The lodge's warm air feels heavenly against my skin. It chases away the coldness that seeps into my joints. My fingers itch to brush off the last bits of snow clinging to my face. Holding the newspaper close to my face, I look at my surroundings. Many people had separated themselves into individual groups, glancing cautiously at each other.

There's not one face within this crowd who looks remotely friendly; at least they are hostile inside a warm lodge rather than shivering outside in the cold. If they had continued to leave us out there, the ensuing fight following it...

A shudder passes through my body, and I furiously shake my head.

Apart from the tense atmosphere, everything seems unnervingly peaceful...Okay, what are those tentacles up to? They are usually more...active than this.

I prod at the bonds between me and the tentacles, only to slam myself against a wall. A small pinch of pain suddenly appears on my wrist, making me drop the newspaper.

What in the world is going on with them? They had been like this for a couple of days. We don't get along, but they have never completely blocked me.

Picking the newspaper up, I retract my grip on the bond.

It doesn't look like they are in the mood to share what's going on with their behaviors. This is worrying. Are they plotting to wrestle for control when I'm caught off guard? I'll have to nag them about this later.

Lightly shaking my head, I resume scanning the area around me. The wooden walls look somewhat new and lack any visible cracks. Benches are arranged at the front, where many take naps, while at the far end, a path leads deeper inside.

That path likely leads to this lodge's room, where Team 3's members stay. It sure would be nice to stay here instead for the expedition. Lucky bastards, they even get to be let in first while the rest of us are standing outside, freezing our butts off.

'Creeaak!'

My seat subtly rises underneath me as another weight is added to the empty side of the bench.

That doesn't make sense. Why would anyone want to sit beside an Essevian? Are they going to force me off the bench? I don't want to give up my seat. My feet are sore after standing outside in the snow for so long. There's nothing I could do about it. Not if I want to get caught up in some trouble.

As I slowly lower the newspaper, I glance out of the corner of my eye. Seated next to me is a short, burly man with white streaks in his hair. Standing beside him is a blueish lizard with crossed arms, who only frowns at the man in annoyance. The reptile does not show his teeth, claws, or other signs of aggression.

This is weird. Since when did a lizard man act so casually? He's not even lashing his tail on the floor. Now that I think about it, why does that man seem so relaxed in the reptile's presence?

"Hey, Iss," The burly man says, pointing to where a group of lizardmen is sitting, "Isn't your brother a little uncomfortable over there?"

The other lizardmen lounged on the benches near the TV, bearing their teeth at any outsiders getting too close. Despite the aggression, some are still attempting to make small talk with them.

"Leave," One lizard man from the group hisses at a young man. "We don't want your kind here."

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe some of you would like to join my main team. After the expedition, you might need to join a main team-"

"Leave," The lizard man grunts, giving the young man a little shove, "Do not make me repeat myself."

The young man immediately scurries off to where the rest of his main team is.

Of course, there will still be people talking to those lizardmen. This is a good chance to join or recruit others into your main team with the number of people on this expedition.

"Egg is perfectly capable of defending himself, Matthew," Iss grunts, "Besides, those lizards over there aren't going to hurt him. We are the same kind."

Iss swivels his head as the scales along his neck slightly rise. He continues scanning the space around him while rapidly flicking his tongue in and out.

"Relax Iss," Matthew harshly pat Iss' back, "He's like, I don't know, an adult in human years. I'm pretty sure he'll be fine."

"He's a young adult, but, no, that's not what I'm worried about," Iss glares at Matthew, "Travis-"

<> The TV blares as a green lizard man slowly gets up from his bench. <>

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The reporter is quickly cut off when the lizard man presses a button on the TV, changing to a different channel. Someone marches to the reptile, completely red in the face.

"What gives you the right to change the channel?" The man grunts, reaching for the TV's button, "I was watching that."

"I have every right to what I want, just as I got the right to be here. " The lizard hisses, smacking the man's outreach hand, "If you don't like it, stand over there with the rest of your posse. This isn't the corner for your kind."

"Watch what you say," The man clenches his fist, "My kind wasn't the one who murdered the innocent."

The lizard straightens his back, flaring the two ruffs on either side of his face. "So what?" He hisses at the man, "Your kind wasn't completely innocent either."

"Hey, c'mon, fellas," Matthew gets in between them, "We're all friends here, not some comedy sitcom. We are teammates until the end of this expedition. "

Blinking my eyes several times, I brought a hand to my forehead.

Is it possible that I am coming down with something? How did he even get over there without me noticing?

The man leans near Matthew's face, his mouth open to speak. "I-" He suddenly pauses as a shiver runs through him, then hastily backs away from Matthew, retreating to the safety of his friends.

"Now, isn't that better?" Matthew grins, causally throwing an arm over Iss' shoulder. "So, h-"

The green lizard glares at Matthew before turning his attention to Iss, specifically at the arm on his shoulder.

"We can handle ourselves. One human isn't enough to ruffle our scales," The lizard grunts, "We don't need your fake sense of righteousness."

"Ah, welp, if that's all," Matthew points to somewhere in the crowd, "Excuse us since we're leaving. We have someone waiting for us."

With that, Matthew takes Iss's hand and leads him away from the group of reptiles.

'Kling!' 'Klack!' 'Kluk!'

Metal circles from the ceiling and floor pop out, gradually extending toward each other until they connect.

'Whirrr-!'

A flash of light pops into existence in a swirling vortex of blue mist. From the portal emerge two women, an ogre, and several people trailing behind, carrying various machinery. One of the women slowly ascends to the air with her body enveloped in golden asura.

Finally! I thought they might call off the expedition. I can't afford for them to cancel this last minute. The amount of money I have left is barely enough for a few days' stay at a motel. That's to account for the food and everything. It would not have been enjoyable to try and book a different one. Annoying, It's extremely difficult! Especially ones that are as accommodating as this guild but doable.

I fold the newspaper and put it in my pocket as I stand up. Walking closer to the slowly gathering crowd under the hovering woman, I narrow my eyes.

That woman isn't one of the leaders assigned to this expedition. I wasn't informed of this. Why did the guild decide to do a replacement without telling anybody?

"Lilith!" The woman, a brunette, hisses, her voice slightly amplified. "What are you doing?! Get down from there!"

"It's fine, Penny," The woman hovering in the air says, waving her hand dismissively. "A little bit of flair never hurt anybody."

Lilith? The famous high-rank asura user of Aequitas? Why did her guild assign her to this expedition? This dungeon is below her pay grade.

"We're indoors and on guild properties, Lilith," Penny berates. "No one is allowed to use their asuras inside, especially for hovering in the air, unless the situation calls for it."

Lilith seemingly ignores Penny and turns toward the crowd below her.

"Sorry for the delay. We have been experiencing some difficulties ever since the surge of asura. For a lot of you, time is important," Lilith says, tossing her back, "So, thanks for deciding to wait for us a little while longer."

Murmurs run through the crowd, and everyone around me glances at each other. Some glare tiredly at Lilith but keep their mouth shut.

I doubt anyone here will decide to leave, even if they are later than this. Though I expect a higher standard of professionalism as they are The Aequitas Guild, their treatment of mercenaries is better than most, especially when compared to main teams. Additionally, the amount of money this guild offered also helped.

"Quick words of caution before we enter the dungeon," Lilith holds a hand near her mouth, badly covering a yawn, "This is an unstable dungeon, a D rank one but still a D- nonetheless. Its asura can change at the drop of a hat, so exercise caution or whatever."

"Lilith..." Penny draws out warningly.

I may have heard plenty of things regarding Lilith, but it didn't prepare me for the real deal. She's a lot more... nonchalant than I expected.

"Alright, I got it already," Lilith groans, "Now, where was I? Oh, right. We will depart shortly, so please gather around your assigned leader for this expedition." She gestures toward Penny and the ogre. "Penny is for team 2, Nogud is 3, and I'm 1. That is all, thank you."

Lilith brushes a hand through her rich, honey-blond hair. She wears a high-collar white blouse and corset-style harness cinched around her middle, paired with a knee-length frilly skirt. Silver armor pieces adorn the shoulders of her sleeves and pants.

She sure loves wearing white for someone who is usually involved in dungeons.

Two blackened arms are held to the sides as fluid trickles down. Wide, predatory eyes stare unblinkingly while a smile slowly forms. White clothes are drenched in blood from the unfortunate victims around her.

Jolting in place, I vigorously shake my head and immediately take a few steps back.

What just happened? I don't remember this ever happening. This is the first time I met her personally.

Rubbing my eyes a couple of times, I stare at Lilith while continuing to back up. Her lightly tanned arms are held close to her eyes, where she examines her nails.

Lightly tanned arms. I must be more tired than I thought. There's no way that-

Something slams into me from behind, and I swiftly whirl around to face the offender. It's a man wearing a black robe with a hoodie that covers most of his face.

"Sorry," The hooded man apologizes, "I didn't see you there. Are you alright?"

"It's fine," I say, relaxing my shoulders, "No harm done."

Weird, why do I feel like I have heard his voice before?

The man's shoulders tense, and he grabs his hood, pulling it down further on his face.

What's with his reaction? Should I be suspicious? No, calm down. Don't jump to conclusions. No one here knows who you are. No scheming students are looking to stab you in the back or trying to twist your words. You're far away from the academy and Crystal Blossom City.

"My name is Shaun," The hooded man says, holding a hand out, "And you are?"

I peer at the offering hand before taking it into my own.

"Beatrice," I say, shaking his hand, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."