Ramiel and Samantha got out of the car. They were met by the sight of government agents in suits securing the area around the entrance to the dungeon.
Ramiel looked around and found his target. Without any qualms, he moved toward a tall blond man in a black jacket and sunglasses. It was his old friend as well as the supervisor of the people working here.
"What do we have here this time, Max?" - Ramiel asked, extending his hand in greeting.
The man lifted his gaze from the file of documents he was reviewing and reciprocated the gesture.
"Nothing serious, just an abandoned dungeon, Ramiel. You should have no problem with it." Max rechecked the information in the documents and looked at Ramiel skeptically. "To be honest, I still don't understand why a team of your caliber would take on a job like this."
"I don't understand it either. It was the others who insisted on this mission, not me..." - There was a note of resignation in Ramiel's voice. "Maybe they just wanted to relieve stress. You know we all have our quirks. "
"Pff, and this was said by the guy who wanted to massacre the chef for adding pineapple to the pizza." - A wide smile appeared on the blond man's face.
"Tsk." - A snort came out of the Ramiel's mouth. "Heretics who produce it should be burned alive." - If one looked at the boy's violet eyes, one would see the burning fire of the Holy Inquisition in them. Ramiel had endured a lot in this world, but not pineapple pizza. As always, he made no concessions when it came to food.
"You will never change." - The blond man threw a simple taunt, but Ramiel showed relative professionalism and pretended to be deaf.
"Max, why don't you come by today? The raid shouldn't take long. It's a dead dungeon, after all." - Ramiel scratched his neck. Luring Max would take some effort and cunning. Fortunately, the men knew each other inside out.
"Let's drink a few more deep..." - Ramiel didn't have a chance to finish.
"All right." - Max replied immediately. "But you are the one who puts the alcohol."
Ramiel coughed several times, pretending not to have heard the last words.
"In your dreams. With your enthusiasm, a whole galleon isn't enough." - Ramiel crossed arms over his chest and assumed a serious expression.
If he could be considered a food lover, Max was a liquor connoisseur. No... connoisseur is the wrong term. The job consisted of tasting a small amount of alcohol to stimulate the taste buds and evaluate the taste. For this, Max obviously tasted liquor, but according to him, a proper opinion can be given only after the fifth bottle.
Just as Max was about to send a retort in Ramiel's direction, a loud bang reached the men's ears.
"Trainee..." - Max groaned angrily. "I have to go ... I'll see you at dinner." Max said goodbye and ran towards the source of the sound.
Ramiel only looked in that direction, shook his head in disapproval, turned around, and walked toward the portal with Samantha. Along the way, they heard the conversations of nervous people in suits.
"It's him again... He will never learn... but what can I expect from a spoiled brat." - One of the upset men gave vent to his agitated emotions. His co-counselor panicked. Apparently, he didn't share the man's opinion.
"Shut up!" - The man hissed, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "Unlike you, I like my job, and I want to keep it. You know very well who his father is." He added in a whisper.
Passing them, Samantha looked in Ramiel's direction.
"Problems with the new staff?"
Ramiel looked toward the staff with compassion.
"They can't do too much about it. Max is the only person who doesn't have to worry about the position. He is all the same, anyway. Nothing will change if he offends a politician's son." - Ramiel stretched, covering his mouth with his hand. "At worst, he will die in an accident at one of the gates. After all, accidents happen to people."
"Ramiel!" - Samantha understood her man's slight allusion and scolded him for it. Killing a criminal is one thing, but killing a politician can cause a small storm.
The intern they are talking about is the son of an influential politician. His father is a retired military officer. When the son grew up, he decided that he needed to experience some real life. He pulled a few strings and did a few favors, so the nasty brat got a position in the Hunters's Association.
Bad luck would have it, and he ended up under Max's wing. As you can guess, the spoiled child didn't like his new position, especially when he was forced to work by his father. He did everything to make life miserable for his co-workers. Whenever someone drew attention to him, he cleverly covered up for his father.
In Max's place, Ramiel would have solved the problem long ago. One more influential enemy won't make any difference to him, especially when he is a commoner. Who knows, maybe he will do his friend a favor and solve the source of the problem once and for all.
Ramiel was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice when he arrived near the giant crack in space, which was the dungeon gate. Outstanding amounts of mana leaked from the crack, stimulating his senses.
The dungeon gate couldn't be called otherwise, as it was literally a crack in space. Imagine a ripped T-shirt. That's how the dungeon gate could be described: sharp, jagged edges without any logical pattern to follow. Between the jagged edges was an area reminiscent of a cosmic nebula, only instead of stars, one could see inside a raging mana of various colors.
Ramiel murmured appreciatively. The sight had always fascinated Ramiel. He found it both beautiful and intriguing.
In front of the gate leading to the dungeon stood Ramiel's team. The most prominent of them all was the tall blond man standing at the head. He was armed to the teeth and carried a heavy two-handed sword on his back.
Next to him stood a tanned mountain of walking muscle with a two-handed axe in his hands. A slightly shorter, red-haired man interjected into the conversation between the two men. Like the blond man, he carried a spear on his back.
A slim but muscular man with a sword strapped to his belt and a shield in his hands watched all this. He tried to impress the beautiful woman with his deadly physique, but the woman looked at him disdainfully.
Apparently, the man felt like trash, and his self-confidence was gone.
Ramiel wasn't too concerned about this. It was a common sight, and Alexia often treated potential suitors this way.
As I mentioned to her before. Alexia acts as a scout for the team in the more elaborate dungeons. The man who floated is Keny. He plays a tank on the team.
The tall blond man is Arthur. Together with Ramiel, they are the first line. They are responsible for killing the monsters at first contact.
The tanned man is called Zac, the biggest human on the team. Together with Samantha, he is responsible for the second line. They kill all the survivors left through the first line. On longer expeditions, they swap positions with Ramiel and Arthur.
And in the end, there is a small man with a spear, Ariel. He is the healer who keeps the whole team in optimal condition, usually taking place at the back of the formation.
All that was missing for perfect harmony in the team was a talented mage, but nothing could be further from the truth. There isn't a single person on earth who can be called a pure magician.
The reason is simple. Literally, anyone can use magic. It is enough to understand one of the elements and have a basic knowledge of mana. Once these requirements are met, learning spells is a small thing.
Besides, dungeons are too unpredictable. When fighting in them, there is often a lot of chaos, under the influence of which monsters get to the back line. If people occupying distant positions aren't at least minimally capable of using white weapons, they die a horrible death. In the past, 100% magic-oriented people died more often than cannon meat in war.
For their own safety, anyone considering becoming a hunter must learn to fight with white weapons. The same goes for archers and healers. However, they aren't asked to do so much. They usually have to survive until someone stronger arrives.
Of course, there are those who are more oriented toward magic than melee combat. Synthi is included in such a group. But even she devotes much of her training to using a short dagger.
Zac was the first to notice the pair's arrival and pointed out to the rest. - "Look who finally visited us." They all looked in the same direction and smiled pleasantly.
Arriving at the site, the couple greeted everyone in a friendly manner. Perhaps almost everyone. When Ramiel stepped in front of Arthur, things became awkward. Neither wanted to be the first to shake hands.
As team leader, Ramiel expected a minimum of respect. He usually ignored such trivialities because he didn't like them, especially when it came to friends. But since the last battle, things had changed. At work, he began to demand that Arthur follow specific unwritten rules of hunter society.
These rules became a thorn in the man's pride, making things even more uncomfortable.
"Come on, Arthur, you probably wanted to tell Ramiel something. We talked about it." - Zac appeared between the men. He placed his hands on the necks of the quarreling men and brought them closer together. "Come on, you can't argue forever. Things are already strange. It will get worse later."
Zac is a walking social soul. He was charismatic, everyone liked him, and it was up to him to maintain good relations in the team.
Everyone gathered's gaze stopped on Arthur. This one took a breath and began.
"Well... I guess I wanted to apologize to you." - Arthur turned his head to the side and grunted. "I was stupid. I let myself be blinded by jealousy for a moment. There should have been no quarrel. " Arthur remained silent, then turned directly to Ramiel.
"As the main culprit, I will accept any punishment."
Ramiel was surprised by Arthur's admission. He would never have thought that the man would openly admit his mistake. He knew him all too well and knew how much his pride must have suffered.
Deep inside, Ramiel breathed a sigh of relief. The problem wasn't completely solved, but the situation had been alleviated. Unfortunately, another obstacle stood in the way, which was Ramiel's approach to life.
He couldn't trust the same person twice. During the incident when he was attacked, he lost all trust in the man. After all, if someone attacks you once, he will do it again.
Ramiel stood next to Arthur and put his hand on his shoulder. "We will talk about this later." A quiet sigh escaped Ramiel's lips. "At least you admitted your mistake."
Ramiel took his hand from the man's shoulder and began to head toward the dungeon gate, with the rest of them following.
Arthur was the last to enter the dungeon. He escorted the leader out with an angry look on his face. It had cost him a lot to apologize and admit his guilt. What did he get in return? A paltry - "We'll talk later." Arthur felt like a prostitute thrown out on the street after having intercourse with a client.
Passing through the gate, Ramiel felt mana filling his body and the ever-present element of space. As a man who focused on studying this element, he was susceptible to its presence.
He took a deep breath and felt the crisp air in his nostrils. To his eyes appeared the view of the destroyed courtyard of the castle. Everywhere lay fallen columns, destroyed statues of some monsters, shattered fountains, and shriveled bushes.
Normally, dungeons are full of life and lush greenery or rich in resources. However, sometimes there are exceptions like this one. These exceptions were called extinct dungeons. Aside from the dungeon's core, nothing of value can be found in them.
As for monsters, none have ever been encountered in an extinct dungeon. However, since Ramiel entered the dungeon, he was haunted by a strange feeling of danger that he couldn't escape.
Arming with two swords, the man gazed at the vast building stretching before him. One could draw a simple conclusion from the tense silhouette and the cool aura around him. Ramiel was taking this raid seriously.
"Get ready." - Ramiel gave the order, but his comrades' reaction was quite different from what he expected. They all looked at him as if he were paranoid.
"Don't exaggerate, Ramiel, this is an extinct dungeon. What bad thing can happen?" - Keny spoke first. "Will you trip over your own feet and break your nose? Will a loose brick suddenly fall on your head?"
Keny's taunt prompted a series of laughs interspersed with similar comments. Ramiel's team ignored his words, but he wasn't laughing. Something was wrong. Previously, he had downplayed the small suggestions provided by instinct, but now, he could no longer do so.
He found himself in a dungeon in the heart of hostile territory. Every cell in his body screamed of inevitable doom. Ramiel could almost feel the cool breath of the grim reaper on the back of his neck. It wasn't one of the most pleasant things or experiences.
The only person who seemed to share Ramiel's concerns was Samantha, but her reasons differed from the man's.
Ramiel stopped in place and half-turned his head. A short sigh escaped from his lips.
"It wasn't a request." - Ramiel's voice rang out into the void, interrupting the earlier interaction. Alexia froze in place, as did the rest of her companions. Unexpectedly, they were struck by an intense bloodlust.
Everyone tensed up and prepared to defend themselves in a flash. Alexia was the first to find the source of the deadly intentions. Given her heightened senses, it would have been strange if she hadn't.
"Ramiel, aren't you exaggerating?" - Alexia growled and strengthened her grip on the bow. She tried to take an offensive stance, but the leader's next words knocked her out of rhythm.
"Am I exaggerating? This is a fucking dungeon, not a playground!" - Ramiel didn't need to shout. The authoritative tone of his voice was enough to bring everyone to their feet. He had inherited a unique and very useful skill from his mother. He could shout without raising his voice.
"I thought so." - Ramiel snorted, then reduced the intensity of the pressure exerted. "Line up in a standard formation."
Silence reigned, but no one dared to object to Ramiel. Samantha was the first to shake off and take a position behind the leader. Soon after, the rest of the team members followed suit.
The current formation was no different from the standard one. Alexia took her place at the front, looking out for potential dangers. Right behind her, Ramiel followed with Arthur, ready to fend off the potential first wave of monsters. A few steps behind them, Keny walked. Samantha and Zac took a back seat to cover Ariel.
At Ramiel's command, they all began the march to tonight's main attraction.
The castle seemed to be modeled after buildings from the Gothic period. It had large, soaring towers, a large gate, and massive windows. The entire complex was the size of a football stadium.
However, like everything in the extinct dungeon, the castle's glory days were long behind. Its imposing soaring towers had mostly collapsed, one part of the gate lay shattered on the ground, and numerous cracks and cavities could be seen on the walls.
The castle seemed as small as a dungeon. Usually, dungeons stretched for tens of kilometers. When talking about small dungeons, the larger ones often consist of several floors, each with a different ecosystem. Some even had artificial skies.
Medium and large dungeons, due to their size, were usually explored by more than one team.
~~~~~~
The team had already spent five hours in the dungeon. Their progress... better not to mention them. Ramiel and his paranoia were to blame for everything. He couldn't shake the feeling of death that haunted him.
Alexia peered through the crack in the door and opened it gently, holding a short dagger in her hands. Once inside, she tightened her bow and surveyed the area with a watchful eye.
"I don't see anything suspicious. We can camp here and eat something." - Alexia holstered her weapon and went inside first. She trusted her senses and skills. If she says they are in no danger, they are in no danger.
After the woman's announcement, everyone set about securing the area and preparing lunch. While the rest seemed absorbed in their tasks, Ramiel stood guard.
He moved away from the rest of the team and sat in a secluded spot, observing his surroundings.
Soon, the divine smell of soup filled the room. Samantha exchanged communicative glances with the other members and took the bowl specially prepared for Ramiel. Walking toward him, she took out a vial of clear liquid from her pocket. With a deft flick of the fingers, she uncorked it and poured its contents into the soup.
The man was absorbed in observing the dark corridor, so he didn't notice Samantha's actions.
"Please, you should eat something." - Ramiel heard the woman's voice behind him, and despite the intensifying sense of his death, he felt relaxed. After all, he trusted Samantha with all his heart.
"Thanks, Sam." - Ramiel sent a sincere smile in her direction and took the bowl of soup, eating its contents. Samantha sat down next to the boy and had a carefree conversation with him about various silly things.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group took out their weapons and prepared to leave.
When Ramiel finished eating, he leaned against the wall. Samantha did the same, sitting beside him and continuing their carefree conversation. She couldn't let the man suspect anything.
Ramiel leaned his head against the icy wall. His gaze was fixed on the empty space.
"Sam, what would you say to end it all?" - Ramiel mentioned carelessly, arousing the woman's interest.
"End it all?" - Samantha muttered.
"Yes, to end it." - Ramiel replied longingly. "We have a lot of money... more than a lot. We are also strong, damn strong. Why not take care of something else and just enjoy ourselves? You know, buy out some forest and build paradise. Just you and me."
Samantha adopted a fake smile, trying to get rid of the suffocating feeling in her chest. Ramiel's words triggered an overwhelming sense of guilt in her. She felt terrible about what she had done for the past two years... However, it was too late for regrets. The dice had been thrown. All she could do was keep playing the game.
"Ram ... you know people are counting on us..." - Samantha interrupted in the middle.
"People?" - Ramiel snorted indifferently. "As if we would ever care about the fate of anyone." Ramiel didn't choose to be a hunter out of a sense of duty or moral compulsion. He did it so he could protect what he held precious.
He may have been driven by naive motives when he was young and naive. Unfortunately, life brutally shattered his innocent worldview and made him realize that the stronger is always right. Since then, Ramiel has done many things, not all of them legal or considered moral.
"Something happened?" - Samantha bit her tongue. She didn't want to say it, but the words came out involuntarily.
"I'm tired, Sam..." - Ramiel sighed. "I'm tired of all this. Besides, I feel the breath of death on my neck more and more."
He bit his lower lip.
"It's silly, but lately, when I enter the dungeon... I feel like I'm going to die..." - Ramiel took a longer pause. "Today it's even worse... "
Samantha hugged Ramiel and assured him that everything would be fine. She didn't feel like pulling this crib any longer. Ramiel didn't deserve it.
Fortunately, Arthur and the rest of the team came to her aid.
"Ramiel, we should go now." - Arthur spoke, standing at the front of the group. The man held out his hand to help Ramiel to his feet.
The boy accepted the help and then helped Samantha get up similarly. The depressed Ramiel was quickly replaced by an experienced and balanced warrior.
"Alexia, you can rest in the back. Now, I will take over the scouting. The rest remains the same." - Ramiel took on the scout role and moved to the front of the formation, resuming the march.
30 minutes later.
The entire group was advancing, walking along a wide corridor. The feeling of death that accompanied Ramiel became unbearable. As if he didn't have enough problems on his mind, he had recently started to feel dizzy and his senses had become dulled.
Suddenly, Ramiel felt an intense craving for blood, but he couldn't identify its source. He bent his knees slightly and drew back his sword.
"Be careful. This isn't... Kgh..." - Ramiel felt a burning pain starting between his shoulder blades before he could finish. A moment later, his armor shook, followed by a loud bang.
Ramiel gasped in surprise. A familiar sword blade emerged from his chest and pinned him to the ground. He didn't even have time to stammer as his nervous system was shaken by a similar pain coming from every corner of his body.
Before Ramiel's mind realized what had happened, he was screaming in pain, and blood pooled in his mouth.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You don't even know how long I've been waiting for this." - Ramiel heard Arthur's maniacal laughter behind him. Meanwhile, the man took out another sword from the space ring and thrust it into Ramiel's body.
Arthur stood proudly in front of his victim and looked him straight in the eyes. "Ramiel, Ramiel, Ramiel, Ramiel, Ramiel... How can you be so smart and yet so stupid? Did you think it was just because of jealousy?" - Arthur smiled sinisterly.
"But no wonder. This woman has done you decent brainwashing." - Saying these words, Arthur drew Samantha to him and joined their lips in a passionate kiss. Worst of all, the woman didn't resist. She drew pleasure from it.
Ramiel looked with confused eyes at the scene unfolding before him. He couldn't comprehend what was happening. "Samantha... what are you doing... help me." - Ramiel struggled to cough it out while coughing up blood.
"I'm sorry, Ram... it's nothing personal." - Samantha gave Ramiel a pitiful look.
The meaning of the words of the woman he loved slowly came to the confused Ramiel. Unable to store any more blood, he spat it out,, coughing horribly in the meantime.
"Sam, stop telling jokes. This... this isn't funny." - Ramiel groaned. He felt himself growing colder by the second.
"You are pathetic." - Someone snorted. "You couldn't even notice how we fucked your girlfriend right next to you, haha."
A mocking laugh from the healer rang out next to Ramiel.
"I have to admit that you trained Samantha well for us, Captain." - Zac's loud voice rang out from the other side.
"Sam - Sam ... what are they talking about." - Ramiel didn't want to believe what he was hearing. His mind repressed the truth.
Amused, Arthur took the necklace off his neck and waved it in front of Ramiel's face.
"You see, this is a very powerful artifact of illusion. It shows the victim what I want the owner to see." The blond man took a short pause.
"One thing I must admit to you, Ramiel, is that you are strong. Even with such a powerful artifact, the illusion limit is 20 hours. On any other person, it works continuously." - Arthur was sincere. He had always respected Ramiel for his strength.
The truth slowly reached Ramiel's consciousness. Resignation and hatred appeared in his eyes.
"Don't tell me..." - Ramiel couldn't finish. He was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit, during which he stained the floor red.
"Yes, for two years, we fucked Samantha under your nose. What you saw was an illusion." - Arthur smiled. "But don't worry. We aren't that bad. From time to time, we let you play with her." Arthur looked up at the former leader.
Ramiel was suddenly overwhelmed with great disgust. Almost immediately, he vomited blood and the remaining contents of his stomach.
"For ... why?'' - Ramiel's voice was breaking.
"Ram... it's not that simple..."- Samantha replied.
"You have become too strong." - Zac interjected.
"You were a threat to us captains." - Added Keny.
"You have many enemies, Ramiel." - Alexia scoffed.
"Power." - Arthur concluded.
Ramiel raised his head with last strength and looked at them with hatred and disgust. He wanted to say something, but no words were passing through his throat. Finally, he lowered head and a barely audible - "I hate you."
Uttering these words, something inside him snapped, and he didn't have the strength to hold it in anymore. After realizing the truth, the mental pain he felt was indescribable. He had been betrayed and killed by the people he loved most and would do anything for them.
Tears streamed down his cheek, and he began to sob quietly. In time, the quiet sobbing turned into crying. He already knew that this was his end. Realizing the truth, it hurt him.
While Ramiel felt sorry for himself, his former companions took all his rings and the equipment he had with him. As they left, they removed the weapons they had used to attack him from his body. They knew it was impossible to recover from such injuries.
Soon, everyone was gone. Only Ramiel and Samantha remained in the hallway. The woman, with a heavy heart, knelt down in front of the man and pressed her hand to his pale cheeks.
"I am sorry, Ram. I didn't want our relationship to end like this..." - Samantha pressed her lips together. The man's hateful gaze moved her, but it was too late. She had already made up her mind long ago. "I hope you find peace after death."
Lying in the bloodstain, Ramiel stared hatefully at Samantha's back. All the happy moments of his life flashed before his eyes, intensifying the emotional pain to an unimaginable level.
From second to second, his eyelids became heavier and heavier. The strength left his body and his breathing became shallower and shallower. With a growing sense of grief and sadness, Ramiel began to feel a burning pain in his eyes. But slowly, everything began to lose its meaning as his consciousness dissolved.