The skirmish raged on.
Distorted screams that were a mixture of a shriek and a gurgle rang out repeatedly.
The cause of these pained screeches was a group of five aspiring youths. Well, four of them… the fifth just stood back, watching the brewing conflict with a relaxed pose.
The cloaked figure observed the brown-haired boy fight alongside the armoured half-blood with a dark expression on his face. His teammate's earlier action of grabbing his arm replayed in a perpetual cycle within his mind.
Each recollection served to stoke the raging fire kindling inside his chest. It was only through sheer self-control that he could stop himself from acting on any number of dark thoughts plaguing his mind, afflicting him with an urge to wreak havoc aimed specifically at one person.
As the two delicate green-haired youths continued to rain down hell on the Ferocious Demons, Nico fought with a wild look on his face.
He spun, he twirled, he slashed, he pierced, and he used all three forms at his disposal to create a rhythm of carnage. Beside him, Leon was like an impenetrable wall, a bastion against a flowing icy darkness that sought to devour them whole.
In the relatively wide corridor, they fought with rabid intensity. Side by side, the vanguard did their job to a tee. The support team continued to back them up with precise shots, peppering their foes enough for the brown-haired boy and half-blood to escape out of harm's way whenever things got too crowded.
Soon, just as the number of spiders finally began to thin, a slow rumble ran through the Dungeon. Nico thrust with his spear, twisting to cause as much internal damage to the arachnid as he possibly could, before removing the trident-like weapon in the same movement.
He sent an urgent glance back towards Oliver and Isaac. The delicate duo nodded back at him, aware of what they had to do.
Nico then slowly backed up, giving the half-blood enough room to manouevre behind as well.
A spray of projectiles flew over their heads, several miniature explosions creating chaos among the arachnid's ranks.
As they both inched backwards, the intensity of the shaking which afflicted their surroundings gradually increased, with several stalactites dislodged from the ceiling. Fortunately, it seemed Lady Luck was on their side, for the sharp spikes pierced several unlucky Demons instead, gifting them an early voyage into the Great Beyond.
The unexpected fortune in addition to Isaac and Oliver's ranged cover helped give the vanguard a bit of breathing space. Enough for them to back up just as a jagged barrier rose from the ground and swallowed the space where they had just fought.
Nico panted heavily, the exertion of combat seeping into his muscles and bones. Contrary to his fatigue, a content smile tugged at his face. The brown-haired boy leaned on his spear, locking eyes with the half-blood who was just as exhausted as him, perhaps even more so.
"Good job." He gave a tired grin.
Leon sent a weary grin of his own.
In the next moment, a cheerful voice echoed into their ears.
"Wow! You guys were amazing!" Issac's red pupils sparkled in the hazy gloom.
Oliver's expression was no longer as indifferent as before, with the brown-haired boy and burly tank having earned some of his respect for their recent display. The green-haired youth's lips threatened to curl into a smile, further accentuating that fact.
"Thank you for the praise, but it wouldn't have been possible without you and Oliver providing us with cover." Nico smiled at the younger sibling's enthusiasm.
"Well, then we're all awesome!" Isaac beamed, his delight infecting the rest of his team.
And so, within this environment of growing camaraderie, the squad of youths continued forth, their sights set on the Dungeon Core.
Unfortunately for them, things would soon take a drastic turn…
***
Over the next few days, the team of Isaac, Oliver, Leon, Nico, and the cloaked figure settled into a familiar routine. They would spend the day fighting harrowing battles one after the other as the Dungeon's erratic shifting transported them rhythmically.
They would then use the night, when a deep, ominous silence shrouded the bastille, to recuperate from their seemingly never-ending skirmishes against the ice-clad arachnids. Each member of the squad took turns in two to keep watch, on the off-chance a Demon stumbled onto their makeshift camp.
After their first experience of nightfall, the quintuplet - or rather the quadruplet, with the cloaked figure not participating at all - decided that it was worth taking the risk to light a small fire.
If nothing else, it would help ward off some of the chill.
Having stocked up on supplies they might need for just about any situation they could face within the Dungeon, the youths had created a small bonfire relatively quickly and efficiently.
Isaac's proficiency in that aspect also came in very handy, speeding up the whole process.
And so, with some warmth and illumination to dispel the cold, depressing, icy gloom, the squad found themselves able to relax a bit easier, which in turn, increased the quality of their rest. The periodic crackling of the fire also helped to lull them to sleep a bit faster.
During the periods where he did not have guard duty, Nico would try to meditate. For some strange reason, he found that the difficulty of entering an introspective state had decreased slightly.
Whether it was because he was in a highly volatile environment where he could suddenly meet his end, or because of the constant mildew scent around him which forced him to pour more effort into clearing his mind, he did not know.
Nevertheless, Nico welcomed the change.
Although he still couldn't fully grasp the state he had entered many times before during the Training Camp, the brown-haired boy felt he was that much closer to once again being able to achieve inner peace.
With the unexpected progress in his meditation serving to improve his mood, Nico used the intervals where he did have to keep watch, to reflect on the numerous battles he had fought his way through each day.
Some were less taxing. Others were much more gruelling.
In the former, the numbers of arachnids his team had encountered were sparingly few, such that they could dispose of their enemies before the labyrinth began its rumbling. For the latter, however, the sheer numbers that they faced made it feel as if they were drowning in a never-ending tide of darkness.
It also proved next to impossible to deal with all the Demons in the set time.
So they had to resort to hit-and-run tactics whenever the Dungeon announced its intention to move, just like they did during the second day.
Slowly but surely, Nico, as well as the other members of his team were being molded into experienced youths who could claw their way out of seemingly hopeless situations. They now knew the most efficient way to kill the spiders, resulting in less time spent on vanquishing each individual abomination.
The high-pressure environment of constant clashes also assisted them in removing any glaring weaknesses within their combat styles, as well as helping to improve their overall team synergy.
However, just as there were many positives in this situation, there was also the same amount of negatives.
Beneath the surface of their continuous streak of victories, lay a battered and exhausted group of youths who were slowly having the very life sucked out of them.
So far, they had managed to avoid any critical injuries - whether they be life-threatening, or simply wounds that removed their ability to fight -, but with each battle, with each flurry of chaos, the number of small wounds accumulated over their frames.
They would do their best to deal with any injuries between each clash, however, often they would not receive the chance to do so, jumping straight into the next battle.
All of that served to dull the excitement and joy of making it to the next day.
Coupled with the fact that the cloaked figure rarely contributed - apart from intervening whenever things got too dire -, and slowly a budding resentment began to form.
A dissatisfaction which threatened to stall and deteriorate any progress the squad of youths made regarding their team synergy.
'Blasted Fate! Damn that incorrigible bastard!' Nico had thought on numerous occasions, and it was the same thought that had passed through his mind just now.
He threw a dark look at the hooded individual, before tiredly rubbing his face. The fire crackling softly to his left cast an amber glow over his haggard features.
As a result of the stress he faced each day, the last remaining vestiges of youthful innocence claiming his visage had all been wiped away.
Now, all that remained was a hollow, bleak, and miserable husk of a once vibrant boy.
Nico sighed, his body protesting as he shifted slightly against the jagged rock. He gazed to his right, out of the corner of his eye, and saw the familiar sight of Leon's sleeping form.
The half-blood's brows were creased in a frown, obviously experiencing an unpleasant dream.
'Hang in there, buddy. We only have around six more days of this hell, then we can get the blasted hell out of here.'
Nico craned his neck toward the stalactites glowing ethereally above him, his gaze growing distant.
During the second night of this creepy and bone-chilling silence, they had forsaken sleep - keeping rest to a minimum - and tried to make as much progress towards the Dungeon Core as they could. Unfortunately, however, when morning came, and the labyrinth began to shift again, all their progress turned out for naught.
That cruel lesson had doused some of their hope, sobering them up to the reality that they now found themselves in.
Their journey to the Dungeon Core was not going to be easy.
No, it'd be fraught with danger, pain and suffering. And to top it all off, it seemed as if they required a bout of good fortune to just reach their destination, never mind surviving the tribulations scattered along the way...
Nico promptly shook his head and closed his eyes, hoping to rest his fatigued body as much as he could before his eventual turn for lookout came.