The creature's roar echoed through the cavern, a guttural, alien sound that made the ground tremble beneath our feet. Lucas and I crouched behind jagged rocks, both of us breathing heavily, hearts racing. Its scales glistened in the dim light of our torches, each one like a shard of obsidian. I could feel the raw power radiating off it even from here—it was beyond what two first-years should ever face.
Lucas whispered, "Elric… are you seeing this? We're not just outmatched—we're barely even on its radar."
I gave a short nod, hands tightening on my sword. "I see it. But we finish this, or we fail the mission completely." I kept my voice low and steady, trying to convince both him and myself that we could do this. I wouldn't use Nature Force unless a life was at stake. The mission itself wasn't worth that risk.
The creature shifted, wings spreading in a shadow that swallowed half the cavern. Its eyes, molten gold, locked onto us for a split second. I felt the heat of its gaze, the pressure in my chest. This wasn't just brute strength; this was intelligence, hunting instinct.
I whispered a plan. "We can't fight it head-on. Too fast, too strong. We'll use the terrain. You distract, I flank."
Lucas's eyes narrowed, understanding immediately. He took a deep breath and ran forward, sword raised, shouting a challenge. The creature turned, snapping its massive jaws, claws scraping stone as it lunged at him. Sparks flew as Lucas narrowly deflected with his blade, the strike carving deep gouges in the rock.
I ran along a ledge, feeling the rough stone under my boots, waiting for the right moment. My small magic glimmered in my hand, just enough to create a sharp flash aimed at its eyes. The creature hissed, swiping at the sudden distraction. Lucas leapt back, narrowly avoiding a crushing blow, and I rushed in, landing a precise strike along its flank with my sword. The blade cut through scales but barely drew blood.
The beast roared in pain, a deafening sound that rattled the cavern walls, throwing up clouds of dust. Lucas grunted, wiping sweat from his brow. "It's… it's hurt, but not enough. Elric, what now?"
I scanned the area. There was a narrow crevice above it, a jagged wall we could use. "Up there. We can force it against the wall—trap it for a few seconds. That's all the opening we need."
We coordinated silently, our movements fluid but cautious. Lucas darted again, drawing the creature's attention. Its massive head swung toward him, claws slashing the air mere inches from his chest. I sprinted up the rocky incline, heart pounding, and with a well-timed jump, drove my sword into the creature's shoulder. It shrieked, thrashing violently, knocking me against the stone, but I held on, forcing it toward the narrow wall.
Lucas jumped back as the creature stumbled, its massive bulk trapped momentarily. I pressed the attack, striking again and again, careful to aim for weak points between its scales. Each strike was precise, measured. Finally, with one coordinated thrust from Lucas and a spinning strike from me, the creature collapsed, its body shuddering before finally going still.
The cavern fell silent except for our ragged breathing. My hands shook as I pulled my sword free. Lucas looked at me, eyes wide, disbelief etched into his face. "We… we actually did it?"
I shook my head slowly, adrenaline still screaming through my veins. "We did… for now. But this—this was barely the start. If two of us couldn't even scratch it properly, imagine what the real mission holds."
I wiped sweat and grime from my face, casting a wary glance around. The treasure we were supposed to retrieve lay scattered near the beast's remains, but I didn't care. Survival, getting through this, was priority one. Even as relief washed over us, the hair on my neck stood on end. Something told me the danger wasn't over… far from it.
Lucas groaned, leaning on his sword. "Elric… if this is the kind of mission they're filtering first-years for, we're not ready for what's next."
I didn't reply immediately. My mind was already analyzing every move, every weak point, every moment we had narrowly avoided disaster. There was no pride, only calculation. "Then we survive what we can, and learn. That's all we can do."
Even as the dust settled around the creature's fallen form, an uneasy tension lingered in the cavern. Lucas and I exchanged a glance, both fully aware that the mission wasn't over. The map given to us by the Adventurer's Guild had led us this far, but nothing could have prepared us for what lay ahead. After all, the broken wall hadn't been mentioned in the briefing—nor this creature.
"Something's off," Lucas muttered, brushing grime from his armor. "This was supposed to be a level-one mission—barely a step above training exercises. That thing? It should have been left for advanced groups."
I nodded, wiping my blade. "I thought the same. But whatever this is, we're going to find out soon enough." My hand rested on my sword, the familiar weight grounding me. We moved cautiously deeper into the cavern, dim torchlight flickering against jagged walls. Every shadow could conceal a threat. Every echo could signal an ambush.
Soon we passed a orb which we examined. It was pulsating and we just made some notes to report about it . After all not knowing about it and disturbing any equilibrium could be dangerous.
The passage also grew narrow then wide continuously. With many spaces in between.
The air grew warmer as we descended, the smell of sulfur and damp earth thickening around us. I sensed it before I saw it—a subtle vibration through the stone floor, the faintest hum of life, something massive shifting somewhere out of sight. Lucas noticed it too, his grip on his sword tightening.
I whispered, "Stay sharp. Whatever's ahead isn't just a beast—it's intelligent. We need to think, not just swing."
We rounded a bend, and the cavern opened into a massive underground chamber. Stalactites hung like jagged teeth, and a subterranean river carved its path through the middle. What caught my eye immediately were the ruins of ancient structures—collapsed pillars, broken statues, and worn murals depicting battles against beings far larger than humans. This mission wasn't about collecting treasure; it was about uncovering something much older.
Lucas moved forward, but I held up a hand. "Wait. This is a trap. Look at the walls—the shadows… there's movement."
Before he could respond, the shadows converged. Dozens of shapes darted from walls and ceiling, creatures smaller than the one we had defeated but far more numerous. Their eyes glowed in the darkness, teeth sharp, claws extended. And they weren't mindless—they coordinated, swarming toward us in a terrifying, practiced pattern.
"Two first-years against a horde!" Lucas growled, stepping back. "This is insane!"
I assessed the situation quickly. Even with our combined skills, fighting them all at once would be suicidal. Speed, agility, and magic could only do so much. We needed a strategy.
"Cover the center," I said, pointing to a narrow bridge over the river. "If we can force them to funnel through there, we can handle them one at a time—or at least in smaller groups."
Lucas nodded, trust evident despite his fear. He charged, drawing attention, swinging his sword to create openings. I moved along the edge of the chamber, small bursts of magic aiding my attacks—fire slashes and gusts of wind to disrupt their formations. Our movements were precise, calculated. The creatures lunged, but we avoided most attacks, striking just enough to keep them at bay.
Even so, their numbers overwhelmed us. Every strike we made, another two or three would take its place. Lucas gritted his teeth beside me, his normally calm demeanor strained under the pressure.
We pushed forward, slowly clearing the creatures from the immediate area, but the cavern stretched far beyond what we could handle. The river wound through vast tunnels, and the ceiling was high enough to hide more dangers. My sixth sense screamed warnings. This was too much for just the two of us.
I called out, "Lucas, we can't finish this alone! There's more than we can handle—report it to a professor when we get back. Or… we'll have to retreat strategically!"
He hesitated, looking at me with a mixture of frustration and relief. "Retreat? Are you saying we've failed?"
"No," I said firmly, scanning the darkness. "We've survived. That's a success by itself. Pushing forward blindly is death. If we retreat carefully, we preserve ourselves—and the evidence of what's down here. That's worth more than pride."
We started falling back, keeping our backs to the walls, forcing the creatures to funnel through tighter passages. Each step was measured, each swing calculated to slow them rather than destroy. My small magic continued to disrupt their formation, but it was temporary.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. A deep, resonant roar shook the chamber—something larger, far more powerful than any of the creatures we had fought. I froze. Lucas tensed beside me.
"That… that's not part of the mission description," he muttered.
I could feel it too. This was no ordinary creature. The vibrations in the stone, the unnatural hum in the air, the shadows moving in ways they shouldn't—it was coming, and it wasn't waiting for us.
"Lucas," I said, voice low and steady despite the panic rising in my chest, "we've made it this far. But whatever comes next… we need to be ready. This is beyond first-year capability. If we survive, it's by thinking, not brute force."
We exchanged a look, unspoken understanding passing between us. We had faced the impossible before, but this… this was something else entirely. A dozen first-years might stand a chance—but for two of us, this mission was already meant to break us.
As the shadows deepened and the ground continued to shudder, I realized: the true test wasn't completing the mission—it was surviving the realization of how much more dangerous this world was than any of the academy lessons had ever suggested.