The cave gave off a deathly chill, the air damp and heavy. Nereus's floating orb of light hovered just ahead, casting long shadows across the jagged walls. The further we went inside, the more silent everything became, no more critter sounds from outside, no fresh wind—just the echo of our footsteps against the stones.

*"I have a bad feeling about this...."* I thought, scanning the area, expecting something to come out of the dark anytime.

The entrance led us to a massive chamber, and the sight made me tremble. Scattered across the ground were bones, massive piles all over the place. Most of the bones were large, with a twisted shape that formed what looked like claws and elongated skulls.

Crouching on the ground, I inspected the structure of the remains, *"These bones... Are they dogs?"*.

"H-hellhounds..." Fiera whispered to the group, her soft voice echoed slightly. She moved closer to me, wrapping her hands around my arm. "Known for their strength.... Vicious animals.... They are the top of the food chain...."

I felt the weight of her words settle in. Hellhounds, the strongest in the food chain, hunted in packs and no survivor remained. Their skeletons littering around the chamber was a sign, a warning, that something ahead of us was not meant to be encountered.

"Interesting..." Karn knelt beside one of the bigger skeletons. His massive hand grabbed the largest skeleton, and with a single grip, he was able to turn it into mere ashes without exerting any strength. "Hey Ner! what-ya think happened here?" Karn shouted all of a sudden.

Nereus stepped forward; his reaction seemed unreadable as he hovered his bright orb higher, illuminating half of the chamber. "Something stronger is here...." his voice echoed throughout the area.

I was sweating profusely, feeling a knot in my stomach. The place felt like a graveyard, every step we took cracked the remains of what was massacred here. Then, the hairs on the back of my neck rose, and at the very end of the chamber, a red mark illuminated, and fire was spreading all over the wall.

Before I could process my thoughts, a loud howl rumbled across the chamber.

"Somethings approaching..." I stood up, unsheathing my dagger in a flash, Fiera opened her grimoire, ready to cast any spell to help the group.

The growling multiplied. From within the red mark on the wall, red eyes flashed into existence, at first only two came out, then another, and then a whole pack. Hellhounds slowly emerged from the flames, their bodies seemed larger than usual, and their claws ignited a bright red flame. They moved as one, slowly creeping towards our bodies, surrounding us.

"Get ready!" Nereus shouted with all his might. His blades shone as he drew them from the sheath, and the magic sigils around his weapons glowed one by one.

"Nature Infusion!" As I cast the spell, small rocks circled my legs and arms, forming a small shield on my left hand and infusing my dagger with sharp rocks. Karn roared with excitement, pulling out his axe in an instant, ready to swing on the battlefield.

As the hellhounds advanced with each loud growl, I noticed Lythael, she stood still, her bow already drawn, and her expression was unreadable, but in her eyes, there was something different, a darkness in them, filled with resentment.

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The hellhounds leaped out of the darkness, their scorching claws burning the stones around them as they charged toward us.

In the blink of an eye, Lythael chanted something under her breath, instantly releasing her bowstring.

"True shot...."

Thwip!

The arrow whistled through the air, stopping mid-air all of a sudden before it reached the first hellhound. Lythael stood still, before chanting the last word of her skill. "Execute!", the arrow accelerated in a burst, a thin light beam trailing behind the arrow as it skewered all of the hellhounds around us.

"What... just happened?" I barely had time to react, just a moment ago we were surrounded by dozens of enemies, With one skill, Lythael managed to execute all of the hellhounds within mere seconds.

The remains of the body crumpled into the ground, her arrow vanished into nothingness, Lythael's expression remained cold, her movements precise as she nocked another arrow. The magic from her dominant hand shone a light blue aura that sparkled viciously.

The group's reaction was normal compared to what I expected, Nereus stood ready, and his face showed a sigh of relief before returning to a more serious demeanor, On the other hand, Karn stared at Lythael, he showed a more annoyed expression rather than a proud one. All of a sudden he slammed his axe onto the ground before shouting with all his might. "Hey! Leave some for me, will ya!? I didn't come here to be an audience to your show!"

Awkward silence covered the area, the sounds of the flames disappeared one by one, with one last noise coming from Lythael's bowstring before placing the bow on her back again.

*"What.... Is he actually throwing a tantrum?"*

A small chuckle broke the silence, Fiera held back her laughter after what Karn shouted, until she kneeled, laughing carefree as she held her stomach. The tension in the air faded slightly as Fiera's laughter echoed off the stone walls.

I chuckled in unison with her, the sudden event barely made me sweat, but I knew there was more to come, this was only a warning shot to what would happen.

Nereus sheathed his sword with swiftness, his eyes scanned the whole area before letting out a small sigh. "We need to keep moving... before anything else approaches us...".

Lythael barely reacted to Karn's tantrum, her expression remained blank and her eyes dark, filled with resentment.

Karn yanked his axe from the ground, a frown spreading across his face. "Good. I didn't even get to break a sweat," he said, swinging the massive weapon back over his shoulder. His eyes made a playful glare at Lythael, who remained silent, still staring at the place where her arrows had fallen the hellhounds.

*"I underestimated her... She really is strong!"*

Fiera had finally stopped laughing, wiping off her tears as she straightened up, "I needed that..", she muttered with a small smile on her face, though it quickly faded as she looked at the path ahead of us. "Nereus is right... We need to find my team before anything more happens..."

We regrouped, and the bright orb returned to Nereus, shifting shadows around the chamber as we continued deeper into the cave. The path ahead became more narrow as we proceeded, forcing us to walk in a single line. The deeper we went, the more dangerous the ambiance felt, like something was just ahead of us.

The light revealed the area ahead, showing us an entrance filled with ores all over the place.

"This is it....Where everything happened...." Fiera pointed at the opening, her hand was trembling in fear as she tugged closer to me. A faint rumble echoed from the mine, my heart pounded harder, and whatever awaited us inside was something worse than hellhounds.

"Let's go lads! First come first served!" Karn exploded with energy as he ran up to the entrance, the bright orb followed his every move, revealing a large section of the mines.

As we ventured deeper into the mine, the atmosphere became darker, almost as if the very stone walls pressed in on us. The air felt stagnant, and the faint smell of sulfur clung to the dampness. Each step seemed heavier than the last.

Suddenly, the bright orb ran out of light, only for a brief moment, but it was enough to stop us all in our tracks. Nereus frowned and muttered something under his breath, adjusting the orb's brightness with a quick chant.

But then I heard it, a soft, strange chuckle echoing through the tunnel, faint but audible. It was neither human nor monster, something in between, as if the person laughing wasn't entirely insane.