Guild Expedition [3]

The march through Thornwick Valley had been going on for hours. Rocky terrain stretched in all directions. 

The massive expedition, nearly hundred adventurers and support staff, moved in a loose formation that kicked up clouds of dust with every step.

I was walking near the middle of the column when Aria fell into step beside me. 

Her white cloak had already picked up a layer of road dust.

"Kaito," she said quietly.

"Hmm?" I glanced over at her, noting the way she kept her voice low enough that our conversation wouldn't carry to the other party members walking nearby.

"Is it true that you work alone?" she asked. "I heard Helena and some of the others talking..."

I nodded. No point in denying what was apparently common knowledge among adventurers at this level.

Her sky-blue eyes studied my face with that same analytical look, but now there was something different underneath it. Genuine concern rather than the enthusiasm I'd seen from Helena or the curiosity others had shown.

"What really happened?" she asked softly. "When you first started coming to the guild, you seemed... different. Happier, I guess. You even joined multiple parties back then."

I was quiet for a moment, my boots crunching against the loose gravel as we walked. The question hit closer to home than I'd expected. Images flashed through my mind.

"Time change," I said finally, my voice flat. "People change too."

Aria opened her mouth as if to say something else, but before she could speak, a sharp whistle cut through the air from ahead of us.

The expedition leader, a grizzled A-rank warrior named Commander Thorne, had stopped at the crest of a low hill. He raised his fist for the column to halt.

"We have reached our destination!" his voice carried back across the ranks. 

As we crested the hill behind him, I got my first look at what we'd come here to face.

The dungeon entrance loomed before us like the mouth of some primordial beast. 

Where normal dungeons had simple stone archways or cave openings, this thing was a massive Gothic structure that seemed to have erupted from the earth itself. Twisted spires reached toward the sky, and the entrance was easily twenty feet high, large enough for a giant to walk through comfortably.

Dark energy rippled across the surface like heat waves, and I could feel it pressing against my skin even from a distance. 

Commander Thorne organized the entry groups efficiently. Higher-ranked parties went first to establish a foothold, followed by the mid-tier groups like ours. I found myself walking beside Gerald as we approached the entrance, Aria and Helena close behind, with Jay scouting slightly ahead.

"Stay close to the healer," Gerald muttered, adjusting his shield. "Dungeons this size tend to have surprises."

The moment we crossed the threshold, the world changed.

Instead of the cramped corridors and small rooms, we entered what could only be described as a vast underground cathedral. The ceiling disappeared into shadows far above, supported by massive stone pillars carved with symbols that seemed to writhe when I wasn't looking directly at them.

Torches burned with cold blue flame along the walls, casting everything in an eerie, shifting light. The floor was polished black stone that reflected our movements like dark water.

"This isn't right," Helena whispered, her staff's crystal pulsing brighter in response to the ambient magical energy. "Dungeons don't have architecture like this."

Rei's translucent form flickered more rapidly than usual. "This place feels... old. Really old. Like it was here long before the dungeon formed around it."

Wrath appeared on my other side, his bloodshot eyes scanning the shadows between the pillars. "Something's watching us. Multiple somethings."

I blinked, taking in their words.

Other parties were spread throughout the vast space, their voices echoing strangely in the enormous chamber. But despite the number of people, the place felt empty, like we were intruders in a space meant for something far larger and more significant than adventurers hunting monsters.

Jay returned from his forward scout, his face pale. "There are passages leading deeper in every direction. At least eight major corridors, all of them big enough to march an army through."

We decided to go ahead and began walking towards the left-most corridor.

Then suddenly Gerald turned to me, "You're pretty good at this. The solo thing working out for you?"

I blinked, surprised at his sudden question, "Usually."

"Well, usually's better than never. Most people can't handle it at all." He paused. "Helena worries I can't handle the tank role, you know? Thinks I'm too reckless."

That earned him a look from the mage. But she said nothing.

I raised a brow, "Are you?"

"Probably. But someone's gotta stand in front." He grinned. "Besides, being a little reckless keeps life interesting."

Then he took point as our party approached more deeper in the corridor, his shield raised and ready.

Two other parties had the same idea, a group of B-rank adventurers led by a woman with twin swords, and another mixed party that looked like they specialized in magical support.

"We stick together until we know what we're dealing with," Gerald called back to us. "No splitting up, no heroics."

The corridor stretched ahead into darkness, wide enough for all three parties to walk side by side without crowding. The same blue torches lined the walls at regular intervals.

Helena walked close behind Gerald, her staff providing additional illumination. "The magical density is increasing as we go deeper," she reported quietly. "Whatever's at the center of this place is powerful."

Jay had taken up position on our right flank, moving silently between the shadows cast by the torches. His daggers were already in his hands.

Aria stayed near the middle of our formation, positioned where she could reach anyone who needed healing quickly. Her eyes constantly scanned our surroundings, and I noticed she kept one hand on a pouch that probably contained emergency supplies.

"Movement ahead," Jay whispered, appearing suddenly at Gerald's shoulder. "Something big, about a hundred meters down the corridor."

The B-rank party leader, the woman with twin swords, moved closer to us. "We've got company coming from behind too," she said in a low voice. "Looks like we're about to get squeezed."

Rei shivered beside me. "This feels like an ambush. The whole corridor is a kill zone."

While Wraith's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Finally. Was getting bored with all this walking."

I drew my blade, feeling the familiar weight settle into my grip.

The sound from behind grew closer, echoing off the stone walls. Jay tensed, his daggers shifting in his grip as he prepared for whatever was approaching.

But when the figures came into view around the corridor's bend, it wasn't monsters.

Another adventuring party emerged from the shadows. When I saw them clearly, my jaw tightened.

Adrian walked at the front of the group, his expensive gear as pristine as ever. The same confident smile played on his lips as he surveyed our makeshift alliance of parties. Behind him, the three women I remembered followed in perfect formation, the mage with her ornate staff, the heavily armored warrior, the archer with her enchanted bow.

Rei's translucent form went rigid beside me. "Oh no. Oh no no no. This is bad."

Wrath's bloodshot eyes fixed on Adrian with predatory intensity, his hands flexing as if he were gripping invisible claws. "Let me at him. Just five minutes."

"Adrian Vel'tar," he introduced himself to Gerald and the B-rank party leader. "A pleasure to meet fellow professionals in a place like this."

Then his gaze moved across each member of our group and stopped when it reached me. 

His head tilted slightly, a frown creasing his forehead as if trying to place a half-remembered face.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice flat and cold.

Adrian's frown deepened slightly. "You look familiar. Have we worked together before?" His tone was casual, but I could see him searching his memory for where he might have seen me.

Rei shifted nervously beside me. "He doesn't remember. After everything that happened, he doesn't even remember."

Wrath's bloodshot eyes were fixed on Adrian with naked hostility. "Typical."

Gerald glanced between us, clearly picking up on the tension. "Is there a problem here?"

I kept my expression neutral, though my hand remained close to my sword hilt. "No problem."

But inside, something cold and bitter was settling in my chest. To Adrian, I'd been so insignificant that months later, he couldn't even place where he'd seen me. Just another forgotten face from his long career of using people.

Suddenly, the sound from ahead grew louder, scraping of something massive dragging across stone, followed by heavy thuds that made dust fall from the corridor ceiling.

Gerald's voice cut through the tension. "Prepare for contact!"

The tanks from all three parties moved to the front line, shields raised and locked together to create a defensive wall. Gerald positioned himself at the center, his scarred face set in grim determination. 

Archers and mages fell back to supporting positions, already nocking arrows and beginning incantations.

Healers clustered in the middle of the formation where they could reach anyone who needed them. 

I drew my short blade and took position near Aria, close enough to protect the healer if anything broke through the front line. 

Rei pressed close behind me, trembling. "Whatever that is, it's big. Really big."

Wrath stood with his arms crossed, bloodshot eyes fixed on the darkness ahead.

The scraping sound grew deafening, echoing off the walls until it seemed to come from everywhere at once. Then the blue torchlight ahead flickered and dimmed.

A creature emerged from the shadows, easily fifteen feet tall, with a body that looked like it had been carved from living stone. Its humanoid shape was hunched and twisted, with arms that dragged along the ground ending in hands the size of cart wheels. Glowing green runes covered its surface, pulsing in rhythm with its movements.

But what made my blood run cold was what came behind it. More shapes moving in the darkness. Not just one stone giant, at least five of them, advancing in a slow, inexorable line that filled the entire width of the corridor.

Helena's voice cracked slightly as she whispered, "Stone Golems. Multiple Stone Golems in a single group."

Adrian's confident smile had vanished entirely. Even his well-equipped party was backing up slightly at the sight.

"Hold the line!" Gerald roared. "Mages, focus fire on the lead golem! Archers, aim for the runes!"

The first golem raised its massive fist and brought it down toward our defensive formation with earth-shaking force.

GAAAAAWWWWRRRR!