Chapter 20

As we progressed along the passage, we began to notice a change in the walls around us. The rough-hewn stone gradually gave way to smooth, polished surfaces, adorned with intricate carvings and strange runes. The air was thick with a sense of magic. Thanks to Gwyneth’s lessons, I was getting pretty good at sensing essence, and it was growing thicker as we went deeper.

Our journey eventually led us to another chamber, larger than the ones we had encountered before. Not only was it larger in floor space, but it also had a high, vaulted ceiling. I looked up and could only see shadow above us, the roof of the room somewhere beyond the reach of the light. The room was dimly lit by an eerie, flickering light that seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. In the center of the chamber stood a pedestal, upon which rested an ornate, jewel-encrusted chest. It was clear that this was no ordinary treasure, and Pascal and I exchanged a wary glance as we approached it.

"Be cautious," Pascal whispered, his eyes never leaving the chest. "There will almost certainly be traps or guardians protecting it."

I nodded in agreement, my heart pounding in my chest as I stepped closer to the pedestal. As I reached out to examine the chest, a sudden, deafening roar echoed through the chamber, shaking the ground and rattling loose small stones from the ceiling high above us.

The massive creature which emerged from the shadows was like nothing I’d ever seen. Its monstrous form towered over us. The beast was a twisted amalgamation of various creatures fused together in a nightmarish display. It had the body of a giant serpent, covered in thick, black scales, with the wings of a bat and the head of a lion. Its eyes blazed with an unnatural, fiery light, and its roar sent chills down my spine.

Lionwing

Violet rank monster

Powers: Flight, Deafening Roar

“Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” I said, grinning as I spoke the words.

Pascal and I instinctively stepped back, our swords drawn and ready for battle. The monster lunged at us, its massive form even more terrifying up close as it bore down on us with deadly speed. We barely managed to dodge its attack, and I felt the wind from its wings buffet me as it passed overhead.

"Stay close!" Pascal shouted, his voice barely audible over the sound of the creature's roars. "We need to work together to bring it down!"

With a determined nod, I moved to stand beside Pascal, my sword at the ready. The monster circled us, its eyes locked on its prey as it searched for an opening in our defenses.

As it swooped down for another attack, Pascal and I sprang into action, our swords flashing in the dim light as we aimed for its vulnerable underbelly. The creature hissed in pain as our blades found their mark, but it was far from defeated. It whipped its head back around at us, opened its maw, and roared!

I was knocked clear off my feet by the blast of sound. Pascal managed to keep his footing somehow and blocked the creature’s next rush while I stumbled back upright, shaking my head in a vain attempt to clear my hearing. All I could hear was a high pitched buzzing sound. Deafening roar, indeed!

The battle raged on, each of us landing blows while narrowly avoiding the monster's devastating attacks. Its strength and agility were incredible, and I knew that we needed a new strategy to beat this thing.

"Find its weak point!" Pascal yelled, his face slick with sweat as he deflected another of the creature's powerful strikes. My hearing was finally starting to come back, thank goodness. "There has to be a vulnerability we can exploit!"

I nodded, my eyes scanning the beast for any signs of weakness as we continued our dance of death. As the monster lunged at us once more, I noticed it was favoring its left wing a little when it extended its wings to their full span. There was a small wound at the joint, and it was clearly causing the monster pain. It was a small detail, but it was enough to give me an idea.

"Pascal!" I shouted, dodging another attack. "Aim for the joints where its wings connect to its body!”

Pascal nodded, his eyes narrowing with determination as he shifted his focus to the target I had identified. We moved as one, our swords striking in unison as we aimed for the vulnerable joints of the creature's wings. The monster roared in pain as our blades found their mark, its massive form shuddering with each successful strike. We pressed our advantage, dodging and weaving around its increasingly desperate attacks as we continued to chip away at its defenses.

Finally, with a triumphant cry, Pascal landed a decisive blow on the weakened joint, severing one of the creature's wings from its body. The monster let out an agonized roar, its remaining wing flailing wildly as it fell to the ground and struggled to maintain its balance.

Seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward, driving my sword deep into the beast's exposed underbelly. The monster's eyes went wide with pain and surprise, and with a final, gurgling roar, it collapsed to the ground, defeated.

Panting and exhausted, Pascal and I surveyed the aftermath of the battle, our hearts still racing from the adrenaline of the fight.

"We did it," I breathed. “When I saw it was Violet rank…”

“Yeah, that worried me, too.” Pascal grinned, clapping me on the back. “But we did indeed beat it. You have incredible instincts, Dylan. I'm going to be honest: you’d be wasted with the Mages Guild. We could really use you in the Guardians. We need people like you. People not afraid to get their hands dirty and do the hard work.”

I hesitated. After all, the Mages Guild would be safe. Or safer, anyway. I’d likely live a longer life that way. Fighting monsters was hard—and as I’d been forced to remember when I took the hit to my shoulder earlier, it sometime hurt like hell.

All the same, the thrill of the battle and the sense of accomplishment that filled me as we beat the lionwing were a big deal too. I used to do crazy shit for fun, back before the real world stepped in and I had to get a job, an apartment, a cat, and some respectability. I’d gotten away from that for a few years, but the more of this adventuring I did in the Crater, the more I realized I’d been missing it all these years.

A lot.

“This was fun,” I admitted. I glanced over at the small treasure chest; that had to be the final treasure for this dungeon. I wondered what it might hold. Then I wondered how many other treasures were hidden in various dungeons around the Crater. With my power, I could find them, bring them back to Artensia.

Pascal's eyes shone. "That's what I'm talking about! You’ve got the right spirit, Dylan. With some more training and experience, you could become an invaluable member of our team. Besides, do you really think the Mages Guild would offer you this kind of adventure?"

I thought about it for a moment. He was right; as much as I was intrigued by the magical aspect of the Mages Guild, I couldn't deny that the excitement of delving into dungeons and facing down fearsome monsters appealed to me more. And my unique abilities could be put to good use with the Guardians.

"You make a compelling case," I said with a chuckle. “Of course, that was the whole point of this midnight outing, wasn’t it? To convince me to sign up with you guys?”

Pascal blushes and ducked his head. “You might be right about that. You’re not mad? I know it was a little manipulative, but I really think we’re a better fit for you.”

“No, I’m not mad. Like I said, this was fun. I think you might be right. Maybe the Guardians Guild is where I belong after all."

Pascal smiled broadly, clapping me on the shoulder again. "That's the spirit! Trust me, Dylan, you won't regret this decision. We'll work together, hone your skills, and make a real difference together.”

I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. "Alright, Pascal. I'm in. Let's make this official when we get back to the guild hall."

Pascal nodded, beaming with pride. "I couldn't be happier, Dylan. Welcome to the Guardians."

I felt about as good as I had since arriving in this place. At least I had a course laid out ahead of me that made sense! It was a good start.

We approached the treasure chest once more, this time without fear or hesitation. Together, we opened the chest, eager to discover what secrets lay within. We weren’t disappointed.

The contents of the chest were few in number but high in value. There were three deep violet stones; clearly, essence crystals, but these ones were colored. I’d only heard about them in class, never actually seen one. For each color rank, there are corresponding essence gems, and each rank carries ten times the essence of the prior rank.

Each of those stones was worth as much as ten clear essence crystals. I found myself wishing for a indigo one, which would be worth a hundred clear stones!

But the essence crystals, valuable as they might be, were not the best part of this loot haul. Alongside them was a single dark colored gem about the size of an egg, covered with small rune carvings. I recognized it at once as a sigil gem. Absorb that, and you’d get a new power. I stared at it hungrily; but there was just the one gem, and Pascal probably ought to have it, since I’d gotten one from the zombie attack last week, and it was his idea to enter this dungeon in the first place.

I said as much, but he shook his head.

“No, we need to get you stronger. I already have four sigils,” Pascal said. “You’ve got two. The sooner we get you up to speed, the better.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, feeling deeply guilty but wanting that sigil gem more than anything anyway.

“Yup. One hundred percent,” Pascal said. “Take it. I’ll take the violet crystals as my share.”

I picked the thing up, turning it over in my hands and staring at it. I wondered what sort of power it would grant me. I’d gotten mixed results on these, so far. The ability to hide in shadows was cute, but it wasn’t proving that helpful so far. The ability to detect dungeons? Well, that one was clearly high in utility, but it wasn’t going to help me fight better. I was desperately hoping for a new sigil that would, and I had a feeling Pascal knew that.

“Going to absorb it now?” Pascal asked.

I shook my head. “Figure I’ll wait until I’m back in my room where there’s no monsters hanging out.”

“Makes sense. Shall we head out?” Pascal asked. “The dungeon handed us a sigil gem; that means we’ve used up most of the essence stored here. When we exit, this dungeon will likely cease to exist.”

“So we beat this one, which means nobody else can after?”

“That’s right. But the fact that we closed this one before it broke out and spilled monsters into the Crater means nobody died from a monster attack. We saved lives tonight, Dylan.”

The thought made me feel very, very good about my decision to stick with the Guardians.

“You know, that was a dirty trick, getting me to come out here so you could convince me to stay,” I said to Pascal, although there was no heat in my words and a grin on my face.

He returned the smile. “Yeah? And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

I had the feeling he would, too. I also discovered I really didn’t mind. He’d helped me find my way to where I needed to be. There was nothing wrong with that.

We moved back to the entrance portal without any difficulty. Once we exited the dungeon, sure enough, the portal closed up behind us. We’d used up all the essence the dungeon contain, killing those monsters and pulling the treasure out. No one would be hurt by those suits of armor or that lionizing when the dungeon broke out.

As we made our way back to the city, I couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of purpose. I had chosen my path, and with Pascal by my side, I knew that together we would make a difference. The Guardians Guild would be my new home, and I was eager to see what the future had in store for us.