Fighting is terrifying.
It's all about instinctive moves you have learned through years of training and technical development, fast paced actions with second long resting times, and pain both acute and chronic. If you're too weak, your opponent will tear you apart, and if you're too strong, it's only a matter of time.
Stories of fiction make fighting out to be this cool adventure of adrenaline, excitement, and in rare cases, peace.
But the cold hard truth is much simpler. 90% fear, 120% adrenaline, and 110% pain. If you're feeling anything else, that's not a fight, it's a squabble. Because for all our time on this earth, true combat is something you experience when your life in on the line.
Unless something is fundamentally wrong in your head, those three basic emotions are all you feel.
Let's set the record straight. I am a regular citizen of Orario, the city famed for harboring the strongest adventurers, great resources for trade, and of course, for "The Dungeon" beneath the Tower of Babel.
It would have been great if us regular citizens were trained in combat, you know, in case of emergencies. That isn't the case though. Why? It's the kind of arrogance that comes from having familia's with multiple level 6's and a level 7 adventurer. Pick just one of the weakest links of those ranks and in that person is enough destructive power to level a city! They could do massive damage to a nation! All that in a single frame! Its absurd, unfair, but what am I to do? I have enough stresses as is.
All in all, the only ones really missing out are the citizens.
A missed opportunity in my eyes; the number of orphans in this city is staggering. Who wouldn't want a reserve army of well trained, patriotic citizens??
This is all to say that I was not prepared to face the dangers of the dungeon. I had thought it over and over as I walked down the wide, spiral staircase to the first floor of The Dungeon.
Above me currently, and at the center of the labyrinth city stood the impossibly tall Tower of Babel. Below was the dungeon, the seemingly endless crevasse. You might be surprised to learn that its incredibly modern. I don't know the specifics, but somehow the dungeon has this spiraling staircase that takes you down towards the first floor of the dungeon.
From there, as you advance further in, you'll find other staircases, holes in the dungeon, or hidden entrances to deeper floors.
I'm getting ahead of myself. I do tend to rant on things that interest me; I also rant when there's an impending sense of dread looming over my psyche.
To put it simply, I am dirt poor. I've recently turned 16 which meant I was considered an adult by most. It also meant I could no longer stay in the orphanage, leaving me homeless.
Most of my childhood was spent finding something I was good at: blacksmithing, leather work, culinary, construction, providing aid, making things, and more. But to my horror, I am inept at everything I do.
Yes, that's right, I don't have a single skill. No labor skills (unless picking things up and moving them around is considered such) and I lived in the Daedalus district, so I had to find somewhere nearby. If you know anything about the design of this city, you'll know I was out of luck unless I wanted to commute 3 hours back and forth from work every day.
I swear I was cursed by the heavens with how awful this situation is.
That leaves me with one choice [and you guessed it!] : the dungeon. The only profession where I have a high mortality rate every single time I work. I tried my best to avoid it, but here I am.
To say I was nervous was to call a minotaur cute. My legs were trembling at each step, my stomach felt queasy, my breathing was uneven, my senses were stretched to the max, I tried to peer at the dungeon from up here, and I felt worse the clearer the darkness at the bottom got. The senses perk may sound nice, but it served to further amplify my anxiety whenever I saw bloodied adventurers passing by.
I wish I could forcefully cancel all these signs of fear. I mean, it's only near certain doom I'm about to walk into, does my body really need to react by causing this urge to shit my pants in fear? It isn't anything to worry abou-
"Move! Move out of the way!! It's an emergency!"
My thoughts were cut short as I saw a group of adventures carrying the body of a blacked-out, bloody teammate.
I only had a few seconds to observe before they whizzed past me, more than enough time for me to see the panic, horror, grief, and anger on their faces. More importantly, to me, was the copious amounts of blood stained against their clothes. I couldn't see what happened to the poor guy, but it must not look pretty.
'I'm royally fucked,' was all I could think.
I have no party, barely any armor, no blessing on my back (just a small backpack for magic stones), and no combat experience. All I know is the little I learned from of my friend back at the orphanage.
He was really enthusiastic about fighting in The Dungeon, but I managed to sway him away before he threw his life away. I didn't want my only friend lost and never found.
The irony.
*stomp*
I made it.
I arrived at the entrance of the first floor.
Instantly, I felt a wave of fear and relief wash over me. I wasn't the only one here. It was the most basic observation, but one I took comfort in regardless.
Tons of adventurers come here on the daily. Many are in the same league as me; it takes years to increase your level. Orario is strong, but only due to the powerhouses that have decades of experience in growth and expeditions.
Even with this sense of safety, I was still on high alert. I absorbed everything my senses would let me. The air was clear, a slight scent of iron and the funky smell of sweaty adventurers going about. The first floor is like an empty cave mine.
A spacious area that looked more like a hallway than what you'd expect from The Dungeon. The corridor-like pathway was encased with light green walls on all sides. It could probably fit a thousand people comfortably,
At some parts, the walls pulsed a mellow green, giving natural light.
A city as large as this one had at least 50,000 adventurers going in and out throughout the day. The number fluctuate in accordance to events, weekday, injuries, level ups, etcetera.
When you first step into the dungeon, you'll find yourself on a straightforward path.
People label it the "Beginner's Road" it stretches for about 500 meters before it branches out to dozens of rooms each with their own ways to the next floor.
Each room may be as spacious as this one, sometimes they can be bigger or smaller. As of now, that was none of my concern. I would have to put in all of my effort to make it out of here alive even. It seemed the universe was not a fan of my hesitation, as I was immediately put out of my thoughts just as I arrived.
Not too far from me, I saw a goblin begin to morph from the ceiling. Yes, the thing was literally molded like clay into the form of a goblin, with its features developing at almost instantaneous speed! I stood petrified as the thing dropped to the floor. Not a second later, it dashed towards a party.
Luckily, they'd remined vigilant against such a thing.
One of the members, a tall and burly man holstering a big fat shield, blocked the attack with minimal difficulty. Then, to the goblin's right, another member slashed their sword down. The goblin was decapitated. Its body stood motionless for a moment before it poofed away, as if it was never there.
"Wow."
I was speechless.
They did it so fa-
"GRAAH!"
I was gone in a heartbeat. All I heard was the blood curling war-cry of a frenzied goblin and I dashed in a straight line to make distance.
"Grack," it growled. It might have been an in-the-moment thing, but I swear it sounded frustrated.
I turned around, pulling my sword faster than I'd ever had before, almost losing my footing, to at least see what I was dealing with.
There was no one in proximity to me and I had a monster almost my size darting towards me.
Goblins are hideous creatures. They have the face of the ugliest witch on an unproportionally big head, a frail-looking body, and some dangerously sharp claws.
I didn't have any time to stand in fear. I moved without thinking, pulling out all my effort into staying alive. The first thing I did?
Stand there as the creature lunged and swung its claws at my neck.
I parried the blow the best I could. We tumbled to the ground - I was a novice with the sword and unsure how parry literal claws - with me landing on my back a bit harshly. I had to release my sword to stop its claws from cutting through my chest.
We remained at a standstill, my hands around both its wrists, staring into its blood-shot black eyes. The goblin growled, drool trickling out its wide jaw. The terrifying image of its teeth engraved into my mind. Like that of a marine animal, it had rows upon rows of crooked, jagged teeth.
My instincts kicked in from the overstimulation of fear. I yanked its arms to its sides and head-butted his nose so hard, I made the cartilage sink into its skull.
"Graaahhhh!!" It cried out.
The blow disoriented him. I took that opportunity to shove him as far as I could. It wasn't much, he was 100 or more pounds, and I was barely out of puberty and nowhere near well-nourished. Either way, I was safe.
The next couple minutes were silent and tense. The goblin growled on his way up. His gaze was full of madness and a hint of caution. It seems I had knocked some sense into him. Me and him drew circles as we stared into each other.
Oddly enough, I felt little fear.
I gave him my undivided attention.
'I can kill him.' I mused.
It was doable…with a sword. The very sword that was lying next to the goblin's feet.
The goblin must have noticed my gaze
because he hurriedly picked up the weapon.
And that, is when the fear started to settle in (again).
I had lost my only weapon, facing an enemy with murder on its mind, without anyone to aid me, and the adrenaline was beginning to fade away. Mental and physical exhaustion was beginning to eat away at my remaining stamina.
*Swoosh*
The goblin slashed at my shoulder with very clumsy form. The swing was wide, accompanied by a grunt of effort, and a clear dissatisfaction with the way its claws were digging into his skin at the hilt. He was clearly unaware of how to grab it.
The sword was too large and heavy for its body frame. The slow approach of the blade gave me only a second's time to sidestep.
The sword hit the floor with a resounding,
*clang*
While it was raising the sword back up with both hands, I wasted no time advancing into his close quarters.
There was a clear opportunity to finish this, and I didn't want to risk dragging out the fight any longer. I don't know when another might spawn. This advance might be my only chance.
I threw caution to the wind and lunged at him, my right fist shooting straight for its startled face.
*THUMP*
There was enough force in that punch to smack the goblins head against the Dungeon floor. I took away the sword and thrusted it into its skull.
A second later,
*Poof*
I killed it.
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I may not be the luckiest guy on the planet, but at the very least, I can thank my lucky stars that fights in the real-world last seconds - maybe minutes - and not hours. Fictional stories like to make you think that the longer the fight, the more epic it is. I beg to differ. Struggling, being constantly on the look out for your looming doom, wracked with pain with no rest, all that sounds like a horrible experience.
I hope this fast sequence continues for my entire adventuring journey.
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The Dungeon's monster's poof away once you deal enough damage to them. They can be decapitated, killed from blood loss, stabbed through the heart, or crushed into oblivion. When they die, they can leave the loot that is their 'magic stone'. You trade those magic stones into the guild for Valis – the currency of Orario.
When I killed my first goblin, it left behind a trail of blood on my sword and a magic stone the size of my biggest toe. These cores are not worth much, as they come from the lowest tier monster and don't have much power. I believe they sell of 100-250 valis. It depends on the size.
It wasn't much, at all. Just enough for a cheap pound of meat and a loaf of bread. But at this very moment, it felt like a trophy. I had taken my first kill, gotten my first magic core, and did all of this without having a single scratch. I don't even have a skill!
A piece of me wanted to stay and fight at least one more. I can't be sure yet, but I might have finally found something I am good for. Still, it would be wiser to leave, I can feel a slight swelling in my back and an ache in my wrists.
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The journey back up and to the guild was uneventful, I prefer it that way. From the Tower of Babel – the tallest structure in the city and where The Dungeon is located – and to the guild, is a 40-minute walk. Most adventurers take carriages, but others like to explore the stores, food stalls, and restaurants along the way. Today was a somewhat busy day with carriages making deliveries of goods and people. Food stalls were packed with customers and quite a few individuals were walking around. I saw this clueless guy looking at his map and to his surroundings constantly.
He was clearly lost.
"Hey, sir, are you having trouble reading that map?"
The man turned to me and when I verified that I was talking to him, a slight redness began to cover his face. I'd made him embarrassed on top of his growing anxiety. I blared my brightest smile and laughed off the tension, telling him it was nothing to worry about and that I knew Orario like the back of my hand. He quickly became relieved when I showed him how to use the map.
"Thank you very much," He bowed slightly,
"this city is so grand, I don't think I could have ever learned my way around here without your help."
"Yea, yea, no problem, can I ask what you're planning to do here in Orario?" I asked. I was trying to hitch a free ride since his destination was in route to the guild.
Heh.
"I'm here to become a beginner blacksmith for the Hephaestus Familia."
That was very good news to me. Being in the good graces of an aspiring blacksmith is always a plus, regardless of how far they get into their career. Even better is that the Familia he's chosen is the most prominent in the blacksmithing market. If I can survive long enough, I might be able to create a contract between us.
The opportunities!
"Oh, do you have any prior experience?"
"Yes, I've worked for my family's business back in my hometown. I know all the basics."
The talk about blacksmithing took an
unexpected but pleasant turn as we shared our experiences. He told me his name was Trevor, Trevor Crimson. He sure didn't feel like a Trevor but hey, who am I to judge. Considering my track record, the name 'Viktor' doesn't suit me really well. When we talked about our lives, I convinced him to pay for a ride and I was dropped off at the guild.
We said our goodbyes.
Welp, with that healthy dose of social interaction, my first day of working as an adventurer came to an end. The interior of the guild smelled of papers and people in desperate need of a bath. It was an hour past midday, I can only imagine how bad it reeks at hours 17-20.
The best comparison I have for the guild, is that it is as big as the orphanage which had a sanctuary big enough to fit maybe 500 people comfortably. It was a church before it was remodeled into an orphanage, and me and my fellow orphans made some very nice memories playing in that area. It had two stories. I probably won't be going to the top floor anytime soon, so I made sure to memorize the interior of the floor I'd be doing all future business in.
To my right there was a lounge/waiting area, you'd typically see people waiting to meet their advisors, talking to party members, or waiting for the line to shrink. On the left, there was a crowd staring at a board with advertisements such as news, Familia requests, and some bounty posters. Lastly, right in front of me, there were five different booths that ranged from trading magic stones to bureaucracy work, trading drops from monsters, and other services completely unrelated to me.
I waited for the next hour and thirty minutes to trade the single magic core for 150 valis and walked out of the establishment feeling somewhat indignant. I had risked my life for spare change.
I love being an adventurer.
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There it is! Chapter Uno. Uh, I'll make myself clear to anyone who happens to pass by: I am not writing a novel. For one, I'm not good at writing a full fledged story. Scared of commitment, Scared of the effort, Scared of trying something new.
If you want to put this on your saved list, go ahead, I might update this story in the far future! Although, only a very select few will likely ever find this small project of mine, 😄
I have plans if I change my mind to being serious but no promises. Not to myself, or you.
Anyways! This is my attempt at action in a long time. Most is purely speculation, I have not done any martial arts, I just know a bit of biology from my General Edu classes that I barely paid attention to 🤣
If you see any discrepancies, grammar errors, bad paragraph spacing, inconsistencies, or other problems/idea, be sure to let me know! I love to yap and learn things about others!
Have a good day !