“This must be it. I mean… I think it is…” We were given an exact location, and we found ourselves at another Tavern. This tavern was fairly beat down, and it looked as if it could blow away if the wind blew hard enough. 

I pushed through the chipped wooden saloon doors, jumping at one of the doors breaking off and falling into the tavern’s ground, dust finding its ways into my nostrils. 

“Achoo!” I sneezed.

“About time that damn door gave out!” a dwarf with a light, cherry red beard and a vikings hat with two horns (the tip of both of them being chipped off) chuckled in the distance, gulping down the remaining milk in his large cup. 

“I think you’ve gotten the wrong map. You see?” A tall man with thin, flimsy, lopsided glasses pointed at the long piece of paper spread out on the countertop, only to receive a hard smack to the back of his neck from a lady exactly his size next to him. 

“You idiot! That’s the back of the map!” she shouted in his ear.

“Oh-” he turned the paper around, gasping at his stupidity. 

Celie and Johnathan hid behind me, looking like ghosts. 

“Er- hi…” I waved at them, but only the dwarf noticed.

“Don’ mind em’, real messy dey’ are.” 

“Ah…”

I came inside further, finding an available stool that didn’t look like it would collapse if I sat on it. However, Celie and Johnathan refused to sit down. 

“We’re here to join your adventuring party to clear out a dungeon. I mean- you are that adventuring party, right?” 

“O’ course we are! About time someone accepted dat’ damned thing. We been askin’ all around, but no one wanted to join!” The dwarf slammed his swollen hand on the table, making the whole tavern shake. 

“You don’t care if we’re just kids?”
“Mm? O’ course we do, but we have to clear it now before our debt day is due…”

“Debt day?”

“Nun’! Don’ worry bout it! Julie, Daniel, meet uh- er… what’s yer names?” 

“I’m Alaric. That’s Celie. That’s uh… what’s your name?” 

“J-Johnathan!” 

“Ah, right… anyway-”

“This a joke? Three kids? Ha!” Julie gave us disapproving stares before going back to chugging her ale.

“She does have a point, you know? Three kids in a dungeon? Doesn’t sound very good… not good at all… in fact- that sounds like a terri-”

“Shut the hell up! We’ve already heard ya’ once ya’ fool.” The dwarf threw his bottle at Daniel, and he dodged it by just an inch. 

*shatter*

“Oopsie…” 

“You broke the window! Now we’re gonna have to pay more! You idiot! I’m gonna’ kill you someday, Hardstone!” Julie cried, brandishing her cup of ale in the air as it spilled onto her lap and onto Daniel’s head.

They’re really annoying…

I tuned my mana in both of my arms, raised my hand, and then…

*whizz*

Julie’s cup flew out of her hand and found itself lodged into the wall. Only then did I find everyone’s eyes locked onto me.

“Well, Julie, I think he maybe- maybe- maybe he might be- be good enough, you know?”

*poof*

“Ouch…” Daniel rubbed his head, giving a very stiff cry. Julie had struck him on his head, biting her lip and giving me an angry yet passionate eye.

“You think you’re tough, huh? Duel me right now!”

Why do I find myself having to duel EVERYONE I MEET?!

“Not in here, right?” I asked as she reached for something under the countertop. She gave an awkward smirk, having trouble taking whatever was actually under the cover as she yanked and grunted.

Then, she fell backwards with a bow in her hand.

Embarrassed, she stood up, dusted her torn leggings, and pointed at me.

“If you can beat me, you can join our party!” 

I shrugged after getting a nod from both Celie and Johnathan.

 

Julie rubbed her blunt-tipped arrow on the lower limb of her solid, worn longbow. 

Everyone stood inside the tavern as they watched from the windows.

There were barely anyone on this street, so this was somewhat ideal conditions for dueling. 

“So, who’s counting-” Before I could prepare myself, Julie readied her bow and fired at me.

*whiiz*

Julie’s arrow flew above my head. I knew she wouldn’t actually hit me with her arrows as she saw me now.

“That’s not really fair.”

“That’s not really my problem. Give up yet?” Julie said, readying her bow yet again.

“I see. How about I give you a problem?” 

“What-”

Everyone watched in disbelief as I flung Julie about 50 feet in the air, keeping her hung upside down.

She dropped her bow and started flailing her arms.

“I’m getting dizzy! Let me down!”
“I can’t find where that’s my problem.” I raised her up and down in the air like a rollercoaster until she started to vomit. 

“Ok… that’s enough.” I laughed, letting her down back on the ground. She hurried into the tavern, covering her face and mouth as she held in her vomit. 

I turned to my little dead audience and gave a bow.

Celie gave an awkward smirk while rubbing her forehead, Daniel went to comfort Julie, and Hardstone gave me an approving thumbs up. 

“So can we go? I’d prefer tomorrow! I’m growing very impatient!” I shouted, waiting for approval from the party.

“O’ course! Jus’ after Julie finishes her- er- heaving…” Hardstone went to check on Julie along with Daniel. 

 

We spent the rest of the night planning and scanning the roughly sketched map of a level C dungeon in Ronan forest. The forest appeared to be mainly thick forests and fat bushes. 

The forest was found far west outside of Webb City in a remote territory rich with nature, according to the maps sketches, and a few towns.

Hardstone had told me that this territory was quite popular to adventurers as it was rich with dungeons.

“Dungeons that respawn?” I asked Hardstone who was downing a whole gallon of ale. 

“Respewed? What the hell is that?”

“Nothing. How do they- uh- pop back up again?”

“I dunno’. After you clear a dungeon, it just crumbles and fades away after a day or two.”

“How do you clear a dungeon exactly?” I added to my list of questions
“Easy. You just snatch the treasure on the final floor and then get outta there!” Hardstone took one final sip of his ale before setting it down onto the countertop and walked through the already collapsed saloon doors and into the frigid dusk outside. 

Celie stumbled down the stairs from the hall of bedrooms, giving a half-hearted scream only to regain her balance and act as if nothing had happened. 

She wiped her hollow eyes, telling me of the nightmare she had last night.

“Johnathan was chasing me! I swear! It felt all too real!” 

“Chasing you? I would never! However, I would go great distances for you, my love!” Johnathan came from behind, making smooching noises which made Celie nearly jump into the roof and hide behind me.

 

“Well? Cmon’ now! Sing with me!” begged Hardstone, standing between Daniel and Julie, patting their backs and swaying left and right. 

They all had large, stuffed rucksacks with various tools.

Hardstone held a steel double-bitted ax with a wooden shaft, and the whole ax looked about his height. 

Julie had her bow from yesterday, and Daniel didn’t have any weapons.

Curious, I asked him, only for him to respond with an unintelligible stutter.

“H-h-he-he-he…” he coughed into his hand “He- HE! Uh… he…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll just ask your friends…” I said, waving him off and asking Hardstone. 

“Ah, he’s a healer. Not that great though. Can only heal small cuts and diseases. Still pretty good though, ya’ know?”
I gave a stiff nod and fell back to Celie and Johnathan. 

__

We went through a  full day's travel. We reached a town nearby Ronan forest and stayed there for the night, and it was the very next morning when we reached the forest itself. 

The tall, thick trees and fat bushes made it nearly impossible to see further into the forest.

Hardstone suggested that he could cut his way through, which would be necessary for our path, but I advised them to let me scout the forest first. 

Curious, the three nodded and watched me soar high above the forest.

There it is! 

The dungeon sat deep in the forest in a clearing of trees. 

I came back down to the adventurers, told them it was just up ahead, and Hardstone was off to his swinging and grunting. 

We all stood back to avoid the large ax and the branches flying everywhere. 

*swoosh*

“My bad!” Hardstone gave an awkward laugh after his ax slipped out of his hands, flying just over our heads and landing into a tree. 

We’re so screwed…

 

For what seemed to be 15 minutes, we finally arrived at the dungeon that looked like a cave digging deep into the ground. 

“Well, off we go then!” Hardstone went in first, and the others followed.

Speculating the possible dangers, I hesitated before following them into the cave.