Teacher: "Okay, class, today we are learning about..."
Dakota leaned back in his chair, a bored expression on his face. "I don't really care," he thought to himself. "I already know all this stuff."
As the teacher droned on, Dakota found his thoughts wandering. "I wonder what's going to happen today," he mused.
Lucas, sitting next to him, noticed Dakota's distracted look. "I don't think anything exciting is going to happen today, Dakota," Lucas said in a low voice.
Dakota smirked. "Really? I'm not so sure. Guess we'll find out soon enough."
The class went on for an uneventful hour before the bell rang, signaling lunch. Dakota and Lucas met up with their friends, and together, they made their way to the cafeteria.
When they arrived, they spotted Henry and his group and decided to join them.
Henry: "So, what are you guys planning to do today?"
Lucas: "Nothing much. I think I'll just take a break for once."
Jack nodded in agreement. "Same here. A break sounds good."
Ava: "I'll probably go shopping. What about you, Dakota? Want to come along?"
Dakota: "I'd rather die."
The group burst into laughter at Dakota's dry humor, even Jack chuckling under his breath.
Amelia, smiling, chimed in: "Actually, I was thinking of going shopping too. Can I come along with you, Ava?"
Ava was caught off guard by the request but nodded. "Oh, uh... sure. Why not?"
Amelia: "Great! I can't wait."
Ava forced a small smile. "Maybe this won't be so bad," she thought.
Liam: "I'm probably going to train for a bit."
Mia: "I'll just go grab some ramen."
Luna: "I'll stay home and play games."
Dakota: "And I'll... I don't know."
Henry smirked. "Really? You don't have anything planned? I'm going on a mission later today. Want to join me?"
Dakota perked up. "A mission, huh? Sure, I'm in."
Henry: "Great. This is going to be awesome!"
Dakota: "Yeah, no doubt."
Later That Day
After the academy ended, Dakota and Henry prepared for their mission.
Dakota: "So, where are we headed?"
Henry: "To a mountain nearby. There have been rumors of Djinns in the area, and we've been tasked with investigating. If we find any, we'll eliminate them."
Dakota: "Djinns, huh? Sounds interesting. Let's do this."
Dakota called his personal butler, who drove them to the base of the mountain. However, the terrain soon became too rugged for the car.
Butler: "I apologize, Sir Dakota. The car cannot go any further."
Dakota: "Don't worry about it. You did well. You can head back now."
The butler gave a polite bow. "Thank you, sir. I'll take my leave."
As the butler drove off, Dakota and Henry began their trek up the mountain.
Henry: "This is going to be a long climb."
Dakota: "No kidding. Let's get moving."
The Climb
After an hour of walking, they were still searching for the cave entrance.
Dakota: "Damn it, where is this thing?"
Henry, studying the map: "According to this, we still have a long way to go."
Dakota: "What? Are you serious? Ugh, this is such a pain."
Another hour passed before they finally found the cave entrance.
Dakota, grinning: "Finally! About time."
Henry, equally relieved: "Yeah, no kidding."
Out of sheer joy, they briefly hugged before pulling away awkwardly.
Dakota: "Alright, let's head in."
The entrance to the cave was large and ominous, but they stepped inside without hesitation.
Henry: "Time to explore. Let's find out if those Djinns are really here."
Dakota: "Yeah, let's get this over with."
The cave was dark, and they could barely see a few feet ahead. Suddenly, they stumbled upon a massive spider hatch.
Dakota, staring at it: "Holy crap. That's a huge spider hatch."
Henry: "Yeah... but where's the spider?"
As if in response, Dakota felt a sudden surge of movement behind them.
Dakota: "Henry, get ready to fight!"
Henry summoned his flame sword just as a massive spider emerged from the shadows, towering over them.
Dakota, grimacing: "That thing is huge! But we've got this."
He charged at the spider, aiming a precise strike with his blade. The spider, however, leaped to the side, evading the attack.
Dakota: "Fast little bugger, aren't you?"
Henry stepped forward to attack but was suddenly ensnared in a web.
Henry: "What the hell? I'm stuck!"
The spider lunged at Henry, but Dakota intercepted it, blocking the attack with his sword.
Dakota: "Not on my watch, you oversized pest!"
With a swift spin, Dakota severed one of the spider's legs and freed Henry from the web.
Henry, panting: "What a start to our first duo mission, huh?"
Dakota: "Yeah. Let's make sure it's not our last."
They fought together, cutting off the spider's legs one by one until it was immobilized.
Dakota: "That's what you get, you creepy crawler."
Henry delivered the final blow, stabbing the spider through its head. Its body vanished, leaving behind a glowing spider heart.
Dakota, picking it up: "A spider heart! This is super valuable. Definitely keeping this."
Deeper into the Cave
They continued their exploration, coming across a fork in the path.
Dakota: "Two paths. Which one should we take?"
Henry: "Let's go right."
Dakota: "Right it is."
They lit flames in their hands to illuminate the darkness as they walked deeper into the cave. Eventually, they entered a chamber filled with glowing crystals.
Henry: "This place is... brighter than the rest of the cave. Must be because of the crystals."
Dakota: "Probably. Which way now?"
Henry: "Left."
As they headed down the left path, they stumbled upon a grisly sight: blood smeared across a large crystal, with three severed human heads placed on top.
Henry, horrified: "What the hell..."
Dakota, his voice low and angry: "These damn Djinns. They'll pay for this."
His fists clenched tightly as a cold fury settled over him. "Let's end this."
Henry nodded, his expression grim. Together, they prepared to face whatever horrors awaited them deeper in the cave.
And this mission would be much harder than they expected.