The group traveled single-file, making sure they weren't jumped by anything malicious. So far, they were in what seemed like a regular cave. However, the walls suddenly seemed to turn more and more sophisticated, until they were made out of what seemed like stone bricks.
The sudden shift was uncanny. It was as if the dungeon had blended into one with the cave, preventing anyone from discovering its true intent.
Lua gulped, fearing the unknown. He could feel the same emotions from Arc as well. They both were afraid, yet did their best not to show it. It was particularly easy for Arc, who only used facial expressions for convenience.
Burnt out torches began to slowly appear along the walls, indicating to the team that they were rapidly approaching the dungeon area. It instantly put them all on high alert, ready to attack even a fly if it moved incorrectly.
Victoria grabbed onto one of the torches. She lit it, letting it burn once more. The torch lit up the rapidly dimming cave, allowing the team to see. She slowly lit more torches, passing them to each member of the team until everyone was holding a flame.
"Proceed with caution from now on." Victoria reminded everyone of the dangers. They needed to work as a team if they wanted to get through this.
Not long after, the floor finally turned into paved road. They had finally entered the dungeon with their entire surroundings being "man-made".
The origins of dungeons weren't known. All that was known was that they appeared in random places, and only ended once the strongest creature in the dungeon was vanquished. The level of the dungeon was often based around this entity, as it revealed just how strong the rest of the creatures were.
Of course, it wasn't easy finding this entity. It often required the sacrifice of souls who didn't know what they were doing, wandering into a dungeon. Only the survivors' estimations revealed just how powerful the entities could be.
Then, the surrounding companies would launch investigations. They would delve deeper and deeper, until one company broke through and killed the entity. This was routine, and it required the participation of many.
Victoria's team was one of these parties sent by the Company. They were meant to finally break through to the entity's lair, vanquishing it and ending the dungeon, once and for all. It wasn't an easy task by any means.
The road began to fork in front of them. Using Winston's expert path-finding abilities, they made sure they remembered the way they came from. Lua and company quickly found themselves in areas that had clearly seen battle - cracked arrows, chipped swords and the like. Monsters had been slain in this area.
Despite the chaotic environment, there was no blood, nor was there a corpse. Lua instantly picked up that this could mean the common type of monster didn't leave behind any remains.
"Looks like we might be dealing with Wraiths." Winston offered, using his perceptiveness to its full extent.
Wraiths were low-tiered monsters that often spawned from fallen humans or intelligent beasts. On very rare occasions, a fallen demon could create a supercharged Wraith that would take hundreds of lives to finish off. If previous adventurers had finished them off without even leaving corpses behind, that was great news. It meant they were low difficulty mindless monsters that couldn't harm anyone.
"Doubt it." Anthony disagreed. "Wraiths need some purification before they can be killed. Yet, there is evidence of physical combat."
A good point.. Lua agreed with Anthony's explanation. However, he heard a sigh coming from behind him.
"Have either of you considered that the fight might have moved elsewhere?" Luna rebutted both of them, pointing out the flaws in both of their suggestions. However, her argument wasn't without holes either.
"It's a damn long corridor. Where else can they go?" Mick voiced his opinion, adding to the conversation.
"Enough." Victoria shut the discussion down, indicating something was happening. "I hear something."
How did Winston not notice this? Oh right.. the argument. His hearing was likely drowned by that. Lua noticed the issues with talking during a mission.
For a moment, no one spoke. They listened as the sounds of slithering came closer and closer, their weapons ready. No one dared to even breathe.
One by one, black lizards without eyes began to appear. They were rather small, but made up with it in their sheer numbers. Lua could tell there were at least fourty of the creatures.
Although lacking eyes, they had developed ears that resembled tree branches. They slithered along the walls, slowing down around Lua and company. They listened closely for the slightest sound.
What felt like minutes passed as tensions were high. No one dared to make a move, fearing that fighting the lizards might drag something bigger to them. They waited patiently for the lizards to move along.
Finally, the lizards passed by them, convinced they had been hearing nothing. It was as if a miracle had happened, masking the presence of Lua and company. They were lucky to have gone through that without a scratch.
They waited until Winston confirmed that the threat had passed. Having learned their lesson, no one dared to speak for ages. They moved along until they arrived in an area resembling a cell block.
The block was made up of two floors, with six cells on each, divided on both sides. The light couldn't reach inside the cells, but inside one of them, a skeleton sat close enough for the light to interact with it. This allowed them to make an educated guess on the interiors of the other cells.
The floor was coarse, rough gravel unlike the stones they had been in contact with for so long. After exploring for some time, the team ultimately found nothing. They didn't dare enter the cells for fear of something sleeping inside.
With a snap of Victoria's fingers, which signaled a regroup, they returned to the tight corridors. They kept moving down the rooms until they finally found something interesting. They had stumbled onto an area that resembled a library.