Once at the mouth of the dungeon's entrance, we finally caught a glimpse of Jude herself.
A station that looked more like the inside of a war tent was set up at the entrance gates. A large oak table with a map rested on its surface. Alongside the map were markers, tiny flags, and figures that looked like men and beasts alike—this kind of preparation brought back hope in my heart. If a person like this was at the lead, then maybe this wasn't a shot in the dark.
Jude peered over the map with a look of sheer concentration; next to her, Astra sat atop a stool, also eyeing the map but not nearly as intently. Swinging her legs in a manner more childish than her right hand to the dungeon leader, Astra seemed more at ease. That was good, I thought to myself; maybe things were getting better. We may be making a difference in the realm's fate. A man could hope.
Not wanting to disrupt what could be something that could lead to an important insight, we stood still, waiting for her gaze to fall upon us.
Her eyes never shifted from the map; her words came from below. Her voice bounced off the fine oak table, meeting the air, then landing on our party.
"Nice, you made it. Thankfully, in one piece. The system sent us quite a warm-up. Damn near cost me half the right wing and a handful of good men, but I think we will manage."
"Can you prepare for a dungeon that's never been run?"
I questioned, as I didn't know where to start. That's why guilds had many more brilliant men with heads for numbers and odds. I fought better than them, leading but taking orders when it benefited the cause.
"Not entirely, but we can assume that the mechanics of this one will be similar to those of mines in the past or the general vicinity. From this, we can also draw inferences; we lay in the emerald grove, in the hills of green gems. Surely, this mine will be just like the mines of the past, the only difference being the emerald key name. I expect golems from the stuff and energy that focuses and diffuses from bright green cores."
Stopping and moving a piece on her interactive map, she rested her eyes on me—eyes that were hard and true, soft yet fierce, on a face that held lines like her map but beauty all the same.
"Reasonable, don't you think? I'm open to suggestions, of course."
Fingering the goblin's tooth that rested on my necklace's loop, I nervously responded.
"As of now, I have no suggestions. My only comment is that we shouldn't rely too much on past experience, given how wavering the system has been as of late.
"I agree, but then that would leave us with nothing."
"I think that's all we have. We ensure our formations are airtight, and every encounter is taken seriously as if every mob can wipe us. Only then can we confidently complete something that has never been done before. We must press into the men, not confidence, but a calm precision that will be rewarded tenfold at the clearing."
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I stopped for air and looked for a sign that I should stop altogether, but seeing no such signs, I continued.
"Also, we must remind the men that if completed, this would be a system first; with that comes a glory and notoriety that most of them, if any, have ever experienced."
Silence, nothing met my words for what seemed like forever.
Then, her clapping broke the awkward pause that had begun to grow and grow, making me fear that it could entrap the world in its tone.
"Incredibly well said. You don't talk with the pompous air of the men I've grown used to. You truly only speak when something is worth saying. No wonder you and your Path caused such a storm in so little time."
Her words brought a physical pang to my heart. The mention of my past guild flooded my mind with memories that I had shackled away and thrown back into the pits of my mind. Reeling, I said nothing, nodded, and allowed her to retake the reigns of this conversation.
Astra, please send them the invites. We should be getting underway momentarily.
Astra's gaze went out and beyond as she entered her system, HUD. It was odd, almost like channeling or meditating. Opening the system was second nature and natural now; it was the norm. But after being in the scattered lands, the glossy stare into a faraway abyss seemed odd and silly.
A notification emerged as a little golden bell appeared overhead. No doubt, looking equally silly myself, I opened up my system and accepted the invite to the 40-man dungeon group.
Astra and her followers would like to invite you to traverse the Emerald Cove.
Accept?
Funny, Astra and her followers. Oh, how wrong could the system be?
I know you run the show, Jude, but would you mind if my group took a look inside? Scope out the area before we get going. You could attach your own scouting party so that you can keep an eye on us while also extracting information.
She smiled with a laugh and a look that told of a much younger woman who, at one time, was no doubt a crown in the jewel herself. The highlight of royal balls was the woman who could, with looks alone, send kingdoms to their knees.
You do me the favor of not having to ask you for the favor.
I'll send you a few men to scope out the first areas. Try not to pull too many; I don't want to lose any more good men.
With a nod and an introduction, we were shown two young men with nice builds for scouting. Sleek and sinewy, they wore the attire of Middle-Eastern assailants. Off into the deserts of Bengal, they say the men are shone the way of the silent blade from an early age. Thrown into the siphoning desert of no return, they would move on to the following levels of their guild if they did happen to wander back. Two promising youths from such notorious realm lore would cost chests full of gold, especially two that seemed decked out in pure purple gear.
I whistled to myself.
It's odd to find two such men here.
Surrounding myself with Jude would require me to get used to the odd becoming the status quo.
After a brief greeting from my men and the two newcomers, we entered the black void, humming with a caged power that was the dungeon entrance. One second, we were there, surrounded by the bustle of a group of forty men moving and hungry; the next, we were met with the silence of a pitch-black cave for only the glowing crystal mines that filtered the place in an ominous green light.
"Alright, let's take things slow. Just a peek around corners, maybe one pull, and then we'll head back to Jude…"
My words trailed off, as the two assassins in garb meant for the shadows and taking directions from one only source had other ideas. Glowing green by the cave's light, they went off into the first open corridor without a word, let alone a friendly goodbye.
Or, we can just move on…
Turning, I met the eyes of my men; they shrugged, and Rodger added.
You think they're the real deal. From the desert sands, those assassins that leave no trace, not even footprints in the sand...
His words were filled with doubt and fear from dealing with myths, not men.
Reassuring him with a smile, I added.
Men are men. Myths and tall tales are often exaggerations. You should know that more than most.
No, you are wrong in just this case, captain.
No, I'm right, Rodger.
No, sorry, captain, But the stories they say about you, the ones that fill the guild halls, taverns, and cold campfires, don't even come close to the real thing. They say you fight like a demon; I haven't met one who can fight like you. Even the apocalypse had come ill-prepared.
Not wanting to go down this rabbit hole, I simply nodded and motioned that we should follow those eager assassins down into the cavern meant for 40-strong, with only four of us in tow.
Let's hope they don't fuck anything too bad.
I grumbled as we left down the greenlight corridor into the Emerald Hills Mine, a dungeon never cleared, let alone traversed by anyone born of the realm to date.