I said, have you ever used your ability before? Davren asks, face now showing how annoyed he was.
Finally out of his stupor Javen steps in front of his brother trying to calm his ire. Uh yeah of course she has used her abilities before. You think we would bring a healer into a dungeon who has never healed? She just needs a little time. She only just now regained consciousness. Davren looked at his brother's uneasy smile then to the shivering girl and finally to the rogue who was now having problems breathing. Calmly he asked, what healing ability do you have? In a small high pitched voice she replied, my teacher was teaching me minor heal and I was able to heal a cut Javen had gotten when he fell in the thornberry bushes a few weeks ago. Slowly Davren asked, while still keeping one eye on the rogue, how many weeks ago was this? Four she replied, right after I gained access to the system.
WHAT?? Davren hissed, visibly fuming now. He rounds on his brother, This he points to the pint sized girl who turns red again at the attention, is. NOT. A. HEALER. Being able to kinda heal is not enough to call yourself a healer. Adequately learning minor heal takes at minimum a year, not a few days. Still seething he removes the full health potion from his ring of holding, pouring the clear liquid into the rogue's mouth. His eyes twitch at each gulp the injured party member takes. Visions of gold falling into the abyss by the handful plays over and over in his head along with dreams of strangling his brother and kicking Jada into that same unending chasm. Davren’s only hope is that the rogue is an actual rogue, he knew his brother was connected to the system at least six months ago. Why he had been F rank at the start of this dungeon was a mystery. Davren knew his parents would have gotten the best teachers and trainers available to them as they are a minor nobility.
As the last drops of potion enters his body the rogue begins to stir. The crack of his bones moving back into place and the slurp sounds the gashes and lacerations across his frame made as they closed told Davren that this party member was fully healed. Since his return item was not working and there was no visible way out of this dungeon he knew he would have to make sure he was not seriously injured or all would be lost. As the rogue receives hugs from his friends the red pulsing lights that had been pulsing faster and more intense overtaking the brightness of his light orb ability. Time to go, he says, Javen take the healer and move as fast as you can through the rubble. This is not a good sign, we do not want to be here when this corridor finishes whatever it is doing.
The group makes its way through the rubble finding a smaller passageway that causes them to move single file. Davren takes the lead placing Jada at the rear with Javen who is carrying the “healer” right behind him, followed by the rogue. After twenty minutes of travel he signals for the party to stop. The red lights were not as intense in this area and the narrow passage was beginning to open up to a wider room that was entirely grassland. He could barely see a pond halfway through the massive space. Why are we stopping? Javen asked. From behind him a deeper voice said in a whispering tone, because this was not here before, we would have passed through here the first time if it were. Davren tries to hide a grin as he responds, he was right about the rogue, at least one of his brother's friends was not a complete idiot. Turning to respond he turns pale as the rogue flips over him making his way to the grassland whispering “I’ll check it out”. Before Davren could grab him, a large catlike creature uncloaked, its body slowly revealing its midnight mane. All at once a bloodcurdling scream erupts from the rogue as a paw the size of his head collides with him, sending his just healed body flying violently into the wall next to the tunnel the party stood at the mouth of. The beast stood unmoving, licking its lips with its rough pink tongue. Davren’s ears barely register the screams from the ladies as his heart pounds roughly in his chest.
Half a day, he murmured to himself, this was supposed to be a half day trip. Using his analyze ability he watched as the beast gained a yellow glow. Davren’s ability ranks opponents in five colors:
Gray - No challenge, this means he is far above this opponent
White - can damage, still no challenge but he needs to be on alert
Blue - can damage, this means he is still higher rank but he shouldn’t take this challenge lightly. Javen appears blue to his ability.
Yellow - real challenge, this means this challenger is on par with him
Red - dangerous, this means the challenger is higher in rank and this could be a fatal battle.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Looking at the rogue crumpled on the ground and back at the party he let out a frustrated hiss. There were not supposed to be beasts higher than F rank here. Davren mentally kicked himself for not pushing himself more over his break. If he did he might have gotten the skill "identify” to go with his battle analysis ability. Now he was blind and stuck with an underpowered and unskilled party. Who knows how many of these beasts there are, he thought. Javen, Davren barked, put down your friend, Jada you are going to be our cover. I doubt you can do anything to harm that thing but you can distract it. Javen be careful it is on par with my rank.
The beast growled as Davren barked out orders. He noticed it was pacing side to side but had not attacked yet. As he pondered more he realized it also did not finish off the rogue who was unconscious and battered. New plan, he said, Jada hit him with your best attack. Javen, cover the healer she is going to drag the rogue over here. I am going to engage this thing. What if it comes for me?? Jada shrieked. Not having time for this he yelled, look at the situation!! Use your head… Why do you think this beast hasn’t attacked yet? It’s on par with me and clearly you two are no challenge. He watches as realization dawns on her face and her confidence soars.
It can’t attack us, she said in shock. Yes, Davren said finishing her thought, there must be a boundary which means this is a zone. That makes this tunnel a safe area. He removes a minor heal potion from his ring and hands it to the healer. Have him drink that quickly, any delay could mean his life. The healer's eyes begin to roll back in her eyes. Davren moves to grab her but a loud slap echoes throughout the tunnel. GET IT TOGETHER KAYLEN!! Screams Jada, DURAN IS DYING!!
She lifts her hands towards the beast and screams “CONCUSSION BLAST”
A stream of invisible energy kicks up dust and uproots a large circle of grass from the field. At the same time Jada uses her other hand to shove Kaylen towards the rogue. The beast yawns as the attack continues, giving Davren the opening to leap out into the zone, drawing its attention. The beast leaps not towards Davren but towards Kaylen who screams in terror. Javen, not missing a beat, steps into its path. Remembering that Davren has his sword he covers his face as the beast draws within striking distance.
SOVEREIGN SHIELD, yells Davren as he darts faster than he ever has colliding with the beast knocking it off course. Javen holds his hands out as Davren instinctually reads the situation. Removing the oversized sword from his ring and handing it to his brother. They stand side by side awaiting the next strike from the beast. The wait is not long as it charges in with killing intent.
Concussion blast!! Calls a worn out Jada as a weaker blast hits the entire area barely affecting the beast or Davren but causing Javen to stumble. The beast leaps in the confusion, mouth agape, claws exposed and limbs stretched. Seeing the opening Davren pulls a red gleaming sword from thin air thrusting it in the exposed belly of the beast mid leap. The sword causes a critical hit and the beast falls to the ground dead. Searching the area, Davren ensures there are no major threats before slicing up the beast. Moving it reveals 2 vials. One the green liquid that signifies minor heal and another orange liquid revealing intermediate heal. Lastly he pulls out a tiny green oval. This system token was smaller than the one from the F ranked hydra.
Look at this Javen. He says, what does this small token tell you? Javen stares at him dumbstruck. It means this beast is underdeveloped. Tokens this small mean the beast was created in the last day at the most. He hands the thumb sized token to Jada. This won’t do much for me at that size. I need those blasts to be a bit more powerful. Panting she snatches it marveling at the smooth surface. It’s pulsing, she said, it feels like a tiny heartbeat. We have to go, Draven said absentmindedly as he watched in horror as the pulsing red light was slowly building again, weaving itself into the previously gray rock that was the safe tunnel. It was making its way to their location. He grabs the rogue hoisting him on his shoulder as the dark skinned teen groans. Javen, carry the healer, we won’t make ground with her limping.
What’s happening? We don’t know what else is out there. Isn’t it dangerous? Jada spews out. Davren dragged his hand down his face in frustration. We do NOT have time for this, he forcibly turns her head so she can see the creeping pulsating wall. She flinches in surprise and fear, he then motions to the dead beast. This beast had a token meaning it was likely a floor guardian, that means it is the strongest thing we will likely face here. It also means it will respawn at some point. Seeing the size of the token in your hand it was almost certainly recently placed here. I think the dungeon is changing, getting stronger and I don’t like it. There is a high probability that there are no other beasts in this area as the dungeon populates beasts great and small. Either way we have no choice, we need to move. That red light seems to be changing things, who knows what horrors we will be facing once it finishes what it is doing. I need you ALL to be alive and useful which you currently are not. The only one who is halfway competent is also an idiot rogue who rushes into battle like a frontline fighter. MY brother, he dragged out the word brother, is a brave and capable fighter but not much else. YOU on the other hand make horrible decisions but influence the group like a lord, you could be great but you are also a fool. These idiots, especially that useless healer, can't tell how full of it you are. How did you convince someone with only one week of training to go on this fool's errand with her only having that same week to get used to having access to the system. What gave you idiots the idea that this trip was a GOOD idea!!!
Not wanting to discourage them more he turns with a scowl and heads into the grassland ignoring the groans of the limp rogue.