The sound of weapons clashing against hard objects could be heard from the entrance of the current dungeon. This only skyrocketed the anxiety Neal felt deep within.
'My first monster fight..' Neal imagined it play out in his head.
The urge to prove himself to the others rose his spirits up high, but at the same time caused him to shake. Staring at his hands, he observed his dagger as it vibrated.
Neal could tell this was a bad state to be in during a fight; however, he had no means of controlling it.
'Where is the tower's soothing magic when I need it?'
"Calm yourself. You will do all right," Evans snapped Neal out of his thoughts with encouraging words.
He nodded to this soon after, looking forward with anticipation. Just then his eyes moved to the one thing that could take his mind off the situation. The dungeon itself.
When he first entered the environment with the others, he was lost in marvel. The entrance way was filled with pillars that were connected to nothing but the air. A cluster of crystals spiralled above, forming what seemed to be a chandelier that lightened up the place.
This didn't just happen in one area, but all over the immensely large dungeon. He could tell immediately that it was larger than the rest he had been to.
Even though the top of the dungeon was filled with crystals as far as the eyes could see, down below rocks and stones filled majority of the landscape.
Upon reaching the last pillar in the entrance, Xavier ordered him and Evans to stay behind. This only perplexed Neal as he believed he was here to be tested.
Since then, they had heard the sounds of weapons clashing for the last 30 minutes. Something that made him even more inpatient then he already was.
Evans on the other hand did not show any form of discomfort. He only leaned on a pillar, rubbing his shield with a dirty cloth.
Eventually, the sounds stopped before Marcus, one of the group members came into contact with them. He was a fair skinned individual with long black hair which was tied into a ponytail. From the weapons he held, Neal could tell he was a Dual wielder.
"It's time," Marcus spoke as he wiped off the sweat on his forehead with his forearm.
Neal's eyes darted towards Evans upon hearing this, before a gentle nod followed in response.
Clenching his daggers tight, he took bold steps forward as he awaited what was to come.
After walking for what felt like a minute, Neal came before the other three who seemed to be circling something at the end of a wall.
Neal eyes shot wide open as he realized they had surrounded what appeared to be a Lizard man. He could tell straight away as it looked just like what anyone would have imagined.
The beast's skin was filled with tough green scales with parts of it dented by weapons. It's eyes which was just like that of a lizard, surveyed the area for an escape route. But it was obvious that there was none.
What stood out though was it's slim physique and powerful nails, which was perfect for quick attacks. Neal wasn't too worried though because of it's inferior height.
"Did you spend all that time fighting this thing?" Neal questioned.
"Don't get the wrong idea, kid. We were just clearing the environment," Xavier answered almost pissed off at the question.
Staring at the monster once again, Neal could not help but tighten his grip on his weapon.
"Now it's time for your test. Kill the monster in front of you, and don't expect us to get involved."
After an unconscious gulp, Neal made his way to the middle of the circle. Just then Marcus and Evans took the places of Luke and Maya, two other members of the group.
The duo were both dark in complexion and had a certain resemblance about them. If it was left to anyone, they would say they were twins.
That could possibly be the case, but because they couldn't remember things from the past, they couldn't tell if they were related. Their Combat classes were Dual wielder and Monk respectively.
Luke and Maya ran towards a pathway standing guard for any monsters that could attack during the fight.
The moment Neal entered the circle, the Lizard man looked straight at him, getting into an offensive stance. Realizing the situation, he did the same, expecting some off assault.
The quick paced thud he once had in his chest, slowed down, giving space for Neal to think. Observing what seemed to be a shiver in the beast, he dismissed the thought. The fact that a monster would shiver in fear was an outlandish thought to begin with.
"If I were you, I would finish this fight quickly," Marcus adviced from the side.
Just then the creature charged at Neal, swinging it's hands wildly. This did not matter though as he had the speed to evade them all with ease. The problem though, rose from the fact that they seemed to be no pattern to it's attacks. Observing that the monster was faster than Evans didn't make things any easier.
After evading for a while, Neal soon started to see openings in the beast's attacks. It was almost as if he could read the monster's movements all of a sudden.
'Is this one of the perks of being an Assassin?' he thought to himself.
Selecting an opening of his own preference, Neal swung both of his daggers down hard on the beast's shoulders.
Klink!
The loud sound escaped into the air as Neal's daggers bounced off the creature's tough skin. Losing balance as a result of what had happened, the Lizard struck the side of his cheek with it's claw.
Retreating backwards, Neal tried to give himself space to no avail. The monster charged after him hoping to end the fight. Just then, he instinctively wrenched a dagger in the creature's left eye.
Teetering in pain for a while, the beast soon went into what appeared to be a frenzy. Faster than before and clearly strong, the monster hoisted Neal into the air and then to the ground, struggling to bury it's claws in him.
In an attempt to fight back, Neal released his weapons, trying to fight the monster's hands back. Just then, he was caught off guard by a surprise strike to his neck by it's tail.
'It can move it's tail this efficiently!' Neal panicked in surprise.
The powerful tail wrapped around his neck, constricting as hard as it could. Within a few seconds, Neal could feel himself getting weaker and weaker. It was obvious he would be dead a minute from then.
Just then, a sudden strike to the beast's neck beheaded it. Blood spilled on Neal's face waking him up once again. Deep breaths for air soon began as he rose himself up on the floor. A quick glance to the side revealed that Xavier was the one who saved him life.
After a few seconds of hesitance and disappointment in himself, Neal spoke only to be interrupted. "Thanks for.."
"Don't you dare!" Xavier yelled at the top of his lungs. "Just make sure you stay out of my way."
Soon after he left, with the others following right behind him. Gritting his teeth, Neal made a fist with his hands. The thought that he was useless after all filled him with grief. It wasn't at all like he had imagined his test to go.
"Come on Neal. Don't worry about it. He was just angry. Let's get out of here before another monster comes by," Evans spoke stretching out his hand.
Grabbing hold of his hand, the two left the area in silence.