this will be an easy quest to level up!

They left the guild hall together, making their way to the dungeon.

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The entrance to the dungeon was hidden by thick, dense roots and grass. Max, Boorg, Throne, and Lyra stood before it, preparing to enter it.

“Boorg miss Piggy,” Boorg said. “Why Piggy had to stay?”

“It is dangerous for her,” Max said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Thorne stepped forward. “Remember, stay close and follow my lead. We don’t know what lies within.”

Lyra nodded. “I’ll be right behind you, ready to heal and keep you safe.”

Max took a deep breath. The darkness of the dungeon awaited. Max noticed Thorne and Lyra exchanging glances. “They probably think how fucking weird we are for having a pig in our party. And Piggy didn’t help us how violently she oinked when we left her in the guild hall. I had to buy her salad to shut her up. Fucking pig. And now these two witnessed it all and tomorrow everyone in the guild will talk about it and make jokes out of us. Fucking Piggy!” Max thought.

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A group of goblins blocked their path. Thorne charged forward, his shield raised high, while Lyra cast protective spells on their group. Max and Boorg followed behind him, attacking the goblins.

A few swings and one fireball, a fireball that missed the target and hit the floor between the goblins, and they were finished. The dungeon was definitely easy, and simple. There were groups of goblins waiting for them but they could easily beat them. But Max found it weird that they would always engage in a fight, even when they didn’t need to. Thorne and Lyra always lead them into dangerous situations, almost as if they were trying to tire them.

At one point, as they crossed a narrow bridge over a pool of spikes, Thorne “accidentally” nudged Max, causing him to stumble. Max barely caught himself in time, his heart in his throat. “Be careful, Max! No fall!” Boorg said holding him, not noticing anything. Thorne quickly apologized, a fake smile on his face.

Lyra’s healing spells also started to feel weaker, and less effective. Max’s suspicions grew, but he had no proof, and confronting them without evidence seemed not the smartest idea.

They entered a chamber filled with piles of rocks. Thorne, taking the lead, pointed out a hidden passage. “Over there, there is an alternate route,” he said, pointing at a narrow tunnel partially blocked by rubble.

Lyra, meanwhile, was busy casting a spell under her breath. Max caught a glimpse of her casting what appeared to be an enhancement spell on Thorne’s weapon, he noticed it because of a faint glow on Thorne’s sword. Max followed Thorne through the narrow passage carefully.

As they moved through the passage, Thorne deliberately knocked loose a large rock that nearly crushed Max. “Oops!” Throne yelled. “Clumsy me!”

Max didn’t say anything, focusing on moving forward. They emerged into a large chamber with a chest in the center. Lyra, now standing at the entrance of the chamber, used her staff, making the hidden traps appear.

“Be careful,” Lyra said. “These traps are dangerous!”

Max and Boorg carefully approached the chest, but as soon as Boorg opened it, a cloud of poisonous gas spread around them. Thorne pretended to be caught off guard, but Max noticed he was grinning behind his helmet.

“Hold your breath!” Thorne shouted, stepping back as if he were truly concerned.

Max and Boorg quickly covered their faces, but the gas was already starting to make Boorg cough and choke. Lyra’s healing spells did little to help, and Max had to cast a healing spell himself to help Boorg.

Eventually, they reached the final chamber, where a large goblin leader awaited them. The goblin roared, swinging a massive club. Boorg charged forward, but Thorne and Lyra took advantage of the chaos to slip away, claiming they needed to “strategize.”

“Watch out!” Lyra called out as she “accidentally” tripped Max, causing him to stumble into the path of the goblin’s attack. Max barely managed to dodge, scared shitless.

Max got his balance back just in time to see the goblin leader charging toward Boorg. “Shit!” Max yelled. “Fireball!” the fiery orb headed toward the goblin, but the goblin leader managed to deflect it with a sweep of his club. The fireball changed the direction, now going toward Thorne and Lyra, who were standing dangerously close.

Thorne and Lyra screamed in agony, their bodies engulfed in fire. Max could see the shapes of them curling in pain, their previously smug expression not visible anymore. Thorne’s armor was bright red, and Lyra’s staff was on fire just like her.

The goblin leader, now mad because of the fireball, turned his focus back to Max and Boorg. His roars shook the chamber as it charged at them. Max panicked and he cast the only spell he knew at that point. Brazillian Agony. The goblin leader’s cries of pain filled the air.

The goblin leader started to scream and jump in pain wildly, he leaped straight toward the still-burning forms of Thorne and Lyra. The goblin’s movements were uncontrollable; he stumbled directly onto Thorne’s fallen body. The force of the impact drove Thorne’s sword straight through the goblin leader. The sword pierced the goblin’s heart, causing it to let out a final scream.

Max and Boorg watched in stunned silence as the last echoes of the battle faded away. The dungeon was silent, the threat had been taken care of, and the dungeon cleared. Max’s hand trembled as he looked at the dead bodies in front of him.

Boorg looked at Max, confused. “Max, what that was?”

Max could only shake his head, unable to find words. “They… they’re gone, Boorg.”

Boorg didn’t notice the backstabbing faces of Thorne and Lyra so he actually felt bad for them. “They nice, Boorg sad.”

“I know you are buddy, I know…” Max comforted him. “That’s what you get you fuckers!” what he actually wanted to say before spitting on their bodies.