Aric stood in front of Sarah's desk, the Mercenary Guild receptionist, with Su Jing, Li Hua, and Li Fei flanking him. The smell of parchment mixed with the metallic tang of weapons filled the air. His emerald eyes scanned their surroundings, taking in every detail.
"Sarah," Aric said, his voice steady, "we'd like to register Li Hua and Li Fei as mercenaries."
"Of course," Sarah replied, not minding their slave solars on their necks "Do you wish to register them as a party with you? But either way, they will still have to complete their first mission before they are actually recognized as mercenaries."
"Yes please, and don't worry. We are just planning to take easy missions for now. Can they take up herb gathering missions to complete their trial?
"Yes, but only because they are in your party. And since you two are already registered as warriors, it is not necessary to have everyone as warriors."
"But for new parties, it is mandatory to prove their fighting skills." Sarah continued
"I see. Let us take it easy for now. Last time we almost lost our lives."
-----------------------------------------------------
In this fashion, a couple of months passed. Aric, Su Jing, Li Fei and Li Hua took up simple missions to raise their adventure ranks, and spent the rest of their time deepening their understanding of the world in the library.
Finally, after two and a half months, Sarah gave them their medal - a silver bird with 2 stars - signifying that they had climbed up to D rank mercenaries.
"Congratulations, Aric," Sarah praised, her fingers dancing over the keys of a battered typewriter, entering the details of the newly promoted mercenaries in her records. "You've all done well on your missions so far. It's been impressive to see how you've honed your knowledge of the wasteland together."
"Thank you," Aric replied, acknowledging her compliment with a nod. "We're eager to take on new challenges and continue learning from our experiences."
"Actually," Sarah began, her eyes narrowing as she considered her words, "I might have something that could pique your interest. A slightly higher ranking mission. A party has gone missing while exploring a pre-apocalypse cave. We need someone to investigate their disappearance."
Li Hua raised an eyebrow. "What exactly happened to them?"
"Details are scarce," Sarah admitted. "They were last heard from about two weeks ago. Their mission was to explore the cave and recover any valuable artifacts they could find."
"I must remind you that this was initially classified as a C rank mission. But this time you only need to look for their whereabouts, and not explore the cave. So the mission's rank has dropped to D rank. But there are chances that you will encounter a very powerful enemy." Sarah warned.
"Sounds intriguing," Aric mused. He glanced at his companions, gauging their reactions. Su Jing met his gaze, her blue eyes sparkling.
The past few months had been rather boring for her, as she was a hardened survivor. E ranked missions meant nothing to her.
"Let's do it," she said, her tone decisive. Li Hua and Li Fei nodded in agreement.
"Very well," Sarah said, handing over the mission details. "Good luck, and stay safe out there."
---
Days later, Aric and his group stood at the mouth of the dark cave, their breaths visible in the cold air. The entrance loomed above them like the maw of some gargantuan beast, ready to swallow them whole. The damp stone walls seemed to breathe around them, echoing their footsteps as they cautiously ventured deeper into the unknown.
"Can you believe this place has been hidden for centuries?" Li Fei whispered, his voice filled with wonder.
"Hard to imagine what we might find," Su Jing murmured, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade.
"Stay alert," Aric warned, his fingers brushing against the scars on his hands, a reminder of past magical mishaps. "We don't know what dangers lie ahead."
"Right," Li Hua agreed, gripping her staff tightly. "We're walking into the heart of an ancient world. No telling what we'll encounter."
They moved forward in silence, each step taking them further from the familiar and closer to the secrets buried beneath the earth.
"Let's hope we find the lost party alive," Aric thought, determination blossoming within him. He glanced at his companions, each one focused and ready for whatever challenges awaited them.
3 - 4
As they ventured deeper into the cave, a haunting sight greeted them – the dead remains of humans littered the cavern floor. Aric's strong perception detected necrotic and undead magic in the air, making his skin crawl. The acrid stench of decay assaulted their nostrils, causing each of them to gag involuntarily.
"By the gods," Li Fei whispered, her eyes wide with horror.
"Those must be the remains of the lost party," Su Jing said grimly.
Aric hesitated, his instincts screaming at him to leave this place immediately. "We should go back," he urged, his voice barely audible. "We've confirmed their fate, and there's no telling what dangers still lurk here."
"Agreed," Li Hua said, her grip tightening on her dagger. "This place reeks of death."
Suddenly, an eerie voice echoed through the cave, sending chills down their spines. "Foolish bugs," it taunted, "you dare enter my domain?"
Before they could react, a horrifying figure appeared before them – an undead mage, its hollow eyes glowing with a sinister blue light. Skeletal hands raised, it prepared to unleash a devastating spell upon the intruders.
"Pathetic insects," the undead mage sneered, its voice dripping with disdain. "You will be food for my necrotic magic tests. Your pitiful lives end here!"
Aric and the others instantly decided to make a run for it.
"Run, little insects! There is no escape from my wrath!" it cackled, its voice reverberating off the cavern walls.
but the mage's attack was too fast. In an instant, the wicked spell reached them. Just as they were about to be struck by the deadly magic, Aric's body twitched, and the mirror that brought him to this world materialized out of thin air.
Realizing they stood no chance against the powerful mage, Aric and his party sprinted deeper into the cave, hoping to find a way out or a place to hide. The eerie laughter of the undead mage followed them, mocking their desperate escape.
"Run, little insects! There is no escape from my wrath!" it cackled, its voice reverberating off the cavern walls.
Aric's heart pounded in his chest as they fled, knowing that every step might be their last. But he refused to let fear paralyze him. He had survived countless battles and emerged victorious each time – and he vowed to do so again, no matter the cost.
"By shadows' veil and darkness' might, unleash the void, consume the light" Suddenly the Mage started casting, huge amounts of mana gathering at the hands of the mage.
"Voidburst"
"Everyone, Dodge!!" Aric shouted, trying to push others out of the way.
But the mage's attack was too fast. In an instant, the wicked spell reached them.
Aric's party had already fainted as the ball of death came near them. Only Aric was up trying to push them away, but he could not move everyone together, not fast enough anyways.
But just as they were about to be struck by the deadly magic, Aric's body twitched and he lost consciousness as well.
Suddenly, the mirror that brought him to this world materialized out of thin air.
"What?" The mage exclaimed
The undead mage's eyes widened in horror as it recognized the artifact. "Impossible! A sage-grade magic artifact!" it screamed, its voice echoing throughout the cave.
5 - 6
Suddenly the mirror began to expand, growing in size just as it had when it first opened a portal to this world.
This time, however, there was no bright vortex of colors coming out of it. Instead, the only thing one could see was the reflection of the ball of necrotic energy that was approaching Aric and his party.
"What is this Soccery" The Undead mage screamed, frightened by this sudden development.
As the spell made contact with the mirror's surface, an unbelievable thing happened!
The mirror's surface reflected the ball of undead energy back towards the mage, all the while amplifying its power in the process.
The undead mage, realizing the danger it now faced, tried desperately to escape, but it was too late.
"NOOOO!" it shrieked, as the overwhelming force of its own spell made contact with its frail form, evaporating it into nothingness.
Time seemed to stretch on for an eternity before Aric and the others slowly began to regain consciousness. They groggily pushed themselves up from the cold, damp ground, their heads throbbing with pain.
"Wh-what happened?" Su Jing asked, her voice weak and unsteady.
"I don't know. It seems like somehow, this undead mage died." Aric replied, as he glanced around his surroundings.
Suddenly his eyes landed on the all familiar mirror, which lay near him.
"What? How did this mirror come here?" Aric shouted out, this time genuinely surprised.
"What mirror. Aric, are you alright?" The girls asked with concern.
Hearing the girls, Aric calmed down. He then slowly began explaining about the mirror and how it was pivotal to bringing him into this world.
Li Fei and Li Hua already knew about him not being form this world, so Aric just talked about the mirror, and how he had acquired it. Aric had installed the slave collars on them, so he wasn't afraid of this leaking out.
Not like Li Fei and Li Hua had any such intentions.
"I think... the mirror saved us," Aric murmured, still trying to make sense of it all. "It somehow reflected the mage's attack and destroyed him."
"Unbelievable," Lin Fei whispered, her eyes filled with awe as she studied the now-shrunken mirror lying beside Aric. "Such a high level artifact... Truly a priceless treasure."
After calming down for a while, the party slowly got up.
"Should we continue exploring the cave?" Li Hua asked hesitantly, glancing around at the lifeless bodies scattered across the chamber. "The biggest danger seems to be gone."
"Let's do it," Li Fei suggested as well, her eyes sparkling. "We've come this far, and we even killed the undead mage. I suspect that this mage has been using this place as his hideout for quite a while now."
"Let us see what we can find here. But remember," Aric warned.
"We will stick together, and we will run away the moment we sense something"