Chương 81: Into the Depths

"Where is Christine?" Damion asked Arica and Theodore.

"She is on another mission and could not get free," Arica answered.

"Your teacher, Ms. Teft, has arranged for another E Rank mage to take her place as well as a D Rank mage to make sure we don't get in too deep."

"Any idea who?" Damion asked.

"No, she told my Master she would find them and send them along to us. They should be here in an hour or so. Then we get to go in and clear a Dungeon Breach."

"Then I guess the only thing we can do is wait," Damion said, taking another bite of his breakfast.

"No, there is something we can do while we wait," Ethan said.

"And what is that?" Damion asked.

"You can tell us everything you know about the dungeon and the area," Arica said.

"Why? No one has been in the dungeon yet. I don't have a clue what we will find in there."

"We want to know because dungeons tend to mimic the area they are found in," Theodore said matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Damion questioned. Damion knew the Wind Wolf dungeon had been similar to the forest around them when they entered, but the only other dungeon he had been in was the graveyard and he had no idea where it had first appeared.

"Really," Arica reassured.

"Well, then I think there is a good chance this dungeon will be mostly or even completely underground."

"What makes you say that? Ethan asked.

"Because, Mage Glint had to raise the floor and remove the ceiling of the cavern it was in to have the dungeon in the hole it is in now," Arica explained.

"Exactly," Damion agreed.

"We found the dungeon after entering a nearby cave and following underground passageways until we found the chamber with the dungeon portal."

"The portal will most likely spit us out underground to start," Arica surmised.

"But the presence of Forest Froth Spiders indicate there is an opening to the surface."

"Why is that?" Ethan asked.

"Because Forest Froth Spiders don't nest underground. They must have been driven underground by something. After the Aerico came through the portal and were eliminated, the Forest Froth Spiders escaped through the portal."

"Or were chased," Ethan offered.

"Yes, the Forest Froth Spiders could have been chased by something else into the cave and through the portal," Arica agreed.

"If something did chase them through the portal, wouldn't it have come out of the portal too?" Damion asked.

"Not if it could not fit through the portal," Ethan threw in. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"If it could not fit through the portal, then how could this beast fit through the cave passageways?" Damion questioned.

"Perhaps the beast is not large, but fierce. Or perhaps there are more Aerico outside the cave and the Forest Froth Spiders fled into the cave to avoid them and the Aerico just have not wandered into the portal yet." Arica listed alternatives.

"I guess one of those could be true," Damion said thinking over the possibilities.

"Isn't this a good-looking group of young people," a voice chimed in bringing all their attention to a newly arriving trio. Damion recognized the person in the lead as his teacher Helga Teft. The other two people Damion did not recognize the one that spoke or the last person, but Damion guessed they were his new teammates.

"Travis Phinn, Matthew Spurlock, this is my student Damion Wells and his companions, Arica Miller, Ethan Hoyt and Theodore Bianco," Ms. Teft said, introducing everyone. Everyone quickly exchanged greetings and shook each other's hands. Travis and Matthew, as it turned out, were both students of the same teacher, as they both had Lightning affinities. Travis was an E Rank mage while Matthew was apparently at the upper end of D Rank.

"Arica, why don't you brief Travis and Matthew. I want to have a chat with Damion," Ms. Teft said as she motioned for Damion to follow. Damion followed behind his teacher and stopped a short distance away, just out of earshot. When Damion turned and looked back at his friends greeting their new companions, he saw Theodore watching him with an unusual look in his eyes. The Holy affinity mage had been rather quiet since arriving and Damion could not help but wonder why.

"Halsey told me you had an encounter with bandits before discovering the dungeon," Ms. Teft asked Damion.

"Why didn't you mention this before?"

"I didn't want to worry you over it," Damion answered quietly.

"Not worry me? How can you being attacked again by the Falks Guild not worry me?"

"One of them indicated they were after a bounty placed on me," Damion confessed.

"A bounty?" Ms. Teft questioned in disbelief.

"That is what one said. It seemed they followed me out after I took the Aerico mission."

"I will look into who placed a bounty on you. Next time something like this happens, tell me."

"Yes ma'am. Who do you think is behind it?" Damion asked timidly.

"It could be the Falks Guild just using it as an excuse to go after you. Or it could be someone who is threatened by you."

"Threatened by me? I'm just an E Rank knight.

"An E Rank knight with my backing and only 15 years old one at that."

"I didn't think anyone would know me."

"Through me, people will know you. And through your own accomplishments people will start paying more and more attention to you. Now, go back and join your team. I have a few people I want to talk to. Once you finish your dungeon run, I will escort you back to the city." Damion headed back to his group and joined in on their conversation regarding what they might find in the dungeon.

"I hear you are the one that found this dungeon," Matthew said to Damion.

"I had the idea that a dungeon might be in the area after I discovered that Aerico are Demonic Beasts and not Ferocious Beasts like everyone thought."

"Well, my junior disciple and I are thrilled to be able to join you in this run. We have never had the opportunity to enter a Dungeon Breach."

"Have you been in other dungeons before?" Damion asked.

"A few. I've been through eight dungeon runs and Travis has been on four."

"Well, this will be my third run. Are you all ready to head in?" Damion was answered by a chorus of affirmatives in response. Picking up his pack, Damion started to move out when everyone looked at him with an odd expression.

"What?" Damion asked when he noticed their looks.

"Why carry your pack? Arica can store it in her space?"

"Right," Damion said to Ethan. He quickly unslung his pack and handed it to Arica who made it vanish. A minute later their group was standing outside the wall surrounding the dungeon portal with Mage Fletcher.

"Your primary goal is to find the dungeon core and stop the Dungeon Breach. Secondary goals include mapping the dungeon and collecting as many samples as you can."

"Understood," Arica answered her Master for their group. With Mage Fletcher's final briefing completed, Damion and his team stepped through the dungeon portal and into the dark. As Damion had suspected, the dungeon was underground and without any light sources there was no way to see what was going on around them. Arica produced from her personal spatial storage several lanterns that immediately lit up the cave while Damion channeled mana into his sword and fire attack glyph to ignite the blade.

Damion's sword became a torch lighting up the area almost as well as Arica's lanterns.