The rescue party ventured deeper into the dungeon. Rayan walked at the front, his hand on his sword. Dev was right behind him, holding his shield. Nisha and Tara followed closely behind. The Guild Master walked near the middle of the formation as the others kept watch. Mira kept with the support group. No one said much as they walked. It was too quiet. Rayan frowned.
"We should have encountered some monsters by now." Dev nodded in agreement. "Something’s not right." Nisha gripped her staff tightly. "Maybe they’re hiding." Tara looked towards the tunnel ahead. "Or maybe they ran away." The Guild Master stopped suddenly. Everyone halted as well. "What is it?" Rayan asked. The Guild Master raised a hand. "Listen."
Everyone fell silent. They heard growling. Two growls. Then a third. Dev raised his shield. "Monsters." Several glowing eyes appeared in the darkness. Rayan drew his sword. "Everyone, get ready." The monsters charged. They were large and four-legged. Their bodies were covered in dark fur, and their mouths were full of sharp teeth. Nisha recognized them.
"Dungeon Hounds!"
The hounds lunged at the party. "Hold the line!" the Guild Master ordered. One of the hounds jumped at Rayan. He raised his sword to meet it.
CLANG!
The impact sent shockwaves up Rayan’s arm, forcing him to take a step back. "Strong," he muttered. The hound attacked again, but Dev blocked its attack with his shield. "Leave it to me!" he said. The creature rammed into Dev’s shield.
BOOM!
The impact sent him sliding across the floor.
"Urgh!"
Rayan took advantage of the opening and ran up to the hound. "Now!" he cried. He brought his sword down on the creature’s side, wounding the creature, he quickly finished it. "One down," Rayan said. Dev blocked the next hound’s attack. "Don’t get distracted!" Rayan turned to see another three hounds running towards them. "Right!" Nisha said. She raised her staff."Fireball!" A fiery ball of energy shot from the end of her staff.
BOOM!
It hit two of the hounds, knocking one of them off its feet. Tara notched an arrow to her bow and let it fly.
SWISH!
The string sang as the arrow struck the wounded hound, sending it to the ground. "Nice shot," Dev said. Tara smiled. "I know." One of the hounds lunged at Nisha, but Rayan was there to block its path. His sword sliced through the creature’s body. Nisha looked at him. "Thanks." Rayan nodded. "Stay behind us."
The fight raged on as the more experienced adventurers joined in. It didn’t take long for the last hound to fall. The silence that followed was deafening. Everyone lowered their weapons. Mira looked around. "Is everyone okay?" The Guild Master nodded. "Check your injuries."
The adventurers did so. They had a few minor wounds, but nothing serious. Rayan looked around. "Why were they here?" Dev frowned. "What do you mean?" "These monsters shouldn’t be this close to the entrance." The Guild Master walked over to one of the fallen hounds and examined it. He then looked up at the tunnel ahead. "Something is wrong." Rayan followed his gaze. "What do you mean?" The Guild Master pointed at the tunnel. "Look at their tracks." Rayan frowned.
The hounds had come from deeper in the dungeon. Their tracks showed that they had been running towards the entrance, not the other way around. Tara’s eyes widened in realization. "They were running away." Nisha nodded. "Running from what?" No one had an answer. The Guild Master stood. "We should continue carefully. Something is most likely still out there."
Rayan looked towards the darkness ahead. "Whatever it was..." he muttered. He tightened his grip on his sword."...is deeper inside." Mira looked worried. "Could it be the Minotaur?" The Guild Master shook his head. "We don’t know. We need to find Arin. Then we can figure out what is happening."
Rayan nodded. "Then let’s go." The adventurers continued deeper into the dungeon.
___________
Deep Inside the Dungeon. Arin stopped suddenly. He heard a loud noise in the distance.
BOOM!
"What was that?" he asked. Saira looked towards the tunnel. "Battling," she said. Arin’s eyes widened. "The rescuers?" Ayan nodded. "They have encountered monsters." Arin opened Dungeon Mapping. A blue map appeared before his eyes. Several blue dots were running around inside the dungeon. The rescuers were still far away. Arin frowned. "They’re still a long way from us." Saira looked at him. "What do you see?" "The dungeon," he replied. "More specifically?" Arin hesitated. "There are passages that I couldn’t see before."
Saira looked at him. "Your ability is revealing them?" "I think so," Arin replied. Ayan studied Arin’s face. "Can you determine where those passages lead?" "Not yet," Arin replied. He moved his fingers across the map. Another passage appeared, then another. His eyes widened. "This skill is more useful than I thought." Saira nodded. "You have only just begun to use it." Arin looked at her. "Fair," he said.
He continued looking at the map. It was much bigger than he thought. Some of the passages ended in dead ends, while others led to different parts of the dungeon. There were even some that were completely hidden from view. Arin frowned. "There’s something wrong." "What?" Saira asked. "Some of these passages aren’t normal," Arin said. Ayan looked at him. "How so?" "I don’t know," Arin replied. He zoomed in on one part of the map. "There are passages behind these walls." Saira’s expression changed. "Hidden passages?" "Looks like it," Arin said. Ayan was silent for a moment. Arin looked at him. "You know something."
"No," Ayan said. Arin narrowed his eyes at him. "You’re hesitating." "I am considering what I know," Ayan replied. "And?" Ayan looked deeper into the dungeon. "The dungeon has many secrets." Arin sighed. "That’s becoming a theme." They continued walking. The deeper they got, the darker it became. The blue crystals on the walls became less frequent. Arin looked around. "Have you been this deep before?" Ayan nodded. "Many times." "What’s ahead?" Arin asked. "Different monsters," Ayan replied.
"Strong ones?" Arin sighed. "That’s not very reassuring." Ayan looked at him. "I was not trying to reassure you."
Arin stared at him. "You’re terrible at this." Saira continued walking. "Stop talking and keep moving." Arin sighed. "Yes, ma’am." Suddenly, Ayan stopped. Arin nearly walked into him. "What?" Arin asked. Ayan looked into the darkness ahead. "Something is coming." Saira immediately reached for her weapon. Arin opened Dungeon Mapping again. A single red dot was approaching them. Arin’s expression darkened. "What is that?" Ayan looked towards the tunnel. "A monster," he said. "How strong?" Ayan was silent. Arin looked at him. "That’s never a good sign." The sound of footsteps echoed through the tunnel.
Step.
Step.
Step.
A large creature slowly walked out of the darkness. It had a thick, armored body that was covered in scales. Its eyes glowed a menacing red. Arin raised his sword. The creature looked right at him. It stopped. Arin waited for it to attack, but it didn’t. It lowered its head. Arin narrowed his eyes. "What?" he asked. Saira watched silently as the creature continued to kneel. Ayan’s golden eyes narrowed as well. The creature slowly got to its knees in front of Arin. "What is it doing?" Arin asked. Ayan looked at the creature. Then at Arin’s marked hand. "It recognizes you." Arin swallowed not wishing to hear the answer. "As what?" Ayan’s gaze was still on the creature.
"Its master."