The immersion into the belly of the earth began with a harmless wagon ride. The squeak of wheels, the measured clatter of hooves, and the unhurried chatter of companions gave the illusion of a peaceful journey. Next to me sat Roland, a monsterologist with embarrassingly green strands of hair, the legacy of an unfortunate encounter with a slug.
- What kind of monster was it that dyed your hair? - I couldn't resist asking, trying to break the tension.
- Ah, it was a green slug," Roland sighed, touching his emerald strands. - It jumped on my hair and tried to eat me. Thankfully my companions managed to kill it before it devoured me completely. Its insides, jelly, got on my hair and colored it.
- Interesting, I've never seen slugs before," Zenaris joined the conversation. - Where do they live?
- In the swamps," Roland answered. - They live in large swarms. After we killed the slug that had attacked me, we saw a huge pack behind us. We ran away from there without even turning around.
- Hmm, are they really that dangerous? - Goliath clarified, furrowing his brow.
- Alone, they are weak, at most they can strangle a child," Roland explained. - In packs, they would swallow you up with their mass. I've even heard from other monsterologists that these swarms merge into one big slug. It's scary to imagine!
The conversation about slugs did not add optimism. Michael, apparently deciding to change the subject, asked:
- Hey Roland, do you know anything about the dungeon we're headed to now?
- Not at all," the monster man said, embarrassed. - I've never been in a dungeon before. This is my first time in a dungeon.
- Wha-o-o-o-o-o-o?" Helen said. - Did they give us an inexperienced chaperone?
- I'm sorry, all claims are with the city government," Roland said.
The rest of the conversation turned into incoherent chatter, which merged into white noise for me. I turned off my consciousness, immersed in my own thoughts, and waited. Four days of travel passed like a blink of an eye. The monotonous scenery outside the wagon window was replaced only by brief stops in villages and towns, unlike the majestic Mortheim, which had left a deep imprint on my soul.
At last we reached the place. The coachman dropped us off at the entrance to the cave, and we had to continue on foot. The air was saturated with anxiety and anticipation. The entrance to the dungeon looked deceptively simple-an ordinary cave, and only a sign at the entrance hinted that the place was dangerous.
- Come on, let's go! - Roland said loudly. - I will go ahead and unlock the doors to the dungeon, and then you will lead the way.
We descended into darkness. The light from the surface stopped reaching us, and the cave swallowed us like the mouth of a monster. Zenaris pulled a long flask from his backpack, poured something into it, and it flashed with a bright light, dispelling the darkness.
- Be awe-inspiring! Alchemical light! - he said triumphantly. - I knew I'd need it!
We walked down the narrow corridor, and the further we went, the more anxious I became. Twenty minutes later, we came to a solid wooden door set into a stone wall. Roland unlocked it, and a bright light poured in.
We entered a spacious room, lit by the soft glow of the moss that covered the walls. The room was empty, but it felt like the calm before the storm. We laid out our backpacks, preparing for the ordeal ahead.
- The next room is probably already with monsters," Zenaris warned. - The formation is the same as usual. Let's move out.
Grabbing our weapons, we walked through the door into the next cave. It was much larger than the previous one, extending into the distance and widening. The tension had reached its limit. Every rustle made me flinch. Sweat dripped down my face, and my breathing became ragged.
Suddenly the walls shook and a deafening noise was heard.
- Out of the walls! - Zenaris shouted.
Strange creatures began to emerge from the stone walls. The stones separated from the surface and joined to form humanoid figures. Goliath, without wasting a second, rushed forward and with his huge kanabo blew one of the monsters to dust. The others followed suit.
Goliath smashed the stone creatures one by one, scattering the debris around. Zenaris deftly maneuvered to attack the thin joints of the stones, but it had no effect - the monsters recovered quickly. Then he sliced the monster in half with one powerful blow, and its body shattered into pieces.
I didn't want to be left behind either. I swung my sword over my head and brought it down on the stone monster, intending to repeat Zenaris's trick. The blade struck the stone with a deafening clang, and the vibration pierced my body, sending pain through my bones. The sword couldn't penetrate the monster's defenses, but luckily it didn't break, just dulled. It was clear that cutting weapons were useless here. I kicked the monster with my foot and retreated.
- Shit! We need a crushing weapon! - I shouted, trying to shout over the roar of the battle.
I saw Michael unsuccessfully trying to attack the articulated monsters. His blows lacked the power to do significant damage. Suddenly, the stone monster counterattacked, knocking Michael to the ground. He crashed into Helen, who was also putting up an unequal fight. The monster that Helen had been fighting brought its arm up, preparing to crush its defeated opponents.
Activating my body's mana saturation to full, I rushed forward. There was only seconds to spare. My blow struck the articulation of the monster's arm, causing it to drop. Without wasting a moment, I kicked the severed limb, preventing it from falling on my comrades. Then I pelted the monster with a hail of blows, aiming for the vulnerable spots. Finally, it crumbled into a pile of rocks.
- Get back! You can't fight them! - I shouted to Helen and Michael. - Zenaris! Goliath! I'll wreck them, you wreck them!
After receiving an affirmative answer, I began attacking the monsters, destroying their joints. Goliath and Zenaris instantly destroyed the collapsed bodies. We stood shoulder to shoulder, protecting our wounded comrades.
In the heat of battle, I didn't notice one of the monsters sneaking up on me from the side. His powerful blow knocked me to the ground. I felt a sharp pain in my side, and my vision blurred. Zenaris helped me up, and the blur in front of my eyes cleared. The battle was over.
The pain in my side was excruciating. I cringed, trying to fight the nausea. After a few minutes, the pain subsided a little, and I was able to look around. Goliath, breathing heavily, was leaning on his kanabo. Zenaris was watching Helen examine Michael.
- I think a couple of ribs are broken," Helen said. - He won't be able to fight.
She wanted to examine me, too, but I refused, assuring her that I was fine. Unlike Michael, I was able to stand and move, though the pain still lingered.
- It's no good," Zenaris said, frowning. - Our weapons are no match for these monsters. Two of them can't fight at all, and two more are wounded.
- We'll have to carry everything on our shoulders," Goliath said grimly, clutching the hilt of his kanabo.
- Shall we go back? - Helen suggested timidly, glancing anxiously around the dark passages of the cave.
- No," said Roland, who was behind us. He had been standing aside the whole time, watching the battle as if he were an outsider. - After entering the dungeon, we can only exit from the final room, and the door behind us is locked.
- Roland speaks the truth," Zenaris confirmed. - I read about it in one of the bestiaries.
- We're trapped here and we're going to have to go all the way," Goliath summarized.
The situation seemed hopeless. We were trapped in the depths of the dungeon, two of us were wounded, two of us couldn't fight the stone monsters, and one of us... just watched. Grim thoughts of impending doom filled my mind. Helen helped Michael up, and we moved on, deeper into the cave.
The few remaining stone monsters didn't give us much trouble. We dealt with them quickly, but each fight was draining and unsettling. Finally, we reached another door that Roland had told us led to the second level of the dungeon. Experience from my past life told me that the monsters would be stronger there. Was I really doomed to die in this gloomy place?
After descending the stairs, we found ourselves in a long corridor going into impenetrable darkness. With each step the glowing moss became less and less, and soon we were left only with the dim light of Zenaris' alchemical flask. Goliath and Zenaris walked ahead, taking on possible dangers, the rest of us keeping behind. My side still ached, but I tried to keep up, gritting my teeth.
The darkness thickened, engulfing us like a predatory maw. I could feel the fear gripping my body. My legs trembled, and goosebumps ran up and down my back. Every rustle seemed a harbinger of mortal danger. I was afraid that a stone monster would leap out of the darkness and crush me.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of stone hitting armor. A battle had broken out ahead. I, trapped in the narrow corridor, could do nothing to help. Finally, the sounds of battle subsided, and we continued on our way. Endless dark corridors, a labyrinth from which there seemed to be no way out. The stone monsters blocked our path, and each battle was painful to my wounded body.
Suddenly there was a woman's scream from behind. Helen! I saw a burning red eye in the darkness, and I squeezed through my comrades and rushed forward, drawing my sword. My blade struck a rock and shattered. I was unarmed before the stone monster, ready to strike a fatal blow.
In desperation, I gathered all the mana I had left in my hand and struck at the enemy. When I activated my magic vision, I saw the monster shatter into tiny shards. But my hand shattered along with it.
A sharp pain pierced my forearm. I realized the bones were broken. But I was still alive. Now the pain in my side was joined by pain in my arm. Squeezing back into the line, I reported:
- My arm is broken, and so is my sword. I cannot fight.
- Oh, shit," Zenaris' voice came through. - The only active units left were the two of us.
- Will this be the end of my life? - Roland said in a trembling voice.
We continued to trudge through the maze. Zenaris took his place in the rearguard, providing some protection. Suddenly, the flask of alchemical light went out, plunging us into darkness.
- Zenaris, I hope you brought more alchemical light with you? - Michael asked.
- I'll look in my bag," Zenaris replied. After much rustling and tinkling, he added with a note of confusion, "Uh... I remember I put a few more flasks in, where are they..." he said.
After a few more minutes of searching, Zenaris said bitterly:
- No. They're gone.
We found ourselves in total darkness, in a maze inhabited by deadly creatures. Fear gripped my body. My arm ached unbearably, distracting me from all other thoughts. The situation seemed hopeless.
We walked with only Michael's mental map to guide us. Goliath gingerly probed the path with his kanabo, ready to repel an attack at any moment. The hours dragged on endlessly, turning into torture. It seemed as if we were forever stuck in this dark labyrinth, doomed to perish.
A few skirmishes with stone monsters in the darkness only increased the despair. Suddenly there was a faint glimmer of light in the distance. We rushed to it like drowning men to a lifeline. The light turned out to be the long-awaited door leading to the unknown.
We stopped at the door, dropping our heavy backpacks.
- We'll settle in here," Zenaris said. - We need to rest.
A sense of relief swept over me. My companions brought out sleeping bags, food, and flasks of water. They handed me a cloth-wrapped piece of something that turned out to be a sandwich. I looked at it with amazement at what was unusual in this world. After eating and quenching their thirst, some of them went straight to sleep.
Helen called me over and examined my broken arm. She bandaged it carefully, doing the best she could under the circumstances. Then she bandaged Michael's as well. I removed my armor and leather jacket, and Helen examined my battered side. It was covered in bruises and the pain was getting worse. Helen bandaged my side as well, trying to ease the pain.
After that, I lay back in my sleeping bag, trying to focus on circulating mana to dull the pain a little. Gloomy thoughts of our predicament lingered. We were trapped in the dungeon, wounded, exhausted, and our hope of rescue was fading by the minute. But somewhere deep inside there was a flame of hope. I didn't want to give up. I had to survive.