Point of View: Drakar
The entrance stood right in front of us.
The portal remained open, embedded within a stone arch. Its surface rippled faintly, as if it were breathing, and the symbols carved into the frame emitted a dim, almost hypnotic glow.
My eyes narrowed.
There was no doubt.
This was the dungeon.
The air smelled different.
My ears twitched slightly, picking up every sound around us. Only the wind… the snow… nothing else.
Too clean.
"Move! Quickly!" I ordered, my voice low but firm. "We're going in now."
I didn't know where the abominations were… and I had no intention of finding out out here.
I stepped forward first.
The rest followed without breaking formation.
The moment we crossed the portal, the storm vanished.
The change was immediate.
The wind disappeared.
So did the sound.
The cold remained, but it felt different.
Not as harsh.
My paws touched stone.
Solid.
Dry.
We stood inside a wide cavern. The ceiling was uneven, and crystals jutted from the walls, casting a faint bluish glow. It wasn't enough to bring comfort… just enough to make the shadows visible.
My tail tensed behind me.
Silence.
Too much silence.
I turned my head slightly.
The portal remained open behind me. Through it, I could still see the falling snow, hear the distant wind… as if it belonged to another world.
It did.
Two territories separated by a single passage.
My fangs showed slightly, an involuntary reaction.
"Never ceases to amaze me…" I murmured.
It wasn't fear.
It was instinct.
Something about this place didn't feel right.
I raised a paw.
Everyone stopped.
Bodies tense.
Weapons ready.
Breathing held.
We waited.
My ears rotated, searching… for something.
An echo.
A scrape.
A foreign heartbeat.
Nothing.
Only the distant sound of a droplet falling… echoing through the cavern.
One second.
Two.
Five.
Nothing happened.
That didn't calm me.
It unsettled me even more.
"Seems clear…" I said quietly. "For now."
I scanned the area again.
Too clean.
Too empty.
"Split into groups of five," I ordered. "Search for the entrance to the first floor."
No hesitation.
No questions.
They moved immediately.
Within moments, the groups were formed.
Well-trained.
Well-disciplined.
"Spread out. You have ten minutes. Then return here."
They nodded.
One by one, the groups disappeared into the tunnels branching out before us.
I watched them go.
Counting silently.
One.
Two.
Three groups…
Until the last vanished into the darkness.
Silence returned.
Six of us remained.
Five warriors… and me.
"You," I said without looking at them. "Stay ready. If any group calls for reinforcements, you move immediately."
A feline stepped forward.
"And you, captain?"
I shook my head.
My gaze remained fixed on the portal.
"No."
My ears shifted slightly.
"Someone needs to watch the entrance."
A pause.
"If Rangar's subordinates arrive… I want to be the first to know."
They nodded.
No arguments.
Good.
I shifted my gaze to the notification that had appeared upon entering.
[You have entered a Rank 1 dungeon]
[Time until overflow: 5 days]
My pupils contracted.
Five days.
My jaw tightened.
"So it was true…"
The air inside the cavern felt heavier now.
The information had been correct.
The leaders of the plane were failing at something fundamental.
Letting a Rank 1 dungeon get this close to overflow…
That wasn't normal negligence.
It was a clear sign of the pressure they were under.
But that didn't fully work in our favor.
On the contrary.
My tail moved slowly, rigid.
"Five days…"
My claws brushed lightly against the stone.
That was too little time.
No one would allow a dungeon to reach that point without reason.
That meant only one thing.
They would come.
They had to.
My ears tilted forward.
Alert.
"Even if they're not here now…"
I looked toward the dark tunnels.
"They'll arrive."
A faint tension ran along my spine.
Instinct.
Pure.
Not a thought.
A certainty.
This wouldn't be clean.
It wouldn't be easy.
My breathing slowed.
More controlled.
"We're going to run into them…"
And when that happened…
There would be no negotiation.
I closed my eyes for a second.
The possibility had already been considered.
That was why we had the elixirs.
The masks.
The strategy.
None of this was improvised.
And still…
My fangs remained slightly bared.
"If they show up…"
I opened my eyes.
Cold.
"We fight."
There was no other option.
There never had been.
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
If they didn't show up…
Even better.
The mission would be quick.
Efficient.
Clean.
But I didn't believe that.
Not really.
I looked once more at the portal.
Then into the darkness.
Then toward the paths where my warriors had disappeared.
"No matter what…" I muttered, "we'll have to move fast."