C6 - Guild Grumbles and a Ragtag Dungeon Crew
Auron was in the middle of polishing his newest piece of gear when he spotted Kael trudging toward him through Emberfall's bustling marketplace, shoulders slumped and an expression that looked equal parts exhausted and desperate.
"Hey!" Auron greeted, raising an eyebrow. "How's the new guild going?"
Kael looked at him, his face a mask of woe. "The Argent Order is officially off to… the most dismal start in guild history."
"Oh?" Auron tried to stifle a grin. "Didn't go quite as planned?"
Kael rolled his eyes. "First of all, no one mentioned the sheer amount of paperwork! I had to detail a protocol for 'handling feral geese' and create a recruitment plan involving free pies, which, by the way, no one even likes."
Auron chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "Sounds like you've got everything under control, then."
"Control?!" Kael shook his head, sighing dramatically. "Control flew out the window somewhere around page 54, where I had to list the types of acceptable cat breeds for guild pets."
Auron laughed outright this time. "Well, at least it sounds… thorough?"
"Thoroughly absurd." Kael sighed, rubbing his temples. "So, here I am, abandoning my own guild plan—at least temporarily—to join forces with you and hopefully avoid any more 'guild bylaws regarding cats.' And," he added, gesturing around with exaggerated flair, "I'm here to help with your next big quest!"
Auron grinned, pleased. "Glad to have you back. Actually, I was just about to start a party-based dungeon run. Rumor has it there's a hidden beast familiar inside, but we'll need a full party to make it through."
Kael perked up at the mention of a familiar. "Oh, count me in. A bit of beast-taming action sounds like just the break I need."
But as they moved toward the dungeon's entrance, Auron realized the real challenge lay ahead: finding three more people willing to join them on this expedition. They had to round up a minimum of five, and most people who'd heard about this dungeon preferred running with well-established groups rather than, well, two guys who'd barely scraped through their last fight.
"Alright," Auron muttered, eyeing the people passing by. "Think we can convince three more adventurers to join us?"
Kael crossed his arms, squinting at the crowd. "Easy. All we need is charm, confidence, and… pie?"
Auron stifled a laugh. "Please tell me you didn't actually bring pie."
Kael held up a slightly squashed pastry. "Hey, you never know! Some people will join any quest if there's free food involved."
After several failed attempts, they finally managed to flag down their first recruit: a gung-ho, high-energy bard named Fenn. She seemed more interested in documenting the adventure than actually surviving it, but she accepted on the condition that she got "exclusive rights to all dungeon tales."
"Sure, yeah, that's fine," Auron replied, eager to lock in at least one recruit. "Just, uh, don't get too carried away."
"Carried away?" Fenn winked, tuning her lute. "I'll be carrying *you all* through this dungeon with the power of music and storytelling."
Kael leaned in, whispering, "You're sure about this?"
Auron gave a resigned shrug. "One down, two to go."
Their second recruit came in the form of a no-nonsense, somewhat grumpy cleric named Thorne. Thorne had all the personality of a boulder, and he barely looked at them before muttering, "As long as I get paid, I'm in."
"Paid?" Auron gulped, then muttered, "Uh, yeah, totally. Coins, treasure, the usual."
"Whatever," Thorne muttered, strapping his mace to his back. "Let's just get this over with."
"Fantastic!" Kael said, pretending to be unfazed. "I'm sure his charming personality will really shine through once we're in the heat of battle."
Just as they were about to lose hope on finding a fifth member, they ran into Yara—a wide-eyed, rookie mage who looked as if she'd never seen a monster in her life. She jumped at the idea of joining them, thrilled at the prospect of "finally seeing real combat."
"You do know this is a pretty dangerous dungeon, right?" Kael asked gently, his voice tinged with concern.
Yara's eyes shone. "That's why it's perfect! I've been practicing spells in my grandma's backyard for years. I can't wait to try them out on some actual monsters!"
"Backyard practice, huh?" Auron exchanged a glance with Kael. "Alright, welcome to the team, Yara."
With their ragtag group assembled, Auron led them into the dungeon—a cavernous ruin filled with damp stone walls, eerie blue crystals glowing from crevices, and the distant echo of strange sounds. Everyone adjusted their weapons, and Fenn strummed her lute, humming a tune to "boost morale."
"Alright, team," Auron said, turning to face them all. "Here's the plan. We'll proceed carefully and keep an eye out for traps. Yara, you're on lookout for magical defenses. Thorne, we'll need you for healing, so stay in the back but be ready to move forward if things get dicey. Kael, cover our flanks, and Fenn… just… keep doing what you're doing."
"Will do, fearless leader!" Fenn replied with a playful salute.
The first few chambers went smoothly enough, with only a few rogue goblins and some minor traps, but soon they found themselves in a large chamber where skeletal warriors stood guard.
"Oh boy," Kael muttered, readying his blade. "Alright, Auron. Tactics?"
Auron nodded, stepping forward with a plan forming in his mind. "Fenn, play something that'll keep them off-balance. Thorne, stay behind me and cover with your healing aura. Yara, hit them with your biggest spells."
Yara nodded, muttering an incantation that produced a fireball… which promptly fizzled out into a puff of smoke.
"I, uh… maybe need a little more practice," she stammered.
"Right, okay, new plan," Auron said, swallowing his panic. "Yara, you'll—"
Before he could finish, the skeletons began to charge. Fenn whipped out her lute, playing a discordant note that caused half the skeletons to stumble. Kael jumped in, clearing a path with wide, confident strikes.
Amid the chaos, Yara managed to summon a small bolt of lightning that accidentally hit Kael's leg. He jumped and yelped, glaring back at her. "Hey! Friendly fire!"
"Oh, uh, sorry!" she called, blushing furiously. "I meant to hit that skeleton near you…"
Despite the chaos, they eventually managed to clear the room, albeit with a few extra bruises. Thorne grunted, barely lifting his hand to cast a minor healing spell on Kael, who was muttering under his breath about "overenthusiastic rookies."
As they pressed further into the dungeon, the party started to find a rhythm, if not exactly a refined one. Fenn's music, though unconventional, seemed to keep morale high. Yara's spells became slightly more accurate, though her excitement led to a few accidental spell blasts hitting the walls instead of enemies. Thorne continued grumbling about the lack of professionalism, but he grudgingly kept everyone patched up.
Finally, they reached the end chamber. A shimmering portal appeared in the center, and on a pedestal nearby sat a strange, ethereal egg—clearly the coveted beast familiar they'd come for.
"Alright, this is it," Auron said, holding up his hand. "Let's—"
But Yara, in her enthusiasm, charged straight ahead with a triumphant yell. As soon as she set foot near the egg, the portal erupted, and a massive, ghostly serpent emerged, coiling around the pedestal and hissing furiously.
"Uh…oops?" Yara squeaked, slowly backing up.
Kael sighed. "Great. Of course, it had to be a giant snake."
"Everyone, attack!" Auron shouted.
They launched into a haphazard battle, Yara casting freezing spells, Thorne grumbling as he tanked hits with a shield spell, Kael dodging and striking with a blend of skill and pure luck, and Fenn belting out a rousing tune that somehow kept them focused amid the chaos. Together, they chipped away at the serpent until it finally dissolved into ethereal dust, leaving the egg behind.
As the dust settled, Auron approached the egg and carefully picked it up, feeling a strange energy pulsing from within. He turned to the group, who were various states of bruised, exhausted, and exhilarated.
"Well, we did it," Auron said, holding up the egg.
Kael sighed, patting him on the back. "Barely, but hey, who's counting?"
"Yeah!" Yara cheered, bouncing with excitement. "I can't believe I actually fought real monsters!"
Thorne simply rolled his eyes, muttering something about "amateurs," while Fenn struck a triumphant chord on her lute.
As they left the dungeon, tired but victorious, Auron realized that while their party might not have been the best-organized or most polished, they'd somehow made it through. Barely.