Excited to see what this valuable treasure contained, Rey reached out and held the shiny, blue orb, and was surprised to see a prompt pop up containing information.
(Skill: Spike Protrusion. User has the ability to generate spikes from their body and use them either offensively or defensively.)
Reading this description, Rey was excited. Though it wasn't overly powerful, it was definitely a great skill if used correctly. The only thing was, he did think that the skill fit him properly, and not only was Kazumi already powerful, but he didn't think that Kazumi would like the skill all that much either. When Rey glanced at Dia galloping around and saw the bow slung on her back, his eyes widened as he thought of the perfect use for this skill.
"Dia! Come over here, I got some nice things for you!" Rey called, excited to see his plan come to fruition.
When she came over, Rey explained to her about the Skill Orb, and then told her that he wanted her to use it. She tried denying taking something so precious for herself, but Rey refused and told her it was an order. With no other choice, Dia thanked Rey with tears in her eyes, as she never thought she'd be getting something so valuable for herself.
Holding the Skill Orb and receiving the same prompt that Rey saw explaining the skill, all she had to do was think of absorbing it and the Skill Orb quickly disintegrated and flowed into her. Her eyes glowed a bright yellow, as her Low-Novice Ki radiated around her for a few seconds, before finally dying down. When her eyes stopped glowing, she wore a beautiful, bright smile, that Rey was unable to admire thanks to her mask.
Just as Rey was about to ask if it worked, Dia held out her hand, palm facing up, and a sharp, black spike poked through her hand, making Rey cringe slightly from the painful looking display. But, due to a lack of reaction from Dia, Rey assumed that the skill thankfully did hurt her when she used it.
Having already heard Rey's idea for the skill, Dia used her other hand to pull out the spike and place it inside of her bow. Taking aim at a random tree, Dia was pleasantly surprised when the spike not only shot straighter than the arrows she was used, but the spike also pierced the tree as well, easily burrowing into the middle of it.
Excited to finally feel like she wasn't weak and useless, Dia excitedly hugged Rey, before she realized what she did and quickly let him go as a blush crept of her tanned face. She felt embarrassed until she felt Rey's large paw lightly ruffling the top of her head again and he told her that she didn't have to keep worrying about little things like that since they were now friends.
After also giving Dia the Direwolf armor, since she needed the most defense out of the three of them. When she wore the armor over her Shinigami cloak, the fur chest piece magically shifted to fit her slim frame.
"Hey, I found the chest!" Kazumi called, making Rey let out a sigh of relief, as they had less than 2 minutes left at that point.
Running over, they wasted no time in opening the wooden chest, and finding several glowing items. There was a pair of boots, a circlet made of spikes, a sealed scroll, another coin pouch, a long sword shaped like one of the Direwolf's fangs, and a few pieces of metal ingots.
Knowing that they were running out of time, Rey just simply stored everything inside of his Space Ring, and decided to distribute the loot when they got back. Shortly after that, the count down ended, and they were finally being transported out of the dungeon.
After the bright flash of teleportation died down, they saw that they were safely back inside for the throne room, and each collectively let out a sigh of relief and slumped on the plush, black couches. Though it was only the Novice stage dungeon, it was still incredibly difficult, as they had to be on guard from sneak attacks constantly, and the teamwork that the Flesh Hounds had was very difficult to deal with. If it wasn't for Rey's Talismans, things would've been far more challenging.
"Yeah, let's not do that again for a long time. That dungeon was way harder than I thought it would be." Kazumi admitted, and was seconded by both Dia and Rey.
Though they all got a lot of loot and progressed a lot in their cultivation, it still drained them physically and emotionally, as they fought off death for over a day. The only thing that kept them going until then was pure adrenaline, so it wasn't any surprise to Rey when he saw Kazumi snoring on his designated couch, and Dia cutely curling up beside him. Feeling more than a little tired himself, Rey decided against going to his room, and slept on the couch with Dia wrapped in his arms.
* * * * * * *
In Shore's Landing, things have taken on a tense turn, despite the City Lord's tournament being less than a day away. With the death of Tracy Baelish and his killer not only not being found, but not even having a description of the killer, thanks to the witnesses on scene claiming that they saw nothing, the City Lord was definitely feeling some pressure.
The pressure only multiplied when Magister Tubbon Baelish and the Vanguardians arrived in Shore's Landing. The Vanguardians tried to force the information from some of the witnesses, but unnervingly, it seems as though everyone who could've seen anything had their memories erased with a powerful magic, leaving the Vanguardians and the City Guard stumped.
"I want fucking answers! Who the fuck killed my son!" Magister Baelish bellowed, his greasy jowls shaking as he yelled.
If Tracy Baelish was a fat pig, then his father must be a warthog, as he was utterly massive, and he surprised everyone from not only still being alive, but the fact that he could still move and walk around. A dirty napkin was tucked into the tight collar of his expensive shirt, as he double-fisted two legs of meat.
It wasn't a sight that those with a weak constitution could look at for too long, so City Lord Victor Soris did his best to placate Magister Baelish quickly without risking open conflict with him.
"Unfortunately, it appears that Tracy had provoked a powerful magic user, as not only were they able to use the mythical, Chantless Magic, but either him or one of his allies was able to erase the memory of everyone in the area. This was all before escaping without a trace before the City Guards were able to arrive. I know that you're upset, but-"
"Upset? Upset?! My only fucking son was brutally murdered in the streets like a dog! Your streets might I add, Victor! I sent Tracy here early so that he could spend time with your daughter, Ellie, before they were to be wed, and you gave me your damn word my son would be safe in your care!" Magister Baelish yelled as tears trailed down his face, still in disbelief his only son is gone.
Victor knitted his brows as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This wedding and tournament were supposed to be happy events that led to him gaining even more power, but now that was all ruined. He looked at his old friend and realized that City Guard Captain, Vanessa Parrenas, was right all along.
Though it felt underhanded and he'd basically be trading one enemy for another, Victor would rather have an old friend and the kingdom on his side than the arrogant tyrants of the Vanguardians.
"You're right, old friend, you deserve answers and I aim to ask those responsible," Victor said before he turned to the 2 Vanguardian representatives who had been silent this whole time.
"Myself and this kingdom pays you Vanguardians a hefty sum in order for your Guild to patrol these lands and offer protection. Ultimately, it is under the Vanguardians watch that a dangerous criminal of this level is able to roam freely and cause heartache and chaos in my lands. What do you all plan to do in order to appease my old friend who's grieving the loss of his son?" Victor asked with a serious face, ignoring the slight gasps around the court.
Of the two Vanguardians, one was a tall, handsome Elf man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and 2 swords hanging at his hips. His grey and red military suit was the standard Vanguardian uniform besides the different metals that decorated his chest, the 2 stars on his shoulders denoting his rank.
The other was an Avian woman with red feathers and a sharp yellow beak on her human-like face. She had a fit, shapely figure and thick thighs that led down to her bird legs and sharp talons. Her narrowed black eyes stared daggers at the City Lord as the 3 bars on her shoulders gleamed in the throne rooms candlelight.
"City Lord, I hardly think it's appropriate to try and push your failure onto the Vanguardians. Frankly, I find the act extremely cowardly and shrewd. Yes, us Vanguardians patrol this area, but-" said the Avian woman before she was cut off by Magister Baelish slamming his greasy fist on the table that was filled with empty plates.
"Don't you insult, Victor, because of your incompetence, you whore!" Magister Baelish roared, making Victor smile slightly, but the Avian woman was barely containing her rage.
"You said yourself that it was the Vanguardians who are supposed to patrol this area, and your failure cost me the life of my only son! I'll give you fuckers until the end of the tournament to bring that bastard who killed my son before me, or I'll make it my personal mission to convince the King to destroy your little Guild!" Magister Baelish threatened as he stood up and wobbled out of the room.
Seeing that he averted Magister Baelish's ire, City Lord Victor let out a sigh of relief and slumped on his throne. As he was wandering where things started going so wrong for him, he looked to the side to see that the 2 Vanguardians were staring daggers at him.
"You two are still here? You better get a move on, as the tournament only lasts a short while, including the feast." Victor said, feeling proud of himself.
"You can be happy all you want that you managed to move that fat bastard's attention onto the Vanguardians for now. But, remember this, when the time comes and lines are drawn, don't forget this day." The red Avian woman warned as her and the blonde Elf stormed out of the throne room.
While Victor and the others of the court stared at the back of the Vanguardians with worried expressions, none of them saw Vanessa, the Captain of the City Guard, standing at the side of the throne room with a pleased expression.
'Soon Victor, you and all that you love will pay for your actions. On the name of House Parrenas, I swear this tournament will become the bloodiest days Shore's Landing has ever seen!' Vanessa thought as she stared at a pendant in her hand with a determined expression.
* * * * * * * *
The next day, they all woke up still tired and sore, but they shared just enough energy to distribute the rest of the loot from the dungeon. Kazumi of course got the Direwolf Fanged Sword, which looked like a slightly curved, serrated katana. Along with that, he also received the Alpha Direwolf Boots that were in the chest.
The boots were made with hardened black leather on the outside, and lined with the dark grey fur of the Direwolf on the inside. The Boots also had the ability to extend and retract spikes at the bottom of the boots, offering either more stability in movement, or able to be used as a weapon if he kicked someone.
Dia received the Circlet of Spikes, as it went along well with her new spikey aesthetic. The circlet not only looked really nice on top of her long, jet black hair, but it also had the ability to regenerate a small percentage of her health almost every time she killed someone. The old Dia would've went pale at that description of the item, but her experience in the dungeon, constantly fighting for her life alongside Rey and Kazumi had hardened her a bit and made her less afraid of conflict.
Rey received the rest of the loot, which besides the Direwolf Beast Core and the mysterious Sealed Scroll, were the Rare Kahlium Ingots and the Massive Direwolf Fang, which were just crafting materials. Rey didn't mind letting Dia and Kazumi have the better loot, as he was still excited that he was able to activate his Kin Ability.
The Beast Core, Rey learned, had several different uses, but he planned on using it to help him break into the Advanced stage of his cultivation. The faster he got stronger, the safer he'd be. The mysterious scroll on the other hand was giving him a bit of doubt. Rey didn't have the best luck when it came to mysterious scrolls, as the last time he opened one, he ended up with a an old man's soul bound to him.
'There's no need to be so cautious, Young One. I was the only one of my time to learn the technique I used to form the Inheritance Scroll, and that secret died with me. Plus, it was a treasure from a dungeon chest, so it is likely a valuable spell or ability. I'd highly recommend using it.' Jinbe advised, making Rey let out a heavy sigh.
Jinbe was rarely ever wrong, which Rey already came to accept, but that still didn't mean that he didn't have any apprehension against opening that scroll. Taking a deep breath, Rey held the large, new-looking scroll and unfurled it, only for his eyes to widen as he saw the instructions detailing a technique called, Ki Claws.