“This is a waste of time,” Savreen said. Her arms crossed over her chest, staring at the two idiots who were groping at the wall. While her eyes never left the sight of the knife in Zach’s hand. She had been anxious the moment that little blade left her fingers. In a world like this, there was nothing more important than a weapon to keep oneself safe.
“Do you find it yet?” Zach asked.
“Not yet, sir,” Lindelof responded.
The moment Zach asked for aid from the highbrow, they spent an hour inspecting the stone door. There was no visible keyhole for them to put inside a key, and yet Zach's constant search stumbled him with something. Compared to the rest of the flat surface of the stone door, there was a little bit of indentation felt underneath the skin of his fingers. It was located right at the center bottom of the door, the most obscure spot one could check for something, and he found it.
He discussed it with Lindelof, and he too agreed with what Zach found. But compared to Zach, the mage took more time to discern what Zach was feeling. The indentation was barely noticeable, and Zach had a hunch that perhaps the Perception stat had something to do with it. At first, he thought of calling Savreen to confirm his theory, but seeing that glare he doubted she would cooperate.
To his knowledge which he pertained during his stay in the white dimension, the rogue class had bonus points distributed between three stats; agility, perception, and spirit. So he reckoned since she was level one, perhaps the bonus point to perception would let her feel the same as him.
So in the last hour, Zach and Lindelof had been searching for a key according to Zach’s description. It was a bit vague, but he found the shape somewhat similar to a star or something with more pointed ends. They scoured the whole wall, examining closely each and every drawing, trying to find the one that fits.
“Sir, might you take a look at this?” Lindelof said. Bringing Zach to look as they observed the eight-pointed star. It reminded him of the Seven Star that Astabuen kept mentioning, but he doubted this one had anything to do with that wandering soul.
“Let’s try it,” Zach said. He dug it out from the wall, using the knife in his hand. Soon he had it on his palm. He tried to fit inside the indentation, but he frowned. It was nowhere close to fit as it was slightly bigger than the dent. He even tried trimming a bit, but it still wouldn't work.
Zach and Lindelof continued their search. While the bored Savreen sat near the hole on the ground, guarding against whatever creature who might see a glimpse of the faint light of Zach’s Lantern Orb. She grew anxious about Zach’s floating light and contemplated whether to leave this place for a safer new location. But again, she glanced at the knife. Without it, she was defenseless out there.
Then Zach found something. He was hanging near the top left of the cavernous space right at the edge of the mural wall. It was a small image of a flower. One that resembled a chrysanthemum with the edge of their petals slightly sharper than normal. The sharp end of the knife found its way to the border of the flower. Similar to last time, he tried to put a bit of force to try digging it up. But a slight push was all it took.
The flower mural dropped on the floor and rolled. Zach saw it going towards the hole, and he kicked off the wall, leaping like a hungry panther. He snatched it right before it could fall off the edge of the hole. A flat dull clap congratulated Zach. He met eye with the one who did the clap, gazing at Savreen that seemed to be mocking rather than congratulating.
Zach got up and dusted off his leather armor. He did not break eye contact with Savreen and neither did she. “You want to come along?” he asked.
She did not say a word as the only reply he got was a stronger glare. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to the door. “How about you? Are you coming along?” Zach asked Lindelof.
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He told the gist of what he assumed this dungeon was going to be to these two while searching for the key. Lindelof was amazed at the thought of another dimension existing through a door, while Savreen just scoffed it off as pure nonsense. He didn’t even miss telling about the bountiful reward that one would earn after conquering the dungeon, but even then, these two had a hard time believing.
“This might be mere hope, but I think if you follow me we might reach a safer place devoid of any of these dragons roaming around,” Zach said. He still kept a secret of where he came from, his identity, and the people he had met.
“I’m flatter, sir, but diving into more danger is the definition of lunacy,” Lindelof said. “I’m afraid I—”
“Oh did I forget to mention this?” Zach cut him off. “Back in our base camp, there’s another highbrow like you, someone whose name is Tobias.”
The word drew a great response. Lindelof stepped way too close to his face as he kept asking whether it was true or not. “Is it really Professor Tobias?” Lindelof asked as he then followed with a description of a man that was an exact match of the Tobias that he knew.
Zach affirmed it was the same person, and against his own creed, Lindelof agreed to follow. Soon their gaze fell on Savreen. She looked away the moment their eyes connected, a good enough sign that she wasn’t coming along.
Zach let it be and knelt on the floor. He placed the flower mural right in the dent, and voila. It was a perfect fit. Not a second too late, they heard a sound coming from behind the door. Zach and Lindelof retreated, and Savreen was alarmed. She never knew it would work, thinking it was all bullshit.
All three witnessed the stone door opening on its own. Revealing the inside which was not another dark cavern space. The trio had their eyes wide as a bright light bathed them. It was even brighter than the light of Lantern Orb as the swirling portal rainbow light reminded him of a certain movie where they featured a certain rainbow bridge which was called the Bifrost. It might not be the exact same thing, but it was close enough for him who kinda missed the entertainment in his old world.
“So, you ready?” Zach asked, grinning at the stupefied Lindelof.
“You mean we’re going through that?” Lindelof hesitated.
“Make your decision, or else I might leave you behind,” Zach said, and immediately he jumped right inside.
Lindelof stood there, thinking.
“Don’t be a fool,” Savreen said. “That door is obviously a trap.” She tried to reason with the highbrow as she got a bad feeling about whatever she was seeing.
Lindelof took his time to ponder. Savreen's words had their weight, but a union with another highbrow delighted the man's heart.
“Forgive me, Savreen, but if what that man said is true, then I need to follow him,” Lindelof said. The highbrow gave a parting smile, and he jumped into the rainbow portal. Then there was one.
Savreen stood there alone, staring at the door. Silence reigned as the only mouth there was kept sealed. Then the lights turned dim. It took a while for Lantern Orb to fade as it seemed the spell couldn’t be left without the presence of the caster around.
Despite the vanishing of Lantern Orb, the rainbow light of the door was still strong. She sat and leaned on the wall, grateful for the silence. Savreen did not mind being alone. She had been this way even before she arrived in this crazy world. But that silence broke. She jumped on her ass, surprised by the loud roar of a beast down below. It sounded so close like it was right under the hole with a huge jaw opened wide, preparing for her to fall.
Savreen put her head down and hugged her knee. Whispering to her own ears, that everything was going to be fine.
* * *
His feet found land as Zach balanced himself from falling. Looking around, he squinted. Unlike the darkness of the night, it was a bright sunny day in the dungeon, perfect for a picnic by a river. Then he was greeted by a message.
[Welcome to Garden of Lonia.]
[Survive and fight. Reach the end, and the rewards will be yours.]
[Due to the participant's title, the dungeon’s owner favors you. A little advice from the dungeon’s owner, peel your eyes and roam beyond the path.]
The anticipative smile he had was gone. This new message he received speaking about the owner of the dungeon was making ripples in his heart. From the way he saw it, he assumed that every action he did, every word that he spoke would all be seen by the unseen, and for him who cherished privacy, he wasn’t liking any of it.
But for now, he put that feeling buried in the deepest part of his heart as something entered his peripheral vision. He turned and saw the field of flowers before him. It was like a tourist spot where taking pictures was a must. But that weird-looking scarecrow broke such a beautiful scene as it seemed he found his first opponent in the dungeon.
He raised his guard up with his hands in front of his chest. His right hand gripped the knife he stole from Savreen, and slowly a reddish glow enveloped the blade.
Mana Sword worked on the knife, and it was time for slaughter.