“So shiny,” Emilia gasped.

“It looks… different… and pretty,” Ileena tried not to show how amazed she was, but she couldn’t hide it either.

“This must be the most amazing Magic Crystal we had ever found,” Flavia couldn’t stand still.

“Not crystal, gem,” Growly corrected her. The gem that Growly was holding was about two inches in length, just above one inch in width and had an oval shape, in addition to having a shiny purple glow.

“I know that, it just… looks similar, ok?” It’s not like Flavia couldn’t see it. All items inside the Magic Dungeon had names floating on top of them until they were taken out of the dungeon. “Anyway, what’s the difference?”

“Ghm…” Growly thought for a second. “Gems come from crystals.”

“Huh? What does that mean?” Flavia was confused.

“I think what Growly meant was that Gemcrafters can extract gems from Magic Crystals. Isn’t that right, Growly?” Narias joined in.

“Correct,” Growly confirmed.

“Really? But how did you know that, partner?” Flavia wanted to know.

“Ah, Growly is teaching me about ores and crafting in his spare time,” Narias admitted.

“Cool. So, Growly, can your dad make gems too?” Flavia wanted to know.

“No. My dad is a blacksmith,” Growly tilted his head to the side. “But he can create magic equipment with magic gems in it.”

“Awesome. Let’s have him make something with this… Lighting Gem. Lightning? Hey, Ileena can use Lightning Magic. We can make something for you, Ileena,” Flavia was quick to suggest it.

“I don’t know… It might be better to sell it and buy something else instead,” Ileena wasn’t sure about it.

“What are you saying, Ileena? We agreed we will get magic items for everyone. I have Whitemane Leather Armor that you girls decided to have Lady Froxen to craft for me. We got the Fanged Whitemane Wolf’s Tail as a drop today which we will use to craft something for somebody else. We need to equip ourselves to help us progress within the dungeon, you included,” Narias insisted.

“It’s just like Narias said. And you were the one who insisted for us to make more money, so we could buy magic items for ourselves,” Emilia agreed with Narias.

“Yes… I said that. Sigh, I’m sorry everyone. I guess… I’m not used to getting something before everyone else does,” Ileena admitted, shaking her head in embarrassment. “Let’s ask Growly’s dad what he can make with this Lightning Gem once we’re back.”

“For sure. This is so cool. I told you we should look for more treasure,” Flavia was very happy about it.

“Yes, it is thanks to you insisting we explore more of the second floor that we have found this Lightning Gem,” Narias did not mind giving Flavia all the credit.

“Congratulations on your find,” Professor Zeanlor commented after the excitement subsided.

“Thank you, Professor Zeanlor,” Narias thanked him on behalf of the group.

“Lightning Gem. Quite a rare find. I am certain Miss Ileena will benefit from it greatly,” the teacher added in a serious yet supportive voice.

“See? Even Professor Zeanlor agrees you should be the one to get it, Ileena,” Flavia was quick to point it out.

“Thank you, Professor Zeanlor,” Ileena said with a light bow of her head.

“That’s quite alright,” Karineus Zeanlor procured a mild smile. “Magic gems are rarer to find than normal Magic Crystals. Of course, your group is not the first one to come across a Magic Gem and it is only the second floor of the Magic Dungeon. The lower into the dungeon you will go, the more chances there are to find better treasure. Still, Magic Gems are not easily obtained. Luck was on your side once again.”

“Cool,” Flavia was feeling ecstatic.

“Dad will be happy,” Growly said, smiling wide which was unusual to see.

“Really?” Narias noticed his friend’s happy smile.

“Yes. Magic Gems are expensive. Hard to get too. Only skilled Gemcrafters can extract high quality gems from crystals. My dad will be able to make something nice with it,” Growly explained.

“Alright, let’s go look for more treasure!” Narias heard Flavia cheer loudly.

Hah, Flavia looks pumped, but I doubt we can explore more of the Magic Dungeon now. Narias was happy to see his bunny girlfriend being so excited, but he also knew their current situation.

“Hey, how about we have a really short rest and then move out? We will be going back home,” Narias informed everyone.

“Home? But I wanted to look for more treasure. We might get lucky again,” Flavia had the sweetest smile on her face.

“I know you want to explore more of the dungeon, but we agreed we will go home after this,” Narias wasn’t about to give in this time.

“I know, I know.” Flavia knew he was right, so she didn’t push. “Well then, let’s celebrate by eating the last piece of the dessert I still have. It’s not a lot, but I’ll share.”

“I have some cake left too. I will share,” Growly was supportive of the idea. Ileena and Emilia decided to follow their example too.

I should probably buy something sweet to take with me next time for occasions like these. Narias was in trouble however, because he wasn’t really a dessert guy, so he didn’t even bring any sweets with him.

“I would like to invite you to join us, Professor Zeanlor,” Ileena approached their Guide.

“That is very generous of you, Miss Ileena. I will… respectfully accept,” Professor Zeanlor surprised her a little, because she wasn’t sure if he will join them.

“Come on, partner, don’t just stand there. Come sit with us,” Flavia invited him.

“R… right…” Narias didn’t argue.

The mood was just perfect for a celebration. The group was enjoying themselves, especially the desserts that everyone shared. Professor Zeanlor surprised everyone with a box of treats himself that he offered to the students.

“Wow, thank you, Mister Zeanlor. I thought you were really scary, but you’re actually pretty cool,” Flavia was open with her thoughts as usual.

“Thank you for your honesty, Miss Flavia,” Professor Zeanlor said, treating himself from his own box of goodies too.

“Flavia…” Ileena threw a scolding glare at her.

“Hey, I said he was cool now, didn’t I?” Flavia pouted her cheeks.

Hah. I guess I could only envy Flavia’s innocent honesty. Speaking of which, what about me? Narias chuckled inside before touching his chin to think about something.

“I think you are a wonderful teacher, Professor Zeanlor. I learn so much during your classes,” Narias expressed his feelings about the teacher.

“I appreciate you saying that, Mister Narias,” Karineus Zeanlor kept his impossible to read, stoic facial expression as he spoke.

“Hard lessons, professor is strict, but studying is important,” Growly added, to which Karineus bowed his head in acknowledgement that he appreciated Growly saying that as well.

“I was a little unsettled at the very beginning, but I could see the value in your lessons early on, Professor Zeanlor.” Emilia joined in. “You have us take our studies seriously, and I must admit, the things I learn during your classes turn out to be very useful.”

“That is very kind of you to say that, Miss Emilia,” Karineus Zeanlor said before having another sip from his cup.

“Professor Zeanlor’s knowledge about magic is unmatched. I am always looking forward to your classes, professor,” Ileena was very honest with her words.

“Thank you, Miss Ileena,” again, the teacher tried to keep calm when he spoke.

A friendly chat followed, with the professor being more of an observer than a talker for the rest of the short celebration that the group had. Karineus Zeanlor didn’t show it, but he was pleased to learn what the students thought of him. After the desserts were eaten and everything was packed away, the party turned to go back home.

 

{time skip}

 

“Good evening. Good to see your group is finally back. Is everyone ok?” The guard at the gates asked after the group was finally out of the Magic Dungeon. It was dark outside, but it wasn’t the middle of the night yet. Although, it could’ve been close to it.

“Yes. The run went smoothly and without any major incidents. Thank you for your concern,” Karineus Zeanlor told him.

“Really? That’s good. So, how far did you go this time?” The same guard was curious.

“The students made good progress. We’ve gone as far as to explore some parts of the second floor of the Magic Dungeon.” The professor wasn’t against telling him.

“Second floor. Nice, nice. Did you kids find any good treasure?” The question was addressed to the students this time.

“Of course. We got the Fanged Whitemane Wolf’s Tail as a drop and we also found a Lightning Gem inside a treasure chest on the second floor,” Flavia was all for boasting about the treasures they have found.

“A Fanged Whitemane Wolf’s Tail and a Lightning Gem? Wow, that’s incredible,” the man was visibly impressed. “Congratulations to you all. Ah, apologies. I bet you’re all tired, so I won’t bother you any longer. Have a good rest and good luck next time as well.”

“Thank you,” Flavia grinned, feeling happy.

Karineus Zeanlor thanked the guards before escorting the students to submit their dungeon exploration results. The scoreboards wouldn’t show what kind of treasures someone found inside the Magic Dungeon. However, each item had a value assigned to them and the total sum of treasure points was always added to the exploration score which would increase overall standings. The score would show how many exploration points the team has received, including the boss kills, and how many treasure points they got separately and then the total sum of both. Killing a boss monster or a rare monster would give the most points, but if two teams had performed similarly in terms of exploration and monster kills, finding better treasure would tip the scales in your favor.

“Awesome. Time to hit the bed now,” even when Flavia said that, she still looked full of energy.

“Thank you for submitting your findings. I will make my report tomorrow and once the results are calculated your score will be displayed on the scoreboard as it usually is. I apologise for not getting it done right now, but I wouldn’t want to miss any details.” Karineus Zeanlor informed, explaining the reason behind his actions.

“That’s ok, Professor Zeanlor. Thank you for being our Guide during this run,” Narias thanked him, bowing his head.

“It was my pleasure. As you may know, you are excused from classes tomorrow. Please make sure to have a good rest and I shall see you at my class the day after,” the professor bowed his head respectfully before walking away.

“Hey, hey, we’re going to El’Roonst tomorrow, right? We need to sell all these Magic Crystals and ask Growly’s dad what kind of magic item he could craft with the Lightning Gem that we found,” Flavia wouldn’t have them not going to the city tomorrow.

“Yes, but we need to have proper rest first,” Narias reminded her.

“Can Nicky come too?” Growly asked, his blush hiding behind his fur.

“Of course, but she has classes, so we will need to go after they’re over,” Ileena said.

“Ok, great. So then, good night, everyone,” Narias was looking forward to getting some sleep.

Of course, his girlfriends wouldn’t leave without giving Narias a kiss each. Growly patiently waited for Narias to walk to their dorms together. Narias felt a little embarrassed his friend had to wait while he was being kissed by his girlfriends, but Growly didn’t mind. Growly even told Narias he was happy his friend was getting along with his girlfriends so well. Once back in his room, Narias hit the bathroom to wash himself. After he was done, Narias slid inside his bed and, after reading at least two pages of the book he picked up before getting into his bed, fell asleep the next instant.

 

{on the way to El’Roonst the next day}

 

“I wonder what can be crafted out of the Fanged Whitemane Wolf’s Tail?” Flavia was as excited as she always had been.

“I believe it is better to ask Madam Froxen for advice regarding the matter,” Emilia thought it was better to ask an expert instead of guessing.

“Fanged Whitemane Wolf’s Tail, huh? How exciting,” Nicky commented with a smile.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t come, Nicky. We can adjust the group, so you can join next time too. If need be, I will stay behind,” Ileena told her.

“No, no. It’s alright. I don’t mind staying behind,” Nicky said, waving her hand. “Besides, I don’t think I am as strong as any of you are. I might just get in the way.”

“I will protect you,” Growly said before shifting in his seat after realizing the others could hear what he said.

“That’s so nice of you, Growly. I appreciate you saying that,” Nicky sparkled with joy. She hugged Growly’s arm, leaning at him which made Growly feel even more embarrassed, but he wasn’t against her doing so.

They look very happy together. I’m glad. Narias thought to himself, looking at Growly and Nicky sitting close to each other.

Since it was daytime, and everyone had eaten before going to El’Roonst, Narias, Growly, Ileena, Flavia, Emilia and Nicky went to visit Growla Ferpaw’s shop as soon as they arrived at the city.

“Hello mom,” Growly greeted his mother. Growly and Nicky were the first ones to enter his parents’ shop.

“Growly, my baby. You’re back,” his mom rushed to give her son a hug, ignoring his squirming as she squeezed him tight.

“Good day, Mrs. Ferpaw,” Nicky said hello next, with the rest of the students following her lead.

“My, my, so many young faces. I’m so happy to see you all again,” Meska Ferpaw sighed, overcome with joy. “I should probably call for my husband, shouldn’t I?”

“If he’s not too busy,” Ileena said.

“He probably is, but that’s ok. I’m sure he will be happy to see you all, especially Growly. If you excuse me a moment?” Mrs. Ferpaw informed before leaving the shop floor and returning with her husband a short while later.

“Hello, youngsters. Growly, good to see you’re back,” Growla Ferpaw rubbed the top of Growly’s head after coming over.

“Hi… dad…” Growly felt embarrassed again.

“I take it, you have something for me, don’t you?” Growla went right to the point.

“Yes, sir,” Narias took off his backpack. Growly opened his backpack as well.

“Very nice, you got a fair share of Magic Crystals this time. Some of them are bigger than the others too,” Growla instantly noticed the difference.

“That’s because those other ones were dropped by Shadeleaf Boars and Rhabitooths,” Flavia was quick to tell him.

“You’ve been to the second floor of the Magic Dungeon? Not that I’m surprised, well done. Let’s see, some Crystalized Mold and a few chunks of Soft Steel Ore. Good stuff. I’ll just have to add everything up, give me a minute,” Growly’s dad didn’t waste time for small talk today. “Ok, this is the amount for the lot, unless you have something else you want to sell?”

“Actually, we’d like to ask if you can craft something with this,” Narias placed the Lightning Gem on the table.

“Oh, that’s a Lightning Gem if I ever saw one. Now that’s a treasure,” Growla knew what it was right away, excitement jumping into his eyes. “I could definitely make something good with it. Of course, it will cost you some.”

“That’s ok,” Narias knew it wouldn’t be for free.

“Cool, what kind of accessory can you make with it, Mr. Ferpaw?” Flavia was eager to know.

“That depends. Who would it be for?” Growla wanted to know.

“It would be for Ileena, sir,” Narias informed.

“Heh,” Growla smirked, probably expecting to hear that. “Well, the gem is too big to be used for a ring. A necklace? Or I could make a hair accessory too?”

“Cool. Did you hear that, Ileena?” Flavia asked as if Ileena didn’t hear it.

“Of course I did,” Ileena let out a sigh.

“A hair accessory sounds nice,” Emilia commented, touching her own hair.

“I bet you would look very pretty wearing a necklace, Ileena,” Nicky hinted to her friend with a wink.

“Yes, but…” Ileena was hesitant. She knew her hair was rather short for a hair accessory and she wasn’t sure about wearing a necklace either. “What do you think, Narias?”

“Huh, me?” Narias was put on the spot, but he didn’t need to think long to give an answer. “How about upper arm cuff bracelet?”

“A cuff bracelet?” Flavia looked almost shocked to hear that suggestion.

“Wow, I wouldn’t have thought about it,” Emilia touched her cheek with one hand, tilting her head to the side.

“That’s Narias for you,” Nicky chuckled.

“Ah, sorry. I just thought it would be more practical and you wouldn’t lose it easily, especially during the fights,” Narias laughed sillily after throwing one hand behind his head.

“Ok, I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Ileena agreed to it.

“Huh? Really?” Flavia exclaimed.

“Of course. I think Narias is right, it has to be practical. Besides, my hair is quite short and necklace is not something I would like wearing anyway,” Ileena threw one hand to the side, acting like she didn’t care about it.

“Upper arm cuff bracelet, huh? I see,” Growla looked at Narias, showing a satisfied grin on his face which almost made Narias shiver. “An interesting idea. It can certainly work and I will make sure it will look good too. Well, if that’s what you want that’s what you’ll get. I’ll just need to take your arm measurements, Ileena.”

“That’s fine,” Ileena had no objections.

“Please,” Growla motioned for her to step to the side, so he could do it. “Ok, that’s done. It will take a few days, because I have a few other orders I need to complete first. As usual, you’ll need to pay half the payment now and the rest once the order is done.”

“Ok,” Narias stepped up to the counter.

“Thank you. I gotta go back to work. See you later, kiddos,” Growla was all business and had little time for idle chatter.

“Thank you all for coming today. Will you be visiting us over the weekend again, Nicky?” Meska Ferpaw asked.

“Yes, if Growly wants me to,” Nicky felt like being playful with her answer.

“Yes,” Growla said, scratching his cheek with one finger while looking away.

“Wonderful. I’ll make sure your room is clean and ready,” Growly’s mom said.

“Your room?” It was news to Ileena.

“Well…” Nicky was charmingly flushing.

“So sorry. I thought your friends knew you and Growly are going out,” Meska apologized, covering her mouth with one hand.

“Yes, they do. You don’t have to apologize, Mrs. Ferpaw,” Nicky said with a chuckle, throwing a quick wink to Ileena.

“I’m… glad you two are doing well,” Ileena averted her eyes away, a mild blush catching her cheeks.

“Alright, let’s visit Madam Froxen next,” Flavia broke the awkward moment, wanting to move out at once.

“That’s right. Will we be going to her shop at the Mazaar Shopping District?” Emilia wondered.

“That one is closer than the one at the Crafters District,” Flavia shrugged, making it sound the choice was obvious.

“I think we’ll be going now. Please take care, Mrs. Ferpaw,” Ileena used the moment to say goodbye to the shop owner.

“Bye for now and thank you for coming again, everyone,” Mrs. Ferpaw waved.