"Would you stop following me?" Aeron groans as he briskly walks through the dense forest with Max annoyingly following him every step.
Max chuckles, "Aww, why?" He continues to walk nonchalantly behind him.
Aeron let out an annoyed sigh "I need to get this annoying wizard away from me..." he thought.
Max smirked softly, his hands in his pocket. They both looked around their surroundings when the sound of shrieking filled their ears.
They both looked at each other and immediately rushed towards the sound. "We hit the jackpot~," Max said playfully.
They both arrived, a few feet away from a ruined settlement made out of cobblestone and marked with ancient writing. There were at least 20 mutated boars. They were big, broad, and had a mean look to them. They have large canines at their lower teeth.
"Hm...you guys are also here?" Aeron and Max looked where the voice came from and saw Jamil crouching on the tree branch.
"Of course, you're here..." Aeron said with a blank expression, his gaze shifted away from Jamil and landed at the mutated boars.
Their eyes fell on the ruined settlement, none dared to move, as if waiting for someone to make the first attack. Aeron wasted no time as he drew his sword and dashed towards the mob of boars. At the same time, Max started to chant and Jamil brought out his arrows and pulled back the bowstrings.
One boar notices Aeron, letting out a loud roar that collectively catches the attention of the rest of the boars. Their eyes glowed red like a raging flame. He stayed calm and collected, his eyes were as unmoving and unemotional towards the intimation displayed by the boars. He steels his sword at an angle and swiftly slices through 3 boar necks.
As the boars saw their comrades die, they all took a step back cautiously from Aeron, but both Max and Jamil were not about to let the opportunity slip by. A swarm of petals of flame stuck on 5 boars. As the boar flail their arms, letting out frustrated groans...their body combusts into millions of pattering blood on the ground. Then Jamil's arrows pierced through 2 boars straight into their heart.
.
.
.
Aeron looks at his blade and wipes off the blood. He is still unfazed despite their victorious battle. "I killed 8 boars! HAHAHA! Bow down, peasants! I won!"
Maximus let out a cocky yet sarcastic laugh.
Jamil stayed silent while Aeron let out a tired groan. "just let the child have his victory" Jamil quietly said to Aeron, amused while Max celebrated his own victory.
-
Maximus would continuously jump around while saying how great he was, providing amusement to Jamil. Jamil notices Aeron is silent, with a deep pensive expression. although with his statue-like face, no one would know.
"is there something on your mind?" he asked him.
"We all came here because we heard a shriek, however, boars are typical silent creatures...that shriek was the sound of either a war roar or", Aeron closes his eyes "a king boar gathering his minions"
"A king boar? That wouldn't be a surprise considering the ecosystem of this forest is chaos.." Jamil replied, biting his lips as he thought deeply about the situation.
"Want me to find the big guy?" Max suddenly interjected, putting his arms on their shoulders. "let's see~ just from how mana is being gathered over..." he mumbles as his fingers swirl around "There" He points underneath them.
Jamil and Aeron raised an eyebrow and looked at each other skeptically. although they're a bit confused, they trust Max's ability to detect magic.
"Down? Interesting.." Aeron whispered as he stared at the grass. "well, how do we get down?" He turns his head to Max.
"I have absolutely no idea!" Max beams brightly while the other two just stare at him. "I'm just kidding, those ancient runes may be a hint," he said more calmly, he had a teasing look as if he was satisfied that he had ticked his friends off.
The three men wasted no time and began examining the runes from the pillars.
"A riddle," Aeron said. Without much effort needed, they were able to figure out the riddle in a matter of 30 seconds. It is not a shock they easily solved the riddle. the three of them are one of the top students. Maximus was the most skilled in Linguistic and ancient symbols, Jamil had the highest score in tactical and battle strategy, and lastly, Aeron was the most adaptable and knowledgeable (think of a human encyclopedia).
The ground shook, creating a rumbling noise. A podium rose up and opened, revealing a dark flight of stairs underground.
.
.
The smell of the underground was filled with putrid odor. it's likely a mix of decaying bodies, feces of the monsters, and heavy mana aura of the creature.
Walking down the steps, the three men were cautious and alert. they were looking carefully at the hallway in front of them. soon, they reached the end of the stairs and the torches hoisted up, light, one by one showing a long tunnel with a huge metal ominous door.
"This couldn't get any less typical for a dungeon" Max rolled his eyes, letting out a quiet chuckle.
Aeron's face frowned, "I feel like I'm forgetting something.." he thought to himself. he pushed that thought away as they approached the door.
----
At the foot of the hill, Ainara was navigating through the rocks. the low breeze swayed at Ainaira's blue locks, tied in a ponytail.
It was a lot easier to get in than I thought
She followed the gentle streams of the riverbank. the sounds of water flowing across the rocks, eroding the soils ever so slightly.
Eventually, she arrived at a patch of paved dirt, it was filled with overgrown weeds and uneven land.
Aeron had forgotten to find Ainaira.
.
.
.
Back to Aeron group. the door split open as they approached closer, The inside was filled with pillars and torches that lit up the room with a purple light.
"huh? Josephine?" Max's eyes widened in shock, along with Aeron and Jamil's.
Josephine would turn her head upon hearing her name "Oh! You guys are also here" She said in a curious and cheery tone. Right beside her was Lucas, standing tall. his white silver hair glistened in the dark room.
"..." Lucas remained silent.
"What are you two doing here?" Aeron asked.
"We got trapped..." She said, chuckling wearily, "Lucas and I were hunting some Wyvern when we fell in a hole and ended up in this dungeon".
Max's eyes snapped, "Wyvern?" he narrowed his eyes.
"Strange isn't it? this forest doesn't have any wyvern but we encounter 4 of them" Lucas sighed softly.
"How did you three end up here?" Josephine asked, glancing between the 3 men.
"We heard a shriek and stumbled across a group of boars" Jamil answered
"Did someone get in trouble?"
Max shrugged his shoulder as he looked at Josephine, "No, we saw no one nor did we see a King boar. They were just peacefully strolling around a ruined".
A worried crease formed on Josephine's brows, "hey, is this normal?" she looked at Lucas expectantly.
"No, While this forest is chaotic and there's many unpredictably.. It never has been this strange before" He answered firmly.
"and it seems like we're trapped in" Jamil pointed out, he turned his body towards where they came from only to find a wall had been replaced.
"Should I blas-"
"-NO" Aeron and Jamil cut off Max's words before he could even fully say them.
"oh...well, I was just humoring.." He replied, pouting and disappointed.
Suddenly within a second, everyone in the room felt a chill run down their spine.
Aeron's heart raced as his senses were screaming at him..
Run
"Everyone get down-" Max yelled as they all crouched down. "Fissure!" He snapped his fingers causing a ripple in the air. Loud booming sounds bounce between the enclosed wall and the sounds of roaring screeches into their eardrums.
They all groan in agony, covering their ears While Max stays focused and alarmed.
"!!!" Max took a step back, his eyes widening in horror. As the debris slowly fades a large imposing shadow is cast over them. Two large and sinister wings flap, causing a gush of wind circling around them. its purple glowing eyes pierce through their soul.
"T-that is...This, I feel an incredible amount of impurity and dark magic..!" Lucas said nervously and terrified. "That dragon-"
"An Abyss dragon" Max muttered.
The Dragon's eyes glowed purple as it let out a roar that would struck any warrior's will into ashes.